It's almost official!

Well, invitations will be out tomorrow! Tonight I spent almost 4 hours putting the invites together....phew! I am beat. I am really excited.....I hope everyone likes them. They are unique and I personally designed them with the help of my friend Vanessa. Vanessa, who has a scrapbook/invitations business, handcrafted them. They truly emulate the feel for the wedding....just warm and fall inspired. I am such a dork! Well, keep an eye out! And don't forget to send back your RSVP! check some pictures below.

My casita!

Hello everyone! Here are some pictures of the house I promised. I only took pictures of the front, back, and first floor of the house! We're slowing making it our own. We can't tell you how great it is to be homeowners...we are so happy here. We can't wait to have our family and friends share it with us!

My casita!

Hello everyone! Here are some pictures of the house I promised. I only took pictures of the front, back, and first floor of the house! We're slowly making it our own. We can't tell you how great it is to be homeowners...we are so happy here. We can't wait to have our family and friends share it with us! I took these with my blackberry. So pardon the quality. Although it isn't too bad.

Sweet Potato fries! Oh my!

Today was productive, I guess. I did some more wedding things. I finally decided on the menu. And I made an appointment for the florist to make sample centerpieces for the tables at the reception. I am the most indecisive person. Could it REALLY be because I am a Libra? I can never make a decision. And then when I finally make it, I am not confident in my decision and I need reassurance. It drives Ronnie crazy! But it drives me crazy, too! I've only been like this for a couple of years now. I guess I am actually "growing up" and I have a lot more responsibilites and decisions to make. Wedding decisions have been the WORST for me....it's been very difficult...but I know everything will turn out fine....I am just paranoid.....OK enough with that!

Now I cooked again, today. Well, I whipped it together, again. LOL I've done it 3 days in a row. Ronnie is so funny. I tell him "Honey, I cooked again...welllllll, I put something together, really...." And he gives me this face ..like "uh oh!" ..LOL Yeah, I would give myself that face too! But again, it didn't turn out badly. I combined some kind balsamic vingerette seasoning for salmon. And I got the creative idea to make sweet potato fries. The fries were DELICIOUS!!! So easy too. The Salmon came out ok.
The sweet potato all cut up and seasoned ready to go in the oven"

The finished product:

All the entire entree:


After dinner we went to Bed Bath and Beyond. I am not impressed with their things. Maybe its because I am biased.....I LOVE MARTHA STEWART's line at Macys!! LOL Have I told you how I am obsessed!

AND! I am happy my 3 picks on Dancing with the Stars are safe.
1. Jennie Garth
2. Sabrina
3. Helio

I loved seeing Dolly Parton, as well. And that tap dancer. This show makes me happy! :)

Till tomorrow guys!

dancing and turkey burgers

hey hey hey!

I am so excited the new season of Dancing with the Stars has begun! I looove that show. And with our new TV I get to watch it in HD! For the most part, this is a VERY good thing....HELLO, that amazingly HOT model.....what's his name? shoot...I have even forgotten his name! Anyways, who cares....HE'S SO FREAKIN HOT!!!! The down side of HD is Wayne Newton....yikes yikes yikes....looks like his face was run over by a bigg truck! Pobresito....LOL But seriously...I am rooting for Jennie Garth, Sabrina (the cheetah girl) and Helio....he is sooo charming..I really enjoyed watching him dance! I am looking forward to Monday and Tuesday nights again.

Today I worked on the wedding invites. Looks like I will be mailing them out by this Saturday! Can't wait to start getting those RSVPs returned. It will be like Christmas everyday, I hope!!

Tonight I made Turkey burgers. Honestly, I literally put them together. I just seasoned it with what we had and I thought would be good. They turned out pretty good! They were like mini meatloafs. Check them out!
When I first began to cook them:

While they were cooking:

The final result!


anyways...till tomorrow guys!

bridal shower

Today I got the most special present I've ever gotten. Janelle put together the most amazing scrapbook of my bridal shower. It had wedding advise from most of my guests......omg, I haven't been able to read them...I was crying because of how beautiful it was! I am emotional when it comes to that.....my goodness.....I am so happy with it....I am going to treasure it always!

I also put together a video slideshow of the shower. It was an amazing day....my mom, Janelle, Jackie and Tati put everything together..and I can't even begin to tell you how perfect it all was!

Check out the video:


My goodness.....I CAN'T WAIT TO MARRY RONNIE!!!!

our weekend

ronnie and i had a good weekend. the mustang show was fun. ronnie was like a little boy all afternoon! he looooves car shows and he was happy he could take his cobra out.

today i cleaned our kitchen. even the rerigerator. when i clean, it gives me a sense of accomplishment. lol i love having a clean house. along with cleaning, i took out some halloween decorations. i bought these cute cute cute halloween figurines last year here in NC for about $3 on sale....and yesterday, we went to cracker barrel and i found this frankestein cookie jar/chips and dip server/salt and pepper shaker figurine. isn't he cute, too???? i also got him on sale.






i also cooked dinner tonight. i made gnocchi. it didn't come out bad. it was yummy. and it was pretty easy to make! check it out:





well, i hope to mail out the wedding invitations this week! i am really anxious about it! can't wait to start getting those rsvp's back!

half bath downstairs

I love, love, love to shop. I realized this week that it makes me feel better. It really does. Last nigt I was tossing and turning thinking about all of the things I still have left to do for the wedding. This morning I felt guilty about being so paranoid. So, I decided I wanted to go to shopping! Besides I have gift cards still from the bridal shower and I needed to buy a dress for the rehearsal dinner. And off I went....

My half bath, which is downstairs, is finally complete. It's from the Martha Stewart line. I am completely obsessed with it by the way. LOVE LOVE LOVE it all! So, here are some pictures of it. When you come to visit, this is the bathroom you'll probably be using often..LOL So enjoy!






I also bought the dress I will wear for the rehearsal dinner. It's black and white..so pretty. And I got it on MAJOR sale! And an additional $10 off....not only do I love to shop, but I also love good sales and deals! Who doesn't really?!

Tomorrow Ronnie and I are going to a Mustang car show..our first one in NC. He's really excited. He loves car shows. So, I am sure we'll have a nice day.

Till tomorrow!

midol: how do i love thee?

Hi blog buddies!

So today I woke up miserable. Yeah, that time of the month. YECK. Why can't we just get used to that terrible feeling? If it was only possible...lol But I tried not to let it get me down because I have so many THINGS TO DO! So, I tried to accomplish some things today and I did. But I still feel awful!

Anyways, during this time of the month I also get major, major cravings. I can want to eat the most bizarre things! But today it wasn't too bizarre.....I wanted cuban food. Bistec empanizado to be exact. I went on my merry way to the grocery store to try to come up with the ingredients... There is a Hispanic section at the store...but excuse me, Hispanics in NC only consist of Mexicanos. Soooo frustrating. I really wanted to make platanitos, too...But I guess Mexicans don't eat that either! ay!!!
Well, I managed to get the bread crumbs, but plain Progresso brand (no hay galleta molida) and the meat. So, I made due. Ronnie enjoyed it. It came out pretty good....oh! And I also made white rice...hello! The rice came out good, too.

But here was my issue with cooking Cuban food the first time....it smelled like Tita's house. Not that there is anything wrong with that....but it was just too much.....ay, no....I still smell the smell of frying pan....I guess I need to get used to it...

Well, yesterday I attempted to begin our wedding guestbook. Originally I wanted to have a slideshow at the reception to play pictures of Ronnie and I through the years. Well, it turns out it wouln't really work because the wedding is during the day and outside..so you wouldn't be able to see it. So, again....I want to incoroporate the idea somehow, so I made due. I am creating a scrapbook of us through the years to be our guestbook. Here is a sneak peak:



Cute, huh? I think so. It's real simple because I want to have room for people to sign.

And I finally decided on the wedding favors. Believe me, most of you know, this has been the most undecisive factor of the entire wedding process. I could never make up my mind! But, believe me this time.....the decision is final. I am going to give bottles of honey. And the tag is going to read "I Married My Honey"! AWWWW! TOO CUTE, RIGHT? I know, I know!!! Here is a picture of what it's going to look like. I am going to have the 4 oz bottles made...the 4th one to the right to be exact.


Anyways, can't wait...still so many things to do!
Finalize the menu
choose reception music
Invites should be mailed out by next week
buy unity candle
buy wedding party presents....and the list goes on and on!

Till tomorrow guys...I think tomorrow's topic will be the house. I gotta show you what we've done to the place. We're slowy making it our home.....I love this!

will you be my blog buddy?

Hi guys!

I can't believe I am blogging! But to tell you the truth, I was kind of easily convinced. LOL But I have legitimate reasons why. I know this will have to taking some getting used to. But I think I would enjoy it....I hope you will appreciate it and come by often. But anyways....

For one, I am far away now and since you know I am still on the job hunt, I've been spending my time doing things I love to do during the time I am not applying and patiently waiting for call backs. Things like crafting, scrapbooking and COOKING! Yep. You read correctly....Not only am I watching Rachel and Martha now, I am actually putting my learning into practice....and I've actually enjoyed learning to cook.

So, I think I am going to use this blog to share with you my recipe and crafty creations and basically anything else special I have been up to here in good ole' North Carolina (and i say that in a southern draw) LOL. So here it goes. My recipe tonight was Parmesan Crusted Chicken with a side salad. The dressing was also homemade. And let me tell you, it was deeeeliccioouss!! And super simple. Here is a picture:



Doesn't it look great?! Let me tell you....it tasted great too!

Oh! And today I also decided that I needed to figure out something with the mail/bills/coupons clutter on the kitchen counter. OMG! It has become a PET PEEVE! I had to do something.....and I did...and I made it a craft project. LOL I got a notebook and I embellished it. I plan to add dividers inside too keep the mail and bills organized too! Here is what I came up with:
The front of the notebook:


The back:


The paper has sayings like "Home sweet home" and "home is where the heart is"....so cute! And yes, it reads "The Wrays"....because we will soon officially be "The Wrays!" LOL

Anyways, just 2 more months for the wedding.....I have been somewhat stressed about the whole thing. I mean, I just look at my TO DO LIST and I panic a little. But I am actually appreciating the time I have now, so I have been working on the details....but omg, 2 MORE MONTHS!!!

ok until tomorrow.....below I have added the recipe for the chicken. try it. YUMMY!

Love you all...let me know if you think you'll be passing by this blog frequently. i hope so. but even if I just have meli read it, then that's enough for me, really. Just set this as one your favorites....do it....do it NOW! OH! OH! Right below this.....like at the bottom, you can post a note to me.....tell me if you were here, or whatever comment you want to leave.....don't forget!!!

I just think it would be a nice way for us to keep in touch somehow....

Parmesan Chicken
Copyright 2002, Barefoot Contessa Family Style, All Rights Reserved
See this recipe on air Monday Sep. 24 at 12:00 PM ET/PT.
Show: Barefoot Contessa
Episode: Mystery Guest




4 to 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 extra-large eggs
1 tablespoon water
1 1/4 cups seasoned dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
Unsalted butter
Good olive oil
Salad greens for 6, washed and spun dry
1 recipe Lemon Vinaigrette, recipe follows
Pound the chicken breasts until they are 1/4-inch thick. You can use either a meat mallet or a rolling pin.
Combine the flour, salt, and pepper on a dinner plate. On a second plate, beat the eggs with 1 tablespoon of water. On a third plate, combine the bread crumbs and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan. Coat the chicken breasts on both sides with the flour mixture, then dip both sides into the egg mixture and dredge both sides in the bread-crumb mixture, pressing lightly.

Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan and cook 2 or 3 chicken breasts on medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Add more butter and oil and cook the rest of the chicken breasts. Toss the salad greens with lemon vinaigrette. Place a mound of salad on each hot chicken breast. Serve with extra grated Parmesan.

Lemon Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/2 cup good olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Yield: 6 servings

life in nc

hey guys!

I can't believe I am blogging! I must admit, though. I was easily convinced! And I have several reasons why I was persuaded so easily.

First, you all know, I am still on the job hunt. So, what did this mean for me during the time I am not applying/looking for openings? I've kind of been indulging in things I love to do. and I have found some more things I have learned to love. I've been crafting, scrapbooking.....and cooking! Yep, now, not only do I watch and learn to cook by watching Rachel and Martha, but I am putting my learning into practice! And I LOVE to cook...like tonight I made Parmesan Crusted Chicken with a side salad which I contracted together, too!

Here's the recipe: