Happy birthday to me!

Today is my "closer to 30 than 20 birthday"

...I'm a grown up now? Ha! 

Enjoy your day!

{original image}

xoxo,
Mrs. A

Interview Outfits...maybe

Ladies!
Big interview next week! Super excited!! It's for a corporate marketing position (so grown up right?!) I had a really good phone interview with them this week and it sounds like an amazing opportunity, but I need to work on my "professional look." I have lots of clothes for a business casual work day, and a day in the park, but not much in the suit department. I took some pics of items that I do have (yes, I know you can't see my feet. I was using a self timer and couldn't tip the camera down). Yes, they are all a variation of the same black suit (ignore all the wrinkles). It's the only one that fits. The outfits are in order of my favorites (left to right). Yes, we are still going shopping on Sunday (outlets, maybe KOP? H&M has some great options too).

Ultimately, I would love a navy suit and a dress that could work with the navy blazer or be worn on it's own as a cocktail dress. I have these on my wish list:

{The Limited}

So, who wants to gift me a few hundred dollars? Heart heart.

xoxo,
Mrs. A

New Bedroom Decor

Good Morning Friends!

I have had a bee in my bonnet this week. I have a serious need to decorate and my husband has been gracious enough to help me. Over the past 4 days, my hubby and I have put up curtains, assembled a dresser, hung pictures, refinished jewelry hooks, hung jewelry hooks and cleaned (well, at least my side is clean). These pictures don't include the pictures we hung, you'll just have to come over and see (that means you Emily & Roselyn)

I'm liking it so far :-) We still need something above the bed. Maybe something round...

xoxo,

Mrs. A

Menu Monday

The menu for this week...

Monday: Cheeseburger Macaroni
Tuesday: Lasagna Roll Ups (freezer cooking)
Wednesday: Buffalo Chicken Salad
Thursday: Beef Stew (freezer cooking)
Friday: Leftovers
Weekend: TBD

xoxo,
Mrs. A

Oh IKEA...

IKEA. A love/hate story.

I love IKEA. It's like playland for adults. Emily and I spent an evening there last week. It was AWESOME. Then the next day is full of papercuts while assembling boxes. And the weekend is the true test:- furniture assembly. (alternative post title: IKEA: testing marriages everywhere.) We are now the proud owners of a new HEMNES dresser and we didn't kill each other! It actually went pretty well, this was the most that I've helped with a furniture assembly project. I assembled all the drawers. We only made the first 4 inside out (stupid cam locks..)

And to give our very black and white bedroom some color, I bought a set of JANETTE curtains (as did Emily). I can't wait to pick up some curtain rods and get those bad boys up on my wall. It will be awesome.

If only IKEA also came with a clothes put-er away-er (yes, I just wrote that. Seriously guys, it's a genuine need). In other news, the coffee table is really coming along! The bottom is painted (thanks for the paint B+R) , and the top still needs to be re-stained and polyurethaned, but it is looking great! During this lull in my working career, I am really enjoying this time to reorganize the apartment and inject a little color into our lives. If the room has a clean day, I will post photos, if not, you'll just have to use your imagination ;-) . Happy decorating all!

xoxo,

Mrs. A

Naked in Public

Hello!! Sorry for the radio silence. Even though I am currently unemployed, I am finding myself curiously busy. Just wanted to drop in and give you a snapshot of my day.

Unpacked a bit from our awesome vacation.

Showered.

Went grocery shopping.

Unloaded groceries.

My husband tells me that my underwear is completely visible through my yellow skirt.

* Mortified that dozens of strangers got a glimpse of my undies* 

To me, that is the equivalent of being naked in public.

Awesome.

xoxo,

S

PS - vacation pics being sorted. Will post soon.

Baby Boxing

New sport?

Kinsley SMASH!

xoxo,

Mrs. A

She's HERE too!!!

Welcome to the world Parker Catherine!!

7.4lbs 20.25 inches

xoxo,
Mrs. A

PS: This is my 200th post!

She's HERE

Kinsley Charlotte has arrived on 6.6.12! She is precious and such a blessing for our family!

Meet my niece, Kinsley

 



PS: Can't wait to meet my other niece Parker very very soon!

xoxo,
Mrs. A

Chocolate Chip Day

Happy National Chocolate Chip Day!

I celebrated by baking a batch of chocolate chip cookie bars. And under baked them. Then over-baked when I tried to fix it.  I am SO not a baker. I'll stick to cooking. Kthxbye.

xoxo,
Mrs. A

Namaste

Next Freezer Cooking Adventure

Hello All!

I have been compiling some recipes for the next freezer cooking day. This cooking day will be bigger than the last (more meals) but less work (less veggies to cut up). Here is my list:

Freezer Cooking Meal List

Spinach Lasagna Roll-Ups (9 rolls)

Chicken & Broccoli Lasagna Roll-Ups (Emily’s Recipe) (9 rolls)

Bourbon Chicken (2)

Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Shells (1)

Mini Deep Dish Pizza (dozen)

Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken Nuggets

Drip Beef (1)
Jamaican Jerk Chicken Kabobs (1)

Beef Stew (2)

Pizza Dough (2)

Marinated Chicken (Lori's Marinade Recipe)

Hamburger BBQ (1)

Italian Meatballs (2 dozen)
Shredded Chicken (1 lb)

xoxo,

Mrs. A

Menu Monday

Good Evening Blog-o-sphere,

I did a whole lot of coupon clipping today and not much else, so I figured I should at least do some menu planning. This week's menu is as follows:

Monday: Taco Pasta - It was a "see what's in the cabinet and throw it in a pan" kind of night. Easy peasy. Ground hamburger, green chilis, taco seasoning, ancho chili powder, tomato puree, medium pasta shells. Cook. Mix. Serve. Enjoy.

Tuesday: BUCA!

Wednesday: Beer Lime Chicken

Thursday: Leftover Taco Pasta

Friday: Leftovers

Saturday: AVENGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sunday: Perhaps Grill Food (burgers, hot dogs, chicken sausage, potatoes)

DIY: Recovering Dining Room Chairs /// Part Deux

Good Morning Blog-o-sphere!


Last night was a success! Here is what happened, we chose our fabric. Here our top 6 choices, we ended up going with the bottom fabric.

The staples were the wrong size for the staple gun so I had to get new ones, and they are perfect! Until the staple gun jammed and I had to disassemble it. No "extra parts" when I got it back together! Woo! I have 3 of the 6 chairs complete! 

Here is the Before and After

DIY: Recovering Dining Room Chairs

{via}

Welcome to my world of DIY.

Today = a big ol' fail.

I can't seem to get my darn staple gun to make the staple flush with the bottom of my seat. Not cool.

xoxo,
Mrs. A

Menu Monday /// (ish)

Slacker. 
Population: me. 
I know, I get on a roll and then I fall off the bandwagon of menu planning. 
So, to catch up, here is my menu for the week!

{via}

Monday: Balsamic and onion roast (shredded) open faced sammies with provolone and roasted broccoli
Tuesday: Crockpot Bourbon Chicken with rice and steamed snow peas
Wednesday: Spaghetti w/ Meatballs
Thursday: Grilled chicken sausage with steamed veggies
Friday: OUT - perhaps P.F. Changs
Saturday: Mini Reunion with the college crew 
{Buffalo Chicken Dip, Pretzels (Philly Pretzel Factory) and veggie tray with FF ranch dip}

Event Recap

Good Afternoon Blog-o-sphere!

I apologize for the radio silence on here...I've been busy scheming and planning a surprise baby shower for my sister-in-law Melissa! It was such a fun event! We had a great turnout and had lots of good response from the attendees. Here is a visual recap of the event!

xoxo,

Mrs. A

Menu Monday

Hello Blog-o-sphere (er...Emily, Roselyn & Bosley)!

This week's menu is as follows:

Monday: Jamaican Jerk Chicken and Baked Potatoes with Tomato Salad (Tomato just for me, not hubs)
Tuesday: Hamburger BBQ
Wednesday: Fajitas
Thursday: French Bread Pizza
Friday: leftovers

Menu Monday

It's baaaaaaack! This week's menu is brought to you by my Fridge & Pantry.

{via, via, via, via, via}

Monday: Skinny Scalloped Potatoes
Tuesday: Steakhouse Pizza
Wednesday: Southwest Chicken
(my own DIY version of Kraft's Southwest 3 Cheese Chicken)
Thursday: Baked Potato Bar
Friday: @ my parents' house

Snack/Giving some away (maybe): Banana Bread

xoxo,
Mrs. A

Baking Day!

Good Morning Blog-o-sphere!


After weeks of being a bum, I have decided to take this day by the horns and DO SOMETHING! So far, I have baked banana bread (yum!), made french bread (first time for this recipe in the bread machine). Dinner will be Skinny Scalloped Potato Gratin.


As you know (close friends and family), I was laid off nearly a month ago. The transition from full time worker to unemployed has been weird (for lack of a better adjective). At first I went on a cleaning and organizing rampage, then I sat on the couch for 2 weeks #fail. This week I will be becoming a frugal-ista. All meals will be out of our fridge/freezer/pantry. I avoided going to the store last week and would like to avoid it this week as well. We are still unsure of when the unemployment checks are to be cut, so we have cut WAY back on all extra expenditures. I am doing my part to drive as little as possible and to end all of my online shopping #sadbutnecessary.


Mark and I have been absolutely humbled by the outpour of support by our friends and family. We are SO SO appreciative and we love you all. That being said, if you know anyone looking for a marketing coordinator/public relations specialist/event coordinator - I'm your gal! :-)


xoxo,
Mrs. A

SPRING!

Super excited over here at Casa Aldrich! Ha! This week is spring cleaning...yay? Since I now have some time on my hands, I have opted to work on a series of projects including cleaning out my never-ending closet mess. I would also to reorganize the laundry room storage and pantry. I think cleaning the pantry will not only help me figure out what we have int here, but it will help us remain frugal. The "cooking once a month" phenomenon has been wonderful for us financially. We haven't had what we define as "major" shopping since late February! Roselyn and I will have another cooking day (maybe 2) sometime soon!

This weekend is SHAMROCK Fest! Woot woot! It should be beautiful weather and we will  have fabulous company *shout out to Seth & Rachel* while we stroll around with our Irish pride and the cherry blossoms!

{via}

xoxo,

Mrs. A

Silver Lining

On the road to happiness, I think I got the kick in the pants that I needed. 

xoxo,

Mrs. A

Planning for the Month

Hello!

This past weekend my dear sister-in-law, Roselyn, and I tried some freezer cooking this weekend. We followed the instructions we found on Pinterest via The Test Kitchen of Melissa Fallis. We will be trying the Teriyaki chicken tonight, hopefully we like it!

When we put all the food into the freezer, I took inventory of all the remaining food in our freezer and made a menu for the month. Hopefully this will help us stay organized and maybe even save a bit of money in the process!

xoxo,
Mrs. A

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Roselyn!!!!

Menu Monday

Monday: Chicken Broccoli Casserole
Tuesday: Beef Stew
Wednesday: Chicken?
Thursday: Spicy Orange Beef
Friday: BBQ Chicken Pizza

xoxo,
Mrs. A

Back into the Swing of Things

Getting back to reality can only start with a good night's sleep, laundry and homemade meals. Until next time Vegas....The remainder of the week shall include:

Tuesday: Italian Stromboli
Wednesday: Stir Fry
Thursday: Tacos
Friday Spaghetti with meat sauce

xoxo,
Mrs.A

I WON!

OMGosh! I won something! No, not in Vegas (let's just say we boosted the economy a bit). I won the giveaway on A Fashion Fixation! I will soon be the proud owner of this sunshiny piece of loveliness:

{via}

Super excited to get it in the mail soon!! Thanks Ashley and Leigh!

xoxo,

Mrs. A

Happy Valentine's Day!

{via}

Wedding Guest Attire

This post is more of a, just wanted to share pretty pictures type deal. Background: I will be attending the wedding of a dear friend ours *shout out to Emily & Frank* in May and I just wanted to share the dresses that I purchased for the occasion. Please note that The Limited was having a mega clearance sale so I was able to purchase 2 :-) love sales!

xoxo,
Mrs. A

Pinterest is the new Crack

Seriously. I think I'm on Pinterest EVERY SINGLE DAY! I really need to get up off my bum and do something! Katie B. from Bower Power and Sherry P. from YoungHouseLove have challenged the masses (like 2 months ago) to actually DO something that they have pinned. I have a LOT to choose from. I present to you my Pin Boards. All 15 of them and 1600ish Pins. Goodness, you'd think I'd do something more productive with my time like clean or laundry...but what fun is that?

I started with something simple. Let me present you, the sock bun:

Pinterest vs. Me

xoxo,

Mrs. A

New Year

25 Days into 2012 I have decided on my resolution for the year. Be happy.

Some people think that happiness just happens, but with 2011 as my example, I believe that happiness is something that needs to be actively sought after day after day. Things that make me unhappy (that are within my control) will be eliminated. I feel like I need to work on a few things and it will have a profound effect on my outlook. That being said, this doesn't mean that I am unhappy with my life, quite the opposite actually. I just have a few things in my life that could improve my life and my daily mood, so I'm working on it. If my plan is a success, I will share details at that time.



Enough with the vagueness. I am SO excited for my sister-in-laws!! They are both expecting little ones in June! This will be a super busy summer and such an exciting time in the Aldrich family! I couldn't be happier for them!

Tonight Ros and I will be trying out Shellac Nails, hopefully they turn out well!

xoxo,
Mrs. A