You've seen it... the SUV driving really slowly on the interstate, the sports car weaving slightly into your lane and on to the shoulder of the road, trucks flying by with no regard to others. A quick glance into the vehicle and YEP, they are on the cell phone!! We all think we can do it, but honestly, we can't.
"I pledge to make my car a No Phone Zone. Beginning right now, I will do my part to help put an end to distracted driving by not texting or using my phone while I am driving. I will ask other drivers I know to do the same. I pledge to make a difference." Go to http://www.oprah.com/questionaire/ipledge.html?id=4 to make your pledge public.
Oprah, once again, is doing her part to bring awareness to the dangers of texting and talking on the phone while driving. I know that I am guilty of this pleasure, even though I try to make a conscience effort not to spend too much time on the phone while in the car. It only takes a moment for an accident to occur. Please do your part. Statistics are showing that texting and talking while driving are more impairing than drinking and driving.
Until next time....
This is the real life story of a girl who became a wife and mother and who is trying to seize everyday living under God's grace and by embracing this verse... "fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10
Monday, January 18, 2010
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Nutty Cocoa Banana Muffins...
I made these this afternoon to explore a new recipe. The muffins look wonderful and taste even better. Just in case you want to try them, here is the recipe.
2 bananas mashed
2/3 cup of sugar
2 eggs
1tsp vanilla
6tbsp melted butter
2 cups of all purpose flour
2tsp baking soda
1/4 cup buttermilk
2/3 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped nutsPreheat oven to 350. Combine bananas, sugar, and eggs. Mix well. Add vanilla and melted butter. Stir. Add flour, baking soda, and buttermilk. Mix with a fork until well blended. Add chocolate chips and nuts. Stir. Line a muffin pan with liners. Fill liners to the top with muffin mix. Bake for 20 minutes or until brown.
Enjoy!
Until next time ......
XOXOXOXO
Saturday, January 2, 2010
My top 20 memories of 2009....
20.Moving my kitty cats from inside to outside for good. This necessity broke my heart.19. Attending my first boat parade.
18. Discovering the recipe for our new favorite dessert, Blueberry Apple Cobbler.
17. After watching Julie vs. Julia, ditching the Country Crock and cooking with "real" butter.16. Seeing the lights at Bellingrath Gardens.
15. Going to see Rocky Horror Picture Show for the first time.
14. Eating oysters. Yes, they were raw the first time. :)
13. One disaster after another at our 99 year old house when we were trying to sell it. Yippie!12. Learning how to re-plumb a toliet.
11. 10, 000, 000 mosquitoes covering my body and Wes' at Crater Lake.
10. Discovering Mignon Faget.
09. My first Mardi Gras parade, The Bacchus Parade. 08. Being close enough to touch a baby sea lion on a beach on the Oregon Coast.
07. Going to the Grand Ole Opry.06. Lounging by a pool that I own!!!!
05. Getting a job at a wonderful school with a fantastic, established library program.
04. Meeting the awesome people that work at that school that I now call my FRIENDS!
03. Living 5 miles from the J. Crew outlet and the BEACH!
02. Going to the Jewel concert with my sisters and mom.and finally.....
01. The grandness and stillness of the Redwood Forrest.
2009 was a great year that blessed Wes and I with many things. I am welcoming 2010 with open arms, and I am hoping that you are doing the same.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Dear Santa,
Thank you so much for my gifts. I am, especially, thankful that you brought them a few nights early so that I could look H.O.T. while taking photos of the fam and snacking on some popcorn. I love, love, love all of my gifts. You might want to know in the future that worms are harder to tame, than you might think at first. They are like prisoners just waiting to escape, and they are good at it. ;)
I am looking forward to hearing from you again next year. Keep checking out those fashion magazines. You are doing a great job!
(Back story: Santa brought me wormery this year. I was sooo happy because you all know I am into recycling and such. Now, I can make my own compost. That is if all the worms don't escape.)
Here are a few photos for you to share with Mrs. Claus.
I am looking forward to hearing from you again next year. Keep checking out those fashion magazines. You are doing a great job!
(Back story: Santa brought me wormery this year. I was sooo happy because you all know I am into recycling and such. Now, I can make my own compost. That is if all the worms don't escape.)
Here are a few photos for you to share with Mrs. Claus.
Much love,
Brooke
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Holidazzzz
Boy, oh, boy aren't the Christmas holidays GREAT!! So far, I have gone to bed early, slept late, eaten a lot of sweets, and at this very moment, my husband is out shopping for me! This is living the dream! : )
Beginning with Halloween, I truely do love the holiday season. I enjoy decorating, cooking, parties, presents, and giving. This year, however, I really haven't been in the "holiday mood." It is probably because of all the new things in my life right now. No worries, this rest and relaxtion is getting me in the spirit pretty fast. If you did not get a Christmas card from Wes and I this year, don't fret, I did not send any cards. I am so sad about this, but there just never seemed to be time to get them together. Don't worry, I will not miss sending them next year.
Of course, the holidays mean hitting the road for Wes and I. This year we will be spending Christmas with the Moreheads and the New Year with the Ramages. I am looking forward to seeing everyone and catching up.
I have a pretty good hunch that Santa is bringing me a new camera for Christmas, so finally, I can get back to posting photos of our life.
Wes and I have found a new church that we are really excited about. The last few sermons we attended were about letting our light shine so that others see Christ in us. This is a lesson most of us have heard from childhood, but the reality of this simple command is sometimes very difficult to fullfill. During the holidays and throughout the next year, don't hide your light under a bushel, but let the world see the truth in you.
"Let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in Heaven." Matthew 5:16
I am wishing you a very Merry Christmas. Until next time....
XOXOXOXOXO
Beginning with Halloween, I truely do love the holiday season. I enjoy decorating, cooking, parties, presents, and giving. This year, however, I really haven't been in the "holiday mood." It is probably because of all the new things in my life right now. No worries, this rest and relaxtion is getting me in the spirit pretty fast. If you did not get a Christmas card from Wes and I this year, don't fret, I did not send any cards. I am so sad about this, but there just never seemed to be time to get them together. Don't worry, I will not miss sending them next year.
Of course, the holidays mean hitting the road for Wes and I. This year we will be spending Christmas with the Moreheads and the New Year with the Ramages. I am looking forward to seeing everyone and catching up.
I have a pretty good hunch that Santa is bringing me a new camera for Christmas, so finally, I can get back to posting photos of our life.
Wes and I have found a new church that we are really excited about. The last few sermons we attended were about letting our light shine so that others see Christ in us. This is a lesson most of us have heard from childhood, but the reality of this simple command is sometimes very difficult to fullfill. During the holidays and throughout the next year, don't hide your light under a bushel, but let the world see the truth in you.
"Let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in Heaven." Matthew 5:16
I am wishing you a very Merry Christmas. Until next time....
XOXOXOXOXO
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving Holidays!!!
It has been over a month since I last posted! WOW! Lots of exciting things have happened. I will do my best to catch up.
My digital camera completely stopped working. I bought a temporary camera, but I have not had the pictures the developed. So, I will get some new pics up ASAP.
October
Wes and I carved a jack-o-latern for Halloween. It was very scary! I decorated our door with a ghosts, and boy oh boy did the trick-or-treaters come. I wasn't sure what to expect because this is our first year in this neighborhood. We had kids knocking on our door forever! Our whole neighborhood was overcome with mini ghosts and goblins. There was even a hayride in our neighborhood. It was FANTASTIC! Needless to say, I ran out of candy pretty early in the night. Next year, I plan on having gallons and gallons of candy to give. I am already extremely excited about it!
On the baking side of things, I roasted the pumpkin seeds from our jack-o-latern and baked pumpkin bread. It was a wonderful kick off to the fall season.
November
This month started out with a BANG! My mom, dad, sisters, and brother-in-laws all came to the coast to celebrate Angela and Jessica's birthday. We had so much fun. Friday night, all of the ladies went to the Jewel concert at the Beaux. Jewel is even more amazing live than on her albums. I love her more now, than ever before. Thanks, Wes, for making this happen! While we were jamming out at the concert, the boys went to the Biloxi/Gulfport football game. Saturday, we started the day with a Vetern's Day Parade. Then we headed to Ocean Springs and had a blast at the Peter Anderson Festival. We ended the day with a big dinner of crab legs and seafood at Captain Al's. YUMMY! It was a great weekend, and I can't wait to do it again.
Over the weekend, I made a big pot of chili and BBQ chicken legs with green beens, homemade apple sauce, and couscous.
At work, I planned and hosted my first ever Reading Fair. Overall, it was very successful. We had 260 projects submitted. I learned a lot, and now, I certainly know where I can make improvements next year! My school is also hosting the District Reading Fair this year, so I will get to put some of my newly learned knowledge into practice in a couple of weeks! :)
The cats for the most part have adjusted to their new outside life. However, they have had some unwanted guests stealing their food. I noticed that every morning all of the cat food was gone. At first, I didn't really think anything of it. One night when taking the recycling out, I discovered the culprit. A possum was sitting in the garage eating his heart out. Lillie and Ivey were sleeping in their bed just letting him take all of their food. LOL! The possum was not scared, did not run, and barely left even after Wes got the broom after him. A couple of nights later, I discovered, much to my surprise, Lillie and Ivey asleep in their bed while a big yellow cat and a giant raccoon were eating out of the cat food bowl, together. I AM LIVING THE MOVIE, OVER THE HEDGE! Well, of course, this had to stop. I started bringing the cat food inside and only feeding Lilly and Ivey at certain times, much to their dismay. My parents brought an animal trap so that we can catch the pesky thieves. So far, we have not caught a single animal. hahahahahah! This is hilarous to me!
I am super excited to be off work for an entire week! I have a few days of resting at home before hitting the road to Kosciusko, Atlanta, Alabama, and home again.
I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.
Until next time.........
XOXOXOXOXOXOXO
My digital camera completely stopped working. I bought a temporary camera, but I have not had the pictures the developed. So, I will get some new pics up ASAP.
October
Wes and I carved a jack-o-latern for Halloween. It was very scary! I decorated our door with a ghosts, and boy oh boy did the trick-or-treaters come. I wasn't sure what to expect because this is our first year in this neighborhood. We had kids knocking on our door forever! Our whole neighborhood was overcome with mini ghosts and goblins. There was even a hayride in our neighborhood. It was FANTASTIC! Needless to say, I ran out of candy pretty early in the night. Next year, I plan on having gallons and gallons of candy to give. I am already extremely excited about it!
On the baking side of things, I roasted the pumpkin seeds from our jack-o-latern and baked pumpkin bread. It was a wonderful kick off to the fall season.
November
This month started out with a BANG! My mom, dad, sisters, and brother-in-laws all came to the coast to celebrate Angela and Jessica's birthday. We had so much fun. Friday night, all of the ladies went to the Jewel concert at the Beaux. Jewel is even more amazing live than on her albums. I love her more now, than ever before. Thanks, Wes, for making this happen! While we were jamming out at the concert, the boys went to the Biloxi/Gulfport football game. Saturday, we started the day with a Vetern's Day Parade. Then we headed to Ocean Springs and had a blast at the Peter Anderson Festival. We ended the day with a big dinner of crab legs and seafood at Captain Al's. YUMMY! It was a great weekend, and I can't wait to do it again.
Over the weekend, I made a big pot of chili and BBQ chicken legs with green beens, homemade apple sauce, and couscous.
At work, I planned and hosted my first ever Reading Fair. Overall, it was very successful. We had 260 projects submitted. I learned a lot, and now, I certainly know where I can make improvements next year! My school is also hosting the District Reading Fair this year, so I will get to put some of my newly learned knowledge into practice in a couple of weeks! :)
The cats for the most part have adjusted to their new outside life. However, they have had some unwanted guests stealing their food. I noticed that every morning all of the cat food was gone. At first, I didn't really think anything of it. One night when taking the recycling out, I discovered the culprit. A possum was sitting in the garage eating his heart out. Lillie and Ivey were sleeping in their bed just letting him take all of their food. LOL! The possum was not scared, did not run, and barely left even after Wes got the broom after him. A couple of nights later, I discovered, much to my surprise, Lillie and Ivey asleep in their bed while a big yellow cat and a giant raccoon were eating out of the cat food bowl, together. I AM LIVING THE MOVIE, OVER THE HEDGE! Well, of course, this had to stop. I started bringing the cat food inside and only feeding Lilly and Ivey at certain times, much to their dismay. My parents brought an animal trap so that we can catch the pesky thieves. So far, we have not caught a single animal. hahahahahah! This is hilarous to me!
I am super excited to be off work for an entire week! I have a few days of resting at home before hitting the road to Kosciusko, Atlanta, Alabama, and home again.
I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.
Until next time.........
XOXOXOXOXOXOXO
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