Yard Work Update

As promised, here is an update on the yard work.  With weddings the last four weekends, we were happy to have a weekend to finish up some of the projects we had going.  Our main goal was to get the side yard project finished since we have been working on that all summer.  Thankfully, it was a cooler day out so we didn't die out in the heat.  I would love to have this post also include a finished deck, but that didn't happen this week.  I worked on it a little at a time last week, but then it rained on Saturday all day and the deck had to dry out again on Sunday.  Maybe that's what we will finish on Monday for the holiday! 

We still have some mulching to do around the flowers, but things are really coming together.  I'm not sure we are going to plant much more this year, I might though.  The funds are running at little dry from the nine million lbs of brick we bought this year. 

Check out the steps Andrew made!

Here is the full view

And from the other way..

you can see where we need some more mulch.  We will get that finished up before the end of the year.  I also want to plant some bulbs so we have spring color!

There is your update for tonight.  Tomorrow night I may post, but after that, no promises are being made until next week.

A Belated Update

Alright, so I was kind of a slacker last week and didn't get updates done like I wanted to. Things got a little crazy last week, and this week isn't going to be much better.  We have three weddings this coming weekend, which means flower production will start on Wednesday night, it might be the other side of Labor Day before anyone hears from us again.  Andrew is working all week building backdrops and bookshelves for weddings.  Yep, you read that right backdrops and bookshelves.  We take EVERYTHING to weddings. 

As promised, here is the recipe for last week. 

Upside Down Ravioli

8 oz. Jumbo Shells
1 lb. ground beef
2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
6 oz. bag baby spinach
1 C. finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
Small container ricotta cheese
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 egg
1/4 C. finely grated Parmesan cheese
1 jar Pasta Sauce (your choice)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cook jumbo shells according to package (reserve 1/2 C. pasta water)
Cook ground beef in a skillet over medium-high heat, drain the grease, stir in oil, spinach, onion and garlic.  Add some of the reserved pasta water, cook 10 minutes.  Stir occasionally.  Remove from heat; add seasoning and blend well.  Let the mix cool and add egg and cheeses.  Pour 1 C. sauce into 9x13 baking dish.  Fill jumbo shells with meat mix and place in baking dish.  Pour remaining sauce over shells.  Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes or until heated.  Makes 4-6 servings.

That's it for tonight.  Andrew and I redboxed Hunger Games... gotta see what all this is about. 

Tomorrow night if it isn't midnight when I get done outside, I will post and update on our yard work.  We were busy bees this weekend.  The deck is partially stained, the path is complete, the stairs from the path are in, the edge work on the path is done, and more flowers have been planted.  I hope to have the deck finished up in the next couple of night, but there is only so much daylight when I get home from work.  I will try to post pictures tomorrow night.  Hope everyone has a good Monday!

I Love End of Season Sales!

As promised, I am going to share my amazing finds with you from last nights shopping trip.  I figured there should be plenty of sales for end of season clothing.  I was right.  Before I share my amazing scores with you, I have a rant.  Since when did all of the latest fashions turn into sacks?  I tried on several things things at Younkers, and they all looked like gigantic bags on me.  If I wanted something totally shapeless, I would wear a garbage bag and tie a rope around the middle.  I wasn't a fan.  After being thoroughly disappointed, I moved on to Eddie Bauer, one of my favorite stand by stores.  I also enjoy Lands End, but after cruising their website the other night, I didn't find anything I couldn't live without. 

I saw on Eddie Bauer's website earlier in the day that they were having a buy one get one 50% sale on their jeans.  I am always on the hunt for a pair of jeans that fit.  Enter other rant re: pants shopping.  I HATE shopping for pants.  My hips and waist and thighs and rear just are not proportional at all.  If I find a pair of pants to fit my thighs and hips, they are huge on my waist.  I have never been one for jeans that make me look like a stuffed sausage.  Some of you might be thinking duh lady, just get a bigger size if you don't want them suctioned to your thighs.  All well in theory, but not in practice.  Even the trouser jeans I tried on last night, which I thought would have a wider leg and mean they weren't suctioned to my thighs, were still suctioned to my thighs.  All in all it was depressing.  I'm not knocking Eddie Bauer on their jeans, they just re-did their jeans to be better for women, I think every company has the same issue.  I feel like jeans for the "curvy" figure aren't curvy enough.  I would much prefer dress pants, their legs are made wider.  Rant over, now onto the bargains.

Rather then stay depressed about not finding pants to fit, I found several new shirts!

Shirt #1 Original price $44.95-- my price $ 17.50

Shirt #2 Original price $39.95--- my price $15.00

Shirt #3 Original price $44.95--- my price $ 5.61

Shirt #4 Original Price $44.95--- my price $ 17. 50

Shirt #5 Original Price $19.95 --- my price $ 7.49

My only pants purchase of the night...

Original price $ 79.95 ... my price $15.00

All in all, a good night shopping.  A total of five shirts and one pair of pants for $80.00.  The t-shirts I will wear all year and just throw on some sweaters over the top.  Now I am off to look for some awesome new scarves.  Off to etsy I go!  Tomorrow I will share the recipe of the week, upside down ravioli.



A Break In The Madness

This last weekend we worked out last three weddings of a four wedding weekend stretch.  We have a weekend off this coming weekend before things go crazy again for Labor Day.  I feel like I got my true intro into wedding world this weekend.  This weekend was the first time I came face to face with a bride that was less than happy with her bouquets.  But, we made a quick fix and all was better.  Now, I would like to teach you all a valuable lesson and please, pass this along to all your friends.  Pay close attention here.... flowers do NOT grow in one consistent solid shade in nature.  Flowers come from nature and therefore, the color cannot be controlled.  For the final part of the lesson, if there are things you do NOT want, it is best to speak your mind before it is down to the wire.  Thank you, that is all.  Oh, and if you want to check out a couple of the wedding from the last few weekends, head on over to Cynthia's blog and check out some photos!

Since we hadn't hit up the fair yet this year, we thought we would venture out there for the final day and half price admission.  It may have been the last day of the fair, but it was still plenty busy and the food was still amazing.  We had to start off with the usual corn dog and root beer.  Yum!  Then we moved onto a pickle dawg.  I saw they were also frying these this year, which was a new option, but Andrew and I decided pickle dawgs just aren't meant to be fried.  And yes, we paid $3 for a pickle spear slathered in cream cheese with ham wrapped around it, don't judge.  After a brief hike to the rather disappointing wine makers exhibit, I decided it was time for some chili cheese fries, and man were they good!  As usual, we had to get our bucket of cookies, which we got for free this year thanks to one of Andrew's coworkers that was working the cookie stand (don't hate me because I have connections).  We also made away with some taffy and finally, I had to pick up a apple turnover.  I think that just about covers everything that we ate.  Oh, and I threw a snow cone in there for good measure.  Now, you might be asking yourself what about the funnel cake, what is a fair without a funnel cake?  We went back and forth on this and landed on no for the funnel cake.  Why?  Because the last three we spent over $5 a piece were total crap.  I think two we blamed on old oil and yes, you can tell when it is old and the other was just bad batter.  Needless to say, I think it has been a couple of years since I had a funnel cake. 

Next weekend we are planning to take advantage of our free weekend and finish up a project in the yard.  Last week Andrew worked on the stairs from the deck to the path.  This coming weekend we are going to work on edging the path and re-doing a couple of spots that are less than level.  I super excited that we might be able to call this project done at the end of this coming weekend.  Who knows, we might even get the deck stained too! 

Stay tuned tomorrow when I show you my scores for end of season bargain hunting!  I love a good clearance!   

A New Bed for Buddy

When we got Buddy, we got him a bed for the bedroom.  When we moved, it made its way out to our living room for him to sleep in when we are watching TV.  That left nothing in the bedroom for him to sleep on at night.  Enter random old pillows we had in the house.  For the last couple of moths, he has been sleeping on a couple of old pillows we covered with a blanket.  He didn't seem to mind at all. 

After a while, I got tired of looking at this random setup in the bedroom and went on the hunt for something a little classier for him to sleep on.  In pricing out dog beds at the pet stores, there was no way I was going to spend $50 + on a bed (sorry Buddy).  I took to Pinterest!  I'm not very handy with a sewing machine, so I had to find something that required little to no sewing.  Anyone remember the fleece tie blankets everyone was making a couple of years ago?  Yep, I made a dog bed using that technique and it turned out pretty sweet if I do say so myself.  I found some adorable paw print fabric that is super soft, and backed it with black fleece.  I spent about $20 on the fleece, the print fleece was a little more expensive, but I had to have it.  For the filling, I cut open the 3 old pillows we had sitting around and filled his new bed with the pillow filling.  Check it out...

I tried to get a picture of Buddy on the bed, but he just ran away.  I think he is camera shy.  The other night I tried to take a picture of him while he was sleeping and he woke up and turned around with his rear facing me.  Andrew thought it was hilarious, probably because he doesn't like photos either. 

Success!!!

Weekend Update

We survived another weekend.  One more to go before we have an off weekend.  We were hoping to enjoy a bit of the State Fair on Sunday, but we just didn't feel like moving.  It was all we could do to drag our rears out of bed to go to the grocery store.  But, if we didn't go we wouldn't have had food for this week, so that was kind of a motivating factor.  Andrew and I were split up this weekend.  His muscles were needed to move furniture.  Hopefully pictures will be posted from that wedding later this week, I'll let you guys know when they are up.  I did get a couple of photos of my work this weekend.  I had some large arrangement to construct.  The lighting in the rooms wasn't the best and I was taking pictures using my camera phone, you you will have to use your imagination.  The first wedding I worked on flowers for had the colors gray and yellow.  For the head table, I constructed a massive tree in the middle of the table with silver branches and votives hanging from the branches. 

Next, I went out to a golf course to work on an outdoor wedding and reception in the clubhouse.  Here are a couple of shots from that wedding.  I did the arrangements on the taller vases. 

Even though we didn't make it home until about 2:30 Sunday morning, we both enjoyed the wedding.  Bonus of working the weddings... free wedding cake!  Wedding cake is probably one of my favorite desserts. 

From Grandma's Recipe Box

Tonight I was in a cooking/baking/cleaning mood.  Since I don't think you have any interest in my adventures with the vacuum cleaner, I will share with you what I was baking. 

For dinner, I made spicy mac and beef.  It is super easy to make and a spin on a favorite stand by meal.  First, you brown one pound of hamburger.  To conserve pans, I brown mine in a tall pot.  Once your hamburger is browned, you drain all the grease off.  Put the hamburger back in the pan then add one 10 oz. can of condensed beef broth and 1 1/3 cup of water.  I always add a little more water because I feel like it is never enough.  Bring that to a boil and then add two cups uncooked medium shells.  Cook for about 10 minutes, make sure the noodles don't boil dry.  Once the noodles are cooked the way you like them,  add 1 can cheddar cheese soup and one cup of salsa.  I use mild, but if you like spicy stuff, you could certainly add medium or hot salsa. 

Spicy Beef and Mac

After I made dinner, I decided it was time to make the Lemon Poppy Seed bread I have been telling Andrew I would make since right after we moved.  I don't know why I haven't made it yet, it is super easy to make. 

This recipe comes from my Grandma's recipe box.  If you asked me what one thing I will always remember my grandma for, I would say her amazing cooking.  Man do I miss her peach pies.  They were a slice of heaven!  Along with that, I miss her homemade cinnamon rolls, her chicken and noodles, homemade noodles... you get the idea.  Now, don't ever ask me to pick one thing I will remember about my grandma, because there are too many things to name.   Tonight, I will share with you one of her recipes though. 

Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

1 Box Lemon Supreme Cake Mix

1 Box (smaller size) Instant Vanilla Pudding

2 Tbs. Poppy Seeds

4 Eggs

1/2 C. Oil (do NOT use olive oil, it makes the flavor funky)

Mix everything together in a bowl, pour into a greased loaf pan, bake at 350 in the oven for 1 hour.  If you take the bread out after an hour and a toothpick in the center of the loaf doesn't come out clean, put it in for 5 minute increments until a toothpick put in the center comes out clean.  Our oven now takes a little longer than our last one. 

There you have it, a little piece of my grandma's kitchen.  Now, if you will excuse me I am going to go slice my fresh out of the over bread and enjoy with a glass of wine! 

Weekend Wedding Fun

Well, we survived the wedding this past weekend and even got a nap in before cleanup.  Bonus, I got to take some flowers home.  Here are a couple of the arrangements I did for the centerpiece decorations.  Imagine these on top of tall vases with a crystal in the center. 

 

kinda like this one from the wedding we did a couple of weekends ago..

 

This wedding had a vintage theme, so I got to play with buttons for the corsages, which I had a blast with.  Here are a couple of photos.

 

 

And here is one of the random arrangements I got to make. I LOVE hydrangeas, they are one of my favorites.  I think I have one of my new bushes I planted this summer that is going to bloom soon and I am super excited to see it.

 

 

We are back at it this weekend with three weddings.  I will be in flower mode from Thursday through Sunday. 

 

Last night, I decided to make something yummy that I found on Pinterest.  Oh man were these bad boys good… Smores Bars!  They were pretty easy to make too. 

 

 

Puppy Playday Was a No Go

Ok, I lied... I will post one more time before the weekend.  What can I say, I got done playing with flowers earlier than I thought I would. 

Today was the day for our meet and greet with Buddy's potential new roommate.  He was dressed and ready to go looking all cute.  Of course, I think he looks cute all the time, even when he is getting in himself into something he shouldn't be.  He made his rounds around the space before the meeting.  Then, Romeo came in.  You could tell both Buddy and Romeo wanted to go straight for each other, but we walked in circles around the room just passing each other.  Then, we walked from opposite corners of the room so they could pass and sniff each other.  We did that three times.  Let me tell you, each time got a little worse, and it wasn't Buddy being the problem child.  Buddy and Romeo just were not meant to be roommates.  There was growling and some tooth exposure and we called it good.  We knew it wasn't a match and the people at the ARL were glad we understood that.  How could we not.  Each dog deserves a home were they can feel like it is their own.  Our main man is Buddy, so we have to look out for him.  We think Buddy got a little worked up over the whole thing because he came right home and went to sleep. 

So, a new four legged friend wasn't in the cards for us today, and that is ok.  We will keep looking.  When the time is right, we will find a perfect playmate for Buddy.  I always tell Andrew I think we were meant to find Buddy.  He was there waiting for us.  He had one prior adoption that had fallen through, it was meant to be!  He was meant to come to our house and bring such joy to our lives.  He has been in our heart and home for six months now and we love him more each day. 

Two Is Better Than One, Right?

For starters, I promised I would let you know when photos were posted of the wedding we worked this past weekend, so head on over to Cynthia's blog to check them out.

We have been talking about getting another dog for some time now.  I laugh because when we started dating Andrew told me he wasn't really a dog person and much preferred cats.  Sorry cat lovers reading this, but I'm not really a cat fan.  Some of it has to do with the fact that I'm allergic to them, but as luck would have it Andrew is practically deathly allergic to them.  It kills him to not be able to play with them, but 10 minutes around a cute kitty and someone should probably have an epipen on hand.  Ok, it may not be quite that bad, but it isn't pretty.  So, in February when I started really wanting a dog, we headed to the ARL to "allergy test".  Too bad Buddy happened to be there and I feel in love and couldn't leave without him.  Buddy was a breeder reduction dog and they told us he might have some issues to work through with him, but he is so well adjusted.  We only had a couple of potty accidents before he was house trained. 

Fast forward six months and we have gone back and forth since buying the house about buying another dog.  We have stalked the ARL website and several other shelters looking for the perfect addition to our family.  We really wanted a female beagle around 3-4 years old.  Well, let me tell you how hard those are to find... hard!  In cruising the shelters it crushes my heart to see the numbers of dogs and cats in shelters because of breeder reductions.  Why people, why breed?  Overpopulation is a HUGE issue and yes, this is my plea to please spay and neuter your pets.

Today, against my better judgement, we made another trip to the ARL.  They probably think we are casing the place.  I fell in love with a Schnauzer/poodle mix, Andrew not so much.  We also checked out a couple of Beagles that came from a puppy mill.  We then checked out a 14 lb terrier... Andrew was in love, pouty lip and all.  Romeo (name would likely be changing) jumped in Andrew's lap and licked his face, just what he wanted.  Buddy is a little more subdued than that.  Needless to say, we have a doggy date scheduled for tomorrow with Buddy and his potential housemate.     

We have another wedding this weekend, but this one is here in town.  It is sure to be another long weekend.  You likely wont hear from me again until next week, maybe Sunday if I'm lucky.

Posting Slacker

I have been slacking on the posting.  I think I warned you all the posts would be scarce the next month or so.  Last weekend, we were gone about 19 hours working an outdoor wedding.  The next three weekends are the same story then we get a break for one weekend and then we are back at it for Labor Day weekend.  I guess everyone wants to get married on a holiday weekend.  Man, I loved the wedding we did this weekend.  It was a beautiful wedding and I got to make some amazing arrangements for table centerpieces.  When there are pictures online I will post the link. 

Big news in our house this week... mama got a new set of wheels!  Remember that rougue I posted about that I wanted.  I got a deal I just couldn't pass up. 

Here is a recipe for the week.  I have been making this one for a while, so I will share it with you guys now.  It is super easy and really yummy.  We try to make things that will last throughout the week so we only have to cook 1-2 times per week and one of those meals is usually in the crockpot.  In the winter we make a ton of stuff in the crockpot.  This winter I will post tons of yummy things to make!

Here is the recipe for Mexican Casserole