Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Engaged!

New update:


I'M ENGAGED!!


M proposed to me in our living room Sunday evening while I was joking with him about proposing to me. :)


I'm a super lucky girl! And he is such a sweetheart. I am so thankful to have him in my life.


Let's see how this journey plays out! This chick's got a wedding to plan. ;)

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Nephew #3's 1st birthday!

Sunday was my sister's first son's first birthday. We celebrated with all of their family on Saturday, and had such a great time. Baby D has grown up so much over the past month since I last saw him, and of course over the past year!

And golly.. he sure is a cutie! :)


That was one of my favorite pictures of the day.. How great is that face? And the belly! Oh dear..

And then there's this one.. that's me and the baby, and he's got the wheels churning in that cute, tiny little head of his. He's trying to fool me with his charms here.

And this is when he decides that he wants to share his birthday with me. On another level.




Happy birthday, Baby D! Auntie "Manda" loves you!



Monday, August 16, 2010

Weekly menu

Weekly recipe list: 8/16-8/22

Monday:
Perhaps out to the hot dog bar.. A friend is doing a HUGE favor for M and I and we may take him out if I'm back by dinnertime.. will post about that favor later! ;)

Tuesday:
Spaghetti

Wednesday:
Chicken Enchiladas

Thursday:
Out to eat (chicken wing night!)

Friday:
Parmesan Chicken

Saturday:
Quesadillas?

Sunday:
Out for Japanese Hibachi



This is a pretty busy week, so I can't even think about planning out my lunch! But I did pretty week. Hard to stick to a menu (and I didn't totally stick to it), but I'm definitely more aware of how much M and I go out to eat! Trying to scale that down so we can save up money a little easier. :)


Post your menus or any recipe ideas!


Monday, August 9, 2010

Eat Me Monday #1

Weekly menu (8/9-8/15):

Monday
Lunch: Ham and turkey sandwich, carrots
Dinner: Dinner plans with K - if that falls through, Dinner will be chicken quesadillas with pineapple for dessert

Tuesday
Lunch: Ham and turkey sandwich, carrots
Dinner: Chicken Parmigiana

Wednesday
Lunch: Fried chicken salad
Dinner: Enchilada Casserole

Thursday
Lunch: Out with Coworkers (We usually eat pretty healthy.. Sandwiches or Pitas are usually on the menu)
Dinner: Out (1/2 price wing night with friends)

Friday
Lunch: Leftover casserole from Wednesday

Friday PM-Sunday afternoon, we'll be out of town for my nephew's 1st birthday.. This means we'll each be at our parent's houses. Can't plan a meal there!

Sunday
Dinner: Hamburgers on the grill, salad, fruit salad



So this should be the plan for this week! Deviations are always expected because I can't fully commit.. plus, who knows what M will be in the mood for! :)


Post some recipes to share so I can have some new things to cook next week! :)
(And let me know if you want to know recipes for anything I've got on the menu!)


Weekly recipe list

I'm going to confess. I graduated college in May, and I live a few blocks from campus. Since I was so close (and I had NO idea where the campus shuttle bus stopped in my neighborhood to drive me over there), I walked to class every day. Sun, rain, hail, snow, ice.. you name it, I walked it. Or rode my bike in it. ..I digress.

Anyways, since I graduated, I have been either on vacation or working at my full-time desk job. And when I say desk job, I mean it. Desk. Job. I sit at my desk 90% of my day when I'm not getting up to go to the restroom, walking to the shipping dock, or getting a file folder from the supply closet. I do a lot of spreadsheet analysis, replying to emails, and things like that.


So I've gained some weight over the past 2 months since I graduated.

Most of me is blaming it on the fact that I'm not walking like I used to, which was definitely exercise. Part of me wants to think that I'm gaining weight like I'm spending money.. because we've been eating out a lot more (lazy) and I've been spending more than normal.


So here's my plan. I'd like to start posting my menu for the week so I can get myself organized, aware of how much I eat out, and hopefully get OUR eating habits better. M and I are guilty of not eating our fruits and veggies like we should.



Are you ready? I'd love your help on this project as well.. If you have any good recipes that are easy and don't require a lot of ingredients (still in a broke college student mind-set without a lot of time) I would LOVE to hear from you!



Thanks, and post some recipes! :)

Friday, August 6, 2010

My newest obsession.

My newest obsession: TRIVIA!


I started going out with a few coworkers to dinner at different bars around town, and I have discovered a whole new world of the town I've lived in for 4 years..

.. There is a large population of triva-playing people, and bars will let you play for free.

.. and those bars will even give you free food/cash prizes if you win.


What genius did this??


And where was I when this hit the area?! So my newest favorite thing to do is play trivia.


And just to let you know - I'm terrible at it! ;)


Thursday, August 5, 2010

Dessert can be adorable

How cute are these cupcakes?!



It's really easy to jazz up an ordinary cupcake. Sprinkles and cereal are used here. You can also use candies, little toys for kids, icing decorations, and more. Let your imagination go wild!


Or you can make these delicious and stinkin' adorable cake balls.


Just think of all the cake flavors and chocolate colors you could use for these! Plus, they are SUPER easy, thanks to Bakerella's recipe (included! See the link below!)


Here are the links for all these charming little desserts. :)
Lucky Charms Cupcakes - Betty Crocker
Red Velvet Cake Balls - Bakerella




This post and blog are not sponsored in any way by Betty Crocker. Betty has no idea who Amanda or her blog is. Amanda just really likes her grub.



Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Wedding..

Not my own! But someone close to me.

M's grandfather is getting married in October!

To a very sweet lady named Pat. They're both very active, spiritual, and overall great company to be around.

And they've asked me to photograph their wedding.. how could I say no? :)


I grew up never knowing a grandfather, because both my parents' fathers passed away within a year of my birth. So getting to be around M's family with how close they all are, it's been like having a 'papa' of my own. He's the sweetest, gentlest man; he and Pat really seem to fit together with where they each are right now in their lives.



I look forward to celebrating with their family in a few short months!



Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Crafting projects

Back to that increasing list of craft projects I'm looking forward to..

I've been inspired by some of the weirdest things lately. A coworker is planning her wedding after being engaged just 1 month ago.. and she seems to be almost DONE! With all the of the major things for sure, but it's so exciting hearing her talk about what she has planned. She knows what she's doing!

I also saw a dog last week with the fluffiest tail, really making me want to make some yarn pom poms. You know what I'm talking about, right?!


Well here's a few of the items on my list to try my hand at:

- Magnets: I snatched up a great find at a yardsale last weekend.. a 12"x12" standing magnetic memo board. And it's my favorite color.. purple! So I need some super cute magnets to adorn this for my office. Thinking covered clothespins and those glass "bubble" magnets.

- Etched glassware: A friend of mine always brings his beer stein to "bring-your-own-mug" night at a bar down the street, and our University's letters are etched into the glass. What a clever gift idea, and it's completely personalizable!

- Some sort of bedazzled memo board, be it covered/painted corkboard, chalkboard, or something magnetic. I've got ideas a-churnin' and I've just got to find the time to make it happen!


Those are just a few on my list. Let me know if you've seen anything lately for inspiration!


Monday, August 2, 2010

Cloud of suspense?

I have a nice good list of crafting projects I'd like to tackle soon, but there is this gigantic cloud hovering over me like something major is coming up.


Oh yeah..


FOOTBALL SEASON!



I've joined forces with the ECU Marching Pirates for another year, but this time I'm not a student member and I'm not marching. I'm the staff photographer! This means I'll be at all the games with a spiffy press pass, allowing me to go most anywhere I want to go.


This also means I'll be out on the practice field with them a LOT when I get the chance outside of my FT job.. primarily band camp, which is coming up in a few weeks. I'll be hanging around a lot during practice over the weekend to get some good action shots of the students and staff doing work. Oh yeah, and I'll be at all the football games, of course!



So needless to say, Fall is going to be busy busy busy between work, football games, band practices, and ... a wedding?! More to come later.