Making Dreams Come True...

Oh blog, how I've missed you! I've been super busy these last few weeks trying very hard to obtain my dream job to begin my career. I've been on the job hunt for months now, and about a week ago a call came for my dream job as an entertainment reporter in Virginia Beach! Awesome, right? I haven't secured the job yet. In fact, I'm in Virginia Beach for the week for appearances and interviews, but I'm very hopeful! So please excuse my absence and in your free time visit the site I've been working on for this job competition! 

These are some pictures from my photo shoot last week in Virginia! These, along with a few other, are currently running as commercials on the local station up here! Too cool!

http://www.heather-bureau.com/

The Little Things

Amidst all the stress of my recent life, I find a constant. He's there with a smile, flowers or a kind word after a disappointing day. We've been together for more than a year now and it always seems to be an adventure. He's my ultimate "little thing."

Do you like my picture collage? Check out Picnik.com to create your own. If you've never been to the site you can also touch up, edit and add really fun things to your photos for a personal touch. I love it! So much in fact that I spent a good amount of time yesterday editing a few head shots of mine for an upcoming interview. Check out the before and after...

Banana Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

I'm not a fan of bananas; not at all. I remove them from my smoothies, I leave them off of my oatmeal, and I would never eat one by itself. But, there's something about banana bread that gets me. Naturally, these banana cupcakes were a close second. And the brown sugar, cream cheese frosting: heaven! I borrowed the recipe for the cupcakes from this book, and the frosting recipe here. These little treats are light and perfect for an afternoon snack... and one after dinner... and one (or two) for breakfast...

Currently Craving

I've been hitting the gym a lot lately. The bathing suit season is upon us after all. And though I enjoy my gym time with the normal dumbbells and a treadmill, I found two pieces of equipment that I would love to add to my regiment. 

The Airope takes the danger (ok it's only dangerous if you're me) out of traditional jump roping. Minus the rope and add two weights and go! It looks so fun and I won't have to worry about tripping over the rope!

I also found this video of an Airope class. Doesn't it look fun!

Now, the Foam Roller is actually something I have used before, and I love it. It's like a massage for your whole body! It also helps to get rid of any tension hiding in your body, and since you're the one doing the massage, you get a nice strength work out too! Happy Monday!

Brown Sugar Blueberry Pancakes with Blueberry Syrup

To round out a week of the blues, (this week I also included blue crabs and a blue dress), all in the name of the good old red white and blue, I give you blueberry pancakes! However, these are not your typical blueberry pancakes. These are brown sugar blueberry pancakes with blueberry maple syrup. Just saying the name makes me want to whip up a batch. The recipes, here and here, were surprisingly simple and made for a wonderful dinner. That's right, dinner. What can I say... I had a craving!

Festive Fourth

Ok so, I like fashion. In fact, you could say I love fashion. But there's something you should know about me and fashion; being that I just graduated from college, I am poor and often do not have the luxury of fashion. Confession: I haven't bought a pair of shoes or an outfit since December. (I'm long over due) Alas, I try with what I do have. This weekend however, my sweet mother treated me to a new dress and an adorable ring (both from target). I found this dress perfect for the fourth festivities; the off-the-shoulder sleeve reminded me of those swooping flags you see on old victorian houses. I paired it with red shoes I already had and was ready to celebrate!

Red, White, and Blue Crabs

Here in the south, with my southern family, we only have one tradition for the fourth of July (or really any gathering): food! Now it doesn't matter what kind of food, but trust that there will be no shortage it. This year we dined on a delicacy so tasty and so perfect for this occasion. We got live blue crabs! They're festive because they change from blue to red when you cook them. We pair them with a bit of garlic butter and saltine crackers and they were oh so delicious. Oh and keeping with an American tradition, we also had hamburgers and hotdogs. It was the fourth of July after all!

The Workings

Remember when I said I was working on a video for a job opportunity? (ok, I said it here) Well, I thought I'd show it to you so you could see what I'd been working on. It took about 2 weeks to get everything right, but I'm super excited about the result! And I'm also excited about why I put it together in the first place. As you know, I recently graduated college with a degree in Broadcast Journalism. This video is my application for my dream job up in Virginia Beach to be an entertainment reporter for the Hampton Roads area! Of course there's a voting round, here, and so far I'm doing pretty good. There's still a week to go but I'm confident. Also, I put together this page for everyone voting to get to know me more, but I figured you could get to know about my professional side a bit more too! So that's what I've been working on the last few weeks. I'm hoping it all works out! Enjoy!

Glitter Manicure

It's no secret: I LOVE nail polish!! I'm not one of those crazy people who has to have each nail perfect every single day, but I do love trying different colors and trends and I have to give myself a manicure each week. I put on my favorite show (currently: How I Met Your Mother) and go to work. One of my new favorite trends for nails is glitter nails. It's perfect for summer since the sun makes your fingertips shine, and it adds sparkle (literally!) to otherwise ordinary nail colors.

Individual Stuff Turkey Loaf

Rarely in cooking do I actually come up with something on my own. I'm tend to be a a by the book person through and through. But since starting this blog I've ventured into modifying recipes to suite my needs. It's been a fun and new process. And so brings us to my stuffed turkey loaf. This dish is actually quite simple. I just took my favorite turkey loaf recipe, found here, and added a little something extra: pepper jack cheese wrapped in sliced chicken. The flavors melded together for a nice rich dinner I'll surely be making again. And really, melted cheese in the middle of anything is awesome.

The Little Things

(Kool-Aid Popsicles: We had them everyday during our pool breaks)

Summer has officially arrived!! And though its a time for pool parties and cookouts, I find that now I'm that an adult, I have little time to enjoy those things I love most about summer. But on this Monday (and lately actually) I reminisce back to being twelve and summer was filled with those wonderful little things that made up my childhood. Here's a glimpse into the past for a special little things. 

(Disney: During the late afternoon when the Florida rain would push us inside, my sisters and I would curl up with wet hair and sun-kissed cheeks to watch a movie. We'd watch the same one over and over again memorizing each word so we could play it out. Disney's Aristocrats was a favorite one summer)

(Duckings: Our house back when I was twelve sat on a small pond and we had ducks! Every summer we'd add duckings to our pond and watch them grow. They were our adorable little pets. We didn't keep them in teacups but I couldn't resist this picture from here.

(Watermelon: This summer staple is still part of my summers, even now. But back then my mom would cut it up and sprinkle it with salt. I don't care to eat it that way anymore, but it was a nice cool treat from the Florida heat.

What are you're favorite summer memories?

The Hub City Diner

While there wasn't much in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, my boyfriend and I did stumble across an adorable cafe that screamed southern charm. From the delicious homemade food right down to our waitress's accent, The Hub City Diner gave us a peak into southern living. If there's anything to say about the town, it's people are ridiculously friendly. They gave us cake! Orange cream-cicle cake to be exact. Plus each person we met at this quaint diner also gave us a smile.

Raspberry Bars

You know what I love most about blogging? The food! Blogging is like recipes that I would never be able to think of at my fingertips. I've tried two different recipes already this week from a particular site (this recipe and another to be posted later). I find myself looking for new recipes to try all the time! These raspberry bars became an instant sensation in my kitchen. They were gobbled down so quickly! In fact, my boyfriend has asked for them twice since I made them. Although raspberries are his absolute favorite food, so maybe that's not fair. Regardless, this is a simple summer treat taking advantage of fresh fruit and a sweet tooth.