Sweet T and a Honey B

It was no more than a few weeks in the new house and Bryan and I found ourselves regularly discussing plans for a little one. And when I say ‘little one’, I mean the kind with fur. Long before we even moved in to our condo, we were so ready to open our home and our hearts to a dog. Both of us grew up with dogs and were anxious to add a furry friend to our little family. Since our condo would not allow for a dog, we agreed this would be one of the first changes we made when we found a house. Not surprising to anyone, it didn’t take long to become attached to a certain face after a few nights of browsing on Petfinder.com. He had freckles, short little legs, droopy ears, and huge paws. And he was everything we wanted. We held off on visiting him, however, because we knew waiting until Bryan was on summer break about six weeks later was the best thing to do. We knew waiting to adopt a puppy was the right decision but were also aware that the chances of him still waiting to be adopted six weeks from then were slim. Despite this, we were still absurdly disappointed when we saw that ‘Whiski’ (people don’t believe us when we tell them he was ALREADY named as such) wasn’t listed anymore. We took comfort in assuming he was adopted by another great family and just kept hoping the next six weeks went quickly so that we could find the pup that was meant to be ours.

Two weeks after that, a colleague of mine and I wandered on over to Petfinder.com again to stare at cute faces. After a few minutes of browsing, a very familiar cute face popped up on my screen. You got it- the same soft, freckled friend we had been previously been longing for. I texted Bryan and we spent that evening staring at his picture again. This gave us a little more hope that he might still be up for adoption at the end of the month when Bryan ended the school year. We had inadvertently brought it up to our families that the pup we were interested in was available and my mom said it best- “You’re a fool if you don’t visit that puppy. Your friends and family can help make it work” We took her advice, reached out to the rescue that night and found out that Whiski and his siblings were going to be at an adoption event in our town the very next morning. We took this as a sign and tried to contain our childlike excitement about our visit.

We arrived at PetSmart a little early and just in time to see the pups being brought inside. In the spirit of accurately describing how much we longed for this dog, I started crying when he was carried inside (Bryan told me to stop causing a scene because children were staring). His ears were floppier and he had even more freckles in person. My husband and I fell in love the second he slobbered all over our faces. John Casey, from 4 Paws 4 U 4 Ever, asked if we wanted to take him home that afternoon and our hearts just about burst.

This is our first ‘family photo’. He has already gotten bigger!

It’s been three weeks as a family of three and to say that this little pup has changed our lives is an understatement. We are so glad we didn’t wait any longer to visit Whiskey (we changed up the spelling of his name) because I could not imagine any dog other than him making me chase them for my socks in the morning. We knew he was part Labrador Retriever when we adopted him – but his vet is pretty certain he is also a Basset Hound. This means he will love going on adventures with us, whether that be a weekend camping trip or an afternoon spent at the park. But the Basset in him means he will equally love taking a Saturday afternoon nap with us!

I couldn’t boast about our new family member without properly mentioning and thanking the people who allowed us to be his forever home. John and Shari Casey from ‘4 Paws 4 U 4 Ever’, started their organization to rescue dogs from shelters in the south where they would likely be euthanized. They have found homes for hundreds of dogs and I, along with numerous other families, are so thankful they have made this their mission in life. 4 Paws is based out of West Chicago, IL and you can usually find them, their volunteers, and the available pups, at an adoption event on the weekends.

It’s also important to mention that the adoption event was at our local PetSmart. Through PetSmart Charities, 500,000 animals are saved each year through events like these. Additionally, PetSmart regularly supports and partners with various animal welfare groups across North America. Their website allows visitors to make monetary donations or to even search volunteer opportunities at animal shelters in their area. I was so surprised to learn all that this company does more than sell food and toys- they ensure good lives for so many rescue animals like my pup.

‘4 Paws’ website says “Saving one dog will not change the world, but it will change the world for that one dog.” Bryan and I were so adamant about adopting our pup from a rescue because there are countless animals already available that may never find homes without people like John and Shari. If you are remotely considering adding an animal to your family, I highly stress the ‘adopt don’t shop’ approach. The happiness Bryan and I felt walking out with this guy in our arms a few weeks ago was so fulfilling . We like to think we changed Whiskey’s world, but are confident in saying that he’s the one that changed ours for the better.

It’s no secret that Bryan and I both share a love of country music and a good glass of whiskey. In fact, our wedding was centered around both. Our guests sat around centerpieces that included empty bottles of Jack Daniel’s filled with wildflowers (Yeah-Bryan and I, as well as our friends, drank quite a bit of whiskey in the year leading up to the big day) and the over arching theme was built around Blake Shelton’s sweet song, Honey Bee’. In addition to the various rustic touches, our signature drink also echoed our belief that both of us should have been born south of the Mason Dixon line. It was the dead of summer so there was no question that our drink should be refreshing, yet include a little of our beloved JD. Bonus – my new name was about to become Bolton. B for Bolton.. Honey B..Sweet T(eresa) and a Honey B(olton)…now you’re catching on.

It’s been nearly three years (holy cow!) since our wedding and I am just now sharing the beverage that partially inspired the name for my blog. And the beverage that we still make regularly. I think it’s because we spent our entire weekend in the sunshine by our bonfire/grill with a lot of country music and these drinks on re-fill. There’s something about the promise of nice weather and a good fire that makes for the best of weekends.

If you’re in doubt, I will say that the crew at the country club where we held our reception tell us they had never gone through so much whiskey in one night. We also had friends and family tell us they weren’t previously ‘whiskey people’ before that night – but now they are 😉 I promise that even if you aren’t one of those ‘whiskey people’, this one is worth giving a try.

Ingredients:

2 parts whiskey
1 part triple sec
yellow lemonade
handful of blueberries

Muddle a few blueberries at the bottom of a drinking glass (I think they taste best out of a mason jar, what else?), add in whiskey, triple sec, and lemonade. Garnish with a few extra bluebs & you’re good to go!

Below is the sign (made from a tree slab sold at Hobby Lobby, a little chalkboard paint & a chalk marker) that we placed at the bar during the reception.

Aaaand now for a few photos of details from our perfect day.. photography by Gina and Tony of Gina + Tony Photographers If you are looking for wedding or portrait photography, I HIGHLY recommend Gina and Tony. We had decided we would ask them to photograph our wedding about two years before we even got engaged when we met them while they were photographing my cousin’s gorgeous wedding. Their work is simply stunning and they pretty much kept us laughing the entire day. 🙂

I’m going to start by saying that this is not a pretty recipe. In fact, I even hesitated posting a picture of the final result because it could actually resemble one of those side-by-side photos of Pinterest fails. This is anything but a fail – this is the real deal comfort dish y’all. All I was doing was simply trying to use up some groceries we had in the house towards the end of last week and the outcome was something I will be making again very soon. We’ve been trying to find creative ways to incorporate more veggies in to dishes besides your run of the mill ‘side of’ broccoli or corn. Cauliflower seems to have been all the craze lately because there’s a lot you can do with it – pizza crust, riced with various spices, frozen with smoothies, and the list goes on. It’s pretty filling too. So, I bought a bag, threw it in the freezer, and figured I would just figure out what to do with it. I didn’t figure it out until we were at the end of our grocery haul and I didn’t want another Panera sandwich.

The only ingredient I didn’t have on hand was shredded cheese, so I ran out to make a stop for some. I had the intention of picking up a bag of store brand Mozarella until I saw one of my recent favorite brands carrying their own shreds. I’ve been using Daiya products as much as I can because Bryan and I both don’t do well with a ton of dairy. It’s okay on occasion, like a couple slices of Friday night pizza or a small container of Greek Yogurt (ALWAYS Siggis), but our tummies obviously feel it the next day when we consume a lot of that pizza or Mac and Cheese (shoutout to our recent trip to Nashville). I discovered Daiya when looking for a better alternative to that Mac and Cheese we love so much and their packaged Mac and Cheese is a GAME CHANGER. Their products are dairy free, soy free, gluten free, and really, really, REALLY creamy. Bryan and I add a little chicken sausage and spinach to their Mac & Cheese almost on a weekly basis and we find ourselves fighting over the last portion. It never leaves us with that overly full or gross feeling. Long story short, when I found their Mozzarella and Cheddar style shreds it was a no-brainer to pick some up.

For this bake, I threw in some peas and ground beef to bulk it up but you could easily use this ‘cheese’ sauce recipe over just the cauliflower, bake it with a few bread crumbs on top, and call it Cauliflower Mac and Cheese. I also plan to make some dairy free nachos with this too! I’m excited to swap out some normal recipes for more of Daiya’s products. I might try our favorite Cheeseburger Wraps with this ‘cheesy sauce’ as well.

"Cheesy" Cauliflower Bake

2018-04-01 21:19:52

Serves 4

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Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

15 min

Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

15 min

Ingredients

-1 lb ground beef
- 2 cups cauliflower
- 1 and 1/2 cups almond milk
- 2 tbs flour
- 1 cup peas
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 2 tbs sour cream (You can purchase dairy free if you need to. The portion is small enough that I just used the normal low-fat sour cream I had in my fridge)
- 1 1/2 cups Daiya shreds (I used 1/2 cup of Mozarella and 1 cup of Cheddar but you can mix it up. They also have Pepper Jack style!) + a little extra for sprinkling

Instructions

- Preheat oven to 375 degrees
- Fully cook ground beef over stove top, breaking up as it cooks.
-Whisk 1/2 cup of the cold almond milk with the flour until fully combined
- Heat 1 cup of almond milk over medium heat until you start to see steam and add the milk/flour mixture. Whisk again to fully incorporate.
- Turn down heat to low-medium and add sour cream, cheese shreds, turmeric, garlic, and sea salt to the milk and keep stirring until you get a creamy, cheesy, consistency. Try not to eat this with a spoon at this point.
- Cook cauliflower and peas (Personally, I just use microwave steamer bags because it's super quick for recipes during the week. You can steam fresh veggies yourself but ain't nobody got time for that over here).
- Spray a 9X13 baking dish with cooking spray and add cauliflower, peas, and ground beef to the pan. Pour 'cheese sauce' over the veggie/beef mixture and add a few Daiya shreds to the top. I also added a little extra pinch of sea salt here.
-Bake for 15 minutes and serve with your favorite warm biscuits or croissants!

Sweet T and a Honey B https://www.sweettandahoneyb.com/

“But you know, love grows best in little houses with fewer walls to separate..Where you eat and sleep so close together you can’t help but communicate. Oh, and if we had more room between us, think of all we’d miss. Love grows best, in houses just like this”

The last time I took some time to myself to write, I was sitting in the living room of my tiny condo in a post-Christmas, tree still up, tissue paper and presents all over, half of everything we own in Home Depot moving boxes, kind of mess. Our place had been on the market for six weeks without a bite. I began focusing on my New Year’s goals because we were beginning to accept the fact the market wouldn’t pick up until spring when we might be able to sell our place and in turn, buy our first home.

That was January 1st. This is mid March and I am sitting at the dining room table of the home we had been ~~losing a lot of sleep and stressing~~ dreaming about since we first saw it just before Thanksgiving. We received an offer at the end of January and had exactly 29 days to get approved for financing before our set close date. I didn’t believe it when people initially told me ‘everyone has a horror story’ when I would tell them my husband and I were in the process of buying a home. Please take it from me – it’s true. We even hesitated telling family (outside of our parents) and friends because we were certain the deal was going to fall through on our perfect home. There were some tears and some fights (one ending with “Wait…why are we fighting!?”. We literally had NO clue), but as the 29 days rolled on and the inspections went well on both condo and house, anxiety turned in to excitement and I finally let myself get excited about the dining room table I had been looking at for two months (Yep, the one I am sitting at).

Buying this home does not make me a real estate expert but I learned a lot about the process in the last month and Bryan and I have had some pretty good laughs as we navigate this home-ownership adventure together. Without further ado – here are a few things I’ve learned a short amount of time.

Keep EVERY. SINGLE. paper/documentation from the last two years (or at least know how to access it).

If you think you’re remotely close to purchasing real estate, you might want to familiarize yourself with how to get copies of your last two year’s tax returns, know how to access past pay stubs from your HR website, and have a copy of each W2 you’ve received in the last two years. You also must be able to explain any large transactions (debit or credit) from your bank account within the last 60 days, avoid taking out any new forms of debt (credit cards, car loans, etc.),spit fire, promise your first born child, sell your left kidney…etc. etc.

You can not and should not try and fix or replace everything at one time

We still have a little bit of this new homeowner fever and have a hard time reminding ourselves to hold back on all new furniture, floors, etc. We’ve been here just about three weeks now and are so glad the only thing we’ve bought is our table and a desk (both needed). We want to take some time to live in our home before deciding on big purchases. It’s important to get acquainted with your space before making it your own!

Set up the bed first.

My Father-in-law is honestly one of the best people I know (for endless reasons!) and has helped Bryan and I every step of the way (even in our condo.. I can’t count the number of times I came home to find him under our kitchen sink fixing a pipe or helping Bryan install doors). On move in day, he went right upstairs to put our bed frame together knowing full well Bryan and I would not want to put up a bed at the end of the day when we were exhausted from moving. Don’t unpack a thing – put your bed up first so that you can plop in to it when you’re ready!

Your first purchase should be curtains/blinds.

This just comes from the fact we didn’t. We moved in on a Saturday. We said “we’ll buy curtains tomorrow”. A week later we were still changing in the bathroom because we kept putting it off. Don’t do that. It was a pain in the butt.

Ask furniture retailers if they will price match.

I’m going back to the dining room table here because it might be my favorite item I’ve ever owned. I mentioned I had been looking at it for a couple months online but I was determined to see it in store. Much to our surprise, the entire 5-piece set was about $700 more expensive in store! The problem was, if we ordered it online it wouldn’t be delivered for 3 weeks, but if we ordered directly from the store they offered delivery within 48 hours. I wasn’t optimistic we were leaving with a receipt in hand and was trying to accept the fact Bryan and I would be eating on the floor for the next three weeks but decided to ask an employee about price matching anyway. I barely had the questions out before she said ‘of course we can match it!’. We had our table two days later! Shop around, find the best prices, and don’t be afraid to be upfront if their website is offering coupons, better deals, or better shipping costs/options. They want your business!

Whiskey or wine bottles work perfectly as a rolling pin.

I don’t have much to say about this. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

If one of your rooms is freezing cold (alternatively, too hot in the summer) check that your vents are open before freaking out.

Imagine that. Check the vents.

On that note, if you turn on the shower and you don’t have hot water, check to make sure that the handle wasn’t simply installed backwards before having a full blown panic attack.

….okay, we’re going to get better at this whole house thing. Shout out again to my Father in law for this solution!

Comcast will always goof something up. *sigh*

I have no advice to avoid it. Just be prepared.

Home is where your best friend is.

Beginning this new chapter with the man I love so much in the town/neighborhood we grew up in makes me the happiest person in the world. I was pretty adamant we stayed in the same zip code but realistically I would have been just as happy as long as it was a home with him. Deciding where to put the couch that is WAY too big for the family room, making weekend waffles, and planning future bonfires with friends is 10X more fun with your best friend.

So here we are. Approximately 22% unpacked and 1.5% done with all of the things we’d eventually like to do to the house. And I couldn’t be happier. We have an incredibly long way to go (and 30 years of debt! Holla!), but I haven’t been this excited for something…well…ever. My heart is full, the vents are open, and the dining room table is more amazing than I could imagine (I’m going to keep mentioning this one). I can’t wait to begin this next chapter and eventually raise a family in our perfect home!

Happy New Year! Happy 2018! I hope your NYE was filled with the best people, ridiculous noise makers, and champagne. I rung in the New Year in the city with my favorite man and some great friends… And a lot of that champagne.

The last week of the year is a big one for me. Christmas followed by my birthday followed by celebrating a new year. This particular birthday I turned 27. My golden birthday. One year closer to another decade older. And the year I am expecting to be the best one yet. If anything, I know it’s going to be better than this one. Mom is healthy and looking to start some new adventures of her own, Hubs and I are selling our tiny condo and (hopefully!) buying a house, and overall I just think I am going in to the next 365 days with a better outlook than I ever have going in to a new year. If you’re wondering if this post is going to be the obligatory ‘resolutions’ post, you’re only a little bit right. I had no intention of writing anything related to resolutions until a couple of days ago when I zoned out during my morning workout and began thinking of what I wanted to get out of this year. I’m not really sure I’ve ever had any intentions, resolutions, or whatever you call its, going in to a new year. In some ways, I think it’s a good thing because I’ve never tried to completely change myself or my habits within first two months of the year and eight weeks later forget the ‘rules’ I promised myself I’d adhere to. I’d rather improve myself than change myself.

With that said, I am beginning 2018, my 27th year, my lucky number 27.. with a set of goals, not resolutions, that I am confident I can achieve. I wanted to set goals for myself that were realistic and ones I would enjoy working towards. Sharing them and putting them down in writing…er…typing is the best way to hold myself accountable to taking care of my mind, body, and spirit in 2018.

‘Self Care’

This term has been thrown around A LOT in social media and blogging world. The word itself may be a fad, but it’s one I actually believe in and one that I hope sticks around, especially for women. The latter half of 2017 brought on stress that at times because borderline paralyzing and I began to notice the stress take it’s toll on me physically. One wouldn’t believe the world of good a simple 50 minute massage one random weekend and face mask bar session at Scratchgoods with my best girlfriends did for me during some of the most difficult weeks. This is my promise to treat myself to something special like this, just for me, once a month, for the remainder of the year.

Wear my FitBit Every Day

This might be an easier one because this is something I try my best to do as it is. I’ve realized how much this little device helps me because I’m pretty glued to my seat on the days I don’t wear it. I park further, get up more times to grab water at work, take a few extra stairs, etc. when I am wearing it. In turn, I have more energy and find my that my body feels overall a little better at the end of the work day.

CycleBar..CycleBar…and more CycleBar

I didn’t think it would be easy to find something I love as much as running when it came to my workouts. More so, I didn’t think I would find something I loved as much AND was easy on my poor indefinitely injured runner’s knees. I found this in CycleBar. I’m not someone that needs a lot of ‘extra’ in my workout, but the neon lights alternating with complete darkness, incredible music and instructors, and 45 minutes of pure sweat, is amazing. The classes are a bit pricey but it’s 100% worth it. I leave each session feeling rejuvenated and like I left all of my stress behind in the studio. Here’s to leaving my stress in the studio as much as I can in 2018.

Take the Time to Stretch

This is necessary for an abundance of reasons. I can’t simply rely on the fact that I am young, flexible, and bounce back from an injury quickly anymore. Stretching is incredibly important for injury prevention and healing. And not to mention it feels pretty damn good. I’ve noticed that each time I finish a run, spin class, weight session, etc. I am in such a hurry to get home, shower, and continue on with my jam packed day that I don’t take the time my body needs to stretch and recover. It’s no surprise that I am stiff and sore the next day. I’d go so far as to put stretching in the ‘Self Care’ category because something as simple as a five minute stretch post-workout leaves not only my body feeling good, but slows down the cooling process so the endorphins keep me feeling energized a lot longer.

Host a Coffee Brunch

I’m quickly becoming my mother when it comes to coffee (and most other things). She’s a certified coffee snob and I am following in her footsteps. I’m really loving the ‘art’ of coffee and espresso lately and you’ll find I’m rarely without a cup. I figure I could be addicted to worse things right? I enjoy seeking out local coffee shops to try because I find they put so much love in to their brew and baked treats.

I’m excited to announce that I joined the ranks of espresso machine owners this season as my mom (naturally) bought me one for my birthday! I’m absurdly excited to try out various drinks with interesting flavoring pairings and find some new favorites. Once I develop a couple of go-tos with my beloved machine, I want to host a coffee brunch (is that a thing? I’m making it a thing) for friends with a couple of choice drinks, homemade baked goods, and the good ol’ simple cup of coffee choice with various mix ins and toppings. Coffee and entertaining are two of my favorite things and I think this would be a good year to pair the two!

Practice ‘Creative Lettering’

I’ve always had a thing for fonts and have a real admiration for people who can flawlessly address an envelope or gift tag and make it look professionally done. I think it’s important to learn something new all the time and this year I want to dip my toes in the art of creative lettering (sometimes referred to as faux-calligraphy). I received a gift certificate from my cousin for Christmas from Brit + Co, one of my favorite websites, for an online calligraphy class and couldn’t be more pumped to sit down and begin. I also purchased ‘Hand Lettering 101’ from ChalkFullofLove, another favorite blogger and small business owner to help me practice. I’ll be sending a lot more snail mail this year if I actually get the hang of it 😉

Putting the Phone Down

I’ve been told once or 1,645,134 times by my husband that I’m glued to my phone. I can’t disagree, I am. I participate in conversations with people that poke fun at my generation for not being able to do anything without Googling it, Snapping it, Instagramming it, etc. but I am one of those people. On a very serious note, I am also guilty (as I am sure most of us are) of checking my phone now and then while I am driving. This is not okay. Finding a new playlist or seeing what my girlfriends texted me back can wait. I think I realized how attached I was to my phone when even I started getting annoyed at myself glancing at it in the car. I’m not sure how I will measure this goal other than just ‘putting it down’. I am promising myself to be more present whether this be date night with the husband, movie nights with my girlfriends, or my eyes on the road.

I really hope you will join me in setting goals, not resolutions, for yourself this year. Your goals don’t always have to be weight loss or money saving related. What is a skill you’ve always wanted to learn but never had the time to? Is there a workout class, book club, or spa you’ve wanted to join/try out but couldn’t justify the time to yourself? Do you want to be more present at home and need to shut your laptop or phone an extra hour a day? Whatever your goals are, write them down, throw them on a note pad or post it and stick it to the fridge. Go the little extra mile to keep your promises to yourself this year.

27 has always been my lucky number and this year is going to be no different.

Whiskey

Honey B

Ingredients:

Cheesy Cauliflower Bake

In Houses Just Like This

Lucky Number 27