Mid-Month Confessions

 

Linking up with Heather & Elizabeth for Mid Month Confessions!!

This is always such a fun link up...

I love sharing and reading everyone confessions!

So here goes.....

 

ONE

Back in February, I mentioned how bad I was with laundry...

and before that, in January I mentioned my little laundry hiding situation when we had a house showing.... Yep - this is something I work on regularly.

So here is my 2 point laundry confession for May....

(a)

The first week of the month, Ted got up and showered for work as usual and went to put on a t-shirt...for under his polo, well they all "smelled funny" apparently.

He proceeded to rip them all off and throw them and shout out how bad they smelled.

(insert embarrassed wife here)

So once he found one that didn't "smell" and left, I smelled them and realized that it wasn't a bad smell, it was the Downy Unstoppables I added to the laundry...

 

I guess he's not a fan

 

(b)

And of course, we had another house showing, and I hate leaving any type of anything laying around, so naturally I did the only logical thing and put 2 laundry baskets into my car.

As I was carrying them out to the car, I laughed at to myself and just couldn't believe I was doing this again... Laundry is my enemy

#thestruggleisreal

 

TWO

I've talked about our obsession with The Fast & Furious movies in the past...
but it's kinda funny now because we really ARE truly obsessed, and have no shame.
ANY TIME those movies are on, we watch.
Even if we watched it the night before.
Seriously.

THREE
I have hair envy.
Reece Witherspoon to be specific.
This is what I'm thinking about doing...

 I want every style she's ever had on her hair.
My hair is pretty long and I'm not really into it anymore so I've been contemplating cutting it shorter. I used to have my hair super short.
I wrote a post about that w bit ago... you can see that here if you'd like
I just have no interest in styling the long hair anymore...

FOUR
I've been trying to force convince Ted that a trip to Disney is just what we need!
In fact a trip anywhere at this point...
And I have an interesting way of doing so...
We're trying to figure something out to do for our anniversary and just to get away in general... and I want to go see the big mouse! haha
He's not so much a fan...but I'm working on it.
I hint and suggest things about vacations all the time.
I make lists and plans and itineraries and write down costs to the penny.
I make charts with different flight options and who would watch our pets and stuff.
I present them to him and he just kinda brushes me off.
I try.

Speaking of my "lists" and "plans"......

FIVE
I'm somewhat obsessed with drawing out floor plans of houses we look at.
We will go look at a house and then the next day I'll draw out a floor plan on plain paper and sketch out what I'd to do change it or renovate it.
It usually involves some type of demo or building walls or additions.
I did this recently with the house I thought was "the one" back when...
Post about that here
So I draw it all out and show him when he gets home and is like what house is this?
And I told him to guess...so he finally does and like the above lists, kinda giggles at me and brushes it off. Hey, my dad was a builder, this blueprint thing is in my blood! Hahah
I know this quirk will come in handy when we decide on a house.
That and my all my Pinterest boards!


That's all for now!

Have a great weekend!
~Tiffany~

WCW ~ Roasted Poblano Adobo Grilled Chicken

What's Cookin' Wednesday...

 

Roasted Poblano Adobo Grilled Chicken!

Whew! That was a mouthful!

 

 

This recipe was one that I caught on Pioneer Woman 2 weekends ago.

Ted happened to walk into the room and see Ree mixing up the marinade in the blender and looked at me and said, "You're making this!"

So I looked up the recipe and it seemed easy enough....so I went out a few days later and got a few things that I needed to whip it up.

 

Here is what you need:

1/2 cup Olive Oil

3 Tablespoons Lime Juice

2 whole Chipotle Peppers In Adobo Sauce

2 cloves Garlic

1 teaspoon Ground Cumin

1 teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper

6 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts

(I used 3 large and split them in half to make them thinner)

6 Poblano Chiles

1/2 pound Monterey Jack Cheese, Cut Into Slices Or Grated

Pico De Gallo Or Salsa, For Serving

Beans, For Serving

Rice For Serving

 

What You Do:

 For the chicken marinade:
Combine olive oil, lime juice, chipotle peppers, garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper in a blender and mix until it's totally pureed.
(I used the nutribullet because it wasn't much and thought the huge blender would make a big mess. So if you have a small mixer type thing like a ninja or bullet, use that)

Pour into a large Ziploc bag with the chicken breasts.
Seal the bag up, mush it around to coat the chicken, and stick it in the fridge to marinate for at least 4 hours (overnight if possible.)

 

Once that is all done....and ready to grill...

 

 Roast the chilies on the grill turning frequently.

When the skin is totally blackened, place the chilies in a large Ziploc and seal the bag to allow the chilies to sweat for a good 20 minutes. Remove them from the bag and use a knife to scrape off most of the blackened skin. Slice the chilies in half lengthwise, and scrape out the seeds and membranes. Lay out the roasted, seeded  halves so they'll be ready.

Grill the chicken over medium-high heat until completely cooked.
At this point, you can top your chicken with the roasted pepper and cheese while it's still on the grill. I didn't do this, I did it once I brought it inside so my cheese didn't melt right away.
But Ree's recipe says to do it while it's on the grill

The finished product

I made brown rice and grilled asparagus 

 

 

 I made this with about 5 adobo chilies and it was SUPER hot.

Definitely only use two for the marinade!



 

ENJOY!

 

~Tiffany~

Weekend Wrap Up....a day late

Well I was waaaay busy all weekend and had zero motivation for a blog post for yesterday so here it is today. 

Friday night we headed down to Atlantic City for some dinner at PF Changs and slots machine action. 

We ended up hanging out at a bar watching the Stanley Cup playoffs. 

We had so much fun and got home super late. 

Up and early Saturday morning for shopping for his sisters birthday

 and mamas day at the outlets. 

We hit up Rook for some coffee and I opted for the berry tea. 

 

*not my pic*

And of course got some donuts to match. 

We did a little shopping then headed home then got ready for his sisters birthday dinner. Her birthday is actually today, but we celebrated early.

We ate at a great Asian restaurant which is next to impossible to get in to.

So we really enjoyed it.

Then Sunday was Mother's Day 

We celebrated both of our moms....

 

We went to the boardwalk with my mom and brothers family and had the first MidWay sausage sandwich of the year....

I Mean........

These two are so sweet and such great friends...

My two nephews 

 

Here is the gift we gave our Moms... I made a little gardening "basket"

They both loved it !

 

 

Last but not least, Yacht Club progress!



It was a great weekend, and yesterday we played catch up.

Stop back tomorrow for the Poblano Chicken recipe I mentioned last week!

 

 

~Tiffany~

Friday Favorites ~ This Week

Friday Favorites

 

 

Linking up with Andrea, Erika and Narci

 

ONE

My new bag!

The tan one - it's so pretty!

LOVE LOVE LOVE my new bag

I totally purchased it for myself, but it's definitely a favorite this week

It's the Barrington Savannah Zipper Tote
(The tan one, the blue stripped St. Anne is my older one)

And it's fabulous!
The next one on my wish list is the St. Charles Yacht Tote
Then maybe the St. Anne Diaper Bag - :)

 

TWO

Two blog posts!

My favorite posts of this past week are BOTH about my wedding.

I'm still kind of obsessed with it all so I have no shame.

Read all about my Wedding here

Read about how thankful I am for my amazing brother here
Go back and check them out!

 

THREE

This amazing chicken recipe!

 

I know this looks similar to the Bruschetta Chicken from Wednesday's Post.....

but its WAY different.

It's Roasted Poblano topped Adobo Chicken with Monterey Jack Cheese

I know.

Stop drooling!

Recipe next week!!

You'll want this one, it's amazing!

Especially if your hubby likes spicy like mine does....

(And of course, it's from Pioneer Woman!)

 

FOUR

Maxi Dresses!

Since it's officially started warming up around these parts, I've broken out the maxi dresses and outfits for work have never been easier!

Throw on a little fly away cardi for the chilly morning and you're good to go!

I'm looking at a few new ones since all mine are old.

 

I love the one I got from Tara Lynns, but don't think I'm going to wear that to work..

So here are the ones I'm looking to get:

 

This One from Old Navy

 

 

This One from Boscov's

 

This One from Express

This is actually not a maxi but a "trapeze" dress but CUTE!

 

 

 FIVE

 Bright Nail Polish!

 

So I had to make a big return at TJMaxx Wednesday, and saw this fabulous color sitting by the register and had to have it!

It's called Double Breasted Jacket and I LOVE how it looks in the bottle...

I'm going to pain my nails this weekend so I'll be back with an update!

 

 

SIX
Lee Capris!

I've literally spent 3-4 years trying to find
capri pants that I love.
I'm curvy on the bottom so it's always difficult for me.
I have a booty and big hips, always have.
It's in my genetic makeup ;)
#thanksgramma
I also have super muscular calves, which is partly genetic (thanks dad)
and partly from years of ballet...so I dunno..
the bottom area around the calf on most capris is usually tight.
Not on these bad boys!
They are so comfy I bought them in every color.
And I got a pair of jean capris as well!!

Have a great weekend everyone!
Mine is sure to be super super busy...
And all you mamas out there, enjoy Sunday!


~Tiffany~

 

Thankful Thursday ~ My Brother

On Tuesdays post I showed pictures from my wedding and one picture in particular I said was my favorite and I could write an entire blog post on it... so I decided to do just that.

 

 

Every little girl dreams of their wedding day.

The dress.

The flowers.

The groom.

And having their daddy walk them down the aisle.

I was no different...

I couldn't wait for that walk, and to dance with him at the reception.

 

My dad was my world. I loved him so much.

I hung out with him in the garage and worked on cars.

I called the house to talk to him, because let's face it, us girls call the house and say,

 "Hi Dad, is Mom there?"

I noticed I did this when I wasn't living at home, and I made a point to call and speak to him specifically. And now I'm happy knowing that I made that point.

I miss him every minute of every day.

 

When he passed away in 2011 I had JUST started seeing Ted.

In fact, the St. Patrick's day before April 11th 2011 I picked Ted up from his house to go to the parade in Seaside and brought him to my house to meet up with more people before we headed over there. My dad was working on a little car like he always did, and I said to Ted, "Do you want to meet my dad?"

He said, "Of course I do"

So I introduced them, they shook hands and that was the first and last time they ever met.

It's a bittersweet emotion really.

I'm happy that they met and shook hands, but I wish they could've gotten to know each other and that my husband got to know the amazing man that my dad was and that my dad got to know the amazing man that I married.

 

But since that is not the case...we make due.

Ted feels like he knows my dad based on stories we all tell.

We go to car shows and see my dads friends and they tell stories too.

It's a huge hole in all our lives, but we try to keep moving forward.

 

So when it came to asking someone's permission for my hand in marriage,
my sweet husband knew exactly who to talk to.

My mom.

He went our house when I wasn't home, and asked my mom if he could marry me.

Without any hesitation, she cried tears of joy and said yes.

 I was told later that he asked her if he needed to talk with anyone else before he proposed to me and she said no that she was it.

And she told him that my dad would be so proud and so happy.

They both cried.

 

So on April 28th 2013 Ted proposed to me on the beach where we had our first date.

I shouted yes and cried many many tears of happiness.

I called a few people right away to tell them.

And as the engagement set in more and more, I kept thinking about my dads absence for my wedding day. It wasn't something that brought me down, or took away from the incredible moments of happiness, but it was in my mind.

 

So when it came time to decide who would have that job I had 3 people in mind.

 

My Mom

My Brother

My Godfather

 

I talked to my mom about it.

She said it would be too emotional for her.

We discussed it on several different occasions because I wanted to make sure she wouldn't regret her decision. I was ok with whatever she wanted.

So the choice was between my Godfather, who is my moms closest brother, and MY brother.

My Godfather is incredibly important to me, but I only have one sibling, my brother.
I chose my brother, I incorporated my Godfather in other ways though ;)
 

Who else but the man who has a part of my dad in him.

Someone I looked up to growing up.

Someone who shares the same name as him...
Someone who on certain days sounds JUST like him...
but most importantly, someone to stand by my side on my wedding day and walk me down the aisle and give me away to the man I've always dreamed of.

  

 

I was a nervous wreck right before we walked through those doors.

I was so calm all morning.

Almost too calm.

The wedding party  and I were gathered in the entrance area of the church behind those doors behind us. The bridal party went down the aisle

as my brother and I stood off to the side.

As soon as they were done, the doors shut and my heart began racing.

All of a sudden I was OVERCOME with emotion.

I held my brothers hand and looked at him with tears in my eyes.

He told me not to cry, that this was a happy day and that my dad is standing right between us walking with both of us down that aisle.

I managed to get myself together as the wedding march started.

 

Then the doors opened up and it was time to walk down to Ted.

His smile beaming from ear to ear instantly calmed me.

I held on to my brother very tightly and smiled my way down that aisle.

When he gave me away to Ted, I hugged him long and hard.

He told me again that Dad was right here with us and not to be upset.

We said I love you to each other, and he told Ted, "She's yours now" and they hugged.

I didn't think it would be as emotional as it was, but it was.

I love my brother and I love having shared that moment with him.

 

 

Today, I am thankful for my big brother...

 

~Tiffany~

 

WCW ~ Grilled Bruschetta Chicken

What's Cookin' Wednesday

 

Grilled Bruschetta Chicken
~

 This recipe was something I sort of thought up in my head because I had a craving for bruschetta and didn't think it was suffice for a meal for dinner haha. I'm sure theres actual recipes floating around and it exists elsewhere, but this is my version :)

 

What You Need:

~

FOR THE CHICKEN
1 Package of Chicken Breasts

Balsamic Vinegar

Olive Oil

Dried Basil

Garlic Powder

Balsamic Glaze
(so much easier to buy this in the grocery store near the oils)

 

FOR THE BRUSCHETTA

Tomatoes (I used grape a container of grape tomatoes)

Fresh Garlic

Olive Oil

Fresh Basil

 

 

What You Do:

~

Marinate the chicken

Slice your chicken breasts in half to make them thinner.

Place them into a large zip lock bag

Pour in enough balsamic vinegar and olive oil to coat

(I'd say about 1/2 cup of each, give or take)

Sprinkle in about a half teaspoon of garlic powder

Add a pinch of dried basil

Mix all around until coated well, refrigerate for at least an hour

Prepping the Bruschetta

Get a medium sized bowl ready...

dice up your tomatoes removing as many seeds as possible
Throw into a bowl

finely chop two cloves of garlic, add to bowl
drizzle in a tiny bit of olive oil and toss around
chiffondale some basil - I used about 4-5 big leaves
Mix up again
Done!

Putting the meal together...
Remove chicken from marinade and grill until cooked
Once cooked remove and put on a plate
Top the grilled chicken with prepared bruschetta
Top that with shredded mozzarella (optional, but trust me, do it )
Drizzle on Balsamic glaze

Sides to accompany your meal:
We had brown rice and grilled brussell sprouts on this night.

Brown Rice: Cooked according to Minute Rice box ;)

Brussells: I mentioned this in Fridays Post but this is how I did them...
I cut the sprouts in half then in half again. Placed them onto a large piece of foil, drizzled heavily with EVOO, threw on a clove of fresh chopped garlic, sprinkled on some salt and garlic pepper, then just closed the foil up loosely like a tent and placed on the grill.
I kept an eye on them until they browned up a bit and flipped them once or twice.
They were SO good this way!

Enjoy!!!!

This was great the next day for lunch too... (minus the sprouts, they were gone that night!)
I just cut the chicken breast up and put it over some brown rice in a little pyrex container.
In a separate containier I put the cheese and bruschetta
I heated up the chicken/rice combo then dumped the bruschetta/cheese combo on top

 

Soo yummy!

I hope you give this a try!

 

~Tiffany~

 

 

Show & Tell Tuesdays

Show & Tell Tuesdays

Favorite Party I Ever Hosted

Linking up with Andrea today...

 

This is a tough one because I haven't really hosted any parties since I've been with Ted because our house just isn't big enough to host everyone we would need to invite.

I did host two awesome Halloween parties in years past, but meh.

I also hosted a 25th Wedding Anniversary party for my parents, but that's too emotional to get in to and I don't have any pictures online because that was back when we had to actually develop film to see the pics we took!

~

So for now, since I'm still technically a newlywed, I'm going to share some details about our wedding reception because after all, I hosted that shebang didn't I ? Well, WE did. :)

I'm going to let the pictures do the talking....

My brother walking me to the love of my life....

His face when I walked in.....

I could write an entire blog post about this moment right here...

I DO!

This is an exceptional level of happiness right here..

I actually just said "oh my gosh, we just got MARRIED"

I am so blessed to get to do life with this amazing man

MARRIED!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love this shot...

My dads car :)

Love

Our favorite place.....



I did that randomly

 

Our amazing bridal party

Walking up the street to the beach for pictures....

My Girls

The Boys

Group Shot

So fun!!!

~ Reception ~

We were SLIGHTLY excited!

I legit changed my shoes as soon as I walked out of church... Flips FTW!!

" God Gave Me You"

Toast :)

My two best friends from high school......

My mama.....my world.....my everything....

My husband and his mom :)

I two stepped with my Godfather to "Here for a Good Time,  by George Strait"

The dance floor was PACKED from start to finish

My brother and sister in law

My Big Brother :)

That cake was delish!!

My cousins husband is THE BEST time at weddings....

And this is his wife.....

Haha

 My Amandas ;)

 

And just like that - we were married !

And then.....we jetted off to Aruba!!
Read all about our honeymoon here

 

 
I'd do it aallllllllllll again if I could.
It was the best day ever!!!

~Tiffany~

Stop back tomorrow for an amazing recipe!!