I Need Your Help...

AB and I will be celebrating our first year together next month, and I am in deperate need of some great gift ideas. My only restaints are time and (of course) money. I'd like to not spend more than $100.00.

What did you fabulous ladies get for your S.O.'s on your anniversary?

Thanks in advance!!

Seis de Mayo!

Hope that you all are enjoying your day of recovery from the 5th of May margaritas and mayhem!

I had a nice, relaxing cinco this year. Two of my best girlfriends, CC (who I blogged about here) and Gal, and I had dinner and a local, hole-in-the-wall Mexican place and then went back to CC's house to have a glass of wine, look at all her wedding pictures (she and the MR. just celebrated their 1-yr anniversary), and watch a few episodes of Sex and the City!!

Gal is a HUGE SATC fan, I have seen a few of the episodes and the movie with my lil sister, and CC has never seen an episode one -- until last night, of course -- so we really run the gammit on SATC knowledge! But we are all trying to get familiar with the four famous friends because Gal has quite an event planned for the SATC 2 primiere!

Our local Melting Pot is having a special that offers a 3-course dinner, drink specials, and your ticket to the first midnight showing of the movie all for a mere $40.00!! So needless to say, we will be partaking in that for dinner, then heading to the place that Gal used to work for (before she started her wedding and event planning business -- Memorable Moments Event Planning, take a look!)where they host a weekly SATC get-together with lots of specials on cosmos, and then to the movie theater for the primeire! How fun do that sound?! I'm super excited!!

Now for the hard part -- WHAT TO WEAR?! Thank goodness I've got a few weeks to figure that one out, it's not until May 26th! But stay tuned -- I'll be posting pics of possible outfits and asking for ya'll's opinions!

Until next time,

20 Question Tuesday...

1. What is your favorite thing to snack on while you're blogging?

--Well, I guess that would be yogurt, considering that I do a lot of blogging in the morning at the office.



2. What is one thing you wouldn't want to live without?

--As far as material things go, that would be my iPhone! As sad as it is, I really feel lost without it!





3. Beach, Mountains or Farm? Where would you live if you had a choice?

--Right now, I live by the beach, and its been nice. But in the first year of living here, I realized just how much I miss the hills and mountains. So I suppose my perfect place to live would be a house in the foothills of the mountains, within driving distance to the beach! :)





4. What's your least favorite chore/household duty?

--L.A.U.N.D.R.Y!!! I think laundry is just so awful!! And its not so much the "doing the laundry" part... It's the folding and putting away of the clothes that just drives me nuts!





5. Who do people say you remind them of?

--OK, this is probably going to make me sound like an old maid, but I get called "mom" quite often. I'm going with the reasoning that I tend to take care of others and lead the pack, rather than looking like a mom!



6. Prefer parties and socializing or staying at home with the family?

--Here's another combination. I think my perfect scenario would be having a party and socializing at home. My Derby Party for example was fabulous!!



7. What's your all time favorite movie?

--Now that's a hard one, because I love so many movies for many different reasons. But I'd say that one of the best movies I've seen in recent history is "Up!". If you haven't seen this movie or simply aren't interested because it's a cartoon, give it a chance! The storyline is beautiful, and the first 15 minutes of the movie will make you fall in love with the whole film.





8. Do you sleep in your make up or remove it like a good girl every night?

--OK, OK... I'll admit it... I'm a bad girl. I sleep in my make up more ofter than not. Don't judge me.



9. Do you have a hidden talent or a deep desire to learn something that you've never had a chance to learn? What is it?

--Hidden talent... Well, I can play the piano (I took lessons for 5 years), the clarinet, and I can play 3 chords on the guitar, so you would think that I am musical. But I never took voice lessons, and I would love to be able to sing!



10. What's one strange thing you're really good at?

--Remembering strange things that you would never need to remember (Hence, why AB's first-date offer of going to play trivia was a perfect suggestion). I have a "sponge brain." For some reason, if I hear something on TV, or see an ad for something, or read a story, it's sucked up into my brain for a good, long while.



11. What first attracted you to your spouse?

--Well, considering I don't have a spouse, I'll just go with my significant other. AB and I met through a mutual friend, and the very first night we crossed paths, we talked about everything under the sun. He could go toe-to-toe with me in music trivia, and being a self-proclaimed nerd, I had never met a sexier man! lol. With that said, I guess it was his brain that I was first attracted to. You can read our story here.



12. What is something you love to smell?

--Fresh sheets and/or a freshly cleaned house. I'm not too big on floral-y smells or air fresheners, so just that fresh, clean, aroma that comes naturally is the best to me!





13. Tell something about you that you know irritates people.

--This is going to sound super weird, but my right eyeball can squeak if I press on the tear-duct. My left eye doesn't do anything cool, it's my right one only. Being a fan of stupid-human tricks, I think this is awesome and make the squeak often. Others do not seem to appreciate this talent of mine.





14. When you have extra money (HA! What's that like?) what's the first thing you think to do with it?

--Go on a shopping spree!! Of course this isn't the most practical thing, but between Lilly Pulitzer, Vineyard Vines, J. Crew, Vera Bradley, Spartina, and various home goods and stationary/office supplies, that extra money doesn't stand a chance!





15. Are you a silent laugher or a loud laugher? What makes you laugh the hardest?

--I am absolutely an out-loud laugher. And I would say that either my Bestie JB or AB make me laugh the most.



16. Where is your favorite place to shop?

--ONLINE, no doubt about it! ALL of my favorite stores are just a click away! (See #14)



17. What's one thing you'd do more often if you had more time?

--Hmm, there are so many things... But to pick one, I would say organize more of my stuff. That way, I would have to spend less time searching for things, and I would have more time overall!! Clever, huh? It's a win-win!



18. Are you a big spender or frugal?

--For my day-to-day purchases, I'm frugal. I'm all about the store-brands or a good sale! I'll even usually have email coupons in my purse, just in case. I only spend big for rare, important occasions.



19. Who is your favorite character of all time (from a movie or book)? (Can't be real)

--Oh wow!! Now this one will make you think.... Hmm, favorite of all time!? Well, how about 2 of my my favs? These are oldies, but goodies. From the moment that I watched both of these films, I was just drawn to the characters of Louis from "Interview with a Vampire" and Susannah from "Legends of the Fall." These two characters live such lives of tortured opulence, in that they have access to so many things with their wealth and prestige, but they can never have what they truly desire. I think that's the main reason I like them so. They are not you're typical "hero" or "heroine," and their stories do not end happily ever after -- they struggle, they yearn, and they show us the more realistic side of desire (aside from being a vampire, of course!).







20. Would you want to be famous?

--Quick answer--YES! Who wouldn't want the fame and prestige!! More thought-out answer--NO. Think about everything that celebrities have to give up because they are famous. Yes, of course, they are well-compensated and can afford many other luxuries. But they could never just go shopping with their girlfriends, or have a picnic with their boyfriend. And Biggie said it best, "Mo' money, mo' problems." Hahaha. (I promise you, this is about the extent of my rap knowledge!)


Until next time,

So Crafty!!

So as promised, here are the loooong awaited pics of the initial frames I was working on a couple weeks ago... The color scheme will match our bedroom perfectly when I move in with AB!!

This one is mine...

And this one is AB's.

And most importantly.... I GOT A CRICUT!!!

You cannot imagine my excitement when I opened my email Friday morning and saw that Big Lots had a very limited number of Cricuts for sale at (get this!) $129.00!!! I almost fainted at my desk! Of course, my entire lunch break was spent on the phone, calling all the area stores, begging them to hold one for me.

Once I purchased my new BFF, I made myself leave it in the trunk of my car until Sunday morning, as I knew I would not be able to help myself, and spend my entire Derby party crafting if I were to open it!

But when Sunday morning rolled around, it was magical! AB had gotten me a copy of Sure Cuts A Lot Friday evening when I shared the news of my new purchase (I'm a lucky girl, I know!), so I was able to start Cricuting right away!!

Here's my first project -- a mother's day card, of course!!

Until next time,

SUCCESS!!

My Derby Party turned out fabulously!!

I made the Benedictine dip, Hot Browns, potato salad, baked beans, and Kentucky Pie served with vanilla ice cream -- all of which were a hit!!

The only down-side to my party was that my camera was as dead-as-a-doornail!! :( So, unfortuneatly, I don't have any pictures to share but this one of AB from my iPhone, so the quality is not the greatest.

AB also managed to pick the top 4 finishers out of the 20 horses in the field, so I told him we were going back to KY for the fall meet at Keeneland, no quesions asked!! But that will work out perfectly, because I want to go back for Court Day this year too!

However, I wanted to share the recipes with all of you so that you could throw a Derby Party of your own with these tasty treats!! Just click on the name of each item to go to the orignial webpage where the recipe is found.

BENEDICTINE DIP: (This one is soooo easy, and was def. a favorite!!)

SERVINGS – 2 CUPS

INGREDIENTS:
2 cucumbers, peeled

1 md. onion

1 lb. cream cheese

2 to 3 drops green food coloring

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Grate cucumber and onion (may use food processor) and drain well in a strainer, pressing down with spoon to remove all liquid. Discard liquid.

2. Add drained cucumbers and onion to cream cheese and mix well in food processor.

3. Color with 2 to 3 drops green food coloring.Use as a sandwich spread or as a dip. Benedictine may also be used to stuff cherry tomatoes for an hors d'oeuvre tray.

HOT BROWNS: (THE absolute hit of the night -- a must!!)

SERVINGS: 8 open-faced sandwhichs

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste
2 pounds sliced roasted turkey
1 tomato, thinly sliced
8 slices white bread, toasted
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
8 slices crispy bacon

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour with a whisk or fork, and continue to cook and stir until it begins to brown slightly. Gradually whisk in the milk so that no lumps form, then bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Mix in 6 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese and then stir in the beaten egg to thicken. Do not allow the sauce to boil once the egg has been mixed in. Remove from the heat and stir in the cream.
2. Preheat the oven's broiler. For each hot brown, place two slices of toast into the bottom of an individual sized casserole dish. Cover with a liberal amount of roasted turkey and tomato slices. Spoon sauce over the top of each one and sprinkle with some of the remaining Parmesan cheese. Place the dishes under the broiler and cook until the top is speckled brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from the broiler and arrange two slices of bacon in a cross shape on top of each sandwich. Serve immediately.

KENTUCKY PIE: (D.lic.ious!!)

SERVINGS: 1 Pie

INGREDIENTS:

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup flour

1 stick butter, melted

1 cup walnuts/pecans,chopped

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup chocolate chips

1 9-inch graham cracker crust

INSTRUCTIONS:
Blend all ingredients together with a wooden spoon until moistened and pour into pie crust. Bake at 325°F for 45 to 50 minutes. Cool 30 minutes. Serve with whipped topping and/or ice cream.

I hope that you all had as wonderful of a weekend as I did, and that you all are staying dry (as much of Kentucky is now flooded). Enjoy the recipies and let me know how they turn out!

Until next time,