Perfect Summer Cole Slaw

I can't believe it's August 1st! I must say since we have moved home life has been busy and crazy, but it is so nice to be home. Needless to say I have neglected my blog.

I have been wanting to share this recipe for some time now. My aunt made it for us when she was in town and I find myself craving it all the time! It's so tasty and very refreshing. It's the perfect side dish for a summer cookout.



Ingredients:
1 head cabbage (green) small to medium, diced
1 cucumber, diced
1 red, yellow, and orange bell peppers
5 green onions
3 grated carrots
3/4 finely chopped dry roasted peanuts

Dressing:
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/3 cup canola oil
3 cloves garlic
1 cup freshly grated cilantro
2 T sugar
3 T soy sauce

Mix all salad ingredients together. Mix dressing separately and put on right before serving. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Two Years Ago....

I was having my first dance with my handsome husband.

Finished.

The bedroom is now complete and i love it.

It feels very peaceful and i love it. Did i mention i love it?

Like a Man

On Saturday we had Doug's first doc appointment and he did so good. AK kept on saying "he took his shot like a man." Haha! He did not cry at all and the doc said he is very healthy. He has gained two pounds since we got him so he is now up to 4 pounds. He is a growing boy! We are such proud parents.

How can you say "no" to this face?!

Meet Doug

We picked up our sweet angel on May 30th and were instantly in L.O.V.E with the little guy. He is so sweet, cuddly and makes us smile. We are learning a lot but so glad we decided to get a pup. He is just perfect.

Home. Sweet. Home

I was the first one to arrive at our condo and this is what I saw.
Ak's sweet cousin made us this sign. It brought tears to my eyes! We are officially home!

We have been here almost two weeks and it's flying by. It's great being home with friends and family. We are loving it.

Plan B

I just finished this book:

and it was amazing.

I ordered it last Tuesday, got it Friday and was finished with it last night. I couldn't put it down.

I can tell you in person about this book, but it's hard for me to write about it. My description will not give it justice, so all I'm going to say is I highly recommend you picking this up. I thought by 28 I would own a home with a backyard, have at least one child, a dog (we are working on that), but you get my point. I thought I had it all figured and planned out, but it hasn't turned out that way. So, Plan B comes into action. This book doesn't exactly tell you how to deal with Plan B situations but to trust God and be patient. He (God) will finish what he has started. Pete Wilson writes in a way that is easy to understand and he is also very easy to relate too.

Here is a good review that you should check out.

So Long, Farewell...

You may have heard this song lately as The Oprah Show is coming to a close, only 8 episodes left! I'm sad to say I don't have tickets to one of those 8 shows, but darn-it I tried! The final three shows will begin airing on Monday, May 23rd.

At least i have the OWN channel to go to and still get my fix and i still have my 20th anniversary Oprah DVD collection that i can pop in. i'm hoping she will continue to do some interviews. I must say this is the first show that is going off air that I'm really sad about. It didn't bother me when Friends or Seinfeld came to close, but this one does.

I chose the above picture, because it's one of my favorite quotes by Oprah,
"Live your best Life"

Less than a week

It's really beginning to sink in our time here is coming to close. We have less than a week left and it actually was today as we were packing that it hit me, We are moving back HOME! Don't get me wrong i've been saying to myself we are moving, but I guess with all the packing its becoming real. It's definitely bittersweet (more sweet than bitter!) but Ak and I have enjoyed our first two years of marriage being away, just me and him. Last night we were talking about things that we will miss...

Cool summers - no humidity (ladies you know this makes for great hair days)

Jenni's Ice Cream - best ice cream

Huntington Park & The Clippers
Minor League baseball team, their stadium is right downtown in the middle of everything.

Thurman's - best Burger

Matt the Miller's - best Ahi Tuna flat bread EVER

Brazenhead - Best Fish & Chips, one of Ak's favorite places

Downtown Dublin in Columbus each suburb has their own little downtown

These guys

The Barn - our neighborhood hang out

As i'm looking over my list, i see one thing that's for sure, we are going to miss eating in Columbus! We were talking last night, that almost every weekend here is "date night" for us. We both said we have to make sure when we get back to Nashville that we still make time for just us.

As for AK, I'm so proud of him for all that he has accomplished while he was here. People are eating a lot more pizza than they were 4 years ago.

Paying It Forward

I know the tornado in T-town and Birmingham happened a couple weeks ago, but wanted to share this amazing email Mich's mom sent. She and some friends went two weeks ago...talk about paying if forward. Not only was Mich's house hit in the Nashville flood but her mom's was too. When she saw all of the destruction, she immediately sent out an email that said
FILL KELLY'S VAN and that people did. Now with the flooding in Memphis, T-town and Bham have been swept aside, as did Nashville with the oil spill. Just wanted to say we are all still praying for you.


Here is a recap of her trip....

Well, we made it, and had quite the adventure.  The first church that
we had communicated with was empty of staff when we arrived, so we
quickly found a church taking donations, Meadow Brook Baptist in
Birmingham.  They were busy in the field, and at their church taking
donations.  On top of all that, they were helping a girl who was to be
married that Saturday fix the church up for her wedding, because her
church was demolished by the storm.

We took sack lunches and bottled water and after being given
directions by the church, headed out to feed people.  We got on the
wrong interstate, but while lost, a man called the radio asking for
help in Leeds, AL, that their power was out, etc.  Well, as he gave
directions, low and behold, we were just a few exits away.  So we went
to the trailer park where this man lived, and gave out sack lunches,
fruit and water.

We talked to a lady who survived even though her trailer looked like
it just collapsed.  She said the couch where she was sleeping rolled
over on top of her and the dog.  Her husband, who was sucked into the
woods, survived too.  One man, who hot and tired, coming home from
work, happily said, as we offered him sandwiches and food, that even
though their bedroom was gone, they still had water; and declined our
offer.  We pushed and he walked away with cold water and food.  He was
very grateful.  Others had also heard the call on the radio and were
arriving to help; but, to beat all, on the radio after we left,
callers called in and said they, too, were headed to the trailer park,
and Outback Steakhouse was preparing them steak dinners.

After that, we got lost again, turned around to the right direction,
then headed back home. Before doing so, we stopped in Fultondale, and
took more bottled water and a bucket to their distribution center-then
headed home.

The need in all the states affected by this storm is incredible.  All
day long, we listened, as caller after caller recounted their horrific
story, or begged for the radio station to send the semis they were
filling to their town.  And, Alabama, like Tennessee was responding.
Pray for the people in all these states affected by these storms.

The church was just tickled
of all the items we gave, and the things we thought of.  Our love will
make it to those who need it.

My new best friend...

is some good ole Melatonin.

Lately I was having a hard time falling asleep and would toss and turn for a couple of hours before actually dosing off. My dear friend Ash, suggested I take the supplement Melatonin and let me tell you it's been AMAZING!

I take one about 30 minutes before I would like to go to sleep and it works like a charm. If your one that has a hard time sleeping, you should definitely look into this. You can get the supplement on the vitamin aisle, I bought mine at Trader Joe's.

Sweet Dreams!

Brie & Bacon Quiche

I haven't had the chance to make this yet, (pans are all packed up!) but found the recipe last Friday and my mouth has been watering for it ever since. If I was a mom, I would have definitely wanted this served to me yesterday! Hope all of you mom's had a great day!!

• 1 package Deep Dish Pie Crust, Pre-baked If Instructed
• 4 ounces, weight Brie Cheese (rind Removed If Preferred)
• 4 ounces, weight Swiss Cheese, Diced
• 10 slices Bacon, Cooked Crisp, Drained, Crumbled
• 6 whole Large Eggs
• ½ cups Whipping Cream
• ½ cups Sour Cream
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 dash Each Nutmeg, Salt, Pepper

Crumble cheeses in the bottom of the pie. Spread crumbled bacon on top. Mix all remaining ingredients thoroughly and pour into pie pan. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 45 minutes, until a pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool slightly before serving.

HaPpy BiRthDay...

to the best HUBBY!!!! I love you THIS MUCH!

29 and still looking fine!!!

The Box

That's the bota box, I'm talking about.

Haven't heard of it? Hands down best boxed wine.

AK and I were buying $2 buck chuck from Trader Joe's but we were tending to waste the last part of the bottle. So we have made the switch to the boxed wine and I'm loving it!

So if you enjoy having a glass of wine every now and then or everyday, ha! Then this is the wine for you!

One Year Later

It's hard to believe it's been a year since the Nashville flood. I remember driving down to Nashville a year ago today and stopping in Franklin, KY to pick up bottled water because a lot of the grocery stores in Nashville were out. I had a few friends lose everything, but looking back they have said the experience made them stronger and in a way it was a good thing.

Here are a few before/after shots from my bestie Mich's home. I don't have any complete shots, but her home is absolutely beautiful. She was able to move in December, just in time for Christmas.

Mich's bedroom before...

After...well during! It's a beautiful blue and she has gray accents in the room. Very calming


Kitchen before...

During....imagine beautiful granite, def the new hang out spot of the house.


I was so proud I was from this city during the flood. There were people in Mich's home that she didn't know ripping out walls, etc. It was like that everywhere, people just out to help others! Such a wonderful thing to witness.

MIA

I have been in Nashville since April 13th and got back to C-bus late yesterday. It's been a busy couple weeks and I can't believe it's May 1st, which means 20 more days til the move!!! :)

We are packing today and treating ourselves to one last Thurman burger this afternoon before we move back home.

YUM!!!!

It's Your Birthday...

and tonight we're gonna celebrate like it's your birthday!

It's days like today that I'm looking forward to living in Nashville with the fam.

Doug

We found our breeder for Doug!!! We hope to get him at the beginning of June, but just depends on when the pups are born. We have finally decided on a Shi-Con. Which is a shitzu/bichon mix. They are also called teddy bears. He will be about 10 - 14 pounds and best part no shedding!! Above pic is the current litter she has, but they are already 11 weeks and are ready to go to good home. So we have to wait patiently (SO HARD!!) for the next round.

our favorite pup from the current litter! me and ak are in love!!

The Headboard

We found it! We found it!

Just what we were looking for...an upholstered headboard.
Sorry again for the picture, another camera phone classic. (my camera is dead and ive been really lazy about charging it) and no that is not an angel or ghost in the corner, it's our bedroom light.

It looks soo much better in person and with our new bedding it really pops! add a little silver sage or atmosphere blue paint and it will be great! So over as my mom says "apartment white" paint.

I'm so happy with our purchase. I love the fact of how tall it is. Our mattress is pretty thick and we were running into finding headboards that once you put your pillows up you wouldn't see the headboard, which completely defeats the purpose of a headboard.

So bedroom is finished!!

Lost in the Hallway {Part 2}

Ikea was a huge success this past weekend. My favorite purchase were the frames I bought for our "lost in the hallway" experience at the condo.

Unfortunately, I took this with my phone because i forgot my camera so it's not the best pic and I was literally laying everything out in the store. I got a few stares but wanted to make sure i was creating a good wall! We ended up adding a few more 5x7s and another 4x6. I have a few pictures in mind but excited to go through some really old ones and get some "classics" framed.

I can't wait to share with you what we found at Pottery Barn ! I bet you can guess it...

Master Class

"What is real, what is lasting, is who you are and what you were meant to bring. What is the gift you were meant to give? And nobody can take that away from you."

- Oprah

I sure do love me some Oprah! Tonight I watched Master Class: Life Lessons Oprah Winfrey on the new OWN channel and was so inspired I had to share. This show was so uplifting and I thought quite powerful. It makes you think but in a good and postivie way. with so much negativity these days this is just what i needed to hear to start my week. I highly recommend you check it out. If you don't have cable you can watch a few segments here.

Lost in the Hallway

Ak's Godparents have my favorite hallway. I feel like I always "get lost" in their hallway. It is a long hallway filled with family photos and I LOVE IT! The way AK's Godmother designed it and the pictures that she chose to hang are just perfect. So as part of our checklist for a house I would love to have a hallway or designated area for pictures. (not sure if the bungalow has one, ha!) However, the condo does have a hallway to the bedrooms but doesn't have a ton of wall space, there are a couple of doors and a lovely breaker box, but i'm going to attempt to make my own little picture gallery. AK and I are making the trip tomorrow to IKEA and they have some great frames. So I'm hoping to load up! I will keep you posted on the progress...

Bungalow

I have confession to make. I am obsessed with looking at houses, houses that we may could buy one day, houses that we may could buy in year, houses that we will probably never buy. You get the point. I check realtracs everyday to see what's new on the market. It's crazy, but i love love looking at homes. i guess i shouldn't feel like it's crazy because my father was the exact same way! We went and looked at open houses almost every Sunday growing up, just for the heck of it! well, my parents really were looking to buy a home it just took them a couple years to find the one! I know I should be a real estate agent, maybe in my next life... At least once a month i think i have found the ONE, the one that me and ak could buy tomorrow and be completely content with as our first home. So for the moment, this is the ONE:

I am in L.O.V.E Well, actually ak and I both are. It's small, but bigger than our condo and completely renovated, i'm talking new plumbing, hvac, etc. not just a "band-aid" It has 3 bedrooms, 2 full baths and has a sweet little back yard (perfect for Doug) and best part is location, location, location. me and ak are all about location we would both rather live in a smaller home and be close to everything then live in a bigger home and have a long commute to work, friends, etc. I'm sure in a month there will be another one that IS IT. but for now i'm really liking this sweet bungalow. maybe i just like the word bungalow.

Chicken and Mushroom Marsala

I find myself cooking the same things over and over. So Sunday, I looked through my cookbooks to come up with some new options for the week. Dinner tonight was a success! I made chicken marsala and it was really good and best part...easy!

photo from here

Ingredients:
2 skinless chicken breast
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt (i only used a couple shakes, the marsala has a lot of sodium in it and trying to cut that out as much as possible)
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 8oz package sliced mushrooms
2 cups marsala Angel hair wheat pasta (you can use regular, but we like wheat)

Directions

1. Place chicken between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap, and flatten to 1/4 inch thickness, using a meat mallet or rolling pin

2. Combine flour, salt, and pepper. Dredge chicken in mixture

3. Cook chicken and garlic in 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat 3 to 4 minutes on each side until done. Remove chicken, keep warm. 4. Add sliced mushrooms to skillet, and saute 4 minutes. Stir in marsala, cook, stirring occasionally, 8 minutes or until liquid is reduced by 1/2.

5. Return chicken to skillet and cook until thoroughly heated. Serve over pasta.

Mmmm...good.

Bedroom...complete!

Well almost!

So happy! I found the quilt this weekend at the Pottery Barn Outlet that I have been eyeing to complete our master bedroom.

Not only did I find the quilt (only one left, i might add) but they also had two shams too and the best part of it all, it was marked down 65%!!

We are still looking for a headboard...it's so hard to find a king headboard!! Every place has tons of options for a queen, but a lot of places don't make kings. It's crazy, I didn't think it would be this difficult. We are going to keep on looking until we find something we love.

But other than that all we have to do is paint and the bedroom is complete!!!

oh and we still have to move! ha... less than 8 weeks!

Dublin

Happy St. Pat's Day from Dublin...Ohio!

It's kinda a big deal here in Dublin. This pic is from the st.patty's day parade they had on Saturday. Today most of the bars/restaurants in downtown Dublin opened up super early for kegs and eggs!

Best part of today...the weather!! It's going to be 65 today!!!
Woo hoo!!

Perfect Potato

I heart baked potatoes. (although lately I have been on sweet potato kick.)BUT, they have to be cooked just right. You may be thinking I know how to cook a baked potato but to have one that makes you go mmmm.... is the best! It's pretty simple to get a perfect potato but takes some time, so here it goes:

Wash potato. Poke holes in potato with fork. Mic potato for 5 minutes. Put in aluminium foil with butter and crazy jane salt (or you can use salt and pepper) Bake for 1 hour at 350 and I promise you it will be the best potato EVER.

Mouth watering now.
(i know over a potato!)

Super Doug

Now if only we can get Doug to learn these tricks, we will be set!

Fat Boozeday!

In honor of Fat Tuesday, I had to share this picture...

Ak's little cousin's (3 years old) first experience on bourbon street.
His face says it all!

Atmosphere Blue

Not only did I find Doug's bed last weekend while in Nashville but I also found bedding for our master bedroom!

I have been eying this...


It's from Restoration Hardware and Pottery Barn also sells a similar duvet. I love getting a deal, but last time we got a "deal" on our bedding we haven't been 100% happy with it. So AK and I decided to spend the extra money and buy what we REALLY like and want.

But then...I went to my beloved TJ Maxx/Home Goods and found this!
Did I mention, I love TJ?


The only difference, 3 stripes instead of 2, for a 1/3 of the price, I'll take an extra line! I called AK and told him of my great find but he wanted to make sure that it was good quality, etc. We got it out last weekend and it feels AMAZING and looks great. Just a little ironing is all it needs.

Now to the quilt...

We both are in love with this one from Pottery Barn. We have an outlet about 45 minutes away that we are going to this weekend to make sure it will match the duvet. We are also going to look at a upholstered headboard there too. I'm excited!

Finally, the paint...

It's between Atmosphere Blue
(Restoration Hardware)


And Silver Sage, (also from Restoration Hardware)

We want a really light color, because our bedroom only has one window and a tree in front of it so we don't get a lot of natural light, which we both love! I've learned my lesson with choosing wrong paint colors in the past so this time we are going to test these two babies out before we commit.

Can you tell I'm ready to get started! :)

Stay Tuned...Living Room post is up next, but really simple changes!

Just Perfect!

I found Doug's bed while I was in Nashville....

It's just perfect!

It's Official!

I'm leaving for Nashville in the morning for work for the next week. However, I'm excited to say that I only have two more trips to Nashville by myself!

Yep, that's right! It's official, the moving truck will be here MAY 21st!!!! Ak and I are packing our bags and heading home! So there will be more posts like the kitchen post, because we are going to be sprucing up the condo! I lived there right after college so I want to change it a bit so that it will be Our Place.

We are so excited about this new chapter in our lives.

Oysters and More...

Ak and I had the best time in NOLA with the fam!

We enjoyed a beautiful day in Jackson Square

The Fam

It was the first time AK has been with both his bro and sis since our wedding.
It was nice seeing them catching up!

Saturday night while the runners were getting rest before the big day, AK and I celebrated
V-day at ACME and had drinks afterwards at the carousel bar. So fun!!

Race Day!!
Ak's 2nd cousin thought he was the coolest ever!

The Runners!

The Cheerleaders
(please excuse my arm, I have a double jointed arm so it looks CRAZY!)


and of course it wouldn't be a trip to NOLA without a hurricane!