It Started In a Winnebago

So when I got behind this yesterday ….guess what the first thing I thought of was?.....

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ROAD RULES !!!!!

I would be lying if I said that this was not one of my favorite shows back in the day right behind Friends.

I remember watching every episode while in middle and high school and visualizing myself being on the next cast. I don’t know how many times I told Mom I was going to try out for Road Rules when I got older. I thought it would be the best thing ever to live in a Winnebago with 5 total strangers! I loved how they decorated their “Winnie” to match each cast members personality.

The best thing about this show is that the people were REAL.

It was one of the first reality shows on TV and the editing was very limited. We saw real arguments, real conversations – one frame, two people talking and no cuts. It was nothing like the ridiculous editing that is done on reality TV today like the Hills where we NEVER see two mouths in the same frame having one conversation. On The Hills we see Lauren’s face saying one sentence, then there is a quick cut to Heidi saying something else.

Hellllloooo MTV!!!! Your viewers are not that dumb!!!!

We know that those two sentences from Lauren and then Heidi were not said in the same conversation. That was just good editing to make it look like they were talking crap to each other!

My biggest pet peeve of reality TV these days is when they are showing a conversation of two people and all we can see is the back of the head of the person talking and the face of the person listening. We hear words that “should” be coming out of the mouth of the person talking and the reaction of the person listening. Honestly, how hard would it have been to show both of them in the same frame from a side shot? They do it on sitcoms and movies; but I guess that’s because they don’t have to cut and edit to make someone’s reality life look interesting! (Whats really sad is when the 30 minute episode of reality TV is still boring and you know that had over 22,000 minutes of footage to choose from!)

Ugh, it’s a shame what reality TV has come to these days.

Bring back Road Rules! Bring Back Road Rules! Bring Back Road Rules!

(and Road Rules/Real World Challenge Does NOT Count!)

Monday Yummie !

I made this Friday night for dinner! Pasta Carbonara.

I chose this recipe because I already had 95% of the ingredients in my fridge and pantry!

I have not had pasta in the longest time because I got so burned out on the regular marinara and pasta duo. Choosing this recipe was probably the best move I made all week! This recipe has more flavor then you will know what to do with!

This recipe was also really easy because I chopped the onion, garlic and bacon ahead of time and stored it in the fridge!!!

Just please try it. I am begging you! YOU- WILL - WANT - TO - TRY - THIS - ONE!

Pasta Carbonara

Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Cook Time: 40 Minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Servings: 6

Ingredients
1 pound Bacon Or Pancetta
1 pound Linguine Pasta
1 whole Large Onion
8 cloves (to 12 Cloves) Garlic
1 cup White Wine (or Substitute Another Cup Of Stock)
1 cup Chicken Stock
4 whole Eggs
1-½ cup Parmesan Cheese
1 bunch Parsley
½ sticks Butter
1 Tablespoon (to 2 Tablespoons) Black Pepper

Preparation Instructions
First, slice up 1 pound of bacon into pieces about one inch wide. Once they’re sliced, just toss your bacon pieces into a stainless steel pan. Cook until browned and crisp.

While the bacon’s cooking, set a pot of salted water (I use about 2 tablespoon of salt for a gallon of water) on the stove for our pasta. When it comes to a boil add your linguine and cook until al dente, tender-firm.

Next, chop your onion. When the bacon is cooked, scoop it out with a slotted spoon and set it onto a plate. Reserve the bacon grease! We still need that stuff. Throw the diced onions into the bacon grease. Give the onions a quick stir and let them cook down over a medium-high heat for a couple of minutes.

In the meantime, thinly slice the garlic. After the onions have cooked for a couple of minutes, throw in the garlic. Adding it after the onions have cooked a little will prevent the garlic from burning. After the onion and garlic have cooked for another couple of minutes, remove from the pan with a slotted spoon. Discard the grease.

Place the pan back on high heat until it starts to smoke a little. As soon as the pan begins to smoke, pour in the white wine (or chicken stock). Whisk until pan is thoroughly deglazed and all of the brown bits have come off of the bottom of the pan. Add 1 cup of chicken stock. Return bacon, onion and garlic back to the pan. Let simmer over medium heat.

Crack four eggs into a large bowl. Add most of the Parmesan cheese, and rough chop the parsley, adding it into the eggs as well. Leave a little Parmesan and parsley out for a garnish. Mix well with a fork.

Drain the water from your pasta. Be sure the pasta is very hot. Add the pasta to the egg mixture and then add the bacon/onion mixture. Finally throw a ½ stick (1/4 cup) of butter in there. Mix it all together well. Pepper to taste. Garnish with Parmesan and parsley. And you’re done! Enjoy!

JOY

She couldn’t have said it better….

“It's taken me awhile to grasp it all, but I have finally arrived at the grown-up place of life-is-what-you-make-it and there are lots of things in life we go through that aren't comfortable or ideal, but they could be so incredibly worse, and a simple life of comfort does nothing to change us, mold us, make us into better, stronger more beautiful versions of ourselves...

I have been reminded so much these past couple weeks of just how wonderfully blessed we are and the older I get, the more I embrace change as opportunity to learn just what I am capable of.

I am capable of so much.

...and I am excited at the opportunity of new challenges, more love... Perhaps I had been planted for too long and this little bit of discomfort will challenge me, in my twenty-sixth year, to push myself more toward new chapters in the story of our life.

They will be good chapters.

The last few days have been such a snowballing of emotions and contemplations and yes, hormones, to settle me into a contended place of so-be-it. Life flows on, and I want to experience every tide, every wave, every calm with purpose.” – kelle h

Sooooooooooooo Sleepy

This is a shout out to people that work 2nd or 3rd shift at their jobs. Hands down to you, seriously.

This week I am working several night shifts in a row at work (5:00pm – 5:00am) and it is honestly killing me. I don’t know when to sleep, eat, poop, walk or talk. I am totally confused and I feel like my body is HATING me. I feel like I need to be eating dinner at 5am when I get off work and about to go to bed, but…. as the sun is coming up I reach for a bowl of cereal. I have pumped so much coffee into my mouth that my hands are shaking just trying to type. I was out of touch with friends all day while I was sleeping and as I was walking into downtown, everyone else was walking out.

My dad worked 3rd shift last year and now I know what he was feeling for majority of 2009. You are pretty much removed from society and daylight. WEIRD and HORRIBLE!
Therefore I want to thank each of you who make this sacrifice everyday of your career. I admire you and your strength because I can honestly say…I am a weakling. I could never do this on a regular basis!

Happy Wednesday or Thursday or whatever day it is….

Another Year....

Yesterday and today were special days for some peeps in my family :)

First of all, yesterday was my brother-in-law Sam’s birthday. I love Sam. I could not have asked for someone better to have joined our family. He makes Blair so happy and like I have said before, their marriage and relationship is something beyond admirable. Happy Birthday Sammie!

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Speaking of marriages, yesterday my parents celebrated their 29th Wedding Anniversary! Happy Anniversary me mum and pop! I can’t even find the words to explain my parents’ marriage, relationship, roles as husband and wife and mother and father. They have far exceeded any child’s expectations of what a husband and wife and mother and father are supposed to be. Together, my mom and dad make an amazing couple who are strong in their beliefs, committed to their family and most importantly, committed to each other. Congratulations Mom and Dad!

And today...”Charleston” and I pass the 7 month mark. Its not 29 years and I am not one of those that celebrate monthly anniversaries but these little occasions are at least worth remembering. Last night we played the Restaurant Game (game details to follow in a later post!) which left us dining on pasta and a burger at Outback for dinner. Our dinner conversation included the details of what drew each of us to each other and the circumstances surrounding our relationship. We discussed how weird it was that only after 2 months of dating I brought him to meet my entire family at Thanksgiving! I guess I felt some sort of confidence in this relationship; who knows! Every day I love “Charleston” even more then I did the day before. Every day I thank God that he has put “Charleston” in my life not only as a boyfriend but also a best friend. I am so excited to pass the 7 month mark with him and look forward to what the future may bring for the two of us!

My Neck Never Feels Naked

I tell ya…bless those that do not accessorize.

I don’t know how you get through a day of feeling pretty without a piece of jewelry somewhere on your body! It opens up so many new worlds, you just have no idea!

You know my obsession with jewelry. If you don’t, here is a hint: Blain's Jewelry Problem

I am going to have to give a solid shout out to my accessory diva Ashley “Thunda” Leadon.
I swear every time the child walks through a door she has on the cutest, I swear, cuuuuutest freakin necklace that makes any plain white-t pop!
I honestly feel the slightest bit of jealousy after every encounter with her; no lie.

Last night, we had ladies-wine-night on the roof-top patio of our apartment building and sure as all, Ash walks in with a pair of skinny jeans, white top and yellow cardigan. An overall very pleasing color pallet with your staple closet basics, but around her neck was the most amazing necklace with every color in the rainbow. It honestly made her outfit work-it.

I didn’t even have to stumble to ask her where she got it from; her answer is always the same: Anthropolgie.

Anthropolgie wins my 2010 Necklace Jewelry award. I get chill bumps just visiting their website and picturing any of these little gems around my neck!

Check them out here: Anthropolgie Necklaces

Five thumbs up to my little Thunda for her fabulous taste in accessories!

Here are some of my faves from Anthropolgie…

um yea, you like this one below? looks like an average necklace right?.....(keep scrolling)...

NOPE! NOT AVERAGE AT ALL! LOOK HOW AWESOME THIS THING IS!!!!

Building The Empire State Building

I have always been fascinated by this kind of stuff. I am almost speechless to even explain how in AHHHHHH I get to see these things!

Check out this quick clip below of some guys building the Empire State Building back in 1930! How freakin crazy and amazing are these men! Even though I love heights, you couldn't have paid me to do this job! Watch how careless they walk around, sit down, stand up, pick up boards etc. It is unbelievable!

Have any of you ever been to the Empire State Building?

I haven't but would LOVE to go sometime! I can't imagine the view!

***click on the actual video and watch it in YouTube if you can't see the entire screen!***


The pictures in this video are amazing!

Pretty Spring Flowers

The one luxury about living in an apartment compared to a house?

Not having a yard to mow. Whoo hoo!

In college I rented several houses with my girlfriends and in each house we were responsible for the upkeep of the yards.
Two Words: Awful Experience
First, we didn’t want to buy a lawnmower. Those suckers are expensive and really, how long would I need it?
Second, when was I going to have the time to mow the yard? I had school, work and “socializing” to do! :)
Therefore, we would hired someone to swing by every one to two weeks and trim it up. This was just ridiculously expensive!

Upon the move to Charlotte I realized the several luxuries of the apartment life and one included a maintenance free living.

The only downside… nowhere to plant pretty flowers that we used to be plant in our yards.

Over the past couple weeks, I think the words “Oh, look how pretty the flowers at that house are; Oh I miss flowers in the yard; I love flowers in Spring” came out of my mouth maybe one too many times so “Charleston” surprised me last week with some colorful potted plants for the deck!

We took a Sunday afternoon trip to Lowes and purchased some planter pots and soil and now the deck looks Fab-U-lous!

It makes our apartment look a little more like home and gives us a little sense of nature to take place of a yard full of flowers!

After they all start to fully bloom I will have to post more pics!

Roomie "Asian" Leann did the big pot in the middle!
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"Charleston" modeling in front of his creation.
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Lowe's had some really pretty pots for really good prices!

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HAPPY HUMP DAY FRIENDS!

Mini FUN Vacation

“Charleston” and I have made a final decision on our "mini" summer vacation spot!

We could easily plan a regular beach trip but we have decided to step it up a notch….

We are headed to Sandusky, OHIO! Whoop Whoop!

We are off to CEDAR POINT!!!!!

We both wanted to do something fun but still watch our budget … Cedar Point will help us accomplish both of those!

I LOVE roller coasters. LOVE.

“Charleston” LOVES roller coasters too.

We both have been to Busch Gardens and Carowinds; therefore we decided to visit the Roller Coaster Capital of the World!

We are going to drive up to Sandusky, OH on a Thursday, “play” at Cedar Point on Friday and Saturday and come back on a Sunday.
To the average person it may seem like a lot of driving in four days BUT that’s part of the “vacation” fun about it. I just love being with “Charleston” no matter where we are or what we are doing. To me, riding in the car together for 8 hours is just as fun as anything else; as long as I am around him I could care less what we are doing!!!

I am looking forward to our little road trip and can’t wait until August!!!
Time to book our hotel… :)

....For Generations and Generations!

“That’s the way they have been doing it in Kernersville for generations and generations.”

That’s what I hear every time I go to the stove to make “Charleston” some popcorn.

Why does he say this??

Because I make popcorn on the stove… in a pot… with a lid. I am NOT a fan of the bag popcorn in the microwave that leaves your teeth covered with a film of fake butter…. AND… this is the way my grandmother made popcorn, my mother made popcorn and now Blair and I make popcorn. It’s how they have done it in Kernersville for generations and generations!

Popping your own popcorn is also cheaper and healthier. A bag of Harris Teeter kernels only cost $.89 and lasts for a long time! You also don’t have any of the additives (fake butter, salt etc.) like you do in the microwave popcorn. Stove top popcorn only takes a little bit of oil!.

Here is a little instructional videoI found on YouTube if you need a little assistance in learning how to pop your own stove-top popcorn!


When my popcorn is done, I like to add several dashes of Lawrys Seasoned Salt and Kraft Grated Parmesan Cheese! YUM!

I Promise, I Do Own A Camera

I have a camera. I promise I do. By checking out my blog you would think I had no clue how to take pictures. The fact is, I LOVE to take pictures... I just HATE to go through the process of taking them off my camera, saving them on my computer, cropping them etc etc etc. I know that is no excuse and with all the technology, it's really two simple clicks....but, that's my excuse and I am sticking to it.

Anyway....since I never post pictures of what is going on in life, I vow to you this second to get better. I know you could care less if I make this commitment, but if I put it out in public, it gives me more of an incentive to stick with it; just like buying your jeans one size to small!

To begin my new resolution, I give you a LITTLE spring-time re-cap of some fun things that have been going on....

Last Saturday before Easter we gave Blair and Sarah a joint baby shower...
Have I mentioned I have the bestest friends ever? No? OK, well let me tell you that I have the bestest friends ever. These girls are my heart. It has been the 8 of us since day one. (And by day one I mean either first-day-of pre-school-day-one or first-day-of-kindergarten-day-one). Here are all of us Saturday during the baby shower at Lauren's house where we spent many hours in high school surrounding her island in the kitchen chatting it up!

Front Row (L to R): Sarah (pregnant with Dalton and Carter), Sister Blair (pregnant with Olivia Claire), Lauren

Back Row (L to R): Sharon, ME, Ryan, Katie, Leslie

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Sister and Sarah are pregnant with a little love triangle of Carter, Dalton and Olivia!

Are they not the cuttest pregnant girls? Those kids are so blessed to have the best mothers in the world!

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Lauren flew down from D.C. one weekend for Erin's Birthday!

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"Charleston" and I had a little to much fun in the Mac Photobooth one night at his house in Greensboro. These are the "good" ones. I couldn't force myself to post the others we did to the public; they were scary funny! Check those out on facebook if the curiousity is seriously killing you!

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A Sunday lunch at 4th Street Filling Station with the girls.

(L to R): Sarah, Leslie, ME, Sister Blair, Ryan

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A night out for Lauren Baker's birthday. My friends were stealing hugs from my boyfriend! UNACCEPTABLE LADIES! ;) He Is Totally Taken And Off The Boyfriend Market!

(L to R): Lauren B., "Charleston", Jenna, ME

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How Much Would You Spend On Beauty?

Don’t get me wrong, if you look in my bathroom cabinet you will see an array of hair, makeup, and beauty products. I love to switch things up and try new brands and colors. Out of all my friends, I probably dedicate the most money to my hair and products but, spending $47,000 in one year on your hair, to me, is almost impossible and unfathomable.

Not for spoiled 28-year-old New Yorker Brandi Irwin. In a single year, she forks over $10,000 for hair extensions, which she gets done three times a year. Add to that her color sessions every six weeks at roughly $300 a pop, twice a week blow-outs at $65 each, and there you go…. $47,000 on a single head of hair.

The funny part is she’s actually a naturally cute girl with a good head of normal hair! Irwin says her hair is her biggest expense and she has worked hard for what she has. I beg to differ; her mommy and daddy have worked hard for her hair seeing as how they are the ones paying for it with some “good investments” when Brandi was a child. I also think the Indian women that donated the hair worked hard for it; not Brandi. The extensions are made from “virgin” or unprocessed hair that the Indian women donate as part of a traditional Hindu practice where they sacrifice their beauty.

So let’s be serious….does Brandi need the $47,000 a year to uphold her New York reputation and glamorous look or does she look just as gorgeous with it all natural?….you be the judge….

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The Article on Brandi Irwin’s hair is located here: Woman Spends $47,000 Per Year on Her Hair

**Maybe if she got rid of the hideous tattoos on her forearm and knuckles she might look a little "classier" and prettier; I guess the hair extensions go along with her other stupid choices made in life.**

"I put my hand up on your hip, when I DIP you DIP we DIP"

On Saturday, Leslie Lauren and I threw Blair and Sarah a baby shower for all of our high school girls, Blair and Sarah’s “Kernersville” friends, and then the grandmothers and great grandmothers! (It’s so scary to think my mom is going to be a grandmother! She just isn’t old enough!!!)

We had tons of food, tons of friends, and tons of cutie-pa-tootie baby clothes and toys!

I was in charge of the dips/salsas and chips. I wanted to try and stay away from the all-too-common tomato based salsas and the all-too-common cheese or sour cream based dips. I wanted something light and fresh to reflect the fabulous weather!!!

Therefore, I made Fresh Corn and Avocado Salsa and South Georgia “Caviar”. I don’t want to toot my own horn but…both were out-of-this-world delicious and VERY easy.

The Fresh Corn and Avocado could easily be used as a garnish to any piece of cooked fish or as a “filling” on a turkey wrap!!! I honestly could make a bowl of it and eat it with a fork as a summer-time salad!

The South Georgia “Caviar” is probably the easiest to make for any cookout partly because it actually recommends you making it the day before and refrigerating it overnight! My mom and grandmother make it all the time for any occasion and it’s always a hit!

*** I doubled the recipe of the Corn and Avocado so that I would have about the same amount of both dips.***

Fresh Corn and Avocado Salsa

Ingredients
4 ears Sweet Corn
½ whole Red Onion, Diced
2 whole Very Firm Avocados, Diced
½ whole Jalapeno, Seeded And Finely Diced
½ whole Hot Chili Pepper, Seeded And Finely Diced
1 whole Juice Of Lime
Plenty Of Chopped Cilantro
Salt To Taste
1 Tablespoon Vinegar
1 teaspoon Sugar (optional)

Directions

Slice kernels off the corn, and combine it with all remaining ingredients in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate before serving

South Georgia "Caviar"

Ingredients
2 (15-ounce) cans black-eyed peas, drained
1 (15-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chile's (recommended: Ro-Tel)
2 cups chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh jalapeno peppers
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 (8-ounce) bottle Italian dressing
1 (4-ounce) jar chopped pimentos, drained

Directions
In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients and stir gently to combine. Refrigerate mixture overnight. Serve with corn chips.

BEEP...BEEP....BEEP....BEEP

I am a morning person.
Just not at 4:10am when my alarm goes off.
Three years ago I trashed my alarm clock because it gave off too much light with the numbers glowing AND the loud BEEP, BEEP, BEEP was about to make me check myself into a psyc ward. Could we have come up with something more annoying to startle me from running down a beach with Matthew McConaughey in Hawaii on my honeymoon?!
Therefore, I switched to my trusty little blackberry to sing me a sweet tune in the morn.
BUT, how awesome would it be to have one of these alarm clocks!!!! (some maybe more than others :) )

Clocky
Clocky seems adorable and helpful. At $49.95, Clocky promises to help break your snooze alarm habit by wheeling away from your snooze button hand while singing a chorus of good-morning beeps. But the charm wears of quickly — unsurprising when you consider that Clocky is, after all, an alarm clock; the most evil piece of industrial design ever.
Unlike other mass-produced tools of the modern era, the alarm clock combines form and function to make you miserable — i.e., make you get out of bed. Sometimes the alarm clock isn’t even good at that — though it’s not for lack of effort on the part of intrepid designers. Flying Alarm Clock
Like Clocky, the Flying Alarm Clock ($24.95) seems made for those adults not yet used to the fact that they no longer live at home, where Mom will make absolutely sure you’re going to haul your lazy butt out of bed so you’re not late for school and/or gainful employment.
This annoying piece of ingenuity emits a piercing alarm at the appointed time as it takes to the skies, dropping the silencing pin into a pile of your dirty laundry. Replacing the key will quell the shrieks, but first you’ve got to get out of bed to find it. (Removing the batteries or smashing the thing against the wall may work just as well.)

Carpet Alarm Clock
The Carpet Alarm Clock seems effective in theory — in that you’ve got to get out of bed to make it shut up. No doubt however, there are variables that need to be resolved before this prototype hits the market — at least for those who share their sleeping areas with smaller mammals.What if Kitty finds the Carpet Alarm the perfect surface on which to “make biscuits,” or Mr. Dog chooses it as a sleeping spot late one night after you’ve already set the thing? What if House Bunny needs a handy mat upon which to hone his choppers?

The Silent Alarm
Winner of the 2008 International Design Excellence Awards, this conceptual device offers an elegant way to wake up in silence. The Silent Alarm prototype would allow you to start your day without a jarring buzz that also may disturb others who don’t have to wake up until later.Here’s how it’s described on designer Johan Brengesjo’s Web site: “Each person wears a wireless rubber ring with an integrated vibration device that generates a tactile alarm.”The Silent Alarm even has a snooze function that requires you to shake your hand more vigorously each time you want it to shut off. It seems the perfect device for those who actually intend to get out of bed. The rest of us: Not so much.

Glo Pillow Alarm
Not everybody wants a pillow that multitasks. But if you don’t spend the course of the evening twisting, scrunching, and flipping your pillow to find the cool side, Glo Pillow Alarm may be for you.

Created by designer Eoin McNally, the Glo Pillow Alarm uses light (not sound) to wake a sleeper. “40 minutes before the pre-set alarm time the pillow begins to glow and gently brings the user out of sleep,” McNally says on his site. “This natural waking process helps to set the circadian rhythm or ‘body clock’ and results in more healthy sleep/wake patterns.”Combining with a sleep mask is probably not advisable.

Wake n’ Bacon (this is for my mom!!!)
There are entire cultures that discourage the eating of bacon, what with it being notoriously unclean. And frankly, leaving a piece of bacon next to a bed sounds more like a prank than an innovative alarm design. But designers Matty Sallin, Daniel Bartolini and Hsiao-huh Hsu may be on to something.Here’s how Wake n’ Bacon works: The frozen strip of bacon placed inside the Wake n’ Bacon starts cooking 10 minutes before the alarm goes off. Once it does, you’re welcomed into wakefulness by the smell of bacon fried by halogen lamp that you may, in theory, eat.

Bedol Water Alarm Clock
At first glance, Bedol Water Alarm Clock ($29) seems like that pretentious green thing one might causally brag about to one’s eco-poseur friends: “Yes, not only am I a Super Recycler, my alarm clock runs on the power of my good intentions!”Really, the Bedol Water Alarm Clock (it comes in regular clock form, too), runs on tap water. “No lemon or additives necessary,” the Bedol Web site quips. You may need to change the water every 12 to 16 weeks — it depends on the content of your water system, the site states. What’s more, a microchip retains the time if and when you do refill.And, the droplet-shaped time keeper will look awesome next to your homegrown mung beans!

BirdBox Alarm Clock
The free iPhone App , when paired with the $12 “BirdBox” by Luckybite, offers a sweet, gentle way to wake up — but only if you want a sweet adorable way to wake up. Just set up the App and place it in the BirdBox by your bed before you go to sleep. At the appointed time, chirping baby birds will appear in the circular BirdBox window to sing you awake like you’re Snow White or some crap.

Please note, the BirdBox Alarm Clock is not best for grumpy or difficult wakers. If you fall into this category, using the BirdBox Alarm Clock may result in a growing hatred of baby birds — or worse, your iPhone .