Halloweens That Haunt Us

With Halloween fast approaching, I'm feeling reminiscent about Halloweens of the past.  In college, Halloween was a much-anticipated holiday with weeks of considering what costume would be best.  Usually, multiple costumes were needed for multiple Halloween parties. Since the college days, Halloween has lost some of its excitement, but it's still fun to look back and possibly embarrass a few friends in the process :)  Here we go....


Halloween 2005

 

Halloween 2006

Halloween 2007

Halloween 2007

 

Halloween 2007

  

Halloween 2008



Halloween 2008

  

Halloween 2008

   

Around Halloween 2008 - Best Pumpkin Ever
~ my cousins, McKenzie and Carter, with my Uncle Kirk's face featured on the pumpkin~

  

Halloween 2008

  

Halloween 2009



Halloween 2009

Halloween 2009

Halloween 2009





Happy Halloween from our house to yours :)

Meet Jack

Congratulations, Robin and Jason, on a beautiful baby boy!

~ so sweet ~

~ a proud big sister ~

Welcome Jack Ellis!

Today was a very exciting day!  This morning around 6:30 a.m. the Ellis family welcomed a precious baby boy, John Leith Ellis (a.k.a. Jack).  David and I visited him, and he is beautiful from head to tiny little toe.  Jack is the son of David's brother, Jason, and his wife, Robin.  Jack is so lucky because he has the best big sister, Emma Cate:

In addition to Emma Cate, Jack has two sweet cousins, Josie and Olive, to take good care of him.  Stay tuned for pictures. 

David and I couldn't be more excited to be Jack's aunt and uncle.  We're crazy about him already :)

Corn Dip

Before a party we attended last weekend, I made corn dip for the first time ever.  We liked it so much I made it again this weekend for a baby shower.  Here's the easy and tasty recipe for you to try:

Ingredients:
2 (15 oz.) cans whole kernel corn, drained
1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chilies
4 green onions, chopped
2 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise (I prefer Hellmann's real mayo.)

Directions:
Mix the ingredients together and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.  Best served with fritos. 

Enjoy!

Beauty and the Beast

Last night, I went to see Beauty and the Beast with two dear friends, Emmylou and Brooke.  We started the night off with dinner at Babalu in Fondren (as you can tell from my blog, it's high on my list of favorites).  Then we went to Thalia Mara Hall in Jackson for the play.  Thalia Mara holds a special place in our hearts, because we were sworn in to practice law in Mississippi there a little over a year ago.  It meant no more studying for finals and no more studying for the bar.  As you can see, we were pretty happy that day had finally come:

September of 2010

It was nice to return to Thalia Mara for Beauty and the Beast.  There is nothing more uplifting than seeing a truly wonderful play.  Our high expectations were met with this one.  I've always been a fan of the Beauty and the Beast soundtrack.  In fact, Beauty and the Beast was my first ever CD.  As a child, I used to sing along to the theme song at home using my very own microphone.  Even though it was tempting, I chose not to sing along last night and subject Brooke, Emmylou, and those around me to my vocals.  The music was extraordinarily good, and I am certain Mrs. Potts sang it better than I did.  We had the best time and loved every minute of it.

This is our second play to attend at Thalia Mara.  Several months ago, we saw Mamma Mia.  Mamma Mia was wonderful too.  If you haven't seen Beauty and the Beast or Mamma Mia, buy a ticket as soon as possible!  You won't be disappointed.

Balloon Festival in Natchez

This weekend, we attended the Great Mississippi River Balloon Race in Natchez, Mississippi.  It was voted Mississippi's Best Fair or Festival last year. Natchez is one of Mississippi's most beautiful cities with gorgeous Southern homes and restaurants.  David's good friend, Key, is from Natchez.  It was great to see him, and we felt very lucky to have him as our tour guide for the weekend.

Yesterday was a perfect fall day to spend on the river.  While watching the balloons, we enjoyed lots of good food and fun bands.  I think it was my first time to see a hot air balloon in person!  Here are some pictures from the festival:

~ Key and Sara ~

If you haven't been to Natchez or the balloon festival, I would highly recommend both.  Natchez is a charming place and one I hope we'll visit often.

Have a great week!

Peach Muffins

Hope everyone had a happy Sunday!  We enjoyed the beautiful weather, good food, and time spent with family.  David and I had lunch with my parents, who came in town for a very fun weekend visit, and dinner with David's parents at their house.  I love relaxing Sundays with family.

I decided to begin the day by trying out a new recipe for peach muffins from http://www.allrecipes.com/.  I would definitely recommend giving it a try!

 Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups vegetable oil

3 eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups white sugar

2 cups peeled, pitted, and chopped peaches

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Lightly grease 16 muffin cups. (This recipe actually makes more than 16 muffins. I made 16 muffins and a small loaf of bread, but you could just do more muffins.) 
3. In a large bowl, mix flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
4. In a separate bowl, mix the oil, eggs, and sugar.
5. Stir the oil mixture into the flour mixture just until moist.
6. Fold in the peaches.
7. Spoon into the prepared muffin cups.
8. Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

~ enjoying the beautiful day after church ~

Huck enjoyed the weather too!

A New Home

David and I are under contract on a lot in Longleaf Subdivision in Madison, Mississippi!  We will probably close in December and begin building in early spring of 2012.  Lately, I've become obsessed with home magazines and websites.  There are just so many options!  Even though building a house for the first time is a bit intimidating, we couldn't be more excited to take on this new adventure! 

At this point, we are considering what's most important to us.  Because we both love to cook, our kitchen is a top priority.  Here are some ideas I love:

I love the combination of covered cabinets and glass cabinets. 
We could be messy in some and put pretty things in others! 

I like a contrasting center bar. 
I wish this one had a place for bar stools, but I love the color.

This may be my favorite.  I love the brick behind the stove, the natural light, and the huge bar.  David loves a place to hang pots and pans like this one.

The shelves at the end of a bar provide great storage space and an opportunity to display favorite cookbooks and serving pieces.

This copper sink is beautiful!

How convenient for spices and cooking oils!

I love this corner pantry.  In fact, I love everything I can see in this picture.



This would make cleaning up so much easier.



We have papers all over the place, so a desk in the kitchen would be great.

What a fun kitchen!  I love the hardwood floors.

A girl can only dream!  I can't wait to begin making decisions about our new home, and I'm thankful for plenty of time to explore all our options.  I'll definitely share our ideas along the way :)

Haley and Patrick

On October 22, 2011, my sweet friend, Haley, is getting married to her very best friend, Patrick.  I'm so sad because I won't be able to make it to the wedding, but I will definitely be there in spirit!

Haley is from Knoxville, but she and Patrick now live in Colorado.  They will celebrate their wedding day in Townsend, Tennessee, which is an absolutely beautiful mountain city.  I know it will be a gorgeous October wedding, and I want to give them my warmest congratulations.  I wish you a life full of love and happiness!