pretty plain janes

shades for fall

August 31, 2015

There is something about the light in the fall that is so crisp…so clear…so blinding. While you’re focusing on the boots, jackets and hats don’t forget to pick yourself up a pair of new shigady’s. Personally I love the modern update on rounded shapes (1), and how about those brow bar accents(1)?! Of course you can never go wrong with a classic aviator(3) or oversized hollywood in black(5). And those cateye shades (2) – talk about the perfect meld of vintage and attitude. Which one would you choose?

1Steve Madden metal brow bar sunglasses/2Jessica Simpson cateye sunglasses/3A J Morgan aviator shades/4Forever 21 round intergalactic shades/5H&M sunglasses

xo,

Posted in acessories, style, trends | Tagged Post by Brandy J | Leave a comment

weekend agenda

August 28, 2015

Today is one of those days where my brain cannot get out of it’s own way long enough to even form a complete thought.

[After reading previous sentence 14 times I am still not sure it makes sense…]

My man has been gone most of the week and as much as I hate to admit it, I go a little batty when I don’t have my partner in crime to lean on. He is home this afternoon to allow me to catch up on some work and prep for a garage sale we are having tomorrow morning. As I was heading upstairs to my office I looked over at him and thought…you know what, work can wait.

What followed was 39 minutes, give or take, of him listening and me talking. I hate it when I leave a conversation thinking “damn, I talked too much and listened too little.” But you know what?.. Things were brewing. And if I can’t unload all my crazy, irrational, random thoughts on my best friend…then who can I talk to?

There are so many things I only have myself to blame for…but everyday we are given is a opportunity to be a better person than we were the day before. And when you have someone you can share your whole self with…the good, the bad, the crazy ugly…it can only mean you must be doing something right.

I’m not 100% sure what I am doing right. But whatever it is I don’t ever want to stop.

This weekend I want vegetable parmesan, craft beer, late night chats with Sticky and lots of together time with these beautiful creatures:

Yeah, definitely doing something right…

Cheers!

Posted in personal | Tagged Post by Brandy J | Leave a comment

free fruity lunch note printables

August 27, 2015

Day 2 of preschool and I was already flying around the house like a crazy lady in order to get one school-goer out the door with a little one in tow. Giving myself plenty of time is not a skill I posses. (Quite honestly I think I get some sort of sick rush out of the pressure to make it out the door on time. I blame my genes.)

To make my life slightly easier I thought why not have some cute lunch notes ready that I can jot a quick message on. Jettie will love how fun they are (especially the play on words, she’s so into that lately) and I’ll love the fact that they made her smile at lunchtime.

Of course I had to share with the rest of you! These are perfect for throwing in a bag or box. You can write your child a note on the back or place on a chalkboard lid beside a message. Kids love to feel like someone is thinking about them – heck, don’t we all love that?!

I can’t decide which is my favorite. Fruit is so darn cute these days!

If you want some of these for your little ones lunch simply:

Download the FREE printable
Print on 8.5×11 paper (card stock works best but regular paper in a pinch is fine)
Cut out each shape (try to cut on the side of the dark guide line near the graphic so the line will not show after completely cut out)

Be sure to stash them in a safe place as to not ruin the surprise. If you would be interested in seeing more free lunch note printables on PPJ please leave a comment here or on FB, Twitter or IG. Thinking about some monthly or seasonal versions – curious if the rest of you would be on board with that as well.

As for Jettie…I know it is very early in the game but she could not be loving school more. I cannot believe how grown up she seems in a mere week. That smile really says it all doesn’t it?

Cheers to crazy mornings and cute lunches!

xo,

Posted in etsy shop, freebie | Tagged Post by Brandy J | 4 Comments

raspberry coffee cake

August 26, 2015

Okay Ohio, it is August and these mornings are feeling very fall-like. Typically this month is hot and muggy – I suppose since it rained the 1st half of the summer you are cutting us a break with this outrageously comfortable 8th month of the year.

If you think you have fooled me though, you would be wrong. I know the pleasantry will not last long. More than likely fall is coming early to make way for a hellish winter. (As if the last few haven’t been bad enough.)

But let’s not dwell on the possible cold-ass future shall we? Instead let’s make coffee and eat cake. That’s a much more productive use of our time.

Oh how I love a good coffee cake. This one in particular is a keeper. Perfect for this transitional time of year when you’ve got the itch for all things fall but fresh, dirt cheap summer fruits are still to be had. Raspberries were the deal of the week on my last grocery visit. Gorgeous, plump raspberries – ideal companion for a light and fluffy cake.

Can we all agree that you can’t call a cake “coffee cake” unless it has a streussel topping? Specifically one loaded with cinnamon. Mornings aren’t so bad when you know you have a crisp layer of butter, sugar and cinnamon to crack through for breakfast. (I know I’ve asked this before but it’s worth repeating….who do we have to thank for making cake appropriate for breakfast? Because they rule.)

Looking at these images is making me think coffee cake is also lunch appropriate. As well as an extra cup of coffee. I will if you will…

Enjoy!

raspberry coffee cake

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

45 mins

Total time

55 mins

Author: Recipe from Buns In My Oven

Serves: 9

Ingredients

For the streusel topping:
½cup granulated sugar
⅓cup all-purpose flour
1tsp ground cinnamon
¼cup unsalted butter, softened
For the cake:
2cups all-purpose flour
¾cups granulated sugar
¼cup unsalted butter, softened
¾cup milk
1 egg
2½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp kosher salt
2.5cups fresh or frozen raspberries

Instructions

Preheat oven 375degreesF. Grease a 9" round spring form pan or 9" square baking dish with butter.
Place streusel ingredients in a bowl. Mash with a fork into well combine and a little clumpy. Set aside.
Combine all cake ingredients, except the raspberries, in a mixing bowl. Beat for 30 seconds. Can use a mixer or do by hand. Gently fold in raspberries.
Pour cake batter evenly into prepared dish. Top evenly with streusel. Place in oven and bake for 40 to 50 minutes - until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Posted in breakfast, brunch, recipes, something sweet | Tagged Post by Brandy J | Leave a comment

hair color fall 2015

August 25, 2015

Fall is coming which means it’s time to press the reset button on our hair color! I am way overdo for a refresher (story of my life – my poor hair). The dark side is calling my name…or at least that’s what I am thinking as of today. #1 is something I’ve done before and know works for me. But #5 is different and intoxicating…

Check out my considerations and a few others!

1single process brunette – a classic that never goes out of style. A definite option for my fall color reboot./2cool, frosty blonde – a less harsh version of platinum that makes all girls who love going light swoon. Allover blonde is not my thing but if it was I would be running to the salon for this shade./3bronde – it’s not going away and why would it? Warm, honey highlights intertwined with a gorgeous shade of brown. That fall light twinkles through these strands making you look pretty damn fabulous while sipping your cider./4candy dipped hair – you will find a plethora of tutorials on how to do this yourself (like this one). Obviously not for everyone but if you are in the mood for something funky, fresh then by all means throw some pastel in your hair!/5deep, dark auburn – can we talk about how amazing this is? I’m generally not one to consider red but this shade has me drooling. Granted it could be the fact that little miss hottie Emma makes every hair color fabulous. (And she has a sexy smokey voice! Girlfriend has it all!) Nonetheless, this is on my possibility roster.

What hair color are you considering?

xo,

Posted in beauty, hair | Tagged Post by Brandy J | Leave a comment

shades for fall

weekend agenda

free fruity lunch note printables

raspberry coffee cake

hair color fall 2015

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