With the new improvements made to the kitchen to this weekend, I wanted to get my cook on. It is such a rare occasion that I actually get to cook for more than myself due to Chris and I being on opposite work schedules, so with him off for the weekend my apron strings were tied :)

Pinterest has been a good source of food inspiration and when I came across this from The Village Cook, I knew it must get in my belly.
As far as a name goes for this breakfast bonaza, there isn't really one. Apparently it is a take on something called an 'Idaho Sunrise'.  I'm just gonna call it delicious. Breakfast is my absolute favorite meal and potatos are my favorite food so this is right up my alley. To make you just need frozen shredded hash browns, shredded cheddar, eggs, bacon bits, and parsley. The one pictured above has a cracked egg in the center, I am more of a scrambled egg kind of gal so I scrambled an egg with a little bit of milk before I added it to the center.

Here is how mine turned out

We plan on making them again but instead of bacon, we're going to use sausage. Also, we added a little maple syrup to ours too, it was the perfect touch.

I'm also making dinner tonight, Swiss Chicken with rice and green beans. I'll let you know how it goes, back with more!

Get the recipe from The Village Cook.

Slowly but surely is the motto around here for house projects, mostly due to making sure there is enough funds to run the house and complete the project. We are getting ready to start on replacing the sidewalk from the back of the house all the way to the front to take care of some leaking issues we have in the basement, which is going to run us about $1800, which doesn't leave us a whole lot to do anything else major for the summer.

Enter the $30 cabinet facelift. An inexpensive fix to quickly update our kitchen without breaking the bank or spending a ton of time on it. Below is what our kitchen looked like before the update, we had ugly shiny gold knobs and worn out gold handles. Plus, all the cabinets were super dirty because I am pretty sure the previous owners never cleaned anything... ever. On one of the drawers it looked like soda had spilled all over and then dried. EW! And the dust...don't even get me started.

Don't be fooled, this is gold!

 After removing all the gold knobs and handles, I thoroughly wiped everything down. It always feels so good to make something really clean and especially to get rid of other people's grime. I'm ok with my own dirt but not someone else's. Then I got to work installing some lovely brushed nickel egg-shaped knobs and sleek drawer pulls.





Ta-da! For about 30 bucks and 30 minutes of work, I have clean and updated cabinets in my kitchen. It looks so good it makes me want to spend more time in there, which I did and I will be back with more about that later. I have a paper to finish for class that I have gotta get to, boo Sunday academics.

Chris and I celebrated our 5 year dating anniversary last Friday night. 5 years. Half a decade. One-Fifth of my existence. In a word, wow. Now, we are not ones to make super big deals out of our dating existence but we like to do a little something special.

I got him a little something something to commemorate the day. I wasn't coming to the table empty handed after my Easter basket surprise. So I racked my brain for something that would be meaningful, useful, and fun to give. Cut to Chris cooking in the kitchen (which has happened about 4 times since we moved into the new house) every time he cooks at the stove, he mentions that we need a spoon rest. I think to myself, "Just put your spoon on the counter and we'll clean it up later." But alas, the man wants a spoon rest. And it just so happens that the modern anniversary gift for 5 years is silverware, so a spoon rest seemed to fit the bill perfectly.

Stick with me and a spoon rest shall be yours!

I wasn't in the picture taking mood til we took showers before going out to dinner so you can't see the look of excitement on Chris' face when he opened the most awesome spoon rest ever but he actually got a pretty good kick out of it. We're all about the humor over here!


We actually had the same idea of where to go for dinner (same brain!), we went to where we had our first date, Zia's on the Hill. We did have to wait a little while but I got to enjoy a nice glass of wine.  When they were seating us, they almost took us to the exact same spot we sat in 5 years ago, which I only remember because it was in the corner right by the kitchen...we felt like we were at the kids' table because of how close it was to other tables and kind of tucked into the corner. The people who were sat right before us got that table, we got a lovely 4 top...no kids' table for us!

We branched out a little bit and ordered the seafood ravioli, which was freakin' amazeballs. We we're a little hesitant since we love regular toasted ravioli so much but this stuff was goooood. It was stuffed with crab and shrimp and served with a lemon butter sauce. I kept with tradition and ordered fettuccine and Chris got the steak...we are nothing but predictable when it comes to food choices. Overall, good eats for a relatively low cost - $50 for an appetizer, two entrees, two glasses of wine, and a soda.

All in all, a nice little day spent with the man I love and now share a home with. Everyday is a new adventure and I am so glad to have him by my side. Ok, enough mushiness and here's to another 5 years and many more!

Ah...gotta love summer. Lazy days to relax by the pool, sipping cold drin - er, wait, this doesn't sound like my summer yet. My first week of summer school is in the books and lets just say I am glad that is over, only three more to go!

I have gotten to enjoy a little bit of relaxation in the evenings since our DirecTV service decides when it wants to work...so frustrating. Hopefully a service call scheduled for Tuesday will take care of our issues but until then I am watching tv intermittently.

Summer is usually the only time I find myself reading for pleasure and it is no different this year. My co-teacher and I are making the kids read for twenty minutes a day during summer school so in order to set a good example I picked up a book as well. I finally jumped on the bandwagon and started to read....Twilight.

 Nothing like waiting 6 years to see what all the hub-bub is about. I had seen the movie which I thought was alright but I still don't find Kristen Stewart or Robert Pattison to be all that mesmerizing. However, the book was SO much better than the movie and I usually don't think that often. The characters were so well developed and that was completely lost in the movie. I had no idea how swept up Bella was by Edward almost to the point of not being able to breathe in his presence. Kristen Stewart was just uber-awkward. Overall, a very good read. Hopefully I can get my hands on Eclipse, New Moon, and Breaking Dawn over the summer...I think I will be well entertained.

Also, on my reading list is pretty much every book that has been made in to a movie this summer, The Help, Something Borrowed, and Water for Elephants just to name a few. Are you reading anything good this summer?

And Elyse and Bill got married! Wow, what a fantastic weekend! Elyse looked beautiful and the day went off without a hitch.

It was quite the day, starting out early getting our hair and make up done. We then took a limo ride (my first one ever!) out to the church. We even made it on time...two points for punctuality!

"I'm getting MARE-EED!"

 Pictures followed at the church, Kiener Plaza, and Lafayette Park which were all gorgeous locations, especially Lafayette Park. I had never been there before and I loved the pretty trees and pathways. It seemed very southern and old time-y if that makes sense. Of course none of the pictures I was able to take capture that essence but they do capture the bridal party's fun.




The party bus we rode around in was freaking A-MAZING. It comfortably sat 20 people plus coolers and craziness. There may have been a few dance parties.



Have you heard of getting "Iced?" It truly is silly but we have all embraced it. Quite simply it is the act of getting an unsuspecting person to chug a Smirnoff Ice...usually on one knee. There was plenty of "Icing" going on throughout the day, Kyle even managed to "Ice" us all during his best man speech...so sly!

Best Man Iced

The groom may have iced his bride, she took it like a champ!

Finally, to the reception, which was awesome! I finally got to see the boyfriend and do some much need eating, drinking, and dancing.

Highlights of the reception included:

• Elyse being serenaded to KC and JoJo's "All My Life"

• Plenty of dancing.

• Chris catching the garter.

• Fun in the photo booth.

I'm pretty sure we might have broke out a prom pose.

Clockwise from top left: Thumbs Up, Mouths Open. Gangsta. Surprised.

Yes, that is a panda.

• Celebrating Mr. and Mrs. Bill Huber

I had so much fun and wish the best for these two. They are already off enjoying their honeymoon in Mexico. Can't wait for them to get back so we can have some newlywed fun!

The last two weeks have been odd...really busy but strangely have had huge amounts of downtime.

At work I am preparing for our last week of the 2010-2011 school year! Hot dawg it feels good to think about how it is finally here! I stayed after school on Friday prepping my room for the end and for summer school to begin...the walls are bare, the bookshelves have been purged, the clutter has been decluttered. This week is an effort in crowd control which should go well up until Thursday which is awards and field day...prayers for the weather to cooperate because 240 6th graders in the gym will cause insanity.

I have already started thinking about my classroom for next year (ha, next year, more like in three months) Pinterest has given me some really great inspiration for decor and possibly gifts. Like this crayon wreath should be cheap and easy using Dollar Store crayons, styrofoam wreath, and ribbon...I bet it will cost under $4 to make.

Of course I have started thinking about the actual teaching as well, it's kind of hard not to. I am taking two classes towards my Master's this summer so I will be at the halfway mark when we return...holla! And I currently have at least 5 days of professional development scheduled and possibly will be teaching classes as well. So while it is called summer "break" it really is far from it.




On a less professional note, this week is my best friend's wedding! Elyse and Bill will be married on Saturday in what I am sure will be one awesome day. Hopefully Bill can keep his tongue in mouth...haha!




AND...my littlest sister is graduating from high school. Ohmygoodness, I officially feel old. I remember when she was born, I remember holding her as a baby, her calling me "bissy" and watching Rugrats and Lion King on repeat. I can't believe it.

This week will be crazy for sure but definitely a happy one!

Every Sunday I think to myself, "Another new week? Already? The time is just flying by" But by about Wednesday, I am thinking, "Can't this week go any faster?"

Only three more weeks of school left...I can almost hear the Hallelujah chorus playing. There is a lot that needs to be done in the next three weeks and it doesn't seem like school should be ending already. I need to find out what team I am going to be on next year, what room I am going to be in, take everything off the walls, pack all my crap, move said crap, and then prepare for summer school. I am actually really pumped for summer school because I am teaching the incoming 6th graders all about middle school, kind of like a head start on 6th grade so they aren't so worried when August comes. I had no idea the amount of anxiety kids had about school...like I remember being nervous the first day, having a bit of a rumbly tummy but that was about it. Nowadays kids just don't go to school because they are nervous. So hopefully kids who attend this summer will figure out there is nothing to be scared of...with the exception of the cafeteria food (blegh!)

Thinking about summer gets me all excited for plans...I love making plans. And this summer I get to make HOUSE plans..everyday it seems like I come up with something else I want to do or try. Hopefully something I will complete is painting our front door, shutters, and maybe a new awning for the front of the house.

 The exterior looks ok but I am bugged by the too small awning, it really serves no purpose because it covers about 2.5 inches of space and it is down right raggedy.
 The house definitely needs a good power-washing. There are caked on bugs and dirt that gross me out every time I go in the front door. I did change one thing already...the mailbox. The previous one was red, small, and had holes in it. So during the monsoon like April we had, we had to blow dry our mail before opening. We picked up the new black one at Lowe's thanks to a gift card...even installed myself, two points for me!
 Definitely need to clean the weeds out of this areas by the front door...last time I checked there shouldn't be plants growing out of the concrete. Also all the concrete blocks need to be straightened. There are some also some at the front our property that need to be re-stacked as well. The previous owners didn't use anything to hold the blocks together so they shift pretty easily.
Another easy update will be changing out the address numbers and wood plaque. It is peeling and splintered and just overall g-ross. And it will be relatively inexpensive to replace, I priced some satin nickel numbers for about $2.50 a pop, so for around 20 bucks (including a new wood piece) I can make my address look nice and not scary.

I plan to paint the front door, shutters, and stair banister navy blue, which I think will look classic with the yellow siding. I may pull the awning down all together for awhile until I can get an updated navy blue one to match...I think it is definitely something that adds to the charm of our house (many South City houses have awnings) so I don't want to get rid of it completely.

My goodness my summer looks busy already!

The inside of the house is coming together little by little. This week, we finally got our missing dining room chair from Ashley furniture, yay! So I was able to pull the table out from the window and it to its permanent place in the middle of the dining room.

Our oven has been on the fritz and after dealing with two companies (note: never use A & E Appliance Repair, awful customer service) we figured out that we need a new thermostat...yay for home warranty! So hopefully the oven will be fixed this week and we will be able to cook something. I have lived off spaghetti, cereal, and sandwiches for the past three weeks and I am sick of it. Ready for some home cooked goodness to come out of that kitchen.

This upcoming week looks to be pretty low key, just getting ready for my girlfriend Elyse's bachelorette party, gotta find a gift and an outfit to wear. Also, I am attempting a spray tan on Friday so we will see how that goes.

My mom and sister.

Also on this Mother's Day I just want to say congratulations to be my friends Ashley and Derek who just found out they are pregnant with their first child! It is so awesome to hear and can't wait to meet the new addition to the Ling clan in December. And of course, Happy Mother's Day to my awesome momma, I don't know what I would do without her guidance, humor, and support. Love, love, love her!