100 Things to Eat in Memphis: Bryant's

Monday, I went to breakfast with my family.  My brother's birthday was the next day, so he got to pick.  Lucky me, he picked a place that is on The Commercial Appeal's 100 Things to Eat in Memphis Before You Die blog.  

It says at Bryant's, you're supposed to order the Sampler Breakfast.

And WHOA!  It's HUGE!  

Of course, this also happened to be the day that I started a weight loss competition.  There was no way I could eat everything.  I did try a bite of everything on the plate.  I gave the rest to the family to take home.

The best things on the plate are the biscuits, the potato pancake,  (It's kinda covered by the far left biscuit.) and the gravy.  

The other pieces of meat were just okay, and an egg is an egg.  

Overall, I'd rate this a 7 out of 10.  

The atmosphere of the place is great.  You should definitely stop by!

100 Things to Eat in Memphis Before You Die: Patrick's

100 Things to Eat in Memphis Before You Die

Have you heard about this blog?  It's by folks at The Commercial Appeal.

I'm hoping to try every menu item on the list.

Today, we headed over to Patrick's for the Firecracker Corn Dip.

First, it's amazing.

I'm not a food critic, but if I were being one, my ONE and ONLY complaint would be that there wasn't enough dip.  I could have eaten four bowls of it.

Summer Project: Covered in Dirt to Shabby Chic!

Let me preface this by saying I have NEVER done anything like this before.  

(That means anyone can do it!)

It's finished!

After two weeks of off and on hard work, a half a gallon of paint, and about $100, one of my two piece chest of drawers is finished.

Here's how it started...

I have been BEGGING Michael to let me buy a chest of drawers.  Currently, we don't have one in our bedroom.  We've been trying to make do with our closets, but our clothes have overflowed and are now on the floor.

We started looking, but could literally find nothing worth buying for less than $500.  It seemed like such a big chunk of change for something like this.  So, we kept looking.

Then, Mom tells me that there is a dresser and chest of drawers in my grandmother's "little house."  The little house is a storage area behind my grandmother's house.  The little house is full of furniture and other odds and ends.  It's also got a lot of little creatures living in it!

So, mom and I headed out the little house.  Here is a glimpse inside!  As you can see, it's full of stuff.  If you look under the basketball goal, you can see the top of one of the chest of drawers. 

This was the best picture I could get.

While covered in dust, dirt, and what we believe to be raccoon feces, the furniture had a lot of potential.    (I had a really hard time seeing this, but mom assured me we could make it beautiful.)  At one point, this set belonged to my great grandmother.  It was repainted by my grandmother at some point.

So, with Michael's help, we loaded it in the truck and brought it home.

1.  First, Mom takes off the hardware.

2.  She then cleans it off with soap and water.  I follow behind her with a Clorox wipe.  

3.  We then start sanding.  (Mom had a $20 power sander she had bought when painting our old house several years ago.  It worked great and saved so much time!)

                                     

4.  Mom then wipes it off with a towel again.  We tried to get off all the sanded paint remnants.  

It was now time to paint!

Let me backtrack and tell you about the paint color we chose.  

I had recently discovered the wonderful product of "Oops Paint."  You can get paint at an extremely discounted rate at Home Depot or Lowe's if someone makes a mistake when mixing a can of paint.  Mom and I had checked out all the places and couldn't find anything that was really interesting, so I was left to pick out my own color. 

I turned to Pinterest to help me make my decision.  We have a dark brown headboard.  I knew I didn't want to paint the dressers brown.  I wanted a fun color.  So, started looking at different beautiful bedrooms on Pinterest.  I came across this picture... 

I loved the mix of yellow and dark wood.  

That led me to the "Yellow Frost" color at Lowe's.

5.  We started on our first coat.  (We brought the furniture inside because of the threat of rain.  We used two drop cloths.  One made out of canvas, the other out of plastic.)  The paint we chose had a primer built in it, so we did not prime.  We used a foam roller brush, small foam brush, and some regular paint brushes to do the painting.

That is what it looked like after one coat.  Here's a close up...

6.  It took about three coats to get the furniture the way I wanted it to look.  I got really busy the week after we started this project, so the furniture set in our living room for a while.  When I had a moment, I'd work on it.  

7.  Finally, it was done, and it was time for me to pick out and put on the hardware.  This was my favorite part, because I knew this could really make the dressers get the look I wanted them to have.

I searched Lowe's, Home Depot, and Target, but found nothing but the same old boring pieces.

My friend Jaimee mentioned how she had found some cute pieces at Hobby Lobby.  Man was she right!  They had everything.  

I decided on this piece...

They were having a 50% off sale, so these were only $2 each, instead of $4.  Hobby Lobby seriously had so much to choose from.  The only problem was, it was difficult to find a lot of one set.  They have signs up saying they can order whatever you need to finish your project, but I wanted to finish my project that day!  

Luckily, they had 24 of those pieces!  

8.  After putting all the pieces on, we now have a beautiful new dresser.  (I still have to put the hardware on the other dresser!  I'll post it when it's done.)

Horror in Aurora

Can you imagine what the movie goers in Aurora thought when the psychopath started shooting?

I don't know what I would do.

My thoughts are that I would crouch down and try to hide.  Then I think, what if I got trapped?  Would running be a better idea?

Gosh.  I just can't imagine how incredibly awful those moments were.

My thoughts and prayers are with all the victims.  To the survivors, I hope you are able to find peace soon.

To the monster who did this, my words aren't appropriate.

1 T-Shirt 5 Ways

I do NOT like to repeat outfits.  I am really bad about going out and buying an outfit, just so I have something new to wear.  Pants don't bother me so much, but I like my shirts to be new.

To challenge myself to save some cash this school year, I decided to test out my theory that a white t-shirt could be used to form many many outfits.  So far, I've come up with five unique looks.  (Okay I did use the "scarf look" twice, but I think the fact that one was worn with jeans and the other with shorts qualifies as making the look unique.)

I tried to make each outfit completely different from each of the other ones.

So, here are my five outfits.

This one is my favorite!  Vest is from New York and Company.

The scarf is from Jun Lee, a Memphis accessories store that is known for its cheap jewelry.  Sometimes you feel like you're weeding through a bunch of junk, but you can find many cute pieces at very reasonable prices.  Here is a story about the place!

This necklace is from New York and Company.  I absolutely adore it.  I do wish it was longer for this particular outfit, but it's still a really cool piece of jewelry.  What makes this outfit is the skirt.  My mom actually bought this for me after seeing it at Goodwill!  

This is my second favorite outfit.  The necklace is from New York and Company.  (Are you sensing a trend?)  The cardigan is from Urban Outfitters.  I got it around Christmas on clearance for $20.  I normally would think this cardigan was a little too fallish for the summer, but we go to a restaurant for trivia every Tuesday, and it is ALWAYS freezing cold.  This helped keep me warm.  Also, I think the necklace "lightens" it up a little bit.  

I picked up this scarf in San Diego at Pangaea Outpost.  I also have on a necklace from there that you really can't see in this picture.  I think the scarf was $16.  I absolutely adored that store, and the city for that matter.   Too bad it's about 1,000 miles too far away!  

So, there are my five shirts.  Any other creative ideas?  I hope to add more t-shirt outfits as I come across more creative accessories!

Best Green Beans Ever!

I'm always looking for out-of-the-box side dishes for meals.  I feel like a lot of times, the dishes are second thought.  Anyone can spend time working on the main entree, but it takes a lot of effort to make something delicious for both.  Anyone can open a can of corn, and I am definitely guilty of that, so when I have time, I try to spruce up the sides.

That led me to this recipe.

Oh my goodness, these green beans were amazing.

I did not have a lemon zester, so I had to leave that part out, but the recipe was just as delicious.  It made a great side to my traditional spaghetti.

Run Keeper

When I first used this app, I got a similar feeling I had when I ran with an iPod for the first time.

Run Keeper is a free app.

The way it works:

Download the app.

Log onto the Run Keeper website and set up your account info.  This is important, because the app can better calculate your calories burned during your run.

After you've done that, you are ready to go.

The app will sync with your music you have stored on your iPhone.

Start the app, then start running!

(One negative:  There are times when I have to restart the app, because it seems to have some sort of malfunction with the GPS.  I usually start the app, walk for 30 seconds so the GPS can locate me, then restart my run.  This is not a big deal!)

As you run, the app calculates your distance and pace.  It also calculates your calories burned.  Also, it keeps up with your elevation.  It's freaking awesome!  Every five minutes, a nice lady comes on and tells you your time, pace, and distance.

This is your home screen.  As you can see, you can select the type of activity you are completing.  You can choose between a bunch of different exercises.  Your playlist might be one you've created, or you can choose your entire iTunes library.  I honestly don't know what the coaching thing does.  The lady still tells you your time, distance, and pace even with this off. 

This is the screen I keep up during my run.  That way, I can see my current pace and average pace.  This lets me know if I need to speed up.

There are many times when I have no clue where I am during my run.  I sometimes have to stop and use my Google Maps to figure out where I am!  This is cool, because at the end of my run, I figure out exactly where I ran.  You can also access this screen during your run.

All of your saved runs are kept on this screen.  This is great, especially if you're training for a marathon.

Happy running!!!

Blue Cheese Venison Loaf

Today, I went on a trip to the grocery store.  I bought a lot of groceries.

I didn't buy any meat other than bacon, because I am married to a hunter.

That means I have access to a lot of venison.  I mean A LOT!  My freezer is packed.  

The only problem with venison is that it can seem bland at times.

Therefore, I'm always looking for recipes that can add a lot of flavor.  

This dish is PHENOMENAL.  

Here is a video of the meal being made.  

Here is a link to the actual recipe.  You have to scroll down a little bit to find it.

This is one of my favorite meals I've ever made.

Michael said it was close to being "death row food."

Yum yum!

Do At Home Businesses Work?

I have great friends.

Truly, they are the best.

Lately, I feel like many of them are trying to sell me something.  I don't mind.  Usually, I can use the products they are selling in one way or the other.

You know the businesses I'm talking about...

And if I'm going to be buying something anyway, why not buy it from them?

But it makes me wonder, are my friends really making money off of these businesses, or is it a giant scam?

Just curious.

Strawberries with Kahlua Dip

So, I've had this big jug of Kahlua sitting at my house calling my name.

I bought it on my spring break cruise with Nikki.

Finally, I got to use it.

I absolutely love kahlua.  I want to figure out more drinks to make with it.

But, for July 4th, I found this wonderful recipe for a fruit dip.

It turned out delicious.

July 4th

Happy 4th!

Behind Christmas, this may be my favorite holiday.  (Okay, given my appetite, it's tied for second with Thanksgiving.)

When I was a reporter, it was so rare that I would get to enjoy an entire holiday off.  Now, I cherish and enjoy every holiday away from work!

Started the day in the Highland Terrace area watching their Fourth of July Parade.

This is a picture of the house we watched the parade from.

The Slip n' Slide would prove to inspire Aaron for later in the day.  

Several kids tried it out!  I'm not sure they all understood the concept!

After watching the parade, we headed over to Aaron's house for a jam session.  

Andrew is quite the guitar player, and Aaron is quite the drummer!

Then, to end the day, we went to Daniel's house.

Aaron created an adult Slip n' Slide!  So much fun!

I am a BIG fireworks fan.  Lucky me!  On the way home, we caught the last five minutes of Germantown's Firework Show.  It was awesome!  

Wonderful day!

January 2013

January.

It's 7 months away.

Yet, I can't wait for it to be here and be gone.

It hit me like a sack a bricks on Thursday.

I was sitting in the dentist's chair.  The hygienist asked me I wanted to go ahead and schedule my next appointment.  I said sure.  Apparently December is a difficult month to get an appointment, so she asked me if January 14th would work.  I said sure.

Then, I remembered.  That was just four days before my (former) due date.  Eck.  I didn't want to think about it.

Just today, two of my Facebook friends posted, "Coming January 2013."  They were announcing their new additions to their families on the way.  Jealousy hits.  It hurts.

I don't want to be jealous, but it's there. I was supposed to be announcing the birth of my baby this week.

Yet, here I am.  Sitting on the couch drinking a glass of wine.  No baby.  Not sure when we'll be able to try again.

My check up is in a week and a half.  I can't wait.  I'm hoping the doctor tells us we are free to start trying again!

Then, I can start anticipating a new month.

Though, I'll never forget January.