Niki's Neverending Adventure

Happy Friday everyone!! I am very excited to be going to dinner tonight at Old Venice for my BFF's birthday!! This is my favorite place to get pizza ever!!Four cheese pizza here I come:) I wanted to show ya'll a pic of what I got her. It was a cupcake inspired present...

It is a book called 500 cupcakes with obviously, 500 cupcake recipes, Sprinkles dark chocolate cupcake mix from William Sonoma, some fun-colored silicone cupcake liners, and some hot pink sprinkles! So fun! We have been trying to go to this cupcake shop recently, Muddy's Bake Shop for you Memphians, but everytime we go its closed! So I'm gonna go pick her up one for dessert tonight and of course I have a candle to go with it! Happy Birthday McKenleigh!!

I went to Barnes and Noble today to pick a devotional out and I got...

Sounds very fun and interesting to me! I will let ya'll know how it is once I start! There are 2 other similar books by this author called, Not So Very Bad Girls of the Bible and Real Bad Girls of the Bible! Hopefully I will get through all of them! I love learning about the women in the Bible:)

On another note, I feel like crap today:( I think it's just sinuses since the weather is crazy (70 degrees today, snowing tomorrow, LITERALLY). But add all the congestion, sore throat, and sneezing to a body that is completely sore from soccer, not fun! I really don't understand how my arms can be sore from playing soccer, but they are! Guess that couple month break between seasons can really get to ya! I hope I feel better for work tomorrow since I'm now in charge all weekend. But I'm sure the pizza tonight will make me feel all better! Hope everyone has a GREAT weekend!

Posted in: on Friday, February 27, 2009 at at 4:46 PM 11 comments    

This is just gonna be a short post for now since I'm at work! My cake turned out GREAT! I've gotten a lot of compliments on it! Ya'll should definitely try it! I had my first coed soccer game last night post ankle injury... and it went pretty well. Luckily we have girl subs this season so I don't have to play the whole game!! My ankle was hurting towards the end of the game and did feel tight when I ran but all in all it was ok. I wish it felt 100% though, because I am not playing all out like I would be if I felt 100%. Normally I am very aggressive and will fight for the ball and go up against anyone, but last night I was hesitant because I didn't want to get hurt again! I hate that I am doing that! We don't have a game next week so I will have 2 weeks to rest my ankle and rehab it more. I am just so excited that it's soccer season again! I LOVE playing! My team is SO fun! Hope ya'll have a GREAT Thursday!!

Posted in: on Thursday, February 26, 2009 at at 11:47 AM 5 comments    

I just finished making my chocolate cake with butterscotch-caramel icing! Here is the recipe:)

Chocolate Cake Batter

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter, softened
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups cake flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk

Preparation:
1. Beat sugar and butter at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until creamy and fluffy (about 5 minutes). Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until yellow disappears after each addition. Beat in vanilla and almond extracts.
2. Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl; add to sugar mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at medium-low speed just until blended after each addition. Beat 1/3 cup hot water into batter just until smooth. (Batter will be thick.) Use immediately.

3. Bake at 350 for 34-38 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting (about an hour to 1 1/2 hours)

*I omitted the 1/3 cup hot water (because I forgot it) and it still turned out great!

This is the batter waiting to be cooked

After they were cooked and are cooling

Posted in: on Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at at 3:10 PM 6 comments    

I have a lot to write about today! First off, I am SO excited that I won a giveaway from Kristens Palace! So exciting because I never win anything:) I won $10 gift cards to Starbucks, Kohls, and Victoria Secret! Awesome right??

I want ya'll to check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyheJ480LYA I absolutely LOVE the band Lifehouse and didn't realize they were a Christian band! Yay for that! This had me almost in tears! God's love for us is amazing!!

So I have a funny story that happened to me today. I decided today was going to be a major cleaning day and decided to tackle my master bathroom first. Well it took me forever because I cleaned it spotless and organized everything in my cabinets and drawers. I feel really good about that! It's so organized! Then, after I scrubbed down my jacuzzi tub, I decided to fill it up and let the jets run for awhile. I was told to do this every so often by my inspector when I bought the house, especially if you don't use it for awhile. So it gets full enough and I turn the jets on. I go into the kitchen to put out the ingredients for the cake I am gonna make and I hear this really weird sound. Kind of a SWOOSH, SWOOSH sound. I step into my bedroom and water is being shot all the way out of my bathroom, all over my room! On my hardwood floors, my bed, my doors, the walls, EVERYTHING!! I run (carefully so I don't slip!) into my bathroom and the jets are shooting water all around. Well, I have to get to the button to turn it off, so I jump through the streaming shots of water and finally hit the button. I was soaked! Apparently, the stopper in the drain wasn't tight enough so as water emptied from the tub and got below the level of the jets, the jets started shooting! Ha! Wish someone was there with me because it was just SO funny! I was literally laughing out loud! Luckily I wiped up the water on my wood floors fast so there wouldn't be any damage and got everything cleaned up, but what a story to tell! Ha!

I got a wonderful cake recipe out of the most recent Southern Living and decided to try it out today(I'm taking it to work with me tomorrow so I won't eat it all myself!). It has vanilla and chocolate cake mix directions and all different types of buttercream frosting to make! I decided to make a chocolate cake with Caramel-Butterscotch Buttercream Frosting! YUM! I will post pics and the recipe after I'm finished!! Hope everyone is having a GREAT Wednesday!

Posted in: on at at 1:23 PM 5 comments    

Who doesn't LOVE cupcakes?!? Head on over to Sweet Tea Diaries and check out her awesome cupcake giveaway!

Posted in: on Tuesday, February 24, 2009 at at 5:55 PM 1 comments    

Posted in: on at at 4:36 PM 4 comments    

I found The Bachelor very uneventful tonight. The Women Tell All episodes are the same old same old. Every time it is the same so it didn't hold my attention very well. They showed that same preview of him flinging himself onto his balcony in next week's episode. I really want to know what happens! And no, I am not checking those spoiler sites! I am patiently waiting until next week! Surely he won't take DeAnna back, right?? But then, why all the drama about the After the Final Rose show? Something must have happened for them to not want to have a live audience there... hmmm. I'm still rooting for Melissa. They way he looks when he sees her and the way he talks about her is different than when he sees or talks about Molly. His look for Melissa is a "I can't believe I found you and can't live without you look" and his look for Molly is more of a " I think I love you but not sure if I'm IN love with you" look. Guess we will wait and see...

On another note, I have a little secret I want to share. I have literally been obsessed with weddings and wedding planning the last week or so. I have bought tons of magazines and have been researching constantly on the web! It hit me when Al and I were discussing when we want to get married(and no, I don't have a ring yet!). We kinda came up with the idea of next December because I will have that month off from school. Well actually I came up with the idea, he just really liked it! And he said my ring was coming soon!! So I kinda freaked out and realized I didn't know where or what I wanted my wedding to be! So I have been frantically researching things so I can be prepared to start planning whenever we do get engaged. A little psycho, I know, but I just got really excited! So Al mentioned the other day that he would like to have a beach wedding. His reasons were it would be very easy to plan, the weather would be nice in December, smaller wedding, etc. And I instantly said "no, I've always wanted a church wedding". However, I decided to do some research and discovered a place in Florida called Seaside. Anyone ever been there? Well I had a friend get married there this past December and her pics were gorgeous! So I did more and more research on Seaside and found wedding planners and this gorgeous little chapel where you could do a ceremony and then have your pics done on the beach also! So I started to get really excited about this idea! Of course, I haven't mentioned it to Al because I don't want him to know that I'm a wedding psycho just yet, but I am really digging this idea!! So I found a bunch of neat things in the most recent Elegant Bride magazine. I found a very beautiful dress, a cake design, and most importantly another engagement ring style I like! Now that leads me to another story... So Al and I have been together for almost 7 years, I know forever right? But in those 7 years, he has bought me quite a bit of jewelry, none of which I have picked out myself. And surprisingly, I have liked everything! He has great taste! Well my best friend McKenleigh and I went engagement ring shopping for the both of us and I found a ring I loved! So I told Al all about it, where it was, style, actual number so he could get that exact ring. But then, being the fickle person I am, decided that I really wanted him to pick it out. I have had the idea that he would pick it out himself for years so that's really what I want him to do. So I told him to use that ring as an idea. But now I found another one I want to show him in that magazine! This one is much more simple and I think I like it more than the other one so I will have to show him that tomorrow! Ha:) Ok, I think that's all I want to share about my wedding planning psychoness:) Didn't really plan on this post to be so long, guess I had a lot to say!

Posted in: on Monday, February 23, 2009 at at 9:41 PM 1 comments    

So I was tagged by Sweet Melissa for this. Here are the rules:
1. Go to your Picture Folder on your computer or wherever you store your pictures.
2. Go to the 6th Folder and then pick the 6th Picture.
3. Post it on your bloggy and tell the story that goes with the picture.
4. Tag 5 other glorious peoples to do the same thing and leave a comment on their bloggy tellin’ them ’bout it.

This is a picture of my puppy, Sadie, when she was playing in the snow in my backyard! She loves the snow! I tag...

Posted in: on at at 1:37 PM 0 comments    

It seems like everyone is doing giveaways! I love it:) This one is from Whitney and it's magazine subscriptions! I mean, who doesn't like magazines?!? Be sure to mention that I sent you if you enter because then we will get an extra treat!!

Posted in: on Sunday, February 22, 2009 at at 5:32 PM 1 comments    

I am looking for a women's devotional/bible study and need suggestions! Is there a specific one ya'll have really enjoyed? Also, it doesn't have to necessarily be a WOMEN'S study. Thanks ya'll!! :)

Posted in: on Saturday, February 21, 2009 at at 8:42 AM 3 comments    

Ya'll check this out! This sweet family is trying to adopt a child from South Korea but it is VERY expensive so they are trying to raise the money through Baby O's Prize Package Drawing! It is really awesome:)

Posted in: on Friday, February 20, 2009 at at 4:36 PM 2 comments    

OK, I need to vent for a minute...So I decided to run again today. After about a mile, my left calf was hurting like crazy, like a huge charlie horse that won't go away so I had to stop. So now I'm really frustrated because this is the 3rd day that this has happened. And all of a sudden it dawns on me, I have like no muscle in that calf from being in a boot and cast for 2 months! No wonder it hurts! It's telling me I need to start off slower, which sucks because I was running 6 miles before I got hurt and just want to be back there. It also sucks because my right leg says "come on, keep going, I feel great!" So I have 2 legs telling me opposite things, ugh! And to top it all off, next Wednesday is my first soccer game since I got hurt and I am going to be totally out of shape! How depressing, but I'm still gonna play! So thanks for listening to my running frustrations!!

Moving on, I have a new food obsession! Bagels! Now, not just your store bought Sara Lee bagels, but fresh, made in the restaurant bagels. I have 2 places that I go for my cravings, Panera Bread and Memphis Bagel Company! The best is a wheat bagel with honey walnut cream cheese! YUM! Got that this morning for breakfast!

In other news, I had to take my car in for an oil change and to fix my brake light the was broken. FUN FUN. My dad told me today that my great grandmother died. Well this is very sad news and all but it would have been nice to know that I had a great grandmother! Had no idea the woman even existed! It's kind of a long story but my dad's dad was a VERY bad husband and father (think abusive) and my family hasn't talked to him since before I was born. So I never new anyone on that side of the family. Well that was his mom, so that's why I didn't know she existed. Sad story though:(

I do have a prayer request. My great Aunt Judy, has been having serious medical issues with her kidneys for over a year now. Long story short, she went in for a routine colonoscopy and the stuff they make you drink the night before put her into kidney failure. So she's been dealing with all the effects from that for a long time now. So I found out today they are suspecting she may have some type of kidney cancer and is having a PET scan today. So please pray for her and my family. She's been through so much already and I know my grandma(her sis) is extremely upset and worried because they are best friends. I would really appreciate if ya'll would pray for her!

Hope everyone has an awesome Friday!!

Posted in: on at at 1:18 PM 3 comments    

Check out this Great Giveaway from Kristen!! It's gift cards galore!!

Posted in: on Thursday, February 19, 2009 at at 9:43 PM 3 comments    

I love my days off from work! As a nurse, I work 12 hour shifts. And since I am a weekender, I am only required to work Saturday and Sunday. Yep that's right, only 2 days a week! And that's considered full-time! However, I always pick up an extra shift for extra money. So basically, I have 4 whole days off every week and it's really awesome! Now, alot of people ask me if I get bored, and what I do on my days off. Well, I feel like I never get my projects accomplished because I always have something going on! Most of my friends are also nurses so I usually have lunch plans or shopping trips on my days off. That being said, I feel like I really have to squeeze in all my cleaning and other projects! So no, I do not get bored. I always have something to do! Starting in July, I am going back to school to become a nurse anesthetist. I am so nervous because this particular program is hard and I won't be able to work so I will be living off student loans! And I didn't have any loans for undergrad so I'm not sure how that all works! Luckily it will all be worth it in the long run, but 2 1/2 years is a long time and a lot of studying! I'm really gonna need to get motivated since I've been out of school for almost 2 years. I am really excited too about what I will be doing and all thing things I will get to learn! But anyways, back to my day today... I got up around 8:30 and started watching Sex and the City, The Movie. I know, I know. I am probably the only girl that has not seen the movie! But it was so good! I loved it! Then I ran on my treadmill, made some lunch, and caught up on my TiVo list. I went to Wal Mart this afternoon to get some things for dinner. I came home and made some cookies, YUM! I am planning on making Turkey Burgers for dinner. I will let ya'll know how those turn out and post the recipe if they were good! And now I am waiting for Greys and Private Practice to come on. See how nice and relaxing my day was?? I love my work schedule!!

Posted in: on at at 6:32 PM 2 comments    

Ok, I have an issue. For some reason I like to go to the grocery store almost every day and get whatever I want to cook that night. Now this doesn't happen everyday since on the days I work I work 12 hour shifts but for the most part that's how I am. I think this started out of laziness and indecisiveness. I can never decide what to make for dinner for one night, let alone the whole week! Plus, it's so nice to just run in and run out with a few items instead of spending forever getting a weeks worth of groceries. But this has got to stop. It is way too time consuming and I am starting to resent going to the store. So how do ya'll plan out a weeks worth of meals? I'm afraid I will buy all the stuff and then not feel like eating it! Help!!

Posted in: on at at 3:00 PM 2 comments    

I love, love, love this spring weather!!The weather here is awesome today!! It's 70 degrees and sunny! Windy too but that's ok! So I decided to try to run a little today, even though I can barely walk! My calves feel like there are rocks in them! So obviously the running part didn't turn out so well, because who can run when you can barely walk?? So I did a short run around my neighborhood then went back and picked up Sadie and went for a very LONG walk! She absolutely loved it and was worn out when we got home! I do give myself props for running some today, hoping tomorrow I can do a longer run. Too bad it's only supposed to be in the 40's tomorrow. Crazy Memphis weather!!

I made my first purchase with my Banana Republic LUXE card today!! I bought a swim suit from Gap.com! It was on sale too! What do ya'll think??

Hopefully it will fit!

I have a fun night planned tonight! Dinner with a bunch of my work girls at Boscos! YUM! I love when we all get together! I think there is like 11 or 12 of us going! I'm so excited!!

Here's my funny tale for the day. I went to WalMart today to get some weed and feed to spread on my grass (because my dad told me I needed to!). I found the right kind and went to put it in my basket and could not lift it up! That bag had to weigh like 50 lbs! Ha! Man I'm weak! How funny is that?? Well needless to say, I didn't purchase any weed and feed today because even if I got it into the basket, there is definitely no way I could lift it out of the basket! I guess that will be a job I will pass onto Al:) So I decided to purchase something while I was there, so I got a Bridal Magazine and some chewbones for Sadie:)

Posted in: on Wednesday, February 18, 2009 at at 2:23 PM 3 comments    

Posted in: on at at 10:24 AM 2 comments    

This is just going to be a short one tonight because I am worn out! Not really sure why because for once, I wasn't that busy at work today. Maybe that's what threw me off! But I have been yawning all day! On another note, I am so freaking sore from running yesterday! No, not my ankle, but every other part of my body. Ladies: Never get hurt and take 2 months off from running, it's awful to start from the beginning! My calves, hamstrings, abs, and back are all sore and got progressively worse througout the day to the point that one of my co -workers asked if I was ok because I was limping! Ha! But I still plan to run tomorrow:) Not sure if it will be outside or on my treadmill because I think it's supposed to be kinda stormy. Anyway, hope everyone had a good day and I am looking forward to my 3 days off in a row:)

Posted in: on Tuesday, February 17, 2009 at at 9:52 PM 4 comments    

Ok, so I do realize this is my third post today, guess I just have a lot to say!! I just finished watching The Bachelor and all I can say is , Did I call it or what?? Yay for Melissa and Molly being the final 2!! I am still rooting for Melissa but I really have no idea who he will choose! Any ideas girls?? And all the drama from the next 2 episodes that they previewed looks very interesting, not quite sure what's gonna happen but it's really drawing my attention! Anyone have any input on this episode or who they think he will pick?

Posted in: on Monday, February 16, 2009 at at 9:24 PM 2 comments    

I was double whammy tagged by the sweet Meggers for the alphabet game and purse game! So fun! Starting with the Alphabet game:

It is from the Gap. I actually got it for $18 dollars at and after Christmas sale! I think it was like $50 originally so I felt pretty proud of that deal!! And here is what's on the inside...

Posted in: on at at 3:42 PM 1 comments    

The sweet Meggers sent me the letter "C" for the letter game!! So the rules are that your have to list 10 things that you love that begin with the assigned letter. If you would like to play,(and it's really fun!) leave me a comment and I will give you a letter! So here it goes...

1. Chocolate!! What girl doesn't love chocolate?

2. Coffee!! Especially Starbucks:)

3. Clothes! I love to shop. My favorite store is Banana Republic.

4. Children! I'm a nurse in the PICU at a Children's Hospital:)

5. Cuddley Beagles!! I love my pup Sadie! Isn't she precious??

6. Cake and cookies!! I like to eat them but LOVE to bake them!! I always bring my baked goods to work so I won't eat them all:)

7. Candles! My favorite place to get them is Yankee Candle Company.

8. Creepy Horror Movies! They are so fun to watch but I can't watch them alone:)

9. Cabins at the lake! My family has one on Lake Cumberland in KY and it's my favorite place to go in the summer. I love to wakeboard! This is actually a pic of Lake Cumberland where our cabin is!

10. Cameras, I love taking pictures!

Let me know if you want to play!!

Posted in: on at at 10:16 AM 0 comments    

I have been so busy at work this weekend, I haven't had the time or energy to post. I'm a nurse in a PICU and sometimes its just crazy there. And this weekend I was in charge and it's always crazy when I charge! But anyways, I hope everyone had a GREAT valentine's day! Since Al and I did our Valentine's on Friday, I spent Valentine's day at work and then dinner with the girls! It was a blast:)

Has anyone seen "Confessions of a Shopaholic"? I can't wait to see it!! Looks so cute, can't believe they actually made a movie based on my life! Ha!

So tomorrow is my official start back to running day. Woohoo! Finally! Hope my ankle decides to behave. Don't know how far I will be able to go, check back tomorrow and I will definately post about it! I am starting an exercise over haul tomorrow since I'm going to Florida in April! Gotta get bikini ready:) I was very excited to realize I start soccer back in about a week! I play on a coed team and its one of the most fun things EVER!

I am very happy to be off work tomorrow and have alot of things I need to get done, but I'm also gonna relax. I am very addicted to the TWILIGHT books and am on the third one, ECLIPSE, and can't wait to actually have time to read a bunch tomorrow! Is anyone else a fan? If you have never read them, pick Twilight up, its very addicting!!

Posted in: on Sunday, February 15, 2009 at at 9:12 PM 1 comments    

Happy early Valentine's everyone!! Al and I decided to spend Valentines Day today instead of tomorrow since I have to work all weekend. And yes I am aware that it's Friday the 13th but I'm really not superstitious at all!! We had a great time tonight! First we exchanged gifts, he loved his truffles and boxers! And this is what I got:

We went to eat tonight at an Italian Restaurant called Amerigos. It was so good! I had pork tenderloin and he had sea bass. I have leftovers for lunch at work tomorrow:) YUM! Then we came home and ate chocolate covered strawberries! YUM-O! I am stuffed! Here are pics before we went to dinner. I got to wear my new dress that I bought the other day!

I was hoping for an engagement ring but no such luck:( I know he won't do it on a holiday so not sure why I got my hopes up but I did. Luckily we talked about it alot tonight and he said it should happen soon!! Yay:)

Look at this cute sandwhich container I found at Walmart today! It will be great for work!!

I think its just the cutest thing ever! I'm sure it will come in very handy!!

I hope everyone has a great Valentine's Day and can't wait to hear how everyone's day went!!

Posted in: on Friday, February 13, 2009 at at 8:47 PM 1 comments    

Posted in: on Thursday, February 12, 2009 at at 2:56 PM 2 comments    

Ok hopefully this will be my last post for the day, I've been a little blog-happy today:) I came across this superfun giveaway and wanted to share!! Check it out! She's giving away Lily Pulitzer's "Squeeze" fragrance. You only have until Friday to enter so hurry!! Her blog is : Beantown Prepster!

Posted in: on Wednesday, February 11, 2009 at at 8:48 PM 0 comments    

My day was filled with shopping, some for me and some for Al for Valentines Day. On my way out to the mall, something crazy happened. I was driving along, having my big SUV blown from side to side from the 50 mph winds and all of a sudden a tree falls in the middle of the road not 10 feet from my car! I slammed on my breaks, swerved and held onto my dog so she wouldn't come flying up from the backseat and safely got around it. Isn't that nuts! I'm just glad it didn't fall on my car!!

For the last 7 years, starting on our first Valentines Day together, I have had this tradition where I buy Al heart or Valentines Day boxers. Weird, I know, don't know why I started it but he seems to like the ones I buy. So today I went to my usual place to buy them, Old Navy, and there were none to be found. So I checked Gap, and still no Valentines boxers. I mean how hard is it to find? I've never had trouble before. So then I headed to American Eagle, the last spot I was going to check. And still no heart boxers. So I decided to get him bright pink ones that have penquins with scarves. At least they are pink!! I also went to a chocolate shop and bought him a thing of truffles. And of course while I was there, I had to buy myself a treat so I got a Tiramisu truffle. YUM!!

I bought myself a couple things too:). Have ya'll ever tried the Bath and Body works home air fresheners?? They look like this...

They smell so good! I have one in my living room and bedroom so today I decided to buy one for my office and some more refills. I bought guava and passionfruit for my office, and juicy nectarine refills. Try them if you haven't!! They are amazing!!

I also decided to buy myself a dress. Lately I've been really into dresses. So I bought this one at a store called Francescas, and will look cute in the summer and with a black long sleeve shirt and black tights for winter. I am trying to find multi season dresses:)Cute huh??

So for dinner I am making Beef Enchiladas and Spanish Rice! Sounds so good! If you haven't checked this blog out yet, definately do. Its a great blog and she has great recipes! That's where I have been getting all the recipes I've been posting! Kellys Korner!

I also bought the new Michelob Ultra flavor, Pomegrante Raspberry. I tried it at the brewery in St. Louis and its really good:) Especially for someone who doesn't like beer!

I think that's all I have for today:) Hope everyone has a great night!!

* NEWBIE QUESTION: If anyone can tell me how to post a link to someone's blog with just their name instead of the whole web address coming up please let me know how to! *

Posted in: on at at 5:14 PM 3 comments    

So just walked a whole mile on the treadmill and my ankle did just fine!! Now I'm talking fast walking, did 1 mile in 15 minutes. It's a little tight but not too sore. For those of you who don't know, I'm coming back from an ankle injury (torn ligaments) and have been out of a cast for almost 2 weeks now and nursing it back into running condition. If everything goes well this weekend... I'm planning to start running on Monday! Wish my ankle luck:)

P.S I signed up for soccer yesterday and it starts the end of Feb! So excited! I'm just not gonna hurt my ankle this season:)

Posted in: on at at 10:38 AM 0 comments    

*Warning: I am talking about 2 movies in this post, "He's Just Not That Into You" and "New in Town", and may spoil the movies if you haven't seen them already*

I've been pretty busy catching up with friends the past two days. Yesterday I did lunch, dinner, and a movie and today I did breakfast, lunch and a movie! I am worn out! No wonder I never get anything done on my days off! I am always running around:) So last night I saw "He's Just Not That Into You". It was really cute! Definately a must see for every girl! Now, pretty much every girl is summed up by one or more situations in the movie. My situation is most like Jennifer Anniston's character. Been together for 7 years ( Al and I are going on 7 years this July...) and not married. The only difference is her BF in the movie ( Ben Affleck) didn't EVER want to get married and believe me, since I bring this topic up all the time, Al wants to marry me:) So I have hope for myself because they do end up getting engaged! Yay!

The movie I saw today was called "New in Town" with Renee Zwellweger. It was really cute too. Typical love story with Harry Conick Jr. Of course she falls for him, who wouldn't? But I recommend this one too!!

Let's talk a little bit about the Bachelor. Last nights episode was good. I liked Jillian's and Molly's families but boy weren't Naomi's parents nuts?? No wonder he sent her home! I would be scared to have her mom, the dove buring reincarnationist, as my mother in-law!! And poor Melissa! How sad that her parents didn't want to be a part of it! She's my favorite!! I hope it doesn't hurt her in the end that he didn't get to meet her family. Can't wait to see what drama DeAnna stirs up next week. So are her and her snowboarding finacee from the last Bachelorette not together anymore? Who do ya'll think will be the final two? I'm hoping for Melissa and Molly!!

Posted in: on Tuesday, February 10, 2009 at at 5:11 PM 0 comments    

I thought it would be fun to do a verse of the day on Sundays. I get a verse of the day every day from KLOVE and I am using the one I got from them today.

Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
~ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, NLT

This is a perfect verse for what went on with my car yesterday!! I think its important to be thankful for everything we have and to always pray even if things don't turn out the WAY you want them. There are never unanswered prayers with God only answers we may not want or like:)

On a side note, my car was towed this morning to the shop and they said my fan belt was completely shredded so hopefully that's all it is. I am supposed to be able to pick it up tomorrow!!

Posted in: on Sunday, February 8, 2009 at at 4:50 PM 2 comments    

When I was on my way to work this morning, my car started making this really odd chirping noise. I know nothing about cars but I just had this feeling that something was probably about to die in my car ( and usually my gut feelings are right on). I was just hoping I could get to and from work one more day! Well not to my surprise, when I got off work, something was definately broken on my car. It started up just fine and as I went to pull out of the parking spot, halfway in turn I hear a loud "clunk" and my steering wheel won't budge. Luckily I told my frined Patti to not leave until I got out of the lot because I just had a feeling that something would be wrong. So I literally had to turn my steering wheel inch by inch with all the strength I had to get it back into the parking spot. That took 5 minutes and I was literally out of breath and my arms are still sore. It was a sight to see! I'm sure everyone who was watching me was cracking up because I sure was! Luckily I was able to get a ride back to my parents house from Patti (thanks girl!)and borrow one of their cars to get to work tomorrow. So this is the part where I say God works in mysterious ways...

1. At work, I have a choice to park in the parking garage or an outside lot on the weekends, and I just happened to decide to park in the outside lot. Don't know what I would have done if I was in the garage. There is no way a tow truck would ever get to me!
2. My parents have an extra car and the flexibility in their work schedules to not only let me borrow one of their cars, but to also go to my work tomorrow( which is 45 mins from their house) and get it towed for me while I am working!
3. Apparently, my parents took their car in this morning( the one that I borrowed) to be worked on and it was not supposed to be ready until Sunday. But it was done early today and they were able to pick it up. Good thing because I don't know how I would have gotten to work tomorrow!

Conicidences?? I think not. God has everything mapped out in his plan and even when bad things do happen, he has a way of making them better and making you very thankful for what you do have! Praise God for my parents and friend Patti! :)

Posted in: on Saturday, February 7, 2009 at at 9:50 PM 2 comments    

Not too much going on today, been at work since 6:30 this morning and am not leaving until 7:08. Been pretty busy which makes the day go by fast and now finally have some down time to make a post:)

This post is going out to Walmart. I was thinking yesterday about how great the Walmart is in my town. Why you may ask? Well let me give you some background first. I don't really remember Walmart before I moved to Memphis. Not sure where we shopped in CA but don't think it was the Walmart. In the town where I grew up in TN, we had an old Walmart that eventually turned into a Super Walmart. Now that's all fine and good and its nice to find everything all in one store, but I hated going to Walmart! There are a couple reasons behind this... First, it was always SO crowded! Everyone went to Walmart. There were never any parking spaces, the lines were so long, and there were shopping carts everywhere in that store! Secondly, the Walmart in my town was not the cleanest place and didn't have the nicest people shopping there. So for many years especially when I started buying my own items, I never went to Walmart. But now to the point of this post.. I am in love with Walmart! I recently moved to a new town, very small, and the Walmart is THE big deal in the town. I love it because its BRAND NEW, its so clean, and its never crowded! I always am in and out so fast! Plus I am loving the low prices:) I can definately tell a difference in my bill from Kroger compared to Walmart. So the morale is, things change. And for those of you who have never been Walmart lovers, definately give them a second chance! Sometimes you just gotta find the right one:)

Posted in: on Friday, February 6, 2009 at at 4:36 PM 3 comments    

One of my favorite things in life is food. I thought it would be fun to talk about 5 of my favorite foods! Let me know what ya'll think:)

1. I love sweets and have the biggest sweet tooth! I haven't met a dessert that I don't love! My newest indulgence is Reeses Whoppers.

5. My favorite drink of all time is sweet tea! I could drink it all day long:) I think its funny when you go up north and they look at you like you are crazy when you order a sweet tea! How could anyone live without it? I always have a pitcher of sweet tea in my refridgerator. The recipe I use is to steep 2 family size lipton or luizianne tea bags in boiling water for 5 mins( I only make about half a pitcher full of boiling water to steep the tea bags in) The add 2/3cup sugar, stir, and add cold water to fill the pitcher. YUM-O!

I also wanted to share a recipe for Cherry Dump Cake that I made today! ( PS: I am a baker, I love to bake, and am good at it! I do cook too but my heart really belongs to baking so as I continue to post recipes, don't be surprised if the majority are desserts!) I got this recipe from http://abelleandherbeau.blogspot.com/ it is delicious! Below are the ingredients.

Cherry Dump Cake

1 lrg can crushed pineapple

1 lrg can cherry pie filling

1 box golden butter or yellow cake mix

1 stick butter

1 cup crushed pecans

1/4 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Ina lightly greased 9x13 baking dish, combine the cherry pie filling and pineapple(do not drain). Then sprinkle dry cake mix over top. Melt butter and pour over cake mix. Next sprinkle on pecans and then sugar, covering evenly. Bake 20 minutes, remove from oven, take a fork and poke holes in cake so juices can seep in. Place back in oven and cook another 20 minutes. Here is what the finished product looks like:

This picture is kinda funny looking because its turned but ya'll get the idea! I'm also making lasagna pizza cups tonight from http://www.kellyskornerblog.com/. I've made these before and they are very yummy! Food is so fun to talk about, its a wonder I'm not huge!


PS: Totally new subject, but I had to vent. I was very excited that Vera Bradley came out with new 17 inch laptop cases because my laptop was too long to fit into the old style. So I went and bought one today, and they are a little pricey, about $78, and when I got home and tried to put my laptop in it, it didn't fit! I guess my laptop is too wide! I'm so upset because I love it and now I have to go through the hassle of returning it. I have a Dell so its not like some wierd sized computer. Anyone have any laptop bag suggestions? I need one:) Please feel free to talk about your favorite foods! It's fun and I would love to read about them:)

Newbie question: How do you put a link to someone's blog so the name of the blog appears and not the whole web address?

Posted in: on Thursday, February 5, 2009 at at 3:35 PM 1 comments    

I went with my mom to the Memphis Grizzlies basketball game tonight and had a blast! I've never been to a professional bball game before. I think the only professional sporting event I've been to is baseball games when I was little. I definately prefer college sports, especially memphis basketball,(can't wait for March Madness!) but I had a really good time tonight. I was surprised by how much of a show is put on. Every time there was a time out for anything, someone was performing or puting on an act. It was very entertaining! So my question to everyone is do you prefer college or professional sports teams and which teams/sports do you enjoy?

One of the highlights of my night was the game food:) I had BBQ nachos from Neely's BBQ. YUM!! I love anything that has to do with BBQ! Well I think that's all for tonight since its WAY past my bedtime and I have to be at a class for work early. More tomorrow:)

Posted in: on Wednesday, February 4, 2009 at at 11:01 PM 1 comments    

Not too much to talk about today since I was at work for 12 hours! I did want to say that the Poppyseed Chicken I made last night was wonderful! I ate it for lunch and dinner again today! So I ended up watching The Bachelor last night, so happy Melissa and Molly both got roses! Not so thrilled with Naomi, wish he would have kept Stephanie around. I'm excited for the hometown dates next week.

I can't believe the weather difference from when I walked into work this morning to when I left this evening. It's like 25 degrees right now! I am so glad I am off tomorrow and get to be lazy, especially since its supposed to be even colder tomorrow:) I do have some shopping to do before I go to the Grizzlies game with my mom. I bought a cute casual dress this past weekend in St. Louis and am thinking about wearing it to the game tomorrow night but not quite sure if its more of a T shirt and jeans crowd since I've never been to a game before. Any suggestions? Well that's all for tonight!

Posted in: on Tuesday, February 3, 2009 at at 9:17 PM 0 comments    

Nothing too exciting has gone on today. I had the day off so I spent most of the day catching up on my TiVo list. The newest show that I'm addicted to is Damages on FX thanks to McKenleigh! Does anyone else watch that show? This is only the 2nd season so it was really easy to catch up on. Be careful if you start though because you won't want to stop!! I also took Sadie on a walk, the first since I hurt my ankle and she was ecstatic! For those of you who don't know, I tore a bunch of ligaments in my left ankle playing soccer in December and since then was in a boot for 2 weeks and a cast for 3 weeks. I just got my cast off last Thursday before I went to St. Louis and its now to the point where I can actually go on a walk. We couldn't go very far because it started to get sore but one loop around the neighborhood was fine. I can't wait until I can start running again. This has been killing me not to run!! My Dr. told me another 2 weeks or so and then I can start back. The thing thats not gonna be fun is starting over. I had a nice base mileage built and was planning to run the Nashville Half Marathon in April but now that idea is out the window. I probably can't even run one mile at this point! But as long as I can run again, I will be happy!! I can also play soccer in the spring too which I am so excited for! So anyway, after our walk I decided Sadie needed a bath. She hates baths and looks pathetic the whole time and then goes crazy and runs circles around the house afterwords. Here are some pics right after her laps around the house.

Isn't she cute?? She is still fluffy from the bath!! Al also had the day off so he came over and did some stuff around the house for me, installed a new shower head and fixed a broken knob on the toilet. No big plans for tonight, I'm cooking Poppyseed Chicken, a recipe I got from http://www.kellyskornerblog.com . It looks awesome. I will let ya'll know how it turns out! Of course, being the baker I am, I also made us brownies for dessert!! I have such a sweet tooth and love to bake!! Not sure what we will watch tonight. We have a few movies from Netflix that could be possibilities or if I can talk Al into it I would love to watch the Bachelor! I really like Melissa the Dallas cheerleader and Molly. They are both so cute! Well that's all for today:)

Posted in: on Monday, February 2, 2009 at at 5:33 PM 3 comments