Baby, I love your way

Today TJ and I were driving around town doing errands.  Being me, I asked TJ what he liked best about me.  He turned to look at me and said "I love your ways".  Thinking how sweet that was I then asked him what about my ways he liked.  He said "I just really love your ways".  We then kept talking for the next 45 seconds or so.  While I was sitting there, thinking about whatever random subject we were talking about, I started paying attention to the radio. The song clearly got my attention when I heard Peter Frampton's voice singing the lyrics "Oh baby I love your ways".  My head turned to TJ so fast with a look of question and he immediately started cracking up SOOOO hard.  I then started cracking up too after I realized what he had done. The song must have only been on seconds when i asked him the question.  Being his quick witted self, he was able to play out the joke so smoothly in hopes that I would catch on; I did. haha. The timing of it all was so great.  It played out like a tv sitcom.  After I laughed, I then told him that he owed me big time for doing that. Ha!

TJ always knows how to make me laugh and I love that so much about him.

Here is the song that had me going this afternoon. LoL

We have a winner!!

This evening I had the pleasure of randomly choosing a winner for the vintage mugs!  I used an online number generator to get the winner.

Drumroll please..............

Elicia St.Pierre!!  You are the winner of the beautiful vintage mugs.  Congratulations!  I know you will love them.  Elicia, please send me a message and we can arrange getting them to you. :-)

Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway.  Please continue to follow The Yellow Pepper as I will have more giveaways in the near future.

Sew Chic Designs

There is not much that I need to say about the following photos, other than you MUST check out the amazingly adorable items that my cousin Lindsay from Sew Chic Designs has going on!  These are just a few of the great things she makes.  Please check out her blog and the Sew Chic Facebook fan page for more of Lindsay's creations!

Floral Bubble Skirt

Sock Leg Warmers 

Baby Onsies

Applique Embroidered

3 weddings in 10 months

Did you know that both my brothers and I all got married within less than a year?  2008 & 2009 were definitely whirlwind years with wedding planning.  I love that we all were experiencing the joys of dating, engagement, and marriage within similar time frames.  I also love that my brothers married 2 of my best friends.

Jacob & Alisha started dating at in December of 2005, engaged in May of 2008, and got married in September of 2008.

TJ and I started dating in July of 2006, engaged in October of 2008, and got married in March of 2009

Jamison and Mallory started dating in August of 2006, engaged in June of 2008, and got married in July of 2009.

This photo was actually taken a month before Jacob and Alisha got married.  TJ and I were still 2 months away from getting engaged.  Crazy how fast time is flying now.  

Here is last years Christmas photo with all the married couples. :-)

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Be sure to check out the November Giveaway.

Zoe

I wish I had something creative to post, photos of my recent Antique shopping day, or a new recipe.  It was  just not one of those days.  So, I figured I would at least show you what takes up most of my phones photo album.

Meet Zoe!

Her Halloween costume. LoL! A Mail Lady.

LoL!  I am weird, I like to put things on Zoe, and she lets me. 

She has many different colored bandanas!

I love this! 

Let's just say I am going to be terrible when I have kids.  LoL.

Monday, you were a lovely one

Today was a terrific Monday!

Over the weekend, my mom, sister in-law, and I planned to have a girls Monday.  So, we met up today, grabbed lunch at Qdoba, and headed off to the best Antique mall in the area.  It is called The Depot at Gibson Mill and is 85,000 square feet of fun in Concord, NC.  It has about 4 HUGE warehouse size rooms full of booths.  I first found out about it because I was sent there to do a photo shoot earlier this year when they were barely even open (I think there were only one and a half rooms full).  Since then I had been there one other time and purchased some great finds.  Today I was super excited to find exactly what I have been looking for, which was whatever popped out to me and said "this will look amazing in your home". ha!  (That's really how I do majority of my decorating.  I mean I have an general idea of the feel I want, but I don't even fully know what I want until I see it.)  All three of us walked out of The Depot with some great finds.  Tomorrow I will photograph everything and show you.  I think what I am most excited about are some brass candlesticks that I am going to spray paint.  These are the first set of candlesticks that I have owned and I am super excited to have them grace my dining table when I am finished with them. :-)

I am a Photographer

Contrary to what you may think, The Yellow Pepper is not a full time job for me. ha!  My full time job is a photography business that my husband and I own, Charlotte Photography.  I thought you may like to check out what we do during the morning, afternoon, and evening (literally with shooting and editing).  I am actually playing catch up on lots of photo blog posts as October was an incredibly busy month, PTL!  Below are links to our website & blog.  I'd love to hear what you guys think. :-)

Charlotte Photography


Charlotte Photography Blog

Something Blue Jewelry: Giveaway

Through the blog, She Breathes Deeply, I stumbled upon a lovely blog by Annie Kennedy.  She has a giveaway right now for some beautiful necklaces that she has made.  She is also selling them and all the money raised will go towards sending Christmas packages to the She Dances house in Honduras.  (This organization is for bringing hope and healing to girls who are victims of human trafficking) 

Please go view Annie's blog and giveaway here.

Favorites in my Kitchen

Having your own kitchen can be such an exciting thing.  We grow up in our parents kitchen and definitely feel at home, use it as we please, and know where everything is, but there is still something so special about a kitchen being your own.  For some reason though, it was so overwhelming to try and register for items for my kitchen.  There are a crazy amount of gizmos and gadgets out there that will do this and that, slice and dice, divide and separate, etc.  What do I get, what do I not get?  I ended up registering at a couple different department stores & Pampered Chef. **Side note: 2 years ago, when I was registering for my wedding, there were not too many of my friends who had gotten married.  So, I really didn't have a clue as to where to register, what to get, etc. What I guess I am trying to say is that I WISH I had actually had a Pampered Chef Bridal Shower.  I did register for PC items, but the shower is so much more fun.  I ended up returning some stuff from other stores because the quality was just not there like with PC**   I got so many amazing gifts that I use all the time.  Last week I was thinking of my favorite items to use in the kitchen, and realized that they were all Pampered Chef.  So, I decided I would show you what I use daily and why I love them so much.

**Before I begin this post, I want to let you know that I am not a Pampered Chef consultant.**

This is a "Color Coated Tomato Knife"
Out of all the knives I have, this is by far the one that is used the most.  Even though it is called a tomato knife, I definitely use it to cut way more than tomato's.   

"Quikut Pairing Knives"
Talk about your hand dandy little companions.  These are great for slicing apples,  cutting butter measurements when baking,  slicing small foods, etc.

"Deep Covered Baker"
This is probably, by far, one of the coolest things in my kitchen. (aside from my magnificent Kitchen Aid mixer, ha)
This stone baker can be used in the microwave for cooking casseroles and whole chickens in minutes!  If you are not a fan of cooking in the microwave, no problem.  It's definitely an oven item.  It cooks anything so evenly and you really can cook anything in there.  Not only is it the best for cooking, but it also looks great in the kitchen. 

"Round Stone w/ Handles"
Again, here is another piece of stone cookware.  This stone is so great because it can be used for  anything from pizza , biscuits, to cookies.  Stones really do the best job at making sure the heat is evenly distributed through whatever you are cooking/baking.  

"Bar Pan: Stoneware"
I am sure you are noticing a pattern in what I like to cook/bake with.  Like the round stone, this too can be used for deep crust pizza, and cookies.  But, this is probably a bit more versatile in the fact that you can cook anything without any sort of spill off messing up your oven.  I have made bars,  vegetables,  and even granola with this pan.  My recent use was with the Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls I made. 

"Mix N Scraper"
This is the best spatula I have ever used. How many of us have used countless amounts of spatulas where the handle and the spatula head pull apart after a few uses?  Yeah, very annoying!  This spatula will not separate like that.  It is heat resistant and dishwasher safe.  I use it all the time and will probably have it for years and years.

"Small Bamboo Spoons"
I actually received about 3 sets of these when I got married.  Let me tell you, I use these all the time, for EVERYTHING.  They are perfect for serving salsa, guacamole, stirring, etc.  I have even used them for my coffee and eating cereal.  When eating with them, it actually makes me feel like I am bak in time, it's great. haha.  I just saw that they also have mini versions of these spoons; I may have to check them out. :-)

"Large Bamboo Square Bowl"
This bowl is perfect for serving snacks at a party.  It is also great for using as a center piece with decorations or using it as a fruit bowl.  I love items that are multi purpose.

"Food Chopper"
If any of you have never used a food chopper, you are missing out.  It is definitely a must have item in my kitchen.  Onions, garlic, peppers, nuts, (ANYTHING), can be quickly chopped in this food chopper.  I use this a lot for making salsa.  It's also super easy to assemble and dishwasher safe.  

 Again, these are items that I use all the time.  Everybody has their favorites in the kitchen, these are just a few of mine.  What are some of your most used kitchen items?  I'd love to hear from you!

If anyone is interested in any of these items, I know a great Pampered Chef consultant.  (Lisa actually had no idea I was going to do this)  You may contact Lisa Grant and view more Pampered Chef items at http://www.pamperedchef.biz/lisagrant

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Be sure to check out the November Giveaway.

Papernstich

A blog that i love to look at and get new ideas from is , papernstitch.  They have a great giveaway going on right now that everyone should check out.

http://papernstitchblog.com/2010/11/02/leaping-gazelle-winners-choice-giveaway/

Our Dating Story

I really love when people ask me how I met my husband. As I begin to reflect on our first days together, I always get all mushy inside. :-)

4 years ago, this past June, TJ and I had a blind meetup at Pops in the Park. A mutual friend, Samantha, had spoken to each one of us about each other and just KNEW we needed to meet. It was a bit awkward knowing that we were meeting for the first time with all my family around and also knowing that we were meeting because a friend thought we should date. LoL. Yes, I did say that my whole family and even some close friends were there. TJ got a huge introduction that day. ha! I definitely thought he was nice looking, but I didn't know him at all, so my feelings were very mixed. After the concert, a bunch of us went to Cheesecake Factory. Conversations became very sarcastic and therefore I became very sarcastic, I know this made TJ think I was a jerk. haha. I'm sure he was wondering if he should even call me later in the week for a date. After that night I really did not know how I felt about him and I figured I would just wait for a call. Well, he did call and we had our first date at The Beantown Tavern in Matthews. **Sidenote: When TJ came to pick me up, he was introduced to my Grandma. (We had JUST found out that she was diagnosed with Cancer) She looked at him, smiled, and started to cry. I know it must have seemed weird to TJ at the time, but I really think she knew that TJ was going to someday be my husband. She passed away 5 months later and to this day I am so thankful that she met the man I would marry. She really loved him and even told him so.** I clearly remember being seated at our table and sitting across from him rather than next to him as I wanted to get a better look at him and see what he was like. LoL! After that night we had quite a few more "hang out" times with friends before he went on vacation to FL to visit his family. During that time I, too, was also going on vacation with family to Maggie Valley. TJ ended up cutting his FL vacation short by a couple days so that he and Samantha (the girl who introduced us) could come stay a night in the mountains with all my family. I remember being so nervous and excited that he was coming. There were like 12 extra family members he was going to meet (aunt, uncle, and cousins). That night that he came, we took a walk and he asked me if I wanted to be his girlfriend. It was such a sweet moment. The very next morning he talked to my dad about us dating; I really respected TJ for doing that.

So that, my friends, is how our dating relationship started. He became my best friend over the next 2 years before we got engaged. I will definitely post our engagement story soon. It was a good one. :-)

Be sure to check out the November Giveaway.

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I love yarn

This week I have been majorly inspired to finally get my crochet hooks and yarn down from the attic. I always put them up in the attic once it starts getting warm. For some reason I lose all inspiration to crochet when it gets hot. Well, it has definitely turned chilly and I feel like making things. One of my favorites from last year were a pair of handwarmers that I made. They did not take too long to make and they sure kept my hands warm. I made them in a rust color, but now I think I want them in many more colors. I started looking on Etsy for ideas and found the CUTEST items for babies. I am not a mom yet, but when I do become a mom I will definitely be rocking these items on my baby.

I absolutely LOVE these baby hand warmers.

All these crocheted items are available on Etsy through Sylver Designs

Alright, I'm heading up into the attic right now. Stay tuned for some of my own projects. :-)

Be sure to check out the November Giveaway.

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Giveaway Details

Hey Guys,

I just wanted to clarify on how to enter the "November Giveaway" that I posted yesterday. I have seen some numbers going up on my blog followers and my facebook fan page, but no comments on the blog. You must become a follower of The Yellow Pepper blog AND post a comment on the giveaway post so that you can be entered into the drawing next Friday. Originally I had also said you must "Like" our facebook page too, but I think that may have thrown in some confusion, so I took that out. These mugs are so beautiful and are sitting on my counter waiting for a new home. I would love to send them to one of my readers. Let the following and commenting begin! :-)

A day with my husband...

Today was one of those days where we left in the morning and took everything we would need for the rest of the day because we would not get home until dinner time. It's so funny how much those days wear me out.

We started out the morning by taking 20 min. and talking to the CSCL Senior Class about fundraisers for Ireland. Beginning this weekend we are going to be taking Christmas Tree orders. These trees will be Fraser Fir's from the Blue Ridge Mountains and cut 3 days before they are delivered. This could be a GREAT money maker if we get a good amount of orders. There will be trees from 6-9 feet available. If you are local to the Charlotte, NC area and are interested in purchasing a Christmas Tree, please email me. :-)

Also discussed was information about our Music/Art night on December 3rd. This is going to be such a fun evening that TJ and I are heading up along with the students. I will definitely be posting more information about this in the next week.

After meeting with the students, we headed off to photograph two Pubs in Charlotte. Luckily they were only a couple blocks from each other. Before heading over to the second pub, we stopped at Molly MacPherson's Scottish Pub (notice a trend here? ha) for lunch. Last month we had purchased a GROUPON and were very excited to use it today. It was actually our first time using a GROUPON. Worked like a charm!

In between meeting with students and photo shoots, we also made a stop at Landau Guitar Company. TJ has gone there for years because of how amazing the guy, Craig, is at guitar repair. I remember going with TJ back when we were dating (one of these days I will tell our story). Below is a photo of TJ & Jason (aka Buddy) back in the day at Landau Guitar, when TJ and I were just getting to know each other. Wow, I cannot believe this was 4 years ago.

This evening TJ and I went out to eat with my parents. It's always great to spend time with them. We went to Trio, a local American cuisine restaurant. Afterwards we came back to our house and I was able to give my mom some of my Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls.

Tomorrow is going to be very exciting. We are taking our photography class on a field trip to the Light Factory. You can be sure to see a post about it tomorrow. :-)

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Vintage Giveaway CONTEST CLOSED

I am REALLY excited to announce my Vintage Giveaway for November. I am an absolute sucker for anything vintage and I love what I am about to giveaway to a lucky reader. Pictured below are 3 beautiful vintage white glass mugs with leaves and blueberries on them. They would definitely brighten any kitchen up and make for a lovely cup of coffee or tea. It was so hard not to keep them for myself, but that was a sure sign that they would be a great giveaway if I liked them so much. :-)

Here is how you can enter the contest:

• Become a follower of The Yellow Pepper blog by clicking the "follow" button on this page. You must leave a comment here on this blog post letting me know you have started following The Yellow Pepper so that I can know who has entered the contest. The contest will end at 6:00pm on Friday, November 12. A winner will then be chosen at random.

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Coconut Oil

Check out this article by Free Spirited Mama on Coconut Oil. I have been wanting to try it out for a while. After reading her experience with it, I'm going to get some tomorrow. Thanks for the info, Bekah!

"How to Rid Yourself of Stretch Marks"

Value Village Finds

Here are some of my finds at one of my favorite local thrift store, Value Village. It is definitely a place you will either walk out with nothing, or walk out with everything.

This was one of my favorite finds! It's my favorite Corelle pattern.

Can you believe I found 5 sets of these beautiful tea cups?

This is actually a vintage top sheet that I now use for picnics. :-)

Just loved this sweet bowl with the flowers.

Corelle, my fav.

Love these!

I have since found several more of these dainty little Corelle tea cups.

I was so excited to find the blue glass owl. The lamp was actually purchased at an Antique Store.

As you can see behind me, I have quite a collection of vintage cups and mugs. :-)

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