This Week's Quote: Sweatpants & DVR

Happy Monday everyone! We both had a busy weekend celebrating Lindsey settling into her apartment and getting to go on a trip of a lifetime (in case you forgot, she gets to go to Australia) but unfortunately, Monday reared its ugly head. I know we both had demanding work days today (hence the extremely short post) so I think this quote from Pinterest is a good summary on how we feel about Mondays…

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Neither of us are the biggest TV fans, but it's nice to come home from a long day at work, change into comfy clothes, eat a good dinner, and unwind! Enjoy!

Blueberry Lemon Cupcakes!

TGIF! We both had extra busy work weeks so we are looking forward to sleeping in, laying out by the pool, and having fun!

A little more than a week ago, one of our best friends moved to China to teach English, so before she left we gathered our group of friends together for one last hoora. While plans we're made, we decided to make something extra delicious for our soon to be foreign friend. When we couldn't think of anything new and exciting to try, we ventured to our dear friend Pinterest. After about 2mins of searching we discovered this Pin:

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And we knew exactly what we were going to make! This recipe was very easy. The cupcake batter called for the essentials; sugar, butter, flour etc. and of course blueberries and lemon zest. The cream cheese frosting was also very simple; butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar and, you guessed it...more lemon.

We did however, have a few notes about this recipe. The cupcake batter calls for the zest of 1 lemon...I think we eventually used the zest of 2 lemons (we like a more distinct lemon flavor). But the interesting part was getting the frosting right. The recipe called for 3 cups of powdered sugar, 1tbsp of lemon juice and the zest of 1 lemon. I think we used the juice of one lemon, the zest of 2 lemons and about 6 cups of sugar. It was a little difficult to get the right consistency for the frosting, but after experimenting a little, we got it just right!

Here's how ours turned out:

They were excellent! We would definitely recommend this recipe. Let us know if you try it! Happy Weekend & Enjoy!

Yes, We Are Still Breathing!

So sorry for our lack of posting this week! It has been so incredibly busy for both of us starting this past weekend, that the blog got a bit on the un-prioritized list. But don’t worry; we have some fun things that we have been up to (cooking, decorating, etc.) that have happened because of things that inspired us from Pinterest!

In case you’re wondering what we have been up to:

Lindsey was in Charlotte, North Carolina for a week for her first official business trip! I got back last Friday night and quickly loaded up the U-Haul waiting at my parents’ house so I could be as “ready” as possible to move to my new apartment on Saturday morning! Which is exactly what I did all day Saturday…. Pack and unpack and try and get things at least livable for the first night at the apartment. Unfortunately, the wrong couch got delivered, so the living room has no seating in it at the moment. It’s sort of funny though… the couch that got delivered was METALLIC silver- ha… no bueno, it wasn’t even like we could just get over having a different couch, this one had to go pronto. I spent most of Sunday picking up some fun finds with my mom to make a mini-gallery wall, and complete some other decorative projects in the apartment, which we are sure there will be a post about next week.

I also got (what I think) is just about the coolest opportunity ever… I get to go… drum roll please…………. to Sydney for my next business trip!!! I have wanted to go to Australia ever since I can remember, so I have pretty much been talking about how excited I am repetitively for the past 48 hours. Don't worry, I will tell you all about it when I get back! I am headed to a party my mom is hosting today after work, and tomorrow… thank God… is Friday, so hopefully we can get back into the swing of things.

Kelsey has had a seriously busy weekend/week too! As you probably can see from the post on Friday, my relatives from Germany have been in town for most of the week, so we have been entertaining, cooking, and shopping up a storm over at my house! I made a few delicious Pinterest finds for the family (Italian Cream Cake with Strawberries and Owl Cupcakes for the kids), which unfortunately Lindsey didn't get to try, but were a big hit! We all attempted to swim in the pool, but it's so hot here the pool water feels more like bath water. It was also my Dad's 52nd birthday a few days ago, so we were busy celebrating! We have another reason to celebrate on the work front... I have my first official account! It's a ricotta cheese account, so I will be in charge of managing everything for that particular customer! Now all I have to do is figure out how to go with Lindsey to Australia!

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Expect some delicious, and creative posts here in the next couple of days! Enjoy!

Fabulous Friday

Happy Friday everyone! My German relatives made it safely despite being stuck in customs for almost 3 hours! But despite jet lag they are very excited to be in Texas and to see the family. What really thrills me is my little girl cousins who are 6 and 8 are now officially hooked on Pinterest. They spent the last hour yelling at me to “Pin this!” and “Pin that!” and “look up this so we can Pin it”. While kittens, puppies and nail colors were the extent of their demands, it’s exciting to know that this girly obsession is not limited to a “mature” audience.  Here's a few of the Pin's I was forced to make!

 These guys are pretty adorable.

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I could wear this.

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Mer?

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I see why this one was exciting!

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Forever Young! Enjoy!

Thirsty Thursdays: Raspberry Beer Cocktail

The work week is almost over, hooray! This weekend is going to be extra exciting because my cousins from Germany are coming to visit for a week and fly in on Friday AND Lindsey is moving into her new apartment on Saturday! So obviously this weekend is going to be spent by the pool as much as possible attempting to teach the Germans how to play Marco Polo, or to cool off after hauling furniture in the heat, either way I think this Thirsty Thursday post is the perfect poolside beverage for the weekend!

Here's the Pin we found:

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Personally, this looks so refreshing I’ve been dying to post this Pin on here since we made the blog! The other awesome part about this Pin is the chalkboard glasses; this would be perfect for a party.

So here’s the recipe:  

Raspberry Beer Cocktail (serves 6)

• 3/4 cup fresh raspberries* 
• 3 1/2 (12-oz.) bottles beer, chilled 
• 1 (12-oz.) container frozen raspberry lemonade concentrate, thawed 
• 1/2 cup vodka
• Using the back of a spoon, mash raspberries in a bowl; transfer to a pitcher. Stir in remaining ingredients. Serve over ice.
• *3/4 cup thawed frozen raspberries may be substituted.

Simple enough, stay cool people (its been over 100 for a while in Dallas) and Enjoy!

10 Ways to Stay Cool This Summer

As most of you have noticed...ITS HOT! I can't remember the last time my pool was so warm. That's why this week's "10 ways" displays all the different ways we would like to be cooling ourselves off during these consecutive heat waves. Any one of these would be a great way to cool down in the heat!

Cool Way One: Ice Cream Sandwiches 

(Theses are from our "We All Scream for Ice Cream" Post!)

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Cool Way Two: Chillax On A Hammock

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Cool Way Three: Cat Nap

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Cool Way Four: Lavender Lemonade

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 Cool Way Five: Of Course...The Beach

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Cool Way Six: Cool Off At The Lake

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Cool Way Seven: Popsicles and Champagne

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Cool Way Eight: Every Pool Owners Dream

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Cool Way Nine: Ah, The Sailboat

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Cool Way Ten: Chocolate Ice Cubes...YUM!

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Stay cool people! Enjoy!

This Week's Quote: Friendship

We hope everyone had a decent Monday, I know we were having the Monday blues today! We thought we would dedicate this week’s quote to one of our best friends who is flying to China as we type. While we are extremely excited to watch her follow her dreams, it pains us to watch her go. This is why we thought this quote was perfect for this week: “nothing will ever change so much to the point where we’re not still friends.” It’s hard to lose a friend whether it is to another country, state, or neighborhood. But thanks to modern technology we will be able to annoy her daily via Skype! We both have our accounts ready to hear about her adventure of teaching in Shanghai.

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At times, everyone looses touch with close friends, maybe today's the day to call up that old friend and see how their doing.

Enjoy!

Thirsty Thursdays: Strawberry Watermelon Cooler

After last week's first "Thirsty Thursdays" post with an amazing Grapefruit Margarita recipe, we thought that Thursdays might just have to be permanently dedicated to a regular thirst quenching recipe!

This week we have chosen another fruity summer cocktail: The Strawberry Watermelon Cooler, courtesy of At The Table!

Here is the Pin we found:

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If a picture that looks this good doesn't make you ready for Thirsty Thursdays,

we may have to declare you are party pooper.

So, here is the refreshingly summer recipe:

Strawberry Watermelon Cooler (serves 4)
4 oz. Vodka
1 oz. Strawberry Liquor (any berry or pomegranate works)
juice of 1 lime plus slices for garnish
1 pound watermelon chunks
2 cups ice plus more for glasses
strawberries for garnish

Blend ingredients until frothy. Pour over ice, garnish & sip until cool.

We thought a fun take on this cocktail would be to serve them in a Mason Jar with a colorful striped straw, like the ones below, which are sold on Anthropologie's wedding site, BHLDN. They come in seven (yes, SEVEN) super festive colors, so if you don't love yellow, you can have your pick.

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Thanks At The Table, and Pinterest for the inspiration!

Hope this cools off everyone's Thursday a bit in preparation for the weekend!

These Are A Few Of Our Favorite Things: A Little Southern Charm

A few weeks ago I attended a wonderful wedding in Charleston, SC. I’m not sure why, but the Carolinas have always been on my list of states to travel in the US. After staying a little over a week in South Carolina, I must say Charleston is a city I would love to visit again, very soon! From beaches, to dining, to historical streets, this southern town is sure to enlighten you! Ironically enough when I returned home from my trip and logged onto Pinterest, there was a beautiful picture of the St. Michael’s Church staring right back at me, as you can see below.

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Unfortunately, we only stayed in Chuck town (the locals nickname for Charleston) a few days and spent the rest of the week in Hilton Head so we didn’t get to experience everything I wanted to…BUT we did some good eatin' and good shoppin'! We stayed at the Charleston Place, which is located in the heart of downtown Charleston in the historic district. Talk about southern hospitality, this hotel was very charming. The best part about Charleston Place was the location; most of the major attractions were within walking distance. They had this quaint breakfast joint just a few steps from the hotel called the Sweetwater Café that my dad and I ate at every morning. It was very “hole in the wall”- ish, and therefore, just fabulous.

 In front of the Charleston Place

My favorite thing we did in the few days we were in Charleston was walk down King Street. In the mornings, when my dad and I walked down King Street, there were very few people and we were able to enjoy the historic buildings more than when my mom and I went back in the afternoon to shop…pretty crowded, but worth it. The shops range from local boutique owners to name brands like Lucky and Urban Outfitters.

 This is how I felt walking down King Street

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The highlight of the trip was eating at Jestine's Kitchen. Wow, was this place good. They had a variety of options to choose from but I went with the fried chicken, mac and cheese and green beans. Delicious. The family could not get over how much the food tasted like my great grandmother Meme’s cooking (she was the queen of southern cooking!).

The fam outside of Jestines Kitchen

Now, let’s talk dessert! We had the blueberry & peach cobbler with ice cream which was great, but the show stopper was the Coca Cola Cake! Yummmmy was it good.

The cobbler

The show stopper...Coca Cola Cake

 

The coolest part about Jestines Kitchen was her story.  The restaurant was named after a woman whose mother was Native American and father was the son of a freed slave. Jestine worked for a family as a housekeeper and created a long lasting friendship with the family. Her cooking was so delightful; they had to share it with the world. Jestine died in 1997 at the young age of 112! I guess fried chicken and some good ole' southern hospitality makes you live longer!

A word of caution: you’ll have to wait in line outside on the side of the building because it is guaranteed to be that busy, but they were so very kind to install some high powered fans and free water... it was worth the wait my friends!
I think the beach, the dining, the shopping, and the night life make Charleston a great girls trip destination and I hope to go back sometime real soon!

Enjoy!

10 Ways To Design It, Style It, and Do It Yourself

A feature that we love on Pinterest is the DIY section! There are so many cool, innovative ideas floating around on Pinterest it’s nice to see them all in one place. The DIY section offers an assortment of designs ranging from fashion, to decorating, to dining! It’s hard not to feel inspired by all these creative ideas. We're going to have to dedicate a post to one of these resourceful ideas when we try one for real asap!

One: The DIY Head Scarf

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Two: DIY Wallpaper

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Three: DIY Homemade Jam

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Four: DIY Hip Scarf 

(cute way to get rid of old T's!)

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Five: DIY Chic Headboard

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Six: DIY Table Decor

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Seven: DIY Rope Headband

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Eight: DIY Light Fixtures

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Nine: The DIY Creative Cookie

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Ten: DIY Handy Dandy Bracelet

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Each post is linked to its source on Pinterest, which should be linked to the original author of the content! Let us know if you have a cool DIY project that you discovered on Pinterest, or if you have tried one of these...Enjoy!