I love fried okra...like really love it! 

I don't eat it very often because I am sure that it is not good for me. 

I recently saw this pic on Pinterest...

It was like angels were singing when I saw the pic...totally delish!

I clicked on the link and was intrigued when I saw that it was baked and not fried!

I followed the recipe (except I left out the Cajun seasoning) and gave baked okra a try!

 

Toss the okra in a zip-lock baggie and pour the corn meal over the top.

Give yourself a little arm workout when you shake it up and coat the okra.

 

Dump it into a strainer so that the extra corn meal is removed. 

Place on a baking sheet, spray with canola, and bake! 

 

Ta-da! 

I was pretty crispy and yummy! 

I don't know that I'd say it was as good as fried okra but I totally felt better about eating it! 

Enjoy!

Our 4th Anniversary...

The hubs planned our anniversary celebration this year and it was perfect!

We had dinner and peach cobbler at PotPie in Westport.  PotPie is without a doubt one of my favorite restaurants in KC. We have gone twice now and each time both of us ordered something different and we have yet to be disappointed. You should definitely check it out...but make reservations first, it is intimate and it fills up fast!

After dinner and dessert, we went to Starlight to see Peter Pan then to the Westin at Crown Center to stay the night. 

I have been to Starlight many times for concerts but I don't think that I have ever been to see one of their summer productions. I was very impressed with the entire show!

What a great evening! 

I am like a little kid on Christmas morning when I find out my hubs is planning a surprise. I love the anticipation and the excitement! 

Thanks so much to my hubs! 

Happy 4th Anniversary, I love you.

And I leave you with a pic of the flowers that he sent me!

 

Meet Abby...

I am one of 7 kids...my two brothers are older and I have 4 little sisters.

 It was crazy, fun growing up!  We are very close.

Here we all are before our youngest sister, Erica's high school graduation...

The arrow in the pic is pointing to my very crafty sister, Abby! 

 We call her Sassy. She is hilarious, passionate about serving, and really precious!

Abby is in college and she is about to move into her first apartment...meaning she is going to have her own room for the first time! To make her new space extra awesome, she has been spending her summer redoing some furniture. It is really impressive!

Check out Abby's mad skills...

She forgot to take a before picture of this one but nonetheless you can see how great it turned out...

Awesome job Sassy. 

I can't wait to see how your room looks!

 

Happy 4th Anniversary to my Hubs...

Frame Redo...

I love going to different craft fairs and browsing. 

I hardly ever buy anything but I love getting ideas.

I recently went to The Red Apron in Liberty and saw some really cute frames and was really inspired. As I was heading home, I stopped by a thrift store and bought this frame for $5!

It was pretty hideous but I loved the shape and and bulk of the frame.

I took the glass and the pic out and primed and

 painted the frame with paint that I had on hand. 

I primed with white primer and then painted the frame with 

candy apple green acrylic paint.

Once it dried, I added a couple of fabric flowers and found a free printable on Pinterest (I printed it at an office store because our printer is not of the best quality but it only cost fifty cents to print in color on cardstock).

The grand total for the project was $5.50.

The frames that I looked at the Red Apron started at $25 so $5.50 was pretty exciting! 

Happy Crafting!

Egg Bakes

The hubs and I wanted to have a quick, easy, 

but yummy breakfast at home today. 

We rounded up a few things that we had on hand and made up our own recipe.

I chopped fresh zucchini and potatoes along with a couple strips of bacon that we had leftover. I mixed a couple of eggs, milk, salt and pepper, and colby jack cheese. I poured the mixture into muffin tins and baked at 350 for 25 minutes.

And breakfast was served!

Delish! 

Happy Saturday!

And she is off...

I am one blessed girl...I have 4 amazing sisters...

For the past year and a half, my sister Emily has lived with the hubs and I. 

Em and I shared a room growing up and we have always been very close. After she graduated from college she took a job in KC so she moved in to our home...it was one of my happiest days! 

Today, Emily moved out...tear. 

She is off to California on a new adventure. 

I am excited for her and her boyfriend Chad.

But just in case she decides she wants to come home, her room will be awaiting...

The hubs and I are really going to miss Emily, she has been the best roomie!

We love you Tate and miss you already!

A few months ago I was desperately trying to give my mantel a makeover, the problem is...it is MASSIVE! And by massive, I mean like 18 feet long and 2 feet deep.

 I really loved it when we first saw the house but it is pretty overwhelming to decorate. No matter what you put up there, it always looks to small and out of place. 

I had pinned this pic awhile back on Pinterest so I decided to give it a try.

 

http://www.sugarbeecrafts.com/2012/01/giant-picture-tutorial.html

The Blog claimed that you could print a 4 foot x 3 foot pic at any office store and mount it on insulation board for less than $10. 

So I gave it a shot...

I actually made two because I was not sure how the pics would turn out. 

I followed all the steps on the Sugar Bee Crafts Blog 

beginning of course with gathering the supplies.

Then I painted around the edge of the insulation board so that when 

I mounted the pics it would have a black trim. 

Once it was dry, I used spray adhesive to attach the photo...

The top pic turned out better because the picture itself was a lot lighter but nonetheless,

 I put the bottom pic on my mantel. For $10 it works for now...

Happy Birthday To Me...

Cabo 2012

The hubs and I just got back from Cabo where we 

vacationed with some of our most favorite people!

It was a much needed time of rest and relaxation and we had an incredible time.

Here are a few pics from our vacation!

Awe, I am ready to go back!