Do You Lilac It?

i LOVE. love. this color. on my toes now, and it makes me happy.

so glad it's spring. painted toes and flip flops are two of my most favorite things.

Cheek to Cheek

Paul is taking an "American Popular Music" class this semester.  He just took his first "listening quiz", and this is what I over-heard...

Fred Astaire "cheek to cheek" with Ginger Rogers, in Top Hat, 1935.

(Don't mind the Spanish sub-titles. This video was the best quality.)

Love, love it. I totally was born in the wrong decade! Maybe even the wrong century.  :) 

fall...

I seriously can't believe it is November 1st.  I've been meaning to post for days now...so here are some snippets from the past few weeks of our fall...which has felt mostly more like summer until this past weekend. I actually had frost on my windshield when I left for class this past Saturday morning!! However, it was back to 80 something degrees by lunch time. (Which was fine by me, as I'm not much of a cold weather fan at all! 65degrees is cold to me!)  Anyway, back to the snippets... =) 

{DIY wreath}

{Visit to Tom's Farm}

 We went through the "haunted" corn maze in the middle of the day. Kinda nixed the scary factor, but still fun!

We got so tickled at hearing this guy "baaabaaa."

{Pumpkin Carving}

Paul did the Mississippi State masterpiece. And I apparently lack any sort of pumpkin carving ability whatsoever. My "B" just looks like a big blob. I should have done a little more thinking before I started carving...

{Trick or Treat with Taylor the kitty cat}

so Ca-Ute! 

And one last thing...our BULLDAWGS are 7-2!!! LOVE it.

Hope you are enjoying your fall, too!

WANT to do list...

Last Saturday I finished one class and tonight concluded my Thursday night class for the semester...I have two weekends off before my next Saturday class begins. !YAY! Of course, there are plenty of things on my NEED to do list, but I think they are just going to take a backseat while I enjoy working on my WANT to do list. 

This Saturday, I'll have most of the day to myself because Paul has to work and while I'm tempted to sleep in because I've been getting up at 6am on Saturday for the past 6 weeks, I've reallly been wanting to go yard-sale-ing...every morning as I would drive to class I would see at least 10 signs luring me to "HUGE" yard-sales.  So since this Saturday I can actually go, I just might be getting up at 6am because I want to. I'm not really looking for anything in particular, I just like to meander and see how far I can stretch $20. :) Also on my list for the day is to make a fall wreath for our front door. On Monday I visited my grandparents (who just recently moved into "assisted living") and my grandmother and I made a wreath for their door.  I think it turned out great (wish I had had my camera!).  It's amazing how a few flowers can warm and brighten up a space.  Can't wait to make ours and add a few fall-ish decorations around the house.  A few other want-to-dos include a little sewing, a little reading, and a little flower bed weeding.

Best thing about this weekend... I'm not going to get in a hurry about anything. 

And best thing about next weekend...we'll be headed to Starkville! MSU Football Homecoming.  Staying with Anne, Jim, Walt & Eleanor at their new house! Can't wait to see them and other friends and family and go to the game. This will be the first Mississippi State homecoming that will actually be a "home-coming" for me.  How is it that I am an alumni and have been for almost a year?! 

So thankful to have a little time off to relax and re-juice for the rest of the semester. 

check-out-line impulse buy with no regrets...

Why, oh why, is it for a limited time only?!?! That is torture! I'm not a big chocolate fan, but I'm so there with anything coconut. M&M's got this combo just right-- they are scrumptious.

oh, the lovelies i have found today!

Well, at the moment I am sitting at a desk watching eight students work on 20th Century U.S. History work...yes, I'm subbing high school history today and it has been EASY-PEASY! I've only had a few kids in each class because the majority of this teacher's students are ninth graders and are on their "Freshman Retreat" today. They have just come right in and gotten right to work with hardly any talking, so that has left me with TONS of free time to...read blogs! I am seriously sitting here trying to keep from smiling to myself because I am ecstatic about all the fantastic ideas and freebies I am finding! I just keep linking to more great stuff at every site...

Here are a few of the finds that have made my day:

1)  Feed Your Soul: the free art project

This is a site where artists are invited to contribute a print that is totally free and available for PDF download. From their mouth, "this project [...] is to help art lovers feed their souls with art in these difficult economic times and to help artists promote their work." New prints are added on Mondays.

Here is the latest...I'm quickly becoming obsessed.

  

 This will be perfect for my room (which I spent all day yesterday cleaning out and organizing...saving that for another post). It is one of our little extra bedrooms turned my office, reading nook, crafting space, etc. Most importantly, my room does not have to suit Paul's decorating taste! :) I can't wait to get home to print and frame this baby!

They have lots of other great prints--from whimsical to industrial and everything in between...check 'em out!

2)  oh my! handmade goodness

First of all, don't you just love that name?! I'm always a sucker for a good play on words. If you are a mom, then you will definitely want to stop by this site. I'm already picking out stuff for our [non-existent] kiddos. Paul will be thrilled, I'm sure. This site features tons of shops that sell all things homemade. Here are a few of my favorite picks...

a reversible denim coat from louloubellbaby. how sweet is this?

this cute cute mobile from KLT works

and lastly, this sweet print, "For the Love of Books," from Bumpkin...it's another "print"--I told you these were becoming an obsession! 

 

3) Iowa Girl Eats

You proably guessed already, but this is a (mostly) food blog by a girl who's motto is: "Eat Well. Run Often. Travel Far." I completely agree! Well, maybe not so much with the running part...I really wish I would get motivated in that department. But with the eating well and traveling far, I am definitely on board! Anyway, her blog is full of great (and healthy) recipes (they look and sound great, I'll let you know when we try one!), pretty photography, and fun stories. In her most recent post, she talks about the Iowa State Fair and all of the interesting, mostly deep-fried foods you can find there. She mentions a "Cornbrat on-a-stick (bratwurst dipped in corn dog batter & fried)" and how she hoped her husband didn't see this vendor because he would try to eat their entire inventory. Sadly, I fear this would be the exact same scene if Paul came even remotely close to the Iowa State Fair...cornbrat on-a-stick = heart attack on-a-stick. I was so excited to find this blog, because I've been hankering for some new recipes lately! Maybe I'll try these soon...

Baked sweet potato fries.

Paul tried sweet potatoes (only because they were fried!) for the first time last summer at one of our pre-wedding parties, and he liked them. Can you believe it. These will be healthier since they are baked...Wish me luck with his finicky tastebuds!

4)  a couple of home/interior design blogs...

My Romantic Home

Absolutely LOVE this woman's style.

  

And Holly Mathis Interiors

LoVe her style too. Her baby's nursery is just perfect. I love everything about it!

Hope you enjoy these fun finds as much I am. :)

&

Happy Friday!!

good day on the muddy mississip

It had been a while since Paul and I had been on much of a "date" so we fixed that today. Praying the rain would hold off, we headed to Harbor Town this afternoon to eat at a great grill and meander on the bank of the river in Mud Island. Neither of us had ever been over to Harbor Town before, and as we sat eating, we kept asking ourselves if we were really in Memphis. Much different than the infamous Beale Street atmosphere--quite refreshing. Lots of lovely homes/condos...everything (grocery, doctor, salon, movies) within walking distance and in view of the river.

Waiting on his meatloaf & mashed potatoes...

We just finished our food before the rain began to drop. Snagged a pic in car while we waited and hoped it was just a passing shower...

And it did prove to pass quickly...

The "M Bridge" and a hazy sky...

We had a great afternoon and will definitely make another date to Harbor Town! 

While we enjoyed our holiday, I have to say how very grateful I am for all of the men and women who make our freedom possible.  I can't fathom the sacrifice they and their families have made and are making.  How thankful and proud I am to be an American.

unlikely buddies

Hope this makes you smile and laugh as much as it did us! God's creatures are amazing.

farkel!

Have you ever heard of the dice game Farkel? Our friends Benjamin and Jada (Benjamin is my former youth pastor--he married us) play it and always said how fun it is, so I bought it back around Christmas and have been trying to get someone to play with me ever since! Paul consented last night, and it was so fun! Suffice it to say, he is a bit of a sore loser, and I'm not much of a risk taker.

My first roll= 3 pairs. Score: notice how he gave me a new name.

Did I mention, sore loser? :)

He may kill me for this...

After 2 rounds we were 1 and 1. The tie breaker was embarrassing:

10, 200 to 1,550. Paul redeemed his reputation, and I was NOT a sore loser.

 We are having a re-match tonight.

So if you're ever out our way, stop by and

(Sorry, I saw this on google-images and couldn't help myself.)