An Ampersand Found in the Wild

I have a thing for ampersands. They're the prettiest button on the keyboard: &

I found an ampersand on my shoe the other day and that was pretty happy.

A Really Good Weekend (honest)

Friday night I had dinner with some of my very good friends from my sorority (Yay ADPi!). We had been at Centre earlier that evening to mourn celebrate our chapter advisor's retirement, and afterward we gathered to talk some more, gossip a lot, and split some pizzas. We've scattered a bit across the state and country, so evenings like this--when SIX of us are able to gather together--are rare and wonderful. As I left the restaurant at 11:30 on Friday night, I realized that already my weekend had been so great that it didn't matter how the whole making-an-offer-on-a-house went.

It continued to not matter all weekend. As we were signing the contract, UK was destroying Tennessee and I hate Tennessee. While they were countering our offer with the list price (for reals?!), I was celebrating my sister-in-law's 21st birthday. While UK played for the SEC championship (Go Cats!), Lee, Realtor, and I decided on our counter-offer plan.

So with all sincerity, I say that I'm okay with possibly not getting this house. We'll make another offer today, and I'm going back and forth over if this is as high as we'll go or not, but I don't need to worry about that yet. I've spent the weekend with people I love and Kentucky is a #1 seed. Life is pretty good!

Week in Review: 3/12

The Maple Syrup Festival last weekend was awesome (Even though I missed the llama!), as evidenced by me shoving waffles supreme into my face.

Those are my waffles! With syrup, blueberries, apples, strawberries, ice cream, whipped cream and chocolate chips.


This weeks links are generally home related links because the only thing I can think about is the house that I think we might buy! Yes, you read that right! Lee and I saw the house last night, we're going to look at it again tomorrow morning with the in-laws and will very likely make an offer tomorrow afternoon! Say your prayers! Cross your fingers! Arrange your magic voodoo spirits in our favor! We LOVE this house!


I want need the kitchen island/table in the second to last picture here at dress, design & decor. Exactly what I see in my head!

If this pans out, I'll need to start planning the garden ASAP! Here's some tomato growing tips from The Kitchn.

The moment there is an accepted contract in our sweaty little palms, I will virtually move into the Young House Love How-To archives.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Bloggy Cooking Night

Last night I cooked, cooked, cooked. Largely because my allergy/sinus mess caused me to postpone a couple planned dishes, which made last night the night to tackle them all.

As I was getting ready for my cooking marathon (Okay, it was probably more like a cooking 5K. Thanksgiving dinner would be the marathon.), I realized that all my recipes were from fellow bloggers.

First up was Budget Bytes' Mediterranean white bean salad, which made a delicious lunch today. I put it on a pita with some garlic hummus. All my coworkers were jealous. 


For last night's actual dinner, we had Redhead Recipes' sticky chicken. This was tastier than the picture suggests. I was going to serve it with brown rice and steamed broccoli, but I was craving macaroni and cheese, so we had it with macaroni and cheese and broccoli.


And finally, I tried my first Smitten Kitchen recipe: jacked-up banana bread.


The bread was actually a thank you gift for a coworker's husband, who so kindly made me a UK paper sculpture, just in time for the SEC tournament. Go Cats! But I sampled the banana bread and it was delicious! (There is no classier gift than a banana bread with a slice missing!)

Hello Again

I've been a bit MIA lately. A combination of being both lazy and busy, some writer's block and allergy/sinus misery.

For the past two nights I have come home from work and directly plopped down on the couch to watch TV until an early bedtime. This has made me realize that I think I need more time to let myself do nothing, even when I can breathe through my nose.

Last night was the first night I've been able to watch a whole episode of American Idol since the real competition has started. Didi was my favorite, but I also voted for Crystal and Lacey. Oh Idol, I have missed you.




image: ilovememphis

Week in Review: 3/5

 
Zoey's ready for the weekend.

I'm liking some stencils.

How can I not link to a Jane Austen style wedding!?


iDiY shares so many Japanese masking tape ideas it requires two parts! part 1 and part 2

Because I always wonder about this, find out if expiration dates really matter. Apparently it requires more common sense than I thought! ;)

Have a wonderful weekend! I'll be going to a Maple Syrup Festival. Oh yes!

Be Healthy

It's March (crazy huh?) so it's time for a new resolution to tackle: be healthy.

I have never been athletic. In high school, I started trying to take up exercise. Not that I looked like I needed it, but I didn't want to be the skinniest person to get winded by a couple flights of stair. (It's so annoying when people look at you and say "You don't need to exercise." The thing is: Everyone should exercise.) And I figured that some day eating whatever I wanted would catch up with me (Hello, that day!) and if I started doing healthy things now I would either never reach the point of having to start a for-real diet or if that point is reached, I could just step up my existent regiment.

I have yet to establish a consistent regiment though. And I've developed a bit of a muffin top. Hopefully this month I can start something that sticks. For forever.

On the exercise front, I want to workout 4-5 days a week. I like working out in the morning best and last week I actually worked out four mornings for 20-30 minutes. Hopefully this will continue and hopefully I can add in some strength (crunches and arm weights). The earlier it gets lighter out , I'll run outside. Otherwise it's to the apartment gym. (And hopefully when there's a house and no apartment, I'll get some kind of exercise equipment for cold, dark or rainy mornings.)

As far as what I eat, I'm currently avoiding foods with ingredients I can't pronounce and making sure I have an apple lying around instead of a box of Tagalongs. In the spirit of full disclosure, I actually have six boxes of Tagalongs sitting by my desk right now, waiting to go into storage until after Easter. Some say that Lent is about more than giving up candy, and I agree, but Lent is also the only thing that can get me to give up candy. (I'm doing other more spiritual things too, in case you're curious.) And I'm not opposed to eating candy, I just eat way too much of it. Oreos do not make a proper snack, even if I've had a rough day (Or so I'm trying to convince myself.). They do make an excellent dessert though.

Any healthy snack ideas or secrets to sticking to a work out plan are much appreciated! (I hear I need to sign up for a 5K.)