Valentines in Tallahassee

For Valentines, I made Seth red velvet whoopie pies. I wish I had a recipe to share with you, but I waited until the last minute to go to the store and ended up buying a box mix. However, the cookies were pretty scrumptious! 

I drove down to Tallahassee on Valentines Day and Seth had dinner waiting on me. He grilled freshly caught snipe and asparagus and made garlic mashed potatoes. He did a great job!

Later that weekend, we went to Kikü Japanese Fusion for sushi on Thomasville Road. I get a different roll each time and cannot remember for the life of me which rolls these are, but they were delicious! Kikü is one of our favorites and they always have great specials

Leaving Tuscaloosa

After living in Tuscaloosa for 6 years and 2 degrees, I packed up last month and moved back to my hometown. With the help of my dad, I managed to fit everything into a couple car loads and still left a small place for B to sit.

Moving was a little easier this time as majority of my furniture was already in storage (I moved in with a co-worker a few months ago so that I wouldn’t have to sign a new lease). Also, I cleaned out everything! If you are going through the hassle of packing away your things, why not use it as an opportunity to get rid of things you don’t really use/need.  When left alone, I generally convince myself to keep things I probably shouldn’t with thoughts like “I’ll still wear this” or “I can totally fit into this again.” My friend, Brittney, aided in decision making and I took a lot of clothes to Plato’s Closet in Tuscaloosa. They were very easy to work with! I also took a lot of clothes and kitchen ware to King’s Home a charity which helps abused women and children get back on their feet.

After all of the cleaning out and packing, moving itself really only took a couple of hours (minus driving time). B was not excited about leaving his best dog friend, Sam. However, he has since warmed up to the idea of living with my parents due to the soft beds, yogurt, and all of the food he is slipped by my nieces and nephews.
FYI... this is not where he sleeps...

Bachelorette Décor!

For my friend’s bachelorette party we took a trip down to Biloxi, Mississippi. Brittany and I wanted to take a few decorations for the hotel rooms. I made a few banners and decorated champagne flutes for mimosas. I got the idea from a post on Lauren Conrad’s Blog, which I love! To make this activity a little less messy, I used brightly colored glitter paper instead of using spray adhesive and glitter.



I got a little ways into cutting out letters before deciding I wanted all (or majority) of the letters to be the same color.

I found a few plastic champagne flutes, but felt that they needed a little glitter.

Christmas with the Family

Christmas is absolutely one of my favorite times of the year. I love the lights, the decorations, and all of the baked goods! Sadly, this year was the first since moving out of my parent’s house that I didn’t have a Christmas tree. All of the madness around writing my thesis and preparing for my defense just didn’t leave any time for pulling out decorations and finding a tree. I did take a break from writing and stressing to spend Christmas in Millbrook. My family always gets together on Christmas morning for a big breakfast, including Christmas cookies.



Another thing I love about the holidays is finding presents for a few special people.  I have seven nephews and nieces to buy for, so I won’t get into all of the gifts, just a few of my faves. B was excited about his new beef flavored bone. I found a Melissa & Doug magnetic puzzle for my Nephew, Gray.  I love Melissa & Doug’s wooden toys and this puzzle came with a magnetic fishing pole. I got Seth a couple of Man Cans, candles with manly scents made in soup cans (following donations to local soup kitchens). I bought the campfire and coffee candles, and love both.



Christmas night, Seth made it through tornado ridden weather in a nearly broken down truck to spend at least some part of Christmas with me. However, one of my nephews was in his lap as soon as he arrived.



Even without a tree, all of my favorite decorations, and time to spend looking at Christmas lights, Christmas 2012 was wonderful! I really enjoyed the time I got to spend with Seth and my family.