$150 Amazon Living Room Makeover

 Our living room has needed a refresh for quite sometime. And let’s be real.. furniture is so expensive! So as a different alternative I started looking in to different couch covers, which got overwhelming because there are so many to choose from! Immediately I knew that I wanted one with individual covers though and not one piece. As of now, the covers I have are on the lighter side, so not sure if we will keep them quite this light. They definitely turned out slightly lighter than I envisioned. Although, now the the space is definitely brightened up. But hey, for only $100 I got basically brand new colored couches! I do want to also point out that they had other options that were even more inexpensive.

The other purchase I made was replacing the wooden side tables (just imagine the coffee table but for end tables). We have had this set for about 12-13 years so they have definitely held up nicely. The coffee table will be the next to go, once I finally decide on what I want in its place. For the end tables I went with the simple gold framed ones with tempered glass. I was pleasantly surprised too, especially since the set was only $50 for two of them! 

The plant in the corner is from Hobby Lobby, but one I already had in another room. The area rug is from Boutique Rugs and I love it!! The coffee table flowers also got changed out after I took the pics, I will insert another angle of the living room below. It’s amazing how much you can completely change up a space for really cheap!

Xoxo,

Lindsey

DIY Wedding Coordination

 So I just really got to thinking about something new I could share that would truly be helpful to anyone out there. It occurred to me that I have never shared my side hustle with you guys. So about four years ago I became the assistant to a wedding coordinator/owner of "All Things Arranged". There was so much to learn, along with experience to gain, and I was truly in love with the job. Then about two years ago she decided to part ways with the business, but not before she could teach me as much as possible. That's when I decided to venture out on my own and where "The Finishing Touch" was created.

For this post I thought I would share a few tips on how to get jump started on coordinating your own special day. Along with setting up a timeline of events. 

1. To start off, the first thing you absolutely need to make it easier, if for all of your vendors to be booked. So the DJ, florist, caterer, officiant, baker, decorators, any rental companies delivering, etc. Then from there decide which events you want to take place. Are you wanting a bouquet toss, or maybe even a game to be played during reception? Once you have decided on all of the events you want to take place and all of the vendors are booked, that's where to me it's always the easiest.

2  Most of the time you are already aware of the timeframe in which you have your venue for, so the first step is deciding on what time you want your ceremony to take place. For the sake of this post we will just say 4:00pm. A lot of the times certain vendors will let you know what time they need to arrive depending on the start of the reception or ceremony, so it will make things easier when scheduling. The caterer is probably already familiar with how long it will take them to be setup in time for the cocktail hour or reception, and the DJ will know how much setup time they need (also if you require their service for the ceremony or not as well), and so on and so forth.

3. After you determine arrival times with the vendors, that's where I always fill in any extra details for certain time slots, basically things that you don't want to forget to do, and tasks to stay on schedule. For instance; making sure the groomsmen have the rings at a certain time before heading down the aisle, or having everyone make their way to the ceremony area, or making sure you know where the throw bouquet is located ahead of time. Don't get me wrong, there are a ton of little extra details to plan ahead, but it's definitely doable to DIY your schedule for the day.

Those are just a few of the ways to get started on planning out your timeline. If you would like me to go more in depth and give extra tips feel free to let me know! Meanwhile, here is a peek inside some of the weddings I have either decorated, coordinated, or assisted with.

xoxo,

Lindsey

Simple and Easy Shepherd's Pie

 

(Not my picture but literally exactly how mine looks)

Tonight we had my own version of Shepherd's Pie. It's quick, simple, and VERY affordable to feed a large family. I forgot to snap a picture other than the story I added to instagram (it's saved in my highlights though).  Here is how I make this simple family favorite. That takes less than 30 minutes to prepare.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

8oz Idahoan buttery homestyle instant mashed potatoes if you're in a pinch or a hurry (or homemade mashed potatoes)

large casserole dish for baking

4 cans of vegetables of your choosing  (tonight we had green beans, corn, peas, and carrots)

3/4 can of tomato sauce (or more depending on your preference)

salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder to taste

shredded cheddar jack cheese

Directions:

Brown the ground beef in a skillet and drain the grease. Then add it to the casserole dish along with all of the canned vegetables (drained and rinsed).

 Mix in your tomato sauce (be sure to not add too much, it can tend to get watery easily). Once it's all mixed together and seasoned to your liking then top it with the mashed potatoes. 

To make the mashed potatoes just simply follow the instructions, they're super fast and easy to make.

Once you have covered the entire beef and veggie mixture with the mashed potatoes, cover it with the shredded cheese and pop in the oven at 375 for roughly 15 minutes.

Then VOILA!! A quick and filling meal for the entire family. It will definitely feed 5-6 people easily.

What are some of your favorite quick and easy family meals to make?

xoxo,

Lindsey

Myrtle Beach Quick Getaway Money Saving Tips

 This weekend we took a quick trip to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. In all honesty this wasn’t a planned vacation type of getaway, it was for a dear family member on my husband’s side, for their celebration of life. We did have some free time though, so I thought I would share with you all what we did. Plus some money saving tips too.

  First and foremost, don’t be afraid to book that cheaper hotel right by the beach. We spent $400 for the weekend at a little retro hotel called Waikiki Village, literally across the street from the beach. They also have 1 and 2 bedrooms available as well. Our first impression was not great at all!!! But the customer service was amazing and moved our room to a much better location and we ended up with a balcony that did have an ocean view as well. 

We were able to spend a few hours at the beach while there. Which brings me to my next tip. Bring your own chairs and umbrella from home. We use to buy a new one every trip and leave it for the next guests. So much extra money was spent that over time doing that. Obviously if you’re flying that’s a different scenario. One thing we did forget this trip was a small cooler so we bought one while there. 

So this next tip is really not a tip. Just a really affordable place I wanted to share. After we got back from the memorial service and went back to change for dinner it was already kinda late. I really wanted some kind of seafood so we randomly pulled in this place because it wasn’t packed. It was called Shuckers Raw Bar. We had some yummy Parmesan blackened oysters and each had a combo basket. Plus we had 2 alcoholic drinks each. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I got the bill and the drinks were only $6.75 EACH!! The place really struck us as more of a local type place. It wasn’t fancy by any means, but was also kid friendly too! So if you’re on a budget with kids this is somewhere to consider. They had a wide variety of appetizers to choose from as well, so it wasn’t strictly a seafood restaurant.

We also ate at a restaurant called Sharky’s and it’s right on the beach. Our bill wasn’t too ridiculous at $20 a meal roughly (for beach prices).. we ended up having our meals, plus we bought lunch for my husband’s little cousin too. Robert and I each had 3 drinks on our ticket as well, truthfully I think that totaled out to like $145 before any fees. I will say if you do go there bring cash!!! There is a 4% credit or debit card fee along with their automatic 18% gratuity on every ticket as well. I do want to note that the kids were not with us on this trip, so we were only feeding the two of us except this one time.  

Our great view for lunch at Sharky’s!

  If you have never been to Myrtle Beach there is sooooo much to do for families. Last time we were here Elizabeth was only 2 months old. So a really long time ago! Just for a fun throwback here are a few old pictures. 

Look how small Elizabeth and Michael were! Crazy to see they’re now 12 and almost 19, and Landon wasn’t even born yet. On this trip we did a ton but it’s hard to remember it all!

Xoxo,

Lindsey