It's a BOY!!

It's been a while and there has been a lot going on. For those of you who don't know... We are having a BOY! We couldn't be more excited. Along with having a baby, we are in the process of buying a house!! They have accepted our offer and now we are going through the paperwork process.

We decided to have a gender revealing party on Monday, November 21 because our friends & family were in town for Thanksgiving. I was so happy my sister-in-law, nieces and nephews were there to celebrate. Here on some pictures from our big night!

And the moment everyone was waiting for......

BLUE!!!!

Since George has started a new job, he hasn't really been able to go to my doctor's appointment so it was extra special that his work let him off & he WAS there!! I will never forget his face when the doctor said, "do you see that right there?". George lit up with the most priceless face ever. I love that man & can't wait to start our journey as parents with our sweet baby boy in our new house!

Bride & Bridesmaids night

Ever since Carlton & Ashley have been engaged, we have all been eager to celebrate! I am so happy for Carlton to meet such an amazing girl.. & not to mention she is going to be MY cousin. I absolutely think they are perfect for each other and wish them the bestest of luck throughout their entire journey!! All of us bridesmaids (besides Alyssa, since she lives out of state) got together for drinks, wedding details, dinner & more drinks. It was an awesome night! We all sat in Ashley's room waiting on her to get ready (the usual.. haha!) discussing wedding ideas and colors. Allie had the brillant idea to start the night off right and made everyone a drink (I guess great hospitality runs in the bloodstream of ALL Gloe's.. completely awesome!). Her are creations as we all make our first toast together to the beautiful soon-to-be bride!

We decided after two rounds of drinks (mine especially... Becky tried to get me drunk!) that we were going to head to Bahama Breeze, but not without taking pictures of course. This is an important time and we must document everything, especially for the nights we won't remember. Which tends to happen when I get with my girlfriends!

By the way, their black bean soup is absolutely BREATH-TAKING. Bahama Breeze ended with several rounds of drinks & move our festivities to Whiskey River. Considering I haven't drank in MANY weeks due to work & school, I surprisingly was hanging with the Gloe's (not entirely, but I was close enough!). To say the least, it was an awesome night to hang with Ashley, Allie, Becky & get to know Becka Young (Ashley & Allie's childhood best friend) which by the way I'm sure we will get along great! This isn't the first bride & bridesmaids outting... I'll be sure of that. It was too much fun, for just a one time thing.

Again, Congratulations Carlton & Ashley! Thank you for allowing both me and George to be part of this special time :) I am so excited to be there by your sides through everything.

Have a good week everyone!

Happy Birthday America!

I absolutely love the 4th of July! I love cookouts & all of the festivities that go along with America's birthday!! Happy 235th Birthday!! Nothing better than a little red, white & blue celebration. Here are some of my favorites:

Next year, maybe we will throw an All American party! Have a safe weekend :)



All American

It's 4th of July weekend! Me and my husband never really get time to just hang out, especially with me in school. We decided earlier today when we were relaxing on the beach, that would have a chill night. We cooked dinner together and are now enjoying some drinks. On the menu tonight, chicken wings! There is nothing more laid back than eating good ole American food. We made 4 different flavors of chicken wings and are getting caught up on our favorite shows.

Not only were the wings awesome, but it also helped me clean out my refrigerator and get rid of tons of condiments! Nothing better than the feeling of just throwing something away! I hope everyone has a great weekend :)

Cheers to Me!

I just finished my first final of the semester. It was Human Disease and Prevention, which was a KILLER class. We have multiple quizzes every week that covered about 5 chapters each. Along with my other 3 classes and working full-time, I am extremely happy to skip by with a 'C'. I do NOT get 'C s' but I have never been happier! Now that I only have 3 classes left of my undergrad... I'm kickin' back and relaxing with not just a glass of wine but the WHOLE BOTTLE (: George brought home some South Africian wine a few months ago. It's called Nederburg (which is awesome by the way!)

I have been keeping the corks of the wine bottles and have the idea of making this.....

They have these at Anthropology at Town Center and I just LOVE them. I guess that will be my next project!

Have a good weekend!!



Sugar High! *Recipe*

  

To die for Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes

Ingredients:

Cupcakes
1 (18.25 oz) package devil’s food cake mix (I used Duncan Hines)
1 (3.4 oz) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 Tbsp instant espresso granules, dissolve it in 1/2 cup warm water
30 Reese’s Miniatures peanut butter cups, frozen

Peanut Butter Buttercream Icing
3 sticks unsalted butter, softened (I used Kerrygold, which is 1 1/2 blocks)
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
2 lbs powdered sugar
3-4 Tbsp low-fat milk
Reese's peanut butter cups minis (in a bag & they come unwrapped)

Directions:

Cupcakes

1. Be sure to preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Place cupcake liners in your cupcake or muffin pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer or your stand mixer bowl using the paddle attachment, mix together all of your ingredients except the peanut butter cups for minute or two until well mixed.
3. Place 3 Tbsp of cake batter in each cupcake liner. Take one frozen peanut butter cup and place in the center of each cupcake on top of the batter, press down a little bit.
4. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until several cupcakes pricked with a toothpick come out clean. Do not prick the cupcake where the peanut butter cup is inserted. There will be a slight indentation or hole where the cupcake is sunken in from the peanut butter cup, you'll fill that with icing. Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes.
5. Remove cupcakes from the pans and place them on a cooling rack & let them cool all the way. While the cupcakes are baking you can make the buttercream icing.

Peanut Butter Buttercream

1. In your stand mixer bowl using the paddle attachment, mix thoroughly the softened butter and peanut butter on low to medium speed. Turn off your mixer and in two batches, add the powdered sugar and mixing until well blended. Be careful, the powered sugar can go everywhere!
2. Add vanilla and 3 to 4 tablespoons of milk a little bit at a time while blending on low speed. Blend until well combined. You'll start to see the icing pull from the sides of the bowl. Add a little bit more milk to get to the right thinness (to your preference). Keep blending, higher the speed, until nice and fluffy, about 5 to 7 minutes.
3. Using a big round tip and decorator bag, pipe icing onto cooled cupcakes and top with a mini on each cupcake.

My two absolute best friends birthdays are coming up... so I was looking at possible cake-ish things. We shall see... these cupcakes look like they are amazing!

Pottery Barn Inspiration

I am obsessed with buying house decor and we don't even have a house yet! We will really pick up the searching when I get out of school in August. So for now, I just buy things and put them away. Some people think I'm crazy... but how awesome is it going to feel moving into a house with ALL NEW stuff. I am so excited! I bought this duvet cover awhile ago from PB and can't wait to put it out. I love the blue's and really like the "soft tone" to it. I know it is hard to buy wall items when you have no idea the floor plan of your house BUT I am buying these. I want these heirloom frames sooooooo bad. I look at them every week. Maybe I'll order them when I get a coupon. I love everything about them, even the ledge they sit on. Ahhh, I seriously have an obsession.

Scrapbooking Fever

I had scrapbookin' fever today! Sometimes I just get ideas and just go, go, GO & then other times where I have nothing. I took advantage of it today!

I made this page for my sweet boy, Brandon {nephew}. He is ALL boy! He loves to help around the yard, used to help my dad {papa} fix things, and now he is stepping up and being the 'man of the house' while my brother is training for deployment. He is so precious and the sweetest thing ever. I am so excited to make memories of him while he is young.

Some of my girlfriends and I snuck off to have a photo sesssh in the woods at Blake and Christina's engagement party, what better way then to have a 'girly' page {which are my favorite to do}.

Of course, this is for Jack. Bella has a page & so does Bogey. I couldn't leave him out!!



Movie Nights... Upgraded!

Mother's day is right around the corner! How about grabbing dinner and renting a movie with mom? Movie nights can be more than just the "usual". Spice it up with homemade popcorn and soda pops. Love this idea :) Not only for Mother's day, but also a date night with your hunny or a group of friends.

I haven't had the opportunity to plan birthdays or holidays in a LONG time. Now, I'm on break from school and finally having time to be a wife, I am having so much fun looking at entertaining & craft ideas, recipes & finishing up my scrapbook. I have to make-up for all the time I have been BURIED in homework.

Enjoy your week everyone!!

My Final Product

I made these cupcakes for George's Birthday. He absolutely loves Funfetti, so his wish was granted && it worked because I wanted to use my new cupcake stand so bad! Here are the final products. :)

Happy Easter :)

Happy Easter everyone! I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend. I know I sure did. It was a much needed break from school and work. This year has already been extremely hectic, so it was nice to celebrate Easter with the 'Smith' family. This year was different for me. I didn't get to celebrate the holiday with my immediate family because my mom went to Destin to be with my expecting sister in law {so freaking excited!!!}. Not to mention the first holiday of the year without my dad. I didn't like the fact that I wasn't with my entire family, but maybe next year. My family has been through a lot especially since the passing of my dad, some of them have distanced themselves due to selfish reasons... their loss! So I was able to feel comfortable & welcome with George's family (as always) while my family took care of some priorities. Anyways, we want to wish EVERYONE a Happy Easter :)

Happy Easter from the Smith Family to yours!

Addictive & Delicious

After baking for some of the doctors at work, I realized that I love baking for others. I love seeing the satisfaction on people's face. Of course, I want to work in a health care profession because that has been my dream... but how awesome would it be if I could open my OWN bakery. :) Maybe one day. I definitely need a lot more practice before then, but who wants to be my taste testers :) Here are Salted Caramel Cupcakes. I don't know if anyone has tried a salted mocha caramel from Starbucks during the winter but they are BREATH-TAKING. This recipe reminds me of those.

The Method:

*Use whatever recipe floats your boat. Chocolate cake or yellow cake would be equally as amazing.
*Find a basic vanilla buttercream recipe.

*I usually combine 3 sticks of softened unsalted butter

*1 tablespoon clear vanilla extract

*2 pounds of confectioners’ sugar

*Add enough milk to reach the desired consistency (about 4-5 tablespoons).
*Hollow out a small circle in the center of each cupcake; I use an apple corer

*You can also use this piping tip from Wilton which allows you to inject frosting into cupcakes.
*Add in a bit of homemade caramel sauce to the hollowed center, then replace the small piece of cake you removed from the center.
*Top the cupcake with buttercream frosting
*Finish with a square of homemade Vanilla Bean Fleur de Sel Caramel

Enjoy :)

My Baking Addiction



Oreo Cupcakes :)

As most know, I absolutely LOVE to bake. If anyone as some sort of get together or party, almost 100% of the time I bring a sweet treat. I just get such joy out of the end result. Call me weird, but I guess things could be worse. I saw these cupcakes on a website and totally fell in love not only because they look good but a bakery in St Augustine sells them and they are FABULOUS. I am going to try the recipe on the next get together. Here is the recipe if you want to try them too. I just wish my hubby enjoyed sweets as much as I do, but instead I'll just bake for everyone else.

Ingredients1 (18.25 ounce) package devil’s food cake mix
1 (5.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1/2 cup warm water
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (I used miniature)

 

DirectionsPreheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a large bowl, mix together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, beaten eggs and water. Stir in the chocolate chips and pour batter into a well greased 12 cup bundt pan.
Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until top is springy to the touch and a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool cake thoroughly in pan at least an hour and a half before inverting onto a plate If desired, dust the cake with powdered sugar.

*Note: I made cupcakes with this recipe. I ended up with 28 cupcakes that were baked at 350 degrees F for about 21 minutes.

 

Buttercream Dream Frosting

Ingredients

1 stick salted butter – room temperature

1 stick unsalted butter – room temperature

1 cup shortening

1 tablespoon Clear Vanilla extract

2 pounds confectioner’s sugar (powdered sugar, 10x)

4-6 tablespoons very cold milk (I used 5 TBS)

8 crushed Oreo cookies with the cream removed before crushing

 

Directions

Cream the butter and shortening in the bowl of an electric or stand mixer. Add the clear vanilla extract and combine well. Begin adding in the sugar and mixing thoroughly after each addition. After all of the sugar has been added and mixed thoroughly, begin adding the very cold milk… one tablespoon at a time, combining very well after each addition (mixer on medium-high to high speed) until you reach the desired consistency. Fold in the Oreo cookie crumbs. Top cooled cupcakes with the buttercream frosting and garnish with 1/2 an Oreo.



Happy Birthday to my hunnay!

It has been an extremely exhausting week. I have had my final presentations & finals, to close out the semester. Not only has school been an exhausting issue, but so is missing my husband who has been in South Africa. George, Carlton & Uncle Les traveled to South Africa for work and enjoyed a little leisure time as well. This is the mine they visited and one of the several mines that his client manages. As they set work aside, they enjoyed visiting the lion park, where you can pet wild animals and do a small safari.

While he's out having fun and sightseeing in South Africa, I am at home making him his favorite treat for his birthday. I can't believe he is TWENTY-FIVE today!! He's becoming such an old man!

We have such a busy weekend! I will be picking him up from the airport tomorrow morning. We will celebrate his birthday Saturday, Easter on Sunday and our 2 year anniversary on Monday!! Very exciting. I hope everyone has a great Easter weekend.

Mother's Day

I'm backkkkk... well for now! I have 2 weeks of school left, then it's smooth sailin' ! I was taking a break from homework and decided to catch up on my Martha Stewart. I can't believe Mother's Day is right around the counter. I passed this gift idea for all the momma's out there who like to be in the garden.

Tools and MaterialsSterile soil seed-starting mix
Plastic bag with zipper seal
Burlap
Rubber band
RaffiaPlant-tag template
Copper plant tags
Double-sided tape
Cork board
Push pinsHerb-garden-instruction template
Card stock
Scissors
Terra-cotta pot
Herb seed packets
Osmocote plant food
Gloves
Shovel
Japanese floral shears
Watering can
Garden stones
Herb Garden Kit How-To1. Place sterile soil seed-starting mix in a sealed plastic bag. Gather burlap around plastic bag and secure with a rubber band. Add a raffia tie around the rubber band.

2. Download, print, and cut the copper plant-tag template. Place a copper tag on cork board and affix the tag template over it with double-sided tape. Using a push pin, pierce through the marked dots on the template into the copper plant tag.

3. Print the herb-garden instructions on heavy card stock and cut out.

4. Assemble the herb garden elements in a terra-cotta pot: add herb garden instructions, seed-starting mix, copper plant tags, herb seed packets, osmocote plant food, gloves, shovel, Japanese floral shears, watering can, and garden stones.