These ingredients are on my Snowmagedon 2011 grocery list. Birmingham is expected to get four to six inches of snow on Monday!
EggnogSnowCream Recipe:
1/2 cup eggnog
1/8 cup sugar
4tsp. pure vanilla extract
4 cups of freshsnow
cinnamon to taste
*Use milk or a can of evaporated milk instead of eggnog for regular snow cream. Also you can use banana or apple puree, cocoa to make chocolate cream, Bailey's, etc!
Here is a picture of Nathan making snow cream last year.
Here is a preview of our first Christmas. I had fun using my new china!
The menu included
Shrimp & Grits
Sweet Potato Biscuits with Karo and Butter
Bacon
Fresh Grapes
Here is the recipe for the Shrimp & Grits. They would be great for dinner too.
From Southern Living
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 21 minutes
Yield: Makes 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
2 bacon slices
1 pound unpeeled, medium-size raw shrimp
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
2 teaspoons canola oil
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup low-sodium, fat-free chicken broth
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
Cheese Grits- Chee Chee helped me make the cheese grits, which means there were no exact measurements. Get out your salt, pepper and garlic powder and season to taste.
Preparation
1. Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat 10 minutes or until crisp; remove bacon, and drain on paper towels, reserving 1 tsp. drippings in skillet. Crumble bacon.
2. Peel shrimp; devein, if desired. Sprinkle shrimp with salt and pepper; dredge in flour.
3. Sauté mushrooms in hot drippings with oil in skillet 5 minutes or until tender. Add green onions, and sauté 2 minutes. Add shrimp and garlic, and sauté 2 minutes or until shrimp are lightly browned. Stir in chicken broth, lemon juice, and hot sauce, and cook 2 more minutes, stirring to loosen particles from bottom of skillet. Spoon shrimp mixture over hot Cheese Grits; sprinkle with crumbled bacon.
While Nathan has been away at Nun camp* this week, I have had plenty of free time to plan Oliver's future as the Dock Dog champion. Dock Dogs holds competitions all over the country where dogs gracefully leap 20+ feet into a pool. There are several different categories, but Oliver will be participating in the Big Air competition. The dog that leaps the farthest into a pool of water wins the competition. It is pretty neat to watch and Oliver loves the water and fetching his ring.
Instead of cooking dinner this week, I have been scouting the competition. We will be traveling to Charlotte, NC to on Oct. 23rd for Oliver to bring home a trophy and sponsorship from Kibble N Bits. Today started training, with a 4 mile run (Oliver has been helping me train for a half marathon I'm running with Mary Jane. I think this will really give him an edge over his competition.) and we have been doing practice runs in the backyard off our three foot high retaining wall.
Here is a sneak preview of his mad skills. Notice his form and the way he tucks his back legs in. I haven't found any other dogs on YouTube with as much style as Oliver.
And here is a clip of some of the competition http://www.dockdogs.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1506&Itemid=269
*Oh yah, Nathan isn't really at Nun camp, he is at camp for work to learn how to become a mentor. And I just mentioned this whole dock dog competition to him, so this will probably be a surprise to him. :)
We're back from the honeymoon and back from the blogging hiatus. Nathan and I had so much fun at the wedding festivities. Thank you to all our friends and family who could celebrate the special day with us! After many trips to Lowe's and Bed Bath & Beyond, we are all settled in our house in Homewood. Oliver has adjusted well to the move after our neighbor (an older lady) convinced Nathan that Oliver did NOT need to stay outside while we were at work. I think Nathan was trying to toughen Ollie up.
We went to St. Lucia for the honeymoon. It was beautiful and very hard to come back! We went zip lining through the rain forest and took a catamaran to the Piton mountains and volcanic sulfur mud bath. We also participated in a Carnival the resort had on Thursday night. We dressed up in native costume and paraded around the resort. Nathan even showed off his mad dancing skills some unsuspecting ladies... poor things. Here are some of our pictures.
For our birthdays Nathan and I decided to go hiking. Even with all the tornado warnings, we were determined to go. We went to Ruffner Mountain in Birmingham and what a find it was! We discovered a cave, hiked through mine ruins and took in a beautiful view of downtown Birmingham. Oliver of course came and he had a great time to! Here are some pictures of our adventure.
Nathan about to go into the cave we discovered. I made him go first and Oliver sat at the top and cried for us. He must have known something we didn't.
Nathan was scared inside the cave.
Me and the pretty view of the city.
On top of the mine ruins
View of the old quarries
A really big tree used to be in this hole.
We had to document how hard core we looked after hiking through the monsoon. I gave Nathan a dry pack for his Birthday and it definitely came in handy!
Our first Birthday Adventure was a success! Next year we are turning the big 5-0! (Since we will each turn 25)
Nathan is growing up! He has a job with St. Vincent's as their Administrative Resident starting in June. I know everyone at my house is very excited for him, since this means we won't be living in my parents' basement and we get to stay in Birmingham!
This past Sunday we began looking at rental homes in Homewood and Crestwood. If you know of anyone renting let us know! Must come with fenced in back yard, be dog friendly and preferably a front porch, but we aren't picky.
This Saturday we went to the Exceptional Foundation Chili Cook Off 2010. It was a beautiful day and the event was packed with people, strollers and dogs. Oliver was on his best behavior all day...he didn't jump, steal anyone's chili or pop a squat in the middle of thousands of people.
To reward his good behavior, we took Oliver to the nearby creek. Labradors were diving into the water all around us, and Oliver jumped right in after his toy. Lots of little kids were playing across the creek, and my mom suggested Nathan throw Oliver's toy so all the little kids would get splashed. (Just a side note: If you know my mom, you know that this was her idea. She loved scaring my brother and I.) Oliver was leaping into the water splashing the kids as the adults around were egging us on. Meanwhile, an unsuspecting little girl and her fluffy friend were happily playing by the water. Here is a picture of her Yorkie puppy.
As this little girl was walking her puppy along the bank, Ollie leapt into the creek for his toy. A tidal wave drenched this poor puppy and little girl. I'm sure the dog had a no idea what hit him. The little girl ran off with her not so cute, drowned-rat looking puppy. This is what the puppy looked like post Hurricane Oliver.
This Yorkie will probably never get close to the water again.
P.S. Oliver had a wonderful day and was the cutest dog there!
Glenwood's big event, A Night Under the Big Top, is this Friday, Feb. 26, which means wedding planning has been put on hold. If you have never been, it's one fabulous party! There will be food, drinks, casino games, silent and live auction and lots of good times to be had. Come preview our wedding reception band, The Undergrounders, a motown band. And since I will be working, Nathan needs some friends (even though he has never met a stranger).
Here's a clip from a TV interview I did about Glenwood, autism and Big Top. CBS 42
Check out the event, order tickets or make a donation here!
I think this is hilarious. Nathan doesn't think it is nearly as funny as I do, but who knows, if Health Care Administration doesn't work out, it could be his big break as a singer/songwriter. Nathan created this song, improv, on the ride home from Charleston after New Years 2010.
Nathan and I had an action packed snow day 2010. I feel this story can only be portrayed with lots of pictures.
This is how our Winter Wonderland started and how I found Nathan around lunchtime. As his brother Kevin would say, Nathan had nursing home hair.
To have the best snow day ever, you must have the following things:
1. Snow Cream
2. Snow ball fight
3. Snow Man
4. Sledding
5. Snow angels
1. Nathan and I gathered some snow and made two versions of snow cream. The first batch was more of an italian ice which included snow (make sure you stay away from yellow snow), milk, sugar (we used brown sugar because we didn't have regular) and vanilla. You mix all of these things together to taste. I thought it was pretty delicious but Nathan thought it was missing something, which led us to our second batch. I thought, what would Paula Dean add to her snow cream...Eagle Brand condensed milk. Our second batch included snow, vanilla and the secret ingredient, Eagle Brand condensed milk. Nathan loved this and so did Ollie.
For once Oliver was not the culprit of this mess.
2. Of course a day long snow ball fight is a must. I quickly remembered a childhood lesson that I haven't used since Winter Storm 1993... you NEVER turn your back on anyone with a snow ball. I think Nathan secretly wanted more boys around so he could peg them as hard as he could. He had mercy on me.
3. Make a snow man... or decorate someone else's. Nathan and I tried numerous times to build a snowman, but as soon as we would get a sizable ball of snow, Oliver would pounce on it. We found this enormous snow man and decided to decorate the other side of his face. We also met the little boy who built the snowman. I think he came outside to protect his creation.
4. Cookie Sheets do not work as sleds. Ski pants, however, do make pretty good "body sledding" outfits. Since the last time we had snow was in 1993, we didn't have a sled, but we did have lots of fun sledding down the golf course hill on our bottoms and borrrowing little kids' sleds.
5. And lastly, you must make snow angels. We had to throw a snow ball really far so Oliver wouldn't ruin our angels.
My first China choice wasn't very "me" so before it was too late I decided to change. I love my new china pattern, Wedgwood Sterling, very classic or as Wedgwood describes it, "classic yet with modern sensibilities." I am keeping the same stemware and de-frosting the flatware (Stemware is Marquis Allegra Platinumis and the flatware is Lenox Vintage Jewel. The flatware was originally Vintage Jewel Frost.)
I also chose my everyday china from Pottery Barn. It is simple white (Emma) with seasonal accent plates. Very clean looking and with colorful accent plates for each season it is something that we can easily change up and won't get bored with.
And I figure white everyday china is like buying a white car... if/when it gets a scratch (or chip in the china's case) you won't be able to tell.
After registering for our china, everyday china and bath towels, (Our bath towels are also white. Who knows what our decor will be, much less where we will be living.) Nathan was worried that we would feel like he was living in an insane asylum... which might not be too far from the truth.
We just booked our honeymoon to St. Lucia at Sandals! As I sit in front of my space heater, I am imagining I am there all ready. Besides the amazing beaches, St. Lucia is known for their beautiful mountains and rainforest.
And we really want to zip line through the rainforest like this guy!
Tomorrow is the BCS National Championship and Nathan and I are incredibly bummed that we are not going to the game. We could be enjoying the warm Santa Ana winds of Pasadena, but Nathan proposed and according to our families, we have to make grown up decisions... like save money. You don't want to go into being newlyweds with both sets of parents against you. Had Nathan waited until after the SEC Championship to propose, I am very confident we would not be engaged right now.
So while The University fights for their perfect season and 13th National Championship, Nathan and I will be cheering on our alma mater from home. We have high hopes that Coach Saban will lead the Tide to another championship game...hopefully when we have money.
The University may get there 13th National Championship ring tomorrow but mine is much prettier!
I felt a lot of pressure to pick out a "proper" china pattern. I just finished reading The Help, a very southern book set in Mississippi and it talked about china patterns like they were your last name, revealing your life story, identifying who you are and where you came from, similar to your Greek letters... So you can see why I felt pressure to pick out a proper pattern, not to mention I had no idea what I was looking for.
Thanks to Mom, I finally chose on our china pattern. If she had not been with me, our china pattern would have been the talk of every tea, wedding shower, baby shower, child's wedding, etc. and not in a good way. This is the life story my china would have told if it weren't for her...
So here it is! We are registered at Macy's for our china, silverware and stemware.
Oh, and if you are wondering where Nathan was for all of this, he skipped out on this fun adventure for a golf trip with his dad and brother. But I will be sure that he gets to pick out our cookware, which sounds rather bland to me... hope that doesn't say anything about my cooking!
Lenox Opal Innocence China
Lenox Vintage Jewel Frost Flatware
Marquis Allegra Platinum Stemware. This is my favorite that I picked out.
We also looked at everyday china and silver, we are still looking but these are what I like.
Lenox Butler's Pantry everyday china. You can mix and match pieces. The rooster is just an accent piece.
And Silver. The picture is of a deep serving bowl.
We love Christmas time! The tacky Christmas parties, family time, Christmas sweets, Christmas lattes... Nathan even enjoys watching the Hallmark/Lifetime Christmas movies with me! And we received our first Christmas ornament from Hilly! (Hilary Blount) As of right now, our ornament would make a beautiful Charlie Brown Christmas tree.
The Wedding Party-- Some of you may be able to guess why this post is titled "The Wedding Party-Part I"... Nathan is still trying to narrow down his groomsmen list.
I think girls are constantly updating their bridesmaid list from a very early age. As we grow closer to a friend we mentally add them to our bridesmaid list. And as we grow a part from someone we cross them out to make room for new friends.
Guys however, (I am generalizing. You can replace "guys" with "Nathan") think every friend from birth should be standing beside him on his wedding day. Unfortunately our church can only hold so many on stage and I think it is a faux paux to have 20 plus groomsmen. So Nathan has bought himself another week to contemplate his lifetime of acquaintances, and the creation of a two part series to reveal the wedding party.
In all seriousness, we are very blessed to have so many friends and I couldn't imagine getting married without them being a part of such a special day.
Maid of Honor,Sarah Catherine Rice, College Friend. Our friendship was destined. We met at JH Ranch and just happen to have rented houses right next to each other for the following Fall in Tuscaloosa. Sarah Catherine just moved to Charlottesville and I miss her very much!
Bridesmaids (In alphabetical order and not ranked by who is the better friend)
Hilary Blount,Post-College Friend. I have known Hilary the shortest amount of time but we bonded over a camping trip when we had to go into survival mode, as you can tell from this picture. Hilary has the hottest high jeans this side of the Mississippi and wins every costume party, especially those with "tacky" in the name.
Melanie Clark and Patti Clark,Nathan's Sister-in-laws. I am very excited to finally have sisters!! They give me the inside secrets to the Clark family :)
Nathan & Erin, Melanie & Kevin, Patti & Brian at the Sugar Bowl
Evans Craddock, Pledge Sister. Evans is one of the goofiest people I have ever met. I'm sure you will see her signature dance move at the reception. She is also a fabulous writer and wedding consultant. Check out her blog, Slice of Pie.
Meredith Hardegree,Pledge Sister. Meredith is the most loyal friend. Don't mess with any of her friends or else... Oh and Meredith could be a hand model. She has the prettiest fingers. (Meredith is the one in the middle.)
Michelle Howard, Pledge Sister. When I met Michelle, I thought she came to Alabama to cut up dead bodies, but apparently Forensics is also debate. Michelle and I would sit in her room and discuss sorority politics among other things. I miss those days.
Sarah Lovell, High School Friend. I have known Sarah the longest of all my bridesmaids. I was her first friend when she moved to Vestavia in the eight grade. We had matching hair cuts and she almost threw up on our way to the first day of high school.
Mallory Young Shabel, College Friend. Mallory's new husband, Jonathan and Nathan were fraternity brothers so we met and became best friends from all the Kappa Sig band parties and date parties. Mallory is the best nurse, just ask Nathan.
Stacey Summerville,Sorority Sister. I rushed Stacey and we have been best friends every since. Stacey is hilarious! Her and Evans together is the best! Did I mention Stacey can beat anyone in a dance off!?
