Happy Halloween!

I just cannot believe it is Halloween! Thanksgiving is right around the corner and then CHRISTMAS! This is one of my favorite times of year. AND my first time to have a Halloween party. My friend Kortney's birthday was about a week ago, so we made it a Halloween/Birthday party. I have the best time going to different blogs for party planning inspiration and ideas. Something I just love...white pumpkins! The past two years I've had white pumpkins in my yard. I found these pictures of some painted pumpkins and decided I could do it.

My painted pumpkins

The table

I am not too crazy about the huge blow up Halloween yard decor (no offense if that's your "thing"). I copied these little ghosts from a house in my mom's neighborhood. I simply used felt, ribbon, a dowl rod and a styrofoam circle. Super easy and super cute!

Here is the kitchen table. I went a little overboard with the tulle. It just felt so Halloweeny to me! I just loved this Halloween garland! So cute and easy easy! All you need is ribbon and/or fabric. I just may have to make one for Christmas!

Here is mine Close up

I needed a little something for the entry way and saw this precious idea...pumpkin lanterns! I simply bought the glass containers from Hobby Lobby, used Modge Podge (in matte) to "glue" the tissue paper on. Then I added the tulle bows at the end. Don't forget to add the lights!

I hung bats from the ceiling in the entry way as well. I just found a template I liked, copied it onto black cardstock and hung them with ribbon from the ceiling. (Lovely how you can see the tape!)

I love banners! I just think they are so fun. I found a font I liked on the computer. Traced the letters onto different types of black and white scrapbook paper and hung with ribbon. Oh, AND I added two little bats on both ends.

Coming up with a Halloween costume is always hard for me. I'm 28 years old. Dressing up as a sexy anything just isn't my cup of tea. Alli and I thought it'd be funny to dress as ourselves circa 1992(ish). Let me just say that my sister and I always had matching OR coordinating outfits, and ALWAYS had big, beautiful bows. The bigger the better! Alli had to wear and eye patch and corrective shoes. Unfortunately, we didn't come up with an eye patch, but she was able to find some shoes that resembled the ones she had to wear when she was little. Here is the finished product:

Alli and Ashlee circa 1992

My besties

Cruella Deville My Jessy Marie

Kim and Justin Bieber (with Khloe's wig)

Jaime Lou

Alli, Kortney, Cruella and me

Katie and Phil

One of my favorite Baylor Bears

Katie and I

Kim and Khloe

The birthday girl: Kortney Kardashian

Me and my Lumberjack

I hope you all have a Happy Halloween!

eat: black bean quesadillas

This is one of my favorite week night meals. I got this recipe from my precious friend, Jessica. Jess and I have been friends since we were 12. We have had LOTS of great times. Some of my fondest memories, are those we had right after college. We were both single and living by ourselves. Shopping, eating and going out were just a few of our favorite things to do together. We also liked to try different recipes...and attempt to cook. Some things turned out great! Well, this is one of those yummy recipes I stole from my dear friend. It is super easy and just delicious!

Mexico 2007

Ingredients 2 cans of 15 oz black beans (I prefer fat free) 1 tbsp olive oil 1/2 c cilantro chopped 2 c roma tomatoes 1 1/2 tsp garlic jalapenos chopped (if you like the kick) grated Mexican cheese flour tortillas Directions 1. Heat up the olive oil. Add the garlic and roast for 30 seconds. Add beans, tomatoes, cilantro and jalapenos. Cook for five minutes. 2. Put the oven on broil. Spray the bottom of the tortilla lightly with Pam. Put cheese on tortilla, then add black bean mixture, and then more cheese. Top with second tortilla and make sure to spray the top of the tortilla with Pam. 3. Put in oven. When the tortilla starts to look brown and toasty, flip. Enjoy!

Decor Ideas/Inspiration

We've been in our lovely home for over a year now. We've done quite a bit already: paint, drapes, new patio, lots of new furniture, etc. The one room that was lacking any attention, was our bedroom. I'm OBSESSED with decorating magazines and blogs, so I've been trying to figure out just what I wanted to do. Our original bedding was black and greyish/goldish. Very dark. For the most part, I love bolder colors in my home...but I knew I wanted to lighten things up a bit in the bedroom. I picked up a magazine called, Decor. I found exactly what I was looking for. I decided to go with a "slatey" blue wall color with taupe and ivory bedding, along with gold accents. I've been searching forever for the perfect bedding and finally found it. The room was painted last weekend, so now I need to work on the fun part: the accessories!

A work in progress...

You can see our ivory silk duponi drapes in this picture. I haven't gotten them just like I want them quite yet. EVENTUALLY we would love to add hard wood floors and crown molding.

We do have some space on the opposite wall where I'd love to do shelving with family pictures. Here are the crown molding shelves I love from Pottery Barn (in espresso).

I just like this whole look of the shelves in the corner. Obviously we wouldn't have them this low to the ground, but I do love this. OR we could just do a full photo gallery, no shelving. (I already have something similar to this in my living room though.) What are YOUR thoughts/suggestions???

The Graduate

Well, Derek did it! He graduated from Seton Hall with his masters in Strategic Communication and Leadership...with a 3.8! For those of you who don't know, Derek decided to go back to school when we were just about to get married. With his hectic schedule, he figured an online program would be the best bet. He did a lot of research and found Seton Hall, which is in Elizabeth, New Jersey. I thought it was a great idea, and honestly thought that with it being an online program, it would be a breeze. Boy was I wrong. The program with anything BUT a breeze. Derek is amazing when it comes to time management. He always tried to get all of his "school stuff" done at work, so he could come home to me and just relax. (Oh and P.S. He began this program 1 month after we got married...1 MONTH!) We knew it would be tough, but totally worth it in the long run.

I don't know how he did it all. I don't know how he managed to make it all work...his job, school, ME, and the children (Kar and Coop, of course). I'm not quite sure I would have been able to manage it as well as he has. Anyway, this weekend Derek had his final BIG presentation, as well as some smaller ones. To celebrate, Derek made reservations at a little Italian restaurant in NYC for Friday night. We took the train and had an amazing evening. I absolutely love NYC! I wish we could have spent more time, but hey, I didn't think we'd be able to go this time!

Date Night

Best Cheesecake EVER!

Saturday night, there was a dinner for all of the graduates and their families. Unfortunately, my parents and Derek's parents were unable to make it. Derek's brother, Brian was able to come. It meant so much to us that he was able to be there. All of the graduates got to stand up and thank their families for their love and support throughout this experience. It was so touching. After dinner, we had a few drinks at the bar with Brian. The "Beeman" in Derek really comes out when he's around his family. It's something I LOVE to see.

Saturday Night

Brian and D

Sunday was graduation day! I am so proud of my husband for this huge accomplishment. Something, I'm not so sure I could do. He is so amazing and I'm so blessed to be married to such a precious man. WAY TO GO BABY!

The Graduate...Derek Allen Beeman Derek's Learning Team and Professors Dr. Wooden (Derek's fave professor AND John Wooden's neice)

10 YEARS???

So my ten year high school reunion was last weekend. TEN YEARS! It definitely doesn't feel like I graduated from Taylor ten years ago. I had a great time in high school, so I was definitely looking forward to seeing old friends. I am so blessed to say that my best girl friends from high school are still my closest friends today. 5 out of the 6 of us live in Houston/Katy. (Ang, you need to make your way down south). Each time we're together, it's as though no time has passed.

My besties (minus Diane)

Jessy Marie and me

Ang, Aud and me

Meg and me

Jess, Freddie and me

Me and Brent (my next neighbor for 14 years)

Precious Cristin, my TTU roomie freshman year

eat: cashew chicken

I love, love, love Chinese food. This is a classic dish with fewer calories. YUM! This is from one of my favorite cook books, Cook Yourself Thin Faster. It even gives you the nutrional value of each dish! Serves 6 Nutrition Per Serving: CALORIES 312, TOTAL FAT 15g, SODIUM 575mg, SUGARS 2g Ingredients 3/4 pound chicken tenders, halved 3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth 2 tsp cornstarch 1/2 tsp dark sesame oil Pinch of crushed red pepper Pinch of brown sugar Cooking spray 3 scallions, thinly sliced 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 1 (10 oz) bag broccoli florets 2 c cooked brown rice, for serving 1/4 c roasted cashew nuts, roughly chopped Directions 1. Place the chicken in a small bowl, add 1 tbsp soy sauce, and toss until thoroughly combined. Let sit for 5 minutes. 2. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 c chicken broth, the remaining 2 tbsp of soy sauce, the cornstarch, sesame oil, crushed red pepper, and brown sugar; set aside. 3. Spray a large nonstick saute pan with cooking spray and place over high heat until hot. Add the chicken and quickly stir-fry until no longer pink, about 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a place and cover loosely with aluminum foil to keep warm. 4. Add teh scallions and garlic to the pan and cook until slightly softened and fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the broccoli and remaining 1/2 c of chicken broth and cook, stirring, until the broccoli is slightly tender but still crisp, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the soy sauce mixture and return the chicken to the pan to reheat gently and thicken the sauce. 5. Toss to combine thoroughly and serve immediately with rice, garnished with the chopped cashews. {Recipe from: Cook Yourself Thin Faster: A Delicious Way to Drop a Dress Size} ENJOY!

Slacker

So I have been awful keeping up with my blog. I thought that with it being the summer, I'd have plenty of time to play on this thing. WRONG! Summer just flew by. I thought I'd post some pictures from our trip to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Every summer, we (along with the Ennis crew) have gone to our favorite place...Destin, Florida. We ended up switching gears with the oil spill, and were pretty disappointed. However, we have never been to that part of the country and were pretty excited. Let's just say it wasn't quite what we had expected. (No offense to any of you who heart Myrtle Beach). Too touristy, too crowded...nuff said. We still had a nice time, but I believe we all agreed that we wouldn't go back. Destin, I hope to see you next summer!