Good Morning Gorgeous

{Here I blended vanilla yogurt and powdered sugar for a new take on standard syrup}

Sometimes after the Valentine's Day festivities have subsided, there can be the dreaded let down the morning after. Maybe you had this romantic night out together followed by a couple of drinks and a movie at home only to wake up the next day and think.....is that it? It definitely doesn't have to be this year. Red velvet is a favorite of mine and I think makes the BEST possible come back after a less than stellar morning after. Here's to love.

              I use Kroger brand pancake mix in this recipe because you only need to add water.

                                                   2 cups mix and 1 1/3 cup water
                                                                  4 tbsp cocoa
                                                           4 tbsp powdered sugar

                                                               red food coloring
              (I use the heavy duty version purchased at a specialty store to get the deep red)

{This version would melt my heart}

The Bomb.com

One of my personal goals for this year was to try and write more thank you notes. I know that it seems as though at this point, with email and text and so forth, that that type of communication is a bit outdated. I just always feel that anything made by hand for someone you care for means so much more than anything you can spend a ton of money on. I recently was gifted some homemade bath salts and for the first time in as long as I can recall, I have started taking long, hot baths. It is so incredibly relaxing and stress relieving for me, that I wanted to find something simple you can make at home for someone you care for this Valentine's Day.

Mix the dry ingredients first and then add the liquid.

8 oz baking soda

4 oz citric acid (lemon juice makes a great substitute)

4 oz cornstarch (or flour)

4 oz bath salts (or Epsom salt)

1 tbsp water

4 tbsp oil

assorted food coloring or sprinkles etc that will dissolve in the hot water

The lemon juice altered the color of the mixture a bit so be aware of that. Divide into separate bowls and add desired colors. We stayed with red and pinks. 

You can use formed cups of any kind or simply PACK TIGHTLY into cupcake pans. 

It needs to dry overnight for best results. Flip out of the pan, and wrap as gifts or drop into the bath for your own little escape. 

Rub a dub dub.

Wrap Me Up

Valentine's Day this year for me is so special because there is so much love all around me. I have four weddings and two new babies up and coming, and I cannot wait to celebrate that with the women who mean so much to me. They have given me the best gift anyone can bestow on another person...friendship. For all the hours we spend talking over important life decisions and new challenges we face every day, I am awe struck by their strength and conviction to all the things they want for themselves. They have taught me the importance of putting myself first, and having the confidence to be the person I am, and making no apologies for who that is. It is with that understanding that I am able to step out and celebrate this year solo. Because it goes without saying...if you can't be with the one you love honey...love the one you're with. 

Dress is Choies. Ray Ban aviators. Vintage clutch. Shoes are Lauren Conrad. Earrings are old JCrew. Wrap coat is Urban Oufitters.

Nick Jonas

Gun Show

{American Sniper}

I think history teaches us so much about where we are today and where we want to go in the future. Examining the things we once knew, or that are new to us, is like a gallop through the gargantuan layers of time, peeling them back delicately one by one, and capturing the translucency of the intentions of mankind. If you are able to permit that vulnerability to what is the truth of the past you can then transform the future. My infatuation with military history goes way beyond having been a military wife for a brief moment. I have an unending desire to understand the human mind when the transition is made from the average man to military warrior. To be stripped of any distinctive persona, and become a part of the cohesive collective of the military machine. I am completely saturated with undeniable emotion in the absorption of these epic tales of valor and bravery.

These are my favorites. 

SAVING PRIVATE RYAN

1. 

PLATOON

2.

GLORY

3. 

FULL METAL JACKET

4. 

BLACK HAWK DOWN

5. 

LONE SURVIVOR

6. 

PEARL HARBOR

7. 

MEMPHIS BELLE

8. 

THE HURT LOCKER

9. 

AMERICAN SNIPER

10. 

What I've Been Crushing On

{New travel mug}

{Taekwondo test day}

{My buddy and baseball}

{Dessert for breakfast}

{Small ish}

Waiting Game

I waited such a long time for this kimono to go on sale. I think I checked on it every day for weeks waiting for the perfect affordable price. When it happened I hopped on it immediately. I love a beautiful kimono with the movement it brings to every outfit making you feel like you're floating on air. The rich jewel tones seemed perfect for colder weather, and perfect for a lazy weekend Sunday. Perfect for me. Thankful I finally know who that is.

Kimono is The Oxford Trunk. Shirt is Good hYOUman. Vintage vegan leather jacket. Vintage denim. Booties are Steve Madden (old).

Delish

{These are your ingredients}

My grandmother was notorious for her version of  Hungarian chicken paprikash. There was no duplicating that recipe. In fact, I have never actually tried. I just grew up and moved on believing I could never ever have it again. Then I was sitting looking over the recipes I wanted to try for 2015 and just knew that this had to be on my list. It is one of those things that includes probably most of the things that you already have in your pantry and makes the perfect cold weather comfort food meal. I tip my babushka to you Mary. Well done.

Take 2 1/2 cups of flour and three beaten eggs along with a 1/2 cup of water and mix until the batter is stiff and gooey.

Boil water in a sauce pan and drop the batter by spoonfuls into the pan and when they float they are done. Drain and set aside. Keep warm.

Take your 1 pound of chicken and saute' it in butter with a medium chopped onion until lightly browned. Take out the chicken and set aside. Keep warm.

Add paprika (2 tbsp or to taste) and some salt and pepper to the pan. Include the mixture of 2 cups of sour cream and 2 tbsp flour and simmer for ten minutes or until the sauce thickens.

In the end it looks a lot like this. Some recipes call for more oil which makes the sauce more red and less creamy. I have also seen people skip making the dumplings all together and just add pasta. I think that if you're going for a more authentic taste and texture you have to make the dumplings.

I served it along side a light salad of spinach with berries and a glass of wine. 

Let's call this my cheat day. Worth it.