Recipe Box - Creamy Orzo with Parmesan & Asparagus

I have a ton of 'go-to' side dishes that I rotate through, most of them simple, many come from a bag...and in the interest of eating healthier, and trying to make more things from scratch, I decided to try this recipe for Creamy Orzo with Asparagus Parmesan from Sugar & Spice by Celeste.  as many recipes that I try and like...this was really easy, and very tasty :)

image from Sugar & Spice by Celeste

Photo Saturday

me and brother at the winery tour for Bonnie's surprise party!

friday funny...

have a great weekend everyone!!

Friday Finds - Beachy

haven't done a Friday finds in a while!  since we are beach-bound for a wedding this weekend, I was inspired :)

this stunning red belted bathing suit by 1979 Swimwear

rocking these vintage sunglasses by Silver Saturation

hanging out on this cute beach blanket by Pattern Studio

pack a snack for the beach in this vintage wicker picnic basket by Epoch Co.

and of course you might need some fancy margarita glasses from Designs by Dia Ray

Happy Birthday to my Mini Me!

I still feel like you are my little neighbor...can't believe you are 27, married, and a homeowner!  I am so proud of you and so glad to be your friend after all these years :)

photo circa December 2004

Happy Birthday Dana!!!
xoxoxo

Once a Hokie, Always a Hokie

through the magic of the internet, twitter, etc...I came across a blog run by a fellow Virginia Tech grad, called Young, Married, Chic...I instantly bookmarked it, because if you are a Hokie you know, we all seem to have this special connection and unspoken friendship with other Hokies...so I knew I would want to browse through all the recipes for healthy eating, great ideas for hostess gifts, and then I found it...a cookbook, with recipes and stories from Blacksburg, called A Taste of Virginia Tech...so I pre-ordered it...and sometime in August I'll get it and I am SO excited to read it and try and re-create some favorites!

one of the things that I always loved about school, was definitely the food...there were so many great restaurants, not to mention the amazing dining halls...oh West End, my meal plan dollars were always well spent there!  

you can go order your very own copy here!  you know you want to :D

hair dilemmas

so.  this year I turned 30.  6 months ago exactly.  and the thing that is now on my mind more then before is my hair.  weird right?  well my friends the gray hair are fueling this obsession...well, I wouldn't call them friends...they are shiny, with a strange texture, they stick out of my hair no matter where I part it, and I. Don't. Like it!

back in college I did the obligatory, dye your hair blonde thing...even did it myself a few times...and while I don't think it looked terrible...I got TONS of compliments going back to my natural darker color.

 before

 and after

so the next big question is...what do I do to fix the gray hair conundrum?  dying lots of light highlights means lots of upkeep (read: lots of $$) and I don't know that I have the energy (or funds) for that...I found this photo on Pinterest, and I really like the colors...I think her base color is similar to mine...so I think I could pull this off, and it would be easier then light highlights.

 

I also really like the ombre style, darker roots with lighter ends, which has a kind of natural feel to it...but it might not fix my gray hair problem...not that the highlights would do that either....so I might be at an impass...but what do you think...which one would be easier to maintain?

 

wouldn't ya know...even though this is a semi-new trend...back in 2001 good old Joey Potter on Dawson's Creek rocked the ombre style!

DIY Wednesday - at home gel manicure!

so I am definitely a fan of nail polish...I think the obsession has grown significantly...I have a whole shelf in my bathroom that is bursting at the seams currently. 

for a while I wasn't using my own polish as much because I got a gel manicure, and it was amazing...six weeks without so much as a chip in my jewelry-making, art-teaching nails...I was sold!  except for the $30-50 price tag, depending on where I went.

fast forward to my new obsession...Pinterest..and I found this pin via The Small Things Blog that tells you how you can get the quality of a gel manicure at home...of course I was skeptical, but I had to try...if it could save me money and my nails could still look nice, I was willing to give it a try.

 photo from The Small Things Blog

I couldn't find the Nutra Nail 5 Minute Gel Polish, but I did find the Essie...so I just used that for the top and bottom coats- and it worked great!  you can link back to the original post here, but the steps are so simple!

2 coats of the Nutra Nail 5 Minute Gel Polish **this is where I substituted the Essie
2 coats of your favorite polish- any shade, any brand!
1 final coat of the Essie 3 Way Glaze


the best part is that you can use any polish you already own- it doesn't have to be anything special!  so all those nail polishes I had at home had new life breathed into them! 

Cheers! Pink Fizzy Recipe

by now, if you are a loyal reader of my blog, you will know that I love Pinterest...I have to actually try and limit the number of times in a given day that I check it...but it is the source of a lot of my new favorite recipes, and this one's for a refreshing summer cocktail!


we made this Pink Fizzy to cool us down after Home Run Derby at my Dad's surprise 60th birthday party...and it was soooooo good!  This recipe is courtesy of Sutter Home :)

Photo Saturday

thinking of one of my favorite places in the world, the family cabin in Vermont today.

Happy Birthday Jon...we miss you.

did you ever notice...

weird little things or rituals that you do...nothing crazy...I mean, I can openly admit that I definitely have a few OCD tendencies...like twisting the doorknob 10 times to make sure it's locked...

but something that I recently noticed about myself is that I always put my left shoe/sock/flip flop/slipper on before the right...

does anyone else have weird little quirks like that?


HAPPY FRIDAY!! :D

DIY Wednesday - Candy Dot Flags

Happy July 4th Everyone!!!

Since it is a Wednesday, there aren't really any big plans we have for the day...off to the gym, probably some laundry after our quick trip to Boston, and before our next trip to North Carolina...here is a cute, and patriotic candy dot tutorial...enjoy!

images and tutorial from Sweet Sugar Belle

A big day for Birthdays!

Not only is today my Dad's 60th birthday, but it is my best friend Bonnie's 30th!  Two of my very favorite people in the world, and today is their day!!

happy happy birthday!!!!!

Recipe Box - Sweet & Sour Chicken

More new recipes here!  This recipe came from the blog Life as a Lofthouse via Pinterest (surprised, aren't you?)

I took a stab at Sweet & Sour Chicken that you bake in the oven...and I was pretty excited about it...and am happy to report it was just as good as it looked!  And another plus it was really easy!  The only thing that I thought would annoy me, was that during the hour you bake the chicken you flip it (in my case I just sort of stirred it) every 15 minutes...and it honestly kept me on my toes to prepare the fried rice that went with it.

I followed the recipe exactly and it came out great!  Another one to add to the rotation!

Secret's Out!

phew!  planning and executing a surprise party is no easy task!  photos to come...but here is a sneak preview of the logo I designed for our t-shirts...because no birthday surprise is complete without custom t-shirts ;)

Photo Saturday

view from the water taxi in the Baltimore Harbor during Sailabration weekend...which celebrated the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812.

only the good...

it's so hard not to feel like a little kid when I use this phrase...but really what it comes down to is that it's just not fair...on Tuesday, one of the most wonderful people in the world that I've had the pleasure to know, and in this case, call family, passed away...

Jon was B's cousin, but to me he was more than that...even though we only spent a few days each year with them, he was not just family, but a friend...a snowboard instructor, a great team mate for family game nights, an amazing husband and father, and he had a great relationship with his sister and parents...and he was nowhere done living...

I only hope he knows just how much we all loved him, and that we will never forget him...

Thursday's Shoe Story

It's such a strange transition that my closet has taken...from tons of heels that were way too high and way too skinny, to sensible, comfortable flats that I can wear teaching, or just out running errands.

slowly packing up the bags of donations to goodwill, and replacing (of course...can't let the supply get too low!) I came across these, super comfy and I think super cute shoes at Target...oh Target, the store I need to stay far, far away from!

They are a good option when closed-toed shoes are necessary, and their neutral color makes them match just about everything :)  although, realizing that this is not the best photo...since they pretty much blend into the carpet...oh well!

DIY Wednesday - Glitter Keys

One of my (many) goals for the summer, along with taking time to do art of my own, getting my house in some kind of order, trying out new recipes, and above all relaxing...I wanted to try out some fun and easy DIY projects that I've seen on Pinterest and other blogs I frequent.

So the first project I decided to tackle was glitter-fying my keys...since we all know what a huge fan of glitter I am, so I thought it would be a great place to start!

I had seen this pin on Pinterest a few months back, which lead me to an adorable blog My oh My written by a fellow Art Teacher, CMae.  You can see her original post here, and I suggest you poke around on her blog if you like art, books, crafts, or just a good read!


First I chose a color from my extensive glitter collection, found some glue in my basket of adhesives, and I put down some wax paper, to contain the mess.

One layer of glue and glitter, left to dry for an hour, and then repeat on the next side.

Then to keep all that glitter from flaking off into my purse, car and everywhere else...of course let's face it...it's everywhere in my house anyway...a layer of clear nail polish on each side.

And voila!  Glitter keys...DIY project #1 of the summer complete :)

Recipe Box - Baked Ham & Egg cups

I always have said that I wasn't a breakfast person- when I was younger at home with my parents, my Dad would always have his breakfast plates all set up the night before, and I would always sit in the morning and the usual "I don't know" would be my answer to the question of what I wanted for breakfast...

Fast forward to college, and I would roll out of bed with just enough time to get dressed and grab my books for class, so lunch was usually the first meal of the day (unless you count coffee, which I totally do)...

And then the real world, where long days sitting in a cubicle made me feel even hungrier then usual...probably because I found most of those experiences to be boring and un-fulfilling...and eating just was a way to pass the time...so I found my way back to breakfast after all these years...but working breakfasts meant bagels, which are fine...but not every day...

So now that I have the honor of teaching Art to the youth of Baltimore City...I get to take my time having breakfast for the next few weeks while I'm on summer vacation...so new breakfast ideas..GO! 


I bring to you...yet another Pinterest find...baked ham and egg breakfast cups...which came from the blog Simple Delights...I only had sliced cheese, so I substituted that...but these are delish!  I have made them pretty regularly for the past two weeks and the best part- each is just 100 calories!  Full of protein...a great way to start your day :)