Happy Valentine's Day loves!! What better way to start my day than by eating heart-shaped chocolate chip pancakes with strawberries? :) While many people frown upon this holiday, I am a romantic person at heart, so I love a day devoted to love by nature. Sure, it's a Hallmark holiday where many people very stereotypically buy flowers and chocolate and go out to dinner, but I want to talk about what Valentine's Day is really and truly about: celebrating love and relationships. So let me ask you, what's the most important relationship in your life? If you thought of your partner, child, or mother, yes, I'm sure they mean the world to you. But what I'm getting at here is that the most important relationship you'll ever have in your life is the one you have with yourself. No matter ... [Read More]
holidays
Thanksgiving in San Diego
Hi friends! I hope that all of you in the U.S. had a great Thanksgiving! I got back from San Diego late last night and had an awesome trip. I took a hiatus from my computer pretty much the whole time I was there, which was a nice change since I'm on my computer so much between work, blogging and personal use. But I missed you all! Let's recap my Thanksgiving weekend highlights and how it all reminded me of how blessed I am: There was a big hair change.... I chopped it off the first night I was in SoCal! My hair had gotten too long and I wanted to get a cut, so I decided that I mine as well really cut it and donate it to a good cause. I chopped it off a few years ago and donated it, and my hair tends to grow back quickly -- I thank all of the fruits and veggies I eat for ... [Read More]
Memorial Day Snapshots
Hellllooo friends! I hope that you all had a fabulous Memorial Day weekend. My getaway with my hubby to Napa was awesome! I can't wait to share some details about it, but right now, I'd like to pay tribute to this day. This year I didn't visit anywhere to honor Memorial Day, but I've certainly had the significance of this special day in my mind. I talked about it last year after spending the afternoon at Fort Rosecrans in San Diego, but I think it's so important to remember the true meaning of Memorial Day. It's easy to go about your daily life and not think too much about men and women who are serving our country and protecting the freedoms that we so often take for granted. Having lived through it as a military wife, I'm often reminded of the daily sacrifices that military families ... [Read More]
Cream Cheese Mushroom Puffs
Happy 2013 everyone! I'm now back in San Diego. I had a wonderful time in Jersey but was also happy to get home. My entire trip, I was surrounded by people who caught a cold or the flu. I felt great throughout the holidays and thought I was somehow beating catching the sickness, but the very last day before I flew back to the West coast, I started to feel crappy. Traveling probably didn't help, and the past 2 days I've had a full-blown upper respiratory thing going on - congested sinuses, scratchy throat and all. I despise being sick and am doing all I can to recover ASAP. At the moment I'm eating a bowl of berries and drinking green tea: Wish me luck in kicking it! My time in Jersey was full of family, friends, lots of laughter, and good food & drinks. What else could a girl ask for? ... [Read More]
Peppermint Fudge
Hello and Merry Christmas from the East coast! My time in Jersey so far has been tons of fun. We've gotten to spend time with both my family and Adam's family, and I'm looking forward to a lot more great times this week. Here are a few of my favorite photos from this week thus far: I spent a good amount of time having fun in the kitchen the first few days of being back in NJ, especially since we spent Christmas Eve at my parents' house this year. I made some yummy goodies to share with family and friends for the holidays: My favorite dessert creation was peppermint fudge: I found the recipe on a blog called A Spicy Perspective and immediately knew I wanted to try it out. This fudge did not disappoint! You can check out her original recipe here, but here is how I made it: First I took ... [Read More]