2 excited nests

I want.

2010-11-16T16:10:00.001-05:00

Ever since I entered the field of Social Work I've been reminded time and time again that I will always work long hours in this field. While they are often flexible, you cannot get away from putting in more than the typical 40 hour work week. The hours are always exhausting and test my patience. Who invented the 40 hr work week? I'm trailing off now...

Anyway, while I eat lunch at my desk I usually find myself blogging and surfing. Not necessarily posting (obviously since my last post was month ago) but what I like to call blog hopping and internet window shopping.

As I go through blogs and different sites, I catch myself thinking I wish I was that creative, I wish I was that funny, I wish I had an eye for decor, I wish I had a house to renovate, I wish I could write like that,I wish I had those boots, I wish, I wish, I wish. I had to stop myself today and immediately post something here. I find myself wanting more all the time. It's so easy to get caught up in the wants of life. I have to stop myself everyday and remember I need to be more than just okay with what I already have. I may not have an eye for design, lofty words, a house to renovate, or artsy pictures to post, but I have many things to be proud of and thankful for. This is not the popular or politically correct statement to make but I know it to be true. I believe we will always be reaching for things we don't have and never be satisfied without Jesus. I believe my life will always be about me until Jesus changes it.

So while I sit here at work, I must admit that my heart is heavy. Heavy because I mess up all the time and lose sight of Him and heavy for the people who don't know Him. I have the incredible opportunity at my job everyday to pour into people and solely focus on them. This has been an incredible lesson because it helps me understand I'm not the center of the universe and people need to know Jesus. My prayer is that I learn to lean into Him more everyday and not rely on myself. I am a selfish person who wants to focus on me. Thankfully, He's not finished with me yet and can change my focus.

"Father break my heart for what breaks Yours. Give me open hands and open doors. Put Your light in my eyes and let me see, that my own little world is not about me"

Sorry if you were expecting pictures of cute puppies or house renovations. But I needed to share.This is my heart exposed. If you want some blogs to follow that are not about how to make your house look better and what to wear this season (which don't get me wrong, are all wonderful kind of blogs and very fun!) you can follow these: http://www.drmatthewrobinson.com/, http://www.bethbutton.tumblr.com/, http://www.jovannagomez.com/, http://www.deaninserra.com/

A Teaser.

2010-11-04T08:24:00.003-04:00

Okay, in order to get my baby picture pushed further down the blog, I am posting a teaser picture of the kitchen in our house. (Sissy, you will get yours!!)

Remember what it looked like the day we closed back in June:

After an online consultation with Maria Killam here's the lovely after:

This weekend we are going to the Food & Wine Festival, dressed in our 80s garb to complete my 30th birthday celebration! What's more, I'll be seeing the husband, who's been interning in Los Alamos, NM since August! This time, it's been three long weeks since I've seen him. The first time, we went almost two full months without seeing each other, it was brutal. You long-distance lovers, I have no clue how you do it.

I'll be back next week with more pictures of my favorite spot in the house!

An Ode to Lynn Soon

2010-11-03T18:45:00.001-04:00

30 years ago on Nov. 2nd the world was made a better place because my dear sissy was born. Here's a trip down memory lane. She might kill me for some of these, but it's only because I love her:) Happy Birthday Lynn!


Sweet baby Lynn

Birthday party at Chuck-E-Cheese!

She might kill me for this one...but come on, look at ME!

Lynn & MC sworn in after passing the FL Bar!

Bridal Shower with Mommy

With her one and only, Michael Phelps...I mean Matthew Small :)

We are so proud of you Lynn. We love you, here's to many, many more birthdays!

Let's Get Physical!

2010-10-29T09:38:00.003-04:00

You can relax, this isn't another weight-loss post. I figured I would spare you today. Next week is my 30th birthday, and to celebrate the end of my youth, I will be journeying to Epcot for the Food & Wine Festival for a weekend of debauchery. A while back, I thought the idea of throwing an 80s themed birthday party would be just the ticket, but plans fell through. Instead, my friends have lovingly agreed to dress up at the Food & Wine Festival!

I am shopping for my outfit this weekend. Any tips or suggestions?

{Shall I get physical?

{I think one of my friends will be sporting the look from Flashdance}

{And let's not forget this woman.}

I'm not sure if I want to dress up like a certain icon from the 80s. I may just sport a skirt with neon tights and an off the shoulder shirt to keep things easy. I was thinking more of a "Fame" style than anything else. Help me!

Doggles.

2010-10-22T12:47:00.004-04:00

Because it's Friday. To make you smile:

{Kobe}

{Cooper}

Have a great weekend!

Before/After...I Ate Pizza.

2010-10-21T10:00:00.000-04:00

Two years ago:

This is me at my "feel great" weight. Well, actually this is me at my "feel spectacularly amazing, but hard for me to maintain" weight. And, I exercised amidst studying for the bar exam. So, I have zero excuses.

Two weeks ago:

As you can see, I've really piled the weight on. Oh, and I must give a shout out to my dear friends who just got married! The husband and I were in the bridal party, how fun is that?!?! It was an amazing wedding.

It's taken me a while to even post a picture of myself, but I'm just going to confront it head on. I HAVE GAINED WEIGHT. I DON'T FEEL GOOD ABOUT MYSELF RIGHT NOW. Are you hearing me, third-person Lynn?!?! Are you?!?!?!?

What I Ate for Breakfast.

2010-10-19T10:00:00.000-04:00

Yeah, so I've gained a little bit of weight. There, I said it. Since the wedding, which was two years ago now, I have slowly been putting on weight. Ugh. I went through a period of running approximately 18 miles a week, where I went back to my "feel great" weight, but then I got injured and had to stop all forms of high impact exercise, and BOY OH BOY. My appetite remained voracious, but my physical activity consisted of typing.

I'm about to turn 30 (*gulp*), and I seriously need to learn some self-discipline. It's never too late, right? I am an emotional eater-I feel stressed at work, and I want to eat pizza. Why?! If someone could answer that for me, it would save me a trip to the therapist.

This morning started out really well. Woke up and went running with my friends, just two miles. Then I ate this for breakfast:

{a bunch of spinach and 1/2 cup of OJ = breakfast of champions}

{@10 am, I ate greek yogurt and honey, which I am OBSESSED with}

Any tips or theories are always welcome! Let's hope I can really change my habits for the long-term, because I'm well aware that yo-yo weight gain is extremely unhealthy.

October is finally here.

2010-10-18T08:00:00.002-04:00

Today Lawton and I had a great time carving pumpkins. In the past I've not been very successful with this kind of project, but Lawton encouraged me and guaranteed this would be fun. We used a stencil for one of them and Lawton was able to "free hand" the other.

We ended up switching pumpkins later.

The stencil was very helpful.


Kobe was not so sure about the pumpkins.

It got a little messy but it was well worth it.

Happy Halloween!

I'm Alive!

2010-10-15T22:55:00.003-04:00

Hello again! If you scroll down, you'll notice that my last post was dated June 4, 2010. This was the day after we closed on our first home. A LOT has changed since then. There have been a ton of ups and downs and inbetweens, and for a while I thought I would never blog again. What I have noticed though about blogging-it serves as my virtual memory and it inspires creativity.

Look at what happened while I was neglecting this blog, my Cooper went from this:

{12 lbs of cuteness}

..........to this:

{87 lbs of...handsomeness}

{his ears are kinda big}

{he's going to kill me when I show this picture to his friends}

I have so much to share with you guys! Have a great weekend!

Bricks

2010-08-10T21:22:00.002-04:00

Lawton and I have been doing a lot of yard work in the past couple of months. It's been an exhausting process and let me just say, I hate bamboo.We've worked on clearing it out of the yard so there's space for Kobe to run around and so we can have a pathway to our door.Lawton's grandparents had dozens of street bricks behind their house. His great grandfather collected these bricks nearly 70 years ago and they're still getting use today!

Here are some before and after photos of our brick walkway:

Laying street bricks

This was a very long process

It took us nearly two weeks to get this walk way complete

The finished product

The boarder grass has made a huge difference

So glad it's finished :)

We're sorry, so sorry.

2010-07-19T22:28:00.000-04:00

We have completely neglected this blog lately. So Sorry! However, this does mean we have some great posts coming soon.

The past month Lynn and Matt have moved into a new house (wahoo!) and Lawton and I have been renovating a 100 year old cottage. We've been incredibly busy with work lately, which means blogging has not been happening. Again, we're so sorry! We'll be back very soon:)

The Journey Begins!

2010-06-04T13:49:00.003-04:00

We closed on our house yesterday, and the cabinets are already being painted! I promise to do a big post on our color choices and my color consultation with Maria Killam in the coming weeks!

We have big plans for this weekend: MORE PAINTING! I'll try to take my blogger friends' advice and take some good before/after pictures for the blog! Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

It's a jungle out there

2010-05-29T11:06:00.001-04:00

Well we're finally settling into our little (1052 sq ft) cottage in Jacksonville. We're renting it from Lawton's great uncle, who has been very helpful with getting this place fixed up. Everyone in the family has helped pull together to get this place...livable. Before we moved in Lawton's parents painted all of our walls. The upstairs is Benjamin Moore's Monroe Bisque and the downstairs is Benjamin Moore's Camouflage. Lawton's uncle and grandfather have restored the windows and also had the ceiling repaired. The inside is coming together quite nicely. We're now putting up drapes and hanging pictures to make it a little more like home.

We continue to do small projects around the house such as painting trim, put in shelving, etc. The big project we're now embarking on has nothing to do with the house. The yard is a jungle. Our cottage sits on one of three lots owned by Lawton's grandparents and uncle. His uncle loves a yard full of greenery. He enjoys the privacy and shade. We've vowed to make sure everything in front of his house will stay, but everything in front of ours has got to go. He has been gracious enough to allow us to remove all the bamboo and ferns we would like to make a yard for Kobe and drive way for the cars. Here's a little taste of what we are working on:

Future driveway and yard (boat on the left will be moved)

Future walkway

Future Patio

We obviously have A LOT of work ahead of us. This memorial day will be filled with...yard work:)

Home Sweet Home!

2010-05-24T10:00:00.000-04:00

Our house is finished! Despite having a brand new home, there's still much to do once we close. Here's an unofficial list of our plans:

1.) Paint kitchen cabinets
2.) Paint walls
3.) Replace light fixtures; add some new ones
4.) Paint bathroom cabinets; paint utility cabinets
5.) Replace master bathroom faucets
6.) Paint front door
7.) Install cabinet hardware
8.) Install ceiling fans
9.) Move dining room light over a few inches
10.) Relocate cable hookup
11.) Stain garage floor
12.) Stain backyard fence

Are you tired yet, because I am! Of course, we won't be doing this all before moving in, but hopefully the first two items will be complete before moving furniture in. We cannot wait. I'm so pumped. Mostly to have a fenced backyard for Cooper, but for other reasons, too.

Countertop Update

2010-05-21T10:00:00.001-04:00

I promised better pictures of the countertops about a month ago. I'm so lame. Here's a sneak peak of the countertops in all of their quartz glory. Want to guess which color Maria Killam told me to paint those awful cabinets?!??! I'll give you a hint, it's a Benjamin Moore color.

Happy Thursday!

2010-05-20T10:00:00.000-04:00

(Lawton with Kobe and Matthew with Cooper)

Happy Thursday! I have so much to blog about, but our only laptop broke. I know, it's terrible. I'll be back soon. But here's a preview of what is to come: OUR HOUSE IS FINISHED! We close on June 3, 2010! I had a consultation with Maria Killam and it was awesome! Lawton graduated from law school and we are so proud of him! Sarah & Lawton relocated to Jacksonville and I cried a lot!

Thanks Jo

2010-05-19T12:13:00.001-04:00

There's been a lot going on lately. Recently, Lawton and I moved to Jacksonville, Fl and life has been moving pretty quickly since then. We're in Raleigh right now visiting with family, but I know when we get back to Jax my homesickness for Tallahassee will begin to sink in. This past year has gone by in a flash, and I remember times months ago when I couldn't wait to get to where I am now.

The past year I've been working on a big thing: patience. The unknown of the future excites me, but it stresses me out at the same time. I like to plan. I like to look forward to things. But this way of thinking often leaves me missing out on the here and now. I worried so much this past year about jobs and financial situations for our future, I missed out on some of the great things that were going on around me then. It's so easy to get distracted by tomorrow, whether it's something exciting or something that worries us. But there is peace in being patient.

So if you're like me, looking forward to the next step and anxiously waiting for whatever you have planned a couple of months from now, sit back and enjoy right now. We all have our plans and things to look forward to, but let's not get caught up in living for the next big thing.

My friend Jovanna recently blogged about this poem. It really sums up this area of my life. Maybe it will provide something for you.

Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried:
Quietly, patiently, lovingly God replied.
I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate,
and the Master so gently said, “Child, you must wait”.

“Wait? You say, wait!,” my indignant reply.
“Lord, I need answers, I need to know why!
Is your hand shortened? Or have you not heard?
By Faith, I have asked, and am claiming your Word.

My future and all to which I can relate,
hangs in the balance, and YOU tell me to WAIT?
I’m needing a ‘yes’, a go-ahead sign,
or even a ‘no’ to which I can resign.

And Lord, You promised that if we believe
we need but to ask, and we shall receive.
Lord, I’ve been asking, and this is my cry:
I’m weary of asking! I need a reply!”

Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate,
As my Master replied once again, “You must wait.”
So I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut,
and grumbled to God, “So, I’m waiting…for what?”

He seemed, then, to kneel, and His eyes wept with mine,
and He tenderly said, “I could give you a sign.
I could shake the heavens, and darken the sun.
I could raise the dead, and cause mountains to run.

All you seek I could give, and pleased you would be.
You would have what you want – But, you wouldn’t know Me.”
“You’d not know the depth of My love for each saint;
You’d not know the power that I give to the faint;

You’d not learn to see through the clouds of despair;
You’d not learn to trust just by knowing I’m there;
You’d not know the joy of resting in Me
When darkness and silence were all you could see.”

“You’d never experience that fullness of love
as the peace of My Spirit descends like a dove;
You’d know that I give and I save…(for a start),
But you’d not know the depth of the beat of My heart.

“The glow of My comfort late into the night,
The faith that I give when you walk without sight.
The depth that’s beyond getting just what you asked
of an infinite God, who makes what you have LAST.”

“You’d never know, should your pain quickly flee,
What it means that “My grace is sufficient for Thee.”
“Yes, your dreams for your loved one overnight would come true.
But, oh, the loss! If I lost what I’m doing in you!

So, be silent, My Child, and in time you will see,
that the greatest of gifts is to get to know Me.”
“And though often My answers seem terribly late.
My most precious answer of all is still, ‘WAIT’.”

Author: Russell Kelfer

It's a Full House Here.

2010-05-06T10:00:00.000-04:00

Ladies and, well ladies. We have a full house right now. The sister and brother-in-law are moving this weekend, and the parents are coming to town for law school graduation. I'm going to try and take in every moment they are here with us.

Have a wonderful Mother's Day weekend. Be sure to tell the women in your life that you love them.

It's true

2010-04-28T22:16:00.008-04:00

Yes, it's true. The hubby and I are moving next week to Jacksonville. We are so excited to see what's in store for us there, but we will miss everything we have in Tallahassee terribly. I've had two job interviews over there and during one of the interviews I was asked what's the hardest decision you've had to make recently? I was completely honest and a little choked up. I told them that moving away from Tallahassee has been the hardest decision I have ever made. Leaving our family (sissy, matt, and cooper) and our church is going to be very hard for us. Lynn and I have become best friends these past few years. Our engagements and weddings brought us close, and experiencing marriage together has made us attached at the hip. :) I love her dearly and will miss seeing her on weekly basis. I guess we'll just have to make sure to be on the phone everyday to make up for it. Just for fun, here's an oldie, but a goodie of the sis and I during my wedding weekend:

Our last Sunday at our church is Mother's Day. I have been the Children's Director there for the past year and a half and I've loved every minute of it. It's been a blessing to serve Tallahassee with Lawton and our church. Last Sunday brought me to tears as I sat in the back during a portion of the service and watched my dear friends sing this tune on stage, it was truly beautiful:

April 25, 2010: True Love from The Well Media on Vimeo.

We love you Tallahassee, you will be missed.

At Long Last, Countertops!

2010-04-27T10:00:00.000-04:00

Adding more fuel to my kitchen obsession, our countertops were installed today! The husband texted me while I was at work, and luckily it was later in the afternoon. I dropped everything and ran to the house. Well, I drove, but still. You're going to kill me because all I have is a crappy picture taken on my crackberry, but here are my gorgeous kitchen countertops:

Yes, I know. It's a crappy picture. They are quartz countertops, which were surprisingly a little more expensive than granite but I wasn't getting jiggy with the granite color options. Too dark for someone that dreams about a white kitchen. On a side note, I was told this weekend that a white kitchen is, "Timeless." I tend to agree! The product is made by Zodiaq, and the color is Antique Pearl. It's actually more gray than beige, which I think may go wonderfully with a gray island, but I'm still afraid to pull that trigger.

I promise to take actual pictures of the house tomorrow and post them. Now, I can finally buy some paint samples and figure out colors! In case you're wondering what our floor will be, and want to chime in with paint suggestions, it's Roasted Grain by Armstrong. It's actually a laminate, which we preferred because our puppy is in fact, still a puppy and the laminate should hold up nicely.

(Armstrong's Roasted Grain)

I'm also "flirting" with the idea of hiring Maria Killam for a two-hour online consultation to assist me with colors. After all, I want to make the right decision. Have you read her blog? She's incredible. Here are some of my favorite blog posts:

White Kitchen Cabinets
5 Steps to a Kitchen You Will Love

Here are a few more kitchen lovelies:

(Southern Living)

Cousins for Life!

2010-04-23T10:00:00.000-04:00

Kobe and Cooper are quite a pair, aren't they?

But, as much as I love them, my favorite pairing is the one I share with my sister. She's relocating to another city next month, and I can't quite bring myself to believe it yet. Here's a picture, taken by sister's husband. As dark as it is, it still makes me smile!

I love you sissy. Please don't leave.

More Kitchen Inspiration.

2010-04-22T10:00:00.000-04:00

Let the drooling commence!

(I have no excuses for not giving these pictures credit, so please let me know if they are yours.)

I Heart White Cabinets.

2010-04-21T10:00:00.001-04:00

Guess what was installed last week?

OUR CABINETS!!!!! I must admit, I was very disappointed with the lack of white cabinet options for our home. I love a white kitchen. I mean lovveee. My sister insists it's just a trend, but I've been saving pictures of kitchens for years now, and I've always saved the white ones. If it's a trend, then call me trendy. I must have a white kitchen. So...I'm going to paint the cabinets and install brushed nickel hardware. I'm also planning to install a subway tile back splash. I am not looking forward to this. I'm not even sure I can do it, but like I said before: I must have a white kitchen.

To take it one step further, I'm thinking of painting our island a different color. Gray? Blue? Thoughts?

(Southern Living? My sincerest apologies for not giving accurate credit!)

(Urban Grace Interiors? I know, I'm a poop face for not remembering.)

(Sally Wheat's Home from Cote De Texas)

What do you guys think? Should I paint them? Should I outsource the work? Honest opinions please, I am confident I could paint a wall, but not so much cabinets. Here's a recent picture of the exterior:

Happy Friday!

2010-04-16T11:52:00.003-04:00

Happy Friday everyone! Our house is coming along quite nicely, don't ya think? I'll take more pictures this weekend and start to post like a good blogger. I'll need some tips and advice for wall colors and furniture, so if you could start studying up for me that would be great! I kid, I kid!

Enjoy the weekend!

I'll do whatever Melissa tells me to do.

2010-04-01T08:00:00.000-04:00

Melissa is not my mom or my boss, she's my cardio kickboxing instructor. Lynn and I have been going to her class on and off for about two and a half years. The first time I came to her class she was about 7 months pregnant. She was just as intense then as she is now. Twice a week I go to her class and it...absolutely kills me. Just to give you a glimpse of what it's like, she makes us do 50 push ups in the beginning of the class to warm up. Seriously.

Today before the class started, she was talking to one of my friends about eating at night. She told us that we shouldn't eat right before we go to bed. Not just right before, but even a couple of hours before if we can stand it. I guess especially on the days we do kickboxing we shouldn't eat late at night because the next morning our metabolism will be high and we'll be really hungry. So I'm going to do it. I'm not very good at this rule of thumb, but I know it's good for me. Especially because she gave me free reign to eat a good size breakfast :) Tomorrow's breakfast:

Two pieces of whole wheat toast
1/2 cup no salt added low fat cottage cheese (spread on toast)
1 tablespoon of honey

We'll see how I do for the rest of the week. It's 10:41 pm right now, and I'm hungry. I better just go to bed.

One of THOSE People.

2010-03-31T09:00:00.000-04:00

I've become one of THOSE people. I swore I wouldn't fall in love with my dog, but I failed miserably. I'm hopelessly in love with Cooper.

Now, let's be clear. I'm not about to buy one of those bumper stickers that says "My German Shepherd is smarter than your 5th Grader." I mean...I'm not THAT person, but I'm all about my dog.

In other news, this past weekend against my better judgment, I ran a 5k with some wonderful friends. It was better than the 10k we ran together last year. And by better, I mean it was actually fun! I hate action shots of running, I always look like a beast in pain, but I thought this was a cool shot of my two friends closing in on me! My other friend is the pink shirt, she's a speedy Gonzalez.

Later, the cousins united for some fun in the sun. They also took some great naps.

We stopped by our house, and the walls were up! I'll take some pictures of it this weekend. I'll start inundating the blog with inspiration pictures for paint and decor. OH YEAH BABY.

One drawer.

2010-03-30T08:00:00.001-04:00

Back in May of last year, I asked Lawton to take charge in finding us a place to live during his last year of law school. I didn't care where it was or what it really looked like, just as long as we could have a dog. For the past 7 months, Lawton and I have been living in a 2 bedrooms/ 1.5 bath townhouse. It has lots of windows and best of all, the landlord has been wonderful and has allowed us to have Kobe without a pet deposit. There is only one problem with our little home. The kitchen only has one drawer. Please see below.

This has been quite a difficult situation the past 7 months. We have a lot of little kitchen gadgets and not enough room to fit all of them. Obviously, I've managed to survive my one drawer fiasco. Anyone else have any kitchen issues to share?

Spring Cleaning

2010-03-28T21:10:00.000-04:00

We recently went on a vacation with Lawton's family to the mountains in Cashiers, NC. We found out about a week before we left that the weather forecast was rain, rain, and more rain. I wanted to make sure I had something to occupy myself during the down time. I walked around my house and saw them. 30 magazines. Real Simple, Cooking Light, Southern Living, All You, and Martha Stewart. My sweet mother-in-law has given me subscriptions to a couple of these, and I have loved them. Lawton reminds me every now and then that we eventually have to throw them out. So I came up with the idea not too long ago to tear out all the recipes and home ideas and to put them in a binder. Finally, this vacation was going to give me the opportunity to do so.

The sections are categorized by breakfast, lunch, dinner, drinks, appetizers, desserts and one category for home ideas.

It felt pretty great to get that project done. It's like getting a brand new recipe book at no additional cost:)

What a Weekend.

2010-03-22T09:00:00.001-04:00

This weekend was insane. On Friday, we bought a house:

We hadn't planned to buy a house this soon, but the buyer's market and tax credit were too good to pass up. Our house will be finished in June! It's actually down the road from some great friends, so we are really pumped. My sister, husband and I spent all Saturday choosing the options for our home. It's not a custom home, but we had some limited options of colors/countertops/tile. It was a lot of fun! It's the perfect starter home for us!

While we were busy picking our house options, Kobe and Cooper were busy gettin' jiggy wit it.

They had a blast playing together all day, and we slept better for it! It's so wonderful living in the same city as my sister. I will be very sad when they leave in May. Luckily, they'll only be two hours away.

Sunday, we finally got around to taping Cooper's ears. Our breeder had been sending us threatening emails (not really) to tape his ears so they stand up easier. I did not want to do it, but the husband won the battle. As a reward though, I went to the grocery store to get some marrow bones that I'm currently boiling for the little man. We hope it will keep his mind off of this:

He's going to be so mad at me when he grows up.

Meet Cooper.

2010-03-13T11:48:00.001-05:00

Posting has been light, we're busy having fun with this little guy:

Puppy Love.

2010-02-22T22:55:00.004-05:00

Posting has been light for good reason, we just got back from a ski trip to Park City, Utah! I'll post a few pictures soon, and I actually have a meaningful blog post that is coming out of my trip. I'll give you a hint: I was an emotional blob. Yup.

I'll save that for later though. In the meantime, here's a picture of the two brothers of the litter. Our lil' pup will be joining us in just TWO WEEKS. We are so pumped, and so nervous.

Exhibit A of "Nervous:"

L: In just two weeks, we're going to have a puppy.

M: I know, it's freakin' awesome.

L: But in two weeks, we're going to be responsible for another living being.

M: I know, it's freakin' awesome.

Exhibit B of "Pumped:"

Any last minute tips?

February's Fitness Schedule

2010-02-05T09:00:00.000-05:00

For you exercisees, here's my schedule for February:

How was January for you guys? I'm feeling pretty good, my knee pain has been pretty manageable. The spinning has helped strengthen it a lot.

What exercises are you doing to stay healthy?

4 Weeks Old!

2010-02-04T09:00:00.001-05:00

Guess who's 4 weeks old today!

Our little pup! We already have a name picked out for the little guy, but we'll wait until we meet him in March to officially introduce him to you! We are so pumped. I've been reading this every night before bed:

If you're getting a puppy, I highly recommend this book. The Monks at New Skete raise German Shepherds, but the techniques and advice given in this book can apply to all breeds. It's a great read.

Are there any books you would recommend for us? We've been watching The Dog Whisperer, too!

What's For Dinner?

2010-02-02T09:00:00.001-05:00

(Image from Cooking Light)

What did you eat for dinner last night? I ate a spinach, mushroom and goat cheese salad along with some leftover beans and peas. I had tossed all this and some chicken sausage in the slow cooker on Sunday. The husband ate all the sausage (*surprise!*) and some beans. I did a major blog no-no and forgot to take a picture.

Speaking of dinner though, a quick observation for those watching their diet: the last few nights I have noticed that when I grab for something filling first, I'm less likely to take a detour and eat more than I should. Case in point, last week I ate eggs and toast for dinner one night and was starving about an hour later. Keep in mind, I had gone spinning that evening, so maybe for someone who doesn't hit the gym this is enough. The next day, fearing that I would be hungry again, I made the sweet potato hash. It was like night & day. I was satisfied and had zero cravings for sweet stuff.

Last night was the same deal. I ate lentils, great northern beans and peas. The bean/pea mixture works! I wasn't hungry, it was a miracle! Granted I had some carrot cake at work for someone's birthday, but let's be real. In no world will I ever pass up carrot cake. Ain't gonna happen.

For those keeping track: beans and sweet potatoes are super filling. Eat them. Don't pass up carrot cake. Ever.

Piece Of Cake

2010-01-29T23:37:00.007-05:00

Our friend Matthew has been spoiling us for about a year now with his delicious desserts. Birthdays, weddings, showers, dinner parties, etc. You name it, he'll supply it. My favorite is his carrot cake. He made it for my sister's bridal shower and it was devoured by the end of the celebration. Here's one of his most recent creations:

That's a four layer chocolate cake he made during Christmas this year. It's okay, go ahead and drool :)

After years of convincing, Matthew has finally given in and started a business with his good friend, Julia. Piece of Cake is a new business providing savory and sweet creations in the Tallahassee, Florida area. Check it out and get in line. I know Matthew and Julia will start to get busy very soon!

Piece of Cake Tallahassee

Wedding Inspiration for the Smellies

2010-01-28T15:00:00.000-05:00

My friends, the Smellies*, are getting married in the fall. The bride's signature color is yellow, and the groom's signature color is orange. Here are some inspiration boards from Snippet & Ink for the lovely couple:

*I want to stress that the Smellies are not really "smelly." It's just a nickname. Actually, they are quite cute:

The husband and I have the honor of being in their bridal party, so be prepared to hear about their wedding plans!

Better Homes and Gardens WEDDINGS!

2010-01-28T09:00:00.001-05:00

I love me some BHG. I read it over lunch and drool over the wonderful images of neatly organized homes and yummy recipes. It's a great blend of everything I like.

For those brides out there, did you know BHG has a wedding site? I had no idea!

Check it out:

All about wedding flowers, including bridal bouquets, corsages and centerpieces.

All about wedding colors, with lists of colors and tons of photos for inspiration.

All about wedding cakes, with tips on working with a baker and even making your own wedding cake!

(All images from BHG Weddings)

Sweet Potato Hash

2010-01-27T09:00:00.000-05:00

I wanted pizza tonight. I made breakfast instead.

I had some Apple-Sage vegan sausages in my fridge waiting to be eaten.

I chopped up a sweet potato and yellow onion.

I started making a hash.

It was yummy.

Then I put an egg on it. The dinner was so filling and apart from the cholesterol in the egg, pretty darn healthy! The husband asked me where I got the recipe. No recipe, my own creation! Yippy!

Adding To Our Nest!

2010-01-26T09:00:00.000-05:00

No, I'm not pregnant. I'm not quite ready for that adventure yet, but we're getting one step closer. We're getting a lil' pup!

We met with the breeder yesterday and got acquainted with a pack of German Shepherds. I was in love with all of them. I know what you're thinking, we should have rescued a pup, but I've wanted a German Shepherd forever! Don't worry, we plan to do our fair share of rescuing.

Meet the baby daddy, Navigator.

Here's a pup that I really wanted to take home yesterday. Meet Quatro.

I don't have any pictures of the litter, they are located in a different state, but here's a picture of one of the males. Maybe he'll be ours in March!

Okay, sound off readers: Do you have a pet? What do you love most about him/her?

Hello Again.

2010-01-23T13:16:00.005-05:00

Hello again, does anyone even read this blog anymore? December 10th was the last time I posted. For shame. Nothing happened, I just lost motivation. Well, that's something. Something crappy. I got a little chubby, stopped taking pictures and worked a lot. It's an exciting combination, right?

For a while I thought to myself, "I think I'm done blogging. No one cares what I say, and I don't feel like I'm saying anything of value." Eventually though I turned a corner. I don't know where, I don't know when but the motivation found me again. Thanks, motivation!

Lots of things are actually happening in our lives and despite being a boring lawyer (but, I love my job) and having zero time to blog, I am motivated to find the time. I suppose having valuable things to say isn't the end all be all. For instance:

Here's a picture of my laptop, right before I wrote this post. I was trying to find inspiration, and all I could do was take a picture of my laptop. LAME.

Here are a couple gifts I received over the holidays. Probably my two favorite gifts, besides my gorgeous dutch oven:

(My lovely mother-in-law took the husband and I to Fleet Feet for some new running shoes. I heart them. It gave me a reason to run again.)

(My awesome brother-in-law gave me filters for my camera.)

I joined a new gym at the beginning of January! I had been going to the YMCA and running outside, and then cancelled my YMCA membership when running ramped up. Then got injured, stopped running (i.e., got chubby) and dropped out of fitness school. My favorite spin instructor, Kim told me about a new gym that embraced all things group fitness. This is right up my alley. I love any type of group fitness class, especially spinning. I also started running again with my dear friend, Julia. Here's my schedule for January:

My life is so exciting right? Ultimately though, I suppose having nothing valuable to say is okay. I realized that the real purpose of this blog was to stimulate my mind, to encourage productivity, and to document my adventures. That is why I've decided to stay. See you soon. Have a wonderful weekend.

Bar Keepers Friend is my friend

2010-01-22T22:38:00.002-05:00

I've always told my engaged girl friends that one of the best blessings about the whole wedding extravaganza is all the gifts newlyweds receive to help them start their nest. We were completely spoiled with all the great kitchen items we received when we got hitched. My most prized is my Calphalon Stainless Steel Cookware. I really love to cook, so when we were given $500 worth of Calphalon Cookware, I intended to take care of it all so I could have it for the rest of my life.

This 1.5 half quart Calphalon saucepan is listed at $81.99 at bedbathandbeyond.com and it is apart of our collection:

About a year after we got married, my sweet husband forgot about a pot of boiling water on the stove and this was the outcome:

The inside was even worse. Black, just black. I knew I wouldn't be able to use it again. I was absolutely crushed. So, for about 4 months we have been unable to use a small saucepan to cook anything.

The other day I told my sister about this sad story. She told me about this:

This is the best thing I have in my kitchen now. It's my hero. After scrubbing for about 30 minutes, this was the outcome:

I'm now looking forward to hanging my shiny pots and pans once I have a kitchen that is big enough. This is my happy ending.

The New Coupon Extraordinaire

2010-01-18T11:14:00.001-05:00

I know it's been quite a while since we last posted. I extend our most sincere apologies. I'm still getting used to working a full-time job and having a puppy, but I plan to post much more. :)

My wonderful husband has been doing a lot of the grocery shopping lately. Because he's a law student, he has a more flexible schedule than myself. I was nervous about this at first because I feared our grocery bill would go up. Not because he would buy more, but I thought he wouldn't do as well with the coupons. Boy was I wrong. In the month of December we spent $143 on groceries. He just went shopping a few days ago and so far this month we've spent $148, and he'll probably only go one more time this month. On average he spends $30 and saves $45-50 during each visit. So I officially wave my white flag. He is the coupon king in our house.

So ladies, don't let your husbands tell you they can't get into the whole couponing thing. Any guy who wants to save money can coupon.

Oatmeal for Dinner? Heck yes.

2009-12-10T10:00:00.001-05:00

I had a craving for oatmeal tonight. I've been making it for breakfast on the weekends, it's so filling. We used to get bagels every weekend, which may explain the extra pounds I'm carrying.

I start with some chopped apples and bananas. I sprinkle some cinnamon and add a tiny bit of Brummel & Brown natural yogurt spread.

I'm inspired by my favorite foodie/exercise blogs to use real oatmeal. It took forever to use all of the quick-cooking oats, but now I'm on to the real stuff. It's better though - creamier, more filling. It only takes a few extra minutes, too.

I was making dinner for two, so after a few minutes, I added 1 cup of oats and 1 cup of almond milk and 3/4 cup of water.

I added a teaspoon of agave to sweeten it up a bit, ya know, since the husband was eating this.

For kicks, I added a tablespoon of organic peanut butter at the very end of the cooking process (off the heat).

I also added some ground flaxseed.

Also, some cottage cheese. Tons of protein and filling for oatmeal dinner.

Goodness gracious it was yummy. The husband loved it, too. I measure this by the fact that he didn't need a bowl of cereal later on in the evening.

Apple-Banana Oatmeal
1 red delicious apple, chopped
1 banana, chopped
1 cup oats
1 cup almond milk (or cow's milk)
3/4 cup water
Cinnamon
1 tsp Agave (optional)
1 tbsp peanut butter
1 heaping spoon of cottage cheese, added to each bowl

Hello Lover!

2009-12-09T10:00:00.000-05:00

Look what Santa* brought me the other day...

And for those wondering if all those rumors of this being the greatest dutch oven ever are true. YES. A thousand times, YES!

(*By "Santa" I mean that I called the store the day after Thanksgiving to purchase this at a huge discount, and had my friend pick it up and then gave to Matthew to give to me so that I could make chili the next day.)

Happy Belated Thanksgiving.

2009-11-30T10:00:00.000-05:00

Having four days off to spend with family was so wonderful, right? For the last two years, we've been graciously invited to spend Thanksgiving with my brother-in-law's family. It is always a wonderful time.

Steamed oysters on the grill.

The sister and I made appetizers. This is the last bacon-wrapped date. Extremely easy, extremely unhealthy and extremely delicious.

The food was wonderful.

I bought a stand with a few Vietri plates for the occasion. Presentation is everything. I made mystery rolls, inspired by the lovely, Pioneer Woman. Oh, and now I love Vietri.

Last year, my step-father was in the hospital. This year, my parents were happy and healthy.

Last year, Kobe was not a member of our family. Our lives were not as exciting.

I wasn't so good with the eating on Thanksgiving, but there's hope. Today, I did not eat any pie. Hey, it's a step.

Crack the iWeb Guestbook!

2009-11-29T22:25:00.002-05:00

**UPDATE: Our apologies, but this post is still under construction. We are working on an update!

Back in the day I used iWeb to create our wedding website, the blog post was entitled "iWeb is the coolest." iWeb was our answer to a cheap, customized, non-cheesy wedding website. Unfortunately, the program does not allow for a Guestbook, which is an attractive feature on any wedding website. The husband (aka the computer scientist) figured out a way to add a Guestbook to our iWeb site, so naturally most of the comments on the blog post ask me to email the Guestbook Code, which I thought was an easy task, but the husband tells me there's more to it than that. Want the scoop on how to put a Guestbook on a wedding website made with iWeb?

Warning: Some computer programming knowledge is required!

First, we begin by adding a page to the existing iWeb site for our guestbook. In this example, we chose the Elegant theme to hold the guestbook.

Next you should "dress up" the page as you would like it to appear and rename it "Guestbook". We will add the two guestbook components (the comment submission form and the comment wall) later.

Because iWeb pages will not expand downward automatically as your Guestbook grows, you must increase the length of the page to accommodate the dynamic Guestbook. I have set the page length to 4000 pixels (max. length in iWeb). The length can be adjusted by Inspector --> Layout Tab.

Now we will add a textbook as a marker for the comment submission form. Decide where you would like the comment submission form and create a textbox at that position. The textbox should be at least 500 pixels wide and 200 pixels in height. Inside the textbox type "marker1". Also, edit the font of the text to be that which you would like on the comment submission form.

Now, make another textbox with the text "marker2". Don't worry, the font of the text and dimensions of the textbox DOES NOT matter. Place marker2 below marker1 as a placeholder for the comment wall. Remember to leave at least 210 pixels in height from marker1. The placement of marker2 will dictate the position of the left side of the comment wall. In this example, the page is 700 pixels wide and the comment wall is 500 pixels wide by default (can be changed) so to center the wall, marker2 is placed 100 pixels from the left.

Export your site to a folder.

Now here's the fun part...editing the html code. We have to open guestbook.html in an editor. If you don't have anything else, this can be done with textedit. Open textedit, select TextEdit->Preferences, click the Open and Save tab, and make sure the top box (ignore rich text) is checked. Now you can open and edit the html source code for guestbook.html.

Firstly, delete the first line of the file ().

Use the find feature to find the word "marker1". Replace this word in the text with the code for displaying the comment submission form. Save your changes!!!

Check that things look correct.

Now replace marker2 with the code for the wall. Save your changes and rename the file "guestbook.php". Also, place insert.php and data.txt in the same directory.

Replace links to "guestbook.php"

Upload and run.

Please keep in mind, this code does not render properly until it is uploaded to a server supporting PHP.

Here's what ours ended up like:

We hope this helps all of you iWeb users!

Spaghetti Squash!

2009-11-23T10:00:00.000-05:00

Let "Operation Make Tushy Smaller" commence! This week I roasted some spaghetti squash to mix with my father's homemade marinara sauce. The marinara sauce had a bunch of lean ground turkey and mushrooms. It was delicious. Spaghetti squash is super easy to prepare and is all vegetable baby!

Step one: Get a sharp knife.

Step two: Cut the squash in half and scoop out the pulp and seeds. Side note: I roasted the seeds for 10 minutes and ate them for snacks at work!

Step three: Roast for 30-40 minutes at 375 F. Take out of the oven and with a towel (because it's HOT), hold the squash and just "fork" it.

See, it looks like spaghetti right? Now, for all you pasta lovers this might be tough, but it is seriously delicious. The husband ate a bunch, I swear!

Favorite Picture of the Week.

2009-11-18T10:00:00.000-05:00

The husband and I traveled to Washington, D.C. last weekend for a short mini-vacation with some wonderful friends. I took about 200 pictures, here's my favorite:

This is a close second:

I love Fall.

Another Year.

2009-11-17T10:00:00.000-05:00

I turned 29 two weeks ago. I can't believe I just typed that.

The husband set up a little surprise birthday dinner and party. It was a wonderful night. He kept saying that my camera was an early birthday gift and that was it. But on the night of my real birthday, he gave me this:

Woot, woot! The weekend was doubly wonderful because our first wedding anniversary was the day before my birthday. Yes, I did that on purpose. No, I'm not crazy. We went to the beach for the day and just relaxed. Well, the husband relaxed while I got a taste of my new lens.

Speaking of our first wedding anniversary, I'm embarrassed to say that all the hard work I put into getting into shape for our wedding has elapsed into a ten pound upset. I told myself I wasn't getting into shape just for the wedding, but as an overall health goal. I kept up a rigorous running schedule over the summer and felt great, but then I hurt my knee and stopped running. I'm such a dufus. You might see some more fitness and food posts in the future. I'm motivated to get back on track.

Dad is Great, Gimme Some Chocolate Cake!

2009-11-06T10:00:00.000-05:00

100 points to the person who identifies that quote!

Last Friday, we attended a wonderful dinner party hosted by the always gracious, Dr. Robinson. I offered to make a dessert, knowing full well I'm not really a baker. I mean, you know those people on Top Chef who always complain about baking and then turn to Betty Crocker? That would totally be me. Except I'm not good at cooking other things either. Okay, fine I would never be on Top Chef, whatever.

I saw this amazing looking fudge cake on Annie's Eats, and I thought, "LET'S DO THIS!"

Three torturous hours later, I was tired, worried and had developed an extreme admiration for bakers like Annie:

The result: the guests loved the cake! Success! Thanks, Annie!

More Photography.

2009-11-03T10:00:00.000-05:00

I crashed a Halloween party of a co-worker on Friday to photograph some cute children in their costumes. It was a lot of fun, and great practice! I took about 350 pictures, here are a few of my favorites:

One Year Ago...

2009-11-01T19:19:00.005-05:00

We gazed.

We rejoiced.

We laughed.

I can't believe it's been a year. What an incredible one it was. I feel so...blessed.

(Photos by Jason Angelini.)

Guess who...

2009-10-05T10:00:00.000-04:00

I watched this weekend?!

That's right, my nephew, Kobe!

(I know I haven't blogged in close to 2 months. Life is crazy, but a good crazy. I'll be in touch!)

I present to you, Kobe Tobias Graves

2009-09-22T23:19:00.003-04:00

Here's the newest member of our family...

Full name: Kobe Tobias Graves
(Yes, "Kobe" for Kobe Bryant. Tobias is from the show Arrested Development. If you watch the show, you get it.)
Born: July 25, 2009
Weight: 11 lbs 2 ounces
Sex: Male
Hair color: Apricot (and A LOT of it!)
Breed: Labradoodle

Coupons: Easy as A,B,C...and D

2009-08-29T15:54:00.006-04:00

Last week I finally got into the whole "couponing" thing. It took me about 3 hrs to figure out my shopping list one night and get all the coupons cut and and printed, but it was well worth it. Here's my grocery bill after it was all said and done:

That's a savings of $61.84, and spending $97.63!! I've seen people do even better than this, so I hope that I'll keep getting better and better.

So I think I can say I'm an official Couponer. I look at the blogs everyday, I print off coupons, I get the Sunday paper and file my Smart Source and Red Plum's by date, and of course I've got a sweet binder that helps me organize my shopping list and coupons while I'm in the store:

I've learned a lot the past few weeks, and I've decided that couponing can be narrowed down into 4 steps when you're first starting out. It may take some time at first to get used to it, but eventually you'll get the hang of it...and you'll be addicted.

4 Steps that help you save:

1. Collect your Sunday paper inserts: Smart Source, Proctor & Gamble, and Red Plum
2. Try to only buy when items are on sale, Buy 1 Get 1,etc.
3. Remember that you can use a manufacturer coupon AND a store coupon on ONE item. This means that even when things are B1G1, you can use 4 coupons: a store and manufacturer coupon on the item you buy and a store and manufacturer on the one you get free.
4. Only buy things you actually want and need! It's tempting to start buying things just b/c you can get them for a good price, but try to resist!

Now I know that there can be more to couponing than this. The major couponers will talk to you about stock piling things, but I think as you get started keep these steps in mind so your saving goes a long way! The advanced stuff can come after the first couple of weeks.

Again, here are some of the blogs that are great to look at for your coupon match ups:

frugalcouponliving.com
southernsavers.com
krazycouponlady.blogspot.com

Happy Couponing!

Sarah

Vacation

2009-08-25T20:56:00.006-04:00

We had a wonderful vacation, and words can't express how much we really needed it! Since I finished my internship during the first week of August and Lawton wasn't starting law school until the end of August, we decided to hit the road for two weeks!

Our first destination was Atlanta, GA. We visited with Lawton's Uncle Bryan in his super cute bungalow 2 blocks away from Piedmont Park. Our second destination was Greensboro, NC to visit Lawton's aunt, uncle, and cousins. We had a great time hanging out with all them, watching all home videos of the family. Our third and final destination was Raleigh, NC, visiting Corbin, Byerly, and Chesson. We spent 10 days in Raleigh hanging out with them, and it was so....AWESOME. We had a great time taking care of Chesson, learning how to landscape, planning a birthday party, and just relaxing. My next couple of posts will be on this trip, and I'll start out on Chesson's birthday party...

The little man is finally 1 year old! We had an awesome time planning for the big day and...eating cupcakes! The jungle theme went great. Here are a few photos of the jungle vines:

We made the vines out of paper bags and cut the leaves out of construction paper. Here's the blog I checked out for a little inspiration: http://living.weelife.com/search/label/wee%20party

The cake was the best part for me. The whole time I was making it I couldn't wait to see Chesson pound into it! I made cupcakes for everyone else. I filled some of the cupcakes with nutella and the others with fruit. Here are a few photos of the process:

Now for the birthday cake:

Here's the little man!

He had a great time :)

Oregon, Here We Come!

2009-08-25T09:00:00.000-04:00

I know I haven't posted in weeks. Lots going on lately:

1.) The husband had back surgery to relieve some pain from a bulging disc. Recovery has been smooth, but lots o' work for the wifey. I won't even go into the details, or else I'll throw a pity party and that ain't really my style.

2.) I took about two weeks off from running to give my knee a rest. I ran today, just 3 miles, and I felt good. I'm excited at the prospect of running again! Let the half-marathon training re-commence!

3.) Work is insane. Fortunately, I love my job, but I'm seriously slammed. Nice to have a little improvement in my billable hours though!

On another Excited! note: the sister and I are bringing our husbands here over Labor Day weekend:

That's a picture of Hood River, Oregon! Our cousin and his family live there and we're crashing their place for the weekend! We are so pumped. Flying into Seattle and staying overnight before driving over to Oregon. If you have any eating/visiting suggestions, please share with us!

Let the couponing begin...

2009-08-15T20:54:00.003-04:00

My sister-in-law has me addicted...to couponing. I haven't actually done anything yet, but I've been learning from the master while we've been visiting Corbin, Byerly, & Chesson in Raleigh this week. Lawton and I went to the grocery store w/ Byerly and Chesson our first day here and I watched her like a hawk. When we got to the check out line I was so excited. She spent $13 and saved $29. At least $5 of what she spent was due to Lawton's milk addiction. We bought 2 gallons w/out coupons. Without the milk, she would have spent about $8 and saved $29. Unbelievable. I'm excited to keep learning from her, and to start blogging about it. Here are the two websites I'll be following to get my sale and coupon info:

frugalcouponliving.com
southernsavers.com

I'm obsessed.

2009-08-05T09:00:00.000-04:00

With this:

Pair it with anything you'd like, and that "it" is a million times better. Ohmygawd.

Jumping on the Green Monster Bandwagon!

2009-08-04T09:00:00.000-04:00

I recently discovered a new blog, Oh She Glows and it rocks! (Big blog thanks to Meredith at Balance for Mere for leading me to it!) Both of the blogs are really inspiring, the lovely ladies are both avid runners and make great, awesome meals. I started noticing the phrase "Green Monster" and wondered what the heck they were talking about. I'm such a blogstalker, and if something looks good, I must have it immediately!

I soon realized that I had actually been making these for a while, I just didn't realize that there was a name for it!

Last night, the husband and I made a great one!

Ingredients:

Organic Kale
Organic Spinach
Crushed Ice
Scoop of Amazing Grass Wheatgrass
Fresh squeezed orange juice

It was extra yummy, and we ate it right before dinner, so I was really quite full afterwards! If you're interested in a ton of green monster recipes, Angela has a separate blog, Green Monster Movement. Check it out! It's such an easy way to get veggies inside of my non-vegetable-eating-husband (NVEB)!

Oh, and here's a picture of the husband making some carrot and kale juice!

As for our half-marathon training, here's our training calendar for August! I've actually missed the last two runs, because I hurt my knee on Friday! Last week, we decided to switch it up and run five miles on Friday, and then run a 5k race on Saturday morning instead of our usual 8 miles. On the way down a steep hill on Friday, I took a wrong step and immediately felt pain in my knee. I'm trying to be a good girl and stay off my knee, but I'm starting to pout like a baby. I really miss it. My running coach, Julia would probably be surprised to read that!

It's a Jungle Out There

2009-07-29T20:14:00.003-04:00

I understand that because I'm married I should be a "one man kind of woman." But the truth is, I'm really not. The next best thing from Lawton is my little nephew, Chesson, the 11 month old son of Lawton's brother, Corbin and his wife Byerly. He's pretty much the apple of my eye...and every other person's in our family.

He's the sweetest little boy I've ever known and he has wonderful parents. For his first birthday, his mommy has decided a jungle theme would be the way to go. I'm super psyched about this. Especially because we'll be in Raleigh (where Chesson and his parents live) a week before his birthday, and I'll have 7 whole days to teach Chesson how to growl like a lion. He's learned a lot from his sweet Aunt Sarah. The first thing I taught him was how to pant like a puppy dog. Given that his first cousin would be Kobe, I wanted them to be able to communicate successfully. He learned the noise I taught him *pant, pant, pant* but he decided that instead of making the noise by opening his mouth really wide and sticking his tongue out, he would much rather scrunch up his face to make the noise through his nose. Looking a little like this:

Gotta love him. So anyway, we've got a jungle theme to start working on. I'm not very crafty, but I can teach some mean animals noises. I'm going to call on my better half, Lynn Soon, to help us with some fun diy jungle ideas. I'd also like a little help from you all out there. Got any ideas?? Here are a few more pictures for inspiration:

Office Design Dilemma

2009-07-29T09:00:00.000-04:00

Thanks for all the great compliments for my cheap-o art idea! Here are some other pictures of my office. I need some plants and I really want a lamp. Any other ideas on how to spruce up the office some more?

Please note: I know the furniture isn't the most desirable, but it's brand new, large and not mine. It must stay put.

I love my view. All those trees. I love a city that loves trees.

I removed that ugly black stand and three hole punch, so there's nothing on my bookshelf. I'm thinking of adding some more pictures there?

What I did with the Fabric!

2009-07-27T09:00:00.001-04:00

Hope everyone had a great weekend! I'm back to show you what I did with the fabric!

First, I prepped it.

Then I took this billboard...and covered it!

I used upholstery tacks.

Here's a close-up of it in my office.

What do you think? The project was uber cheap, and I really love that it gives a little somethin-somethin to my boring office!

love, love, love

2009-07-26T13:48:00.007-04:00

Lawton and I recently celebrated our 1 year anniversary on July 5th. Wahoo, we made it! What's the best way to celebrate your 1 year? By going to a wedding of course :)

We had the great opportunity to attend and help out at our friends Casey and Jason's wedding on 4th of July weekend in Tallahassee.

Here are some great shots from the big day...

does this cake topper look familiar to anyone?

cute shoes

here comes the bride

first dance

It was truly a beautiful event, and it made me reminisce about our wedding that was just one year ago. The day after the wedding we spent the day hanging out with Lynn and Matt. While Matt and Lawton played video games, Lynn and I decided to put her new camera to good use and take some shots of my ring. I've been wearin' this bad boy for a year now...and I will continue to for many, many more to come.

Happy Friday!

2009-07-24T09:00:00.001-04:00

Anyone have fun plans for the weekend? We're heading down to Tampa this weekend for my 10 year high school reunion! In the meantime though, here's a picture of some fabric I bought last week to display in my office at work. Any guesses as to how it was used? Now remember, I'm an uptight lawyer, so I'll give you a hint. It wasn't used for drapes.

I also didn't purchase my furniture, it's owned by the firm, so I wouldn't be able to cover any chairs.

For those that already know, don't comment!

I'll reveal what I did on Monday! Have a great weekend!

Improving at a Snail's Pace...

2009-07-23T09:00:00.001-04:00

I will admit, I haven't been studying photography as much as I'd like. I haven't even finished reading the manual, I just keep shooting away without any knowledge and it frustrates me.

I attended an associate party a few weeks back and took the opportunity to practice with the most challenging subjects: children. WOW. I had no clue how hard it was to photograph them, they move all the freakin' time!!!

Here are a few of my favorites:

Of course, with beautiful subjects like these, it can't be that hard, no?

Opposites Attract.

2009-07-21T09:00:00.001-04:00

So many things going on, and not enough time to blog about it! Last night, we made homemade pizza for the first time. It was so yummy. At the grocery, Matt starts listing ingredients:

Matt: "Let's get some pepperoni and mushrooms..."

Lynn: "Pepperoni? Mushrooms? Uhhh, no. How about tomatoes and red onion and CILANTRO!"

Matt: "Eww, gross. We're making our own sides."

It's Come to This.

2009-06-29T08:00:00.000-04:00

I'm turning into a runner. I can feel it. Last week, look what appeared in the mail...yeah, it just appeared. I didn't even read a ton of reviews on Amazon for it, or purchase it with a credit card, it just came.

In case you're wondering, no I'm not that stylish when I run. I had just come home from work, and somehow the belt ended up in this picture.

Kobe is coming to town.

2009-06-27T21:13:00.009-04:00

Well not THE Kobe, as in Kobe Bryant; but a little pup the hubby and I have been waiting for since last year.

Our journey actually began 2 1/2 years ago when Lawton and I started researching dogs. We had a spread sheet and went through the pros and cons of each dog we chose. Here's a list of our criteria for our dog:

non-shedding
active
good with children
medium to large size
likes the water

It was a hard decision, but we finally came to one...about two months ago. We were going back and forth between a labradoodle and a portuguese water dog. The labradoodle breeder was local and more affordable, so we went with the labradoodle.

Kobe should be born in the second week of August. We get to bring him home to Tallahassee in October. Here are a couple labradoodle pics to make you drool...go get one, they're really cute.

labradoodlesgonewild.com

greengableslabradoodles.com

Happy Weekend!

2009-06-27T10:26:00.004-04:00

Okay, this isn't really a post, just a reminder to enjoy your weekend and to find out whether my blog is up and running again, tell me can you see these pictures?!?

This is Pretty.

2009-06-24T08:00:00.000-04:00

I want this:

But in this color:

{From Room and Board}

If anyone has one lying around - holla.

Favorite Products...Now.

2009-06-23T09:27:00.002-04:00

(Having a little blog trouble lately. The pictures are smaller, but it's the only way I can make them appear. If anyone has any suggestions!)

I love toiletries, so when I call something my "favorite," it can be sort of temporary. I used to be a BareMinerals user, but wanted to switch it up. I don't believe in makeup monogamy. I went to Ulta for the first time in May, and picked up these items. I love them.

It takes me about two minutes to prep my face for work, and that's the perfect amount of time for me. I don't do any eye makeup in the AM, I generally save that for nights. If you're in the market for a new foundation/concealer, check this out.

Here's a shot of my makeup addiction:

Tell me, what should I try next?

Weekend Post.

2009-06-23T09:26:00.003-04:00

I didn't accomplish very much. You? Oh, I did manage to take my pretentious diplomas to be framed for my office. I can't help it, it's all I have to show for myself for the past seven years. How the heck do they justify $60 to frame a piece of cardstock? In another life I should have owned my own framing shop.

Matt got the new iPhone 3gs on Friday, along with a million other people. It's pretty freaking sweet. I'm so jealous. My crackberry is ridiculously inferior.

Yes, he's already cleaning it.

In accordance with my running plan, I ran another six miles on Saturday. My running buddies were both out of town, so I tricked my husband into being my waterboy. He listened to Pandora while I huffed and puffed my way along the lake. Who's bright idea was it to take up running...during the summer...in Florida? Oh wait. Here's a couple of pictures from the new iPhone. Besides the blurry stuff, it has quite impressive picture quality, eh?

We also made some turkey burgers, and slathered some cheddar cheese and sliced jalapenos, ya know cuz it's healthy. Don't worry, I ate a spinach salad on the side.

He's such a trooper isn't he?

How was your weekend?!??

Any Runners Out There?

2009-06-17T08:49:00.005-04:00

This morning, at 6:15 am, was another 4-miler. We've started running in the mornings on Mondays & Wednesdays, in an attempt to beat the heat, but boy was it hot & humid this morning! It was brutal, but invigorating! Here's our running schedule for July:

Afterwards, I made a mango and strawberry smoothie for breakfast:

1/2 cup frozen mango
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 cup tofu
1-1/2 cups Rice Milk (depending on desired consistency)

How are you guys & gals doing with your fitness goals this summer? Anyone else training for a race or taking up running?!?

Vegetable Trickery.

2009-06-15T08:00:00.000-04:00

I've blogged about Pioneer Woman before. She is THE renaissance woman. I heart her. She taught me about aperture (well, I'm still learning), she taught me that cowgirl boots can be cool and she taught me how to trick my husband into eating vegetables.

This is the second time I've mentioned PW's Ginger Steak Salad, but it is so delicious and insanely beautiful that it bears repeating:

I got an amazing tip from Weelicious about how to peel ginger - take a spoon to it!!

I used to take time to mince the ginger, mostly because I love using my Santoku, but this is the fastest method:

How gorgeous is that? What are you waiting for?!?!?!

It's Juicing Time!

2009-06-11T08:00:00.001-04:00

{*I don't know where my brain was lastnight, but this isn't my recipe, I got this from the always fabulous Weelicious! If she makes it, I KNOW it's healthy!}

This post is pretty self-explanatory, so I'll just let the pictures do the talking!

Is he happy, or is he just smiling in fear?

Proof that the ziplock bag is important and makes for easy clean up:

Both juices are great, and best served very chilled!!!!

I Love Weekends.

2009-06-08T08:00:00.001-04:00

Race to Taste 10k: Let the Training Begin!

2009-06-03T16:31:00.003-04:00

Just a quick post to show you our (MC, Julia and myself) running schedule for June! Tonight is another 3 miles! This weekend, Julia and I will be at the beach to do our 6 miles. I'm totally dreading that, but Julia will kick my butt if I don't do it. Here's a tip for you other beginner runners: always have a running coach! :)

We've already registered for Epcot's Race to Taste 10k in October! There's a half-marathon in December that we're "toying" with. Who else is training for their first or second race?!

Pasta with Broccoli Rabe and Bolognese Sauce.

2009-06-02T09:00:00.001-04:00

Matthew does not eat a ton of vegetables. Let me rephrase: Matthew does not eat vegetables. He hates tomatoes (this was almost a deal breaker for me). He loathes artichokes (it hurts to type that). He won't even look at cauliflower and thinks arugula is an abomination. I know, I know.

After the detox, I've been on a mission to eat less processed stuff and to prepare healthier meals. I make smoothies with almond milk, I juice beets and carrots. Yeah, it's crazy...crazy good. Of course, Matthew won't touch the beet juice, but he will drink the smoothies, which contains a scoop of Super Green Food. Dinner can be a challenge though. My strategy has been to prepare a healthy base with plenty o' meat and fresh greens intermixed.

I found a great recipe on the WW site, and made a few modifications.

{2 tsp of Olive Oil on medium heat}

{Saute onions and fresh garlic for a few minutes. In my world, there's no such thing as too much garlic.}

{Matthew's requisite ingredient: MEAT. I bought some 97% lean beef from our local market. Brown the meat and break it down. Will take about 5 minutes. This takes a little arm muscle. It can be your workout for the day!}

{Add a big can of crushed tomatoes. Stewed tomatoes would not pass the Matthew-Test, but crushed tomatoes are okay.}

{I bought this from our local Fresh Market, it's Tallahassee's version of Whole Foods. Notice the "No Salt Added." That is very important!}

{Stir frequently, turn down to a simmer and let it sit for about 10 minutes.}

{In the meantime, prepare the broccoli rabe by washing, cutting off the stems and giving it a rough chop. This looks like a lot, but it cooks down tremendously. I should mention, I had already cooked my pasta, a mixture of whole wheat penne and gemili.}

{Add the broccoli rabe to the pasta water, still boiling. It will take about 5 minutes to cook down, you'll see. I have a huge pan, I know.}

{Once the sauce thickens after 10 minutes, I went ahead and added the pasta. I really love the pasta soaking in the sauce for a bit.}

{Evidence that a pound of broccoli rabe cooks down.}

{I didn't use any Photoshop on this picture. That's how vibrant the sauce and the broccoli rabe are!}

{I added a bit of grated Parmesan, because, ya know.}

What did the non-vegetable eating husband think? He ate every last bite!

Ingredients:

1/8 tsp salt for cooking pasta
2 tsp olive oil
1 cup of onion, chopped
1 tbsp minced garlic
3/4 lb lean ground beef (You could use ground turkey too!)
28 oz canned crushed tomatoes (NO SALT ADDED!)
12 oz whole wheat pasta
1 lb broccoli rabe
crushed red pepper flakes
dried oregano
salt & pepper to taste (add a little at a time!)

{Please note: All recipes will have the label "hearth" on them. You can also click on the "Hearth" tab!}

The Best Chocolate Pudding Ever.

2009-06-01T09:00:00.000-04:00

The other day, I discovered another cooking blog and I love it. Weelicious is written by the most lovely woman, who makes healthy and amazing dishes for her children. The most recent recipes though could be for adults, too. At least that's what I tell myself to justify looking at it! No, there's no baby making in the works. As a newbie lawyer, I won't be getting on that train for a few more years yet. However, in the meantime, I love learning new ways to make healthy dishes!

If you have children, you must read this blog, or if you're like me and just want general healthy cooking tips, it's great for that too! The first recipe I made from her awesome blog was the chocolate tofu pudding.

We actually ended up using a little less cocoa powder and agave than the recipe called for, you'll just have to test it out and see how much chocolate you can handle. I also didn't tell the husband what the ingredients were until after he ate every last bite. He loved it. It's so good, please make it tonight.

I never knew about agave until I discovered her blog. It's a natural sweetener, which my sister would appreciate. She and the husband got into a big debate a while back over the dangers of Splenda.

The Best Gift.

2009-05-30T15:47:00.004-04:00

I know I already spilled the beans about my new camera, but you have to hear the story of how my frugal-never-spend-more-than-$5 husband surprised me with a Canon Rebel XSi!!!

Last week, my best friend Ashley came down for visit. I left work early on Wednesday to pick her up from the airport, and then proceeded to get mani/pedis with her. (I made an itinerary of events, you'll see that later.) When we got home, there was a note from the husband:

I immediately started smelling the air, wondering what the heck it could be. Did he burn popcorn? What?!?!? Ashley went over to the microwave to investigate, and there was a box with "Canon Rebel XSi" in red and white. I started screaming!!!

I haven't finished reading the manual, but I have taken a few pictures for fun. This is quite a random post, but quite a change from the grainy images you've been seeing!

I used some of Pioneer Woman's Photoshop actions on the ring shot. If you use Photoshop you need to get these! They are free, because PW is the shiznit.

I can't remember which one I used on this, maybe seventies? I think Canon should pay me for this advertisement.

I realize that wasn't a great post, but I'm still getting acquainted with my new baby. What should I name her? My garmin's name is Victoria. Hmm, I'm going to have to think about this one.

A New Era of Blogging.

2009-05-28T22:13:00.003-04:00

I have zero time to post this week, actually I'm on negative time because the husband is waiting for me to watch a Netflix. I have so many things to blog about. Mainly though, I'm ecstatic bout MY NEW CAMERA!!! The frugal husband surprised me with a Canon Rebel xsi. I've only had the camera for a week, but here's a cool ring shot.

Be back with more next week!!

Epiphany Leads to Stupidity!

2009-05-15T09:00:00.000-04:00

After my WW rant earlier, my friend and I decided to try a detox just for 7 days. (Thanks for the tip, Pengy!) With all the processed crap I was eating, I was really interested in doing it. My body sort of stopped working after all of the sodium I gave it with my standard Lean Cuisine meal at lunchtime.

I've completed four days, and I think I'm going to give up a few days early. I didn't follow the program exactly (I'm a failure at all programs at the moment), so that I could sustain my weekly workouts, but I stayed away from all processed stuff. On the nights I wasn't eating broccoli and arugula soup (not good by the way), I cut up a bunch of veggies for a nice salad.

The benefits are tangible: I have a great amount of energy, my complexion has improved (for real) and I actually feel less bloated. Some of the smoothies are actually quite good, and some of the changes will be permanent ones for me to incorporate into my daily diet. For example, I haven't ingested any caffeine in 3.5 weeks. I sleep better at night now. I don't drink anything except for water with lemon and a little coconut water after lunch. I can't tell you how much my body likes all the water and NO diet soda. This alone has made a huge difference.

Now, I don't want to be a hypocrite, so please don't think this was a "fad" diet. It really wasn't. It was an experiment in how much salt and other bad stuff I'm putting into my body and it actually worked.

Here's some pictures from the week! Please pardon the grainy pictures. I really hate using my flash.

We bought a new juicer, got it for a great discount from Haute Look. It's really fun and the fresh juice is pretty sweet (pun intended).

Action shot!

This smoothie was pretty yummy. The peach and almond milk one the next day was not.

Orange You Glad We Got Married?

2009-05-11T09:00:00.000-04:00

I can't remember if I told you about our DIY wedding photobooth. Nonetheless here's the scoop: photobooths are freaking expensive! For a fleeting moment, the husband thought he would build one himself. After reality settled in, I called our photographer and asked if we could set one up. I'd buy the fabric and props, and he'd bring the flash, umbrella, camera and tripod. There was a minimal rental fee, and I asked a few of our friends to take turns taking funny pictures. Many of our guy friends who "don't do the dance thing" were happy to oblige.

{All pictures by Jason Angelini, with some Photoshop editing by yours truly.}

Our shirts were ordered from Strange Cargo.

A Weighty Epiphany.

2009-05-09T12:15:00.005-04:00

I saw Star Trek on Thursday night at 10:00 pm because my husband is a dork. Granted, he's a "cool" dork, but he's a dork nonetheless. Anyone who responds to the question, "What are you studying?" with "I'm pursuing a Ph.D. in Computer Science" is a certified dork. Nonetheless, the movie was quite awesome. The effects were well done, and the plot was entertaining for a non-Star Trek person like myself. Plus, I have a crush on young Spock.

I wasn't alone though, no. Apparently, I know a lot of dorks. (Yes, JF I just called you a dork.) So I'm there with 3 dorks, and my lovely sister and friend, MC. While the husband and brother-in-law were playing arcade games, the girls were discussing our diet woes. We are all members of Weight Watchers at the moment, with Sarah and MC a bit more committed than me right now. Here's why: I broke up with Weight Watchers last week after a weight loss epiphany. Now, I know what you're about to say. Lynn, Weight Watchers is a proven program with countless numbers of women losing weight successfully. I agree with you, don't worry. I don't want to bash WW. It's just that we don't click together. There's no chemistry in our relationship.

Do you remember when I lost weight for the wedding? Read about it here, here and here. I don't want to toot my own horn, but I'm going to. I lost weight the right way (I don't mean to imply WW is not the right way). No fad diet, no extreme fasting. Just solid healthy meal choices and lots of exercise. So what happened? I DIDN'T MAINTAIN IT. After the wedding, I just cut loose, kicked-back and enjoyed immense amounts of food. I still work out, probably not to the extent I was before the wedding, but 3-4 times a week I get my butt moving. Yet, my butt continues to grow.

My reasons for joining WW were two-fold: 1.) My sister had just joined; and 2.) I was stuck in a frustrated food rut. I had just completed my first 10k and my butt was still big. Are you freaking serious? I put myself through such misery training for a 10k, and I actually run the whole thing, and I'm not back to my normal weight?! Mother of a...

We did have really cool shirts made for the race! The design was located on the back, and it was made by the fabulous Kelly at Glamour This!

So, I joined WW and tried my best to track my foods and count my points. I had really good days, and I had not so good days, but all in all, I WAS losing. Since joining on April 1st, I've lost about 3 lbs. Clearly, I haven't been following the program to a T, not to mention that I've been just miserable about my progress, and quite obsessed about food. I didn't like the way I was feeling about the whole thing. I have a Type A personality; I'm highly methodical about everything I do, so imagine my disappointment when I was failing at a program that seemed perfect for me. What was the deal yo?

I can't tell you what the real issue is, but I do have random thoughts about why WW just doesn't work for me:

1.) Writing everything down and calculating points feels like treading through mud. (I know that it's supposed to be difficult and once you discipline yourself it gets better, but I just couldn't get over the hump.)

2.) Being on a "diet," made me think about food ALL OF THE TIME, and not in a good way. I focused on what I couldn't eat and ate it anyways like a classic rebel.

3.) I did not enjoy the meetings at all. I couldn't find any commonalities with the other women, besides with my friend, MC. No one else really exercised, so we never talked about it. Their lives were completely different than mine, and so I felt zero team spirit.

4.) I lost motivation to cook the COOL meals because it took too long to calculate points, and ended up eating a bunch of processed crap because it made things easier. This really made me unhappy. Sure the WW recipes are great, but I'd be reading Cooking Light and want to make it, and I'd just end up feeling discouraged.

(Image from Cooking Light)

After all those thoughts, I realized. I know how I like to lose weight, and it's just not the WW way. I enjoy eating well throughout the week, working out consistently and enjoying great meals on the weekends. I can make the right choices to lose weight, my real problem is maintaining it. And sure, I bet WW teaches you maintenance, but I just don't think it's for me.

In the end, I believe I lose weight very fast because I cut every bad thing out of my diet, work out excessively and then feel deprived once I meet my goal. My solution:

1.) I've started emailing a good friend of mine who has her Masters in nutrition and she's going to help me understand why I cannot maintain and how I change my lifestyle.

2.) I am NOT going to be on a strict diet. I'm going to make those smart choices I've been accustomed to, and then practice eating less of those awesome meals that I eat on the weekends.

3.) I'm going to practice patience in losing weight. There's no quick fix. Repeat: There's no quick fix. I'm going to take things slowly and in the process, feel comfortable with my body at all stages.

4.) In addition to my regular workouts, I'm going to train for my first half-marathon with MC and our running coach, Julia. We actually don't have a running coach, it's more of a friend who runs constantly, wants some running buddies and is willing to train us properly and stay with our slow butts. (For the 10k, I trained only for a month, which explains the above mentioned misery.)

Wow. This was a really long post. There's two lists! I know that many of you have had great experiences with WW, so I apologize in advance if I offended you. My sister loves it, and MC seems to enjoy it, too so there will be more WW talk on here I'm sure!

Enjoy the weekend!!!

A Reason to Clean.

2009-05-06T09:00:00.001-04:00

Last night was really great. It was a splendidly simple evening, coupled with grilling some chicken breasts for a salad (a la Pioneer Woman's Ginger Steak Salad, yes it works with chicken, too) while listening to Car Talk on the radio. (We don't have any sort of cable television, not even the basic stuff. I know, we're weird.)

I generally "try" to clean up the kitchen immediately after dinner. If I don't go straight to the kitchen, I will somehow find my way to the couch, with my laptop and for some reason the dishes don't magically clean themselves so there they sit all night and I secretly loathe it, but I can tolerate it. Anyways, I digress. Tonight, I went straight to the kitchen, and when we grill there's less clean up in the kitchen which is nice, but another thing that gets me in the kitchen is the joy I get when I clean up with this:

Have you smelled this? Perhaps if you're not a fan of lavender you'll hate it, but otherwise you should LOVE IT. I feel like I'm getting some sort of aromatherapy session when I'm cleaning with this. Unfortunately, our local Target doesn't carry Mrs. Meyers products, but we have a World Market that does. If you're looking for an excuse to clean, check this out!

Oh, and because I believe the best blog posts have a ton of pictures, here's a picture of the first time we made PW's Ginger Steak Salad, with steak. It's better with steak, but if you made the steak version on Sunday, and wanted to trick your husband into thinking you made a brand new meal with chicken, then it works.

And yes, we love our steak on the red side. We're thrill seekers.

And while we're at, tell me: what's your favorite cleaning product?

Getting sidetracked from tracking...

2009-04-25T12:27:00.004-04:00

So the past couple of weeks have been pretty hard when it comes to tracking my pts. I went out of town last week for about five days, and although I attempted to track my pts it got so hard to do it by even the second day. The habit I formed over those days carried over when I came back home, and I haven't been tracking my food very well. I'll start the day out great, but snacking has been my down fall..I don't know how to track that. When this happens, I just stop tracking for the rest of the day. ugh.

But I'm SO OVER THIS! I don't know where I've found this sudden drive, but I'm tired of wasting time. I've gotta get back on track and just...track! Anyone else have any big bumps in the road like this? What did you do to get back on track?

Here's my inspiration for the day:
My mother-in-law's speedy gazpacho

32 oz tomato juice
1 cucumber, seeded & chopped
1 gr pepper, seeded & chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 tsp instant beef bouillon
1/4 c red wine vinegar
1 tbsp worcestershire
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp onion salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/4 garlic powder

-Whirl all ingredients in blender or food processor in 2 batches
-Pour into large pitcher
-Refrigerate
-Serve w/ dollop of lowfat or fat-free sour cream.

Without the sour cream you can count this as 0 pts for one ladle. It makes for a great snack in between breakfast and lunch!

The Big Move in Raleigh

2009-04-24T15:03:00.008-04:00

Yes, I agree. We do not post enough. But I'm glad to know that people are enjoying and want to read more. :)

Last week I went to Raleigh, NC to visit my brother-in-law, Corbin (Lawton's bro), sister-in-law, Byerly, and their cute as could be son Chesson. He's 8 months old and the total center of our family's attention...and we love it!

They recently moved into a new house, so my father-in-law and I went up there to help them get the place ready and move on in. It was a lot of work, but totally worth it in the end. They went from 1100 to 1900 sq ft! Although their previous house was fine for the two of them, it was getting too small for Chesson to move around in- so the move was a great decision!

Here are some before shots of the house:

(Living Room-beautiful big window!)

(dining room- they had a lot of boxes:) )

Here are a few of the kitchen:

Chesson's bathroom:

Chesson's Nursery:

Screened in back porch:

I'll have some updated photos soon of some after shots!

It's Dancing Time!

2009-04-24T09:00:00.000-04:00

Today at kickboxing, I received an official complaint from Jovanna that we don't blog enough. I totally agree, but you must take pity on me. I'm in a job that measures merit based upon how many hours I work. You feel sorry for me now, don't ya?!? So when you're reading this blog, thinkin' to yourself, this is good and all, but these chicks just don't give me the consistency I need. Think about me, slaving at my desk, reading things that should never be read unless you're consuming massive amounts of alcohol, but I can't do that because I actually have to interpret the damn stuff.

Moving on now. Here are some pictures from our wedding reception. I'd like to say that people were constantly dancing, but then I'd be lying. Matt likes to say it just took a while for people to get tipsy enough. Maybe he's right. Okay, fine he's right.

Proof that the ladies loved the flip flops:

Proof that men can't dance:

But some can flip:

This is Mikey. He was very popular with the ladies!

This is how my best friend, Ashley likes to order her drinks.

A little slow dancin' with the Smellies.

I've saved the best for last, my husbands awesome dance moves:

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

Wedding Details!

2009-04-14T09:00:00.000-04:00

How was everyone's Easter weekend? We had a blast! The parents drove up and stayed a couple of days. We saw "I Love You, Man." A bit more vulgar than Sarah and I would have preferred with our parents sitting nearby, but it was super hilarious. I have a major crush on Paul Rudd from his guest star on Friends. (Yes, I'm obsessed with Friends. Don't hate.)

So, I'm still working on wedding recaps, and by working I mean slacking big time. Here are a few of my favorite detail shots from the wedding. Jason Angelini did an amazing job capturing everything.

I like this one because you can see the detail of the stitching on the programs. Those were so much fun to make!

Here is the poster we had our family and bridal party sign. We put it at the entrance to the reception.

Our seating chart! We bought a foam board, and wrapped some fabric around it.

Our gorgeous cake!

Yup, your suspicions are correct, those are the beautiful Ann Wood birds.

Here's our gorgeous cake sign made by the amazing, Laura Hooper!

I got some Moo cards printed with our engagement pictures, and printed our Flickr login on the flip side for people to upload pictures!

I made these chair signs in two minutes! I got some pretty paper from a local scrapbooking store and printed the signs on my inkjet.

A sign near all of our wedding favors, which are from Daffy Apple.

Our slideshow, using clothespins and twine.

Flip flops from Old Navy with a DIY sign. They were a huge hit with the ladies!

Jumping on the Weight Watchers Bandwagon!

2009-04-10T09:00:00.000-04:00

Tonight was amazing. Maricruz and I got together after kickboxing and made Totally Thai Chicken Cups! They were so yummy, filling and only 4 WW points! Afterwards, we had a dessert, 1/2 of a WW ice cream sandwich with fresh strawberries, blueberries and kiwi (2 points). It was awesome.

Then...we took measurements and pictures. That was not as much fun, but accountability is key, so here you go. Start weight=157.8

That smirk on my face depicts exactly what I was feeling at that moment. Embarrassed. I had worked so hard to lose weight for the wedding, and I did it in a healthy, athletic way. I got back from my honeymoon and kept working out, but totally let my food habits fall by the wayside. It was like everything I had been resisting was being stuffed in my mouth at exponential rates! So, now I've put on 10 lbs. In six months, I put on 10 lbs. That's so embarrassing to admit, but you guys will still love me, right?

Oh, and I must mention this. Two weeks ago, I ran my first 10k. Guess what? I suspect I gained a little weight from all the training because I was insanely hungry all of the time. I'm sure you can guess that instead of munching on fruits and vegetables, I was probably eating spaghetti instead. I'm running a 5k this weekend, which I'm excited for. It doesn't make me as hungry! Have a wonderful Easter weekend!

Our First Party!

2009-04-09T09:00:00.000-04:00

I know, I suck at blogging lately. Work has been so crazy, mostly because I wasn't being efficient with my time the first six months, so now I'm working extra hard to make up for my retardedness. This past week, I also joined Weight Watchers. The day the little sis posted her before pictures, I was thinking to myself, "I need to stop gaining weight and get my butt back into gear." It was a sign! My friend, Maricruz also joined with me. We're getting together tonight to take before pictures and make a WW dinner.

In the meantime, here are some pictures from this past weekend. It was the husband's twenty-fifth birthday. Yes, I'm older. No, don't ask.

iPhone cupcakes for a scavenger hunt!

The birthday boy doesn't look surprised, but he truly was!

Momentum still going strong...with a few bumps in the road

2009-04-06T20:14:00.003-04:00

So I'm nearing the end of my second week of weight watchers. Overall- it's been great so far. I can't really complain because I weighed in last week at 139.6 lbs. which means, I lost three lbs! But I must admit, the 1st week was easy peasy compared to the second...

The second week was :::ugh::: soooo hard! All those things I thought I could really walk away from like chips, cake, and even PB &J were so tempting! And yes, I gave into the PB &J, once. But just a half sandwich. :) It's been a rough week so far, but I have learned a very wonderful and valuable tip about WW. Plan your meals ahead. Seriously.

The days I've planned ahead were the days I was never really that hungry. I always knew when my next meal would be and I always knew what I would be eating. Breakfast was always easy to figure out, lunch and dinner were harder. But when I sat for ten minutes before bed and planned out what I would eat the next day, I knew I was saving my sanity and all the planning became worth it!

Here's what my typical day looks like :

breakfast- light english muffin (1 pt) WW yogurt (1 pt)

lunch- smart ones frozen meal (usually 4 pts)

snacks- 1 cup of grapes (1 pt), 2 tbsp hummus w/ baby carrots (2 pts)

dinner- WW recipe (ranging between 10-14pts)

after dinner dessert- WW ice cream bar (1-2 pts)

Now I always have to eat at least 21 pts everyday, which usually isn't very hard for me. But this week I was introduced to Move More at the WW meeting and found out I can earn more pts by working out. This has been an AWESOME incentive for me.

Anyone else have any quick recipes for breakfast, lunch or dinner to share? We've loved all of your comments about your success stories!

Momentum.

2009-03-25T16:05:00.010-04:00

So I finally did it, I joined Weight Watchers. For the past 8 months I've gradually put on weight. It all started after my wedding...of course. 3 lbs became 5 lbs, then before I knew it I had gained 10 lbs. I never thought I would see that number on the scale again, but it happened. I knew it was coming too. My clothes were fitting tighter, my face was getting rounder, and I had been eating way too much. I figured since I was training for a half-marathon, I could pretty much eat whatever I wanted. Carb it up, right? Wrong.

I've had the whole working out thing down for quite some time, and I've always been a pretty healthy eater, but I've never really done well with portioning. Not to mention the fact that I cook for a guy every night who can eat A LOT, so my portions never look big compared to his. But when I went to my first WW meeting last night I figured out that's exactly what my portions were-big.

My goal isn't to become a skinny minny. It isn't to slim down to 100 lbs and start a modeling career or anything. I'm very much looking forward to feeling confident and great in my own skin again. This time I may not have my wedding to look forward to and motivate me, but I think now I have a great life long perspective on my weight and how to keep it off. :)

So here I am, on my first day of WW, and it's going pretty well. 10 baby carrots are 0 pts, so hopefully that will hold me over until dinner. I had my hubby take a couple of photos of me so I can track my progress. Here are a couple: Day 1 weight= 142.6 lbs.

I'd love to hear from you all! Anyone out there who have Weight Watchers success stories??

Winner of Canvas Giveaway!

2009-03-22T15:57:00.003-04:00

(From Martha Stewart Weddings)

Thank you to all the brides and newlyweds who entered our 16x20 Canvas Giveaway from Online Poster Printing!

The winner is....

Comment #11 came from CaitStClair, aka A Peachy Bride! Congrats, Cait!!!

Another July 4th Wedding :)

2009-03-20T13:56:00.004-04:00

Last year Lawton and I got married over July 4th weekend. It was an awesome time to get married. We were able to make it a long weekend because most people were able to fly in early due to the holiday. It's also my favorite holiday so that made it great too:) I'm a sucker for fireworks!

This year I get to be in another wedding on the same weekend. My dear friend Casey, who was also one of my bridesmaids, is getting married on the 4th in Tallahassee. She's got a lot of fun stuff planned already and last weekend she made her decision on the bridesmaid dresses. I'll give you one guess where they're from...

Ahh of course, the wonderful J Crew. Here's a photo of it:

Home Sweet Home

2009-03-16T13:58:00.003-04:00

Do you remember my house hunting friends, Amelia and Rick? Well, they finally found their home and this past Saturday we helped them move in! Check it out!

I heart red doors.

The center island is humongous, and made of granite.

Here's the family room. The house is approx. 2,700 sq. feet, but I was too tired to take pictures of the rest. Please forgive me.

Congrats to Amelia and Rick! Your new home rocks!

Let's Chow Down!

2009-03-13T08:00:00.000-04:00

Next up is the dining room! We didn't really have a dining room in the first place, it was more a spot for Crate & Barrel boxes.

Old place:

I miss those hardwood floors. I don't miss cleaning them though.

New Place:

The West Elm table is so delicious. It's more modern than I'm used to, but I really love it. The chairs are from Target, they are called chesapeke. They are a little darker than the table, but I really love the non-matching feel to it. I can't believe I have a place to eat now! Woot, woot!

Space is Good.

2009-03-12T08:00:00.001-04:00

Here's the first picture of our new place. It's the one room we didn't really need to decorate. Sorry, let me rephrase: It's the one room we happily didn't need to decorate because it's already awesome.

I promised you the hilarious comparisons. After we moved in, the husband and I loved that we had roughed it for a bit and then upgraded. It made us feel like we'd earned it. Here we go:

The counter you see is the ONLY counter space in the kitchen, half of which is being blocked by the awesomely-placed stove. Yeah. My thoughts exactly. And it looks long in the picture, but it's really not.

NOW:

Quite an improvement, eh? I'm not a fan of the cherry colored cabinets, but I'll take that any day over pine-ville!

Stressful Shopping!

2009-03-09T10:00:00.001-04:00

This weekend, the husband and I spent a ton of time shopping for a dining room table. After scouring Craig's List and local garage sales, and a number of "average" furniture stores, we came up empty handed.

I wanted to order a few things from Target (console table, desk) and I stumbled upon some affordable dining room options. I wasn't sure of the quality, but I was willing to give it a try. After all, I love Target. On a hunch, I went to one of my favorite online stores, West Elm. Check out what they had...on sale...in the size I wanted...in the color I wanted...for $199. My heart leaps!

To keep the dining room furniture on a budget, we ordered some very affordable chairs from Target. I'll be sure to inundate your blogger readers with pictures of the new ensemble when it arrives!

(Image from West Elm)