little man themed cookies

i thought these were adorable...the mustache theme is in and what a great way to celebrate your little mans arrival!! this company is locally owned by a super sweet ohio girl named meredith. she is a friend of a friend i would say. take a look at her website and see all of her amazing creations! if you aren't local she does ship...all the details at bakedhappy.com

grilled heirloom tomato and goat cheese pizza

this is one of my favorites i used to make it all the time and think i am feeling the urge again! mike is not a fan... well he strongly dislikes tomatoes so usually recipes with tomatoes are skipped unless i make a smaller portion for myself. i suppose half tomatoes would work on this delicious twist to a healthier option for pizza! and bonus... its a five ingredient dish!

ingredients:
1 (13.8-ounce) can refrigerated pizza crust dough cooking spray 
1 garlic clove, halved 
1 large heirloom tomato, seeded and chopped (about 10 ounces) 
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese 
3/4 cup (3 ounces) crumbled herbed goat cheese 


preparation

1. prepare grill to medium heat. i use the pampered chef bbq pizza pan and you need to use a gas grill not charcoal if you want to grill it. you can modify this recipe and make it in the oven as the dough package calls for baking. although personal tip... bake in oven for a few minutes so crust gets a little crispy then add the toppings and bake for remaining time...helps to keep it from getting mushy or soggy when toppings are added

2. unroll dough onto a large baking sheet coated with cooking spray; pat dough into a 12 x 9-inch rectangle. (or use the pampered chef pizza grill pan) Lightly coat dough with cooking spray.

3. Place dough on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 1 minute or until lightly browned. Turn crust over. Rub with garlic; sprinkle with tomato and cheeses. Close grill lid; grill 3 minutes. Serve immediately

this is absolutely adorable

how can anyone (ok girl maybe) not have teary eyes eyes after this!?!

this video is awesome and the couple couldn't have been more perfect!!

one of my all time favorite movies is dirty dancing and this bride and groom perform the final scene with the infamous song at their wedding!! are you serious?!?

i sooooo wish i or someone i know would have thought of this for our wedding.. i know my husband would have done this had i asked him (there is a side of him only i will ever know...love).
it's that awesome. (we both had this movie in our possession when we combined our things) now to get the entire bridal party on board well...

that may have been more challenging. : )

take a few minutes and watch it will melt your heart and make you smile...

http://www.woodradio.com/pages/woodinsider.html?article=11812652#.Uobe7e6dDhk.email

baby brielle

leslie wright and baby girl brielle

photo credit: holly wright from the wright shot

urban splatter polish...eeeeek

soooo i must say i am pretty excited about my fun nails! i have been getting my acrylic nails  done for the best of 17 years and i always have had square nails and most of the time it has been pink and white acrylic so i have a permanent french manicure. i used to do fun things when in high school but for almost 10 years its been basic french with maybe a slight variance here and there. needless to say i was ready for a fun change...something different. i posted on facebook this week stiletto nails or the usual square and all but one said square...i think i must have had my mind made up though. i showed the pics from google of the stiletto nails to my husband, he didn't say he didn't like them but he didn't say that he did either. he said..."they look like claws." which some indeed do. but he said i am sure they will look good try it...(love him he supports me even through the small doesn't really matter stuff)

today i did it and i absolutely love them! i would say they are more of a "modest" stiletto not too pointing but still fun. i also wanted to break from the norm and do something fun with my polish...fun...crazy polish is totally in right now and its all about color and sparkle!

i recently placed an avon order and purchased avon nailwear pro+ in starry sky and avon urban splatter in blackout. absolutely love the fun. the splatter does need a base-coat though...the picture below shows it as a solid polish but it is clear with the splatter effect chips in it. the base-coat was the starry night and covered in one coat (bonus)! the black  on my ring finger is by opi and it is called black onyx. totally different from my natural classic squared french manicured nails but i adore them!! and they are husband approved...he said they do not look like claws until i put my hands like the google photo. ; )

order the polish from an avon rep and have it delivered to your door...cheap shipping or even free!

(claws...)

my deepest thank you...

 words from military wife

robin

"please everybody, enjoy your weekend but please remember this is not just a long weekend.

our veterans and their families

make some incredible 

sacrifices that civilians will

never understand.

keep this image in mind.

this is and 8 year old girl who just watched her daddy get on a helicopter to leave for a year.

there are millions of other little girls just like her." 

as i scrolled through my news feed yesterday and today, i was touched by so many family, friends, thirty-one sisters, acquaintances and facebook friends as they were posting heartfelt messages and photos. i really wanted to share a few with you.

today is veteran's day...a day we honor those who have served in our military.

the past and present hero's that defend our country and fight so america can be the land of the free.

this day and and every day i truly thank you and your families for the sacrifices you make for all of us.

i am thankful to the wives and husbands for being the rock...being a strong support of their veteran and their children

i am thankful to the children for some how finding a way to get through each day without their mom or dad during a deployment or even a loss.

i am thankful to family members and siblings for supporting your heroes.

this war has been going on for so long and has affected so many.

so not just today but every day. show your respect...

with a smile, a wave, a salute, a handshake, a hug

maybe pick up a tab or a coffee or put a thank you note on a car windshield of someone whose car wears a bumper sticker or window cling indicating they are military.

because not just today but every day these men and women should be honored for all of the heroic sacrifices they make...

my deepest thank you!

amanda posted

"yesterday i picked my husband up after

a 6 month deployment to afghanistan...in columbus ohio!!!

happy veterans day!"

(pictured above)

master sergeant eric lewis

"often our accomplishments

and success are due

to the support

and stability in our lives,

need i say more...

(pictured right)

love you cousin!

grandmas chinese chicken wings

i am a chicken wing lover...well i like the legs. my husband prefers the legs as well but he makes sacrifices to ensure i get the most if not all of the legs i want. 

(i really try hard not to eat the other half...tid bit of truth...he loves me! no really you understand when it comes to men and their food...he really loves me!)

since we are fans of wings i was excited when my friends jen and george were having us over to try this new recipe with them.

it was amazing! it was almost like the non-leg parts didn't matter and i could have licked the bowl(i think we did actually).  the wings had a bite but were perfect and you can easily tailor this recipe to your liking.

more sweet...more hott...you decide!!

ingredients

16 whole chicken wings, flap segments removed and saved for stock

1/3 cup sake
1/3 cup soy sauce

4 tablespoons brown sugar (If you like it sweeter, add more. you can check the flavor of the sauce at any time and I encourage you to)

2 -3 tablespoons mirin

3 tablespoons fish sauce (originally oyster sauce-can but you can try with hoisin sauce)

4 large thin slices fresh ginger

1 -2 cloves star anise

1 dried hot chili pepper

1 cinnamon stick

shaved green onion, for garnish (julienne cut)

sesame seeds, for garnish

directions

1.place a 14-inch nonstick saute pan over high heat. add the chicken and dry-sear to lightly brown the chicken.

2 add the sake, soy sauce, 1/3 cup water, brown sugar, mirin, hoisin sauce, ginger, star anise, dried chile and cinnamon stick and bring to a simmer.

3 cook, covered, about 12 minutes.

4 uncover and simmer until the pan is almost dry, tossing frequently to coat the wings, 10 to 12 minutes.

5 skim off the fat if you like(recipe did not recommended), and serve, garnishing with scallion shavings and sesame seeds.