creative outlet.

Well folks. It's Tuesday. There's a new season of Housewives, it's Neal Caffrey night, and I've kind of had a long, hard day. But AT&T Uverse still seems to think it's a good idea to paste a big red "X" on our tv screen, so here we are. You get a blog post!

So for the past couple of months I've been developing a bit of a love affair with all things paper. Stationery, gift tags, party invitations, you name it...the creative possibilities seem to be endless. Cute little paper company blogs are piling up in my Google reader and I've started researching things like chevron-patterned digital paper packs. This past weekend I finally acted on my new interest and created a set of handmade notecards for a friend's birthday. Unfortunately my technological design resources are limited...as in Microsoft Word and my trusty HP printer from college...so I'm emphasizing the handmade aspect here. Crafty, yes...sleek and chic?..eh. But I was very happy with the result and had a great time working on them. Yay for new friends and Texas birthdays! :)

(She's a native Tennessean turned Texan by husband's post-college job as well, so I thought a little greeting from the Lonestar state would be appropriate.)

 

 

I think the little yellow flags are my favorite part...I went ahead and invested in one of those nifty paper cutters so they'd be somewhat straight and uniform. I ended up getting to use it for a whole lot more than the little flags though, since the pre-cut cards I bought refused to get sucked in by my printer...too small I guess? Instead I just bought standard paper-sized photo paper, printed 2 cards per page, and glued the cut-outs to a thick piece of cardstock to give it enough heft.

I had lots of crafty entertainment while watching my online videos this week...it was pretty great!

I've already started thinking about possible designs for other folks with bdays in the near future, so you just might find some in your mailbox soon! Or I might make you come visit Houston in order to obtain them. Paper bribes anyone?

hello and happy monday.

So...is it 80 degrees where you are? In January?

No? Then you must not be in Houston, my friend. So much for ever getting to wear that new coat I got for Christmas...I could wear shorts and flip-flops if I wanted to. In January. Ohh Texas...

Anywho, despite the unseasonable warmth, today is a good day. Scratch that, a great day. Why? Because I finally got a day off! An end to to the seemingly endless 6-day work weeks (that doesn't involve tornado warnings, major flooding, and day-long power outages...don't ask). I'm not sure I've ever been so excited to do laundry...my only real must-do of the day.

I've got other plans too, though, like spending some serious time in the kitchen, hopefully having success making this and these (the first is a completely indulgent and unhealthy rendition of apple pie from the butter-and shortening-loving Pioneer Woman...the second is an attempt to make up for said butter and shortening--no-flour, no-egg, no-sugar cookies that still sound interesting and quite delicious).

I also might snack on some of these leftovers from last night...my first successful pot roast attempt. It was delicious. I credit its overnight bath in a bottle of pinot. :)

Hubs and I did some much-needed escaping from the apartment this past Saturday afternoon. I've had Pottery Barn gift cards burning a hole in my pocket since Christmas, and having finally recovered from the Highland Village December traffic catastrophe, it was time to do some shopping. We purchased a nice little 4-foot shelf to (hopefully) hang over our TV as a pseudo-mantle of sorts, something I've been wanting to do for awhile now. Really I just have an accessory-buying problem and need more places to display my mercury glass addiction. I think it will look nice...if we can find studs in the wall.

On that same Saturday evening outing, Ben and I finally made it to a Bryan Caswell restaurant: Little Bigs. Chef Caswell was once a competitor on Next Iron Chef, and since I tend to go a little Iron Chef crazy any season the show airs, you can imagine I was totally stoked to find myself in a city home to one of its stars. Granted, this particular restaurant was a pretty darn inexpensive hole-in-the-wall sliders and fries joint...but still, the Iron Chef finesse was definitely evident in the food. My vanilla shake did come out of a machine, but it was mighty tasty. Our "4-minute" fries were divine, and we were both more than satisfied with our slider selections. The hamburger version was delish, the chicken rivaled Chick-fil-a, and Ben's pulled-pork was totally Memphis-worthy. Maybe not the nicest building or decor, but a definite winner. Thank you, Bryan Caswell, for providing Iron Chef food even I can afford. :)

Time to fold my laundry! Happy weeks everyone!

december.

I'm sorry, what's that? Tomorrow is the first day of December?! What happened to November? It just started like yesterday! I haven't even done a November post yet...guess this will be the only one. Anyway, how about a Houston update?

1. Well, it's finally gotten a bit chilly. We broke down and turned the heat on Sunday morning...but only for about 5 minutes. I made this recipe a good while ago, but I bought the ingredients to make it again this week. It's perfect for these cold (and dark...thanks daylight savings) nights!

 

Not the prettiest food to photograph, but I promise it's delicious. Giada's California Turkey Chili. Served over quinoa. Don't get me wrong, I'm the biggest fan of cornbread there is, but this recipe convinced me there does exist another acceptable chili accompaniment. And it will keep you full for days!

2. Speaking of being full for days...we successfully cooked our first Thanksgiving meal last week! My Houston buddy Erin and her sister came over and celebrated the holiday with us. They brought the stuffing, pumpkin pie, chocolate-caramel tart, and pomegranate margaritas...all of which were incredibly delicious. Ben and I prepared the turkey (eh, not so great...I'm gonna go with user error though), roasted brussels sprouts, corn casserole, and sweet potato biscuits. Amongst all my excitement of successfully not burning down the apartment, I forgot to take any pictures of our feast. Typical. We had a wonderful holiday weekend, though!

3. So how did we spend our day after Thanksgiving? Stocking up on Christmas decorations! I went from having nothing to having lots, and I'm still scheming as we speak...

We broke down and got a tree! It's a "slim" size, as we weren't sure a normal full-size would fit too well in the apartment, but I still think it looks great! Benjamin was so kind to put it together while I sat on my bum and watched. :)

Thus began the fluffing process...my momma taught him well!

Ta-dah! All done! We've put on the few ornaments we acquired last year, but it still looks a bit bare. I'll post a final product pic later...we still need a tree topper.

Here's some more festive-ness happening around the apartment:

Shiny ornaments in a shiny bowl with our new woodland creature looking on...

 Pinecones on the bookshelf...

And our new pretty Pottery Barn Christmas pillow on the bench...

I still have to hone my bow-making skills to finish up our wreath above the buffet, so as soon as I figure that out, I'll show you. Yay for Christmas!

4. We actually acquired another special something to don our apartment recently, too...our wedding quilt! We asked our guests to sign a quilt square when they arrived at the reception, then Ben's quilt-maven mom put them all together in a beautiful quilt that looks great in the living room!

We've both loved reading all the squares over the past few weeks. Feel like I find a new one I've never seen every time we pull it out...here's some favorites:

So special, we just love it!!

5. Hey, did you know that wedding was exactly 6 months ago as of Monday? Somebody surprised me...

Happy December!

rewind.

Hiya kids. It's been a while,  and we've been busy! So while my online professor drones on about sashimi tuna in the background, I'll whip up a little (or not so little) update for ya! Here goes!

In my last post I mentioned the much anticipated arrival of some cooler weather here in south Texas. Inspired by these promised lower temperatures, I set out on a quest to find some fun things to do in this city...it's pretty big, I figured they had to exist out there somewhere.

After an entire morning of scouring downtown Houston websites and special event blogs, I had a nice little list of some upcoming outings. The first? The Greek Festival over in the Monstrose district. I could taste the baklava already...

 And baklava we tasted...as well as two other delicious pastries, the names of which I could not pronounce. This little box warranted a trip back to the book store inside the church to see if the recipes for these treats were included in the festival's cookbook. Unfortunately they weren't...I need to find me a nice little old Greek lady to come be my friend and teach me her ways.
 

This kid loves him some baklava. Don't blame him.

We ate real food before dessert of course...lamb gyros. Incredible lamb gyros. I normally get chicken because I've always been afraid of lamb...ever since my fam had Easter dinner at my aunt and uncle's and learned the lamb we were consuming used to live on the sheep farm next door. But I'm glad it was the only option, because it was delightful.

Lots and lots of souvlaki, it smelled so good!

When we first arrived the crowd was pretty thin, but as the night went on the square really filled up! That was our cue to head inside to watch some Greek dancing and tour the little marketplace they had set up. My favorite section was the freshly imported mini Greek grocery store, where we picked up some authentic Greek olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and dipping spices...all very tasty!

Fast forward a couple weeks and our much anticipated company had arrived! I was so excited when I finally got to drive to the airport and see the faces of mom, Lori, and Sarah. Yay for visitors! We had such a good long weekend together catching up on some shopping, exploring lots of Houston eateries, and of course discovering the loveliness of city traffic...or not. We woke up slowly and enjoyed the Today show every morning and rented/bought movies to watch together every night. The weather even cooperated enough to allow for several pretty walks in parks and on sidewalks near our apartment.

The night before their departure, we traveled downtown to Houston's own (and much less exciting I might add) Market Square. We enjoyed more Greek-inspired food from a Niko Niko's stand in the park (that place was Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives once and is just fabulous) and people-watched as the sun set. Once it was dark, the streets lit up with a Glow-in-the-Dark Art Car Parade. Houston is known for its crazy club of "art cars," old (or new) cars that especially creative people have gotten their hands on and decorated with whatever sort of art inspires them most. The Heights area even boasts a big aluminum Art Car Museum, where you can see some of the retired vehicles from years past. I took lots of pictures...hope the darkness doesn't hide the wackiness!

Somehow this truck became a giant chicken...

 This one was the coolest...totally hipped out, complete with burning incense in the driver's window.

I once again failed with the whole taking pictures of people thing...this would be the only one from the entire weekend...and it includes none of our visitors. Sorry mom. Yay for downtown Houston though!

The husband has also celebrated a birthday since the last time I checked in...gots to share his annual big boy b-day breakfast! This year it was a sausage hashbrown casserole and the classic biscuit donuts. He's such a good eater. :)

There's our (very pastey...) self-timer picture before going out for his birthday dinner! We went to a pretty cool little place up in the Heights called Block 7. It's a seasonal eclectic eatery plus wine bar and was delicious!

P.S.--It's totally gonna feel like fall in these parts this weekend. Highs in the lower 70s!! I told Ben we had to go out every night just so I can wear sweaters and boots. I'll still probably sweat but I don't care. I've been celebrating by updating our apartment with more fall foliage. :)

Ahh, I just want to be cold again...anyway, it's almost Friday! Happy weekends everyone! And go vols! I see they're doing a blackout in Neyland. Jealous...

i love the 80s.

No, not the witty 10-part pop culture history lesson once popularized by Vh1.

Though I was a fan...but enjoyed the 90s edition a little more since I was alive then.

But anyway, my great appreciation for all numbers starting with 8 stems from this...

 Disregard Friday...close enough I figure.

Yes. I have come to learn that in southern Texas, this means fall (or some stretched resemblance) has arrived. And despite the fact that this forecast would post for Knoxville in early July, I am embracing it and loving every minute of the cooler air, especially the mornings and evenings that are downright perfect.


In other news...

My bestie commented the other day on my lack of blogging lately. My response was the truth: there just hasn't been that much going on that's blog-worthy. I've had a good bit of time off from work, but I have to try to spend that extra time doing things that don't cost money. :) And such things aren't too exciting to report...finishing up my first online class, flipping through magazines and scouring blogs for new recipes, DVR-ing any and every new tv show that might  spark my interest (few have), and trying to make friends with the idea of running outside now that it's a little more bearable.

I did take a somewhat impromptu visit westward to San Antonio this past weekend, though! I got to see little Geouque and spend some much-needed girl time with my former roomies. We even got to Skype with Haley on the other side of the world! It was a quick but wonderful trip.

Unfortunately I took a total of 3 pictures...and 2 don't really count. Guess we were just having too much fun!

Those would be the two that don't count...but I was really excited to finally visit a Buc-ee's. There are billboards like every 2 miles all the way down I-10, touting their world famous bathrooms and "Beaver Nuggets." I'd liken Buc-ee's to a cross between a Cracker Barrel (for their true country Texas attire and housewares), an old-fashioned barbeque joint (since they have barbeque), a gas station (since they have gas...and fountain drinks), and Dollywood (because it was kind of tacky and offered like 50 different kinds of beef jerky).

Oh, and in case you were wondering--Beaver Nuggets (based on the ingredients, I did not purchase any) appear to be glorified Corn Pops. Yum...ish.  :)

Look it's my besties! This would be the only other picture from the weekend...taken after the evening's festivities. We ventured to downtown San Antone for a classy Mexican dinner at a place called Iron Cactus on the Riverwalk and then went to see the Mary Poppins traveling Broadway show!

It was so good! The show was at the Majestic Theater, which is a gorgeous old place even more ornate and regal-feeling than the Tennessee Theater.

Look how pretty! I totally felt like I was in Disney World...super It's a Small World-esque, right? Cats is coming in early February and I really want to go back, it's my favorite.

San Antonio was way different than I expected. It actually reminded me a lot of home. There's just a lot more suburbia a lot closer to the city, meaning you see lots of families with children out and about, a sight seldom found where we are in Houston. And you can actually go places at any time of day without sitting in traffic for 30 minutes, that would be a perk.

All in all, it was a great trip, and I was so thankful to see my super-teacher friends get to take a break. I'm already excited for our next reunion!  :)