Homemade Peanut Butter Dog Treats

My friends.  Or at least, my friends with dogs?

I am pretty excited about these little doggy treats I made for my furbaby Charlie.  They turned out great... and all that matters is that my lil guy loved them!

On my latest trip to Michaels, I spotted these cute cookie cutters by Wilton.  Michaels is always running some great coupons, so just grab them on your smartphone and show it at the register!

The recipe couldn't have been easier.  I read through the comments on the blog post I got it from, and decided not to mix in the egg to the mixture.  The dough is already pretty sticky, so I didn't want to make it worse.  I used the egg as a wash instead and it worked out perfectly.  It's nice to have that "sheen" on the cookies!

These are the ingredients- seriously, that's it.

I guess there is one more ingredient not in the picture- water. The recipe calls for milk or water. The main reason being I didn't have milk in my refrigerator (just vanilla flavored almond milk!)... but the truth is, even if I had it, I'd probably pick water because I try not avoid feeding Charlie dairy.  He has what we might call a sensitive tummy. :)

The bone cookie cutter is so cute, but a bit big, so I also decided to use some mini heart and star cookie cutters I bought from the dollar store.

As you can see, Charlie couldn't wait for the cookies to finish baking.

The finished product. Ta da! Soft, chewy, and delicious.

I made some goody bags for our neighbors and friends with pups.  It's definitely a recipe I'll keep in the baking arsenal for many future uses.  I already envision holiday gifts for Charlie's furry friends.


Click here for the recipe!

Happily Ever After

Delectable cupcakes from Sweet Art Bake Shop

So this post comes a bit late... actually, a lot late. We'll need to backtrack to the beginning of this year for a wedding I coordinated in downtown LA. In um, January.

Hands down, this was the most laid back wedding I have ever been to, coordinated, or heard of. And that's because hands down, Alex and Erin were the most easy-going, laid back, amazing couple. Ever. Like ever in the world.

Normally I would have two assistants working a full scale wedding, but these two insisted that it wouldn't be necessary. That I would be able to enjoy the wedding as a guest, even.  They didn't mind that my last wedding prior to theirs was FIVE YEARS AGO!  But they went off faith and a feeling, and so did I...

It meant a lot to me that the wedding would go off without a hitch, as the groom happened to be the son of my good friend. I wanted it to be flawless.

To be quite honest, everything about this wedding was perfect.  The venue, for starters... check out pictures from their website www.marvimon.com/millwick in the Arts District. Just beautiful. It is the perfect spot for an intimate wedding. I've done my fair share of events at hotels, golf clubs, etc. And while each of those weddings were amazing in their own way, there was something so new and fresh that I loved about Millwick.

I could also go on and on about the vendors, who basically all blew me away.  The bridal party, who were all so sweet and helpful.  You will find me hard pressed to find something that didn't go right.

This is the last event as a coordinator for me, but I have to tell you- it sure feels good to go out with a bang. I have reached my Happily Ever After with events!

The Bahai House of Worship... of the North American Continent

I should start off by saying that I've had a serious case of Writer's Block for the past oh, four and a half months.  I've sat down many a time at the good ol' laptop to blog, but I just wasn't feeling inspired.

But tonight this post comes easily because I want to share a few beautiful photographs I took on my day off and a very overwhelming, yet special moment I experienced while I was there.  Many friends of ours have told us that a trip to the Bahai temple would be more than worthwhile.  With only seven in the entire world, it was mind-boggling to me that one would exist in our neck of the woods!

To start, it was a gorgeous day and quite perfect for a little sight-seeing.  The sky was a deep clear blue, the sun was shining, and the temperature was just right.  My plan was to take the L and a nice leisurely walk and see this wonder of Illinois.  And yes, it is actually one of the seven wonders of Illinois!

This is a view of the cute little street I walked down from the train station to the temple.  Wilmette is such a pretty town- notice the brick roads, nicely manicured lawns and beautiful homes.  Okay, I guess you can't see the homes, but I promise they were there!  Many of them reminded me of little cottages.

Had to cross a bridge with this view on either side.  It made me a little nervous when cars were zooming past me, but I had to stop and take a picture!

When I arrived there was a tour bus parked right out front.  It struck me as pretty cool that I only had to take a quick train ride!  The timing was perfect though because most of my pictures were tourist free, and I got to sit inside the temple in complete peace.

According to my pamphlet, "this unique structure stands for unity and invites prayer to God.  Each temple has its own distinctive design, and they all conform to a consistent theme: an area of gardens encircles a nine-sided structure covered by a single, majestic dome (symbolizing the unity of all people and religions under God)."

As I stared up at this amazing beautiful, intricate domed ceiling at my seat... I felt this sudden wave of emotions.  My eyes teared up a little, and all I can really say is in that moment, I felt incredibly moved.  Imagine the experience of sitting in this astounding sacred space, with nothing but natural light streaming down on you.   

Upon exiting the temple, I asked the lady at the door what the writing at the top of the dome meant, and she explained that it was a prayer that meant "O Glory of the All Glorious."  She was so nice and informative, and even told me I was welcome to take a few pictures inside as long as there were no services going on.

If anything, I would encourage anyone in the Chicagoland area to go see it.  The pictures just don't do it justice!

My First Visitor!!!!

I heart my friend Cathy.  She is one of my dearest friends- we were roomies for many years, starting all the way back in (gulp) 2000!  So you can imagine how excited I was when I found out that she would be spending five whole days with me in Chicago.  She even came during the winter (seriously a trooper, especially since she was coming from some fab weather in Cali), but I have to say... the weather didn't stop us from enjoying all the city has to offer.

Lunch at the Signature Room (95th floor of the John Hancock Building)- the best view of the city AND an amazing, affordable meal.

And this dish gets an honorable mention. Wagyu pastrami sandwich with french fries. Just a little plate of heaven...

Inside the Art Institute of Chicago.  What an amazing museum-- probably one of the best I have ever been to in my life (it was incredible to see Sunday Afternoon and Nighthawk in person, which are two of my all-time favorite paintings).

                                             Humongous ball of mistletoe.

                       Pretty view of Pritzker Pavillion from inside the museum.

                                Snowy bean (Cloud Gate) in Millenium Park.

Cathy and I love pictures that showcase pretty rows of trees. 

THANK YOU CATHY FOR A FABULOUS FUN FILLED WEEK!!!! 

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

Today while I was walking home from work, I couldn't help but think of how beautiful it is when it snows.  It really does make the winter so much more tolerable, and dare I say... enjoyable.  I really don't mind bundling up and walking when the snow is falling.  As much as I miss warm weather, Chicago is an amazing city to be in the winter.  When you learn to embrace the cold, it makes all the difference in the world. To have a White Christmas and Winter Wonderland for the holidays are things that I will take with me wherever I go.

Home is Wherever I'm With You

If you've been paying any attention to the news, there is a blizzard that has hit Chicago so hard that people are up to their ears in snow (literally).  Although a very small part of me feels a bit left out- insert fun pics of all my friends playing in mountains of fresh snow- I am grateful to have spent two extra days in beautiful, sunny, WARM, California. 

My flight back was smooth and easy, and I took in the cool comfortable breeze that welcomed me home.  By request, my dad picked me up in his brand new car with my favorite In N Out burger (animal style), fries, and vanilla shake.  Waiting for me at home was my mom, a half dozen Sprinkles cupcakes, and a fresh batch of caramel popcorn/chex mix.  It was my actual birthday that night, and the little girl in me who still loves to open presents was excited to unwrap my gift.

The rest of the week was spent catching up with friends, and of course it went by all too fast.  I also got in some shopping at South Coast Plaza (a girl can have serious withdrawals being away for too long), had a lot of good Japanese food, and most importantly quality time with my family. 

Sometimes it's really hard being so far away from home, but truly it makes you appreciate what you have so much more.   This vacation was just what I needed in so many ways.  I feel rejuvenated and ready to tackle February in The Windy City!  Special thanks to my brother, who funded my trip back home and even flew down from Nor Cal just to celebrate my birthday- you rock.

Live Your Best Life

Oprah says it best.

It sounds so simple, really.  Why is it then, that so many of us don't do it?  I suppose everyone has their own reasons- understandable and legit reasons- that continue to hold them back.  So maybe the real question at hand is what you are willing to do to change that?

Last night I was watching Revolutionary Road and was once again reminded of the four words that have become my motto for this new year (and hopefully the rest of my life).

Live your best life.

For me personally, living my best life in this current moment means taking advantage of living in an incredible city rich with history and culture.  After my two years pass in Chicago, who knows when the next time will be that I'll get to do something like this again.

During the past few months, I feel like I haven't been able to enjoy being in this city as much as I would have liked to.  I have become a working machine, only stopping to eat, sleep, and commute. And ohhhh, the commute.  It wasn't as easy as I thought it would be.

In a recent conversation with my younger brother, he mentioned that there aren't many easy ways to cut out unhappiness or unwanted stress in your life... but as it turns out, cutting out a long commute could make all the difference.

He was right.  To make a long story short, I decided to take a new job ridiculously close to home (ladies and gentleman, it will take me all but two minutes to walk there).  It wasn't the easiest decision to make, especially because I really did enjoy working for my previous employer... but it had to be done.

Sometimes living your best life means taking big risks.  Sometimes there will be sacrifices made. There's definitely the chance things may not turn out the way you envisioned and hoped for, but how will you know if you never tried?