Girls Night Out-Color Me Mine

Happy Tuesday!

Saturday was girls night out, and we got crafty!  My coworkers and I met up for dinner, and pottery painting at Color Me Mine!

Such a fun evening, it was great to get out with friends and do something a bit out of the ordinary!  Each Saturday is PJ night at Color Me Mine, Pjs and painting great combination. I got a few strange looks at dinner, but you know what I made a fashion statement and was comfortable!  I was shocked when we walked in and saw that Color Me Mine allowed you to bring in drinks such as wine and beer (who knew?).  Would be a fun date night if you ask me (maybe Mark and I will go when he is here)!   

I had the hardest time trying to figure out what piece of pottery I wanted to paint (I would have painted one of everything if I could have).  Color Me Mine had tons of cute dishes/serving items, would be a perfect personal touch to any ones home!  I finally decided on  a large dinner plate.  Which I plan on using as a sort of catch all tray in my bedroom!  I picked 5 different colors and did and created a mosaic pattern!  I figured I couldn't go wrong with big geometric shapes, it was just like a coloring book (I just had to stay in the lines)!

I cannot wait to get it back this week!

Whats a fun girls night out that you have had?

Honored

I received this little card yesterday in the mail from my dear friend Kalyn!

I literally was teary eyed as I saw the picture realizing that this card was asking me to be a bridesmaid in her wedding!  Kalyn and I have been friends since out freshman year at Butler!  Like she mentioned in her card she still remembers the first words I said to her the day we met (which were so who wants to party tonight...yea that as me)!  

Our friendship has taken us on many wonderful journeys, including 5 mission trips to Jamaica together.  AndI am truly honored that Kalyn has asked me to stand along side her on her big day, it is truly a special moment to stand along side a dear friend as they marry their best friend!

Have you been asked to be a bridesmaid in a cute way?

It Just Snuck Up on Me!

Source: sittinginatreeblog.com via Junia on Pinterest

How did you sneak up on me so quickly? How was everyone's weekend? Mine was spent in Omaha Nebraska with my entire family! My little sister is a junior at Creighton University

and let's just say she had a full weekend planned for us!   

 The whole family enjoyed some amazing eats, I am always shocked out how many fabulous local restaurants Omaha has.  I mean Omaha puts my hometown to shame!  And just a little side note... If you ever go to Omaha you need to go to Wheatfields and get a cinnamon roll, trust me on this they are amazing.

I mean come on look at that frosting!
Don't worry we did more then just chow down this weekend!  Saturday night we went and cheered on the Creighton Bluejays in our first ever Creighton basketball game  (at least one of our teams won, poor Butler Bulldogs) and enjoyed an impromptu shopping spree and pedicures (my dad opted out of pedicures)!!  The game was neat to be at.  Saturday was Creighton's Annual Pink Out for breast cancer, so the entire stadium was a sea of pink!  Even my dad had on a pink shirt!

I also got the added bonus of seeing one of my lovely sorority sisters and close friends Leslie this weekend!

She lives about 10 minutes from where my sister goest to school, so I was lucky enough to meet her and her boyfriend for a round of drinks!  Always great to catch up with a good friend!
So many fun things crammed into a few short days!  If only the weekend wasn't over!

But it is Monday so you know what that means... 5 new pinterest recipes! My mom and I killed some time on the 5 hour drive back home looking up this weeks recipes! Hopefully they are some good ones! You ready to see this weeks picks? Here they are in no particular order!

1-White Bean Chowder

Source: ksl.com via Hilliary @ Happily Ever Healthy on Pinterest

Perfect for the cold weather we are having right now.  I am very ready for spring to get here!
2-Black Bean and Corn Stuffed Baked Potatoes

Source: myrecipes.com via Hilliary @ Happily Ever Healthy on Pinterest

These look delicious!  Not only are baked potatoes super easy/quick to make they are also delicious and good for you!
3-Balsamic Chicken, Spinach, Grape Tomatoes and Tortollini Salad

Source: multiplydelicious.com via Hilliary @ Happily Ever Healthy on Pinterest

I have had this recipe pinned forever, and I think my favorite Trader Joe's Balsamic Dressing would be perfect for this recipe!
4-Sweet and Spicy Chicken

Source: allrecipes.com via Hilliary @ Happily Ever Healthy on Pinterest

Just looks simply delicious!
5-How about another simple soup!

Source: blogs.babble.com via Hilliary @ Happily Ever Healthy on Pinterest

Spinach Tomato Orzo Soup!  I am in that mood again where big bowls of soup sound comforting, and extra delicious!  And what is not to love about a soup chalk full of veggies?

What did everyone do this weekend?  Any exciting adventures?
Happy Monday!

Wanna Stay for Dinner?

Hello Friday, I am so glad your here!  I am ready for a few days of relaxing.  Plus I am really looking forward to tonights festivities!  I think this little dinner party I am hosting is what got me through this week!  Tonight a few friends and I are having a pin board style dinner!  If I could have you all over for dinner tonight I would, because there is nothing I love more then entertaining and cooking for others!  So whats on the menu for this little get together tonight you ask?
Well let me show you...

Source: realsimple.com via Hilliary @ Happily Ever Healthy on Pinterest

A little Goat Cheese and wine to get the night started!  

Followed by a delicious quinoa salad from Martha Stewart

Source: marthastewart.com via Hilliary @ Happily Ever Healthy on Pinterest

and

Source: skinnytaste.com via Hilliary @ Happily Ever Healthy on Pinterest

Chicken and Mushrooms in a Garlic White Wine Sauce, doesn't that just look simply delicious?
But wait their is more... We still have dessert!
Are you ready for this?

Source: 101cookbooks.com via Hilliary @ Happily Ever Healthy on Pinterest

No Bake Chocolate Cake from 101 Cookbooks!  I made this last night, and the smell of melty chocolate was intoxicating (seriously one of the best smells)!  Just looking at these pictures makes me hungry, I am already antsy for the end of the work day!  But aside from enjoying a wonderful array of food I am looking forward to great conversation, a relaxing evening, and good wine!
Stay tuned, Sunday I will have the recap of dinner and the highs and lows of this weeks 5 pinterest recipes!

Here is to the start of a wonderful weekend!
What do you have planned this weekend?

Just Like Old Times

Let me start by apologizing for the fact that I have been MIA in the blog world.  But I think a best friends wedding is a pretty good excuse for the blog to take the back burner for a few days.  I am sad that this weekend has come to an end.  Kady left yesterday ( I was sad to see her go) and Mark left early today.  However I cannot think of a better way to spend a long labor day weekend then with people you love, and celebrating the wedding of one of your best friends.  My whole weekend was centered around wonderful friends/family, and making memories!  We have countless pictures of the "high school bunch" from this weekend.  I felt like I was  back in high school (not that I am complaining), especially when my parents made brunch for all of us Sunday morning after the wedding.  Everyone gathered in my parents kitchen taking and laughing just felt like the good old days.  This post is going to be very picture heavy!  But there are so many wonderful pictures I want to share with you from the wedding!  I cried and laughed on Saturday.  Katie made the most beautiful Bride, and you could honestly tell how happy and in love Katie and Richard are.  The ceremony focused on how they had known each other for a life time, and talked of there love for one another, you could just see how excited the two of them were to start their lives together.   I am so glad I got to be apart of their wonderful day, and with that being said here are some fabulous pictures!

Beautiful!

The Flowers were gorgeous!

Hill Vs. The Pancakes, and Updates from Margaritaville

Have you ever watched the show Man Vs. Food?  Well I felt like Man Vs. Food yesterday when my plate of pancakes came out at breakfast!  I dubbed my fake show Hill Vs. The Pancakes!  These mammoth size pancakes were curtsey of The Butter Cafe!  I was so excited to go to The Butter Cafe for brunch, I have been wanting to go there for some time now!  Butter Cafe supports sustainable cooking, which means they use only the best ingredients (ingredients that don't hurt animals, the environment and are healthy for consumers) aka lots of Organic!!

 I was struggling on what to get, everything sounded so good post run, and I was starving!  I went between Banana Pancakes, French Toast Kebabs, Oatmeal, and Cinnamon Sugar Pancakes!  I wish I could have ordered one of each (then you would have been rolling me out of the cafe)!  So what did I finally settle on?  Drum roll please...  Cinnamon Sugar Pancakes!  Best decision ever, these pancakes were sweet but not that overpowering sweet.  Topped with bananas and of course peanut butter, the pancakes hit the spot!  I took the rest of my pancakes with me to snack on latter because let me tell you those suckers were huge!  Take a look.

Mammouth Cinnamon Sugar Pancakes!!

And after Mark, his mom and I Went to town!

Clearly food won that round in Hill Vs. The Pancakes!  

We left the Butter Cafe ready to tackle the hour and a half drive to Indy for the Concert!!

Upon arriving in Indy we decided we would check into our hotel before hitting up the venue... lets just say its a good thing we did!  There were a few issues with the hotel lets just leave it at that (makes for a great story)!

Home I Go, and A Big Thank You!

Good afternoon Everyone!  Todays blog post is coming to you once again from the Chicago Union Station.  I am sitting waiting for my train back to Minnesota.  Hard to believe that I have been gone for a week!  But I had a blast!

Mark and I got into Chicago about 5 yesterday afternoon. We immediately headed to dinner to meet up with my friend/sorority sister Sam for dinner!

Small Town Treasure

Good Morning!  I am just going to jump right into yesterdays festivities!

Yesterday my mom, sister, Melinda and I went down to Decorah Iowa for the day!

Yea you think small town there is going to be nothing to do.  But since my Mom, Melinda and my sister had been raving about the cute little shops in Decorah I decided I wanted to go to!  Let me tell you for Decorah being a small town in Iowa they have the neatest downtown!  We just spent the afternoon going from shop to shop.  We went through little stores like a yarn shop, a cooking store, a store that sold Vera Bradley, and a hatchery!  I even found the wine my parents Mark and I had at the Meridian in Indianapolis!

And this wine is not easy to find!  We couldn't find this wine anywhere in Indianapolis (the only places we found it was a bar and they had one bottle), and of all places I find this particular wine in a little 

Co-Op store in downtown Decorah Iowa!  I was extremely excited about this find.

We had lunch at a wonderful little Bistro called La Rana. 

 The food was excellent, and the decor was charming yet simple.  La Rana means the frog so the bistro featured many a different frog statues!  

To top it off I got the cutest mug that they sold there!

For lunch my sister and I split a green salad topped with Pecans, Cranberries, Grilled Chicken and Goat Cheese!

They had a orange vinaigrette as the dressing.  And the crusty bread they served on the side was fabulous!  We also split the Turkey Avocado and Swiss sandwich.

I have to say that Turkey and Avocado has to be one of my favorite combinations for a sandwich!

Melinda had a Cobb Salad which looked fantastic, and my mom had a grilled chicken sandwich.  I also had to sample the amazing Tomato Basil soup my sister and mom both ordered!  The dessert menu at La Rana looked phenomenal but I was way to full after lunch for dessert!

The hatchery was the last stop of our day!  We shopped a lot!  My sister and I bought some adorable hats and got to hold baby chicks that the hatchery raises!

They were adorable, so soft and fuzzy!

I was super excited about the hat purchases!

Decorah is just one of those charming little towns in the country!  

And don't think our day/fun ended in Decorah!  Because we came home to have a big BBQ with my dad and my sisters friend!  We had way to much food, but everything was delicious!  The only thing I made was baked beans I used a new homemade BBQ sauce recipe.  The sauce called for apple juice, but we were out I subbed in Orange Juice instead.  I want to try this BBQ sauce with apple juice before I share it with you, because I thought the OJ added an interesting flavor.  I am not sure the interesting flavor was a good thing!  Although we did have by far my favorite salad, Grilled Romaine Hearts with Grilled Pineapple.  This salad just screams summer! My sister also made this amazing Guacamole Salad from Ina Graten.  My sister kept saying something seems spicy but I don't know what the spice is from!  Turns out she had added way to much cayenne pepper to the salad!  I thought the salad was excellent!  We had a good evening full of lots of laughs and stories!

 Brats and Hamburgers on the grill!  We even had hot dogs and Veggie Burgers for me!

Yum!  Nothing but veggies fruit and beans!  

I hope you enjoy the many pictures from our day!  I don't think the pictures do the day justice!  And ow before I leave you to get ready for the day I will share our Be quote!

Be Amazed

"As I started looking, I found more and more."

Valerie Steele

Enjoy your day and the long holiday weekend, and remember to live Happily Ever Healthy!

Be Resourceful

Be Resourceful

"Almost everything comes from almost nothing."

- Henri-Frederic Amiel

Remember that! You can't just start at the top, you have to work your way from the bottom up!  Something I frequently forget.  I sometimes get impatient (or all the time) and want everything to happen at once, but alas that is not how life is!

I am sorry that i was not back last night to post!  We ended up staying out with Melinda till well after 9!  We had a wonderful day though out in the country.  We baked yummy scones (I have pictures and a Link to the recipe) and I learned to do this.

Yes that is me sitting still for more then 5 minutes!  I know me not moving is a miracle!  The thing i loved about being out in the country yesterday was the peacefulness of it all.  I told both my mom and Melinda that I felt so relaxed!  Being out in the country reminded me of being at my grandparents in Southern Illinois.  Where you wake up at the crack of dawn to sun streaming in, and the days are long and relaxing.  Yesterday was definitely a much needed stress relief.

I do not know why but I just love the way windmills look!  I had to snap two more pictures of them yesterday!  One against the bright blue sky of the day, while the other was on the drive home with the sun setting!

Yesterdays Scone Menu consisted of these flavors:

Cranberry Orange (Oh So Good)

Double Strawberry Basil (interesting combination)

And

Oatmeal Raison!

We used this recipe for the amazing Cranberry Orange scones!  These scones were by far my favorite.  The cranberries combined with the flavors of fresh orange were bright and vibrant, and complimented each other nicely.  The cranberries added a bit of a tart flavor while the orange offered up a subtle sweetness.  We glazed the cranberry orange scones with a orange glaze, and then served them up with a orange marmalade butter!  I was in heaven, just sitting relaxing with a cup of tea and a fresh hot scone!  Not a care in the world!  Here are a few pictures from our creative afternoon of scone making lessons!

 Cranberry Orange Scones Ready To Bake!

 Getting Glazed!

 Delicious!

 Double Strawberry Basil Scones

 One Large Pile of Scones

 Toasted Oats for our Oatmeal and Raison Scones

Cut and Ready to Bake!

As soon as I get my hands on the other two recipes I will be sure to share them with you!

Well I am off to get a long to do list done!  However I have been up since 5 and already got my workout for the day done!  Thats one thing to check off the list!  I went to a boot camp type class with Katie and my mom this morning at 5:45 followed by my 5 mile 10k training run!  I am going to be sore tomorrow. But we have lots of prep work and cleaning to be done because my little sister comes home today!  

We are celebrating her 20th Birthday that was on Tuesday!  I cannot wait to see her!  We are preparing a special dinner for her, lots of grilling and fresh veggies.  I am sure I will be in charge of the Veggies!  Till tonight!  And remember as always to live Happily Ever Healthy!

PS 24 Days till I see Mark!  Wish him luck on his interview today!