I was provided with complimentary product and compensation to try out this recipe for the McDonald’s® all new Artisan Grilled Chicken. All opinions and overuse of the word awesome are my own :) #McDPartners

So, you guys all know that I’m a big fan of McDonald’s. 

That was my first job. And the franchise owners here where I live treated us amazing. My McDonald’s was in the mall, so it was fun. Also, I love that they partner with the Ronald McDonald House. That’s the place that helps families have a place to stay when their kiddos are at a Children’s Hospital. {Which my family has used a ton of times, due to lots of emergencies. It’s a lifesaver.} And it’s funded by you putting your change into those little donation boxes in front of each register. I also remember having birthday parties at McDonald’s as a kid. I see how excited my little girl gets when she gets a Happy Meal – with apple slices, smaller serving of fries, a cheeseburger, and a yummy chocolate milk, plus an awesome toy! So, Mickey D’s is a part of our life :) And now there’s a great new addition to their menu that has me super excited….

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You guys might remember a few months ago that I had the awesome opportunity to get tickets to the RockstarUPROAR festival in Seattle, to meet up with the band Godsmack, and get a VIP experience to try out the amazing Pura Vida tequila on their tour bus. You can see some pictures and video in my post about the festival here. It was super cool to meet the band, and really awesome to get to hear from the people behind the Pura Vida tequila brand – how they got started, how they make it from the highest quality ingredients. I know a lot of people who say they can’t drink tequila. Well, lemme tell ya – this is NOT the tequila you drank in college, my friends :) This stuff is smooth enough for sipping over ice. And it’s even better when mixed into some fabulous drinks. I got to try a couple of awesome drinks while on the tour bus at the concert, and visiting with the band – and was sent an awesome package of complimentary product once I got home, to test out some cool drink recipes to share with you. Here’s a favorite….

Introducing the Pura Vida Hop-A-Rita Recipe! It combines the smoothness of the Pura Vida tequila with the sweetness of the Pura Vida Naranja {which, side note, every time I see this bottle I read it as Narnia. But that shows my book-nerd side, lol.} – plus the flavor of hops and lime. Perfection, anytime. Here’s the info on how to make this crafty concoction yourself:

Ingredients:

1.5 oz pura vida gold
.5 oz naranja
1 oz fresh lime juice
.25 oz agave nectar

Add all ingredients to a shaker. Then shake it. While shaking the drink, I also advise shaking your booty. To the song of your choice. Some excellent choices – Taylor Swift, Shake it Off. Shake it Like a Salt Shaker. Or my newest fave, Uptown Funk :)
Next, you pour this amazingness into a glass. Then top with 3 oz karbach hopadilla. And drink, and enjoy with a smile. Share with friends. Good times.

To see more awesome recipes, follow the #815TequilaTime hashtag!

I’ve partnered with Karina Dresses for another Frockstar™ Nation Event. I received an awesome dress, and am excited to offer you a chance to win a bunch of your own!

I have absolutely fallen in love with Karina Dresses. I love how they have are so flattering – and have a fit that’s perfect for ANY body. Seriously. Plus, they’re so “wash and wear.” Like, never wrinkled, never need ironing, don’t shrink, fabric stays perfect for so long. Love ’em. Check out this one that I’ve had forever, one of my faves:

This is a dress that fits my body perfectly – and has pockets! That was one of my fave features. I’ve never had a dress with pockets. Ever. Amazingness.

Want one of your own?

Karina Dresses has a newsletter you will want to get in your inbox. Each weekly newsletter has a winner of a new dress selected from the email subscribers. You have to open the email to see if it is you! In addition to giveaways, The Karina Dresses newsletter also has flash sales with the hottest prints at almost 50% off! To make this newsletter even more desirable to join, if you sign up and confirm your subscription (or are already a subscriber and enter this giveaway) you will be entered into the sweepstakes for $1000 in Karina Dresses! Are you ready to join the Karina Nation? Subscribe here! http://bit.ly/KDnews.

If you are a blogger and you would like to do a review of a Karina Dress, they choose their reviewers from their affiliates! You can sign up to be an affiliate here: http://bit.ly/KDaffiliate

To make this newsletter even more desirable to join, if you sign up and confirm your subscription (or are already a subscriber and enter this giveaway) you will be entered into the sweepstakes for $1000 in Karina Dresses! Are you ready to join the Karina Nation? Subscribe here!

Are you ready for extra entries?

Use @KarinaDresses and #frockstar to let Karina know your favorite dress from the Frockstar™ Nation Event bloggers. You can also get 100 entries a day by commenting on each of the bloggers posts from the linky below!

Welcome to another awesome week of fun! We all love Pinterest – whether it’s finding cool inspiration, learning new things, or as bloggers – getting fab new traffic! – it’s one of the best ideas the web has ever concocted. :) I myself have had two posts go viral now on Pinterest – 10 Ways to Make Money from Home, and 10 Ways to Save on Baby Essentials. {Clearly, I should write more “10 best” type posts, since people love them, lol.} So – if you’re a pin-a-holic too, be sure to link up your favorite post this week. I have been sick – but do my best to share and repin every one of your posts. AND – they go up on several other sites too. Fun, right?

Welcome to the #PinIt Pin Party!

Who is ready to have some fun!?! We are loving all the creativeness submitted to the #PinIt Pin Parties! From recipes, to holiday decor, children activities and more! Everyone is so talented. Again last week, we seen many St. Patrick’s Day and Easter submissions. I love it! Life is definitely worth celebrating. And, holidays are a great reminder to not only celebrate but to be with family. Do you go all out for holidays, too?

We had a terrific turn out last week and hope to have you join in the fun this week. Before we begin, let’s check out the MOST CLICKED submissions from last week’s Pin Party! We just LOVE these…

Meet Your Pin Party Hosts

{Be sure to check out the hosts and follow them on Pinterest!}

Jen from Pin-n-Tell

Visit Jen’s profile on Pinterest.

Dawn from Pin-n-Tell

Visit Dawn’s profile on Pinterest.

Meagan from Sunshine and Sippycups

Visit Meagan’s profile on Pinterest.

Ashley from Embracing Homemaking

Visit Ashley’s profile on Pinterest.

Jessica & Nellie from Butter with a Side of Bread

Visit their profile on Pinterest.

JOIN THE PARTY!

We encourage all bloggers to join our pin party and link up any post from your blog or Pinterest account that you would like to share.

To make the party even more fun, remember…

• By linking up at our #PinIt: Pin Parties, you are giving us permission to feature your submissions on our social media outlets and be considered to be featured as a Pinner of the Week… with a link back to you of course :)
• We will be monitoring the submissions, checking them out and pinning our favorites!
• Be sure to visit and PIN or comment on at least 2 other links. Let’s spread the love.
• We would love it if you spread the word about the party on social media or by adding our button to your site.
• Please only link up to your blog posts or pins. No affiliate posts, sponsored posts, ads or products. If you have an Etsy shop, we would LOVE to feature you in our Shopping Saturday posts so please be sure to contact us!

Need more incentive to join in and #PinIt? Every week, some lucky participants will WIN fun prizes and get featured on our site! Whoo hoo!

Here’s how you can be a part of our Pin Party: Simply insert the URL for your PIN or Blog Post, so that we can showcase your creativeness! This party is open to any FAMILY FRIENDLY posts or pins. We will be monitoring the submissions, checking them out and pinning our favorites! So, be sure to #PinIT!

Let’s introduce our fans, and everyone on Pinterest, to your great posts, pins and creativity :) Have FUN… and Enjoy!