What I've Been Up To...

Icee in his swimsuit - life is good 

 Lately, my days have been filled with Murphy & Benton - which is completely okay with me.

Little girl was loving some feet

Sissy being a big girl 

Big helper

I made these a few nights ago - mini chicken pies. Shredded chicken + black beans + corn + cheese wrapped in crescent roll dough & baked. They aren't very pretty, but they were delish! 

How cute are these return address labels?! And the best part - they were FREE! Well, I had to pay $4 for shipping, but I love them & you can't beat $4. They're my fav colors - pink & orange... couldn't be better!  

Update on my closet: It is FULL! Ahh! Thankful for laundry room storage. I have a full closet yet I never have anything to wear... story of my life. Anyone else have this problem? ;)

sweet friends/old roomies

I also have the most hilarious video of Murphy dancing to "Whip My Hair" on my phone, but have no idea how to send it from my blackberry (iPhone5 hurry up). I hope I can figure out how to send because it is PRICELESS!

Organization

I finally organized my closet. I have been putting it off & putting it off because it seemed like a miserable task. Thankfully, it wasn't as bad as I feared. 

All my summer clothes seem to fit - we'll see tomorrow after I wash the insane amount of clothes in my overflowing hamper (thanks, meghan!). I've got to get some kind of shoe storage. Not loving the current situation, see below - and there are more in my car... 

One of my blinds fell off this morning as I went to open it & then the dog threw up on it. Sweet life. I can handle an overflowing diaper any day, but vomit is another issue. Gagalicious. Sorry these are the only pictures of my new place, but it's being painted very soon & then I shall post some more of the whole thing :) I met with the painter yesterday & we picked out the colors - sticking with neutral. 

Comcast/Xfinity whatever they are called now are coming in the morning, so I should have cable once again (after almost 2 weeks). And be able to blog from anywhere & not just this obscure spot in my bedroom... not the best. 

And since NFL football is back, I thought I would leave you with this little gem: 

HAHAHA

Yum

I went to the Market Square Farmer's Market yesterday morning with my friend, Kimsey. I was drenched in sweat after walking from the car to the market (not far). It is definitely hot in Tennessee. I love farmer's markets - love. I just wish I liked vegetables more because they all look so delicious. I ended up getting some lovely sunflowers, fresh bread, homemade pesto - my FAV! & some biscuits/pastries - all of which have been delicious. This will definitely be a regular Saturday occurrence, at least until football season starts ;) 

Still on the coupon train - I've had to spend more than normal lately to stock an empty fridge. Not to mention, I've been to Wal-Mart (ick) more times than I'd like to mention in the last week. Anyway, this week I saved $30 & spent $35... not too shabby. I got all the toothbrushes & body wash for FREE! 

Now this stuff right here is AH-MAZ-ING! For those of you who know me well, you know I am obsessed with Jarlsberg cheese. It is soo yummy! I stumbled upon this little gem at Kroger today & I could have eaten the whole thing when I got home (but I controlled myself).This is sure to become a staple at tailgates this fall. 

It was really nice to be back & have my first "normal" weekend in Knoxville - hanging with friends, farmer's market, baby-sitting, & church! The only thing that would make this weekend better happens in 40 days :)

Update

Sorry for the lack of posts, but the internet at my new place is super sketchy & I really don't feel like going up into the house every time I need to use the computer. I found a sweet spot in my bed this morning, so I thought I would do a small post. 

First of all, I love being back! I can't even explain - it's like I never left. I've already baby-sat twice this week & am baby-sitting again tonight. I've also gone out with friends almost every night - which is a good thing since the cable isn't working either. Needless to say, my blackberry & dvd player have been getting a lot of use. I'm still trying to organize my things, but hopefully, I can get some pictures up this week. This cable/internet problem should be fixed sometime next week. Thank goodness, I am starting to have Bravo withdrawals. 

Just a few pics from my phone of my view, neighbors, & the dogs I take care of. 

Hope y'all have a great weekend!

 I'm going to the farmer's market & to brunch with 1 of my best friends.

Ahhh

Sorry for the lack of posts - this is why:

It's looking a lot better already, but I will be stressed until it's all put away. Currently making a whole chicken in the crockpot & it is smelling delicious. Go Abby!

Cake in a Jar: Fail

     Last night, I thought it would be fun to try to make Cake in a Jar as a little parting gift for my friends & for my "other mother" as a birthday gift. Wrong. I am usually pretty good at baking, but not this time. I definitely learned what I need to do next time. 

I wanted it to be like this because it looked so cute & colorful. Mine is the ghetto version. Next time, I will bake the cake like normal then put it in the jar. I baked the cake in the jar in the microwave this time which took a lot less time, but I forgot to spray the jars first which was a lot of my problem. I also need a LOT more icing than I bought. One large thing of icing was definitely not enough. I will probably just make my own next time, so I can adjust the thickness & quantity. 

Here is the finished product - I am slightly ashamed. They are definitely a FAIL! 

Gross. I'm sorry, friends, I wish they looked cuter. 

Here is my coupon haul for the week:

I went to Kroger this week because they were having their Mega Event & because I have to start shopping there since Knoxville has a horrible selection of grocery stores. Thankfully, that will change in 2012. Anyway, my total was $25.75 for everything. I saved a total of 38.19. Next week will be the real test when I have to start buying food to make meals since I have 3 more sleeps until I move :) I am having slight anxiety about moving, but I know once I get there, I will be so excited! 

My Weekend

I had a great relaxing weekend! Friday night, I baby-sat M&B at their Nene's house while everyone went out to celebrate birthdays! We had the best time, per usual Murph!

Murphy's hiding spot during hide&seek

The rest of my weekend was spent on the Tennessee River! It's so crazy to think that I was on the Tennessee River 4.5 hours from my new home which is also on the Tennessee River. I am 100% a water baby, so I was a happy girl! It was blazing hot this weekend, so all our time was spent in the water.

If anyone knows where I can purchase this storage thing or something similar, please let me know! I need them for my new bathroom :) 

I'm going to pack up the final things at my house in Nashville tomorrow! 5 more sleeps until I move. Life is pretty darn good! 

Coffee Table: Done

 My parents have had this coffee table just sitting in their basement for several years. The less money I have to spend on furniture, the better! This wouldn't be my ideal coffee table, but it will do for now. The best part: it cost me nothing! My dad even gave me a Lowe's gift card for all the painting supplies - can't beat that!

Supplies

I used the color "Almond" from valspar. I wanted to keep with the shabby chic theme, but white is just too harsh. I actually really like the way the table turned out. 

Before

Before

Overall, it's pretty boring, but it will be fine for now. I have 2 matching end tables which are also at my parent's house, so hopefully I can work on those on Monday! I'm going to the lake with my friend Kendall tomorrow for the weekend. I can't think of a better way to spend my last weekend in Nashville! What are your plans?

My Week!

 I went to Memphis for a few days to visit my Breckenridge family! Again, no pictures. I am so bad. I hung out with my sweet niece & nephew. They are the cutest. My almost 4yo niece & I are pretty much the same person - picky eaters, hate taking naps, love Huey's & YoLo, reading, swimming, playing on the iPad, & watching movies. Her little brother, however, only likes me from a far at the moment. It was so funny! He screamed every time I tried to hold him, but as soon as he went back to Mom or Dad, he was just flirting away. Babies are so funny! We had a good time :) 

    I got home tonight & worked on my letters! They turned out really well!

2 coats of shitty spray paint later

Stencils -I'm horrible at anything artsy

Finished product 

Tomorrow, I shall attempt to shabby chic my coffee table & end tables. Pictures to follow! I also have a date with Murphy & B Boo tomorrow night - back to my normal routine! 

Hank

   
     This weekend, I am baby-sitting my cousin's dog, Hank. Hank is such a smart guy. He even has had his own blog. He had a new brother in February, so his blog kind of fell by the wayside. Bless his little puppy heart. Anyway, Hank & I are best buds! We play with his toys, go for walks, & nap (on the couch) - shh, don't tell his parents. He follows me all around the house & sleeps on his bed next to me at night. He is a sweetyheart!

His bed may be one of his favorite toys...

     Also, here is my coupon "haul" for the week - 

I got all this stuff + another twelve pack of diet coke for ~$30. I had a coupon for almost everything, but my must have jarlsberg cheese is never on sale. Such a bummer! I saved ~$45, so I am happy! 

House Update

     Today was a day full of adventures for my house. I went with my dad & uncle to pick up my table, chairs, couch, & loveseat. I am so blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life who are so willing to help me out. When we went to pick up the table, the sweet lady who was selling it to us pulled out the table to show us how the leaf worked & then the table would NOT go back together. They were trying everything to get it back together, but it would not budge.

Trying to get the table back together

     As you can see, we finally got it back together. The lady's husband came home & knew the trick. Thank goodness :) I need a better picture, but my dad took the table with him. I love it- perfect shabby chic table.

    After we got all the furniture, I met my mom to go fabric shopping! It went pretty well, surprisingly. I am very picky. I don't know exactly what I want, but I do know what I don't want - that's for sure. I didn't like 95% of the things we looked at, but I found some cute things. We were looking for fabric to cover my headboard & we accomplished that goal!

 

It's simple & will go with everything. I'm very happy!

     

     I also got some fabric to cover the hideous pillows that came with my couch. 

This is brown - if you couldn't tell 

     It will be a little while until my headboard is finished & since I am moving next week, my sweet mom bought me my monogram letters to take the place of my headboard until it's finished. I gotta paint these babies & make them look cute! Y'all know I love a monogram! 

    We also did some shopping at Marshall's & I got this super cute apron. 

Overall, it was a very successful day! Have a great Saturday night!