What were we thinking?

  

 

 

 

We got another dog! Can you believe this? I can't. We've had the fella for a week and 2 days now and the fact that I'm just now getting around to blogging about him should tell you something...He's a little turd, but I love him. We were on our way to church last Sunday and A made the split decision to go visit a breeder 2.5 hours away and buy a puppy. Men! Of course, I didn't say no because I didn't want to be blamed for crushing his dreams. He is a golden retriever and his name is Chester. Now I have to say that this was ALL my husbands idea, name and all. I mean, who really names their dog Chester? We've already heard the grade school name "Chester the molester" from about everybody we tell. So if you could spare me from having to hear it again, that would be great :) The name is starting to grow on me a little. You have to understand though that I love nicknames, love them! And I'm having a hard time coming up with one for him. Chesty doesn't really work. After all he is a boy. I'd like for him to keep some of his manliness in tact if at all possible. My husband has come up with "Chester bester" which honestly, can it get any worse than that?

This whole experience has opened my eyes to the fact that I am no where near ready for little babies! I love my sleep and the fact that I haven't had my full allotted amount makes me very cranky. He's gotten 100 times better since the first couple of nights we had him. The crying and barking was driving me half insane. I can not wait for the day when he decides to stop peeing/pooping on my nice living room rug in which I step in because I have not yet adjusted to the fact that we have a little runt that goes every 30 minutes. But I do have to say I am pretty smitten by our little guy. He is the sweetest thing ever and such a little lover! He loves to cuddle and loves to give kisses. So I guess that makes up for all his messes.

Daisy is in the process of adjusting as well. She's not sure what to think about this new little sausage running around. She has beaten him up a few times. We keep telling her that it's likely he will be bigger than her one day so she needs to watch it.

There it is! Our crazy life just got a little crazier. Our house feels slightly like a circus at times, but it keeps things interesting.

Hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend! I promise to be a better blogger as soon as I learn how to juggle all of this.

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Pour some sugar on me

Last night, as I kept biting on my lips, I thought to myself "I could use a good lip scrub!" The only thing is I didn't want to go buy one. I figured I could just come up with something around the house. Saves money and it super convenient! I mean, have you seen the price tags on lip scrubs these days?!? You're lucky if you can get one for under $25. I don't know what the deal is, but sometimes my lips peel. It doesn't matter that I live in the humidity capitol of the world! They have no moisture and become really dry. As I sat there thinking about how I could make something work, still biting my lips mind you, I grabbed my Burts Bees and our sugar bowl and went to town. I took pics along the way to show you all a step-by-step process. I, however, forgot to take a before pic! So you can't get the full effect, but trust me, it worked.

*supplies

* pour a dime sized portion of sugar on a plate or flat surface
*dip chap stick/lip balm in said sugar *like so
*apply to lips in a circular motion - you may want to do this part
over a sink since the sugar tends to fall off as you scrub.
Also, when done, wipe the sugar off your lips and follow
it with some sugar-less lip balm. So soft!

*excuse the dazed and confused look. It was late, I was tired

See, how easy was that? And my lips felt great afterwards! My lip balm has a mint flavor so it made them tingle which felt awesome. I will probably do this a few times a week in order to keep my lips kissably soft. You know, since that's important and all. The only thing I would do differently is get a separate tube of balm to use for the sugar part. I noticed that mine still has some sugar stuck in it even after cleaning off the tip of my tube. Other than that, it was easy and it worked great!

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I scream for ice cream

source

I love ice cream, there I said it. I have not had ice cream in my freezer in months! Last attempt to buy good ole' Blue Bell was shot down by Aaron with "we don't need it." Well sure we do! I need that cold creamy fix after my dinner like he needs a cold Coors Light with dinner. Come on!

Fast forward to last night. I was promised a trip to get ice cream. You have no idea how much I looked forward to that all day long. I think I even told Lauren about it Tuesday night on our run. I'm sure she thinks I'm crazy. I've been training for the 1/2 and last night was our night off from running. Perfect, right? I googled to see which shop was closest to us. Cold Stone was the closest. Great. As much as I love ice cream, I really can't stand Cold Stone. I don't know why, I just have never liked it. At all. I searched for Marble Slab - my LOVE - and found one inside our mall. When I told A the options, he seemed more interested in the one outside the mall. You even say the word "mall" to the boy and he starts sweating. So I thought it wouldn't hurt to give CS another try. Well we get there and seriously waited in line for 15 minutes. Not starting off too good. I ask if they have marshmallow topping (oh come one, like you've never had it!) and she of course said "No, but we do have mini marshmallows" in her chipper high school voice. Listen chick, that's not the same. Not even close. So I'm irritated, tell A to order and I will try to decide what I want. Aaron leans over to me and says "you're pissed aren't you?" I love it because he knows me so well. And yes, I was not happy. So I order some coffee ice cream with heath or some crap. I got the smallest size and the dude fills it all the way to the top where it is over flowing. The second I got to my car it was leaking all down the sides. Of course we failed to pick up napkins. I sat it down in my cup holder, because I can't drive and hold this stupid messy cup at the same time. As soon as I pull out of the parking lot, ice cream has dripped everywhere. I WAS MAD. First off, it's not even good ice cream, second, I am going to have to detail my dang car now! So what did I do? I pulled into a gas station and tossed it. This is after a few choice words with A, because obvi this is his fault. He is the one, after all, that seemed a little hesitant about going into the mall for Marble Slab. He chunked his too, more or less to prove a point to me I'm sure. He offered to go to the store to get me some ice cream but at this point I was in no mood. I was angry. Like ears red and burning angry.

Then I got to thinking how stupid this sounds to be so angry over ice cream. I was seriously pouting. How ridiculous is that? I think I had my hopes up and my mind was set on some delicious ice cream and when it turned into a disaster I freaked. I slept on it and woke up feeling silly. I think Aaron thinks I'm crazy. But I also think he needs to understand the importance of ice cream to his woman! We laid around this morning and snuggled before getting out of bed. All was back to normal. It's amazing what sleep can do. I swear it must be hormones. And as we were in the closet getting ready this morning he said "What's your favorite Blue Bell ice cream?" Hmm. Does he have something up his sleeve? Or was he just curious? And I didn't even answer, because I can't choose just one. But rocky road is a good start. :)

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I'll get you my pretties.....

and your red soled shoes too!

I am so ready for Fall! Our summer has been hot. Not that this is different from any other summer, but I'm not a huge fan of 105 deg weather. I can't wait to bundle up in cute clothes and jackets! But, we have a few more months before that happens. There have been plenty of Thanksgivings where we are sitting out on my parents patio, drinking wine, in our shorts. Not to mention watching my husband put up our Christmas lights in a tee and shorts. A girl can dream, right? I thought I would list a few items that I am hoping will end up in my closet this Fall. A few I have already picked up :) You'll notice that Banana Republic is a common theme amongst my list of must haves.

{fun and flirty accessories! love them all and NEED them - BR}

{blazer (bought) -BR, leather ruffle jacket -Victoria's Secret}

{Silk paisley dress dress (bought it! belting it and wearing

as a tunic with below skinnies)

slate colored shirt dress,

and pebbled colored satchel (LOVE) - BR}

{pencil skirt - BR}

{skinny jeans - seriously amazing fit!

Bought them last wkend. BR}

{Christian Louboutin Horacioa 120 (I WILL own these)

cheaper version - BR "Jacky" pump,
Corso Como ankle boots - Piperlime}

So ladies, what is on you Fall must have list?? Don't tell me I'm the only one that is creating these superficial wish lists!

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A meal he's sure to love

Last Saturday, the Mr. and I had no plans so we decided to hang out at the house and make dinner. You see, Aaron has put me on a little thing he likes to call a budget. "A what?" you ask. I know, I had the same reaction. So we've been trying to cut back on the eating out. I figured I would try my hand at a restaurant style meal. I looked through my recipes and I found the one for Chicken Saltimbocca. I've made this before and A loved it. It was super tasty the second time around and it's actually pretty easy for as good as it is. As I was making the chicken and the sides (asparagus and mashed potato's) I asked Aaron if he would make the lemon Sprinkles cupcakes that had been sitting around. He willingly agreed. After being asked a zillion questions like "why does it ask for one egg and 2 yolks" "what is the zest of a lemon", etc. I knew my cupcakes might be in trouble. He cracked me up because he's so by the book when following recipes. Normally I just toss in vanilla or salt and beat the batter until I see it's no longer lumpy, but not Aaron. He was super precise....or so I thought. He then went on to make the frosting, which led to a whole other list of questions, but I didn't mind because it was fun having him help! After dinner, I went to pull the cupcakes out of the oven and they looked a little funny. They were sinking in the middle and they were a little on the hard side. I didn't think much about it. I let them cool and then checked over the frosting which looked like runny batter. This can't be good. I tried to recover it by adding more powdered sugar and whipping it to try to thicken it, but it never really looked like frosting. I decided, what the heck, I'll dab a little soupy frosting on them and have a little taste. Ehhh. I'm not really sure what happened with the whole cupcake/frosting process, but I give him an A+ for trying! I was a little bummed because the lemon cupcakes are my favorite and they are $14/box!! Oh well. It was a perfect evening regardless. And now I leave you with the recipe. Enjoy!

CHICKEN SALTIMBOCCA WITH COUNTRY HAM - I used Prosciutto

Serves 4 to 6

4–6 (8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
16–24 fresh sage leaves, plus more for garnish
8–12 paper-thin slices country ham, prosciutto, or Serrano ham (about 6 to 8 ounces total)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil, plus more if needed
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup Marsala or port
1/2 cup chicken stock or low-fat, reduced-sodium chicken broth
Coarse salt

1. To prepare the cutlets, place a chicken breast between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and pound to slightly over 1/4-inch thick. Repeat with the remaining chicken. Place 4 fresh sage leaves on each cutlet; top with 1 or 2 slices of ham and press lightly to adhere. Place on a baking sheet and refrigerate to set, at least 10 minutes.

2. Place the flour in a shallow dish and season with pepper (no salt is necessary because of the salty ham). To cook the cutlets, heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Working with 2 pieces at a time, dredge both sides of the chicken in flour, then shake off the excess flour—the chicken should by lightly dusted. Without crowding, add 2 pieces of chicken to the skillet, ham side down first, and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a warm platter and cover loosely with aluminum foil. Repeat with the remaining chicken, adding more oil if necessary.

3. To make the sauce, pour off any excess oil from the skillet. Return the skillet to the heat. Add the wine and Marsala and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, scraping up any browned bits. Add the stock and increase the heat to high. Cook until the sauce is reduced and slightly thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. Spoon the sauce over the chicken, garnish with fresh sage, and serve.

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How 'bout a little cheese with that wine

A couple weeks ago the Mr and I decided to have a wine/cheese night at the house. We've visited a couple of new wine bars in our area and I thought, "hey, I can totally do that for half the price." I went to a local market, Hubbell and Hudson, and picked up the goods. I'm pretty much in love with this place! They have the best selection of cheeses and meats. Love it! Now when I shop at fun places like this, I tend to go a little overboard. I could taste the cheeses as I was picking them out. I loaded up my cart with 4, maybe 5 different cheeses, prosciutto and some other meats I can't pronounce, an assortment of crackers, fruit, wine and dessert. And of course I grabbed a bunch of tulips on the way out. Who doesn't love fresh flowers?

{the meats}

I loved the assortment I picked up. Now, will I be able to remember what they are for our next wine/cheese night? Probably not. But it was good! One was like a big pepperoni, but with a much more distinguished name, of course.

{mmm, brie, how I love thee}

Seriously, slap some of this deliciousness on a cracker and follow it up with a couple of grapes and you have a heavenly explosion happening in your mouth. A doesn't like brie, so that leaves more for moi!

{the vino}

{dessert 1 - raspberry mousse with chocolate filling}

{dessert 2 - best chocolate on chocolate cupcake ever tasted}

{dessert 3 - white chocolate/chocolate mousse cake -
yes we had 3! I couldn't decide....}

Now wipe that drool off your computer screen and go have a wine/cheese night of your own. You won't be disappointed, believe me! Oh and you know my comment above about being able to duplicate this for half the price of the wine bars? Yeeaaah, notsomuch. It was just as much as the wine bar, but we have had 2 meals out of it and I did get those lovely tulips which we did not receive at said wine bar, so it's totally worth it.

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OrangeBeautiful

I found these gems on Paper Crave (which by the way is an amazing site for all sorts of fun paper, party ideas, etc.) and fell in love! I mean, how couldn't you? Who doesn't love a little letter press and the packaging is uber chic! Most stationary or greeting cards come in those cheapy clear plastic boxes. You know, the ones that fall apart the second you open them. I doubt this packaging is going to fall apart. Take a peak below. Believe me, you will find ways to justify needing this for your immediate future.

You can check out more treats here or go shop their Etsy site where you will find more awesomeness:

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