Friday Favorites

So I thought it might be fun to do a Friday Favorites post.  If you know me at all, you know that I love it when I find a great product and can talk on and on about it to everyone I know.  So this is what I am crushing on this week.

1.  My first favorite thing this week is my new OPI nail polish called "What's your Pointsettia?"  (I would love to meet the people who give these colors their names.  Boy, are they creative).  This is a beautiful red; perfect for Bulldawg games, Christmas, Valentines Day and 4th of July even!  See how versatile one nail polish can be?  I've been wearing it for about 2 weeks now and love it.  I'll wear it now through Christmas.  I got it at Ulta for $9.50 I think.  It's part of OPI's Gwen Stafani's Holiday 2014 Collection. 

Just for the record, I pulled these photos off the internet.  These are not my fingers.  This photo makes it look a little orange.  It's not. 

OPI What's Your Pointsettia?



Just because I think this is so fun, here are a few of the other colors found in this Holiday Collection.

I actually may get this one, too.  I'm not usually a fan of a shimmer/glitter polish but this just says Christmas. 
OPI Red Fingers and Mistletoes



OPI Christmas Gone Plaid




OPI Kiss Me or Elf


One more .... OPI Rollin' in Cashmere.  This is really pretty and if I ever part with red for the holidays, I might go gold.




2.  A few more of my favorite things are these earrings and bracelets.  While I got my earrings at the  Mart in Atlanta, you really can find these a lot of places.  The first bracelet that I wear with my watch is called a cushion cut bracelet and I ordered it from Accessory Concierge.  Go here if you'd like one for your own self. 
The stacked bracelets are knock offs of the super popular Bourbon and Bowtie  bracelets.  I love those and actually have a few of the "real ones."  These are super chic right now.

3.  My favorite dessert with Thanksgiving right around the corner is this Pumpkin Butter Cake with fresh whipped cream and toasted pecans.  It's on the Cooking with Crevolyn blog here. 

4.  As you all know the hardest working appliance in my kitchen is my slow cooker.  Well, look what I got for my birthday from my dear, dear "sister" - a Bulldog Version of the crock pot.  WooHoo!    I took it to the tailgate last week and I love it!

5.  One last, but not least thing.  Here in Georgia we are experiencing quite the cold snap.   Well, I discovered fleece-lined leggings and they are game changers.   I purchased the Hue brand at TJ Maxx.  I think that Belk carries them too in their stores.  I couldn't find a link to the Hue brand so here is a link to a brand on Amazon that has good reviews and comes in tons of colors.
I'm pretty sure you know what leggings look like but everything else had a photo so I just couldn't bring myself to leave this off. 


Happy Friday!  Hope you have a fabulous weekend!

Pjs, Sweet Potatoes and Carrie!

Good Morning, Friends!

Please pardon the post about three very different and random things ...

1.  I am starting  this very cold day in my new flannel pajamas and a cup of Hazelnut coffee with French Vanilla Creamer.   If you happen to be in the market for a new pair of awesome flannel pjs, I highly recommend these.  I bought the leopard print pair first and I loved them so much that I went back and bought the festive plaid pair, too.  I got mine at the Belk (as opposed to ordering them online).   They were half price and I had a coupon.  I think I paid less than $20.  Score!  I am telling you the truth when I say that these are so warm, comfortable and wash great. Sometimes flannel pajamas shrink a little when you wash them but these don't.   Love, love, love them.  These would make a great Christmas gift for the girls on your list! 



2.  I meant to post this last week but was so caught up in the whole Jury Duty and Sadie OB/Gyn drama that I totally forgot.  Last Wednesday my column ran in the Gainesville Times.  The staff at The Times has graciously allowed my column and recipe full front page coverage the last two times.  If you're interested in reading, go here.   Just a note about the Slow Cooker Sweet Potato recipe - it is awesome.  You'll want to make it.

3.  If you are a Carrie Underwood fan, you have probably already seen this video of her new song, "Something in the Water."   With all of the negative and frankly, disgusting stuff that comes out of the music and film world these days, I found this to be a breath of fresh air.  Well done, Carrie, well done.

Playing Catch Up!

So I need to give you all an update about several things:
1.  I didn't get picked for jury duty.  I did have to go the jury room but thankfully my number was at the end and by the time they got to the last five of us, they had already selected the jury.  Thank the good Lord above.  That's the good news.
2.  Now for the bad news.  I know this may sound crazy and I'm okay with that but last Tuesday morning I got a bad feeling.  Not a bad feeling like too much guacamole at the Mexican restaurant but a feeling that something bad had happened to Sadie.  She was currently at Holly's house because she likes for them to be there 10 days before the due date.   Now before I go any further, I have had these feelings before about my children.  Like when you feel like something just wasn't right; you don't know exactly what but something is off.  Well, when you're an empty nester, apparently that translates to your dogs.  I'll get to the point in a minute but let me further explain that our older dog, Kirky recently had a emergency hysterectomy due to an internal infection (which I discovered and about sent me over the edge).   This is really probably more than anyone needs to know but that gives you some background as to what might otherwise seem like erratic behavior on my part (not that I'm not prone to erratic behavior but for once this behavior might have been justified).   To the point already.
So sensing something was off, I texted Holly just to see how Sadie was doing.  She immediately called me (not a good sign) and asked if I had already talked to Amber, the young lady who oversees the foster dogs.  I had not.  Holly had asked her to call me but she just hadn't had a chance to yet.  Imagine right now that I'm a basket case.   All of this to say, early Tuesday morning, Holly had heard Sadie whimpering over the baby monitor and thinking she was in labor, got up to check on her.  Oh no, she wasn't in labor.  She was, how do I say this delicately ... having an ugly discharge.  She knew something was bad wrong and called the vet, who said to meet her at the hospital immediately.  Long story not so short, Sadie had an emergency C-section and had miscarried all of her puppies.  Apparently, one had died and poisoned the rest of them (there were 6 puppies total).  My heart was broken for my Sadie.  Holly reassured me that she was doing good and I could come get her in a week and that meanwhile, Sadie would be recuperating in a warm bassinet in her breakfast room.  So yesterday, I went and picked her up and other than one ugly scar on her belly, I am glad to report that our Sadie is doing fine.  She slept under my arm last night.  Bless her heart.  Whew.
3.  Okay, so Saturday was our big Georgia-Auburn Tailgate and let me just say first, we had a great time!  The Dawgs dominated Auburn!  WooHoo!  There are a few things you should know about Saturday:
Yes, it was C-O-L-D, cold.  When we got to our tailgate spot that morning I think it was 28 degrees.  E and N had already been there an hour before us to hold the spot and it was even colder then (thanks for braving the cold, guys!)  We all knew it was going to be cold so we were prepared.  And by prepared I should tell you that on the Wednesday before when I was shopping with a couple of friends at the TJ Maxx in Buford, I bought these.  And I am beyond thankful that I did.  They saved my feet.  Now, while these may not look like the cutest boot on the block, they are fur-lined and water repellent.  And honestly, they are much cuter in person. 

So what does one do when they get to their tailgate spot at 9:30 in.the.dang.morning. and the game is not until 7:15 that night ... well, we watched football on the flat screen... right there in the back of E's Tahoe.  Let's just say that N is the bomb when it comes to anything technological.  So yes, we sat by the heaters, watched football and ate.   It was awesome. 

You can't see it but D was grilling brats when I took this photo.  I adore these two. 

We don't look as cold as we are, do we?  The warmth of the sunshine saved us. 

One of us took a nap.  In his defense, he got up really early and it was a loooonnng day.

This just never gets old ... Saturday Night Lights!

And because you know I'm all about the food and drink, a few of my contributions to the Tailgate were this Breakfast Casserole; Black-eye Pea Salad; and ... get ready for this ... Salted Caramel Bacon Brownies.  Have a mercy, they were as good as they sound. 

Oh and I made this Hot Chocolate and transported it in a hot pot.  It was delish! This recipe can also be made in the slow cooker but I didn't have time for that Saturday morning so I just made it in a big pot and let it simmer for about 30 minutes. 

Hot Chocolate:
Ingredients:
1/2 cup dry baking cocoa
1 can sweetened condensed milk
7 1/2 cups skim milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
Directions:
Put all ingredients in a large pot on medium heat.  Simmer for about 30-45 minutes, stirring constantly.  The milk will scald if you aren't careful.    If using a slow cooker, cook on low for about 3 hours.  Serve with mini-marshmallows.
Enjoy!

It's November 2014!

So let's talk a little about November.  I'm pretty sure that things are going to be a little slower for us than the past couple of months but we all know that we are going to be in full holiday mode this month so it's totally possible things might get crazy.

1.  Of course we began the month on Saturday with a big ole Georgia game that went south (literally) in a huge hurry.  Like I said in my last post, our whole little weekend vacay was great it just could have been better with a win.  But that's the way it goes.  In the words of Queen Elsa, we just have to Let It Go.  (Have you noticed it makes me feel better about the whole thing to tie my disappointment to popular songs?).  (I'm weird like that). 

2.  On Monday, D and I took the grandmothers to Blue Ridge to see the new store.  He worked there while us girls took the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway trip.  Oh it was so fun.  We stopped in McCaysville for lunch.  Here are the girls - one in Georgia and one in Tennessee.  A great time was had by all. 

To make a great trip even better, we stopped at Merceirs Orchards after and loaded up on caramel apples, apple pie, and apple butter.  Merceirs is a beautiful orchard with an equally beautiful bakery, store and tasting room (food and wine).  I'm pretty sure I could be happy there for the better part of a day.  To top off our day, I got a text from E that said "why don't y'all come to our house for supper?"   Why yes, we'd looove to!  E cooked up a delicious supper - a perfect ending to a great day!

3.  Tuesday, the 4th was Election Day in Georgia.  This was a huge day for us because of G's role in the whole election process this year.  We were sure we were headed for a run-off but thankfully, that didn't happen.  G has spent the last few days thanking his interns and volunteers, closing up his office and preparing to leave for Louisiana.  Yes, that's right, Louisiana.  It seems that they are in a run-off for a Senate seat there so being the good neighbor that we are, Georgia Republicans are sending their best and brightest off to work in LA.  G will be in Baton Rouge until mid-December.  Of course, the first thing this momma said was "congratulations, be safe and will you be home for Thanksgiving?"  The answer was yes, he can fly home for Thanksgiving.  Big prayers going out for my boy and this adventure. 
On Tuesday night, G was with Gov. Deal in Atlanta and we were in a barn in Commerce with Gary Black.  Gary is a good friend and as you probably know was running for re-election as Georgia Agriculture Commissioner. (He won).   I don't think folks realize the importance of this job to our state.  Because we are in the grocery business we see first-hand how vital our Georgia farmers are to our economy and more importantly, how food safety impacts the lives of the people.  Folks, this is something that we take for granted but the Department of Agriculture does not.  They are serious about it and we should be thankful they are.  (I'll step down off my soapbox now!)
So, anyway, let's talk about the food we ate at this little soiree. (you should have known I would be all about the food).  It might have been the best I've ever eaten.  Seriously.  The meal was catered by Big Daddy.  Well, I had never heard of Big Daddy until Tuesday night but you better believe I won't forget him.  He totally rocked it.  But you know what rocked it more than that?  The desserts that Gary and Lydia's church folks provided.  Yep, that's right, the church cookers made the desserts.  I really shouldn't have to tell you anymore than that but I will ... let's just say there was a Caramel Cake with Caramel Icing that had mini-peanut butter cups in it.  Oh yes.  Then there was a Chocolate Layer Cake that had that cooked chocolate icing on it.  And there was a Banana Pudding with the prettiest meringue I have every seen.  And that's just three of about 30 desserts that were on that table.  If you know me at all, you know that I wanted to talk to each and every one of those church people and get their recipe.  It was the most amazing display of sweetness.  I wish I had taken a picture. 

4.  This weekend we have been surrounded by the beauty of Callaway Gardens.  If you haven't been lately, you should really go.  This place is a forgotten treasure I think.  I know I forget about it until we get here and I realize how fabulous it is.  This weekend is the annual Board Retreat for the Georgia Food Industry Association.  D has been very involved in this organization for many years so it is a treat for us to go and spend time with industry folks who have become friends. 

5.  Well, tomorrow I will embrace my civic responsibility and have jury duty.  Honestly, I know I probably should enjoy the process but I don't.  I'm just praying I don't get called to a jury.  I'll let you know how that goes. 

6.  Saturday is our Big Family Tailgate at Georgia vs. Auburn!    We are hoping this is a game rather than a stompdown.  I know I shouldn't be so negative but I was at the Florida game, remember?  I'm a Dawg fan win or lose but it's just more fun when we win.  But we won't let anything dampen our Tailgate Day!  E and I have made our menu and if I do say so myself, it's the bomb.    More details to follow.

7.  Saturday is also this little squirt's due date.  Yes, our Sadie girl is going to be a momma.  When we went for our sonogram, he said he saw 4 little heartbeats but there could be more.  I can not wait to go and visit the maternity ward and hold her little babies.  Can you just imagine the cuteness? 

Well, I think we'll just stop with that little cutie for now.   There's a lot more month left but let's talk later.    Happy November! 

It's about Time I Posted Something!

Hey blog friends!
I'm sitting here in a hotel room in the beautiful Callaway Gardens Lodge and thought it was high time I hopped on this blog and started her up again.  Let me just tell you, I'm not at all sure where October went because it was a whirlwind of activity.  Let me hit the highlights:

1.  The first weekend in October started off with the daughter of a dear friend getting married.  Seriously, is this not perfection?

 

 

2.  On the 10th, my baby turned 25.  Let that sink in a minute.  My youngest is 25 years old.  Wow.  His schedule was crazy busy.  He was working 12 hour days, 7 days a week which didn't leave much time for our traditional birthday dinner.  So our celebration was Sunday brunch after church at o'Charleys.  You take it when you can get it.  Much love to my smart, funny, kind, and good-looking son.  Love you to the moon and back!

I looked on my phone to see if I had a recent photo (that he would approve of) and I don't.  So I lifted this one from his Facebook page.    This was taken last Tuesday night at Gov. Deal's Victory Party at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.  Let me brag on this one for a minute.  Like I said, he has worked tirelessly the last 4 months for the Republican Party.  He has done an amazing job and I was thrilled that his (and lots of others) hard work paid off with a win on Tuesday.  I don't want to go all political on you here but speaking for a family that works hard owning their own small, local business in the state of Georgia, this win is a very good thing.  We are most thankful. 

Have mercy, I may be a little biased but is he handsome or what?

 

 

3.  So on October 18th we officially purchased another grocery store in Blue Ridge, Georgia.  This beautiful mountain town has part of my heart now.  The people there are just as good as gold and have welcomed us with open arms.  We could not be more pleased to be a part of this great community.  On a personal note, D, E and I spent 10 days during the store set up and opening at an amazingly beautiful home on Lake Blue Ridge.  This home belongs to the family of one of my dearest friends and we are more than thankful that they graciously opened their home to our family during this time.  Let me just say I think I could stay here forever ...

 

 

 

4.  The following weekend was the wedding of another dear friend's daughter.  Do you see why I love my job so much?  I get to be a part of one amazing celebration after another.  This wedding was in Athens at The Foundry Inn, which by the way, is now called The Graduate Inn (new owners). Anyway, this wedding was absolutely gorgeous.  If you would like to take a look at all the beautiful, go here. 

 

 5.  And then .... last weekend was the Georgia/ Florida game.  We left on Thursday and headed to our spot on Amelia Island.  We have found that staying away from the crazy in Jacksonville and staying in the beauty of Amelia is the way to go.  Usually we go with our children and enjoy a little family vacay but neither of them could go.  Life and jobs got in the way this year.  So we went with some good friends and while I missed my little family like crazy, we had a great time.  Except for the actual game that I'm still not able to talk about. Everything else ... great.  The game ... painful to watch.  In the infamous words of T. Swift, we've just got to Shake It Off. 

To say that Jacksonville weather is unpredictable, is an understatement.  Don't let these beautiful blue and sunny skies fool you.  It was cold and windy.  Whew.  But always a good time. 

 

 

 

A little ballgame selfie ...



 And because this is one of my favorite family photos of all time, let's throwback to Georgia/Florida 2013 ...

 

 

 

 

Well, that just about wraps up October 2014.  Now we're on to November.  Christmas is right around the corner - Wow!