Halloween 2014

On one of my favorite Friends episodes, Monica declares that Thanksgiving is a competition against herself. I.e. This year's Monica is going to BEAT last year's Monica. I love that.  Just a few pics from this year's Halloween preparations. I kicked last year's Halloween outta the park (and my new kickball team could tell you - that's the only thing I'll be kicking outta the park!)--

Wishing you and your loved ones a spooktacular holiday!! Xoxoxox

Trick or treat!! Madeleine

Alesci's + A Taste of South Euclid

All I can say is WOW! This weekend we enjoyed Alesci's cavatelli and meatballs, delivered all the way from South Euclid to South Carolina!  The meal tasted just like as we remembered and I'll definitely be ordering more sauce and meatball mix.

To make this meal, begin by ordering your sauce and meatball mix at www.alescifoods.com!  The pictures below show how this meal was made.

For the meatballs, the only tip I would give is to bake your meatballs at 375 for 30 minutes. flip the meatballs after the first 15 minutes so that they are evenly cooked.

After you finish cooking the meatballs, pour a jar of sauce into a pot and add the cooked meatballs to the sauce and simmer.  As the sauce simmers, cook your cavatelli. I had some frozen cavatelli from the Farmer's Market.  Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil and wait for the cavatelli to rise to the top, this will take 4-6 minutes.  Drain the cavatelli, combine the sauce and meatballs with the pasta, and serve!

I brought this to my parents and we all loved it!! It tasted JUST LIKE the Alesci's we loved and remembered. I am definitely ordering more and would encourage everyone to do the same- so, so good! You can't beat Cleveland's Italian food in my humble opinion!!

Hope everyone is having a great weekend. I've become addicted to "Keeping up with the Kardashians" and have binge watched this whole long weekend. This show is making me stupid!!! But I have to say Kim, Kourtney, and Khloe are three unique and beautiful sisters who remind me of a few awesome  ladies I know;-) Gotta love reality television!! Thanks to my youngest sister for getting me hooked.

Oh yes, ran 6.2 miles on Saturday and 3.1 today:-) 

Hope this post finds everyone doing well! Best love from the SC!!!

Xoxoxo Love,

Madeleine

Great Recipe + a Great Week

Hi everyone!! It has been a busy week but I've been excited to post an update. Half Marathon training has  kicked off with 12 miles ran since Saturday (3.1 Saturday, 6.2 Tuesday, 3.1 today).

Since I've last posted, I've made my best friend Caitlin's amazing paleo turkey sausage. Here is a link to where you can find the recipe. Cait's turkey sausage is unbelievable, it tastes like Bob Evans!  I follow her recipe word-for-word and it comes out perfect each time.  These freeze very well.  I gave half the batch to my parents and kept half for myself.  These have been breakfast all week!  Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe Cait :-)

Finishing this post, with a picture from tonight's 5k on Daniel Island.  I ran with some great people, made some good new friends, and fell in love with Governor's Park!  If you saw it, you'd understand... So here is a picture :-)

I have to say, this picture does not do it justice.  The palm trees, the waterfront, the bridges- seriously this park was magical!  Running terrain varied... Lol. But so gorgeous!  I would have taken more pictures if I wasn't busy running :-)

More to come this weekend, with a special meal care of South Euclid :-)

Kisses and hugs from South Carolina! xoxoxoxo

Madeleine

Empire State of Mind + Johnny Football

Just a quick post after returning from Buffalo, NY. It was a work trip but I really enjoyed my time there. The weather was perfect, it felt like 70 degrees outside. 

This week has just been a really great week. I'm almost sad to see it come to an end!  But I'm excited for the weekend- tomorrow I'm running a 5k for a great cause. You'll hear more about it!

Weight loss is still going great! I swear the hardest part of a diet is the first 3 weeks. Then, it's auto pilot!

Came home tonight to this awesome t shirt from one of my sisters!! Johnny Football!!! Can't wait to wear this bad boy all season.

Love to all!!! Xoxoxo

Madeleine

Winners + Challah Bread

First, congratulations to the giveaway winners!! Norie, Lindsay, Danielle, and Dawn - you won the earring giveaway! I'll reach out to you all on Facebook for address information. Congratulations!!

Tonight, I felt like some comfort food. Challah bread is a braided bread that I understand crosses many cultures. It was one of my favorite comfort foods as a child and I still love it as an adult!

Making this bread takes a little time, but it's worth it!  I followed this recipe, but adjusted the serving size to ten.  In truth, I feel like this bread yielded four servings.  Of course, I love bread!  So maybe if you found ten people that didn't love bread that much they could each have some.

 

I've made this recipe once before and I really like how the ingredients are mostly items you already have on hand:

Can you tell from this picture that I enjoy generic brand food items? :-)

First, you will dissolve the yeast in warm water and mix your wet ingredients plus the salt.  Once the ingredients are mixed, add in the flour and combine thoroughly.

Now some patience is required, you will cover this dough and let rise for 1.5 hours.  

After the dough has risen, it is time to knead the dough and then form a braid. I think this part is fun and easy!

As the photo above shows, you will once again cover the dough and let rise.

Don't worry if the dough does not rise as you might expect it to! This is truly a recipe that comes together in the oven.

Prior to baking the bread, brush with egg white and sprinkle some poppy seeds across the top.

Bake at 375, I would suggest 25-30 minutes for a loaf this size.  You'll know when it's done because you will knock on the bottom of the loaf and the "challah" will sound "hollow" :-)

Now that's some delicious bread!  Break off a piece or two and enjoy. Weight Watchers tells me this is a 3 PP treat! Not bad!  I hope everyone is having a wonderful week.  Best love from the SC-

Xoxox, Madeleine

Free Giveaway + Like and/or Share

Within this post I am sponsoring my own reader giveaway!!  Read on for prizes and instructions :)

It was a good weekend here in Charleston!  We enjoyed a great visit with my Uncle.  The weather was terribly hot- but it's Mid-August so what can you expect?  Thank goodness for air conditioning!!

While I did not work on any major projects this weekend, I took a nice trip to the Farmer's Market on Saturday.  While I was there, I was so excited to see Old Whaling Company.  I had read about this company a few months ago while I was looking for some locally produced soaps.  I decided to purchase their Coconut Sugar Scrub.  All I can say is .. WOW!  I noticed immediate results.  Also, a little bit went a long way.  I'm hoping to blog more about this company in the future.

I also bought this really cute little rag basket - I enjoyed watching the lady that worked at this stand weave a basket using rope and fabric scraps.  With a price point at under $5 this was a steal.  It is now my "key basket" and sits on a ledge by the kitchen.

 

Another booth I really liked, Aynsley K. by Design and Inspiration.  I spoke with the owner and was very impressed.  I especially enjoyed looking at the beautiful earrings she was selling.

Without further ado, the give-away!!  This is my first give-away, so it's a big deal people!  I am giving away a pair of earrings to four readers.  All you need to do is "like" and/or "share" this post from my Facebook wall.  I want to get the word out about this blog and you can all help me to do that by liking and sharing this post! Four winners will be chosen at random and I'll send you one cute pair of earrings that's pictured below....

I like all of these, which is your favorite?   Thank you for reading!! We are almost at 1,000 unique visitors. You all are making my little blogging dream come true and I am just so grateful.

In other news, I'm down 15 lbs.  As I mentioned last week, I've been following Weight Watchers lately and it's been going really well.

This weekend, I started pinning ideas for a new fall wardrobe.  Here are a few of my favorites.... Obviously a Cleveland Cavaliers hat will be replacing that Yankees one. :-)

What are you planning to wear this fall??

Best love, xoxo -
Madeleine

 

Craft Shelves - Project Complete!

Tonight, I finished organizing the crafts.  I'll tell you what I didn't anticipate when starting this project - just how much I'd be throwing away/donating!  While I'm not normally a pack rat, I couldn't believe all of the old odds and ends that had been held onto over the years.  It felt good to get my supplies in good order.  Here's a step-by-step of organizing these shelves:

I'm very excited to be sharing a special gift from my sisters with you all soon.  Here's a sneak preview.. For the Makers!

Lately, my sweet little kitty has really been acting up.  I got some good advice from my sister tonight, to shake something that rattles when he's naughty.  Wow!  This is working people!!  Camden is already behaving much better (and that is a good thing).  I thought this picture of him was cute. 

Earlier this week, I hinted at an #IPromise update.  Well, here it is. :)  When Lebron James was in his final days of free agency, I said I would get a tattoo if he came back to Cleveland.  Well, instead of doing that, I purchased an "I Promise" bracelet in support of the Lebron James Family Foundation.  I love that these bracelets show a promise.  My promise is to live a healthier lifestyle.  So far, so good!  What would you promise?

We're so close to the weekend I can taste it.... So close!! Hope you all are having a wonderful week. 

Best love, xoxo Madeleine

Southern Cross + Mason Jars

I hope everyone is having a great week! Last night, my parents took me with them to see Crosby, Stills & Nash. What a great show! We enjoyed listening to lots of their big hits including: "Southern Cross", "Helplessly Hoping", "Our House", and "Teach Your Children".  The show also included some Buffalo Springfield tunes like "For What it's Worth" and solo songs such as "Love the One Your With". Such a great time, thank you M & D!!

 

Tonight, I have been working on organizing my craft supplies. Do you ever have time to complete just 30% of a project? That is what happened to me this evening. The rest will get done this weekend, but here is a sneak peek. When I finish, I'll share the full before and after pictures!

 

Lots of mason jars! What can't you do with mason jars? I love them because they are so affordable and easy to repurpose at a later time.  

 

Wishing everyone a great Thursday tomorrow.  So close to the weekend, make every secnod count!!

 

Xoxo Love, Madeleine

Robin Williams + Pineapple Cake

I have to start tonight by saying how sad it is to hear of Robin Williams' passing. He was such a talent and will be missed. This is so tragic and I'm saying a prayer tonight for his friends and family.

On a lighter note, I had planned to share an amazing recipe with you all tonight.  Believe it or not, this is a ONE POINT Weight Watchers recipe that I found on Pinterest. So easy. So delicious.

Before I began cooking, I took this selfie for my sis. I love this apron she gave me from Anthropologie! Thanks girl!!

Back to the recipe, here's what you need:

1) One box of angel food cake mix

2) One 20 oz can of crushed pineapple

Mix together, pour into a sprayed pan, and bake for 30 minutes at 350.  It's so important that you spray the pan with cooking spray! Don't ask me why the cake box says not to- trust me, spray it! The cake comes out so much easier.

The baking steps are illustrated here:

The cake came out perfect and tasted delectable!!! I still can't believe it is ONE POINT!  I topped mine with fresh pineapples and some frozen peaches and mangoes that I had on hand.  Fat free whipped cream and a maraschino cherry topped this dessert off.

Since I like to overestimate my Weight Watchers points, I counted this as a TWO POINT dessert as the maraschino cherry had been stored in sweet syrup.  Whether you are on Weight Watchers or not- I hope you give this a try!! You'll love it!

Kisses and hugs- 

Madeleine 

LOVEly Weekend + 13 lbs Lost

This weekend I had the pleasure of attending an amazing wedding for my sweet cousin and her hubby. Love you both so much! Wishing you a wonderful happily ever after -- it was so great to celebrate with you and all of the family!! xo xo

In other news, as of last Friday, I have lost 13 lbs!  Portion control, drinking lots of water, and trying to make healthier choices have helped me to lose the weight.  So far, I have not followed a specific program.  However, I'm once again starting to follow Weight Watchers so that I can continue to make some progress.  #IPromise... More to follow there.  :-)

Tonight, I pinned some "low point" recipes that I am excited to try from Pinterest:





























How good does that pineapple angel food cake look?  Yes, please.  Mark my words, this recipe will be made. 

Whenever I think of pineapples, it reminds me of Maya Angelou and I just have to share her words...

Although the syrupy golden rings sat in their exotic cans on our shelves year round, we only tasted them during Christmas. Momma used the juice to make almost-black fruit cakes. Then she lined heavy soot-encrusted iron skillets with the pineapple rings for rich upside-down cakes. Bailey and I received one slice each, and I carried mine around for hours, shredding off the fruit until nothing was left except the perfume on my fingers.   

 - Maya Angelou, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings".  

It has been so many years, but this passage has stayed with me!!  Ever since I've read this, I think of it each time I eat a pineapple.  Such a simple pleasure, it gives so much perspective.

 

Sending "have a great week" wishes from Charleston, SC... Where I am pinning recipes, but also smiling, enjoying some great memories from a LOVEly and love-filled weekend.

 

Best love,

Madeleine

Embracing the Cha-Cha + CharlestonGrit

Embracing the cha-cha!  My dear friend Katie shared this picture this week and, with her permission, I had to re-post!  The sign says, "Optimist: Someone who figures that taking a step backward after taking a step forward is not a disaster, it's more like a Cha-Cha". Katie - I love this and I love you!  You are all in every thought and prayer. This little slogan is such a great reminder for all of us! And a special thank you to those who might be reading this that have helped me with my own cha-cha dancing. You are amazing and I love you!!

Oh, before I forget!  I have exciting news to share.  I sent a writing sample and was accepted as a guest blogger on CharlestonGrit.com.  I can't wait to tell you more - thank you, CharlestonGrit.com for this great opportunity!  As I finish this post, the last load of laundry is spinning (love falling asleep to that sound).... Xs & Os and Best Loves -

 

Madeleine

Burlap Wreath DIY + Fresh Pasta

I hope everyone had a great weekend! In addition to enjoying great friends and family, this weekend was truly "craftastic". Check out this DIY inspired by Lucky in Love designs.

This wreath is for my Grandma and there will likely be another one made for my parents. Floral pins held this wreath together and a hot glue gun was used for adding the letters and finishing touches.

This picture is from a tree straight out of a Harper Lee classic... As my parents noted, it's just waiting for Boo Radley to leave some treats!

On a Sunday morning, Summerville can look a lot like Europe. So beautiful!

Finishing this post with a plug for Rio Bertolini's pasta! I've been excited to try their pasta and boy is it good.

The spinach and tomato basil pasta were just $1 per serving. They freeze very well and taste so delicious, the servings are pre-portioned which made my pasta feast a guilt-free pleasure!  Thank you, Rio Bertolini's!

Wishing everyone a great start to the week (and a happy belated birthday to a few very special loves that celebrated this weekend) - xoxoxo

Best love,

Madeleine

Sautéed Peaches + Blueberry Pancakes

Happy Friday! This morning I woke up with the sun to cook breakfast for some wonderful people.  Using a recipe from my Dad, I sautéed the peaches I had bought from the farmers market into a super delicious breakfast treat.

This was my first time making homemade whipped cream- so fun and so easy. I would recommend adding sugar to the whipped cream mixture as it peaks. This took it to a new level!

Blueberry pancakes are the main event. These were made using Bisquick Shake and Pour.  Rather than pouring, I used a ice cream scoop so that the pancakes would pour in equal measure.

Last but not least, there is some fried-up bacon. Some of the bacon made it's way into the pancakes:-). I made a few of these - but they did not look as appealing as the rest of this breakfast!

I wanted to finish with a thank you for your kind words on Facebook about the girls that code post! That meant so much! X's and O's from the SC.

Best love- Madeleine

Girls Who Code + Closing the Gender Gap

I'm using this space tonight to talk about a topic that's important - closing the gender gap in technology.  When I was in college, women were five times less likely to study technology.  Someday, I hope they are five times more likely. 

My blog focuses primarily on lifestyle and IT has been a huge part of mine. Maybe, someday, a girl will find this page via a Google search, Bing, or something that hasn't even been invented yet. I hope she learns that she can have an awesome cat, great makeup, bake a killer batch of chocolate chip cookies, and have an enjoyable career in software development.

I take pride in the fact that I've studied seven development languages.  It's fun to remember those early days of HTML "de-coding".  Logging into Prodigy, doing a view source, and then teaching myself how to tag HTML.  My parents get all the credit in the world for this passion and early introduction to technology.

I've been so blessed to work for companies that have taken me (literally) all around the world and then back home again!  I love this career and wouldn't change it.  It's sad to think of technology careers as "the road less traveled" and hopefully we can make a difference.  Girls Who Code is an organization with a mission to close the gender gap in technology and engineering sectors.  I love that and I hope to become involved in this organization, or one like it. 

Just a quick post on this- but if there's interest- I'll blog more about it soon! <b> xoxo </b>

Madeleine

Quick Chocolate Cheesecake

Just a quick post (mostly pictures!) of an amazing chocolate cheesecake that I made for my parents last night. Made mainly with ingredients most have in their kitchens already, this dessert was super easy AND super delicious!  Best combination ever :-) 

Shout out to my Grandma who introduced me to Taste of Home! Give this recipe a try- enjoy every bite of this cheesecake and every bite of this week!

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/chocolate-cheesecake-pie

Xxoo Best Love,

Madeleine