on my mind...

Bills, Bills, Bills-gLee Cast

• I've recently started an account with Spotify. It's AMAZING. Did ya hear me? AMAZING! You definitely need to open a free account NOW. You can send people songs and view their playlists and everything. Trust me, it's a great tool for the office.
• I forgot how much I love summer.
• Not that I don't love weddings, but we've had so many this summer, that I forgot what a fun time of the year it is.
• Last night, Jamie and I went to The Lakehouse to hear David Helton and Katie Sturgis.
• Last night made me remember how much fun summertime is and can be.
• I've got to quit spending money. haha Don't we all.
• Seriously though. My goal is to be intensely frugal from now til Christmas.
• Our house is ALMOST done :)
• Everyone CHEER!!!
• They've got most of the paint done.
• We're just waiting on cabinets and some nitpicking little details being finished.
• I know I'll sleep so much better once I'm back in my own bed.
• It'll be glorious.
• Going back to the saving money issue...I've been online SHOPPING and making wishlists a LOT.
• That doesn't defeat the purpose, right?
• I think it's just therapy.
• I've been encouraging a friend to get involved with photography. She needs to take a leap. Say a prayer about that, please.
• I've also started a Pinterest account, and tried to close it and reopen it.
• No avail.
• Any tips?
• Sometimes, I think that talking on the phone at work all day makes it harder for me to talk on the phone in my down time.
• I loathe it.
• Everyone keep me in your prayers next week.
• I've got a VERY important lunch date that I'm spilling no details about to anyone until it's over :)

It's a little Dixieland Delight and The Right Time of the Night and Love in the First Degree

Tuning in on Tuesday

I've decided that each Tuesday will have a post dedicated to music.

Why? Because it's a passion of mine.

Let's get the party started right today with this little jewel :)

It definitely gets me pumped up for the day.

eh...eh...everday I'm shufflin'.

Feeling Generic

*Where were you last night?

I spent the evening at Jacob's. We finished watching Season 1 of 'Rome' and then watched 'Hall Pass.' Trust me. Hilarity ensued.

 

*Last place you went to eat?

Subway

*What are you listening to?

The judge talking to Delana and Marsha typing up paperwork

*Plans tonight?

I'm going back to the boyfriend's this evening. We'll have dinner with his grandparents, then spend the rest of the evening being lazy and watching the Braves.

*What are you thinking about right now?

I'm thinking that this rain/thunder/lightening/office lights blinking is making me sleeeepy.

*What's your favorite hobby?

I love love love reading. I'll read anything.

*What are you wearing?

It's a pretty simple Monday workwear outfit. Jeans (rolled and cuffed), black tee, black jewelry, gray J.Crew headband, snakeskin flipflops

*What have you always WANTED to do?

I've always wanted to be a personal shopper. Seeing as how my job searching isn't going to well lately, I may just have to start my own business.

*Are you always in a hurry?

I guess you could say that. The thing is, it's starting to wear me out. I've realized more and more recently that I need to relax WAY more often.

*How many months until your birthday?

a little over a month

*Are you excited for the future?

I'm always excited about the future! Hopefully a wedding is in my near future. And I'm talking about mine!

*Have you ever dated a twin?

I’ve actually date two twins. No, they weren’t brothers.

*Who was the last person to actually pick you up in the air?

Hmmm...I'd say it was Jacob. Sometimes chilvary isn't dead. :)

*Would you rather take a cruise to the Bahamas or spend 2 weeks in Europe?

I would rather spend 2 weeks in Europe. That may be a likely trip in my future. The future in-laws are actually moving to Nottingham, England in August.

*Do you have any plans for tomorrow?

I've got work until 4:30, dinner with the fam, checking on the paint progress at our house, watching 'The Bachelorette' and 'Pretty Little Liars,' and maybe doing some blogging.

*How much money did you spend today?

ZERO dollars

I'm consistently praying for Norway and all of the lives that were affected by their recent tragedy.

We celebrated Erica's 24th birthday last night with a cookout at her house. Everyone brought their own meat to grill, and Erica made twice baked potato casserole, Paula Deen's recipe from her restraunt, 'The Lady & Sons,' mac & cheese, and asparagus. The icing to the cake on all of this was that I made TWO dips. You heard that correctly. I, Anna Smith, was domestic. I cooked. Of all things!! haha So, without further ado...here are pictures and recipes for the two dips that I prepared. Enjoy!

Vidalia Onion Dip

What You'll Need:

3 packs of cream cheese (softened)

1 large Vidalia onion (finely chopped)

2 cups of shredded parmesan cheese

1/2 cup of mayonnaise

Mix all ingredients together WELL. Bake in oven on 420 degrees for 15 minutes.

Greek Dip

What You'll Need:

11 oz. can of shoepeg corn

14 oz. can of chickpeas

14oz. can of black beans

Finely chopped bundle of green onions

4 oz. of feta cheese

1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp of sugar

Mix all ingredients together thuroughly and let sit overnight.

And for your viewing pleasure, check out that MEAT!

Guess what?

I've reactivated my Twitter account.

That's right.

Follow me, NOW!

swimmmingbanana

This morning I started cleaning out the files on my work computer. I stumbled upon quite a few pictures that make me smile :)

Thought I'd share.

You're welcome!

Haley and I making muffins circa 1996

Haley and I celebrating our 24th birthdays at Butter in NYC

(This is the same place Beyonce celebrated her birthday the week before!!)

Jacob and I in the early days of our relationship

Mom and Dad at Talledega back in the day

-check out that romper!!-

My cousin Brooke just left last night for a 5 month mission trip in Southeast Asia.

Keep her in your prayers.

Silly Jacob

Sweet sunsets

Fourth of July 2010

Miss Bailey is the sweetest!

hehe

Tell me this doesn't make you want a kitten?!

They're my favorite.

Precious little Corbyn Jayne

War Eagle!

The brother at work...hilarious.



Sorry. I've been a horrible blogger as of late. Life has just been incredibly busy around here lately. The final WEDDING of the summer was this weekend (I'll post about that as soon as my photos are uploaded to the book of faces.), and things should start to return to normal for the boyfriend and I.

For lack of inspiration, I've decided to take a cue from my rockin' friend, Lindsanity, at Much Ado About Nothing. Here's my post on things that make me smile :)

• As previously mentioned, 'The Year of Weddings' (as I've deemed 2011), has come to a close. Well, except for the 3 weddings later this year that I've recently been invited to. I'm sincerely excited about all three, but happy about this welcome month-long break from festivities.
• Returning to a sense of normal with the boyfriend. This would include, sushi dates, movie watching, lazy Sundays (ya know, reading while he watches baseball), and being able to plan our weekends around what we want to do.
• Sleeping in a bed with a built-in heater. Oh yeah!
• Weekends celebrating with friends I don't get to see often enough.
• Facebook photos of said weekend.
• Rice. Lots of rice.
• New recipes for a cucumber dip! (I'm gonna try it out this weekend for a friend's birthday!)
• Being frugal and saving money...
• 93.7 WDJC
• Borrowing clothes from the madre...
• My new love of water...
• Still being the only person I see on a daily basis who does NOT have a smartphone...
• Dreaming up ideas for my dream wedding...
• blog reading...
• photo comments...
• pepperoni and cheese sandwiches every day for lunch (The only variance? Mixing up the bread and cheese types!)
• microwaveable HOMEmade mashed potatoes...
• Hearing that we'll be moved back into our house at LEAST by the second week in August...
• Being called 'sweetie' by a certain someone :)

All Week's Have an End

...Thank goodness, right?! :) This weekend was an especially fun one. Jacob and I traveled to Athens, Georgia to see two of our good friends Jake (being one of Jacob's bests from childhood) and Anna get married. You just have to know these two to truly appreciate what a match made in Heaven this coupling is. Jake is the funny, act silly in a crowd guy, and Anna is so laid back that none of Jake's silliness bothers her. She takes all of his shennanigans in stride. (All the guys just think she's THE coolest. Seriously. Probably because she IS!) That's not to say that Jake doesn't totally adore Anna. *Hello! He bought the girl a diamond David Yurman bracelet with his big wins in Vegas. Did I mention he was there for his bachelor party? Yes. He loves her!*

So, Jacob and I (along with a ton of our other friends) stayed at The Georgia GameDay Center. While this isn't the ideal place for Auburn fans, as far as the decorations are concerned, it's an amazing place to spend the weekend. We shared a condo with Aimee and Tyler. The nice thing was having two bedrooms and two bathrooms. Trust me. It's much easier to get ready when you don't have to share bathroom time and space. The GameDay Center is also pretty awesome because it's walking distance to literally EVERYTHING.

After a drive full of hilarity (I swear, I don't think Jacob and I EVER stopped laughing) and a stop for lunch at Steak N Shake, Jacob and I arrived in Georgia. After getting ready, we headed to the First Methodist Church of  Athens for the rehearsal dinner. I have to brag a little here...even though Jake had 10 groomsmen, Jacob was the most handsome! (Sorry Hannah :) ) This was seriously the QUICKEST rehearsal I'd ever experienced in all of my wedding partaking (like 7. literally.). We loaded up the cars and headed to the Terrapin Brewery for the rehearsal dinner.

The picture above will just give you a glimpse at how rockin' awesome the rehearsal dinner was. We walked into the brewery and all received our glasses (to take home!) and tickets. The tickets were to get cups of all the beers that the brewery brewed. The atmosphere was awesome at Terrapin. There were cornhole boards, live music, twinkly lights, and great food.

After the rehearsal, we all went back to the condos to change out of our heels and into flats, and headed to JR's downtown. JR's is a bar that we've all been to before. It's an AGR bar (read: if you are a part of the AGR fraternity, you are always partying at JR's.), and so much fun. The atmosphere is laidback and the music is just right. Around 2:30 that morning, we all decided that it was time to get into bed. That didn't stop us from walking into the Little Italy that we passed right on the way back to the GameDay Center.

The next morning, or should I say late afternoon, we got up, sent the boys off in their tuxes for pictures, and busied ourselves getting ready. The wedding itself was absolutely BEAUTIFUL. It was very elegant and very Jake and Anna. The reception was at the Athens Country Club. There was a rockin' band and more GREAT food. (Seriously. I think I ate my weight in cucumber sandwiches!) The weekend was just phenomenal.

Congratulations Jake and Anna!!

On my mind...

• How goes it in your neck of the woods today?
• Me? Well, my day's been pretty normal.
• Ya know...just working to make that dollar. And the clock seems like it's ticking at an insanely slow pace.
• That's probably because today is my Friday, right?
• You should be jealous.
• After a long 4th of July weekend at the beach for Aimee's bachelorette party, I get to spend this weekend with all of my great friends celebrating another marraige.
• Jake and Anna (Jake is one of Jacob's best friends growing up) are getting married in Athens, Georgia this weekend.
• Their rehearsal dinner is at a brewery where they'll actually have beer pong tables set up.
• Crazy, no?
• I'll let you know how that goes after this weekend :)
• Hopefully the boys will let us gals get in on some of the action.
• We'll see.
• Gran's cooking vegetables tonight, and I couldn't be more excited!
• Fried veggies sound like a great start to a 'ME' night.
• I'll then pack for the weekend, charge my camera batteries, and read read READ.
• As a side note: I was given the recipe for a delicious bean, corn, and feta cheese dip this weekend. I can't wait to get it made!
• As far as our house update goes, the painters, tile guys, and floor guys all started today!!
• Know what that means, right?
• We should be back in our house within the month!!! :D
• I've never been more excited to go home.
• It will be stupendously refreshing.

Watchin' TV

Okay, so you're going to tell me this a terrible hobby, but Jacob and I really really love to watch television. We would (for the most part) rather sit at home, order a tv series on Netflix, and just relax over actually choosing to go out and watch a movie.

Don't you agree that it's more fun to sit on the couch in your 'junky' clothes and watch a continuing story line than just spending 2 stiff hours in the (ALWAYS COLD) movie theater?

Anyways, here are a few of our FAVORITE television series...

Band of Brothers

Harper's Island

Cheers

Futurama

Firefly

Numbers

One Tree Hill

Spartacus

The Walking Dead

Criminal Minds

 We've just started watching Rome...and it's amazing!!!

I would honestly suggest any of these television series if you've got some extra time!

Okay. So I'm going to the BEACH this afternoon!!!

That's right. You heard me correctly! I'm headed to Fort Walton around 4:00pm this afternoon. Seeing as I haven't been to the beach in, let's see....ummm....about 3 years, I'm ecstatic! I absolutely cannot wait to get up early in the morning, hit the beach, then the waves, then go for a walk or two...you know the drill. Ahh...and then the afternoon naps that will go down! So stoked!!

The reason behind the beach trip is Aimee's Bachelorette Party. We're going to dedicate Saturday night to celebrating her upcoming marraige to Tyler. I'm sure there'll be lots of giggling and good seafood! :)

If I wasn't at work right now, I'd make one of these salads for our lunch each day on the trip:

Sauteed Corn and Black Bean Salad

Sautee kernels from 3 ears of corn in 2 T of butter until they start to brown slightly in spots. Remove from heat and toss with:


A can of drained black beans
1 sliced avocado
2 T chopped green onions
Juice of two limes and
A handful of roughly chopped cilantro


Serve chilled

I love this.



On my mind...

• So, today's the very first day of summer.
• It's raining.
• That shouldn't happen, right?
• I'm very excited about this weekend.
• One of my highschool classmates is getting married.
• It is sure to be the largest wedding I'll ever attend.
• We're talking there is probably going to be a country star performing at the reception.
• Yep. That big. :)
• That being said, I'm also looking forward to my 'me' night tonight.
• I'll have dinner with the family and then watch Pretty Little Liars and catch up on last night's Bachelorette.
• Feelings or thoughts about these two shows anyone?
• I hope that Hannah and Caleb get back together on PLL. And my favorite bachelor on the Bachelorette is definitely JP. That shaved head's where it's at!
• Have you ever seen the show Harper's Island?
• It's a 13 episode mini-show that Jacob found on Netflix.
• I'd highly recommend it! Whomever plays Jimmy makes me swoon!
• By the way, it's a show about a serial killer.
• Speaking of killers, why don't they go ahead and put Casey Anthony on death row? She killed her daughter. End of story. Quit wasting tax payers' money on the drawn out trial.
• I can't wait until our house is finished!! (They put up new sheetrock today!)
• I picked out my bedroom colors.
• Oh yeah...here goes: the floors are a dark hardwood, the trim is white, the walls are going to be hydrangea blossom blue, and the ceiling (yes! painted ceilings!!) is going to be eggnogg yellow.
• It'll be ballin'.
• Plus, I miss my mattress.
• And having my clothes in an actual closet.
• I'm ready for my room to quit looking like a boutique.
• I like clutter tucked away.
• Don't you?

Vidalia Onion Dip

Okay, I am sharing this recipe A.) because it's aboslutely incredible!!! and B.) because I don't want to forget how to make it!!

Karen Roeder (if you've ever had the pleasure of meeting her, you know she can whip up some really GOOD eats) brought this to a shower I went to last night, and it was incredible!!

Vidalia Onion Dip

1 large Vidalia Onion finely chopped

3 packages of softened cream cheese

1/2 cup of mayonnaise

2 cups of shredded parmesan cheese

-mix all of the ingredients together

-put in a glass baking dish

-leave in oven for 15 minutes on 420 degrees

Yep. I'm serious. It's THAT easy. And trust me...it's soooo worth the minimal effort!!

Guess what?

I've got FREE tickets to see Cats tonight!!!

Yep. Not even joking. I'm beginning to think I'm a lucky lucky girl.

I'll be seeing this tonight:

Be very jealous!!

Well, guess what?

I had another SPECTACULAR weekend!! This summer is proving to be one of the best ones yet!! And trust me, I wasn't so sure in the beginning that this summer would hold as much joy as it has. Ya know, when you've been invited to 13 weddings in one summer, your brain tends to want to explode! But, never fear!! This summer, even with all the weddings, showers, and specific plans made for me every weekend, has been absolutely ballin' so far.

Friday after work I went to visit with Catherine and Lane. He is one of the most beautiful babies I have ever seen! Even though he cried for the better part of the time I was there, I really enjoyed getting to spend time with him and Cat. Catherine is one of my very best friends. She's a year older than me, and she's always been like a big sister. She's been there thru all of my major milestones, and I've been there with her thru all of her major ones too (i.e. her wedding, birth of her firstborn, etc.). It was great getting to see them.

After I left Cat's, I went to dinner at Tin Top (chicken and Jo's...so delicious!) with Mom, Dad, Delana, and Greg. We saw a few people we know, and after having looooong discussions with them and each other, we piled back into Greg's truck to go riding. You have to understand, when there's nothing else going on, our family likes to get in the car and ride. We are people watchers, AND we love driving around looking at people's houses. Ya know, just figuring out where people live, seeing who's made aesthetic changes, etc. (Thank you, small town living!) When we got home, I messed around on the computer and settled in for a loooooong night of sleep. :)

Saturday morning, I woke up and immediately put on my swimsuit, walked next door to Delana and Greg's and layed out. After spraying myself down with sunscreen, I got my float in the pool and grabbed my latest read (Matters of the Heart). It was a very relaxing 4 hours. After fixing myself some lunch, I got ready for the evening's festivities: Megan and Greg's wedding. Ben, Hannah, and Jacob met me at my Gran's, then we headed to Kudzu Cove for the big event! The wedding was outdoors and very pretty. Megan looked absolutely gorgeous! It was fun for Jacob because he got to have an impromptu mini reunion with a lot of people from high school. After getting hot and sweaty dancing at the reception, we decided to call it a night.

Sunday morning, Jacob and I went to church, and then had Taziki's. If you've never been to a Taziki's before, I suggest that you find the nearest one and make it happen!! One thing I love about Jacob is that he has a very adventurous palette. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Greek food. Jacob, that handsome man, also loves it too. (As a matter of fact, we dream of honeymooning in Greece!) After  a delicious lunch, I dropped Jacob off so he could head to work, and I ran to Target to pick up a few supplies for the week. When I got home, I gave myself a mani/pedi and then had dinner with the fam at Gran's. Sunday evening was spent catching up on the last four episodes of Gossip Girl. I want Chuck and Blair to be together SOOOO badly!! I already can't wait until next season!!

Here's to hoping this weekend will be as great as the last!!

I went shopping this afternoon and got some GREAT stuff at Gap.

I was in need of shorts for the summer (read: I don't have any shorts!!), and I needed a couple of more cardigans. Cause who can ever have enough cardigans? Right? haha

Here's my loot:

I got 3 cardigans (navy, brown, green), a tank top, a dress, and two pairs of linen shorts (brown and orange) for only $100!! You can assume that I was insanely pumped about my steals. And you better believe those orange shorts will be seeing some action at some Auburn football games this fall!

If I lived in my own home...

...I'd definitely fix this for dinner tonight:

Lemony Shrimp with white beans and couscous

Serves 4
Hands-On Time: 20m
Total Time: 20m


Ingredients

• 1 10-ounce box couscous (1 1/2 cups)

• kosher salt and black pepper

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 2 cloves garlic, chopped

• 4 scallions, chopped

• 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

• 1 15.5-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed

• 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice


Directions


1. In a saucepan, bring 2 cups water to a boil.

2. Stir in the couscous and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cover and let sit off heat for 5 minutes; fluff with a fork before serving.

3. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

4. Add the garlic and scallions and cook for 30 seconds. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring, until they begin to turn pink, about 3 minutes.

5. Stir in the beans, parsley, lemon juice, remaining 2 tablespoons butter, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.

6. Cook until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve with the couscous.

 

Red Sangria

Serves 1
Hands-On Time: 05m
Total Time: 05m


Ingredients

• 4 ounces medium-bodied red wine (such as Shiraz)

• 1/2 ounce brandy

• 4 ounces fresh orange juice

• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• 1 slice orange

• 1 slice lemon

• ice


Directions


1. In a shaker, mix together the red wine, brandy, orange juice, lemon juice, and sugar. Shake or stir.

2. Serve over ice and garnish with a slice of orange and lemon.

I mean, those both look easy enough, right?

I've been on this HUGE Sangria kick lately.

The best I've found? Either Reese Covington's or Jackson's in Birmingham.

New Tastes

I have found that my taste buds have been more adventurous as of late. Is that just a part of growing up? Who knows! I get pretty excited about trying new foods now, where as in the past, I was SUPER picky. (Jacob still thinks I'm pretty picky now just because I won't eat mayonnaise or anything on a bone. I digress.) Last night, Gran came home from Sam's with a jar of pickled okra (or okry as she likes to refer to it! :) Precious, right?). She asked if I wanted to eat some with her, and I decided, 'Hey! Why not? The worst that can happen is that I have to spit it out.' Well, I absolutely LOVED it!! I can't wait to get home tonight and have some after it's been refrigerated.  And guess what? Just like pickles, pickled okra is suuuuuper low in fat. Score!!

If you've never had pickled okra, I definitely suggest that you take the plunge and try it!