Snow Day

This morning I woke up to just under 10 inches of snow and I had a pretty good feeling that I would not be going to work. Alas, I was right so at about 9am I started planning all the delicious things I would cook and bake during the day! Which worked out perfectly because Valentines Day is tomorrow and I wanted to at least bake a few cookies.  So here is my day...

This is the first thing I did when I realized I couldn't even push the back screen door open!

Then I fired up my new Keurig mini.

Snickerdooodles and peanut butter bars were the first things I made. 

Also I had chicken chili in the crock pot so I decided to make some jalapeno cheddar cornbread to go with it, yummm

Super easy to do & delish.

Heres the finished product & more cooookies!

Actually a sea of red velvet cookies 

Chili is just about done! 

So that was my snow day full of cooking and baking and lots of cleaning up! I really enjoyed being able to hang out in my PJs all day and doing whatever I wanted.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you had a relaxing snow day too.

Cooking With My Grandmother, Beef Birds

A few weeks ago my sister and I went to visit our Grandmother, who is an excellent cook, so that we could gain some valuable knowledge about cooking. We made beef birds which is an old recipe from my Great Great Grandmother, they turned out amazing and we had so much fun cooking and learned valuable tips that couldn't very be picked up from a cookbook or a Pinterest recipe.

The supplies: Beef braciole, bacon, onion, carrots & celery. Plus more good stuff for the gravy!  

 Grammy showing us how to roll up the first bird!

 Becca giving it a try.

Perfect Bird!

Next step is to brown those suckers.

They smell so good, you can smell the bacon as they cook up in the pan!

We learned how to make polenta too, this was such a great dinner!

I'm so glad we learned how to make the birds from my Grandmother because usually I just figure recipies out on my own but learning from someone is so much better because then you get to learn how they do things, including tips and secrets. I know if I had taken the beef birds recipe and attempted it on my own it would not have been nearly as good as my Grandmothers way. 

Stairs Redo and some puppy pics!

So a few weeks ago we decided to pull the old worn out carpet off of our stairs, we knew they were hard wood but we were worried about the state of the wood so we deiced to get a runner so that we wouldn't have to worry about any damage. It was a labor intensive project but it was definitely worth it for the results, now we can't wait ti pull up more of the old carpet!
Here are pics that show the process..

                                                         This is what we had before..                          

                                                                   John hard at work!

So this is what we have now, it is so comfy to walk on and Gus loves it because he did fall down the wood steps a few times before we finished them. 

Speaking of Gus he is growing very fast and he is 4 and a half months now and he is so much fun, here are some pictures of Gus' life so far..

These two pictures and the first day we brought him home, he was so tiny and had no idea what was going on!

                                           

This is when Gus discovered that laundry baskets are fun.

This was a chilly morning and Gus knows where to go.

Doggy bed head

Well that's what we've been up to for the past few weeks, between the house and the puppy we have been very busy! 

Xoxo Tori & Gus

How to Live in Your Own House

Yes, I'm talking about adult style, including all the perks like mortgage paying, lawn mowing, grocery shopping, home projects, etc.
Well I am the best person to go to for all the details of new home-ownership, John and I have been in our new little house for 7 months now. It has been rough at times and really fun and definitely rewarding. Here are some pics from our journey so far..

This is when things got real.. February 2013!

This is the celebratory champagne toast from our closing day! 

Snow, 3 days into home-owning! 3/25/13

This is the house sort of dressed up for the first Memorial Day weekend. 

There have been so many projects to do with this little place, its crazy. We have done some but there is so much left for us to do and it will take a lot of money, shutters for example are on the list. 

However, we are happy where we are and we feel very blessed to have our little house near our families right in the town that we had hoped to be in! 

IPhone Photo Cache Gold, Maybe?

So tonight I just took over 800 pictures off of my iphone and downloaded them into my computer. These pictures are from the past nearly two years of my life. So anyhow I just thought I'd put a few of my favorites on here to share. I tried to include some with good outfits since thats what this blog is supposed to be about!

 Lucy is a fashionista too!

Craft Monday!

Last year I thought that once I finished school, which was last summer, I would start doing crafts all the time because they are so wonderfully fun ! However, I have probably only completed about a half dozen crafts including my Halloween costume. Still, I want to make a quick post about neat DIY craft ideas (all from Pinterest). So here they are:


Since Valentines Day is next week I do think I will be making this for my family and my wonderful boyfriend very soon.  LInk http://www.redbirdcrafts.com/2012/01/sew-heart-valentine-tutorial.html?m=1


I love this idea for on a table as a simple centerpiece with a few little blooms sticking out.
http://www.piecesofanna.com/2012/01/diy-wine-and-beer-bottle-vases.html

This idea is more for organization but I just think it is so clever, take a towel rod and attach shower curtain hangers or s shaped hooks to hold necklaces, so great!

I think that everyone with an internet connection has probably already seen these awesome t shirt scarves however,  I think it is worth posting because there are so many different possibilities for designs and colors etc.

This is from Martha, I made this it's very cool and different. http://www.marthastewart.com/381713/handmade-jewelry#/360155

Well that's all for now, I really am going to try to post more often. I hope some of these crafts are new to some people out there that manage to stumble on to my blog!

xoxo, T

Christmas Wish List

Well it's the holiday season once again and I have been shopping for everyone on my list in preparation for the big day. However, I have also been eyeing some very cool new things for myself as well so in this post I will publish some of the neat things that are on my list, maybe you will be inspired for someone on your list, or yourself! Happy Shopping!

 More Cowboy Boots!

Floral Scarf

 I am obsessed with watches but they always break, so I always need new ones, and these timex watches are perfect for everyday.  

I would wear these with everything.

Chunky comfy sweaters. 

Crackle Nails. 

HP!

 A girl can never have too much jewelry.

I've been very good this year. 

I hope this can be somewhat inspiring, whenever buying gifts for girls just remember that we will always love pretty things.