Christmastime is here again... almost!

I cannot wait to really start decorating for Christmas. Daniel doesn't let me put out Christmas stuff until after Thanksgiving but I snuck my red plates into the kitchen already... they are just plain red- that doesn't technically mean Christmas. Does it? Its also time for..... CHRISTMAS CARDS!!! I think this is one of the things I look forward to the most! I display every single one I get and I am so sad when I have to toss them. So you can imagine how excited I was to find out that Shutterfly is giving away free Christmas cards to bloggers!! Isn't that wonderful! I LOVE Shutterfly- and not just because of this, I use them all the time. I even used them to reprint some of my wedding photos and they are so professional and the photos were of really good quality. I have already been looking at some of their Christmas cards like http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/cards-stationery/pretty-poinsettia-print-christmas-card?sortType=1&storeNode=93479 and http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/cards-stationery/peppermint-gift-wrap-christmas-card?sortType=1&storeNode=93479 so this just makes it even better. It's so nice to be appreciated. Not to mention this is the right time of year to order your personalized calendars, they are great gifts!! http://www.shutterfly.com/calendars/desk-calendars

Anniversary

WOW, I cannot believe it has been a whole year... everyone was right, it does fly. We had a wonderful anniversary week. It begin on Friday, Dan sent me beautiful flowers to work :)
We thawed the old wedding cake- SURPRISINGLY, it was not too bad. especially the inner pieces of it. Now, we did not eat a whole piece or anything but it was not too bad at all to be a whole year old (except being a tad smushed)

Then, we left on a whirlwind trip to one of our favorite cities- New Orleans. We did not have a lot of time, but we definitely made the most of it by riding the train there and back. It was so fun and easy... we brought our own cooler and drank champagne! It was wonderful- I highly recommend it! When we got to New Orleans, we ate a almost 3-hour dinner at the best restaurant- Emeril's NOLA. it was ah-maz-ing. Here is a photo of our deserts- they came with a candle on them for our anniversary. I had the trio of Creme Brulee, Dan had Banana Pudding Pie.


So, then last weekend, my Mom, Dad, Sister and Mimi sent us to the Viking Cooking School in Greenwood, MS. It was fabulous. It was called "Classic Steakhouse"
Mushroom Caps stuffed with Crab Imperial
Bacon-Wrapped Filet Mignon with Béarnaise
Oven-Roasted Asparagus
Twice-Baked Tall Potatoes
Iceberg Wedge with Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing
Bananas Foster

We spent the night across the street at the Alluvian. Also wonderful- if you have never stayed there, do yourself a favor. The hotel is like none other in Mississippi, that is for sure. The breakfast is so amazing..... just all around wonderful.

On our way to see the BULLDOGS play!

This weekend we are going to Starkville to see our beloved Bulldogs play! I am just so excited, we are leaving at 4:00 on the dot! So many of our "old" friends will be there. And I am so happy that it is going to be a night game- I for one dont believe football should be played during the day. Also, this is where Dan and I met and fell in love~ and its so close to our one year wedding anniversary (even though we have been together for almost 7 years) I just cant help but feel mushy!
Anyway... from the looks of it- Starkville will be packed full of maroon and white- it doesnt hurt that it is Bulldog Bash. I just hope and pray the bulldogs will play like they did in the season opener against Memphis and not so much like they played LSU. But regardless of what goes down on Scott Field, I know we will have a great time in STARKVEGAS!!!!!!

What Heaven Tastes Like:

Chocolate Praline Torte
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup real butter
1/4 cup whipping cream
3/4 roughly chopped pecans
1 pkg devils food cake mix

Topping:
1 3/4 cups whipping cream
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a saucepan, combine brown sugar, butter and cream. Stir over low heat until butter is melted. Pour into 2 greased 9 inch cake pans, sprinkle with pecans, set aside. Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Carefully pour batter over pecans--CAREFULLY and slowly (may want to spoon it over so the pecans wont run to the edges). Bake at 325 degrees for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Invert onto wire racks to cool completely.

Topping:
Beat cream in a mixing bowl until soft peaks form. Add sugar and vanilla, beat until stiff. Place one cake layer, pecan side up, on a serving plate. Spread half of the topping onto the layer. Top with second cake layer and spread remaining cream. Garnish with chocolate curls if desired. Store in refrigerator.


I have a Mimi. She is is pretty much amazing in every way but she is an ah-mah-zing cook. This cake was featured in Southern Living many many years ago and she made it for my birthday... needless to say it became and instant classic. She still makes the best ones!

Sweet Tooth?

Out of know where, I have a need to bake. I have always enjoyed cooking, but here lately it has been all about the baking- I have found the absolute PERFECT Pound Cake recipe, gotten my husband addicted to the most incredible Banana Nut Bread and developed a recipe for cookies that taste like "Smarties."
Then, I saw the most precious baby shower cookies that Brooke made on http://brookecheslek.blogspot.com/ and I thought maybe I would give real cookies a whirl! Well- I was a quite unsure of myself when I began and it was time consuming and a little trial and error but I LOVED IT!!! I made a big batch of cookies for my cousins graduation and they disappeared so fast!!

I am really quite suprised at my patience- and it just made me so happy to see the final product! I had several people at the party say that I should sell them- so if anyone needs any sweets, let me know! I am cheap because I just love doing it!! :)

BUMMER!!!!

SPOILER ALERT~ KINDA (not totally)
We went as planned to SATC2 and were sooooo excited!! But, within the first few minutes I was literally thinking -This is really cheesy, please don't continue like this...- BUT, it did. I just kept trying to remember had I heard any news about a them having someone else write the script this time?? Every single thing was predictable. And to think- I dedicated so much time daydreaming and wondering -ooh, will Carrie be preggo? will Samantha get married? Will Miranda have another baby? What's going to happen to Charlotte????- Nope. Nope. Nope and Nada. Literally nothing happens. And it is almost like they realized it in production and at the last moment threw Carrie and Big for a small loop. Another problem for me is that it really did not flow together. Thinking back, the first 20 minutes had absolutely Nothing to do with the rest of the movie :(...
Anyway, is this the worst sequel ever made? Certainly not- (I'm talking to you, Bring It On Again) It is quite fun and incredibly lavish and as always, Patricia Field does not disappoint with the glorious and sometimes downright odd costumes. I am very glad I saw it, but I do wish we had been drinking more heavily... it might have made it better.

SATC2!!

WEEEE!!!!!!

I am super-excited about the new Sex and The City movie!! I love all the characters and have been anxiously awaiting their return to the big screen since the last movie:



Aside from following the story, I love love the setting and the fashion. The stylist of the films and the show, Patricia Field, is an absolute genius. The colors and the fabrics and the SHOES are so over-the-top fabulous, every girl wants to be Carrie. You know you do!

You Must...

If you have not caught on to Modern Family, you Must!












It is absolutely Hilarious. I am so sick of Reality-Whatever... I love a good old scripted sitcom. But, as far as I am concerned, nothing, NOTHING compares to Friends! It was the all time best thing ever put on TV. I mean dare I say Chanandelor Bong without cracking up?
I think this is the first show that Dan and I actually agree on and he HATES sitcoms... But after I got him to watch it once, he was hooked! Now, he records it!

Would you toss a Mullett?

As everyone knows, Daniel is from Orange Beach, AL. There are so many fun things to do there- especially now that the weather is nice! The local bar is called the "THE FLORABAMA," located precisely on the Florida/Alabama state line. This bar/shack has an amazing following- anytime they do anything, thousands of people are sure to show up. Well, this weekend is one of those times. It is "Mullet Toss 2010." And, not just any Mullet Toss, the 25th annual!! You can imagine the first time I witnessed this I was amazed- and you would be too!! People literally come from all over the United States for this HUGE party. Once Daniel got over laughing as I wondered aloud why someone would want to throw a Mullet wig?

He explained to me that the Mullet is a FISH!!! "oh, that makes sense..." Wait, so all these people come from all over to throw fish??? Do they have to catch them first? Is this some kind of fishing tournament with a twisted ending?? NOPE. They just grab them out of a bucket and throw them... Oh, and there is LOTS of heavy drinking involved. Well, I would imagine so.
Daniel and I are lucky enough to actually get to witness this happening tomorrow. As Daniel says, this is a "Tourist Trap," so we may be watching all of this excitement from the tower of the Shirley R (his family's boat). Which is fine with me... I don't think I would be very good at tossing Mullet anyway.

White Wedding

This is wedding weekend for our friends Rachael and Danny and we could not be more excited for a good old southern delta wedding to kick off the season!!! It is going to be so much fun to see so many of our college friends again.

It was spring break, and I was staying in Rachael's condo with a bunch of friends in Orange Beach (Dan's home town) when Dan and I officially started dating. March of 2004! Now, almost every person on that trip is married. Times have certainly changed- and that was only 6 years ago. I cant imagine what the next 6 years will hold for us!

Alice in Drab land

Daniel actually took me to see Alice in Wonderland this weekend! I have really been wanting to see it... Unfortunately, I was a little disappointed. I knew it would be a little odd but I really thought it would be bright and colorful and cheery. Instead a lot of it was DRAB and foggy and very dark. It only took about ten minutes for Dan to look over at me and say "Jen, this is really freaking me out!"

While it did have its moments... it just was not what I thought it would be.
It should have been a little more like this:


and a little less like this:


All in all, it was just ok... Next I am dying to see The Bounty Hunter and Knight and Day.

Happy Easter!!

SO Cute!! I love Easter... Maybe I just like any holiday because i love getting together with the fam- AWE! I do wish Daniel's family was closer so that we could see the WHOLE family in one day- but from Indianapolis to Birmingham to Boston, they are pretty spread out! -and Daniel will return to working nights that weekend.... So this year we plan to spend Easter in Vicksburg, with my family. He is just happy he will get some of Mimi's FAMOUS ham and Grandaddy's banana pudding.

River city heart walk

Join us tomorrow morning EARLY!!!

Dan, we have a blog!!!

Today I finally gave in to that whisper in my ear to start a blog. I think it may be fun! However, my loving husband did not want me to!! He of course thinks it is incredibly dumb. But, he also thought several years ago that Facebook was dumb- and we all know how that took off. Would we all have even made it through college without late night picture posting and stalking?? I dont think so. So for now i will ignore his little comments and eye-rolling and wait for that day when he goes "Oooooh, yea that is cool.... I guess" and then I get to smile that "I told ya so" smile...