Day 3

Day 3 without power. We are hearing that we should have power by Monday or Tuesday. Even though I might not have power I am incredibly thankful that I have my life and my home is not damaged.

I work in Athens, AL and the city is one of the only areas with power. It seems like an oasis in North Alabama. The traffic is crazy and the lines at the gas stations are up to a 3 hour wait. Yesterday I drove down University Blvd, one of the busiest streets in Huntsville, and it was empty. So eerie.

I've been to 2 damaged areas close to Athens; Tanner and the Hwy 72 and Mooresville Rd area. The picture I've posted is from Hwy 72. I will post more pictures when I get power. I've never seen anything like this before.

Also want to say THANK YOU to all the volunteers and emergency workers. Please donate to the Red Cross if you can. These communities need your help.

Thanks,
Bianca

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Printables Heaven!!

My favorite part about planning a party is picking out the invitations and the printables. The invitation can set the scene for an outrageous party and then add in the custom labels and tags...LOVE! So if you love printables as much as I do you have got to check out this amazing giveway at Pizzazzerie! Courtney at Pizzazzerie teamed up with Print Your Party to giveaway $100 in printables! Please visit Pizzazzerie and sign up today!

Photos via Pizzazzerie.com

Happy Monday!

I'm Obsessed!

I have a minor obsession currently and it is with the blog My Baking Addiction. My mouth waters every time I receive an email that Jamie has a new post on her blog. {I know, I'm weird.}

In my opinion, photography is KEY when it comes to food blogs and Jamie's photographs are so beautiful. It makes the yummy treats she blogs about even more appetizing. AMAZING! Photography is definitely something I want to get into so I just love looking at all of her great photos.

One of my favorite things about her blog is that she has this nifty PRINT button on every recipe. This gives you a nice, neat copy. No more cutting and pasting. I love collecting recipes so this function is FANTASTIC!

Today she posted a blog about Cheesecake in a Jar. That was it for me, I am officially a life long follower. I mean, come on. How cute are these!! The blueberries and strawberries looks so YUMMY! I am so ready for summer.



Photo via Jamie/MyBakingAddiction.com

  

Photo via Jamie/MyBakingAddiction.com

Aren't these photos amazing! If you think these Cheesecakes are insane you should check out her post about Cadbury Creme Egg Cupcakes. Wow!

I know my new obsession will be your new obsession. {You're Welcome} I hope ya'll have a fantastic weekend and a very Happy Easter!

Coach Saban...Bronzed!



photo via The Birmingham News

 So the University of Alabama unveiled the new Coach Saban Statue at the Walk of Champions during the A-day game festivities this past weekend. I first saw a mock up of the statue a couple of months ago and boy did he ever look angry.

photo via MrSEC.com

I have mixed feelings about this statue. First I do not like the pose. I think if your going to make a statue of a coach it should be the boring, dignified pose with the subject in a suit, just like the Gene Stallings and Bear Bryant statues. Nothing crazy. Keep it simple. Second, he looks pissed off. Granted this is really what Coach Saban looks like during football season, but why does it have to be commemorated in bronze? That's what You Tube is for. I wonder if Saban had approval? He had to of, right?

The jokes are coming out in full force via the internet. I've read a couple and I must admit they're pretty funny. My favorite is the comparison with Han Solo.

Also loving Terracotta Solider # 1,157


Photo via O. Louis Mazzatenta/NGS Image Collection


Well it is what it is. In true Coach Saban fashion, he's not going to take all the credit. "This statue's going to represent what that team accomplished," Saban said. "Their names are all going to be on the national championship plaque in the sidewalk so that someday their children can come back and say, 'See, my dad was part of that team. My dad did something special for the university that will live on forever.'"

Roll Tide Roll!

I joined a Club!

I joined the Blog Guidebook Blog Club this past weekend. I've been searching for ways to make my blog better and I thought this would be a good start. They have teamed me up with 5 other bloggers to visit my blog, comment and hopefully offer some advice to make my blog better.

If you get a chance today go by and check out the Blog Guidebook and the other blogs in my Blog Club.

Hale Family Blog
Wee Kitchen
Adventures in Re-Purposing
My Messy, Thrilling Life
Simply Stacie



Happy Monday!

O.M.B. {Oh My Bacon}

Seriously, I can not get enough of all the crazy bacon things on the internet (btw, thanks everyone for sending me awesome links and keep them coming). Here's a couple of things I found on FredFlare.com. {Thank you Jill}

Make that boring present oh so much more with a little BACON wrapping paper.


photo via fredflare.com

 If you're feeling dirty...

photo via fredflare.com

Since we are on the subject of hygiene, if your breathe has to smell...


photo via fredflare.com

And, no oral hygiene routine is complete without floss.

photo via fredflare.com

Happy Friday!





I'm a Bread Baker!

I DID IT! I made my first loaf of bread yesterday. I've always wanted to try to bake my own bread and when I stumbled across this recipe on allrecipes.com I KNEW I had to give it a try.

I made some Lavender and Honey cupcakes Sunday and was super disappointed in them, so when I started on this bread Tuesday I was expecting the worst. I started by dissolving the yeast in some warm water and then adding it to the Rye flour.

By the way, I got the Rye flour at Earthfare. I'm sure they have it at Freshmarket as well, maybe even at Publix.

Then you wait for 4 hours. Yup, this process is not very fast. Maybe that's why I was so intimidated. I'm into instant gratification. After the 4 hour wait, the recipe is pretty cut and dry. Just a lot of kneading and waiting, but the result was fantastic! The recipe calls for caraway seeds. Don't skip on these, it totally makes the recipe.

ready for the oven!

baking

This bread is so flippin' yummy! It's pretty close to the bread I get in Germany. Not perfect, but pretty close. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

I had my first piece with some butter and honey. YUMM!

The dogs were in the kitchen the whole day just waiting for a scrap of ANYTHING to hit the floor.

It was such a gorgeous day yesterday. I opened all the windows, played outside with the dogs and the baking bread filled the house with the most amazing aroma. Not a bad way to spend the day.


Happy Wednesday!

Laissez Le Bon Temps Roule!

Well, the bachelorette party was a huge success. Even though we had some snags with our hotel (it was gross) we still managed to have a great time.

The Bachelorette Survival bags were a big success as I expected. They were filled with all sorts of goodies {ESSENTIAL} to surviving a weekend in New Orleans (too bad I didn't include a how to deal with ignorant hotel staff...but I digress). 

I think the 2 stars of the weekend were the flower rings and the koozies. I found this video tutorial on MarthaStewart.com to make the adorable rings made out of pipe cleaners. They were really easy to make and once I got past the first one, I made the rest while I was watching TV. We all got a ton of compliments on Bourbon St and I actually gave one of the bathroom attendants in Razoos a quick tutorial with the ring I was wearing. {Thanks Martha!}

The koozies I ordered from an AWESOME company called Artwear Screen Printing Co. You can customize your koozies on their website and the minimum is only 12! INSANITY! The koozies are made of NEOPRENE and not that crappy foam you get from most places. Total class acts at this company and FANTASTIC customer service. {I swear they didn't pay me to say that}

We threw the Bride-to-Be a Lingerie Shower in one of our hotel rooms Saturday evening before dinner. It was so much fun and she got a lot of things to make her man say "Ooh, La, La".

The Bride-to-Be also received a very beautiful and classy bachelorette sash from the ah-mazing Etsy shop Spark + Stitch.  Clearly a more glamorous alternative than some of the things we saw that weekend. {You are welcome}. Please check out this shop. I beg you. There were entirely too many ugly veils and sashes out there!

We hit up Pat O'Briens, a landmark in the French Quarter, both nights. The beautiful fountain that sits in the middle of the lush, tropical courtyard is probably one of my favorite things in the French Quarter. There were many Hurricanes consumed but most of us made it out alive. {BTW, there's a $3 deposit on the hurricane glasses, so if a guy buys you a drink you can turn a profit...hehehe}

As long as I can remember going to New Orleans, we have always gone to Pat O'Brien's to get our picture taken, so of course we had to get our picture snapped both nights. Great place that NEVER disappoints.

Saturday there was a random parade that we ran across in the French Quarter. {SO COOL} Such a beautiful city so full of history!

So I guess it's safe to say that we all had a great time in New Orleans. Can't wait to visit again, but definitely NOT staying at the St Louis Hotel on Bienville. They call it a "Boutique" Hotel but it's gross, old and falling apart. The pictures on the website look great but that is NOT what the REAL hotel looks like. OK, I feel better...

Have a great weekend,