Christmas in July..

Anyone else getting really excited for the upcoming Fall and Winter holidays?

I feel like this happens to me almost every year once the 4th of July passes.  We're halfway through the Summer season but I'm already getting over it and ready for Fall...Football season, pumpkin spice, cider, scarves, cozy sweaters, boots, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Black Friday shopping, buying Christmas presents....it goes on and on.  My favorite time of the year!

 

 

Decorating and holiday parties and baking cookies....Anyone else as excited as me?

 

Catch Up

Here's a little catch-up for life lately.  Sorry for the lack of blogging, between working, the holiday weekend, and everything in between I feel like we have been nothing but busy lately!!  Let's catch up quick with photos...

One of my best friends got married on June 29th, and I was her Matron of Honor :)

We've gotten hooked on this show.  Anybody else? 
It's so intense, has a great cast, and keeps you interested every episode from start to finish. 

We spent July 4th out on the lake with some friends.  Sadly I didn't get any pictures because all the phones got put away into the Pelican during the short little stint of rain that we encountered.  Thankfully, that only lasted about 2-3 minutes before it was nice out again and we enjoyed the rest of the day in the water and grilling out burgers & brats at Goat Island!

  

We had a little impromptu date-night-in with some OG To-Go [so delicious, it had been too long]



and some Sonic Blasts for dessert...perfect!

 

There have been some lazy Saturday mornings involving lots snuggling with these two silly boys...

Reece

Kona Monster



& last but not least, yesterday I went to supper club with some couples from our church and their kiddos.  Always a fun time! The host family has a good bit of land and they have an uber-fun backyard complete with pool, fancy patio area, and a zipline that goes over a pond.  Great for entertainment!  It was also sort of a potluck where we each brought sides or desserts to accompany the main dish [burgers on the grill] and it was funny to see how everyone got their recipes off of....you guessed it  >> Pinterest.

 

Here is my Cinnamon Apple Strudel recipe that turned out pretty fabulous: 

 

 

I also added some Hershey's White Chips to the recipe:

These are sooo good and perfect for the person who is not the biggest
White Chocolate fan since they are Vanilla flavored.

 

 

I'm searching for some of the other recipes and I'll share them as well

once I have a chance to test them out myself!

 

 

 

Feel the Love

Today is a wonderful day.

 

It means that people get to be truly happy and celebrate the love they have with their husbands and wives.  It means that all love is seen as love.  Equal love.

 

 

Don't know what I'm talking about? Read here.

 

For those of you who have never met my big brother, Craig, these other photos are of him and my brother in law, Austin.  They were happily married in New York this past April!

 

Bridal Shower Bits & Bites :)

As you might know, I'm the Matron of Honor for my friend Eden's wedding coming up at the end of June. We had her Bridal shower & Bachelorette festivities this past weekend. Here's a little bit from the shower:

I grabbed some golf tees out of my bag before I headed out of town so that I could remember to do this Pinterest-inspired balloon welcome path.  Tie the ribbons to the tees and then push into the grass...quick and easy! 

 

Countrytime Punch | Lemon Slice Flowers

 

Grow Seed Kits

 

 

And to share a couple of the hit recipes, although everything turned out pretty darn good...

 

Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon-Sugar Pita Chips

 Ingredients:
2 kiwis, peeled and diced
1 large mango
8 oz blueberries
1 (16 oz) carton of strawberries, diced
1 Tbs white sugar
2 Tbs brown sugar
3 Tbs fruit preserves
10 (10 in) flour tortillas
Cinnamon Sugar:

1 cup sugar

2 Tbs cinnamon

Mix in a small bowl or shaker and set aside

Directions:

Place all of your fruit into a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle with both white and brown sugars. Give it a few good stirs to make sure that fruit is evenly coated. Stir in fruit preserves and chill in fridge while you make your tortilla chips.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Brush each side of tortilla with melted butter. Cut into triangles and place in a large bowl. Sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar mixture. I kind of toss them around as I'm doing this to make sure everyone gets coated. Arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. (You most likely will need to do this in batches.) Put chips in a nice size bowl so they stay airy. Serve with chilled salsa. *Fruit salsa is best served the same day you make it. It becomes very syrupy the longer it sits.

 and the cupcakes...

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes | Pearl Sprinkles, similar here | Cupcake Pennants, similar here or here

Cupcakes

1 box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® natural vanilla cake mix

3/4 cup frozen (thawed) pink lemonade concentrate

 

1/2 cup vegetable oil

 

1/4 cup water

3eggs

 

Red food color, if desired

Frosting and Garnish

1 container Betty Crocker® Whipped fluffy white frosting

6 tablespoons frozen (thawed) pink lemonade concentrate

 

Candy sprinkles, if desired

Directions 

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups. Make cake batter as directed on box, using cake mix, 3/4 cup lemonade concentrate, 1/2 cup oil, the water, eggs and food color. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.
2. Bake 20 to 22 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
3. In large bowl, beat frosting, 6 tablespoons lemonade concentrate and the food color with electric mixer on low speed until blended. Frost cooled cupcakes. Garnish tops with candy sprinkles.

Makes approx. 24 cupcakes

 

 

 

Looking forward to this long, holiday weekend!  Don't forget the true reason for Memorial day--not lake days and barbeques but supporting our military and remembering our fallen soldiers and veterans.  If you're looking to get festive with decorations, check out my Land of the Free chalkboard printable :)

 

 

 

2013!

 

 

 

Ohh, the year ahead...Can I just say that I am very much one of those dorks that gets way too  excited about new office supplies--i.e. my new desk calendar.  I just love getting a brand new calendar/agenda and writing in all of the important dates--anniversaries, birthdays, weddings, showers, due dates, vacations, etc.  I guess it's because I get to see so much of what is to look forward to that year.  What else do I love about office supplies?  When I find them on a bargain, and thanks to the lovely Target Dollar Spot, I've found just that.  How can you beat a mini monthly desk calendar, already printed and professionally bound for $1.00?  You can't!

 

However, if you're not planning a trip to Target anytime soon [yeah, right] and you want a different option, this one is extremely cute, colorful, and you get to print it for free :)  2013 Printable Calendar from The Tomkat Studio.

 

 

So, last New Year's we were looking forward to our 1st wedding anniversary and our vacation to Las Vegas.  This year?  I'm sad to say that not much is already planned!  Usually I have things like vacations planned pretty far in advance, but I've been considering checking out some Groupon Getaways and Living Social Escapes, which you can't purchase that far in advance.  It's our 2nd anniversary, so I'm thinking it will be less of a splurge but still a nice, relaxing vacation.  Somewhere beachy and tropical seems appealing.  Minimum of 4 days, because I want to get there and enjoy  my time, not feel rushed.   

 

One thing much in our future for this year is plenty of pontoon time!  Now that the holidays are over I am so ready for warm weather and sun tans!

 

What else? Babies and weddings!  Jake's cousin is due in the next couple of weeks with her second little boy.  They are so close and grew up together so she's more of his big sister and we're like Uncle Jake & Aunt Stacey :)  One of my best friends is also due with her second, a little girl coming in March!  I can't wait to spoil them both rotten.  As previously mentioned, we also have four weddings on the books this year, which are always great times to get together and celebrate important moments with friends!

 

I've never been one for new year's resolutions, but now that I've been cleared for workouts after my Lasik surgery, and Thanksgiving and Christmas meals have passed, there will be Insanity and a bigger focus on healthy meals.  I don't diet, mainly because I really enjoy healthy food so I don't see it as a chore, which dieting always sounds like.  If I've eaten a healthy breakfast and lunch, why can't I have my bowl of slow churned chocolate fudge brownie ice cream after dinner? 

 

I'm also looking forward to the unexpected!  This past year, the opportunity for my Lasik surgery was such an unexpected blessing.  I'm 2 months post-op and my eyesight has never been better!  Even with contacts, I would find myself having to squint sometimes because the astigmatism in my right eye would make my contact shift around. 

 

Cheers to a new and exciting year!

 

 

 

 

 

 





 



These are the special times, the times we'll remember...

Probably my absolute favorite Christmas song...Girl's got issues but you can't deny her voice.  Celine Dion sang the original but I love this version. 


Speaking of special times, I just need to take a minute to say that I am really loving this time in our lives.  People always say that high school was the glory days, or college was the best time of your life.  I have to disagree.  I am loving this new stage of life, shall I call it the "Wedding and Baby Boom".  That time when you've graduated college and all of a sudden everyone you know is gettin' hitched and having babies.  Let me clarify very quickly that we are not but I have been helping a few friends with wedding planning and gotten some save the dates in the mail, Jake's cousin and one of my best friends are both due with their second children very soon, and also finding out earlier this week that two of my very best friends from high school are pregnant with their first child!  I feel like I am surrounded by so many fun and exciting events for people that I know and love, and how could that not be the best time of your life?  Even with buying cars and houses, there are so many of those "leaps of faith" and jumping into big decisions.  We used to look so forward to Spring Break and those crazy weeks at the beach, now we're planning anniversary trips and summer vacations that are not even comparable to a week in the Dirty Myrtle.  As we are getting so close to the end of 2012, I am eagerly looking forward to the 4 weddings, countless showers, and sweet little babies of 2013 :)