Olivia's Second Birthday

This past weekend Olivia turned 2!

It is absolutely crazy how fast time goes by and it makes me never want to miss one special day in this little girls life.  She truly has me wrapped around her little finger and when she looks at me with those eyes and says "Aunt Blain....".   I don't care what follows those sweet little high pitched words, I am going to do it or give it to her.  

I went home on Sunday to have lunch at my Grandmother's house for Livi's birthday with my family and then spent the afternoon with Sister helping get Livi's 'Dora the Explorer' party ready at the playground at our Church.

The child is OBSESSED with Dora and there was Dora EVERYTHING!  Sister even catered her party with taco's and chips and salsa to stick to the Dora theme ;)

I feel so blessed and privileged to be Olivia's aunt and I can't wait to continue to watch her grow up.

Grandma, Aunt Lori and Olivia blowing out the candles on her birthday cake

This little girl has a personality bigger then my sister and Sam are ever going to be able to handle :)

I can't wait until she is 16! Ha 

Olivia and I reading books together.  She is a little bookworm

One little monkey jumping on Grandma's bed

and we are still reading books.....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY OLIVIA CLAIRE HOWARD!

YOU LITTLE DIVA IN THE MAKING!

AUNT BLAIN LOVES YOU PIECES!  You will always be my little peanut.

Installing A Husband

My future mother-in-law sent me this the other day.  I thought it was cute and share-worthy material!  Thanks Barb!

INSTALLING A HUSBAND

Dear Tech Support,

Last year I upgraded from Boyfriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0 and noticed a distinct slow down in overall system performance, particularly in the flower and jewelry applications, which operated flawlessly under Boyfriend 5.0...

In addition, Husband 1.0 uninstalled many other valuable programs, such as Romance 9.5 and Personal Attention 6.5, and then installed undesirable programs such as NBA 5.0, NFL 3.0 and Golf Clubs 4.1.

Conversation 8.0 no longer runs, and Housecleaning 2.6 simply crashes the system.

Please note that I have tried running Nagging 5.3 to fix these problems, but to no avail.

What can I do?

Signed,

Desperate!!!

DEAR DESPERATE!!!,

First, keep in mind, Boyfriend 5.0 is an Entertainment Package, while Husband 1.0 is an operating system.

Please enter command:ithoughtyoulovedme.html, try to download Tears 6.2, and do not forget to install the Guilt 3.0 update. If those applications work as designed, Husband 1.0 should then automatically run the applications Jewelry 2.0 and Flowers 3.5.

However, remember, overuse of the above application can cause Husband 1.0 to default to Grumpy Silence 2.5, Happy Hour 7.0, or Beer 6.1. Please note Beer 6.1 is a very bad program that will download the Farting and Snoring Loudly Beta.

Whatever you do, DO NOT under any circumstances install Mother-In-Law 1.0 (it runs a virus in the background that will eventually seize control of all your system resources.)

In addition, please do not attempt to reinstall the Boyfriend 5.0 -program. This is an unsupported application and will crash Husband 1.0!!!

In summary, Husband 1.0 is a great program, but it does have limited memory and cannot learn new applications quickly... You might consider buying additional software to improve memory and performance. We recommend Cooking 3.0 and Hot Lingerie 7.7.

Good Luck!

Tech Support

Entryway "Redo"

I saw these photos of an entryway "redo" on Young House Love and fell in love with the concept.  Right now we have a mud room off the driveway that has a long large closet covering one wall.  I would LOVE to take down the doors and convert it to a wall like this one with some sort of cubbie/bench at the bottom for added storage space.

I am obsessed with the mini mantle!

Oh the possibilities!  Isn't that the fun part of buying a house...making it your own?  Now if only I had a money tree ;)
Happy Friday Friends!

Floral Prints

"Charleston" and I are getting our engagement pictures taken at the end of June by the fabulous Cyn Kain and I have been brainstorming several looks for the pictures.  Because it is in the heat of the summer I originally thought I would go for some sort of dress but... the more I think about it.... if we are walking around downtown Charlotte or another urban area, I might want to go with a floral short and light weight jacket; I LOVE this look!

Peachy : :  Floral & Gold details

Happy Thursday Friends!

Dinnerware Decisions

I feel totally overwhelmed when it comes to thinking about the wedding; probably because it has been on the back burner for several months since we started house hunting. I make lists in my head everyday about things I want/need to do but have yet to get anything checked off:

Flowers
Cake
Bridesmaids Dresses
Wedding website
Registry
Save-the-dates
Invitations
Guest book
Transportation

(OK my heart is beating fast again just thinking about it)

In the meantime I have started to think about where “Charleston” and I should register and what kind of everyday dishes would work for us. I am trying to convince him to go with me this weekend to get the ball rolling…

There are so many choices but since I get my grandmothers china I want to stick to just registering for casual dinnerware. Right now I am leaning towards Pottery Barn’s Cambria Dinnerware in Stone. I need to call my BFF Leslie who is the Pottery Barn connoisseur and get her opinion because my only concern with going for Pottery Barn dishes is, if one breaks, will I be able to find this pattern in 10 years compared to going for something more common like a Lennox pattern from Belk?  Also, how often does Pottery Barn change their patterns?  Will this still be available up until the wedding date next March?

Anyone have any advice?

Cambria Dinnerware - Stone

Our Petting Zoo

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One of the reasons we fell in love with our house was the private backyard.  The house backs up to a huge natural area owned by the city.  During one of our tours of the house "Charleston" saw a deer walk through the backyard and I think from that point on he was sold.  At the closing the sellers mentioned the amount of wildlife that we will see in the area but we honestly never expected that we would actually have this:

It doesn't matter what time of day it is or how loud we are on the patio, they are out there just playing around; not scared of a thing.  I told "Charleston" that by the end of the month I will have them named and eating out of my hand :)  

Welcome to the Higgins/Atkins petting zoo!

Friday's Playlist

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Good grief, is anyone else as excited as I am for it to be a Friday?
I still have a house full of boxes that are screaming my name to make them disappear.... but... I just keep telling myself that its a process and I will approach it one day at a time!  So we will begin tomorrow :)

To keep my mind off of all I need to accomplish I have made a new playlist that has jump started my good mood for a beautiful weekend in the Queen City!

River City Lights - Griffin House
Good Life - One Republic
What I Wouldn't Do - A Fine Factory
Stole My Heart - Little and Ashley
First Day of My Life - Bright Eyes
Ooh La La - Faces
Say - John Mayer
Song For No One - Mike Snow
The Middle of the Road - Jonathan Rice
Island In The Sun - Weezer
5 Years Time - Noah & The Whale
Beautiful Day - U2
Angel Dream No.2 - Tom Petty
Secrets - One Republic
Farther Along - Josh Garrels
Springsteen - Eric Church
Just Say Yes - Snow Patrol
Washed Away - Joe Purdy
Say Hey (I love you) - Michael Franti & Spearhead
For What It's Worth - Buffalo Springfield
This Years Love - David Grey
Here We Are - Patrick Park
Tongue Tied - Grouplove
Oxford Comma - Vampire Weekend
After All - Sondre Lerche
Queen Bee - Neil Halstead
Come on Eileen - Dexys Midnight Runners


Ta-Ta for now friends!

Not A Baker

I am not a baker.  I do not have the patience to bake.  I hate to measure and I hate to have to bake something to just the right minute and second for it to turn out perfect; too much effort for me.  (I am a burner in the kitchen.  I get distracted watching TV while my recipe is baking and usually end up making some form of a charcoal concoction!).  Therefore, I always find myself in a pickle when a friend asks me to "bring the desert."  Too many times I have showed up with an add-egg-water-and-oil pouch made cookie.  Therefore, I was out searching for something different to take to a gathering this week and I stumbled upon what I believe to be a new solution....

Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries via The Sweets Life

How amazing do those look; my mouth is watering right now!  They also seem so simple that my fingers are crossed I can pull them off.  I am thinking I could either serve them just like this or...... how amazing would they be along side a scoop of homemade ice cream?!  YUM!

Recipe:

Ingredients:

-1 lb large strawberries
-8 oz. cream cheese, softened (can use 1/3 less fat)
-3-4 tbsp powdered sugar (4 tbsp for a sweeter filling)
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-graham cracker crumbs

Directions:
1. Rinse strawberries and cut around the top of the strawberry. Remove the top and clean out with a paring knife, if necessary (some may already be hollow inside). Prep all strawberries and set aside.

2. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla until creamy. Add cream cheese mix to a piping bag or Ziploc with the corner snipped off. Fill strawberries with cheesecake mixture. Once strawberries are filled, dip the top in graham cracker crumbs. If not serving immediately, refrigerate until serving.

Done Deal

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It's a done deal...we are officially homeowners!

We closed on the house yesterday morning at 10:00 and by 11:30 had the keys in our hands.

"Charleston's" mom did a little snooping/gossiping with some friends at church, who also live in our neighborhood, and found out that our house is the "Robinson house" to most of the older couples that have lived in the hood 15+ years.  The Robinson family owned the house for 30+ years before selling it in 2006 to the couple we bought it from. 

The sellers that we purchased the home from did not use the home as their primary residence but put their elder mother up in it when she moved to Charlotte.  Therefore the house has been very "easily" lived in and has been kept in great condition for a home built in 1968. 

When we arrived for the walk-through before the closing, the house had been cleaned from top to bottom and every original owners manual, to every single kitchen appliance, fan, outdoor lighting, etc. was laid out neatly on the counter.  From that point on I knew we were purchasing a home from my kind of people...neat and organized!!  LOVE IT!

We spent the most part of yesterday moving over little things and meeting the neighbors.  So far our neighbors seem fantastic.  The Bailey's beside us have lived in their house since 1975 and they have a daughter that was actually a teacher in Kernersville; my hometown! It's a small world!  I was a little intimidated that these "older" individuals would not like some young bucks moving up in their hood but I was totally wrong!  Each left us with a "Well come on over if you need anything!"

Let the weekend begin!

Bring On The Fun And Memories

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The last five months have truly been a whirlwind. I got engaged, started planning a wedding, went through some serious health issues with “Charleston”, started house hunting, stopped house hunting, closing on THE house tomorrow, and officially moving in next Tuesday. OK, breather.

All the dreams I have thought about for so long are playing out right in front of my eyes and I wouldn’t have pictured it any other way. Pinch me right now so that I know this is real.

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t slightly overwhelmed as well but… the one thing that is keeping me grounded is knowing that once we get into our house, we are set, establishing roots for the years to come; a place to start our marriage and life together. I can’t wait for that feeling of knowing that when I walk in our front door, I am HOME. I am looking forward to slowly unpacking and putting things just right where I want them.

For the past couple years I have held off on buying ‘real’ furniture because I knew one day I would be buying a house. Now I am ready to buy furniture to fit our HOME. Even with that being said, taking advice from Alex Berlin of Things That Sparkle, “Invest in pieces you love slowly, rather than filling it with things you just like quickly.” I am looking forward to enjoying this new adventure as a slow process. Alex and her husband took two years to pick out the perfect couch - talk about patience!

“Charleston” and I are going from a 1,000 square foot apartment to a 2,400 square foot HOME so, you can only imagine how much empty space we will have but, that’s what I am excited about; SLOWLY building each room to fit our taste, wants and needs! And obviously there is a $$$ factor in there as well! Design each room as the funds come along. Therefore, over the next couple years, I can’t wait to show you the projects and progress we make in our HOME as an engaged and married couple!

Bring on the fun and memories that are ahead!

Weekend Recap in Kernersville

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"Charleston" and I headed to Kernersville this weekend to hang out with my family.  On Saturday morning I attended a mother-daughter brunch at my church with my mom, sis, neice, grandmother, aunt, and two cousins while dad and "Charleston" went turkey hunting (boys-will-be-boys).  As cheesy as the brunch was at times, it was also the most amazing feeling to look around the table and see how lucky I am to have such beautiful and strong women as my role models. 

The rest of the weekend included a surprise birthday party with friends, church on Sunday and a baby shower for Sister on Sunday afternoon.  It really has not hit me yet that we are going to have another baby in the family in just a month, especially a little boy which Blair and Sam have named Jackson!

After seeing all the cute little boy clothes, I am so ready to hug, squeeze and kiss on my little nephew!

But until then I will continue to spoil this little peanut who is getting cuter and cuter by the minute:

Olivia on Saturday morning, bed-head-and-all, enjoying cartoons and Apple Jacks

The bed head was fixed but cartoons and breakfast were still not over...

Aunt Blain loves you Olivia Claire!

Happy Monday Friends!

Black Bean Brownies and New WW Round!

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On Wednesday I started a new "round" of Weight Watchers here at work which means I just completed my last round like a champ!  I am proud to announce that in this past session I lost a total of 14.5 lbs!

I can say that my eating habits have done a complete 180 and I have a much better appreciation for food.  I can also say that with the change in my eating habits, my wallet has also gotten a little fatter.  When you start to cut down on your portions, especially if they were as out of control as mine were, your food goes a lot further!

I am excited to start again, especially since a couple more people from my little office have decided to join me :)   Motivation from co-workers really helps since I do eat breakfast and lunch with them five days a week!

Along with learning better eating habits I also experimented with many new recipes, one being:

Black Bean Brownies

via

I know it sounds super gross but I promise you that they are way better then the name hints; the beans give it more of a dark chocolate taste.  The beneit of adding the beans is that you do not have to add eggs or vegetable oil.  They add a "bulkiness" to the brownie making it a lot more filling.  This chocolate treat then becomes a good source of fiber and protein!  Many of the women in my class said they do this to sneak in a little extra nutrition for their kiddos.

Try them!

Black Bean Brownies

15 oz can black beans

19.5 oz box chocolate brownie mix

Open can of beans, drain and rinse well (I use my colander). Put beans back in the can and fill can with water. Put beans and water in blender until smooth. Mix pureed beans with brownie package mix. DO NOT add eggs or oil. Spray baking dish with Pam. Cook brownies according to package directions. Cool and serve.

Please Purchase And Share :)

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My shopping days have been put on hold for awhile until this little house buying process is over and I am back to having a stable budget each month but until then....will one of you bestest friends buy this and share?!  PA-LEASE?!

I am in love....

...with it all- every piece- bracelets, necklace, bag, sunglasses, even hair color!