friendly reminder..

well, someone got a job and went all m.i.a. on everyone. don't worry...it's only temporary, so i'll be back in action in, oh, about 6 weeks. 
in the meantime, here's a little something you should start reading to yourself every morning. 

love, me.

one last time.

welp, this is it.

this weekend is the last weekend we will make the trip to athens as "students" (well, clearly beau is the student and i'm just the wife that feels like a student because this program has consumed our lives for the past two years). this weekend is his program's annual symposium weekend...alumni from allllll over, of alllll ages come to athens friday and saturday for an absolutely crazy time. i'm going to say it's the mardi gras of the mba/msa program - minus the floats and beads and flashing, and add a little banquet and "distinguished alum" speaking. ok, so maybe the mardi gras part happens after all the business stuff, but still...mardi gras-style nonetheless. this is also the last weekend that the second years will all be together! so you mix that in with crazy alumni who haven't seen court street in 10 years and it's a recipe for t-r-o-u-b-l-e.  

anywho, it shall be a good time...
oh! and did i mention my birthday is sunday?! yea, well, just another excuse to let loose ;)
my bags are packed and loaded into the car...just waiting on the hub-a-dub to get home. like my new hat? rockin' the fidora and a white tee - grandma and grandpa capone would be proud.


hope everyone has a great weekend! we're off!
 

down home

i'm baaaaack!
"down home, where they know you by name a treat you like family" (of course, that was sung in my most amazing alabama voice eva. yes, just imagine..)


friday i flew into fort miz (that's fort myers for all you who didn't spend five years of your life on the west coast creating nicknames for everything imaginable). my amazing momma picked me up at the airport, of course had to get my eyebrows done by the only woman i've let touch those bad boys since about 3 years ago, beached it with a little sunburn on the side, and went to the most beautiful wedding with the happiest couple! [pictures to post later]

now? i'm baaaaaack home (yep, that was in my signing voice again). except this time it's without the excitement of getting to see my little puppy :( i had my little moment, cried it out, hugged it out, but it's still weird. there's this funk i've been in because she's not here. it just doesn't feel right...
good thing i had a graduation brunch this AM for my most fav. sistas - that helped distract me from the loneliness. had a little more sun-action, mojito's and 'rents included. 
bottom line? it feels damn good to be home.
...and have tan lines again :)


happy sunday-funday!

flashback

flashback two years ago: unemployed, in a new city, with no friends. what did i do? taught myself how to crochet...duh.
now that i'm back in a new city, without a job, and zero friends, i've thought about going back to my crocheting. there's still some organizing to do, so maybe once that's all done i'll be able to get back to my crafting. although, since summer is *cough* almost here i doubt i'll want to mess with the bulkiness of my yarn during the heat of the day (nor will i want to sit inside if the weather is poolside-worthy either), so maybe i'll get back to designing my "yart" - {wall decor made with yarn}. my cousin is already commissioning a few pieces to be made for her new home - that will definitely encourage me to get back into it.
here are a few projects i designed last year:

and maybe, if i get real bored, i'll teach myself how to knit. {that's something i've always wanted to learn how to do}. my first project? this little guy from my fav. crafting site - purl soho's the purl bee:

my puppy.

this picture was taken almost 15 years ago. it's of me and my brother, kyle, a few days after we got our first puppy, marbles (yes, i named her...). i thought i could write this without crying, but instead i'll just let the waterworks flow. 


we got her when i was 10; on the side of a road, in my birth town of oveido, florida. we had already moved to south florida, but we were back in o-town visiting. if we hadn't been on that road and seen that sign for "beagle puppies" i would have never known what kind of love a puppy can bring into a persons life. at 10, i was probably too young to recognize that, but over the past 15 years i've learned this to be true.

marbles was the one who sat on my bathroom rug to watch me get ready for my first day of high school. she laid next to me on my bedroom floor when i cried over my first heartbreak. she would howl for me, or anyone really, to take her outside, forcing us to get out of the house and appreciate the beautiful weather. she loved me even when i left for college, not coming home for months at a time, and even after i got married and moved away and she was toward the end of her life, she still managed to sprint around the house for me when i walked in the door. she was the most patient, loyal, carefree dog. she ate with gusto and slept in the shade of our trees.

my best friend left us last thursday. she left peacefully and quietly in the arms of my mom and dad. she will forever be remembered in our memories and in our hearts. my heart aches at the thought of never seeing her again, but i know she's in a better place - running around with grandma and grandpa p, slinky and kramer. going home this weekend and not being greeted by her the second i walk in the door is going to be tough, but i know she lived a long, happy life with a family that loved her more than she will ever know and that's all i could ever have wanted. i love you always, marbs.

i did it.

welp, i did it. i faced my arch-enemy last night. after a year and a half of "not having enough space in the kitchen", i finally broke out my kitchenaid electric mixer and made bread. last night was meatless monday, and i did a repeat of this for dinner. except this time i made the crusty bread. that's right, grandma. i-made-bread. believe it.
i didn't take any pictures throughout the process because i was nervous the entire time. weird, i know.
so, drum roll puhleeeeassseeeeeee:

ta-da!...magic i tell ya.

here's the recipe i used (adapted from the kitchenaid book of recipes)

whole grain wheat bread
1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp brown sugar, divided
2 cups warm water, 105-115 degrees F (you want it warm when you touch it, not burning or boiling)
2 packages active dry yeast
5 to 6 cups whole wheat flour (do not add more than 6 cups)
3/4 cup powdered milk
2 tsp salt
1/3 cup oil 

in small bowl, dissolve 1 tbsp brown sugar in warm water. add yeast and let mixture stand.
place 4 cups flour, powdered milk, 1/3 cup brown sugar, and salt in mixer bowl. attach bowl and dough hook to mixer.
turn to speed 2 and mix about 15 seconds. continuing on speed 2, gradually add yeast mixture and oil to flour mixture and mix about 90 seconds longer. stop and scrape bowl if necessary.
continuing on speed 2, add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time and mix until dough clings to hook and cleans sides of bowl, about 2 minutes (dough may not form a ball on hook, but as long as hook comes in contact with dough, kneading will be accomplished). knead on speed 2 about 2 minutes longer. 
place dough in greased bowl, turning to grease top. cover and let rise in warm place, free from draft, about 1 hour or until doubled in bulk (i placed two towels on top of the bowl and put in the corner of the kitchen).
punch dough down and divide in half. shape each half into a loaf (see below). place in greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2-inch loaf pans (i only had one loaf pan, so for fear of wasting the second loaf, used a small glass baking dish and put both loaves next to each other). cover. let rise in warm place, free from draft for about an hour or until doubled in size. 
bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. reduce oven temp to 350 degrees and bake 30 minutes longer. remove from pan immediately and place on wire rack to cool.

to form dough into loaf:
divide dough in half. lightly flour a clean, dry surface and roll each half into a rectangle, around 9x14 inches. using a rolling pin will help remove gas bubbles and smooth out the dough.
starting at one of the short ends, roll the dough tightly and pinch the seam to seal it. pinch and fold ends under. place dough, seam side down, in a loaf pan. 

this recipe made two pretty large loaves. we ate half of one with our soup and wrapped the other one up, put it into a freezer bag to freeze it so we could eat it later. before you bake the dough, you could try brushing the top of one loaf with olive oil and sprinkling it with some italian seasonings to make it a bit more interesting...would be perfect for, in my mother's words, "sopping", or dipping, in an olive oil and herb mixture.

yay for carbs!

my royal wedding.

yes, i know the big shabang was on friday, but i want everyone to know i've been obsessed with it ever since. beau and i got up early friday morning. no, not to watch the long-awaited royal wedding, but instead to do a little p90x. pre-royal wedding, i just couldn't get caught up in all the excitement. buuuut, 45 minutes into it  we were both sitting on the couch, eyes-glued, watching what felt like a fairytale movie. beau was fascinated with every little detail of the ceremony. me, obsessed with kate's dress and gracefulness, like she had done this her entire life. watching such an beautiful event take place made me think of my own wedding.

(pics above are all from ashley brockinton photography)

sure, i might not be a princesses, but i sure as heck felt like one on my wedding day. my dress was certainly not made by the creative designer at alexander mcqueen, but i felt like it could have been. my grandma is not the queen, but my grandparents were there and healthy, and my parents were definitely the hosts with the most and were the sole reason i felt like i did on our magical day.
yep, i'm a princess...in my own little world, living with my prince in our little corner in northern indiana where i can burp and snort, trip up the stairs and do stupid things without having to worry about an entire nation watching my every move...and that's plenty good enough for me.
happy monday!