Home Improvement... Easy as 1...2...3!

We have been lacking end tables in our living room since we moved in last August. I figured it was about time to do something about this... seeing that August was 8 months ago! Mary and I went to the Palmer Home thrift store and found some great tables for a great price. All they needed was a little face lift.

Step 1: Sand the tables.

Step 2: Prime the tables.

Step 3: Paint the tables.

It's so nice to actually have a place to put a lamp or set a drink down. Our living room feels so much cozier now! My parents gave me some old lamps that they had and I found some lamp shades at Wal-Mart that worked perfectly! I love to make old things new... according to The Today Show this morning, this is called "upcycling" instead of recyling. Glad to know I'm staying up with the trends! Haha

This picture is of my grandparents when they were young and in love. Grandaddy passed away when I was young. Grandmom passed away 4 years ago - March 31, 2006. I can't believe it has been 4 years. I miss her so much. She was an amazing lady. Devoted wife, stay at home mother of 7 children, grandmother and great-grandmother of too many to count- seriously. She had more love in her heart than anyone I know. This is one of my favorite pictures of all times... always makes me smile. :)

Finally, an update!

So, it's been a REALLY long time since I have updated! Many of you have made comments to me about this... so sorry! It makes me happy that people care to read what I have to say and what recipes I have to share. Here's to starting this thing up again!

Life has been crazy recently in the English household. Jesse has been extremely busy with his grad program, so if any of you are wondering why he has become non-existent, this is why. I got to the point that I felt like I was living by myself, as I saw him for about an hour each day! Thankfully, this week has been a little bit of a break for him, so at least for a little while I have my husband back!

My job is as busy as always... lots of travel to the far away land known as the Mississippi delta. I am becoming well acquainted with Highway 82 and never in my life would I have thought I would go through Greenwood, MS four times a week! We have kicked off all of our Mississippi in Motion programs and are a few weeks into the lessons. For those who don't know, I have started grad school as well this semester. I am getting my masters in Health Promotion. This is busy as well, but I am loving my program!

Dinner tonight: Cajun Chicken Pasta

If you know me, you know that I love to cook for friends and family. We had a dinner guest tonight and tried out the Pioneer Woman's Cajun Chicken Pasta, and I must say it was delicious! Thanks to all of the friends who are willing to test out new recipes I make! (Becca and Mary were usually our guinea pigs last semester.) Tonight it was our dear friend, Dennis, who gave this recipe 2 thumbs up. You should try it out!http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/02/cajun-chicken-pasta/

If you have never heard of Ree Drummond, aka The Pioneer Woman, spend some time on her blog. I haven't made a dish of hers I didn't like! Make sure you read her story and how she fell in love with the Marlboro Man. ;)

Another recommendation:

Since Jesse and I have made the decision to go back to school and live on one salary, we have had to make a budget and cut back where we can. One of these ways is by making our own laundry detergent! I thought he was crazy when he first had the thought, but we have been doing it since August and love it! It is so easy and lasts us about a semester. However, I must have been a really good wife this past semester by staying on top of the laundry, because I had to make a new batch tonight. By making your own detergent, you end up spending roughly 3 cents a load, or a savings of $70! You can read about it and find the recipe here:http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/03/15/how-to-make-your-own-laundry-detergent-and-save-big-money/

I'm really jealous this week because my parents are on a cruise and are visiting many of the places we went on our honeymoon. Wishing we were back there...

Playa Del Carmen, Mexico

Have a great week! Looking forward to Becca's bachelorette party this weekend!

-ACE

Yummy!

If anyone is looking for some cookies to make over the holidays (or for a particular cookie swap) here are some ideas!

http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/recipe-roundup/cookie-time-9-cookies-wed-like-to-bake-soon-101520

Enjoy!

Cleaning out and Moving On

So, this week was my last to stay the night in Madison while being in Jackson for my job. My mother took full advantage of this by making me (finally) clean out my room/closet. Since I've been out of the house for a while now, and have been married for almost a year, we decided it was time to say goodbye to clothes from middle school, old purses, etc.

Many memories came rushing back to me as I found things from my past. First was my size 4 khaki shorts... man was that a while ago! ;) At the very top shelf of my closet, I found about 12 small handbags. It was funny to see how the style of purses have gotten bigger as time goes by! I must have had some weird obsession for pens, because there were about 10 in each purse I cleaned out...(wait maybe I still do have an obsession with pens.)

Mom and I made it through shorts, purses, swimsuits, shoes, clothes, but if any of you have ever been to my parents house, you know the biggest challenge of this whole deal is ALL of my many tshirts... I could clothe an army. I think tshirts and blue jeans have been my "outfit" of choice since like...forever! There were shirts dating from Madison Central Cheer Camp (elementary school) to my last Chi O shirt. Of course, I'm not getting rid of all of them, but I should have counted how many there were... I just took a picture of the ending pile instead. This pile measured about 3 feet tall and ehh about 3 or 4 feet wide.

All in all, it was a good night. It was bittersweet to let some items go (as I sometimes connect memories to material things), but very necessary. I just feel bad for my Mom who has to categorize and itemize everything for Goodwill, but hopefully these clothes will come in handy for people in need. Lord knows a size 4 khaki shorts are doing ME no good!!!

If you haven't cleaned out your closet in a while, DO IT! It's fairly exhilarating. :)

-ACE

Homemade Bows

I thought this was awesome!

Check out how to do it yourself: http://howaboutorange.blogspot.com/2009/10/make-gift-bow-from-magazine-page.html

Grilled Shrimp Recipe

Yay! My first recipe post. I was really excited to take a picture of the food for this post, but it was so good we gobbled it right up! Seriously... we did. This is a very, very easy recipe but tastes incredible!

Quick and Easy Grilled Shrimp

• 1 large clove of garlic
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• ½ teaspoon of cayenne
• 1 teaspoon of paprika
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice
• 1 lb of large shrimp, peeled, deveined, rinsed, and drained.

1. Mince the garlic with the salt.
2. Mix with the cayenne and paprika, then form into a paste with olive oil and lemon juice.
3. Toss in the shrimp and allow them to marinate in the fridge for 2 hours.
4. Preheat your grill to high heat, then place shrimp onto skewers. **(If using wooden skewers, make sure they have soaked for at least 30 minutes.)**
5. Cook the shrimp for about 2 minutes per side or until they turn pink.
6. Enjoy!

Tonight, I served the shrimp with squash and zuchinni sauteed in olive oil with salt and pepper. Also, had a salad with a homemade Italian Vinaigrette --- amazing... very easy, very light.

Vinaigrette:

Combine the following:

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Enjoy!

-ACE

Wonderful Weekends

The past two weekends have been so great! If you have been around me recently, you know Jesse is super busy at the studio, so time with him is treasured. Last weekend, we had a wonderful date night on Friday - Where the Wild Things Are and grilling out! Saturday we slept in, then spent the day at the refuge. As you will see in the pictures, we broke in the Xterra and got it a little muddy and also found a snake skin along one of the walking paths! We ended this weekend visiting with friends in Corinth and hearing John Windham’s first Sunday morning sermon.

This past weekend started out with a much needed reunion of Chi O’s! I had to leave the group early, though, to head to Tupelo because Saturday morning I ran my very first 5k! It was so much fun, I can’t wait to do another one. If anyone is interested, let me know! The weekend ended with the MSU vs. Florida game and the starting this blog!

I’m headed to Jackson again this week for Byram Middle’s weight out… we’ll see how the group did! Very busy over the next few days getting ready for it. Jesse is still being swallowed alive by the studio, but hopefully he will get to have some nights at home this week… Have a great week!

Race for a Cure 5k