So Many Blogs to Choose From

I’ve been very entertained by lots of new, well new to me blogs. You can really find a blog about anything you may be interested in. The best part is when you find one you like there is a good chance that site has a bunch of recommended sites just like it. It’s a fabulous, and totally addictive, system and way to kill a ton of time. Here are some of my favorite articles that I’ve found lately.

Brownies + Oreos = HeavenMy newly blog obsessed coworker found this gem. (P.S. she just started her own blog so check her out!) I can’t believe how amazing they look and we both started to think of reasons to make them. I haven’t tried them yet but what’s there not to like?!??! Big thanks to Lelan at Hello, Good Gravy for sharing this one with the world.

Photographs: My Favorite ArtAs I said before I am learning that I do not have much of a decorating gene. Or at least not the creative, I just thought this up and it looks fabulous, gene. But what I’m finding is that I don’t have to because there is a whole group of crafty ladies out there that don’t mind if I borrow their ideas. I’m slightly obsessed with pictures already, I can’t imagine what I’m going to be like after Ace and I get our engagement and then wedding pictures done, so I love the idea of displaying them everywhere. The Thrifty Décor Chick has an awesome post of how to make the most of your own photos. My First Hole in the WallTo continue with the decorating theme I found a frame collage that I think I want to create in one of my walls. I like all the different frame sizes and that it takes up a lot of space. I have a lot of walls to fill so this is great! I also really like the idea of collecting whatever kind of frames you can find and then tying them together with paint and fabric covered matting. What do you guys think?
Baking my Way Through GermanyI am fascinated by this blog and I’m so completely jealous of this girl’s life and ambition. The girl is basically a chef’s appreciate in Germany and she talks about all the different food she makes. It all looks wonderful!

Hope you enjoy some of these great blogs. If you have any other suggestions I’d love to hear them.
Have a great week!

Happy WED-nesday!

I’m sure you all have heard about the upcoming nuptials for Prince William and Kate Middleton. They will conveniently be married exactly 364 before me and my prince charming are getting married. I was terribly offended when I learned that the 1,900 invitations had been delivered and I didn’t get one. (However, I’m not going to go on a hunger strike until I get one like some crazy did in Mexico). I love Middleton’s style and I was expecting something not so formal for the invitation. Although this is only the first of three different invitations for their wedding day so maybe the others will be more personal. I can’t image what it’s like to plan a royal wedding. Middleton probably doesn’t have much say in the matter anyway. I read yesterday that her sister will be her maid of honor and then her bridesmaids will be little girls under the age of 8 years old. I wonder if the bridesmaids are always small children in British weddings or is it just for royal weddings? I would think it would stink if Kate had grown up telling her best friends “Of course you will be a bridesmaid one day” and then she has to go back and say “Actually you got bumped by a 5 year old that I’ve never met. Sorry!” Oh well, no one will be looking at the bridesmaids, they will be looking at what the bride is wearing. I can’t wait to see!

I'll leave you with a fun wedding scene from my beloved Glee.

What a Wondeful Weekend!

What a wonderful weekend! Of course it went by way too fast but I’ve rarely said “The weekend just wouldn’t end”. We had some of the most beautiful weather and Ace and I tried to take advantage of it as much as possible.

We made plans to go to a USC baseball next weekend so we decided to explore Congaree National Park here in Columbia. I’ve never been but Ace did some research and found this great adventure for us. It was so much fun! It’s hidden away but totally worth the long drive in the middle of nowhere. There are tons of different boardwalk paths and hiking trails to choose from and the untouched, well as much as possible, nature was amazing. It gave us lots of time to catch up with each other which I think we sometimes forget to do with everything being so busy at work. Of course we both forgot our camera so I’m borrowing some pictures so you can see the place.

Borrowed from here and here

I’m glad we did a bunch of walking this weekend to offset all the eating we did. But I try, and am getting better at, not eating out as much anymore during the week so I can save money, and calories, for the weekends. We first hit up Groucho’s which is a must for all Columbia residents and USC alums. Then we had the best barbeque in town at Palmetto Pig, which is now opened on Saturdays to accommodate the baseball crowd. If you haven’t been yet it’s right behind the Coliseum and is awesome! To finish off our eating fest we tried out a new yogurt place called 32 degrees over in Forest Acres. It’s the usual set up: take as much yogurt as you want, add toppings, and then they weigh it to embarrass the heck out of you because you were such a piggy with all the choices. Whatever, it was good and it’s so close to my house that I might have to give it a couple more tries. P.S. Has anyone else noticed that we have a new dessert craze every couple years? First it was the Cold Stone/Marble Slab ice cream craze, then the cupcakes, now the yogurt. What’s next?!?!?
One last thing about the weekend, we went and saw Just Go With It with Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston and we both thought it was really cute. There were some great one-liners to keep the boy entertained, well that and an almost naked Brooklyn Decker. I totally recommend it if you are looking for an easy on the brain movie. Everyone have a great week!

Happy It's Friday!

Man oh man am I glad it’s Friday! Work is getting busier with the addition of lots of new shows and even though we didn’t have a game during the week I didn’t seem to get much done at the house or catch up on much sleep. Oh well, I guess that is what weekends are for.

I’m reminded of why people love South Carolina today. It’s because of the weather! It reached 80 degrees today and it’s freakin’ gorgeous! I have family in the Dakotas that are getting snow flurries today. Talk about a difference. Ace is coming into town today for the weekend and we plan to take fun advantage of this beautiful weather. I’m thinking we will explore a hiking trail and maybe catch one of the first season opening games of the South Carolina Gamecock baseball team, National Champions baby! Sorry just had to say that. Clearly USC fans are very proud of their Cocks doing so well. (That Gamecocks for all you dirty minded people out there.) What better way to enjoy the warm temps than to be outside?

I’ve started a really fun new book that I thought I would share. It’s called The Man Who Ate Everything by Jeffrey Steingarten. Mr. Steingarten is a food critic and while I’ve only read the introduction seems to be very entertaining. I had been on a chit lit roll for a while so I thought I would switch it up a bit. So far I totally recommend it and I’ll let you know more of what its actually about later. Also if you are a chick lit lover like I am you have probably, and if you haven't should, read Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin. Well they are making a movie out of it and I can't wait. It looks adorable! Watch the trailer for yourself.

Everyone enjoy your weekend!

Some of my Favorite Things

Is it weird that I love getting suggestions from people? Whether it be for a place to eat, a product to try, or how to organize everyday life I’m totally up for it. I’m not always the best at trying new things, so I’m always looking for people to say “You should try fill in the blank, it’s really great”! In order to provoke some new suggestions here are some new, and some tried and true, favorites of mine.

Place to Eat – One of my absolute favorite places to have lunch in Columbia is Garden Bistro. I basically try to take people there all the time if we meet for lunch. It’s a tiny, funky place with cools murals on the wall and the owner is fun and sarcastic with all the patrons, which I totally appreciate. Everything is completely fresh and delicious. I’m there at least once every two weeks, usually more, because it’s just a couple blocks from work. If you haven’t been, go now, it’s totally worth it!

One of my favorite lunches of Roasted Red Pepper and Smoked Gouda soup and half a chicken salad sandwich. YUM!

New Product – I’m not much of a make-up girl. I like the stuff and what it’s meant to do, I’m just kind of a spazz at it. I randomly picked up a Wetslicks Amazemint Lipgloss, in Everything’s Rosy, and I love it. It’s not sticky like most lip glosses and you get an added bonus with peppermint oil mixed right in for a fresh ‘breath sensation’.New Gadget – Something that for most of the year will be totally useless but I think will be amazing. I’ve already told Ace it is going on the wedding registry and he just shook his head at me. It’s a pineapple corer and slicer. Pineapple is probably my favorite fruit but I always buy it pre-sliced because I always end up wasting a lot of the fruit by trying to do it myself. Watch the video to see how nifty it is.

Something Random – I’ve started too really like decorative things. I’ve never really decorated an entire home before so I’m having fun filling the Charlotte pad with things we both really like, instead of stuff that we like because it is really cheap like we did in college. We have explored the Charlotte art district of NoDa and we found this painting. My mom bought it for me after I obsessed over it for forever. It’s beautiful and I can’t wait to decorate around it.
New Recipe – This one comes from my hip chick friend Celia, who also has a totally cute blog, who made this for a party one night and I’ve been addicted ever since. I made it for the finace and it was gone in a heartbeat, even though the recipe makes a ton. Then I made it for my brother and it disappeared just as fast. I’m pretty sure it freezes well but both guys ate my test batches so quickly it wasn’t in the freezer for very long. It is so good and flavorful, you have to try it!

{Pic from here}

Tex Mex Taco Soup
Ingredients
1/2 cup diced onions
1/2 cup diced green bell peppers
1 tablespoon minced garlic
Vegetable oil
1 pound chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 package taco seasoning mix
1 (8-ounce) jar salsa
1 (14-ounce) can kernel corn
1 (16-ounce) can ranch style beans
2 (4-ounce) cans tomato paste
2 (14-ounce) cans chicken broth
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
Saute onions, green bell peppers, and garlic in a small amount of vegetable oil. Add chicken, taco seasoning mix, salsa, vegetables, beans, tomato paste, and chicken broth. Adjust liquid to your liking. (I usually use about a can and a half.) Bring to a slow simmer and simmer for 20 minutes. Place cream cheese in a separate bowl. Using a measuring cup, take some of the hot liquid from the soup and pour over cream cheese to melt and then add back to the soup. Simmer on low for another 10 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips and grated Monterey jack cheese.

Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine’s Day Everyone!

I don’t have much to say about Valentine’s Day, because I’m slightly bitter than my valentine is in Charlotte and I’m in Columbia, stupid Lakers game. Anyway, I saw a commercial that really struck me today. It was a Hallmark commercial of all things. Instead of feeling like you have to profess your love to someone on a pre-marked day it talked about taking Valentine’s Day to celebrate ‘us’. I like that thought. No need for flowers or chocolates, however I’ll never turn either down, just be happy to be together.

Watch the commercial yourself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYrbOUOxlOE

WED-nesday

I don’t want this blog to be all about wedding stuff so I figured I would borrow a title from another cute blogger, check her out, and only talk about weddings on Wednesdays.


I’m planning a wedding for April 2012. Yes I know that is a long time from now but I hate being rushed. Like many girls I’ve been looking forward to planning this day for a LONG time and I want to enjoy it. Plus I really hate the idea of falling in love with a vendor and then having them say “Sorry we are booked”. So having a long engagement works well because I call people and I’m usually the first one on their 2012 calendar. Yay!

I’m pretty proud of myself for having some of the big things already figured out. I’ve got the church, the reception site, the caterers, and the photographer already booked. I’ve picked my colors, I’ve got an idea of what I want for flowers, and I’ve already got some great referrals for bakers, florists, transportation, and places to buy wedding dresses. It’s good that I was crazy planner in the beginning because I haven’t been able to do a darn thing since the first of the year. Between two basketball seasons and tons of shows (yay for monster trucks and the Circus) I haven’t had time to do much. Yet another reason I wanted a long engagement.

So to end today I thought I would leave you with two little treats. First, a wedding blog that I have been checking every day, sometimes a couple times a day, for the last couple of months. They are all about the southern wedding, Charleston weddings to be specific. Its total eye candy and I can’t get enough.

The Wedding Row

Second, a teaser for my wedding. I think I’ve found my shoes! I know it’s totally weird to find my shoes before I even look at wedding dresses but I fell in love with them at first sight. Plus they fit my ridiculously small feet. Very few people understand how hard it is to find fancy heels for size 5.5 feet. Let me know what you think!

What I'm Reading

I’ve read some pretty good books lately. For anyone who doesn’t know already I am a huge chit lit book fan. I like to mix it up every so often but usually it’s strictly girly books. So here are some good books that I would recommend.

Always the Baker, Never the Bride – Since I’ve become engaged I’ve taken it as my job to read all the totally cheesy wedding fiction books. It’s basically research. This is a really cute book and the pastry recipes in between the chapters are a plus. It’s about a girl who becomes the wedding cake baker at a wedding venue. I absolutely adore reading about wedding planning for the event planners point of view. (P.S. If you do too, read the Bride Quartet series by Nora Roberts because that’s exactly what they are about. Don’t get deterred by the fact it’s an author your mother likes.)

Shoe Addicts Anonymous – It was kind of a combination between the Shopaholic books and the Nanny Diaries but grown up a little bit. We follow the lives of four women who have nothing in common other than their love of shoes. Their club ends up helping everyone in many different ways.

Stop Dressing Your Six Year like a Skank – I love Celia Rivenbark and all of her books are hilarious. For anyone not from the south you can get a very real idea of how many southerns actually look at the world. And for ladies from the south it’s just a reminder what a great, and entertaining, region we live in.

Hitched: The Go-Girls Guide to the First Year of Marriage – This is the first ‘how to be married’ book that I read and to tell you the truth I was a little nervous. I had heard from a couple friends that many of the books out there talk about how the wife needs to wait on her husband hand and foot, don’t bother him with questions or ask him to do things around the house, and basically in my opinion to revert back to the 1950s. Now don’t get me wrong there is a part of me that wants to take care of Ace but I want a marriage that is a partnership, not me becoming his maid. But I digress. This book if for the modern woman who wants to know what the first year of marriage is actually like. (Well, I’m guessing since I’ve haven’t been married yet.) The author goes through everything from planning the ceremony, to figuring how to change your name, to combining finances, to umm… how things may change in the boudoir after marriage. This book brought up a bunch of questions that I would have never thought to talk over with my fiancé, which is crazy because I figured we had covered it all already. I highly recommend this book even if you have been married for a while already.

Lots of New Life Changes

A lot has changed since I last wrote in September and I’ve got a lot of ideas of what I want to do with this blog. I have a couple new interests and thoughts that I want to keep all in one place. I’m entering into a new phase of my life, lots of changes are happening and I want all of you to enjoy the journey with me. So I’m updating the blog layout, or at least trying to with my totally non-tech savvy self, so hopefully it’ll come together soon. Please feel free to add suggestions, comments, ideas along the way because frankly I’m just throwing stuff out there to see what sticks.

First big change, I turned 25. This has been the first age in a long time that I can say I feel a little different after hitting this milestone. When you are under 25 years old you can still be considered a kid, young adult, naïve. But 25 is an adult with no questions. I don’t feel old enough to be an adult so am just going to call myself a nondescript 20-something.

The next big thing is the best man in the world asked me to marry him and I said YES! He is beyond anything I could have ever asked for and he my number one. (Just thought up a fun nickname for the fiancé from that sentence, Ace!) I’m so excited and now I’ve started down the long, and intense, path of wedding planning. I plan events for a living; however planning the biggest event/party in your life so far is a little daunting. I’ve discovered an obsession with wedding blogs, which I think is totally normal, with a special love for all photography. I can look at different photographers all day long. (Just a side note: I have found my wedding photographer and I’m slightly embarrassed to say that I stalk his site daily.)Last big piece of news, Ace has moved to Charlotte! Wahoo! Finally we are at least both in the Carolinas. We had a lot of fun finding his current condo and for the first time ever I get to decorate a home anyway I want! I’m not sure if I have a decorating gene or not but I guess we will find out.

Here is to all the exciting new changes and to the hope that I’ll actually remember to update my blog more often!