Random Stuff and Some Scoop

A hodge podge of stuff to talk about today. First things first.
Kendra.
I got caught up on her show last night and I have to say. I like her! It's nice to see her in a real-life role as Mother rather than running around the Playboy mansion with her 'grill and pimp glass'.

I think she's grown up a lot and I LOVES her hubby Hank! (I mean he did help the Saints win the SuperBowl..right?)

Moving on..

Brad and I are hosting Easter dinner at our house and I am getting things ready. I've decided on tabletop centerpiece like this. I got the idea from this awesome blog!

Hope the Farmer's Market on Saturday has some of these babies!
Brad has been painting up a STORM! Last night he tackled the downstairs half bathroom.

I was so impressed! He got it done in 2 hours!

Getting his 'concentrate on'.

Here's the room he painted on Friday. It's our office/another guest bedroom. All I had in here before was a white down comforter and some shelves on the wall. Now the shrine to Dee hangs but I am planning on putting our wedding pictures in there.

I used one of my cute labels for the first time. My buddy Casey sent us these as a wedding gift! How nice!

We hung a few wedding pictures in our room last night. The Boys.. and The Girls. Loves it! My Mom is very ANTI having anything other than art hanging on the walls in her house but I'm a little different.

Oh.. this is old.. but still loving the new bedding we got for our master bedroom.

These are my new favorite things to eat. You MUST try them! Love the random wine cork in the back.

I created and sent these little photo books on Shutterfly for my Maw Maw and Aunt Jane. They are pictures of our Arkansas reception. I talked to Maw Maw last night and she was so thrilled. She looked at them 3x's. I made her another one and sent it today with our wedding pictures from Charlotte.

Last but not least. Yes, me who is anti-Christmas after the New Year, still has these guys living in my house. I've contemplated throwing them away but someone has told me I can plant them outside and then bring them in during fall and they change colors? I feel bad throwing them away..Opinions?

That's it for today! Happy Humpday!

I Want...This..

To die for or what? Ya'll know how patriotic I am and this belt is so me. I found it here at Tucker Blair which is the same place I bought a pair of cute flip flops last year.

How cute would I look on Memorial Day, Fourth of July, etc!? I could wear it when I go volunteer at the USO too!

I might have to break down and buy one.

That's it for today but I'll be back tomorrow with a fun post updating you all on what's been going on! CIAO for now!

My Feelings about Spring

TGIF!
Today's post is going to focus on my feelings about the season called Spring.

It's pretty much a love/hate relationship.

Ready..Set..Go..

I like it because I walk out of my office building and see beautiful Cherry Blossom trees. We are in full bloom here in the Carolinas and it's just gorgeous!

The Dogwoods are out too! They make me happy..truly. I am jonesin' to go on a hike right now to see the mountains in full bloom. Maybe in the next few weeks?

I hate Spring though because of scenes like this. POLLEN! YUCK! It gets so bad here. You walk out to your car and it's covered. Actually everything gets covered and I get sick because of it. I have already started taking my Allegra D as a precaution.

Brad loves opening the windows this time of year but when all this pollen starts in - I'm going to have to put the smack-down on that.

My other dislike about this season? The 'iffy' weather. One day it's 75-degrees and the next day it's snowing?
Seriously?
UGHH.. I'm just bracing for one more snow. A few years ago it actually snowed on Easter! We went to the Biltmore for the Festival of Flowers and the flowers were all ruined! So sad...

Do you like the springtime? What are your feelings?

We're doing home improvements this weekend. More to come on that on Monday! CIAO for today!

No.. there is no time limit

So...we got our disk with all the wedding pictures in the mail yesterday from my photographer Jeff Cooke.

So fun looking at all of them - despite some of Brad's commentary throughout the process. LOL!

I posted some of Facebook only to get an instant message from my friend's hubs saying 'Isn't there a time limit on how long after the wedding you can post pictures?'

UMMMM...NO! lol

Anyway - I thought I would share some of the detail pictures that you haven't seen until now.

Here we go.
Our program. I was lucky to have a co-worker who's a graphic artist make it match the look of our invitations. And.. FO FREE!

My bridal portrait on display. Yes, it's not traditional. How could I pick just one? We're actually going to have this reworked and put pictures of both of us in it and hang it in the house.

Better look at those yummy Krispy Kremes! They were a huge hit.

As you can tell. Bethie eating hers. Not sure if she had ever even had one. Do they have KK in San Fran? Not sure..

Our parents wedding pictures as I talked about. Very cool if I have to say.

And.. last but not least. Dance PARTY USA! Love Kara strutting her stuff!

Hope you enjoyed! Looks like Brad and I are going to tackled that 'to do list' and paint one of our guestrooms tonight! More on that later.

That's all I have for today!

True American Hero

All over the state of Arkansas flags are flying at half-staff today in memory of Navy Seal and former high school classmate of mine, Adam Brown.

I got the word last week that he had been killed in action while serving our country in Afghanistan.
Everyone has been remembering Adam on Facebook. He was such a fun loving guy.

This was Adam's 8th tour of duty overseas and this was said to be his last. I am truly blessed to have known him and have hung out with him. It's his service that allows us all our freedom.

He died protecting his men -- Adam's best friend in high school is also a Navy Seal -- and has told family and friends that Adam's platoon came under heavy enemy gunfire and it was Adam who deterred the enemy to save his fellow soldiers.

Adam's body was flown into the Hot Springs airport yesterday and was welcomed by hundreds. Many of whom didn't know him at all.

My cousin's grandfather went to the wake last night and said it was a mob scene and that the men in his platoon were all there guarding his casket.

Adam leaves behind a wife and two children. You see them here in this picture. He also leaves behind siblings which included his twin Manda.

Adam was a big football player in high school and went on to play at Arkansas Tech - then joined the Navy. When stateside he helped coached his son's football team.

Adam is being laid to rest today in Hot Springs. I am sure that people will line the streets to see his procession.

Sorry for the grim post - but it has been on my mind. Thanks again to Adam and the rest of the men and women of our Armed Forces for your service!!

All these images were taken from Hot Springs newspaper The Sentinel Record.

Few More Arkansas Reception Pix

This should be it kiddos. Well.. maybe? LOL!

I finally got the disk of pictures from our Arkansas reception from my cousin.

Here are a few.

Brad and I joked that we look better here than in our cake cutting picture from our wedding.

One of the main reasons we traveled in and did this reception. My 94-year old grandma, Gracie aka 'Maw-Maw'. I think she looks pretty good for her age! She still lives alone in her house she's lived in for some 60 years!

One of the highlights of her day? Meals on Wheels. Not kidding folks. She knows EXACTLY what time they are to arrive.
A GREAT non-profit to support if you are looking.

As I mentioned before. Several high school friends showed. Including, these two - Amber(blonde) and Holli.
They both live in Hot Springs with their hubs and kids. I reconnected with them recently on Facebook. So it had been a while since I have seen them. Maybe 1995? Craziness.

Bestie cousin Alayna. Of course she was at the wedding in Charlotte. I just like this picture.

That's it for today. The weather is freezing here! BUT I hear it will be 75 tomorrow? So tired of the 'iffy' weather!

CIAO!

My New Cooking Challenge

Happy Monday!
Today's topic?
Cookbooks.

I am not going to lie. I am a cookbook whore! I just love looking through them and probably have too many!

Here's a few -- Paula Deen(which is signed btw), even a cooking for your dog book! Lots of Jr. League cookbooks too!

Even a family cookbook from Brad's rents. This isn't my entire collection but a few.

The problem is......I don't cook out of them enough. I tend to take recipes off of blogs, etc. instead.
So, I'm making a goal for myself.

COOK ONE RECIPE A WEEK OUT OF one of my COOKBOOKS!

Here's one that I hope to cook out of in the next few. Maybe for Easter dinner?

And.. I already started! I cooked a recipe out of this book this weekend.

Grilled corn with sour cream/cheese sauce. SLAMMING good. Brad made his first prime rib too!

Why you ask? My rents were in town and we cooked Saturday night for them. Casual but good!

And.. guess what I made for me and my Mom to drink? Nothing other than CoCo's Ruby Red Slippers.

Can you say good? They were a hit!

So wish me luck on my new cooking challenge!

In other news..Check out my new arrangement for the living room! It makes me happy! It's all real too!

Hope you all had a great weekend! CIAO!

Honeymoon and some Lilly Pulitzer..

It's official! We've booked our honeymoon hotel!

It's the Sonoma Mission Inn in Sonoma, CA! I've been to Napa a dozen times but have never done Sonoma if you can believe that? The hotel looks awesome! Samantha Brown from the Travel Channel has even featured it on her show.

We're going to spend time in San Fran and also Stinson Beach. We plan on visiting Muir Woods, Alcatrez(never done that either if you can believe?) and some other spots I've never seen out that way despite my numerous trips there.

We're excited! Can't wait for June!

In other news.. I bought this dress for our trip. In honor of Allyson's post yesterday. LOL! No, I'm not a huge fan of Lilly but geez I got this one for a deal! It's a blog that I follow and she does closet sales quite frequently. I have bought several items from her!

Again, I'm not a big Lilly fan so I'm not 'up' on what is what. This is what I've been told about this dress though.

It's part of the 2009 Lilly Pulitzer celebrity Jubilee line. and has a Jubilee tag as well a Catherine Bell tag!(not sure what that means?)

Well, Happy Friday! I'm taking my Mom out tonight for her birthday!

Lists....

I know that like me many of you are big on lists. Having an ongoing list really kept me on track and organized during wedding planning. I was glad when it was over because I soooo TIRED of the things to do. I thought WHEW! I can relax!!

NOT!

Why am I such a freak? Now I have created a new list for myself(and for Brad I suppose). What does it involve? Things I want done around the house. I put it off until after the wedding so I’m ready to roll. Here’s a few things.

* Paint office and guestroom
* Buy new bedding for office(yes, we have a bed in there)
* Hang drapes in master bedroom
* Buy drapes and hang in dining room
* Buy a couple of pieces to put on our mantle.(looks bare now)

Find a couple of pieces of art(for master and dining room)

And.. we’re hosting Easter dinner at our house. YAY! I get to play with all my new china and serving pieces! Another thing on my list though it make sure I have napkins, placemats, chargers, etc. to make sure the table looks festive and fun!

My friend Kathleen laughed at me the other day when I told her everything I wanted to do. She said – we’ve been married a year and ½ and we’re still getting things pulled together.

Yes, I need to learn patience but why not at least start on the list. Right?? To be honest.. I’ve already started. LOL!

Happy Thursday!

My Favorite Decade for Music

I absolutely LOVED the music they played at our wedding. We danced our butts off.. hence the picture below.

What did they play mostly? Can you say 80’s!!!???

A lot of music from these two.

BUT..I’m also a big fan of the 70’s genre of music though too! We had some Journey action going on at the wedding as well as tons of Motown. I’m a big fan of the Eagles too but we didn’t have that played at the wedding.

I was thinking about it this morning though – if I had to pick one decade of music I like the best it is totally 80’s. Brad and I put our TV on totally 80's when at home cooking and/or just hanging out. Yes, we are Cheeseballs..

What about you?

What decade of music is your fav? Are you a 90’s alternative type of gal/guy?

Or like me – you like to rock out to some 80’s??

Oh.. and HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!

Updates and Arkansas Wedding Fun

Happy Monday! It's St. Patrick's Day week! My rents are in town this week so we'll likely have a low-key dinner with them on St. Patty's day since we rocked it out on Saturday night.

Check us out! Really, we went out in Uptown Charlotte. We didn't get too crazy. Fun though.

Another update? One of the houses who still had their Christmas decor up have taken it down! It was the house that had decorations still in front and back. WOOHOO! Now 2 more to go!!

Moving On..

I was going to wait until I got a disc with pictures on it from my cousin to show you our Arkansas reception but oh.. well. What the heck.

Keep in mind that this reception was for my extended family whom all live in Hot Springs. Most of them are very religious and don't believe in drinking and dancing. Also, most of them are older - including my 94-year old grandmother(who I don't have a picture of yet in this group).

We decided to do this extra reception to make it easier for them. It took place at the church and was very much unlike our big party that we had here in Charlotte. This was punch, cake, cookies type of event.

It's all good though. We had around 60-people at this event.

Here's a few pictures that my cousin Alayna took. Again, not all of which I had hoped to show.

Our cake that my Aunt Jane made. My Aunt Jane is much like my grandmother since she practically raised my Mom since their mother died at such an early age.

As you can see - the same topper from our wedding.

Pretty flowers. My cousin Terry is a florist there in Hot Springs.

Some of the food. Check out the punch bowl in the back. Booze free! Seriously though.

One of my cousin's made this cake. Marshmallows for the kids.

One of the few pictures I have. This is a group picture of Brad and I and my first cousins and their spouses(some of the spouses weren't there but you get the idea.) Sorry, some of the people were cut off.

Gives you an idea of my family. My Mom is the baby of 6-kids and most of my first cousins have children my age.

That's Tim aka Timbo in the front. He just turned 50! and has suffered with cerebral palsy since birth. He's a hoot!

Also, I was so excited that several of my friends from high school came! Again, I only spent my last 3-years of high school in Hot Springs and haven't really kept in touch with any of them until Facebook.

You can see my friend Holli with the black hair next to Brad and the back of my friend Amber's head.

So glad they came! I had a couple of other friends there too but they aren't in this picture.

All in all - it was great to see family as always!

After the reception we went and crashed at the Embassy Suites there in H.S. rather than stay with family.

NICE!

The next morning we went and did one of the traditional bath house packages at the Buckstaff Bath House.

I won't get into a lot of this - but Hot Springs is known as The Spa City -- because people in the 20's and 30's used to come and take mineral baths at these houses.

To make a VERY long and FUNNY story short. It was crazy. I had done this before but Brad had not.

They separate the guys from the girls and Brad got scrubbed down by a man and got his very first massage -- WAIT FOR IT -- by a man!!

I was on the girl's side of the bath house thinking the whole time - I bet he's going to kick my butt!

BUT...when I came out he said Quote: "That was the best, most awkward experience of my life!"

After the bath we hit up Oaklawn Race Track. It's race season there in Hot Springs and it was Brad's first time ever at a real horse race where you can bet for real.

We took $20 and put it down on a few horses. My first gut reaction was to bet on a horse named Abita(I like Abita beer from Louisiana) but Brad said 'NO' his odds aren't good.

Well, guess what? Abita won the race! We would have won $15 for everyone one we put down!

Oh. WELL!

Love the horses. We left after 2 races though...went to lunch and then headed to Little Rock.

In Little Rock we hit up the River Market area one more time. Here Brad and I are showing off our new rings!

And.. Alayna and I sang a few songs. Love me some karaoke! Sorry for the dark picture.

Well, that's it for today kids!! CIAO!