Barbecued Peaches

Fall TV

2011-09-26T10:30:00.017-05:00

This post will probably make me sound like someone who sits in front of the TV for hours on end...I promise I don't! I have(or J and I have) 1 or 2 shows a night we like to watch as a way to unwind. We usually DVR it all so we can watch when we have time and fast forward through commercials

Here's our Must See TV list!

Monday

How I Met Your Mother

We are a little late to the HIMYM party, but we love it! I think last season was the first season we watched. We own the first three seasons on DVD (we're about to start season 3) and love this show. I love Barney's one-liners and I've loved Allyson Hannigan since her Buffy days.

Dancing With The Stars

I've never been a fan of these voting talent shows(I don't do Idol, So You Think You Can Dance, etc). This is the first season I've watch DWTS and I'm only watching because I went to high school with JR Martinez and he's a bit of a hometown hero. He really impressed me last week and I hope he goes far! I called and voted once...people on my FB feed were posting that they voted 60-100 times using different phones & email addresses! I'm sorry, but that just seems a bit much. I usually watch until he dances and then change/delete.

Hart of Dixie

Clearly, I haven't watched this yet but it looks really cute. I love Rachel Bilson and was a big fan of "The O.C." back in its heyday. And Jason Street (aka Scott Porter) is in it! From now on, any actor from Friday Night Lights will be referred to as their FNL character.

Tuesdays

The Biggest Loser

J and I watch this, though I've honestly been a little bored with it lately. I am interested to see how it is without Jillian. Dolvett looks like he could kick some ass, and I think Anna K. is not the best choice.

Wednesdays

Criminal Minds

I got hooked on this show this spring when I caught a rerun/marathon on A&E. I can pretty much find reruns on every night, ha! I caught the last few episodes of last season and I'm excited to watch a full season.

Plus, Matthew Gray Gubler is cute, in my opinion. I told my BFF that and she totally called him as my "type".

See? Although I must say, the hairstyle he had going on in the premiere was not the best.

Thursdays

NBC owns us, pretty much!

Community

Seriously one of the funniest shows on TV. If you haven't watched it, you need to!

The Office

I was curious to how this would be without Michael Scott/Steve Carrelll. I liked it! I like Andy as the manager. And Jim & Pam are back to being cute and sweet and not annoying.

Grey's Anatomy

This has been my show since college. Back when it was on on Sunday nights, my roommate and 2 neighbors would get together for Sunday Night TV and watch Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Grey's and Desperate Housewives. I've stuck through the crappy story lines ( I AM SO GLAD IZZY IS GONE!) and am starting to accept Meredith & Derek will never have happiness.

Whitney

J put this on the DVR out of curiosity. The first episode was okay...we'll see.

Friday

Ghost Adventures.

I can't help it.

Saturday

Saturday Night Live

We like to DVR this and watch it Sunday afternoon or something. I have a huge crush on Seth Meyers and we both love when Stefan shows up on Weekend Update!

Sunday

Pan Am

I actually haven't watched the premiere yet...and I forgot to set the DVR, so I missed the first 15 minutes. I may catch it online. I have high hopes for this to fill in my Mad Men void until it comes back!

So there you have it...what I didn't mention is my somewhat embarrassing addiction to The Real World. I almost always find myself watching it. I don't bother setting the DVR because MTV loves reruns!

What are you watching?

All pictures via Google or the show's Facebook.

Planning Fail

2011-09-19T12:22:00.003-05:00

Source

I had great plans to go to a lunchtime class at the YMCA downtown. I used to attend this class regularly and it kept me in GREAT shape. It is(or was, I think they changed instructors) almost a bootcamp style class that changed every day. I've gained 10 lbs since I stopped going.

I shut my office door to change, opened my gym bag....no shoes.

Damn.

Looks like a puppy walk + Jillian Michaels DVD at home this evening for me!

What are your workout plans?

Making the House (Apartment?) a Home

2011-09-13T12:43:00.005-05:00

I really want to decorate our apartment. Not painting or anything permanent, but I want to start collecting things that I would like to have in a home one day. I'm a bit ADD when it comes to decorating, so I think I'm going to start by focusing on one room at a time. I am starting with the living room, since that is where we spend the most time. While in Georgia this weekend, I cashed in some of the credit I had from returned wedding gifts at a local store and purchased this set of paintings to hang above our couch (sorry for the crappy iPhone picture)!

I got a good deal on these! $69 for the set! I also bought a cute little frame to hang in our 1/2 bath downstairs. That's pretty much the only fully-decorated room in the apartment :) I should post pictures!

I will post more pictures once we hang them. We will need to buy new throw pillows, I'm thinking maybe blue and brown. I also think I can tie-in a couple of the bright green accents I already have in the room.

I also want J to refinish the coffee table & side table we bought off craigslist now that it is cooler out. They have a slight cherry finish to them and I'd rather they be an espresso color. I also hate our Walmart, pressed-wood, black TV stand and would like to find a nicer one, along with a better couch and loveseat/ chair. I've always said "I don't want to waste money fixing up a temporary situation," but now I'm changing my tune. I've decided I'll start buying things I like now, regardless of how well they "go" in our apartment, knowing I'll love them in the future!

We have spot of wall between our two windows in the living room, above our (broken) loveseat, where I would like to hang a wood-framed mirror. All the mirrors I am finding online are $100+! Time to hit up Craigslist, TJMaxx and Tuesday Morning.

I look for ideas on Pinterest, but I get so over whelmed! Many of the ideas I like aren't applicable to our living situation (or budget!) right now.

Help me out! Where do you go for home decorating ideas?

Sleepless Nights

2011-09-06T12:43:00.002-05:00

One of my biggest irritations in life is not getting enough good, quality sleep. At 27, I feel a bit like an old lady as I rarely stay awake past 11 PM, even on the weekends! I usually go upstairs around 10-10:15 and read for a few minutes and then pass out. I get up between 6:20-6:40 AM on work days(depends how many times I hit snooze...) and around 8 AM on weekends. I usually have no issues falling asleep.

TWICE this weekend, however, I could not fall into a deep sleep. The first was Sunday night, which I attribute to the 1.5 hour nap I took that afternoon. It was rainy, cool and I was tired and had Friday Night Lights, season 1 on. I assumed I would have no issues last night since I was pretty tired from Sunday.

I went to bed around 10:30 with a little bit of a headache and slept until 2:15. Then I was up for an hour! I could not fall asleep, my head was hurting, I was hot and the fan was making weird noises. J couldn't sleep either. After an hour of tossing and turning, I finally found some earplugs, took a BC Powder(which I normally HATE, but wanted something quick), and kicked-off the comforter, finally falling asleep a little after 3 AM.

I HATE that feeling of not falling asleep. I try everything, counting backwards, slow breathing...When I am away from home, I will take a OTC sleep aid(usually only 1/2 the suggested dosage), but try not to use it very much. I supposed I should have taken Tylenol PM when I first went to bed; there's no way I would have made it to work on time had I taken it at 2:30 AM!

So tell me, readers, what are your tricks for getting a good night's sleep?

Finally.

2011-09-02T11:31:00.008-05:00

Glory, glory to ole' Georgia.

via google

Heroes have graced the field before you. Men with hearts, bodies and minds for which the entire Bulldawg Nation can be justifiably proud. The tradition of unbridled excellence demonstrated by these individuals and many others spans more than a full century.

And now a new breed of Bulldawg stands ready to take the field of Battle. To assume the reigns of the Georgia program.

To continue that tradition.

Understanding that there is no tradition more worthy of envy.

No institution worthy of such loyalty as The University of Georgia.

As we prepare for another meeting between the hedges let all the Bulldawg faithful rally behind the men who now wear the red and black with two words.

Two simple words that express the sentiments of the entire Bulldawg Nation...

GO DAWGS!" -Larry Munson

One Lovely Blog Award

2011-08-29T12:44:00.004-05:00

Hi all! I hope everyone had a lovely weekend. We had beautiful weather...I laid by the pool for a couple of hours Saturday without drowning in my own sweat :) We were lazy, lazy, lazy and it was great. I spent the entirety of Sunday afternoon stretched out on the floor reading and cuddling with the dog. Perfection.

No Menu Monday this week, as I haven't planned anything :)

Ally over at Copacetic in Carolina pass on this One Lovely Blog award to me! How fun. These things are great--I love learning random facts about people.

Rules:

Link back to the person who gave you this award
Complete the form below
Share 7 random things about yourself
Award 15 bloggers this award and notify them of the award(kinda breaking this one...)

Name your favorite color: Purple :)
Name your favorite song: I actually don't think I have one because it changes all the time! I do love anything by Sugarland though.
Name your favorite dessert: my Mawmaw's homemade chocolate pound cake + chocolate icing. yum, yum, yum!
What ticks you off: liars
When you're upset you: walk, call a friend, read for a while
Your favorite pet: Of course I love our sweet Newnan! But I can't forget my baby back home in Georgia, Nipper, along with our cats. Then there was the first pet I ever had, my sweet cat of 15 years, Cocoa.
Black or White: White...it looks so clean
Your biggest fear: Not finding what I'm supposed to do
Best feature: eyes
Everyday attitude: Happy, laid back
What is perfection: A fall Sunday afternoon...clear skies, post-church, preferably post- UGA win :)
Guilty pleasure: pedicures, reading all day, Starbucks lattes

Seven Random Things About Myself:

1) I absolutely have to have reading materials for any car trip over an hour. I have to be entertained. Yes, I talk to whomever I am in the car with, but I also need a book or magazine. I can't stand to just look out windows for hours.

2) I used to be terrified of flying, yet I wanted to be a astronaut. Still not completely over my fear of flying, but as I fly more, I'm more comfortable with it.

3) I am, and always will be, a band geek. I started playing clarinet in middle school, marched in high school, and played in the UGA concert bands in college. I still love the sound of a drumline outside a Friday night high school football game!

4) For some reason, I always get sucked into movies I OWN when they are on TV. Yesterday afternoon was Titanic. I wonder how many times I've seen that movie? And each time I just think..."Surely he could have grabbed another piece of wood..."

5) Speaking of the Titanic, I have been strangely fascinated by it since I was young--7 or 8 years old. I'm not sure how it started, but I've read pretty much every book about it, watched the documentaries, played video games, etc. A few years ago I went to the exhibit when it was in Atlanta and touched a piece of the hull!

6) I went with some other Memphis-area UGA alums to the Liberty Bowl Gala last year. When we were coming down from the cocktail hour to the dinner, we saw Aaron Murray and some other players waiting in the lobby for a meeting. I told him I should get my picture made with him because "I'm the Memphis UGA Alumni club president, so I have street cred." Someone should have cut me off after 2 drinks.

7) At least 50%(probably more like 75%...) of my wardrobe is from Target. Probably 80% of my shoes are!

Here's Where I Break The Rules

If you are reading this, and haven't received this award, CONGRATS! You just did. Please post up some fun facts about you and leave me a link to your blog. No blog? Post the answers in my comments :)

Have a great Monday!

Oh hey....

2011-08-26T12:29:00.002-05:00

Sorry about the absence!

I've been a little busy at work(I usually blog on my lunch hour) and just haven't felt like posting. I think I'm out of the funk though!

Next week will be back to our regularly scheduled programming, but for today you get a bulleted list of my random thoughts. Enjoy!

I plan on enjoying this last weekend of August by the pool and walking Newnan(the temps have been great yesterday and today!), but come Monday, I'm ready for Fall.
Fall items I'm looking forward to: cool weather, tall boots, recipes with cinnamon and apples, fall scented candles, hoodies, Jim Beam + Coke Zero and college football!
Newnan destroys at least 2 toys a week. Does anyone make dog toys made of steel?
I read Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin this weekend. I've read 4 of her 5 books and they all deal with cheating. I'm sensing a theme.
On another note, I liked Something Borrowed and Something Blue, but did not care for Baby Proof or Heart of the Matter.
I've read a lot of books recently, so expect a reading post soon!

That's all I have for today...Ally gave me a blog award, so expect that post sometime this weekend!

What are your weekend plans?

Pale is The New Tan 5K Results & Playlist

2011-08-09T18:48:00.003-05:00

Last Friday, I ran my first 5K since last October! I'm really trying to get back in shape, so I signed up for the race as a sort of benchmark for my training. I plan on running a Labor Day weekend 5K and wanted to have something for comparison.

My official time is listed as 35:29. However, I tracked on my watch and had 34:51. I stopped the watch when I actually stopped running for a few seconds at the 2 water stops (it was so.humid.). I set a goal for under 35 minutes, so I'll say my watch was right! My last two 5ks have been 33-34 minutes, so I was pleased with this time, especially since my training last week was sub par. I took 3 1-1:30 walking breaks.

I need to decide on my goal for the CFA 5k: No walks, or faster time? What do you suggest?

I made a playlist for the race and thought I'd share it with you all. These are a few of the songs I've been enjoying on the treadmill this summer!

Sorry for the lack of posting this week...haven't felt that great. Next week should be back to normal!

What are your favorite workout songs?

Wedding Thursday: Flowers, Details + DIY Projects

2011-08-04T13:25:00.008-05:00

Drats, late again this week!

You've heard the saying "It's all in the details"? I think that's very true when it comes to weddings. I believe the details really make the whole day personal to the couple. Although, looking back, I don't think J cared much about the details. As long as he didn't have to wear a purple tux, he was okay.

The Flowers + Decor

Ceremony:

I think flowers are gorgeous, but man, can they be expensive. I wanted pretty flowers for our ceremony and reception, but I also didn't want to spend thousands of dollars on flowers for one day! That's the part that got me the most, these flowers were only for one day!

I used a local florist that did the flowers for my friend's wedding. I gave her a budget( $2,000) and told her the general look I was going for. I wanted something light and springy, not too formal. I gave her swatches of my bridesmaids dress colors. I also tore out pictures from magazines of looks that I liked and mailed them to her. I told her to use whatever was in-season to keep costs down. I was so pleased with the result!

For the wedding party, I originally thought I wanted my bridesmaids to carry ivory/neutral bouquets and mine be the only colored one. In the end, I went with all color because we used the bouquets at the reception for decor. For the guys, the groomsmen wore ivory rose boutonnieres with purple accents while J's was a purple flower. Our mom's wore pin on corsages and our dad's matched the groomsmen. We also had small wrist corsages for our readers.

I wanted very little decor for the ceremony for 2 reasons: 1) my church is beautiful, so it didn't really need to me fixed up, and 2) The ceremony was less than 30 minutes long. Why spend a big chunk of my budget to fix up the church when we spent more time at the reception? Our florist marked the pews for our families with a simple baby's breath arrangement. We had an ivory arrangement at the altar; we donated it to the church to use the next morning in memory of our grandparents. There were a couple of candelabras in the choir loft and a memorial candle in the foyer. That's it!

The Reception:

This is where she blew me away. As I said earlier, I really didn't specify what I wanted. I didn't demand certain flowers or anything like that. I told her some things I liked, but what was important was staying in budget and following the color scheme.

I knew one way to save money was with the centerpieces. We had 23 tables in our reception room! This included 15 tables in the main room and 8 in the "covered patio". To cut costs, only 8 of the main room tables had floral centerpieces. The other 7 + the covered patio tables were candle arrangements. We did not decorate the buffet tables or the cake tables. The guestbook/gift table was one of my DIY projects (more in a minute). She also made a small toss bouquet for me. I don't have very many straight-on shots of the arrangements, but I loved all of them.

Isn't it all pretty? And she provided all supplies + labor for....$2,095. That's a damn good deal if you ask me!

Details + DIY

I followed the old tradition of "Something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue". My something old was my Mawmaw(paternal grandmother)'s engagement + wedding band and my Nanny's (maternal grandmother) necklace that I attached to my bouquet. Something new was (clearly) my dress + accessories. For something borrowed, I put my DG Big Sister(and Matron of Honor)'s Delta Gamma pin on my bouquet; she wore mine in her wedding. Something blue? Blue Hanky Panky underwear :) I also had a UGA garter, but didn't actually wear it the whole time. I put it on before the garter toss.

I made our programs using Microsoft publisher. I just designed them as a brochure and printed them out. I tried to match our invitations, using a mix of script and roman font. The cover was just a slightly heavier stock, metallic silver paper. I punched holes in the sides and tied them with a ribbon. The outside cover was stamped with a pretty flourish rubber stamp I found at Hobby Lobby in purple ink. My maids of honor and I worked on these for the two days leading up to the wedding(unfortunately, they didn't photograph well!). I think I spent a total of $60; purchasing programs to match my invites would have cost $250!

I also made the tissue paper pomanders for my flower girls. All I needed was a 5" Styrofoam ball, purple tissue paper, florist's wire and silver ribbon...and a lot of time! They took forever, but I loved how they looked.

I knew from day 1 I would make moss covered letters to hang on the church doors. Our initials (L & J) ended up being the "theme" of our wedding. These were super easy to make with cardboard letters, moss sheets and spray glue.

Our wonderful photographer (who's pictures I've used in all my recaps) put together our guestbook using our engagement photos. He posted a fun animation of it on his blog.

We placed the guestbook on a table that I decorated (well, collected items for and left instructions with my reception coordinator to decorate). I bough zinc letters from anthropologie ( L & J) that were placed on the table along with all the bouquets, the guestbook, buckets of bubbles and my bridal portrait.

I had a great time adding personal touches to our wedding. I really admire all the 100% DIY brides out there...my few projects took it all out of me!

A few more posts in the series...our pre-wedding parties & the Honeymoon, plus some of my favorite pictures!

All photos in this post were done by William Massey Photography.

Menu Monday

2011-08-01T12:24:00.002-05:00

::sigh:: The weekend was way too short.

Here's our planned meals for the week! I'm excited to try a few new recipes!

Tonight we'll be having this Southwestern Steak & Beans recipe I saw posted on Cooking Light's Facebook page. I'm putting asparagus(that I never cooked last week..) and baked potatoes with it.

The Salsa Chicken found on SparkPeople is one of our favorites and I haven't made it in a while. I love crock pot recipes!

I'm excited to try my first Mama Pea recipe--and to make the famous "MMMMSauce"--with this Summer Succatash Quesadilla with Nacho MMMSauce. Cross your fingers J will like it :)

The last planned meal is the Three-Cheese Chicken Penne Florentine from Cooking Light. Another favorite and there are always delicious leftovers!

I've requested sushi post-5K on Friday :) We may try a new place...or just go with our standard Sekisui :)

What's cookin' this week?

Wedding Thursday: The Reception

2011-07-28T13:46:00.009-05:00

A little late on this series this week!

Even before I was engaged, I knew that one thing I wanted most when I got married was to have a great big party will all my loved ones...and that's exactly what we did!

One of the perks(?) of planning a wedding in a smallish town is that we had limited reception venues to choose from, so there wasn't a lot of time spent trying to make a decision! We looked at a gorgeous renovated barn that overlooked the mountains...I loved every bit about it, aside from the price tag that was 1/3 of our budget just to rent the venue!

We settled on the local country club, where many of my friends had their receptions and my family had been members for year. It was just $500 to reserve the large ballroom/banquet room and that $500 went towards our final bill! They provided tables, chairs, basic white linens, and service along with food + drink. Talk about a good deal!

After a few formal post-ceremony shots, we headed over to the Country Club. My Great Uncle (My Uncle "B" as I've always called him) helped make one of my wishes come true for the wedding. Our car was a 1949 Pontiac and he was our driver! I think he got a kick out of driving us too :)

We did the bridal party presentation to Led Zepplin's "Kashmir"...J is a big LZ fan and I really like the beat of this song. Honestly, I would have liked to have used the Vitamin String Quartet version, but I don't think he would have approved :)

After the entrance came the dances! Jordan and I didn't pick out the song for our first dance until about a week before the wedding. We wanted a song special to us, but not too long...no one ever tells you how awkward it is to be dancing while everyone stares at you! It came down to Jack Johnson's "Better Together" or Jason Mraz & Colbie Calliat's "Lucky". We went with Jack Johnson because "Better Together" has been our song since we started dating :)

I think choosing a song to dance with my Dad to was harder than choosing our first dance! I wanted to steer away from the typical songs you hear--"Butterfly Kisses," "I loved her first" "Stealing Cinderella"--but still do something sentimental. I toyed with the idea of "The House at Pooh Corner" because I love Winnie the Pooh, or even "Georgia on My Mind". In the end, my dad is actually who found the song. He LOVES looking up random videos on YouTube. He found a cover of "Forever Young" done by Johnny Cash. I always loved that song, but felt the Dylan version was too slow and long for a wedding dance. This version was perfect--and we both love Johnny Cash!

Jordan danced with his mom to The Beatles' "In My Life". He gave her a few options and that's the one she picked. It was fitting, as his dad(and both of us) love The Beatles. She also wanted to avoid a song that would make her cry :)

After dancing came food! We did a heavy finger foods buffet with hot and cold options along with a beer and wine bar. A seated dinner just didn't give in to the party feeling I was going for :)

Our cakes actually came from Publix! A DG sister of mine told me that every venue in Atlanta she spoke to about her reception suggested Publix. I got so frustrated trying to schedule meetings with little local bakers back in Georgia that I just decided to use Publix as well. .I found a picture of a cake on TheKnot that I liked and purple ribbon that matched my bridesmaids' dresses. I bought the mirrored monogrammed cake topper off of etsy. The cake was delicious! It was layered vanilla and chocolate cake inside with fresh strawberry filling and buttercream icing. So. freaking. good. Jordan actually designed his groom's cake to look like the front of his Jeep. We were expecting a white sheet cake with the design on it in icing...nope, they went all out! His was a plain vanilla cake.

After cakes, came dancing, garter/bouquet tossing, and toasts. It all went by in a blur, which is the one sentence that I think sums up the entire day. I'm so glad we hired a videographer! We used a DJ instead of a band, which I liked for two reasons--cost & the ability to request songs. We did, however, download a Pitbull song to someone's iPhone because he didn't have it in his library :)

We exited around 9 PM to our guests blowing bubbles. My Great Uncle drove us to the hotel where we(and most of our guests) were staying the night. The hotel bar stayed open for us and we celebrated with our friends until 1 or 2 AM. It was, truly, the best night ever. It all went by so fast...I just love looking at all the pictures!

All photos in the post were done by William Massey Photography.

Next week: The Details + DIY Projects!

PS--Thanks to Ally for cluing me in on making a photo collage!

Menu Monday

2011-07-25T21:44:00.003-05:00

First, my living room smells like peanut butter. Baby boy gets a spoon of PB in his Kong each night and I never noticed how strong the smell was!

I didn't assign these to days this week. I like just having a "go-to" list and making what I feel. Only three planned meals for now. I'm going to a painting class with friends on Thursday and we're just going to see what we're in the mood for on Friday.

Tonight, we had Baby Breakfast Quiche with a side of cantaloupe (me) and bacon (J). Our quiche had bacon, green peppers, onions, mushrooms and cheese. They were delicious and really easy to make!

Another night we are having roast chicken with balsamic bell peppers and a side of pesto asparagus. I know asparagus isn't really in season, but I'm a little tired of squash and corn!

The third meal we have planned is skillet-grilled red pepper shrimp. Shrimp and grits have become a bit of a household favorite. This looks like a tasty (and healthy) version!

What are you eating this week?

Let's Get Physical

2011-07-22T14:02:00.005-05:00

Not so long ago(6 years), I looked like this:

Disney World, 2005--friends' college graduation trip

I believe I tipped the scales at around 165. I probably hit 170 at my highest. I am barely 5'2".

I was never a skinny kid...or teen...or college student. I was always a bit overweight, but in college it got a little out of control. I actually lost weight living in the dorms (Brumby hill, baby), but that all went down the drain when I lived in the DG house my second and third years at UGA. Living in the sorority house meant we had meals cooked for us Monday-Friday, but we were on our own on the weekends. Instead of stocking my mini fridge with easy-to-make foods, I went out to eat with my friends. I probably went out 4-5 times a WEEK! The picture above was taken the summer following my third year at school. After this trip, I moved in to a condo with my best friend on the East side of Athens. We cooked dinner together, I cut out almost all fast food (save my beloved Chick-fil-a), and I started walking to campus from the apartment and walking all around campus. By the time I graduated in May 2007, I weighed around 110. I lost 50 lbs!

I moved to Birmingham for six months. While there, I began actively working out at the YMCA taking classes such as BodyPump and BodyFlow(oh, how I wish my Y had these classes!). I also continued to learn to cook. I was very happy with my weight/healthy lifestyle.
J and I began dating and I moved to Memphis in March 2008. After 3 years, my weight has slowly crept back up and I'm about 15 lbs above where I'd like to be. I've decided to get my butt back in gear before it goes up anymore. Losing it once was hard enough!

You can tell by my Menu Mondays that I try to cook fairly healthy meals and I limit how much I eat out (for budget and health reasons). Really, the only meal out I usually do is on Sundays with J's parents! Not to say I deprive myself of my favorites. Sekisui sushi and Mellow Mushroom make appearances, as does my new love, YoLo.

Wedding planning craziness put a hit in my workout routine. I'm getting back on track now though. I ran a couple of 5Ks last year and enjoyed them. I finally invested in some good running shoes and I'm back up to running 2 or 2.5 miles on the treadmill(wayyyy too hot to do that mess outside right now). I just signed up for a 5K on August 5th. I plan on running it and then the Chick-Fil-A 5K over Labor Day weekend, hoping to see some improvements in my time! I also enjoy lifting weights, I just need a consistent routine.

So here's to getting back on the fitness track! I'll keep you updated on my progress. In the meantime, what are your favorite workouts? And do you have any good playlist suggestions?

Currently, I am...

2011-07-21T12:20:00.002-05:00

I have a bit of a writer's block today. While going through my Google Reader, I saw this post on Something to Cheer About and decided to follow suit!

Eating: I just finished an Amy's Kitchen Southwestern Burrito. Have you had these burritos? I love them! They're fairly healthy, keep me full and are now available cheap at Kroger for $2.14 (They used to be $3+)!

Reading: Nothing...can you believe it? I just finished the fifth "Pretty Little Liars" book. I have a new book on hold at the library.

Wishing: I was home with my pup instead of at work. Yes, he owns us both now.

Patiently Waiting For: The weekend

Freaking Out About: Our sweet pup is somewhat over our apartment's weight limit. Let's hope we don't get in trouble!

Annoyed By: The fact that I don't have a lot to work on at work.

On My Nails: Nothing! I really need to paint them this weekend.

Obsessed With: Pretty Little Liars. I'm reading the series and watching Season 1. I promise I'm 27, not 17.

Lusting After: This china cabinet. I really, really want it. It would look ridiculous in our apartment, but I hate that our pretty wedding gifts are boxed up in the guest room closet.

Looking Forward To: Football season! It is only 44 days away! GO DAWGS!

Wedding Wednesday: The Ceremony

2011-07-20T14:09:00.002-05:00

Photo by William Massey Photography

Our ceremony was short and traditional. While I acknowledge the fact that the ceremony is the most important part of the wedding day, I have to admit I don't really love standing up in front of a bunch people and being the center of attention!

Our ceremony was officiated by an associate pastor who has been at the church my entire life.
Looking back, I'm a little surprised at how traditional my ceremony was. I don't consider myself a very traditional person! A few prayers, a small sermon, the vows, the rings, the blessing and the announcement. We had two readings. J's best friend from undergrad (who flew all the way from Alaska to be there) read Colossians 3:12-17 and one of my best friends from college read "The Blessing of the Hands" right before we exchanged rings.

We had no singing solos. My dad pointed out early on in planning "That song may be pretty, but you need to think...that's 3 minutes we all have to sit there looking at you while you look at each other." Good point. We also skipped the unity candle.

Our officiant's wife played the piano and another church member played the organ. I started taking formal piano lessons when I was nine, but my Mawmaw began teaching me to play long before that, so it was important for me to have piano music. I had a lot of fun picking out the music for our ceremony. Again, it was all very traditional:

Pre-wedding prelude--variety of hymns & classical music
Seating of the Mothers- Come, Thou Fount Of Every Blessing
Bridal Party- Pachabel's Canon in D
Bride's Procession- The Trumpet Voluntary
Recessional- Hymn to Joy/Ode to Joy

Our ceremony FLEW by! I can't remember most of it. Sitting in the small holding room off the side of the church foyer with my dad and bridesmaids was the only time I felt nervous the entire day. I vaguely remember seeing faces in the crowd. I handed my bouquet off to my Matron of Honor too early. We kissed 3 times at the end. My ring bearer stood with his hands in his pocket the whole time; one flower girl had her finger up her nose half the time. All in all, I think it was perfect!

Our Growing Family

2011-07-19T12:29:00.006-05:00

J and I have been married three months as of this past Saturday! Naturally, we've been discussing expanding our family. And we did.

Meet Newnan.

Baby boy is two year-old lab/pit mix. A friend of a friend had two dogs, Newnan and another one. Unfortunately, she and her husband divorced. She is moving and can't afford two dogs on her own. We met Newn and his old owner about a month ago and after spending the day with him, fell in love. We had planned to pick him up this past Saturday, but when J picked me up from the airport Tuesday (I was in Ohio for work) and took me home, Newn was there waiting! Needless to say, he has us wrapped around his paws.

We took him on his first ride in the jeep Friday evening. I feel guilty that he is in his crate all day while we work and that we don't have a yard to let him out in, so we try to do some extra fun things on the weekend. We went walking on the greenline Friday evening and Sunday he went to J's parents with us and played in the backyard.

His favorite spot in the apartment is the front door--no squirrel, chipmunk, train or walker will go unnoticed.

He's also a big cuddler. Don't try telling him he isn't a lap dog--and he prefers everyone to be at his level. Also, I can't believe I'm posting this picture of me on the internet. I'd ran 2 miles and then Newn and I walked another 2, where he attacked a neighbor's in-ground sprinkler (sorry).

I apologize for the iPhone pics. It is easier to take a picture of him with our phones...when you lift a camera, he turns his head!

Menu Monday

2011-07-18T12:31:00.002-05:00

We've had a hectic couple of weeks and, as a result, our menu planning has been basically non-existent. I'm excited about this week's plan--lots of new recipes, plus some household favorites!

Monday--Spicy Black Bean Burgers from Jenna at Eat, Live, Run with sweet potato fries. I'm excited to try Jenna's "boyfriend-approved" black bean burgers. I love bean burgers, and I'm trying to do one or two meatless meals a week. Hopefully these will be "husband-approved"!

Tuesday- Honey Mustard-Glazed Salmo n from Clean Eating. Paired with Kale(for me) and green beans(for him) and brown rice.

Wednesday- Enchiladas! A household favorite. Mine will be vegetarian; his will have chicken.

Thursday- Deconstructed Lasagna from Clean Eating. Another new one!

Friday-- Homemade Pizza. I'm on a kick making my own pizza crust. We like to put pepperoni, spinach, mushrooms, roasted red peppers and basil on it.

Looks like a tasty week! What are you cooking?

Weekend Reading Suggestion

2011-07-15T14:35:00.004-05:00

I have some fun news to share, but I'm waiting to get some more pictures this weekend before sharing :) In the meantime, I have a reading suggestion for you all!

My dad loves WWII memoirs. My Grandaddy fought in the Battle of the Bulge and other major battles, so I almost always try to find him a memoir focused on those to give him for Christmas or his Birthday. I gave my mom "The Help" for Mother's Day, so I was searching for a book for Father's Day. My parents came to Memphis to visit a few weeks before the holiday, and my dad mentioned wanting this book so I bought it and gave it to him while he was here:

Image via Amazon

From Amazon:

From Laura Hillenbrand, the bestselling author of Seabiscuit, comes Unbroken, the inspiring true story of a man who lived through a series of catastrophes almost too incredible to be believed. In evocative, immediate descriptions, Hillenbrand unfurls the story of Louie Zamperini--a juvenile delinquent-turned-Olympic runner-turned-Army hero. During a routine search mission over the Pacific, Louie’s plane crashed into the ocean, and what happened to him over the next three years of his life is a story that will keep you glued to the pages, eagerly awaiting the next turn in the story and fearing it at the same time. You’ll cheer for the man who somehow maintained his selfhood and humanity despite the monumental degradations he suffered, and you’ll want to share this book with everyone you know.

My dad loved it. He passed it on to my Great Uncle who also loved it. When I was home for the 4th, I brought it back with me. I just got around to reading it because I've been tearing through the Pretty Little Liars series(embarrassing, I know, but I have no shame in my reading choices!). I read it in 4 days. What this man went through is unbelievable. Something I've noticed in my history classes and such as that, when it comes to WWII, you mainly hear about the atrocities committed in the German concentration camps. This book shows that over in the Pacific, equal amounts of horrifying acts were committed. I could not put this book down. I finished it yesterday on my lunch break! I highly recommend it, even if you don't enjoy history.

Next on my list? Pretty Little Liars #5. Talk about a 180.

Have a great weekend!

Happy (Late) Birthday To Me!

2011-07-07T10:09:00.003-05:00

Again, I apologize for the lack of posting this week. I'm hoping to get back on track soon!

I flew back to Memphis on Tuesday and my sweet husband was actually waiting inside the airport when I got there instead of picking me up curbside. Okay...he was only in there because I told him I like it when he is there waiting on me, but it was still sweet :) And the Delta App let him know when I was landing so he hung out in the cell phone lot before parking, so we still made it within the 30 minutes of free parking :)

Yesterday was my 27th Birthday! I celebrated with an all-day client meeting(JUST what I wanted. How did they know? ;))...okay, it ended early and they let me leave around 3:30 so it wasn't terrible. I tried to do some shopping but came up short. When I got home, a gift from my friend Kelly was waiting for me:

Image from Amazon.com

The commemorative 75th anniversary printing of Gone With The Wind. I actually have a copy, but it is my grandmother's hardcover from the 1950's. The binding is coming apart; I keep it with my other GWTW memorabilia on a shelf at my parents' house. Plus, Pat Conroy wrote the forward to this; I love his writing(despite the somewhat sick twists his stories have).

J gave me a big canvas print of Turner Field he found a Target for me to hang in my office. I can't find a picture online! But it will be great to fill in the white space I have going on there.

He also surprised me! I knew we'd go out to dinner and he was very insistent on Tuesday that I pick a place RIGHT NOW. He suggested Mellow Mushroom or (my fave) Sekisui. I couldn't figure out why I had to make a decision at that moment, but I picked pizza. Last night when we got there, two of my good friends and their husbands met us there! I was so surprised. It was nice to have friends there to celebrate with.

All in all, a good day. I loved the Facebook posts and texts and calls. I also love the gift card from my in-laws and new Nike shorts & InStyle subscription from my parents :) I love birthdays!

Ain't Nothin' Like That G-A Red Clay

2011-07-04T08:51:00.004-05:00

I apologize for the lack of posting this week! I'll be back with the normal posts, plus an update on our new puppy :)

I am currently home in Georgia for the long weekend. I miss my husband(who couldn't come due to lack of vacation time), but I love my time at home. July 4th is a big holiday in my family and we celebrate with a cookout at my uncle's with tons of people, good food(he loves to cook), beer, (illegal) fireworks and the annual shuffleboard tournament among the men(why the women never play, I don't know...I think we drink too much sangria). My dad lost to his brother in the championship round by one point. His strategy every year? Be the sober one. Fell just a little short this year, which is surprising since some of the competitors were drinking moonshine(did I mention I'm from the N. Georgia mountains?)!

The rest of my time has been spent shopping at the Outlets with my best friend and hanging by our pool with the dog. My view looks like this:

Please be aware that there was an empty lounge chair on each side of me, but he had no interest in those. Spoiled dog.

Enjoy the holiday! And many thanks to our service men and women for all they do!

Wedding Wednesday: What Everyone Else Wore

2011-06-29T13:04:00.012-05:00

I apologize, again, for the lack of posting! I've missed Wedding Wednesday for two weeks in a row! Last time I talked about finding The Dress. This week I'll talk about what everyone else wore!

The Bridesmaids + Flower Girls

Purple has been my favorite color for as long as I remember. In fact, my room at my parents' house is still painted purple! So it was clear what color my wedding party would be wearing!

I wanted to steer clear of any super-pale lilac or pansy color. I found European Lilac from Bill Levkoff to be the perfect shade. It was dark enough to not be pastel, but still light enough for an afternoon spring wedding.

I picked out the color, fabric (Euro Satin) and length(cocktail) and then my bridesmaids were free to choose any style dress that met that criteria. They had about a dozen to choose from and could pick whatever dress they liked. Out of six women, three chose the same dress and 3 chose different ones!
I asked that they just wear silver shoes, flats or heels--I didn't care. My matron of honor is more comfortable in flats, while my sister chose what can only be explained as "hooker heels"(she's the super tan one on the end)!

I originally picked out silver/gray chiffon dresses with satin lilac rosettes on the neckline and waist for my two flower girls(no picture available). We ordered them in February....they did not arrive at the store until the Tuesday before the wedding. When they did? They were both size 2. That size fit the three year-old, but the six year-old? no dice. Their cousin ended up going out to Belk's to buy ivory Easter dresses. I ended up loving them more than the originals.

The Guys

I originally wanted the guys to wear light gray suits. I love that look and something about a light gray suit screams Spring to me. However, due to logistics, we used Men's Wearhouse for the tuxes and I did not like their gray suits. We went with a classic black tux with ivory shirts--we avoided white since my dress was ivory. J wore an ivory vest + tie and the other guys wore a purple printed one. The ring bearer wore a mini version of J's tux. Our dad's wore black tuxes with black vests and ties.

His mom wore a lovely taupe skirt + jacket, while my mom wore an eggplant halter dress. Here's our whole family!

And here's the whole wedding party! The two girls in the teal and coral are my cousins who were program attendants.

All pictures done by William Massey Photography.

Next week: The Ceremony

Menu Monday

2011-06-27T20:38:00.002-05:00

Last week was a total meal planning FAIL! We didn't stick to our plan at all. I had high hopes we'd get back on track this week, but J is working on a friend's jeep, so he had pizza and I had a smoothie. But I've adjusted our schedule and you can see it below! Not too many recipes to link to this time.

Tuesday(originally tonight's meal): seared scallops, spicy sauteed green beans and this new quinoa blend I first heard about on elefantitas alegres and finally found at Whole Foods!

Wednesday: Mama Pea's Yukon Golf White Bean Basil Burgers and sweet potato fries.

Thursday: Either omelets or sausage pasta( chicken sausage with pasta and sauteed bell peppers and onions, a favorite from college)

That's all I planned for this week! I fly out Friday afternoon for 4 days in Georgia so J is on his own. I foresee lots of Totino's party pizzas and Tyson chicken wings.

What are you eating this week?

Friday Favorites

2011-06-24T13:54:00.006-05:00

It is finally Friday! Has this week felt long to anyone else?

Today I thought I'd share a few of my favorites...favorite what? Oh, anything that comes to mind...

1) Recent Target Purchases(both pictures from Target.com)

I dropped $50 at Target yesterday. Because that's what Target does to me.

I bought this running tank after seeing it on Meals and Miles:
I really like the look of the tank, but not so sure about running in it(support-wise). I'll for sure wear it for walking and weights.

I also bought this dress:

I bought one similar to it last summer and wear it ALL the time. I wear it in the fall with cropped leggings & flats! It isn't as short on me as it is on the model. In fact, I'm wearing it today at work with my $13.99 Jack Rogers knock-offs I found on the Target clearance rack last spring! It is a great dress for casual Fridays, grabbing drinks, throwing on over a bathing suit, etc. And it only costs $20! I'm already thinking of buying one in purple or blue!

2) Blake Shelton & Miranda Lambert's Wedding Video

I just think they are so down-to-earth and adorable. And I just love "Honey Bee."

3) Secrets Resorts Jamaican Smile Recipe

The resort we went to for our honeymoon posted the recipe for their Jamaican Smile drink on their blog.

No joke, I probably drank 4 of those a day. It was like strawberry-banana smoothie...with rum.

4) We're getting a dog!

At least, we're pretty sure we are. We're hanging out with the potential pup tomorrow. I'll keep you updated :)

5) Beer & Wine Cart at Work

The interns are bringing around the beer & wine cart in an hour or so. Happy Friday!

So there's your random post for Friday. What are your favorites today?

Wedding Thursday: The Dress + The Look

2011-06-22T12:49:00.011-05:00

Sorry for the lack of posting this week! No worries, I'll have a full recap of NKOTBSB soon :)

Immediately after J proposed, we went out to Bonefish to celebrate. We killed time at Barnes & Noble where I bought my first wedding magazine!

I didn't shop for a dress until July, but I had a general idea of what I wanted...lace, antique-looking, not poofy. I did not want to go to David's Bridal because of some bad experience there, but I also set a budget for myself(that included alterations). I researched brands that fell within my budget and found a local store that carried these brands.

My sister came to visit Memphis in late July and went with me on my first shopping trip. I went to the store that I ended up ordering bridesmaids dresses from(and had the most horrible customer service experience ever) and told them it was my first time shopping. They let me pull as many as I wanted. One thing I loved is that the price was right on the front of the bag, so I could automatically skip any that were over my budget, thus preventing me from falling in love with one I couldn't afford. I didn't find THE ONE that day, but I tried on quite a few.

After that trip, I could tell I had a favorite--strapless, sweetheart neckline with lace and just slightly full. I found a small shop in Nashville, TN who's entire inventory was within my budget and made an appointment there. My mom and maid of honor met me in Nashville for a weekend of shopping.

I found the dress there. I knew it was the one, because the longer I kept it on, the more I loved it. It was comfortable but pretty. I felt I could move in it.

I didn't have an overly dramatic "Say Yes to The Dress" moment. In fact, I could have kept shopping for dresses because I loved trying them on. But I made up my mind that I wanted to buy a dress that weekend. I knew that if I kept shopping, I'd probably find one that looked similar to what I chose, because that is what I liked. It is important to keep in mind what you want and how you want to feel on your wedding day.

I found my veil only a few months before the wedding. I knew I didn't want a blusher and I didn't want anything extremely ornate or long. My friend Ashley helped me pick my veil out at the shop where I had my alterations done.

I knew I wanted purple shoes. I found some simple, comfortable dye able shoes on ShoeBuy.com and had them dyed to match the bridesmaids dresses. They came pretty close!

I kept the accessories simple. Because I wore my half-up and half-down, I skipped the necklace. I purchased my earrings and bracelet from this etsy seller and I love them.

I felt beautiful on my wedding day, but still like myself which I think is the most important thing!

Next week: What everyone else wore!

All photos in this post were taken by William Massey Photography

Happy Fathers Day, Daddy!

2011-06-19T10:28:00.007-05:00

Some facts about my dad:

He introduced me to some of my favorite movies--Gone With The Wind, Lonesome Dove and The Right Stuff
He appreciates a good bargain and his favorite weekend ritual is the Saturday morning flea market with a stop for waffles after. He even asked if he had time to go before my wedding!
One of my favorite childhood memories is going to McDonalds for hotcakes on Saturday morning together

Happy Fathers Day, Daddy! Sorry Linley and I aren't home. Hopefully you and Nip have a good day rambling around.

Recent Reads

2011-06-16T14:08:00.009-05:00

I'm a reader. I love, love, love reading. I love getting lost in a good story and feeling connected to characters. My Mawmaw taught me to read at a young age--I remember that the first book I read was "Hop on Pop" by Dr.Seuss. I've been going non-stop since then.

I have a goal to read 50 books this year! According to Goodreads, I've read 17 thus far! However, my tracker says I'm 5 books(11%) behind where I need to be to keep on track for 50 this year. I think I can do it though!

I thought I'd share with you a few I've read recently and enjoyed. You can check out my lists on Goodreads too for more ideas!

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

I'm almost embarrassed to admit how much YA fiction I like, but it is true--I'm a sucker for a good YA novel. I believe I first saw this book on NPR's list of the Top 10 YA Novels of 2010(I've read a few and all were very good!). This is a cute love story and very well written. Perfect for a day by the pool!

Divergent by Veronica Roth

This book blew me away. I didn't realize I was very "in to" dystopian fiction, but I've read a couple of books now and enjoyed them all. I devoured this in 3 or 4 days. To me it was like a cross between The Giver by Lois Lowery(which my husband has never read! wth?) and The Hunger Games trilogy(amazing, by the way. I read them last summer). I'm already looking forward to book #2...too bad it's probably a year away! Another amazing fact? The author is only twenty-two years old!

The Art of Racing in The Rain by Garth Stein

Oh, dog books tear at my heart. I was expecting this one to make me ugly-cry like Marley & Me did, but it didn't. It pulled at my heart strings though. It is such a sweet story about a dog's life with his family and how he see's the tragic events.

The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels by Ree Drummond

Ok, technically I listened to this book. I enjoy audio books on my long drives back to Georgia. I listened to this one on my drive home for the wedding and on the plane to and from the honeymoon! Appropriate since she tells the story of falling in love with Malboro Man and their first year of marriage. I really enjoyed it.

Dead Reckoningn by Charlaine Harris

I'm a big fan of the Sookie Stackhouse series. I blew through the first 8 or 9 a couple of summers ago. They're trashy entertainment and I'm okay with that :) I can't WAIT for True Blood season 4! I've also read her other books an enjoyed them.

Decision Points by President George W. Bush

See, not all of my reading selections can be shared with my 12 year old cousin or focus on vampires! I read this at the beginning of the year and was surprised by how interesting and intriguing it was. I'm not anti-Bush or anything, but political memoirs aren't really my thing. Some of the most fascinating chapters centered around 9/11 and the Iraq war. I will admit to skimming the economic chapters, only cause economics make my head spin.

Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin

I checked this out of the library last fall and read a couple of chapters and just stopped; I don't remember why. I checked it out again because I plan on seeing the movie and found it very cute! For some reason I keep picturing John Krasinski as Dex, but I know that's not right. I'm currently reading the sequel, Something Blue.

You can check out my Goodreads profile for more suggestions.

Do you have any good books to share?

Wedding Wednesday: The Bridal Party + Other Roles

2011-06-15T12:32:00.006-05:00

So after laying the foundation for our April 2011 wedding, we began discussing who all would be involved with our wedding(aside from the obvious!)

Bridesmaids: 6

My matron of honor was my Delta Gamma Big Sister. This was a no brainer. She is one of my best friends. Although she lives in Wichita and couldn't be around for any of the planning, she helped as much as she could over the phone. On the day of the wedding, she was constantly by my side and helping me. She saved the day by finding my grandmother's engagement ring when it fell off my bouquet! If I'd lost that ring, the entire day would have been ruined for me.

I "broke tradition" by having two maids of honor. My best friend from high school is practically a sister to me and her family is an extension of my own. The other is another DG sister, former roommate and best friend from college.

My sister, cousin and childhood friend(and DG sister) were the remaining three bridesmaids. Some people thought it was odd I didn't pick my sister as MOH, but I asked if she'd be bothered by that and she said no, so that's all that matters.

Groomsmen: 5

J's best friend from college was his best man. He's a great guy and I really like him and love that he is such a good friend to J.

His brother, college roommate and two high school friends were the other groomsmen. The roommate flew all the way from California to be in our wedding! We really appreciated it.

We had uneven numbers and that was fine by us. He has two other friends we would have liked to have included, but they are both in the military. One is in the Air Force and was anticipating a deployment and his younger brother is currently completing OCS for the Army down at Ft.Benning. I know people stress over "even sides"--trust me, it is not a big deal.

Kids: 4

Yes, we had kids in our wedding. I have a few younger cousins I adore and I wanted them involved. The two oldest(12 and...9?) handed out programs. The only boy was our ring bearer and the two youngest girls were our flower girls. They were adorable.

Readers: 2

We had two readers. One was J's best girl friend from college and the other was one of my best friends from college. I'll post the readings in my ceremony post.

I also had a childhood friend as our guestbook attendant. We did not do reception hosts/hostesses or cake cutters.

I read a lot of horror stories about bridesmaids dropping out, groomsmen not showing up, etc. and I was shocked that this happened. We knew we could count on these people. The important thing is to choose those who are closest to you to stand up there with you or be involved in your ceremony. No need to ask your BFF from middle school who you actually haven't seen in years but still stalk on Facebook. Or your college roommate you no longer see just because you were in hers. The people we had in our wedding have been in our lives for years and we expect them to always be there.

And I have to say, we made a pretty good looking group!

All pictures in the post were done by William Massey Photography

Next Week: Attire (DRESS SHOPPING!)

Menu Monday

2011-06-13T16:44:00.002-05:00

Congrats, you've made it through Monday! Hopefully Friday will be here before we know it. Here's our menu for this week, almost all courtesy of skinnytaste.com. I'll post our reviews on Sunday!

Monday- Low Fat Baked Ziti with Spinach

Tuesday- Healthy Baked Chicken Nuggets with Zucchini Sticks

Wednesday--On our own; we're either going to see Beauty & The Beast at the Orpheum or possibly hanging out with friends.

Thursday-Chicken and White Bean Stuffed Peppers

Friday--Pizza using Eat Live Run's pizza crust recipe.

What are you cooking this week?

Weekly Menu Review

2011-06-12T08:48:00.002-05:00

I hope you are having a fabulous weekend! Below is a review of the recipes I had planned for last week. I'll be back tomorrow with our menu for this week!

Monday: Grilled Chicken with Spinach and Mozzarella from Skinny Taste. Rice on the side. This was good, although I cooked the chicken a little too long so it was kind of dry. I should have served this with veggie instead of rice, but oh well.

Tuesday: Shrimp & Grits via Cooking Light( Note: This isn't the exact recipe I have marked at home, but it actually looks a little more interesting! I think I have all the extras on hand to make it)Delicious, but I burnt the bacon that was supposed to go with it! Whoops. And we were out of regular hot sauce, so I just used a couple of drops of the habenero hot sauce we had.

Wednesday: Cheesy Brussel Sprout Casserole from Healthy Tipping Point. I've only cooked with brussel sprouts once before and it was a giant fail. I hope this works out. I've cooked her Santa Fe Casserole before and it is yummy! This wasn't that great. It was dry and didn't have a lot of flavor. I think I didn't have enough cheese. I also didn't have Italian herbs in a tube; those would have made a difference.

Thursday: Salmon w/Asparagus We didn't make this. I went out for drinks with friends and he went to a car show.

Friday: Enchiladas. Veggies & black bean for me, chicken & veggies for him. A staple in this household! I use squash, zuchini, bell peppers, onions and spinach. Our favorite enchilada sauce is a Kroger brand one we found. We use the pre-cooked chicken strips for his half. I used to put black beans in mine, but now I just use it as a way to shove as many veggies as possible in a meal :) And there's always leftovers, so we have dinner tonight!

Enjoy your Sunday!

Friday Ramblings

2011-06-10T13:11:00.002-05:00

I don't have much to write about, so today you get a random collection of thoughts!

I want to learn to coupon. Not the crazy, 39482090 boxes of Ramen noodles and 39804932 cans of dog food type of couponing, but reasonable things. If I could get a small stockpile of items like shampoo & conditioner, laundry detergent, cleaning supplies and toilet paper, I'd be happy. As my BFF in Kansas said Monday, "I just want some free toilet paper. That's all." All coupon blogs make it see so easy, but I can't wrap my head around the planning process and spending hours on the process.

I need a new summer bag. I'm still carrying my purple leather purse from winter. I want something light, but structured and under $50.

We are terrible about watching our Netflix movies. I've had Black Swan for two weeks now; we had Tangled for at least a month before we watched it.

I am reading this book. I'm just a few chapters in but I already know it is going to make me cry.

Sorry for a short(both in length and substance) post today. Hopefully something exciting will pop into my head over the weekend to write about! We have busy Saturday and not so busy Sunday. I'll be back Sunday to recap this week's menu. Have a great weekend!

This is happening

2011-06-09T13:41:00.005-05:00

image via nkotbsb.com

I bought the tickets this morning. My sister is flying up next weekend and next Monday night we're going to see the New Kids on The Block and the Backstreet Boys in concert. The worlds of my six-year-old self and sixteen-year-old self will collide.

I was a HUGE NKOTB fan when I was in 1st-2nd grade. I had a fanny pack(neon colors, of course), night gowns, beach towels, t-shirts and of course a Jordan Knight doll, complete with rat tail:

image via Google

As I grew older, they grew less popular. Then these guys came along:
Oh, yes. I was a BSB girl. My BFF was an N'Sync girl(because you had to pick one or the other), so we went to multiple concerts for both of them. I won't lie. I still run to "The Hits-Chapter 1" on my ipod. In fact, I may play it this afternoon just to get in the spirit!

I. Can't. Wait. I wonder if my sister can go home and find my NKOTB fanny pack and BSB Millennium tour t-shirt(3 sizes too big, of course, because I liked baggy clothes back then) before she flies up here. Clearly I'll need them.

Wedding Wednesday: Laying the Foundation

2011-06-08T11:31:00.006-05:00

Wedding Wednesdays is a series where I recap all parts of planning my April 2011 wedding.

Last week I recapped our proposal. I spent the weeks following in newly-engaged bliss, buying magazines, joining TheKnot and adding wedding blogs to my reader.

One big hurdle I faced planning our wedding is the fact that Memphis is 6 hours away from my hometown, where our wedding would be. I worried about this at first--How could I possibly get it all done??--but looking back, I think this may have been a blessing. It forced me to make a decision and stick with it. It also helped me decide what was important to me in terms of the wedding and what wasn't that big of a deal.

I wasn't the first of my friends to get married. By the time our engagement rolled around, I had a general idea of what I wanted from our wedding. I saw my friends stress over the tiniest things--the exact flowers, bridesmaids gifts, who their future mother-in-law invited--and who made it seem like planning a wedding was one of the worst, most stressful experiences of their lives. I had stressful times--more about that later--but for the most part, I really enjoyed planning our wedding.

Since my friends started getting married, I've told my parents the three things I wanted for my wedding:

1) pretty dress
2)pretty pictures
3) a fantastic party with all my friends

I'm happy to say I managed to have all 3, plus stuff I wasn't expecting. I believe it is because I decided early on what I wanted and didn't waver from my choices.

My parents gave me a budget a month or so after the engagement. In the end, I went slightly over(more on that later), but it gave me boundaries for my planning. With a budget set, J and I took a few days off work before Easter weekend and went home to spend the holiday with my family and start planning our wedding!

I had a date in mind when we went down there. I knew I wanted a Spring wedding because of the color palette I had in mind. I didn't want it to be too early, but I also didn't want it to be smack in the middle of "wedding season". We settled on April 16,2011!

I knew that the ceremony would be at the church I grew up going to. It was renovated a few years ago and looks fantastic:
I snapped these pictures after the Easter service that weekend. My dad handled securing the church for us.

We looked at two potential reception venues. One was a gorgeous farm with a view of the mountains, but it was also 1/3 of our budget. The other was the reception hall at the local country club. My family has been members my whole life and I've been to numerous receptions there. We ultimately decided on the club. While I wouldn't get the outdoor, southern garden wedding I pictured from all the blog posts I'd read, I would get a great reception within my budget! It was $500 to secure the hall and in the end, that $500 went towards our final bill. They provided tables, chairs, basic white table cloths, the food and the staff, plus a coordinator(who was amazing). It was a great deal.

We also met with two photographers I had researched before hand, William Massey Photography and another local pair. I knew I wanted a mix of the popular candid/journalistic style photos and traditional, posed portraits. Both photographers do great work, but in the end we went with William Massey Photography and we are beyond thrilled with our pictures(more on those later). I wanted to book the photographer early because pictures were one of my "Big 3" important items.

We squeezed all of that into one day of planning! It was exhausting, but we did it. We knew our visits to Georgia(especially together) would be few during our engagement. We had to make the most out of each visit. By the end of the weekend, we had decided on a budget, date, church, reception venue and photographer, essentially laying the foundation for our wedding!

Next week: Picking the bridal party and other wedding party roles. Please let me know if there is anything you would like to hear about!

I almost forgot....

2011-06-07T13:53:00.001-05:00

I have no shame--I can't wait.

Ten on Tuesday

2011-06-07T12:30:00.004-05:00

Not much to blog about around here today, so I decided to give you a "Ten on Tuesday" post! In this series, I'll post 10 items--songs, books, etc---I want to share.

Today's Ten on Tuesday focuses on some of my favorite websites. These are websites I frequent quite a bit for information or entertainment purposes. I'm leaving off Facebook and Twitter, because those are just a given.

1) Mint- I've used Mint to track my spending and finances off and on for almost three years. However, now that J and I are married and have a joint account, I check it almost daily. June is our first month with joint finances, so at the end of the month we will sit down together and review everything. Then we will take our first stab at really setting up a budget. It is very helpful and easy to use. Bonus: It's free!

2)News sites- The Commercial Appeal, The AJC and CNN are my favorite sites for staying updated on current events. I have to admit though,I mainly skim headlines and read the articles that are most intriguing to me. I need to do a better job of reading the news and really being informed on the issues going on today.

3) Pinterest- I haven't pinned a lot the last week or two, but I love browsing what others have pinned. It is also helpful to pin gift ideas for my birthday next month!

4) Healthy Living Blogs--These are all in my Google Reader, but I enjoy Meals and Miles, Healthy Tipping Point, Kath Eats and The Fitnessista among others! I get meal and workout ideas from these blogs.

5)Food Blogs/Websites--Although I have a stack of cookbooks and old issues of Cooking Light, I also use the internet to find recipes for a weekly meals. My favorites lately have been Eat Live Run, All Recipes, Cooking Light and Skinny Taste.

6) The Sugar Network of Websites--There are over a dozen Sugar sites, but the ones I have marked in my Reader are FitSugar, SavvySugar and CasaSugar.

The next few I don't check as frequently, but they provide some good laughs and are my go-tos when I need to waste some time ;)

7) Damn You Autocorrect--I've been the victim of Autocorrect before. These are hysterical.

8) Texts From Last Night- My friends and I love posting funny ones on each others' Facebook walls.

9) STFU Couples and STFU Parents- There are a number of STFU Tumblrs out there. I have more than a few people who pop up on my FB feed I'm tempted to send in(but I'm not that mean)!

10)Young House Love--Ok, I do see this one daily because it is in my Reader. They are such a creative couple!

Technically that was more than 10! I hope I showed you something new. What are some of your favorite websites?

Menu Monday

2011-06-06T14:46:00.003-05:00

I've decided to hop on the Menu Monday train and post the meals I have planned for this week. I try to plan for Monday-Friday for when we go grocery shopping so as to have a good list and not be tempted to eat out. Next week(Sunday, maybe?) I'll post our opinions of them.

Monday: Grilled Chicken with Spinach and Mozzarella from Skinny Taste. Rice on the side.

Tuesday: Shrimp & Grits via Cooking Light( Note: This isn't the exact recipe I have marked at home, but it actually looks a little more interesting! I think I have all the extras on hand to make it)

Wednesday: Cheesy Brussel Sprout Casserole from Healthy Tipping Point. I've only cooked with brussel sprouts once before and it was a giant fail. I hope this works out. I've cooked her Santa Fe Casserole before and it is yummy!

Thursday: Salmon w/Asparagus

Friday: Enchiladas. Veggies & black bean for me, chicken & veggies for him.

Thursday may change a little because I'm planning on meeting a friend for drinks, but if it does we'll just cook that later! What are you cooking?

Weekend Recap: Parents & The Pool

2011-06-06T12:25:00.005-05:00

Monday is back! Didn't we just have a Monday?

This weekend was nice and relaxing. My parents came to town and it was great seeing them. We hadn't seen them since we got back from the honeymoon. I've lived here over three years now, so I've pretty much shown them everything there is to see in Memphis(Elvis is still dead, people). It was nice to not have to *do* anything with them.

The arrived Friday afternoon and came to our apartment after I got off work. We finally got to show them the wedding pictures! My dad swears this is just a bad camera angle and he doesn't really have a bald spot:

Picture by William Massey Photography

We cooked out on our tiny patio with our tiny grill. We made this flank steak recipe from Skinny Taste. It was delicious! I've only cooked flank steak once before and this was seasoned very simply--salt, pepper and garlic powder. I scored a deal on the meat too! I bought two packages(a little more than 2lbs...more than we needed, but what the recipe called for) at Kroger and they had just marked them down from $12+ each to $4-5 each! I rarely buy/make red meat. I was happy to get a deal. We paired it with rice and salad and just had a good time visiting and not dealing with a restaurant crowd.

I'm very proud to say that Saturday I got up and completed Day 4 of Jillian Michaels' Ripped in 30 DVD before my 9 AM photography class! I was tempted to sleep some more, but knew that was the only chance I had to work out that day. Class was a little boring--people asked questions that didn't really apply to me since I have a Canon, not a Nikon camera. Next week is the last session. After class I met my dad at an estate sale he found in Midtown. My dad LOVES bargain hunting and goes at 7 AM every Saturday to hit up a big flea market back home. He had his eyes on a dining room table at this sale, but we didn't buy. I'm looking for a china cabinet, but I didn't see anything there I liked(and I probably need more than 3 settings to merit buying one!). After lunch at Chipotle(my first time since it opened in Memphis!), we spent the remainder of the afternoon by the pool at their hotel. All the lounge chairs were taken at our apartment. I read most of this book:
Image via Amazon.com

I finished it Sunday. Very entertaining, but I felt like it just "ended" without tying up a storyline!

Saturday night we went to Mellow Mushroom with my in-laws. Yummy pizza!

Sunday my mom ran errands with me while JR and Daddy went to a car junkyard to look for a part for Daddy's car(I told you the man loves a bargain). My mom bought us a few things--we're living large with brand name Cokes now! :) We normally buy Kroger brand cokes, but my mom bought some for us along with two bags of chicken breasts that will last use a month or two! We're set :) After my parents left, JR and I spent the afternoon by the pool before doing our grocery shopping and returning a few wedding gifts/purchasing some items we actually needed. We went to dinner with his family as we normally do Sunday and came home to wind down before starting a new week.

Next weekend is a little busy, so it was nice to relax most of this one! How was your weekend?

Summer Must Haves

2011-06-03T12:59:00.009-05:00

I do believe it is safe to say summer has arrived here in Memphis(and pretty much everywhere else). What this screen grab doesn't reflect is that it currently feels like 102 right now. blah.

So in honor of summer, here's my list of summer must haves:

1)Cute swimsuit
I'm a girl who will buy a swimsuit and wear it for years. My favorite places to get them are Target and Old Navy because they are cute and affordable. One thing that annoys me about those places though is that the fit of the suits changes each year! When I was shopping for the honeymoon, I bought two new suits and they were the only ones I wore all week:

I bought this one from Old Navy, with the matching bottoms(image via Oldnavy.com):
I am a Delta Gamma, so I have a soft spot for anchors! Then I splurged and bought a Ralph Lauren suit at Macys that I liked, because you only go on your honeymoon once! I can't find a picture of the exact suit on the website, but it is a halter top in this paisley print with matching bottoms.

2) Sunglasses- I love my aviators.
They aren't real Raybans. I lose/break sunglasses all the time, so I refuse to pay more than $10-15 for a pair. I like shopping the little kiosks in the mall that say "You like Rayban?" or TJMaxx!

3) Floppy Hat- To keep my face from getting burned,I like wearing a big floppy straw hat. If I wear a baseball cap, my head gets even hotter! I just bought this one at Target last week and it has just the right amount of floppiness! Although I'm ticked it is now on sale!

4)Sunblock. Duh. I love laying by the pool, drinking a beer and reading, but I don't want to get cancer! I use Aveeno for my face(because it is sensitive) and usually Banana Boat or something like that for my body. Always at least SPF 30. I'm interested in trying the new Neutrogena Wet Skin line--has anyone tried that?

5) iPod + Reading materials- I'll do another post one day on a good summer playlist, but my iPod is a must by the pool. I also read a lot more during the summer. I use GoodReads to keep track of the books I want to read. The iPhone app is really handy when I am in the library looking for books to check out! I just pull up my "to-read" list and look for them!

Those are my must-haves for summer! My parents are on their way to town for a weekend visit. I'm excited to show them our wedding pictures since they haven't seen them all. Then I'm pretty sure we're staying by the pool, because it is way too hot to do anything else(and they've already been to Graceland!)

What are your must-haves for summer?

Clear Eyes, Full Hearts

2011-06-02T12:43:00.003-05:00

I don't watch a ton of television. I have "my shows" that I like to watch and that's pretty much it. I'll turn it on for background noise, but I don't spend hours wasting away in front of the TV(unless I'm sick, there's terrible weather out, etc...then I'm known for tuning in for Buffy marathon via Netflix).

One of my absolute favorite shows is "Friday Night Lights." You've probably read the book and seen the movie by the same name. The final season is airing right now on NBC, but patience isn't my strong suit and I went out and bought it on DVD. Thanks to NBC/DirectTV for having the screwiest setup ever, thus allowing me to do this!

J and I watched the finale last night and I am so, so sad it is over. It is rare that you find a show that has such wonderful actors, story lines, cinematography, etc. It is just a beautiful show. The actors are phenomenal--Kyle Chandler & Connie Britton especially. How those two don't have Emmys is beyond me! The show won a Peabody; everyone realized how wonderful it was but no one watched because NBC constantly scheduled it at terrible times.

Based on a small fictional town in Texas, the characters are REAL people. They are characters you recognize, especially if you're like me--from a small(ish) town where Fridays are about high school football. Coach Taylor and his wife don't live in a mansion, they don't have tons of money, they argue, they love each other, they raise their family...you could look down the street and find a couple just like them. The characters were wonderfully written and as you watched the show, you began to care for them.

Clay Travis said it best on twitter....the fact that this show is ending is criminal. It will be replaced by yet another talent reality show or Law & Order series. NBC did this a few years ago when they cancelled "American Dreams."

If you've never watched this show before, I suggest you start on season one NOW. Stick with it through the WTF story lines(I'm looking at you, season 2 murder plot) and you'll enjoy it all.

image via Google

Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose.

Wedding Wednesday: The Proposal

2011-06-01T16:44:00.006-05:00

Part of me wishes I had blogged throughout the wedding planning process. What a neat way to record a time that at one moment seemed to be dragging by and at another flying by with lightening speed! However, I never could make myself sit down and do it. So I'm doing it now, looking back on the 14 months I spent planning the day I dreamed about since I was a little girl!

What better place to start than the beginning?

We started talking about getting married back in the summer of 2009 and we shopping for rings. I made it very clear that he shouldn't buy a ring until he was ready. I knew I was going to spend the rest of my life with him, so I didn't feel the need to say "I need the rock by X or I'm gone!" While I didn't tell him what I was thinking, I was guessing he would ask sometime in the spring or early summer of 2010.

February 27, 2010 was a really pretty, unseasonably(55 or so) warm day. JR and I had a date planned. It is something we try to do each month and this one was our make-up Valentine's Day date because neither one of us like the idea of battling the Feb.14 crowds and waiting four hours at a restaurant we could go to any other day with no wait!

At the time, he lived in an apartment out in suburbs while I lived closer to my job downtown. We were spending the weekend at his place and had plans to go to Bonefish Grill, one of our favorites for special occasions that wasn't too far from his place. He told me all weekend he wanted to go downtown to The Peabody since it was such a pretty day and and I'd received my DSLR for Christmas and could practice taking pictures with it down there. I thought it was odd he wanted to drive 30 minutes in the opposite direction of our destination, but whatever. It was date night!

We made it downtown and into the lobby of the hotel...and saw Charles Barkley. That was exciting. I entertained myself taking pictures of the ducks in the fountain, all the while J was trying to get me up to the roof. He finally convinced me to step away from the ducks and we went up to the rooftop for a view of downtown Memphis. He found a spot away from some crowds, told me he loved me and then he proposed!

After celebrating, we immediately called our friends and family. He called his parents and sent a mass text to his friends. I spent a half hour calling my family and then all of my close friends. We had champagne to celebrate and then went off to dinner!

That's our proposal story! Sweet but not extravagant, it was one of the best days ever!

Baked Spaghetti

2011-05-31T16:53:00.003-05:00

I hope you all had a wonderful, relaxing long weekend! We spent ours hanging out with friends, lounging by the pool and still attempting to put away wedding gifts.

I made one of my favorite recipes last night for dinner and wanted to share it. It is one of my aunt's "go-to" recipes. I altered her recipe(that originally had no meat and no veggies--just pasta, sauce and cheese) to be a little healthier. It is easy to make, delicious and we usually have enough left overs for 3-4 meals!

Original Recipe Ingredients(plus notes from me!):
1 (8oz) pkg. vermicelli--I use whole wheat noodles
½ c. milk--I used 1%, because that's all we have besides almond milk. I bet skim would work too
1 egg, well beaten
½ c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 jar prepared spaghetti sauce or 2 to 3 cups homemade--we're fans of any sauce with roasted red peppers and garlic
4 oz. (1c.) shredded mozzarella cheese.

To that I added:
1 lb lean ground beef(you could probably do turkey too)
1 yellow squash, diced
1 zucchini, diced
1/3 vidalia onion, diced
2-3 white mushrooms, diced

Instructions:

Heat oven to 350 degree. Cook pasta to desired toughness. Drain and rinse with hot water. Lightly grease a 8z12 or 9 x 13 baking dish. In a large bowl, lightly toss cooked pasta with milk, egg and Parmesan + any additions(veggies, meat). If you are adding meat, brown & drain it before mixing it in.Turn mixture in to a prepared dish, spreading evenly. Spoon sauce evenly over top. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350 for 30-40 min. or until thoroughly heated. Allow to cool 5 minutes before cutting into squares.

It is delicious! We loved it during the winter, but it really isn't too heavy for spring/summer. You can play around with the veggies you add as well.

Anyone else have a good go-to recipe to share?

I clearly need a long weekend

2011-05-27T14:09:00.002-05:00

...I am clearly in need of this long weekend. I am working away, checking things off my to-do list and realized the office is really, really quiet. Some Fridays are like that, but today it is exceptionally quiet.

And then I remembered we close at 2 PM. I glad I realized this at 2:05 and not 4:55!

Have a great long weekend. Mine will look something like this:

Except it won't be a Jamaican sky I'm looking at. ::sigh:: Have a great weekend!

Hey Y'all

2011-05-26T12:20:00.002-05:00

Welcome to my new blog!

No, this isn't the first blog I've started, but I'm wanting to start fresh and hopefully keep it up :)

First posts are always so awkward.

I'm a newlywed as of April 16th, 2011! My husband and I have been together almost 3 and a half years.

Born and raised in Georgia, I've been living in Memphis for a little over three years now, hence the name "Barbecued Peaches".

side note, I don't really like BBQ that much. I realize this is a sin in Memphis. I like Rendezvous or Germantown Commisary nachos, but after 5-6, I'm good.

I'm a proud University of Georgia alumn and a member of Delta Gamma Fraternity. Proof that love conquers all, my husband is a graduate of the University of Tennessee.

I like lists(especially To-Do lists that allow me to draw a line through them!), so that's how I'll introduce myself to you!

I like:

music
good books
twitter(ob.sessed.)
cooking
working out(most days)
SEC football
maxi dresses
smoothies

I don't like:

nuts in candy
the University of Florida
The obsession with American Idol/Dancing with the Stars/America's Got Talent, any of those types of shows
doing the dishes
dirty bathrooms
cleaning the bathroom
chili
wearing socks

I want to:

decorate our apartment
travel to Spain
learn how to use my DSLR camera
get a puppy

What I'll write about:

newlywed life
budgeting...I'm reading everything I can about budgeting in hopes of helping us start our marriage off right
the Memphis summer heat(read: complaining)
cooking
working out/weight loss(Most people lose weight while planning a wedding....not this girl)
wedding planning(I enjoyed most of my process, and still like talking about it)
good books
any thought I can't fit into 140 characters on twitter

I think this a good start, don't you?