It's a Rainy Monday and I'm Tired...

Yes - exactly as the title says. One of the greatest phenomena in the world is how you could sleep till 10 in the morning Monday through Friday, but when a Saturday rolls around and you have the chance to sleep late, you're awake by 8:30! I don't pretend to understand this, but I do know that when my alarm went off this morning I was in the kind of sleep where you feel positively drugged! I was at the bottom of the rabbit hole and I had to claw my way out of it and into reality so that I could start the day. And it's gloomy and drizzly...which means; in my opinion, that everyone should be allowed to sleep late!

Monday lunch - it's finally cool; as in, not as hot as the surface of the sun outside anymore! Rejoice!

Watson on Monday morning - he really didn't intend to get up. I had to practically pull him from his bed by his two front legs... What can I say; he's like his Mom...he loves to sleep!

I love my parents - my sweet Mom & Dad, who send me cards & notes & $5 randomly in the mail. It's always nice to get little pick-me-ups, especially on a Monday. 

Ugh - life...part one.

Life has really been playing hard ball with me lately. I mentioned last week that it was a ROUGH week. And yes, it needs to be capitalized like that because it was that kind of rough. This past week wasn't as rough but there were still some bumps along the way that I could have done without. Part one - my tire. I'd noticed on Sunday that it seemed a little low and our family friends, the Deans, were so kind as to help me put air in the tire. My tire holds 31.5 pounds of air. We filled it up on Sunday afternoon around five and by Tuesday, it was down to 22 pounds. So, I went to my Uncle's house on the way home, he put the dummy tire on my car and then I had to go home and just chill until the morning. When Wednesday morning rolled around, I was at the tire shop when it opened at seven - and the little guy working there asked me "did you know your rim was dented?" Ha-ha...I wanted to tell him "sir, I know that my car is gray and that is about the extent of it..." which wouldn't really be true because I know a little bit more than that...but still...at 7:10 on a Wednesday morning, that it was it felt like. The blessing? They were able to fix the rim and patch the tire and it all only cost $10.70 - thank you sweet Jesus.

My sweet boy - comforting me on Tuesday afternoon when I got home & was thinking "oh life...geez..."

Demon caterpillars that have taken over my front porch - seriously, why?

Hickory Tussock caterpillars - here is your nature lesson for the week. Don't touch them! I kept seeing them all over my porch and they looked slightly creepy, so I googled them. They were on a list titled "Ten Beautiful but Extremely Toxic Caterpillars" - oh good. If you mess with these things, they have poison in all their little spines and they will stick you. Once you've gotten a stick from this little buggers, you will develops welts (whelps? How do you spell that word?) and they will burn, burn, burn and sting...for several days. I don't normally kill caterpillars, but I have to say...I've been smacking these. I'd rather not get stung by accident, just trying to walk down my stairs and accidentally touching one. No thanks.

Master of acrobatic feats of balance...especially when food is involved....

Oops...I think this candle is done...

Hey Mom...have a kiss. I know the week has been a little stressful....

Ugh life - Part Two

As I said, life is playing hard ball. I came home Thursday night, ate a turkey sandwich and intended to chill for just a little bit before heading to Zumba around 7. Well...life had other plans. In the form of me getting sick to my stomach around 6:30 and laying on the couch for the next 90 minutes, trying to keep the sickness at bay. It didn't work...but thankfully by about 8 or 8:30, it seemed that it had passed. I guess I must have eaten something funny; the jury is still out on what that might have been...but needless to say: Ugh...life.

Such a lovely Friday morning drive...in the pea soup...

My office sponsors a golf shootout every year and this is the first time I've been able to go - and it was; surprisingly, fun. It helps to finally have a friend at the office; things are always better if you have a friend to pass the time. I drove our golf cart like I've been doing it all my life, we ate chicken tenders at the food tent on whatever # hole it was on the course and then we explored the country club grounds. Not bad for a late Friday afternoon...and thankfully it wasn't a million degrees out - which is possible in MS in late September.

This could be trouble - at least, so said my boss...but we were fine. I'm an excellent driver.

Chilling at the country club...munching on chicken tenders with a four year old...

The lovely company in my golf cart - the four year decided to be a stowaway...

Saturday morning Tango conversation....not sure what we are doing....but you can't even see my Dad's face...

I spent most of Saturday in the car...or in the semi-swamplands of Picayune MS for one of my closest friend's wedding. My friend David and I road-tripped down the interstate to Picayune for the wedding - which was beautiful! I loved the setting; it was so perfectly Lisa and the wedding was absolutely beautiful. I did get a little tickled at one point; as the sun sank behind the trees, the woods came alive with all the sounds of the night and with the Spanish moss hanging from the trees and the secluded location of the house, it seemed like a swamp creature could come up at any moment and pull you away! Ha-ha, it really was beautiful though! I loved all the romantic little settings; a secluded garden with a fountain that looked like it was straight off the cover of the book "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil"...night blooming flowers snaking through the fence..it was lovely.

David HAD to have McDonald's before the wedding...so he ate food. And I just drank a little milkshake...

Such a gorgeous setting!

Wedding guest selfie!

I love the little kid that was tearing it up on the dance floor...all on his own. I should have gotten video...

See: Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil! I love it.

A lone little night blooming flower....

Smiling with the beautiful bride! So happy for Ben & Lisa!

Walking out of the incredible gates...the perfect end to the evening!

The perfect breakfast on Sunday - coffee, Sprite and sugar cookies; made with Lotts of love...because now Lisa's last name is Lott. Too cute!

I LOVE Christmas - seriously, I do. But let's chill out - it isn't even October yet.

Talk about such a sweet surprise! I went to get the mail on Sunday and I had a little package; which was totally unexpected. I got the sweetest, most precious necklace in the mail from my friend Nickolee - okay, the necklace is from Nickolee but it actually came from Texas, because she had another of our friends, Victoria make the necklace. And because Victoria is just the sweetest, she made some matching earrings to go with my lovely necklace! It's always so sweet to get an unexpected package and it was such a great way to start off my birthday "week". Also, if you need anything awesome - you should check out Victoria's stuff; she is SO talented (hello - do you see that necklace?) and she's also one of the sweetest people - that's a winning combination!

My first birthday present for year 29 - I love it! 

The verse on the necklace - true & one that is perfect for me, in this season of my life. Nickolee knows me too well.

The fluffy pup, settled in to watch the season premiere of Once Upon A Time!

Well - that's all for now. It's my birthday week guys - I'll be twenty-nine on Sunday. Yeesh. I told my Dad that after this birthday, I'm not having birthdays anymore; I'm just going to celebrate the anniversary of turning twenty-nine. I'm hoping this week will be a good one; I'm going to be Virginia bound on Thursday at 4:30, so I'm hoping and praying for good days this week, safe, smooth and on time flights and just a good week/weekend all around. I can't wait to see my family; I can't wait to be back in Virginia, even if only for a couple days, and I can't wait for Thursday. 

White Chicken Chili

Autumn is upon us - even though here in Mississippi, it seems to come and go and when it comes, it usually only stays for a day or two. One of my favorite things about Autumn is cooking soups, stews and chili's! I could live on this stuff year round...and if I'm being honest, sometimes I do cook certain soups year round.

I love the run of the mill, delicious, ground beef and kidney beans style chili but I'm always looking to try new styles of chili. I've made a white chicken chili before and wasn't too thrilled with how it turned out, but when I saw this recipe over on the blog Texas Tales (check her out!) I figured it would probably be pretty delicious; I've made some of her recipes before and they don't disappoint! Plus - this is a crock pot meal, which is an even bigger win because you throw it all together and leave it alone!

The ingredients - this is not only easy, it can be inexpensive! You could make this for probably about $7!

Thrown together in the crock pot!

Side note here - I realize that lots of people cook chicken and then shred it up for things like this, but I am a huge fan of canned chicken. Maybe that isn't your speed but you can buy good, white meat chicken in a can and then all you have to do is throw it into your recipe! Your choice - but if you're looking to make things easier, get ya some canned chicken!

Once I came home at the end of the day - hello delicious!

Ready to eat! I need some fancy bowls to eat this stuff in; especially since I'm posting all these pictures of food!

White Chicken Chili

-2 cans white meat chicken; drained

-2 cans white beans; drained

-1 can corn (white or yellow, your choice)

-1 tbsp. cumin

-1 tsp. chili powder

-1 tsp. salt

-1 tsp. pepper

-2 tbsp. vegetable oil *although next time, I might leave this out*

-2 cups chicken broth

-Mix together all ingredients in the crock pot. Cook on low for 4-5 hours. Serve!

Thankfully I have a wonderful Grandma that walked to my house and turned my crock pot to keep warm around 1 in the afternoon, that way my food would be perfectly cooked and not end up a hot mess! So, make yourself some white chicken chili and while it's cooking, go outside and enjoy the Autumn air!

Well...What Do You Know?

I'm linking up today with a post made on The Sowell Life a few days ago. Granted; no one gave me these questions like someone gave them to Joy - but I always love a good brain picking session! Enjoy!

1) If you could be any animal on the planet, which would you choose and why?
  - I've always thought that maybe I'd like to be something exotic, but the more I think about, I think being Watson would be pretty nice. He has it made in the shade and is spoiled rotten! Being an exotic wild animal might be cool for a little while, but being Watson - that would be cool every day!

2) What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
  -Okay, it's probably not the "best" piece of advice I've received but the phrase "patience is a virtue" is pretty good. I like to think I'm a fairly patient person but I think right now; in this season of my life, I'm being schooled in what patience is - and it's a virtue I need to work on.

3) What is your favorite TV show of all time?
  - This question is SO hard! I watch so many shows and love some of them so much! I guess if I really had to choose, my favorite show of all time would be Bones. I've been sticking with it now for 9 years and I'll be so sad to see them go next Spring!

Love it. Love them. Love it all.

4) If you could have any job in the world and it didn't matter how much money you made or what qualifications you needed, what would it be?
  - I would be a Mom! A job where you make no money and the qualifications include loving your child(ren) and doing the best job you can do!

5) What is your favorite holiday movie?
  - I love all holiday movies; because by holiday I'm automatically assuming we mean Christmas. And if it's got a Christmas vibe, I'm down! My absolute favorite though? White Christmas! We watch it every Christmas Eve and it is just wonderful.

I love it.

6) Suggest a new blog for me to read.
  - Just take yourself over to my dear friend Nickolee's blog - On the Journey. She, her husband and their precious baby girl (soon to be two little girls) are missionaries in Madagascar and her posts are always wonderful!

7) What is something that you are loving right now?
  - The seemingly Fall(ish) weather. I hope it stays cooler and just keeps on getting cooler! I love that crisp feeling in the air in the morning and the evening - now if only it would last all day! Maybe by October?

8) What is your favorite nail polish color?
  - I have to say I'm partial to red. I don't use it all the time because I usually re-paint my toenails on a weekly basis, but if I had to pick just one color to go with, it would be something classic - red!

9) What is your favorite season?
  - I have to say Autumn! The last three months of the year aren't technically a season because October and November fall into Autumn and December gets Winter going...so I'll have to say Autumn. I love knowing as the end of the year begins, the best is yet to come. I love all the holidays that come with Autumn, the colors on the trees, the smell of a fire burning, coffee bubbling up and the smell of all things pumpkin! So yes, Autumn would be it!

May I please crawl into this picture?

10) Tell me something that most people don't know about you.
  - Let's see, something people don't know about me. I guess that would be that I don't really "like" dogs, so to speak. Dogs have always made me pretty nervous, until I had my Tanner and now my Watson. Before having those pets, I would have firmly called myself a cat person...and I may still be a cat person. I love my dog, but other dogs...I'm not always okay with!

So there you go! Hope everyone has a wonderful Wednesday and to my sweet friend Nickolee - I'm going to tag you in on this one. Something to pass a little bit of the time you are spending on bed rest! I love you girl! Now - answer some questions! :) Please!

Leaves, Light Breezes & Life in General

Here we go again - another week has come and gone. Can I just tell you; I hope this week is MUCH better than last week. It would be an understatement to say last week was rough. There were bright spots within the week, but on a whole - I'd rather not repeat last week at all. So; that being said, let me focus in on some of the bright spots from last week and put the less than bright behind me!

Basically - my Dad is the best. That is all there is. Thank goodness for Monday pick me ups - they rule.

Monday night sunset...so pretty.

Sleepy Hollow - I give it an A+

Okay - let me tell you; the first new show of the season that I decided to watch was a hit! At least to me. I wasn't 100% sure what the premise was but I knew that it would probably involve history mixed with some crazy supernatural twist. And it was all that and more! Short synopsis: The Headless Horsemen is Death; one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse; Ichabod's wife Katrina cast a spell on him (yep, she was into the witchcraft) that bound him to the horsemen so that when the horseman reawakens, so will Ichabod. Ichabod must keep the horse from finding his head, because once he is reunited with his head, the other three horsemen will rise and rain down destruction on the world! Yeah - it's intense. I told my parents that I might have to watch this one with the lights on, squeezing Watson close, ha-ha! But one things for sure, I'll be watching!

Creepy spider webs at the office; they look pretty in the sunlight...as long as they're far from me.

The most epic of bruises...courtesy of chasing toddlers...

Lucky Bamboo - only $1 at Walgreens. My desk needed some green and I could always use some luck.

Precious boy - I do love him.

So - I for sure and certain found myself a winner when Watson came along. Y'all, can I tell you that little creatures know when we are having a bad time and if you've got yourself a good pet, they'll help you feel better. I won't elaborate on why my week was rough but I will tell you, I was quite upset on Wednesday when I came home. My sweet little pup got on the couch, scooched himself right up against me and looked at me with sweet little eyes; and then he licked the tears off my cheek. Precious I tell you. Like I said, I've got myself a winner for sure.

A very dreary Wednesday - which matched my week to perfection.

Watson loves to watch Duck Dynasty - it's one of his favorites.

Yes. Truth. So much truth. Where is my Buick to bench press...

This one - he loves to watch out the window in the mornings...

Seriously - people are going to have to quit being nice and bringing donuts to work. They're delicious...and so bad for me. *sigh*

Oh my - Thursday, what an interesting day. I've never thought about death by asphyxiation but it was a very real thought on my mind on Thursday afternoon. One of my co-workers went to Wal-Mart to buy supplies for the office and while unloading those supplies in the kitchen, she knocked a gallon of Pine Sol into the floor...and it busted. Can I just tell you, undiluted Pine Sol smells like death. Okay...it actually smells like seriously chemically altered lemons...and it is rough. We opened the front and back door, turned on a fan, nothing really seemed to help dissipate the smell. My boss announced that we probably needed to go home because it would make us sick...and then that very boss went home and left us here. Thanks - I appreciate that. By the time I left work at 5, I had a raging headache. The other two co-workers downstairs with me had other issues; one kept coughing and gagging while the other's eyes were watering and her throat was burning. So - undiluted Pine Sol could must assuredly be a chemical weapon. That stuff is rough!

An open door policy....so we don't choke to death on Pine Sol.

Not pleased to see that I'd booked a flight to Virginia and he doesn't get to go....again.

This is also true. I laugh because it's better than crying...

OMG - Booth and Bones are getting married!! In October!! The joyous payoff for watching a show for nine years! Yahoo! Okay...I'm slightly excited.

Such a lovely forecast - bring on the rain.

I do love new and fancy...especially when it's free!

Tapping on the door with his foot - he's started doing this and it cracks me up!

Short Friday afternoon nap...

Supper at Chili's - the food was good, the service...was not.

Friday night, I went out with a friend to eat and explore Joann's to see what they had to see. I love eating some food at Chili's but lately I've just about decided I'm going to need to give it up. The food is always good, but the service is always horrible! We waited almost 5 minutes before anyone came and offered to seat us, then we waited another 10 minutes for someone to take our order...and surprise, surprise, when the order came out - it wasn't right! I want Chili's to be good...but they always let me down. Joann's is another story; they don't let me down in the content category...but the prices are crazy! Who has $40 to spend on a metal lawn owl? This girl sure doesn't! Even at half off, their items are still pretty pricey. I did buy one small thing - it was 50% off, plus another 15% off with a coupon. My little Autumn/Halloween loving heart was ate up with all the cute decor but I my wallet just couldn't take it. Oh well - compromise is a good thing. Another thing - I miss Hobby Lobby. Fiercely.

I love it all. Especially that metal owl and the black pumpkins...*sigh*

It was rainy on Friday night, so while I watched a movie, Watson made himself very comfortable - with two pillows and a blanket. He has real needs when it comes to comfort.

Saturday morning yard visitors!

Begging for a bite of breakfast - look at those dirty paws!

Walking through the yard after the rain...

I have a muscadine tree in my yard - who knew? Apparently this is what the deer were eating!

I was not worth killing on Saturday - I'm not even joking. I usually try not to be completely lazy but on Saturday the desire to do nothing got the better of me. I had on pajamas for 75% of the day - I put on "real" clothes at 2:45 and was back in my pajamas by 6:00 - seriously, I was lazy in the epic sense of the word. I guess I should make it known that I did wash three loads of laundry, vacuum the house and re-arrange the living room. I know; the re-arranging thing..it's like a sickness, I can't help it. I feel so rested now that this weekend has come and gone...so rested that I just want to take another nap. Ha-ha!

The first step is admitting you have a problem; right? Is it really a problem though? I just like to re-arrange furniture...

He wanted a piece of chocolate. He didn't win this battle...even with that cute little face.

Desperate for a bite of Sunday dinner...which he may have gotten a small sample of...

Beef Tips with rice and green beans; a strawberry cupcake for dessert...and a pup who wants his own plate.

Enjoying the Autumn evening...I hope the weather sticks around...

Well - that's about all for the past week. I hope you have a good Monday...I'm going to do my best to!

A very blurry picture of the $5 door hanger that I bought at Joann's - too cute!

Quote for the week: You can’t pour antidote into a vat of poison forever and expect it to transform into something safe, something healthy. In some cases, poison is poison, and the only sane answer is to move on. - Jen Hatmaker