Dinner of Champions.

Tonight I finally had a night off with Nathan, and we made a delicious dinner together after a fabulous 2-hour nap! I love making dinner with my husband, putting in the time and effort to create something delicious. So for dinner, we made steamed artichokes, basil garlic aoili, garlic cheddar biscuits, and quiche! For dessert we made pudding trio, an easy and delicious dessert we got hooked on when Nathan had his wisdom teeth removed.

So far, steaming artichokes is my favorite method for cooking them. I just added about 2 inches of water to the bottom of a big pot, set the steam basket in it, put in the artichoke, covered, and let it steam to perfection! It's a great no-fat way to cook the artichoke and leave it tender and warm. When eating artichokes, I like to have a few dipping sauces to add some flavor (though I love the natural flavor of artichokes). Tonight we made an easy basil garlic aoili (whisked egg yolks, dijon, oil, basil, & garlic), as well as some melted butter with parmesan. Artichokes are one of my favorite veggies, but we only make them every once in a while because they're somewhat expensive & a bit of a hassle to eat. But they really are a treat whenever we make them.

Now, the quiche was really a learning experience. I used a deep-dish pie crust for the filling, and I think this adversely affected the cooking time. The egg didn't cook all the way through, though it was browning on the top. To remedy this situation, we simply microwaved the slices we wanted to eat immediately & then put the rest of the quiche back in the oven on a lower rack and at a lower temperature. The great thing about quiche is, aside from being super easy to make, it makes for great leftovers!

Now for photos from our fun evening.

I got to use the fancy KitchenAid to make the biscuits, quiche, & aoli!

Making the Aoili! I added fresh basil & garlic to it.

We steamed the artichoke & then used the aoli as a dipping sauce.

Chopping up the basil & garlic.

Garlic cheddar biscuits!

The finished aoli. It was quite tasty.

Artichoke, aoli, garlic cheddar biscuits, and quiche!

And for dessert- trio pudding. Chocolate fudge, butterscotch, and cheesecake flavors.

I love this cookbook! I used it for the aoil & quiche.

Going Crazy.

Guys, I haven't had a day off work in over 2 weeks. Meaning, I have spent every day of the last 2+ weeks at Taco Mamacita. Don't get me wrong, it's a fun place & I love my coworkers.... but still, I'm exhausted & super sick of the smell of tacos. I've come home from work so tired & burnt out that all I can do is lay around, thus I have had pretty much no social life in the past two weeks, which sucks for me & makes me feel like a lousy friend. And I swear my cats are just trying to rub it in my face that they've been sleeping all day when I come home from work.

"Oh hey mom, you've been at work all day? I've been in this position all day, sleeping"

Rant over. Phew.

On the bright side, I'm taking off all Labor Day Weekend to go to Knoxville and see my parents & watch the Boomsday fireworks in downtown k-town. I'm super pumped. THREE WHOLE CONSECUTIVE DAYS OFF WORK.

Married life is great, y'all. But this whole "real world" stuff is not as fun as they make it out to be when you're a kid. Sheesh.

No more first-days-of-school.

I don't know how to handle the next couple of weeks.

This is my first "fall" where I haven't had to go to school. 

I can't even keep track of what day it is.
Today I thought it was Friday, August 18th most of the day. 

It is neither, and Friday wasn't even the 18th.

Nathan starts classes on Monday, and I don't. 

I'll probably end up stealing his school books & reading them so I don't get dumber. 

Also, I really hope I have a job in a month or two. 

That would be great. We have lots of bills. 

In the meantime, Agatha Christie & my curious cats are keeping me busy. 

To Die For

I have a recent obsession with Murder Mysteries. It may come as a surprise to those who know me & my personality... I don't like death, I don't like murder, I don't believe in the death penalty, I don't like scary stories; I like peace, I like happiness and joviality, I like carefree fun, I like euphemistic love stories. Yet, I LOVE murder mysteries. I think it's probably because I have an interest in logic and riddles, and murder mysteries are basically all just one long riddle.

So, my next few blog posts are going to be highlighting my favorite murder mysteries. If you are at all interested in murder mysteries, you should totally check these out. Note: there is a big difference between murder mysteries and cop dramas. The mysteries I like always end with the bad guy getting caught and life returning to relative peace and happiness.

Inspector Lewis

• Inspector Lewis just might be my favorite. The Lewis TV series, featured on Masterpiece Mystery, is a spinoff from the original Inspector Morse. I never got into the Morse series, but I'm obsessed with Lewis. Detective Inspector Robbie Lewis is a witty, brilliant inspector in Oxford, though he is a bit out of place in such a studious village. He is extremely empathetic and constantly searches for the good. His wife was tragically killed in a hit-and-run at the beginning of the series, and this loss seems to give him a sense of understanding with the grieving. Lewis's right-hand-man, Detective Sergeant James Hathaway, is a brainy and educated Cambridge man. He had been training for the priesthood before switching paths to join the police force. Hathaway often solves the intellectual riddles that the murderers and murderesses of Oxford leave for the detectives. The murders are always shrouded in some sort of pretense and intellect, be it Classical philosophy or modern art. Together, these two seem to be able to solve any murder, but not without getting their personal lives caught in the mix. 
• Basically, I'm obsessed with Robbie Lewis & James Hathaway.  

James Hathaway & Robbie Lewis in Oxford.

What is going on? I'm confused.

 Next up: Agatha Christie's Poirot!

Family.

This weekend Nathan & I went to East Tennessee to visit my parents & sister. It was a wonderful time of catching up and cutting up. I love my family so much, and they are such a huge part of the woman I am today. I love learning about my past and embracing it as a part of my present and my future.

This year I have learned how bittersweet a thing death is. In losing Grandpop last year, we lost the strongest fiber of our family. He truly bonded us together and reminded us of how wonderful our family is. Without him here, family gatherings aren't the same and meal-time prayers are much shorter and less poetic. He brought us so much joy, and it is in his death that we realized just how much he brought to our family. My Grandmother is now at an assisted living facility in the town where my parents live, and I'm certain she misses her life with my grandfather. Despite the sadness brought about by my Grandpop's death, it has given me a new understanding and appreciation for my family. I am closer now with my Grandma than I was before and have grown to recognize how important the bond of family is. I will forever thank my Grandpop for teaching me those lessons in his life and in his death.

Since he passed away, we have SO many old boxes of photographs and trinkets, sewing machines and typewriters, old sermons and love letters. I love looking through them. Today my Momma and I found some amazing old photos of my family and I so cherish them! It was so exciting to find them! I wanted to share them with you all:

My Grandma's Father. Died when my mom was an infant.

My great-grandma DeDe (Grandma's Mom). She died when I was 4 or 5.

Grandma as a young lady. Absolutely stunning.

Grandma as a gorgeous young woman.

Grandma on their wedding day.

Grandma & Grandpop, together with their parents, on their wedding day.

Grandpop, holding Uncle Mark, with Grandma, Uncle Dave, & Mom. Moving into a new house.

Grandma & Grandpop, presumably in the late 60's/early 70's.

A Challenge Completed.

So there you have it!

I have completed my first ever "30 for 30 Challenge", a 30-outfit challenge by Kendi Everyday. I chose 30 items from my wardrobe and learned to re-wear them to create 30 fresh outfits. Stephanie posted a great entry about the challenges and successes of our 30 days, but I'll go ahead & share a few of my thoughts as well:

• Summer in Nashville is too hot for jeans & sweaters, thus making it difficult to come up with outfits sometimes. 
• I wear so much blue and muted colors. 
• I got a LOT better at posing for photos after having to do it so many times.
• I think I like lipstick on me.
• My hair is finally growing. 
• My favorite outfits are 3, 16, 21, 24, & 30.
• I can actually come up with creative outfits if I try. 
• I can be comfortable & confident in my own clothes. 
• I need to learn how to accessorize.

I'm so happy we did this challenge, and I really did learn a lot. That being said, I don't know if I want to ever do it again. haha. And today, in honor of the end of the challenge, I'm wearing my favorite maxi-dress that I haven't touched this whole time. Hurray!

Thanks for putting up with the constant outfit posts. I'd love to hear any ideas or comments on the whole thing! What did you think?, What were your favorite pieces or outfits?, Are you still my friend after seeing so many awkward photos of me?, etc.

30 for 30: Outfit #30

Shoes- Off Broadway, Skirt- Uniqlo UK, Top- TJ Maxx, Belt- Kohl's

I am pleased with this hair day.

This completes the 30 for 30 Challenge! I can't believe I did it, but I am so happy I did. And I'm particularly happy it's over.

To celebrate, I went out for drinks with my challenge partner Stephanie and our friend Jenny. We went to an awesome Nashville bar that's in a greenhouse, and had a fun night of long conversations and laughing together. I love those girls so much.

This is how excited Steph & I were to be finally done with 30 for 30:

Best Friend, Maid of Honor, 30 for 30 Partner.

Positivity.

Guys, I am having a really hard time staying positive right now. A lot of job-related hopes have fallen by the wayside, and I'm feeling really discouraged. I'm trying to remember that even though I may currently have a job where I am unhappy and way underpaid, I still have a lot of wonderful things going on in my life. Here's a short list to remind myself of all the little things that make my happy & why I am a really blessed woman.

• Best husband ever.
• Fully-furnished/decorated home!
• Fiero asleep in my sock drawer.
• Dinner parties with best friends.
• Being almost done with 30-for-30.
• Watching & reading Poirot mysteries.
• Photographs of friends and family flooding our apartment.
• Homemade cheddar biscuits.
• Sitting in bed laughing with my husband for hours at night.
• Watching my cats chase a "magic bug" (laser pointer).
• Saving what little money we have.
• Being a college graduate; no homework, ever.
• Mid-day naps.
• Cereal and cold milk. 
• Working up a sweat at the gym.
• Looking at our wedding photos and remembering how perfect that day was. 

See, life really is great. Time to keep my chin up.

A very happy moment.