Lamps and Blueberries

This is long overdue! Hilton Head was so fun and relaxing. Doug and I decided to leave at 5am on Saturday morning to get there in time to watch a World Cup game (more his idea than mine :) We got in bed Friday night around 11:30. By 12:30, we were still wide awake. Doug had the brilliant idea of going to Hilton Head NOW! So we got our stuff together and were in the car by 12:40. We actually had a very eventful night, full of deer, wild dogs running out in front of us, and a police check point in the middle of nowhere at 4am. We got to Hilton Head safely around 5:00, folded down the backseat, and tried to get a little sleep before the game! It was an adventure to say the least!

Crabbing was a blast as always, and we ended up catching 7 crabs.

Look at that form!

Doug's first crab!!

It was my mom's birthday while we were there (HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!)

so we went out to lunch at Hudson's then went shopping, which turned out to be the highlight of the week when we found this adorable lamp:

We are redecorating her room this summer, and we found the perfect duvet and the perfect lamp. The problem was, the store only had 1 lamp left and we needed 2. Since it was from Homegoods, we called every store in Georgia and some in South Carolina. We also called TJ Maxx and Marshall's since they are owned by the same company. No luck! It turns out we had the only cute green lamp in the southeast. And mom was very sad that she had gotten so attached to the lamp.

So this week, I decided to get crafty and try to recreate the lamp. I found 2 drum lampshades and pretty white lamps at Target, and I set out to find the perfect fabric. I found a pretty close match, got some spray adhesive, and got to work. First, you lay out the fabric, roll the lampshade across it, and lightly trace 1 inch around the lampshade on both sides. Then cut it out, start at the seam on the back of the lampshade, and start spraying and rolling!

Make sure to pull it tight at the top and bottom so there aren't any air bubbles. Then trim the top and bottom so that there is just enough fabric to cover the little ridge inside of the lampshade. I used tacky glue and a little paintbrush to finish this part.

And then it's done! I was very happy with the results.

I have several more crafts to do this week, and I honestly could live in Hobby Lobby.

When I got home to Doug on Saturday, we decided to have a little date night, complete with fajitas and margaritas.

Then we topped off the night with our favorite activity, POKER! I have been addicted ever since the honeymoon, where we played twice a day at the resort. We play every night, usually just against each other, but this week we joined a free online poker website and have had even more fun beating other people and winning lots of (play) money.

Another fun part of the week was on Monday night at 3 something AM when our fire alarm went off. It surprisingly woke me up, I usually can sleep through anything. I heard a truck outside our window and looked out to see 2 firetrucks, an ambulance, and several other fire vehicles.

So we go outside to find out what is going on. Several other disgruntled neighbors join us and the firemen tell us they haven't located a fire anywhere, but they are working to turning off the alarm. We were outside for close to an hour, and it turns out there was no fire. Oh the joys of multi-family housing!

Last night, I was in the mood for a good dessert, since we have been trying to eat healthy this week. I decided to make Blueberry Crumble, a recipe that I got from one of my small group leaders in college. It is super easy and sooooo delicious, and almost good for you, minus the stick of butter :)

It calls for 4 cups of blueberries, but I usually just use 2. Lay those in a 1.5 quart dish. Then, combine together 1 cup of flour, 1 cup of brown sugar, 1/4 cup of rolled oats, and 1/2 cup of butter, melted. Crumble this over the blueberries, and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve with vanilla icecream on top! (That is a MUST)

Bon Appetit! (We just watched Julie and Julia...I'm inspired!)

Headed to Hilton Head

We leave tomorrow for Hilton Head! My parents went there on their honeymoon and decided to buy a timeshare. So they/we have gone every summer since!

Here is my first summer in Hilton Head

The next summer in HH

Our yearly picture tradition!

Hilton Head is my favorite beach just because of the memories we have there. Like the time that my friends and I had a prank war with my brother and his friends. I still say the best prank was when we got all of the cell phones and set alarms starting at 5am, then 5:02, 5:04, 5:06, etc. We hid them in the boys' room, like under the bed, in drawers, behind the headboard (which one of them ripped off the wall to find it!). Classic. Or the time that my friends and I went to teen night at Monkey Business, a local club. We were probably the only white people in there, and the night ended with me dancing on the stage, doing the most white-girl dance moves you have ever seen. The club was chanting "GO WHITE GIRL! GO WHITE GIRL! GO WHITE GIRL!" Honestly, one of the greatest moments of my life! It was like Charlie's Angels all over again.

We stay at the Island Club, and I love everything about it! My favorite activity there has always been crabbing. My dad takes us to this inlet (I think that's what it is?) and we put these huge chicken wings on a big hook attached to a long string. Then you throw it in the water and pull it back really, really slowly. You watch for the string to move to see if there is a crab pulling on the chicken, and just when you can see where the chicken is in the water, you take a huge net and try to net the crab! We always put the crabs in a bucket and then at the end, we let them go and have a "crab race."

This is Doug's first time to Hilton Head, and I am SO excited to show him the wonder that is Hilton Head! I have always raved about crabbing, so I think he is pretty excited to go. We are also going to see Toy Story 3! Sadly, he has to go back to work on Tuesday, so he will only be there for a few days. We have to cram everything in so he gets a true Hilton Head experience!

Babies!

There are so many things I want to talk about! The honeymoon, the first month of our marriage, my little baby Pep coming to live with us...it has been busy but fun! This past weekend, my mom and I threw a baby shower for our long time family friend, Laura May (who has given me all of her hand-me-downs growing up, and also gave me my something borrowed for the wedding- her veil!) It was SO much fun to shower the mommy-to-be! She is expecting Grayson Benjamin May in September.

We decided to do a dessert shower, because really, what is better than devouring as many sweets as possible? Plus, I got to lick all of the bowls clean...mmm...

I had fun baking all these yummy treats, and some of my favorites are the key lime tarts, chocolate covered strawberries, and the double chocolate mocha brownie trifle, which is what I had for lunch and dinner :)

The baby fence! Laura takes adorable pictures each week with a fruit/vegetable that is the size of her baby at the time!

Everything turned out great, with only one exception. I found this great recipe online for "Lucky Duck Punch" and was so excited to try it out. It was supposed to be blue with vanilla ice cream scoops on top, looking like clouds. However, neither Kroger nor (is it or or nor? It's been so long) Publix had the white cranberry juice it called for, so mom and I decided pineapple juice would be a yummy alternative. When I made the punch on Saturday, it was a beautiful baby blue color just like it should be, but I still had to add the pineapple juice. We figured the light yellow color of the juice wouldn't alter the blue too much, but it definitely turned the punch Nickelodeon-slime green, which does NOT look appetizing. Anyways, I made my back-up punch that is easy and quick but still decided to put the cute rubber duckies in it to keep its name, "Lucky Duck Punch." However, the ducks were not so lucky.

Some alternative names we came up with were Lame Duck Punch and Dead Duck Punch. Seriously, who makes rubber duckies that don't float upright!? Isn't that their sole purpose!?

Other than that, the shower was great and Laura got some adorable things for baby Grayson! I made this sign for the little guy, and I am now craft-crazed.

I finally thought of a career for myself.....a professional shower-thrower! I LOVE throwing showers, and I know there are probably some people who don't, so I figured those people could hire me to throw showers for them. I know, it's brilliant (I wish it was possible!)

After everyone left and we got everything cleaned up, I found this on the dining room table.

How freaking cute is my cat!!!! This is one of my favorite things he does. A little background info about the magnificent Mr. Pepper: I got the little baby at the beginning of my sophomore year of college. He lived with me that year, and we had a blast. Here is Pep all dressed up as a little bumblebee. I don't think it was Halloween. I just like to dress him up. Yes, I am one of those people who enjoys clothing animals.

At the end of the year, I threw Pep a 1st Birthday Party! This occurred 2 months after Doug and I met and started dating, and it surprisingly didn't scare him off! He was such a trooper, and even wore a party hat :)

Here is the birthday boy (I love this picture!)

And the proud great-grandparents

The excited first-time grandparents!

Me and my 1 year old!

A glimpse into our future...what a happy little family now :)

We even had presents and cake. Well, cake for the people, cat/dog food for the pets. It was a feast.

He was exhausted after opening all of his gifts!

The whole gang!

Sadly, I had to leave him at my parents' house for the next 2 years because my roommate, Lesley Anne, was allergic to cats. However, having LA as a roommate made up for the time apart from my kitty :)

So I haven't had Pep living with me, besides when I am home, until now. After the shower, we decided to do a trial run with Pep and take him to Covington for a few days. It is SO fun having him with me finally and it's hilarious to watch Pepper follow Doug around all the time. I am taking him back to Marietta tomorrow, and we will bring him back with us after we go to Hilton Head next week. Which reminds me, mom and I are going to see ECLIPSE tomorrow night at midnight!!!!!

Yes, I am a Twi-Hard. I was talking to my hairdresser about it. We agreed that we are not hardcore hardcore, just hardcore. We don't wear the shirts or have the posters on our walls, but we are clearly obsessed and aren't afraid to admit it. Although if Twilight had come out when I was in middle school or probably even high school, I would have the posters in my room and would be wearing an Edward shirt to the midnight showing tomorrow. Also, I read "The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner" yesterday, which is from the perspective of one of the newborns in Eclipse. It was awesome.

One more thing then I'll end this ridiculously long post. My wife haircut! I got sidebangs and am very happy to have less hair. It isn't as short as I was planning, but I like it! I'll probably go a little shorter next time.

Can someone please tell me there is an easier way to add pictures? It's taking forever to add them in and move them to the right place. They always appear at the top then I have to drag them down little by little. Help?