From Heather's Kitchen

I tried another new recipe and it was really good. Think crab cakes gone Italian.

Chicken Cakes Parmigiana

1/2 cup Progresso Italian-Style bread crumbs
1 egg
2 tbsp milk
2 tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp Garlic powder/salt
2 cups shredded chicken
2 cups pasta sauce
1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese

2 cups Pasta noodles

1. Mix bread crumbs, egg, milk, Parmesan cheese, Garlic, and chicken
2. Shape mixture into small 3 inch cakes
3. Cook cakes over med-high heat in a non-stick skillet until golden brown on both sides.
*** Can use vegetable oil but I used Pam and it came out just fine.
4. Boil pasta noodles and drain
5. Top cakes with pasta sauce and Mozzarella cheese. Serve with pasta noodles covered in sauce.



It is a really easy recipe and only takes a few minutes to prepare. Easy cleanup and you have enough left over for lunch the next day.

Doug the Plumber

So Sunday was fun for Doug. He is not a handy man because he has never had to be. So now that we own our own home, he has to be because if something breaks we have to fix it. There is no maintenance man to call and I am not paying someone hundreds of dollars to fix something that costs $5. (Unless it is way over our heads and we have no choice but to over pay someone who will do a half-a** job.)

So Sunday morning (12:30 am to be exact) we get home to see a small stream flowing from our water meter box in the ground. Yay! We called the water company when we woke up and they came out to take a look at it. And that's all they did. Look. The guy claimed that it was not a water dept. fix and that is was on us. He even said it looked like someone ran over it. Question: How can you run over a pipe that is a foot under the ground? Answer: You Can't! The guy proceeded to tell Doug to call a plumber and that it would be $200 to fix.

Now Doug was already having a GREAT morning. He took my car to get it washed because there was a wad of gum on my car door and an inch of grass and dirt thanks to my work's lawn care guys (that's a whole nother story in itself!). The first place was closed, the second place was closed, so he went back to the first b/c they opened sooner. They were able to get the gum off but not the layers of grass and dirt on the front so Doug took it to a "do-it-yourselfer" so he could scrub the front bumper. When he came home from doing all of that is when the water guy showed up.

Doug came in fuming. He was ready to call the Homeowners Association and give them a piece of his mind. Thanks to crappy plumbers we were about to be out $200+. I talked him into calling our neighbor, Lamar, before calling anyone. Doug explained to him what happened and Lamar was like, "Oh that's easy. Let's ride to Low's." And you guessed it, it was not that easy. They tried to glue the pipes back together but it didn't work so they ended up having to put in a new pipe.

It only took them about 4 hours in the 100 degree heat. I felt so bad for them but what help would I have been? I mean, really. But now Doug can officially call himself a Plumber. I wish I had a picture to share but with the mood Doug was in I may have gotten in trouble for bringing the camera outside. Ha! You know it was killing me not to!

Can you smell it?

It's almost that time of year again. Can you smell it? It's right there, within reach. I can see it on the horizon. I can hear it's distant rumbles. It will be here before you know it and I can't wait.

What am I referring to? Well, college football of course! It's only my most favorite time of the year. The temperatures drop, the leaves begin to change color, and every channel on TV has a football game on.

Doug will retreat to his game room to play all the new fall games that come out for X Box and I will take over the living room. From sun up to sun down, every Saturday, for 15 + weeks. It's my little piece of Heaven on Earth!

Last year I missed the first two Saturdays of football due to getting married and being on a honeymoon. I do have pictures of me watching GameDay before the wedding and I did make Doug watch the Alabama game in our hotel on our wedding night. I was not about to miss the entire first day of the season! The year before that we were in airports because we went to Wisconsin. I did manage to catch some of the Auburn game in an airport sports bar thanks to our flight being delayed. I was the only woman in there. Ha!

So this year, to keep the tradition, I will be in an airport the first game of the season. The next Saturday we will still be in Wisconsin so I made Doug promise me he would take me to a sports bar. Hopefully someone will have the Auburn game on since it will be on ESPN.

We are going to try to make it to one Auburn game this year and we have plans with some TN friends to go to the SC vs TN game in Columbia. Doug's Mom is a huge Packer fan so we are going to go see them play in ATL. I am so excited to go to my first NFL game. I could care less who wins or loses but it will be so much fun! I mean, you can drink beer and not get kicked out!

So get ready couch, so long husband, I am ready for some football!!

Baby shower

Sorry it has been so long since my last blog but to be honest, I have had nothing to blog about. Since we got back from Florida we have been doing our best to do as little as possible. Besides sitting on the couch, occasional errand running, and dinner with friends, we have done little else.

Last week Sara had a 31 party. It was so much fun. Nan brought her Margaritaville Margarita Maker and Sara supplied the tequila. Yum! Doug tagged along to keep Wes (Sara's husband) company and we made a night of it. Doug was reluctant to go to the "Girly Party" but at 11 pm I had to drag him away. He and Wes had a great time and I bought some cute stuff. I will post pictures when it all comes in.

Yesterday I traveled to Thomson for a baby shower. Mrs. Vickie is a co-worker of mine and she is adopting a child from China. I have a few "Second Mama's" here in Augusta and she is one of them. She is such a wonderful woman and an amazing mother. She has such a huge heart that three children were just not enough for her. They have waited such a long time and jumped through many hoops to get little Lia Faith. I am so excited for her and I can't wait to see her new baby girl. Here are a few pictures from the shower...


Today I bought our plane tickets for Wisconsin. We will be there from August 28th - September 5th. Happy Anniversary - we will spend it in an airport! Yay! We are super excited to see all our family and visit the area. And maybe do a little shopping. Ha!

Eclipse Movie Review

First off let me say the movie was good. It followed the book well, cut out stuff not that important, and shortened others. I will (like the other movies) warm up to Eclipse more the more I watch it. Right now I am comparing it to the book and like most books that are turned into a movie there is no comparison. Eventually I will be able to enjoy the movie for what it is and not constantly compare it to the book.

I am going to try to do this in order of the book and if you have not read the book or seen the movie STOP READING NOW.

As I am scanning the book to write this I have realized how right on point the movie was with what was happening in the book. Yes they left small things out but the movie took lines straight from the book. I would say 90% of the movie was straight out of the book with no adjustments.

I love how there were things in the movie that was not from Bella's perspective like the book is. For example, the Cullen's chasing Victoria while Bella & Edward were in Florida; Victoria creating her army and Riley trying to control and train them; the fight against the newborns.

I love the little details they put in the movie - Jacob's note to Bella, Charlie's sly remarks about Edward and Bella, Alice's car Edward bought her (even though it was not discussed in the movie), the slayings in Seattle and the newborns getting ready to fight.

I love that they incorporated Bree and Riley's story in the movie even though the book just came out. I really liked the part when Riley was in Bella's house and he saw his missing persons file on Charlie's lap. It really added to his story and filled in the audience on what was going on in Seattle in one quick scene.

I love they put in a couple of Bella's escapes to La Push but I hate they left some out. I hate Bella's first "run-away" was in front of Edward instead of behind his back. I love when she sees his car in her rear view mirror on her way to Angela's. Ha! Classic. But I loved Jacob and Edward's fight outside Bella's house. I do wish the movie had more of their little scuffles over Bella. Plus, if they would had put in more of her "escapes" they could have shown how Edward gave in to Bella's wishes and became the "better man" by letting her see Jacob.

I wish they would have had time to tell Jasper's, Rosalie's, and the tribe's stories. The movie did a great job of condensing them but I know people who have not read the book are missing out. And Rosalie's story in the movie left out how much she wanted a child and that was the main reason she hated Bella's decision. That plays a big part in the next movie. I hope they will incorporate it in there somehow.

I did not like Jacob height when he was a wolf. He was too tall. Taller than Bella? Really? I know they are crazy big but her head should not have rested on his belly! It states in the book, "... he looked up at me..." NOT down.

I don't know why it bothered me but Bella's bed in Edward's room was suppose to be rod iron not wood and a canopy bed not sleigh bed. And the thing that really bothered me was not even movie/book related. Did you notice that 75% of the movie was a close up shot of either Bella's, Jacob's, or Edward's face? It drove me crazy. I don't think I saw a single person's feet the entire movie. I get a few close up shots every now and then in a scene but if felt like some were nothing but faces Like in the tent scene with all three. It went from one face to the other. Never once did it pan out and show all three at the same time. So much for that million dollar set they designed. We didn't get to see it. You should have put it on Jacob's stomach.

MTV's Best Kiss Award 2011 - Bella & Jacob. That one kiss put all of Edward's to shame.

All in all the movie was good. I think the second one may have been better but I don't want to say that for certain until I see the movie again. High expectations can lead to slight disappointments. Sorry if the blog seemed a little monotone. I enjoyed the movie but was not overly excited about any it.

Happy and pleased but not ecstatic - Future Film Critic Heather

PCB FL 2010

I had the best time at the beach! Thank you so much Mom & Dad for the hotel room. It was amazing. You know you've had a great vacation when you don't have to charge your cell phone because you never used it.

I didn't realize how great of a need I had for some white sandy beaches. As soon as we got in to town I felt like I was reunited with an old friend. I felt like I was home. Buildings and places have changed but it's still the same ole' place I grew up at. Have you ever had that feeling? It is hard to explain but it was tear jerking. Leaving was very hard to do. I made Doug promise me we would come back next year and the year after that and the year after that...

When we got in Saturday our room was not ready yet. So we changed into our suites and headed to the beach. The weather was wonderful. Sunny, in the 80's, with a nice breeze blowing. The water was clear as could be; no oil or seaweed. It was the perfect beach conditions. All we did was hang out on the beach while we were there. We would leave to go eat lunch or go out to dinner but would return as soon as we were done. We did no shopping or site seeing. It was totally relaxing not having to worry about what time it was or having to go somewhere.

The condo room was very nice but we did have a few complaints.
1. Parking - each room got one spot. If you had multiple vehicles you had unmarked spots that you could park it. Unfortunately there were maybe 50 unmarked spots and guests had to share those with non-guest and hotel workers. So let's do the math. 8 rooms per floor X 22 floors = 176 rooms. Some of those rooms had up to 3 bedrooms in them but could sleep an average of 8. So if on average each room had 3 cars... 3x176=528. They only had a 4 story parking garage that was tee-niney. And you know where they told us to park? Across the street in public parking! Doug about came unglued. Add some more floors!
2. Dirty floors and bed - I know it is the beach but there is no reason my feet should be black from walking around in the room. And when you change the sheets on the beds, take off the protective mattress cover and clean it out. Don't you know sand can get in everything, everywhere!
3. Wash cloths - 5 days X 4 guests X 2 face washins a day does not equal 4 wash cloths. I do not want to wash my face with a dirty, sunscreened covered wash cloth. I also do not want to wash a load of towels every night (but I did!). So please provide your guest with more than one wash cloth per person for their entire trip.

Saturday night we went to Wal-Mart to pick up some groceries for the long weekend.

I could not believe my eyes! Why were all these people at Wal-Mart at 9 pm at night? We checked out in the express lane even though we had a buggy full. Every lane they had was open and the lines stretched out into the shelving area. And they never got shorter.

For lunches we ate sandwiches and for dinner we went to Montego Bay, Pier 77, and (for my Dad) Mellow Mushroom. We had crab cakes, mahi mahi, grouper, shrimp, scallops for Doug, hamburger steak for me (I only eat Mahi Mahi and you can't eat that every night), and then pizza. Ha! It was all so good and the zero wait time made it even better!

I was pleasantly surprised to see how much PC has "cleaned up" over there years. It still has it's party spots but overall the town is much more family friendly. We rode down by Pier Park (very nice!) and by all the new luxury hotels. Mom and I have already planned a shopping trip at Pier Park and we are going to stay at the Calypso so we can just walk right on over whenever we feel the urge to spend some money. I was depressed to see the Miracle Strip Amusement Park as a parking lot now. I had such great memories there.

Since we were down for the 4th of July we got to see tons of fireworks. Our condo was a few spots down from LaVela so we had a great view of their firework show on Sunday. Then Monday the whole beach was shooting them. We took our yummy coconut rum and pineapple juice drinks and walked down to the ramp that leads out onto the beach and sat on the railings. I was amazed at the quality and amount of fireworks people had. They would bring huge boxes of them and they were just as good as the ones LaVela shot. It was very nice having people with deep pockets stay at our hotel. We had hours of firework entertainment for free. Pier Park also did fireworks and we were able to see them from the beach without fighting the crowd.

One thing I hate and love about the beach is the way it can make you feel. Look one way and feel like a skinny, hot model. Look the other and feel like a white fat ass cow who needs to put down the bag of chips and pick up a hand weight!

Please tell me when GPS systems started having a "Ghetto Mode"! And please tell me how to turn it off. I swear on the way back home we saw every city's subsidised housing. The GPS routed us through Albany and Macon and from the areas we saw I can reassuringly say we will never be visiting those cities. I wouldn't even let Doug stop to get gas or food.

Doug and I hated to leave and drive back the 7 hours to reality but it was well worth it. Yes we are two hours away from Tybee and 3-4 hours away from Myrtle but it's just not the same. Your not at the beach until your toes are in some white sand! I can't wait for our next trip back. Look for more pictures on Facebook!

So It Was My Birthday...

So yesterday was my 27th Birthday...
...
and I did not feel like it was.

I guess I built it up in my head where the day was going to be this magical day. But it was not. It was just an ordinary normal day; I just kept getting told Happy Birthday and getting birthday cards. I am happy and I love that it was my birthday but I hate that it was not magical. Maybe the whole having to go to work thing got in the way. Or maybe it's because I stayed up all night Tuesday watching the South Carolina Gamecocks win the College World Series. USC... Gooo Cocks! So I was a little groggy all day.

Then I thought, "It will really feel like my Birthday once I get my cake." It did not.

Then I thought, "It will really feel like my Birthday once I get my presents." It did not.

So why? Why did yesterday feel like an ordinary day? I felt special and loved but there was no excitement in the air. Doug kept telling me over and over, "Happy Birthday" and referring to me as the "Birthday Girl" but I did not feel like the Birthday Girl. Maybe I am saving all my excitement for the beach. Maybe I am too old and the whole birthday thing is not what it use to be.

I got my birthday card from Pops, opened it up, and it had nothing in it. I do not expect anything and certainly do not need anything but it depressed me. Why? Because that means I am now in that age bracket. The one when even your Grandparents don't get you anything for your birthday. That age bracket means you are old! So thanks Pops for making me feel old on my birthday. Ha!

One thing I can say is the day went by fast. I woke up, went to work, ate dinner, and boom the day was over. The day should have been slower. You only get one birthday a year and it should last a heck of a lot longer than it did yesterday!

Doug's parents took me out to StoneCrest. It was freakin good! I am so excited to eat my leftovers for lunch today!

After dinner we went back to our house and opened presents.

Doug's parents got me gift cards and a hair straightener.

Doug got me a bottle of the perfume I wore on our wedding day.

Doug also got me the Doony & Burke purse I wanted.

All in all I had a good Birthday. It was full of friends, family, love, and happiness. Even though someone forgot to sprinkle the "magical day sparkly dust" on me, I did have a great day. Thank you to everyone for all the Birthday wishes and presents. Remember "Spoiled=Loved"!

Now I am off to the white sandy beaches of Florida. Talk to you when I get back!

Pool Party!!

So my birthday kinda kicked off a bit early this year. A week ago, when we were in Valley, my Grandmother gave me my birthday card and present. Saturday, when Doug got home from work, I got my second present. Then Sunday was my birthday pool party. I've still got a couple of days left until my actual birthday!

Doug did really good with my first present. He really wanted to get me the nice big Nikon that I have been wanting but I would not let him. It was too much for just my birthday. I had been toying around the idea of getting the Coolpix to replace my small Kodak. I went to Best Buy one day with him and looked at all the different models. I am not a tech hog, wanting the latest and greatest, and I will not spend a lot of money on whatever is the newest. I like what I like and is easy to use. There was one or two I liked but it was the first time I had looked so I figured I would do some research and come back.Well, Saturday Doug hands me his lunch box when he got home from work and asked me to clean it out. I open it and there was my Coolpix. I did a couple of double takes from him to the camera and back. But I was all smiles! He gave it to me early so I could use it at the pool party. So good! So thoughtful. So wonderful. He says I have more to open on my birthday!

My party was soo much fun. I had a great time relaxing, getting some sun, and stuffing my face. It was great getting to hang out with everyone and just enjoy the day. Thanks to everyone who came and helped. Big thanks to Lisa and Rick for letting everyone come over and swim. And thanks to my husband for giving in to my 5 yr old self and letting me have a pool party!

Here are just a few pics from Sunday. You can go to Facebook to see them all!

From Heather's Kitchen

Here are a few yummies from my pool birthday party this weekend...

Cheesecake bites
Graham Crackers covered with cheesecake filling and topped with strawberries.



Pasta Salad
Mini bow-tie pasta with cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, and banana peppers smothered with Italian dressing.



S'mores
Graham crackers covered with marshmallow goo and topped with mini Hershey Kisses

The (slowly becoming) Famous Chicken Nacho Dip

Worst Day Ever!

Yesterday was not a fun day. All in all, it was the worst day of the month. Maybe even the entire year.

It all started when I was leaving the house going to work yesterday morning. I was stopped at a stop sign, waiting on traffic to clear up so I could take a right out onto the road. The road I was trying to turn out on is a very busy road. Where I was at, the road dips. So all the cars coming my way were coming down a hill. I would turn out at the bottom and immediately start climbing another hill. It is very hard to judge the speed to which the cars coming down the hill are traveling. There was a Lexus SUV behind me and I hate holding up traffic because I am too scared to turn out, so I went. Then I realized the car was coming to fast and I stopped. Unfortunately for me, the Lexus was watching the traffic instead of me and she rear-ended me. Luckily she was not flooring it to turn out behind me. I got a nice little dent on my bumper and her SUV was not hurt at all. Since there was barely any damage (It did not even scrape the paint off), I decided to not call the cops or swap insurance information. She was a very nice lady (who spoke English!) and I knew it was truly an accident. She was not texting or talking on her phone. I was so happy I did not freak out this time. I went straight to Doug's work and he agreed the damage did not warrant a call to the cops.

Here is my thing. I had my Civic that Memaw bought me for 10 years and I was never in a wreck. The only time my car was hit, it was parked and I was not in the vehicle. I have had my Accord for a year and a half and I have been rear-ended twice. Once by an illegal woman with no insurance or driver's license. (Yeah that was what I referred to when I said the lady who hit me this time spoke English. And you better believe I sent her butt to jail!) Luckily, both times there were no injuries or major damage but this is crazy. I know I am just paranoid but I swear I have a huge sign on my car that says, "Hit Me!" It's like the cars around me think it's bumper car time and my car has a huge target on the hood. Doug will confirm, I avoid a wreck every time I am on the road. He will also confirm it's not me. It's the other stupid drivers. I swear! I have witnesses!

So the bump on the rear (that's what she said!) made me late for my conference call yesterday morning and work just went downhill from there. It wasn't a bad day; just one of those days. You know? But I got to leave early for a dentist appt.

I have never minded going to the dentist. I have never had a horrible experience. But yesterday was rough. I am working on having all 8 cavities filled. I know. I am rotten. Ha! They did the lower right last time and it was a breeze. I went to work afterwards had little to no pain. This time they were doing the upper right and it was a much different experience. I knew it was going to be bad when the dentist gave me a second numbing shot and said, "Now this one is going to hurt a bit." Yall know I am already bad with needles so at this point I begin to freak out. I was literally shaking as I waited on the numbness to spread. I think next time I am going to need some nice relaxing pills before I go or I won't be going. Ha! Doug will have to take off to drive me and hold my hand.

I ended up in the dentist chair for an hour and a half. According to the dentist I had 2 pretty deep cavities and they wanted to make sure they got everything. I was exhausted when I left. Doug and I were suppose to go to the movies but that was just not going to happen. I went home, put on my PJ's, and laid on the couch. Doug went and got dinner from Taco Bell. I ate a Bean & Cheese burrito because I thought I could handle it. I was wrong. I had beans all over me. I felt like a 1 yr old. Doug kept having to wipe my mouth off. When I would get a drink of water I would drip it all over myself and the table. I think Doug got a real dose of how it would be feeding a toddler. Ha!

The pain started around 7 pm. I could not believe the amount of pain. I had some muscle relaxers left from when I hurt my back so I took one of those and grabbed the ice pack. I am on Advil today while I am at work but I am looking forward to that little pill tonight.

Even though my day was crazy, it ended quite lovely... Jimmy Kimmel did a Twilight special last night! They had tons of scenes from the new movie and they had the entire cast on the show. It was way cool and way worth the fight to stay awake until 11pm!

Tonight is Girls Night Out. Look for pictures soon!