Park City in Pictures

With the second coat of our stain drying, and Mr. SE on the golf course, I'm ready to recap my trip to Park City. This was my first time to Utah, and I have to say it's breathtaking! I've never been in a mountain town before and boy is this place beautiful. The flight from Nashville was also quite scenic, as we flew over some of the most famous ski resorts in Colorado.

Park City looks like it should be under a Christmas tree! It's easy to navigate by the free bus system, or you can take a taxi anywhere for $12. We thought this was a pretty cool concept, since we sometimes had to go several miles w/4 people.  

*please scuse the blue tint- camera settings were off*

This is the turning point where I fixed my tint :)

Ps- While in Park City, I was introduced to two fun beers. The first is Wasatch Brew Pub Jalapeno Cream Ale and the second is Delerium Tremens (comes in a champagne bottle- how fun!)

Just Be Nice

Saw this on Natasha's blog the other day and I can't stop thinking about it. We could all benefit from the words on this card. After watching the B roll of the "Dinner Party From Hell", listening to drama at work, and living through drama in my own life, this card has more meaning then every. Just. Be. Nice. It's not that hard; and might even make you feel better.Not to mention, it's not just on the outside. IMHO, outside looks are relative- it's about the person that you are behind the skin.

The itself is from Operation Nice

Wildlife Sighting

In other news from Park City- I saw a moose! Perhaps you're not impressed, but I thought it was a pretty big deal. Also, a cute little field mouse ran by my feet during the snow storm. He was so cute and I wanted to pet him! I'm really fascinated by cold weather animals, maybe because we don't have a lot here in Tennessee. What's the coolest wild animal you've ever seen in person?

Park City

After our flight was canceled out of Salt Lake, we ran and made it onto the last call for a flight to Memphis, then rented a car and drove to Nashville. Glad to be home is an understatement. Now if I could just get Delta on the phone to find my bag.

Park City was gorgeous and I can't wait to return sometime with Mr. SE!

Getting Ready: The Guys

While we were getting ready at Hutton, the Mr. SE and his groomsmen were preparing for the ceremony across the street at The Courtyard Vanderbilt. I can't give a narrative since I wasn't there, but here's what they were up to...

. 

 Handsome groom arriving to the hotel- and getting ready to open his gift

 

 Love these socks that we picked up for all the groomsmen- such a fun touch!

 Mr. SE's older brother

 A little pre-ceremony cocktail, and fresh breath

 The custom card that I purchased from Etsy- it had a fish and said "you're the best catch".

 Looks like someone liked their wedding gift.

 These libations made their way over to the reception as well. Fun fact- the single barrel Jack Daniel's is made outside of Nashville!

  Father in law

Groomsmen Tyler getting his boutonniere

All images are from Gray Photography

Flowers by Brocade Designs
Socks from Express (summer 2010)

TV Time!

If that title instinctively made you sing "T-shirt time, t-shirt time" a la Pauly D- we're on the same page! Would you like to play a special edition of "What's On My DVR"? I thought so! I love TV and I'm not ashamed to admit it. Yesterday I read an article where Oprah said she thinks TV has been reduced to mind numbing trash, which is why she created her own network. Granted, I love OWN and their inspirational and thought provoking shows. But sometimes I just want to have my mind numbed! Especially after a 9 hour day at work.

We have 3 dvrs in our house, and they've become segmented. The bonus room has "our" shows, living room "sarah" shows, and bedroom "trash tv". Otherwise we'd encounter real problems on busy tv nights, like Wed or Thurs. That, and I love watching Jersey Shore before bed, so that's pretty much the only thing that's on the trashy dvr.

Now before you judge, I don't watch all of these shows every day they're on. Otherwise I'd never get up from in front of the TV. I generally watch shows a couple days late (except for The Bachelor), and I'll always catch up on Saturday mornings. The beauty of watching on the DVR is that you can cut out 1/3 of the run time by FF through commercials. Yeah, I've got this down to a science.

Our Shows

Glee

The Office

30 Rock

Modern Family

Outsourced

Police Women of ____ (we like them all)

Saturday Night Live

Mad Men

Private Practice

Gray's Anatomy

My Shows

Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (it ended too soon)

The Bachelor

Jersey Shore

Rachel Zoe Project

Anything HGTV

Millionaire Matchmaker

Selling New York

NATE BERKUS!!!!

Do you have any favorite shows right now? Or how about shows that you can't wait to return

(Mad Men and Army Wives- hello?)?!?

Superbowl Sunday

 Mr. SE's family is from Madison, WI. So of course we're pulling for the Packers!

Today is the day, friends! The day that Americans gather around their entirely large TV, eating very fatty food (while drinking beer), and cheering on their favorite teams. That's right, it's SUPERBOWL SUNDAY!!!!! Mr. SE and I are hosting a party for the big game and we're super excited. I spent most of yesterday tidying the house (and a trip to Ross for some fun home goods, but more on that later). Here's what we're going to have for the game....

Pioneer Woman Restaurant Style Salsa

I made this last night to let the flavors blend, and O.M.G. it is so good!

Turkey Chili (recipe from Mr. SE's Mama)

Pizza Rolls

Because my man loves them

Bean Dip and Guacamole 

courtesy of the lovely Mrs. Smith

White Wine Cake

Recipe from my Bridal Shower

Home Projects

Mr. SE and I have lots of projects around the hosue this weekend. From his media center, to my office, to our hotel inspired guest room-- we're going to be busy! Maybe it's the new year? Maybe it's reinstated creative energy after recouperating from a post-wedding burnout? Either way I'm excited!

This wreath is super cheerful and it gives me hope that early spring is just around the corner. After all, Punxsutawney Phil said we'll have an early spring (bless that groundhog).

image found on Birch + Bird (my new fave blog)

Do you have any projects lined up for this weekend?

200 And Beyond

Friends! I have some very exciting news to share. It's just occured to me that my sweet little blog has reached 200 followers. Thank you to all of you who stop by daily and leave sweet comments. I've had the pleasure of becoming real life friends with several of my first blog friends, and I hope to meet more of you in the future. Thank you for supporting my blog as my creative outlet in life!


*In return for all of your love and encouragement, I promise to post more in the coming months*

Warm Meals for Cold Nights

Winter dinners are the best! There's nothing like something warm bubbling in a slow cooker, or the wonderful smells that come from roasting veggies. My favorite roasting treat is red onions (sliced thick) and sweet potatoes. Toss those two in olive oil, salt, pepper, and rosemary...and hold on. Your kitchen is about to be filled with the most wonderful smells!

Last night I made Mr. SE the recipe below from my latest issue of Real Simple. He was in the garage working away on our media center (more to come), so I decided to treat him to something special. This dish received an A+ from both of us. The best part is that I'm eating the leftovers for lunch today!

*We used boneless butterflied pork chops, which I cut in half to make 4 servings
*Added 2tbsp apple cider vinegar to the pan while the pork chops were cooking
*Used collards instead of kale- my Georgia boy loves them!
*I added red onions and sweet potatoes to the roasted squash

Ingredients

• 1 small butternut squash (about 2 pounds)—peeled, seeded, and cut into 1 1⁄2-inch pieces
• 1/4 cup fresh sage leaves (used dried rosemary instead)
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 4 bone-in pork chops (each 1 inch thick; about 2 pounds total) (we used boneless)
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 large bunch kale, thick ribs removed and leaves roughly chopped (about 14 cups) (we used collards)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400° F. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the squash with the sage, 1 tablespoon of the oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Roast, tossing once, until tender, 30 to 35 minutes.
2. When the squash has cooked for 20 minutes, heat 1 teaspoon of the remaining oil in a large skillet over high heat. Season the pork with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook until browned, 3 to 5 minutes per side.
3. Transfer the pork to the baking sheet with the squash and roast until the pork is cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes more.
4. Meanwhile, return the skillet to medium heat and add the remaining tablespoon of oil. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the kale, ¼ cup water, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook, tossing the kale and scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the skillet, until the kale is tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Serve with the pork and squash.

Side note: We ate dinner while watching Part 2 of the Beverly Hills Housewives reunion. Are you Team Kyle or Team Camille?