A Big Catch-Up!

Oh my, where has the time gone?! I didn't know so much had happened that I actually FORGOT about blogging.  Not even joking.  The past month has gone by so fast, but so much has happened!  (And, I've had several people tell me that I need a new blog post up, so hopefully this will get you through! :)

For those that haven't heard, I actually started a new job a little over a month ago.  I'm still at Varina, just in a new position.  I'm now over in the School Counseling Office and it has been great! Everyone has made the transition very easy!  However, the first couple weeks were nuts because I was out some days for training, out for snow..I think by the third week I was finally there all five days! haha.

Matt was out of town for a few days for work, and Maple was NOT happy about it.  She sure did miss him.  This is when she found her new favorite sleeping spot.  We don't use our comforter, so it's usually folded up in the floor.  Well, Maple has found that to be quite comfortable and would prefer to sleep there. One night when Matt was gone, she wouldn't even stay in the den with me...she would just stay in there!  Then, there was the day I came home and found one of Matt's socks on the floor by his side of the bed, that Maple pulled out of the hamper...it was both sad and cute.

A couple weekends ago, we headed down to Eden, NC, where we usually go for the family reunion on my dad's side, known as just "The Reunion" with no explanation needed.  This time, although we did get to see a lot of family, it was for a funeral.  My Memaw was one of thirteen and one of her brothers, Uncle Troy, passed away earlier this month.  There was no question as to whether or not we'd go, so we headed on down.  Also, Uncle Troy and I have the same birthday, so I always thought that was cool!

Matt and I stopped at Longwood first to pick up Abby...when we stopped for snacks, Abby introduced me to these tall cans of Coke and I couldn't pass it up, haha.  Then Abby and I found it funny (almost too funny) that all of the snacks and drinks she, Matt and I got were all round or cylindrical.  Clearly, we had a lot to think about. haha.

We kept on driving and after lots of confustion, we met up with Mom, Dad and Vickie.

After going to the visitation, we headed out to dinner at the Mexican restaurant right by our hotel.  This Hampton Inn really is our home away from home every August!

I was so amused with the new coffee cups they have!

These were pretty appropriate for Matt and me!

On the way back home, we stopped back at Longwood to drop Abby off.  Matt suggested that we go walk around campus, and we're both glad he did!

As soon as we got out of the car, Matt noticed that something was going on in the Student Union rooms, so we joked that we should post on Facebook and ask if any RAs were having programs and we'd stop by.  As we walked down Brock Commons and got closer to the Student Union, the front doors were open so we could see.  Matt pointed out the huge gaming screens and I said, "Isn't that usually Phi Mu Delta's event...?!" and we slowed down.  Matt kept looking and said, "yep, I see our letters."  We didn't say anything, just walked in, and one of Matt's brothers jumped up to see him immediately!  It was GREAT seeing everyone's reactions to seeing Matt (not many of them know me anymore; it's sad we've been gone so long!)!  

We did run into a few Longwood grads and RAs, too! Jesse (left) and I worked on the same RA staff in The Hams my senior year, and he was also one of Matt's groomsmen. Danny (right) also worked on The Hams staff with Jesse and me.

P.S. Like my Pi Day shirt? It was, indeed, Pi Day :)

Last week, we tried a new recipe, found on Pinterest: Jerk Chicken Tacos!  When we were in Jamaica, the jerk chicken and jerk steak were AMAZING!!  This jerk chicken was quite the same, but it'll definitely do!  Also, if you go to the original link, you'll see that we did ours slightly differently.

Ingredients:

chicken

Jamaican Jerk Seasoning

mayonnaise

tortillas

taco toppings (we only had lettuce, cheese and cilantro, but Matt did add salsa on his, too!)

The recipe was super simple:

1. Cover your chicken in jerk seasoning and grill it.

2. While this is cooking, make the jerk mayo: mix 1/3 cup of mayonnaise and 2 teaspoons of Jerk seasoning.  Top your tacos with this!

3. When your chicken is done, cut into strips or bite sized pieces.

4. Assemble your tacos and ENJOY!!

Saturday, in the windy cold morning, we saw all the fun sights along Monument Ave in the Ukrop's Monument Ave 10K! We do this every year, but this year wasn't like all the others.  We weren't trying to beat a time.....we didn't even RUN.  It was weird and I really did miss running it, but I know we would've been disappointed with our time if we ran anyway.  Matt hasn't been feeling well, and my feet have been hurting a lot lately, so we walked with Mom and some family friends!  Walking definitely made the 6.2 miles feel TWICE as long, and the cold didn't make it that much better, either!  Either way, that's another 10K in the books for us!  And, there's always next year!

Waiting to start:

We passed Ronald McDonald..

and this was one of the most creative costumes we saw! (I was bummed I couldn't get the whole DreamWorks sign...)

Now that I've done a pretty much month-long catch-up, I will TRY to be better about blogging! This month clearly got away from me!

Nail Polish & Baking Soda

That title is really catchy, right?  Not to mention random.

My nail polish has almost always been stored in this green, round storage container, that came in a set of three containers that fit within each other.  No matter how stuff got moved around, I just always knew that in the middle sized green container was my nail polish.  Well, that worked for years.  Since we moved in to our house almost two years ago, my nail polish has stayed in our upstairs bathroom.  As I started getting new ones, those and the colors I use the most just stacked up in our medicine cabinet in the downstairs bathroom.  It got on my nerves SO much.  Finally, on Pinterest, I came across a way to store nail polish, and I immediately knew that's what I wanted to do.  If you're interested in a new way to store yours, check out this site.  (That link is to the pin on Pinterest, but it does take you directly to the website.) They have other ideas, too, but this was the best one in my opinion.

Also, I randomly came across this pin for cleaning your sink and drain out.  It's probably a very common method for cleaning your sink & drain, but I had never done it before, so I decided to try it out.  It's just sprinkling baking soda around and scrubbing it with a sponge.  The result: yeah, it worked.  It didn't work any better than what I had been doing, so I don't anticipate using this suggestion from Pinterest any more.  Oh well.  Not all Pinterest attempts are successful.

So, I think today's post deserves a "check and check" for my 2015 To-Do List.  One check for trying something new I found on Pinterest and one check for organizing anything. haha.

Bubble Pizza

Last week I tried a fun recipe I saw on Pinterest: Bubble Pizza!  When I first saw it, I thought it was interesting...but it looked fun to make and I figured it would taste good!  Turns out, it was fun to make and it did taste good.  Matt preferred the corner pieces..which had the crispiest crust. haha. If you need a quick/easy/fun meal for one night, I definitely recommend it!

Ingredients:
1 can of Pillsbury refrigerated biscuits
15 ounce jar of pizza sauce
Pizza toppings - we only used pepperonis...I think next time, we'll add more toppings!
4 ounces of shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tbps of Parmesan cheese
Oregano to taste - I left this out

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cut each biscuit into quarters, and place in greased baking dish.

3. Add your toppings, and then pour the sauce over everything.

4. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes.
5. Take off the aluminum foil and cover in shredded cheese and Parmesan cheese.

6. Bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, until the cheese is melted, and you have the crust you want.  I think I did it for 8 minutes....will probably go longer next time.

7. ENJOY!

And, if you remember my 2015 To-Do list, one thing was to try something new each month that I've found on Pinterest.  January = check!

2015 To-Do List

I really liked my 2014 To-Do List that I had for last year, so, I decided I would do it again! I liked how I checked back every three months to see my progress, and how the final post summed up everything! It's neat to see how much I've accomplished.

This is what I've put together so far for 2015, but I'm not saying new things won't be added...that's definitely an open option!

#1. Every month, try one new idea found on Pinterest.
This can be anything: recipes, tips, crafts, etc....can't wait to see which 12 things I end up trying!

#2. Read these 9 books.
After last year's list, it's very apparent that I do have time to read more books for fun...I just have to make that time.  I do still want to continue reading for fun of course, but this year, I'm adding specific books to that category.  Here are the ones I have so far.

9 books to read if you love Friends
Commencement by J. Courtney Sullivan
The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P. by Adelle Waldman
No One Belongs Here More Than You by Miranda July
Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman
Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay
Yes Please by Amy Poehler  (this site also recommended Bossypants by Tina Fet...I've read it and HIGHLY recommend it!)
Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
Never Can Say Goodbye edited by Sari Botton
Adulting: How to Become a Grown-Up in 468 Easy(ish) Steps by Kelly Williams Brown

If you have any other book recommendations, send 'em my way!

#3. Watch five consecutive episodes of Doctor Who with Matt.
This one is not a mistake, haha. (I hope.)  Matt loves this show, but every time I try to watch it, I'm so lost.  Then, Matt tries to explain things to me, and I just can't wrap my head around ANY of it.  Most of the time, I either came into the episode late or just wasn't paying 100% attention.  Matt asked me to give him FIVE episodes to see if I would actually like the show.  As much as it might hurt my head at least to start, I'll give it a go!

#4. Find more ways to organize anything.
This is the OCD-ness in me kicking in.  I love for things to be organized, but I feel like everything is always done the same way. I'm hoping that with the help of Pinterest, and any ideas you all might have, that I can find some new ways to organize things...like my massive amount of necklaces or various lengths that can't all fit in one jewelry box....or all of my scarves--what's the best way for you to organize them?? 

Like I mentioned earlier, I may add to this list as we get further into the year, but this is what I'm starting with!

Anything you're hoping to do this year??? 

25 Days of Christmas: Day 12

How many of you have tried a recipe you found on Pinterest......that may or may not have turned out right?

How many of you also can't make a batch of cookies without taking a bite of the cookie dough first?

If you "raised your hand" to these questions, this post is for you!

I've tried several recipes that I've found on Pinterest.....most haven't turned out exactly like the picture shown or how it should've probably tasted to begin with.  Luckily, this one was a recipe for the win!

Whenever Mom makes her chocolate chip cookies, I can't walk through the kitchen without sticking my hand in the bowl and grabbing some of that cookie dough before it all hits the oven! It never fails! haha.

Luckily, there's a solution to all this!  I found this recipe for Christmas Cookie Dough Bites, and I knew I had to try them!  What I didn't think would happen is that making these cookie dough bites would teach me patience.  How?  Well, as I was mixing up the dough in a couple of the steps, it wasn't looking "light and fluffy" AT ALL.  I knew then I MUST have messed up.  What else is new?  Thankfully, I didn't give up, and kept on working, and what do you know?  I had light and fluffy dough.  haha.

You definitely should try these Christmas Cookie Dough Bites--they're an easy sweet treat that you can whip up in no time!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) of unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 2 tbsp milk or cream (I used milk.)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips (I just used regular sized chips.)
• 1/2 cup Christmas M&Ms (I only used 1/4 cup.)

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, for 2-3 minutes.

2. Mix in the milk and vanilla.

3. Stir in flour and salt and mix on low speed until incorporated.

4. Stir in chocolate chips and M&Ms.

5. Chill in the refrigerator for 15-30 minutes.

6. Roll into small balls. If desired, add more M&Ms to the outside of the cookie dough bites.

Food For Friday: Cherry Coke Chicken

When I was home during the summer, I was always looking for new crock pot recipes to try.  They're easy to prepare and good to eat.

I found this barbeque chicken was a great discovery, from Pinterest of course.  At first, I was very hesitant about it, but then I remembered I've had something similar to it!

My absolute FAVORITE meal from Cinebistro is their ribs in a Cherry Coke BBQ sauce.  This chicken didn't taste the same {because how awesome would that have been??}, but it was definitely worth trying, and I'll for sure make it again sometime!

Here's the recipe that I found online, but I ended up halving it for the two of us.  However, I did add in more than half a can of Cherry Coke, because I really wanted it to be flavorful, haha.

Pin It Friday

I'm quite aware that I've been slacking in the blogging department this week. haha! But trust me, I've had things lined up to blog, just never got around to actually publishing the posts!

I also have many posts lined up for the remainder of May & the first week of June, but we'll see how many of those end up on here in the end!

Anyway, I wasn't sure what I was going to do for today's Pin It Friday, but then for some reason "bright colored flowers" just popped into my head, so that's what I went with! Enjoy some pretty colors I found on Pinterest this evening :)

Products I Love

On Pinterest, I have a "Products I Love" board--actually,
I think it was one of those first five boards that
you automatically get when you sign up for a Pinterest account.  100% of my pins on that board are things I don't even have, but I think they have a cool concept, or some I would even use!  Some of those that I could see being useful are:

-A tumbler that makes tea on the go! Yes, I would definitely use that!

-A cupholder for the beach, with a nice stand that you stick in the sand to keep it up.  I hate having to set my drink down on the beach and getting sand all over it.

-And oh yeah, that pillow that's made with a space underneath specifically for your arm to fit under it! haha.

But, since I don't have any of those, I thought I would just share of a few of my own Products I Love, but one of them might just be a thing I love. haha.

Pin It Friday!

It's finally SPRING, and while the temperatures may not always tell us that, I just knowwwww that warmer
weather is right around the corner, and I can't wait!! =) I can't wait to wear more brightly colored things!

Since we will see some warmer temperatures come this weekend, I thought it would be appropriate for today's Pin It Friday to be pictures of different Spring Fashion ideas!! 

And, I know, I'm a person of many words today, but I think there's only but so much I can say about what I'm posting today for Pin It Friday! haha.

Pin it Friday!

It took me a while to figure out what to do for this month's Pin it Friday topic.

I didn't want to do a bunch of St. Patrick's Day pins, as last months was based on Valentine's Day, and I didn't want to do holiday themed two months in a row.

I also just tried typing in "march" to the Pinterest search bar to see if anything fun came up. Big fat negative.  A bunch of random pictures showed up, but none of them had anything to do with March whatsoever.

Pin it Friday!

You're probably thinking I'm absolutely nuts right now.  Obviously, it's not Friday.  It's not even the day before Friday, but I'm still doing Pin it Friday, REGARDLESS! haha. 

You see, I wanted this month's Pin it Friday to be different pictures of ideas for Valentine's Day, but, there's only one more Friday before then! I couldn't do it last Friday, because that was Abby's birthday, and this Friday there will also be something special to post! Therefore, I'm posting it today, and I guess we should probably just call it, Pin it Wednesday. Nah, that doesn't flow as well, so we'll just stick it's regular name!

Anyway, these were all found on Pinterest, duh, but I hope you enjoy them!!

Pin It Friday : New Years Quotes

Last February I started doing Pin It Friday every week, or as close to every week as I could.  Each Friday, I would pick five pins from 5 different boards on my Pinterest account and shared them on my blog.  I tried to vary which boards I chose from to keep everything different, but that didn't always happen. 

To not feel like I'm not keeping up with Pin It Friday this year, I still want to do it, but I'm going to change it up a little bit. 

Pin It Friday!

I haven't done one of these in forever, but I'm glad to share these pins with you today!

From my puppies board:

This definitely reminds me of our old dog, Chestnut, and this is the image that comes to mind: most dogs will pick up sticks in the yard to chew on/play with.  Our dog? No.  He would find an entire tree branch to carry around and play with! haha. The funniest times were when he'd have a branch that had little tiny branches with leaves on it, too!  As dangerous as this probably was.....it was funny to throw these branches and see him fetch them.  Oh, I miss our puppy :(

Pin It Friday!!

Say whaaaaaaaaat? Pin It Friday? YEAH! I haven't done one of these blog posts in soooo long, and I'm excited to share 5 new pins with you this week!!!

 from my mind = blown board:

I remember the exact moment when I realized this!! Abby and I were spending the night at Ganny & Papa's house, and Ganny was in the living room with us watching TV.  All of sudden, I sat up on the sofa and said, "THAT'S A 'D'!" Ganny said, "well, yes it is." Then I said, "I always thought it was just some weird thing that Walt Disney liked to write, or some symbol that was supposed to represent something. But NOW, I see that it's a 'D'!!" haha

 from my things I want board:

The words on these shirts only show up when you've sweat enough for the text to come through! I so want!!!

 from my food & drink board:

This soup is soooo good!  While I've never actually ordered my own serving of it, I almost managed to take a bite out of Matt's ;)

 from my the most wonderful time of the year board:

I want need this to add to my Christmas shirt collection!

 finally, from my quotes board:

Pinterest Fails.

Brownie in a Mug

Many of the things I see on Pinterest are awesome! The food looks so yummy, the decorations are so festive, and the clothes make me wish I won the lottery and could spend it all on a new wardrobe.  I can sit on Pinterest for literally hours on end (but I don't) looking at anything and everything, hoping to one day make some of the things I've seen.  I've made a Christmas tree banner for my dorm room out of green paintchips from Walmart (which hung on my wall from November thru March! haha) and Matt and I made some DE-LI-CIOUS Taco Soup that can last us several meals (and tastes best when you dip Fritos in it! yummmm).  However, thing's don't always go *as planned*...even when you follow the directions.

For example: before leaving for Longwood, Matt & I made Brownies in a Mug for ourselves and Mom.  The recipe was simple enough...we just had to adjust the cooking time slightly to make the brownie cook all the way through.  The result? I could tolerate one bite.  What a waste.  But it was gross. No, not gross. It was straight up disgusting.

I then came across directions to make your own glitter.  It kind of puzzled me at first as to how this would even be possible, but I wanted to do a craft with glitter in the future anyway, so I thought I'd give it a try.  All you had to do was mix X amount of salt with X amount of liquid food coloring, mix it all together, spread out the salt on an aluminum foil covered baking sheet, and pop it in the over for about 10 minutes.  The result? THERE WAS NOTHING SPARKLY WHEN I PULLED THE SHEET OUT OF THE OVEN!! It just looked like, well, orange salt. End of story.

Finally, yesterday I wanted to try another simple recipe I found.  You slice strawberries and throw them on a baking sheet, and pop them in the oven for 3 hours on 210 degrees, and supposedly, they should have a similar taste to Twizzlers.  Well, when I opened the oven to check on them and saw this, I knew this was another Pinterest fail.  Granted, it was only

Pin It Friday!

So since I was a terrible blogger last week, I missed out on one of my favorite posts: Pin It Friday!  I remember being on duty Friday night and remembering that I usually do Pin It Fridays. While I was sad that I didn't get to choose 5 pins to share, at that point, I was just exhausted from the week, our Campus Wide, and I really just wanted to relax! 

I made sure that Pin It Friday was on this week's to-do list, so that I could cross it off and make sure it's up!  Enjoy this week's pins!!

Pin It Friday!

from my for the home board:

Oh man, what I would give to have a lazy river through my house!!! Matt---future home ideas?? :) :) :)

Pin It Friday!

Every week I'm more and more glad that I started doing Pin It Friday! While I do tend to have a hard time choosing ONLY 5 pins to share, and trying not to use one from the same boards as the week before, it's quite fun!

It's also funny to see HOW MANY pins I add just within 1 week, haha.

I hope you enjoy this week's selection of pins!

Have a great weekend!! :)

from my food & drink board:

 from my quotes board:

from my smile board:

from my Places I Want to Go board:

from my before I die board: