Monday, September 17, 2012

Fall is Coming!

Summer was so much fun this year, but now that it's coming i'm so excitied for fall!!! I love everything fall! All the fun sweaters, boots and scarfs, everything pumpkin, football, warm drinks and most importantly getting ready for all the holidays! I have been pinteresting a lot lately for cute holiday idea's! Thought i would share a few Halloween idea's with you since it will be here before we know it!












I love how people paint polka dots on their pumpkins! It is such an easy idea & so cute! I will definitely be doing this, this year! I also order a few monogram decals to add! You can never have enough monogrammed in my opinion!
I also love some of the front door idea's, there are so many and these are just a few that i loved!
I don't have a porch swing just rocking chairs but i would love to do some cute pillows like that!

I can't wait to get started on all these projects! I will definitely be sharing LOTS of recipes soon because there are so many good one's :)

Happy Monday Y'all! Have a great week!

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Finally its here!


Hey Y’all! Happy Thurday!

I have been SO excited this week! Finally we leave for our beach trip Saturday! I have been looking forward to it ALL summer! We have made a few quick trips to the beach, but this is the one I have been really excited about since all my family will be there too! Lots to pack and get ready so I think Saturday is going to come quickly trying to get so much done!

I don’t even know what happened to July, we have been so busy! So many weekend trips, showers and parties! It has been really good for me to stay so busy because I have also been having a lot of stressful days! I shared about a year ago about my fertility struggles and it has been about two years and half years that we have been trying now to have a baby. We did take a little time to De-STRESS after going through many unsuccessful months of fertility treatments. We are now back at it and have come to the decision of IUI vs. IVF. We decided we are going to move forward with IUI for a few months even though the success rates are not very high, but it is A LOT cheaper than IVF so we feel like it is worth a try! I have gone through a month of many tests and feel so ready to get things started. I also am starting to feel very excited at the hope of getting pregnant! This has been such a long road already and I am so blessed to have such a good husband who is always there for me with all my up’s and down’s! My faith has also been the main thing that get’s me through each day! I am so glad that I know God understands exactly what I am feeling! J I don’t know anyone that has had success with IUI so I would love to hear a success story if anyone knows of one! :)

I hope everyone has a wonderful next week, I am really excited to finally be relaxing! :)


Saturday, June 30, 2012

Sweet Summer time!

Hey Y'all!
I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer! I have been busy enjoying summertime! Also trying to stay cool! It has been so hot this weekend in Greenville! June has been fun, but i am really looking forward to July! Lots of fun planned & our family beach trip at the end of the month!

I have really been enjoying my sweet niece, she is one the most precious things in my life :) She is 10 months now and growing so fast! I love seeing all her new developments! She smiles & laughs so much! She is also really good at faces, this is one that cracks me up....





How cute is that?

I hope everyone is having lots of fun this summer & i look forward to sharing an exciting giveaway with you next week, so stay tuned :)


Here are a few more pictures to leave you with, because i just love this baby girl!



Tuesday, May 8, 2012

I am so excited for this month! We have good friends coming to visit two different weeks and a destination wedding in Florida! It is starting to get so warm too, so we might have to throw in a little beach visit if we can! I love this time of year it's so busy & fun! :)
I've been  working on our new house a lot with so many visitors coming! It takes a lot of work and money to decorate! I love to do it though and i have been taking my time to try to do it exactly how i want! Just started a pinterest project in our bedroom with the headboard! I think it is going to look really good!

This is what it will hopefully look like when were done... 

I love projects like this and i am hoping there is lots more to come :)

Happy Tuesday Y'all!

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Happy Late Easter!

I hope everyone had a wonderful easter! It was wonderful to spend time with family in Charlotte for us! It was such a beautiful day! We went to church and had a wonderful lunch that we prepared pretty much half the day before, but it was well worth it :) My mom always loves to put on a big production for special meals! It's fun getting to cook & bake lots of special treats! I definitely fell of the wagon with the diet i've been on for the last two months, but i felt okay to cheat because i know on a regular basis i eat very healthy!

I didn't get to take a lot of pictures because it was a busy weekend, just one...

So excited to officially start moving into more of my spring wardrobe! :)

Happy Tuesday!

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Southern Style Strawberry Cake

Recently i have been so into finding lots of new recipes! I tend to go in phases with this! I love to cook & bake! This Southern Style Strawberry Cake looked so delicious to me! No its not very healthy, but it would be great for a party or special occasion!

 
Click here to get the recipe from Joythebaker.com !
I can't wait to try this! Such a yummy spring or summer treat!

Happy Wednesday!!!

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Cute Easter idea's!

Easter is coming soon and i always love a reason to do some extra cute things for the holidays! Since i am obsessed with pinterest it is no surprise that is where i get my inspiration from! Here are several cute idea's that i want to try!














Hope yall get a chance to do something extra fun with these idea's for easter! It is so hard to decide which sweets i want to make because there are so many cute idea's!

Have a great day!

Monday, March 12, 2012

Free Shipping!

Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! We really enjoyed the nice spring weather here is South Carolina!

I ran across this deal today and thought i would share it! I don't have kids yet, but always am finding a reason to buy baby clothes for my niece & other baby friends!

Osh Kosh B’gosh & Carter’s are both offering up FREE shipping (No minimum!) today, 3/12, only! 

 I thought this was a great deal, just enter the code SPRING. 


Hope yall find some cute baby clothes to use with your free shipping!



Friday, February 17, 2012

Happy Happy Friday! So happy it's here! I hope everyone has had a wonderful Valentines Week! We went out to one of our favorite restaurants in Greenville, Soby's to celebrate! It was so delicious as always! Valentine's Day is extra special to me because it is also my anniversary! 3 years this year & it has flown by! Feel more blessed than ever this year!
I am still going strong on the South Beach Diet! On the third week now & i am happy with the results! I have another yummy recipe that i though i should share...

Slow Cooker Kielbasa and White Bean Stew with Tomatoes and Spinach

 Click here for the delicious recipe!

Everyone have a great weekend!!!

Monday, January 23, 2012

Have you seen it?

Have y'all seen the show by Bobby Dean "Not my Mama's Meals"? It just started not too long ago, so there are only a few episodes! So far i am a fan! I have always loved Paula Dean and her cookin, but i can't eat like that every day because it is so unhealthy for the most part. I am excited Bobby takes her recipes and lighten's them up! So far these are a few that look the best that he's shared that i'm ready to try! Click on them for the recipe!


Lighter & Leaner Pimento Cheese Sandwiches

Gooey (with LESS) butter cake

Spicy Sweet Potato Chips

Heavenly Milkshake

I love good food for less calories! You can't beat it! :) Right now i am trying to be very concious of what i eat because my health is very important to me! I do however enjoy eating and like to find good things that are healthy or healthier than the alternative at least! I am going to be cooking my way through a few cookbooks starting with the book, Hungry Girl 200 under 200 by Lisa Lillien and also the book Slim and Scrumptious by Joy Bauer. I will share all the best recipes i find with y'all, because i know i'm not the only one out there trying to loose a little weight and get healthy ;)

Happy Monday! Have a great week!

Monday, January 9, 2012

Happy Monday!

Hey Hey!
I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

I have been thinking a lot about baking & cooking lately! I think mostly because i haven't had as much time as i have wanted to do it! I thought i would share a few recipes that look delicious & i am going to try this week! Most of them are hopefully pretty easy! :)

Grilled Balsamic Bruschetta Chicken 
from: picky-palate.com

 Instructions:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, thawed Pinch of salt
¼ Cup balsamic vinegar
¼ Cup extra virgin olive oil
8 slices fresh mozzarella cheese
4 Roma Tomatoes, seeded and diced
8 fresh basil leaves
3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
Pinch of salt
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Directions:
1. Preheat a grill pan over medium heat on the stovetop. Spray with cooking spray. Combine balsamic and olive oil in a bowl. Season both sides of chicken with pinches of salt and place on grill. Brush top sides of chicken with balsamic mixture. Cook for 4-5 minutes and flip chicken. Brush with additional balsamic and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes or until cooked through. During the last 2 minutes of grilling place 2 slices of cheese over top each chicken to melt.
2. In a large bowl combine the tomatoes, basil garlic, salt and balsamic. Toss gently to combine. Place chicken breasts on a serving plate and top with tomato mixture. Serve warm.

Yum!

California Sandwich-
*this would we a good lunch too, but im going to try it for dinner with a few healthy sides

Spread pepper jack with chive spread  and top with sprouts and chopped up avocado & tomato! Yummy & Healthy!



Cheesy Chicken and Rice Bake
from tastykitchen.com



Ingredients:
  • 2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
  • 4 cups Cooked Brown Rice
  • ¾ cups Frozen Corn
  • 15 ounces, fluid Can Black Beans, Drained And Rinsed
  • 1 cup Plain Greek Yogurt (or Sour Cream)
  • 4 ounces, fluid Can Green Chilis
  • ½ cups Salsa
  • 1 cup Low-fat Cheddar Cheese, Plus More For Topping
  • 2 Tablespoons Fresh Cilantro For Garnish
  Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except for cilantro and mix thoroughly to combine. Make sure the yogurt and cheese are stirred in throughout the entire bowl. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Transfer to an oven-safe dish and top with extra cheese if you would like. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until heated through. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

*To make this process easier, I always have cooked chicken on hand, and use Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice. If you have those two things, this can be throw together in a matter of minutes! It can also easily be made ahead of time and reheated.


Red Velvet Brownies with white chocolate Buttercream Frosting
from: smells-like-home.com

These brownies look delicious & when red velvet is involved it is always good! I am going to make these for my husband as a treat this week for when he gets home from his business trip :) Can't wait!

Ingredients:
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 oz red food coloring (or a scant 2 tbsp)
2 tsp pure vanilla extract, divided
1/2 cup (8 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

Brownies-
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Butter and flour an 8″x8″ baking pan.
In a small bowl, slowly stir together the cocoa powder, food coloring, and 1 tsp vanilla into a thick paste until no lumps of cocoa remain. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, then stir in the remaining 1 tsp of vanilla.  With the mixer off, add in the cocoa mixture, then turn the mixer to medium and beat the two mixtures together until they are one uniform color.  Slowly add in the flour and salt and mix on medium-low speed, just until combined.  Do not overmix.
Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir up the batter with a rubber spatula once or twice just to ensure all of the flour has incorporated from the sides of the bowl and there isn’t anything stuck on the bottom of the bowl.  You’ll want one uniformly colored (red) batter.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the brownies.  Allow brownies to completely cool in the pan on a baking rack, about 45-60 minutes.  Frost brownies in the pan, cut into 12 bars, and serve, or remove the entire batch from the pan to a cutting board, cut into 12 bars, frost, and serve.


Frosting-
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter until soft and fluffy then beat in the vanilla.  With the mixer on low speed, slowly add in powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time; allow the sugar to mix in before adding the next 1/2 cup. Once all of the sugar has been added, beat on medium speed for 30 seconds and scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Add in the melted white chocolate and beat on medium speed until incorporated.  With the mixer on low, add in heavy cream 1 tbsp at a time and beat at medium speed until the frosting has reached your desired consistency.

Yummy it's gonna be a good week! :)