Sunday, October 26, 2014

Baking and DIY

This title post is my life, baking and a DIY project. Two of the things I love to do most. I wanted to share my tips for the perfect Oreo ball. I often get asked to bring these to parties and events and thought I would let ya'll in on few secrets to success. Today I changed things up a bit using PUMPKIN SPICE Oreos. Now, I am not a fan of an Oreo cookie by itself, it's just never been something I liked but an Oreo ball on the other hand, die for them! Here is my no-fail recipe and instructions...
Ingredients
1 package of Oreos (any flavor)
1- 8oz package of softened cream cheese
1- 12 oz package of candy melts or almond bark
1 package of candy sticks or festive paper straws (I cut the straws in half)


Instructions
Using a food processor (or wooden spoon) gradually add 7 or 8 Oreos at a time on low speed
Once the Oreos are crushed, add the softened cream cheese


Pulse until a gooey ball has formed 


For the next step I use a melon baller but you could eye ball it as well
Form balls and place on parchment lined cookie sheet 
Place Oreo balls in refrigerator for 20 minutes (THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT)
Once they have hardened, melt only 5 pieces of chocolate (in 30 second intervals) 
Dip your sticks/straws in the chocolate and stick in the Oreo ball
Place back in refrigerator for 15 minutes (Also very important for dipping)
This step prevents the Oreo balls from falling off of the stick


Melt the remainder of your chocolate
Once the sticks are set, remove the cookie sheet and begin dipping the balls in chocolate
I add sprinkles on top for extra cuteness and a festive overload
I store my Oreo balls at room temperature in a cake dome. I find that if you leave the in the refrigerator, once you take them out they sweat and get mushy.

  and what do you do with the tiniest bit of leftover chocolate? Drizzle pumpkin shaped pretzels, obviously!

If you're looking for a last minute DIY to spruce up are Halloween decorations, I have got the fastest, easiest and most perfect thing for you! These paper bats are sure to give you the eerie Halloween look you're going for and only take a couple of minutes, Trace out a bat onto black poster board (I found a clip art drawing on google images) and cut it out. Stick a piece of washi tape on the back and stick where ever your heart desires! 
 SO easy and FUN!

Only 5 days until the witching hour Halloween! What are your plans? I'm off to watch whatever is playing on ABC family's 13 nights of Halloween! Have a great week!



Friday, October 17, 2014

A few of my favorite things

Good morning and HELLO fall weather! I'm thrilled to report that eastern NC is experiencing weather perfection. I wanted to try something new on my blog. I love reading about things that other people have tried and love...clothes, food, beauty/makeup products, vacations, etc. I just enjoy hearing honest opinions about new things I may not have ever heard about. I thought I would give my opinion on few of my favorite things right now...


I bought this sweater at target this weekend and it's so comfy. I think it's a easy go-to casual sweater for any day of the week. Cherry-Lime La Croix water is my JAM right now. I will be honest, when I started drinking flavored water it was not my favorite, it's an acquired taste. Now, I love it. I used to live off of diet soda and sweet-n-low and decided to cut artificial sweeteners out completely. It wasn't easy but with the help of La Croix, I am now well adjusted. This shirt, I don't even have the words to tell you how much I love it! Hocus Pocus is my favorite of all time, Home Alone coming in a close second. I have obsessed over the movie (and ALL Halloween related things) since I was in elementary school, so this shirt is absolute perfection. Not to mention it's a collaboration of two of my favorite bloggers. Win and Win! I just recently tried this awesome foundation a few weeks ago after getting it half price at the Bare Minerals outlet and I love it. It give as very natural, airbrushed appearance and doesn't feel heavy at all. I've been obsessing over this coat for a few weeks. It's so "Olivia Pope" and looks so soft and comfy and at a great price as well. And last but not least, this Vasanti facial cleaner is a microderm in a bottle. It came in my Birch Box this month and I will definitely be purchasing it. 

Hope some of you will try and love one or two of these products. Let me know if you do! Hope you all of a fantastic weekend!


Saturday, October 11, 2014

FALL!!!!...and a blog post after 6 months

Happy Saturday! I finally got around to a post this morning (I REALLY have to get better at this). It's finally fall here in NC, although it's 80 degrees outside right now. Lame! Hopefully we will get some crisper, cooler weather to stick around soon. Just in time for Halloween, I hope. I started by fall decorating a few weeks ago and continuously find things that I had forgotten I bought on clearance last year. So, I am steadily adding to my decor. Here's a look around our house right now...








 and....personally my favorite spot! I literally can't stop once the lids come off of these jars!

I have already started putting together goodie bags for all of the trick-or-treaters this year! It's hard to believe we are almost half way thought October, time please slow down! I hope you all have a fabulous Saturday! 

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Small town goes BIGger

Happy hump day everyone! One more work day for me this week and then it's blue skies and sunshine! I wanted to write a post about our growing town. I have lived here in Windsor my entire life as far as I can remember resources have always been limited, until now. We have a wonderful Oyster bar in town with some of the best food you will ever eat (in my opinion) and we are expanding with two new store fronts! This is big news for a small town. My friend Lori Beth is fulfilling a life long dream of opening Kaley Jase Boutique this Saturday, April 12th and we also have a coffee shop opening soon. Lori Beth already has several items available online.

photo credit: Kaley Jase Boutique

I couldn't be more excited to walk a mile downtown to pick a new dress and grab a cup of coffee. If you are ever in this area on Saturday make sure to stop by for the grand opening of Kaley Jase Boutique. I should also mention (as a big fan and friend of the owner) Bunns BBQ will not disappoint you if you're looking for great BBQ. Ask for a corner piece of cornbread! Have a great rest of your week!






Monday, April 7, 2014

Oh the struggle...

I find myself constantly needing change. A weather change, nail polish, pillows, paint, it's a never ending process with me. I am steadily rearranging things in my house and looking for something new to put here or there. The latest topic of conversation in our home has been the buffet in our dining room. I have struggled with what to put on it since the day we moved it in. I have put pictures and flower arrangements but couldn't seem to find anything fitting. My sister stumbled upon this picture on Pinterest last week and it seemed to be exactly what I was looking for. We went thrifting this weekend and I found a white ceramic vase for $1, what a steal! This is what I can up with on a days notice...


Tray is part of the Nate Berkus collection at Target



 I would like to add more white ceramic pieces as I find them but for now I am finally somewhat satisfied. I also decided to give this old wooden tray a face lift with some fresh white paint (which I think will brighten up just about anything).



 It's only a matter of time before I'm off to find yet anther item or room in my house to mix up. I look forward to the relief of having everything decorated just the way I want, if that is ever possible. Have a great week everyone!

Saturday, March 29, 2014

Life actually on North King Street

It has been FAR too long since I have blogged. I truly hate starting something and never finishing and I am bad for that. I woke up and decided to try to commit to this at least twice a month. I started this blog as a why to document life lately; our new home, new adventures, new recipes, etc. I am going to give this another try! I realized that I hadn't actually talked about living in our new home at all. It's hard to believe almost a YEAR has gone by since we closed on our house. Time goes by far too quickly! We are loving being in town! I grew up (literally) three houses down from our home so I feel like I never left. I can't wait to have kids and experience "town life" with them. This may sound crazy to some, this "town life", especially if you live in a big city. When I was in middle school, my friends and I used to ride our bikes from sun up to sun down. We could go get lunch (at one of the 5 restaurants in town), ride to a friends house, to the park or the ball park. I loved every minute of it and felt so safe being in the middle of Windsor. I know times have changed but still I hope my children will love being in the middle of of this little town as much as I do. Back to our home, it's FINALLY spring and thank the Lord for it. I am so happy to get some springy colors and Easter decor in the house.

Spring banner from Target last year and bunny banner is Target Threshold this year.
 

Ceramic bunny from Pier 1 (He's actually a book end)

This little gem is something I painted last week at Cork and Canvas in Edenton, NC. Leanna is awesome and the classes are so much fun!

I'm still very happy with the decision to paint most of the walls in our house either white or some other neutral. I am constantly loosing in interest in things and with the white walls a throw blanket or vase of flowers can make the entire room look different. I still have so many things I want to do in the house, but for now we are living comfortably. We are planning to add on a master bathroom and closet this summer. Any thoughts? I would love to talk to someone who has added on an entire room to their existing home. It should be a hot and stressful summer, yet again with home remodeling. Have a GREAT weekend!!