Tile, tile, and more, well, tile....

So we looked at tile.  And tile.  And some more tile.  We bought samples.  And then more samples.  We did research and went to two different stores.  There may have to be a third.  Because now, we are at a standstill because hubs likes one tile, and I like another.  And normally, I would say that I would end up winning but I'm not so sure about this one.  We may have to convince each other and come to, dare I say it, a compromise.  I meant to have pictures to go with this nice discussion so I could get all, well three of you that read this, to way in, but I don't.  They are on the other one's phone.  But I will post some from the web.  I'm not sure if they are exactly the same but close (the third one is definitely one of the options).

(1)(2)(3)  (4)

And the upgrades begin....

Hubs and I decided to redo our bathroom.  There is nothing wrong with it now, we just thought it could use some changes.  I think it all stemmed from the lavender walls and weirdly placed pink tiles.  So you will be able to see step-by-step the changes we make.  From the paint selections to the tile selections to even what to do about the cabinets.  It will be fun.  You will enjoy.  There will be pictures, and sweat, and probably a lot of cursing.  We are hopeful though that it will be accomplished by Christmas.  Which is giving us a month after the real date we want it done, Thanksgiving.  I will whine and complain, and probably yell and bargain.  I don't like remodeling.  I like the final product and deciding what gets done.  Not the in between.  Especially painting.  I make hubs buy me Chinese food when he makes me paint.  I'm pretty cheap labor so he shouldn't complain.  So please enjoy this journey we are embarking on.  And keep any negativity to yourself.  Here is the before picture (this is from before we even bought the place):

Wedding Dress: Do's, Don't's, Definitely Don't Even Think About It's

So I recently had a coworker ask about wedding dress shopping.  She asked if I had any suggestions. Man oh man, I have tons of suggestions, mostly not about wedding dress shopping, but I thought I would provide her with my three cents.  (Everyone says two, why can't I have more than two cents?)  After getting some information from her (more like prying, but it was done painlessly and over Thai food - who can complain?), I gave her some tips off the top of my head.  Later in the day, I thought of more.  And just like when you are in a fight, you can never think of something witty to say, and then BAM as soon as the fights over, you think of the most clever comeback that would have left them whimpering in their shoes.  This happened to me.  Luckily, she sits right down the hall, and I was able to send her a little message with my new glorious words of wisdom.


And here they were (in no particular order):


1.  If you need to go with family, do it to please them, not to find the dream dress.  Remember they are family, which means they are the meanest group of people you know and have no problem telling you your butt looks huge.  But they are also the ones who will fawn all over you and tell you look gorgeous when you do.  Take everything they say with a grain of salt, or if they are like my family, a shot of something.  Plan a trip with the necessary female parties from your family but then also plan a trip with your best friend.  The one who will also tell you if your butt looks big, but will not make you try on antique looking dresses because she wants you to have the kind of wedding she had.
2.  Have an open mind.  If you are set on the fact that you do not want a princess dress (ya know, big, pouffy, think Cinderella), you won't try anyone and you will never know if one of those dresses was THE dress.  I went in thinking I wanted a very slim, straight line, gentle hug type of dress (think sheath).  And the first trip (though I don't really count it as a trip), I refused to try one anything but those.  Not only was I disappointed but I was also hateful of all things white.  Once I had a saleslady pick out a dress for me (fitted on top, flair out/pouf at the bottom) I knew it was the one.  And so did everyone else.  So just go in there the same way you would a new restaurant.  Try a little of everything and ignore all the nasty comments.
3.  If when you do go into the salon, store, whatever, and you aren't getting the service you want...LEAVE.  That may sound a little snarky but they are there to help you.  This is the one time (well maybe not the only time) in your life you get to feel absolutely special.  Live it up.  Don't be a total b about it, but also don't accept being treated like doggy doo.
4.  Everyone's favorite word -- Budget.  Have a budget.  Whether it is set by your or your parents, or whoever.  Have one.  And have it be realistic.  Don't think oh well, I could be ok with $X amount and then try and change it later.  Have a set budget.  Make sure you tell your saleslady/bridal consultant, whoever, what your budget is.  You do not want to try on a dress $3,000 over your budget and fall in love.  It will make for a very unhappy special day thinking that you either a. spent $3,000 over budget or b. settled for a dress that didn't make you feel stunning.  Trust me, everyone will be happier in the end.
5.  Be honest with yourself.  You will be wearing this dress for 6, 7 hours of your LIFE tops.  Yes you want to look amazing.  But it's one dress.  That you will never wear again.  Hopefully.  Have a little sense with you.


Those are the goods ones for now.  I may add more later.  Hopefully they are helpful and will keep someone from screaming at their mother that they "aren't wearing lace from head to toe, even if it kills them".

The Inaugural Recipe

The Inaugural Recipe...I don't mean it was made for the Inauguration, I mean that it is the first one to be posted to the new, hip, blog of mine.  [stop laughing, I can be hip...]

A little rule of thumb I like to follow (and I believe all chefs should follow):  If you use someone else recipe, give them credit.  I don't care if you alter it in some way, you should still give them some credit.  For example, see below.  Unless all you did was see a recipe and think that's looks good, I'm going to make my own, then fine.  If you didn't look at their recipe or follow any part of it, then it's yours and kudos to you for being awesome.  So, if you happen to use one of these recipes...and everyone loves, maybe you could be like "yeah it is great, I found it on this blog...insert blog name...."  Maybe?

This is a simple recipe.  Part of which came from Hungry Girl's (http://www.hungry-girl.com/) 1-2-3 (http://www.hungry-girl.com/books/4) amazing recipe book.  I tweaked it a little, because well, we always tweak the recipes we use.  That's how they become our own. 

BBQ Shrimp and Grits
Ingredients:

• Shrimp (as much as you want, I think I used probably about 25 shrimp)...fresh works fine but I used the frozen kind that is already de-veined.  Works so much easier.  Make sure once you defrost the shrimp, you remove the skin, legs, and tails.
• BBQ sauce - whatever kind you want to use.  I used Sweet Baby Rays Sweet and Spicy.
• 1 cup of Quick Cooking Grits
• 2 cups of water
• 1 cup of fat-free cheddar cheese
• 2 laughing cow garlic and herb cheese wedges
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• salt and pepper
• bacon
• scallions
• skewers - I recommend metal.  They are fast and easy to use.

1.  First things first, defrost your shrimp, remove skin, legs, and tails.  Put on skewers, I like to put as many that can fit.  Once all the shrimp are on skewers, lightly coat the tops with BBQ sauce.  I put all the skewers on top of a 13 x 9 cake pan cover (works great to carry them too!).  Once the tops are coated, flip them over and coat the bottoms.  Then sprinkle lightly with pepper and salt (to taste).  Place in fridge.
2.  Cook how much bacon you want to have.  It goes on the top crumbled so it is really a personal preference.  We used maple bacon and cooked the entire package.  We didn't put the entire package on our meals but we like bacon.  And will eat it straight out of the fridge if it's cooked.  It's my favorite.
3.  Chop scallions.  Just like the bacon, how much is up to you.
4.  Boil the water and add the grits.  Lower to lowest setting, stirring often.  If you don't stir it, they will stick to the bottom and get clumpy.  Cook until all water is absorbed, about 5 minutes.
5.  When the grits are almost done, put the shrimp on the grill and cook for about 3 minutes, turning half way through.
6.  Remove the grits from heat once they are done cooking.  Add the cheddar cheese and butter.  Stir until melted.  Add the cheese wedges, but be sure to break them up well or you'll end up with lumps of cheese in your grits.  Cover until shrimp is done.
7.  Construct your plate!!! I prefer grits, shrimp, bacon, then scallions.  Enjoy!

If I had thought about adding this recipe, I might have taken pictures, but well, I didn't.  But if you're like me and you're not sure if things are going right if you don't have a picture to compare to, don't worry!  I'm sure you are doing it right, and if not, who cares.  Cooking is one big giant experiment.

Let's Do It Like a Martini....And Shake Things Up

Due to the overwhelming nagging, oops, meant to say support, of a coworker, I have decided to redo my blog.  I may still include things I'm reading, personal insights, and really whatever I want to babble on about.  But I am going to start including recipes, cooking tips, shopping finds, and other tips and tid bits I have captured in all of my 25 years.  I know those of you that are actually reading this, all 2 of you, are thinking to yourself "there is no way she has any good tips, she's only 25".  Well, despite my young age, I have managed to figure out how to do things, do them well, and of course do them poorly.  And I have learned from them.  So I am going to share these things and learn you as well.  Enjoy my musings.