A BFF weekend for the books

This weekend was just maybe perhaps possibly the best weekend I've had in years. I finally, finally, finally got to see my best friend in the whole wide world after what feels like years! In fact, I think the last time I got to see Chelsea was last year in July (!!!) for a shower we co-hosted in honor of my sister. July? Really? Had it really been that long? Can real BFFs go that long without seeing each other (or hardly even talking) and still be BFFs?

Chelsea and I sure can. We have before, we did this time, and I'm certain we will in the future. It happens just like other people who have true BFFs say it happens: when we finally, finally, finally see each other again, we run to each other, embrace, sway a little, shake with excitement, tear up a little and wipe it away so the other won't see, embrace and sway some more, stomp our feet to get out all the extra energy, and then pull away, look at each other, and sigh with relief; the wait is finally over, and we're back together at last. Well, okay, another enthusiastic hug or two. And then for real this time. It's out of our systems.

Now what trouble can we start?!?

Chelsea and I had planned this Ree Day & BFF Weekend for months. Seriously! We schemed and made lists, and even took an entire vacation day away from work to make this weekend as magical as it actually turned out to be.

Ree Drummond, known out here in the blogosphere as The Pioneer Woman, was in Atlanta this weekend. If you know me, then you know that I'm a huge fan of hers, as is Chelsea. When Chelsea broke the news to me that "P-Dub" was going to be in Atlanta for a book signing, we immediately made a set of "Ree Day Rules & Such" (which we have decided to keep strictly to ourselves for fear of utter embarrassment or even a restraining order if Ree herself ever read it!). We worked up plans for an entire BFF weekend that included meeting Ree, shopping at IKEA, dining on tapas, enjoying cocktails, listening to great music, resting at my sister's house, cooking recipes from P-Dub's aaaah-mazing cookbook, and who-knows-what-else. I had a countdown on my calendar at work. I purchased a flattering, flowing, flowery, flouncy blouse because a) it's flattering, flowing, etc., and b) it's Ree's favorite sort of blouse. Why not coordinate for the photo op, am I right?? And yeah, I was totally shopping for a compliment.

So our countdowns finally dwindled down to 3, 2, 1!!! and so I packed my bags, drove to up Macon, and Chelsea and I hugged like BFFs hug after not seeing each other since last July. It was pretty awesome. Then we loaded up her car and headed for Atlanta! Of course, our Ree Day schedule worked perfectly, so we made it with a few hours to burn. What's a girl to do besides shop in a two-story Target complete with escalators for people... and buggies, too??? That's right, an escalator for your shopping cart. We stood there and waited for someone with a buggie to come along so we could see how it worked. And it was really cool. After we exhausted our will to shop anymore we headed to a little place next door to the Borders book store where Ree Drummond was scheduled to make her appearance just a couple hours later. What was next door to Borders?

Pinkberry.

Not familiar with Pinkberry? Well, it's only pretty much one of the best things to ever eat for a snack. Ever. It's fat free yogurt mixed with fat free milk and flavored with natural stuff to make some freaking amazing frozen yogurt. Oh wow, it was so good! I immediately checked out the floor (paved in tiny pea-sized pebbles), furniture, lighting, and color scheme. What fun!

Then Chelsea and I were educated on Pinkberry--how it's made and what it's made of--and then we got a tour of all the amazing toppings (as long as it fits "comfortably" within the rim of your bowl, it's included in the price of the yogurt!). I was so pumped to look at the menu and read Blood Orange as a yogurt flavor! That's one of the Lamberth ladies' favorite flavors. On top I opted for something rather simple: fresh, handmade blood orange syrup, pineapple chunks, and raspberries (on the right). Chelsea went for a double flavor bowl of coconut and mango yogurts and just about every fruit there was (on the left)!

Then the time came to wait our turn. We were in group "E" which meant there were groups A through D ahead of us. Bummer. We camped out in the childrens books section and watched Ree stalkers and judged wardrobe mishaps and hairstyle don'ts, and once our letter of the alphabet was announced, we stood in line with letters A through E. 

While we waited in line, Chelsea found this really cute little hedgehog finger puppet perched on a 

book shelf:

Then we found a stack of PostSecret books and left our own little secrets for someone else to discover and read for themselves. I know PS is supposed to be anonymous, but we signed one of them anyway:

 And then the time we had been waiting so long for finally came! Chelsea and I met Ree Drummond, aka Pioneer Woman, aka P-Dub, aka our new BFF. She was absolutely delightful. She had a sort of Midwestern accent. Her dimples were totally cute, and her red hair was just red enough. And did you notice her blouse? Well, she surely noticed mine. That's right, people, Ree loved my flattering, flowing, flowery, flouncy blouse and totally told me she loved it. Then we talked for a couple minutes as she wrote little notes in our cookbooks. Chelsea and I asked her if her face had gotten tired of smiling yet, and she replied that that's just kinda how her face is, and we said, something like "how lovely to have a smile stuck on your face all the time!" and then we snapped this picture. Can you see how nervous we were? Well, we were totally nervous, and we felt so stupid for being so nervous. But we were nervous anyway. And then, as we finished up our little nervous and giggly conversation with Ree, she said, "It was just lovely to have met the two of you! Oh, and can I borrow your blouse?" And then I melted. And exploded. And then I melted again.

(Oh my goodness, I still can't believe we met Ree! She was divine and lovely. And so pretty! And those dimples. And that red wavy hair. Ah!)

Oh! And did I mention that her utterly studly husband was there as well? Well, he was. Marlboro Man, dressed down to the boots, Wranglers, and--yes, even he cowboy hat, score!--was there. Here's the picture that Ree herself posts on her blog all the time that defines what she thinks of her husband, Marlboro Man:

Chelsea and I were determined to get our own shot of this famous behind, chaps or not. He was surrounded by women who were fawning all over him, gasping and giggling and groping and taking all sorts of pictures and hogging all the time he had while lots of other women waited and snapped pictures from a distance. But what did Chelsea and I do? We staged a Photo Bomber session. And for those of you who don't know what the art of Photo Bombing is, it's basically standing in the background of a picture that's currently being taken and doing something funny. They person taking the picture, as well as the people in the picture, don't see what you've done in the background until they get home and relive their memories of groping on Marlboro Man's sweaty chest at the Borders Book Store in Peachtree City! I've got to say, I really hope it was as successful from other womens' cameras as it was from mine!

Then, after we cooled off from that fun little game, we went around the corner to a tapas restaurant called Twist and enjoyed tapas, a fun and noisy atmosphere that neither of us was used to anymore as old and grown adults, and some outta-this-world delicious cocktails. Before we knew it, we were coming down with a serious case of the sleepies. Maybe it was the cocktail that got us just warm enough to want to snuggle up to a cool pillow. Maybe it was the fact that our Ree Day adrenaline was finally subsiding. But we were ready to settle down and get out of that noisy restaurant, so we headed for my sister's house.

After a couple glasses of "hello, we're here, and thanks for letting us crash in the guest room" wine, we all went to sleep without an alarm clock set! And oh my goodness, that felt sooooo good to wake up without an alarm screaming at us! We played with the pups, watched My Girl ("And don't come back for five to seven days!!!"), ate orange-and-cranberry muffins along with sausage for breakfast, and just basked in nothingness for a whole four hours.

And then it was time to IKEA. Do you IKEA? We sure did! For some reason, we decided to take a picture on the way OUT of the massive superstore. My apologies for the dishevelment! OMG I'm looking rough. Those big yellow letters always blow me away. How tall do you think they really are?

Bless my little sister's heart for shopping with us that afternoon. I don't know if she meant to or not, but she kept me and Chelsea moving at a (somewhat) acceptable pace. I'd get caught up in the gadget kitchen drawer organization section and Chelsea would come to a standstill while admiring random coat hangers and storage shelves. But Kristen would always remind us that there was something else more interesting just around the corner. And thank goodness for that, because even with her guidance (towards the exit door) and perseverance (aka constantly walking about two steps ahead of us with our shopping cart), we shopped at IKEA for over 4 hours! While that does include a delicious lunch of Swedish meatballs and mashed taters, the shopping just dominated this IKEA visit. To the max.

That being said, IKEA did us in. Chelsea drove herself and me back to Macon like a champ where Andrew greeted us with copious amounts of wine (yum, shiraz!), salmon, ribeyes, potatoes, mushrooms, and a few other accoutrement. Morgan and Larry, some of their great friends there in Macon, met us at their house where we ate a lot, drank a lot, laughed a lot, and played a lot of Phase Ten... until a lot of wine was spilled all over the playing cards!

(Yes, that's my bendy straw in a glass of red wine. I didn't want PLS (Purple Lip Syndrome) from sipping on that wine all night, and that's my brilliant solution for it, okay?)

After a long, long, loooooooooooooooooong night of playing "Watch That YouTube Music Video and Remember When That Song Was Awesome" with Andrew and Chelsea, we retired for some well deserved and much needed rest.... at 4:30am!!! Needless to say, sleeping until 12:00 in the afternoon was an accomplishment for me, and I woke up rested and ready to get home to take a nap in my own bed... after some steak and eggs prepared by the Ray Household resident chef, Andrew himself! 

Like I said, this weekend was just maybe perhaps possibly the best weekend I've had in years. And it's definitely one for the books. Thanks to Chelsea, my Very Best Friend of over 14 years. May God bless us with at least 14 more!!!

Makes me wanna nom nom nom nom nom

I've discovered a new marinade that I'm crazy about. Sure, it's a salad dressing, and I'm positive it's really good on some crisp, sweet butter lettuce topped with Kalamata olives, cherry tomatoes, and fancy sliced radishes. But I'm loving this dressing because I've just used it as a marinade for dressing our meat for dinner twice within a week.

On Thursday night Carlton fired up the grill and I whipped out a gallon size ZipLoc bag. I put in four little 1/4" thin sliced bone-in pork chops that were BOGO (buy one package of four and get another free, woohoo!) at the grocery store with a generous squirt of the dressing and let it sit while the coals got themselves all hot and ready. I've gotta say, those pork chops were soooooo delicious! The dressing/marinade charred around the edges, caramelized in some spots, and got tangy and zesty and salty and all sorts of rich and delicious on those pork chops! I'd say that if you're cooking anything over open flame that takes more than 8-10 minutes to cook completely, I wouldn't marinate the meat first, but rather baste it onto the meat after it's gotten started cooking on the grill because it was cooked just right for our skinny little 1/4" pork chops. I served the pork chops with something I've only recently discovered in the freezer section of the grocery store, and Carlton and I both agree--they're delicious! Alexia Sweet Potato Fries. This time I bought the chipotle flavor and they were soooo good along with the pork chops! (This is the one and only way I will eat sweet potatoes thus far... they must be oven fried and Trisha loves them!)

Then tonight I took those individually frozen chicken tenders you buy in the big bag from the frozen meats section of the grocery store, and I put them in a baking dish, frozen, straight into the oven for the 20 minutes of recommended baking time. Once the 20 minutes were up, I took the baking dish out, squirted my dressing over each of the tenders, and turned the oven onto high broil for about 4 or 5 minutes... just long enough for the dressing to start to caramelize around the edges of the chicken. Delicious! We had some starchy sides tonight--no veggies because I wasn't in the mood for any. Some herb baked potato wedges and Sister Schubert's Dinner Yeast Rolls. What a delicious and easy meal! I dirtied one baking sheet, two dinner plates, two forks, one butter knife, and two drinking glasses! Carlton was lucky that his "doing the dishes chore" (aka put the plates in the dishwasher) was so quick and easy.

So, if you're tired of the salty zest of Dale's Seasoning and you're not up for Spicy Buffalo or Sweet, Smoky Barbecue flavors, go Greek! Feta and oregano? Yes, please!!!!

213 Gardenia, Part 3: Sofa, So Good

Until about August of last year, we were still living off of Carlton's sofa from college.

I know. Gross.

It was a good ole fella with a strong back, a tough exterior, and the ability to practically force you to lie down and sleep. The gunmetal gray upholstery never showed a stain, never ripped, never showed stress or wear. The tough hardwood structure underneath it all was sturdy and--one might think--made of a boulder. And you'd understand that if you ever tried to move the thing. And we did... multiple times!

But the cushions. Oh, those terrible, terrible cushions! Now, the seat cushions were just fine. They stood the test of time and college-aged boys like the rest of the sofa. But the back cushions just about disintegrated into a sad amoebic state, all wobbly and irregular and squishy and mushy and deformed. A person with intentions of sitting on the sofa like a normal human being would either a) have to sit and lean forward towards the coffee table as if he was eating a floppy slice of pizza, or b) turn sideways, curl her legs up underneath her bottom, and prop her elbow on the arm of the sofa as if she was knitting or reading a handy home decorating magazine. Either scenario was not conducive to comfortable TV watching or any sort of social interaction whatsoever.

And then the cushions, or the fabric, or the something just started to stink. They didn't stink like they were old, or like they were dusty, or even like we'd burried an entire dead animal in the sleeper mattress which was folded up inside the sofa. They stunk like there was some sort of fungus or mildew growing inside them, and it was overwhelming. The smell would just waft up to my nostrils and I'd smell it on again and off again. Have you ever left a load of laundry in the washer and forgot about it for a month? Well, neither have I. But I have forgotten about a load of washed laundry in the washer for about 2 days or so. And that yucko smell when you open the washer and suddenly remember that there are rancid clothes awaiting your return? The college sofa was just about like that, times 10! It wasn't constant. It would just suddenly waft up and surprise you like a slap in the face. So you never knew when it was gonna come around next. I was particularly paranoid about having our friends over at the house. Dinner would be served and everyone would enjoy the meal, and then conversation and full bellies would lead us all to the living room to lounge and joke around. But what hostess wants to risk a stinky sofa catastrophe when she's entertaining? Not this gal! Nobody wants the Jenga bricks to topple because of a sudden sofa stink.

And Febreeze, baking soda, Lysol, and other stink stomping remedies never would permanently work. Okay, so you get it--it stunk.

I got the OK to shop around for a sofa only a few months after we'd moved into the house. But actually following through and purchasing a new sofa was going to be a difficult task for me to complete! I had a very specific list of requirements I wanted to check off of my list before I was going to dish out the cash. First and foremost, I must have a guaranteed buyer for the Athens condo sofa before a new sofa is purchased. Then my new sofa must have: two seat cushions (because I like the look of two longer cushions as opposed to three smaller cushions), a tight back cushion (no loose pillow cushions like the Athens condo sofa had, no loose looking cushions that are sewn onto the back of the sofa), nailhead trim, heavy linen woven fabric or something that looked similar, and a sturdy composition. Nothing flimsy, nothing too fru-fru, nothing too traditional or contemporary. And I must be able to test the sofa out before purchase.

Then Pier1 came to the rescue. I'd never really paid much attention to their upholstered furniture, but as I browsed through one afternoon on a day off work, The Cameron Sofa just caught my eye and I knew it was the one! It had two seat cushions, a tight back cushion, a square back profile, nailhead trim, and the upholstery was a lovely taupe color. Even though it's a very short pile chenille fabric, it has a thin line pattern in it (sort of like the matrix has that line pattern), so it gives a nod to that linen look I think. So, a few weeks later, when the sofa was on sale ($100 off the floor model price!), my parents came to town and we borrowed a friend's pickup truck to drive the sofa from Valdosta's Pier1 store to the house. AND IT'S PERFECT!!!

I couldn't be happier with this purchase. It's a beautiful addition to our furniture and a very sturdy and heavy duty piece of furniture that works great as a focal point for the room.

The rug in the picture is also new! It's the Chevron Rug from West Elm in the charcoal color and it couldn't be more perfect in our living room. With these strong neutral permanent fixtures, I have had fun changing out seasonal throw pillows on the sofa. Over the holidays I had some bright red and green pillows. This spring I've got some lemon yellow, gray, blue, and green pillows to brighten things up a bit. Over all, it's great!

The two lamps were wedding gifts from my parents that were originally topped by beautiful bright teal dupioni silk shades which sadly died in one of our many moves. I replaced them with some pretty woven mini-twine shades from Target. The end tables are from Carlton's mom and Grandmama, and the coffee table is the one remaining piece of furniture from Carlton's college days (besides his "desk" which we will cover in a later post). I absolutely love the color, shape, style, and ability to withstand bangs and dents and glasses without coasters and just about anything else in the world. It's staying because I love it! It has three drawers to hold just about anything you might need to hide when company is coming over in 2-and-a-half minutes. And it's the perfect size for our living room. The picture on the wall over the sofa is a blown-up picture of one I took inside the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris in 2006 during a photo taking contest with Carlton. It's beautiful and I love looking at the low light by candle, the stained glass in the background, the strong stacked marble pillars, and the blurs of praying patrons below. It's peaceful, colorful, quaint, and lovely. I got lucky when this shot came out so perfectly. Wonderful!

So, that's the sofa and her surroundings. I love everything about it... obviously!

(Please forgive the picture. I took it at night under lamplight, which is the only light our living room gets. Fortunately, when I got up to take the picture, Vespa decided to ask me nicely to open the front door so she could "go outside" and her little pose was a perfect photo op! I couldn't trade this picture out for one I took during daylight because of her opportune vogue.)

213 Gardenia, Part 2: The Dave Chair

This story goes back to a long time ago, waaaaay back when. Carlton was still in college at UGA and his BFF/roommate Dave was preparing to move out of the condo after he'd graduated. Maybe it was laziness, maybe it was the tired I-give-up attitude we all get when we're moving, maybe it was because he had a brown set just like it, or maybe it was a little parting gift: Dave left a black leather chair and ottoman with Carlton.

I was super psyched--not because I wanted Dave to go, because I was really sad about that--but because I absolutely loved the chair and ottoman set! They were black leather with a beautiful curved back side made of wood that just about wrapped around you. The chair and ottoman both sat atop chrome legs that just finished the total look.

Well, as most of us know, Carlton's UGA college years were over in a flash--only 6 years, and that guy was outta there! Not too much time passed and the epic Athens condo was sold. And--really bad news for Trisha--her favorite chair and ottoman combo were gone with it. They never got moved out before the condo belonged to someone else!

I obsessed over the chair and whined and pined away for the chair. I knew it just wasn't in my future to own a chair like this. Why? Well, because it's the famous Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman and the starting price on the set is about $5,000.00. That's five thousand dollars if you can't read zeros very well. I studied this furniture designer in college as an interior design student. Eames is a really big deal! And what made matters even worse was the fact that this chair is in just about any commercial or television show you will see... ever!!! The chair was speaking to me from the grave and there was nothing I could do about it. I secretly hoped that the scratch-off lotto tickets we got as a little $15 gift at Christmastime would win us the money to buy one. And that didn't happen! How rude.

Then Carlton got sick of listening to me whine and whimper about the freakin' chair. He shopped around online for a few weeks and revealed an excellent discovery: they make knock-offs! Duuuuuuh, Trisha. This meant I didn't have to resort to buying a ghetto ripped-up original on Ebay and pay tons to have it reupholstered in top grain leather and then attempt to find an ottoman to go with it. I could have a new one for a tiny fraction of the cost!

I have a new favorite corner in our living room: The Dave Chair is so comfortable to curl up in and watch TV. It just wraps around you and hugs you all over! The leather gets warm once you're settled in. The wood wraps around the back of the chair flawlessly and beautifully, and the legs shine so bright with their perfect chrome finish.

The Dave Chair is accented by a retro two-tier table with beautiful exposed dovetail details all the way around the edges and metal peg legs. I found the wooden lamp at WalMart as well as the ecru colored shade. The shade didn't really stand out against the color of our walls very well, and it seemed kinda blah next to the strong black statement chair, so I hot glued some black grosgrain around the top and bottom which finished it beautifully (I saw the idea in someone's blog once a while back... was it yourse?). The frames on the wall are also from WalMart, though the pictures to fill them are (hopefully) still waiting for me to pick them up from CVS. The green cracked glass candle sconces are from Pier 1 and were only $6 each! The Dave Chair is what makes this my new favorite corner in the living room.

213 Gardenia, Part 1: No palm pillows.

Since we moved into our first house at 213 Gardenia Drive in September of 2009, I have yet to show anything online about the decorating I've done to make this our home. Maybe I've shown a piece of something here or there, but I haven't shared any little stories or personal reasons behind our choices. So, I'm starting a little series (not sure how many "parts" there will be quite yet). I'm starting with the new furniture we've purchased for our living room. It's kind of a big deal because we've purchased a lot of new furniture to live in! 

We've selected everything very slowly a) because we wanted this to be high quality furniture that would last forever (aka a little more $$ than would allow us to purchase everything at once), so we wouldn't have to keep re-buying cheap furniture again and again, and b) because Carlton has given me all artistic, decorating, and wifely privileges of selecting the furniture I wanted so the house would turn into a space we're happy with, something that is well put-together, something that is well decorated, and something that is well thought out. So I have been taking my time and making sure everything was juuuuust right. Of course we're not completely done (by far), but we've definitely made some excellent progress.

So, without further adieu, I proudly introduce you to The Living Room Furniture:

Part 1: The Barcalounger

I'll go ahead and apologize in advance if you own a recliner that is stereotypical to La Z Boy's puffy pillow-laden style. I'm about to bust it up with hatred. I've got a big problem with the typical "recliner." I absolutely hate the puffy, puckered-up, over-stuffed, chenille clad reclining chairs. Their gross wooden handles on whichever side of the chair make me cringe. Their floppy and overstuffed headrests make me actually lean my chin towards my chest when I'm sitting in one of these abominations... how can that be considered comfortable??? And what's with the extra padded armrests on top... of the... armrests? The palms of my hands really don't need a pillow. Thanks very much. 

 

So when Carlton put his foot down that he was "gonna have a recliner no matter what" and I put my foot down that he absolutely was not "gonna have a huge ugly puffy piece of ugliness in our house no matter what," we started shopping around. A lot. Thanks to Barcalounger and their smart design, The Hubs and I are both really happy. Carlton's Barcalounger stands tall, square, and proud. Its leather has already worn in nicely. See on the footrest, where his leg wiggles constantly while he concentrates on a book or a game? It's the same effect on the arms where he pushes back to recline, and as well where his head rests--the leather is darkened and buffed a little. And Vespa's cute little puppy scratches are on the arms of the chair, too. She jumps onto the Barcalounger when she's excited, i.e. when she knows she's going to get to go for a ride. On the side that's facing the camera, near the back at the bottom right corner, you can see the animal's natural hide--wrinkles from the animal's armpit or leg skin wrinkling and folding, and even a few bug bite scars! It's totally natural and susceptible to the wear of our everyday life... and it's supposed to look like that. Which I love. It's different than our parents' leather furniture because it's imperfect and because not run through embossing machines to give it that "natural" (not nearly!) bumpy look that, in my opinion, resembles jewel toned styrofoam (not hatin', just sayin'!). I could just squeeze this chair, I love it so much. And it smells good, too. And it doesn't hurt that we got it for 30% off, either. It's all good with the Barcalounger.

 

While Carlton says it's not a "sleep all night" kind of recliner, he sure does seem to like it until around 11:00 to midnight every night when we go to bed. So, we're both happy: he has a man chair recliner to lounge in at night while I have a beautifully square, non-puffy club chair to admire. No palm pillows in this living room.

Slappin' da bass

First off, this is not a love letter to Paul Rudd. But if it happened to be one, I would totally gush. My love of his absolutely hilarious body humor is just kinda outta control. I loved him in F.R.I.E.N.D.S. and I have loved him in so many movies I can't even count! The way he can move his body all crooked and snap his neck to the side and pronounce his words to bring laughter to his audience is just unparalleled in my book. It's good old fashioned goofy comedy. Not that this is a love letter. Just sayin'.

Before I move on, you should watch this clip of Paul Rudd and that good old fashioned goofy comedy. Be sure to watch the entire scene of him and his fiancee after they've discussed one of his favorite hobbies, slappin' da bass (which she had no idea about) and one of his favorite bands, Rush (which she has never heard before):





Now on to what happened the Thursday night.

I was lying on the sofa, just minding my own business semi-watching Hollywood Week on American Idol. It was the first time the contestants were performing on the Hollywood stage by themselves. I was suddenly interested when contestant Casey Abrams's presence on the show was already being chronicled (only a few episodes into the season). Was this crazy-interesting performer going home already?? His audition with the air blown keyboard thing was one of my favorites! The kid wasn't afraid to be crazy and have soul at the same time. I liked him because he was really different.

He was being chronicled because of his crazy audition attitude and crazy audition musical instrument, all because he was about to make another crazy move: this guy had a bass in hand and had planned to use it on stage for his next performance! I'm not talking about a Paul Rudd rock band bass here, either. I mean, this guy was wheeling out a taller-than-himself string symphony style string bass.

This is gonna be... interestinnnnnnng???

And then this happened:




Yes, I realize his voice was pitchy and off tune and pretty much all over the place about half the time. But what a performance!

I'm a true stickler for a few select songs. You've gotta sing them right. You've gotta have the right voice. You've gotta have the charisma. And in a few cases, such as Georgia On My Mind, you've just gotta be Ray Charles. No excuses!

Well, unless you're Casey Abrams, apparently. I hate it when singers have pitch and tone problems--who doesn't! He was pushing himself when he selected this song to sing. But the performance overall literally got me to sit straight up, clap, laugh in disbelief, renounce my Ray Charles or die rule, and rewind it to watch a few more times thanks to TiVo.

I've just gotta say this: I'm a fan of Casey Abrams. What a performance! I'll keep watching the show this season just to wait for another performance by him!


P.S. This experience has happened to me once before and I wrote about it here. Adam Lambert stole the show when he sang Mad World, a creepy-beautiful song featured in the cult film Donnie Darko (which I'm bothered that I love so much), and I watched American Idol that season just to see what Adam Lambert was gonna do next.

P.S.P.S. I do really like Paul Rudd, though. Like, a lot. Don't tell Carlton.

Q & A

Q: What happens when you go to CVS late at night to buy Liquid BandAid for a rather inconvenient finger injury?

A: Your husband and you decide to hit up the candy aisle for an after-dinner sweet snack. And of course, since he's in the mood for something rich while you want something fruity, he goes for the PeanutButter M&Ms while you grab the Skittles.



Q: What happens when you opt out of registering for candy dishes as wedding gifts for your nuptials three-and-a-half years ago because they're silly little crystal bowls that are useless and unnecessary and a waste of money according to you?

A: Your husband's PeanutButter M&Ms are piled on the table next to his recliner for easy access, just a few at a time, because he only wants a little corner cut from the bag "to keep them from ending up everywhere if they spill."



Q: What happens when a few of those PeanutButter M&Ms stay behind on the table overnight and throughout the next morning, afternoon, and evening because the ole Hubster got full and decided he was done eating said PeanutButter M&Ms?

A: Those candies stay exactly where the Hubster put them overnight. They stay there through the next morning. And probably throughout the afternoon because Puppa sleeps most of the day. But in the evening, Momma and Poppa come home from work to find a little tan puddle of puppy puke on the floor. Hmmm, Momma is puzzled but tosses the small step rug into the wash.

Then just before dinner, while Poppa and Puppa are cuddling in a newly washed white comforter, Momma notices a rather dazzling stripe of neon blue across said comforter. "Hmmm," Momma thought. "That must be the little Clorox laundry booster thingy I put into the washing machine with the comforter and sheets to get things extra white. Maybe it didn't rinse all the way out if the comforter was all tangled up around it?"

Then Momma looks over at Puppa. Puppa's little white beard is slightly coated in the same neon blue color like a teenager who has decided to highlight her pretty blonde hair with Blue Raspberry Lemonade KoolAid (because that really does work). Panic stricken, Momma is terrified that Puppa may have smelled the sweet laundry scent and decided to nibble on what was left? That could be another "that can't be good" moment in this household... and that can't be good.

Then Momma looks at Puppa's paws. Same neon blue! What's going on here?

Puppa jumps down, picks up something from the floor, and jumps back onto Poppa's lap. She spits out a round neon blue something shaped like a marble. Poppa notices it as a PeanutButter M&M. Momma is totally relieved.

This explains the little puddle of tan puke. It explains the neon blue beard, paws, chest, and comforter. It explains why... ALL OF POPPA'S LEFTOVER PEANUTBUTTER M&MS ARE MISSING FROM THE TABLE!!!

Vespa finishes her last little neon treat with a happy little smile on her face. Because dogs can smile. It's been proven.

Hey, at least it wasn't bleach!

(I hit the fun little Saturate button in my Picasa editor because I wanted to be sure the blue could be seen even in our dim night time living room light. That's why Vespa's little undercarriage looks so hot pink. But the blue? It's really that bright!)

"That can't be good."

Those were the first four words that actually came out of my mouth after this happened:

The next four words were: "Carlton! Come here! Quick!!!" And then something like, "Carlton, WAKE UP and get in here now, I've hurt myself!!!" (I made the picture that poopish color instead of actual color because it's really even grosser in actual color. (Spell check didn't give "grosser" a red squiggle, so it counts in my book!) Yes, this was a double parenthesis. Woot!)

Because just minutes before I did that up there, I had taken this picture:

He was napping because we like to practice what we call "Lazy Sunday" around this house, and it was definitely really nice Lazy Sunday. Until. Poor guy got a loud, panicked wake-up call.

Just a few things here and then I'll be done:

1. I'm so glad I was using my fancy ceramic knife because it was really sharp (obviously), thus I wasn't really pressing down on the knife that hard (which would have made the above poopish colored photo even more gruesome).
2. I was holding the handle of the knife with my left hand because I (not true--->) like to pretend (true--->) I'm a southpaw.
3. I was pressing down on the top of the knife at the tip of it with my right hand (hand pictured above in poopish color) for a little help, and to make things safer (laugh*) by not having to press so hard on the knife from the handle. *Funny how I was using the hand I'm not good with to help out the hand I am good with.
4. My right hand slipped down towards the cutting board.
5. I reacted HOW I SHOULDN'T HAVE reacted for a split second, jerked my hand back towards me, and SHWING!!!!!ING!ING!ING!!! That was the sound of a steel blade shwinging, though I wasn't even using a steel blade. Kinda like cars erking to a stop in a movie when they're on cobblestone streets. Basically, not really possible at all ever.
6. I sliced my fingertip, including the nail, open.
7. Was Velveeta cheese dip really worth it?

Jesus Cookies

Widely known as sausage balls by most Americans, my version is (a)bigger and (b)cheesier (mostly because of a)my laziness to keep smaller batches going into and out of the oven, and also (b)because of my love for a good tangy sharp cheddar cheese).

I grew up eating sausage balls on Sunday mornings when my dad would make a fresh hot batch for Breakfast Sunday, usually the first Sunday of the month at church. And so now every once in a while I'll make them for Carlton on Sunday mornings when we sleep in -- they make an excellent meal for a late breakfast or early lunch, especially on weekends when you just want to stay in your pj's all day and be lazy.

About a year ago, I started bringing this larger version of sausage balls to various gatherings with our friends. They were quickly re-named "Sausage Cookies" because the larger sausage balls would flatten out like a cookie while baking in the oven.

Then during a great college football game gathering this year the Sausage Cookies were re-named again. Our friend Ted, with a mouth full of sausage and cheesy biscuit, said something that went a little like this: "I'm gonna go ahead and put this out there: this sausage cookie just saved my soul. It opened my eyes to all that is holy and sacred, and brought me closer to God. I just decided that these should be called Jesus Cookies from now on."

And so it was. Or maybe, And all God's children said, "Amen." Either way, it stuck.

Our friends are all gathering together later this afternoon for a Superbowl Party at Eric and Stella's house. Carlton received our bring-this-food assignment via text message that went something like this: "Please tell Trish to bring her Velveeta cheese dip. And Jesus Cookies. Lots of Jesus Cookies."

So, without further adieu, here's the recipe that just might save your soul.


Start with these four ingredients:

To make 36 Jesus Cookies, you'll need:
- One package Jimmy Dean Hot Sausage (you can use mild if you don't like things spicy, or maple if you prefer things a bit sweet, but I'd steer clear of the sage flavor in this recipe)
- One large brick Medium or Sharp Cheddar Cheese (I think it's 14 oz or 16 oz?)
- 1 1/2 cups Bisquick baking mix
- 1 cup milk

Then complete these steps to enlightenment:

Start by cooking the sausage. Many online recipes skip this step, but I like to know that the pork sausage is cooked all the way through. And it's also the only way to get rid of all that extra grease. Break the sausage into small pieces as it cooks. (I hate it when the cooks on TV use a wooden spoon to cook raw meat, and they almost always do so. I always get stuck on the worry of those raw meat germs digging their way into the wood and never coming out, and multiplying, and tainting all the food you cook for eternity. But for some reason, today I used a bamboo utensil. Don't ask me why, I have no idea.)

While the sausage is cooking, shred your cheese. I always use the larger side of the grater that makes thicker shreds because the job gets done quicker. But if you like the skinny curly shreds of cheese, that will work just as well. It'll all melt in the end anyway. I usually leave about as much as you see in the picture for snacking with crackers and such later on. Mostly because by the time I have that much cheese left, my arm is tired and I don't want to slice my fingertips on the shredder. (One tip that really helps me shred the cheese: put the brick of cheese into the freezer about 30 minutes before you're going to shred it. It's easier to push through the shredder because it doesn't get all flimsy on you while you work.)

  

Dump your shredded cheese into a large mixing bowl along with the Bisquik baking mix. I use the original baking mix because that's what my dad uses and he's always right about formulas and mathematics and physics and stuff. So these Jesus Cookies always turn out right. Toss the cheese and baking mix until combined well.  ACTION SHOT!!!

Next, drain the grease from your cooked sausage and add it to the mixing bowl along with the milk. Stir it well until everything is combined and sticky. It should stick to the bowl, your fingers, everything. If it's not that sticky, add more milk a little at a time until it's that sticky. But not runny. If it's runny, add more baking mix until it's sticky like I said it should be. This is where my dad's physics are important.

Then plop your dough mixture out onto a sprayed cookie sheet about a 1/2" apart. It's important that the cookie sheet is sprayed because of all the cheese in these things -- it sticks to an unsprayed cookie sheet like a mofo, and you'll never have a single Jesus Cookie that makes it out unscathed. (Can I use the term mofo in the same sentence as Jesus? Is that wrong?) Your pre-cooked Jesus Cookies should be about this big:

After they've baked in the 400 degree oven for about 10-12 minutes, they should look like this, with slightly browned edges. The batter should still be fairly dense inside, but still just a little fluffy.

Sneak one or two while you put the next batch onto the cookie sheet and into the oven. (Should I put the food I'm eating so close to a bamboo stirring utensil that was just used to break up raw meat? Living on the wild side, I suppose.)

If you make these any time in the future, let me know what you think! They're certainly popular with Carlton, with me, and with our group of friends. They're perfect for your family breakfast or lunch, a snack at a party, or even as part of a breakfast-for-dinner meal! This batch is about to head over to Eric and Stella's house for the Superbowl Party. Maybe I should make another batch? 36 might not be enough for these guys.

What I do when the husband isn't around and I don't feel like knitting. Wait. What?

That's right, there was just something about this morning that put me in the mood to not knit. Weird.

So. I got to work on a few loads of laundry and tuckered myself out pretty quickly. I love folding, but today just wasn't the day. But I had the feeling to do something at least something productive. I dumped the clothes in a pile on the sofa and went to find something that would feel a little busier.

But first I decided to fix myself a bowl of Raisin Bran. As I pulled the box from the one shelf in my laundry closet / pantry, all sorts of stuff fell. Chips, boxed pastas, granola bars, other cereal boxes, and even a can of enchilada sauce! That was it... I knew what I would do this morning: organize my kitchen.

Once I finished my cereal, I got to work. Pantry / laundry first, then medicine cabinet, and then whoknowswhatelse. It wasn't so bad, what with Billy Joel / Elton John Pandora Radio on in the background.

Cereals, pastas, other boxed goods stacked. Bagged mixes, loose and random items organized in containers. Interior of microwave scrubbed (gross!), laundry supplies replenished and organized. What a nightmare getting started! Yes, my microwave is in my laundry room sitting atop my washing machine like it belongs there. Everyone I know gives me a tough time about it being there, but look. Understand me here! We hardly use our microwave, like, ever. It's used a lot for us if it's used once a week. So, there is no sense at all for this huge ugly thing to take up 24 linear inches of the give-or-take 60 linear inches of kitchen counter space I have to work with! What are you using the top of your front load washing machine for? That's what I thought. So leave me alone about it. Here's the before, and the next two are the after result. Whew! That was tough.

Hey kids, shake it loose together
The spotlight's hitting something
That's been known to change the weather
We'll kill the fatted calf tonight
So stick around
You're gonna hear electric music
Solid walls of sound

Say, Candy and Ronnie, have you seen them yet
But they're so spaced out, B-B-B-Bennie and the Jets
Oh but they're weird and they're wonderful
Oh Bennie she's really keen
She's got electric boots a mohair suit
You know I read it in a magazine
B-B-B-Bennie and the Jets

Hey kids, plug into the faithless
Maybe they're blinded
But Bennie makes them ageless
We shall survive, let us take ourselves along
Where we fight our parents out in the streets
To find who's right and who's wrong

 It turns out it's a good thing I went through this horrific sight and got everything sorted and organized. I'm low on laundry stain cleaner, canned goods, and totally overstocked on chips. I had absolutely no idea until I did this!

Then I turned to the medicine cabinet and the cabinet which stores Vespa's food and treats. Guh-ross. Grossgrossgross!!! I didn't even take a before picture. First of all, the cabinet itself is just about useless. The cabinet door measures about 6" wide. Then the cabinet is only about 6" to the back of it, but about 30" to the side... it fills in a corner in the kitchen, so it is pretty much there as useless filler. I'm using it for the medicine cabinet, and to store some items from the kitchen that are less used.

I got allergy meds organized first. All the little blister pill packs into their rightful boxes, etc. I struggled a lot with allergies last Spring (our first Spring in south Georgia), and I went through a lot of allergy medicines before I discovered the one that works at all -- Benadryl. I swear these cold meds aren't being used in a meth lab! I just had to go through all this stuff before I found that Benadryl was the only one that made be feel better. Too bad it turns me into a zombie. Anyway, one basket is filled with allergy and cold meds.

The other is filled with vitamins, supplements, Advil, Tylenol, and tummy control.

And finally daily multivitamins, my beloved Benadryl Itch Stick, and other essentials are right in front of the door now. And yes, those are Carlton's Flinstones vitamins. I judge him too.

Then I got Vespa's monthly flea/tick control together along with other random meds that didn't fit on the bottom shelf and shoved it all in the center shelf.

Finally, my last bit of storage in this funky cabinet went to my tiny cheese dip Crock Pot (that's about all it's good for) and my KichenAid Stand Mixer... mixers. The paddle, the hook, the whipper thingy, and the dust guard. They needed somewhere to go that was out of the way, and this was perfect. Oh, and Carlton's beloved 5 Hour Energy thingies. I count them as vitamins. Read the label. So, in they go with the rest of his little Flinstones!

Then there was little miss Vespa. Or this morning after her back yard prowl and failure at bird catching, she was more like Little Miss Sunshine:

I got her cabinet organized, too. Her extra food was stored in an airtight container to keep it fresh, and so were her beloved "doughnut" treats.

Such a pretty kitchen!

Now I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that it doesn't all explode the second Carlton goes looking for the Tums at 2:30am.

Finally!

We finally have a place to hang our framed-and-signed-by-wedding-guests engagement photo:

 I finally have a spot in my bedroom to admire my Degas ballerina replica statuette:

 We finally have somewhere to stuff our underwear, t-shirts, and other casualish clothes that don't necessarily need a hanger to be happy:

I went shopping on Saturday and spent a whopping $190.00 on this solid wood chest of drawers. It's got wood drawers with dovetail joints and everything. And I was ready to have a drawer for our drawers, if you know what I mean! A shelf in the armoire just wasn't keeping me happy... because stacked clothes topple when they're on a shelf. The chest was delivered while Carlton and I were at work (I told them that was okay when I purchased it since even I have a real live grown-up full-time job now), and we ripped it out of its packaging tonight after supper. This sucker was really heavy! After we struggled a bit to move it from the carport into the bedroom on the wall I had designated, I started prepping the drawers for our drawers. They were dusty inside, so I wiped them out with a damp cloth. Then it was time to move the hardware out to the outside of each drawer. I like how it's very straight and square and minimalist and how it almost has an Asian flare. And I love the fact that the hardware is the same wood as the chest:

As Carlton and I unpacked the chest from its cardboard, foam, and plastic packaging, I had noticed it was a bit short and that the feet were shaped differently than what I had seen in the showroom. And when I opened the bottom drawer of the chest, I discovered why: it's because the legs of the chest were packed away for safekeeping. I set them aside for attachment tomorrow. Because, after all, there's no need to get overzealous here. It's not like the legs will run away or anything.

So now we have a beautiful new chest of drawers to store all of our stuff and to make our master bedroom feel even more at home and comfortable (for us and our armoire... she was so tired of toppled stacks of clothes!)

Hooray for finally having another new little important piece of furniture to help make our happy little house a happy little home!!!

My new favorite vegetable

If you know me very well at all, you know how crazy I am about zucchini cooked on the grill until it's charred on the outside and still crisp in the center. You've gotta cut it into quarters, spray with a little Pam olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and set it over direct flame. There's nothing better in the summertime! I have been known to skip over my steak or burger and just eat the zucchini with a HUGE smile on my face when it's done just right. Ahhh, so delish!

Lately, I've fallen in love with something that is JUST as good and -- because there's no grill preparation needed -- might even take less preparation than the zucchini! It's fresh, healthy, full of flavor, it goes with just about anything, and it's really quick and easy to fix. I've made small batches for just Carlton and me (yes, Carlton even loves this stuff!!!!!), and I've also made huge batches to feed 8-10 guests.

Baked Parmesan Broccoli:

1 package of fresh broccoli
Good olive oil
Grated Parmesan cheese
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Maybe some red pepper flakes for a little kick

- Heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Cut broccoli florets from their stalks. (If it's a large side dish, as if chicken and broccoli is all you're having for dinner, I usually prepare one broccoli stalk per person. If it's a smaller side dish to go along with two or more things, cut at your discretion.)
- Spread broccoli onto a nonstick baking sheet and drizzle very lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on lightly (I just use the stuff we sprinkle on our pizza at home -- nothing expensive!) and toss everything around to get it all evenly distributed.
- Make sure everything is spread out on the baking sheet well.
- Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. (The Parmesan cheese tends to get a little salty when it bakes, so while you do want a little salt, go easy on it and salt more on your plate if it's needed.)
- Bake for about 10 minutes, and voila! You've got a delicious, flavorful, and healthy side dish that everyone is sure to love.

We ate this all gone from our plates before I thought to take a picture. Yes, it's that good!!!

(Sometimes, if I'm feeling spicy enough, I'll sprinkle on some red pepper flakes once the broccoli is on my plate. It spares Carlton's sensitive senses that way. Yummmmm for me!!!)

Christmas 2010

Thanksgiving night, lighting the Christmas lights at Moultrie's Courthouse on the Square

This year's Christmas festivities were fast, fun, and frenzied. Unfortunately, I had to work on Christmas Eve until 1:00. But as soon as I was home from work, we loaded up all the presents and headed for Cartersville. Unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera along for our Christmas weekend in Cartersville because of our rush out the door from Moultrie, but I'll gladly show pictures that others took! We drove straight to my parents' house where we dropped off Vespa so she could rest up for Santa's mid-night visit. Then, we drove straight to my grandpa's house for our traditional Christmas Eve gathering.

 My tabletop centerpiece, arranged just in time for the Teller Christmas Gift Exchange and Dinner Party

Papa's front yard was covered in his traditional white wooden reindeer, and accented by lots of lights. Papa had a tiny tabletop tree this year, topped by a countrytastic Santa Claus, speckled with bass fish ornaments and sprinkled with white lights. We had our usual spoiling of Trisha and Kristen by Leslie and Papa. Among many gifts, I opened a beautiful black pearl necklace from Leslie, and then a set of pearl earrings from Papa which match a long pearl necklace he gave me last year for Christmas. Once 10:30 or 11:00pm came around, it was definitely time for Carlton and me to head back to my parents' house for some much needed sleep. I was exhausted!

 Our Christmas tree, cut down at the tree farm by Carlton himself!

On Christmas morning, my sister and I woke up according to our usual Christmas morning ritual: at the crack of dawn. The sun wasn't even up yet! After we walked the pups, it was time to open all the presents that Santa had magically brought in the middle of the night. (Yes, Santa still comes to our house!) Carlton and I were overwhelmed by all the great gifts we were given! Some of my favorites were the new Shark steam mop, some sweater sets and cardigans, a new pair of snazzy shoes, and gift cards for buying home decor. Carlton racked up on new shirts for work as well as gift cards for games and dining out, buy his favorite gift by far was from my dad: an automatic shooting Nerf gun complete with tons of ammo and even a shield! We gave my mom a new travel cosmetics bag, and we gave my dad a 6 month subscription to Netflix to try out. By 9:30, we had inhaled our once-a-year treat of my mom's amazing coffee cake and were on our way for a second Christmas morning with Carlton's parents and Grandmama.

 Two new tree ornaments, and they're two of my most favorite!

Carlton and I both racked up again on excellent gifts from his parents. Carlton opened more collared shirts for work, a nice pair of Smith&Wesson sunglasses, and some cold, hard cash. I opened up some more beautiful, professional sweaters that got me excited about going back to work, a new set of bamboo knitting needles, a beautiful set of table linens from Grandmama, and a luscious fleece king-size heated blanket for our bed. Score!!! We gave Carlton's dad a sleep wireless mouse for his livingroom recliner netbook internet surfing, and Carlton's mom and Grandmama got matching handmade jewel earrings. Surrounded by boxes and bows and crumpled paper, Carlton and I collapsed into a Christmas morning coma... until it was time to meet my parents and drive through the Christmas white snow to Kennesaw's Imax 3D cinema to watch Tron.

That night we went back to Carlton's parents' house where we played with his little cousins Hannah and Justin, opened presents with them, and had some delicious chicken pot pie made by Vicki. Hannah loved her Ribbon Dancer, and Justin couldn't wait to play with Hannah using the new walkie-talkies we got him!

One of the two wreaths that framed our sliding doors which lead out to the back porch, fashioned with a glittery reindeer!

On Sunday morning we woke up at Carlton's house and prepared for our last hoorah of opening presents--with Katie Anne, baby SJ, Saunders, and Katie! I was sooooo excited to spend the morning with Katie Anne and play with her. She opened her gifts very slowly, making sure she got to see everyone else's facial expressions as they opened their gifts, too! My favorite gift to give her this year was a playtime grill, complete with all sorts of food to cook on it, grilling tools like a spatula and tongs, salt and pepper and bbq sauce, and even a propane tank hooked up my a hose to the grill! She cooked and cooked for us and the grill made awesome crackling and sizzling sounds. Then, surprise!!! Katie Anne opened an entire new kitchen, complete with pots and pans and dishes for Doc and VJ's house! Katie Anna racked up on homemaking tools.

My favorite gift to give to baby SJ was something made by hand over a number of nights. I sat, studied my computer, and picked out what I thought to be the most darling (EVER!) little baby boy's sweater vest. I picked out yarn, sat on the sofa, and just knitted my little heart into that sweater vest. I would ooooh and aaaaah over it every time I'd stop and look it over. Of course, I had to take time away from knitting when I randomly decided to paint my living room and dining room, as well as when I made intricate plans for a Christmas dinner party at the house. But I got straight back to work and finished sewing the snaps on the shoulder of that vest the morning little SJ came over to open it from its gift box. He was so excited, he vowed to wear it for his upcoming professional pictures! Auntie Trisha can't wait to see the vest on that cute little Hambone!

It wasn't long after that last splurge of opening gifts (only 2:00!) that Carlton and I loaded up the car and headed back home to Moultrie where we collapsed into the bed and napped. Christmas weekend was exhausting and hectic, but it was so much fun to share the white Christmas holiday with our families!