.Football Foodie.

When school started I knew my newfound appreciation for trying out new recipes, or for cooking at all would be on hiatus [who would have the desire or energy when getting home from class around nine at the earliest to still have homework??].

Because we were having guests over for the football game this weekend, I spontaneously decided to make the effort to mark another recipe to-do off my list.  For some reason, I don't like getting recipes from cookbooks and such.  Cookbooks make me feel overwhelmed, while I feel much more comfortable borrowing them from fellow bloggers where I can see an actual mortal found success in their attempts.  I wrote about how much G loves brownies here so when I saw this recipe on Everyday Musings [among many brownie recipes I look forward to tackling soon], I had to try for him.

These Cheesecake-Marbled Brownies required common baking ingredients so I was relieved I didn't have to track down some foreign product, cooking utensil or research a fancy technique.  I was pleasantly surprised at how smoothly a dessert from scratch went, but when taste-tested, the consensus was just a little more sweet added in next time.  Of course, I'm sure the dogs thought it tasted just fine when they devoured several of the brownies themselves... but that story is for a different day.  No worries, most likely due to the very little chocolate the recipe actually called for, all pups are safe to cause mischief another day.

.Nachos, Wings, Fries and Sweets.

I love college football season.  Not because I am a diehard sports fan, but mostly because it's a reason for friends to get together and eat every game day.  I consistently embarrass and frustrate my friend Virginia with the lack of Auburn football knowledge I possess, even after attending Auburn for years now.  I know the basics, I just tend to get distracted easily... plus isn't that what the ability to pause and rewind live tv is for? 

I also had a lovely dinner Friday with my friend Ashley who was vital in the planning of my Stepford Wife birthday this year.  You know you're having good dinner conversation when your husband politely calls and asks when to expect you home for the evening and you suddenly realize you've been sitting and talking at the same restaurant for four hours. 

Add some luck with a few pieces of home decor that we found after searching for ages, and what a productively fun weekend this was.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Minus the hours of homework fit in between, we can't ever forget the homework.

.More.

"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you'll learn, the more places you'll go."

.Dr.Seus.

via the lovely Bardot in Blue

Here is to a rainy Sunday evening spent researching and writing.
Only 2 3/4 years to go.

.Birthday Wishes and Puppy Dog Dreams.

This pretty much expresses how I feel by the end of the week. 

Weekends are vital to mental health.

Happy Friday.

{Also, happy 25th birthday to one of my best Tiffany! I love you and wish I was across the country to celebrate with you}

.Isn't that the most adorable picture that G took of our firstborn pup Paisley?

.People.

via



People can be so frustrating sometimes. 

You get in an argument with your significant other,

People at work seem to do everything to make the day more difficult,

You feel undervalued and overworked by your boss,

People around you complain incessantly about the most trivial things,

Someone cuts you off in traffic,

A stranger is rude to you for no reason,

and now your friend just canceled plans last minute.

At times when I feel that everyone around me must be in on the joke that I'm not a part of (you know... when you ask yourself, "Is this real life?"), I think back to a passage in a book by Albert Bernstein that I read for work...

"The truth about the human condition- you can never know what is really going on, because there is no such thing as an objective source. People will see the same events differently, according to their own needs."

Then I feel better.

I'm reminded that people do not choose their behaviors solely on how it will affect me.  We are all just living this life as best we can, and sometimes... we just get in each others' way a little.

.Highlights.

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

My weekend highlights:

. Finding comfort in something familiar and simple like baking, on a day when everything seemed unsure.

.Meeting and learning from one of my heroes in the field of Counseling, Dr. William Glasser (the founder of Reality Therapy & Choice Theory).

. Watching Auburn beat Clemson in a nail-biting game with friends.

. Enjoying the fruits of this extended summer with a new recipe for a refreshing drink from a friend. 

. Procrastinating on homework with G's new toy, his Ipod Touch that has way too many entertaining features.

.Beautiful People.

"The most beautiful people we know are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out. These people have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen."

.Elisabeth Kubler-Ross.

via

.M&M Love.

I wrote about my cousin Milo's Labor Day weekend wedding here and had to share some of their pictures and their wedding video. 

There are no words. 

If I wasn't there to witness it, I would think this was a set-up music video cast with professional actors.  This lovely video shows just a small part of this incredibly loving couple.

via Limestone Films

Song: “Sunny Day” by Joy Williams

{photo credit}

.RSG.

This weekend was full of Relaxation, an abundance of Sleep, and Gluttony. 

RSG included:

.stress-free cookouts at someone else's house

.Emily's blatant and hostile attempt to make me gain weight through brownies with chunks of goodies inside

.Pictures to catch funny faces we unknowingly make during dinner conversation

.Watching college football games and catching up on our shows

.G's homemade nachos

. An after-church feast at the inlaws consisting of breaded cube steak, biscuits, creamed-style corn, mac 'n'cheese, rice, and fresh sweet tea

One thing I didn't appreciate this weekend?

Pretty much breaking my pinky toe while taking the three (yes I said three) dogs out way early Sunday morning because they were ready to go out and play before G and I were ready to get up... and of course that meant that I was half asleep and they took advantage of my vulnerability and trampled me.  Then G wanted to act like pinky toe casts didn't exist when I insisted that it needed medical attention.  They planned it all, I swear. 

Uh huh, look at that guilty face


Flats for the week I suppose.

.Whew.

This week was exhausting and it was only 4 days long.  Gone are the days when I can play all weekend and have no repercussions for neglecting homework.  Being stressed to the max (only 1 month into school mind you) was worth it though when I thought back to what kept me from my studies...

A sleeping munchkin

Chubby cheek kisses

Watching generations silently bond through food

Watching G practice for the future

Sharing inspiration

Father-daughter time

Everyone have a great weekend!

I'm going to bask in the comfort of my own home, begin to tackle my two page to-do list, actually get to see some of my friends, and maybe even try to be an overachiever and replenish our supplies... starvation doesn't help with stress management.

.Time.

Time never said

"Best you enjoy yourself now because we're going somewhere soon."

But that's what he meant.

.I Wrote This For You.

via

.Sunshine of My Life.

For Labor Day weekend, G and I drove to Tennessee to attend my cousin Milo and his new bride Marinna's wedding.  It was an outdoor affair at Black Fox Farms in Cleveland and to say it was beautiful would be an understatement.  It was romantic, it was creative, it was spiritual, and the weather was the most perfect it has been all year.   

The band, The Boutonnieres, set the mood of the wedding with music ranging from old hymns to Coldplay and Stevie Wonder.  The ceremony was so full of emotion and love that by the time Marinna and her father walked down the aisle the officiant had to ask us all to suck it up and stop crying or he would not be able to get through the vows.  Particular touching moments were also when Milo laid down a flower on the seat reserved for his late mother and Marinna wore pieces of my aunt Lorraine's jewelry for their special day in loving memory.

Other things that stood out on this incredible day:

. being early to a 10 am wedding when we're always late to everything else.

. the bridesmaid's dresses from Etsy that you would actually wear again.

. even my dad being able to let loose for awhile and dance to the 80's music at the reception.

. forgetting our wedding present at the hotel and G going all the way back during the reception and getting it just because he wasn't okay with mailing it to them.

. the "guestbook" that consisted of each family writing a special message on a chalkboard and getting their picture taken.

. my brother's stylish wedding blazer.

. the photographer going guerilla style and climbing onto a roof to get a picture of the entire wedding audience cheering with the bride and groom.

. G getting all romantic at the wedding and making me feel normal for being so nostalgic and emotional.

. their getaway car.

. the amount of envy I felt when I found out they are leaving for Hawaii when I'll be preparing to resume school and work.