I Want...You Want??

Oh the Decisions.....

So today we've left at 6 am to make sure we are down in Columbia, SC before 4 pm.  Alexa has to take her foreign language placement test at University of SC at 4:30 that day.  Then the next 2 days are orientation and registration for classes.  She actually has to spend the night in the dorm one night with fellow students (hehehe) and James and I have our own schedule of events to do as well.  Then Saturday we head down to Orlando thru the 24th for the REAL vacation at Disney...Mickey has missed me y'all ;)  Gonna get my lil Olaf and I will be posting him all over the place on Facebook and Instagram...stay tuned.

OK SO I NEED HELP...well I need lots of help most days..but truly I do....

I have been looking at these bags and drooling, clicking on them, changing them, adding them to my cart....I'm pretty sure if they keep track of site-clicks they are probably laughing at me right now.  I really, really want one but can't decide which one I want....so I will keep clicking till I get back from vacation hehehehe!

So in case you want to customize, personalize and have fun clicking to make your own bags too....check out Barrington Bags HERE!  (PS..I'm not affiliated with them so I don't get any free or discounted...just a fan of the bags sharing with you)

Here are my top 3 picks for ya....can't decide on color or pattern. I need like 10 but I'm pretty sure the hubs is NOT on board with that decision LOL!  OH and you can get them monogrammed them with your initials too...bonus :)

*****

Here's it in a fun chevron navy pattern:

Or in Red...my fave color:

or in a neutral camel/tan houndstooth pattern that goes with anything?

So many options...oh the decisions......

What do you all think?  

Did you play and make a favorite? What is your fave?

SUMMER Food Porn Tuesday!

SUMMER RECIPES

I'm all for yummy, brightly colored foods using veggies and fruits in the summertime. Summer usually makes me want lighter foods that don't heat up my kitchen or take too long to make...gotta have some lounge-time built into the summer right?

And fresh fruit that is so sweet it dribbled down your chin...amen I say!!!

Thought I'd share a few recipes I've seen around that got my tastebuds going....will be making these the next 2 weeks before we head out on our 15 day vacation starting July 9th.

Chili Lime Sweet Corn Salsa

Our local farmers market is promising fresh corn by next week...so I'm thinking

this would be a yummy side with some fresh, grilled fish.  Mmmmmm!

Parmesan Crusted Zucchini Spears

I make a zucchini dish that I make a lot (diced zucchini & onions sauteed then add mozz cheese on top) so I'm looking to expand my zucchini repertoire because I have a LOT of zucchinis growing in the garden. These look easy & yummy!

Caramelized Onion Quiche

Onions + Cheese = say no more.....sounds like good stuff to me and easy to cook up!

Caprese Stuffed Tomatoes

I love me some stuffed tomatoes....that's just good eating to me...especially when they are fresh 'maters!

Here's a few for ya in case you need variety like me ;)

Spinach, Mushroom & Brie Stuffed Tomatoes

Avocado & Chicken Stuffed Tomatoes

Tomatoes Stuffed with Grilled Corn Salad

Yellow Bean & Mushroom Gratin

I am going to have a bumper crop of wax/yellow beans this summer and was looking for new recipes when I came across this.  Sounds sooooo good & easy to do!

Spaghetti with Basil Pesto

I'm growing a few herbs this summer as well and my basil has come in beautifully. I'm going to make this recipe and the one below with my fresh basil...should be yum yums!

Chicken with Basil Artichoke Sauce

Sounds yum right? I'll let you know.....

Creamy Strawberry Balsamic Dressing

I want to try this version on my spinach-strawberry salads this summer.

Looks good, sounds good!

Blackberry Cream Cupcake

And for a very sweet dessert, how about these?  I think I just drooled.....
I like little desserts...just enough to sweeten you up but not enough to stuff ya!

Are any of you growing some fresh veggies this summer?  What's your favorite veggie to eat and grow?

What's On The Side??

SERVED ON THE SIDE

I am ALWAYS looking for new, yummy side dishes all year long.  I have my tried & trues, the holiday sides, the summer sides, etc but I like to discover new ideas along the way too.  And if they are easy to assemble or can be prepared ahead...EVEN BETTER right?

Southern Living & Pinterest seem to be the two places I most often find yummy recipes that my family will love.  The past issue of Southern Living (1 of my fave magazines) had some very yummy looking side dishes that I wanted to try out.  So I did this past weekend & thought I'd share them with you too...in case you missed this last issue.  

HOWEVER I did add or change a few things to each to my liking...soooo if you want the original recipes you will have to buy the issue or look on their website. 

 I promise my versions were REALLY GOOD!!  

Both of them work perfectly during the summer months and with fresh produce!

 Zucchini-Potato Casserole

(yes I altered the recipe a bit, because that's just what I do)

4 TBS Butter

2 medium onions sliced

2 medium potatoes sliced THINLY

1 zucchini sliced THINLY

4 tomatoes sliced

kosher salt

black pepper

1 clove of crushed/diced garlic

1/2 cup shredded/fine Parmesan Cheese

1/2 cup of shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Instructions:

**I used a mandolin to cut my potatoes & zucchini slices thinly & quickly

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Cook onions with 2 TBS butter until tender & starting to caramelize.

Grease a round/oval dish and layer cooked onions on bottom.

Slice zucchini, potatoes & tomatoes thinly and start arranging them around your pan on top of the onions, alternating as you go.

Sprinkle everything with kosher salt & ground black pepper, then drizzle 2 TBS of melted butter on top. COVER WITH FOIL!

BAKE AT 375 degs for 35 mins

****

REMOVE FOIL and sprinkle with cheeses.

Bake again for 35 mins UNCOVERED this time at 375 degs.

Let stand for 5-10 mins before serving!

YUMMMMM!

Looks so yummy right? It was really good!

**********

Caprese Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing
(again I added/changed a few things to the original recipe)

2-3 large tomatoes 

(I used a yellow heirloom as well)

16 oz fresh mozzarella cut into 1/2 inch slices

fresh basil leaves

6 bacon slices, cooked & coarsely chopped

3 TBS balsamic vinegar

2 TBS rice vinegar

2 TBS Olive Oil

kosher salt

ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

Slice tomatoes and cheese; then arrange in a circular pattern on your platter/dish.

Place basil leaves in and around as desired.

Sprinkle with salt & pepper to your liking.

Cook bacon until crispy, remove bacon from pan and let stand for a minute.

Reserve drippings in pan and add vinegars and oils, scraping brown bits from bottom of pan while mixing. Add in salt and pepper.

Drizzle warm bacon dressing over tomatoes and cheese.

Serve, Eat & Enjoy!

Aren't the colors just gorgeous?  I used some local fresh mozzarella and LORDY-BE was it good...so flavorful!!  Basil is from my herb garden so it was super fresh :)

Look at those yummy layers and bits of crispy bacon (I used thick sliced maple bacon for mine)!

Perfect side dish for summer I tell ya!

BON APPETIT!

Bloom Love!

I love flowers...tulips and hydrangeas are the TOPS with this gal though.  

Unfortunately I have NO tulips planted because our lovely squirrels have dug them all up TWICE now ugh.  I plan on planting some in my pots this fall though...so we shall see how that goes.  But I have hydrangea bushes all around my house and in all different colors.  This one in my front flower bed happens to be my favorite.  It has tripled in size since last year and was just full of beautiful blooms.  The one right next to it is soft purple-blue so they look so pretty together.  I have white snowball hydrangeas on the side of the house that are gorgeous too.  I have clipped a bunch and have them in my garage drying...love to use dried blooms on wreaths and in arrangements.

Gorgeous Yes?

Such a beautiful periwinkle color!

And a few for the kitchen table of course :)

What's your favorite flower??

Southern Staples!

Some Summer Yums!

To me summer OFFICIALLY begins when I have my first ripe tomatoes either from my garden OR the farmers market.  That is celebration time!  So I was so excited to see 3 large tomatoes ripened in my garden the other morning that I literally SQUEALED for joy!  There is something magical about the smell of tomato plants...I can't really explain it...but if you've smelled them before you know what I mean.  Smells green, clean and yummy!  Yeah I know you probably think I've lost my marbles but it IS one of my fave summer smells along with honeysuckle, cut grass and salty, ocean air.

Southern Staples

So if you're Southern (and perhaps if you are not) there are some sandwich staples you must use for tomato sandwiches.  Duke's Mayonnaise is #1...its the ONLY mayo I keep in the house...is it low fat? Heck no but I pretty much only use it for sandwiches so its ok and I don't like it dripping out of my sammie either.  Now some southerners use butter as well but I don't do butter on my sammies unless its a grilled sandwich.  Some ground pepper and a good, ripe tomato and WHITE BREAD...yup I said white bread.  I don't like Wonder Bread (slap my southern bum) but instead I choose Italian Bread as it has a bit more thickness to it but for me its gotta be SOFT!

Fresh is Best

I cut all my tomatoes with a tomato knife...if you don't have one, well you need one!  They are very thin with a serrated edge that cuts cleanly through the tomato, no smushing of the tomato gosh forbid.  My dad got them for me and my siblings years and years ago before I was even married...he knows how much we all love tomatoes.  Somehow I ended up with two...shhh not sure where the 2nd came from...but we use them A LOT!  You can find them in all styles and prices if you need one...I'd say you need one LOL...if ya asked that is!

Red Delicious Slices of Freshness

Mmmmm thick slices of tomato..I like thick slices on my sandwiches with a thin layer of mayo

on my bread.  Then some ground pepper on top...mmmmmm....looking good so far.

Look!  Its ready for MY mouth LOL!

So good I almost made a second one but instead made one for my son who loves them almost as much as me.  Hubby likes his with cheese...sometimes we add cheese or ham or both and sometimes we toast them.  So many varieties and all soooo good.  But the first 2-3 tomato sammies are PURE...just tomatoes, mayo and pepper for me thank you!

So just sharing one of favorite summer rituals with you!!

What's one of your favorite summer rituals?

Flowers of Liberty!

My Fourth of July Decor!

We won't be home for the 4th of July but we will be back from our vacation the day before.  We have our season tickets to the Nationals baseball game for 4th of July and they will have celebrations and fun stuff going on.  Then we will see the fireworks over the Mall in DC from the top of my husband's building where he works...great way to see them without all the crazy crowds. We are staying two nights in DC and just having some fun there.  We go to DC regularly for games and events but its been awhile since we visited some of the monuments and Smithsonians...which I always enjoy and so does my family.  So just a fun couple days added on to our vacation and then we will deal with the REAL world again on Monday LOL!

So I decided to do some early 4th of July decorating around my house...I may disagree with some politics and such that go on but I am very proud to be an American and feel I have been blessed in my life.  I'm always happy to display the American flag when I can!

And these things all SCREAM America to me:  Coca-Cola, blue Mason Jars, and Sunflowers!

So all three go beautifully together.  My Coca-Cola crate I got awhile ago, I have a very old yellow Coca-Cola crate I got many moons ago as well...it gets the royal treatment up top of my cabinets.  I collect vintage Coke items..but I don't go overboard...just a few here & there!  The purple mint flowers are from my garden but the sunflowers are from Wegmans ;)  And I tucked in a small American flag into the bouquet...and amazingly my cat Tucker (yes the flower killer) didn't eat them...maybe he hates sunflowers (good to know).

This is my front porch...I added the pillows (from Target) and red geraniums this spring.  Every year I pick a new color scheme for the porch LOL...I like to switch it up a bit.  I just added two American flags to the pot to dress it up.  My geraniums love this spot on my porch...it gets shade in the morning and then hot direct sun in the afternoon.  Every year I go thru a bunch of plants that don't last LOL but so far so good this year :)

Wishing you & your family a wonderful 4th of July weekend (if you celebrate that is)!!

Be safe, have fun and relax!!

A few...!

A Few of My Faves

These are some of my FAVORITE fashion items this summer....things I've been continually reaching for in my closet and some things that are just my FAVE period! 

Callisto Wedges 

If you like wedges in the summer...like meself...I swear these may be the most comfortable I've ever worn.  I bought the white ones, then I went and bought the aqua ones & I'm contemplating getting the black ones (Shhhhhh don't tell hubster lol)!  But I've worn these ALL day, I've worn them in the concert pit for 11 hours, worn them to parties and I have to say they are super cushy & comfy.  Now if you don't like wedges...well these aren't for you LOL! 

They are available at Nordstroms but I got them for a bit cheaper on Amazon, plus Amazon had more colors and FREE shipping was offered...whoot! BONUS!

Express Jean Shorts

I have been searching for a good pair of jean shorts.  Most were WAY TOO SHORT, too tight, too distressed or had weird stuff on them.  Then I found these...whoot...I love them.  I went and bought another pair. I wear them most days I'm at home, they are soft, worn in, not too tight but not too baggy either AND the perfect length (for me).

 

GlamGlow Super Mud

I am OBSESSED with this stuff...well I am obsessed with skin care period LOL!  I use it once or twice a week and it smells good (big plus) and it leaves little dots on your face where it clears out the pores.  So you know exactly what's coming out & is getting cleaned...I must say its a bit satisfying!  And your face will feel so silky smooth and look so refreshed afterwards you will be addicted too. (its at Sephora too)

Clean Perfume in Warm Cotton

and

Clean in Cotton T-Shirt

I have worn this (warm cotton) for years and years and I love it...the T-shirt one I got last year and I love that almost as much!  My daughter calls it my "mom smell" and says its just "ME" and I can never ever stop wearing it LOL!   I'm not so big on perfumes, I'm fairly sensitive to certain smells and if I can smell it on myself all day it will make me SICK to my stomach and give me a bad headache.  And I hate cloying, floral, musky smells or anything that smells like food on myself LOL.  This smells shower fresh, no strong smells...just nice and clean.  Now don't get me wrong I love flowers, food and such and I burn candles but I don't want to smell it on myself.  I have a few of the other Clean perfumes too that I wear on occasion in Shower Fresh, Outdoor Shower Fresh and the newest one Clean Summer Escape.  So if you like light and fresh perfumes I HIGHLY recommend these. (I get mine at Amazon but Sephora, most dept stores and Ulta carry them too)

Have a great weekend!

Gifts of Summertime!

Summertime Gifts

I thought it would be fun for Alexa to get her 3 best girlfriends...BFFs...an end of school gift since they would all be coming over the last day of school for a sleepover (that is today lol).  A gift to celebrate their NEW *Senior* status in high school.  WOW..still can't believe these girls that I've known since they were 10 will be seniors...sighhhh...so proud of them all!

But we chose nothing too fancy or expensive but something they'd all like and enjoy.  Just some FUN summertime gifts!  So here is what we came up with:

* Insulated Cups from Walmart - $4-5 each

(Alexa & I are OBSESSED with these cups as they don't sweat and stay nice & cool)

*Essie Nail Polishes in fun colors - $4 each on Amazon

(they are $3-4 cheaper on Amazon than at stores)

*Toe Dividers in fun patterns - 99 cents at Walmart

*Gum - 95 cents

*Flip-Flops in fun colors - $5 each ($10 for 2 pairs at Old Navy)

Total for each girl:  $15

Not too bad me thinks!

 Fun & summery colors...perfect for girls of ANY age!

For older girls (like meself) you could even include a fun drink mix like lemonade or margarita mix..ummm yeahhhhh margarita...mixes sound good LOL!

These smaller goodies all fit neatly into the cups and then we packaged them up in pretty gift bags and tissue paper ($5 for 3 bags and tissue paper).

 

 

 

 I didn't get a pic of the flip-flops before they all paraded off in them so here 

is a selection of the ones at Old Navy LOL!  Cute for only $5 each, great for summertime!

Are you ready for summertime fun??

I know I sure am....

Summer Fun!

 Summertime Fun!

Hi everyone!  I have some gardening pics, project pics and backyard pics going up later this week here so check back for those.  Just waiting for paint to dry and such LOL!  In the meantime thought I'd share a few fun and fab things that I think are super cool for summer!  Summer is my favorite time of year...just something about blue skies, sun out, green grass and the promise of some time off to just enjoy life.  These items below make me happy!!!

I adore this retro cooler...in love with the style and color...comes in many colors

and is $60 HERE!

I want a picnic basket...I want one that can hold a ton of stuff...and I'm slightly old-fashioned in that I want a wicker one.  There's just something about a wicker basket picnic basket that makes you want to pack it up, head out on a beautiful day and just enjoy life!  This particular one is the one I want currently...the plates/linens come in different colors but I like this butter yellow combo!

I also like these for the beach...we have a cooler with wheels we use but I like this one for other food items and it zips closed so no sand in can blow in there.  Bonus....only $19.99 at World Market and lots of pretty patterns too!

I love the durability of Thirty-One Bags...they hold a ton, hold up well and come in so many fun patterns.  This large utility tote is one of my faves as it can hold a ton of beach towels, sand toys and magazines for the beach AND then come home and hold sports gear, groceries, etc.

 I love pretty beach towels...for myself LOL...and I may have a "few" shhhh but I love the colors in this Vera Bradley beach towel.  So cute!!

We have a large outdoor area that we use as much as possible..I am addicted to pillows...its a problem LOL and I like lots of pretty patterns.  So a few of these are headed my way...they match my outdoor furniture as you will see in an upcoming post.  $44 for two from Overstock.com

I also love to light lots of tiki torches, candles, hurricanes and lanterns outside...I bought a few of these lanterns in white from Pier 1 Imports in different sizes.  And you can spray paint them any color if you need too...hmmmm LOL!

I love to plant in galvanized metal planters/troughs...I have some copper ones I love and have planted succulents in for under our cabana.  But I also love that you can find them in pretty colors AND if not you can paint them...a can of spray paint is the easy way to play!!

Summer is about ICE CREAM...its the only time of year I will eat it (odd I am, yes I know) and I love pretty ice cream dishes...shoot me but I have a few...its that glassware obsession again LOL!  I like the old fashioned ones best and we have a set like these above....12 for only $24.99 at Bed, Bath & Beyond *use that 20% coupon you get in mail or online too*

Shoot me but I'm a sucker for the fun and kitschy at times so these condiment holders make me smile!  I love the lil picnic table and umbrella...how cute for your patio table or buffet this summer right?  Only $14.99 too...I may be getting one of these...hee!

And no garden is complete with a garden gnome to look over it...there are so many fun varieties out there but I love the all white ceramic ones I've seen.  Target had them but I missed out HOWEVER I found some online so my garden will be "gnomed" :)

What's your favorite summertime find??