One fish, two fish, RED FISH....

Last summer, we went on a deep sea fishing charter to catch red snapper. I was a bit nervous at first, as this would be my first experience deep sea fishing at night! Thankfully, Jaws did not attack our boat and no one fell overboard into the dark water....whew! If you're looking for a good charter service out of Mexico City Beach, FL, I suggest you check out Charisma Charters.

One plus to night fishing: Beautiful Sunsets!

Aside from the night fishing part, I was PUMPED to go deep sea fishing again. It's safe to say that I am extremely competitive, along with the rest of my family. I suppose you can say that I "came by it honest." So, naturally, I was talking all kinds of smack on the way out. I WAS going to catch the biggest fish of the night. I say "was" because my line broke at one point and I will forever contend that was solely because the fish was too big for the line..... it is my lie, and I will tell it as I wish, ok?

Anywho... we DID catch a lot of decent sized fish!



All-in-all, it was a great fishing trip and I enjoyed trying something new with Brett! He puts up with my competitive attitude and even helped bait my hook a few times. :)

The even better news about this trip... we have lots of fish to eat! WOOHOO! So, now its March and I still have a few pieces left. We have prepared this fish a few ways and I have yet to find one I don't like. My favorite so far is lightly marinated and topped with tropical salsa; recipe here.  YUM!

Tonight we decided to try it another way. So, I took to the always trusty www.foodtv.com and found this recipe from Paula Dean. The directions seemed simple enough and didn't include any special ingredients...winner, winner FISH dinner!

End result: good. I'd cook it again, but this grilled recipe still remains my favorite.

I have to note that I did omit the parmesan cheese. Why would someone omit delicious parmesan cheese, you might ask? Well, Brett doesn't eat cheese. You read that right. He WILLINGLY doesn't eat cheese. It's beyond me, but I'm not preparing 2 separate meals.... so I took one for the team.

I like to try new recipes, even if they don't turn out to be my new favorite dish. Wouldn't know unless we tried, now would we.

Quick Wins!

I always seem to have a project in the works, or two, or three... The good news is, I do complete them, but they often take more time than I anticipated. I often run into the issue of things taking more time than anticipated. I suppose I should better manage my expectations for projects :)

I recently heard the term "quick win" at work and it has stuck with me. Basically, a quick win is something we can accomplish right now, or in the near future. Thinking back on my recent home projects/crafts I found that a few of those were indeed quick wins. Umm can I get a #winning?!

Most recently, I was inspired by a episode of HGTV's Fixer Upper to make my own herb planter out of a chicken feeder. Sounds weird right?... well, I like weird. So I set out to to pick up a metal chicken feeder and some herbs. I bought my feeder at Tractor Supply. You can get one too, here.

Before I continue... I should mention that I LOVE a deal. I mean... its like a sweet, sweet victory. So when I saw Home Depot had herb plants 4 for $10, it made my day. Rosemary? Cilantro? Parsley? Chives? DON'T MIND IF I DO!


Ok, back to business. Here's how I made it:

First, take the metal feeder, turn it upside down and drill some holes. This will allow your soil to properly drain.

Next, fill the center and edges of the feeder with soil. Lastly, plant those little herb babies in any pattern that you desire. I plan to hang my planter, so I'm not worried about the ones on the edges hanging over.

VIOLA....all done! QUICK WIN!

<3 Brandy

Hi, I'm new here.

I was recently told that I should consider writing...so, here I go!

First, I think I should start with some basic facts about my general interests. This will help you decide if you should continue reading or not. :) I absolutely love my family, friends, dog (Toby), crafts, DIY projects, baking, good food, and being active. These, of course, are not listed in order of importance, but you get the idea. Additionally, I have a serious obsession with Christmas and anything in miniature form. Just throwing that out there....

I have a wonderful/amazing/loving/handy boyfriend that helps me with most of my DIY projects. He is quite patient, which is a good thing considering my "go-go-go" attitude towards new ideas.

We bought our first home 1+ years ago and have tackled quite a few projects since then. I'm constantly finding inspiration for new projects, so even though the house may be near my version of "done," it seems there's always that "one more thing."

I hope you enjoy reading my random thoughts, ideas and inspirations throughout this new writing journey!

For now, here are a few before/after photos of our house and past projects.

Exterior

Back Deck

Master Bedroom

Dining Room

Garage Entry

Entryway Stairs- Light to Dark Stain

Kitchen

Kitchen Backsplash

Master Bathroom

Office

Upstairs Hallway

 P.S. I promise to take better pictures going forward!