The Carolina Cup 2014

For the ninth year in a row, I celebrated my birthday weekend at the Carolina Cup with my family.   The Cup is very special to us.  My parents have been going since before they were married, and it's where my family met T for the first time seven years ago.

We were concerned with the weather report for this year, there was an 80% chance of rain.  But somehow we lucked up and didn't see a drop.  The storms seamed to just go right around us, and we even saw the sun peek out from time to time.  

My big birthday gift this year was a new lens for my camera, so naturally I was taking an obscene amount of pictures.  Here's just a few from what I took. 

My cousin Katie came to the Cup for the first time this year, and stopped by our tent for a visit.  

T was in charge of the betting for the day, a task he takes very seriously.  I even managed to win $6.00.

And it isn't a family cup until there's some dancing.  Mainly mom and Dad shagging to a rap song in college park.   It always gets the college students' attention.  

Another successful year at the Carolina Cup races, and we're already looking forward to next year. 

Our New Puppy!

If you follow me on any kind of social media, you may already know that we got a puppy this weekend!   T and I have both wanted a puppy for years, but apartment living just wasn't fair for a dog.  Once we moved into our house, the search for our canine companion began.

After watching just about every episode of Dogs 101 on Animal Planet, we decided than an Airedale Terrier was the dog for us.  Airedales don't shed, are very smart, and get to be between 55 and 65 lbs.  Plus they have the cutest faces.  A few weeks ago after searching online, we found a breeder about an hour outside of Raleigh that had a litter of Airedale puppies for sale. 

Saturday morning we woke up early and started the five hour trip to pick up our sweet pup.  My Aunt and Uncle live in Raleigh, so we broke up the trip by staying with them on Saturday evening.  George loved meeting them and especially loved playing with their Cocker Spaniel, Cooper.

 

In addition to Cooper, they have four chickens, Mabel, Ethel, Ruby, and Hazel.  George got to meet Mabel up close and even gave her a lick on the beak.  What a sweetheart.  

We have had the best time with George so far.  He's already gotten so attached to us, which makes me love him even more.  These pictures were taken on Saturday, and believe it or not he's gained three pounds since then!  I didn't realize it until I looked back over these, but he's already noticeably larger.  I think we're going to have a big boy on our hands!

Cheesy Hearts of Palm Dip

T and I recently tried a new dip that was so good I had to share.  I'm a big fan of a hot cheesy dip.  Let's be real, who isn't?  The thing that I love most about this one though is it's different.  I don't think I have ever had a recipe that called for hearts of palm.  I wasn't even sure where to find them in the grocery store. (I did eventually find them, they're by the canned artichokes)  

When I was growing up, being an adventurous eater in my family meant you were a big girl.  And when you're the baby of the family this is B-I-G. Ever since then, I've always tried to be the most adventurous eater that I possibly could be.  I know that sounds silly, but I just love eating as many different foods as I can.  So when we found a recipe for a hot cheese dip that included an ingredient that I don't eat very often I was sold.

Hearts of Palm Dip

1 (14 ounce) can hearts of Palm, drained well and chopped finely
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup mayo
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons minced green onions
Paprika for dusting top

      Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly spray a pie plate or other baking dish with Pam. Combine hearts of palm, mozzarella, mayo, Parmesan, sour cream, and  2 Tbsp green onions. Spoon into prepared dish and sprinkle with paprika. (May be made several hours ahead to this point and refrigerated, covered.) Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly, top with remaining green onions. Serve with Fritos Scoops or Triscuits.

Life Lately

Things have been a little crazy at our house in the last few weeks. I did manage to snap a few pictures along the way, but haven't blogged about anything recently.

Over the past couple of weeks we...

...had some porch time in this wonderful springtime weather...

...sipped on our new favorite drinks, Frozen Beer-garitas, a light beer with frozen margarita poured on top...

...Showered my sweet sister April with gifts for her baby girl...

 ...Made more progress on our table...

 {side note: my husband would be humiliated if he knew I posted this picture of him using my pink hammer, let's hope he doesn't read this}

...and picked up this awesome bar cart for $45.00 from Craigslist!  I'm still working on getting all of the accoutrements, but here's what we're currently working with.  I just love the details of the cart and you can't beat that price.

 So now you're caught up at what's gone down over the past few weeks in my life. I hope this week brings a little bit more free time so that I can get back to blogging. Y'all have a great week!

Sunday Meal Planning #11

Happy Sunday!  Here's what's on the menu for this week.  Going pretty simple, because it's going to be a busy one.

Sunday- Buffalo Chicken Chili  with salad
Monday- Buffalo Chicken Chili with salad
Tuesday- Working late, so a frozen pizza
Wednesday- Creamy Mushroom Fettuccine
Thursday- Creamy Mushroom Fettuccine
Friday- Out to eat