Hey, y’all!

I’m not sure how many of you are new readers, wonderful girls I met at BlissDom, or if you’ve been reading Blue-Eyed Bride since before my mom even read Blue-Eyed Bride.

1. I am wife to Todd and mom to Hudson (2.5) and Hayes (9 months)

2. I love Jesus and want to serve others and tell others about Him. But I’m not perfect and I am so thankful for His Grace.

3. I am a list-maker. I love making lists. I used to be a major control freak, but having two little boys changed that quickly! But golly, I still have to make a list every single day.

4. I love to write. And edit. And it’s a shame I do all of this on a computer screen with a keyboard because I sure do love a red pen.

5. I wish I was better at taking great photos (or taking photos, period) and I wish I had more time to be crafty because I really do like to craft.

6. I love clothes and love marking pages in gorgeous magazines of things that I want. Isn’t one of the greatest activities to go through and build fantasy shopping carts on all of your favorite retailers’ websites? But I usually don’t buy them because I remember that by noon I have been spit up on or drooled on and it’s just not worth it.

7. I used to plan events for a living, but now I stay at home with my boys. (I’m still not used to saying “boys.” Wow.) I love to throw a birthday party, baby shower, wedding shower, or even help someone with a wedding. It’s just in me to create and find ways to be creative. I don’t miss very many things about my old job, but I miss exercising my creativity and coming up with fun ideas.

8. I love to cook. I love to eat. I’m trying to finish up losing the rest of the baby weight. But all the recipes I love to make don’t make that easy. Fortunately, there are so many great blogs that make it easier to find delicious things to eat that are also healthy.

9. Through my blog, I like to tell you what really happens here. Without throwing anyone under the bus or telling you the nitty gritty details of our latest argument. But I write so I can remember how I felt when something big or small happened. It helps me to get it all out there.

What do I want to be?

I’m not sure, but this question pretty much exhausts me. I have spent so much time over the last few years thinking about who I want to be. And I’m done with it.

I am who I am. The most important relationships and roles in my life are enough for me. And God’s grace is enough for me.

Too much time has been wasted on comparing myself, my looks, my wardrobe, my home, my talents, and my story. Isn’t that crazy? It’s such a time suck and it drains me.

But I’m done with all of that. I’m tired. I am who the Lord intended me to be and that’s all I can be. And it should be enough for me!

So, if you’re new here… welcome!

If you’re not new here… welcome back!

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Last week, I packed up and drove 7 hours (alone! yay!) to Nashville for my first BlissDom conference. I wasn’t really sure what exactly to expect, but I had heard from other bloggers that it was lots of fun.

I had previously attended BlogHer in NYC in 2010 and enjoyed my time there. But I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you that my favorite part was being in NYC with some of my dear friends. And I’d be lying again if I didn’t tell you that we skipped most of the conference in favor of exploring the city.

BlissDom was different. We were secluded in a massive hotel in Nashville without the desire to escape.

I attended with women I knew, women I wanted to know and women whose blogs I hadn’t yet read, but definitely do now. The sessions were exciting and not so specific that people felt alienated. I think everyone in the room could find a way to apply the speaker’s words to his or her blog.

As cheesy as it sounds, I came home feeling inspired. The sessions really inspired me to keep on writing. Keep on telling my story. Because I do this for me and I do it to vent, share, and keep memories.

I was also inspired by how many other gals were feeling the same exact way regardless of her blog’s general niche. The speakers and the side conversations with girls whose blogs I love (and now I completely admire these girls) encouraged me to move forward.

I feel energized and ready to go. I also feel busy and slightly overwhelmed by the notes I took, the things I want to change, and the things I want to try.

The best part about BlissDom? Aside from the amazing girls, the talented speakers, and the yummy food eaten in Nashville? I came home eager to love on my whole family and make the most of every moment spent with Todd, Hudson, and Hayes. I couldn’t wait to get home to them. Almost every single speaker I heard at BlissDom reinforced the importance of marriage and family.

And my favorite speaker reinforced the importance of faith.

This weekend was exactly what I needed and I’m so grateful for the opportunity I had to attend. I’m home and I’m ready to focus on my family and tell our stories.

(And set aside designated times each day to tell the stories without letting it interfere with my time with them.)

So I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing. I’m just telling our story. Because, as someone said at BlissDom, we are story tellers.

A big, huge, thank you to Dr. Smith’s for helping me go on this amazing trip!

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*Hey, friends! Today, I’m welcoming my very first guest blogger. Because I’m heading out of town, and because she’s so flippin’ awesome, I asked my (real-life) friend, Crist, to write a guest post on whatever she wanted to write about. Crist and I have known each other for about five years, but have become better friends in the last couple of years. She is my gym buddy and she took the really fun photography class with me. And both of these things were her idea, so I owe her. So she’s posting on my blog. She shares a cooking blog with her friend Christina, and this blog has the cutest title ever. Be sure to add The Dough Will Rise Again to your Reader.

When Erin asked me to do this guest post, she specifically told me that I “have to be funny,” and I thought to myself — crap, I’m only funny when I’m snarky and most of that’s not fit for public consumption! That said, I’m Crist and I’m the idiot Erin’s been going to early morning jazzercise classes with. (Bless her heart.) I’m also a Master Shopping Enabler, hater of most pop culture and movies, and a lover of all things internet/technology-related. I started a blog in 2004 to chronicle my life, but lost my mojo in 2009. In late 2011, I brought my genius back to the masses with The Dough Will Rise Again, a cooking blog I co-author with my imaginary-turned-real-life best friend, Christina.

My culinary skills have evolved greatly over the last 10 years. From throwing some chicken tenders in a skillet and dousing them in a little buffalo sauce and declaring that supper, to hosting my in-law Christmas dinner this past year – I’ve come a really long way. There have been many bumps over the years, and a couple of nights we’ve dumped my hard work in the trash and opted for scrambled eggs. There’s nothing I hate worse than spending a fortune on ingredients and a couple hours in the kitchen only to have the dish turn out just “eh.” But for all the things I’ve mastered — risotto, actually making chicken delicious, a 14-layer chocolate cake for heavens sakes — one thing laughs at me every single time I attempt it. And it’s embarrassing for all involved.

Y’all, I can’t make grits.
I’m a born and bred South Carolinian who’s loved and appreciated grits for as long as I can remember, and yet. The creamy, decedent perfection alludes me every time. Mine are always grainy and not properly seasoned — no matter how much time I spend or how much salt I add, it never seems to be enough. A friend and I were discussing this one day, and she proclaimed, “making grits is a man thing, Crist.” And she’s right. Fortunately, I married a man who can cook most every Southern delicacy; from perfect butterbeans to country fried steak to boston butts, the boy knows his way around a tub of Crisco. And best of all, his grits are perfection… which is likely his heavy handed seasoning, use of a quart of cream, and a lot of butter, along with the patience of Job.

And so, I’ve accepted my lot in life, and just focus on the grits accompaniments. In that spirit, I want to share with you the shrimp and grits we made a couple of weekends ago. It was simplistic and yet complex – I think the vinegar and brown sugar is a great addition to the tomatoes. Mine never quite got as thick as I imagine the recipe writer wanted it to be, but we decided it was as thick as we would want it. For the love, don’t leave off the bacon. And none of that microwave, pre-cooked bacon, y’all. Besides, if you microwave your bacon, what grease do you plan to cook your onions and garlic with? Hmm?

Southern Cheese Grits with Shrimp and Tomato Conserve
via Natalie Dupree’s Shrimp and Grits Cookbook

4 tbsp butter, divided
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
4 cups cooked grits, cooked with milk
2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined
½ pound bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled, grease reserved
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tbsp chopped garlic
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
¼ cider vinegar1/3 cup brown sugar

Add 2 tablespoons butter and cheese to hot grits.

Heat remaining butter in a large-heavy bottomed frying pan and saute the shrimp quickly, until they turn pink. Remove shrimp with a slotted spoon and set aside.

To make the conserve, add the onion and garlic to the buttered pan with bacon grease and cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes, vinegar and brown sugar and simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until the sauce is thick and jam-like. Remove from heat and stir in shrimp.

Serve over the hot grits. Top with crumbled bacon.

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