look at all that glitter

what a gorgeous color palette inspired by the Oscars *via Postcards and Pretties

Look at these little cuties!

just got some of these for myself (mostly for the cancun trip and summertime when messy hair is super acceptable!)!

i've seen them all over the "blogosphere" and i just had to have them - they are from Mane Message. can't beat the price either! a super cute way to spruce up a plain day :)

can't wait to get them in the mail!

happy thursday!

guys...i'm getting the brazilian keratin treatment again today! i have a trip to mexico in two weeks and my frizz just wont cut it!

this time i wont be washing my hair for 72 hours, instead of a disgusting 96 hours. still gross, but not nearly as terrible! I hope it turns out okay, it's supposed to POUR here in the DC area tomorrow!

wish me luck!

Chesapeake Oyster and Beer Festival

my family and friends attended this event last weekend at the national harbor in md! it was super fun, and there were enough oysters and beer to kill everyone in the room. as people got more and more drunk, they stopped eating and starting dancing and taking oyster shooters. clearly, i had to participate. in hindsight, as the picture suggests, it was not the best idea.

seriously, not the most thrilling thing in the world!

but the oysters were tasty, and there were many choices when it came to beer! i think i tried everything there! such a great night!

Blue Point Oysters - the BEST!

Papi, me and sissy! we have such a good time together!

......and then we went out that night. i don't know anyone in this picture.

all in all - a great little (ridiculous) saturday!

Hot Chocolate Cupcakes!

Hot Chocolate Cupcakes With Caramel Kissed Centers
Adapted from it's the little things *via Picky Palate

1 Devils Food Cake Mix
4 eggs
1/2 Cup vegetable oil
1 small box instant chocolate pudding mix
1 Cup fat free sour cream
3/4 Cup warm milk mixed with 1 packet hot chocolate mix
24 milk chocolate Hershey kisses with caramel centers
3-4 Cups mini marshmallows

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place cake mix, eggs, oil, pudding mix, sour cream and mixed hot chocolate into a stand mixer on medium speed. Mix until well combined, about 1 1/2 minutes. Scoop into 24 paper lined muffin tins about 3/4 full. Place a caramel kiss into center of each cupcake pressing to bottom.

 

Bake for 18 minutes, remove and top with marshmallow. Return back to oven and bake for an additional 5 minutes or until marshmallows are puffed and just starting to brown. Remove and let cool. You can place a cut straw into each cupcake if desired to decorate.

24 cupcakes

these are super easy and fun to make! they were a huge hit in the office :) 

try them with different hershey kiss flavors as the seasons go by! cherry cordial, mint, pumpkin! yum!

 

BOBBIE ALLEN MUSIC

hey peeps, sorry i've been so MIA this week....work has been taking over my life. it happens, and i have a job when a lot of others don't, so i'm certainly not complaining!

on a SUPER COOL AWESOME NOTE - please check out Bobbie Allen's new page on bandcamp!!

you can even preview Bobbie's music - and who wouldn't want to do that?

As she would say -  

"take a gander with your ears little chickadees"

S'mores Cupcakes!

S'mores Cupcakes

(slightly adapted from here *via here)

Cupcakes:

1 package Classic Butter (or French Vanilla) cake mix

2 tablespoons graham cracker crumbs

1 1/2 cups water

3 egg whites

24 milk chocolate candy kisses

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.
2. In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, 2 tablespoons graham cracker crumbs, water and egg whites. Beat for 2 minutes at high speed of an electric mixer.
3. Divide batter evenly among paper lined cups, filling about 2/3 full. Place a chocolate kiss in each cupcake, pressing in lightly. (I pushed mine all the way to the bottom and they stuck to the paper wrapping, so keep them in the middle?) Spoon 1 teaspoon graham cracker crumbs onto each cupcake. 

 

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 18 to 25 minutes

Frosting:

2 sticks of butter, room temperatur

2 cups confectioner's sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

16 oz. tub of marshmallow fluff

Cream the butter on high until it's light and fluffy. Add the confectioner's sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, and beat until fluffy each time. Beat in the vanilla until incorporated. Then dump in the fluff and mix it up until its all creamy. Transfer to pastry bag and pipe onto cupcake! sprinkle extra graham cracker on top.Top with a Hershey kiss or piece of Hershey's chocolate for added prettiness :)

please forgive the terrible picture, but you can see the cute little hershey kiss inside if you look hard enough!

i highly suggest these! :) enjoy!

i love:

sissy <3

family <3

best friends <3

traveling, all over the world <3

sienna <3

roomies

pink

sparkles

sequins

facebook

my bed

fleece blankets

airplanes

sun

glitter

frolicking

laughing

singing

dancing, a lot.

focusing on what i love today :) happy valentine's day to you and yours.

CUPID MISSED!

well friends, this is my first year being single in SIX years. i can't tell you how AMAZING that feels. yea yea sure sure, girls like relationships on valentine's day, i understand that. but i also am free and single to fly down to charlotte, nc for the weekend with some of my best girl friends for the 4th annual CUPID MISSED bar crawl: charlotte edition!!

maybe i'll find myself a rich, banking boyf while im there?! a girl can wish.

Valentine's Sparkle!

GAH - how gorgeous are these images from Grey Likes Weddings...visit their site to see more!

Puppy Drama!

this little angel has turned into a terror as of lately. she growls at me and my sister (i'm her primary owner, but sis might as well be a co-owner), and she even growled at another roommate who she is OBSESSED with.  on top of that, she lunged at our short friend after being fine with her for a longer period of time.  sienna has always had a TON of attitude and a generally quirky personality, but this is getting a little scary. instead of loving when we snuggle with her, she sometimes shows her teeth. it's getting out of hand and we are hoping to get a behavior specialist in soon.  she really only growls at night...and mostly freaks out when people are in "her" territory - my bedroom.

do any of you guys have suggestions of what to do? we are very quickly losing patience as this is not the first instance of her misbehaving....at almost 3 years old, i would have thought some of these negative qualities would slowly fade...

anyyyyyy suggestions are accepted (except for the obvious - to put her down. we have obviously thought about this...don't get me started)!! any lurkers who randomly read my blog and have doggie expertise - please comment :)

i dont want to have to give this precious pup away!

A few things i've made recently...

just wanted to share with you a couple of AMAZING recipes that i've tried recently! sometimes, i suck at taking pictures of recipes that i try. mostly its when im in a big rush or too hungry to find my camera....it happens.

 Lemon Dressing Drizzled Chickpea and Sweet Pepper Arugula Salad

 

this recipe was refreshing and did not disappoint! i've blogged quite a few times about my love for arugula recipes, and now i've added another level of love to it. slight adaptation - i used the juice of a whole lemon. the kick of the lemon is balanced perfectly with the peppery arugula and sweetness of the peppers.

  Bacon Cheddar Drop Biscuits

there are no words. its like a loaded baked potato - IN.A.BISCUIT!! i don't even like potatoes all that much, so really, this was the perfect meal (ahem...side dish), because i love bread and i love all the fix-ins that go on potatoes. perfection in a biscuit! i made this for a potluck dinner and it was a hit! slight adaptation - i used reduced fat cheese, turkey bacon, and fat free buttermilk (and then i ate about 10 of them...which completely counteracted my attempt at making these "healthier")

{pictures *via links above}