Show Us Your Life: Favorite Recipe!

Welcome from Kelly's Korner!

This week on Show Us Your Life, we are all featuring our favorite main course recipe. I am SO excited to read everyone's recipes because I feel like I've been cooking the same things over and over for the past few months!

I have posted both of these recipes before, but I have to do it again because they are THAT good! Anytime we have a special occasion, these are the two dishes my husband begs me to make!

First up is the most fabulous Shrimp and Grits you will ever put in your mouth. Promise you! It is so easy to do, and makes my mouth water just thinking about it. It's a great recipe for company!

Our second favorite recipe is this Bourbon Pecan Chicken. Oh my goodness you MUST try it! It has the best flavor, and I could probably eat it every night! I have made this meal for the past two Valentine's Days and we are usually licking the plate by the end of dinner!

Hope you all enjoy these recipes and stay to read my blog a little more! We are moving into a beautiful new apartment next week, so I have lots of fun posts coming up and I have some fun things planned for our first wedding anniversary in a couple of weeks! Thanks for stopping by!

Stripes

Our moving date is just a couple of weeks away, so I've been hard at work on some design plans for our new apartment. First up on the To Do list is the first room you see when you walk in; I like to call it the entry hall. I don't have any good pictures of the room, but you can kind of see it through this living room doorway.

I've been drooling over striped walls for quite some time now, so I have decided that the entry hall would be the perfect place for them! I haven't decided on a specific color, but I'm going to decide between light grey/white or light beige/white. Can't wait!

Here are a few inspiration pictures I've been collecting: 

Update: Right now, I'm thinking of using Perfect Greige from Sherwin Williams. I love that it's a good mix of Grey and Beige!

 

Let me know if you have any painting tips or other color suggestions!

Papatzul in NYC

Last Friday night, Joe and I ventured down to SoHo to one of our most favorites restaurants in the city, Papatzul. We were introduced to it by our sweet friends, Chris and Sarah, and we have been back multiple times since. I wanted to celebrate the end of Joe's first year at law school, so I knew Papatzul would be the perfect place to go. It is some of the best Mexican food I've ever had (including in Mexico) and everything I have eaten there has been absolutely delicious. If you live in NYC or are just visiting, you MUST eat here!

We love how it's not a huge chain, and that the atmosphere is so cozy!

I ordered the Conchita Pibil (slow roasted pork in banana leaves served with sauteed corn and zucchini.) DELISH! I get this entree everytime because it is seriously some of the most delicious food I've ever had.

Can't wait to go back again soon!

Lovely Advice

Just read this on Elements of Style and thought I had to share it, too! I will definitely be printing this out to remind myself and these important rules! Enjoy!

Health:

1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
4. Live with the 3 E’s – Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy
5. Play more games.
6. Read more books than you did in 2010.
7. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
8. Sleep for 7 hours.
9. Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily. And while you walk, smile.

Personality:

1. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
2. Don’t have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
3. Don’t over do. Keep your limits.
4. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
5. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip.
6. Dream more while you are awake.
7. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
8. Forget issues of the past. Don’t remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
9. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don’t hate others.
10. Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present.
11. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
12. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
13. Smile and laugh more.
14. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

Society:

1. Call your family often.
2. Each day give something good to others.
3. Forgive everyone for everything.
4. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
5. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
6. What other people think of you is none of your business.
7. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:

1. Do the right thing!
2. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
3. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.34. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
4. The best is yet to come.
5. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.

mother's day 2011

Mothers Day Massacre of 2011

Yes, I survived (with some pretty cut up feet,) but almost my whole collection of Fiestaware did not. It's a sad, sad day in our household as we mourn all of the beautiful china I've been collecting for years. :(

Stupid Ikea shelves.

On a happy note, Happy Mother's Day to the most amazing woman that I have ever known, my sweet mama! I love you the mostest and the bestest (yeah, we are weird and don't speak correct english to each other) and I miss you so much everyday! Thanks for being my best friend and an even better mama! 

I also want to say Happy Mother's Day to my other mother (my sweet mother in law) who raised an amazing son, and to my wonderful Mema who I miss dearly! Love y'all!

i love spring.

Spring is finally here in full force, and I have loved every minute of it. I have never experienced true seasons having lived in South Carolina my whole life, so it has been really nice to be able to enjoy this lovely spring weather! The temperatures have been in the 60s, and the blooming flowers are simply gorgeous.

It's Official!

Our dream apartment is officially ours! 

We are all set to move over Memorial Day weekend and we are just thrilled. Goodbye tiny basement studio apartment, hello huge beautiful apartment with hardwood floors and a fireplace! I am SO excited for all of the decorating possibilities, and I cannot wait to get my hands on that place! Here are a few "before" pictures I snapped when we last looked at the apartment.

Bedroom

TWO walk in closets in the bedroom!!!!

Lots of cabinet and counter space! Don't worry, there will be pretty paint on the walls and new cabinet hardware!

Can't wait to make a fun valance with my new sewing machine!

Kitchen looking into the office

The very white and very sterile looking bathroom. Definitely in need of paint and a fun shower curtain!

I have big plans for this mantle!

Living Room/Dining Area

Living Room looking into our huge entryway!

Joe's office/ my craft room!

LOVE all the light!

Can't wait to make this blank canvas into a fun, colorful place filled with personality!

new hair!

I was finally able to get a much needed haircut when I was home and I feel sooo much better! I think this was the longest my hair has ever been! I was contemplating chopping it all off and donating it again, but decided I wanted to keep it a little long and get lots of layers! 

You can't really tell how long it was in the picture...but it was on the verge of ridiculous.

Before:

After: (loving the new celebrity inspired center part and curls!)

love!

I was in desperate need of a new curling iron, so after doing some research online, I bought this 1.5 inch Hot Tools curling iron and I am in LOVE! It gets hot enough to actually curl my crazy thick hair, and is now my bff. If you need a new curling iron, I would definitely suggest this one!

If you are like me and are wondering how in the heck to curl your hair like that, I have an answer! I love Amy's blog and she did such an awesome job explaining to a hair idiot like me how to make pretty curls!

Pinterest

I joined Pinterest a few weeks ago, and I have been obsessed ever since. Like I really needed something else to spend my time doing online. Anyway, I have spent wayyy too much time on this site lately so I decided I needed to share my new obsession! Sorry in advance :)

Here is the description from the site, “Think of Pinterest as a virtual pinboard — a place where you can create collections of things you love and “follow” collections created by people with great taste.”

(just an example)

I usually save inspirational pictures to my computer, so this is a really great way to free up some space on the hard drive! I have created different boards to pin all of my favorite pictures to, and I have had SO much fun!

I was going to post a link to my boards here, but I forgot I used my real last name on the site. Leave a comment with your e-mail address if you would like an invite! (Requesting an invite directly from the site takes a few weeks I've heard.)

Happy Pinning! Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

home sweet home

I had an AMAZING time in SC last week! The weather was beautiful and I got to see almost all of my favorite people (that is a small feat when I'm only home for a short amount of time!) I really missed my sweet little nieces and new nephew, so I was so glad I got to see them twice! It was so amazing to get to sleep in my old bed in my pretty pink room for as late as I wanted! I didn't take many pictures, but here are a few of some cuties:

Cupcake time!

She loves her baby brother!

 Sweet baby O'neil!

 Lainey Kate was enjoying her cupcake!

Isabella showing off her fashion skills

Baby O'neil's gorgeous nursery! Isn't it so cute?? I painted the canvas above the crib for him!

 A cute little frame I made for O'neil!

Looking forward to my next trip home to see everyone!