I Want it All

I want it all, and I want it right now! I haven't really done a "home tour" of the new house yet because I've got a couple of significant craft projects happening soon, and I also want to invest in a few new purchases. It's amazing how quickly you can decide you are ready for a new look, but I'm really tying to prepare for the future. Someday the 'fancee' and I will live together, and I highly doubt he wants to drown in all of my pink things. So I'm slowly transitioning out of the pink/gray/blue/white thing I had going on, and am focusing on more gray/white with some blue. Calming colors.

I would really like to get a new sofa and rug for the living room. Sofa because I'm tired of the fabric cover and the original fabric underneath keeps tearing, and rug because my new living room is much bigger than the last and it is all dark, hardwood. Beautiful floors, but I'm really not a sock girl and I need something soft underneath my tootsies. And since my Sweet Magnolia Cottage is surrounded by lots of old trees, I thought a big white rug would brighten up the room.

Now for decision time...what color for this couch? I'm definitely leaning towards this style from Rooms-to-Go, but don't know which color to pick! Maybe after seeing it in person I'll be able to decide...and once I paint my wing back chair gray, that may make my decision.

Rugs can be quite pricey, but Rugs USA has great prices and amazing sales! The rug below is originally $296 for the 6'7" x 9' size that I want, but is currently 55% off with free shipping. A big rug for less than $150? Sign me up!

Oh, and can I just have these cutesy C. Wonder sunnies while we're at it? 

Chunky Square Cat Eye Sunglasses

A Little Note of Appreciation

I wanted to take a moment and just brag a little on my wonderful fiance. He is such a gentleman, who takes wonderful care of me, and loves me like no other. We have been through a lot this past year, and I've put him through a lot as well, and he's stuck by me through it all. We're able to spend a lot of time together now that we only live an hour apart, and I'm so thankful. Last week, I came home from work to find that he had surprised me by completing a ton of the "I need to do this..." things around my house. He's helping me refine my tennis skills, cooks the best dinners for me {seriously. He make eggplant parm last week and brought it to work for us Chamber ladies--what a gem!}, listens to my not-so-funny jokes, and always makes me laugh. 

I'm so very proud of him for completing his first year of pharmacy school last month. He'll be starting rotations in just a few weeks, and I can't wait to see what else is in store for him, and for the both of us!

Front Porch Sittin'

What a weekend! Was it hot where you were? Each day this weekend hit 100 degrees but that didn't stop me and the "fancee" from having an extremely productive weekend. Friday and Saturday night, once it cooled off just a tad, we headed out and played an hour or so of tennis. We're both learning, but it was really fun! I definitely saw some improvement in both of us by the end of the weekend.

Saturday was all about home improvement, which I love. Christopher had already done some things on the "Honey-do list" earlier in the week, and I'm feeling more and more at home with each passing day. We enjoyed a delicious lunch at Cook-Out {yay! Thanks for listening to my emails and coming to Statesboro!} before we headed to the University Store on campus to pick up a few alumni goodies. Then we headed to my favorite place ever--Walker Boutique.

This amazing pharmacy turned boutique has the most beautiful home goods, clothing, and jewelry {lots of which is handmade by Mrs. Devra Walker herself!} you'll find anywhere. We will definitely be registering there when that time comes. Anyways, I was able to pick up a beautiful wooden 'D' initial to use as my summer wreath for the front door. After trips to Wal-Mart, Lowes, and Hobby Lobby, I secured the ultimate in summer decor--an American Flag--some Adirondack style chairs, and a cutesy table on sale at Hob Lob for only $16. I was so excited to get them on the front porch along with a lamp, and of course the bug repellent lantern! I'm loving how it turned out; what do you think?

To check out Walker Boutique's amazingness, visit them at http://www.walkerboutique.com/

On My Radar

Summer is supposed to be relaxing, right? Not for this girl! I'm busy, busy, busy, and I love it! I'm finding hardly any time to get a blog post in with the new job, settling in to my new home {I decided on Sweet Magnolia Cottage, btw.}, and visiting with friends.

Here are a few things that are currently on my radar:

1. Avon FEMME: "It's your moment to shine. AVON FEMME captivates from day to night. An elegant fragrance with sparkling freshness and opulent florals. Rich jasmine petals and stunning magnolia touched with radiant amberwoods. Luxuriously long-lasting, for hour after hour of beautiful scent." I am so in love with this perfume. It smells like "me," and "me" is really picky about fragrances. I like clean and crisp, and this scent adds floral tones to the perfect degree.
   
2. All over Pinterest, I see recipes for making your jewelry shine like new. But the ingredient list is half a mile long, and seems to include some of the strangest things. I've always used the old "toothpaste and used toothbrush" method of cleaning for my rings, with pretty good results. Last night, while trying to get old oil stains out of some t-shirts, I tried something new: baking soda and dish soap. I was scrubbing the paste like mixture onto the set-in oil stains with an old toothbrush, and just thought I'd give it a whirl on my ring. Whoa! Bling, bling! It was more sparkly than after getting it cleaned at the jewelers!                                                                  
   
3. It's peach season! I love peaches {but not peach flavored things...}. Recently, I've discovered a new favorite way to make a little peach dessert. I like the skin {Christopher is not a fan, so I have to peel his}, so I  just slice a few peaches and put them on the George Foreman grill for a few minutes until they're tender and warm. Then I sprinkle them with a generous amount of brown sugar and cinnamon and, enjoy! Tastes just like peach cobbler, but faster, easier, and healthier. 

   

   Photo via

   
   

The Original NILLA Banana Pudding

Y'all. I love banana pudding. What southern girl doesn't? And I'm like, super particular about the kind of banana pudding I prefer. Must have vanilla pudding, not banana flavored pudding {yuck}. Must have merengue topping, not Cool Whip. And the ultimate requirement? Nilla wafers. No imitations allowed. None of that generic, store-bought nonsense, please. 

One day, I decided to tweet about my love of BP {follow me! @Priss_N_Pink}, which is especially strong in the summertime. Nilla Wafer's Twitter account, @NillaWafers, sympathized with my inability to turn down the banana goodness, and after a sweet little convo, they sent me these goodies! A box of cookies, recipe cards and a magnet to display them, and a cute little spatula to whip up some yummies whenever I want!

Their recipe for banana pudding is the best! I mean, of course it is...it's the original!

Original NILLA Banana Pudding

prep time: 30 min

total time: 50 min 

makes: 12 servings, 2/3 cup each

What you need:

3/4 cup sugar, divided

1/3 cup flour

Dash of salt

3 eggs, separated

2 cups milk

1/2 tsp. vanilla 

45 NILLA Wafers, divided

5 medium ripe bananas, sliced (about 3-1/2 cups) 

Make it: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix 1/2 cup of the sugar, flour and salt in top of double boiler. Blend in 3 egg yolks and milk. Cook, uncovered, over boiling water 10-12 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. 

Reserve 12 of the wafers for garnish. Spread small amount of custard onto bottom of 1-1/2-quart baking dish; cover with layers of 1/3 each of the remaining wafers and sliced bananas. Pour about 1/3 of the remaining custard over bananas. Continue to layer wafers, bananas and custard to make a total of 3 layers of each, ending with custard. 

Beat egg whites on high speed of electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Spoon over custard; spread evenly to cover entire surface of custard and sealing well to edge.

Bake 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly. Top with reserved 12 wafers just before serving. 

**I was not compensated in any way for this blog post. All opinions and photos are my own.**

What's in a Name?

Happy June! Today marks one week in my new home. In honor of such a memorable occassion, I'm requesting your assistance in today's new home project: naming my house. I am truly at loss when it comes to what to call my Home-Sweet-Home! Homes with great names tell great stories...Downton Abbey, Tara, Wuthering Heights, Twelve Oaks...and I'm ready to have my great story told. 

My little house has some quirky characteristics for sure as it's old, white brick, with a nice front porch on Park Ave. If you could name a house, what would it be? Park Palace? The Lemonade Stand {submitted by the mother}? Leave your suggestions below!