another food post

sorry for another food post, but I'm trying to figure out what to make for saturday. the thing is, we do an EARLY morning party and then a bbq later. the Bluegrass 10,000 race is every 4th of july and ben always runs in it. we all go to a family friends' house that sits right on the race course and have breakfast and cocktails (yea we drink liquor at 7am). they have it catered but i want to bring a little something. i'm thinking something sweet again this year because we usually stick around until about 11 or so and people will be ready to eat/snack again. 

what do you all think about these options?

Fruit Parfait with yogurt and granola

strawberry shortcake with stars

Red, white and blueberry trifle

I'm thinking the trifle might be good - fresh and light. I'm hesitant to make the parfait bc they are serving breakfast foods. the shortcake i may wait and make for our family bbq that evening. haha sounds like i've already decided! you can get these recipes and other festive 4th of july desserts on Martha's website. 

DON'T FORGET!!!

Today is the last day to enter my giveaway! Check back tomorrow for the winner!! 

flag cupcakes

Are you all as excited as I am for the 4th this weekend?! Its my favorite holiday (well, after Christmas). I've got lots of fun projects to get done this week in preparation for Saturday. I wanted to share these cupcakes I made last year. I got the idea from Martha and they were really simple to make. 

You will need:

I just bought white cake mix and buttercream icing in a jar...but I suppose you could make yours from scratch! For the red stripes use Twizzler Pull & Peels, pulled apart and cut up into two different lengths. I also just used blue icing in those little tubes you get in the baking isle at the grocery store for the blue dots. Its kind of hard to get the lines as straight as Martha's, but I don't guess it matters. Here are how mine turned out last year. They were a big hit at the party! 

photo story

I was tagged by Brunch at Saks to play a fun photo story game! Be sure to check out her great blog! Thanks for thinking of me! 

Here are the rules:

• open your first photo folder
• scroll down the 1oth photo
• post that photo and story on your blog
• tag five friends to do the same and tag the person who sent it to you

this is from Aug. 2005, my junior year of undergrad, sorority bid day (hot as all hell), and these are my two littles!! i had been a gamma chi (older sorority girl that takes the freshman around for rush etc.) and hadn't been at the house for the two weeks of rush. it was nice to be back at the theta house! 

I tag:

Grosgrain Lane 

Pretty in Pink Megan

The Company She Keeps

Kentucky Newlyweds 

The Davidsons 

look what i made!

ok, so i told ya'll i was busy making things this weekend and here is another thing i whipped up! 

well, i didn't actually make the purse, but i did make the flower!! i got the seersucker clutch on clearance at old navy for $4.99 back in the winter (idk if it can actually be called seersucker, maybe just striped). i found THIS tutorial and decided to give it a try. i picked up a $3.99 roll of ribbon from Michael's and it was really very easy! i just safety pinned the ribbon flower onto the clutch! i think it turned out pretty cute!  

need an easy dessert to bake?

if you have a summer bbq that you need to take a dessert to, or just want to make something sweet, i made this yummy blueberry pie earlier this week. its super easy and turned out really good. i don't think i had ever made a pie before but i will definitely be making more!
Here is what you will need:

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flower, plus more for dusting
• Pie Dough (I got the kind that you get that is rolled up)
• 1 large egg
• 1 tbs milk
• 3 pints blueberries (take out any questionable ones)
• 2 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice (this took about one lemon)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tbs unsalted butter, cut into small pieces (i didn't have real butter, so i used stick margarine)  
• 9 inch pie pan

Directions:

• open the box of  pie crust take one of the rolls out, put the other one back in the fridge. Unroll and drape over the pie pan. Put pan in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill.
  
  
• Heat over to 425. 
• Whisk together egg and mil to make egg wash, and set aside.
• combine blueberries, lemon juice, sugar, flour, and cinnamon, in bowl and turn onto chilled bottom crust. 
• Dot with butter and sprinkle with corn starch (i think that is what it was, mom told me to do this bc it thickens up the filling)
• Take out the other roll of dough and brush the rim of the crust with the egg wash, place the other piece of dough on top, trim to 1/2 inch over edge of pan (will probably already be this), and crimp the edges with a fork or your fingers. 
• transfer the pie to the refrigerator to chill until firm, about 20 minutes
• brush with the egg wash
• bake for 20 minutes
• reduce heat to 350 and bake for 30 to 40 minutes more or until juices are bubbling
• let cool before serving

and of course, add vanilla ice cream and serve!

I got the recipe form Martha here.

Happy 100th!!!

This is my 100th post on Just Lovely!! I really love reading all of your blogs and I have enjoyed having my own so much! So, as a thank you to all of you for reading, I'm hosting a giveaway in celebration of this milestone! 

A lot of you liked the monogram wall art that I posted about here - So I thought it would make a great giveaway! These photos are just some examples...

{all from etsy}

To Enter:

Get ONE entry by becoming a follower! (if you are already a follower just let me know)

Get ONE entry by leaving a comment on this post! 

Get ONE entry by posting about the giveaway and linking to my blog with a picture!

Get ONE entry by adding me to your blog list!

You can get up to FOUR entries. 

Be sure to let me know which of these you have done in your comment so you get all of your entries! 

The last day to enter will be one week from today, Tuesday, June 30th at midnight. I will announce the winner on July 1st!! 

speaking of country living...

here are some pics from my grandmother's from a bit ago

front of her house

side with porch

view of part of her kitchen

logan with his great grandmother

logan playing outside

farm next door, where they have cows - or  "moos" as logan calls them

reason i got stung by a bee on the bottom of my foot!

I hope you all had a great weekend! I did, I spent a lot of it making things - show you all soon!

Sweeter Living is giving away a subscription to Country Living Magazine...head over there to enter! 

loving this bedroom

i recently started reading This Young House and i absolutely love their bedroom! The color is perfect and i especially like the DIY built-in storage they did using pieces from IKEA.  

this is what their bedroom looked like before:

and then after:

the hidden storage:

what a great way to add storage to a small space or if you have a tiny closet! the only downside is that you don't have a night stand if you do this...

get the how-to here.

poor woobie :(

ben was out riding his tri bike yesterday and got in a wreck. he has some nasty road rash the length of his right calf and elbow. he also has a HUGE cut/wound on his hip. its gross! i feel bad for him bc his hip is super swollen and sore...i've been busing nursing him back to health :) be back tomorrow with pictures from last week (i know, i'm a slacker!)

ripped his spandex. ha. 

be sure to check out this blog!

I found Maple and Shade via Dave and Brit Plus One and I love it!  Hanna has amazing taste and so much style and her blog is full of gorgeous pictures! Be sure to head over there...plus she is hosting a cute giveaway!! 

just lovely giveaway

hey guys! just wanted to give you a heads up that i'm going to be doing a fun giveaway for my 100th post! this is #94...so stay tuned!!! 

I want a craft room

and any of these would do :) 

{i got all these pics from igoogle images}

One Lovely Blog Award

Katie from The Salty Kiss was so sweet to pass along the One Lovely Blog Award!! Thanks so much!!! 

& The Rules Are:

1. Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his or her blog link.
2. Pass the award to a few other blogs that you have newly discovered.
Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

I pass this on to ...

1. Lindsey at The Pleated Poppy! I just found her blog and her house is TO DIE FOR!! I copied like all her pictures into my "decorating ideas" folder!! 

2. Hailey from Hailey And Matt Tie The Knot. She is planning her wedding and is so darn cute! 

3. Lynn at Beautiful Things. She has some great finds on her blog! 

its killing me!!!

+

=

what resulted from my trip to grandma's

yep, i got stung by a bee on the bottom of my foot. the itching is driving me crazy. how did i get stung by a bee on the bottom of my foot? well, i took logan over to see the bird dogs (dogs used for hunting birds) and i was barefoot. don't judge, i do live in kentucky after all. i stepped on the little beast and it stung me. :( 

Koozie Swap!

BLC at The Company She Keeps hosted a koozie swap (a summer essential) and I got mine in the mail! My partner was Amy from Just Add Walter and she sent me an adorable pink and green koozie! I LOVE it! Plus, the outside monogramed fabric comes off so you can pop it in the wash! Thanks so much Amy! (And sorry yours hasn't been sent yet, I'm still waiting on it from esty. Actually, it may have arrived but I've been out of town. I promise it will be in the mail ASAP!!!)

 isn't it cute?! hopefully tomorrow will be a pool day so i can put it to good use!!

gone to grandma's

I'm leaving in a bit to go visit my nanny. i'm taking logan to visit too. all alone. i hope i can handle him for two nights!! my grandmother lives in Cave City, Kentucky. Cave City is home of Guntown Mountain, these huge dinosaurs, caves (hence the name), wigwam village hotel, and soooo many more really exciting things. NOT. Actually, it is really pretty there and my nanny's house looks like it is straight out of Country Living. I'll share pictures wen i get back on Friday!