Little Doodles

.

See these little nuts:

Olivia Claire

(she's wearing her shirt Uncle "Charleston" bought her...she might need a new one after this ice cream cone!)

 Jackson Scott

 I have not seen these little doodles in several weeks and my heart is breaking. 

I miss them more then the grass misses the rain. 

Every time sister sends me a picture of them, it almost brings me to tears.  Why the heck do kids have to grow up so darn fast?

L.O.V.E.

No better job in the world then to be an AUNT!

3 YEARS

.

I got a phone call this morning....

"Charleston":    "Babe, we forgot!"

Immediately I started thinking...did I forget to put the lid on the crock-pot that I started this morning before leaving for work?; did I forget to lock the back door?.......

"Charleston" :  "Babe, we forgot our anniversary!" 

I'll be darn; sure enough...yesterday was our 3 year meet-a-versary! (I am a terrible girl in our relationship; shouldn't this be my job to remember?!)

From the first day we met, we were inseparable.  It didn't take the words, "will you be my girlfriend?" or "will you be my boyfriend?" to establish US.  From the moment we met, were were already US. 

Therefore, we always use the day we met as our anniversary....and that day was yesterday, September 19th, 3 years ago!

"Charleston", I love you with all my being and I CAN NOT WAIT to be your wife.  The past three years have been indescribable! 

You have my heart.

Blain

SCORE

.

Don't you just love it when you score a good deal?

I bought a maxi dress the other day on sale from Belk and thought while I was there I would find a cute belt to pair it with.  (I know it's becoming a little late in the year for maxi dresses but....HONEYMOON is on my mind! )

I was in the belt "department" of Belk and nothing was really standing out to me.  It all looked "old woman-ish" UNTIL I found this little tan number on a manikin.

I asked the lady if I could remove it to try it on and sure enough, perfect fit!  SWEET.

The tag was attached with a price of $55.00.  GULP...(Jesus, that's crazy.)

The sales associate informed me that it was on sale so I was hoping it would bring it down to maybe $30ish...its Michael Kors, I could swing that. 

She rang it up.....

...

...

...

...

$6.92!

Whoooooo hooooooo.

$6.92 for a Michael Kors belt originally priced at $55! 

Of course I asked if that was correct and she reassured me yes; it had gone on sale several weeks ago and they "sold out."  This one was forgotten on the manikin so it got marked down to one of their bottom line sale prices.

$ Pure heaven in my pocket $

(and around my waist!)

Part Of The Package

.

It's true.  When you marry him...you get them....

and I am not talking about his family (although true statement as well)

I am talking about his friends.

When "Charleston" and I finally got to the serious point in our relationship that I knew, even without a ring, that this was forever, I asked if we could stop using the phrases "your friends" or "my friends"; they are "our friends." 

Sure, these special people originated in one of our backgrounds but, from this point forward, they will be as important in both of our lives and I love them like they are my own.

"Charleston" has a solid group of guys that he grew up with and some he met in college.  Each guy is married and never in a million years could I have asked for a better group of "wives" to join. 

Each lady is unique in her own way and they are all absolute sweethearts.  They accepted me as who I am and welcomed me with open arms.  Some of the most memorable nights that "Charleston" and I have had were with these girlies and their husbands.  Best part is, majority of the time, we don't even hang out with the boys; girls rule boys drool.

 I couldn't ask for a better friend group to be marrying into!

L to R:  Mandy, Me, Melissa, Heather, Alicia

please don't make fun of my tan.  i over did it at the beach the day before!

Melissa, Heather and I out to dinner at Savor in Charlotte. The storm going on outside didn't put a damper on this night!

Marla, Melissa, Mandy, Heather and I

A little Halloween action in Raleigh at Carter's house.

Marla, Me, Mandy, Alicia, Heather, Melissa

Wine and Design

.

I am a little late on the post but a couple weeks ago Laura, Ashely and I had a girls night after work at Wine and Design. Our friend Marion was teaching one of her first classes solo so we had to go and support her! It was a 'freehand' night so we started with blank canvasas instead of a stenciled design so it wasn't my prettiest effort but it was a fun class and a FABULOUS way to drink a little wine and let my creative juices flow! Check out their schedule and try out one of Marion's other classes this month; she's awesome and a sweetheart!

Furniture Purchase

.

When we bought our house, I knew from the beginning we had a serious issue.....lack of furniture.  We only own one bed, one desk, one couch, and one coffee table.  Our new house has four bedrooms and two living rooms.  Therefore, our house is really empty but I promised myself I was not going to go out and purchase just any furniture to fill it up.  I was going to take my time and buy quality pieces that I really love.

Several months ago I saw a chair at Rooms To Go and since then I have not stopped thinking about it. Therefore, I decided yesterday that I had slept on it enough and I was ready to buy it.....So buy it I did!

I am so excited for it to come in and see what it looks like in the upstairs living room!

Meet my new chair! 

Wedding Details

.
The next thing on my Wedding-To-Do list was our CAKE.  I selected our baker mainly by referrals from friends in the Charlotte area but, also because I have seen her work over and over again on Charlotte wedding blogs and fell in LOVE with her modern style and design. 
Cake Lady Jill is awesome!  Not only is she amazing at what she does, she is the sweetest spunkiest little thing!  So much fun to work with!

"Charleston" and I had our tasting last Thursday night at her bakery in downtown Pineville.  It was super easy to narrow down what flavors we wanted the cake; both of our favorites matched up perfect!  With that part complete, we moved onto the more important (at least to me) detail.....the LOOK.
I did NOT want a traditional wedding cake.  I knew I needed to come prepared so I took with me a quick selection of examples of cakes I am attracted to.  This is what I showed Ms. Jill:

Loved the faded color palette and the ruffles on this one:

 Loved the gold accents:

 Loved EVERYTHING about this one except the flower details.  Loved the faded color and detail to every layer.

 Loved, Loved, Loved a gold cake; especially when it looks like a confetti finish!

 Loved the shape and different take on the lace effect.

 A bow...yes please!

 Quickly Jill started sketching and came up with a design that is right up our alley.  She said she would draw it up on the computer and send us over a picture.  I can't wait to see it!
Forward wedding progress....yay!



Kitchen Mantles

.
"Charleston" and I spent the long weekend at Lake Hartwell.  We stayed with some of our friends at their family vacation home on the lake and spent the entire weekend sipping cocktails and boating around...simply fabulous! 
Mason's mom subscribes to Veranda magazine so in between playing cards and cooking meals, I caught up on some interior design ideas.  That's when I realized my newest obsession....

Kitchen Mantles

I am in love! 
My kitchen right now is not laid out to handle a gorgeous mantle but....if we ever decide one day to do a kitchen overhaul, a mantle will be TOP on my list!

Oven Roasted Cauliflower

.
"Charleston" and I had a little discussion the other night about vegetables.  He is as much into healthy eating as I am which helps me out A LOT.  Like any guy, he has to have a meat with every meal but he is definitely not a meat and potato dude.  With his medial condition, salads are still very hard for him to digest so I am always searching for new ways to prepare healthy vegetables. 
I came home from the grocery store the other night with asparagus and okra.  I planned on grilling the okra and steaming the asparagus until he informed me that he "really doesn't like okra or asparagus; I was just eating it because that's all you every buy."  Well OK then..................
So tonight, I am onto trying something new. 
Enter....
Roasted Cauliflower
Think he will go for it?

via
I plan on using the following recipe from Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes

Oven Roasted Cauliflower

Ingredients:
6 cups uncooked cauliflower florets (about 1 large) cut small
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
kosher salt and fresh pepper
juice of 1/4 lemon
1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, freshly grated

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450°F.
Combine cauliflower, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper well so all the florets are coated and seasoned. Place in a large shallow roasting pan and place in the center of the oven.

Roast for about 25-35 minutes, turning florets occasionally so they are evenly cooked. Remove from oven and top with Parmigiano Reggiano and additional salt and pepper if needed.

Greek Orzo and Beef Casserole

.

Yes, in the past month I have completely fallen out of the blogging world but all for good reason!  I spent two weeks at the beach both with the Higgins family and then again with the Atkins Family.  I have also been working a lot longer days at work due to this little thing called a merger my company just completed with Progress Energy.  Therefore, free time...nope has not existed.  When I get home at night I try to stay away from all computers and simply focus on my Hunny, Friends, Cooking (and of course maybe a little reality TV)   :)

I have tried several new recipes in the past week. Some were hits and others were flops.  One of the hits was Greek Orzo and Beef Casserole.  I found the recipe in one of my Weight Watcher Recipe Books and even as weird as some of the spices sounded with beef and pasta, it was INCREDIBLE and EASY!  It also made for awesome leftovers for lunch the next day!

Greek Orzo and Beef Casserole

Level:  Basic

Prep:  20 min

Cook/Bake: 55 min

Serves:  6

INGREDIENTS

1 1/4 cups orzo

1 pound ground lean beef

1 red onion, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon dried mint

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 (14 1/2-ounce) can crushed tomatoes in puree

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup crumbled reduced fat feta cheese

3 tablespoons grated Romano Cheese (or parmesan) 

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.  Spray 8-inch square baking dish with nonstick spray.

2.  Cook orzo according to package directions.  Drain in colander.  Rinse under cold running water; drain again.  Transfer to large bowl.

3.  Meanwhile, spray large nonstick skillet with nonstick spray and set over medium-high heat.  Add beef and cook, breaking it apart with wooden spoon, until browned, about 5 minutes.  Drain if needed. Transfer to orzo in bowl.

4.  Spray skillet with nonstick spray.  Add onion, celery, garlic, mint, and oregano; cook stirring, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes.  Add tomatoes with puree, tomato paste, and cinnamon; reduce heat and simmer until mixture is thickened, about 8 minutes.  Stir in feta.  Stir into beef mixture.  Transfer beef mixture to prepared baking dish; sprinkle with Romano.  Bake until heated through, about 25 minutes.

Happy Day = Vacation Time

.
.
"Aunt Blain, I am ready for Vacation....Are You?!" - Jackson

I am headed out tomorrow for a week of vacation at Ocean Isle Beach with Sister and Sam, Mom and Dad and of course my little niece and nephew, Olivia and Jackson. 

I am beyond excited and can't wait to kick back, relax and play with these little doodles all week!

Bring on Vacation Time!

Mother Of The Bride Dress

See this little lady below:

That's my BEAUTIFUL MOMMA!

(my fingers are crossed I will look just like her in 23 years!)

This past weekend we decided to try and cross another item off our wedding list and that was her Mother Of The Bride Dress.  Originally I thought it would be OK if she picked out a short dress but I squashed that thought really fast.  I want her to be glamorous; stand out from the other guests.  She is a very important part of our wedding and I want her to feel that way.  I want her to be special.

  She tried on several gowns and of course they all looked amazing with her cute little figure but at the end of the day we found one that none of us could get over.  

She decided that the Adrianna Papell Crystal Broach Ruched Jersey Gown was going to be her MOB dress! 

Click the link above and check out a video clip of the model in the dress.  The back is stunning the way it frames your rump hump. The way it flows makes it red carpet elegant.

The color is called Eclipse which looks like a blue slate.  I am so excited!  It's going to look gorgeous with the champagne color bridesmaids dresses.

Mom, you will look stunning!

Engagement Pictures

Our Engagement Pictures are back and we could not be more happy!!!!

Honestly, I would be lying if I said I did not stress about getting these pictures taken.  For the life of me I could not figure out what to wear and "Charleston", being a boy, did not care.  I wanted these pictures to turn out looking like US.  

I finally narrowed it down to a couple pieces and after seeing the final results I think it worked out perfect.

When I say Cyn worked magic with these photos, it's really an understatement.  As I was sitting at Lindsey's house getting my hair and makeup done, it started to drizzle. (PS - Lindsey is the bomb!  I'm serious.  This girl did a transformation on my sad hair and face that no one else could tackle!) This drizzle was happening at the same time the air temp reached 98 degrees.  If you are from North Carolina you know what this feels like:   HOT, STICKY AND HUMID.

I don't think I have ever experienced such a miserable feeling.

But, can you tell in the pictures?  NOPE!  That's the magic that the fabulous Cyn has!!

All my thanks go to Cyn for these special memories.  You are the easiest and sweetest girl to work with and you truly captured what Matt and I share.  Words can't thank you enough. 

Check out her blog post here:  Blain + Matt

Cyn Kain Photography

Thank you Cyn and Lindsey....hurry up March 9th so we can do this all over again!

Check me out on facebook next week and I will have more posted there.  I might need your help in picking some to put up in our house!

Not A HOLIDAY/VACATION Week Here

So if you live in North Carolina (or South Carolina, Florida, Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana) and missed the memo...Duke Energy completed the merger with Progress Energy last Monday; for most of you this means Duke will now be your power company.  Therefore, that is exactly what I have been up to 24/7 for the last week.  Work, Work, Work.  I think I might have forgotten to breathe.  This just means my poor little blog got some neglect.  Actually, it wasn't just my blog....the neglect poured over into my friends, fiance, house, yard, kitchen, workouts etc... life has been pretty much on hold.

Therefore tonight, I decided to be a good little girl and have a hot meal on the table for "Charleston" when he got home from hanging out with the boys.  I tried something new and it turned out AMAZING therefore I just had to share with you....this is the easiest recipe and a total crowd pleaser.  I WILL make this the next time we have friends over.

Chicken Rollatini with Prosciutto and Cheese

by Gina's Skinny Recipes

Find the recipe here:  YUM YUM YUM

8 thin chicken cutlets, 3 oz each

4 (2.8 oz) slices thin lean prosciutto, sliced in half

4 slices Sargento reduced fat provolone or mozzarella, sliced in half

1/2 cup whole wheat Italian seasoned breadcrumbs

1/4 cup Romano cheese (or Parmesan)

1 lemon, juice of

1 tbsp olive oil

fresh pepper

1/4 red onion, sliced

olive oil non-stick spray

Wash

 and 

dry

 cutlets well with paper towels. 

Combine

 breadcrumbs and grated cheese in one bowl and olive oil, lemon juice, and pepper in another bowl.

Dip the chicken in the lemon-oil mixture, then in the breadcrumbs to coat well. Place each cutlet on a work surface such as a cutting board and lay 1/2 slice prosciutto, 1/2 slice cheese and a few chunks red onion on one side of the chicken cutlet.  


Preheat

 oven to 450°. Lightly

 spray

 a baking dish with non-stick spray.

Roll 

and 

place 

seam side down in a baking dish (no toothpicks needed). 

Repeat

 with the remaining chicken. When finished, 

top

 with remaining crumbs and spray lightly with oil.

Bake

 25 - 30 minutes. 

Serve 

immediately! 

VIA

Just try it!!!  You will love!!!

Happy Birthday To My Man!

.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY MAIN SQUEEZE!

"Charleston", you are the man of my dreams and today is YOUR day and you DESERVE every minute of it!

Can't wait to celebrate YOU all weekend!

(a little sneak peek from our engagement pics last Sunday night)

I love you from deep down in the bottom pit of my heart.

 XOXO

House Update...Not Much Of An Update

I have yet to post any interior pictures of our new house for one reason....

There is still nothing in it!

Unless you love the look of random furniture and blank walls I have nothing to share.

I am ready to get knee deep in decorating and buying "big girl" furniture but want to get through the first couple months to see what our monthly expenses are going to be with utilities etc.  That way I know what I have left over each month to play with and save with.

Our house has four bedrooms, one of which we will be using as an office.  It also has two "living room" spaces, both of which we are going to use as comfy casual "family space." (Comfy casual family space in my dictionary means it has to have a TV!) 

The furniture that was in our old living room at the apartment is now in the smaller of the two living rooms at the new house.  That particular space just needs a little decoration and we will be good to go!

With that I am left with three main spaces to decorate:

1.  larger living room

2.  office

3.  master bedroom

All of which need furniture!

(Now you see where the dollar signs are popping up!)

Scary.

So...we will take it nice and slow and improve as we feel ready to spend the money.

Therefore, I will leave you with several pictures of a masterpiece of a living room that I would LOVE to recreate in my house one day!

via Laura Casey Interiors here in Charlotte

Hair

When I book a hair appointment I always go in with a plan.

I have tried every hair color out there including an accidental purple so needless to say I am never scared to try something new.  The length has seen 4 inches and 14 inches (although not in a looonnnggg time) so the cut never scares me either.  Therefore I don't know why I try and come up with a plan of action before my appointments because the same thing happens every time......

Yesterday, my plan was a more natural color brown highlight and a shorter bob cut.

And....

.....

....

....

.....

.....

....

....

...

..

this is what I walked away with:

I am a light blonde.!

My "hair girl" did good; she talked me into it and I went with her.

(Now I need to get a little sun this weekend so I don't look so washed out!)

Happy Friday Friends!

(And of course I couldn't leave you all for an entire weekend without a picture of the cutest niece and nephew on the planet!)

Sister sent me these pics this morning as the kiddo's were watching cartoons on her bed!

Olivia Claire

Baby Jackson

Melt my heart

Where I Have Been

Just in case you have been missing me and wondering where I have been.....

I have been hanging out in Kernersville with my family playing with these two little nuts:

Yeap, that's a BABY!!!!

My nephew, Jackson Scott Howard was born last Wednesday, June 13th.

His formal introduction to come!

3-2-1 Cake

There is a new trend in my house every night....  Cook Dinner. Eat Dinner. Eat 3-2-1 Cake.
Yes, cake is being produced from my kitchen!
The baker in me is still trying to develop herself but this kind of cake requires no baking; just a microwave!

I learned of this recipe from my Weight Watchers leader here at work and then found it on the Ducan Hines Website here:  3-2-1 Cake  ( I make several adjustments to the recipe.  see below.)

It makes single servings which is perfect for portion control and it takes only minutes to whip up.

"Charleston" is in LOVE with the milk chocolate cake.  I used the Betty Crocker Milk Chocolate mix as well as Betty Crocker Angel Food Cake Mix.  I top his with Light Cool Whip and Chocolate Syrup. 

Although I too have truly enjoyed this particular combination, I am looking forward to the next batch because I plan on mixing a Chocolate Fudge Cake mix with the angel food cake; I want more of a rich chocolate taste!

3-2-1 Microwave Cake

Recipe Description
This is a very easy cake for 1 or 2 servings.  It's light and you can do different things to it.  Try fruit on top, whipped cream or topping.  Have a can of cream or frosting handy to use too.

Ingredients
- 1 box Angel Food Cake Mix
- 1 box any flavor regular Cake Mix
- 2 tablespoons water
- cooking spray

"Baking" Instructions
1.  Mix the 2 cake mixes together in a gallon zip-lock bag.
2. Spray microwave safe bowl with cooking spray
3.  To make the cake:  take 1/3 cup of the cake mix; mix this with 2 tablespoons water; mix together and micro-wave for 1 minute.  Let rest for 5 - 10 minutes and serve with toppings.
4. Fruit, whipped cream or topping. 
5.  Red Velvet, Chocolate, Spice, Banana, Strawberry, Lemon etc use your imagination on the mixes.

You can slide it out of the bowl and serve pretty on a plate like this:

but at my house, we don't have time for that step...we eat right out of the bowl!

image via

Samantha and Kevin's Wedding

.

This past Friday, I took a half day at work (which gets me out of the office at 10ish!  There are some perks to going in at 5:30!) and headed to Kingsport, TN with "Charleston" for his cousin Samantha's wedding.  One word to describe the weekend:  BEAUTIFUL

The weather was BEAUTIFUL, The Oaks Castle where they got married was BEAUTIFUL and Samantha was a BEAUTIFUL bride!

Evidence:

Samantha and Kevin are two of the sweetest people placed on this planet and I envy them more then anything on how laid back both of their personalities are.  When the bride and groom are calm and always collected, it makes for the most relaxing weekend and atmosphere.

They did the best job of keeping a guest list of 200 feeling like a small intimate wedding.  I would also take a stab at saying that 150 of those guests were family which made this day even more special.

Samantha is "Charleston's" cousin on his mom's side of the family so I think the highlight for me was meeting EVERY single family member related to Barbara.  They live all over the U.S. so in the three years "Charleston" and I have been dating we have not had the opportunity to see them all. Now I do not have to meet them for the first time on our wedding day which was icing on the cake. 

I know I have said it a million times but I do not think I could be more blessed to be marrying into one of the most amazing families I could have ever asked for.

"Sorry bud, you picked me!"

Congratulations to MR. and MRS.  KEVIN PITTMAN!

Samantha and Kevin, we love you both and hope you have the most amazing honeymoon in Mexico! (and thanks for making "Charleston" an usher so that he could wear a bow-tie for the first time....I think he looks like a stud!)