One BIG Happy

Disney makes me smile, always.

Hank is such a good sport in these photos - rocking ears!!

Quote Boat - Live the Life

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.

- Henry David Thoreau

A Successful Dinner Week

We had some tasty dinners this week. We managed to cook at home each night, make enough for lunch leftovers and make each dinner one worth getting excited about. We've been in a dinner rut lately, so it was great to spice it up with new recipes.

We had steak kabobs over couscous, yummy chicken enchiladas with spicy yellow rice, homemade buffalo chicken pizza:

And a great stir-fry with lots and lots of vegetables:

Everyone has staples that are their favorite or easiest to make for dinner each night. A great piece of advice is to exchange recipes with those around you for their go-to dinner favorites. This way you know they are tried and true, easy enough to make during the work week and delicious (or why else would they be making it time after time). This way you are expanding your dinner repertoire with lots of new dishes. Hooray for a successful dinner week!

Determination.

Two people emailed this video to me, so I think I must share.

Never give up - You can do it!!

Just call him chubs.

Bentley's First Puppy Vet Visit:

Bentley's Second Puppy Vet Visit:

He gained six pounds in three weeks... Bentley!? This Batdog is growing!

NC Dinner Night

Saturday night I had some of the girls over for a North Carolina themed dinner.

Here's the spread - The girls brought flowers, wine, an appetizer and an okra and tomato salad (with bacon!). I love Southern hospitality. The main dish was homemade sweet BBQ.

In addition to the okra and tomato salad, I served my two favorite go-to summer salads, fruit and bean salad. Here's the recipe for the fruit salad, it's too easy:

3 Cans Mandarin Oranges

3 Cans Pineapple Chunks

2 Small Jars of Cherries, Halved

1 Bag Mini Marshmallows

Light Sour Cream

Drain all fruit. An hour before you serve add a bit of the light sour cream just to coat and half a bag of the mini marshmallows. Stir it up. Allow to refrigerate for an hour, then serve.

You'll note North Carolina's state bird, the cardinal, is present below - Tweet, tweet!

I served biscuits fresh out of the oven in a North Carolina shaped basket. I used a can of Cheerwine for decoration since it's a soft drink that has been made in Salisbury, North Carolina, since 1917.

I decorated with Our State magazines, moonshine and North Carolina cocktail napkins.

I served the wine and cocktails from my North Carolina tray as you'll see below.

Here are the lovely ladies, with their delicious eats and drinks from mason jars:

I had the lanterns lit and ready to go on their way out - Happy North Carolina!

I had fun going around the house collecting all decorations North Carolina. It's fun to put your favorite pieces together, especially when they're decorations you already have.

One BIG Happy

I had a blast traveling Greece and Turkey. One of my most fun memories was jumping off the back of the cruise ship into the Aegean Sea.

It was surreal to be swimming around on the coast of Turkey, near Istanbul. The water was a beautiful blue, and the sights all around were breathtaking. Cheese!

Lobster Time!

Bentley Boo Loves to Chew.

Starting off my morning with Bentley! When this puppy likes to chew, TOMS have proven to be the best shoes for me. They keep my toes safe when it's needed most.

We're heading to the vet next week, and I'm interested to see how much Bentley has grown already - He's gonna be a big boy, there is no doubt about it. I'll miss being able to easily pick this little guy up, so I'm enjoying it as much as possible now.

Life's a Beach!

Celebrating summertime with homemade bikini cookies.

Danger!

My mom broke her hand while washing dishes. Who knew it was possible?

Washing dishes really is a chore... Feel better, Mom! I love you!!

Restroom Reflection

It's fun to reflect in mirrors, and it's even better to reflect on life.

Glitter Pumps

My previous post got me thinking about my rehearsal dinner outfit - It's one of my favorites! I think it has a lot to do with me wearing the best pumps I've ever owned:

... Glitter Pumps!

If I could I would sprinkle glitter on everything.

Olive Outfits

Here I am at my rehearsal dinner. Taylor Swift and I have twin dresses - How cute.

Lucky Score

I always thought when I got a dog I would finally get this sticker too:

Be happy more. Complain less.

My friend Kat and I stopped into an awesome local pet store, Phydeaux, after lunch today, and I mentioned I wanted to see if they had this sticker. Kat reminded me to ask when we were about to leave and sure enough if they did not have one left, AND it was free.

... I'm still so pumped!

Doggon' Dinner

I'm all for hosting a dinner party, and when a theme presents itself, I'm even more excited. I love a good theme. I've had so much fun having friends and family over to meet Bentley - Thus a Bentley theme was inevitable.

I dug through my old scrapbook gear to gather paper to cut dog bones from. I also printed pictures of Bentley's family, in black and white, and sprinkled the bones and photos about on the tables - An easy and cost effective way to decorate.

Pepper the Pig is always game for joining in on any celebration:

The evening's cocktail was 'Sparkling Salty Dog.' It's 1 cup gin, 1 cup ruby red grapefruit juice and a 1/2 cup grapefruit flavored soda (like Fresca) with salt on ice. You can find the detailed recipe here.

I served all salads for dinner - We dined on Ina Garten's tuna salad, a summer bean salad and fruit salad (recipe to come). For dessert, we had sugar cookies in the shapes of dog houses, fire hydrants and dog bones.

It was all so much fun - I had a doggon' good time with this theme.

Thank You

I took one of my clients to lunch last week, and they surprised me with gifts, one just for fun and the other as a wedding gift:

I love their spirited wrapping. I'm always a fan of Tervis Tumblers, and the etched highball glasses are perfect... We've been wanting some! This honestly made my day. It was super thoughtful, unexpected, and it was just plain nice.

I popped their thank you note in the mail this morning, and it got me thinking about thank you notes in general. I hear many people mention they gave a gift, hosted an event or did something really nice, and they were never properly thanked. I think it's important to feel appreciated in life, and a thank you note is such a simple way to accomplish this.

Stationary is pretty, you can find it cheaply, you can make your own, and if you don't like any of that, there is online stationary via Paperless Post (that I previously blogged about here).

Take a few minutes to pour out your thoughts, seal your note with a kiss and know that you're doing exactly what you should be. Saying thank you in person, if possible, and later in writing, is the best route to travel. Be thankful.

Silent gratitude isn't much use to anyone. - G.B. Stern

Lucky Score

Speaking of Jelly Shoes, I picked these up for $5.50 at my local J. Crew store:

They originally retailed for $49.50.

I love nice things, but even more, I love nice things on super sale.

One BIG Happy

That was then,

This is now.

I'm still using the same type of beach chair! They're hard to find, but they're certainly worth the hunt. I think we need to stock up on a few more just in case they go extinct.

I'll be doing a little bit of sunning and swimming this weekend, and while I've traded neon orange for metallic pecan, I'll still be rocking JELLIES around the pool.

Food for Thought

No one ever said, "You know what, life is really, really easy."

No one ever said, "You know what, raising a puppy is really, really easy."

I was thinking about how raising a puppy is a lot like life. No one ever tells you it's easy, but they do tell you, in both instances, that it's certainly worthwhile.

Harry Barker

I love all things unique. I had a really hard time finding pet supplies that I thought was reasonable, cool and unique. Then I came across Harry Barker. Not only is the name of this company absolutely perfect, but the story of how it started is even better... Founder Carol Perkins was a model. At a point in her career, she "became homebound, while recovering from a life threatening battle with a rare brain tumor." As her form of therapy, she started creating dog products for friends which eventually led to the launch of Harry Barker.

I was not interested in Bentley having a boring (to me) khaki or corduroy dog bed. I wanted him to have something cool! He's loving his 'Round Leopard Safari' bed.

I like his bed a lot too, because it's a fun print that also serves the purpose of hiding dirt. The slip cover on it is removable and can be washed, which is certainly a huge selling point. Bentley's dog collar you see above is made from 100% recycled plastic. He looks very nautical in his 'Newport' collar with his red 'Cotton Rope Fish Toy.' We love Harry Barker!

Olive Outfits

Here I am wearing my 'just bee boppin around' outfit as of late - My favorite skinny jeans with my favorite flats and my new favorite type of tanks.

These tanks are great. They're comfy, flowy and too darn easy. It's the 'Finespun Draped Tank' from J. Crew. I think any outfit as simple as a gray tank and white jeans can be made just right with jewelry. Jewelry is my favorite part of every outfit.

Quote Boat - Compliments

I've been keeping a quote book for many years now. It's where I write random thoughts, musings and quotes - all that I never want to forget. It's kind of like my book of life lessons.

Here's a musing from January 2010 that I came across today:

When you think of someone, let them know. Especially if it's a compliment. You never know when your compliment is exactly what a person is in need of. Your simple compliment just may be what makes someone's day.

An AdoraBULL Handful

Photo by Sarah Arneson

I've had this hand chair since high school, and I just can't seem to part with it... I love it! Bentley made this chair look even better - Don't you think, Hank? Hank loves this chair. Now wait a minute, I just wrote that last sentence with as much sarcasm as possible ; )

A Few Bentley Favorites

Photos by Sarah Arneson (She rocks!)

Anticipation

Here I am waiting for Bentley's arrival - I was so, so very anxious:

Enthusiastic anticipation is quite the emotion, and it's exactly what I was experiencing. I was feeling more overwhelmed than a kid as Christmas morning approaches!!

Lunch with Laura

Check out her blogpost on our lunch today here.

Instead of going with a tried and true, we decided to try something new!

Be a tourist in your own town.

We all live in a city (or near a bigger city) that has a few, if not many, tourist attractions and delicious eateries. Often times we get comfortable where we are living, and we forget to experience those 'tourist' attractions ourselves. It's time to take a 'vacation' in our own backyard - Let's be a tourist in our own town.

We all have a visitor's bureau, and this is the perfect place to start. Grab a copy of your visitor's guide or request one to be mailed to you. I'm sure you could even locate a 'Things To Do' list for your city online. Here are a few examples of experiences in my area that are currently on my 'Things To Do' list:

1-3. Visit the Museums of Art, History and Natural Sciences.
... My city is dubbed the "Smithsonian of the South" (I've got to get on it!)

4. Have a play day at the Kids Museum - You're never too old to discover.

5. Visit some Brewing Companies.

6. Take a Segway Tour of Downtown!!

7. Hike and then picnic in the nearby state park.

8. See a show at the planetarium and then eat space ice cream : )

9. Stroll the streets downtown before 10PM.

10. Eat, eat and eat - When you live in one of the foodiest cities, it's a must.

Speaking of foodiest cities, Hank and I recently checked off a 'Things To Do' from our list. It was specifically from the 'Eat, eat and eat' category. We've been meaning to try The Roast Grill. It was featured on the Travel Channel's Man V. Food with Adam Richman.

They sell none other than, HOT WEINERS! The line was out the door as the seating inside was for about 12 or so. The menu is simple. Hot dogs all the way with chili (a 70+ year old recipe), slaw, mustard and onions. There are no other options, no sides and a drink is your only addition - to wash down those dogs of course. Now to check off the others... Onward!

{Be a tourist in your own town - Cary edition.}