kapow

Most of the time, well actually 99% of the time, the GO is a pretty peaceful place...

One can normally sit peacefully on the back patio in a rocking chair, reading book/magazine of choice...

And then one day, you are sitting on the couch, enjoying a quiet Sunday afternoon, and...

KAPOW!

 It sounds as if someone shot a gun!  You look above your head and see giant hole in your window. You walk outside looking for what could possibly have made that terrible noise which shattered your peaceful state of mind as well as window... 

  ... and then, you find the culprit...

Oh the joys of living on a golf course.

celebrations and the like

I wish you could be at our house right now.  We. Are. Ridiculous. Tonight's activities have included:
Elena- making a color-coded masterpiece of all three of our class schedules.
Tyler- walking around giddy because she has her "objectives" ready and PB&J in the freezer.
Hart- for the first time EVER, I have my clothes laid out, lunch made, backpack organized...
Blake- observing us from the couch.  He's intrigued to say the least, but basically just admiring our "mom skills."  Let's be honest. 

Note to SELVES:  We are in GRAD SCHOOL.  You'd think we are doing these things for our non-existent kindergartners...but no... we are just dorks.  Don't worry, you will have a photo-documentation of "our first day" tomorrow.

This weekend has been oh-so delightful.  We started with another pancake breakfast Saturday and then, THE Dana Berry came to celebrate her ___st birthday with us! We took her to the Ravine and then indulged in a divine strawberry cake from Emileigh's!

 Look at her... just as cute.

Now, yesterday, I was forced into an impluse buy...

I'm in love with it, really.  Yes, it was so impulsive of me, but a STEAL of a deal. I have absolutely NO place to put the thing, so it's just going to hang out right there for admiration until I find a suitable home. The picture does it absolutely no justice.  So just imagine.  The detail is beeeautiful.

Tomorrow:  back to the TCRC and endless days of waking up in the science library (because I can never remember falling asleep there).

GOOOD NIGHT to a GOOOD DAY:)

happy-ness

There were many things that made me happy today:

I love a good rain.

 The place I work has a tin roof- absolutely perfect for rainy days except when you're sleepy after a big piece of... 

STRAWBERRY CAKE.  Another something that makes me verrrrry happy.  May have been the best piece of cake I've ever eaten- props to MARY HENSON.  Not only are her cakes absolutely beautiful, but they are seriously DE-LIC-IOUS! 

Tonight- I visted the dear Chacha.  Tonight's find:

Quilts, quilts, and more quilts!  I found two GORGEOUS patch-work quilt tops that my great-grandmother, Jewel (that's right, and her sister's name was Dew-Drop), made just days before she passed away.  All they need is to be attached to the bottom quilt and they'll be ready for some serious cuddling.  Unfortunately I don't have my camera with me to share the beauty (they aren't the ones pictured above)...  All of her quilts are gorgeous but these two may be my all-time favorite!

And then my favorite you-tube watches (other than the bed-intruder-which is so funny).  I could watch these kids sing for days- This is a perfect example of how singing can make anyone happy.  Who doesn't feel good when they're singing their favorite song?  I wish every child had the opportunity to be part of something like this- look at the passion and look at the diversity! I. LOVE. IT.  Children's voices are perhaps my favorite. There's nothing sweeter.  These are two of my favorites:)





I love it.  PS22 Choir at a school in NY.  Go watch all their videos.

Excited for what tomorrow holds!  

best part of waking up

:It is simply wonderful to wake up to the smell of coffee.  Now, I like coffee, don't get my wrong, but I love the smell more than the taste.  I still have to fluff it up with french vanilla creamer, milk, and splenda- so it often resembles chocolate milk in my coffee mug.  I do drink it many mornings because I do appreciate the jump start it gives me... but I'm not addicted yet . I haven't reached that point of "not being able to function without my coffee."  That being said,  I see things beginning to change- and rather quickly.
If you are not aware, I am living with these two beauties:

And to say the LEAST- they are in love with coffee.  I wake up to the smell of it every morning, and it has become one of the first things I reach for (other than my glasses, because I'm blind).  After what seems YEARS of trying to wean myself ON to coffee, I think I have finally succeeded.  I see me turning into my Mamaw already. 

Now- I'm not to that point where I can recommend my picks on coffee- I'm such a rookie in the subject.  However, I can tell you the picks here at the GO:

 From L to R:  Dunkin Donuts: French Vanilla,  Bottletree Blend, Starbucks Cafe Verona, and Folgers Gourmet Hazelnut.  They. Are. Divine.  If you aren't a fan of flavored coffees, let me suggest Bottletree Blend- the only plain coffee that I can drink without creamer...SO. GOOD.  Unfortunately you can only get it at Bottletree Bakery in Oxford... 

Well that's my say for today.
 HART

hostess with the mostest

It's been a great weekend...Two words:  FULL. HOUSE.   Almost all of my favorite people were at my house the entire weekend! Our friend Rachel tied the knot so it was a big Tupelo/College reunion.  Great times for sure.  Saturday morning, Elena and I decided to do it big and make a Pancake breakfast. We made 28 pancakes one-by-one in a skillet.... and ate every one of them.

I did all the bacon frying.  Unfortunately, our house STILL smells like bacon.  

We've decided that Saturday morning pancakes are going to be a regular occurrence here at the GO.  We'd love for any and all to join us! Ray Lamontagne will provide us with all musical inspiration, of course.  Stevie Wonder will join in as we start feeling our coffee- which will be Bottletree blend, naturally.  You know you want to come.  After breakfast we may go for a leisurely Oxford bike ride or give in to our spirit of competition with a good game of spades or dominoes.  

Here's to Saturday mornings at the GO.   

back in the...

It's pretty much time for me to get back in the swing of things...  Everything has happened so fast all of a sudden.  So much to do, so little time...  I just have to remind myself that I am not a slave to time or the things that take up so much of it... I am free!

Although things are busy now,  I had the most incredible weekend!  It involved much traveling..  It started with visiting my favorite engaged ones...

Samuel and Hallie.  They are wonderful, simply wonderful.  Hallie and I spent the night looking at wedding photographers- which basically means I watched too many slide shows from this incredible guy- Bryan Johnson.

I then spent the next day with my favorite married couple..

 

And their new "child"...

Piper.  Aka- the really cute, extremely hyper, and sometimes most times-bites-your-toes kitten.  They are obsessed.  Really.  If you want to see her in real life, you can check out the video Em made of her on facebook... "go get it piper.. go get it..."

THENNNNN I hopped on a plane to Dallas to visit.....

One of the best weekends I've ever had... including the best STEAK I've ever eaten.  Not to brag or anything but I ate an $80 steak... yeah.  It was worth every penny that Chad had saved by eating oatmeal for dinner the past two weeks.

Now- I'm back to...

Because tomorrow.... I'm returning to...

The GO!  And a weekend full of fun guests!