Time Flies

I can't believe it's Thursday already! I always want to have a specific fun post everyday but these days it seems to be just a list of random thoughts from the past days. Oh well!
I really enjoy Thursday evenings because the hubby has an evening class. So, I get to sit down, catch up on shows and blogs, have a class of wine and some quiet time. We were talking the other day about how, as newlyweds, living together is a new experience and sometimes we both need some damn good "me-time." I'm big on "me-time." Speaking of Mr. Tickled Pink's (Mr. TP from now on) night class, we are in the process of graduating and trying to find jobs. We are still in school and working on the next step. Mr.TP is a long term senior because he changed majors and took off a year to work in internships. I'll be graduating with my MA (god willing I finish my thesis and pass a comprehensive exams!) in December. We are in the stressful (and exciting!) place of trying to figure out where we will be and where we can get employment. We would love to stay in the Southeast because both of our families are here but we are also up for any opportunity. Mr. TP has people looking at him from companies from places like Minneapolis, DC and Indianapolis. Now, I love fall and winter but ehhh I'm a wimp when it comes to the real cold! I'm really enjoying teaching English at the freshman level - I like having the control of the classroom. I think, for now, that is the path I want to try to follow. So, I'm trying to find jobs in those places at any type of college, university, high school, prep school - you name it. Anyhoo, needless to say, we are spending a lot of time emailing, applying and researching places to live.

In other news around the town, we both caught some kind of mild cold this week. Just annoying enough to make us want to come home, crash and go to bed early. We had been making trips to the local produce stand so I decided to make a big fresh veggie soup. We had a bunch of squash, green beans, Vidalia onions, tomatoes and corn. It was yum and perfect for a cold. I also tried making a banana bread last weekend. I noticed we had about 4 ripe bananas and I thought, why not? I followed a pretty easy recipe off of AllRecipes.com but it was only moist for about 2 days. It was a first endeavour but if anyone has any tried and true tips for Banana bread, I'd love to hear them. Speaking of last weekend, I wish I had more to report but not really. As I told one of my good friends, we are enjoying the day to day here - nothing big to report. We did watch Blades of Glory with Will Ferrell. Typical silly comedy but good for some laughs.



We did however, get hooked on a Ken Burns series that came on PBS this week, The War. Now, it should be noted that the Mr. and I are dorks. Completely. In all facets of life. That being said, this series, I think is something everyone should watch. It is a beautiful documentary of WWII. I just have to say I am obsessed with it. We watched it every night this week and we will be watching it every night next week as well. I enjoy history but I've always been fascinated with WWII and the Holocaust (tried to take as many classes as I could) and this is just so thorough and amazing. Also, my grandfather and Mr. TP's grandpa were both in WWII, so we are particularly interested. If you are at all a history buff or enjoy documentaries -watch!

I made a little trip to the mall this weekend to return some pants I had bought online. Two different sizes, two different styles and they both didn't fit right. I don't know about you all, but this whole "curvy" or "contoured" line a lot of stores have out right now does not work for me - a curvy gal! My hips and bottomside are, ahem, bigger than my waist. But, I just feel like those fits only accentuate this and make me look bigger. I don't know maybe its just me. Sometimes I just don't have the energy to try on every pant to find the perfect fit. I think I'm just going to hit up Old Navy this weekend for some cheap slacks to tide me over. I'm sticking to real classic pieces these days because I'm not impressed or excited with anything that stores are putting out. I just won't wear a blouse with blouson sleeves in bright purple. So, I'll take me a good old sweater set instead.
Also, I picked up a new Vera Bradley messenger bag. My LLBean tote was loaded down with laptop, books and papers and I thought a messenger bag would be an easier on my neck and shoulders. I can get tired of VB patterns but I just loved this green and navy paisley - so preppy. So far, so good!

And what would a true update be without giving our little pooch, Ralph, a few lines. He is just a happy little camper who has gained some weight and he looks much healthier! We enjoy our morning and afternoon walks and he looooves tennis balls. I think we have about 6 half - chewed tennis balls in the living room. He is definitely a quirky character. We have many nicknames for him including the "whaler" because while he doesn't exactly bark (we aren't sure why but it seems like he will try to sometimes) he makes long moaning sounds that can only be described as Whale. And then, "Stinky," for ya know, certain reasons. Anyway, his names run the gamut. We're are just enjoying him and the fact that he is made himself at home here. And he's fast asleep on his little bed right now so that makes for a peaceful evening!

I'll try to check in more and I'm reading blogs too - I'll try to be better about commenting too!

1. Can I just talk about what a cutie Justin Timberlake is? I've listened to his most recent cd over and over and OVER again. Watched him today on Oprah and loving his performance. Loving it!

2. After a quick trip to our local produce stand (why haven't we been doing this more often!?) and picked up some delicious tomatoes along with a bag of fresh boiled peanuts. I am obsessed with boiled peanuts and when they are fresh - watch out. If you've never had them before, they are a salty scrumptious southern snack. Yum.

3. We grilled out some flank steak tonight for dinner along with sliced tomatoes. I wanted to make something to go along with it and while I've had macroni & cheese on the brain via this amazing recipe from Pink Shoe Diaries. However, the hubby and I have, ahem, needed to keep our diet lowfat due to a month of honeymooning and cooking to celebrate marriage. THus, I tried this recipe from Cooking Light. Well, as anything from Cooking Light, which I have found out - is hard to make a classic yummy dish truly light. The "texture" for this was right but I would definitely use less sour cream,less cottage cheese, more grated cheese, a tad more butter and more grated onion. Overall, it was ok but I think it needed more of the "good stuff" to make it yum.


4. Gossip Girls. My husband cannot stay in the room when I watch shows like this and The Hills - he thinks they are completely stupid and ridiculous. They are ridiculous. And scandalous and, you know what, I like it!

Busy here but a few things:

Ordered: The Eddie Bauer boots! Yippee, I am excited. It was nice because they had a chart with specific calf measurements - along with the height of the boot and heel. I ordered according to my measurements - I'm nervous to see how they will work but I'll let you know. They are offering a 20% off entire order with purchase of pants - so, I ordered some of their washable slacks. I've never bought any clothing from EB, so I'm curious to see how they fit.
*A couple of years ago, I would have never considered buying clothes from Lands End & Eddie Bauer (stores like these) but either I'm getting older and looking for more quality basics or they are stepping up their game - not sure, but I'm liking it!*


Weather: Is not quite fall but we are getting there slowly. Highs of 80 and lows in mid-60s feels like a refreshing breeze and makes me excited for some real fall weather.

Weekend: I wish there was more excitement to post but really just a lot of sleeping, bumming around the house, cleaning, grading and of course a trip to Target. We made ham biscuits and mimosas to tailgate on Saturday but didn't make it for the duration of the game because we were winning and we were sleepy! I watched a Lifetime movie late Sat. afternoon - those things are like crack, way too easy to get addicted! I felt rested and ready to go on Monday morning, which was really nice.

Things I'm digging right now: LLBean catalogs, Fall/Autumn harvesty decorations, Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations show on the Travel channel, these tumblers (I picked up some with our alma mater on them at no less than $18.00/mug - my husband without a doubt, mentions that fact every time he uses it - which is ridiculous but I love them!), just hanging out at home with my hubby and Ralph.

On the agenda: Making a trip to the local produce stand for some fresh fall veggies, making brownies - yum!, putting our wedding pics in albums, grilling out steaks for dinner, taking a long walk with the dog (he is keeping us in shape!), watching the premiere of Gossip Girls, teaching lessons on GRAMMAR in my class tommorrow (oy, the joys of teaching English) and awaiting our new luxurious mattress we bought (so we can finally use our Pottery Barn toile sheets). I'm really looking foward to when we buy a house because I've already envisioned how we'll decorate the bedroom - I love "espresso" stained dark wooden furniture with lots of light/greyish blues in the sheets and curtains, I find it relaxing and peaceful. But I digress.
That is it for now.

Thursday Musings

Well, folks, here we are again. I can't believe it is almost the middle of September! I feel like I've been so busy the past few months (which we have, with the wedding and all!) but Finally our time to relax and hang out is here. We don't have any weekend plans scheduled for at least the next 3 weekends - which is so unusual. We may head to Charleston for a late fall weekend and we have a wedding in November but other than that? Home sweet home.

Actually, I've been busy with teaching, writing a thesis and studying for an final orals exam -so this time - is very necessary if I'm going to finish my MA. I'm looking foward to having laid-back (fully productive, of course) time to ourselves. We haven't had a weekend alone as newlyweds. And we need rest. Because I'm tired - exhausted!

Last weekend was one of my best friend's weddings, which I enjoyed, but not to my maximum potential because I was so tired from the drive and busy week. The wedding last weekend, though, was Beautiful. Their ceremony was so sweet. And her dress was gorgeous! She had a champagne colored sash which was tied into a big bow when she bustled it. The bow and colors were mimicked on the cake. The weather turned out great and the entire wedding party took a trolley to reception site and that was a great way to kick off the reception. Just an all around good time. It's just so wonderful to see two great people love together (oh, Hallmark, here I come!)

I've just been hanging out, doing work, some cooking and walking the dog. I've also been trying to get back into the gym and running some (emphasis on some!). Needless to say, I'm sore this week but it feels good to get back into the routine. This, however, may have been possibly ruined by the batch of fresh chocolate chip cookies from the local supermarket that we are proceeding to INHALE.

I'm also looking for some good old fashioned TV programs to follow. 1) I hope Grey's gets better than last season - I heard they are returning to more "comedy" - we'll see! 2) Gossip Girls on CW - I'm sorry, I live for brainless TV like this and I read the books last summer 3) New hour long episodes of The Office - I can get down with that. Speaking of tv...should I even bring up Britney Spears on the VMAs? I mean, I know everyone in the free world has their opinion. But, at this point, I'm like can someone seriously give her a swift kick in the ass! Someone needs to give her some tough love. Anyway...onto more important things,

Fall wardrobing. And Knee High Boots. Well, my issue is this - I have big calves. Like every gorgeous leather boot I attempt to try on does not even Squeeze around my trunk. I usually wear around a size 12 pant - but I feel like I am waaaay out of my league trying to find great boots. And so many times I would get extremely jealous of the cute fall boots/skirt outfits I couldn't wear. Until now.

Someone realized making a "wide calf" option would be a smart move for us who have muscular legs. Lands End has one option but Eddie Bauer has a few of them. I'm also very picky about shoes - I really just want to invest in quality and comfort shoes - which I think Eddie Bauer offers. And these are my temptation



Now, here is my dilema. How do I convince my sweet newlywed husband that I (sweet newlywed wife who said she didn't need to shop that much and was reallllly going to cut back on her spending) should spend almost $200.00 on boots?? Investing?

Today is a day to remember, reflect and pray.

4 Things Meme

Thanks for the tag, MMM!
Four things about me that you may or may not have known about me in no particular order:

Four things that make me happy:
1. My brand new husband!
2. Flowers on a random afternoon
3. A new issue of a magazine
4. Sitting down to a homeade meal to have a drink and chat

Four movies I would watch over and over:
1. Tommy Boy
2. Bridget Jones's Diary
3. Troop Beverly Hills
4. Romeo & Juliet (Leo DiCaprio version - I think I watched it 5.6 million times when it came out and I caught it on tv the other day.)

Four websites I check daily:
1.my email
2. J.Crew
(every morning!)
3. TMZ (I'm really trying to cut down on this...but now they are having a show on tv?!)
4. www.facebook.com

Four favorite drinks:
1. Espresso
2. Bottled water
3. Cranberry vodka
4. Diet Coke

Four places I have lived:
1. Virginia
2. South Carolina
3. Charleston, SC
4. New York City

Four TV Shows that I watch:
1. Grey's Anatomy
2. House Hunters
3. The Hills
4. King of Queens

Four favorite colors:
1. Pink
2. Green
3. Navy
4. Coral

Four places I have been on vacation:
1. Germany & Italy
2. Florida Keys
3. Gulf Shores, AL
4. Cape Cod

Four things on my floor right now:
1. Stack of magazines
2. Shoes to return to Amazon.com
3. Ralph the dog
4. Computer wires (that drive me insane since we have 2 desktops in one room!)

Four blogs I read regularly:
1. Love, Life and Labs
2. Perfectly Pink
3. All Things Kimba
4. Go Red Go

Four of my favorite foods:
1. Fresh tomatoes, mozzerella and basil sprinkled with balsamic vinegar
2. Shrimp and grits
3. Chocolate chip cookies
4. Chicken salad

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. At the beach with a beach read
2. Traveling with my husband (next on our list, Ireland!)
3. Shopping
4. Hanging out with family & friends

Tag anyone who wants to do this!

Hope everyone has a memorable end-of-summer weekend!

Highlights of a Labor Day weekend:

- Making and eating some red velvet cupcakes (yum!)

- Tailgating with family, friends and Ralph. He did a lovely job and we tied a school bandana around his neck for proper tailgate attire! He was popular and very well-behaved!

- Getting some work/reading/grading done.

- Being at home for the first weekend in a lonnnngg time.

- Taking some long walks.

As you can see our weekend was VERY low-key. Both of our parents came through town for lunch, so that was nice to have someone visit us. I've really been working on breaking in our new dishes and appliances. So far, so good. I did make the cupcakes from a box but I did think about making them from scratch! I'm just beginning to realize how much work my classes are going to be, along with writing a thesis and studying for a final Master's Oral exam. So, I think this semester is going to be a lot of time at home - which is perfectly fine with me, I feel like we have been on the go forever! We are going to a wedding this weekend - I'm packing and getting ready for that. We are taking Ralph with us and staying at my parent's house. Which will only be chaotic because they have a young Boxer mix named Newman who is very mischevious! It will be an interesting weekend for sure. I just need to gear up my energy for the rehearsal, brunch and wedding because let me tell you, I'm running low on it. I don't know what it is but at the beginning of every school year, I get worn down. I guess I just have to get back into a normal schedule but I'm running on a lot of coffee these days.

What I am looking foward to: FALL! The weather here has been hovering around the 90s in the midday heat - which is some relief but I'm ready to bust out jeans and vests. I love "being cozy" - my husband makes fun of me, but seriously, if I'm cozy - I'm happy. One of my favorite things to do is fix a pot of chili, or hot tea or some type of warm stew and snuggle up on the couch to watch a movie. I also can't wait to make my favorite Pumpkin Spice bread - its a Martha Stewart recipe and I make a ton of it during the winter and holidays!

Real Simple = my favorite magazine. Actually, I just a subscription because I've been wasting money on buying it in the store but I love their lay-out, recipes, organizing tips and pictures. I've tried a few of their recipes and this one was great. It's one of those recipes you could cater to your own taste easily. I served it over some cous-cous but you could serve it over rice, pasta or eat it plain.

Golden Chicken with Tomatoes and Olives