Thirst Quenchers

I realize I do a very terrible job at keeping up with this blog, but I do read all of my comments, and enjoy perusing my favorite blogs every morning. Summer is winding down, and with the darker mornings and a crispness in the air, fall is officially coming. I am SO excited for the cooler weather, watching the leaves fall, pumpkin patches, apple orchards, hearty soups, bonfires, and having our first Halloween in our new house.

While I am excited for this new season, this summer was a wonderful one filled with lots of great memories and of course, a lot of time spent in the kitchen. I baked, I cooked, I tried new things. I also did a lot of experimenting with mocktails and cocktails. Every weekend seemed to be filled with some type of party or event, and I never attend a festivity empty handed! I've listed a few of my favorites below. Some are from my favorite blogs, and others I have concocted through trial and tribulation. Enjoy!

Non-Alcoholic

Spa Water (cucumber, lemon & lime infused agua)

Strawberry, Lemon & Basil Spritzer

Coconut & Vanilla Limeade

via: http://thekitchykitchen.blogspot.com


Bring on the Booze!


Peach Bellini

Raspberry Beer Cocktail

via http://www.acupofmai.com



Orange Sangria

Summer Fun

Another month has passed by, and I can't believe summer is coming to an end. Fall will be here before you know it, and then I'll be getting our house ready for our first Christmas as homeowners! But, for these next few weeks, I am going to take advantage of the hott weather, have a few more bbq's, & enjoy every last sip of my margaritas.

This summer has included many of those things and more. B and I decided to go some place close for our vacation this year, and we chose to visit his parents in Milwaukee. We took one glorious week off of work, and it was a much needed break. We celebrated my 25th birthday, went to the lakehouse, saw The Roots perform at Summerfest, and ate some delicious food all while spending some quality time with friends and family. 

We are back to our regular routine now, but our time was well spent...

celebrating AJ's 30th birthday at the Milwaukee Ale House

riding an electronic pepper after stuffing my face with Mexican food on my 25th

 

watching the sun set on the Milwaukee River while sipping on adult beverages

 

spending lots of time on a boat with this cutie

and most importantly, creating memories that will last a lifetime.

Here's to many more of those beautiful summer nights!

Summer Updates

Good morning, all! It has been a few months since I last posted and man, have I been busy! Life is really good, though, and I am just enjoying the ride. Want to know what I have been up to? Below is my life in photos...

At the first sign of spring we planted new bushes and flowers, spread fresh mulch, and showed some major TLC to our yard. I am loving the end result!

I also planted cilantro, basil, spinach, lettuce, tomatoes, chives, jalapenos & strawberries in my backyard garden. There is nothing like stepping off your porch to pick some beautiful, leafy lettuce!

 

We had our housewarming party on Cinco de Mayo with 20 of our closest friends. It was a blast!

 

We set up a stone firepit in our backyard thanks to a very thrifty Craigslist purchase. I imagine many nights laughing with friends around the fire!

 B & I celebrated another anniversary filled with a delicious seafood dinner & ice cream, & a walk around downtown.

 We packed up the pups and road tripped to Wisconsin to visit family & friends, & to see two beautiful people get married.

And most of all, there have been a lot of laughs, love, and fun times had over the past few months, and I can't wait to see what the rest of the summer holds. What have you been up to, and what are you looking forward to enjoying during these summer months?

"Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing at all."

Top 10 Favorite Recipes

Between cleaning, cooking, decorating, exercising and working I am experiencing pure exhaustion. However, these are all things I enjoy doing (except working...sometimes ;)) and I have really loved beautifying our house.

For today's post I decided to compose my top 10 favorite creations. These are all tried and true recipes that I have created and love for various reasons. I have listed them in no particular order, but if something looks intriguing to you, feel free to leave a comment and I will happily post the recipe.

1. Roasted Corn Salad w/ Avocado & Cilantro

2. Ground Turkey Sloppy Joes Topped w/ Cheese & Cilantro & Panko Breaded Onion Rings

3. Basil Chicken in a Coconut Curry Sauce

4. Eggplant Manicotti

5. Vegetarian Chili w/ Sweet Yellow Cornbread

6. Crockpot Ribs w/ Homemade BBQ Sauce

7. Spicy Coconut Shrimp w/ Lime Jasmine Rice

8.Vodka Cream Pasta w/ Basil & Mozzarella

9. Turkey Burger w/ Arugula, Goat Cheese & Caramelized Onions

10. Cotton Candy Cosmos

Happy Cooking!

Photo Update

I can't believe it has been almost a month since I last posted. I have been busy taking care of the house, preparing for our Cinco De Mayo Housewarming Party, planting our veggie garden and garden in the front of the house (pictures to come!), and cooking up a ton of new recipes. Here are some photos of the new (and old/re-purposed) items that we've added to the mix...

Upstairs Guest Bath w/ Anne Taintor Photos


Newly Painted Guest Bedroom


New Rug for Guest Bedroom


The boys behaving for once...


New Couch for the Loft


Side Table in the Loft


Mad Men Painting in Loft


Other Side Table in Loft


I feel like our house is really coming together, and reflects both of our personalities well. I am picking up a firepit from Craigslist this week, and we are also planning on purchasing a patio table for our back porch. I can't wait to get our backyard put together and start grilling out and relaxing out there. We have also finally picked a date for our housewarming party. Due to my love for all things Mexican, we are planning on having it on Cinco de Mayo. I am planning on doing a margarita bar, taco bar, and have lots of different dips to munch on. I have a lot of great ideas, and can't wait to share them with you all. Well, that's all for now...have a wonderful day, blog world!

Craigslisting & House Progress

Good day, all!

I can not believe it has been over a month since we moved into our house. Time has flown by, and B and I are loving being home owners. After work this evening we are marking a few other things off our to-do list. We are purchasing a black L shaped desk from Craigslist, and then looking at a couch for our bar/loft area. I am so excited to purchase these pieces, and finally finish our office. This room is very modern, and I chose to do it in black, white and bright green accents. Our loft, on the other hand, is a Mad Men 50's inspired theme. We have a large tv in there for B's "man cave," and we are purchasing a bar cart (hopefully for $35 from craigstlist!). I also purchased the below painting for B for Valentine's Day. He loved it, and it went perfectly with our theme.



Here are a few more photos of our humble abode in progress:

The Front Entrance (the 4 frames were hand painted/antiqued by me, & i placed animal related quotes inside)


First Half of Kitchen (our walls are painted a sonoma red-orange & it surprisingly accents nicely with our cherry cabinetry & black appliances)


Sink Area


Second Half of Kitchen (i am still in love with all of our new lighting!)


First Half of Master Bedroom (this room is almost too big to work with. the other half of our room has a dresser, & we may purchase a chaise lounge to complete the look. for now, i am on the hunt for a flokati rug to place at the end of our bed.)


Well, that concludes my sneak peek into our house. Stop by in a few days for more!