"Women are meant to be loved, not to be understood"

Home Is...

Home is a place I always wanted to leave growing up but long for once I left. 

I made it home safely yesterday!

It only took 4 hours in the Charlotte airport, 

Compliments to US Airways

Needless to say I landed at 5 pm 

& 

Started the day at 5 am

It was a long day but I traveled over 1,000 miles

Momma picked me up at BWI and we began our treck home

The boys welcomed me back openly 

snuggling with me instantly!

(I do miss my Isla... and Matt tho) 

It's good to be back, although I am starting to get a little bored. 

Got to find something to do, I expect my stumbleupon account will get a work out! 

I have soo much photo art it was time to dedicate an entire post to it. 

Thanks Stumbleupon & Tumblr 

For A Great Cause!

My 9 year old cousin has leukemia & it is legit her dream to meet Taylor Swift

luxuryglamour:

She is going to her concert on Sunday & I really want Taylor to know because I know Taylor is a sweetheart and would do something. Whether it’s just making a shoutout to her on stage, it would make her life. She’s gone through so much and I KNOW she deserves this. Please if you could reblog or let anyone you know that can help. 

Also if we can get #taylormeetmycousin as a twitter trending topic or something I NEED Taylor to know about this!!

everyone should reblog this.

Fresh and Clean

I absolutely love facials. With a college budget and crazy schedule is was nearly impossible to fit in an appointment. So with a little bit of research I found some homemade facials that work just as well. My personal favorite is Cinnamon and honey or Salt Water. The Cinnamon Honey is sweet and sticky while the Salt Water brings me back to the weeks spent at the beach. 

• Lemons – Cut a lemon and rub it over your face. It works as an astringent. Be careful around the eyes! 
• Oatmeal – Make a paste of oatmeal and water. Apply it on your face for 20 minutes. This is the best for oily skin. Instead of water, you can also mix juices of orange or lemon. Use this mixture twice a day for 15 days for achieving max results.
• Fruits – Strawberry juice, pulp of watermelon, or papaya are wonderful facial washes.
• Honey and apple – Grate an apple and mix a few drops of honey. Apply it on the face for 10 minutes for a supple feel.
• Cinnamon and honey – Mix honey and cinnamon and apply the mixture on your face overnight. Honey traps the dirt and removes it when you wash off the mask in the morning, leaving you feeling fresh and beautiful. Make sure all hair is pulled back and away from mixture, honey is a pain to get out of the small hairs. 
• Milk and nutmeg – Mix milk and ground nutmeg. Apply it on your face every night and leave it for 60 minutes. This homemade face cleanser opens pores and deep cleanses the face and smells really good!
• Salt and water – Dissolve some salt in warm water. Dip a washcloth into it. Dab it over your face. DO NOT rinse. Leave it overnight and wash your face in the morning. Salt has drying properties, so use this treatment at night.
• Alcohol – Soak a cotton ball in rubbing alcohol. Drain excess alcohol from the cotton ball and dab it on your face in problem areas. Alcohol extracts oil from the surface of the skin and kills bacteria.  Use sparingly as this can lead to drying, if need be dilute in water. 
• Ice – Rub an ice cube over your face. It also helps in subsiding pimples and leaves skin feeling fresh.

Soft Pretzel Bites!

I LOVE pretzels and am ready to get home to try this out! 

Soft Pretzel Bites

1 1/2 cups warm water (about 110 F)
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast (I used instant)
3 ounces (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled just slightly
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
4 1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour
3 quarts water
3/4 cup baking soda
1 whole egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon cold water
coarse sea salt

On low speed, mix the water, sugar, yeast, and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook until combined. Let sit for 5 minutes.

Add the salt and 4 1/2 cups of the flour and mix on low speed until combined.  Increase the speed to medium and continue kneading until the dough is smooth and begins to pull away from the side of the bowl, about 3 to 4 minutes. If the dough appears too wet, add additional flour 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough clears the sides of the bowl.  Remove the dough from the bowl, place on a lightly floured surface and knead into a ball with your hands.

Spray a bowl with cooking spray (or oil with with vegetable oil), add the dough and turn to coat.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot until the dough doubles in size, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 425 F.  Spray two baking sheets liberally with cooking spray.

Bring the water to a boil in a small roasting pan over high heat and add the baking soda.

Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a flat surface. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces, about 4 1/4 to 4 1/2 ounces each.  Roll each piece into a long rope measuring about 22 inches.  Cut the dough into one inch pieces to make pretzel bites.  Boil the pretzel bites in the water solution in batches of about 10-15 for 30 seconds.  Remove with a large slotted spoon and place the pretzel bites on the prepared baking sheets, making sure they aren't touching.  Brush the tops with the egg wash and season liberally with the salt.  Place into the oven and bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until golden brown.

Remove to a cooling rack and let rest 5 minutes before eating.