a dash of pinterest



red velvet cookies



english muffin pizza



cucumber avocado salad rolls





avocado olive quesadillas



buffalo chicken dip



blackberry margarita

want to follow along?

you can here!

the lights.

everything about this song takes me back here.

the sounds, the feel, the lights. it was amazing.

i am me.

i vividly remember being in high school & hating it. i also vividly remember having that feeling of trying to look that certain way to be accepted - i even had an eyeshadow collection that would make tammy fae jealous..  everything had to look perfect and even then it wasnt enough.  trying to be with the in crowd, only to find yourself as one of the smart kids. one of the kids who had their yearbook signed saying something like "expect to see you in national geographic one day.."  is that a compliment even? i still wonder about that.

and then we grow up. well most of us do. we start living more like our mothers & fathers had taught us - "beauty is from within.." "you must love yourself for who you are before anyone else can." back then it seemed ridiculous and stupid. and we could never quite understand why they babbled so much.  now i realize why they said the things they said. we can gob on ten pounds of eyeshadow and the darkest bronzer, but we still are the same person inside.

my makeup routine since the formative years has become quite simple. enough to embrace the freckles i hated so much in grade school. the brilliant blue eyes that people are convinced are just colored contacts. the fair porcelain skin that i used to get upset about because i couldnt tan like the other girls. & most of all the rosy red cheeks that come about just from alittle stress.

i am me.

 

weekend wrap-up: lots o' food & some fun too!

festivals were in full swing this weekend around the metroplex // husband and i found us a new & closer nursery to visit

red velvet cake w/ cream cheese frosting ice cream // a bottle cap doesnt have to tell me twice

a super drool worthy hamburger at a birthday party // outdoor dining was a must have yesterday after some crazy shopping at a grand opening

roxanne had a check up saturday. it went beyond well. she's gained three pounds since her near death experience and has decided that army crawling is the way to travel just about anywhere.

color crushing much?? mint green and french pink are super gorgeous so why not put them together??

how was your weekend?  do anything exciting?

a recipe: triple chocolate peanut butter pudding cake

who's feeling a little crae crae this morning?? oh dont know what crae crae is? oh thats like the new super hip, cool person slang for crazy apparently.  and that person who's feeling super crae crae, its me.  i dont know if its the lack of sleep catching up with me (thank you non stop, no reason at all barking puppy) or the amount of work at work thats not working that is causing this crae crae feeling, but i have this really bad gut feeling before the week is over (or even possibly today) someone will be crying. whether its me doing the crying or its me causing someone to cry, its gonna happen. and its not intentional at all. its just pure, raw & hard core frustration.

and what do you do when all those feelings are happening? bake something filled with ridiculous amount of chocolate & sugar. thats what!!! i found this recipe thanks to pinterest.  it wasnt actually on pinterest, but when i linked from another recipe on pinterest, it took me to bhg, which i love, which linked me over to this:

Triple Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding Cake

Ingredients:

Nonstick cooking spray

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup chocolate milk or regular milk

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 cup peanut butter-flavor pieces

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate pieces

1/2 cup chopped peanuts

3/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups boiling water

Vanilla ice cream (optional)

Chocolate bar pieces (optional)

How to:

1. Lightly coat the inside of a 3 1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray; set aside. (oh and when it says a specific size slow cooker, they have a reason for it.. i used a large one, and make cake was thinner than normal, but still delicious.)



2. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, and baking powder. Add chocolate milk, oil, and vanilla; stir just until moistened. Stir in peanut butter pieces, chocolate pieces, and peanuts. Spread batter evenly in the prepared cooker.


3. In another medium bowl, combine 3/4 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons cocoa powder. Gradually stir in boiling water. Carefully pour cocoa mixture over batter in cooker.


4. Cover and cook on high-heat setting for 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean.


5. Remove liner from cooker, if possible, or turn off cooker. Let stand, uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes to cool slightly. To serve, spoon pudding cake into dessert dishes. If desired, top with ice cream and chocolate bar pieces.


I dont dare add the nutrional information for this, because I mean if you really want to make this, then you really dont have concern for calorie count, I promise.  But if you still insist, you can find it here.

Thanks bhg for filling my chocolate needs!Enjoy!