Friday, March 30, 2012

Friday Favorites + a Vlog.

Happy Friday Loves! Here are a few of my favorite things from this past week. Also be sure to check out the Vlog below and Fat Bottom Fridays! So many exciting things going on at Jeans and Tees and Travel and Cakes, I want to thank you for your continued readership and support. Have a great weekend! 

This is the first time while living overseas that I actually look like a European. This was my Outfit of the Day on Thursday. Thinking of including an OOTD post each day, what do you think?

Was so happy to see my tribute to Cobi make Bloglovin's Lifestyle Homepage. 

Yummy Macaroons that Kyle and I enjoyed for dessert, sometimes you have to indulge. 

Love this Bog Day App, it lets you keep  track of important days in your life. 

Wooden is one goofy dog!

Weather for Saturday in Bordeaux is looking great, can't wait for our day trip.


Make sure you enter the MKaltenbach Jewelry Giveaway for your chance to win this beautiful Carmel Fly Necklace.
MKaltenbach Jewelry Giveaway

Fat Bottom Fridays... First Edition... Baked Cake Doughnuts


Hello everyone and a very happy Friday... and I'd like to welcome you to the first installment of Fat Bottom Fridays... what an amazing idea... two sisters combining their awesomeness for all the world to see... well, i should say blogging world... my sister and i combine our awesomeness at every family function and holiday festivity... our mother is so proud...
anyways... for all of you who don't know me, my name is Becky... i am a wife and mother of 2 amazing little boys... currently i live in Maine... my husband is in the U.S. Coast Guard so every few years we are off for a new adventure...
As for what got me into baking... well... it kind of just happened... after college i was a private tutor/teacher/nanny for a young broadway actor... i worked as a manager for Abercrombie and Fitch... along with my sister, and thats actually where i met my hubby... i had the upper hand then as his manager, and come to think of it, not much has changed :)
But after i had my first son, and i was at home all the time, baking became more than a hobby... i realized that i had a knack for it... from developing my own recipes to making figures out of fondant... and i was hooked... and that my friends is when Fat Bottom was born...
But enough about me... lets get onto the goodies..


i finally got my hands on a doughnut pan... and i was itching to give it a whirl... when i lived in cape may, new jersey one of my favorite treats was a glazed blueberry cake doughnut from WaWa... so needless to say i was happy to bake some of these up...
i found a recipe on a delicious blog baking serendipity ... check her out... good looking goodies... anyways... and this delicious recipe had me hooked... i tweeked them a bit for what i was craving... and i have to say... these were fantastic... they had a slightly crunchy crust with a delicate and fluffy cakey center... and the slight coffee flavor along with the chocolate chips... perfect...

Buttermilk Chocolate Chip Doughnuts

ingredients:
2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tbsp. instant espresso powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
2 eggs
2 tbsp butter, melted
1 tbsp vanilla
1/4 cup chocolate chips

directions:
1. preheat the oven to 425 degrees...combine flour, sugar, baking powder, espresso powder and salt in a medium-sized mixing bowl
2. in a separate, smaller bowl, whisk buttermilk, eggs, melted butter and vanilla
3. fold wet ingredients into dry, being careful not to over-mix... then fold in the chocolate chips
4. spoon the batter into a greased doughnut pan (fill a generous 3/4 of the way) and bake for 10 minutes, or until doughnuts are golden brown and spring back to the touch
5. let them cool slightly in the pan, before transferring to a cooling rack to cool entirely before frosting

once they were cooled, i coated them in a simple vanilla bean glaze...  sprinkled some with guittard chocolate sprinkles and some with a cinnamon sugar crunch... ahhh-mazing...


well... thats it for this edition of Fat Bottom Fridays... i hope you enjoyed this post...
happy baking everyone :)

and remember... fat gives things flavor

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Giveaways, Collaborations and Tweets


Hey there Loves, Happy Thursday! Hope you are enjoying this last week in March, another month that flew by, I can't believe it. The weather here in Limoges has been so ridiculously beautiful but I've been feeling a little under the weather so other then my daily walks with Wooden I haven't really been able to enjoy it. I am hoping that I will be back to my healthy self by the weekend, Kyle has both Saturday and Sunday off so we are going to take a trip to Bordeaux and I don't want to be sick. I am also running the Paris Marathon in a little over two weeks and I need to feel that I'm in tip top shape, so fingers crossed that I feel better.

There is a ton of great things going on with Jeans and Tees and Travel and Cakes, I really feel like this blog is on the right path to where I want it to go and what I want it to be as a Lifestyle Blog. I know it's a process and that I have to be patient, but I'm a dreamer so it's hard sometimes to trust the process. I can't express how much love and appreciation I have for all of my loyal readers who keep coming back day in, day out and you are motivating me to keep dreaming big.

Remember to comment on the latest giveaway, you can win the beautiful Carmel Fly Necklace from the MKaltenbach Jewelry Line. The contest runs until Monday April 2nd at 12 Noon (est) and the winner will be announced Tuesday, April 3rd. All you have to do is leave a comment or two or three, letting Jeans and Tees and Travel and Cakes know why you deserve to win the Carmel Fly Necklace. You can also can extra entry points for following MKaltenbach on Facebook, Twitter, Bloglovin' and Pinterest.  Click the Giveaway Link Here -> MKaltenbach Jewelry Giveaway for all the entry rules and more info on the gorgeous Carmel Fly Necklace.



Jeans and Tees and Travel and Cakes has some really exciting news! JTTC's has teamed up Fat Bottom, which is only one of the best baking blogs on the planet. Along with the weekly Friday Favorites post there will now be a weekly Fat Bottom Fridays post! I'm drooling just thinking about all the amazing recipes that will be coming our way. This is a huge collaboration and it's an honor to work with such an amazing blogger and baker, who also happens to be my sister. Check out Becky the Baker and her amazing blog here ->Fat Bottom and be sure to check back here every Friday for some Fat Bottom Fridays!



I am also back on Twitter and I promise I'm here to stay this time. You can follow me @megmccarrick and I'll be sure follow you back. Stay up to date on all of Jeans and Tees and Travel and Cakes' latest posts and my other daily adventures.



Have a great Thursday, go out, be great and remember to dream BIG!

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Give him your heart and he will give you his.

Cobi Otis 1994-2012
I've been in denial of this day for quite some time. My family warned me that it would eventually happen but I played dumb to it, not my dog, he'll live forever, he was beating all the odds, he was definitely something special, even the vet said so. Well you can only play dumb for so long until you actually see the effects of time and how it was now taking away my pet, which he was more then, he was my best friend.

I got what would be the biggest, coolest present of my life when I was 8 years old. Before this day I begged and pleaded with my parents on why I deserved this present, I actually negotiated with them, if I score 20 points in one of my basketball games, I would indeed receive this present. I guess I was a dreamer at an early age, I actually thought at 8 years old I'd score 20 buckets in a game, the closest I came was 14 points, I guess when I look back, that was pretty impressive, I had my eye on the prize, I wanted a puppy.

Christmas morning of that year was something of a dream, first off, my brother and sister weren't fighting with me to see who got to go down the stairs first, they told me I could, which should of been my clue that something special was about to happen. When I came down the stairs my eyes immediately focused on this tiny white stuffed dog that was on the chair in my living room, I thought to myself what a mean joke, but then that stuffed puppy turned its little head and looked at me. I was in shock, the only words that I kept saying were, "There's a puppy dog over there." I couldn't believe that what I was staring at was real, he was perfect, he was mine. I would call him Cobi Otis, Cobi after my favorite soccer player Cobi Jones and Otis because I just thought that was a cute name, he was a bichon frise. At that moment Cobi had no idea what an impact he would have on my life.

That was 18 years ago, 18 years is a lifetime and what I learned in that lifetime from a little white puff ball named Cobi are some of the most valuable things I will carry with me for the rest of my life. Cobi passed away on Sunday morning, at my parents house, in my dad's arms. I got word the night before from my mother, that Cobi seemed very out of it, that they were making him comfortable and that they didn't think he'd make it through the night. It was a blow to my system and a fear I've had ever since I moved overseas, I wouldn't be there for Cobi in the end.

I saw him just a week earlier in New York and while he could no longer see me, he went blind from old age, he knew I was there, we shared a bond that only a dog and their owner share. We sat on my parents deck together while I was home and I knew he'd be leaving me soon and when I left my parents house to head back to France I patted his little head and said try and hang on until May, there's someone that really wants to meet you. He was hanging on for so long, every time I left I was amazed that when I came home, there he was standing at the door, waiting to greet me after our months apart, and he was never bitter, he always remembered me, that was love.

When I look back on my life, the one constant that was always there was Cobi. Through the bad times and good times, he never left my side. He was there to cheer me up after a bad race or game, through break-ups and the loss of family members.  All I had to do was pick him up, place him on my lap and he would comfort me, he would make it better. He never judged me, he was always loyal and gave me endless love.

I got word Sunday morning that Cobi passed away, all my memories with him came flooding into my head and I realized I lost my best friend, that may sound crazy to some but he really was. It took me a few days to get up the courage to actually write this for fear that my tears would likely break my MacBook, but Cobi's love deserves to be shared with you. Cobi taught me what it is to be selfless, he showed me what a true friend is, he taught how important being loyal is and no matter how far away you go, when you come back you can pick up right where you left off. Isn't that what we are all looking for in life, in a friend, in a mate? I was lucky enough to get 18 years of that kind of friendship and I will carry it with me for the rest of my life.

I sit here and write this with Wooden, my six month old golden retriever next to me, sound asleep, so content and hope that he can have as good and long a life as Cobi and that maybe I can learn a few more things from him along the way.

Cobi was 126 in dog years when he passed away, which is amazing, he was a fighter until the very end. He holds such a special place in my heart and he will be with me always. Thank you Cobi for allowing me to have such a great friend by my side for 18 years, for that I am one of the luckiest people alive.

“A dog has no use for fancy cars or big homes or designer clothes. Status symbol means nothing to him. A waterlogged stick will do just fine. A dog judges others not by their color or creed or class but by who they are inside. A dog doesn't care if you are rich or poor, educated or illiterate, clever or dull. Give him your heart and he will give you his. It was really quite simple, and yet we humans, so much wiser and more sophisticated, have always had trouble figuring out what really counts and what does not. As I wrote that farewell column to Marley, I realized it was all right there in front of us, if only we opened our eyes. Sometimes it took a dog with bad breath, worse manners, and pure intentions to help us see.”
― John Grogan



I loved that he loved Kyle. 

One of my favorite pictures, greeting me after a long run. 


Monday, March 26, 2012

The MKaltenbach Jewelry GIVEAWAY.

Time for another giveaway and I absolutely love this one! Jeans and Tees and Travel and Cakes has teamed up with MKaltenbach Jewelry  and will be giving away a beautiful piece from the MKaltenbach Collection.

Enter the Giveaway with your chance of winning the gorgeous Carmel Fly necklace shown below.

The Beautiful Carmel Fly Necklace


What's great about MKaltenbach Jewerly is that every piece is handmade and one of a kind. MKaltenbach Jewerly is made by the beautiful and talented Megan Kaltenbach. Check out her website here, www.mkaltenbach.com, to see some of her other amazing pieces. She is also running an awesome March Madness Sale, so stock up on some great jewels to go along with your Spring wardrobe.

Here's a little info on the gorgeous Carmel Fly necklace you can win.

It's made with Grade A small brazilian agate stone with rings of brown, cream and carmel tones, paired with a pearl and firefly charm, approximately 34" thin antique brass chain, agate stone approximately L: 2.5", W; 1.5".
It can be worn short or long (shown short in photo). The Carmel Fly Necklace was handmade in the U.S.A.

The Giveaway will run from Monday March 26th until Monday April 2nd at 12 Noon (est), the winner will be announced the very next day Tuesday April 3rd. The winner will be picked at random using random.org

Here are the Giveaway Rules.

How to receive Giveaway entry points:
1 ENTRY POINT PER COMMENT ON THE GIVEAWAY POST, you can comment as much as you'd like.
2 BONUS ENTRY POINTS FOR FOLLOWING MKaltenbach on Facebook
2 BONUS ENTRY POINTS FOR FOLLOWING MKaltenbach on Twitter
2 BONUS ENTRY POINTS FOR FOLLOWING MKaltenbach on Bloglovin'

2 BONUS ENTRY POINTS FOR FOLLOWING MKaltenbach on Pinterest
2 BONUS ENTRY POINTS FOR FOLLOWING JEANS AND TEE'S on Blogger

Please if you follow MKaltenbach on Facebook, Twitter, Bloglovin' or Pinterest, let Jeans and Tees and Travel and Cakes know through a comment so you will receive the right amount of entry points.



To learn more about Jewelry Designer Megan Kaltenbach click the picture below.






Good Luck to all of those participating!

Friday, March 23, 2012

Friday Favorites.


Hey there my beautiful Jeans and Tees and Travel and Cakes readers, happy Friday! It's going to be a gorgeous weekend here in Limoges and I can't wait to enjoy it. Daylight savings happens for us Sunday morning, so I am really looking forward to it being much lighter later in the day, cheers to Spring.

I am enjoying the morning with Wooden, who is feeling a little under the weather. Kyle and I had to take him to the vet this morning because he apparently ate something that he shouldn't have, we don't know what it could of been, if he got into the garbage or picked something up while on one of his daily walks. Anyway, the poor guy had to get three shots and is on medication, hopefully he'll recover quickly, I hate that he isn't feeling well.

Other then that, life is pretty simple here in France and these are some of the simple things that made my week an enjoyable one.

Have a fantastic weekend.
After seeing style icon, Catherine the Duchess of Cambridge sporting these super cute coral jeans I had to scoop up a pair for myself. I found a cute pair on the Forever21 EU site and they will be arriving any day, just in time for Spring.

After what I went through traveling this weekend, see here,  this was such an amazing site when the postman dropped it off.
I love this game and this has to be my best drawing yet.  HAHA!

This is my favorite picture of Kyle this year. I want to wish him and Limoges CSP all the best this weekend as they take on Fos-Sur-Mer at home. Good Luck!

Wooden clearly letting us know that he rules the roost. <3

Fresh manicure, I love rocking one sparkly nail on each hand.

Enjoying a lovely lunch at our go to spot, Les Artistes. The mojitos are amazing!


I know this isn't so nice and I know how hard these athletes work BUT I  throughly enjoyed watching Duke get knocked out of the NCAA Tournament this past weekend to 15 seed Lehigh.  I didn't however enjoy Notre Dame getting knocked out the game after.


Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Nobody said it was easy.


Happy Wednesday Loves, hope you are all having a great week! I am so happy winter is over and spring has arrived, even though it's an overcast day in Limoges, it's warm, so I'll take it. I'm getting back into French mode and I was so happy yesterday when my bag finally arrived after not making the plane when I took off from New York on Saturday night. Everything was in there, most importantly my Starbucks coffee was there, hallelujah!

I really can't believe how quickly this year is passing, it really seems like just yesterday that Kyle signed his contract to play in Limoges and now there are only a few games left in the regular season (His team is in first place by the way.) and we will soon be planning our path for next year. I feel we really came into our own this year, both as individuals and as a couple. It wasn't easy but now that we've come to this point, I honestly feel like we can get through any obstacle or challenge that comes our way.




Which brings me to today's quote, this is a quote that I find myself always coming back to. For me the words are so strong and ring true to what my relationship has gone through. The quote comes from Nicolas Sparks' The Notebook, it isn't that mushy so you can keep reading.

Every relationship whether its with your mate, a family member or a friend goes through its own challenges. As you grow older you'll see some of those relationships fade but there are those relationships that no matter how crazy a storm it faces, stand tall and make it through, those are the relationships you fight for. No one ever said relationships were easy, as a matter of fact the ones that really matter are usually the total opposite, they're hard but worth the fight. I say focus on those relationships, those are the ones that will make you better, they will test you and make you stronger. Living with that kind of passion towards the people you care about, makes everything else you do worth while.

Enjoy!

I'm not telling you it is going to be easy, I'm telling you it's going to be worth it.
-Noah, The Notebook

Monday, March 19, 2012

The trials and tribulations of travel.

Right before I travel, I'm sure as most of you do, I only hope for the best. No long lines at security, no delays, no turbulence, great weather, someone good sitting next to me that knows plane etiquette, that my belongings make it safely to the destination, that I make it safely to the destination with my sanity and wallet still full, these are the things I wish and hope and pray for when I travel but sometimes all the wishing, hoping and praying doesn't prepare you for the worst travel day in your life.

It has happened to all of us, you come prepared but one thing after another goes array and the next thing you know, your standing in a train station in Paris, with one piece of luggage when you left with two, 85 euros poorer after a cab ride from hell and another 84 euros poorer for the last ticket on the only train you can take to your destination.

I am writing to you from the Austerlitz train station in Paris , that's Austerlitz, A-U-S-T-E-R-L-I-T-Z, I had to scream that to my cab driver a good ten times, I even did it with my well studied French pronunciation , and he still looked at me like I was crazy.

Where do I begin? Well, I knew it must of been to good to be true when my travels started. I had prepared myself for the 18 hours of travel that was ahead of me, even laughing at my sister-in-law when she said," Even I'm antsy for you.", I acted like it was no big deal, I'm a seasoned traveler my friends, no little hiccup along my journey could get in my way. Boy was I wrong. So back to, I should of known what was coming, when my dad hit no traffic on our way to JFK International Airport, when I then breezed through check-in in five minutes tops, I figured that was a record for international security.

Wow, I was on a roll, now all I had to do was get on plane number one to London then a quick hop, skip and a jump over the English Channel to Paris on plane number two, then a cab ride which usually runs me 50euros to the Austerlitz train station, where I would catch the train to Limoges, where I would be reunited with my boyfriend and dog.

Well, I was still on a roll with flight number one actually, it was the red eye to London so I slept most of the time, and scored a minor victory when drink service came around and I actually didn't get id'ed for a glass of wine. I'm also kind of in love with Heathrow Airport, for the mere fact that I can enjoy one last Starbucks before I'm back in Limoges where there is no Bucks in sight, and I have to say the caramel macchiato I ordered was top notch.









My second flight, a quick 45 minute flight even went great, the flight attendant actually turned my request for a simple glass of tomato juice into a pretty delicious Bloody Mary. This right here was the beginning of the end for my smooth day of travel.

I quickly got off plane number two in Paris, ready to go through customs and be on my way. That was until I heard what sounded like my last name in French on a loud speaker while I was waiting for my luggage. I though I was hearing things until they said it again in French and then once in English. Holy crap, it was my name! What the heck did I do? I knew I shouldn't of packed three pounds of Starbucks coffee in my checked bag, security probably thought I was trying to smuggle drugs and I'm going to be interrogated, see where my mind goes!

I quickly, yet nevously went up to the costumer service desk, where a very kind French man delivered the first blow of the day, "Your bag never made it out of New York. It's on the next plane to London and then straight to Paris." I surprisingly acted like it was no big deal, no big deal that my life is inside that bag, from my clothes, makeup, my additional camera lenses, two pairs of my favorite Raybans and three pounds of Starbucks coffee. He informed me that the airline will mail me my bag, to the destination of my choice and it's on them, I would receive the bag Tuesday in Limoges. Ok, not so bad, at least now I don't have to lug a heavy bag around with me the rest of the trip, here's me trying to look at the bright side.

My main focus now was just to get to Austerlitz and get on the earliest train to Limoges, at this point it was 2:00pm. I got in a cab, shouted, "Austerlitz ... ..." in my best fake French Accent and we were off , I then began to notice that the driver wasn't going to the usual way to the train station, and the next thing I know we are somewhere in Paris unknown to me, stuck in parking lot style traffic. I cringed as I saw the meter rise, especially when I know what it equals in US dollars, let just say it's "beacoup bucks".

Once traffic broke up a little I saw a sign for Austerlitz and it was pointing in the opposite direction from where we were going, this cabby wasn't going to play me for a fool. I quickly pointed and said, "pardon, Austerlitz is that way". He said in perfect English, "Detour, big march." Which I assumed was a parade or something. My what would be half hour cab ride took an hour and forty five minutes and 85 euros, "beacoup, beacoup BUCKS". I felt my self deteriorating, I could feel tears welling but I was finally at the train station, I was on the homestretch.

I went to one of the kiosks in the station, when the kiosk kindly told me that is was impossible for me to book the ticket I was after. Now, I had to go to customer service, which hurts my pride a little, I don't want to look like a silly American that can't figure out a ticket machine. The teller was actually really friendly, I think he could tell that I was frazzled and broke it to me gently when he said there was only one ticket left, I thought, "Oh thank God! Maybe today isn't so bad". Then came another little blow when he said, and it's in First Class, so the price is a tad bit higher. At that point I just surrendered my credit card, "I SURRENDER", I was screaming in my head. All I wanted was my ticket and a coffee which would be the only thing to get me out of my misery.

Well it just gets better, I go up to the cafè and order "une cappuccino" only the hear, "NO CAFÈ!" At this very moment I thought, "Am I being punk'd?" Then I remembered I 'm not famous and no this is real life.

I was spent a when they finally called that it was time to board my train, I quickly found my seat and collapsed. I just had to make it three more hours and I'd be home. I finally felt like I could breathe easy, so I put on some episodes of Modern Family and relaxed.

When we pulled up to the Limoges train station, I was the first person off and out of the station only to see the best sight all day, Kyle and Wooden standing in the distance waiting to greet me, which made all of the days obstacles disappear.

I guess what I learned today is that traveling may not always go as planned but if you remain calm you can get through anything and in the end it makes for an interesting story.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Friday, March 16, 2012

Friday Favorites, New York in Review.

Hey Loves, happy Friday! I know it's been awhile, my apologies, since I was back in New York for just a short trip, I took a break from Jeans and Tees and Travel and Cakes, which was going to pick back up Monday when I am back in France but this morning I woke up missing you guys and the blog so much I had to write.

Here is a this week's edition of Friday Favorites which is more like a roundup of my trip to New York. I hope you all have a great weekend and I'll talk to you soon when I touch down in France.

Enjoy!




A new quotable creation I made. I got the quote off of Pinterest of course.




My favorite Barista in New York made my day when he put this cup up on the bar.




My first Birchbox came in the mail. I love how the address it to Jeans and Tees!



Two of my favorite people in the world, my cousins Eric and Lyndsay.



My two boys, got so many photo updates of Wooden. Can you believe he's only 6 months old!



Got my new watch from the manfriend fitted, I may never take it off.



Enjoying a delicious meal at Bruno's.



I made homemade mason jar trifles, they were so yummy.



Took my cousin Sam prom dress shopping, isn't she stunning!



Lyndsay and my 17 year old puppy Cobi, enjoying a family party.



My first iced coffee of the year. What a great moment.



Wooden getting into trouble while I'm away. He loves peanut butter.



My godson Jack Tucker and nephew Benjamin Scout, I love these boys so much.



I got to try the new Skinnygirl Cosmo, so delicious and smooth.



I missed Wooden so much that I borrowed my brother's golden Charlie to take on daily long walks in the park.



Chips and Guacamole from my favorite place on earth, Beso.



Yes, I may have a little problem. Starbucks hoarder!



My brother and I being our usual corny selves, classic.


Another new sign I made for the Birthday Girl, Tara! This one came out awesome.



I am no longer a hair virgin, I did some ombré and I love it. Thanks Mel, you are the best!


 
Site Design By Designer Blogs