Concerts on the Dock - Lowe Mill

This past Friday night, we were finally able to attend a Concert on the Dock at Lowe Mill.  Of course we took Miss Piper, as leashed dogs were allowed!  We picked up our "picnic" dinner from Quizno's and headed over, hoping the rain that was coming down as we drove, would politely skip our destination (which it did!). 

We got there a little early, spread out my brother's old 101 Dalmations fleece blanket and got settled. 

The music was good, but it was mostly a social event.  Talking, eating, dog petting, people watching - - the norm. 

I think we will be making a return visit, as this was the cheapest date night we have had in a while!  It only cost us our Quizno's and the frozen yogurt we stopped for at Sweet CeCe's after the concert AND bonus points for getting to take Piper!  

Living Room Redecoration

     Two weekends ago, as we were out shopping for a new kitchen table, Scott found a couch and loveseat that he really liked (a rare thing for him to have much of anything to say about couches).  I brushed it off, because they were not what I had pictured...but we kept coming back to them. 


 

Gluckstein Hampton Collection


     While sitting and thinking about the purchase, I told Scott that if we got this couch and loveseat, then EVERYTHING in our Living Room/Foyer would have to change.  I thought this might deter him, but he just agreed.  So....we went into full redecoration mode and, while it's still a work in progress, this is what we've got so far:

     We jumped on the "greige" bandwagon and got it painted this weekend and we LOVE the color!  Also, I learned how to paint baseboards! 



Valspar Beige Shadow



This is the rug that we ordered.  It is on backorder until June, so I just hope I get it and they don't cancel my order!!! It is navy and off-white. 

Rugs USA - Moroccan Trellis

Corner bookcase we ordered. 4-6 more weeks before it will be delivered.

Coast to Coast Corner Bookcase

 We have lots of ideas....just keeping our eyes peeled for the perfect pieces to finish our living room!



*Pinterest Picks*

As a news junkie, I was reading this article a while back and it caught me by surprise.  I had not really thought about how often Pinterest users would only "pin" and never actually "do".  That is definitely NOT me.  I am almost the exact opposite, especially with recipes.  I usually find a recipe and use it that day..maybe the next if I don't have all the ingredients.   

 Here's the article:  From pins to projects: Pinterest in real life  and a quote:

"Pinboards, then, serve as inspiration for those who create them. But do those beautiful boards result in any real-life change or creativity? Pence is skeptical, and even Pinterest addict Ishmael admits that she usually spends more time pinning than doing.

"The problem with Pinterest, though, is that I spend a lot of time pinning, pinning, pinning and not enough time trying, trying, trying,"

Therefore, I'm going to post some of my recent Pinterest Picks that I have made and loved!  Some of these I found on Pinterest, some I pinned myself from the original websites....

Hungry Girl NOT Fried Shrimp

Love, love, love this and Scott did too!



http://www.hungry-girl.com/newsletters/raw/662

 

 

 



Had this for breakfast everyday last week.  Very filling and yummy!



http://thrivinghomeblog.com/2012/02/5-minute-chocolate-oatmeal/



Not on par with the healthy theme here, but Scott was in love, and since I don't eat regular syrup this will be a good *sometimes* treat and great for company!

http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/homemade-blueberry-sauce-recipe/

And lastly, I had to add the inspriation for my new haircut!

http://meggielynne.tumblr.com/post/9860744003

Easter "Egg"stravaganza!

I decided I wanted to dye Easter eggs this year.  While at the grocery store, I knew that to get Scott to *willfully* particpate, I had to find a kit that he would find interesting.  Between the glitter and animal prints, I found these...

Stickers for making faces, PLUS hair and hats for the eggs to wear!

This was the whole lot...we only made one dozen, but had plenty more supplies that I'm saving for next year.  Piper even got in on the photo shoot action, sniffing out the backyard invaders.

These were our favorites!

On the left is Scott's English gentleman (who had a hat, but it fell off)

In the middle is the Jamaican Santa & on the right is my Purple Princess.

At our Easter gatherings, the kids thought they were awesome, so we were happy : )

Spring Wreath

     I wanted a wreath I could use all spring, not just for Easter.  I made a trip to Hobby Lobby to pick up some new felt and ribbon and found a lot to work with.  I found some great bright striped ribbon (for summer maybe?) and another roll of this satiny green and ivory striped ribbon that I first bought last year and have loved using around the house for various things!

 (Also, while at HL, this Alabama girl found some houndstooth felt and ribbon!  Around here, houndstooth is never in stock so I couldn't pass them up!  Can't wait to find some projects to use them with!)

     The longest part of this wreath was wrapping it with yarn, twice.  By the second layer, I had gotten the hang of it and developed a faster method. By the time I had finished wrapping it, the duct tape was becoming looser and the once round wreath form was now egg shaped.  Luckily, I thought it just added to its springy charm! 

Wreath

Pool Noodle

Duct Tape

Yellow Yarn

Flowers

Orange:  Ribbon

Large White:  Twist & Roll made from an old polo shirt

Light Green: Fabric Yo-Yo flowers

All others:  Felt

Weekend Update

This weekend went by waaaaaaay to fast, but we got a lot accomplished! 

Friday night we stayed in, except for a quick trip to Lowes for some mulch and a chainsaw, and  took a big swig of some spoiled milk (that shouldn't have expired yet - - more on this later)

Saturday - - St. Patty's Day!

     We put on our green shirts and had lunch at Marketplace Cafe in Hampton Cove.  It was delish!  This is the cafe ran by the same people at The Chef Next Door where I took a super fun cooking class with my ZTA Alumnae group where I learned some tips, tricks, and 2 new yummy recipes! 

     We also went birthday shopping for Scott's mom and got her a cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes (and of course we got a "bundlet" for ourselves to share!)  Her cake was chocolate chip with a big sunflower on top and ours was lemon...both were excellent!

     Saturday night, I cooked the honey lime chicken and orange cilantro rice recipes I had learned at the cooking class.  Since it was St. Patrick's Day, I had been searching for a minty green dessert...the recipe called for whipping cream, which I retrieved from the fridge and attempted to pour into a measuring cup...clunk....my whipping cream was one big chunk of grossness!  At this point, I start putting things together....our unexpired milk was bad, this whipping cream doesn't expire until April, I am standing in front of the fridge and it's not all that cold...Oh no!  Scott!!!!!!!  Our fridge isn't working! Fix it!!! 

     Upon investigation, we noted that the freezer was working and the the air was just not coming through to the fridge. In perfect male form, Scott banged on the area of the hole between the freezer and fridge and, like magic, the cold air began to flow.  Unfortunately, we later figured out that once the air flow stopped, it would not start again without proper banging.  We let this periodic banging be our temporary solution.

Sunday

     Sunday started of with Peach Breakfast Bake, since it required no refrigerated goods : )

      We had already decided that today was our yard work day, so we got dressed and got started!  We weeded, trimmed hedges, cut the Crepe Myrtles back to almost nubs, weed-eated and mowed...and then the mulching began.  We had purchased 6 bags, up 2 from the 4 bags Scott thought we would need.  That was enough for 1 of the 2 large flower beds in the backyard only!  So back to Lowes we went for the 3rd time this weekend for more bags to finish the other side of the backyard (by this point, we had decided that mulching the front and sides of the house would have to wait for another day.)  Once we finished, I made Scott his favorite meal of Hungry Girl Honey Shrimp and I added a new Hungry Girl recipe for Crab Rangoons.  Both were yummy!  ........and then we went to bed...at 9 o'clock....exhausted!

What We're Working On

For the 2nd weekend in a row, we got into project mode.  There must be something in the air....Spring, maybe!?!?  We worked on replacing light fixtures, but only found one that inspired us (picture coming soon), so the other 2 will have to wait for now.  We started the door hardware replacement project (going to see how this goes before posting more on it). 

This is our partial list of spring projects...these are the most likely to get done and the highest priority (to me, anyway).  Looking forward to working on these!!