Facebook Freebies Work

A couple weeks ago I was checking out Facebook, looking at the daily pictures and reading everyone's status updates, when I noticed a link that someone had shared for a free bottle of L'Occitane lotion. The link said that if the company got 250,000 "likes" that everyone who had clicked to like their page would get a free bottle of lotion. I figured, why not? Well, low and behold, a couple days later I got a voucher via email to find the nearest store location and go pick up my lotion.

I ended up needing some retail therapy yesterday so I headed to Lenox Mall after work. I used my 40% off coupon at Banana Republic, bought some much needed eye shadow from MAC, and then headed to pick up my lotion.

WOW. I love the L'Occitane store. Because I had the voucher, I also got 15% off anything I wanted to buy. I wish I had been more prepared because there were many things I wanted, but they were a little too expensive for a spur of the moment purchase. I got some samples of various items and will probably go back to make a purchase. I seriously want to Anti-Aging Extract. I used it last night and this morning and it's lovely. Smells like lavender too. Yum! Their lavender smells so delicious that I had to buy a little sachet. They say to keep it where you get the most stressed. I am going to keep mine in my desk drawer at work!

Souper Yummy White Bean Chili

Monday night I got a wild hair, per Josh's request, to cook our favorite White Bean Chili recipe. I got this recipe last Christmas from my friend Emily at her "Around the House" White Elephant Christmas present swap. It was so delicious that I needed the recipe as soon as possible so that I could make it for Josh to enjoy as well. Since there has been the slightest chill in the air this year, it seemed like and appropriate time to ring in chili season!

Above are all the ingredients that go into the soup. Because this is not a food blog, I am not posting the recipe. Should you want it, please comment with your email and I will send it to you. After I finish cooking a meal, my brain shuts down and all measurements and ingredient lists fly out the window.
I do know that you must first saute the onion and garlic, which makes your house smell yummy. While this is cooking, you should be pulling the meat off your rotisserie chicken and shredding it to be used later. I prefer the lemon pepper chicken from the K-Roger, also known as the Kroger.

Next you are going to get your deep pot and pour the chicken broth, spices, one can of beans, green chilis, and the onion and garlic saute together and wait until it boils. Once it boils, dump the chicken in and let it come to a boil again. Turn it down and simmer for 20 minutes. Then add the second can of beans, you must strain and rinse all the beans first. Simmer for 10 more minutes and take deep breaths because the smell is oh so devine by now. While you are in the final 10 minute stretch, mix together 2 cups of light sour cream and 3/4 cup of light cream to be poured in at the last minute.

Once the dinger rings, pour in the cream and serve it up immediately.

Add some oyster crackers for that final touch and enjoy!

Hesley Reunion

This past weekend Josh and I headed to Florence for a Hesley family reunion. As you can see above, I was able to snap a pic of Josh, his brother Sam, and sister Elizabeth. I should have kept my camera phone out all day because I missed getting a picture of everyone else and there were many more Hesley family members there from both SC and NC. The picture above it of Catie, Sam and Nilla's oldest daughter, myself and Buck, her dog. We celebrated Catie's 5th birthday at the reunion so I had to make sure I got a picture with the special guest. She and her sister Perry, who is almost 4, are absolutely adorable and made the weekend that much more fun and full of energy!

I can't wait until Christmas when we will get to see them all again. I wish everyone lived closer together so that we all got to see each other more. Maybe one day!

Last Weekend

Last weekend was Decatur Beer Festival and for the 2nd year in a row our buddies James, Jessica and Christine came to stay with Josh and me here in Atlanta. This weekend is always a favorite and we have already marked our calendars for next year. The tickets go on sale "some time" in September each year and they always sell out quickly. This year they sold out in 3 hours. It just goes to show how awesome of a time people have and we are sure to attend each year. Below is a picture I snapped just after the event. From left to right, James, Jenn, Josh, Jessica, Jim (that's alot of Js), Christine and Kyle.After the festival concluded at 5pm, we headed to the Republic Social House to enjoy a little rooftop lounging and outdoor football TV watching. The weather was absolutely perfect so it would have been ashamed to go inside somewhere. Once we needed a little change of scenery we went to the Dark Horse and the 10 High for a little Karaoke. Oh yes, I said Karaoke. Both Christine and James sang a song with a full band behind them as we danced and cheered them on. They were both great and got lots of applause.
Our friend Kay was able to meet up with us as well which was awesome. It's always nice to have surprise visits throughout the day to bring life to the party!
All in all it was an amazing weekend and I am so glad our friends came

to Atlanta to party with us. It's always fun to have a little bit of "home" in Atlanta!

Box O' What?

It's official, this is my one and only brand of water from here on out. Sorry Dasani, Volvic and the occasional Smart Water, there's a new Box in town. Pretty clever invention if you ask me. Not sure what the will come up with next, but if it's Box of Beer then sign me up too!
The picture above is so you can get a better feel for the size of the box. Although the drink holders in your car are round, this one fits perfectly in the void space between my cup holders and the opposite side of my middle console. Genius!

Crab Cake Saturday!

This past Saturday, Josh and I had planned a relaxing day of watching football and cooking up something yummy. We didn't decide what we wanted to cook until early Saturday morning, but we decided on Crab Cakes with Mac and Cheese. No veggies allowed! Actually we sort of forgot about the veggies, but who really cares when it's Saturday right? As you can see above, Josh positioned the prep table right behind the couch so that he could cook and watch football at the same time. This is basically his ideal Saturday and we were both excited about the yummy food to come. After we mixed all the ingredients for the mac and cheese and put the casserole dish in the oven, we started on the crab cakes. We only had 30 minutes until the USC game started so we were completely focused on getting this task done quickly and efficiently. Above is the before picture of what the raw crab cakes looked like just before they became the crisp yumminess that you will see below.

With all the delicious smells permeating the house, Hunny could not help but camp out by all the cooking. As you can see, she is a great assistant cook to Josh. While he was cleaning a few dishes, she took charge and watched the crab cakes and mac and cheese through the oven window. She did a great job because nothing burnt while Josh left her in charge!

And here is the final product. These crab cakes were absolutely wonderful. We made enough for us to even eat them Sunday as well. I chose to put one on a salad for my Sunday meal. I guess I was tying to make up for the lack of vegetables on Saturday. Does that count? Who knows, but the salad was devine.

As for the football part of our Saturday, the Gamecocks lost and we are very sad about it. At least there was some good food to make up for the Gamecocks playing so poorly!