Favorite Friday, Remembering Loved Ones & Happy 5 Year Anniversary!

Today is, of course ...

And TODAY'S topic is ...

FavoriteHome Decor Blog and mine is a COMPLETE no brainer, it would be NONE OTHER than my darling friend, blog designer and the fantastically talented Fabulous K!

If you don't ALREADY read/obsess over/stalk her blog, you will want to add it to your list PRONTO and if you ever are looking to spice up your blog look with a LOT of fabuloucity, well then head on over to her design blog, Fabulous K Creative.  I mean seriously, there's nothing this girl can't do.  AND she's an awesome friend, ifIdosaysomyself.

Next, even though this is our anniversary and a happy day to celebrate, I have to share with y'all something else that will always be on my mind as of 2 years ago to this day.  My mom's oldest sister, my Mama's first born, was very sick with cancer for several years.  Two years ago, very early on the morning of our annivesary, my aunt Sharron lost her battle with cancer.  All her family was with her, she died at home, but it was still very hard to see someone we cared about so much in so much excruciating pain.  She was such a fun, encouraging woman, and she always made me feel like I could do anything or be anyone.

{Aunt Sharron with her son Mikey on his wedding day}

Then, unexpectedly, my Papa (my dad's father) passed away the same morning.  Papa was absolutely a shock.  He wasn't even sick (granted he was older, but hadn't been in the hospital or really had any signs of this happening) he went to the hospital for some tests on some problems he was having while sleeping and died from a massive heart attack in his hospital room.  My Papa called me his Princess.  I will never forget when I was little, he took me on a Valentine's date, told me to get all dressed up and that we were going to Neiman's Tea Room for lunch and then proceeded to buy me the most beautiful dress and anything else my heart desired that day.  It was a day I will never forget.  Papa was my last grandpa.  I lost my sweet Papaw a few years before and ever since, when I see a darling old man, I have this uncontrollable urge to hug them and ask if I can "adopt" them as my grandpa.

{Me and my Papa at my Brother and Silly's rehearsal dinner}

Matt has had to be out of town on a client every year for our anniversary except this year.  So this was exceptionally hard not having him with me, but I have a very large family who was all supporting each other.  I love you Sharron and Papa and I miss you dearly.  But I know you're celebrating YOUR most precious anniversary with the Lord in Heaven, of the day you went to be with Him.

That all being said, I am just going to PICTURE SATURATE in honor of our last 5 years together.  These are in no particular order, just ones I like of us.  Happy Anniversary to my Mister.  My love, my best friend, my soulmate, my everything.  I love you sugar.

And here's ONE last wedding picture for the week.  Happy Weekend LOVES!!!  Hopefully I'll have pictures of THIS anniversary for you next week, we'll see if the Mister cooperates ...

Shoe of the Moment - Mario Batali Crocs

I know...Crocs are UGLY.  It's true.  I admit it.  But they're also comfy, and waterproof, and washable.  That makes them practical. And if you're going to wear ugly shoes, you may as well get them in the CRAZIEST color you can get your hands on.  I heart orange crocs - especially this Bistro style by Mario Batali.

I got these for walking the dogs as I got sick of trashin my shoes in mud, or wet grass, or creeks, or anything else we encounter at the dog park.  I especially love these when I'm walking the girls at the dog park near the creek.  These have traction on the bottom - intended to be non-slip in the kitchen.  This sole helps on the slick rocks when we're playing near the water.  Also, the soles are higher in the back than my other crocs, which is great in mud and wet grass.  And the best part - these are perfectly washable - I just throw them in our washing machine.

What shoes do you wear when you don't want to trash your good shoes?

Thoughtless Thursday: Happy Anniversary (Almost) To Us!!!

Being that it is ...

... n' all.  And BEING that tomorrow IS me n' my Mister's (I know that's horrible grammar, my bad - and yes I just said "my bad" for the first time since 1995) 5 year wedding anniversary tomorrow, I thought I'd make this thoughtless post full (well not SUPER full, apparently my Mister's dislike for picture taking rears it's ugly head during anniversary dinners) of past anniversary celebration pictures.  And let me forwarn you, I MAY or MAY NOT have a problem with not being able to make up my mind in my hair department.  So yes, I promise these are all me, contrary to what you may believe once you see the pictures.  So enjoy and HAPPY ANNIVERSARY (almost) TO US!!!

{Pretty sure this was year 1 anniversary.  HELLO awesome fever blisters.  They like me.  A LOT.}

{Pretty sure this is year 2's photo.  I know, we're SO photogenic.}

{Year 3.  At Jasper's.  And my FAVORITE dress that I got while working part time at BCBG.  Hence the reason the Mister made me stop, the paycheck was ending up hanging in my closet ...}

{PRETTY sure this was last year ... after the butchery that was my haircut the previous Christmas.}

And hopefully this year the Mister will let me take a FEW more pictures than one.  Just depends on how high I whine.  You'd be surprised I'm pretty good at it. 

And that's all loverlies!!!  If you want to play along, grab my button, post pictures of WHATEVER randomness you'd like, no 'splainin necessary (or 'splain a little if you like) and then come back here and McLinky up!!!  I can't wait to see what you've chosen!!!  And now I must stop before I use ANY more explanation points!!!  There I go again, STOP KATE.

Happy Thoughtless Thursday ... {took everything in me not to put 3 exclamation points right there}

!!!

{Shortly after our wedding, I learned a small, necessary daily habit that I like to call, eating.}

My Quest for Long Lasting Nail Polish - Zoya

I have been using Nailtek Foundation Xtra as a base coat and Seche Vite fast drying top coat.  This combo worked really well for me for months, and now all of a sudden it's peeling like crazy.  I think the primary reason for the peeling is that my Nailtek Foundation is old and got all thick and yucky, so I added some of the Nailtek Exted thinner drops.  I have had to do that a couple of times now, and I think that affected the properties of the base coat.  However, I'm having a hard time finding a replacement, as I have yet to find a Nailtek retailer in Canada.  So I went to the Trade Secrets near me to look for something that would make my nail polish last.  I left there $50+ poorer, and with a handful of products from Zoya.

I tried the Zoya color lock system last night.  I can see why people like these products, but they are not without faults. First I cleanded, filed and buffed my nails.  I then used a cuticle softener/remover to get rid of any dry cuticles.  Then I washed my hands thoroughly with soap and water, dried them, and went over them with polish remover to get them ready for the base coat.  The base coat is also a nair strengthener, which is great.  It went on smooth.  No problems there.  Then came the color, followed by the top coat.  The top coat bubbled a little, but nothing major (I read somewhere that some people had problems with bubbling).  I then waited a few minutes and applied the drying drops.  These have a strage feel to them, and the application is not precise so I got them all over my fingers.  Kind of sucky because it's not like I could wash my hands while my polish was wet.  So I wiped my fingers a bit, and then I waited.

And I waited....

And waited...

I'm used to Seche Vite, so I felt like I was waiting FOREVER for my nail polish to dry.  It didn't stay wet exactly, but it was somewhat tacky and 'not quite dry' feeling.  After about 2 and 1/2 hours I was pretty confident that my polish was dry.  I went to bed, and to my great annoyance, I woke up this morning with crease marks on EVERY SINGLE NAIL!  Ugh!

I am impressed with how thin my polish is on my nails - with my previous system, the polish layers were much thicker.  I also liked the way the Zoya polish applied to the base.  There is no chipping or peeling so far, which is great.  If it wasn't for the superlong drying time and those damn crease marks, I would be one happy woman today!  I will keep test driving the Zoya Color Lock System, and I'll let you all know how it works out. 

I do have to say that Zoya makes some of my favorite colors of nail polish.  I am currently wearing Maya.  I didn't have time to swatch this one for you yet, but here is a pic from the Zoya website for now.

What products do you use to make your polish last?

Wishful Wednesday!

I'm feeling quite wishful on this Wednesday (if you couldn't tell by my wishlist of jewelry lust yesterday).  A perfect attitude for ...

And let me tell you how excited I am for this topic.  ESPECIALLY after last night!  Today's Wishful Wednesday topic IS ...

'I Wish' .... I could be a GLEE character for an episode and it would be RACHEL!

Um, first off, have you heard this chick BELT IT!?!?  I'm mean during "Rain On My Parade" I physically had to force myself to stay in my seat and not get up and dance around the room.  Yes, she's a bit annoying and yes, she loves herself and YES, she dresses like she attends private school but did anyone catch that she has two (I think this next statement might be considered statutory crushing, but I'm okay with it) incredibly good looking, incredibly AMAZING singers fighting over her?  And last night when she and Finn were singing the Madonna duet!?!?  Goosebumps I tell you, GOOSEBUMPS!!!  Again, had to force myself to stay in my seat and not dance around my living room.  No need to wake the vewy sweepy labrador.

 

{So cute in such a nerdy preppy way.}

{Get it gurl.}

But truth be told I big pounding heart them all and am not ashamed to say that I L-O-V-E this show.

Why can't we all bust into spontaneous song and dance whenever the moment arises?  I feel like the world would be a happier place.  Is it next Tuesday yet?

Recipe: Italian Wedding Soup

I made Italian Wedding Soup today.  I've never made it before.  I can't believe how much better this soup is when it is homemade!

It's pretty easy to do as well.  The most consuming part is making all those bite sized meatballs.  But those meatballs are also the best part of this recipe - they were melt in your mouth deliciousness!

I morphed several recipes and this is what I came up with:

Meatballs
1/4 lb pork stew meat - ground
1/4 lb beef stew meat - ground
1/4 lb veal stew meat - ground
1 slice whole wheat bread
1/2 C parmesan cheese - finely grated
4T  whole milk
4T bread crumbs (I used panko because that's all I had)
2 eggs
3 cloves garlic, crushed
3T basil, dry
2t oregano, dry
2t marjoram, dry
salt and pepper

Grind the stew meat.  At the end, add the bread slice to the grinder to push out the remainder of the meat out of the machine.  Add all other ingredients to the meat.  Mix well.  Roll into bite sized meat balls.

Here are the meatballs all lined up and ready for the pot.

Soup
8C chicken broth
1 bay leaf
2T basil, dry
meatballs from recipe above
100g acini de pepe pasta
6C spinach, rough chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Bring chicken broth (homemade is best) to a boil with bay leaf and basil.  Add raw meatballs to boiling water.  Bring to a boil and allow to cook until meatballs float (approx 3 minutes).  Add pasta, stir and boil until pasta is tender (approx 10 min). Add spinach and bring to a boil.  Season and serve.  Top individual bowls with shaved parmesan.

Buon appetito!