Spring Fever...in January?!?!?!!!

This can't be a good thing.  Here it is January 29th and it was 75 degrees today.  I knew the weather was going to be pretty today, but not this gorgeous!  I woke up early (7am) - oh why can't I sleep in??  Well, I guess I am since I get up at 5:15 during the week.  Anyways,  I cleaned the kitchen and bathroom and picked up in the living room.  Then I got ready to meet Ashley for lunch at Jason's Deli.  Ok, side note - this place is pretty much yumm-o!  So if you have one near by, give it a try!  My goal for today was to have this afternoon to be relaxing and lazy.  That it was!   After lunch, I jumped in my car and headed towards the Natchez Trace.  Once I got on the Trace, I headed towards Tupelo, Mississippi.  My windows were down and my radio was on and I was singin along!  The sun was shinning and the sky was blue!  My bag was packed with a blanket and some good reading material.  My goal was to find a good place to soak up some rays and read.  No signs of Spring other than the temperature.  The trees are still bare, will expect for the evergreens.

Driving on the Trace

My first stop was the Reservoir (the Res) lookout.  There were many people there, so I just took some pictures and kept on going.

The Res look out

There were several places to stop but I felt the need to keep driving so I did and I came to the river bend.  It is where the Pearl River bends.  The Pearl River flows into the Res and then continues to the Gulf of Mexico.  In reality, I could float on down it all the way home. 

Pearl River bend

I then came upon the Cypress Swamp.  There was a lovely walking/hiking trail that I went on.  I enjoyed nature and fresh air.  They had a few benches along the mile or so trail and I sat and enjoyed the day and the scenery.  I was a wonderful place to meditate about the wonders around  me. 

Check out those Cypress knees

Me at the Cypress Swamp

Then I decided to head back towards the Res.  But the lookout was still crowed, so I decided to head back closer to town and the Yacht Club.  There is a park by the Yacht Club so that is where I went.  It may have felt like Spring, but the grass is still brown.  I spread out my blanket, kicked off my shoes, soaked up some rays and got in some good reading!

Perfect place to lay out a blanket...right on the water. 

Someone decided to feed the gulls

What a great view while reading!

So today was a PERFECT day!  I hope every weekend is like this!  It could be a bad thing having Spring fever set in a few months early, but I think I will be ok with it  :)    I wish I could do the same tomorrow after church, but there is a 90% chance of rain...bummer!  

You've gotta have a little humor

Oh it has certainly been a Monday!  First, it didn't help that I got about 2 hours of sleep last night, why?  I am really not sure.  Second, the weather didn't help...gloomy, drizzly, just gross.  Both of those plus 30 kindergarten babies equals a cranky teacher and hyper kids.   SO, in times like this you have to find something to laugh about otherwise you will go crazy.  

First, I confiscated a fake eyeball thing and a slinky from one of my boys.    How many times do I have to say... don't bring toys to school or it will become mine?  I must tell you that I have a lovely collection of trinkets because of this.  I decided to see what was so fun about the fake eyeball....check it out and decide for yourself...

Pretty fun, eh?

Well, the drizzle slacked off and we were able to go outside after lunch for a much needed energy release.  I happened to look over at the swings in time to see Cristian swinging like this.  I started laughing because the only thing that came to my mind was Lt. Dan from Forrest Gump.   What do you think?

My New Rizzide

Ok, so I told you before how I hate car sales people.  I get so flustered just walking on a car lot because I know I am going to be flocked upon like a lion after a gazelle.  I went to Slidell two weekends ago and went to about 7 lots and had no luck.  I spent the next couple of days looking at every dealership from Mobile, Alabama to Slidell, Louisiana to the Mississippi Gulf Coast to Jackson, Mississippi.  By Wednesday, I had it narrowed down to 5 vehicles and was feeling pretty good about all of them.  On Friday, 3 had sold and I was down to two...an 08 Nissan Altima and an 08 Jeep Patriot.  I had an appointment to test drive the Patriot on Saturday morning and I made an appointment to test drive the Altima Friday night.  The sales lady, Dawn,  was pretty good Friday and I was pretty much sold on the Altima.  It gets great gas mileage and is pretty sporty.  But I was still toying with the Patriot.  The SUV is bigger, more cargo room, and according to my mom they are safer.  Well, you know Dawn didn't want me to leave so she let me take the car home for the night!  I had a sudden reality that I am grown up, because they only let grown ups take cars home for the night.  So, I was pretty much in love with it before I made it home.  My mind was made up.  I went back Saturday and signed my life away.  So, here are some pictures of my new car.  The 2008 Nissan Altima.  Oh it's so pretty! But it doesn't have a name yet.  Suggestions???

I think I need a light tint on the windows...thoughts?

Please ignore the dirt...you see where I park and it has been raining...trip to the car wash coming soon!

It has a push button ignition...no keys!!!!  There is also a button on the door handle and as long as my remote is on me, I just push the button and the doors unlock or lock!  It also has a safety feature that if the remote is inside the car and I try to lock the door using the button, it won't lock...no more Pop-A-Lock!

Look NO PLIERS NEEDED! 

For those of you who rode in Streaker, the knobs for the AC were broken and came off so I had to use pliers to change my air settings.

RIP Streaker

Good Ol Steaker.

I bought Streaker in September 2005 after Hurricane Katrina drowned my cute Protege.  I have to admit that the last car I wanted to buy was a blue Ford.  Look what I ended up buying a blue Mercury (Ford product)...a lesson in never say never.   Even though this was not my dream car or even a car I remotely wanted, and really wasn't thrilled to purchase, it was the right price and a great deal for that time in my life.  A time when I lost my home, job and the life I had known.  Streaker became a car that I relied on and learned to love.   We have had some good times! 

I don't have too many pictures of Streaker, but here is a pretty good picture of him....right after his first snow!

 

 When I bought Streaker, he only had 24000 miles on him and no one had ever sat in the back seat and the trunk had never been used!  Not too bad for a car that was 8 years old!  Now he is 14 years old and has 124000 miles on him.  This past September, he got sick and broke down on the interstate.  The first (and hopefully last) time I have ever broke down in a car!  Luckily I had Leanne with me to keep me company while her husband Branson came to our rescue!   Since then he ran a constant fever and over Thanksgiving went to the shop again.  My mom kept him and when I came home for Christmas, he was still running fever and was severely dehydrated.  I would give him water and it would disappear.  So back to the shop he went.  Dr. Randy kept him for three weeks trying to figure out what was wrong.  Finally a diagnosis was made.  The fluid from the radiator was going straight into the engine.  As old as Streaker is it is not worth pumping money into to fix.  So I am going to donate Streaker to Bridgehouse (a charity in New Orleans) and will be purchasing a new car on Saturday....gulp.  I have been looking at cars for awhile now and went to some dealerships over the last two weeks.  I have narrowed it down to 5 vehicles and pretty much have it down to two of those.    By the way can I say I HATE car shopping and car salesmen....out of the 8 I have talked to only 1 has been FANTASTIC and unfortunately I will not be 

purchasing a car from him.  

So over the past 5 years, Streaker and I have been from one coast of this country to the other.  We have traveled from the north of this country to the south.  We have been though 20 states and seen many things.  It was the car I drove the first time I drove in snow.  It was the car I drove as I moved across the country.  Good times and bad this car has been great!  

Here are a few pictures of some of the great memories in Streaker and there are so many more that were not photographed!

Fun times with roommates dancing in the car

 lots of room to fit lots of friends!

 beautiful moments from Mother Nature on the windows

 miles of road and open spaces

 Streaker was a great tripod for road trip pictures

 a bed for road trips that begin at 2am on a whim

 driving road where the snow is taller than the car

So good bye Streaker, we have had some great times and some great memories.  Thanks for safely taking me from one end of this country to the other.  Thanks for letting me blare the radio with the windows down and singing at the top of my lungs when I needed to drive.  Thanks for being there so I could help others and make great memories with my friends.  

You were a great car!

Field Trips...Gotta Love Them

Our first field trip of the year brought us to the Mississippi Agriculture Museum.  Now we originally planned to go back to Rock A Doodle Ranch as we did last year (which is WAY more age appropriate for kindergarten) but our principal denied us RockADoodle (for completely ridiculous reasons).   We were all bummed, so we scrambled to find somewhere else to go.  Ag Museum it is than!    I really enjoyed it, but the kids we less than excited.  I hope the first grade teachers will get more of a reaction out of them when they go next year, since this is a first grade field trip spot.

We are lined up and ready to go!

Waiting on Mr. Ball's class so we can roll out!

Trevon posing with old tools

Brendon and D'Sonjera say 'de plane, de plane'

Ariana makes friends with the pony

Giving Wilburs cousin some love

Picture with the giant rocking chair

The highlight was they gave us pumpkins as we left!
Cristian and LaNiya showing their loot

Just Call Me Chef

I feel like I have been a baking/cooking fool lately...I have found these two fantastic websites that I keep testing their recipes.  Some are great, others well I should try again - they are still edible and taste great, but they don't look as great as the pictures online.  I also find things I want to try from watching Diners, Drive-ins and Dives  and Best Thing I Ever Ate.  These shows don't give recipes but I will go online and find something similar to what they put in the dishes and then tweak the recipe to my liking.  They say if you change 1 ingredient it is a different recipe ...so if I ever do a cookbook (not likely) they will really be my recipes, right?  In reality I am just perfecting theirs...hehe.  :)   

So, here are some of the things I have been up to....

Halloween time brings fun ideas..

cupcakes surrounded with twix or kitkats and topped with m&ms!  

brownie graves

Next I made  roasted Eggplant balls...such a great alternative to meatballs!

 Pillow Cookies anyone?  

What is better than a chocolate chip cookie stuffed with a brownie?  

Nothing!

Bacon Jam on sliders in a puff pastry!

Bacon Jam is FANTASTIC!!!  Sweet and savory!

Christmas brought baking...

Classic sugar cookies (the only thing I took a picture of)

Shortbread

Ooey Gooey Bars

Chocolate Chip and Raspberry bars

Blueberry, white chocolate and caramel oatmeal cookies

Pillow cookies

Oh, I am sad I didn't take a picture of all the baked goods...the boxes we gave to people were so yummy looking with all the goodies in them! 

 I am also sad I didn't take a picture of the Cheesburger Soup we made...

cheesey, burgery, yummy...and so good with fresh lettuce and tomatoes mixed in right before eating!

My mom has also been making homemade bread, mostly artisan bread...last night we had cream of mushroom soup in a homemade bread bowl...yummy!

Finally, an update

Ok yall.....first MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! Second, it has been a CRAZY first half of the school year. It has flown by so fast, I just can't believe it is already Christmas break - oh I mean Winter break, blah I hate having to be so PC sometimes. These first 18 weeks have disappeared into thin air...I hope the next 18 do the same! :) But I am wishing life will be a little less hectic... is this possible? I hope so!

At the moment I am completely enjoying the peaceful break with my mom. Christmas morning with the rest of the family was enjoyable and the afternoon has been restful. This next week I am going to enjoy time with some of my best friends in the whole world and with my mom, then it is back to Jackson.

I will have several post about the last few months to catch everyone up!

What should I be?

Halloween...do I want to dress up?  This is the question....


Maybe I should be Dorothy....

what do you think?

Super Stars in my Family

This afternoon I received an email from my cousin Marte in Norway.  She was telling me that the children's book she has been working on is almost done.  She now has an illustrator and they are working together to bring the story alive in pictures!  Her illustrator is using manipulated photographs along with drawings to illustrate the book.  Marte is using people she knows and loves to be the characters in the book.  Her daughter, Tinde, is the main character and her son, Torn, will also appear in the story.  In the email, she said she has a character that is the owner of a kiosk where Tinde will get her breakfast and orange juice in the mornings.  She said the character is happy and always smiling and she said it reminded her of me.  So, she asked if I would like to be in the illustrations!!!  Of course I said YES!  Marte is emailing me pictures of the way I need to pose.  I will get someone to take my pictures and I will email them to her.  They will then cut the photos and paste them in the illustrations.   So cool.   When the book is published in Norway, I will get a copy and scan the pages in so yall can see them. 

Other super stars are in their family as well.  Marte's husband Lars is in a TV commercial for the company he works for...GET ( it is the Norwegian version of Tevo).  

Here is his TV commercial...

Tonights dessert....Easton Corbin!

Wednesday night the 151st Mississippi State Fair opened at 5:00 pm. And guess what? I was there to hear the official countdown to the gates opening...lame I know. I was excited. I was going to my first state fair...ever! Seriously, I have never been to the Mississippi State Fair or any other state fair.

My friend/co-worker, Monica, and I decided to go and have 'fair food' for dinner. Everyone talks about the fair food. I personally was thinking "what's so great about fair food?". I got my answer Wednesday night. We started to walk the midway and looked at all the different vendors (and try to make up our minds). Our first stop was the biscuit booth...yum! Hot buttery homemade biscuits with maple syrup in them! Oh my mouth wants one now! (ok I have to say that I think they also tasted so good because they were FREE!!) Oh I have to tell yall that there was one very interesting booth - the Krispy Kreme donut booth. They were selling donut burgers - imagine a donut, a beef patty, bacon, cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, topped with another donut. I never saw anyone eat one but I would like to. I can't imagine those flavors all in my mouth at once. OH the beef, it what's for dinner booth had a beef sundae...ummm, I couldn't tell what was on it from the picture, but again not on my menu for the night. So, second stop was the roasted corn booth. Yumm-o! Hot roasted corn on the cob (still in the husk) dipped in melted butter. Ok, my mouth is watering for one of these too. I shouldn't look at the picture anymore. As we were walking we were harassed gross carnies. (ok some weren't too gross, but some were) We took a break from dinner to play Skeeball....
and check out some of the rides...

Then it was time for some more fair food....corn dogs and funnel cake!
Here is a picture of the Italian sausage with all the toppings...it smelled so good, but it looked like heartburn city!
There is a free petting zoo, so we checked that out and then enjoyed the setting sun on the midway!




Then it was DESSERT time! Now, I had an alternative motive to going to the fair this night. The free Easton Corbin concert was what drew me in. I will be honest, the food was pretty good...WAY over priced though. I was disappointed in the rides. Some of the carnies were creepy. People watching was FUN! Will I go back? Maybe if all the girls from work want to go to the Boys II Men concert next week (I saw them in High School), but I will eat before I go, well maybe I will get some more corn (it was the best).

Now, for those of you who don't know who Easton Corbin is, he is a new country singer and is being call 'a young George Strait'. He's pretty much fantastic. The concert was fun. He played for an hour and a half and we were able to get right up by the stage. The lighting was dark and my ancient camera did the best it could! Here is Monica and I before the concert started and some shots of Easton.






Oh also for those who don't know who Easton Corbin is....here is his video to

"A Little More Country Than That"