Anybody out there...

So apparently I decided to take a hiatus from blogging.  It was completely unintentional... one day turned into one week... turned into a month... and so on.  I got overwhelmed with how much time had passed and instead of facing the blog (or lack there of) head on... I threw myself into other projects.

Patrick says I go on project binges... I do something new and it takes up all my free time... he is totally right!  I get started on something new and I can't get enough.  It is somewhat comical to look back on; mostly I think, because at the time I don't even realize it!

So, all that being said, I am working to make my hobbies more balanced.  I am hoping to get back to blogging... but please bear with me while I ease back into it... it may take me a little bit to fully integrate all my new hobbies... so none are neglected.

Speaking of hobbies... I have started doing a few very fun things since I last posted...

-I started sewing... I have made a few pillowcase dresses for our nieces and friends... and even a skirt for me!

-I visited Indiana for the first time... we went to visit Patrick's brother Sid, his sweet wife Libby, and our wonderful niece Catherine!  We had such a great time visiting with them and exploring Indianapolis.  We visited right about the time it started to get hot here... and it was still in 70's there... almost made me want to move!

-We traveled to the Shoals to visit Patrick's parents and grandparents.  His parents graciously let us have their deep freezer that they are not using anymore!  I LOVE IT!  I feel like such a grown-up because I now have my very own deep freezer.  I know I am a huge dork!

-I needed something to put in the new freezer... right?  So, I started making homemade freezer jam!  It is so yummy!  I have made both peach and strawberry.  Our freezer is pretty well stocked with jam at this point... I am so excited that we will have fresh, sweet, Georgia peach jam all year long!

Now... last but not least... Foodie Friday.  Today, I am making dinner for a sweet friend who had a baby girl a few weeks ago.  We are also hosting a dinner for our Care Group at church... and I am in charge of the main dish... so here is a link to what I am cooking today...

-Chicken Spaghetti

-CrockPot Barbeque

Whew, I did it.  First post out of the way... thanks for bearing with me during my absence!  I'm glad to be back!

I'm Back!

Hey there... Yes, I confess, I am one of those bloggers.  I got a little behind on my blog... then a week turned into two, turned into a month... and gasp, turned into a few months!  Since I got out of my groove it has been very hard to get it back!  However, I am going to do my best to get it back together... I hope!

Today I am going to list 5 important things that we have been doing since I last blogged... all will be explained better in future posts.

5.  Grocery Shopping
I have been working to get into a good habit on my coupon shopping.  I am not one of those crazy people on TV who has enough deodorant for 5 years in their closet, I try to keep my buys on scale for our family.  I have a stockpile, but it all fits in our pantry.  I am hoping there is a deep freezer in our future... just to make things easier.  Speaking of groceries... can you guess how much I spent on the groceries below this week... I'll post a break-down tomorrow.

4. Moving
One of my best friends, one of my Maids of Honor, our matchmaker...... moved to the other side of the world in January.  "See you laters" are always hard... but I am so excited for her adventure!  I miss her so much already... but I know she is going to do great things!

3. Crafts
I have been making fabric FLOWERS!  To be honest that is what has really filled my free time in place of blogging.  I found a pattern I thought I could make late last year... and it has been nonstop ever since then.  I have now expanded my collection... I can do several different kinds... both pins and hairclips... they are such a stress reliever!

2. Church
Patrick started an internship at our church.  We are SO EXCITED!  He is really enjoying what he has done so far (this is only his second week).  We are both loving getting plugged into our new church family.  If you are ever in Atlanta we would love for you to stop by Mt. Vernon to visit us!

1. Time goes on...
Today is our six month wedding anniversary!  I can't believe it... it seems like just last week we were celebrating at Disney!  We are so blessed!

Alright... those are 5 things we have been up to over the last few months.  Stay tuned for more info on each... Happy Monday!

Here we go again...

Just when I vowed to be better... I find myself in the same place... I haven't posted since Friday... sorry!

We had a great... but pretty busy weekend!  So I have not really had time to blog any... and we are expecting some company to come through on Thursday so I will be cooking and cleaning in anticipation of their visit... along with a staff meeting at work... all this means I won't really be back until Friday...

Until then... here is a little bit of what we did this weekend...

I roasted the seeds with a little cajun spice... I would highly recommend that... they are a great snack!

Hope everyone is having a great week!  Be back Friday...

Thoughts for Thursday...

A few thoughts for this Thursday...

-Today is our two-month-aversary... we have officially been married two months!  It has been such a great time... it truly feels like just last week we were getting everything prepared for the wedding.  We are so blessed!

-I mentioned this on Tuesday... but we are now the proud Aunt and Uncle of our second precious niece.  Reagan Mackenzie Hearn surprised everyone by arriving 6 weeks early this week!  Reagan will have to stay in the hospital for a bit, but she is doing great... we can't wait to meet her! We could not be more excited about our new niece!   I see lots of hairbows and Princesses in my future...Aunt Eliz is going to spoil these girls for sure!

-It is a really awkward weather time right now... when we wake up the temperature is in the 40's... then by the afternoon it is in the upper 70's.. a 30 degree shift in a matter of hours...  geez!

-I am loving baking for fall!  Just this week I made pumpkin bread and apple cake... there are so many delicious fall flavors!  I will post the apple cake on Foodie Friday tomorrow.

That is all... no pictures today... just some thoughts about our life right now... we are so excited about what lies ahead!

Not so Foodie Friday...

It's been quite a while since I last posted... and I have been quite busy...

There are so many things I need to post... I think I could post everyday for about a month and not run out of material.  I am working on several posts... including some new Foodie Friday recipes... for now though... I have just a few pictures to explain what I have been up to lately...

Bridesmaids Luncheon and Girls Weekend...

Our Wedding Rehearsal...

Our Wedding day...

I leave you with a story from this evening.  Now that I am a "Hearn"  I have inherited what some people call "Hearn luck".  I learned quite a few things about this particular kind of luck on our honeymoon... we had another perfect example tonight.

Before we were married, Patrick was living in our apartment and I was living with my parents.  On the drive between the two places you pass a Krispy Kreme... we would always check as we drove by to see if the red light was on... it kind of became a joke.  Well tonight, on the way home from picking up some things from my parents, the red light was ON!  We didn't see it until it was too late, so we missed the turn.  We decided to turn around... but we got stuck at a long light, then we had to U-turn, and we got caught at another red light.  By the time we got back to Krispy Kreme... you guessed it... the light was OFF.  As if that is not bad enough... the Krispy Kreme was closed!!!  We like to call that "Hearn luck".

Happy First Football weekend!!!

We interrupt this blog...

I interrupt your normal Friday reading to bring you these updates...

-I have been a very bad blog updater the last few weeks...
-I have not really cooked much at all for about a month...
-I am trying to get a bunch of wedding stuff done... and despite my best intentions I have not posted much about it...
-I will be an Aunt by Monday (ok, I won't officially be an aunt until we get married in August... but I'm counting it now)
-Today is Good Friday... take some time to reflect on what it truly means... and how GOOD our God is!

If you are looking for a new recipe try Tasty Kitchen... they are wonderful!
Hopefully your normally scheduled program will return next week.

Busy Monday...

Today has been a very busy... but laid back Monday for me.  I was off from work so I had the entire day to... catch up on laundry... cook a little... craft a little... and get ready for my week ahead... these are two of my projects for today... more to come on both very soon...

The next couple of weeks are going to be crazy for me... but I am so excited about all of the things they hold.  I know that August is going to be here before I know it... so I am trying to savor each and every moment between now and then!

By the way... we are expecting snow tomorrow... how crazy is that?  Spring can't come quickly enough!

Snow!!!

Well... we got it... we got a pretty good amount of snow here in Atlanta today.  One interesting fact... there was snow on the ground in 49 of the 50 states today... they say people were checking the very tip tops of the mountains in Hawaii for any trace of snow... but they didn't find any.

The snow was beautiful today as it fell and stuck to trees and bushes... I watched most of it from inside our newsroom.  We do however have a huge row of windows... so when we open all the blinds it kind of feels like you are outside.

After I braved the icy roads tonight... I decided to snap just a few pictures...

This was the worst part of my drive... trying to get up my driveway... I decided to cut my losses and park somewhere else.

Pretty, untouched snow!

Whew!!

What a week!  Apparently there is some sort of plague going around the office... let's just say Clorox wipes are my new best friend... anyway it has made my schedule a little loopy!

Couple that with planning a wedding... and needless to say, I have been a little busy!

Add to that, it has been freezing cold and raining forever it seems... all I can say is WHEW!!  It has been a long few weeks!  So here are a few random thoughts... from the last few days...

-Weight Control Oatmeal (the kind they show on the Biggest Loser) is actually quite filling... I am starting to enjoy it.

-It is really sad when you look outside and see a bright sunny day for the first time in a while, only to step out and feel the 43 degree temperature.

-I love avocados!!

-They now make peppermint mocha coffee creamer year round... FINALLY!

-There is so much more to planning a wedding than I ever dreamed!  But I am loving it... and more importantly, I am so excited about my life with Patrick!

That is what I have been thinking about this week... now back to the races!

Rain rain...

Go away... come again... another day!

What a difference a year makes!!  This time last year we waited for rain, hoped for rain, even had prayer services for rain... I'm pretty sure if we thought a rain dance would work... there would have been dancing in the streets.

This year I feel like all it does it rain... we have caught up... and then some.  They predicted last year at the height of the drought that it would take many years to catch up... done!

We have another flood watch tonight.. 1"-3" possible... I guess this is teaching me a very important lesson... enjoy the sunshine... so next time it's sunny... I'm going to purpose to go outside and enjoy it!

Have a great "rainy" day everyone!!

I Heart Publix!

I have started trying to shop smarter... for example... I often go to both Kroger and Publix... and sometimes Target before I have all my groceries.  I make lists instead of just going to the store on a whim... and I FREEZE things!  Bread especially... because I was always throwing away moldy bread.

I have tried again and again to cut coupons... but usually I get excited about it... then I get overwhelmed with trying to find the best place to use them... and using them before the expire... and only buying things I need, not everything I have a coupon for... Then I discovered...

This website is AWESOME!!  She posts all kinds of great deals... and she has an interactive grid for everything that is on sale that week.  It is teaching me how to keep up with my coupons... and my money saving!

I am not a expert by any means... but I am learning... and dare I say having a little fun... I challenge you to take a look this site... you will learn something guaranteed!

Happy 100!

It has taken me a little while... but this is my 100th post!!  WOW!  I wanted to try to make a list of my 100 favorite things... or 100 things I want to do... or really just 100 of anything... but that would be a really really long list... so instead I chose some my favorite posts, one from each month... so here it goes...

August:

Brittany came home... and came to visit me in Atlanta... we had such a great time!

September:

Atlanta flooded... we spent a good deal of the flood in the airport waiting on Patrick's flight...

October:

Patrick had fall break... we got to see U2 in the Georgia Dome...

November:

David and Cherie got married... it was such a great time...

December:

Patrick and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary... I actually wrote about it in a series of posts...

These are just a few of my favorites... looking back over these last few months has been so fun!!  I have enjoyed writing about the little things in my everyday life... Here's to 100 more!

World's Best Burrito

A popular restaurant concept seems to be the "make your own burrito" semi-fast food restaurant.  Moes, Chipotle Willys... they all claim to be the best... I have found most people have a preference, but in the end don't necessarily have a favorite place.

I DO, it's called Barberitos!  They are fantastic... and my absolute favorite.  There aren't too many of them outside of Athens... but they are growing... and I am excited about that!!!

There is one on my way home from North Carolina... and yesterday I had time to stop for dinner... and let me tell you... it didn't disappoint!  Just as good as I remembered.

I know I am probably biased because my friends and I ate there countless times during our college days... I'm telling you we ate there at least once a week... we were a little obsessed!!

If you ever run across a Barberitos... TRY IT... I recommend a skinny on spinich... my favorite!!!

I am calling for a PABC reunion in Athens- 5 Points Barberitos... be there!  Details to come later!

Heat wave...

Break out the shorts people... a heat wave is headed to Atlanta... My friends at WSB-TV say the next few days in Atlanta are going to be in the 50's... WOW!!  Who ever thought that I would be so ecstatic to see these "average high" temperatures?

I have decided that if I ever move north of the Mason Dixon line... I will have to buy stock in a company that makes long johns... because I am a cold weenie... seriously... my short stint in Florida thinned my blood... sounds crazy, but I'm pretty certain of it.

Hot and sweaty... but I wouldn't trade it...

I will take 90's (and even 100's) over the 40's any day!!  But don't worry... 50's here I come!!

The Freezing Point...

It has been a crazy few days... a reminder in many ways of the reason I chose to go into the news business... so now that it looks like the ice has passed (for now at least) I will attempt to recount my day in the newsroom...

Thursday when I got to work... the meteorologists had great news... the snow was coming but it would not be as much as they initially thought... the metro area would get a dusting to a half inch and it would all be over by 7pm.  Wonderful news!  It would be in an out... pretty falling... but it wouldn't cause too much craziness in the city.

Then when the day crews started home just after 7 o'clock a surprise... it was no longer snowing... but it was still sleeting a little and the roads were getting slick.  They were so slick that one person from the newsroom tried to get home, but ended up coming back because his steep driveway was covered with ice.  We quickly determined this was going to be an ice event.. that's what happens when it hasn't been above freezing for several days... the ground is very cold!!

When I finally left work just after midnight... I had visions of cars sliding all over the roads... and I did slide a little coming up the hill from our parking garage... but other than that, I made it home safely... though it did take about twice as long as usual (probably longer)... I got home but not in my garage... my driveway too was iced up... thanks to some quick thinking and calm advice from both my mom and Patrick, I found a spot around the back side of my building.

What a night!!!

The S word...

This week at work I have heard people using the S-word all over the place... they are dropping it left and right... it's crazy... the S-word for Atlantans... SNOW!!

A few days ago our meteorologists said we would get approximately 2 inches... then yesterday it was down to 1/2 inch... and today they are settling with somewhere in between.  The scariest part is shaping up to be Friday morning... when all the moisture freezes overnight making way for an icy Friday commute.

Fun fact: It was colder in Atlanta this morning than it was in Anchorage Alaska, Quebec, and Montreal.  Really???  This is crazy!

I am off to get some sleep... because tomorrow is going to be a crazy day... I'm predicting I will hear the S-word even more tomorrow!

Stay safe... and warm!

2010... a few thoughts...

Um... first of all, I thought I lived in Atlanta... I must be wrong because the last few days the temperature has been about 17 degrees... I think someone must have transported me to New England... it's not supposed to be this cold in the south!!

I know I am a few days behind... but what can I say... I have been swamped with work!  So without further ado... a few thoughts on 2010...  These are things I want in the year to come...

-Work out more... I don't really work out much at all, so working out more should be pretty doable.  I want to be healthy and fit.

-Be a better friend.  I work a lot, and I work weird hours... sometimes I use that as an excuse... this year I want to use the time I do have to be a better friend... like having more movie nights... like our Elf night (pic below)

-Stay committed to my Bible Reading.  Patrick and I are doing a read through the Bible in a year schedule... we have already done the New Testament... I want to stay focused and get through the entire Bible.

-Keep my focus on today... I am a worrier... especially about things I have no control over. I want to keep my thoughts on today and let tomorrow care for itself.

-Stay warm... ok maybe that is just a thought for now... but it is serious!!  The wind chill is in the single digits... I am thinking Florida sounds really good right about now!