You Get What You Put In

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I ran across this earlier and it seems to be exactly what Kendol and I are living by lately.  We are both working our full time jobs and then working some nights and weekends at Mudbugs. For Fun. And loving it. 

The hours can be a bit overwhelming at times, but in just a few short, short months it will totally be worth it. Why? Because we will have met our savings goal to begin building on our new house in just a few months rather than years. 

In July, when we signed the papers for our lot, 2+ years before we could start building seemed so far away. Now just 7 months later, we are already half way to our goal. 

We frequent Mudbugs during crawfish season, so we figured if we worked there, we would not only save the money we would normally be spending, but also be making money in the process, all while still enjoying the social aspect of our favorite little hangout. 

So here's to a few months of craziness for a lifetime of happiness!

He fills my life with good things.

Psalm 103:5

P.S. Did anyone else start singing Kid Rock when they read that title?

Yep, it will be stuck in my head for days.

Cotton Ball 2013

On Saturday, we celebrated the 2013 King and Queen of Cotton at the annual "Cotton Ball" in my hometown. 

What is the Cotton Ball, you ask? It is a celebration of farming heritage/a debutante of sorts. When you are a senior in highschool, you are asked/sponsored by a farming company to be a Cotton Ball Maid. When you are a senior in college, the maid (from senior year of high school) whose mother is a lifetime member of Junior Auxiliary and whose family has the most extensive family background in farming is crowned the Queen. The King is an older man with an extensive farming family background. 

It is basically a glorified wedding and reception that celebrates the most important aspect of our tiny little town, the farmers. God bless each and every one of those men. And a special shout out to my sweet Daddy,  my favorite little farmer of all! (Entomologist)

I had not attended the Cotton Ball since my senior year in high school when I was a maid. And this time, we were attending to watch my little sister, Eleanor, participate as a maid. This is crazy my friends... being that she is 10 years younger than me, this day came way too fast. She was absolutely beautiful and so were all of the other maids. It was so funny to see the difference in the dresses worn compared to the ones that we wore ten years ago.

I loved every second of it, especially since "U.S." was the band to continue the ball into the wee hours of the morning. If you have never heard of the band U.S., they are an 80's cover band who were a major part of my high school and college years. They were the first band I ever watched in the middle of a field at one of my very first parties... The first band I ever saw while on Spring Break in Destin at The Swamp (they still play there during Spring Break p.s.) and one of the funnest bands we went to Rick's to see every time they came to Starkville, while I was in college. There's no telling how many drum sticks and guitar picks we've collected over the years... or how many kick lines we've participated in to "Come on Eileen." 

Needless to say, they are getting on up there in age, but they were still a great time and had everyone dancing. As Kendol said and I quote "I can't believe your parents are out here dancing to Metallica." 

1) Eleanor and her precious boyfriend Justin
2) Kendol and I
3) Sisters
4) Kendol and my Daddy takinga little dance break

Eleanor and Daddy participating in the first dance!

Eleanor's best friends.
The "Elite Eight" as they refer to themselves.

Tiffany and Elise

Tiffany and Kalley

3 of my most favorite men!

**I have not had a chance to upload the pictures from actual camera or dig out pictures from my Cotton Ball. Post to come with those later, I am sure of it!

Fitness Friday?

So, I know that fitness is a little intense to talk about on a Friday, being that it's about to be party time and not work out time... but... I may have just found my favorite Pin ever on Pinterest. 

Has anyone else been getting pretty bored with their workouts lately like me? I have been completely unmotivated but hopefully that's about to change. I found a website with TONS of workout videos that require no equipment. No weights. No balls. No bands. Just space to move. At home. My favorite. 

Sometimes getting to the gym is just too much trouble and the weather does not cooperate for running. These workouts are perfect for those times. I am sweating and out of breath just watching... ha!

Allow me to introduce to you Melissa Bender of Bender Fitness. 

I shall report back to you after I attempt one of these workouts. 

I have a feeling it won't be pretty. 

But it will be worth it. 

New Woman

Yep I'm the loser taking selfies..
Guilty
Ashamed..

Why is it that something as simple as getting your hair done can make you feel so much better?? I just got a little trim yesterday and dyed my hair back to it's natural color and I feel like a whole new woman. Craziness. Maybe I just needed a little me time or maybe it's that AC (hair genius) is a miracle worker or something. 

Speaking of AC and  becoming a new woman...

This little lady,with the help of Genghis Grill, is getting healthy and on a mission to lose weight. Have any of you heard of the Health Kwest Competition being put on by Genghis Grill? I had not, but it's awesome. Each  Genghis Grill, across the United States, sponsors one person from their community for the competition. For 60 days, the contestants must eat at least one meal a day at Genghis and perform the one task they are given for the day in addition to their regular workouts. The winner is determined by a combination of weight loss, completion of tasks and social media/community support. 

What better way to get this journey kicked off than with a little dance party?
That's right.. A little Wobble action during dinner.

Being that Anna Catherine is a great friend of mine, I had to get involved. Our community has been super supportive of her journey thus far. She has already been donated a bike from the Bike Rack, some work out gear and new running shoes from Stinky Feet and a 60 day membership to KoKo Fit Club.

She is ten days in and loving every minute of it! She is working so hard and her attitude and determination are contagious. I cannot wait to see what all she achieves!! So help me support her by following and supporting her progress on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: annacatherinec

I mean, how cool would it be if our very own Anna Catherine was the next Jared??
You Go Girl!

A Girl Can Dream, Right?

So there's lots of things in this world that I have, but good hair ain't one of em'. I seriously find myself drooling over girls with gorgeous hair on Pinterest far too often, especially when it's almost time to get my hair "did."

Welp, it's one of those times... I am "gettin' my hair did" today and getting my hair fixed on Saturday for the Cotton Ball at our new Blow Dry Bar called SmoothingBar. So, of course, I have been scouring Pinterest for the perfect cut, color and and do. Not that there's any need bc I will just dye it the same as I always do to cover the greys (yes, I'm only 27) and just get a trim... duh! I may not be able to do anything with my hair, but that doesn't mean I can't dream about being able to, right?

So here's what I dream of:

Long Waves.. Obviously.. Who doesn't dream of this?

What I would look like as a blonde?

Having Scarlet's hair (on Nashville)? It's to die..

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Country Road Take Me Home..

This weekend was quite the busy one. Kendol and I both worked at Mudbugs Thursday and Friday nights but on Saturday, we roadtripped it on home to the delta for a long overdue night out on the town with my family. Driving through the country is one of my very favorite parts of a trip through Mississippi. The views are breathtaking sometimes. 

I love our little family outings. We caught up on life and had many laughs, mostly at Hayes' expense. This time we went to our hometown favorite, Lusco's. O, wait... that's every time,  of course... . This time, I ventured out from my normal broiled shrimp with crab meat and got my very own Pampano. While, I have a bite of my Daddy's every single time, I've never ordered this giant fish for myself. Boy, am I glad I did. It is DIVINE. Seriously, if it's ever on your menu, get it!

On Sunday, we celebrated Kendol's birthday (28... WOAH) over some Soulshine Pizza with the best of friends! And ended our little weekend with an episode of Blue Bloods and Kendol played around on his new Apple TV device. Any and all tips would be fantastical???

And now, here we are... 

Back to Monday.. 

What? 

Where did the weekend even go? 

Is it Friday yet?

GNO Cocktails

Thursday, I am having a little Girls Night Out at my house and I'm so excited. One, because I need a girls night like nobody's biznazz... Two. Because I need all the ladies in my life to play with the new Stella and Dot Spring line because it's to die and the prices are on point!

And we all know what a good girl's night needs.. a great cocktail.. duh..

So that's where you ladies come in. 

What's your favorite drink to make in bulk for parties??

This is my favorite so far!

Source: tastebook.com via Callie on Pinterest

Mimosa Punch Anyone?

Orange Juice 

Ginger Ale

Champagne

Grand Marnier

Happy Valentine's Ladies!

Happy Valentine's Day to all the ladies from my very first Valentine in life.

(He was my Valentine. I never said I was his.)

How convenient of him to show off his moves on a day such as this.

Happy Valentine's to us all :)

Over the Weekend..

Kendol and I started out the weekend with two full days of working the at Mudbugs. When I got home on Saturday night, boy was I in for a treat! All kinds of goodies in the mail. A sweet card from a best friend and a shipment of Stella and Dot goodies! Seriously y'all, I am obsessed with the new Kimberly Necklace. It is perfect and less expensive than most statement necklaces. Win/Win.



 Sunday.. we were exhausted.. apparently. I slept in until 10:15 and Kendol slept til 10:45... He is usually up by 8 at the latest, no matter what. Poor thing was worn out. While he was still snoozing, I snuck out to do a little over due retail therapy. Too bad nobody had anything cute. (I HATE when that happens) I couldn't even find anything to use my 40% coupon at the Gap.. Not even a pair of jeans that fit. It hurt my feelings. Then it was off to Target for some essentials, when I ran across the Prabal Gurung collection. Ok, so cute!! I loved all of the colors and patterns, but the styles were not for my body type! So sad, again.

By this point, the storm was coming in fast, so I gave up on my shopping and headed home to be lazy. It was an afternoon of Five Guys and couch time catching up on shows... Followed by more couch time with the Grammy Pre-Red Carpet and Red Carpet, King Cake and Corn/Crab Bisque, all courtesy of the hubs. I literally didn't leave the couch for 9 strait hours.

IT WAS GLORIOUS!!

What was not so glorious was the tornado that hit at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg while I was busy being lazy.. Want to hear about some miracles? The tornado just so happened to hit when all students had a 4 day weekend for Mardi Gras and there are no fatalities that I am aware of. . This "Fat Tuesday" is going a little differently than those in the past, I'm sure. Please keep them in your prayers

Photo Via
The Alumni House on Campue

From the Kitchen

Right from the Kitchen of my aunt Kay Kay, I bring you the best stir fry ever. I am not sure what recipe book it comes from, but I'm giving all the credit to it's originator whoever you may be.

I have made this twice now and I got so excited yesterday when I thought about making it. And it was just as delicious as it was the first time, of course. And I'm not even going to lie about it, I'm pretty pumped about tearing some more up at lunch.

STIR FRY
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
2 Tbsp Minced Garlic
1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1 Boneless Beef Sirloin
2 Tbsp Cooking Oil
1 Red, Green & Yellow Bellpepper
1 Small Onion
1 Bottle of Stir Fry Sauce
2 Tbsp Dry White Wine
Rice






Combine Soy Sauce, Minced Garlic and Red Pepper in a bowl. Cut beef across the grain into strips. Toss beef into mixture.

Heat sauce pan over medium heat. Add 1 Tbsp of oil and heat until hot. Add half of your beef mixture. Stir-fry until beef is barely pink in the center. Remove (about 1 minute). Repeat with the rest of your beef. Remove. Set aside.

In the meantime cute your veggies into strips.

Heat remaining 1 Tbsp of oil in sauce pan. Add in your peppers and onions. Cover and Stir Fry for 6 to 7 minutes. Add in your stir fry sauce and wine. Cover and Stir fry for 2 or 3 minutes until heated through. Add in beef and let heat through.

Serve over rice.

I also think it would be awesome in a tortilla.

Just a little trick that my aunt taught me. Pour in your stir fry sauce... then pour your wine into your stir fry sauce bottle. Shake it a bit. Then pour into your pan, so that you get every little drop of that delicious sauce.... Genius... And then.. while the wine's out, pour yourself a glass.. DUH!

The Little Things

With life being as crazy as it has been lately, the little things are what have been putting a smile on my face.

Like... unintentionally busting out some school spirit on National Signing Day .

#HAILSTATE

Like.. a phone call from an old friend, that you haven't seen in a long time, randomly telling you they are in town and are coming over to catch up on life on a Tuesday night.

Like.. your boss coming in with a giant bag of Boy Scout Chocolate Covered Pretzels.. Heaven

Like.. Finally having a little free time and using it to clean your car, wash some clothes and make your house look like maybe just a tornado hit it instead of a hurricane... little things people.. little things..

Like... finding your missing (for months) yoga pants..

(they were at the bottom of the laundry mountain.. duh)

Like.. the invention of the Piko shirt...

Like.. finally getting new mascara..

(Now if I could just get the rest of the make up I'm out of, I'd be in good shape.. And I bet they'd appreciate it at work..)

Like.. remembering you have Red Beans and Rice in the freezer and don't have to cook..

Like.. being so busy that you haven't been to Kroger or Wal-Mart in a month..

Hallelujah.. They take all my money.

Like.. knowing your Girl Scout Cookies will be here in just a few short weeks..

Like.. going for happy hour with an old friend.. Only to find out she is secretly surprising you with an invitation to join the Junior League (yea... that one from The Help)..

He fills my life with good things.

Psalm 103:5

What's Up??

Source: gratitude1000.tumblr.com via Callie on Pinterest

 This pretty much sums up my "Good Life" lately. I could not have said it better myself. It is so wonderful when you can sit back and watch God's plans unfold right before your eyes.

So what's been up with me lately?? I've been kind of MIA from blogging for a few weeks and I miss it, for sure!! I have been so super busy and the little time I have had for blogging, the words just haven't come. And to me, there's no need to blog just for the sake of blogging when there's nothing to say. So here's what's been up with me..

As I said before, I started a new job at the first of the year so life has changed completely, for the better of course! I am now working for a "life coaching" firm, if you will, and it is so fun. I am still in the insurance/finance side of things but it's completely different. And the hours... O, the hours are phenom. 8:30 to 4:00 Monday thru Thursday and 9:30 to 2:00 on Fridays. No more wasting hours of my life in rush hour traffic. 45 minute sometimes hour long commutes are now a measly 15 minutes, if that!

Seriously, the other day I had gotten home, cleaned the bathtub, done two loads of laundry and run three miles and it wasn't even 5:45. O, so nice to have a life again! But not for long...

Kendol and I are also working at Mudbugs, which is our local crawfish joint... obviously. We seriously spend half our lives there from January to July, so we figured we might as well be making that money instead of spending that money! The faster we save money, the faster we get to start building, right?? So what little free time I had acquired will now be used slinging beers and shoveling crawfish to the fine folks of Skankin' Rankin :) Kendol and I both love the restaurant business, so we are loving every second of it!

And last but most certainly not least, I just have to share something else with you. Before Christmas, my preacher, from the Church I grew up in, shared a devotional book with our congregation. I believe within a month, he had distributed 1,000's of copies to our church members! We all received a copy from my parents for Christmas and I'm so glad we did. It is called "A Walk Through the Word- A New Testament Devotional." It is simply a 365 day walk through the new testament with a small devotion to go with each days passages and it is fab! If you are looking for a devotion, I highly recommend! Here is one of my favorite parts so far. PREACH ON Brother Fossett!!

HAPPY FRIDAY MY SWEET FRIENDS!