Update

Hey.


Just stating that life is a little rough right now.


Hopefully I'll get back into the swing of things soon, but for now, I just gotta keep going.

BIZ-ZEE

I have been BIIIZZEEEE. Busy.  Every weekend is full. Every weekday is full.  So I'm putting all my current thoughts here before they leave my head which could be any second.




- I'm considering trying the fertility doctors again. I want to have a child and I want my mom to have a grandbaby.  This seems like the best option for us now.




- Things are going well at my new job! I'm learning a lot and I'm just excited to really get in the swing of things.




- This year is going by SO fast.  I can't even believe it is June and before we know it, I'll be stringing lights again for Christmas.




- I bought a tribal printed maxi skirt at TJMaxx on Friday and I've worn it twice already. It is so comfortable! I never shop at TJMaxx, but I was in there for work and it caught my eye. I need to give that whole chain another looksee.


(I have searched and searched for a picture online but can't find it! But seriously, go to your local TJMaxx/Ross/Marshall's and look for it!)




- I got a turntable! Also known as a record player for the musically challenged (myself included). My dad's friend gave us his old turntable for free because it was just taking up space in his storage unit.  We finally got it all hooked up on Sunday and I've been playing old records nonstop. I'm in luuurrrve.


Disregard the hanging wires and mess.



- Made a chicken cobb salad on Thursday.

With herb dressing and sour dough croutons

- OK, bear with me, but we just started the Justified TV series, and don't all three of these men look super similar?

- This is my sister-in-law's cat, Phoebe, and she is precious.

Asking for more petttings

That's all for now. Hopefully I'll have time to post in the next couple of days!

Return!

I'm baaaaaack!!

I've been checked out for quite a while now, because basically, I wanted to. I haven't been overly busy, just took some time to relax.

I also went to the beach for a week! It was lovely and awesome and beautiful weather and I had such a great time with Jesse and his family. We had a tiny bit of car trouble, but overall, everything was relaxing and fun!

In other news, I started a new job today!

My last job was not a good fit for me anymore and I needed to move on.  So I did! I am now an office manager for a real estate company and I'm pretty excited about it.  It will definitely take some getting used to, all the responsibilities and things to learn, but I'm excited to be expanding and stretching.

OK - now for a photo dump. See ya later toots!

Our ride down!

It was sunny and 80 every day!

We took a day to visit my Grandma who lives 2 hours away.

One of the best pictures of the whole week.

The brothers in front of the family house.

Goodbye beautiful Outer Banks!

Homemade Glazed Donuts

Alright! I made glazed donuts this weekend and they were DEE-lish.  I was a tad intimidated at first, but once I really got going, I realized how easy they were!

I made the dough the night before as instructed. I refrigerated it and just pulled it out cold the next morning. I have no pictures of that, as it really was pretty simple and self explanatory. NOTE: The recipe Ree posts on her website and the recipe she has in her cookbook are different! I followed the one on her website and I think it turned out perfectly.  But feel free to use whichever one you like!

The next morning I woke up around 7 to get the dough out of the fridge and rolled out.  I cut each donut and placed it to rise in the warmest environment I could create.  I turned my oven on to 220 degrees and then opened the door just a crack.  I placed the pans on top of the oven and covered them with towels.  I rotated the pans every fifteen minutes or so, that way the outsides would be warmed as well.  

Something's coming, something good!

This was after I mixed up the glazes.  I made a vanilla and a honey glaze.  I simply added powdered sugar, milk, and whatever flavoring I wanted until I reached a thick consistency.  You could even do a chocolate one or a maple one!

This was a beautiful sight.

Oh man. Once I saw how much they had risen, I was super excited.  Some had obviously risen more than others. but this is something that maybe I could work on in the future.

Testing out a couple.

Waiting for the oil to heat and stay at the desired temperature was a process in and of itself.  I was constantly checking it, turning it down a bit, turning it back up. It was never just staying at 375.  

Gorgeous fried dough.

I had bits of dough leftover after I rolled out and cut as much as I could.  The tiny donut at the bottom or this picture was just a piece of dough that I rolled into a log and then folded to make a circle.  I had three of those that I used to test the heat of the oil.  I definitely recommend this! It makes it much easier to have these "throwaway" pieces! (Though obviously I didn't throw them away. I ate them.)

Me enjoying one!

Of course I had to try one to make sure they were good.  And guess what? They were.

Glorious little donut holes!

This was about halfway through.  The donuts definitely stayed warm longer than I thought they would.  I would fry about 3 full size donuts or 6 donut holes at a time. Then I would let them drain and cool a bit.  In between frying I would dunk them in the glaze and let them set on the plate.  The ones at the bottom were dipped in crushed up French Toast Crunch cereal, as requested by my husband. My husband, the adult. 

Yes, I had two.

Finally, all the frying and dough rising, and glazing was done.  I sat back with my cup of coffee, my donut, and the Food Network.  It was a good time!

Some ideas for next time:

I will probably let them rise longer than one hour.  The donut holes and about half the donuts looked great. But I wonder if I had let them rise longer, if they would all look great. This didn't distract from how delicious they were though!

I used a mixture of Crisco and vegetable oil.  I thought this did the job pretty well, and I don't think I honestly would have noticed a difference if I only used one or the other.  I just happened to have Crisco on hand and thought I would throw it in.  Ree uses only Crisco, but since I only had one small can, I used about a cup and a half of this and 3 cups of vegetable oil.  I will use less oil next time as I threw a lot of it away and the donuts didn't need much. 

I will definitely experiment with the glazes and toppings! So many possibilities!

H54F!

Man, I never thought Friday would come this week.  And now here it is! We have a couple of things planned for this weekend, but I know they will all be fun stuff!

Three Wishes

1. I'm back into reading. Reading is an all or nothing thing for me. When I find a book, I'm immersed, reading constantly, finishing in a couple of days. Then I can't wait to soak up another one. But every few months or so, I can't stand the thought of reading. I'm just not into books! But the start of this summer, I want all the books I can get my hands on. I've recently finished reading Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty.  It was AWESOME. I finished it in one day. I can't wait to get started on her other books.  More on my list include, the Shopaholic series (just as a light read for the summer/beach), The Girl on the Train, and Jan Karon's new book coming out in September!

2. I'm going to make donuts this weekend.  I got such an urge to bake and came across Pioneer Woman's donut recipe. It looks difficult, but I think if I can just take my time with it, I'll be enjoying some delicious homemade glazed donuts!

3. One week from now I will be packing us up, getting ready to go to the beach!

4. My brother-in-law and sister-in-law are officially moved into their new house. And guess what? It's a 5 minute walk from ours! We've been other there every day since!

5. My parents.  Unfortunately my grandfather passed away on Monday after battling various illnesses for many years. I am so fortunate to have both my parents still living and in pretty good health. I think maybe the silver lining of this tragedy is that I continue to deeply appreciate my parents.  I love them!

Motivation

Or really, lack thereof.  

There is something about this time of year, with this 80 degree weather, with the kids finishing up school, and the sun setting around 8:30 at night.

All of this, plus much more, makes me want to kick back with a glass of cold sangria and just hang.

I want to wake up slow, enjoying the daylight as it streams in through my blinds, go for a walk and hear the birds and see the lush green that is happening everywhere. 

I want to eat all the cold, juicy fruits and vegetables I can get my hands on.

I want to lie in the sun and let it warm my skin.

Unfortunately, all of this doesn't leave a lot of time for work. House work, actual work. Whatever that needs to be done, I don't actually want to do.

Not that I really ever want to do it, but this time of year makes me REALLY not want to do it.

There are some changes coming in the next few weeks with my current job, and that coupled with the fact that in less than two weeks we will be at the beach, means I have no motivation to do anything but enjoy life and focus on lounging on the beach and eating all the buffalo chicken dip my sister-in-law can make.

IN OTHER NEWS, I am down 13 pounds from where I started on March 17.  Definitely not where I want to end up officially, but still. This is the skinniest I have been in years. 

Of course my Timehop app decided to show me in a prom dress from 8 years ago today and it has plunged me into a deep depression. I can never again be the giddy 18 year old who can eat whatever she wants and still look bangin' in a prom dress.

But never fear, because my 26 year old self can drink sangria and stay up as late as she wants to, darn it.

Man, this post was all over the place. Talk about a mind that is far, far away from this computer, and sitting on the beach listening to the waves. 

High for Friday

Lots of things going on this week, so I thought I might let my mind have a little break and just jump into 5 things I love about summertime. Linking up with Katie, Della, Caitlin, and Tif!

Now here's the thing, I love fall and winter.  I love the cool, crispness of the air. I love the food, the smells, the clothes.  Winter is where it's at in my book.  But as I have gotten older, I have truly learned to stop and appreciate life. I try (being the operative word) to take each day at a time, and notice my appreciation for the world and the gifts I am given.

So in no particular order, my 5 favorite things about spring and summer.

1. The Earth is waking up.  Around March I get a little incensed about the fact that the Earth is dull and brown and ugly.  And then spring hits and plants, grass, and trees turn green and sprout buds and everything just looks beautiful again.

2. Nights.  Daytime in the winter is fine. But night time? It's bitter cold, and it gets dark very early, and though I do usually enjoy cuddling in front of our fireplace, or the still and calm after it snows, night time in the summer just beats winter.  The air cools down a little but it's still warm. You can go out because it's still light and I don't feel like I have to get to bed right away.  The windows are open, the crickets are chirping, and everything about it just feels peaceful. 

3. Dresses.  Is there any article of clothing more comfortable than a light, breezy summer dress? I don't think so. 

4. The sun.  Now please don't get me wrong, the sun is hot. HOT. And with the humidity? Forget about it. But there are those days, where I sit in my air conditioned office just freezing. The minute I step outside though, and I let the sun warm my skin, and I get into my car and it is so warm. I'm in heaven.

5. The pool.  I am a pool girl, not an ocean girl.  I don't mind the ocean, and I'll jump in if I'm that hot. But the waves, and the sand, and the potential creatures lurking around my toes, I'm not down with.  But the pool is cool, and clear, and calm. And I can leisurely take my time getting in, wading through the water so effortlessly.  I can dangle my feet in if I'm just not hot enough yet, or I can jump in full force.  The resort in Mexico we stayed at during our honeymoon had 4 pools! I loved every minute of our pool time. 

There it is. I'm sure there's many more. Ice cream, margaritas, barbecues on my parents deck, the 4th of July, to name a few. But I truly, truly appreciate summer for those 5 things. 

Link-UP!