Have you ever tried to plan a baby shower for a boy with NO use of the color "baby blue"? I am, and it is proving to be quite the challenge. I am determined to pull through, but it will be tough.

My sister is having a boy in less than two months, and his nursery colors are navy blue and white with a touch of red. It is not nautical-, Americana- or baseball-themed...simply patterns and colors. Very modern and chic for a boy. I am all about consistency and flow, so I am trying to carry over those colors into the shower, but absolutely everywhere I look is that baby blue. Lucky for me, there's this little thing called Pinterest.

Do you ever hear a song and think, "Wow...that describes me perfectly!"? I hear a song like that nearly every day, so narrowing it down to 10 was tough. 

Here's a playlist of songs that describe me. I wouldn't say it' s the 'soundtrack to my life' but these songs come pretty close to describing who I am, my beliefs, the places I'd like to go and my general outlook on life.

Enjoy!

I've taken a little bit of a break from thinking about my Pinterest party this week, and with our upcoming family getaway to Destin, I've been more in vacation mode.

Hubs and I love roadtrips and spending time together just the two of us, so we thought it would be fun to plan one. When it comes to vacations, we are usually tight wads (i.e. waiting until November to take them because rates are so much cheaper, driving instead of flying, etc...although that's not always the case). Why even take a vacation at all? Working 40 hours a week can get stressful (especially for Hubs), and when you do it 52 weeks a year without a break, it takes a toll on your mind, attitude and overall well-being. Getting away is a huge relief, plus it makes you appreciate coming home.

Have I mentioned how much I LOVE fall? The trees are finally beginning to turn and the weather is perfect! My favorite TV shows are back on and all is good. :) So, today I'm looking ahead to what I'm most excited about so far this season...

You may remember from yesterday's post I mentioned Hubs and I for seven days restricted ourselves to eating only plant-based, unsweetened whole foods. The biggest surprise for me? I didn't much miss the cheese, sugar or chocolate (gasp!). For an entire week we drank nothing but water. I honestly did not think I would last a day, much less the whole week. I felt better; I slept better; I functioned better. I decided I would try to continue with this diet after the week was finished, but low and behold this post on my Facebook news feed from Gigi's Cupcakes on the sixth day:

I hope everyone has had another fantastic week! Here are a few of my favorite things from this week, plus what I'm giving up for Lent:

So I'm sitting here and all I keep thinking about is the shrimp that Corey & I are having for dinner tonight. If you have never been to Bonefish Grill you are truly missing out. When we were in Destin in November we tried it and LOVED it. Apparently there is one in Tulsa, too. Anyway, they have an appetizer called the Bang Bang Shrimp, which is fried shrimp covered in a tangy spicy sauce that is to die for. I found a copycat recipe on the internet and we are going to try it tonight. If all goes well, you can find it on my Recipes page tomorrow. :)

Since we've been married (not to each other :P), Brittany & I have been asked "When are you gonna have some little ones?" Well...we already do. They just came in the form of little 1/2-pound furballs almost 4 years ago. Tomorrow, my Rufus & Brittany's Gus will be four (or 28, however you look at it) years old! They were the last two little babies from their litter and wanted to be kept together, and they have grown to be the best of buds! So, here are my favorite memories of our little boys over the last 4 years. Happy birthday Gus & Rufus!

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:

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

• 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

• 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)

• 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

• 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.

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~