cheers: grapefruit margaritas AND sangria!

a couple weeks ago we celebrated a monumental occasion. my brother-in-law's 39th (holy shit, OLD! tehehe!) birthday to celebrate. I always like to make something for our get togethers and lately (now that i'm not the knocked up family member...) that's been mixed drinks!

First mother-in-law told me she was making cheese enchiladas to feed the crowd she was expecting. So I instantly thought MARGARITAS! from there I started planing how i would find the time to juice the 5lbs of limes I would need for a healthy sized pitcher (while i have a demanding 5 year old, infant and out of town husband...) then I remembered the grapefruit juice I already had on hand! PERFECT!!

GRAPEFRUIT MARGARITAS IT IS!
2c grapefruit juice (fresh squeeze is always preferred)
2c 100% agave silver tequila
(2/3)c grand marnier
(2/3)c simple syrup
juice from 2 limes
pinch of salt

mix all ingredients thoroughly in a pitcher and serve over ice. give to husband.

Then i wasn't sure if this would be enough festive for the festivities...  so i looked at what i had on hand again... wine... misc booze... an orange... lots of wine... misc booze... pounds and pounds of limes...


WHEN LIFE HANDS YOU LIMES MAKE SANGRIA, SANGRIA
1 bottle white wine (really any wine will do. red, white, pink...)**
1 large orange, sliced
4-6 limes, sliced
2 shots flavored rum**
2tbsp sugar
 mix all ingredients thoroughly in a pitcher and allow to hang out in the refridgerator over night or as long as possible... 


immediately before serving add:
12oz ginger ale
fill pitcher with ice

serve in glass and use fruit as garnish.

** two quick things about this recipe. 1) you can't f*ck it up. really use any wine you would like. any booze you would like. any fruit you would like. it will be fine. i choose an abandoned bottle of white wine from our racks because MIL likes it and idk when husband or myself would actually drink it. Same with the flavored rum. You know how to finally use those tiny bottles of flavored rum you keep getting in your Christmas Stocking? this is how! :D

 ok, enough talk about booze! hope these recipes find you well and in good spirits. if not, follow above instruction. just in time for the weekend, right? :D

sunshine&bunnies,
holly*

just some stuffs... in the form of a list.

1. Inspirations 

2. Reminder:  The Sampler is hosting a challenge over at Ideas for Scrapbookers that you do not want to miss. COLOR CHALLENGE, HO!

3. Favorite meme of the month: BEAR STUFFS!

sunshine&bunnies,
holly*

noms oatmeal smoothies

if i haven't said it before, i don't have a lot of time on my hands. especially to spend on myself. even to do silly things like eating. between breastfeeding and a general awareness of my own health, I've been trying to eat things that are not only good for squish and myself but also promote healthy lactation. on a recent whole foods run, i was grabbing a juice when i saw "NEW" oatmeal smoothies and i thought "HEY! i can make those!" so i did...

my 1st batch were raspberry honey... the following recipe was built around the size of my mixing container. The beauty of these kinds of recipes is that its not rocket science. add as much or as little of something to make it appeal to you and your tastes...

 

in your blender container add:

roughly 1c old fashioned rolled oats
1Tbsp Chia Seeds


pulsed (i use an immersion hand blender) these ingredients to a fine powder. in the same container add:

fresh or frozen fruit
1c greek yogurt
1c. milk
a bit of honey

pulse all ingredients together until smoothie is... smooth...  transfer into a drinking vessel (i reused a couple of dressing containers for portability) and store in the fridge over night before drinking. allowing the smoothie to rest over night will give the oatmeal time to absorb some of that liquid and soften. 

please note that this recipe makes a rather thick smoothie so proceed with knowing that. also, have some fun experimenting with different flavors. so far i have made blueberry, blueberry-peach, peach, raspberry-honey, strawberry, plain honey and even one with cherry jam! the possibilities are endless and its an awesome breakfast to wake up to especially when you didnt think you had time for breakfast...

sunshine&bunnies,
holly*

things we learned @ the maker faire 2012

maps are important

 

fire is hot

 

squish <3s accordions

 

unicorns are even more awesome when combines with funny bikes

 

dont let husband close to the booth where they sell these

 

popsicles are mmmmmmm....

sunshine&bunnies, 

holly*

5-20-2012 solar eclipse

Did you catch the eclipse a little over a week ago? Living on the west coast, we got a great view. Well, as great as you can get when you're literally staring at the sun (not recommended btw)...

 We try to get out of the house fairly often, but it always ends up being such a big ordeal that i dont get the chance to goof around with my camera. This was not the case on the day of the eclipse. We were right out side our front door to enjoy the event and things were kept simple!

The trees around our house creating super neat little apertures and cast neat shadows onto our home.

The best part was to share the science behind the eclipse and how rare/special of an event it was to witness with the boy. Its no big secret that we're pretty well all giant nerds in our house and I think its a great thing to pass along to the wee ones.

then there was general silliness. Its just how things work around here...

And now for a real photo of the eclipse. I couldn't get a good one so photo credit goes to Nancy! ... 

 

 sunshine&bunnies, 

holly*

my challenges in may2012!

Hey All! Looks like its challenge time over at The Sampler's blog! Not only is there a sketch challenge but a card challenge as well!  I love how this sketch translated for me, BUT not how the photo came out! UGH! This past week I was having a bad week for machines around the house. From issues with cameras and laptops to even my car making a funny noise. It was quite the week.. Moral of the story is, pretend the picture is prettier and head over to The Sampler's blog for inspiration and your chance at some amazing goodies!

Anywho, one last tid bit from the sampler, a SNEAK PEAK of the June2012 Kit! The full kit reveal will show up later this week, but i am smitten with this kit and cannot wait to share!!

 

In other news, I've been working on making more manageable goals and to do lists for myself. My to do lists always seem to challenge me. BUT, with a wee one and a not so wee one, there are a lot of things I would love to accomplish but never seem organized enough... and this is where I am challenging myself. One project per day instead of a blanket and overwhelming list of close to a billion things to do... i started the experiment  just as husband went out of town again, (boooooooooooooo) but I have to say that most days I was successful with completing my 1 thing and even got a few smaller things off the list. This week, I have big plans to work on my photo shopping and weed the wine barrel planters in the back yard (among other things). 

Here's to a successful week! 

sunshine&bunnies, 

holly*

i want to make something...

well, husband is officially home for some unknown amount of time. YAY! SOOOOO.... there is the possibility of actually making something... today was all about doing laundry. making beds, washing dishes, setting the robot on the floors, putting away legos, cleaning bathrooms, fussing in the backyard, etc. tomorrow is for errands. FRIDAY. FRIDAY is for making! here's hoping to an enjoyable thursday and a lengthy friday!

sunshine&bunnies,
holly*

first things first, i have a winner to announce from The Sampler's April Blog Hop! Heather P gets my sample of the sampler! winners from the remainder of the hop and the GRAND PRIZE winners will be announced this coming monday on The Sampler's Blog!

in other news, i kinda lost my mind today. after coping with a cold all week, i thought it wise to go a 2 mile hike with a class full of kindergarteners whilst wearing squish. good times were had by all. it was very enjoyable and a beautiful walk... my sore tootsies are so worth the good time we had!

 

hope everyone has a lovely weekend! i plan to get some rest! 

sunshine&bunnies, 

holly*