Lent 2013 :: Day 35 ~ Happy Birthday to Yours Truly

Happy Birthday to me!! That sounds so vain...

Oh we'll, today is a special day...it's Yours Truly's Golden Birthday!! Which means I turn 27 on the 27th!! The most important part is I have lived to see a new year, a new day and enjoy the life God has blessed me with.

Today, I want to thank each and every one of y'all for the sweet texts, phone calls, emails, voicemails, cards and birthday happies!! Your words and actions mean the world to me, and I am thankful every, single day to share this wonderful life with y'all!!

Love y'all to the maxx, Sweets!!

Look forward to updates throughout the day including birthday surprises and birthday fun!!

 

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Lent 2013 :: Day 34 ~ Trust God & Don't Be Afraid

Everyone has encountered the feeling of being afraid. Whether it be from a the monsters under your bed or a doctor's diagnosis or even the just the thought of losing someone close to you. We have all been afraid.

Fear stinks. Fearing anything or anyone really stinks. Sometimes you ask yourself, Why Me? What did I do to be the brunt of this that I am fearing? If you are like me, you end your question with inserting God into the whole situation. You bring Him into your situation because He has all the answers. Right?

Well, God's answer is It is in my plan for you. The plan He created before we were even born. So instead of asking Why Me, God?, tell God you Trust Him. Let your worries be those of His and simply trust Him and His plan for you.

With your trust in God, He will be your strength. He will carry you through the days. He will help you knock down your fears.

Take time today to talk to God and let Him know you trust Him and His plan for you. Love with pure joy knowing you have God by your side.

Thank goodness I have my Jesus Calling to remind me of such, especially on the days when I need it the most.

Do not be afraid of them; the LORD your God himself will fight for you. ~ Deuteronomy 3:22 (NIV)

 

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Lent 2013 :: Day 33 ~ Chi-rish {Part 3}

Our last day was upon us!! The weekend went by so quickly, but I guess the cliche saying "Time flies when you're having fun!!" is oh so true, Sweets!!

Kimmie Kims and G got on the road super early to make it back home before dark. Sad to see them go, but happy to have made such fun memories!!

Sweet KK, Dr. Doug, The Hubbs and I got packed up and did a little sight-seeing before we had to head to the airport.

On our way out of the hotel, we ran into our very own leprechaun!! Take it all in y'all!! He is for real real, and I felt very lucky to meet a leprechaun in the live on St. Patrick's Day!!

 

Since Dr. Doug has never been to Chicago, we had to go to the 96th floor of the Hancock Building and have a celebratory drink and take in the sights!!

After chatting about the day before and laughing until we cried, we headed to grab lunch before our trip back to Little Rock!!

Our weekend had finally come to an end!! We got back home safely and left Chi with so many wonderful memories. The talks of making this an annual trip is in the midst, y'all!!

Kimmie Kims & G ~ Thank y'all for making this birthday so special. Y'all are the true meaning of family, and The Hubbs and I are so very blessed to spend the rest of my life making many more memories with y'all!!

Sweet KK & Dr. Doug ~ Thank y'all for being the most amazing friends!! Taking time out of y'all's busy Doctor Schedules to celebrate my Golden Birthday meant the world to me. Y'all are one-of-a-kind friends that The Hubbs and I will have forever!!

My Dearst Hubbs ~ Thank you for making this birthday perfectly Golden!! You planned a perfect weekend, and I am so thankful for every last detail. You are my one true love and always make me feel like the most special girl in the room. I love you to the maxx!!

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Lent 2013 :: Day 32 ~ Chi-rish {Part 2}

Our weekend was in full swing on Saturday!!

We headed to The Hubbs and my favorite Irish Bar, Halsted Harp, to start the Chi-nanigans. We had a table reserved and enjoyed an all you can eat breakfast Buffett with drinks to match.

Around noon, we headed downtown to see the Chicago River. Why go see that nasty, brown river?! Well on St. Patty's weekend in Chicago, the city dyes the river green to celebrate being Chi-rish and officially observe the St. Patrick's Day holiday. Funny thing, The Hubbs never saw the river dyed green until this weekend!!

Our party moved from the river to Smith&Wolensky. We had to get somewhere fast to warm up!! Us Southerners aren't use to that chilly Chicago wind!! After we made our pit-stop, our group headed to Taco Joint, a fav restaurant of The Hubbs and I, to get a couple tacos and their delish house margs. During our Taco Joint stop, Dr. Doug magically turned into our own little leprechaun!! Kids of all ages were mystified by his appearance, and he sure gave our table a good laugh!! Look at those four-leaf clover tats, y'all!!

The next stop on our Chi-rish Bar Hop was our hotel lobby bar. We freshened up and had a little fun with the other tourists celebrating St. Pats!!

The icing on the cake was our dinner at Topo Gigio. This restaurant is The Hubbs and my prized possession of a restaurant in Chicago. We had one of our first dates here and also had our rehearsal dinner here during our wedding weekend. The Hubbs made it a point for us to have reservations to celebrate My Golden Birthday!! To end the night, nothing less would do but to have my fav dessert, homemade pistachio gelato, with a candle on top.

Perfect ending to a perfect day!!

Check back later Sweets for Part 3 of our Chi-rish fun!!

 

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Lent 2013 :: Day 31 ~ Chi-rish {Part 1}

The weekend came and the weekend is gone, but these sweet memories will be with me forever. I am so thankful for my amazing family and friends that helped celebrate my Golden Birthday in Chicago over St. Patty's Day weekend!!

After finally touching down in chilly Chi-Town, The Hubbs surprised us all by renting a limo to take us to the city!!

As our limo pulled up to our lovely hotel for the weekend, Kimmie Kims had the hotel valet literally whistle The Happy Birthday song!! So special and from that moment on I knew the weekend was going to be one to remember!!

After freshening up, we headed to The Original World Famous Billy Goat Tavern on Lower Michigan and filled our bellies with Schlitz beer and Cheezborgers...Nom Nom!!

Then we ended the night on Hubbard Street. We paid a visit to our fav dive bar, The Boss, and played the jukebox with all of our fav throwback songs!!

{Sorry for the bluriness, but that's what you get when you let a stranger that is apparently not able to work an iPhone take the picture!!}

Check back later for Part 2 & 3 of Our Chi-rish weekend!!

 

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Lent 2013 :: Day 30 ~ Goin' Down to Chi-Town

The weekend is finally here, Sweets!! Y'all know what that means?? It's finally time for my surprise birthday trip to The Windy City!! With this birthday being My Golden Birthday, meaning I turn 27 on the 27th, The Hubbs spoiled me and planned an amazing weekend to celebrate Yours Truly and St. Party's Day in Chicago!!

The best part is Kimmie Kim's {my sister}, G {my bro-in-law}, Sweet KK {bestie from LR} and Dr. Doug {The Hubbs bud & KK's fiancé} are all joining us to celebrate and be "Chi-rish"!!

Buckle up y'all!! It's going to be a wild and crazy weekend!!

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Lent 2013 :: Day 29 ~ Embroidery 101

When The Hubbs requests my help for a crafty project, I am always game!!

Sooo finally we opened my embroidery machine which The Hubbs gave me for Christmas and I got to work... {Yes, Sweets, I am just now opening my prized possession up...It all has to do with the madhouse our office has become ~ aka My Craft Roonm ~ had become...}

The Hubbs requested I embroider a rustic Irish Flag to give his throwback jacket some flare. So I learned, well actually forced myself to figure out, how to use my embroidery machine. After 3 trial runs, a short night's sleep and one determined perfectionist's mentality with an Abita Strawberry in hand, I finally perfected my embroidery skills and Ta-Da...Chi-rish Flag!!

Now The Hubbs can sport his fancy jacket for our St. Patty's weekend in Chi-Town {Hints the usage of Chi-rish!!}. Y'all know what that means!! Weekend blog posts from C-H-I-C-A-G-O with all kinds of St. Patty's Day antics!!

Until The Windy City, Sweets!!

P.S. Remember if you need anything embroidered or monogrammed, I'm your girl!!

 

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Lent 2013 :: Day 28 ~ Rue Girl's Photo Shoot

I never thought I would post this type of post, but there is always a time for firsts!!

Not that there is anything bad with boasting about your baby, but if you know me, you know one of my pet peaves is the over-share and over-load of diaper babies and fur babies, alike.

Don't get me wrong, there isn't anything wrong with showing the cuteness of your sweet love, but its when these mommas and papas share every, little movement that can be a little FYI... Y'all know what I mean, the kind of FYI where you are like "Ok, I really didn't need to see that? All of a sudden my breakfast doesn't look the same..."

So yesterday, The Hubbs and I had an eventful photo shoot with our Rue Girl. It started with a request from Nanny B. {The Hubbs' grandmother} who needed a picture of Rue Girl...Hmm, birthday present maybe?! And turned into The Hubbs and I pulling out her dummy to get some good facial expressions.

So move over Gerber Baby, Rue Girl is here to stay and steal the oooh's and awww's of Sweet Home South's onlookers...

{The Sweet Face ~ My Personal Fav}

{The Is-That-A-Duck Face}

{The Where's-My-Dummy Face}

Hope this brings a smile to your face!! Rue Girl is the definition of unconditional love. She never turns down a belly rub, and she knows when you need love by laying her sweet head on your lap wanting nothing but to show her love for you.

Rue Girl ~ You make Our Sweet Home South that much sweeter!!

 

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Lent 2013 :: Day 27 {DIY} Redneck Wine Glasses

The week is just getting started, Sweets, and I have been all about homemade this and DIY that.

My DIY for today is the infamous Redneck Wine Glass!! They are simply a Mason Jar, glass candle stick and a little E-600.

These Redneck Wineglasses were made for my friend, Tiff's wedding shower at the end of the month.

If you are in the Little Rock area and need an unique gift for someone special, whether it be a wedding shower gift, a birthday gift or for a sweet happy, let me know!! I am running a deal where you can get a set of 4 glasses for $16!! Usually I sell them for $5 per glass!!

Give me 1 day's notice and I will have the glasses wrapped and ready for delivery!! Contact me via commenting below!!

 

 

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Lent 2013 :: Day 26 ~ {Homemade} Cheeseburger Cheeseburger Pizza

Happy Monday Sweets!!

For dinner tonight The Hubbs and I fixed up a simply delish homemade pizza!! We decided to mock our fav U.S. Pizza pizza, the Cheeseburger Cheeseburger, annnnnnd it did not disappoint!!

The best part of this pizza is the sauce is yellow mustard, so calories are minimal. Plus we used a whole grain pizza dough, which makes for a healthier crust!!

Whatcha Need

- Cookie sheet

- Pillsbury Artisan Whole Grain pizza dough

- 1/2 lb of Ground Venison, browned

- 1/2 white onion, chopped

- Seasoning of choice (i.e. Italian, Cavender's, Garlic Salt...)

- 1 cup of Yellow Mustard

- 2 cups of Cheddar Cheese

Whatcha Do

- Preheat oven at 400*

- Spread dough onto ungreased cookie sheet

- Brown ground venison meat

- Season meat with choice seasoning

- Add chopped onions to cooked meat

- Bake pizza dough ONLY for 8 min

- Remove bake crust from oven & spread mustard to cover crust

- Cover with meat & onion mixture

- Cover with Cheese

Bake for an additional 8 min, until cheese is melted

Enjoy the cheeseburger taste the pizza way!!

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Lent 2013 :: Day 25 ~ Jonesboro Jubilee

Good afternoon, Sweets!!

As you can tell {via my absence from Sweet Home South these last two days}, The Hubbs and I have been a little busy with our out of town visit to Jonesboro!! Don't y'all worry, much catching up is on my to-do list!!

As y'all know this past weekend, The Hubbs, myself and our sweet friends, Christopher & Reebs, road-tripped it up to Jonesboro to celebrate our dear Winston's 29th Birthday and have girltime with our sweet Brookie!!

Upon our arrival, we enjoyed a laid back surf and turf dinner and sat by the fire pit catching up with each other. Saturday, we enjoyed a delish Brookie breakfast and got ready for the day!! While the guys played a round of golf on Winston & Brookie's golf course, us girls played in downtown Jonesboro. We shopped till we dropped, had our fair share of mimosas and dined at Skinny J's!!

On our way home to meet up with the boys, we got Winston's gigantic cookie cake and had a little photo shoot in the car!!

{Aviators are definitely the go-to choice in shades with us girls!!}

For Winston's Birthday celebration, we had a crawfish boil and had an awesome deck party to end the night!!

{The Boys}

{The Girls}

{The Gang}

To our Dear Brookie & Winston, thank y'all so very much for the hospitality during our Jonesboro Jubilee Weekend!! But most importantly thank you for y'all's friendship!! No matter the distance, we always make time for eachother because that's what friends do!! We are blessed to call y'all our best friends and look forward to making so many more amazing memories!!

 

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Lent 2013 :: Day 24 ~ BreakFAST

One of the hardest things about having company is always figuring out what to make for breakfast!!

This weekend The Hubbs, Reebs, Christopher and myself are visiting Jonesboro and staying with our sweet Brookie and Winston, the birthday boy, to celebrate him getting one year older, or wiser as he likes to say!!

Of course, when we all woke up from our perfect night's sleep, my sweet Brookie had breakfast ready. As always Brookie knows what to do when it comes to bakin', cookin' & servin' up meals for guests. She is efficient but everything is delicious!!

The breakfast casserole she made for us was simply delish and easy pleasy. Unlike most casseroles, this one is on the healthier side and very fast to make.

Hope this recipe is out to good use when you have your next company come stay at your sweet home!!

Whatcha Need

- 9x12 glass dish

- 1 dozen eggs

- Half a bag of frozen shredded hashbrowns

- 1 lb. of cooked & drained sausage

- 1 1/2 cups of cheddar cheese

- Goodies to spice up your casserole to taste (i.e. green onions, mushrooms, bell peppers)

Whatcha Do

- Preheat oven at 350*

- Wisk eggs

- Fold in the hashbrowns, sausage & your goodies

- Pour into ungreased glass dish

- Cover with cheese

- Bake for 30-45 mins uncovered

BreakFAST at its finest and fastest, Sweets!!

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Lent 2013 :: Day 23 ~ Pops of Easter

Signs of the Easter Bunny are popping up throughout Our Sweet Home South!! Which means March 31 is right around the corner!! With the Easter holiday comes pastel colors, deviled eggs and my fav, Mini-Cadbury milk chocolates.

But most importantly, Easter is the day to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This time of year is a perfect time to remember that Jesus is the Reason for the Season!!

Nowadays, the important times in life can be oh so consumed by the Halmark mindset, and people get so wrapped up in gifts, decor and who has what. So when you you see a pastel Easter egg or candy dish filled with yummy chocolates or a cross in your neighbor's front yard, be thankful for these signs of Easter and remind yourself what the Easter holiday is truly about.

Till next time, Sweets!!

 

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Lent 2013 :: Day 22 ~ DIY Kitchen Island {Take 2}

Well Sweets, this post was meant for last night, but The Hubbs stayed up super late to finish screwing on the handles for our DIY Makeover to our "Kitchen Island"!!

Didn't he do an amazing job!! So blessed to have such a Handy Hubbs!!

The handles are from Hobby Lobby, and I decided to go with three different sets to give our "Kitchen Island" that rustic feel...duh!! Would you expect anything less?!

Also, I added the Cherry Cobbler accents to the sides and trim of the drawers.

I am in L-O-V-E with our almost finished "Kitchen Island"!!

The only thing left to do is get our countertop wrapped and set!!

Check back for final updates, y'all!!

 

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