3 2011 Flashbacks

I cannot believe how fast this year has already gone by. I never imagined my wedding day to feel like a blink, and it did. There are so many major events in my life that happened this year, and I can't even sum it all up. I am so proud of my accomplishments and success that I do not want this year to end. I feel like I have much to live up to for 2012. Whether or not it's as eventful as 2011, I think what I have learned from 2011, it to live it up, and wake up everyday like it's your last. I've got a lot more I want to do with my life, and this is just the beginning. Here are some of my favorite's from 2011 !

January

I began my last and final semester of college at LSU.

February

Saying I had a good time at Mardi Gras would be an understatement.

March

Nothing too significant here. I was probably too overwhelmed in wedding planning and school work.

April

I had my first bridal shower, and it was absolutely beautiful. My mom, bridesmaids, and family did a wonderful job !

Went on a cruise with all of the LSU Seniors to Cozumel ! Had a great time and snorkeled for the second time in my life.

May

I GRADUATED from College in a cool 4 years !!

We were given a beautiful couple's shower by two wonderful families ! We had so much fun !

June

What girl doesn't dream of her bachelorette party? Let's just say, we had a really really great time !

July

The wedding month !

I became a MRS. on July 16 ! Hard to pick one photo, but this is one of my favorite from our wedding day ! The picture below is so special because we didn't even plan the tunnel, our family and friends just formed it. It was really cool and so touching to feel so much love around us. Photo is of us leaving our reception, headed to the honeymoon! Just following the honeymoon Joel began medical school and we moved to the state of Alabama!

August

After a big move, I heard great news at the end of August that I had gotten a job I had interviewed for! I celebrated a birthday on August 29th ! I also got the best birthday present ever! Our sweet puppy Rayne who we rescued from a high kill shelter. She has brought so much energy and love to our lives! 

September

I began my first job the first week of September and learned so many new things I had never done before. I am still very happy at my job and am enjoying it all ! AND I started this blog! I think it was one of the best choices I have ever made !

October

We had a fun Halloween, yet it only took us 3 hours before the party to figure out what we had finally decided on. We had a great night with friends !

November

Does anyone not remember the 5th of November? Here's a picture in case you forgot !

We all know the outcome !

LSU NO. 1 !!!!

December

Our first Christmas together as a married couple. It was a great one indeed, and we got to spend time with both of our families. All we could have asked for.

2 Brownie Berry Fruit Pizza

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A few weeks back, I had an office party in celebration of the upcoming holidays. At these parties, everyone brings homemade dishes, baked goods, and appetizers. It took me several weeks to come up with my dessert, but I finally decided on the Brownie Berry Fruit Pizza. The recipe photo looked so delicious, I knew it would be a good choice. I work with so many good bakers and cooks, that I was very nervous and intimidated to bring my dessert. These people are Veterans compared to me. They have perfected their dishes to a "T". But, lluckily it was a crowd pleaser and they ate it all. I am really bad about not trying my baked goods before I give them away, so I had no idea what it even tasted like. Good thing there were some leftover pieces on the tray that I was able to scrape up and try, and well my suspicion was right, I did good. If you're looking for a very different dish that is aesthetically pleasing to look at and tastes great, this is certainly the one. I hope you try it & love it !

{Brownie Berry Fruit Pizza }

Ingredients:

1 box Betty Crocker Brownie mix (Butter and eggs called for on brownie mix box)

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups sliced fresh strawberries

1 cup fresh blueberries

1 cup fresh raspberries

1/2 cup apple jelly

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F (or 325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Grease bottom only of 12-inch pizza pan with cooking spray or shortening.
2.  In large bowl, stir brownie mix, butter and eggs until well blended. Spread in pan.
3. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted 2 inches from side of pan comes out clean or almost clean. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
4. In small bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Spread mixture evenly over brownie base. Arrange berries over cream cheese mixture. Stir jelly until smooth; brush over berries. Refrigerate about 1 hour or until chilled. Cut into wedges. Store covered in refrigerator.

{Recipe Source}

Betty Crocker



I made two small pans of Brownies since I didn't have one large round pan, {worked perfect }

 

Rinse All of the Fruit in a Strainer

  

Yummm!

0 New Years Eve Style

Have you "Liked" the facebook fan page yet?

New Years Eve 

{NYE} 

I currently have my eye on many sparkly dresses this year. But really, I have not picked out my outfit yet. Maybe during the day on Saturday I'll venture out to see what I can find. There is a very cool vintage shop here that sells old designer clothes and accessories, so I'll most likely try to go find something unique there. In the meantime, I can't help to have inspiration on what kind of look I'll be going for. 

I've been practicing my Nail Color choices for NYE too. And thanks to my lovely husband, who gave me the Nikki Minaj OPI color, Save Me, for Christmas I should have some of the cutest/stylish nails for NYE  :) . They aren't perfect. But I'm practicing which colors I like best for this weekend. See? 

Sparkle. Dazzle. Glitter. Sequins.  

Whatever I choose it must pass the guidelines above. It must be either sparkly, dazzling, glittery, or have sequins ! Oh yeah, and those cute party crowns with 2012 on it, should definitely get one of those. 

My NYE Style Inspirations

 

From Left to Right

{Dress No. 1} 

{Dress No. 2} 

{Dress No. 3} 

{Dress No. 4}

 

{Pink Flats} 

{Hot Pink Christian Louboutins} 

{Ivory & Glitter Flats} 

{Sparkly Silver Pumps}

& I guess I have to start thinking about my 2012 goals now!

8 Golden Graham S'mores

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I definitely have not recovered yet from Christmas and all of its events. From Friday to Monday we had parties and family gatherings each day. I need a vacation from Christmas. At the party Friday, I got the chance to talk with so many family and friends who said they have been keeping up with blog and that they loved it. I was so touched and thankful when hearing those words. Everyone who reads my blog is my strength and will power to keep up this site. I enjoy writing, photographing, and sharing my stories on here, so it's always so wonderful to hear that my words are being read and seen. I cannot thank y'all enough! 

I am excited to get to share a recipe that I baked for the party on Friday. It was quite a popular dish, and the treats went fast. Anybody looking for something quick, easy, and yummy for their next sweet tooth craving should try these. 

Golden Graham S'mores

Ingredients:

1 10 oz. bag mini marshmallows
1 12 oz. package of chocolate chips
5 tbsp. butter

8 cups Golden Graham cereal (one 12 oz. box)
1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

1. Put chocolate chips in the freezer while preparing saucepan.

2. Put saucepan on medium heat and melt the 5 tbsp of butter

3. When melted, add 8 oz of marshmallows to saucepan. Stir in 1 tsp of vanilla.

4. When marshmallows are melted, slowly add the 8 cups of Golden Graham cereal to the saucepan.

5. Stir in the golden grahams till they are all covered in the marshmallow creme. After golden grahams are covered in creme, add 2 oz of marshmallows to the mixture (do not melt added marshmallows)

6. In a large rectangular dish, spread half of the golden graham mixture onto the surface of the pan.

7. Take chocolate chips out of freezer and drizzle 6 oz of chips over the first layer of golden grahams.

8. Pour the other half of the golden graham mixture into the rectangular pan.

9. Drizzle the other 6 oz of the chocolate chips over the top layer of golden grahams.

10. Cover and place into refrigerator until ready to serve.

* Makes about 30 small squares

Linked up with the sweet lady ! Go check out her adorable blog ! 

0 Feliz Navidad !

Merry Christmas everybody! I hope everyone's day was wonderful and blessed! We are so lucky and thankful that we were able to spend Christmas day with both of our families. When all settles down I will post pictures and updates from our holiday weekend.

Here is a picture of our Christmas card this year !

0 Let's Be Real

Okay, this is going to be one of those posts where I am indecisive and cannot make up my mind as to whether I should share or not. But, let's face it, I know that this has happened to almost everybody, especially newly married couples. And well, I did tell you a few days ago that I was going to be more real with you, so with approval from the hubby here I go.

Remember those stories your parents would tell you, about how they ate on card board boxes until they could afford real furniture? Well this is one of those kinds of story's. Honestly, I didn't feel drawn to share until last night when everything just kind of accumulated. This week was an interesting week to say at the least. Joel and I skipped out on going to the grocery on Sunday to save some money. With the holidays, gifts, and travel we figured we would finally eat all of the food that we had in our fridge/freezer/pantry that has been looked over for the past few weeks/months. We planned out our meals and realized we had enough meat, veggies, and starch, etc to make a nutritious dinner, and make it look like this each night.

WRONG. We had enough for 4 meals, really 3 if you count the mix matched lunches we put together too, but we won't go there. So embarrassed and worried, we made the best of it. Thanks to some stored away Velveeta whole grain pasta and frozen veggies from the farmer's market, we were able to scrape something up. So, last night we basically went Vegan!

By the way, this spontaneous purchase a month or so back came in handy! And it was really good. I promise.

This story really isn't about the idea that we ate broccoli and Velveeta pasta, because it wasn't that bad, it was honestly pretty good. It is about the life lesson we learned from it. The holidays haven't been the easiest this first go round, but it's normal. I think the fact that despite it all, Joel and I sat down at the dinner table and laughed over the dinner situation and the ongoing situation all week, we even cheered to a glass of ice cold water together. We have been strict these last few weeks, and have really realized how important communication is during this time. I think every married couple goes through this. I am just thankful that after it all, we can sit down and laugh about it together. I know this isn't over, and it's bound to happen again, but for me, today it's over. Today is payday, and you have no idea how many cartwheels I did this morning!

Now, you know what else I also want to share? Last night at the dinner table, Joel said, "You know, these times are hard, but it just makes me feel that more willing to be giving during this holiday time. I can't imagine how much harder it is for the people who have to do this 365." And, I couldn't agree more. At that moment, I realized how blessed and fortunate we really are. I feel especially blessed because yesterday at work, a co worker, who is such a giving and caring person, gave Joel and I a gift card to a local restaurant. He didn't even realize how perfect his timing was {so thankful}.

Maybe this situation came right in time for Christmas for a reason. I think this is something to definitely think about when ringing in the New Year.

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas ! Hug your loved ones and be happy for the people you have in your life!

2 Cupcakes

About a month ago, I received our Kitchen Aid stand mixer. And I am already so obsessed. We have a very nautical/sea theme going on in our home, so I figured this aqua blue would be perfect. I love the color, and it definitely adds some character to our kitchen. I have been forgetting to photograph my baked goods, so I made sure that this time I had the camera handy.

This recipe came from this book from Anthropologie. I loved them, and they turned out great. As you can see below. I didn't make my own icing, I'm too much of a stickler for the store bought kind. Plus, I really didn't trust myself and didn't know if I could pull it off. One thing at a time though. Maybe next time I'll make the homemade icing. The icing are purple & gold :) Got to keep up the LSU spirit !

Ingredients:

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons Golden baker's sugar
 2 large eggs

1 cup of self rising flour

3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1/2 cup 2% reduced-fat milk, at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a 12-cup muffin pan or three 12-cup mini muffin pans with cupcake liners.

2) In a large mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar until the mixture is pale and smooth, which should take 3-5 minutes using an electric hand mixer (or stand mixer).  Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing for a few minutes after each addition.

3) Sift the two flours together into a separate bowl.  Mix the milk and vanilla together in another separate bowl.

4) Add one-third of the flours to the creamed mixture and mix well.  Pour in one-third of the milk and beat again. Repeat these steps until all the flour and milk have been added.

5) Gently spoon the mixture into the cups, filling them about two-thirds full. 

6) Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes (regular size) or 15 minutes (mini size).

7) Remove from the oven and leave the cupcakes in the pan for about 10 minutes before carefully placing on a wire rack to cool.  Frost once completely cool!

0 Crock Pot Taco Soup, muy delicioso!

This recipe is from my dear friend Jenna, who I have come to know recently. After she cooked this for me one day, I had to get the recipe and make it myself. I am not gonna lie, I have never made this before nor do I usually order the taco soup in restaurants, but after trying this soup, I began to crave it. It is great for that rainy and cold evening. If you are entertaining a big group of people, this recipe is perfect. It serves 8-12 people (depending on bowl sizes). I made this for my father-in-law and brother-in-law during their visit, and it they really liked it, so I am confident it is a great recipe! Even if your not so much a taco soup fan, I assure you this recipe is sure to sway your vote to liking it. I hope you enjoy it and make it too!

Recipe:

1 1/2 lbs ofLean Ground Beed/Sirloin

2 Cans of Shoe peg Corn (Drained)

1 Can of Black Beans (Undrained)

1 Can of Pinto Beans (Undrained)

1 Can of Kidney Beans (Undrained)

1 Can of Rotel Mild

1 Packet of Taco Seasoning

2 Packets of Ranch-Style Seasing

1 cup of water

Optional Add on Extras:

1 Large Onion

1 Can of Tomatoes (Undrained)

Directions:

1. Cook ground meat, and after cooking and draining fatty juices, add to the crock pot.

2. Add all ingredients in no particular order to the crock pot.

3. If sitting all day, cook on low heat.

4. If you choose stove top, let it sit on stove on medium heat for 45 minutes, then let it simmer for 1-2 hours.

*Just add Fritos, shredded cheese, and sour cream & your set to go!

If you use this recipe, I'd love to know and hear how it came out!

1 Rewind..Revamp..Re-create

Okay... I have had an epiphany this morning. I stumbled across many blogs this AM and my stumbling did me well. There was one blog in particular that helped me realize that I can write what I want and still have a great blog. Her blog was fantastic and it was like a breath of fresh air as I read her posts. Seeing her success from her blog gave me hope. She is just like me in so many ways, but just has been blogging longer. I really am so glad I accidentally found it. It brought me much peace and happiness knowing how much her blog blossomed just from writing about her life.

With this blog, I never really knew what direction I would take it in. There are so many things I like to write about, with all kinds of different topics. I often try to sum it up to people and I can't. Let's face it. This is the story of my life, and since it is my life, then you as my audience will be pulled in many different directions.
Because why you ask?

One, I am indecisive. I can never make up my mind. And when I cannot make up my mind, I get really nervous and change everything...(maybe you've noticed this with how many times I've changed my blog layout?) I need to go with my gut instinct more often and leave the rest up to fate.

Two, I never know if what I am writing is right. Well this morning, I realized that it doesn't matter if I know or not because it is what will make this blog unique. I think I will try to be more real with my writing and just write what I want to talk about without worrying about it.

Three, I shouldn't worry what other people think, this blog makes me happy and I feel free when I express my feelings on here. I think I have held back a lot of words on this blog because I was nervous. Well, I am letting go and will be much more open with the future blog posts.

So... with all of that being said, you should look for some updates from this blog. I am going to re-write my About Me to make it more appropriate for my personality. Next, I am going to incorporate my photography onto this blog. There are more things to my life than being married, our puppy Rayne, crafts, and recipes that I haven't shared yet. Look for them soon.

Hip, Hip, Hooray for Epiphany's!

0 Christmas List

This Christmas, I do not really have much on my list. Until a few days ago I hadn't even thought about what I wanted for Christmas. I am a pretty simple person and don't have big expectations for gifts. I'm just really happy to be going home for the Holidays to spend time with our family. I have had amazing year and really cannot ask for more. I did come up with a few things that I wouldn't mind having, if Santa did decide to bring me a present.

This weekend was one of the best ones yet. Even though I was sick, I stuck it out for a good time. Friday marked the last day of school for my husband. Knowing that he made it through his first semester of medical school was enough to celebrate about. He did so well and I am so proud of him for all of his hard work, because it really paid off. After some celebrating on Friday, Saturday was the perfect evening for the two of us. It was really nice to go on a date with Joel and do something different. We went to the Zoo Light show at the Zoo and walked around with hot chocolate. Some of the animals were out which was really neat. We got to see llamas, goats, sheep, pot belly pigs, and owls. I am a big animal lover in case you didn't know, so this really was the best night for me. Everything was so great, and I am so glad we had our hot chocolate because 44 degrees was way to cold for me. Good thing there were many distractions because I would have never wanted to stay outside that long.

We topped the weekend off with a lazy Sunday with movies, a criminal minds marathon, a Saints game WIN, and cookies and milk.

Here are some Zoo Pictures!

My favorite light displau

The Owl

For my Dad

I hope everyone had a happy weekend as well !

& Who Dat?!

1 Where did A Southern Bee come from?

---UPDATE--- This was written before I changed the name of the blog in January 2012 to The Magnolia Pair. Read about the new name here

As I am writing this, I am realizing how much I regret not sharing this earlier. I never thought to let y'all know why I chose the name, A Southern Bee Diary, for my blog. So let me explain now.

First, I used Southern  because this blog will make many Southern referneces, such as food, drinks, fashion, music, travel, culture, and more. It seemed very fitting for me since I was born and raised in the South, and I hope to live in the Southern states for a long time. There is no place like it, and I will always call it home. 

Next, Bee,  Bee is the nickname that my husband calls me. Since my first name is Brittany, he wanted to call me something other than Britt since that's a pretty typical nickname. I love it. And he is the only one who calls me Bee so it's really special that we have that connection. 

And finally, Diary,  this blog is essentially my diary. I am a lifestyle blogger, so whatever pops into my head, then that is what I am going to write about. Everything from food, fashion, crafts, travel, music, entertaining, and more is what I love to talk about.



Everything I talk about on here is inspired by all the new changes that have occured in my life recently. Graduating from college, getting married, and moving to another state have my head in the clouds, so I feel that blogging is the best way for me to transition through it all. But, my biggest inspiration is my husband and our new marriage. It is what I'm excited and care about most. I hope you enjoy my blog as much as I do, and don't forget to Follow the blog, so you can stay updated with all my posts.

0 Delectable Monograms



{via}

 Thanks to The Wedding Chicks I am able to give my Christmas cards some flare! I found this website while planning my own wedding and didn't take advantage of this site and all of it's perks, but now I am. The site has beautiful FREE printable invitations, monograms, and more. As soon as I get my Christmas cards delivered in the mail I am going to use this mongram as a seal for the back side of the envelope. I am not a fan et all of licking envelopes, gross. I have  phobia of getting a paper cut on my tongue. So this adorable monogram will do just the trick. The site allows you to customize the monogram with different designs, colors, and layouts, so you can customize the labels for every holiday or event. I have put the monogram in Word and printed on clear labels. Easy as 1..2..3..! I hope if it's not too late, it will be helpful to you too!   

0 Oh Christmas Tree..Oh Christmas Tree !

Oops, the Star looks a little crooked. Oh well, it gives it character!

This year is a very special Christmas for Joel and I. As most of you know by reading the blog, this is our first Christmas together as a married couple. We have been together for over 5 years and have spent every Christmas together since we began dating in November of 2006. But this year is very special. It is now our chance to start our own family traditions for Christmas. We plan to make a gingerbread house, make potpourri, and attend a showing of the Nutcracker. But those are just a few things. We also will be making an advent wreath this weekend (we're late, we know) do display on our coffee table. I am trying to come up with something neat to do for the 12 days of Christmas, any ideas?  We have been so busy lately with school and work that it's a wonder we even got the Tree up. Last year during our engagement we had many family and friends give us ornaments for our 1st Tree, and I took some pictures of all of them so I could share their generous gift with you. It really is so neat to have a piece of these people on our tree to remind us of them during this Holiday season. Now, you can successfully put up a Christmas Tree without at least one thing going wrong, can you? As your looking closely to the ornaments, you will see the awkward string lights.

Now, I wouldn't usually admit this, but I can now laugh about our purchase. Last year during the Christmas sale craze, we accidentally bought "bush" lights, that are in the shape of a square. You know, the kind that are used to throw over a bush in the front yard....Yes, we didn't see that on the box when we purchased them. So that explains the funky looking wires THAT we have concealed very nicely into the branches of our tree so that it is not very noticeable. Now, go check out the pictures below to see our Tree and special ornaments.

This ornament is from my mom's dear friend, Celeste. It was the first ornament we put on our tree together. The date shows the day Joel proposed.

This ornament is a holiday favorite, indeed. My parents dear friend was the King of Caeser last year, so this was our gift for attending his ball. Very beautiful handmaid crab ornament to remind us of them and the South.

A sweet little Angel, from my Mama. She gave this to me when I was around 4 0r 5 after I did my first dance recital in the Nutcracker. The year I danced as an Angel, my cousin Jamie was the beautiful Clara. So this ornament is very special to me.

This ornament is another gift from my Mom's friend, Debbie. She gave us a whole box of beautiful hand painted glass ornaments that were wedding themed. They are absolutely stunning and we cherish them so much.

This absolutely beautiful ornament is from my Aunt Kathy and Uncle Larry. This one of a kind Lennox locket is so special to me because it is from my most dear family members. I adore them so much and love having a piece of them on our tree to always remind us of them.

A spontaneous honeymoon gift actually was a great idea. We bought this ornament from St. Lucia on our very memorable honeymoon. It will always be a very special ornament to us, reminding us of a very wonderful time we had together.

The icicle in this photo is also from Uncle Larry and Aunt Kathy. I love the accent is has on our tree. Makes for a beautiful touch to our tree. So glad to have these on our tree to remind us of them.

These red berries and the green ornament are from my crazed after Christmas sale shopping spree. I got this ornament for $4 regular $12. What a steal !

Another Christmas sale piece, the acorns. Just adorable, and make the tree feel like it is from the backyard. Next year I may add some forest animals to go with the acorns.

Another Christmas sale, the beautiful red ornament is just stunning. A traditional red ornament is always beautiful.

Another wedding ornament from the box from my mom's friend Debbie. These ornaments are just so stunning to look at.

As I stated in an earlier blog post, I love natural looking trees. I love having a tree that has a nature feel. These did just the trick to keep that theme going.

These were too pretty not to get. I love sparkly/glittery ornaments that make your tree twinkle.

There are a few more of the wedding ornaments I didn't get to capture, but this one is also another favorite. I just can't get over how intricate these designs are.

And, a night shot with all the lights off. I think we did very good for our first tree. It has lots of traditional ornaments from friends and family.