Down in the Back Woods!

This past weekend was wonderful. Mainly because I spent the entire weekend with Aaron. Friday night, we went to dinner and rented The Hangover II. Saturday, we met his good friend from high school at Wormy Dog Saloon for the Cody Canada and The Departed concert. Sunday, I had the day off so we went with my mom to a home and garden show at the fairgrounds. Aaron is such a trooper to willingly go to things like that with me. I think he actually ended up enjoying it. Afterwards, we took him out to my Aunt Sunny's house. He had never been there before and I knew he would love it. It's right up his alley....lots of land, ponds, four wheelers, animals...the country way of life. I love hanging out at my Aunt Sunny's house. It's a nice change of scenery and it's always fun hanging out in the country. We took my dog, Samson with us because we knew he would enjoy running free and swimming in the ponds. He absolutely LOVED it! He left a different shade of golden, more like red Oklahoma dirt stained. He was completely worn out. Here are a few videos of our fun day in the country:

Oh What a Beautiful Day!

Could it be any prettier outside today?? I can't believe the weather is this perfect in January. I'm loving every minute of it. Today is my day off and I literally had absolutely nothing to do. Oh how nice it feels :) I decided it was way too beautiful outside to be sitting inside so I took my dog, Samson to the dog park.....then we went for a long walk....then we made a pallet in the backyard and he snuggled me while I read my new book. It felt AMAZING and Samson loved every minute of it. People always ask me how I like working weekends and having two days off during the week. Although, I pretty much hate having to work Sat and Sun, it is really nice to have time off when everyone else is at work. You get a whole lot more done. I'm thankful for days like today when I get some peace and quiet to myself....and I'm thankful for this beautiful weather....and of course, for my precious dog! Just in case you're interested in what book I'm reading, it's called The Goodbye Quilt by Susan Wiggs. It's about a mother and daughter and how their relationship changes when the daughter moves away to college. I'm on chapter 3 right now and it's pretty much describing my relationship with my mom to a T. I think it's going to be a good one!

Hope you guys enjoy your day!

Love,

Quincee

Accessory Blog Swap!!

The accessory swap was the last swap I participated in during the holidays. I had so much fun doing all three swaps. I discovered three new bloggers and have enjoyed exchanging gifts with them and reading their blogs! Jenna was my partner for this swap. Just like all the other girls, she did a great job and I loved everything she sent me. Here's what I received from Jenna: Hair accessories!
Earrings!

Necklace!!

Thanks so much, Jenna! Hope you enjoyed the swap as much as I did.

I'm hoping Jenna has received her gifts....If not, I hope this post doesn't spoil it for her. I'm pretty sure they should have made it to her by now. Here's what I sent Jenna:

A watch!

Necklace!

Earrings!

Nail Polish!


Thank you, Jessica for hosting the Accessory Swap! If you're interested in seeing what everyone else received from the swap, you can check out her link up party here!

"They Don't Stand a Chance...."

Last week I helped my mom clean out her craft closet in the guest bedroom. While we were cleaning, we discovered a bunch of old blown up pictures that were hung on the gym wall for my volleyball senior night. This lovely picture was one of them....how embarrassing. We got a kick out of looking at it......so when Aaron came over last night I showed it to him. He knows I was fat when I was a kid, but I don't think he understands just how fat. He looked at the picture, shook his head, laughed, and said, "they don't stand a chance." By they, he meant the children that we will hopefully have some day in the far off future. The reason they don't stand a chance.....he was pretty chubby in the cheeks himself. My four favorite things about this picture:

1. My jacket says, "Jesus loves me."

2. My belly is too big to button the third button.
3. My brother is so stylish with his vest and visor.

4. How big is my head compared to Trevor's?

Oh this picture is a classic and I just couldn't help but share it!!

Do Me a Favor, Please.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-3cBwX4yCk

....and click on this link and watch this music video. I promise, it will not disappoint. Rachel Lee is one of my dearest friends from childhood and she's had a dream of pursuing a music career since we were very young. This summer she made her first official music video and today she revealed it for everyone to see on You Tube. I have been super excited about seeing this video because I got to have a teeny, tiny, small part in it :) I was there during some of the filming and got to watch them "in the making." I must say it was pretty fun and intense. Rachel asked me to take a few pictures of her and Dylan before they made the video so they could use them on the night stands. The pictures weren't anything special, but I was thrilled to do it for her and glad she asked me. During the scene where the bedroom doors come open, I got to help open the doors and pull the mosquito net open. I must say, I thought it would be one of those things where you do it once and it looks great.....WRONG! I think we had to redo that specific part 20 times because I couldn't make it look smooth. All that to say, Rachel and Dylan (the guy in the video and co-creator) worked extremely hard on it and they deserve recognition for it! A lot of time and hard work was put into this by a number of people. The video looks amazing, Rachel and Dylan look amazing, and Rachel's voice sounds amazing! Please support Rachel in her quest to fulfill her dream and watch her video.....and if you feel the need to share it with all your friends, please do! Afterall, the goal is to get as many views as possible! Thanks guys!

Aren't they easy on the eyes??

So proud of you, Rach and I pray that God will open up many doors of opportunity for you in Nashville this year! Love you!!

Fun Finds!

I thought I'd share a few treasures I've found recently. If you know me, you know that I love to bargain shop. You can always find me at flea markets, thrift stores, and Ross!

I found these Steve Madden heels at Ross last week. They were a whopping $25. Typically, I don't even spend that on shoes, but these were too cute to pass up!

I love the bow and glitter on the back!

On Saturday morning, I went to the flea market at our county fairgrounds. I found this pretty chandelier for $20. It has a chain and hangs from the ceiling. I loved the color and style of it!

Kirkland's was having a store closing sale in our mall a while back. I've been looking for some big silverware pieces like this for a while now. I think they're really cute hanging on a dining room wall. They were originally $17 a piece, but I got both of them for around $16!

I made a trip to Goodwill last week and found these blue vases for .99 a piece. I bought four of them. Thought they'd be cute as flower vases!
I also found this vase at Goodwill for 99 cents. I bought it to be used as a drink carafe....to hold juice, wine, water, etc. I love the shape of it and I think it will work perfectly!
I went antique shopping last week in Edmond and I found these two candlesticks. I loved the bright yellow color. They were on sale for 50% off. I got both of them for $20. I think they'll be so cute up against a fun colored wall!

Now all I need is a house of my own to put all my decorations in :)

Recipes!

Let me start by saying that I'm not a good cook and I don't do it very often. Therefore, one of my goals for 2012 is to experiment with new recipes and try to cook a meal a couple times a week. I've cooked more in the last few months than I ever have, but it's still not very often. Most of the recipes I've tried are ones that I found on Pinterest. They required very few ingredients and were very easy to follow. All of them turned out great....and that is an accomplishment for me. I've included pictures of the dishes made and links to the recipes if you're interested in trying them. There are many more recipes on Pinterest that I need to try and I'll keep you updated as I make them. Photo source: Recipe Bridge

Recipe from Southern Living Christmas Cookbook

Ingredients:

12 oz. uncooked ziti pasta

3 cups marinara sauce, divided

1 (8 oz.) package shredded mozzarella cheese , divided

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1 cup ricotta cheese

3 Tbsp. jarred pesto sauce

1/4 tsp. dried crushed red pepper

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and transfer to a large bowl. Add 2 cups marinara sauce, half of the mozzarella cheese, half of the Parmesan cheese, all of the ricotta cheese, pesto, and red pepper, stirring gently to blend.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spoon pasta mixture into a lightly greased 13"x9" baking dish. Spoon remaining marinara sauce over pasta; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.

3. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.

Photo source: http://www.pearls-handcuffs-happyhour.blogspot.com/

Find recipe here.

Photo source: Pinterest

Find recipe here.

Photo source: Pinterest

Find this recipe here.

Photo source: Pinterest

Find this recipe here.

Photo source: Pinterest

Find recipe here.