Mirror, Mirror, on the wall...

One of my favorite things that I did for my wedding was getting all of my amazing bridesmaids their gifts! I really wanted my present to them to be something special, not just a bag with their name on it, or jewelry that they were supposed to wear. I wanted them to get this gift, something that they could have for their rest of their lives in their homes (hopefully) and when they saw it thought, "ah, Terri gave that to me when I was in her wedding" which would hopefully bring back great memories of a fun time together. That's the emotion I shoot for when I buy someone a present.

 Granted sometimes I'm lazy and you will get a candle from Bath & Body Works. Opps.

Anyways, the idea for their presents came from a mirror that I had made years before out of on of my Grans antique picture frames. See, Gran used to be a photographer and IS a hoarder (for real she could be on that show. Minus the trash - she ain't trashy.) so she has hundreds of antique, gorgeous, one of a kind picture frames. Everyone always comments on my mirror and I thought, "hey, that would be an amazing gift that I'm pretty sure all of my bridesmaids would A. Like, B. Use, C. Keep" so I enlisted my Gran & Mom to help.

The first step was BEGGING my Gran to let me have 9 frames. (Shes a HOARDER, she wanted to keep them.) So, I held back the whole truth and told her I was going to sell them and make her money. My mom totally went along with this because she thought it was a great way to get rid of 9 frames!

Long story short: Gran allowed this and she helped me put wire on the backs so they could hang. This was a really fun time with her and makes me miss her so much. We used to do all kinds of things together and this was one of my favorite bonding times with her. I need to be a better granddaughter and go pay that gorgeous woman a visit.

Yes, that is Red, Shag, Carpet.

Gran hard at work while I'm taking pictures

Yes, those are wood paneled walls - Is that a bald spot?

I swear I'm wearing shorts

Here are the finished products!

They are all spoken for but would you buy one? We are going to make more and sell from $30.00 & Up. What do you guys think?

16x20

11x14 - This is frame #10 if you're counting (I had to have this baby in my bathroom)

16x20

11x14

16x20

11x14

11x14

16x20

I guess Gran & I have more in common than I thought:

 She has got Red Shag carpet & I got a Red couch hmmmm.

Suggestions? Comments?

It's time for TTT again!

It's Tuesday once again and I have sucked at blogging this weekend. 

Here's a little run down before some more crazy info about yours truely:

Friday - Got off an hour early from work (SCORE) to head to Jackson for one of the hubs gigs

Yes, I wanted to be extra cool and throw up a sideways deuce.

Why he gotta be flyer than me in those raybands?

We are re-dunk-u-lous

It was a really fun show mainly because all my family and friends live in Jackson and come out anytime Chad has a gig up there. It's always a blast when the place is packed and Chad does well. My precious nephew worked hard selling CDS that night which earned him a little extra dough for the bowling game this place had that he fell in love with. Gotta love those youngsters.

Saturday- Hubs had another gig in Hattiesburg on Saturday (he's a hussler baby, and he just wanted you to know) Things happend. People were seen, drinks were drank, food was ate.

Here are pictures to explain:

Our futures are so bright my camara can't handle it.

Bottle of wine #3 & evil Walk me down #2

Hubs and Harvs making those pretty sounds.

Then Amandas boyfriend took the camara to get a picture of us... needless to say these are what followed... hmmm no picture of "us"

Thanks Jeremy!

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Now, a quick TTT before I head back to work:

1. I am obsessed with prison. In college I took criminology and we actually went and toured a prison in MS. It was the scariest/coolest thing ever. I love watching Lockup and Prison Wives... Really I'm obsessed.

2. I work with 20 men/boys/children/perverts. They are all insaine but I love them dearly. It makes work much more intersting.

3. I do not turn my air condition off in my car before I turn it off. My husband goes INSAINE over this and HATES that I don't turn off the hair first, put the car in park, and then turn it off. Hello, WHY would I turn it off when I want it on immediatly when I get in my car. He says it will make my car live longer. I call BULLSHIT.

So Presh and So clean ..yea

To cute not to share:

My fur baby apparently likes to hang out in our bathtub while we are at work. I came home on a break and couldn't find her then walked in the bathroom and there she was. That little monster.

Nothing of Importance

Ahh details.. the wedding blog is coming I swear but I'm trying to wait for some more pictures to arrive so that you can have a visual.

Now, on to other things...

Running is driving me crazy.

After the two week break for the wedding and honeymoon I completely suck. I am slowly (think turtle crossing the grand canyon) building back up but it is one of the most aggravating things ever. Good news is that I have actually LOST weight since the wedding which is completely NOT what I was expecting. I think it has to do with the massive amount of stress that is gone. I'm feeling so good but I just can't wait to get back to my 4 mile runs that don't make me want to die.

Married life is pretty great. Chad is insanely happy...so happy that it's kinda freaking me out. It feels the exact same to me but he is just... happier. Hey, I'm so not complaining about him being happy - he surprised me today by taking my car and getting the windows tinted! (something I've been wanting for a year!!) Score. Sooooo should have married him sooner. haha

Last but certainly not least for today:

Tomorrow is the day I have been waiting for.

 It is time.

I'm not even going to say the words I am just going to give you pictures.

Heart be still, my Sunday nights are filled with blood once more!

ahhhh! Sunday's are so much better with a little BITE to them!

Triple Tangent Tuesday

I see that one of my favorite bloggers does this (Krista) and thought I'd give it a shot. Since it's Tuesday and all and I only have about 10 mins before I have to go back to work. Blahh working.. what a ridiculous concept.

Three Random things about me:

1. I absolutely cannot STAND mustard.

This means all forms NO, I'm not going to like Honey Mustard no matter how "different" it is from that nasty yellow shit below. It is not allowed in our fridge. Ever.

Barf! I just vomited having to go google mustard for you guys. I hope you all realize how hard that was for me. I hate the color of it, I hate the SMELL of it, I hate everything about freaking mustard. I can tell when mustard is used in things. One time I ordered catfish at a grill and it came out I popped it in my mouth and BARF. Mustard! They used mustard to make the corn mill or whatever it is stick to it. ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME. Never in my life had I heard of such a thing that should be advertised on the menu ya know.

2. I have a coupon addiction. I loveeeee love love saving money and I like getting free things. Most restaurants have clubs, join them and you get free stuff, grocery coupons, shopping coupons, I love them all. However, I have no problem at all paying full price for Calvin Klein shoes or Louboutin's. Go figure.

3. I have to drink everything out of a straw. I hate the idea of my mouth touching glasses and ice touching my lips and teeth. YUCK. I even drink beer out of a straw much to the dismay of my husband and friends. When I go to someones house, I need a straw if they don't have one usually there is one in my car. I don't remember when this started but I love straws.

Now, Back to work. Massive wedding details blog coming tonight.

Chicken Stir Fryyy

I'm on to something epic you guys!

Chicken Stir Fry Amazingness! I totally ran with this idea after reading Krista's Blog and being inspired from her version of this dish. I went a little Green crazy and created this YUMMY, Filling, Powerhouse of a meal!

I made a HUGE amount on Tuesday night for dinner and the rest of the weeks lunches. Another great thing about this is that it seems to keep tasting better every time I eat it and that is fantastic that I am not burnt out on it yet because I have been eating it everyday.

Here's my version:

1 white onion

8 Chicken tenders

Soy Sauce

Olive Oil

Brown Rice

1 Bag frozen Broccoli

2 Eggs

1 Bunch of Kale

Salt & Butter

How to make: The very first step is to start cooking the brown rice. Follow the instructions in your rice cooker or on the stove for the amount you want. I cooked about 4 cups of brown rice. Then you have to cook the chicken. I like to take a frying pan and put enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Get the cpan & oil hot and the place the chicken tenders into the pan. *Be careful the oil will pop you like a pissed off momma* season the chicken with a little salt let cook for about 5 mins then flip the chicken to cook the other side. Let cook 3 mins or so and then remove chicken from pan to cut up into bite size chunks. Add cut chicken back into the pan to finish browning. At that time add Soy Sauce. You can add as much or as little as you like, we like Soy Sauce in our Family so I added about 2 tbsp. Cook the Soy into the chicken for a few mins (maybe 3 I'm eyeballing it people) Take chicken off heat and set aside.

The next step is dicing up the Onion and cooking it. I placed the chicken back into low heat, add the diced onion, and added a little more Olive Oil and butter to the pan (about 1 tbsp) drizzled on top of the onions with a little salt and soy too. (just quick splashes this is optional to your liking!) On low heat I slowly let the onions cook with the chicken for about 5 mins. Leave this pan on low heat for the rest of the cooking!

The next step is cooking your frozen broccoli. I used a steamer bag and just microwaved it according to the directions. Once that was done I added it to the Chicken,Onions, and Kale.

(IF you wanna pack this baby out with green veggies add Kale. This is what I did right before the broccoli step. I had a bunch of Kale that I separated from the stems and washed then dried the leaves. I then cut it into bite sized chunks and added to the chicken and onions before the broccoli so it could cook down a little bit. My pan was over flowing for a few mins until it cooked down.)

While that cooked I fried up 2 scrambled eggs and once they were done added them to the chicken and veggies. Then came time for the fun part: adding more soy sauce and salt to the pan to get the mixture tasting like I wanted it to. Everyone is different so start adding slowly that way you don't go overboard and can get it to your personal liking.

Cook that on low heat until your rice is ready. Once your rice is ready drain any remaining water from it and then dump it into the chicken and veggie pot. Add more Soy if you want and TA DA it's done!

Workout: 20mins 1.4m mill, 20mins 2.6 elliptical, arms & abs  --- then 1.5 mile walk with olive 30 mins (She is SOOO out of shape)

What's your favorite new recipe that you would share with me?

Happy Fat

I have a fear, a very big thing that I REFUSE to let happen.

The Happy fat coming back.

Happy Fat Right before I started Losing weight.

 We were on vacation in Seattle, WA and I started changing my life when we got back. So glad that I did. YUCK. Late April 2010

Happy fat is what you get when you get into a new relationship and you are so freaking happy all you do is go out to dinner and eat ice cream off each others body's. Okay, to each their own but you get the idea. When you get into a relationship with someone you go out, you go to the movies and "split" a popcorn and jumbo coke (because he loves coke even thought you know you should be drinking diet  you end up drinking more regular coke than him because it just tastes so much better than you remember and the idea of getting two separate drinks just isn't as cute or economical as getting one and sharing the straw) Not to mention the 12 splashes of EXTRA butter for the  popcorn you both agree on because hey, it's date night and those calories don't count. UMM HMM. Big Mistake.

I experienced this Happy Fat during the first 3 years the Hubs and I were dating. Outback servers knew my name, the movies had my buttered popcorn ready and his gummies waiting, and if Cold Stone Creamery had a frequent flyer card I'd be on my 100th free scoop.

Damn you happiness.

I gained 40lbs in 3 years.

(Thats like a 2 year old!)

BAM. Go to Fat Jail.

Do NOT pass go Do NOT collect $200.00

Anyways, After a year now of working out for the wedding 51 lbs are GONE and I still have work to do but I am happy. I'm smaller than I was when I met the Hubs and I no longer get 12 splashes of butter on the popcorn and we do Coke Zero now. We only visit Cold Stone once ever couple of months and I haven't been to Outback in awhile. We don't order pizza ever week and I cook A LOT of fish (which is mmmAMAZING) Life is healthier now, We go to the gym together and try and be as active as possible.

But, I'm still worried.

Every single person I know that gets married gains weight. It's the Married Fat. I REFUSE to be apart of that terrible cycle ever again. I will break the mold and focus on losing even more; however, I feel myself being more relaxed. Yes, I did successfully resist the Krispy Kream Donuts and Boiled Peanuts at work yesterday but my freezer is full of Mini Cheesecake Bites that were leftovers from the wedding. I can not resist them I've been eating way to many this week. Probably 25 seriously. RIDICULOUS.

I'm getting rid of them Tomorrow at the in laws Fathers Day thing. I have to make this stop. I will NOT get Married Fat due to these amazingly delicious morsels.

Damn you Cheesecake Bites.

I'm going to the gym now try #3 since the Moon full of Honey.

(which we ate like CRAP during and drank way to many calories)

I didn't work out for almost 2 weeks due to the wedding and honeymoon and I can tell...I've been sucking lately and my muscles are sore and I can barley run 2 miles straight when I was knocking out 4 straight before the off time. I've just got to stay focused and build back up but MAN that is annoying.

I'm also going to go back to spin class next Thursday.

Pray for my ass people.

 Pray.

Bahamas 2011

Wedding Day.

So, We went to the chapel and got married. These are the events/stories before the big "I Do's"

Getting married is honestly something I never thought I would do.

I'm a product of divorce and never really saw a good example of lasting love, ya know the kind where you work things out and don't hurt each other everyday with cruel words and general animosity. I remember telling my mom to get a divorce when I was 8 years old; however, they didn't then dad put new carpet in the house and we went back home. For years I thought we just moved out for the carpet to get replaced... oh what a confused child I once was. The realization that life isn't perfect and sometimes people end up hating each other hit me when I was in high school after I broke up with my first "real" boyfriend and my parents really did get a divorce. I decided that relationships weren't worth the work and the pain that come with them. Then college happened and supplied an endless amount of guys that proved me right every time about my theory of only short term happiness really exists. My motto was "date like a guy" and hey, it really worked for a few years. I had a ton of fun and didn't worry about getting serious because I didn't WANT to. It and they were just not worth it. So, one day after watching Elizabethtown I decided I should be a single, witty, and attractive flight attendant who would have exciting love affairs. Well, I guess I'll just let Kristen handle that job.

Then I met a guy. A really really different guy. A guy I didn't think existed.

I don't know if this is how everyone feels when they are in love but it just doesn't get better than *him* he is the nicest, kindest, most talented person I've ever met and I have no idea how I got this lucky. I really believe that God brought us together because we are exactly what each other needed. Things I lack (patience, ambition, courage, kindness, sensitivity) he possess and the things he lacks I feel the voids for. I won't speak for him but HE MAKES ME A BETTER PERSON.

I fell in love with him and it scared me to death. 3 years later he asked me to marry him (still scared). 1.5 years later (June 4th 2011) we got married. And 10 days later I'm sure it was the best choice I've ever made.

That's just a little overview of our story and really I would crash blogger if I tried to go into details. I just felt the need to give you a glimpse into our love affair and honestly, I just don't know if this happens to everyone. I never thought it would happen to me, or even that this existed in the first place. I'd also like to urge everyone who reads this to never settle for an okay relationship just to not be "alone" I see so many of my friends do this and it's terrible.

Wait for it.

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The morning of the wedding started out with bubbles, besties, mommas, and booze.

I urge every Bride to take a bubble bath in a very big tub the morning of your wedding.

(We got married at 7pm so you might have to wake up extra early if it's a day one!)

Yes, I'm a ham.

I will pose for anything

I swear I wasn't doing anything naughty even though thats what it kinda looks like... eeek!

Then it was time to get pretty and drink pink champaine!

My dream team.

My best friends are amazing.

The following pictures were stolen from Nicole one of my AMAZING bridesmaids. (who also blogs! Check her smartness out HERE)

Putting the dress on!

Almost ready...

Finish product!

 *just one of the sneak peeks from the photographer*

Now, time to get sassy and take some pre wedding pictures!

(Note: the hubs was NOT allowed to see me pre game so these are all missing him)

some of my fabulous ladies

 (featuring Marley who made my dreams come true by being preggo for the wedding! I just LOVE preggo brdiesmaids they are just so BEAUTIFUL!)

Helping Vetter realize he has 3 buttons to button.

AND now time for a little recpetion time!!!

(still stolen shots from tater baby)

The entrance!

First dance

My penguin.

In the words of Porky Pig, "That's All Folks"

For tonight!