DREAM Big!

HaPPy Monday!
xo

Friendship Bracelets for Besties

I love friendship bracelets!

When I found out Bridget was coming to Seattle I knew I wanted us to 

have matching friendship bracelets.

That's what "BESTIES" do!

Besties like to match! 

It's a BESTIE thing! 

Besties also get giddy over colors and things that represent the friendship.

Bridget wears RED lipstick!

{Well she usually wears RED. This Spring she went with Bobbi Brown PINK!}

I always wear PINK lipstick!

That's why I knew the friendship bracelets had to be our BESTIE colors...

RED and PINK!

How adorable are these friendship bracelets!

Allie~ 

jewelry designer of Allie Peplin Designs~

customized RED and PINK bracelets for Bridget and I.

I love the dainty little hip beads Allie uses to create her friendship bracelets.

The bracelets wrap around 3 times and clasp with a magnetic clasp.

Allie also creates handstamped jewelry.

Pop over and check Allie's cute designs.

I also fell in love with Mary's friendship bracelets!

Mary is the designer behind It's Me, Mary.

How cute is that name for a shop!

Mary uses adorable~funky beads and embroidery thread to create her hippie style 

friendship bracelets! 

She even designs matching Mommy and Me bracelets.

How sweet is that!

Pop over to It's Me, Mary and check out the funky~colorful friendship bracelets!

Do you have a BESTIE?

If you do~

you've just got to get matching friendship bracelets!

Pop over!

Allie Peplin Designs

Tweet with Allie!

It's Me, Mary

Tweet with Mary!

Order up some BESTIE LOVE!

Hug a FRIEND today!

~xxooxx~

Bridget's DOOGAN Cookies...and a Full HEART

My heart is full.

As I write...

Bridget~ Mr. E and Kiddo are in flight back to Texas.

Time went by too fast.

It's hard to believe that Bridget has come and gone.

How can I thank her for caring enough to fly all this way.

How can I let her know just how much it meant to finally get to hug her and see that 

beautiful Bridget smile in person.

I hope she knows how much it meant that Greg ~Doogan and I got to enjoy the company 

of not only herself...but Mr. E and Kiddo.

I feel certain we've created life~long friendships. 

I honestly savored every moment we were together.

It wasn't so much about blogging~

taking the perfect pictures of one another to put on Instagram...

posting what we were doing to Facebook.

It was almost like we didn't have time to take the perfect pictures.

We were too busy getting to know each other~and our boys.

It was more about creating a deeper connection that can only happen in real~life.

I'll have much more to share about Bridget's visit.

For now~

my heart is full...

I need a good cry.

Bridget and her boys have left the Northwest and are flying back to Texas.

We miss them already.

BESTIES-4EVER!

~xxooxx~

***Thank you for the DOOGAN cookies Bridget. 

They are one of the sweetest gifts I've ever received.***

Rustic Parmigiano Reggiano Breadsticks

Today was a sad day.

I had to cancel a hair appointment to get highlights.

That may not sound sad to you~

but I really really wanted to get my hair sparkled up before Bridget's visit.

Maybe it's a southern thing but whenever someone's coming to visit or I'm going to visit...

or I'm going on a trip or a romantic date or home for the holidays...

I always get my hair sparkled~up SHINEY and BLONDE!

Today I had to cancel.

Today I had to make the decision that resting my body was what was needed.

That's because I've been all yukked up with deep congestion~coughs~and an achy body.

I haven't canceled an opportunity to GET SPARKLED UP and blonde in like EVER! 

That's how bad I felt.

I felt so bad I decided to make BREADSTICKS.

{I washed my hands~plenty of times~promise.}

Rustic breadsticks are one of my favorite things to serve for "starters" when entertaining.

Believe it or not rustic breadsticks are hard to find for parties.

I would love a bakery that kept breadsticks on hand for festive occasions.

These breadsticks were easy but time consuming.

They begin with store~bought pizza dough which is the easy part.

You'll also need:

Herbs From Provence 

Aged Parmigiano Reggiano 

Course Sea Salt

Recipe modified from Circle B Kitchen.

Inspired by Wild Yeast blog.

Let's get started.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Dust a pastry mat with flour.

Place the dough on the pastry mat and let it sit for 20 minutes.

Give the dough a generous sprinkle of Herbs From Provence.

Gently knead the herb into dough.

Take a big whiff.

I love the sweet smell of lavender in this fancy herb.

Now it's time for the Parmigiano Reggiano.

Makes sure it's aged and imported.

So worth the little extra you'll pay. 

Grate some Parmigiano Reggiano on the pastry mat.

Place the dough on top of cheese.

Begin rolling the dough into a rectangle.

Roll it out thin but not too thin.

If it's too thin the strips of dough are difficult to transfer to baking sheet.

Grate more cheese on top of the dough and sprinkle some sea salt.

Go over the top of dough with rolling pin~pressing the cheese and salt into dough.

Cut 1/2 inch wide strips with a pizza cutter.

Gently lift and transfer the strips onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Take your fingers and gently roll the dough over itself creating a bit of round thickness.

Cover with dish towel and sit in a warm place for 15 mins. to rise a bit.

I popped mine on the stove with the warming eye on.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

I baked mine on 435 as my oven doesn't get as hot when I have it off of convection.

Beat an egg with a little olive oil.

Brush each breadstick with the egg mixture and sprinkle course sea salt on each breadstick.

You can grate more cheese on top if you like.

You can also sprinkle poppy seeds on the breadsticks.

The beauty of RUSTIC breadsticks is they don't have to be shaped perfect.

That's what rustic bread is all about...looking rustic.

Bake at 425 degrees for 10 - 15 mins.

Baking time depends on your oven.

I like breadsticks brown and crunchy.

Just keep an eye on them.

Your guest are sure to love these

RUSTIC Parmigiano Reggiano Breadsticks.

I'll be popping these in the freezer until Bridget comes to dinner.

You do know BRIDGET's coming to BAINBRIDGE for dinner....right? 

~xoxoxo~