Pineapple Paletas

I'm on a bit of a popsicle kick, so when I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it. To add an extra little kick, I added in some chile because I'm Mexican and that's what we do to everything. Trust me when I say these little treats are so refreshing on a hot summer night.
xx,
Andrea

*All images via Andrea for Ourmismatchedlife.

Throwback!

Image via Rebecca-Our Mismatched Life

I hope you all had a fun and safe Fourth of July weekend! Today I wanted to bring it back old school to start the week off right with a picture of my siblings and I from way back when in the day. This is probably one of my favorite pictures from our childhood and I love it for so many reasons. Let's begin with the matching outfits my sister and I were rocking. My mom apparently wanted us to look like twins when we are really 6 years apart, good try mom! But really aside from the fashion don'ts in this picture, I love how this picture depicts how close we are as siblings. We were close then and are just as close if not closer now as adults. I feel so blessed to have such a great older brother and sister. As my sister and I are away on our vacation right now, I really wish my brother was here with us to share this amazing experience. For sure we will all come again next year! We love and miss you bro! Wish you were here with us! I'm bringing you back lots of goodies from Sweden!

...Rebecca...

Happy Fourth of July!

Hey Hey! On behalf of Rebecca and I, we hope you have a fantastic 4th of July with your families and friends. Hopefully you'll be sipping on something delightful or setting off some sparklers. We're taking the rest of the week off but we'll be back on Monday. See ya!

Image via Pinterest

Farewell...

Image via Sweden.SE

Well the day has finally arrived! Today I leave to begin my highly anticipated 2 week Sweden vacation. I am traveling with the Nilsson family which is made up of my sister Alex, bro-in-law Fredrik, niece Annika and nephew Lukas. This is their annual Sweden trip and I'm tagging along to enjoy the great festivities in this beautiful country. I'm so excited I can't even begin to describe it! Not only am I super happy to just be going on a vacation but I'm beyond excited to be visiting the beautiful country of Sweden. I'll be traveling thru Stockholm, Skanor, Malmo, Linkoping and passing thru Copenhagen among other places. This is my first visit there and I can't wait to begin my vacation, it's going to be such an amazing experience and I'm extremely grateful to be going. I'm also really glad to be meeting my bro-in-law Fredrik's extended family and learn their traditions. It's going to be an amazing trip and don't worry I'll be taking lots of pictures of everything I see. I want to savor and really soak in this trip and you will be get to experience it with me with future posts about my trip. 

...Rebecca...

Fourth of July Recipes

After scouring the internet last week, I came up with the top 3 recipes I would like to try this 4th of July. In the summer months, I despise turning on the oven so I am always looking for fast and easy recipes that will still allot me the time to spend outdoors. Here's what I came up with.
xx,
Andrea

1. White Chocolate Strawberry Cheesecake Bites
- Wouldn't these be divine while sipping on some champagne?

Image via HWTM Blog

 2. Red, White, and Blueberry Ice Cream Cake
- This seems like such an easy recipe for such a beautiful cake.

Image via HWTM Blog

3. Firecracker Ice Pops
- I'm on a bit of a ice cream kick. I bet these could be spruced up with some alcohol :)

Image via Martha Stewart.com

THE PEAKS...and the pits.

THE PEAKS...
A little staycation:
I have a week from work coming up and nothing planned. Just the way I like it. - Andrea
Bon Voyage!:
Getting super excited and ready for my 2 week vacation in Sweden! - Rebecca

...and the pits.

So far, far away:

Although I am really excited to go on my vacation, I can't deny I am going to miss everyone. I wish they all could come! - Rebecca

Becoming a responsible adult:

"No, Andrea, you cannot go shopping. You need to save your money!" Sincerely, Your conscience. - Andrea 

DIY: Dip Dye Hair

My sister recently approached me about wanting to dye the ends of her hair. Although I was a little resistant, she assured me that she could just cut it off if she didn't like it. Having never done this before, I researched a little and got to work. Here's how I did it.
xx,
Andrea

Materials Needed:
- Hair bleach. I recommend lightening your hair if its on the darker side so that the color can appear bright.
- Bright hair dye of your choice. (we used a semi-permanent color)
- Mixing bowl
- Dye brush applicator
- Latex gloves (or not if you don't mind staining your hands)
- Comb
- Hair tie

Step 1: Braid the hair and apply the bleach to the very end of the hair. I combed through the hair to make sure the bleach was applied to every strand. It also helps to divide the hair into sections. I let the bleach sit for about 15 minutes, but it all depends on how fast the hair lightens so I recommended keeping a close eye on it. This is not the time to paint your nails.

Step: 2
Once the hair has lightened to your desired color, wash it out and dry the hair completely. It's really important to make sure the hair is completely dry. Next, mix the colored dye and apply to the lower half of your bleached ends. After that, mix a little water into the dye and apply to the top half.  This helps to lighten the color so its not so hard. I didn't apply the color to the top of the bleach because I wanted it to be gradual from the bleach into the color. I also "feathered" the color at the top, basically I held the brush vertically and made light brush marks. After all the color was applied, I left it on for 30 minutes.

Step 3: After the 30 minutes have passed, wash the color completely out and enjoy your new summer look!

 *All images via Andrea for Our Mismatched Life.