D.I.Y. mirror dresser with overlays for under $150

While redecorating my room, I thought it would be a great idea to get a mirrored dresser (minus the hefty price tag). Seriously, some of these dressers retail anywhere from $300 to $1,000. Ain't nobody got to spend that! I decided to make my own. All for under $150. If you saw my D.I.Y. nightstand from Ikea post, then you know I'm all about Doing It Myself for cheap!

I headed down to my local Ikea (which was an experience in itself). After a trek of 20 minutes through a maze of bright lights, I made it to the warehouse. I picked out my wood Malm dresser. Yes, wood because the store was conveniently out of stock in the white, even though their inventory was said to have 3 in stock. *sigh* The malm dresser retails for $79.99 and was super easy to put together. Score!

After a few quick coats of paint, I indeed had myself a white dresser.

Next, I ordered overlays from MyOverlays.com They have soooooo many to choose from and are customized to fit over Ikea furniture. I ordered "Jasmine" and the cost was $55.95 for all three drawers.

While waiting for delivery of my overlays, I got my mirror from Lowe's. Select a 30" x 24" piece and have the handy dandy people at Lowe's cut it for you (FOR FREE) into three 8" x 30" strips. While at Lowe's, get your adhesive glue. I chose Liquid Nails. Worked like a charm. Total setback for cost of Mirror and Glue was $15.00

Now get to gluing! You want to lay the dresser on it's back (or remove shelves and lay them with front facing ceiling) and apply a thin layer of glue around border of the back side of the mirror. Then apply more glue in a big X across the back. Apply mirror to drawer and clean it of any residue. 

Apply glue around border of the back of your overlay and then dot all around backing (careful not to use too much glue as it will ooze out once you press it on top of your mirror). Press overlay on top of mirror and clean up any residue. 

Repeat with the two other drawers.

Gather heavy items and weigh down area. This is important and the most annoying step because if you're like me, you hate waiting and are anxious to have your dresser completed. But you need to wait a full 24 hours before even thinking about touching your dresser or else you run the risk of gravity sliding the mirror and overlay off and or peeling corners of the overlay. Not so pretty and not so chic. So WAIT 24 HOURS!

Once the 24 hours have ended, place your dresser upright (or return your drawers to the dresser) and Tada!

You now have your own mirrored dresser for under $150.95 Not a bad deal!

XOXO

Macaroni and Cheese Chicken bake

I stumbled upon this recipe from Gimme some Oven and I seriously cannot stop making and eating it.

It's so cheesy and yummy!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound dry pasta (I used small shells, but you could use macaroni or any shape of pasta)
• 1 bunch broccoli, cut into bite-sized florets (or frozen works too)
• 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup vegetable or chicken stock
• 1 cup milk, warmed
• 2 1/2 cups freshly-grated cheddar cheese (I recommend sharp cheddar)
• 1/2 cup freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon finely-ground black pepper, or more to taste
• 2 cooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• (optional topping for the baked version) 1/2 cup extra shredded cheddar cheese and 1/2 cup breadcrumbs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Cook pasta al dente in a large stockpot of salted water according to package instructions.  About 2-3 minutes before the pasta reaches al dente, add in the broccoli florets and let them cook alongside the pasta for the remainder of the cooking time.  Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, as the pasta water is heating, melt butter in a (separate) medium saute pan over medium-high heat.  Add garlic and saute for 1 minute or until fragrant, stirring occasionally.  Whisk in the flour until combined and cook for an additional 1 minute, whisking occasionally.  Slowly whisk in vegetable or chicken stock until the mixture is smooth.  Then slowly whisk in the milk until it is combined.  Continue cooking for 1-2 minutes, or until the mixture comes to a simmer.  Then remove from heat, and stir in the cheddar, Parmesan, salt and pepper until the cheese sauce is smooth.  Remove from heat.
Once the pasta and broccoli are cooked, pour the cheese sauce on top of the pasta, add in the chicken, and toss until everything is evenly combined.
At this point, you can either serve the pasta stovetop-style as-is.  Or pour the pasta into a greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish, and sprinkle with extra cheddar cheese and breadcrumbs.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the top becomes slightly crispy and the breadcrumbs are slightly golden.  Remove and serve immediately.

Enjoy! XOXO

21 day arm sculpting challenge

Summer is right around the corner. You know what that means. Sun's out, guns out! I completed this 21 day arm sculpting challenge and am looking a little more chiseled if I do say so myself:

Here's what I did:

Exercises can be seen here

Here's my progress:

 Very little definition

Some muscle

Boom

Not bad for 21 days. This challenge was VERY easy to follow. I nailed all 5 exercises in under 5 minutes every other day. I saw improvement and definition within 7 days. I really started to feel the burn by day 17. Super glad I stuck with it! Are you up for the challenge? Feel free to comment below.

XOXO

Dating Diaries tidbit

That moment where you prefer the original...

not a copy....

XOXO

Happy Mother's Day - Strawberry Shortcake Recipe

I hope you all had a lovely Mother's Day celebrating with your mamas. I decided to make my mom brunch for this mother's day. I showered her with flowers and food :) See the recipe for these delicious Strawberry Shortcakes that are so easy to make:

You'll need:
1 can Pillsbury Grands Buttermilk buscuits
2 tbsp margarine, melted
1/4 cup sugar
3 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup whipped cream (I used Reddi Whip)

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees
2. Combine margarine and sugar and brush over top and sides of biscuits
3. Place biscuits on ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 375 for 13-17 minutes
4. Let biscuits cool for 5 minutes
5. Combine Strawberries and vanilla extract in a bowl. (Adding more sugar if preferred)
6. Split biscuits, layer on whipped cream, and strawberries
7. Enjoy!

Happy Mother's Day!

XOXO

Dating Diaries tidbit: Naughty Santa

When a guy dressed up as Santa, holding a cat, messages me on a dating site asking If I want to cuddle, I think....

No....no, Naughty Santa No. Uh uh.

XOXO

Mother's Day craft - Mom Canvas

Here is a fun little project to get the kids crafting for Mother's Day. 

You'll need:

Canvas or Painting paper

Paint

Brushes/sponges

Letter stencils

Clear gloss paint

Start with your canvas or painting paper and let the kids go crazy with swirls, designs, regular brush strokes, or by dabbing sponges.

Once your background is dry, place stencil letters on canvas and paint. We used M and O to spell "Mom" but the sky is the limit. You can write "I love you" "Mama", anything you want.

Once your letters dry, top it with a coat of clear gloss paint to preserve.

Give it to Mom and tell her how much you love her!

XOXO

Texting No Nos

It's bad enough that some guys can barely hold together a verbal conversation. It's worse when they cannot seem to keep a texting conversation from falling apart. Being the helpful soul that I am, I've compiled a list of texting no nos to help a brotha out on his bold mission of texting a girl for the first time.

1. Do not text "hey". Hay is for horses you jackass.

2. Do not text her without telling her who the fuck you are and where the fuck she would know you from. Newsflash, you're not the only dude she's given her number to this week.



3. Do not lie and say "This is Tim, remember?" When in fact your name is Billy and you are "testing" the girl. It's not funny and You will fail every time.

4. Do not text her asking for a selfie right then and there. She did not "wake up like this".

5. Do not overuse acronyms. wyd?, wryut?, OMG! WTF? man, you sound like a lazy teenager.

6. Do not send her a selfie that you don't fully feel confident about. IE awkward smiles and fucked up hair. If she was debating you before, she's fully forwarding the picture to all of her friends to get in on judgement of you.

7. Do not ask her to get together right then and there. A girl's gotta plan.

8. Do not send her a dick pic. It's not attractive in any shape or form. Refer to #6. She'll be sending this picture to all of her friends to make fun of you.

9. Do not text her while drunk. You think it's a good idea at the time but I guarantee you'll make an ass of yourself. Spelling mistakes and missing words are not cute.

10. Do not text her past 10:00. She ain't no holla back girl.

This has been a public service announcement. Thank you and you're welcome.

XOXO

Mother's Day Gift Guide

Mother's day is right around the corner. It's Sunday, May 8th for those that are calendar or date remembering challenged. With that in mind, I've rounded up a few of my favorite gift ideas for good old mama. 

How cute is this "You are a good mom." $14 mug from  Nordstrom (the inside reads "That's all".) I also like their other mug that reads "You are my mom. You are crazy". 

 I am obsessed with this "Mother of dragons" t shirt that Drew Barrymore is wearing. Similar tees available on Etsy. My favorite is from LostCoveApparel They have several different colors to choose from and tees retail for $14.99

For the flashy mama, I am loving this gold "mama" necklace from Cult of Youth $35  

These handmade lavender candles from AromaLab read "Mom (noun) 1.Superwoman: Best friend 2. I'm so lucky to have you as my mom" A sweet smelling gift for $20

How adorable is this "Obey your mom" pillow cover? A good reminder for $19 from Nest2Impress

You can never go wrong with flowers for mother's day. Make them even more special with these "mom" mason jars from OMGMASONS $24

Any gift for mom will be loved along with the right card. These are my 2 personal favs: 

"As you suspected, you were right about everything" $4.13 from BettieConfetti

And the classic "Dear Mama" from PabloPanda $5.99

Being a mom is a 24/7 job that never stops or slows down. Show mom how much she is appreciated today and every day. Feel free to comment below and share your favorite mother's day gift ideas.

XOXO