The Adventures of Lucy

It's no secret how much I love my niece, Lucy.

She definitely has her Aunt CiCi and Uncle D wrapped around her finger. 

Well, Lucy spent the day at CiCi and D's house yesterday, and we had a BLAST!

Matt and Ellen had a wedding to go to last night, and I had already asked if we could have her for the day, so it worked out perfectly. I must say, she was pretty exciting to "go to CiCi's house."

We had a fun-filled day. She is talking so much now and says the funniest things that come from nowhere.  For example, her favorite song in the whole world is Willie Nelson's "On the Road Again" and she actually knows all the words! Well, in the way that a 2 year old knows the words...but she asks for it by request..."Widdie (willie)?" and as soon as the song comes on her little head starts bobbing and she dances around singing along. It's adorable.

Here is our fun day in pictures.

We walked to the park to swing. Look at that face of pure joy!

 Bunny wasn't having quite as much fun on her swing.

 Lucy could have stayed on the swing all day, unfortunately we started to hear thunder so we headed home.

 Where she danced to Uncle D's guitar and helped him play

 helped CiCi make birds nest cookies

 Look at her in my apron...cutest thing ever.

 our yummy cookies

She finger painted

 CiCi helped her make a bunny Easter card for momma and dada

 other masterpieces

we painted our toenails

 and watched some original Loony Tunes with D.

She did get one quick 20 minute nap in on our way to get dinner, so I'm sure she was a ball of fun for her momma and daddy last night...and today. 

Oh well, what are aunts for, right?  Spoil 'em then send 'em home. And she's just waaaay too easy to spoil.

Finally...the day has come, my friends

That's right, today is the day! 

I have to say, I'm not one to jump on a band wagon of any sort. I wasn't into the vampire thing (until I recently saw the first twilight movie on tv...and immediately went to rent the others.) However, last summer when I was gathering ideas for my summer reading list (as a teacher, I feel like summer is the only time I have to get good reading time in), I kept seeing this book pop up all over the place. I was skeptical. I'm generally NOT a "sci fi" kind of gal, and this did not seem like my cup of tea. But then I saw that Kim at 3 Peanuts recommended it, I thought, "She's a classy lady and she read it...I'll give it a shot." Yep. That's exactly what I thought. I'm weird and a dork.

I read all 3 books in a matter of days. 

So with that being said, I've already purchased my tickets to see the movie tonight with the BFF. I'm not one of the crazies who went to the midnight screening...I'm weird, but not that weird. My apologies if you are one of these people...I respect you and your obsession.

Do you have your tickets yet?

If not, 

"may the odds be ever in your favor."

tickets are going fast, after all.

Don't let the leprechauns get you!

Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone! I had grand plans to make something Irish today like Guiness cupcakes or Shepherd's Pie. In my house, plans don't always work out or follow through. However, Andy did drink a few of these black & tans last night.

I hope you all drink lots of this today...

are lucky and find one of these...

and not one of these...

but if you do happen to run into a leprechaun, such as the one above, make sure you have your leprechaun whistle with you.

If you don't know the reference, do yourself a favor and watch the youtube video "leprechaun in alabama" for a good laugh!

Five Song Friday--It's been a while

For your listening pleasure on this lovely Friday {the high here in Charleston today is 80*}. And there is no theme here. Just goodness.

1.  Promises--The Morning Benders

2.  Tumbling Dice--The Rolling Stones

3.  If It Hadn't Been For Love--The Steeldrivers

4.  You Really Got a Hold On Me--She & Him

5.  Pickin' Up the Pieces--Fitz and the Tantrums

A Few of My Favorite Things--part 2

Some of the things I'm loving right now.

#1
These pictures from our weekend in Columbia with good friends, Porter and Kayla, and their baby boy Oatmeal. We love this couple and their doggie so much. While the boys played golf on Saturday, Kayla and I had arts and crafts time in the beautiful weather with lots of mimosas.
{I stole the dog pictures from Kayla's blog. She's got some great photography skills!}

My Birdie Girl

 

Birdie and Oatmeal played tug-o-war with a stick all day.

My crafts--wall decor, twine wrapped candle, and coffee filter bow for the gift we bought for a wedding shower.

Best seat in the house...

#2 

This book. I just started it and it's already really making me think about God's love for us. I can't wait to see what the rest of the book holds for me.

The book's website

#3

Tea Parties with Lucy

#4

My Camellias that I planted in the fall are finally blooming! I guess they like to procrastinate, just like me.

#5

This crazy elliptical workout!

I don't love the elliptical...I get bored easily on it. However, this interval workout makes the 35 minutes fly by and it is such a great cardio workout!

And, that's all folks! For now. 

What are you loving lately?

Tasty Tuesday--Pesto Pasta with Chicken Sausage and Roasted Brussels Sprouts

This is another recipe floating around pinterest. The recipe is from Gimme Some Oven.

This pasta was so fresh tasting, and I have a new-found love for brussels sprouts. As a kid, you couldn't get me to look at a brussels sprout. What was I thinking?  If only my picky-eating husband shared this brussels lovin' with me. Even with the brussels sprouts, he enjoyed this dish as well...he just picked around the yummy little guys.

Ingredients

1 lb. fresh brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and any yellowed/browned outer leaves removed, then sliced in half

3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided

1/2 tsp. Kosher salt

1/2 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper

1 lb. orecchiette (I used bowtie) pasta

4 chicken sausage links, sliced into 1/4'' thick coins

5 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced (I minced mine)

1/3 cup pesto

Parmesan cheese, for serving

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together brussels sprouts, 2 Tbsp. olive oil, salt and pepper. Gently stir until well-combined.

Roast the brussels sprouts evenly on a baking sheet for about 20-30 minutes, stirring once partway through, or until they are crispy on the outside and cooked on the inside (mine took less time than this.) Remove from oven and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, turning occasionally, until nearly browned, about 6-8 minutes. Add the garlic, and continue cooking for another 1-2 minutes until the garlic is fragrant and the sausage is browned.

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Once the pasta is cooked, drain the water, reserving 1/4 cup pasta water, and then toss together the pasta, pesto, cooked sausage and garlic, and brussels sprouts. Add in some of the reserved pasta water if needed for extra moisture.

Serve warm, and sprinkle with freshly-grated Parmesan cheese

Tasty Tuesday--"The Help" Inspired Corn Pone

I was browsing through a Lowcountry cookbook of mine, Shrimp, Collards, & Grits, when I came across a recipe for Corn Pone in the Gullah section.

So, in honor of my favorite character in the book/movie The Help, Miss Celia Foote, I thought I'd give it a try. 

In the book/movie, if you remember, Corn Pone was pretty much the only dish she could make.  Anyway, I went forth with high hopes.  How bad could it be, right?

It was not good. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't good. 

The texture--interesting? And that's putting it nicely.

So, this is a weird Tasty Tuesday, since I made something that I'm encouraging you NOT to attempt. But, here is the recipe for you brave souls out there.

See? I couldn't even make the photo look appetizing!

Dye's Country Corn Pone

recipe is presented "Gullah-style"

3 cups fresh cut corn (I used canned)

2 tablespoons suga (sugar)

2 cups milk

1/4 cup melt butter

2 eggs

1/2 tablespoon salt

Dash pepper

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup cornmeal

1 cup cheddar chez (optional)

Dump all in a bowl and mix and dump in a baking dish big enough ta hold. Bake until done, 30 minutes.

In all honesty, it wasn't that bad. We kind of liked it the more we tried it. The first few bites were tough to get through with the weird texture and all. I won't make it again, but you might like to give it a try. You never know, one girl's "gross" might be another's "yummy".

They will be mine...

Oh, yes. They will be mine.

(wayne's world anyone?)

I mean...they're called "Caroline." 

Coincidence? I think not. 

Sign that they should be on my feet? Definitely.

And I can totally justify spending the money on these. The color will go with everything, I can wear them to work, I can wear them after work. Totally justifiable reasons to buy these for myself.

Just don't tell Andy.