Meet Coco!

If you've been following along to my blog posts, you've all probably heard me mention my sweet but very opinionated pup Coco. Well, I’ve decided to dedicate this lil blog entry to her.  So without further ado, Meet my baby Coco, a 4 year old Scottie! And don't forget to hop back over to FTLOB's to meet some other great pets out there in bloggy-land!

Coco's Life In Photos:

Coco sitting next to my husbands work bag

Coco & Gabe, She really loved hanging out with him!

Coco in her Halloween costume (dressed as a witch)

Coco just being Coco...

Coco refusing to kiss Flat Christina

Finally she gave in and kissed her hand!

Sleeping in her favorite rocking chair

Sleeping in the hotel during Hurricane Irene

She wasn't too happy that I kept taking her photo!

I hope you enjoyed getting to know Coco a lil bit better! She's such a cutie and has a wonderful personality and spirit! 

Keep Reading, 

Just Another Tuesday...

Okay everyone, I know I haven’t updated in a while but as you’re all aware, Irene struck her furry all up and down the Eastern seaboard so we decided to skip town  and wait it out. I didn’t have any internet access except on my iphone and I don’t like to blog via mobile apps so in all honesty, I didn't!  Anywhoo… We’re back, safe and sound and ready to jump back into life. Actually, I don't know if the word "ready" is applicable  as much as "forced" is more appropriate a word! Either way, I went back to work yesterday and I think school starts today but that’s all still up in the air.

So it’s Tuesday and there’s really nothing too awfully special about this day so far but its only 11:00am so there’s still hope! My boss is storming around the office mad about something so I'm pretty much staying quiet at my desk and sticking it out until quitting time! I don't want to be that straw who broke the camels back, no sir, not me!

On to other news, today is one of my favorite days over at FTLOB’s, it's Tasty Tuesday and since I love food so much I happen to love Tuesday’s blog theme and have the perfect recipe to share!  If your vegetarian you'll really love it but to be honest, I think anyone will love it, vegetarian or not it's that good!

It’s easy and relatively inexpensive to make.  All you need is tofu and broccoli, along with a few other ingredients that most people have on hand in the fridge.  It's not too bad on the fat and calories aside from the frying of the tofu but just use Pam cooking spray instead of butter or grease to save on the fat. 

Soy-Mirin Tofu With Rice, Broccoli and Peanut Sauce:

Ingredients:

-1/3 c natural peanut butter

-1/8 c tamari

-3 or 4 cloves of garlic (to taste), minced

-1/2 tsp cayenne (or to taste)

-1 T mirin

-1 T brown sugar

-8 oz very firm tofu (vacuum packed), cubed

-veggie oil for frying or/Pam cooking spray

-12 oz broccoli (or about 3 heads), chopped into florets

-brown rice, cooked

Procedure (make sure to set your rice to cook first!):

1. In a bowl mix the peanut butter, tamari, garlic, cayenne, mirin, and sugar.  Set aside.

2. Fry the tofu cubes in a little veggie oil over medium high heat until crispy and browned.  Drain on paper towels and set aside.

3. Bring water to boil in a large pot.  Put 1/4 cup of the hot water into your peanut butter mixture and stir- set aside again.  Salt the water and cook the broccoli for just about 3 minutes.  Drain, put a little cold water on it to stop the cooking, and set aside.

 4. Is your rice done?  Then it’s time to get everything you set aside.  In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the tofu, broccoli, and peanut butter mixture until the sauce begins to bubble and get thick. 

5. Serve over rice and enjoy this very flavorful meal!  It serves 4, unless you’re really hungry and a bit of a pig like we are!

Keep Reading, 

Irene's Furry!

Took this photo yesterday afternoon at home.

Well readers, I’ve been watching the hurricane weather watch on CNN since yesterday at noon and it’s getting pretty bad for a lot of us out here on the eastern seaboard! I’m in Maryland, about 20 minutes outside of Annapolis and 10 minutes out of DC, both places are expected to get flooding so I really don’t know what might happen in out area. We on our way to Pittsburgh, PA which is safe ground so though we will be safe in body, when we get back on Sunday, we’re not sure what we’ll be coming back to!

DC's rainfall on Thursday afternoon.

They keep saying prepare for the worst but hope for the best, I honestly think that’s all anyone can do. So to all you out there who are going through this or who have family and friends who are in Irene’s path, just hope for the best, say a prayer or two and sit tight! On a positive note, the hurricane has been dropped to a category 2 down to a category 1.

I’ll probably be off line for the entire weekend and we’re expected to have a week long lost of power so I might be off for even longer but as soon as I can, I’ll check in and try to send some photos.

Driving home from work via DC.

Love, you all, take care all and keep reading!  

 

Bottoms Up Ya'll!

In honor of FTLOB’s Thirsty Thursday Blog Hop, I have decided to post something for this upcoming holiday. Labor Day weekend is right around the corner and though it may mark the end of summer, the beginning of school and the changing of seasons, its a great way to take the summer out with a BANG! So get yourself to a BBQ or host one yourself but whatever you do, please make sure you have some super tasty drinks for all of your guest!

Take a look at this yummy drink; doesn’t the photo just make you want to run out and buy the ingredients to make it?!?! I know I sure want to! This is definitely an end of summer kind of drink!

Ingredients: Original Source - Mom Mag

• 1 12-ounce can frozen pineapple juice concentrate, thawed
• 1 6-ounce can frozen limeade concentrate, thawed
• 4 cups cold water * 1 liter club soda, chilled
• Ice cubes
• Fresh strawberries (optional)
• Short (6-inch) wooden skewers
• Assorted fruits such as halved orange slices, halved lime slices, orange sections, raspberries, strawberries, sliced kiwifruit, and mint sprigs

Directions

In a large pitcher combine pineapple juice concentrate, limeade, and water. Chill for at least 30 minutes. To serve, transfer fruit juice mixture to pitchers; add club soda, ice cubes, and fresh strawberries.

Serve with Fruit Swizzle Sticks, if desired.
Makes 14 (6-ounce) servings.

Fruit Swizzle Sticks: On short (6-inch) wooden skewers, thread assorted fruits and mint sprigs. Make-Ahead Tip: Up to 24 hours ahead, prepare the juice mixture and chill well. Proceed as directed.

Sit back, soak in the last days of summer and sip your cool, sweet drink and enjoy.

Keep Reading, 

Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake:

I know it's a bit early but I love Halloween and Thanksgiving so in honor of FTLOB's blog hop today (Tasty Tuesday's) I've decided to get in the spirit of Autumn a bit early!  I'm a a fan of all things pumpkin, in fact if you've never tried the pumpkin muffie tops from Parana Bread, your really missing out!

Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake: 

Recipe from Paula Deen
Cake:
1 18 1/4-ounce package yellow cake mix
1 egg
8 tablespoons butter, melted
Filling:
1 15-ounce can of pumpkin
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 tablespoons butter, melted
1 16-ounce box powdered sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
To make the cake, combine all of the ingredients and mix well. Pat the mixture into a lightly greased 13x9-inch baking pan.
Prepare filling:
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter and beat together. Next, add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mix well. Spread pumpkin mixture over cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Make sure not to over bake as the center should be a little gooey.

Eat and enjoy!!

Keep Reading,

Tens Things Monday...

Ten things you may or may not have known about me:

1.     I heart The Golden Girls, I watch all the reruns and marathons! I’m probably the number 1 fan!

2.     I think Ryan Gosling, Channing Tatum and Zack Efron are all cutie pa-tuties!

3.     I have a crazy passion for fashion!

4.     I’m really into art, painting, writing, drawing and all that other creative stuff…

5.     I believe in true love and really love being married! 

6.     I’m a big fan of the outdoors and I love animals! I’m a member of PETA

7.     My favorite day: rainy weather, a good book and a mug of hot chocolate. 

8.     I love to travel and have been to many counties and states!

9.     I love to cook and have a certification in Level-A culinary arts. You can find some of my recipes in my website.

10. I hate reality TV but I loved The City and The Hills!! 

Well I hope you had fun learning more about me!! Happy blogging, 

Keep Reading, 

Books, Books and More Books On Fashion That Is!

I don’t know if your having the same economic crisis in your area that I am but this past summer about 4 bookstores around my area alone closed down so even though I was heart broken (yes, I love a good book store) I decided to take advantage and pick up some great deals. Here’s what I got today and last week.

My first book haul from Borders Going out of business sale!

My favorite so far is Are You A Jackie or a Marilyn? Timeless Lessons on Love, Power, and Style, and the second book; Fifty Shoes That Changed The World.

My second book haul - picked these cool books up today!

Anyways I recommend that if your bookstores are slashing prices, run in and get yourself some books to add to your home library.

Okay so I just stole this hilarious video from Tammy over at Lemons, Avacado's and The Bay, (great blog by the way)!


Check it out, its too funny!!

 Keep Reading, 

Life Is So Glamorous!

So lately I’ve gotten really obsessed with nail designs and polishes! I’ve been on a mission to find some hot new colors and hot new looks for my nails.  So here is what I have so far. I woke up on Thursday with this crazy desire to go out and snag a bunch of colors and textures for my nails, so guess what girls, that’s exactly what I did! I guess this is my form of therapy, or should I say retail/cosmetic therapy and it for the most part seems to work! 

This beauty store had so many colors for $1.99!

So after hitting up 4 different beauty stores and department, I snagged a bunch of great colors for my nails. Here’s the first two styles I plan to try out I usually do one style a week so here’s the first style I’m going with for this week:

Black with gold specks

Second style for next week is:

Tan with gold speaks

Fashion quote of the day: Lady Gaga:

“My fashion is about the urban woman in the year 3000. I think about obscure, weird things and try to create a world around them.”

Keep Reading! 

Grilled Cheese... Yumm

Today on FTLOB’s were talking about things that bring us back to our childhood, or things from our childhood that we will never forget and as soon as I saw this link, I thought of grilled cheese sandwiches! 

Believe me when I say that I know this is weird but grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup was a really big comfort in my childhood! Most people might say their favorite doll, or a childhood dog or a family vacation but not me, nope I’m always the one who has to stand out and be the odd ball!!   

But on rainy days, I remember eating warm gooey, crunchy and cheesy grilled cheese sandwiches and dipping them in creamy tomato soup while talking to my siblings around the table. We could heat the rain beating outside the window and see the flashes of cartoons on the living room wall that playing on the television.  This was home to me! 

 

So not only have I had some great flash backs of my childhood, but now I’m really hungry!!

Blogging 101: This Might Be Just What I Need!

So it’s Thursday and not just any Thursday because for me, Thursday’s are what most people consider Friday's! It’s my last day of work for the week and then I'm off to a 3 day weekend, this is probably about the only thing I can say I really like about my job, having a flex schedule!! This morning my friend Tameka asked me what I was going to do for the next 3 days and to be honest I hadn’t really thought about it. I have a group project in my Criminally class which I’m sad to report that I haven’t even started yet, though I still have a few days so I’ll be fine!

But back to what I’m doing this weekend… After she asked me that, it got my lil ole brain to thinking and the one thing I really want to do is revamp my blogs and website. I have done some research today on how to update your blogs look and feel and now I plan to put these new skills to the test!

I think I want to add a bit more of a "real feel" to the blog, like possibly add my actually photo instead of Audrey Hepburn, then maybe lighten up the colors and the text and get rid of those unused and unneeded links just taking up space in the side.

I also want to get my focus back and write more. I was looking though my blog and started wonder, have I lost my voice, am I now just writing just to be writing? When I started this, I Lived, Breathed and Ate blogging all day, 24/7 -365, now I’m lucky if I get 3 posts up a week! And my website is suffering too, I have not written anything on fashion in over a week, not to mention I haven’t updated any of the other tabs!

So I think this weekend is going to be all about finding my voice, updating my blog, oh… and getting some school work done!

Happy blogging all and hopefully, next time you stop by my blog will look a little different! Feel free to leave suggestions about how to update my blog/website!! 

Keep Reading, 

I'm Going To The IFB NYC Conference on Sept 7th!

I’m really excited because I have finalized my trip to NYC in September! It's not just any trip, nope it’s for a blogger conference hosted through IFB in which I’m a member! There’s been so much buzz going on right now about this conference and being part of it is so exciting! Last year I was only able to watch the live feed from my desk and dream about going. Then this past Tuesday I found out there was going to be another one in September so I talked to my husband and though I feel he was a bit reluctant, he agreed to let me go!

Today I’ve been tweeting and talking to others who are also planning to attend mainly to get some ideas and its only making it that much more exciting! Last year 300 attendees were at the conference so I imagine there will be that much more this year. New bloggers pop up every 5 minutes and I'm sure some of them will be at this conference!

So I just finished booking my tickets from DC to NYC, only a 3 hour train ride and bought my ticket to the conference, then switched my schedule around with my co-worker and told my boss I’d be out of the office that day then breathed a sign of relief and a felt a tickle of excitement!

It's hard to explain just how important I hear attending these conference are, not only for networking but for learning how to better market your blog, build great content and get a higher readership, these are all things that I want, not to mention need for my blog and website to succeed! 

So I your going to the Independent Fashion Blogger NYC Conference this upcoming September,  give me a shout out and maybe I’ll see you there!

Keep Reading, 

Tasty Tuesday and A Bunch of Blog Hopping!

So I’ve spent a large portion of my morning visiting other blogger sites and checking out a lot of new and cool ideas on blogging. In doing so I ran across a lot of cool blogs that I hadn’t had time to visit and so I’m glad I decided to blog hop today!  

One think I cannot emphases enough or stress the importance that blog hopping can do for your blog readership and relationship building is! Of course you can join blog hopping sites and hope within the community but I like to think outside the box, though please don’t get me wrong, I am part of a few wonderful blog hopping group, one of my favorite is FTLOB’s. In fact today is Tasty Tuesday over there so I will be posting a yummy recipe below this entry. Being a member of FTLOB’s has really allowed me the opportunity to meet some other great blogger and build some great relationships with those bloggers so not only is blog hopping good, so is joining blog hopping sites! There are tons, just go out and look around a bit!

Now back to blog hopping; this morning between emails, phone calls and a meeting or two, I was able to do some long needed blog hopping around blog land. Believe me, you can get lost in there if you aren’t paying attention! There are literally thousands and thousands of blogs; you just need to shift through the bad to get to the good!

                                                                                   

So after all my digging, I found some really great blogs that I want to share with you all! Check out these links below!

http://www.elleandblair.com/cat/fashion

http://www.nicolerichie.com/

http://www.jazzimcg.com/blog/

http://www.lifestylelemonaid.com/

Then go take a look at my yummy recipe for Tuesday’s FTLOB blog hop! 

Caramel Apple Pie A La Mode Bites: 

For the recipe, visit: The Nifty Foodie

Keep Reading,