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Manning Watch 2012

You better believe I'm buying this shirt if the Titan's land him!!

Crossing fingers and toes!!

March 1, 2012

A sweet sweet baby boy was born...my nephew!!

Benjamin "Ben" William
7lbs 8oz
19.5inches

I'm in LOVE!

So happy for my brother and very proud of my sis-in-law...all natural!

Heart & Soul

Since my fathers death I have always said I wanted to become involved in something that would honor him. My father had a couple (yes, not one) heart attacks, stroke and numerous other health issues due to heart disease.

I joined the Heart and Soul committe and our annual Heart and Soul event is this Saturday! I can't believe it's here already. We have been working on the event since September and I have met some wonderful people during the process.

If you are in the Nashville area, I highly recomend you check out this great event!

Nothing Bundt

I'm obsessed with these little cakes! They are called Nothing Bundt Cakes. They are so tasty and have just the right amount of icing and let me tell you the icing is AMAZING!!

I had them a baby shower this weekend and they had the bundtini's! (about the size of a cupcake)
So cute and so good!!

Highly recommend trying this place!

The red velvet was my favorite, yes that does mean I ate two at the shower!

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!!

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.

Finished.

The bedroom is now complete and i love it.

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

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"

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!

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.

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.

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!)

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!