The"Armpit" of SC

That is such a nice name for where we live...

But it is hot as hell!! I can not complain too much because with in a couple of hours, we can be in the mountains or at the beach! And that is where I have been for the past two weekends. Greenville and Georgetown/Pawley's Island!! I am really enjoying this time in my life. Workin' hard, and since we do not have anything tying us down right now (kiddos ;)) we can bounce around and play with our friends!! Good times! I hope you all have a great week!!!

Day of Blog Silence for Cohen

John 11: 25-26 "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die..."

The Pursuit of Tan-ness

So I tried this product, Neutrogena Micro Mist, and did not really like it. But I may give it one more shot. I used it on top of another spray tan that was crumbling away, I should have exfoliated. It is a little tricky to apply. You can not stop moving the can, or it will show up uneven. It does not show up for hours, so you can not really see the results for a while. It smells really good though, and you can reach your "hard to reach places" unlike a lotion. I will try it once more, and let ya know!

What's for dinner?

I really enjoy this version of chicken caccitore. It is not my mother's way of making it, that is for sure! This recipe has a kick to it, I use all of the ingredients (for the most part) and throw it in the crock pot, we like it :)

Chicken Cacciatore, from foodnetwork.com

Ingredients
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
1 (3-pound) chicken cut into eighths
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound cremini mushrooms, quartered
1 large red onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 large yellow bell pepper, thinly julienned
1 serrano or jalapeno chile, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 cup low-sodium canned chicken broth
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes and their juices
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar or capers
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
1 pound spaghetti (size 8 or 9) cooked al dente
Basil sprigs
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Directions
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat. Season the chicken pieces on both sides with salt and pepper and place in the pan, skin side down and cook until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the breasts over and cook until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the chicken to a large plate.
Add the remaining oil to the pan and heat until almost smoking. Add the mushrooms and cook until golden brown, season with salt and pepper and remove to a plate.
Add the onion and bell pepper to the pan and cook until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the serrano, garlic and chili flakes to the pan and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the wine and cook until almost completely reduced. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes, and rosemary and bring to a simmer. Return the chicken and mushrooms to the pan, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan and cook until the chicken is tender, about 30 minutes. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon to a large shallow bowl and tent loosely with foil.
Increase the heat to high and cook the sauce, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 8 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, stir in the vinegar and basil and pour the sauce over the chicken. Garnish with fresh basil sprigs. Serve over spaghetti and sprinkle with grated cheese.

This Spring/ Summer Project Is...

To do something with our backyard and patio! It is so boring right now. We are going to Jazz it up this year..yay :) Maybe even do some before and afters! *This picture is not our patio. I found it while looking for inspiration....

Silver and Gold...

Love it....

I want this!

It may be a bit much for me though. I can not always pull off big pieces of jewelry like this one, but I still like it :)

I am my Mother's Child...

Sometimes I really think that I am turning into my Mother! I can't help it. One big example would be something that irritated my brother and me when we were kids. Every time we were ready to set out on a road trip, or go to the airport, my Mom would freak out. She would have absolutely no patience with any of us, and my poor Dad caught most of the wrath. Once we were on our way, everything would be fine.
So 20 years later, wouldn't ya know it, I do the same thing! Every time we get ready to hit the road! This is only one example. My brother as well as other family and friends pick on me all of the time about lots of other little things that I do like Mom. It is not all bad. I should be flattered. She is an awesome lady--short fuse and all :)

Fun Weekend

This weekend we went to Georgetown, SC. This is were my husband grew up. His parents do not live there anymore :( But we still try to get down there at least once or twice a year. We have a few more excuses to get down there this year, with a wedding or two, and a high school reunion coming up. This weekend, we were down there for a wedding shower. We had lots of fun (and good seafood). I am kind of envious of him for having that small town experience. Not that I am a metropolitan city slicker or anything, but I grew up in a suburb of Columbia, SC that developed very quickly. When I came home from college, nothing was the same. When Josh goes back to Georgetown, nothing has changed. I guess I just find that to be refreshing and different than what I am used to.

Disgraceful

Anyone who cheats on their spouse is a loser. What a weak, sad, broken person. Ewww.

God is good!

On my lunch hour today, I visited my co-worker, turned dear friend, Carla. she just gave birth yesterday to little Cullum Elizabeth! I am so overwhelmed with joy for Carla and her husband! They have waited so long for God to bless them with a child. It is so heartwarming. Miracles happen everyday folks!!

Sensitive Subject

Lately some fashion spreads have prominently featured plus-size models. This is not exactly what comes to mind when I think of "plus size" I am glad that the fashion world is starting to turn a corner, but I don't think this woman is plus size. And if she is, then I am about a cheeseburger away from being plus size too. There is nothing wrong with being plus size. But my point is, what is the big deal about this? She looks pretty slender to me.

I have been thinking about this, and it makes sense. Models are usually around a size zero, or at the smallest size that the clothes are made in. So it makes sense that this size 12 model is the model for her size category. Plus size is 12+. But, the average size of a woman in America is a 14. Clothing sizes mean nothing to me really. They are inconsistant. And as long as you look/feel good who cares?! Yeah!!

Snow in SC!

Yay!! Snow!! We never get snow. I am kind of glad that we don't have to worry about driving in that on a regular basis, or shoveling our driveway in the mornings. So it is a nice treat every few years for a day or so :) And we did not lose power this year, but some people did :( I looked up what was closed or cancelled this weekend. All the retail stores were open, but after school and church activities were cancelled. The library was open and the Zoo was open. I thought that was kind of strange....who the hell wants to go to the Zoo? I can't go to church, but i can go to the Zoo! So silly :)

TMI

Poor guy! He was only 21 years old. I really wish that they would stop playing his death over and over again on the news, it is a horrible image. I am sure that is just awful for his friends and family. They even played it on the jumbo screen all day in Vancouver!

You don't say???

Does anyone think that some people over-use words? Like the word Amazing, or the word Literally? Kind of annoying. Expand your vocab, why don't ya?

Did you know...and a shout out!

Wow did you know Target has great deals on wine?? And target sells some of their overstock home goods to TJMaxx?? I love Target and TJMaxx! And I would like to give a little shout out to my favorite next door neighbors, Erica and Matt! Congrats on your baby boy! Now that you are settled in, we will have to come over for a little visit :)

Happy Time

Thank You to Charlotte over at The Charlotte Observer! She gave me this a while ago, and I am cashing it in. Now I am supposed to list 10 things that make me happy:)

1. My husband (duh, I would hope so, lol!)

2. My kitties Frank and Ginger

3. My Mom and Dad. They have always made me feel so special and loved...awww.

4. My Brother. We have always been very close and rarely ever fought. It is great to see him grow into a successful man (that sounds weird calling him a man!)

5. TJ Maxx!!!!!

6. Drinking coffee on the way to work.

7. Friends, near and far.

8. Low Key weekends. Like the one I am having now. Falling asleep watching a movie, cooking a big breakfast, getting things done around the house.

9. My house. Josh closed on our house when we first got together, so I was not part of the process. I was not crazy about it for a while, but I like it now.

10. Traveling. I would suggest to anyone to save up some money and go on a big trip. It is worth it! And before you get your passport out, consider what the USA has to offer, especially out West.

I love you Pauly D!!

Is it wierd to have a crush on this guy? I try to fight it! I don't really have a crush on him, but I can't get enough of him and love to watch him and "The Situation" run around Jersey! Everyone I know loves this show. I am already looking forward to season 2! I wonder how they would fit in if they came and visited us here in South Carolina.....that would be entertaining!

Fun Weekend

So I ended up at my Mom and Dad's house for most of the weekend. My Mom and I went shopping on her side of town (we live about 45 minutes away from my parents) on Saturday. We got back to their house after shopping in the early evening. I said that I would have one glass of wine and then go home. One turned into 3, it was pouring down rain, so I spent the night over there. My Mom and I stayed up until 2 am!! It is so much fun to be good friends with my parents now. I soak up every minute and never forget how lucky I am to have them :) Josh missed me a little, but it turned out to be a fun weekend. I hope everyone has a great week!! talk to you soon.

Let the Good Times Roll

Hello Again!

So I am jumping back into the blog world! I want to follow more people and get more people to follow me this year. To the few people who do follow; I am sorry you had to look at that unfinished hunk of wood in my garage for the past two months! But as you can see, he finished his project! The holiday season was so much fun for us, so I will have to go back in time and recap :) We have some great things in store for 2010, so stay tuned!