So it's been 6 months...

Wow, 6 months since my last post.  My oh my how life has changed.  So here's the last 6 months in pics...

I've ziplinned on Catalina Island, Rapunzeled for Halloween, played with college roomies, resigned from job with youth in College Station, rocked in 2013 with my family, bridesmaided in the wedding of a college roomie...and moved to Midland where I'm now the registrar for Worldview Academy by fall/spring and associate camp director of sorts during the summer.  

So I'm once again a west Texan and I love it.  I forgot how great my hair does here...also how awful dry skin is.  I definitely miss my church & friends in CStat, but I'm pumped about getting back into camp life.  

So there you go.  Year 29 is a little more than half way over & so far it's included a career change, a move & putting a house on the market (it's still for sale, you should buy it!) but nothing else too drastic. :) And I'm loving it.  Come visit me in Midland...we'll go ride a pump jack.  Or at least go look at one.  :)

Check me out on Etsy!

Well I have a new adventure in my life!  My friend Venessa & I have decided to open an Etsy shop & sell wreaths!  A few weeks ago we had a craft night & ended up making the exact same wreath.  We each made one for a co-worker & after having several people say, "you could sell these!" we've decided to do just that!

So check out our shop... 

www.etsy.com/shop/CutestDoorOnTheBlock 

We have four wreaths available right now, two fall and two winter.  Our plan is to add more each season.  Our accessories are all removable so that you can change them out seasonally.  And eventually we want to sell accessories a la carte.  Check us out!

Triple Chocolate Bundt Cake

This is one of my all time favorite cakes!  I made it tonight for the first time in a few years & forgot how much I love it!  I want to share the recipe, but I'm warning you--there's nothing healthy about it, but I don't even try to change it, it's too good just the way it is!

Ingredients:

• 1 (18.25oz) white cake mix (the "super moist" kind, with pudding already in the mix if you can find it)
• 1 (3.9oz) package instant chocolate pudding mix
• 1/2 C. sugar
• 3/4 C. vegetable oil
• 3/4 C. water
• 4 large eggs
• 1 (8oz) carton sour cream
• 1 C. semi-sweet chocolate chips
• **Chocolate Glaze** (recipe below)

1. Combine the first 3 ingredients in a large mixing bowl & stir with a whisk to remove large lumps.
2. Add oil & next 3 ingredients, stirring till smooth.
3. Stir in chocolate chips.
4. Pour into greased bundt pan.
5. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.
6. Let cool for 10 minutes, then remove from pan & let cool completely.
7. Pour chocolate glaze on top.

Chocolate Glaze ingredients:

• 1 C. semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 C. milk
• 1.5 C. powdered sugar

1. Whisk together first 3 ingredients in a heavy sauce pan over low heat.
2. Cook, whisking constantly for 5 minutes or until butter & chocolate melt.
3. Remove pan from heat & whisk in powdered sugar until smooth & of spreading consistency.
4. Pour over cooled cake.  

Bon appétit!  

I love wreaths!

I admit it. I have more wreaths than doors in my house. But I love them! A friend of mine & I decided to have a craft night this past weekend & both of us had independently seen a picture of this same wreath & bought all the supplies to make it!  We followed this tutorial.  

All you need it lots of burlap ribbon (I used almost 20 yards, but I made another one tonight & wove it more loosely like in the tutorial & only used about 12 yards), wreath frame & a flower or something decorative for flair. Super easy!  

Burlap everywhere!

What's not to love about poofy burlap?

All done & hanging on my front door!  The flower is a clip on so I can change out the flair seasonally.  Love it!

My Ultimate Birthday

July 26 marked a big day...my ultimate (last...or the first of many?) birthday.  I turned 29 and since it's all darkness after this (New Girl anyone?) I decided to go out with a bang!  Thursday (Wednesday night actually) kicked off the celebration of what I am planning to be a year long adventure!  If the Great 28 can be topped (can it get any better than co-staring in an internationally viewed commercial that has enabled all kinds of fun?!) it will!  Also since turning 28 a year ago, I've been planning some sort of London Olympic themed birthday...as the world has counted down to the Opening Ceremonies, I've considered it a countdown to my birthday.  Come on, you know if your bday coincided with the Olympics, you'd do it too!  

In honor of the Olympics, everything was London or internationally themed...a banner staring the royal family...

My sweet roommate Erin set out a London mug & lots of pretties (including a chocolate peanut butter cupcake!) for my birthday morning...

I had some friends over Friday night & encouraged them to don their favorite fascinator & join us for a jolly good time.  They rose to the occasion & I loved it!

Cupcakes were topped with double decker busses, Big Ben, taxis & British guards (and pearls)...

And yes, William & Kate were in attendance as well.  

Dinner represented our favorite things from around the world...

Even our beverages got in the spirit thanks to some awesome Drink Flair!  

It was such a fun weekend!  I think 29 is going to be a good one!  Erin saw a sign the other day & we've adopted it as our theme.  It'll definitely be the theme of year 29:  

Wake up & be awesome.  

I got this idea to make an Olympic themed shirt...here's a sneak peak:

I think it's safe to say mission accomplished for today!  :)  Who needs Pinterest?  

Party in the DR 2012

I'm in the Dominican Republic this week with a group of 37 from Grace Bible Church. Our group of high school, college students & adults are putting on a camp for Dominican junior high & high schoolers at Pico Escondito in Jarabacoa, DR. I'm social media-ing the trip via instagram, tumblr, twitter & Facebook. I'm currently in love with tumblr because of its ability to link the 4! Whatever you're on, I am there! Upload a pic to instagram, it auto uploads to tumblr which auto posts to Facebook & twitter. Who knew I was THIS tech savy?! Check it out if you're so inclined... www.campdiscovery2012.tumblr.com Adios!

Some old stuff for my old house.

I went antique/thrift/flea market shopping in Houston this weekend with the goal of finding something to fill this space.

I've never really known how to fill it...the TV hutch can't be centered because then the front door would hit it, so it has remained empty for almost three years.  Sometimes (as can be seen here in this picture from New Year's Eve) we hang sparkly numbers & streamers from the ceiling to fill the space.  

We actually liked those numbers & ribbons so much they stayed up till around Valentine's Day.  We seriously considered just hanging seasonal things around the numbers to celebrate year round.  But then decided that was borderline tacky (not that that's stopped me before!).  

OK so my good friend Ashley just moved to Montrose (fun area near downtown Houston) that's known for good food & fun antique/resale/flea market stores (among other things...they also hosted the Pride Parade this weekend).   In the less than 24 hours that I was there we were quite the foodies.  Tapas at Oporto, pizza at Papou Jerry's Gyro Truck, brunch at Tiny Boxwood's & lunch at Torchy's Taco.  Yum yum yum.  (BTW--my fav was probably Torchy's...shrimp taco & portobello mushroom taco...so good!)  And it's a good thing we walked up & down Westheimer!  We earned a smidgeon of what we ate!  :)  We started at the Guild Shop, which claims (and I might agree) that it's the best resale shop in Houston.  It is awesome.  I didn't find what I was looking for, but my sister did find some fun pieces of Fiestaware.  I was kind of looking for an old window frame or ladder to hang on the wall behind the TV.  I thought that'd be a good way to fill the oddly shaped space.  But after walking to the end of the street without much hope, I found these colored wood & metal frames.  We did some arranging & digging to find the best ones & in a few minutes I decided this was it!  I bought 6--all different colors & a few different shapes.  And after arranging a few different ways once I got home...

I love them!  They're pretty funky, but I love the colors & as I sit here watching One for the Money with Katherine Heigl (I don't recommend it...she's a bounty hunter from Jersey...it hasn't kept my attention...it's almost over & I still don't really know what's happened...but maybe that's because I have such cool artwork behind the TV!)....I am very happy with them! 

One of my last things I wanted to accomplish was to change out the locks on my front & back doors.  They're just really old.  I bought new locks, took the old one off, forced the new one in, only to realize it didn't really fit.  Silly old door.  So I forced it back out & put the old lock back in.   I'm calling a locksmith tomorrow.  Sometimes you need to know when you can't do something.  But here's what I do know...after all the Greek food I ate this weekend I am craving a goat cheese pizza!  HEB, here I come!