About Me

Hey y'all!  Thanks for stopping by my little slice of cyberspace.  My name is Cara and this here is my sweet little family.

I love them like crazy.

I started this little blog in 2010 as a way to share recipes and home stuff with my family and friends.  At the time I was {consistently} blogging on our little family blog and I just didn't feel like all the food & home stuff belonged there.  And then Pearls, Handcuffs, & Happy Hour was born.  

I'm not a foodie.  Or a chef.  But I know how to follow a recipe like nobody's business ;) {most of the time}  And I like to share those recipes on this blog.  I follow recipes to the T when I first make them. They aren't my creations.  I'm no kitchen talent, for sure.  

I'm not a writer {pretty evident}, but I love to share.  And I love to write like I'm having a conversation with close friends.  I misspell...even with spell check.  I don't always put commas in the right places.  I often end sentences with prepositions {GASP!!!!}  And I live my life in exclamation points!!!!!!!....and sometimes hashtags.  #sorrynotsorry

I'm not a photographer.  Nor do I pretend to be.  But I do love photography.  I know the pictures on this blog aren't technically perfect.   Not even close.  I try and my efforts fall short every.single.time. And let's not even talk about the unappetizing photos I posted when this blog was first established. {GROSS}

I'm not a health nut, but I try to eat healthy as often as possible. Many of the recipes on this blog contain processed food, butter, and carbs so if you're offended by my lack of taste, you might want to stop reading.  I believe in everything in moderation and I like to eat like a 5-year-old from time to time. 

I'm not an interior designer, but I like to decorate.  My house isn't "trendy".  The decor isn't minimal.  I don't even have a personal "style".  

I decorate for holidays WAY too soon and leave them up way too long, but I like to enjoy things as long as possible.  I don't get tired it.  Neither does my family.  And it defintely doesn't make the holidays any less special because I prematurely prep the house :)

I over-celebrate special occasions....when I can.  It's fun to do unnecessary things from time to time....life is short!!!

I get A LOT of questions about my "train wreck" of a blog name.  If you read the tagline on the header above, it’s pretty self explanatory, but I can also see how the name might cause you to infer something completely inappropriate, too {cue maniacal laughter}.  It’s all just a play on words.  That’s it.  Nothing more.  Since this is a food/home/décor/RANDOM blog, the name is just that…something that incorporates a little bit of all of it.

Pearls, Handcuffs, and Happy Hour

Here’s how it all breaks down…

Pearls = June Cleaver. 

I’m far from the iconic TV mom, but every now & then I try to play the part of a 1950’s domestic goddess. **Try** being the operative word.  I’m far from it.  Truth be told, I‘m typically cooking my my granny jammies because I couldn’t wait to rip off my work clothes and get comfy.  The house is a mess 95% of the week because I’m just too tired to worry about it.  I’ve got no less than 5-6 piles of laundry in the laundry room at any given time.  The kitchen is a mess…an absolute TORNADO…while I’m cooking and heck if I can get everyone in this household to eat the same thing.  I give up. {PS:  I don’t own any pearls}

Handcuffs = Martha Stewart.

 I don’t own any of these, either.  But you might remember that the goddess of all things beautiful and crafty was once in prison…hence the handcuffs.  I don’t plan on heading down that same ill-fated road she traveled, but every now and then I like to get my “Martha” on and craft a few things and try to decorate the house, too.  That’s where the handcuffs fit in. {See, not totally terrible ;)}

Happy Hour = That’s all me :)

I enjoy Happy Hour.  Yes, I do enjoy the kind of happy hour you can only find at your local brewery, but I also enjoy the “happy hour" I get every night before bed…that’s the one hour of peace and quiet I get when everyone in the house is sleeping.  I also enjoy the “happy hour” I get when I get my boys ready for bed each night…the crazy bathtime, stories before bedtime, prayers, and cuddles.  That’s where I got ‘happy hour’.

While I realize that it’s a “train wreck” of a blog name, I like it.  And it makes me chuckle thismuch every time I open up the blog.  And if you were ever curious or wondering what I was on when I decided to name my little slice of cyberspace, now you know :)