Biggest Summer Annoyance!

The one thing that drives me crazy in the summer.... Mosquito's! Ah! They make me want to scream!! I hate these nasty little things. I swear they follow me around and will attack every inch of me. My grandad used to tell me I must be made of sugar. The bad thing is they are in full force at the lake! Bug spray works okay but still doesn't keep them away! Ever since I was younger I was told to put an ice cube on the bite. It numbs it and stops the itch for a bit. Okay, I will quit rambling .. I just had to get this off my chest! Go away mosquito's!!

Thursday Ramblings

Isn't that so true? President Lincoln was awfully wise!

So did yall see the American Idol finale last night? Congratulations Scotty! I knew he was going to win, I'm so glad! I just love him!! It was an awesome show full of so many amazing performances. Is it just me or was Carrie Underwood looking more gorgeous than ever?! I'm sad the season is over, I was enjoying rooting on Scotty every week! My friend and I may have been slightly obsessed voting the maximum of 50 times each week. Haha, don't judge! Well this is the last day at the beach for me.. Justin and I are about to head to the Lake! I'm excited for the change of pace and can't wait to see my parents. My mom's birthday is today (Happy Birthday Mom!) and we are going to celebrate this weekend! One of my favorite memories growing up at the lake is playing the game of croquet. 

This game is simple and fun but not played too often anymore. You may remember it from Alice in Wonderland. The game is simple: you use your mallet to hit the ball through hoops embedded in the grass. Easy enough right?! I can't wait to get down and play. Some other fun outdoor games I'm sure you are all familiar with include cornhole and ladder ball. Games like these are perfect for all ages and all outdoor occasions. I can't wait to play with the family this weekend! Have a great Thursday!

Good Things

I finished Fireworks over Tocoa yesterday and can't wait to share with yall! It is by Jeffrey Stepakoff who is a wonderful writer. The style of the book reminds me of Nicholas Sparks. This was an exceptional book! I fell in love with the characters, the setting, the love story- just everything! I'm now ready to move to Georgia, ha. I love the southern charm the main character in the book Lily has. She is a southern girl waiting for her perfect husband is to  return home from the war. Just before his return she meets Jake, a guy with passion that meets her own but not in the same class as her family. Lily has to decide if she is going to follow true love or not. There is a twist in the story but I can't tell you anymore. I just have to advise you to read it! It really is a great summer read, if you have read or and do read it please let me know what you think!

Shag lessons were a success last night! We met so many people and got great advice to help us continue learning the dance! We only got the basic down now but we are ready to continue practicing and expand on our moves haha. (Sometime I get too excited to follow the steps when songs like Carolina Girls and I Love Beach Music come on)

Okay, this is good- but what is up with all these tornadoes recently? It's making me nervous! I am praying for everyone recently affected by the storms. It is just devastating.

One Shoulder Dresses. These are good! Actually these are great! They are in style and everywhere right now. I just love them! I just bought a new coral one shoulder dress and can't wait to wear it out!

Terrific Tuesday

I apologize for my lack of Monday posting and for the cheesy title (I'm horrible at making them up!). It is Tuesday and I have a feeling it’s going to be a great day. First off, did anyone see the Bachelorette last night? The guys were all so cute and Ashley’s dress was gorgeous! Ames- wow! Not the cutest but I am shocked by his educational background, he has to have one proud mama! I have to say the mask guy confused me a little bit. Enough about that...

I’ve had a blast at the beach the past couple of days! It has been full of good food and lots of sunshine- two of my favorite things! The high is 87 degrees today so Justin and I are about to hit the beach. I’m reading Fireworks over Toccoa and hope to finish it today. It’s been great so far, I love the southern Georgia charm that takes place in the story. When we leave the beach we are coming home to make shrimp and grits. I am ecstatic about this, yay! This is one of my favorite dishes; I hope we can make it as good as the ones we had at dinner a couple of nights ago. We are going to add country ham and cherry tomatoes- I’ll let you know how it turns out.

 After dinner we will be going to a local shag club to take a refresher course on the shag dance. I’m excited for the lesson but more excited that I will get to spend hours listening to beach music. I know I will be in heaven and I am so excited! Well I'm off- have a great day!

Burger Style

The weather is warm, memorial day is right around the corner, and the air is screaming time for a cookout! I love attending cookouts. Nothing brings friends and family together like warm weather, hamburgers and a chilled drink. Hamburgers are a cookout staple of course. There are however a million ways to fix up that simple burger. I'm curious what your ideal burger is. Mine is a thin burger, lettuce, tomato (lots), ketchup and mayo. At what point did America begin frying everything? Whenever it was someone introduced placing an onion ring on your burger, it sure wasn't a bad idea! Maybe you are vegetarian and prefer ketchup, onion, tomato, lettuce, pickle, and a veggie burger. Or just maybe you are real adventurous and will go for everything listed above with avocado, barbecue, slaw, onion, egg and bacon. Whatever it is, I'm sure it's delicious(: I also like the idea of eating your hamburger on thick toast instead of a bun. There are also some great low cal thin wheat buns out there that are great!

So, how do you like your burger?

One more thing, at a cookout everyone needs their favorite sunglasses on! When the sun goes down however what better accessory than to have these on? Checkout her giveaway! 

Good TIme

Happy Friday everyone! I'll go ahead and get this out of the way.. SCOTTY MADE IT! Yes! Scotty made it to the finals along with Lauren. I was one happy girl! Justin and I decided to do a little outdoor shopping and have a nice dinner instead of going to the movies tonight which was a okay with me. I had by far the best shrimp and grits I have ever had. They were extraordinary- Garlic cheddar cheese grits with fresh shrimp, ham, and tomato. Yum! I especially loved the fact that I got this little beauty. Mine is in a coral color though. Getting this dress and it being Friday made me think of why Fridays are fabulous. (we all know they are for a million reasons, #1 No work or school of course!) I always love Fridays however because I finally have a reason to let my hair down,  slip on my party dress and hit the town with whatever event might be going on. I don't know about you but I would wear dresses every day if I could. They are fashionable, take little effort and are just more comfortrable than jeans! I would love to add this to the collection!

If I can't find an outfit I always resort to a black dress and cowgirl boots. Other than getting to dress up I love Friday's because the radio always plays such fun music! I listen to music all the time- it has the ability to make the happiest girl in the world. One of my favorites to here on a Friday night is Alan Jackson's Good Time. 

Shot of Tequila, beer on tap
Sweet southern woman set on my lap
G with an O, O with a D
T with an I and an M and an E
And a good time
Shhheww, good time
I’ve been workin’ all week
And I’m tired and I don’t wanna sleep
I wanna have fun
It’s time for a good time

I hope this post has made you want to go put on a party dress and dance! ha, Have a great Friday Yall!

So Nervous..

Happy Thursday everyone(: I made it through the conference and have to say I learned a lot. None the less I'm glad it is over and I am finally at the beach! I was planning on leaving last night but had to wait for a textbook to come in the mail. I left this morning and finally made it, whew who! I think tonight Justin and I are going to go out for dinner and to see a movie. There are so many good movies out we can't decide what to see! Something more important happens tonight though.. American Idol Semi Final result show. I will admit that I am in love with a 16 year old. Yes, Scotty McCreery is AMAZING. I have been following him since the audition. His voice is so deep and country music fits him perfect. He's from Gardner NC which isn't far from my hometown. I love Haley and Lauren but Scotty has my heart. I hope he makes it through to the finals tonight! Haley is my second favorite. Do you watch American Idol? If so who are you pulling for? Have a great day yall!

5 Days!

Only five days until the new Bachelorette premiers! If you watched the last Bachelor you probably know that Ashley Hebert is going to be the Bachelorette! I am getting a little tired of them using people from past seasons instead of finding someone new but I do really like her. I'm excited to see what she brings to the table! What are your thoughts on her new hair color? I can't decide. What I love about Ashley is that she is very "girl next door" pretty, but not entirely superficial appearing. Her and Brad didn't work out but I am so excited to see the new cuties! If you are new to the show Ashley is a 26 year old dental student from Philadelphia. She was having doubts about if it was the right time for her to put her career aside for a man so I hope she has worked this out! I was checking out the website and they have all the men posted. Here are two guys I thought were just adorable.. (I wasn't sure about the second one but the more I look the more I like ha)

Have a great day!

Better Late Than Never

It has only been a few days but I feel so out of touch with the blogging world! I apologize for the lack of posting, I have been extremely busy and out of Internet connection. I'll give you a run down to catch up. I spent the weekend in Alabama to attend my grandmothers funeral. It was a very sad time but it was a joy to see all of my family! We spent one evening grilling out and kayaking which was a trip but so fun! I personally didn't partake and instead watched and laughed at people falling in, ha! My family and I drove through Shoal Creek- one of the valleys destroyed by the past tornado. The damage was devastating. It makes me appreciate what I have much more. This entire valley was destroyed. About half of the houses are completely gone and the rest have significant damage. There were lives lost and the town is having to start all over. I am praying for these families and hope you will too. They need it now more than ever! I arrived back home late Sunday night to get ready for something called Senior Conference. This is basically a three day (Monday-Wednesday) event where myself and a group of twelve other education majors speak with local school board members, school personnel and central office staff. It is supposed to give us a look at how the school runs "behind the scenes". Although I would rather be doing something fun it has been very educational! Despite the early morning wake up I did still manage to go to a friends birthday party for a little while and it was so nice to see old friends from home!

 

I have one more day of the conference and will then be heading to see Justin at the beach. It's no fair he lives there! I can't wait to spend a week relaxing on the beach, catching up on my blogging and reading my new books! I am hoping to get a little shopping in, a date night (maybe I can convince him to take me to see Something Borrowed) and maybe a pedicure! I am feeling a little spoiled right now because after a week at the beach I will be heading to the lake for memorial weekend. A little over a week and a half of sun and water? yes please! I can't wait to catch up with everyone! Thanks for all the kind words about my loss, it means so much!

Today

My grandmother is now dancing with the Angels. She passed away today in my, my mother and my sisters arms. I know she is in a better place. I have felt such a strong connection with God the past few days and cann't wait to share with you. I'm keeping this post short for now however I am asking for yor prayers for another family in my town. A friend of mines mother passed away today. She had a 21 year old daughter and 10 year old son. There family is in need of our prayers.

Guilty Pleasures

I try very hard on a day to day basis to eat healthy, be productive and manage my time well. However I do find myself slipping up on some of my guilty pleasures. Whose to say one glass of chocolate milk or one extra 30 minutes of TV is going to kill me? Ha, these guilty pleasures however still require self control because I could find myself indulging in them all day! I'll share some of them..

When I should be drinking water (which is something I am trying to drink more of!) I instead love a glass of chocolate milk. My inner child comes out and it is so good! Those extra calories are not my friend however.

When I should be accomplishing something off my to do list I instead can't turn away from the show Criminal Minds. I am not normally into these types of shows however this one has caught my attention. The team members are so smart, I just love watching how they solve the cases. The bad part is when one Criminal Minds comes on normally another one follows- that's two hours of TV! Sigh, I can't resist.

Shopping, this probably tops them all! My sister just reminded me that no, I do not need to add to my enormous shoe collection. But if I see a pair of to die for nude leather pumps am I going to pass them up? Um, no! Shopping is therapy, it gets my mind off anything  bothering me. Not to mention a new outfit makes you feel pretty and what girl doesn't want to feel glamorous?! I will try to cut back but no promises(;

 

May

In my opinion, May is one of the best months of the year. The April rain has faded out and May flowers are in bloom. The weather is warm but not scorching hott or freezing cold. It's just perfect! The Kentucky Derby, graduation, May Day, Cinco De Mayo, Mothers Day and Memorial Day... all events taking place in May! I have decided to spend this May doing as many outdoor activities as possible. Long walks, cookouts, gardening and much more. I'm excited and ready to fix the deck up and light up the grill! I have tons of things I want to accomplish this week in the house. First up on the checklist for today is: organizing the pantry, laundry and major kitchen cleaning. Time to get started!



Jumbled

Whew, today has been quite the day! So many things to say I'm not sure where to begin. First off, I finally got all packed up and then un-packed. Unpacking has been quite the task! I had no idea how much stuff I have accumulated over the past two years. I am a tad OCD when it comes to having a clean house and organization. With this being said, having boxes all over my room has been driving me crazy. I have finally got everything put away, temporarily at least. The rest of the week will be devoted to organizing everything. and yes I mean everything.. color sorted clothes, new shoe organizer and pictures are a priority. I need some advice if you have any ideas: I have accumulated quite a few pocketbooks and clutches and have no idea where I should put them? I used to have a rack hanging over my door and didn't really like the cluttered look it gave. What should I do with all of my bags?

On another note, I have decided to share an overview of what is going on in my life since it affects my blogging.  About 10 years ago my grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's.  Since then my grandmother's Alzheimer's has worsened tremendously. She has a feeding tube and is not able to talk or get of the bed. The stress has been hard on my family, inparticularly my mom.  It has gotten to the point where several doctors have informed my mom that my grandmother's case is so severe they believe it is best to stop her feeding tube. Once the feeding tube has stopped it could be a matter of a couple days or a few weeks before she passes. With the family getting this information we will be having family stay with us to visit and when the time comes will be going to Alabama where my grandmother is originally from. I don't share this information to seek pity or burden anyone but rather be able to be honest in my future blogs about what is going on.

On a much happier note I am so excited for Mothers day tomorrow! I am making a fresh strawberry cake so I will be sure to share how it turns out!

Packing Up

The school year has ended and I am now in the process of packing up all my things and moving out of my beautiful sorority house. It's such a bittersweet time. I will be spending the rest of the day packing.. no fun! I'm looking at this as I can now spend my time relaxing at the beach/lake/pool. Yay! However, I am very sad to say goodbye to all of my sisters and friends for the summer. I'm going to have to keep this short for now but I will update later! Happy Friday yall!

Cinco De Mayo

One of my favorite days of the year. Probably because it means I have an excuse to celebrate, drink margaritas and eat Mexican. Yum! The fact that I am done with exams as of 11am makes this day that much better. I am planning on going to a festive Mexican restaurant for drinks and dinner with some friends. Afterwards we may head downtown to do a little celebrating the end of exams. I have a feeling it will be a very fun night. Happy Cinco De Mayo! What are your plans? Are you like me and use any excuse to celebrate?

Summer Jewelery

I will unfortunately be spending this entire day studying for my last two final exams. This is no fun, at all. This girl is so over school. I keep telling myself however that the end of classes means summer is almost here. Now that we can finally put away our winter accessories such as scarves we can pull out some fun summer jewelery! This year I have been obsessing over all things that scream colorful and tropical. Here are some of my favorites:

These have been on my wish list for quite

 some time! I just love these gold starfish earrings!

I just purchased these crab earrings and love them! They add

a fun touch to a simple dress. (ps. I have them on in my beach music post!)

Colorful bangles?! Yes please!

I can already picture this necklace with a white top. Love! 

My favorite colors right now are turquoise and coral.

Any jewelery in these colors is sure to be a hit with me!

What do you like to accessorize with in the summer?

Have a wonderful day!

Derby Party

I have never been to the well known Kentucky Derby. I am determined to make it one day but in the mean time I will have to settle for Derby parties and dreaming. What I love about this special first Saturday of May are all of the traditions, fashion, food, and history. Any event that requires a big hat has my full attention!

Growing up I can remember a neighbor of mine throwing a Derby party every year. Too young to attend, I would sit in my sunroom and watch all the neighbors walk over. Now that I am older I can partake in the celebration as well. Here are 5 ideas to make a Derby party complete.

1. The rose is the race's official flower. Each year a garland of over 400 roses are sewn into green satin. Roses are the most appropriate flower to have at your party. If this isn't gorgeous I don't know what is.  

2. When the horses make their way to the starting gate "My Old Kentucky Home" is played. It would be quite festive to play the song at this time for everyone to hear.

3. Beyond a shaddow of a doubt you must serve the southern drink: Mint Julep. No questions about it, this has to happen! The classic cup is served in a silver julep cup. Here is a receipe:

Place mint leaves and Mint Simple Syrup in a chilled julep cup.

Gently press leaves against cup with back of spoon to release flavors.

Pack cup tightly with crushed ice; pour bourbon over ice.

Insert straw, place mint sprig directly next to straw, and serve immediately.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.

4. How fun would this Derby Cheese Hat be? Via Southern Living

5. Since the actual race last no more than two minutes

having a few games prepared would be a good idea. A hat contest and

cornhole are always winners.

What are your Kentucky Derby plans?

Beach Bum

The Perfect Beach Bag

would contain:

1. A towel, of course

2. A Beach Book

3. Ziploc bag filled with sunscreen and chapstick

4. Sunglasses

5. Hair tie, hat and/or visor

6. I also need a cooler like this for my drinks:

Yes, this is a monogrammed cooler that holds six cans.

It has a shoulder strap so it can be easily carried.. I want it!

These are my favorite beach bags of the season:

You can never go wrong with a straw bag! This one is from ClaireV

My beach bags always end up dirty so I will

not be splurging on a Lilly Pulitzer bag but I can dream!

a monogrammed bag.. how fun?!

Now I just need the beach!

Classic

Happy May Day!

Beach Music Festival was a blast! I hope everyone had a nice weekend at Foxfields or where ever you were! Beach music was filled with lots of dancing where I met some new lovely ladies who taught me some new moves. Always fun! The Embers were my favorite band but I think the best part of the entire thing was meeting new people. One new person was the inventor of a new product called "Bottoms Up Beer". This is a machine that is designed to fill beer up from the bottom instead of the top. The cups are filled much quicker and with NO foam what so ever. Greatest invention ever? Possibly.  

The inventor himself

Now to what I really want to blog about..

As the boy and I had an amazing lazy day, we tuned into one of our favorite shows- The Andy Griffith Show. This is a classic that is still being shown today. Will all of these reality shows I watch everyday be remembered in 50 years? No, Andy Griffith will be though! I just adore this show and every single cast member. It is clean and refreshing and honestly just plain funny! How can you not laugh at Barney Fife? I can't imagine living life as they do in Mayberry. So simple and perfect.  

There is also a little lady by the name of Shirley Temple who is also classic and adorable! I just loved watching Shirley Temple when I was growing up. She filmed way before my time, however, every visit to my grandmothers house resulted in the viewing of one of her movies. She can sing and dance and just be precious. Does this bring back memories for anyone else?