Weekending {10/5}

Hello, Monday, we meet again!

This weekend was interesting. Rather than give you a play-by-play, I'll share some highlights:

- I went to pick up my marriage certificate on Friday in an effort to start my name-change process. I came home with three copies... except two of them were not mine. #sorryNicoleandQuartrina Should I take them back? 

- Our Saturday morning 5k got rained out, so we spent the morning at the gym, and studied for the afternoon. We didn't break until almost 7:30pm, at which point neither of us could think of a dinner idea. So we had peach smoothies for dinner. We are living large. 

- I finally mastered the omelette yesterday morning. I cannot express to you how many times my omelettes have turned into scrambles, but yesterday was a success! I only had to watch this video by Ina Garten a million times.

- Homemade apple sauce! I blogged about trying this on Friday and finally gave it a shot on Sunday afternoon. I did not use my crockpot, but the entire process took less than an hour and the results are fantastic!

- After trying my new black booties on for the tenth time, I decided I don't like them and need to return them. Fail. But I think I have a few other items on my list...

1. This coat. I pinned it to my pinterest board a few weeks ago and have been 

obsessing over it since then. 

2. This Madewell Tote. Everyone loves this bag... right? Should I monogram it?

3. Red lipstick. Such a must for fall and holidays. This BuzzFeed article is fun because it uses the same products on four skin tones. Funny Fact: I lived on the same floor as one of these girls in Washington, D,C, in 2009.... small world.

4. A new haircut! OP is obviously my fashion icon, and I want to chop my hair a bit... thoughts? (love this set of short-ish hair inspiration)

xx00, 

Hannah

linking with Biana and Meghan for some weekend love <3

Weekending {9/28}

Popping in for a quick weekend recap with the lovely Biana and Megan!

Our weekend was a bit low key, to be honest. It poured rain in Atlanta most of the weekend, so we stayed close to home on Friday night, making dinner and watching the first episode of Nashville <-- long time blog readers will know this show is a favorite of mine! 

Saturday started with a quick breakfast and a trip to Stone Mountain. AR's company had a day planned out there, and we headed out, despite the terrible weather. Stone Mountain is literally a stone mountain about 16 miles east of Atlanta, but the park also has hiking trails, camping space, a sky tram, and lots of activities.

prepared for the day with hot coffee and a rain coat!

 We enjoyed some games and lunch with friends from work, and then set out for the mountain, which we couldn't actually see due to the fog and rain. We decided to ride the sky tram to the top, with plans to hike down.

Poor AR couldn't keep his eyes open... hahahaha

We could see absolutely NOTHING at the top. So much for the great view of the city! Despite the park ranger saying he would "not recommend" hiking down the mountain, we took off. The hike isn't long (under 2 miles) or very challenging, but it was wet. We got completely drenched, despite our raincoats. The rock was so slippery and we had some near accidents, but overall it was okay!

We came home for hot showers, study time, and football. Dinner was sushi take-out.

We woke up Sunday for church, lunch at AR's favorite Indian restaurant, and a quick trip to the mall. I wanted new booties and a new tote bag, but I was undecided on the bag. Love my new black booties though and Macy's had a great sale! We went for a run in the evening and made big salads for dinner, before curling up on the couch for an early night.

So now its Monday... I started at 5:30am and went to Flybarre, made a batch of cinnamon-maple biscuits for the hubby, and headed to an early meeting. Let's get this Monday!!

x0x0, 

Hannah

Fri-yay! {9/25}

Linking up for Friday morning and it seems I have food on the brain... as usual. I hope your weekend is well on its way. I'm headed out for some errands and study time shortly, but hope to the bottom and leave me some feedback on AR & I's date night tonight!

#realweekendthoughts

1. Morning Tacos.

So AR's team at work has a breakfast club. Every Friday, they take turns bringing breakfast for the team. One time we brought breakfast sandwiches from a restaurant. Another time I made cinnamon rolls (30 of them, to be exact) and fruit salad. This morning we did breakfast tacos for 20 people. It was a LOT but so much fun. We had fun walking up early and cooking together, and I like stopping by his office to say high to everyone.

Somehow, I don't think big law is going to let me host a breakfast club...


2. Speaking of Breakfast...

And yes, they were massive and falling off the plate. 

I ate these gluten-free raspberry pancakes last weekend at Metro Fresh and they were amazing. I don't know the last time I had pancakes, but these were everything I hoped for and more. I hope AR wants to go back there again this weekend.

3. Take-out

I confess, we had a take-out moment last week. I really hate to do that, but neither of us got home before 8pm, and we just looked at each other and said "Greek food?"

When I order take-out, I make an effort to supplement some of my food to keep it healthy. I ordered lentil soup and salad, but I added extra fresh spinach to the salad and ate it with hummus for some added protein. I threw in a few cuties too for a fruit serving. Eaten on a t.v. tray while watching HGTV, of course ;)

4. Date Night

So AR and I are off to the movies tonight and trying to decide what to see.
My ideas? The Intern (with Ann Hathaway --LOVE) or Everest.
AR's ideas? The Black Mass (with Johnny Depp)

Any thoughts? Is anyone else planning to see one of these movies this weekend? 

5. Football Treats

LSU plays on Saturday afternoon, so we are hiking in the morning and then coming home to watch the game. I am making the below items for snacks!

double stuffed, twice-baked  baked potatoes

recipe

chocolate chip pumpkin cookies

recipe and photo

Any good movie recommendations for this weekend?

What snack to you like to enjoy at the movies?

x0x0, 

Hannah

linking up with Natasha for some 5 on Friday

linking up with the Farmer's Wife for some Oh Hey Friday!

Still Weekending {9/7}

Hey friends, linking up with Biana for some weekend fun.

The weekend is still here! I consistently imagine what my life would be like if every weekend was a long weekend. Actually, who am I kidding? Every weekend is a long weekend for me this semester! #thirdyearlawstudent

Friday started with a 2.5 hour walk with my sweet friend Neha. We met at the park in the morning and walked forever. It felt great to catch up and enjoy the sun. I ran to meet AR for lunch (smoothie for me, sandwich for him), and then went to a yoga class. This yoga class was new to me, and I didn't like it as much as my regular studio. But it was still good :)

Friday night we ate at Victory Sandwich Bar. If you are in ATL, you need to try this spot. We normally visit their Decatur location, but they just opened a spot closer to us.

Any place that has cheese popcorn as an appetizer is a Friday night win in my book. THe entire menu is small sandwiches and salads. We had popcorn, mini sandwiches, pickles, lady pea salad, and cocktails. My cocktail was some combination of gin and white wine and lemon. Oh, and we split a fresh chocolate chip cookie. Dessert always.

Saturday was breakfast at home, a ridiculous workout at Stellar Bodies with my friend (and bridesmaid!) Andrea, followed by a study session for the entire afternoon. We ran errands in the evening and came home for some football and dinner.

The menu: Mini turkey sliders served on baby dinner rolls and topped with grilled mushrooms and cheddar, twice baked potatoes, and salad.

Twice baked potatoes are a favorite of mine and so easy to make. I've shared my recipe below :) Sadly, our LSU tigers never got to play due to weather. This was disappointing, but we watched the Alabama game instead.

Sunday morning we spent all day hiking at Tallulah Falls State Park. We walked the trails and then went down the 1099 steps to the bottom of the gorge and had a picnic lunch. Here, I promptly took a bite of AR's chocolate protein bar and proceeded to have an allergic reaction. I'm terribly allergic to cashews, which are apparently in Chocolate Cupcake Luna bars. I barely ate a bite and immediately spit it out, but the damage was done. As a child, this would have required a trip to the ER and an EPI pen shot. As an adult, my reactions seem a bit milder. I can take tons of benedryl and usually be okay.

The miserable part of this adventure was having to hike up the 1099 steps again to the top after this ordeal. It was horrible. I slept the whole way home, except for a small pit stop at Dairy Queen that AR woke me for.

We are still weekending today, though most of the day will be spent studying. I'm hoping to watch some T.V. tonight. We just started watching True Detective (season one) and we love it. Anyone else watch this show?

Do you have any allergies?

What did you do this weekend? 

x0x0, 

Hannah

Twice Baked Potatoes 

8 servings

ingredients
4 baked potatoes, cooled
1/2 c. sour cream
1/3 c. milk
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese, plus more for topping
1/4 c. chopped green onions
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350*.
Slice baked potatoes in half long ways. Using a spoon, carefully scoop out the inner potato pulp, leaving behind a thick shell, about 1/8 inch thick. Place the pulp into a food processor and blend with milk and sour cream until well blended. Add in the cheese, green onions, and salt and pepper. Pulse to combine.
Gently fill the potato shells evenly with the filling. Top with more cheese, then bake for 20 minutes or until heated through. Turn the oven to broil and broil for 3-4 minutes, or until tops are golden brown. Enjoy!

Tip: Scooping the shells can be tricky! Don't get greedy and scoop out too much, than can lead to tearing the skin. Leave a 1/8 inch border around the edge to keep the shells from breaking. 

Weekending {8/31}

Let's all have a moment of silence for the month of August. I cannot believe that it is leaving us. Here in Atlanta, it will stay in the 80s for a while, but it just doesn't feel like summer once August is over.

My Friday started with a busy day at home. I blogged about my schedule this year, which allows me to spend Fridays off, and then I hit the road for a million errands, including returns and a trip to Target.

When AR got home, we went to downtown Decatur for the evening. For those outside of Atlanta, Decatur is a community five miles east of Atlanta, and it has a beautiful downtown with some excellent restaurants. We ate dinner at Chai Pani, an Indian street food place.

After dinner, we walked around for a few hours (and made a stop at the frozen yogurt shop!) before coming home.

I started Saturday with a workout class at West Coast Workouts. Have you tried this? I went last weekend also and it is great! The classes focus on full body movements, rather than isolating muscles. On Saturday I felt like we jumped around holding weights for an hour and I am so sore now.

Saturday afternoon we MET TRISHA YEARWOOD! If you are a country music fan, you know how amazing this was. I grabbed tickets to meet Trisha and receive a signed cookbook from her at the new Williams-Sonoma at Pone City Market.

Sadly, we had to wait in line for over 3 hours. Which gave me time to admire all the gorgeous things inside Williams-Sonoma. And time to sample all their pumpkin treats.

But it was worth it!

We went grocery shopping and made some of Trisha's "unbaked chicken' for dinner, which was excellent.

Sunday was a day of rest, laundry, and studying. Oh, and finishing the Real Housewives of NY finale. #don'tbeuncool #okayscarlettohara

x0x0,

Hannah

Which author or celebrity would you wait in a 3+ hour line for?

New favorite workout? 

Linking up with Biana & Meghan

Friday {8/28}

Let's chat, shall we? I'm sitting here drinking my coffee, trying to summarize the millions of things racing around my mind in 5 on Friday.

So lets just chat.

1. My schedule is a mess.
This is supposed to me my third year of law school. It is supposed to be relaxed and it feels like a train wreck. For example, yesterday I left for class at 7:45am, went to a class, taught a class, ran to work, spent 5 hours straight in meetings (no lunch for me), worked at my desk for a hot second, then raced back to school for another class and a meeting until 11pm. Whew.
Obviously I ate cereal for dinner. At midnight.

The positive? I don't work or go to school on Fridays, which is wonderful. I'm just not convinced that the craziness of the rest of the week is worth the Friday off.

2. Wedding snaps.
AR & I said "I do" two weeks ago! Ahh! Friends have been sending us cellphone snaps from the wedding and it is so much fun. Below are some of my favorites:

right before we were introduced at Mr. & Mrs. Roberts!

Post-wedding walk to grab a night cap. 

law school besties 

3. Unplugging
AR and I completely unplugged the wedding day, and the 6 days after. It was incredible. To be honest, I felt a little anxious the first day because I am so used to checking my instagram feed and emails. By day 3, it felt amazing! We were able to totally focus on being together and being in the moment, rather than running for texts and calls.

Below are two of my favorite memories of unplugging in Charleston:

Long bike ride on the beach. In the rain. And we loved every minute.

Late night s'mores. This was so much fun.

The challenge now? Figuring our how we can unplug more in our everyday life! If you have ideas, please share!

4. Food I'm loving
We made this crock pot dinner this week and it was so yummy with brown rice and roasted vegetables.
I read these guidelines on making a frittata and it turned our great! AR, who hates quiche, loved it. I filled it with a cubed baked potato, bell peppers, green chilies, and cheddar cheese.
This week I want to try these chicken burgers!

5. This weekend
I'm baking bread and meeting a friend for a walk in the park this afternoon.
Tomorrow I am SO excited to meet Trisha Yearwood at the grand opening of William-Sonoma at Ponce City Market (AR says I am not allowed to sign for her lol). I am hoping to convince AR to take me to brunch before hand.
Saturday night we are heading to the movies, which we never do. Any recommendations on what to see or not to see?

How do you unplug during the week or weekend?

What are you doing this weekend?

x0x0,

Hannah

Linking up with

April & the Five on Friday girls 

The Farmer's Wife for some Oh Hey Friday! 

Meet the Mrs.

I am back! And married! 

The last three weeks have been a complete whirl-wind as AR and I celebrated with friends and family. Our guests began arriving for the wedding the Tuesday before, so we had an entire week of celebrations. 

mother-daughter moment before the wedding.

The wedding went off without a hitch. I cannot say enough wonderful things about my amazing bridesmaids, friends, and family. And don't get me started on my EXCELLENT wedding coordinator who completely made the day. I'll blog more about our vendors later, share photos, and provide tips for any future brides. 

For now, I am searching for our ring boxes (which I think the best man lost) and our cake topper (no idea where it went). 

This weekend AR and I tackled thank you notes and wedding presents. We sorted everything, cleaned all the new dishes and cooking tools, and organized the kitchen. It was a six hour project, but our kitchen looks beautiful and I love our new Pottery Barn dishes. I've made a list of recipes to try on the new stand-up mixes (hello ice cream making attachment!). 

Slowly but surely our home is getting back in order. I am back at school, AR is back to work. We are thrilled to be back in a routine, even if that just means weekend trips to Whole Foods and the farmers market. 

How long did it take you to finish post-wedding thank you notes?

Have you busted out any fall clothes now that school is back in session?

x0x0, 

Hannah 

Weekending {8/3}

It is Monday. And I am not at work. I am off for two whole weeks before the wedding. *hallelujah*

So excited to finally link up with Biana and Meghan to share my weekend! Its been a bit since I regularly participated, so I am happy to be back.

Friday was my last full day of work. I was crazy/busy the last two weeks. I spent one week working from Chicago, and another weekend sitting in my office. But I got everything off my desk and done!

The bluebook = lawyer's rulebook

I left work early after saying good-byes and headed to the nail salon for some mani-pedi time. AR was working late, so I knew I have a couple hours. FYI, there is no line at the salon at 5pm on a Friday.

Saturday we woke up for an 8 mile run. I've had some rough runs lately... with wedding planning stress, Atlanta heat and humidity, and less cardio during the week (I've become a strength training queen), my runs have been tough. But the weather was beautiful and we enjoyed 8 sweaty miles together.

I showered quickly and went to what I thought was my last fitting. My sweet bridesmaid and bestie went with me to learn to bustle the gown and hold my hand. Seriously, so lucky to have this lady with me through this process. Sadly, this was not my last dress fitting. I had lost a bit of weight, so I needed the waist taken in some more and I wanted to make a change to the top. Thankfully, my alterations lady is incredible and so accommodating. If you are planning a wedding near Atlanta, let me give you her information!

That afternoon, we did AR's final tux fitting (he looks sooooo good. But I might be bias ;)). Then we headed off to Cirque du Soleil! We had tickets to their new production, Varekai. To be honest, I am not so sure AR loved it. The talent was incredible but he felt he needed more of a story line. We followed the show with dinner at Gypsy Kitchen and coffees at Corso in the streets of Buckhead.

Sunday was church, brunch, and lots of errands. AR's groomsmen gifts are complete and mine are just waiting on a few things to arrive in the mail!

Are you a post-dinner dessert or coffee person?

Have you been to Cirque du Soleil? Thoughts? 

x0x0, 

Hannah

Weekending {713}

Oh Monday, you strike again!

I came home to the sweetest package from our wedding photographer on Friday. I cannot believe our wedding is less than 5 weeks away. Jennifer did an amazing job capturing our time in Savannah and I cannot wait to work with her at the wedding.

On Friday night, we went to dinner with friends at a new restaurant in town - The Luminary down on Krog Street. The food was actually wonderful: we had a walnut lentil "pate", mushroom stuffed chicken, and salad. Oh, and a glass of rose because obviously.

We slept in and made breakfast at home on Saturday morning. I made whole wheat biscuits and cut them out with a champagne flute, which made them the perfect mini size.

We went to the gym and ran errands in the afternoon. I had a new protein shake from the mix sent to me by Nutrition 53. I really love the shakes - they almost taste like a milkshake, but have 20 grams of protein and less than 9 grams of sugar.

Saturday night we went to a work event, and woke up early for a HOT Sunday morning run. I only did 6 miles, but I was ready to die. Summer running is not my best thing.

We met friends for brunch and went to pick up my wedding shoes [eeeek!], and then on to Whole Foods. This week's dinner plans?
- baked cod with fresh corn and okra & tomatoes
- asian veggie stir-fry and brown rice
- crock-pot white beans with turkey bacon and broccoli
- greek turkey burgers in mini pita pockets, with feta and cucumber.

This weekend, I blogged over at Shutterfly's website - check it out and let me know what you think!

What are you eating this week?

Do you plan out your meal's each week, or wing it?

x0x0, 

Hannah 

Thank you for hosting the Weekending link-up, Biana and Meghan!

Weekending - Fourth of July Style!

Ahhh, Fourth of July!!! Seriously, one of my favorite holidays. We celebrated this weekend with friends, food, and a race. 

Friday:

AR and I both had off, so we ran lots of errands and hung around home. We picked up our packets for the Peachtree Road Race and explored the race expo, which was amazing. I cannot believe how much Atlanta does for this race. It is incredible. 

Expo shot. We have one of these for every race we do, haha. 

We also ran by Nordstrom Rack, where I purchased my first pair of Jack Rogers. I already love them. 

Saturday:

The race. 

Oh my gosh, the weather was terrible. It rained all night, so when we got up for the race, we were less than excited. Our neighbor snapped this photo of us heading out at 6am. Notice my stylish garbage bag. 

The course starts up in northern Atlanta, and then runs 6 miles towards midtown, ending at Piedmont Park. We walked to the train station and road to the start line. We were optimistic because it wasn't raining much. 

The race started and it was great, despite the yucky weather. There were tons of people watching and over 60,000 runners. Right about mile 3, it started pouring. At mile 4, I watched them change the race alerts from yellow to red, which was clearly a bad sign. 

By the end of mile 4, it was lightning and thundering like crazy, and just pouring. They were changing the alerts to black for "extreme weather' and I was nervous that they would pull us off the course. 

They let us finish the race, but delayed other start groups because of the storms. They also did not let us hang out after the race - they wanted people to leave the park right away because of weather. Overall, an awesome race, but lets hope the weather is better next year. This was not a PR for me, but considering I had not trained at all, I was happy. 

Post-Race.

We walked home in the rain, where I reached 18,000 steps before 9:30am (love my FitBit!). I made a shake with my new protein powders that Nutrition 53 sent me (thank you) and it was yummy. 

In the afternoon, we went shopping for Aaron, and made food for that evening. Of course, the weather cleared up and it was gorgeous. Check out my banana pudding, recipe curtesy of my great great Aunt Opal :) 

We watched fire works and hung out with friends in the evening. It was a happy Fourth. 

Sunday

Such a relaxing day. I made cinnamon biscuits (sharing the recipe tomorrow), which AR said were his new favorite. He made turkey bacon. We worked on wedding planning for a million hours and I prepped for our walk-thru this week. We are less than 6 weeks out at this point! Eeek!

We ended the day with a long walk, a home cooked dinner, and a movie on the couch. 

Happy Fourth of July Everyone!

What do you like to make or eat on the Fourth of July? 

Hannah 

Thanks for hosting "Weekending", Biana and Meghan!

5 on Friday - Confessional {6/26}

Its Friday!

via

1. I confess that wedding planning is taking over my life

I love event planning, but with less than two months left, wedding planning is out of control. I am a terrible mix of stressed out and way excited. I pretty much want to cry 24/7. This week we finalized some details, and I spent almost two hours on the phone with the wedding coordinator. I seriously would die without her. 

2. I confess I am in a love/hate relationship with my new FitBit

Remember when I asked about the FitBit? I bought it and I LOVE it! It was really motivated me to take the stairs, take laps around my office, and generally move more. The only sad thing is how little steps I take. If I don't run, I confess that I barely hit 10k. Clearly my desk job is great for my health. 

3. I confess that I am spending my entire summer at a wedding. And not my own. 

I am off again this weekend to a wedding. This time in Texas! I am excited to see some family while I am in town, and to celebrate the wedding with friends :) 

4. I confess that I ate an apple, feta, and a slice of peanut butter toast for dinner last night. 

I really have reached no lows, y'all. AR is out at dinner and I can only make toast. This week, I shared all of my summer food bucket list items - what to make, what new resturants to try. Yet here I am, eating toast. 

5. I confess that I ordered these shorts on my phone during lunch this week. 

I have been wanting these shorts, but they were $75 (and I need more shorts like I need a hole in the head). I happened to be stalking the website check them yesterday and they were on sale for $22 - win!!! They look super cute, so lets hope I love them when they get here. 

x0x0, 

Hannah

Linking up with Leslie and April!

Weekending {6/22}

Oh Monday. You come too soon.

This was the first weekend AR and I were both home in four weeks. It was also our 4 year anniversary, and the two month mark until our wedding! Cue excitement and stress!!

Friday started with office lunch at Krog Street Market. I ate falafel and veggies at Yalla with a group from my office. This place has been on my eating bucket list for several months now, and I was glad to try it finally.

After work, AR and I went to Antico for pizza. Oh my gosh, it was so so good. We went at about 8pm and there was no line, which was shocking. Afterwards, we headed to Whole Foods to get grocery shopping done.

Don't laugh. We got drinks (wine for me, beer for him), and enjoyed the empty store and no lines. So much better than Saturday afternoon craziness.

Saturday
Crepes at the Farmers Market. Long Run. Manicure. We ordered Aaron's tuxedo for the wedding and finalized all the accessories for the groomsmen. I can't wait to see Aaron in his tux. I love a man all dressed up :)

We went out Saturday night for our 4 year anniversary and tried a new place in Decatur. We went electronics free, so no photos, but we sampled fried grit tater tots, brussel sprouts, braised kale, and grilled asparagus. AR has a pork chop, but I stuck will all the yummy veggies. For dessert? Peach pie. I would totally recommend the Pinewood. It is just simple, good food, and the cocktail list is exceptional.

This photo is from our first year dating.
It makes me laugh every time I look at it.

Sunday
Neither one of us was feeling good - which was made clear when I slept for over 10 hours on Saturday night. After homemade biscuits and turkey bacon, we headed to a coffee shop to work and read.

Do you still celebrate the day you and your significant other met?

x0x0, 

Hannah

Thanks for hosting the link-up, Biana and Meghan!