Blog Explosion!

Get ready, I'm about to post two month's worth of life all in one blog!Much has happened since my last post! In November we went to Destin for Emily's B Party and had a great time!  Thanksgiving kicked off a great Christmas season!  We started with the 2nd Annual Tacky Christmas Party.  Justin and I bought our Christmas present early and got a mattress (yea, I know, not very exciting) but we really needed one and I love it!  The next weekend we went to Emily and Sonny's Wedding in Bham and had a great time!

 

Christmas week was full of activity.  The week started off great;  Tuesday I checked the mail and found out I passed the FE Test!!!

 Wed. night we has Christmas with Justin's parents and Christmas Eve we went to church with his family and had Christma

s with his extended family.  Christmas day we went to my Grandparents house and the rest of the weekend we hung out in Eufaula with my family! Whew! I was glad to get home.  

I had a couple of days off and on the 30th Justin and I left for New Orleans!  Here is a recap of all we did:

1.  We stayed in a bed and break

fast right on the edge of the French Quarter that was run by two awesome gay guys (David and Skyler)!  It was our first time staying at a B&B and it was really neat.  Kinda like having your 

own home in NO.   

2. We ate Wed. night at this really good restaurant called Bayona.

3. Thursday we went and ate at Commander's Place and then went on a cocktail tour.  We went to several cool bars and sampled way too many different drinks.  After that we went to Snug Harbor, which is a Jazz Bar on Frenchmen Street.  Then it was time for dinner.  By the time we got done eating, it was only 10 o'clock!  So we decided to go back to our room for a little while before we went to Jackson Square for the Fireworks,  Bad Idea! Not 

surprisingly we both feel asleep before 12!! Eitherway, we had a great time on New Year's Eve! 

4. We spent Friday morning watching the ridiculous Auburn Game! Then we ventured out and watch several of the other games at a bar.  We met up with Neal Patterson (who lives in NO now)

and some others that afternoon.  finally we left for the Super Dome to watch the Sugar Bowl.  It was a lot of fun!! After

 the game was over, Justin finally got the urge to go to Harrah's.  After Quickly losing money at the craps table, we decided we would whether go eat beignets and drink coffee at Cafe du Monde than hang out at Harrah's!  So we found ourselves at the Cafe at 1:00 am stuffing our faces and realized we had stayed out later on new year's day than new years eve, it works for us! (it also was not near as crowded!) 

5. Saturday we got up and went and had a couple massage and of course it was wonderful!  We left and went straight to The Court of Two sisters for lunch.  We spent the afternoon wandering the French Quarter.

6. And last but Definitely not least, we finished our trip with the best meal I have Ever Had!! No Lie!! We ate at August Friday night.  I am no writer and cannot possibly type out all I have to say about this restaurant! First off, is was beautiful. Justin and I decided to go all out since it was our last night and order the seven course tasting menu.  Next time you see me, just ask and I will bore you with all the details!  

So in conclusion, we had a great time and on the way home discussed all the things we plan on doing the next time we go!

But, on arriving back in A-Town, the realization that not only must I go back to work, but that January has arrive (possibly the most boring month ever) finally sunk in.  At least I have bunco to look forward to!  Oh, and Justin's birthday, I almost forgot! (he will be 27!!!! I guess that shouldn't be too weird, I turn 27 this year too!)

Done! 

New Recipe

I've decided to add a new dimension to my blog.....recipes! As I come across new recipes that Justin and I cook that meet our 5 star approval, I will post. Last night I made Minestrone for the first time and it was SO good. It is now at the top of my favorite soups list. It was actually very easy and didn't take long. If you make the full recipe, it makes ALOT of soup. I plan on freezing half of it. ENJOY!

Minestrone

Ingredients
2 quarts chicken stock
1 head garlic, halved
1/2 pound small rigatoni
Extra-virgin olive oil
8 fresh sage leaves
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 pound pork sausage
2 medium carrots, roughly chopped
2 celery ribs, roughly chopped
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 (28-ounce) can crushed plum tomatoes
1 bay leaf
2 (28-ounce) cans cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 bunch fresh parsley leaves, finely minced
Coarsely ground black pepper
12 slices baguette
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Directions
Combine the stock and halved garlic head in a big saucepan and simmer for about 15 minutes to give the stock a nice, garlicky taste; strain out the garlic. Keep warm.
Bring a pot of salted water to boil for the rigatoni.
Pour 1/4 cup olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the sage, rosemary and thyme and warm the oil over medium heat to infuse it with the flavor of the herbs, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up the sausage with the side of a big spoon until well browned. Chop the carrots, celery, and onion in a food processor. Add to the saucepan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the vegetables are softened but not browned.
To the pan with the sausage stir in the crushed tomatoes, bay leaf, cannelloni beans, and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes stirring occasionally.
Cook the rigatoni in the boiling water for 6 minutes; it should be slightly underdone. Drain and stir into the simmering soup. Add the parsley, and salt and coarsely ground black pepper, to taste. Discard the bay leaf and herb sprigs.
To serve, preheat the broiler. Put the baguette slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with the Parmigiano and broil until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown, about 3 minutes. Ladle the soup into bowls and float a couple of the baguette slices on top.

Halloween 2009 plus some

Halloween 2009 was great! Friday night we had a party for Meg and Nutt with an Orange and Black theme and Saturday night we had a costume party for Emily and Sonny. Both parties were so much fun! I was so impressed with everyone's costume. I will try and be a little more creative next year; a witch is not very original. On the other hand, Justin was very creative and went as Tim Tebow. I made him a cape and halo, but we forgot the eye black! Oh well, I thought it looked good. It was a great way to end the month.

The start of November has been good. We went to the Peanut Festival Friday night. We had not been in a long time (since early high school) so it was fun to go back. I have decided though that next year a group of us should go on arm band night and actually ride some rides! It is SO expensive to just by tickets. Now it is count down until Thanksgiving break! (sorry, no pics from the fair)

My Birthday!!!!!

I had a WONDERFUL birthday this year! I knew Justin was up to something, but I wasn't sure what. Since my birthday fell on a Tuesday this year, I wasn't expecting anything over the top. Boy was I wrong! Justin surprised me with a limo ride to Stinky's Fish Camp in Destin!!! Me Justin, Meg, Nutt, Mitch, Lesley, Ray, and Mary all rode down and ate dinner. We had a great time. I can not express my appreciation for having such a wonderful husband and great friends!! They all sacrificed their Wednesday morning for me, such troopers!!

It was really just the beginning of a great week. We are carving pumpkins a Lynseys tonight in preparation for Meg and Nutts party, then Party/Shower on Friday night and Costume Party/Shower Saturday night for Sonny and Emily, not to mention hanging out at Opp Fest for a little while Saturday morning, crossing my fingers for an Auburn win and still trying to figure out my costume!! I told yall October was a great month!!

Art

In September, Tara Dalton started an art class once a month at the LAAC. So far it has been so much fun! It has rekindled my creative side. When I was younger we did arts and crafts all the time. My Grandmother and Aunt are wonderful artists. Before this class, I had not done any painting in years. Next Friday I'm going to my Grandmother's in Opp and we are oil painting. I'm very excited. Oil is her favorite, so I hope to learn alot. The hardest part for me is just getting started! Next month we are painting in honor is Woodie Long. Below is what I have done so far.

October!

October is one of my favorite months. Football, Fall, cooler weather(even though its actually a kinda hot today)homecoming, Halloween, scary movies, carving pumpkins, the fair, and of course, My Birthday! Our October has started off quite eventful. Last weekend we went to the CF Walk in Crestview and had a great turnout! We also went to Kat and Chris's wedding. Eventually I will post pictures!

In other exciting news, Justin and I got a Kindle! I've been wanting one forever. So far, we have both enjoyed it and would recommend it. As convenient as it is, some books i will just have to buy the hard copy, I like putting them on my bookshelf!

Here is an update to my reading list:
The Help - very good
The Lost Symbol - Great read, but the ending was a little disappointing. I was afraid it would hard to live up to his previous novel, The Davinci Code
Outliers - a very cool nonfiction book

I'm currently trying to decide on a new book to start. I've had my eye on the new book about John and Abigail Adams, but I've also been in the mood to reread The Name of the Rose...decisions, decisions.

Current Reading Selection

So I have started to notice that it has been a couple of weeks and I have had nothing exciting to post about, so I have decided to post random things about me and my little life.  We will start things off by exploring my library and random obsession with books:

I am currently reading a series of books called 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians'.  They are technically in the 'young reader' category, but are still very good.  I have always been interested in Greek Mythology, and the series is centered around Greek Mythology characters and storys.  They are not the same caliber as Harry Potter (which I believe will be hard to ever beat!) but good for lighter reading.

My book reading topics are constantly

 changing.  The last couple of months I have been reading fiction:

-The Twilight Series (Don't get me started, I was obsessed for a good month)

-Reread the Harry Potter Series (In preparation for the new movie release)

-Currently, Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Previously, I was on an American History Kick:

-John Adams by David McCullough (very good, highly recommend)

-His Excellency, George Washington

-Benjamin Franklin (I'm actually only about 1/2 way through it)

I'm considering rereading The Time Traveler's Wife, but several friends have asked to borrow it, so it might have to wait.  I am looking forward to the movie!

Oh, and this post would not be complete without telling my all time favorite book, 'The Name of the Rose'!!

Last Wednesday Justin and I left to go to North Carolina to stay with his cousin Ryan.  We picked my brother up in Auburn and stopped and stayed with my friend Alissa in Greenville, SC.  We made it to Raleigh, NC the next afternoon.  That night we went to a Durham Bulls baseball game.  On Friday, we drove to Wilmington and rode the boat, fished, and hung out until Sunday night.  We had a great time!!

Sacred Harp Singing

Justin and I went to a Sacred Harp Singing at the church he grew up in, Red Oak Baptist, this past Sunday. For those of you who are not familiar (neither was I), it is a type of singing that is acapella and is referred to as shape note singing. "Shape note" music means that the notes are printed in special shapes that help the reader identify them on the musical scale. Each of the four shapes is connected to a particular syllable: fa, sol, la, and mi. Its hard to explain without hearing it for yourself, so I have included a video! It is a dying art that is a old Southern tradition, started in the 1800s.

Sid

I never thought that a dog could be so human until we got Sid. Its odd, so my of my friends that have just had babys tell storys and I'm like 'weird, that sounds exactly like Sid' or 'Sid does that too' so I am now convinced that if I can raise Sid, a baby will be no problem! (J/K!!)

This picture was taken by Ray on the way home from the office. Sid always obeys traffic laws :)

Cross Stitching!

I don't exactly remember the first time I learned how the cross stitch, but I picked it back up the last couple of years I was in Auburn.  I haven't done any since I graduated, but lately, I have had the urge to start back.  So I went on a hunt for a kit and realized no store carries them any more!! I can't possibly be the only one around here that enjoys cross stitching! I finally just looked online (not sure why I didn't just do it first) and found tons!!! I took me a good week to pick one out.  I decided on a medium size one that is not overly complicated.  In Auburn I mainly did Christmas ornaments.  Anyways, it should be in next week.  I'll let everyone know when I actually finish it! 

Peer Pressure

So, I have finally succumbed to the peer pressure and created a blog (thanks Lesley); even though I'm mostly doing it out of boredom. I'm still not convinced that my life is exciting enough to blog about, but I'll give it a shot! I've grown tired of facebook, and even though I am a fan of twittering, I don't check it enough to really make it worth while. Blogging is my next adventure in online communities! I've decided to include in my blog things that I am currently interested in, i.e. books, movies, tv shows, news topics, crafts, events, ect. in hopes of making my blog a little bit more worth reading. I will shoot for posting something once a week, but if the mood strikes, it may be more (but most likely, must less)!