Britt's Preppy Pink Gator

C and I are so blessed to have the best friends.  Two of these friends are going to become parents VERY soon to a beautiful baby girl (as in, any day now).  The baby does not know it yet, but she has the best parents in the world!  We could not be happier for them, and we cannot wait to meet her.

We celebrated with a  preppy pink gator shower at my house.  Since mom and dad-to-be met at UF and are likely some of the only gator fans in the bluegrass region, it was fitting.  Here are some of the pictures: 

The sample invitation (ours, of course, was in pink and not blue accents)

Centerpieces in the dining room

Love the four letter monogram! Joy did an amazing job with the diaper cake

A wishing tree, with the wishes compiled to make a guest book

Favor: monogrammed cookies

The beautiful parents-to-be

I'm Back

Hi, my name is Lauren, and I'm a recovering ex-blogger.

At first, I got busy with work (hello, I spend all day writing, so who wants to write in her free time?!), and then I got self conscious about putting my life out there on the internet. I started the blog to keep up with family. I never thought about my colleagues or internet strangers reading our personal life. When more and more people mentioned reading it or seeing it, I slightly freaked out. 

But, I found I missed it. I need a creative outlet, a way to express myself. Honestly, I never did that before with the blog. I narrated what I did, what was going on. Now, I want to change that. Don't worry. This will not turn into a sappy, mushy, let's-sit-in-a-circle-hold-hands-and-talk-about-feelings blog. Or if it does, smack me. That is NOT the plan. I just want to feel comfortable being myself.

In short, I'M BACK. 

So what have we been doing? 

C traveled for work for over 3 very long, missed every holiday between Halloween and my birthday and wasn't able to come home once months. Since being home, he has lived at the golf course.

I did not just sit around and mope, for too long at least. I caught up on all of my shows, went days without making the bed, read tons of books, lived off popcorn and went crazy decorating for Christmas because he was not here to keep me in check. I helped my best friend's boyfriend pick out her amazingly beautiful ring and then gleefully lied to her for the next month about whether I thought he would propose. After two months of being apart, I checked another item off the bucket list: I flew up and spent Christmas with C in New York City. In between all this, I worked my little fanny off.

These two were so excited to see each other.

After C came home, I finally made the bed, put away all the popcorn I hadn't yet eaten and pulled out the kitchen pots. Yep, that's right. I have actually started cooking. Real food. Every night. It is a small miracle. We went to Florida, relaxed and shopped. I went on a bachelorette party in Charleston to celebrate one of my good friend's upcoming wedding. C and I then headed down to Tennessee to welcome another nephew into the family. I have hosted two showers and have several more coming up this year. I love all my friends, and being able to celebrate the happiest moments of their life with them = amazing. C and I are also planning on a lot of home renovations. We are getting new kitchen appliances, building a wet bar, and getting new living room furniture. 

To say we've been busy feels like an understatement. I promise to share pictures and more details soon.

# 9: Thanksgiving Centerpiece

Last year we had a big Thanksgiving meal for our friends and are planning on doing it again this year.  When I saw this Martha Stewart pin, I knew I wanted to make it for my centerpiece.  Last week the dried wheat was half price at Hobby Lobby, so I picked it up to re-create this pin.

The pin: 

Source: marthastewart.com Pinterest

Directions:

Martha describes it as a bouquet of dried grains and grasses, but the pin does not include any instructions on how to recreate it.

 

My Twist:

It's on the dining room mantle and not the table right now because the cat kept chewing on it...

I didn't see any similar looking dried grains or grasses, so I just picked up 4 bundles of dried wheat.  I trimmed the stalks to the desired length (about half), twisted the stalks so that they fanned out and had a friend hold it. I used floral wire to tightly bind all the stalks and then added a ribbon (actually the hunter green ribbon from Williams Sonoma packages). 

With them half price, the centerpiece cost $12 and took about 20 minutes to make.

Verdict:

I like it, but it was close to being a fail.  The key that we discovered was when you twist the stalks, be sure to twist and tie the floral wire higher up on the stalks.  We were trying to tie it at the middle, and it kept falling over or not staying fanned. 

I will also be on the look out for pretty dried grasses and grains to incorporate into it to truly recreate that Martha look before my Thanksgiving meal.

#7 & #8: Bye-Bye, Blackheads

The other day, I noticed a small blackhead.  It quickly multipled, and I began noticing several more. It was followed by a little uneven coloring, and some slightly blotchy spots.

Clearly, my Clarasonic alone isn't cutting it anymore, so I decided to hit Pinterest for a good blackhead removing remedy (er, two).  I tried both of these last night, and I couldn't distinguish between the results this morning, so I will review them together.

Source: crunchybetty.com  on Pinterest

Directions for Milk and Nutmeg Microdermabrasion Mask:

Combine a milk (or any product containing lactic acid such as sour cream, buttermilk, etc.) with nutmeg (or an scrubbing exfoliant, like sugar, pepper, salt) until it forms a slightly-runny paste. Start with a clean face, rinse with water, and begin rubbing the paste on your face in light, circular motions for 3-5 minutes.  Do not rub too harshly, or it can damage your skin.  Rinse completely.

My Twist:

I made my paste first with milk and nutmeg, and then for good measure threw in a dab of sour cream and a hint of ground pepper. 

Source: yourskinskin.blogspot.com  on Pinterest

Directions for Egg White Blackhead Strips:

Spread a thin layer of egg whites on your face where you want to remove the blackheads.  Separate a tissue so you only have one layer, and cut/tear it into the size strips you would like.  Cover the egg white on your face with the strips, and apply another layer of egg white over each strip.  Allow your strips to harden (about 15-20 minutes), and then remove.

My Twist:

She recommended doing this for your entire face, but I focused on just my chin and nose.

Verdict:

The milk/nutmeg concoction really worked wonders, and my entire face feels incredibly soft.  I didn't notice anything too dramatic on the egg strips, but my blackheads seem much less noticeable to me this morning.  I think, if nothing else, the egg whites were moisturizing.  I purposely didn't use my moisturizing cream last night on anything but my eyes, and typically my face would be a giant flake if I don't use it.  But, this morning my skin felt very soft, radiant and more even-toned.  I definitely want to try to do both of these at least once a week.

#6: Oreo Cake

I was asked to make a dessert for our tailgate, so I tried a cake that my sister-in-law pinned that looked amazing:

Source: kraftrecipes.com  on Pinterest

Directions:

Make 2 9-inch devil's food cakes per the box's directions. Let them cool in the pans for 10-15 minutes, and then cool completely on a rack. Meanwhile, beat 2 cups (1 small plastic container) of thawed cool whip, 1 package of cream cheese, and 12 crushed oreos together.  Icing the top of one of the cakes with the cream cheese/oreo concoction, and then place the other cake on top.  Microwave 4 oz of semi-sweet chocolate and 1/4 cup of butter until both are melted, and mix together.  Icing/glaze the top of the cake with the chocolate. Refrigerate until eating.

My Twist:

I did this per the directions, except I used fat-free cream cheese and low fat cool whip. I also did 18 crushed oreos (what can I say, I love me some oreos).   

Verdict:

Delish! Everyone loved it, and it was the perfect oreo cake.  Despite its rich look, it was pretty light.  There was very little left, and I've already been asked to make it again. 

For aesthetics, I would go ahead and icing the oreo/cream cheese very neatly before adding the top layer of cake. I assumed the cake would smash down on the oreo, but it didn't at all.  I had to fill more cream cheese on the edges after adding to the top layer, and keeping the cake part "clean" was harder than it looks.

#5: DIY Shower Head Cleaner

While doing some fall cleaning, I tried out this pin to descale your showerhead from the hard water deposits: 
 

Source: frugallysustainable.com on Pinterest

Directions:

Pour 1/3 cup of baking soda into a ziploc bag. Slowly add 1 cup of white vinegar (it will fizz and foam as you add it).  Place bag over showerhead, and secure with either a twist tie or rubber band. Let it soak for at least 2-3 hours, with best results being overnight. Wipe off showerhead before use.

 

My Twist:

I did it exactly as the directions state, and left it on overnight.  I still could see the deposits, so i left it on another 12 hours.

 

Verdict:

Fail. I don't know if I may have limestone buildup instead of hard water deposits, but this did absolutely nothing even though I left it on for 24 hours. I plan on just using CLR.

Remembering 9/11

Lately, I've been slightly concerned by everyone in our generation who are so connected to the internet that they aren't engaging in every day life. Yes, I agree Facebook, twitter and the internet generally are great avenues for public awareness; but, talking about something in your Facebook status is not making a difference in the world.

I have been even more aware of this today.  Everyone I know has a posting online about remembering September 11.  Don't get me wrong, I am glad that people are remembering. But, I wish our generation did more action. 

I was talking to a co-worker about this, and she said that it is often hard to think of things to do.   So, I thought of a short list of small things people can do today:

• Make an appetizer or dessert and take it to your local police station or fire house, including a note thanking them for their service.
• Personally call or write to a veteran, thanking them for their service
• Buy/use only American-made products
• Do an hour of volunteer work
• Send a care package to our troops overseas
• Stop by the local ROTC or VA building and thank them for their service 
• Pray for the victims and their families 
• Give blood (I'm doing this one)

Anyone have additional small ways to remember?