Bliss: April

What's your Bliss? What are you loving this month that you just can't live without?

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Join Heather and me for Bliss! On the last Wednesday of each month, we host a fun new link up to share your "favorites" of the month. Not sure what to write about? It can be anything from a favorite product, to a favorite moment, or a favorite new blogger, to even a new favorite quote! Include as few or as many "favorites" and don't forget to take photos!

Ask yourself, did it bring you #bloggerbliss this month? If you said yes, then we want to read about it!

Don't have time to write a whole post or don't have a blog and are just a blogger at heart? Hashtag a photo #bloggerbliss on Instagram and simply link to that photo on the day of the link up!  Our hope is that Bliss and #bloggerbliss will help ladies across the country find new and fun ways to make their next month even better!

Now here's what's bringing me Bliss this month:

Easter candy: I've been on nomming for a good week and a half now.  I don't know about you, but everything tastes better shaped like an egg or bunny.  These are a few of my favorites: 1. CVS brand pomegranate flavored dark chocolate bites; 2. Reese's eggs; 3. Chicks, Ducks, and Bunnies [except they're mini now :( ]; 4. Russell Stover Coconut Cream egg; 5. Russell Stover Raspberry Whip egg; 6. Milky Way Simply Caramel bunny

Oh, and apparently I'm not the only one who is loving the chicks, ducks, and bunnies...

Starbucks: I gave up Starbucks and DD for Lent and I did it!! Now, I've been enjoying a steady morning stream of venti shaken black iced teas....

Spring Flowers: Yay for spring in CT - seriously, I love spring colors and blooms!  Photo below: these two favorites together = perfection...

Wedding Planning: It's also Wedding Wednesday [linking up with Meredith/Jordon and Mary today]!! We're having so much fun planning!! We are at less than 5 months!  This weekend we got our rings, ordered invitations, started our registries [those scanners are so fun!!] and signed our DJ contract.  Today is also the last day of my Etsy Passion & Love giveaway!

Vera Bradley: I had a slight 'Vera' obsession in high school.  Messenger bag, pens, belts, wallet, purses, even my prom date's tie were all Vera.  I haven't bought any lately, but when I saw their new All in One Crossbody in Petal Paisley, I fell in love!  It's only the size of a wallet [about 6" by 4"] but has a long strap for hands-free shopping!  My mom bought it for me for Easter and I just love it!

Thanks for joining us!! We hope to see you back here on May 28th for the next edition!

Outfit of the Month: April

I'm really enjoying creating a new wardrobe.  You've all been so kind and supportive over the past 2 months as I try and navigate the world of "fashion."  Yes, it's in quotes because I'm not sure if you can actually call any outfit I choose "fashion," but I'm trying!  Well, this month is going to look a bit like the last.  See, here's the deal.  I'm 5 feet tall, so basically any pants I buy, I need to hem.  When I tried on those great ankle-length pants for March [yes, I know they're a bit long to be called "ankle" on me, but I love getting away without actually hemming something], I just fell in love with them!  So, when I went to Target this month and saw even more, I had to jump on them.  Additionally, the golf season is finally here, so I thought it would be fun to find ways to fancy up some of the millions of polos I need to wear almost everyday to work.  I decided on two pairs of pants and two cardigans that I can wear in four different combinations.  

Black Patterned Sweater: Merona Crew-Neck Cardigan Coastal Green Dot Sweater: Merona Merona Crew-Neck Cardigan Black Pant: Merona Tailored Ankle Pant Woodsy Green Pant: Mossimo Ankle Pant

I also wore a combination of these on Easter!

Not going to lie, these outfits definitely brought me Bliss this month!  Don't forget to link up and share your April Bliss tomorrow with me and Heather!

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Even more Bliss - I definitely went shopping in my February OOTM earrings and flats and my March OOTM blouse [plus leggings].  So comfy and still loving everything!

Past OOTM: February March

What's wet and purple and RAD all over?

This weekend was our fourth Color Me Rad [1st, 2nd, 3rd]; we always look forward to these races each year.  If you've never heard of Color Me Rad before, it's the most colorful 5k ever.  Basically, you start off wearing a white tee shirt, and at the end of every kilometer, colored corn starch is thrown at you, so that by the end of the race, you are every color of the rainbow!  Why, you ask?  Because it's so much fun!! 
Well, this year, it basically turned into the biggest wet tee shirt contest in the world... it rained... but, hey, it actually made the color stick pretty well! BEFORE:

AFTER the 5k:

AFTER the color throw:

future husband /// future bridesmaid and MOH

and OF COURSE the girls had to get in on the action...

So there you have it!!! You should definitely click here to find out which one of the 80 races this year is near you - you know you want a pink unibrow too!!

Linking up for Funday Monday, Mingle Monday, Manic Mondays, Weekend Recap, and Monday Morning Gossip!

Meatball Grinders with Sargento Ultra Thin Slices

We love cheese in our house - like seriously.  We don't discriminate: American, cheddar, Muenster, mozzarella, sliced, blocks, shredded, anything - we love it.  Have you heard of Sargento's new Ultra Thin Slices?  

They come in nine delicious flavors, and they're great for everything: breakfast, taco night, burgers, sneaking out of the fridge, and, of course, sandwiches!  One of our favorite dinner sandwiches are meatball grinders [after all, I am Italian!].  

Meatball Grinders Recipe: To start, here is the recipe for my mom's amazing meatballs.  After you have the meatballs made, all you need are the meatballs, grinder rolls, and a package of Sargento Ultra Thin Provolone slices. 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Slice grinder rolls in half.  "Double cheese" grinders are a must in our house: the grinder stays nice and toasty and the whole grinder stays together better, so place 2 Ultra Thin Slices inside the grinder roll, before anything else.   2. Slice warm meatballs in half and place in cheese.   3. Cover each grinder with extra sauce and 2 more Ultra Thin Slices.   4. Bake in the oven for 5 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the outside of the bread is crunchy.

I'm not the only one that liked them, apparently...

I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.

Recipe: German Pork Schnitzel

Have you ever heard of schnitzel?  No, I hadn't either before I met Mike, well, except for in The Sound of Music, of course!  Growing up, Mike's family had a foreign exchange student [Hi, Rebecca!! Yes, she reads this blog from time to time.] and schnitzel became a family favorite.  Last year, we had Easter at Mike's parents' house with homemade schnitzel, and this year, we thought it would be special to keep that tradition alive.  

Making schnitzel does take some time, about and hour and a half, and most of that is active prep, except for a half hour in the middle when it's in the fridge.  You might notice [or probably not unless you've been to my house], these photos are a bit old.  I documented the last time we made schnitzel, summer 2013, but never got the post together - so enjoy!  This recipe makes enough for about 3-4 people.

Ingredients:

- 2 pounds of thin-sliced pork [most butchers will slice it thinly for you if you call ahead]

- Safflower oil

- Salted butter

- Seasoned breadcrumbs

- Panko breadcrumbs

- 1 egg

- Salt and pepper

You also need saran wrap, a meat tenderizer, cutting boards, a skillet or two, aluminum foil, cookie sheets, paper towels, a skillet lid, and a large serving plate.

Directions:

1. Line cutting boards with saran wrap, place a single layer of pork on the saran wrap, and top with another layer of saran wrap.

2. Use the meat tenderizer to pound of the meat until it is to your liking.

3. Unwrap the pork and place on cookie sheets, in single layer.  Cut the pieces of pork in half or thirds [each should be no bigger than 4 inches by 4 inches].

4. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.

5. In one bowl, scramble the egg, and in another, mix together the seasoned and Panko breadcrumbs (3 parts seasoned to 1 part Panko).  

6. Egg wash and bread each piece of pork and place it back on the cookie sheet.

7. Cover the cookie sheets with aluminum foil and place them in the refrigerator for a half hour.

8. Prepare each skillet for frying each with 2-3 tablespoons of butter and 4-5 tablespoons of safflower oil.  Turn heat to medium-high and cook butter and oil for 3-4 minutes until really bubbling.

9. Place single layer of pork in skillet and cook on each side for a few minutes, until breadcrumbs are brown and crispy.

10. Line the serving plate with paper towels and place fried pork on towels, covering it with the lid.  

11. Keep cooking pork, occasionally adding more oil, until all is done.  After each layer of pork on the serving plate, top with more paper towels and the lid.

12. To enjoy: top schnitzel with Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice and serve with egg noodles and a vegetable!

Wedding Wednesday: Giveaway from Passion & Love

Oh boy, do I have something fun for all of you today!!
Mike and I are doing pretty well with wedding planning; I feel like we're at the fun stuff now!  We've made all the stressful decisions of vendors and people and budgets, and now we get to choose fun things like rings and registries [both this weekend!!] and bridal party gifts!  I don't want to share too much of what Mike and I are giving our attendants [many of them read this blog, actually], but I do want to share with you one amazing Etsy shop with which I've been working: Passion and Love!

Lisa at Passion and Love makes amazing custom-designed hangers, wine charms, bridal party shirts, shoe stickers, and even Christmas ornaments!  Seriously, she is so talented.
Now, here's the fun part for you!  Passion and Love is sponsoring a fantastic giveaway for my fabulous readers.  This wonderful Bride and Groom set is a $49.99 value and can be personalized to fit you or your favorite couple.  Seriously, even if you aren't getting married, wouldn't this make a great bridal shower or wedding gift for a friend?

Thank you so much to Lisa, and I hope you will all check out her amazing shop!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Linking up for a couple of Wedding Wednesdays with Kristyn & Mary and Meredith & Jordon!

Blogger Basket Swap Reveal

I just love Easter!  If you didn't see my weekend recap, you can check it out here.  In the spirit of Easter, I also participated in a fun Blogger swap hosted by Bekah and Aleshea!

I was paired with Jessica @ BeYOUtiful Beauty and Kat @ Kat Katastrophe.  They are both fantastic women, and you should definitely go and check out their blogs!

I received this wonderful package from Jessica:

post card from her hometown, fresh spring tealights, 2 nail polishes, Almay eye liner, and bubbles!!

I obviously went outside, painted my nails, and played with the bubbles [the purple bottle smells like grape!!] right after I got the mail!

I also sent an "Easter Basket" to Kat.  Obviously, I could not figure out how to send a real basket through the mail, so you can check out my attempt [more than the sneak peek below] at a cat-themed basket on her blog!

Jesus Doesn't Do Hangovers: Easter 2014

I hope you all had a beautiful and joyful Easter weekend!  As I sit here [Sunday night] chewing the ears off of a chocolate bunny and watching 24 with Mikey, I thought I would share a few photos of our wonderful holiday!

Friday - Mike and I went to see Muppets Most Wanted.  We had the theater completely to ourselves and we just loved Tina Fey in it!

Saturday - We had a new central vac installed [Yaaayyy adulthood and home ownership!], played some golf, and shot some hoops.  Then, we heard our neighbor screaming "Mike, Mike, Miiiiiiike" from next door, so we went over and I got accidental-drunk on Stellas and Coronas.  We came home and the second set of photos ensued... I made our friend make me brownies, tried to feed the cat brownie batter, and somehow ended up under our kitchen island.  #drunkmeg  Oh, and with regard to my post title, no one would drink with me, so I tried to convince them that no matter how much we drank, Jesus would make sure we weren't hung over for church in the morning: sadly, no one believed me, but hey, it worked for me!  No hangover Sunday morning!

Sunday - We went to church and spent the day with our parents and families.  My mom brought us Easter baskets, we made schnitzel [recipe this week!], and my mom brought baked stuffed shrimp and nine varieties of cupcakes - she's too much!

 Mike's church group friends!

Linking up for Funday Monday, Mingle Monday, Manic Mondays, Weekend Recap, and Monday Morning Gossip!