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Friday, March 23, 2012
Friday Five: Reasons You Must Visit Biltmore
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Monday, March 5, 2012
The Hyacinth
We received some unexpected news last week, and let's just say tending to the hyacinth (that I posted about recently) was not at the forefront of my mind. I had high hopes of transplanting it into one of our flowerbeds, but I don't think that's going to happen now that it seems to be dying.
If you're reading this and you have a green thumb, is there a way to revive this poor thing??
If you're reading this and you have a green thumb, is there a way to revive this poor thing??
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Friday Five - 3.2.12
1. Guess what Kevin saw while golfing at Parris Island recently? Not one, but two alligators! Doesn't this first one look like it's ready to attack?!
2. A few weeks ago, we tackled a long overdue project of hanging a collection of picture frames on one of our living room walls. As you can see in the photos below, we used the butcher paper method to position the frames, and it was very, very helpful. I'm not sure where I originally found this idea, but I've seen it as a suggestion on more than one blog. First, you cut butcher paper the exact size of each of your frames. Then you tape the pieces of paper to the wall and move them around until you figure out how you want your display to look. (I didn't bother using measuring tape or a level for this step.) Once you decide on your layout then use a measuring tape and a level to determine exactly where each frame should be. After each piece of paper is exactly where you want it, measure the distances on the back of each frame from the hooks to the outer edges of the frame. Apply those measurements to the corresponding papers taped to the wall and then you will know exactly where to hammer the nails. After the nails are in place, just remove the papers and replace them with the actual frames!
Now I just need to figure out which photos to put in the frames.
3. So I'm not gifted in the art of flower arranging. I have only tried a couple of times, but each time I try I feel like my creation looks nowhere near as beautiful as a professional arrangement. Despite this, I believe my ability to arrange flowers can only get better with practice...so I'm gonna keep trying. Before our friends came to visit a couple of weeks ago, I decided to buy some inexpensive flowers at the grocery store and arrange them myself. I asked the man working in the floral department to give me some advice, and he gave me two helpful tips: 1. Use plenty of ferns and baby's breath to fill the arrangement. and 2. Create the arrangement in your hand first (rather than the vase) then cut the stems to the appropriate lengths before putting them in the vase. I followed his advice to the best of my ability, and I think the arrangement turned out a lot better than my previous attempts. Here's a pic of it a week after I created it and after I removed some dead stems. It's not great, but it's not terrible either!
5. I tried a new recipe this week - Slow Cooker Cheesy Potato Soup. Kevin really liked it, and I liked it too...so I think it's one that I'll make again. Here's the link to the recipe if you want to try it. The bacon and green onion toppings add a lot of flavor, but next time I think I'll add some seasoning to the soup while it's cooking.
2. A few weeks ago, we tackled a long overdue project of hanging a collection of picture frames on one of our living room walls. As you can see in the photos below, we used the butcher paper method to position the frames, and it was very, very helpful. I'm not sure where I originally found this idea, but I've seen it as a suggestion on more than one blog. First, you cut butcher paper the exact size of each of your frames. Then you tape the pieces of paper to the wall and move them around until you figure out how you want your display to look. (I didn't bother using measuring tape or a level for this step.) Once you decide on your layout then use a measuring tape and a level to determine exactly where each frame should be. After each piece of paper is exactly where you want it, measure the distances on the back of each frame from the hooks to the outer edges of the frame. Apply those measurements to the corresponding papers taped to the wall and then you will know exactly where to hammer the nails. After the nails are in place, just remove the papers and replace them with the actual frames!
Now I just need to figure out which photos to put in the frames.
3. So I'm not gifted in the art of flower arranging. I have only tried a couple of times, but each time I try I feel like my creation looks nowhere near as beautiful as a professional arrangement. Despite this, I believe my ability to arrange flowers can only get better with practice...so I'm gonna keep trying. Before our friends came to visit a couple of weeks ago, I decided to buy some inexpensive flowers at the grocery store and arrange them myself. I asked the man working in the floral department to give me some advice, and he gave me two helpful tips: 1. Use plenty of ferns and baby's breath to fill the arrangement. and 2. Create the arrangement in your hand first (rather than the vase) then cut the stems to the appropriate lengths before putting them in the vase. I followed his advice to the best of my ability, and I think the arrangement turned out a lot better than my previous attempts. Here's a pic of it a week after I created it and after I removed some dead stems. It's not great, but it's not terrible either!
4. The Game of Things - We had a bunch of friends over last weekend, and we played this game for hours. It's a great source of laughter and entertainment when you have a big group of people!
5. I tried a new recipe this week - Slow Cooker Cheesy Potato Soup. Kevin really liked it, and I liked it too...so I think it's one that I'll make again. Here's the link to the recipe if you want to try it. The bacon and green onion toppings add a lot of flavor, but next time I think I'll add some seasoning to the soup while it's cooking.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Friday Five - 2.24.12
1. Have you heard of Ben Rector? I do not know him, but my mom knows his mom because my older brother, Adam, and his older sister, Lauren, were in grade school together. A couple of years ago, I watched his rendition of "Free Falling" and I was beyond impressed by his talent. Recently, a friend shared another one of his YouTube videos on Facebook, and I thought it was so good that I have to share it with you. From browsing his website, it's looks like he's becoming very successful and I think I might have to buy his album on iTunes.
2. Two of our friends, Clint & Kendra, visited us from North Carolina this past weekend, and we had such a great time with them. They're reporting to a new duty station sometime this summer, and they don't know where that is yet, but we really hope they end up moving to our town!
Kevin and I love having overnight houseguests, and one thing I like to make when we have company is coffee cake. I make my late Grandma Dottie's recipe, and it never disappoints. Here is the recipe.
INGREDIENTS:
1 plain yellow cake mix
1 small pkg. instant vanilla pudding
¾ c vegetable oil
¾ c cold water
4 eggs
1 t vanilla
½ c chopped pecans (divided in ¼ c parts)
¼ c sugar
2 T cinnamon
GLAZE INGREDIENTS:
1 c powdered sugar
1 T milk
½ t vanilla
½ T softened butter
DIRECTIONS:
1. Using electric mixer, combine cake mix, pudding, oil and water. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each. Add vanilla. Beat 8 minutes (important).
2. Meanwhile, combine ¼ c pecans, sugar and cinnamon.
3. Grease bundt pan. Sprinkle ¼ c pecans in bottom of pan. Pour in part of batter, then alternate the pecan mixture and cake batter, ending with batter, until all is used.
4. Bake at 350°, 40-50 min. Cool in pan 15-20 minutes then turn onto serving plate.
5. Combine glaze ingredients in small mixing bowl. Add more sugar or milk if needed.
6. After cake cools, drizzle glaze over cake.
3. Pandora app - I think I'm a couple of years late to the Pandora party, but I just started using the app and I really like it. It's nice to listen to while showering, getting ready or cooking...so you might give it a try if you're not already using it.
4. So, Kristen Bell, the actress, is obsessed with sloths. I don't know why, but this clip about her obsession is really funny. You should watch. Oh, and when I showed Kevin this video, he said I look a little bit like her when I cry! Gee thanks, babe.
5. Because our friends were coming to visit last weekend, I bought some fresh flowers to put around the house. Here's a pic of the hyacinth I bought; I just couldn't resist the sweet smell. For just $5.99, it's a beautiful, fragrant and affordable addition to our home!
2. Two of our friends, Clint & Kendra, visited us from North Carolina this past weekend, and we had such a great time with them. They're reporting to a new duty station sometime this summer, and they don't know where that is yet, but we really hope they end up moving to our town!
Kevin and I love having overnight houseguests, and one thing I like to make when we have company is coffee cake. I make my late Grandma Dottie's recipe, and it never disappoints. Here is the recipe.
1 plain yellow cake mix
1 small pkg. instant vanilla pudding
¾ c vegetable oil
¾ c cold water
4 eggs
1 t vanilla
½ c chopped pecans (divided in ¼ c parts)
¼ c sugar
2 T cinnamon
GLAZE INGREDIENTS:
1 c powdered sugar
1 T milk
½ t vanilla
½ T softened butter
DIRECTIONS:
1. Using electric mixer, combine cake mix, pudding, oil and water. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each. Add vanilla. Beat 8 minutes (important).
2. Meanwhile, combine ¼ c pecans, sugar and cinnamon.
3. Grease bundt pan. Sprinkle ¼ c pecans in bottom of pan. Pour in part of batter, then alternate the pecan mixture and cake batter, ending with batter, until all is used.
4. Bake at 350°, 40-50 min. Cool in pan 15-20 minutes then turn onto serving plate.
5. Combine glaze ingredients in small mixing bowl. Add more sugar or milk if needed.
6. After cake cools, drizzle glaze over cake.
3. Pandora app - I think I'm a couple of years late to the Pandora party, but I just started using the app and I really like it. It's nice to listen to while showering, getting ready or cooking...so you might give it a try if you're not already using it.
4. So, Kristen Bell, the actress, is obsessed with sloths. I don't know why, but this clip about her obsession is really funny. You should watch. Oh, and when I showed Kevin this video, he said I look a little bit like her when I cry! Gee thanks, babe.
5. Because our friends were coming to visit last weekend, I bought some fresh flowers to put around the house. Here's a pic of the hyacinth I bought; I just couldn't resist the sweet smell. For just $5.99, it's a beautiful, fragrant and affordable addition to our home!
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Friday Five - 2.3.12
A year ago this week, Kevin and I moved across the country. We literally drove from the West Coast to the East Coast (over 2,400 miles!), but we spread it out over 2+ weeks and we stopped in Oklahoma for a bit to see family and friends. During the drive, we spent a night in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The following morning Kevin woke me up and said to look out the window.
This is what I saw...
So, of course I grabbed my camera and tried to capture this incredible sunrise through our hotel room window, crossing my fingers that the colors would look just as magnificent in photos. Thankfully, I think they do.
Happy weekend, everyone!
This is what I saw...
So, of course I grabbed my camera and tried to capture this incredible sunrise through our hotel room window, crossing my fingers that the colors would look just as magnificent in photos. Thankfully, I think they do.
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