Lazy Sunday with The Tudors

I hope everyone had a good weekend!

My weekend started off good, because on Friday I found out that I won't need surgery! I got my MRI results back and rather than a torn meniscus, I have chondromalacia patella. For those of us that aren't doctors, that means that my knee cap has shifted to the outside of my knee and is no longer in line with the rest of my leg. This is causing my knee cap to grind on and wear down the cartilage on the backside of my knee. Even though that means I'll need several months of physical therapy, I'll take that over surgery.

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Market Jam was this weekend! My doctor told me to start gradually putting weight on my right knee so I figured Market Jam would be a good time to give it a go. After all, navigating that crowd on crutches would have been terrible! It hurt a bit, but it didn't stop me from having a good time with friends.

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Random side note: does anyone else fine themselves binge-watching Netflix?

I've had a lot of free time thanks to my knee and I am currently obsessed with The Tudors. Have you watched it? Wow. Just wow. Anyways, I just started another season of it so this post is going to end in about 5..4..3..2..1

Adventures in MRI Land

I've been a terrible blogger.

I would like to tell you that I have been super busy or on some awesome vacation, but the truth is...

I've just been lazy.

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Let's play catch-up

Last weekend was wonderful though because Kindal, one of my old college roomies, came to town! We spent the weekend eating delicious food and drinking lots of wine.

Saturday night we ate at Persimmon's in New Bern - if you haven't been there, I highly recommend it. After crab dip, calamari, blackened chicken pasta and an amazing champagne/pineapple juice cocktail I was STUFFED. So what did we do after that? Buy a whole chocolate cake, a tub of ice cream and stuff our faces more while watching movies in our pajamas. Perfection. We only get to see Kindal a couple times a year, so the weekends are always way too short, but so much fun!

Roomie Reunion!

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So you might have looked at the title of this post and been slightly confused. If you don't already know, I injured my knee a little over a month ago. I had my first appointment with an orthopedic surgeon on the 10th of this month and after a physical examination he said that he was pretty sure I had torn my meniscus, but that he needed to see an MRI to be sure. It took a little while for them to call me back about when I would be going, but I ended up going to get an MRI scan done this past Tuesday. What is an MRI like, you ask?

LOUD.

I had one previously, but it had been years ago so I really had no idea what to expect other than going in a big magnetic tube. After filling out the paperwork, freaking out/hoping I didn't have any random metal in my body that would get sucked out and waiting for a bit, I was called back for my scan. I got a lovely pair of men's XL scrubs to put on (they really complimented my figure - I should have taken a picture!) and I hobbled towards the room where the machine was.

The MRI techs helped me lie down, strapped my knee in place, gave me some headphones to listen to music and told me it would take about 25 minutes. I had only one rule:

No moving.

Really? Do you know me? Not a problem. I've been lying still for the past month - I'm kind of a pro at it.

What I didn't think about is my body's natural urge to do the exact opposite of what it's told to do.

"Oh? You want to go outside and have fun? Nope. I'm tired and hurt - lets stay in bed all day and not move. What's that now? You want me to be perfectly still? Nah uh. Not gonna happen."

So as soon as the machine turned on and started sucking me in to the tube (which is tiny and now it makes sense why they ask if you are claustrophobic) this is what was racing through my mind.

For the entire 25 minutes.

#1: Why did I pick this position? It might be the most uncomfortable position I have ever been in.

#2 My left foot itches SO BAD.

#3 Please don't suck me all the way in this tiny tube. (thankfully, I only went boob deep)

#4 My feet are very cold, socks would be great right about now.

#5 I really hope I don't have any random metal that is going to rip out of my body.

#6 LOUD NOISES.

#7 Is is supposed to sound like this or is it breaking?

So after 25 minutes of resisting the urge to move around, scratch my cold feet or wiggle out of the incredibly loud death tube - I was done.

Pshhhh, that wasn't bad at all. I wasn't nervous... Nope.

I hobbled back out, got compliments on my super awesome crutch cup holder (thanks Dad!) and was on my way! Now I go back to the orthopedic surgeon tomorrow afternoon to discuss the result of my MRI and decided where to go from there. Preparing for the worst, but hoping for the best!

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xoxo

- Jenny

If too much chevron is wrong, I don't wanna be right

Hi. My name is Jenny and I have an addiction

...to chevron.

I'm a little late admitting this, but I know I'm not alone. If you haven't fallen prey to this awesome pattern at one point or another, I think you might be the one that needs the help. It has been popping up everywhere: clothes, home decor, blog backgrounds, furniture, weddings... I could go on forever.

I already took the first step and admitted I have a problem, so I'll go a little deeper and share some of my favorite chevrony (is that even a word?) things that I have found and done myself!

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I will have an accent wall like this in my house one day

Pinned here

Cutest nursey ever? I think yes.

(Photo courtesy of Papery and Cakery)

Chevron AND stripes?! I'm in heaven..

Photo courtesy of Simple Dwellings

I love this dress

Justin was super happy about our humidity hair. Buy the dress here!

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Even though I rent and sometimes have a hard time making it really feel like it's my place, I've found some easy ways to incorporate this fun pattern and liven things up a bit!

My coffee table (ignore my gross brown carpet!)

A fun corkboard for my kitchen

which is now covered with random junk

Plus a little something I made for my niece's nursery

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Are you obsessed with chevron too or has another pattern taken over your life? Let me know in the comments section and/or link some of your favorite ways to incorporate patterns!

xoxo

Jenny

The greatest cheeseball in the history of cheeseballs

I'm about to show you how to make the greatest cheese ball in the history of cheese balls.

True story.

I got this cheese ball recipe from my grandparents a few years ago and it has become one of the front runners in my appetizer arsenal. If you are like me and love cheese, things that aren't even remotely healthy and dipping - this is for you. It my not be the prettiest thing and the ingredients make it sound a little weird, but you gotta trust me on this. It is amazing. Don't make it unless you are prepared to have everyone in your house standing around it in a circle shoveling it in.

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What you will need:

2 blocks of cream cheese (8oz)

2 packets of Buddig beef

1 bushel of green onion

Worcestershire sauce

Cutting board

Large mixing bowl

A big spoon

Plastic wrap

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Got it all that? Good. Let's do this.

Wash your green onions and give them  course chop.

In to the bowl they go!

Do the same with one packet of the Buddig beef and throw it in the bowl with the green onion.

Put in your two packages of softened cream cheese.

Unless your arms are jacked like Arnold Schwarzenegger, you are going to need to let your cream cheese sit out for a while to get nice and soft.

Give that bottle of worcestershire a couple of good shakes and you are ready to mix!

Once your mixture looks like this ^ it's time to lay out a sheet on plastic wrap on your counter.

Spoon your cream cheese mixture on the plastic wrap, then take another sheet of wrap and cover it. Roll it up and form a ball or log - whatever you want. Let it sit in the fridge until cold and relatively firm to the touch (usually about 4 hours or so). When you are ready to serve, chop up the other packet of Buddig beef and press it on the outside of the cheese ball. Serve cold with Wheat Thins and enjoy!

Kitchen gnome approves

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xoxo

-Jenny

End of the week recap!

I hope everyone had an amazing 4th of July!

My sister and brother-in-law just moved into a new house so they threw a huge cookout and invited the whole fam and some friends over. I spent the day hanging out with my sweet niece so my sister could prep everything and clean up.

Can I just take a minute and talk about all the food we had?

 There. Was. So. Much. Food.

Tim made homemade pulled pork (I'll have the get the recipe from him and post it!) and chicken wings that were incredible. There were dips, pinwheels, veggies, the greatest cheese ball in the history of cheese balls, chocolate covered strawberries and soooooo much more. It was all delicious, but I didn't get to take any pictures because as soon as it was put out, we were all over it! I feel like 90% of my family's time together revolves around food in some way... it's a wonder we aren't all 700 pounds. I did manage to get one picture of Justin and I before we left.

My knee brace really adds a special touch to my outfit

How did you celebrate the 4th?

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Last night the festivities continued and we went to a BBQ at my old college roomie, Anella's house. After shoving more food in my face (surprise, surprise!) we hung out and played some corn hole and beer pong. My depth perception and aim have greatly improved since college which was a nice little surprise. After awhile everyone else left and it ended up being just Anella, her fiance Raymond, Justin and I hanging out. It was a relaxing and fun night!

Upset about about our humidity hair?

I don't even know

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xoxo

- Jenny

Patriotic Roundup

Hello hello!

It's been a busy first part of the week for me! I coach a swim team at the YMCA and we had a duel meet last night. It was the first one we have been able to host without it getting rained out! (sidenote: has any else in eastern NC noticed what a rainy summer this has been??) It was hot and crazy, but the kids swam great and they all seemed to have a good time so it was definitely worth hobbling around on my crutches!

A little update on my knee - I was able to see my regular doctor yesterday and turns out I tore cartilage - not a ligament. The bad part is that a tear in the cartilage isn't something that can be fixed with rest and physical therapy, so I'll most likely end up having surgery here pretty soon. The good news is that it will be more of a "cleaning house" kind of surgery instead of reconstructive - so they will go in through a few small incisions and clean the bad stuff out/rearrange some of it. It was a best bad news I could of gotten, so I'll take it.

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Can anyone else believe that it is already July?!? I'm hoping this month will go a LOT little slower! With tomorrow being the 4th, I figured I would put together a little roundup of some easy (and super cute!) DIY projects and recipes.

Obsessed with this flag made out of sticks!

Pinned here

Still trying to figure out what to wear tomorrow? Grab some old jeans, scissors and paint! Pair with a white t-shirt or tank and you're ready to go!

Pinned here

Tutorial from It All Started With Paint

Pinned here

Easy and adorable strawberries!

From The Sisters Cafe

I love the yarn wreaths that keep popping up on Pinterest! I need to set aside some time and make one..

From Naptime Crafts

Another fun way to decorate utensil holders

Pinned here

Use a cookie cutter to make star shaped pound cake pieces - simple but festive!

From Fancy Frugal Life

Planning on making cupcakes or cookies? How about some firecracker sprinkles to go on top?

Cute idea from Lizard & Ladybug

For the adults at the party... 4th of July jello shots! : )

Pinned here 

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Now it's time to break out your favorite pair of jorts and start getting ready for the 4th!

xoxo

- Jenny 

3/30 - Describe your relationship with your parents

I have the best parents in the world.

You're probably thinking to yourself, Jenny might be over-exaggerating a bit on this one...

Nope.

I literally have the world's greatest parents. I've met some other Moms and Dads that are pretty cool, but let's be honest... nobody comes close to Marc and Mel.

It's blurry, but I love this picture

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I'm not going to lie and say that I've always thought my parents were the coolest people in the world or that we have always gotten along. I haven't and we haven't - that's life. But my parents have loved me unconditionally my entire life and the older I get, the more I realize that they are saints for that.

My childhood was awesome. Mom insists that we are looking through rose-colored lenses, but my sister and I regularly bring up how lucky we were growing up. We lived in a little town in a house that looked like a log cabin. Mom and Dad built it and it was surrounded by woods and only a few fields away from our Grandparents house. We ran around in our yard and explored the those woods constantly. The best part is that Mom and Dad ran around and explored with us too - and they enjoyed it. Mom stayed home with us when we were little and we spent our days reading, making crafts, building blanket forts and just being awesome. Dad would come home from work and find the house transformed into a giant obstacle course made of string and instead of getting upset, he would dive right in and play with us.

Marc rocking the flannel and beard better than any hipster

The three of us went through a rough patch for a couple years, like all kids and parents do, but even then they always had my back. I can't count how many times they have dragged me up from rock bottom, wiped away my tears and helped me get back on my feet. If it weren't for them, who knows if I would be here today or what kind of person I would be. The older I've gotten, the more I realize that my parents are pretty darn cool and that I'm lucky to have them. I don't have to censor myself around them because I know that while they may not agree with everything I say, they support the fact that I form my own opinions about things. Looking back, they've always had this way of gently guiding me through life lessons, letting me figure out things on my own while they stood close by, ready to jump in and help. Now that I am pretending to be an adult, the parent/child relationship formalities have started to fade into more of friendship. I can talk to them about anything and often find myself seeking out their advice instead of avoiding it.

My parents have taught me countless things, but the thing that has stuck out the most was just how to be a good person. I have always known them to be forgiving, easy-going, accepting and loving people. They also have taught me what love is. Not just from loving me, but from loving each other. I always used to grumble that they set the bar so high and I would never find a love like theirs, but that taught me what relationships are supposed to be like. You are supposed to still be head over heels in love with each other after 34 years together! All in all, my parents are amazing. They are crazy, funny, perfect messes just like me...

Mel looking like a fox and me looking all kinds of adorable.

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and I love 'em for it.

xoxo

- Jenny