Fleur de lis and Football

Friday Inspiration

2012-02-17T07:00:00.000-06:00

Source: castleandthings.com.au via Erin on Pinterest

I think I should paint this on a canvas and hang it in my house.

Perfection.

Have a good weekend, friends.

Kendra Scott, Ella Fitzgerald, and Wicked, among other

2012-02-16T07:00:00.000-06:00

1. I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day. C and I had a really great night together. I rushed home from school and we exchanged gifts. C spoiled me rotten with red tulips a few days ago, and yesterday I had these little pretties waiting for me, along with a gift certificate to get a manicure and pedicure at a place way too nice for me to ever splurge for myself.

Danielle earrings by Kendra Scott

So glad to have a boyfriend who pays attention when I browse online (I've wanted these for a long, long time, but have never told him- he just noticed.)

2. I also need to give a little shout-out to the Kendra Scott team, for their impeccable customer service. C HATES to shop online, and always avoids it if possible. He said he called the 1-800 number a few weeks ago, and the girl was extremely helpful and nice. She told him she was putting them in the mail that same day, and they arrived two days later. He kept going on and on about how wonderful it was to work with a nice customer service rep, and how he wouldn't hesitate to order from them again. (Hooray!) Thanks, Kendra Scott jewelry! You've left an impression on us for sure. How nice to have a company that's helpful and kind, and clearly takes pride in their products.

3. Our homemade ravioli warrants it's own post, but it was DELICIOUS! We had it for dinner last night before the Alabama basketball game, and it's definitely a make-again.

4. It's not often that I play a song on repeat, but this one has been in my head (and making me smile) all week. Is there a more romantic song? I'm not sure there is. Also, I totally sound like her (and Adele, for that matter) when I'm by myself in my car. Jealous?)

5. C got me tickets to see Wicked in Birmingham for Christmas, and the show is finally here! We're going on Saturday, and I'm already so excited. Has anyone seen it before? My mom and little sister went last year and they said it's wonderful. I've had the music memorized since high school.

via

6. I realized I never updated y'all on the Jason Wu orders. I ended up returning the light blue canvas skirt. The pleats went all the way up to the waistband, which gave me the illusion of packing on 10+ lbs. No thanks.

7. Speaking of weight, I've lost 6lbs in three weeks. I know about 2 lbs/week is ideal, so I'm happy about it. I haven't worked out as much as I should this week, but I've also been battling a crazy sinus infection, so I'm semi-okay with it.

8. Our weekend is already full, which is a big change for us homebodies. We have Alabama Baseball season tickets, so we'll be at the games Friday and Sunday. On Saturday we'll be at Wicked and spending some time in Birmingham (hello, Sephora!) and on Monday I'm off work, but have a dentist appointment. (Exciting, I know)

Pinspirations: Happy things

2012-02-15T05:30:00.000-06:00

Today I'm linking up with Michelle from The Vintage Apple for another round of

Source: modernparentsmessykids.com via Erin on Pinterest

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Source: wanelo.com via Erin on Pinterest

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Source: google.ca via Erin on Pinterest

Source: sueswink.tumblr.com via Erin on Pinterest

Our Story

2012-02-14T07:20:00.001-06:00

I first saw this link-up on Blue-Eyed Bride and thought with Valentine's Day being here, it was a cute idea. If you'd like to link up, too, From Mrs. to Mama is hosting through Valentine's Day. How fun, right? Enjoy!

1. How long have you and your significant other been together?

We have been together for 3 1/2 years, but it feels like a lot longer (in a good way!)

2. How did you meet? {What's your "love" story?}

We met my senior year of college/his first year of law school. One of my friends and I watched the first Alabama game of the season while drinking margaritas at a Mexican restaurant, and went across the street to the bar. My best college friend then showed up with a bunch of people from her hometown (C included.) We talked each other's ears off all night. I know you're shocked.

Shortly thereafter, we began talking constantly through facebook and what not. I asked him to come put together a small cabinet I had just bought at Target (which he had a LOT of trouble with- I'm not sure why he came back after that!) and went to his friends' tailgate before an Alabama football game. A week or so later, I invited him to dinner with a bunch of friends and out, where we took our first picture together.

He and I had our first date the next night, and as they say, the rest is history!

3. If married, how long have you been married? If not, is this the guy you hope to marry? {do tell}

a- not married. b- absolutely. There's not a doubt in my mind.

4. If you are married, where did you get married at? Big or small wedding? If not, where would you like to get married? And will it be big or small?

We'd like to get married here in Tuscaloosa, where we've made our home. I'm thinking our wedding will be medium-sized, around 150-200 people.

5. Do you have any nick-names that you call one another? Do share!

This question made me laugh because we had a conversation the other day about this! We were recently in a group of people, and all the couples kept using "baby" and "sweetie" and "oh, boo bear" and we had to giggle a little bit. We definitely call each other nicknames like that, but I guess not really in public or in groups of people.

6. Name 3 things you love most about your honey.

I love his sense of humor, whether it's pinning me down and tickling me or making me laugh, he always makes me feel better. I love his heart- he takes care of me and spoils me rotten sometimes (scraping the ice off my windshield, making breakfast, sometimes spontaneously cleaning my house while I'm at work, etc) I love that he is so responsible and grounded, it keeps me grounded. Oh, and I love that he is such a sports nut, because I am too. (So that was 4 things. Oops)

7. Tell us how he proposed? Or your ideal proposal?

I don't have an ideal proposal, which is weird for someone who loves looking at weddings. We'll see!

8. Is he a flowers and teddy bear kind of guy for v-day, or strawberries, champagne, and rose petals?

None of the above! He's a flowers and a gift guy. No teddy bears for me, and he's allergic to strawberries!

9. Are you a sunset dinner on the beach kind of girl, or pop a movie in and relax on the couch?

I've never had a sunset dinner on the beach, but on the weekends, there is nothing more that I love than laying on the couch with C under a blanket and watching a movie or a sporting event.

10. Tell us one thing you'd like to do with your significant one day. If you could do anything?Go anywhere?

We've been to some fun places together, but we also have a long list of places we'd like to visit. Napa Valley, Charleston, Savannah, back to St. Louis, and the ultimate: Italy and Costa Rica, just to name a few. One of our favorite places to go is to pop over to New Orleans for a long weekend.

11. Tell us what you plan on doing on this Valentine's Day.

We're going to the Alabama/Florida basketball game Tuesday night, so I guess that's our Valentine's Day plans. The next weekend, though, C got me tickets to see Wicked in Birmingham, so those will be pseudo Valentine's Day plans.

12. Are you asking for anything this Valentine's day?

Not at all. I'm interested to see what he came up with this year, C is a fantastic gift-giver.

13. Give us one piece of advice of keeping a relationship strong and full of love.

I have a few. Don't take yourself so seriously, and laugh at yourself (and each other!) Make each other a priority, but don't forget your friends- make time for them, too. Appreciate the other person and always be their corner. Don't only recognize holidays- we buy each other "I love you" presents and those are always my favorite. It can be anything from a Starbucks coffee to a cool pen we'd think the other person would like, to a new pair of socks. Celebrate every day.

Be silly.

14. Show us a picture of what love means to you.

Brown paper packages tied up with string

2012-02-13T07:00:00.000-06:00

Is there anything better than sending or receiving a package in the mail? Honestly, it's one of the reasons I love to shop online- I LOVE waiting for the package in the mail.

Lame? Absolutely.

Lately I've been spoiled rotten with packages in the mail from blog friends, and I sent a pretty good one of my own, so I thought I'd share.

When my best friend got engaged, I knew immediately I wanted to send her a package of 'happy things' to celebrate. She lives 5 1/2 hours away, so I couldn't take her out to celebrate, but wanted to celebrate with her anyway.

It took me a long, long time to think about what I wanted to send her- and after polling lots of friends who are married/engaged, the number one thing they wanted was something with their new initials on it.

This is what I came up with:

movie //magazine//cup (made on my ECraft machine)

card (perfect to be framed later)//necklace (with her new last initial)- similar//nail polish (Essie's Happily Ever After)

Judging by the phone call I got, it was well received!

I've gotten a few exciting packages of my own, too!

I was paired up with Jenni for Hopsy's Pink Swap, and got lots of wonderful goodies in the mail. I got some awesome notepads, a towel for the gym (complete with lime green ribbon to hang it on the elliptical), a lingerie bag, great lotion, picture frame, utensile perfect for a picnic, and lots of other little goodies. Thanks, Jenni!

I also won a fun giveaway at Simply Lyndsay for her blog anniversary. My fun package contained wonderful lotion, Simply Borrowed (which is heart-wrenching, by the way!), a Vera Bradley ID case (perfect for summer trips to the pool), a Starbucks gift card, and a book that I can't wait to read. Thanks, Lyndsay!

What about you? Have you found anything fun in your mailbox recently?

Weekly Menu

2012-02-12T09:30:00.000-06:00

We're coming off the heels of a great weekend. Friday night was spent with a dear friend at a birthday dinner. (PS- I think the mark of a good girl's night from now on is that my drinks end up being more expensive than my meal.)

Saturday was spent in pjs, making soup and lounging around. Today we're going to make a whole bunch of ravioli, because, well, why not?

Here's what we ate last week-three repeat offenders. Oldies, but goodies, if you will.

Stuffed Pepper Soup

from Skinny Taste

I know we made this last week, but it was so stinking good that we had to make it again. Just as good the second time.

Weight Watchers Corn Chowder

from WW Points + Recipes

I'm not currently doing Weight Watchers, but am watching what I eat via the My Fitness Pal app. I've always liked WW's recipes for being low-calories while still being delicious. This is one of our favorites that I honestly forgot about, but is great (and easy.) Perfect for a super cold winter night.

Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

from Healthified Kitchen

Yet another forgotten-about recipe, but one I'm glad we found again. This one's time consuming, with the cutting and roasting and baking, but the end result is very much so worth it. Next time, however, I won't roast tomatoes with the rest of the vegetables, I didn't think they added anything to the dish except a whole bunch of liquid at the bottom of my lasagna.

Friday Inspiration

2012-02-10T06:30:00.000-06:00

Source: richesforrags.tumblr.com via Erin on Pinterest

Have a good weekend, friends. Spend it wisely.

xox

Thursday Tidbits

2012-02-09T06:30:00.000-06:00

1. This week has been very, very long. Work has been very tiring, but yesterday was a good day. A really good day. One of those 'Man, I'm a great teacher and life is rosy and grand' days. Let's hope that they continue. I love my little friends, but sometimes they wear me out. For serious.

2. I wore 2 out of my 3 Jason Wu purchases this week (navy blue dress and black pleated skirt) and got lots of compliments on both. My light blue skirt shipped, so once that comes in I can start returning all the, um, extras I ordered. Hooray?

3. I've been thinking about getting one of these Olay Professional Cleaning Systems (because I can't afford the Clarisonic- hah!) Has anyone ever tried it?

Source: amazon.com via Erin on Pinterest

4. I've been spoiled rotten recently with packages from some of y'all. I got my pink swap package in the mail, as well as the giveaway from Simply Lyndsay. I can't wait to share all of the fun things I got- another post for another day.

5. C and I are making homemade ravioli this weekend. Has anyone ever made it before? I was thinking about a ricotta/spinach filling, and maybe a mushroom filling. Any help?

6. I saw this little print on Etsy the other day, and my fingers almost hit 'buy' as soon as I saw it. My mom used to sing this to me all the time, and I think I need it in a little frame in my house somewhere. Perhaps on my gallery wall?

7. I'm pretty excited about the presents I got C for Valentine's Day. Can't wait to share them with you next week.

Catch me up on your life- what's going on in your world? Hope your week is going well.

xox

Pinspirations: Think Pink

2012-02-08T05:53:00.004-06:00

Today I'm linking up with Michelle for another round of:

Because Valentine's Day is just around the corner, I've had pink on my mind all week!

Source: prepfection.tumblr.com via Erin on Pinterest

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Q&A Monday

2012-02-06T06:00:00.000-06:00

Today, I'm linking up with Pretty in Pink Megan and Shasta Ann for Q&A Monday

1. Favorite place you've traveled? In college, I studied abroad in Florence, Italy for six weeks. I had the absolute time of my life, soaking in the culture and art (and food!) and can't wait to go back with C someday. I lived with a family in Florence, took Italian classes, and I still sometimes can't believe I got to go!

St. Mark's Square, Venice

Colosseum, Rome

2. Where would you want to go if you could have a paid ticket and hotel? No brainer: I'd like to go back to Italy (with C this time!)

3. If you have a trip planned, where is it to? No trips planned right now, but hopefully we can do something fun this summer- there's been talk about making another St. Louis trip to catch another Cardinals game or two. We went last summer and had so much fun!

4. Were you an honor roll student in school? I was a giant nerd in high school (honors/AP classes, National Merit finalist, officer in the math club for four years). Yep. Are you shocked?

Me in high school. I went to an all-girl Catholic high school.

Check out my awesome sweatshirt tied around my neck.

Bahaha

5. What was your major in college? I was originally a biology major and hated every second of it, so I switched to elementary education. Best decision of my life.

6. Ever go to camp? I went with friends when we were in the 4th grade for a week in the summer. My letters home were so pitiful that I never went back. We had fun, but were also super dramatic 10 year olds. Hah!

7. Favorite tv show of all time? That's a tough one. I will always stop and watch Scrubs when I see it on TV, though.

8. What was the last thing you ever got grounded for? Knowing me, probably back-talking one of my parents. I didn't earn my 'Mouth of the South' nickname by being meek and quiet!

9. What was your childhood nickname? My little brother called me Gee-gee when he was a baby. Gee gee from Erin. If you can figure it out, let me know. I was Gee-gee for most of my life from my little siblings, but I haven't heard anyone call me that in forever!

10.What would your dream job be? Honestly, I'm mostly really happy in my job right now (4th grade teacher) but I'd love to be a wedding planner.

Let me know if you link up- I'd love to read your responses!

Weekly Menu

2012-02-05T14:15:00.000-06:00

Happy Superbowl Sunday, y'all! We're off to a party with some of my coworkers, but before we head out, I wanted to share all the new recipes we made last week.

Creamy Chicken Noodle Skillet

from Healthified Kitchen

One of our all-time favorites. It's one of those pasta dishes that tastes absolutely awful for you, but isn't that bad, calorie-wise (455 calories a serving). I made this Friday night and we ate it Friday and Saturday for dinner, while watching a bunch of movies (and maybe a few episodes of the Kardashians. I know, shameful)

Turkey Stroganoff

from AllRecipes

Confession: Before C suggested that we make this, I had never eaten stroganoff before. Weird, right? I liked the dish, but I think that next time I'll try a different recipe. It wasn't as creamy as I'd like it to be. Maybe we'll use the Cooking Light version next time.

Stuffed Bell Pepper Soup

from Skinny Taste

Y'all. Y'ALL! If there's one dish I made last week that you decide to whip up, make it this soup. C found it on Skinny Taste, and I was a little skeptical. I was wrong. The portions? Huge. The soup? Tastes just like a stuffed pepper, and was so hearty, it was more of a thick stew. Don't think I'm a crazy person if I make it again this week (I've already had the thought.) We used ground turkey instead of ground beef and white rice instead of brown rice.

The best part? An entire giant bowl is only 255 calories. For serious.

Chocolate Muffins

from Hungry Girl

One of my favorite treats to whip up when I'm craving chocolate but watching calories. They're incredibly easy. All you need is a Devil's Food Cake mix and a can of pure pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling). Don't add anything else, just cake mix and pumpkin. Spoon into a muffin pan and bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 min. These little gems taste like brownies (heavenly) and are only 181 calories each.

What did you cook last week?

Jason Wu for Target: Success!

2012-02-05T11:24:00.005-06:00

I have been anticipating the Jason Wu for Target collaboration for some time now. It's no secret that I adore full skirts, dresses with nipped in waists, and feminine details and the collection was all of the above.

My original plan was to go to my store around 7:30am on Sunday morning and fight for the clothes with the rest of the crazies in Tuscaloosa.

I started refreshing the website around midnight and lo and behold, they started releasing the items around midnight central time. By 1:30am, I had the navy dress and light blue skirt that I had originally wanted ordered in two sizes each.

(And yes, C made fun of me all night. Ridiculous, I know.)

I was still a little uneasy about the online order after hearing about all the Missoni cancelled orders last time. However, I didn't want to wake up at 7 after going to bed at 2. I sauntered into my Target around 10:15, expecting to see empty racks, and this is what I was greeted with:

Uh, what? They had (almost) everything in multiple sizes left.

I chatted it up with some Starbucks employees and they said "This wasn't nothing like that crazy zig zag line!) Apparently just a few people showed up and that was it.

Thank goodness for living in a medium-sized town in Alabama where apparently no one cared about the line. (I was also able to grab the coveted chevron Missoni flats a month or so after the line in my Target.)

I was able to buy the navy blue poplin dress (and then go cancel my order online to free them up for others.) I had to size up to accommodate 'the girls' but I'm glad I have them- all the small sizes were gone much more quickly. I also grabbed the black pleated skirt.

The only thing I'm waiting on now is the light blue pleated skirt to ship.

I know a lot of people weren't so lucky.

Did you try the Jason Wu line? Were you successful?

Friday Inspiration

2012-02-03T06:00:00.000-06:00

Source: peasinourpod.com via Erin on Pinterest

After reading that quote, I know what I'll be spending my weekend doing.

What about you?

xox

Thursday Tidbits

2012-02-02T07:03:00.001-06:00

Lots of little tidbits from this week, y'all.

1. Is it weird that I'm so excited about the Jason Wu collection at Target that I'm becoming paranoid that the skirt and dress I want will be sold out? I clearly need a life outside of my wardrobe. Are you going on Sunday?

2. Ever since I read this post by Katherine, I've been scouring Etsy for oil paintings of my favorite flower, tulips. Here's my favorite one:

via

So pretty, right? Now I'm dreaming of ways to re-create it, but I don't know if I could pull it off. I love the textures in particular.

3. My kiddos have been hit by some kind of awful sickness at school, which has made me use so much hand sanitizer that I'm pretty sure my skin is going to fall off. Gross.

4. We watched not one, not two, but three movies this past weekend. Crazy, right? I think C felt so guilty about making us watch two debates and the State of the Union last week that we spent a large portion of the weekend in pjs on the couch. We saw The Help (both loved it), Moneyball (both loved it- it made me want to go back to St. Louis) and The Ides of March.

5. Have you seen The Idea of March? We thought our DVD player skipped at the end- that ending was terrible! Please tell me we're not the only ones.

6. Thanks for the fantastic pj suggestions from Monday! I'm going to Target on Sunday and might have to grab a pair of cute pjs while I'm there with all the Jason Wu crazies.

7. Loft updated their website with a TON of cute new dresses for spring. Hello, pretties. I've had my little eye on this one, this one, and this one. I have some gift cards burning holes in my pocket, and the next sale, well, y'all know where I'll be.

8. I lost 2.5 lbs last week. I know it's not a ton, but hey, it's better than gaining 2.5 lbs. I'm using My Fitness Pal, working out with friends after work (Zumba) 2 days a week, and throwing in at least two days a week on the elliptical. It's amazing how much better I feel when I'm working out and watching what I eat.

Pinspirations: Appetizers!

2012-02-01T05:30:00.000-06:00

I'm linking up with Michelle today for another installment of Oh, How Pintresting Wednesdays!

With the Superbowl on Sunday, I've been looking for some great appetizers to bring with me to my friend's party that C and I will be attending. Here are some of my favorites I've found and tried.

Source: plainchicken.com via Erin on Pinterest

Crack dip- one of our favorites

Source: madeinmelskitchen.com via Erin on Pinterest

Source: sixinthesuburbsblog.blogspot.com via Erin on Pinterest

Source: plainchicken.com via Erin on Pinterest

Source: macaroniandcheesecake.com via Erin on Pinterest

What are you cooking for the Superbowl?

Un-Valentine's Day Cards

2012-01-31T06:20:00.000-06:00

Here are some of my favorite Valentine's Day cards for the Un-Valentine's Day couple. (C and I)

It's not that we don't love each other, and we do celebrate Valentine's Day, but all the mushy mushy stuff is a little lost on us. For example, this year we're going to an Alabama basketball game Valentine's Day night.

Because nothing says "Be Mine" like a bunch of sweaty men playing basketball and splitting a hot dog for dinner with your better half, right?

I wouldn't have it any other way.

I always like to give C a funny card, you know the "I love you...most of the time" snarky Valentine's Day cards, and I usually find them on Etsy. Here's a roundup of some of my favorites. I'll show y'all his after the fact, it's pretty good!!

Via

Last year's winner, via.

via

Via

Do you celebrate Valentine's Day?

Sweet dreams are made of these

2012-01-30T06:10:00.000-06:00

We had the most relaxing weekend. On Saturday, we did absolutely nothing. We spent the entire day in our pjs, made a late breakfast, and just laid on the couch. There aren't enough days like that, huh? I love being on the go and having a bustling Saturday full of errands, shopping, and fun, but some Saturdays I crave relaxation with my favorite person.

With that in mind, I realized that I am in desperate need of an update to my pajama drawer. I have some cute pj pants (mostly given to me by my mother for Christmas presents) but not much else in the way of 'acceptable to lay around in all day Saturday.' Here are some of my favorite finds from around the web.

Sweet Dreams by eeb314 featuring satin slippers

Do you have cute pajamas? Where did you get them?

Weekly Menu

2012-01-29T14:00:00.000-06:00

Another week, another menu. Here's what graced our plates last week:

Pancakes

a'la: C

Nothing fancy about there, just good old fashioned pancakes. I made the cute (albeit cheesy) shapes with the leftover batter. Clearly, I should have not gone into education and been a professional pancake maker instead, no?

Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad

a'la Cardini's Light Caesar Dressing

This salad dressing is so delicious that I could eat it with a spoon. And I have. Once or twice. If you're thinking "Do y'all have a caesar salad once a week?!" the answer is yes, yes we do. Yum!

Baked Tilapia

Sprinkled some Pauls Deen's house seasoning (a gift) onto some tilapia, and served it with some green beans and a sweet potato. Less than 20 min from fridge to plate. Done and done.

PS- I've been using My Fitness Pal, has anyone tried it before? I like it! My username is eeb314, if you'd like to follow me. The more accountability I have, the better.

Friday Inspiration

2012-01-27T06:30:00.000-06:00

Source: gatherlove.tumblr.com via Erin on Pinterest

Happy weekend, friends.

See y'all on Monday.

PS, this is going to be in a frame in my house very soon....

Thursday Tidbits

2012-01-26T07:00:00.000-06:00

1. Happy Thursday, y'all! Almost done with this week. Whew.

2. I've been quite the little online shopper recently, which is great for my closet and a nightmare for my bank account! Here's what I've picked up in the past few days:

Source: loft.com via Erin on Pinterest

via Loft

via 6pm.com

2. Do I have anywhere to wear the precious blue dress? Well, no. But it's $35, and with all the weddings/showers in my future, I couldn't pass it up. The skirt is just darling (and 30% off) and the coral/grey dress is great for work with a cardigan and to wear all summer long.

3. I'm mailing my best friend's engagement 'happies' tomorrow, and I can't wait to share with y'all what I put in there. I'm so excited for her to get it, and I know she's going to be so excited :)

4. The weather here has been awful. We didn't get tornadoes in Tuscaloosa on Sunday night, but some hit around Birmingham, about 45 min north of here. I slept for about an hour and a half Sunday night between all the weather radio alerts and my own anxiety. I can't complain much, though, I'm safe. We're supposed to get really bad weather again tomorrow, and I pray that we dismiss early so that we're not sitting in the hallways all afternoon with the kids. Scary.

5. I'm turning 25 this year. I know in the grand scheme of things that's not that old, but it stresses me out. What do I want for my birthday, you ask? One of these:

Source: crushculdesac.tumblr.com via Erin on Pinterest

Please and thank you! (Oh, and don't tell C. I can't have one at my apartment.)

6. As far as working out goes, I've been in a pretty good rhythm. Staying after school 2x a week with friends to do Zumba and going to the gym with C 2-3x a week to run on the elliptical, which is a machine of torture and death. Can you tell I have strong feelings about that thing? They're not positive, either. Hah! I bet once I lose more weight, I'll feel differently.

7. We have no weekend plans, and I'm pretty excited. I'd like to clean my house, snuggle with C, and watch a bunch of episodes of Curb your Enthusiasm on DVD. Has anyone seen that show before? It's my FAVORITE!

via

Pinspirations

2012-01-25T05:57:00.004-06:00

Happy Wednesday! Today I'm linking up with Michelle for another

Source: effortlessanthropologie.blogspot.com via Erin on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Erin on Pinterest

Source: ana-white.com via Erin on Pinterest

Source: shabbyapple.com via Erin on Pinterest

Source: jcrew.com via Erin on Pinterest

Almost halfway through the week, friends. Have a great day!

Hello, hello.

2012-01-23T06:45:00.000-06:00

I've noticed I have a few new followers to this little blog recently, so I thought I would re-introduce myself.

Hi there!

My name is Erin (and that's my boyfriend, C). We both live in Alabama. I'm an elementary school teacher and C is a lawyer.

My family lives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I have a little brother and little sister, and my parents. My brother goes to the University of Alabama, so we get to see him much more often than everyone else.

I started blogging in 2009 because I was in grad school, substitute teaching, and I guess I didn't have much else to do. I blog about a little bit of everything: shopping, cooking, the occasional deep thought, and glimpses into our life.

C and I are pretty big sports nuts. We love Alabama, the New Orleans Saints, and the St. Louis Cardinals. Sometimes it takes over my twitter account, sorry about that! (ETA: I just realized all of my pictures in this post are from sporting events or sports-related travels. Oops.)

We love to travel, cook, and go to sporting events together. We took a trip together to St. Louis after C took the bar exam last summer, and had an absolute blast. So much fun, in fact, that we're trying to plan another trip up there soon.

I love meeting people through blogging, and love reading all of y'all's blogs, even if I don't always have time to comment.

Now it's y'all's turn. Tell me something about yourself!

Happy Monday!

Weekly Menu

2012-01-22T12:00:00.000-06:00

We have had such a relaxing wonderful weekend around here! This is one of those weekends that I'm sad to see leave us.

Here's what we ate last week.

(Somehow I missed taking pictures one night. It was just a grilled chicken breast and a salad, though, so I'm sure you're devastated. Not. Moving on.)

Crockpot Pot Roast

via Marie's Cooking Adventures

I found this gem on Pintrest and it didn't disappoint! It's super easy, too. Roast of your choice, carrots, potatoes, packet of Italian seasoning, packet of Dry Ranch, packet of brown gravy seasoning, and a cup and a half of water. Turn on low, and leave it alone for 6+ hours. Winter perfection.

Orange Chicken

via Iowa Girl Eats

One of our favorites. We ate it with steamed broccoli and a rice side. (Lipton rice side. Guilty.)

Also, I'm a little freaked out today because we're supposed to get some severe weather in Alabama overnight tonight (10pm-3am) After last April, I get panicky and nervous every time there's the potential for tornadoes, and I know many people in the area are the same way.

If you don't mind, good thoughts and prayers for safety are very much so appreciated.

Thanks, friends. Happy Sunday.

Happy Friday!

2012-01-20T07:00:00.000-06:00

Source: tumblr.com via Erin on Pinterest

Have a great weekend, friends.

Spend it where it counts.

Thursday Tidbits

2012-01-19T06:45:00.000-06:00

1. As slow as last week was, this one has flown by! I guess having a three day weekend helps, doesn't it? I think these should come around more often.

2. I've heard for a long, long time that I should read The Hunger Games series. I don't know why it took me so long, but I finally borrowed the first book from a coworker and started to read around 4:30 on Monday afternoon. Well, I finished it at 9:15 and am absolutely twitching because I don't have the others. I'll go get them this weekend, because I know if I buy them before then, I'll never sleep again until I'm done.

3. My friend's little 'engagement happy box' is coming along quite nicely. I'm just waiting for one more item to come in, and then I'll spill the beans about what I'm sending her. (She doesn't read this blog, don't worry.)

4. After watching the Golden Globes, I have a (pretty long) list of movies that I need to see. Midnight in Paris, The Help, The Artist, The Descendants, Moneyball, and 50/50. Have you seen any of these? Which ones are must-sees?

5. This makes me giggle. Out loud. Every time I see it. It also makes me want to print this out and give it to every freshman who's wearing this. exact. same. outfit. all. spring. long. Argh.

Source: tumblr.com via Erin on Pinterest

6. We didn't get tickets to Jimmy Buffett. All the lower-priced ones sold out in maybe .2 seconds, and while I do love me some Jimmy Buffett, I'm not paying $200 to see him. Sadface. I need Valentine's Day present ideas now for C. Sigh.

7. I've convinced myself that I need these for football season next year in black. How perfect are they?

Source: fornash.com via Erin on Pinterest

Hope your week is going well, friends! Thanks for stopping by.

Pinspirations: Kitchens

2012-01-18T06:00:00.000-06:00

I'm linking up with Michelle at The Vintage Apple for Oh How Pintresting Wednesdays!

The kitchen is my favorite part of any house (isn't it everyone's?)

I could live in these kitchens... Maybe one day when we build a house, C will build me a kitchen like this. A girl can dream, right?

Source: etsy.com via Erin on Pinterest

Source: capecoddesigns.blogspot.com via Erin on Pinterest

Source: inspirationfordecoration.blogspot.com via Erin on Pinterest

Source: 4.bp.blogspot.com via Erin on Pinterest

Source: picasaweb.google.com via Erin on Pinterest

Source: bhg.com via Erin on Pinterest

Jason Wu for Target

2012-01-17T07:00:00.001-06:00

After the ~~debacle~~ craziness of the Missoni for Target line, I'm not sure my fragile little heart can handle another Target designer line.

Seriously. I wanted that big chevron-print throw. I know, not a real problem. Still.

However, Target doesn't seem to be as melodramatic as I am, so they're going to try again, with Jason Wu on February 5. I saw the look book the other day and I have to say, I like this one much more than Missoni, mainly because they're pieces that I can wear often. Not that I don't love a zig zag, but you know, these pieces look like things I would normally buy.

Here's the look book- all images via Glamour.

Navy dress, you will be mine.

Same with you, light blue skirt. Mine.

Thoughts? Just from glancing through the pictures, I'm almost positive I'll grab the light blue skirt and navy dress. Full skirts and dresses are my jam, and those are really pretty and versatile. There are a few more things that caught my eye (polka dot dress, red and blue striped dress) that I'd like to see in person. Bonus points for Target for releasing the line on a Sunday morning, now I don't have to take off work to go grab them.

Not that I was going to, or anything...

What do you think of the new collection? Anything you'll be grabbing on February 5?

Golden Globes 2012

2012-01-16T08:00:00.000-06:00

Awards season is upon us, y'all. Now, I haven't seen many of the movies or TV shows, to be honest (our TV is always on Food Network or ESPN) but that doesn't stop me from loving the red carpet (and C's commentary).

Oh goodness is that boy funny on awards night.

I present to you some of C's finest moments last night:

"DAYUM! Girl's got a booty! And some child bearing hips!" -in response to Kate Winslet

"BOOOOOOBIES!" -everytime Sophia Vergara was shown. BOYS.

"If the heavy set lady from Bridesmaids doesn't win, I'll poop in the Hollywood Foreign Press bathroom sink." -Yep. That boy loves some Bridesmaids.

"Paul Giamatti looks like a wooly worm!"

Yep. How lucky am I?

Anywhoo, moving on.

My favorite looks of the night:

Elle Macpherson

Stunning. They don't call her 'The Body' for nothing, although I think if I had her body, I'd walk around naked. All the time.

Kate Winslet

Today, tomororw, forever. I'm sure at some point she wore something I didn't like, but I can't remember it. I love her so much because she looks like a real person, but is stunning and classic.

Helen Miren

I hope I look half this good when I'm her age. Ok, I wish I looked this good now.

Charlize Theron

I love the ruffle, I love the headband. Knockout.

Reese Witherspoon

Reese, please wear your hair down more often.

Heidi Klum

I love her necklace, it's so fresh and unexpected. Also, ditto on the 'if I had her body I'd never wear clothes' comment.

And, of course, no recap would be complete without the worst looks of the night.

Madonna

Just, no.

The Jolie-Pitts

Partly because she freaks me out, partly because she's ruined him. Dear Brad Pitt, what happened to you?? I miss you like this. Sob.

Sara Michelle Gellar

She looks like a cloud.

Michelle Williams

Bad dress, bad headband. Sad, because she rarely does wrong in my book.

Who were your best/worst dressed last night?

Why I cook

2012-01-15T17:35:00.000-06:00

I had a co-worker ask me this week why I cooked dinner every night, after she saw me making a quick 'meal plan' in my planner at the end of the day. I stared at her, not really having a good answer.

Was it because it was cheaper? Not really, we could get fast food every night for a fraction of the price.

Was it because it was easier? Well, no. I loathe dishes, and all the best meals require an obscene amount of them.

Was it because my mom cooked dinner every night, and I want to be a little more like her every day? Possibly, but not quite.

I stared at her blankly and answered "I guess it's because I love the process."

It's true, I love the process of cooking. I love that I can take a bunch of random ingredients and make them into a delicious meal. I like chopping, and sautéing, and grating, and measuring. I like drinking a glass of wine and watching it all come together, and then getting to enjoy it with C.

It's like therapy, with the benefit of calories.

And a yummy bonus of dinner at the end.

Cooking is our hobby that we developed together. We have other shared hobbies- sports being the next large one. But cooking we discovered together. I think that's why it's such a . It's become so much a hobby that for the past couple of years, our default Christmas gifts have been cooking accessories- pasta maker, cookbooks, utensils, interesting spices. Spending hours in Williams-Sonoma makes me want a giant kitchen with room to put all of the fun things.

In short, I cook because it makes me happy.

Are you an 'every night' kind of cook?

Why do you cook?

Friday

2012-01-13T05:57:00.001-06:00

Source: imgur.com via Leslie on Pinterest

Story of my week. Thank goodness it's now Friday, for real this time.

Thursday tidbits

2012-01-12T07:00:00.000-06:00

1. Is it just me, or has this been the longest week ever? I was up until 3am on Monday night, too keyed up after the big game to go to bed, which made me pass out last night at 9pm. Now I'm hovering between "need more sleep" and "so wired that I can't sit still." It's lovely, really, having your whole sleep schedule messed up, and knowing it's all your fault. Sigh.

2. One of my New Year's Resolutions is to read more. More specifically, I want to spend more time behind a book than I do in front of my computer. So far, it's working really well. I read Eat, Drink, and Be From Mississippi in two days- I'm a pretty quick reader, but it was wonderful.

3. My best friend since I was 5 years old got engaged Tuesday night. I haven't stopped smiling since. Doesn't it just make your day when good things happen to good people? I'm wanting to send her a little care package of 'happies' but am not 100% sure what to send. I want to get her lots of little things with her future last name on them, but other than that, I need help! Anyone who's been engaged- what did you receive when you got engaged?

I did get this pretty card from etsy to send. LOVE.

4. Is it bad that I've only been back teaching for a week and a half, and am already thrilled that we have Monday off for MLK day? This is going to be a long semester if I can't get it together quickly.

5. We had class pictures today, and my class decided to wear crimson and white. They were so cute- one girl broke out the houndstooth tights and red tutu! My little Bammers will be so precious in our class picture- can't wait to get them back in.

6. Valentine's Day is everywhere every time I leave my house. Thank goodness C and I decided to buy each other tickets to see Jimmy Buffett in Birmingham instead of swapping gifts this year. Three cheers for an easy boyfriend! (Fingers crossed we get tickets- they go on sale Saturday.)

7. I really love the tortoise bangles from Bauble Bar. Too bad they're sold out.

Source: baublebar.com via Erin on Pinterest

Any ideas on items to include in an engagement care package? I'm all ears!!

Happy Thursday, y'all!!

Pinspirations: Put a bow on it

2012-01-11T05:50:00.000-06:00

Today I'm linking up with Michelle at The Vintage Apple for Oh, How Pintresting Wednesdays!

It's no secret that I believe that everything is better with a bow. They make me ridiculously happy, and a little over-the top femininity is never a bad thing in my book.

Source: tiffany.com via Erin on Pinterest

Source: katespade.com via Erin on Pinterest

Source: marthastewartweddings.com via Erin on Pinterest

Source: juliettehogan.com via Erin on Pinterest

Source: shopsosie.com via Erin on Pinterest

Source: texastanners.blogspot.com via Erin on Pinterest

Source: leblogdebetty.com via Erin on Pinterest

Fourteen.

2012-01-10T07:30:00.000-06:00

Congrats to my Crimson Tide for winning their fourteenth national title last night against none other than LSU! I'm from Baton Rouge, so this one's pretty sweet for me.

We partied from home last night with my little brother and his gf, due to extreme nerves. I literally did not eat anything yesterday but a few bites of lunch because I was so nervous. We'll celebrate with the rest of Tuscaloosa when we have our National Championship Celebration (second one in three years- HOORAY!!)

Oh, boys, I am so proud of you. So, so proud!

ROLL TIDE!!!

ROLL TIDE!

2012-01-09T07:30:00.000-06:00

I don't know if you're heard, but my team has a pretty big game tonight, against my hometown's team. My stomach has been in knots for ~~weeks~~ two months just thinking about it. So exciting!

We'll be 'Roll Tide-ing' from Tuscaloosa tonight, unfortunately. I do wish we were in New Orleans for all of the festivities and craziness, but we just couldn't justify the $3,000 + for a pair of tickets. (Who can? Apparently a LOT of crazies.) Maybe we'll make the next National Championship game!

Source: Uploaded by user via Mallory on Pinterest

Source: sheskindacrafty.blogspot.com via Erin on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Erin on Pinterest

Source: google.com via Mallory on Pinterest

Source: rollbamaroll.com via Mallory on Pinterest

Who are you cheering for tonight?

ROLL TIDE!!!

Weekly Menu

2012-01-08T16:10:00.000-06:00

Welcome back into my life, cooking! It's been a while since I've cooked a full week of recipes, and honestly, after all the hullabalo of Christmas, it's nice to get back into our little routine of going to work, cleaning our houses, and cooking dinner each night. We spent the weekend largely doing nothing, I ran a bunch of errands yesterday but that's it. It's nice to be back into the swing of things!

Here's what we made last week:

Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad

Easy, easy! C grilled some chicken (with a lot of black pepper), and I tossed the strips with some croutons, spinach and this dressing, that's so good I could drink it with a straw. Not that I would ever do that... ~~It's crossed my mind.~~

Burrito Bowls

I sauteed a bunch of onion and bell pepper, made 'refried' black beans*, and some chicken with fajita seasoning.

Side note: I realized that we used to make this all the time, loaded them down with spanish rice, sour cream and cheese, and called them 'healthy burrito bowls.' Clearly I had hit my head because there's absolutely nothing healthy about a bowl of sour cream, cheese, and rice! I did, however, find that if I don't buy the rice, cheese, and sour cream and sub all of that with salsa, I didn't miss them! (Ok, I missed them a little bit, but it was still delicious.)

*Refried black beans= half of an onion sauteed + a can of black beans. I cook them in a small skillet and mash up about 3/4 of the black beans to make them more of a refried beans texture, and cook them for about 25 min or so until they're super thick. They taste better than I can describe them, promise!

Arugula Pesto with Chicken Pasta

from Healthified Kitchen

We made this pesto forever and a day ago and froze half of it, making for a super convenient weeknight meal. I added some sauteed chicken (one chicken breast) and two kinds of pasta because ~~I didn't have enough bow ties~~ I liked it better that way. I didn't have any tomatoes on hand to add to it, and I missed them. Next time, I'll plan ahead and make sure I have some!

What did you eat last week?

Birchbox December Review

2012-01-05T07:30:00.000-06:00

I'm just now reviewing my December Birchbox because, well, I'm just now receiving it. Apparently there was an issue with Birchbox receiving some of their samples, so they were super late going out this month.

However, Birchbox apologized and sent us all a $10 credit, so you won't hear any complaining from this girl! (Bravo, Birchbox!)

Here's what I got in mine:

Oscar Blandi Dry Shampoo LOVE! I was just saying the other day how much I needed to find a good dry shampoo and oddly enough, here it was! I'm also mildly obsessed with how it makes my hair smell. Plus, the sample was a nice, big size. Already ordered this in a regular size.

Jouer Moisturizing Lip Gloss It's a great pink color, but the sample is teeny tiny. Good to try, though.

Showstoppers Fashion Tape Haven't used it yet but I know I'll like it. After all, I've had a box of toupee' tape in my lingerie drawer since middle school. (Thanks a lot, giant boobs!)

Nuxe Multi-Use Dry Oil Shimmer Not 100% sure about this one. I guess when I have someplace fancy to go I might bust it out and use a very teeny tiny amount. I just don't know why I would need to 'shimmer' anywhere. It's a large bottle, though. Shimmer on, birchbox. Please don't send me any more sparkle oil, though.

Atelier Cologne It smells really nice, but a bottle is $70 for 30 mL. Not really in my budget.

Do you get a birchbox every month? Sign up here.

Pinspirations: Weight Watchers Meals

2012-01-04T06:06:00.001-06:00

In honor of my New Year's resolution to lose the 25 lbs I've packed on in the past three years (Seriously. It's not cute.) I'm dedicating my pinspirations to Weight Watchers Recipes I've found online.

My fingers are crossed that they'll start Weight Watchers back up at the school where I teach (they offered it in the fall.) In addition to that, my teacher friends and I are going to start doing Zumba 2 afternoons a week.

Yes, you can laugh. I did, too, but whatever works, right?

Anywhoo, here are the recipes I've found so far.

Source: sixsistersstuff.blogspot.com via Erin on Pinterest

Source: weight-watchers-recipes.net via Erin on Pinterest

Source: lifeinthegreenhouse.com via Erin on Pinterest

Source: 28cooks.blogspot.com via Erin on Pinterest

Source: weightwatchers.com via Erin on Pinterest

Winter Blues

2012-01-03T07:30:00.000-06:00

The first few weeks right after the holidays are always such a letdown for me.

You go from OMG no work! and WOOHOO family time! to...

...back to work. Back to grading papers. Back to real life, if you will.

Blah. Blah. Blah.

Also, this is (almost) the end of college football which is a whole 'nother set of sads in this house. (Although, the Saints seem to me making a little run, which could keep the spirit going for a little while.)

However, there are many good things that combat the 'sads' around here.

*Staying in bed well past 10am, snuggled under the covers.

*Keeping a pot of coffee going all day

*Spending lazy days with a cute boy, watching college football and staying in sweatpants

*Online shopping, and catching a great sale (more on that another day)

*Long naps on the couch

*Keeping your Christmas tree up for just another week, because the lights are pretty at night.

*Playing on C's new iPad and using facetime to talk to the cutest 13 year old sister

*Having two days at work before the kiddos come back to catch up with some of your best friends

*Finding a quote that you immediately want to put in a frame and hang in your house.

Source: relax-ed.tumblr.com via Erin on Pinterest

What do you use to combat the 'winter blues'?

On online shopping...

2012-01-02T17:40:00.000-06:00

I'm not normally one to go nuts with post-Christmas shopping, but Land's End Canvas and ASOS did get to me a little bit this year. Guilty as charged.

At Land's End Canvas, I never buy anything unless it's on sale. (Truth. They are always having a great sale. This applies to Loft, too.)

I've had my eye on this navy blue dress since about September, and it's finally on sale. I like that it'll transition from winter to spring nicely, and the print is cute.

Split Neck Dress, $34.99

I'm much more of a skirt and dress kind of girl rather than pants and shorts, so I grabbed this skirt in red and black to wear year-round. We'll see how they fit when they get here!

Gathered Wrap Skirt, $17.99

I haven't pulled the trigger on the ASOS order yet, but this is what I've had my eye on. Has anyone ever ordered from ASOS before? I'm not 100% sure how their clothes run, but I did like both of these, the skirt in particular.

Did you buy anything good on sale after Christmas? Was there anything I missed?

I resolve...

2011-12-31T09:00:00.000-06:00

I'm not a 'big list of resolutions' girl, but I thought this pretty much summed up my goals for 2012.

Source: etsy.com via Erin on Pinterest

(Oh, and lose 25 lbs/work out more. Naturally.)

Do you make resolutions? What are your goals for 2012?

Farewell, 2011

2011-12-30T09:00:00.000-06:00

I'm not going to sugar coat it (not my style), 2011 wasn't a great year for us.

We had an F-4 tornado that somehow very narrowly missed hitting both of our apartments and tore our city apart, killing far too many people. C took the bar exam (which was the most stressful thing either one of us have ever experienced), and a myriad of other things- both small and large, that are a little too personal for me to share with the internet. However, that is all in the past, and I truly believe that we're stronger people because of it.

With all of those hard things, however, there were a lot of good things that happened in 2011, too. Here are some of my favorite memories of 2011.

1. C and I became "DIYers" and made a headboard for my bedroom.

2. We took a trip to Santa Rosa Beach, Florida for spring break (and my birthday)

3. C graduated law school (and I got the biggest bruise of my life when I fell down a flight of stairs on the way in...)

4. We took an amazing trip to St. Louis to celebrate the end of the bar exam.

5. Football season, which is always my favorite part of the entire year, including my family coming down for a game and taking a road tip to Oxford, MS with friends.

6. We celebrated three years together in September. Am I lucky or what?

7. We were in three weddings in 2011. Three! (And two were outside in May and June. Clearly, our friends are nuts.) As far as I know, we're not in any 2012 weddings (yet).

I can't wait to see what 2012 brings. Isn't that the best part of a new year? There's so much possibility, so much unknown. I'm extremely optimistic that 2012 is going to be a good year for us.

What were your highlights of 2011?

Merry, Merry!

2011-12-28T16:29:00.003-06:00

Just checking in with all of y'all from my little self-imposed blogging break.

We spent our Christmas this year with my family in Louisiana, and are now in North Alabama with C's family. Here are a few pictures of our time in Baton Rouge...

I hope that y'all had a WONDERFUL Christmas! I'll be back to posting regularly soon.

xoxo

"Did you smell your onion?"

2011-12-16T07:30:00.000-06:00

Because it's Friday and Fridays should be for laughing.

Have a happy weekend, friends.

Randomness

2011-12-16T07:00:00.000-06:00

1. First and foremost, I wanted to thank all of y'all for the kind words and emails with regards to this post. I'm working on letting things go and trusting that He has a plan for us. It's easier said than done, no? I'm working on it. I can't thank y'all enough. Crazy how this silly little blog is such a support system for me.

2. My favorite Christmas song has to be "Christmas Time in New Orleans." How can you not love Louis Armstrong's voice?

3. Sometimes I miss Louisiana so much my heart aches. It gets much, MUCH worse right after football season/around the holidays. I love Alabama and I love Tuscaloosa. Will we be here forever? I don't know. I'd like to be, but I'd also love to live in Baton Rouge/New Orleans and be with my family. I guess we'll have to see where life takes us. I can't wait to go home for Christmas this year and spend time with my family, though.

4. I've been pinning my large flower pins onto various sweaters/coats recently. One of my students told me "You're MUCH nicer when you wear a big flower, you should wear them more often!" I do feel a little more chipper when I have one on, maybe I should bust them out more often.

5. I still can't stop drinking Starbucks skinny peppermint mochas. I'm obsessed, and I don't even like Starbucks coffee all that much. Now that I'm done with Christmas shopping (minus the stockings) I don't have many excuses to go. Sad.

6. We went to a little "Christmas on the River" parade in Tuscaloosa this past weekend. After waiting an hour and a half for the boats to get to where we were, we saw four boats. Four. FOUR. I don't think I'll be braving the chilly temps to go see that again next year. Disappointing.

7. This week has been extremely tiring at work. Trying to keep 26 10 year olds entertained and not losing your mind in the process is pretty much impossible, I've found. Three more days. Three more days. I can do it!

8. We watched A Charlie Brown Christmas last night. It doesn't matter that I watch it every year with my class, it's an unwritten rule that if A Charlie Brown Christmas is on TV, you must stop what you're doing and watch it. PS, I forgot to show y'all my favorite Christmas decoration yesterday, my Charlie Brown Christmas tree. I love it! I do think it needs a light blue blanket around the base, though....

Jingle Bells

2011-12-14T21:23:00.000-06:00

Today I'm linking up with The Nester for her annual holiday tour of homes!

It's just C and I around here, so my decorations might not be the most 'kid-friendly' and no one really sees them but us. I was saying the other day that I should have a Christmas open house just so that people can see my decorations! Maybe next year.

Until then, though, I'm inviting all of y'all to my house to come and see what I've cooked up!

Kitchen:

I hung a wreath on the mirror above my sink (and as a bonus, you get to see "just taught the longest Wednesday of all time Erin." Lucky you.)

I hung some ribbon on my cabinets to hang my Christmas cards.

Living Room

PS, if you've never burned this candle before, get thee to a Bath and Body Works and buy it IMMEDIATELY! It makes your house smell like a Christmas tree.... heavenly!

Gift Guide: The teenager

2011-12-14T19:13:00.000-06:00

My sweet baby sister is now a teenager (she turned 13 December 4) and all of a sudden, she's the hardest person to buy for on my list. Thank goodness for me, when I prodded, she said she wanted sweatpants with elastic on the ankles and large stud earrings (done and done).

If she hadn't been so, ahem, bold and told me exactly what she wanted, here were other ideas that I had floating around for her. Teenagers are extremely difficult to buy for, in my opinion. Here's my best shot at it:

Toms Yellow Pop Herringbone shoes

(I also love the glitter ones)

A book of advice before she gets old like you

Lomography Diana Mini camera to take pictures (that are much cooler than her cell phone's)

An awesome iPod/iPhone docking station from Crate and Barrel.

An iTunes gift card because that's probably all they want anyway.

What did you get the teenagers in your life this Christmas?

Worries vs blessings

2011-12-13T07:00:00.000-06:00

I'm a worrier. I worry about just about everything under the sun: money, family, C, the economy, my students, my job, you name it, I worry about it.

Don't get me wrong, I still sleep at night, but my mind is racing all day long. It's exhausting, to be honest.

I worry about the economy. Will it ever be stable enough for us to really settle down? When will we be able to get married? Buy a house? I know these things will happen, and they'll happen when they're supposed to, but I worry about them for no good reason.

I worry about my job and students. How will they do on the state tests (in April)? Will they show up that day and decide they don't want to take them? Are they absorbing what I'm teaching? Will the state cut even more teaching jobs, putting mine in jeopardy?

Some of my co-workers and I, that have become my second family

Why worry, though?

Why am I wasting all of my time worrying? I'm missing what I have right now, at this very second.

I have a great job doing exactly what I love to do, something that challenges me every day and is fulfilling. I work with people who have become my family, and because mine are so far away, that's precious to me.

I have a boyfriend that wakes up early to scrape my windshield when it's icy and warm up my car so I'm not cold on the way to work (seriously, he's amazing). He makes me soup when I'm sick, takes care of me, and bought a Christmas tree our first Christmas so I wouldn't miss mine when I was hanging out at his house. He spoils me rotten, and I couldn't ever imagine being this lucky.

The economy will turn around, and our life plan that we've set out to accomplish will fall into place.

All in good time. All in good time.

When I start to get overwhelmed with my life, I think about my precious mom. White Christmas is one of her favorite movies, and this is one of our favorite songs.

This is my new goal, to focus on the good things in my life, instead of worrying about things that I can't control.

When I'm worried and I can't sleep

I count my blessings instead of sheep

And I fall asleep counting my blessings

Do you focus on your blessings, or are you a worrier like me?

Gift Guide: Your mom

2011-12-12T07:30:00.000-06:00

One of my favorite people to buy Christmas presents for is my mom. I guess I didn't realize everything that my mom did for me until I moved away to college and I didn't have her around anymore. She's also one of those people that buys herself NOTHING, because of all that she does for others.

I use Christmas as an opportunity to pamper my mom and give her something she absolutely would never buy for herself. I'm so excited about what C and I got for my mom this year, and while I'm not going to share it on my blog just yet (I think she sometimes reads this) these are other ideas I had.

Moroccan oil for her hair, to keep it soft and shiny.

A flower service to send her flowers as often as you'd like, because she's absolutely worth it.

A pretty tray to keep her trinkets on her nightstand

The best, heaviest, softest blanket of all time, from Restoration Hardware.

C gave me one last Christmas and I'm obsessed. The best naps in the world come from using this blanket.

Source: potterybarn.com via Erin on Pinterest

A beautiful mason jar drink dispenser from Pottery Barn, because she's a great hostess.

Weekly Menu

2011-12-11T15:01:00.001-06:00

It seems like (for now, anyway) cold weather has descended upon us in Alabama.

Finally.

(And as I typed that I just looked up the weather and it's supposed to hit 70 degrees on Thursday. So much for that 'Hooray cold weather!' thought.)

Regardless, here's what we ate this week:

French Onion Soup

a'la Pioneer Woman

This soup is so, so, so good. Perfect for a cold night. I did follow the directions to a T, and burned the mess out of about 1/2 of the onions. Check them carefully when they're in the oven, for my sake. Even with the onion mishap, the soup was delicious. We cheated and used Swiss cheese instead of Gruyere because I'm a poor teacher and gruyere is expensive, y'all.

Hobo Dinners

a'la C's mom

This is one of C's mom's recipes that we've made a few times. We made some hamburger patties, threw them into tin foil with baby carrots, potatoes, and onions, and sealed them up. C put them on a cookie sheet in the oven (preheated to 350) and we baked them for about an hour. The premise behind these is that you can cook them outside or on the grill, but the oven works just fine.

Santa Fe Chicken

a'la Skinny Taste

This was pleasantly surprising. I know the picture looks awful, but it was really delicious. We served it over rice one night, had it in chicken tacos one night, and are freezing the rest for another day. It made a ton!

What did you cook last week?

Pinnable me Friday: Wrap it up!

2011-12-09T06:30:00.001-06:00

Confession: I'm a wee bit obsessed with wrapping presents for Christmas. I have this bright green ribbon that's full of glitter that I've used the past few years that gets glitter EVERYWHERE, but I love it.

I had big plans this year to do lime green/white wrapping paper with red ribbon to go with my red/white wrapping paper with lime green ribbon, but my Hobby Lobby didn't survive the tornado and I can't find lime green wrapping paper anywhere.

Sidenote: I don't love Christmas wrapping paper, I like things I can use year-round.

Here are some wrapping ideas that I loved!

Source: houseandhome.com via Erin on Pinterest

Source: theprojectgirl.com via Hannah on Pinterest

Source: sweetjessie.com via Kristin on Pinterest

As for the gifts under my tree....well, I'm going to show my decorations next week, so you'll just have to wait until then!

How do you wrap your presents for Christmas?

Tidbits

2011-12-08T07:24:00.000-06:00

1. Alabama is in the National Championship game! Roll Tide! No, we don't have tickets, mainly because I don't have an extra $3,000 lying around. Yesterday the tickets were going for $1,500 apiece and let's not forget- I'm a teacher. I'm still a little hopeful that something will pan out with some of the people I know that have extra tickets and we'll get some at close to face value, but if not...I couldn't think of a better reason to host a big viewing party. (Fingers crossed for tickets though, how much fun would that be?)

2. I've put myself on a self-imposed (and C imposed) spending freeze until after Christmas. Apparently C and my mom are worried I'll find whatever it is they've gotten me and buy it for myself. I even have a Loft gift card that I'm not spending. I don't know if y'all realize how difficult this is for me, hah!

3. I need an umbrella, badly. It's been raining for two days and I'm tired of darting in and out of stores to get things sans umbrella. Why do I never think to get an umbrella until the day it's pouring?

4. We're doing a secret Santa at work and it makes me so happy. Today I'm giving my person a peppermint anti bacterial hand sanitizer (teachers) and a godiva peppermint chocolate bar. Yesterday I left a cinnamon scented candle. Tonight we're having a grade level party and will reveal who we've been leaving presents for and give them a larger gift. To say I work with an amazing grade level is an understatement. There's 11 of us, and we're all so close that they've become my family in Alabama. So lucky.

5. My new guilty pleasure is buying myself a tall skinny peppermint mocha whenever I pass a Starbucks (bonus points if I go to the Starbucks in Target, because then it's two favorite things in one!) I figure for 100 calories it's okay, right? Please say yes.

6. Sara over at You, me and Anthropologie had a great "Under $10" gift guide yesterday that I loved. Go check it out!

7. I need to take pictures of my Christmas decorations to share with y'all, because only C and I have seen them thus far. Oh well.

8. I *think* I'm completely done with Christmas shopping, minus C's stocking stuffers. I love finding little things for stockings, do you? I'm always on the lookout. I must say, though, it feels great to be done with shopping, much less stressful. Can't wait to show y'all what I got everyone.

9. Every time I forget to do something/mis-speak in my classroom, my students always ask how many cups of coffee I've had. It's become a running joke, think about 20+ 10 year olds asking frantically "Miss B- have you had enough coffee today?!?" just about every morning.

10. I told you this was super random.

Garden and Gun giveaway winner

2011-12-06T20:09:00.000-06:00

Thank you so much to everyone that entered the Garden and Gun giveaway! We have a winner!

Big congrats to Happiness Is.... one of my favorite blogs (and a New Orleans girl to boot!)

I'll be contacting you about getting you signed up, thanks to everyone who played along!

This was fun, maybe I'll do giveaways more often...just a thought. Anyone?

Gift Guide #2: let's hear it for the boys

2011-12-06T07:30:00.000-06:00

Jerry Seinfeld's stand up comedy CD, for the long ride to your parents' house.

A chocolate bar with bacon in it, because all boys love bacon.

The coolest iPod dock I've ever seen

Cufflinks made from old MLB stadium seats (Go Cards!)

A pair of Ray Ban 'flip out' folding aviators, because he's classically cool like that.

A collar that's also a bottle opener, to make the family dog useful again.

Nail Polish Swap!

2011-12-05T06:05:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago, I participated in a fun nail polish swap over at Fabulous But Evil, and I'm here to show the results!

I was paired up with Emily from Playground Duty, who is also a teacher (how fun is that?!) and pregnant with a little baby boy (CONGRATS!). Turns out, we have very similar taste in nail polishes, gray and pinks specifically.

Here's what I got- she did good!

Up close of the nail polishes- I love love the silver glitter and the grey/taupe one the best of all. The glitter is so fun for New Year's Eve and holiday parties!

She also sent a precious houndstooth card and some fun pink zebra emory boards, it's like she knows me well!

Thanks, Emily- I had so much fun swapping polishes with you!

PS- I'm hosing a giveaway for a free year of Garden and Gun! It ends tomorrow- check it out here.

Weekly Menu

2011-12-04T14:00:00.001-06:00

We had a little post-Thanksgiving, diet jump-start menu this week. We got back from C's dad's house with a 'OMG I can't believe we ate that much' shame, so we cooked a little lighter this week. (I wish I could say that I worked out to really lose some weight, but I didn't. Maybe this week)

Turkey and Sausage Gumbo

A little post-thanksgiving treat from my mom, courtesy of my brother driving it back to Alabama for us. She used the leftover Thanksgiving turkey and some sausage and whipped up delicious gumbo for C and I. YUM.

Tomato Bisque

a'la Spice and Sass

C's favorite soup of all time. Creamy, tomato-y, and healthy. It's also the easiest soup I think I've ever made in my life, and comes together in about 20 min. Win/win.

Taco Salads

Browned up some ground turkey with taco seasoning, and added it to lettuce, tomato, olives, a little bit of cheese, salsa and fat free sour cream. Every time we make this, it's so good, and I don't know why we don't make it more often.

Don't forget to enter my giveaway- a one year subscription of Garden and Gun magazine is up for grabs!

Enter here.

Gift Guide #1: your best friend

2011-12-01T07:30:00.001-06:00

Statement earrings in her favorite color...hint hint, C- I like the red ones!

Pretty ruffled 'touch' gloves, so her hands can stay warm while texting you.

A guide for living like Jackie, because sometimes we need a reminder

A print for her dresser to remind her how fabulous she is

A funny cookbook, because she needs to impress her new boyfriend.

Nope, not married yet gum, because you're both tired of people asking

Christmas Season Bucket List

2011-11-30T08:30:00.001-06:00

I've seen a few other bloggers, notably Sara at You, Me and Anthropologie do a Christmas Season Bucket List. Hopefully it'll inspire me to finish them all this holiday season.

Source: Uploaded by user via Erin on Pinterest

Christmas Bucket List 2011

Drive around and look at Christmas lights with C. Bonus points if there's Christmas music and hot chocolate involved.

Make Christmas cookies, both his dad's and my mom's recipes

Go see The Nutcracker

Buy a new Christmas CD

Donate food to a food pantry

Work with my students to donate a chicken or goat through World Vision

Have decorations in every room of my house

Buy a new Hallmark ornament with C. (We buy one every year for our tree)

Make small gifts for my co-workers

Make my own gift tags

Watch Elf, Love Actually, and all the wonderful claymation Christmas movies we love

Spend Christmas Eve/Christmas Day with my family and C- all the people I love the most

What's on your Christmas Season Bucket List this year?

Don't forget to enter my giveaway- one year's subscription of Garden and Gun magazine is up for grabs!

Enter here.

DIY for the Holidays

2011-11-29T06:05:00.000-06:00

Today I'm participating in the DIY Holiday Link-Up on Monograms and Manicures! Confession: I haven't technically started my Christmas DIYs yet, but these are the ideas I've been looking at recently to make for the people I love the most.

I love to hand-make gifts. My mom is extremely crafty, and I like to think I got some of her talents. While I'm nowhere near as talented as she is, I do enjoy a good DIY project and love to give presents. I think there's nothing more personal than making someone's gift, or receiving a handmade gift.

Here's some that I've had my eye on:

Knotted Headbands

Source: makeit-loveit.com via Erin on Pinterest

Source: youseriouslymadethat.blogspot.com via Erin on Pinterest

Jewelry/Inspiration Boards

Source: tearosehome.blogspot.com via Erin on Pinterest

Picture Frames

Source: smallchichome.com via Erin on Pinterest

I know my mom would flip over those picture frames!

For Neighbors or Co-workers

Source: groups.yahoo.com via Erin on Pinterest

Source: batemanbuzz.blogspot.com via Erin on Pinterest

Flower Pens

Source: amyistheparty.com via Erin on Pinterest

Thanks so much for stopping by- I hope that you have a wonderful holiday season!

I can't wait to see what all of y'all are making this Christmas.

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Don't forget to enter my giveaway- a one year subscription of Garden and Gun magazine is up for grabs!

Enter here.

Giveaway time!

2011-11-28T08:30:00.001-06:00

I figured that because it's the holiday season, and because I'm so thankful for y'all, I should host a giveaway!

What's up for grabs, you ask?

A one year subscription to one of my favorite magazines, Garden and Gun!*

Garden and Gun is a magazine about Southern culture, lifestyle, food, and hobbies. In their own words...

Garden & Gun is an idea about how to live — how to live a life that is more engaged with the land, the literature, the music, the arts, the traditions, the food, and the authenticity that has shaped the Southern way of life. It is about truly appreciating the richness of the South and knowing how that understanding can enrich one’s life and translate beyond Southern geography.

I love this magazine. I've been a Southern Living subscriber for years, and have no intentions of canceling that subscription ever, but Garden and Gun is a VERY welcome addition to my mailbox each month. They have great gift ideas, interesting articles about the South, and I've even caught C reading it, too.

Some of my favorite articles recently have been:

101 Southern Foods- wouldn't it be nice to check them off the bucket list one by one?

Made in the South Winners- the year's awards for the best products made below the Mason-Dixon line.

How do you enter? It's easy!

You must be a follower (and leave your email address) to enter.

There are three ways that you can enter. Please leave a separate comment for each entry!

1) Leave me a comment telling me your favorite part of the holiday season.

2) Blog about this giveaway.

3) Tweet about this giveaway.

Easy, easy! I'll pick a winner a week from tomorrow, on Tuesday, December 6.

Good luck!

*Garden and Gun doesn't know who I am and gave me no perks for hosting this giveaway. This is just a magazine that I genuinely love and subscribe to. If they'd like to give me perks, however, they know where to find me!