Vacation from Vacation

Back from Vacation, snowboarding in New Hampshire.  It rained Thursday/Friday, and we only boarded Saturday at Bretton Woods.  It was still nice to get away, and the outdoor jacuzzi helped a little too.  Pics soon to come, when I download.

I received the video from my surprise party.   Haha, I'm DEF an ugly crier!!  This is the video where I realized my BFF from afar were there to celebrate with me.  Without further adeu:

Also, an update on the BaubleBar earrings.  The rhinestones were a little cheapy looking when up close, but looked cute from afar.  Def worth the $12  I paid, and not the $22 they were listed at.

Loving BaubleBar

I just found this (new to me) online store, and I'm totally a fan!  Super cute jewelry at a inexpensive price!  If you want to sign up and get $10 off your first order, go HERE:

Some cute ones I just got with my coupon code!  Rose gold roped pave posts $22, but cost me $12 because I used the coupon!

 Others I love too: Found here

Best*Weekend*Ever!

Sooooo I'm back from my best*weekend*ever!!!! 
I'll give you the short version of my weekend! and some pics, until I get more from my Sissa. FI was taking me out for my bday dinner, I didn't know anything about where we were going.  We went out to the place in Ridgewood, NJ called Blend.  (Side note, I'll let the yelp reviews let you know how it was, Food was tasty, but service, not so much)  It turns out that my FI has been planning this for the last 2 months, and it was a SURPRISE 30TH BDAY PARTY!!!!!  All my family and friends were there, and to top it off my best friend flew in from Charlotte and my other best friend flew in from Washington State!!!!!  What a freakin surprise!!!!  Tears where shed, screams were heard and the jumping up and down in my oblivious state were pretty funny!  I can't wait to see the video my sister took of this whole thing. I received great gifts and even my good friend that is preggo with triplets made it out with her hubby.  My FI then told me he had another surprise for me, and pulled out my toothbrush, contact case and glasses.  He said that I was staying in Jersey at a hotel with my girls tonight and this was all he could pack HAHAHAHA, he's the best! When it comes down to it, when you have a sleepover with your girls, that's all you really need, I borrowed everything else and just went home the next day looking like "whodunit".  I was in heaven all weekend, my girls stayed with me until Sunday night.  THIS was the best present ever!!!!
Saturday night we went out for dinner and stayed for some drinks.  My long distance BFF's! Love them! 

I just realized I don't have any pics of me yet, will post when I get some.

Here is my friend's super cute hair-clip!  She said she got it at Forever-21, might have to make a pit-stop this week before vacation! 

 Did I mention that my FI got me a BEN AND JERRY'S ICE CREAM CAKE!!!!! Oh man, it was Cookies and Milk on the bottom, and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough on top, with crunchies in the middle!  It was awesome!!!  I'm usually a Carvel cake fan, but this might have given Carvel a run for their money!!

and to sign off, here's a little quote I'm loving at the moment:

"It's the times we're so crazy,
that people think we're high.
It's the times we laugh so hard,
we can't help but cry.
It's all the inside jokes
and "remember whens".
those are all the reasons
that we're best friends!"

 

 xoxoxo such a great weekend!!! 

Rustic Wedding Chic blog love!

Wanted to pass this along to all my ladies that are engaged!  I found this blog last year and subscribed to the daily emails and have found them super inspiring. I'm doing a lot of things I found on this blog at my wedding.  They also show rustic engagement sessions. 
I can't wait to buy the book when it comes out in Early Fall 2012.

Rustic Wedding Chic Blog

Example pics, courtesy of the above blog!

Friday misc

If you are looking for more blogs about fitness and health, this will help! 
 

Happy Friday all!!  I'm headed out for my bday dinner tonight with my FI.  Not sure where we're going, it's a surprise!  My actual b-day is Wed, the 25th, but we'll be busy packing for our Snowboard trip!!

Have you ever heard of TIPPR?  They have great deals in your nearest major city and I just got a great deal on a photo booth rental for our wedding in a few months!!!  Their deals are 50% to 90% off, local restaurants, spas, retail shops, city events, bars, theaters, etc.  Just change to your local city.  You can sign up for the daily deals, and they can be emailed to you.  Just thought I'd pass this along!

and in honor of Friday..... may I just say that if I wasn't engaged, and he wasn't married.... oh yes, he would be mine!!!

Cake Pops

I'm a super fan of cake pops, and so is everyone I make them for.  Thought I'd pass along the recipe I use.

Can be used with any cake mix you want and decorated anyway you want.  Trick is to melt the chocolate super slowly, always stiring so that it doesn't coagulate and not cover the balls of cake.  I didn't wrap them individually, I just put them all on a platter and covered with foil.  Great for kids!

 
1. Prepare the cake mix as per instructions on the box.
2. Bake cake at 350 degrees. Once cake is baked, set to cool.
3. Once cake is cool, crumble it in a large mixing bowl.
4. Mix the crumble cake together with the vanilla frosting.
5. Once mixed, place it in the refrigerator for about half an hour.
6. Roll the cake into balls. Once rolled, place them in the freezer for about an hour.
7. Once you have your cake balls rolled in the freezer, start melting the chocolate.
8. Remove the cake balls from the freezer.
9. One at a time get a lollipop stick and dip the stick about 1/2 inch of the tip into the melted candy coating and then insert the lollipop stick straight into a cake ball, pushing it no more than halfway through. Hold the cake ball and turn it back and forth or softly tap it, so the excess chocolate falls off. Place cake pops in the refrigerator to dry out completely.
Once dry you can wrap it individually.

Source

Caveman Chili Recipe

My FI and I made this recipe a few weekends ago for a soup party and everyone raved about it.  So, I figured I'd share it: The only change we made to it:  we didn't buy the chili seasoning, we made our own.  Enjoy!

Caveman Cuisine: Mostly Meaty Chili

Ingredients:

3lbs ground beef (80-20)
5 cloves garlic (minced)
1 small white onion (diced)
Quality store-bought "Chili Seasoning" or a mix of ground cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and salt
16oz can of whole tomatoes
8oz can of tomato paste
Quality hot sauce (Tapatio, Chuluhla, or Pete's.  Anything but Tabasco, blech!)
2 cups Shredded cheese (a mix of Colby and cheddar works well)
12oz full-fat sour cream
Pickled jalapenos (we were lucky enough to have home-made, but quality store bought work as well)

Directions:

Cook the ground beef over medium heat in a large pot, stirring until the meat is browned.  Pour off most of the fat and liquid.
(Note: I recommend saving this as it makes a great cooking fat.  I used the leftovers from this recipe to make Pan Fried Pan Fish.) Add onions, garlic, and chili seasoning and mix through, allowing the mixture to cook for a few minutes.

Add the tomato paste and, using your hands, crush the whole tomatoes into the chili.  Add several generous dashes of hot sauce.  Bring the chili up to a boil before reducing to a low simmer.  Allow the chili to cook down for at least 30 more minutes.

When the chili is ready to be served, top each bowl with a generous dollop of sour cream, a sprinkling of cheese, and several pepper slices.

Yield: 8-10 toot-free servings

Source

1st Posting- About me

Hello there!
Well, what can I say, I have been following blogs religiously every day for the past 8 months or so and thought it was only fitting to start my own.  A place for ideas, comments, updates on my life, awesome recipes and ones that bombed, fashion, working out with CrossFit, confidence boosters and everyday things.  I'm not much of a writer so I can't promise that the posts will be lengthy, but I do promise to entertain with my lovely accented spelling and some damn good pics! haha


A little about myself.....  a "New Yawka" born and raised, just turning 30 and I'm comfortable with that.  In a few short months I get to marry my best friend! I'm all about working hard and playing hard.  I love to try anything once.  I'm athletic and love competition.  I grew up playing sports and as I'm getting older, I'm looking for more things to compete in.  I've done a Warrior Dash, I've competed in a Figure Competition (on the right), I was in a kickball league, looking to possibly enter in a strongman competition, maybe a bi or tri-athalon (if I can ever get the whole boring running long distance thing down) and then if I wanna get crazy, the CrossFit Games!  THEN after all that, God willing, become a mother! I love my family and friends and have pretty much mastered the Art of long distance friendships.  Lived on the West Coast for a few years and def realized you can take da girl outta NY but you can't take NY outta da girl!

Did I mention I have OCD?  Yes, this is true, I like to deny it and just call it "my way" of doing things, but sometimes the FI (short for fiance in the wedding profile world) likes to call me out on it.  Clocks set early even though I remember they are and I'm late anyway.  Bed needs to be made by the last one up, or else it throws me off for the whole day.  Alarm clock needs to be at an off time, can't be 7:15am, gotta be 7:11, or 7:16am.  Don't ask, just read.  Collars on people need to be fixed if they are messed, whether it's by me or telling the person, "yeah, umm you need to fix that", threads need to be cut.  If I'm in a room, all lights need to be turned on.  Telling the people I care about, like it is. I don't sugar coat things, if they need to color their roots, I'm going to let them know, if that lip color is a no go, then yup, gonna let them know.  Ok, enough examples, you'll see as time goes by, I have more.
What else....... I have an 8yr old Pit named Bailey.  He's the biggest scaredy cat there is, and if you have a problem labeling all dogs according to type, then you need to meet this guy.  He will change the stereotype.

and because I know you're going to ask, the future Mr. and Mrs.

FI's name is Eli, he's the owner and coach at Elite Progression- CrossFit Mahopac.

Well, that's about it for now.  Hollarrrrrrr for my first post! Hoping to get into the swing of things pretty quickly, so sit back and relax! and enjoy-the-show! (said like a cheerleader with a close handed clap)

I'll leave you with one of my favorite quotes:

Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so love the people who treat you right, forget about the ones who don't, and believe that everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance, take it. If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said life would be easy, they just promised it would be worth it.