Christmas #1

Uncle Mark came to Florence today, so Christmas #1 is officially in the books!

It was an absolutely crazy morning with wrapping gifts, cleaning and cooking (plus a migraine or really bad tension headache), but we managed to get all the essentials finished in time. We opted out of the traditional Christmas meal this year since there were only four of us today (and because I really don't like leftovers--like Grams). I planned to make Grams' cake with cooked chocolate icing in addition to banana pudding (Uncle Mark's favorite), but I didn't make the icing until after he left. More for us, I guess!!

We opened gifts and I was quite spoiled. I absolutely hate to iron, so I got a professional grade steamer. The girls at work won't let me by if I wear something not perfectly pressed anymore! I also got a stainless steel garbage can for my kitchen. I've wanted one since I moved in since I have to have it out in the open, but I never broke down to get it. My favorite gift has to be the 2012 Southern Living Annual Cookbook. I can't wait to make several things in the cookbook!

Since Uncle Mark was here, I decided to take advantage of his photography skills and Emma and I had a mini-photoshoot. Here are a few of my favorites...

Still Christmas Shopping

I thought I finished nearly all of my Christmas shopping back in November...before trips for work and fun, before Thanksgiving.  I thought I was so ahead of the curve and I was so proud that all of my gifts were wrapped in brown craft paper and tied with various grosgrain ribbons and looked like something out of Martha Stewart Living.

I knew there was ONE gift left to buy, but little did I know, there were MANY more to buy.  I took care of what I thought was my last gift last Saturday in Florence, but I was sorely mistaken.  Mom and I bought a few more things that day and then I've placed three separate orders with Amazon this week including one this morning.  It's a good thing I signed up for a free trial of Amazon Prime, otherwise I nothing I ordered would arrive in time and I'd have to venture to a brick and mortar store...the horror!! :)

Now, I have at least 12 more gifts to wrap, so I guess the leftover craft paper will be going to Florence with me.  I bought three big rolls and didn't even use all of one (way more on a roll than I expected), so I guess my over-shopping is actually useful since I don't need more wrapping paper.  I think I have ribbon left over, but I'm not positive...it has been more than a month since I've wrapped all the first batch of gifts! :)  I think some gifts might not get ribbon if it saves me a trip to Hobby Lobby at this time of year!

Sing, Sing, Sing

Today was our choir's cantata in Florence. I'm so glad I was able to learn the music well enough from the CD and my two measly practices at home so I could sing with this super-talented group! We had handbells, a children's choir, a youth choir, a full orchestra as well as the adult choir. It was definitely a powerful feeling to perform with all of these talented musicians. Even though staying for the second performance made for a long night driving back to Nashville, I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I find myself laughing more than at any other time when I'm with people from this choir and I'm grateful that I've had the opportunity to sing with them for TEN (eek) years!!

There's no place like home!

After ten days away from my house, I am so happy to finally be back. There really is no place like home...except my other home in Florence! :)

Q Center Woes

It's after midnight and I can't sleep. It's just part of another wonderful day at the Q Center. Or not...

I've been here for three night now and this is the first night I absolutely cannot sleep. I think I still needed to catch up from Disney the first two nights. Now, I'm just hot, claustrophobic and bored. Plus, I almost fell asleep earlier, but almost rolled off my twin bed which certainly got me awake.

The rooms here are tiny. I've tried to upload a picture I found on the Internet that is of a similar room. It's clean, but tiny. My dorm room at Auburn was double the size of my "closet" here. Also, the thermostats don't seem to work since my room is approximately 80° right now. I am very cold-natured and like warm rooms, but this is taking it a bit overboard.

It's not easy to leave the compound since we're an hour away from Chicago and finding a taxi is not the easiest thing. We ate deep dish pizza at Gino's East on Monday night and that was certainly the highlight of my trip. Now, I'm just looking forward to the limo ride that will take me to Midway and eventually home.

I've decided this experience is very similar to being in a minimum-security, white-collar Federal prison. I've got some space to roam (only on campus), hot meals (not of my choosing) and a bedroom (although small and cell-like). I've got an overwhelming feeling of claustrophobia and I can't wait to be back in Nashville. I know this sounds melodramatic, but I've never been to another place that I dislike so much.

I'm hoping for better and more interesting training tomorrow and maybe another trip off campus tomorrow night. Thank goodness I'm not here alone and have work friends to spend time with while we're here!

Long time, no blog...

Oh my, it's been a long time since I've updated. I want post about my Christmas decorations and my awesome trip to Disney, but for now I really need to pay attention in my continuing education classes. I'm at a training center about an hour and a half from Chicago and so far I'm about bored to death--only four hours in!

We're (four other from work and myself) are going to eat pizza at Gino's East tonight, so I'll try to take a picture of the yummy pizza we order. That's the highlight of the trip for me!!

I'll try to catch up soon, I promise!

It's beginning to look at lot like Christmas!

I brought back boxes of ornaments and other decorations from Florence this weekend and I can't wait to put up my tree! I'm so excited about it that I think I'm going to get started tomorrow night!

I heard Christmas music in a store for the first time tonight and I've been listening to the CD of our choir cantata, so Christmas music is definitely in my head. I think it's time to set up a Spotify playlist for my work computer!

I went to the mall in Franklin after work and did one of my infamous marathon shopping trips. I think the store count topped out at 7, but I think I'm about halfway finished with the gifts I am responsible for. I'm going to be back in Franklin tomorrow afternoon for CPE, so it might be a good opportunity to knock a few more things off my list!

I love getting to shop for other people and seeing their faces when they open their gifts, but I know I'm going to have the hardest time not telling Mother about what I bought! I need to go ahead and wrap everything as I go so I can forget what I've bought. That way we'll all be surprised on Christmas Day!

Hopefully I'll have everything up by the end of the weekend and can post a few pictures!

Time to catch a breather!!

The last major deadline of the filing season is finally behind me!! I finished getting signed forms from clients around 6:30 last night and it felt so good to be done!

November 15 is a deadline for some Not-for-Profit entities, but most of mine will be extended until February and can be extended again until May.

I looked at my calendar for the rest of the year yesterday and, at most, I will be in Nashville for four weekends between now and the new year. Between trips to Gatlinburg and Florence, Thanksgiving, my trips to Disney World (fun trip) and Chicago (work trip), the choir Christmas cantata and my Christmas break from work the weeks add up! I think since I'll be working for most of the first four months of the new year, I should enjoy weekends away as much as possible!

I'm also, most likely, not going to have to work outside of 8-5 until January. That is, hands down, the best part about the slower time at work. I did have to work late today because of a wreck that shut down Interstate 65. My 20 minute commute became close to two hours, but thankfully that is the exception, not the norm. It's an extra (and much needed) incentive to get moving in the morning when I know I only have to work for 8 hours and not 10-12!

Hopefully, now that I have "extra" time on my hands, I can get to a dry cleaner. Otherwise, I am going to be completely out of work clothes. It's starting to get ridiculous!! :)

I can't keep my eyes open any longer, but I'll try to post pictures of the changing leaves in Gatlinburg after the weekend!

The Klutz is Back

Mother wanted to name me Grace when she was pregnant with me.  Daddy said no.  For years, I've said it might have helped to make me more graceful had Daddy agreed.  Either it would have been helpful or very ironic!

Anyway, I've showed just how much of a klutz I am over the past few weeks.  It all started because I was cleaning my kitchen after dinner one night.  I put a baking sheet away and somehow managed to dislodge my pizza stone which rolled out of the cabinet and on to my big toe.  I know I shouldn't keep a round object on its side in a cabinet, but I don't have a drawer that is wide or deep enough for it.  To make a long story short, I cried for several hours, took some medicine and didn't sleep all night from my poor throbbing, rapidly-brusising toe and toenail.  I couldn't walk easily the next day and ended up at the doctor for an x-ray.  I also expected they would drain the blood under my toenail to relieve the pressure, but they didn't.  I ended up with this:

Two weeks later, I finally felt better and, of course, on the first day I wore heels, I broke another toe.  I was rushing to get to work early because I had to give a presentation and had yet to print my PowerPoint slides.  As I was going into my closet to get shoes, my foot had a close encounter with the closet door.  After straightening out my now crooked toe, I put my big girl panties on, shoved my aching foot into a heel and went to work.  Needless to say, I did not have the best day.

So far, I don't have any new injuries.  Knock on wood!!  Let's hope I've gotten a good bit of my clumsiness out of my system and will have an injury-free several months.  That doesn't mean I'm not going to hold on to the handrail going up AND down any stairs.  We don't want a repeat of the Florence Post Office incident*.

*Really embarassing story: I was 9 and fell down all the Florence Post Office stairs.  I was wearing a dress.  People stopped and got out of their cars to make sure I was ok.  Not my finest moment.

New Recipe: Sugar Cookie Bars

I needed a quick and easy recipe for a sweet coworker's birthday last Wednesday and guess where I turned?  That's right, my good friend, Pinterest!  It's pretty obvious that I like to cook (and eat) since nearly half of my total pins are food-related.

I decided to make these sugar cookie bars from High Heels and Grills.  I love how I keep finding new food blogs to follow from pins I like on Pinterest!  There are tons of interesting recipes on this blog and I can't wait to try something else soon!

Ingredients:


Cookies:

2-1/2 cups bread flour (or all-purpose flour is fine)
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1-1/2 Tbsp. sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Frosting:

1/2 cup butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup half and half
1 tsp. vanilla
Pinch of salt
Several drops of food coloring (optional)

Directions:

COOKIES: Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. I sifted my dry ingredients.  Just something I always do when baking.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. (The longer you beat it, the fluffier your cookies will be.)  


Add egg and combine well.

Add sour cream and vanilla and mix until completely blended.

Slowly add the flour mixture and stir until well combined.

Gently press the batter into the greased baking dish and spread out with hands. (If you butter your hands, this will help with the stickiness.)

Bake 17-20 minutes, or until edges become lightly golden.

Set aside to cool completely.

FROSTING: In a medium bowl, cream together butter, powdered sugar, and half and half until light and fluffy.

Stir in vanilla and salt, combine well.

Add food coloring until desired color.

Frost your cooled cookie bars evenly.

Cut into squares and serve.


These cookies are VERY good!  The cookie turns out to be almost like a shortbread cookie.  Since shortbread is one of my favorites, this was a definite plus!

I made one recipe for work last Wednesday and there were none left at the end of the day.  I liked them so much (and I had sour cream and half and half left), so I made another recipe on Saturday for my family.  I think it would be fun to use different colors and maybe add sprinkles for different holidays or occasions!

I'll definitely make these cookies again!

New Recipe - Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Last week, my good friend Molly came to town for a work event.  Lucky for me, I got to have dinner with her after she got into town!  Her birthday was the week before, so I decided I needed to bake a little something to help welcome in 26!  I needed something quick, easy and easily transportable since she would be taking whatever I made back to Memphis with her.  After a quick trip to What Megan's Making, I decided I would make these Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies.

I decided to double the recipe in order to have enough to take to work on Monday and to give to Molly on Monday night.  All in all, a double batch yielded about four dozen cookies when made as the recipe suggested (a scant quarter-cup of dough per cookie).

Mom came to take care of me Wednesday night (I had a clumsy moment involving my foot and my pizza stone.) and she ate my leftover cookies and baked the last bit of leftover dough.  She took the last few cookies home and "ever so kindly" allowed my Dad to try them just because he wasn't feeling well.  Usually, he complains that he doesn't get more than a taste of anything I make.  He has since said that he prefers these cookies to the famous cookies at the DoubleTree.  I think that's quite a compliment since they are my very favorite cookies!

Also, I didn't think that it would be necessary to make a ball of dough, split it in half and then reattach the halves, but after baking these cookies were so pretty!  I think it's worth the extra step to have pretty cookies!

The recipe is below for anyone who doesn't want to click through the links!


Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies from What Megan's Making


Ingredients:

2 cups plus 2 Tbsp (10 5/8 oz) all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
12 Tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm
1 cup packed (7 oz) light or dark brown sugar
1/2 cup (3 1/2 oz) granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
~1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips or chunks (I prefer chocolate chunks!)
Directions:

Adjust the oven racks to the upper and lower middle positions and heat the oven to 325. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or spray them with nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt and set aside. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Beat in the egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed just until incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chunks to taste.

Roll a scant 1/4 cup of dough into a ball. Hold the dough ball with the fingertips of both hands and pull into 2 equal halves. Rotate the halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, join the halves together at their base, again forming a single ball, being careful not to smooth the dough's uneven surface. This will give the cookies a bakery-like appearance. Place the the formed dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, jagged surface up, spacing them 2 1/2 inches apart.

Bake until the cookies are light golden brown and the outer edges start to harden, yet the centers are still soft and puffy, 15-18 minutes. Rotate the baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through the baking time. Cool the cookies on the sheets to retain their chewy texture.

Oh Happy Day!!

Oh Happy Day is DEFINITELY right!

I think I'm just about finished with all of my deadline work for September--just a few last-minute projects to help other people out!

My huge, impossibly hard return (that I've worked on for WEEKS) was delivered today!

I don't have to work this weekend on a return for a client I've never worked on before--without help from the manager!  Even better, I don't have to do it NEXT week, either!

I'm not working late tonight or tomorrow night (if I can help it!)

My house is clean(er) due to a mad cleaning spree last night after getting home from work at 7 o'clock and not 10 o'clock!  I may be tired, but my house is cleaner!

I'm going to grill something yummy tonight and sit on my deck to enjoy the food and my outdoor furniture!

"Oh, what a beautiful morning, oh what a beautiful day, I got a beautiful feeling everything's going my way!"  - Oklahoma

Recipes and a New Cooking Blog

As I promised, here are the recipes for the super yummy pizza I made over Labor Day weekend.  I made four thin-crust pizzas with one dough recipe and it was more than enough to feed five adults when served with a side salad.  Keep in mind that both of these recipes are made using a food processor--quite possibly the best kitchen appliance ever!

For the pizza dough, I used this recipe from my earlier post.  This time, thanks to some good advice, I used bread flour only instead of bread flour and all-purpose flour like the first time I made this dough.  I think the crust was crisper and it was simpler to just use one type of flour when I was busy making this dough after 9 o'clock at night!

I also made homemade sauce from a blog I was recently told about called, What Megan's Making.  This is now one of my favorite cooking blogs and it's so much fun  to see what good food Megan's been making!  This sauce is so good and comes together in 30 seconds or less!  I don't think I'll ever buy store bought pizza sauce again!

I topped two pizzas with store bought shredded mozzarella and pepperoni (the Publix deli has the best pepperoni, by the way) while the other two had mozzarella, pepperoni, Italian sausage, red bell peppers and tons of olives (A treat for my Dad--I think he'd eat an olive pizza if I'd allow it!).

I also made pie crust again the week before Labor Day.  Practice makes perfect, right?  I made another chicken pot pie to thank my Dad for working on my car, a few homemade pop tarts that weren't the best (needed more filling) and then used the last crust to make a chocolate fudge pie to take to Mom over Labor Day weekend.  I think my impromptu pie crimping lesson before choir practice really paid off since these pies looked much better this time!  I hate to say something bad about a Martha Stewart recipe, but my "surrogate aunt's" recipe is so much easier to roll out and work with!  I really do think part of the difference was using shortening vs. butter (in the MS recipe).  I didn't ask for permission to share that recipe with anyone and, since it originally came from her MIL, I better not share it for now.

Daddy said he was disappointed Chef Katie didn't come home for the weekend, so I must be doing something right!  I was a little to busy cleaning the kitchen to get it all dirty again making dinner on Saturday.  I'll have to come up with something else to impress him with before my next trip to Florence!

Labor Day and a Weekend at Home

It's been a while, hasn't it? I'm updating from my iPad now, so unfortunately I can't add any of my pictures from Labor Day. The fact that they are still on the card in my camera doesn't help, either!

Mom, Dad and I spent Labor Day weekend at our condo in Gatlinburg. I was able to get away a bit early on Friday and managed to beat a good bit of the traffic headed East. Saturday, Mother and Daddy went hiking with some good family friends while I kept Emma and our friends' new Westie. It was quite an adventure keeping Riley and Emma happy. At times, I had to hold both of them at the same time to keep everyone happy and under control.

For dinner on Saturday night, I made pizza using dough and sauce made in my food processor. I'll post the recipes later this week. I'm so glad I have friends that share recipes with me! I think I impressed my family and our friends--especially considering the small amount of leftovers at the end of the night.

Sunday was quite possibly the best day of the trip. I'd worked many extra hours that week and was feeling quite stressed. Without planning it, I slept for most of the day until I had to get ready for dinner. I must have really needed the rest considering I had no difficulties sleeping that night!! I'm starting to think I have narcolepsy again, though!!

Monday meant driving back to Nashville and getting ready for another busy week.

This past Friday, I decided I could escape for the weekend and didn't have to work. I may regret it tomorrow morning, but I'm glad I got to have some fun and helped Mother with things at home. Saturday, I cleaned house (I really like Mom's Dyson, by the way) and visited Grandaddy before another narcolepsy-induced nap. Sunday, I sang in the choir with my friends at church before going to lunch with my self-proclaimed surrogate aunt. Before I knew it, we'd been talking for two hours and it was time to check on Grandaddy again!! After visiting him, it was time to go back to Nashville. The drive passed much faster since I talked to my Grad School BFF the entire way!!

Now, I'm home and have to get ready for another busy week at work. I'm worried about a big project I've yet to start that is due in a week, but it will get done eventually. Somehow, these things always do!

I'll be back soon to share my recipes and the best cooking blog that was recently pointed out to me.

Not Your Orange

As I was driving to the mountains last night, I stopped for a quick pit stop and for a drink. As I was checking out, the attendant asked me if I was going to watch the game? I immediately said yes, but then I realized he didn't mean the same game that I did.

You see, we were allowed to wear jeans and our college colors yesterday to work. Naturally, I wore a bright orange shirt to represent my Tigers. The man at the register just assumed I was a UT fan with my orange, but I had to quickly say "Sir, my game is tomorrow. I'm a graduate of Auburn University. I will watch your game tonight, though."

I forget that there are other teams with orange in their colors. I know it's silly since nearly everyone around is a UT fan, but orange always means Auburn to me. I wish I was in Atlanta tonight to cheer the boys in blue on tonight, but they'll make the Auburn Family proud win or lose tonight!!

War Eagle!!

Where I've been...

Sorry I've been AWOL lately.  Things are busy at work with "Tax Season, Part II" in full swing.  This means that corporate and partnership returns we extended in March and April are now due on September 15th (or 17th this year--thanks, Emancipation Day for making tax season longer yet again).

I've been very busy at work for the last two weeks.  I feel like people are pulling me in every possible direction to get their work done before someone else's work.  I'm also trying to put in extra hours so I can leave early on Friday, but I don't think that's going to happen.

I'm hopefully going to Gatlinburg this weekend with Mother, Daddy and Emma.  I'm going to take my DSLR, so maybe I'll manage to get some decent shots of Emma.  She did just get a haircut, so you can see her eyes for a change.  Also, since she looks more like a squirrel than a bear, maybe we won't have to worry as much about her being taken in by the Mama Bear (yes, we have a bear and two cubs at our condo) as a wayward cub?

Please bear with me until after September 15.  I'm really hoping that October 15 (individual returns that were extended are due) will not be as bad for me since I only have three individual clients as of now (knock on wood!)

Florence Fun

I spent the weekend in Florence again visiting with my family and trying to help Mom.  It's always good to go back home and visit with friends and family.  Even though I'm always quite tired from getting home late, I'm so glad every time I get the chance to go home.  Sorry, but no pictures during this trip.  The only picture-worthy moment was when I was alone with Grandaddy and I'm not very good at self-portraits.  To be honest, my camera was the last thing on my mind during those precious moments.

It's funny how confused I make people when I say I'm going home.  Home has multiple meanings to me--my house here in Brentwood, Florence and specifically my parent's house.  I've taken to saying I'm going "home to Alabama" when I'm at work because so many people were confused and didn't understand that I was going home to Florence instead of home to Brentwood.  This probably makes no sense--oh, well...

Friday, traffic was awful, as per usual especially on a Friday night.  There was a wreck at my exit, so I had to get off the interstate two exits early and work my way through a few neighborhoods to get home.  Once I finally got there, I had to get my things together and get Emma ready for a car ride.  I don't know how a "child" (yes, she's my fur child) of mine can hate to ride in the car so much.  It's not that I love it, but I'm in the car so much that I've learned to accept is as a necessary evil--and a two hour drive is SO much better than the 4+ hour drive to Auburn.  Emma, however, hates any and all car rides with a passion.  She shakes and whines every time (except for a few very nerve-wracking times when Daddy lets her sit beside him instead of in her crate).  Also, as I was loading the car, my 7 year old neighbor wanted to play with Emma.  She's not too fond of this little boy, but I didn't want to be rude, so I let her play for a minute before finally getting to leave Nashville.  By this point, it was after 7PM.  I spent a good bit of the drive talking to my good friend Molly and, before I knew it, I was in Florence.  I watched some TV with Daddy while we waited for Mother to get home from putting Grandaddy to bed.  Not long after, we all went back to the bedrooms and I read for a while before going to sleep.

Saturday, Emma decided she needed to visit Mother and Daddy sometime between 3 and 5 o'clock (I couldn't see the clock from the bed without my glasses) in the morning.  After fussing at her for a while, I finally put her in bed with Mother and went back to sleep.  When I did decided to get up, it was time to start the laundry and do a few other things around the house.  I also ran to Muscle Shoals to our Vet to get Emma her "special" food.  She's delicate, so she needs "special" food---actually, it's just something that she will eat!! After that, I visited with Grandaddy and fed him lunch.  In between sitting with him in the living room and the den, I made him shave.  Sometimes, I'm the only one that he will listen to.  It was so nice to have some quality time with him, though.  Grams and I were/are hand holders, so it's nice to sit with him and hold his hand like she and I used to do.  I went home for a while before coming back to tuck him in to bed.  It about broke my heart when he said he couldn't go to bed because he didn't know where Grams was.  Thankfully, I got him to sleep without many more questions and Mother and I were able to go back home.

Sunday, I went to choir practice and church.  I also managed to get a lesson on pie crusts aided by napkins and reading glasses!!  It was pretty funny, but an effective lesson nonetheless!  I'll have to try out my new skills this weekend and report back on my progress.  I'm always so glad to get the opportunity to sing with my choir friends.  I'm already looking forward to learning this year's Christmas Cantata.  I also heard that the Back-to-Choir party might be hoppin' this year--I think I'll need to take off early for that party! :)

After lunch, it was back to Grandaddy's house.  I'm sure he doesn't remember it now, but it was so peaceful to sit on the sofa with him, hold his hand and rest my head on his shoulder.  Definitely a memory to cherish!

I needed a little Sunday afternoon nap before heading back to Nashville.  Emma is getting a haircut, so I made the return trip alone.  If I didn't think I had OCD before, it was confirmed when I couldn't sleep because I hadn't completely unpacked.  Once I unpacked (and scrubbed my kitchen with Clorox wipes), it was time for bed.  I think I checked four times that I'd turned my alarm back on (I did), but it always worries me after a weekend.

This weekend was over much too soon!  I'm so looking forward for Labor Day Weekend and an extra day off from work!

Two Years

I wrote this last week and intended to publish it on August 16.  Obviously, I got sidetracked and just remembered to post it.  That's what I get for setting it aside to proofread later!

Today marks two years since I started my career as an accountant.  Sometimes it seems like it's been forever since I graduated from Auburn for the second time, packed up my house and five years of memories and headed north to start the next chapter of my life.

I was driving down Old Hickory Boulevard earlier this week headed home and remembered how I felt when I drove down that road for the first time headed to my new apartment and my new life in the "city".  Since I've lived in the Brentwood area the entire time I've been here, I don't really feel right saying I live in the city.   I was nervous and excited all at the same time.  I can't say I had the *greatest* time in college, but I did make friends that I hope will be in my life forever and we were suddenly no longer ten minutes away anymore and that was more than enough to make me sad about leaving Auburn.

Moving to Nashville was not part of my five year plan (Yes, I've had a five year plan for as long as I've know what a five year plan is.).  I was supposed to live in Birmingham like the majority of my classmates (It's almost 50/50 Birmingham/Atlanta in a graduating MAc class), but for a combination of reasons, moving to Birmingham just wasn't in the cards for me.  At the time, I was thrilled to get any job within two hours of home since the economy was so bad.  I was so tired of being told I needed 3-5 years of experience or getting letters saying they would keep my resume on file despite my internship and good grades.  It was a really low point when I was two months away from graduation and still didn't have a job.  Things happened quickly when I got this job, but I got a job and that's the most important thing even if I'm not where I originally planned to be. 

Nashville might not be my forever home, but it's home for now and for that I am grateful.

Weekend Recap

Whew, I had a busy weekend--here's what I did:

Friday afternoon, I headed home to get Emma and we went to a dog park one exit down from my house in Brentwood.  I really liked this dog park even though it was quite a trek for tiny legs just to get there.  Emma had the best time barking at the dogs in the "big dog" dog park!  We were alone most of the time we were there, so she could walk around and sniff without being chased by other dogs.  This was our first time to visit this park, but we'll be back for sure!

I had to be sneaky with my video camera--she always stops doing whatever she's doing when she sees a camera!

Unfortunately for Emma, a trip to the dog park also meant a bath.  She hates the bath part, but loves the hairdryer afterwards!  She feels so soft after being brushed out and bathed--if she liked it even a tiny bit, I'd bathe her every day!

Saturday was our lazy day.  I did some laundry in between napping and watching TV.  I got a second wind around 10PM and scrubbed my bathroom for a while including some time on my hands and knees cleaning baseboards--what a Saturday night, right?  I also made pie crust in my new food processor.  I don't know why, but I'm always almost out of butter while I have plenty of margarine.  Thankfully, I had three sticks left which was just enough to make three pie crusts.  I whipped these up and then stuck them in the fridge per Martha Stewart's directions.  I also knitted another square for a blanket my work knitting group is making.  I think we have about 30 squares now and need 19 more to finish our 7x7 blanket.  I've got to stop trying to do complicated things and just pick a pattern I can finish without too much thought!

Sunday was a very busy day.  I went to church and then hit the ground running.  First, I grabbed some lunch and went to work to try to finish a few projects.  Things didn't go as I'd hoped, but I still got about three hours in.  Then, I went to Home Depot to have some spare keys made--that reminds me, I need to make sure they actually work since I seem to have a problem with new keys every time I have them made.  Then, I went to the grocery.  I don't know how I manage to spend $75 and barely have anything to eat.  I did get ingredients for the two pies I made later in the day and several "staple" ingredients (milk, eggs, butter, etc.), but I had to think about what I actually had to make for dinner. 

After unpacking the groceries, I set out to make my pies.  I decided to make a chicken pot pie for a coworker with a new baby and also to make a chocolate meringue pie to share at work.  I've made the chicken pot pie several times in the past, but I've always used store bought crust.  I had more difficulty rolling out the crust and then transferring it to the pan than I expected.  I tried using parchment paper and then tried my silpat, but neither worked as well as I had hoped.  I think my dough was too warm at first and then too cold after a few minutes in the refrigerator.  At least I got the pie made and I wasn't too embarrassed to give it away this morning.  The chocolate pie was a little more difficult since the crust was definitely too warm when I finished working with it.  I still managed to produce something that was eaten at work, but I didn't flute the edges or do anything else pretty with it.  I have to admit, I did a little happy dance when I peeked at it in the oven.  It may not be perfect, but it looks quite good for a first attempt if I do say so myself!  Grams would be proud of me for trying to replicate her recipe!

I'm not going to quit my day job to become a food photographer anytime soon!

My kitchen was an absolute disaster when it was all said and done last night.  I tried to clean as I went, but I still had a completely full dishwasher and then more dishes to wash by hand.  I think I used every one of this set of bowls from Williams-Sonoma--the best kitchen purchase I've made in a long time!!

All in all, it was a good weekend.  I wish it lasted for another day or two, but that's just not in my control!  Now that I've made pie crust (#1 on my summer projects list) it's time to tackle yeast rolls (#2 on the summer project list).  I've had trouble with these in the past, but maybe I'll have better luck this time!

Birthday Present

I received the last "big" kitchen appliance I was without for my birthday--a food processor!  A perfect 25th Birthday gift, in my opinion.  Thanks again, Uncle Mark!!

After getting over the initial intimidation factor when I opened the box and there were pieces I didn't recognize, I decided what I would make first with my new "toy"...

pizza dough

(Thanks to Bonnie for the recipe!)

I followed the receipe pretty closely, but I substituted bread flour for the wheat flour (It's not that I don't like wheat, but I can't eat it.)  I think it would probably be fine with only all-purpose flour as well.  I think this is a "use what you have" receipe!

After a little problem with the handle on the food processor bowl pointed away from me rather than towards me, I couldn't get over how easy it was to make pizza dough.  I think this is going to be my new favorite kitchen appliance.

I was plesantly surprised when my dough began to rise since I have been known to have a problem with killing yeast.  Thankfully, my dough rose nicely and I divided it and put in in the fridge to rest overnight.

When I got home last night, I set my ball of dough out to come to room temperature and then preheated my oven and pizza stone.  I tried rolling out my dough one of my silpats because I thought it would be easier to transfer to the oven, but I was mistaken.  I'm going to have to work on that.

It needed more sauce, so I put it on the side!  Also, I was sitting down and ready to eat before I remembered I needed to take a picture.  At 8PM, I didn't care about putting much effort in to the picture!

My pizza turned out very well for a first attempt.  I have since decided that I needed more sauce and cheese, but I was working from experience with homemade pizzas on tortillas where you definitely can have too much sauce.  I also think my storebought sauce needs more flavor.  I have some spices from Ricatoni's that I think I'm going to sprinkle on the pizza tonight since I really don't want to go to the grocery again tonight!

I'm making another pizza tonight after Body Pump, so we'll see if I can improve take #2.  I'll keep you posted!

Happy Birthday to ME!!

I started off my day far too early--I convinced myself that I'd slept through my alarm and was going to be late to work. The thing is, it was only 4AM. Thankfully, I checked my phone before getting in the shower an went back to sleep!

One of the girls I work with brought brownies and another brought *almost* Culpepper's donuts. If I say they are almost Culpepper's, that means they are good. I think Shipley's is a good substitute since I'll never get another Culpepper's donut--I still blame Krispy Kreme, but that's another story for another time.

Mother and Daddy came up to Nashville for lunch. We went to a restaurant near Vanderbilt called Chuy's with a few of my coworkers. I definitely ate too much and was throughly embarrassed when the waitress sang to me in front of a bunch of random Belmont (we think) students.

I was so full that I didn't get much done this afternoon, but I'll catch up later this week. I was definitely ready to head home to see sweet Emma. I'm so glad she's back home!

I had dinner a while ago and now I'm cleaning house and watching shows on my DVR. Sounds fun, huh? I couldn't stand the mess from my trip to Florence, so had to unpack an finish putting things away.

I've had such sweet messages from friends today who have made me feel so special! I'm so lucky that I have such great people in my life!!

So far, day 1 of year 25 has been pretty good! Here's to the best year yet!

Goodbye Early 20s

I just realized that I won't be in my early 20s when I wake up tomorrow. I'd thought about the whole quarter-century thing, but I hadn't thought about this!

I've seen several pictures from Facebook of girls moving into their new dorm rooms and I can't help but remember that 7 years ago tonight, I was getting ready to move into my dorm room in Broun Hall. Crazy how time flies, right?!?

I wonder where I'll be in 7 more years?

25 Things...

I saw this article on someone's Facebook.  I don't usually ready the Huffington Post, but this definitely resonated with me even if I don't agree with every part of the article.

There are definitely things that I know now that I wish my 17 year old self would have known before leaving for Auburn.  I was feeling bad about everything that was a part of my "five year plan" at some point and what I had hoped to accomplish by this time in my life, but I had to sit back and look at what I have accomplished.  I have two college degrees, I've passed one of the hardest professional exams that exists, I've started my career, I've moved to a new city all by myself, I've bought a house and I have friends that make my life so much richer.  It sounds like alot, I really do know it is alot, but I'm still not where I wanted to be in my "perfect" world on the eve of 25.

As Number 25 says, "There's so much you don't know yet."  I wonder how I will feel in five years when I'm on the cusp of...gasp...30?

Homeward Bound

I've been counting down the hours until I can hop on I 65-South for another trip to Florence. This time, I'm celebrating a big milestone with my family...my 25th Birthday.

I'm definitely NOT getting a cake like this!!

I don't have much planned for the weekend, but I'm determined to make the most of it since I have to work for the first time EVER on my birthday.  I managed to make it all the way through school with only a 1/2 day in school since I spent the morning getting my driver's license.  Oh, well...gotta put on my big girl panties and get over not seeing Mother and Daddy on my day.

I'm so glad to visit with Grandaddy again this weekend.  He won't remember that it's my birthday, but he's never made a big deal about birthdays in the past, so I won't be upset that he doesn't remember this year.  Birthdays were always Grams' time to spoil us--she took care of making each of our favorite cakes/pies and also made our favorite meals for our Saturday family lunch.

I've got a hair appointment in the morning--I may or may not have done a little begging to get an appointment at the last minute!  I'll feel so much better when I don't have horrible roots anymore!

I'm taking the ingredients and my pan home to make caramel brownies per Mother's request and I'm hoping to make a caramel cake if I can convince someone to help me make it.  I always made it with Grams and I don't think I'm coordinated enough to stir two pots at once without burning the sugar in one of the pans.

I'll go to church on Sunday and then I guess I'll have to head back to Nashville.  I'd like to stay all night and drive back in time for work, but that just won't work since Emma is FINALLY coming back to stay with me.  I think she, Mother and Daddy are going to have some serious withdrawal issues!

Time to hit the road!  I'll be back early next week with a recap of the weekend and my actual birthday on Monday!  Have a great weekend!

Body Pump Update

I went to Body Pump again tonight. This was my fourth class and it's not getting any easier!

The instructor says you can tell a difference after four classes, but I don't see anything. That's not going to keep me from going back, though.

I definitely think more about what I'm eating. I haven't really changed anything, per se, but I have found myself wanting chips or chocolate and choosing not to eat either since it would take at least an hour to burn off the calories. That's a good thing, I guess.

I ate and drank anything and everything I wanted last weekend while I was in Memphis and this weekend is not looking better with my birthday next Monday. I'm sure it won't work, but I'd love to go to at least two of my favorite Alabama restaurants including, but not limited to, Ricatoni's, Frank's, Casa and Stanfield's. Just thinking about the food at these places is making my stomach growl! I'm also hoping to make a caramel cake (one of my favorite and most-requested cakes from Grams) and goodness knows there is nothing low-calorie in that!

I skipped the Y last night because I was so tired and I felt off all day. I'm planning on going tomorrow and Thursday as well unless I manage to get a hair appointment--these roots are getting pretty bad!

I know this is a boring post, but I'm writing about it to try to keep myself accountable. Hopefully, I can talk about positive results soon!

Walking in Memphis

There wasn't that much walking, but I had the BEST weekend in Memphis!  My best friend from Auburn's MAc program, Molly, lives in Memphis and we decided it was high time I came to visit!

I left Friday right after work and made my way down 40 West.  The drive was not bad at all, but nobody maintains a steady speed, so no cruise control for me.  Once I got there, we watched the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics and talked for a while before bed.

Saturday morning, we watched more Olympics before heading out.  We had a yummy lunch at Central BBQ before going on a tour of Memphis, getting pedicures and doing a little shopping at the Williams-Sonoma and Pottery Barn Outlets.

Later that night, we watched more Olympics before getting ready for dinner.  We went to Memphis Pizza Cafe (so good, btw) before going to a couple bars.  We were out pretty late and I think I was asleep before my head hit the pillow that night!

Sunday, we were slow-moving and didn't make it to brunch, so we decided to go to Young Avenue Deli.  I definitely ate too much here, but everything was so good!  I'm positive I was the group fat kid, but that's why I went to the gym four times last week!

Not long after we got back from lunch, it was time to say goodbye.  I definitely didn't want this weekend to be over!

Thanks so much for a great time, Molly!

I had to make this picture B&W so I didn't look completely day-glo!  For some reason, this is the only picture I have of just the two of us. We need to work on that!

  

Sore

I went back to Body Pump tonight. I'm already very sore, but it's a good kind of sore!

I have to say the second class was easier--maybe because I had a clue what I was doing or maybe just because it's not my second day at the Y this time.

I'm afraid I won't be able to comfortably climb stairs tomorrow, but that's alright. Every time my muscles protest tomorrow, I'll be reminded that I'm doing the hard work and I'm going to see results!

It's so much harder than it looks...

I tried a BOSU ball class at the YMCA last night. I thought I knew what I was getting myself into, but I grossly underestimated how hard this class would be.

I did fine with the crunches, but soon discovered this was not the class for me. I'm not coordinated or strong enough to do push ups with my feet on this ball and then suddenly push up and take both legs off the ball.  I'm having a hard time even describing the ridiculous things we were asked to do in this class.

I told Mother what we did in this class and I think she thought I was stupid for even trying it.  She was quick to remind me of my alternate first name, Grace.  Mom has often called me this when I do something silly like fall down stairs--something I do far too often (at my house, at the Florence Post Office...I could go on for a while, unfortunately!).  Too bad Daddy wouldn't agree on this name for a baby girl--maybe I'd be more graceful if I had had been named Grace Elizabeth instead of Katherine Elizabeth?

Conversations

I've spent most of the evening talking to Uncle Mark reminiscing about our family. Aunt Nancy (his sister) and I were so close and I was absolutely devastated, and am still, by her death. Like I told him earlier, the only good thing to come about after her death was he and I have become closer than I ever imagined. I talk to him for hours at a time and from time to time he tells me about things Daddy either doesn't remember or doesn't want to talk about. Thanks to him, I know more about my family from our conversations than I would have ever learned otherwise.

We talk about what Grandaddy Larry and Grandmother Ann would have thought of me, what they were like, how close I felt to Aunt Nancy and regrets I have in my relationship with Grandmother (actually my great-grandmother) among other things.

I often think about how awful it was that I never knew Daddy's parents and that I lost Aunt Nancy at such a young age, but so I'm glad I have him. I don't want any regrets about knowing enough about him. I hope he knows how much I love him, how proud of him I am (He's had an amazing career with two--that I know of--Sports Illustrated feature articles) and how glad I am that he's part of my family.

I'd post pictures, but until last week, I didn't have a picture of him since my christening at three months old. I guess I'll respect the photographer's wishes to not have pictures of him--for now, at least! :)

Weekend in Florence

My family had a bit of excitement with Grandaddy last week, so Mom and I didn't get to go to Gatlinburg with Daddy. Instead, I still took Friday off, but went to Florence to help Mama. Although I wish we could have gone to the mountains, it's more important to help Mama and spend time with Grandaddy while he remembers me. I'm so afraid I'll come in one day and he won't remember that I'm his "first baby"--for some reason he skips Mama and her sister and goes straight to me!

I got there late Thursday night and picked up Emma from Grandaddy's house. She was most displeased when I couldn't sleep and did all of our laundry instead.

Friday, I spent most of the day with Grandaddy. Mama and I cleaned out a closet so Grandaddy's clothes could all be upstairs instead of leaving some in the basement. It wasn't nearly as sad as I expected giving away most of Grams' everyday clothes. I actually enjoyed reminiscing about some of her favorite outfits. We definitely kept a few things for sentimental reasons, but there were bags and bags of things we gave away.

Saturday, I went back to Grandaddy's house and spent most of the day with him before going to Casa for my favorite Mexican food. The menu may be the same in other places, but the food is certainly not the same.

Today, I woke up early, but still managed to be late for the first church service. I spent some time with my choir friends and then sang in the second service. I certainly wish I could join then tomorrow night for the Handy concert, but it just won't work logistically.

Now, I'm back home and getting ready for the work week. I had a long weekend, but I do wish for another day off. Wouldn't anyone?

This week shouldn't be too bad and I'm planning on a trip to Memphis next weekend, so that's definitely something to look forward to. After that, I'm back to Florence the next weekend to celebrate my 25th birthday--geez, that sounds old!

Sometimes I'm not very smart...

I joined the Y yesterday. My first gym membership ever. I've had gyms at places I've lived before, but, to be honest, I rarely used the facilities. In the last year, since my health has been better, I've gained far too much weight. It's gotten to the point where I just don't feel good about how I look.

When I joined yesterday, I had a tour and then did 8 miles on a stationary bike in 30 minutes. I didn't feel too bad afterwards, but my legs hurt when I climbed the stairs at work today.

Today, I went with the wives of two of the guys I work with. We went to Body Pump and I'm not going to lie--I was really nervous for this class. For one, I don't think I've done an hour of INTENSE exercise in years. Also, I've never really done anything with weights and certainly not with a bar. Body Pump uses a bar almost all the time.

The upper body workout wasn't awful, but the squats and lunges KILLED me!! My legs were shaking during the squats an I was really feeling the burn! There are also tons of pushups which were no fun at all. I also learned that I absolutely cannot do a plank. Maybe if it hadn't been at the end of the hour, but I couldn't do one at all tonight.

I was so tired afterwards that I tried to talk to my friend Molly and couldn't even carry on a coherent conversation. I wanted to go straight to bed, but I had to make some brownies for a party at work tomorrow. I just took those out of the oven and now I'm going to take a shower an crash.

I'm seriously worried that I won't be able to move tomorrow, but I feel so accomplished that I went to the class and finished!

I'm planning on going back tomorrow, but I'm going to take it easier. I really want to go to a spin class, but I'm not sure I can handle it bam to back with Body Pump. We'll just have to see how tomorrow goes and what time I can leave work. Of course, this is all contingent on being able to move tomorrow!

I caught the bouquet!

I went to the wedding of my work friend, Melissa and her sweet fiancé (now husband...eek!), Patrick tonight. It was a beautiful wedding and suited their personalities perfectly!

I hated that it rained nearly all day today. I don't think I would be as good of a sport if it rained on my wedding day!

Traffic was awful due to road construction (part of one interstate is closed) and rain. I missed Melissa's walk down the isle, but arrived during the reading and heard the vows and witnessed the first kiss as man and wife.

The reception was super fun and the food was great. Both Melissa and Patrick live barbecue, so Jim-n-Nicks catered the reception. I think everyone enjoyed that. I hope we get leftovers at work on Monday! The also had snowcones with many favors and some more "adult" add-ins! The cakes were beautiful and the Bride's cake was very good. I chose to skip the Groom's cake after all the calories from the meal!

There were lots of people from work, so we had a very good time. We all get along pretty well and it's always nice to see my coworker's spouses.

For the third time in my life, I caught the bouquet! I was 16 the first time and almost 22 the second time. I think the third time might be the charm--maybe 25 is going to be a good year!!

Time for bed--it's going to be time for church much too early tomorrow!

The weekend is ALMOST here!

I'm so glad it's Friday!  My office is very empty because so many people are enjoying their summer vacations.  The two girls that I talk to the most are both out, but, don't worry, we've caught up on the office gossip via text and phone calls this week.  We are so mean...just kidding!!

Anyway, all that stands between me and the weekend is a few hours in the office and a TSCPA meeting for the rest of the day.

I volunteered and was selected to serve on the Scholarship Awards committee, so I get to spend the majority of the day today giving away other people's money!  One of my favorite things to do is shop with other people's money, but giving it away should be fun too!

I'm thinking about going to the YMCA after work and trying to decide if I'm going to join.  I've gained quite a bit of weight in the last year (I needed some after my illness) and I just want to feel good about how I look again.  The branch I'm interested in is less than 2 miles from my house, so I won't have an excuse!

Tomorrow I have to clean and do laundry, as usual, but then I get to go to the wedding of my work mentor and friend.  She and her fiance have been dating for more than four years and are very cute together.  I think I know all the details of the wedding and reception (including the surprises for the guests) so I'm super excited for tomorrow night!  I've got my dress and bag picked out, but I've still got to decide what to do with my hair.  If anyone wants to come to my house and fix it for me, you are most certainly welcome.  I might be able to prepare a tax return, but I can't do much with my hair.

Sunday is the day I'm really looking forward to!  Emma has a follow-up appointment at 11AM today and I'm hoping Dr. Snipes says she can come back to Brentwood on Sunday.  I've really missed having her with me the past few days.  Hopefully, she's on the mend and will be back to her old self (minus jumping off the bed!).

Time to go to work...running late, as usual!

Injury Report

Not for me, thank goodness!

Sweet Emma is on the injured reserve for the time being.

Tuesday night, I remember asking her why she was walking funny.  I know, "asking" like I expected a response.  I do treat her like my child and not the "D"-word! :)

She wasn't limping or whining, but she wasn't walking quite normally.  She acted happy though and I didn't really think about it any further.

When I decided to go to bed, I started up the stairs like usual and looked for her in my bedroom (she always beats me up the stairs).  When I didn't find her, I noticed that she was still at the bottom of the stairs.  I thought that she was just being lazy or was too sleepy to come upstairs, so I tried calling her and encouraging her to come upstairs.  Finally, I carried her upstairs and went to bed.  I didn't think any more about it.

Then Wednesday morning, I took her outside and she wouldn't do her "business".  This is never a problem, so that triggered a red flag for me.  I also noticed that she was trembling slightly and that was enough to call Mimi to the rescue.

I called Mama and she came to get Emma and take her back to Florence.  We have the BEST veterinarian in Muscle Shoals and I will always want Emma to go to her unless she is bleeding or has another problem that needs quick attention.

Well, Dr. Snipes diagnosed her with a pinched nerve in her back.  Probably due to her new (very bad) habit of jumping off my entirely too high bed.  She's not even a foot tall, so jumping off a three and a half plus foot bed is much too high for her.

She's got to take anti-inflammatory medicine for four days and cannot jump or climb stairs for a while.  She's got a follow-up appointment on Friday and hopefully she can come back to me on Sunday.  I can't imagine trying to keep her from jumping and I guess I will have to use her baby gate all the time to prevent her from climbing the stairs.

I guess I will just have to hold her all day.  I know that's what Mimi's doing right now.

Boy am I in trouble when I have human children!

One of my favorite Emma pictures...highlighting her jumping prowess!

RAIN

It's raining!  It's ridiculous how excited everyone is about the chance of rain.  After close to ten days of 100+ degree weather, we're finally getting a break.  I was told it rained in places on Saturday, but I know it rained at my house on Sunday afternoon and again Sunday night (Emma did not enjoy the thunder!). 

I went out to look at my plants last night and they didn't need a drop of water!  Since I'd been watering daily for weeks, I'm looking forward to a lower water bill this month. 

While driving to work this morning, it started raining again--a nice, slow rain!  The only negative to this is that the usually bad drivers in Nashville are much worse since they seem to have forgotten how to drive in rain.  On my drive in, I heard about at least three large wrecks on different interstates coming into the city.  Uh, oh...

Weekend at home

Friday after work I headed south to spend the weekend in Florence. Friday was Daddy's Birthday, and even though he wasn't home until Saturday night, I wanted to spend the weekend with him. Also, I spent a good part of Saturday morning and afternoon with Grandaddy. There's almost nothing better than sitting in the recliners in the den holding hands with him!

Friday evening, I had an adventure when I had to go to the grocery at 9:30. In Nashville, I wouldn't think twice about going to Kroger or Publix that late, but Florence is quite another story. I decided to make a German Chocolate cake for Daddy since that was "his" cake when Grams' would cook for our birthdays. Mine was usually pound cake, but sometimes caramel or cooked chocolate icing. It just depended on what mood I was in. Mother always got chocolate pies while Grandaddy got coconut cake.

Anyway, I started the cake around 10 and between making the cakes from scratch, finding appropriate pans (I'm always bringing mine from now on), making the icing and waiting for everything to cool, it was 2 AM before I could ice the cake. It was worth it to do something nice for the people I love and I'm always happy to add something new to my repertoire!

Saturday morning I got up and ready early so I could wake Grandaddy up and give him his medicine. It's always sweet, but sad, when he sees me each time since he never remembers that I am coming. This time, he didn't even know I would be there, but it was so nice to spend some quality time with him. I know there won't be that many more opportunities, so I want to make the most of the time we have.

After visiting with him, I got to visit with a good friend from high school and her family--including her sweet baby girl that I haven't seen since she was just days old. I've been saying she would be going to college before I saw her again (due to our different schedules and since we live in different states), so I'm glad that wasn't true! It's so strange that my friends are having babies now, but I love getting a chance to love on them! I'm so glad it worked out for us to visit and I loved visiting with almost the whole extended family.

I then went back to Grandaddy's to give him lunch and visit again. After that, I browsed in a few Florence stores and went to the grocery again so I could make Daddy's favorite childhood dish to freeze for work lunches for him. I don't find the dish too appetizing, but I will cook anything--especially for people that will eat anything I make.

Dad also requested my Pioneer Woman scones to take to work tomorrow. I brought two vanilla beans from home, but I needed a third. After going to two more stores, I finally found them at the store I hate the most--Wal-Mart. I have not been in that store once since I moved into my house in Brentwood. I taught Mom how to make the scones last night and we dipped them in the icing after church this afternoon.

I made one last grocery trip when I decided Daddy's Patio Skillet needed more olives. While at the grocery, I decided more tomatoes wouldn't hurt and also bought another pepper since I thought it would look more appetizing with a green pepper in addition to the red and orange ones I originally put in the dish.

To put it bluntly, I hope to stay out of grocery stores all week. I don't think that's realistic though since I haven't been shipping since last weekend for my own groceries.

After going to both church services this morning and visiting with my choir friends, I had to have a nap before heading back to Brentwood. I made it back about an hour ago and I still need to unpack. My neighbor is 7 and wants to play with Emma every time I am outside. Emma is not very happy about this since the little boy always wants to pick her up!

I'm making dessert for a work friend's rehearsal dinner on Tuesday night, so I need to do a little cleaning. I also have a meeting outside the office on Friday that I need to do some prep work for. I think this is going to be a very busy week, but I'm sure I'll have fun!

To explain the pictures with this post, I have a picture of my GPS saying it was going to take 29 minutes to go 11 miles to my parents house (yes, Mom, I was stopped in St. Florien when I took this picture!), the finished cake at 2 in the morning--leaning a bit, and the grocery at my final trip of the weekend. Isn't Instagram great? P.S--I can't get these in the correct order from my phone--please forgive me!

One more thing--I just learned that my first voice teacher lost her husband this afternoon. She's only a few years older than me and they hadn't even been married for two years. They have been traveling the country for Souls4Soles and were in Texas when he died. I can't imagine how lost she's feeling right now and I know she would appreciate the prayers.

Until next time...