lifestyle Archives - Page 22 of 27

My picks from Amazon Fashion!

Some of my Favorite Amazon Fashion picks! Tried and true at a great value. These make for great Holiday outfits and a great gift as well.

Hello Beautiful’s!

I’ve reported on some of the Amazon fashion before {here} and I am telling you there is some great deals and some really good quality pieces. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality and really happy with the prices. You can even buy Jcrew on here now! Say what?

I wanted to scour the fashion department and see what I could dig up for you! Some of these items you have to grab quick because it’s a fab deal and lower quantity. Some pieces are great for Holiday outfits and even great for gifts. Mostly I choose pieces you can wear everyday throughout the Holidays and Winter! I see myself wearing the buffalo plaid button up with leggings on a snowy day wrapping gifts!:)

Henley top at a steal! perfect to wear on a casual day or layer under your favorite sweater or jacket. $1.99 Yes… you read that correct..$1.99 size up! At this price you can grab a couple!
V-neck ruffle sweater – One of my favorite sweaters to wear with jeans or with a pretty skirt for the Holiday’s. $49.00 and true to size.
Soft Heart Shape Balls Hand Knit V-Neck Sweater Pullover-Hand knit and so easy to wear. Pair with jeans or dresses for a easy-going also elegant look. Such beautiful quality and a great classic piece to add to your wardrobe. True to size $75
Women’s Turn Down Collar Asymmetric Hem Plaids Wrap Coat– Perfect for the cooler weather and still looking Chic. I love the lines and great for adding color to simple jeans and tee. True to size and a great price $44.99
Heart elbow patches sweater– a Perfect gift and so fun to wear. I get so many compliments on mine. $22.99-30
At the time I went to post this top SOLD out in All 3 colors sorry!
Women’s Long Sleeve Bow Tie Ruffle Collar Lace Chiffon Blouse– What a deal at $18.99 and perfect for your Holiday outfits or for the office. I would even wear it with jeans and heals. Size up
Plaid & check button up top– This top is great to layer with legging and jeans, perfect for a casual day and a steal at $4.99 true to size or size up to wear larger and cozier with leggings! Makes a great gift for the person on your list that likes leggings or a cabin look!
Star knit sweater – Chicwish Women’s Comfy Casual Long Sleeve Shredded Stars Print Black and White Knit Top Pullover Sweater $43.00 Have you tried any fashion from amazon? How about your Holiday shopping are you just getting started or finished? Me? We’ll I have a light year this year. Our boys want 1 larger item and we’re traveling for the Holiday’s this year so my list really isn’t very large. This year we wanted to do things with our family verses purchasing a bunch of gifts for each other. I might miss wrapping the piles and piles of gifts I normally have surrounding the trees! I’ll keep you posted:) on that! Do you love wrapping? I think the gift of a beautiful package is just as important as whats inside….but thats just me.. I love to wrap! Make sure to follow my instagram, I’ll be sharing some of my favorite ways to wrap over there and in my instastories. Happy Shopping beautiful’s! OX, D’Arcy

Ps: Stay tuned for My November favorites, December Bucket list and My Holiday entertaining, decorating and recipes all coming this month! What are you most excited for?

This post may contain affiliate links. All opinions are my own. I only promote brands that I truly love and believe in! Thank you for the support!

3 Ingredient, Quick & Easy Appetizer Perfect for the Holiday’s

Step 1 & 2 &3
unroll the crescent pack and use one section of 4 per each block of cream cheese. stretch dough out just a little and pinch the triangles together.
next: place cream cheese in center and cover with dill.

Step 4
cover the block of cream cheese with the crescent roll leave end unsealed and cut off a 1/2 inch strip from each end then pinch together the ends like shown. I really press everything together until smooth.

Step 5
cut strips into 10 smaller rectangles. Use the 10 pieces to create pedals and balls. Or create your own design. Brush with egg white if you wish. Step 6 repeat with other block of cream cheese and remaining 4 crescents.

Step 7 place in a baking dish and bake at 350 degrees until golden brown. ( the egg white wash helps it brown golden)

Step 8 serve warm with crackers.

Step 9 Spread it on a cracker of your choice. This goes quick and doesn’t last at parties. It take about 15 mins to prepare and 15 min in oven (depending on oven)

Hello Beautiful’s!

I hope you had a wonderful week. I know I love when we get an extra week from Thanksgiving to December. It really does help you be more prepared for the Christmas season. With all the Holiday parties fast approaching, I am sure you will be attending one or two that requires you to bring a dish or appetizer to share. I wanted to share with you our families fast and easy appetizer! Crescent dill cream cheese spread. You’ll whip this up so fast and people will think you slaved for hours. It’s been a favorite in our home for twenty something years and I always have the ingredients on hand so I can whip it up on a moments notice! A great tip if you have visitors popping by.

You’ll need:

1 can of crescent rolls

2 cream cheese blocks

Dill seasoning

and 1 egg for egg whites, brush on top before baking

9×9 baking pan

butter or spray to grease pan

Follow the steps above. I love you can pre make a day or two before hand (Non- baked) stick in fridge. Bake right before you’re heading to party.

I hope you’ll try this yummy dish for one of your Holiday parties and stop back by here and tell me how everyone liked it! Here’s to a perfect and easy Holiday season! OX, D’Arcy

Family Photo Christmas Cards

Hello Beautiful’s,

I had the wonderful opportunity to work with Basic Invite to create our Family Photo Christmas card this year. I don’t know about you but I love receiving Photo cards this time of the year and seeing how everyones families have grown. Sending out Photo Christmas cards has always been our family tradition and I hope people enjoy getting them as much as we love sending & receiving them.

Working with Basic Invite was a joy to create. I loved the selection and the variety of shapes. Truly custom from picking the card and then making it your own from the shape, fonts, adding verbiage and picking the ink color, I loved metallic & shimmer was a choice as well. You even choose the envelope color (I love the peel and stick closer) and you can have them mail them for you if you wish. It’s a huge plus that they have a fast 5 day turn around and are a local Utah company. Are you sending out Holiday or Business cards this year? Give Basic Invite a try you won’t be disappointed!

Here are some of the option details that makes working with Basic Invite better then other card companies:

Almost Unlimited Colors – Basic Invite is one of the few websites that allows customers almost unlimited color options with instant previews online. Once you select a design you can change the color of each element on the card to over 180 different color options so you can make sure the card is exactly how you want it down to the littlest detail. This is what we feel sets us apart from almost any other online stationery company and is what we feel is our biggest draw.

Custom Samples – Basic Invite is one of the few websites that allows customers the ability to order a printed sample of their actual invitation so they can see exactly how it will print as well as feel the paper quality before they ever have to place their final order.

Over 40 Different Colors of Envelopes – Basic Invite is just as colorful with our envelopes as we are with our invitations. Customers can choose from over 40 different colors when it comes to their envelopes so that they can make their invitation stand out even before it is opened. All of our envelopes are peel and seal so the envelopes can be quickly and securely closed without licking a single one.

Address Capturing Service – Basic Invite offers an address capturing service that allows customers to simply share a link on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or any other form of social media to request their friends and family’s addresses which will be stored in the customer’s account and can then be selected during the design process. Basic Invite offers recipient address printing at no cost on all Family Christmas card orders.

Foil – Foil holiday cards are available in gold, silver, and rose gold. Customers can choose flat or raised foil on all of Basic Invite’s foil designs.

Over 500 Christmas card and holiday card designs

Right now Basic Invite is offering 30% off with coupon code: holi30

You can find them @basicinvite on Facebook, instagram, Twitter, Pintrest

Thank you for following along with me and may you have a merry season! OX, D’Arcy

October Favorites

October Favorites!

I am a little late to the game on posting October Favorites! But better late than never, right? October was a crazy month, and It’s one of my favorite months too! (maybe because it’s my birthday month?) So anyway posting a monthly round-up of my favorite things from that month featuring anything I loved, from fashion to podcast I am listening to. It has been a popular post of mine, so I thought I would share a more clear favorite from the month here on the blog!

This will be a NEW monthly post (hopefully closer to the end of the month)! This will feature any random things I loved throughout the month, including products I used up! October brought us all the Fall feels with cooler temperatures and pumpkin spice starting to make its way into everything! So here is what made its way into my heart, home and body this last October!

October Favorite: Fall Fashion

One of my favorite things is dressing for Fall! I love the layers and finding fun pieces. I saw this jacket last year at Nordstrom rack and am linking a (similar one DEAL Here and Here) pants and sweater in the photo below.

all black outfit, fall outfit, fall vibes, photos,

Fall leaves are gorgeous this time of the year and perfect for stunning photos! Loving all the Fall vibes. Outfit details: Sweater {here} {similar here} black jeans {similar here} Another October Favorite: over the knee boots {similar here and Here}

On my Instagram, I shared this post with my feelings on aging. Please read it here. October is my birthday month, and I always enjoy the beauty of Fall and the feelings you get from the cooler temperatures and color change. Outfit details: Duster {similar here and here}, distressed jeans {similar here and here}, tee-shirt {here}, and another one I love {here}, plus a killer deal {here}. Let’s not forget these super cute booties {here}, October favorite for Sure! My leopard cardigan cut as well for an October favorite {here}, and this Sweatshirt {here}, plus these pj’s {here}.

October Favorite Books

One of the books I read, Wildchild, is my month’s fav! I couldn’t put it down! Here are a couple more books I read: Good, Better, Best by Sue McCarthy, Audacious by Beth Moore, and The Participation Game by Norty Cohen. I love to read, and I love an actual book to hold, not a fan of my kindle except for travel. How about you? I usually don’t get four books done in 1 month either but being a teacher. You read when the kids do!

I enjoyed each book and was excited to learn business techniques, more about faith, and a book for the joy of reading and taking you somewhere different with a storyline you could relate to. What are you reading? Joanna Gaines’s book is on my nightstand right now (I have had since she released it! Maybe a year or two?) In my school bag is The Career Code.

A book about the photographer, model, and magazine world: it was such a fun read I couldn’t put it down!
A quote from the book Wildchild that I loved and couldn’t have said better! ” Style makes you different. Fashion makes you the same!”

October Favorite Products

I used up. Well, maybe my hubby helped a little! Wink wink! Loreal Revitalift Intensive Overnight Mask: wear in the evening after cleansing the face. It moisturizes but feels thick. Glo Hydra Radiance Moisturizer: a daily moisturizer that makes your skin glow, almost dewy, I would purchase again. Hyaluronic Acid Anti Aging Serum: Use after your toner & helps even skin tone and tighten skin. I think my skin looked clearer (not that I have any acne), just fresh-looking. Revision Skincare Retinol Complete: I use this at night only, and after serum, I use it around my eyes and smile lines. I feel like it helped reduce the lines. It’s a brilliant product to use in your late 30’s to 60’s.

If you have been following, you know how important skincare is to me and that I am always trying new products out to see what works and what doesn’t. I try to share my results with you over on Instastories, and every so often, I’ll do a beauty routine or round up over here on the blog. Would you mind letting me know on what social platform you want me to post results?

New here? I am 47, and nobody ever guesses my age:) some of that I can thank my mom… The other is because of my skincare routine. I’ll do a face mask twice a week (it used to be once a week until I learned 4-5 months ago you should do two a week! I use a cleanser every day and a scrub maybe three times a week. Then I’ll use a toner, then a serum. Retinol is new to my routine, and only at night, and I finish with a moisturizer. At least one night a week, sleeping with vaseline all over my face because Utah is so dry!

I am sharing this with you to understand my routine and know I try a product out for the whole month, sometimes two, before sharing it. I also want you to know I support products I love, which does not always sponsor me. What’s your favorite product? Will you be trying one of my October favorites? Please let me know below!

October brings the most beautiful sunrises. This photo was on my morning drive alongside the lake.

October Favorite Podcasts

I am listening to and can’t get enough… I don’t even listen to music in the car anymore!

Favorites List:

The Influencer Pod: Cast if you are an influencer or in any marketing, it’s a must!
Joel Osteen: Christian.
Style Collective: Great if you’re self-employed.
Wit & Wisdom: Also great if you’re self-employed.
Pop Fashion: You guessed it, Fashion-based.

My October Favorite Random Things

This month I adored this lipstick (here), my favorite blanket to snuggle up with (here), and my favorite seasonal mug (here). I used to snuggle up and watch Hocus Pocus at least 25 times during October! My favorite NEW TV shows: God Friended A Million Little Things and Me!

And now the excellent stuff! Fall means comfort food, homemade soups, mac and cheese, chicken pot pie, and yummy pasta! Here’s my easy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe (here), and I will continue to share our family’s favorite dishes with you since it’s some of my most engaged posts. Below is my oldest son Hudson’s easy Spicy Rigatoni Recipe! You’re going to love it, and it’s so effortless!

My Sons Easy Spicy Rigatoni Recipe:
For a quick and easy throw-together meal that feels like you slaved in the kitchen. You’ll love this Spicy Rigatoni Recipe. Our family loves Buca di Beppo’s Spicy Chicken Rigatoni. One day Hudson, my oldest, decided he would recreate it in a fast college student way! So he did, and it is yummy.

You’ll Need:

1 box rigatoni Our Favorite HERE

1 16 oz jar of your Favorite Marinara sauce (we like garlic and basil) It’s WHOLE30 HERE

1 16 oz jar of your favorite Alfredo sauce but your only using about 10 oz (we like this one HERE)

1 half-pint heavy whipping cream using 1/2 of the container (we like this one HERE)

1 small bag of frozen peas

2 tablespoons of fresh minced garlic

1 tablespoon of crushed red pepper HERE

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup parmesan cheese to top off HERE

Optional Add-Ins: 3 Grilled chicken breast cut thin and pan-fried or grilled.

In a large pan, bring to boil water for pasta and follow directions on the box. In a medium saucepan, pour in a jar of Marinara sauce, add about 10-12 oz of the Alfredo sauce, and 1/2 the container of the cream, let simmer and add in all the seasonings. Don’t add peas to the sauce until the very end (about 1 min to the sauce), right before you drain pasta and are ready to dish up. You want the peas to be warm but still have a little crunch. Plate pasta, cover in sauce, and top with parmesan! So good and dinner in less than 20 minutes! Serve with a salad and garlic bread!

My favorite pasta serving bowl (HERE) and the best strainer (HERE)

Did you do anything from my Fall bucket list HERE?

I hope you had a beautiful October and enjoyed the list of my favorite October things! Let me know if you try a couple of them, maybe this November. Seriously, I can’t believe it’s already the 2nd week of November, and I have some exciting things planned for the blog.

The month of November is a great reminder of all the things we should be grateful for. So in November, I will be sharing my gratitude list, easy way’s to give back, and some fun shopping guides for the upcoming Holiday season. Also, Sharing shopping guides for my Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday picks along with Holiday outfits, a couple of our favorite Holiday recipes, and of course, my Thanksgiving tablescape and peeks at some Holiday decor! So stay tuned as I have exciting things to share! Have a beautiful week!

THIS POST may contain affiliate links. All opinions are my own. I only promote brands that I genuinely love and believe in! Thank you for the support!

Recipe for Chocolate Kahlua Cake

Happy Monday Beautiful’s!

You guys asked for this recipe when I shared a photo of it on Instastories. So here’s a little background on how this yummy little treat made it into my recipe box. Back in the days when I did scrapbooking retreats, I had a dear friend Judy make this to die for cake and would bring it to the party! Everyone in attendance would rave and would silently be hoping for it at every retreat. We were blessed with this cake every time Judy came.

This cake is so decadent and rich, if you’re a chocolate lover you’ll think you died and went to heaven. My oldest son adores this cake and Judy would be so sweet to make it for him on several birthdays.

One year we were delighted when she shared the recipe with us and now I can share it with you.

Nobody thought by the taste that it could be a box cake mix and so easy to make! I am so happy I could share it with you and hopefully it becomes a family favorite for you too.

Judy’s Chocolate Kahlua Cake

1 Duncan Hines devils food cake mix

1 Small instant vanilla pudding

1 Pint sour cream

1/4 cup oil

1/2 cup Kahlua

2 eggs

12 oz bag Semi sweet chocolate chips

Place mix in bowl & whisk in pudding mix. Add all other ingredients one at a time except chocolate chips. Mix with electric mixer. Add chips into mix before spooning into greased and floured bunt pan or mini bunt pans.

Bake at 350 for 50 mins depending on oven, then cool on rack for 20 min.

Then invert pan or pans on rack so cake will slide out, cool completely before dusting with powdered sugar.

Serve with vanilla bean ice cream, or with Judy’s favorite: moose tracks ice cream!

My mom was in town for her birthday (she always travels out for both our birthdays, hers is the 12th and mine is the 20th) the boys made her make this recipe! Nothing like making you own birthday cake! HEHE… I am finishing up Whole30 and didn’t want to be tempted….so no cake for me! I hope you enjoy the rest of your week and let me know if you tried this recipe. OX, D’Arcy

A couple of my favorite Baking tools from Amazon Here, Here, Here, and Here

Fall Bucket List 12 Must Do Fall Activities

white kitchen, marble, super white quartzite counter tops

Bath and Body Works Fall candle collection, my favorite is leaves. Costco Fall flowers & candy corn make it feel like fall! My shirt is by Trunk old, similar here & here.

Hello Beautiful’s! You know how much I love Fall (it’s going to be my Birthday month!) and how much I love to do & enjoy all things Fall! So I thought it would be fun to do a Fall bucket list to share with you, since you loved my Winter bucket list last year (If you missed that check it out here!). I hope it inspires you to get in the spirt of the season and check a couple things off the list as well! OX

PUMPKIN PATCH – Well of course, an annual event around year! Even if my kids are big and over it! I still drag them out for a family day (normally it’s bribed with food). I always have a large assortment of pumpkins on our porch, steps and entryway. So this is a great time to have everyone pick a verity and help decorate!
HAUNTED HOUSE– A perfect date with the family, my boys will be really into this! I haven’t been to one since high school, so wish me luck!
A day in front of a fire with a cozy blanket, a cup of tea, a candle burning and a great book!
Go on an OUTDOOR HIKE, where the colors are stunning and the air is crisp!
Go to a COLLAGE FOOTBALL game! We have to go support Auston Tesch #53 for Weber state at least once a year! It’s always fun and last year my mom was here to go support him too!
Take a FALL DRIVE where the leaves are in full glory. I love grabbing a warm drink and taking a drive with my hubby to see the color’s. It’s fun to grab a meal out and make it a date. When we lived in California, we would go with the entire family,(my mom & my sister) to Oak Glen and pick apples, boy do I miss those days.
Make a HOMEMADE PIE, I haven’t made a pie from scratch in a few years. I used to love making apple pies, when we had so many apple trees in California! (I need to plant a couple apple trees)
JUMP INTO A PILE OF LEAVES and get a cute picture! I will wait for my boys to rake all the leaves up! hehe
Make a big POT OF CHILI (my veggie chili recipe is below) and watch Hocus Pocus! I mean what is fall without watching Hocus Pocus at least 10 times!
Create a FALL WARDROBE CAPSULE, these wardrobe capsules have been all the rage, (have you heard of them?) with fall being most peoples favorite time to shop, it’s a great time to create one for you. Help yourself to get inspiration and pick out classic pieces to build your wardrobe for Fall.
Spend the WEEKEND with GIRLFRIENDS in PJ’S watching HALLMARK MOVIES. Of course we’ll do face mask, drink wine and eat all kinds of yummy food! Who’s ready for a sleep over?
Enjoy a FIRE ON THE DECK making s’mores, under cozy blankets enjoying the crisp fall air! I will be decorating my back deck for fall this year! Unfortunately it’s a short season here in Utah, So I have never decorated the back deck for fall. This year we are going too spend more time wrapped in blankets enjoying the crisp air.

Corn Maze Fun: Outfit details- Cardigan old: similar here & here, Black tee Here, Shoes similar here, Camo moto pants, Old: Similar here and here here

Louis Vuitton, fall nails, purchase color here and Starbucks. Three of my favorite things!

My Easy Veggie Chili Recipe: (slow cooker) So easy you’ll make it a ton!

1 large can of chili beans and sauce

1 can each of pinto, kidney, red beans drained and rinsed

1 large can of tomato sauce

1 can of crushed tomatoes

1 cup of water

1 each of a red, yellow, green bell peppers, washed and chopped

1 large onion chopped and browned

4 cloves of garlic chopped browned

1 tablespoon of butter (for browning onion and garlic)

1 tablespoon of chili powder

1 tablespoon of onion salt

1 tablespoon of kitchen bouquet (browning seasoning)

1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

crushed red pepper seasoning to taste

shredded cheese (for topping)

Brown the onions and garlic in the butter, then add everything (except cheese) into the crockpot on low in the morning and come home to a yummy meal! You can brown turkey or meat of choice with a chili seasoning packet and add that, but you’ll need another can of tomato sauce. Serve with corn bread, fritos or soda crackers!

Extra toppings optional: sour cream, green onions, hot sauce I hope you try it and let me know what you think. It’s a family favorite around here!

As promised I shared ALL the weekend sales on my instagram stories under Shopping!

I picked some of my favorite things and shared the deals, so go check them out!

Thank you for stopping by and taking the time out of your day to spend a little bit of time with me. If you have any question, please remember to leave a comment. I love helping my friends out! OX, D’Arcy

Best Homemade Salsa Recipe

Best Homemade Salsa Recipe:

Use veggies fresh from the garden or headed to the market. Either way, you’ll love this salasa recipe, a favorite

All the ingredients for a big batch of homemade salsa. Makes 3 quarts

Fresh Veggies from the garden.

Chopping all the veggies, I cut everything into this size.

Green chilies, Green salsa, garlic, oregano, onion salt

Everything is cut up and all ingredients in the pot, before cooking!

salsa as it is cooking down.

After cooled pour into blender and blend for a minute, or to the consistency you want.

chips served with the salsa. Add cheese to one for a variation.

Finished salsa without cheese

Salsa with cheese

Homemade Salsa recipe:

12 fresh tomatoes

Or 3 cups of tomatoes

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

2 7-oz cans Green chili peppers, chopped (unless you have fresh)

1 12-oz green chili salsa

1 large yellow onion, chopped

One bunch of green onions, chopped

2 or 3 jalapeños chopped

2 large tablespoons Oregano

Two Large tablespoons of Onion Salt

2 large Table spoons of chopped Garlic

Add all ingredients into a large pan and bring to a boil on the stove top, stir, and then let simmer on low for about 1 hour. Let cool; this takes a couple of hours. Then pour into the blender or Emersion blender and blend until the consistency you like. Pour into containers and chill. (or if you are making big batches to can) Let cool in jars on the counter.

Enjoy!

I like to serve 1 bowl with cheese and 1 bowl without, with your favorite chips! Perfect for Large crowds & football season! We’ve been making this recipe since I was a kid. My mom got this recipe from a dear family friend, and we’ve enjoyed making it ever since!

I hope you will enjoy it as much as we have!

What I was wearing

Happy tee, I showed you how I cut the neck out of my tees to make an off-the-shoulder tee in my Instagram stories. These cute Happy tees are made locally here in Utah. I was wearing this tee when I was sharing a recipe on instastories and got a ton of questions on it, so I wanted to give you the link to purchase these cute tees HERE. Go check them out, it’s a woman-owned company, and she makes darling t-shirts.

Check out my Fiesta bar cart styling, perfect for serving those chips and salsa! View the Bar cart in more detail HERE.

Thank you for stopping by

Have a beautiful day, Pretty ladies, and remember your smile is your BEST accessory.

Thank you for stopping by and reading “ Best Homemade Salsa Recipe.” Let me know if you enjoyed this post. If there is something you would like me to cover here on the blog. I am always here to help, and remember I am just a comment or email away.

If you haven’t signed up for my weekly Newsletter, you can do so here .

“Helping women look and feel good at any age!”

You might also enjoy the following:

Easy Green onion ball recipe

Easy Spicy Jalapeno Margarita

The Best Crunchy Chicken Salad

This post may contain an affiliate link. All opinions are my own. I only promote brands that I genuinely love and believe in! Thank you for the support!

How to make the BEST Banana Bread!

Something you may not know about me? I love to bake, and after sharing some of the things i’d been making on my instastories, I got an overwhelming response to please share recipes. I love to give you what you want, so I made a new category here on my blog to share Recipes. It’s under Lifestyle in the drop down and I hope you’ll try the recipes I share. I will be sharing family recipes and ones I have created. Bare with me as I promise my food photography will get better!

I love to entertain as you know, and I’ve been cooking and baking since I was so young! I won the BEST apple pie in the 3rd grade and would have been one of those kids vying to be on today’s Baking kids championships, had we had those then! My time it was country fair and school baking competition, Boy times have changed! Not that I am a fancy baker (I am not) I just love to bake good basic’s!

Once Upon a time, years ago I put on scrapbooking retreats and I cooked all the meals, 3 meals a day plus snacks. The ladies always raved about my food and wanted me to create a cookbook and while I said I would, I collected mine and my families recipes, but I never put that book together! Maybe one day I will, but until then i’ll be sharing my favorites here! My plan if all goes well, is to share a recipe with you every Monday. So here’s goes my first Monday Recipe, My Grandma’s Banana bread or muffins recipe, with a couple of improvement’s! My grandma Mercer made this bread every Christmas and sometimes we’d get lucky and get it for a family gathering throughout the year. I started making this bread when I got married and giving out to our neighbor’s, Ups, mailman and friends for Christmas. I’d make 24 loaves! I’d save every brown spotted banana and threw it in the freezer. At first my hubby would question all the bananas taking up all the freezer space, but now nobody say’s a thing! They get really excited if they see them defrosting in the sink!

My Boy’s are terrible… They’ll each eat a loaf in a day if i’d let them! When I make a batch I alway’s make multiple batches. If making for my family i’ll do 4 batches, and make two trays of muffins and 4 medium loaves, then i’ll freeze 1/2. When I make at Christmas i’ll make 8 to 12 batches and make some medium loaves and the rest mini loaves to give as gift’s.

My Grandma’s recipe called for 3 overripe banana’s, I do 4 and I make sure the bananas have been frozen and then thawed. This makes for the most moist banana bread you’ve ever have. I also added chocolate chips or nuts, my grandmothers was just plain banana bread. You can leave out the Chocolate chips or the nuts if you wish, the main recipe won’t change.

Recipe: Best Banana Bread with Chocolate chips

2cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 overripe bananas

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted & cooled

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For a variation add chocolate chips ( 2 cups) walnuts or pecans (1 cup)!

powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease your muffin or loaf pan’s. Mash the bananas with a fork in a small bowl and then whip them, set aside. in large bowl add butter, eggs, vanilla beat well. Mix dry ingredients, fold in the banana’s and chocolate chips or nuts or both. Pour batter into loaf or muffin pans. Give the pan a good rap on the counter to get rid of air bubbles! Place in oven, oven’s all range in heat temperatures so time could vary, so I say start checking in 45 min but could go as long as 1 hour. Test by sticking a toothpick in center, if comes out clean, it’s done! Makes 1 large loaf or 2 small loaves.

I hope you enjoy one of my families favorite treats! Ox

Remember I am not trained in baking or cooking in anyway, I am just a wife and mom cooking for family & friends. Please let me know if you tried the recipe and how they turned out! OX, D’Arcy

I Got HACKED..! Don’t Let It Happen To YOU!

Last week one of my worst nightmares happened! My instagram was hacked and being held hostage for ransom, they said if I did not pay they would delete it! Talk about panic, wanting to throw up, and shaking. I was so nervous, 2 years of hard work and content… This is my business, how could this happen?

HOW: Thursday, August 9th… Morning, my normal routine, did my post, answered DM’s and was going through my emails….and came across a collaboration that looked interesting (I get collaborations in my inbox daily so it isn’t new). It was from a representative of the store The Kivari_the_Label (this is a real company) and asked me my rates and wanted to know if I wanted to collaborate. It was a little broken English but not different then some of the companies I get from China. The email also had a link… I did not click on the link (I never do) I thought I knew better… I looked up the company’s website and instagram to see if they would be a fit for me and my brand, it was darling and had clothing I would love to collaborate with. I then answered the representative, stating I would love to work with them, attached my rates and media kit. NOW THIS IS WHERE HE GOT ME…. In short he replied, stating great which items was I thinking would work with a LINK… I CLICKED, it didn’t work!!! shaking my head NOW! I answered him back saying your link is not working….He didn’t answer back, which isn’t unusual, companies get busy and can take a couple days! (note: the hacker did not work for Kivari, He was just acting like he was!) I go about my day and checked on Instagram at about 3:00 PM, answered some messages, scrolled through and put my phone down (this became relevant later)! At 5:20 PM I got an email saying that my email account was changed on my Instagram, obviously I didn’t do this myself. So I clicked on Instagrams revert button… and it wouldn’t work!! Crap why isn’t it working? I then got on Instagram tried to log in, nothing.. I had to make an account so I could start emailing all the Instagram sources I could find! Its after 5:00 and nobody is working at Instagram and good luck trying to get some one to help you! I then got on message boards, a couple of blogger pods and groups… Posted what happened and was seeing if anyone knew what to do?? I got an outpouring of love & support and ideas of what to try! I also got tons people saying this is happening everyday and to read this blog MISS Tara Belle, I read and messaged her! Then later this blog got hacked Peppered in Style, and then this blog too Raelyns Roulette! Oh my gosh, how many people is this happening to? Girls with a following of 30,000 to 101K my gosh! People kept telling me, my account is being held for ransom you’ll get an email! Hours go by and still no email, it’s now late Thursday, no email and no help from Facebook/Instagram! I stick to trying to research for help and keep digging up people this has happened too, and the girls with the blog post, start to answer me back! Some paid and didn’t get their account back, one waited until she could get some help and one paid the day the email came and she negotiated ransom down and she got her account back! I still hadn’t gotten an email! At this point I am getting really worried, the more I investigate and I still DON’T have an email as to where my account is or what is happening! I finally had a friend on telegraph show me how to get to a place on Instagram that lets you click “I’ve been hacked” and it emails you a form! On that form it ask’s a series of questions and when was the LAST TIME you had control of your Instagram… I was glad I could remember 3:00! It’s now past working time on Facebook… I think I did this process at least 4 times, and didn’t hear back. People said it takes a long time to hear from Facebook/Instagram sometimes even 5-10 days!! It’s late and I don’t get any sleep… I dose off at some point & wake up to the dreaded EMAIL saying my account had been HACKED and that if I don’t pay in Bitcoin, my account will be deleted! WHAT??? I panicked…. I don’t have Bitcoin, I haven’t heard a thing from Facebook/Instagram…. what am I going to do? I emailed the criminal back to stall… I don’t have the money, I don’t have a bitcoin account etc., this goes on throughout the day and at the same time, I am getting the word out and sharing my story as much as I can and It’s really not looking good! I am thinking “Man, how am I gonna stall the hacker long enough for someone to answer back with help?”, should I just pay the ransom?

Then I prayed! I prayed God would put the right person in my path that would help me, that could lead me in the right direction! I prayed all day long, I asked friends who believe in the power of prayers to pray…. and guess what?? At 8:52 Friday night I get a message from Aurora McCausland A fellow blogger, but a total stranger that I did not know, had heard my story and wanted to help! She too had been hacked and she GOT HELP from a real person at Facebook with a direct email and wanted to share it with me and she also stated this man helped 3-4 others get their accounts back! She calmed me down by saying “do not answer the hackers emails any more, they’re just empty threats, he wants money he is not going to delete your account!” She was lucky to get her account back the day it was taken, but a couple of the others had to wait 3-5 days as well, due to the weekend. She said “Just try to stay calm, I am confident you will get your account back!” I emailed her contact and got an OUT OF OFFICE until Monday the 13th, this email will be deleted, basically email me again on Monday! OK, I will email Monday morning! Meanwhile I g0t contacted by Catherine Grace O’connell founder of Forever Fierce Revolution, stating she wants to help and will get in contact with her Facebook contact on Monday! She also wanted me to join her facebook group and share my story… I received an out powering of love and women wanting to help share my story and follow me! I was for very grateful for these ladies and to God, answering my prayers, He’s sending me people to help! I am at more peace on Saturday, but yet still scared and my mind wondering…What if I don’t get my account back? I starting praying “Lord I am giving this up to you! This is your battle, I trust in your outcome!

Sunday morning, I finally had a good nights sleep and I woke up to Olia Moda also a fellow blogger (her Blog here) with quite a large account and 4 1/2 years invested in her business, that her account had been hacked on the same day as mine and that in long short, she paid the hacker and he did not return her account! I felt so horrible for her, I am truly more sick for her because she has double my following and 2 1/2 more years invested then I did and she PAID these criminals! I seriously wanted to throw up for her! I was however grateful I had made the decision not to pay! I tried to encourage her like Aurora had me and thank goodness she also had faith, her account was going to be recovered! She also had a contact that she was trying to get into contact with and was going to share my story with her contact! Great, I now have 3 ladies with direct contacts at Facebook and Instagram!

I decide there is nothing I can do, I have given it to God and I am taking a break from any message-boards, and social media! I am spending the day with my family on the lake. We had a great day and I didn’t think of my loss, I didn’t touch my phone once….until after 6 PM! We were getting off the boat and heading to car and I see a text on my phone it’s Olia her account has been found!! I am texting her back with tears in my eyes and my phone rings, it’s Olia! I say in tears: “Stranger friend! I am so happy for you!” I truly was so excited her contact had recovered her account, it felt like we had been friends for years and the excitement I felt was unexplainable! Two strangers that became friends due to an event that brings us together and I honestly never thought of my account! To feel that joy for someone else, words can’t express! She then stated her guy had my info and make sure to have a brand new email account ready! We hang up, it was very emotional, I can’t even explain! I seriously cried tears of joy on the drive home. She will be sharing her story soon on: www.oliamoda.com, be sure to check it out too!

Sunday night, at 8:48 PM I get an email from Aurora’s contact that I had emailed (remember he’s on vacation and it’s Sunday). He emailed me stating he’s asked his team to look at my account and to please make sure to have a new secure email ready! I hadn’t looked at my mail…He emailed me again at 10:53 pm stating he needed a secure email account and I should hear from him by noon tomorrow! I noticed his email at 12:09am I emailed him back stating how grateful I was etc. and give him my new email. Talk about being at peace that someone was on it! At this point I never thought, “what if they can’t find it”! I dosed off and at 3:00 AM, It was like God whispered in my ear “look at your email” I shot up, opened my email and there it was….. My Account recovered and ready for a new password! I wanted to scream and dance!! Thank you, lord! I am so very grateful for yet another stranger working on a Sunday and opening an email, that said would be deleted! I wanted to hug and kiss him!! I emailed him back with gratitude and immediately TURNED ON the TWO FACTOR AUTHENTICATION!

I had to share this Photo, it’s how I felt when I got my account back!!

So, NOW.. I have shared my story! Here’s what you need to do, even if your business is not a blogger or influencer! On all of your accounts, from banking to social media, turn on Two Factor Authentication, this is normally found under the privacy and security of any website or app! This helps keep your accounts safe by sending a code to your cellphone number when someone is trying to sign into any of your accounts! In other words, if someone has your password and two factor authentication is on they still can’t access your account because they don’t have the passcode that was sent to your phone, so TURN IT ON NOW! It is the only thing that will truly keep your accounts safe.

*Can’t find the Two factory Authentication on your instagram? In the right corner of your main page, is a little Gear/cog/circle…click on that, then Privacy and settings, then scroll down, you’ll see Two factor Authentication, Click and turn on!

Also don’t click on links from unknown sources (on my blog you know my links are safe)! Hackers hide spyware in links, spyware can find out everything you’ve been up too and will take all of your information! (think of all the times you entered credit card number’s from shopping online!) Keep your identity and information safe!

If you get hacked…don’t panic! Even if you don’t have a direct contact, fill out the “I Got Hacked” form. It’s located on the log in page on Instagram, then go to forgot login, then on this page is trouble logging in. If you look to the middle in small print it says: “need more help?”, click this, it will take you to Request Support, scroll down to my account was hacked, click and add any additional details! This generates an email with questions, fill it out! Now this can take a couple days to get a response! BUT guess what? They do respond… so for those who get told, “Don’t count on Facebook or Instagram to help.” Don’t listen to them, I got an email back from Jeremy on Monday afternoon! I explained I was already helped and thanked him for contacting me.

Share… share your story on all social media, we need to make people aware of what’s going on and the dangers! Don’t be embarrassed, it’s happening to so many people and we need to talk about it! There will alway’s be criminals, but remember there is truly more good people in this world then the criminals and we can help each other out! Share, support, and stick together! Sharing also helps you get help, from an unknown source!

This is a Cybercrime, call and report it to your police department, if your police department doesn’t have a Cybercrime division your states FBI department does! (I am collecting names for our Local FBI as I write this)

REMEMBER: Don’t Click on Links You Don’t Know!

I will forever be grateful to all those who shared their story with me, sent encouraging notes & DM’s, followed me, followed my blog, asked me to join their group or pod, shared my story on their social accounts, sent over tips and even said prayers! I was overwhelmed with the outpouring of love and met some wonderful new friends!

Thank you for taking the time to stop by and read my blog! OX, D’Arcy.

NOTE: As I am writing this post, I have learned of a NEW way hackers are bypassing the two factor authenticities, to get to Influencers accounts!!! They are sending a DM from the verify center which looks like it’s from Instagram… They are asking to give your account a verified badge (the little blue check by your name). It states your account has been viewed by instagram and is eligible, then to complete the verified account badge, you must specify that the account is up to date, this comes with a button: Verify My Account (a link), this is not from Instagram, DO NOT click on the button!

3 Way’s to entertain with ease!

{Dress} here and similar Here, here here. {Shoe} here and similar here {bar cart} Vintage but Similar Here and here {glasses} Here and Similar here {home} target $3 bin Sold out Similar here {ring} sold out, similar here and here

Hello, Beautiful’s,

I want to share with you 3 easy way’s to entertain with ease! You know how much I love to entertain, and I love quick impromptu small gatherings. So I found some easy way’s to make for a “pop-over visit” for a girl’s night or a Couple’s date night!

#1 Make it simple. You can have a great night without having to slave in the kitchen. I love having people over for drinks, and a simple appetizer or one of my favorites is, Dessert and drinks after having dinner out! This allows you to keep it simple and not have to take a lot of time to prepare.

#2 Being Prepared! Having a few entertaining pieces, you love. Pretty glasses, a great serving tray or bowl. Even having a bar cart (even if you don’t drink) makes serving easy yet keeps your theme in check! Please view some of my favorite past bar cart tips Here, here, and here!

#3 Keep the drink and food easy! Paring great champagne or Prosecco with a fruit platter or my favorite Strawberries and homemade fruit dip! (my family’s favorite & it’s quick!) Recipe below! If you want to serve a cocktail, I always suggest a special cocktail ( find out your guest’s alcohol choice). Create a drink around that! Say it’s vodka. You can make a Moscow mule and serve it with a cheese and cracker platter or a great crudite platter. Serving 1 kind of drink helps you enjoy your company and not act as a bartender! I love drinks I can make in a pitcher! Sangria, Rum punch, Vodka lemonade, Mojitos.

Entertaining doesn’t have to be expensive or hours! Some of my most favorite get together’s happened spur of the moment! This is why being prepared is key! I can have friends drop over at any time, and I can easily throw something together. Here is a list of some of the things I like to always have in my pantry and fridge. This helps you entertain quickly and with ease.

Assortment of cheeses (even cream cheese or Boursin, these make a great veggie dip)

Assortment of crackers and nuts

Fresh fruit and veggies

A bottle of wine, vodka, Rum

Club soda or La croix

Having these items on hand really helps for throwing a quick and yummy platter together fast! Who doesn’t love to snack on these! As for the drinks, I found that you can create something if you have these staples, even if it’s a wine spritzer with fresh fruit!

Strawberry dip recipe:

A jar of Marshmallow fluff

A Block of Cream cheese

A teaspoon of vanilla

mix all ingredients, serve in a pretty bowl with strawberries. Yum! (it’s great to dip a strawberry in champagne first, then in the dip!)

I hope you throw a fun and easy get-together soon! OX, D’Arcy

This post may contain affiliate links. All opinions are my own. Thank you so much for being so supportive!

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