Linking Around

um, so where exactly did summer go? kids are back in school already. say what? i feel like i blinked and woke up in fall. and with labor day weekend coming up, there's just no denying that the cool weather has already started to settle in. as for me, i'm spending time with family and planning to hit up some bbqs in the city. nothing lets you hold onto the last rays of summer like a grill and a cold beer. congrats to the lucky ones with a 3-day weekend, and for those ready to kick-start the weekend, check out some fun and interesting links from around the web below. i promise, it'll help the time go by!

what it's like to audition for snl

the women behind google glass

how victoria beckham went from spice girl to fashion mogul

a green power ranger in japan helps people in the subways

50 ways to make money

maya angelou appears in new cole haan campaign

12 great comedian quotes for when your job makes you want to cry

great tumblr of awesome people reading

don't wash your raw chicken before you cook it

you've been using these 18 everyday products wrong

Alabama Slammers

i was never a big fan of jello shots. not only did they look a mess sitting in those little white dixie cups, but the kool-aid plus too much vodka was just blech. but a while back, i came across a book called the jelly shot test kitchen. the author basically took cocktails (think long island iced teas, cosomos, manhattans and lemon drop martinis) and turned them into jello shots! so far everyone who's had some of the batches i've made have really liked them, so on friday, i decided to bring some to my friend's' bbq.

getting the bottles ready

the orange juice base mixed with gelatin

the final product

i went with alabama slammers, which consists of orange juice, vodka, sloe gin and southern comfort. these shots took about 15 minutes to make and were a big hit. you can check out the full recipe below!

recommended pan: 1-pound loaf pan (approx. 8"x4"/ 20x10cm)

orange layer

3/4 cup/ 180 ml orange juice

1 1/2 envelopes knox gelatin

1/4 cup/ 60 ml southern comfort

1/4 cup/ 60 ml vodka

1/4 cup/ 60 m slow gin

grenadine layer

1/2 cup/ 120 ml pomegranate syrup

1/2 envelope knox gelatin

create orange layer: pour orange juice into a small saucepan and spring with the 1 1/2 cup envelope portion of gelatin. allow the gelatin to soak for a minute or two. heat over very low heat until gelatin is dissolved, stirring constantly, about 5 minutes. stir in the southern comfort, vodka, and sloe gin. pour mixture into loaf pan. place in refrigerator to cool while preparing grenadine layer.

create grenadine layer: pour the pomegranate syrup into a small saucepan and sprinkle with the 1/2 envelope of gelatin; allow to soak for a minute or two. heat over very low heat until gelatin is dissolved, stirring constantly, about 4 minutes. remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl. remove the orange juice mixture from the refrigerator (mixture will still be liquid). droop spoonfuls of the grenadine mixture at regular intervals into the orange mixture. repeat until all the grenadine mixture has been used. do not stir. carefully return pan to refrigerator and chill until fully set, several hours or overnight.

to serve, cut into desired shapes. makes about 18 to 24 jelly shots.

Gorilla

i'm becoming more of a bruno mars fan every day. and i loved his performance last night on the vma's of "gorilla." and this is major because i'm not a fan of monkeys, apes, gorillas - you get the picture. but for now, i have this song on repeat for today. it's my afternoon jam. enjoy!

Motivation Monday

how was everyone's weekend? mine was extremely low-key. it started with a bbq in brooklyn, catching up on some sleep and hanging with friends. it was just the right mix of feeling productive without feeling like i was a total bum. i especially wanted to have some downtime as work is really picking back up again, and a challenge i have working for myself is trying not to spend every minute of my time working. i have to remember that it's important to have some downtime, and not over exert myself. and more than anything, make sure i'm not feeling guilty 24/7 for not working 24/7. in my case, since i don't have any employees, it's a scenario where if i don't do the work, then it doesn't get done. it's a fine line to walk when you're carrying your whole business on your shoulders.

so on weekends, unless the work or emails are extremely urgent, i make an effort to handle what needs to get done on monday. because honestly, in most cases, it can wait until monday. since launching my pr agency in early 2012, there have only been a handful of cases when something needed to be handled asap on the weekend. and so now that it's monday, it's time to hunker down because it's looking like a really busy week. hope you all make your weekly goals, whether it's securing new business, having a kick-ass client meeting, asking (and securing) a raise or even move forward with your own dreams of entrepreneurism. happy monday!

Linking Around

i refuse to let these last days of summer slip through my fingers, so i'm trying to soak in as much sun as possible - especially from rooftop bars! this week i was at the refinery hotel, and i mean, come on. just look that view. it even has the empire state building in it. you gotta love it. hope you all have some awesome plans for the weekend. i'm kicking mine off with a bbq in brooklyn, and i'm bringing some alabama slammer jell-o shots. i'll share a post next week on how to make them. as for today, check out some awesome links below from around the web. have a great weekend kandids!

the story of cinderella told through beyonce songs

meet sunny, the newest addition to the obama family

off-beat cartoon heroines

boy bands we love

prince's new single cover is amazing

new york city hall weddings

take a guess: are they hot dogs or legs?

a 4th grader's documentary about his school's lunches

yahoo's beating google in traffic!

95 reasons why the vma's need britney spears

Weekend In Pics

where i toasted my friend meghan farewell as she heads off to texas

summer's going by so quickly, i'm really trying to soak in as much weekend fun as possible. here are a few pics that pretty much sum up what was involved in my weekend - mainly good food, good drinks and good people!

tom and jerry's (as in the cat and mouse!)

bonchon chicken wings - double fried, yum

drinks at the new yorker hotel

the skyscraper burger at cooper's tavern

brunch at le bistro d'a cote

chilling at the belfrey in union square

Motivation Monday

happy monday kandids! hoping you all had a great weekend, and will have an even better start to the week. i can't believe that we're already gearing up for this year's 4th quarter. it came out of nowhere. so far this year, i've already surpassed my self-employment income compared to last year. pretty impressive i think since i've been in business about 18 months, woo hoo! can't wait to see what the next few months will bring!

i saw the above quote from keira knightly this morning and i couldn't agree more with her. how do you determine your own level of success?

image credit: marie claire