Phew...It's Friday

First off, HOLY COW! I have not written on here in almost a month. I've been feeling a little guilty as each day passes, not taking the time to reflect and write on the goings on this September. As fall is fast approaching (feels like it's here to me!) I will start to have more time to work on wedding projects, home DIY goals, baking and blogging. I love being outdoors when it's nice but once it starts to get that chill in the air I prefer to heat up the house with baked goods or cozy up with a blanket and a good book...which is what gets in the way of all those darn projects I want to get done.

Has anyone else noticed there is not enough time in the day to accomplish everything???

After a day of getting hung up on 3 times and being "yelled" at (seems a strong word but it was more than being told. It was of a very upset nature. Lectured? Scolded? Unsure) for something I had no control over... what...so...ever, I plan on another night of doing nothing. Nothing but drinking wine. Maybe even the GOOD wine. Hmmmm......

Which leads me to last weekend.

I went to my very first winery. Yes, I'm almost 30 and went on my very first wine tasting adventure. Actually it was just a little winery in Three Lakes, WI but it was a first, nonetheless. Between Tony and I we picked out 4 bottles of wine. It's almost a hobby of ours come fall and winter. We have game nights and movie nights which, of course, go hand in hand with WINE! Ok...I'm sounding like an alch-y. Next topic.

The wine tasting was only a stop along the way on our trip Up North. We went to St Germain, WI for a 3 day weekend with my parents. We had a great weekend eating and drinking and relaxing (there we go drinking again). I got to take a 2 HOUR nap. When does that happen??? We went to our favorite steak joint, Blink Bonnie, and had a few too many cocktails at the tikki bar at Pub n' Prime. We had game nights and ate more food. Just thinking about it makes me want to do it all over again. The only negative about vacation? You have to detox and diet when you get home...talk about a bummer.

 I baked my awesome Banana Butterscotch Bread and I also made two very different and fantastic cookies to take along on our trip. Oatmeal Raisin and White Chocolate Pumpkin Pie Cookies. I found both of these on Pinterest and decided they sounded equally delicious and were a must. One was more of a dessert while the other one could be a breakfast cookie. Not healthy. I didn't say healthy. Just something that would taste good in the morning. Until you get a real breakfast. Hey...it's what you do ON VACATION.

Now, I didn't take the time to take pictures. In fact, I didn't even think of it until after they were gone. That's how busy I was trying to bake and pack at the same time. But thankfully Shelly, from Cookies and Cups, has beautiful pictures that I will also link to her site. These were both a huge success with my family and fiance' (and my coworkers...who got them on Monday). I will definitely be making them again.

This weekend we have a wedding to attend and I'm HOPING to get some fall prep work done...such as pulling up flowers, bringing plants inside and maybe a little nesting. I am looking forward to the weekend slowing down to actually get some things accomplished before it gets cold (....although a friend of mine DID report snow in her area already! SERIOUSLY??? I'm soooooo not ready for that! )

So with that...cheers to a great weekend! What are your plans for the two wonderful days away from work? (Maybe you should make these cookies. Seriously...go for it! ;) )

Me and my fiance'...huh huh huh (this proceeds when said in an
Italian accent. Thank you Miss Amy)

Tony and I with my parents at our favorite spot, Blink Bonnie.

My first winery experience.

White Chocolate Pumpkin Pie Cookies

Recipe from www.cookiesandcups.com

From Cookie and Cups

Ingredients

• 1 cup softened butter
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
• 2 cups AP flour
• 3 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 1 (12 oz) bag white chocolate chips
Frosting:
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar (packed)
• 3 T. butter
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 cups sifted powdered sugar

How to Make

1. Preheat to 350
2. Cream butter and both sugars with mixer.
3. Beat in egg, vanilla and pumpkin.
4. Combine dry ingredients and slowly add to butter mixture.
5. Mix until combined.
6. Stir in white chips.
7. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto parchment lined baking sheet. (Batter will be sticky)
8. Bake approx 12 minutes until edges are slightly golden.
9. Let sit on baking sheet for at least 2 minutes and then transfer to wire rack to cool.
For frosting:
10. Combine brown sugar and butter in small saucepan over medium heat.
11. Bring to a boil and continue cooking 1 minute. Remove from heat and cool for 10 minutes. Mixture will slightly thicken.
12. With hand mixer beat in milk until smooth. Slowly add in powdered sugar until spreadable consistency. ( I used all 2 cups).
13. Spread approx 1 teaspoon on each cookie.

Notes

Store in airtight container for up to 3 days.

Oatmeal Raisin from Cookies and Cups.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Recipe from www.cookiesandcups.com
Ingredients

• 1 stick butter
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 t. vanilla
• 3/4 c. AP flour
• 1/2 t. baking soda
• 1/2 t. cinnamon
• 1/2 t. coarse sea salt
• 1 1/2 c. rolled oats
• 3/4 c. raisins
• 1/2 c. white chocolate chips

***you can add walnuts instead of chips if you prefer***

1. Preheat to 350
2. In large bowl with hand mixer cream the butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla and beat until combined.
3. In separate bowl whisk flour, baking soda, sea salt, and cinnamon together. Stir this into the butter mixture until combined. Now add oats, raisins and chips (or nuts) until all combined.
4. Line your baking sheet with parchment and place cookies about 2 inches apart, baking for 9-11 min. When cookies get golden around the edges remove from oven. Do not over-bake!!
5. Let cool on baking sheet for 3 min and transfer to cooling rack.

It's The Little Things....

Well...as I predicted...all the things I had on my to-do list this past weekend, did not get accomplished. I was able to get a few things done but after a small, almost disastrous, mishap I was unable to focus. I'm not going to go into detail what happened...especially since it took me a few days to get it out of my head. But what I can say is " Thank the LORD for watching over us and our loved ones." Some things happen in life and it makes the rest seem insubstantial. So no, I didn't get my DIY projects done. No, I didn't get my hair done. And no, I didn't even make myself my own home cooked meal (unless you count the avocado egg salad found here. (I came across this blog on Pinterest)  It's awesome. I'm ADDICTED to avocado right now.). What I did do was purchase a few new items from our NEW T.J. Maxx  and gave our bedroom a new mini makeover, cleaned and tidied up a bookshelf display and then restlessly waited for Tony to get home. He always makes me feel better and I think I appreciated him more than ever, that day. In fact, while I was sitting on the loveseat and he (sprawled) on the couch, we linked hands. He knew I needed him that much. All I can say is what I experienced was SCARY! Now that is a man that loves you...when he'd rather be sleeping but holds your hand from a couch away. It didn't matter to me that I didn't get any major house projects tackled. Everything would be ok, God was watching over me, I had my best friend AND my DIY projects weren't going anywhere. Just so you aren't left wondering..."OMG what happened" because I totally know you are, I'll just tell you this. It actually wasn't disastrous. It COULD have been. Which is what kept playing over and over in my mind. The mind is a terrible thing sometimes and rather than thinking "everything turned out fine in the end" we think "OMG! I can't believe that happened. This ALMOST happened..." You get what I'm saying.

Now on a more positive note, let's think wedding thoughts. They make me happy. My MOH (maid of honor) found her dress! I'm so excited. It's perfect on her and perfect with my style plans. However, (I'll give this little bit away) I wanted all the dresses to be different, but coordinating shades of green. Of course the dress we found for my cousin didn't come in a similar shade of green. They didn't go at all. So we had to change the coloring options or continue looking endlessly for a dress for my cousin. I realize I have plenty of time for her to continue looking but I'm just going to say that she liked NOTHING we put on her. I do believe this is the only one she actually admits to liking. So right there...I'm going to say that I'm a pretty awesome bride. There are no bridezilla moments happening yet. Who would change color ideas to keep their pretty, little bridesmaids happy? Yup...I'm cool like that. ;) But I must say, even though it's not exactly what I originally wanted, I am pretty happy with the way it's coming together. I do believe this is the part when people tell you to roll with the punches and just enjoy the planning. Not everything is going to go exactly as imagined. And that's what I'm trying to do. I can be a complete control freak but I'm determined to stay STRESS FREE and just work with what I'm dealt. I also think I found Tony's and the groomsmen's suits! But Tony doesn't even want to see a picture. He wants to wait and see it in person. Crossing my fingers he loves it as much as I do. We'll see if all my years of dressing for horse shows pays off. I CAN tell you that the suit/tux girl was LOVING me.

Which leads me to my next DIY project: Men's boutonnieres. I made one last night but I'm not sure it's perfect yet.  I'm going to work on tweaking it a little bit. Once I get it to where I like it I will give you all a peak!

Um, excuse me? This is Rudy's version of helping.
Him AND his squirrel...are on my burlap.

 So with that, I'll leave you with a little recipe I came across on Pinterest. (Yes, I'm a Pinterest junkie. Hello...my name is Alicia and I'm an addict) It was easy schmeezy (I'm catching on that in the blog world, you can say things like this )and even though I was a little short on white chocolate chips it still turned out. It just wasn't as gooey as it should have been. But still... pretty darn good. Enjoy!

Avalanche Bars

Recipe courtesy of cookiesandcups.com

12 oz bag of White Chocolate Chips
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
3 cups Rice Krispies
1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips + 2 Tbsp for garnish.
Lightly grease a 9x9 pan

How to Make

1. In microwave-safe bowl pour in white chips and heat on 50% power for 1 minute. Stir and continue in 30 second increments until chips are melted.
2. Combine the peanut butter with the melted chips and add the krispies. 

1. Let cool approx 15 – 20 minutes stirring every 5 minutes or so to help cool.
2. Add the marshmallows and the mini chocolate chips and stir to combine.
3. Pour mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly, pressing lightly with the back of your spoon, but do not compact too much, otherwise they will get hard. 

1. Press the remaining chocolate chips into the top for garnish.
2. When the bars are completely cooled cut into squares and enjoy! 

Call Me The Wild Child....

I have a busy weekend ahead of me. At least in my mind I do. Tony is going out of town for most of the weekend. Insert little puffy pop ups here....

Girls gone wild weekend??? Drinking? Doing stupid things you would never tell another soul or remember in the morning???

(NOT me or anyone I know)

Ummmm....Nope. Not me.

Want to know what I plan on doing?

Highlight Hair....

Bake Betty Crocker style....or cook like Donna Reed...

Attempt a few (or one (or two)) DIY projects that
I keep wanting to try...(it's better to start small, right?)

Check out the NEW T.J. Maxx that opens THIS WEEKEND!

Yep...I'm a real wild child all right. I guess I'd rather play Susy Homemaker for the weekend. And this really does seem realistic in my head. But $10 says I don't get half of this done. I have really good intentions. Oh, yea...I forgot to mention, I'm meeting two of my bridesmaids to look at dresses Saturday morning. So basically, all these "plans" are going to happen between Saturday afternoon and Sunday. I'll let you know how that turns out for me. I'm determined to have a fun yet accomplished weekend, by myself. Just imagine Tony coming home to a "new" me, an updated house and some yummy cinnamon rolls just waiting for him. And in NO way does Tony ask or expect those things of me. I'm nippin' that in the bud right now. I LIKE surprising him with stuff like that. It makes me feel good. It's my way of showing him that I appreciate what He does for ME. So....yeah.....

I happened to stumble across a new blog today that I absolutely fell in love with. Not ONLY do we both have the same awesome name....she is my DIYer idol. I don't know her...but if I did, I think we would be the best of friends. Seriously. Quit laughing. She is WAYYYY more handy at making her own furniture than I am (at this point in my life). But to be fair, I've never actually tried. I'm not sure when in my hectic schedule I'm supposed to learn to do that, but I'm hoping that maybe her blog will inspire me to try in the near future (within the next 2 years). What? I like to give myself a big window so I don't feel disappointed with myself when in 4 months from now our house looks exactly the same. Hold up...maybe I do need to push myself more. I don't want the same decor 4 months from now. I've been living with it for 2 years now. Look at that....I just felt myself "grow" a little. I will now set goals FOR THE HOUSE. Bam. I just gave myself a new rule to live by.

Holy cow...that was a babble session.

Here is the site that I fell in love with.

Check it out. If you like to DIY you will find something that inspires you on this site. I am determined to try some of these. But I can tell you this....I found her site because I was looking up burlap curtains. So I'm hoping that MAYBE I will get around to trying that this weekend. And I have my Grandmother's old desk to refinish. Check back with me on Monday to see what I was all able to accomplish. I'm going to try super hard since I now have people to report to. :)

And with that my friends, have a lovely evening and a fantastic weekend!

What do you have planned to do around the house this weekend?

Goodbye Wonderful Weekend...

Hello Monday.....

After such a lovely, relaxing and enjoyable weekend, it makes Monday all the harder to face. Thankfully I got to have a couple of these babies (below) for breakfast and let me tell you, they are nothing to sneeze at, even when nuked for left overs. Banana Bread Pancakes...yummmmm.....Now, we like our pancakes a little crisp from the oil but check out the recipe here if you want to enjoy these glorious pancakes yourself (and see more delicious images). It's genius. True genius.

Now hopefully you're still reading. Normally I give the good stuff at the end of a post, thereby, making sure that everyone has read my jibber jabber, but I was feeling gracious this morning. You're welcome.

Those pancakes were actually the farewell to a great weekend. We ended our day with breakfast for dinner. Nothing could have topped those fluffy little cakes, drizzled in maple glaze and smearing Nueske's bacon in the remaining syrup. And if you've never had Nueske's bacon, well, you're missing out right there.

But anyways. Enough about pancakes...and bacon. I'm getting hungry.

I finally had a weekend somewhat to myself. I love Tony dearly, but sometimes you just need some time away and we both were finally able to enjoy a little time apart. Saturday I was actually able to go shopping, for the afternoon, with a girlfriend.  This NEVER happens. In fact, I can't quite remember the last time I had girl time. Or shopping time for that matter. We both have a wedding to go to in two weeks so we both wanted to find a smart new outfit to wear. After the typical shopping crash and feeling slightly defeated, we regrouped with a pit stop for a fresh pretzel and lemonade. Then it was full speed ahead, resulting in two fantastic outfits that will totally make us feel like "Dancing Queens" (after a couple cocktails) come the reception. After an exhausting shopping trip we met up with our men for a cookout and had an evening full of good food, cocktails and a few games of pool. It was a great way to end the day. Take that back. 10 hours of sleep was a great way to end the day. We were in bed by 9. Yep...we lead a rock star life.

Sunday, however, was MY day. I had a great ride on my horse, Dash, in the morning. I did a little bit of tidying up while being home ALONE. I tackled my first *DIY home edition project. And finished the afternoon off with an abundant supply of wedding movies while working on a wedding project. After cooking breakfast for dinner, Tony and I enjoyed the remainder of the evening together, watching a movie. All in all it was a great weekend. I didn't get any big things accomplished but I did check one thing off my list...RELAX. Really, you should try it. It's a wonderful thing.

Have a wonderful and fast work week!

My DIY bathroom project.

*(I printed off my own colored sign, used scrap paper for a border  and purchased frames from Hobby Lobby. I did another one with a singing quote above the hanging hand towel. This way I won't ruin any expensive prints with the moisture and I can change the images whenever I want.)

.

Say Yes To The Dress....

I have ordered my wedding dress! It is THE dress! If any of you are currently planning a wedding, or have already gotten married, you have heard the saying "you'll know when it's the one." (Clearly there is a pattern here since I heard the same thing about love). And by golly, they are right!

I tried on dress after dress, some stunning, some ridiculously uncomfortable ( I mean, if you can't move your legs, how are you supposed to do your crazy dance moves???) and some that just were not meant for curvy women. And then I had on a dress that I thought was "the one". Until I looked at the price tag. Whoops. How did that get in there??? I must have been in wedding dress la la land. And that my friends, is why you NEVER, EVER, EVER try on a dress that you cannot afford. I was SO bummed out. I thought I had found my dream dress and I would have had to put 1/3 of my darn budget on the dress. That I will wear ONCE. For a few measly hours. And of course the dress that I had loved before that one, just wasn't doing it for me anymore. I put it back on and I just didn't feel it. Of course my mom and a couple of my bridesmaids (I would really like to have initials for the word bridesmaid but I just don't think "my bm's" would be a preferred reference) tried convincing me that is was just as gorgeous but sadly the damage was done.

At this point I was feeling a little desperate to find something that would make me forget the costly dress. I meekly told the dress assistant that I had seen something when I walked in. I found it and I even said "I don't know, this is pretty plain. I'm not sure I like it" but then said "what the heck, I'm here. Let's try it on." And BAM! Just like that I KNEW! I put it on (although I almost didn't get it over my dang hips) and I was all "Oh em gee" and when I walked out and heard 3 intakes of breath I knew I had found a keeper. AND it was in my price range. Praise Jesus! And you know it's THE dress when you don't want to take it off. Ever. And you parade around the pedestal and then gather the dress in your hands and start doing a little hill billy dance. Ok, I didn't actually do the dance but in my mind I was.

I even went back with my mom the other day to make sure it was still the one. It most definitely is. And I can't wait for Tony to see me in it. He may be a boots, jeans and tee kind of guy but there will be NOTHING to scoff at on this dress.

Now I have to find boots. That's right. I said boots. Would you expect anything less? I'll show you some of the ones I like but you'll have to wait to find out which ones I go with!!

Something neutral?

Something blue?

Something different?

From Hunt Boots to Baked Goods

Blackwolf Steal Yo Thunda &I

And I'm back! For those of you that actually like to listen to my babbling...I'm sorry for the delay in another post. I was on vacation for the one big horse show I get to go to this year. It was a great vacation, an awesome horse show and an exhausting, but completely worth it, 6 days. Long story short, we took two horses. And by we, I mean myself and my little, 14 year old, sidekick, Jazzerjod, who leases my oldest gelding. We had a fantastic horse show! I rode my home bred gelding, Blackwolf Steal Yo Thunda and after a mishap in the first class, he came back with a bang. We won our first blue together and ended up Reserve in the AOTS Championship (which means he is Amateur owned/trained/shown). This is only our second year under saddle, and considering that I ride maybe 2 or 3 times a week, I am super proud of how we did. Next year we are going for Grand Champion! (AND winning the Jackpot!!)  :)
 Jazzerjod totally rocked her division of the show with a first, Grand Champion, second and Reserve Champion. I am super proud of her and Scooter! (And we ALL know that Scooter is "Naughty But Nice" as he well proved with my * lil' BryBee!)  Jazzerjod has worked so hard and has taken her goals very seriously. She has been extremely determined to become a better rider and it is the most rewarding experience to witness that.

 













* lil' BryBee used to show with me when I trained professionally. She has been out of the horse world for the past few years and after spending a couple days at the show just to hang out, decided to show Scooter in a class. It wasn't pretty since she had a naughty horse (who we later learned had to go potty)...but it sure was fun.

Me and my "lil" BryBee together again!

After a long and eventful week it's taken me a few days to catch up on sleep and have even an ounce of energy. (I remember the days when I was 16 and HATED the end of a show. Now I can't wait for bed!) And if that hadn't kept me busy enough, we are having EAA guests staying with us again this year. They arrived on Tuesday and left today. Wednesday night I decided to get back to a normal life and make something scrumptious for our guests to enjoy before they leave. Now don't be fooled, WE already taste tested them. But I sent a "care" package with our guests so they can snack on their flight home. We had to make sure they passed approval first...right???

Now I ALWAYS choose to make chocolate desserts. Chocolate is my one true love favorite. I could eat, sleep and breathe chocolate. Literally. If it were possible. Tony thinks I'm strange (tell me something I didn't already know) but I think it's just a woman thing. Tell me a guy who craves chocolate the way I do and I might look at him a little strangely. However...I'm getting off point here. Yesterday I decided it was time to try something new and totally unlike me. Ok, so there is a little chocolate involved, but it's mostly multitudes of sugar, sugar, sugar and butter. Nummmmmm.......what could possibly be bad about that? Now you're wondering, what the HECK did I make?! Well they're super easy and mm... mm...good....they're M&M Blondie Bars.

Samoa M&M Blondie Bars

1 1/4 cups unsalted butter
2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (or 1/3 table salt)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
1 (12 oz.) bag mini M&Ms (with a few reserved for the top)

 

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9×13 pan with nonstick spray.
Heat butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until it browns and begins to smell nutty (watch it closely so it doesn’t burn). Allow the butter to cool slightly.


In a large mixing bowl, combine the browned butter and sugars.
Stir in eggs, vanilla and salt. 

(Sorry for the not so great photo's. I had to use my phone)

Add the flour and stir just until combined.

Add  the coconut and M&Ms

and stir to combine.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.

Sprinkle a few additional M&Ms on top.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
Serve and enjoy!!

 

Thanks to http://eatatallies.com/2010/08/samoa-m-blondies/ for the recipe inspiration. I came across her blog through Pinterest and she has lots of good looking desserts that I just might have to try. Now that my horse show season is done early (due to having a dream wedding to plan and afford) I will have more time to bake and start my DIY wedding plans. Now the goal is to bake WITHOUT putting weight on for the wedding!! I guess I'm just going to have to pass it on to family and let them deal with the consequences! :)

Have a fantastic weekend everyone!

My Previous Baking Excursions

Banana Butterscotch Bread

Courtesy of www.allrecipes.com

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup white sugar (it calls for white but I used brown. I heard that it's better suited for breads)
• 1 large egg
• 3 ripe bananas, mashed
• 3/4 cup butterscotch chips
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)  

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). The recipe says to use 2 9x5-inch loaf pans. I used my smaller pans, which are about 7x4.5 inch pans. (Make sure you don't forget to grease/spray them!) Set aside. 

Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a bowl. Set aside.

Beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. The mixture should be noticeably lighter in color. Beat in the egg, then stir in the mashed bananas. Pour in the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated. 

Fold in the butterscotch chips (and walnuts if you choose. I opted for no nuts); mixing just enough to evenly combine.

Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans.

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 25 to 28 minutes (mine stayed in closer to 35 minutes). Cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack. 

Wait until it's a little cooler before cutting or it wants to crumble. It is definitely worth the short wait. Have a piece that is still a little warm and you feel like you've died and gone to bread heaven. And NO butter is necessary.  

Banana Butterscotch Bread.

Excuse the not so great picture. Just make it and find out yourself how AMAZING this is!

S'more Brownie Bars

Inspired by a recipe on www.allrecipes.com 

• 1 package graham crackers
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 (19.8 ounce) package fudge brownie mix (and whatever you need to make brownie mix)
• 2 cups miniature marshmallows
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 2/3 cup chopped peanuts

Crush one package of graham crackers and mix with 1/2 cup butter and 1 tsp vanilla. Once evenly coated put in greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan. Press with fork until the cracker covers the entire bottom of the pan.

Prepare the brownie batter according to package directions. 

Pour batter over graham cracker crust. This is a little tricky since the batter is sticky but just spread slowly.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Sprinkle with marshmallows, chocolate chips and peanuts. Bake 5 minutes longer or until marshmallows are slightly puffed and golden brown. Cool on a wire rack before cutting. 

These are super delish. They had BIG reviews. The only criticism I would make is that the marshmallows got a little chewy. I may try the marshmallow fluff next time I make these. Just some food for thought!  

A closer look at all the gooey goodness on the inside.

Picture Perfect???

By now everyone knows that I am engaged. My brain has been on wedding overload for the past few weeks, trying to get a head start on things so that I'm not stressing as it gets closer. But hold up...what about engagement photo's? That's probably something that I should be getting planned but it's been the furthest from my mind. In fact, anytime I start thinking about them, I get a splitting headache. I think I may have finally realized my dilemma.

I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE TO DO THEM OR WHAT I WANT!!!

Do I go with something woodsy???

I like the idea of something with nature. But will that get boring? It's something I'm willing to consider.

Furry family members?

I would really like to have our dog in the pictures. He's definitely a part of our family and he won't be able to come to our wedding. (He's a bit of a yapper and I don't think that's anything ANYONE wants to hear ALL day long, whenever a "STRANGER" walks by). Tony has already ixnayed the idea of trail riding the horses. I guess I can understand that. We can have someone take photo's of us riding anytime. I think it's fair to say he wants something that's a little more him and not all about me...I guess I can compromise on this one. :)

Soft and romantic

I love the idea of the soft and romantic look but it's becoming very common. I realize it should be about what we want and not what everyone else has but I really want something that makes us looks back and think "wow, wasn't that a great idea?!". And I guess a little bit of me wants the "wish we would have done this..." "wow, that's such a cool photo" from all of our friends. I have to admit, I do try and hold my own when it comes to creative ideas. I don't like being a copy cat...what can I say? I can't help it. I have that ridiculous, annoying, competitive gene.

So with that being said...I don't want to copy anyone's ideas but I would LOVE to hear what you did. Help me people! I need a spark of ingeniousness, a glimmer of inspiration, a flicker of uniqueness....

WHAT DID YOU DO AND HOW DID YOU DECIDE???

Happy Day-After 4th of July!

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July! Tony and I did nothing but float on a lake for most of the day. We aren't used to this kind of humidity and heat here in Wisconsin. It was only 98 degrees then and hit a whopping 104 today!

Me with our nephew and "Nona".

It was too hot to bake anything so I  will just have to wait to make my next gooey piece of heaven for another day. I do have a good one...."Better Than Crack Bars". And let me tell you...the description of these babies sound divine.

Thank goodness tomorrow is Friday! Have a great weekend everyone!

A Baby Blurp...

I'll make this post short and sweet since I'm sure I will find something to write about the 4th of July which is only a day away! (Time flies when you're having fun!)

I just have to say how much fun I had with babies this weekend. I have always loved children. Hence, why I gave horse riding lessons for so many years. But I usually prefer "my" children ages 4 and up. That's when I consider them fun. They are talking and running and just being FUN! (And they are NEVER sassy to someone who's letting them ride a horse!) But babies...BABIES TERRIFY ME! Or they normally do. I never did much babysitting when I was young (with the exception of children that could take themselves to the bathroom) and I was an only child all my life. Now my step mom and father have 2 younger children but when they were babies I still wasn't around them all the time and I never lived with them. So with the little experience that I have with them, they seem a bit scary and intimidating.

Whatever do I mean???

Well they have wobbly little heads for the first few months, so picking them up is always awkward for me. I feel like I'm going to be the person that is responsible for head and neck trauma. They ALWAYS cry when I hold them and I feel like they hate me. AND they are also great for puking on ME. Now don't get me wrong. I want children. I just have always wanted to snap my fingers and have one appear at the ripe age of 2. No putting weight on...no morning sickness...no sleepless nights...no fearing I might break a baby...you get the idea.

But this weekend was an eye opener for me. We had some friends over that we haven't hung out with in a while. One couple has an 8 month old and another couple has a little girl that is 12 weeks. I'll admit, I was excited to see them but I was slightly concerned that having two babies over would result in a non-relaxing evening. But that wasn't the case at all. I had so much fun watching the 8 month old crawl EVERYWHERE and chasing Rudy the wiener dog, grabbing the dog toys and just looking to see what else she could get into. She had so much personality, it was like having free entertainment. And I LOVED holding and squeezing the little bitty one. She seemed to actually LIKE me. And she smelled like... baby. It was shocking to realize that I could do this. I could have one of these little tykes and be totally, 100% ok with that. Maybe I'm really growing up after all.

Now I'm not going to start scaring Tony with talk about babies and I'm not going to start planning when I want one. I'm happy with letting things land as they fall. I believe that everything happens for a reason and I'm content just looking forward to the married life. BUT in the mean time.....I'm all for friends bringing their little ones around and breaking me in gently. :)

............
And as a little sweet addition, I have to mention that when I have guests over, I always bake something. I made two successful, delectable desserts, that were both given rave reviews. Here is the recipe I used for my S'more Bars and this is for the Banana Butterscotch Chip Bread, courtesy of www.allrecipes.com. I want to hear your opinions if you try your hand at either of these satisfying sweets.