Food is on my mind {Dorito Chip Chicken}

Nothing really to talk about except...Food! I wanted to share this super easy recipe-
{and I don't have any photos to share in this blog, blech!}
Tonight I fixed one of B's favorite meals! It seems that every time we have anything half decent he says "now this could be my favorite meal", but there are about 3 that I know are really his favs because they've been consistent since our dating days...

Dorito Chip Chicken
What you need:
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Honey Bar-b-q Sauce
Doritos Chips
How to make:
Crunch a couple of handfuls of Dorito chips in a Ziplock baggie {use your hands to crunch or a roller if cooking more than 2 chickens}
Spread Honey Bar-B-Q sauce over the top and bottom of chicken breasts
Place chicken in baggie and SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE! {make sure it coats all the way around}
Pre-heat your oven to 400 degree. Cook chicken for about 22-26 minutes depending on how large your chicken breasts are
Viola! You are finished!!

I served the chicken tonight with scalloped potatoes, corn on the cob, and salad.
I wish I had a picture ~ it looks good!! This meal was about 1,000 times easy than that fish meal I made last week!

Wedding Wednesday

I have been so distracted by making wreaths I haven't had time to write in a while! While I'm still trying to figure out all the kinks in The Craft Store, I've actually had several people want monogram wreaths and sports wreaths!

---For my look-back on my wedding stuff, I'm going to share with you how I made my own table runners. We looked at all the reception place had to offer, but everything was a one-color option. Since I wanted to incorporate paisley in my wedding colors {of pink and green}, I knew I needed an extra something.

My mom and I searched for quite a while trying to find the right color paisley pink to match the Watermelon colored bridesmaid dresses. It was not easy! It was also not easy to find fabric in bulk that didn't cost an arm and a leg.

We finally found some fabric that was being discontinued. First of all I liked this because that meant no one else would have that in the future. But secondly, if we didn't measure correctly we wouldn't have enough!

We decided on placing the table runners on every other table as to not overkill the design.

Directions:
First we got the round table measurements and decided how long we wanted the runners and how wide.
Next (my mother and I do not sew...) we bought some No Sew glue from Hobby Lobby. As we cut down the length, we folded all 4 edges of the rectangle shape to make it look neat and clean. And it did actually look like we sewed!




Then I used the rest to wrap all my bridesmaid's bouquets.

China Patterns

Over on Kelly's Blog, her Show Us Your Life segment is on China Patterns. I loved looking through other people's China patterns. I even saw one girl registered for the Kate Spade Polka Dot dishes. Those were my favorite, but a little too pricey for me.
I wanted to go with a China set that was affordable and would go on sale often so other people would want to purchase it for our wedding! Doesn't that sound bad? Oh well, everyone does it. I was hesitant to register for China, since a lot of my friends who recently got married did not, and we currently do not even have a dining room in our home. However; I figured this isn't something I would want to necessarily purchase for myself, so I decided to pick some out.

I went with the Mikasa Parchment China and found Mikasa Love Story wine and beverage glasses that matched perfectly with the design. I was lucky enough to get a lot of my China! Now I love the look of the China cabinet in our breakfast area. And although we don't have a big nice dining room or dining room table to serve it on, maybe one day we will!



I also have Christmas China passed down from my Nanny, but those are currently being stored in the garage and I'm too lazy to get those out right now. Maybe closer to Christmas.

What are your patterns?

The Craft Store

I've added another page to my blog - The Craft Store.

After I've been searching through other blogs, I've realized some people may not have the time to make some of the things I've been posting here. Since I am off this summer and only tutoring 2 days a week, I would love to make your items for you!
{Hubs would also like it!}

Please visit the site and tell me what you think! Check often as more items will be posted.
Thanks! :)

Wedding Wednesday

I wish I had started my blog during wedding planning. We did so many cute DIY things for the wedding that I'd love to share and maybe someone would be able to stumble upon an idea and use it!

So, I'm going to try and write a post each Wednesday about something I made for my wedding~

Below are a few pics that I did right after I got engaged:
{B's sister took this picture of us on HHI. We wrote our wedding date in the sand with our fingers.}

I used this picture, and turned it into a postcard from this SITE.
I love this site and I'm sure they loved it, too. I've used this site many times to order thank you notes, return address labels, t-shirts, magnets, pens for the out-of-town giftbags, and invitations. I've also told a lot of friends about this site. It is so affordable and they do a great job.
I wrote on the picture through this free website.
I use this website allllll the time to make my photos cuter and write on them. I still can't believe its free!

{this is how I asked my bridesmaids. I collected sand dollars from HHI, bleached them, and then wrote 'will you be my bridesmaid'}

{this is how I asked my ring bearers. don't love it, but they were super young when I asked so I didn't feel like I had a lot of options}

{Colby with his bear...my what a year's difference it makes}

Fish Fry

I made fish last night!!

That is a big deal because I do not like fish and I definitely do not like handling fish!

I've promised to make fish for B for a while now. He really likes it and we hardly eat seafood here. I've learned over the past 2 yeas to like a very small amount of seafood ever since I went on vacation with B's family and they all love seafood!
So I made a little 'Savannah-ish' meal for our engagement anniversary {yes, we celebrated that...I like to celebrate everything}.

Here is my beer-battered fish, Red Lobster style cheddar biscuits, baked potato, and salad. We have Firefly Lemonade and Bourbon Lemonade beverages!



I found the recipe for the Red Lobster style Cheddar Biscuits HERE

I found the recipe for Beer Battered Fish in one of my cookbooks and added a little twist~
Roll 2 fresh Cod in rolled Special K flakes.
Bake for 18 minutes on 350 degree, rotating after 10 min.
Mix 2/3 cup beer and McCormick's fry batter (comes in a box)
Dip baked Cod in mixture
Heat skillet with vegetable oil, fry Cod on either side 3-4 min each
Pat extra grease dry on paper towel
Serve with Lemon

Below are a few pictures from our Engagement in Savannah a year ago~

Who You Gonna Call?

Dad or Husband?
So yesterday afternoon, my car broke down. And for a minute, I wasn't sure who to call. Previously I would have called my Dad. He's been called quite often in times of panic and stress ~ especially on car issues. But now I have a husband and if I remember correctly from our little pre-marital classes, my husband is the one I need to learn to lean on. It isn't that I didn't think B didn't know how to help. It was just a reaction I hadn't had until now. So I called B first and had him help me and get there.
Then I called Dad. :)

Here is a small glimpse of what happened. Looking bad, it seems hilarious. At the time I was super creeped out.
I had to go into work for a meeting {which B said it was karma getting me because I shouldn't be at work on my first official day of Summer} and afterwards I stopped to get gas at not the cleanest or nicest place, but a very cheap gas place. To fill up my big SUV tank I have to go into the sketchy places sometimes.

So I go to turn back on my car and it was a no go. I tried it a couple more times and nada. After calling B and asking him what to do I spotted a tow truck getting gas. I decided to walk over and see if he knew what was the problem thinking it couldn't be anything big, my car is fairly new.

To make a long story short, he worked on my car trying to figure it out for an hour and a half, meanwhile Brian was on his way, and meanwhile his wife or gf in another car was screaming at him to stop talking to me/looking at me/helping me.
He also took my key, told me to shut the door and locked me in my car. It was a zillion degrees outside and I was already hot from being scared and nervous so I started crying because I could just see him leaving me there to suffocate in the heat. {still have no clue how that was going to help...}

However, that was just my Lifetime Movie brain. The tow truck guy, despite looking very scary, was actually so nice. Once he realized there was no way he could help, he offered to go ahead and tow me since it would take forever to call a tow.
This morning I found out I have a month and a half left on my warranty and my car battery will be covered! Thank you God!


Monday night was also the opening game for B's cousin Lana. I had set it up for us to come and watch her softball debut. During the car turmoil I was getting really upset that we were not going to make it. If I know anything about kids, it's that I hate disappointing a child. I see it all the time in my classroom and I always try and keep my promises to kids. B agreed he could go straight there in his suit and we caught the last 30 minutes of Lana's game. It was so cute. There were little tiny girls running around all the bases and hitting the ball!

Weekend Cookouts

{although a little late}
Over Memorial Day weekend B and I hosted our work friends over for a cookout. Below are some fun pictures from the night.
{Katharine and I sharing a fun 'everything goes' cocktail}


{cornhole}

{the drink cooler wrapped with flip flop favors for the girls}


The following weekend Sara had the girls over for an appetizer get-together. It was so fun and such a good idea. Appetizers are my favorite food group!



On Saturday B and I tried out a new place for brunch, Josie's in Chevy Chase. It was super yummy! We then went to the pool for a few hours.
{playing with Colby}


On Saturday night Alison and Nick had a Couples Cookout Shower. It was so fun and Jordan planned a great night! We gave Alison and Nick a 'Date Night' shower gift. We've loved going to Talon Winery with them in the past so we thought it would make a meaningful gift. We purchased their wine glasses and B wine stopper off their registry and wrapped it in a canvas B bag(their last name starts with B, so now I get to shop for her and me!!), a B cutting board (for wine and cheese), damask napkins, and a bottle of wine.




Next we had a chance to get a drink with Amanda and Philip. Philip is hard at work in Residency and barely gets time off, so we felt blessed to be able to spend time with him yesterday! We tried out a new place, The Cellar. It was super fun and the menu looked yummy as well!




Lastly, we potted a new plant for the porch. I always drive by other people's houses and love the look of this type of pot, so today we used a Home Depot gift card from the wedding and put this together. I was super happy with the look!

Question

I am trying to decide on painting a horse head on the tops of my two bar stools that sit in the kitchen. It is not a needed thing, but I think it would be a neat treat for the eye to continue tying in the horse theme on the first floor.
What are your thoughts? I'd love some feedback on this idea...

Chinese Dinner

Ever since my mom bought me an easy-to-follow-with-pictures cookbook, I've really gotten into this whole cooking and entertaining thing. I've come to almost get upset when Brian suggests he only wants cereal for dinner or he's not hungry for a big breakfast on a Saturday morning (although we've honestly only had time for 2 of those!). I'm sure this will fade, but for now, I find peace, relaxation, and the sense of being needed when I cook dinner for us.

Last night I was scrounging around the pantry to find something to cook and I decided to make sweet and sour chicken.
Here's what I used from items that were in the pantry/fridge:
2 frozen chicken breasts, thawed
cornstarch & cajun seasoning
a box of white rice (great value brand of course!)
orange pepper
sweet and sour sauce
pineapple

Now I had the pineapple and orange pepper left over from our cookout Saturday night(Memorial Day Weekend post to come soon once I've received the pictures) and the sweet and sour sauce from a while ago when using it as a marinade.

I cooked the rice first, then cut up the chicken, mixed it in the cornstarch, and cooked it in the skillet. Next I poured lots of sauce (we are big sauce people), the cut up pineapple, and the pepper in the skillet for a few minutes.

Viola! Donezo in a matter of 30 minutes.
So easy and delicious!

{my husband doing his part ~ cleaning the dishes! ick!}

Desires of Your Heart

Delight yourself in the LORD;
And He will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the LORD,
Trust also in Him, and He will do it. Psalm 37:3-5

I've prayed this verse many times over. Especially in my dating life. And although I'm only 27, I always knew I was meant (or wanted) a marriage. I watched a lot my friends marry well before I did, and this verse kept me going strong. Because while of course I was happy for them, I wondered why or when it would happen for me. B and I met 7 years before we started dating. Isn't that crazy when you look back on life and wonder?

Lately, I've been praying the prayer below (just a little more with v.7). I find it very similar in the term of waiting patiently ~ which isn't my cup of tea ~ but for 2very different reasons. I again always thought I wanted to be a teacher and nothing else, but it seems every year that goes by I wonder more and more if I really find joy in this profession. The troubling part is, I have no clue what else I would do. I also don't know if it's the school I am in, the position I have, or something related to my current job that maybe I could change and find the joy of teaching again.

Trust in the Lord and do good; so you will live in the land, and enjoy security. Take delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him. (Psalm 37:3-5, 7)


So, that's what's on my mind right now.

Escape with me...

Is the new color of our bedroom!

My oh my what a weekend we had! Our weekend began on Friday night where we spent over an hour looking and deciding on paint. I am so indecisive and Brian is so agreeable, that it was hard for us to choose a paint color! I've been saying for months I wanted our bedroom painted and I knew the color scheme I was going for. But then this past week, I had 2 new ideas. So, we looked and looked until we decided on the color - Escape! I'll leave the pictures below to show you the color. I've also wanted for months to do the striping along the bed board wall. I looked up the directions on the DIY website and didn't think it could be that hard...right?!




After painting on two coats (taking 7 hours!!!!) we geared up for our next event on Saturday ~ my sister's 30th Birthday! Her husband had been planning this fun-filled night since well before our wedding. Plans ended up changing a tad due to some very exciting news, but we still managed to surprise Kelli, pick her and a few friends up in the limo, and have a great night!



{treats I made for the Limo ride}

Once B and I got home, we were so exhausted. We had no idea painting was this hard!!
So Sunday morning we woke up and got right to work on the stripes. I thought it'd take about an hour ~ it took 3!!!




{we're still needing to add to the room ~ we'll be putting up navy curtains and adding navy, white, and silver accents to the room}

We love our bedroom! We were wanting to do stripes along the back of the tub wall in the bathroom and the same color on the walls, but we ran out of time. Another weekend, another project!

Then of course, me being the over-planner that I am, we needed to also get the rest of our house looking good and fix dinner for a cookout with our friends! Brian was so amazing. I could tell he was worn out, but went straight out to mow and clean up the yard before our friends came over. I worked hard on cleaning the upstairs and getting our new room looking good to show off!

{veggie dip apps in our monogrammed tumblers}

{mini porkies with coleslaw, grilled hot dogs((yuck)), souper mac&cheese, fruit salad, and fries in the bags(desserts provided by my friends!)}

We had a great time with our 'life group' of friends. Philip had to miss out due to work~but we were thinking about him! As Nick stated, we went 'middle school dance style' with the seating. Girls at one table, guys at the other. Everyone had a great time! By 9:30 we were all exhausted and dreading another work week ahead. Only 7 more work days for me before summer!!

I noticed this weekend how alike my Dad and Brian are. I put Brian to work. I mean really, I did. He was not enthused about the tedious stripes but he did it anyways because he knew I wanted it. He was worn out from work on Friday but taped the whole room and grilled burgers for us at 9:30! He wasn't extremely happy about all the plans I had made for us all weekend despite knowing we were painting, but he did it all without saying a negative word. That's just like my Dad. Going with the flow, making other people around him happy. I'm so blessed I found a man I can say is actually like my dad. And the best part about this jam-packed weekend ~ it was the first weekend since we've been married that we spent Friday through Sunday together. No interruptions, no other commitments, just us sharing life with friends and family. It was perfect.

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.
—Psalm 9:1