Happy Thanksgiving!!

We have so much to be thankful for...loving families close-by, great jobs, wonderful friends, good health...we hope that each of you (if anyone actually reads this blog) have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday... Next year, we are going to strive for better picture-taking smiles...as this is the ONLY picture Justin would take with me...

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Black Friday...

Katie's 3rd Birthday

Here are a few pics of our favorite niece in Birmingham who celebrated her 3rd birthday with a princess-themed playground party...

Uncle J-Loh gave Katie a soccer ball...very appropriate...but I think the most favorite gift was her scooter from her aunt Tay-Tay (Cobbie's sister).

Little does Katie know that her world is about to be rocked by identical twin girl sisters...coming December 2010/January 2011...we can't wait!

Taco Soup - thanks mom!

So...we took a small break from all the house projects this weekend...well, actually, we had to take a small break...the short story is that we had a rain delay. We were going to spend most of Saturday emptying our storage unit and putting bedrooms together, but we woke up to rain Saturday morning and it did not stop until late afternoon.

So I ventured out to the grocery (yay!) and put together this easy Taco Soup in the Crock-Pot...recipe compliments of my momma Lola...

Ingredients:
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 packet of Ranch dressing/seasoning mix
1 packet of Taco Seasoning (I used an extra 1/4 packet too)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can Rotel (mild)
2 cans black beans
2 cans Golden Hominy
1 can white shoepeg corn

Directions:
Place chicken in bottom of Crock pot and season with Ranch and Taco packets.
Pour all other ingredients on top (all juices).
Cook on low all day.
Remove chicken breasts, shred them, and add them back to soup.
Let cook ~30 more minutes.
Serve with shredded cheese and a dollop of sour cream.

I made corn bread muffins to go with it - also easy and quick.

Justin loved every bite of 4 bowls of this soup!!! It makes enough for a crowd and is definitely great for a rainy day watching football!!

Enjoy!!

Step Two: Floors Refinished!!

Well, its been a few weeks now since we had the floors refinished, and Justin and I have been busy with the after-math of refinishing hardwood floors. Not only is there clean-up to do, but we also decided that since the floors looked so nice and new, that the paint in each of the rooms needed to be freshened-up...

We wanted to paint the office first since it is important that Justin have a place for paperwork, conference calls, etc, while he is at home. Three coats of red paint later and I swore that the next time I wanted a red room, I would hire the professionals to come do it!! Agh...it took two weeks and help from Wayne to get it to the point where we were happy with the finished product.

We also painted the front room a light blue and the back bedroom green.

Here are some pics...

This is the "back master" bedroom mid-sanding...it is the originial master for the house, before the addition was put on:

This is the front bedroom, also mid-sanding. The guys from Mike Elliston Hardwood Flooring spent 6 hours sanding the three rooms and the hallway.

Same bedroom as above, after sanding, staining, and two coats of polyurethane.

After-pic of the hallway:

Small area from hallway into the guest bathroom...beautiful, clean, stained hardwood floors...who knew that these old floors covered up with smelly carpet could shine like this!! We love them!!!

Next up...shoe molding installation and baseboard paint...then bringing in all of the bedroom furniture from our storage unit...more pics to come (hopefully sooner than later!!)!

Project Lohman: Step One

Well, as you know, I am slowly continuing my quest to make Justin's bachelor pad a comfortable home for two...well, I am very proud to say that in the last month, we have made one gigantic leap of progress!!

Half of the house, containing the original master bed and bath, another bedroom, a guest bathroom, and Justin's office, was carpeted for the last 6+ years. While the carpet in the rooms was not in horrendous shape, the hallway was beginning to show wear from lots of traffic over the years.

So Justin informed me one day not too long ago...he said "you know there is hardwood flooring underall the carpet!!" My response was to immediately try to pull up a corner to get a glimpse at the promised land...sure enough...hardwood floors lay under there...And this is what they looked like:

The front bedroom, aka Maddy's Room:

The original Master Bedroom on the back of the house...

Justin's office:

And the hallway connecting the bedrooms and the guest bathroom to the rest of the house:

And yes, that is a large puddle of dried paint on the hardwoods...someone did not take any caution when painting the house!! Not only was paint splattered everywhere...there were definitely marks of other substances...maybe a dog or two roamed these halls back when...

Looks pretty terrible huh?

The Windy City

This weekend Justin and I took a little break from all the house projects and disorder and craziness that surrounds them to go celebrate his friend Tracy's 30th birthday in Chicago. We flew out Saturday morning, getting to Chicago in time to enjoy a little sight-seeing before the birthday bash..

We ate Chicago-style deep dish pizza...

We walked and shopped along the Magnificent Mile:

We went to a local favorite, La Scarola, and learned what exactly "escarole" is and how to eat it...along with ravioli, halibut, and spemoni ice cream!

And after dinner, we went to our friend Tracy's 30th birthday roast...two comedians were hired by Tracy's parents to roast their daughter and son in front of 40 of their closest friends...it was hilarious and crude and such a fun time!

Little did we know that the next day, Sunday, we would spend 7 hours in airports - yes, O'Hare AND Midway, trying to get back to Memphis. IN the middle of the morning, a flight was completely canceled, leaving 150+ travelers scrambling for the empty seat in any and all other flights. Needless to say, we were out of luck...so at 5:20pm, Justin and I hopped into a rental car (THANK YOU DAVE ROBERTS) and drive the 8.5 hours home to Memphis.

WHAT A WEEKEND!

Goodbye Mimosa!

Goodluck and happy-home-owning to the new owner! I am sad to sell this house, but we are soooo happy not to have the responsibility anymore!

Weekend Warriors

Lots of fun and exciting things are happening around the Lohman housebold on Normandy...we are working hard on making our house a home...especially for me as I am the newbie in the house and on the block!! Justin has been hard at work in the yard making sure that we have the trimmest, fullest plot of grass on the street. He is making good use of his birthday presents (an edger and a hedge trimmer) and the end result is stupendous! Here he is, hard at work...

We have a very unique fence in the backyard, which, unfortunately, is showing its age. From our deck, we can see the neighbor's nice even fencing, and we have always wanted to have an upgrade of our own...so one steamy July 4th, Justin and I demo-ed the old fence in preparation for a new one...Here are the before and afters:

Old fence, lots of character, lots of deterioration:

Demolition day...

New fence...evenly spaced, built for privacy, and perfectly in line:

And below is the dog-run, an area surrounded in chain-link fence, which we cleared of nasty vines and weeds.

And the view from the back of the yard, combining the deck and patio and new fencing.

We are so happy with the end result...we have hopes to continue the fencing in the back, but will probably save that sweaty work for another summer... For now, we can't wait for the weather to cool off so we can have people over on the deck and enjoy the great outdoor space! For now, we have moved inside to start other, more ambitious projects (i.e....stay tuned...more to come!)!!!

Spoiled rotten...and wanting more!!

Yes, it's true...I am totally spoiled...I have been to two different beaches in the last two weeks. Justin and I went down to Pensacola for Memorial Day and then the next Friday, I took an entire week off of work to be with my parents in Sunset Beach, NC. I am rested, well-fed, sun-kissed, and relaxed...if I could only have more!!

Here are a few pics from the last few weeks...the view from the Lohman's condo never gets old...you can see down to Perdido Beach and usually can catch one heck of a sunset. We can only hope and pray that the oil does not devastate the beaches as they have predicted...

Justin and I have a favorite restaurant down in Pensacola called Dharma Blue...they have the BEST food...we always get a wide variety of sushi for the table and leave with full bellies!!

I was so glad to be able to spend the weekend with Justin and his family and our friend Doug, because, unfortunately, Justin was not able to join us in Sunset Beach...we missed him greatly!!

This is the few from the top of our rental house in Sunset Beach..

My parents and I had a wonderful time at the beach...we read books, we shopped the outlet malls, we played ladder golf - a new beach game, and we soaked up the sunrays!! I flew home to Memphis Thursday night, the same night Justin was flying home from his national work meeting in Richmond, VA. We had planned a rendezvous in the Atlanta airport, but delays in flights ruined our plans! Fortunately, we were able to spend the day together Friday, planning for our first weekend of World Cup Soccer action.

Since the soccer games started at 6:30am Saturday morning, Justin DVR'd them and invited some guys over for breakfast and soccer...I decided to concoct something scrumptious, and found this recipe for Sausage Breakfast Casserole. It was delicious!

Happy fellas...comfy couch, soccer-mania, and good food...And just who is spoiled now???

Abundant Sunshine...

Yes, that was the weather forecast for the weekend of Justin and my wedding...it was amazingly perfect...and it seems it is now the theme for the past few days in Sunset Beach...abundant sunshine. The beach weather also brings abundant wind, water, sand, and suntan...all a welcome break from the grind of work.

Short Update...

So...Life has been slightly hectic, as is slowly becoming the norm for me...My house is still on the market with enough showings to keep me hopeful that the right buyer and contract is on its way! Work is crazy...I am the only NP working the week after Memorial Day - which means, 5 days are scrunched into four and I am running all day long!! However, I am always happy to see that someone in my family is relaxed and getting some much-needed rest! This is Maddy, my gray tabby that I adopted in Nashville, sleeping on the kitchen table...totally inappropriate but definitely cute. (Don't tell Justin)

My good friend, and maid-of-honor Brook came back up to Memphis in May for BBQ Fest...we all met out at the Blue Monkey for some good times and catching up...I hadn't been on the bar scene in awhile, and we had a blast!!

Tomorrow is Justin's 30th birthday...and we are heading to Sunset Beach, North Carolina, to be with my family...this is always a much-anticipated trip for me...but unfortunately falls on a bad week for Justin this year. He has a work meeting in Virginia, he is missing the finals of his men's league soccer tournament, AND he has to fly on his birthday....POO! I hope the hedge trimmer I got him for his birthday makes up for all of that! HA!

Anyways, Wayne and Maria (Justin's parents) came over last night to celebrate the big 3-0 and I tried out a new scallop recipe that I had pulled out of Coastal Living. The Lohmans brought fresh scallops up from Pensacola, FL, and we put together the delicious meal and festively fun time! I am sad that these might be the last gulf scallops we have for a while...seeing how the oil was 6 miles from Pensacola this morning...

Happy Birthday to my fantastic husband!

Mimosa Avenue

It is definitely a bittersweet feeling to see the Crye-Leike sign in the front yard of my house on Mimosa...I worked so hard to buy this house and fix it up, and I am so proud of the way it shines. It will be hard to part with it after four years full of memories...on the other hand, selling it seems to symbolize for me the end of my bachelorette days and the beginning of my life with Justin...and nothing has ever made me happier.

When I bought my house, it did not have exterior shutters. One night, on the way home from Ronnie Grisantis, my dad found some awesome custom wodden shutters that someone had grown tired of and put out on the curb for the garbage (or neighbors) to pick up. My dad sanded the shutters, and cut one set down to size, and then we painted them green...they look amazing! Justin and I had our first kiss on this front porch...

I spent most of my time in this living room, surrounded by my grandmother's wonderful antique furniture...while it may not be the style Justin would have chosen, he has grown to love and value these antiques as much as I do...they will eventually make their way to our house on Normandy Lane.

Ahh...the kitchen...the heart of the home...I had planned to re-do the kitchen from the get-go and got so far as to have estimates for the flooring and granite countertops, as well as have purchased new hardware and paint for the cabinets. Wedding planning got in the way of doing this facelift, but shortly after returning from our honeymoon, my dad, my father-in-law, and Justin and I painted, changed the hardware, and installed new lighting. Two days after that, new granite countertops were installed...I could drool on them...but I hope to not own them much longer!!

And this is the second bedroom, my office, and a storage center...when you only have two bedrooms, they serve multiple roles!

BUT, as much as I miss my Mimosa house, I am slowly seeing pieces of me around Justin's house, well, make that our house... We had my parents over for dinner to celebrate my dad's birthday, and we were able to set a beautiful table with our new china...and of course, enjoy a wonderful meal together.

Goodnight!

"You Make the Best...."

This post will be a little off the beaten path...but that's what a blog is for right?

So I have a real desire to be a good cook...I come from a family full of them...my parents, both grandmothers, cousins, aunts, etc....they are all phenomenal cooks. We celebrate our holidays, our birthdays, our promotions, our marriages, everything, together around food...and it never disappoints.

I have always yearned for my future husband to be able to say, "Gosh honey, you make the best_____" Now that I have succeeded in getting the husband, I am constantly striving towards hearing those words!! I have tried lots of different recipes in our two years of dating, 9 months of engagement, and now 6 weeks of marriage. Most recipes are pretty straightforward, some a little complicated, some from the Food Network channel, some from my grandmother's recipes, and some made from my imagination...

Well I am proud to say that I have succeeded...Justin thinks I make the BEST guacamole!! Seriously, its the simplest dang recipe you could ever imagine, but he will literally roll around on the ground and beg me to make it!! I just finished making some, and it took less than 15 minutes, chills in the fridge for an hour, and he will come home from soccer and lick the bowl clean!!

And since good recipes are made to be shared, here it is:

From www.allrecipes.com, "The Best Guacamole:"
2 avocados
1/2 lemon, juiced (I usually use more, depending on the size of the avocados)
2 TBSP chopped onion (again, I usually use more, about 1/2 of a medium onion, look for good consistency)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 TBSP olive oil
Chopped tomato if desired (I do not usually add this, as Justin is not a huge tomato fan)

Directions: Halve each avocado and remove the seed. Scoop out the pulp and mash with a fork. Mix in all other ingredients and chill in fridge for an hour!! Serve with chips of your choice and enjoy!!!

My best advice is buy avocados about 2 days before you want to make this...as the grocery sometimes only has rock-hard avocados. If they are slighly soft they are ready for action!!

Hope your family enjoys it as much as mine does!!

Some wedding pics....

I have to play catch-up for a few posts...and I think its important to start out this new blog with some actual pics of the big day...but sadly, I had decided that I would not tote around my camera once I was all dressed up in my gown and veil and make-up and garter and shoes and blue string tied into my gown...so I don't have lots of actual wedding pics to share, but I'll post some of the wedding events before we walked down the aisle....

Below are the ladies that have stood beside me throughout my life...they have shaped me into the person I am today, and I continue to learn from them and have fun with them...my bridesmaids (Margaret, Alexis, Cobbie, Whitney, Katie Cobb, Brook and Liz...this pic is missing Ellen- she was already back at work when this pic was taken) are some of my closest friends and family and I am so grateful you all were there with me on my wedding day!!!

Then, we rehearsed for the big day...Idlewild Presbyterian Church in Memphis is the most beautiful church I have ever seen, and I feel lucky to be able to be married there...it was surreal to be married in the church where my parents were married and where I grew up going to Sunday School, playing church league basketball and soccer, and going to youth conferences. It is also the same place where I graduated from high school.
The rehearsal was followed by an absolutely amazing rehearsal dinner down at the Ornamental Metal Museum...the sunset on the river was gorgeous and the weather was fantastic!
AND...the wonderful wedding weekend was followed by a week-long honeymoon to Savannah, GA, and Hilton Head Island...and that deserves a post of its own!! Here is a sneak peak...both pics are at dinner...the first at the Olde Pink House in Savannah and the second at an Italian place whose name escapes me right now...(old married lady status is kicking in...)

More to come later on!! I am tired and this computer is slow on the picture downloads!