peaches and cream...

That's what this dress makes me think of. So pretty.

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garlic parmesan chicken and noodles

Here's a good spring recipe for you. I found it here.

What you need:

6 oz. extra wide egg noodles

1 2lb. purchased rotisserie chicken

1 cup frozen peas

4 gloves garlic, minced

1 3/4 cups whole milk

1/2 slice wheat bread

3/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1. Bring pot of water to boiling; add noodles. Cook 10 minutes; drain.

2. Remove chicken from bones. Discard skin and bones; shred chicken (By the way, these rotisserie chickens are wonderful by themselves and the best part is, they are already cooked! I got mine at Walmart.)

3. In sauce pan, combine chicken, peas, garlic and whole milk; heat through.

4. In a food processor, process bread into coarse crumbs.

5. Transfer the bread crumbs to a small bowl and add 1/4 cup of parmesan and 2 tbsp. of melted butter.

6. Stir noodles and remaining parmesan into hot chicken mixture. Heat and stir.

7. Pour in casserole dish. Top with the bread crumb mixture. Bake at 450 for 5 min.

mini moments

Isn't it funny how it's the little things in life that sometimes make you the happiest?

Have you seen these mini Cokes? I just love them. I feel so chic drinking it and the best part is they only have 90 calories! When I pop that can open and take the first sip, I feel like I'm on a mini vacation. Speaking of mini vacations, I'm taking one this weekend. I'm going to see my college roomies! The photo below makes me sad. I can't believe it has been four years since we took this picture. My how time just flies by! It just reminds me that we need to enjoy not only the major moments in life, but also savor the mini ones too. Happy Weekend!

if only...

...I could be here.

what I'm liking at...

West Elm.

Happy Monday to all and happy 7 year dating anniversary sweetie! :)

lamentations 3:23 and strawberries dipped in chocolate

Well, today marks the end of Paul's first week at his new job! As some of you may or may not know, Paul lost his job right after Christmas. We actually both agreed that it ended up being a blessing in disguise, but it was really hard to see that at first. He was really unhappy at his old job and we both had been praying for a change. And boy did we get that! We both have learned so much during the past few months. God truly used this opportunity to bring us closer together and closer to him. He is faithful and does hear our prayers. He may not answer them how and when we'd like him too, but he has a perfect plan and will answer them in his time. He has blessed Paul with a great job that he is really excited about. Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers. What a faithful God we serve!

Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:21-23

We decided to celebrate Paul's first day on the job with some strawberries dipped in chocolate. They are delicious.

You need this

and these.

Heat the dipping chocolate for about 45 sec.-1 min. Stir and dip the strawberries in the chocolate. Let the strawberries dry on wax paper -I forgot to do that:) Enjoy!

burlap

Look what can be done with just a little burlap.

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lemon votives

A good friend of mine gave me this cookbook. It is wonderful. Not only does it have great recipes, but it also has creative entertaining ideas, such as these lemon votives. They only take about 5 minutes to make.

You need: lemons, tea lights (10 for $1 at Walmart), and a paring knife

1. Lay the lemon down on its side and determine which side is flatter. This will be the bottom of the votive. Then, cut the top third off of the lemon.

2. Next, carefully take your knife and begin to cut the fruit away from the pith and rind. Be very careful as not to tear the lemon or cut any fingers:). Once you cut the fruit, take a spoon and scoop out the lemon flesh. Set the lemon on the counter and if it rocks, take a vegetable peeler and take just a little bit of the rind off the bottom to give it a base.

3. Now take the top part of the lemon and cut the fruit away from the rind (just like above) and scoop out the lemon flesh. Then cut an oval shaped hole. Make it big enough so that your lemon doesn't singe or catch fire.

4. Let the lemon dry for about 15 minutes. When you are ready to use it, set the tea light inside, put the lemon top on, and light it.

It should glow prettily and put off a light, citrus scent!

table skirt

As promised, here is the table skirt tutorial. The idea was not mine, but it was my attempt at copying it. Once again, I followed a fabulous tutorial from Little Green Notebook. The tutorial is here. I must say that this project took me a little bit of time just because I was trying to be really precise. I spotted this Waverly fabric at Mary Jo's probably 6 months ago, but was just trying to find an inexpensive way to incorporate it in my house. My parents did a complete remodeling of their downstairs and they no longer had room for this little table. My mom really didn't want to give it away since it belonged to her mother, so I told her I would take it off of her hands:) Then I saw the table skirt tutorial. I knew then exactly how and where I would use that fabric.

What I used:

1 1/2 yards of fabric

5 yards of grosgrain ribbon

clear velcro strips - I too got mine at Home Depot

fabri-tac glue

a good iron

Seriously, I had every intention of sewing this table skirt, but I started using the fabri-tac glue and it was just so quick and simple. Shhhh! Don't tell Paul! Just kidding. He already knows.

I really like seeing this little burst of color while coming upstairs. This is just a side note, but for Christmas this year, my dad had the photo below scanned and framed for me, my sister, and my mom. It is a picture of my grandparents on their honeymoon at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. Their names are Wilbur and Charlotte. Just like in Charlotte's Web! I thought it was only fitting to put it on this table.

Let me know if you make one. I would love to see pictures (amberjpoteat@gmail.com)!

grilled bananas

The weather was just beautiful this weekend, so we decided to fire up the grill. We fixed one of my favorite desserts, grilled bananas. My parents make these all the time during the summer. I think you'll like them too.

What you need:

Make a long slit on the inside of the banana (keep the peel on).

Stuff the opening with chocolate morsels. The more the tastier:).

Next, wrap the bananas in foil.

Set the grill to 400 degrees. Place the foil covered bananas on the top rack for about 20 minutes. Flip them over just a couple times within the 20 minutes. Once the bananas feel soft, take them out of the foil and place them on your plate. Top them off with some Reddi Wip. They are delicious!

my favorite room

Below you will see pictures of some of my readers' favorite rooms in their home. These rooms are all so beautiful and unique. I think I could use their decorating expertise at my house. Here are pictures of my favorite room. Thank you again to all of the participants. I hope you enjoy!

Lauren

Savannah, GA

Caroline

Columbia, SC

Alexa

Charlotte, NC

Ashley

Charlotte, NC