Hungry Lady: Going for a Dip

When Greg and I went to Key West last month, we found this great little seafood shack. It's called DJ's Clam Shack and their lobster roll sandwich is like, whoa. But to accompany the sandwich, we split a side of sweet potato fries and it came with a little dipping sauce. It was totally new to us - it's called maple mayonnaise dipping sauce. Sounds gross, but is so good. (Editor's Note: If you despise mayo, there's a good chance you might not like it, but definitely worth a try! Me? I love any condiment or dipping sauce.)

So, we asked how they made it but they were pretty vague. Once we got home, I googled a few recipes, made a tweak and made our own. Very yummy!

Maple Mayo Dipping Sauce
1/2 c. mayo
1/8 c. maple syrup
1 tbsp brown sugar (though I'd probably do 1/2 tbsp next time)

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl and refrigerate for at least 15-20 minutes. (Or you can eat at room temperature, if you prefer!)

Here's what it looks like, although I'll admit it doesn't LOOK like the most appetizing thing we've ever made... But paired with some baked sweet potatoes, it's quite delish!

Now, I'm off to spend the day with my sister - she's being induced tomorrow so it's her last day pre-Eli! :-)

Master Bedroom Re-Do: The For-Now Finale

OK, this has dragged on for long enough. Trust me: longer for me than for you. I've had so many distractions in the last 2-3 months that I had to put the last bit of our master bedroom re-do on hold. Well, we've added in a few finishing touches and am officially sticking a fork in it - for now. We added some wall art, including a framed monogram above our bed and some shelves. (We're not sure how we feel about the frame, so may potentially paint it.)

The room isn't staged, it's not perfect, but I'm not a home decorator. This is where we live, so imperfection is totally OK with me. :-)

I  love the idea of a framed monogram over the bed as a simple way to personalize the decor.

We'd still like to eventually add a trunk or ottoman at the end of the bed as well as hang a floor length mirror, but like I said, we're done for now.

Here's the full run-down of the room:
Furniture: Weir's
Headboard - JCPenny.com
Comforter - Target
Coverlet - Target (scored this on clearance!)
Sheets - West Elm
Throw Pillows - Etsy
Rug - West Elm
Lamps - West Elm
Navy Quatrefoil Wall Art - DIY
Bedside table trays - DIY!
Shelves - Bed, Bath & Beyond (in store only)
Frame - Hobby Lobby
Monogram - Etsy

As I do in pretty much all things in life, I tried to mix inexpensive items (like the on-clearance bed coverlet and on-sale comforter) with more quality items that will last us a long time (such as the lamps, rug and new bedroom furniture - all of which I scored for 20% off). And just to be sure this had my name written all over it, I had to throw in a few DIY items.

Have I shown you how the room looked with the previous owners? Here she is:

Please note God Awful baby blue paint. It still sends a shiver down my spine.

Quite a change, I would say...

Of course, I'm all ready to jump to the next room, but this time I'm not committing to too much; just a simple "refresh" of our living room this fall. More to come on that later.

Hope everyone has a great 4th!

Time Just Flies

You may have noticed that I have not been blogging as much as I normally do this month. June has been a bit of a whirlwind and this past weekend was the first weekend we've actually stayed home/stayed low-key in well over a month. Since we've been back from vacay, I've been very busy. And to clarify, when I say "very busy," I really mean "caught up in the throws of the 50 Shades of Grey series." Um, whoa.

But a few weeks back, the hubby and I went down to Houston for a super-short, overnight visit to watch my little sister graduate high school.

Me & Evan with the graduate

Ugh, as I type this I feel like I'm going to be border-line weepy. This week, she turns 18 and later this year will be heading off to college. The funny thing is that when I look at her, this is what I see:

Not this:

And don't even get me started on my "little" brother who starts high school this fall but is the same height as my hubby (and Greg is not a short guy).

Evan & Greg

 Yikes, where does time go?! Well, luckily I will get to see them in a few short weeks when they all come in town after my sister has her baby. Eeee!

Loving It: Greetings

Every once in a while, I come across something so cute/funny/clever/great, that I feel the need to share. If you can, imagine my hubby saying in his best sorority girl voice, "Ugh, LOV-ING it." After years of living with me, his impression is pretty spot on. Sometimes, you might also catch him saying things like "um, totes" or even his own phrase that he made up, "Su-Cu" (meaning super-cute). We'll see if that one catches on... But I digress.

So, what I'm totally loving right now is a new line of greeting cards that have just landed in Target stores called "Just Wink." I used to have go to a boutique or gift shop to find hilarious/inappropriate cards that I tend to love to give my friends, but now Target has made my poor taste so much easier. 

I first found them when a friend of mine gave me one of the birthday cards. And again when I was hunting for a card this past weekend. Here are a few of my faves:

 


 





Target, I sure do love you. And your new cards.

Scooting Around Key West

We had an absolutely lovely vacation in Key West. It was everything we wanted it to be - relaxing, fun, low-key, just wonderful. The weather was great. Let me rephrase that - the weather was humid. Holy greasy face, flat hair it was humid. But we just had the best time together. I've included a few obligatory vacay photos below, but what I really want to tell you about is our last day in Key West.

So, let me first explain that many people travel around the island on little mopeds and these golf cart looking vehicles. We spent all our days in Key West by the pool/beach or eating at great restaurants and just taking it easy. We are not the most adventurous people, nor do we claim to be, but we thought it was high-time we did something... well, just something. So, we decided to rent a moped for two so we could go explore the island.

A couple of things, ummm, turns out mopeds are much more difficult to operate than one would think. I honestly thought it'd have an on/off switch. No. I'm pretty sure it was at least a 3-step process to turn the freakin' thing on. I could tell the hubby was concentrating very hard on the directions, but judging by the look on moped man's face, I could tell he thought Greg didn't stand a chance. I totally felt the urge to walk up to him all "unh-UNH" (snaps fingers in Z formation), but I just stood quietly watching the scene unfold.

So, the guy suggested Greg take it for a spin around the block. Then, pick me up and go for another spin around the block just to get used to it before we take it on the open road. And then things started to fall apart. He took off around the corner, but it looked to be rather jerky, so I was a little nervous. After what felt like an eternity (about 2 1/2 minutes), he swung back by to get me.

 
Nervously, I hopped on and off we went. Actually it was more like... and off - wait no... offff - eff, how do you get this thing going... and OFF we went. For a minute, I thought we looked pretty cute, but in hindsight, I'm pretty sure it was more like this:

I caught the looks on several people as we sped skidded rode jerkily by; the faces were mixed with disgust and pity. (For clarification: this is the same look that one would receive if one were to pull into the parking garage at work, roll down their window to badge in, only to realize that John Mayer's "Your Body is a Wonderland" is blaring. Buh-laring. I mean, not that I would know or anything.)

After one short trip around the block and a slow-motion vision of us flying off and eating pavement, I suggested we cut our losses. So, heads hanging low, we walked back up to the shop owner. We got our refund minus a $10 "contract fee" or what I'm guessing is more like a $10 "you should feel ashamed of yourself so we're keeping $10 to rub it in" fee. We left the shop, minus $10, minus any adventure and certainly minus our pride. To make it worse, I'm pretty sure we saw about 20 different people on mopeds in the next 10 minutes just cruising by. I would swear we saw both a 14-year-old girl and 90-year-old grandma riding them, too, for good measure.

Oh well, back to the pool it was.

Southernmost Point in the U.S.

Greg's Newest Love: The Lobster Roll Sandwich

If you ever are headed to Key West, definitely let me know. We definitely have some great recommendations!

Celebration Marathon: Part Deux

Part Deux? Oh yes, there was a part one. Did you miss it?! ;-) But we're in the midst of another marathon of celebrations. It started last month with my older sister's baby shower, continued earlier this month with my baby sister graduating high school (more to come on that later), continued even more this past weekend when my brother-in-law got married and even into this week as Greg and I take off for our beach vacay. Wow, I'm a lucky girl! Busy, but very, very blessed with so much to celebrate.

What can I say about the weekend? The ceremony was perfect, the reception was gorgeous and the overall weekend was a blast. It got me feeling so nostalgic about when the hubby and I got married - but I definitely think I had the best date in the house. Here are a few pics from the weekend:

My amazing date.

Rehearsal

With the happy couple at the rehearsal dinner

Becoming Mr. & Mrs. Benson

The secret to our crazy happy marriage? He laces the track, I lock the flow.

One of the most beautiful weddings I've ever been to!

We didn't get a pic with our new sister-in-law, so we got creative. What can we say? We think she's pretty amazing.

 

So happy for Mr. & Mrs. Benson!

Beach Bag Must-Haves

In the midst of a crazy work week  month  three-months, I've hardly had time to think about all the fun coming up this month. We have a super-fun weekend ahead as my sweet brother-in-law is getting married in Tulsa. We're so pumped for all the wedding fun and of course, we're excited to gain a new sister!

And in exactly one week, Greg and I will be on vacay in Key West, which we've been thinking about/planning/waiting for since December! In preparation for our upcoming beach vacay, I thought I'd share some of my favorite items I keep in my beach/pool bag.



1.  Obsessed with this beach bag
2. Extra-long beach towel
3. Coppertone Faces Sunscreen
4. Sunglasses (these seem to give minimal tan lines on the face)
5. Beach Towel Clips (they keep your towel attached to your lounge chair without slipping)
6. Fresh Sugar Lipcare (Mine was a Birchbox treat!)
7. Cute Coverup
8. Mindless Reading Material

Any other beach bag must-haves? Has anyone ever used these chair clips? Ah-mazing!

Happy Summer!