Minny's Pie

If you haven't read this book, you should. It's one of the best books I've ever read. And this summer they came out with the movie, "The Help" as well.

Just some background, one of the maids made a chocolate pie for the lady she worked for, kind of a pivotal moment (and I'll just leave it at that in case you haven't seen it). But oh my goodness, after I watched that movie, I craved chocolate pie for the next week. It looked so yummy.  So while browsing around online, I found the recipe they used in the movie!
Learn more HERE!

(the above picture is not my pie- although I wish my pies turned out this beautiful)


I've made it twice already and it's super easy... and super yummy. I've also tried making it with out blind baking the crust and it works just as well. 

                              This guy is mine.

So I'm sharing the recipe with all of you! Here it is (minus the poo)

Minny's Chocolate Pie

1. 1 packaged pie dough crust, such as Pillsbury
2. 1 1/2 cups sugar
3. 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
4. 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
5. 2 large eggs, beaten
6. 3/4 cup evaporated milk
7. 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
8. 1/4 teaspoon salt
9. Whipped cream, for serving

• Preheat the oven to 350°. Ease the pie crust into a 9-inch pie plate and crimp the edges decoratively. Prick the crust lightly with a fork. Line the crust with foil or parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 15 minutes or until set. Remove the foil and weights and bake for about 5 minutes longer, just until the crust is dry but not browned.
• Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk the sugar with the cocoa powder, butter, eggs, evaporated milk, vanilla and salt until smooth.
• Pour the filling into the pie shell and bake for about 45 minutes, until the filling is set around the edges but a little jiggly in the center. Cover the crust with strips of foil halfway through baking. Transfer the pie to a rack and let cool completely before cutting into wedges. Serve with whipped cream.

Sensible Buys: Couches

The first months of being engaged I think it hit me: We can't get married! We literally don't have ANYTHING and definitely not a lot of money to buy what all needs to go into a house! I panicked. And then I opened up a savings account (this was probably the smartest thing I have ever done) and I started to put away a little money at a time. If you're engaged out there, do this. You'll be happy you did.

Anyways, it's for this reason (panicky brides or even new homeowners) that I'm going to start posting about "Sensible Buys". This is a new... i guess 'feature' you could say, to help others out there that are in the same position we are :-)  This is not to say that we are amazing at smart buying and maybe some of the things we post you could find cheaper elsewhere- awesome- please share!

So Post #1... Our Couch

When searching for couches, I knew I wanted a sectional and I knew I wanted something traditional. Quite honestly I wanted this Pottery Barn couch...

Sigh... $3300 was definitely not in our budget. And I could see our future rug rats staining and tearing this couch up.

That's when we checked out Ikea... and though Ikea has some great deals and maybe even some great couches, we decided we wanted quality for the money we were spending and the sectional selection at Ikea was a little less than comfortable.

Then Isaac's parents suggested American

They have deals all the time, and this particular time they had "for every $600 you spend, you get $300 worth of furniture free".  And although they didn't have a Pottery Barn look alike, they had this one...

It is dark, so I'm not worried about stains or spills, and it's super comfortable, AND right in our price range. Since we spent $1200, we got $600 in furniture, which we spent on a reclaimed wood coffee table...that i LOVE.

This picture shows it a little light- ours is a little darker (as seen in the picture above).

So there you have it; a sectional and coffee table for under $1200.

Tips:

• Do some research so you know what you're looking for, and so you know what is and isn't a good deal for the specific kind of couch you're looking for
• Don't be too concern with the pillows or accessories that the couch may come with; these things can be switched out easily
• Check for specials going on or deals they're advertising at local stores
• Look for stores that have free delivery
• And check out stores you wouldn't normally think to check. They may surprise you!

Bedroom floors

What a job this was... I actually participated this time. 1) My father in-law Jerry sanded the floor, 

 2) then Isaac taped our baseboards, 3) we brushed the stain on (let it set for 10 minutes) and 4) then wiped it off.  Wow. My nostrils burned for a good... full day after we did this. After allowing the stain to dry for a couple of days, I am going to polyurethane the floors to seal them so they are safe to walk on.  In my opinion, staining was definitely a good/ inexpensive choice on our part... and i kind of love them.

Kind of a before and after shot...

After 

So much better.

Fabric Fabric

I've been searching for a while for fabric to make roman shades in our house. Our bamboo blinds are a little see through and that just isn't cutting it in our bathroom. Well yesterday, my friend Nicki and I went to Hancock fabrics just to shop around and to our surprise they were having an Anniversary Sale and almost everything was 54% off!  My ears perked up and I went on the prowl but I didn't have to go very far because I spotted the fabric I wanted right when we first walked in.

Chevvvrooon stripes would look fab in my kitchen! Originally $17.99 marked down to $8.99!  Two yards please.

          And a funky pattern fabric in the same colors as my bathroom also marked down to $8.99.
                                                                   Two more yards...

...matches my awesome West Elm shower curtain that my mother in-law bought us :-)

I am a happy girl... Now I just have to make the shades... should be easy, right?

Here at my cube

This morning, while 'wall papering' my cube with the fabric I used for my table runners at my wedding....

my cube neighbor, Joe (let's just call him Joe) walked by, then slowly back up and said, "Oh my goodness! I didn't realize what you were doing over here! You shocked me! (laugh laugh laugh).... 
it's just a little loud. I'm in shock."




Apparently State Farmers do not interior decorate their cubes... woops.

Rugsies

Oh, rugs. You have the power to open up a room, add color, texture, warmth and tie a room together.

Here's to you old friend.

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But could you lower your prices please? I mean geez! I would like to own at least ONE of you guys! Ridiculous.



1. Urban Outfitters

2-4. Anthropologie

5-6. Ikea

7-12. Overstock.com

13. Urban Outfitters

MIA. Yes, that has been me recently. A few reasons;

1) my sister just got married last week! See pictures HERE.

2) And I recently got a new job!

I am officially a State Farm Payment Plan (SFPP) representative.  I don't feel like explaining it because it'll sound boring and lame. However, no more crazy fluctuating hours, and no more nights or weekends for me! It's been fabulous. Anddd to top it off, I get my own cubicle! This may not sound like much to you, but to me it's pretty neat-o.  So my attention has been shifted on how to decorate my cubicle :-)  Next to my house, it's the second place I spend most of my time at... might as well make it homey.

Apparently other people don't think the same way as me about their cubicles because I could barely find any pictures of inspiration... Anyone have any winning ideas they'd like to share? :-)

Thinking about 'wallpapering' my cube walls with cool fabric...