Life As A Wall: Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites: Baby Shower Edition!

Baby Brunch July 11, 2014

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Friday Favorites: Upcoming Events

Friday Favorites October 12, 2012

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Friday Favorites: Vegan for a Week

Friday Favorites August 31, 2012

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Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites February 24, 2012

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Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites February 17, 2012

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Friday Favorites: Valentine's Day Desserts

Friday Favorites February 10, 2012

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Friday Favorites: Get. In. My. Belly.

Faves January 06, 2012

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Friday Favorites: Happy Birthday to our Babies!

Faves September 23, 2011

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Friday Favorites: Five recipes I can't WAIT to try this fall!

Faves September 09, 2011

As I mentioned on my last Friday Favorites, I cannot WAIT to sit on our back porch with a blanket, a good book and some hot chocolate. I could do it the easy way and just whip up some Swiss Miss packaged hot chocolate. OR, I could do it the fun & old-fashioned way: on the stovetop. I've been on the look-out for an old kettle to keep on the stove anyway, so that would be a perfect way to make it, too. Fun! When I want to find a good, southern, easy-to-make recipe, I go straight to my friend Christy Jordan's web site, Southern Plate. Actually, I've never met her in my life, but I feel like I could know her and like her from her blogs/recipes she posts. Anyway, I found the perfect-sounding recipe for old fashioned stovetop hot chocolate. Here it is if you want to try it:

Old Fashioned Stovetop Hot Chocolate

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
4 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
Marshmallows

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, cocoa & 1/2 cup milk. Stir constantly over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add remaining milk and heat; do not boil. Remove from heat & stir in vanilla. Serve hot, with marshmallows. Makes six servings.

If this tastes anything like Starbucks' sweet creamy hot chocolate, good luck getting it away from me. Speaking of Starbucks, ever wonder how they make their famous, seasonal Pumpkin Spice Latte? Well, someone claims to have the recipe for it and was happy to post it for the rest of us to see:

Pumpkin Spice Latte

Ingredients:

2 cups milk
2 tbsp canned pumpkin or 1 tsp Torani Pumpkin Spice syrup
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup espresso

In saucepan, combine milk, pumpkin (or syrup) and sugar; cook on medium heat, stirring until steaming. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla & spice. Transfer to blender to process for 15 seconds until foamy OR just use a wire whisk to stir really well until foamy. Pour into large mug or two mugs. Add espresso on top. Optional: Top w/ whipped cream & sprinkle pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg or cinnamon on top. YUM~

To me, you can't go wrong with cinnamon during the fall. It gives pies, lattes, cookies, etc. that cool autumn feel and makes you just want to curl up in front of a fireplace in a rocking chair with a blanket. These cinnamon bites I ran across look like some doozies! And talk about easy to make!

Cinnamon Bites

Ingredients:

1 can of biscuits
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tbsp. cinnamon
1/2 stick butter
4 tbsp butter (glaze)
2 cups powdered sugar (glaze)
1 tsp. vanilla extract (glaze)
3 to 6 tbsp hot water (glaze)

Preheat oven to 350°. Mix cinnamon & sugar in a large freezer bag. Cut biscuits into bite size pieces. Drop them inside the bag a few at a time to coat. Place the coated pieces in an ungreased cake pan. Pour leftover sugar mix over the biscuit pieces & drizzle with the melted butter. Bake for 15 min. or until golden brown.

In the meantime, you can be making the glaze: Mix melted butter, powdered sugar & vanilla. Add hot water 1 tbsp at a time until the glaze reaches desired consistency. Drizzle over biscuit pieces before serving, or dip biscuit pieces in them.

This is making me hungry...

Okay, back to hot chocolate (I know, it's a little unorganized :) ), but this one is just a mix that you can keep stashed away for when you are ready to warm it up! It would also make an excellent Christmas gift (partly because it's so cheap to make :) ). Those who usually get gifts from me & Corey can probably expect to get a bag of this mix and maybe some of my chocolate-drizzled peanut butter fudge or cinnabun fudge. :)

Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix

Ingredients:

1 box instant powdered milk (the size that makes 8 quarts)
1 - 6 oz. jar powdered coffee creamer
1 - 2 pound box Nesquik or other powdered chocolate milk mix
1 pound powdered sugar

(Notice how big these helpings are? It makes 45 - 1/3 cup servings!)

Mix all ingredients together in a large container. Store in sealed container until ready to use. To make hot cocoa, fill mug 1/3 full with mix & add hot water & stir. (When I first read this I thought, "Wouldn't it be better & creamier to use milk?" But remember, there's powdered milk in the mix already.) Here is a cute gift idea: Place 1/3 cup mix into sandwich size ziploc bag. Fold over & tape, so that mix is only using 1/2 of bag. Add ten marshmallows, two Hershey's kisses, and a small candy cane to other side of bag. Place in clear party treat bag and fold over. Staple a poem and/or recipe to it. Voila! Stocking stuffer!

And what is fall without some football food too?! I am seriously excited about these stuffed pizza sticks!

Stuffed Pizza Sticks

Ingredients:

1 loaf frozen bread dough (Rhode's)
1 jar pizza sauce
1 3/4 cups mozzarella
Your favorite pizza toppings. I am going to use jalapeños, Italian sausage, Canadian bacon & pepperonis.

Thaw bread dough completely. Roll out on floured surface until it is a rectangle approx. 14"x9" (doesn't have to be exact). Spread 1/3 to 1/2 cups pizza sauce on dough. Sprinkle with pizza toppings and cheese. Wet the edges & fold up sides and ends to seal into a loaf. Place seam side down in a lightly greased baking dish & lightly spray top of loaf with cooking spray. Cover with cling wrap & place in warm place to allow to rise for 1 to 2 hours, or until doubled. Remove plastic wrap & place in 350° oven for 25 - 30 min, or until golden brown. Allow to cool slightly, then slice in 1 1/2 inch segments & serve with the remaining pizza sauce (or if you're like me, you want yours with Ranch dressing!)

Is your stomach growling at you yet? :) Once I try these, I'll move them over to my Recipes page so if you want to try them, you'll know where they are. As soon as I get an espresso machine, I will be trying to make the pumpkin spice latte myself as opposed to paying $4 for one :) If you try any of these first, let me know how they are! Happy Friday!

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Friday Favorites: All About Fall

Friday Favorites August 26, 2011

This morning, the temperature FINALLY dipped into the 60's, and it felt SO GOOD! I would bet we haven't seen the 60's since May. It got me thinking about fall and how it is right around the corner (okay, so maybe it's still 3 1/2 weeks away :) ), so today's Friday Favorites will be my most favorite things about the fall. Here are my top 8:

8. Decorating for Christmas!
Since Christmas day is 3 days after the winter solstice, we must prepare for it during the fall. I once put up a Christmas tree at the end of September; that's how crazy I am about Christmas. That's been a few years back, and now I appreciate the festivities of fall as they're happening instead of skipping ahead to Christmas like Hobby Lobby does.

7. Thanksgiving
In the past year, I've learned to perfect meringue and I've tried my hand at making different pies. So I am pumped about helping my mom and grandma out with Thanksgiving dinner this year! I am all about the sweets when it comes to Thanksgiving (well actually, when it comes to anything), although dad's famous flavor-injected fried turkey is a close second. I think I'll tell mom I've got all the desserts covered this year, except her YUMMY pumpkin pie, so she can focus on that awesome cheesy potato casserole. Thanksgiving in general is one of the greatest holidays: family, food & football; can it get any better?

6. Festivals & Fairs (but mostly the funnel cakes :) )
I LOVE walking around craft fairs and looking at all the home-made trinkets and tasting the home-made salsas & dips. I also love spending $3 or more on a funnel cake that the wind will just blow the powdered sugar off of; and the giant corn dogs are great too! Then there's the carnivals and fairs where we can ride all of the fun rides! Oh, and the haunted houses too! Fun!

5. My Birthday~
My birthday is Sept. 28, and the weather is always perfect. My dad's birthday is 4 days after mine so we have always had a joint celebration. Every time someone asks me what I want for my birthday, I can usually name one or two (or three or four...) things, but if you ask my dad, all he says is "a hug from my two girls is all I want." Isn't that sweet?! He does the same thing at Christmas too. I always try to put icing on the cake by at least making him some chocolate chip cookies. :)

4 & 3. Apples & Pumpkins
Oh. My. Goodness. Absolutely nothing can beat the scent of a pumpkin spice candle from Bath & Body Works on a crisp fall day. A fresh apple pie scented candle is wonderful, too. OR, you could just whip up some easy apple dumplings and fill your home with the actual smell of apples & cinnamon. When it comes to pumpkins, I love to carve, smell & eat them. It's one of my favorite fall ingredients. Since I will have a brand new kitchen this fall, I'm going to go all kinds of pumpkin crazy. Last year I ran across these AMAZING pumpkin cookies w/ white chocolate chips in them. You can bet I will be making them this year and you'll be able to find the recipe over on my ~Recipes~ page. Not too long ago, I found an apple dessert pizza recipe that looks like it's to die for too. It'll be lucky to make it out of the oven before I dive into it :)

2. Football
Love love love football and all that comes along with it! The tailgating in rain/sleet/snow/100-degree temps. and grilling hot dogs; hanging out with friends & fam; all the tradition that comes along with being an avid SOONER fan; it simply cannot be beat. This year, we'll be broke and won't be able to go to the football games :( but I have a feeling there will be neighborhood watch parties & cook-outs instead, which may turn out to be just as fun~

1. The Weather
Who doesn't love the perfect temperatures that come along with the changing of seasons? I think we appreciate it most here in Oklahoma b/c our summers (especially this summer!) are usually scorchers and our winters are entirely too cold with not much pretty snow to show for it. With the weather comes new attitudes and outlooks as well. Moods change and everyone seems all-around happier. I can't wait to curl up in a blanket on our back patio with a good book, some hot chocolate & the scent of a pumpkin spice candle. Heaven on earth. My car especially cannot wait for the fall weather. She is ready to ride around topless! Haha! She's still a little upset because when winter was over, there was only about a week's worth of nice weather before the 100-degree temps hit and her top hasn't been off much since. ;) Oh, and the leaves changing is also one of my most favorite things! The maple trees are the prettiest when they turn that bright red; I hope to have a couple in our yard one day. Driving down Talimena Drive in SE Oklahoma in late October is something we HAVE to do this year. And camping too! So much to do in the wonderful season of Fall!

Yesterday, the built-in fridge panels were painted & glazed to match the rest of the cabinets and we could not be happier with the way they turned out. I have had SO much fun watching this kitchen come to what it is now. It is the inspiration behind every decision we have made in that house, from color schemes to fixtures to flooring. As you know, I am pretty much obsessed with and so proud of it. So, here is a collage of pictures from our FINALLY-complete kitchen: Enjoy~

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Friday Favorites: OU Football Games

Friday Favorites August 19, 2011

With football season literally rightaroundthecorner, and OU being ranked pre-season NUMERO UNO, I thought I would devote this Friday Favorites to my five most favorite OU football games to have ever attended. Number ones up! Here we gOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO (get it? hehe)

#5: OU vs. OS-Who? 2003
Yes, this was way back when the parents would buy the tickets, drive us to the game, etc. :) :) One of my very first OU football games; I was 16. I quickly learned that any win over the Cowboys is SWEET. I wouldn't have such a problem with them if their fans weren't so obnoxious. Seriously, it's ridiculous. This has served as another reason I have "unfriended" people on Facebook. Don't mess w/ my Sooners people :) I think the week after this game, they went on to beat Texas A&M 77-0, which was an awesome game to be at, too! Everyone was mad at OU b/c they thought we went too hard on A&M racking up 70+ points on them and not "letting" them score any. OU can't help it if their 3rd- and 4th-strings are better than the rest of the conference too. Get over it :) :)

# 4: OU vs. West Virginia: Fiesta Bowl, 01/02/08

This game is on this list solely because I had the honor of sitting next to Billy Sims during the entire game...err...until he left early because OU was losing. Sad day...but I got to sit next to and chat with a Heisman Trophy winner! Maybe someday I'll get to sit next to HRH Sam Bradford .......ahhhh... :) "Booma!"

# 3: OU vs Texass, 2010

This was the second OU/TX game Corey had been to, and coincidentally, the second one they had won out of the four or five I had been to. It was awesome to see Landry Jones get his first win over Texas! Man they really sucked! (And it looks like they'll be just as bad this year!) OU/TX has always been a family affair, which is why it's always fun whether OU wins or loses. My dad has even come up with a song to sing while Texass' queer band is playing one of their dumb songs. I don't quite know how to describe it, but by halftime, the entire section is singing along with us. :) Fun times.

# 2: OU vs Mizzou, Big XII Championship, 2008

This was an AWESOME game to go to! We trekked up to Kansas City in mid-December, knowing it was going to be F-R-E-E-Z-I-N-G. I literally had 7 layers of clothes on (this was also the Christmas I got my first pair of Uggs from mom & dad. Luckily, they let me have them early. This was their first real test.) We had the *perfect* seats too; right on the 50-yard line. If they were to score 60 points in this game, they would break the record for being the first school to ever score 60+ points in 5 games straight. Mr. Bradford did not disappoint. Poor Missouri (or as dad calls them, Misery) did not bring very many fans, so the OU fans were going crazy! More fun times!!

# 1: OU vs Texas Tech, 2008

Two games before the Big XII Championship, OU was ranked #5, and Texas Tech strutted in to Norman with their big heads ranked #2. By halftime, they were down 42-7, and the crowd was LOVING IT! They played "Jump Around" and the entire stadium was jumping up and down for what seemed like 5 minutes or more. We were in the student section, so it was double crazy. Here's a video of the awesomeness. Best. game. ever.

Boomer Sooner baby!!

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Friday Favorites: Guilty Pleasures

Fantasies August 13, 2011

(This really was written on Friday, but I didn't get it posted until just after midnight :) )

Everyone has a little somethin' somethin' they love to partake in, all the while knowing they probably shouldn't be doing it. One of mine, obviously, is chocolate. I'm well aware it could be expanding my waistline, but do I care enough to give it up? Absolutely not. Same with fried chicken. Sorry, but I'm from Southeastern Oklahoma and I worked at a fried chicken joint for 3 years in high school, and I don't plan to EVER stop eating it...with NON FAT-FREE Ranch dressing.. I will just have to offset it by continuing to run and go to the gym. I've said this before: It's ridiculous what we have to do to not weigh 500 lbs...but on the other hand, don't be asking me to give up my chocolate or fried chicken. Ain't happenin. :)

Another one of my favorite guilty pleasures is shallow reality TV shows. I'm also aware that I could be using my valuable time for doing good in this too-far-gone-world, but do I choose to use those few hours a week doing something that would make a difference? Or do I spend it in front of the TV with my cell phone ready to text my fellow avid TV-watchers to say "OMG did you just see that?!" No DVR for me. They must be watched in real time so the following morning at work, we can all have a powwow to dissect what exactly happened. Case in point: Bachelor Pad. All this show is is a bunch of dramatic, confrontational people thrown into a house together and told they can sleep together. This show is not promoting good in the world...I would definitely say it's sending the wrong message! But is it hilarious to watch these people make fools of themselves? Of course!

Another guilty pleasure? Shopping. We have been saving for our house for quite some time now, and I cannot tell you when the last time was I bought myself a new shirt! It has been absolutely killing me. I know that the money I'm spending could be going to a greater cause...maybe feeding starving children in Africa or sponsoring a child in Argentina. But that pair of shoes would look SO cute with that dress! And that Coach bag is on sale?! I. Must. Have. Them. All. A few shirts have been in a weekly rotating trend for a while now. People at work are probably starting to notice. :)

That's all I have for now. Have a great weekend!

<3

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Friday Favorites: Outlet Stores

Fantasies August 05, 2011

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Friday Favorites: Smartphone Apps

Friday Favorites July 29, 2011

Happy Friday! I hope everyone had as good of a week as we did! Our house has made lots of progress and is REALLY coming together now! Only 5 more weeks until we get to call it our own! Head on over to my facebook photo album for the latest of our pics (I just added some this morning!)

Now it's time for Friday Favorites! Everyone has tons of apps on their phones, whether it's an iphone or some other phone w/ the Android market (as is mine). So I thought I would tell you my 10 favorite apps on my phone! (Technically, I listed 11, but that's only because I couldn't narrow it down to 10. I know. That's sad. The world of technology really has taken over.)

# 11 - Dashboard Assist Pro

I like to use this when I'm driving because it allows for hands-free calling and texting. When I have an incoming call or text message, it says who it is from and even reads the text. It picks up the phone and automatically puts it on speakerphone so I don't ever have to press a button. Since I drive a 5-speed, it makes it super easy to steer, pay attention to the ~~idiots around me~~ road, shift gears and talk on the phone all at the same time!

# 10 - Pandora

The first time I fell in love w/ Pandora was while listening to the Nelly station (or is it channel?) on the way to Stigler. Talk about bringing back high-school memories. Along with the Nelly station, I LOVE the Kenny Chesney, Carrie Underwood, Christmas carols & Usher stations.

# 9 - Gas Buddy

Let's face it. Gas prices suck. Enough said.

# 8 - iHeartRadio (specifically Kenny Chesney's No Shoes Radio station)
If you know me at all, then you know I'm obsessed w/ Kenny Chesney, his music, his lifestyle of letting your cares be washed away by the gentle waves of the Caribbean. Back to reality. iTunes has an app specifically for his No Shoes Radio XM radio station, but for us Android users, it's part of the iHeartRadio family. I refuse to pay for XM radio for my car, so this gives me something to listen to while making the 2 1/2 hour drive home to Stigler. With that being said, anything with his name on it, I'm going to love. Period.

# 7 - Days Until
I love having something to look forward to! Currently, I have a countdown for the day we close on our house, the day we leave for our trip to Destin, Breaking Dawn's opening day, and the day we leave for a cruise on the Norwegian Epic.

# 6 - Bible by YouVersion
While this may draw discerning glances from the "older" generation (they don't really think we're texting in church right?!), let's face it: gone are the days of carrying your 15-pound bible to church and not finding where the preacher is reading from until he is halfway done with his sermon. With this app, it is super easy to find the book, chapter & verse the preacher is reading from. You can highlight the verses, make notes, and my favorite part is you can choose the version you would like to read. Whether it is the same version the preacher is using or something YOU can understand (all versions, I think, are free!) I like the New Living Translation. Talk about using the language of the 21st century. I don't believe there is a "thou shalt" in the entire book!

# 5 - Movies
We love going to the movies! We use this app almost every weekend.

# 4 - YouTube
Always there when you need it!

# 3 - The Weather Channel
I use this app every single morning. It is very important to know what the weather will be doing every hour. How else are us girls supposed to pick out our outfits for the day? Or know whether or not we need to spend 30 minutes on our hair if the humidity is just going to make it go flat? I use it too when packing to go home. I need to know whether or not I will need rainboots, dresses or pants for church (windy = pants), swimsuits for the lake, etc. This is all vital information :)

# 2 - K-Love
I listen to this app every morning while I'm drinking ~~a mimosa~~ chocolate milk and getting ready for work. It helps me to start off my day optimistically and in a positive way. It's listener-supported, so there are NO COMMERCIALS, which I love. It's all music, all the time. Good music, too. To me, there's no better way to start off a day.

And my FAVORITE app is................

#1 - Facebook
Come on. You know you're addicted too. I spend an unhealthy amount of time on Facebook, but it is a great way to keep up with old friends. Remember when we all cringed when our parents wanted us to set them up an account because they didn't know how? Now, it's helped them connect with high school friends from ~~centuries~~ decades ago. Fun, right?

Here are some Honorable Mentions that I thought I would share as well. Do you have any good ones that you don't see listed? Let me know if I need to try any new ones out! Have a great day!