Photo Friday #25

Isn't it funny how buying a house makes me feel so grown up? Now we actually have a yard to take care of, not to mention lots more square footage to clean! We spent this last weekend at Lowes looking at lawn mowers and all the other tools we'll need to keep our (big) yard looking nice.

Outlander

Well, I not only gave in to reading Hunger Games, I also gave in to watching the movie. Joe and I saw the movie this past weekend and I can't say I was terribly impressed. I don't care to give much of my opinion, but let's just say I think the movies for book 2 and 3 will have much better special effects. Of course that's due to how well the first movie is doing in the box office, they'll have a much large budget the next time around!

On to a new book. I picked up Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. It is so different from the last book I read and so much longer. I finished Hunger Games in less than a week. This book will take me much longer. Although I have gotten lots of reading in lately (over my lunch hour and at night... just one perk of working from home!) So far I'm really loving it. It starts out in Scotland in 1945. The main character somehow goes back in time to Scotland in 1743. You can imagine how she struggles to find out where she is, how she got there and how she's going to fit in until she figures out how to get back to 1945. Anyways, I'm not quite halfway through the book yet, but I wanted to suggest it to anyone reading that needs a new book! Oh and one of the great parts about this book... it's the first of a long series. I love when I find a great book and there's more waiting for me by the same author.

Maple

Allow me to formally introduce our soon-to-be house which I like to refer to as Maple. The name does spur from the street it sits on, but because of internet safety, I choose to not disclose. No further questions, let's just leave it at that.

Here again is the outside of the house. This picture was taken about a month ago before the trees and plants were green. The house sits on a cul-de-sac which gives the driveway lots of privacy. We won't have to worry about lots of cars driving by.

Because of the cul-de-sac the lot has a large backyard. This was one of our criteria when looking for a house and this one won in that aspect. Although the swing set takes up a lot of the yard, there are no trees in the middle of the yard that might get in the way of a football game. Joe and I both can't wait to see what the backyard will look like in 3 weeks (when we actually close on the house). We imagine full green trees creating even more privacy.

Do keep in mind these pictures show the furniture from the previous owner. Once we move in the house will look completely different (mainly because we don't have nearly as much furniture as they do). I'll just show a few of the main features and rooms.

One of my favorite rooms... the kitchen. I will have so much storage space for all my dishes and such. There is also plenty of counter space for working in the kitchen. Plus check out the wooden block island.

One area Joe and I both look forward to enjoying this summer is the porch and patio. You can see in the picture above how the porch is just off the kitchen. The previous owners added the screen porch which will be perfect on the hot days in the south. I have stereotypical thoughts running through my mind... picture me lounging on the screen porch, reading a book and drinking sweet tea. Plus there's the paved patio to put the grill. Oh and the fire pit is an added bonus too.

Once we get moved in I'll show more pictures that don't include the sellers furniture. We already have a list of things we want to do or tweak in the house (for example: lots of painting, switching out some bathroom fixtures, planting our own garden, adding some slam stoppers on the kitchen cupboards, etc.) We will work on all this slowly as we learn.

What Makes Me Happy

Freshly brewed coffee

The smell of freshly brewed coffee

The smell of lilacs

My husband

Snow days

Sun kissed skin

Mountain Dew

Dogs

Cold beer on a hot day

My family

Phone calls on my birthday

Mimosas on Christmas morning

Fall football

Catching up with old friends

Traveling

Reading a book I can’t put down

Cold beer on a cold day

Christmas shopping

Cooking, baking and eating!

My friends

Freshly painted toe nails… ready for summer!

What makes you happy?

Ham and Bean Soup

Before my trip to NYC a couple weeks ago I picked up a Family Circle magazine for the flight. Since I was traveling by myself I wanted to make sure to have plenty to read and keep me busy. I ended up reading through the whole magazine on the flight and gave it to my mom to read. Before I handed it over, though, I ripped out one page with this recipe on it. It’s common to have lots of Easter ham leftovers and what better way to use up the ham.

Bean and Ham Soup

Ingredients

1 pound dry pinto beans

1 large onion, chopped

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 can (14.5 oz) stewed tomatoes

2 cups ham, diced

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

Directions

Place beans in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, cover and turn off heat. Allow to soak overnight. The next day coat the slow cooker with cooking spray. Drain beans and add to slow cooker bowl. Add 4 cups water, onion, carrots, garlic, tomatoes, seasoning and ham. Stir to combine. Cover and cook on high for 6 hours. Season with salt and pepper, mash beans slight to thicken soup. Serve with crusty bread.

I Gave In To Hunger

After hearing so many friends and co-workers talk about this so-called Hunger Games book, I finally gave in. For so long I heard people say "it was so good," "I'm addicted to this book," "I can't wait for the movie" and so on. To be honest I had no idea what the book was about. Once I started to see movie previews I got a better idea, but it was so far off what I expected.

Once I got my library card here in Charlotte (yes, I got that shortly after my drivers license) I looked up the wait list for this book and said forget it. Not only would I have to wait forever to actually get the book, then I would be rushed to actually finish it and return it. We were at Walmart this past weekend and I saw the book for only $6. I thought, why not, it's only $6! Let's just say I've hardly put it down since. Although it's a fairly short book and an easy read, I'm over half way through it already.

Have any of you read the book or seen the movie? Does the movie follow the book closely?

Big House Announce

Although we haven't closed on the house yet, we wanted to put our great news out into the blogosphere... we bought a house! Shortly after moving to Charlotte we started looking to buy. We had put together our wish list and found a great house in a great location. This picture was taken a couple weeks ago when the tree in front was blooming. I look forward to moving in and sharing more pictures!

Photo Friday #24

Do you remember back in early February when it looked like this outside our apartment window? I looked out the window the other day and really noticed the change. The weather has been so nice lately (with the occasional rain or thunder storm which I actually love). Charlotte is pretty much in full bloom!

Say Yes To The Dress

Prepare yourself for a long blog post!

I clued you in on Friday what my weekend adventure looked like. I also showed you yesterday the neat gift I bought Amy. Now let me explain how much fun I had this past weekend. I worked a half day and flew into Hartford, CT on Friday afternoon. The flight was quick and easy. It was so worth it to spend a little more for the direct flight. Made me feel like I was still close to home and not hundreds of miles away.

My mom and Scott picked me up from the airport with a little fur baby in tow. I enjoyed meeting and playing with my brother’s 4 pound dog, Kirby. Is that about what he weighs? It's hard to tell, but it's so easy to scoop him up with one hand. Unfortunately he was still wearing his cone. Although it was hilarious to watch him play and run with it on.

Once Amy got off work we headed out for dinner. It was so great to see family and catch up in person. We talked a lot about the wedding (that’s really the reason I was in Connecticut). These pictures turned out badly, but I still wanted to share them.

Saturday morning we met up with Amy’s mom and best friend. The whole weekend was intended to look for Amy’s wedding dress. Not only did we do that, we headed to NYC to look. The train was an easy way to get to the city and gave us more time to catch up. The plan was to meet up with Amy’s sister once we got to the city since she lives there.

The last stop was Grand Central Station. Such a huge hub with a great mix of people. You have the commuters, the city dwellers, the tourists, the foreign tourists. I’m not quite sure which bucket we fit in. I felt like less of a tourist because Amy and her sister know the city so well.

I tried to get a good picture of mom and I here, but they kept turning out blurry. I decided to try my hand at self photographer. The picture turned out goofy, but I still like it.

Like I’ve mentioned too many times already, we were in NYC to find a wedding dress for Amy. Did you miss that part, because that’s why I made the trip! The store Amy had her appointment at was Kleinfelds. If you’ve ever watched the TLC show Say Yes to the Dress then you know the place! Amy looked beautiful in everything she tried on, but she found the perfect dress and said yes!!

They were taping an episode of the show while we were there too. It made me feel like I had to constantly sit up straight and make sure not to pick my nose. These camera guys moved fast and could catch you from any angle! We actually sat just behind the bride and her group of friends. I’m positive we’ll be in the background of at least a few shots. I thought I was being super stealthy by taking this picture over my shoulder. We were told no pictures were allow until Amy picked out her dress. I later gave up and just started snapping pictures.

We listened as one of the dress consultants asked the bride a bunch of questions setting up the episode. The bride wanted a red dress… we all agreed that must be why she’s on the show. Something different that people will watch! The cameras followed the dress consultant walk around and pick up dresses for her to try on (I know she’s looking at white or ivory dresses, but we heard her say that they would later dye the dress red).

The camera guys also followed the brides friends (or sisters, we have no idea) while they gave their opinion on other dresses.

The plan was to get a group shot outside the store, but the building was under some sort of renovation and they had scaffolding all over the front. We resorted to taking a group shot in the lobby. It turned out pretty well, although I stick out like a giant.

After dress shopping we stopped at Crumbs. It’s a really cute bakery that serves huge, muffin sized, cupcakes. Not only were they ginormous (yes, that is a word), they came in just about every flavor and color. Mom and I bought a taster pack. This way we could taste a little bit of all of them. Well not all of them, they probably had 50 different flavors and our pack included 12. I even had leftovers that I brought home to share. You are so welcome Joe!

We went back to the hotel to freshen up before heading out again for dinner. It was such a stress free weekend considering we were a group of six girls. Amy, her family and friend were so easy to get a long with and enjoy the weekend. I actually felt like I had known them previously and that I hadn’t just met them!

After dinner I requested we make a detour to Times Square. We weren’t far and how often am I really in NYC? We literally walked there, snapped a few pictures, watched some quite interesting people (Sponge Bob and Elmo were there!) then walked back to the hotel. It was one of those been there, seen that type of things. No need to stick around!

Update: it was a sad day yesterday when Joe and I polished off the cupcakes. They were amazing and I'm ready for more. Luckily Crumbs ships nationwide!

If you can't tell from this post, I had a great weekend! Thank you to everyone for such a great time!

For The Bride-To-Be

Before my trip this past weekend (more on that later this week) I purchased a little gift for Amy. Since we were going to New York City to look for a wedding dress, I found this very appropriate for the weekend. I found these personalized hangers on Etsy and could not wait to get it ordered for Amy. It's hard to keep secrets like this, I get too excited!

I remember getting excited to change my last name before the wedding. It's special to change your last name after being known as another name for so many years. Although I'm probably still known by my maiden name by lots of friends back home, many of the friends I have today probably don't even know my maiden name!

I may not call myself Sara Will anymore, but I still am part of the Will family and I look forward to officially welcoming Amy to the clan:)

Homemade Granola Bars (With a Twist)

Remember the Homemade Granola Bar recipe I posted a while back. Have you made them yet? They're a perfect snack! Joe and were thinking outside the box and decided to add chocolate chips one day. Instead of the fruit pieces, Joe used the same amount in chocolate chips. I was thinking the bars would have chunks of chocolate throughout, but since the mixture was still pretty warm, the chocolate completely melted. What resulted was some deliciously chocolately granola bars. A great way to switch up from the norm.