Link Lovin'

I'm heading off to Maryland for a family reunion and to spend Father's Day with my Dad. It will be the first one since I was in high school, 8 years ago! Enjoy your weekend, and be sure to spoil Dad just a little this weekend.

Here are some of my favorite links I've found around the web/Pinterest this week.

Pinterest

I love this idea! I have a few Ravens shirts that I will definitely be doing this to before we go to Jamaica.

Summer 2013 Hair Trends from Organic Color Systems

This is a great hair color, Bronde.. I went for a blonder ombre a few weeks ago and it's a little much for me.  Come fall I will be strongly considering this color.

DIY Ombre Wedding Cake Piñata

What a cute idea! Very different, I would consider doing something like this at our 2nd reception.

Ahhhh....yes a great reminder to just take a minute and breathe.

Just Breathe via Pinterest

Such a cute little guy! Looks a bit like my Min Pin, Kaya. :)

What do you think of bronde? Any plans for DIY projects this weekend?

Sweet Sunday: Chai Pumpkin Spice Cookies

My parents have been in town for the weekend and we ventured to Palatka, Florida to eat lunch today. Corky Bells is the restaurant we went to, it's a great location right on the Saint Johns River and the food is good. When we walked in the door I saw their specials board with a Pumpkin Spice Martini- YUM! It was super creamy and even had a graham cracker rim. I like my dessert first. ;)

Incidentally, before we headed off to lunch I prepared the dough for these Chai Pumpkin Spice Cookies.
Chai Pumpkin Spice Cookies
You will need:

• 1 stick butter at room temperature (1/2 cup)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 chai concentrate (located in the tea/coffee aisle)
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp chai spice mix
•     1 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
•     1/12 tsp ground cinnamon
•     1/2 tsp ground ginger
•     1/4 tsp cloves
•     1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

With a hand mixer on medium speed cream the butter and sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Add in the egg, vanilla and chai concentrate, mix to combine.
Add the flour, baking soda and salt next.
Cover the dough and allow to firm up in the fridge for at least an hour.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll the dough into 1 inch round balls with your hands. Using a 1 tbsp measuring spoon helps to keep the size the same.
Place the dough balls onto the paper and sprinkle with your chai spice mix. I had the most control over how much by pinch/sprinkling with my fingers.
Bake for 11-13 minutes. While baking, unwrap kisses and place them on a plate in your freezer. Then they won't melt so much when you press them into your cookies.

Once removed from the oven immediately press the kisses into the cookies, do not touch them after pressing them in, they will melt into puddles.
Allow to cool completely if you want the kiss to be firm, they're delicious warm though too. :)

You will have left over chai concentrate and chai spice mix. I would recommend making yourself a chai latte, sprinkling with the spices and enjoying it with your cookies.

Warmed Avocados? Yes & with Cheeeeeese!

Thank you Pinterest for this wonderful idea I had as my main course last night.

This was AMAAAAAZING, and I can't way to buy more avocados and make it again!

To enjoy too:

Cut an avocado in half and prick it with a fork all over the "meaty" side.

Dribble with a little bit of hot sauce and then lime juice; salt and pepper. 

Add Italian cheese, broil for 2-3 minutes, add more cheese and broil just to melt.

And what a funny bit of history on this wonderful fruit.  Who'd have thought? :)

Now pinning: Cats?

I've been on Pinterest for a few months now and I absolutely love it.  Well most of the time, when I'm not bombarded by the lasted influx of wedding or baby pins from the people that I follow. I usually click right over to the "Everything" tab.
But anyway, I wanted to keep my Pinterest a little under the radar until I really got some good things pinned.  I've now got quite a few full boards for you to check out, here.  I pin everything from recipes, nail & make up tutorials, DIY, gardening tips, to tattoos; and everything in between. (Yes I  do have a handful of wedding boards too, I'm a wedding planner though-I have an excuse!) I recently discovered the like button, I can still go back and find whatever I liked but I don't have to pin it on my boards for all the world to see.

Recent likes...I've had a thing for cats lately-weird.

Beyond the pinning, is the putting to use of said pins.  I have made a number of the recipes I pinned, all which turned out great.  I also found a really cool phone cover on there (the pink one you see in some of my Instagram shots {mmulligan}), some cute outfit ideas, and a rad way to tie a belt instead of clasp it.

Today my heart beats for..

In no particular order..

Chocolate covered strawberries via Pinterest

Awesome piano graffiti steps via Pinterest

The lacy back of this top via Pinterest

This DIY Dress I'm working on right now from A Small Snippet

And finally, the man that makes my home. :) via Pinterest

Thanks for checking these out, I hope my dress and first sewing project works out so I can show it to you soon.  Hope you are having a great Tuesday!

Instagram pics

I want to share more with my readers and I'm finding that Instagram is a great way to do it because I always have my phone easily accessible.  The Nikon is just way too big and honestly I'm not familiar with it yet (one of my resolutions for 2012 is to use it more).

Rheb's Chocolate - a Mulligan & Dailey tradition ;)
http://www.rhebcandy.com/products.php?id=1

Taco Night is so easy..

My new iPhone case..thank you Pinterest!  I love how this thing looks, however it feels like a cheap, hard plastic.
Definitely doing my best not to drop it at all.

Be sure to follow me on Instagram @mmulligan, for yummy food pictures, adorable pups, detail fashion shots and Florida landscapes.