Hammers and Nails

After a year (for R anyway) in our new home, we are finally finishing things up. We are putting up crown molding in the master bed and bath, finishing up crown molding in the kitchen, and the big thing, finishing the stairs! I'm so excited! I know that will not be the end of the home repairs, upgrades, etc but it is a great feeling to have something done. Also, I stumbled across Pottery Barn's President's Day Sale for drapes so I got a great deal on some drapes to add another finishing touch to our bedroom! Oh, how I love productivity! :)
On another note....
I have worked lots this week but I have also gotten some great time with special friends and with R in the past week! Leslie and I had a fun trip to Montgomery last week, Byrne came to see me at work, and today I get to see my long lost friend Julie and her sweet new baby boy! I love time with old friends...although I don't feel old enough to think back on college memories! Also, R and I used our new fire pit (thanks Pound family!) this weekend while we cooked out and it was glorious! I'm thinking some s'mores are in our near future! Well, that is all for now...but I do have some recipes to share soon! I highly recommend the Birmingham Junior League cookbook - Tables of Content :)

Oh, How I LOVE Spring

Days like today make we want to take a walk, fire up the grill, and mix some Crystal Light lemonade...so that's pretty much what I did.
Today has to be the best weather we've had in years...well, maybe not years, but a long time. It was so pretty outside that Gidget and I took a walk down to the square, and I didn't even take my iPod! That's right, Troy has a "square" that is actually pretty cute. It's about a 30 minute walk from our house, at my pace anyway, and today was the PERFECT day for a walk! Gidget and I really enjoyed it, and I think I tired her out. She flopped onto the cold floor in the kitchen as soon as we were in the house.
seems that everyone around town is loving this weather because it seemed that everyone I saw had a smile on their face! This beautiful day is such a blessing, and I was lucky enough to be off today so I could enjoy it.
I hope that all of you were able to enjoy some of this beautiful day at some point!

On a side note, the dinner I prepared for Randolph for Valentine's Day was a big hit! Thanks to Mom and Dad for the heart shaped pasta and Ingram's Curb Mart for the filet :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

After a wonderful weekend in New Orleans, it's hard to come back to the "real world" where there is no one to make up my bed or leave chocolates on my pillow! I could probably live in a hotel and be fine with it - although I would also weigh about 3 times what I do right now! We spent the weekend with R's mother, grandmother, aunt, and uncle. They had a fabulous time planned which included dinner at Arnaud's and M Bistro, coffee at the Royal Orleans, and brunch at Commander's Palace. I have to say, although they were all FABULOUS, Commander's Palace was my favorite! We spent Saturday at the horse races and my personal favorite was the long shot "Crispy".
We had a wonderful weekend away and Gidget had a fabulous weekend at my parents house. I don't know what powers that little puppy has, but my mom even allowed her on the furniture! Our pets growing up were never allowed to do that. :) Well, that is all for now. I'm off to prepare a Valentine's supper for R!

Live, Laugh, Love

I can't believe it's February already!!! January flew by with fun weekends and busy weeks. R and I had a blast on the last weekend of hunting season. :) We spent the weekend, where else, at the hunting camp. We joined our friends, which included their wives/girlfriends, and had a blast. We let the guys get to bed early since they were getting an early start in the morning. However, we stayed up until all hours of the night catching up, laughing, talking, and just having a great time. The weather Saturday was beautiful and I sat on the porch and read for hours. I love the time of year when it is starting to warm up and the outdoors are actually pleasant! Being at the camp is such a great time to enjoy the outdoors, actually see the stars, and let the pup roam free. Gidget had much more outdoor time than she does at home and she loved it. She and the Caffey's dog are now BFF and I think she misses her. haha
It was a wonderful weekend that led the way into an extremely busy week - and I caught the cold that everyone else had all weekend. It was well worth it, though! I think that is all for now!
In honor of the weekend I am posting my Texas Caviar recipe which is a favorite at the camp.
2 cans yellow corn
2 cans white corn
2 cans black beans
2 cans rotel tomatoes
1/2 red onion, diced
2 green bell peppers
pinch of minced garlic
pinch of diced jalepenos
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 bottle italian dressing (I use fat free)