Fourth of July: Part II (the people)

Yesterday I posted photos of all the treats we enjoyed at our recent Fourth of July celebration, and today I'd like to share photos of the people!

July 4th isn't just the nation's birthday... in our family, we celebrate my grandma's half-birthday, too!

You see, my grandma was born too close to Christmas for her liking. So years ago, we started celebrating her half-birthday to ensure that she had a proper party... and the tradition continues today! So while most of our little get together was all about the red, white and blue, we also took some time to open presents and sing happy birthday.

Of course, we also had plenty of fun!

In fact, this little guy was having a ton of fun at one point!

My mom was playing hide-and-seek with him...

By crouching behind a chair and jumping out again...

He thought it was hysterical... which made all of us crack up, too!

As you can imagine, the day wasn't complete without a bunch of photographs...

From EMVR with her little cutie...

To BTV and SS...

My dad and I...

And BTV with my grandma, we all posed for a few shots.

My brother even indulged me by re-creating a photo I took a couple years ago...

I got a similar shot of him doing a jump with my grandpa, which I love it... and now I have a matching pair!

But before we all headed home, we stopped for a few portraits. Here's the whole group...

My uncle and his family...

My dad with our family...

And four generations (my grandma, her son, her granddaughter, and her great-grandson).

As I'm sure you've gleaned by now, our family likes to have a good time. As I was looking through our group photos trying to find one where everyone was looking at the camera, I came across these pics.

And I absolutely cracked up when I saw them. From my cousin goofing off in the background, my aunt trying to salvage a lovely photo, and my grandma looking a little annoyed, I feel like they say so much about our family: there's always a lot going on, and everyone is usually having a good time!

So happy half-birthday Grams! We sure had fun celebrating with you!

Thanks for stopping by- I hope you have a great day!

Shattered chic!

Shattered fingernail polish? YES PLEASE!

I received some new nail polishes for my birthday recently... and one of the bottles was Shatter OPI nail polish.

The name really says it all- when you paint it on your nails, it breaks apart as it dries... it's the coolest thing! I couldn't wait to try it- so I decided to pair it with Birthday Babe (a shimmery, silvery color that had the perfect name for the occasion!).

I started by painting my nails with the Birthday Babe (and yes- prior to this new look, my nails were kelly green).

Per the directions, I let the silver polish dry completely before continuing.

Then I quickly painted a single layer of the shatter polish over the silver.

The shattering effect started almost immediately. By the time I set down the nail polish brush and picked up my camera, the black polish was already starting to crackle!

And before I knew it, all of my nails were "shattered chic"!!

I added a clear top coat after the shattering was complete, and that was it- my nails were finished! I think this product is really cool, and I've gotten so many compliments on the finished product!! FYI: the shattered polish comes in black and silver and is available at many beauty supply stores.

Thanks for visiting- I hope you have a great day!!

Peanut Butter Bars

Dessert anyone?
How about a peanut butter bar? I must admit, this is not a recipe I would normally make. But a long time ago I asked my coworker what her favorite dessert was, and she responded by saying "anything with chocolate and peanut butter". This same coworker has a July birthday, which means she never gets to celebrate it at work. So this week I threw her a surprise-fake-birthday celebration, and made these yummy treats to share with my office.

Here are the ingredients I used for the bars (please note that after I started on the bars I decided to modify the original recipe quite a bit, so not all of these ingredients were actually used)!
I started by melting the butter in the microwave.
Then I mixed it with crunchy peanut butter (my coworker's favorite)...
Powdered sugar...
And graham cracker crumbs.
As my mixer did the dirty work, I nuked a bag of chocolate chips in the microwave.
Now, the other day I read about this trick to lining your pan with tinfoil, though I suspect this technique has been around for ages and I've just caught on. Either way, this worked for me: turn the pan upside down, and fold the tinfoil over the bottom of the pan.
After you've carefully removed the perfectly shaped tinfoil, flip your pan over and place the tinfoil into its proper position inside the pan. Handy, right?
But back to the recipe! When the peanut butter mixture is combined, place it into the pan...
And spread it into an even layer using a spatula.
Once the chocolate chips are melted, use a spatula to spread the chocolate over the peanut butter mixture.
Once everything is spread to your liking, place the pan in the refrigerator for approximately 30 minutes. When the chocolate is somewhat set, remove the pan and cut the bars to your desired size.
Yummy right? I have to admit- these bars can be a little messy, so I would definitely suggest keeping them in the 'fridge until you're ready to serve/eat them!
If you'd like to make these bars, here's the super easy recipe:

Peanut Butter Bars

Ingredients:
1 stick butter
2 cups of peanut butter (but I got tired of measuring so I just used the whole container)
2 cups powdered sugar
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 bag (12 oz) chocolate chips

Directions:
After melting the butter, combine it with the peanut butter, sugar and crumbs. Once mixture is homogeneous, spread it into a foil-lined 9x13 pan. Melt the chocolate chips and spread them on top of the peanut butter mixture. Place pan in refrigerator to set, and remove to slice bars after about 30 minutes. As bars tend to melt, make sure to leave them in the 'fridge until serving.

Of course, I couldn't just stop there- I mean, we're talking about a surprise-fake-birthday! So I wrapped the bars in these nifty little cellophane bags my mom found (it just so happens that my coworker is obsessed with the color pink)...
And I whipped up a little pennant banner in her "signature color":
Not a bad way to celebrate a surprise-fake-birthday, right?
Thank you for stopping by- I hope you have a great Wednesday!

I am one spoiled girl!

As you know, I celebrated a birthday on Saturday (thank you to everyone who left sweet comments on my blog over the weekend)! I was thrilled to hear from so many of my family and friends... and I made out like a bandit in the gift department.

Case in point, look at what Starbucks gave me:
That's right- they bought me a chai latte... wasn't that thoughtful?
Meanwhile, Sephora went all out...
They picked out this eyeliner, mascara, and eye shadow just for me!
And if that wasn't good enough, I got some other really great/thoughtful presents from my family and friends. I felt totally spoiled when my birthday came to a close! Thank you to everyone- it was a marvelous day!

Oh, and before I go, can share one more thing?
That's right- I also got a new lens for my camera. I had so much fun playing with it over the weekend! Here's a taste of what this baby can do:
I know- I'm smitten! I hope you had a wonderful weekend as well- thank you for stopping by!