Let's Get Real #4

It's time for another Let's Get Real post! If you're interested, you can check out my previous posts here. Today I'm going to talk a little bit about movies...

Unless I'm actually at the theater, I've never been one to sit down and watch a movie all the way through. I just don't have the attention span! So, I tend to watch movies I've already seen 100 times. That way I can do laundry, cook, work on the blog, etc... and I don't really have to pay attention. 

Since most of my favorite movies are pretty old, I can usually find them on VHS at thrift stores. They're never more than a dollar each. You can't beat that! After taking a look at my little VHS collection, I came to realize just how weird my taste is. I mean, how random are those movies? I'm sure you've heard of them all... except for maybe that Dance Workout Barbie video! I've had that since I was about 6. I think I've kept it for this long because it's hilarious. I totally used to work out to it as a kid too. Oh, and here's a fun fact... Jennifer Love Hewitt is in it!

So, what's my point? Well... if you've read any of my previous Let's Get Real posts, you'd know that I don't actually have one. I just like to give a little insight into my life once in a while. I also love to read the feedback! So what about you guys? Am I the only one with a bizarre VHS collection like this?

Recent Finds

I haven't had very much luck lately at estate sales but I did manage to snag that bag and tray last weekend. Then a few days ago I found those little chicken salt and pepper shakers at the Goodwill. 

Here's a close-up. Aren't they cute? Now if you'll excuse me, it's my day off and there's an estate sale on the other side of town that's calling my name!

P.S. I'm picking the 500th post giveaway winner tomorrow!!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake

Since fall has officially started I thought it was only fitting to make one of my favorite cakes. My mom and I have been making this pumpkin chocolate chip cake for years but most of the time I'm lazy and just add a few extra ingredients to a yellow cake mix. Yes... I admit it... once in a while I take the easy way out and bake with a store-bought mix. I mean, those Ghirardelli brownie mixes? Come on! They're SO good! Anyway, I decided to attempt to make this cake from scratch and it turned out great! So, I wanted to share the recipe with you guys. I should warn you though, there's nothing healthy about this cake (I used 8 egg yolks after all), but come on, it's cake, it's not supposed to be good for you, it's supposed to be DELICIOUS! 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 8 egg yolks
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 16oz. can of pumpkin
• 1 8oz. package of chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a bundt pan. In one bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. In another bowl, cream together the butter and the sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time, stir in the vanilla.

Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the milk and water until incorporated. Mix in the can of pumpkin. Finally, fold in the chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into your prepared bundt pan.

Bake for about 1 hour or until the top of the cake springs back. This is a VERY heavy yet moist cake, so you shouldn't have to worry too much about over-baking it. I've noticed that after a few days, the texture changes and it starts to get extremely moist so this cake is best served warm and fresh.

Sponsor Spotlight: Punk Projects

It's time for a new Sponsor Spotlight! Today I'd like to introduce you to the lovely Katie of Punk Projects. Katie's blog is filled with awesome DIYs! If you're anything like me and you love to get crafty, be sure to stop by and see what she's up to. She's currently doing a lot of autumn-themed projects. I just love that. Now, let's learn a little more about Katie, shall we?

I'm Katie, a 20 yr old artist trying to find my place in the world. I blog over at Punk Projects, where I post step-by-step craft tutorials, inspiration, and my art which consists of everything from scrapbook layouts to painting and mixed media to drawing to crocheting. I have a passion for creating things and I share that on my blog.

I've recently opened my etsy shop back up, and both my Mom and I are listing handmade items in it. My Mom, Tabatha creates the most gorgeous quilted and crocheted items, and you might find a few in the etsy shop. My sewing style is a little more whimsical, I like to sew small things like iphone cozies, camera strap covers, etc. So our Etsy shop has a couple of different styles in it, but everything is lovingly handmade.

Learn more about Katie...

BLOG | ETSY | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | PINTEREST | GOOGLE+

The Living Room

I took this photo of our living room today and just thought I would share it with you guys. My roommate Amy and I are almost finished with it. We just need something to hang on the far wall above the little shelf. Can you tell that we love color? And granny blankets? I need to take more photos of the apartment to share here on the blog! Just let me sweep up a few dust bunnies first.

500th Post Giveaway! - CLOSED

It's my 500th post! What better way to celebrate than with a giveaway? 

I've decided to offer up one of my favorite estate sale finds... an adorable ceramic cupcake container!

This cupcake measures 6 and 1/2" tall and the bottom is stamped with 'E.S. Molds - 1976'.

To enter:

Simply leave a comment below!
Please remember to include a way to contact you if you win.

For additional entries:

-Become a member of Please Note by clicking the Join This Site button below the sponsor spots

-Like Please Note on Facebook

-Follow Please Note on Twitter

-Tweet about the giveaway

Be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry!

I'll be picking a winner at random on Friday, September 28th!

UPDATE...
We have a winner!

Thank you to everyone who entered!

Simple Spicy Noodles

I recently discovered a blog called Budget Bytes and I can't get over how awesome it is! I love a good food blog and Beth of Budget Bytes has taken food blogging to the next level. Every recipe Beth posts is perfect for the food lover on a budget. She even breaks down the ingredients and figures out the exact cost of each recipe. This is the first Budget Bytes recipe I decided to try and I love it. I can't wait to try more!

Ingredients (serves 2):

• 4 oz. lo mein noodles
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Sriracha red rooster sauce
• 1 handful fresh cilantro
• 1 sliced green onion (I forgot to buy a green onion to add but I definitely will next time)

Boil the water for the noodles and cook according to the package directions. While waiting for the water to boil, prepare the sauce. In a small bowl stir together the brown sugar, soy sauce, and Sriracha.

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the red pepper. Whisk an egg in a bowl and add it to the melted butter. Stir gently and cook through. Once the egg is done cooking, turn off the heat. When the noodles are tender, drain the water and add them to the skillet with the cooked egg. Now add the sauce. Turn the heat on to low to evaporate excess moisture, and stir until everything is coated well with the sauce.

Sprinkle the sliced green onion and cilantro leaves on top and serve!

P.S. Be sure to check back tomorrow for my 500th POST GIVEAWAY!

Pixie

My mom recently adopted an 8 month old cat named Pixie. I've never been much of a cat person but this little lady has grown on me. I took this picture this morning when she was lying on her back in the sun like a human. What a weirdo.

P.S. I promise not to turn into a crazy cat lady and post photos like this all the time... and if I do, feel free to tell me to knock it off.

Cardtorial

Back in May I attended Unique LA with my mom. We had a great time checking out each and every booth and I made sure to take photos of my favorites. When we stumbled upon Yvonne's Cardtorial booth, we were instantly smitten. I couldn't believe how detailed and beautiful Yvonne's wooden cards were. That's right... her cards are made out of wood! How awesome is that?

So, the reason I'm discussing Cardtorial today is because Yvonne has started a Kickstarter campaign in an attempt to buy her own laser and take Cardtorial to the next level. She's been making these cards and wedding invitations in a shared studio space and hasn't had the time or resources there to fill all of her orders. She's even had to turn orders down. That would drive me crazy!
Check out the video below to learn more about Yvonne's campaign. Also, be sure to visit Yvonne's Kickstarter page... your pledge could get you your very own package of Cardtorial cards! You can't  beat that!

Thrift Find Makeover

About a month ago I found a pair of gold birds at an estate sale...

After standing in front of the spray paint case at Lowe's for 20 minutes last weekend, I finally decided to paint them green!

I just wanted to share the finished product with you guys. I love how they turned out!

Recently...

Well, I'm officially addicted to Instagram. Care to follow along? My Instagram name is MISSPLEASENOTE.

Why I Can't Quite Get Over Moonrise Kingdom...

Once in a while a movie comes along that really sticks in my mind. At the moment, Moonrise Kingdom is that movie. The one aspect of Moonrise Kingdom that I can't stop thinking about is the color scheme. I just LOVE the colors that were used in this movie. I've been stuck in a mustard yellow rut recently and Moonrise Kingdom pulled me out of it... kind of. I'm still hooked on yellow but now I'm finding myself carefully choosing forest greens, reds, and browns to go with it. Oh man... I'm totally buying this movie the second it comes out on DVD.

Photos found here and here.

Coming Soon...

Have you guys seen the new collections that Target is going to be featuring this month? I saw an ad in a magazine a few weeks ago and immediately fell in love with everything they're offering from The Curiosity Shoppe. I just love the colors. You can find these goodies at Target on the 9th. I'm almost scared to go. I don't think my wallet can handle it!

Basil Infused Oil

Almost exactly a month ago I planted two little basil plants. They've grown a lot since then and have been sitting next to my front door anxiously awaiting the perfect recipe. Yesterday I got home from work and decided to finally put them to use. I found this basil infused oil recipe via Shutterbean and decided to give it a try because it was just too simple not to.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves

Chop the basil. Combine the basil and the oil in a saucepan and heat over medium heat for 5 minutes. Remove the mixture from the heat and let the basil and oil steep for about 30 minutes. Strain the mixture into a jar. Keep the oil in an airtight container for up to one month.

Try this oil on a salad or dip some bread in it!

How To Find Estate Sales

I should preface this post with a little note to my dad who's not going to be pleased that I'm sharing these "secrets". Dad, many people who read my blog do not live in California... so this post will in no way create competition for you at estate sales. Also, thank you for thinking that my blog is popular enough to even do that. Haha.

Now, with that being said, I've had a few people ask me how to find estate sales in their cities so I thought I would share my three favorite ways...

1.) YOUR LOCAL NEWSPAPER

My favorite way to find estate sales is in the Pennysaver. I did a little research and it turns out that the Pennysaver is available in print mainly in California and Florida but their website is nationwide. The classified ads section in your local newspaper is a good place to check too.

2.) ESTATESALES.NET

My second favorite resource is Estatesales.net. I like this website because it ranks the sales by date which makes it easy to find a sale starting soon in your area. Also, many estate sale companies use this website and post multiple photos. Lots of times I decided whether or not I'll go to the sale based on the photos.

3.) CRAIGSLIST

The last place I always check is Craigslist. Craigslist can be tricky because many people use the term "estate sale" to get their ad out there. Many times I find myself weeding through ads for old pieces of furniture and broken down refrigerators before I find an actual estate sale, and even then, there's a good chance that there won't be photos. You never know what you're going to find though. It's always worth a shot.

So... those are my three favorite ways to find estate sales. Do any of you fellow bargain hunters have tips you'd like to share as well?

August Favorites

It's already September and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little excited. It's been really hot lately and I'm getting tired of it. I can't wait to actually use a blanket again at night. Plus, I LOVE Halloween! With that being said, I really do love summer too... and since August has come to an end, I've put together a little round-up of some of my favorite recent posts.

Currently

Free Olympic-Themed Desktop

Potato Cheese Chowder

Chocolate Coffee Milkshakes

DIY: Mod Podge Serving Tray Makeover

DIY: Upcycled Pitcher Planter

Let's Get Real #3

My Go-To Playlist

A Little Painting

Weekend Finds #10

Weekend Finds #11