Such a Deal!

Today, American Eagle is offering 25% off and free shipping with the code 32188417.

I might be a super wife and order Mr. Kinne some shirts for work.

Glee! In Book Form!

I was a teeny bit grumpy this week, and my husband knew just what to surprise me with...

Glee: The Beginning

It has a cheese-tastic glittery cover and a bonus fold-out poster, and it is awesome.

I Was a Pre-School Trendsetter

This picture is proof that my love of cardigans is pretty deeply ingrained.

Also, I wish I still had that headband.

Make-Up Monday: Ten Dollars & Under

Did you guys know about this?

Sephora has a little section for items that are ten dollars and under!

This is the perfect idea for me and my teacher-during-the-summer budget. There are some great items, but I am especially eyeing the Benefit Stay Put Set.

A Little Bit of Earth

When I was 11, I told my dad that I wanted a "bit of earth."

You see, I had recently read The Secret Garden, and I was also a huge dork.

My dad patiently planted a little garden with me, and I proceeded to neglect it for most of the summer. Luckily, my dad has the greenest thumb of anyone I know, so my little garden produced veggies and flowers for years to come.

Fast forward, 15 years, and my dad helped me plant another little garden, this time behind my duplex.

I have not neglected it all.

(Unless you count a couple days when I forgot to water it....)

New Earrings!

Last month, I was lucky enough to win these super cute Down & Out Chic earrings through Maggie's Facebook page.

The postal service took its time on delivery, and the earrings arrived a little worse for the the wear. But after a little super glue, they were as good as new.

The little grey flowers go with so many things, while the big yellow chrysanthemums are a bit more dramatic.

The chrysanthemums are, however, the perfect thing to wear while eating fried pickles with your husband. I have photographic proof of that:

Homemade Tortillas

The thing about the summer is I have a little too much time on my hands. And, so I think things like, "I should make homemade tortillas!"

It turns out, this was a time-consuming, but delicious idea.

I used this recipe, because it was one of the few I found that didn't use lard.

(Instead, it replaces it with butter. And I love butter).

Recipe adapted from The Big Book of Bread by Anne Sheasby

Courtesy of Imagelicious

For 12 tortillas

All-purpose flour - 1 1/2 cups (plus a lot more for rolling)

Salt - 1 teaspoon

Baking powder - 1 teaspoon

Butter, room temperature - 3 tablespoons

Warm water - 2/3 cups

- Combine the flour, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl.
- Lightly rub in the butter.
- Make a well in the center, then add enough water, mixing to form a soft dough.
- Knead the dough lightly for 1-2 minutes, then cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
- Divide the dough into 12 equal portions.
- Roll out each portion on a heavily floured surface to form a very thin round.
- Brush out the excess of flour from the tortilla.
- Heat a large non-stick pan until very hot, then add a tortilla and cook for 1.5-2 minutes or until the surface starts to bubble and the underside is speckled brown.
- Turn the tortilla over and brown the other side for about 30 seconds.
- While the tortilla is cooking, roll out another round and repeat.
- You might need to brush away some burned flour from the pan in between cooking the tortillas.
- To re-heat, wrap them in foil and place in a preheated oven at 180C (350F) for about 5 minutes.

Let's Go to the Movies...

I just got back from seeing Ramona and Beezus, and it was adorable.

There were so many good people in it, and it was a really sweet adaptation of the story.

My favorite part was the way the members of the Quimby family interacted with each other, and the way their love shone through even when they were arguing.

I may have cried a couple times.

An Open Letter

Dear Target Shoe Department,

Keep up the good work!

Love,

Mrs. Kinne

(Found via this fun redhead's site)

Cupcake Magic Shell

I got together with girlfriends-- and one guy friend--recently for a night of junk food and "New Moon."

We took this opportunity to taste-test Cupcake Magic Shell, which, it turns out, tastes like super sweet vanilla frosting with sprinkles.

Just keeping you up-to-date on things you can eat that taste like cupcakes.

(Hair and) Make-Up Monday: Goody Spin Pins

The Goody Spin Pin is pretty flipping cool.

It is a magical little pin that is supposed to do the work of twenty bobby pins and create all sorts of fun up-do's. I first saw it on Brooke's adorable blog, and I searched high and low for it.

(When I say "high and low," I mean I checked three stores).

I've been playing around with these contraptions, but they can't exactly stand up to my all of my thick, wavy hair. The two pins that come in the package go into hair like corkscrews, and they do hold my hair in a bun, but after a few hours, several strands come loose.

However, they do create a pretty awesome bun without a pony-tail holder, and they are fun to use, so I am going to keep experimenting with ways to keep all of my hair up in the Spin Pins.

I am seeing a combination bun/ side ponytail in my future....

A Hello Kitty Challenge

First, I have to tell you something.

I love all things Hello Kitty.

Now, I'm not like Mariah Carey with a whole Hello Kitty room... but that is because we do not have millions of dollars.

(Also, because my husband would be less than thrilled).

However, my good friend Mollie, knowing of my love for Hello Kitty, issued me a challenge:

The text reads:

I double-dog dare you to, for one whole day, eat nothing but Hello-Kitty shaped food. Challenge extended.

I have accepted the challenge, and I am now figuring out how to spend 24 hours eating only things that are cat-shaped.

I'll be sure to keep you posted.

Dream Out Loud

So, apparently, Selena Gomez has an adorable clothing line coming out at K-Mart.

Can an adult woman do part of her back-to-school shopping in the juniors' section?

A List

These are the things that Barney is currently sleeping on top of:

- The bag that my Lands End Canvas dress came in

- The remote for the DVD Player

- Two 2-pound weights

- A teacher supply catalog

Sometimes I Ask Myself...

"What would Betty Draper wear?"

I think this cute dress from Mango might make the cut.

A Target Look-Alike

I finally ordered the Lands End Canvas Fit and Flare dress that I had been admiring forever.

On sale! With free shipping!

But, I also found a very similar style at Target for about 11 dollars less than the sale price of the Canvas dress.

It is called the Mossimo Black 2fer Tank Dress, and right now it's only available in an extra large.

I'm going to keep an eye on it to see if other sizes come back into stock, because it wouldn't be bad to own both, right?

Paperglitter Printables (Say That Three Times Fast!)

Once, when I was 11, I won a year's supply of Diet Coke, and that is still the coolest thing I have ever won in my life.

But, a close second? The gift certificate I won to paperglitter's Etsy shop!

There is so much cuteness, all in PDF form, so you can print the items you buy as many times as you want.

You can also check out Linnette's blog, for a bunch of free printables, including the cupcake toppers I used for Father's Day.

Make-Up Monday: Tokidoki Pittura Brush Set

Holy moly, how cute is this Tokidoki brush set?

While I don't need new brushes, I just want to have them tucked into my make-up bag to brighten those mornings when I don't want to get out of bed.

Making Water Taste Less Like Water

Because it is a trillion degrees outside, I have been trying to drink lots of water to stay hydrated.

The only problem is that water is boring.

So, I have been buying these flavor packets to shake up in my water bottle. My current favorites are these little packets of crystallized lemon and lemonade:

The best is the raspberry lemonade, because it is both delicious and pink.

Two Future Etsy Shop Owners

When I came home from summer school, I had Mr. Kinne snap a picture of my new accessories:

One of my kiddos made me an awesome flower headband, and another student made me a kick-butt necklace.

Yeah, I've got connections.

More Ice Cream Making Adventures

We visited our friends with the ice cream maker again, and this time we made Cookies and Cream.

We took Cuisinart's Simple Vanilla Ice Cream recipe and added a cup of crushed Oreo cookies.

It tasted like Oreos mixed with magic.

Maybe It Will Go On Sale....

First, I would like to note that it is approximately one million degrees in New England right now.

Second, I want this dress to magically transport itself into my closet, so I can wear it to summer school tomorrow.

Black Cherry Sherbet

It is hard to find good couple friends.

First, both you and your partner have to like both of the other people.

Plus, it's nice if they live nearby and are in a fairly strong relationship. (When couple friends break up, it can be messy).

We are super lucky, because not only do we have fabulous couple friends, those couple friends own an ice-cream maker.

Oh, hello Black Cherry Sherbet....

Make-Up Monday: Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer in Merlot

I love this little yellow tube.

This lip shimmer provides all of the fabulous moisturizing benefits of a lip balm in a lovely shade of red.

It isn't super long lasting, but it is 100% natural, so you are doing your lips good when you re-apply.

Plus, it is available at Target, my home away from home.

Living Room Photo Shoot

My very patient husband agreed to take some pictures of my gorgeous new lip color for Monday's post, and it turned into a mini photo shoot.

Please enjoy my adorable cat and new flats from Target.

(Flats that I purchased for $4.48. Four dollars and forty-eight cents!)

Things I Love Right Now

1. The fact that James Franco is back on General Hospital. (I have no idea why he is on the show, but my theory is that his grandma is a big fan).

2. This necklace from the In Honor of Design Etsy shop.

3. Having time to read a whole book.

I Am Now Planning a Trip to London in My Head

I know that France is sort of having a moment right now, with everyone loving Paris and stripey dresses and macarons.

But me? I'm a fan of England.

So, I was extra excited when our British houseguests brought us British presents!

Because Sophie knows and loves me, she brought plenty of Dairy Milk.

However, the best present of all was this amazing Cath Kidston bag.

I am now a little bit obsessed with all things Cath Kidston.

I had seen a few things on the adorable Torie Jayne's site, but I did not realize that this brand was all the rage in the U.K.

The Cath Kidston site is full of ridiculously cute floral, polka-dot creations, and it is probably a good thing that shipping to the U.S. is approximately a million pounds.

That will keep me from buying everything.