peeps

fun things to do with peeps (besides eating them.) funny! read it

melanie's

today was sunny, which in boone means you must eat outside - on a patio - in the sun - and enjoy it while it lasts. being the very last day with our sweet interns at work, we took them out for a delicious brunch meal at melanie's food fantasy - the go-to patio in downtown boone for great food and sunshine.

melanie's has always been a favorite of mine. I can't imagine how many of their awesome quiche-of-the-day specials I have had over the years. today was no exception - canadian bacon, onions, and cheddar cheese. YUM!

quiche is for sure one of my favorite, easy meals to make.

about 5 eggs
about 1/4 cup half and half
pillsbury crust
creative ingredients

bake the crust halfway in a pie pan in the oven at 400, remove. mix the eggs and half and half together, and all your yummy ingredients. options: cheese, bacon, spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, you get the idea. pour into the half-baked crust, cook it up. about half and hour in the oven at 400. just watch it. don't burn it. eat. enjoy.

"grape" causes

one of my fav local charities, wine to water, ran by some sweet friends, are featured in food & wine mag. check it!

wine to water in food & wine

da bomb

I hear this stuff is yummy - flowerbomb perfume - and I can get FREE shipping at sephora.com today for being a facebook fan. should I do it? should I buy a scent without smelling it first?

ore-oooh cake

the oreo cake (mine pictured in post below) was a huge hit at the dessert party today. the pan was cleaned up. it's so easy and a crowd favorite.

recipe:
one bag/box of oreos
one tub of vanilla ice cream
one tub of cool whip

melt the ice cream, mix it all up, pour into a pan, (9x11 or bundt pan or circle pan, options) flatten, re-freeze, optional: decorate top with fudge syrup.

I like this one, all decorated and pretty.

something sweet

tomorrow we're celebrating my sweet interns charissa and kim. it's time for them to move on from occ, and we'll be very sad with them gone. in their honor, we're having a "break time" dessert reception at work. I made these goodies for the big party...

oreo ice cream cake

coconut cream cheese icing on lemon cupcakes with milk chocolate sprinkles

bit of a sugar high from the baking... shew.

this is not a love story, this is a story about love

500 days of summer is one of my absolute favorites. I want to have "sweet disposition" and funky french music playing in the soundtrack behind my life. that's all.

mountain culture

tonight I attended the annual banff mountain film festival world tour showing in boone, nc. this was my 5th or 6th time to the festival since I started living here in the appalachian mountains. I even attended the awards ceremony one year in banff, canada while I was up in calgary for a work meeting - fun memory.

the festival has a billion outdoor sports sponsors, and is well attended (sold out even) by dreds-sporting, expensive-outerwear-gear-wearing, camping-loving local earth-muffin types. for the average person, if you can get past the feeling of being a little out of place, you can actually allow yourself to be transported by the films into a very comfortable state of companionship with the the characters.

I'd like to go on record by saying I don't ever need to see a film about bikes. but the ones I love are the ones where I can can find some sort of emotional connection with the film's characters. this year I loved "finding farley" and "first ascent: alone on the wall". I loved how they explored the psychological side of sport - the why and the how that someone could push themselves to such limits. very interesting stuff. if you have a chance to check out the tour - I recommend it.

from "finding farley" - sweet little zev stole the show and made me wonder if I'll be an adventurous parent.

I also enjoyed the "africa revolutions tour" film. with kayaking being one of the only extreme sports I have actually tried my hand at - I could appreciate the terror and excitement these guys felt as they faced raging, unchartered whitewater.

yummy in my tummy

I need to make some desserts for an event this week. anyone have some delicious and easy recipes for me to try? basics are fine - nothing fancy! help.

back to basics

product reviews! I do love a nice expensive new find (see coach bag below) but what about the everyday items we all use? here's my recommendation, for what it's worth.

face wash. I've been using aveeno daily skin brightening for about 5 years now. love it.

moisturizer. a few years ago I realized that my environment (aka the frozen tundra) was taking a toll on the elasticity of my skin. and I'm getting old, so what? I like philosophy's hope in a jar.

lotion. johnson and johnson's melt away street lavender and chamomile is my favorite go-to lotion. light scent, not too greasy, good moisture, clean feeling.

shampoo. I've been loving nexxus therappe shampoo lately. can't say I love the conditioner... still on the hunt for a good one. this shampoo makes me smell like the salon. it's a fresh clean scent and washes in and out well.

body wash. good ol' dial soap. I love the anti-bacterial line because it makes me feel super clean, smells fresh and not too perfumey (aka I am not allergic to it).

toothpaste. I drink so much coffee and diet coke I have to use a whitening toothpaste everyday. I like crest's vivid white brand in invigorating mint. the mint doesn't make me choke, and it keeps me whitey britey.

for what it's worth...

being friends

just FYI... don't ask me how I know this... should a person google "being friends..." google automatically thinks your searching for "being friends with an ex".

apparently other people have this question too? yeah? good to know.

it's not rocket science to know that no one on the entire internet thinks its a good idea.

hmm. same as my mom. and all my friends. listen much, shannon?

pucker up

thanks to my addiction to lipgloss and my friend jill, I've recently fallen in love with a new brand... buxom lips by bare ecsentuals. you can get it at sephora and many other places. I was looking for something creamy pink (not sparkly) and buxom was just the brand for me. I purchased "sandy" but there are lots of options to check out. it also has a slight lip plumper. makes you feel pretty.

a scent worth the cents

as a lover of all things pretty, you must assume I love anthropologie. sometimes I talk myself into thinking that it's ok to pay more than $30 for a candle, because it's from anthropologie, and it's pretty, and it smells real good. (the thing I forget to tell myself is that I am usually allergic to all these lovely smells... headache much?)

but, the candles I've fallen for are called SKEEM candles. they're pricey but amazing. check out white tea thyme and sweet balsam - my favs.

light me up

so I was in walmart last night. that's right, on a friday night. (small town life anyone?) because I needed toilet paper, of course. I wandered into the lamp section because, let's be honest, I am always looking for a new lamp, or a new... anything... to decorate my house. I'm loving this new line of hometrends lamps walmart is offering. can get them online too. check out these cute options. stylish and super cheap!

so, which one will go best in my house... hmm...

to dream, to sleep

time for a new look for my bed - aka, my favorite place in the whole world. no expense is too much for style and sleep perfection. debating between the two pictured here. suggestions?

from target's dwellstudio collection.

from jonathan adler designs.

would be remiss not to mention, by bedroom redesign scheming is inspired (as usual) by the fabulous design*sponge blog - click here and scroll down to "elizabeth's bedroom" design*sponge.

100,000

Today my team reached 100,000 followers on Facebook for our project, Operation Christmas Child. We're simply blessed to work on a project that a lot of people love, but at the same time, we've worked hard on social media - so we were definitely rejoicing in the huge number of fans. A big milestone for us! So, to celebrate, I took all the girls to Kilwin's for an afternoon ice cream treat. Even though the weather was brisk, it was yummy to chow on some chocolate and coconut mix - my usual summer fav. Then, as an added bonus, the girls talked me into the purse I've been eyeing from Coach. Good afternoon here in the mountains. And, off to the Banff Film Festival tonight - can't wait!

The below bag looks like the one I got. Mine is not two-tone though, just the lighter color on here.