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Friday, September 28, 2012

crushing hard

Oh, the beauty of double entendre. Even though I am madly in love with my spectacular boyfriend, I find myself crushing on a very handsome guy. It is nothing serious, he's just easy on the eyes. Crushes are fun! It's just a bit of silly oogling, I can't seem to help myself!

Onto this week's Friday Fancies. It too is all about crushes! I spent hours scouring Pinterest looking for an outfit crush and when I saw this one, I knew it was the one. I am completely in love with this look and I had so much fun making my own version of it!



Gorgeous, right? I love the sparkle with the blazer. It's sort of sophisticated yet totally girly at the same time. And, onto my version:

crushing hard



I love the shoes. The bag. The nails. I'm in love with it.

What is your take on crushes? Are they bad or just innocent fun?

Thursday, September 27, 2012

grape jelly

I was at a farm stand the other day and they had a bunch of containers full of freshly picked concord grapes. The whole barn smelled delicious. The grapes were plump and tart. I bought 2 quarts of them. I stopped at my sister's house for lunch and we snacked on some of the grapes and then we decided that we had to do something with them other than eat all two quarts. What is the best thing to do with concord grapes, other than make Welch's juice? Jelly. Lots of delicious jelly.


After some googling, all of the jelly recipes I came across were loaded with sugar and lemon juice. I couldn't have it that way. Why mask the delicious tart flavor of the grapes with all that sweetness? I cut my sugar back considerably and only added enough lemon juice that my grapes wouldn't stick to my pan.

The jelly is delicious. I've eaten nearly half a jar of it. Smeared on toast, as half of peanut butter and jelly, sometimes just off the spoon. Delicious.


Concord Grape Jelly
1 1/2 pounds concord grapes\
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar

Pull the grapes off the stems and put them in a pot with the lemon juice. Cover and boil until they burst and are mostly soft. At this point, I put them through a food mill using the smallest circles to crush the skins and get rid of the seeds. If you don't have a food mill, you can use a hand blender and then strain using cheese cloth.
Return the juice/goo back to the pot and add the sugar. Bring to a rigorous boil until the mixture hits 220 degrees.
Then can or put in a Tupperware in your fridge and enjoy!


Wednesday, September 26, 2012

pinterest.

Half way there people! Wahoo! Is that too much? Too much excitement for a Wednesday? Nah. No such thing. I'm going to triva tonight, we came in second place last week and we are determined to win this week!! So until then, I'm oogling some awesome pinterest goodies.



We joke about this all the time! I hate pants. I would be pantsless all the time if it were up to me.


Oh, I need a run. So badly. I need to run the craziness out of my head. I've had some stuff going on lately and running has been my favorite outlet for it. Definitely a run on my calendar for today!!


That. Bag. Oh. My. Gosh.


These card holders are amazing. So simple and fun.


This table is so seriously gorgeous. I'm in love with how it's so soft and simple. Rustic and gorgeous. I'm a huge fan.


I'm really trying hard to avoid the Christmas pins so early, but this cake needed to be addressed. I'm in love and I cannot wait to eat it!

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

day for celebration.


As of 2:15pm yesterday, the surgery went great. As good as it possibly could have. They took out all of his abdominal lymph nodes and the tumor. As of right now they believe they were able to leave all of the nerves in tact also. (Which is a HUGE victory!) Quick test results came back cancer free! Official results are still 2 weeks away but there is an 80% chance of having the same results.

He woke up at 3:30 pm, a full 6 hours after being brought in for surgery. And then this morning he is in pain, but it is manageable. The doctor already wants him up and moving, 10 laps are on the to do list for today. While it hurts to get up and walk, that is the way to get back home so Derek is game.

Thank you all for your support and prayers yesterday. We needed them!


Happy birthday to Devan and Danielle! Ya'll are my favorite set of twin girls.


2 years ago today, I cried a million happy tears watching my baby sister marry one of the greatest men you'll ever meet. Watching them become parents this year has been fabulous!

And lastly, but absolutely not least, I'm celebrating my bff Molly giving birth to the most beautiful baby girl on Sunday. Adelaide Elizabeth was born on September 23 at 7:55 pm. Lots of love to their whole family!

Monday, September 24, 2012

support.

I had a fabulous weekend. We basically went camping with a bunch of friends. Seriously awesome.

But today that means nothing. Today, my cousin Derek is going through surgery to finally beat the cancer he has been battling. He has been amazing throughout the last 6 months. He is 21 and has cancer, that shouldn't happen to anyone. But he has fought and managed to kick the cancer's ass. There is one last step that he has to get through. He's having very intense surgery today. They will cut down his entire abdomen and remove his lymph nodes from his lower abdomen.

If you are a spiritual type, our family would love some additional thoughts and prayers for him. This is the last big step along the way. He has a long recovery ahead of him, but this is where he officially beats cancer. It's a big deal.


I love this picture Derek and his amazing girlfriend Dana. So much love between
them. She has stood by him throughout everything, and he has done the same
for her. An amazing relationship.

Friday, September 21, 2012

staying neutral

First thing first, I'm loving my new design. It screams fall to me!

I am beyond ready to start this weekend. Yesterday marked the start of birthday week in my family. My wonderful cousin Dylan turned 24 yesterday, so quick shout out to him...Happy Birthday Dylan! It's his first birthday being a daddy, and he is an amazing father already.

This weekend, birthday week continues! My God Mother and awesome Aunt Tink is celebrating her birthday on Saturday. She has had one hell of a year, her son Derek is my cousin who is kicking cancer's ass right now, so I'm sure she's ready to kiss this year goodbye and move forward. Then Sunday is my mom's birthday! As a birthday gift to herself, she is going on a cruise! Lucky lady!

But this weekend, while all of the rest of the world is immersed in college and NFL football, I'll be heading up to Oktoberfest in Rochester with Mike. I'm really excited about it. We've been together for 2 years and there are so many of his friends I haven't met yet and I'm finally going to this weekend! I'm sure there will be way too many calories consumed and lots of belly aching laughs.

Since I'm not a football fan, this is the kind of outfit I'd wear to a football party! Definitely something completely neutral. There are some awesome color combinations in the NFL that I almost wanted to pick a team, but I couldn't decide.




staying neutral



I hope you all have a fabulous weekend! Hopefully you have some beers and laughs in your weekend too!

Thursday, September 20, 2012

smile.





No matter what I do on the anniversary of my dad's death, inside I'm spending the whole day holding back tears and just being sad that he isn't here with us. My friend Molly made me feel a little bit better about it yesterday. She pointed out that on that day, I'm allowed to wallow and sulk and miss him like crazy. I'm allowed to wish he was still here and get angry that he has missed so much, and cry about him never meeting my future husband. I can do all of that because I don't do it every other day of the year. I get it all out on that one day. I cry a lot and then it's over.

I woke up this morning feeling a bit like I had a hang over. It was certainly an emotional hangover. So today, unlike yesterday I'm going to smile. I'm going to know that he had an incredible influence on me and I'm going to work on living up to the standards that he always held me to.

A few of the things that did make me smile yesterday:
My sister's pink elephant flip flops. We always refer to my dad as the pink elephant in the room.
This baby. I bought him that hat yesterday. He is so freaking handsome

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

sigh.

I dread this day every year. Not that it is any different from any other day, but it feels different. I wake up on 9/19 every year with the same heavy feeling in my chest. I'm reminded that I won't have my dad here for so many things in my future. It's just killer. So I'm taking today and remembering my dad and trying to honor him rather than sulk.






Source: tumblr.com via Danae on Pinterest


love you daddy.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

harvest time is happy time

Mike and I were up early on Saturday morning. We were out and about running errands and on the way home we went a tiny bit out of our way to hit up one of my favorite little farm stands. It's really just a lady on the side of the road with two tables of goodies. She always has super fresh and delicious stuff.

I was hoping to pick up some zucchini and make another batch of zucchini muffins to have for breakfasts. Unfortunately she said that with the super chilly nights we had, the zucchinis weren't looking so good. We picked up a few other things, including what will probably be the last watermelon of the summer. There happened to be a detour on our way home which lead us to another farm stand, one I had never been to. This one was HUGE! They must have a massive farm. They had every fruit and vegetable that I could imagine was in season. Buckets upon buckets of pumpkins and butternut squash, a trailer full of apples and tables piled high with seriously delicious vegetables. From there we grabbed a couple zucchini, a pumpkin, some red onions and some apples. My oh my, the bounty we came home with.

We spent the rest of the day with country music blasting throughout the house cooking and baking our tails off! It was seriously awesome.


In honor of the fall harvest, I want to share some of the recipes I'm planning on trying out over the next couple of weeks. All these recipes are courtesy of my foodgawker addiction.




Monday, September 17, 2012

dutchess county classic

Ready to go run!

I make a pretty good cheerleader!

Ok, one last pic before he's off.

He finished in 2:35. Rockstar. I love him. (he's stretching after the race)

Friday, September 14, 2012

fall favorites

I disappeared yesterday! I have no idea how, but I got caught up in life and didn't make it to the gym and I was a terrible blogger. Yikes. Tough break.

The good news is that I'm back here today and I have tons of goodies to share. This week for Friday Fancies, I'm sharing all of the crazy goodies I'm craving for fall. There are so many new gorgeous styles that I could barely narrow it down.


sweater.shell.cardi.

denim.pants.skirt

trench.blazer

mary janes.wedges.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

so pinteresting

Wednesday means it's time for oh, how pinteresting. Pinterest has become a source of distraction for me over the past few weeks. I've been oogling all sorts of delicious fall foods and decor ideas. Sometimes it's nice to just put on music and browse through some gorgeousness.





I'm not really a fan of cream cheese frosting. I'm certain I'm in the minority there! It makes it hard to find delicious fall baked goods at bakeries and such. I suppose it's a good thing I adore being in the kitchen. This recipe for salted caramel buttercream sounds DIVINE on top of a pumpkin cupcake.



Awesome. There is a reason that I love all things Disney. They not only give a girl license to dream, but they encourage it above all else. Nothing is impossible.



Something about there is gorgeous. I love that towel and it really makes the perfect wrapping for a wine bottle.



I think it's time to make a new fall wreath.



I'm loving this shower idea. Perfect theme for an April baby.



Sometimes true....sometimes not.



I'm not sure having a margarita is indicative of giving up. Margaritas are a happy drink for me. The only problem with them is the calories.


Source: hilsblog.com via Lauren on Pinterest

I'm pretty excited to make these this weekend. Definitely a perfect fall treat.



Thanks for stopping by for my super random Oh, How Pinteresting post this week, can't wait to see your awesome pins!