Deep Fried Coke Balls

First of all, no, I am not dead.
I sorta slipped off the face of the blogging earth for a while there...you know how life just gets crazy sometimes?  This silly little online grad class is sucking up all my online time with its meaningless frivolity.  Oh well.
I have lots to catch you up on, but let's start with something super outdated, ok?
This is going back a few weeks now, but my good friend and I decided to try something she scoped out on Pinterest...deep fried coke.
Observe.

Whip up some batter with coca-cola as the base.  Kinda like a coke-flavored funnel cake batter.

Heat up some oil in the deep fryer.  What, you don't have one of these?  Shame on you!  Some oil in a deep skillet will work, too.

Drop the batter in the hot oil...I kinda used a big spoon and drizzled it around in circles.  Let 'er rip....er...fry.

When the chunks are golden-brown, let them sit on a paper towel for a little bit and then transfer to your serving dish.  We took this delicious goodness, poured more coke over the top, dusted with powdered sugar, and topped with cool whip!
Verdict...probably not MORE amazing than a funnel cake, really, but interesting and easy to make.  If we did it again, we decided we'd need to find coke concentrate to give it more of a kick. We also may have gotten a little fry-happy and started deep frying whatever we could find...hunks of marshmallow, cookies...
What have you deep-fried lately?

Come find me...

In the haze of not sleeping for 30 hours, plus the fact that hospital wi-fi doesn't permit access to blogs, I totally blanked on telling you that I was over here yesterday sharing a freezer-friendly recipe that will feed a crowd.
My first guest post EVA'.  Thanks, Sarah, for letting me hijack your blog while you care for your sweet little babe.

Currently

Currently...
Wearing: hubby's vintage Sixers tshirt and American eagle sweatpants from high school

Reading: the Pioneer Woman's love story. Seriously one of the best romances I have ever read in my life. Really.

Savoring: every taste of dinner out at bonefish with the man. Bang bang shrimp, margarita with a shot of blood orange, scallops with mango salsa... And sitting across the table on a date with my hubby!

Thinking: about my new love-baby girl tucked into the nursery in the maternity ward, snug as a bug. All 10 pounds of her. Can't wait to see her again!

Beginning: to completely conk out. It's been a long 28 hours since I sped to the hospital, a long night trying to doze in a wooden chair in the labor room.

Baby post soon.
Goodnight.

Old Navy Whaaaa??

The other night I stopped in to Old Navy for the first time in aaaaaaages.  It's sorta out of the way of my typical routine, and well, the last few times I went into Old Navy, I just wasn't all that impressed.  Just too warehousy and bore-o.  But I have to admit...my quick little spin around the store this week gave my heart a little jumpstart in changing its tune.  
I'm talking neon and trendy colors, florals and stripes galore.  I'm kinda in love with the fact that so many of the trends right now have options with lots of skin-coverage.  I mean, if you want skank, you can find skank, but it's a lot easier to find ladylike options right now if you are so inclined.
All that to say that I hit up the clearance rack for some cheap-o finds...
First I snagged a couple of sports bras (the whole reason I went in there in the first place)....

I really liked the support, coverage, and fun colors on these...the website is listing them for 14.97 right now, but I found these in the store for 5.99 each.  I also grabbed the minty-teal one!
Then I grabbed these shorts.  Perfect length to make it worthwhile to wear shorts without the moon coming out early, and I think they will be really cute with a simple black tank.

The picture doesn't do them justice...they're really an awesome cobalt blue and black...great contrast.  The website lists them for 14.97, but in the store I snagged them for 6.49.
And lastly, I settled on this dress.  The tiers at the bottom are fun, it's a light cool satin, and I like that the colors in the floral make the neutral base color work with my skin tone.  I really wish the hemline was higher in the front, but not sure I can diy that with the tiers going on?  Hmm...

This is 17.97 right now online, but I grabbed it in-store for 6.97.

And here's the one that got away...

The color is obviously addictive, although I don't think I could pull it off anytime other than the middle of the summer.  It was on the clearance rack for like $17 or something, so I waved goodbye to it and skipped off to the register with my purchases...
only to discover Old Navy cash?  Hellooooooo there!  Obviously it's been a while since I've been there.  And I guess that means I'll have to go back...
What have you loved at Old Navy lately?

doING lately

Just a few things on this sunny (suffocatingly-hot) Friday: READING

 Been reading this book lately...and I plan on finishing it by the pool today.  I don't often actually laugh out loud at books, but this is truly hilarious.  It's for sure a must-read if you love the Office.   WEARING

Went thrifting last week with a fun friend.  Scored these sweet finds--summer, floral, color.  LEARNING

My newest acquired skill is keeping the book at hubby's softball games.  For someone with not an athletic bone in her body, or very little interest or understanding in sports in general, I consider this quite a feat.  Love learning new things that scare me.   GROWING

um...carrots aren't quite ready yet, I guess.   SNUGGLING

I just love her.  And if I could, I would totally sleep like this.

What are you doING today?
Happy Weekend-ING!

On Waiting for Babies

I'm a girl. So naturally I experience a wide range of emotions when babies are mentioned. No, I am not pregnant. But I am about to witness the birth of my newest little niece any day, any moment now.  I am obsessively staring at my phone just waiting for the call.  I was incredibly honored (and scared) when my sister-in-law and brother asked me to be present in the delivery room for the birth of their first child last year.  I was the designated videographer, and can I just tell you that it was the single most incredible experience of my life to date!!!  I wasn't grossed out at all like I thought I might be.  It's hard to be grossed out when you are crying because you're seeing the most beautiful thing God ever designed.  A new life being born...and the love that you immediately feel for that little one...just incredible.  I just can't imagine what it must feel like when it's your own child.
So as I wait for my newest little love, I'm giggling with sheer delight over the new babies being born in my garden....does anyone else get excited about this?  These are the first things I've ever grown!

baby zucchini buds

broccoli raab...what's left after the horn worms feasted

hot peppa!

jalapeno!

baby green 'maters!

little cukes!

New life just makes me smile.I think I've yet to experience true baby fever, but I just might be jonesing just a little for my own little one for the very first time.