Married Thrifting (Macklemore Style)

Brandon and I both had Wednesday afternoon off, so you know what that means..

A couple of newlyweds..

An afternoon alone with nothing to do and nowhere to be..

You know what I'm talking about..

We went to Goodwill to take the 100% unofficial Macklemore challenge!

Brilliant idea by Young House Love!

That's right folks, we went and popped some tags with $20 in our pockets!

I love being married to a hot guy who humors me by taking pictures in front of Goodwill.

Our Goodwill is always picked over and never stocked well but we were excited for this--my best friends husband graduates from PT school next year and now we know what to get him.

This was my big buy for the day--seriously, how cute are these?! I got the red, blue, yellow and green one for $4! Perfect for the Valentines tea party that I dream of one day hosting.. sigh.

Brandon's big find--it's so pretty! He's going to fix it up a bit and re-stain it and then we're going to set it in the entryway of our new home with a little round table. Best part? It was only $9.99!

We ended up only spending $14 but we're happy with our purchases.

We also stumbled upon a better thrift store yesterday..

J*A*C*K*P*O*T

I LOVE this. I need to go back and buy it for the sitting room we're getting!

So pretty!

We didn't buy anything at the newly discovered thrift shop because I was gung ho about spending our money at Goodwill.. but we're definitely going back. Soon.

Have you taken the Macklemore challenge yet? What treasures did you find?

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The Gnome's Nook in Denver

Oh. Em. Gee.

You want to talk about the most unique and adorable shop ever?! I have it for you!

If you're a regular here at good ol' Annie One Can cook, you know that I just returned from a fabulous girls vacation in my future home of Denver. And you know that I visited the cutest shop ever.

Ever. 

And now I'm going to tell you all about it!

The shop is called The Gnome's Nook Confectioners and it's on my all-time favorite street, Old South Gaylord.

This place is so cool! My Aunt Nancy is the one who first introduced it to me--she bought some delicious gummy bears (my fave!) for my Christmas stocking a few years ago that the 'gnomes' made at the store.

Yes, the gnomes make the candy! Soooo fun!

Unfortunately, the gnomes make the candy at night so you're not able to actually watch but let me tell ya, these little guys know what they are doing.

Instead of going on and on about the shop (which I could and would love to do), I'm going to show you a few pictures that I snapped during our visit.

The outside of the shop--over to the left is a little garden area where special events and birthday parties are hosted. Yes, birthday parties! I'm going to be 23 next month and want to have my birthday here!

Main room when you first enter.

Top of the stairway.

One of the candy counters upstairs.

A few of the gnomes chilling out--all tuckered out from a long night of making yummy candy, no doubt!

A gnome onesie--words cannot describe how much I love this.

Adult and baby gnome shoes!!

so.much.candy.

Entryway of the shop.

I am going to give you a little disclaimer: you cannot leave this place empty handed. Seriously. You will find something. My mom always buys a gnome (I'm holding off on that until I have a porch or garden to display them on) and I usually buy candy (I have a bit of a sugar problem..).

This time was different though. Look what I got:

Yes those are gnome earrings!!

For more information (or for better pictures), be sure to check out their website.

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Denver Girls Weekend

As some of you may know, I am a displaced Coloradoan. I was born and raised in the Centennial State, attended Colorado State University my first two years of college and then transferred out of state to a school with a praised media studies program. Luckily, I'm not too far from home so I'm able to visit about once a month.

This trip home was extra special though--we were celebrating my mom's birthday!

We stayed at my Aunt Nancy's (who is seriously one of my favorite people of all time) and had a fabulous time wining, dining, shopping, laughing, and reminiscing.

Without further ado, here are some pictures from our weekend.

Aunt Nancy and I made a Whole Foods run on Friday night to get pizza and ended up leaving with pizza, wings, salad and dessert (side note: spinach mushroom pizza is the greatest).

Pizza run finds: chocolate ganache cake and a salted caramel chocolate cupcake.

We spent the early afternoon shopping on my favorite Denver street, Old South Gaylord. They have the cutest boutiques and shops all on the same block!

The Gnomes Nook--words cannot describe just how adorable this place is. I'll post much more about that on Wednesday.

Gnome earrings--I had 'gnome' choice but to buy them! (ba-dum-ching!)

After our shopping marathon, we had lunch at Andre's, an authentic Swiss restaurant and bakery. Their spaetzle and homemade shortbread brownies are to die for!

Our gang!

My Uncle's friend made this wine cork bird feeder and I was completely fascinated by it.

Denver, I love you.

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A Few of My Favorite Things (January Edition)

Whenever I log into my Blogger Dashboard, I start going down the list of blogs I follow and begin my stalking reading. Posts that always stop me dead in my tracks are ones about beauty products. I LOVE getting tips and learning about new products from all of my lovely fellow bloggers.

I decided to start doing the same at the beginning of each month in hopes of helping my friends/fabulous readers find new products/styles/accessories/etc. to try.

1.) Rimmel Clean Finish Foundation. Oh my goodness, I LOVE this foundation. It seems like Rimmel gets a bad rap because it is an inexpensive drug store brand but honestly, it has worked better for me than behind the counter department store brands. This foundation goes on so smoothly and never leaves a visible makeup line (like I experienced with Cover Girl True Match). Add a little peachy blush for a flawless au natural look. And the best part? You can get it at Target/Wal-Mart/Walgreens/Wherever you buy your makeup for less than $5!

2.) Avon Advance Techniques Dry Ends Serum. I have never been a huge fan of Avon. A lady that used to work for my dad sold it so I'd buy makeup and lotions from her (this was back when I was in junior high). The makeup was never anything special and didn't seem to highlight or benefit my skin in anyway so I stopped using it. Fast forward to last Christmas when I found this serum in my stocking. I'll admit, I was a bit skeptical at first but my mamma-in-law swore by it so I figured I'd give it a try. I'm so glad I did. I get terrible split ends and this has helped sooooo much. Another added benefit? My hair is really shiny! Oh, and it's $8. Yeah, you're going to want to try it.

3.) Kenra Platinum Blow Dry Spray. I blow dry AND use a flat iron on my hair every single day. Yes, ouch. This spray has been a life saver. My hair looks much healthier now (not to mention it's silky soft and smells amazing). This ingenious product only costs $17--having healthy hair doesn't have to break the bank!

4.) Bubble Necklace. I'm sure everyone has one of these by now (I'm a little behind on the times..) but I finally got one and have been saving it for a special occasion and finally have one--my mammas birthday celebration this weekend (and you can bet that I'll be posting pictures)!! Bubble necklaces vary in price, but you can typically get one for around $10.

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Happy Birthday, Mama!

Tomorrow is my moms birthday (I normally don't post on Thursdays, so I'm doing this post today)!

If you know me, you know that my mom is my bff. I just love her. I can talk to her about anything and I know that whenever we get together, we're going to have a blast. Seriously, we could be sitting at home watching TV or playing cards and we're having the time of our lives--and I LOVE that!

To celebrate my mom (and moms everywhere), I'd like to share a few beautiful quotes about that special bond between a mother and daughter.

Girls mountain weekend with our friends Sharon and Turin--2008

“A daughter is a mother's gender partner, her closest ally in the family confederacy, an extension of her self. And mothers are their daughters' role model, their biological and emotional road map, the arbiter of all their relationships." -Victoria Secunda

Dinner and a play with our friends Sharon and Turin (are you noticing a pattern?)--2009

"A mother's love for her child is like nothing else in the world. It knows no law, no pity. It dares all things and crushes down remorselessly all that stands in its path." -Agatha Christie

Out at dinner for my dads birthday--2010

"My mom is literally a part of me. You can't say that about many people except relatives, and organ donors." -Carrie Latet

Girls trip to Las Vegas for my 21st--2011

"Who fed me from her gentle breast and hushed me in her arms to rest, And on my cheek sweet kisses prest? My Mother." -Anne Taylor

My bachelorette party in Denver--2012

"When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child." -Sophia Loren

My wedding shower with mom and Aunt Nancy (who we will be celebrating with this weekend!)--2012

"A mother's treasure is her daughter." -Anonymous

On my wedding day--2013

"My mom is a never-ending song in my heart of comfort, happiness and being. I may sometimes forget the words but I always remember the tune." -Graycie Harmon

I'm so excited to spend time with my mom and aunt this weekend--I'm looking forward to attending a high tea, spending too much money at H&M, and celebrating such an incredible woman.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

I love you.

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I Used to Eat Paper and Slow Cooker Green Bean Dumpling Soup!

This post is going to be a cluster so bear with me..

I've been on a huge soup kick lately.

Does anyone else go through phases where you want to eat the same thing everyday for weeks.. or months? I do that often. In fact, two and a half years ago, all I ate was soup (and yogurt). And then I was sick of soup and decided I wanted nachos all the time (I'm actually still going through that phase--I get chicken nachos at every restaurant we go to). Then it was Havarti quesadillas and jelly (more info here). Now I'm back to soup.

And yesterday, I was in soup heaven.

Our local humane society was hosting their 16th annual "Soup'R Bowl" fundraiser where local celebrities and business owners make 10-gallons of homemade soup and community members pay $5 to sample every single one and then vote for their favorite. Oh boy, it was good. There was everything from taco soup to ham & cabbage soup to potato cheddar soup. It. Was. Fab. Brandon and I were working at a booth but took a quick break to make the rounds.

And I found my new favorite soup. Green Bean Dumpling.

After the event was over, I had to work for a few hours. While I was at work, all I could think about was that green bean dumpling soup. I had to have more for dinner.

So, I invented this super simple, extremely tasty slow cooker green bean dumpling soup!

Okay, I lied.

I can't take all the credit for this. I got the original idea from The Dedicated House's Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings (which is also orgasmo good and easy to make) and just substituted the chicken for green beans.

I was feeling so proud of myself while I was making this last night--I was thinking about all of the busy moms out there that I could share this recipe with! And then it dawned on me.. what kid would eat this?

I'm not a mamma (yet) but I was a 5-year-old once so I remember exactly how picky eaters act.

I wouldn't eat anything green. I flat out refused. And I was such a brat to my poor mother who stayed home with my brother and me everyday and then found time to make us a nice supper. I remember one time I refused to eat whatever my mom made and demanded that I get a peanut butter sandwich instead (keep in mind that I was 5--and I was not one to back down). My parents told me that I eat whats on my plate or I didn't eat at all.

Pssh yeah, like that was going to happen.

So I was excused from the table without having anything to eat. About an hour later, I decided enough was enough and that it was time for my peanut butter sandwich. But my parents still said no..

So I cried. And I cried. And I cried.

And being the drama queen I was, I ran down to the basement and cried.. And ate some paper that I found in my dads office. Yeah, I really showed them..

Who could say no to this precious, trout toothed, bull cutted (I don't think that's a real word..) Kindergartener? The little darling..

If your kids are a lot lower maintenance than I was (and by the grace of God, they are), they might actually enjoy this. It's really tasty and the dumplings are so fluffy and yummy. Try it out and let me know whatcha think!

Slow Cooker Green Bean Dumpling Soup

Anngredients:

• 3 (10.5oz) cans Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup 
• 1 (32oz) box Chicken Broth
• 10 Large Flaky Refrigerator Biscuits
• 1 (16 oz.) bag of frozen green beans
• Salt and pepper (to taste)

1.  Add cream of chicken soup and chicken broth to crock pot. Cook on high for 1 hour (2 hours on low).
2. Cut each uncooked biscuit into 8 small pieces and stir into the soup mixture. Add frozen green beans and cook on high for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. 
3. Serve hot and enjoy!

Bada Bing, Bada Boom!

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First Thrifting Trip of 2013!

We celebrated my mamma-in-laws 50th birthday this weekend.. so you know what that means!

Nooo, I mean besides having a wine party..

We went thrifting!

And it was good to be back! 

We weren't sure what we were looking for (which is always a bad decision because then you look through everything and find a bunch of stuff you didn't know you needed) so we perused around Goodwill for close to an hour. Here are some of our great finds:

The perfect Valentine gift for that special someone in your life. I almost got it for Brandon since I enjoy liking him, but I figured the whole "love" liking you thing would come off too strong. We're not far enough into our relationship for that (ba dum ching!).

Seriously, how adorable is this?! Easter is Brandon's and my holiday to host and we have zero decorations. I picked this up for $1.99 and plan to hang it on our door to welcome our guests this year.

Staying on the topic of adorable, look at this little guy. I can tell he was hand painted and needed a good place to live (I picked him up for $1.49). B & I are hopefully getting a bigger place with a porch soon so I'm going to get a pretty plant to set in there and let it thrive in the glorious summer humidity.

Mamma Nancy picked this never used mister for $3.99! She's going to put it in her bedroom and use it for a humidifier.

And then we made the mistake of checking out the clothes.. my biggest downfall. 

I'll post some pictures soon of the adorable tops I got for next to nothing. I recently did the math and realized I spend close to $75 a year on clothes. That's it. That whole braggy spiel will be coming soon!

(P.S. Remember the dresses I got at the Goodwill boutique with ThriftDee--here are a few pics of them)

I don't have a close up of the dress but you get the idea! Our colors were red and black so I was thrilled when I found this baby for $15.

This dress is wayyyy cuter without the sweater but it was a brisk 55 degrees out so being warm won. I snagged this dress for $10.

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