Hump-day happies

Just a few things that have made me happy this week...

Starting some projects on my new sewing machine!  

(A gift from my wonderful in-laws!)

Enjoying pretty views from our balcony.

Bringing out the fall candles - 'pumpkin spice'

A big bowl of spaghetti ;)

A lil bit of baking 

First soup & grilled cheese of the season!

Hope your week has been happy :)

Dancing Dog

I just HAD to share this video, I saw this dog perform on the Wendy Williams show today (by the way, she is hilarious!), and this dog is AMAZING!! I have never seen a dog dance before, and below is the video that made her famous on You Tube. If you are like me, you will be laughing until you cry, and of course dancing in your seat!

Love it!! (P.S. The trainer and dog are from Chile, and I think the video is taped there as well - isn't it crazy to think that the dog only understands spanish...)

Brunettes and Birthdays

Friday was my sweet husband's birthday, and I sadly had to work ALL day and most of the evening..... We were able to grab a late dinner with some friends that night, but we will celebrate again next week :)  I am planning on cooking something divine, and perhaps a mini bday cake.  

                                         

Home-made birthday cards are the best :)

My new 'do :)  (Brunettes have more fun, right?!)



Dinner at Daine's



Bday boy



xoxo

Birthday Wishes!

happy birthday, honey!! wishing you the happiest day, and the best year yet! thanks for all the laughs, lessons, and love over the past 7 years.

you mean everything to me.

xoxoxo

Road Trip!

Sorry for my lack of posts! I left Tuesday to visit friends in Charlotte, and then Atlanta. It was a quick trip, and kind of spur of the moment (which is always fun!) and I had a blast!

Bright and early - on the road, hazelnut iced coffee in hand,

lots of good tunes getting me through the drive :)

First stop - Charlotte, NC to visit my dear friend MW, and her precious new pup, Mazie! MW and I met in college and then we both lived in Memphis for a few years after school. She now is in school in Charlotte, which is just 2 hours from me! It was soo great to catch up and we enjoyed a delicious lunch together.

Next stop, the Atlanta, GA airport to say farewell to sweet Mimi, Syman, and baby L, as they departed the US of A for the UK. We had a wonderful dinner with Mimi's family and then said our goodbyes, as they headed to their terminal. It was such a sweet time together (we missed you Molly!) and we can't wait to come visit London!

How cute is she??!! She was alll smiles, alll the time. Precious.

Wednesday morning was full of lots of relaxing, pizza for lunch, manicures, catching up on recorded shows (Biggest Loser and DWTS), more relaxing, and enjoying the sunshine outside.

(Love my nail color - like a muddy, brown color).

Then it was dinner with the girls - mexican of course!

My $12 margarita...yikes.

After dinner, we rented "The Killers"

and then had a slumber party at Ellen's house.

I had SUCH a great time -- thanks girls for letting me come at the last minute!

The car ride home wasn't too shabby, especially with

a little bit of this....

and this....

They have MINI blizzards now..so cute! And they're so tiny, they really don't even count, right?!

XOXO

Stylish Stars

In my opinion, the stars really snazzed it up this week in the style department. From bold colors, to short hemlines, lots of lace, and pretty ruffles. I'm loving these pretty looks from the week. Do you have a favorite?

Alexis Bledel

Blake Lively in Matthew Williamson

Taylor Swift in Miu Miu

Kim Kardashian

Eva Mendes in Zac Posen

Jennifer Garner in Stella McCartney

Eva Mendes in Prada

Fashion Friday - Furrr Real??

The season is changing from summer to fall, and designers and department stores are breaking out the fur! I have always loved the look of fur (faux, of course) ever since I got an obnoxious winter white coat in middle school that looked like a giant poodle. Now, my taste has become more refined, and I am loving these faux fur styles...
Enjoy!

BB Dakota

Dolce Vita

LOFT

Free People

Asos

Loeffler Randall

Rebecca Taylor

Juicy Couture



Express

12th Street by Cynthia Vincent

Old Navy

Express

And here is one of my favorite fur looks, worn by Kim K....

Kim K in H&M fur vest

O-R-E-O

I'm a HUGE fan of oreos, and anything that oreos could be put into (i.e. ice-cream, cupcakes, pudding, pie, truffles, icings, etc...). But put oreos in cheesecake, and that's a whole different ball game....it is the ultimate oreo dessert in my opinion. But the process of making a cheesecake is pretty exhausting, and eating a whole slice of it is not too good for my figure. Especially when 1/4 of the cheesecake is my slice :).

So you can imagine my delight when I came across this recipe for MINI oreo cheesecakes...and I of course had to try them out! Enjoy!

Mini Oreo Cheesecakes (from Martha Stewart Cupcakes)

Makes 30 mini cheesecakes (I cut this recipe in half, but you could make the whole batch for a party!)

Ingredients:

• 42 cream-filled sandwich cookies, such as Oreos, 30 left whole, and 12 coarsely chopped
• 2 pounds cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
• 1 cup sour cream
• Pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Place 1 whole cookie in the bottom of each lined cup.

2. With an electric mixer on medium high speed, beat cream cheese until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Gradually add sugar, and beat until combined. Beat in vanilla.

3. Drizzle in eggs, a bit at a time, beating to combine and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in sour cream and salt. Stir in chopped cookies by hand.

4. Divide batter evenly among cookie-lined cups, filling each almost to the top. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until filling is set, about 22 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Refrigerate at least 4 hours (or up to overnight). Remove from tins just before serving.

Before baking...

After baking....

And now, for the inside....

YUM!!!