Not many people know the full version of the traditional English wedding rhyme:
Something Old,
Something New,
Something Borrowed,
Something Blue,
And a sixpence in her shoe.
If you’ve never heard the first four lines, you’ve been living under a rock. But I had never heard the last line. Until my wedding day. My mom surprised me with a sixpence that has been worn by her, her two friends, and my sister-in-law on their wedding days.
The more traditional items in the first four lines are thought to bring good luck to the bride and groom, while the sixpence is thought to bring good fortune and wealth. My something old was my diamond pendant necklace that was my grandmother’s; something new was my dress and shoes; something borrowed was my friend’s (and bridesmaid) veil; something blue was my toenail polish and my unmentionables. 😀
A year into marriage and I cannot really speak to any of those things. I don’t think a marriage can use luck or wealth – moreso hard work and finding the right person. We are very fortunate in life in general and are thankful for everything we have.
But I thought this was a fun little tradition for the wedding that every bride can do, and having the complete package made it even better! We taped the coin into the arch of my shoe. I didn’t even know it was there – though I was terrified of it falling out. But it did not and it was returned safely to my mom. Thanks for the fun tradition!
I’ll admit that I can get sucked into fitness trends. I like to switch it up and not do the same thing ALL the time. When I lived in Nashville, barre studios were opening like wildfire. And I hit them all up using various Groupons and Living Socials and first month cheap deals. It was a great workout.
So when Pure Barre opened a studio a mile from my condo in Brookhaven, of course I had to check it out. I think I got a pre-opening one month deal. But I didn’t continue after that because, to be honest, it’ not cheap. But then I got engaged. And who doesn’t want to look amazing on their wedding day?! My friend had done the pre-wedding Pure Barre regime and looked amazing so what did I have to lose?! I didn’t necessarily have weight to lose, I just wanted to be toned, feel healthy, and feel good about my body!
So I started with a pre-wedding package at Pure Barre Brookhaven a few months before my wedding. Right from the start, everyone was super nice and welcoming and every single class was challenging. And that can be hard to achieve at 5:30 in the morning. Yes, I’m a morning person and have to exercise in the morning or it just won’t happen.
Well after a few months I was hooked. And as with many things, the more you buy, the better the deal. So we worked it out in the budget and I committed to a year. Two to three months after that I reached 100 classes and got some cool socks.
And then this past weekend I hit 250 CLASSES (and got some more socks and a gift card)! Each class is about 50 minutes so that’s 12,500 hours of tucking, crunching, lifting, toning burning, shaking, and sweating. It truly is a full body workout.
The best part about it is that they celebrate achievements and do challenges to help push you. And challenges always have prizes. I have SO enjoyed my year+ at Pure Barre Brookhaven! And yes, every class is still hard and challenging. If you’ve never tried a barre class, you definitely should. No dance or ballet experience required. No formal exercise training required. The instructors will make sure you know what you’re doing and doing it correctly.
Sadly we are moving soon and I will not be close enough to a studio. But maybe I can still pop in from time to time to get my tuck fix. Thanks Pure Barre Brookhaven for an amazing workout and for helping me stay in shape! Here’s to my last 2 weeks!!
I love sweet and salty. One thing I have always remembered my grandmama making was saltine cracker toffee. It’s like a faux toffee or brittle. And it’s super easy. Recently, I ate something that had the same flavor so I made a mental note to find the recipe and make it, especially after learning that my husband’s family had never had this incredible concoction before. Then, like a mind reader, my mom made some for our family Christmas get-together, except she made hers with graham crackers instead of saltines.
My memory is not always the best, but I know I remember grandmama making this with saltines. And luckily my cousin remembered the same. So I got the recipe from my mom (which did use graham crackers), found something similar online to compare that used saltines, and kind of combined and tweaked the two to make a delicious Saltine Cracker Toffee.
None of the measurements have to be exact and there are a lot of ways to modify this recipe. Apparently a lot of people add chocolate too. I love chocolate but there are SO many chocolate treats that I prefer this one without. You can also use different kinds of nuts or no nuts at all! That is the beauty of this recipe.
Try it out and let me know (a) how you like it and (b) how you modify it! Individual steps/tips and pictures are next or see the recipe below.
The recipe requires a simple 3 ingredients. Yes, that’s right – only 3. Saltines, butter, and brown sugar. Oh and some cooking spray and aluminum if you want to count those.
Preheat oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet (one that has sides and is not completely flat) with aluminum foil then spray with cooking spray. Line up saltine crackers to fill the cookie sheet. If you are using nuts and need to chop them, go ahead and do that.
In a medium sized saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. I cut the sticks into smaller pieces just to help it melt quicker. Once it’s about halfway melted, add the brown sugar. Once butter is completely melted, bring to boil over medium heat for about 3 minutes or until it thickens and the sugar has dissolved. Stir constantly during this part. You want the butter and sugar to be completely combined and be the color of caramel.
Once that is done, pour it evenly over the saltine crackers and spread with a knife or spoon or spatula. It does not have to be perfect and it will spread out more in the oven, but try to cover all cracker with sauce as best you can.
Sprinkle nuts on top. You can use and much or as little as you like and again – perfection is not a thing. Place in oven and bake for about 10 minutes. You want it to be golden brown.
Remove from oven and let cool. It will cool faster if you take the foil (with the toffee) off the cookie sheet. I also let it cool about 10 minutes on the counter then put it in the refrigerator to finish cooling. After it cools, break into pieces and enjoy! These were a HUGE hit at my office holiday party and it’s super easy to make.
Saltine Cracker Toffee
Ingredients
40-50 saltine crackers
2 sticks of butter
1 C light brown sugar (packed)
1 C chopped pecans
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°
Line a cookie sheet (with sides) with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray
Place saltine crackers in single layer covering cookie sheet
Place butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir until butter is about halfway melted then add brown sugar.
Once butter is melted, bring to a boil over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Stir constantly. The goal is for the sugar to be dissolved and combined with butter, the mixture to be thickened, and to be a caramel color.
Pour butter-sugar mixture evenly over saltines. Spread out with a utensil (knife, spoon, spatula, etc.).
Sprinkle pecans on top.
Place in oven and bake for about 10 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove pan from oven and take foil & toffee off of the pan. Let cool then break into pieces. Can also place in refrigerator to cool.
Notes
You can use whatever nuts you want or no nuts at all. Print the recipe here: Saltine Cracker Toffee
Catching Katy 