Off to Cabo!

Ben and I are heading out to sunny Cabo San Lucas, Mexico bright and early tomorrow morning! We'll be there because Ben will be attending a foundation executives seminar - should be a nice retreat for him and a great amount of suntanning and shopping for me!

While we're in Cabo - I'm hoping to stumble on a great "HUGE" piece of pottery for our backsplash of our mantle! I have a vision for either something in a crazy neat green color - or possibly a burnt orange! Cross your fingers - we love to find things on our travels and I really, really, really need something on my fireplace!!

We'll be back on Sunday - so it will simply be a short trip! I'm hoping to head over to this great little artsy area and to a few of the older areas of san jose del cabo - so hopefully I'll have tons of great stuff to blog about upon my return! Enjoy the rest of your lovely week!

cupcakes galore. . .

So just the other day when I was looking through old pictures of my year living in LA - I found a picture of a bunch of us out at a cute little cupcake shop! It was one of my favorite places to take my visitors and I can still taste the way the red velvet cupcakes taste from Sprinkles in beverly hills! I love the way cupcakes look (and taste!) and I think they are one of my beautiful decorations for a shower, luncheon, wedding or soiree! While visiting some of these lovely cities - make sure you check out some of the best cupcakeries I've stumbled upon! Enjoy. . .

Sprinkles - the original shop is located in beverly hills, but they now have a few other locations nationwide! Check them out - they are delicious!

Fresh Cupcakes - stop by this delightful little place in Charleston!

Sweet Mandy B's - this lovely little place is a favorite to many, and what a delight it is! Check it out the next time you are in the windy city of Chicago!

The Flying Cupcake - next time you are visiting Indy, make sure you stop by this little gem - check out the names of their little cakes too - they are pretty creative!

Magnolia Cupcakes - when in the big apple, make sure you check out one of Magnolia's many locations!

Any other favorites that we should plan to visit? Share with us all!

Make sure to check out the websites for all of these lovely shops as most of them ship nationwide - send them to your favorite friend to brighten her day, to your mom for mothers day or simply bring a few to work to bring a smile to your coworkers!

Delightful Sour Cream Pound Cake

Sour Cream Pound Cake:

This is the most delicious pound cake recipe! My mom has made it multiple times and I'm fairly sure it came from my Grandma Bailey's recipe box! This past week I made it in loaf pans and it would pair perfectly, if cut into small narrow strips, with a chocolate or frangelico fondue! It is perfect served alone as well! This is a great gift to give to new neighbors!

Ingredients:

1/2 pound butter (2 sticks)

3 cups sugar

1 cup sour cream (I used fat free, worked perfectly!)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3 cups all purpose flour

6 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

(Ok so its not the healthiest option - but you aren't going to make it every day either!! Just enjoy it and worry about the calories later!)

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.

Mix in a large bowl the butter and sugar, until creamed. Add the sour cream until all together evenly. Sift the baking powder and flour together, set aside in seperate bowl. Mix eggs and vanilla together in a seperate small bowl. Add to the creamed mixture alternating with eggs and dry mixture. Make sure all eggs are beaten entirely into mixture. Pour the entire mixture into a greased bundt pan or 10 inch tube pan. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Let cool and serve. To change it up a bit - add a small amount of lemon juice or extract to add a lemon flair. Make a light icing and drizzle over top of cake, or simply dust with powdered sugar. Enjoy. . .

A New Obsession is Blooming. . .

Wow. I am so blessed. I have a friend from work who is a master gardener and she has so graciously offered to help us with our yard! We've been talking about this for months and today we had our first meeting to begin this process. . .and was I ever impressed!

Masiel knows just about everything there is to know about all gardening! (I swear, I'm not even kidding - she's a whiz!) She is originally from the Dominican Republic where she grew up in a family of florists. She has loved gardening and flowers since she was a young girl! She has since been a member of the rose society in every town she's lived in (Atlanta, Park City, etc.) and she is currently planning to join both the rose and herb societies here in Indianapolis! Needless to say, she is not only knowledgeable, but it is also her passion!

I'm not kidding when I say, she simply walked around our yard and, almost instantly, she had a vision! I am so impressed!

Masiel took the time to reference the time period our home was built in, took note of the type of house we live in and also found flowers and plants that are native to our area too! Our home was built in 1910 and it is an arts and crafts style home, here in Indianapolis. She came prepared with various plans that would fit our home - even after never seeing it before! I was utterly amazed!

After much discussion we decided that today we would start with the plans for our back yard. We are going to have climbing roses and clematis around our garage, small foliage and other plants in two beds outlining the garage as well. We will also have a small vegetable garden with herbs and various vegetables. (I cannot wait!!) We are hoping to have some new trees (probably a dogwood and an evergreen or two!) brought into the back yard and have a combination of various fragrant flowers (roses, hydrangeas, clematis, lilies, etc. . . ) all over the yard in various beds! I am so excited - I can't even begin to tell you! She introduced me to some great websites that I thought I'd share as well!

I'll continue to chronicle about this adventure as we go along - as I'm sure it'll be interesting! For now, my homework is:

1. Order the various types of roses online - I'll be ordering Zephirine Drouhin as a climbing rose, William Shakespeare 2000 and Marie Pavie as lower growing roses - click on the links to see them! (I'll be ordering them from Pickering nurseries online and I'll ask that they arrive in late March!) (PS. just so you understand my extent of knowledge (truly zero!) I had no idea that there were sooooo many types of roses!)

2. Order many of the perennials online - For now I'll be ordering a few and then I'll be looking locally for about 10 other beautiful ferns, foliage and flowers that we have identified for the back yard! (I'll be using http://www.bluestoneperennials/, and http://www.bigdipperfarm.com/ to order most of the perennials!)

3. Dig up the ground into the bed shapes near the garage. (Ben will surely want to help with this, any reason to get dirty and be perfectionistic with measurements is totally up his alley! love you deary!)

4. Call Affordable Trees - one of the best places in Indy by the way - and have them help with the dogwood, the evergreens and the arborvitae trees! (If you live in Indy, check out Affordable Trees - they do a great job!)

5. Find a composter that will suit our needs - Ben will help with this too, he loves to find and purchase neat contraptions like this! ( I personally want a pretty one - I'm sure he'll want a "manly" looking one! ha!)

Let's just say - I can already see my newest weekend obsession starting to bloom! (ha!)

Delicious Bloody Mary Recipe

Bloody Mary Recipe:

This is the absolute best bloody mary recipe I've ever tried - its the perfect drink for a lovely brunch or a girls weekend! Thank you to Miss Tina Dunn for so generously sharing it with me! Its an old Indianapolis 500 favorite - supposedly its the recipe that they serve at the actual race!

Ingredients:

- Beefamato Juice (made by Clamato, but with a beef taste added - can use clamato, but not quite the same!)

- Campbells Condensed Beef Broth

- Vodka (your favorite kind of course!)

- Celery Salt

- Tabasco Sauce

- Worshteshire Sauce

- Celery, Olives, Pickles, Beef Stick to taste

Directions:

For every bottle of beefamato juice add one can of condensed beef broth. Refill the soup can with 11/2 cans of your favorite vodka (add more if you like!) Add 1/2 teaspoon of celery salt to mixture. Add 1 teaspoon of tabasco. Add 2 teaspoons of worshteshire sauce. Shake or stir mixture. Rim your glasses with celery salt, add your favorite celery, olives, pickles or beef stick to taste! Enjoy. . .

stamps. stamps. stamps and more stamps.

So lately I've been dreaming about elaborate stationary and all of the wonderful things that go along side these beautiful papers! If you haven't purchased your beautiful psa essentials self-inking stamp or embosser yet - make sure you get one soon - they are fabulous! (I'm sort of obsessed with mine - I think my next one may be the one with the rooster!) Which one do you have to have? This is just a sampling - there are plenty! Maybe you want to announce your new baby, show of your sorority letters or announce your new address - these stamps are the way to go! Check out www.psaessentials.com to purchase yours now!

Which one will you choose?!?

a true inspiration. . .

I started a new fun adventure around Thanksgiving when I interviewed to become a big sister with Big Brothers/ Big Sisters! I went through a short series of interviews and mentoring workshops and then I awaited my perfect match! A few weeks ago I received a call and found out that my new little was 12 years old, very active in school, and describes herself to be a "complete fashionista" who is a social butterfly too! She sounds like a perfect match, right?!?

So tonight I picked her up at her house and we went to a great dinner, at the spaghetti factory - so we could talk and get to know one another. I had a few ideas - but when I asked my little what her favorite food was and she mentioned "spaghetti with no meatballs" - I knew that it would be perfect fit! We traveled downtown Indy for dinner and she loved it!

It was such an inspiration talking with her. . . my little is a trooper, that's for sure. She currently lives with her sister, her brother and her nephew. She hasn't been outside of Indianapolis - except for a few trips to Michigan and Missouri, and she said that her chocolate shake and spaghetti were one of the best meals she'd ever had! (adorable and probably exaggerated, but so great!) She's been through a lot, as she's lost both of her parents in the last three years - but she is the most upbeat little girl I've encountered. She just ran for student body vice president, she didn't win, but she said she'll try and again next year and do her best this year in her non-elected position, simply because she wants to "make the school better for everyone." (precious)

This new little friend is bound to bring joy and a whole new element to my life and I am so eager to get to know her more. I'm hoping to chronicle about some of our adventures and some of her simple, yet so profound statements along the way!

I was inspired to do this a number of years ago by a few of my friends and the relationships that they have formed - if you are interested in being a big sister or big brother - check out the website and apply today!

Sunshine and Wedding Bells

My girlfriend from work is leaving today to head out of town for her destination wedding! She is going on a cruise and will be married in beautiful Cozumel, Mexico! She is super cute and she and her lovely fiance are one of a kind! They are truly amazing people and I'm so glad that they have found one another! They are foster parents to two boisterous little guys - and quite honestly, the boys are so lucky to have Lisa and Teito in their lives! These two deserve the best weather, a restful, yet exciting trip, elaborate treatment from the cruise team, and a perfect wedding day - and I'm sure that God will make sure it is perfect, in every way for them! I hope it looks like this on their special day! We'll miss you Lisa, but we can't wait to welcome you back as Mrs. Lisa Davis!! Cheers. . .

She's leaving on a jet plane. . .

Recently, Indianapolis opened a lovely new airport, complete with all of my favorite little stores and restaurants located directly inside! This morning I drove my sweet sister and her beau to the airport before sunrise so they could jet on out of here to a long weekend in Boston! On the way there I realized how much I treasure lovely airports and the ease of traveling! I fancy nice stores, cute restaurants, and stress free environments. It is almost as if Indianapolis built the airport just for people like myself!

The Indy airport has a Just Pop In store (for all of you popcorn lovers or a&b wedding attendees the popcorn is probably familiar! Its a fav of mine on far too many levels!), a cafe patachou (another local favorite - consultant girlies this is a sister restaurant to the one that we brunched in on Saturday!) and even a harry & izzy's restaurant! The airport is also complete with plenty of beautiful pieces of art, all created by local artists! What a great concept. . . now if only I could actually arrive early to see the sweet sites?!? Next week I'll be jetting off to Cabo for a long weekend with my lovely husband - hopefully on that trip I can plan to soak up the sites a bit in the new airport before jet setting and start my trip off on the right foot!

My sweet Sissy and I got to talking on the way to the airport and in true Sarah fashion, we discussed the art of flying comfortably. She is a firm believer in being comfortable - but also looking fashionable. She does not believe in ever flying in "sweatpants type clothes." She does believe in sporting a nice comfortable outfit. Have you ever noticed that if you dress nicely you generally get better service? I have. I think this would be a great example of what to wear on the plane - don't you agree?!? Maybe next week I'll sport something like this on our trip. . .

I love, love, love this cute jacket with the shirt! (I already have the jacket - but I need the shirt!)

Check out this beauty - gotta love marc jacobs!

Then I think I'll finish it off with these flat little comfy purple buggers on my tootsies!

Things I dream of. . .

Each week I'll post about various areas of events that I dream about - I love the art of entertaining and decorating and what better way to showcase these talents than to work on planning events. I idealize themes and the area of branding. I love anything that is over-the-top and I enjoy creating various moods through themed soirees, cocktail hours, receptions, parties, brunches and various affairs. I dream of fancy things and organic farm dinners, all in one. I enjoy all of the details, various aspects, and heartfelt work that goes into pulling off each and every event. Creativity is Queen in my world - and less if definitely not more!

So today I blog abbout my love affair with toile. I continue to be inspired by its classic, yet versatile appeal - and for that reason alone, I love it! I'm envisioning all of these lovely pieces meshed together to form a wonderful bridal soiree, great home furnishings, or possibly a lovely baby shower. . . what's not to love about this classic pattern?!? Thanks to another lovely blogger for sharing some of these images with me (bridal cheek). Can't you just picture it now. . . simply splendid.

Delicious Sweet Treats

One of my favorite things to do is bake! I'll be posting quite a few of my favorite recipes. Please feel free to share your thoughts or fabulous recipes too!

This is my mom's recipe and it is one that is always a hit! We had this at both my bachelorette party and at a recent annual reunion of my Pi Phi consultant friends - its a huge hit! It's a perfect snack for your kids or for sleepovers too! Its a great munching snack for all ages! Enjoy. . .

Mama Barnes' Sweet Carmel Corn Puffs

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

Ingredients:

1 Large Bag of Popcorn Puffs (or 2 16 oz. bags)

2 Sticks Butter (not margarine)

1 Cup Brown Sugar

1/2 Cup Corn Syrup

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

Simple Directions:

In 2 qt. saucepan - melt butter, brown sugar and corn syrup. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and add baking soda. (It will automatically poof up!) Put popcorn puffs in large roasting pan. Pour sauce over them. Stir gently to coat popcorn puffs. Place in to a 250 degree oven and bake for 45 minutes. Stir mixture every 10 minutes, so as to not stick to the sides of the roasting pan. When 45 minutes are complete pour mixture onto wax papered cookie sheets ( I prefer Jelly Roll pans because they have a lip around the edges!) It will crisp as it cools. Once cooled, break into bite size pieces. Store in airtight container. Feel free to doctor it up by adding cinnamon, vanilla extract or possibly drizzling with chocolate! Serve this sweet treat to all guests, it will surely be a hit!

What a stunning day. . .

Happy Inauguration Day - America!!

Priceless. I'm utterly thrilled that our country chose to bring Mr. Obama into this new role. I am so proud to see such a strong family representing our country, to the greater world!

Regardless of your voting preference, we should all see that today was a day of making history. As I watched the inauguration today I wiped away tears - because I was so excited to see how far our country has come. We have not only elected a new president who will surely bring change; we have also been blessed with a first lady who is educated, proper, polished, poised and ultimately, a wonderful role model to young women. We have truly brought on a woman of substance - I could not be more proud.

I'd be re missed if I didn't mention the wonderful fashion that was showcased during the inauguration speech today as well! Michelle, Malia and Sasha all looked stunning! In the past, Michelle has declined fashion advice for prior occasions, stating that she'd like to go on her own instincts. (How wonderful is that?!?) Today was slightly different, however. Designers around the globe sent in sketches, but she settled upon an ensemble that Isabel Toledo created. They mentioned she chose the "yellow" tone of the dress because it represents "hope" a clear underlying theme throughout all of Barack's campaign.

What a truly stunning day. . .

A New Endeavor. . .

As part of a new years resolution I decided to start a blog about small things in life that seem to bring joy to so many - event planning, decorating, entertaining, wedding trends, fashion, recipes, current events. . . small sentiments that make so many of us smile!

Enjoy. . .