Bubbles & Belt Buckles

Happy National Coffee Day!

2015-09-29T14:09:00.001-07:00

Cold Brew Coffee

Iced coffee is so refreshing and easy to make. Bonus: No coffee maker needed.

(Image courtesy of Farm Fresh to You)

Information

Serves: makes approximately 3 cups coffee

Ingredients

1/2 cup ground coffee beans (I used a Columbian blend from Trader Joes)
water
ice cubes
sugar (optional) milk or milk alternative (optional)

Instructions

In a large jar with a lid, pour the coffee grinds in. Fill with approximately three cups water and refrigerate overnight.
Place a colander inside a large bowl. Pour the coffee into the colander and let it drain. You can also put a coffee filter in the colander for extra filtering.
Pour the filtered coffee back into a jar. Get your favorite glass and fill with ice. Pour the cold brew coffee over the ice and stir in milk or milk alternative if desired.
If you want to put sugar in your coffee, fill a small saucepan with a few tablespoons of water. Bring to a boil and quickly stir in the sugar until it melts. Stir the simple syrup into your iced coffee.

Mexican Themed Bridal Shower

2015-09-28T15:51:00.002-07:00

Hola! My brother got married over the summer and I was tasked with a typical bridesmaid duty of helping to throw the bridal shower. Allison's sister is still in college and has never been in a wedding let alone thrown a shower so I took charge on this one with help from all of the bridal party of course.

We decided to go with a Mexican theme due to the fact that their wedding was going to be in Mexico and we decided to make it co-ed so it could double as their at home reception/party for everyone who couldn't make the trip to Mexico.

We set up a salsa bar adorned with homemade salsas, a yummy 7 layer dip and tons of chips.

The bar was a huge hit with two types of sangria and two kegs. The logo'd cups were a huge hit and an extra favor for everyone to take home.

We did the fruit on skewers for the sangria so it didn't clog the jar.

The full bar.

A taco bar spread was a great way to feed a large group and all of the prep was done ahead of time.

Lots of bright colors and a multitude of hot sauces.

Signage is always a must!

The favor table full of Mexican hot chocolate.

The Mexican blankets and sombreros served as great decor.

The dessert table was inside to prevent melting and donned pictures of the beautiful couple.

They opened present in the decorated gazebo.

The decorated deck.

The bride and her girls.

I highly suggest doing a Mexican fiesta next time you have to throw a big party. It was so fun to decorate and pretty cheap to feed a large group.

NOLA

2015-09-10T09:19:00.001-07:00

I was lucky enough to get to go to NOLA at the end of June for Junior Olympics with the volleyball team that I coach. It was such an amazing experience for the girls (and coaches too!).

The cuisine in New Orleans is amazing and this trip didn't fall short.

A new take on the traditional NOLA cuisine with Jambalaya Pizza

Can't come to NOLA and not try alligator, so here is Gator Andouille Sausage.

One of my favorite low key restaurants in New Orleans is the Rum House. They have great drinks and about 20 different tacos.

Shrimp and Grits

Shrimp PoBoy

We were able to do some sightseeing while we were in New Orleans and I am still amazed by the beauty of the cemeteries there.

Of course this trip was centered around volleyball and there was plenty of that!

The iconic photo in front of the big volleyball.

Lunch Break!

Big win on Day 3 to secure our spot into the Gold bracket and continue on with our win streak of 8-0.

The win that placed us into the finals! 10-0 at this point.

Finals here we come!!!

Pregame ceremony

Game time action on the big court. This photo was taken by a family member from their tv.

Another tv photo right after the win :)

Gold Medal Champions!!!!

Hello? Remember Me....

2015-09-09T09:23:00.002-07:00

So yes I know it has been a while, in fact way too long...... but with that being said I have so much to talk about and so many adventures from the summer to catch everyone up on so I promise to do so in the next few weeks.

Here are a few sneak peeks of what I have been up to.

I gained a sister-in-law this summer with the marriage of my brother Kyle. To say that I love her isn't enough, she is absolutely amazing! With weddings come all kinds of fun things and believe me we did them all. I will definitely post more later, but here is a sneak peek.

A wedding in Mexico called for a Mexican themed bridal shower. We did this as a co-ed shower so Kyle could be involved and it turned out great. A post on this shower will come later.

Since everyone was traveling to Mexico for the wedding, Allison didn't want to have a large and crazy bachelorette party so we opted for Hat day at the Races which turned out to be a great day of horse racing and wine drinking....two of my faves!

First beer with my stepson upon our arrival to Mexico. We had to put on our party hats. I found mine at Buckle and Zachary found his at Spencers.

Photo booths never disappoint and especially when you can get a photo with your mom, aunt and cousin.

At the end of June, I was in NOLA for Junior Olympics where my team just happened to take Gold, how exciting is that!!! More info to come on this but here is a photo of these little champs.

Love these girls to pieces!

A week ago we said farewell to summer with a concert at Levi Stadium. We went to Luke Bryan's "Kick Up the Dust" tour.

A photo of all of the girls.

I promise to post more later, but at least this is a little sneak peek of all of the amazing-ness of the summer of 2015.

Oh Sandy....

2012-10-29T14:31:00.002-07:00

I have been glued to the television all day today watching as Hurricane Sandy is getting ready to make her debut. Here in California, we are obviously not going to be affected by this storm but it is so scary to think of all my friends back east. We have a storm coming in Wednesday or Thursday but nothing to the magnitude of this one.

I did break out my Uggs this weekend for the first time in a while and my feet were happy to feel the warm fuzz. I have been wondering what style I am going to buy this winter and I am really liking both of these.

Rain boots are always a necessity in these adverse weather conditions as well.

Summertime, Oh Summertime!

2012-02-20T13:19:00.000-08:00

First of, Happy Presidents Day! I would like to thank our founding fathers and everyone that has followed them for this joyous day off (although for me it really isn't a day off). In the midst of doing proofs and returning emails to clients, I am starting to browse the internet for our clothing for our trip to the Dominican Republic this May. For those of you that don't know, my best friend is getting married there and I have the honor of being her maid of honor.

Here are the top 3 items from today that I have added to my "wish list" for the trip:

Young Fabulous & Broke - Sydney Tie Dye Dress $160.00

Sanuk Yoga Mat Sandals $30 (These are seriously the most comfortable sandals I have ever worn!)

Ruffle Swimsuit Cover Up $24.99

What do you think? Do you have any recommendations for this trip of mine?

Home away from home....

2012-02-19T20:57:00.000-08:00

Hubby and I returned from oah last Sunday after a glorious warm week there. He does a lot of work on the island with the military so I always go and lay in the sun while he does his meetings. It has also become our home away from home, we were last there in October. So, i thought I would share what "our home" there is.

We always stay at the Outrigger Reef on the Beach, it is a great hotel that has three restaurants, a Starbucks and a myriad of shops. It is also right on the beach and in the heart of Waikiki.

Their pool is great! It is a salt water pool so you don't have to worry about the nasty chlorine effect, and the happy hour at the pool is from 3 to 5 :)

What our room usually looks like. It is so nice to sit on the balcony and watch the ocean and listen to the waves.

The also always have this amazing cucumber, mint infused water at check-in and at the pool. It is so good and so refreshing.

I would check them out next time you are planning a vacation to Oahu. Their hospitality is great as well!

New Years Resolutions

2012-01-13T11:25:00.000-08:00

That wonderful time of the year when we all make this resolutions that we are going to make come true in the new year upon us. Did you make any resolutions? If so, what are they?

Here are mine:

1. Update my work and personal blogs more often (5x a month at least)
2. Get back into shape
3. Buy a house
4. Double my order total from 2011

We are almost officially two weeks into 2012 and my resolutions have still not been broken.

What about you? How are yours going?

It has been a while....

2012-01-13T11:20:00.000-08:00

Wow... I cant believe a month has passed since I last updated! I made a resolution to try and update my blogs (work and personal) at least five times a month, so I need to get on it.

What has gone on since you last heard from me?

Well, my wonderful husband surprised me with a birthday trip to Scottsdale full of fun, food, drinks, shopping and sporting events. We attended an NHL game (Coyotes vs. Rangers), sat on the 50 yd line at a Browns vs Cardinals game and ended with secong row seats a Men's ASU basketball game.

Kevin and I at the ASU game.

Pre-game bloody mary

Browns game

Kevin was dying to go to this restaurant, he loves pastrami sandwiches.

Before we left for our trip, my parents gave me my birthday present which was the Bailey Button Uggs in Chestnut. They were perfect for the cool crisp air we encountered on the trip.

After my birthday trip, we were abruptly confronted with Christmas. It was wonderful. We did crab and filets with my family on Christmas Eve followed up by lasgana and caesar salad on Christmas day.

Kevin surprised me with a new Michael Kors watch that I fell in love with while we were in Scottsdale.

Isnt she beautiful?

I also received a new coach purse from my parents along with some clothes and new rain boots, a spa day from my in-laws and a bunch of other fun stuff.

What I Want for Christmas #1

2011-12-13T12:48:00.000-08:00

This adorable, fashion forward and functional Michael Kors iPhone clutch in Black Python. This is so amazing for a night out when I don't want to carry a big purse. The hardest part about finding a cute clutch is fitting my iPhone into it!

New Finds....

2011-12-07T18:13:00.000-08:00

I was recently introduced to Plum District and I have to say that I am in love! It is like Groupon and LivingSocial but it has more of a feminine touch. When you sign up for the first time, you will also receive a $5 voucher. I purchased a voucher to Pretty Printing and already ordered a Christmas present for someone. I ordered a monogrammed iPhone case. (I am secretly hoping someone orders me one too!)

Christmas cards were also ordered from Snapfish since their photo cards were 40% off with free shipping, I couldn't even make them that cheap and I am in graphic design. Photo paper gets so pricey! I used a myriad of photos from our wedding this summer. Last year, we took a photo but I figured this year it would be fun to showcase some of the 900+ photos we recieved from the wedding.

This past weekend we went to the lighted tractor parade that is held in the small town of Calistoga.

And then for my favorite float from the parade:

This was a hot air balloon basket on a trailer without the balloon (obviously!) they kept on lighting the fire and it would light up the whole street, very cool!

Christmas Sale...

2011-12-05T22:45:00.000-08:00

Life and my business has had me so busy lately, have you checked out my business blog for Alisa Marie Designs? We are having a christmas sale on our Holiday Wine Bottle Tags and they are now 10 for $10 (regularly 3 for $5).

These make the perfect addition to any bottle of wine that are you going to take to a holiday party or give as a holiday gift.

Birthday Wish List

2011-11-17T22:33:00.000-08:00

1. Tall Chestnut Uggs

2. MacBook Air this would be perfect for my business

3. A vast array of new Miss Me jeans

4. A new coach purse (preferably orange leather)

5. Michael Kors watch

6. Hunter Regent Carlyle Rain Boots for our upcoming winter rain outs that are fastly approaching

7. New cowboy (or should I say cowgirl) boots :)

Apple TV

2011-11-17T14:48:00.000-08:00

Kevin's birthday was on Tuesday and my brother and his girlfriend gave him Apple TV. We recently had our first encounter with Apple TV after a day of winetasting with a group of friends. We were watching a YouTube video and thought that this was just another ingenious invention by the late Steve Jobs (he continues to amaze me from the grave, RIP).

We hooked it up last night and it is pretty amazing. We have it synced with Kevin's iCloud and now all of his music, podcasts, movies and everything from his iTunes account can be played on the tv.

Kevin is super hard to shop for, so this was a great present to snag for him.

I actually won!!

2011-11-15T16:09:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, I came across On Camera Audience on facebook and liked their page. I entered into a lottery drawing to try and win tickets to a show of Dancing With the Stars, not thinking it would actually happen. Well, I get an email last night stating that I won priority tickets to the finale!! I never in my wildest dreams thought that this would actually happen. My husband doesn't really seem too interested in going so I think that my sister-in-law and I may attend. We are talking about it tonight so I will let you all know. I do think it would be a once in a lifetime experience to go and watch the finale.

Oh and what would I wear? Everyone always loooks so dressed up when they attend this show. Ideas are always welcome!!

Boots....

2011-11-10T20:12:00.000-08:00

What is fall without tall boots, scarves and peppermint lattes? This has to be one of my most favorite times of the year and ordered some new boots to get me in the mood. They arrived today and I am in love I can't wait to show them off this weekend or at one of the other holiday festivities that are scheduled before the new year. Let me know what you think:

I think that they will both pair perfectly with and fall inspired outfit that I decide to throw at them.

Happy Birthday USMC! And CMA Awards Recap

2011-11-10T09:47:00.000-08:00

Today the United States Marine Corps is 236 years old, Happy Birthday to them. There are so many men and women from all branches that risk their lives everyday to make ours here at home safe and for that I am eternally grateful. I, myself, am a US Army veteran so I especially have a place in my heart for those still serving.

Who watched the CMA's last night? I sure did. I am a huge fan of country music and this awards show sure had it all. I was excited to see The Band Perry walk away with the handful of awards that they received, they have worked hard this year and they sure do deserve it. This little iconic family knows how to tug at the heart strings and let's be honest I know we all have had the song "If I Die Young" stuck in your head at least once or ten times...

This Act Known As Blogging.....

2011-11-09T22:26:00.000-08:00

"Blogging - Term used to describe anyone with enough time or narcissism to document every tedious bit of minutia filling their uneventful lives. Possibly the most annoying thing about bloggers is the sense of self-importance they get after even the most modest of publicity. Sometimes it takes as little as a referral on a more popular blogger's website to set the lesser blogger's ego into orbit." Urban dictionary always has such a great way of putting things. Well, I have decided to join this tormentuous tasl known as "blogging" in the hopes to fill that void lingering inside of me since the graduation of college because let's be honest the most important thing I have written about my life and thoughts since then is well.... a facebook update.

This will be a chronicle of my adventures, experiences and all that falls in between.