So, I hope you'll join me and if you choose to do just that please make sure to link back in the comments so I can follow along your little journey as well!!
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Blog Every Day in May: A Blogging Adventure
I'm not sure what I'm getting myself into here, but I've been wanting to try a "Blog Everyday" type challenge for a while now. It's going to be tough, but I'm looking forward to pushing myself to be more present on my little Interweb Stoop!
So, I hope you'll join me and if you choose to do just that please make sure to link back in the comments so I can follow along your little journey as well!!
So, I hope you'll join me and if you choose to do just that please make sure to link back in the comments so I can follow along your little journey as well!!
Tuesday Tea: Pink Lemonade Cupcakes
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| Tea...If you please... |
These Pink Lemonade Cupcakes seriously scream Spring/Summertime and I have yet to hear anything negative about them! So, if you're looking for a new recipe to impress your posse, give these a whirl! The don't disappoint!! The cake is so fluffy and light, perfectly moist and has the most amazing lemon flavor (it's the for-real zest that does the trick!) and the frosting is delightfully strawberry, made using actual strawberry puree! But don't worry, it's way easier than it sounds!
And of course I can't take all the credit! I wouldn't have found this lovely recipe without the amazingly talented Megan at What Megan's Making! She is a crazy magician in the kitchen - check out her blog...you'll be left drooling!!!
Here's a few snaps of the little beauties...
I like to gather all my ingredients before I start a project and put away as I use what I need! How do you like to start a kitcheny project?! Care to share any tips or tricks??
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| Ingredient Round-Up! |
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| YUM! Almost Done!! |
But seriously, check out the recipe here and make some for the next Soiree you're set to attend - your friends will thank you and you'll look like a Top Chef!
Hint: Since you're left with a couple bald lemons...I like to use them to make a knock-off County Fair Lemonade! Just cut the lemons, squeeze them into a glass (I like to do this over a small mesh strainer so I don't get the seeds), and then add water, ice and sugar to taste. Stir it up and enjoy!!
Hope you enjoy these as much as I have!! Happy Tuesday, friends!! ☺
Friday, April 25, 2014
5 on Friday - Simple bits of random...
It's Friday!! I can hardly believe it - the week seemed to just fly by!
I'm linking up with these lovely ladies {darci, april, christina and natasha} for another 5 on Friday post!
Keeping things simple this round!
One.
They're opening a Lush in the Woodland Mall in GR! This is both wonderful and dangerous! It's going in where The Body Shop was (I'm still not really sure where they went...but I hope they just moved down the way, and have not evaporated from the mall all together). I have a feeling I'm going to become even more obsessed with buying bath bombs and other such treats for the tub....problem being - we only have a shower! Guess I'll be visiting mom's house to do a tub take-over! ☺
Two.
More excitement! Fortune Cookie Soap finally revealed what their Summer Soap Box is going to be!!! It's a Candy Land themed box!!! EEEKKKK!!! I'm so super duper excited!!! I can't wait to get my hands (and nose) on all the creative new treasures they're sure to come up with! Seriously, these folks are magicians with soap! Check out my Spring Soap Box review here!
Three.
First a Turkey...now a Hole - what's going on GR?! When the Gods opened up the sky and started melting the cold white stuff we discovered a frozen turkey buried inside a snowbank. The turkey has since dissipated into nothingness, although I'm fairly certain a city squirrel and a few feral cats had quite the feast! Now, not far from where the turkey was found, is a giant hole in the street. Not a pot-hole, but a for-real, no jokes hole-kind-of-hole. It goes sideways under the street. For the first month or so, it was just something we knew was there and tried to avoid...hoping not to have an unfortunate ankle accident! Now there is a couple of wood sticks with some bright tape sticking out of it. I think it's meant to be a warning, but I sure hope they fix it soon!
Four.
Love. Thursday was our anniversary - four whole years together! We checked out the new Barstillery down the street - Flatlanders! It was pretty great! ....and I actually remembered to take pictures! So, I'll be sharing the adventure with you soon!
Five.
Shop 'til you drop! I gave up shopping for Lent...and I did a pretty good job of sticking to it this year! I only slipped up once and that was because Mod Cloth was having their mystery bag sale - $10 for an apparel item...I couldn't pass up the opportunity! But, I "behaved" a little - I only purchased two, and that was my only slip-up this year! I'm calling this one a win! But, now that Lent is over, I'm excited to get to do some damage at Sephora tomorrow with my Bestfriend! I want to make the switch over to a deodorant without antiperspirant so that's for sure on my list....along with the new Benefit Big Easy....and probably a few other treasures I won't be able to tear myself away from!
I hope you all had a few things that made you smile this week too! And...enjoy the weekend, friends!!! Spring is finally here!!! ☼
I'm linking up with these lovely ladies {darci, april, christina and natasha} for another 5 on Friday post!
One.
They're opening a Lush in the Woodland Mall in GR! This is both wonderful and dangerous! It's going in where The Body Shop was (I'm still not really sure where they went...but I hope they just moved down the way, and have not evaporated from the mall all together). I have a feeling I'm going to become even more obsessed with buying bath bombs and other such treats for the tub....problem being - we only have a shower! Guess I'll be visiting mom's house to do a tub take-over! ☺
Two.
More excitement! Fortune Cookie Soap finally revealed what their Summer Soap Box is going to be!!! It's a Candy Land themed box!!! EEEKKKK!!! I'm so super duper excited!!! I can't wait to get my hands (and nose) on all the creative new treasures they're sure to come up with! Seriously, these folks are magicians with soap! Check out my Spring Soap Box review here!
Three.
First a Turkey...now a Hole - what's going on GR?! When the Gods opened up the sky and started melting the cold white stuff we discovered a frozen turkey buried inside a snowbank. The turkey has since dissipated into nothingness, although I'm fairly certain a city squirrel and a few feral cats had quite the feast! Now, not far from where the turkey was found, is a giant hole in the street. Not a pot-hole, but a for-real, no jokes hole-kind-of-hole. It goes sideways under the street. For the first month or so, it was just something we knew was there and tried to avoid...hoping not to have an unfortunate ankle accident! Now there is a couple of wood sticks with some bright tape sticking out of it. I think it's meant to be a warning, but I sure hope they fix it soon!
Four.
Love. Thursday was our anniversary - four whole years together! We checked out the new Barstillery down the street - Flatlanders! It was pretty great! ....and I actually remembered to take pictures! So, I'll be sharing the adventure with you soon!
Five.
Shop 'til you drop! I gave up shopping for Lent...and I did a pretty good job of sticking to it this year! I only slipped up once and that was because Mod Cloth was having their mystery bag sale - $10 for an apparel item...I couldn't pass up the opportunity! But, I "behaved" a little - I only purchased two, and that was my only slip-up this year! I'm calling this one a win! But, now that Lent is over, I'm excited to get to do some damage at Sephora tomorrow with my Bestfriend! I want to make the switch over to a deodorant without antiperspirant so that's for sure on my list....along with the new Benefit Big Easy....and probably a few other treasures I won't be able to tear myself away from!
I hope you all had a few things that made you smile this week too! And...enjoy the weekend, friends!!! Spring is finally here!!! ☼
Monday, April 21, 2014
Easter Weekend Roamings
So I've been a bit of a bad blogger, huh?! You'd almost think I gave up blogging for Lent! Hah, I didn't....I just had absolutely no desire to do anything particular so I didn't really have much to share! It's been a lazy couple of months to say the least. But this weekend I got out of the house - out of Grand Rapids and went on a little adventure with my beau!!
Our anniversary is coming up this week so I took Rob on a weekend date-cation to celebrate! I kind of gave away the surprise a month ago or so, so I could plan around his on-call schedule or anything else that could possibly interfere with our fun! I "surprised" him with tickets to a Tigers Game so we headed over to Detroit on Friday to make a weekend of it.
I took Friday off work so I could relax, clean the apartment, do some laundry, etc., etc., etc. When Rob got home we headed out. Of course we had to make a quick stop at the Outlet Mall in Howell on our way across the state! I replenished my candle collection with some great Spring/Summer scents and took home a few new clothing steals too! (Okay, truth telling time - I gave up Shopping for Lent. I was really good this time - so I figured it was okay to cheat a little so close to the end! I mean, I didn't go crazy or anything!!) ☺
We arrived in Detroit around 8ish and checked in to the hotel, cleaned ourselves up and ventured out into the night in search of dinner! Rob had heard good things about Fishbones, so we went there! We started with Flaming Cheese!! Rob had Jambalaya and I got a Crunch Roll. Both were delicious! They had a HUGE menu - and everything looked terrific - I definitely recommend checking them out if you're ever in the area!
Next we wandered over to the Greektown Casino - and managed to go in the back door! There's a whole little village of shops and eatery type places back there, complete with faux shrubbery! Neither one of us is much of a gambler. In fact, we were watching some of the table games and decided that we basically understood nothing that was going on...so we made our way to the video game side - Hello Penny Slots! I lost $3.00 and Rob somewhere around $6.00ish. We did some people watching and exploring and then decided to wander back to the hotel, finding ourselves in the hotel bar for a nightcap before heading up to our room for the night!
Our anniversary is coming up this week so I took Rob on a weekend date-cation to celebrate! I kind of gave away the surprise a month ago or so, so I could plan around his on-call schedule or anything else that could possibly interfere with our fun! I "surprised" him with tickets to a Tigers Game so we headed over to Detroit on Friday to make a weekend of it.
▲▼▲ FRIDAY ▲▼▲
I took Friday off work so I could relax, clean the apartment, do some laundry, etc., etc., etc. When Rob got home we headed out. Of course we had to make a quick stop at the Outlet Mall in Howell on our way across the state! I replenished my candle collection with some great Spring/Summer scents and took home a few new clothing steals too! (Okay, truth telling time - I gave up Shopping for Lent. I was really good this time - so I figured it was okay to cheat a little so close to the end! I mean, I didn't go crazy or anything!!) ☺
Next we wandered over to the Greektown Casino - and managed to go in the back door! There's a whole little village of shops and eatery type places back there, complete with faux shrubbery! Neither one of us is much of a gambler. In fact, we were watching some of the table games and decided that we basically understood nothing that was going on...so we made our way to the video game side - Hello Penny Slots! I lost $3.00 and Rob somewhere around $6.00ish. We did some people watching and exploring and then decided to wander back to the hotel, finding ourselves in the hotel bar for a nightcap before heading up to our room for the night!
▲▼▲ SATURDAY ▲▼▲
Game Day! We woke up, grabbed a quick bite to eat and some coffee and headed out to Tailgate a bit. The Tigers played the LA Angels and even won 5-2 which was awesome because they kind of got their butts kicked the night before! The weather turned out great too!!! The beer was flowing and our seats were in the sunshine so we even got a little pink-cheeked (with a minor case of raccoon-eye) - oh the wonderful beginning signs of summer!! ☼ Rob picked up some new Tiger Gear (a shirt and a hat) and I got a tee-shirt too - my first official Tiger merch (not counting a VS tee from a few years back)!
We did a post-game dinner / beer deal at the Detroit Beer Company - Rob had the 'Hair of the Dog' Burger and I devoured a Grilled Cheese with bacon and granny smith apples! Yum!! After dinner we headed back to the room, relaxed a bit in the hot tub and then popped down to the hotel bar again! Creatures of habit, you know... Deciding that we wanted to get out on the town a little more, but not wanting to venture too far out we headed across the street and discovered this little po-dunk, hole-in-the-wall bar called The Bathtub Pub. It was interesting - kind of looks like it's closed on the outside, but its just a great little secret spot. We even got a basket of free fries (I don't personally like potatoes, but Rob enjoyed them) - either way, it was a nice gesture. We were introduced to a new weird little cartoon called Golan the Insatiable (something about a cast-out demon and the little goth girl he befriends)? One more trip to the other hotel bar and that was a night.
▲▼▲ SUNDAY ▲▼▲
Happy Easter! We checked out, had breakfast/lunch at Lafayette Coney Island and headed home....or to IKEA rather! I tried the meatballs!!! Finally...tricked out with gravy and lingonberry jam....and they were awesome! We got some new trow pillows and shams and a new summer comforter because ours is too warm. We ended up back in GR around 4:45pm and were welcomed home by a noisy little kitty! The Easter Bunny even dropped by with a little surprise! We wrapped up Easter with a low-key pasta dinner and some relaxing couch time! And, we started watching Bob's Burgers on Netflix - which we both like so far! It's kind of one of those sick-funny animated sitcoms for adults - similar to something along the same line as Family Guy or The Simpsons.
The weekend was fabulous - and getting away for a little while was just what we both needed! Hope everyone else had a wonderful Easter weekend!
Friday, March 21, 2014
Five On Friday ♥
It's been a while, but I'm excited to be back at it and linking up
March has been buzzing with activity and keeping me pretty busy in the process - birthday parties galore, Michigan weather that can't make up its mind, soon to be concert crooners, a new friend to hang out with in the car, and obviously a bit of randomness!
• ONE •
Everyone and my sister has a birthday in March! I swear, it's totally nuts! Last weekend we celebrated Rob's nephew's sixth birthday (his for-real bday was in January), but better late than never! ☺ It was great to get together with his family and nosh on all the Pinterest-y types of yummies!
Here's the cute little creation his mom came up with (with a little thanks to the above mentioned Pinterest) for the Birthday Treat! I made the frosting and then piped it on to look like little bits of grass - you know, just doing my part! I think it really turned out cute! She always adds such sweet little touches (ahem, barrel of jelly beans, little chocolate chicks...need I say more)!
Followed by that was my dear little sister's 25th birthday! She's a whole quarter of a century old now which makes me feel super old! Yikes! I always love getting together with my family no matter what the occasion! There's always great food, lots of treats and even more laughs! This time around we played 'what can we find in the basement and in Lauren's closet' followed by a quick gander at some old photos!
We have had Dirt Cups (you know...oreos, pudding, gummy worms...amazingness) in lieu of cake for the past couple years for her birthday dessert but this year she went with Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins which are also super tasty! Later when the exploring began, we found an old marionette 'Nsync doll from back in the day hiding in her closet - remember this guy? (Side note: One of Gatsby's many nicknames is in fact "Joey Fat-One!") All in all it was a really fun day! Happy Birthday, Lo!
More birthdays coming soon: Rob's is Monday (also Oberon release day for all the Michigander followers!) but we're celebrating with his family tomorrow! Bestfriend Allison's golden birthday is next week with my Little's! And then March is pretty much over!
• TWO •
More birthdays coming soon: Rob's is Monday (also Oberon release day for all the Michigander followers!) but we're celebrating with his family tomorrow! Bestfriend Allison's golden birthday is next week with my Little's! And then March is pretty much over!
• TWO •
What's up Michigan....it's Spring now. I would appreciate it greatly if you would act like it! Last week it was nice and sunny and warm (for here at least) then on the for-real first day of Spring, what do we wake up to but another dusting of snow and frost! I'm all for 'Pure Michigan' but I'm so over this fresh powder stuff! Bring on the green grass and flowers! ☼
• THREE •
So...Rob and I were heading out the other day on a little local adventure, and what do we find stashed in the half-melted snow bank next to his car but a ...
Yes...there was an actual 'city' turkey hanging out in the snow bank. We're not sure how it got there but figured it's so random, why not mention it!
• FOUR •
Sunday Funday here we come! My gal pal and newest friend to join the bloggy lands and I have an action packed day full of fun planned to cap off our weekends! We're starting by seeing Divergent in the IMAX (in bangin' seats I might add - thanks Britt!) and then heading over to Fan Girl out over Demi Lovato's Neon Lights Tour!!!
Confession time: I originally had this as Number Three, but I couldn't resist making it 'Four!' ♥
• FIVE •
A new friend to hang out with me in the car! Sounds a little creepy, right?! Rest assured, I have not been forcing someone to ride around in my car to keep me company! I renewed my library card (because for some crazy reason GR thinks you should every three years???) and took myself on a date through the YA Audio Book section! I picked up a couple that struck my fancy: Extras (the final book in the Uglies Series by Scott Westerfeld) and Wither (the first book in the Chemical Garden Trilogy by Lauren Destefano). I'm around 3/4 of the way done with Wither and so far I like it pretty well. It's not life changing but it's entertaining and a nice switch from the same-ole-same-ole radio nonsense.
A Friends Update: I'm almost done with Season Two! Currently watching "The One With the Chicken Pox" where Phoebe and Charlie Sheen get down and dirty scratching in the living room!
Do you have any fun plans for the weekend!?
• THREE •
So...Rob and I were heading out the other day on a little local adventure, and what do we find stashed in the half-melted snow bank next to his car but a ...
• FOUR •
Sunday Funday here we come! My gal pal and newest friend to join the bloggy lands and I have an action packed day full of fun planned to cap off our weekends! We're starting by seeing Divergent in the IMAX (in bangin' seats I might add - thanks Britt!) and then heading over to Fan Girl out over Demi Lovato's Neon Lights Tour!!!
Confession time: I originally had this as Number Three, but I couldn't resist making it 'Four!' ♥
• FIVE •
A new friend to hang out with me in the car! Sounds a little creepy, right?! Rest assured, I have not been forcing someone to ride around in my car to keep me company! I renewed my library card (because for some crazy reason GR thinks you should every three years???) and took myself on a date through the YA Audio Book section! I picked up a couple that struck my fancy: Extras (the final book in the Uglies Series by Scott Westerfeld) and Wither (the first book in the Chemical Garden Trilogy by Lauren Destefano). I'm around 3/4 of the way done with Wither and so far I like it pretty well. It's not life changing but it's entertaining and a nice switch from the same-ole-same-ole radio nonsense.
A Friends Update: I'm almost done with Season Two! Currently watching "The One With the Chicken Pox" where Phoebe and Charlie Sheen get down and dirty scratching in the living room!
Do you have any fun plans for the weekend!?
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