J

Today I picked up my John Wind initial necklace from one of my favorite boutiques, 4th & Ocean, in downtown Lake Mary.

I'm so glad I finally got one, I love it! Since both mine and my husband's name starts with a J, its fun to wear a J as often as I can.

They just got more letters in today, so if you live near Lake Mary, check them out! They have super cute clothes too!

xx,
Jaime

Little Pink Room

Follow the Little Pink Road is officially being blogged from a Little Pink Room!

Yesterday, my husband and I painted my office the perfect shade of pinky coral and I absolutely LOVE IT! It's a big step toward getting ready for 2012 and all it has to offer. I look forward to many more pink posts!

xx,
Jaime

New Year Resolution Inspiration

I can't believe Christmas is already over! It snuck up on me and flew by this year, but I enjoyed every second, and I hope you all did too. This week, as we approach the new year, I am planning on spending some time reflecting on what I want to accomplish in 2012. A few weeks ago, I came across this excerpt of the Seven Choices for Success and Significance by Dr. Nido R. Qubein and thought I would share, as I am sure you all are also thinking of your new years resolutions. I hope this inspires you some! "What is success? Only you can define it in your own life. In my own life, I have attempted to define both Success and Significance. To me, Success is secular. Significance is spiritual. It doesn't matter how you define your own spirituality. Spiritual matters are always finer, deeper, and longer lasting than secular matters. Success focuses on three Fs: • Fans • Fame • Fortune Success is focused on tasks, even goals. Significance also focuses on three Fs: • Faith • Family • Friends But, significance focuses on purpose. Why am I here? What do I do with the talents, experiences and skills that I have? How can I make the world a better place? How do I plant seeds of greatness in the lives of those around me? How do I make an impact in the circles of influence where I find or place myself? To choose success and significance, you must be a strategic thinker who: • Has a clear vision of what you want to accomplish • Develops a solid strategy that answers three questions: - Who or what are we today? - Who do we want to become? - How do we get there? • Employs practical systems to achieve your goals • Commits to consistent execution because in consistency, success emerges. When implementing your strategic plan for success, it really comes down to three "Ds": Decide what you want most to achieveDetermine the first step to getting what you wantDo the first thing that will start you moving toward your goal. Using these seven keys, you can choose success and significance. But keep this in mind: success is not a matter of luck, not an accident of birth, not a reward for virtue. The most successful people I know are the ones who have something to do, somewhere to be and someone to love. No one is responsible for your success or your joy. You must search for it and be in a continual state of earning it. To merely succeed is not an end in itself. You must use your success to impact other people...to impact the world...to Live Life from the Inside Out. It all starts with the choices you make - they determine the person you will become." xx, Jaime

Christmas Cake Pops

I've been wanting to make cake pops for quite a few months, but between the wedding and knowing sweets stick to me, this was my first good excuse! Tomorrow we are hosting our very first Christmas eve in our new home! So, of course, being the baker I am, I wanted to make a cool, delicious desert. Cake pops were just the ticket and they have exceeded my expectations. In my husband's words, "It's everything you would ever hope for" and I must say, I couldn't agree more! They are my new favorite.

I made with confetti cake, buttercream frosting, candy melts (unflavored) and Christmas sprinkles. You can find tons of recipes, but the concept is all the same, just use whatever you like!

xx,
Jaime

Pink!

Yesterday, while finishing up our Christmas shopping, I wandered into H&M to see if I could pick up a cute piece for cheap. H&M is pretty hit or miss for me, so my expectations weren't too high. Lo and behold right as I was about to leave, out jumps a pink blazer I just knew I HAD to try on. I loved everything about it, so of course I scooped it up.

Later, I come home to my pinterest addiction to find this picture! I can't wait to put my spin on it. I love the idea of pairing it with a white dress.

xx,
Jaime

Food Truck Love

If you are friends with me on Facebook, you know how excited I was about Downtown Lake Mary's 1st food truck event last night. I have been dying to go to a food truck event because I have heard such great things about them! It's a really great way to try a bunch a different types of food in one little area.

If you didn't make it this time, you will have to try it next time. It was a hit! We arrived around 5:20 and were lucky to get one of the last actual parking spots right around the park area. There were about 7 trucks and then two smaller vendors (cotton candy & gelato). You could get anything: fried goodness, bbq, jewish cuisine, specialty hot dogs, the list goes on! Everything is priced up to about $10 with the amount of food you get varying depending on the vendor.

First we tried a fried pickle and a fried truffle mac & cheese pop from Fork In The Road... to die for! Then we got Corn Chowder from Baxter & Tilly's which also also very good. Finally, we got some loaded tots from Firehouse BBQ which were topped with cheese, pulled pork, bbq sauce and sour cream! We were stuffed! But, since I can never pass up gelato from my favorite place, The Sweet Shoppe, we got some Banana Cream Pie gelato to top it all off, yum!

Then, we walked around and enjoyed all of the Christmas lights they have put up this year. It was perfect!

xx,

Jaime

Smoked Salmon Flatbread

My husband and I absolutely love smoked salmon, so when I was visiting Vancouver, I picked some Smoked Alaskan Sockeye Salmon. It reminded me of a delicious smoked salmon flatbread from Seasons 52 that I discovered over the summer. I remembered taking a picture of the menu so I could attempt to recreate it later - and recreate it I did!

First, I had to make the flatbread itself. Seasons 52 made their's with lavosh, so I looked up this Lavosh recipe and went to work. Instead of making balls, I made it into a large ovalish shape and baked as described.

Then, I chopped up fresh dill and mixed it in with plain sour cream and let it sit in the fridge, and thinly sliced red onion.

When the lavosh was cool, I spread the Dill Sour Cream over top, covered it with the Smoked Salmon and topped it off with the red onion. While it doesn't look as pretty as theirs, it was absolutely delicious!

xx,
Jaime

Holiday Baking

My sister and I have gotten together a couple times now to do some holiday baking and I thought I would share two of the delicious cookie recipes we have done (in addition to several batches of People Chow!)

First, we tried something new, Peppermint Brownie Sandwiches. My sister found this recipe on a blog, which I can't find at the moment, so when I do, I will post it in the comments section below. Basically, you mix up some extra fudgey brownie mix, place it on a cookie sheet (like you would cookie dough), and bake at 350 for about 10 minutes (I believe). Crush up peppermints (we placed them in a ziplock bag & beat them up with a hammer - haha). Then you can either: 1) mix the peppermint in with the vanilla frosting (like we did) or 2) assemble the sandwich with two brownie cookies and vanilla icing in the middle, squish together & roll the edges in peppermint. Enjoy!

And then, Snickerdoodles!, my all time favorite. We used to make these all the time, but it had been awhile, so we pulled out my mom's old recipe and got to work. Since we both had a very distinct idea of what a snickerdoodle should look and taste like - crackled cinnamon & sugar on top with plenty of flavor - we tried three different ways until we got it just right!

Follow the Snickerdoodle Recipe and you will get a delicious cookie. If you are interested in our little tweak, keep reading!

Instead of rolling the dough into a ball and then rolling it in the cinnamon sugar recipe... Dip the bottom in the cinnamon & sugar mixture, place on cookie sheet, push down on the middle with your thumb & sprinkle generously with cinnamon & sugar. Viola!

xx,
Jaime

Vancouver!

With my job, I travel quite a bit. Last week I was in Vancouver, BC, Canada for the first time. It is gorgeous. I actually didn't end up taking many pictures, mostly because I didn't think they would do the city much justice. I was on the coast, and it was just breathtaking to see the water with snow covered mountains in the backdrop.

While I was there, I visited a couple places that I would say are a must see if you ever get the chance to visit.

The first is this little coffee shop (which happens to be under our office there) named Smart Mouth Cafe. They have great breakfast burritos and lattes (that they put cute little foam hearts in) complete with a friendly staff which gave me the nickname "Sugar Free Barbie". They got a kick out of my Sugar-free Vanilla, Non-fat Milk Latte order.

Second is the Top Of Vancouver Revolving Restaurant which has fantastic views and great food. We went at night, which was neat because Vancouver has unique city lighting. But, if I get the chance to go back, I would go during the day to be able to see the mountains. etc. They also offer an elevator ride to the top (for a small fee) without dinner.

Lastly, we took a trip to Granville Island Public Market where they offer everything from freshly caught seafood, fresh fruits and vegetables, organic Canadian Maple Syrup to handmade items and specialty restaurants. It reminded me of a indoor farmers market, except it is open every day of the week! I purchased a few types of Pacific Salmon that we can't find here in Florida and some of the maple syrup. The syrup is delicious and we will be making some of the fish tonight, I am very excited!

xx,
Jaime

Gifts That Give Back

It's December already! Which means 24 more days left to finish up Christmas shopping! I love trying to find the perfect gifts, but sometimes it can prove to be a difficult task. This year, if you're stumped, or just want to make a little difference in the world, think of gifts that give back. One of my favorite companies is TOMS, shoes for tomorrow. For every pair you buy, they give a pair to a child in need. Now, they even do the same with eyeware and giving the gift of sight. One for One. Make a Difference this Christmas!

xx,
Jaime