Memphis

My mom, dad and I went to Memphis Christmas night (Richie stayed home because he had to work before we would be back) to visit my Nana and other family.  It was a very quick trip- we flew there the night of the 25th and flew back the morning of the 27th, but we got a lot done in a quick trip!  We spent time with my Nana, had lunch with my Aunt Paula and cousin Lauren, visited my cousin Brock and his wife Grace and their beautiful baby Ellee.  We had dinner at Aunt Carla and Uncle Skips and got to see my cousin Kelsey and meet her cute new boyfriend, see Steph and her husband and two precious kiddos, and my other cousin Becky and her husband their 4 cute kids! Like I said, a lot of visiting in a short amount of time!

I am thankful for Memphis- to have been born there, for all of my family that lives there, and for visits back there!

Christmas

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful. Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6
I am thankful to be a Christian and for the birth of Jesus. :)

A Christmas Eve to remember...

My family usually does the "typical" Christmas Eve...go to church and then either go out to a nice dinner or go back to my parents house to a delicious meal my mom had made. This year it was just my parents and Richie and me, since Robbie and Laura were with her parents, so I felt like we should change things up a little. I have been having this feeling in my heart lately that I should start giving back more and volunteering, so I figured what better time than Christmas Eve? I did some research and found Safe House- a Christian organization in downtown Atlanta that provides food for the homeless.  I contacted someone in their organization and we were good to go!
So this year, we went to church a little earlier than normal and then headed downtown to Safe House.  We made dinner for 150 homeless people and then helped serve it to them.  All the people there were so appreciative of the food and were saying Thank you and God Bless as you passed it out to them...  Things like that really help put life into perspective.  I am thankful for the chance to volunteer there, and for all that I have been blessed with.

I said yes!....4 years ago :)

Four years ago today, I woke up in Dothan, AL after one of my best friends Stephanie's weddings.  Richie (who was then my boyfriend) and I drove back to Atlanta, anxious to get home for the holidays. We got home and I was exhausted.  I had driven to Dothan straight from school earlier in the week to help Stephanie with last minute wedding details and frankly, all I wanted to do was go to sleep.  Richie had informed me on the way home though that we had to go to dinner with his parents.  While I love his family, I was secretly wishing I could just have a quiet night in. :) Little did I know my attitude would change!
We got to the house I lived at with 3 other girls who were already at home with their families for Christmas.  It was in Buckhead, but on a back street with a huge backyard and patio, so you almost didn't feel in the city.  I hung out for a little bit and then went to get ready for dinner.  As I was walking to get Richie, he called to me from the back door and asked me to come into the back yard.  As soon as I walked out there, I knew something was going on.  There were lights strung all over the place and it was "snowing." (Yes he made it snow in my backyard- how precious is that???)  He started talking and before I knew it, he was down on one knee.  I immediately said Yes!
I then found out that we weren't just meeting his parents for dinner but both of our families to celebrate our new engagement! I definitely changed my mind about wanting a quiet night in after that excitement.

I am so thankful for that night four years ago.  I am thankful that the love of my life asked me to marry him...and that I said yes!

High School Girls Christmas Party

Last night I had my Secret Santa party with all my high school friends.  We have been doing this party every year since middle school pretty much, so it's pretty cool that we still have it going.  Most of our high school friends are scattered over the map, so for a lot of us, this is one of the only times we get to see each other all year (or at least one of the few times we see each other).  I love that when we do all get together, it really is like we are all still in high school and stay up late talking like we still see each other every day.  I am thankful for my high school girls Christmas party and for all the wonderful friends that I still have from high school!

Polar Express Day

OK so I am technically skipping Wednesday and being thankful for two things that took place on Thursday, which will be the next two posts.  That's ok, right? :)

We had Polar Express Day on Thursday in 1st grade this year.  This brilliant idea came to us last week and I think it will be a new tradition for our grade! The kids all wore pajamas to school (we did too of course!) and we watched the movie in the morning and then did activities to go with the movie in the afternoon.  I made pancakes and hot chocolate for my class before the movie and then sent them to another class to listen to the story.  While the were gone, we moved the desks and arranged the chairs in rows so it was set up like a train.  We had both classes come in and show us their "Polar Express tickets" to enter the train to watch the movie.  All in all, it was a pretty great day in first grade!

I am thankful for the fun Polar Express Day we had and for my job that allows me to have so much fun while working!

weeknight date nights

Richie and I will go out to eat on weekends usually, but for the most part we stay in and I cook during the week.  However, one of the gift cards I got today at my party was to California Pizza Kitchen, which we never really go to for some reason.  I had some last Christmas shopping to do, so we decided to meet over by the mall for dinner.  It was so nice to have an unexpected "date night" in the middle of the week and to go out to dinner instead of haing to cook.  Best of all, we got to use my gift card! :) I am thankful for weeknight date nights!

class party- success :)

We had our class holiday party today, which as a teacher you are always slightly nervous about.  You have a room full of parents and sometimes siblings, you aren't sure how your students will act with their parents there (or even more, not there), you never know if the crafts will pan out, etc.  Basically as teachers, we are hardwired to think of everything that could possibly go wrong in day to day situations and then have solutions ready for when they do.  However, with the class parties, we don't plan them so we have to step back and release the control which is very hard for most teachers to do.  We love the idea of releasing control, but when it comes down to it, it makes us nervous.  My party today was the epitome of a success!  My kids had the best time ever, they were engaged the entire time they were at each rotation (no wanderers), there were no meltdowns, and it was shockingly calm and quiet for a first grade party! I really think they were all so into the centers that they weren't being rowdy at all.  Even my principal said he wouldn't have thought a party was going on in my room with how well my kids were acting! Talk about a teachers dream!!
At the end of the party, I got the absolute sweetest gift.  A parent in my class made a Christmas tree out of wood and put all the kids faces on it as ornaments with my face at the top as the star.  Then she strung a ton of gift cards from my class that she had collected on tinsel and hung it on the tree.  So thoughtful and creative.  I am thankful for a very successful class party and for feeling very appreciated by my class!!

Close up with out the gift card tinsel on it

leslie's baby shower!

One of my best friends that I grew up with since 7th grade is having a baby! She isn't due until Spring, but she lives in Nashville, and all of our other high school friends are scattered over the US, so we decided to go ahead and have a baby shower while people were here for the holidays! Les is going to be such an amazing mom because she is so kind hearted, hilarious, and laid back; and I know she and her precious husband Dusty (who is one of Richie's fraternity brothers! small world!) are going to give this baby all the love he or she (we don't know! it is killing me!) could ever want.   I am thankful for Leslie, the sweet baby she is having, and for the chance for our friends to get together and celebrate!

puppy chow

I grew up making puppy chow every year at Christmas with my mom to give to people, and to eat ourselves of course! Mine and Richie's friends Jenna and Micheal stayed with us last night and Jenna showed up with a present for me.....puppy chow!!  Needless to say, I was quite excited!  It has been a little while since I've had it and man, that stuff is addicting!  I have founf my hand reaching in grabbing little bites all day!!  Dangerous! I am thankful for yummy, yummy, yummy puppy chow!!

Zolas

Last night Richie and I went to one of my favorite restaurants, Zolas.  It is the itty bitty Italian place, but it is soo yummy!  I got the Zola's chicken which is chicken with mushrooms and artichoke hearts in marsala sauce.  It usually comes with mashed potatoes, but I always get it over angel hair instead. So delicious!  They give you so much, that I had it again for dinner tonight!  I am thanful for a yummy little local restaurant!

Christmas candles

Yes, I am still on the Christmas kick... But if you are an avid reader of my blog, you will remember that I had a similar obsession of all things Fall, so I will eventually gwt off of this kick and onto something else.  I am quite obsessed with my Christmas candles right now though and how they are making my house smell.  I typically go Frasier Fir all the way this time of year, but I currently have a Cinnamon in my kitchen and I must say, it is quite nice. We ahve a real tree and I have the tree smelling candles in the den so when you mix those scents with the cinnamon candle going as well, it smells quite heavenly.  I am thankful for these little pieces of happiness that we can find in life. :)

Ornament Exchange

On Wednesday, I had my very first ornament exchange!  It was about 8 girls total and I made dinner (chicken lasagne and salad) for everyone and then we did a "dirty" ornament exchange where draw numbers and you pick an ornament or steal one.  It was so much fun and we all had the best time! I think it is going to become my new Christmas tradition! :) I am thankful for my sucessful ornament exchange!

jeans in Decemeber

I am so thankful that we are able to wear jeans to school for the entire month of December!  It has made getting ready for school so much easier! :)

Christmas trees

Are you noticing a trend with my topics?  I think someone's getting in the Christmas spirit...... :)

I am thankful for my Christmas trees!  Yes, I am crazy and have two, but what can I say, they make me happy when I walk in the door and see them.  So I won't apologize for that! :) 

Here is my main tree in the den:

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Close up of den tree

Tree in living room

Christmas parties

Part of the reason my week was so chaotic was because I had 5 Christmas parties (counting Saturdays) going on!  While they do wear me out and make it hard to wake up in the morning, it is so worth it because they are so much fun!  I had the college girls on Saturday (which I wrote about in my last post), a dinner club with a really sweet group of friends on Monday, my bible study Christmas party Tuesday, my ornament exchange Wednesday (which you will see in a post coming up!), and then my work part on Friday! Phew, I am worn out all over again just thinking about it! I really do love having lots of Christmas parties to go to though, because it puts you in such a happy mood and it is such fun to visit with friends this time of year.  I am thankful for all the wonderful and fun Christmas parties I had this past week (and for my high school girls one that is coming up next week!)

diva christmas

Every year my college best friends and I get together and have a Christmas party/gift exchange.  We rotate who hosts it each year (this year finished out the full cycle of all 6 of us so we will start over again next year) and we draw names so we don't have to buy gifts for all.  We usually start emailing about picking a date in August (I am really not kidding) so that we can all make sure we set that weekend aside to all be together.  This time was Stephanie's turn to host so we spent the weekend in Auburn and had so much fun!  Bryn always comes up with a super fun game for us to play to decide who gets to open the gift first and this year was no exception!  I am thankful for such a great group of best friends and for our yearly Christmas party!

Our "signature" pose that got started at our first Christmas party

a chance to blog

To say that the last week has been busy, would be a huge understandment.  Hence why I am WAY behind on the blog posts.  I am thankful for a nice quite Saturday night in and a chance to catch up on my blog... :)

peppermint mochas ;)

Believe it or not, I had never had a peppermint mocha until this morning.  I am not a huge peppermint fan (except for like Junior Mints and such), so I was afraid it would be too minty for me and didn't want to give up something I knew would be delicious like a gingerbread latte! :) This morning, Richie was saying he had had one and how yummy it was, so I decided I was gonna try it!  I stopped on the way to school this morning and... oh my! I definitely see what the fuss is all about!  I am thankful for my new found love of peppermint mochas!

chiropractor

I carry stress in my neck, shoulders, and upper back which causes some of my headaches.  I started going to the chiropractor a few years ago for this and I know a lot of people scoff at chiropractors, but it truly works.  Plus, they have a massage therapist that is unbelievable!  I got in for an appointment yesterday and was able to get in for a 45 minute massage! ahhhhhh.....  I am thankful for my visits to the chiropractor, especially when they include a massage!

believe in the unbelievable

On Tuesday night, our Bible Study went to Fellowship Church where Mollie's adorable mother-in-law Sheree is the director of women's ministry.  They were having their Women's Christmas Event and Sheree spoke and Ginny Owens played the piano and sang (if you have never heard here- find her music now- she is unbelievable).  The message was about the Christmas story that we all know and love, but in a new light.  It was about how we have a God who expects us to believe in the unbelievable and miracles (such as a virgin getting pregnant and having a baby) because He has made them happen.  I am so incredibly thankful to have a Lord that does make me believe in the unbelievable.  In this world we live in, it's so important to remember that He can do the unbelievable and He has...just for us. 

workout videos

If you have On Demand, you may not know about this very cool feature on there- ExerciseTV!  It's awesome if you are like me and don't want to pay for a gym membership anymore and it is too nasty to run outside!  I have recently come to the realization that I have no time to work out after school and the last thing I want to do when I get home from whatever I may have going on in the afternoon, be it babysitting or whatnot, is work out.  So, I have started waking up in the morning on doing one of these videos.  It's perfect because I just have to walk downstairs to do it and then go right back up and hop in the shower afterwards, so I'm not having to wake up all that early!  I am thankful for ExerciseTV on Demand to get my hiney in gear! :)

Christmas music

I could listen to Christmas music in July...seriously, I love it.  When I first started college and would drive home, I would put a Christmas CD in while I was going through downtown because it would calm me in all of that traffic!  So needless to say, I take full advantage of listening to it when it is deemed socially acceptable like right now!  Richie and I got our real tree today and I decorated it and of course, put on my Christmas music!  It just put me in the best mood!!  I am thankful for Christmas music and how happy it makes me!

*I do two trees and the other isn't decorated yet, so I will post pics when they are both done!

Blue Ridge Mountains

This weekend, we rented a cabin Blue Ridge with some of our friends- Adrianne and Chris, Tommy and Lauren, and Nate and Bryn came Friday!  We had so much fun going into the town, hanging out, playing games, ec this weekend.  I am so thankful to have such a cute, fun mountain town that is so close to Atlanta!  You drive a little over an hour, but feel worlds away because you are able to get away from it all! Hope you all had a nice weekend!

Gingerbread Lattes

I treated myself to Starbucks this morning and had a grande gingerbread latte. MMM!!!!  I am thankful for yummy gingerbread lattes around Christmas!  Enjoy your weekend! I am heading home to finish packing for the mountains!

Jambalya

I love spicy food and jambalaya has recently become one of my favorites.  Best of all, it is so super easy.  Just buy a box of Zatarans, chop up smoked turkey sausage (I sometimes throw rotisserie chicken in too) and voila! dinner is made.  So easy and super yummy for a cold night.  I am thankful for a quick and easy recipe, and that I had the ingredients to make it last night!

Migraine prevention

If you have ever had a migraine, you know how bad they are.  I get them and lately I am getting them a lot.  Not fun.  I finally went to the doctor about them and she put me on this medicine, Topamax, which is a preventative which means it will hopefully keep me from getting them!  Thank goodness!!!  I am thankful for my new migraine preventative and just pray that it works!

rain coat!

I love jackets.  In fact, it is kind of an obsession.  I have a closet stuffed full of them ranging in length, colors, and thickness.  However I don't have any "outdoorsy" jackets.  All of my "casual" jackets either have fur collars or are still cutesy.  So, I desperately needed a windbreaker/rain coat type jacket.  I have never bought a North Face or any of those because I can't bring myself to spend that much money on a jacket that isn't "me".  I know, I know, I am a dork.  However, I found a soultion to it.  While we were in Highlands, I found a pink (kind of a carnation color pink) Vineyard Vines rain jacket that you could layer over a fleece...(now I just need to get the fleece! Haha!)

I am thankful for my new rain jacket, especially with all the rainy days we had early this week!!

Christmas decorations

I love everything about Christmas.  One of the things I love is how my house looks during the holidays- doesn't everyone love Christmas decor?  I am thankful that I got all of my interior Christmas up (outside is Richie's job!) except for our trees.  That will be this Sunday's project... :)  Off to enjoy a hot cup of tea in bed on this chilly night... Think it will snow??

Post 200!

Wow, I am thankful that I have had 200 posts about different things I am thankful for...which is really more than 200 things since some have been several items in one post.  Here's to the rest of the year! :)

Iron Bowl

If you are an Auburn or Alabama (so sorry for you) fan, you know that every other game in the season is just a rehearsal for the only game that actually matters, The Iron Bowl.  There is truly nothing quite like the Auburn and Alabama rivalry...it is so crazy, but so fun at the same time!  There are so many "house divideds" that will barely speak on this day.  My family is included in this- I was fortunate enough to go to Auburn, while my poor brother went the that other school.  We are watching the game together today, and I am sure there will be plenty of comments made between the two of us throughout the day leading up to it, and especially during the game.  My parents always appease both of us by wearing both orange and crimson during the game, so as not to take sides.  I am thankful for the Iron Bowl and for all of the memories I have from it!

Some of my favorite Iron Bowl memories:
*Tailgating with my friends and family every year :)
*Auburn winning every year that I was in college!
*Cadillac running 80 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the game my sophomore year in college
*Last year, coming back from being behind 24-0 at halftime to win the game, and go on to win both the SEC Championship and National Championship

I'll end on this note:

WAR EAGLE!!!

hiking

Gorgeous view!

I am the first to admit that I am not the most outdoorsy or sporty person.  However, I do love hiking!  That is one of the things that we always do when we come up to Highlands.  We went yesterday to Whiteside Mountain and had the best time ever.  The view was absolutely breathtaking!  I am thankful for hiking in such a pretty place!

Thanksgiving!

If you are a reader of my blog, you know the point of it is for me to come up with one thing I am thankful for every day for a year.  Currently, this is post 197, but there are several posts that name a few days worth in it, so I have come up with closer to the 205-210 range.  I must say, doing this has really caused me to think some days.  It is easy to name the people you are thankful for, etc but you can't come up with 365 "big" things like that, so you really have to dig deep some days and come up with seemingly insignificant things, like certain foods, etc.  Those things sounds kind of silly, but in reality, it shows us just how much we have to be thankful for- all of the indulgences we are afforded in our lives that others in other parts of the world may not have.  Stop and think for a moment about just how blessed you are in your life.

I am thankful for Thanksgiving, to get to spend time with family, and even more to have a reason to think about our blessings and be thankful for them.

Today, take some time to tell your loved ones that you are thankful for them! 

Happy Turkey Day!!  Gobble, gobble! :)

Highlands

One of my favorite places ever is HIghlands, NC.  It is a precious mountain town with an adorable downtown area with restaurants and stores to wander in and out of.  There are some great hiking trails, and of course the beautiful Old Edwards Inn (If I had known about it 3 years ago, Rich and I TOTALLY would have gotten married there!)
Richie and I split our Thanksgivings with our families by spending the holiday with one family each year and then rotating.  My favorite part of Thanksgiving is the day itself; cooking together, watching the Macy's parade, and then eating. Because of that, we decided to rotate rather than try to fit in two meals in one day every year, and I must say, it has worked really well for us. 
Since all of my cousins and extended family live far away and it is just the 6 of us (my parents, Richie and I, and Robbie and Laura), my parents have started the tradition of going to Highlands and renting a cabin for Thanksgiving.  We get to make our dinner still and then enjoy the perks of this cute town, like the Christmas Tree Lighting that they have downtown.

I am thankful for Highlands and for the memories that we have made here and will (hopefully!) continue to make!

5 day weekend

I am so thankful for a 5 day weekend!  I absolutely adore my job, but like everyone, there are times when you just need a break.  It is such a nice breath of fresh air to be able to get away for from school for 5 days!  Especially if you're headed where I am headed... (see next post!)

"fun" days

First graders have to learn a lot nowadays.  When I think back to first grade, I remember doing crafts, playing, and learning to read.  It is amazing the things that we teach our first grade kids, and since we have such a strenuous curriculum, it doesn't leave much time for the "fun fluff".  That's why I love short weeks like this before a break.  With only two days, we won't have a spelling test and reading test this week.  I have several kids out, so I don't want to start our new math unit without them.  Instead, we have time to have fun!  I still keep it structured because if not, it can quickly escalate to "out of control" mode.  However, we turn Disney Pandora on, and do turkey crafts and Thanksgiving word searches and all the fun things we never have time to do otherwise.  I am thankful for being able to take a couple of days to have fun with my kids!

syrup in oatmeal

I think oatmeal is one of those foods people either love or hate.  I love it.  It is so warm and creamy and perfect on a cool, rainy morning like today was.  I am going to let you in on a secret that takes oatmeal from yummy to utterly fabulous.  Maple syrup.  Make your oatmeal as normal and then instead of adding butter, pour in a tiny bit of maple syrup and stir it in...mmmmmmm!  I am thankful for this yummy concoction that it pretty much my staple breakfast during the fall and winter. 

color express

Ok, I admit it...my hair is not my natural color...  Highlights are one of the necessary evils of most girls, but I am spoiled that I usually do not have to get them done too often.  One of the reasons is color express, a treatment they do at my hair place, Elon.  Basically, for $25, they put a quick dye on your hair for about 10 minutes that just lightens the roots and brightens the whole thing up!  I got highlights before school started in August and my roots were starteing to get a little dark, but the rest of my color still looked good.  So, I went and got a color express and voila! I extended my highlights through the holiday season!  I am thankful for this so I didn't have to pay for (or spend 2 hours at the salon!) for a full head of highlights again just yet...

sips and bites

Last night, my best friend Brittany came into town for the weekend (yay!)  Our other best friend Bryn who lives in Atl, came over and we went dinner and had a sleepover! We went to Sips which is a wine bar and tapas restaurant. It was SO yummy- we had pistachio crusted scallops, Kobe beef sliders, meza platter (different types of hummus and pita bread),  and fritters- black bean, zucchini, and corn.  All in all, delicious!   One of the coolest things there was where you could get an amount put on a card and then serve yourself "sips" (1 oz), half glasses, or full glasses and try different wines!  We had so much fun and I am thankful to have a night of wine, yummy, food and lots of laughs with my bff's! :)

stone soup!

We just finished our graphing unit in school and to finish it out, we made soup!  We graphed the ingredients and then they drew pictures of themselves and we made a pictograph on whether they like it or not.  It is always really fun and my kids LOVED the soup this year!!  I am thankful for fun activities like Stone Soup that I get to do with my kiddos.  :)

healthy teeth

I had my teeth cleaned today at the dentist, and I am thankful for healthy teeth and gums! ;)

a lesson learned from Ma :)

I am thankful for something I learned to do from my momma.  (She will probably hate me announcing this to the world!)  If time is short, I will every now and then stick my head over the sink and wash it instead of going through the whole process of a shower!  I am thankful for that little tip as it gave me a chance to hit snooze this morning! :)

Have a happy Tuesday!

more meds

So this stinkin' ear infection is not getting better... Blah!  I called the doctor and told them it had been 4 days and I had no relief.  Luckily, they called in 2 new prescriptions for me, a stronger antibiotic and a steroids (I don't typically do well on steroids, but I'm givin' it a try!).  I am thankful for these new meds that will hopefully give my poor little ear some relief!

a snuggly pup

I laid around all day Sunday since it was the perfect kind of day for it.  I am thankful that my dog Wrigley (don't worry, he will of course have his own post before the year is over!) is soooooo snuggly!  My (and his!) favorite thing on a lazy Sunday is for my to curl up on one end of the couch and him curled up at the opposite end. 

pumpkin cupcakes- and war eagle!

It's game day!!  Through college, the Auburn vs. UGA was always a huge game for me for several reasons.  For starters, Athens is only a 3 hour straight shot drive from Auburn so it's a very easy away game to go to. Having grown up in Atlanta, I had several friends who went to UGA, plus the guy I dated most of college went there, so that was always one of the games I looked the most forward to!  Today, we are going over to our friends Katie and Kyle's house who went to UGA!  I made the yummiest pumpkin cupcakes to take over there, which will be the perfect addition since they are orange!!

I am thankful for my yummy pumpkin cupcakes and for Auburn game day! WAAAAAR EAGLE!  Beat the Dawgs! :)

For pumpkin cupcakes, all I did was mix a box of white cake mix with a can of pumpkin puree (what you use to make pumpkin pie).  I added a little vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, and brown sugar to sweeten it up a tad.  At the last minute, I threw in some chocolate chips, because everyone knows that pumpkin+chocolate=delicious!  I baked them at 350 for 20 min and then sprinkled some powdered sugar on top! Yum, yum!

date night!

Richie and I had a "date night" last night.  We went to historic Roswell (which is like my favorite area ever, plus we got married there!!) and went to Salt for dinner.  It was sooo yummy!  We eat dinner together every night obviously, but there is something so much more fun about getting all cute and enjoying a yummy dinner and glass of wine with my hubby!  After dinner, we ran some errands (yes, even on date night, we are still and old married couple- and I love it!)  I am thankful for date nights with my wonderful husband!

antibiotics

I have an ear infection.  They are so not fun to get as an adult- I don't remember them making your ear and throat hurt SO bad!!  I am thankful for the antibiotics that will make me start feeling better- and hopefully soon!!

new recipes

I feel like I get in a cooking rut where I make the same thing over and over again, so I am thankful for new recipes that I find!  I found this one from Pinterest and it is a Chicken Parmesan Pie.  Yes, it is as yummy as it sounds.  My husband (who is a p-i-c-k-y eater) and I both loved it and it was SUPER easy! 



The finished product! Yum, yum



appreciation

I do my job because I absolutely adore what I do, however it is always nice to feel appreciated.  Yesterday, was definitely one of those days!  I walked my kids to lunch and had my leftovers with me that I was about to heat up for lunch when a parent of one of my students came in the cafeteria.  She had a Chick-Fil-A salad and Diet Dr Pepper for me for lunch as a total surprise!  If you are reading this and have kids, little gestures like that can absolutely make your child's teachers day!  It just made me feel so appreciated and happy!  Then I went to check my mailbox and had a note from my sweet CST (Curriculum Support Teacher for all you non-teachers) just telling me how much she had enjoyed being in my room that morning and what a great job she thought I was doing.  Again, such a simple gesture that went a long way with me. 

I am thankful for feeling very loved and appreciated at my job yesterday! :)

Lindsey

My cousin Lindsey and I are 10 months apart and have always been really close, especially since for the first 8 years of my life, we lived down the street from each other.  I have so many fun memories of growing up with her (oh geez, the home videos!) and the memories we have made as we have gotten older, such as her being in my wedding.



Lindsey and  me at a ballet recital

 She and her husband live in Portland, so I was SO excited to get to see them and spend some time with them this weekend since it doesn't happen as often.  A very exciting thing that is happening with her is....she is pregnant!!  Since we were all together, we decided to throw a surprise baby shower for her in the mountains.  It was so much fun and she was truly shocked!



This is the diaper cake I made for her

I am so thankful to have grown up with a cousin who has also been a best friend!   

"disconnected"

While we were in the mountains from Friday-Monday (I promise, I am almost done with the mountain blog posts!), we were literally pretty much cut off from "civilization."  Nobody had cell phone service and we didn't have internet.  In a time where we are so dependant on our technology, it was nice to have an escape for 4 days where I couldn't even think about checking emails or be distracted by phone calls or text messages.  It's good for your soul to get away from it all every now and then and I am thankful that I had the chance to be "disconnected" this past weekend and focus on spending time with my family!

a moment- book, mountains, peace :)

While we were in the mountains this weekend, I had a moment where I stopped and thought to myself, "This is what I am going to blog about being thankful for..."  I was sitting next to my aunt in chairs overlooking the lake.  We were both bundled up in our sweaters and had our books in hand.  Every now and then we would stop and talk about something, but we were both so content sitting in the beautiful setting reading.  It was one of those moments we all have where everything seems so peaceful and we need to just stop and count our blessings.  Ahhhhh.... :)

we are family

We went to the mountains this weekend with my mom's side of the family- aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.  We had the absolute best time while we were there.  There was a lot of eating (I am still full!!), game playing, and just catching up.  One of my favorite things about my family is that even though we are all in different places (Memphis, Charlotte, Atlanta, Washington DC, and Portland!), everytime we are together it's like we all still live down the street from each other.  I am so blessed to have grown up into such a tight knit, close, and loving family and I am so incredibly thankful to have each of them in my life.

technology in the classroom

I promise I am not a technology "dork", but I went to the Georgia Educator's Technology Conference on Friday and it was really cool!  I am thankful for all the technology that I have in my classroom and how it benefits my students!  Just to give you an idea of my "high-tech" classroom, I am an inspired classroom so I have 5 desktop computers plus my laptop, a Promethean board (interactive whiteboard), and an IPad!  Pretty cool, huh?? 

Emily

I am thankful for for my friend and co-worker Emily!  She is one of the most thoughtful people I know and will do anything for anyone in her life.  I had a horrible migraine today at school and she took my kids for the entire afternoon so I could go home!  I am so blessed to have her in my life!!

girl time

I am convinced that as we become adults, we revert back to 6th grade boys and girls.  I think it is when you are married and live together, you don't have that same need to cling to one another when you are out like when you are dating.  You enjoy time with friends when you are out because you know that you are with your spouse every other night.  Last night was the perfect example.  We hang out with a group of couples, and all got together last night.  By that, I mean that the guys went to Erwoods (a restaurant) and played trivia and drank beer, while the girls went to a house,drank wine and talked about Kim K's divorce! Haha :) 

I am very thankful for our friends and for "girl time". 

down time

Tuesday was a looooong day.  Our administration has been doing weekly walk-throughs (basically mini-observations) and this week all the teachers were doing them in different classes.  I was asked if they could come into my classroom to do them, so I stayed at school really late (It was after 6 when I left!), then I had to go buy diapers and go home to finish making a diaper cake!  On top of that, Tuesday was my no specials day so I had been with my kids ALL day long with no break!  I got home, turned on the tv and relaxed while finishing the diaper cake.  I am thankful for down time after a long day!

happy halloween!

I am thankful for my wonderful, quiet Halloween at home with my husband.  I had pot roast cooking on the crock pot all day, so I didn't have to make dinner when I got home (which is always a plus!)  We ate dinner, had a drink, and waited on the (few) trick or treaters that we had! All in all, a pretty nice evening!

I just had to share this picture of my glass of wine from tonight.  Yes, I am still the nerd who drinks from the "Bride" wineglass my MOH Brittany made for me! 

What can I say, it makes me smile. :)

mini ham and swiss poppy seed sandwiches

One of my favorite things my mom would make for us growing up were these delicious ham and swiss sandwiches.  We would always have them once it started getting cool out and eat them alongside soup.  I made them for Richie when we first got married and they quicky became one of his favorites too.  They are super easy and super yummy!

They no longer carry the rolls you use, so any time of pre-made (not frozen) dinner rolls will work.  I use potato rolls.  Cut the rolls in half and put a mayo-mustard mix on both sides of the bread.  Put thinly sliced ham and baby swiss on each sandwich.  Melt better and spread on the tops of all the sandwiches.  Sprinkle poppy seeds on top of the melted butter.  Bake at 350 for about 7-10 minutes.

I am thankful for these yummy sandwiches from my childhood!  I hope you enjoy them as well!

pretty perfect Saturday

One of my best friend's Jenna and her boyfriend (and one of Richie's best friends) Michael stayed with us Friday night.  Saturday morning, Jenna and I got up and headed over to J Christophers for brunch.  It was soooo yummy!  I had a pumpkin pie cappuccino ( Jenna is a frequent blog reader and laughed when I ordered it since she has seen my love of Fall things through recent posts!) and a skillet with turkey sausage, mushroom, and goat cheese- delicious!

Soooooo yummy

After brunch, we went back to my house and our friends Nate and Bryn came over to hang out for a while.  Then we went to my brother and sister-in-laws house for a Halloween party.  Laura did the cutest job on it- the house was all decked out for Halloween, there was a candy table, and we had Richie's aunts white chicken chili (best ever) and s'mores over the fire with ghost peeps!  We also picked up a couple of bottles of Free Spirit which is a beer that was brewed in memory of Brittany Fox Watts. 

All in all, it was a pretty great Saturday- minus poor little Tripp falling and having to go get stitches! 

I am thankful for days filled with friends and fun! (Wow...I really am cheesy!)

Candy fractions

We did the most fun math activity today. We are finishing up our fraction unit and did candy fractions today using candy corn and pumpkin candies. We did fractions of a set with them and my kids had the best time. I am so thankful for my job and for fun activities with my kiddos!

Pumpkin Spice Latte

I had the most delicious pumpkin spice latte (there I go again with fall stuff! I swear I do enjoy the rest of the year as well!) before school on Thursday. I looooooooove pumpkin spice lattes and was thankful for that wonderful start to my morning!

people who love my dog :)

I took my precious dog (yes, I am completely obsessed with him and he will be a post before the year is up) Wrigley to our kickball game on Wednesday. I was told that I didn't have to play (phew!), so I decided to bring the Wrigglebug to enjoy some fresh air and fun. He had a fabulous time there and made a friend! There was a lady there set up in an RV for a dog agility contest and she LOVED Wrigley! She took pictures of him so her husband could see "how cute he was" and kept giving him treats the whole time we were there. She even gave him a rope toy to take home! Sounds so silly, but it made me smile seeing someone enjoy my sweet Wrigleypup so much! I am thankful for that lady appreciating my dog!

Fall candles

I got "boo'ed" at school this week and in it was one of my favorite things...a fall scented candle! I am obsessed with candles, and given my love for all things autumn- those scents are of course my favorites! I am thankful for my wonderful new pumpkin candle and for being "boo'ed". So if you are the one who gave it to me and are reading this... Thank you!!!

oj

I have been fighting a cold/allergies, etc, so this morning I stopped on the way to work for some orange juice.  For some reason, when I am feeling crummy oj always makes me feel better.  I am thankful for orange juice and for feeling slightly better!

chalkboard

For part of my birthday present, I got the most adorable chalkboard.  I have been wanting one to hang in my kitchen so I can write cute messages, leave notes for Richie, etc. on it.  It came in last week and I LOVE it! 
Here is a picture of it with my football message on it... :)

funny moments

On our way home from Tuscaloosa yesterday, we stopped at a Wendy's to use the restroom.  My sister-in-law went in to the stall and came out dying laughing and telling me to come look at something.  Someone had left their (not so tiny) panties on the toilet paper dispenser!  GROSS!  We cracked up at it though and I had to get a picture!  I am thankful for funny moments that make you laugh and laugh!

How gross!!

tailgate food

It's my favorite time of year- Fall and Football Season!  We went to Tuscaloosa (I know, I know- I was being a good wife though!) for the Alabama vs. TN game.  While the Vols unfortunately lost, we had a great time!  One of my favorite things about football season is the tailgate food!  I am thankful for yummy tailgate food and spending a beautiful day outside with family and friends!

purse!

As I have mentioned befor on here, I nanny after school 3 days a week.  It is a GREAT "after-school" job, but it does tend to take up a lot of my time.  I have been wanting a new purse and recently decided I would treat myself and splurge with my babysitting money.

I found this beautiful Tory Burch purse on ebay and fell in love.  Luckily, it was a "buy it now" item, so I didn't have to wait around to see if I won it. (Patience is NOT one of my virtues.  Except when it comes to my students of course!)

I am thankful for my new, wonderful purse!!!

Isn't it pretty??

Vegetable Beef Stew

It is cold and nasty out, which means it is time for....vegetable beef stew!!  Here is my super-simple recipe:

Brown your beef (you can usually buy it already chopped for stew).  If you keep it in skillet a little longer, it will be even more tender.

Put beef, 2 cans of tomato sauce (or 4 mini cans like I did), large can of Veg-All, chopped potatoes, and any other veggies you want.  I usually add an extra can of green beans, lima beans, and corn to mine.  Add any water that it may also need.  I usually make mine in my dutch oven, but since we have kickball tonight, I am putting it in the crock pot.

Cook for about 1-2 hours depending on how "done" you want all your veggies to be. 

Enjoy!!

I am thankful for one of my favorite comfort foods- vegetable beef stew!

Inspiration

There is a family at my school that I have been close to since my first year at Creek View. The mom has breast cancer in this family devastatingly has breast cancer. This woman is one of the kindest, most Godly women I have ever met.  She has 4 children in elementary school, is battling this horrible disease, and instead of moping and wallowing like so many of us do with our "problems", she is praising her Lord and Savior.

I got an update from her caring bridge page today and it truly just made me stop and think about how blessed I am in my life.  I am making it my goal to stop and count my blessings instead of all the things that are "wrong" and I encourage you to do the same!

Here is an excerpt from her post along with a link to a beautiful song.  Enjoy!

My prayer for you is that you stop & take time today to Thank God for what He has given you & how He's blessed your lives! There is a beautiful song called "Blessings" by Laura Story that many of you may have heard. Please take a moment to listen to or watch this and think about your day and all the ways there may be "hidden blessings". God is so good and He can and will use Rain, tears, trials, storms and so much more to draw us closer to Him.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CSVqHcdhXQ&feature=youtube_gdata_player

conference day!

I am thankful for the conference day that I had today!  While I don't always enjoy conferences, I do LOVE being able to tell parents how wonderful their child is and/or how far they have already.  I got to do a lot of that today which made up for the few conferences I had in which I didn't get to talk about such pleasant things...  The good news is, I am almost done with all of them!  I only have 3 left- woo hoo!!

sleeping in

Since we had such a long day yesterday- up early, in the sun all day, and a total of 7 hours in the car (yuck!), I was pretty tired.  Combine that with a VERY long week and I was flat out exhausted.  I did something that I have not done in a very, very long time- slept until 10:30! It felt absolutely wonderful- and it felt even better to watch some tv in bed after sleeping that late! I am thankful for sleeping in and getting the rest my body so greatly needed!  Happy Sunday y'all!

weagle weagle war dam eagle rocky top vols

Last football season, Richie coined this phrase "Weagle Weagle, War Damn Eagle, Rocky Top Vols" to combine both of our schools- Auburn (woo!) and Tennessee (I will resist the urge and not write "boo!" here).  Since our friends Nate and Bryn are in the same boat as we are, we joked around all last football season saying it, and it just kinda stuck. :) I am thankful for the day I had yesterday.  We woke up bright and early (5:30 am on a Saturday!!) and headed to Knoxville.  We spent all day tailgating, eating, and drinkin' a few adult beverages with friends.  Bryn and I stayed at the tailgate while everyone went to the game and watched it on tv at the tailgate.  After the game, Richie and I headed back to Atlanta, with his dad driving us :).  We listened to Auburn on the radio and we had a great game and beat Florida! War Eagle!  Besides TN's loss, it was all in all a pretty perfect fall day!

harvest moon

Did anyone else see the moon tonight??? Holy cow- it is GORGEOUS!  It is huge, golden/yellow, and so low to the ground.  Another reason October is my favorite month.  I am thankful for this beautiful harvest moon- seriously I am just in awe of it. 

CAbi

For those of you who may not know me (which I assume most of my blog readers do!), I used to sell the wonderful clothing line, CAbi.  They are the cutest and best quality clothes, plus you get to shop at home with friends while drinking wine!  Even though I know longer sell CAbi, I still have my party every season to stock up on the clothes.  I had my party Thurdsday night and it was so much fun! I am thankful for my cute CAbi clothes and for how much fun I always have with my friends at the party!

flu-less season

I will be the first to admit that I am a huge baby when it comes to shots and things of that nature! So when I saw the email that we could sign up to get flu shots (for free) after school, I quickly hit "delete".  However, today at lunch I completely got peer pressured into it and got my flu shot this afternoon.  It was actually completely painless, over in a second, free, and I didnt have to go to the dr's office to get it!  Plus, it will hoepfully keep me from getting the flu!  All in all, I think it was a pretty good decision!

1/2 day planning

Our administration was so kind and gave each grade level a 1/2 duty day so we could collaborate and/or get anything done that we need to now that we are at the end of the first 9 weeks of school!  We had ours Wednesday morning and we did our 7 step plans for our upcoming unit in math and I got (almost) all of my conference notes done! Hoorah!

cupcakes

We went to dinner on Tuesday night as our bible study and LJ surprised me with yummy Gigi's cupcakes for my birthday! I am thankful for their deliciousness, plus a sweet thoughtful friend. :)

birthday!

Today is my birthday (I'm now 28- officially upper 20's) and it has been such a great day!  I had a great day at school- my kids all made me a million cards and such and I got some really pretty flowers too!
Then, a co-worker made the most delicious homemade tiramisu cake (he goes to pastry school during the summers so it was divine), then a parent brought in an adorable cake and a Happy Birthday sign for the kids to have a "party."



Doesn't this look amazing?




Isn't this cake adorable??





At my class "birthday party"

  After school, I went and had a massage (the last in the series my in-laws gave me for Christmas) and decided while I was there to add on a cranberry and pomegranate facial- heavenly!  I came home, got in my pj's and Richie brought home dinner because I was oily from my massage and didn't feel like going out (plus we went out to dinner with my family last night to celebrate) and opened gifts!  All in all, a pretty great start to 28!  I am thankful for the wonderful birthday I had today and for the start of a new year- I have a feeling 28 is going to be great!

Pink roses from my sweet hubby

short hair!

I try so hard to grow my hair long, but it just always gets to a point where I realize I am meant to be a short hair girl.  I had finally gotten to the point where I realized that again, so yesterday I got my hair chopped off!  I am thankful to have short hair again for the low-maintance it requires! :)  Happy Sunday y'all!

Murder Mystery Party

My birthday is tomorrow so my wonderful husband had the fabulous idea to have some couples over for a Murder Mystery Party for my birthday!  We had it on Friday night and it was a trailer park themed mystery!  It was so much fun...I was suprised that everyone got into it (even the guys) and played along.  We went with the trailer park theme and had hot dogs, chili, tater tots and Fritos for dinner with Moon Pies for dessert.



Best if you open the package and heat in microwave for 10 seconds...MMM!

We had real beverages but had to have some you'd find in the trailer park (notice the Pabst Blue Ribbon) and no trailer park is complete without big, fat koozies!



Everyone came in character and we got clues throughout the night with people to question and what we remembered from the night of the murder.  I was shocked to find out at the end that Bryn was the murderer!

I am so thankful for my unique and fun birthday party and for all my wonderful friends that were able to come!  I am very blessed. :)



Richie and I in character (AKA Lula Belle Larcen and Big Hoss Beaver) Doesn't his hair look like Wayne Newton??)



DIY "J" Project

I am SO not crafty...let's just get that out there from the start. However, I have all these aspirations to be!  My friend Emily could be Martha Stewart and makes all these adorable things.  She made an M wrapped in twine for our friend Lacey and hung it in a frame.  I was inspired, but decided to make a J to hang on my front door.  After I lot of re-do's, glue, and time I finally finshed my first cute DIY project (besides minor ones like gluing ribbons on pumpkins).  Here is the final product:

I am thankful for my adorable J that I made all by myself! :)

New kitchen table decorations

One of the reasons I was so busy this week was that I am re-decorating some parts of my house (with my mom's help!) One of the things I changed was the placemats, etc on my kitchen table. 



Fall makeover!



"Defying Gravity"

If you don't recognize the title to this post, it means you have not had the pleasure of seeing "Wicked" yet.  Do yourself a favor- and go see it next time it comes to your city!! 
One of my best friends LJ (see my post about her here) took me to go see it with her mom, her mom's friend, her aunt, and her aunt's friend.  We had so much fun- dinner at Tuk Tuk and then Wicked!
This was my third time seeing it (once in Chicago and twice now in Atl) and I love it even more every time I see it.  If I could name a dream role of mine, it would absolutely be to play Glinda (and as my mom says, it really wouldn't take too much acting! haha)
I am thankful that I got to see Wicked again (I still have all the songs in my head!) and for the wonderful time that we had on Tuesday night! Thanks Linds and Mrs J for taking me!!

Fun, busy Week!

I have not blogged almost all week, so I have a lot of making up to do today!  I have 6 posts that I need to do! Goodness!

I thrive on being busy.  Strange, I know, but I love having lots to do.  I love being around family and friends and plus, it makes me appreciate down time when I do have it!

I am thankful for the wonderfully fun, busy week I have had!  My next few posts will be about some of the things I did!

Italian Chicken Soup

I mentioned in my "October" post, how much I love autumn.  One of the things I love best is delicious, homemade soup.  I feel like I wear out my usual soups- chili, chicken brunswick stew, vegetable beef, chicken noodle, so I wanted to find something yummy and different for dinner last night.  I made Italian Chicken Soup and it was soooo delicious!  My mom had been helping me around the house, so I made the soup while she was over and then my dad came over as well and the four of us (mom, dad, Richie, and I) enjoyed yummy soup!  Then, I had leftovers for lunch today (and still more leftovers in my fridge...) I am thankful for my new fall soup recipe that I thoroughly enjoyed last night and today!

I take absolutely no credit for coming up with the recipe.  Here it is:   Italian Chicken Soup Especially delicious with warm ciabatta bread.

Shower Soothers- I found them!

As a teacher of young children, it is a given that you will get sick during the year.  You build up an immunity to it so that you aren't sick every time one of your kids is, but when you are around that many germs, it is bound to happen.  Well this morning, I woke up with my first cold/sinus of the school year.  Nonstop sneezing, running nose, sore throats, chills, all the loveliness that goes along with it.  Not fun.
I found a product a few years ago called Shower Soothers that you put at the bottom of your shower and it basically turns your shower into a vicks vapor rub steam room...amazing when you can't breathe.  I havent been able to find them ever since that first time, but that is all I could think about today.  I called the CVS near me and asked if they carried it, which they did not- BUT they carry a CVS brand which is even better because it's cheaper!  My wonderful, wonderful husband went and got it for me and as soon as he returned, I took a long, hot, menthal shower! Now I am in my pjs with a cup of hot tea about to crawl into bed.. perfection.  Night!

This is the generic version

Crabapple Craft Fair

Yesterday my mom,Laura and I went to the Crabapple Craft Fair.  I was honestly expecting homemade soaps, quilts, and that type of merchandise, but they actually had some really cute booths! I got the cutest sign there that I hung in my entry way right before you get into my den.


The whole sign




The top close up




The bottom close up

 I am thankful for my adorable new sign and for the reminder it will give me every time I walk by it. :)

October!

October is, without a doubt, my favorite month! My favorite things about October are:
*the air starts getting cool so you wear jackets and boots (my favorite kind of clothing!)
*the leaves change colors and it is so beautiful outside
*you can open the sunroof (I am a sunroof-aholic)
*football season (War Eagle!)
*the sky is bluer than any other time of the year (this actual is true!)
*my birthday!!!

So far, October is starting on a good note! On the 1st I went to the Crabapple Craft Fair with my mom and sister-in-law Laura (see my next post!) and then Richie and I and Robbie and Laura went to a surprise 30th party for some of our friends Kim and John.  Today, my mom and I went shopping and re-did some things around my house and then I made homemade soup and my dad came and joined Richie, my mom, and I for dinner!   Hope your October is off to a nice start as well!

Becca Ann :)

Last night, I had dinner with my friend Rebecca.  We have been best friends since we met in Reading class in 7th grade at Northwestern Middle School.  We went to different high schools freshmen-junior year, but stayed best friends and when I transferred to Milton my senior year, we were voted "Class Inseparables" senior superlative. We went to different colleges, but are both in Atlanta now...oh and she was maid of honor in my wedding as well. :)
   Rebes knows the ins and outs of my life (from childhood until now), all my secrets (both good and bad!), and the majority of my thoughts for the past 15 years.  We have the kind of friendship where we can go without talking, but then see each other and pick from back up right where we left off.  It is the kind of friendship where I can completely be myself-  she knew me with braces and bangs and is still my friend! Oh, and I did totally throw up on her one time in the car and still, we are friends... That's loyalty! 
I am thankful for the friendship we had as girls growing up and for what our friendship has formed into now that we are adults.  It is so good for your soul to have lifetime friends.

And yes, Coach White- you were wrong back in the 8th grade.... we ARE still friends. :)

dvr

  Anyone who knows me knows that I tend to stay pretty busy and hardly ever watch the tv shows I like when they are actually on tv- except for the ones Richie and I watch together.  I don't even remember what i used to do before we had dvr...actually rewind, I do.  I would put a tape in the vcr and turn on my tv to the channel I wanted and start recording in order to record the show I wanted to watch.  Wow, technology is a-m-a-z-i-n-g! I am thanful to have shows recorded so I can go back and watch them when I have a free moment (see my old post about loving watching tv on Saturday mornings).  Well, I am off to kickball! Have a great Wednesday night! 

hubby's home

I forgot to blog last night, but I was very thankful to have my sweet husband back home from his business trip!  The house is way too quiet when it's just Wriggles and I. :)

home alone

I hate when Richie is gone, so when he travels for work, I feel I have to find the positive in it. :)  I am a pretty independant person (which is probably shocking to hear for those who knew me in high school when I was absolutely not  independant!) and I do enjoy my alone time (although I just prefer having about 30 minutes of it while my husband is downstairs or upstairs doing something or heading home from work- not when the house is completely empty all night!)  So, today I am thankful for an empty house so I can go home from babysitting, eat dinner, and curl up in bed with the Wriggle bug and a good book or tv.  And on the plus side, my hubby will be home tomorrow! :)

early to bed, early to rise...

Richie is out of town and I had a migraine last night, so I was in bed (not just laying in bed watching tv, but in bed going to sleep!) by 8:30.  I woke up at 5:30 wide awake and ready to take on the day!  I am thankful for the chance to get to bed early and get some extra sleep to prepare myself for the week!

Cable, Internet, Phone...oh my!

After a week of being cut off from the world, we finally are back up and running! Woo hoo!  I plan to catch up on my shows I missed (of course, it is on my computer since our cable didnt record anything) today while tackling all my household chores that need to be done!  Happy Saturday!

Mini burger-fries

My sister-in-law says I don't post enough recipes, so here is one for you all! :)  I am thankful for this adorable little appetizer recipe I found!

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and bake frozen waffle fries according to package.  While they are cooking, make ground beef mixture (I used ground beef, worcestershire sauce, and a mesquite grill seasoning). Form mini patties (about 1-2 tbsp in size) and cook in a skillet on the stove.  When the fries are done, take them out and set the oven to Broil.  On each fry, put a mini burger, a 1/4 of cheddar cheese (I also did some provolone) and a slice of a cherry tomato (I also did some without tomatoes).  Place fry concoctions back in the oven to broil for about 4 minutes or until cheese is melted.  You can serve with pickles, ketchup, and mustard or just plain.  They are adorable and delicious!

J-Dawg

One of my best friends Jenna is currently in Myrtle Beach with her boyfriend Michael.  On Thursday night, I had the pleasure of having her come stay with me to break up the long trip from Birmingham to Myrtle Beach.  We drank wine, ate dinner, watched dvds (since our cable was out!), and just chatted.  It was so nice to get to spend some time with her since it is so rare that it's just the two of us instead of our group of friends. 
Jenna and I have been friends since we were freshmen in college and she is truly one of a kind (in a good way!)  I know that if I want the truth about something (wther it be an outifit choice or a situation I am trying to figure out) that she will always give me her honest opinion. (Seriously everyone should have someone in their life who will be completely honest with them!) She is also a friend who I can have so much fun with, but at the same time, we are just as content sitting on the couch drinking wine together...especially if there is a massage train added in the mix! :)  One of the things that I love the most about Jenna (and honestly, sometimes envy) is her strength.  She has shown me what it truly means to hold it together even when you should be falling apart.  She is a beautiful, smart (recent nursing grad!), strong, and caring person and I am so blessed to have her as a best friend! 
Love you J-Dawg! :)

Cooking Tips

First, let me apologize for my absence...we have been without phone, Internet, and cable all week- SO annoying!  I can blog via my phone, but it is much easier to on the computer, so I decided to wait.  :)  So I will be doing Wed, Thur, Fri, and today's blog posts this morning.

I went with my mom on Wednesday to one of my favorite restaurants Anna Lee's (see my post about it here)
for a "Tips of the Trade" cooking class.  If you haven't realized, we love going to cooking classes together.  This particular class was dinner, wine, and watching and learning "cooking tips".  The food was delicious, we got some yummy recipes, and learned lots of neat things!

Here are some of my favorite things I learned:
-Instead of using Pam to grease pan, keep a shaving brush in a jar with oil in it.  You can use it to grease anything!
-If you are measuring something sticky (peanut butter, molasses, etc), use said shaving bread to spread a little oil in your measuring cup before you measure you "sticky stuff" and it will slide right out!
-To make perfect crust on bread, dip it in water (the whole thing- unless it is already sliced) and then bake at 350 for 15 minutes.  It gives you absolutely perfect outside crust- really good on Ciabatta bread.  If it is already sliced, spray it with a spray bottle instead of dunking.

Yum, yum, yum!

Bible Study at my house!

I am so sleepy today, so I am thankful to have bible study meeting at my house tonight so I don't have to go any where and will alreayd be home when we are done.  The little things in life... ;)

acts of kindness by strangers

Yesterday afternoon I was beyond frazzled.  I was on my way to have a gall bladder ultrasound and had nothing to eat or drink for 8 hours so I was just a little grumpy to begin with.  Then on my way to St Joseph's, I was talking to my dad on the phone and missed my exit.  That meant I had to go through the toll booth, get off at Lenox, go back to the toll booth and then get off at my exit, get to the hospital, park and then get into the office all in 10 minutes.  My mom called as soon as I realized all this so I was frantically griping and trying to figure out if I even had money for the toll!  When I pulled up to the cashier, the lady dropped 50 cents in and told me that the person in front of me had paid for my toll.  Even though I was still thirsty and running late, I got a smile on my face and instantly felt some of that annoyance lift off me.  It just makes you realize that you never know what kind of day a stranger might be having and what a difference a simple act can make on their day!

night time showers

I am typically a shower-in-the-morning type of person, but just took a shower tonight so save some time in the morning and be able to sleep in some.  There is something just so relaxing about taking a hot shower and then getting into your pjs.  It reminds me of childhood- now only if Richie would dry my hair like my mom used to do!  I am so cozy right now in my pj's and my hair still wet and am about to crawl under my covers and watch The Emmy's!  Night!

perfect start to a Saturday

This morning I slept in until 8:30 (when you wake up at 5:30 every day, 8:30 IS sleeping in!).  Then I got up, changed clothes and took my dog Wrigley for a run in the wonderful, crisp air (ahh- it feels like Fall).  We came back, got ourselves some water, did a few chores that needed to be done (empty dishwasher, change table setting to Fall), then put some cinnamon rolls in the oven- everyone needs a Saturday indulgence every now and then...  :)  Now, I am about to relax with a cup of coffee (Caramel Drizzle- it's a new Keurig flavor with Light Vanilla Soy milk and a sprinkling of connamon= delicious) with my cinnamon roll on this wonderful Saturday morning.  In a little bit, I will shower and get ready before our friends come over, but for now, I am going to just sit and enjoy.  Happy Saturday!  War Eagle!!

"old married" Friday nights

Richie and I have been so busy and go-go-go the past few weeks (and weekends!), that it is so nice to have a normal weekend at home and be an "old married" couple on a Friday night.   I made pasta salad and some dips for tomorrow (we are having some people over to watch football , then we went to Hudson Grille for dinner, and then ran by Target to pick up a few things, and now getting in bed to watch some tv and go to sleep early.  I am sure it sounds miserably boring to most for a Friday night, but it has been heavenly to me! :)  Hope you are doing whatever sounds good to you this Friday- whether it is going out and having a great time or spending some quality time with someone you love and catching up on sleep! Night!

TGITH

Thank Goodness It's Thursday Night! :)  This week has been sooooooo long (just got home from Curriculum Night and then dinner with co-workers) and needless to say, I am exhausted after this week!  I am thnakful it is Thursday night which means tomorrow is Friday! Woo hoo!!  Night y'all!

Quick dinner with hubs

Man, has this week been crazy! I babysat until 7:30 Monday, babysit Tue and then had bible study, and am still babysitting (blogging from my phone in soccer fields parking lot) right now. Luckily though, I dropped both kids at soccer at 7:15 and didn't have to pick them up until 9 so I was able to go home and still eat dinner and spend a little bit of time with my sweet hubs before heading back to get them! Kids getting in car, better go!

Fall shows!

I am thankful for the fall tv lineup to be starting up again! My shows I watch in the fall (not counting ones like The closer that are about to end) are: Desperate Housewives, Brothers and Sisters, Gossip Girl, 90210 (yes I'm still a teeny bopper at heart), Modern Family, The Office, Vampire Diaries, Parenthood... Goodness I have a lot of tv shows! My favorite thing though is dvring all of them and then waking up early on Saturday morning and curling up on the couch with a cup of coffee and a blanket and watching them. Ahh, sounds perfect! What shows do you watch? Do I need to add any new ones? :)

well rested Monday morning

I am a little behind, so I'm going back to Monday for this post! I am thankful for sleeping in on Sunday and then getting to bed early that night to make for a well rested Monday morning!

Proud to be an American

Ten years ago today, I was a senior in high school.  I walked into Milton after coming from peer mentorship and heard that a plane had crashed into a building from my friends as we talked while walking down the halls.  I went into Coach Allen's class and the tv was on.  I remember us all staring at the screen as the newscaster was confirming what I had just heard.  I remember even more so, being horrified as I watched the second plane crash into the tower while we watched the coverage live and even at 18 years old, knowing in the back of my mind that our world would never be the same.  I hope we all take a moment today to remember all the men and women who were killed in those buildings and on all the planes that day.  I hope we remember the brave men and women who risked their own lives to go in and try to save others.  I hope we feel that same surge of pride for our country like we all did in the days, weeks, and months following
9-11-01.  May we always be proud to be Americans and respect the policemen and firefighters who protect us as well as all the servicemen and women who fight daily for our freedom.  God bless America.