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Fall Recipe- Cheesy Potato Soup

FALL RECIPE-CHEESY POTATO SOUP

Have y’all ever been to O’Charley’s? Have you ever ordered the potato soup while there? Did you ever go back to O’Charley’s and order that soup every single time you went? Guilty.

In my fall state of mind over here I went to Pinterest to look for some yummy fall recipes. Okay, let’s be honest, I went there looking for pumpkin recipes because I’m a basic white girl that loves her #psl (psl=pumpkin spice latte for those of you living under a rock) and I ain’t ashamed to admit it! (I’ve tested one recipe already, and I’ll be reporting back next week with that treasure.) Anyway, as one often does on a Pinterest binge, I found myself heading down the soup-hole that is so enormous on that site, and I landed right on THIS ONE. I immediately wanted to try it, so I set out for the grocery store. I didn’t get a good picture of all the ingredients, but I will link the original website that was linked to the pin here at The Chunky Chef and she will give you all the information you need.

It calls for three pounds of red potatoes, so here’s a picture of those yummy potatoes post boil. While the potatoes were boiling, I was chopping green onions, making a roux (Louisiana friends don’t hate on the looks of my roux-I didn’t burn it, so I’m proud!),and cooking the bacon to be crumbled on top. I don’t know about y’all, but I just about don’t cook bacon any other way than in my oven. I don’t like being popped by hot grease nor do I like cleaning it up. So this is my favorite way.I need to say that it’s not a healthy soup. It has half and half, whole milk, Velveeta, and cans of cheddar cheese soup to name a few unhealthy ingredients. But sometimes you just want some comfort food, and when those temperatures dropped a week or so ago, the fall feels were all over me, and I needed some soup dang it.

And of course I served it with more bread because No Carb Left Behind! It’s super delicious. It does call for a lot of garlic, so if you’re garlic-sensitive like my dad, you will need to scale down on the amount you put in. It really makes it taste so good, and I don’t recommend leaving it out entirely, but maybe you could use only half the amount it calls for (2 tsp, I think) and it would still be tasty. The other thing that makes it so good is the little kick you get from adding a touch of hot sauce. It’s the magic ingredient for sure.

One more thing-it makes a very large pot. So share with someone! Paul and I don’t mind leftovers, but it was still too much for the two of us. Needless to say, we shared. I cannot take credit for this recipe, so I won’t list the actual written recipe here on my post, but if you click HERE you’ll go right to it on The Chunky Chef’s blog. Her pictures are way gorgeous, and her tomato soup looks to die for. I don’t even like tomato soup and I want to make it!

I hope you give this one a go. I know the temperatures have gone back up to the low 90s lately but just bump your air down a bit before dinner. 🙂 It’s worth it!

Happy Friday, friends!

XO,

Elizabeth

Currently Loving- August 2017

CURRENTLY LOVING-AUGUST

I feel like I say this every month, but how in the world is August over already?

I wouldn’t necessarily say that this is a bad thing. Because it leads me to my first favorite of August:

Fall

Okay, so I know it’s not fall yet, but August has notoriously been the month where I start really itching to wear scarves, boots, and sweaters. Unfortunately, living in the southern portion of Alabama is just not conducive to those things in August. However, a girl can dream, no?

Let’s start with fall decor. I don’t exactly have a front door to decorate, but Pinterest lets me see what I could do one day when I’m not in an apartment. This front porch is perfection. I’m obsessed.I think I mostly love the buffalo check pillow in the picture below. But the hay, the rustic bench, pumpkins, and lanterns are so charming. Something else I don’t have is a fireplace, but how great is that garland? I also love when there’s something in the fireplace that isn’t ashes from a leftover fire. I love this container of wood. And that “Thankful” sign. Next up for fall is, of course, fall fashion. If you’ve known me for any amount of time, you probably know that I love a scarf. I have too many to count; it’s shameful, really. Anyway, I found a few more I’d like to add to my collection. I actually like both of the entire outfits, but I especially love those scarves.

Next is a poncho (maybe not a poncho-I can’t quite tell if it has arm holes. I think it does, but maybe it’s a blanket scarf or just an oversize cardigan). Again with the buffalo check. I can’t get enough.

TV Show(s)

Any Game of Thrones fans out there? Paul and I just recently binged the series. We were caught up in real time by about episode three of this season (7). And we, like most of you, are wondering how in the heck we are going to wait until the next season! It definitely left us wanting so much more, so I’ll be excited for that one to come back.

We are mostly ready for September to bring our regular shows back that we love so much: NCIS, Bull, Big Bang, and so.many.more. We have a show or two most every night that we watch. We love us some TV.

Podcasts

Do y’all listen to podcasts? I am fairly new to this realm of entertainment, but I have to say, I really like it. I have three that I’m really loving lately. All, of course, are right up my alley from home decor to Broadway.

Young House Love Has a Podcast– If you’ve never heard of Young House Love, they are a married couple who started a blog many years ago, and are so knowledgeable about so many things regarding home decor and renovation. They are renovating a beach house right now and it’s PINK! It’s so stinking cute. I’ve linked to their website in their title, you should check it out. All of it. Their blog is the one that really got me interested in blogging myself.
Sorta Awesome– I’m new to this one (only about 4 episodes in and there are over 100), but I am really enjoying it. They talk about Netflix a lot, so they’re basically my soulmates. They also talk about life in general. I like them. They seem like nice girls. 🙂
Little Known Facts– The is the Broadway one. Ilana Levine interviews all sorts of people from the Broadway community. They sing a good bit and share behind the scenes information. And Ilana’s speaking voice is so calming and almost child-like. She is just wonderful to listen to. She played Lucy in You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, if anyone remembers that musical several years ago.

A Vegan

Yes, that’s right, a vegan. I subscribe to several channels on YouTube. And often times, YouTube will suggest videos that you might be interested in. Well, one day I saw this before and after picture of a girl who had lost a lot of weight and the title of the video was something to the effect of “How I lost 70 pounds”. So I clicked on her, and she just sat explaining herself and was so real about everything. Usually there’s a gimmick or a fitness program attached to these types of videos, but this girl just said, nope, nothing did this for me, but me. She began eating a high carb diet. Yep, HIGH carb. Hmm…my skeptic ears perked straight up. But I kept listening. Turns out, she’s a vegan and her YouTube name is High Carb Hannah. She makes the most delicious looking meals-all plant based and vegan-friendly. She is very passionate about the way she lost weight. She said it took her two years, but it was because she was transforming the way she ate. I’m not turning into a vegan by any means, but I do love these plant based meals she shows you how to make on her videos. I’ve got plans for a burrito bowl, and I can’t wait. I’ll share with you when I make it.

She gave me the idea to make these black bean burgers. I found the recipe on Pinterest and gave it a try with my dad a few weeks ago while my mom and Paul were out of town. (High Carb Hannah just posted this week about a black bean, sweet potato burger, and it looks AMAZING!)

Forgive my bad, unedited photos from that night, but this is how it went down. They were seriously amazing, y’all. I want to eat them again but not as a burger. I sort of want an avocado type sandwich with the black bean patty. If anyone wants to know any tips about making these, let me know and I’ll do a quick post about them. And if you’re looking to clean up your diet, check out High Carb Hannah. I like what she’s doing for people by spreading the news that plants are good and good for you!

Now, let’s gear up for some football!! We’ll be yelling War Eagle here in the Norman house. I hope y’all have a safe Labor Day Weekend. Enjoy that extra day off! I know I will.

XO and War Eagle,

Elizabeth

Thursday Thoughts- Deep Thoughts

THURSDAY THOUGHTS

Happy Thursday, y’all!

I am definitely happy it is Friday Eve! Most of us have a long weekend ahead of us and the first college football weekend at that. Both of those things make me very happy about this coming few days.

Now for the Deep Thoughts

So, I got a reality check on Monday as I was getting ready for work, I was just not feeling it. I had a case of the Mondays for sure. I found a picture on Instagram that was of a girl dressed in a really cute fall outfit on a sunny autumn day with a cup of coffee and a book. She was sitting on a park bench reading this book, and I thought, THAT! That’s what I want to be doing today instead of going to work.

It wasn’t this exact picture, but a Google Image search gave me this, and it’s pretty similar.

I was just about to regram the shot when I scrolled down a few more and noticed more tragedy in Texas. And it just hit me that no matter how bad of a case of the Mondays I may have, my Monday is a cake walk compared to the people of Houston.

It’s been a year since Paul and I moved back to Greenville, and it’s also been a year since Louisiana had their flood. I know so many people that were affected by this. People who essentially lost their homes and have had to rebuild or restore, people who had mere inches of land left before water came inside their house, people who got in their boats and went to rescue others who were trapped on their rooftops. I can’t help but think about all of those people in Texas who maybe weren’t prepared for such flooding. I feel like people in Louisiana often expect it, especially after Hurricane Katrina. Maybe expect isn’t the right word…they just know it’s a real possibility that when the weather man says flooding, they mean business. People take precautions with sandbags and evacuations, but I wonder if the people of Texas thought maybe it wouldn’t be that bad.

My heart goes out to them. Paul and I were spared of any flooding last year. It literally just rained in our neighborhood. There was no real water accumulation in the street or any standing water too near our house. We were in the process of trying to sell it too. We were so blessed by God. I’ve seen the devastation flooding leaves behind. I’ve seen pool ladders hanging in trees along the road; I’ve seen furniture from an entire house piled by the road at driveway after driveway for miles. It’s awful.

I say all this because no matter how bad my Monday felt, how much coffee I needed and didn’t get to drink, how many times I yawned because I stayed up too late watching Game of Thrones, none of that matters. What matters is that I remember how incredibly blessed I am with the things I do have.

Pray, Y’all

Send out your prayers to the victims of Hurricane Harvey. There’s a lot that’s about to happen in the rebuilding process of the communities and families that were devastated. It’ll be long and hard, but I know that if Louisiana could come together to be #louisianastrong, then Texas can do the same. And I have to say how proud I was to see people on social media posting about the Cajun Navy (regular men and women from the gracious state of Louisiana) going out of their way with their own trucks and boats to help rescue these people from dangerous situations.

I’m not here to tell you to donate your money. By all means, if you have it, do it. I know of some reputable places that you can send your money to if you’re wanting to donate, but I’m asking you to pray. Pray for healing and restoration in the great state of Texas and for it’s people. And thank God for your blessings. Even if it’s been a bad day, I can always find at least one thing to be thankful for. I bet you can too.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

And War Eagle!

Elizabeth

Recipe Worth Sharing- Shrimp Lo Mein

RECIPE WORTH SHARING- SHRIMP LO MEIN

You guys…this recipe! First, let me preface this post by saying I am no food photographer. I have tons to learn in that department, but I need to share this recipe with y’all so bear with my amateur skills behind the camera.

I’ve been seriously slacking in the wife department when it comes to cooking, well pretty much everywhere else too now that school has started. Paul has been doing so much laundry. Bless you, babe! When you’re basically a sloth in the summer in front of Netflix all the time, you forget how to balance your life. Anyway, I am determined to get it back together now that I’m a few weeks in to school.

Yesterday I knew I had to get something to cook for dinner before heading home, so I headed to Pinterest for some inspiration instead of ordering pizza. I was sort of craving Chinese food, noodles, specifically, and shrimp and searched a lo mein recipe. I clicked on this pin from lifemadesweeter.com.

Ingredients

Her lo mein recipe used:

shrimp
red bell pepper
carrots

Very simple and delicious. Paul doesn’t love bell pepper, so I decided to do broccoli instead. But when I got to the store I found myself adding all of these things to my cart to add to my lo mein, so I used:

shrimp
green peas
broccoli
grated carrots
small sweet onion
water chestnuts

In the center is minced garlic and minced ginger which is part of her recipe.

For the sauce, you have to use oyster sauce. That sounded positively disgusting, and I fully expected the smell to be very off-putting, but it wasn’t so bad, and it totally makes the sauce, AND I found it very easily in Super Foods. Woo Hoo! (As much as I appreciate a good Walmart clearance or just a good Walmart find in general, I was so happy to not have to go there on a Friday afternoon.)

So here are the other ingredients I used (all but the veggie oil and noodles are used in the sauce).

I followed her recipe just as she had written it, and I’m not going to post an in-depth description of what I did, since this is not my recipe. Please visit her website to see the full recipe. I just wanted you to see how I tweaked it.

Put it all together and what do you have? Deliciousness!

Okay, I mixed up the sauce while the noodles were boiling. I used thin spaghetti noodles instead of lo mein noodles because I already had those in the cabinet. I didn’t have the Chinese cooking wine or dry sherry, so I omitted it, and I never missed it. Also, Paul and I don’t like cilantro, so I left that out too.

The sauce only take a minute to put together, so while the noodles cooked, I heated a big skillet with some of the veggie oil, dropped in the shrimp and onions and sauted for a few minutes. Then I added all the other ingredients except the sauce. I let them all cook down and get a little soft. The recipe tells you to add the sauce and noodles next, toss, and cook for about two minutes, so I did that.

*I cooked the whole pound of noodles because, well, leftovers. But that means I doubled the amount of sauce that the recipe calls for.* It doesn’t look like it’s going to be enough sauce because my noodles did not get as dark as the one in her pictures, but it was perfect!

The beauty of this recipe is how customizable it is. I think bell pepper would be good in it, chicken instead of shrimp, baby corn, chopped asparagus, pineapple, rice instead of noodles, or even just leave it veggie and not put any meat in it.

The Verdict

It was a big hit! Paul loves Chinese food, but I just don’t love typical Chinese takeout. I like the veggie lo mein and fried rice, but I’m never just dying to go get Chinese food unless, well, honestly unless it’s at Ming’s Garden in Montgomery or P.F. Chang’s. I do enjoy the fried rice and lo mein at China Town here in Greenville, though. And their fried wontons. Yum! I get so sidetracked, I’m sorry. It was so delicious! I took one bite and shook my head because it was so unbelievable. It was exactly what I was craving, and I’m so happy to have leftovers and happy to make this again and switch up some of the ingredients each time.

Here are a few more amateur pictures of our food. 🙂

Please visit lifemadesweeter.com to find this delicious recipe. She has so many other scrumptious looking dishes to make, too. I’ll be going there for more Asian-inspired dinners soon.

Okay, go make this delicious dinner tonight! It was very easy and would be a quick weeknight meal. It would be even quicker if you meal-prepped early and had everything thawed (well, not the shrimp) and cut/grated.

Anyone else like Asian food? Paul and I love sushi, but haven’t gotten around to a sushi date night lately. Any restaurant recommendations for good sushi in the Montgomery area? Leave them in the comments.

Have a great weekend, everyone.

XO, Elizabeth

Classroom Reveal

CLASSROOM REVEAL

In my July Favorites post I told you guys I was changing jobs and heading to public school to teach third grade. Now that school has started and I’ve gotten into the swing of things (kind of), I’d like to share the makeover I gave my classroom.

The Before

I came into the classroom after the Beautiful, wood floors had been waxed maybe one too many times, so my classroom was in a bit of disarray. Please forgive the atrocious state of the room with the ladders and pile of literally everything in the middle of the room. The floors look wet. They are so dark and lacquered within an inch of their beautiful lives. The hallways are a lighter color, but still a lot of varnish there too. It is such a charming building, and I love that it is a place that has educated many, many people. I can’t imagine how many teachers have been in just this one classroom. I love that it’s a building with so much history. I do think Nicole Curtis needs to take a trip down to Alabama and come feature my school on Rehab Addict. She could make this place amazing!The picture below shows how bad the paint was peeling off. It really needed a face lift.
Okay, so I have to say that bright blue is one of my favorite colors. I mean, don’t y’all remember Carrie Bradshaw’s apartment in the Sex and the City movie…perfection. Also, my teenage bedroom was four walls of that same lime green as the cabinet. I love bright colors, but I wasn’t feeling it when I walked into the classroom. So I decided to head to Pinterest to find some inspiration. I saw this image and new right away that I was headed in a farmhouse direction. Of course Chip and Jo would do something as adorable as awnings and window boxes INSIDE the classroom.My search led to many more classrooms with a farmhouse theme. You can check those out on my Classroom Ideas Pinterest Board if you’re a fellow Pinterest nut like I am.

I started to get a vision of what I wanted, and with the help of my parents and my husband, the room was painted and things were on their way! I decided to go with a neutral palette for the room and accent with mostly yellow, but also some green. I used Kilz brand paint in Starched Linen for the walls and Kilz paint again for the built-in cabinet and free standing cubbies but in the color White by Glidden. All the paint came from our local Walmart. I mention the Kilz brand because, Holy Moly, did it cover those bright colors well! The walls only took two coats, but I did give the cubbies and the cabinet three coats. For the black trim, we just used a little quart of Rust-Oleum in Glossy Black for touch-ups.

You can see that the built-in cabinet has been painted many times in it’s day. I can totally understand painting a built-in, but when I opened this thing and saw the luscious wood inside, my heart sank. I can’t believe how gorgeous it is. Why would anyone want to paint that?!?! My dad did say he would try to get the outside back to what it was originally, but there just wasn’t any time. Maybe next summer…right Dad? 🙂

The After

Let’s start at the entrance. Out in the hall we have a Hollywood theme. Back to Pinterest I went for inspiration. I pinned so many ideas on my Bulletin Board Ideas board, so feel free to visit and see them all. My mom wanted to know what I was thinking about doing, and when I showed her the picture of the marquis I liked, she said she had everything and would gladly make it for me. Bless you, Mama! I love how it turned out! And, bonus, none of my students forget where my room is because of it.
Now come on in.

The director’s chair came from Mrs. Ellinor who was at that giant yard sale that goes on for miles. (I can’t remember the official name.) Mom told her to be on the look out for one, and I prayed she’d find it! She must have too, because she did!! Thanks for finding this for me, Mrs. Ellinor, and bringing it back home! It’s so fun and easy to move out of the way when I need them to see the entire board.

The rug is from At Home and makes the room feel a little warmer and welcoming. Mom and Dad scored that one for me one afternoon. I love it. Okay, let’s talk for a second about the SHIPLAP bulletin board paper! I saw it on Pinterest and just assumed I’d never get any. I saw it on Amazon, but I thought it was a bit expensive, so I decided I’d just use regular paper in black, green, or yellow. But a trip to Davie’s in Montgomery made my dreams come true! I love it so much! I’m trying to find a way to make it work in my house. 🙂 The cubbies look so great painted white. I know they’ll get so dirty by the end of school, but I just love how bright and clean they look right now. The sunflowers are those tissue paper pom poms from Dollar Tree flattened down. I made the rest of the flowers from bulletin board paper. My boarder is napkin squares stapled very close to each other. You just buy about 250 cocktail sized napkins, unfold them, and cut each napkin into four individual squares. I suggest watching Netflix while you do it. Haha! 😉 I just wanted something visually interesting, and when I saw this idea from Mrs. Sheila, who retired last year, I knew that I had borrow her idea. I found these precious numbers on a shiplap background on Teachers Pay Teachers. They were so cute, and being that they were shiplap, I had to say yes. And just a quick before and after of the built in cabinet.

Before AfterIt sure is an absolute delight to walk into a space that makes me happy. I want to thank my family again for helping me make this happen. I’m so grateful they are willing to help take on projects that I come up with and indulge my creative side. It was a lot of fun getting it all done, and I couldn’t have done it without them. To my fellow teachers who are in the throws of the first few weeks of school, I raise my coffee mug to you! Lord knows we are tired and need all the caffeine to get us going in the morning and sometimes keep us going in the afternoons. I know they say there’s no tired like end of the year teacher tired, but beginning of the year teacher tired is real and worse. I wish you all a wonderful school year. I’d love to hear how your first week has gone in the comments.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, everyone, and thanks for stopping by today!

Anniversary

Seven years ago on a very, VERY hot July day, I made my whole wedding party take outside pictures, stand on a stage for a very long ceremony (there was a lot of music and several readings), and then I didn’t even give them a party afterwards! I had a church wedding with a church reception (Baptist church, mind you, so there was definitely no dancing or booze). I’ve been to some great weddings where the music was loud and the wine was flowing, but I have to say, our wedding is my favorite wedding I’ve ever been to. And even though everything was done exactly to my liking and every detail was attended to, the guy waiting for me at the end of the aisle was my most favorite part. He’s my favorite person in all the world, and I am happy that we’ve reached year seven.

As I reflect on our actual wedding, I appreciate how he let me choose the music but put his spin on it at the end with some James Taylor. I appreciate that he let my preacher give a message of faith to us and to everyone in attendance, but he asked his dad to actually officiate the ceremony making it one of the most special parts of that day. I appreciate that he let me choose the decor for the reception but that he still insisted we have pigs in a blanket to eat. (And for all you people thinking that’s tacky-those were the first things to disappear at our reception.) I appreciate that he let me have the readings I wanted during the ceremony and then he asked some of the most wonderful people to read and selected some of the most moving passages to be read. It wasn’t just MY day as a bride. It was our day as a couple. It was a beautiful day.

I thank God everyday that He gave me Paul to love in this life. It’s so evident that God puts people together for a reason, and that there really is one person for you to spend the rest of your life with. God knew I needed him. And God knew he needed me.

Thank you, Paul, for taking me in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, loving me and cherishing me for richer and for poorer. I am immeasurably blessed.

I tell you, Ian did not want any part of this wedding. Not even the pictures. And those of you who’ve seen Grace, Ian, and Alex lately…they were just babies here and are so grown up now. 🙁 The dress Grace is wearing is one of my Easter dresses when I was little. My Aunt Sharon made it for me, all by hand.
My favorite picture of my girls. I remember everyone telling Ian something about Superman in order to get him to take pictures. They’re probably plotting the best way to talk Paul out of marrying a psychopath that would make them stand out in the July heat to take pictures in tuxes.Roo Doo always making him laugh.
Sweet Mason 🙂Granddaddy getting him to smile. I wonder what Grace just said to Christy. Probably my favorite picture of the whole day. I don’t know what we were arguing about, but I know it was something. What’s that line in The Notebook? “Well that’s what we do, we fight… You tell me when I am being an arrogant son of a bitch, and I tell you when you’re being a pain in the ass. Which you are, 99% of the time. I’m not afraid to hurt your feelings. You have like a 2 second rebound rate, then you’re back doing the next pain-in-the-ass thing.”-Noah That sums us up in a nutshell. 😉 Seriously didn’t think Ian was going to do it. So proud of him! Our brothers. Ben wrote us a song and performed it. He also played and sang another song during the ceremony. My forever favorite picture of Trawick and me. Sport! Those pigs in a blanket, y’all. They really were the biggest hit.Happy Anniversary, babe! I love you!

Currently Loving- July 2017

CURRENTLY LOVING

Well, I hope you didn’t forget about me. I’ve been a little MIA this month due to lots of things, but a lot of it was because I’ve been enjoying my last month of summer vacation before school starts back.

I’m here to share a few things I’m currently loving this month and just to fill you in on life. There’s been a lot going on here around the Norman house, so let’s dive right in, shall we?

Let’s Start with the Negative

This month had so many wonderful things and still more wonderful things are happening the last few days of this month, but one pretty negative thing that happened was that I fell and sprained my ankle. I was walking down the back stairs to leave, stepped onto the stepping stones at the bottom of the stairs, but I stepped on it just right to roll my ankle off of the stone and go down to the ground. Arms flailing, dropped everything, hit the dirt. Paul wasn’t home, of course, so I called my mom to come help me. I couldn’t get up on my own and was scared to since I heard my ankle crack when it rolled off the stepping stone. She only lives a few minutes away, so she came right over carrying a walker that my grandparents’ used when they couldn’t get around well. And all I could thing was, “You’ve got to be kidding me. She brought me a walker?!” Turns out, it helped, she got me up and inside, and she even gave up her whole afternoon to drive me around so I could be x-ray’d and seen by the doctor. Thankfully, no break or fracture! I did get crutches, and, y’all, those things ain’t no joke. I’ve never had to have crutches before, and I feel like I’m a pretty coordinated person, but they were hard to maneuver and quite frankly, a pain in the you-know-what.

Another good thing about this situation, I was looked after and cared for and checked on by my wonderful family and friends. I greatly appreciate their worrying about me and taking care of me! I’m still in the brace in the picture above, but those crutches are long gone! (Praise the Lord!)

Now the Bittersweet

Last year when we moved back to Alabama from Louisiana, I was fortunate to get a job teaching at the school from which I graduated. I had the best class and the best experience at a school during a year of transition. But all good things come to an end, as they say, and my time there has ended. I pursued a job in public school, and I got it. I’ll be teaching third grade, and I’m looking forward to the new school and new age group. I’ve only taught Pre-K and Kindergarten, so third grade is a new challenge for me, but I know this is the right thing for me to do at this point in my career.

With that being said, to Mrs. Ellinor, Mrs. Debbie, Mrs. Susie, Mrs. Kaye, Mrs. Alicia, and Mama, thank you for taking me in and helping me out in every way you could. I literally couldn’t have done it without your help. I am so blessed to have come into an environment that truly felt like family, that was supportive, that was fun, that was never boring, and that had such dang good food! I’ll miss birthday celebrations! 🙂 And when things were so tough for our family this year, thank you for taking care of me and my mama. I love y’all so much!

Current TV Faves

It’s no surprise to see that heading. If you’ve been here more than once, you’ve probably seen something about television shows or movies.

Last month I mentioned that I was into Gossip Girl. (Paul likes to call this “trash tv”.) Apparently I really like “trash tv”. I managed to watch all episodes of Gossip Girl, all episodes of Southern Charm on Bravo (the past seasons are On Demand), and a few other shows that rank up there on his “trash tv” meter…I guess…I happen to quite like these shows and know that other people do too, so shut it, Paul. 🙂

But the truth is, Paul likes TV as much as I do, and though we may not watch “trash tv” together, we do watch a lot of great shows together. One we really got into was Stranger Things.

Holy moly, y’all! I don’t do scary, but this one was so good! We couldn’t get enough. Funny story, we watched it, finished the last episode, and the next night out bathroom light started flickering non-stop. *Gasp* I needed Eleven!! 🙂 Turns out, we just needed to change our light bulbs. And I heard they released the trailer for season two! I’ll definitely be watching.

Then we decided it was about time we jumped on the Game of Thrones train.

What a stinking emotional roller coaster! Anytime you like someone, they die. When you hate someone and they finally die, you cheer because they were so horrible. We have one episode left in season six, then we can catch up with season seven and be live with everyone else. I watch a lot of it through my fingers because it’s pretty graphic with the violence, but the story is interesting, and I totally get the hype now.

Also, the Mother of Dragons…favorite character, hands down.

Then Tyrion. He’s so funny! All three of these characters are really great, actually.

One more, maybe more wholesome and culturally educating thing I’ve been watching is the Smithsonian Channel. I decided maybe I was watching too much “trash tv” and needed something educational in my life, so I found the Smithsonian channel. My brother was in town a while back and found a show called Aerial America and that episode was about Philadelphia. He and my dad just went there on vacation, and he was pointing out all the things that they had done and seen. I became intrigued and looked up more shows that are on this channel. My most favorite so far is First Ladies Revealed. Amazing show! If you get this channel, just watch something. It’s so informative. And if you love history, you’ll love it.

Speaking of First Ladies

I’m currently reading Laura Bush’s memoir, Spoken From the Heart.

You can see the crutches propped against the wall in this picture. I stayed off of my ankle a few days and was really able to dive into this amazing book during that time. I bought this from a thrift store and very long time ago and, like so many other books on my shelf, I’ve never gotten around to reading it. But in that effort to have more wholesome things in my life instead of the “trash tv”, I decided I’d give it a go. Laura Bush is excellent with words. She can describe a Texas landscape in a way that I know if I looked up that area, the picture in my mind would be exactly what I saw in a real photograph. She is a well-read woman who writes like a seasoned author. I am not finished yet, but I am absolutely loving it. I wish I had been old enough to truly follow, understand, and appreciate this administration as it was going on. I highly recommend this one.

Beauty Product

I’ve spoken about Beauty Counter products before here on the blog. I have been using their charcoal soap and charcoal mask for several months now. I am also using their sunscreen and have started using a foundation that I’m really enjoying. I apply it with a brush and find it very blendable, and you can build up coverage if you aren’t satisfied with the first application. It doesn’t feel too heavy, and the best part is- it’s a safe product for your skin. If you click the picture it’ll take you to the page about this product. I encourage you to look around the site if you are looking for safer beauty options.

Last but Not Least

I sure hope y’all are still reading.

Here’s just a few more random things I’m currently loving this month (most of these are recaps from Instagram, but I did thrown in a few I haven’t shared): Still obsessing over watermelon. Most of my local people are nearly out of their watermelons, though. Hopefully our local grocery stores have some good ones. These were an early anniversary gift from Paul. Aren’t they fabulous?! They speak directly to my leopard-loving heart. You can get your own pair from the lovely boutique called Simply Chic Baton Rouge. They will ship to you here in Alabama. Follow them on Instagram and Facebook. Absolutely amazing! I have loved visiting the Alabama Shakespeare Festival since I was kid. (The bathroom still has the same wallpaper, y’all! If any of you remember from field trips, that is.) This summer I was the third wheel on my parents’ date night to see Mary Poppins. It was a fabulous show, and if it’s still running, get your tickets now and go! And that gorgeous building…I just love it. I recently got to experience BBQ 65 right off the interstate at the Pineapple exit. I got the smoked chicken sandwich with white BBQ sauce and friend green tomatoes. Just go. Do yourself a favor and go. You won’t be disappointed, and I’ve not heard one person say anything bad about what they ordered. DO IT! My mom’s birthday was this month and we had a delicious supper. My brother came home, and we spent the afternoon in the kitchen cooking for her. I gave her a Mary Kay Andrews’ cookbook, The Beach House Cookbook, for Christmas. There’s a recipe in there called Grits and Greens, and it’s southern deliciousness like you’ve never tasted. We thought it’d be good to put shrimp in it, so Andrew, my brother, made the shrimp, I made the casserole, and of course you have to have some Conecuh sausage to go with it. Birthday banana pudding for dessert, and we were all full as ticks. (That one’s for my daddy!) 🙂 So much goodness on that table right there. Mmm…And just for fun…I love me some Snapchat. This filter is everything, and I can’t get enough of it. Its as fun as the one that gives you big lips and teeth. It’s the little things, right?

I sure hope y’all had a great July and a great summer. Enjoy these last few days before school starts for you and/or your kiddos. I know I’m going to!

Currently Loving- June 2017

CURRENTLY LOVING

How is June over?! That means summer is halfway over. For teachers July always means you have to really start thinking about school again. Because, contrary to popular belief, teachers really do have to do work in the summer. There’s a lot of planning and putting your classroom back together. It’s no joke. So don’t hate on your teacher friends during the summer. They do a lot of stuff in those two months to prepare for your kiddos to come into their classrooms the next school year (on their days off, no less).

Watermelon

Another favorite this month- watermelon. Oh my goodness. There’s a man selling watermelons for $10 across the street from the country club, and I first thought it was steep for a watermelon, but I’ve changed my tune because they are absolutely worth every penny. Watermelon is maybe my favorite thing ever about summer. So delicious!

The Tony Awards

It’s no surprise to people who know me that I love award shows. I am a major lover of The Golden Globes, The SAG Awards, and The Oscars. But probably my most favorite award show is The Tony Awards which honors the accomplishments of people in theater. I have been fortunate to see Bernadette Peters in Annie Get Your Gun on Broadway. I saw The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway as well on Mr. W.S. Godwin’s trip he used to take every year to D.C and New York. I was thirteen years old and did not know how huge this was to see such icons on stage. I wish I had kept the Playbills! And then while in Louisiana I was able to see Wicked when it toured through New Orleans. Holy crap! When is this movie coming out so more people can love it?! Someone please make a movie!!!

The reason the Tony’s are one of my favorite things is because Ben Platt, the lead actor in Dear Evan Hansen won for best actor in a musical. You may remember him as Benji, the weird roommate of Jesse in Pitch Perfect. He performed in their finale in the first movie and reprises his role in Pitch Perfect 2.

Google Images/ Click the image for a link to his acceptance speech.

But during his acceptance speech at The Tony’s he said, “The things that make you strange are the things that make you powerful.”

I thought that was such a profound statement. Perhaps I’ve watched too many teenage/high school dramas lately, but being strange is often something that really hurts people and something they try to hide because others don’t seem to understand their “weird”. But Ben says to do it anyway. And I agree. If you’re the theater nerd in your group of friends and they think that’s crazy, let them think that. One day, that strange thing is going to help you do something that makes you happy. I’m here doing it now by writing a blog that probably only a handful of people read.(Thanks, Mom, Mrs. Robyn, Aunt Sharon, and Christy) 🙂 Ha! But you know what? I don’t care. If it makes me strange then that’s okay, because who knows? One day it could be the most powerful thing I’ve ever done.

Google Images/ This is actually an image from a blanket. I need it!

Home Improvements

My next two favorites come in the form of home improvements. I don’t go too many places over the summer. This is a pretty busy time for Paul’s line of work, so I spend a lot of time at home relaxing, reading, watching Netflix (I’ve gotten into even more shows, y’all.) I think I’ve officially got a problem. But I also get projects on my list out of the way in the summer because I have lots of time to do it. So, I can’t let June go by without mentioning my two favorite home improvements:

The Rug Switcheroo

The Leopard Curtains

More TV

So, I said I’ve gotten into more shows, but one that I’m rediscovering as an adult is Designing Women. Y’all…..I can’t get enough! It is so witty, and I am loving the strong woman that is Julia Sugarbaker. She is fierce. And how funny is that show? I know some of y’all remember it, and if you don’t, just search it on your cable box. I bet it’ll give you the times and channel that it’s on. And look at that 80s hair and fashion! Love!

Google Images/ Click this picture for a link to a “Where are they now?” article.

The Shack

I also have to reiterate my love of The Shack. I posted a review of it on Thursday, but it has been sticking with me since I finished the book. And I encourage you to watch the movie too. The library here has it available to check out for one night. And it’s free! Support your local library!

Professional Golfer

Cam with his mom and dad, Todd and Ginger.

Lastly, I was able to watch my husband’s cousin win his first professional golf event. Paul has been coaching him through videos, countless texts and phone calls, and every now and then in person while Cam was at college and we were in Louisiana. It was great when we moved back that they could do more lessons in person. So when Cam went to the regional competition for the NCAA and then on to the national championship competition in Chicago, it’s an understatement to say how proud of him we were. Cam knew he wanted to go the pro route, and Paul has been able to be there every step of the way since we’ve moved back. It’s been a lot of fun to watch. Then Cam was able to win his first event as a pro! I shared a golf cart with Paul and his Aunt Ginger, Cam’s mom, to see him win, and it was very cool. I feel very honored to have been allowed to be there. I’m not sure if Cam knows how proud Paul is. He didn’t stop laughing and smiling until we got home from the tournament. He was in the best mood and all because he was so happy for Cam. Can’t wait to see what else is in store for this guy. He’s the real deal, y’all!

So, my June was fun. How about yours? I’d love to hear about it in the comments. Here’s to another month in the books and to a great July!

Book Review- The Shack

BOOK REVIEW- THE SHACK

I have a long list of to-be-read books that I keep filed away in my brain. A very long list. I have been looking for one in particular that’s been on my list a while: The Shack. I looked at thrift stores and Goodwill stores for a very long time, but I never was able to find it. (I think I know why I wasn’t able to find it; it’s a hard one to let go of.) So when I first moved back to Alabama and visited the Goodwill and actually found it, I was very excited. But true to form, I was already in the middle of another book, so I decided to put The Shack on my shelf until I could get around to it.

Then Came the Movie

I knew I wanted to read the book before I saw the movie and had big plans to quickly read it once summer started so I could head to the theater. That didn’t happen. I started the book, was pretty captivated by the story, and had every intention to finish it quickly. But when a book is deep or super thought-provoking, sometimes I get intimidated, so I set it aside for a few weeks. When I picked it back up, I finished it in two days.

Here Comes the Religion

Okay, not really religion. 🙂 But I do want to tell you why this book made such an impact on me.

The main character, Mack, is dealing with The Great Sadness that has descended on him after the disappearance of his child. He receives a letter from “Papa” (God) in his mailbox asking him to meet him at the shack, which is the scene of the crime. He ultimately decides to go to the shack and there he does indeed meet Papa. But he doesn’t just meet Papa; he meets the entire trinity in the form of actual people. Jesus is there and so is the Holy Spirit. The way Paul Young writes them is what really peaked my interest. Papa is a black woman, Jesus is a middle-eastern looking man, and Sarayu (the Holy Spirit) is an Asian woman.

Here’s why this is so interesting to me: God was exactly what, who, and how Mack needed to see and get to know Him. It was eluded to in the book that sometimes “religion” is sort of formal, and that God really just loves His children and wants them to love Him too.

Now, I also want to say with a very loud voice- THIS IS NOT THE BE ALL/END ALL BOOK ABOUT GOD!!!! Please go to your Bible for the most true version of God and for the most inspiring stories about God and all of His wonders and promises and goodness. I’ve never gleaned more truth, inspiration, and information about God as I have from the Bible.

With that said, The Shack is an outside of the religion-box way to look at a relationship with God. And that right there, relationship, was the biggest thing I took away from this book. I like this quote by Jesus from the book:

“Because we want you to join us in the circle of relationship. I don’t want slaves to my will; I want brothers and sisters who will share life with me.”

I just loved that. And it is reinforced throughout the story. God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, they want to be a part of our lives. They want us to include them in everything we do. Because whether we remember it or not, they’re always there. Why not have a relationship with the one who created you, the one who died for you, and the one who guides you on your path of life?

I think that’s what I walked away with-a bit of a challenge- to not forget to keep the lines of communication open at all times with God. Remember that old hymn that goes, “and He walks with me, and He talks with me”? He’s always there, why not talk to Him? As a result, in your personal daily walk with God, you find yourself thinking about Him more. Your thoughts become His thoughts. You start to want to do things that would be pleasing to God.

The other thing that really stood out to me about the story was that everyone’s relationship with God is unique. We are all in different stages of life, have different spiritual maturity levels, have different backgrounds and life circumstances. This is what makes our relationship with God so unique. My story will not be like yours, but I promise that my God is also your God. We may talk to Him differently; we may go to different churches; we may read different adaptations of the Bible. But God is God, and He loves you, and He loves me, and He just wants you to love Him too. Your life will be so much better if you do.

So, if you’re interested, I encourage you to read the book. It is such a beautiful story of one man’s journey through a very great sadness and the relationship he develops with God as this terrible situation is redeemed. And if you’re not a reader (shame on you), 🙂 then you need to watch the movie! It was expertly cast and follows the main theme of the book perfectly. It was very well done. It’s available at the public library here in Greenville for free with your library card!

If you’re interested in more information about the movie or book, please visit the website. It is a great resource to find out more about this story.

If you’ve read this book and would like to discuss it with me in the comments, please do. I loved it so much! It definitely went on the list of my favorite books. If you’ve not read it, I really encourage you to. You won’t be disappointed.

Porch Update

PORCH UPDATE

Before school was over in May, I posted a Before post on our back porch. I had all of these wonderful plans set in motion to really update it and make it an awesome place to hang out this summer.

Before

It was a hot mess (still is). I have done a bit of cleaning and rearranging, but we still aren’t finished yet.

I bought this beautiful black and white striped umbrella that I just knew was going to look amazing and fit our umbrella frame that we already own. Well….That was a big ol’ no. I spent $50.00 on the umbrella thinking it would fit our frame, then I thought I might as well just buy the new frame and stand, but that was $50.00 more, and I just didn’t want to spend that much. I can do better than that. (Just so you know, I’m still looking.)

Then, in my rearranging and cleaning process I was moving our water hose out of the way and found this! Yep, that’s a snake skin. Now I’m paranoid about snakes being coiled up along with the hose. But to look on the bright side-at least it was just the skin and not an actual snake. Pretty sure I’d have told Paul to start packing because we were moving.

Progress

Basically I’ve rearranged the furniture. I put the table in the middle and the bar cart off to the side.

Yes my dead ferns are still sitting there. When my niece was staying with me one afternoon, she wanted to go outside. Well, she took one look at my ferns and said, “Oh, we need to water your plants.” 🙂 Bless her heart!

I don’t have a pretty pot for my Zinnias yet, which aren’t doing so well. My mother-in-law is an amazing gardener. She just has that green thumb that I was not blessed with. She planted the colorful flowers in the terracotta pot on the cart and gave me the zinnias on the table. She said to water them and talk to them. I do both, but I don’t think they like what I have to say.

My pineapple rug got so dirty from all the rain and water runoff. 🙁

So that’s as far as I’ve gotten. Maybe by the fall, when the weather gets nicer, it’ll be ready for some al fresco dinners and entertaining. Until then, I’ll enjoy the air conditioning and searching for a cheaper umbrella (preferably one that will fit my existing frame) and keep my eye out for more slithery friends. Let me know in the comments if you’ve seen any striped umbrellas that are cheaper than $100. Thanks for stopping by today! Have a great one!