Wordless Wednesday: You Can Stand Under My Umbrella

Basket Case of Emotions

Sad - Today marks the 5th anniversary of my Aunt Sharlene's lost battle with breast cancer. She was a very strong woman and her friends and family miss her dearly. I vividly remember getting the call from my dad in the middle of an HRTM class and bawling the whole (very long) walk to my car. What a sight I bet that was.

Aunt Sharlene and my cousin, Samantha

Dad's side of the family at my cousin, Heath's (Aunt Sharlene's son), wedding

Happy - Cameron is scheduled to close on his house today at 3:30!

Sad - The rain has been non-stop since yesterday. This is my current view. It doesn't look as bad as it really is. 

Happy - Today is my boss's birthday! We're surprising her with a cake and a card in about 30 minutes! 

Sad - Cameron took Brady out to his parents house Saturday since I was busy trying on bridesmaid dresses for Katie's wedding and had to work that night. He must have hurt whatever he hurt before because he's acting a little weird again. :(

Happy - We picked out a BEAUTIFUL bridesmaid dress for Katie's wedding! It's by Amsale.

this dress (looks way better in person)

easier to see the detail on the shorter version

this color

Five Question Friday!

I'm currently blogging from my bed because I don't have to be at work until 12:30 today. Ahhhh so nice to sleep in and lounge around every now and then. Tonight, I have a rehearsal dinner for work but it is super low key. I'm talking bbq by the pool. Therefore, I will not be needed that much so I will be watching the season premiere of Grey's Anatomy since I missed it last night! I'll also be watching the Carolina / Auburn game from work (specifically the eleptical's tv) tomorrow night :(

1. If you could speak with a different accent, what would it be (i.e Australian, Scottish)?


Hmm if I had to choose I'd go with Austrailian. It sounds SO hot on a guy, so why wouldn't it do the same for a girl?

I am happy with my southern accent though, y'all.

2. Can you fall asleep anywhere? (i.e floor, couch, deck)

Yep, pretty much. If I'm tired, I'm tired.


3. Do you use public restrooms? If so, do you sit on the toilet?

Yes, I use them. When you gotta go, you gotta go.

I'll sit ONLY if I put about half a roll of tp down on the seat. ESPECIALLY at like mall or gas station restrooms. Ick.

This question is kind of gross.


4. If you were stuck in an elevator for 24 hours, what celebrity would you most want to be stuck with?

My first thought is to go with Matthew McConaughey. And not that he isn't funny or entertaining, but I would need a full blown comedian to keep me entertained for 24 hours.

Steve Carrell would definitely do the trick.


5. Where did you & your significant other go on your 1st date?
 
The night we met, somehow we got on the topic of shooting skeet (redneck? nahhhh) and I said I've always wanted to try. So that's what we did. The next day he picked me up and we went out to his parents house and we shot skeet. There were about 10 of his friends out there, which was fine with me because it relieved some of the pressure of just meeting each other. Even though I didn't come close to hitting the skeet, I had the best time!

Happy Friday!!!

Cameron's House Hunt & Z Gallerie

I haven't really spoken about Cameron's house hunt at all, because I'm always scared I'll jinx myself. He has been looking for his ideal first home since February. Found one that was a short sale, the bank accepted his offer and then it fell through because of the seller. Not sure of all the technicalities. All of that took place from February - June. A long time. Gotta love short sales. Immediately after he found out that this house wasn't going to go through, he started his search again. He quickly found a house that he liked even more, but it was another short sale. It had everything he was looking for:  two car garage, around 2000 square feet, large fenced in back yard, a little bit of a fixer upper and a great price. He decided to take his chances again and it's a good thing he did. If everything goes as planned, he will be closing on the house on Monday! I won't go much more into details about the house until everything actually goes through and he has the keys in his hand. 

Being the online window shopper that I am, I've been doing some research online and have come across a website that I LOVE. I'm usually one of the last people to discover things, so many of you have probably already heard of Z Gallerie. It's self described as "stylish home decor & chic furniture at affordable prices." Perfect description.

Here are a few of my favorites that I will be adding to my wishlist (for Cameron, of course) :

Nantucket Throw

Sepia Peonies Framed Photo

Sofia Fox Basset Hound picture
(Not for Cameron's house, but to give to my Gma Anna)

Palmer Stool

Twig Candles

Veneto Suitcases

Resin Swordfish
WILL be purchasing this.

Faux Coral
Also in red.

And when you sign up to receive their email updates, you'll get a code for 10% off your first purchase of $50 or more!

Wordless Wednesday: Happy Fall, Y'all!

Sad, Sad News

Yesterday evening, it had been reported that Kenny McKinley, a standout Gamecock receiver from 2005-2009, was found dead in his Colorado home from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Shock and disbelief ran through my mind. He was just at the USC / Georgia game hanging out on the sidelines with the players! He has a young child! He had a promising career with the Denver Broncos! 

You can read the full article from the Post and Courier here.

Gamecock career highlights..

RIP Kenny. You will be missed.

Disturbing.

After I was done leaving feedback for my recent Etsy purchases, I went back to the home page, and came across this...

Rear Gear

"No more Mr. Brown Eye"

"Is your pet feeling left in the dirt because of his/her unsightly rear? I’ve got them covered... Rear Gear is handmade in Portland, OR and offers a cheerful solution to be-rid your favorite pet’s un-manicured back side.

Rear Gear comes in many designs including a disco ball, air freshener, heart, flower, biohazard, smiley face, number one ribbon, cupcake, sheriff's badge, dice, and you can even make yours custom, so there’s a Rear Gear for everyone. "

I don't even know what to say....except if you're interested in that kind of thing for your pet, here is the link.

Five Question Friday!

1. What is the first nightmare you remember?

Like most nightmares / dreams, it doesn't make sense and I can't remember all of the details. I do remember that I'm on a playground and it's really dark outside and the witch from Sleeping Beauty is chasing me! I just looked up a picture of the witch and got kinda scared..

2. Even if you're not a sports fan, what's your favorite sport to play/watch?

Ummm if you've been reading my blog for even a week, you'd know I'm a HUGE South Carolina Gamecock fan! Football, of course. Second place would be baseball..the players' butts just look so good in those pants!

3. If you could pull off one piece of trendy fashion, what would you want it to be (jeggings, hats, thigh high boots, etc.)?

Ankle boots. I've found so many cute pairs online but just do not think I could pull them off! I might try a cheap pair from Target first before I splurge on a more expensive pair.

4. Did you make good grades in school?

Eh, let's go with average. I was quite the procrastinator.


5. What magazines do you subscribe to?

Currently just Glamour. Wait, and I THOUGHT Better Homes & Gardens (when did I turn 40???) but I have yet to see it in my mailbox and it's been like 2-3 months since I paid. I used to be subscribed to so many but then realized I was just pouring my money down the drain.


Another low key weekend planned..movie night tonight, working Saturday till 4:30pm, possibly going to a bar to watch the Gamecocks vs. Furman since it's only on Pay Per View and Clemson vs. Auburn, baby shower on Sunday morning!

What are your plans??

Happy National Guacamole Day!

Thanks to my daily email from Hungry Girl, on Tuesday I discovered that TODAY is National Guacamole Day! Which is why there was a random picture of guacamole at the end of yesterday's Wordless Wednesday. So after Jenny and I go around town looking at venues for her wedding next year (which is what the other pics on WW referred to), we are going to celebrate our hard work with some guacamole and most likely a tasty margarita (on the rocks, with salt please).

And for those of you who want to make your own guacamole at home tonight, here's Hungry Girl's guacamole recipe with a twist!

Ingredients:

1 cup frozen sweet yellow corn

One 15-oz. can early/young peas, drained

1/2 cup mashed avocado (about 1 medium-small avocado's worth)

1/4 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt (Fage Total 0% is the best!)

4 tsp. lime juice

1/2 tsp. chopped garlic

1/4 tsp. salt, or more to taste

1/8 tsp. black pepper, or more to taste

1/8 tsp. ground cumin

1/8 tsp. chili powder

3/4 cup chopped cherry or grape tomatoes

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

Optional: chopped fresh cilantro, chopped jarred jalapeño slices

For Chips

Twelve 6-inch corn tortillas

3/4 tsp. salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Bring a skillet sprayed with nonstick spray to high heat on the stove. Add corn and cook until thawed and slightly blackened, about 8 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Place peas in a medium bowl and mash thoroughly with a potato masher or fork. (Or puree peas in a small blender or food processor and transfer to a medium bowl.) Add avocado, yogurt, lime juice, garlic, and dry seasonings. Continue to mash until blended.

Stir in corn, tomatoes, and onion. If you like, mix in cilantro and/or jalapeño. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

To make the chips, divide tortillas into two stacks and cut each in half. Cut each stack of halves into three triangles, for a total of 72 pieces.

Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick spray. Evenly lay about one-third of the tortilla triangles flat on the sheet.

Cover triangles with a generous mist of nonstick spray, spraying for about 2 seconds. Evenly sprinkle with 1/8 tsp. salt. Flip triangles over and sprinkle with another 1/8 tsp. salt.

Bake in the oven for 5 minutes. Carefully flip tortilla triangles over on the sheets. Continue to bake in the oven until crispy, about 5 minutes longer.

Repeat baking process until all the chips are baked. (If you have extra baking sheets and a large oven, feel free to do it all at once!)

Once cool enough to handle, transfer chips to a serving bowl. Serve with chilled guac and enjoy!

MAKES 8 SERVINGS

Serving Size: 1/3 cup guacamole with 9 chips

Calories: 160

Fat: 4g

Sodium: 456mg

Carbs: 27.5g

Fiber: 4.75g

Sugars: 4.5g

Protein: 5g

POINTS® value 3*