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. ;)

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!

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!

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! :)

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! ;)

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.

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!

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!

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.

Did you miss me?

I forgot to mention I went on a 3-week trip during the month of July. It was great!

- I flew to Tulsa, OK

- Drove to Mt. Vernon, MO

- Gambled in Oklahoma

- Took an RV to Wichita Falls, TX (and stayed the night on the couch of said RV)
- Continued the RV trek to Austin, TX

-Spent a few days in North Austin at my aunt's house (which is in the neighborhood that Dazed and Confused filmed it's popular car chase scene)

- Attended a cookout at my uncle's cattle ranch outside Austin and got to 4-wheel on their HUGE amount of land at sunset

--> Saw lots of cows:

- Drove to Lake LBJ to the famed G family reunion for nearly a week

... This family reunion is no joke. My dad has 10 brothers and sisters, of which he is the oldest. I have close to 50 cousins on just his side of the family. No joke!

- Drove back to Austin to stay at another aunt's house and floated in Lake Travis for a majority of the day. Very nice!

- Flew to Atlanta, GA

- Worked my first trade show. Stayed in a great hotel in the middle of Downtown ATL with an awesome view.
- I was officially greeted to "Hot-Lanta" by a man on the street on the last day of my stay.. and man, was it hot that day.
- Flew to Raleigh, NC and spent a little time with my folks.

- Drove back home to Greenville

- Went back to work at 7:30 AM the next day.



Phew! Exhausting, huh? It's good to be back. It took me a solid week to recover.

Happy Thursday!

Well hello again, bloggerverse!

Lots of changes have been going on this summer.

1. I graduated and earned my BSBA in May... WOOHOO!

2. I got a job that exceeded my expectations in what I would be doing after college. (Double woohoo!)

3. That job pays much better than what I was expecting. :)

4. Dora turned a year old a few months ago.. our adoption anniversary passed a month ago.

5. I'm still alive and kicking!


I have been cooking much more frequently, and I LOVE it. I try to cook (or discover) something new every week, though it's hard to find the time. It's a lot easier to go out to get something to eat, rather than decide what I'm making, go to the store for ingredients, and take twice as long as the directions say it should take to prepare.

Don't get me wrong.. I really enjoy cooking!

It's just lots easier to go out for 50-cent boneless wings with beer on special at the joint down the street... I'm just sayin'.


Anyways, just thought I'd post an update! Like always, I hope I can get back into this bloggin' biznuss. ;)

I Heart Faces - Pets

Hey folks!

So I ♥ Faces is a wonderful site that will certainly inspire you if nothing else! I learned about the website over a year ago. The nicest people you have ever met on the web go to that site! I have definitely improved leaps and bounds since my first entries to their weekly contests!

Anywho, this week's challenge is pets.. and man do I love my Dora girl. I know I posted this picture pretty recently, but I love it so much! So I'm entering it and gotta post it again. You don't mind, do you?

But don't let this picture fool you.. she's a total meanie. She loves her daddy way more than her mommy. And pretty much all of the pictures I take of her are when she is sleeping. Or when I accidentally awake her while I'm taking pictures of her (see above).

She's got devilish, fiendish eyes. And her teeth? Fuh-gedda-bout-it. I think she was a shark in her previous life. But she the sweetest little furbaby and she loves me.. when she's sleeping! ;)

So please head on over there to check out other awesome entries and discover lots of tips, tricks, and inspiration!

And you know what's kind of funny? I thought I had talked about her like this before.. and I had. I'm sure I do often, but this post from last December is pretty funny. Another I ♥ Faces challenge.. and pets, too!

Denver, here I come!

My brother is getting married this weekend, and I'm flying out with my boyfriend and parents this morning.. wahoo! It should be a fun-filled weekend full of great food and lots of extended family I haven't seen in a long time.

My brother and soon-to-be-sister-in-law are literally from complete opposite ends of the country.. so it's a little funny they met where they currently live, in Denver. I'm kind of glad they're getting hitched there, instead of Oregon.. although I wouldn't mind going to see the west coast! However, that would be a heck of a plane ride.. and planes make me a wee bit nervous.

What's been your worst experience while flying? (I promise I won't read anything until AFTER I return!) :)

Oh, kitty..

Every time I try to pack a bag or suitcase to go somewhere, she thinks she's coming along for the trip.

Oh, kitty, you're a trip!

Roller Derby

I decided a couple years ago that I wanted to join a roller derby (when I was of age and when I had the time). Well I'm 22 and I'm a college grad.. and still finding employment! Getting back on some wheels and exercising sounds like a wonderful activity to do in my downtime, right?!

So I've been searching around for a derby league in the area.. and of course some roller skates. Has anyone been a part of a roller derby team, and is it as scary as my boyfriend thinks it is? He said he doesn't want me coming back from practices/bouts with black eyes and bruises.. (aww.. thoughtful!) but I reassured him that I won't necessarily get knocked around like that.. right?

I mean, I'm not the biggest girl, so I'm assuming I could get rolled pretty easily. Unless I have good ducking and maneuvering reflexes.

However, I haven't really roller-skated since I was 13 and went to the roller skating rink every friday night with my girlfriends..

Didn't you hate it when your mom called your friends "girlfriends" when you were younger? I don't understand why I got my panties in such a wad about it.. It's not that big of a deal. I used to giggle when she said she was going out to lunch with her girlfriends, thinking "How many girlfriends do you have, mom?!" Oh.. immature mind.

Forgot to update you!

I wrote a little while back that I was nominated for an award this semester by one of my professors. Well, it was presented Grammy's-style at a banquet in April, and I won Second Place! It was (and still is!) such an honor, and I still feel humbled. The winner was the speaker for the graduating baccalaureates at my departmental graduation, and she will definitely continue on to do great things, as will the third place winner! It was such a rewarding experience, and I am so thankful for being given such an opportunity.

For those who missed it, it was for "The 2010 Most Promising Female Entrepreneur Award", given to a student at my university and sponsored by an area business-women's organization.

And my picture even made it into the paper! Right on! :)

Hi again Bloggerverse!

So things have been crazy busy the last few months, and now everything came to a screeching halt. I just GRADUATED from college last week (and lost my student job at the same time because I graduated..) so things have been a little boring! I got to go home and spend some time with my family and my nephews, and now I'm neck-deep in a massive job hunt. So the resumes have been flying, and the phone's been ringing, and I'm just doing what I can to get myself out there and hopefully get a bite! :)

I got an iMac a couple months ago, which was the best life decision ever. Next to buying my first digital SLR last year. And I found an amazing deal on a wii the other day that I absolutely

couldn't refuse (15% off coupon at Target.com + 10% bing cashback = $150!), so now I've just got to find a wii fit bundle at a good price. Haha!

Needless to say, I've gotta start making some money so I can pay for all of this! And get some awesome new photography equipment that I've been dying to get my hands on. :)

Just wanted to let you know I'm alive and doing great! I know I keep saying it, but I really want to start back blogging more often. I've missed it!

And here's a picture of Dora that I am LOVING! Took it a few weeks ago.. she's precious. Can you believe she loves her daddy more than me though?! Oh, those eyes.. !

I lied!

I lied! I'm sorry. I'm indecisive, and if you've hung around this blog for a while you might know that by now.

So for dinner last night, I ended up cooking this:

Homemade Chicken Strips

and Roasted Potato Wedges

Only my chicken didn't bread as easily so it was just very flavorful and yummy non-crunchy chicken, and my potato wedges were very crunchy and full of flavor and incredible. Oh my!

And they paired well with this pinot grigio I got from the store the other day... I can't believe I was so blind to not see that this delicious wine existed!

Thank you Ree (Pioneer Woman) for your AMAZING recipes and true talent in the kitchen. I will never go hungry again!

On a side note, why does it take me 1.5 hours to make dinner that should only take 40 minutes? I have a tendency to make cooking times double with any recipe I try.

My mouth is watering!

I've been on a serious recipe-hunting binge for the last few weeks. Have I had the time to cook anything except breakfast last Friday?

No.

But I swear, these websites will make you want to jump in the kitchen.

Please go visit and make your stomach envy your eyes. :)

PW COOKS

Also from PW, TASTY KITCHEN

And to hit your sweet spot, Bakerella

Yum! I'm off to make something delicious.. perhaps something to make me feel fancy, like Chicken Piccata?

Yum. Enjoy!

Oh, and please let me know if you'd like me to share some yummy recipes with you.. maybe a once a week feature? Because I'm on a serious kick right now. And I would love to share my hunger for deliciousness with you. Please comment and let me know what you think!