Vote for our Backyard!

Please take a minute and vote for us! Michael heard about a local contest on the radio yesterday to have your backyard completely redone and landscaped. Needless to say, our backyard is a complete disaster! We have done quite a bit of work on the front of our house and the inside, but the backyard has remained untouched...probably because we have NO idea where to start!

You can vote for us by clicking here (you go to the bottom and rate the picture...preferably with 5 stars :)

Here is the picture we uploaded...with Bailey in the picture, of course! Thanks so much!

Updated Exterior House Pictures

We have done quite a bit of work on the exterior of our house. I think it's time I finally share some pictures!

BEFORE: This is the picture of our house from the MLS listing. To be honest, I did not even want to LOOK at this house after I saw this picture. Luckily, Michael convinced me:

AFTER: We painted all of the red a classic grey (I'm much more into neutral colors).We have done quite a bit of landscaping, as well:
We also got a new porch swing!
Some pretty pots of Geraniums for the front steps:
A closer view of the house:

We still need a bit more porch furniture for the right side of the porch, but we are making slow and steady progress. The only thing we aren't quite sure about is the color of the door. Do you think we should paint it an accent color to make it pop? Please tell me what you think!

New York Recap

I was in NYC last weekend for one of my best friend's Bachelorette weekend! Alison is getting married in May and she was one of my bridesmaids. We were roommates in college our freshman year and our senior year, so we have been friends for quite a while now!

Alison, me, and Kaci on our way to a Broadway show:

We saw Promises, Promises, with Kristin Chenowith. It was like Mad Men on Broadway...amazing!
Alison's finance's sister, Allie, myself, and Alison at brunch at Jane in Soho on Saturday:

Dinner at Public in Soho! Yummy dinner and great atmosphere.

It was a great weekend and I think Alison's ready to walk down the aisle in 3 short weeks!

New York, New York!

I'm headed to NYC for the weekend! Have a great weekend!

Birthday Flowers

My birthday was last Thursday and I received two BEAUTIFUL flower arrangements. Fresh flowers are definitely one of my favorite indulgences; I always have to have one bouquet of fresh flowers somewhere in my house.

My best friend Alyssa sent me this beautiful hydrangea arrangement all the way from California!

My parents gave me this adorable arrangement:
My birthday was wonderful - very low key, since I had to work almost all weekend. My parents were able to visit on Saturday night, so we went to a nice dinner at a delicious Italian restaurant. My cute hubby gave me an amazing gift - he had our deck pressure washed and is almost finished staining it! I can't wait to share pictures with you. Have a great day!

Cutest baby ever.

I can't stop looking at this adorable picture! My nephew is the cutest little guy!

Baked Lemon Pasta

Last night I cooked Pioneer Woman's Baked Lemon Pasta and it was delicious! I wanted to share this fresh, tasty dish with you, especially since it was so easy to cook. It was a perfect spring dish!

Baked Lemon Pasta

• 1 pound thin spaghetti
• 4 tablespoons salted butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 whole lemon, juiced and zested
• 2 cups sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• Plenty of grated Parmesan Cheese
• Flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• Extra lemon juice

Preheat over to 375 degrees. Cook pasta until al dente.

In a skillet, melt butter with olive oil over low heat. When butter is melted, add minced garlic. Squeeze lemon juice into pan. Turn off heat. Add sour cream and stir mixture together. Add lemon zest and salt. Pour mixture over drained spaghetti and mix together, then pour into an oven safe dish.

Baked, covered, for 15 minutes. Then remove foil and bake for an additional 7 to 10 minutes.

When you remove from over, squeeze a little more lemon juice over the top. Top generously with Parmesan cheese, then chopped parsley. Give it a final squeeze of lemon juice at the end.

Serve with crusty French bread and a simple green salad.

*Image and recipe from the Pioneer Woman