Eat Dessert First.

"Life is short. Eat dessert first."

I have to start my Weekend Recap off with DESSERT! What better way to start of the weekend than with dessert? I headed home from work to try a recipe I'd seen on Pinterest that looked insanely easy and it turned out SO GOOD!! I don't recommend many things, but this you HAVE TO TRY!! You only need 3 things: crescent rolls, peanut butter, and chocolate chips.

Just roll out the crescent rolls, spread peanut butter on top, and then add chocolate chips! I had milk chocolate and white chocolate chips so I added a little of both and put them in the oven for 11 minutes at 375. I thought they turned out perfect. Now I just need to come up with a really good name for them.

 Chad and I spent Saturday afternoon at the pool and I'm getting close to finishing Fifty Shades of Grey (I've yet to figure out the obsession).

"You had me at CINNAMON ROLL."

Saturday night was DATE NIGHT!! We had dinner at Micheal's Steak and Seafood Restaurant inside Aloft Hotel in downtown Homewood (also referred to as SOHO). It's one of my favorite areas here.

As soon as we ordered dinner, we were served bread. Not just any bread, but CINNAMON ROLLS (dessert first, please and thank you). I decided this place had my approval before we had even seen our entrees. I am a semi-seafood snob. I love good fish and Micheal's definitely has my approval!! I had grilled salmon and Chad had blackened grouper. I've added Michael's to my TOP 3 restaurants in Birmingham. 

While we  were at dinner, we ran into another couple from Troy that is now living in Birmingham and stayed for drinks with them to catch up on some Troy gossip.

GUITAR HERO

Confession... At 26 and 27 we definitely spent part of our weekend playing Guitar Hero. I've never played before and let me just say - I AM BEYOND TERRIBLE!! It's frustrating to be so bad at something (especially when you have the level set on EASY), but at the same time it was hilarious and I'll definitely play again!!

I hope everyone had a great weekend!!

Friday's Fancies - Stars and Stripes

The 4th of July might be over, but who says we can't wear red, white, and blue all week or maybe even summer? I mean, the Olympics are coming!  

Today I am linking up with Long Distance Loving for Friday's Fancies #84 
This week's theme: Stars and Stripes

J. Crew, Max & Chloe, Stripe, blue, white by scarbrough featuring stud earrings

The J. Crew Shorts are by far my favorite in the set above!!

Also pictured: J. Crew Vintage Cotton V-Neck Tee, Aldo Clutch, Max Studio Heels, Gorjana earrings, Max and Chloe Initial Bracelet

July 4th - Pinterest Wednesday

Happy Fourth of July!! 

My seventh straight week to link up with The Vintage Apple for Oh, How PINTERESTing Wednesday! 

Here are a few of my favorite pins for the  fourth!!

Finally!! Red, white, and blue rooms that aren't tacky. 
Room #1

Source: styleathome.com via Ashlyn on Pinterest

Room #2

Source: imaginedesignblog.com via Casey on Pinterest

Fourth of July Food #1

Source: allrecipes.com via Lauren on Pinterest

Fourth of July Food #2: fruit kabobs

Source: sixsistersstuff.blogspot.com via Lauren on Pinterest

Festive Nails

Source: pinkurock.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

Outfit #1

Source: atlantic-pacific.blogspot.com via Rachel Sandall on Pinterest

Outfit #2

Source: elementsofstyleblog.com via Hannah on Pinterest

I hope everyone has a fabulous fourth!

Weekend Recap via Photo Dump

Time for my first Phone Photo Monday! 

Eleven photos of where I’ve been the last week and a half:

1) Finally tried Steel City Pops - I went with Banana and Chad chose Strawberry Cream, but if you are feeling brave feel free to pick Chocolate Chile or Pineapple Jalapeno

2) Picking a dress for a summer wedding at Banana Republic and the winner = the middle dress 

3) On our way to Little Donkey to try the new Mexican restaurant in Homewood and so excited about my new necklace from Glow

4) Karaoke at Starz with friends

5) Vera Bradley now makes iPhone cases. Here is my new case!

6) Mrs. Lisa (Chad's mom) and Floyd's Rehearsal Dinner Friday Night

7) Pre-Wedding Day Cake

8) Shreveport – Casino Time

9) Before the wedding:
Chad with John and their grandad  / Chad and I with his ADORABLE Grandparents

 10) Bringing home fresh canned products from Chad’s grandmom – salsa, pickles, and muscadine jelly

 

11) NEW! Skittles Riddles – the colors do not match the flavors and it really throws your mind

Happy Fourth of July Week!

Pinteresting Wednesday - Closets

Have you ever heard anyone say, "My closet is too big!"? 
I haven't either!


Today I am linking up with The Vintage Apple for the 6th week in a row for another Oh, How PINTERESTing Wednesday! 

My theme for this week  = CLOSETS

  Here are a few of my favorite closets from Pinterest.

I'll start with my absolute favorite!

Source: goo.gl via Lauren on Pinterest

Give a girl the correct footwear...

Source: houzz.com via Lauren on Pinterest

Never have I ever... 
Seriously, a two-story closet?
 This one is a little extreme even for me.

Source: houzz.com via Brielle on Pinterest

An ironing board in the closet? Genius.

Source: houzz.com via Debbie on Pinterest

I'm speechless.

Source: sweetydesign.com via Rosemary on Pinterest

This one has Martha Stewart written all over it! 


 

Source: maiedae.blogspot.com via Abby on Pinterest

This last pin is not a closet, but I felt like it went with the theme and I just couldn't leave it out of the post.

Source: boozebagbettygoestorehab.blogspot.com via Lauren on Pinterest

Clearly no one actually uses these closets. If they did, they would never look this clean.

Time Flies

I was so excited to come home to NEW FLOOR last week! Our lease runs up on July 17th. When Allise and I first moved in our apartment I had just finished grad school. We were both 23 when we moved in on July 17, 2008. Our first few weeks were spent watching and cheering for Michael Phelps as he won 7 gold medals in the 2008 Olympics. If someone would have told me I would still be here for the 2012 Olympics, I never would have believed them. I remember thinking we would live here 1 year (maybe 2) and there was no point in hanging too much on the walls. A few years after, I can remember watching Sarah Jessica Parker (Carrie) clean out her closet in the Sex and the City movie. She was cleaning out 11 years’ worth of clothing in her apartment closet. I looked at Allise and said, “oh no, is that going to be us?” At four years, we are getting close BUT our official move out date is May 17, 2013… we think. :)

 

Before resigning our lease to begin our 5^th year here, we begged for new flooring in our kitchen and bathrooms. The laminate flooring we had was beyond gross when we first moved in and after four years of us, it definitely wasn’t looking any better. The complex agreed to the new flooring and the before and after is like night and day!

WE LOVE THE NEW FLOORING!!! 

It has almost been installed for a full week now and I still smile when I walk in! I never knew new flooring could make me so happy. I guess I can add that to the list of reasons I know I’m getting old. 

Over the last four years we have: laughed, cried, dated a few guys, been in weddings, given baby showers, celebrated birthdays, decorated for holidays, never missed a season of The Bachelor or Bachelorette, run in half marathons, changed jobs, traveled, set off the fire alarm, and even mastered roach killing.

Here are some of my favorite memories from the last 4 years.

 From Troy right before we moved to Birmingham.

  With Allise and Crystal for my first Talledega experience

  

  January 2010 - Dinner in the Signature Room on the 95th floor of the John Hancock Building in Chicago!

  

Celebrating our 25th Birthdays at the rooftop bar of the Redmont Hotel

   

A few hours later - dancing and still celebrating our 25th Birthdays!

 In my brown hair phase - Casino Night

 Summer 2010 - Miller Brewery Tour - Milwaukee, Wisconsin 

 Chicago Trip - Segway Tour, Navy Pier, and with The Bean

Our 26th Birthday Cakes

 Spring 2011 - Dinner with Friends at Pacific Rim in 5 Points

 Christmas Paintings at Sips N Strokes

February 2012 - Nashville for Crystal's Bachelorette Party

 

March 2012 - Crystal's Wedding Reception at The American Village

Now here is to our last 10 months in the apartment!

ESCAPE - Book Club

Today I am linking up to the blog Blonde…Undercover Blonde for Book Club Fridays.  



As soon as I read the back cover of Escape in the bookstore, I purchased it! 

Escape 
by Barbara Delinksy

 Book Description / Synopsis from GoodReads.com –

 Emily Aulenbach is thirty, a lawyer married to a lawyer, working in Manhattan. An idealist, she had once dreamed of representing victims of corporate abuse, but she spends her days in a cubicle talking on the phone with vic­tims of tainted bottled water—and she is on the bottler’s side.

And it isn’t only work. It’s her sister, her friends, even her husband with whom she doesn’t connect the way she used to. She doesn’t connect to much in her life, period, with the exception of three things—her computer, her BlackBerry, and her watch.

Acting on impulse, Emily leaves work early one day, goes home, packs her bag, and takes off. Groping toward the future, uncharacteristically following her gut rather than her mind, she heads north toward a New Hampshire town tucked between mountains. She knows this town. During her college years, she spent a watershed summer here. Painful as it is to return, she knows that if she is to right her life, she has to start here.

Here is my take :

Have you ever had one of those moments where you just want to walk away from everything and disappear? I know I have on multiple occasions. There are several days when I would just love to leave my little cubicle at work and drive for miles with no phone and no email. 


Emily is living a high stress, faced paced life in an overpriced New York apartment. She is having one of those days/weeks/months where everything seems to be happening at once. One day Emily reaches her breaking point and literally ESCAPES from all her work and life problems in New York. Emily goes back to where she met her first love (who by the way, is not her current lawyer husband). One of Emily’s best friends still lives there and just happens to be the sister of Emily’s first love. Emily helps out around town while she tries to decide what to do next in life. I can’t go into too many details without ruining the book, but I can say it’s a great summer read!

 LIKE: Emily does what many of us have wanted to do before. She packs her bags and takes off with no plans.

DISLIKE: I think the author could have left the coyote parts out.  

Escape was the first book I have ever read by Barbara Delinsky. When I searched to see if she had any other books out, I realized she has over twenty bestselling books and I hope to read more of her books soon!!

 For now I’ve given in to the trend. I have to see what Fifty Shades of Grey  is all about…