2010 highlight reel

JANUARY

:: I celebrated my 28th birthday ::

:: start settling in to our new home ::

:: We celebrated the birth of baby Jolene! ::

:: And (almost) the whole family made it to the Blue Jean Ball in Carrollton ::

FEBRUARY

:: My brother gets engaged! ::

:: And we finally get to meet our new sister-in-law to be! ::

MARCH

:: We got to celebrate some fun birthdays,

even some friends from the West Coast came in to help! ::

APRIL

:: I got to host my very first Easter lunch ::

:: We also spent part of Masters' week in Augusta, helping plan Andy and Betsy's

wedding, celebrating mama's 59th (!) birthday, and taking dad's new boat for a ride ::

:: took a 10 day trip to California ::

:: where we celebrated our one year anniversary!! ::

MAY

:: We traveled to Orlando to celebrate cousin Zach and Jessica's wedding ::

:: we also got to celebrate this guy's 1st birthday ::

JUNE

:: Filled with weekends at the lake, a men's retreat for Jamie ::

JULY

:: Spent in the mountains (in my parents' newly renovated home) ::

:: Celebrated J's 29th birthday with family and friends ::

AUGUST

:: Took a beach trip to St. Simons with the Green family and RA ::

:: Attended my 10 YEAR high school reunion! What?! ::

SEPTEMBER

:: Got to visit the Bourlon family in beautiful Carmel, CA ::

OCTOBER

:: ran my first half marathon ::

:: celebrate Andy and Betsy's wedding in DC ::

NOVEMBER

:: watch Auburn continue their undefeated season against UGA and AL ::

:: get to welcome Millie Kate Janik into the world ::

:: Thanksgiving with some of my favorite family ::

DECEMBER

:: watch Auburn take their slot in the BCS game by defeating

South Carolina in the SEC Championship! ::

:: Celebrate the season with lots of friends at Christmas parties ::

:: Spend pre-Christmas with my family ::

:: Celebrate Christmas day with the Hargathers ::

:: Take a southeast coast vacation with my favorite person in the world ::

2010 was a different kind of year for us, as we discovered what life was like as newlyweds, faced trials we never dreamed about, and experienced healing and joy that was God-given. As great as it was, I'm thinking 2011 is going to be the best yet!

introducing....

...the newest addition to the blog world....Lindsay! Linds is not only one of my closest friends, but she's also chef and baker extraordinaire, the heart behind LUO, oh and did I mention world traveler! I promise you will be very entertained by her blog.

So, visit her at The Simple Delights. She's already got some recipes up (from an amazing Christmas brunch) and some photos and experiences from their latest adventures (Thailand and Cambodia)!

you are what you eat

I think I'd like to learn to eat better. I'm not saying I'm drastically changing my routine or going on some diet, but the fact is...I need to put more good-for-you things into my body, and quit indulging in so many bad-for-you things.

Well, it just so happens that my latest edition of Real Simple [most favorite magazine ever!] had a feature on the 30 Healthiest Foods (click on the link to see for yourself), and even included several recipes and tips on better eating.

[Quick tip: For a balanced meal, the equivalent of half your plate should be

fruits and vegetables, one-quarter should be lean protein, the other whole

grains. Add a small amount of healthy fat, like extra virgin olive oil. - RS]

This past Monday I tried out one of the featured recipes, and it was delish! [Even Jamie liked it alot, and it was meatless. Of course, I normally give him a larger portion than the recipe calls for.] So I thought I'd share.

Monday's dinner

Asian Rice and Vegetable Bowl with Eggs and Chili Sauce

Serves 4 I Hands-on Time: 15m I Total Time: 1hr 10m

Ingredients

2/3 cup short-grain brown rice

1/3 cup Thai sweet chili sauce

3 to 4 tsp Sriracha or Asian chili-garlic sauce (I only used 2, but that's because I'm a wimp with spicy)

3/4 tsp toasted sesame oil

1 Tblsp rice vinegar

1 bunch broccoli, cut into florets

2 red or yellow bell peppers, thinly sliced

2 carrots, peeled and cut into thin sticks

mushrooms (I added bc I had some!)

2 Tblsp plus 1 tsp canola oil

4 large eggs

Directions

1 - Cook rice according to pkg directions. In small bowl, combine sweet chili sauce, Sriracha, sesame oil, and vinegar; set aside.

2 - Heat oven to 450 degrees. After rice has been cooking 25 min, place vegetables on baking sheet, toss with 2 Tblsp canola oil. Roast, tossing once, until tender, 20-25 min.

3 - Heat remaining tsp of canola oil in large non-stick skillet over med heat. Crack the eggs into skillet and cook, covered, 2-3 min for slightly runny yolks.

4 - Serve veggies and eggs over rice and drizzle with sauce.

(I also might have added a teeny bit of soy sauce to the rice, and some salt and pepper to the eggs!)

home improvement :: bedroom edition

As I've mentioned countless times before, Jamie and I have a running list of projects for the house that looks something like this.

[and it goes on and on and on and on...]

Some items are things we only dream of doing, while others we are able to slowly check off the list. I'm pretty sure we'll be working on these projects until we move into a new home with new projects. Such is life!

Currently, we are trying to focus our time and attention to our master bedroom. This time last year we got it to a livable spot, and now it's time to turn it into what we'd like. Now, I'm no decorator (that's part of the reason it takes me forever to get things done...I spend too much time second-guessing myself), but I think we're moving in the right direction.

Small step: Add new decorative knobs to dresser. [Completed this weekend!]

Last winter, we purchased a large dresser from Ikea in the "as-is" section. (It's a section near check-out that has many items discounted for (mostly) minor imperfections.) It's perfect for the amount of storage we need, but it needed a little umph. Personally, I think decorative knobs are a great way to add that, without overdoing the budget. I only replaced the top four knobs, as what was a relatively inexpensive project can turn costly if I did them all. While Anthro is normally my go-to place for knobs, I actually found these at Cost Plus World Market at a really great price.

before shot

and after

knobs up close

Small step: Do something with Jamie's bedside table space. [Completed a few weeks ago!]

In an attempt to pull together the look on J's side, I hung some 8x10 wedding photos. These were actually in black frames, hanging over a dresser that we just removed (see below)...in an attempt to make space for a sitting area. New frames from Michael's (half off!).

Bigger step: Bench at the end of the bed. [Completed this weekend!]

We've been talking forever about putting a bench at the end of our bed. And I mean forever. Unfortunately, I'm the type of person that once I know what I want, I can't get it out of my mind. But I'm not willing to overpay. Lucky for me, Ballards finally put their Dorchester seating on sale (and we had a gift card!), and they happened to have the exact bench I wanted in stock!

before shot

[sidenote: I'm still in LOVE with the bedskirt

custom-made by my super talented Aunt Kathy]

after

bench up close

To come: Headboard (attempting to do that one ourselves!).

Fabric? Check.

Measurements? Check.

Excitement to complete it? Check.

So, what are we waiting for?! Think we're just a little nervous to get this one started. We're first-timers! But we are in desperate need.

To come: Wall hangings.

I've got some fun things in mind to complete the look. It's just taking a little time. Step. By. Step.

To come: Sitting/Reading area.

New painting? Check.

New floor lamp [that I'm in love with]? Check.

Small table? Looking.

Comfy reading chair? Looking.

Our new sitting area will replace the space seen below....

pardon the mound of Christmas gifts!

i wanna be a millioniare

Post-it notes. The snuggie. 1-800-GOT-JUNK. Facebook. Spanx.

And the list goes on. Simple ideas...that ended up making their originators lots of money. Everytime a new, simple idea comes out, Jamie and I are always joking that we totally should have come up with it ourselves (as I'm sure all of you do, as well). Then, we go on this kick of how we just know we can come up with some brilliant, simple idea that will give us some great return. Obviously, that hasn't happened yet.

Well, this morning I might have just heard the simplest one of them yet.

Craig Rowin is a writer and performer, living in Brooklyn, who decided to just simply ask for one million dollars. Brilliant.

And apparently it worked (see below video).

There are a few other videos (you can find on his website) he made in between that are worth a laugh.

Genuis.

[Sidenote: If you know me well, you know that I am perfectly content not being a millionaire. This is not me being vain, it's just me saying that earning a million dollars could be kind of cool.]

seashells

Another special birthday gift came from one of my most talented and craftiest of friends, Dawn. She made me one of her sea shell crosses, and it's absolutely beautiful. Go here to see her post about it (and of course to check out all the fun happenings at Chateau Gahan!). Though Dawn and I share a fairly sarcastic relationship (somehow that's just how it is to get through a day of work), we also share our faith (which also happens to get us through a day of work!).

Thank you, Dawn!

splish splash

For the past few years, I have really been wanting a great pair of rain boots. To be honest, I had a co-worker who owned (and rocked) a pair of the Michael Kors wedge rain boots, and I stared at her feet in envy every time it rained. Instead of being practical, I didn't buy a cheap pair of rainboots, but instead kept finding ones that I loved, but were ridiculously expensive. And continued to have wet feet on rainy days.

Well, I finally found a MK pair I loved, and Jamie surprised me with them on my birthday!! Bonus: they were on sale so he bought me the black and the green pair [pictured left]! How convenient that all last week was covered in melting snow, and there's rain on the forecast today and tomorrow! :)

This weekend, I spent a few hours on Saturday with a Christmas present from Mama Two/Aunt Sue Sue (my mother-in-law, for those of you who don't know). The Eureka Steam Mop. You know you're getting old when one of your most anticipated Christmas gifts is a mop. But, this thing is genius. And eco-friendly. And does the job. I cleaned every square inch of our living room and kitchen this weekend, and used this on the floors. [Thanks to dear friend and fellow clean freak, E, for the recommendation!]

A few other pics from weekend activities...

a semi-impromptu celebration at Flip's newest location in Buckhead

a birthday/Falcon's dinner with Megan and Sam

[thanks to the Joyners for the yummy meal and Megan

for the amazing red velvet cake!!]

the snow week in pics

Sunday night: attempting to take a photo of the house,

but there was too much snow falling!

Monday morning: covered!

Love the Christmas lights/garland dusted with snow

(which J promptly made me take down after the birthday)

walking the dogs down a side street

[Jamie's mom was in the Cayman Islands, so we were

watching them for her. Her 10 day trip quickly

turned into 14 when she couldn't get home! Pretty nice.]

Gabby and I, and Claremont St behind us

the dogs had a ball

Jamie took the boots off a wakeboard of his, and it turned out to

be the perfect sled! Plus, our driveway is the perfect hill...great combo.

my turn

Our neighbors, the Knox's had some folks over

to hang out by the fire pit...poor Gabby got cold

set-up for the National Championship game!

[in case you can't see, that's my signed football in

between the Auburn pom-poms, below the TV]

half-time sledding adventures with MB and Lee!

this is what they look like at full speed :)

birthday breakfast, cooked by the best husband!

walk to Publix to get groceries for the birthday dinner

and a birthday cake

I didn't take many pictures Wednesday or Thursday, mainly because

we didn't do anything besides read, work, and check email! But this

is a photo taken on my way into work this morning (yep, finally made it

out). Can you believe there's still this much snow 5 days out from

the snowfall? I've never seen anything like this in Georgia!

Now I'm off to enjoy the weekend...ha! [Seriously, I just laughed out loud when I wrote that. :)]