Start the Countdown!

Exactly one year from today I will be marrying my best friend and the love of my life. It may be a long countdown but I'm starting now!

Recap

Sorry I’ve been a little slack with the blog posts lately. I’ve had about a million things going on but I’ll fill you in on some of my favorite moments.

First, it’s Royal Wedding Week on TLC. I’m so freakin’ excited about the royal wedding it’s not even funny. I loved Princess Diana and I already love Kate Middleton. Mom and I watched the documentary about Charles and Diana’s wedding last night and she told me about all the hype there was in 1981 for that wedding. Now I’m not going to wake up at 4:00 in the morning to watch the wedding live, however I’ll be catching up as soon as the alarm goes off. (Plus the DVR will be recording every precious moment.) The royal wedding is the perfect way to start the countdown for MY WEDDING, which will be exact 364 days after the royal wedding. Yay!


Second, I’m continuing to add random stuff to the Charlotte place to make it feel like home. My newest piece is this monogrammed pillow. I figured it’s safe to have S’s print on everything since my first name is Sarah and unmarried women are supposed to use their first name initial and then my married last name will start with an S as well, so it’s all universal. Right? Last, Ace and I went to the beach for a couple days over Easter weekend which was fun since we haven’t been in forever. The down side is even though we were only out on the beach for about an hour and a half and it was cloudy, and even sprinkled rain, we both got ridiculously sunburned. And I’m not talking about a little pink that changes to a glowing tan after a day. I’m talking fire engine red and prevents us from sleeping comfortably and makes us think twice about moving at all. Getting dressed for work this morning was an interesting challenge to say the least. (No picture because let's face it no one wants to see this.)
Hope everyone has a wonderful, and comfortable, week!

Carolina Girls, Sweet Southern Pearls

I love pearls! I can’t help it. I know it’s totally cliché for southern girls but I just think they are the perfect piece of jewelry for any occasion. If you are the same way or wish to become a pearl-kind-a-girl check out Southern Living’s Southern Girls Guide to Pearls. http://www.southernliving.com/healthy-living/mind-body/classic-pearl-jewelry-00417000072167/

Home Improvement and I Helped!

Ace and I had planned to spend Saturday driving down to Charleston to see the finals of the Family Circle Cup however the weather guy predicted rain so we stayed home in Charlotte. (P.S. I don’t think they even got a drop. Silly weather man.) Anyway, we spent the weekend doing home improvement stuff and it was so fun. Who knew doing stuff around your own house is so much more fun than having to help with chores when you were a kid.

First, Ace hung a curtain rod in the bedroom and we looked at about a million different curtains to match the blue in the bedspread and couldn’t find a darn thing. All the curtains were either too gray or too green. We went with a plain waffle textured white curtain to block out the morning sun but I don’t think they will stay for every long.

Second, we went to the fabric store and picked out new fabric for the dining room chairs. We inherited the chairs from family and they were a bit on the wild side so we changed the fabric to a green and brown check that ties the couches and the wood together. We weren’t sure if we liked the fabric when we walked out of the store but now we love it! And it was SOOOO easy to do.

Before:

After:

I’ll keep you updated on all the other improvements we have in the works once they are finished, or at least started. ;)

What I’m Reading Now

I have a tendency to read a couple books at one time. I have one that I read before bed to calm my overactive thoughts, one on my computer at work to escape during the lunch hours that I can’t leave the office, and then I’ve started listening to books while I drive back and forth between Charlotte and Columbia. This last way has been a real life saver since I’m traveling so much, plus it’s a great way to double your novel intake. All you have to do is look up a bunch of books-on-CD at your local library and have them shipped to your closest branch. Easy-peasy-lemon squeezy. So here is what I’ve got on my docket right now.
Too Much Tuscan Sun by Dario Castagno. This was recommended to me by my cousin Amber and it’s wonderful. An Italian tour guide talks about the Chianti region and regales you with interesting stories of the people he has shown around Italy. I’ve had my eye on touring Italy for a couple years now and this is a great book to get you in the traveling mood. Chasing Harry Winston by Lauren Weisberger. I, like many girls, was a huge fan of The Devil Wears Prada so I have had this novel by the same author on my list for a long time. It follows three women who are looking for love and the troubles that come with find the perfect Mr. Right. It’s total fluff but sometimes those are my favorite kind of books. They are an escape from reality. What are you reading?

Trying to Make a Condo a Home

I had the best weekend! I got a full weekend in Charlotte with Ace and I can’t tell you when the last time we had that much time together was. It was awesome! Also I got to cook in my kitchen, which for some reason is way more fun than cooking in any other kitchen. I stocked Ace’s freezer with Tex Mex Taco Soup and tried a couple new recipes as well. It was nice just to hang out and be a normal couple.

As I said, I got to try some new recipes I had found. First a crab and corn chowder. It was just alright so I won’t bother you with the recipe. I can’t put my finger on the reason why I wasn’t thrilled with it but it just wasn’t my favorite. However I made some Cheddar Bay Biscuits and they were super simple to make and ridiculously good. You can dress them up to match whatever you have for dinner with Italian, Mexican, or seafood seasonings. This recipe made 8 biscuits but you can always double it or half it depending on what you need.

2 cups baking mix 3 ounces Cheddar cheese, shredded 2/3 cups water 1/2 cup melted butter 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon onion powder 1/8 teaspoon dried parsley

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 2) In a mixing bowl, combine the baking mix, cheese, and water. Mix until dough is firm. Using a small scoop, place dough on the prepared pan. 3) Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown. 4) Combine the melted butter, garlic powder, salt, onion powder and parsley. Brush over baked biscuits immediately upon removing from oven.

In an attempt to stay away from the crazy amount of chocolate that is in the stores at the moment I picked up a bag of jellybeans. I figured I could pop a few for a sugar fix and I’d be good. WRONG! I am now obsessed with Starburst Tropical flavored jellybeans. I ate more than a few this afternoon. Oh well. I found this really cute pillow at Marshalls and I love it. The colors go perfectly with our bedspread and the saying kind of makes me smile. And to fuel my very random obsession with cocktail napkins I found these. Now I just need to find a reason to buy them. Anyone up for a British themed girl’s night?