Saturday, September 29, 2012

Date Night!

Sometimes you get a great date night and to have some fun. Bubba and I ate at Local 463 and had a blast! So glad we had last night. Here's to many more!

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Because What is Better than a List

So, it is Thursday, and back when I was young and impressionable Thursday was an awesome day like pre-weekend bonus night of fun because I only had one class on Friday and Whitney and I never made it anyway... That was first aid and CPR. I cannot assist in an emergency. I failed to attend 30% of the class.

Now, Thursday is a long day that pretends to almost be the weekend, but isn't. Today, I woke up thinking it was Friday and well that is just a recipe for failure. Thinking you can wear jeans only to discover you need to put on your dress pants that cut in your midsection is too much to emotionally handle before 7 am. Fact.

I believe now is the time to document some random thoughts.

  • I have mentioned this previously, but I am totally obsessed with Friday Night Lights. Thank you Netflix and your ability to hook me on shows.
  • This weekend I plan to watch the entire Season 4 of Parenthood. My Olympic sport could be marathon TV watching. My daddy would tell you I have been training my whole life. He is right. I would watch 2 hours of 90201 at 10pm every night at the age of 9. So many things wrong with this.
  • I want new jeans. I think I want to invest in a legitimate good pair. I have one pair that I like to wear, and we will not discuss how many or few times I wash them. Keep it classy.
  • I cannot wait to go to the beach in October. It is sustaining my excitement in the too soon to be excited about the Holidays stage we are in. 
  • It is almost October. I need the weather to cool to a nice 70 even. I want to wear my boots. Is that too much to ask? It is time. Boots are mocking me in the closet.
  • Today, the new JK Rowling book came out. I would like to read it. Then I will have read 9 books in life. The 7 HP and To Kill a Mockingbird. All have been read multiple times. 
  • This week was National Siblings Day. I have a sibling. He is alright. I like him I suppose. All lies he is great and definitely set the bar low as an older sib so I can out shine him... I kid again. He is cooler than me. It is a fact. And has the cutest baby. So I like him more. 


Let's pray we make it to the weekend.

Monday, September 24, 2012

Friends, Family, and Fun Times!

Wow! What a weekend! I am sad that it is Monday, which of course starts the weekly countdown to Friday.  This past Friday I had a much needed Girls' Night with Sara, Susan, A Fri, Whit, Lesley, and Emily, who was in town visiting. I failed to take a picture and that was my bad.  We went to Babalu and had a great time yelling at each other. I love the food, but it is always so loud so in order to get in good conversation you have to use your outdoor voice. It was so much fun though to hangout and visit. I am really glad that Emily came up for a visit and cannot wait to go down to BR to visit her.

Saturday morning involved some chores and some serious needed cleaning. I swear that the amount of laundry that we produce in a week is absurd. I also began watching Friday Night Lights on Netflix. It is amazing. I know that I am about 3-4 years behind the trend of loving this show but it is fantastic. I am already addicted and need to know what ever will happen to the Dillon Panthers.  Saturday afternoon, we picked up the girls and headed to the MS Museum of Natural Science. We met Sara and Baby Walker, and we all had a blast.



LOVE this pose!



The girls spent the night, and we ate pizza and had a movie night in a blanket fort made by the two uncles. I think it was more enjoyment for them than the girls! This next picture about melts my heart. Bubba and his girl have a special bond you know being middle children and all. So sweet...


We took the girls home on Sunday and went to church. It was a great Sunday. After running some errands, we chilled at home. Ate Mexican stack ups and took Gert for a walk. And had a good impromptu visit from our friend Ryan.



Life is good. :)

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Walker's Baby Dedication

We all went to a special event, Sweet Walker's baby dedication. Sara is such a special friend and a fabulous mama. It made my heart glad to have so many people present to pray over Walker and all the other babies there. We got together to celebrate the Lord's gift that is Walker. We love him and cannot wait to see him become the person God created him to be!

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

4 months

Well, it's been four months since my favorite day. I started doing these monthly posts, and well, now I can't abandon it. I have committed. This month I think an update would be fun so that when I am old and grey (or 29 and grey as it is looking like that will happen), I can remember this time in life.

This month has been a lot of fun. We started out the month in Chicago with my family, and that was a great trip! I started as an adjunct for app ad at the law school. That has been going well. Papers take longer to read than I remember. Ha! Bubba has been taking a class to get his education requirement needed to sit for the CFP exam. He has been working really hard on the online lectures. I am so over school, I don't know how he does it.

Now for some fun things, this week I have two best friends coming in town, so I know that some great girl time will be had. Bubba and I are keeping the girls for some Uncle/Aunt and Niece bonding. I think a blanket fort will be made. I am so excited for Fall!! It is almost here! The weather this week has been amazing. It gives me hope that boots and cold weather is in the future.  And Bubba has a guys trip to see Chipper. This is monumental for the boys.

We have had a great month. We are loving life and each other and most of the time our crazy dog. Here is a strange story about her. She has decided this month to be a fierce protector of the house. This mostly includes barking at the dogs on TV and growling at herself in a mirror and/or window...Fierce I tell you.

I can't believe it has been 4 months. But time sure does fly when you are having fun! :)


Monday, September 17, 2012

Football Favorites

Saturday night was a night I have been dreaming of since I was old enough to learn the love of a dip and a football game.  Some little girls dream of their grown up house to have an avenue to decorate. While I do love getting new things for our house, my most favorite day happened on Saturday. Our first house football party. I loved being surrounded by friends and too much food and two TVs for maximum football viewing. Let's just say that this is why I love our house.

How short girls cook. No judgment necessary.
Getting the spread ready.
I guess being from the South and especially Louisiana the need to feed people burns hot inside me. Saturday, I cooked for an army. It was the first time that I made from scratch Jambalaya. Like the kind that takes three hours to get real nice and yummy.


A lot of goodness in that pot.
We had a house full, and I loved ever second.  Everyone was sure to wear their school of choice colors, which only made my heart that much happier. (Even if we were the only Tigers in the house). We watched Florida beat Tennessee, and State get their third W of the season. LSU won, and we caught the highlights. Ole Miss got destroyed. Everything a girl could ever hope for!

I love our friends and this season of life. Where football is all the excitement we need and a potluck is as good as it gets.

God Bless and Geaux Tigers! :)

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Cajun Roasted Potatoes

Y'all. I LOVE a potato. And I married a man that loves rice. He is not against the potato, but he definitely is on Team Rice when it comes to choosing a starch side. Maybe we would drop 5 pounds if we decided to forgo the starch side, but I am Southern and that is blasphemy!  Anyways, I made these potatoes on a whim, and they are DIVINE. And super easy. As in so easy, I can't believe I am sharing this recipe. They are so good though that who am I to deny anyone a Cajun roasted potato.

Cajun Roasted Potatoes

1 pound red potatoes
About 1/2 cup of olive oil
2 Tablespoons of minced garlic (or about 2 cloves if you are fancy and use the real thing)
Liberal amount of Tony's

Directions:

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Wash and cut potatoes into 1/8th pieces. (aka cut in half and then cut each half twice). Coat potatoes in olive oil, garlic, and Tony's.  Bake for about 30 minutes. Stir once in the middle to give all the potatoes love. 

Here is the trick for crispy goodness. BROIL on 475 for about 5 minutes. It does wonders.

Last night we ate these potatoes with grilled chicken and lima beans. YUM! Hope you enjoy! 

Monday, September 10, 2012

Weekend Wrap Up

Sometimes, you just need a quiet weekend at home to do uneventful things like laundry. This weekend was just that. We took it easy and just had a really great, calm weekend.

Friday, we ate dinner with friends at the house. We barbequed chicken and just hung out. Nights like this make me so thankful for the friends the Lord has blessed us with. Sometimes, even though I love doing things, I like to just be at home. It is great to have friends that are close enough to eat in workout shorts with and laugh and have fun.

Saturday, I literally did not get out of PJ's until the LSU game at 6 pm. Then, I changed into a gameday tshirt. Can't watch the Tigers in any old shirt :). Saturday football makes my heart happy. I filled the day with laundry and every SEC game that was on tv. I swear that football on TV makes me more productive. Back in the days of law school, I would watch football on Saturdays and read for my entire week. It is my happy day. Call me strange. LSU won!! 41-3. Life was good.

Bad picture. Family time cheering on the Tigers!
Sunday, oh how the Lord blessed us. We woke up, and even a pessimist would believe that Fall is a fact and not fiction. It was a BEAUTIFUL morning and a crisp 57 degrees. This is roughly 6 million degrees cooler than the inferno that we usually live in. It called for a special treat. Breakfast on the back porch before church.



The Gert playing in the dew.
After church, we went to lunch with friends. Then went to see the girls new house which I loved! It already was looking like a good home. The rest of the day was spent wandering around window shopping, watching movies, and hanging out. Life is good. Here is to a great week!


Friday, September 7, 2012

A Stab at Meal Planning

Being newly married and working a "big girl" job have created chaos in one department... food. Over the past few months, our wallets and waistlines definitely showed that we had to quit eating out all the time. It really is difficult to cook for two people. Things naturally come to serve four. A good rule of thumb is that two people should not eat for four, even in Mississippi.

Some of this chaos is a result of laziness I am ashamed to say. I truly love cooking, and it really is fun. What is not fun is the grocery store. Or waking up early to fix lunches. So, the convenient thing to do is to "grab something out."  Well, this month I decided no sir, no way. I shopped for a month and stored things in the freezer in serving sizes. This allowed me to buy the bigger package of ground beef instead of running by the store and picking up the smaller size six times in a month.

I was also realistic and planned only five dinner meals a week (with Sunday night as standing Brinner night). Who doesn't love breakfast for dinner? Tuesday nights we have small group through church, and we eat there. I figure we will catch plans on a Friday or Saturday so I only have a meal planned one of those nights. That way we are flexible. Truthfully, I thought that this would make me feel a slave to a menu. But, in reality, it has taken off so much stress just knowing I don't need to think about what we are eating.

Next week looks like this, and I am excited!

Sunday: Brinner (I am feeling pancakes)
Monday: Red Beans and Rice (a family favorite recipe)
Tuesday: Small Group
Wednesday: Grilled Chicken, Roasted Potatoes, Lima Beans and Corn
Thursday: Taco Night!! (If I could eat Mexican for every meal I absolutely would)
Friday: Grilled Pork Chops and Sweet Potato Fries
Saturday: Eat the Pantry.

When did I become a girl that gets excited about a weekly meal schedule? This month is kinda an experiment in this method of organization and cooking. I am looking forward to Fall when I can start putting that CrockPot to use and make some delicious gluten-free one pot meals.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Happy Birthday Whitney!!

Whitney greeted her 27th year on the 2nd, but due to some scheduling conflicts and Labor Day we went out to celebrate her tonight. The way I see it is everyone should have a birthday week, and if you are really talented a birthday month.

Meet Whit:


In true nostalgic fashion, I need to write a piece about this girl. Whitney and I have been friends for a LONG time. I believe a top 10 list is in order.

10. You are a master at all things hair. Whit did my hair for my wedding and first job interview. I am forever indebted for good pictures and my pay check. (Clearly, it was hair for the win).

9. You have a really fantastic witty sense of humor. No one on earth can tell a better story than Whit. You will be laughing in no time.

8. You are part mouse. After all, cheese is your favorite food.

7. You have a very large and caring heart. You give wise counsel and are never afraid to tell it like it is.

6. You sung Fancy at the fish fry and are a cowgirl at heart (these are lies but we love to say them). Evidence was Whit's birthday cake 2 years ago.  See picture below. Yes that is a portrait in frosting.


5. We shared a room for the 3 years that I was in law school. Yes an actual room. Like sisters ages 7 and 9.  You were supposed to be there for a semester and lasted 3.5 years. I would not trade one second of the 2 car garage with industrial carpet and 3 tier bathroom that was the temperature outdoors.

4. You have a relationship with the Lord that is solid and encouraging. At any moment, I can call (well she is bad at using the phone) you and you will be there. You are loyal.

3. Your family is one of my favorites. When your dad had that bad spell 2 years ago in January. I needed to be in Hattiesburg and not class so I told my teachers that "my cousin's dad had a heart attack." That shows I am bad at lying because I believe that would be my uncle. Anyways... You and your family love fiercely and I love that about y'all.

2. You have a strange relationship with animals. I would never place you in the category of animal lover. So, it seems natural that now in your life you have 2 cats and are semi "the cat lady."

1. You are the best friend we could ever ask for.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WHIT!!!

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

On the Road Again

Oh me. We drove to Chicago this past weekend to celebrate Labor Day and meet sweet baby Abby!

You better redneckagonize! Mama, Bubba, and I had a blast. It was a little rocky figuring out the toll roads but PTL we made it!


Thursday night we just chilled with the family and ate a ton of good food. Eating was a theme of the weekend. Everything was so good, and I reverted back to childhood and failed to eat a vegetable for 5 days. I think today starts detox. This was Bubba's first time to head up to Chicago. He agreed that the hot dogs and Italian Beef sandwiches live up to their reputation.

Friday was so much fun! We got some good quality family and baby time. I got to see Ella's Kindergarten. Then, we headed to watch my little cousin (who isn't so little, but more man size) play Varsity Football.  I haven't been to a high school game in quite some time, but I definitely loved the Friday night lights. The weather was gorgeous, and Jay played really well.

Go Team Go

Saturday was a blast (I know I keep repeating fun adjectives, but this trip was great).  The kids, who are all basically grown now, headed into the city and watched the Cubs play! The game was fun and the weather was so pleasant. We had fun stuffing our faces with nasty but delicious stadium food. I renewed my love of cotton candy. The Cubs lost, but we had a great time and got to visit a ton.



Sunday, we celebrated Abby's baptism, and then had a fun Labor Day cookout. Abby looked so sweet in her Christening outfit, and the service was so special. I am so glad that we could be there to witness such a special moment. After the Baptism, we chilled for a bit and then ate with friends and family for Labor Day. So much fun, and so worth the trip.


Baptism. Look at that hair.

Labor Day smiles!
So glad I got to meet this little girl!
After the cookout, we headed home. It was a super long drive, but it was worth every second. I love my family and only wish we lived closer. Happy Baptism Abby!!

Hope everyone had a safe and happy Labor Day!



Monday, September 3, 2012

Happy Labor Day!!

Enjoying this lovely day off! Have fun bbq'ing and loving on family and friends!