Can't you just feel the Moonshine....

I am so excited, I am having trouble seeing straight. In a mere 11 hours I will be arriving in one of the greatest cities I've ever been to. (No, my latest trip to Milwaukee - "The Cheese Capital" - didn't quite make the cut...). I will be stepping off an airplane onto good old southern soil (ok... tarmac...) in Charleston, South Carolina. I'm taking my first trip back down to SC since Jack was born and I'm just bubbling over with excitement. Not only will I get to spend the next few days with some of the greatest friends I've ever known - I will finally be reunited with my GAMECOCKS! Nessy (my dear host, and bff) and I are trekking up to Columbia on Saturday to watch the Gamecocks take on the Auburn Tigers (or are they the War Eagles... I still haven't figured that one out...). This is a huge game for us and I can't believe I'm actually going to be back at Williams-Brice with 80,000 of my closest friends cheering on my Gamecocks. I've only been able to make it back for one other game since graduation and it was a for a disappointing loss to Vanderbilt (womp womp) - So needless to say I'm in serious need of a Gamecock victory!

Eat your hear out, ACC. This is what a real stadium looks like.

 

Nessy and I at the Georgia game back in '06. Picture of sobriety.

My Delta Loves.

Besides cheering on some ass-kicking chickens... there are a few other things on my to-do list:

- Find something adorable for Jack. I'm thinking a jersey or a Gamecock Polo.
- Eat at Zaxby's. You ever been to a Zaxby's? If so, you understand. If not, I'm sorry for you.
- Eat somewhere quintessentially Charleston. (Apparently we already have reservations at Husk. Recently awarded America's Best New Restaurant by Bon Appetite). This girl needs some fried green tomatoes in her life, stat.
- Troll King Street. Shopping, dining, people watching. All with a touch of Southern Charm.

Am I going to miss the incredible J's while I'm gone? Absolutely. I'll be a blubbering mess by the time I get my hands on my snotty little bundle of joy, Monday night. Am I going to have the unforgettable trip this Mamma deserves? Without a doubt.

Officially a Grown Up!

I'm not sure why this feels like such a monumental occasion, but for some reason as of today I feel like I have officially crossed over into the realm of responsible adults. Why you ask? No, not because I am a married homeowner with a child and a full-time job. Those things are for amateurs. Then what could it possibly be?? Refinance, baby! After running around like a crazy person for the last few days trying to gather all the proper documentation (yes, I realize as a "responsible adult" I should have my important financial paperwork neatly organized and filed away in a water tight safe somewhere. Get real folks. Baby steps.) I was finally able to seal off the package and drop it in the mail today. We still have to get through the appraisal and termite inspection, but I'm not too worried about either of those. I had no idea that refinancing was basically buying your house all over again! All the same paperwork, all the same legalities. Only you don't have to deal with the stress of "will we get it"??

So, fingers crossed that everything goes well! Pending the approval of our paperwork, we get to close on November 10th, skip two months of mortgage payments, and be $400 a month richer less poor! I'm so excited!

Next up on the "I'm-a-grown-up-now-so-I-have-to-do-this-even-though-I-really-really-REALLY-don't-want-to" list: buy a new car!! Maybe with all our new found cash..... [wheels turning....]....

This is actually confiscated Mexican drug money.... I just liked the look of all that CASH!

Happy Birthday, Dear Debbie

Today would be my mother's 52nd birthday. This is her ninth birthday since she passed away and it never gets easier. What does get easier however, is celebrating the 43 years she spent with us (well, she technically only spent 17 with me, but you know what I mean.) In those 43 years she became a sibling to five brothers (FIVE brothers. The woman deserved the medal of honor...) and one amazing sister. She became a wife to the luckiest man I know (maybe besides my own husband, of course). She became the biological mother to three [wonderful, intelligent, beautiful] children and a surrogate mom to our countless friends who loved and trusted her as we did. She became the best friend anyone could ask for to women who considered her a sister. Even through to the end, she became a positive voice over a devastating disease.

I could go on and on about the wonderful woman she was, but most of you reading this knew her and don't need the reminder. I won't pretend that all the wonderful things make up for the things she's missed - but I am certainly able to be at peace with her death knowing all she accomplished and all the lives she touched. All I can do now is be the best sister, wife, mother, and friend that she was. I love you mamma. Happy birthday to you.

This is my beautiful mother (right) on her wedding day along side her sister and maid of honor.

June 27th, 1981

Alongside my sister and maid of honor on my wedding day. Inside the locket around my neck is the picture above. 

October 16th, 2010

In honor of nine birthday gifts and nine homemade birthday cakes, please consider making a donation to  Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Help a sister, wife, mom, and friend celebrate another birthday.

Fall is Here!!

Well technically speaking, the first day of fall isn't until Friday the 23rd, but this crisp weather has got me ready to celebrate my favorite time of year. Don't get me wrong, I love Summer (and pine for it all winter long) but really nothing is better than those 8 weeks or so of perfect Autumn weather. The bite in the air, warm spiked cider, THANKSGIVING (definitely my favorite holiday.) The list goes on. We have a lot to look forward to this fall - I can't wait for things to get rolling! 

In honor of my favorite holiday I want to share my first fall craft. It was super easy and helps usher in this beautiful season. I was inspired by this picture: 

 Adorable, right? I wish my front door was black. Maybe I'll paint it. Anyways - I love this wreath and knew the second I saw it that I wanted to recreate a fall version. I couldn't get to the craft store fast enough. It was super easy and can be customized to any season or color scheme. It was so hard to make just one! I spent $27 on materials, not bad considering similar ones I found online retailed for over $60. I'm sure I could get the cost down even lower if I shopped around or had a coupon, but I didn't have time for any of that. I needed this wreath on my door asap.

Here is what you'll need: 1 grapevine wreath, bundle of your favorite silk flowers, wood address numbers (I opted for the bigger numbers, three little ones just didn't look right), hot glue gun, paint (to coordinate with flowers), and wire cutters. 

You need to cut the stems down to about three inches - just long enough to thread through the vines. If they are too long they will stick out the other side and the wreath won't lie flat on the door. 

Paint your wood numbers with whatever color you like to coordinate with the flowers you select. The plan was to paint them ivory and "antique" them, but once I got the bronze coat on I really liked it and thought they added a nice fall touch. I used acrylic paint and a sponge brush.

Once the flowers and numbers are prepped, it's time to get gluing! Thread the stems through the vines placing each stem pretty close together - you want them to be full. Fill the wreath about halfway around. Once you are happy with the placement, put a little glob of hot glue on the base of the flower stem to keep them in place. The numbers take a little while longer to get just right. I had to reposition my 6 a few times before it was just right. I use high-heat hot glue because it's much stronger than the regular low-heat kind.... but that means it's much harder to undo anything you don't like so be careful!

Here is my final product! I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out - I might even make another one with cute spring colors. 

Coincidence that my burgundy and gold mums are starting to bloom? I think not. 

Crime Scene at the Hawkins' House

Had you visited our house over the weekend, you would have sworn a vicious attack had taken place. Complete with blood spatter and evidence of a sub-par clean-up effort. Upon further investigation you would have realized it was not blood, but my favorite shade of OPI: Dutch Tulips. My living room and kitchen had been transformed to a dutch wonderland crime scene.

[Let me preface this little story with the fact that Johnny was home alone with Jack. Clearly disasters like this don't occur in the presence of a mother.] 

Over the last few weeks Jack has discovered my vast OPI collection which I kept in the bottom drawer in the bathroom. He loved all the bright colors and would line them up side-by-side on the bathroom floor, push them around like little cars, and shake them like maracas to hear the little bead inside. I didn't mind because he was always under my supervision and it kept him occupied for 15 precious minutes so I could get ready for work in the mornings.

Johnny had the day off on Friday and the boys got to spend some man time together. I'm sure I'll never know the true series of events (in true crime fashion) but it must have involved some level of non-supervision. I received a frantic 10 second phone call that sounded something like this: "OH MY GOD! IT'S EVERYWHERE! EVERYWHERE! CARPET! SINK! JACK NO!" click. You can imagine where my mind wandered. About 20 minutes later I got a somewhat less panicked update. "Somehow" Jack got a hold of two nail polishes, wandered into the living room, and proceeded to beat them together like tambourines. By the time Johnny realized what was going on, there was a steady flow of Dutch Tulips running down Jack's arm. (Keep in mind the blood-like appearance of this color - I can only imagine Johnny's initial panic.)

By the time Johnny got a hold of the cracked bottle the damage was done. The coffee table, sofa, and rug had already received a healthy spattering. I'm not sure exactly which route he took to the kitchen, but I'm pretty sure it involved some type of bizarre chinese fire drill... and maybe a few cartwheels. The hardwood floors, kitchen cabinets, and counter tops all showed evidence of the disaster.

The clean-up was more successful than I thought it would be. In my nail polish remover induced altered state of mind, I forgot to take "before" pictures of the damage, so the few pictures I have certainly don't capture the chaos. Luckily, the nail polish remover cleaned up all the hard surfaces. The rug and sofa didn't fare so well. We flipped the cushions on the sofa as well as the rug. (Thank you Pottery Barn, for your genius braided jute rug and all of its reversible glory). Only small bits of evidence remain:

A nice splatter effect on the chair arm.

Smears and fingerprints all over the couch cushion. Good thing cushions have two sides!

Jack's new kicks now have a nice pink tint to them. He's man enough to wear pink.

 The worst of the damage was to the rug - which I made worse by trying to remove with nail polish remover... which was then made even worse by trying to cut out the stained fibers.... then (impossibly) made worse by trying to Oxyclean it away. I regret not photographing it before flipping the rug.

Needless to say, the surviving members of my OPI collection have been relocated.

Perfecting the Cinnabon

Weekends tend to be pretty awesome around here. Not only do I get 48 uninterrupted hours of quality time with my two favorite men (no, unfortunately I'm not referring to Bradley Cooper and Dennis Miller...) but we have some pretty phenomenal friends that live on our street and as of recently, right down the road (Welcome to the fam, McMelanie). Saturdays usually consist of drinking too much at the Shepherd house, followed by the most gloriously lazy Sundays. This week was no different, with a few outstanding additions:

1- Melanie and Adam have officially joined the P-ville crowd and all of our awesomeness. Melanie is one of my very best friends from high school and is marrying her long-time sweetheart in just a few short weeks. They just bought a beautiful new place exactly .79 miles down the road (NO, I didn't clock it one day in my car...). Adam fits in perfectly with the man-folk and we are all so excited to welcome them to the 'hood. 

My amazing (and stunningly attractive) new "neighbors".

2 - CINNABONS! I've been working on perfecting my recipe to resemble an authentic Cinnabon as closely as possible. I'm just a few batches in but we're getting dangerously close. They were the star of Sunday brunch, which was our turn to host. I've included a mouth watering photo of my latest batch as well as the recipe for those of you looking to pack on a few LBs.

Top with lots of ooey-gooey cream cheese frosting and enjoy :) Don't forget to chew.

3 - Fantasy Football Draft!!! Football season is finally here and we couldn't be more ready! Why must the best sport have the shortest season? Especially after having to suffer through NINE MONTHS of basketball - extending the season is the very least the football gods could do. We're in a league this year with the other P-ville couples (and one particularly cool couple from Ashburn) and Johnny and I are prepared to dominate. I got the second overall pick and chose.... (drum-roll please).... Michael Vick! I completely disagree with everything he stands for as a human being, but damn if he can't throw a football. Go Team Rudy!

Wipe that smug look off your face and earn me some fantasy points!

4 - Gamecock domination! My Alma Mater, the South Carolina Gamecocks, dominated over ECU on Saturday evening. The first quarter started out a little rocky, but we came back to clutch the win 56-37. After week 1 we're ranked at #12 - third highest in the SEC... Which says a lot amongst other greats such as Florida, Georgia, LSU and Alabama. This week we'll take on the Georgia Bulldogs in Athens - GO GAMECOCKS!! 

C-A-R-O-L-I-N-A! Goooo COCKS!

So for all you bakers out there (or anyone who just really likes awesome food) here is the recipe for my Close-to-Perfect Cinnabons. You don't have to have a bread machine, but it will make it a hell-of-a-lot easier if you do. 

Cinnabons

Dough:

1 c. milk

2 eggs

3/4 c. melted butter

4 1/2 c. bread flower

1/2 c. sugar

1 tsp. salt

2 1/2 tsp bread machine yeast

Filling:

1 c. packed brown sugar

2 tsp. cinnamon

3/4 softened butter

Icing:

6 tbs softened cream cheese

1 stick (1/2 c.) softened butter

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp salt

3 c. powdered sugar

Add dough ingredients to bread machine in the order listed and start on the dough cycle. If you aren't using a bread machine, you will need to google the best order to add ingredients to the flour. 

When the dough is complete, remove from the machine and allow to rise on the counter (covered) for another 10 minutes. In the meantime, prepare the filling. Mix butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Also, preheat the oven to 400. 

When dough is done rising, roll it out on a clean surface (really? who wants dirty counter dough?). It should be about 16x20. Try to keep the thickness even across the whole surface. Using the back of a spoon, spread the mixture evenly on top of the dough. 

Roll tightly into a log. Score dough with a knife to measure out 12 rolls (about 1 1/2 inches each). Slice dough rolls and place them into a lightly greased glass dish. I think mine is 9x13. Cover and allow rolls to rise for another 10 minutes or so. Bake for about 15 minutes or until barely golden. 

While buns are in the oven, whip the frosting ingredients together in a medium bowl. Top with frosting while warm and ENJOY!

Notice Anything?

So I've made some changes here at Perfectly Imperfect. Nothing major, moved some things around, made a few additions. The first is a mere follow-through on an old promise - I've finally created a new page to house my Website of the Month selections. Perhaps this will encourage me to actually select a new site each month? We'll see.

I'm actually pretty excited about the second update - "Currently Coveting" is my new place to catalog all the things I'm desperate to have. Some reasonable, some outrageous, all fabulous. Fashion, house wares, baby must-haves - if it's amazing (and not in my possession) you can find it here.

I've been feeling motivated recently to make more regular submissions to the blog, so let's see how long I can keep this up!

Mmmm... Goat Cheese...

I have two M.O.'s in the kitchen - the first is baking, the other is comfort food. Baking is easy because as long as you follow the recipe it's pretty hard to screw up. It's basic chemistry (odd, considering I enjoyed chemistry just about as much as I enjoyed 36 hours of unmedicated labor...) As far as comfort food goes, I grew up in a comfort food kinda house so those recipes are all very familiar to me - think meatloaf, casseroles, anything fried...

I always clip these fancy recipes out of Southern Living and Martha Stewart but when it comes down to it - my nerves get the best of me and I chicken out. Is the meat cooked well enough? How much exactly is a pinch? What in the hell is a reduction? There always seem to be too many uncertains. So I pull out my mixing bowls, whip up some brownies, and all is right with the world.

THREE YEARS ago I clipped this recipe from Southern Living, wiped the drool from my chin, and swore I was going to make it. Last week as I was rummaging through some cookbooks I saw this clip-out stuck between pages and decided now was the time.  I picked up some fresh spring onions from the local farmer's market and sent Johnny along to the store for everything else. I had just enough time alone at the house to really start to second guess my culinary aptitude. I considered backing out at the last minute. I could always make tacos.... tacos are always good. But no, I stuck to my guns, whipped up this fabulous recipe, and enjoyed every.last.bite. Seriously one of the most delicious things I have ever made. And the best part - it was actually EASY. I wouldn't lead you astray. Give it a whirl.

Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Goat Cheese, Caramelized Spring Onion, and Thyme
w/ a white wine reduction

• 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 1/3 cups thinly sliced spring onions (about 1 pound)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon fat-free milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup chicken broth

• 1. Caramelize onions in skillet with 1/4 tsp salt and pepper - this will take appx 15 minutes. 
• 2. Combine cooked onions with another 1/4 tsp salt, cheese, parsley, milk and thyme.
• 3. Cut a horizontal slit through thickest portion of each chicken breast half to form a pocket; stuff 1 1/2 tablespoons cheese mixture into each pocket. Sprinkle chicken evenly with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt.
• 4. Return pan to medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan; sauté 5 minutes; turn chicken over. Cover, reduce heat, and cook 10 minutes or until chicken is done.
• 5. Remove chicken from pan. Add wine to pan; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook until reduced by half (about 2 minutes). Add broth, and cook until reduced to 1/4 cup (about 9 minutes). Serve with chicken.

I never claimed to be a culinary photographer...

I served these beauties with sauteed whole artichokes and rice pilaf. Yes, I know brown rice would have been a more health conscious choice, but we're a white rice/bread/flour kind of family.

I can't wait to make this again as soon as possible, and neither can Johnny.