Five Months

Has it really been five months since I last blogged?? Where in the world has the time gone!! Since Ak and I have moved home we have been busy busy, but in such a good way!

Here is a recap of the past five months:

1. First and foremost...i'm obsessed with pinterest and etsy
(can't get enough!!)

2. Ak's lil sis got married!

3. Of course we made a couple trips to k-town...that didn't really go so well, but we still had a great time!

4. We celebrated mom's 60th in Chicago!

5. One word...Bubba!

Halloween 2011


6. Fell in love with San Francisco!


7. and best of all...found out i'm going to be an AUNT!!!!

I don't set new years resolutions because let's be honest...i always fail! But I'm really going to try to do blog more! I know, I know I said that back in August but I really will!!

2011...Let it Rock.

This new year is already off to a great start, it's 4pm and I'm still in my pj's!!!

Football is on, black eye peas are on the stove and cornbread is in the oven. Yum!

I am not one for making new year's resolutions because the eating better, working out thing, just never really seem to go in my favor. But this year I am going to try my hardest to live for today and not worry so much about tomorrow and the future.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34

God has a plan and I'm ready for him to lead me the way.

Wishing you a happy, healthy and blessed 2011!!

Let it Rock.

Tender TN Christmas

AK and I had a wonderful white Christmas in Nashville!!

I didn't take as many pictures as I would have liked, but did get a few.

Celebrating Grandma's 85th Birthday on Christmas Eve!

AK's UT fabric brick
(my brother and nikki gave ak a fabric brick, that says "the referee makes a call too quick, it's time to bring out the "bad call brick" Throw it at the set with an aim so steady, Now don't you feel better all ready!) This was a very thoughtful and awesome gift! (now I don't have to hide cell phones! ha!)


Saving the best for last - our Santa D gift. Last year I said that AK and I would keep up the tradition of carrying on the gag/funny gift from my dad. So this year everyone got Elliott Sadler HBP racin' shirts! We all had a good laugh for sure. Wonder what Santa D will bring next year?? maybe a shakeweight?!

Chirstmas Truffles

I feel like I have been blogging lately about holiday things after they happen! I have not been prepared this year for Christmas or Thanksgiving, they came and went too fast!

Before we left for Nashville I was able to make some treats for the fam. My good friend, Ash told me about these awesome red velvet truffles she was making. I had to try them!



So here it goes...

Ingredients:

1 box red velvet cake mix
1 can cream cheese icing
sprinkles
4 packs Bakers White Chocolate


Bake cake according to regular directions on the box.

As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, crumble the whole thing into a bowl. Don't leave any big pieces, smash the whole thing up. Then dump the whole can of cream cheese icing into the crumbled cake and mix together extremely well. Put the mix into the fridge for an hour or so, until it is cool throughout.

After it is cool, roll the cake mix into balls. It should make about 40 balls. After you have rolled them all, put them in the freezer for at least an hour. (it is ok to even wait until the next day if you need to wait, an hour is just the minimum time)

Melt 4 squares at a time of the white chocolate in a plastic bowl and roll the cake balls in the chocolate, using a spoon to roll them around. Sprinkle immediately and place on wax paper. (the chocolate hardens fast)After they are all rolled in chocolate and sprinkled, they are done and ready to be stored in the refrigerator.

So tasty!

Holiday Cards...what to do??

You know I love getting holiday cards and today I was searching for a cute way to display them! Right now we have them on top of our armourie and on the fridge, I would love to have them all in one place!

Check out these cute ideas...

Hang ribbon from a door

lovin' this one

Make a holiday card tree!

Less than a week til Chirstmas!!! AHAH!
Remember how long this last week was as a child?? It seemed like FOREVER!
Here's hoping our week will seem like forever and we get our shopping, baking and cooking all finsihed.

Fun & Flashy Holiday Cards

It's Christmas Card season again! I love love getting Christmas cards in the mail. Checking the mail is the highlight of my day during the holiday season! There are so many varieties and types of holiday cards and I love seeing all the different styles.

I'll be honest I have been searching for the perfect card for sometime now and I always come back to the Christmas cards at Shutterfly. I'm super pumped this year though, because shutterfly is offering 50 FREE photo cards if you blog about their great holiday cards!

They have such a broad range and selection of cards with bright and bold colors and the best part - the cards are so user friendly to personalize! My personal favorites are their Christmas photo cards.

After searching and searching I have finally narrowed my selection down to four!

Shutterfly is also a great site to buy invitations for holiday parties, baby/bridal showers, birth announcements and the list goes on! If you haven't already bought your holiday card, I would definitely check them out! Hope you find your perfect holiday card!

If you are a blogger you should apply for this special offer! It's a great deal!

A few days late

I hope everyone had a wondeful Thanksgiving!! Ak and I had such a great weekend together and it was so nice to spend some time with him! The past three weeks have been harder than I expected, but only 2 more to go!!

I know this is a few days late, but before our dinner Ak's grandpa pulled out a old piece of newspaper and read us a Dear Abby. I think it's not only good for Thanksgiving but is something we should think about all of the time.

DEAR READERS: By popular demand, here is my traditional Thanksgiving column:
Today is Thanksgiving Day, so take a few minutes to reflect upon all the things for which you are thankful.
How's your health? Not so good? Well, thank God you've lived this long. A lot of people haven't.

You're hurting? Thousands -- maybe millions -- are hurting even more. (Have you ever visited a veterans hospital? Or a rehabilitation clinic for crippled children?)

If you awakened this morning and were able to hear the birds sing, use your vocal cords to utter human sounds, walk to the breakfast table on two good legs, and read the newspaper with two good eyes, praise the Lord! A lot of people couldn't.

How's your pocketbook? Thin? Well, most of the world is a lot poorer. No pensions. No welfare. No food stamps. No Social Security. In fact, one-third of the people in the world will go to bed hungry tonight.

Are you lonely? The way to have a friend is to be one. If nobody calls you, pick up the phone and call someone.

Are you concerned about your country's future? Hooray! Our system has been saved by such concern. Your country may not be a rose garden, but neither is it a patch of weeds.

Freedom rings! Look and listen. You can still worship at the church of your choice, cast a secret ballot, and even criticize your government without fearing a knock on the head or a knock on the door at midnight. And if you want to live under a different system, you are free to go. There are no walls or fences -- nothing to keep you here.

As a final thought, I'll repeat my Thanksgiving prayer; perhaps you will want to use it at your table today:

O heavenly Father:
We thank thee for food and remember the hungry.
We thank thee for health and remember the sick.
We thank thee for friends and remember the friendless.
We thank thee for freedom and remember the enslaved.
May these remembrances stir us to service
That thy gifts to us may be used for others. Amen.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and may God bless you and yours. -- LOVE, ABBY

Fourth of July

Isn't this the cutest table setting!
photo from here

I can’t believe it’s already time for the fourth of July! Where has the time gone? AK and I are loading up and heading to Nashville on Friday for the weekend. We have a family cookout on Friday, Saturday we get to meet sweet Baby Trey!!! (Really Excited), and Sunday we will enjoy the fireworks downtown on AK’s parents boat.

Some Random but Interesting Facts about Fireworks from Real Simple:

• Fireworks first appeared around 1000 A.D., in Chinese religious ceremonies.
  Various metal salts are used to create the colored explosions. Barium makes green, copper makes blue, and aluminum is responsible for the sparkle.

• Smiley faces, words, and logos. Fireworks have expanded far beyond the classic palm tree. To make different shapes, a chemical mixture is glued to wax paper in the form that it will take when it explodes. Next, the paper is put inside a spherical shell made of cardboard or some other paper. Several are fired off at the same time to give the appearance of three dimensions, says John Steinberg, a vice president of the Pyrotechnics Guild International.
  
• The United States imported around $217 million worth of fireworks in 2007, with $207 million of that coming from China, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Be Safe and Have a Happy 4th!!

Spring Fever

I love this time of year, flowers are beginning to bloom, spring is in the air and of course Easter Candy is out!!!!

This is hands down my favorite type of candy and I can only get it during Easter, so what do I do?? I eat the eggs by the handfuls, pretending they are m&ms! I'm already through one bag and refuse to buy a second, but we all know how that's going to go. I am sure I will have a breakdown tomorrow at the grocery!

Happy Spring!

Happy New Year!

Well...almost!

Andy and I are headed to the airport later today to cheer on the Vols in the Chik-Fil-A Bowl for New Years Eve!

Wishing you a Happy and Healthy 2010!!

Several Firsts

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! This Christmas was different than those in the past, there were several firsts for me and Andy.

This year was the first year we celebrated Christmas as husband and wife. I must say I am looking forward to the next 50 Christmases with Andy!



We also celebrated Christmas for the first time in my mom's new house. This was bitter sweet, I am so glad she has downsized but missed the comfort of the home that I grew up in. I know this comfort will come with the new house in time.



It was also the first time I have not helped mom decorate the tree, but I must say she did a great job without me!




This was also the first Christmas without my dad.I kept on thinking he would pop out of a room in his logo apperal shirt, wrangler jeans and his favorite slippers. Dad always had the coffee ready in the morning and Christmas music playing when we woke up. I found myself saying do we have coffee, we are out of coffee a lot this year, because dad always made sure there was a full pot. Oh my did he love his coffee! He also always gave us somesort of gag gift/As seen on TV/something random every year. Early in September, dad had mentioned to mom that he was going to get everyone a snuggie - so this year for Christmas we still had a gift from dad under the tree. I could see him laughing in heaven as we all opened our snuggies - thanks dad! Next year, Andy and I are going to try and carry the tradition of the gag gift -I don't know if we can do as good of a job, but we will try! I am truly thankful for the 26 years that I had him in my life and can't wait to see him again.

Dad, I love you and miss you!

Christmas Eve Dinner

The cooking/preparing is about to begin! For my family Christmas Eve is our big dinner and birthday party - my grandmother is 84 today! Andy's family always has a nice dinner on Christmas with the best beef tenderloin you've ever tasted! For tonight we are having ham, rolls, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, mac and cheese (my brother loves this), and a fruit casserole. My mom has also made a homemade coconut cake for my grandmother.

Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas! The kitchen is calling my name!

Pretty Poinsettias

Poinsettia's always remind me of my parents house at Christmas. My mom loves plants so needless to say she would buy several poinsettias and place them all around the house. My parents would also give them as gifts to family and friends. Last night I was checking out the Southern Living Website and found several different ways to decorate with poinsettias.

Happy Decorating!








(pictures all from Southern Living)

Holiday Greetings

As a little girl I would always love getting Christmas cards in the mail. It's the time of year that people send pictures of their family, well wishes, and holiday cheer.

Andy and I are sending out our first Christmas Card this year. I searched and searched for the perfect card. I remembered from last year I received a really cute card from my friend Ally. She had ordered it from Pear Tree Greetings. I checked out their website and found a card I really liked.

Pear Tree Greetings also has invitations, baby announcements, and even stationery. I would highly recommend checking their site for any occasion. Cute cards and you know I love a good deal!



Check out their site