It's the little things. . .

The weekends ALWAYS go by way too fast.  Monday morning at work you typically hear:

"How was your weekend?"

"Oh, great, but it was too quick!"

 Good thing about being a teacher. . teachers get a 10 week weekend.  And let me tell you. . it is well deserved.  They should allow other business/career people take field trips to a classroom for a whole day.  The only thing we can't "show" you is the rewarding feeling and love we achieve teaching those students and seeing them grow and succeed. . and not to say that other jobs are not hard or rewarding. :) 

Okay. . enough. . back to the weekend! ;)

After our eventful and fun Friday night, Ryan and I spent the rest of the weekend enjoying each other!

The closest we get to the beach. . is the pool.  And let me tell you, we MISS that ocean breeze!

With my husband by my side, the pool, and a good book. . life was good.

And ladies. . .here is your challenge:  click on the pool picture and see if you can guess what book I was reading! ;)

Next up: cooking

 

We have been experimenting with our new crock pot that we got a few months back.  What I have learned?  One of the "fastest" ways I can create an easy and yummy meal for Ryan.

Here is what we tried tonight:

Chicken Tacos

Not my picture. . but forgot to take one! :)

DELICIOUS!  We are going to use the left over chicken to make enchilada soup tomorrow night.

Here is the recipe if you are interested:

Crockpot Chicken Tacos
Recipe from Tasty Kitchen
Serves: ~12 people

1 envelope Taco Seasoning (I use Old El Paso Reduced Sodium)
6 pieces Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 16-ounce jar Salsa (I switch between brands, but Newman's Own is my favorite)

Dump everything into a crock pot and give it a little stir to blend the seasoning with the salsa. Cook on high for 4 to 6 hours or on low for 6 to 8 hours. When done, the chicken should shred easily when stirred with a fork.

For tacos, serve the chicken with soft flour tortillas, guacamole, lettuce, shredded cheese and sour cream. 

 

WAIT!  Not done!  My college roommate from Freshman year:

So sad I can't find more of our pictures right now!! :(

Her name is Lisa and this amazing person introduced me to nutella . . nutella on apples. . .on bananas. . or just straight out of the jar. 

Needless to say, I needed a nutella fix tonight (which made me miss Lisa who is doing WONDERFUL things with her life).

So, we whipped up some nutella chocolate chip cookies.

Yup, icing on the cake. . they were delicious. . yummy. . mouth watering. . 

Here is the recipe for this one too:

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter (melted)
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup Nutella
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt in a medium sized bowl.

3. In a separate bowl cream the butter,  sugar and the brown sugar using an electric mixer. Add the eggs and the vanilla and mix on medium speed until combined.

4. Add in the flour mixture on low speed until combined. Then add in the nutella and mix until Nutella is incorporated.

5. Using a large spoon, mix in the chocolate chips.

6. Scoop large tablespoons of dough and drop onto baking sheets. I usually shape my dough balls so that they are smooth and flatten them a little, to make the cookies bake prettier.

7. Bake for about 8-10 minutes.  Remove cookies from try and let them cool on wire racks.

After an eventful and relaxing weekend, it was time for us to spend time with our fun and loving cat, Peanut.  A cat that sometimes likes to sit and sleep in um, different positions:

 

 Until next time. . .

~Elizabeth and Ryan~

Take me out to the ball game

 

Ryan's career brought him to Nashville last October while I finished out the school year in Myrtle Beach until June.  Ryan loves and appreciates his job. . and I am forever thankful. . .and he makes me very proud!  He must made his boss proud also, with the rest of his co-workers.  Ryan's awesome boss randomly provides tickets to events in Nashville.  Last night it was the Nashville Sounds: Nashville's Minor League Baseball team. . .an affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers.
 

 

I became very excited about having a relaxed evening watching the game of baseball.  I was immersed in America's pastime at the age of 3 when I became my Dad's bat girl for his recreational team. I was looking forward to this game because before I moved from Myrtle Beach one of the things I wanted to do was go to a Pelican's baseball game. . .never made it.  They are the minor league team for Myrtle Beach and ALWAYS a great time when you go.  

Although it didn't have that fun beach atmosphere. . we had a great time experiencing what Nashville had to offer with baseball!  The scoreboard fit right in with Music City!

The best part of the night was meeting several of Ryan's co-workers and making friends with the wives and girlfriends that were there!  An opportunity to meet people and make new friends!  We ended the night by heading back to our comfy home with some old friends of ours.  It was a boardgame and pizza kind of night.  

I believe our Friday night was a success!

Until next time. . . 

~Elizabeth and Ryan~

We "mustache" you a question

Question is . . have you seen the awesome (and I think fabulous) mustache memorabilia floating around?  Well, I aim to please and here are some pictures of what I have found on Pinterest, etsy, and various other places:

A mustache for your tea or coffee.

A mustache for your party guests. . they are a hit!

Even at a young age, this little man already wants a mustache.

My favorite that I have seen. . love the different colors.

A mustache for your bedroom.

How cute is this!?  This guy can't help but have a mustache!

After being smitten with mustaches, and since Ryan won't be able to grow one like the ones you see above ;). . . I decided it was time to make some of our own mustache mugs.  We needed slightly bigger ones anyway. . at least that is what I told myself.

I started off with a basic white cup (got it at Target):

I traced a mustache onto the cup and colored it in with a black sharpie and taaaa daaaaa!!

The project was a little too fast for me. . .so I decided to write a quote on each cup and draw my own little tea string hanging on the side:

The tag has our wedding date! :)

After completing the cups I put them in the oven that was set to 350 degrees and let them become decorated, drinkable, washable cups after 30 minutes of being in the oven.  Trick is. . only hand wash after use. . don't put in the dishwasher!

Sooo. . . 

 

I mustache you a question. . what do you think of our new cups?!

Until next time. . . 

~Elizabeth and Ryan~

'Earth' without 'art' is just 'eh'

I came across the title of this post on Pinterest tonight by means of a quote.  I thought it was most fitting! After grabbing our favorite magazine, which you can find in the post here: Day of Surprises, we decided to go to two of the "calendar of events" mentioned in the magazine.

We first ventured to the American Artsian Festival in Centennial Park. WELCOME HOME! At least for me!  The creativity, talent, paintings, designs, were beyond what I thought I was going to see!  Plus, it was in a beautiful part of downtown Nashville called West End.  Here are a few pictures of this festival:

These made me smile. . almost as if they are husband and wife! 

You can't see it in the picture. . but they were 3D creations! Of course our favorite was the owl.

A very lively artist!  Very friendly and awesome to watch.  Even though he was not drawing a scene from the current festivities, he was using the backdrop of the trees and clouds to help guide him.

I couldn't decide what I liked more. . the black cat or the hot pink deer made out of paper and clear antlers!

This last picture got my very excited once I got home.  Let me explain. . .Nashville Magazine published the top 43 mobile meals. . a.k.a. food trucks. . in their opinion.  This is a trend (lasting or not lasting?) in the Nashville area with over 40 trucks currently.  They frequent designated spaces in downtown and you can often find them at Centennial Park, Elmington Park, and Nashville Farmers' Market. 

Well, just tickle me silly. . the number one food truck (and most popular) is The Grilled Cheeserie.  I did not realize this until after we took the picture and I got home to read more of the magazine.  Even though we did not eat at The Grilled Chesserie, it is a must the next time we see it!

After exploring what seemed like 100+ merchants, it was time to go to our next artist market.  We were heading towards the Porter Flea Market.  This was in another part of town that we were anxious to explore.  This is what we were greeted with approaching the market:

Pretty cool, huh?  Even though the Porter Flea Market was not in this building, it was nice to have to walk by it! Just adds to the culture of Nashville!

We finally made it to the Porter Flea Market. . where I will return!  It is a great place to buy an original or unique gift for someone.  But I have to admit, I was in awe of the creativity, the talent, and the PEOPLE!  I smiled, and yes gawked, at the amazing personalities I saw in this market.  It was an amazing experience.  Here are a few pictures (and none of the people because that would have been awkward taking it. ;)  ):

We finally made it back home to still have an entire afternoon to relax.  What to do?  Hmm. . I had to itch that creative side of me that sparked while going to the festival and market!  Time to re-create!

Our bedroom is going to follow our wedding colors. . and the reason for the colors of this blog: yellow and gray.  We have two green lamps from our bedroom in Myrtle Beach.  I don't think green is going to work with the new color scheme. . so time to make it work with a little gray spray paint, painters tape, and yellow paint.  Here is what I came up with:

Before: (I forgot to take a picture of the lamp before I put the painter's tape on!)

After:

Well, it was an overall successful weekend!

Until next time. . 

~Elizabeth and Ryan~

The future of date nights. . .

Thank you Pinterest for the countless hours I have spent at the computer "pinning" you. . . and for the countless hours I have spent away from the computer creating because of you.  I have even gotten Ryan intrigued. . especially when it came to building our table and painting our rug, which you can read about here:

Finally. . in so many ways!

One of the latest from Pinterest?

Date night in a jar:

When it comes down to date night (unless there is something one of us really wants to do) it usually goes like this:

Elizabeth: I want to do something tonight.
Ryan: Okay, what do you feel like doing?
Elizabeth: I don't know. . something.  What do you want to do?
Ryan: I don't know. . you want to go out. ;)

So, to make a story short, Pinterest help us solve our my problem! Here is how it works:

There are three colors to choose from:

Red

Light Gray

Dark Gray

If we are willing to spend money (which won't happen until I find a job), we pick red.  The red sticks may even account for some traveling and some planning.  This is what we put on the red sticks:

* Pick an event going on in Nashville
* Bed and Breakfast
* Concert and dinner (her choice)
* Concert and dinner (his choice)
* Dinner at a fancy restaurant
* Hotel stay for the night
* Dollywood
*Weekend away
*Visit tourist spots in Nashville
* Dinner and a play 
*Cooking class

For a date night out on the town without spending too much money, we pick a light gray stick. Here are what our gray sticks read:

* Bowling
* Nashville Zoo
* Line dancing
* Sips and Strokes ( a paint and wine class)
* Dinner and a movie
* Paddle boarding
* The Hermitage
* Mexican 
* Desert only date
* Window shopping for our new home

Then we have the dark gray sticks.  These are for the date nights where we can choose to stay in our PJ's if we want too. . .because we stay home!  Here are the possibilities:

* Take-out and board games
* Make a dessert together
* Couple massage
* Cook a fancy dinner and have a living room picnic
* Dance party
* House Hunting (may be out of the house. . but free and can ride in PJ's!)
* Popcorn and a chick flick
* Homemade pizza and a guy flick
* Redbox kind of night
* 1,000 piece puzzle and pizza

  
And that my dear friends, is how Pinterest helped us decide future date nights.  And the colors we picked. . simply the colors of our main living area: gray, red, and cream.  Oh yeah!  The cream. . there are cream sticks in the jar just to fill space. :)

Until next time. . . 

~Elizabeth and Ryan~ 

Day of surprises

After dropping Peanut off at the vet (sad moment). . .I rushed home to apply to more teaching jobs.  Tomorrow the phone calls to principals. . then driving out to the schools to meet each one personally Monday.  Gotta do everything I can!

After spending two hours applying, I think I needed a deserved break.  I met Ryan in The Village near Downtown Nashville.  Such a quaint part of Nashville full of places to eat, coffee shops, and shopping!

We decided on Sam's where Ryan and his co-workers could watch a little bit of soccer while enjoying a good bite to eat. Overall, a great lunch!

I came home and hung out by the pool. . . the closest I get to the beach now.  Upon returning I got not 1, not 2, but 3 surprises!!

Surprise 1: Ryan was home early!

Surprise 2: New shoes courtesy of Ryan! :)  I am in LOVE with Lauren Conrad. . follow her blog, liked her on Facebook, watched her when she was on MTV, and now I love exploring her clothing line.  Ryan knew the way to my heart on this one! :)

Surprise 3: My monthly Birchbox came in the mail!  EEEEKK! If you have never heard of birchbox ladies, well, it is time that you listen!  You simply pay $10 a month and you get this lovely box in the mail:

Inside the trademark box and underneath the hot pink tissue, you will find goodies galore for you to explore!  Birchbox allows you to sample the best beauty and lifestyle products.  You don't like something? It's okay. . it was only a sample size!  Love it?  Great!  Now go buy the actual size/product on their website:

Birchbox.com

You can help me out too!  When you refer someone and they sign up, you receive points. . . 100 points = $10 to spend in their Birchbox shop!  If you want to sign up please go through my link:
https://www.birchbox.com?raf=l7tkf 

Thanks!

Here are some of my goodies this month:

And then there was one more surprise. . . Ryan got a surprise in the birchbox this month!  It was a GREAT smelling cologne (which may be a future present now).  They are now starting a Birchbox for Men.  A little more expensive though (surprising) at $20 a month.

Last but not least, Ryan and I picked up our new favorite magazine: Nashville

It gives us great insight, tips, things to do, and overall knowledge about our new city we want to tackle with adventure!  More on that on the next post . . . ;)

Until next time. . .

~Elizabeth and Ryan~