Animals Can Sense These Things

Today I was going through some files, and I came across this video that Brian took with his phone. It was taken on April 27, the day those devastating tornadoes ripped across the South. I've always heard that animals can sense when a natural disaster is about to occur. After witnessing Hank's strange behaivor that day, I trully believe they can!

Just to give you a little background, you have to know that Hank is TERRIFIED of water. Whenever you say the 'B-A-T-H' word, he tucks his tail between his legs and hides in the corner. When it rains, he absolutely refuses to go outside. He will hold it as long as he can possibly stand it to avoid the water. It is so bad that even when there is a little bit of dew on the ground in the mornings, you have to physically drag him off the concrete and onto the grass. It's so pitiful (and annoying).

Now watch this video. Hank is literally frolicking through the water. He can't get enough of it. That is why you hear Brian laughing. It's so bizarre to us! All of sudden, Hank is a water dog.

I know this seems so insignificant. But if you could witness Hank's ridiculous water phobia, I think you would understand how odd it was to see him happily splashing through water puddles.

Did you notice the canopy in the video? About 20 minutes later, I took this picture.



Bye, bye canopy

We feel so incredibly blessed that this was the only damage we had that day. Some people in our community lost everything, and are STILL trying to rebuild and recover.

Maybe I am reading way too much into this, but I really think Hank could sense something bad was about to happen. Why else would he be acting so weird? What can I say, this just solidifies my theory that Hank is the smartest dog in the whole wide world! :)

Pinterest Challenge: Week Three Wrap Up

I'm happy to report that last week went MUCH better than the week berfore. I can't believe I have already been doing this for three weeks. My Pinterest addiction is getting a little out of control! Okay, it's a lot out of control. Brian might have to host an intervention soon.

Monday, August 15

Berry Salad

Last Monday was pretty hard on me. I tried to stretch my weekend out as much as possible and stayed up way too late on Sunday night. I felt like a zombie all day, and the LAST thing I wanted to do was cook when I got off work. It was the perfect night to try out this Berry Salad. Brian and I both loved it! After eating a lot of really unhealthy food over the weekend, it was nice to have a simple, tasty salad.

Strawberries, blueberries, almonds, and chicken = Yum!

Tuesday, August 16

DIY Bottle Centerpiece

How adorable is this little homemade centerpiece? This project also gave me an excuse to buy orange cream soda. :) Of course, you can use whatever drinks you like. I have discovered I have a problem with the color red. As in, I want to paint everything that color (seen here and here). Next time I paint something, I'll try to mix it up a little!

I loved this quick, little vase project!

Wednesday, August 17

Buffalo Chicken Macaroni

I have a confession - I have made this recipe before. I still pinned it on my board because this is Brian's favorite meal. He asks for it all the time! It's not a hard recipe, but it takes a while to make. Also, I feel like it requires me to use every, single pan, dish, and pot in my kitchen! Don't get me wrong, all the preparation and extra clean up is worth it, but that is why I don't make it very often.

August is Brian's busiest month of the year so he has been working A LOT. He didn't get home Wednesday until about 9:00. So even though I usually try to take close-up shots to make the food look pretty and appetizing, this time I thought I would keep it real. When he got home, this is how I set it up for him. Tons of ranch, hot sauce, blue cheese and the remote control - this is why he loves me. Haha!

Yes, that is a paper plate on top of a real plate. We are fancy like that.

Thursday, August 18

DIY Art

I liked this project, but super glue was a BAD idea. Ha! You can see on the pin that the example used fabric rather than paper or glass. I had the brilliant idea to recover this picture with wrapping paper, and then superglue the 'J' directly to the glass. The wrapping paper worked out great. I used the spray adhesive to make sure the paper lay flat and didn't bubble up. The downfall was the superglue. Not only did I pretty much glue all my fingers together, the glue dried before I could center the letter! (By the way, to un-super glue yourself, soak your hands in fingernail polish remover.) It doesn't look too bad, but since I'm a perfectionist the off center 'J' might drive me a little crazy.

If I could do this over again, I would try hot glue. NOT super glue!

Friday, August 19

Peach Nail Polish

Friday I went to a Katy Perry concert in Nashville. Girlfriend puts on an AMAZING show. We had such a blast. I wore a colorful sun dress, and dressed my nails up with this peach polish.

Pretty in Peach.

Saturday, August 20

Bacon Pancakes

This is exactly what you think it is! Fry up some bacon (or in this case, turkey bacon) on the griddle, and when it starts to crisp up, pour the pancake batter over it. Then drown it in maple syrup and eat yourself into a food coma. You won't be sorry. Just very, very full - and happy.

This is great when you want breakfast for supper!

Sunday, August 21

Chocolate Chip Oreo Stuffed Cookies

These are Pickey Palate's stuffed cookies. I made her delicious Chocolate Fudge Peanut Butter Stuffed Cookies last month, so when I saw this recipe I knew I had to make them. You have to try these. Just remember, everytime you eat one cookie, you are technically eating two. This is scary considering how many I ate yesterday. I had to send them to the store with Brian. I don't trust myself around these things!


So. freakin. Good.



Another week down, just one more to go!

TGIF

Happy Friday!

Tonight is girls' night (whoo!), and we are going to see Katy Perry in Nashville! I love me some Katy Perry. She is totally one of my girl crushes. I can't decide if I love her or her husband, Russell Brand, more though..hmm. Anyways, I hear she has a really fun, entertaining show. Can't wait!

In honor of it being Friday, and to get me in the Katy Perry spirit, I thought I'd post her hilarious 'Last Friday Night (TGIF)' video. Have a great weekend!

Pinterest Challenge: Week Two Wrap Up

What a week! I had a few diy-don'ts and recipe malfunctions, but overall, I consider it a success. Well...I laughed at myself a lot. Let's just say Martha Stewart would not have been impressed with my performance last week. Ha!

Monday, August 8

Lemon Ice Cubes

This is such a great trick for a baby or wedding shower punch bowl. Just slice up a few lemons and freeze them with a little water in a muffin tin. I made a pitcher of raspberry Crystal Light and the lemon ice cubes really fancy it up.

So easy and pretty!

Tuesday, August 9

Mason Jar Picture Frame

This is what I like to a call a DIY-Don't. You can read all about it by clicking on the link above. I left it on my kitchen counter because it cracks me up every time I walk by it.

Wednesday, August 10

Scrapbook Paper Centerpieces

I had big plans for this little guy. All you need is an old can or jar, spray adhesive, and scrapbook paper. I wanted to make a little centerpiece for the table like the pin illustrates. Unfortunately, last week was insane so I never made it to the store for fresh flowers. It does, however, make a perfect pencil holder. Ha!

Not quite a centerpiece, but its practical.

Thursday, August 11

Homemade Ice Cream (No Ice Cream Maker Necessary)

You have to make this. No, really. I was so intrigued by this because most ice cream recipes require an ice cream maker. For this recipe, all you need is heavy whipping cream, eagle brand milk, a little melted butter, a splash of vanilla, and whatever toppings you can dream up.  We had some double stuffed Oreos in the pantry so I crushed a cup or so of those and threw them in there. Best. Cookies & Cream Ice Cream. Ever. I promise. It is soooo rich, but worth every single calorie.

My new favorite recipe.

Friday, August 12

Clementine Candle

This little project was sort of a bust. I tried this 4 different times. As much as I loved having an excuse to eat four clementines within a 30 minute setting, it just didn't work. I finally got the stupid thing to light long enough to take this picture, but it didn't have a fruity, citrus smell. It just smelled like something was burning...that shouldn't be.

It's a good idea..in theory.

Saturday, August 13

Lemon Drop Jello Shots

Aren't these adorable? Don't let them fool you with their cuteness, they are dangerous. Delicious and dangerous. You would think four years of college would have taught me a thing or two. Nope. They get me every time.

Classed up Jello Shots :)

Sunday, August 14

Mozzarella Sticks

Okay - I take complete responsibility for the downfall of this recipe. All you need to do is to wrap up a piece of string cheese in an egg roll wrapper and deep fry it for 30-60 seconds. After everything I ate this weekend, I really didn't want to fry these.  I did a little research and found a similar recipe that says you can bake these at 400 degrees for around 20 minutes and they'll brown up for you in the oven. Um, as you can see - that did NOT happen! Ha! They didn't taste that bad. I mean its hard to mess up gooey, melty cheese, but they aren't very pretty. I don't think I'm going to attempt these again unless I'm in the mood to fry them up. Oh well, you win some you lose some, right?

They tasted better than they look. :)

Four out of seven projects worked - so at least I still have a winning season at this point.

When Good Ideas Go Bad

As you know, I have been recreating something from my Pinterest pinboards each day during the month of August. I had to give you a preview of one of this week's projects because its a prime example of what happens when good ideas go bad! Before you look at my pictures, look how awesome this pin is. The instructions are simple: picture + mason jar + oil = a unique, one-of-a-kind picture frame. I love how in the example the oil gives the picture a sepia effect. However, this is what happend when I attempted this.

Brian is sporting a sexy Jay Leno chin, and I look a solid 300 lbs. Very nice.

Okay - so that didn't work. My next thought was to try a picture that isn't zoomed in so close and that is in black and white. Well.....

I know I have big forhead, but not THAT big!

Okay, that didn't work either! It makes me laugh though. My body looks super small (um, which is a first!) so I think I'll just leave this out to make me feel good about myself. I can totally overlook the gigantic forehead for an image of me with a tiny waist and legs. Ha!

Moral of the story, I'm not sure how to make this work. Maybe a larger jar with the sides more like a square? Maybe a different picture? It really doesn't matter. This little project cracked both of us up. So in the end, it was totally worth it!

Pinterest Challenge: Week One Wrap Up

As I mentioned in my last post, for the month of August, I am going to tackle one pin from my Pinterest pinboards per day. The majority of the selected pins last week involved food (surprise, surprise), but my favorite project is the Birthday Sign that I made Thursday night. Here is a breakdown of what I was up to last week.

Monday, August 1

Peach Pie Smoothie

I am a very much a "use what you have" person. I'm not about to go to the grocery store when I have a close substitute. For this recipe I didn't have any non-fat yogurt so I just used 1 cup skim milk. It still turned out delicious. I know this was probably intended as a breakfast food, but I made it Monday night when I was craving something sweet. I'll definitely be making this again.

 Tasty AND Healthy

Tuesday, August 2

Pizza Rolls

I'm a HUGE fan of the microwavable pizza rolls, but I promise these are even better! The recipe calls for pizza dough, but I already had a roll of crescent rolls in the refrigerator so I used that. Oh also, I'm happy to report my basil has somehow survived this heat - so I decided to throw some in the rolls. These would make great tail-gating snacks!

Cheesy goodness

Wednesday, August 3

Banana "Ice Cream"

This recipe is like a science project. It is so bizarre to me that frozen bananas turn into a frozen yogurt consistency when blended in the food processor - but they totally do! I halved this recipe, and it was just enough for two people. Would I rather have Maggie Moo's Birthday Cake Ice Cream with Brownies and Sprinkles (my fav!) - OF COURSE, but this satisfied my sweet tooth without having to consume hundreds of calories. Also, considering Wednesday was the hottest day of the year, ice cream was required.

Love the peanut butter/banana combo

Thursday, August 4

Birthday Sign

I really liked how this project turned out, but let me warn you - it took me around 4 hours to finish it. I think a more artistically inclined person could have finished it faster, but I was moving pretty slowly. The link above gives a tutorial, but I'll go ahead and list out the supplies I used and how much they cost.

What You Need:

6x20 piece of plywood ($6) (I bought a 15/32x2x2 piece from Lowe's and had them cut it down for me.)
2 packages of 9mm Round Jump Rings ($3) (These are found in the jewlery making section of craft stores. You could also use Eyehooks.)
Scrapbook Lettering ($5)
Acrylic paint (leftovers from previous project)
Wooden circles, stars, or hearts (leftovers from previous project)
Paintbrushes (small and large)

Also, I would suggest using paint pens if you are going to freehand 'Birthdays'. Originally, I was going to use a stencil, but it looked way too small on the board. I tried a few other things, but I ended up using about 500 q-tips to write the word (Ha!). Resourceful, but a pain in the ass. Note to self: Buy smaller paintbrushes.

I used this in our laundry room. Maybe it will keep us straight this year!

Friday, August 5

Peanut Butter Apple Sandwich

The beginning of the month is always really hectic at work. I knew I wouldn't be able to leave the office during my lunch break. I loved this quick, healthy little lunch. (I didn't have any granola, but I did have raisins! They worked great.)

Lovely backdrop of my coffee and calculator aka my best friends.

Saturday, August 6

Sparkly, Pink Nails

Over the weekend, Brian and I went to my friend Haley's BEAUTIFUL wedding in our hometown. It was so nice to go home and catch up with old friends. It makes my heart happy. :) There was no time for cooking or crafting so I decided to rock these sparkly, pink nails inspired by a pin from my style pinboard.

I went with the all over sparkles. It hides the quick (and sloppy) paint job underneath!

Sunday, August 7

Natural Face Scrub

We got back to Alabama pretty late on Sunday night. It was a good time to try this homemade scrub. However, my skin is super oily. Like 14 year old, awkward teenager oily - so I just used this on my hands. It made them very soft.

Sugar, olive oil, and vanilla

I made it through week one! Whoo hoo!

My Pinterest Challenge

I am doing something a little ambitious. Okay, it's very, very ambitious, but I am really excited about giving it a try. Before I get into my Pinterest Challenge, I hope everyone out there is using Pinterest! I'm obsessed..like I literally can't stop pinning.

Pinterest allows you to 'pin' inspiring images to your own virtual pinboards. You can organize your boards any way you want. For example, currently I have 6 boards. "This is why I have food dreams" is a place to pin all the recipes I find online that I really want to try. "It's 5:00 Somewhere" is where I'm pinning drink recipes, and "DIY Projects", "Favorite Places and Spaces", "My Style Pinboard", and "Makes Me Smile" are pretty self-explanatory. You can request an invite, or I can send you one. (If you want me to send you one, let me know.) Just remember how addicting this is - consider yourself warned.

Okay, now back to the challenge. Monday, I read this amazing article about a lady named Kristy Calquhoun who is creating something from her boards every single day for a YEAR. This blows me away! I think it is so fascinating that she is acting on what inspires her daily. I can't imagine how it feels to look at a finished product every day and have that, "Yep, I made that." feeling.

I want to know that feeling! So..I have decided that for the month of August, I am going to tackle one pin per day. I want this to be a fun process - not a stressful one! One day I might complete a big DIY craft, and the next day I might just paint my nails a color that I have pinned on "My Style Pinboard." Some days after work, I feel like ordering pizza and watching Bravo for 4 hours. Those are the days when I am going to focus on my smaller (yet inspiring!) projects. I'm trying to be ambitious AND realistic.

I can do this! I probably will not be updating the blog daily, but I'll make sure to check in a couple of times a week. I look forward to sharing my creations with you along the way.

Is It Football Season Yet?

I know its only August, and I should not wish the summer away. However, when I read an article like this, I can't help but get really excited about football season. I love everything about football. I love tailgating. I love loud, border-line obnoxious fans. I love that for three months my weekend diet consists primarily of beer, hot wings, and pizza. I love ESPN's College Game Day with the tear jerker pre-game stories. I love the weather. Most importantly - I love my Arkansas Razorbacks! In an attempt to channel my excitement, I decided to get my office football season ready. This project turned out great, and it was so simple and inexpensive!

Supplies (Note: wooden circles and glue gun not pictured)

What you Need:
*Sturdy Cardboard or Wooden Letters (I used the sturdy cardboard because they were only $1 per letter at Hobby Lobby.)
*3 Bottles of craft paint ($1 per bottle)
*1 Bag Wooden Circles ($3 per bag)
*Hot glue gun and glue sticks
*Sponge paint brushes

I already had the hot glue gun, sticks, and brushes so this project only cost me around $10.00.

First, I painted the front and back of the letters red.

Next, I painted the circles black and white, and hot glued them to the letters.

Woo Pig Sooie!

Maybe my die hard Alabama fan co-workers won't hide these from me. :)