a stranger in my kitchen

There's been a stranger in my kitchen for the last 2 nights...

Chris made dinner Saturday night & again tonight.

Last night it was beef, pepper & onion kabobs over yellow rice with zuchinni.

And tonight it was a spinach & feta salad, lasagna, and breadsticks.

Yummy...

I'm loving the stranger in my kitchen!

birthday recap

I had a great birthday!

Thanks to my family, friends, & co-workers for ensuring a wonderful day.

I worked on my birthday for the first time ever...I figured I'd have to do it sometime.

I was again reminded that I have the best co-workers in the world.

Katie M. brought homemade frosted brownies.

Everyone chipped in and got me a cookies & cream ice cream cake.

Anita put her creativity to work & wrote "Happy Birthday Starr" (my work nickname) on the cake with chocolate syrup & a 20-gauge needle...only a nurse would come up with that!

My co-workers never cease to impress me...love them all!

Chris & I enjoyed dinner at home followed by delicious

chocolate bliss ice cream cake.

I opened presents & we called it a night.

I was blessed with wonderful gifts...

-a Pampered Chef pizza cutter, pizza dough mix, & herb mix

-an apron

-handmade refrigerator magnets

-handmade pincushions

-lots of sewing notions

-a new addition to my children's book collection ("Counting Kisses")

-a new watch

-a bracelet

-a Willie Nelson t-shirt (because of a joke Chris & I have)

-money which I have used to buy a new iPod (can't wait until it arrives!)

I'm still really enjoying my sewing machine from mom & dad too...

hopefully I'll have my 1st truly successful project to share soon.

Chris & I wrapped up the birthday celebration Saturday night with dinner at 411 West.

Delicious!

What a wonderful birthday!

props to...

my cousin Benjamin who is slated to start army basic training today.

Here he is looking sharp in his uniform!

my sister Abbey who started classes at GA Tech yesterday.

She's finally getting to make her dream come true.

Gooooo Abbey!!!

if i wasn't a nurse...

Lately, I have been thinking about what I would do if I wasn't a nurse.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my job, but my brain often wanders I think random thoughts like these.

Here's what I came up with...

*I would own my own bookstore---one where I could recommend books to people because I had read them all; one where I could also sell things I had made (bookmarks, greeting cards, gift wrap...); one where I knew my customers by name & knew just what they were looking for.

*I would own my own cafe---a quaint cafe situated on the ideal street in the perfect small town; one where I could serve my favorite pastries, coffees, and soups; one where people would sit in the corner & read the morning's newspaper or a book in the afternoon.

*I would be an editor for a book company---probably a more realistic option than the previous two! How fun would it be to read the work of aspiring authors & have the potential to discover the next best John Grisham or Nicholas Sparks; getting paid to read all day-I'm on board with that!

*I would be a writer---I've always wanted to write a book! Who knows...maybe one day. I have such a romanticized idea of sitting at home by my computer with a cup of coffee writing the next best novel...probably won't happen, but I won't stop thinking about it!

*And of course my favorite option of all, be a stay-at-home mom!

For now, I'm still missing the baby to make that happen,

but one day I will be a stay-at-home mom!

a good day

I had a great day today (& it's not even over yet!)...

Cleaned up the house this morning,

found out a got 'A's in both of my summer classes,

saved more $ on groceries at Kroger than I spent (spent $29 & saved $31),

went to see "Julie & Julia" with Karen & Vanessa (adorable movie!),

got a JoAnn's gift card from Vanessa for my birthday,

browsed around in Barnes & Noble,

got the free Clinique bonus gift at Belk,

i'm making tacos with fresh cilantro & lime juice for dinner,

desert-fresh chilled strawberries & cantaloupe...

It doesn't get much better.

Looking forward to tomorrow!

26!

I'll be 26 years old tomorrow!

For some reason 26 sounds so much older to me than 25...

I know I won't feel any different, but it just sounds older.

I have been blessed to accomplish a lot in 26 years.

I think about all of the things I have yet to do

but hope to accomplish in my lifetime...hope I have many, many more years to live!

Happy Birthday to me!

what's new?

Haven't really blogged much about what's new around here lately...

we've been busy bees!

Two Saturday's ago, Chris & I made a quick day trip to Carolina Beach.

We got lots of sun & had fun enjoying the waves!

This past weekend, my parents came for a visit & an early birthday celebration.

Friday we went shopping for my birthdaygift...

A SEWING MACHINE!

It's a Janome MyStyle...

I love it!

More on my first sewing projects to come...
They also gave me some beautiful D. Morgan note cards and some new Grey's Anatomy Scrubs!

Friday night we grilled steaks for dinner & dad I made this delicious peach pie.

Saturday we had lunch at the Dog House (delicious hot dogs),

browsed around in downtown Hillsborough,

enjoyed homemade ice cream & waffle cones at Maple View Farms,

had dinner at Tyler's Taproom,

& enjoyed a Durham Bulls victory at the DBAP!

It was a fun day.

We enjoyed their visit and can't wait for our next set of visitors!

i'm obsessed...

My children's book collection is growing out of control...

Atleast it's a healthy obsession (I think!).

I recently redeemed points from ZoomPanel to get 2 of my favorite classics...

&

Love them both!!!

random survey

Just for fun...

FOODOLOGY
1. What is your salad dressing of choice? Depends on my mood...catalina, balsamic vinagrette, italian
2. What is your favorite sit-down restaurant? wow…Foster’s Market
3. What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of?probably pizza
4. What are your pizza toppings of choice? ham & pineapple or sausage & mushroom
5. What do you like to put on your toast? butter & jelly

TECHNOLOGY
1. How many televisions are in your house? 2
2. What color cell phone do you have? Black
3. How long would it take you to look up who invented the Rubber Band????—why does it matter
4. Have any idea how many Megahertz your computer has? Nope

BIOLOGY
1. Are you right-handed or left-handed? Right
2. Have you ever had anything removed from your body? teeth & a mole (ouch!)
3. What is the last heavy item you lifted? probably the bags of pine bark I bought last week
4. Have you ever been knocked unconscious? I’ve passed out a few times, never knocked out

BULLCRAPOLOGY

1. If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die? Definitely not
2. If you could change your name, what would you change it to?I don’t know…I’ll keep what I’ve got
3. Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000? no!

DUMBOLOGY

1. How many pairs of flip flops do you own? umm, let’s leave it at lots!
2. Last time you had a run-in with the cops? I was in the car with Chris when he got a ticket for speeding in Washington last September
3. Last person you talked to? Chris
4. Last person you hugged? Chris

FAVORITOLOGY

1. Season? tough one---I'll go with fall
2. Holiday? Christmas, then Thanksgiving
3. Day of the week? Saturday
4. Month? October

CURRENTOLOGY

1. Missing someone? my family (always!)
2. Mood? average
3. What are you listening to? John Mayer & Jack Johnson
4. Watching? supposed to be watching my lecture on immunizations (boring…)

RANDOMOLOGY

1. First place you went this morning? to the shower
2. What's the last movie you saw? My Sister’s Keeper
3. Do you smile often? I hope so
4. Sleeping alone tonight? nope!

OTHER-OLOGY

1. Do you always answer your phone? most often, unless I think it’s a wrong # calling for Tiffany’s Soul Food (long story!)
2. It's four in the morning and you get a text message, who is it? umm…better be no one I know!
3. If you could change your eye color what would it be? Brown
4. What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic? Cherry Limeade…wish we had a Sonic around!
5. Do you own a digital camera? most definitely
6. Have you ever had a pet fish? yep! Jewel lived for almost 3 years
7. Favorite Christmas song(s)? Joy to the World
8. What's on your wish list for your birthday? it’s only 8 days away!...a sewing machine (check!), sewing scissors, a new iPod…
9. Can you do push ups? not very effectively
10. Can you do a chin up? definitely not
11. Does the future make you more nervous or excited? excited!
12. Do you have any saved texts? no
13. Ever been in a car wreck? yes
14. Do you have an accent? People say I don’t…I think it depends on what I say
15. What is the last song to make you cry? I Will Rise (Chris Tomlin)
16. Plans tonight? probably chilling out with Chris!
17. Have you ever felt like you hit rock bottom? unfortunately, yes
18. Name 3 things you bought yesterday: material for a table runner, thread, buttons
19. Have you ever been given roses? Just last Thursday!
20. Current worry? let’s not go there…
21. Current hate right now? I don’t like to hate stuff
22. Met someone who changed your life? absolutely!
23. How will you bring in the New Year? with family/friends
24. What song represents you? ohhhh---I don’t know!
25. Name three people who might complete this? it doesn’t matter to me
26. Would you go back in time if you were given the chance? probably not! I don’t like to live with regrets
27. Have you ever dated someone longer than a year? yes
28. Do you have any tattoos/piercings? My ears are pierced
29. Will you be in a relationship 4 months from now? YES
30. Does anyone love you? YES
31. Ever had someone sing to you? Chris does it all the time
32. When did you last cry? yesterday (don’t worry, I cry a lot)
33. Do you like to cuddle? most certainly
34. Have you held hands with anyone today? no
35. What kind of music did you listen to in elementary school? that was a long time ago. I would guess country.
36. Are most of the friends in your life new or old? both!
37. Do you like pulpy orange juice?Just a little pulp, not much!

yummy recipes!

I recently tried these recipes & we loved them so I wanted to share them...

Pasta with White Beans & Arugula

16 oz. of bowtie pasta
1 can of cannellini beans, rinsed & drained
1 jar (8.5 oz.) of sundried tomatoes with oil, drained & chopped
5 oz. of fresh arugula, washed & dried
4 oz. of crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup of chopped fresh basil
2 tbsp. of fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp. of olive oil
1/4 teaspoon of salt

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.

Stir beans and remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl.

After mixing well, add pasta & serve.

(I substitued parmesan cheese for feta...yummy!)

Microwave Risotto

1 tablespoon of olive oil

2 cups of chicken broth
1 garlic clove, finely chopped

½ cup of white wine
1 cup of Arborio rice

4 tablespoons of grated Parmesan
fresh ingredients of your choice to add

Stir oil, garlic, and rice in medium-sized microwaveable bowl. Microwave on high, uncovered for 3 minutes.
Add in broth and wine.

Cover bowl & microwave for 16-18 minutes.

Stir to see if liquid is absorbed into rice. If not, microwave additional 2-5 minutes.
While risotto is microwaving, prepare additional ingredients to mix in (corn & tomatoes, mushroom & spinach, meats, etc.) by sauteing ingredients in olive oil on stovetop.
Add parmesan & other ingredients & serve hot.

(I never could have imagined microwave risotto could be so delicious!)

Enjoy!

4 lovely years!

Chris & I celebrated 4 lovely years of marriage yesterday!

It's hard to believe that it was 4 years ago we started our journey together...time flies!

My sweet husband had these beautiful roses delivered to work for me yesterday.

We were so tired after work yesterday we ordered Chinese food from our favorite place down the street & stayed in.

It was lovely!

I am so blessed!

Sadie, the circus dog

This is my first attempt ever at loading a video...hope it works!

Chris recently taught Sadie to jump through a hula hoop for a treat.
Occassionally she'll mistakenly do it with no treat involved.

The 2 of them are incredibly amused by her trick, so I videoed it!

Enjoy!

new do...

I got my hair cut last week before we headed out of town.

I was in the mood for something a bit new & different.

Eboni at Aveda was amazing & understood just what I was looking for!

I don't really like the picture of me in general,

but it gives you an idea of my new do!

Over the weekend, we were on the lake so much I made little effort to style it.
This week, I've tried to work on making it look just right.
I decided today that I couldn't do it with out a straightener.

So, I visited Target (I never need an excuse to visit Target anyway!), and found this most fun green straightener...

So far, it's been a good hair day!

I HATE deer...

Yep, you heard me...I HATE deer.

I hate very few species of wildlife outside of snakes (ahhh!), spiders (ewww!), roaches (gross!), and mosquitoes (because they bite me!).

Now, I'm officially adding deer to the list.

I visitied our garden on Monday after being out of town over the weekend only to find that some obnoxious deer had eaten everything in my garden.

He ate the tomatoes that were just getting big,

he ate my tiny baby squash just coming on the vine after the big, beautiful yellow blooms,

he ate my zuchinni (I did salvage one!),

and he ate my cantaloupe vines.

In case he wasn't full & happy enough he came over & ate the beautiful hostas I had planted in our front yard.

Not only were they beautiful, but I put a lot of hard work into planting them & that's when I encountered the horrible poision ivy that left me itching like a mad woman for a week.

Enough said...I HATE deer!

4th of July fun!

We enjoyed a great weekend with lots of 4th of July fun at the Tarr's place on Lake Hartwell.It was nice to have a getaway from home to enjoy all sorts of fun...

evening boat rides on the lake,

hours & hours of Sea Doo riding (I learned how to drive...soooo fun!),

laying in the sun on the dock,

grilled hamburgers and hot dogs,

Boo Boo's fresh strawberry cake,

homemade vanilla & strawberry ice cream,

shopping for 4th fireworks,

laughing with family,

watching the annual tradition of the Tarr men shooting off fireworks (for almost 2 hours!),

homemade barbeque pork,

fresh blueberry pie,

my very own cookie dough pie (I posted the recipe last month & it's sooo easy & very delicious!),

reading,

sleeping,

watching Sadie swim in the lake!

Pretty much, it was a wonderful weekend!...glad to be home though to catch up on some things around the house.