todays things vol. 1

LOVED

There is really nothing better than coming home to a wide-eyed, tall wagging, snugly little puppy.  Hazel never fails to make me (or David) feel welcomed home, warm, and loved--even when I do wake her up at 5am every day.  The unconditional love of a puppy is the quickest way to warm a heart.

This past weekend it rained and rained.  And of course, Hazel had to go to the bathroom when it was raining the worst!  Our next door neighbors had their sweet dog out at the same time.  Since we were all wet to begin with, we let the dogs play!  After about 30 minutes, we and the dogs were COVERED in mud.  Watching her play in the mud with pure joy on her face was definitely worth it!

REMINISCENT

This week, classes at UGA started back.  The first day of classes can only mean one thing.... BID DAY!! This picture is from ZTA's Bid Day my senior year.  Every year when bid day pictures are posted to social media my eyes are drawn to them.  I will also be the first to admit that I try to find pictures of the new girls before the night is even over!  But it never fails that every year when bid day comes around I become extremely reminiscent of my college days.  

What I would do to go back!

ACCOMPLISHED

I've officially made it through a week of school and I am feeling extremely accomplished.  I got everything hung in my room, organized and ready to go before the first day. I've had my lesson plans completed days in advanced, created new PowerPoints, and additional vocab activities. And I have made it through Unit One in record time.  I would partially contribute this to the giant iced coffee I drink every morning and partially to the 8 hours of sleep I've been getting every night.  It's felt good.

HAPPY

Just before school started I cut off my hair!  It is the shortest it's ever been, no lie!  It has definitely taken a lot of getting used to and it still doesn't all fit in a pony tail.  However, I am loving it!  It takes 5 minutes less to dry my hair, it styles easily, and wears well!  I have been so happy with it, I've been tempted to keep it short!  I don't think that will happen, but I do think an annual chop is on the table ;)

FULL

Weeknight dates with the hubs at our favorite Mexican restaurant...so perfect.  We starting going to a particular restaurant because it was close to our house, but it has quickly topped our list.  We love the familiarity.  There's nothing like taking a break from reality to date each other.  And weeknight dates are the perfect recipe for relaxation.   

When we came home, I had unfortunately left my sock draw open and well, precious Hazel had made herself a little pile :)

How are you feeling today?

oooo christmas tree

Two weeks ago, David and I decided to go pick out our Christmas tree after his second final.  Only, we couldn't wait that long!  Full of excitement for the SEC Championship yesterday, it made studying Friday night very difficult.  SO we went on a much needed study break for David, and picked out the perfect tree!

First, I got a fresh wreath at Trader Joes!  It was a great deal and is so pretty on our porch!

Then we went over Home Depot to start our little adventure.  We searched and searched before heading across the street to Lowe's.  We untied trees and spun several of them around before we found our little angel.  And she's perfect.

I asked the man who was going to trim her up for us if he could saw just a half inch of the trunk off for me.  He looked at me like I was crazy!  Little did he know I was going to make an ornament out of it!  I had seen the idea on Pinterest and was determined.  And now, David and I have a little reminder of our first Christmas tree!

David tied her to our roof and off we went!

That's when the decorating fun began for me :)

I watched Christmas in Rockefeller Center, strung the lights, hung ornaments, and drank hot chocolate.

And lastly, put a bow on top!

What was really fun about the process was looking through all of the ornaments David and I have, which is not many!  From visiting the Alamo with my Dad a couple summers ago, to an ornament made entirely with buttons from my Gramma's collection, and our honeymoon, the memories were good.

 Lastly, my Grandmother had given me her tree skirt.  She quilted it herself and I love it.  It added the perfect touch to our little tree.

I hope you are having a Merry little Christmas so far :)

Roasted Green Beans and Mushrooms

This weekend has been so much fun! Friday night, David and I went on date night as usual.

We watched the end of the Braves game at dinner and saw the in-fly ball call.

Let's just say, so far, not a good weekend for Georgia sports.

However, I still love my Dawgs!

David and I threw a little get together for the game last night.

But more on that another time!

Onto the food!

The challenge I have found with a low-carb diet is coming up with good side dishes.

I am a creature of habit.

Once I find something I love (for example, mashed cauli) I wear it out.

So I've been searching for something different, something yummy that is not just frozen veggies.

And something easy.

Let me preface this recipe by saying, you will not be able to control yourself.

In fact, David and I tried it before plating it for dinner and had to stop ourselves so we would have some left!  This recipe is SO good and SO easy and SO addicting!

And being the creature of habit that I am, we ate it as a side TWICE last week!

I hope you love them as much as we do!

Roasted Green Beans and Mushrooms

Fresh cut green beans

Mushrooms

1 1/2 tbsp Olive Oil

2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

Salt and Pepper to your liking

Parmesan to your liking

Then follow these EASY directions...

Toss everything into a baggie.

Shake it up! Cover everything.

I've been shake it up, coating it and letting it sit until the oven preheats!

Spread everything out on a baking sheet.

Make sure you spray it so nothing sticks!

And YUM!

I hope you enjoy!!

We definitely have!

high five for friday

Friday is finally here! I had a short week, so I don't have much room to complain. But nonetheless, very ready for the weekend!

I went home for the long weekend. My parents and I did a lot of wedding planning, shopping, and catching up. It was fun. I also got to catch up with this little rascal... only the most precious looking puppy (cough...6 pound dog) ever.

My mama and I ate dinner at Gabriel's! YUM! If you are from Marietta, you know what I'm talking about. Gabriel is Paula Deen's cousin, and trust me, her food is just as yummy! I remember when Gabriel's was just a dessert shop and we would pick up cream de mente brownies for special occasions.

Ate Thompson Brothers BBQ Chicken with my mama and dad. It was YUMMY.

Visited the eye doctor this week. I had the joy of getting my eyes dilated. Let's just say that since I've been doing it about every three months, I'm a pro.

We picked out and ordered tuxes this week :) June 16th gets closer by the day!

Tonight, David and I went on a dinner date to Five Star Day and walked around North Campus. We couldn't believe it, but the UGA Chapel was open! So we went in. I mean, why not? We are so excited! Only 92 more days!

All in all, it was a great week! Looking forward to getting crafty this weekend!
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