Pinterest Project COMPLETE!

Y'all... I finally made good.. I FINISHED!! not only did I finish but I went above and beyond :) Okay, kind of.. I cooked a lot and some of my projects were minor/major busts! But.... I have 11 new projects to update you on. I didn't do the ones I had originally planned, someday when I have tons of time I will get to those :) 

Day 28- Baked Quinoa Broccoli Casserole 

http://pinterest.com/pin/252412754085875343/

I totally forgot to take a picture of my casserole so the pinterest one will have to do. I had never had quinoa before and this turned out pretty good! It is less than 200 calories a serving and a great side dish! I def recommend making it :) 

Day 29- Mercury Glass Lamp

http://pinterest.com/pin/252412754085843735/

This was such a bust that I can't even bring myself to post a picture. I took an old lamp, followed the directions perfectly and all it looked like was a silver lamp that got wet and when the water dried it looked dirty. I tried over and over again, even looking up different techniques. Now all I have is a silver, metallic lamp. SAD FACE.

Day 30- Photo on Wood

http://pinterest.com/pin/252412754086077052/

This is what I call a minor bust. I'm having a hard time with the water rub down part. As you can see... part of Whitney's face is missing and Sydney has lost her right eye. I'm going to try again though.. until I get it right!! This could be really neat if I can just get the technique down. 

Day 31- Burlap Door Hanger (LAST DAY!!!)

http://pinterest.com/pin/252412754086131147/

Y'all... how cute it this?! I LOVE how it turned out! It's way easy and I just want to brag for a minute one how awesome my razorback looks. 1st one and I'm pretty proud. This is actually for Whitney and I know it will look fabulous on her door during football season! 

Brownie Mug Cake

http://pinterest.com/pin/252412754086054008/

So this link give you tons of options to make... I went with the brownie. Mainly because I didn't have eggs.. or really anything for that matter in my kitchen. I was craving chocolate so I went through the recipes and delicious is what came out! Don't cook it too long, I actually like to under cook just a bit so it's gooey. Next time I really hope I have ice cream... YUM! I think I'll end up making all of these once I'm finished. 

Garlic/Brown Sugar Chicken

http://pinterest.com/pin/252412754085916128/

I made this over the weekend with some potatoes (you will see in a minute) for Brian and it was pretty yum!! My regret would be that I used chicken breasts over tenderloins. No good reason, just personal preference. A breast seems so large and I feel like you lose so much of the flavor since you just "sprinkle on top." However, this chicken was quick and easy and delicious overall. 

Butter Steamed Potatoes 

http://pinterest.com/pin/252412754086155036/

All I can really say is YUM! These are my very favorite kind of potatoes. They serve some like this at Fisherman's Wharf in Hot Springs but I promise you.. mine are 100 times better. Don't judge me for the amount of butter used in this dish.. just try it! You don't actually eat all of the butter. SO delicious! 

Oven Baked Corn

http://pinterest.com/pin/252412754085796369/

TOTAL let down! Seriously, I guess I had it figured out in my head that this would taste just like corn on the grill would taste.. and boy was I excited. I sort of hyped it up to Brian before we ate it... we were both defiantly let down. I wonder if I should have let it cook longer? I don't know... Maybe my standards are set too high for corn. Nothing beats grilled corn on the cob from the actual grill. 

The MOST Amazing Carrots of Your Life. Trust Me. 

http://pinterest.com/pin/252412754086141728/

Please promise me sometime in the next week you will try these. I am so serious... you will fall in love. I don't even like carrots!! I know Brian does so when I saw this on pinterest I figured it was a win-win. I like zucchini, he does too and he likes carrots.. ding! Words can not explain how good this was. Anyone can make these. Just follow the very simple directors on the link! (btw- I used old bay for my seasoning, along with salt and pepper- also, just spray the bottom of the pan with cooking spray, the oil is a little much in my opinion) These carrots are amazing and I'm totally a carrot fan now...they sort of taste like sweet potato fries (which I'm not a fan of either) JUST DO IT. 

Cucumber Snack

http://pinterest.com/pin/252412754085972146/

If I had to choose one food to eat for the rest of my life it would be cucumbers. I don't know that you can understand how much I love a good cucumber and those English cucumbers... heavenly. So when I see recipes dealing with cucumbers I have to try them... plain and simple... I did not like this one. I don't think paprika belongs on cucumbers, I had to thrown the whole thing away. Which was awful for me. I'll take a plain cucumber over this recipe any day. 

Canvas #2 for Hayden

http://pinterest.com/pin/252412754086077103/

How precious is that?! I saw this, sent it to Whitney... she loved it as much as I did so I made a girl/larger version for my favorite 3 week old. I just love it. She's the cutest kid in all the world. 

So what do you think about the finish of my pinterest project? Did I redeem myself for finishing late? I hope I will keep my crafting up. I'm always open to new ideas if you want to pass some my way. I'd be happy to try them or make something for you!! 

I'll keep you posted on my crafting adventures :) XOXO, ARH

How to cook for a new mom....

Hello! I think you all should know by now that my best friend Whitney had her first child about two weeks ago. I can't imagine being a new mom! Between taking care of your newborn, healing, no sleep and everything else that comes along with motherhood... when do you have time to shower or cook.. much less, eat! 

So I did some work to figure out easy meals that could freeze, would be super delicious but would also be super easy for Whit to heat up. So I came up with 5 dishes, 4 entrees and a dessert :) I might not be the best person at this (was my first time) but it was pretty easy AND the good news is... I only spent 3 hours in the kitchen and less than 75 bucks! You can do it!! 

-Chicken Spaghetti
-Taco Soup
-Poppy Seed Chicken
-Crockpot Pot Roast 
-Oreo Layer Dessert

First I got all my recipes together and made one large shopping list! You want to make sure you have all the fixins to go along with what you cook. (some things I already had in my pantry but I included them on this master list)

2-5 pound pot roast
5-6 large chicken breasts
1 lb ground beef or ground turkey 
1 can stewed tomatoes 
1 can mexican flavor stewed tomatoes
3 cans condensed cream of chicken soup
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 can hot or regular chili beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can whole kernel corn
1 small can black olives 
1 small can mushrooms
1 can cheese whiz
8 oz dry spaghetti
1 package taco seasoning mix
2 packages dried ranch dressing mix
1 italian dressing dried mix
1 brown gravy package
poppy seeds
powered sugar
sour cream
milk
olive oil
butter
1 large box instant chocolate pudding
8 oz cream cheese
2 8oz cool whip
1 package oreos
ritz crackers
instant rice
1 bag fritos or chips (for soup)
1 green bell pepper
celery
carrots
6-8 red potatoes 
3 onions
*you'll probably want to pick up 3 disposable casserole dishes, 9x13. A large rubbermaid for the soup and freezer bags if you don't already have them. 

OKAY, now that you have all the goods, it's time to cook!! 

I started by browning my beef and cooking my chicken. For the chicken I cut up an onion added it to some water in a large stock pot and threw the chicken in. 

While my meats were cooking I started cutting up all my veggies. Potatoes and Carrots for the pot roast. Diced my two remaining onions, the bell pepper, and celery. 

*Taco soup- once I finished cutting my onions, I added one to the ground beef and browned, then drain. Then add the taco seasoning mix and ranch dressing mix into the meat. Stir. Then add the following- without draining- both cans of stewed tomatoes, corn, all beans, stir. Simmer for about an hour. 

Whitney ate this meal the day I made it so I left it in my stock pot, took it to her and she could just heat it up and eat with fritos, top with cheese, sour cream, anything you please. You could also transfer the soup into a large rubbermaid bowl and deliver. 

Once my chicken finished cooking I took all 6 breasts out of my stock and cut them all into small cubes. Half you can throw in a 9x13 casserole dish and wait, the other half.. just hold on to. In the meantime, you can go ahead and boil your 8oz of spaghetti. 

*Poppy seed chicken- With your cubed chicken already in your casserole dish... stir together the 2 cans of cream of chicken soup and 1 cup sour cream. I like to add a few extra things just for more flavor (if I have them) 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp mined garlic, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1/4 tsp pepper.  Then pour this mixture over the chicken, I like to mix it up a little. 

In a separate bowl, stir together 2 cups crushed ritz crackers, 1T poppy seeds, and 1/2 cup melted butter. Sprinkle over the chicken mix. 

Cover, use sharpie to write cooking directions. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes until brown and bubbly. You can serve over rice or plain. 

*Chicken Spaghetti- In a very large pan or another stock pot go ahead and saute the rest of your onion, bell pepper and celery mix in olive oil or butter. Add chicken after veggies are limp, black olives, and mushrooms to the mix. Cook. Add cream of chicken soup and cream of mushroom and about half a jar of cheese whiz (to your liking- I usually use a little under half)

By now your spaghetti noodles should be ready, drain and then add the pasta to the mix and stir. Once the whole mix is ready, add to a 9x13 dish and put a lid on it! Use your sharpie for directions- bake 30 mins at 350 until bubbly. 

So now all you have left is the pot roast and oreo dessert. No real cooking left. You are almost there!! 

*Crockpot Pot Roast- Grab a freezer zip lock bag and add the following-- your cut up potatoes and carrots, top with the roast and then pour over that the rest of the dried packets, ranch mix, italian and brown gravy mix. Seal the bag. Sharpie time-- Dump in Crockpot, add 1-1 1/2 cups water and cook on low for 6-10 hours until veggies are tender. Could it be any easier? 

*Oreo Layer Dessert- First off, you want to crush the whole package of oreos, you can use a food processor or just crush them in a ziplock bag. Put back 1/2 cup to sprinkle on top when finished. Pour the rest of the oreos in the bottom of a 13x9 pan. Melt 1/2 cup of butter and pour over the oreo crumbs, stir and press crumbs to bottom to make a crust. 

Make chocolate pudding according to the package and let it set in the fridge. In a mixing bowl blend cream cheese (8oz softened) until smooth and then mix 1 cup powdered sugar. Then, fold in one of the 8oz packages of cool whip. Top oreo crust with cream cheese mix, then a layer of pudding, then your last 8oz tub of cool whip.  Sprinkle the rest of your crushed oreos on the top, cover and refrigerate! 

And that's it! It's so easy and your friend will really appreciate it! BONUS, you get to deliver it and spend quality time with the baby :) Which I have done two weekends in a row now... guess I'll share some pics now! 

Whitney sent this to me last week and I just feel in love!! How can you not think this is the sweetest thing EVER?!

Baby Hayden fell asleep in my arms Friday night. 

Good morning world!! I'm wide awake! 

Saturday morning we did some lazy time. Check out Hayden holding auntie Alex's hand. I'm so in love!! 

And I have to try to add this video! It is precious... that smile!! I don't know what the quality is going to be like but we'll try. 

Have a great rest of the day and if you are feeling down, just come back and look at this pics. LOVE!!! xoxo

FAB 5!

Unless you've been living under a rock then you know the USA women's gymnastics team won the team gold last night!! WOO WOO, Fab 5! Off subject, but we'll come back to it... today I got online an looked at some pics from a beach trip with my best friends from last summer. 

Have you ever heard of dropbox? It's pretty cool. You can download it to your computer and share pictures/files with your friends. No emailing, no making CDs (that never get made) just drag and drop. 

So anyway, Laura shared all her beach pics with us yesterday. I think my favorite is this one.... 

This is what one would call a "pink dance party" 

So it got me thinking about friends and how things change and people move and it's a constant struggle to always stay close to your friends. Back to the fab 5... a name I would like to give some of my very best friends....

Whitney Garner, Sydney Milby, Rachel Martin, Me & Tara Wittenburg

Over the past year we've all been all over the place. I've been living in El Dorado, Rachel moved to Kansas City, Whitney got married and had a baby, and Tara and Sydney no longer live together. That in itself makes me feel like someone died. So.. in an effort to keep in touch and thanks to technology I created a thing called "Happy Tuesday." A weekly group iMessage between what I'm now calling the fab 5! 

And what I love so much is that the weekly chat has turned into group messaging nearly once a day, if not multiple times a week. I always know when my phone starts vibrating uncontrollably I can pull it out to find 30+ texts from these girls. No kidding, one time I was in a movie only to get out and have 58 texts waiting on me from Sydney and Whitney. These conversations are instant smiles and day changers. 

Every time Rachel replies with a laugh I can hear her loud gremlin like laugh as if she's in the room with me, when Tara sends an emoji it makes me smile because I know she just copy and pasted it from someone else, I can always count on Whitney to be the first one to respond or send some type of silly picture from pinterest and I know Sydney will forever send the poop emoji after every text she sends. 

I hope you all have something like this in your life. It's the best and I hope it never stops :) And if you are reading this Sydney, Rachel, Tara or Whitney-- I LOVE YOU and thank you for always being a friend. 

XOXO, ARH

VACAY!!!

I can't believe I didn't post about my two fabulous vacations this summer! They were fabulous! I felt like I vacationed the whole month of May and it was amazing :) 

The first week of May- Sydney, Linsey and I flew to Miami and spent some time there before we cruised to the Bahamas! 

This was the first night when we got to Miami. We stayed on the beach but walked down to Lincoln Road where there is a lot of shopping. It's pretty neat because a few blocks down they block off the road to vehicles. We were craving sushi so we stopped at a place called Sushi Samba (come to find out is big in NY, Chicago, London and Las Vegas) We couldn't understand ANYTHING on the menu so took a shot in the dark and ordered. I'd take Sushi Cafe any day :) But I did order a cucumber martini and it was delish! 

The next day we walked more than I have ever walked before in my life! First we walked down to Lincoln Road until we hit Washington Avenue. (thats where Dash Miami is) Come to find out, nothing opens until 11. I'ts like 9. This was was disgusting, Miami was so dirty! Finally we made our way down to Ocean Ave (Jersery shore house) and ate an awful, overpriced meal. We saw Miami Ink and made our way back to DASH to see if Khloe or Kourtney would be there... sadly, they weren't and the store was a major left down. 

Pulling out of Miami, headed for the Bahamas!! (dying to get out of Miami by this point)

HELLLLO Atlantis!! Atlantis was so much fun! You seriously need like a week here to see everything it has to offer! We layed out for a little while before we realized it was time to explore. We went and rode around the lazy river, which is AMAZING! There are rapids, some calm time and all sorts of pretty sites. Then we did some slides, one even took you through glass walls in a pool of sharks. So cool! We had lunch on the grounds and then had a nice nap/lay out session after lunch. It was hard to leave! 

This is a picture as we were walking through "the dig at Atlantis" (marine exhibits that take you through the streets and tunnels of sunken ruins)

We decided to leave the resort and go to the beach. Bad idea. Sales ladies were so rude to us and I think someone was trying to see us drugs. We took this quick picture and pretty much sprinted back to Atlantis. 

Could you not get so use to this?! I could!! 

The next day-- here we are in Coco Cay, Bahamas. Private island that was absolutely gorgeous! The water was the most clear, beautiful water I have ever seen in my life! We layed on the beach all day and sipped on frozen beverages and for a minute I felt like I was in heaven. It was a great day. 

Syd and I got adventerous and climbed out on the rocks.. we actually got a different picture out in the water on rocks... we were quickly pulled back to land by workers.. not happy with us. 

Back on the boat we got ready for dinner, "formal night."

So i learned that formal night was also "finish that song" night in the club! I was thrilled! This is something I've been training for my whole entire life. I can sing almost every word of every song ever. It's just a talent. I've always wanted to go on "the singing bee" or a show of that nature. (side note- i did get an audition with the singing bee in nashville but was unable to make it) Anyway, I jumped up and was the 7th person in line, but I decided why don't I stand in between these two guys already up here... making me the 6th. So they start the game, NO ONE knows their songs.. I know every single one. So, the guy before me goes... Seriously, it's Wannabe by the Spice Girls.. i start singing like it's mine! Every song is a "white girl classic" and I only say this because I was the only white girl in the competition. So here comes my song, the emcee starts laughing and says.. "you get marvin gaye.." I'm thinking YES!! "let's get it on" I can totally do this!... NO. I heard it through the grapevine. I've NEVER heard that line in the song they played for me in my life. My dad would have been ashamed at this exact moment. I have listened to this song my whole life and failed. I lost. Wanna know something else? I knew every single word to songs 7, 8, 9 and 10! Such sadness. 

Anyway, the next morning we woke up in Key West! I was totally excited about this stop. We walked all over Key West. Shopped some, they had great shopping! Ate some lunch at Margaritaville and then made the trek down to the Southernmost Point in the USA! It was so cool. I was totally excited. I saw the first mile marker, learned what a banyan tree is (AWESOME) and just took in all this cute town had to offer... especially.... 

Dipped Key Lime Pie!! TO DIE!!! Best thing I have ever had. Hands down. 

So precious. 

And then our last night came. And I was ready to get home. We flew from Miami to Dallas and then drove home to Little Rock and it wasn't fun. There were storms, and flight delays and serious fatigue. Love vacation, hate the travel home. 

SO... moving on to Vacay #2! Over Memorial Day weekend I went to Destin with the Johnston family. Brian came down to El Dorado and left from here and met his family in Jackson. We stayed the first night in Pensacola and then went the next morning to pick up David from the airport. Here's a pic from the first night on the beach.. 

Brian, Dallas and I- Pensacola, FL

This was our first night in Destin. We had a delicious dinner every night, the boys played football on the beach, we went crabbing, watched a wedding right next door and got lots of relaxing done under the sun! i LOVE the beach! 

Lots of sun! 

Our last night on the beach. We walked from the park to the Bach Porch Grill.. beautiful walk!! 

Heading back to Arkansas. Last morning. 

i LOVE vacation and spending time with loved ones and friends. Can't wait til the next :) 

XOXO, arh

I'm in LOVE!!!!

...with Hayden Elizabeth Garner!! Y'all she is 7 pounds and 7 ounces of pure perfection!!! My best friend Whitney gave birth to her first child this week and honestly, it's kind of all I've been thinking about! Whit text me about noon on Tuesday and said she was headed to labor and delivery. You better bet as soon as I finished word I drove as fast as I could to Conway. Luckily, I had packed a bag because I had a feeling Hayden was going to come early. 

I want to share some pics.. this child is precious and I am dying to get back to Conway to visit my new love :)

We actually had dinner last Saturday night and I took this picture! 38 weeks and ready to POP!! 

Mom and Hayden

Minutes after this sweetness was born! 

Y'all... this is perfection. I'm completely in love with this sweet face.

Slowly but surely....

I have completely fallen off my pinterest bandwagon... I can't make any excuses! I started the 4th of July week of strong and here I am... two weeks later with only 2 completed projects to show you! Honestly... I just needed a break~ I have been so busy and it's been nice to just go home after work and not think about pinterest. I am only 4 short but I WILL finish!! (I've actually done some small pins but I want my last 4 to blow you away :) SOOO.. I'll share with you what I have finished. 

Day 26- 4th of July Cake

http://pinterest.com/pin/252412754085672765/

Sadness is all I felt as I realized I forgot to buy red, white, and blue sprinkles... and the store was 7 miles away SOO.. you make do. But how cute is this? And it really wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. It was a white cake mix and then a lot of food coloring. VERY festive and pretty yummmm :) 

Day 27- Wooden Monogram

http://pinterest.com/pin/252412754084833654/

I made this for a razorback shower we went to last weekend :) I originally was going to make it as a wedding gift and copy the example I found on pinterest. But then the razorback shower came up (and these two LOVE all things razorback) so I figured.. how perfect!! The hardest part was finding old wood because I wanted to to be kind of rugged.. then I had to build a frame on the back.. paint it and there ya go! I wish I would have picked a different font for the "Huffman" but it's okay :) 

So that's all I have! Hopefully next week I can complete the project. A couple ideas I had kind of fell through sooo.. ya know, that's life! I'll come up with 2 to replace and show you soon! 

sweet baby d....

Wanted to share this canvas I painted over the 4th of July break. When I posted the canvas I did for Whitney, my friend Priscilla asked for a boy version for her new baby, Derek. It's soo hard to paint for boys (in my opinion) but I tried my best. I think it will look precious in his blue, green and yellow colorful room :) 

Happy 4th!!

Hope everyone had a fabulous 4th! I was slightly depressed when I found out the 4th fell on a Wednesday... seriously?! We got Wednesday off (usually I love being a federal employee but this time I just wanted more!!) I ended up taking Thursday and Friday off. Brian got the whole week off because he has an amazing dream job that people like me would die for :) ANYWAY, we spent the majority of the week with my family at the lake and I dedicated a full day to crafting. Very hotttt but the weather was amazing at night for fabulous boat rides, i LOVE! 

So.. I guess I'll share some pics. Don't laugh... the flag shirts were a joke by my parents. However, everyone participated and wore them long enough to take a few pics :) 

Playing baggo with Josh and Clark. Next time I will not be partners with Clark.. he totally lost the game for us! PS. don't you love the lanterns I hung in the trees?!

The kids at dinner, pizza night! 

Brian and I, patriotic pride!! 

We were all good sports. My parents are losing their minds in their old age, I KID!!!! It was funny.  

 So... that was my week/weekend. I should be back soon with some more pinterest projects. Hopefully I can wrap them all up this week. BTW... do you see the "EAT" letters I made in week one in the pic above?? :) LOVE. XOXO 

Week 4 Wrap.... Almost finished!

I'm winding down on the Pinterest challenge.. over half way there! These last few are going to take some more time cause I want them to be amazing!! I already posted 3 of my projects from this past week (below). so here are the rest.... And by the way, the next 4 projects are only food. So they are a little boring.. but next week... I promise to not disappoint :) 

Day 22- Star-Spangled Pie

http://pinterest.com/pin/252412754085791414/

This was pretty good... nothing like the peanut butter pie that I have come to love sooo much! But it was cute and festive and I do love those rainbow cookies! And this is super easy

Day 23- Southwestern Corn Dip

http://pinterest.com/pin/252412754084838617/

YUM!! Made this at the lake this weekend and it was a hit! (I'm not very good at taking pictures of food) It was even a little better the next day after it thickened up a bit. I added an extra jalapeno because Brian likes the heat BUT it was little too much.  

Day 24- Summer Pasta 

http://pinterest.com/pin/252412754085582356/

Top 5 favorite thing in my life='s pasta salad!! I'm not going to lie though, this wasn't my favorite. I'm so in to the pasta, Italian dressing, some broccoli, bell peppers, salt, pepper... doesn't have to be fancy. This was good but not amazing. I do LOVE lemon juice and I think that made this dish. 

Day 25- Cookie Dough Popsicle 

http://pinterest.com/pin/252412754085836672/

*Please do not judge me but I can not get this to rotate for the life of me!! These were super easy to make but the result was not as yum. Even looking at this makes me not happy. It tasted like frozen milk and not like a sweet should. I mean, I get it.. it's made out of milk but I guess I expected a different result. THUMBS DOWN.

I also did one other project I found on pinterest this week.. but I don't want to add a number to it because it was kind of lame. I do want to share it though because it works!! It's the pit stain removal project. You can find it HERE... AND this is magic!! It was easy! It only takes 3 ingredients ~ dawn, hydrogen peroxide and baking soda. SO, so easy! 

UPDATE* on the teeth whitening, my dental hygienist friend Morgan, who I am halfway responsible for her passing DH school (since I quizzed her on the dorsal, ventral-whatever everything) told me that the baking soda, toothpaste mixture isn't going to give me any kind of long term results. 

That's a wrap on Week 4! I'm excited to finish the rest of my projects, I've already got the last 6 lined out and I'm anxious to finish them and post about them! You are going to LOVE!!!! They are all super crafty :) 

Hope everyone has a happy and very safe 4th! Drink lots of water and don't text and drive :) LOVE, XOXO! 

Arty Crafty

Wanted to share a few things I painted a while back... These are the only ones that made the move to my small little apartment :) Simple but so cute! 

And I plan on updating my pinterest project tomorrow... I'm slacking a little but MAYBE i can make some of it up tonight. Until then.... hollla!