indecisive

April 20, 2015

The last couple of weeks I have not been myself. Usually I can make a decision in a snap. No regrets or second guessing. For the last two days I have redesigned a birthday invitation for a certain 4 year old at least a half a dozen times. Too cheesy. Too simple. Too blah, blah, blah. Every revision would probably be accepted by the majority of others but I can’t seem to get there.

In lieu of driving myself crazy with another decision I am putting one out there for the rest of you. Sticky and I have events coming up in the very near future that I need some fantastic new attire for. My time for online shopping is quickly running out…I need to order something and I needed to do it yesterday. Here are some items in my virtual window shopping dreams. All would work for our upcoming obligations – but which one catches your eye?

042015_options1ASOS wiggle dress with split from – mostly because I don’t have a great red dress./2Closet skater dress in botanical floral – love the idea of a dark floral number./3Topshop sleeveless wrap front jumpsuit – there are few fashion dreams I want more than being able to rock the heck out of a jumpsuit. This one is particularly classy and fabulous./4Forever 21 abstract print cutout dress – to be real, barring being utterly intoxicated I would more than likely never wear this. But someone needs to because it is fun./5Bariano melissa dress – simply stunning and more than I would like to spend. I’d also need a gallon of Fake Bake but I would do it if this looked good on me.

Thanks for the help!

brandyjsig

Posted in style, trends | Tagged | 5 Comments

these six

April 17, 2015

These Things1I love myself a good IG feed and @WomenIRL by realsimple.com is my latest fave. It’s got everything from coffee mishaps to being asked if you’re a hippo from an adoring child. You can join in on the fun by tagging #womenIRL (this grants them permission to use your image)./2Modern “retro” chairs with a farm house inspired table are high on my wish list. We have upholstered parson chairs who have seen better days and I’m ready for a change. Especially one that not only fits our style but includes easy clean up for kids./3These sandals have been stalking me on the internet. They are 5″ high – not exactly what I should be chasing Bingham around in this summer…but I want them. Badly./4A few weeks ago the PPJ shop had a request for a glam ice cream invite. I’m fairly smitten with how it turned out. Can’t think of a better theme for a sweet summer celebration!/5This article is short and leaves you wanting more but that is pretty much protocol when it comes to Jeni Britton Bauer and her fabulous ice cream. (Let’s not forget this is an OHIO based company! We totally rule!)/6Speaking of food I have a hankering for some wood fired pizza and 800 Degrees in the Fort is where I need to have it. Their crust is the perfect mix of little burnt spots and crunch. Plus they have incredible topping combinations to chose from. Must go soon!

Enjoy your weekend!

brandyjsig

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strawberry crisp

April 15, 2015

strawberry crispSwitching to a different hosting service this month seemed like a good idea…at the time. Over 48 hours and a lot of blood, sweat and tears later I’m too wounded to confirm whether or not it was indeed a good idea. The only thing that I am 100% sure of is that a guy named Chad is my new favorite. (I’m also certain his name is not actually Chad – one with such tech skill needs to keep his identity concealed for potential stalker situations. Makes perfect sense to me.)

Alright guys, what do you think of the brand new fancy schmancy hosting? Really makes a difference, right?!

Nope. There’s zero visible change. Site was down for 2 days and I’ve got nothing to show you. Despite appearances the change is huge. PPJ is now hosted by the lovely folks at bluehost and we hope to be with them forever and ever and ever…..and ever. Forever. Times infinity.

strawberry crisp strawberry crispThis will be the week of irregular posting. (Obviously.) It also feels like a great time to pull out a dessert that is so flippin’ easy it’s almost wrong. But it’s not. Instead it’s fruity, it’s crunchy, it’s tart, it’s fresh….it’s everything a dessert should be without any of the fuss that often comes with sweet dishes. If you have 4 cups of fruit and a basic baker’s pantry you have what it takes to make this crisp.

And if you have a wooden spoon in better shape than mine use that too. (Seriously, I could loosen the purse strings a bit, how much do those bad boys run anyways….)

strawberry crisp strawberry crispThe only thing missing from this otherwise perfect strawberry concoction is a scoop of ice cream. Unfortunately we did not have time for an ice cream run (I know, you make time for such things) but undoubtedly this was still good. Especially with the ice cold beer we used wash it down.

Cheers and enjoy!

brandyjsig

 

 

 

strawberry crisp
 
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Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • Filling:
  • 4cups of hulled and halved strawberries (or any combo of fruit you love)
  • ¼cup sugar (1/2cup if you want sweeter or are using fruit that is not incredibly sweet already)
  • Topping:
  • 1cup all purpose flour
  • ½cup old fashioned oats
  • ¼cup sugar
  • ¼cup packed brown sugar
  • ½tsp cinnamon
  • ½cup (1 stick) melted butter
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven 350degrees. Place rack in middle position.
  2. Place strawberries and sugar in a large bowl and stir. Dump into a 9" or 10" pie/tart dish.
  3. In same large bowl, add the topping ingredients and stir until combined. (Should be crumbly). Evenly distribute on top of strawberries.
  4. Put in oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until topping is golden. Let cool on wire rack for 10 minutes. Serve warm (and with ice cream if you like that sort of thing).

 

Posted in recipes, something sweet | Tagged | 1 Comment

redo

April 13, 2015

Oh how I have been patiently waiting for a weekend at the lake. One filled with coffee by the waves, long walks with the family and gorgeous sunsets. Our bags were packed and the forecast was in our favor. This was going to be a grand few days…or so we had hoped.

Most mornings spent on Kelleys Island we walk a 4 mile loop. This would be Bingham’s inaugural trek and boy did he make it one to remember. Poor guy tossed his cookies at least 8 times along the journey. There was no crying or fussing, the only warning we had was a little rumbling of his tummy. Sticky became quite the pro at anticipating an incident and staying dry while wearing a projectile baby. It was impressive really.

Once back at the house I thought no big deal, we will just keep an eye on the poor guy and do a lot of snuggling. Great plan until my belly started rumbling…and just like that Bing and I were in the same nasty boat.

In between tummy rumblings I noticed how absolutely beautiful the setting sun was shaping up to be. It seemed senseless for Jettie and Sticky to miss out so off they went. Sticky kept asking me if I wanted some food (hell no), but I did put in a request for a picture of the sky. An hour later I receive one of him and Jettie bellied up at the winery with huge smiles on their faces. That’s just as good in my book.

Was it the weekend of my dreams? Absolutely no. But it is one that I will never ever forget (and hope to never repeat). Bright side is we can justify a redo ASAP…or as soon as I can stomach more than dry toast at the very least.

Hope you had a healthy weekend!

brandyjsig

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these five

April 10, 2015

these five1Is there anything happier than a tulip? I think not. The hot pink ones make me especially giddy from the inside out. 2If I could go back in time and tell 19 year old Brandy to never let go of those Calvin Klein overalls I would. Instead I am thinking these need to be mine soon. 3While I am not one to constantly complain about the weather I am one to enjoy some silly humor. Authentic Weather is free, and funny, and full of f-bombs (and not kid friendly). 4The time has finally come to make my first batch of iced coffee goodness. If you have yet to perform this act for yourself, do so now. It’s a life changer. 5Baseball season is officially here and I would love nothing more but to sport this bad boy with a pair of destroyed boyfriend jeans. My birthday is next month…

Cheers to the weekend!

brandyjsig

Posted in these things, web love | Tagged | 2 Comments