Sunday, September 30, 2012

Sunday Social (5)

I'm once again linking up with A Complete Waste of Makeup's Sunday Social, for a few flashback themed questions.A Complete Waste of Makeup's Sunday Social.
1. What do you miss most about being a kid?
I miss falling asleep on the drive home being half asleep at arrival, and having someone carry you into bed. Yes, it's silly but I still wish someone would carry me to bed from the car instead of being forced to wake up and walk inside. I even remember trying to get my parents to do it when I was in high school, but even then I was too old to be carried to bed. Such a silly thing to miss, but still...
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2. Did you have a nickname growing up? What was it?
In general most nicknames tended not to stick with me. But at times my mom would call me Shosh, and my BFF used to call me Shoshie Moshie at times, or at least something along those lines.
90 - fall
3. What was your favorite thing to do at recess?
I definitely went through phases, but in 1st grade (when the above picture is from), I used to love doing the rings. No idea if they still have them in schools because they seem "too dangerous" but I used to love them.
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4. What did you want to be when you grew up?
I went through several phases. At times I wanted to be a teacher, a lawyer, a chemist who created artificial flavors. Although my parents love the story of how in first grade I wanted to be... well we're save that til the last question actually.
Meet Felicity
5. What was your favorite toy?
I loved my American Girl dolls. I had a Felicity and a Doll of Today called Allison. I still love them, but it is a little disappointing that the items aren't nearly as well made now that they're manufactured by Mattel.
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6. What is the funniest thing you did as a kid that your parents still remind you about?
As I started on Question #4, in 1st grade I wanted to be either an astronaut or an ice cream man. Which is why the photo above it so perfect. Not just because I'm eating an ice cream cone, but because I'm pretty sure that photo was taken in D.C., which is where I first got the idea to be an astronaut by visiting the Air and Space museum.

If you haven't participated in Sunday Social yet, them tell me some of your answers in the comments. And if you already have, be sure to let me know so I can make sure to stop by.

Friday, September 28, 2012

A Court Affair

The Queen's Pleasure by Brandy Purdy
I was so excited when the author of this book reached out to me and asked if I'd want a copy to read. I really enjoyed her last book, The Tudor Throne, so I couldn't wait to read another by her. It's funny going back to that post and reading that I wanted to see Elizabeth's story continue, because basically this is that. I do think that if I read the two closer together I would have enjoyed this more, because while parts of the story did come back to me, it did take a while.

My biggest complaint with this book is actually the way it was marketed. The front cover calls it "A Novel of Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley." But it really is a story of Amy Dudley, the wife of Robert Dudley. Given who she is, Robert & Elizabeth are definitely significant players (in fact several chapters are even told from Elizabeth's point of view), but it really is Amy's story. Even the book's summary never mentions Amy by name, and she is only referred to in passing as Robert's wife. What is interesting is reading the summary of the UK version of this book (marketed as A Court Affair by Emily Purdy), because there you can actually tell who the story is about.

The book actually begins as the end of the story, and then goes back in time to fill in the details of what got everyone got that point. I'm not always a fan of that that approach, but since I knew what to expect from Amy's story (both from Philippa Gregory's The Virgin's Lover and Jean Plaidy's A Favorite of the Queen) it really worked for me.

I have read complaints about this book that it's not historically accurate, which I can see because it's told from Amy's point of view and we really have no idea what she's thinking. Except as you read you can't help but notice the historical details, based on fact, that are woven throughout. Purday doesn't make a point to call the out just to prove that it is based on truth, but if you look for them, there are a lot of historical accuracies within.

I really did enjoy this one, and do think Purdy has an interesting take on the Tudor reign. I can't wait to see what she has next, although in some ways I'd like to see her venture into more interesting territory instead of sticking with this family.

4/5

Disclosure: I was provided this book from the author. All opinions expressed are my own.

Today I'm linking up with Blonde Undercover Blonde for Book Club Friday!

Thursday, September 27, 2012

From Miss to Mrs: After the Storm

We woke up Thursday morning to sunny skies. At least I remember them being sunny, but what was more important was the hurricane had past. I was anxious to get back to the house so I could finish the final projects, except we had no idea if we had power and I didn't want to be somewhere without air conditioning. So we spent the morning at the boy's parents' house watching the news and basically wasting time in hopes the electricity company would get to work. Around 11 or so, we finally decided to make the trek back home.

The entrance into our neighborhood was a bit flooded. And if the we had been driving either mine or the boy's tiny cars we probably couldn't have made it through. But my dad's large rental car was high enough, and make it back to our house, which most important did NOT have a tree fall on it. (From what I saw all of the houses in our neighborhood were fine, but we did drive by a tree on top of a house on the way back.)

And once we got back to our house we were excited to see we also had power! Based on the time on the stove and the density of the ice cream in the fridge, it looked like power had been on for about an hour, which meant our house was without for about 24 hours. So while the boy started picking up branches in the backyard I emptied the fridge. After 24 hours we probably didn't need to completely clean out the fridge, except it had been forever since we had gone through it. So instead I used it as a chance to deep clean, and once finished started picking up branches as well.
Backyard After Isaac
These are some of the branches in our backyard, which really doesn't look that bad. There are one or two big ones, but really nothing crazy.
Post Hurricane Isaac
On the other hand, this is what the other side of our backyard looked like. Normally when it rains it floods our neighbors' yards, but this is the first time I've seen what our yard looked so flooded. Although a few hours later it had completely receded.

The rest of Thursday is pretty much a blur, but I do remember that Thursday is when several of my friends and family had their flight. Not to Baton Rouge or New Orleans, but they were closer than California. I had some in Lake Charles, Louisiana who were planning on driving to Baton Rouge the following morning, and other in Dallas who were planning on flying into New Orleans on Friday. Basically everything was starting to come together.

How does your backyard, or neighborhood, hold up in rainy weather? Or have you ever been flooded in, or even out, of your home?

Miss a Recap Post?
From Miss to Mrs: The Calm Before the Storm
From Miss to Mrs: There's a Hurricane Coming?
From Miss to Mrs: Here Comes Isaac
From Miss to Mrs: Weathering the Cane

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Peanutty Mixing

Last weeks I posted how the boy and I were having fun with our new kitchen tools post-wedding. But while the food processor was what the boy was looking forward to, I couldn't wait to take my KitchenAid mixer for a spin. I decided to keep things simple and just use one of the recipes that was included in the instruction booklet. I wasn't hoping for much, but they turned out delicious and I can't wait to try them again. More than that I'm willing to take a chance on another recipe right out of the instruction manual. Anyways, here we go, Peanut Butter Cookies courtesy of KitchenAid.
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Mix peanut butter and butter until smooth.
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Add sugars (white & brown), eggs, and vanilla.
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Stir and add in baking soda, salt, and flour.
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Mix till combined.
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Roll into balls and press flat with a fork in a criss-coss patter.
Peanut Butter Cookies
Bake at 375 until golden brown, about 10 to 12 minutes.

The first patch I made came out a little overcooked. They weren't burnt, but they were just crunchy the following day. But I took the second batch out a little sooner and they were perfect. Nice and peanut butter-y, but more important to me, the perfect softness.

Basically I was really impressed by this recipe considering it came out of the instruction manual. But come to think of, wouldn't you trust the people who know the gadget the most to be able to come up with the best ideas for it?

Have you ever made a recipe directly out of a tool's instruction manual? And if you have a KitchenAid mixer, what's your favorite thing to use it for?

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

From Miss to Mrs: Weathering the 'Cane

I woke up Wednesday morning expecting to be without power and in the middle of a hurricane. Except while it was raining outside we still had electricy. So I made myself a cup of coffee, wasted some time on the internet, and got to work of finishing up projects.

Unfortunatly not too long after I started we did wind up loosing power. So I lit a candle and continued on making programs.
Making Programs by Candlelight
The boy started complaining about being bored and having nothing to do, so I put him to work wrapping presents for the bridal party, alphabetizing our escort cards, and making a card box.
Card Box
Now I had actually attempted making a card box, but since it was such an epic fail the boy agreed to remake it. Seriously, the slit for the cards was all jagged on my version, the wrapping paper was ripped, and it truly was a disaster. So much so that not a picture exists of it. But thankfully the boy was able to save me here and create a card box that was presentable.

Wednesday afternoon is also when the calls started to come in that Thursday's flights into Louisiana were canceled. It took several phone calls to various airlines, but the end people had rescheduled to fly into Dallas or Lake Charles, and then planned on driving or flying into Baton Rouge on Friday.

After about an hour without power, with no idea when we'd be getting power back, we drove over to the boy's parents' house, who still had power. I beleive at this point Isaac had been downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm, but there still was quite a bit of wind and rain outside. We would have liked to wait until things died down a little more, but would rather leave while it was still light out, then drive in the dark. Surprisingly we were by no means the only car on the road. A lot of those were police cars, but most looked to be normal people like us.

My in-laws kept power throughout the night, through the entire storm even. And once there we played a few games of Settlers of Catan and had gumbo for dinner.

Has anyone else ever resorted to doing diys by candlelight? Or would you be willing to drive through a hurricane if it meant that you had access to electricity?

Miss a Recap Post?
From Miss to Mrs: The Calm Before the Storm
From Miss to Mrs: There's a Hurricane Coming?
From Miss to Mrs: Here Comes Isaac

Monday, September 24, 2012

From Miss to Mrs: Here Comes Isaac

As quickly as Monday flew by at work, Tuesday crawled. By now everyone knew the hurricane was coming, and everybody was just ready to be home getting ready. And for me, I was ready to get home to finish off the final wedding projects.

I did talk to my DJ on Tuesday and we quickly went over the songs I had chosen for all our big moments. We did confirm that the wedding was definitely on, and that we'd be in touch after the storm.

On my lunch break I did stop by Michael's to pick up a few last minutes items. (Now I realize in my last post I said I went to Michael's on Monday. Except what I meant to write is that Monday I stopped by our florist to drop off my handkerchief to be wrapped around my bouquet. I promise that Tuesday is really when I stopped by Michael's, and then Smoothie King for something quick to eat. Basically what I'm saying is it's barely been three weeks and I'm already getting details wrong. But thankfully I'm here blogging it all, so years down the line I'll be able to say my last pre-wedding Michael's trip was Tuesday not Monday.)

Also on the topic of things I forgot to blog about, Monday was also spent on the phone with various friends and family going over their flight plans. I actually had about 10 people who were supposed to fly in on Wednesday. Except since Isaac was supposed to hit Wednesday morning I advised everyone to move their flights to Thursday. That probably would have been fine, if Isaac hadn't decided to slow down to 6mph, and push the estimated landfall from late Tuesday night to early Wednesday. Basically what I'm trying to say is I spent most of the day wondering when or even if people would actually be able to fly in.

I finally got home from work to the house to see the boy and my dad. Since the boy's work had been canceled that day the two had been hanging out all day. And by hanging out I mean the boy had spent the day on his PlayStation, and my dad had spent the day on his ipad.

My dad made spaghetti for dinner, and afterwards I wrote this post and tried to escort cards inspired by this image.

Except the Martha Steward punch I was using was strong enough to punch through the two layers of card stock. I spent far too long obsessing over this, and even had the boy try to help fix it. I finally settled for punching the sides of the cards instead and went to bed expecting to wake up to a hurricane.

Did you leave as tasks till only just before the wedding to discover they wouldn't quite come together just the way you've wanted?

Miss a Recap Post?
From Miss to Mrs: The Calm Before the Storm
From Miss to Mrs: There's a Hurricane Coming?

Monday Movie Reveiw

The Trouble With The Curve
I got the boy to see this with me because Clint Eastwood is in it, and it's a baseball movie. In terms of baseball, it's kind of the anti-Moneyball, about knowing the game and sometimes ignoring statistics. Except while there is quite a bit of baseball within, it really isn't a baseball movie.

Instead it's more of a relationship movie. Amy Adams' relationship with her father, Clint Eastwood. As well as her relationship with a new scout played by Justin Timberlake. And as anti-Justin as I am, I though he was really good in this.

I wound up really like this one, and while I don't think you have to like baseball to enjoy it, by liking it, it adds a perk. And while I don't think the boy liked it as much as I did, he wanted there to be more baseball, I do think he enjoyed it.

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Mailbox Monday (9)

It's been a while since I've had a chance to link up with Mailbox Monday, this month hosted by BookNAround. I guess I've just been a little busy with the whole getting married thing. But know that I'm officially a Mrs. I'm back with a bunch of books to to share!
Mailbox Monday
Purchased
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
It seems like everyone has been reading this lately. So hopefully I'll enjoy this one as much as anyone else. I'm actually reading it for a book club, so it'll be my next read so I'm finished and ready to discuss it.

A Secret Kept by Tatiana De Rosnay
I'm trying to limit the number of bargain books I pick up, because I really don't need anymore. My loose requirement is that it needs to be a book I would have purchased full price, and this is definitely one. De Rosnay's book Sarah's Key is one I can't stop thinking about, and while I've heard this isn't as good, I can't wait to read something else by her.

For Review from Virtual Author Book Tours
The Adventures of Tilda Pinkerton by Angela Shelton
This looks like such a cute middle grade fantasy book. The book is actually signed an personalized, and included was a bookmark, postcard, and personalized letter. The author's first book was adapted into the movie Tumbleweeds, so hopefully this is another movie worth one for her.

Curiosity Killed the Kat by Elizabeth Nelson
I actually thought about not review this one, but after loving my first book from these tours, Sulan, so much I decided to give this one the benefit of the doubt. This one looks to be a little bit of romance meets action, maybe something similar to Brad & Angelina's Mr. & Mrs. Smith?

Against My Will by Benjamin Berkly
I wasn't sure about this one either, until I realized there's a Holocaust subplot in it, and I'm always obsessed with historical fiction. In case you couldn't guess from the title, it's not about a happy marriage, but instead one full of abuse. Quick and funny story, the night before the wedding I had a stack of wedding books on the table, and this was mixed into them. From the bride of the cover it's not too much of a stretch, but from the title it doesn't quite fit the wedding planning theme of the rest. And this one was also signed and included a bookmark.

Hopefully I'll be back linking up with Mailbox Monday soon, but until then, what did you find in your mailbox this week?

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Pesto Power

Every since my shower, our extra bedroom, affectionately called the big closest, has been filled with wedding presents. The boy and I were both in agreement that even though they were officially ours, we wouldn't unpack anything till we were actually married. But now that we're officially married the gadgets have come out!
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First hiding in the background of this shot is our brand new rice cooker. But front and center we have our food processor about to make some pesto.
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The boy looked up a recipe featuring the standard pesto players (basil, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil, and pecorino cheese), and got to processing.
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The boy will tell you that it didn't come out perfect and that it isn't as good as our go-to pesto brand, but I thought it was pretty close to amazing. Plus there's the fact that our favorite brand has disappeared, so we've be trying out new pestos lately. This one definitely beats the others we've tried, but if he's going to work towards perfecting his recipe I am more then willing to test them out. Plus I'd love to make some try out some variations, maybe adding in roasted red pepper or olives to the mix?
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Have you ever tried making pesto? And what do you think would be a fun variation?

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Episode One: The League

Sulan by Camille Picott
In general, I try to stay away from self-published books, so I began this one with a little trepidation. Except the more I got into in, the more I enjoyed it, and about halfway through I really couldn't put it down.

The story takes place in a dystopian world, where the United States has gone bankrupt. Corporations compete against each other to take the place of the government, by schooling children or protecting the public. Yet due to the activities of the Anti-American League, most people never venture out into public if they can help it. Instead most interaction is virtual in a world where you become your avatar.

I thought the society Picott created wasn't just exciting to read about but also believable. I think it would be difficult for all government worldwide to become bankrupt, but the virtual world, with the virtual interactions is basically already happening. While we may not become our actual avatars, we do have a lot of our interactions virtual now.

My biggest complaint on the book is kind of picky, but it's one aspect I was really looking forward too. Our character, Sulan, is a math prodigy, and I was really looking forward to a few good math jokes. By the end of the book she is able to use her ability to get her out of a tight situation. Except what she does isn't really possible in our world. I can let that go and think that technology has advanced enough to make what she does possible, but I can't let the math go.

Everyone is so impressed by what she does mathematically and to do it she has to solve an equation quicker than she's ever done. Except what she does, doesn't involve an equation, nor is it really that hard. Basically she's doing high school geometry. Now there was some equation dropping halfway through the book that involved math I learned in my upper level college class. I don't necessary remember how to solve it, but I do remember learning it in our Boundary Value Equation class (which we lovingly called "Soap Bubbles," which was an application of the math). But I wish the extra smart math she used at the climax, was actually extra smart math.

But with that complaint aside, I still did enjoy the book. Yes, parts were predictable, but I still needed to know what happened. And while the book doesn't really end on a cliffhanger, it definitely feels like "to be continued." There are definitely some unsolved stories here, and I would love to read the sequel to see just how they resolve.

4.5/5

Disclosure: I was provided this book through Virtual Author Book Tours. All opinions expressed are my own.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

From Miss to Mrs: There's a Hurricane Coming?

As of the Sunday before the wedding, no one even suspected that a hurricane was on it's way. But by the time I was at work on Monday everyone knew that Isaac was on it's way. Monday at work was a blur, with everyone pulling up NOAA's hurricane tracking trying to figure out just exactly we would be hit (it was looking like Tuesday night), and when if at all, we'd be closing the office for the hurricane.

I took an early lunch because I needed to stop at Michael's and if there were closing early. Thankfully they were still open when I went by. They had moved all of they normal sale items indoors and had covered most of the glass window panes with metal paneling. Surprisingly there were quite a few people inside Michael's, I guess people just needed to pick up their emergency craft supplies. But I managed to pick up boxes for the groomsmen's gifts, wrapping paper, and coloring books and crayons to add to the flower girl & ring bearer gifts before heading back to work.

Finally around 4pm our office sent out an e-mail saying that we would be open on Tuesday but we'd be closing early. That is, early for those that normally worked till 8:30 pm, since we'd be closing at 5pm. Although since I normally leave a 5pm anyway, it didn't really impact me.

On the way home from work I stopped off at Target for yet another errand, this time picking up wrapping paper for our card box, which was half assembled and needed more of the matching paper. Target was pretty much gutted of necessities at this point, but I managed to pick up a few things, mainly a loaf of cheese focaccia (basically the only bread left in the store), a box of granola bars, and a bag of potato chips.

My dad was actually already in town at this point. He had flown in a week before the wedding and was planning on doing tourist-y things much of the time. He actually planed to be in Grand Isle Monday night, except Grand Isle was under evacuation, so instead, my dad was already waiting for me at the house when I got home.

And once I was there I went through a few more hurricane preparations. I filled up as many water bottles as I could find and threw them in the fridge. I started a load of laundry. And I started printing anything I could think of for the wedding, mainly copies of the wedding day schedule, copies of the ceremony, and pages of the program. I knew with Hurricane Gustav we were out of power for almost a week, and if something similar happened with Isaac, Monday night could be the last night I'd have with a printer before the wedding. And since you must be wondering, in all this madness my hair dresser did call me to officially cancel our Wednesday appointment.

If you were having to prepare for a hurricane what necessities would you pick up before the storm? (I'm guessing I was probably the only one at Target that day buying wrapping paper hours before a hurricane.)

Monday, September 17, 2012

From Miss to Mrs: The Calm Before the Storm

Our photographer is officially finished editing our photos! She's uploaded them to an online gallery, and in addition proofs asand digital files are in the mail. Which means, it's time to start the wedding recaps! As a fair warning, I am going to draw these out as LOOOONG as possible. So if you're not into wedding recaps, you may want to make yourself scare the next few weeks, but really, who isn't a fan of recaps?

To make sure you understand all the craziness leading up to the wedding we're going to go back to a week before the wedding on Sunday, when I met the boy's mom at his sister's house for my dress fitting. The dress I tried on at the store fit me almost perfectly, but while I did order a new one from the designer, I did know that there wasn't a lot of alterations to be done.

I tried it on along with my shoes and veil (the shoes a necessity, the veil for fun to see how it would all come together), and it was determined that it needed to be hemmed an inch or two, and brought in slightly in the chest. And in addition the boy's mom, or officially now my mother-in-law, added a small loop toward the bottom of the dress so it could be bustled by attaching it to one of the buttons.

While I tried my dress on, the boy's my niece decided she also needed to try her dress on so we could match. And she grabbed a basket and started throwing pretend flowers around the living room to practice her flower girl walk.

We talked about the hurricane that was in the gulf, and how it was definitely on its way to hit Florida. My mother-in-law mentioned that she had a hair appointment on Wednesday early afternoon, and I let her know that a few hours later I had my own hair appointment. Except at the time, we truly had no idea that there was no way we'd be making those appointments.

How did the last weekend before your wedding turn out? And does anyone have any guesses whether I actually managed to get in a hair appointment before the wedding?

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Sunday Social (4)

Now that things have started to settle down post-wedding I feel like life is getting a little more back to normal. So what better way to relish in that then by linking up to A Complete Waste of Makeup's Sunday Social.
1. 5 items you can't live without on a daily basis(water, food, shelter, and clothes don't count)
My cell phone (aka my motorola droid), coffee, a book (I always make sure to have one hiding in my purse), my wedding rings (my hand feels completely naked without them now and I freak out a little if they aren't there), and water (and I realize it said not to list basic necessities, but I really do feel like I drink more water than the average person. And in most cases would prefer it over any other beverage).

2. All time favorite book? Why?
I love reading the Betsy-Tacy series (which I've blogged about here and here) but as for a favorite standalone book it would have to be Gone With The Wind. I remember being bored at my grandparents' house back in middle school and my grandma giving me the book to read. I fell in love instantly and was finished by the book by the end of the weekend. I've read it over and over since then, and while I do love the movie, I think the book is so much better.

3. Something you'd like to accomplish before the end of 2012
I would love to do a blog make-over. I haven't touched my blog design in probably 2 or 3 years, so it's definitely about time.

4. If you could go back and relive any year of your life which year would it be?
It probably going to sound sappy, but I would relive 2011 knowing that it would be the last year before my mom died. If I had known I feel like I would have done some things different, but even more than that I just wish I could go back and be able to spend time with her again.

5. What do you wish people knew about you without you having to tell them?
That I want to be their friend. Ha! But seriously, I feel like I can come off as being bitch-y at times, but that's more because I can be shy and don't always feel comfortable interacting with people I don't know. But even though I don't always express it I really do like meeting new people and getting to know them.

I hope everyone enjoyed these random questions, and if you're stopping by from the link-up be sure to stop by. I'm hoping to make the rounds of a few blogs, but first I need to start getting ready and then head off to Erev Rosh Hashanah services.

Friday, September 14, 2012

Here Comes the Bride

Bride Needs Groom by Wendy Markham
I started reading this book a week or two before or wedding looking for a fun lighthearted book to get me in the wedding mood. Except a week after the wedding I was still reading it. It was a cute book, but it wasn't about a girl who decides to marry a stranger in Vegas so she can inherit her grandfather's money. Yes, the potential for a fun plot, but not the type of thing I want to be reading the the days leading up to being married.

The book was a little predictable, which I didn't really mind, and I think is expected in a book like this. But my biggest complaint was that it was slow. Granted I was somewhat occupied in the time I was reading this, but each chapter did seem to drag on.

That's not to say it was a terrible book. There were parts that I enjoyed, and I think it have a cute plot idea. But overall, this probably isn't an author that I'll be running out to read again.

2.5/5

Today I'm linking up with Blonde Undercover Blonde for Book Club Friday!

Thursday, September 13, 2012

TV Time

It's that time of year again! Time for fall tv to start. This is mainly for my own benefit, so I remember which shows I want to watch when. But hopefully you enjoy it at least a little bit too. All times are Central, since that's when I watch TV, and if there's no premier date listed it's because it's already on.

Sunday
7-8pm: The Amazing Race 9/30
I realize I should probably be watching Revenge this night as well. But I didn't watch it last season and I don't really want to start in the middle. Although I'm sure I'd love it, since Ive haven't been watching I'm going to stick to that.

Monday
7-8pm: Bones 9/17
This is really the boy's show. But it's one I enjoy watching too, so it's probably one of the few (aka only) shows we'll be watching together this fall.

Tuesday
8-9pm: 19 Kids and Counting
9-9:30: Abby & Brittany
9-10: Parenthood
About 5 years ago I remember watching a documentary on Discovery Health showing Abby & Brittany, a pair of conjoined twins, on their 16th birthday. I've been curious how their lives turned out ever since then, so I LOVE that they have their own show on TLC. Granted it's on the same time as Parenthood and I don't have a DVR, which means I'll be flipping back and forth. But still I love that they have their own show now.

Wednesday
7-9pm: The X-Factor
7-8pm: Survivor: Philippines 9/19
9-10pm: Nashville 10/10
I didn't really watch The X-Factor last year. More like flipped to it during commercials of other shows. But knowing that Britney is on it this year makes me want to watch it. And speaking of singing, I'm really excited for Nashville. It's basically the only new show I have plan on watching and just wish it premiered sooner.

Thursday
7-8pm: The X-Factor
8-9pm: Glee Tonight!
8-9pm: Grey's Anatomy 9/27
I really hate that Glee and Grey's are on at the same time, and as much as I hate to say it, Grey's is probably going to be my primary show.

Friday
8-9pm: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team
I absolutely love this show! It's just one of my guilty pleasures. Plus from the overview during the premier, their actually planning on continuing the show through the season instead of just tryouts, to show what it's actually like once the season gets started.

So I realize there is a lot of reality tv here, but that's my obsession. I haven't listed any of the Real Housewives shows though, but only because New Jersey & New York seem to be almost finished, and I'm not sure when Beverly Hills will be back on. And besides Nashville I don't really have any new shows, I guess the new editions just don't impress me that much.

Are there any new shows that you're just dying to watch this year? And are there any shows that you think I NEED to be watching?

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Welcome to LA

We don't have our pro pictures back yet, but less the two weeks from the wedding I wouldn't expect to yet. But it works out anyway, because there's still a few projects from before the wedding that I haven't had a chance to share yet. Enter...
Welcome Bag
The Welcome Bags!
I bought 2 packs of these bags from Michael's. Along with the polka dots, there were stripes, as well as a damask print. The label was made using word, using the same basic method from our invitation wrap-around labels.
Welcome Back Contents
As for the goodies, I started off planning to include Louisiana themed products, but wound up using items on sale. Included are a bag of Zapps Cajun Crawtators (aka the main Louisiana item), 2 bottles of water, 2 bags of cookies, 2 granola bars, a pack of tissue, and included in the purple pouch are mints and bazooka gum. Also included in the bags were a blue and purple string of Mardi Gras beads (aka the other Louisiana touch).
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I realize the it isn't the easier to read the wording here, but if you click on it, it will let you zoom in. I pulled a lot of the wording from Mrs. Brooch's welcome letter. At the bottom was a brief schedule of the weekend, showing the time of the rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, day after brunch, and of course the wedding itself.
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The second page was a map to Houmas House, using the same basic map from the invitations. The directions themselves were pulled directly from our venues website, and slightly customized based on the hotels people were staying at.
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The third page was a map of Baton Rouge, with a few suggestions of things to do and restaurant recommendations. Basically a smaller version of the suggestions I had listed on our wedding website.
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And the last page was a list of directions to brunch which was at the home of the boy's sister and husband (Officially now my Sister & Brother-in-laws).
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The original plan was to drop these off at hotels and have them waiting for guests. But with a hurricane hitting only days before the wedding, we weren't really driving around town to drop them off. Although at one point sent my dad to a hotel with a few bags, but due to some miscommunication they were never actually left at the front desk. Although in the end, it didn't really matter and I think everybody did wind up with a welcome bag. I think if we had a large wedding with more bags haphazardly handing them to people as we saw them wouldn't have worked, but considering the circumstance there wasn't really an issue.

Have you ever been to a wedding where you've received a welcome bag? (The answer for me is still a no.) And if you have, or even if you haven't, what's something that you'd love to receive in one?

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Forgotten Food

With all the craziness leading up to the wedding, there's some things I wanted to post about, things that are non-wedding related, that kind of fell through the cracks. And while part of me feels silly posting about them know, it really hasn't been that long since they happened. It's just more that it seems so long ago because so much happened with the wedding. After that build up, you're probably expecting something crazy, except all it really is, is a few fun cooking adventures I didn't have the chance to post before now.
Nicoise Salade
The boy will tell you that calling this cooking is cheating. But it's a Nicoise Salade which was one of my mom's go-to lazy meals. And I did actually have to cook the potatoes, green beans, and eggs so there is some cooking. Plus it's pretty much the perfect summer meal, and it looks so pretty on a dish.
Christmas Cookies in July Ice Cream
So again, not really cooking but still delicious. This is Bluebell's Christmas Cookies in July ice cream. So delicious, and it even managed to survive the hurricane.
Salibury Steak
Finally some actual cooking! The boy told me her was craving Salisbury steak, so I went to the pioneer woman to find a recipe. This turned out really good, although next time I would probably chop up those giant mushrooms.
Lamb Shanks with Orzo
Another somewhat cheat, although not due to lack of cooking, but due to lack of cooking for me. This is actually the boy's dish for this past weekend's LSU game against Washington. He made lamb shanks over a bed of orzo. Technically I did roast the asparagus, although Whole Foods had already prepped and seasoned it, but in my opinion, still counts as me cooking.

How many of these would you say count as me actually cooking? (Here's hoping for all four!) And do you have a go-to lazy meal to make?

Monday, September 10, 2012

Monday Movie Review

Lawless
I wanted to see this movie because it was a historical, and I love being able to escape into other times. But while I did enjoy it, it wasn't quite what I was expecting.

The first half of the movie was really slow, and I was confused for quite a bit of it. But the last bit was non-stop, and things definitely picked up. There was a lot of violence throughout and I was cringing throughout. I'm not sure I would want to watch the entire thing over again, but there are definitely parts I'd love to see again.

It feels silly saying this, but this movie just felt very "Fall." I'm not sure how else to describe it. It definitely had it's moments, and I think if you can get through some of the more gruesome bits, you'd probably enjoy this one.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Sneak Peak

I'm back for my first post as a Mrs! We're actually not on a honeymoon right now, instead the plan is to go on one next summer, so instead I am slowly getting back to normal life. I'm not planning on posting full recaps until we have our professional pics back, but I can't help but post a few sneak peaks courtesy of my guests and let you know that the day was absolutely amazing and everything managed to fall into place.
Houmas House
Japenese Gardens
Checking Phones
Touch-Ups
The Ceremony
At the End
I can't wait to be able to share the entire day with you guys, but I guess these will have to do until then. And I'm guessing posting will starting to get a little more normal too.

Sunday, September 2, 2012

The Big Day

So today is the day! This entire week has been a whirlwind and it feels like last Sunday was months ago. What a week.

After multiple plane changes due to weather, a drive from New Orleans that took almost 4 hours for one, after our venue only getting power back yesterday afternoon. It looks like everything (and everyone) is set to go on as scheduled.

I've felt so crazed recently and am always in disbelief that people tell me I seem so calm and organized, when I've never felt so disorganized in my life.

I've spent so much time worried about all the details and pulling off today, that I still can't comprehend that behind all the details, we actually are getting married today. Even this morning sitting in the house with some of my bridesmaids as they get ready it still doesn't feel real. And I just don't think it'll finally hit until I'm all dressed up and see the boy later today.

All the projects and diys are packed up and ready to go, but still need to be loaded into cars. I I guess I'm off it get ready so we can had over the the venue, and I guess next time you read this I'll be a Mrs!