dancing through life

martha moments: tailgating treats!

2011-08-31T18:05:00.000-07:00

i will preface by saying that MAN have i been slack with the blog. wow. sorry to any hardcore, faithful followers. i'm sure you're still wiping away your tears of longing for me to come back. :-)

now, onto more important things....FOOD!

as you know, i love me some college football! and one of the best parts of it all are the tailgating foods. i am a dip junkie. i love dips, sauces, snacks, finger foods. i can easily make a meal off of them.

having said that, here's a smorgasbord of some of our favorites. enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Dip
(my must have, hands down.)

(2) 10 oz. cans chunk chicken, drained
(2) 8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened to room temp
1 cup ranch dressing
3/4 c. Frank's Red Hot Sauce
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Heat chicken over medium heat in saucepan with the hot sauce until heated through. Stir in cream cheese and ranch dressing. Cook until all ingredients are well blended. Mix in half of the cheese and stir until melted.

Pour into casserole dish and top with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 until bubbly OR transfer all dip to a slow cooker and top with remaining cheese and cook on low until ready to serve.

Best served with celery sticks, carrot sticks and my favorite...Chicken in a Biscuit crackers.

Crockpot Weenies
LOOOOVE these! My grandmama always makes em at Christmas time, but I also love them for tailgating.

2 packs all beef weiners, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 large jar yellow mustard
1 large jar grape jelly

Mix equal parts of the jelly and mustard in crock pot and then add weenies. Cover well to coat and cook on low for 4-6 hours. Serve with toothpicks.

S.O.B. Dip
Stands for South Of the Border, of course....

(2) 8 oz. packages cream cheese
2 cans Hormel chili with beans
2 cups shredded cheddar

Press cream cheese blocks into bottom of large casserole dish. Pour in the 2 cans of chili and top with cheese. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until bubbly. Can top with jalapeno peppers if you wish! Serves best with scoop style tortilla chips.

Best Crab Dip
8 oz cream cheese
2 T. whole milk
1 T. horseradish
1/2 lb. crab meat
1/3 cup toasted almond slivers
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix everything in small casserole dish and top with almonds. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Serves best with Ritz crackers.

Asian Slaw
16 oz. bag coleslaw mix
1 bunch of green onions, chopped thinly
small package sunflower seeds
small package slivered almonds
2 packages chicken flavored Ramen noodles (just the uncooked noodles...set packets of flavor aside)

1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup white vinegar
2 packages of the seasoning from ramen noodles from above

Mix top group of ingredients except for raw noodles in large bowl. In another bowl, mix second group of ingredients well and pour over slaw mix. Cover and refrigerate over night. Before serving, add raw ramen noodles and mix well for great crunch!

Cornbread Salad
1 package ranch dressing mix
8 oz. sour cream
2 cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained
3 large chopped tomatoes
2 green onions, chopped
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
6 strips cooked bacon, crumbled
1 cup mayonnaise
9' pan cornbread, (i use jiffy mix in the box)
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
2 cups shredded cheddar

Combine ranch mix, sour cream and mayo and set aside.

In your serving bowl, place half of the cornbread, crumbled up. Top with half of beans.

In medium bowl, combine chopped tomatoes, peppers & onions and layer half of the mixture over the beans. Top with half o the cheese, bacon and corn, then the reserved salad dressing mix. Repeat layers, using remaining ingredients. Cover and chill at least a couple of hours before serving. MMMMM!!!

Goodie Bars
these should be the 8th deadly sin.

1 box yellow cake mix
1 egg
8 T. butter, melted (and yes, that is TABLEspoons...)

8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
8 T. butter, melted (mmhmmm, another tablespoon. )
1 16 oz. box powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Combine cake mix, 1 egg and 8 T. butter with mixer. Press into the bottom of a 13x9 casserole dish.

In large bowl, beat remaining ingredients, adding the powdered sugar in a little a time. Spread over cake crust in the casserole dish and bake 45 minutes at 350. Be careful not to over cook em! They're supposed to be gooey in the middle.

Happy Tailgating and happy start to college football season!

Can I get a GO GAMECOCKS?!

tuesday morning goodness

2011-04-22T07:15:00.000-07:00

i ran into our local tuesday morning last night for nothing in particular, really. the store here is very much hit or miss--either i find all kinds of wonderful things or nothing at all.

it was a treasure trove up in the tuesday morning yesterday, i tell ya. it was like a truck carrying a large shipment of fabulous made a stop there.

loved this lamp with pieces of mirror. could definitely see it with an orange damask shade.

...and another glass mirror mosaic piece. isn't this so pretty? and it's on sale. if there were 2, i would buy 'em and put them in the bathroom instead of one big mirror that's over the sink now. but, alas, there was only one. i'll chalk it up to one of those "not meant to be's."

lovin' this rug! i tried forever to figure out where to put it and what rug to swap out for a while and let this one in, but it was a realllly big rug and the only place i could figure out where to put it was this blog post!

and this? well, i'm going back to get it today because i just realized how much i love it. i love it for 2 reasons--ONE, it reminds me of water for elephants, which i read a couple of months ago and am going to see it tonight (and i can't WAIT!) and TWO, the lady reminds me of patty griffin, one of my favorite singers of all time. weird? yes. going back to buy it in the next half hour? definitely.

check out my photography site!

2011-04-17T07:26:00.000-07:00

seems the photography hobby has taken on a life of its own over the past few months! so i created a website to keep up with client photos, galleries, etc.

check it out!

http://lindsaystovallphotography.zenfolio.com

maybe when i get a little more business, i can buy a domain name that's a little shorter....haha!

website i l.o.v.e.

2011-03-26T09:55:00.000-07:00

not sure how i'm just now discovering this, but i have to share. this website, the foundary, is great--new stuff everyday and good prices on home decor. i ordered a great burlap flour sack pillow a few weeks ago for like $20 and love it. forgive the poor quality of the photo...it's a rainy, lazy morning and quite frankly, i didn't feel like getting the "good" camera out!

so check it out, if you haven't already!

and if you use this link, i get referral credits and will be your BFF forevah.

http://www.thefoundary.com/invite/lindsaystovall

now if there are any more sites out there like this that i'm missing, you have got to fill me in, people. i know all of the fashion ones, but home decor is where my heart is.

martha moments: strawberry pretzel salad

2011-03-08T20:04:00.000-08:00

i'm usually not one for jell-o (or anything congealed for that matter). the word "congealed" itself just grosses me out...but this dessert salad is one of my favorites!

strawberry pretzel salad

you'll need:
2 cups pretzels, crushed
3/4 cups melted butter
2 Tbsp. sugar
8 oz. cream cheese
1 cup sugar
2 cups Cool Whip
2-10 oz. packages frozen strawberries
2 cups boiling water
1 large package strawberry Jell-O

To make:

Mix pretzels, butter and the 2 Tbsp. sugar. Press into bottom of a rectangular baking dish. Cook at 400 for 8-10 minutes.

Mix cream cheese and 1 cup sugar together. Fold in the Cool Whip. Spread onto cooled crust.
Combine boiling water and Jell-O, then add strawberries. Let cool before pouring over the top of the cream cheese. Refrigerate to congeal, then slice into squares and enjoy!

the end of '10: the rest of the story

2011-02-25T06:32:00.000-08:00

let's just get on with me getting caught up with 2010 already, right? i have literally had zero time to blog lately. but my {march} new year's resolution is to be better and more regular.

(at blogging, that is.)

so, the holidays...same song and dance. they came, they went. so fast, just like every year. i didn't put my "all" into decorating this year because for the first year, we had no family functions at our house. we rotate every year and this was not our year to host anything. it was kind of nice to have the break.

so, rather than blab, let's just relive it in pictures, shall we?

first off, this sweet little niece 'o mine turned 3 months old...(this was technically October).

then we found this jewel of a getaway in cashiers, nc, for a long weekend away. no cell phone reception, nothin. it was WONDERFUL. we built fires, cooked and played solitaire. decor speaking, it was the cutest craftsman cottage you could conjure up. everything about it was centered around loose sticks, twigs and exposed beams. completely awesome.

sweet kyla had her first spend-the-night at my house. we had the best slumber party ever! she had just turned 4 months old here.

2010 was filled with mucho college football. we made several trips down to the "cockpit" as we call it and had a great time cheering on our Gamecocks!

Thanksgiving at my grandmama's--this is a pretty typical scene after we stuff our faces.

Clemson/Carolina game (if you want to call it that!) at Death Valley this year. Another year of bragging rights for us Carolina fans! No matter win or lose, it's always a great time when you get to tailgate all day long with super food and even better friends!

mmmm, burgers! a little plug here....these burgers were obviously made awesome because my husband cooked them and he's got burger magic, but they were also divine because we put Tastefully Simple's Onion Onion in them. If you've never had it, you MUST try it. It's a seasoning blend of different types of dried onions and other seasonings. SO.DANG.GOOD. See that pic above? There on the far right is my friend Missy and lucky you, she sells the stuff AND it'll ship straight to you. Here's her website.

www.tastefullysimple.com/web/mcalvert

(uh, yes, missy, you owe me. i accept cash and free boxes of your beer bread mix. thank you very, very much.)

now it's Christmas time. look at this baby! and here, she's FIVE months old!

my sweet brother and of the two sister in laws to join my family in 2010. such a sweet little family.

me and ~~the Brawny guy~~ the cutest bearded guy ever....our 2011 Christmas card pic

check it. deckin' the halls involved deckin' Oliver in a super scarf. he definitely rocked it.

(notice here that he no longer resides in that tacky gold frame which has been painted and made into a bulletin board.) he likes his new hang out here on this old wooden door much, much better.

living room Christmas tree 2010. and that wonderful chest of drawers-turned-tv-stand? craigslist. $65!

dining room Christmas tree...the woodlands, bird, pheasant theme continues in 2010

the paper wreath that i still adore

another house to add to the village, which consists of the other one in this photo. haha.

sweet MeMa on Christmas eve

world's best mama making the world's best spaghetti

as usual, mama says that she really didn't do that much this year....see for yourself.

WHITE CHRISTMAS for the first time in my life! it was so pretty coming down.

thanks to santa for a new sister! even if she does resemble an eskimo.

kyla jane's first snow. she watched it for the longest time.

priceless face on my dear, sweet husband. it looks like the snowman is getting ready to attack him.

2010 welcomed my grandmother into this decade with a new TV!

kyla loved her first Christmas!

sweet Joy. this is the lady who babysat me when I was little. she's a gem.

there's no place like home in a blanket of snow on Christmas day. perfection~

the end of '10, part II: October

2011-01-13T07:49:00.000-08:00

My brother in law got married on October 10th and I was asked to photograph. I'll let the pics speak for themselves. I just love fall weddings in the south. The out-of-town family got to come down for New York and stay a few days with us and it was so good to see them all and get caught up. Plus it brought a much-needed smile to my face after such a tough September.

she waited...

she smiled...

she walked...

...down the aisle.

he anticipated...

they stood by their man.

she beamed...

they sealed it with a kiss.

they did it!

we posed...

(my MIL, me, new sis in law, bro in law, my hubby and my FIL)

they radiated...

they danced {the thriller dance}...

we lit and released...

they wed.

2010--the last 3 months

2011-01-10T19:01:00.000-08:00

as you faithful followers know, the last 3 months of the year are my most busy, career-wise. (see this 2009 post to remind you/inform you if you're new here.)

thus, my blog hiatus. but now that things are more settled down, i'll give you a little recap of what went down on my side of the world these last 3 months of twenty ten. let's start with september.

september 25, 2010.

my grandfather died. unexpectedly. like, wasn't even sick, just-got-a-great-health-report-four-days-prior unexpected. i was blindsided, as was my whole family. i guess even though i shouldn't have, i always expected to be prepared for the day i said goodbye to him. but he wasn't sick. he wasn't in a nursing home, he didn't have cancer. he woke up that morning, he went out to his shop like he always did, he built two beautiful wooden picture frames and then went to walmart for a new watch band. after coming home from dinner that night, he lay in the bed and talked with my grandmother. she says they talked every night about everything. as she reached over to turn out the light, he had a strange look on his face. when she asked him if he was okay, he responded that no, he wasn't. and then he whispered to her that she was "the best wife, mother and grandmother that anyone could ask for" and that he "loved her with all his heart." and then he closed his eyes. and then he was gone.

just.
like.
that.

papa & grandmama, Thanksgiving 2009

i miss him so much. i knew the holidays would be tough, but it's the ordinary days when you least expect it that the emotions just reappear, when i realize that he's really not here anymore that are the hardest.

but then i realize that he really is here in his own way--because he is all around me. so many things remind me of him. i am blessed by the fact that he was a talented woodworker and craftsman and that my home is graced with so many of his handmade pieces of furniture.

i spoke at my papa jack's funeral on the day after what would have been his 79th birthday. i still don't know where that strength came from that day to maintain my composure in front of the hundreds of people who came, but i did. and, with this little wooden box in one hand, and one of his red bandanna handkerchiefs in the other, and here is what i said:

As I sat this morning trying to gather all of my thoughts and put them into words, the same thought kept coming back to me. HE WAS A GOOD MAN. It is so cliche and probably spoken at so many funerals. But in this case, it is so true. My Papa Jack WAS a good man, through and through, right down to his core. Iʼve had many people in the last few days tell me that itʼs hard to even think of anything negative to say about him. But you all know that. You know how true and good of man he was, and thatʼs why youʼre here.

I want you all to pull out your programs and take a look at the front. There is something on the front of this program so significant that you probably just looked right over it. Most folks do. Itʼs something so small, yet so big. The little thing Iʼm talking about it that little line, the little dash in between the dates that Papa was born on this earth and the day that he left this earth. That little dash.

That small little dash represents all of the time that Papa spent here in this world, and the many wonderful things he did while he was here. It stands for all of the smiles, the tears, the peaks and the valleys.

And that dash represents all that he was to all of us: a son, a brother, a soulmate, a father, a friend, a grandfather. And what a grandfather he was. I loved to just sit and talk to him. He reminded me the of the beauty in simplicity and the joy that comes from living a simple life. He taught me the importance of loving what you have, and not longing for what you donʼt. He was satisfied with just a cottage below, just like in the song. He taught me that life is about quality and not quantity. He was a GOOD MAN.

And he had the best stories and told them in the best way. When I went off to college, I used to love to bring my friends home and take them out to meet Grandmama and Papa. They would all tell me afterwards, “ Lindsay, you have the best family.” Many of my friends were given tutorials by Papa about the lay of the land and were told stories about the “good ole days.” And many of them would leave with one of his “do-nothings.”

Papa loved to work in his shop. He would spend hours working on projects. He was very particular and everything had to be just right and he took great pride in that. Many of you in this congregation today probably own something that Papa made, whether it be a tray or a table or a birdhouse. He made all of us grandchildren a box last year for Christmas. Let me tell you, I would rather have this little wooden box than win the lottery because I know how much time he put into making each one. I pulled mine out yesterday and was looking at how absolutely perfect it is. And then I turned it over. HANDCRAFTED BY JACK B. LYLES

He had a woodburning stamp that he hand stamped his creations with. I thought to myself, how special. And I started thinking, you know? He has his stamp on way more than just his woodworks--he has his stamp on all of us. Whether we inherited his strong work ethic, his incredible talents or his receding hairline, we all were in some way "handcrafted by Jack B. Lyles." What an incredible honor.

I can only hope that I spend my dash like my Papa Jack did. He lived life to its fullest and he loved with all of his heart. He was so proud of his four children and lit up with pride anytime he talked about Mama, Mike, Peggy or Randy. He loved us grandkids and we all know that we each made him proud in our own special ways. He said to me not too long ago, “Lindsay, youʼve done real good. Real good.”

And he adored my Grandmama. It was evident every time he looked at her that the love he had for her was the real deal. How blessed are we as a family to have parents and grandparents who loved each other like that? He was a GOOD MAN.

So in closing, Iʼd like to read to you this short little poem called “The Dash.” It is my hope that I and all of us grandchildren can be at least half the person my Papa Jack was and to continue doing “real good.”

---------------------------------------------------

The Dash Poem

by Linda Ellis

I read of a man who stood to speak At the funeral of a friend He referred to the dates on her tombstone From the beginning to the end

He noted that first came the date of her birth And spoke the following date with tears, But he said what mattered most of all Was the dash between those years

For that dash represents all the time That she spent alive on earth. And now only those who loved her Know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not how much we own; The cars, the house, the cash, What matters is how we live and love And how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard. Are there things you’d like to change? For you never know how much time is left, That can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough To consider what’s true and real And always try to understand The way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger, And show appreciation more And love the people in our lives Like we’ve never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect, And more often wear a smile Remembering that this special dash Might only last a little while.

So, when your eulogy is being read With your life’s actions to rehash Would you be proud of the things they say About how you spent your dash?

In loving memory of my wonderful Papa Jack

September 27, 1931-September 25, 2010

there was a little girl, who had a little curl...

2010-09-13T10:07:00.000-07:00

...right in the middle of her forehead.

it's a great day to be one!

2010-09-06T18:24:00.000-07:00

i recently had the pleasure of doing a photo session up on the mountain with this very photogenic family and their little boy who just turned one. i just had to share because he's sooooo darn cute!

what's LSD up to?

2010-09-02T13:22:00.000-07:00

let me start by saying that this post will have nothing to do with LSD, so if you were hoping to see illegal substance talk on my blog, sorry to disappoint. sometimes i (along with some of my friends) refer to myself as LSD because LSD is my monogram. and in south carolina, you know we monogram every.freaking.thing.

anyway, here's what LSD's been doing lately:

cooking
i've gotten back into a major cooking mood lately and have whipped up some pretty tasty stuff, including homemade blueberry muffins, a couple of cakes, shrimp and grits, and we've been grilling a good bit, too.
jeff has mastered a wonderful filet mignon recipe that i'll have to share soon.

snapping
i love photography and i love to do it when the family is as awesome on the inside and out as the shoot i did this past week. we had a lovely afternoon up on the mountain sunday afternoon. the clouds and sunset were breathtaking and the slight almost autumn breeze was divine. pics to come soon!

apple'ing
so i went a little nuts in the apple store recently. we decided we needed a new laptop. so off we went to the land of sleek white and glass. alas, we were going to make the transition from pc to mac. those folks have it going on. they know that they don't have to "hard sell" anything because the product seriously sells itself, especially after you get to walk around and play with it all. everything is so smooth and minimal. they drew me in like a moth to a flame. i won't go into everything that left in our bags with us, but let's just say we are enjoying our computer and iPads very very much.

sprucing
football season tends to bring lots of folks over to our house so i'm helping my hubs spruce up the "man cave." right now it is a mixture of college football paraphernalia and poker chips. we're working on it....

walking
i've been back into the walking thing now for several months and am getting ready to up my game and start running again. running used to be something that i did all the time in high school and college. i didn't think anything of getting out and taking a jog. now it involves a major self pep talk and giddy up and go. but i love the alone time and the chance to clear my head....no blackberry, no e-mail, no nothing. just me, the best pair of running shoes EVER and a good playlist.

hurting
that running doesn't come without consequence. getting old is NO FUN. i thought i'd be at least 60 before i said the words "my hip hurts" to my husband.

celebrating
we're overjoyed that our little maggie dog is starting to show major improvements, like wagging her tail and standing on her own. she's even moving those little back feet now. hopefully she'll be up and running again in no time. in the meantime, we are celebrating those little things we took for granted.

waiting
on college football season to start tonight. can i get a woohoo?

working
i've been super busy with my "day job." hard as it may be to believe, i spend my days in the insurance business. then i spend the rest of my time moonlighting with photography and design ventures. i've been spreading myself a little too thin lately.

painting
i got my tool bag of craft paints out today for the first time in a looooong time to work on a sign for a friend's new studio. it's starting to look lovely.

driving
a lot. i enjoy windshield time and the open road but not as much as i have been on it lately. i got a great new-to-me car in july and would rather not keep increasing the mileage by the thousands each month. but i have just started listening to howard stern on xm for the first time and it's like crack. i cannot stop listening to him, no matter how bad i want to turn the station! (and yes, i did just reference an illegal drug in this blog after all...)

jamming
i went to the ray lamontagne/david gray concert in atlanta all by myself last week (long story, but hubs had to work after all and i was not going to miss this show...) i had a great time jamming solo to two of my most favorite artists. an extra bonus--i met up with a long lost friend that i hadn't seen in 6 years, which made it even better.

shopping
while on my little road trip to atlanta for the concert, i decided to stay overnight and get up and shop the next day since atlanta tends to have a wider range of shopping choices than my little neck of the woods. (note: the words "wider range" is a major understatement. we have NOTHING HERE.)
but nonetheless, there is a lot to be said for shopping alone. i would prefer it any day over shopping with someone. sorry to my friends who shop with me. it's true. i love having no time limitations, not having to announce to someone "okay! i'm going to try this on now." and indulging in mall snacks and Sonic limeades whenever i want. whoa, i'm ranting now. um, so yeah, shopping by myself was lovely.

martha moments: shrimp and grits

2010-08-31T07:32:00.000-07:00

nothing screams southern much louder than a big, heaping bowl of shrimp and grits. it's on my top 5 list of favorite foods and it's one of those dishes that has many different variations. i don't think i've tried very many that i don't like!

for what it's worth, here's how i make mine. we had this for dinner the other night and literally scraped the bowls clean. there was not even one grit left. (can you even say "a grit", as in singular?)

carolina shrimp and grits

you'll need:

1 lb. shrimp, shells removed and deveined
3 slices bacon
3 slices Virginia deli ham
5 tsp. fresh lemon juice (use the rest of the lemon in your sweet tea :-) )
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. fresh parsley
1/2 tsp. seasoning salt
3/4 cup scallions, sliced thin

4 cups water
1 cup of grits or polenta
3 Tbsp. salted butter
1/2 cup shredded gouda
1/2 cup shredded havarti
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar

To make grits:

Bring water to a boil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add grits and cook until water is absorbed, about 20 to 25 minutes. Set aside and stir in butter, gouda and havarti.

To prepare shrimp:

Clean shrimp well under running water and dry with paper towel.

In a large skillet, fry the bacon and brown the ham until all is browned. Drain well, reserving grease. Set bacon and ham aside. Return grease to pan with the shrimp and cook until pink. Add lemon juice, seasoning salt, parsley, scallions and garlic. Chop up ham and bacon into small pieces and add to shrimp mixture. Saute in pan for 3-4 minutes.

Pour grits into serving bowls and top with shrimp mixture. Top each bowl with a pinch of sharp cheddar.

Bon appetit!

five senses friday

2010-08-13T08:44:00.000-07:00

i promise i have more things to blog about, but for now...

Today...

i love the smell of
the parking lot of Sonic. it always smells like a carnival to me.

i love the sound of
steel drums. it instantly transports me to the caribbean.

i love the taste of
diet cherry limeade from...you guessed it...Sonic.

i love the sight of
lightning.

i love the feel of
the new Incredible bra by victoria's secret. it really is incredible!

photo courtesy of bobsadviceforstocks.tripod.com

five senses friday

2010-08-06T06:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Diary,

Today...

i love the smell of
anything that comes out of my Keurig. gosh, i love that thing. the perfect cup of coffee every time!

i love the sound of
rain against my window.

i love the taste of
good ole coca cola. the real coke, not diet. just every now and then.

i love the sight of
the mountains every single morning.

i love the feel of
the slight glimpse of fall in the air that we got last weekend. 27 days until kickoff!

five senses friday

2010-07-31T08:49:00.000-07:00

every friday, i'm going to post a "dear diary" piece that i'm going to call "five senses friday." i can't take any credit for this; i saw it on lovely blog, Dancing Branflakes, and i thought it was such a neat idea. so here goes. feel free to comment and post yours as well!

footnote: yeah, yeah, so i know today isn't even friday but i forgot to publish it yesterday. stick with me here. it's been a long week!

Dear Diary,

Today...

i love the smell of
a newborn infant's head, particularly this one sweet baby named kyla.

i love the sound of
my sweet maggie's bark.

i love the taste of
fresh tomatoes from the garden with salt and pepper.

i love the sight of
my brother as a father.

i love the feel of
high thread count bamboo sheets fresh out of the dryer.

now, it's your turn. what are your five senses this week?

sweet weenie

2010-07-29T07:00:00.000-07:00

my sweet weenie dog, maggie, woke up to a not-so-good thing saturday morning. she went outside, did her thing and then came in and couldn't walk. bam. just like that. her back legs would hardly function.

we took her to the only vet in the area that was open on saturday mornings and he proceeded to give her a steroid shot in her back and advised that we keep close eye on her over the course of the week to make sure the condition didn't get worse. and if it did, surgery may be required. but wait a week, then reassess.

well, thank goodness we are educated people with a somewhat good dose of common sense and we looked into this "disk disease" on the internet. according to every single article we read, this disease is very common in dachshunds and is most often referred to as IVDD. and it's serious. everything said that if surgery was to be done, it HAD to be done in the first 24 hours of onset. if not, the dog would have a 5% chance or less of ever walking again. paralysis, people.

and the vet that morning mentioned nothing of the sort.

so we bundled her up in her snuggie and took her to an animal emergency hospital about an hour from home. a neurosurgeon was called in and confirmed that we had made the right decision. maggie was rushed into emergency surgery, as one of her disks had ruptured. at this point, she had no movement in her back legs at all, nor was her tail wagging. the doctor explained that since the surgery was being done in that 24 hour window that her chances of walking again were around 95%. had we waited till sunday (or heaven forbid a week), not so much.

so that was saturday. today is thursday.

maggie is home and is slowly showing small movements in her back legs. bless her sweet heart. she is doing well, but certainly has a long road ahead of her.

if you have a weenie dog, it is so important that you do everything you can to keep them from jumping on and off furniture and going up and down stairs continually. their little backs are so delicate and they are the #1 breed of dog that is susceptible to this disease. we were fortunate that we did our research, didn't trust the first opinion and were financially able to do this for our sweet dog.

with that said, maggie would like to show off her battle wounds....

welcome home surprises

2010-07-28T13:42:00.000-07:00

to help welcome my brother's new little family home, i thought i'd go over while they were still in the hospital and hang some curtains.

easier said than done.

if you know me at all, you know that i cannot just stop there. their walls were blank and they gave me their blessing to do as i wanted. anytime someone tells me, "go ahead, i trust you," ...it's like music to my ears.

so i hung the curtains. and then i kept going.
and in the end, they came home to:

...a new wreath on their front door

...new pillows for the couches...


...a revamped lamp (this is the before) ...and this is the after. i just wrapped it with some spray adhesive and sisal and voila!

...a new side table, mirror and decorative urn that i loooove...

...some new handpainted artwork that is going to be hung above the desk, along with some new shelves...

...a new ficus tree, doormats and framed prints of them

...and of course, new curtains!

mama and i worked hard to get it all done before they got home and luckily we got just about everything accomplished.

they already had a great house and now it's a lovely home.

meet kyla jane

2010-07-26T13:14:00.000-07:00

our beautiful, absolutely perfect niece

kyla jane

born 7/18/10

12:52 a.m.

7 lb 12 oz

20 inches

summer party 2: mama's surprise retirement party

2010-07-13T07:25:00.000-07:00

a week after the big bbq shindig, i threw mama a surprise retirement party. yes, i tried to do too much in a matter of a week, but it was so much fun! and i left for a week of nothing but waves and sand the very next weekend, so it was all good...

so, mom finally ended a 32 35 year teaching career....teaching elementary school, mind you. there are a lot of teachers in my family, but i can honestly say that i absolutely got NONE of that "educatin'" gene. God bless her and all those teachers out there because goodness knows what they have to put up with!

she truly had no idea that we had organized a surprise for her...she thought she was going to a baby shower for ashton (we sent her a fake invite in the mail) so, she bit the bait and arrived at her own party with a baby gift in hand. priceless!

arriving....confused....

...annnnd she's figured it out!

the venue before the party started-isn't it pretty? it's the old train depot in my hometown of westminster, sc. unfortunately, some jerkwad burned it down a few years ago, but the town completely rebuilt it. the colors are gorgeous and the floors are original. they un-nailed each board and flipped them over, so now the burned part is on the underside...cool, huh?

decoration-wise, i made martha stewart's pom poms (always perfect for any occasion and so easy to make) and i also made a pennant banner with black construction paper and chalk. what can i say?

i like cheap and cute. :-)

the theme was granny smith apple green and black. of course it had to have an apple theme!

(so original, i know...)

a close up of the banner (click it make it bigger)

the entrance table

no time to make 70-something caramel apples, but these caramel apple suckers did just the trick!

i used handwriting paper to write little placards on.

petey penguin comes to every major family event/holiday. he's a member of the family.

long story--i'll share it with you one day.

i went online and made a crossword puzzle with facts about mama for everyone to do while they were waiting on her to get there. they were a hit!

pencils for the crossword stuck

down in alphabet dry pasta

instead of a traditional guest book i bought "the giving tree" by shel silverstein and had everyone write personal messages to mom throughout the book as a keepsake for her.

the start of the food table--i used mini chalkboards from michael's to note what was what. i also used granny smith apples in vases with sticks to carry the theme through.

...and can i just say that deli spirals from costco are a MUST for any event? they are a lifesaver!

and gooooooood!

of course we had to have a slideshow!

zack practicing his daddy-ing skills on sweet little parker

mama with papa and grandmama

all of the teacher buddies

happy retirement to my wonderful mother!

summer party 1: the bbq shindig

2010-07-12T21:03:00.000-07:00

last month, i threw 2 parties within 7 days of each other.

i am still recovering.

looking back, it was a whirlwind of trips to wal-mart, michael's and costco. but planning events is so fun to me and these two were worth every bead of sweat!

the first party was for zack and ashton, who, as you may remember got married in May in florida. since many of their friends and family weren't able to make the trip from south carolina to florida, they had a reception, so-to-speak, here at our house. it was the first time we'd put big tents out on the lawn and pulled out all the stops--and it was great!

the invitations i did were so fun and i loved how they turned out...mainly because i couldn't have made these for just anyone. it fit them just perfect!

black eyed peas and candles in mason jars with a bandana for centerpieces

one of zack's friends with a message to him on a bottle of, um, er, well let's just say it's

a very strong adult beverage that just might be made from corn and that frequents parties and gatherings in the southern area of the U.S. :-)

as the sun starts to go down, the fun is getting ready to start

silly bands and bettin' games...doesn't get much better!

the newlyweds!

note: i was pretty much prohibited from posting anymore pics because they were all so hilarious and slightly incriminating.

glad to finally celebrate with the new couple as they start their new life together. and i was also glad to see them get lots and lots of great gifts for their house!

congrats, z&a!

fit for a princess

2010-07-06T19:47:00.000-07:00

with the birth of my new niece rapidly approaching (as in, like, the next 2 weeks...), i spent my day yesterday getting her nursery in top form. i personally don't care for the ruffly pink, foo foo, everything-has-to-match, "theme-y" nursery.* and thankfully, my sis-in-law agrees. another great things about the sis-in-law is that she could really care less what the finished product looked like, so long as it is done. she pretty much let me do as i wanted in there and luckily she loved it!

*please note that there is nothing wrong with ruffly pink nurseries, it's just not my preference! i'm sure if you have one that it's lovely.

while the little niece is still yet unnamed, her title will aptly be princess. i mean, any baby girl with a chandelier in their nursery is bound to be nothing but.....

teamwork!...and a glimpse of the pretty furniture

little sophie dog is in for a bad surprise when the baby gets here and she realizes that this is not her bouncy seat...

the crib's on backorder (yikes!), but just imagine it right there under those lovely limbs...

i love the simplicity. it's girly without being "ruffly." it's airy and light. the chandelier casts the best shadows that are way cooler than any mobile i could've put in there. it's simple without being plain.

it's just missing a beautiful baby girl who's already loved so very much...

...and her crib.

martha moments: mama's crockpot lasagna

2010-06-11T05:28:00.000-07:00

perfect.

crockpot.

easy.

so easy you don't even have to cook the noodles.

makes house smell yummy.

italian.

requires little to no cooking skill.

but yet tastes like you have tons of cooking skill.

perfect for entertaining.

delicious.

mama's crockpot lasagna

you'll need:

1 lb. ground beef

1 onion, finely chopped

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 (29 ounce) can tomato sauce

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 (12 ounce) package lasagna noodles

12 ounces cottage cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

16 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

directions:

In a large skillet over medium heat cook the ground beef, onion, and garlic until brown. Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, salt, and oregano and stir until well mixed. cook until heated through.
In a large bowl mix together the cottage cheese, grated parmesan cheese, and shredded mozzarella cheese.it's easiest just to mix it with your bare hands.
Spoon a layer of the meat mixture onto the bottom of the slow cooker. add a double layer of the uncooked lasagna noodles. break to fit noodles into slow cooker. top noodles with a portion of the cheese mixture. repeat the layering of sauce, noodles, and cheese until all the ingredients are used. meat sauce mixture should end up on top.
cover, and cook on LOW setting for 4 to 6 hours.

bon appetit!

painting cabinets 101

2010-06-09T15:11:00.000-07:00

as promised, here's my cabinet painting 101, and how fitting, with this being the 101st post!

now, this is how i painted my cabinets. please know that just because i did it this way does not make it the right way to do it.

first, let me just say that my objective in this project was to obtain crisp, white cabinets:

1. ...without taking them down

2. ...without sanding them like crazy and drowning my house in sawdust

3. ...in as little time as humanly possible* without hiring someone to do it

*this translated to not painting the insides of the cabinets...didn't bother me one bit to leave that step out!

and yes, i would do it this way all over again. it wasn't hard, just time consuming and frustrating because having the kitchen in shambles affected my psyche. by no means am i o.c.d.; in fact most people who know me well know that i'm about as laid back as it gets. my clothes are not hanging in color code, nor would i encourage anyone to eat off my floors, but i do like my kitchen to be in order because it's the heart of our home. this little project taught me that as much as i love and admire exposed shelving in kitchens versus traditional cabinets with doors, it is just not for me. i'm just not that neat.

here's how it all went down.

1. draw a diagram of cabinets. label each door on the back as you take them down with the number corresponding on the diagram. (yes, i swear i'm really not o.c.d....!) but this little trick made it so much easier to figure out which door went where when putting them back up.

my codes:

D--drawer

B--bottom cabinet door

T--top cabinet door

genius, i know.

2. clean all doors and all cabinet frames thoroughly with greased lightning.

3. degloss everything with this better-than-magic stuff.

this liquid deglosser came by recommendation of a cabinet professional who came out to assess the farmhouse sink "situation." follow directions on the bottle just as they say. this step essentially takes the place of sanding, praise God!

4. choose your paint. i used sherwin williams pro classic acrylic latex in alabaster.

5. then add Floetrol (can be purchase at any paint or home improvement store). mix into paint according to directions on the bottle. it eliminates brush marks completely and works GREAT.

5. cover up floors and countertops with plastic or a drop cloth.

6. paint, paint, paint. we first painted the frame of the cabinets with a sponge roller, then did the doors last.

i did 3 coats.

7. once dry, rehang all doors according to your handy-dandy diagram and add new hardware if you like.

8. pour yourself a big 'ole glass of sweet tea and enjoy the view!

post 100: the kitchen reveal

2010-06-07T05:32:00.000-07:00

before:

after:

we are loving the new kitchen. it's been a work in progress pretty much over the past year. we upgraded the appliances last summer and then upgraded to this fabulous new granite (thanks, Trey Sandifer!) this spring.

painting those cabinets was something else, let me tell you! my chiropractor has benefitted greatly from this re-do! i'll do another post on the repainting process in the next few days. it certainly was a lot more budget friendly than buying all new ones, that's for sure.

and i just had to include a pic of my hydrangeas. we've lived here almost 7 years now and i don't think they've ever been prettier.

martha moments: aunt janice's shrimp

2010-05-11T19:19:00.001-07:00

delicious. that's all i gotta say.
aunt janice is a wonderful cook and it makes me smile to think about her every time i make this.

try it.

aunt janice's shrimp

*note: this makes a LOT of shrimp, so you may want to cut the recipe in half.

**another note: is EXCELLENT served over linguine with crusty french bread to "sop" with. :-)

Ingredients:

5 lbs unpeeled shrimp

1 ½ cup butter

8 oz. bottle Italian salad dressing

1/2 c. lemon juice

1/2 c. white wine (dry chardonnay is good)

¼ cup olive oil

2-3 cloves garlic, minced (I put more)

1 tsp. hot sauce (or more if you want spicier)

1 T. Worcestershire

3 T. ground black pepper

½ tsp. red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 350. Wash shrimp and drain well. Melt butter in 3 qt. casserole dish.

Add dressing, lemon juice, olive oil, wine, garlic, hot sauce, pepper, red pepper flakes and Worcestershire sauce.

Stir. Add shrimp.

Bake covered 35-45 minutes until shrimp are pink. (You may need to open the oven and stir occasionally).

...and that gives you, oh, close to an hour while they're cooking to find something to do with the rest of that bottle of wine you just opened.....

the vacation coma

2010-05-11T09:19:00.000-07:00

sorry it's been so long since the last post! i have been out of town since the 28th of april and am slowing coming out of the vacation coma--you know, that fuzzy lapse of time between getting home and actually being productive again? yeah, that's where i'm at.

my brother's wedding was 100%, positively, absolutely beautiful. they were married on the beach in destin, florida. the sky, the water and the sand all seemed to be the same hazy color and the clouds were just blowing like crazy above, like they were chasing each other. it was a simple, sweet ceremony and my heart is full knowing that they are happy and in love.

afterwards, everyone came back to our beach rental and we had a laid back reception in the back yard around the pool. unfortunately, zack's "friend" who was supposed to come and cook for everyone bailed 2 days before the wedding, so my mom and i whipped up an awesome meal for 30 people just.like.that. event planner extraordinaires.

zack wanted aunt janice's shrimp as an appetizer.

a baked spaghetti so big and so heavy that my dad had to get it out of the oven!

...along with the biggest salad i think i've ever made--complete with au naturel decor we got off one of the palms outside.

i forgot to take a pic of the shrek punch, probably because it was gone so quickly, but i'll post a recipe for that, too. it makes the prettiest, brightest green color (hence the name) and was so pretty with pineapple slices for garnish. (and was especially good if you had some out of the pitcher that we spiked.....)

luckily, the house we stayed in had really cool serving pieces using as decoration around the tops of their cabinets so we were able to be resourceful and use all of their tropical, colorful bowls and platters for what we needed. likewise, we hauled out the artificial plants and palms and the furniture from inside to outside to use.

we used the glass breakfast table and a grass hula skirt as the table skirt for the cake table.

and here's the sofa table from inside that we used to put the wedding favors and signing plate on. (you're listening to the cd right now, by the way.) it was an awesome combination of the songs they used in the wedding, along with some of their personal favorites. they were a hit! some to note:

ashton walked into "heavenly day" by patty griffin. it is a MUST download if you don't already have it. i told her that if that song had been out when i got married, it is most definitely what i would have used myself. but it wasn't out then. neither was digital photography. moving on.

they walked out to....wait for it......the chorus of "good hearted woman" by waylon jennings. you know the one..."she's a good hearted woman in love with a good timin' man..." it was SO them.

after all the excitement, we were pooped and decided to stay the next week in Destin because it is just so darn nice down there. we spent our time doing a whole lot of nothing and it was perfect. fun times with a fun family.

thank goodness i brought my tripod!
from l to r: my hubs, me, my mom, my dad, my new sister in law and my brother

i even read these books:

Little Bee by Chris Cleave

i'm not sure how i even picked this one out at barnes and noble...it was just sitting out of place on a shelf and the cover intrigued me, so i bought it. it was a hauntingly beautiful read and very well written. i've always said that a good book/movie is one that you are still thinking about days and weeks later. this is one of those.

The Shack by William Young

i think i'm the only person in the free world who hadn't yet read this one, and i can't honestly say i even "read" it because we rented it on audio cd at a cracker barrel in alabama and listened to it the whole way down and the whole way back. if i had to describe it in one word: deep. but i got it. i'd like to re-read it, with my eyes and not my ears, and see what more i could get from it. i thought it was a beautiful book, but found myself questioning a lot of the way the author personified the Trinity and how he perceived revelation. but i won't get into that.

so, that brings us back to the real world. vacation coma almost over, allergies back in full swing and the huge stack of mail FINALLY sorted through.

up next--several projects---finishing up the kitchen remodel (which i promise to post pics of just as soon as it's done) and starting zack & ashton's nursery. just wait till you see it. can't wait to have it all done!

my other love

2010-04-24T15:57:00.000-07:00

my camera is my second love. i think i love photography even more than i love decorating. it's a verrry tight race, though!

my brother and his fiancee asked if i would take their engagement pictures last weekend and i was honored to do it. here's a glimpse into some of the many we took up at my family's farm. it was a gorgeous sunday evening and the colors of the sunset were perfect.

and i've got money bet on it that my new little niece is going to be absolutely gorgeous. with these two as parents, how can she not?

martha moments: cake in a mug

2010-04-13T12:20:00.000-07:00

okay, so this may beat the diet coke cupcakes, y'all.

and it only makes one a time, so you're not stuck being tempted with the remaining dozen plus cupcakes you have sitting on the kitchen counter.

it's too easy.

you'll need:

1 microwavable coffee mug

1/3 cup cake mix, you choose the flavor

3 T. water

Combine cake mix and water in a mug (no need to spray with cooking spray).

Microwave for 1 minute.

that's it. seriously!

I made the white cake mix one today for a snack and according to my calculations, it was 75 calories, and .75g fat.

...and 100% worth all 60 seconds it took to make it!

notes:

store the rest of the cake mix in a sealed container or ziploc bag.

for a spongier, less dense cake, mix angel food cake mix and the regular cake mix in a ziploc bag and use 1/3 cup of that mixture instead of straight up cake mix.

have to have chocolate on top? drizzle with Hershey's chocolate syrup

things from my bff, goodwill

2010-04-07T09:44:00.000-07:00

as you know, i'm thisclose to my fav store, goodwill. (remember how i did the super genius comparison to social groups? )

yeah, well, my bff didn't disappoint me on my last round there, either.

here, a, um, lovely floral print that cost all of a quarter.

and after some chalkboard paint...

it's going in my friend lindsay's cutie patootie house!

and more treasure..an old bill sorter, a cute wooden pedestal bowl, silver candlesticks, a vase and a lantern

loved those vintage silver candlesticks....aged just right, so i didn't do anything to them. they just found a new place on my mantle. the little lantern got a candle and is added to my back porch and the cute little glass vase is perfect for holding skewer sticks for s'mores by the fire pit!

the little wooden pedestal became a perfect orange stand. and that little owl beside it? oh yeah, 10 cents plus a few sprays of turquoise paint. whooooo thinks he's cute?

and the wooden bill sorter became a sorting station for coupons, stamps and bills:

the only thing i did with this cool, vintage maryland tray was ship it off to my friend, jenn, up in her new state of maryland! (you should get it TODAY, jenn!) :-)

and last, but certainly not least, is a little chair that i couldn't pass up for $5. it looked pretty ratty before i spray painted it and used up the remnants of my bird fabric. unfortunately, i forgot to take a before photo of it, but i'll paint you mental picture. very beat up, chestnut brown with a peach colored chair pad. yeah, not cute. but it sure is now!

oh, goodwill, i love you so. it's getting pretty serious, will you accept half of my necklace?

the farmhouse sink that just wouldn't fit

2010-03-28T12:17:00.000-07:00

alas, i bought a farmhouse sink. a realllly nice one. and then we got the down low from a contractor. basically it would make the storage space below non-existent and wouldn't shorten the cabinet doors below to near midge-sized, so we have decided to pass. when we decide to custom build a home in the future, we'll incorporate one into that kitchen, but I'm not willing to just let this take up precious garage space until then.

(file photo from Kohler)

so here's my craigslist posting for it--and yes, to the out-of-towners, we'll ship! it was a non-returnable purchase so we can't take it back and get a refund. so here's your chance to own a lovely, white, still-in-the-box Kohler fireclay farmhouse sink.

it's lovely, it really is.

http://greenville.craigslist.org/hsh/1665516184.html

martha moments: bikini-friendly, diet coke cupcakes

2010-03-21T13:21:00.000-07:00

cupcakes are among my 5 top favorite foods. ask my husband. he'll ask what i want for dinner some nights and my reply? cupcakes. when we go to nyc, one of the tippy top things on my list is to go here. sugary bliss.

i love cupcakes for many reasons...first off, because they're small. and i like small, cute things. secondly, because you can make so many different kinds and can decorate them so many ways. third, they're beyond comforting and bring back memories of birthdays and skating rink parties. and lastly, because they taste like heaven in a crimped paper wrapper.

in an effort to be healthier, i made cupcakes today using a new method that cuts out the eggs and the oil. they are really easy to make (2 ingredients!) and invoke much, much less guilt. :-)

you'll need:

first, pick a box of cake mix. any cake mix. for today, i used yellow.

second, add 1 can of diet soda, whatever flavor you want. i used diet ginger ale today.

a general rule of thumb is to mix dark sodas with dark cake mixes and light sodas with light cake mixes.

to make:

combine the mix and soda.

(i feel so weird saying "soda," as we

southerners call anything carbonated "coke...")

it will look all weird and foamy, but it'll settle down.

pour into cupcake paper lined muffin tin and bake according to the directions on the back

of the cake mix box.

yum!

other variations i'm going to try:

yellow cake>>>diet orange crush

chocolate cake>>>diet cherry coke or diet cherry vanilla dr. pepper

yellow cake>>>diet cream soda

devil's food cake>>>diet cherry coke

strawberry cake mix...diet cream soda

now of course, the icing is another story. i just topped mine with a little whipped cream on top and it looks perfect! now time to cuddle up on the couch and watch new moon again!

i hope all of you have had a great weekend! i got some good finds at the thrift stores yesterday that i'll have to share with you later this week. :-)

the {not so} little cabin in the woods

2010-03-09T17:59:00.000-08:00

a couple of weekends ago, we spent a long weekend up in the mountains of sevierville, tennessee with some good friends of ours. it was nice to sleep late, not answer cell phones, temporarily ditch our diets and just escape for a little while.

the cabin was so beautiful. it was out in the middle of nowhere and overlooking ranges upon ranges of snow-covered mountains.

it had 3 master bedrooms, so none of us had to draw straws, which is always nice!

and it had this.

that's right, a two-story stacked riverstone fireplace with a back-lit antique stained glass window. is it not gorgeous?

and it had a big ole steamy hot tub outside, which we got to enjoy while it was snowing...

and even though it had a roof over it, with the snow whirling about, we had to walk back (~~uphill, backwards,~~ barefooted!) in the snow to get back in the cabin.

oh, i almost forgot! it also had this.

oh yeah, it's a very special husband up bright and early at, ahem,1 p.m. in his cowboy button up shirt, flannel jammy pants and his boots. one leg in, one leg out, just sitting and solving all of the problems of the world. isn't he just darlin?

and i'll leave you with one last photo that i managed to snap with my phone on the way home.

tell us what you really think, department of transportation!

too funny.

martha moments: chocolate eclair pie

2010-03-08T18:36:00.000-08:00

last week, it was another birthday for the hubs! he and i have both been working so hard lately that we decided to go way low-key and have dinner with his family at the local pizza joint. he's not a huge dessert person, but he always orders eclairs if they are ever a choice.

so, instead of the normal birthday cake, i made him a chocolate eclair pie. it's so, so good! i just stuck candles in the top and voila! instant birthday and one happy birthday boy!

happy birthday to my sweet hubby, who just gets better and better with age. not that he reads this blog or anything, but if he should happen to stalk in one day, i love you, babe!

chocolate eclair pie

You'll need:
1 box of graham crackers
3 cups cold milk
2 packs/boxes of instant vanilla pudding mix
8 oz. container of whipped cream, thawed
1 can/container of chocolate frosting

to make:

In a 13x9 casserole dish, take 1 of the 3 packs of graham crackers that come in the box and layer them in a single, flat layer.

Mix milk, pudding and whipped cream well.

Put half of pudding mixture on top of the graham crackers.

Top with the 2nd pack of graham crackers.

Top with remaining pudding mixture, then finish with the last pack of grahams.

Spread the chocolate frosting over the top.

Cover and chill for at least 4 hours.

caught in a trap

2010-03-01T17:10:00.000-08:00

photo courtesy of Lowe's Creative Ideas

have you seen this awesome DIY project in the new Lowe's Creative Ideas?

it's lil' ole' mouse traps! made into memo holders! how genius! i love it so much that not only am i going to end every freakin' sentence in this post with exclamation marks, but i'm also going to make some this weekend!

seriously, these could be used to hold grocery lists, coupons, business cards, paint chips, the list goes on and on.

mama, you are going to love making these for all your little school children, aren't you? i can already see your wheels turning.

click here see the how-to.

!!!!!!

martha moments: barbecups

2010-02-19T05:42:00.000-08:00

anytime i ask my husband what he wants for dinner, his first reponse is always "barbecups!" (well, not really...his first response is usually, "i don't care." but then that quickly changes to "ooh, barbecups!") the man loves his barbecue sauce. i swear, i think if i poured it over vanilla ice cream, he'd think it was the best sundae he's ever had.

ewww.

barbecups

you'll need:

1 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 cup bbq sauce (we like KC masterpiece regular for this)
1 T. brown sugar
1 T. minced onion
1 lg. can flaky biscuits
3/4 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Brown ground beef and drain. Return to heat with the bbq sauce, sugar and minced onion. Cook until heated through.

Press a biscuit into each cup of an ungreased muffin tin, pressing the dough up the sides to make a cup.

Fill with meat mixture and top with cheese. Bake 10-15 minutes at 400 or until golden brown.

*For parties/entertaining, you can use mini muffin tins. Just cut the biscuit into quarters and press one quarter into each mini muffin cup. Makes cute (and good!) appetizers.

lacy vase

2010-02-13T12:26:00.000-08:00

lacy pink nightie.....check.

5 gorgeous full roses.....check.

a sweet Valentine's Day card.....check.

2 cans of spray paint, a leftover can and some tape.....check.

(insert sound of screeching brakes here)

what?

throw it all together and here's what you get:

okay, so here's something i found at a thrift store with no intentions, again i repeat, no intentions of ever wearing. there are many things i can find second use for from thrift stores and whatnot, but lingerie and underwear just isn't one of them.

i bought it for $1 with this project in mind.

after washing it (twice), i started cutting the lace off the bottom (wearing rubber gloves just in case, mind you.)

then i took this leftover can from some wonderful pirouettes that i did NOT eat with ice cream and coffee... :-)

i first spray painted the can turquoise and let that dry. then i wrapped it with the lace, taping the lace at the seam on the can.

then i spray painted on top of that white and let it dry.

i removed the lace and voila! a shabby little vase just perfect for some flowers!

this sweet little gift is going with me tomorrow to my MeMa who is in the nursing home. roses are her favorite flower and when they're dried up, she can use the little vase to put other things in next to her bed.

oh, and here's what the nightie looks like now.

oh, my poor hubby. his wife buys sexy lingerie and cuts it up for DIY projects. and she does those projects in the most unsexy flannel jammy pants and old sweatshirts she owns.

{sigh.}

thankfully, he loves me just the same.

so that you can all see just how cute he is....here's me and my valentine.

happy V day!

better after

2010-02-09T16:38:00.000-08:00

the old legs project is featured on one of my favorite blogs today! lindsey over at better after has the coolest blog and i love having a daily look-see at what other people have transformed!

and if you've ventured into the dance circle here at dancing through life for the first time, welcome!
the blog isn't by any means new, but up until now, it's been kind of obscure.

so i'd be much obliged if you'd like to follow! (click below the cool frame thingy that pleads "PLEASE FOLLOW ME.")

many thanks to my 9 faithful readers up to this point. ha!

z lovely deer

2010-02-08T07:21:00.001-08:00

on a recent trip to z gallerie, one of my most favorite stores, i spied this lovely deer.

i started trying to figure out where i would put it and convinced myself that i needed it. until i looked at the price tag. homegirl was not going to spend $250. there was no way to justify it.

{complete sidetrack}: this got me thinking about the parallels between shopping and friendships. it's no secret that my "real" favorite stores are goodwill and habitat for humanity and yard sales. it's like they're my true friends. my "go to for anything in the world" friends. on the other hand, z gallerie and anthropologie and pottery barn are the popular group. i kind of want to be friends with them, but am not willing to give up my sense of self in order to do so. i still like 'em....just not enough to pay to be their friends. i just watch them closely to see what they're sporting these days and then find my own (cheaper) version and look equally as cool.

{quick disclaimer}: yes, i think i have had way too much coffee this morning.

moving on.

in the end, i did not fork over $250 for the lovely lacquered deer. but i won't lie. i did think about that deer. a lot. i even pondered just buying it with my Christmas money. i went on the website to buy it and it was sold out. i chalked it up to "not meant to be."

then it dawned on me.

i could MAKE my own lovely deer.

so i found this one:

+added some of this+

=
and got this.

call me crazy, but i love it!

...and i didn't as much "doe." (pun SO intended.)

now, be a ~~deer~~ dear and leave a comment as to
what should i name him?

my {beautiful} white legs

2010-02-02T06:13:00.000-08:00

what? did you think this was a post about my favorite spray tanners?

quite the contrary!

several people have e-mailed me asking just what those things are on top of the armoire in our bedroom.

well, they're beautiful, old chair legs. i found them on a sunday junkin' trip in georgia. the whole box was just $10.

to make the lovely armoire topper, i simply bought them, spray painted them cream, sanded to rough them up and placed them in a vintage wire letter basket.

before:

after, close up:

don't you just love it when things find you?

martha moments: bbq apple chicken in the crockpot

2010-01-28T19:46:00.001-08:00

a must try! and so easy!

bbq apple chicken in the crockpot

you'll need:

3-4 chicken breasts
1/2 cup bbq sauce
1-2 apples--cored, peeled and grated (any variety will do, i tried it with granny smith)
juice of 1 lemon
6-8 slices of bacon
salt and pepper to taste

Wrap 2 pieces of bacon around each chicken breast and place in bottom of crockpot.

Mix grated apples, lemon juice and bbq sauce in a small bowl and pour over chicken.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

the rug in the bedroom, part deux

2010-01-24T11:00:00.000-08:00

here's an update on the rug in the bedroom--if you remember, i was having a dilemma as to where to put it...or if to put one at all?

well i did. and i love it.

here's the finished product. (and a couple more pics so you can see the big picture!)

now, you know all bloggers love comments, so what do y'all think?

martha moments: french onion soup in the crockpot

2010-01-12T14:50:00.000-08:00

i love a crockpot. that's no news to you. there's just something fabulous about putting things into a wonderful pot, plugging it in, going to work and coming home knowing that dinner is READY. it's close to magical.

if you want this one for dinner, make sure to make it in the morning, as the total cook time is 8 hours.

this one's a keeper if you love french onion soup. (i do, i do!)

you'll need:

1 large sweet onion (Vidalias work great), thinly sliced
1/4 cup butter, cut into cubes
2 cans (14.5 oz each) of beef broth
2 Tablespoons sherry or additional beef broth if you don't want to use sherry
1/2 tsp. pepper
4 slices of French bread, toasted
4 slices of Provolone cheese

1. Spray the crockpot with cooking spray lightly, then place the sliced onions and butter in the pot. Cover and cook just the onion and butter on low for 6 hours or until the onion is tender.

2. Stir in broth, sherry and pepper. Cover and cook an additional 2 hours.

3. Ladle soup into serving bowls (oven safe, see below) and top with slice of toasted french bread and cheese.

4. I like to then pop the bowl into the oven under the broiler for a few minutes until the cheese gets all bubbly.

somebody has a birthday today.....

2010-01-08T05:32:00.000-08:00

so here's what's for dinner:

some slices of these

plus a bit of this

spread on to these {resolution-friendly} thingies

and grilled in this

with one of these on top

...it's a dinner fit for a king!

happy 75th birthday to Elvis!

Christmas '09 recap (pic heavy!)

2010-01-04T09:42:00.001-08:00

where did the holidays go? one minute i was having my latte out of the special, red holiday cup from Starbucks, now, back to the plain ole white one. it reminds of the line from the wizard of oz, "my! things come and go so quickly around here!" Christmas did come and go so fast, but we tried to stretch it out and celebrate as much as we could!

this year found us celebrating Christmas together for the first time since we've been married. how is this, you ask? well, jeff has worked every single Christmas for the past seven years. here's a pic from last year's' Christmas morning...me and my invisible husband!

but this year was different. and it was SO nice to have him home. it makes me really hurt for those husbands and wives who have spouses serving in the military not just on holidays, but every single day.

one of my favorite parts of the holidays is the music and the decorating. i love getting the house all Christmasy smelling, lit up and cozy. it's my happy place.

this year, it was our turn to host Christmas eve for Jeff's family at our house. we always have a big dinner, and this year, we decided to require everyone to wear pajamas. not only because it made for cute pictures, but also because pj pants have elastic waistbands, so everyone could eat as much as they wanted!

so here's how our Christmas went down:

to start, i sent out these invitations. i know, i'm a dork, but i love stuff like this!

and here are some pics of the house all gussied up! man, i wish we could leave it up all year long.

the living room:

the main tree:

the mantle (and check out our new easel from mom and dad...for playing Pictionary!)

the dining room tree:

table's all set!

view from jeff's head of the table seat. i surprised everyone with personalized pics of themselves as their place card.

handmade wreath that i worked on for 3 solid hours (but it was worth it!)

the scene on Christmas eve

We basically chilled on Christmas Day and enjoyed the drizzle and gray. My family came over Christmas night for our annual Christmas Miracle dinner. The miracle is the spaghetti that mama makes (long story.) Next Christmas will be even more of a miracle dinner, as Zack's girlfriend, Ashton, is expecting and due the day before my birthday. It will be fun to have a little one at the table next year. :-)

Here's Zack with his slippers mom got him. She didn't realize there were two different slippers in the box!

Ashton and her new windchimes:

Mama and Daddy

our new black bear ornament...to remember our encounter with a big black bear earlier this year in Tennessee!

And the next day, we went to visit Mema and then on to my Grandmama and Papa's to finish out all the celebrating.

Daddy and Mema

Grandmama sharing her new photobook with Don

Jennifer with her new cookbook. we had cookbooks made this year with all of Grandmama's best recipes in them to give to all of the grandkids. they were a hit!

grandmama and her fried pies...one of the many things that caused my pants to be too tight this morning, i'm sure!

What a whirlwind of fun! Now we are back to the real world, the decorations are all down and safely in the Christmas closet until next year. the fattening foods are all eaten and carrots and celery and Boca burgers now take their place in the fridge.

a new year has begun and we wish you all a healthy, prosperous 2010~

martha moments: Marmalade's white bean soup

2009-12-22T16:31:00.000-08:00

while on vacation in puerto rico this year, we were fortunate enough to eat at marmalade restaurant in old san juan. let me tell you, if you are heading to puerto rico anytime in your future, you must add this to your list. i think it's the most money we have EVER spent on dinner ( or any meal, for that matter... ) but it was out of this world. it's right on up there with bobby flay's mesa grill, a place that i have often referred to as "last meal-worthy."

one stand out at marmalade was the white bean soup, which is one of their signature items ("signature" meaning if-you-leave-this-place-without-having-this-soup-you-are-a-freaking-Idiocrates.)

the waiter was kind enough to share the recipe with us, and so i'm passing it along to you. it looks complicated, but i promise, it's not. and it's worth every. single. step.

Marmalade's White Bean Soup

Note: This recipe yields about 8 quarts of soup (if you can't visualize 8 quarts, I'll make it simple....it's a LOT.) You need a big stockpot to make this soup (or 2 large ones.) Having said that, it does freeze well, so you can either half the recipe or make it all and freeze some, like I do.

You'll need:

2 lb. bag of dried navy beans, soaked in water for 24 hours
12-14 slices of smoked bacon
2 stalk of celery, chopped
1 large white or yellow onion, minced
5 cloves garlic, peeled and whole
2 stems fresh thyme
1 gallon chicken stock
1/4 lb. butter
1 cup heavy cream

Salt & pepper to taste

1/2 cup thinly sliced chives
4 tbsp. black truffle oil
1/4 cup bacon "dust"

Cook the bacon in a microwave on ridged bacon plate. Reserve the drippings/fat.

Chop the bacon finely using a knife or food processor (or you can grate it). Set aside.

Gently cook the celery and onion under medium heat in the bacon fat for 6-10 minutes, stirring constantly making sure not to brown.

When onions are translucent, add soaked beans (drained from water), thyme, garlic, butter, cream and chicken stock. Bring this mixture to a boil, and reduce to a very gentle simmer for 1 1/2 hours while covering the pot with a lid, stirring occasionally.

When the beans begin to split open and are tender, remove from heat for 1 hour to slightly cool.

After 1 hour, remove the beans and other solid ingredients (celery, onions, garlic) from the pot, reserving the liquid. Place the solid mixture into a blender or food processor (blender is best) and slowly add the liquid back into the solid mixture while pureeing to velvet texture.

You may not have to use all of the reserved liquid. Just add enough to make the soup the consistency you like.

Season with salt and pepper, if needed.

Garnish with chives, truffle oil*, & the reserved bacon "dust."

Yields about 8 quarts of soup, or 32- 8 oz servings.

*Black truffle oil can be found at the Fresh Market or on several online gourmet cooking sites. (and yes, it's worth it!)

Recipe courtesy of Marmalade Restaurant and Wine Bar, Old San Juan, P.R.

the hostess with the mostest

2009-11-22T07:24:00.000-08:00

with the holidays fast approaching, i always like to have some of those "under $30" gifts on hand, for last minute get together hostess gifts, co-worker gifts, secret santa swaps, etc. here are some of my fave pics for this year's small gift giving. all of these are less than $30 and most all of them can all be bought online. many companies and website will offer free shipping starting next friday as part of the black friday sales, so take advantage! (and if you're like me, you'll probably won't be able to control yourself and will buy some of these for yourself as well!)

1. this gorge fossil cutting board with cheese slicer from crate and barrel. this can be chilled for serving fruits, cheeses, even sushi. perfect for the entertaining gal. cost: $24.95

2. oh, how i love me some etsy! i can always find things on here--some practical, some not so much (see # 16) but how cute is this little leather debit card holder? especially great for the team jacob'ers out there, with its adorable little wolf stamp on it! you can find this under etsy seller bonspiel creations for just $12.

3. love this little brewing mug from polish pottery. great for tea time! cost: $29.95 and boy do polish mugs ever keep the bev's good and hot.

4. my favorite cd as of late...great background music for parties or for driving down the road. this boy is one of my faves (as most of you already know...i'm borderline obsessed.) cost: $12.99 at target.

5. jaw droppingly beautiful crystal winestoppers are just one of those things you just don't buy for yourself, at least i don't! so i'm always happy to get these as gifts. these are a steal at $19 from pottery barn.

6. for the starbucks aficionado, how about a frother for at-home lattes? found this aerolatte on crate and barrel for just $19.95.

7. and while we're on coffee, check out these adorable coffee koozies that velcro around your hot drink! (plus, they are "greener" than the cardboard ones you get everytime at starbucks.) these are on etsy, under seller name notapotato for $8 a pop. AND they're reversible!

7. for the man of the house, this is a good one at just $29.95 at brookstone.

8. this one's just a classic and a must-have for anyone who actually enjoys spending time in the kitchen, like yours truly here.

...and you could even throw in a copy of the new dvd, julie and julia.

i haven't seen it yet, so can't really give my two cents worth, but it sure would be cute tied to the top of this cookbook, found at amazon for $10.17. dvd is $9.99 at amazon as well.

9. bargain hunters, unite! i have one of these ikea farm vases in our bedroom and it is a great piece for any room of the house. only $9.99.

10. i'm a sucker for leather. i'm also a sucker for blank pages. there's just something about an empty journal with lines just waiting to be filled up. these on jennibick.com are just lovely. cost: $25

11. we southerners are cuh-ray-zee about monogramming. it's on our bags, it's on our feather lined coozies at football games, it's even on some people's cars. how beautiful is this personalizable, silver plated julep cup from pottery barn? it could be used as a vase, as a pretty container for tea spoons or drink stirrers, even a toothbrush holder. $24 with free shipping.

12. we love these ice cream balls. great for campers or kids! you literally just shake it to make it. :-) $29.27 at amazon.

13. i found these neat wooden musical fruits on west elm's website and think the apple, especially, would make a great gift for teachers. it plays "what a wonderful world." "awwwww!"-worthy! $29.95

14. these are my favorite handmade soaps, and lucky me, they are made locally. the folks at thistle ridge are most always at our local craftshows and festivals, so i am always able to stock up on my favorites, like the patchouli and twin mint. but if you aren't fortunate to live in the beautiful palmetto state, you can buy them online. $5 each

14. oh, anthropologie! why must i love every little thing you sell? everything freakin' thing!!! i'm lovin' this pretty sweater candle for $20.

15. a must-see movie for your favorite gal pal with many laugh out loud moments. $14.99 at wal-mart.

16. sex and the city the movie. any girl will love it. 'nuff said.

17. fun times ahead with this cool table topics conversation starters from Z gallerie. they come perfectly packaged in a cute, clear box with questions like "what was your most embarrassing moment?" and "what is your favorite line from a movie?" $24.95

18. i dig this rattan chip and dip set from pier 1 so much that i already own one. $25

19. how fun would this be to have this at a party? i love this vintage tattoo set at restoration hardware. a bucket of fun for only $12!

20. and last but not least...perhaps the most meaningful gifts i've ever received are handwritten letters. it's actually my favorite thing to get. in the world of text messaging, twitter, and e-mail, it is nice to get something on paper, handwritten and from the heart. write a letter to your friend, your child, your spouse, your parents, etc. on nice paper (use your bestest handwriting!) Then roll it up and tie it with a piece of yarn or pretty ribbon. cost: free. but mark my words, it'll be priceless to them....

martha moments: oreo truffles

2009-11-13T19:46:00.000-08:00

have you had oreo truffles yet? these are oh-my-gosh good! perfect for house parties or tailgating and super easy. everyone will love 'em!

You'll need:

1 pkg. (1 lb. 2 oz.) OREO Cookies, finely crushed, divided

1 pkg. (8 oz.) Cream Cheese, softened

2 pkg. (8 squares each) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted

MIX 3 cups of the cookie crumbs and the cream cheese until well blended. Shape into 42 (1-inch) balls.

DIP balls in melted chocolate; place on waxed paper-covered baking sheet. (Any leftover melted chocolate can be stored in tightly covered container at room temperature and saved for another use.) Sprinkle with remaining cookie crumbs.

REFRIGERATE 1 hour or until firm. Store any leftover truffles in tightly covered container in refrigerator.

photo courtesy of cinnybear

reasons why i love the south

2009-11-11T20:17:00.000-08:00

...people like this our local 11:00 news:

i just had to record that and post because is she not just precious?

as we say here, bless her heart!

goodbye, fall!

2009-11-11T19:50:00.000-08:00

the rain these past couple of days has taken with it the last of the beautiful fall leaves that were left just barely clinging to the arms of the trees. here's a few pics from my sunday drive...what a perfect autumn day in the south.

rug placement?

2009-10-26T21:00:00.000-07:00

we just revamped the master bedroom (nothing major, just new ceiling fan, hardwood floors, cool new eurosham pillows, etc.). and one of the new additions to the room is this new awesome sisal rug:

so, any of you with a decorating sense out there---i need your help and opinions. what is the best way to place an area rug in the bedroom? do you put the whole bed on it?

do you center it in the room?

photo courtesy of karen sesler design

or do you put half of the bed on it?

is there a "right" way?
...or should you even put a rug at all?

anyone out there in blogville care to share with me your opinion? (pretty please?)

sweet coincidence

2009-10-24T19:09:00.000-07:00

two weeks ago, i wrote this post on the blog and used the verse from psalms, "I will lift up mine eyes unto these hills..."

today, i sat with my sweet grandmama looking through old photos and found this one. these are my great grandparents, george and nelle. they were vacationing at one of their friend's homes in highlands, nc just weeks before he passed away.

read the sign above them.

i heart pumpkins

2009-10-13T17:57:00.000-07:00

one of my favorite things about fall...pumpkins. last year I was all about my polka dotted pumpkins...this year, i think it's going to be all about painted silhouettes. i started with this cool crow. i found the idea for the picture online and just free-handed it.

then i added an old CZ stud for his eye and some small ones as accents around the words. NOTE: i PROMISE they're CZ's people...please don't come find my house and steal my punkin' cause you think you're getting real diamonds! you'll be sadly disappointed!

here's a closer up:

i'm going to try to do about 3 more, but have to go get more pumpkins first.

while we're on pumpkins, i made a batch of my favorite fall pumpkin muffins this morning. SO easy.

Easiest Pumpkin Muffins Ever... EVER.

1 15 oz can of pumpkin
1 box spice cake mix

Mix all ingredients (all TWO!) well . Pour into greased muffin tin and bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Dust with granulated or powdered sugar if you like.

psalm 121

2009-10-11T17:45:00.000-07:00

"I will lift up mine eyes unto these hills..." ~Psalms 121

a snapshot of saturday's sunset over the mountains--the colors were like cotton candy and the mountains were indigo blue.

storm's a brewin'

2009-09-29T17:31:00.000-07:00

you know the saying "it's the calm before the storm?" well, that's what i've felt like this whole past week. as many of you know, the busy season for my job kicks into high gear oct-dec and i'm pretty much balls to the wall--surviving on hot pockets and living out of my car. this year it seems like it's been the so-called "busy season" all year long, which don't get me wrong---it's great to have a job (especially one that i love) and it's really great to have lots of business. but it comes with sacrifices, the biggest being very little time with family and friends.

so i'm formally issuing a pre-apology now to all of my friends and relatives who follow the blog.

it's highly unlikely that i'll be able to talk on the phone for long periods of time until after New Year's. sorry.

the whooshing you'll hear in the background is me burning up the highway, trying to multi-task on speaker phone. sorry.

no, i probably won't be able to meet up for dinner or go out and see a movie* sorry.

yes, i'll likely be staring off into the mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving, but just bear with me. i'm worn slap out. sorry.

yes, all of your Christmas presents will be in gift bags because i admit whole-heartedly that i don't have time for fancy wrappin'. sorry.

yes, i understand that when you say, "are you okay? you look tired!" it translates to "girl, get your act together and brush your hair! you look like crap!" sorry.

i suppose i should stop writing the blog and go make about 70 casseroles to freeze so that jeff won't go hungry. on second thought, nah...he can eat hot pockets, too. sorry, sweetie!

so here's to this year's calm before the storm--may it pass quickly!

*exception: new moon, of course!

it's raining, it's pouring

2009-09-20T18:07:00.001-07:00

what a great, lazy day! yes, it poured rain all night long and all day today, but it was just a great, do-nothin'-and-not-feel-guilty-'bout-it day around our house. we slept in late and did near nothing. i'm not exaggerating, people. here's the breakdown:

here's where i spent the majority (ok, ALL) of my day, watching superbad, fast times at ridgemont high, football, and then did a crossword or two...(doesn't it look cozy?!)

the only time i even went outside was to take out the dogs, and poor maggie hated it!

i kept the coffee pot on all day! i had some great new beans i bought and my favorite elvis mug, so i was quite content.

i did get around to taking a shower (no photo documentary of that, sorry folks!) and jeff eventually migrated from the bed to the couch to watch (surprise!) more tv.

i did manage to make a good Sunday dinner, although the crockpot did the majority of the work.

and so now it's still steadily raining outside and my plans are to now crawl right back under the covers and snuggle up with edward cullen. i (*gasp*) still haven't finished the twilight series. i have eclipse and breaking dawn to go. so i figure i may as well get going on that now since i feel like i'm living in Forks anyway...

martha moments: happy berry crisp

2009-07-24T07:28:00.000-07:00

we are fortunate enough to live right down the road from the happy berry, a berry farm that is just the coolest little place. it's fun to decide that you want to bake a blackberry cobbler or a blueberry pie and just be able to walk down there and pick whatever you need. i am trying to buy more local food, not only to support the local farmers here, but because of the sheer fulfillment of knowing how fresh and good it really is.

jeff and i went down to the farm wednesday and picked almost 5 lbs of plump, juicy, sweet blueberries. we would pick a handful and gobble them up just as soon as we picked em! needless to say, we had to contribute to the "sin bucket." it says if you eat so many off the bush that you feel guilty about it, you might feel led to contribute to the sin bucket. so we did. :-)

i made a blueberry crisp that was out of this world....so i thought i'd post the recipe for everyone. this recipe epitomizes summer! and if you live anywhere near the SC upstate, make sure to swing by the happy berry. i promise you'll be glad you did!

Happy Berry Crisp

Ingredients

6 cups fresh blueberries, rinsed and lightly dried
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup sugar
Pinch salt

Topping Mixture:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 stick room temperature unsalted butter, cubed
Whipped cream or ice cream, for topping

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Toss blueberries, cornstarch, sugar and a pinch of salt together in a bowl.

Combine flour, oats, brown and white sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and pecans in a bowl. Add butter and pinch into chunks. Mix until it looks crumbly.

Add the blueberries into a 2-quart baking dish. Top evenly with the crumb mixture. Bake for 40 minutes. Serve with ice cream and/or whipped cream.

i heart FREE.

2009-06-23T11:57:00.000-07:00

okay, so it's short notice, but i must share with you that you can get a FREE 8x8 20 page photo book from Shutterfly through midnight tomorrow, 6/24.

these are the best. i have tried to do a book for all of our vacations and they just look so good and professional.

The promo code is : GETMYBOOK

you can thank me later! :-)

as if i needed incentive to camp more...

2009-06-20T18:23:00.000-07:00

i love to go camping. i mean LOVE. so much that i'm in talks with the hubs to get some kind of camper...maybe. but on the flipside we are a couple of the handful of people out there who still like to camp in a tent. one of the best vacations we've ever taken was when we camped our way up the entire blue ridge parkway and then the shenandoah valley. it was a-ma-zing. i would just like to have some sort of kitchen area, hence the talks about campers.

anyhoo.

just in case you like camping, too, you might be interested in this link. seems that the national park service is offering fee free camping during certain times of the summer. what's not to love?

(besides the mosquitoes and unfathomable southern humidity right now...)

FEE FREE SUMMER PARKS

please pray for this family

2009-06-18T15:38:00.000-07:00

to my loyal blog friends and to those of you who just drop into my blog every now and again, please pray for my friend leah and her husband, shawn. they lost their precious one year old, asher, tuesday to a sudden brain aneurysm. leah is one of my dear friends from winthrop that i have kept in touch with, and my heart is just broken.

she has created a beautiful website in memory of their sweet asher. i am sad that i never got to meet him, but felt like i "knew" him through the pics leah would send and the things she would write about him. i ask that you pray for peace for this precious family in the days ahead.

www.robertasherfinley.com

mountain therapy

2009-06-18T08:21:00.000-07:00

this is how i spent the majority of my day tuesday. perfection.

garden update

2009-06-07T10:04:00.000-07:00

check it out--the hanging garden is doing well! lots of herbs and now the little veggies are starting to come in nicely.

the first jalapeno! ole!

the cutest little tomato ever.

sweet banana pepper

plenty of herbs!

the cayennes have done well with all of the recent rain

who needs a nuker?

2009-05-29T08:35:00.000-07:00

we ordered this great, sparkly kitchenaid microwave as part of our kitchen makeover and it doesn't quiiiiiite fit the space. it's an over the range (hood style) microwave.

we can't return it because when the delivery people brought it, they unwrapped it, set it out and then carried away all trash, which included THE BOX.

i have everything else--we never even mounted the thing. we just held it up and realized it wouldn't work there, and here we are.

if you want to google it and look description, specs, etc. it is aKitchenAid KHMS1850SSS. I believe retail cost is around $549. of course, we are willing to take less than that to get it off our hands since we can't use it.

so if you need a cool stainless steel microwave at a good deal, make us an offer!

nyc--the rest of the week!

2009-05-21T20:02:00.000-07:00

as you can see, we stayed so busy in the city that i am just now getting around to posting about the rest of our time in nyc.

to say that we had a ball was an understatement--it was a blast! we have been to new york before and the fun thing about that place is that there will always be something new to do, something new to see, some great surprise around every single corner. it is a city for explorers, that's for sure. you can just start walking with no end point in mind and find so many treasures--colorful characters, celebrities, world-class shopping, every nationality under the sun--it's just a melting pot of everything.

instead of doing a day by day breakdown, i'll just list out the highlights:

1. going to the Jimmy Fallon show. soooo much fun. he is a cutie! thank goodness they didn't call either one of us out of the audience because the "audience participation" part that night was a dance-off. oh, that would have been HORRIBLE. thankfully we just sat in our seats and watched someone else make a fool of themselves. but gosh, what a fun night!

2. 9 to 5: The Musical. dolly parton wrote it--need i say more?? it was FANTASTIC. we were so happy to find out that the two lead actresses from when we last saw Wicked in NYC were the leads in 9 to 5 this time around. it was great. if you're heading up that way, GO SEE IT!

3. we walked the brooklyn bridge. how cool to walk from manhattan to brooklyn and look down through the bridge at the taxis and rush hour traffic and to look back at the city behind us. once we got across, i was able to get that classic photography shot of the brooklyn bridge with the city in the background. it was awesome!

4. the food. the food was excellent. my meal at bobby flay's mesa grill was one of the best meals i have EVER had. EVER. (and i am a self-admitted "foodie.") and let me just say new yorkers know how to do pizza. new york pizza by the slice is pure heaven.

5. grand central station. this was the first time we'd been there and it was breathtaking. the architecture is just unbelievable. down in the bottom is the famous (well, famous in ny) oyster house restaurant with the best halibut i've ever put in my mouth. so good that we ate there twice!

6. the view at the marriott marquis in times square. this bar/restaurant really lives up to its name. the lights of the city from up here were amazing!

7. we FINALLY figured out the ny subway system!!

8. shopping at tiffany's on fifth avenue--every girl's dream come true!

9. central park. so serene and so strange how it blocks out all of the city sounds and sights. it's like entering an enchanted forest. you forget you are in one of the biggest cities in the world. oh, and we got to sit on a park bench and watch jason bateman film a scene for the upcoming movie "the baster."

10. time together. always a good time with my jeff. he's just so much fun! it's funny how we just "get" each other and are always in sync with where we want to go, what we want to do, etc. we had so much fun together figuring out the city--and i must say, we kinda know our way around up there pretty darn well now!!

the last night we were there, we met up with jeff's parents and our nephew, isaac, and went back to the oyster house at grand central for dinner and then to times square so that isaac could get the "feel" of new york. then it was off to long island, where we spent the rest of the weekend celebrating jeff's grandpa's 80th birthday. it was the first time i had met a lot of his aunts and uncles and we had SUCH a good time! i'll post some pics of that in the next blog.

but gosh, with all of the fun we had, it was so nice to walk through our front door at home. there really is no place like it!

times square at night

megan hilty, one of our fave broadway stars! she played dolly parton in 9 to 5.

grand central station

central park

on the brooklyn side of the brooklyn bridge--well worth the walk!

jeff with the empire state building in the background

i am the luckiest.

brooklyn bridge

jeff at chelsea piers

i heart ny!

....and ACTION! (nyc day 1)

2009-05-11T21:35:00.000-07:00

today's been filled with fun stuff--

we went to celebrity autobiography tonight and it was great! we walked from our hotel in times square to the upper west side and saw it at the triad theater. it's basically a cast of celebrities onstage reading OTHER celebrities autobiographies. it was hilarious and we loved the cast-rachel dratch, kristen wiig (both of SNL), sherri shephard from the view, kristen johnston, steve schiripa and more. loved it!

on the way there we saw something being filmed. so we were curious and looked to my right and there was stephen baldwin. he was directing something and they were filming.

then on our way back to the hotel tonight, we realized that the road was starting to be barricaded and there were all these cool cars with cameras on them. come to find out, jerry bruckheimer is producing "the sorcerer's apprentice" starring nicholas cage (!) right outside our hotel. literally. so we hung out and watched them film one of the scenes.

so cool.

tomorrow we've got plans to shop and then we have to be at Rockefeller Center at 4 for the taping of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. They'll start filming at 5 I think. We just have to get there to get our seats.

so far, so good! we've navigated our way quite well and tried really hard to blend in with the locals. we also got cupcakes at magnolia bakery, which was even better than all of the reviews said.

going to bed now--it's almost 1 a.m. and i gotta get some rest!

view from our room (and our cupcakes!)

apparently, these are suri cruise's favorite cupcakes, too...stephen baldwin:
hot chocolate in the city...it's chilly at night!
the scene they're filming outside the hotel of for the sorcerer's apprentice:

all decked out

2009-05-09T07:56:00.000-07:00

on my list for "spring things" was a new deck (in addition to many other things...). jeff and i had a good time tearing the old one off. it was major therapy to get to destroy something. is that weird that i love destruction so much?

nonetheless, we now have a pretty new deck--bigger and better than the old one. heck, we could even have a concert out there now if only i could get justin timberlake's manager to call me back. (just kidding, but isn't the thought of J.T. in six mile fabulous?)

here's some pics of the progress. the last pic shows the finished product-though it looks way redneck with our piece of board up (to keep clyde off), and the lack of furniture. also pay no mind to the fact that we still haven't planted shrubs or mulched around it. that's coming!

funny story on that...i went to home depot to get some lora petulum. it's a pretty shrub with purplish leaves and pink little flowers. it's perfect for the side of the deck. i couldn't find it anywhere in the garden section, so i asked someone if she knew where it was. she, obviously waaaay stoned, went into a lengthy explanation that "lora petulum was the latin name and the latin name derived from the word 'elephant.' " she went on to explain that all living things are categorized into kingdom's, genuses, species and classes. oh my gosh. i politely thanked her for her vast knowledge and went to Lowe's, where i found my lora petulum. :-)

and in case you're wondering, YES, the floors are done! and NO, we didn't finish them ourselves! ha ha. we got most of the living room done and were so tired of getting to work on it an hour at at time and wearing ourselves out that we hired someone to come in and lay the rest. if you live in the upstate and need hardwood floors, we've got your man. he did a great job at a great price. here's a pic to give you an idea of how they turned out. we are loving the way they look!

no more home improvements for a while...we are leaving tomorrow for new york! we found out yesterday that the night that we have tickets for the jimmy fallon show (tues night, 5/12 look for us!), andy samberg will be on. we LOVE andy samberg so we're excited! there is also a comedian/musician named bo burnham who'll be on. he's hilarious. look him up on youtube. we're also going to do the whole today show experience on friday---jennifer hudson will be performing on the plaza. no, i won't be holding up some crazy poster or anything, but we will be there! keep your eyes peeled. :)

i'll post some pics when we get back!

5.4.02

2009-05-04T08:25:00.000-07:00

*note: the playlist is special for today, as it (with the exception of the 1st song), is a combination of songs from our wedding day. :-)

from lindsay:

5-4-02. what a great, great day.
cliche as it may sound, i truly did marry my best friend.

and here we are...7 years later...no proverbial 'itch' as some think come along with 7 years, unless it's an itch to continue being together and dancing our way through life's up and downs.

jeff proposed to me on 5-6-01, the day after i graduated from winthrop. what a weekend that was! that friday, i got a tattoo, saturday got a college diploma and sunday got a diamond ring. wow. the next year was spent planning the details to a beautiful, perfect wedding, many thanks to my mother. Lord knows she worked doubly as hard as I did on the planning. Not to mention, many thanks to my daddy, for simply writing out the checks. :)

i remember waking up that morning with such a surreal, peaceful feeling. i'm not one to get nervous, so i knew that i wouldn't have the jitters. but the peace was almost strange. but it only meant that i was getting ready to do what was meant to be--marry jeff. the day flew by, with preparations of getting the "hair did," makeup, pics, last minute changes to vocalists, etc. but at "half past six o'clock in the evening" (as the invitation read), it was time to walk down that aisle.

there were so many little funny things that i look back on and laugh about...like jeff's watch going off promptly at 7 p.m. in the middle of Preacher Sheriff's message about the covenant of marriage, and jeff's sweet "your boobs are HUGE" comment to me during one of the songs (in front of the preacher, mind you...).

it did rain a little and was a lot colder than we expected it to be in may, but the reception was a blast. i think the best part was having the people we loved so much in the same room at the same time. it was a priceless moment and we still look back on our photos and the video and are amazed at how blessed we are with wonderful friends and family, many of whom travelled a long way to get there, just for us. we are still humbled by that.

to my sweet husband, happy anniversary. you are truly the love of my life and i am blessed beyond measure to have someone who lights up my days with laughter (often uncontrollable laughter, as you are by far one of the most random people i know.)

thank you for being you and for asking me to marry you those 8 years ago. they say time flies when you're having fun and i'd say they are right. it has flown.

so here's to many more happy years together! and here's to treating every single day like it is our anniversary.

you are the best thing that's ever happened to me.

from jeff:

To my beautiful wife of 7 years today, happy anniversary. We have sailed through these 7 years wonderfully. Together we have acheived a life not many get to lead at all, not to mention in the first decade of their marriage. And what a way to start off my 3 week vacation, NYC, and those few peaceful days all to yourself while I go and play golf with guys than with a 7 year wedding anniversary. You are truly my best friend and I don't know how I landed you. But I do know that I would be lost without you. You are my everything for yesterday, today and tomorrow. I lurve you very much. Happy Anniversary!

the hanging garden (weekend update)

2009-04-18T16:30:00.000-07:00

so i finished my hanging garden! i'm tickled with it, so let's just hope that everything grows like i have envisioned it will...

i am already craving some homemade salsa!

here are the step-by-step pics of my garden.

i planted the tomato plants out the bottom hole, then drilled 4 holes around the side and planted banana peppers, green bell peppers, cayenne peppers and jalapenos in them. then on top, i planted basil, greek oregano and cilantro. all like full sun, so it was a great combination.

the holes are drilled, and the coffee filters are taped over the holes:

i labeled all of the holes with what i had planted in that particular hole:

hanging and ready to grow!

the herbs on top:

martha moments: hangin' tough (how to plant a hanging tomato garden)

2009-04-15T19:40:00.000-07:00

since i didn't have time to plant a garden this year, i am going to try my hand at something one of my clients did last year that was really, really cool. you may have seen these on TV and they do sell a commercial "planter" but these instructions work just the same, and cost less.

it's a hanging tomato planter! it's GENIUS--you have no worries of staking the plant so that it grow up like it should, there are NO WEEDS and fewer critters and bugs to mess it up, and there is no risk of overwatering it either. in other words, pretty easy (so i hope!)

i got a couple of "homer buckets" at the home depot tonight that i'm going to spray paint (they're orrrrrrrange) and am going to start mine either tomorrow or friday. i'll be sure to post pics of the progress.

i just thought i would share with you all the easy steps on how to do this.

you'll need:
large bucket
a coffee filter or piece of old, thin fabric
drill
potting soil
tomato plant(s)
herbs (optional)

1. turn bucket upside down and drill large hole (2"-4") in center.
2. turn bucket back upright and tape a coffee filter or thin piece of old fabric on top of hole. (this
helps keep the soil from falling out of the bottom.)
3. with knife or scissors, cut an "x" in the coffee filter.
4. thread the tomato plant into the hole (thru the X you just made) so that the plant is hanging
out the bottom, root ball is inside at bottom of bucket.
5. fill with soil.
6. you can also plant your herbs on top once all soil is in (i'm going to plant oregano, cilantro and
basil.)
7. hang on large, sturdy hook in a sunny spot and let her grow! make sure to water every day.

once i get mine going, i'll post pics with these steps for you "visual" peeps out there.

side note: i hear you can also drill more holes and plant peppers alongside the tomatoes as well!

happy birthday, beulah!

2009-04-04T06:00:00.000-07:00

happy birthday, miss beulah grace crissinger!

beulah was born this morning and is the daughter of two of my dear, dear friends from college, andy and michelle. these are two of the most beautiful people i have ever known, inside and out. this baby girl is such a blessing and they have waited for her patiently and have been such an inspiration throughout the whole process.

michelle is a great blogger--i would encourage you to read her blog. you will, no doubt, be blessed. (and they have a pic up, too!)

so here's to giving thanks to God for precious people like andy and michelle, for sweet baby beulah and for miracles.

yes we can.

2009-04-03T10:07:00.000-07:00

yeah, so, the hubs and i have decided to put down hardwood floors. are we crazy, you ask? why yes, yes we are.

we, to this point, have had what came in the house, which were parquet floors. pretty, but we really, really wanted nice, long smooth oak hardwood floors and not the square look that parquet gives.

we got several estimates on the floors and the installation and were flabbergasted by the costs to have someone come out and put them down.

jeff called me one day from work...conversation goes as follows:

J: "we're doing it. we are going to put down the floors."

L: "um, we are not professionals. why do you think we can do this?"

J: "i've been watching videos on youtube of how to install hardwood floors and there's nothing to it. we're doing it ourselves."

L: "so watching youtube makes us experts, huh?"

J: "yes. we can do it."

so, apparently we are in following with our new president's "theme" for 2009 because we decided YES WE CAN.

and we did!

we got a little overwhelmed at first trying to get the first row going because if the first row is not completely 100% straight, it screws up the rest of the room. but now that we've gotten going, it really isn't that bad. the worst part is the toll that it is taking on me physically. i can hardly touch my knees because they're so sore. i have knee pads, but they only help so much. and my poor, poor hands are a wreck. but you know what? as much as i doubted our abilities in the beginning, we have done a dang good job and we'll know that everytime we walk across those floors that we did it all by ourselves.

so today is not a "martha moment" post---it's more like a "bob vila moment." :-)

happy weekend!

here are some pics of the progress:

day 1, about 4:30 p.m. floor is cleared of old floor, subfloor is ready

day 1, about 6:00 p.m., all of the rosin paper is stapled down and we have finally got the boards going.

jeff the handyman on day 1...

end of day 1, about 11:00 p.m.
end of day 2, only worked on it from about 7:30-10 p.m. not bad!

need a light fixture? what about a chair?

2009-03-23T11:40:00.001-07:00

I just posted a few things on Craigslist and thought I'd bring out my inner marketing nerd and post to the blog as well, just in case any of my friends out there were interested.

Here are the links:

http://greenville.craigslist.org/hsh/1088324337.html

http://greenville.craigslist.org/fuo/1088287077.htm l

http://greenville.craigslist.org/hsh/1088338313.html (this one would be great spray painted black.) :)

now, back to more spring cleaning! stay tuned...i may just sell more!

feliz cumpleanos, hubby!

2009-03-09T10:57:00.000-07:00

jeff had a birthday last week and i'm a little late in getting a post up! birthdays seem less fun when they're on a weekday, especially wednesdays, but we had a good time, nonetheless!

i had planned to get him a new chainsaw and had researched it and knew exactly what kind i wanted to get him. i was so proud that i knew the technical stuff about chainsaws that i had learned in my googling over the past week. i called the tractor supply store and they were out, but getting in an order that afternoon--too bad i couldn't get over there before they closed! so, there i was, with nothing to give jeff when he got home from work on his birthday. so, here's what i gave him:

an admittedly pitiful rendition, but he knew exactly what it was and it sufficed until we got to go pick up the real thing on Friday!

we did dinner at the mexican restaurant with his family, which was full of laughs and ended with jeff in a very special birthday sombrero.

then, folks, he got it. he FINALLY got his long-awaited mower/grass monster on Friday. i call it a grass monster because it looks like the farthest thing from a lawn mower. it's pretty sweet. here are some pics from before he even got it off the trailer! he is seriously in love with it. it is supposedly going to cut down his mowing time from 4-5 hours to 1-2 hours, tops, which will be great in freeing up some of that precious weekend time! less time on the lawn mower means more time on projects (see last post)!

march madness

2009-03-09T10:39:00.001-07:00

this is the view from last monday morning at sunrise. needless to say, i was north face'd out in fleece, down and boots.

today?

flip flops, t-shirt and shorts.

gotta love the south and gotta love this gorgeous day we're having!

as spring approaches, it's got me thinking about so many spring things that i want! kayaks, a new deck, a garden, landscaping...there's so much!
i get the spring bug every year and it usually doesn't start until the END of march. there's so many projects that i want to do and need to just make a list so that i attempt them in a somewhat organized fashion.

i can literally walk into any room in my house and there's SOMETHING i want to do--whether it's a fresh coat of paint, or new artwork, or new furniture. so i'll keep you all posted on the different mini projects going on here as i start them. first up is likely the kitchen. we just added a new faucet and are getting ready to change out the countertops, sink and appliances. just thinking about it makes me exhausted.

confessions

2009-02-15T09:11:00.000-08:00

hopefully i don't dash anyone's expectations here, but i didn't enjoy confessions of a shopaholic (the movie) in the least. now keep in mind, this is only my opinion, so if you've been dying to go see it, please do. you may love it! i was just let down because 1) the book was GREAT (all of them in the series were) and 2) the previews made it look so fabulous and funny. boo on that. i think i only laughed out loud once.

what a let down! at least the wings i had before the movie were good!

and more rants...

can i just say that i despise valentine's day? it's my least favorite holiday. i think it is a marketing ploy to get helpless men out into the retail world to buy things that they don't think to buy the other 364 days out of the year. i would rather get a card on a random, out of the blue day than a fru fru one on valentine's day. thankfully, jeff knows this. granted, he may not give me a real card on random days, but he has been known to write notes on papertowels that he gets out of the bathrooms at work. :) either way, if they're from him, they are priceless to me.

so here's to yet another book being better than the movie and to celebrating how much we love people all 365 days of the year, not just one.

friday randomosity

2009-02-06T05:35:00.001-08:00

i am so tickled to have the afternoon today with NOTHING to do. is it sad that i am choosing to spend this free time cleaning (and am looking forward to it?) what has happened to me?!
the majority of my morning has been spent researching online how to get the little dog from putting her butt up in the weenie dog's face. i have explained to her that to be beautiful, you must ACT beautiful, but apparently she doesn't get it. If she is how she acts, then she is a dirty, dirty slut.
i just bought a driver on eBay. no, not a chauffeur, a golf driver.
2 things have made me happy already today and i've only been awake for an hour: ray lamontagne is coming to town and they have confirmed that they will be coming out with a sequel to sex and the city. the day's lookin' up!
i am learning that one way i do NOT want to spend my hard-earned money is on lawyer fees. i also do not CHOOSE to have crappy neighbors, but of course, there's always one in the bunch.
if i hear about deck sizes and horsepowers much more, i am going to have a mini-meltdown. jeff has been researching commercial lawn mowers for going on a month now and seems that is the only thing he can talk about.
ireland is in the running for our next vacation.
i went to get a manicure yesterday and the first color i was drawn to, i absolutely loved. i got it, took it over to the wee man who does my nails, and plopped it down. i always turn it over to see what the name of it is (nail polishes have the coolest names!) and i am choosing to believe that it was mere coincidence that this polish i love soooo much is called "the wicked witch."
i am craving a trip to IKEA.
i am already ready to paint my office a different color. "snowfall" just isn't gettin' it. it is only a harsh reminder that we STILL haven't gotten any snowfall round these parts.
i was shocked to learn this week that kelly ripa only washes her hair every two days. i would look like someone dumped an oil vat on my head if i tried that!

happy friday to all!