Mmm..bacon. And tomato. and other good stuff.

Momma G called these "mini open-faced sandwiches". I thought that was kind of cute, because she was basically right.

JEGs and I made these appetizers for a party we went to, and within the hour they were g.o.n.e. They are super easy, and you can stuff anything inside these pastries- the possibilities are endless!

Food not actually blurry.

Unless you've been drinking. In which case, you probably shouldn't be baking. Leave that to the sober folks.

Tomato Bacon Cups (yields 2 1/2 dozen)

1 small tomato, finely chopped

1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup bacon bits
1/2 cup shredded Swiss Cheese
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 teaspon dried basil

1 tube (12 ounces) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits, separated into 10 biscuits.

In a small bowl, combine the tomato, mayo, bacon, cheese, onion and basil. Set aside.

Split each biscuit into three layers; press each layer into an ungreased miniature muffin cup.

Spoon tomato mixture into cups.

Bake at 450 for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Always & Forever,

ME

Initial Desire

Now that I have this brand new last name, I've been hankering to show it off.

Way back in January when we registered, I added these Monogram Coasters from Bed, Bath & Beyond to our list. At $19.99 for a set of four, I wasn't surprised when we didn't receive them. I tried, right?

When we went to Justin and Shannon's Wedding, they gave these sweet little coasters as favors


Birds and flowers? Love them.

They had a cut out for pictures in the middle, but I decided to go a different route. I quickly printed out some uppercase G's in a vintage font and cut them into squares

..slipped them into the back

...and voila! Personalized coasters that didn't cost me a cent!

Now-- who wants a drink?

Always & Forever,

ME

Resolutions: September Update

Well, it's September 1st, and that means it is time to update everyone on my resolutions. In March I gave myself a C+, and in June I upgraded to a solid B.

1. Get Married- done and done.

2. Be on time- I was going realllly well with this. I started to slide a little with getting to work on time, but I think the fact that my ceremony and reception started on time, I should get extra credit points. Don't you?

3. 86 Chunkasaurus- eh. I did really awesome around the wedding. I was down to 116 (in fact my wedding gown was too big on me!) but then then we returned from vaca, I was back up to 123. No bueno. At all. I had to remind myself that just because it doesn't bite me first, I do not need to eat it. I'm back to eating better, and NOTHING after 9:00 pm.

4. Cha- ching!- I am so proud of this, but JEGs and I are slowly but surely putting a little chunk of money away. Along with the very generous gifts from our friends and family, we have are about 7% away from our goal! We are going to meet with our bank's financial advisor soon to learn how to divide our money between savings, vacation fund, emergency and other things.

5. Good stuff- now that the wedding is over, I feel like I have more time to focus on me. As much as I love my job right now, it's not something I can see myself in for more then three more years. I want to start working on my next career move. I'll keep you updated.

All in all, I feel pretty good. I think I am holding pretty steady at a B... maybe a B+. But I'm not trying to get too cocky.

How about you friends? Are you holding up your resolutions? I love hearing your stories as well!

Always & Forever,

Meeeeeeeee.