Twix Brownie Bars

I came across the blog, Confessions of a Cookbook Queen.  I've only read a few entries, but she's a good combination of my blog mates.  Funny and witty like M, intriguing like Kate, and a good baker like KC.

I saw her entry for Twix Brownies and I'm totally, completely obsessed with the idea!  In fact, if I wasn't one hundred percent sure that I'd eat the entire finished product in under one hour, I'd be in the kitchen attempting to whip up this ridiculously awesome treat.  

Photo and Recipe found here

Follow her blog.  I bet you won't regret it (although, your waistline might)!

Hugs to our followers,
LC

Decorating an office space...

I am currently staring at the piles and piles of paper and pictures and other whatnots that have filled my office for the past six years. And then I turn and stare at the big yellow bins that I have to put everything in to prepare for my upcoming move.  Yes, the office I have inhabited and loved for six years will no longer be my home.

I am taking this move as a good thing. It is forcing me to clean (purge, purge, purge) and reorganize.  My job has changed quite a bit over the past few years so I've absorbed files and now is the time to make it my own. I also want to take this opportunity to redecorate. I want my office to be cohesive and classy. I want it to be well organized but also chic.  I don't want it to scream "INTERN!" anymore.  My mom is coming to visit next week so I think our priority for shopping is to create a new office theme for my decor. A trip to HomeGoods and the flea market will definitely be in order.  I also have my eye on a few other things.

First, shelving.  I love the idea of having a picture gallery on the wall but currently it's driving me nuts. All the pictures are crooked and that is annoying. A coworker suggested I get some shelves so that I can rearrange as much as I want and I never have to worry about them being crooked. I am leaning towards either traditional molded style or a more modern style. These pictures are from Pottery Barn but I will not be spending that much money. Target has some knock offs and I'm hoping HomeGoods or the Christmas Tree Shops will have some good deals.

Courtesy of Pottery Barn

Courtesy of Pottery Barn

My second biggest concern are file boxes.  I have a TON of files and I like the top of my desk clear.  I'd like to use the file drawers in my desk to hide other things that I don't want on my shelves.  The solution would be to use file boxes on my shelves.  There are so many fun patterns out there. I need to choose a color/style and stick with it!  The Container Store, Walmart, Target, and I'm sure the office supply stores all have a bunch. I found this option at See Jane Work.

Courtesy of See Jane Work

The rest of my hunt will be on the details. I'd like to get some fun accessories that are tie everything together. I'm thinking old jars/vases for my paper clips, binder clips, pens and pencils. I saw these galvanized pails at Pottery Barn the other day and thought it would look good against all the brown/black in my office. I'm pretty sure I can get the same thing from Michael's for much cheaper.

Courtesy of Pottery Barn

I love office supplies. Are there any other fun websites or stores that I should look at for this project?

~Kc

One Day I Want to be JUST Like You...

Dear LC,

Wishing you a super wonderful birthday! Every day I count my lucky stars that YOU'RE my twin sister.  I love our jokes. I love that we can have an entire conversation with one glance. I love our long runs together when we talk about everything, anything, or nothing. Those are some of the best times of my life. I love the memories of our adventures together and the dreams of milestones yet to come. I love knowing that you'll be by my side...no matter what. Even when we have our little fights. Even when I lose my cool digging fondue pots out of a closet.

You are my rock. My huckleberry. My saving grace. I love you to outer space and back.

xoxo,

Kate

Yipee!

Kate (L) & LC (R)

This weekend, I get to spend hours upon hours this my sweet twin sister! Uninterrupted hours. Just the two of us and I can't wait.

In the words of Elle Woods from Legally Blonde "This is going to be just like senior year, except for funner."

See you soon, huckleberry,

Kate

A Girl Oughta Have A Sense of Humor...

I started writing a post about how crazy my life has been the past few years and how this is NOT how I imagined things going, but really no one wants to hear about that. We all have parts of our lives that we would change if we could, but so many things are out of our control that there really isn’t any point in dwelling on them. Everyday I do my best to be grateful for the things I have and laugh at all the things that have gone wrong. Still, every now and then I need inspiration to keep things in perspective. Having experienced several “Liz Lemon” moments this past week, I decided to pick up a copy of Tina Fey’s book Bossypants. Best Decision EVER! This book has been better than any form of therapy I could have tried, and it was only $16.43 with my Barnes & Noble discount. Her writing is excellent and her stories are HILARIOUS but meaningful. The chapter about her dad was the best part for me, as he is exactly like my own father was. I highly recommend this book- it’s a really quick read so even you, LC, could finish it J

Enjoy!!!   

~M

*Post title from "Funny Girl" by Barbara Streisand"

Can we eat dessert for dinner?

As I had mentioned in an earlier post, I got to go to NYC for a few days for a conference.  One night my husband asked me what I wanted to do that evening. Being an avid blog reader of various baking blogs (ahh, Picky Palate, Let's Dish, Bakerella and sooooooo many more!), I had several dessert shops that I desperately wanted to visit.  Three of the stores happened to be within about five blocks of our hotel...perfect!

Our first stop was Crumbs. We got the Dulce de Leche and the Raspberry Swirl cupcakes.  These were absolutely delicious. I have been slightly disappointed with the cupcake shops in Raleigh but this one gave me hope that there are amazing cupcake stores out there. I would go back in a heartbeat!

Dulce de Leche from Crumbs

Raspberry Swirl from Crumbs

Our next stop was the Macaron Cafe. I had heard that this was a great place. I hadn't had a French macaron before so we had to give it a shot.  We got a box of six flavors. Maybe we were being too adventurous for our first try but I was not a fan of these. I'm not sure why...if it was the texture or just the flavor.  My husband, who likes different things, wasn't a fan either.  Anyone else have this problem with macarons before? We got the rose flavor (tasted like perfume), white chocolate, mango, strawberry, caramel and passion fruit (the only one I somewhat liked).  They weren't awful (except for the Rose) but also didn't want another bite.

Passion Fruit  from Macaron Cafe

Rose from Macaron Cafe

 Our last stop was for Baked by Melissa. While the cupcakes from Crumbs were dee-licious, the cute little mini cupcakes from Baked by Melissa were just adorable. I LOVE the concept of these bite size cupcakes. You truly get to have a guilt free experience. The price was right for trying a bunch without hurting your wallet. What a great gift idea! I wish there was one closer to me. I am now on the hunt for the pan (or method) of how she makes these. I need to figure it out.

Image from Baked by Melissa

This is just a piece of our little trip to NYC. More posts on what we did and saw coming soon!

~Kc

Project Purge

Recently, as in the last few months, I feel like I'm outgrowing my space. The closets are so tiny and my stuff seems to be growing...expanding...taking over my once cute little apartment. I can't live like this anymore and so I'm dedicating myself to a project this next week. My goal is to PURGE...

Oh, but purging is so hard. What if one day square toe, chunky heeled shoes come back in style? What if I need that hideous stained sweatshirt for a Halloween costume? Or my holey jeans? I'm saving those gems for when I repaint...or figure out how to look good in home-made cut-offs. You can see my dilemma.

I've heard the "one year, trash it" rule. But for three plus years, I have a growing stack of clothes in my "Possibilities! Opportunities! Comeback!" pile. And you know what? I still go back to it and find that one item that works perfectly with a new purchase. Champagne problems, right?

One day, in my dream home, I'll have a dream closet. And that closet will look something like this...

{photo}

...until then, my pack-rat habits have got to go. So maybe I'll roll around in the memories of my old ratty t-shirts one last time and work up the nerve to say goodbye to the stack of old cotton collecting dust under my bed.

xoxo,

Kate