oh how i've missed the delivery men...

ok, so i lied. i know - only day three of the blog and im already not staying true to my commitment to post on subject. however, last night was filled with a cookout and corn hole with friends and i just didnt have time to read up and report on the bulbous plants we are finding in our yard - compliments of the book brandt "rented" with his new library card. we'll save that topic for another rainy day...

that being said - i had two surprises at home for me yesterday after work. yup, TWO! i must admit that it was great coming home to big boxes with my name on it - something that i truly miss about the whole wedding process :)

one was long overdue - our nightstands. wooohooo our bedroom is finally complete! im working on the finishing touch, a tv on the wall, until it completely becomes my domain and officially my favorite room in the house. i may ruin the credibility of the new blog by admitting that i again took pics on my camera but forgot to bring the cord to upload - so compliments of value city, here is a fancy-pants picture of our stands.

my second surprise was my new alarm clock, compliments of free shipping from pottery barn. yup, you guessed it - it was in that photo actually sitting on top of the new nightstand...so ill just leave you wondering on that one - perhaps you'll have to swing by the house to check it out in combo. it has the whole pocket watch, silver and beaded look all rolled into one...topped with a little glow in the dark action.

all-in-all the house is slowly coming together - compliments of many wonderful wedding gifts too (be glad i havent yet blogged about our new wine chiller - it is a thriller!)

rachel ray THAT

so our friends steph and adam had a beautiful baby boy a few weeks ago, and our "tiny bunch", aka our small group, has coordinated shifts to bring over meals to the new parents. for some reason, i decided to sign us up as meal visit #1 - now, since this whole domestic cooking is new to me, this meant we would either set the bar really really low for those following or knock the ball out of the park with my new skills.

the official vote is still out, but i'm pretty proud of the 3.5 out of 5 rating brandt gave the chicken mac 'n cheese last night. i even spiced up rachel ray's recipe by adding my own seasoned chicken - and i have to say, the homemade cheese for the noods was pretty scrumptious. im thinking of applying the asiago, sharp cheddar and parm mix to a beer cheese/pretzel combo down the road. but what's up with homemade mac 'n cheese turning into just cheesy noodles? something about the kraft and velveeta style has me confused on what is really is supposed to taste and look like.

i couldn't find my recipe on RR's website to share, but it looks like there are tons of options for those of you working to become quite the little cook like me. http://www.rachaelray.com/article.php?article_id=95.

of course i took a photo of the finished piece last night, topped ever so beautifully with bread crumbs - but as usual, left for the office in a hurry this morning and walked out without a camera cord to upload. i'll make sure to post it tomorrow (i know, the post isn't complete without it and you a dying to see it). id also like to add it in hopes my husband stumbles along the post and notices just how unflattering the photography is from my old camera and is inspired to buy me a new Canon SLR for my birthday - which is just around the corner you know...

first batch from scratch - our wedding

i thought i would start out with a few wedding teasers to kick off the blog - mainly cuz i wasnt sure what i should blog about first. these come from our wonderful photogs, wade and steph at http://www.carignangallery.com/blog/. we should be getting the rest of our proofs back in the next month or two and will make sure to share them asap!