Fashion and Fun after Fifty

Decadently Delicious Duncan Hines Desserts July 14, 2014

Hello friends, I hope all is well in your world.

My family knows that I am not a real baker, you know the type that uses fresh ingredients and everything is made from scratch, nope, that’s not me. If and when I do bake it’s usually from a pouch or a box, but that doesn’t mean it tastes like cardboard. My hubby can also make a mean boxed cake because he uses pudding and it’s oh la la good!

During a recent shopping trip to Food Lion I noticed a new line of cupcake mixes by Duncan Hines, they may not be new to the market but they were certainly new to me. I purchased a box of Decadent Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcake mix.

Using these ingredients and following the directions on the box, they actually were decadently delicious!

My only complaint was there wasn’t enough cream cheese frosting to cover all the cupcakes, either that or I put too much inside the cupcakes…I think it was the latter.

I can’t wait to try the Chocolate Lovers Cupcake Mix.

Let's Chat

What is your favorite baked dessert?

Stay Blessed ~ No Stress in 2014!

Weekend Wind-Down Party #25 | Cookies and Milk July 11, 2014

Hello Friends and Welcome to the Weekend Wind-Down Party!

I am definitely enjoying all of your posts with mouth-watering recipes, fabulous fashions, cool crafts and wise words of wisdom. I am not a baker but some of you ladies have inspired me so I wanted to share some cookies that I made last week.

At Walmart I noticed a new line of cookie mix from Pillsbury and for only $1.00 so you know I had to try them out, and the frosting was only $1.48.

With only a few ingredients, these Orangesicle Cookies were absolutely delicious!

After the butter was room temperature soft, I mixed it with an egg and the cookie mix then rolled into balls.

Baked for the suggested time but then added a few minutes for them to darken. After they cooled for 15 minutes, I frosted and sprinkled these delicious cookies – thank you Pillsbury!

A tall glass of milk or even a refreshing glass of summer tea (recipe) makes this a wonderful weekend treat!

Now let’s get this party started with Congratulations to this week’s Featured Bloggers!

Penny's Treasures

Penny’s Treasures

Breastfeeding a Toddler

mimi mommy and me

Overstuffed Life

Overstuffed Life

Satisfaction through Christ

Satisfaction through Christ

Designs by Miss Mandee

Designs by Miss Mandee

Feel free to copy and paste this button onto your blog and check our Pinterest Page as you are also being featured there.

Don’t just post and run, please visit at least three other blogs as well as your hosts to make this party more enjoyable.

Simple Home

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DeDivah Deals

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Snippets of Inspiration Blog/Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest/Google+

A Living Sacrifice

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Moms Who Save

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An InLinkz Link-up

Red White & Blueberry Dessert July 11, 2014

Hello friends, I hope all is well in your world.

Last week I stopped at Shoprite to pick up a few items for dinner and they had a sale on their pudding cakes, all flavors for $1.99. There were so many choices but I settled on Blueberry.

I made it a little more delicious by grilling it in butter and adding Reddi Wip cream and strawberries. Hey, if you are going to eat dessert, you might as well make it good!

Melt two pats of butter in a pan, add a few slices of cake and let it warm on low heat for 3-5 minutes.

I wanted the grill marks so I used this pan, and am sure it would be just as good on an outdoor grill or in a George Forman Grill.

Top with Reddi Wip cream and a few slices of strawberries, but if you want a few more calories, top with ice cream!

What is your favorite dessert?

Don’t forget to come back this evening at 6:00 for the #WWDParty!

Stay Blessed ~ No Stress in 2014!

Staying Corporate Casual Cool in the Summer Sizzle July 10, 2014

Hello friends, I hope all is well in your world.

The heat is on and the struggle continues, dressing Corporate Casual in July and August while staying cool can be challenging. However, wearing a sheath dress is just one way that keeps me cool all summer long.

A sheath dress is very transitional, in the early Spring and Autumn I will wear a blazer or cardigan over top, and because of the scoop neck in the Winter I’ll wear a turtleneck underneath. But in the heat of the Summer it’s just cotton undergarments and open toe-sandals!

It can be difficult to stay cool when the temps rise above 80 degrees but just thinking about last winter’s snow storm helps!

Burlington Coat Factory has a large selection of sheath dresses and they are all reasonably priced. However, Ross Dress for Less and of course Goodwill are other places that I’ve also found a good selection of them.

The best thing about a sheath dress is that it’s flattering to all shapes and sizes and can be worn by woman of any age. Patterns makes it easy to accessorize as not much is needed when the print is busy.

Staying cool in Corporate Casual during the summer sizzle is a breeze if I wear light, loose fitting fabric that allows air circulation, is sleeveless and a pair open toe sandals and for that I am thankful!

How about you, do you love sheath dresses as much as I? If so, I’d love to see a pic so send one and then at the end of the month I’ll do a ‘Summer Sheath Sizzle Roundup” which will include a surprise GIVEAWAY

This week I am thankful for my family, my friends and of course my faith. I am thankful that my son is home and recovering nicely and I am thankful for a cool breeze every now and then!

Now it’s your turn, what are you thankful for this week?

Stay Blessed ~ No Stress in 2014!

You Choose The Shoes | Week 12 July 9, 2014

Hello friends, I hope all is well in your world.

Here we are again at another week of “You Choose The Shoes” and I am delighted that so many of you have commented that you look forward to this weekly feature. Trust me, I am enjoying it as much as you are and since I have so too many pairs of shoes, this is going to last for quite some time, at least until the first snow fall.

Now last week might have been a “gimme” because of the statement I made about the black and white sandals from Avon, so you know who won right?

This week’s contenders are once again regulars to the party, they are Avon versus Target

Open toe versus closed toe but they are both patent leather.

This is one of many sheath dresses purchased from Burlington Coat factory and tomorrow’s post will be featuring more of these summer sheath dresses.

Are you ready to choose, will it be the purple and black color block pumps from Avon

– or –

The black patent leather pumps from Target?

Yes, they are both comfortable and in cases like this, I wish I could wear them both! So let’s take one more look shall we…

Leave me a comment below with the pair you chose and why, then come on over and visit the ladies at Whitney’s Personal Style Linkup, see ya later.

Stay Blessed ~ No Stress in 2014!

Peachy Polka Dots | Fashion After Fifty July 8, 2014

Hello friends, I hope all is well in your world.

This Peachy Polka Dot outfit never made it onto the blog in May, but I couldn’t let it pass by without a least an honorable mention. I love Polka Dots and this dress was one of the ones I purchased at Boscov’s in 2005 when I was searching for something to wear to my grandmother’s funeral. She loved the color blue and polka dots as much as I, however, I ended up wearing a traditional black dress.

I love this dress and I usually end up wearing it at least 4 times a year. Because it’s sleeveless, it obviously works well in the Spring and Summer, however, if I throw on a cardigan or pullover sweater it works equally well in the Fall and Winter.

The dress originally came with a blue ribbon belt and bolero jacket, however, I decided to wear it with this peach, thick waisted belt which was purchased from Rugged Wearhouse for only $1.00. Needless to say, at that price I got several in different colors, isn’t the oversized sheer flower in the front cute?

The Polka Dot purse was also from Rugged Wearhouse and I may have mentioned this before, but they have some cute and inexpensive accessories. The necklace and earring set is from Avon and the shoes are Urbanog.com.

What is your favorite print or pattern?

I am linking up with Style elixir – so come on over if you want to see other great polka dot dresses.

Stay Blessed ~ No Stress in 2014!

Skillet Pie July 7, 2014

Hello friends, I hope all is well in your world.

For the past several weeks, Route 495 in Wilmington has been shutdown and this has added an additional 30 minutes to my daily commute. Now that I am getting home later, I’m trying to come up with fast and easy dinner recipes.

I found one online for a Chicken Tamale Skillet Pie, but changed it up a bit to use what I already had in the kitchen.

What I Used:

1 package of Ground Turkey

1 can of cream style corn

1 can Ro*Tel Diced Tomatoes

1 Can of Crescent Rolls

Sweet Peppers

1/2 tsp ground cumin

Shredded Cheese

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a cast-iron skillet brown the ground turkey on medium high heat for 10 minutes or until brown. Add a can of Cream Style Corn, a can of Ro*Tel tomatoes and ground cumin.

Cook for 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated, remove from heat, add a few sweet peppers then top with cheese.

Cover with crescent rolls and put into oven to bake for approximately 20 minutes or until dough is golden brown.

Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

This was a great meal and my men loved it, the next time I am going to use shredded chicken.

Do you have any quick and easy dinner recipes that you can share?

Stay Blessed ~ No Stress in 2014!

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Cents of Style Holiday Home Decor Sale July 5, 2014

Hello friends and Happy 4th of July Weekend!

Summer is a great time to spruce up your home with a few accent pieces and Cents of Style has extended it’s holiday sale but hurry it ends tomorrow, Sunday (7/6/14).

Take advantage on getting some great home decor items currently on sale for 60% off and FREE SHIPPING with the code HOMEDEAL.

Fashion Friday- Home Decor 60% off & FREE SHIPPING with Code HOMEDEAL

Here are a couple great deals you won’t want to miss:

Cotton Pillow Covers- $13.18 shipped.
There are a lot of different colors and styles to choose from. This is a great way to give your home a fresh new look for a low price. Put new covers on your current pillows.

Rod Iron Name Hooks- $6.78 each shipped.
Perfect for a mud room or bathroom.

So take a break from the heat of the grill and pick up a few hot bargains from

Cents of Style

Stay Blessed ~ No Stress in 2014!

Weekend Wind-Down Party | Holiday Edition July 4, 2014

Happy 4th of July my friends and welcome to the holiday version of the Weekend Wind-DownParty!

I hope you are enjoying the day with family or friends and have an opportunity to relax, rejuvenate and reflect on all of your blessings.

to our Featured Bloggers, please check the Pinterest Page as you are also featured there. Please feel free to copy and paste this badge to your blog in appreciation of attending and linking back to the #WWDParty.

Belle of the Kitchen

Belle of the Kitchen

I am looking forward to reading more holiday posts between episodes of The Twilight Zone marathon! I hope you will take the time to visit at least 3 other sites and follow your hosts on at least one social media network.

Enjoy the Holiday and Be Safe – See Ya Soon!!!

Simple Home

Blog/Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest

DeDivah Deals

Blog/Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest

Snippets of Inspiration Blog/Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest/Google+

A Living Sacrifice

Blog/Facebook/Pinterest/Etsy

Mustard Seed MommyBlog/Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest/Google+

Moms Who Save

Blog/Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest/Google+

An InLinkz Link-up

Beat The Heat with Summer Sun Tea July 4, 2014

Hello friends and HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!

I hope you are all having a wonderful holiday and if you need another way to beat the heat try this easy recipe for

Summer Sun Iced Tea

It takes very little energy on your part to make.

Fill a water pitcher with cold water, add 6-8 tea bags tied together with a twist tie.

Let it sit in the sun for at least 4 hours, then remove tea bags.

You could also leave in the window sill if you can’t leave it outside.

Add fresh mint leaves, lemon wedges and your choice of sweeteners.

Try other tea flavors and if like me, you have an overabundance of mint in your garden, clean a few leaves to make minty ice cubes.

Let’s Chat: What is your favorite summer beverage?

Stay Blessed ~ No Stress in 2014!