After finishing the yarn wreath that had previously posted about, I was ready to take on my next crafting task.  I tried to think about something that we really needed and wanted to have, but that would also be quick and easy to make.  I scoured the internet for ideas, and of course my good friend Pinterest led me to the perfect idea! I would make a Christmas tree skirt for our tree!  We didn’t have one (last year I just used a big piece of red fabric that I had in my craft box), so I instantly headed to Hobby Lobby to pick out the perfect fabric.  I used this tutorial , and finished the skirt over two days (about 5 hours total).  I bought a cheap $1 tree skirt from the Dollar Tree to use as the base pattern to follow.  I decided on red and white fabric to give the skirt the look of a candy cane and used a little less than 4 yards of each color to complete the whole project.  So a cheap tree skirt, 4 yards of fabric, a hot glue gun with LOTS of g...

I’ve always considered myself a pretty crafty person.  Or at least I attempt to be.  But more often than not, things usually go like this… I see something crafty that I want to try.  I head to Hobby Lobby to buy all of the things I need to make this awesome crafty thing.  I start crafting and either (a) get distracted with something else and never finish what I started, or (b) decide that the project is tougher than I’d planned and just give up.  Well, I’ve decided to make a crafting resolution with myself… “I will only attempt to craft things that are simple and inexpensive (at least until I get the hang of things), and I will always finish whatever project I’m working on at the moment before starting a new one.” Good news!  I completed my first project tonight! Yay!!  I made my very first Christmas wreath and I’m super excited about it!  I’m not usually one to decorate for Christmas before Thanksgiving Day, but this little wreath makes me ...

As I was making our grocery shopping list last week, I decided that Kyle and I needed to spice up our dinner routine.  Despite our crazy schedules, we’ve somehow found time to have dinner together almost every night of the week now.  We absolutely love that time together and appreciate every minute of it, but I was beginning to feel like we were cycling through the same recipes and meals from week to week.  So I began searching the web for some new vegan recipes that we could try and found an awesome website ( TheDailyGreen.com ) with some seemingly delicious recipes.  I picked one to try, and we both LOVED it so much that I thought that I should share it with you! It’s called “Vegan Chesapeake Tempeh Cakes”.  They are a vegan spin on crab cakes and are made from tempeh (a soy-based protein that can be used in many dishes as an alternative to meat).  The recipe came from the book “Vegan Brunch” by Isa Chandra Moskowitz.  Here’s the recipe: SERVINGS:...

Fall is probably my favorite season of the year.   I love the crisp temperatures… the yummy smells… and of course the excitement of football!   I was never a huge fan of football before I met Kyle, so I have to credit my interest in the game to him and his football-loving family!   But I’ve come to love the game and look forward to watching our teams play each week—especially our PITTSBURGH STEELERS!!     Tonight’s game between the Green Bay Packers and the New Orleans Saints marks the official start of the NFL season, and the official start of my very first Fantasy Football season!   Kyle convinced me to join a fantasy football league this year, and we had our draft this past Sunday night... talk about stressful!   Everything moved so fast, and I felt like I barely had time to wrap my head around my next decision.   It was definitely intense, and I still feel like I have no clue what I’m doing!   Let’s just say that this is going to be ve...

View from the top of the roller coaster. Every summer when August rolls around, Louisville begins buzzing in preparation to host the Kentucky State Fair.   The fair grounds are transformed from an empty parking lot and empty buildings to a place filled with amusement rides, flea markets, farm animal stalls, and miles and miles of food vendors.   I used to visit the fair almost every summer when I was younger, but until this year, I hadn’t been since I was 12 years old.   And Kyle, believe it or not, had NEVER been to the State Fair…So we decided that this year, we would enjoy the experience together! And a wonderful experience it was! Our first stop when we arrived was to visit some of the CUTEST little farm animals I’ve ever seen—Piglets.. Chicks.. Ducks.. Lambs.. They were absolutely adorable!   And to no one’s surprise, I wanted to bring them all home with us.   But Kyle said a few pictures of them would have to do!   We also got to see some much ...

http://sweetceces.com/index.html Following a vegan diet means no consumption of animal products… No animal products means no dairy… No dairy means no ice cream… And no ice cream means that my selection of sweet and tasty summer treats is extremely limited.   But not to fear, Sweet CeCe’s has come to my rescue! Sweet CeCe’s Frozen Yogurt and Treats is a delicious frozen yogurt shop on Bardstown Road in the Highlands (in Louisville, of course).   My family and I first tried it a few weeks ago and I immediately fell in love.   They have a crazy long list of flavors, and usually offer around 10 different flavors daily, so the available flavors are different each day.   They also have a ton of toppings to choose from…Fruit Loops...Snickers… Oreos… Strawberries… Chocolate Chips... Blueberries… Nuts… Pineapple… and of course cherries to top it all off!   But the list goes on and on and on… The best part about Sweet CeCe’s for me though, is that they always o...

Yesterday, I completed my second (of seven) rotation for school.   I was at the University of Louisville Pharmacy, working specifically in the Neurosurgical ICU.   Talk about a learning experience.   The atmosphere was sometimes really intense and really emotional, but I’m glad to have had the opportunity to work there, because I not only developed my pharmacy knowledge, but I also learned a lot about myself.   I can remember my first day there…I was completely overwhelmed.   I remember coming home that night and talking to Kyle about how much I disliked everything about it, telling him “I don’t belong in a place like that.”   I think I even cried... Ridiculous, I know. :) Looking back now, I realize how silly I was for feeling that way.   Yes, it was overwhelming. But why did I expect that it wouldn’t be.   I had only worked in a hospital pharmacy one time before, and didn’t learn much from that experience.   I had very little background e...