It’s hot. I love coffee treats. Sometimes I go to Starbucks, but most of the time I’m happy (this time of year) with iced coffee.  I’m going to shake it up a little this weekend and make this yummy Healthier Starbucks Frappuccino for my friend and me to drink while we are on our way to a fun excursion to the (air conditioned) mall! I found this yummy recipe at tastykitchen.com.

Healthier Starbucks Frappuccino

• 1 whole Frozen Banana
• 1 ounce, weight Chocolate Protein Powder
• ¾ cups Brewed, Double Strong Coffee*
• 1 cup Almond Milk (Instead of almond milk, you can also use soy milk, skim milk, etc.)
• ¾ cups Ice**
• 3 Tablespoons Whipped Cream (optional)
• 2 Tablespoons Chocolate Syrup (optional)

*For the coffee, use 2 shots of espresso or 3/4 cup coffee.
**For the ice, depending how slushy you like it, use anywhere from 1/4 cup to 1 cup.

1. Dump all ingredients into the blender. Blend away. If you are feeling wild, add some chocolate syrup to the mix (no more than 2 Tablespoons).

2. Garnish with whipped cream and more chocolate syrup.

3. Drink and then make another one, since obviously you are saving so many calories.

At the end of every month, I set up my calendar of blog posts for the next month. When I originally did June, today’s post was supposed to be about my favorite perfume: Prada. Then my sister and I met last week for dinner and she brought me a bottle of Tocca. Now, I’m torn. Both are great, so I will blog about both!

First, I must say that I love really clean scents. Summer or winter, I don’t like really heavy perfume. Also, I know that perfume smells different on every single person, so I would always strongly suggest trying out a scent before purchasing. And I have learned the hard way that trying out means spray it on you, and then walk around for a good thirty minutes before purchasing. You not only want to make sure that your own body chemistry mixes well with the scent, but that the scent stays the same and you can still smell it thirty minutes later. If you can’t smell it, why bother?

Prada Infusion D’iris is a very clean, floral scent, but with a little hint of powder. Very feminine. Its notes are Mandarin Orange, Frankincense, Lentisk, Orange Blossom, Cedar, Iris, Vetiver, Benzoin, and Galbanum. I feel pretty when I wear it. I purchased it about three months ago and it was my new favorite. Until last week . . .

My sister gave me Tocca Florence last week and I was in heaven. It is really more of a summer scent that the Prada Infusion D’Iris, which I think I could wear all year long. The top notes are Italian Bergamot, Grapefruit Leaves, Green Pear, Apple. Middle notes: Ivory Gardenia, Crushed Violet Petals, Jasmine, Tuberose, Blue Iris. Bottom Notes: Blonde Wood, White Musk. You can really smell the Gardenia, so I would describe this more floral than anything else. Still clean, still wonderful. Tocca makes several different perfumes, and I have received one in the past that I didn’t like at all. Luckily, Tocca Florence made me give this brand a second look.

PS, don’t forget to get the Travalo Refillable Perfume Atomizer for carrying your scents with you!

What is your favorite scent? Are you a floral? Clean, or do you not like perfume at all?

Myweddingreceptionideas.com is a wonderful site for all things wedding.

Have you seen the latest craze? These runners are fabulous!

Can’t have a wedding without a koozie!

Great selection of napkins, plates, table decorations, cake toppers, and stationery.

You can even have your own photo backdrop:

No one having a wedding in your family anytime soon? You still need to check out this site. They have party supplies for anniversary parties, birthday parties, graduation parties, bridal showers, baby showers, Christmas, and Halloween.

This picture is of my own personal collection of Yellow Box Flip-Flops (I did hesitate to show you my collection because the bottoms of any flip-flops are not attractive once worn). Some might say I have a teeny tiny little obsession with flip-flops. I love, love, love wearing flip flops in the summertime. I know that some of the Yellow Box Flip-Flops can be upwards of $40, but I promise you can find lots of them for under $25. All of the above with the exception of one pair was under $25. They are the most comfortable flip-flops around. The strap around the toe (for the life of me I cannot find the word, is it the toe piece? the toe guard? the toe separator?) is very comfortable, and the thick rubber bottom is not only comfortable but makes it much more secure for walking. At least for me.

The link I have given you is to amazon.com, where you can find a very large selection of Yellow Box Flip-Flops. If you have a Belk in your area, they also carry a very large selection of Yellow Box. An added benefit to Belk is you can almost always find a coupon, and they have the Yellow Box Flip-Flops on sale all the time. You can also shop online at Belk, if you don’t have one in your area.

Yellow Box doesn’t just carry flip-flops. I got these adorable little clogs last fall:

Are you obsessed with flip-flops?