kittehs, coffee & ramblings

kittens are taking up all my spare time - I haven't even had much time for reading, which is insane. I was home sick yesterday, so I got some cuddle time with miss Callie. 

Donatella (the tortie) and Blackasaurus Rex (the black one, obvi) like to cuddle with each other and still aren't 100% comfortable with humans. they're very sweet, but still kind of weary when it comes to napping on me.

Callie is definitely the more adventurous and advanced of the three. she was the first to master drinking water and the litter box... and the first to escape their little enclosed area of our bedroom.

I still haven't taken any pics of the babes with my Rebel, which has been in Sean's truck since the weekend, but here's a shitty picture of them from my cell phone. they love to sleep in this little corner where the towels are. don't mind that piece of cardboard... it's blocked the baseboard heating system so that they don't mess with it.

and just so you know I'm not ignoring my other kids, here's Bear from yesterday. our AC is broken right now, and while I'm thankful we realized the problem NOW instead of in July, it's extremely hot and humid here already... our thermostat was up to 79 degrees yesterday before noon. Bear was sprawled out like this for most of the day... obviously feeling the heat. 

OH! and check this out. my friend Stephanie made me a one of a kind coffee cozy - it's mustard and it has a mustache - how PERFECT is that? I love it... and I'm pretty sure it'll work with beer too, which is even better. the inside fabric is a really pretty aqua color and it's

I'll try to post more tonight - I have tons of things to post about - like my steadily growing herbs, my sweet Chia Pet, our newly put together furniture, Wine in the Woods 2011, and just general nonsense. 

just a heads up, there probably won't be a Friday loves post tomorrow... I haven't even started it (yes, I start it early and contribute to it throughout the week), and I doubt I will have time to put something together tomorrow. whomp whomp. 

I hope everyone is enjoying their week! 

I can't wait for our Monday holiday off!

Happy Thursday!

oops, I did it again.

if you've been here for a while, you may remember me talking about the stray cats we have running around here at my place of employment. the office building I work in is surrounded by construction debris and equipment, so there are an endless number of hiding spots for sneaky felines.

so, being that it is kitten season, it was no surprise to me to find out that our residential Mama Cat was knocked up again. she has frequent litters of kittens and usually abandons them or they run off to another yard on our street. I've always been kind of scared to try to catch her WHILE she's pregnant, because I can't have that kind of chaos in my house, and I wouldn't even know where to start with taking care of a stray (read: scared of humans like woah) kitty with freshly born babies. by the time we see her babies, they're already so scared of humans that they're impossible to catch. 

I knew that she had given birth to her kittens, because one of our employees stumbled across them in our construction yard a few weeks back. I looked out my office window yesterday to see four little babies outside hangin' out with their mama. I decided that if I didn't get a hold of them now, she might move them and I wouldn't have another opportunity to do so. also, the younger they are when they are adopted or fostered, the better chance they have at a domesticated life. I could see that at least two of them were of a calico breed, which meant they were females, which also meant that if left out there, they'd become just more Resident Mamas to our area, so I knew I had to catch them while I could.

so that's exactly what I did yesterday - I had Sean bring me one of our cat carriers to work and I grabbed three of the four babes and took them to the vet. of course, I was worried that the fourth one (who scattered when I came near her) would be left behind, but thankfully, I looked out my window this morning to see Mama nursing her. the other three are doing well at home - they are being quarantined from my cats for everyone's safety - according to my vet, they are about 4 weeks old, giving them a birthday of April 25th. she says they're healthy as far as weight and overall eyes/ears and heart exams go. we gave them a dose of deworming meds and they will go back in two weeks for a check up. 

right now the plan is to try to get a hold of the fourth kitten (she is a calico like her two sisters) and get her home with her siblings. I also borrowed a live trap from my vet, who will spay the Mama for me so I can release her back here at work. I think she's too feral to become a house cat. some people might not agree with my decision to take them from their mama so early, but they are eating solid food (moistened down with water) and are capable of getting around just fine. 

um, so yeah. long story short? ha! I get to spend a couple weeks with these cute faces until I can find some wonderful healthy homes for them to go to.

Happy Tuesday!

fill in the blank Friday!

play here.

1.   People always tell me I look like       my mom, which is the best compliment I could ever receive.

2.  Friends don't let friends    _do stupid things without letting them know it's stupid first.

3.  A sunny day is perfect for   uhhh... everything. I fucking love a sunny day.

4.  My favorite accessory is   eeks, tough call. I'm gunna go with my pear/stamped Q necklace. I wear it everyday.

5.  If I could afford it I would     quit my job! HAHA!

6.  The cure for boredom is       to pick up a good book, or get crafty. oh, and I like to organize things when I'm bored too. my linen closet looks awesome right now.

7.  I am currently "in like" with      the color mustard, crackle nail polish (which I have yet to try, but I love it on other people), growing my hair out, Pinterest, gardening, making desserts, and Adele.

Friday loves

Lissy Elle's photostream on Flickr (discovered via Danielle @ Sometimes Sweet). two words: HOLY SHIT. serious talent and creativity going on over there, so be sure to check it out.

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this cute little Dwell Studio hippo collection that has become available through Target. although I'm not pregnant, I might pull the plug on some of the nursery items, because I know I'll be sad if I end up knocked up and it's sold out. you guys know how much I love hippos. I feel like it's meant to be.

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as always, the kittens. they are getting SO big and rambunctious. they are each forming their own little personalities, and I've really enjoyed watching them grow up over the last 5 weeks and having the ability to be a part of the little kittencam community. I'll definitely be sad on the day they're all adopted and gone.

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this pillow find at Copy Cat Chic. love imperial trellis right now and the navy would look awesome in our bedroom. 

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this cute elephant themed baby shower. Kaley's baby shower for little Rhys is officially in the works and I am loving the inspiration I'm finding out there... I plan on DIYing almost all of the paper and decor. I can't wait to put all my (with Kaley's collaboration/approval, of course, haha) ideas in place and throw an amazing party for an amazing friend!

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I booked our anniversary vacation this week, and I cannot wait to be out of here and on a beach for a week. I found a place in Myrtle Beach for roughly $800 for the week... for an ocean front condo with a full kitchen and pool during peak season, that's an amazing price. I still have to wait another two and a half months (or 79 days), but who's counting?

also? I can't believe we've been married almost 2 years. INSANITY.

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this tutorial for making a monogram out of regular old washers from the hardware store. will be doing this for our entry way, fo sho. 

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my copy of the new Sookie book arrived last night. I was so excited that I made the decision to take a break from reading Uglies to pick it up. originally I was going to wait for the paperback to be released, but I keep reading awesome reviews and couldn't wait any longer to have it in my hands. will update when I finish... which could be tonight. 

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these shoes. I must have them in my life. 

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HAPPY FRIDAY!

wee bit Wednesday!

{one} do you watch the history channel? if so, what’s your favorite program?I do indeed. I actually like the specials they run on actual history, as opposed to the shows.
{two} what is your favorite thing to do on a rainy day?get lost in a good book.
{three} what does your dream house look like?I seriously can't answer that question. I want a waterfront beach bungalow, a log cabin in the woods, an ancient Victorian, and a classic farm house with a wrap around porch. 
{four} what state were you born in?Maryland.
{five} do you have a change jar? if so, what do you use it for when it gets full?haha, this is funny because Sean JUST BOUGHT a change jar that counts coins for you when you drop it in. it's the most ridiculous purchase he's ever made. we cash that shit in when it gets full.
{six} what’s the first website you look at when you get on the computer?Gmail. and then kittencam.org. OBSESSED.
{seven} what is your favorite breakfast?eggs over easy with bacon sprinkled in and toast with strawberry jam. AND a big ol glass of orange juice. 
{eight} what’s the most memorable trip you’ve ever taken?the cruise we took as a family when I was 16.
{nine} do you prefer your coffee black or with cream/milk/sugar?let's just say I like a little coffee with my sugar.
{ten} have you ever done a professional photo shoot?does my wedding count? haha

cheesecake brownies [recipes]

I made these brownies last weekend to bring to Kaycie's house for dessert and they were a huge hit between the four of us. in fact, there were only two left in the pan when we got home later that evening, although that could have been due to Sean's drunk ravaging. either way, they were delicious. very, very, very simple recipe... easy enough to do on a whim and bring to a party, for sure.

Cheesecake Brownies

[Facts]:

prep time: 15 minutes

cook time: 20 minutes

ready to eat: 45 minutes

[Ingredients]:

• 1 package (19.8oz) brownie mix - I used Betty Crocker's Ultimate Fudge mix
• 1 package (8oz) cream cheese
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup white sugar

[Directions]:

1. Prepare the brownie mix as directed by manufacturer. Preheat oven to temperature indicated on box. Grease a 9x13 inch pan.  (I used a 9x9 pan because I like thicker brownies).
2. Spread the brownie batter evenly into the prepared pan. 
3. Using an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese, egg and sugar until smooth. 
4. Dollop the cream cheese mixture on top of the brownie batter. Swirl together using a knife or skewer. (my mixture didn't really "swirl" well... probably because I used the 9x9 pan. there was more cheese mixture than I thought there would be, so I just spread it along the top and it came out fine).
5. Bake according to manufacturer's instructions. Brownies will be done when a toothpick inserted comes out clean (about 35 minutes for me). Cool in the pan, then cut into bars and serve. 

Unfortunately, I didn't take any 

photos of these, but here's one that 

I shamelessly jacked from All Recipes. 

ENJOY!

Friday loves

well now that Blogger has decided to stop being a douchebag, we can get on to the little list of things I'm loving this week... ya know... because you're all DYING to know! ;)

• these garden markers (the post was actually from a year ago, but I found it via Pinterest this week), made from an old spoon and some creative labels. now that my herbs are planted, I might need to do this. 

• this post by Mandy (who obviously has the coolest name ever), reassuring everyone that she is not super woman, and that she, just like all parents, has daily struggles. I'm not a Mama, but it's comforting to me for some reason.
• the completed patio, courtesy of YHL. we want to demolish our existing deck and put in a patio of pavers, and the DIY experts have pretty much confirmed our wavering decision to NOT do it ourselves. it honestly just seems like a huge pain in the ass, and we don't have time for it. 
• marble chevron tile. 

• 40 handmade gifts from the kitchen - I am really considering going handmade for gifts this year, since we're trying to save up for the possibility of a babe in the future, and this post is full of SO many wonderful edible gifts.
• baskets in the fridge = organization genius.

• the handmade giveaway going on over at Rogue Poags! the only reason I didn't enter is because that little yellow pouch in the pictures already has my name on it - enter to win a custom handmade coin purse... with a Starbucks gift card inside! 
• these planters from West Elm. since we plan on repainting our shutters grey (they are currently hunter green and I hate them), these would look awesome on our front stoop.

• this recipe for grilled zucchini pizza looks delicious. I want to try it soon. 
• and as always, live kittens playing and cuddling and mewing. I may or may not be slightly obsessed with these guys.

have you discovered anything awesome this week? 

HAPPY FRIDAY!

wee bit Wednesday!

{one} what profession have you always admired?any kind of public service professions, like firemen, police officers, nurses, etc. they often work super long shifts and are not appreciated by their "clients."{two} what would the title of your memoir/biography be if it was written today?hmm. how about "The Bear Naked Truth." I think it's pretty fitting.
{three} how far do you commute to work?50 miles total (25 miles to and from).
{four} are your earlobes attached or detached?uhh they are attached to my ears?
{five} do you eat the unpopped kernels of popcorn at the bottom of the bag?I used to, but I'm quite fond of taking care of my teeth, so I don't anymore.
{six} what is the strangest gift you’ve ever received?oh geez. not really strange, but more so useless - my grandmother would buy me earrings for Christmas every single year growing up, even though my ears weren't pierced.
{seven} what is one tv show that you wish hadn’t been cancelled?Will & Grace was my shit.
{eight} what is something that you are saving money for right now?haha, we're always saving money... right now our main goals are house projects, a baby down the road, and possibly a vacation. oh, and we're also savings for the fifty million weddings we will be attending next year! :)
{nine} what hobby would you like to take up?cake tasting.
{ten} how many times a year do you get really dressed up?uh, I don't have a set number or anything. I typically dress up for special events... we may have one every other month or so. sometimes I get dressed up for no reason though too. we

happy Monday: green

eeks! I know I'm late on posting this, but I just had the time to do a little editing this morning. I was up until 2AM writing two papers for my English class... thankfully I got them completed so I am now done with spring semester!  

I took this on our rock fishing trip, of which I have yet to post about. 

this little guy was calling my name... and the name of the several fish we caught as well, apparently. 

eye candy

[all images via decor pad]

weekend tidbits

- I finally treated myself to a manicure & pedicure on Friday, and picked OPI Gargantuan Green Grape... new fave, for sure. it's a lot lighter and more pastel than it looks in the picture from OPI's website - it would probably take a million coats to achieve that! 

via OPI

- we ran errands on Saturday and did some serious shopping for house stuff.

• we bought tons of random things at Target that we've been meaning to get... like a garlic press, a tiered shelf for spices, and a new bath rug. 
• and then we hit Home Depot for even more randomness... potting soil & new planters, a raised garden bed (for veggies, which was on SALE for about $40), a quart of paint, and a door knob. 
• finally, we ended our day at a lighting store, where I stumbled upon the coolest lamp ever. the only one in stock was the display, so I snatched that sucker up. I LOVE it. it really brings a good amount of light to our living room, and it's got that funk factor I've been looking for. 

- we have big plans for the landscaping at Casa de Quinn this year. this week we're going to pay my brother to come in and tear out all the ugly bushes that surround the house (and subsequently hide it) so we can plant flowers and put in our raised garden bed. AND he'll be completely demolishing our existing deck so that we can install pavers in it's place. I'll be getting outside after work today to take some "before" pictures to show you all, although it's slightly embarrassing. 

- since we picked up potting soil at HD, I finally planted the herbs I bought to go in these planters (which I mentioned here). I'm pretty excited, considering it's my first planting adventure.

- I wrote a 1500 word paper yesterday comparing Nora from A Doll's House to Daisy Buchanan from The Great Gatsby, discussing their abilities to exert power as women. I have one more paper to write this evening for my final exam and then I am done with my English class. I CANNOT WAIT to be done, but I'm thrilled to take new classes in the fall.

- I just finished reading Love The One You're With by Emily Giffin and was utterly disappointed in it. I guess I shouldn't have expected much, since I'd heard that her books got progressively worse as they went on, but I was hoping that it'd be a least worth a 4 star rating. it wasn't terrible, but it was way slow in the beginning and I felt like the ending was rushed and cleaned up a little too nicely for my tastes. 

- this is what I wore out and about on the gorgeous day we had here on Friday. not pictured are khaki capris and white flip flops. I love my mustache necklace, which I got as a birthday gift from Kaley.

- running and working out has unfortunately taken a back seat in favor for school work and house work the past couple days, but I hope to get back into the swing of things this week! 

Happy Monday!

shrimp fettuccine alfredo [recipe]

I know that this recipe may not seem like much for most people, especially those more adventurous eaters. but the truth is that ever since Sean and I have been together, the only sauce we've eaten with pasta is red sauce, because he swore up and down that he didn't like cream sauces, blah blah blah. so finally, he agreed to try to a cream/cheese sauce, and it just happened to be alfredo because we already had the ingredients on hand.

Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo

[Facts]:

prep time: 20 minutes

cook time: 20 minutes

ready to eat: 40 minutes

makes: (6) servings

[Ingredients]:

• 1lb fettuccine pasta
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1lb cooked shrimp - peeled & de-veined
• 4 gloves garlic - minced
• 1 cup half & half
• 6 tablespoons Parmesan cheese (we ended up using more like 8-9 tablespoons)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (substituted 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes)
• salt to taste 

[Directions]:

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. In a large skillet, saute shrimp and garlic in the butter for about one minute. Pour in half and half; stir. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese in one tablespoon at a time, stirring constantly. 
3. After all Parmesan is added, mix in parsley and salt. Stir frequently making sure it does not boil. Sauce will take a while to thicken.
4. When sauce has thickened, combine with cooked pasta noodles; serve hot. 

[NOTE]: 

don't get me wrong, this shit was delicious, but next time, I'll probably either add more half & half, or cut the amount of pasta in half. I felt like it was way too much pasta for the little bit of sauce it made. we don't need to be cooking a pound of pasta at a time anyway, since it's only us eating.

enjoy! 

and happy Cinco de Mayo, friends!

wee bit Wednesday!

{one} when was the last time you used a pay phone (if ever)?way back before I first got a cell phone... so... 9 years ago? I'm pretty sure pay phones are extinct now since even KIDS get cell phones.
{two} did you ever fail a subject in school?noooo. I was an honor roll student, dude.
{three} where do you go to get your favorite hamburger/cheeseburger?Red Robin or Five Guys. YUM.
{four} have you ever served jury duty?no, but I've always wanted to! weird, I know, but I think it would be interesting. {five} how old were you when you moved out of your parents’ house?I moved out of my dad's house four months after my 18th birthday.
{six} what is your favorite color to wear?green or black.
{seven} do you have a pair of shoes that you wear all the time?my Roxy Encores aka my "boat shoes." I've seriously worn them at least 3 days a week for months.
{eight} do you enjoy talk radio?NO. Sean listens to that shit all the time and it drives me CRAZY.
{nine} if you could turn one unhealthy food into a healthy one, what food would it be?burgers, for sure. I love a big fat greasy burger, but I hate what they do to my thighs. 
{ten} who is the best speaker you’ve ever heard in person?I don't typically go to hear speakers?

cookie dough stuffed cupcakes [recipe]

remember when I mentioned these completely mouth watering cupcakes (that I discovered via Pinterest) in this post? well guess what? 

I finally made them. 

and they were everything I thought they'd be 

but about 1000x more delicious than I imagined possible. 

this recipe made enough for 24 cupcakes... I quickly (and somewhat somberly) made the decision to send Sean to work with half of them, just to get them out of my house.

Cookie Dough Stuffed Cupcakes

[Ingredients]:

• cupcakes: (1) box Betty Crocker Supermoist butter recipe yellow cake mix (cheating? maybe. delicious? for sure)
• cupcake frosting: 12 oz (1 can) Betty Crocker Whipped milk chocolate 

: for the filling :

• 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 6 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 cup and 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 7 oz (1/2 can) sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used regular sized chocolate chips and increased the amount to a full cup)
• optional: Pillsbury refrigerated cookie dough for garnishes

[Directions]:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pan with cupcake liners. Make cupcake batter according to directions. Bake cupcakes according to package directions. Let cool.
2. To make the cookie dough filling, combine the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy (aka not crumbly), about 2 minutes. Beat in the flour, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla until incorporated and smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the mixture has firmed up a bit, about a half hour.
3. To fill the cupcakes, cut a cylinder shaped portion out of the center of each cupcake. An apple corer spoon works great for this. I just carefully edged the spoon into the cupcake in a circular shape and took out the middle. Fill each hole with a chunk of the chilled cookie dough mixture.
4. Frost cupcakes with chocolate frosting. I like to put the frosting in a plastic storage bag and snip off a nickel sized hole in one of the corners to pipe the frosting on in a cone shape have no idea how to properly (or aesthetically) frost a cupcake.
5. Garnish with mini chocolate chips and mini chocolate chip cookies (See tip below).
6. To fancy up your cupcakes, garnish with mini chocolate chip cookies. I used 1/4 of a package of refrigerated cookie dough. I placed little balls of dough on a cookie sheet and baked for 8-9 10-14 minutes (which was slightly too long, haha) at 350 degrees. My cookies were a little big, which is why the garnish is a broken-in-half piece of cookie. 

and now, here are some pictures of what I consider to be the baking masterpiece of my life. please keep in mind that I have no idea how to frost a cupcake... and I think next time I'll go with normal frosting instead of whipped. the whipped stuff kind of resembles dog poop. but don't think about that, cause they tasted AMAZING. aka not at all like dog poop. 

 

enjoy!