Decorating Easter Eggs

I am looking forward to decorating Easter Eggs after work tonight. Its one of my favorite moments preparing for Easter and it brings back memories of decorating eggs with my mom.

I Love the simplicity yet the new twist on dying eggs.

{I think I am going to try {or at least attempt} to achieve this stripe look.}

These Easter eggs are so stunning I don't think I would want to eat them!

Love the ribbon detail on these eggs

This Ukrainian design is really pretty

Decorating your dining table for Easter

I love Easter. It's one of my favorite holidays mainly because it brings back a lot of wonderful childhood memories. I wish I was hosting an Easter brunch but since we have no family in the area the Mr. and I will be going out for brunch.

If I was hosting Easter here are some must-haves I would use to decorate my dinning room table.

1. Dessert plates for yummy carrot cake which is a must on Easter Sunday.

2. Egg holders. These would make adorable name card holders or to place cupcakes on!

3. These glass tumblers are beautiful and would make for some really pretty juice glasses.

4. Love the detailing and how delicate these homemade flower napkin holders are.

If you celebrate Easter what do you most enjoy?

This Little Piggy...

image via here

You know you're having a great week when you realize your toe is broken...

I slipped on some wet tile on Sunday evening and the rest is history. I remember losing my balance by falling backwards and the next thing I know I am facing down, with my head inches away from hitting it on the garbage can. I either hit my foot on the patio door frame or on the kitchen chair as I made my graceful fall. My upper thigh is also bruised so needless to say its been a rough start to my week.

Good news it's Monday night; therefore, I can ice my leg and toe while I watch Gossip Girl!

When life hands you lemons..a lemon tree that is...

it means its time to clean up the backyard and turn it into a blissful backyard!

A Dreamy Place

There are many things and places I dream about. Such as vacationing in Bora Bora, having a box of macaroons from Laduree delivered to my doorstop { they don't deliver but just maybe this could be changed}, having the chance to be blessed with children someday, {especially with a daughter so she can bear a version of my mother's name}. I dream about retiring near the coast and owning a beach cottage, having groceries delivered to my home as I despise grocery shopping, having an amazing closet that is full of pull out drawers and shelves from floor to ceiling, having a claw foot bathtub, and living in Paris. Honestly, my list could go on and on. In fact, I recently attended a seminar regarding 'the inner strengths within you' and one of my top strengths was being futuristic. This can be taken that I like to dream or shall I say I want a lot of "fairytales" to happen in life, and when something doesn't go as I have envisioned I become sad. I don't usually stay sad for very long. I soon realize that maybe its a good thing that my original thoughts {I mean fairytale ideas} don't always work out. In the end it makes me appreciate the moment for what it is worth and with a lot more gratitude.

{image via sweet home style}

So lovely readers do you have a place where you go to dream or what is it that you often dream about? I know I can't be the only dreamer!

What I'm Loving this Week

Loving fun summer sandals! I just had to share my latest pair with all of you! I purchased these sandals this past week and they are really comfy. I think they will wear well with many outfits {even with jeans} and will do a nice job of adding a pop of color when needed. It should be noted that more fun color options are available in the store vs what is seen online.

Flowers Galore

With the spring season here we are blessed with beautiful flowers and a reminder that lazy, warm days are right around the corner, and that makes me happy.

{1. large photo via me, photos 2-4 via weheartit and photo 4 -tulips via me}

What makes you happy?

Check out this Giveaway!

Ladies you must check this out! Remember the other week when I posted on these lovely necklaces? Well, now you have the chance of winning one! In Honor of Design is hosting a give away on her site where you can win one of Silver Dog's beautiful necklaces. Good luck!

My Childhood Best friend

Last week I got to cherish a memorable moment...I was able to reunite with my childhood best friend! Thanks to Facebook we were able to reunite a few months ago via the electronic world but I also think God and my mom knew I needed her back in my life. My best friend Kristina and I met in the 1st grade. I told her she was "cute" and that I wanted to be friends with her. Well, from that day forward we were inseparable for many years. I can't even count how many sleepovers we had {and some even in her backyard inside a tent}, riding our bikes all over the neighborhood, playing barbies and experimenting with hairspray {as you can see I desperately needed help in the hair department}, going to the local swimming pool, getting ice-cream, having her mom drop us off at the mall and blowing all of our money at Claires, watching Full House and the Cosby show {yes, we were true 80's children thru and thru}, baking brownies, making Orange Julius in her mom's kitchen {oh the mess we would make.... sorry Mrs. T!!}, attending 4-H together, and eating supper over at her house {pizza, carrot sticks, and milk}, and wait..... we often would pretend we were on Star Search. Yes, that's right Star Search with Ed McMann! One of us would sing and dance as the other one pretended to be the judge. We would get out our paper and pen and give each other scores. Now, if anyone were to hear me sing you would be running for the hills!

Soon there was middle school and my dad and I moved to a different part of the city which meant Kristina and I attended different schools. We were starting to make new friends and the times we got to spend with each other dwindled down. We would occasionally see each other throughout high school, then college and post college life consumed us, and we lost touch with one another. Well, fast forward several years and here we are reunited!

This past week Kristina was in town visiting family so it was great that she was able to spend a few hours with me and we went out to dinner. I was able to meet her sweet little daughter, see her mom again, and I was able to introduce my husband to her. Next time we see each other, hopefully it will be with both of our spouses and maybe one day I will have a child and our children will become friends!

{my 9th or 10th Birthday celebration}

{1997 High School Prom}

{2010 Phoenix, AZ}

I am so glad that it was only a few years that we were absent from each other's lives and not any longer as I can't wait to see what the future holds for both of us!

What are your childhood best friend memories?

Caramel Roll Yumminess

Happy Monday! Honestly not sure where the weekend or this past week went. I had a nice relaxing spring break but did not get half the things I wanted to do done. Oh well..

One thing I did manage to bake where these delicious caramel rolls.

{Overnight Easy Bake Caramel Rolls Recipe}

Recipe was given to me by a friend org. recipe source unknown

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup melted butter ( Microwave 30-40 seconds)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 box of the Cook and Serve butter scotch pudding

1 bag of pecans ( I used whole ones and then broke by hand into smaller pieces)

15 frozen dinner rolls. Any brand will work. I used the store brand that came in little frozen balls

a Bundt Pan

Directions:

Spray bundt pan with cooking spray

sprinkle pecans along the bottom ( I didn't use a full bag of pecans)

Place frozen dinner balls on top of pecans. You should be able to fit 14-15 rolls

Mix together in a small mixing bowl the melted butter with the cinnamon, cook and serve pudding mix, and the brown sugar.

(The sauce will be thick and sort of grainy.)

Spread the sauce mixture over the rolls

Spray a piece of wax or parchment paper with cooking spray and place the paper over the bundt pan.

Let the rolls sit out overnight

In the morning the rolls will have risen nicely

Bake for 20-30 minutes on 350 degrees. I baked mine for 22 minutes and loved how they came out. If your oven bakes fast keep your baking time closer to 20 minutes.

Let cool for about 5 minutes and then flip the rolls over onto a plate or round platter. Most of the sauce and pecans will be on the rolls. The sauce mixture that is stuck to the inside of the pan can easily be scraped with a spatula.

So there you go! A super easy and yummy breakfast treat that will easily delight your family or guests!

Hello Spring.. Hello Happiness

I have been trying to become a more positive person or I should say trying to think more positive about things so a goal of mine is to find something each day that makes me smile. Well, one of those things was this tree! I have lived in my neighborhood for over four years and I have never noticed this beautiful tree until this week. Now I am left wondering "Could this really be a cherry blossom tree?" I didn't think AZ had cherry blossoms but I'm not sure. Either way I think it's beautiful and it made my day!

Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy the first day of spring on Saturday! I plan on being outside as much as possible and will be kicking off the weekend by having a day date today with the husband! {yes, he took the day off}

PS: If anyone has an idea to what kind of tree this may be please let me know. I am too scared to leave a note on my neighbor's door!

What I'm Loving this Week

Pencils. That's right you read it correctly. I know it's a little strange to love pencils but I was that child who used to have a pencil collection and yes, I am proud of my pencil collection {which I proudly still have despite being packed away}. So, when I came across these pencils I knew I had to have them since they are pink and imprinted with one of my favorite quotes "Stay Classy". Apparently, this means one thing...besides collecting cupcake books I am still collecting pencils at the age of 30.

Here are some other quotes that you may enjoy from earmark gatherings

Do any of you have a childhood collection of some sorts or perhaps are still collecting items that fancy your heart?

Happy St. Patty's Day

May you all have a lucky day!

{photo via martha stewart}

Do any of you have a good luck charm that you use?

Black and White Sweetness

Who would have thought the color combo of black and white really can be sweet?

{via}

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Nutella Goodness

I simply cannot get enough of this yummy hazelnut, chocolaty goodness spread aka Nutella. I'd like you all to meet the new improved version of that infamous daycare treat {graham cracker with frosting} that we all remember so fondly. And with open arms I gladly treasure this yummy treat!

PS: {correct me if I am wrong but don't we all have memories of eating graham crackers with frosting as little one's ?}

Paris Fashion Week Surprise

I adore Australian model Elle Macpherson. At the age of 46, and a size 6 model she made a rare appearance at this past weeks Paris fashion show wearing this beautiful rose colored gown. I find her to be simply stunning and also a great designer. I have several items from her lingerie collection that I love. Her items are worth the splurge and her amazing collection can be found here.

{photo via}

Let Spring Break Begin

Come 12:30 and I will be starting spring break for the week! Yippie! I wish I was going on a trip but I am not. I plan on enjoying my staycation by sleeping in, taking naps, trying out some new cupcake recipes, (perhaps even making some macaroons), make another attempt at sewing, reading by the pool or lounging on the backyard hammock (after all the Mr. Weather man is promising sunny skies and temps of 80), catching up with friends that I never get to see, and maybe even taking in a spring training baseball game! I keep hinting to my husband how fun it would be if he took a day off from work next week so we could go and watch the cubbies play ball. He never lets me down so I hope he reads this and knows how fun it would be if he did!

{image via urban outfitters}

Do any of you have fun weekend or spring break plans? If so where are you going and what will you be doing?!

PS: Thank you all for the lovely comments this week! It means a lot :)

What I'm Loving this Week

Oh how I heart these articles of clothing by bpoetic. So girly, romantic, so... screaming for room in my closet!

{I find this photo to be so stunning. Its simple yet romantic}

{the most adorable shoes to go with a beautiful dress}

{love how the flowers doll up this cardigan}

{oh how I heart this hat! I really, really want this even though its practically spring!}

Love Notes of a Married Couple

Fast forward to 2 years and 9 months of marriage and these are bond to be the notes one finds....

{I'm apparently a bit messy when putting the cap back on}

{Anyone care to organize my messy medicine cabinet? }

{Yes, those are princess fun fruits. One would think we have a toddler with the snacks I buy when feeling stressed}

Its beginning to feel a lot like spring time

I can feel it and I am excited. Its becoming spring time! Everything is so green (which is odd to say, especially living in the desert. ) The lemon tree in the background is blooming and has lemons on it, you can hear birds chirping, and most of all it's time to have fresh flowers in the home. I picked up several bundles of daffodils at Trader Joe's this weekend for $1.29 for a bundle of ten. Nothing makes me happier than seeing fresh flowers throughout my home.

Here are some home pictures with fresh flowers that make me envious.

{photos via la belle vie}

Oscar Beauties

I love award shows for one reason...the red carpet. The red carpets are like the superbowls of fashion. I am sure I am not alone here when it comes to "judging" what the stars are wearing and how they are styled. Some definitely wow me for how beautiful they look on their special evening and some well simply make me wonder "what were they thinking!"

Here are some of my favorite looks from the evening

Mariksa Hargitay is simply stunning from the hair, to the makeup, and oh how I LOVE her dress.

I love the cut and color of Samantha Harris's dress.

Love Anna Kendrick's hair and how feminine her gown was

Did any of you watch the Oscars? If so, whose look did you adore?

PSS: Zac Efron?!

A Beautiful Thought

Yay, its Friday! This week has been a much better week in terms of not being stressed out. I also want to thank all of you for the amazing inspiration that has been blogged about over the past few weeks. I have found so many great blogs (sorry too many to list) that somedays I feel I can not keep up with all the reading that awaits me. I am definitely not complaining as I love learning about new things and most of all finding inspiration in all areas of my life.

With that said have a wonderful weekend!

{via the love shop}

What I'm Loving this Week

I heart these flower bead necklaces by silver dog. I wanted to share my top three favorites as I love all three color combinations (the color combinations are endless) and I also like the fact that these can be worn with a casual or dressy outfit!

For more cute items make sure to check out the silver dog on etsy and also take a peek at the silver dog's blog when you get a chance!

What do you think? Pretty right?!

Staircases

I love staircases and someday I hope to live in a home that has a staircase. In fact, its a must for my next home. When I see staircases it makes me think of the staircase we had in the home I grew up in. Granted the staircase was not fancy by any means but I certainly had a mind of my own as I played so many imaginary games on those stairs. Then in college, we had a huge staircase known as the "pink stairs" in my sorority home. So many memories took place on those pink stairs which I will always remember.

This first photo appeals to me as its simple, classic and I love the white and black contrast. In fact my dream staircase would be a white a black staircase like this one.

{via}

I love the openness and detail this staircase presents. I can only imagine how beautiful the rest of this home must be.

{via}

Loving the detail of this white railing along with how the windows accent this staircase.

{via}