Lauren's Life Song

Wednesday Phone Dump

2012-02-15T07:00:00.000-06:00

1) More chili..good and easy to prepare during the week. 2) Sunrise one day..or maybe sunset? HA! 3) Pretty mug I saw in TJMAXX. It was huge, must have been missing my coffee bad.

1) Saturday lunch - chili cheese dog! 2) That terra cotta pot I dropped hints about.. LOVE it. 3) Sbux. LOVE more than the terra cotta pot. :)

2012 Goals

2012-02-14T07:00:00.012-06:00

Now that one of my two least favorite months is over (February is the other, and it's almost halfway over too!), I'd like to document some of my goals for the year.

Better late than never, right?

These aren't long though out..they are more what I consider "in the moment" goals. Things I've been thinking about lately and this year, instead of continuing to THINK about what I want to accomplish..I'd like to actually LIVE life more enthusiastically. Thank you Kelle Hampton for unknowingly encouraging me.

1 | Embrace the city in which we live. And those around us. We live so close to the beach and we RARELY go. Now, that's largely due to two factors -- A) Tommy prefers a pool over the sand/ocean, and B) Tommy works most Saturdays....leaving Sunday afternoon our only time to drive over there. But those are excuses and we need to make more time for fun things. There's only 60 miles from our house to the beach in Gulf Shores. My goal is to head to Gulf Shores/Orange Beach at least 3 times this summer.

2 | Read more books. I rarely read books anymore. Not because I don't like to or want to, but because I find other things to read. I read news articles online. I read magazines when I find time. I read about others' lives (blogs). But I'm reading a book I was given at my new job and my new Bible study book and I'm enjoying them both. My goal is to read 5 books for pleasure this year, beginning now. Perhaps I can read some on the three trips I plan to take to the beach this summer.

3 | Take more photos. I'm working on this. I'm learning to use my camera more and more. I can't seem to get enough of looking at blogs for inspiration. {This is part of why I don't read more books -- I spend more time looking at photography blogs!} But inspiration is only the half of it..I've got to pick up my camera more.

4 | Do more for others. I'm really enjoying the women in my new small group Bible study. We are from different towns, work in different industries, we're in different stages of life...but we all have come to know and love and care for each other. I've opened our home for end of study gatherings. I've reached out to them on different occasions and let them know I'm praying for them. And I want to do more for them. Not limited to them, but starting with them. Now is as good a time as any to start.

5 | Save money. I don't want to confuse this with my couponing -- which I still do, just not as often because I got off track last year planning the wedding. I'm talking about beefing up our savings. Perhaps it's the accountant in me, but I'm that girl that needs to see certain numbers before committing to things. I believe in having 3-6 months worth of expenses saved up because I've been there and know how comforting it is to have it. Both when we left for and returned from New York, I was in between jobs for a few weeks. I utilized my savings to offset the lack of income and there was never a worry. Plus, we spent a good bit of money on our wedding last year and I'd like to take this year to build our nest egg back up. It's as simple as that.

6 | Cook more. Try some Pinterest recipes. Use the crockpot more. Meal plan. Ok so that's a lot all combined into one. I love my crockpot, but I need to spend some time finding different recipes. Tommy doesn't like many soups, so I have to get creative when using our new crockpot and dutch oven. Perhaps one of my goals should be "Convince Tommy to eat more foods." With time.

OK..I could keep going..but 6 seemed like a good number. A manageable list. Realistic. I'm excited to see how things play out this year.

Monday Musings

2012-02-13T07:00:00.020-06:00

Happy Monday!

Did you see the Grammy's?

Adele was fantastic.

Lady Gaga's outfit scared me a bit..but what's new? She likes to push the envelope.
And Taylor Swift? LOVE. Don't be ashamed for loving her. She's too cute. And her music is good. Her lyrics are from the heart. She's refreshing.

I was sad to hear of Whitney Houston's passing. I have many of her songs on my iPod. My favorite is probably I Wanna Dance With Somebody.

*****

Our coffee pot stopped working last Wednesday. It's barely 7 months old. HORROR! I treated myself to Starbucks Saturday afternoon to shock my system back into shape. I plan to call customer service this morning.

Fortunately, I can get coffee at work. So don't feel tooooo bad for me.

*****
I saw these on Pinterest this weekend - so interesting.

You can find them and a few other varieties on Etsy here.

*****
Saturday I cleaned the house some and then went out to Mobile. Tommy got some new pants for church; I bought dog food for Coco and then we rounded out the night with dinner with his Dad. I wanted to get Coco a sweater but couldn't bring myself to pay $20 for the tiniest little sweater I've ever seen. Sad.

Sunday we stayed home from church and I accomplished very little. I've been sneezing a lot -- hoping this isn't the start of anything. I felt a tad under the weather yesterday. It's COLD out there. I did curl up on the couch and make a serious dent in my unread magazine stack while Tommy watched golf. Progress. :)

*****
We don't celebrate Valentine's Day..but since it's our first V-day since being married, we are getting each other something SMALL. And not really to celebrate the holiday, but more so because we love each other and giving/receiving gifts is fun. I dropped hints last week like Starbucks' Caffe Verona coffee (before my beloved Bunn killed over, of course) or an $8 terra cotta pot I saw in TJMaxx.

Wednesday Phone Dump

2012-02-08T07:00:00.002-06:00

1. Sunrise on the way to Mom's house 2. Beginnings of a salad 3. A good game of Wii bowling

1. Lunch 2. Old artesian well near Mom's house 3. Nothing like grits and coffee for breakfast!

1, 2 & 3. Reed at the railroad tracks

1. $6 frame from Marshall's (putting on my desk at work) 2. The old store near Mom's house. 3. Coco in her new bed!

Monday Ramblings

2012-02-06T07:00:00.000-06:00

We had a full weekend planed. Saturday went as I expected; Sunday did NOT.

No biggie.. we adjusted and I got a lot done around the house while Tommy went in to work. Boooooo.

I filed my Mom's tax returns.

I gathered all our documents so we could have our own returns done soon. That's a days work by itself!

I ran the dishwasher twice -- once to wash a load of dishes and then the second time to clean it using the lemon kool aid tip.

Washed many loads of laundry.

Cleaned both bathrooms (patting myself on the back for this one)...

And a host of other things.

When I walked out of the house Saturday morning I thought man this house is dirty... so I had plenty to do Sunday. I was willing to leave it as is because I've come to learn that the house will be here when I get back..and it will get cleaned eventually.

But it does make it easier to go to bed Sunday night when the house is in decent shape.

*****
If you own an iPhone or any iProduct that allows you to play games, I hope you know about Scramble with Friends! Tommy introduced me to it and it's so much fun.

*****
I took a few pics of Coco Saturday. She's growing a bit but is still cute as can be! Just over 2.5 pounds and full of personality. She's a little dirty in these pictures because she'd been digging in the dirt right before I took them.

Look at this sweet face! She'll be 8 weeks old on Wednesday.

TGIF!

2012-02-03T07:00:00.059-06:00

A lot of people talk about how they never try the recipes they pin on Pinterest. My problem is the ones I pin aren't HEALTHY!

Seriously, look at some of these delicious dishes I've seen there..

(here) (here)

(here) (here)

(here) (here) (here)

(here)(here) (here)

The pictures speak for themselves. I've clearly got a dip problem.

Of course, it doesn't help everyone is pinning football snacks..and we all know there's nothing healthy to be had at a Super Bowl party this Sunday...which is certainly fine by me.

Enjoy the visiting. The game. The commercials. And most of all, the food.

Here's to hoping one of these foods shows up wherever you go!

Happy Weekend, and go G-men!

Randoms. That's all.

2012-02-02T07:00:00.021-06:00

Sunday night I made chili.

Then I doused it with cheese.

Is there any other way to eat chili?

I made a version of Tommy's Mom's chili. My Mom's is a thicker chili, while his Mom's is more of a thinner consistency. And, of course, his Mom's is super spicy.

I'm always asking her for her recipe..and then while cooking, I discovered it's just a slightly modified version of the recipe on the back of the chili seasoning packet.

It only takes 4 ingredients -- chili spice packet, chili beans, tomato sauce, and ground beef. They add rice to theirs..so I did too. This was supposed to be like his Mom's, after all. I bought a hot chili packet and a mild one. I mixed them together and put half in my chili..to try to tone down the spicy-ness.

It was good Sunday, and probably even better as leftovers Monday.

*****
This was in my email yesterday:

OMG. I can't wait! My only problem is narrowing down which Toms I want! I'm leaning towards the leopard print ones, but the grey linen would be more practical (for work, of course).

Wednesday Phone Dump

2012-02-01T07:06:00.000-06:00

Whooo!! Halfway there. We have a full weekend already, including a belated Christmas celebration, (hopefully) a trip to see my family and Coco, and hanging out with a new friend and taking some pictures of her children.

Plus, I'm pretty sure Tommy's got some golf planned at some point. I hope the weather is beautiful - we're in the midst of an unseasonably mild winter and I'm not complaining, though I do love the changing of the seasons.

1) My new job stocks free drinks for everyone -- and has V8. Yum! 2) Leftovers for lunch. 3) Our National Championship cup

1. Leftover chili with cornbread 2. Breakfast Monday -- bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches with coffee. 3. A funny I saw on Parents Shouldn't Text!

*****
A few more Destin photos.. they pretty much all look the same, but who doesn't love beach photos?

It was so peaceful; we checked in hours early (we could never do that in the Summer!!) and didn't have to wait much at all for dinner.

{All About Rugs}

2012-01-31T07:00:00.001-06:00

We have an ongoing home improvement / home decor To Do list. As do many homeowners, I know.

This house was completed in December 2005 and I purchased it in June 2008. So the house is fairly young; just 6 years old. Most everything was in good shape when I moved in. I did replace most of the brass items (though I spray painted the existing outside fixtures oil rubbed bronze to save money) with brushed nickel -- door knobs/hinges and kitchen drawer handles/pulls. We've installed a few storage items here and there. We replaced the metal front door with a new one with lots of windows. Not to mention we repainted all rooms but the kitchen.

But I need to address things like shams for the euro pillows we have for our bed. I like this idea found on Pinterest here.

We could use some new rugs.

We need a storage shed. BAD. This should be (and probably is) number 1 on the list.

Our baseboards could use either a serious wipedown or a fresh coat of paint. {**mutters under breath, probably paint**}

Our guest bathroom needs a new countertop. And probably a new faucet. We're planning to purchase this and keep our existing vanity, which is in excellent shape.

Most recently, I've been thinking about rugs.

We need them bad..specifically for the living room and hallway. Our living room has a 5x8 jute rug I got for a good price on Overstock some years back, but it's really too small for the space. Not to mention it isn't 5x8 exactly and it's beginning to stretch a bit...and when placed on 12" square tile floors, the uneven-ness (that's a word in my book) is starting to cause my Type A personality to flip.

Our hallway is long and narrow and could really use a runner. I stand in the hall area when I take clothes in and out of the laundry area..so a rug under my feet would be nice.

I bought these a few years ago and have them in both bathrooms in white. WHITE! They have been washed numerous times and have held up nicely. There's even been a few times where I thought a stain wouldn't come out; fortunately, I've been proven wrong time and time again. These still look like new. At $8 each (using a 20% off coupon, of course), I think they've held up their end of the deal, in my opinion.

Ok, on to the contenders.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

1 | This West Elm Dhurrie rug is beautiful! I'm considering it as a runner in our hallway. The 8x10 would be pretty in our living room too, but the yellow would match the round rug in our entryway (you can see it in the first picture here) and would be a nice complimentary color in the hallway.

2 | I've considered this Pottery Barn stripped rug for our living room..and at $169, that's a great price for an 8x10 (probably because it's lightweight). But we have a lot of traffic in that area of our home and I'm afraid the light colored stripes might show dirt quickly. This would also be pretty in our hallway; unfortunately, runner sizing is not an option.

3 | These Garnet Hill rugs would be an option for either the living room or hallway. I would have a hard time picking a color, though! I love the grey, but that color wouldn't go well with our existing colors in the living room.

4 | Overstock's pretty trellis rug would be beautiful in our living room..though it might be a bit dark with all the dark colored furniture we have. It does come in other colors..so I'm keeping it on my "maybe" list. There is typically an upcharge to ship large rugs, making Overstock's $2.95 standard shipping price hard to beat.

5 | Flat weave rugs are a practical choice for the hallway because they are usually lightweight, and of course, cheaper. Aren't these Garnet Hill ones so bright and happy? They are currently offering free shipping, and at $84, these runners are almost a STEAL! {Garnet Hill has some gorgeous other rugs as well, but in 8x10, most of their heavier wool rugs are $800 plus and more than I want to spend for this size home we're in now.}

6 | I first saw this Urban Outfitters rug on Pinterest. I would LOVE it as a runner; but unfortunately, runner sizing is not an option here.

7 | This stripped West Elm rug is super affordable, either for an 8x10 in the living room or a runner. The 8x10 is $229 and the runner $49. Wowza!

I'm happy to see so many affordable options are available. I'd prefer not to sink $600+ into an 8x10 rug for our living room in this small house. We have some Pottery Barn gift cards from the wedding I've been holding on to specifically for the purpose of purchasing a rug...and West Elm is owned by the same company, so it'd be worth my while to check and see if either the Dhurrie rug or the stripped one could be offset by the PB gift cards.

Here's to knocking one thing off the To Do list!

Return Address Goodness

2012-01-30T07:00:00.000-06:00

Before we got married, I ordered embossed foldover cards with our married initials for thank you notes going forward. I also ordered a set of return address labels with both our names from Vistaprint.

I was prepared for thank yous after the wedding..but then the holidays slipped up on me and I was NOT prepared. Christmas cards were printed in a rush, and then I panicked because our only address labels had a summer-ish image on them. I considered handwriting our address on the back of each envelope, but Tommy and his voice of reason talked me into just putting the labels on the back anyway.

I didn't put these on my Christmas list because we weren't sure whether we were settled yet..but we've since gotten news that let's us believe we'll stay here in this house for a while..that was enough of a green light for me!

I think the ones that are hand written are gorgeous. Here are a few of my favorites, all from Etsy.

(here) (here)

(here) (here)

(here) (here)

I ended up ordering the "Beatrice Miller" one..called Bea by lettergirl. It arrived last week and it's beautiful! Well worth the money spent, in my opinion.

Am I the only one not sad to see January go?

2012-01-26T19:11:00.000-06:00

I think I've mentioned before this is one of my least favorite months.

It's been busy, if nothing.

I started a new Bible study last week (Grace for the Good Girl) but I'm already a bit behind. Boooooooooo.
I spent a weekend in Birmingham visiting/babysitting my favorite 3 month old and eating P.F. Changs.
Flickr hasn't cooperated with me much..either on my phone or laptop. As a result, no Wednesday Phone Dump posts.
I have 137 unread blog posts in my Google Reader.
I'm still changing my name. This month it's getting a new passport and changing the title/registration on my car. It never seems to end.
We spent a portion of MLK weekend in Destin.
I started a new job.
Tommy spent one night in the hospital.
We've spent more money in doctor/hospital copays this month than we typically would in 3-4 years, total.
There's a stack of magazines on the table dating back to October that I haven't read.
We got a puppy, Coco, and she was so much work we had to send her to charm school (Mom/Aunt Babs).
We still have Christmas presents for family sitting in our living room.

Phone Dump.

Christmas present from Emma; Valentines cookie from Pollmans (Tommy's fav!!); sunset from balcony in Destin.

PSL loooong after the holidays are over - delicious; breakfast for dinner; Fresh Market California rolls.

We saw the sun rise and set in Destin.

Sweet Coco.

Mom and Aunt Babs were here New Years Day and helped me plant these. They are on the carport..so pretty to look at when I get home every day.

Chicken, rice, and green beans are cooking for supper. It's Thursday night and we are happy to be at home, about to sit down to eat and watch our shows.

Hopefully this business is about to come to an end. February, be kind to us.

Wednesday Phone Dump on Thursday

2012-01-12T13:53:00.000-06:00

1) Our first pizza on the Egg 2) Sonic caramel sunday 3) What our living room looked like on my last day before going back to work -- Jan 3rd! (it looks like that today too...sadly)

1) Sunrise on a foggy Saturday morning, traveling to Birmingham 2) Husbands are good. 3) I had to switch out a dress I got for Christmas and I had some credit leftover..got these fun summer dangles.

1) Sunset on the way home from Birmingham Sunday night 2) My car hit 100,000 miles! And fittingly, on the very drive (I-65 between Birmingham and Mobile) that put most of those miles on the car anyway. 3) Dolly Parton bridge...a good sign I'm almost home.

I have so much to say but little time to actually do so!

**I tried to Wednesday Phone Dump last week but my Flickr app acted up. I even started a post about it, but life's been busy and THAT post is still in draft form. Guess I can delete it now.

**I got a new job! I'm currently working out my two weeks notice. Life should settle a bit once the new environment wears off.

**We got a puppy! We pick her up next week.

**I spent last weekend in Birmingham and ate good food and enjoyed good company.

**We are the National Champions! Too bad my college days were under Shula...it would have been so much better in college, in the student section, cheering under Saban. ROLL TIDE! I plan on getting Tommy and me some gear this weekend..and of course this too when it comes out.

**We had company for a few days and our house is embarrassing. We haven't been home before 7 any night this week to do anything about it, either. Tonight I plan to address the to do list and get it in decent shape. We have plans for the long weekend, and cleaning isn't on the list!

Ok..more thoughts later.

Christmas and Wednesday Phone Dump

2011-12-28T16:20:00.000-06:00

Christmas was WONDERFUL.

A bit unconventional for our first Christmas - my mother in law went into the hospital the Wednesday before Christmas and was released Christmas day afternoon. We thought we'd be exchanging presents and filling our stomachs with steak and potatoes (the Bell family Christmas Eve tradition); however, the Lord has a way of laughing at me when I make plans!

I didn't take any pictures at Christmas. I didn't even get one of Tommy and me. We ate and visited and opened too many presents. Our families were too generous.

Life is good.

1) Makeshift $1 stockings from Target      2) Cute F21 leggings I saw on Pinterest     3) Bowls I always glance at but always pass up at TJMaxx

1) and 2) Front and inside of cute card I saw at Rite Aid

1) Christmas Eve pancake breakfast     2) Guac and lime chips     3) The only pic I took Christmas day

1) Cute stockings (Tommy didn't like) at A Little Shop     2) Christmas morning breakfast     3) After Christmas sale goodies

Pinterest finds.

I have this whole week off. I'm taking advantage of it and working a much too long To Do list.

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

2011-12-25T07:00:00.006-06:00

From our home to yours -- Merry Christmas!

It's Christmas Eve, my babies!

2011-12-24T12:28:00.000-06:00

Amen.

Wednesday Phone Dump

2011-12-21T07:00:00.010-06:00

1. Pretty sky at dusk 2. I'd been craving Five Guys for at LEAST a month! 3. Part of Christmas for little Emily!

1. Earrings 2. Pretty bowl of nail polish; I like the lilac color 3. Scarves

Those last 3..When I was out shopping Saturday I started snapping some pics of things I liked to give Tommy some help. That polish was 1 for $1.50 or 2 for $2; I thought those were great stocking stuffers!

1. and 2. -- coming out of Tommy's parent's neighborhood, houses lit up and with many decorations!

Only 4 more days!

Dinner and Dessert

2011-12-20T07:08:00.001-06:00

Tommy likes to try new things on his Egg.

It was the best gift. It just keeps on giving. Excuse me while I pat myself on the back...

A few months ago, when we were in Dauphin Island with Tommy's family, they threw a boston butt on the grill. There was an Egg there at the house they rented...and this meat was sooo tender.

So we bought a Smithfield "pork shoulder butt" at Wal-Mart Sunday. At $1.98 a pound, it was worth trying out. So he unwrapped it, covered it in garlic salt and threw it on the grill. Don't ask me what temp and how long, etc...those are things only the cook knows.

I, of course, have a before and after:

DELICIOUS.

We added our favorites sides -- grilled corn and green beans.

While that was on the grill, I whipped up some chocolate covered peanut butter pretzels. These aren't new..and they aren't my idea..I have no idea where I got ideas before Pinterest..probably blogs. So there's the warning that this goodness is not original to me. Yes, that was idea x3 in one thought.

It only takes 3 ingredients: peanut butter filled pretzels, chocolate (bark or morsels, whatever your preference), and sprinkles. Sprinkles are optional, of course..but not in my kitchen.

I poured Nestle Tollhouse milk chocolate morsels into a coffee cup and heated it until melted in the microwave. I used a spoon so it was easier (and less messy) to dip the chocolate onto the pretzels. I dipped a row, then sprinkled before the chocolate set.

The end result? Goodness.

These went to work with me Monday morning. My guess is they'll be gone before we leave for the holidays!

Monday Schmonday and my Christmas Wish List

2011-12-19T07:00:00.004-06:00

There is much to discuss about this weekend.

Saturday I went in Bass Pro Shop to pick up this for Tommy. I'd planned on it being part of one of his presents. {I'll note here that he grilled yesterday and needed this present...so rather than keep quiet and let him buy some (more) at the store, I fessed up and told him I got him some for Christmas and let him open it.} I got in line with my item and a small, overpriced bag of beef jerky. THEN--where I made my biggest mistake--I switched lines. Don't ask why..who knows. But I waited for what must have been more than 30 minutes behind ONE lady with TWO buggies. After spending just over $1,200 and forcing the rest of us in line to endure the longest price check ever, she was gone and I was finally next. I was so hungry I almost ripped into my jerky in line. I got out to the car and ate half that bag of jerky before pulling out of the parking lot.

THAT almost did me in. Well, that and having to turn down Marble Slab because the woman tried to upsell me on the ice cream I wanted. I wanted a small, not a LARGE, and no amount of smooth talking on her part was going to change my mind. Why turn down MORE ice cream? Crazy, I realize, but I'd been pushed around enough already and this was close to my breaking point. I'd planned to skip lunch..feast on my jerky and top it off with ice cream. Ruined.

I've ruled that I'm done with holiday shopping and all other matters will be handled by Tommy. If you were on my list and I did not get to your gift Saturday before I collapsed into my bed that night, let's hope Tommy knows you well because he will be shopping for you on our behalf! HA!

******

Yesterday I wrapped. There were 2 presents under the tree when I started. There were several instances where one person got multiple pieces to his/her gift. Sadly, that meant I had to use multiple bags/boxes. Sadly? What's wrong with me? I just wasn't into wrapping this year. Bah humbug.

******

My mother in law asked me for my Christmas list (like she does every year) and then she specifically changed it to "Wish List" for the finer things. I never added anything extravagant to it, but if I had created a "things I don't need but would LOVE to have list", I would have added these 3 things.

1. 2. 3.

Think I could have gotten #3 if I asked nicely? HA!!

Of course, Tommy's "Wish List" included a new set of sticks..but they were on his "Christmas List" before it was changed to "Wish List". Ambitious, eh?

Things on the list I gave her like this and these and this are already fabulous and would have been on my wish list too, regardless of price. Oh and I put this on my list for Mom. I'm pretty excited about it too. I gave a separate list (as requested) to my BFF and Tommy..and those were equally as good, too.

******
It's a short week for me! I work through Thursday and then I'm off until Tuesday, January 3rd. I wish I could say the same for my sweet husband..he doesn't get one single paid holiday all year. I guess I'll have to lounge around in my pjs, drinking coffee, laying on the couch by tree light under my heated throw enough for the both of us.

TGIF!

2011-12-16T06:55:00.001-06:00

I'm sooooooooooo glad it's Friday.

The day of my work Holiday Brunch. Aside from our wedding, I've never planned an event to feed over 100 people. It's potluck, basically.. but I know there is a Honey Baked Ham coming and I picked up 4 pounds of Dreamland BBQ yesterday. Delicious!

I won't deny I'm already ready for 5, though. :)
*****
I took pictures of Emily and her cousin Bo a few weekends ago out at Springhill College and they were ok for 2, 1 1/2 yr olds running around and a rookie behind the lens.

I had some good ones of her sweet little face, sitting on her rocking chair and some on a bench but since she's not my child I won't show all of her. I'm sure her parents appreciate that. :)
*****
Since it's getting so close to Christmas and I hadn't yet completed our DIY tree skirt, I decided to just wrap my Alabama quilt around the base and call it a day.

Not ideal, but it'll do. You can see in this picture I still have LOTS of wrapping to do. Presents, I have. Wrapped, they are NOT.

I plan on finishing up every last shopping this weekend. Next Saturday will be Christmas Eve and I refuse to get out with those people who are just starting their shopping -- for whatever reasons.
Whatever you do, enjoy it!

Beautiful Christmas Mantles and other thoughts..

2011-12-15T07:03:00.107-06:00

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned here before that I don't have a mantle. It's the thing I had to give in on when I bought my house a few years ago. I've considered hunting down a pretty antique mantle facing to put on a wall in my home but can't seem to find the right place for one. So I ooh and aaah over every one else's during the holidays instead..

Home Stories A to Z had a Christmas mantle party and there were so many pretty things! A mantle is on our 'must have' list for our second home.

The left one from House of Belonging is gorgeous! That pallet is beautiful, and Isaiah 9:6 is my new favorite Christmas verse..because it's one of the Old Testament prophecies of Jesus. " For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." {On a side note, I have a hard time understanding the separation of church and state, given that we are given paid holidays to celebrate Christmas -- the birth of Jesus -- a Christian holiday. But that's not for today. Trust me, I'm thankful for my days off! This discussion is for a later time...} Those stockings on the right from Twenty Three Oh One are JUST what I was looking for! She said she got them at Target. You better believe I've got some BFFs on the lookout for them at their closest stores since they are sold out near me!

Positively Splendid (on the left) has a pretty whimsey mantle! I always have a hard time deciding between traditional reds and the whimsey colors..but I think I'd have a hard time getting Tommy to a-ok this stocking with his name on it. They are similar to the more manly (red and green are manly, right?) stockings here (on right) at The Yellow Cape Cod. Sans the pom fringe and leopard print, of course. Though the antlers SCREAM man.

Somehow I've moved on to stockings.... perhaps because stockings are typically hung on mantles? Just go with it. That birch wood with the greenery is so pretty. Both settings are so classic (found here). And I LOVE those stockings hung on the piano!

I saw this JOY photo prop here on Pinterest, but how pretty would this be sitting on a mantle? Or perhaps the Noel letters from Tatertots and Jello? That's red burlap and glitter. So cheery during the holidays!

******
Everyday this week we've had brunch food in the Business Office here at work. They ask our department to join in each year and we don't have to be asked twice! OMG was that doughnut good. Krispy Kreme never disappoints.

********
I dropped our Christmas cards in the mail yesterday morning. Here's to hoping they arrive to everyone before the big day! AND here's to hoping I get on the ball and get them out sooner next year. Tommy was furiously slapping address labels on the back of envelopes (summer ones, mind you, because they were the only ones we have with both our names on them) last night..bless him. He's so sweet to help. Though, thinking back.. it IS possible he agreed to help to get out of vacuuming. Either way, 2011 cards are in the mail.

Over and out.

Wednesday Phone Dump

2011-12-14T07:10:00.043-06:00

1) Christmas tree at work      2) Wrapping by tree light      3) a present for a sweet baby :)

1) Good reminder via Pinterest      2) Pinterest tip for my neighbor with no carport/garage!

1) Supper - ravioli with sauce and garlic bread      2) Sunrise on the way to work      3) Delivering an early Christmas present to a friend

It's that time of year...

2011-12-13T08:16:00.000-06:00

...for work goodies!

That's not one, not two, but THREE batches of pigs in a blanket this morning.

Well, you know, minus the 7 Tommy and I consumed before leaving the house.

I ran out of crescent rolls and had to improvise with a can of biscuts for the last 20-something. Those "blankets" are bigger than the crescent ones. I'm pretty sure no one will care, though.

I took the last picture at work..you can see on my work calendar in the background it's a busy month here for us. I'm in charge of the Holiday Brunch for our building this year and this party is NO JOKE! There is food every morning this week until the big party on Friday.

I'm looking forward to lots of good foods.

TGIF!

2011-12-09T07:00:00.003-06:00

How about a little Christmas Cheer on this Friday? I took these photos on my phone as we were getting the tree up a few weeks ago.

I anticipate lots of goodness this weekend: hot chocolate with marshmallows, Pinterest browsing, being lazy on the couch with my new blanket, designing our first Christmas card, our Christmas concert at church and maybe a bit of holiday cooking. Enjoy!!

Finally! My black friday post.

2011-12-08T07:00:00.042-06:00

Ok...I mentioned before I started this post on Black Friday, and my title was "How about a Black Friday list?" THEN my power cord died so my laptop won't turn on. But that's old news.

I still have a list.

1. For the first time in a very long time, I didn't take one single picture on Thanksgiving. And if I remember correctly, no one did. I was so busy socializing with family/cousins and discussing who was/was not going to Black Friday festivities, etc..that I completely forgot to get out my camera.

2. We had lunch with my family Thanksgiving day, then drove back to visit with both sides of Tommy's family. We didn't get home until after 8 that night. We were tired.

3. Some pretty ornaments from my Mom's tree...

4. I debated on getting out on Black Friday in the madness. We needed more ornaments and we had no lights for our tree. AND we needed a tree. I did get out but I hit very few stores. I didn't buy any gifts for anyone; I only bought a few things for the tree. And the tree and a tree stand.

5. I've been listening to Christmas music on Pandora at work. And running my heater full blast since it's chilly now. At this rate, my boss will need a megaphone to communicate with me before the month is over.

6. I took some pictures of {Tommy's second cousin} Emily in her holiday dress and they were so cute! MAN you've gotta keep your shutter speed high to keep up with little ones. I typically take photos of her wtih my 50mm 1.8 lens, which is fixed, so I get in her face a lot to get close ups. She's used to it now; she will stare at me for a few seconds and then carry on about her business. I took these pics of her a few weeks ago; she won't be this little for long!

7. I've been practicing my holiday bokeh. YUM. Mom and Aunt Julia's trees..

Our tree is up too! In the mornings I get up, turn on my coffee, shower, then come in and eat breakfast in the chair closest to the tree. I just LOVE this time of year!

Wednesday Phone Dump

2011-12-07T06:50:00.044-06:00

Grapes, these pretty lace garters caught my eye on Pinterest, and one deceivingly small but still delicious Reese Christmas tree :)

I went looking for a Christmas gift for Ava and stumbled upon all these sweet baby clothes. Too cute!

Little Emily - just doing her thing, and pretty glitter Toms

The first summer sausage of the holiday Season!, dinner, and breakfast by the tree

*******

Last night we had our first holiday party! Dinner at Bonefish Grill as a thank you for volunteer time on a Board where I serve. Many of the people on this Board are on my floor at work and have already met Tommy..so dinner was more of a catching up than a meet and greet. Good thing, because there was just shy of 40 of us there crammed into two long tables. No time to be shy!

I got the mahi mahi and Tommy got steak. Their garlic whipped potatoes never fail and neither did the glass of Moscato.

Burlap is IN.

2011-12-06T12:25:00.006-06:00

Ok I've been MIA. I had a post planned; in fact, I started it on BLACK FRIDAY!!

Then my power cord stopped working. And my laptop wouldn't turn on. And then I balked at the $70 replacement HP cord in BestBuy and ordered one online. It has arrived and I will get my beloved Black Friday post up soon. Which, oddly enough, has nothing to do with Black Friday at all.

OK! On to my new burlap obsession.

Burlap is totally in this holiday season. Stockings, wreaths, door hangers,even ornaments! You name it, you can just about get it in this material.

Like these here, found on Etsy:

1. here 2. here 3. here

1. here 2. here

1. here 2. here

1. here 2. here

All those stockings are gorgeous! I've got to get some for Tommy and me, and I feel like burlap is manly enough for Tommy (sans the ruffles, of course).
MAN do I love Etsy this time of year..

Wednesday Phone Dump

2011-11-30T07:00:00.016-06:00

1) Breakfast for dinner - AGAIN.    2) Pier 1 Christmas decorations!     3) Leftover cake from Thanksgiving.

1) Gorgeous JCrew bags    2) Even more gorgeous JCrew necklace.    3) Sweet husband with little Emily.

1) DQ "mini" heath bar blizzard - yummy but expensive for it's tiny size!!    2) Picking out a Christmas tree! 3)Morning snack - low fat vanilla yogurt with granola

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T09:00:00.031-06:00

We're usually traveling on Thanksgiving Eve.

That was no different this year. For as long as I can remember, I've spent the night with Mom and helped her put up her tree. We have hot chocolate and string hundreds of lights and what must be MILLIONS of ornaments onto her tree..moving them around until they are all in just the right spot.

I have so much to be thankful for this year.

TWO new jobs (neither of us had one on Thanksgiving last year).
New neighbors.
This year I married my best friend.

My new women's Bible study group is awesome.

I'm thankful this sweet baby's heart is still going strong.

We have a roof over our heads.
And food in the fridge.

I'm thankful we were able to take a trip with some of my family last month.

But the most important of all - I'm thankful Tommy and I have our Savior in our hearts.

My faith has grown leaps and bounds this year. I'm doing better at giving my worries to the Lord and trucking on - head high.

Happy Thanksgiving! Eat all the yumminess you can stand!

Wednesday Phone Dump

2011-11-23T07:00:00.004-06:00

Today is a half day for me. Tommy's gotta work all day so there's no point in enjoying a whole day off without him. The one and only day at work where you are allowed to take a half day vacation...and I'm going in to work. Booo. It's by choice, so the complaining stops here. :)

Judging by all the food in my phone pics every week, I'd better consider fasting today before the Thanksgiving feast tomorrow.

1. the CFA story       2. a sink full of dishes after a night full of fellowship       3. tiny khakis

1. Sunday morning coffee       2. sweet baby holiday bokeh

1. yum, supper       2. Hungry Howie's $6 pizza       3. flowers at work

Pinterest Faves!

2011-11-22T07:49:00.001-06:00

It's Thanksgiving week...the start of my favorite time of year!

Tommy and I carpool a few days a week. This morning we were on the way to work and I heard two guys on the radio chatting about how one already had his Christmas tree up, and the other doesn't like to hear about any holiday decorations until after Thanksgiving. The age old debate, right?

My take on this, as a Christian, is any time people want to gather to celebrate Jesus's birthday - the more the merrier and the happier my heart.

A few pinterest faves on this holiday week..

(1. here) (2. here)

(1. here) (2. here) (3. here)

(1. here) (2. here)

(1. here) (2. here) (3. here)

(1. here) (2. here) (3. here)

Wednesday Phone Dump

2011-11-16T07:00:00.005-06:00

1) I won't go thirsty at work.      2) Friday morning CFA breakfast with hubs      3) Friday night froyo at Cold Snap

1)Pretty frame at Christmas Jubilee      2) Wreath at Christmas Jubilee

1) Corn from the grill      2) Pretty small frames (top row) at Christmas Jubilee      3) Funny napkins :)

Those frames at the Christmas Jubilee were so pretty, but the large one was $81! I couldn't bring myself to pay that for it..but I wanted to. Just over 1 week to Thanksgiving!!

Weekend List

2011-11-13T17:27:00.000-06:00

How about a list?

1. Friday night Brooke spent the night with us. I left work a tad early and didn't have time to even check the mail before she was pulling into the driveway! She and I had dinner at McAlisters followed by a bit of shopping at the mall. Then, since Tommy got off work late, we kept him company at Wings so he could eat dinner. We rounded out the night with fro yo, courtesy of my sweet coworker Sarah who gave me a gift card to Cold Snap for my birthday.

2. Saturday Brooke and I went to the Christmas Jubilee. I was disappointed this year and actually spent more money parking and buying our tickets than I did inside. I bought these two ~~overpriced~~ cute ornaments!

3. We've been married over 4 months now and I still haven't edited our wedding album (so our photogs can place our order). Seriously, how do you decide which 1200 pics to put on 28 pages?? Insane. That's been at the top of my list for weeks. It's time to bite the bullet and make a decision already.

4. I'm getting excited about our first Christmas together as a married couple. There'll be lots of firsts -- a full, live Christmas tree, waking up together in the same home on Christmas morning, CHRISTMAS CARDS!!

5. I'm having a hard time finding longer sleeved shirts for work. I have found a few casual shirts (thank GOODNESS, a few weeks ago I kept coming up empty handed every time I went to the mall!) but only one dressy shirt thus far. The search is still very much ON, but I've lost some of my energy. I always find things I like at The Limited but they have lots of solids and I'm looking to spice it up a bit this year.. I got this shirt from Target in navy print and I like this one from Old Navy, too.

My BFF gave me a gift card to Loft for my birthday; I typically have great luck there so I've got my fingers crossed.

6. The seasonal Bath and Body Works coupons are out in full force. I must have 4 in my possession as I type this! I haven't fallen prey this season, though...I went in Friday night and only purchased 4 bottles of antibacterial soap (on sale 4 for $10!!) and decided against the urge to spend another $20 on candles/wallflowers/etc so I could get my discount. I'm sure there'll be other opportunities before my coupons expire..I will stock up on the Slaktin candles when they go 2 for $20, for sure. :) Oh and I'll need wallflowers too. The new apple crisp scent is DELICIOUS.

7. I'm opening our home to my Bible study group this coming Friday night. I'm excited to meet the girls that have been studying Ruth with me for the last 5 weeks.

8. I've worn my new boots twice already and they did not disappoint. Now I just need more leggings and skinnies! Vicious cycle...

9. I've washed 3 loads of clothes and 1 load of towels this weekend. How do 2 people wear that much clothing in one week? I'm not sure how it happened..perhaps we had on many layers with the weather changing.

10. Last week I broke in my KitchenAid mixer on sausage balls. They were good. As was the mixer.

Talk of the mixer reminds me of a conversation Tommy and I had recently. We need a new fryer (he loves to cook fries and chicken nuggets). He's specific about the kind he wants; he's been looking at Bed Bath & Beyond since we have gifts cards leftover from the wedding. He picked one out - it was $180!! So I said something along the lines of, "With my rebate, that's about as much as I paid for the mixer!" meaning "Why would we spend that much money on a fryer??" And he kindly pointed out that he would use that fryer more than I would use our mixer, most likely...and he's right. So I lost. I told him to order it if he wanted. Fortunately, for this scenario, he's a procrastinator and he's forgotten about it. Probably only just for the moment. He'll remember when he's ready to buy one, I'm sure. Ha!!

The canvases and letter B are for an upcoming project and my pumpkin, over a month old, is still going.

Here's to a full upcoming week. Thanksgiving is just under 2 weeks away!

Wednesday Phone Dump

2011-11-09T07:00:00.003-06:00

So apparently all I document about my life is food I eat and drinks I drink. At least that's all I seem to capture with my iPhone.

1) Wine and birthday cake 2) Saturday breakfast - sweet tea and english muffin smeared with cream cheese 3) Monday morning fuel - PSL..love their sayings{let's merry}, and my first holiday cup!

1) Breakfast for supper on a Monday night 2) New boots! 3) Pinterest gallery I like

This week is flying by... so much going on here that I haven't stopped to even blog the rest of the hundreds of mounting pics I took in TN!!

Wednesday Phone Dump

2011-11-02T07:00:00.073-05:00

1) Lots of pecans      2) Weeknight supper      3) Pier 1 Christmas tree

1) Pumpkin Spice Dunkin's - yum!      2) Birthday cupcakes from Twist from Tommy      3) Birthday cake from my coworkers

1) Sunday lunch      2) Fresh new pj pants from Target

1) Mini Toms - too cute!      2) New Christmas ornaments

Happy Birthday to me!

2011-11-01T21:34:00.000-05:00

Fabulous day!

29 is not so bad.

Tommy took me to a birthday lunch at McAlisters and then dinner at Macaroni Grill -- both my picks. After getting my camera lens this weekend, Tommy gave me a birthday card this morning with money in it, then took me to Dillards after dinner to buy the boots I've been wanting.

(here)

I turned down the saleslady's offer to buy the last pair of (scuffed) boots at Dillards so we came home and I ordered them online (after finding a 20% off coupon code at Retailmenot -- whoooo!)

My coworkers surprised me with a chocolate cake with chocolate icing and vanilla ice cream at work today-- I'll be eating salads and drinking nothing but water for DAYS to regulate how I've eaten the last few days..but it's been worth it. :)

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T13:13:00.000-05:00

I always have a hard time deciding how to celebrate Halloween since my birthday is the next day. Even since college, I've never been willing to do Halloween parties, potentially jeopardizing my ability to enjoy birthday cake.

Speaking of birthdays, Tommy and I give each other a small present every day beginning one week leading up to our big day.

Here's the lowdown of what I've gotten so far:

Wednesday -- car wash and detail (Tommy has to do the work)

Thursday -- a large sweet tea from McDonalds, which I REALLY needed at the time

Friday -- a pack of pull and peel Twizzlers

Saturday -- an iTunes gift card

Sunday -- a Starbucks gift card

I used my Sbux gift card on a grande PSL this morning. YUM.

Thursday was a hard day at work for me. It was long, and it's year end, and having been out half a day Friday and the Monday prior, I needed something to get me through the rest of the evening (I say evening cause there were some late hours involved -- nothing like my last job, but extra hours nonetheless). Here's the convo that got me my sweet tea Thursday:

I'm not sure what I said that did it, but he showed up a few hours later when I was in the middle of addressing a fiasco that involved our email eating our CPE certificates. It was frantic but the tea got me through the chaos. :)

Friday he kept asking me if I was willing to open my "big" present early. I LOVE surprises and I generally am willing to wait for them, but he was so excited and I could tell he had reasons for asking me to open it early. Bright and early Saturday morning he gave it to me and I opened a new camera lens! He coordinated getting my Mom, Aunts, and his Mom to go in on it with him -- he did such a great job! He wanted me to open it Saturday so I could use it this weekend...knowing I wouldn't be able to use it any this week, still working late every night. Sweet husband.

We haven't had many trick or treaters in the past..and I don't expect to have many tonight, considering what time I'll get home. We're stocked up with Nerds and 3Musketeers in case my neighbors' nephew decides to drop by...but other than that, I doubt I get to see too many cute costumes.

Rambling with some Pinterest ideas mixed in...

2011-10-27T07:00:00.027-05:00

Things are so crazy here. Nothing special, just fast paced. It's Thursday already??! Geez..

Monday night when we got home from our trip I washed a load of clothes. There was only time to wash and dry 1 load. I remember taking off my nail polish RIGHT before collapsing into bed, knowing I wouldn't force myself to do it Tuesday morning -- but also knowing there was no way I was going to work with my polish chipped so badly. I got up Tuesday morning and put two coats of paint on while eating a bowl of cereal at 6:30 in the morning, but threw the top clear coat bottle into my purse and applied it during my lunch hour.

See. Nothing special..just much going on.

*****

FYI. This post was supposed to be Mountain Vacation, Take 2...but Flickr would only let me upload this one pic earlier. Not a bad pic, but it doesn't document much about our trip. Other than the fact that Aunt Julia was there. HA.

*****
I've seen so many pins on Pinterest lately on striped walls. I REALLY want to do stripes..nothing stark.. just a bit of accent. I think it would really jazz up our hallway but I'm not convinced it's the place for stripes. Straight lines are not exactly my forte.

Hopefully I'll make up my mind soon. Our DIY list lately includes using what we already have (i.e. projects started but not finished -- read: mirror that's been sitting in my foyer area for months but has yet to be hung) and spending little money.
*****
Last night I made sausage balls using this recipe. I'm always unsure about making them without first completely cooking the sausage but they were good. I packed some in my lunch today.
*****
I'm jealous that I'm not one of those people who doesn't have to wash her hair every day. I've tried..and I just cannot go in public (read -- work) with my hair scraggle...and TRUST ME, it's scraggle when I wake up and get out of bed.

I'm tired of wearing my hair the same way everyday. Wash, ocassionally use mousse, dry,curl. End of story.

But I see pics like these and I want these styles:

1) here 2) here 3) here

We'll see how it goes when I give them a try..

Happy Thursday! Almost there.. :)

Wednesday Phone Dump

2011-10-26T07:00:00.030-05:00

1) Smokey Mountains      2) Pretty decoration at Christmas store      3) Saints football at the mountain house

4) Sweet baby outfit      5) We tried to win big!      6) Lots of hamburger for lots of taco soup

7) Chandy fit for a mountain house      8) Jack-o-lantern basket      9) Christmas coffee cup

Mountain Vacation, Round 1

2011-10-25T07:00:00.058-05:00

Tommy and I left shortly after 1 Friday afternoon headed towards Birmingham. We stopped off to see sweet baby Ava for a bit and then headed north to Pigeon Forge, arriving around 11 pm local time. With the stops and time change, it was only just over 8 hours total drive from Mobile. Not too bad.

Fortunately some people waited up for us! :) After getting some much needed sleep, we were up and out to explore Saturday morning. We hit a local Fall Festival, Christmas shops, had lunch at the Apple Barn, drank coffee, enjoyed the sights, bought Lotto tickets..all the things you might do on vacay.

Happy Monday!

2011-10-24T21:17:00.000-05:00

Since I last blogged Wednesday of last week, my BFF had a baby and I spent the last few days looking at scenes like this:

We spent our time at the mountain house this past weekend. And on the way back home today, I got to snuggle a newborn, even if only for a few minutes.

Life is good. :)

Wednesday Phone Dump

2011-10-19T07:00:00.040-05:00

I'm a little short on pictures this week. Most of the pics I took were of Tommy's little cousin Emily so I have only 6 random photos. And most are of food. HA!

1) CFA - yum. 2) New loofah..love deep purple this time of year. 3) Cool, fall morning.

Saturday morning I went over to the Eastern Shore area to shop a bit and made it just in time to get Chick Fil A for breakfast. The one in Daphne has the BEST biscuits. I'm pretty sure it's because they butter the tops. The biscuits at the one I go to in Mobile can be crumbly... and trust me, I've had my fair share. This one was just as I'd hoped. I washed it down with a large sweet tea.. no better way to spend Saturday morning breakfast, I say.

4) No fancy serving dishes for dinner. 5) Nightcap. :) 6) My favorite necklace broke. TWICE. :(

Last night I got busy when I got home and we were having tortellini with spaghetti sauce. I didn't have time to make a salad, but I knew Tommy would want bread. And despite the $140 I spent in Wal-Mart on Sunday, I failed to get any Texas Toast. We're rarely without it. But we had hamburger buns, butter, and Lawry's Garlic Seasoning so I improvised. But he got home and I was rushing to get it all ready (I was hungry!!) and rather than search for something to put that bread on, I just grabbed what was closest. Once i sat down at the table, I realized how funny it looked.. :)

Halfway there!! Whoooo!

Fall = good.

2011-10-18T12:49:00.000-05:00

I intended to publish this yesterday and got distracted. :)

Every year our town does a "fall display" and it usually looks like this here.. I stopped to take a pic this weekend because it makes me thankful I live in a place where I get to experience changing of seasons.

******

Saturday morning Tommy walked out to head to work and then came right back in and said, "Look out the front door." We'd been "rolled." But not really, cause just the tree closest to our house had 1 strand of toilet paper hanging. Most of the houses on our street had 1 strand in their yard..like someone wanted to hit everyone's house but not do a good job on ANY.

That is..until we came home around 9 Saturday night. I took this picture Sunday morning of one of our neighbors' house. We left around 4:30 Saturday afternoon and came home around 9 that night..so whoever rolled her house must have been feeling lucky, everyone in the neighborhood would have been awake when this yard was rolled. Poor girl.

*****
Sunday afternoon I made myself head to Wal-Mart. Tommy's a nice husband and he typically can be persuaded to go for me (a simple "if you go to WM Monday on your day off, you don't have to help clean anything all week" will usually get me out of grocery duty). But, we were out of almost everything, and while he's good at following a grocery list, he's not all that great at walking all the aisles and throwing healthy foods in the cart.

Did I mention there were LOADS of people there and only 6 lanes open? I almost put my ice cream back.. thankfully, it was ok. I had some last night. Um..so much for "throwing healthy foods in the cart," right? HA.

It's Tuesday and I watched almost all my shows last night. I'm light years ahead of where I was this time last Tuesday. Life is good. :)

TGIF.

2011-10-14T13:51:00.000-05:00

I mean that with everything I've got. T-freakin'-GIF. It's been a long week. Not troubling, but a week where I got behind on Monday, and had to DVR all shows going forward cause I just couldn't seem to get back up to speed.

I plan to spend this weekend watching football, tackling that guest bedroom (that I've been working on for months), and perhaps throw in some DIY. We'll see.

Pinterest images that made me smile this week..

1) here 2) here 3) here

4) here 5) here 6) here

7) here 8) here

9) here 10) here

{The episode of The Office where Jim and Pam get married is my favorite. White kitchen cabinets with glass doors make my heart happy.What kid wouldn't want those "cups" at their birthday party? Pumpkins and burlap and deep purples and fall are among us. Be happy!}

Wednesday Phone Dump

2011-10-12T07:00:00.013-05:00

1) Chandy at IP Casino        2) Brooke's birthday present - purse from AE       3) Pretty dress at Dillards..couldn't bring myself to pay $79 for it. :(

4) One of Brooke's birthday cakes           5) Bowling           6) Bible study

7) Supper      8) Breakfast of champions      9) Tall water and KitKat -- year end must haves

Pumpkin Patch Pictures

2011-10-11T07:00:00.028-05:00

I mentioned I went to a local pumpkin patch this past weekend. I used muscles in my legs I obviously haven't used in a long time, getting up and down and in little Emily's face. I'm pretty sure it caused me to score low and lose all of my bowling games Saturday night, but it was worth it.

As was the $15 pumpkin I brought home (no judging - there were $65 pumpkins too.)

I took over 250 pics of sweet Emmy..she was exhausted by the time we left. We couldn't have been there more than an hour.. bless her sweet heart. She was a trooper...picking up baby sized pumpkins and throwing them, yelling "BALL!" and then getting angry because they didn't bounce. They did roll, though. Fortunately.

Since she's not my baby, I'll just post some pictures without showing her face. We really should have taken these pictures a few hours earlier or waited until later in the evening, because the shadows are harsh...but I worked with what I had available. LOVE her. So sweet.

{Birthday Bowling}

2011-10-10T07:05:00.043-05:00

I feel like lately I'm always saying "our weekend was full." They really have been. I like it that way most of the time.

With his new job, Tommy's been working Saturdays. He's been going in at 7, which means his alarm goes off at 6. In the MORNING. On a SATURDAY.

And lately, I haven't been able to go back to sleep. So I do what any normal wife would do..clean. That's normal, right?

This Saturday I got up and made me a list. Usually when I can think of more than 2 things I need to accomplish, I make a list. My brain forgets easily. I knew I was meeting little Emily and her parents at a local pumpkin patch to take some pictures..and then I needed to pop in to TJMaxx and Bath and Body Works to replace a Wallflower. I also wanted to look for some work shirts (can't seem to find any long sleeve work shirts I like..that aren't all solid colors) and pop in Rite Aid to take advantage of some deals I knew were going on this week.

But the most exciting part, by far, was my family coming down to celebrate Brooke's birthday.

Last week she turned 16. To celebrate, we had dinner, cake, and a family ~~competition~~ game of bowling. Unfortunately, I didn't get warmed up until our third game...so Tommy gets bragging rights. The 10 of us bowled for 2 hours, on 3 lanes..we were exhausted when it was all said and done.

Wednesday Phone Dump

2011-10-05T22:20:00.004-05:00

We are so busy this week. With year end here at work, and Tommy working on extra projects, we go 1000 mph all day. I've slept so hard every night this week, my body thanks me as soon as I get in bed... no restless nights for me. Wish I could say the same for Tommy, he doesn't sleep well.

1) Sparkle wrapping paper at Michael's      2) Pretty ribbon      3) After work drink for TBell

The Michaels in town relocated into our old Barnes and Noble and it's HUGE! All kinds of stuff in there. Last Friday after work Tommy and I had dinner out in Mobile and we headed to the mall afterwards. I got a PSL (a tall, pat me on the back please!) and then he dropped me off at Michaels while he headed to Best Buy. I walked, snapped a few pics, and sipped my nightcap.

1) and 2) My desk at 2 pm today - giant mess!      3) Cute tunic I saw online at Target

1) Mexican cornbread muffins      2) Recipe for Jim 'N Nicks cheese muffins     3) Fav text on parentsshouldnttext online

Does the 1 cup of sugar on the Jim 'N Nicks look like a lot to you too? It was..they were more like cheese cupcakes..with no icing, of course. For Round 2, I'll use a different recipe.

Ok, that's it. Time for bed. We found out this week the mountain house my family rented was sold and we got an upgrade! Can't say I'm upset about that...pretty soon I'll be wearing my scarves, sipping something warm, and enjoying the scenery.

Night night!

Mexican Cornbread

2011-10-01T14:04:00.000-05:00

It's a gorgeous day outside! I got up at 6-ish when Tommy's alarm went off -- he headed to work sometime after 6:30 this morning.

Here's a detailed recap of my day thus far (I feel accomplished): I got up, had coffee and scrambled eggs, stripped our bed and washed the sheets, showered, repainted my toenails and painted my nails, got dressed and dried my hair and put on makeup, washed a load of clothes, ran to the store to get extras for cornbread, and then made the cornbread.

Let me backtrack and say that we go to the Bells' home for most football games and they are having chili tonight. While we were together at dinner last night, someone mentioned they wanted mexican cornbread today. I knew I could make regular cornbread, so I thought I'd give it a try...and this could be our contribution to today since my MIL was making chili.

And while I was making this in the kitchen I thought, "Ah, yes, blog about this experience. It may not go well." I'll save that for the end.

One more thought before I start -- I googled mexican cornbread recipes and there were a bunch online. But my MIL called this morning and said, "If you have a regular cornbread recipe, [my sister] called and said she just adds a can of whole kernel corn, cheese and jalapenos to hers." So this is what I went with.

NOW -- let's start with ingredients. My foundation was my recipe for regular cornbread.

My Mom taught me 1-1-1:

1 cup cornmeal

1 cup butter milk**

1 egg

Extras to make it mexican style:

jalapenos

grated cheese

whole kernel corn

**Today I didn't have buttermilk. In fact, often I DON'T have buttermilk on hand. So I use whatever milk I have in the house, usually skim milk. And since skim milk is considerably thinner than buttermilk, I usually use 1/2 a cup of skim milk in my regular cornbread. That's what I started with today.

You'll notice there's no measurements for the "mexican style extras." I bought a jar of slicked jalapenos, used shredded cheese I had on hand, and bought a can of whole kernel corn. Any mixture of those will do. I would guess I used 1/2 cup of jalapenos, 1 cup of cheese, and not quite half a can of corn. I just threw ingredients in as I went.

Let me stop right here and make something known:

Hi, my name is Lauren and I married into a family that likes their food as hot as humans can possibly stand it.

I knew I couldn't use too many jalapenos. That's why I threw them in willy nilly. If you like a normal spiciness to your mexican cornbread, you might want to watch how many you put in. Just FYI.

Finally!! On to the picture portion of this post. {I didn't save these pics high quality, so I'll go ahead and say sorry for the poor presentation in some cases.}

An obligatory picture of the ingredients I started with. You'll also need a container to put yours in and some nonstick spray. I wanted to do muffins, so I used a 24 mini muffin pan.

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Panic later, because you realize that's what you cook your large pan of cornbread at..and since you're using a mini muffin pan, it will probably take less time to cook and you do NOT want your prized cornbread to be dry. Call your mother (who has all the answers to life's problems) and ask her what to do. She'll likely tell you to just turn the oven down to 350 or 375.

2. Start with your first three ingredients -- in today's case, 1 cup cornmeal, 1/2 cup milk, and 1 egg. Combine in a bowl and mix together. ****Here's the part where I note that today, once I mixed in my 1/2 cup milk, I knew it would be too dry when I mixed in the other ingredients. So I added milk a little at a time until I was comfortable with the consistency. Probably a tablespoon at a time. I probably used close to a cup of milk, total, when all was said and done.

3. Stir in your 1 cup of cheese. If you like more, throw in more. I did.

4. Finely chop your jalapenos. Add them in.

5. Open your can of corn. I put in not quite half a can because I didn't want it to have too much corn. Add as much as you like, just adjust with milk to get the final mixture to a consistency you like.

6. Once you've combined all your ingredients and you're good with the consistency, it's time to put them in your dish/muffin tin. I sprayed each of the 24 cups with Pam spray. Make sure you cover the sides in the cups, you don't want your cornbread to stick to the sides.

This is a pic of what was left after I filled my 24 mini tins. You can see there's barely any mix left in my bowl..and of course, I still have half a can of corn.

7. Put your muffins in the oven and bake at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes. At this point, I stuck a toothpick in mine to make sure it was clean. It was, so I turned the bake off and turned the broil on for 2 minutes to get the tops of my muffins a bit brown and crispy. At this point, the smell will take over your kitchen and you will get hungry.

Here's a before and after:

Finally, break one open. Closely inspect to make sure it's done in the middle, even though your toothpick came out clean..just to satisfy your OCD/Type A personality.

Then eat it. Don't leave any crumbs on the napkin either. Eat those too. You won't regret it. Don't even wait to get butter out and spread on it. Ok, you can if you aren't a pig like me.

See the one here on the far right, where it looks like it got stuck a bit to the bottom of the muffin cup? I ate that one too before I took them over to the Bells at lunch time. :)

Don't forget to call your Mom back and let her know your competition winning mexican cornbread is divine.

A recap, because I know this is hard to follow:

Mexican Cornbread

1 cup cornmeal

1 cup butter milk (or regular milk, adjusted for consistency)

1 egg

1/4 cup jalapenos, finely chopped (adjust to taste)

1 cup grated cheese (adjust to taste)

1/2 can whole kernel corn (adjust to taste)

If using muffin tins: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine all 6 ingredients in a bowl. Spray nonstick spray into muffin cups and fill each one approximately 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 15 minutes, or until done. Broil for 2 minutes to get tops of muffins brown and crispy.

Happy Saturday -- Roll Tide!

Wednesday Phone Dump and other random thoughts

2011-09-28T21:28:00.001-05:00

It's been a busy week / last weekend in the Bell home. Saturday I went to Brooke's band competition. Sunday we went to Foley to the outlet mall to shop for clothes. Monday night we celebrated Tommy's parents' 30th Anniversary wtih tickets to the Gulf Coast Tennis Challenge where we watched Andy Roddick, Mardy Fish, and the Byran Brothers play a while. I took over 150 photos at the tennis event alone! And I spent last night trying to clean up from all that fun.

I just haven't had time this week to pull the images off my memory stick and run them through Photoshop.

**********

In other news -- I was upgraded to PayPal's Advantage status. Um, that's for people who spend over $5 big ones a year with PayPal..and since I don't, my upgrade was complimentary and for a limited time. Who cares? This doesn't really sound like good news, you say? Well, my upgrade came with a coupon code for free Starbucks. What?!?! PSL!? Gimme gimme gimme.

And if you're wondering if it's a hoax or not, it's not..I already got my certificate for my free coffee in my purse. WHOOOOOOOP!

Moving on...

***********

I made taco soup last night. It was delicious. Tommy doesn't eat it..he really only eats chili..no soups..weird. So I get it all to myself. I believe I saw on Pinterest an idea of freezing leftover soup in a silicone muffin pan and popping them out when they are done and storing them in the freezer so you can thaw only enough for one serving (2-3 little muffin sizes would be good for lunch) at a time. Genius, right? Especially when you live in a household where only 1 of 2 like soup.

***********
Speaking of this phone dump...my Flickr app was acting funny. And what about TMZ?? The ads are excessive.

1. Moscato wine 2. Pretty dress from Forever21 3. Baby bananas

4. Fabric at Hancock 5. Andy Roddick 6. My first time to light the Egg solo

7. My cousin made this sweet hat! 8. Funny article in USA's school newspaper, The Vanguard

Is it just me or has this week flown by???

TGIF!

2011-09-23T13:03:00.000-05:00

Sometime in the ladder part of next month my family has rented what I'm calling a "mountain house" and Tommy and I are headed into the Smokies for a few days with them. It's a come as you want and go when you please type deal.. so it will be fun to experience different mixes of family on different days.

I anticipate laughter. Coffee. Crisp mornings and evenings. A need for long sleeves. Sight-seeing. Photo taking. Enjoying the company of those it's been too long since you've last seen.

And if I'm truly lucky, images like these:

(one)(two)

Friday is my favorite day of the week. Odd, you might would think it's Saturday..or Sunday. Either weekend day.. But there's so much anticipation on Friday when I get up..knowing I have the whole weekend ahead of me. I hope you enjoy yours!

Halfway there, folks..

2011-09-21T12:43:00.000-05:00

It's been a slow start to this week for us. Not a lot going on except our shows are new this week. We watch waaaaay too much tv. Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights are full of shows we watch. Worth noting -- How I Met Your Mother, Two and a Half Men and Castle didn't disappoint Monday; I feel confident Modern Family will deliver tonight and I'm anxiously hopeful The Office will too tomorrow. Fingers crossed for some good tv coming our way!

***********
I saw this on Pinterest earlier this week:

"No matter how old you are, no matter how badass you think you are, if a toddler hands you their ringing toy phone, you answer it."

HA! I can so relate! It's true - we all would do it and most of us have done it in the past. :)

***********
I'm on the downhill slope to the 6 week small group women's study I'm doing at church. We've been doing Beth Moore's Living Free and it's been good for me. I looove Beth Moore..if you haven't read her post on her blog about opening Sunday at a church plant her daughter and son were a part of, you're missing out on some good laughter!

***********
Pics this week that make me happy:

(one)(two)

I now start my Mondays with a PSL..you should too.

2011-09-19T07:00:00.053-05:00

Tommy worked both Saturday and Sunday, so I spent most of the weekend cleaning. I started with our bedroom..and Sunday I moved on to the bedroom that I've ignored for so long. It's no where near finished, but I can see progress. I shredded old debit cards and outdated insurance information. I cleaned out the fridge and made a grocery list.

New flats.

Gorgeous throws from Pottery Barn, on sale for $50 down from $80. I'm trying to get some color in our master bedroom, and since the walls are a neutral color and the furniture black, I'm going with chartreuse and slate blues.. I couldn't decide if I wanted the blue or green throw here..so I left without either one. I am looking for the right fabric to DIY curtains for the room..so I will wait until I see what will go best with those.

Ribs and grilled corn. Oh, plus fried okra. Dinner. YUM.

Colorful tea towels, to wrap a housewarming gift for a sweet friend. And a fall table setting.. the "B" on that is brown, though it shows up black.

Foo's sweet tea...yum.

We're fastly approaching year-end at work so my days are going by more quickly. I can't complain..but it's almost October. Time for mums and pumpkins!

DIY Yarn Wreath

2011-09-17T08:08:00.001-05:00

So I finally finished my wreath! My arms are thanking me.

Here's what I started with:

A straw wreath, 50% off at Hobby Lobby: $2.49
Clearance yarn, color "paprika": $2 and some change
8 sheets of felt, 4/$1: $2

I followed directions I found online..and worked in sections about this size for a few days.. it was hard work, moving my yard in and out of the wreath every single time. You can see where I tied off my very first piece..no big deal, I just tucked it under. You can't see it now that the wreath is finished.

Life got busy and I lost steam. And then Mom and Aunt Babs came to visit yesterday and Aunt Babs helped me finish. Here it is completely wrapped, before any rosettes.

I followed directions I found online by googling "how to make felt rosettes" - there are TONS out there.

And, as it stands today - I feel like it's missing something. Perhaps a thick ribbon to hang it with at the top..and maybe some felt leaves on the rosettes...

Pinterest Favorites!

2011-09-15T17:30:00.000-05:00

A few Sayings to Remember and gallery wall goodness via Pinterest this week...

(all images from Pinterest)

Almost there to sweet, sweet weekend freedom. Happy Thursday!

Diaper Cake Tutorial

2011-09-14T07:00:00.000-05:00

Uh...I am aware there are hundreds, if not thousands, of diaper cake tutorials on the Internet. I know this because I googled myself before making this one for Em's shower.

But I thought I'd do a very simple, easy to follow breakdown (including costs) of how this came together for me.

Materials:

36 pk newborn diapers $10

4 pack of receiving blankets (only used 2) $13

2 pacis $3
1 pink pig $8

1 roll of ribbon $1.50

numerous rubber bands
4 Safety pins

pink scrunchy paper (what do you call this stuff??)

It's worth noting I used the diapers, pacis, and pink pig that were from Em's registry. I would have used receiving blankets from her registry, but there were no purple ones on there..and the burp cloths she registered for weren't long enough..so I had to improvise. And I had the other stuff on hand already.

All I knew when I started was that I did NOT want the diapers to show. My one and only goal.

Ok, let's get started. I'll keep this simple...numbered lists..cause I'm a Type A auditor and that's how I work.

1. Get a round pan to help guide you to make your bottom tier. Any will do. I had what I believe is an 8" round cake pan.

2. Open your pack of diapers. One diaper at a time, start at one end and roll until you can't roll anymore. For a teeniny newborn diaper, I could only roll twice and the rolling was over. Secure with a rubber band. Do this many, many more times. {I believe I did this just over 20 times for the bottom tier.}

3. When you've rolled about 20, start putting them in your pan, like this, until they are full enough to take up all the pan. Then place a bigger rubber band around the entire diaper tier. You'll discard the pan once you are comfortable your diapers are snug inside the big rubber band.

4. Now.. I don't know what you might want to use to make your 2nd tier...I used a tupperware bowl for mine (not pictured here obviously), but I believe I had a pack of 36 diapers..and if I used about 20-22 on the bottom, I knew how many I had left to work with for the top. So I rolled more tiny diapers until I was comfortable with the shape for the 2nd tier.

Once my two tiers were in place (2nd one just sitting on top of the 1st one), I took a receiving blanket, folded it in thirds longways, and wrapped it snug around my bottom tier. I used safety pins to hold it together so it wouldn't come off. Repeat for second tier.

5. This is the part where I finished up. I got out my pink scrunchy stuff and just put some under the 1st tier, 2nd tier, and under the pig on top. Then I put the pig on top. Next, I used my ribbon to tie a bow around the bottom tier and then placed the pacis where I thought they looked ok. THE END!

If I had bought a bigger pack of diapers, I would have made a 3 tier cake..but again, I improvised. Pink pig was the cake topper..and she was a hit with the other babies, I tell ya.

{Showering Emily & Ava} - An Owl Girl Baby Shower

2011-09-13T07:00:00.000-05:00

I'm so excited to share the details of this baby shower! My BFF is due late next month and I'm almost as ready for this sweet baby to get here as she is!
Kristin Fields designed our invite. Ava's bedding is from the Haley Collection at Pottery Barn Kids..so naturally we chose to use owls as our theme.

Get a load of the precious owl cake! We served Zoe's chicken salad on croissants, cheese straws, pigs in a blanket, fruit and fruit dip, cake, and pink lady punch. Favors were Rice Krispy treats, some covered in chocolate! YUM-O.

I made the diaper cake, covered with some receiving blankets and various items from her Target baby registry. I spray painted paper mache letters from Hobby Lobby (seen at Abode Love). Kari monogrammed a few onesies and we used leftover receiving blankets and the onesies to create a clothes line for decoration (also seen at Abode Love). It was beyond cute...

Em - we love you and hope you had a good time! I ate a leftover chicken salad sandie yesterday for lunch and it was delicious. :)

A late beach retreat...

2011-09-12T07:00:00.000-05:00

Man what a great weekend!

Saturday Tommy and I headed to Dauphin Island to spend the day with his family and watch football. Sunday, I headed home to Grove Hill for my BFF's baby shower. I ate and ate and ate...and when I was full to the brim, I ate some more. The downfall of football season..

Anyway - back to Dauphin Island. Tommy's Uncle is DI's Chief of Police, so his Aunt and Uncle live on the Island already..but his parents won a silent auction for a weekly rental on a beachhouse on the water and they'd already been chillaxing there since Thursday. We spent the day watching football, but before/after/during halftimes we walked along the water and I watched the men fish. There is proof that I was there..but like these pictures show, Tommy {and most of the other guys there} spent most of the time outdoors with his back to me, fishing.

{Remembering 9/11} Where were you?

2011-09-11T19:31:00.001-05:00

Freshman year at UA. English class.

I still have my CW newspaper from the next day...

I'd been to NYC prior to 9/11...and had visited the area around the WTC. But I will never in my life forget the first time I visited NYC after 9/11...the eerie quiet the moment I got off the subway at the WTC stop and exited those stairs to the streets.

God bless America.

Do you ♥ upholstered headboards as much as moi?

2011-09-09T07:00:00.000-05:00

Not only headboards..but those with nailhead trim. Which might be one of the greatest DIY inventions known to man. GENIOUS I tell you. Not that I have any experience with it..YET.

Here are a few I found while scouring Google and Pinterest..feast your eyes on this gloriousness!

Source: (one) (two) (three) (four)

For the 4th {and my favorite} pic, you can find her tutorial on how she DIYed this here.

We're saving money, so I won't be tackling this anytime soon..but it's been added to my list. And if you've read when I posted about my list, you know that doesn't mean anything. But I'm working on it...

TGIF!

{Oh, P.S. - happy 2 month anniversary to my husband. I ♥ you.}

See that middle picture?

2011-09-08T20:54:00.000-05:00

That's my hair. My wedding day hair. Well, the back/bottom of it, anyway. :)

I'm practically a celeb at my salon.

The Grand Hotel - Point Clear, Alabama

2011-09-07T07:02:00.000-05:00

I remembered that I forgot to post these pics from our trip to the Grand Hotel in Point Clear in early August. I was there for three nights for a conference, and since it was so close to home, Tommy came over and stayed with me for a bit. It really felt like a second honeymoon, only most of these expenses were paid for by someone else!

The grounds were beautiful. They fire a canon at 4 o'clock everyday; the o-ring of smoke was a favorite with all the little kids. :) On a clear day, you could see downtown Mobile when you looked out over the Bay.

It's PSL Opening Day, people!!

2011-09-06T08:11:00.011-05:00

Every year, around this time, Emily and I start trying to find out when PSL opening day will be. Fortunately, Em came across an article that alerted us that is might POSSIBLY be today. It's the day we've waited for all year (uh, well, coffee related). It doesn't trump my wedding, or Em's baby that's due next month.. but this is still pretty big for us. :)

Don't question it, just get there! Today! Don't miss out!

Local Pictures of Tropical Storm / Depression Lee

2011-09-05T17:23:00.002-05:00

I should have been a weather girl. Any opportunity for Bayou Sarah to top her flood stage - I'm ON IT.

Even with the rain, the extra day off was nice. I woke up without an alarm this morning. Tommy was supposed to work today, but the ground must have been too saturated because he got to stay home. Here's to a happy wife! Our two days off don't align, usually, so it takes little to make me happy. After grits and sausage for breakfast, we took another long nap. Once we woke up, we were hungry again, and I was curious about the water levels we decided to get out and explore.

First, let me show you my rain gauges. The pic on the left, just over 8", was Saturday, just after a hard rain. It was full when I emptied it, so I would guess we got more than 8" before I started over again. The pic on the right I took earlier today. So at least 14" since this rain started on Friday. You can bet I won't be watering any flowers this week!

Here are some pics of how our neighborhood and the Bayou Sarah areas look after TD Lee. Mostly just a lot of water sitting in low lying areas and debris on the ground. No major damage that we could see.

Jamaica mon! - Whitehouse to Montego Bay

2011-09-02T07:21:00.008-05:00

I took these pictures on the bus ride leaving our resort, headed back to the hotel. This is what I imagine most of Jamaica looks like.

I'm looking forward to this holiday weekend - even WITH all the rain we're supposed to get. Whoooo for 3 days!

Jamaica mon! - Part II

2011-09-01T07:09:00.007-05:00

As I look back through these pics, I can still hear Bob Marley in my head.. he was a buff-a-lo sol-ja, figh-ting for a-mer-i-ca...aye yi yi, aye yi yi yi...

Jamaica mon! - Round 1

2011-08-31T07:15:00.007-05:00

Obviously, these wedding/honeymoon recaps are willy nilly. I'll get them all in order on the Our Wedding tab in the navbar up top...eventually.

I took over 300 pics on our honeymoon! Crazy! Probably cause I was in love with my new camera. Still am, in fact.

After our wonderful wedding day, Tommy and I spent the night at the Battle House hotel in downtown Mobile. We had the Presidential Suite, a corner room {an upgrade, mind you} with a priceless view of the Alabama State Docks! We weren't there long, though..we got to the hotel around 10:30 that night and checked out around 6 that next morning to catch our flight.

Did I mention Tommy kept the honeymoon destination a secret from me? Yep, I didn't find out we were headed to Jamaica until I stuck my credit card into the Delta self service machine and it showed me my final destination.

We arrived at the Montego Bay, Jamaica airport, filtered through customs {filled out paperwork for the first time as a married couple}, picked up our luggage and headed to the Sandals lounge..where we waited for our bus. We were taken to a bus, and on a 1 1/2 hour ride from the airport to our resort. And it was BLISSFUL.

Here I am in the Battle House.. what you might see if puffy eyes from little sleep, and no time for curling my hair. What I see, aside from the puffy eyes and no time for curling my hair, is a bride that thought she might NEVER get all the bobby pins and hairspray out of her hair from the night before! :) I'm lucky I had any hair at all on that, really..there must have been 50 pins in my hair.

Now, on to the good stuff.

Today is our Engagement Anniversary!

2011-08-30T18:42:00.000-05:00

Ha. It is. On this day, about this time of night, Tommy was asking me to marry him. And shortly thereafter, he told his Granny there "was going to be a new addition to the family" and since she already considered me family after 7 years of dating, she thought that meant I was pregnant...and then she called Tommy's parents to discuss it. You can see where this went...

******

Today my Minted ~~Mommy Cards~~ enclosure cards came - they are fantastic! The carstock is so deliciously thick.. I can't wait to use one. {Ignore that the card is out of focus in this picture, please.} You have until September 23rd to get your very own. Even if you think you don't need them, you do. Trust me on this one, k?

******

Everyone loves Chick Fil A, right?

If you haven't already, go to http://www.chick-fil-aforbreakfast.com/ to register for your free breakfast (at participating locations) next week.

******
A little Pinterest love:

(one) (two)

Directions on how to fold the scarf -- Fold scarf in half. Loop around neck. Pull only one strand of the scarf through the loop. Twist loop, then pull other strand through.

Happy Tuesday!

I ♥ Pinterest & Fridays & Weekends

2011-08-26T07:30:00.094-05:00

Ok...I'm addicted to Pinterest. I tried to stay away, knowing it would consume me. And it has. But I LOVE it. And I need it to complete my days. Well, Pinterest and Tommy.

Source:
(one)(two)(three)

Toms are my new obsession. OMG - do you see those baby Toms?!? I NEED these grey ones.

It's been a busy week. I sold all the excess manzanita branches we ordered for the wedding and it's been a madhouse..I had 13 people email trying to buy 49 branches..and one girl bought 25! So it got MESSY. We got it under control, fortunately, but not before this happened.

Yeah it SUCKED. I don't wanna talk about it. There are still glass shards on the floor..I know it. I'm scared to walk barefoot in my living room.

One of my coworkers is leaving tomorrow so work has been busy (I welcome it, actually). We

Late last night I remembered I started on my bedroom and closet last weekend, and since this weekend is fastly approaching, I had better finish it before I pick another room this weekend. I think I listed the manzanita branches and didn't expect such a large interest and got majorly sidetracked. Yeah, that's what happened. Oh well..getting those branches out of the house takes care of a large portion of cleaning the living and dining rooms. Winning!

TGIF!

For the love of yarn wreaths...

2011-08-24T07:18:00.026-05:00

As fall is making it's way around the corner, and in connection with cleaning out my hall closet, I realized I don't have a good wreath or anything for our front door for this time of year.

{Now's a good time to note that I associate the start of September with fall and whether the weather (ha! I made a funny!) cooperates or not, summer colors are brought inside and replaced with fall-like tones.}

If you had the pleasure of seeing my wedding registry, you know I registered for this (but didn't get it):

(source)

Woah, that's a BIG pumpkin in yo face!

It would have been perfect on my front door..or on a yard stake by my front walkway..or sitting on my porch near a mum..or..well, ENDLESS possibilities.

Now that I've been sucked into Pinterest, I've feasted my eyes on one of this fall season's most popular DIY items!

Sources:
(one) (two) (three) (four) (five) (six) (seven) (eight)

The ruffles are too cute..and the felt flowers are supposedly easy to make. I'm definitely gonna give this one a try.. it's basically a straw wreath (with the plastic still left on), yarn, and any embellishments you need.

If you're not interested in DIYing yourself, ItzFitz on Etsy had many a cute wreath when I was searching for inspiration.

Before & After - Kitchen and Bathroom Updates

2011-08-23T07:34:00.007-05:00

If I were a good blogger, I would have done a better job with my pictures and clearing off the bathroom counter. But I had a small window. A small window where my husband was in the mood to help install stuff. Drill holes. Get out the stud finder. Measure accurately.

Don't get me wrong..he'll help. All I have to do is ask. Anytime. But you know as well as I do there's a major difference when someone is in the mood to help.. :)

First up - sliding cabinet organizer. We registered for these on our Bed Bath and Beyond registry. I knew they would be a tremendous help getting pots/pans out of these cabinets. Unfortunately, we could only install one on the top shelf because of the hinges on the bottom of the cabinet door.

You can find the cabinet organizer here.

Next up - towel ring in the master bath. I bought this house in 2008 and have lived here over 3 years without any towels bars/rings in there. Mostly, I couldn't decide where I wanted to hang them. So I just did without. Dumb, right? Especially considering one of Tommy's biggest issues with me is when I get ready in the mornings and set my makeup down on the hand towel (so it's not available when he needs to dry his hands off). HA. Whoops.

We put this on our registry too..along with a towel bar..but we didn't hang it last Sunday when we installed this..mostly because we couldn't decide on where it should go. Deja vu, anyone? Besides, with each complication, my window of help was slowly narrowing in on me...

You can find the towel ring here.

For those of you who may be wondering why that towel ring is off center on the wall, we chose to nail it into a stud rather than worrying about centering it.

{Minted Mommy Cards - Free through 9/23!}

2011-08-22T06:44:00.000-05:00

I've seen this advertised on several blogs I follow. I didn't use Minted for any of my wedding paper needs but I've heard good things about them.

Get your Minted Mommy Cards free through September 23rd! Just pay shipping, of course.

Or, if you are newly married and/or NOT a Mommy...and need some enclosure cards...and have JUST ENOUGH creativity to turn Mommy cards into gift enclosure cards...get those instead. Like me. :)

Who doesn't love a weekend with friends?

2011-08-21T21:28:00.007-05:00

First things first - like my new blog design? Thanks Kristin!

Saturday morning Tommy and I headed to Birmingham for a friend's wedding at Highlands UMC and the reception at B&A Warehouse. A good many of my friends that were in my wedding were there and it was fun to be together with all of them..only this time, I got to spend the entire night with them -- none of us were in this wedding. It was a good feeling being on the other side..relaxing, eating good food and WEDDING CAKE! Oh the wedding cake. It was DIVINE.

I'm forcing myself to keep my camera on manual..so I hope my pictures are less grainy over time. It was dark in the corner of the reception where we tucked away.. so my camera was furious and refused to focus most of the night.

We got home early afternoon today and got some stuff done. I've started focusing on one room a weekend, cleaning and reorganizing. Before the wedding, we were bringing so much stuff into the house and there was little time left to clean or organize ANYTHING. Today's focus was our bedroom/closet.. and since I got such a late start this weekend, it's looking like my cleanup effort will carry over into tomorrow and possibly the rest of the week. BOOOOOO. But I'd be embarrassed to let company into the house..so I'm taking it one room at a time. Wish me luck..I'm gonna need it.

TBIM

2011-08-15T21:48:00.003-05:00

That was the title of Kaci's email this morning.

I had never seen that before... I can only imagine it meant Too Bad It's Monday. Right Kaci? :)

Our weekend was full. Ken came over Saturday and ~~watched~~ helped Tommy cut up the tree that fell in our yard/on the fence last week. To celebrate the clean yard and our new firewood, we had ribs, grilled corn on the cob, and potatoes for dinner.

It was YUM-O.

I did a good bit of cleaning/reorganizing Saturday while Tommy was working and Sunday while he was watching the golf tournament. Seeing a pattern here? :) He redeemed himself by helping out with some projects Sunday after church, like installing our cabinet organizer and the towel rack in our bathroom.

My photography class ends next Monday so I'm making myself pick up my camera and use it everyday. Today Tommy cut the grass at both Aunt Babs's and at our house..and I assisted at our house...so by the time all was said and done there was very little light left outside to take pics. So I snapped this one! You can't see how dirty he was - there was grass ALL OVER HIM.

Ok, 1 down, 4 more to go. I get to see my friends this weekend - whooooo!!

{Laundry Room Cabinets - Reorganized}

2011-08-13T14:01:00.002-05:00

Is it just me, or do you look forward to some Fridays more than others?

I was so excited when our clock at work chimed 5 pm yesterday. I'm not sure why..we didn't have any weekend plans other than cleaning up the tree limb that fell. That's nothing to write home about.

I've had a slight earache in one of my ears this week. Tommy started a new job Wednesday, and we haven't quite gotten adjusted yet...though we did carpool one day. Maybe I was just happy to have 2 days to settle down. No plans.

Tommy's alarm went off at 6 this morning (for work) and once I heard it I was wide awake. He started my coffee as he walked out the door and I was up just in time to hear my coffee pot finish brewing. After drinking 2 cups and watching a few episodes of Yard Crashers and Sell This House, I assessed the house damage. You know..where you walk around and decide what room you're willing to tackle. Which one is less cluttered, perhaps? Or maybe you want to start with the worst one - make sure you have enough energy to finish?

I'm not sure why I chose the laundry room. Maybe because I washed a load of darks last night (hoping to not have to wash clothes today) and the messiness stayed in my mind? Either way... it was as good a place to start as any.

This house is just shy of 1500 square feet inside. There are no linen closets. Just one foyer closet. Fortunately, there's space in both bathrooms for towels and I don't have to find room elsewhere to store those. But before Mom's kitchen makeover and I had those leftover cabinets installed in the laundry room, there wasn't even room for spare napkins/paper towels/etc.. So I have to make use of every single nook and cranny in this place.

Before -- cluttered and extremely disorganized:

That's light bulbs in that Walmart bag on the bottom shelf. Great place for them, right?

After -- things make sense in their place. HA! At least to me.

All that empty space you see is for when I clean out the hallway closet. :) I feel sure some of the clutter in there will need to be organized in that laundry room storage area.

My cookbooks used to be in one of my kitchen cabinets. But since getting married, we have acquired lots of new and (weirdly enough) larger items..leaving little room in the kitchen for anything that doesn't absolutely have to be there. At least with them here on the bottom shelf, I can get to them easily.

Fortunately, I had this to keep me going when energy levels got low..

I may have sang and danced around a bit while no one was watching..but it's Saturday. I'm allowed. :)

I'm off to open a window and listen to the rain..

Tuesday and Wednesday in review, on Thursday.

2011-08-11T20:36:00.002-05:00

Man..I really dug to the bottom of the barrel on that post title.

So I was planning a post to talk about these pics...

(source)

And then yesterday this happened:

Bummer. Guess I've got weekend plans.

TGIF and Fashion Friday??

2011-08-05T07:12:00.004-05:00

Things have been quiet on the blog front this week because it's been so busy in our everyday lives. We spent the first half of the week at the Grand Hotel in Point Clear at a conference. Then Mom came yesterday and she's staying with us through tomorrow - yeah! I'm enjoying her.

Anyone else get that good feeling on Fridays when Jcrew opens their Factory store online? With all this hot weather, I've been craving Fall stuff. I keep going into Pottery Barn just HOPING I'll see pumpkins and fall colors...but nothing. SOON!!

Source information:
(here) here) here)

Enjoy the weekend!

Today was good.

2011-07-30T21:49:00.000-05:00

It has been such a full day.

First let me backtrack.

Thursday morning I woke up with a sore throat. By Friday, when it had only gotten worse, I decided to do the smart thing and go to the Urgent Care facility at the University. I wasted my $10 copay, because I left with only a printout that told me to get lots of rest and drink lots of fluids. No script? JUNK. Not at all what I was hoping for..but I came home and ate Campbell's Tomato soup (for the 3rd time this week) and got into bed.

I woke up on my own around 8 this morning. I noticed there were few clouds (shocking, since it'd rained almost every SINGLE DAY for the last 2 weeks) and was trying to decide if I felt well enough to get out and run errands..which is how I'd planned on spending my Saturday before my sore throat showed up.

I made me some coffee and Tommy got up and made us bacon and pancakes. He decided I should relax today so I don't get overworked and get more sick..so he started working on the long to do list I'd made. He swept and mopped, cleaned bathrooms, cut the grass, made lunch. We washed clothes, ran a few local errands..At some point we started pulling wedding gifts out of packages and rearranging the kitchen cabinets so everything would fit. I feel like we will never get the house back in order!

***********

Lots of cooking/grilling going on the last few days. We are making the most of this nice weather (sans all the rain we got the last 2 weeks). Next weekend we'll try ribs on the Egg, and I think Tommy wants to try a pizza soon.

************

I keep seeing hair tutes online and I am glued to them because I'm so tired of wearing my hair the same way. Kaci texted me a pic of her hair this week and sent me to My Yellow Sandbox. She had a 30 day hair challenge, and while I'm not that wild, I did see some things I liked and want to try.

Last night I tried a Youtube video of 5 minute curls with no heat, using socks...

This was the outcome:

Excuse my face.

Ok for a Saturday, but definitely NOT OK for a workday. I'm still not convinced I can't wash my hair everyday Kaci. For now, I'll stick with my norm.

{Bridesmaids' Luncheon : 07.08.11}

2011-07-26T20:49:00.001-05:00

Here we go, here we go, here we go!!! Wedding festivity recaps!! WHOOOO!!!

A few of my Aunts hosted the Bridesmaids' Luncheon at Camille's here in Mobile the Friday before the wedding. Camille's is one of my absolute fav-0-rite lunch places. The tuscan tomato soup is a MUST HAVE and I have yet to meet a sandwich there I don't like. YUM-O.

The invitation - which I LOVED - was created by my sweet blog friend, Kristin!

Decorations were minimal but beautiful! Pink scrapbook paper doubled as placemats; paper yellow and white striped straws (from Etsy) were available for drinks; pink flowers in Mason jars were centerpieces on each table, and pink tissue pomanders hung from the ceiling to soften the overall look. Too bad I was too busy looking at everything and speaking to all my guests to get more pics! {I do have to thank Kaci for taking pics for me!! She's great like that.}

Guests included my bridesmaids, my Mom and her sisters, Tommy's Mom and her sisters, his Granny, and my cousin Nicole, one of my program attendants.

Lunch included a variety of wraps and sandwiches, chicken tortilla and tuscan tomato soups, chips and salsa, and sweet tea. For dessert, we had cupcakes from Mobile's only cupcakery, Twist!

See the bags in the collage pic? I'm proud of those...with Aunt Babs's help, I sewed the ruffle on the front!

Each of my sweet girls got a houndstooth scarf (from a street fair in NYC), white monogrammed robes, a Hobo wallet, personalized notecards, some DIY magnets and a scratch off lotto card. Anna won $4! Ha! :)

Next up: the rehearsal!

Anyone else have a great Monday?

2011-07-25T20:20:00.009-05:00

Updated: This post is so hodge podge - I separated thoughts with asterisks so you wouldn't go crazy trying to keep up with my thoughts. Crazy thoughts.

Today was good. It was the first day I left work to have lunch with my husband. Not to be confused with the first time I had lunch with my husband.. Today we shared a Bigger Box from Foosackley's - if you don't live in South Alabama and/or you have never had it when you were in town, you have NO CLUE what you are missing...if you like chicken and fries, that is. Don't even try to compare it to Zaxby's or Gutherie's...or any other chicken joint you might know of...nothing compares.

The ice is tiny and round..crunchy..you know the kind. The fries are crinkle cut (YUM) and the toast is light yet buttery. The sweet tea is WONDERFUL (though comparable to other sweet teas at places like McAlisters and the like).. it's the whole chicken package, really.

Stop denying yourself. Just try it. If you haven't.

Foosackley's.

**********
Today I signed up for Ashley's online SnapShop! I'm SUPER excited about learning to use my new camera in the coming weeks...right before we start football season. ROLL TIDE!

I'm also pumped that the NFL is on the verge of coming to a deal! I love watching football. Sunday afternoons without the Manning brothers or Saints football would be BORING. At least in our house.

Some of you may have fallen prey to the myth that I like watching golf. Only occasionally. And only when Tommy watches it.

See how I suavely moved from online camera classes to football?

**********
Tommy and I split all the chores/responsibilities today. He picked up some glasses at Pier 1, cleaned the guest bathroom, and got groceries at Wal-Mart; I helped cook dinner and ran the dishwasher. We had tacos and I got out all the toppings. He cooked the meat and browned the shells.... So after typing and reading this, it pretty much seems now that the chores weren't split evenly at all.

OOPS.

Love you Tommy!

***********
I'm gearing up to start documenting all the pre-wedding and wedding festivities so Tommy and I will have a way to remember everything.

For example, I'm drinking out of this cup and it reminds me I haven't documented my bachelorette weekend in Destin!

Not to mention I'm drinking Kiwi Strawberry Snapple..which my MOH drove 3 1/2 hours on the day before my wedding to bring to me. Would your MOH have done that for you? Not to mention I DIDN'T PAY HER FOR IT!!! Sorry Emma. I'll buy you some PSLs when Ava is here and you like coffee again to make up for it. :)

All this pre-wedding/wedding talk leads me to my excitement that our marriage certificate came in the mail today. Whoo! Yeah for adding Tommy to my (better than his) health insurance and changing my last name!

If I'm on my toes, I'll start my recaps tomorrow. Try not to fall off the edge of your chair in anticipation.

A new camera and pretty flowers..

2011-07-23T21:43:00.001-05:00

Friday after work Tommy and I went to see my family. We spent the night Friday night and stayed until late today..and finally made it home.

I've been learning to use one of my wedding gifts from Tommy - a Canon Rebel T3i.

I've been trying to use it as much as possible so I can get used to it. I've got my eye on some better lenses..so hopefully I'll get two new ones soon!

At my Mom's earlier today, I took some pictures of her flowers in the yard...they were so pretty.

TGIF!

2011-07-22T12:12:00.006-05:00

Is it just me or did this week DRAG by? Well, the days did anyway. The nights seem to FLY BY; I always feel like I just got home from work when it's 9 - 9:30 and time to start getting ready for bed.

I'm finally coming off the wedding/honeymoon high and things are starting to settle down for us. Even though our suitcase isn't fully unpacked yet, clothes are washed and we've switched out some old stuff for some of our new things in the kitchen. We've been using our new flatware, plates, Henkels knives, coffeepot and our new trash can - one of my favorites - thanks Emma :)!

All the thank yous are written and my gift to Tommy, his Big Green Egg, has been put to good use.

Anyway... I was thinking how I only have a few weeks left for casual dress at work and how I still didn't have any white pants or dressy jeans. At this late date (not to mention the wedding), those will have to wait.

Fortunately, I didn't need many clothes in prep for the wedding...mostly some dresses for showers and dinners on our honeymoon. I did most of my shopping at local boutiques - Private Gallery, Polish, Francesca's, Hour Glass, etc. I like those because the dresses are reasonably priced and they only carry a few of each item..so few people have the same dress.

Speaking of Francesca's.... I got an email from them today and here are some of my favorites from their website right now... and by favorites I mean I might die if I don't own all these soon... wonder if they take Bed Bath and Beyond gift cards??

(here)

(here)

(here)

(here)

(here)

(here)

Too bad my birthday is AGES away.

I'm a good wife. Just ask my husband.

2011-07-21T21:26:00.004-05:00

Dinner on the table two nights in a row.

That deserves a monetary prize of some sort. Surely.

We had bacon wrapped chicken (from Puttin on the Grits), corn, and garlic cheese bread of sorts.

No green veggies, but I didn't hear anybody complaining.. just food going into bellies.

YUM again.

{Day 12 as a Wife}

2011-07-20T20:20:00.001-05:00

Tonight I cooked cornbread for the first time.

We had ham, green beans, potatoes and cornbread. It was delicious!

YUM.

{Top 15 Colorbooth Wedding Pics}

2011-07-19T21:22:00.011-05:00

More wedding goodness today!!

The Greshams are AWESOME. More than awesome, actually, but I'll leave it at that.

Their colorbooth was an absolute blast at the wedding..Tommy and I had so much fun. I'm documenting my top 15 faves!! {It's worth noting the quality of these isn't good -- I copied/pasted from Facebook because I don't have the originals yet! :)}

My first post as a wife...

2011-07-18T22:06:00.006-05:00

I'm back and I'm MARRIED!

Our wedding was an absolute blast - neither of us was ready to go when it was time to leave. All of our vendors were fabulous and there were no major issues, PRAISE THE LORD!

I do miss my sweet friends....it's sad I live here in Mobile and they are all considerably north of me. :(

We've been in auto mode for the last few weeks, it was so nice to relax last week in Jamaica. We got home Friday night and it was great to have the weekend to unwind before I returned to work today.

There is still so much going on for us..soon I'll document all our pictures from showers before the wedding to Jamaica pics (mostly so Tommy and I can have them to remember).

In other news, I tried Pioneer Woman's Iced Coffee and it was DELICIOUS. I had to improvise due to time, so I can only imagine how good it will be when I follow her recipe exactly.

(image from The Pioneer Woman)

Time to close my eyes...sweet dreams!

I'm getting married in 3 days!

2011-07-06T18:49:00.003-05:00

My coworkers threw a small surprise party for us this morning! Even Tommy was in on it.

I had no clue! I saw some activity going on in the common area of our office, and it wasn't until I saw this cake come out that I had an idea something was going on.

Apparently two of my coworkers looked up Tommy's Dad's business in the whitepages and left a voicemail for him, asking for Tommy to call them back. He called back and they let him in on the surprise and invited him to the party!

Almost there!

{Before & After: An Engagement Photo}

2011-06-28T21:28:00.005-05:00

I bought this photo at Hobby Lobby half off today.

And turned it into this:

The lighting makes this look a bit red...but in fact, it's very pink.

Prtty pink.

Think Victoria's Secret. That color stripe pink.

Pretty.

One more thing off the To Do list. :)

Half way through this week!

{Landscaping Before & After}

2011-06-27T18:26:00.001-05:00

I'm FINALLY getting my act together to post pictures of the landscaping in the backyard at my house!

We started this the weekend before Easter..and completed it (basically) the Saturday of Easter weekend.

Here are good photos of befores...

Beginning:

Tommy and I did most of the prep work the week before... digging up the dirt, buying and laying down the compost and potting soil, etc., laying the bricks in a pattern..

In Progress:

We bought all the flowers, with the exception of the liriope, at the Mobile Flea Market. We got the liriope and potting soil and compost from Lowe's/Home Depot.

We took my car and Aunt Babs's car to the flea market and loaded them DOWN with plants! The caladiums were gorgeous! There were several to choose from...

Today:

We ordered 2 tons of that river rock from a local landscape supply store. Tommy and his Dad picked it up and dumped it in the yard... the excess is still sitting there today. Oops. It does need to be put into the beds where the rock is lower in some areas.

I took these two pictures after I watered the flowers last weekend. The caladiums have gotten HUGE. Fortunately, we're 2 months from the day we planted them and they're all still alive...my main goal has been met.

Weekends should last 3 days...

2011-06-26T21:15:00.006-05:00

This weekend has flown by.

We're getting married in less than two weeks!

I spent today tackling the house. Or maybe the house tackled me?

I washed loads of clothes/towels/sheets, bleached tile grout, watered flowers, vacuumed...ran the dishwasher twice...and it's still not anywhere near over.

I sat down and wrote thank you notes. Soon I'll be able to use these new thank yous that arrived a few weeks ago with both of our initials.

But back to Saturday...

Saturday morning Tommy and I drove to Birmingham to do some early morning shopping, and then he drove me to Trussville so I could go to my lingerie shower.

I have the best friends in the world! They were so sweet and the food was delicious (as was the punch).

On our way home from Birmingham we stopped in to the Apple store at The Summit to check on my problem with my home key. They replaced my phone with a brand new one.

On 65, not too far out of Pelham, I drove through a horrible hail storm.

Then we saw double rainbows. :) I had Tommy take a picture, but when I synced my phone this morning, I lost it.

Two more Mondays left before I'm a married woman!

Show Us Your Life - Singles!!

2011-06-23T15:16:00.005-05:00

I'm linking up to Kelly's Korner's Show Us Your Life - Singles!

Today I'm showcasing one of my very good friends, Kaci!

Kaci is a 28 yr old, gorgeous blonde born and raised in North Alabama! She currently lives and works in Cullman, Alabama (not far from Huntsville).

Kaci and I met in college, and we shared an apartment together in Birmingham when we worked together at our first job. She is a bridesmaid in my wedding next month!

She's smart.
She's confident.
She's faithful and true to her word.

Things you should know about her:

-- She loves the Lord with all her heart, soul, and strength.
-- She's a two-time graduate of The University of Alabama, with both bachelors and masters degrees in Accounting. Roll Tide!
-- She's a CPA who was recently promoted to a management position at work! {Again, all your friends - we are so proud of you!}
-- She sponsors a child through Compassion. She recently was one of four individuals selected by her company to travel to Rwanda to visit her child. Pictures below!
-- She's addicted to Diet Mountain Dew.
-- She can bake cupcakes like nobody's business!
-- If you like/support/are on the line about Tweety Bird, you're not for her.
-- She blogs here. Sometimes. When we pressure her enough. But there are recaps of her trip to Rwanda! :)

And for good measure - her pup Sophie!

When I asked Kaci what she was looking for, this was her response:

Someone who loves God and tries to do His Will. I like funny and smart. At this point, I try to keep an open mind to whatever God has in store. He knows better what I need than I do.

Anyone interested in learning more about Kaci, email me through the blog!

{Lists & Random Pictures}, oh and TGIF!

2011-06-03T13:05:00.001-05:00

Up first - a random list of happenings and thoughts.

{Note: This list has no bullets. :*( Blogger ate my bullets. And I don't have time to go back and add them!}

Last Friday I had my first Starbucks since January. It's JUNE!! I got a tall since I'm still dieting..it was so delicious.

There's been more SPENDING money than SAVING going on lately. May's monthly savings were slim.

It's been a struggle, but my plants are still alive. I've been watering them every other day. I'm anxious to see what my water bill will look like when it gets here!

I'm down 17.5 pounds!

Tile floors are so hard to keep clean. Dust bunnies always win the battle with me. I spilled some OJ at breakfast last week and last night I saw a spot I missed.

The weather has not disappointed so far. Last weekend we headed to the river for a surprise birthday party, adn tonight we're headed home for a couples BBQ shower tomorrow!

Then, a wedding list. :)

Wedding prep is in full force. Five weeks away!

We have both enjoyed the wedding showers and we are amazed at everyone's generosity.

My dress {is still not here} should be in this coming week - I cannot WAIT to try it on with my shoes and veil!

In one week the girls and I will be headed south to Destin for a bachelorette weekend. I've been working on some surprises and hope they turn out exactly how I picture it all in my head.

And finally, random pictures from my iPhone..

A hanger for my wedding dress on the wedding day.

I broke down and bought this watering can in TJMaxx. It was $17! Tommy was shocked.

Dinner before it went on the grill..

A box FULL of our china!!

Chips for the BBQ!

Enjoy this wonderful weekend!

Happy Birthday MOM!!

2011-05-21T21:44:00.003-05:00

Yesterday after work Tommy and I headed to Grove Hill to spend some time with my family.

The last time I was home I noticed Aunt Julia had a beautiful wreath on her door and I asked her to be on the lookout for a similar one for my house.

She picked one up for me last week and I put it on my door when I got home tonight.

I LOVE it!

And a big, big Happy Birthday MOM!! I love you!

I can barely keep my eyes open..if we are gonna make it to church on time in the morning, I better head to bed now.