ohh happy day!

Every day on a calendar is special to someone. You may not know them and they you, but somewhere in the world each day means the world to someone. Today is a very special day to my family. It is a day that is shared by three irreplaceable people. Today is Beth's birthday and Memaw & Pepaw's Anniversary.

There are influences in everyone's lives that makes them the person that they are. I have grown my whole life striving to more like my sister. She is by far the most beautiful person I have ever met, both outside and in. Within seconds of meeting her, she will bombard you with questions, asking you another one before you have answered the first. She will leave you with headache from all of the knowledge she tried to pull out of your head in such a short time. But I promise you, she will leave a lasting impression on you.

She is the most selfless person I have ever known. All you have to do is ask, and most of the time you don't even have to even do that. Her heart is large enough to nurture the entire state of Mississippi and then some. The best part about her, she has no idea. She does not even begin to realize the impact she has on the people's lives that she has touched. Her genuine compassion for people astonishes me. I've lived my whole life being known as "Beth Ray's little sister" and I couldn't be happier to walk in her shadow. Happy Birthday Beth!

Beth is married to her perfect counterpart. He radiates her energy, and her his love. God could not have made a more perfect pair. He makes each day better for her, and she makes each day better for me. Truly a blessing beyond to words.

Memaw & Pepaw are in heaven today celebrating their 66th anniversary together. Sixty-six years of marriage and they never missed one anniversary without the other one by their side. That is what love is all about. Happy Anniversary Memaw & Pepaw!

Twenty-nine years ago today, God blessed my parents with Beth. Sixty-six years ago today, God blessed my grandparents in their marriage. Today is the first day since my grandparents passing for my family to have celebration. Funny how that works. He is allowing my mother a happy day today. Seems He sent her my sister on this very day because he knew that years down the road she would need something to help her through this day.

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

purge on

Preach it desk calendar. This could not have come at a more perfect time. Tonight we are celebrating my sister's upcoming birthday at Wasabi. She called yesterday to tell me to not buy her a cake because she had the top of their wedding cake remade to celebrate their anniversary (which was yesterday). Seems somewhere in between her asking the baker to remake the "top" of her cake, the baker heard "the" cake and made a cake the size of a football field. Okay, not really but you get the point. More cake for me! The calendar says so.

 

You know it is going to be a good week when the zippers break on your purse. It does seem like a good excuse to be late, though. Sorry, I couldn't get the keys out of my purse. Blame it on the bag.

 

I gave up on GlamBag and started on Birchbox. It took me a week to open the box (obviously, I was super excited). I am excited now though. Maybe within the next few weeks I'll actually use one of these things. I bet if I went on a trip (hint, hint) I would have the PERFECT reason to use all these trial sized products.

 

I was patiently waiting in line behind a lady at CVS the other day easedropping and I heard her tell the cashier one to many bits of her daily life. Naturally, I started looking for something else to focus on and that is when I found this little guy. I wonder if bars knew they were this ahead of the game?

Saturday while waiting for Parlor Market to open (yes, I am permanently early to everything I do) this guy walked by with a little squirrel wrapped around his arm. How precious is this sweet baby? He even let me hold him. No worries, he has be given his shots. It's perfectly safe to drink after me.

And in saving the best for last - isn't she loovveeelllyyyyy? This is where she decided to take her afternoon nap on Sunday. I don't know if she is channeling her inner Katniss or Snow White. Either way, she has it going on. My ethereal Grecian goddess.

throwback television

I have a lot of obsessions. The majority of them I can eventually get over, but some of them are permanently encrypted to my brain. I don't know about ya'll but I seem to remember a lot of my favorite childhood TV shows. Some of them are strange, since after researching I have discovered they premiered decades before I was born. Guess I spent entirely too much time enjoying the Game Show Network. Oh well, they are my own little happy TV memories. Without further adieu, let me (re)introduce you these magically television moments.

Card Sharks - This show is definitely the biggest throwback. I'm guessing that if you went back and did a study on gambling before and after the premier of this show, you would find a large increase at the blackjack table.

Win, Lose or Draw - I'm pretty sure that current obsession with Draw Something brought this memory back to me. Ohh, the good ole days of people playing for real games in their living rooms. I'm not so sure I ever did that, but maybe your family did. I liked my Nintendo. The Noah's Ark game had all my OCD senses tingling - find the pairs, group them, throw them in arc (just like folding socks).

What Would You Do? - Marc Summers, that man was an Nickelodeon icon. I'll never forget the Wall O'Stuff. Or the millions ways they figured out to get to throw a pie in someone's face. I'm pretty sure clowns worldwide were dying of jealousy. Maybe clowns are the ones the blame for this slice of magic dying out.

Shop Till You Drop - I'm not sure if this show or Mall Madness had me dying to get my hands on credit card, but I'm positive one of them is to blame. Ohh, all the hours I spent crusing along the TV Guide channel hoping to see Shop Till You Drop on the screen. By the way, I'm still waiting on my shopping spree of running amok around a mall swapping items for better ones.

Supermarket Sweeps - I still, to this day, dream of walking in to a grocery store and getting to sprint around throwing high ticket items (turkeys, baby formula) into my buggie while trying to get the items on my list AND beat a clock. This show is by far the fondest of all my TV memories. Ohhh, how I miss you, Supermarket Sweeps. Come back to me.

living for the weekend

Because it's Tuesday and no one likes a work day, I'm going to harp a little longer on my weekend. One of my all time favorite places to eat is Parlor Market. I'm usually all about a good drink. I always know who has the best drinks everywhere (its just a thing I do) and that is how I make my decisions on where to eat. But Parlor Market has the best of EVERYTHING. I just don't know what it is about that place. If I ever become homeless, you best believe I'm camping out in the bottom of their dumpster (calling DIBS now if anyone else has this idea).

Saturday, we went there for brunch. I've never liked brunch. It feels like a fake meal to me. What is a "brunch"? I wake up starving, I can't skip breakfast. If I don't eat by lunch, I will no longer have any friends. Brunch just has never done it for me. I want my food and I want it the minute before my stomach gets hungry (patience is a virtue, I know). This one amazing restaurant changed my opinion of brunch, f o r e v e r.

You don't get to choose what you want, it is a set menu. But I promise you, they set it that way for a reason. First, they start you out with a complimentary mimosa (who says no to FREE alcohol?! and if you do, please sit next me). Boiled peanuts and house baked biscuits with fig preserves comes next. Then, they finally start you out with the brunch menu. Our appetizer was PM Benedict (the image on the right). Pure heaven. Sweet potato biscuits topped with eggs, ham and finished off with hollandaise sauce and garnished with green onions. Folks, that is just the first course.

Next on the agenda (I'm calling it an agenda because this is a happy road trip for your tastebuds) is the entree. We had a choice of either the Fried Chicken or the AM Burger. The chicken was served over a sweet potato puree topped with turnip greens. Pretty sure those turnip greens could put anyone's grandmother to shame. The burger was equally amazing topped with maple glazed bacon, white cheddar and a fried egg. Unbelievable, yall.

Last on the road trip of tastebud amazingness, dessert. I am not a sweets person. I crave salty things. If I eat a sweet, I have to counter it with something salty. Never fails. This dessert is the perfect combination of everything dessert sweet/savory, the PM Strawberry Cake. They make an amazing strawberry cake and smother (in a good way) it with a black pepper cream cheese icing. This little vixen is paired with their buttermilk ice cream and strawberry crunchbabies. As if that could get any better, I decided to add Louisiana's finest contribution to the world, Strawberry Abita. Speechless.

I know what ya'll are thinking, that meal couldn't get any better. Guess what? It does. That entire meal, minus the beer, comes in at a whopping $25. TWENTY FIVE DOLLARS. If you are sitting there judging wondering about the calories in this dish, do yourself a favor, live a little. At least when you're out trying to work it off, you'll have happy little foodie fairies dancing around in your head. It's worth every single calorie.

weekend of the egg

Goooddd morrnniinnggg to the intraweb! AHHH what a relaxing weekend I enjoyed this weekend. Friday was such an amazing day. Of course, I was about five-seconds away at any given time from straight passing out (thanks midnight hunger games). Luckily, I survived any narcoleptic tendency my brain kept trying to force on my body. Must have been all of the adrenaline still rushing through my body after watching the HG.

Now onto the recipes I promised… TADA!

The ribs were delicious but Beibs has yet to stop talking about the things he will do differently next time. Potato, Potado. I'm okay with it, more food for me!

Funny story, Beibs has also decided that in order for me to get to do the things I want (such as lunch at Newks) we have to first go for a jog. He is blackmailing me into getting in shape. MOVE OVER JILLIAN! BIEBS IS ON THE MOVE! If you happen to be driving through Belhaven and see a girl hiding behind a tree holding a white fluff, no worries, its just me "working out".

Back to the food - the breakfast pizza was to die for. Oh em gee. There just aren't words. Ya'll have to try this. Word of advice, if you are trying to get a better picture, don't cover the eggs in cheese. That wasn't written in the recipe I followed. BUT what was written in the recipe that Beibs decided to overlook - make sure the grill is on a FLAT surface. Those eggs were going straight kamikaze over the edge of the pizza into the grill. Chargrilled eggs anyone?

teenage lessons

Ohh, the Hunger Games.

Last night reminded me a lot about life. For starters, if you are going to a midnight movie, it is wise to show up before 11:50 unless you would like to sit on the front row. I can't tell you the amount of smug looks we received last night for having good seats. Lucky for us, we showed up at 9pm to stand in line. Which brings me to my next point - I was also reminded of the ripe minds all fifteen year old's possess. One little whipper snapper reminded me of this tidbit when she told me her daddy was a judge and he was going to sue me. Then she preceded to ask me how old I was and what I was doing there. Touché little one, touché. I, too, was asking myself this same question when I got home at 3 a.m. this morning. (Note to self: you need live on sleep) And on a last note, when you bring your child to movie that is based on death and war, don't get upset when she burst into tears in the middle of the movie. This sweet little girl sat next me. Bless her heart.

Now, onto the weekend plans: We are trying out new recipes on the BGE this weekend. I'm thinking smoking ribs on Saturday

and a breakfast pizza for Sunday morning. YUUMM! I'm telling ya ladies, get the man a BGE.

I'll be sure and let ya'll know how it goes. Happy weekend to you and yours!

stung by a tracker jacket

FINALLY. After waiting what feels like eons, this day has finally arrived. At midnight tonight, I will be the proud twenty-five year old pushing, shoving and jabbing elbows with hundreds of tweens to get my seat for the (insert drumroll) MIDNIGHT SHOWING OF THE HUNGER GAMES!!!!!

I must admit, I have not always been a Hunger Games fan. BUT, I can safely blame all that on the lady at Barnes & Noble who told me NOT to read the series because it was all about war. This is after she saw me walking through the store with all three books stacked in my hands. SHAME ON HER! Someone better call B&N and tell them to put a screen on their employees. Tisk, risk! When I did fall, I fell hard. Hit every branch on the HG tree on the way down, climbed back up the tree and fell again.

I read the first book from cover to cover in 7 hours. The second book I read two days later from cover to cover again. Pretty sure at his point, Joseph was ready to kill me. See what tiny little detail I accidentally left out of story is that there is slight possibility I read these books while in the car with a certain someone and failed to say a word the entire trip unless I needed to stop. It was all for the sake of my enthrallment with living vicariously through these characters. My obsessive traits kick into severe overdrive when I read. I won't stop. It's all I talk about. It's awful. Thank gah I only have to listen to myself in my head. I'd go to bed thinking about the bread boy and wake up thinking about the goat.

The moment I finished the last book I didn't know what to do. I threw the book across the room (childish, I know). I was completely dumbfounded. I 100% with every part of my body disagree with the ending. But who I am to decide the fate of those characters (I personally think I should have).

Oh, well. Tonight is just going to reignite my undying obsession to visit The Capitol and prance around with my gypsy soul, covered in rainbow colors like a unicorn just threw up on me. To all of the tweens I'll be up against tonight,

on to the purge

Where would I be in life without all my planners? (I have five) My calendar reminded me again that it is time for the weekly cellphone photo purge. Leggo!

See, I told you! Always keeping me on the right track.

If this face doesn't melt your heart, you might not have one. Look at those sad, kitty-cat, puppy eyes.

Shrimp & Grits with a Sunny-Side Egg. This recipe is going down in the record books. On a scale from 1 to 10, its smooth sailing in at 9.5. You HAVE to try it. For the recipe, click here. Don't judge the egg, you will like it.

Lesson for the week: do not microwave festive holiday plates. They DO NOT like it.

And in saving the best for last, here is my favorite photo of the week. Meg decided to set up a group message to talk about St. Paddy's Day. Apparently in doing so she invited no name Nicolas. He sure does pick up a ladies spirit. Love this guy.

biigg bbuncoo

Well, ladies and gents, I have officially hosted the stew out of my house for the month of March. Last night we had another little shindig party for one of my bunco groups. Oh boy, did we have fun! I (like I already told you) have an extreme planning problem. I have known for two months that I had to host bunco last night. And for the past two months I have spent hours out on the streets of Jackson hunting down the perfect treats for these girls. It all went so perfectly well! Now for the moment you have all been waiting for, let me introduce you to the goods -

This little guy is my pride and joy (all two hours it took to make him). I call him my Leprechaun Lucky cake. I promise you, it was just as delicious as it looks. If you live in the area and want to try it, let me know. I have a TON left.

Here is a shot of some of the food - (It just about killed me trying to find those green M&M's. I went to FIVE stores before I finally found them. But don't you fret, they were worth every minute of the search. What can I say? I'm determined.)

This lucky lady, also known as Christi, was the last lucky winner of Big Bunco last night. I would also like to note that we had a total of 15 Big Bunco's last night. That has to be a record. We decided that because a ginger owns the house it has to be all around the luck of the Irish. Way to go Beibs! Totes! Looks like being born on the Ides of March isn't a curse after all. The ginger mustache straws were a huge hit, too.

Until next time - peace, love and big bunco's!

Ohhh and if all these scrumptious photos made you hungry, here are the recipes: 
Lucky Leprechaun Cake
Luck-of-the-Irish Kisses 
Spinach & Artichoke Dip - only 73 calories for 1/4 cup!
Tortellini Bake - a HUGE hit! I omitted the spinach and lemon and added a can of jarred Alfredo sauce. I also used Buitoni Mixed Cheese Tortellini to add a bit more green to the dish.

the aftermath st. paddy's day style

Ohh the weekend! I have fantastic news, the house still stands with all it's windows, walls and doors!  In the words of Destiny's Child,

My brain, however, may not have survived. Due the lack of being able to fully process and the sloth speed my brain is moving today, I'm illustrating today's blog post in images of the weekend.

While walking to the parade, the cooler decided it needed to take a sick day. Too bad Mr. Cooler, you chose the wrong day. That kind of stuff doesn't fly on St. Paddy's day. He received an escorted Grecian royalty entrance, pizza boy style (on top of the shoulder for other sloth-speed people).

 

What kind of day would it be without a Beibs comment? Here ya'll go. Here is the Beibster after the parade -

And here is the Beibster the next morning - note to the Beibs: Gingers need survive on sunscreen (especially when wearing v-necks)

Lundles decided that she enjoyed the aftermath of last year's St. Paddy's Day better and wanted to throw in her own Lundie-sized chaos to the house. She tried folks. That's 100% of her effort right there.

paint the town green

It's finally that time of year again! This is a big week at my household, the Beibster's birthday and the St. Paddy's Parade. Ohh, how I love this weekend in Jackson. Last year, I woke up to twelve people asleep all over the house including two guys spooning in Luke's dog bed, a guy asleep in the driveway using the front porch as a pillow and a muffler at the end of the driveway. I think that sums it up as a successful weekend. But, if you aren't convinced, take a peek at this dapper gentleman named Austin. Ladies, lucky ya'll, he'll be making a guest appearance in Jackson this weekend. 

It's time to paint the town (not my house) green! I wish I had time to get my dogs into these amazing ensembles. Here's to next year!

it's the beibster's birthday!

Yay!! Happy Birthday to the Beibster!! It's the big 2-6!

In honor of today being all about the Beibs, I've decided to tell the story of how he got his nickname. It all started back in the very beginning of us meeting. I am a very observant person. I notice E V E R Y T H I N G. It's a curse really. I can't watch anything without catching a film edit they missed. A glass that changes from empty to full, a necklace that randomly disappears in the middle of a scene - they drive me insane! Okay, back to the point.

The first time I met Joseph I noticed he didn't dress that like any of the guys I grew up with. He wore a pink v-neck shirt and jeans with flip-flops. So naturally, I found him intriguing. After spending a few more hours with him, I noticed he flops those hands of his around like a mad man. At some points in time, I thought he trying to catch invisible bugs or something. The kid is super animated while he talks. I decided his flamboyant gestures needed a name all their own.

Let me first add, my opposition to Joseph's name lies deep within my family. There are EIGHT Joe's already in my family. My father and both grandfathers were Joe's. I just can't handle having to call anyone else Joe. Bless his heart, he was doomed from the beginning. That being said, back to the story -

I needed to think of name that would fit the swag-filled, over-the-top gestures that he throws out on the regular. Justin Beiber. That kid dances his heart out. He dresses like he is the love child of Urban Outfitters and Hot Topic. It was PERFECT!

Joseph's nickname first started out as JoBeibs. He didn't mind this one so much because he decided that the name would never stick. Well, I got lazy and decided to cut the Jo off and he became just Beibs. From that moment on, his name took off like a wildfire. It was pure amazingness. More and more people, including his close friends, call him Beibs by the day. I just adore it. Next time you see him, be sure and take note of those Justin Beiber hands.

In honor of the Beibster's birthday, I need to share with ya'll one of my favorite Beibs moments. We were riding down the road one day and Joseph realized he left his sunglasses at the house. I was busy watching things as we passed and really not paying any attention to him. When I turned back around, this is what I saw.

Yes, those are his swimming goggles. Being resourceful at his best. He really does just get better by the day :D

the lessons of a tuesday

Lesson 1: Listen to the desk calendar
Judging by my luck of yesterday, I'm going to start taking my page-per-day calendar life lessons seriously. It tried to warn me, all eight hours of the day yesterday. I'm going to start calling it my fortune cookie. I love the fortune cookie game.

Lesson 2: Check above, under, on top, and within 50 surrounding feet before parking the car

I parked my car just like any other day except today I found a spot on the street. The curb wasn't painted. There wasn't a No Parking or a Loading Zone sign. There wasn't even a parking meter. It was just the perfect parking spot. Guess the ticket lady had a different idea when she walked by not once but twice to give me two tickets. Gosh, how I adore her. She'll be seeing me in court.

Lesson 3: Preach to every woman I know about the Big Green Egg. This thing is heaven sent. Every. Single. Day. Joseph asks what he can cook for supper. Make sure you read that right, he asks me what he can cook for dinner. Uhh, hello. This is a no brainer. Buy your beau a BGE. It will be the best money you ever spent.

I know everyone is swooning over that bottle of amazingness sitting in the top right corner. It was delightful. Special thanks to Beth and Billiam for doing the sides! (roasted asaparagus, crab stuffed mushrooms and hashbrown casserole)