( Updated) Our New Quilt!!

***Update - Well, bad news. The awesome quilt we bought doesn't fit our bed. It is a "Full/Queen" and it is too short in length. UGH! Why do they even make "Full/Queen"? I mean, it's not an actual size - your bed is either a full or a queen - not a combination. And no, they don't make it in a Queen or King? WTF? Grrr ... I am so very mad/sad about this. **tear**

Here she is ... check her out! I am so excited. We stopped by Urban Outfitters yesterday and came across this awesome Fleur Patchwork Quilt! Surprisingly, be both liked it! Crazy, right?? So, we still had gift card money from the wedding so we snatched it up. Can't wait to see how it looks on the bed. I'll post more pictures later of the final look!

Recipe of the Day: Inside Out Bloody Mary

I just came across this interesting drink recipe while browsing The Nest. I haven't tried it yet but you can bet that I will. I will let you know how it turns out!



A great twist on a classic drink, this Inside Out Bloody Mary from 101 Martinis is a surefire way to unwind after a long work week.

Ingredients:

3 to 4 spicy Mary cubes (see note)

2 ounces pepper or lemon vodka

Splash of lemon juice

Splash of Tabasco

Small celery stalk, for garnish

Speared red chile pepper, for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Place the spicy Mary cubes in an empty martini glass.

Combine the vodka, lemon juice, and Tabasco in a cocktail shaker filled with ice, shake vigorously, and strain over the Mary cubes.

Garnish with a small celery stalk and a chile, if using.

The longer you let the martini sit, the more the cubes will infuse into the martini.

Note: To make spicy mary cubes, make your own Bloody Mary mix or buy a premade one and add horseradish, whole olives, or Worcestershire sauce, or whatever else you like to put in you Bloody Mary mix. Pour the spicy Mary mix into ice trays. Place the trays in the freezer and let sit until cubes are frozen.

Source: The Nest

Lolita Wine & Martini Glasses

So, as many of you might already know, I am obessed with Lolita Glasses. I currently own a variety of wine glasses, martini glasses, a shot glass and a set of champagne glasses, which we used for our wedding glasses. A few of the glasses I own are pictured below.





These glasses are amazing. They make GREAT gifts, both to give (Mother's Day is coming up!) and receive! There are so many more that I want to get. Including this awesome Beach Diva glass and the New Years glass:



Click here to visit her website and online store: Website and Store. Her glasses can be found at local retailers everywhere, and all kinds of places online (i.e. Amazon). Just type "Lolita Glasses" into Google and you will be amazed at how many of them there are!!

And then there were 20 ...

Source: New York Daily News


Well, last night was the Idol results show - we lost two guys and two girls. All in all, I was pretty happy with the results except for sweet little Joe Munoz. I think that Tim Urban should have been the first to go. He was awful and he knew it. You could see the surprise on his face when Ryan said he was safe.


Source: People Style Watch

I'm just glad that Alex Lambert was safe as I was worried for him. I just love his voice and hope he gets enough confidence to kick some ass next week. Rock that mullet baby!!

Recipe Alert: Creamy Tomato Shrimp with Penne

I thought I would share one of my favorite recipes today. We made this a few months back and fell in love with it. We then made it for two of our friends who also loved it. So, for all you pasta and shrimp lovers, here you go (**BTW, this would probably be just as good with chicken too)!

**WARNING - This is not diet friendly. I am sure you could "healthify" it a bit with wheat pasta and a healthier version or less of the alfredo sauce**

Creamy Tomato Shrimp with Penne

4 Servings
Prep/Total Time: 20 min

Ingredients
2 cups uncooked penne pasta
1 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons Crisco® Pure Olive Oil
1-1/2 cups spaghetti sauce
1 carton (10 ounces) refrigerated Alfredo sauce
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Directions
Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute the shrimp, garlic and pepper flakes in oil until shrimp turn pink. Stir in the spaghetti sauce, Alfredo sauce, butter, salt and pepper; heat through.
Drain pasta; serve with shrimp mixture. Sprinkle with parsley. Yield: 4 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 cup shrimp mixture with 3/4 cup pasta equals 608 calories, 38 g fat (14 g saturated fat), 214 mg cholesterol, 1,535 mg sodium, 39 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 29 g protein

Source: Taste of Home

Funny Cat Picture

I saw this today and it just made me laugh. I say this all the time!!

Idol ~ Top 12 Boys

Well, tonight was better than last night, but nothing spectacular. I guess it is the first week and it should be expected that the show would be slightly lackluster. But seriously, some of the song choices were so boring and depressing. Ugh. This is your first night people - on live t.v. - wake up and get a grip! America is voting for YOU!

Sorry, anyways, there were a few stand out performances for me and below are a few of my favorite guys so far:

Casey James


Andrew Garcia


Alex Lambert


Lee DeWyze


Aaron Kelly


Todrick Hall

Idol Night!

Well, here we go again. Night two of American Idol. Tonight, the Top 12 Boys take the stage. Let's hope that they can do a better job than the girls did last night. Only time will tell!

Seriously Scary!!

Some of you may have heard me talk about this but their is a rapist at large in my neighborhood here in Kansas City. I live in the Waldo Area and they are referring to him as the Waldo Rapist. To date, he has raped 5 local women here! The first two rapes were back in October '09. The two this year were in January. And just Monday, February 21st, there was another attack!

This is a photo I took of a flyer right outside my house by our driveway!



But, don't worry, I am being very cautious. I have my pepper spray with me whenever I have to be outside in the dark. Kesel has been taking the dogs out at night as well. However, his MO has been breaking into houses through windows when girls are home alone at night so I highly doubt my exact neighborhood would even be a target for him. But, nonetheless - I am very aware of my surroundings!

Idol ~ Top 12 Girls

Well, last nights show was quite a disappointment for me. I mean, I didn't expect too much with it being the first night but geez! Haven't any of the contestants seen the show before? Hello ... song choice, song choice, song choice! Ugh.

In any event, there are a few girls that I really like so far this season. I'm sure that will change in a few weeks but for now, but here are a few of my favorites so far:

Crystal Bowersox


Katelyn Epperly


Katie Stevens


Lily Scott


Janell Wheeler


Lacey Brown

It's Idol Time Baby

Yup, that's right. It's time for the Top 24 of American Idol to start winning our hearts! As you all know, I am a huge SYTYCD and Idol fan so I will be making lots of fun posts regarding both shows on here.

Tonight, in a 2- hour show, we start with the Top 12 Girls performances. I will post later tonight with my thoughts! Until then...

Awesome Unique Gift Website

So, I found this fantastic site a while back that I got some great gifts from, including my Breakfast at Tiffany's sleeping mask!! The service was great and they have some of the most unique, funny, gift ideas I have seen in a while so I thought I would share!! It's called Fred Flare - check it out: Fred Flare



For example, check out this hilarious set of Sushi Magnets ... LOL!!





Or what about these hilarious "bacon bandages"! Ha!!

Hey Hey Hey ... Good Bye ...

So, after months of growing out my hair for my wedding and dealing with its aftermath, I have decided to cut off some hair. I am tired of it being so long, boring and blah. I didn't cut off as much as I wanted in the event that I wasn't happy with it but now that it's done, I think I want to cut it above my shoulders next time. I can't help it - once I start, I can't stop!! LOL!!


BEFORE



AFTER

Puppy Pic

While being sick was quite terrible, I thought I would post a picture sharing the best part about being sick ... my snuggly puppies!! They spent both sick days with me, cuddled up on the couch, enjoying my sick days to the fullest! Adorable, huh?

Sick of Being Sick

Well, after two serious days of downtime, I am back to the land of the living. Starting Monday night I had a terrible, painful cough. First, I thought it was the spicy Taco Bell that I had but when I started having coughing fits in the middle of the night, I knew it was something more. I woke up feeling as if a freight train had ran me over, backed up and ran me over again. My throat was so sore, I couldn't stop coughing, which lead to uncontrollable burping. Not to mention the terrible headache, bodyache and earache pain I was having. Seriously, how did this come about so quickly? I had to call into work and spent the entire day on the couch coughing my brains out.

I was hoping that after some drugs, lots of liquids and a good nights rest I might be okay to head back to work on Wednesdays but no such luck. My throat was absolutely killing me, my body felt like I had been put in a dryer and beaten to death and my head and ears were throbbing. So, there went another sick day and back to the couch I went. After more drugs, more water, and more rest - I was finally able to make it to work today, Thursday, but I am still moving at the pace of a snail. I can't go 5 minutes without a cough drop in my mouth and a drink of water, which is not good for my pea-sized bladder.

Below you will see a picture of a few of my "saviors" during this brush with death! Mind you, these were not all taken at the same time and I made sure to read up on everything to see what could be taken together and what should not.

I'll tell you one thing, I better have "Abs of Steel" after all of this coughing I have been doing!

Whatever Gets You Through the Day

You know, if you think about it - most of us spend more "awake" time at our jobs than we do our homes. For those of us with desk jobs, our desks are our "home away from home". As such, many of us tend to make our desks appear as "homey" as possible - by using pictures, knick knacks, calendars, figurines, etc. So, I thought today I would share a picture of my desk at work. As you can see - I have way too much!! I have pictures of my awesome family, my beautiful sisters, my fantastic husband and adorable puppies. I have a few of somse great girlfriends and a few drawings and cards as well. Oh, and I can't forget about the adorable Easter Bunny Care Bear I have as well. Some may think it's a little obsessive but in the middle of a long, stressful day - it's nice to look up and see everything in my life that I am so thankful for.

80's Valentine's Prom Party

So, for Valentine's Day this year (well, the Saturday before), a big group of us decided to go to an 80's Valentine's Prom Party at Crosstown Station here in Kansas City. We all met up at Matt and Kim's house to get ready and have some drinks. As you can see, we busted out our crimping irons and brightest blue eye shadows. We all put together amazing and fun outfits and wore as many long necklaces and bracelets as we could!

Sadly, the party must have not got much attention because is was pretty dead when we arrived and didn't get much better throughout the night. We didn't let that stop us, however, and we partied and drank like 80's rock stars all night long. As you can see from the pictures below, it was "totally awesome dude"!

How Sweet!

I couldn't help but share my awesome Valentine's Gifts this year. Not only did I get an awesome new Lolita Martini Glass (Diamonds are a Girls Best Friend!) ... but my super sweet husband got my a lollipop and rock candy! Why, you ask? Because things were so crazy at our wedding that I didn't get any from our Candy Bar! Seriously? How sweet is that? I know, I know ... gag me with a Rock Candy Stick ... lol!!

I love you babe!!

Valentine's Day ~ 2010

Ah, yes -- the infamous Valentine's Day. The "Hallmark Holiday" hated by many! Not hated by me, of course. As you all know, I am way too girly to hate Valentine's Day! I know lots of people say that they don't need a reason to do something nice for their significant other but even so, who cares? Sometimes I think we all get so caught up in life that it helps to have a "designated day" to make your loved one feel special. It doesn't have to be something elaborate or expensive, just a sweet gesture.

For us, we have a fun Valentine's Day tradition that we started about 3 years ago. Believe it or not, we actually go to Hooters! I don't recall how it all started but I thought it would be fun to have our own special, silly tradition for Valentine's. Plus, you don't have to mess with reservations or spending a lot of money. I mean really, who doesn't love beer, wings and cheese fries?

This year, however, thanks to the 80's Valentine's Prom that we attended the night before (see next post!), I was feeling a bit "under the weather". However, not wanting to skip out on our tradition, my sweet hubby went and picked up the food from Hooters and brought it home to me. As you can see, we enjoyed every bite!

The Beginning ...

So, since my wedding is over and I no longer have wedding things to blog about, I have found that I miss it very much. It sounds silly, I know but it was something fun for me to do, a creative outlet, and from what I heard, people enjoyed reading it (the wedding blog that is). So, I have decided to start another blog, this one, for a few reasons. First, to keep in touch with friends and family and to let them know what is going on in my life. Second, I thought it would be fun to blog about everyday things in life, something that we all can relate to. I figure I can do posts with book reviews, recipe reviews, wine reviews, useless celebrity gossip, marriage articles, funny comics and you tube videos, etc. A little something of everything in the hopes that people will check this out. A fun creative outlet not only for me, but for my followers (should I have any!).

So, check it out. Let me know what you think and if you have any ideas or suggestions. Maybe a few things that you might be interested in and that you might come back and check the blog for.