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Saturday, October 31, 2009

big news!

Well, we have big news!
Drumroll please.....
WE'RE MOVING TO NASHVILLE, TN!!!

Chris was offered and has since accepted a post-doctorate fellowship in the Vanderbilt Medical Center Department of Pharmacology.
He will be doing research on medications to treat central nervous system disorders...interesting!

We had been playing the waiting game for quite a while and are so happy to finally know what's in store for us.
We're especially happy that we'll be able to stay in the Southeast & that we'll be closer to our families (4.5 hours as opposed to 6.5)!

I do get a bit overwhelmed when I think about all of the things we'll be tackling between now & July to make our move happen...selling our house, finding a new place to live, me finding a job, exploring our new city, and all of the other tasks that go with moving to a new state.
But, the position doesn't start until August 2nd, so we're in no rush to make too many other concrete plans.
We're just enjoying the assurance that Chris will be employed after he graduates!
Only 6 months until I'm married to a PhD!-I'm oh so proud of him!

God is so good & I can't wait to see what else he has in store for us in the months to come...

Thursday, October 15, 2009

lovely!

I enjoyed a wonderful weekend in the Smokey Mountains with these lovely ladies (yes, including myself)! We enjoyed relaxing, each other's company, nature, and of course-eating!

The fall colors were just beginning to show.
I think this-coming weekend and the following will be the peak season. A few more favorite pics from the weekend...

I can't wait for the 2nd annual ladies' retreat (or the semi-annual retreat :-))

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

tastes like fall...

I cooked my first turkey last night...well, sort of!
I cheated and used a boneless turkey breast to make this recipe...
totally tastes like fall.

Moist & Tender Turkey Breast
1 4-5 pound boneless turkey breast
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
4 fresh rosemary sprigs
½ teaspoon of ground pepper
4 garlic cloves, peeled
¼ teaspoon of salt

Place turkey in a crock-pot. Place rosemary & garlic around it. Combine spices and sprinkle over turkey (I also added oregano and minced onions).
Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours until tender.

I served it with fresh green beans and homemade mashed potatoes...wish I had taken a picture.
It was beautiful!

Monday, October 12, 2009

winner!

I came back yesterday from an awesome ladies' mountain getaway & found out that I was a lucky winner of 2 of the Days Ago timers featured in the Pink Nothings giveaway last week...yeahhh!!!

I can't wait to put them to good use so I can let you guys know just how awesome they are.


I must say that I love winning things!

Thursday, October 8, 2009

another success!

Another sewing success...

I whipped up these p.j. pants for myself yesterday.
I love them!

I got the pattern all cut out Sunday night & got very nervous on Tuesday when I reviewed the directions because they made no sense to me at all.
I got discouraged & put it away until yesterday when I gave up on the directions accompanying the pattern & turned to the good 'ol WWW.
I immediately found a great tutorial that seemed to work with what I had already cut out for my pattern.

I was nervous about trying them on for fear that I had done all of the work & they wouldn't fit...
but they did...yeah!!!

I even got 'brave' & trimmed the leg of each with this adorable ribbon (not a great picture, I know, but you can atleast see the ribbon).

I'm definitely hooked on sewing...if only I had more time for it!

Monday, October 5, 2009

finally...

Here are a few after shots of my front-porch re-do...

I guess it's hard to tell from far-away, just how much better it looks.
The paint definitely looks fresh & here's another close up of the "new" light fixtures I can't get enough of...


Can't wait to share the pictures of our newest home update from the weekend...check back soon!


success!

Here are 2 shots of my 1st "real" sewing project...

I call it "real" because I actually used a pattern, although a very easy one.

My first few projects were table runners that didn't require patterns.

I'm so happy with the way the apron turned out.

I'm thinking it's going to be a Christmas gift for some lucky person!

Next on the sewing block---pajama pants for me!

Days Ago giveaway...

Check out this awesome invention...
Days Ago timers!

The timers help you keep track of how long open food has been in the fridge (we all know we have a hard time keeping track of that!),
when you last took your medication,
when you last made your baby's food/froze breast milk,
when you did your last self-breast exam,
when you watered your plants...

They make several varieties that attach to containers differently...
magnetic timers, suction timers, timers with bands attached to them.

In honor of October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month,
they have created a pink timer to remind you to do self-breast exams.
10% of the proceeds of this timer are donated to the cause.

Pink Nothings is sponsoring a giveaway where you can win 1 of 6 of these awesome gadgets.
Hop on over there to enter to win before October 10th...
Good luck!

Thursday, October 1, 2009

October!

(courtesy of Kari at UCreate)

October is here...my favorite month of the year!

I can feel fall in the air...
it's still 66 crisp degrees at 12:15!

I can't wait for some time outdoors this weekend & our girls trip to the mountains next weekend...what fun!
HAPPY OCTOBER!