How I Asked My Maids

I am so blessed to have some amazing friends in my life.  

When I got engaged, I knew exactly who I wanted to be a part of my big day.

& I also knew I wanted to ask my bridesmaids, maid of honor, & flower girl in a very special way.

After wracking my brain trying to come up with a clever way to ask my nearest & dearest, a light bulb went off in my head while driving to work one morning!  Out if nowhere a couple cute stanzas in what I call now my "bridesmaid poem" popped into my head.  As soon as I got to work & wrote them down & added a couple more verses. 

I knew it was my perfect way...

I'm not saying I'm Shakespeare or anything, but I don't think that's the point at all!  My poem to my girlfriends is super basic as far as structure, but has a few inside jokes, makes you laugh (and hopefully cry a little) & is really personalized. 

 Just what I wanted!  

I printed out the poems on nice paper (purchased from any office supply store) 

& framed them in these AMAZING vintage frames I found on Etsy.com.

 

The finished product... 

I wrapped them in simple brown package paper & put a glittery silver bow on them.  I'm happy to say my maid of honor & my bridesmaids laughed & cried! Mission accomplished!!  ;)

Ps.  I wrote a special version for my niece (flower girl), too.

I put hers in the same frame & wrapped it the same way so she was just like the "big girls".  ;)

xoxo Shauna

Mascara Review

For years, around 11 actually, the only mascara I would use was L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara.  If it's not broken don't fix it, right?

Well... Then in broke {ugh}.  L'Oreal must have changed the formula in their mascara slightly (I'm not crazy, others I've talked to have experienced the same thing) because for the last couple of bottles purchased, the mascara is just not the same!  It smears everywhere, so 1/2 way through the day I have mascara eyelash prints on my upper lid & what looks like dark circles under my lower lashes (the mascara was smudging under my eyes).  Not a good look.

What to do?  Be pissed!  Haha, and then turn to the blogging world of course!  I purchased 2 mascaras highly recommended by bloggers, the first being Benefit's They're Real Mascara.

I loved the way that this mascara made my lashes look, but it's impossible to get off!  I felt like I was ripping out my lashes at the end of the day, which is kind of counterproductive, right?  I threw the hole tube away.

 

I'm currently using NXY Doll Eye Mascara & I really like it!  Even better, it's a lot less expensive than Benefit ($9 compared to $23).  It gives me great length, doesn't clump, dries quickly, and doesn't smudge throughout the day.  Winner! 

What mascaras do you ladies use?  

Has anyone experienced the same L'Oreal dilemma?

xoxo Shauna

My Weekend via My iPhone

Hope everybody had an amazing weekend!  

Mine was spent with friends & family & I couldn't feel more blessed with all of the amazing people in my life... 

Here are some snapshots from the last couple of days... 

 

We received our first official wedding gift this weekend!  So thoughtful & cute!  

Definitely made my day :)

 

 

 

Friend's birthday dinner at Tamarind of London.

 

My fiance surprised me with a mini herb garden on our back patio!  

Complete with lavender plants (my favorite)!  

A quick run to Anthropology for some new candles (they have the BEST)& I fell in LOVE with these French-vintage style dishes.  I die over the tea cups & serving pieces.  I think I also NEED the milk-glass style white juice glasses!

 

My Sunday morning was spent visiting these pretty kitties! The mostly orange one in the back is coming home with my parents when she's old enough!  She's only about 5 weeks old, so we have to wait a few more weeks to take her home. 

 

And their daddy!  Sweetest, biggest, most amazing cats ever!  The breed is called Main Coon & yes, they are really THAT big!  

Some more flowers my fiance surprised me with this weekend.  

He's amazing.  I love him. 

xoxo Shauna

OOTN

 

Last night I went out on a double date for one of my closest friend's birthday.  We went to Tamarind of London in Newport Coast & Mastro's Ocean Club for drinks after.  I'm definitely feeling that second Mastro's lemon drop this morning, but it was worth it & we had a great time! If you're in the OC Mastro's is a MUST for cocktails (the lemon drop has dry ice in it so it smokes & bubbles while you drink it).  

What I wore: 

H&M peplum top (obsessed with this trend), Joe's Jeans skinnies, Target pumps, Marc Jacobs bag.

xoxo Shauna

Healthy Banana Muffins

 

Newly engaged, my fience & I just moved in together & I'm definitely in "nesting" mode, making him breakfast smothies, packing his lunch & making dinner every night (haha the things LOVE does to a girl), so I plan on sharing some of my favorite recipes with you guys!  I'm definitely an extremely healthy eater & cooker & have been slowly converting my fince over to a health nut, too.

Before, we were putting Fiber One bars in his lunch, but I just didn't like the idea of all those preservatives & sugar.  I figured I could make a healthier version myself at home! 

After finding Keeping Up With the Joneses banana muffin recipe on Pinterest, I decided that I would tweak the recipe & amp it up a bit, adding some protein powder & other healthy additions & after several weeks of playing with the recipe I think we have a winner!  I love that there's no flower, butter, or sugar in these muffins & hope you guys like them too!

 

Healthy Banana Muffins

Ingredients 

-2 /1/2 cup old fashioned oats

-1 cup yogurt (I use goat yogurt)

-2 eggs
 

-1/4 cup organic agave (you can use stevia, but since these are for my fiance, I'm not too concerned with calories)

 -1 1/2 tsp baking powder

-1/2 tsp baking soda

-2 bananas

-2 tsp cinnamon (heart healthy & yummy)

-3 heaping tbsp vanilla protein powder (fills you up, adds extra a little extra protein to your diet, & also tastes super yummy in the muffins!!)

Instructions

Heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit & spray your muffin pan with cooking spray.

In a blender, slowly combine ingredients together, being sure to add oats in little doses so you don't freeze your blending process.

Pour mixture into muffin pan & make for 20-25 minutes.

Tips

Store your muffins in the fridge!  They'll only keep for a few days before they get moldy in the pantry (the price you pay for preservative free food)!

You can add a wide variety of additions to these muffins, I've tried sliced almonds & want to try dried cranberries when it starts to feel a little more like fall around here.  

Get creative & ENJOY! 

xoxo Shauna

 

OOTD Casual Friday

When I don't have to meet with clients or business associates, I take full advantage of casual Fridays :)

 

My trusty Lululemon Wonder Unders, top by Michael Stars, 

& Cole Haan riding boots.

Hope everyone has an amazing weekend!

xoxo Shauna

Cheap Thrills

Cheap Thrills by shaunajs featuring polka dot tops

Some current "cheap thrills" in my shopping carts.  I love the nude sandals with a pop of pink, the Joie dress at $99 is such a STEAL, super cute booties from F21, getting a fix for my peplum fetish,  & getting ready for fall with some cozy, easy to wear sweaters.

xoxo Shauna