a lovely leibster award

i was nominated by these two lovely ladies:

christina @ significants or nothing

whitney @ life alaskan style

  

post 11 random facts about yourself

1. i have a craving for fro-yo all the time.

2. i'm addicted to my phone and i hate it. it's really bad guys.

3. i love watching talent shows: x-factor, the voice, america's got talent...i love them all!

4. i love eating cereal and ice cream out of coffee mugs

5. i wish i read more books, but it's hard for me to sit still for long enough to make it through more than a chapter at a time

6. my favorite cereal is raisin bran crunch

7. i love throwing parties with silly themes. need a party plan? i'm your girl! :)

8. i read magazines backwards

9. making the bed in the morning is a must! it's my one must to cleaning habit

10. i leave cabinets open all the time and i don't even realize it.  bub-hub says he can always find me by following the trail of open cabinets and drawers.  oops!

11. big bang theory is the bomb.com

 

here are three lovely ladies that i'd like to nominate! :)

pam @ yes it it, kevin

kaitlyn @ keeping up with kaitlyn

julie @ just julie

 

happy saturday guys!

 

a busy & refreshing weekend

you know what's better than a weekend full of friends and family?

ummmm...nothing.

bryce and i made the trek up i-45 last friday afternoon, made a stop at sonic for happy hour, waved to sam houston, sat in traffic, and cranked the tunes.
we arrived in coppell just in time for dinner at our favorite restaurant on the planet,

anamias.

followed by fro-yo with my mama and watching the olympics.

pretty solid welcome home if i do say so myself.

it also just worked out that my bestie a.k.a. the bride-to-be was in town!

holla!

so a trip to starbucks definitely happened.

have you tried the very berry hibiscus refresher?

my new favorite thing for sure!

and we might have made another trip to anamias...

it's not that houston is lacking in mexican food restaurants,

but for real guys,

nothing compares to our hometown favorite.

and we had some lost time to make up for.

even though our time with our families was short,

it was just what my heart needed.

we had a great time,

and maybe [definitely] ate too much food.

totally worth it.

how was your weekend?

woohooo olympics party!

what's better than the opening ceremonies of the olympics??

dressing up, eating yummy snacks and watching them with friends of course! :)

 yes there was an invitation... 

and a chalkboard welcome sign! :)

we had the opening ceremonies on, and set up kinect sports, but really, let's be real.

isn't it all about the food??

let's break down this snack situation:

what do you think of my janky oreo pops??

i'll be the first to admit that i am not a "pretty" baker.

i've tried to make cakeballs dozens of times,

and while they taste yummy,

they look absolutely terrible.

i think i am using the wrong type of chocolate coating...it takes forever to set and drips everywhere and is just a disaster.

any suggestions??

i filled mine with mini turkey pepperonis, cheese, sauce, and red and yellow bell peppers.

i may or may not have eaten an entire tray full.

p.s. you can find wonton wrappers in the produce section next to the tofu.

duh.

this was so yummy and tasted just like the real thing.

next time, i'll probably add strawberries to the mix.

horray for using wedding gifts! :)

 

a party isn't a party with out salsa and guac!

 do you guys have HEB grocery stores?

they have the best spicy guac on the planet.

i may or may not have eaten 1/2 a carton of guac for lunch saturday.

i'll never tell.

 

don't judge.

of course there were decorations!

bryce and i found the blue sparkly ring and usa stars in the clearance section at target.

definitely great planning to have the olympics fall a few weeks after the fourth of july.

watch out feddy....the real competition is coming your way! :)

loving the chastain women!

not quite to par with hostess with the mostess, but a step in the right direction! :)

p.s. after 2 months with my new iphone,

i realized that the plastic shield was still on my phone...which is why all of my iphone photos have been turning out so terribly.

 sooo smooth....

i'm seeing non-grainy, well lit photos in my future.

yay for friday!!!

i am so glad friday is finally here.

this week has been exceptionally terrible or rough, i just love friday.

dear bub-hub,
thanks for helping me decorate for the olympic's opening ceremonies. :) and i'm sorry i'm not sorry in advance for commendeering the tv for the next two weeks.
you're the best!

dear lion king and ladies night,

you were fabulous. just what i needed to push me over the mid-week hump.

my friend alison and i went to see the lion king at the hobby center downtown on wednesday night.

it was pretty much the most fantastic thing i've ever seen.

i was exhausted watching the dancers jump and prance and dance around like animals.

if i had 1/4 of the energy they had...man, that would be fantastic.

dear macaroni and trees,

way to be fabulous. :)

rachel ray would be proud.

dear accessory auction,

you are so fantastic, but so heartbreaking at the same time.

i love my tory burch inspired wrap bracelet.

and everything else you post on auction night.

have you heard of accessory auction??

be carefuly ladies...don't say i didn't warn you. :)

dear pure barre....you're kicking my booty and i love it!!
three weeks down, and i can feel the changes.
[if only i could kick my sweet-tooth...]
plus, how adorable are these bathroom signs....

dear opening ceremonies,
you're going to be fabulous. i'm so glad the olympics are finally here!

linking up with friday's letters and high five for friday.

holla!

     

christmas in july

i'm on a christmas kick.

for some reason,

95% of my pins from the last week revolve around christmas.

my bad.

i think 100degree weather and high humidity have me dreaming of cooler temperatures and santa's reindeer...153 days till christmas! :)

o. and most of these are sweets too.

my bad again.

these are so cute!

i'm a huge fan of peppermint, marshmallows and hot chocolate,

so i'm pretty sure me and these marshmallow stirring sticks are destined to be besties.

Source: bridgeywidgey.com via Sarah Grace on Pinterest

i'm not really sure if i'd be able to eat a cookie a cute as one of these,

but i probably would.

Source: bhg.com via Sarah Grace on Pinterest

peppermint whoopie pies anyone?

yes please! :)

mine probably wouldn't turn out quite as cute as these,

but i'm told treats that look "homemade" are charming.

Source: bhg.com via Sarah Grace on Pinterest

is it wrong that i don't have children and i still want to do this?

don't make fun,

but i still leave cookies for santa and carrots for his reindeer.

i feel terrible that i never thought about the elves.

i've got years of making up to do.

Source: unconfidentialcook.com via Sarah Grace on Pinterest

i've always wanted to make canned gifts,

and i think this might be my year.

peppermint stick hot chocolate in a cute jar.

yes please!

Source: myrecipes.com via Sarah Grace on Pinterest

i love advent calendars, and i love how interactive these are.

i've seen a few versions of these floating around on the internet,

but i love the scrapped look of this one.

Source: kimberlypetersen.typepad.com via Sarah Grace on Pinterest

am i the only one who is already excited for christmas?

i see many trips to hobby lobby in my near future!

sorry in advance, bub-hub! :)

linking up with michelle over at the vintage apple!

peppy prints on a monday

the olympics countdown is officially in the single digits.

yayyyy!!

i was almost late to work because i was watching the special segments on the olympic athletes on the today show.

darn real life getting in the way of my favorite things.

i've been excited about the olympics for weeks and watching all of the olympic trials and special behind the scenes coverage and reading all of the insider blogs.

obsessed much?

 what can i say, i wanna be an insider.

and i wanna be best friends with an olympian.

and i wanna hang these prints up in my apartment.

etsy @ mrcityprinting

etsy @ loveonthehill

etsy @ 3279Press

i think these prints are so fun.

definitely getting me in the mood!

[go america!]



yummy roasted red potatoes

last week, a sweet lady at work brought in fresh rosemary she clipped from her garden, and i knew i had to use it! 

growing up, my mom had an herb garden in our backyard.

she had all sorts of fun plants and herbs growing, but one of my favorites was rosemary.

i think it was one of my favorites because she used it a lot in different recipes like focaccia bread or roasted potatoes. plus, being able to run out to the backyard and snip something from the garden makes it a little more special.

this recipe for roasted red potatoes is definitely a crowd pleaser. 

what you need:

2 small red potatoes per person

olive oil

fresh rosemary

salt and pepper

first, preheat the oven to 475degrees. (it drives the bub-hub nuts when i forget to preheat the oven...oops!)

second, wash and chop the potatoes.  

there's no need to peel the skins, just scrub the dirt off and cut out all of the bad sections. chop them pretty thin, and in small chunks. the thicker the chunks, the longer they will need to spend in the oven. once they are chopped, place in a baking dish or casserole pan.

third, drizzle a light layer of olive oil over the potatoes. it doesn't take much, there shouldn't been any puddles in the bottom of your pan. strip the rosemary from the stems and sprinkle on top.  add salt and pepper to taste.  toss everything together and spread the potatoes evenly in the pan.

fourth, stick them in the oven and bake for about 45 minutes. take them out every fifteen minutes or so and stir them around and scrape them off the bottom of the pan.  they should start to shrink up and turn brown around the edges. depending on how big your batch of potatoes is, the time may be shorter or longer. helpful right??

fifth, pull 'em out and eat 'em up!

enjoy! :)

we had these tonight along with some salad with balsamic vinaigrette and garlic & brown-sugar baked chicken.
perfect dinner for the bachelorette season finale! :)

p.s. i updated my blog header and finally have a blog button! :)

what do you think??

two months of fabulousness.

today, bryce and i are celebrating two months of marriage.

how did that even happen?

our long-distance relationship lasted forever.

our engagement lasted forever...and ever and ever.

then, all of the sudden,

the wedding was here and over and we're two months in.

and what a fabulous, fun, time it has been.

i've learned so much over the past few weeks and am appreciating more and more all of the counseling and prayers we received over our engagement. i know without a doubt our marriage will be stronger because of all the wise counsel we received. 

but most of all, the greatest advice we received was to 

communicate about everything:

the good, the bad, and the silly.

even when i don't feel like talking,

or when the bub-hub just wants to watch sports center.

we have to communicate.

when you don't have tension, or anger, or frustrations, or worries clouding your mind, you're able to fully, 100%, enjoy each other's company. 

ugh, tension is the worst, honesty is the best.

i'm more in love with my bub-hub than ever.

people say that being married is like having a sleepover with your best friend every night.

how could anyone not love that??

i know that we are still in the honeymoon stage,

but who says you can't be happy and in love forever?

sure it will take work,

but are there any fabulous things in life that don't require a little work?

marry your best friend people.

all the cool kids are doing it! :) 

hey there birchbox!

monday evening, i came home to a lovely, hot pink surprise.

my july birchbox has arrived!

the theme: 5 senses

for those of you unfamiliar with birchbox,

it's a monthly sample subscription service.

you can sign up on their website here.
it's a great way to try out new products

my lovely new samples

[2: stainiac lip and cheek stain]

[3: eyeko skinny liquid liner]

 at first, i was really excited when i saw i got liquid eye liner....and then i saw that it was olive green.  i'm not sure how that will work for me, but maybe i'll try it out on a stay-at-home-saturday.

[4: earbug headphones!]

:) these are neon and fabulous!

it's as if birchbox new i just accidently stepped on mine and needed a new pair. fate in action folks.
[5: miss charming perfume by juliette has a gun]

this smells sooooo yummy. i am definitely adding it to my christmas list.

[6: suki skin care regimine] 

i'm pretty hesitant when it comes to skincare samples. you can't really tell how it will really effect you from 2-3 days, but i guess it's better than nothing!

[7: uber bar by larabar: roasted nut roll]

they also have a cherry cobbler flavor which i'm anxious to try, although i'm sure it will not be as yummy as the real thing. darn healthy foods.

i'll be the first to admit,

i'm not fantastic at using fabulous products or makeup.

but i'm hoping that birchbox will help me learn to appreciate the finer things in life! :)

did you receive a july birchbox?

any products you can recommend?

peppy prints on a monday

weekends are the best, 

but sunday nights are the worst.

it makes me so sad when i see the time going by on sundays,

because i know it means i'm just getting closer and closer to monday morning.

luckily,

i have a cup of coffee and cinnabon creamer to snap me out of my funk.

every day, i become less and less of a morning person,

and i learn to appreciate my coffee more and more.

oops. 

maybe if i had one of these prints hanging in my kitchen, i would be a bit more willing to welcome the morning. 

graphic anthology on etsy

texturedINK on etsy

noodle hug on etsy
this one makes me chuckle. :) 

what wakes you up in the morning?

crowd pleasin' cherry cobbler

confession:

i have a gigantic sweet tooth.

it's quite the problem.

one of my fantastic college roomies was the ultimate baking queen.

i remember coming home from class and finding her in the kitchen, apron on, baking away.  the house always smelled amazing.

when she went on a cobbler kick, i took notes, and i'm so glad i did!

this is a super easy to throw together,

and a perfect dinner party crowd pleaser.

what you need:

1 box of Yellow Cake Mix

2 cans of Fruit Filling

1 stick of butter

pie dish, 9x13 pan...whatever you have in your cabinet

preheat your oven to 350degrees.

find a pie dish or 9x13 pan and pour your two cans of filling into the bottom.

 

cover the fruit filling with a thick layer of yellow cake mix. it should be about 3/4 inch thich, so depending on the size of your pan and your crust-loving preferences, you may or may not use the whole box.

melt the stick of butter in the microwave and drizzle over the top of the cake mix. 

bake for 25 minutes at 350degrees, or until bubbly and golden brown.

serve with a scoop (or 2) of ice cream.

eat and enjoy! :)

[and then go back for seconds]

told you it was easy.

xoxoxo,

sarah grace