Sunday was so great because my hubby and I decorated our house for Christmas! I made a post over the summer saying how I wanted to try and decorate our mantle in white and silver this year. I just love the shiny clean look that it has, so here is my best attempt!! I don't like to brag but.. I'd say that it turned out pretty good! (Thanks to Michael's and their 40% off sale WITH a stackable 25% off coupon!! woot!)

Of course snacking on chocolate chips was the only way to have enough energy for all this decorating...

Last night I made a huge, heavy, cheeeeeesy lasagna for our work Thanksgiving potluck!! It was a hit!! There is some left over (thank goodness!) for the hubs and I though. Everyone brought dishes that were "nontraditional" Thanksgiving fare, including a Singaporean curry, a rice dish, pizza, spanakopita, and much more!! Oohhh I would have PAID MONEY for a 20 minute nap after lunch.

My cheesy masterpiece... mmmmm...

Today, while taking my daily walk to check the mail, I came across this tree.  Isn't it odd how all leaves have fallen off except little "leafy puffballs" (for lack of a better term)?? Weird!!

Welp only 25 minutes left of my work day, and I'm snacking on a cupcake left over from lunch. I just HAD to make sure that it didn't go to waste!!! ;)  Come on 5:00!

Hi again!

Hello! Remember me? Sorry I went missing for a while. I just didn't feel like blogging about anything, so I didn't! Simple! Hehe.

Sadly, there isn't even that much to fill you in on. Halloween came and went, but not without a Halloween party at our neighborhood clubhouse! There were appearances from Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, Robb Stark and Daenerys Targaryen, a heroin addict, Flo from Progressive Insurance, Captain America, Effie Trinket, care bears, and many others that I can't seem to think of right now. It was a fun evening filled with good friends, lots of food, and beer pong. It reminded me of college except the fact that I am exceptionally worse at beer pong now than when I was in college. Oh well.

I'm super excited about Christmas!! Yes I said CHRISTMAS.  I find it irritating when people think that everyone should say "Holidays" so as not to offend those who are not Christian. I am not a practicing Christian, however I was raised celebrating Christmas so that's what it is to me. If it is Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or simply Dec 25th to you then that's fine too. You may call it those things and I will not get offended. I simply do not like for people to tell me that I have to call it something else!

Wow my first post in weeks and I go off on a rant about political correctness?! I will promptly step off my soapbox now.  Sorry about that.

Currently, I am listening to "Happy Holidays" by Andy Williams and thinking about what I'll order for dinner this evening. Every Tuesday my husband and I are treated to free dinner due to resident interview season! Yippee! Dinner will be at Top of the Hill in Chapel Hill. Some of the food is great, some not so much. But who doesn't like a free meal??  Top of the Hill is a famous restaurant situated on infamous Franklin Street in Chapel Hill. I happen to actually work a few doors down from Top O' (as it is affectionately nicknamed)... too bad the dinner doesn't begin at 5 or I could just walk over!

      Top of the Hill is the rooftop restaurant located to the far right of this picture.

Ok I need to get ready to leave work in a little bit. I promise it won't be another six weeks before I post again!  :)

Happy Autumn!

No better way to kick off the fall season than a WOLFPACK football game!!

The second best way to kick off the season would be home brewing! We hope this beer will be ready in time for our neighborhood Oktoberfest. I have to give a shout out to the best home brew supply store.. Bull City Homebrew. Make beer, not war!

Brace yourselves...

Fall is coming!

Where have I been for the past week? Watching seasons 1 and 2 of Game of Thrones. Thanks CheekyLittleMinx for suggesting the show and putting an end to my social life!

Fall is in the air

I'm so happy because I attempted another pinterest craft, and it turned out perfectly!! After the mercury glass fail, I was beginning to think I was DIY challenged. Turns out I'm not! Now I am super excited to pull out the rest of my fall decor and even try more crafts. I have some blank canvases that I can't decide what to do with. I'll try and do something with them in the next few days. Here are some pics of my wreath at different stages of the project. (Not sure why the blogger app won't let me change the order of them, but you get the idea).

Pinterest Fail

So I tried to make "Mercury Glass" by following a tutorial I saw on Pinterest. It was supposed to be quick and simple, and in the end you have a beautiful shiny vase (or any glass item) that looks like it has been weathered over the years. If you don't know what I'm talking about, this picture is a perfect example of what I was trying to achieve:

 

You are supposed to use "Krylon Looking Glass Mirror-Like Paint." Everything I read said to make sure you get this, and ONLY this.  Well I couldn't find that brand at Lowe's, so I used another brand of chrome metallic spray paint.  I figured it would work just fine.

 

 

 

These are all the items I used to make my vase.

 

 

 

 

I started out painting the inside of the vase. I was told to do this on the website I was looking at. When I finished, it didn't look "mirror- like" at all. So I decided just to spray the outside of the vase instead.

 

 

 

While the paint was wet, it looked very shiny and chrome. However, as it dries, and as you blot it with vinegar (to give it the weathered look), it becomes dull again.  I think that is why you MUST use Krylon Looking Glass paint. It can withstand the blotting and drying process and still ends up being chrome and mirror-like.

 

 

 

 

Here is my final product.  Somewhat shiny, but not mirror-like. It does not look like the mercury glass I was trying to emulate. I really want to try this project again, and use the Krylon paint instead of the Valspar.

 

ps- I did this project over a week ago and it's still sitting in my garage. I kinda hate it. Maybe when I buy the Krylon paint I'll try to spray over it and just let it be a shiny vase.  I just can't bring myself to throw away an almost perfectly good vase.

 

Sorry I've been Away!

I have been so busy the past week that I've barely had time to update. I went to a bridal shower, and hung out with family, among other things.

 

My guest bathroom got a makeover. It's amazing what a coat of paint can do for a room! It was white before, and now it's a nice cozy tan color. "Chocolate milk" color as I like to call it.

 

 

My fam ate at this restaurant, and we noticed a ziplock bag full of water taped to the top of the door. After consulting the interwebs, turns out it's supposed to repel flies. Internet says that's a myth. One website said there was a study where the number of flies actually increased. Didn't anyone think to Google it before doing it? I guess not.

 

 

Rocky, hubs, and I went to the Eno River a few days ago. We've never been there before, and it was pretty nice. There's a foot bridge across the river which was cool, and Rocky had fun cooling off in the water. Now that fall is coming, hopefully we'll all be able to spend more time outdoors and we won't have to worry about burning up in the heat.

 

 

Day 29: Animal

My favorite animal, Rocky. What a lazy bum.

Day 28: Surprise

Should we have been surprised when we were the only people at the 1:30 showing of Paranorman 3D?

Day 26: Light

The perfect cup o' joe. A dash of Splenda and my new creamer- Caramel Macchiato. It's sugar free, so only 15 cals per tablespoon!

Day 25: Broken

Found this little gem in a shoebox in my garage yesterday. It's a picture of me riding my horse, Sugar, in a horse show when I was around 17 years old. Like most horse people, we sold Sugar when I went to college because I wasn't able to ride her much. I found out a few years later that she ended up being put down due to an injury. I was so heartbroken when I found out. I always has plans to find her and buy her back one day when my circumstances would allow me to.

I still think about her often and have lots of pictures if her. Rest in peace my Sugar Bear :)

Day 24: Numbers

So I've been thinking of a color to paint my guest bathroom for weeks now. I want a darkish (but not too dark) tan (maybe with a hint of gray) color so I can put some colorful accents in there. Is it the paint companies' goal to make this process as difficult as possible?? I mean, is there a big office building somewhere where paint company execs are sitting around in their suits and sipping on Smart Water while having a good laugh over the frustration of their consumers?!

Look how many paint swatches I have here. I have been holding them up to my wall for weeks now trying to decide on the perfect not-too-dark-tan-with-possibly-a-grayish-hue. I finally FINALLY chose one, bought a gallon, and excitedly started painting at 11:00pm. I was too anxious to wait until the next day. I painted a big patch on my wall only to step back and decide that I hate it. It's all wrong. I don't see any tan in the color, and in fact, it actually looks purple. Ugh! Plus it's too light too. So I guess another trip to the hardware store is in my cards for today. Well played, paint execs. Well played.

Day 23: Alphabet

It seems like only yesterday that my precious lovable nephew, Jared, entered the world. The past 5 years have flown by and it is so fun to see him grow and learn every day.  I can't believe that in three days he will be starting kindergarten! At this rate, he'll be in high school by next week! LOL. That's how it feels though since time seems to be passing by quicker these days. Here are some of my favorite pics of Jared throughout his first five years.

 

Happy Birthday Jared!! One year old.

 

 

Silly face for Halloween. Isn't this the cutest little dragon you've ever seen?

 

 

Playing with new toys on Christmas morning! Funny how when there is a child in the family, all of the sudden all the excitement for Christmas is centered around seeing the happiness on the child's face when they get to experience all the fun of the season.

 

 

He looks like a grown up in a little boy's body in this photo shoot. What a little darling.

 

 

In this most recent picture, he is performing some much needed maintenance work on his tractor. I hear that is the key to making them last ;)

Day 22: Color

Nails: Glamour Purse
Toes: Very Structured

So earthy, so fall!!

Day 21: Movement

Bubbles "moving" around phyllo dough! Okay it may be a stretch, but whatever. I'll give you the recipe:

1 carton of phyllo dough (frozen section)

1 rotisserie chicken from the deli section

1 cup buffalo sauce

Ranch dressing


1. Pull all chicken meat off the bones and put in a bowl
2. Pour buffalo hot sauce into chicken and stir
3. Add a dollop of ranch to chicken and stir
4. Wrap a little bit of chicken into a square of phyllo dough (it will look like a Chinese egg roll)
5. Put it in a pot of hot canola oil on the stovetop for about 30 seconds (or until browned)
6. Put them on a paper towel to dry, and dip them in ranch to enjoy!
7. Voila! Perfectly crispy buffalo chicken spring rolls! Put them on a platter at a party, or enjoy them with one (or four) glasses of wine with a good friend! Easiest dish ever. And it will seem like you slaved for hours!

Day 20: Highlight of the day

Chicago deep dish pizza!! YUM. This is a serious pizza!! Is it bad that my last few posts have been food/beer related? Haha, oh well!

Day 19: Sweet

Garrett popcorn. Sweet caramel pecan popcorn, mmmmmmmmmm. Definitely should have bought a bigger bag :)

Day 18: Stranger

A plethora of strangers at the Oak Park Brew Festival!!

Day 17: Time

Ok so I haven't exactly kept up with the photog challenge. But in my defense.. I've been SUPER busy and haven't had many chances to update!!! SO sorry about that. I'll just pick up with today's theme "time". It's appropriate because it's "time" for me to post something after my 12 day hiatus, and it's "time" for a cup of coffee this morning. I'm visiting a friend in Chicago for the week and it is going to be a beautiful day today!! Yay!

Day 5: Water

I absolutely LOVE the beach. This is Myrtle Beach, SC during our first anniversary trip.

Day 4: Home

Here is a picture of my home. It isn't always perfectly clean (in this picture we were preparing for a camping trip!), but it's me and my husband's first home, and we love it!!

Day 3: Summer

I <3 long summer days. Having dinner, and still having time for a neighborhood stroll afterwards. It was 8:00 in this picture. I'll miss these long, warm days when fall arrives. That's ok though because fall has it's own goodies that summer doesn't have.

Day 2: Indulgence

I was so busy yesterday, I didn't have time to update my daily photo! Here is my "indulgence" photo. You can't even tell what it was because I indulged in it so quickly and totes forgot to take a picture until it was gone. It was Panera, and it was delicious. 

Day 1 - Self Portrait

Self portrait. I am hoping these get less awkward as the month rolls on.

Why am I green??

31 day Photog Challenge!

Hi there, sorry I've been missing for a few days.  Don't worry, you haven't missed much. I'm participating in a 31 day photography challenge where I'll post a new photo each day this month. The photos will pertain to a theme each day. Here are the themes:

Day 1: Self portrait

Day 2: Indulgence

Day 3: Summer

Day 4: Home

Day 5: Water

Day 6: Mother nature

Day 7: Family

Day 8: Delicious

Day 9: Out of focus

Day 10: Love

Day 11: Reflection

Day 12: Gem

Day 13: On the floor

Day 14: Freestyle

Day 15: I spy

Day 16: Close up

Day 17: Time

Day 18: Stranger

Day 19: Sweet

Day 20: Highlight of the day

Day 21: Movement

Day 22: Color

Day 23: Alphabet

Day 24: Number

Day 25: Broken

Day 26: Light

Day 28: Surprise!

Day 29: Animal

Day 30: Luxury

Day 31: Your choice


I think it will be a fun way to get creative and maybe show off some things in my life that I would never normally think to take a picture of!

And remember to check out some friends who are also participating in the challenge!

Cheeky Little Minx

This Is Me

the olympIAN AND ME

Craft Virgin

The Lawson Family

McGurer Family

Sweet Love

As I was sitting outside

While I was eating lunch today outside (bad decision, 100 degrees, ugh), this little cutie ran up to my table and sniffed around so I threw him a piece of bread from my lean pocket. He snatched it up and ran under a bush and ate it. It was so stinkin cute! When he was finished he ran off. Probably to go find somewhere cool to lie down and take a nap :)

A few things that I'm happy about

I'm happy my hubs and I saw Batman last night.  In my opinion, as someone who is not a Batman die-hard but has enjoyed the other movies, I thought this one was really good. Best movie ever? Ehh not sure if I would go that far. But, yes, it was good. Super long though. It was hard to stop from fidgeting in my chair the entire time.  Sometimes when I moved, the chair would squeak real loud, hehe. I had a silent laugh in my head over it and tried not to move around too much. I didn't want to make the "Bat fans" upset. (See what I did there? ha).

Here is the next thing that is currently making me happy. I believe this one speaks for itself. (Sorry it's little, click it to read it).

And lastly, I'm happy about the late summer storms, and the fact that fall is just around the corner. I love fall for a hundred different reasons. Warm yummy food, cooler weather, leaves changing and falling, pumpkins everywhere, Halloween decor, cider, delicious smelling candles, I could just go on and on. Funny how I was dying for summer a few months ago, and now I'm completely over it. I'm always so anxious for the next season to get here!

How gorgeous is this???  I'm in love ♥♥♥

Monday already?

Where the heck did my weekend go? We didn't do anything on Friday night other than watch tv and hang out. Saturday, I went to a hip hop cardio class and learned how to Dougie (among other things). I'm paying for all the Dougie-ing today though, that's for sure. Who knew the Dougie was so good for your abbies? Saturday night we went to a cookout at a friend's house, and it was so much fun! A huge storm blew in right about the time that the meat was finished cooking, so the timing was pretty good. It poured rain, thundered, and there were huge cracks of lightning all evening. It made for a perfect atmosphere hanging out with good friends indoors!

Sunday was spent recuperating from Saturday night's shenanigans. ;)  A little pool time, a little sleep time, and just a general all-over laziness.

Now I just HAVE to share this picture of a commercial that I saw over the weekend.  I actually had to rewind the commercial and watch it again because I couldn't believe what I was seeing! Octomom is a spokesperson for Octoloan.com!? I've never heard of the website, but wow. First of all, what reputable loan company would ever want her to be their spokesperson, and much less, name the company after her?? Secondly, what kind of person would ever see this commercial and think "Hmm this seems legit, I'm calling right now"??  Cray. See for yourself; one talking Octomom complete with baby crib in the background.

TGIF

The game last night was so fun! Perfect mild weather, clear skies (after the afternoon storm blew through), good company, and $1 hotdogs! What more can you ask for?? Oh I know what would have been the cherry on top... if the Bulls won! Unfortunately the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (yeah, that's their mascot HA) whooped the Bulls 10-1. Yeesh. It was still tons of fun though. A special thanks to some dear friends for the free tix. Here are a couple pics from the game.

See the huge Bull cut-out on the top left? If there was a grand slam, and the ball hits the bull, everyone in the stands gets a free steak! If the ball hit the grass under the bull, everyone would get a free salad! There were over 7,000 fans in the stands last night.. talk about a lot of steaks! We wondered if they just handed out steaks at the gate as people left, lol. It's probably in the form of a gift certificate.. but wouldn't it be funny if they handed out steaks right then and there?

Last night my husband received an email from his mom saying that his dog, Heidi, went missing. She is 12 years old and they have had her since she was a puppy. They posted a "Lost" ad on Craigslist, posted flyers throughout the neighborhood, and drove around for hours looking for her.

We had plans to go to a Durham Bulls game tonight, but we were thinking of cancelling those plans so that we could drive around and look for Heidi. We were trying to be optimistic, but in the back of our minds we were fearing the worst.

Then, this morning my husband received another email from his Mom. Here is the email:

Subject: Re: Heidi missing

Heidi is back and safe and sound! She found her way into a neighbor's garage last night. I was putting up flyers when another neighbor told me where she was (it was the neighbor behind him)...and she is now sleeping off her ordeal on the back porch! Heidi and I are both SO relieved and happy!

Love, Mom

YAY!!! We are so happy that she is back home safe and sound.  Too many animals go missing and are never seen again, so needless to say this email made our day.  Now our plans for the baseball game are back on! Woot!

Someday

I've been bitten by the travel bug today.  Well it actually bites me a lot of days, but today I found some places on Homeaway.com that I would love to go to.  Maybe in a year or two we might be able to go on one of these trips. In the meantime I guess I'll just settle for Internet day dreaming.

I also found a website called LoveHomeSwap.com that lets you participate in a vacation home exchange with someone else anywhere in the world! If you've seen The Holiday with Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet, then you'll know what I'm talking about. I wonder if it works that perfectly in real life. Hm. Two amazing homes, two independent young women who know how to live it up in their vacation spot, and they both manage to find love while on vacation!? Not to mention the fact that the women were able to meet up for a New Year's Eve party in England and party the night away with their new love interests. How perfect!

After looking at all the amazing homes on the home swap website, I can't help but wonder if any of those homeowners would agree to swap with me here in Durham. Don't get me wrong, my house is a nice home in the Durham suburbs, but it isn't in the heart of the city, no infinity pool, no views of mountains or oceans, and no Jude Law :) 

Anywho, here are the places I found on Homeaway.com that would be nice to travel to.

Sedona, Arizona - check out these views!!!

Big Sky Montana - Beautiful!

Ireland - one mile from Doolin, the traditional Irish music capital of Ireland!

London, England - went to London when I was 18 with a school trip.. probably more fun now that I am 27!

Fiji - ugh is this even REAL?? where do I sign up?

Amsterdam, Netherlands - this would be a totally cool place to visit!