Love, Hate, Tag

The fabulous Nadine over at Life by Nadine Lynn tagged me for Love, Hate, Tag so here goes! By the way you should totally check her out if you haven't already because she is the bomb.com.

LOVE: 

1. Shopping- It's like my very own national pastime. The problem is the lack of limitless funds with which to shop. Retail therapy, y'all. It's a real thing. 

2. Dogs- This is all thanks to my husband. Growing up I always had cats and didn't really like dogs (I KNOW. The stupidity of youth). But Adam grew up with dogs and loved them. Then we got married and got this fella on our one year anniversary: 

And well, just look at him. How could you not fall in love with that face? It was all over after that, and we proceeded to get two more dogs: 

Dogs just get me, you know? They love unconditionally and there's nothing like pup snuggles when you're feeling down! 

3. Chocolate- Chocolate anything. Chocolate everything. I once met someone who said they didn't like chocolate. I don't get it. I mean: 

4. Coffee- Coffee anything. Coffee everything. Sound familiar? I seriously could drink coffee all day if it weren't for the caffeine jitters, and the fact that I would weigh 300 pounds because I like all the fattening coffee drinks like lattes, frappuccinos, and iced coffee with sugar and cream and all the goodness. 

5. Books- Books are my escape. They are my adventure. I love immersing myself in a good story and feeling all the feels with the characters, having my perspective on things change and expand. 

6. Blankets- I am ALWAYS cold. Like always. So I have to be curled up with a blanket as much as possible. I can't seem to get enough of them, my husband is always like STAHP buying blankets. But I can't stop (won't stop). We literally have blankets for the dogs and blankets that are just for me and the dogs are not allowed to touch. (Because they like to chew and slobber all over them, which gets them all gross and full of holes) They are special. And so am I. 

7. Baking- Baking is my other therapy (besides shopping). There's just something comforting about it, I love finding a yummy new recipe or going back to an old favorite and losing myself in the process of mixing, shaping dough, tasting, and the homey smells that come from the oven. 

8. Jane Austen- I absolutely love everything to do with Jane Austen, all of her books and the movie adaptations. I have seen at least 7-8 versions of Pride and Prejudice and several versions of her others, like Sense and Sensibility, Persuasion, and Emma. I can read/watch Jane Austen over and over and never get tired of the stories. I think she was absolutely brilliant and her writing is timeless. 

9. The Blue Ridge Mountains- The mountains are a place of complete peace and relaxation to me. I have such good memories of vacations in the mountains growing up, and it continues to be my favorite place in the world. 

10. This guy- He's a keeper. 

HATE: 

 

1. This is weirdly specific, but headphones that won't stay in your ears when you run. I usually feel like I'm going to keel over for the majority of the time when I'm running, so I NEED music to help me focus. When my headphones keep falling out and breaking my focus it makes me stabby and I come really close to chucking them and my phone across the pavement. #RAGE

2. Mornings- I am NOT, nor do I think I will ever be, a morning person. I have tried, believe me. But I don't think I will ever be someone who just bounces out of bed ready to start the day. 

3. Flaky people- It irks me like non-other when people can't commit to something, or they say they'll be there and then bail at the last minute. 

4. This phenomenon:

5. All manner of creepy crawly things. Here in Florida we have the distinction of being roaches' favorite place to live, also we have palmetto bugs. They are huge and they fly. #shudder

6. People that cut you off on the road and then they get all huffy and mad at you because you didn't slam on your brakes to let them in. I mean, really? Was I supposed to read your mind? There's this thing called a turn signal, it's a marvelous invention. 

7. Bad grammar. I mean we all make the occasional mistake but some people pretty much refuse to learn the correct way. There is no excuse for using "I seen" in any sentence. Ever. 

8. Being late- It doesn't usually bother me much for other people to be late, but I hate to be late myself. If I'm not at least 5 minutes early, I'm late. Yes, I'm neurotic. 

9. Getting interrupted- I guess it goes back to feeling overlooked a lot growing up because I was so quiet and shy, but I hate when I'm trying to say something and people keep interrupting me or they start looking at something else or talking to someone else right in the middle of my sentence. I mean really? Rude! 

10. Grapefruit- It literally makes me gag (And yes, I am using literally correctly there). I even got the pink grapefruit which is supposed to be sweeter and less sour. LIES. It was foul and I could not even get it down. Never ever again. #Feelingqueasyjustthinkingaboutit

TAG:

 

(If I tag you but you've already done this, no worries!)

1. Taylor of A Cup of Tay

2. Ashley of A Cute Angle

3. Amanda of Amanda Moments

4. Meagan of Beautiful Things

5. Sarah of Coffee and Glitter

6. Emelia of Dream Big and Buy the Shoes

7. Lauren of Genuinely Lauren

8. Joey of Hodges Podges

9. Heather of My Little HEA

10. Laura of Life With Lolo

And all y'all! 

Weekend Recap: More Birthday Fun

Hello lovelies! I hope you all had a great weekend! I had yet another wonderful one, though it was not long enough, as usual. I like to make my birthday last all month, so this weekend we did a little more birthday celebrating.

On Friday night we went out to dinner and then I came home and got to work on 2 cakes for the birthday dinner we were having the next night. I didn't NEED to make 2 cakes, but I wanted to make 2 cakes. So I did.

I baked a lemon cake and a chocolate cake. For the lemon cake I made a blueberry filling:

And the chocolate cake had peanut butter filling and chocolate buttercream. So basically a Reeses' Cup in cake form. 

Om nom nom

On Saturday morning I got up and worked on straightening the house, finishing the cakes, and went for a run, which was kind of a bad idea because it was about 100 degrees. Yikes, that was rough.

My pace kind of sucked but I'm blaming it on the heat. 

I also watched Gilmore Girls (We finally got Netflix and I am IN LOVE!) which was awesome. 

Saturday night it was time to party! We met our friends at Brio for a yummy Italian dinner and lots of fun! 

I had some fun with my new nail polish and bracelets I found at Nordstrom Rack! 

And we had to get the shot of me and Adam all dressed up and adorable: 

We had such a great time and it was so great to see everyone! 

Sunday morning we slept really late and then had brunch at a new spot. I had lemon crepes with berries and ricotta and they were SO good! 

Plus an iced latte that was awesomely strong and delicious. 

It was such a wonderful weekend, seeing our friends and spending time together! I am one blessed lady. 

How was your weekend? Did you eat all the food like I did? 

Butterscotch Blondies

Y'all. These are the bomb.com. I've tried other blondie recipes before that were just ok, but the flavor didn't wow me, or they were too dry. These are just the right texture, striking the balance between chewy and cakey, not too gooey and not too dry. Plus they are super easy, and you probably already have most of the ingredients in your pantry/fridge! So just make them ok?

You will need:
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 2/3 cups (10 oz. package) butterscotch chips
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 13x9x2 inch baking pan. You can use shortening or butter. I used butter because more butter=better. 

Beat butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar in large bowl until creamy. Add eggs, beat well. 

Stir together flour, baking soda, and salt. 

Gradually add to butter mixture, blending well. Stir in butterscotch chips and nuts. 

Look at that goodness. YUM. 

At this point I may have eaten a spoon full of the dough. But I'll never tell. 

Spread into prepared pan. It's more like cookie dough than brownie batter, it's very thick and I ended up using my hands to press it into the pan. 

Bake  for 30 to 35 minutes or until top is golden brown and center is set. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. 

Cut into bars. It makes about 36 bars according to the recipe. Or like 10. Depends on how you cut them...

Eat warm with a big ol' glass of milk or a strong cup of coffee. Try not to eat the whole pan in one sitting. That's my serving suggestion anyway. 

Enjoy! 

Ingredients: 
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 2/3 cups (10 oz. package) butterscotch chips
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 13x9x2 inch baking pan. Beat butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar in large bowl until creamy. Add eggs; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda, and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, blending well. Stir in butterscotch chips and nuts, if desired. Spread into prepared pan.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until top is golden brown and center is set. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars.

Tips: 

• I ran out of butterscotch chips and substituted the remaining amount needed with peanut butter chips. This was a good choice. So if you want to do that intentionally just know that it's delicious! 

• The recipe says to bake for 30-35 minutes, but in my oven they were done in a little under 30 minutes. I think my oven may get a little hot OR it could have been because I used a glass pan. In any case you may want to start your timer conservatively, like at 20-25 minutes  and check with a toothpick in the center until it comes out clean. Don't overbake these, you don't want to dry them out! 

• Make sure you really grease the pan well, don't be stingy with the butter. This way they should come out of the pan easily. Remember, more butter is better. 

• Also, while you do want them to cool before cutting and taking them out of the pan, try not to let them sit for too long or they might stick. 

Weekend Recap

I had a wonderful weekend! I hope all of you did too! 

Friday night we went over to a friend's house for dinner and it was so much fun but I got ZERO pictures, oops! We had such a yummy dinner, too,: steak, sweet potato, broccoli, corn, and sautéed mushrooms! AMAZING yumminess. 

Saturday I spent the morning at home doing the usual cleaning with some relaxing mixed in. Then I got the itch to bake, so I made some goodies and boxed some of them up for a Mother's Day gift for a friend, more on that recipe tomorrow! 

 After that it was time for coffee and pedis with a friend!

S'Mores Frapp for Happy Hour! SO GOOD. Go get you one.

My chosen color- OPI's Toucan Do It If You Try. So perfect for Summer! 

We always get the Hot Stone Pedicure, they massage your legs with hot stones (captain obvious right here), do the paraffin wax on your feet, and then massage oil into your skin. Heaven! 

Absolutely lurve this color, I may need to own this one! 

Saturday night was pizza and a movie with my love. Don't really have any pics from Sunday, we just chilled at home most of the day 'cause we're exciting like that. How was your weekend?