Beauty

All I have to say is...Gorgeous. The runway, the hair, the wings, the glitter & glam...I LOVE it alllll!

Sooooo excited to watch! Will YOU tune in tonight?

http://vsallaccess.victoriassecret.com/fashionshow/

Weekend Unwind

We had such a great holiday weekend with our closest family and friends. We even got lucky and had a date night in between all the action! Now we are exhausted and in need of some serious Zzzz's!

Hopefully I'll sleep... the holidays are here and my to do list is growing by the second! Shopping, wrapping, decorations, parties, baking...ohhhh my!


Occupying the mind...

Holiday Cards
Photo session this weekend...so excited!

Tutu Skirts...top right

Christmas Cookie Recipes

Some special shoes for a friend's NYE wedding!

 Sweet dreams! xo

Need to practice...

This is my "I need to learn how to set the timer on my new camera" face. Hmm. Maybe someday. Until then...you're all in for these goofy "treats". ;)

Anywhooo...off to Mum & Dad's to decorate the family tree.
Have a great day everyone! xo

Where the heck have I been?

Yesterday was Black Friday (as you all know) and in my family, our day after Thanksgiving ritual is to gather and go out for lunch. We were having trouble coming up with a plan when my genius mother stepped in and offered a brilliant idea. Fuddruckers. Thankkk youuuuu, Mumma (she has a pretty crazy hamburger addiction, as well). The craziest part...I've never been. Yup. ME. Never. I can't even believe it. People, it was awesome! I was in hamburger heaven! And we did it right...milkshakes n'all! We had a fabulous day of food, fun and girl talk...a perfect day after Thanksgiving tradition.

We started with some Root Beer...ya, we're crazy, huh!?

Oh my, my, my...

This thing was huge... I couldn't even finish it!

Mocha Milkshake

Yum-o!

What are some of your favorite day after Thanksgiving traditions?

Seven Layer Cookies

Seven Layer Cookies are a staple at every family party around the holidays. My mother and sister always seem to make them the very best. DJ is absolutely addicted to them!

Ingredients

Crisco Original No-Stick Cooking Spray

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 1/2 cup butter, melted

1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 bag (11 oz.) butterscotch-flavored chips

1 bag (11 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 bag (7 oz.) flaked coconut

3 cups chopped walnuts

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Spray 13 x 9-inch baking pan with no-stick cooking spray.

3. Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter; mix well.

4. Press crumb mixture firmly into bottom of prepared pan.

5. Layer evenly with remaining ingredients

(chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, flaked coconut, chopped walnuts) .

6. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over all layers/on top of walnut layer.

7. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned.

8. Remove from oven and loosen from sides of pan with butter knife while still warm.

9. COOL COMPLETELY before cutting into bars!

10. Enjoy!

 These make a great sweet treat and are perfect wrapped up with some ribbons and bows for holiday cookie swap parties!

Thanksgiving Eve

Spending this Thanksgiving Eve with my babe and some good friends. Can't wait to love them alllll up! So very thankful. Happy Thanksgiving Eve. Stay safe. xoxo

Inspiring me today...
Check out these gorgeous Thanksgiving tables.

Classroom Cornbread

Today in Grade 1 we made cornbread to share with our 5th Grade buddies in celebration of the Thanksgiving holiday (we also watched "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" Whoohoo). I decided to be brave...we made it from scratch...the best way in my opinion! ;)

Easy Cornbread
I had all of the ingredients in my pantry!

They absolutely loved every minute...and that's what it's all about!

Cornbread

1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. cornmeal
1/4 c. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. skim milk
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1 egg, beaten

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 8 or 9 inch square pan/muffins/mini muffins. Combine dry ingredients. Stir in milk, oil and egg until moistened. Pour into pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Oh dear...

Most people who know me are well aware of my fast food hamburger addiction (Soule, 1st lunch...Fisk Ladies...Little Sprouts, Diana). McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's...how does one choose!? Believe me, this is a daily weekly question of mine. Yep, I know...terrible, awful, embarrassing and well...disgusting. I have recently limited myself to once a week and guys, it's hard! I also like eating them while driving in my car with the music turned up jussssst a bit too loud. What a sight...and a mess. But hey, I'm admitting to it and I guess that's half the battle, right?

Tonight temptation came into play and I am happy to announce...a SALAD won me over! Haha! Really... It did! And it was darn good, friends...darn good.

I credit this amazing salad to one of my dearest friends, Jessica (she probably introduced it to me as an attempt to save me from this fast food frenzy). Try it. It's soooo yummy. But please, if you do, would you mind calling it "Jessica's Famous Caesar Salad"? That's the name I have given it and have been passing on to others in an attempt to make her well-known and famous. ;)

And remember...If you have a friend who is also suffering from this amazing horrible dilemma, save him/her with this healthy, perfectly delicious recipe. It will do a body good. Enjoy loves!



Romaine Lettuce, Parmesan Cheese, Bacon Bits, Croutons, KENs Caesar Dressing
(KENs only or it's not "Jessica's Famous Caesar Salad")



Eat THIS...

NOT that.

At least that's what I'll keep telling myself...
                                                          for tonight anyways.

Today in Food...

Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle

Tomorrow I have a special event after work with all of my co-workers. I made this yummy treat for everyone to enjoy. This would also be a great addition to any Thanksgiving table. Pumpkin pie with a twist! 
(Courtesy of the one and only...Paula Deen, y'all!) http://www.foodnetwork.com/pumpkin-gingerbread-trifle/video/index.html

Ingredients

• 2 (14-ounce) packages gingerbread mix
• 1 (5.1-ounce) box instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1 (30-ounce) can pumpkin pie filling
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 (12-ounce) container frozen whipped topping
• 1/2 cup gingersnaps, optional

Directions

Bake the gingerbread according to the package directions; cool completely. Meanwhile, prepare the pudding and set aside to cool. Stir the pumpkin pie filling, sugar, and cinnamon into the pudding. Crumble 1 batch of gingerbread into the bottom of a large, pretty bowl. Pour 1/2 of the pudding mixture over the gingerbread, then add a layer of whipped topping. Repeat with the remaining gingerbread, pudding, and whipped topping. Sprinkle the top with crushed gingersnaps, if desired. Refrigerate overnight. Yum-o!

I added some crunched up Oreo Cookies and Chocolate Chips

Whole Wheat Gingerbread

Ta-da!

Ooo baby!

Petite treats for me and my babe to enjoy late night

BBQ Chicken Calzone
Our din tonight. It was deeeelish! Quick and easy for a busy Monday evening.

BBQ Sauce, roasted chicken, pepperoni, mozzarella

350* for 30 minutes

Enjoy!

Now...time to relax.

Weekend Wrap Up

This weekend was all in all pretty relaxing. Nothing too crazy...a couple errands, dinner with Mum, a Sunday morning french toast breakfast and some visiting with our friends Shannon and Ryan and their new, adorable pup, Charlie! So excited for Brooks! Hopefully she and Charlie will be best of friends! We'll have to wait and see!

As for tonight, I'm off to complete some lesson plans for my 'littles' (Yay, to a three day week), snuggle with my hunnie and prep my shopping list for the Thanksgiving holiday (I know, I know...I wanted to be more proactive. The stores are going to be nutty this week). Recipes and pictures coming soon!

Crazy Little Thing Called Love

February 19, 2011

The best is yet to be...