Getting an early start of Birthday fun!!

Finally I got my hair sorted, my ombre was looking kind of crazy at first (someone didn't listen to me at the salon so I had to use box dyes to fix the ombre.)  It's much more subtle in person, the light in my bathroom makes it super vibrant.

On my day off, M and I had a lovely breakfast.  I cut the inside out of the bagel and chopped up apples and then toasted everything with some cheese on top!!  SO SO GOOD!!

Then we went to home depot to buy all the things for me to start my garden!  I like to call this my birthday garden.

And we at ate Nathan's Hot Dogs at the K-Mart, which I never knew these kinds of things existed I felt like I was in some kind of weird alternate universe, we went there to get emergency blankets to hang in the basement for my party.

Whenever we got home I looked in our fish tank and saw that the snail was on the snail giving her shell a cleaning.

Rivers hung out outside with me while I built my garden!

I got started with my planting by planting various kinds of mint!!  So so excited.

That night I got my bangs cut!

A few days later as I was leaving the grocery, it looked like the world was going to end!!  The sky was so crazy!

I decided that this was my new favorite drink!

M and I worked on hanging the decorations for my birthday party!

I got my gold lame' train made that went with my dress!

My friend Shelby did my make up for me (she works at the Mac counter) it was super drag-tastic!!

M even let me put make up on him for my drag queen birthday party!

YESSSSS!!!!  so so so good.  It's real love when your boyfriend is willing to put on make up, a dress, and fish net hose for you, to celebrate your birthday.

So good.

I had a great birthday party, and even though it was 11 days early, (since M is out of town the weekends before and after my actual birthday) I will continue to celebrate until the end of the month!!

Our week in pictures 2.20-2.24

I finally got my new Jeffrey Campbells in.  I've hardly taken them off.  I would probably sleep in them if I wouldn't hurt myself or M.

I gave myself an at home manicure!

Rivers was adorably cute sleeping on the couch, eeeeven though the dogs aren't supposed to be up on the furniture.

Schnelly is an awesome poser.  I think she thinks she's a model dog.

Miss B came out of hiding long enough to take an adorable picture.

I got a hair cut, super excited about the girl who is my hair stylist now.  She really gets my hair!

And last but not least, we gotta eat!!  Made these delicious Black bean patties, with corn relish, and avocado cream relish!  I literally just finished eating this.  It was awesome.

It was a weirdish week, but at least I got some good photos!

Our week in pictures...

my dress form came in and I went skating!!  (for the first time ever!)

 

We played with the new party props that I got! 

 

Schnelly agreed to pose for a second also!

M bought me snails, and I bought sucker fish!  We had no idea the other was getting tank cleaners!

I bought flowers for M because he was out of town all weekend, and I wanted the house to look pretty when he came home.  (But they were also for me, because I love having flowers in the house.)

We made an awesome Valentine's Brunch.

And M got me the perfect present that I totally forgot that I wanted.  I was so surprised!

All in all, its been a great day and so far a great week.

•B•

Seriously, I am the worst at this...

I really want to keep up with my blog, post pictures, and write funny stories.  But I suck at consistency.  I really wish I didn't.  But I've been giving it some thought, and here are what I would like to call
"MY PROBLEM AREAS"
1.  This blog has in the past, just been for cooking.
2.  My OTHER blog has been for artsy things.
3.  Who has time to keep up with two blogs?!
4.  I really need a nice camera.
5.  I need to make sections on one blog, with all the stuff I love to do, so that I don't run into the aforementioned 2 blog problem.
6.  I need to remember to take some stinkin' pictures of the things that I am making.  (because in the last two weeks or so I have made a 2 dresses, a skirt, a shirt, some delicious pork tacos (like seriously some of the best I have ever had/made.), a leather wallet for M, and a few other things.  Do I have pictures?  no...)
7.  A plan.  I need a plan.  I don't have one, that is why this is a problem.  I know what days I don't work, I need to commit like 2 hours of that day to updating, picturing, posting, all that bloggish stuff.  (Maybe I should make a calendar....I'm good with things written where I see them constantly.)
and
8.  Well, I don't really have an 8, but I don't like to end with odd numbers.  So 8!!  yeah!

So, in the days/weeks (hopefully not weeks) to come I will be updating/revamping/redoing/refocusing this thing.  So be patient.  (Maybe I just mean I should be patient, but you be patient too.)

IN OTHER NEWS!!!!  I'm going to buy some shoes today that I have been waiting for almost two years to be able to buy/justify spending that much money on shoes.  It's silly I know.  But come on.  2 years, I've been waiting.  2 YEARS!  And finally we have just a little bit of play money for me to get them.  I'm so excited.  Here's a picture...

I am going to be SO tall.  ****Update**** Nordstroms didn't have my shoes in stock.  AND they didn't have them at any other Nordstroms in my size!  Rude.  But I knew another website where I could order them.  So I did.  But now I have to wait 5-7 business days for my beauties to arrive....I'm definitely learning patience.  I wanted instant gratification, which is why I drove ACROSS TOWN and sludged through SNOWY RAIN AND TRAFFIC, only to find out...  I still have to wait.

WE'RE MOVING!!!

Micah and I are moving to Nashville in a week and a half.  We will be starting new jobs, well...I will, he's still got to find one.  And I will have a new kitchen, with new countertops that I already love, (because I hate the color of my current ones) and I am going to get a rolling butcher block and have a breakfast table and it's all going to be so wonderful.

I can't wait to cook my very first mean in my new kitchen!

Also, I don't believe in new years resolutions, but I do believe in new house resolutions.  I vow to cook more meals and document more meals.  I vow to become the MOST organized person in the world.  And I vow to put more posts up.

See ya'll after christmas and the new year!

Booth

I've been cooking, I swear...

I just haven't been posting about it because I don't have a good camera anymore.  But here's a picture of some bagels I made yesterday...

They are delicious, and each one is a uniquely different flavor.  I never ever ever want to buy bagels again, because it's not that hard to do, and they are so good.  A few of the varieties are 1.  Cinnamon, raisin, cranberry, honey 2.  Garlic 3.  Garlic, Onion, Basil, Parmesan 4.  Plain 5.  Basil and many many more, I made 2 batches of them, I just didn't get a picture of the other ones.  Some of these are going to get turned into bagel chips, (which I am secretly but maybe it's not a secret now, obsessed with.)  They are really easy to make also.  Whenever I get back home to my cookbook I will get the recipe up.  I promise.  It comes from Love Food "Baking Bible".  The recipe is really easy, the key to successful fluffy bread of any kind I have discovered is to ABSOLUTELY make sure you give it the proper amount of rise time.

There aren't any awesome bagel shops in Memphis, which makes me very sad.  If I had the money, I would open my own.  Where I am from there is a Beagle Bagel (yum) and in New Orleans near my mom's house there is a great bagel/bagel sandwich place.  MEMPHIS WHY DON'T YOU HAVE ONE?!?  I will start one.  Don't worry.  Even if I am just taking orders from friends and making them in my kitchen.  You'll never know what hit you.

Finally some food to post about!

 I cooked up a storm today.  I mean, a full fledged meal, dessert and all.  The kind you start around 12:30 on and not stopping until about 6:30.  It was fantastic.  However, I didn't take many pictures, but there are a few.  

This Zucchini Cornbread is really easy to make, and it's so very delicious.  The recipe came out of the Bon Appetite for July.

     

This unexpected concoction, Bloody Mary Salad, goes on top of a Flank Steak.   

             

A picture of the whole meal, Flank Steak with Bloody Mary Salad, Watermelon with Grilled Halloumi, Tomatoes, and an Mint, Basil, Olive oil mixture, and Zucchini Bread.

Peach, Nectarine, and Raspberry Cobbler

with "Biscuit Topping"

*I'll come back and add the Recipes in a little while.*