Project #2

I knew this week would be productive! Monday night I went shopping for fabrics for 2 more projects and came home equipped. Last night, I went walking, read quite a bit, and completed project #2 for the week. This bench is my mom's (thanks for letting me furnish my apt with it!) and we've had it for a while. It's gone through a lot of sitting/storing/using so the original fabric was pretty dirty (it was in a boys room before I rescued it!). The original fabric also didn't match my colors so my mom said I could re-cover it. So, here you go! I started and finished last night :)

Before

After! The leopard matches my animal print pics and wall decor.

The finished product!

Project #3 is on the to-do list for tomorrow night. Once I accomplish that, all 3 of my final projects for my apartment will be complete! Then onto...replacing my spark plugs in my car (that sure would make me well-rounded! I'll probably just supervise Chan....). A girl can dream, right?!

Super Girly

I used to be a nail biter. My nails were always short and rarely painted. Until last summer. While I was in India, 2 of my friends had beautiful, long nails and it inspired me to grow mine out and make them beautiful (thanks Hayley and Nicole!!). Since then, I've kept my nails long and I love them. Also starting last summer, I fell in love with nail polish! :) I've always liked painting my nails but couldn't do it in high school because of cheerleading or college because of Nursing School. Well, now I'm not a cheerleader or a practicing nurse, so I have them painted ALL the time! I repaint them in a different color about once a week and I love to try new colors. I'm not a picky brand person. I love the 99 cent small bottles at Sally's, the $2 NYC at Wal-Mart, and the $8 OPI. Today, I'm going to share with you my new favorite colors, my seasonal classics, and my randoms. Enjoy! :)

These are my fall/winter classics:

 From L to R: OPI You Don't Know Jacques!. Sally Hansen Red Zin, OPI Java Mauve-a.

 These are my summer classics. I wear them on my fingers or toes!!

 OPI Pink Flamenco (HOT pink!!) and Pure Ice Siren.

 This is a random winter color. I wouldn't call it one of my classics, but it's fun to wear every now and then. It's a dark, dark purple.

 Pure Ice Scandal.

 These are my random summer colors. I don't love them but every now and then I get the desire to wear them.

 From L to R: Love my Nails Flirty Pink (it's kind of corally and not as hot as OPI), Rimmel Tequila Sunrise (orange), and NYC 108A( it doesn't have a name! It's pale, pale pink).

 These are my new FAVES!!!

From L to R:  Sally Hansen Strobe Light. It's GLITTER! It's a clear polish with sparkly glitter so it can go over any base color. I LOVE it! Next, Sally Girl (it doesn't have a name). It's a neon purple (kind of hard to see in the pic). On the right, Sally Hansen Jade Jump. It's mint green! Very springy!!

 This is a must if you paint your nails often! I used to always mess mine up right after painting them (and if you're like me, it takes a while to paint them, so it's super frustrating to mess them up) but not with this stuff! Paint your nails, wait 1-2 minutes, put this on, they're dry in 30 seconds! And, it makes a great top coat so it helps from chipping and makes your nails shiny!

Sally Hansen Insta-Dry.

Lastly, I love this little tool I found recently! It has 4 sides. Side 1 evens out your nail bed. Side 2 smooths the nail bed. Side 3 buffs the nail and side 4 shines it. I use this every time I take my polish off, before I put on new polish. It helps make them smooth for the new color. And, if I choose not to repaint them right away, it makes my natural nail shiny!

Sorry this post was so long! I just love nail polish and painting my nails and being girly! Hope it brought out the girliness in you :)

Project #1

Today, I had a high and lofty goal of starting and finishing 4 projects. However, due to Wal-Marts lack of resources, I only finished 1. This week's goal is to finish the remaining 3 after going to Hobby Lobby and a different Wal-Mart.

Project #1: Repainting my dining room table.
In college, Cameron made me a painting for my apartment so I painted the tile on my table to match. That design didn't match this apartment's decor, so it needed to be repainted. That's what I did today!

Before (it's been scratched up over time).

After! A bright, golden yellow.

To see the finished table with my place settings, see the previous post that includes my decorations!!

Finally Here!!

That's right....I finally took pictures of my decorations and they're ready to show! Enjoy!

My bed from my bedroom door.

Desk and Bookshelf on the same wall as the door.

Bench as you enter bedroom. Recovering this will be a future project (hopefully this week!!)

Bathroom.

Love my kitchen!!

Dining Table.

Place settings.

Living Room (taken from kitchen).

Taken from the front door.

TV area. (Future project-making a curtain to cover the movie shelf).

Window/front door.

 Hope you love my apartment as much as I do!!!

New Look

I spent A LOT of time on my new look today...it's finished and I love it!!! I wanted something with softer colors and more "me" in it. Now, if I can only figure out an easy way to use a custom font in the posts and to add sidebar tags, i'll be set!!....any ideas from fellow bloggers?!

Thought I'd Be Better....

When I started this venture, I thought I would be better at blogging. With my last post being February 17th, I have proven that I am not very consistent. So, when I do update, I'll try to make it interesting! :) Recently, I've been decently disciplined. I've definitely become more balanced. Instead of focusing everything on cooking, I've cooked a little less, worked out more, hung out more, read more, and gone to the store less.

I'm trying to work out consistently. My apt complex has an INCREDIBLE gym - tons of treadmills, ellipticals, bikes, weight machines - everything you would need to get in shape. Still, my heart's desire is to run outside during spring, so I'm hoping to get my joints strengthened to allow for this. (I have terrible joints due to genetics and cheerleading so jogging hurts. However, if I lose a bit of weight by other means first, it is more tolerable). I enjoy the elliptical and the weight machines. I also downloaded some 5-minute workouts on my phone - abs, butt, arms. The ab workout KILLS, but I can tell it's working - not by sight yet. First, I gotta get some of the extra skin off the top of my abs first :). I'm enjoying working out. I want to lose quite a few pounds and tone my muscles so I'm trying to get better/more consistent at working out, eating healthier (I'm eating lots of fruits and I'm down to 1 diet coke/day on most days), and I'm cutting out sweets. THIS IS HARD!!! I love me some cheesecake, froyo, brownies, cupcakes, and all!

Another discipline I'm focusing on is reading. In 2011, I've already completed Harry Potter 3, started and completed Harry Potter 4, and I'm a quarter of the way into Harry Potter 5. I've also completed a novelette (is there such thing?!) by Kay Arthur. And, last night I finished "A Busy Woman's Guide to Prayer." This book CHANGED MY LIFE!! This book does an incredible job of describing the power of prayer, the purpose of prayer, and of laying out practical ways to get better at praying and to pray even when busy. I have a brand new perspective on prayer and each day I find myself longing to talk to God throughout the day and bringing a lot more to Him than I used to. I highly recommend this book for every woman to read!
Tonight, I'm moving onto a new book. I am going to start "So Long Insecurity" by Beth Moore. I have heard wonderful reviews of this book and I'm excited to read it. I dont' necessarily struggle with daily insecurities but I know there are things I do that stem from insecurity and I'm just not aware of it. I'm excited to read and be freed.

I'd love to hear back from you what workouts you enjoy/how you stay in shape! I will probably adopt your ways to add variety to my routine. I also love book recommendations - feel free to leave some ideas in a comment! I would also love to pray for you - if you have any requests, email me at morgan.tedder@ymail.com and I'll add you to my prayer list.

Love you all :)

Menu Mania

I am LOVING making weekly menus. I'm enjoying new recipes and trying for healthier options. I haven't quite mastered the "combine-different-recipes-to-create-your-own" technique yet (I'll explain later). So for now, I'm sticking to the exact measurements.

Last week's menu:

• Monday night: Monkey Bread and Sausage/Egg Quiche - I know Monkey Bread is NOT healthy but it's so delicious!! This turned out great. And it makes great leftovers for breakfast for the next few days :)
• Tuesday night: Curry Lime Chicken, Sauteed Asparagus, Wild Rice - I created the curry lime chicken idea! Lime Chicken sounded so good to me but I wanted to add something. So, with my love for Indian food....I pulled out the Curry Powder. It turned out really great! I just poked holes in the chicken, put it in a ziploc, poured in Lime Juice and Curry Powder and marinated it in the fridge all day. Then, I grilled it on the George Foreman (incredible option for single people!) and it was delicious. I also marinated the asparagus in Kraft Tuscan Italian dressing and then sauteed it in a pan over the stove. This is a great, easy, quick option that I'll definitely add to my rotation!
• Wednesday night: Cameron, Andi, and Chandler came over because Youth group was cancelled due to the snow. It was so fun to make dinner for them! (Cameron was in the kitchen too - it's impossible to keep  him out). I made Lemon Pepper Tilapia and Green Bean Bundles. Cameron and Andi brought over homemade bread and chicken and made Cameron's signature "Mayonnaise Bread Chicken". I also made chocolate chip cookies and added peanut butter. These were yummy! (I hope the snow is over because it just makes me want to bake!!) We hung out for a while and had fun as siblings with the future sib/wife!
• Thursday night: White Chicken Chili and cornbread: [Disclaimer - I don't like broth-based soups. I only like cream-based soups.] This is a winner. It's my aunt's recipe and I LOVE it! It's super quick and easy and it makes for great leftovers (I cut the recipe in half and still had it for 3 total meals and froze some).

This week's menu"

• Monday night: leftovers. I ran some errands that night (that didn't include the grocery store), so I just had leftovers. I treated myself to a workout, tanning, and relaxation since it was Valentine's Day.
• Tuesday night: I made some baked Cajun Tilapia and had it with leftover Green Bean Bundles and Wild Rice. Fish is so good and it cooks so much faster than chicken! This is the night I went to the store so I made quick dinner before I left.
• Wednesday night: Potato and Corn Chowder. This is where I learn I am not good at the combining-different-recipes technique. Let's just say...it took a lot longer than I wanted to and it only tastes okay, not excellent. It's definitely edible and I'm freezing it for leftovers (I'll probably pull it out on the random day Arkansas decides to be cold again - let's be realistic, we know it will happen in like April). So, for next time, I'll definitely stick to one recipe and hopefully it will be better.
• Thursday night: Fiesta Chicken Casserole and guacamole. Tonight I am having 2 girls over that I discipled last year. They are super sweet! I am trying out a new recipe so hopefully it will be good. What can't be good about chicken, pasta, cheese, salsa, guacamole, and chips? I'll keep you updated!
• Friday night: My great friend Christy is coming over for a girls' night so we will probably make homemade pizzas and something sweet!
• Saturday night: Burgers and Fries. Cheeseburgers are easily one of my favorite foods. I am not one of those girls that goes out to a restaurant and orders a salad. My go to food at most restaurants is a Barbeque Bacon Cheeseburger cooked medium. My favorite ones have onion rings/straws on them. YUM! (I'm salivating just thinking about it). So, this Saturday, I'll  be pulling out my George Foreman, grilling me a burger, and baking me some fries! I even have seasoned salt to put on the fries. I think this will be my favorite meal this week.

Saturday night I'm having a Wedding Invitation Assembly Party for my friend! She lives in India and won't be home for a few more weeks but her invitations need to go out Monday. So, I'll be baking a cake and hanging out with friends to get these assembled!! I'm so excited to be helping with this (and it will give me great practice for if I get married one day ;)

If you have any delicious dinner ideas, I would love some feedback! :) I'm always looking for new recipes. And, if any of these sound good to you and you want the recipe, leave a comment and I'll get it to you! Happy Cooking!!

The Nights Fly

Before moving into my apartment, I often wondered what I would fill my time with and if I would get bored living by myself. I've found this is FAR from reality. I get home from work, cook dinner, do a couple things, and before I know it, it's time to get ready for bed. (I admit, I normally get in bed around 10:00 or 10:30.This is not when I go to sleep - I get in bed and read. I like to get in bed though because it helps me relax from the day and I fall asleep better.) Anyways,  I'm finding that I don't have enough time to do the things I want to do at night. I know you're probably thinking, "go to bed later. duh!" Well, I can't do this. I like my sleep and I like to get up in the mornings to spend time with Jesus and not feel rushed getting ready. If I go to bed any later than 10:30, I will not want to get up when I should in the morning. Believe me, I've tried. Trial and error shows I need 7-7.5 hours of sleep. I've got it figured out. So, this week, my nighttime to-do list is chock full. I am going to push myself this week to get most of it accomplished (including working out every night (last week I failed at this) and still get in bed at my normal time. Last night, I did a pretty good job! After work, I ran 4 errands (including an oil change), cooked dinner, cleaned the kitchen, worked out, tanned, showered, and got in bed when I wanted to. Tonight will include, working out, cooking dinner, going to Wal-Mart and the dollar store, and a few other items from my list. This week, the implementation of true discipline is coming out full force.

[side note]: I'm a firm believer in the power of sleep. Our bodies need sleep to be refreshed and restored. I think sleep needs to be a discipline/habit that we put more emphasis on. Too many people have so much going on that they put sleep on the back burner. These people get sick more often and burned out quicker. Also, if God allows me to have kids one day, I know I won't get much sleep so I'm going to get it while I can!

Dinner Guests and Fun with Friends

 With Sunday night being my first night in my apartment, Monday night was my grocery store night. Tuesday night, I had my first dinner guests!!! One of my best friends, Megan Bertin, and her husband, Nick, came over. I loved hosting friends and practicing hospitality! Can't wait to have more and more people over as I get into a routine. When I got home from work on Tuesday, I started dinner. We had fajitas, cheese dip, and homemade guacamole. Everything turned out really good. It was fun getting used to the timing of cooking and when to start what so that everything is ready on time. Dinner party #1=success.

Fajita Chicken with Peppers and Onions

Homemade guac and cheese for cheese dip

Wednesday, I made dinner for myself. Cameron told me about a recipe for Spinach and Ricotta Manicotti and it sounded great! So, I found the recipe online and made this Wednesday night. It was super easy and pretty quick! Not much prep - the cook time was the longest part. I didn't have all the spices it called for yet so I had to improvise a bit. It turned out a little bland, but now I know better for next time!

Manicotti and Salad

Thursday night, Allie (co-worker and friend) and I headed over to our friend Sarah's house to cook and hang out! I was looking forward to this all week and it was so fun!!!! We made General Tao's Chicken (another recipe Cameron found - he is really good at finding recipes). After quite a bit of prep time (the recipe was a little hard to follow but we figured it out!), the chicken was ready! Let me tell you....this was a restaurant quality recipe! It was absolutely incredible - definitely a keeper! We talked over dinner and then Sarah got the urge to make scones (kind of like my cookie urge tonight). She made some blueberry scones and I am definitely getting the recipe from her. They were so great.

General Tao's Chicken over Rice

Week 1 of apartment life has been better than I could have imagined. I've had some sweet times with the Lord in the mornings being grateful that He provided this place. I've had some great times of Bible study at night when I'm home alone. I'm excited for next week - I'm going to start working out and getting into a more normal routine. Looking forward to this journey!!

Snowed in on Friday Night

As I type this, homemade cookies are in the oven :) This afternoon, I got off work around 1 because of the snow (it wasn't too bad but I knew it was going to get heavier and start to freeze). After about 5 hours inside, without a car, I got the urge to bake and cook. (Who am I?! It must be this goal of domesticity I have!).  I called Chandler (he took my car because it's 4-wheel drive and he'll actually drive in this stuff!) to see if he would want to take me to Wal-Mart to get the necessary ingredients for cookies. He whole heartedly agreed (I told him I would make some for him too). [Side note: I like Wal-Mart SO much better than Kroger for some reason. This will be where I do most of my shopping.] I got home from Wal-Mart, ate dinner, and finished a movie then started the cookies. I am a messy baker! Batch 1 is finished and they look great! I used a pizza stone to bake them because I don't have cookie sheets yet. I've decided I like the way they cook on a pizza stone better than cookie sheets too - I highly recommend it! Instead of plain chocolate chip cookies, I decided to add some white chocolate chips and some butterscotch chips in there too. DELICIOUS! (I just ate one - SUCCESS!) So, my Friday night is spent at home, snowed in, with homemade cookies in the oven, and coffee in the coffeepot. I could get used to this apartment life!

Chocolate Chip Cookies for Chandler