Jcrew continued......

WOW. Apparently the Daphne dress made a big impact on not only me, but a lot of people. It was featured on the cover of The Knot magazine and was being sold on Ebay as the most coveted wedding dress (holy cow). Here's a blog all about the dress if you'd like to see the desperation behind it all! Kind of depressing for those who would love FABulous in it -he he he. Blog

My Buttercream Debut!

Mixing Mixing Mixing ... looks yummy :)
Now time to get crafty with the Williams Sonoma Pastry Pump....


And ta-dah! :) I've created a monster! Hehe. So I am truly in love with this icing. It is addicting! I tried out different colors, spinkles, and spreading techniques! I made some for birthdays, weddings, some for Spring and baby showers... And some, for just because! They look great and taste delicious! I think today I will use the left over icing to frost a new chocolate cupcake recipe that Shirley passed on to me. It involves some sour cream too! We'll see how it goes! :)

"Wow Jcrew!" Tagging for future reference....

Jcrew just started doing wedding "stuff" a few years ago and this year I really think that they have hit the nail on the head! They finally have more dresses with cap sleeves (which those who are big busted and teacher-armed, LOVE) and I just adore the one above from their Spring 2007 catalog!! For $800 bucks, this "Daphne" named dress can be yours! Wonder if it's still available? The silk organza is lovely...and overall the dress is simple and sweet.  The skirt is perfect for a beach or an outdoor wedding! This way you won't be trudging a white dress in the mud! ;) ha! Also, they have b-maid dresses in every color, WITH pockets (my favorite) AND cut to fit the girl whether curvaceous or stick thin! Love love love it. Props to you Jcrew, you've really come a long way in the wedding world! To see more go to Jcrew.com or check out this neat site for J.crewoholics!

Yellow, Yellow, Yellow

Yummy... tried out a new yellow cupcake recipe and it was rockin' according to friends, Kristen and Merris! Going to make the rest of the batter today and am going to try my hand at a vanilla buttercream frosting! Wish me luck! :)

Dance Class!

I've been going to classes at the Y with some girlfriends from work. Last night was hip hop and guess what we learned?! The slumdog millionaire dance! Just had to share! It was fun!

Who wants 'smore??

Success!! I made these last night with a Martha Stewart chocolate cake recipe and then the rest I researched online - making a completely fudgy and delectable mini 'smores cupcake! I took these to work to get some feedback on them for the next go around! Next up on the list - a simple yellow cake cupcake and perfecting my peanut butter and jelly cupcakes! :) Stay tuned- More to come!

If you've ever been and a Receptionist or an Admin...

...you can relate :)

Thought this was funny...and sadly, a little true!

The Receptionist

I asked the hotel receptionist for a wake-up call.

Next morning, she rang and said, "what are you doing with your life?"

Sometimes...I find that wine is the best medicine :)

My Dad's a Celebrity

Check out Papa John on News 14!

I'm so proud! :)

Happy Mardi Gras!

We are hosting a Mardi Gras Lunch at work today and so I put together the below to help everyone get some recipe incentive for the occassion - thought I'd post it on here as well!

Eat LOTS and Enjoy! :)


Mardi Gras Party Recipes:

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Holiday---Celebration-Recipes/Mardi-Gras-Recipes

Just throwing it out there- I LOVE these….
http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Pecan-Pralines

http://mardigrasday.com/mardigras/appet.php

http://allrecipes.com/Search/Recipes.aspx?WithTerm=mardi+gras&SearchIn=h81

http://search.myrecipes.com/search.html?type=ct:Recipes;et:Southern%20Living;&Nty=1&Ntt=mardi%20gras

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipes/gallery/0,28548,1704892_1520507,00.html

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipes/gallery/0,28548,1705280,00.html

http://www.foodnetwork.com/topics/mardi-gras/index.html


*This link is GREAT! They even have a few casseroles to choose from! Of course, anything seafood will do! If there is a sandwich you’d like to do you could always make double the recipe and slice them in into thirds. Here are two good muffuletta recipes in “mini version” http://www.myrecipes.com/recipes/gallery/0,28548,1705280_1520922,00.html
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipes/gallery/0,28548,1647016_1416802,00.html
*Or try bringing in just shrimp or pickled okra from the store!

Some key NOLA foods:

red beans and rice
seafood (shrimp, catfish..)
bananas foster (you could do cookies or cupcakes that taste similar..)
praline recipes
mini po’ boys
fish/chicken with Cajun seasoning or muffulettas
corn bread
king cake
stuffed mushrooms
sausage
jambalaya
gumbo
ettoufee
corn on the cob
sweet potatoes
Zapps potato chips J

I searched “Mardi Gras” for the above information; however you can also try searching “cajun” and even more recipe options will pop up!
http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/recipes/cajun-shrimp-dip-54768.aspx
http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/recipes/cajun-peanuts-54841.aspx
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cajun-Appetizer-Meatballs/Detail.aspx
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cajun-Corn-and-Bacon-Maque-Choux/Detail.aspx

Best Oscar Acceptance Speech

So glad Dave found this on Youtube today! We were cracking up watching it last night and now listening to it over and over again... not only does he say "sank-you" but he mentions how heavy the award is and something about his suit and then closes with Mr. Roboto - priceless. See here

Oscar Favorites!

Loved John Legends get up! His date was really cute too!

I thought she looked great on stage when presenting with Ben Stiller.
Heidi's was crazy but really neat.

Hate Miley LOVED her dress.. she's on a good streak these days...

Didn't like Alicia's makeup but thought the dress was pretty.

Cupcakes

So... I splurged and got my RED KitchenAid Mixer yesterday and I couldn't wait to tear it open and get started baking this afternoon!  I went for the red because when I saw it, I just couldn't settle for anything else.  The rest of my kitchen is in stainless steal so I figured I could have one item that popped! :)  I am so in love with it already, it makes a whole world of difference and makes baking 10x easier!  If only all things were this way!  Ha. I'd love to have a little cupcake business on the side and here in Charlotte, we only have one little cupcake shop and it's on the opposite side of town.  Something downtown would be nice, even if out of my own home! :)  So here are some photos of me and my cupcake making today... I made peanut butter cupcakes with a chocolate glaze and then got creative and pumped grape jelly into some of the peanut butter cupcakes as well (and I must say, those were my favorites!).  I tried using some Reeses mini cups in the cupcakes but since they were so small, it was more trouble than it was worth. Plus it just plain didn't look good!  Also, I think I am going to try to bake my cakes with some sour cream in the mix next time. That usually gives it more moisture and it always works well when making my yummy banana bread.  And so the quest continues...next up: 'Smores Cupcakes! 

OH and PS..... YES, I totally took that picture of my final cupcakes!  I figured out how to use the Macro button my camera - WHAT a difference it makes!! They look like something out of a magazine!  I love yellow and brown together so I found some yellow tissue paper and loaded them into a gift box to take to work on Tuesday for Mardi Gras :) 

Oreo Has Got it Goin' On!!

If you have not tried these OREO Cakesters... you need to get out and get you some because they are.... Mmmm mmmm GOOD. I don't even LIKE Oreos but I loooove these! And if you just eat one, 6g of fat! I mean one indulgence won't kill ya! ;)

Hair 'do' or.. 'did'?

Welp... I went to get the haior cut and yep, ended up with the same 'do'. I mean there's a lil more bang to play with on the right side.... sigh. I guess in some ways it does look like this... she does have more bang though... oh well! A trim is a trim is a trim!

Whoa, West Elm!

I've never been a huge fan of the West Elm store but I get their sale emails periodically and thought i'd check out what they had right now and WOW was I surprised! On my wish list now is this completely fabulous "Slipper Chair" design that they have! I love it and just MUST have one of these - upon moving into a larger home, of course!

WORDLE

I saw this funky wordle art on another blog today and had to try it out for myself! You can either enter your own text manually OR if you have a blog, type in the address and let it work it's wordle magic!

voila!

(and the best part is that you can print it out!)

Rattle Me!

So I hopped on Facebook this morning and found that a fellow Marketing major and Western graduate has opened an organic baby clothing store. It's SUPER cute and she's got a great website with oh-so-cute pics of the kiddos!

I passed it along to my Moms in the office however I am still trying to figure out Why organic? Not having a little one myself I just had to get their input. Lauren, mom of Jenna, told me I thought it was funny when I first heard of organic baby items. I have organic wash cloths and changing pads for Jenna! It just means it’s made of organically grown cotton. It’s eco-friendly because they don’t use pesticides and fertilizers when they grow the cotton."

Whether you are shopping for your baby or a friend's little one, you should definitely check out Rattled. If I had one of my own, I know I'd go bananas. I love the matching long sleeve pants/shirt outfits in white or orange - you'll see what I mean on the site ;) She uses some really WOW colors and I love their story that they are donating 10% profit to children in need. Their prices are affordable and with the products being GREEN, how could you not want to shop here!? Atleast buy a toboggin, I like those the best! :)

Check out the Rattled site!

Earth Hour

I saw this last year and it's back AGAIN!

At 8.30pm on March 28, people around the world will turn their lights off for one hour – Earth Hour

Things I Can't Live Without!

#1 My Microplane Grater:
Why? BECAUSE - it is the best invention-ever! I love italian and cook it alot but Italian or not... Parmesean through this grater or even a little lemon zest, can really pep up a meal!

#2 My Egg Whisky:
This little guy, is, adorable! Is he not?! He is perfect for what I do nightly.... whisk dressings together! My favorite dressing is just juice from a lemon, olive oil, toss and spinkle with sea salt! Delish!


And lastly...


#3 My Salad Spinner: (however, mine is not nearly as nice as this one!)
Who likes soupy salad?! Not me! I love this thing and... it gives Dave something to do in the kitchen! HA!

Dogs + Babies = Love

Look at this CUTE video clip from the Bonnie Hunt show that my step-mother Shirley sent me!

Ah Ha!

Hair appointment: Friday at noon

Hair cut decision: Something safe and less costly than coloring!! The Katie Holmes (before she wacked it even shorter and got bangs)

The Bachelor Jason

So last night Dave (yes, DAVE) and I got sucked into The Bachelor! I had watched a few times before to see all the not so great girls get eliminated and last night it was down to the final 3. Dave and I were convinced he was going to keep Jillian because she seemed to have a good head on her shoulders, good looks, and I thought that she was the most motherly out of all of the girls!

I loved watching the show with Dave because he gave a "man's perspective" on things! I liked the Molly chick and how up front she was with Jason - making her own rules, etc. I thought they were a bit awkward together though. And Dave thought she came off as a kook! haha.

My FAVORITE is Melissa and I'm convinced that with Jillian gone, he is going to pick her! She is adorable, has a great personality, and from the looks of the next episode, she gets a long with Ty really well! She is my age though and I can't imagine jumping into motherhood like that BUT... we'll see! Can't wait until next Monday!! :)

Oh and PS. I really wish they'd get some curvacious girls on there... they'd probably have way better personalities!

Those Carrots

So every Christmas my mom's side of the family makes what we like to call, "those carrots". "Are you making THOSE carrots?" "Sure am!"... and you see how that goes... Well they have become my steadfast for the office potluck! I wouldn't really recommend them for a large group however there are several people in the office who request them and the carrots are just too easy not to make. My aunt Leslie sent me the recipe last year so that I could e-mail it out to my co-workers so now I am passing it on to you all as well! :)

"Those Carrots”
(Carrots with Mustard and Dill)

2 lbs. carrots, cleaned and cut into chunks (about 5 cups)
½ cup water

In 2 quart microwave casserole or bowl, place carrots and water. Cover with vented microwavable plastic wrap. Microwave at High for 10 to 14 minutes, until crisp-tender. (I steam the carrots – it takes the same amount of time with the same results.)

Sauce:
½ cup coarsely chopped onions
1 T butter
½ cup mayonnaise (I only use about half that amount - use your judgment)
½ t salt
¼ t pepper
2 T coarse brown mustard
1 ½ t chopped fresh dill (or ½ t dry)

For sauce: In a 2 cup measuring cup or bowl, place onions and butter. Microwave at High for 1 to 2 minutes, until onions are almost tender. Stir in mayonnaise, salt and pepper, mustard and dill. Pour over carrots and toss to mix well.

Serves 6 – 8.

Source: The Kentucky Derby Museum Cook Book

Bon Appetit!

To Book Club or Not to Book Club.......

So in my quest to find someone at work with the book Baby Proof by Emily Griffin.... I thought, well why not check out her website! And while doing that I realized she's got a new book out, Love The One You're With, annnd she has lots of book clubs following it! See here
So, since the girls in the office all share books anyhow - should we start a book club? I mean, is it really worth it to talk about the book your reading in regularly scheduled meetings or is that too much pressure? I know wine and goodies are included but is it all worth it? Still trying to figure it out....

Someecards

My friend Merris sent this link to me the other day. It is by far, the funniest thing I have seen in a while! Crude, ronchy and politically incorrect, yes, but laugh out loud funny!

For tons more check out Some Ecards...you'll literally spend all day on here!

Updates!

OK so... reminder! Tonight - watch Amazing Race for my friends Mel and Mike!  It's on CBS from 8-9.

ALSO, I think I've finally decided what I want to do with my hair next - keep in mind, when I don't blow dry or straighten it - this is what it looks like (with lots of product)

Sugarland is my inspiration ;) And yes I know I need some blond and a tanning bed as well... things I can work on!!!

My Sweet Valentine!

I really think that my Valentine's gift to Dave this year is pretty thoughtful! Dave and I have been traveling alot and we have gathered tons of pictures on Snapfish. Not only that but Dave has a gift for photography so our pictures are pretty great! I however, suck at taking pictures. I like the "snap and go" picture taking; whereas Dave enjoys setting up the perfect shot.

Anyways, this year for V-day I made a Feb. 2009-Feb. 2010 Calendar of us. Everyone needs a calendar in their office AND photos, so the calendar is dual purpose!

Snapfish allows you to pick your colors, pictures, holidays, text, etc and organize them in a calendar format! I chose colors that Dave likes, more masculine tones like burgandy, sage green, and other earth tones. I put our birthdays in there, just to remind Dave again that he is, in fact, still older than me! And for each holiday that you enter text you can upload a photo as well! I chose a "Dave shocked" photo for his birthday (hehe). And for my own birthday I wrote "remember to get this girl a gift" tagged with a photo of me. It was a really fun and crafty experience... and all online! :)

If you'd like to check out their Calendars go to http://www2.snapfish.com/storecalendars

I heart Mignon Faget.

Happy Valentine's Day to ME!  Dave gave me above sterling silver "red bean" this morning along with some great framed photos of us and a really sweet card!! The frames were very "rustic revival"! haha.

Mignot Faget has become one of my absolute favorite jewelry designers since dating Dave and visiting New Orleans! I now get her catalog and have started my own collection of items from her store... thanks to Dave's parents! :)

Beth and Nick gave me this peice in sterling silver for Christmas 08..

And she not only have jewelry items but she also does glassware and other fun things too, my favorite are her bridesmaids luncheon, cake pulls! Her items are designed around New Orleans and Louisiana..