Monthly Archives: June 2012

Showered with Yummy

Posted on by

4

As I mentioned here I recently hosted a little baby shower for my sweet sister in-law.  After WAY too much time spent on Pinterest {I’m starting to think its like a black hole that just sucks you in…and several hours later just pops you back out} and a LOT of help from some of the sweetest family and friends we had ourselves a pretty lovely spread!

To start off we had a mimosa & bellini bar.  Champagne {and sparkling juice} served with orange juice and peach juice {If you’ve never tried a peach bellini I highly recommend it!}.  For this one I set out a cute tray, lined up the champagne glasses and popped a few fresh blueberries and raspberries in the bottom.  The pitchers of juice and the champagne bottles sat next to the tray for a little “do it yourself” drink station. {In the craziness I didn’t snap a pic of our little mimosa bar but thanks to Hostess with the Mostess you can get an idea of what it looked like!}

Next on the list, for a little something extra refreshing {on what turned out to be a VERY hot day} was a cucumber & lime water served with frozen fruit cubes.  I can not take ANY credit for the gorgeous cubes, our sweet aunt and uncle made blueberry, strawberry and mandarin orange ice cubes that were not only beautiful to look at but added a little extra to this refreshing drink!  {again with the no picture…sorry i’m a horrible blogger…but this is the general idea}

{The Culinary Tribune}

Last {but certainly not least} on the drink menu was a carafe of iced coffee.  With all of the other things going on, for this one I decided to keep it simple.  We grabbed an already brewed {and yummy} traveler from Starbucks and added little frozen coffee ice cubes.  {I made these by simply freezing coffee in an ice cube tray!}

Now on to the food!!  I needed to have a variety of goodies for all to enjoy, we have some pretty varied eating habits between family & friends {some are no meat, some are no gluten, some are doing low sugar} definitely a challenge for a party menu!  My goal was to keep everything “baby sized” so it was easy to grab and easy to eat {and cute baby themed…duh}  So our spread included a variety of mini muffins {blueberry, ginger bread & lemon poppy seed}, yummy mini quiches {some of the veggie & some of the meaty variety}, beautiful prosciutto & melon skewers and a tray of mini chicken bites served with bbq sauce and a yummy blue cheese foam.   The sweet soon to be grandma brought peppered bacon biscuits, put together mini ham & biscuits and made the most yummy savory spinach balls.  I found the recipe for these spinach balls on one of my many trips to Pinterest and just HAD to try them!

{The Curvy Carrot}

Now for the sweet goodies!!  Our little momma to be is watching her sugar intake so we had little single serving fruit salads with a honey lime dressing served in the cutest little pink polkadot candy cups that I scored on Etsy from the sweet Jen at Cupcake Social.

Following along with our little mini items we had mini strawberry shortcakes, single slices of lemon and key lime cake, the most gorgeous chocolate covered strawberries & cutest little baby themed cake pops {Grandma to be brought these so i’m not sure where they are from…but they were adorable!!}

So to recap:

  • Mimosa & Bellini Bar
  • Cucumber Mint water with fruit Ice Cubes
  • Iced Coffee
  • Mini Muffins {blueberry, ginger bread & lemon poppy}
  • Mini Quiche {Veggie & Meaty}
  • Prosciutto & melon skewers
  • Mini Chicken bites with BBQ sauce & Blue Cheese foam
  • Peppered Bacon Biscuits
  • Mini Ham & Biscuits
  • Savory Spinach Balls
  • Fruit Salad with Honey Lime Dressing
  • Mini Strawberry Shortcakes
  • Slices of Lemon & Keylime Cake
  • Chocolate Covered Strawberries
  • Baby Themed Cake Pops

Lots of food!!  But between the party guests and then a little afternoon snack for the boys when they returned home from their day on the golf course {they were banished from the house…ladies only!!} we had just the right mix of yumminess!

Thank you Thank you Thank you to my sweet family and friends for all of your help…there is NO way I could have pulled this off without you!!

~ Jillian

P.s. I included links and recipes for a good amount of the menu items, but if there is something you are interested in and have questions, leave a comment and I will give you more!!

About these ads

Color me Happy: Coral

Posted on by

0

Ahhh Coral…how i love thee.  You are bright and cheerful.  You look good as a solid or as a pattern.  And you pair well with almost everything.  In short…I heart you.  So here are a few inspiring images to show the world just how lovely you are…

{Image from West Elm}

{Image found at Fig & Sparrow}

{Image from Style at Home}

{Image found at Delightfully Engaged}

{Image from Anthropologie}

{Image from Crate & Barrel}

{Image found at The Vintage Village}

{Image from Style at Home}

So good right!?!

~ Jillian

Food Factoid: Cilantro

Posted on by

5

When it comes to adding flavor to my food, one of my absolute favorite herbs is Cilantro.  I love this stuff!!  I know there are some out there that aren’t huge fans of the flavor {who are you crazy people?!} but I can’t get enough of it.  Well when I discovered all of the wonderful things that cilantro can do for our health…my love affair with it just got stronger.  Maybe these little factoids will convince some of you cilantro haters out there to give it another shot!

One of the most amazing properties of Cilantro is that it successfully removes mercury, lead & other heavy metals from our bodies.  That’s HUGE!  It literally flushes out impurities as it goes thru your system.  These days it is 100% impossible to avoid getting heavy metals into your system {unless you live in a bubble}.  The most common source of heavy metals getting into our bodies is from coal burning power plants, which is very hard to avoid because it is in the air around us.  Other common sources of heavy metals that can potentially leach into your body is from dental fillings and certain vaccines.

Medical studies have found that patient’s with Alzheimer’s and Autism have hight levels of heavy metal toxicity in their bodies.  A healthy body can naturally release some heavy metals from the system thru waste and hair growth {among other things}.  When the hair follicles of autism patients were tested against the hair follicles of a healthy person the autism patient had almost no traces of metals in their hair, which means their bodies are unable to naturally flush out these toxins.

I think we can all agree that these days our bodies are constantly trying to fight off impurities and toxins that are a part of our every day lives.  More toxins then our bodies can always handle.  Consuming cilantro everyday will give the body a boost in eliminating these toxins from the body, can improve symptoms for those with these horrible diseases and can also help prevent future disease in our bodies from the build-up of heavy metals.

Our go to daily dose of cilantro is in our morning smoothies {more about those to come…plus why I ♥ my blender}.  But cilantro is great in so many recipes too!  I like to add it on top of rice and pasta dishes or to add a little kick of flavor to my quinoa and greek yogurt.  A great way to get that cilantro pumping thru your system  {especially if you haven’t jumped on the I Love cilantro train yet} is to boil the cilantro down into a tea and mix it with your favorite beverage {mixed in with fruit juice is a great way to get the kiddos enjoying!} Or maybe a garlic and cilantro pesto spread on crispy bread or over your favorite pasta…

{Image from Simply Recipes}

Garlic & Cilantro Pesto

  • 3 garlic cloves, peeled & chopped
  • 2  cups fresh cilantro, lightly packed
  • 1/4  cup olive oil
  • 2  tablespoons toasted sesame oil {or other oil of choice}
  • 2  tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1/2  teaspoon  salt
  • 1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
  1. Place the garlic and cilantro in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. With the processor running, slowly add the oils, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Process until smooth.

Sounds pretty dang delicious doesn’t it?!?  What are some of your favorite cilantro recipes?

Yumm-0

~ Jillian

*Information from “Conquering Any Disease”  by: Jeff Primack.

P.s. Follow us on Instagram @ hersplitends!

Monday Mantra: Find the positive

Posted on by

0

Happy Monday to ya.  I hope you had a loverly weekend.  We were in town for a weekend {finally} but did not have a shortage of things to do!!  Did get to spend a little time in the sunshine between errands and chores {I would like to say a big BOO to the family of little tiny sweat bees that decided to sting the crap out of my back…OUCH}  It was really lovely to spend some much needed time with friends.  Lots going on these days in everyone’s lives and its tough to get together.  I hope all my peeps {even the one’s i haven’t been able to see in a while} know how much they mean to me!! ♥ So with all that…here’s your weekly dose of HSE inspiration.

“Look at yourself, like yourself, and find the positive.”

~ Dana Buchman

Happy Monday!

~ Jillian

Downward Facing Doodle

Posted on by

4

Happy Friday to all!!  You might have heard me mention before that I have possibly the most precious little puppy dog in the world {ok ok I know I might be slightly biased…but come on…she’s adorable!}  She is constantly making us laugh and keeps us entertained!  I was finishing up a BodyRock workout the other day with a few minutes of  yoga.  The Doodle loves it when we do yoga…she dances around us and stretches right along side of us.  So I lay down for a few minutes of Shavasana at the end of everything and the doodle hops right up on my belly!  This is something she does often…but i’ve never been able to capture it!  {Sorry for the blurry pic and yes i was working out in my kitchen…WhAt?!  its the only space in the house that i can roll out my yoga mat and don’t have to move anything around}  So please enjoy this little image of the munckin girl and have a WONDERFUL weekend!  Stay cool cuz its HOT out there!!

I love that girl!!

~ Jillian

Showered with Love {and Crafting!}

Posted on by

4

Recently I was honored to host a baby shower for my precious little sister in-law Bethany! {Baby Alys is heading our way this fall!!}  It would be an understatement to say I enjoyed all of the planning, getting all the goodies together and showering this little lady with love.  My husband said several times that it looked like a baby shower had exploded in our living room {sorry honey!}  I was full on Crafty-McCrafterson up in here!  I will share lots of the details from the shower with you in upcoming posts but wanted to give you this little sneak peek of one of my favorite shower “activities”…a Baby Shower Photo Booth!!

I made lots of little props for the guests to play around with {like pacifiers on sticks, customized signs and little baby hats}, hung up a cute fabric backdrop {actually a fun table cloth from Ikea} and let the guests have at it!!  Overall I’m calling this one a great success!!

Craft it up!
~ Jillian

P.s. I’m considering putting together a photo booth package to be sold on Etsy {Her Split Ends Shop coming soon!!}.  Is this something you would be able to use for future parties and showers??   {think baby showers, birthday parties, wedding showers, weddings…I could go on and on!!}

DIY – porch chair project

Posted on by

14

I love stumbling on something unexpectedly that brings back a childhood memory from years ago, don’t you?!?!  I was doing one of my little random thrift store searches the other day when the memory of these chairs from my childhood came rushing back to me.  Our old house in Snoqualmie had this great atrium space where we had several bird cages {I think finches?!} and these great 1970′s wicker pieces.  The chairs {as I remember at least} were these huge rounded back almost egg shaped chairs.  Well I was walking thru the local Goodwill the other day when I spotted these beauties!!  A pair of the same shape wicker chairs, only smaller, in great condition.  I couldn’t believe it!!  They came with not so lovely cushions {which i returned to the Goodwill for someone else to hopefully use} and were in need of some fresh paint but sturdy and just begging to call my teeny tiny front balcony their new home.  All it took to make these babies porch worthy was a few cans of spray paint {Krylon Paint & Primer color: Smoke Gray} and some round cushions that are the perfect fit! {lovingly donated to the cause by the wonderful “Miss A”}.  For the first time in {ugh} 6 years our little front balcony is now a great place to enjoy a cup of tea in the morning or a refreshing cocktail in the evening.  {and these make a nice seating group with our new little bonsai family too!}

Happy DIY-ing {and thrift store shopping!!}

~ Jillian

Posted in DIY

Monday Mantra: Just breathe

Posted on by

5

Happy Monday.  Hope you had a great weekend!  Here in Atlanta it was sunny, perfect blue skies,great breeze..really lovely outside.  We spent the weekend celebrating the dads in our lives with a little golf {the boy…not me}, a little shopping {me…not the boy} and lots of eating!  Today’s monday mantra is one for those times in life that we feel overwhelmed or unhappy with what is going on in our lives.  I hope it helps you thru the week and reminds you that we can’t always control things happening around us and its best to just step back and…breathe.

“Sometimes the best thing you can do is not think. not wonder. not imagine. not obsess. Just breathe.
Just breathe and have faith that everything will work out for the best.”

To a calm and joy filled week!

~ Jillian

Right Here Right Now

Posted on by

2

Some of you have heard me rave about my wonderful acupuncturist, Dr. Sun and a few of you have even popped in to give him a try.  For those of you who haven’t heard any of my stories…i will eventually share some of them…but just know…he is amazing.

A while back I stopped by his office for what I thought would be just a quick chiropractic adjustment {I was having a weird back/rib pain}.  As always Dr Sun asked just a few questions about what I thought was the reason for my visit, but I quickly realized there was a different message meant for me that day {very typical for my visits with Dr. Sun}.  Dr. Sun seems to offer up little tid bits of advice that hit the nail on the head time after time.  His thoughts for me this visit:

{paraphrasing} When we look back to everything that we have been thru in our lives we tend to focus on the mistakes made, the things that did not turn out right and the things we would like to change about ourselves.  When we stack up all those mistakes we feel like all we have done in the past is mess up.  So as we move forward in life we are constantly trying to correct those mistakes, trying to make better decisions and worrying about how we will overcome all of the things in our past.  Instead, why don’t we live in the moment; present moment consciousness; realize that everything that has happened in our past, all of the mistakes we have made and all of the bumps along the way have been for a reason.  They have taught us important lessons in life that we would not have learned had we not stumbled.  So instead of beating ourselves up over all of the mistakes…we should realize that we are much smarter now for all of those lessons learned, we have gained knowledge and strength from overcoming all of the hurdles life has thrown at us.  We are actually much stronger and much smarter then we ever thought possible and its all because of life.  Because of the bumps in the road that have forced us to look into ourselves and make changes..even the smallest of changes; changes that will only make us a better person in the end.

So much easier said then done

I’m telling you…this man is something else!

Namaste

~ Jillian