Introducing Mr. & Mrs. Alex Lundsford...

I traveled home on Saturday to celebrate the recent marriage of Alex and Jennifer Lunsford! They were married this past December in Asheville, NC. Jennifer made an absolutely stunning bride! See for yourself!

Alex & Jennifer ~ Asheville, NC

The bride and I go way, way back...our friendship began in the second grade at Wauka Mountain Elementary. From there, we went to Mt. Vernon Elementary, North Hall Middle and then North Hall High School together. Jennifer and Alex's reception was beautiful. They decorated the Walter's Barn with mason jars, candles, and bird's nests - and my favorite were the painted signs on all four sides of the barn.

I was so happy to share in their special day! Congrats Jennifer & Alex!



Before the reception! Britt, Ashley, me and Whit!



At the reception!

Ice Cream Date with Ella

This weekend was absolutely gorgeous! The temperatures reached almost 70 degrees on Saturday and Sunday. I was in heaven! I even found myself feeling guilty if I was inside.

On Sunday afternoon, Austin and I took Ella out for ice cream...as always, she had us laughing the entire trip! I almost didn't want to take her home!

Ella eating vanilla ice cream with sprinkles!

After ice cream we went to Wal-Mart so that she could pick out her birthday gift. Being the indecisive little girl that Ella is, it took her quite a while to pick out her own birthday gift. It was so cute. She went back and forth between a fairy Barbie, a Barbie pool, and a Play Doh cake-making set. She went with the latter, and immediately had Austin and Pap Pap putting it together!

Gwyneth Paltrow's Weekly Newsletter: GOOP

Once again, I'll have to give Whitney credit for introducing me to Gwyneth Paltrow's weekly newsletter, GOOP. Yes, GOOP. In her newsletter, Gwyneth shares recipes, travel notes, advice, things to see and some of her favorite items to "get."

Subscribe to the newsletter by clicking here. Is one more newsletter coming to your inbox really going to make that big of a difference? Probably not...so, don't mind if I do!

In Gwyneth's list of items to "get" this week, here were some of my fav's!

Savon de Marseille Extra Pur (liquid soap!)

Decléor Aromessence Baume Spa Relax (relaxes your muscles at night!)

Phytopharma Apricoderm (ultimate winter lip balm)

Klorane Gentle Dry Shampoo with Oatmilk

 

What I'm Loving Wednesday!...how fun!

 Try this! I came across the cutest blog...This Kind of Love...and thought I'd participate in the featured...

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

 

Here goes..here's what I LOVE on this cold & dreary Wednesday!

1.  I'm loving that it's almost February...which means it's almost SPRING...which means no more cold weather!

2. I'm loving that in 51 days Brooke & Andrew find out where they will be living for the NEXT 5 YEARS. This is huge! Could it be Jacksonville?...Cincinnati?...Buffalo?...Galveston?...Chicago?...guess you'll just have to wait and see! I'm trying not to be selfish here, but really....can't it just be Atlanta?

Brooke & Andrew - June 25, 2009 - Nags Head, NC

3. I'm loving all the planning for Ash & Sam's upcoming Honey-Do Shower and bachelorette party in VEGAS! It's so fun! 

Lingerie Shower Invitation!

4. I'm loving that wedding season is approaching! So happy for the HAPPY couples getting hitched this 2011!

Ashley & Sam, May 21, 2011

Callie & Ty, May 7, 2011

Meg & Bennett, June 25, 2011

Mackenzie & Stuart, Oct. 22, 2011

5. I'm loving the 2011 spring/summer line of Stella & Dot! My favorite is the Bamboleo necklace!

6. I'm loving that Austin and Jason have their GRAND OPENING of Premier Pool Supply LLC this Saturday! Woo hoo! Come get your doggy life vest...they come in all sizes! 

7. I'm loving that American Idol comes on tonight!

8. I'm loving the beautiful sunrises I get to see on my morning commute!

9. I'm loving that Austin and I are cooking BREAKFAST for DINNER tonight! Who doesn't love eggs in the evening?!

10. I'm loving I have a massage scheduled for Saturday morning! They never do last long enough... 11. I'm loving that I get to see Brittni and Ashley this weekend! Yay for coming to Gainesville for a quick trip! Me & Ash! Brittni! 12. I'm loving this adorable photo from shabbyblogs!      12. And, finally...I'm absolutely loving Anthropologie's SPRING LINE!    ...What are you LOVING on this Wednesday?

Willow House Party!

Here are a few pictures from my Willow House party this afternoon! For those of you that may not know, Willow House is formerly Southern Living. Click here to view the Spring 2011 catalog!


Cream Cheese & Jelly

Mimosa's!

Margarita's!





A Visit from Whitney!!

Whit came to visit last night! AND she brought me a mixed CD <insert jealousy here Brittni & Brooke>!!!

I shipped Austin over to Clayton's house for the night so that Brittney & Lindsey could join our much-needed girl's evening. We consumed some vino (actually, Whit and Linds went straight to the vodka...and actually, Linds was already a bit tipsy when she arrived), made homemade pizza and talked about really important stuff...like Sandra Bullock's classiness, Anthropologie candles :)...etc, etc. It was a good night.

A little off-subject, but did everyone hear that Sandra Bullock's ex Jesse James recently announced his engagement? What a scumbag. I'm sure that Kat is equally as disgusting, if that's even possible. Whit always knows what's going on with the A-list celebs. Now I know where she gets her celeb gossip - check out Lainey Gossip.

Oh and check out my Happy New Year card and two fabulous Save the Dates hanging on my fridge! Yay for wedding season!



Happy New Year!




Ash & Sam, May 21, 2011...Callie & Ty, May 7, 2011



Five Question Friday

Happy Friday everyone! I LOVE FRIDAY'S, possibly even more than Saturday's and Sunday's. You still have the entire weekend to look forward to. By Sunday, I'm already wishing it was Friday...or at least Thursday.

I don't have much to report on for the week - things have been pretty slow (for once). I did mail out my Happy New Year cards! It took me an evening or two to address because for some reason I decided to address them all in calligraphy. I'll post a picture later!

Somewhere in the blogosphere I came across someone's blog that included something called Five Question Friday. Looked fun, so here goes!

1. Where did you meet your spouse and did you instantly know it was love? Austin and I met at North Georgia College & State University in Dahlonega, Ga., at a little bitty bar called Buster's!

2. What is your favorite room in your house? My favorite room in the house is my dining room (it's burnt orange). Even though we rarely ever in this room, I still like it.

3. Can you wiggle your ears? Definitely not.

4. What is your evening ritual? My evening ritual consists of working out (if I can make it to the gym on time), coming home to change out of my work clothes (this is the first thing I do), making my lunch and coffee for the following day, checking the mail, cooking dinner (or just eating if Austin's already cooked)...and then I usually watch TV. :)

5. How many hours of sleep do you need to function? Oh, I could sleep 12 hours every single night if there were more hours in the day. Twenty-four just isn't enough! On average though, I probably need at least 7 during the week and about 9 on the weekends. :)

Enjoy and Happy Friday!!!

Rules for Five Question Friday: Copy and paste the following questions to your blog post, answer them, then watch for the linky to appear Friday morning!

 

Holiday Weekend Re-Cap: Supper Club & Augusta, Ga

As do most other holiday weekends, this one sure flew by!

Going back to Thursday evening, Austin and I participated in the first Supper Club of 2011! January's hostesses were Justin and Lindsey Lark. This month's theme: Chinese New Year! Austin and I were in charge of a "starch or bread" - and I thought our fried rice turned out pretty well! The other dishes turned out rather well, too! Looking forward to February's Supper Club and Shrimp and Grits!

January Supper Club Menu:
Spicey Mongolian Beef
Egg Rolls
Asparagus & Water Chestnuts
Chinese Noodles
Ice Cream & Fortunate Cookies

Friday was pretty uneventful - Austin and I enjoyed dinner at LongHorn Steakhouse.

My Eggs Benedict from CRUMS

On Saturday, I drove to Augusta for Brooke's 26th birthday celebration! After two days in Augusta, I haven't even wanted to think about food...all I did was EAT! Saturday's lunch (grilled chicken salad with blue cheese crumbles, egg and cranberries) was from one of my Augusta favorites - French Market Grille. I've eaten at this restaurant countless times throughout the years...and I'm never disappointed! We went to dinner at Bonefish Grill - Stan and I split the Mussels and Bacon-Wrapped Sea Scallops. It was so good! I was FINALLY able to meet Brooke's dental hygiene friends at dinner, too. Afterwards, we all rode around in a limo (Stan's favorite part of the night) and then went to a bar called The Country Club.

Mussels at Bonefish Grill!

On Sunday, Brooke, Andrew, Stan and myself enjoyed brunch and mimosas at Crums in Augusta. I had the Eggs Benedict and then we spent most of the afternoon napping. ;) On Sunday evening, I went to eat with my cousin and aunt at Tako Sushi - which is also my second favorite restaurant in Augusta. I had the Japanese Bagel Roll and for the first time ever I tried tempura asparagus - delicious!
I came back home on Monday...you probably think all I did was eat over my MLK weekend. And, you're right. It's back to hot yoga and eating in this week! Augusta pictures to follow...

Andrew, Brooke, me, Stan!

Happy Birthday Brooke!

BACK TO REALITY

After four days of being snowed in, I finally made it to the office! It was nice actually taking a shower this morning and putting on real clothes. Traffic wasn't that bad but could have been better and I was surprised at the amount of ice still on the roads. On several occasions I looked at my speedometer and I was only traveling about 10-15 mph. No wonder it took me an hour and a half. <Sigh.>

I must say it was pretty nice to work from home - I slept in a little later than usual, I watched TV throughout the day, and I lived in my sweat pants from Monday to Thursday. :)

I'm looking forward to Augusta this weekend with Brooke and Ashley! Wednesday was Brooke's 26th birthday so I'm heading to Augusta to celebrate! Pictures to follow after the weekend...!

Winter Wonderland!

The snow started about 10 p.m. Sunday. It's now Wednesday - day 3 of working from home! Most highways are now at least passable, but secondary roads are still bad. For the past three days, I've mostly sat in front of the fire on my laptop (working), watched LifeTime movies and spent time with our neighbors. Thankfully, we're all within walking distance. I've ventured out into the snow a good bit, and even attempted to sled!

Here are two pictures from Monday!

Day 1 in the snow!

The fearless Ella Rollins!


I hope everyone has enjoyed the past few days of being snowed in...a lot of you are probably experiencing some major Cabin Fever by now! As for me, I'd say I'm ready for spring. Enough said.

Sparkle & Hay: Inspirations for a Rustic Chic Wedding

For all of you planning a wedding - or for those of you that enjoy reading wedding blogs - here's a blog for you to follow: Sparkle & Hay: Inspirations for a Rustic Chic Wedding! They've featured some of the most beautiful and unique weddings! I love looking at the pictures!

Kaylan Campanale introduced me to this blog, who is the proud owner of Kaylan Photography. Kaylan did a such a fabulous job at photographing mine and Austin's engagement photos, that they were featured on Sparkle & Hay! Yay!

Kaylan also photographed our wedding photography! Take a look. :)

I guess I'm just really looking forward to wedding season this spring!

My New Year's Resolutions

I've never been good about making New Year's Resolutions...and not because I thought they'd be broken two months in but because I just never really put much thought into it before.

So, here goes mine for 2011!

1. Continue to limit my soft drink intake (mainly Sprite, sweet tea) to one per week. I'm usually pretty good with this so we'll see!

2. Be more patient. I'd say this is probably my worst quality - I'm horribly inpatient. I absolutely do not like to wait in lines, sit in traffic, be on hold, etc., etc. :)

3. No texting & driving. Ever. Not even at a red light. Yes, I still occasionally text and drive. I'll try to be better!

4. Be better about spending money. As much as I like to see money go into that savings account, I'm a sucker for the impulse buy - or instant gratification. Is that the same thing? Whichever the case, once I have my mind set on something I want, there's no turning back. I think Austin just needs to learn to tell me NO. :)

5. Read at least 10 books in 2011. I just finished the Twilight Saga (I'm Team Edward btw) - it was so good, a little slow at parts, but overall I loved it! I'm currently reading But Inside I'm Screaming by Elizabeth Flock. And thankfully, I just go over to Brittney Blevins Smith's house whenever I want a new book - she has hundreds! It's pretty much like I don't ever have to walk into another book store.

6. Have a garage sale! I once helped my mom participate in a neighborhood yard sale. I don't think I really got into it because, well, I wasn't the one making any of the money (I was most likely hungover). Although the money would be quite nice, my reason for wanting to have a garage sale is because of the never-ending pile of stuff accumulating in my extra closets upstairs, downstairs, in the garage, and under my bed. I HATE clutter. So I'm hopeful that my neighborhood will have a garage sale this spring - and I won't have to do any of the planning. :)

7. Start a Supper Club. This is actually already in the works! Our first Supper Club is slated for later this month - I believe on Thursdays - so hopefully everything will work out because I'm kinda excited! Those participating: Blevins', Smith's, Fischhaber's, Battle's, Abell's and Lark's. Anyone else is, of course, welcome to join! Just let me know!

8. Be better about sending cards (via snail mail). I send a tremendous amount of text messages and emails. Let's be honest...that's just how I'd rather communicate. This year I want to be better about sending individual birthday cards (in addition to the FB wall post and phone call). I used to do this, but have gotten away from it. Could it be the ridiculous price of a Hallmark card? Possibly. I love checking the mail every day and I love opening mail that ISN'T a bill. So, I'm going to be better about sending birthday cards this year. And hopefully I'll actually send a Christmas card next year. I didn't have time this past Christmas - so maybe I'll send a Happy New Year card to everyone? Maybe. You'll just have to wait and see!

9.Be OK with not having plans every single weekend. This one might be a little bit hard for me. I love having something to look forward to. I love planning things (most of the time anyway). My weeks are filled with working, driving, cleaning, running errands, etc. I can't help it if I live for the weekends - and I know that most of you do too. By nature, I'm a planner. I plan things in my personal life and I plan for a living. So, this one's for Austin. I am going to try to be better about not planning out my (I mean "our") entire weekends.

10. Say "NO" more often. I've finally realized that I don't have to reply "yes" to every wedding shower, baby shower, party, dinner out, wedding, etc. It's OK to say "no" once in a while - starting now.

As I was typing these out, I didn't even mean to stop at #10. Maybe that's a sign that I'll fulfill all of my 2011 resolutions? Hope so! I do wonder what would be people's #1 resolution every year? My guess would be to exercise, which was not listed as one of my resolutions. I really do enjoy exercising - it makes me feel better - and I think that exercise should be a lifestyle - not a resolution.

So, here's to 2011! Hope everyone has a healthy and prosperous year!

New Year's Eve

I hope everyone had a safe and hApPy New Year's Eve! This year, Austin and I spent our NYE at the Curtis' - along with the Johnson's, the Potts, the Curtis' (obviously), the Nix's, Christy Christmas, John Tumlin, Katie McElwee, Havolynne Page, Austin Saxon, Kelly Souther, Whitney Williams, Ben Jones, Charlie Parks, Alyssa Haney, William McClure and Secrest Mincey.

Christy, Katie & Brooke

This year was pretty low-key compared to our last year's festivites at the County Club - which was nice. Chris and William built a fire in the backyard and all of the girls brought an appetizer or a dessert. I brought queso dip, smoked salmon flatbread and the famous cheese ball! I'll include recipes for the first two below - both very easy. :)

William, Austin, Chris, Kyle, Charlie, Austin, & Andrew

 I went to sleep earlier than most and unfortunately missed out on the wrestling match between Ben and William. Maybe next year. Overall, it was fun - Brooke even had most of us play Circle of Death!

On New Year's Day, I was completely lazy. It was wonderful! Brittni and I (and Oatmeal) literally watched LifeTime movies ALL DAY LONG while Austin, Chris and William watched football (yawn)...and while Ben slept all day in one of the guest rooms. It was the perfect rainy day to do absolutely nothing.

That evening, Austin and I joined the Curtis' at Happy and Toda's (Britt's grandparents) for the traditional yummy New Year's Day meal. The food was great - and as always, it was great seeing Chels, Kyle, Charlie, Dallas and Darci.

Here are two EASY recipes:

Queso Dip:

Ingredients:
2 packages of Velveeta Cheese (2%)
1 can of Rotel (mild)
1 can of Rotel (original)
1 package of lean hamburger meat
1 cup of milk

Preparation:
Turn crock pot onto high. Cut cheese into small squares, place in crock pot. Add cup of milk and two cans of Rotel. Cook hamburger meat, drain and add to cheese dip. Don't forget to stir occasionally.

Smoked Salmon Flatbread:

Ingredients:
Flatbread (crackers, bread, etc.)
Smoked Salmon (seafood section at grocery store)
8 ounce sour cream
Capers
Minced garlic
Sun dried tomatos
Lettuce
Mozzarella cheese

Preparation:
Lay the flatbread crackers out on a serving dish. Add smoked salmon. Mix together sour cream, minced garlic and place on top of salmon. Sprinkle cheese, lettuce, capers and sun dried tomatoes on top. Add salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

Chicken Casserole

Austin and I made a WONDERFUL chicken casserole this evening! We first had this casserole from one of Austin's nana's church friends. We don't make it that often but when we do, we have enough to eat for two days! Tonight we even shared with Dot Dot and Pap Pap (Austin's grandparents) and Kent and Bettra.

Although this recipe isn't the most healthy of chicken casseroles, I do suggest using organic chicken, low-sodium ritz crackers, health choice cream of chicken soup and fat free sour cream. Austin swears he can tell a different in low and fat-free ingredients. To him, "they just don't taste as good." But I promise, I can't tell a difference. :)

Ingredients:
4-5 chicken breasts (broiled)
shredded cheddar cheese
low-sodium ritz crackers
fat free sour cream
health choice cream of chicken soup
sliced water chestnus (come in a can)

Preparation:
Cut up 4-5 cooked chicken breasts in the bottom of a pan. Mix 1-8 ounces of sour cream and 2 cans of cream of chicken soup, spread of chicken. Next, spread out the sliced water chestnuts and then the shredded cheese. Next place crushed ritz crackers on top of casserole.

Bake at 325 degrees for about 35-45 minutes. Enjoy!

Dinner at No Mas! Cantina



Brittni, Kelly, Ashley, Katie, Allison & Erin at No Mas! Cantina



On December 27, Austin and I drove down to Atlanta to eat with several of our best friends at No Mas! Cantina. The food was great, the margarita's were great (especially the trendy glassware, margarita pitchers, etc.!) and the atmosphere was also great. I'd love to go back when the weather is warm and sit on their outdoor patio. The only thing that wasn't so nice was the traffic - everyone else was also trying to get downtown for the Falcons/Saints game. Sigh. But fortunately we made it!

The reason for this dinner was to meet up with Captain Dave. He flew in from Baltimore just to take Kelly to the Falcons game! Us girls met Cap't Dave in July while in the Bahamas for my Bachelorette Party. Dave let us party on his yacht, Just For You. He was a wonderful host (no comments please) and we (except for Kelly) haven't seen him since our trip. This was also the first time our husbands, fiance's and boyfriends were able to meet Dave.

After the game we went to Alli & Bart's apartment to watch the Falcon's game! Austin and I enjoyed such a nice evening - minus the traffic - with the Curtis', Kimbrell's, Ash & Sam, Erin & Emery and Kelly and Dave. Unfortunately the rest of the Bahamas crew couldn't make it - we missed the Johnson's and Megan Wojo! And if you're ever in the mood for good Mexican food or a great margarita, I definitely suggest No Mas! Cantina!