This is How Paula Does It...

My first "DIY" post was recreating a Paula Deen biscuit recipe. Well, if you want to see how it is REALLY done, watch the biscuit master at work!

Jump On It!

This post isn't about a yummy meal or great dessert I made. Or a cool project that I completed. No, this post is about a DIY situation I was forced into.

Last week, it was a grey, hazey day, and I turned my headlights on as I drove to school. I was in a bit of a rush, so gathered my belonging, hurried out of my car, and rushed to class.

After class was out, I walked to the parking lot, to find I had left my headlights on. When I got in my car, I knew what was coming, but I put the keys in the ignition anyway... but to no avail. My battery was dead.

I made a phone call to my friend Molly. She frequently parks in the same parking lot as I do, so I was hoping this would be the case today. It was not, but the second I asked where she was parked, she knew exactly what I needed, and offered to drive over and help me (good friend!).

I didn't have jumper cables in my car, and she assured me that she did. When she arrived, I was so happy to see her because it was raining and beginning to get dark.

When she arrived, we couldn't find her jumper cables. After a quick brainstorm, Molly remember she had AAA, so we called. They got all my information, and assured us they could get to us within 30 minutes. So Molly and I hopped in her car, chatted, listened to some music, and watched some YouTube videos.

After the 30 minutes were up, AAA called and said that wouldn't be there for another hour. Frusterated, Molly decided to look once more for her jumper cables. After a much much more extensive search, we found them under the floor of her trunk.

This is where the DIY (with a friend begins). Luckily, Molly was familiar with how to jump a car. Me, on the other hand, not so much. However, I was very good and figuring out how to open the hoods of both cars, and find MY battery (I drive a Volkswagen, so everything under the hood of my car is backwards and hidden). The Molly walked up though setting the cables up. We got them attached, turned our cars on... and after a 45 minute excursion, two girls who have never had to work under the hood of a car, got a car started, in the rain, after dark.

This may seem like a small accomplishment for some, but for me, this is a major "big girl" milestone!

DIY Mix CD: My October Playlist

On the quest to figure out how to create the perfect mix of music, I decided to start simply, and with the songs I can't get out of my head right now! My October playlist seems to be very telling of the geographical location I was born and raised in. October is around the time I start feeling homesick; football is in full gear- and I am unable to attend the games, I start missing my family and friends, and it is still beach weather at home! It is also the month I get to make my first trip home for the school year. I have gone home every year since I moved to New York to spend my birthday with my family, friends, and my best friend, who is three days older than me! I must have home on the brain... and I really like this music! Hope you enjoy!

Song: Two Step

Artist: Dave Matthews Band

Album: Crash

At the end of December, I went to a Dave Matthews Band concert. It was not my first DMB show, but it was absolutely my favorite. It was a beautiful, cool, September night on Governor's Island with a good friend. Since that concert, I have not been able to get enough Dave! This song, I have very recently gotten into. What first grabbed my attention was it’s really unique sound. The sound is very Dave Matthews Band, but it has a catchy beat. Then I began listening to the lyrics, and I may have myself I new addition to my Top 10 Favorite Songs of All Time list...

Song: Love On Top

Artist: Beyonce

Album: 4

I have always liked Beyonce. I have a few of her songs in my iTunes library, and I love to hear her on the radio. However, I have never truly gotten on the Beyonce train like man people I know. That is until I saw her perform this song, on VMAs, pregnant. She recruiter herself a new fan in me. She looked beautiful and glowing, and this song is so much fun! I cannot get it out of my head.

Song: Something to Lose

Artist: Corey Smith

Album: Broken Record

Corey Smith is a small act, from Georgia. I hesitate to label him as country music, my personal label is “Frat boy music,” but if I am being honest, it’s country. He is big in the southeastern college scene. However, this song is nastalgic for me. It reminds me of a very particular, short span of time, during my freshman year of college, which I spent in Tallahassee, Florida, and I have been traveling down memory lane lately.

Song: Where the Boat Leaves From

Artist: Zac Brown Band

Album: The Foundation

Another Georgia boy. Possibly also categorized under “Country Music.” My personal categorization would be beach party music. Jimmy Buffet-esqu. I will be seeing Zac Brown Band at the end of this month, so I have been listening to him A LOT to get prepared! And with the tempature outside getting cooler, listening to him sing about days spent on the beach is very comforting. He will show up on this list again, for preparation purposes.. once with Jimmy Buffet!

Song: Grace is Gone

Artist: Dave Matthews Band

Album: Busted Stuff

Here Dave is again. I just cannot get enough of him right now! I am usually a live music girl. If there is a live version of a song, I would choose to listen to that version over the studio recording, except for this song. I have a live version of this song, which I absolutely love! However, the studio recording of this song is so well arranged and so beautiful. I just love it!

Song: I’ll Be Waiting

Artist: Adele

Album: 21

I cannot say enough wonderful things about Adele. I love her. I can’t get enough of her. She is incredible. Beautiful voice, GREAT songs, great album all together. There is no rhyme or reason why this song is stuck in my head, it just IS! Simple as that

Song: Knee Deep

Artist: Zac Brown Band (feat. Jimmy Buffet)

Album: You Get What You Give

Here they are, the two best guys to invite to your beach party (or just to make sure they are present on your beach party play list!). This song was constantly playing in my car this summer. With the concert coming up, it is back in rotation. “Knee deep in the water somewhere, got the blue sky breeze blowing wind through my hair, only worry in the world, is the tide gonna reach my chair...” Enough said. Fun music.

Song: So Damn Lucky

Artist: Dave Matthews Band

Album: Some Devil

More Dave. Never too much Dave. Really beautiful, sweet song.

What songs can you not get enough of right now?

How To Make an Awesome Mixed CD

While doing my DIY projects, I always like to have music playing. I am not the type of person, who can listen to the same artist for an hour, so my iTunes and Pandora are consistently on shuffle. However, it is hard to find what you are in the mood for, and I find myself skipping though songs (instead of focusing on the DIY project at hand). The remedy? A Playlist. I asked a few of my friends, and took to my Facebook page to get some tips and tricks from some of my friends:

"Start with whatever you love, then move outward. Pandora, Spotify, Musicovery, and Hypem.com are great for finding new stuff."- Megan Branch

"The Genius button on iTunes has yet to fail on making great playlists for me."- Alex Fogarty

"Start with a theme of some kind... It's an art! Tie songs together with some kind of thread... Title, lyrics, instrument, etc, and avoid putting the same artist back to back. Play the beginning and end of each song when you are finished to make sure they sound good next to each other." -Camille Hebert (Make sure to check out Camille's blog, The Lavender Spoon)

What are some of your Playlist, mixed tape making tips?

Do It Yourself... Gone Wrong

So I recently moved into a new apartment. I took the place of Camille's former roommate, and in an effort to make what was Emily's room more my room, I decided to change a few things up.

I had been very successful. My furniture looks great in the room. My pictures are up, my things are in place, so it feels like mine.

However, there was one thing in the room left behind, and it took me a while to get around to changing it; her bamboo blinds.

As cool as the blinds were, I still wanted fresh window treatments that fit my personal style better. When I first came back up to New York, my dad traveled with me, and he and I took a trip to Pier 1, where I found beautiful teal curtains that I imagined looking fantastic in my room. So we purchased them (on sale!). He left and I never got around to putting them up... until a couple of afternoons ago. I had no plans, and decided to put the finishing touches on my room.

So I set out to Bed Bath & Beyond and got myself a tension rod (in the Beyond section)...

When I got home, I got to work. Step one was taking down the bamboo blinds, which were screwed in, so power tools were involved.

I assumed that would be the hard part, but it was a piece of cake. And I felt fierce when those bad boy blinds came down! Little did I know, the hard part was right around the corner.

My window sill did not have enough of a "lip" to hold the tension rod. What I should have purchased was a rod the needed to be screwed into the wall (that would have also given me the chance to use my power tools again, missed opportunity). I found a temporary solution of sticking the tension rod in the frame of the actual window.

Then I went to open the package the curtains were in... but when I opened the bag, there was only one panel. I freaked, then I took a closer look at the packaging, and realized it clearly stated "One Panel."

So, I put it together anyway!

It isn't perfect, but it is more me than the bamboo.

DIY Lesson of the Day: Observe everything before you start a project. Take measurements. Make sure you have the right materials and the correct number.

I will get around to fixing this one day...

One of the things I treasure most in my life is my southern upbringing. I am sure it will consistently come out in my posts and projects how much I love (and miss) home. One of the most evident ways this love will be expressed is by talking about my grandmother, Mimi, and my grandfather, Papa. The trusty leaders of my (not so) little family. They truly loved and cared for everyone in our entire family (immediate, and extended... and it extends very far!). One of the ways they showed the most love is through cooking. Eating at Mimi and Papa’s was a regular occurrence that happened several times a week, but it was always such a treat!

So when I began craving some delicious warm biscuits the other day, I decided to try my hand and making them from scratch, just like my Mimi did.

I used Paula Deen’s biscuit recipe- what is a blog about southern cooking without the mention of Paula Deen. I used to make fun of Mimi and say Paula Deen was the equivalent of a rock star in her world.

The recipe was quite easy, and had very few ingredients:

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons butter, cubed
3/4 cup milk

Making The Biscuits:

Step One: Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl.

Step Two: Cut Butter into the mixture in the bowl. Mix together until it begins to look like cornmeal

Step Three: Make a well in the mixture. Pour milk into center of the well.

Step Four: Knead dough with fingers. Add milk when necessary

Step Five: Roll out flour on lightly floured surface to desired thickness.

Step Six: Cut with a small butter cutter (I used a drinking glass!)

Step Seven: Butter the bottom of a skillet, and place biscuits in the skillet. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.

My finished product! Paula and Mimi's would have most definitely looked better, but I think it is a job well done for my first attempt!

The recipe made way more than I could possibly eat in one sitting. So I baked a few, and threw the rest of dough, already cut into their biscuit shape, into a glass container, and through it in the freezer. Now I have biscuits on hand, when I want them, breakfast or dinner, and all I have to do is throw them in the oven for 15 minutes!

The biscuits were exceptionally easy to make, and tasted delicious. Especially with butter and some grape jelly!

A Do It Yourself Lifestyle

A Do It Yourself Lifestyle, is finding things you love, and creating them on your own. Whether is be a crafting project, a delicious meal, or a genius solution to a problem. It is something you create on your own.

Through this exploration I will be [attempting] to do all of them above. I will also try to get into the minds of other DIY-ers. Figure out some of their greatest projects, solutions, and even great dishes!

This blog will, hopefully provide inspiration and solutions to those who stumble upon it, and hopefully send some inspiration my way and keep the blog interesting and worth reading!

I hope you enjoy, and I can’t wait to hear about your DIY projects!