What I'm Loving Wednesday!

Link up at This Kind of Love!

I'm loving Michelle at Ten June's striped office! (I pretty much love everything about her house, but her office especially.) I think I've even convinced Cameron to let me do this in our house!

I'm loving this rug that was featured on Bon Bon Rose Girls' blog a week or so ago. It's from Home Depot and a 5'x7' size is only $69!! Perfect for our living room! 

I'm loving my momma for helping me paint the tables and chairs I've been talking about. I even give her the suckiest jobs and she still doesn't complain!

I'm loving this picture of Cameron and my mom that I forgot about. It was taken at Caroline & Andy's wedding in 2009. :)

I'm loving all of my 150 followers! Woohoo!!

Quick Weekend Recap!

I was actually too swamped at work yesterday for the first time since probably early November but I wanted to talk about my fun weekend real quick before I have to get back to work..

Friday night - Cameron installed some lighting into his eventual office while I watched episodes of Judge Joe Brown, Judge Judy, etc. It's as close to reality tv as I'm going to get right now since we don't have cable yet (don't judge!). The fun didn't happen until Saturday...

Yes, we still have the nasty southwestern pillows. No, Haverty's has not exchanged our couch yet.

Saturday - Moms came over and helped me paint the dining room table and chairs. Unfortunately, it's going to need an additional coat. After that, I went on a cleaning spree to get ready for the First Annual Smaker (mine and Cameron's last name put together) Oyster Roast! It was lots of fun! About 20 people came over for oysters and later in the evening we re-visited college and played a few rounds of beer pong & flip cup! Which explains why I had a headache all day Sunday...

Brady and a blurry Georgia

Sunday - Woke up at 7:30am. Went back to sleep. Woke up. Thought about putting coat #2 of paint on the table and chairs. Went back to sleep. Went to the grocery store to get ingredients for artichoke dip #2 of the weekend. Went back to sleep. Made it over to Cameron's parents house for the game. Went back to sleep.

Tasty Tuesday - Artichoke Dip

Confession - I made this dip twice this weekend and even ate it for lunch on Monday. It's THAT good...and I'd rather sleep a few extra minutes than make a full lunch on Monday mornings. Hope you enjoy!

Artichoke Dip

Ingredients:

1 TBSP butter

1 8 oz. package 1/3 less fat cream cheese

1 garlic clove, chopped

1 14 oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1/2 cup light sour cream

1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided (I used a little more)

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 350*.

-Melt butter in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add cream cheese and garlic; cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly, until cream cheese melts. Fold in artichokes, sour cream, and 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese; stir until cheese melts.

-Transfer mixture to a 1-qt. shallow baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese.

-Bake at 350* for 10-15 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Serve immediately with pita wedges or Tostito's!

Marley Lilly Monogrammed Floppy Hat Giveaway from Nautical By Nature

Nautical by Nature is giving away a Marley Lilly Monogrammed Floppy Hat to one lucky winner! This hat would be perfect for all of you going to Carolina Cup or for when I'm lounging by the pool or on the boat this summer! Visit Nautical by Nature to enter!

Marley Lilly also has super cute monogrammed scarves on their website, among other great things!

CSN Wall and Art Decor

(Sorry for the re-post)

Now that Cameron and I are settled into the house and the living room is complete (minus a rug) it's time to start putting some pictures on the blank walls and filling every nook and cranny with knick knacks! Where is the first place I look? CSN of course! I've acquired some CSN Rewards from previous purchases and won another $30 credit to CSN yesterday! The possibilities are endless of what I can buy! Here are a few things I bookmarked from their wall art and decor section. . .

CAKE - Node Bowl

Graham & Brown - Peony Canvas Art

Graham & Brown - Paintable Small Squares Wallpaper in White

(I think this would look really cool on a ceiling!)

 

Graham & Brown - Sailing Ships Framed Print Art - 16" X 16" (Set of 2)

PLYprints - Love Heart by Alexander Girard

Kenneth Wingard - Reed Bottle Ice Pop

Kenneth Wingard - Cobble Pillar Vase/Pillar Holder

And last but certainly not least...

iittala - Alvar Aalto 3.5" Water Green Bowl

(Are you seeing what I'm seeing??)

Weekend Recap

Friday - Was off of work and did the usual, boring errands. Got my glasses fixed, met Leslie at Sweetwater Cafe for lunch (not boring), got my car detailed (thank you Gma Charlotte!), and sanded the dining room table and chairs that my Gma Anna gave to Cameron and I! 

i need a haircut.

Chairs before (there are 4).

table before. i think it will look so much better once i paint it black!

Saturday - Woke up bright and early to go to Beaufort! The guys rode separately because they had a tee time at 10:30am while the girls set up for Katie's bridal shower. We had about 20-25 girls come to the shower and it was so much fun! It was kitchen / recipe shower and Katie got some GREAT stuff! I may be a little biased but I think the gift that Savannah, Monique & I gave her was the best..even if it wasn't kitchen related.

Picture ordered from Swiss Cottage Designs.

Then, that night was Katie & Henry's stock the bar party! Live music, Beaufort stew and friends equaled a great night! Afterwards, we went to Saltus to drink more adult beverages!

Sunday consisted of cleaning the house, laundry, and priming the table and chairs....allllllllll while Cameron layed on the couch. :)

What did you do??

Tasty Tuesday - Chicken N Dumplins!

Today's recipe is perfect for a cold, rainy day. And next Winter, it will be on my weekly meal rotation. I have always been a huge fan of chicken n dumplins and I L.O.V.E.D. this recipe! Reminded me of the good ol' Cracker Barrel. 

Recipe and picture is from Kristan at Confessions of a Cookbook Queen!

INGREDIENTS:


4 chicken breasts (I only used 2)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 onion, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Optional: chopped up carrots and celery


Add chicken, soup, broth, and onion to a crock pot and cook on low for at least 6 hours. Shred chicken with 2 forks (chicken will be very tender and pull apart easily) and leave on warm.


Dumplings: (adapted from allrecipes.com)


2 cups flour
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 chicken bouillon cubes 

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Add bouillon cubes.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, egg, sour cream, and chicken broth. Once combined, turn out onto a floured surface and roll out to about 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into strips with a pizza cutter, and cut again to make rectangles about an inch or so (doesn't really matter, I swear) long. (I tried to do this and it got wayyyy too messy / sticky on my counter so I just pinched off pieces of dough and dropped them into the water. I don't really think it makes a difference either way.)


Drop 5 or 6 at a time into the boiling water. Once they float to the top, leave them for 30 seconds or so and take them out with a strainer. Mix cooked dumplings with the chicken mixture in the crockpot. Salt and pepper to taste.

 Enjoy!