This Week's Pins

I adore the idea of this lampshade and would love to do it with all different buttons in the same color...

As I look toward the new year, I'm trying to keep this idea forefront in my mind.  I too often fall guilty to looking forward, or sometimes backward, and missing things that are right in front of me.

Mint chocolate chip cookies... where do I sign up??

Is this fabulous, or what??  Who knew veggies could be so glamorous?

First, many of you know I love any and all blazers.  This blazer, however, takes things to a whole other level.  A level to which I, personally, am all for exploring.

Hmph... some days I wonder, but here's hoping!

Until next time,

Verrrrry Pinteresting

Ok, so I'm jumping on the bandwagon and attempting to do a weekly post of some of my favorite Pins.  Some weeks there may be a theme, but this week I'm all over the place. 
So, let's get pinning...

I know it's time to think about winter clothes (I mean, this time last night it was snowing), but I adore this shirt.  Supposedly some crafy person could make this from a man's old dress shirt, but I'm not much on the whole sewing thing.  I'd be perfectly happy purchasing it from one of my local Gap locations...

I want to live in this cottage.  Can you imagine having a boring day in a place like this?  It's like a fairy tale and Lemony Snicket and the perfect woodsy hideaway all rolled into one divine little piece of land.  This place is just made for comfy chairs and good books.

I am blessed to have this kind of parent.  I want to tell so many parents who sit across the desk from me that this is what their children need.  If I  am a parent one day, these are the things I want to remember.

This will be in my child's room one day.  Let's be honest, I really secretly wish it could be in mine.

These flowers take my breath away.  This is such a cool concept with virtually limitless possibilities.

Just added to my (ever-growing) 'Must Read' list.  What could be better than learning all the inside secrets behind one of my favorite things in this life?  "If anyone's looking for any last minute gift ideas for me, I have one..."

I find myself saying something awfully similar to this pretty much every day, perhaps every hour.  My seniors are just starting to freak out and panic and question themselves.  They're wondering if they can make it to May; it's decision time, and they're weighing their options; they're terrified of the future.  Keeping them calm is stressing me out!

Speaks for itself.  Some people just don't know when to quit.

Happy Pinning, my friends.  And Happy Holidays!!

Deep Impact

Dear Self,
You're making a difference.

Quick Note

Dear Self,
Your oven isn't something to be afraid of; keep trying!

Note to Self

Like practically everyone else on the planet lately, I have gotten very into Pinterest.  Although it's full of clothes I can't afford, food I'll never cook, houses I'll never build, projects I'll never finish, and workouts I'll never do, I love it anyway.  I could just browse and browse for hours!
One of the things I love most about it is finding cool notes of inspiration, or "truths," as I call them.  This is one I discovered tonight.  When my blogging lacks direction or is wholly uninspired, perhaps I'll write a few of these myself.
Tonight, for example, I might say...

Dear Self,
Don't change into what you think they want.

Cool Runnings

This vid makes me so happy on so many levels.



The obvious level?  All those Phi Mu ladies, of course.
But it doesn't end there.  This vid pumps me up for Mississippi State, and it makes my heart happy to see so many stellar Columbus folk (and a pretty good number of fellow Pats, as well) fanning the flame.
This little piece of work also makes me miss college something fierce, but I think that pretty much goes without saying.
Good luck, girls!
Phi Mu for life or die.
 

Weekend Update

This was such a good weekend!  Gorgeous weather, good friend, a little culture, a good movie and a lot of laughs.  Who could ask for much more?
I spent Friday night vegging out on my TV watching old episodes of Saturday Night Live and laughing my head off.  A little bit of her:

and a little bit of them:

and, well, a little more of her:

paired with a little bit of this:

made for a fun night, capped off by my favorite man in late night, of course.

Saturday I slept late then headed downtown for a delicious lunch al fresco (duck confit flatbread at The Majestic... I die) before going to see Memphis.  Memphis was out-of-this-world awesome; I just couldn't stop grinning like a fool when it was over!  One of my favorite things about moving to Olive Branch has been being so close to the Orpheum and getting to see so many great shows and concerts already.  If you're anywhere near Memphis and can possibly get to the Orpheum over the next week, do yourself a favor, score some tickets and go see this show.  It will knock your socks off.  Fact.

After doing a little schoolwork this afternoon, I went to see this much-hyped flick:

...and I loved it! 
To give you a little background, I've been a big Footloose fan for a pretty long while, so I knew this new movie was going to have a hard time winning me over.  I loved the movie as a teenager and was even in our senior production of the play in high school.  (Don't judge... it was awesome.)  Anyway, all that to say, I was pretty set in my Footloose ways.  This new one, however, did win me over.  Mostly due to this guy:

(Let's be honest, Kevin Bacon was never much of a looker.)
I also loved this guy, though:

And the re-worked songs were awesome.  What am I forgetting?  Oh, yeah.  The dancing, which was too legit.  Duh.

Go see it.  Whether you're already sold on it or you're a reluctant convert like myself, I know you'll love it.
Why can't the weekends last forever?? 

One Day

Today is the ten year anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.  I remember sitting in Mrs. Shelton's American History class watching the World Trade Center attacks play out live on television, ironically ignorant that American history was actually being made.
For about the past week, I have been glued to various television specials and news interviews highlighting the heros, families and survivors affected by that day.  I am gripped by their stories, and I am always eager to learn more.
Having been to Ground Zero twice since the attacks, I can perfectly visualize the geography.  I have sat on a pew in Trinity Church; I have seen the mangled sphere in Battery Park; I have stared into the gaping hole left where those two towers once stood.  The power of that place brought me to tears, and these wonderful tributes have done so, as well.
At that time in my life, I didn't know anyone in New York, had never visited the city.  It still gripped me somewhere deep inside, though, and hasn't ever quite let go.  May we never forget the way we felt that day, the way America came together and the way we treasured each moment together.

God Bless America.

This Song

Let's talk about Blake Shelton's Honey Bee.  Am I the only girl who is in love with this song?  The incorrect grammar doesn't even bother me, and we all know I'm nothing if not grammatically correct.  If some boy threw a few lines of this chorus my way, I'm fairly positive I'd swoon right there on the spot.

Girl, I been thinkin' 'bout us

I know I ain't good at this stuff

These feelings pilin' up won't give me no rest

This might come out a little crazy

A little sideways, yeah maybe

I don't know how long it'll take but I'll do my best

If you'll be my soft and sweet

I'll be your strong and steady

You'll be my glass of wine

I'll be your shot of whiskey

You'll be my sunny day

I'll be your shade tree

You'll be my honeysuckle

I'll be your honey bee

Yeah, that came out a little country

But every word was right on the money

And I got you smilin' honey right back at me

Now hold on 'cause I ain't done

There's more where that came from

Well you know I'm just havin' fun, but seriously

If you'll be my Louisiana

I'll be your Mississippi

You'll be my little Loretta

I'll be your Conway Twitty

You'll be my sugar baby

I'll be your sweet iced tea

You'll be my honeysuckle

I'll be your honey bee

Your kiss just said it all

I'm glad we had this talk

Nothing left to do but fall in each other's arms

I coulda said I love you

Coulda wrote you a line or two

Baby, all I know to do is speak right from the heart

If you'll be my soft and sweet

I'll be your strong and steady

You'll be my glass of wine

I'll be your shot of whiskey

You'll be my sunny day

I'll be your shade tree

You'll be my honeysuckle

I'll be your honey bee

If you'll be my Louisiana

I'll be your Mississippi

You'll be my little Loretta

I'll be your Conway Twitty

You'll be my sugar baby

I'll be your sweet iced tea

You'll be my honeysuckle

I'll be your honey bee

I'll be your honey beeeeeeeeee

Oh, and if said boy was dressed like this (take special note of the Ray Bans, of course) while he sang it, well, that'd be it for me.

Happy Thursday, honey bees.

Fun in a Clothes Basket

So, over the weekend, my mom asked me to help her clean out her old closet.  Two summers ago, we added a new bedroom onto our house, and my mom moved into that room.  She moved most of her clothes into the new closet, but there were some left that still needed to be moved to the new room or given away to the Salvation Army. 
I must admit, I wasn't particularly psyched to help with this project (since it mostly involved me hauling the clothes out of the closet, down the stairs, and into the new closet or the car).  I suppose I was to be the muscle of this operation, which means, in short, we were behind before we even started.
Anyway...
In the course of the cleaning out, I did get a few laughs from some of the clothes we came upon, and I just had to try on (and take a picture, of course!) some of the most hideous.  I would love nothing better than to share these disasters with you now.
(Note:  My mother's wardrobe is not terrible.  Please don't hold these singularly heinous pieces against her, as she usually dresses just fine.  We've all bought and worn things we later regret, right?  And,if we're lucky, they end up on the internet somewhere.  I just didn't want my mother to miss out on that experience.)
The first ensemble I discovered is this greenish monstrosity, complete with Chicago Bears linebacker-worthy shoulder pads and grossly tapered knit pants.  Yuck.  This little beauty of an outfit actually still had the receipt in the pocket of the jacket, and we were horrified/relieved to discover it was bought in October of 1990(!!).

Althought this next item is not so much an outfit and more of a terrible excuse for sleep/loungewear, I just had to feature it, as well.  Housecoats, if you ask me, are never a good idea.  I think the picture speaks for itself, yes?

My mother wore this black-and-blue pair in Disney World in 1995.  Even though I've seen it in pictures, seeing it in person was a little unsettling, I must admit.  And, yes, if you think you're seeing black-and-blue checks on those pants, you're correct.  You're eyes are not, in fact, playing tricks on you; it's just that bad.

This next piece is just sad.  This vest is not some leftover article from a costume or a cute little joke.  It's a flowered denim vest that my mother loved.  I had to get it out of the house quickly, honestly, in fear that she would paw through the bags and stash it in the back of her closet.

Finally, the piece de resistance, if you will.  This little number was an outfit my mother defended all the way out the door, saying she had worn it to really nice events and recounting compliments she got on it more than twenty years ago.  That's just it, Mom.  More. Than. Twenty. Years. Ago.  Today, it's just ugly.  And funny.  People say there's no such thing as "too much of a good thing."  I say when that 'good thing' is neck-to-ankle floral print, there most certainly is.

Aren't parents always good for a laugh??

The State of Us

So, almost three weeks ago now (how did 3 weeks pass already??) I graduated from Mississippi State for the second time.  This time I've been deemed a Master, but, I must admit, I don't really feel like a master of anything!  Sometimes it just seems that I know a little bit about a lot of different stuff, when isn't it supposed to be the other way around??
I was more emotional about graduation than I expected to be.  Honestly, I was more emotional throughout the process of graduate school than I ever imagined I would be.  As many of you have read/heard me say before, it was a bit of a three-year rollercoaster ride, filled with such highs and lows as, say, gaining a whopping 60 pounds and, to date, losing 20 of that; helping my mom through 2 knee replacements; moving out of my mom's house only to move back in two years later; making the best grades I've ever made; making great friends in my program, unlike my undergraduate degree where I flew solo throughout much of my schoolwork; and, finally, working toward an actual profession:  school counselor (as opposed to an English major trying (often unsuccessfully) to rationalize how I fit into a certain role).
Although I remain wholly baffled by the oddity of the costume outfit uniform costume graduates are required to wear, here's a few pictures from graduation.  I mean, seriously, why is it necessary to wear such a ridiculous get-up for such a meaningful and heavily-photographed day?  And that hat?  Don't get me started.

In the three weeks since graduation, I've thought a lot about my time at Mississippi State and in Starkville and all that it means to me.  Yesterday I went to campus to have some final paperwork signed, and, when I realized it was very likely my last piece of business as a Mississippi State student, I was really overcome with how much the university has meant to me over the past eight years.  So, in my usual way, I've made a list of all the things I love most about Mississippi State and Starkville.
Here we go....
101 Things to Love about Mississippi State University and Starkville
1.  Roadrunner tours
2.  Having class in Lee Hall with the windows up
3.  The Reveille
4.  The view from the top of the stadium
5.  The night route
6.  Dancing with the band at Mugshots
7.  The Reflector
8.  Listening to the chimes at the Chapel of Memories
9.  Cowbells
10.  Taking a walk on campus
11.  Maroon bikes
12.  Concerts at the amphitheater
13.  Finding the perfect study nook at Mitchell Memorial Library
14.  Bumping into your favorite professor at dinner or the bar
15.  Reformed University Fellowship in Dorman Auditorium
16.  The view from the M-Club
17.  Basketball at the Hump
18.  The smell of University Florist
19.  University Drive
20.  Celebrating in the Junction after a home game win
21.  "Energy bars" at City Bagel Cafe
22.  Maroon Fridays
23.  Daffodils blooming on campus in the spring
24.  Drinking beer waiting to set up tailgates
25.  Left Field Lounge
26.  Buying McCarty pottery at University Florist
27.  The Presiden't house
28.  Being the only person walking across the Drill Field on a gorgeous afternoon
29.  Watching the sunset on the Drill Field
30.  Old Venice Pizza Company after a football game
31.  Reading on the Drill Field
32.  Sunday lunch at Perry Cafeteria
33.  Easter Egg Hunt at the President's house
34.  The very beginning of a home football game
35.  The winery
36.  Watching the seasons change on campus
37.  Tailgating in the Junction
38.  Bulldog Bash
39.  Super Bulldog Weekend
40.  Sorority row at Christmas
41.  Shipley's donut holes
42.  The Drill Field
43.  Studying at Barnes & Noble
44.  The stories and legends of the university's history
45.  The maroon and white game
46.  Mississippi State birthday party
47.  "The only prescription is more cowbell."
48.  Game day polos
49.  Finals week at Mitchell Memorial Library
50.  The Drill
51.  Hail State
52.  Crawfish at the fraternity houses on Super Bulldog Weekend
53.  The Dawg Pound Rock
54.  Drinking wine in the afternoon at Bin 612
55.  Sorority row
56.  Going to a play in McComas
57.  Playing the piano at the Chapel of Memories
58.  Senior Celebration
59.  Who Let the Dogs Out?
60.  Going to the movies on a Friday afternoon
61.  The rose garden
62.  Seeing a concert in Lee Hall
63.  Sitting on my back porch and listening to bands playing in the Cotton District
64.  "You guys ready to let the dogs out?"
65.  The Jumbotron
66.  Cotton District Arts Festival
67.  State Fountain Bakery
68.  Spending the afternoon reading/studying at City Bagel Cafe
69.  The Cotton District
70.  Boys Bid Day
71.  The Egg Bowl
72.  The balcony at Mugshots
73.  Starbucks in the Union
74.  Brown bag pasta dinners at City Bagel Cafe
75.  Pancake breakfasts on sorority row
76.  MSU Choir Christmas concert
77.  Walking to campus on a home football Saturday
78.  Brunch at Restaurant Tyler
79.  Alumni Delegate maroon blazers
80.  Sushi at Umi
81.  Running to the sorority house on Bid Day
82.  Maroon Alerts
83.  Homecoming Parade
84.  City Bagel Cafe
85.  True Maroon
86.  Finding the perfect gift at Aspen Bay
87.  Rounding up maroon clothing from all over creation
88.  Seeing Dan Mullen running on campus
89.  The State spell-out
90.  The Dawg Walk
91.  Famous Maroon Band
92.  The Christmas tree in the library
93.  Game day stickers
94.  "From Dixon with love"
95.  The real bulldogs
96.  Maroon and white
97.  Mississippi State choir
98.  The Christmas tree in the Junction
99.  Blue plate specials at The Veranda
100.  Football at Davis Wade Stadium
101.  Bully
Man, I love Mississippi State so much. 
In other news, I'm hoping my favorite favorite American Idol contestant makes it into the finals tomorrow night... Come on, Scotty!!
Also, I'm off to Tuscumbia, AL, tomorrow to celebrate the nuptials of these two crazy kids:

I'm pumped to some of my most favorite people in the entire world (one of whom I haven't seen in a year-and-a-half), and I know it's going to be a great time.  I'm sure we won't tell any embarrassing stories on each other, take a single picture, or laugh so hard we disturb other restaurant patrons/hotel guests/general bystanders.
Yeah... right.