It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

It's the time of year where there are so many great holidays packed in to such a short period of time. I love holidays, celebrating with old traditions and making new ones. It's one of the reasons I'm usually one of the first people to break out the fall candles, pumpkins, pick up the biggest Christmas tree I can find (or fit in our living room), make people chow & put on the Christmas carols. I love it all.

This week (while taking a little hiatus from blogging), I did just that. I spent Thanksgiving with everyone I love: my husband, parents, sister, niece, and a bunch of Justin's family. Got a 10ft. Christmas tree (our biggest... so far), started decorating the house, celebrated my nieces 1st birthday and made my personal holiday favorite, people chow (a double batch to share, of course!)

If you are not familiar with people chow, you have to try it! Here is the recipe we have been using since I was a little girl.

1 Stick Butter
1/2 c. Peanut Butter
6 oc. Chocolate Chips
12 oz. box Crispix Cereal
1 box Powered Sugar
4 Large Paper Bags (from Grocery Store)

Melt butter, peanut butter and chocolate over low heat. Double up the paper bags (one inside the other - for extra protection). Empty Crispix into one of the doubled bags. Pour melted mixture over cereal in bag. Shake lightly until cereal is coated with mixture. Put coated cereal in 2nd set of doubled bags and pour in powered sugar. Shake until the sugar is covering the cereal. Spread People Chow over wax paper and let dry for about a half hour. Enjoy!!





xx,

Jaime

Weekend Whereabouts

Jack Kazanzas Christmas Star

This weekend we got to be part of a little bit of Orlando History. Sunday morning, my husband and I went to the annual raising of the Jack Kazanzas Christmas Star. Since the 1950's, the star has been hung every year at the corner of Orange & Central Blvd in Downtown Orlando. It was named after Jack this year, before he passed away. Jack grew up in Downtown Orlando and remembered seeing the star as a kid. He raised money twice to repair the star and keep the memory alive. A friend of ours was close to Jack and invited us to the event. It was a fun and memorable way to kick of the Christmas Season!

We also decided to go antiquing this weekend... it didn't go quite as planned, but we did end up stopping in one of our favorite German restaurants, The Willow Tree Cafe, in downtown Sanford. We tried out their new giant pretzel (Reisen Brezen) and of course, good ol' German beer. They both were phenomenal, but we wouldn't expect anything less!

xx,
Jaime

Yoga

This morning I tried yoga for one of the first times in a studio, and I loved it! 

The very first time I tried yoga, it was an all levels class and let's just say... it wasn't the best idea. There were people standing on their heads (literally!) and I was lucky to keep my legs completely straight and breathe. So, that kept me away from yoga for a little while.

Then, I tried yoga in my living room. Which would have been great, but if you have met my dogs, especially Lola, you know that everything on the floor is hers and she was attempting to do yoga with me...while Finnigan licked my whole head. So, that didn't quite work either! haha.

In comes Guruv Yoga, in downtown Lake Mary, about 5 minutes from my house. It looked like a great place to try and then I found a "Hot Deals" special for 5 classes, score! So, this morning I went to "Gentle Yoga" at 8am. It was just that, gentle, and stress relieving and I feel amazing! I can't wait to go back and try other types of yoga. Who knows, maybe I'll end up being a yogi!

I highly recommend it!

xx,

Jaime

Pinteresting!

I have finally joined Pinterest & I am loving it! I have an actual collage/pinboard in my office for things I find in magazines that catch my eye. It's the perfect outlet to combine & share all the fun things found online. You can find & follow me at www.pinterest.com/pinkroad/.

I am also trying out my 2nd Sally Hansen Salon Effects print and I love the way it turned out! I'm more obsessed with leopard this season than ever before. It's becoming my printed neutral.

xx,
Jaime

Fabulous 4

I love to try different red wines, so when my husband and I went out to a new restaurant this weekend, I had to pick an interesting red. The Velvet Devil, the name caught my eye, but then once it was brought to the table and I took the first sip, I was in love! A Merlot with hints of Chocolate, Wild Blackberry, Spice and Rose Oil...divine! It's right up there with my other favorite (but totally different), Mosella Black Riesling.

It's never to early to find the perfect 4th of July top, New Smyrna Beach, here I come! 

Baby lips by Maybelline makes your lips super soft! I have Pink Punch on the far right, and I love the punchy smell/taste.

Chargrilled Oysters, you have to try them! Even if you are not an oyster fan. Which I was not, and am still not, unless they are grilled with yummy goodness made up of butter, garlic, cheese, capers... anything you want! A little work, but well worth the effort.

Update: The Sally Hansen Salon Effects lasted 7 days! Wahoo, Success! I will do another set tomorrow and post some pictures. Try them out!

xx,
Jaime

Farmers Market Fun

This morning we went to the Lake Mary Farmers Market and enjoyed the gorgeous weather. It's always fun to walk around and try new things... like sunflower grass, peppermint patty cookies and vegetable empenadas.We picked up some fruits & vegetables, as well as a few other fun things.

Yummy Kettle Corn

Pretty Begonias for our front door

And then we wandered over to The Sweet Shoppe where we introduced gelato to my mom & niece, they both loved it! I got my all time favorite, mint chocolate chip, my mom got apple pie (made with real apple pie!) and my sister & niece got a blend of strawberry, raspberry & blueberry. They were all delicious!

Happy Saturday!

xx,

Jaime

Atlanta

This week, I went up to our Atlanta office for a few days. The weather was perfect, 70's during the day and 50's in the evening, but probably my favorite part was the all of the leaves changing colors since we don't get much of that in Florida.

I also tried two new restaurants while in Atlanta.

The first was Tara Humata, a Mexican restaurant known for their humongous margaritas. I got the Organic Margarita made with fresh squeezed lime juice & agave nectar. It is arguably one of the best margaritas I've had.

The second restaurant, Barcelona Wine, has only been open for about 2 weeks and 3 days. We got lucky, our original dinner selection was closed for a private event, so this was a valet recommendation. It was delicious! The food was awesome, they have a wonderful selection of Spanish wines, and the service was great. It's mainly a tapas menu, so that's what we decided to order. I tried the Ham & Cheese Croquetas, Crispy Calamari with Smoked Pepper Aioli and Chorizo with Sweet & Sour Figs. The croquetas were probably my favorite because they had such great flavor and were so different from anything I have ever had. If you are ever in Atlanta, this is definitely a place to try! They have a great little porch area with a fireplace as well.

xx,
Jaime

DIY Fancy Nails

After the wedding, I decided to have my acrylic nails removed and let my nails breathe a little (something I haven't done in quite awhile). It mainly stems from the fact that I don't have time or patience to paint my nails every couple of days and chipped nails annoy me.

In comes.... DIY Fancy Nails, or as Sally Hansen calls them, Salon Effects. You have probably seen them at the store. They are "real nail polish strips" you place on your nail, it sticks & supposedly lasts for 10 days. I'll be plenty happy if they last for five... Almost 2x longer than my opi nail polish.

I decided on "Misbehaved", a pale pink glitter background with a black fishnet like detail. But, there are lots of other options, including festive holiday designs.

I'll let you know how long it lasts!

xx,
Jaime

Stay Warm, Look Cute!

It's beginning to feel a lot more like Fall! 

As much as I love Summer and being able to wear cute dresses, shorts,  tank tops & flip flops, I equally love when we get a little break from the hot Florida heat. It's nice to have all the windows & doors open and fall candles lit. It's also... a good excuse to shop! (Let's hope my husband doesn't read this :) ) In the spirit of fall shopping, I complied a collection of cute jackets, sweaters & vests for your fall wardrobe:

Fur Vests paired with a cute skirt or dress
 helps keep you warm & looking fabulous

A Belted Cardigan dresses up Jeans & a T-Shirt
(Throwing in a little leopard never hurts either)

An Ivory Leather Jacket is a fresh spin on the classic black

A Signature Black Coat that stands out from the rest

A Super Warm Wool Coat in a color that goes with anything

On a little side note... While shopping today, I came across a great deal Bath & Body Works is having: Two of their 3 wick candles for $30, plus two free candle sleeves and then if you get their emails, another $10 off a $30 purchase. So, you get 2 candles & 2 sleeves for $20! I chose one fall scent, Leaves, and one Christmas scent, Winter Wonderland. Go in and get yours, they have a ton to choose from!

Have a great weekend & enjoy the cool weather!

xx,

Jaime

Live Your Dash with Passion

Today is what I am going to call, Make You Think Thursday!

I wanted to share this short video called, The Dash, that I discovered a few years ago. I like to watch it from time to time to put things back into perspective. Sometimes we can forget what's most important in life and get caught up in the hustle and bustle of it all. My goal is to keep that to a minimum. Enjoy!



xx,
Jaime

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds, a fall snack staple, are simple to make... If you don't mind getting your hands a little dirty. Don't throw out throw out those uncarved pumpkins yet! Follow these 8 simple steps to this tasty treat:

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Clean out the inside of a pumpkin (the larger, the better - more seeds!)
3. Separate seeds from orange goop (wouldn't want to get too technical :) )
4. Rinse & drain seeds thoroughly
5. Spray baking sheet with Pam
6. Spread one layer of seeds on bottom of pan
7. Spray seeds with Pam and sprinkle with salt
8. Bake for 15 minutes, let cool & voilà! Enjoy!

xx,

Jaime

Wonderful October

My favorite month is already over, wow! October brought a lot of great things this year, but, by far the best thing of all, Our Wedding! Everything was perfect, even the little bit of luck that fell from the sky an hour before the ceremony. We are so excited to finally be married! Thanks to everyone who came & supported us. Our professional pictures just came in, here is a sneak peek :)

I hope everyone had a safe & fun Halloween! We stayed home, "spookified" our house & handed out candy. We were afraid we may have made the house a little too scary, but it ended up being a big hit! Wish I could include all the sound effects on here.

I hope I can be as festive as my great grandma is at 95!

xx,

Jaime