Welcome to the good life.

This Is What Happens When You Go To The Fair.

In my opinion, the fair is good for three things. Eating, drinking, and watching the animals. And taking photos. This year's visit to the Orange County Fair did not disappoint. That's for dang sure. Lots of the fair essentials and good laughs with friends.

Juicys. How can you skip Juicys at the fair? We ate our way through the fair this year. Funnel cake, french fries, fried zucchini, pork sandwiches, and cheesecake on a stick. Talk about delicious.

Enjoying some champs in the wine tasting area. We made ourselves at home...in fact, it sort of felt like home. We sipped wine, champs, beer (boys), and tasty margaritas (girls).

Group photos. And yes, that's a cow in background.

Petting the animals. My heart melts for the baby animals. Especially the chicks and calves. Just so precious to watch.

Love this sign. Its true...there is no place like home.

Enjoy your Tuesday, friends!

Summer 2012 Olympics.

Is everyone enjoying the Summer Olympics so far? We've been glued to the TV...loved watching the opening ceremonies. Talk about interesting!

Let's go Team USA!

(photo credit to Shimelle who kindly shared her Olympic photos)

Enjoy your Monday, friends!

Happy Saturday!

Happy Saturday, friends!

Gift Wrapping Inspo.

Because I am currently in a party planning mood, I must share some lovely gift wrapping inspiration. I'm constantly looking for fun new ways to present and wrap gifts. There is something so amazing about kraft wrapping paper...it's like a blank canvas!

Wouldn't this be so nice for house guests? Or maybe even around the holidays?

Love these confetti tags. So fun.

Washi put to the test. Washi always wins.

Simple and elegant. Perfect for a wedding or baby shower.

My soul be still...love, love, love these sweet details.

Divine for gift cards or money.

Cute for Christmas. This ribbon is pretty awesome.

If these gift wrapping ideas are making you drool (like me!), check out Nora's Gift Wrapping gallery. Holy moly.

Happy Friday, friends. Have a good day!

Trendspotting!

Have you signed up for the Trenspotting class with Studio Calico?  I'm so excited for this class! I can't wait, check out the class schedule:

week one : triangles, ombre and woodgrain
week two : metallics, sunburst and confetti
week three : neon, arrows and banners
week four : typography, mist and hexagons

Everything about the topics above is amazing. I'm in a serious creative rut...this class is bound to help.

Happy Thursday, friends!

To-Do List.

Several weeks ago I posted a picture of my current To-Do List. All items are specific to Megan's wedding. This To-Do List has been accompanying me to work, running errands, Laughlin, and every other place. The previous To-Dos are now crossed out and replaced with a whole new set of things To-Do. While I do tend to break out into a cold sweat when I look at the list, I can't help but love it. I love planning Megan's bridal shower+bachelorette party. I love talking with friends and getting ideas. I love buying crazy bachelorette party items. And I love looking forward to the upcoming days.

My beloved To-Do List will be completed soon enough. Time to sit back and enjoy.

Get Away.

We were lucky enough to stage a quick get away to Laughlin for the weekend. Yes, lovely Laughlin. Four hours of drive time is well worth it to see family, spend time on the lake, gamble, and just have plain ol' fashion fun. And that is why I love Laughlin.

I am a sucker for my Aunt's white labrador, Tess. She is too darn scrumptious and sweet. This dog could get away with anything with those eyes.

Eating dinner/breakfast at 2:30AM. Everyone being on their phones at the same time. My brother flipping me off. This is my life.

Enjoying the 113 degrees weather together. Enjoying the cool water. Enjoying excess amounts of sunscreen.

Cousins having deep lake conversations. Consisting mostly of the Housewives of Orange County vs. Housewives of New Jersey. This is serious stuff.

Working the system. Gambling does not come natural to me...you see, I like to keep my hard earned dollars. But I also enjoy getting free drinks. To keep the balance, I like to gamble a small amount of money, while playing video poker. I finished up $5 with too many free vodka cranberries. Winning.

What a great get away. Enjoy your day, friends.

Find Your Joy.

(from Pinterest)

Hope you find JOY today, friends. Happy Friday...that alone brings me great JOY!

Spicy Chicken Tortilla Roll-Ups

Oh, hello there. Wednesday seems like the perfect day to share a new recipe. Please note, I only use easy recipes with minimal ingredients. I'm not a lover of the kitchen, but I am a lover of quick and delicious dinner ideas.Which brings me to the Spicy Chicken Tortilla Roll-Ups. Yum. And I enjoy most food wrapped in a tortilla. Just saying.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spicy Chicken Tortilla Roll-Ups

1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can Ro-tel diced tomatoes, drained (I hate tomatoes. So I substituted the tomatoes for diced green chiles. Perfection!)
12 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup shredded cheddar or monterey jack cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tsp ancho chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp garlic salt (I like Lawry's)
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
6 scallions, white and green parts, chopped
6-8 large flour tortillas

Season the chicken breasts with salt, half of the cumin, and 1 tsp of the chili powder. Add chicken to a skillet and add about 1 cup of water. Cover and cook on med-high heat until cooked through. Add more water if necessary. Once the chicken is cooked, cool slightly and shred with 2 forks.

In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, drained tomatoes, cheese, remaining spices, garlic, cilantro and scallions. Mix together until well-incorporated. Add cooled chicken and stir together.
Lay out tortillas and divide mixture evenly in the center of each. Spread into a thin layer leaving the edges clean. Roll each tortilla tightly. Do not fold in the ends like you would with a burrito but leave them free. Use a sharp knife to cut into 1" thick slices and transfer to a serving platter. (The end pieces will likely unroll a little so just eat the extras). Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Enjoy!

Brother of the Sun.

Saturday we were lucky enough to have tickets to the Brothers of the Sun concert. Talk about awesome. I'll happily spend any Saturday afternoon watching a few cowboys sing and dance in those tight jeans. Only a few people can pull off the look...Tim McGraw is on that list.

Tim McGraw sang one of my all time favorite songs, Last Dollar (Fly Away). It brought back great college memories of scrapbooking with Megs in our dorm room and not knowing what the heck I was going to do for work after graduating. Side note- its four years later and I still don't know what I'm doing...but I am doing it. In the song, Tim says "Cause if I ain’t got nothing
I've got nothing to hold me back". how true is that. The more you have, the more that holds you down. Very good reminder.

Hope you had a good weekend, friends!