Leaving on a Jet Plane.

So tomorrow morning I leave on my big trip to the Dominican Republic.  I am so excited.  I've never been to the Caribbean or anywhere that far South.  I will be there for 4 days and 4 nights.  I will definitely miss Drew and the dogs, but I do need a little vacation.  I wish Drew could've come with me.  Maybe one day...

Last night Drew and I decided to grill out since the weather was nice.  We laid out a blanket in the back yard while the coals got hot and we just relaxed.  The cool air, the warmth of each other, the smell of charcoal and the dogs running around made for a perfect evening.  Achilles wouldn't give up on trying to get us to play catch, but other than that, there was nothing to spoil the evening.  After dinner, we took the dogs on a night time stroll.  I just wanted to share some pictures from the evening.  

I love my family so much.

Adios and I will talk to you all again after my trip!

Pumpkins Galore!

This morning, I stepped outside and it REALLY felt like the first day of Autumn.  It was so crisp and it definitely got me in the mood for Halloween.  It’s only like a month away!  Last year, while trick or treating with my little sister in our Mama’s neighborhood, one of the guys down the street had about 10 pumpkins carved that lined his walkway.  It was so pretty.  I think I am going to do that this year, but maybe use about 6 pumpkins instead.  I think my carving abilities would be shot after 6!  I read, in Southern Living, about a few different ways to carve your pumpkins and I even found some other cute ideas that I wanted to share.  You all should really get a Southern Living subscription... it is great reading material!!

Pumpkin Carving Ideas... I think these are so pretty, especially mixing them with Mason Jars.  You can find Mason Jars at any antique store, yard sale, goodwill... you name it!

You can also find pumpkin carving templates online here!

Fall Pumpkin Wreath

Step 1: Use the end of heavy-gauge florist wire to make a hole near the bottom of a miniature pumpkin. Run wire through pumpkin and out the opposite side. You could also use a nail or ice pick to make a hole on either side of the pumpkin, and then insert florist wire.

Step 2: Place the miniature pumpkin on the form; on underside of wreath, twist wire ends together to hold the pumpkin in place. Continue threading and attaching pumpkins with wire until wreath form is completely covered.

Step 3: Cover exposed areas of wreath form with pieces of sheet moss, securing with florist pins.

Step 4: Twist a piece of florist wire around the top of the wreath to make a loop for hanging. Make a large bow from wide black ribbon, and attach it near the wire loop. Hang the wreath by the wire loop from a nail or hook inserted in the front door.

MATERIALS

heavy-gauge florist wire

nail or ice pick (optional)

miniature pumpkins

plastic foam wreath form

sheet moss

florist pins

wide black ribbon

Pumpkin Cooler Idea

If you’re throwing a Halloween party or having a fall wedding, this is such a cute idea!

This Weekend Had Wings!

This weekend flew by wayyy too fast, but I guess that's what happens when you spend 8 hours in a car on Saturday and then have to go into work on Sunday.  I really can't complain since I only work three days this week.

On Saturday, Drew, his brother Dave and myself drove 4 hours to go see their little brother Sam in his first fight with the SFC (Southeastern Fighting Championship.)  It's very similar to UFC, basically where a lot of those professionals start out.  They combine boxing, mixed martial arts, wrestling, jui jitsu and some other techniques in their fighting.  Sam did great. He went all three rounds but when it came to the Judges' decision, the other guy won by a hair.  Sam left without a scratch though and he actually broke the other guy's nose and cut him above the eye.  So if you looked at the two of them, Sam really looked like he got the best of the guy!  I was proud of him.

A lot of people were there to watch, but not just young fight enthusiasts and their girlfriends.  There were actually a few families there too to root on their husbands,fathers,sons and even their coaches!  One little guy next to me was there rooting on his coach who won by TKO in the first round.  He was so excited.  He was only 12 and was already studying martial arts and jui jitsu.  I guess it's good to know how to protect yourself, even when you're that young.  Maybe I should take some classes... for fun though.  Could you even begin to imagine me in a ring?  Ha ha ha.

I Heart Free Food

Last night, Drew and I attended Savannah Magazine's 2009 "Best Of Savannah" Party.  Every year, the readers vote on the best restaurants, car dealerships, bars, spas, appliance stores... you name it.  They list the winners in their September/October issue and throw a party.  It was a lot of fun but not nearly as crowded as last year.  Basically, we walk around and drink for free, taste all of the awesome food that is being served by the restaurant winners and mingle with friends.  I think my favorite place by far was "Back In The Day Bakery" on Bull Street (website below)... but of course, everyone knows how much I LOVE sweets.  Drew doesn't like sweets but they had this espresso mini cupcake that he couldn't get enough of.  That kind of proves how awesome they are.  All of their cupcakes last night were great, but my favorite was the old fashioned cupcake with pink buttercream icing.  It reminded me of the ones my mom made when we were little.  They were sooo good and she'd put red sprinkles on them.  She actually sent some home with me back during college too.  I have her buttercream frosting recipe but have yet to try making it.  I'll just buy them from Back In the Day instead!  If you've never been there, I would definitely suggest going or taking your kids there.

My other favorite of the night was Cha Bella.  They won for Best Organic Restaurant in Savannah.  They were serving a summer succotash (tomatoes, okra, corn, black eye peas) with lightly salted, peppered and floured flounder on top covered with another sauce on top of that, but the name escapes me.  It was sooo good and sooo fresh.  Cha Bella actually grows all of their veggies in their own garden.  Pretty cool huh?

Other restaurants there that were serving great food were:  Jalapenos, The Oyster Bar, The Distillery, Zunzi's, J. Christopher's, Ruth's Chris Steakhouse... and if I forgot any others, go pick up a copy of Savannah Magazine to get a full list of winners!

Owner Cheryl, the Cupcake Angel, and her blog:

http://www.backinthedaybakery.com/blog1/buttercreamandrosesblogger.html

www.cha-bella.com

www.savannahmagazine.com

Jalapenos... the Restaurant, not the pepper.

Last night was Jalapenos night with Victoria.  That is probably my favorite place to eat... it's so cheap but so good.  The atmosphere is great too.  For all of my fellow Athenians who don't already know, it is SOOO much better than Mexicali.

My Carne Asada soft tacos were great and so was my company, but I was so tired when I left.  I had to drop some dinner off to my brother Jarrod who has been sick all week with flu-like symptoms.  The doctor told him he didn't have the flu, yet he treated him with a Z-Pack.  From what I understand, that stuff is sooo overused for just about any virus.  One of these days our bodies are going to become so resistant to the Z-Pack that it will no longer work.

Once I got home, Drew and I watched that movie "Knowing" with Nicholas Cage.  Has anyone else seen that movie?  It started out pretty good and some moments of it were quite freaky, but overall, I thought it stunk.  The ending is was did it for me... it was just plain stupid.  I don't want to give it away, so I won't discuss anymore.  But that was my evening in a nutshell... I look forward to eating free food tonight at the "Best of Savannah" Savannah Magazine party.  I will let you know how that goes and give you the goods on all the great restaurants that are serving food there!

The lovely Victoria and her Corona.

In a week... I'll be drinking one of these on

the beaches of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic!

Terrible Two's before Dinner

So last night, Drew and I had plans to grill out and watch a movie... date night it was but since we are both a little broke now, we stayed in.  Unfortunately, I had some cleaning up to do when I got home.  Smoltz is only a little over a year but he is already acting like a terrible two-year old.  I thought dogs were supposed to grow out of this stuff by two.  He destroyed one of my planters and slung the dirt all around the deck!  I know, some of you are asking if I'm really surprised, but I really am.  He did so well the first couple of months here, but lately he wants to attack EVERY plant I have.  He's already broken three of my grandmama's beautiful flower pots.  I spank him every time, but as soon as I'm done chastising him, he is ready to wreak havoc again.  I'm convinced he likes to be punished...

How can you stay mad at a dog this cute?

After the madness was over, we finally were able to grill out.  It was a beautiful evening.  We had blackened mahi mahi with butter peas and lime grits and cheese.  It was so good.  If you're not a big fan of fish, mahi mahi is a GREAT one to eat.  Also flounder and Trout.  They aren't very fishy and they are nice white meats.  Blackening them is the way to go b/c it hides any hint of fishiness and adds a lot of spice.  This is Drew's favorite way to eat fish.  He actually told me that he didn't like to eat fish until I cooked it for him.  He probably just said that to flatter me.  He's such a good boyfriend.

Here is the recipe for the blackened fish and lime grits below:

For the fish:

I use Emeril's blackened fish seasoning.  You can use it on any firm fish that won't fall apart when you cook it in the pan.

Melt a 1/2 cup of butter and dip fish filets in the butter until they are coated well.

Add blackening seasoning to both sides.

Make sure you use a cast iron pan on an outdoor grill for this.  (The first time I cooked this, I cooked on my indoor stove and smoked up the whole house!)

Get the grill going and let your pan sit on the grill, heating up for about 10 minutes.

Drop the filets in the pan flipping once so you get a nice crust on each side.  It only took me about 5 minutes to cook my mahi last night, but basically you want to make sure the meat is white.

For the grits:

I used a cup of grits and zested and juice a whole fresh lime right out of Drew's mother's garden.  (Thanks Ms. Angie!)  Mix the juice in when the grits are done.

Add salt and pepper to taste and top it off with some cheese.  It definitely gives the grits a kick!

ENJOY!

Day #1

So today is my first day as an official blogger... let's see how long I can keep this up.  I think it'll be good for my soul.  I decided to do this so I can let's my friend's see a side of me that I tend to keep hidden, plus it's a great way for me to share good decorating ideas or recipes that I love.  Even if no one follows this, I just think it'll be fun to do this for myself... like a diary of sorts.  So this is Day #1... and here's where I am in life:

Well, I'm at work right now on the first day of fall.  Fall is so great, even though we really don't get to experience the change of season's here in Savannah, you can still feel something different in the air.  The best part of this year is football season and getting to spend time grilling outdoors without it being too miserably hot and humid.

So it's fall, and I and 4 months into my new home.  Drew has been living with me about 2 months (but really only a month since he was gone 5 weeks) and things have been great.  We were nervous about moving in together, mainly I was afraid that he'd not like who I was at home, but honestly, I'm pretty much the same person at home as I am when I'm out, and I think he knows that.  Home is my sanctuary in a way and now I have a beautiful flower garden outside, two dogs that I just adore running around all the time, and my house decorated just the way I like.

People always ask me where I get my ideas and decorations for my home from, so that's why I wanted to share this stuff on here, so my friends can get inspired and find ideas that can make their home their sanctuary.  I hope you all enjoy this blog and thanks for just taking time to read it.  I'll be back tomorrow... possibly, but if not, on occasion.

Some of my favorite links to get ideas:

http://www.etsy.com/

http://www.southernliving.com/home-garden/room-ideas/

http://www.bhg.com/decorating/

http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/catalog/category.jsp;jsessionid=BCF026E774EC9223181F126178AA8B7F.app43-node3?navAction=jump&navCount=0&id=HOME