Current Favorites

     When I was only 3, I had an addiction to a plastic, gold headband that I affectionately referred to as "my golden treasure." I would wear it all day, and at night, I would place it under my pillow. I remember the horrific day when it broke into two pieces, and my mom and dad had the hot glue gun out to try and cure my broken headband... and my broken heart.

     Well, all good things must come to an end. My golden treasure was eventually thrown away as two broken pieces turned into three, and my mom refused to let me leave the house with a headband that was held together with globs of hot glue and scotch tape.

   Now, my current favorite things will never compare to the significance of that precious headband. However, here is just a few frivolous favorites:

1. Pralinutta- My sister, Jill, introduced this delicious concoction to me. It is basically Nutella, but it only costs $1.99 per jar, and it tastes pretty much the same. Guilty pleasure-eating a big spoonful after dinner for a little dessert. The swirl kind is the best.

     2. Anthropolgie dishtowels- First off, what is there not to like about Anthropolgie? My mom gave me the cutest wedding dishtowels from Anthro at one of my wedding showers. Since then, she has been giving me different dishtowels as gifts. The one below is one of my favorites because it looks exactly like Bailey down to the black eye and black lips.

      3. The Pink Panther- My favorite adult beverage-champagne and grapefruit juice. I first had this at Boom Boom Room in the Heights. They make their's with pink grapefruit juice. We served this at Meghan and Steven's couples shower with white grapefruit juice, and it is so tasty.

     4. Taking walks- The one horrible thing about living in an apartment with a dog is that any time they need to go outside, you're going with them. Although I still hate having to take her out all of the time, I have started to love taking walks after dinner. Bailey's new favorite place to go is on the top floor of our apartment parking garage. While she still has to stay on her leash, she gets to run around like a crazy dog. Plus, you can get a semi-decent view of our part of town.

    5. Reggae music- I never, ever thought I would say that I like reggae music, but it is true. Kyle created this awesome playlist of reggae music for our honeymoon, and now I am obsessed. One of my favorite reggae songs: "Love I" by The Green Band.

Now, I just asked Kyle what he thought are my current favorite things. He said the Oprah Winfrey Network and pretending I understand his insurance terminology. So true. Love him... Slightly surprised he didn't say pimento cheese. Haha.

Meghan and Steven's Couples Shower

My sister in-law, Anna, and I (plus our hubbys) have been planning Meghan and Steven's couples shower for a couple of months. Knowing that it had to be perfect for the perfectionist bride, we did our best to leave no stone unturned. All in all I think the shower was a great success! It it so neat to see the support from family and friends!

All of our boys... doing what they do best

Mom and sisters

Mom and Meghan

The bride and groom

Food table

The cake



Meghan and Kyle



Newlyweds Game hosted by me and Kyle

You get a question wrong... you get to play dress up :)

Finished product

The magician

Bailey's 1 Ring Circus

Upon buying Bailey, we thought we would be getting a dog that spent her days looking like this...

Instead, we have this...



Kyle spent the last half of the work week in Tampa for a business trip, so Bailey and I decided to learn a new trick. Gotta love her and her non-lazy self.

Tea Time

     Is there anything better that getting a pedicure with your sister, followed by lunch and shopping with your grandma and mom? I think not. This weekend started off picture perfect as my grandma came in town to attend Meghan's first bridal shower.

     Meghan's bridal shower was absolutely cute. The shower was a tea party, and guest's were encouraged to wear hats. It was such a fun way to celebrate Meghan and Steven, and it is always so nice to be surrounded with people that love you (or love your mom). Meghan was definitely shown some love today, and she deserves it.

Leaving for the tea

Granny and Connie came to join us

Grandma of the bride, the bride, and mother of the bride

The Groom and the Bride

The Bride and Groom's sisters and mothers



Mom and sisters



Anna and baby Miles!

Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball

    I was watching Paula Deen last week, and she made a chocolate chip cheese ball. Chocolate+cream cheese? Well, where could you go wrong?

Here's the link:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/chocolate-chip-cheese-ball-recipe/index.html

   I would say to nix the butter because I don't think it needs it. Also, I didn't make mine into a ball. I smoothed the mixture into a round, glass dish (it was actually a pie dish), and I sprinkled the walnuts on top. I also think it would be delicious to substitute the chocolate chips for Heath Bar bits which can be found right next to the chocolate chips at the grocery store.

     How can you feel bad for eating a dessert that you dip fruit into? ;)

Routine Shake-Up

     Like many people, I love having a routine. I like having a schedule and knowing exactly what I am doing and what to expect. (Good thing I'm a teacher... talk about groundhog's day). Thankfully, our lives are right back on schedule, and we know this because we are all caught up on our DVR. ;)

     Shake-up #1-Rodeo.This was Kyle's second year to volunteer for the Houston Rodeo, and in true Kyle form, he worked, in my opinion, more than enough hours. This was truly the start of our abnormal routine. Volunteer hours for Kyle's committee were around 5 p.m.-2:00 a.m. This translates to a very tired Kyle, a restless Allie, and cereal for dinner. The positives: Kyle loves volunteering for the rodeo, and I have a new found love for chocolate Cheerios.

    Shake-up #2- Spring Break. I know, poor me. However, it wasn't Spring Break that was tough, obviously, but my poor Bailey was/is sick. She kept siking me out, so I didn't take her to the vet until the end of the week. One day she was sick, the next day she would improve, and by Friday I wasn't buying it.  She ended up with 4 prescriptions, the occasional dose of Benadryl, and lots of medicated baths. She instantly began to feel better. Luck would have it, that only lasted a week. I foresee another visit to the vet.

     Shake-up #3- Daylight Savings. The time change happened at the beginning of Spring Break, but I didn't feel the effects of it until we went back to school. The alarm clock was not our friend, and bed time came a whole hour earlier last week.

   Now, we're feeling back in the groove. The apartment is cleaned, dinners have been cooked, and exercise is happening (or attempts at exercise). Best of all, we do not foresee anymore shake-ups. Next up-Meghan's bridal showers galore!
   

  

Spring Break and Dreaming of the Summer

This Spring Break has been precisely that- a break. Since I still live my life based on semesters, I am glad to say that this semester has been super fast, but it is still nice to take a little time off. My week has been consumed with wedding planning for Meghan, giving Bailey and myself lots of meds for allergies, and spending countless hours on tripadvisor.com...

If I had to give a theme to my and Kyle's first 8 months of marriage, it would be routine. It took us only a few weeks to realize that there were good and bad times to ask each other to do the "unwanted" tasks. Who takes Bailey out in the mornings? Who takes out the trash? When is a good time to make Kyle watch a girlie movie? ... to name a few. And once we found our groove, the simple, everyday tasks and merging of our two lives was fun and so easy. And, accompanying our obsession with routine is advanced planning. This brings me back to tripadvisor.com.

We have decided that every other year we would travel outside of the country. Since we travelled out of the country for our honeymoon, our summer plans include 3 days in Vegas followed by a weekend in Seattle. You must know, Kyle LOVES Vegas. He has been at least once a year since he turned 21, and he has been so anxious to take me there. Since Kyle is the ol' pro, I told him he could create our Vegas itinerary. (I come from a family of high maintenance and obsessively planned tourists). There are only 2 stipulations: Cirque du Soleil LOVE and Celine Dion. Isn't he an angel? Celine Dion? Bless him.... I only have a slight obsession with her, and I am so glad her show is back. Bonus- we are going on my 25th birthday! :)

Seattle? Kyle and his dad used to travel a lot when Kyle racewalked. (Yes, racewalking). Kyle always told me how much he loved Seattle. I instantly agreed, but I told him that I wanted to plan the Seattle portion. Now, if you haven't been on tripadvisor.com, you are missing out. It has to be the best travel website, so I have over indulged during my time off. I have spent hours and hours reading reviews about different hotels, restuarants, and attractions in Seattle. Is it sad that I have planned a trip that is four and half months away?

Since our vacation isn't until the end of summer, I am not going to wish my time away. Don't you know that teachers live for their summers off? (Feel free to roll your eyes). In the meantime, I will be making sure my sweet Bailey starts to feel better...

Bailey after getting a bath with her medicated soap. NOT her favorite thing to do.

Sleepy, medicated Bailey wearing her t-shirt b/c she keeps scratching her skin off. :(