WILW

Happy Hump Day friends!

To keep my blog rolling on a more consistent level I've decided that I'm going to start dedicating Wednesdays to the things I currently love.

So, without further adieu....

WILW

First, look at this baby!!  What is there not to love about him?!  So adorable!!

You think Wyatt would look good in this onesie?  I think so!!

Next, I'm loving me some Greek Yogurt with Granola & Kiwi.

Actually, the Greek Yogurt is kind of gross, but I figure the more I eat it the better it'll taste.

And I cannot forget about my husband, who over the weekend got us back to the cabin through a horrible storm on the River.  I'm talking lightning bolts crashing down all around us, to where I seriously thought we were doomed.  It was definitely a scary, scary ride.  My 4 year old nephew was praying to God, that's how bad it was!

I also love that these girls tried their best to remain calm.....for a minute anyways.

They were eventually holed up in the bathroom of the boat, terrified:(

I'm sorry girls.  Skylar swore that she was never riding in a boat again, EVER.

And my mom.....

How miserable does she look?

I'm sorry Mom, that we did not stop off at the Boat Club to let this storm pass.

I can laugh about it now though, right?

This outfit inspiration via Pinterest.

Zac Brown Band released their album, Uncaged!

What I've heard so far does not disappoint.

I finally got around to coloring my hair. 
It was so over due, & looks so much healthier.

It's kind of darker side, but I'm getting used to it.

I also had a little fun at the mall last night.

The shirt I'm wearing in this picture came from H&M for 5 bones!!

I also got a new pair of skinny's for $9.95, a new pair of boots for $6.97 & a necklace for $3.90.

Very proud of myself!!  I will not buy anything unless it's a steal.  

You can call me cheap, but I prefer the term smart shopper!!

I was smiling on the inside when the chick in front of me had two shirts & her total was 40 something & I had a shirt & a pair of jeans for 15!  I just really don't see the point of paying regular price.

And last....I'm loving this iPhone cover.  I do need one for my new white iPhone 4s that my husband ordered for me!!  Whoop Whoop!

$21.95 on Ebay....why yes, I think I will.

Until next week....

Happy Hump Day!

XOXO,

Jess  

4th of July Weekend '12

We had a great Fourth of July.

There's nothing about the 5th that makes me want to get out of bed & go into work but I did it.

Here's a small recap of what we did to celebrate our Independence.

On Monday night, I got my nails lookin' all festive:)

(Pinterest inspired.)

Tuesday night, we had a cookout with a few neighbors. 
We hung out mostly accross the street at Phil & Becky's. 

They had BBQ & hot dogs and everyone brought a side dish.

I made Macaroni Salad & Diet Coke Brownies.

We swam, ate way too much food, & set off a few fireworks at the end of the night.

I will add pictures later.

Wednesday morning we woke up early to get to the Ft. Thomas Parade where we rode on my companies float.  I don't have pictures of that yet either.  I actually used our real camera a lot this weekend instead of my iPhone and haven't uploaded the pictures yet.  Until then, here are a few pictures of the Memorial Day Parade that we were in since I never posted them.

I work for a distributor of Service Station Equipment, so my boss has an old restored fuel truck that he drives in the parades & has a very nice covered float that he pulls behind it.  Ironically, after the parade on the way back the truck ran out of gas!!  How does that happen?  We ended up walking a ways back to our car.  After we made it to the car, we went to lunch at Larosa's with Creag's parents & brother then headed home for naps.  We all definitely needed them after braving the heat for the parade.  Later in the evening we went to Dixie Chili for dinner then made our way over to Red, White, and Blue Ash for fireworks.

Here are a few pictures.

I want to thank all of the American Soldiers along with their families who sacrifice every day to keep this country safe.  I am very proud to be an American!!

Happy Independence Day!

XOXO,

Jess

Hello Monday

Well I'll say it again....Happy Monday!  I'm back to work, & so tired!  We had a crazy day/night on the boat yesterday & I didn't rest my head on my pillow until about 2am last night!!  I'll just say that today's going to be a loooooong day at the office:(  We had a good weekend, but also had some terrible storms come through the area.  A lot of people were without power & actually still are.  I hope it comes back on for them soon.  I couldn't imagine how rough it was/is with the 100 degree temps that we had.

Friday, I left work early for a dentist appointment.  Lemme just say that I hate the dentist.  And you know you're getting some serious work done when you have to wear these....

bahaha, how reiculous!

Then I got bored & snapped a picture of my new shoes:)  I love them & got them on clearance at Kohls.  No different than usual though.  I rarely buy anything that's not on sale or clearance. 

Friday night we celebrated my brothers birthday in Dayton.  We met at Rooster's for wings & I embarrassed him by bringing the cake that I made him the night before.  He thought he was too old for it, but you're NEVER too old for cake!  The cake turned out good, but I should've dusted the pan with flour & didn't so it stuck:(  The picture is of the pretty side of the cake.  The other side was another story!!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

Ingredients

For the cake:
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter (don't use natural unless you have the no-stir kind)
• 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
• 3 cups granulated white sugar
• 6 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips
For the glaze:
• 1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Instructions

For the Cake
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray 10-cup bundt pan generously with nonstick spray.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together peanut butter and butter. Add sugar and beat an additional 5 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla; beat until well combined. Add dry ingredients a little at a time, beating just until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips. Scrape batter into prepared bundt pan. Tap it a couple of times on the counter to shake out any hidden air pockets.
3. Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, or until a skewer, sharp knife, or toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Check on the cake at 1 hour to make sure it's not browning too quickly on top. If it is, just place a piece of foil loosely over the top of the pan. Let the cake cool for 20 minutes, then flip it onto a rack or platter and let it cool completely.
For the glaze:
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, milk, peanut butter and vanilla until smooth. Drizzle glaze over the top of the cooled cake, letting it drizzle down the sides. Sprinkle mini chocolate chips on top.

On Saturday, I went to a baby shower.  I'm kind of dissappointed that I didn't get a lot of pictures.  I did get one of me with our newest nephew, Willis. 

And one of my outfit.

Top-Forever XXI, Skirt-Kohls, Belt-Khols

The skirt is a few years old & I usually wear it with just a brown shirt but I decided to get a little creative with what I had in my closet and it paid off.  I felt like I had a brand new outfit without having to go out & spend money on one.  I'll be wearing this again to work very soon! 

After the baby shower I headed home & then accross the street for girls day at the pool.  Our neighbors just got an inground pool this year, so we've been spending a lot of time there.  After a few hours & a few drinks I went home for dinner.  Creag used a round loaf of garlic bread & just cut the top off to make it like a pizza dough.  Then he rubbed fresh garlic & olive oil on the bread & topped it with chicken, shrimp, red peppers, onion, broccoli, & spinnach & baked it.  It was really, really good.

Sunday morning we went to another neighbors house for a garage version of Crossfit.   We have a few neighbors who are really into this exercise program at a local gym.  They invited a few of us over to try it.  Get us hooked so we'd join their gym.  It was fun to work out with a group, they actually partnered us up & you split the exercises that you're supposed to do with your partner.  While you're doing your part of the excercise, your partner rests & vice versa.  We finished, & I do have to say that when we were done I felt sick!  It was definately from the workout.  I've never felt that way after working out & did not like it at all!! Creag said he felt the same way. It was very strange.  It did us both in so much that we had to lay down for about 2 hrs to recover.  I'm extremely sore today!  My leg muscles are so tight & sore that I can barely sit down.  That's good though, right?    After we felt a little better on Sunday, we headed out to meet up with some friends & took them out on the boat.  We anchored out by Riverbend for 3 or 4 hrs & then headed to Paul Brown Stadium to listen to the Tim McGraw/Kenny Chesney concert.  On our way to the concert though, it was looking really, really dark so we stopped off for dinner to make sure that we didn't get hit with rain & wind.  I'm glad that we decided to stop, because as soon as we docked the wind picked up & shortly after the rain hit.  It didn't last too long though.  It cleared up & we were able to head to the stadium to listen to the concert.  It was so awesome to hear both Tim & Kenny & we could hear the music very well.  It was awesome.  It was also so relaxing to sit on the water, drink my beer (that did not cost 8.00) talk with friends & cuddle with my husband while singing along to songs that I listened to in H.S. & still listen to today.  It was the perfect night.

We have another busy week planned.  I have to make a pasta salad tonight for a party tomorrow and I'm so tired I don't know how I'm going to do it!!  I'm very excited to get the kids back tomorrow & celebrate the 4th (on the 3rd) with our neighbors.  This weekend we're heading to our cabin on the River to celebrate the 4th with family & some friends and I cannot wait!  Loving life right now:)

XOXO,

Jess