I read a post on Lucky Magazine last week by their associate digital editor, Alison Syrett Cleary, that flip-flops are just a "sloppy" fashion statement. She thinks they make casual wear look even "less pulled together" and well don't get her started on how bad they make "dressier" ensembles look! 

Then, her colleague Madeline Alford wrote a pro flip-flop piece on all the reasons why she loves flip-flops for casual and dressier occasions during the Summer! She does however say that flip-flops are not for the "office, theater, or first date (unless poolside)". 

I know there are doctors out there who say flip-flops aren't great for our feet, but there are thousands if not millions of women who still wear high heels every day, so you really won't see either of these footwear trends ever go away just because the experts have warned us not to wear them! 

My question for you ladies is, which side do you sit (or should I say walk) on? I appreciate that one magazine posted both sides and discussed how it was a hot topic issue during a meeting in their office. 

Are you wondering how I feel about flip-flops, well here is my answer for you....

Now although I love wearing flip-flops all Summer long, I am pretty picky about them. I can't stand those thin flip-flops or ones that have too much going on. Two years ago I discovered the Nike South Beach flip-flop at Kohl's and couldn't believe the comfort. It has enough sole to give my foot good support and has a nice thick, soft strap that doesn't rub my foot the wrong way! Plus, they are still wearable two years later, now that's a good flip-flop! 

I posted the flip-flop question on my personal Facebook page and at the time of writing this I received three yays. Tell me, where do you stand?! 

 Don't forget to stop back on Thursday for the Five Things link up party...this week I'm sharing my favorite craft and recipe ideas for Independence Day aka the 4th of July here in the states! 

Thanks for stopping by, have a great day! 

Five Things: Beach Vacation Must Haves

Ladies, you know we cram our travel bags with everything that we can possibly fit inside them, but there are some items that are a bit more important than others and just help to make any vacation complete. So since this year for vacation we're going to the beach I thought I would share with you my beach vacation must haves. I had to really narrow it down for my Five Things link up party, but you know there are definitely more than five things in my bag! 

1. Five Things link up is posted every Thursday at Midnight EST. Share any five things that are on your mind right now. Whether it's something you are obsessing with on Pinterest, a new and exciting event going on in your life, or even sharing five of your favorite books; it's totally up to you. 

2. Please put the Five Things button on the post you're sharing for the link up; sharing is caring, the more players involved the more fun we'll have.

3. Please follow both your hosts Diana from The World Around Her and Tairalyn from Little Miss Mama via Facebook {here and here} and/or Twitter {here and here}. As it’s not mandatory it is greatly appreciated.

4. If you tweet about your post or Instagram it, feel free to tag me or Tairalyn and use the hashtag, #FiveThingsParty

5. Check out the other bloggers who have linked up, show them some love and comment on at least one other bloggers link-up post.

Shall we get the party started...

1. A great beach tote bag is a must, how else am I going to carry not only my own must haves, but items that everyone else wants while relaxing pool side or on the beach! I bet we actually have more of our family members items in our beach tote than our own things, am I right or am I right?! PS this awesome DIY bag was made for my birthday by my lovely friend Busy Bee Kate!

2. SUNSCREEN, SUNSCREEN, SUNSCREEN!!!! I cannot stress this beach vacation must have enough. There's a personal story to go along with this, but I'll leave that for another post. Just please wear sunscreen. 

3. If I'm relaxing on the beach or tanning at the pool I need a good book to read, I cannot just sit there and people watch! I just finished John Green's "The Fault in Our Stars", I loved it and loathed it at the same time. It started out really great, the main character Hazel is a sarcastic teen that reminded me of my own girls, so she pretty much came to life for me right off the pages of the book. However, there were just too many unrealistic events for me to really feel like I was connecting with any of the characters. Yes, I cried and cried some more, cancer sucks and I have dealt with loss in my life because of it, so on that level I did connect, but as a whole I wanted more. Oh, and don't get me started on how it ended! Overall I would give it a B. Have you read it, what did you think? So, now I need a new book to read, any suggestions? 

4. If you're going on a beach vacation you need the perfect swimsuit, one you can feel comfortable yet sexy in. A few years ago I purchased a high neck swimsuit at Kohl's, similar to the one in the photo, and now I'm convinced that this style is the best ever (well for my body shape that is)! I'm a once piece swimsuit kind of gal, how about you? 

5. You can't enjoy a vacation without the right tunes! Before I moved to the burbs I didn't really listen to country at all, it was actually on my can't stand list, haha! But then something happen when we moved here and I became an almost country only chick, believe it or not this girl from the city is listening to country music! I just can't stand most of today's pop music, I still love my Matchbox Twenty, One Republic, Pink, and other rock pop artists and singer song writers. But the "today's hits" station on Pandora just turns me off and has me running in the other direction. It seems to be all rave, night club type music; just not for me. So now that country has gone more rock and pop I've become obsessed with artists like Miranda Lambert, Luke Bryan, Little Big Town, Jason Aldean, Darius Rucker, The Band Perry, Lady A, Rascal Flatts, and Jake Owen, who just so happens to have the perfect Summer song out right now... "Beachin''...it can't get better than that, can it?! 

So, where are you headed this Summer for vacation, what are your top must haves that you cram inside your luggage? 

Link up with us and share the five things that are on your mind this week, we want to hear what's going on in your life too! 

Refreshing Iced Green Tea Recipe

 My mom used to make homemade iced tea all the time, and for some reason like her baked ziti recipe, which you can check out here, it took me this long to finally make it myself. I wanted to give her a call when I thought about making it, but knew she was at work so I began a search on Google and YouTube to find the perfect recipe.

I have watched my mom several times as she put the tea bags in the pot on the stove, so I knew the process was pretty simple, but I just wasn't sure of the exact amount of water or tea bags the recipe called for. While mom always made the traditional iced tea, I was considering green tea bags for mine. After watching a few not so great recipe videos on YouTube, I finally stumbled upon the easiest homemade iced green tea recipe on Woman's Day magazine....

Kirkland is a Costco Wholesale house brand. Now there may be some of you who would never buy a store brand, however I've never been one to shy away from them. I compare the ingredients and if everything looks the same, why not purchase the less expensive brand, right?! I have to tell you, their green tea bags are really rich in flavor compared to others I've tried that just taste like you're drinking hot water! 

The recipe on Woman's Day called for 4 cups of water and 6 tea bags, not wanting to change anything I followed the ingredients and directions as is. But after I poured the green tea into my 1/2 gallon pitcher, I realized I would need more to fill it up. I poured another 4 cups of water in the pot, let it come to a boil, turned off the heat, and actually reused the same 6 tea bags, then covered the pot with the lid and allowed the bags to steep for three minutes. 

Isn't the color gorgeous? I just love how the iced green tea looks in my personalized glass pitcher, which was a birthday gift from my best friend Becky a few years ago. 

At the time of putting the recipe together I didn't have any fresh fruit in the house, but now that I have strawberries I'm wondering how the results would taste if I added them in?! It's not as strong tasting as I expected it to be, so I may double up the amount of tea bags next time I make it. I also added in a few teaspoons of sugar, which is totally up to personal preference. 

Recipe Ingredients for a 1/2 gal glass pitcher: 

• 8 cups of water
• 12 green tea bags 
• honey or sugar for sweetener 

Recipe Directions: 

• Bring 8 cups of water to almost a boil, turn off heat
• Add 12 green tea bags, cover with lid. 
• Let your tea bags steep for 3 minutes 
• Remove bags and transfer to glass pitcher. Add in honey or sugar and refrigerate to cool

Modified Recipe from Woman's Day. 

This just may be my new favorite Summer drink! What are some drink recipes you like to make to cool things down during hot Summer days? 

Thanks for stopping by, have a great day!