Sunday funday

Sometimes, you need a day where you just get things done. Today was a day like that... kind of. The craziness of our kitchen "reno" left other areas of the house a little disastrous. And I have quickly been coming to the realization {that tt has had for quite some time already} that I am a pack rat. Actually, I'd categorize myself as a borderline hoarder. Eek. 

I told him that by the end of this weekend I would go through all the random drawers, cabinets, and shelves that held the plethora of paperwork that I refuse to throw out. You just never know do know when you'll need your utility bills from four years ago. I love my paper. Even though literally everything I could possibly need to access is available to me, I have a hard time with being paperless. I heard the words "the times are a-changing" escaping my loving fiance's lips as I placed everything into a large garbage bag. I have a stack of things to shred at the office. And it is a bittersweet feeling. 

Next up- finding a better way to organize the items that I did keep. As a homeowner, puppy mother, and bride to be, there are still a few paperwork-items that I do need to have accessible to me. I'm loving this idea from A Bowl Full of Lemons: 

How absolutely adorable are these binders?! I got a few boxes which will do for now - at least it gets the clutter out of my living room cabinets, and keeps tt quiet for the time being. 

Next up... 

Sunday Dinner {leftovers from the week.... 2 Weight Watchers recipes}

• Cauliflower with Tomatoes and Lemon
• Grilled Chicken with Cilantro and Indian Spices

And for dessert....

• Apple Pie Eggrolls

I have a few good ones on tap for this week, too... so stay tuned! As I know you always do xoxo

In honor of last night's performance...

I give to you, my fave Buble song... 

Didn't they always say we were the lucky ones.

I guess that we were once, babe, we were once,

but luck will leave you cursed, it is a faithless friend,

and in the end, when life has got you down,

you've got someone here that you can wrap your arms around.

So hold on to me tight,

hold on to me tonight.

We are stronger here together,

than we could ever be alone.

So hold on to me,

don't you ever let me go.

There's a thousand ways for things to fall apart,

but it's no ones fault, no it's not my fault.

Maybe all the plans we made might not work out,

but I have no doubt, even though it's hard to see.

I've got faith in us, and I believe in you and me.

So hold on to me tight.

Hold on, I promise it will be alright.

Cuz it's you and me together,

and baby all we've got is time.

So hold on to me,

hold on to me tonight.

There's so many dreams that we have given up.

Take a look at all we've got,

and with this kind of love,

and what we've got here is enough.

So hold on to me tight.

Hold on, I promise it will be alright.

Cuz we are stronger here together,

than we could ever be alone.

Just hold on to me,

don't you ever let me go.

Hold on to me, it's gonna be alright.

Hold on to me tonight.

They always say, we were the lucky ones.

DIY-ing, new recipes, and Johnny Depp

We are head first into our staycation kitchen "remodel" and somehow haven't killed each other yet!! We worked hard all day yesterday and this morning, and now it's Sunday breaktime: tt is off watching football for the afternoon and I am here, watching my other love Johnny Depp don black eyeliner and drink all the rum while searching for treasure. 

Biggest problem of the moment: I'm incredibly bored and all I want to do is cook! Unfortunately, that's not an option because of the current state of our kitchen: cabinet doors are removed/cabinets empty for refacing; a plastic sheet and crazy dust cover the counters and floors; the entire dining area has been cleared out, and re-filled with the doors and drawers all set up on our little painting stations. It's quite the sight. 

We are using a kit made by Rustoleum called Cabinet Transformations and it has been relatively user friendly so far, and the kit provides almost everything needed to complete this project. Literally, it gives you step by step instructions on how to do it. You have the bond coat tinted at Home Depot when you buy it {thankfully I noticed the little note on top saying to do this before we left the store...} and off you go. 

The cabinets were white to start {although, that is not the original color} and we chose to go to a dark black-brown color, similar to the furniture in our living room. So far, with the progress we've made, I'm loving the color choice! Which is a good thing, because as excited as I was to start, I was a little nervous that I wouldn't like the way the color fits into my kitchen color-scheme. I'll definitely post before and after photos when the job's complete, although I don't have original befores because I completely forgot to take them before the cabinet doors were taken off. Oops. But it already is looking completely different than before. Let's hope this doesn't make me desperate for a new countertop and/or a new kitchen table! {tt said maybe to re-doing the countertop because there is a kit for that too; but I got a big fat HELL NO to a new table. Perhaps because I won't let him get a new couch. Pish Posh. Although I suppose I do get my way 99% of the time, I guess I'll give him this one.}

So, as I was saying, all I want to do is cook. Because I'm sitting here with nothing to do, and no kitchen to experiment in, and no way to even make myself a snack, I'm on Pinterest. {Note: my sister also reminded me of the fact that the holidays are quickly approaching. This year I'm going to have to do Christmas on a budget, so since I'm in DIY mode, I figured I'd check out some ideas. I used Secret Board #3 to start pinning secret Christmas presie ideas for my friends and family. Muahahaha {although, less evil than that} I'm getting such great ideas!

Also in my Pinterest adventures this afternoon, I've been making my mouth water by looking at recipes that I've been pinning over the last few weeks. I have this problem that I almost undoubtedly "pin now, read later" and then forget about all of the things I have pinned! So I am taking this bit of free time to take it upon myself to go through them and note a few of the great ones. That being said, when I have use of my totally awesome new kitchen back, the following kitchen creations will be happening:

• Creamy Cauliflower Sauce {just found this beauty, and can't wait to try it out on whole wheat pasta, my usual spaghetti squash, OR zucchini pasta when my new julienne peeler arrives since I'm too cheap to pay for a spiralizer}
• Caprese Lasagna Rollups {which my sister showed me the recipe for a little while back and I have been dying to make them.. not overly diet friendly, but I don't even care because they look so good}
• Beet sliders {featured on Diners Drive-ins and Dives!! Both tt and I thought these sounded aMAZING and I was able to track down the recipe}
• Chai Pumpkin Spice Thumbprint Cookies{Um, do these NOT look like the most perfect fall cookie?! I will try my hand at baking in order to get these in my belly}
• Fall TABs{I have found so many yummy looking fall beverages! I can't pick just one to debut here, so I'm giving y'all the opportunity to peruse my board on Pinterest... Happy Drinking!} 

And on that note, it's time to get things picked up a bit before tt gets home and it's back to DIY-ing for me!

Sunday things

Sunday, lazy Sunday. If only! I have so much to do today that I am 100% procrastinating at. Although I got some laundry done, finished the STD's {save the dates for all you non-wedding oriented and somewhat confused folks}, spent an hour on the phone helping my boss figure something out, and picked up all my shoes from the living room, since tt has been bugging me for a week about them. Next up, getting myself and tt ready for the week ahead: Chili will be a'cooking, veggies will be a'chopping, salads will be a'ssembling and eggs will be a'hard-boiling. Such an exciting life I lead.

I'm pretty excited for this week, though. A lot is on tap! Dinner/drinks with my long lost friend Julianne tomorrow night; getting my hair did on Wednesday; and dinner/drinks with another long lost friend Audrey on Thursday; and  hopefully planning a date night with tt for Friday night! Woot. I am just so pretty and popular I can't even take it. {vom}

tt is off watching the football, and I really should have this stuff done when he gets home, so that is my cue to get off this laptop and get to the kitchen. My Cheater Chili is always a hit, so here's a quick link back to it... But definitely check out the ROTD- it's a great sneaky way to feel like you're eating something super carbalicious!

xoxo

Recipe of the day

Everything Bagel Fake Out

Just loving fall fashion

I am not a fashion blogger, I am a wanna-be food blogger. BUT the fashionista locked inside of me cannot get enough of the leggings I just bought. {note: these were not purchased by accident} 

I fully intend on living in leggings for the foreseeable future. Having made that decision, I came to realize I didn't have these staples overwhelming my drawers. I do have two pairs but one is a cropped style and they're somewhat baggy; the other is a weird gray color that has faded where my fat thighs rub together. Gross... sorry for that mental image. This all being said, I decided that I needed to fix this missing piece to my fall wardrobe puzzle. 

I happened to be on the NY&Co website and realized that for Labor Day, all their pants were.. wait for it.. BOGO. Um, what?! I was able to resist the urge to buy every pair ::Phew:: but I did peruse the casual section and came across these leggings. They are technically yoga pants, so they have a wider waist band the way that yoga pants typically do- but they don't fold over. I am loving the way that they fit. I just got them delivered today- two pairs of black and both a light and a dark grey {4 pairs for only $50 bucks... can't beat that deal- wish they had more colors!} They don't cut me off at the waist the way that most leggings do. Hell, most pants do that. I wish I could wear them every minute of every day.

That is all. Just thought I would share. They're not BOGO anymore, but still a great value at $25ea. Just think about how absolutely F.A.B.U.L.O.U.S. they will look with my new boots. Now, I just need some new sweaters... Follow my Fashionista board on Pinterest. 

Auf Wiedersehen, meinen lieben... sei ganz lieb umarmt. xo

Recipe of the day

Mini Chicken Pot Pies

Accidental boots, wedding plans, and real life

Things to discuss:

1. I just bought a pair of boots without meaning to
2. The fact that my wedding is only a year away
3. Detox and real life diet/exercise plan

Ok. I know I have been a major blogging let down these days. I also know that I can't use this wedding thing as an excuse forever. I can say that we have been planning our little butts off, and have so much done so far that it's not even funny. Which lets me have some time tonight to grace you with my web presence, and I am excited to share this fab new picture of me and the hubby-bubby from this weekend at the track with the sister friend for her magic birthday! {if you just ignore my elephant arm}

1. I am so happy about this, even though I 100% didn't mean to buy them. I was browsing on www.shoedazzle.com and looking at boots. {YAY- I love love LOVE Fall.} And honestly, I had added them into my shopping bag, because that's what I always do. I browse online, add a bunch of stuff to my virtual bag, and then delete them all and move on. Somehow, I clicked on place order. There was nowhere to add in my credit card information {because of course, it's already on file} and there was no confirmation page. I was immediately routed to a page that said: Thank you for shopping with us, your order should arrive in 4-5 business days. oopsies. When they come in I will make my decision on if I keep them or not. I'm sure if Mr. T has anything to say about this, they will be going back to where they came from. 
2. So, this past weekend was Labor Day, as everyone knows. And while we all loved the long weekend and all it stands for, it has a new meaning to us here in the 2bTx2 household. Next year, the wedding will fall on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend! I can't even believe we are inside a year! We're talking 362 days, people! Eek! As I said above, we have been planning our little butts off. Well, I have anyway... I haven't been able to stop. Apparel is done: I said YES to the dress, picked/ordered tt's suit, ordered the MOH dress, picked the shoes, I even got tt's socks already. Chose our wedding bands {I think}, and booked our honeymoon. I'm almost decided on centerpieces, found flowers that I like on Pinterest... really, what else is left?! Zoinks. 
3. So, in it being a holiday weekend and everything, I am finding myself feeling a bit over indulgent, and large. Realizing also that I have one year til' the big day, I decided that it really is time to kick it in high gear. I talk a big game about being healthy, and exercising, and losing weight and all, but I'm really ready to hunker down. I am starting the year kick-off with a 2-day detox {which I am almost done with Day 1 and am so happy to be halfway done} and then am going to rely on the internet for great recipes and my friends, family and loved ones to motivate me to keep going. I want to be the skinniest I have been as an adult on my wedding day ~ which I totally think is doable, but it will take some real effort, obviously. I'm hoping for 20-30 pounds. In a year, that should be a totally attainable goal. Can I do it? I stay tuned to find out.... 

Side note: a new exercise goal/challenge I am giving myself is to do this every single day, twice a day, on top of my regular work-out routine that I am getting into: 30 jumping jacks | 20 scrunches | 10 squats | 5 pushups

Recipe of the Day

{Crock pot} Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps