Friday's Five

1. Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta

Tiaras, Trains, and 'Tudes, oh my!  Yet another reason to TGIF! We are loving TLC’s 2 full hours of Say Yes To The Dress: Atlanta and Say Yes To The Dress: Bridesmaids.  In SYTTD: Atlanta, a spinoff of the original SYTTD in NYC, southern brides come to Bridals by Lori to find their dream gown and get ‘jacked up’ by fashion director Monte in diamonds and veils! In SYTTD: Bridesmaids we see just how hard it is to find a gown that will please every demanding bridesmaid. With style disagreements, bad color choices, and ‘tudes, these divas make for a great night of entertainment!

2. Sprinkles Cupcakes

We love CUPCAKES! And it doesn't get any better than the world's first cupcake bakery Sprinkles! Flavors change daily, monthly, and seasonally so there's always something new and exciting to try! Dark Chocolate, Coconut, Banana, Carrot, Red Velvet, Pumpkin, Cinnamon Sugar... someone cue the heavenly angels! A personal favorite, the Milk Chocolate with Belgian chocolate cake and milk chocolate cream cheese frosting! YUM! At $3.50 each or $39 for a dozen, happiness doesn't come cheap, but it's worth every penny!

3. Silhouettes

Silhouettes is a dance troupe currently competing on 'America's Got Talent.'  Comprised of 42 very talented kids ranging in age from 19 down to just 3, this group blew us away with their first performance on AGT!  It's such a completely different concept than anything we've seen before, and they're definitely worth checking out if you've never seen them.  Watch the video below, and if you're patriotic at all, prepare to get a little teary eyed.  Go Silhouettes!

4. Sanuk Yoga Map Flip Flops

These are quite possibly the most comfortable things that have ever graced our feet!  Let's face it, while wedges may be super comfortable for summer, sometimes your feet just need a break.  That's where these babies come in!  In case you couldn't figure it out from the name, the footbed of these flip flops are indeed made from real yoga mats!  Ladies, it truly doesn't get any more comfortable than this.  It's like walking on a cloud!  And with 8 different styles to choose from, and multiple colors in each, you're sure to find a pair you'll fall in love with.  Shop them online here.

5. Space Shuttle Atlantis

It was a very bittersweet moment as Space Shuttle Atlantis touched down at 5:57 am yesterday morning, signaling the end of a remarkable era of American manned space flight.  As engineers, admittedly we probably are a little more fascinated than some, but the Shuttle program has undeniably fueled the imaginations of Americans and non-Americans alike for the past three decades.  I'm not ashamed to admit that when those back wheels touched down and the red and white braking parachute deployed as Atlantis slowly rolled to its final stop, I shed a few tears.  A special thank you to all the NASA astronauts, scientists, and engineers that helped inspire our career choices and may God rest the souls of the those 14 men and women that gave their lives in the pursuit of space exploration.  Fare thee well, Atlantis, and Godspeed...

A Taste of Summer

I love cooking with fresh produce.  But, I don't know about yours, but my local grocery store produce sections leave a lot to be desired... Wilted lettuce, bruised fruit, a little lacking in color, and a lot lacking in taste.  Which is why I get really excited this time of year.  Time for Saturday morning farmers' markets!  Amish farmers' markets are especially plentiful around this part of the country.  This is definitely the best place to obtain ripe, colorful, and tasty local produce.  Of course, my excitement for this fresh food tends to lead me to overbuy, leaving me with way too much produce to eat by myself... So what's a girl to do?  Look for new recipes to try! 

I ended up with a little too much zucchini after a recent foray to my local Amish produce stand.  With vacation coming up, and no time to enjoy it fresh, I decided that the best route would be deliciously spiced zucchini bread!  A quick Google search led me to this recipe.  It was a little lacking in spice for my taste, so I added a little nutmeg, cloves, and brown sugar.  I didn't have the cup of walnuts it called for, so I used the 1/2 cup I had in my pantry, and I think it turned out perfectly! 

I took some loaves in to work and my coworkers gobbled it up before I could take a picture.  So, you'll just have to trust me when I say it looked a lot like this, only with a nice sweet, sugary, crusted top.

Zucchini Bread

2 cups shredded raw zucchini

3 eggs

1 1/4 cups sugar

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

2 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

light brown sugar for sprinkling

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.  Grease & flour (or use Pam for Baking spray if you're lazy like me!) two 8 x 4 x 2 loaf pans.  Or use 3 mini loaf pans in place of one large loaf pan.

2. Put zucchini in strainer and press or squeeze with hands to get some of the excess liquid out.

3. In a mixing bowl beat eggs, sugars, and oil together.

4. Stir in the flour, baking powder, soda, spices, salt, vanilla, and walnuts, mixing just until all ingredients are combined.

5. Add drained zucchini and mix well.

6. Pour into loaf pans and sprinkle tops of loaves with brown sugar to form a crusted top.

7. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Get yourself to a farmers' market and make this bread!  You're welcome! :-)

Friday's Five

Sometimes, when it comes to what makes you happy in life, it's all about the little things. And we'd like to share with you five of the little things that are making us happy this Friday!

1. Oversized Watches

If you knew me, you'd know I'm a bit of a watch fanatic. I own about 10 of them. My latest purchases have all been a bit on the large size, but not as big as this beauty from Michael Kors. Seriously loving this style right now! Might have to add one to my collection soon...

2. Blazers

 
We may be a little late to this bandwagon, but we both just recently fell in love with blazers. They're sooo versatile! Open, buttoned, belted, belt underneath, sleeves rolled, etc. The options are practically endless! Not to mention, they're a great layering piece. Especially when that summer a/c nearly blasts you out of the building. What's your favorite way to wear blazers?
 

3. Wedges

Like all girls, we love shoes! But we have fallen for the Wedge this season! LK Bennett's gorgeous patent leather 'Maddox' wedge is one of our favorite! And let's face it, who doesn't want to look like a Duchess?

4. Red and Pink Nails

Now that it's offically summer, sandals are hot, hot, hot! And that means it's time to get a pedicure! Not sure what color polish to choose?  Make Pinks and Reds your go to staples!  You know you will always exude elegance in a fire engine red or sassy pink! One of our favorites is OPI "Mod About You".

5. Captain America!

Saved the best for last... Hello hello!  It's not all about the fashion around here.  What can we say, we're red-blooded American females that love a man in uniform!

Or without his uniform... You're welcome!

So, what's making y'all happy on this fine Friday?  Besides the upcoming release date of Captain America, of course... ;-)

Shoes! On Sale!

One of our favorite things has got to be shoes. Wedges, stilettos, ballet flats... It doesn't really matter, we love them all! But what's better than shoes? Shoes on sale! Just scored these Steve Madden lovelies for $52 (regularly $99)!





P.S. - If you end up spending over $75, use the coupon code XJW562A992 for $10 off! They've got quite a sale going on right now, so it won't be hard to hit that limit...

Happy Shopping! :-)