Happy Birthday!

Little Miss LJ, 

Uncle Mister and I wish you a very happy birthday!  We wish that we could be with you, Mom and Dad, the gramas and grampas, and your friends at your party!  It brings us joy to see what a special little lady you are becoming, so inquisitive, happy, and full of life.  As you grow up, our wishes for you are that you always remember to dream big, remain happy and confident, and that your wishes will come true!  We love you and hope we can visit with you soon! 

XOXO

Get Carded

Recently I've realized that I have a whole bunch of gift cards (just waiting to be organized)!  I started by grouping all the cards together then organizing them in alphabetical order.  The next order of business was finding the value of each card and labeling the back with the current balance.  Some cards had never been used and have the values on them, I relied on receipts for others, and for just a few, I went online or called the 800 numbers on the back.  Finally, I put the alphabetized and labeled cards in a business card case along with frequent purchase/stamp and membership cards.  Quick and simple!

Let Them Eat Crab Cake!

To celebrate Fathers' Day we planned dinner and a movie with the Parentals.  We decided on an undoubtedly comforting comfort food menu: Paula Deen's Savannah Crab Cakes, the Mister's Fresh Corn Chowder, and a loaf of bread (I'm proud to say we baked the bread from scratch!!), and a medley of cupcakes and brownies baked by Mother.  I had such a wonderful evening enjoying delicious food and the company of the people I love.

Paula Deen's Savannah Crab Cakes 

Ingredients

1 pound crabmeat, picked free of shells

1/3 cup crushed crackers (recommended: Ritz)

3 green onions (green and white parts), finely chopped

1/2 cup finely chopped bell pepper

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 egg

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

Dash cayenne pepper

Flour, for dusting

1/2 cup peanut oil

1/2 lemon, juiced

Directions

In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients, except for the flour and peanut oil. Shape into patties and dust with flour.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. 

When oil is hot, carefully place crab cakes, in batches, in pan and fry until browned, about 4 to 5 minutes. 

Carefully flip crab cakes and fry on other side until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Serve warm with preferred sauce.

first image via here

Happy Daddy's Day

Dear Daddy,
We've had our rough patches, but I am thankful that over the years we have become closer and now have such a strong relationship.  Thank you for being there for me and all of the little, and not so little things that you do.

A special thank you for:

reading me bedtime stories, especially the long ones so I could stay up a little longer 

having tea parties and dinner picnics with me 

tucking me into bed (even though you burrito'd me in so tight I couldn't move)

decorating my bedroom on birthdays with presents, posters, and balloons  

teaching me how to play softball and making me proud to throw like girl 

being a soccer coach to me and my friends

taking a Seattle to San Diego road trip with me to look at colleges

being the laundry master and helping me to remove any and all stains 

washing my car, changing the oil, and on occasion, filling up the gas

cooking Sunday night dinners with me, and teaching me the clambake & meatloaf recipe

walking me down the aisle to marry my Mister

thank you for loving me

I love you too!

Menu & Kitchen Inspiration

This weekend we plan to have a lot of family time.  In our families, family time also means a lot of time  in the kitchen and around the table.  The menu is not quite set but I have a feeling it will include some seafood, some sort of comfort food, and of course, something sweet.  To choose our special Dad's Day menu I think I will turn to Ms. Paula Deen and Neiman Marcus for inspiration.  While I'm flipping through these books looking for my cooking inspiration I thought I'd share a little bit of my future kitchen inspiration.

if anyone can help with the photo credit, please let me know...

Beauty Balm

Recently I've been hearing a lot about beauty balms, more popularly referred to as "BB creams."  The claims to "moisturize, provide sun protection, prime skin for makeup, color correct, and minimize pore size" totally got my attention.  But there seems to be so many different options on the market by different brands and offered at a wide range of price points.  I am very intrigued and would like to try a BB cream but I can't decide how to decide which brand to try; I don't want to buy one (two, or a few) only to have it join my collection of abandoned/rarely used cosmetics.  Has anyone tried a BB cream or have a brand they would recommend?

image via here

Sproutletts!

My love for fresh (and brightly colored) flowers as well as the idea of having floral cuttings around the house inspired us to plant flowers in our front yard.  Last weekend we planted Sunflowers, Zinnias, Snapdragons, and a cut flower mixture seeds.  Unfortunately, a patch of dirt was all we had to show for all of our initial hard work after weeding, digging, planting and watering.  At that moment our impatient sides kicked in and we joked that we should have also planted a few potted plants alongside the seeds, but since then our patience has paid off and we have little "sproutletts" popping up.  Now the challenge is discerning weed from sproutlett, and waiting for the blooms!

The Glad Game

I was in a little bit of a bad mood this morning because my computer is on the fritz. I don't know much about computers but I know enough that the screen suddenly going dim it isn't a great thing. But rather than letting my computer situation ruin my day I decided to have a "Pollyanna" moment and focus on the things I am grateful for and that make me "glad."

I am glad that: 

• I stepped out of the shower to fresh towels, laundered by the Mister. 
• My Starbucks baristas had my drink ready even before I got to the counter. 
• A friend called to set up a lunch date for sometime this week. 
• I found out that I won a $50 gift card in an in-office drawing! 
• Donne and I have a standing phone call date once a week to catch up and have some girl time. 
• The Mister and I have great doggies that are well behaved and are always happy to greet us when we get home. 
• Queenie has more free time now that she is on summer break and can meet me for dinner and play dates. 
•  My dad called to see how my day was going and offered to let me use one if his spare monitors. 
• A fellow foodie brought me a newspaper clipping of a featured restaurant, that he and his wife recommend. 

I am glad that I didn't let my computer issues bring down my mood because I have so much to be grateful for! Any and all positive thoughts that my computer will be fixed without completely replacing the LCD screen is greatly appreciated.

Orchid Souvenirs

Hello!  I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!  I cannot believe the weekend has flown by so quickly, but at least we have weekend "souvenir" orchids!  Almost as exciting as the flowers, is the opportunity to use that incredibly perfect vase it sits in.  I bought that vase years ago when I was in a phase of accumulating things just because it looked good, I thought it might be perfect one day, and just didn't want someone else to take it home.  Unfortunately, when I bought the vase the sale price must have distracted me from seeing that the tiny opening can only accommodate one stem!  

Morals of the story:  simple and beautiful things should be appreciated and people should refrain from impulse shopping. 

Friday (Ice Cream) Sundaes

TGIF! I'm thankful it's Friday and that I have two whole days to have some fun, relax, and spend time with people who make me happy.  This weekend our plans include attending a "sod planting" party and a dinner celebration.  We are also hoping to spend a little time growing our own "herb garden" and upgrading it to a fruit, veggie, and floral garden by planting the seeds we picked up here last weekend.   Since our activities will be sending us outdoors and the forecast indicates sunny skies, I think it'll be the perfect time to sample the coconut ice cream I just brought home from the grocery store!  Do your weekend plans include ice cream too?

images 1, 2, 4, via here; image 3 via here 

Grey & Gold

I selected a sheet of grey and gold Papyrus gift warp for my drawer project, and each time I open that drawer the color combination grows on me a little bit more.  I love that the combination looks sleek and chic.  I love that the gold adds a touch of warmth and level of sophistication to the cool and structured grey.  And I love that the color combo reminds me of the Mister and me: masculine and strength with a little bit of sunshine and sass. 

image via here

A Place for Everything and...

Everything is finally in its place!  I am so proud of myself that the slightly dreaded "drawer project" has been tackled and completed!  It didn't take as much time as expected, but it did take a lot of space to completely empty out the drawer and sort everything into "like" piles and decide what should stay and what had to go (into the trash or another room).

After sorting, everything was put into six groups (there were only six compartments) and then into a drawer organizer.  Then a sheet of gift wrap plus some two-way tape was used to up the pretty factor, and, finally, voila!  Everything is visible and accessible.  This project might have been designed by me, but it is definitely Mister approved!  

Love Gives Life

This weekend we were treated to sunny skies and the wedding of a good friend and her Mister.  The bride and I have known each other since Kindergarten, played soccer together, and even went to colleges just minutes apart; she is an amazing person and we are so happy that she has found someone who loves her and makes her happy.  The wedding was simple yet very beautiful and chic in its own way: it was on the beach, just steps from the ocean, there was handmade signage throughout the wedding, a finger print "family tree" in lieu of a sign in book, all white blooms on handmade table runners, and a shaved ice truck to provide cool refreshments for all the guests.  

It's Weekend Time

I am super excited for the long weekend!  This week had me completely drained and so it's a great reprieve that the office is closing early today (yippie!).  The early early close will give me the opportunity to relax, attack the drawer organization project that I have been putting off, and hopefully prep dinner and snacks for a chill movie night with the Mister.  What types of fun do you have planned for the weekend? BBQs anyone?

image via here

[not so] Junk Drawer

I've noticed that the Mister and I spend a few too many minutes navigating our "catch all" drawer looking for pens, tape, post-its, etc.  To save some time and stop all this crazy business, I'm planning sort out the drawer, purge the unnecessaries and trash, and give everything a proper home.  And while I'm feeling a bit ambitious, I might even look for something pretty to serve as a drawer liner.

images via here, here, here & here

Conquer the Day

Some mornings call for a special pair of heels, and some mornings I feel like I need extra bling.  But this morning, after a send-off kiss from the Mister and some Starbucks, I know I'm officially ready to conquer the day!
image via here

Good Morning!

What started off as a few weeks turned into two years.  And finally, after almost two years of conflicting work schedules the Mister and I have similar working hours! What does this mean? It means that at long last I will get to see the Hubs every morning and evening! 

It's been just a couple of days into the schedule swap but I am already so thankful for the additional time with the Mister, even the mornings when we are jockeying for bathroom space.
One day however, I hope that our mornings will be a little more leisurely and involve breakfast in a cute little nook...
image via Pinterest

Nothing says I Love You like Bacon

A very Happy 1st Valentine's Day to my Mister!  

I love you more than bacon.  ;)

Better with Bacon: Chocolate

If you think this bacon looks a little strange, like it's covered in chocolate you're RIGHT!  Uh huh! Chocolate Covered BACON!  This crazy concoction might sound a little crazy, and might look a little suspicious, but it's downright delicious.  Salty, sweet, and savory (with a crunch)!  

To make your own Chocolate Covered Bacon: 

To get the bacon to the perfect crisp, strips of thick bacon were placed on a rack (on a cookie sheet covered in foil)  and placed in the oven at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes.  As soon as the bacon is pulled out of the oven the excess oil (on both sides) should be absorbed with a paper towel.  Once the bacon is cooled begin to heat the chocolate.  If you usually melt chocolate over a double boiler, try using the microwave using a technique seen Real Simple magazine - it takes just a minute, really a minute.  Using a spatula, coat the bacon with a generous amount of chocolate, remove the excess, then place on a rack and then into the fridge (for 30 min.) to allow the chocolate to harden.  YUM! 

Happy Birthday to you!

It's been a while, okay a long while, since my last post.  What have I been doing? Well, I've gone on a  couple of getaways: to Lanai and Maui, got pampered at spas, went out for some fabulous dinners and coffee dates, spent time quality time with the most important people in my life, and yes, I got married!!  By my side, through it all, has been my friend, "Queenie."  

Today is Queenie's birthday!  

Queenie, I know that I am lucky to have a friend like you.  Someone who is a good listener, who makes me laugh, shares my passion for food and travel, and is loyal and dependable.  Thank you for being a forever friend.  I love you!  Today, on your birthday (the Mister and) I want you to know that we are thinking about you and wish you all the best!  I wish you lots of laughter, good times and good health, success in your studies, and love.  And as you blow out your birthday candles I hope you wish BIG...  you know, for the stars :)  XO!