Almost Made It

     Today is a big, big day!  We (and by “we” I mostly mean my nana) have finished addressing wedding invitations.  All they need is a stamp, and they will be ready to go!

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128…Nana deserves a prize.

    I cannot wait to get these in the mail.  I think Thursday will be the big day!  Wedding things are just happening right and left.  Last week, in addition to the apartment and the invitation boom, the bridesmaids’ and attendants’ gifts came in!  I can’t tell you about it because my sister (i.e. matron-of-honor) is my most devoted (possibly only) reader.  Suffice it to say that they are perfect.  Also…my guestbook has been shipped.  I absolutely cannot wait to share wedding details.
     On a totally unrelated note, I’ve been cleaning up the fabulous dresser that I got off of Craigslist.

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     A little coconut oil ($6 at Kroger) worked wonders.  I’ll be trying to find more uses for the stuff since I have a whole huge vat of it now…oh well.  The hard part is going to be moving this behemoth to the apartment.  I think I’ll leaving the heavy lifting to the men. 
     As per usual, a ton is happening all at once.  I’ll try my best to keep you updated. 

Extra

     I love a good link-up, and I love a good blog.  Today I’ve got both.  Erin from Living in Yellow has been asking herself the tough questions and invited us all to join…so I’m doing this Myspace style (who didn’t love bulletins?).

1. If you could do one thing differently in your life, what would it be?
     Oh goodness…I should have done some thinking before I started all this typing.  Almost every day I do something that makes me think, “I shouldn’t have done that,” but on the whole, I don’t know that I have a big regret.  There are definitely people I should have been nicer to and situations I should have handled better, but I’m not sitting here beating myself up about it every day.  Where I am is where I’m supposed to be…I do not have time to play the “what if” game.

2. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
     A fun one!  I see myself happy, happy, happy about to celebrate my fifth anniversary and hopefully with a petit bebe (or two).  What’s really crazy is that by that time, I will have known Keith for almost ten years!  That blows my mind.  I have lots of plans, but I’m sort of learning that the way life happens just isn’t up to me.  Sooo…Lord willing, I will have all those things, but I guess we’ll see how it goes!

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3. Do you honestly want kids?
     Oh I really do.  This is such a strange time in my life because I feel like I’m on the cusp of everything, and while I don’t want to wish my life away…I am so ready to get it started!

4. What has been the best moment of your life so far?
    
Getting engaged was pretty incredible.  Anytime I’m on the beach goes right in the top ten.  Finding something fabulous on sale (like my wedding dress) – wonderful, but the best moment(s) are the ones when I have seen and felt God moving in my life (or someone else’s).  Because I am sort of on the cusp of everything, I tend to err on the side of stressed.  I have spent a lot of time talking (whining) about how I’m “never going to get a job or a place to live,” etc., and it never fails that as soon as I start my pity party God moves.  Those are honest to goodness some of the sweetest moments.

5. What is your life theme song?
     Gangster’s Paradise…just kidding…I loooove Lyle Lovett’s If I Had a Boat.  I could listen to it maybe ten thousand times and still love it.  Plus, “If I had a pony, I’d ride him on my boat…” Look it up…you can’t not love it.

6. What is one thing you have yet to accomplish but want to do before you die?
    Good grief these are difficult…something frivolous like doing the splits again or finally reading Gone With the Wind (which I have started at least 3 times but been stopped by  my mother to read something else…).

7. If you could choose one thing to be known for what would it be?
     Sincerity.  I want people to know that what I say is truly how feel.  I don’t mean brutal honesty (which can tend toward being a cover for insecurity or cattiness); I mean true sincerity.  I want the conversations and the interactions I have with people to be authentic, and I want them to know it.

8. If you could do anything you wanted right in this very moment (no consequences, no fear, etc.), what would it be?
     I would gather up my people, get in a car, and go.  We would drive straight to the beach and stay for a long time. 

9. What has been the most challenging moment in your life?
     Honestly…this one.  I am so excited to be getting married and moving in, but I am not good at waiting.  Some days it truly feels like we won’t ever get there.  I’m not trying to be a Debbie Downer, but all this waiting is lame and is one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done.  That may seem small, and I am so blessed not to have had any true crises, but that’s just where I am these days.

10. Summarize yourself in one word.
     Extra.

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Being a Grown Up

     It’s a red letter day.  Keith and I have signed a lease on our first place!  Currently neither of us are living there, but with jobs and everything up in the air, it can remain fluid for awhile…
     The most important thing is that we have somewhere to live and I love it.  Details? It’s a two bedroom, two bathroom apartment in a fourplex.  Irony?  My sister and brother-in-law lived in the same little neighborhood in an apartment about two buildings over from ours – same layout and everything. 
     I know I can’t go crazy and do tons of fun Pinterest-type projects, but I am so looking forward to making this place ours. 

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The view from the front door.

     …it may be furniture-less for awhile.  Oh well…at least it’s ours.  I absolutely cannot wait to really get settled and share my befores and afters with all of you.  It will definitely be a work-in-progress for awhile, but I’ll do my best to keep you updated!

Indulging

     I’m going to start this little chat by telling you two things about me.  1.  I am determined to be better at accessorizing.  2.  I love a good bargain!  I am wonderful at finding the latter, but the former…I struggle.  A lot.  Cut to a few days ago…I get a serendipitous email from eFoxcity about partnering with my little slice of the Internet.  eFoxcity specializes in wholesale jewelry and clothing…I love wholesale.  If I’m looking to order basically anything online, I generally search wholesale. 
     I am so excited to be partnering with such a fun website and cannot wait to order!  I’m going to be a good accessorizer if it’s the last thing I do.  Are you just on pins and needles to see my first pick?
     I can already tell that I am going to love this.  It has that classic look to it, and at only about $7 you can class it up all. day. long.  Because I tend to not wear lots of jewelry, I think this cute little thing will be the perfect way to dip my toes in the accessory pool.  This bracelet will be making its way into my jewelry box ASAP.  Y’all, I am seriously so excited that I found this website…or it found me.  I know there are tons of jewelry sites floating around, and I won’t pretend that I’ve tried them all, but you just cannot beat the prices at eFoxcity…indulge ladies.  In case you're looking, eFoxcity also carries discount evening dresses, wedding dresses, and summer dresses online (perfect for this warm weather that is allegedly just around the corner)!

That Cake…and That Dress

     About that posting more regularly…oh well, the best made plans…I do have wonderful recipe to share with you but no picture.  Bad breath is better than no breath…

   Y’all, this cake is good.  It’s sweet enough for dessert but not too sweet for breakfast (as if there’s such a thing though).  I love a bundt cake, and I’ve been wanting to make a hummingbird cake for a while now.  This one looked pretty simple and didn’t have anything too crazy going on.  I used this exact recipe from The Messy Baker Blog – perfect.

Ingredients

  • Cake Batter
  • 1½ cups chopped pecans, toasted and chopped
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 4 ripe bananas
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 (8-oz.) can crushed pineapple (do not drain)
  • ¾ cup canola oil
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Glaze:

  • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 2 tbs. unsalted butter, softened
  • 1½ cups sifted powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2-3 Tbsp. milk

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour your bundt pan.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
  3. Sprinkle 1 cup of your chopped pecans into the bottom of your prepared bundt pan. Set aside.
  4. In a separate large bowl, mash the bananas (I find it easiest to use a potato masher). Whisk in the eggs. Whisk in the crushed pineapple, canola oil, and vanilla extract.
  5. Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture in three batches, stirring after each addition. Pour the batter over the pecans; smooth with a rubber spatula.
  6. Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan for 30 minutes; remove the cake from the pan and cool on a wire rack completely before glazing.

Glaze

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl with a hand mixer, add cream cheese and butter. Beat until smooth. Slowly beat in the powdered sugar until smooth. Beat in vanilla extract. Slowly add the milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating after each addition. You want the glaze thin enough to drizzle over the cake. When the glaze reaches drizzling consistency, it’s ready.
  2. Drizzle the cooled cake with glaze and sprinkle with remaining toasted pecans. Serve.

     Beware.  This cake is very, very heavy but so good.  Be prepared to eat on it for about a week.  As an added bonus, the glaze would make a perfect fruit dip, and you’ll have plenty because it makes a ton! Enjoy.

     I can’t leave you without a picture, and since I don’t have one of the cake, I’ll show you what else our Easter entailed!

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We had to do pictures inside because it was rainy and cold…bleh, but I think that fun dress more than makes up for the weather!