Why my friends are the best...

I left work last night feeling utterly exhausted.  (And I apologize for sounding like a broken record, but you guys know that I endeavor to keep things real around here.)  Since Micah was out of town for the evening, I treated myself to a dinner consisting of a Sonic strawberry limeade and cheese tator tots.  (Desperate times call for desperate measures...)

When I got home I threw my stuff on the counter, ignored all the dishes in the sink, promptly stripped off my work pants (again, y'all, just keeping it real), and fell onto the couch to watch some DVR'd episodes of Glee before the Grey's premier came on.  About halfway through the Britney tribute 2.0 (love!), Lilly started barking her little heart out.  So I peeked out the window, caught the glimpse of a car pulling up, and ran as fast as I could to grab any pair of pants that I could find.

When I made it back out to the living room, I opened the front door and saw my two best friends coming up the front walk carrying pizza, flowers, red velvet cake, and a present!

  

(They tried to get me to check my Instagram so that I could see that they were waiting outside, but apparently I was too busy scrambling to put on pants to notice their text...)

They had seen in yesterday's post that Micah was going to be gone for the evening and decided to surprise me with an impromptu girls' night! 

How perfect, right?

We spent the evening hanging out, watching Grey's, and generally just getting in loads of quality girl time.

(The present was J.K. Rowling's new book!)

I seriously can't explain how much I love these girls.  I think I need to tell Micah to hit the road more often! ;)

Thankful Thursdays (Link Up!)...

My best friend tells me that she can tell how busy my life is by how often I'm blogging.  Ha.

But I couldn't very well miss Thankful Thursdays could I?  So I'm making time today because I honestly always feel better and lighter when I take the time to remember how very blessed I am. 

<div align="center"> <a href="http://loveandlovely.blogspot.com/" title="Thankful Thursdays" target="_blank"><img src="http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/uu201/ryanahargrave/Blog%20Design%20Images/final-TT-blog-button.png" alt="Loved and Lovely" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

{I'm thankful} that, although Micah's going to be out of town tonight, it's only for one night.  And it'll give me the chance to enjoy Grey's Anatomy in peace. :)

{I'm thankful} that our sweet nephew turned TWO this week and that we get to celebrate on Saturday.

This picture makes me want to CRY!  When did this tiny little thing turn into a toddler?

{I'm thankful} that my husband didn't complain when I told him I'd rather have Olive Garden than cook dinner last night. 

{I'm thankful} to have sweet work friends who recognize how badly we're all in need of relaxation.  So we're all meeting up on Saturday evening for massages and dinner.  Amen.

{I'm thankful} that, as of this time next month, I'll be THISCLOSE to starting trial.  So excited.  (That makes me a freak, doesn't it?)

And, as always, {I'm thankful} to be married to the smartest, most handsome, most perfect man in existence.  Did I mention that he's handsome?

Alright, y'all.  What are you guys thankful for this week?  Link up and tell us!

Also linking up with black tag diaries, The Fontenot Four, First Day of my Life, kate says stuff, and  a punk a pumpkin and a peanut.

Men are from Mars...

My husband is much less of a question mark to me now than he was when we first started dating.  Back then, he was much more reserved than he was now (those of you who know him in real life are likely wondering how that's even possible, as he's still fairly quiet around most people), and serious conversations with him were liking pulling teeth.  In fact, our song, which we played at our wedding, is Alison Krauss's When You Say Nothing at All.  So, so perfect for us.

But as the years have gone by (how can it have been TEN years already?!), he has become less mysterious and more hilarious to me.  And uncovering all of his quirks and idiosyncrasies along the way has been one of my favorite parts of our relationship.  For example, Micah can't stand it when I squeeze his fingertips.  And he doesn't like it when I tell him no... go figure... :).  But he loves when I snuggle up next to him in church, and he likes to chase me around the house (which I'm actually not crazy about).

One thing that has really helped us figure out how to love one another is learning what our love languages are.  Ree posted briefly about love languages a couple of days ago, and it reminded me what a difference our knowledge of one another's love languages has made in our marriage.  You can learn more about them here, but love languages are essentially the five universal ways that people express and receive love.  They are Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service, and Physical Touch.

It probably won't surprise you to know that words of affirmation are one my primary languages (I'm mushy and verbose.  Oops!).  Tied with words of affirmation is quality time, and physical touch comes in a close third.  For Micah, acts of service are the most important, with quality time and physical touch coming in second and third.

So thankfully we're pretty similar, but there's still a bit of a disconnect.  Whereas Micah feels loved when I pay the bills or sit on the line with customer service so that he doesn't have to, I feel loved when he tells me he is proud of me or writes me a sweet note.  Discovering that was HUGE for us because, for the longest time, Micah couldn't understand why I didn't equate love with his sweeping the floor, and I was perplexed that he didn't feel cherished when I showered him with praise and sweet letters.

Now, we both make an effort to express love in ways that the other person will appreciate.  I just ordered Micah his new iPhone without him having to ask so that he wouldn't have to deal with it.  Micah tries to send me sweet texts and emails so that I feel appreciated. 

And it also goes the other direction.  I try to see his acts of service as expressions of love, and he does the same with my words of affirmation.  And we both cherish the time we spend together, as work and long commutes keep us apart more often than we'd like.  That way we're not overlooking the sacrifices and efforts the other is making.

You can figure out what your love languages are by taking an assessment here.  (And, if you're lucky, you can hoodwink your spouse/significant other into taking one, too. :))  Hopefully it will be as eye-opening for you as it was for us.  This marriage thing isn't always a cakewalk, but it is, without a doubt, the most rewarding part of my life.

Thankful Thursdays (Link Up!)...

<div align="center"> <a href="http://loveandlovely.blogspot.com/" title="Thankful Thursdays" target="_blank"><img src="http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/uu201/ryanahargrave/Blog%20Design%20Images/final-TT-blog-button.png" alt="Loved and Lovely" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Holy cow.  I've been going ninety to nothing this morning at work and am just coming up for air!  And in light of my CRAZY week, I've just got one big thankful today.

{I'm thankful} that tomorrow is FRIDAY!

via

Can I get an amen?

What are you gals thankful for this week?



Also linking up with black tag diaries, The Fontenot Four, First Day of my Life, kate says stuff, and  a punk a pumpkin and a peanut.

Oh How Pinteresting {Healthy Recipes}...

I haven't linked up with The Vintage Apple for Oh How Pinteresting in practically forever, but I'm dedicating today's post to the {relatively} healthy recipes I want to try and make in the next couple of weeks.  I'm determined to get my eating back on track,  y'all.  :)

Weight Watchers Mushroom Bisque

Zucchini Lasagna

Smudgies

Baked Pickles

Skinny Crockpot Chicken and Rice

Italian Chicken

Dried Strawberries

Cheesy Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Baked Chicken

Raspberry Vinaigrette Salad

Weight Watchers Cheesy Soup

How good do these dishes look, y'all?  Who says food that's good for you can't be tasty, too!

I'm running tonight...

... for the first time in approximately two months.

I'm going to make it happen, even though I have about a bazillion things going on right now.

So I'm telling you all so that, when I finally make it home tonight and feel the urge to strip off my work clothes and collapse onto the couch, I'll remember that I committed to getting off my lazy behind and put on my running shoes instead.  It certainly won't be pretty, but at least it'll be something.

via

(And if you need some inspiration to get moving, go check out my Feelin' Good board on Pinterest.  It's definitely to blame for my newfound motivation.)

Softball, toilet paper, and red velvet brownies...

I'm in need of another weekend, y'all.  Stat.  It was wonderful but exhausting, and this girl needs to nap. ("Guys!  You've gotta let me nap!"  Name that TV show quote.)

On Friday, we had Mexican food with my Dad and stepmom.  We hit the hay early that night because Micah agreed to play in a charity softball tournament in our hometown the next day, and we had to get up early to be out there by 8:30. 

It was a double elimination, and our team played fabulously all day long, (and I do mean all day long...) but didn't win.  On the plus side, though, during a break between games, I got to go love on my little niece and my brother and Faith's new puppy, Grits.  The cuteness was almost too much, and I got some good snuggles from Miss Stella. 

Plus I got to hang out with my bestest and her sweet family all day long, so my sunburned nose was totally worth it.  (But I'm telling you guys, I look like Rudolph.  Not cool.)  I also saw a few people from high school that I hadn't seen in forever, which was also nice.

We had planned on grabbing dinner with Micah's parents afterward, but I wasn't feeling very well, so we headed home and watched more Mad Men.

On Sunday, we woke up to this.

As one of my Facebook friends said, you have officially arrived when a teenager things you're stuffy enough to toilet paper your house.  Having toilet papered more than a few yards in my day, I honestly thought it was pretty funny.  Micah, being the kind of person who would NEVER act so inconsiderately, did not.  We got it picked up fairly quickly, though, and apparently the vandals were friendly -- they said "hey" in sidewalk chalk on our driveway in the back.  :)

I still wasn't feeling fabulously that morning, so we missed church.  We did go over to my mom's house so that Micah could help my stepdad with a sprinkler head, and I got lots of quality visiting time with my sweet momma. :)

On Sunday afternoon, Micah watched football while I worked, and then I made these beauties.

Why yes, those are red velvet brownies.

You guys.  I'm not sure I'll ever be able to be satisfied with plain brownies ever again.  These things had the perfect texture, flavor, and just a hint of chocolate.  I loved, loved, LOVED them!  If you're suddenly finding yourself craving red velvet brownies, you can find the recipe here.  These will definitely be a go-to recipe the next time I need to take something to a party/get together.  And how fun would they be for Christmas?!

So that's what we did this weekend.  What did you guys do?

Oh!  And last, but not least, here's this week's Project Scripture verse.

Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

Happy memorizing!

Sephora love...

Is it completely ridiculous that I have absolutely zero to share today but still wanted to check in and say hello anyway?  This blogging -- it's a drug, I tell you.

Know what else is a drug?  Sephora.  With its free samples and free shipping (when you're a true addict like me and spend over $50 on your purchase) and lovely things.  My latest purchase included these lovelies.

One.  Ojon Full Detox Rub-Out Dry Cleansing Spray. 

via

I'm pretty sure I've written about this product before, but in case you've forgotten, it's my favorite dry shampoo.  I don't like to wash/style my hair every day because (1) I'm lazy and (2) heat-styling your hair every day isn't ideal.  So on day two (and, let's be honest, sometimes days three and four) I blast my roots with this stuff and freshen them up.  On day two, I can sometimes wear it down again, but by day three, it's almost got to go up at least partway. 

Two.  Butter Polish in Teddy Girl.

via

I love Butter polish.  It's expensive, but it seems to last a bit longer, and it goes on SO pretty and smooth!  I haven't tried this color on my nails yet, but I'm usually a fan of a pale pink polish, so long as it isn't too yellow-y.

Three.  Dior's Diorshow Black Out Mascara.

via

I've shared about my mascara preferences before, and I'll go ahead and let you guys call me a flip-flopper on this one.  I do still love the Maybelline mascara, but I started to notice that by about 2:00 in the afternoon, it was starting to flake all over my face.  Maybe the waterproof formula was just too drying or something, but I went ahead and ordered Dior again and couldn't be happier.  It's much more expensive, but I have to use fewer coats to achieve a dramatic look than I do with the cheaper stuff, so I'm using less.  I even took a creepy/crappy iPhone picture of my eyes so you could see the mascara on a real, non-model human without eyelash extensions.

(The things I do in the name of informing the public. :)  And please pardon my eyebrows.  I'm scheduling a wax appointment right this very second.)

So there you have it.  Three things you should treat yourself to because you're a fabulous girl, and it's Friday, dadgummit!

Thankful Thursdays (Link Up!)

<div align="center"> <a href="http://loveandlovely.blogspot.com/" title="Thankful Thursdays" target="_blank"><img src="http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/uu201/ryanahargrave/Blog%20Design%20Images/final-TT-blog-button.png" alt="Loved and Lovely" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Can you guys believe that I totally forgot about my cool new Thankful Thursdays button the last couple of weeks?  If you feel so inclined, you guys can share the Thankful Thursdays love on your blogs when you link up. :) 

Now on to this week's thankfuls.

{I'm thankful} that, once again, the Creamy Garlic Pasta was phenomenal last night.

via

Seriously, you guys.  If you didn't heed my advice and make it the last time I posted about it, please do yourselves a favor and make it right this second.  Well maybe not right this second, but at your earliest convenience. :)  And I'll suggest that you use shredded Parmesan cheese rather than grated.  (Because grated Parmesan cheese isn't really cheese in my opinion, and the shredded stuff has a much better flavor.)

{I'm thankful} that I managed to resist the urge to stop and get donuts for breakfast this morning.  It took more resolve than I thought I had to keep on driving by.

{I'm thankful} that my husband came home at a reasonable time last night.  He's been busy at work this week too, and I'll be happy when things slow down for him.

{I'm thankful} that this seemingly endless Texas summer appears to be coming to an end.  Maybe you don't know this about me, but I hate Texas summers.  HATE them.  I hate the heat.  I hate sweating.  I hate allergies.  I hate it all.  So this girl's pretty ecstatic that fall is right around the corner. :)

{I'm thankful} to have discovered the 90s Alternative station on Pandora.  It takes me back, y'all.  Love.

{I'm thankful} that I get to watch my husband in his element on a softball field this weekend.  Too bad this charity tournament doesn't require him to sport his baseball pants.  Micah in baseball pants is my favorite.  :)

Alright y'all.  Tell us what YOU'RE thankful for this week! 

Also linking up with black tag diaries, The Fontenot Four, First Day of my Life, kate says stuff, and  a punk a pumpkin and a peanut.

What's up with us...

After several comments from loving friends/family about how long it has been since I posted, I thought I'd check in so you guys didn't worry that I disappeared off the face of the earth. ;)

I'm sure it isn't shocking that deadlines at work have kept me busy, but thankfully things should slow down at least a teensy bit tomorrow.  Hallelujah.  I'm working on a case that's going to trial next month, and while I love this part at the end of the case (particularly the trial, itself), it's just insane how busy it gets.  Miraculously, though, I was able to take this past weekend off and spend some much-needed time with my love.  (Plus I got TWO naps in.  Amen.)

Between naps, I managed to accomplish three important things. 

          One.  I finally had my pumpkin spice latte.  Love, love, love.

          Two.  I made to almost the end of season three of Dawson's Creek.  And as I was watching, I remembered how drama-filled my own high school life was.  It's so funny how important it all seemed at the time...

          Three.  I had Thai food.  Man, I love Thai food.  But I only ever order pad thai or cashew chicken and should probably branch out.  What do you guys usually order at Thai restaurants?

In case you were curious, Lilly spent the weekend perched on this particular stair.

Such a strange little girl.  Perhaps she's slightly like her mommy in that way. ;)

Oh!  And I almost forgot, here's this week's Project Scripture verse:

Psalm 34:8 "Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him."

And that's what's up with us.  What's up with you guys?

Things...

1.     Yesterday's deadline got pushed to next week. 

Which is good and bad.  It's good because we needed the extra time.  It's bad because pushing back deadlines always feels like I studied my butt off for a test but didn't get to take it, so then I just have to study my butt off some more. 

2.     In other work news, today is my secretary's birthday. 

It's weird enough to have a secretary (I always feel like a kid playing grownup when I have to ask her to do something), but picking out gifts for her is always such a struggle for me.  I'm not a very good gift giver anyway, and shopping for people at work is downright anxiety-inducing, so I usually end up just going with gift cards.  #suchaslacker (#suchalame-o for blogging in hashtags.  #whatevs.)

3.     Micah picked up dinner and loaded AND unloaded the dishwasher the other night. 

Without me asking.  At the risk of sounding like a brag-a-saurus, I'll go ahead and tell you guys that he does things like this for me all the time.  And, to top it all off, he's ridiculously good-looking.

I'm totally a brag-a-saurus, I know.  But mostly I'm just so thankful to have scored this guy.

4.     I didn't watch the VMAs last night. 

I didn't even know they were on until I heard a recap on the radio this morning.  That makes me old, doesn't it?  I'm pretty sure the last VMAs show that I watched was this one.

via

5.     I haven't made dinner one single night this week. 

Nope, not one.

6.     I still haven't had a pumpkin spice latte.

But it's happening this afternoon.  It's definitely happening.  I've been anxiously awaiting the arrival of my favorate seasonal Starbucks drink for months, and I have a Starbucks in my building.  So there's just no excuse for my laziness.

7.     It's Friday, y'all.

I think this one speaks for itself, no?

Thankful Thursdays (Link Up!)...

I've got a crazy deadline at work today, so I'm going to have to leave it to you guys to count out your blessings!  So go on -- link them up! :)

I feel all fancy...

Did you guys see my cute new social media icons over there to the right?

I've had Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram accounts for awhile now, but I recently created a Facebook page for the blog.  I'm hoping to be able to get to know more of you this way, so head on over and say hello! :)

In other news, I'm in Austin for the day for work.  It's a short day trip, and hopefully we'll get our stuff done early and I can catch an earlier flight.  This girl is not excited about landing in Dallas at 8 pm...

Hope you all are having a lovely Wednesday.  Don't you just love short weeks?!

Lazy bones...

It's almost embarassing how lazy we were this weekend.  

I told Micah that I wanted a weekend to rest and relax since we've been going nonstop for the last month.  And boy did he deliver.  We watched the entire first season of Mad Men (how GORGEOUS is January Jones?!  She makes me want to be a 60's housewife.  Minus her philandering husband, of course.).

via

I'm kind of obsessed, but Micah's not in love with the show, so I'm afraid I'll have to watch the other seasons when he's not around.  And speaking of things Micah's not in love with.

via

I also watched an entire season of Dawson's Creek.  I'm not sure that it's okay for a grown up attorney to still love this show, but I totally do.  And I'm not sorry.  These overly analytical, hormonal teenagers made working from home on Friday much more enjoyable.

And I did have to work some this weekend, but again, I can't really complain when I'm in my sweatpants, plopped on the couch, recapturing the Dawson/Joey magic.  :)

We haven't been this lazy in a long time, but it was much-needed.  Apart from church, lunch with Micah's sweet family on Sunday, a quick visit with my brother and Faith (and STELLA!), and a trip to Home Depot, we didn't leave the house. 

So, unfortunately, that's about all I've got this morning.  Well that and this week's Project Scripture verse.

Mattew 6:21 "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Hope you all had a lovely long weekend!

Southern Cream Gravy...

There are few things in this world I love more than a plate of homemade biscuits and gravy.  I never really cared about them growing up, but when I started dating Micah, his mom made them for me once, and I couldn't get enough.  Now they're probably my favorite breakfast food.

I'll have to share her homemade biscuit recipe some other time, but today I'll tell you how she makes her southern cream gravy.  And then you'll thank me forever. :)

The ingredients are simple.  You need bacon drippings, flour, milk, salt, and pepper.  And I promise you, that's all you need.

So go ahead and fry up some bacon.

Oh, bacon.  How I love thee.  (But if for some reason you're crazy and are not a bacon lover, you can just as easily use vegetable oil.)

Once the bacon is finished (if you're curious, for me, finished means crispy on the edges and chewy in the middle), set aside the drippings.  Put them in a medium saucepan on medium heat.

The grease should still be pretty darned hot, so it shouldn't take long for it to get hot enough to add the flour.  If you want to check and see if it's ready, sprinkle a bit of flour in the pan.

If it bubbles, it's ready to go and you can add your flour.  Measure in the flour, and whisk it into the grease.  You should get a paste-like roux.

Now, the name of the game is whisking continuously.  Keep on a-whisking until the roux starts turning golden brown. 

Then, add in your milk.  And keep on whisking.

If you don't whisk it continuously, you'll get burned gravy on the bottom of the pan.  And burned gravy is a sin.  So, for the love of all that is holy, keep whisking. 

After about five minutes, you'll feel it start to thicken up a bit.  Depending on how much milk you add, you'll probably need to keep whisking.  It usually takes me about ten minutes to get to the consistency I like.

When it's almost done, add your salt and pepper to taste.  Be sure and add plenty of both, y'all.  You can't really over-pepper this stuff, and the salt brings out the flavor.

Once it's done, pour it over your biscuits, add a side of bacon, and enjoy yourself a proper Southern breakfast.

Southern Cream Gravy Recipe

serves four

Ingredients

1/2 c. bacon drippings (or vegetable oil)

1/2 c. flour

5 c. milk (more or less, depending on how thick you like your gravy)

1 t. salt (I'm estimating - could be more or less depending on your preference)

1 t. pepper

Directions

Heat bacon drippings on medium heat.  When hot, whisk in flour to make a roux.  Whisk continuously until roux turns golden brown, likely a minute or less.  Pour in milk.  Whisk continuously until gravy reaches desired consistency, eight to ten minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy y'all!