Its Friday!
THANK GOODNESS

I didn't have time to post yesterday (CRAZY DAY)

Off to take round 2 of engagement pics (if Jeremy will ever get ready)

Long week....

Ready for a massive glass of wine when I get home tonight
I need more hours in a day
Or maybe just one stress-free day
Am I the only one feeling overwhelmed these days?
Did I mention I need wine?

 

Love to all

Miss Southern BUSY!!!

Recipe Wednesday

Happy Wednesday Everyone! Thank goodness we are halfway through this week! It's been a LONG one thus far! So for some reason I have had food on the mind today so I thought I would do a recipe Wednesday! I have decided that when Jeremy and I get married once a week each of us are going to fix a new dish/ dessert or something! Just to keep things new and fun! Why each of us you say?? Jeremy actually really enjoys cooking and isn't too bad either! We have very different cooking styles- he cooks for consumption and just to make a meal, I cook for flavor and seasonings and a "cute" meal! So anyways- I have been dying for a chocolate pie lately- so I am going to try this one this Friday once Jerm gets into town! Here goes

Chocolate Angel Pie

Ingredients:

4 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

2-1/2 cups half-and-half, light cream, or whole milk

3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

2-1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 cup sugar

Baked 9-inch pastry shell

Cooking Instructions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Separate egg yolks from whites; set whites aside for meringue. Place yolks in a small bowl; set aside.

For filling, in a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup sugar and cornstarch. Gradually stir in half-and-half and chocolate. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly; reduce heat. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Gradually stir about 1 cup of the hot mixture into yolks. Add egg yolk mixture to hot mixture in saucepan.

Bring to a gentle boil; reduce heat. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Remove from heat. Stir in butter and 1-1/2 teaspoons of the vanilla. Cover and keep filling warm.

For meringue, in a large mixing bowl, combine egg whites, remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla, and cream of tartar. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed about 1 minute or until soft peaks form (tips curl). Gradually add 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high speed for five minutes more or until mixture forms stiff, glossy peaks (tips stand straight) and sugar dissolves.

Pour warm filling into baked pastry shell. Spread meringue over warm filling; seal to edge. Bake for 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour. Chill for 3 to 6 hours before serving; cover for longer storage.

Final result you ask: (well I will upload mine once it is complete but this is the optimal outcome)

 

Blueberry-Lemon Crumb Bars
CRUST:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons white sugar

2 teaspoons lemon zest

1 pinch salt

1/2 cup butter, chilled and diced

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

FILLING:

2 cups fresh blueberries

1/4 cup white sugar

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

CRUMB TOPPING:

5 tablespoons butter, softened

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup confectioners' sugar for dusting

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.

2.Start by making the crust. In a medium bowl, stir together the 2 cups flour, 2 tablespoons white sugar, lemon zest and salt. Cut in the 1/2 cup butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Beat egg and vanilla together; stir into the crumb mixture until a dough forms. Press into the bottom of the prepared pan.

3.Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden. Remove from oven and set aside to cool slightly.

4.Sprinkle blueberries over the crust. Combine the 1/4 cup sugar and nutmeg; sprinkle over the blueberries. Make the topping: In a medium bowl, cream together the 5 tablespoons butter and brown sugar until smooth. Mix in the flour, so that the mixture is crumbly like streusel. Sprinkle over the blueberry layer.

5.Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until browned. Cool and then dust with confectioners' sugar before cutting into bars.

Happy Wednesday! Tomorrow is Wedding Thursday! From rehearsal dinner dress to bridal shower locations to engagement pictures! Ohh how I love weddings

 

Top Two Tuesday- Favorite Dates

Soo I just love all the themed blogs each day and slowly but surely I am beginning to get some form to my blog! But I thought this one was just too cute to pass up~! It came from:

http://benandtay.blogspot.com/

This is the cutest blog with the best ideas and I will probably be boring a lot more often! Ok well on to my top two- and neither qualify as an actual date but close enough!

Jeremy and I hadn't been dating that long when fall break came around my senior year in college. I had been dying to go on a vacation-if you ask Jeremy this occurs about every other month! So anyways we decided that we were going to go to Gatlinburg and stay in a cabin. I have always said this is what really MADE our relationship and sealed the deal for me! We had this wonderful cabin all to ourselves! It was called Sundancer! We went up on a Thursday and came back on a Monday and spent the whole weekend watching college football (our favorite), grilling out, dancing around the cabin, relaxing on the deck, playing pool, darts, hot tub with endless conversations, grilling out and just relaxing. I can say to this day it was one of the best vacations I've ever been on- the first "adult" non parent vacation (besides the girls trips)! It was such a simplistic, real, wonderful trip! I felt like such an adult for the 1st time in my life and clearly remembering looking at Jeremy going- YEA he could just be Mr. Perfect! And yes- I have torn apart my computer looking for pictures and cannot find any! Frustrating! So this is all I got:

Our huge deck outside! So peaceful

The porch with the Hot tub off the master! In Love!!

www.cabinsforyou.com

One of my other most memorable nights was last summer- Jeremy was insisting on taking me to the drive in movies! Of course being the girl I am I was worried about the bugs, being comfortable and what kind of atmosphere this was going to be! So Jeremy went completely out of his way to make it perfect. He brought a futon mattress pillows blankets (I'm always cold) wine food the works to make it perfect for me! Here is the set up:

Jerm with his masterpiece in the back of his truck that I am sometimes not very nice about :)

HORRIBLE and I quote HORRIBLE picture of me- this was after I started my medicine (whole other blog post and had gain a LOT of weight) But beautiful background, beautiful man!

But now on to the best part of the night- so Jeremy and I get all cozy and ready for the movie- I think we made it through maybe the previews? Not exactly sure but well we fell asleep. And not only did we fall asleep for a 1 movie but we woke up at the credits at the end of the SECOND MOVIE! Yes! We slept through both movies at the drive in! We still to this day laugh about this! It was such a sweet thing that Jerm had put together and well.... maybe one day we will try to go again and stay awake!

So there are my top 2's! Maybe only excited and cute to me but it certainly has shaped Jeremy and I in our relationship with each other and I am so blessed for everyday we have together (few and far between with him away)! Even the nights on the couch with wine and a fire in the fireplace can be the best nights ever! Its the simple things in life!

Happy Tuesday!

My Favorites Monday

Happy Monday everyone- its almost over! Thankfully! Let me just start with this lovely story before I get into my blog for the day- So last night when I got home from being gone all weekend I noticed that the air seemed to be constantly running. I thought maybe it was just from it being so hott outside! So I go to bed, and at 11:15 last night get a wake up call stating that the house smells like smoke! AWESOME! Soo long story short here was the deal- the air conditioning froze up, starting dripping water, which dripped on the thermostat of the hot water heater which then CAUGHT ON FIRE! Yes I kid you not....FIRE filled with big smoke fire! Thank goodness the breaker flipped and calmed everything down! I think maybe if I hadn't been sound asleep and aware of my surroundings I would have been more flipped out but it was not until this morning that I had the OHHH MY GOSH moment! And the reassuring part of this all.... the apartment management says well at least you have renters insurance! OK that's besides the point- I don't want my stuff to burn to the ground! I have some really cute clothes I like!! OK onto my positiveness Monday of a blog.....

My Favorites:

My Sweet Fiance Jeremy- he is so wonderful to me and really does take care of me! I'm very blessed

My wonderful, perfect, amazing daddy! Anyone that 1/2 way knows me knows my daddy is my best friend and my rock. He has been such a HUGE part of my life and I am so blessed to have him as daddy!

My Babies! The most perfect creatures in the whole wide world! They make me so calm and happy and relaxed! Perfection!

My Friends are amazing! I have the best friends you could ever ask for! They have always supported me through everything and anything!

Wine!! I love my wine! And I know this sounds bad but I really enjoy a good glass of wine at dinner or in the evenings after work! It's just one of those things that makes me happy!! No need to justify further :)

My Family is my rock! They are the most amazing people! They keep me grounded and humble at all times and I have learned so much from them that has made me who I am (many of family is missing from these pictures-Sorry!)

Most importantly MY GOD! He is a wonderful God! An almighty God! A forgiving God and a rightous God! He is my Savior and my Redeemer! My Redeemer Lives! Happy Monday everyone! God Bless

Sunday Recap

Can you believe it is Sunday already and the weekend is already over?! It always just flies by and still always come up lacking rest, relaxation or motivation for another work week! On a side note of that- it is MAY 23rd! Which also means I am less that 3 months away from my wedding! AHHHHHHH! Where the past few months have been somewhat the calm before the storm I am slowly feeling the storm approaching! Wedding invitations are about to be in and will have to be assembled, Tux's ordered, Gifts ordered, music selected ( I could go on and on and on) So I am going to apologize in advance for any rambling, crazy, psycho blogs in the next 90 days!

So this weekend was fun but very busy- and as Sunday evening is here I am exhausted. Friday night we were in Jackson and hung out with Lauren and her husband Brett! Jeremy and I have decided there are few "couple friends" that we really enjoy and have the same interest as us- Lauren and Brett are perfect! Brett and Jeremy will talk sports and drink beer and Lauren and I will sip our wine, gossip and talk about the wonderful joys of the men in our lives! As you get older you really start to appreciate your friends and getting to hang out together!

Saturday we went to Savannah for Jeremy's brother's High School graduation! I will not get into details for the sake of trying to be nice- but lets just say interestingly OH MY GOSH is an understatement! However we did register at some of the local shops in town and I picked out some china! The funny part about this is I SWORE I was not going to do china but well its sooo pretty and they had coordinating Christmas china which I fell in LOVE with! I am obsessed with anything Christmas related! It just makes me happy! It's called Lenox Opal Innocence

It is just so simple and elegant. Its hard to see from these pictures but the outside is this really pretty pattern with pearls on it! And I figured i might as well get the nice matching silverware to match too! So YES I gave in to the china idea however I did come up with this on my drive home- NOW I will have to buy a cute little china cabinet to hold all of this! (OK think modern here- not the old massive one's that completely stand out in the dining room because it goes with NOTHING else in the whole house) Something like this:

OR....

MY FAVORITE! It creates such a statement!!

OK so now that I have excited you with my china and china cabinet plans I will quit for now! Happy Sunday! Tomorrow is quite exciting however- Dancing with the Stars Finale AND The Bachelorette premier!! AHHH

Better is One Day in Your Presence

Well it’s Thursday!! Almost the weekend! And what a deserving weekend it will be! This week at work has been just about CRAZY but like I try to remind myself….Job Security!! I have the most amazing people that I work with so it really does help some days! Well today I bought Jeremy’s wedding band- eeeeeeekkkk!!! So freaking excited! It is tungsten and silver with diamonds in the middle (don’t worry Jeremy actually picked it out) I just wasn’t ready for that kind of stress trying to pick out something he would like! Guys are so weird about jewelry anyways!

Well on my blogging thoughts for the day- as our wedding day quickly approaches so does the new house and finally having “our” place! Yes- I think of any and everything from where the Christmas tree is going to go- Right Here:

Our "sitting room"/ entry of the house- that is a big bay window in the front
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
And then I start thinking about arrangements of living room furniture, what color I want to paint the master bedroom, the landscaping outside, my new HUGE back deck with a firepit (well I registered for a firepit so we will see) and the list just goes on and on! Oh how a new house is so exciting! Especially when you have lived apart from each other the past year! I quite frequently text Jeremy and say ohh we can put Christmas lights up here or this would be perfect for our fall decorations or even making trips to Lowes to pick out paint colors! Yea so I'm excited!! I just can't help it! Ok so below are some pictures and some thoughts! Let me know what you think ( all 3 of you that read this that is)!!
 
 

 

Our Entry way! I just love the wooden glass door! Feels so homey!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

My sweet little kitchen! WITH stainless steel i must add!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Love This bedroom (no its not mine) but I love the warm and coxy feel! One day :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the color I am thinking for the walls in our master bedroom! I have been obsesses this color forever! It just feels so warm, homey and romantic! Yes- I think this is the winner!

OK I am done blabbing for now! It is mine all mine in less than 3 whole months!!  Happy Thursday everyone!!

Matthew 25:31

When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory

Ephesians 2:8

For it is by Grace you have been saved, through faith- and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God!

Weekend Wednesday

So I thought today would be an awesome day to talk about the upcoming weekend and reflect on this week thus far.... So hear goes!! I finally get to see my Jerm this weekend after 2 long weeks apart! We've been doing this for a long time now and it just never gets easier! No this is not a sappy blog but just sayin'... ready to see the soon to be hubby! We are headed to Jackson on Friday to go to a wine benefit with Lauren and Brett and then to Savannah Saturday for Jeremy's little brother's high school graduation AND AND AND to see my babies! My little girls, my heart, my love, my angels!!

The one on the left is Bailee. She came with Jeremy and I kind of adopted her. She is a lab pitt mix! Bailee and I have a love hate relationship. She is my sweet little mutt at times with the biggest tongue for kisses but then can be the biggest stubborn thing in the world. You tell her to do one thing and she will COMPLETELY do the opposite! But you gotta love her. The other one is my pride and joy. The love of my life- my Cogol! Yes that's right- she is an AKC registered Mutt that I just so happen to find and fall in love with. She is 1/2 Golden Retriever and 1/2 Spaniel of some sort. I adopted her in July 2007. Her name is Grace. And quite appropriately- she is and has been my saving Grace. I know that may sound silly but she has gotten me through the good times and bad, ups and downs. She has seen it all from me and at times has been the only happiness in my life. Yes- you say she is "just" a dog but if you ever have a love like this you will understand. She is wonderful. OK I will stop now because I could go on forever!

OK well now that I am done talking on and on about my babies I'll just say happy Wednesday and leave you with this wonderful verse. And remember- through it all God prevails! Put your heart in his hands, put your life in his hands, put your marriage, your friends, your family and friends in his hands and you will always win. You cannot lose with an Almighty God!

Philippians 4:12-13 (New International Version)

12I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

Southern Living Tuesday

So as Tuesday has come and gone it's been just another day, another experience and another day closer to.... well I'm not sure. Just another day I guess! Yes, the wedding is coming up and the new house and finally living together and getting our puppies back but that still seems so far away. Sometimes I think we are all just robots going through the daily in and outs, highs and lows. The highlight of my day you ask? Coming home, putting on my trusty sweatpants, pouring my glass of wine and laying on my bed relaxing. Tonight it consist of starting to knock out my magazine list- currently its the May issue of Southern Living!

Southern Living is just the happy feel good magazine. Everything is so pretty, yummy, creative and perfect! My ultimate southern life dream actually! Well tomorrow is ordinary Wednesday, then Flag Football Thursday then Wine Event in Jackson Friday and see my Jeremy and then off to Savannah Saturday to see my puppies!!  I will try to be more peppy tomorrow I promise! Maybe its just late and I'm sleepy! Well back to Dancing with the Stars results show! All i know is that I DONT want Nicole and Derek to win- she was already a professional dancer! That is NOT what this show is about! It's not even fair!! GRRRR!

Happy Tuesday Everyone!

James 1: 2-4

2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

Yes it really is 9:30 at night....

And i'm staying up just to write my blog! Why you ask? Because I am dedicated to make this blog work and maybe one day grow it into something big! Today was the typical Monday no Funday at all! Mondays are just meant to lay in the wed and relax after all your weekend plans. Not going to work and dealing with BS... like I tellmy parents and Jeremy constantly.....there are some people in this world meant to work- I just happen to NOT be one of them! Why you ask.... See image 1 below:

I have 6 very important magazines that are BEGGING for my attention and I fully need at least 3 to 4 days to relax and read them all cover to cover. Ripping out pages, getting ideas, and maybe even sharing some of them with you! And I can't do that WHY- because TSC NEEDS me! They just couldn't do it without me and I am a key part of our daily success (ok maybe a tad bit sarcastic). So with no meaning or point to this blog I'll end with this- thank goodness its almost Memorial Day weekend so I can catch up on my Glamour/Southern Living/ Better Homes and Gardens/ Bridal/ ASPCA/William Sonoma magazines. Ahh bring it on Tuesday....I'm ready for you!

A whole new level of confidence....

So as I sit here and watch Miss USA and drink my Sunday evening glass of wine its just such a motivator to watch these women who are 5'10 and weigh all of 110 pounds and probably have not eaten in DAYS! Hmm maybe if someone paid me to look beautiful and work out and not eat... ooohh and it doesn't help that they are all 6 feet tall! If I had 6 feet instead of 5"4 to distribute my weight I just might be that skinny too! OK I am done now! I just needed to speak my peace. But i must say that i am completely obsessed with Miss USA! My favorites this year were Miss Alabama, Miss Tennessee and Miss Kansas

Miss Kansas

Miss Alabama

Miss Tennessee

OK so yes- these girls are beautiful. However,  I just really enjoy my wine and food and as much as i wish i could be this skinny- lets just be realistic! They are on TV for a reason!! Hmm whats for dinner tonight...

Happy Sunday everyone!! Tomorrow I promise starts my blog creativity and structure!