Pinterest

In the blogging world I am least a few months behind on finding a fabulous website called Pinterest. The amazing website allows you to browse thousands of pictures on topics like food, fashion, crafts, and photography. The pictures are incredibly inspiring and can spark great ideas for food, parties, or gift ideas. Here are a just a few pictures of things I will be making or creating in the coming months.

Red Velvet Cake Roll.... looks delish!

Adorable Hospital Kit for my Pregnant Best Friend

My Dream Crafting Closet

Be sure to check out this website and find some inspiration for yourself!

Five Star Dinner

I am beaming with pride tonight as we just finished one of the most amazing dinners I have ever prepared! I made two recipes from Rachael Ray's magazine called 'Everyday with Rachael Ray', the grilled salmon with balsamic drizzle and lemon-artichoke risotto. The pictures below don't even come close to how delicious this recipe was. If you are looking for a great dinner for a special occasion or just to show your loved ones you care, then make this dinner! Enjoy!

Stunning Fall Invite

It is almost 100 degrees outside today but for some reason I can only think about Fall and a wonderful family gathering we have coming up. My company has this amazing lodge up on the Grand Mesa that families can rent for the weekend. This October we are headed up for the weekend with about 15 family members to celebrate the fall colors, play games, go for a hike, and enjoy delicious fall food. I designed this adorable invite to send to the family. 

I am really looking forward to the gorgeous fall season and a wonderful weekend with family!

Pioneer Woman

There is a new show on Food Network that premiered today called 'Pioneer Woman' and I have absolutely fallen in love with this show! The view from the family's ranch is breathtaking, the host is sweet and charming, and the food looks amazing! I can already tell that I will be adding this cooking show to my list on the DVR and will be looking forward to it every Saturday morning. The host Ree also has a great blog, be sure to check it out!

Baked Zucchini Fries

I just finished eating dinner and tonight I made a delicious recipe from the blog Our Best Bites. This recipe is great for the summer months when the zucchini is in large supply. One of my best friends Laura has been giving me tons of fresh tomatoes and zucchini out of her garden and I love finding recipes that make veggies taste even more delicious! The panko breadcrumbs make these extra crispy and oh so tasty! If you are looking for a great way to use up the abundance of summer zucchini this year, this recipe is your best bet!

Crazy Life

The best way to capture the last few weeks has been a 'crazy life'. It amazes me how fast the month can fly by when you are working long hours, filling your weekend with chores and the to-do list, and also trying to fit in things like working out at the gym, reading, and spending time with family and friends. I have been focusing a lot of my energy on work lately and hoping that by the end of the month I can feel caught up and hopefully less stressed. I have also been going to the gym about 3 times a week with a few co-workers for a weights class that I have really enjoyed. I have been focusing my efforts on taking better care of my body instead of focusing on the number on the scale, which overall is better for me anyways. I just started the new book club book this morning and made it through a few chapters... I can't tell if this one will be an easy read or one that will take a while to get into, stay tuned for updates. And lastly, I have been spending a lot of free time exploring all of the amazing blogs listed to the right. I love catching up on these amazing women and the parties they plan, the crafts they create, and amazing products they find. I could easily spend 2 hours reading blogs and feel completely energized to create something amazing. I have added a new list (to the right) on my blog of parties I would like to plan in the future... whether they are this year or in 5 years for our future kids birthday parties... oh how I love to plan parties!

Great Book

I just finished book club and all of the girls would agree that this month's read, "The Memory Keeper's Daughter" was a great book! We all enjoyed reading the story and seeing the characters develop. If I was the author I may have re-written a few parts, but overall the writing was great and really captured my attention throughout the entire book. I love getting together with the girls each month while we enjoy wine and great conversation. Tonight we sat out on the patio and the weather was perfect... perfect for a book club evening! We also chose the next 2 books tonight and I love our selections! We will read 'Anne of Green Gables' by L.M. Montgomery and then we will read "Those Who Save Us" by Jenna Blum. I am really looking forward to each of these books and can't wait to tell you all about them. Happy Reading!

Tie Dye Success!

The tie dye party on Friday turned out to be a great success! It was so fun to get together with everyone at my office and enjoy a relaxing afternoon including a delicious potluck and tie dye time. I ended up dying two tee shirts and a pillowcase and they all turned out great. I would post pictures but my camera won't connect to the computer for some reason :( This was my first time tie dying and it was super easy and really not that messy (as long as you wear rubber gloves). The favors were a huge success... who knew so many people loved salt water taffy?! I love the feeling after a party when everything went perfectly and the afternoon was a great way to start the weekend! If you are wanting to throw a tie dye party for your family and friends, these are my suggestions: buy the kits from Hobby Lobby (only $7 after using a 40% off coupon from online), buy the tee shirts from Wal-Mart (only $4 each), use rubber gloves no matter what, and make sure to rinse out the clothing and then wash by itself in the washer for two full loads. Hope you have the chance to make your own tie dye shirts before the summer is over! :)

Picked Up the Party Supplies

I just got back to my office after picking up all of the party supplies for the tie dye party on Friday and I scored a sweet deal! One of my co-workers and I went to Hobby Lobby with our 40% off coupon and bought the entire tie dye kits for only $13 each. The kits make it so easy because they already come with the dye in the bottles, the rubber gloves, the rubber bands, and helpful instructions. We then went to Wal-Mart and picked up super cheap cotton t-shirts for only $4 each. I couldn't resist and bought two of them, a scoop-neck and a v-neck style. We are all set for the party on Friday and I just finished putting together the favors last night, can't wait to share these adorable bags of tie dye colored taffy with the group!