Katy the College Girl

Hi y'all! Our weekend flew by, with Zach working both Saturday and Sunday (NOT cool) and me going to College Station to help Zach's little sister Katy move into her new apartment. Zach and I house-hunted this evening (more on that later!) and are getting really excited and anxious to move out of our humble abode.

Lisa and I had so much fun helping Katy get all settled in. Brought back many moving memories! Thanks for all the help over the years, Momma. Here are a few pictures from the weekend:

Zach painted this for his sister :)

Found these cute Texas/boot-shaped pretzels at HEB and had to dip 'em in chocolate for Miss Katy

 starting to unpack...

 Katy and her boyfriend Caleb after a yummy lunch at Jason's Deli

 curtain rods make fun toys...



We love you Katy Bliss and hope you enjoy every minute of your college years!

No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

Yes, yes...this recipe is yet another "peanut butter-er". I apologize. Wait, no I don't. Is there anything better than the chocolate/PB combo? I think not, and let's hope my sweet sister-in-law Katy Bliss doesn't either because these are part of her going-away-to-college treats. We are moving her into an apartment in College Station this weekend; exciting times! Zach doesn't like the fact that his baby sister is going to be out in the real world, but luckily for us she will only be an hour and a half away from Houston. Yay! It's quite bittersweet but not to worry...these cookie bars are just plain sweet.

Ingredients:

2 cups (12 oz. pkg.) semi-sweet mini chocolate chips, divided

2 cups peanut butter, divided

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar, divided

3 cups graham cracker crumbs

Directions:

Grease 13 x 9-inch baking pan.

Beat 1 1/4 cups peanut butter and butter in large mixer bowl until creamy. Gradually beat in 1 cup powdered sugar (Just a tiiiiiiny bit at a time or you will find yourself looking like a giant funnel cake. Don't ask how I know this). With hands or wooden spoon, work in remaining 1 cup powdered sugar, graham cracker crumbs and 1/2 cup morsels. Press evenly into prepared baking pan. Smooth top with spatula.

Melt remaining 3/4 cup peanut butter and remaining 1 1/2 cups morsels in medium, heavy-duty saucepan over lowest possible heat, stirring constantly, until smooth. Spread over graham cracker crust in pan. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until chocolate is firm. Cut into bars. Store in covered container in refrigerator.

 

Eat 'em all up!

My husband, Picasso

Hello friends and Mom :). Happy Wednesday! I'm not sure how thrilled my husband will be that I'm posting this, but I couldn't help myself. I wanted to share one of his awesome paintings with the world! He hasn't painted in quite some time...believe it or not we've been a little busy (you know, the whole getting married thing). Zach has many creative outlets and I love it; he even enjoys antique shopping! That makes for fun weekends, let me tell you. Back to what I wanted to share with you...the painting below is one he did last fall. It's very abstract, as most of his art is, and I can't wait to hang it in our house sometime in the near future. If he doesn't kill me for posting this, I will gradually show you more and more of his talent.

 I would title it Solar System

 His face after reading this post....



Oh my goodness...I had to throw this in too. Tell me that isn't the cutest mouse you've ever seen??!!



Stevie Nicks Concert

Saturday night was the best night of our lives. Okay, I'm lying; our wedding was the best. But August 13th was a close second. Seeing Stevie Nicks was a dream come true, for me at least. Up until three weeks ago Zach thought 'Stevie' was a guy. Go figure. Even my silly husband was mesmerized by her hauntingly beautiful voice. So mesmerized, in fact, that he kept having to look down and play games on his phone just to snap out of the trance. She was like an angel....an angel that has smoked a lot of cigarettes. But an angel nonetheless.

By far the most touching part of the concert was when she sang Landslide. She prefaced the song by dedicating it to her dad, who passed away in 2005. She talked about how much he influenced her life and what an impact he had had on her music. She spoke in a way that made her seem so raw and real, like we could reach out and touch her (we were MUCH too far from the stage to do so). As she began singing, I closed my eyes and was taken back to so many wonderful childhood memories. Fleetwood Mac's music is such a special bond that I too share with my dad. It really made us stop and realize not only the power of Stevie's lyrics, but also how blessed we are to have such amazing parents. Even though Steve and Squatty will never ever read this blog ("What's a blog"?), we love you both so very much and thank you for all the laughter and happiness you've given us over the years.

little blurry (told you we were far away)

 me, Dad, and Shane, circa 1989

 Zach, Scott, and Jake, circa 1985

Travel Wish List

Zach and I decided to get a little ambitious tonight and create a "Travel Wish List". It was originally supposed to stop at ten must-see places, but ended up making it to thirteen....and we're okay with that. Our goal is to make it to at least five of these before we die. That's attainable, right? (insert encouragement here)

1. New Zealand

We don't just want to see one spot but the ENTIRE thing. And we're not even Lord of the Rings fans.

2. Barcelona, Spain

Spanish seafood is calling our name.

3. Antarctica
Zach's pick....not sure why. Looks a little too chilly for my taste, but I'll go with it.

4. Seattle, Washington
We want to go to the Space Needle! Plus Sleepless in Seattle is the best chick-flick EVER.

5. Alaskan Klondike

One of us, I'll let you guess which one, wants to "pan for gold".

6. Wengen, Switzerland
Despite our faulty knees, we must ski here. We really must. And if that doesn't work out we will skip around the mountains singing "The Hills Are Alive".

7. Moscow, Russia
Another one of Zach's picks that I'm totally on-board with. He wants to visit the Kremlin and I'm not arguing since the Orlov Diamond, a gift to Catherine the Great from Count Orlov, her lover, is on display inside.

8. Egypt
Can you picture Zach and me on a camel? We can't either. That's why we have to go, ride one, and take lots of pictures for proof.

9. Mussoorie & Agra, India

If you've ever watched the movie A Little Princess, surely you must share my desire to bathe with elephants in a mystical Indian watering hole. Zach was lucky enough to watch the movie last year during what we refer to as "kidney stone time" and he too wants to bathe with elephants.

10. Galapagos Islands

Another one of my husband's choices. He blames it on Darwin.

So cute yet so very ugly.

11. Paris, France

Two reasons: Louis Vuitton and the Louvre.

12. Greenland

 Zach is pretty set on visiting this lovely arctic tundra. Can you tell he's hot natured? I call him "my little hot box". Let's get that sweet little hot box to this big ol' icebox.  

13. Santorini, Greece

This island is the remnant of a volcanic cone whose top was blown off. Plus, we've always wanted to cliff dive. Gotcha! We'd never do that. The Mediterranean is just so serene and inviting.

Sorry I didn't cite my picture sources....terrible about that! Hope you're all having a wonderful week :).

DIY Creative Floral Arrangement

Happy hump day, friends! I decided to attempt something I've never tried before....making my own flower arrangement. This idea was inspired by the lovely Katy Roberts at http://www.twentythreeohone.com/. You MUST check out her blog; it's fabulous. The funny part is, I'm doing this in the hopes of impressing my very horticulturally-savvy husband. He knows SO MUCH about flowers! It blows my mind, really. I also wanted to share this with you guys because I feel that fresh flowers are one of the most vital elements to making your house (or in our case, apartment) feel like a home. Zach will be here any minute and I'm anxious to see what he thinks! Or if he even notices it.

And here are the steps on how to make it yourself!

STEP ONE: Go to your local grocery store and purchase a few of your favorite flowers. I would recommend getting a large hydrangea for this arrangement. The other "filler" flowers that I bought are hypericum berries and white cremon, but you can get whatever you like.

STEP 2: Take all of the flowers out of their packaging and place them in a large container of water. If you're going to leave them there for a while, make sure to trim all of the stems about 1 inch with good scissors or floral shears. Save the plant food, you will need it!

The other items you will need for this arrangement are: A clear glass vase (round or square), and a smaller vase (or a drinking glass works just fine too) that can fit inside the larger one. I got both of mine at Michaels for $4 and $1.50. Score! The smaller vase or glass will need to be filled halfway with water.

 STEP THREE: Place the smaller vase in the center of the larger vase. Excuse the kokeshi dolls in the background...

STEP FOUR: Take some sort of "filler" material and begin placing it between the two vases. Fill it so that the smaller vase can't move or tip over. I cut up lemons and limes, but I've seen similar arrangements with coffee beans, rice, sand, pebbles, spanish moss, and many other things. Let your creative juices flow!

Make sure to pack the spaces between your two vases really tight with the filler. 

STEP FIVE: Pour the plant food into the water of the smaller vase.
STEP SIX: Pull off any leaves on the flowers that you don't need in the arrangement.

STEP SEVEN: Cut the first and most substantial flower you will be using (in my case, the hydrangea) to the same height as the vase. Place the stem (or stems) in the smaller vase.

Please excuse my poor photography skills! These pictures did NOT turn out how I hoped. I'll just blame it on the camera.... 

STEP EIGHT: Take your "filler" flowers and trim them to a height that's a little taller than the first flower.

STEP NINE: Began placing the filler flowers into the arrangement. Play around with it; you will know what looks best!

You're all done! Enjoy the "fruits" of your labor :).

SHS Peanut Butter Rice Krispies

click HERE for the recipe on our new blog!