Till Then Smile Often

September 19, 2014

Friday Favorites | Book | Fashion | Projects

Friday, is it really you? I love you. Just 7 business days left till the crazy time at work is over. It can’t come fast enough. Then I will return to normal, well my normal anyways. Until then I will throw myself into the bedroom makeover and baking. Hey we all have our vices. This weekend I hope to finish a DIY bench project and making some side tables. Don’t worry I’ll be sure to share the progress. Until then enjoy some of my favorites from the week.

Favorite Book: This is from the same author that wrote Blue Jeans and Coffee Beans which I loved. So when this came out I wanted to read it right away. I have had a slew of mediocre books lately so I wanted to read this to hopefully get my mojo back. I didn’t love this one as much as the other but it was good.

Summary: Amy and her daughter get caught up in a robbery turned kidnapping. Amy’s daughter gets taken by a masked man who promises her safe return. George thought he was just going to a casino with his brother but gets pulled into his scheme to rob an armored truck.

Kidnapper turned hero George, wants to walk away but Amy tracks him down at his shop. She is clearly struggling with PTSD and her daughter stops speaking. George wants to help protect her and her daughter but finds himself falling for her.

Thoughts: I liked the pace of the book, it went quickly. The story was well written and each character was well developed. The only thing I had a hard time with was that I wish there was a few secondary character developments. It would have broken up the story a little bit more.

Favorite Fall Outfit: Fall is coming and so cleaning out the closet and make sure we have the staples are a given. This outfit will be my uniform this fall.

39969515416720150 Fall Style With White Sweater, Denim And Long Boots

Sweater: Similar Forever 21 – $19.80 or 6pm $46.99 here // Scarf: Similar Etsy $17.00 or Nordstrom in Color Spice $24.00 // Boots: Similar JC Penney $59.99 or DSW $69.95

Favorite DIY project: This might really solve my mug storage dilemma. Can i have those shelves too?!

Home of Lissa from keep it simple, keep it fresh

Favorite Quote: I do tend to wear my emotions on my sleeve. I cry more so for others going through things, or when they succeed then I do for myself. I will use this advice and see it as a strength than a weakness.

Favorite Funnies:

Oh snap!

33 Responses That Prove Tumblr Has The Best Users Ever

Clearly women are the smarter species! 😉

This Is A dumb thing to do but it is really funny! (Don't Try This At Home Kids, Or You Might KILL Yourself!)

Tis’ true.

Touche’ – I need to use this if I ever get pulled over. Laughed way too hard, after I read it the second time.

HAHAHAHAHA: god forbid I be pulled over, but I'm so using this

Now get out there and have some fun!

What do you have planned for the weekend?

Linking up with Amanda

September 16, 2014

Blackberry Pear Pie

I used to think that baking a pie crust was impossible. It has always been one of those things that I have wanted to learn. From the wholesome Dutch Apple Pie, cherry pie, and pumpkin pie they all seemed out of reach. I decided to bite the bullet so to speak and give it a try. I was surprised that it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. Yes, it does have to chill in the fridge, but the crust is so worth it when it’s homemade. Have no fear though you can use the pre-made crusts in the freezer section of your grocery store. If you do, just adjust and baking times according to their directions.

I am using the same crust that I used for the Caramel Pear Pie so the instructions will be very similar.

Pie Crust – 2½ cup flour ~ 1 cup cold butter, cubed (2 sticks) ~1 tsp salt ~ 1 tsp sugar ~ 6 to 8 tbsp ice cold water

Filling – 1 pound bag of frozen blackberries ~ 2 Asian Pears, diced ~ 4 TBSP flour ~ 3/4 cup sugar ~ 1 TSP lemon juice ~ pinch of salt ~ 1-2 TBSP butter

Directions: Remove butter from freezer. Butter should be frozen (I always store butter in the freezer for baking purposes). In a food processor add the flour, salt and sugar and mix till combined. Add the cubed butter and pulse until the mixture is mixed (should be chunky crumbles). Add the ice water one tablespoon at a time and continue mixing. The dough should start to hold together. Go slow and check after each one.

Remove dough from food processor and place it on a cutting board or mat. Roll into a ball and cut in half forming the top and bottom crust.

Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour or up to 2 days before using.

Preheat oven to 375° F. Take out your dough and roll out so that it’s about 1/4 inch in thickness.

Using a biscuit cutter or even an upside down cup, cut out about 12 circles and arrange in your mini-pie dish or small pie tins.

Run the blackberries under some warm water to thaw. Once thaw pat dry. Dice the pears and toss with the blackberries.

Mix in the flour, sugar, lemon juice, and salt. Spoon onto the dough leaving a little room for it expand. Top with a few small cubes of butter.

**Do as I say not as I do!! I got a little messy. Don’t judge! 😉 **

You can bake them as is or cut out top crusts. If using a top crust pinch the crusts together to form a seal. Cut slits in the top to allow steam to get out. Use a pastry brush or the back of a spoon and light wet with water or egg whites for a nice brown crust.

Bake for 25-30 minutes for mini-tarts or 30-35 minutes for small 6″ pie. For an 8-9 inch full pie increase time to 35-45 minutes.

What is your favorite pie filling?

5.0 from 3 reviews

Blackberry Pear Pie

Ingredients

Pie Crust - 2½ cup flour ~ 1 cup cold butter, cubed (2 sticks) ~1 tsp salt ~ 1 tsp sugar ~ 6 to 8 tbsp ice cold water
Filling - 1 pound bag of frozen blackberries ~ 2 Asian Pears, diced ~ 4 TBSP flour ~ ¾ cup sugar ~ 1 TSP lemon juice ~ pinch of salt ~ 1-2 TBSP butter

Instructions

Remove butter from freezer. Butter should be frozen (I always store butter in the freezer for baking purposes). In a food processor add the flour, salt and sugar and mix till combined. Add the cubed butter and pulse until the mixture is mixed (should be chunky crumbles). Add the ice water one tablespoon at a time and continue mixing. The dough should start to hold together. Go slow and check after each one.
Remove dough from food processor and place it on a cutting board or mat. Roll into a ball and cut in half forming the top and bottom crust.
Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour or up to 2 days before using.
Preheat oven to 375° F. Take out your dough and roll out so that it’s about ¼ inch in thickness.
Using a biscuit cutter or even an upside down cup, cut out about 12 circles and arrange in your mini-pie dish or small pie tins.
Run the blackberries under some warm water to thaw. Once thaw pat dry. Dice the pears and toss with the blackberries. Mix in the flour, sugar, lemon juice, and salt. Spoon onto the dough leaving a little room for it expand. Top with a few small cubes of butter. You can bake them as is or cut out top crusts. If using a top crust pinch the crusts together to form a seal. Cut slits in the top to allow steam to get out. Use a pastry brush or the back of a spoon and light wet with water or egg whites for a nice brown crust.
Bake for 25-30 minutes for mini-tarts or 30-35 minutes for small 6" pie. For an 8-9 inch full pie increase time to 35-45 minutes.

September 15, 2014

A Full Weekend

I don’t know what got into me this weekend but I feel very accomplished. I know the cooler weather gets me excited. It was perfect aside from the rain, but even that didn’t dampen the night since I got to relax and read while listening to the rain.

Friday: I put together a to-do list so I could stay on track this weekend and get stuff done. It helps when it’s colorful right?! If you remember from my Birthday Wish List I wanted these anchor bookends, well I bought them and then got to work making them more my taste. A textured black spray paint make these so much better.

Saturday: Seamus decided it would be fun to wake me up really early (5:36am) to go the bathroom and then immediately go back to sleep. I have a very hard time going back to sleep so coffee it was instead. I decided to use this day as my running around day so I went shopping first at the Christmas Tree Shop for a Keurig stand, then to Wal-Mart for odds and ends then I went hiking. It was predicted that rain was coming so I wanted to get it done early.

After the hike I went to PetSmart for dog food and they were having an adoption drive, let me tell you it was so hard to resist getting another dog. Then I went to A.C. Moore for a picture frame for my Happiness sign I got last week. Back home I did most of my chores including grocery shopping before the rain came pouring down. The rest of the night I read and finished The Killing on NetFlix.

Sunday: The morning is as always spent reading. I look up to see Seamus sticking out his tongue. Seriously can he get any cuter?!

After putting all my laundry away, it was time for the MAJOR project. Really I just wanted to move the furniture since my new bedspread is supposed to come on Monday and to make a custom bench for the end of the bed. After moving the bed, it turned into me wanting to change EVERYTHING!!

The bed and nightstand doesn’t really fit with the headboard I currently have so that led to deciding I need new ones. Then I wanted to change up my bureau pieces currently everything is what was already on it.

Before picture \ Before picture \ Bed doesn’t fit \ Bureau

I realized I have some shopping to do and projects to complete before it’s done so stay tuned. The rest of the night was spent baking this Blackberry Pear pie, some goat cheese meatballs with spaghetti squash for dinner while watching movies.

Overall I felt really accomplished and feel like the coming weekends will be just as productive. I know it seems like I was go, go, go but I did have a little bit of relaxing time too, promise.

How was your weekend?

Linking up with Leeann from Join the Gossip and Biana from B Loved Boston.

September 12, 2014

Friday Favorites | Embrace The Mess

This weekend is expected to be busy because I have a long to-do list to get through but I don’t plan on making plans from now till October 1st because work is all I can handle right now. Busy season is here and I leave work in a brain fog everyday. So the weekends are needed to regroup and get as much done so I don’t carry over any stress into the week.

I am also in a nesting mode too with wanting to clean and organize every room in my house and start a bunch of project. Oh boy! I did purchase a new comforter for my bed so a mini-bedroom makeover is happening. Let’s get to it, then because it’s FRIDAY!!!

Favorite Tribute: In Honor of 09/11 yesterday this tribute to WTC with audio from different news channels mixed with Enrique Iglesias is one of my favorites and one that always makes me cry. I remember to listening to it a lot shortly after it happened and even while writing this sentence as it play in the background. We will never forget…the hero’s who ran back in, the people who lost their lives, the people who lost loved ones, the moment we heard the news, the people who defended our country after it happened.

Favorite Quote: To be brutally honest I am a hot mess on a good day. I take on too much, I always have a mile long to-do list, and I am always behind in housework. Sometimes we need to just embrace it, smirk at it, and shake it off.

Favorite Outfit: Can I just have this outfit in my closet or at least her body? I mean right down to the matching boot socks and booties. Gorgeous!

Women's fashion - style - cute outfit - street chic - grey - floppy hat - cape - boots - booties - classy - beautiful

Favorite Recipe: I am trying that sauce for sure but even the lettuce wraps look amazing! Yum!

Asian Lettuce Wraps with Skinny Sriracha Cream Sauce CHA! by Texas Pete Sriracha sauce #TexasPeteCHA #ad

Favorite Funnies:

Packing like a boss. I kinda love that he had a Captain’s hat.

I felt this way after my last birthday.

Seriously what do you do with table scraps?! This may be why Seamus is “husky”!!

Deep pockets.

What are your plans for the weekend? Please let them be less lame than mine.Linking up with Amanda

September 8, 2014

Fall Is Near Cherry Peach Sangria

If you remember, last Christmas my Aunt and Uncle gave me about 7-9 bottles of wine they had from either guests or as gifts. Since they don’t really drink they gave them to me. I figured I would be able to use them in recipes. I used a bottle when I made Gluhwein. It is a mulled red wine that gets heated down to become a very sweet treat. It is perfect in the Winter.

Now that Fall is Near I figured I could use up another bottle making some Sangria. I chose to use peaches and cherries mostly because I had leftover peaches from a sandwich I made and I just really like cherries. If you don’t like either fruit feel free to substitute.

Ingredients: 1 Bottle Chardonnay (750ml) ~ 1 cup frozen cherries ~ 1 Large peach (peeled and sliced) ~ Peach Moscato

Directions: Place the cherries and peach slices in a pitcher, and pour the Chardonnay over top the fruit. Let sit up to 4 hours or overnight. Fill a wine glass halfway with the wine and fruit mixture. Top with the Peach Moscato champagne.

I think that it was sweet enough and didn’t need to add anything however feel free to add a TSP of sugar if you prefer it sweeter or milder. You can also splash with Sprite for a milder taste too.

Feel free to also check out my Mango Sangria, Fresh and Fruity Sangria, or Watermelon Sangria.

Do you like Sangria?

What fruits do you add to Sangria?

Fall Is Near Cherry Peach Sangria

Ingredients

1 Bottle Chardonnay (750ml) ~ 1 cup frozen cherries ~ 1 Large peach (peeled and sliced) ~ Peach Moscato

Instructions

Place the cherries and peach slices in a pitcher, and pour the Chardonnay over top the fruit. Let sit up to 4 hours or overnight. Fill a wine glass halfway with the wine and fruit mixture. Top with the Peach Moscato champagne.
I think that it was sweet enough and didn't need to add anything however feel free to add a TSP of sugar if you prefer it sweeter or milder. You can also splash with Sprite for a milder taste too.

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