Out of Print Clothing

In the huge pile of mail I sorted last week was a tshirt from Out of Print Clothing. Out of Print Clothing sells book tshirts- what a perfect fit, since I'm a writing major


Out of Print offers several great designs. I recieved the Walden shirt, which is fantastic because I love Thoreau and even wrote a poem called Walden. And today I felt totally intellectual and wordy because of my awesome shirt.

Here are some other great designs I love:

They carry shirts for men too. The women's tees are fitted and said to run a size bigger. I'm wearing a large and usually wear a medium. The shirt feels a little (maybe a half size) big, but still looks great (and I did lose a little weight in Korea).

The tees are 100% cotton and super soft. I still felt like I was wearing  my pajama top after I got dressed this morning.

I love the little tags that came on the t-shirt. One looks like an old card used to check out library books (back before it was electronic) and the other houses a sticker you can use to register and track a book through bookcrossing.com .

And it gets even better! With every t-shirt purchase Out of Print sends a book to Books for Africa. How great is that?

Disclaimer: I recieved a free t-shirt, in exchange for a review.

O is for Organized!

This past week has been so busy!

But, thanks to my organization skills it was as painless as possible.

Before I left for South Korea I packed for college and made a list of thanks that would need doing right after I got home. A few weeks before coming home, I scheduled dentist, eye doctor, florist and catering appointments for last week.

My last week in Korea, I added to my to-do list (things like make smore brownies) and created a list of things that needed to be shortly after I moved back onto campus.

Because of my lists, and the fact that I packed most of my things before I left for the summer, I was able to take a second trip to the caterer, volunteer at Girl Scout's twlight camp and visit with both sets of my grandparents.

Check out all of mail I sorted this week:

I unpacked yesterday, and knocked out a good deal of my errands this morning (one of which was sending my engagement notice off to the paper), so now I have the afternoon to relax before classes start in the morning.

Thank goodness for lists!

Wedding Planning and An Easy Recipe

Whew. Friday was a busy day!

I made cookies for my sister in the morning and then went to lunch with my grandparents. After lunch my dad and I went to the florist and ordered bouquets.

We picked minature red carnations, roses, fresia, baby's breath, and star of bethelhem. My bouquet has the red flowers on the outside and the white flowers on the inside, and the bridesmaids bouquets have the white flowers on the outside and red in the middle.

After flower shopping my dad and I went to a local boutique and created a wedding registry there. Basically, I just tell them my china pattern and silver pattern and they look it up and order it for whoever comes in wanting to purchase a gift.

For a little fun, I made smore brownies to take back to college and share with my roomies.

I used a brownie recipe from my friend Mary at Food Floozie, and tossed in a few handfuls of chocolate chips. (To make it easy just use your favorite recipe or boxed mix).

Before pouring the brownies into the pan I made a graham cracker crust from crushed up graham crackers and butter. I poured the brownies on top and baked them for three minutes less than the time the recipe called for.

 I pulled the brownies out, covered them in mini marshmallows and then put them in for the remaining time.  Once the brownies were done I pulled them out and sprinkled really fine graham cracker crumbs on top of the marshmallows. And mmm-mmm, they were good. Hopefully, I won't eat them all before Sunday!

Here's a picture:

This is the first recipe of my goal to try 15 new  dessert recipes on my 101/1001 list.

Feels Good to be Home

Hi Ya'll!

I feel like its been forever since I've blogged.

My flight home went well and on my longest flight (Tokyo to the USA) I got a free upgrade to busines class. It was so nice- steak dinner and ice creamm sundae and a "bed".

The downside?

My luggage didn't arrive until last night, which is why you haven't heard from me. And on top of that my suitcase was busted in several places. Thankfully, nothing was missing. I've got Delta's Damaged Luggage claim form ready to go!

So, since I haven't had a computer to help my procrastinate what have I been up to?

Wii Yoga! I love doing yoga on the Wii. As balanced challenged as I am, having the balance circles on the wii really helps me out.

Wedding planning! I made the rehearsal dinner reservations at a local, Italian/American restaurant. I've met with the caterer-who is also our baker. We opted for a smaller wedding cake, since we are having a dessert reception.

To fit the travel theme, we are having desserts from a variety of places- think Baklava, NY Cheesecake and Cannolis and Mexican Hot Chocolate! We're also having a fruit and cheese table with tons of cheeses. I think that will be Mr. Groom's favorite part because he once told me he wanted to marry cheese.

This afternoon my grandparents from NC are taking me to lunch, I'm meeting with the florist and making Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies for my little sister! I'm hoping to send off my engagement notice to the newpaper as well, but we'll see how motivated I feel this afternoon.

Have a Happy Friday- I'll pick up with the featured followers next Friday!

Guest Post: Keeping Travel Memories

Well, its Tuesday. That means I left our apartment in the wee hours of the morning,  took an hour car ride to the airport and then boarded my flight at 11:10 am South Korean Time. (If everything went smoothly, unlike my flight here when I had to stay overnight in Detroit) If  things continue down this smooth path, I should arrive in South Carolina at 1030pm EST. In the mean time, I've got a guest post (and pictures) from Sabrina at coffeerocketfairytale. Enjoy!

Hello everbody!


I am Sabrina from coffeerocketfairytale and I am writing on this lovely little blog today, because the amazing Rachel was looking for a guest writer and I happened to be the first one to put my hand up. So here I am, totally excited about meeting you all!

Rachel suggested to write something on travel, because she is travelling at the moment. Now travel is a wide topic and I could go on and on and on about

my favourite travel spots
the best airline
the coolest bags for overseas travel
the coolest accessories for a long-distance plane ride
my favourite vacation, places I want to see or want to see again... and so on.

But this would be faaaar too much to put into one post (I mean, I could put it into one post, for sure, but I think it might result in the entire internet crashing, because this post would be ENDLESS). So to get some inspiration, I just had a look at the old photos of my previous travels and remembered my first big Overseas Experience, or OE:

A mix of rain and snow was falling, the streets were more wet then white and the world outside looked more ugly then beautiful. I was sitting in a physics laboratory, listening to the most boring account of the most boring discovery a human being ever made (THAT boring that I can't even remember any of it!) - and the next minute I found myself on a sandy beach in an exotic foreign land, walking along the shore, cool waves lapping around my toes.

That was my first big OE.

Of course it wasn't real.

It was a little (imagined) escape from physics class at secondary school, an experience my best friend Jo and I shared ever so often. We had discovered "visualising" as a type of meditation a little earlier and soon found out that Physic lessons provided the best space and time to practise. The monotone voice of our teacher made it easy for us to drift away and dreaming of places of hot climate was the best way to handle the icy cold in the classroom during winter.

Today, six years later, I can happily say that in the meantime I have visited some of these places that I had dreamed of back then myself.

I have experienced the hot and humid climate in Singapore and Malaysia, felt the buzz of Sydney, Australia, and lived in Wellington, New Zealand, for almost two years.

I saw some of the prettiest (and most crowded by tourists) sights in Germany, skied down Austrian mountains in winter and spend a week on a Dutch sailing boat.

Every now and then, I grab one of my photo albums, look at the pretty pictures and remember the good times I had and the great people I met.

Making memories and keeping them are two of the most important things for me when I travel. In 60 years from now, I want to sit in my rocking chair, surrounded by my grandchildren (or - if I shall never be blessed with children or grandchildren - a bunch of children that visit me once a week so that I can read fairytales to them and tell them about the life back in the day when people had old-fashioned stuff like weblogs), and tell them about my travels.

I want to keep them on a journey through my memory with them, show them pictures and old movie tickets and dried flowers and stuff...

✈ write notes into the travel guide book of the place you visit

✈ draw your route on a map of the country/region of your stay

✈ keep a travel diary

✈ write a travel or holiday blog

✈ collect articles from the local newspapers or magazines (e. g. those about events that took place during your stay)

✈ take lots of photographs

✈ turn photos into slideshow

✈ use them for a photobook

✈ print them/get them developed and stick them into an album

✈ make a photo calendar

✈ make a collage out of your photos

✈ keep a sketch journal (draw the things & people you see on your trip)

✈ write poems or short stories about your trip

✈ collect little things: postcards, match boxes, business cards, coffee cups,

✈ buy an unconventional souvenir: instead of typical souvenirs like towels, keyrings, etc., buy a souvenir that will always remind you of the trip (a nice pair of shoes from Milano, a Eiffel-tower charm for your bracelet...)

✈ carry a video camera and make a movie about your trip

✈ if there is one particular song, band or record you mainly listen to during your holiday, buy it and take it home (melodies sometimes have the power to bring back memories)

✈ at the beach: collect sand and mussels, draw something with watercolours and later put liquid glue on top, then pour the sand over it and turn it into a beautiful beach-picture (during autumn you can do a similar thing with leaves)

How do you keep your travel memories alive?

Guest Post: The Successful Art of List Making

Hey Ya'll! Since I'm busy packing and getting ready for my flight tomorrow morning, we've got a guest post from Mandy at Mandy's Life After 30. Enjoy!






Hi, I’m Mandy and I’m a list-oholic. The first step is admitting you have a problem, right? Or maybe listing it out on paper?

Anyway, I am a list maker! You might not know that when you look around my messy house or my dirty car. On the surface, I do not appear to be an organized person. But trust me, if it weren’t for my lists, I would be in complete disarray!

I’m a firm believer in creating lists. I feel such a sense of accomplishment when I cross items/activities off of that list I made.

Here is a list of all the varying lists I keep up with regularly (I have a list of my lists --- hee hee, that’s funny or dorky, however you look at it):




• My calendar – I keep a weekly chart on my desk and write in it almost every day. I track what activities I do with my daughter, what exercise I’ve done, and any important reminders like birthdays of friends. I often look ahead and flip back to my calendar throughout the year. I love having it as a reference for what I’ve done or will be doing.


• Meal planning – I track on an Excel spreadsheet the meals I eat and the recipes I intend to cook. I started doing this last December and it has become such a blessing. It saves me time, money and the stress of trying to figure out last minute ideas for my family.





• Freezer inventory – Once I began meal planning, I then had to start tracking what I kept in my freezer since I was doubling recipes and saving them for later. My freezers quickly became overwhelmed with muffins, chopped veggies, soups and pancakes. So I keep up with a monthly list of my freezer’s contents too.


• Grocery lists - Everyone keeps a grocery list for produce and other items needed. I’m no exception. The hardest part is sticking to that list instead of purchasing other items you don’t really need.


• Travel lists - I keep a tabbed list for when I take short day trips or overnight trips – things I don’t want to forget to pack, like my camera, a change of clothes, snack items and much more. I will often pull from online sources for the best items to pack and how to pack them when I need a few tips.

Also, a few months ago, I was creating monthly challenges for myself – such as preparing for a 5k race and doing the 30-day shred as often as I could during March. In addition, I challenged myself to read four novels during April. By keeping a list and writing down my progress, I stayed motivated to continue my challenges.



Now you might be thinking…. Sheesh, Mandy, I know lists are helpful but they’re not very interesting or fun~! Well they could be! You can make your lists more meaningful and special.

And Mandy, I just can’t seem to stick to a list. Well then, maybe your list making skills just need some fine-tuning then!
Here are five, simple ways you could you jumpstart your list making abilities and see success with them:


• First and foremost, keep them flexible. Don’t be married to the idea that your lists won’t change. Because they do. They change all the time and that’s okay! Just roll with it!


• Put them in a special notebook or on pretty paper. I recently purchased this pretty book made from recycled materials to keep in my purse for note-taking and ideas:





• Post them around your house (or car or purse) in a few different places. Hang it from your ceiling if it will make you smile and cause you to take action! Mix it up and have fun.


• You can call me crazy but sometimes it’s good to talk to yourself (and your friends or children) in the form of a list. For example, say, “I want to go to Target to shop for a new pair of shoes but first I must stop at the bank to deposit this check.” This helps you stay on track, keeping you focused on what needs to be done!

• Don’t make your list too long or it will overwhelm you – you’ll become lost with the many things you have to do or want to accomplish.





Take it from my daughter Vivian – she knows what happens when I create a list of too many things! Hahaha!



Instead, create that one master list. Review the items that you can do quickly and easily first and put those on a small list. Then put away that master list in a folder or save it on your computer for later reference. Your goal is to create simpler, more attainable lists that you can achieve. I prefer to break up my lists into weekly or monthly goals. When you have three things to do versus 300 of them, you’re more likely to dive into those three things and be ready for a fourth rather than quit before you start!

These are just a few tricks that I have learned over the years about list making. They have helped me make positive changes into my life.


Like I said, I love to make lists. I even check them twice and hold myself accountable to them…. Was I naughty or nice this week?

What are some ways that you make lists? Do you find lists helpful?

I hope you found this post helpful. If not, feel free to make a list of reasons why you didn’t like it in the comments section. Hahaha. At least that will get you started! ;-)

Thanks to Diary of a Chocoholic for letting me guest write here on this fabulous blog. I’ve enjoyed sharing some insight into my crazy life and list-making brain. Cheers to all of you! Happy List Making!

Saying Goodbye

Well, in two days I'm going to be leaving Korea and heading back home to the smiling faces and beautiful faces of good old South Carolina.

I'm excited to be heading home. The week I get back will be filled with wedding planning appointments, packing and hopefully some reading, crafting and of course BAKING! I've missed having an oven so much.

I am a little sad to be leaving. I'll miss the friends I've made here and the Rotti Buns! Hopefully, Aeri will be coming to visit us, so I won't have to miss her for too long. We've spent the weekend going out to dinner and lunch with various groups of friends. And I've got some major cleaning  to do tomorrow.

So until Wednesday I am leaving you in  two very capable sets of hands. On Monday, as I'm preparing for my flight, we'll have a guest post from Mandy at Mandy's Life After 30. Mandy is a Cajun girl, wife, mother and list maker extraordinaire!

And on Tuesday, as I'm actually in an airplane and physically unable to blog, there will be a guest post from Sabrina at coffeerocket fairytale, who has done a fair share of traveling and is currently planning on moving to a new country.

See ya on the flipside!

Getting to Know You Sunday

1. If you could host a Reality TV show, which one would it be?

Cupcake  Wars!!!


2. Do you put your seatbelt on before or after you start the car?
After

3. Shave or hair removal cream?

Shave, the cream tends to stink

4. What's your favorite feature in a house?
I love fireplaces ,ceiling fans and craft rooms. You should really see my Friday Fives post on dream houses for my answer.

5. What is your favorite "Fall" scent?
Pecan Pie baking or campfires

6. What tv show are you looking forward to seeing the most this Fall??

THE BIG BANG THEORY. I can't wait!!

7. Personal Shopper or Personal Chef?

Well, I like to eat and shop, but I want to learn to cook and I need some style help occasionally so I'll say shopper.

8. What is the first word that comes to mind when you think of "Fall"?

Leaves (and making scarecrows)


What are your answers?

Saturday Smiles

Happy Saturday Everyone!



I hope you had a fabulous week full of funny, charming, delightful, joyous, grateful unusual, hilarious moments that made you pause for a minute and smile. I'd love it if you'd take a moment to share that list with me.

Here are the things that made me smile:

1. My little sister sent me pictures of her new dormroom. I can't believe she's all grown up!

2. We'd took our coins to the bank and had almost $40!

3. I had the best sandwich in Korea.

4. My little sister told me she would come home the weekend after I'm back in the states so we can hang out. I'm planning on making her banana chocolate chip cookies for a late birthday gift.

5. Mr. Groom's gotten me addicted to crossword puzzles and I finally completed an entire puzzle on my own!

Friday Fives and Five Question Friday!

This week's topic is DREAM HOUSE. What are 5 things about  your dream house?

1. I'd love to have a guest bedroom, so no more pullout couches or airbeds.

2. I dream of having a craft room. Someplace inspirational, yet fuctional. I want to be able to organize all of my supplies and have a place to create scrapbooks and cards

3. I'd like to have a porch so that I can sit outside and read. Or watch fireflies.  Screw this porch, I'll take this whole house:

4.I'd like to live somewhere we can have small bonfires, but not too far away from things that grocery shopping becomes a hassle:

5. I would love to have a walk in closet. Something like Carrie's on Sex and The City.

6.And last but not lease I want a  well stocked kitchen with a pantry.

What does your dream house look like?

1. Do you have any nicknames and if so how did it come about?

Mr. Groom calls me everything under the sun and I'm pretty sure they pop into his head randomly.

2. What is your birth order amongst your siblings?

There are two of us and I'm the oldest.


3. In a movie of your life, who would play your significant other?
 Someone hot like Orlando Bloom but someone funny like Robin Williams. Any suggestions for this combo? I'm going to ask him who he thinks when he gets off work!

4. What is currently your favorite song?

Hey Soul Sister- Train
5. Are you saving your money for anything right now? Big or small purchase?

I'm saving up to buy wedding gifts for my bridesmaids.

What are your answers?

Happy Friday!

This weeks featured follower is a blogger who I am pleased  to follow in return. I look forward to all of her posts- most of which tantilize my tastebuds.

This week's feature follower is.....

*DRUM ROLL*

the beloved Yenta Mary of Food Floozie!

Mary describes a Food Floozie as....

 "'floo·zie \ˈflü-zē\: a usually young woman of loose morals.' Thus a Food Floozie  is not a woman who can be seduced by virtually any man, but rather a woman who can be seduced by virtually any food (other than sushi).



I'm not sure how I came across Food Floozie but I am very glad that I did. Mary's blog is charming and her writing style leaves me feeling like I've just had a conversation (or cooking lesson) from a dear friend.

I love that some of her recipes feature chocolate, and peanut butter.
Check out her post on her kitchen essentials.
 I really enjoy her posts that showcase bits and pieces of her noncooking life

Now, run on over and show Mary some love!

N is for Nightmares

My fear of the nighttime, or more specifically being alone at night began as a kid. We lived in an older house and as the house settled I could hear it creak and pop, and those creaks and pops sounded justly like someone was breaking into our house, walking the hallway, and slowly turning my door knob.

Even as I grew older and knew what the noises were I still could not help but let me imagination wonder. Usually, a vivid imagination is a good thing. I certainly appreciate mine as it has led me to write poems and short stories. But at night, my imagination running wild was not a good thing. I could not stop myself from imaging the horrible things that the  noises or shadows could be. I was older, I should know better. Yet, I was older and had watched more serial killer movies and TV shows like CSI.

I grew more afraid of the dark when I overheard someone mention gang shootings. As I recall, gang initations were taking place that required the wannabe gangsters to drive around with their lights off and shoot at the cars who flashed their lights at them.  I was terrified to ride in a car at night, and once I was in high school, would always call a friend to talk to on dark drives home.

As I went off to college, I was alone more frequently and my fear of the nighttime began to subside. However, there were the occasional nights when, my roomate was gone, or later, Mr. Groom had gone out with a few buddies, and a strange noise would catch my imagination and run wild with it.

I've not had any nights like that in Korea, until a few nights ago, with Mr. Groom laying right beside me. I think that I had not had any night terrors because there is nothing to fear here. There are no guns, no crime,  and often as I lay in bed, children are still out playing in the streets. The terror I experienced the other night happend after I woke up from a dream where I was at home and alone.

Thankfully, I'd found a Bible verse a few weeks ago and used it to quickly calm my nerves and return to bed. Now, thanks to this verse, I am fully prepared to return home and face the night.

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7

Go Win Wednesday

Good luck!


WORLD WIDE

Ends September 3rd. Win $25 of jewelry
Ends Sept 10th. Win a piece of jewlery

LIMITED

USA&Canada. Ends August 22nd. Win a $25 credit  to CSN.
USA&Canada. Ends September 3rd. Win an item from Mudpuppy or Galison.
USA. Ends September 9th. Win a $50 credit to CSN stores

GENERAL

Ends August 30th. Win a wrap snack set.
Win a $100 visa card

Colpops and the Best Sandwich in Changwon

Colpops- Have I shared these with you yet? Here, take a sip and a sword:

These babies are pretty neat. Personally, I think they'd go over pretty well at baseball games. The bottom cup has your drink of choice. I chose Cider [sigh-da], which tastes a lot like Sprite and Mr. Groom chose Cola (Coke). The second smaller cup sits in side the larger one and is filled with popcorn chicken, that you eat with the tiny plastic sword. Neat huh?

Last night, I decided that today I would write about the Colpops and then Mr. Groom took me out to eat lunch at Millo's Bakery and I had the best sandwich in all of South Korea.

It was called the Tomato Cereals.

It was (the closest I've come to) deli sliced ham, swiss cheese, fresh juicy tomatoes, crisp lettuce and a  deliciously nutty  (bakery fresh) bread. Ahh....

And I forgot to take a picture. But trust me, it was fabulous (and less than four dollars)!

Meet Me on Monday

1. What is your favorite dessert?


Oh this is hard. But if its got chocolate in it I'll eat it.
2. What do you wear to bed?

Usually an oversized tee shirt

3. Do you get regular manicures/pedicures?

nope
4. Did you play any sports in high school?

hahaha nope

5. Do you have an iPod?
 
yes, my grandmother gave me one this past Christmas

Sunday Smiles

Saturday Smiles will be back next week, its been a busy weekend for us, and having one laptop means limited posting time. So I'm writing my weekly happy list today instead. What things made you smile this week?

1. My mom asked me what foods I want to eat when I get home, and I gave her a  long long list
2. Mr. Groom has 6 more working days left.
3. We went to a yummy buffet Friday night with out friend Aerie and I had the most amazing bread sticks. I want to try to make them. They were honey garlic and absoultely delectable
4. PIZZA SUNDAY!
5. Someone may want to buy our couch!

Featured Follower Friday!!

This week's Featured Follower is .......................

Steph S from A Day in the Life of a Grad Student's Wife

Steph is a chocoholic and sports fan with a growing collegiate tee collection. She is from West Virginia but currently lives in Ohio, where her husband attends Ohio University.

Like me, she struggles sometimes with pronuciation, likes the show The Office and loves to indulge in chocolately treats

She runs a Sweets for the Sweet challenge/meme that I can't wait to bake something for.

She has a cute etsy shop where she sells wonderful handpainted signs.

Steph has a really fun writing style that keeps drawing me back to her blog and always has something interesting to talk about. Go check out her blog and show her some love!

M is for Mr. Groom

Ya'll aren't going to believe this but when Mr. Groom and I first met he described to me the type of woman he was looking for, and in my head I thought Someone like me.

So here's our story:

I was working as a waitress (and hating every minute of it) when my uncle offered me an internship at the paper plant he was managing. I would be making way more money and doing way less stressful work, so how was I going to turn that deal down?

A few weeks before, Mr. Groom moved into a hotel in SC so that he could act as a consultant for the same company. The plant in SC was fairly new and he was helping sort out all of the processes.

We were both dating other people but everyone we worked with could tell we were naturally drawn to each other.

The other workers often joked about being invited to our wedding and spent hours trying to convince Mr. Groom to take me to dinner. Some even offered to pay. But, we never crossed the line.

We finally went out to dinner his last two nights (would have been three nights if I hadn't chickened out the first night) in the state. We went to Chilis one night and Indigo Joes the next night. Both night it was assumed we were dating and our waiter even commented that our age difference was similar to that of the relationship he was in. Our waiter was especially nice, considering he (and the one at Indigo's) had to come back to our table several times duringthe first hour of our dinner, because we had been so busy talking that we had not even glanced at the menu.

The day after our second dinner, Mr. Groom headed back to PA and a few weeks later I moved into my dorm for my freshman year of college. We stayed in touch through email, and then phone calls, each becoming more and more frequent as we both became single.

A week or two before Thanksgiving, a nervous Mr. Groom asked me if I wanted to take our long distance friendship to another level. I said yes, and we started dating. He traveled down during Thanksgiving weekend and we went on our first date, six months after we first met. He finished his teaching certificate and  took a job 30 minutes away from my college town, so that we could be together. A few years passed, and here we are, waiting on December 18th to become Mr. and Mrs.

Great Giveaway!

Mannland is hosting a giveaway for a $100 Visa Card.

That would so help with my bridesmaid gifts.

Go check it out here!

Mystery "Stains" and Liquified Zucchini

I've come to notice that every so often these circular, brownish gray "stains" appear on the hardwood floors in our kitchen and living space. The only thing I can recall spilling is water, and dry cereal so thats not the problem. And they tend to pop up around the same places. The spots in the kitchen wipe right up with a wet cloth, but the ones in the living area require a slight scrub. They look a bit like the residue left after you remove a long term band aid. But they aren't sticky to the touch.

Can you see them? I just scrubbed them away yesterday.

We had hardwood floors growing up, and I don't remember anything like these. Does anyone know what these are? Do you think its mold seeping up through the apartment below us? Gross.

As for the second part of the title, I think I mentioned earlier that we bought some zucchini. I'd been munching on it raw and was planning on cooking some yesterday for dinner. I pulled the leftover zucchini (still in the produce bag) out of the fridge. It still held its shape, but when I reached into pick it up its was completely liquid! I don't know its because I left it in the bag or if it has something to do with our fridge. Our msutard tends to freeze and I have to wipe down the apples and peaches every day because they get soaked in water. But, there are no settings to tamper with on the fridge. Has anyone else had this problem?

Go Win Wednesday

Not much going on in the giveaway world this week, but here you go. Best of luck!

GENERAL

Ends August 16th. Win a pretty yellow headband
Ends August 13th. Win a prize pack based around Aimee's themed blog days!

ALL

Ends August 27th. Win a pair of rose earrings.

Would you like to be a guest poster?

I'm looking for someone to write a guest post to be posted on August 24th (14 days from now!!!) when I am traveling back to the good ole USA.

The post can be about anything- your favorite recipe to make for loved ones coming home, the recipe for the food you miss the most when you're gone, a travel story (good or bad), your dream vacation....ANYTHING.

If you want to post or have any ideas, please either leave a comment or send an email to rachel.beasley AT converse.edu

If you send me an email, please put "guest post" in the subject line in case your message ends up in my junk mail.

I can't wait to see what ya'll are  thinking!

Getting to Know You Sunday

I want to apologize for my blog being boring lately and my over reliance on memes, but the fact is my life has been fairly uneventful. But, in two more weeks it will be a whirlwind again, so just hang in there with me and hopefully the posts will get more interesting.




1. Do you think mustaches are sexy?
NO!


2. What's the last concert you've been to?
BamaJam (Alan Jackson, Kid Rock)

3 What was your favorite 80's sitcom?

Was the Golden Girls in the 80s? If not the Crosby show?
4. Were you named after anyone?
Nope.

5. When you buy new clothes, do you wash before wearing?
Sometimes

6. If you didn't blog, what would you do with your spare time?
crafts, reading ,cooking, school work, wedding planning

7. What is your favorite department store?
Maybe Kohls

8. If you were to get Laser Hair Removal..where would you get it?
Eyebrows , or maybe my legs

Saturday Smiles

Happy Weekend! I hope everyone had a fabulous week, full of witty, charming, delightful, exciting, joyous, and humorous things that made them smile! Write up your list of smiles and link on up!


1. Mr. Groom was on vacation for the first part of the week. We got to spend a lot of quality time together.
2. We were able to buy zucchinni this week, and at a decent price. It makes a good midday snack raw, and a nice dinner sauteed.
3.I got a letter in the mail this week from "Lyric" that included pictures of the shoes she bought for my wedding
4. We finally got a good bit of our premarital counseling book worked out.
5. We'll be back in the states in 16 days! Woo-hoo!
6. We have plans tonight with several people to go eat at the Meat Home- a meat buffet with everything from sausage to squid. And fried veggies. My body needs veggies so badly it won't even care that they are fried.
7. I discovered that on weekdays, once I'm fully awake, its oh 9pm in the states and I can watch all my favorite shows like Cupcake Wars, Chopped, Cake Boss, Good Eats, Craig Fergusson, and the Golden Girls.
8. Mr. Groom found a crossword puzzle book that he's barely touched, so now I have a new thing to keep me busy during the week.
9. I got to talk to my little sister  on her birthday!
10. I can't remember what he did, but the other day Mr. Groom had me laughing so hard I couldn't walk and I spilled my cup of water all over the couch. And then he got mad, and I had to laugh even more.
11. I won a blog giveaway!

What things made you smile this week? Don't forget to link up!

Featured Follower Friday

Happy Friday Everyone. This week, instead of picking a follower at random, I decided to pick someone who commented on a post this week.

This week's featured follower is....*DRUM ROLL*

Julie from Mommie Cooks!

Julie lives in Charlotte, NC, is the mother of 3 boys and recently celebrated her 10 year anniversary!

Julie participates in the Daring Cook Challenge and uses her blog to showcase her fabulous recipes, many of which I have bookmarked for when I have a kitchen again. She's got a cooking tutorial series going right now called Beyond the Basics where she answers readers cooking related questions and provides "how tos".

Her are some of her recipes that are on my "to try" list:

• Swiss Swirl Ice Cream Cake
• Mexican Chicken
• Stuffed Peppers
• Maple Walnut Caramel Cake

Go check Julie out and show her some love! Her blog is easy to read and provides great kitchen inspiration.

Thanks Julie for being a great follower!



Oh! And don't forget to link up to Saturday Smiles tomorrow!

L is for Loves

I love the fact that I'm lefthanded. Except when it comes to using scissors or someone else having to read my handwrtiting

I love the fact that I am part Seminole. When I was a child, I told all of my classmates I was an Indian princess. I scared one little boy into thinking my dad was going to shoot him full of arrows.

I love Mr. Groom's tiger tattoo.

I love to PLAN. Mr. Groom disagrees with this one, because he knows he is the planner in the relationship. He likes to plan things like when we get home we need to do XYZ. I like to plan as in I love to plan events. I'm going to be the fundraising chair for my college's branch of Mortar Board this year and I'm very excited. I was on the student activites committee my freshaman year where I helped plan things like theme parties. And, as you can tell by my numerous wedding planning posts I'm really enjoying planning my wedding. I love planning out the details of things and carrying out themes. Maybe I should be an event planner.

I love to ORGANIZE. I love to make to do lists, clean out my desk, make budgets, grocery lists, christmas gift lists etc. I'm super excited about making menu plans with matching grocery lists and figuring out couponing/shopping smart. I'm excited about making a cute place to display our weekly menu, as well as a ktichen cabinet board (so I have subsitution ideas, meat temps etc all at my  fingertips and out of the way).

I love to be crafty. This is where my stationary, scrapbooking and cardmaking loves come into play . Unfortunately, I'm not very good at it. I tend to have problems getting things straight and mananging my glue usage. Either glue squirts out or everything falls off. But I love to do it. Maybe I'll find the time this semester to head to one of the tutorials offered by Scrapbook Creations.

I took fencing lessons for a while and really enjoyed them. I would love to be able to find another place that offers lessons for my after college adventures/exercise plan.

You already know that I love to write, read and bake.

I love Girl Scouts. I was a Girl Scout from 3rd-12th grade. I got my Gold Award (think Eagle Scout) and was an Assistant Brownie Girl Scout Leader for a few years. I can't wait until I'm done with school and can start my own troop!

Do we share any loves? What would be on your list

Book Review: Falling Into the Sun by Charrie Hazard

I won this book from Skirt! magazine  and it had been on my "to read" list for a long time. So I thought, what better time to read it then when I'm hanging out in South Korea with little to nothing on the immediate "to do" list. One of the first things I noticed when I recieved this book is that, on the front cover, the book is praised by my Janterm poetry professor Peter Meinke.

And the praise was well deserved. I loved this book. I could not put it down. I did not want it to end. The story is complicated and intense.

Hazard carefully weaves a tale of a woman living her life as a professor, coping with the stumbling upon the  suicide of a neighboor  (Michael) and her teenage son's violent outbursts. The main character, Kate, deals with these stresses through advice from friends, minsiters and therapists. Kate's story parallels  with the journey of Michael's soul (the neighboor).

The book explores ideas found in Hinduism, Native American teachings and Christian traditions. I especially like the image Hazard provides of a laughing God. Definitely gave me something to ponder.

Hmmm...that description does not do the book justice. It is a truly beautiful masterpiece. You must read it. That is all.

Get your copy here:



Have you read it? What did  you think?

Happy Birthday Little Sister!

Today, August 4th, is my little sister's birthday. We call her Monkey Beth. Don't ask.

She turns 18 today! I guess she's not so little anymore.I can't believe that she graduated highschool this year! I still remember when she said "geen" for green. She's heading off to USC-B. Which is in Beaufort, SC. I'm sad that I'm not at home to make her banana chocolate chip cookies.

Time for a trip down memory lane:

We're both so young here. She's the fashionable one in the black hat.

We used to take modeling lessons at the YMCA

We're both beach bums at heart. I think she caught this fish.

This is the "grandgirls"

This was taken a year or two ago.

She's on the left. I'm the one that looks 16.

Graduation Day!

Happy Birthday Monkey Beth!!!

Go Win Wednesday

Good luck!

LIMITED

Ends August 20th USA and Canada. Win a cookbook for busy moms.

GENERAL

Ends August 11th. Win a $20 gift card to Tree Frog Creations Etsy store.
Ends August 6th. Win a $40 certificate to CSN stores.
Ends August 16th. Win an item of your choice from Life of Colors etsy shop.
Ends August 16th. Win a Jasmine scented gift set.
Ends Ausut 13th. Win back to school supplies and a target gift card!

ALL
Ends August 27th. Win a 8x10 photo.
Ends August 27th. Win a personalized magnet.

Cooking Desires

The longer I'm in South Korea  and virtually kitchenless, the more things I think of that I want to try to make.I want to make them at least once and then decide if its worth the effort. Here is the current list:

• bread (wheat for sandwiches as well as a sweet bread)
• yogurt
• quiche (I love love love quiche)
• graham crackers
• marshamallows
• frozen rocky road treats
• jam
• ice cream
• tortillas
• churros
• cheesecake
• oreos
• vanilla wafers
• dill pickles
• poptarts
• boston cream pie

Do you make any of these? Is there something thats not on my list that you make or want to make homemade? Do you have any tips?

Were you Creative?

I'm trying to participate in the Words of Me Creativity Challenge. I'm suppoused to do something creative every day.

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Monday I did a search for some inspirational quotes and shared those with  you here. I also did some brainstorming for our new business idea. I'll let you know more about that once we get further along.

Tuesday, I went on a hike and took some lovely pictures. I didn't post all of the pics, but some of them can be seen here.  I really liked the way carrying a camera with me helped me to focus on the details around me.

Wednesday, I worked on a personal essay titled Beach Bound.

Thursday, I created a personalized workout plan that incorporates stretches, yoga, fencing exercises, situps and leg exercises. I really like it and its easy to keep track of.

Friday, I started to slack off. The only thing remotely creative was brainstorming and searching for gifts that would be good to give Mr. Groom's groomsman.

Saturday, I wrote in my journal and did crossword puzzles to help stimulate my mind. Its been in a lazy fog lately. I can't wait for it to be reenergized and have plenty to do.

Today, I've been lazy again. So far all I've done is stare at bits of poetry. Its too hot to do much more!

In what ways were you creative this week?

Don't forget to link up to Saturday Smiles!