I couldn't have said it better myself!

Click here.

I ditto everything Heather said (although, she is quite dramatic!) :)

Happy almost TGIF!

ready or not...here it comes!

I can't believe it's almost that time again! Oh how I love Christmas.

I love everything about it...the music, the food, the cards, the decorations, the weather, the family time, GETTING 2 WEEKS OFF OF WORK....I could go on and on about it.

I'm sure it's no surprise to most of you that I'm ready for the fun to begin:

Christmas shopping complete: check

Gift wrapping complete: check

Christmas cards addressed, stamped, and ready to be mailed: check

Christmas decorations in place: check

Here are some pictures of my little place all decorated:

I love the way this picture looks!

my quaint little tree (notice Max's adorable stocking in the top corner!)

My table stays set year round. The pieces, placemats, napkins, etc. change according to the season/holiday. Here is my Christmas setting. Oh, and your eyes are not misleading you...I have name place holders and I felt compelled to place names in them (you know...since I have so many dinner parties at my house...haha). Isn't that what these little name holders are for? Anyway, the 4 names that are placed around my table are: Holly, Joy, Noel, and Merry. That's right. Holly. Joy. Noel. Merry.

Heather, Candy, and Kristen have already made fun of me for this, and I'm totally prepared to hear from this friend, this friend, and this friend regarding this particular decor. Hey....I was debating on using names of the characters from "The Office," but aren't my 'Christmasy' names more appropriate? :)

I'm not really sure why I thought you'd want to see a picture of my lovely up-to-date oven. I do like my new and *inexpensive* little "Jingle Bells" sign though!

....and a couple of views from outside...

Is anybody else ready to watch "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" and eat puppy chow?

jingle all the way!

Heather and Jenny both had fun using this site, so I thought I'd play around with it myself.

Click here for a good laugh... (JR is most definitely going to KILL me for this! haha).

Go ahead and 'Elf Yourself' (or elf someone else if you're like me!)...what better way to get in the Christmas spirit?! :)

The egg is OURS!

MSU-2007 Egg Bowl CHAMPS!

Ole Miss- 2007 Egg Bowl LOSERS!

Yesssssss..........

The Holiday Inn followed up with this sign after the game. Love it.

Me and Heather celebrating after the game.

Me, Kris, and Heather

Me and JR

I was nervous about the game...I won't lie. When we were losing 14-0 at the beginning of the 4th quarter, I thought the game was over and I almost became one of those fans that leaves before the game is over. However, my dawgs decided to start playing football and scored our first touchdown with 10 minutes left in the game. Everything went our way after that. I love being a bulldog.

My week off was fabulous (except for the fact that I've been dealing with a stomach bug for the past 24 hours. I haven't been able to eat anything for about 36 hours now...you should feel very sorry for me...). I've been able to spend lots of time with my family, relax, decorate for Christmas, and watch my bulldogs win!

I hope you have a fantastic week!

busy body

Henry has been VERY mobile these days. His "boyish" personality is really starting to shine and he is into EVERYTHING. Kris, Rob, and Henry were here for a couple of days. I love every minute I get to spend with that little boy. He discovered my parents' staircase while they were visiting and loves to climb them. TROUBLE! I took these pics of him climbing up...look at that look on his face. Haha. I want to eat him up!

Henry loves his Nana (my sweet grandmother). I love this picture.

When Nana came over, she brought several toys for Henry. We thought it was so hilarious because he wouldn't just play with one toy at a time. Instead, he put one in his mouth, one in each hand, and the rest of them were on the floor in his lap. Hilarious.

Happy Turkey Day!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Mom, Dad, Heather, Trey and I spent Thanksgiving Day in Collinsville with my mom's side of the family. Kristen, Rob, and Henry spent the night at my parents' Thursday night, and we had my dad's side of the family Thanksgiving dinner Friday night at my parents' house. My mom totally outdid herself (as usual) on the food and decor. Look at the tables below...don't they look better than any restaurant?

My pants definitely fit a little tighter today. :)

at my parents' house

at my aunt and uncle's house in Collinsville

I hope you all got to spend time with your families and eat lots of yummy food like I did!

PRICELESS.

I know, I know...this is the 2nd sign I've posted today, but when I saw this one this afternoon, how could I NOT share it?

I'm sure most of you heard about the incident with some of the Ole Miss football players. Is it bad that I laughed after reading about this? I laughed even harder when I was driving down Highway 12 in Starkville today and saw this sign in front of the Holiday Inn.

Genius.

P.S. Trace-I'm totally expecting to receive a lengthy comment from you regarding this post, as you seem to be the only Ole Miss fan who reads my blog.

GO DAWGS! :)

need bacon?

Does anybody else find this HILARIOUS? (and rather SICK!)

...as seen at a fast food restaurant that I fortunately came upon while driving to Tuscaloosa (no, I didn't stop in for a big bacon and fries, as TEMPTING as that sounds :) ).

more great gift ideas!

Last week I posted a list of my favorite things, hoping to offer a few Christmas gift ideas for you. Well, get excited...I have more! I was thrilled to see my Real Simple magazine waiting for me in the mailbox when I got home from school yesterday. I look forward to getting it every month, especially when a holiday is nearing! There's an excellent section on gift ideas in the magazine, and in the back of the magazine, there's an entire section of websites so your shopping can be made easier. Don't stress out about not having the time to go shopping, take a look at some of these websites for fabulous ideas and you might find just what you want!

-Letter Perspectives- this one is great and very unique. Here, you'll find photos of everyday objects that are shaped like the letters of the alphabet. You can create your very own wall art to spell and look however you wish. As you can see, the picture here spells "Peace." How cool is that? (Of course, if you're wanting to spell out a name as long as "Tomlinson," you may want to rethink it, as I'm sure 9 letters would be a little pricey!)

-Strawberry Luna- there's a section in the magazine especially for kids, and that's where I came across this. While the site has posters and prints for any age, they also have these adorable alphabet prints, which would be so cute in a kid's room. This one says "L is for Ladybug." Other examples are "D is for Dog," "G is for Giraffe," etc. Precious.

-Jack and Lulu- this site features framed monogrammed prints with 18 patterns available. I love these and think this would be a fabulous gift for any female. Oh, and they're only $50 each, which I don't think is too bad, especially since that's including the frame!

-Other People's Love Letters - This is a book that contains 150 love letters that 'you were never meant to see.' I don't know about you, but I'm intrigued. I love a little cheesiness! In the magazine, this book is advertised for $23, but on the website, it's marked down to $15. 30. I'd love to take a little sneak peak inside this sappy book! Maybe I should get this as a little Christmas happy for myself. :) (Don't worry, MSKS, I'm not getting this for you! haha).

There are DOZENS of more websites and gift ideas in this month's Real Simple, but these are a few of my favorites! :)

Happy Shopping!

Baby it's cold outside...

OK, I know 50 degrees isn't REALLY cold, but it's definitely cooler than it has been lately, and it feels very "fallish." I love this time of the year. Aren't the trees absolutely gorgeous? God's creation never ceases to amaze me.

My week-long Thanksgiving break has begun. I'M PUMPED. I have all of my lesson plans ready for the week AFTER Thanksgiving, and I don't plan on doing anything school related for about 10 days. Both of my sisters and their families are coming here for a few days next week. So, other than a day trip to visit some family in Collinsville, I won't be doing too much traveling. I'm looking forward to having a few days to RELAX. I'm also planning on finishing my Christmas shopping, wrapping Christmas presents, getting my Christmas cards ready to be mailed, and cleaning my house. Yes, these are the things that excite me in life. :) I've been listening to Christmas music for a while now (I make fabulous Christmas Mix CD's if anyone is interested! :) ) and I can't wait to break out "Elf" and "Christmas Vacation".

I'm eager to decorate too, but I'm trying to hold out until after Thanksgiving.

MSKS posted a list of things that she was thankful for, and I'd like to do the same. I have been blessed with so many wonderful things in my life. Trying to condense all of these things into a short 'list' will be difficult, but I'll give it a try.

Here are the obvious ones:

our Creator
awesome parents/grandparents

the 2 best sisters in the world

Henry

the most amazing friends

a great guy who makes me smile

Max

health

a job (one that I actually enjoy!)

Others (sometimes it's the little things in life!):

the ability to use all 5 senses

mexican food

my bed

diet coke

my digital camera

weekends

summers

my 4 year old Altima

MSU

pajama pants

Bobbi Brown makeup
Target

contacts

What a good life, huh?

Totally changing the subject: I have been on a serious carb-kick lately. I don't know WHAT my problem is! I can feel my waist line expanding and it's not even the holidays yet! AHH! I'm a fairly healthy eater. I enjoy eating healthy, I REALLY DO. But, I also LOVE to splurge on junk food every once in a while. In fact, sometimes if it were up to me, I would order an appetizer and a dessert at a restaurant and totally skip the entree. Give me some chips and dip and a piece of cake, and I'm a happy (but not-so-healthy!) camper!

I usually don't buy junk food. If it's not in my house, I'm not tempted! Not a problem. I used to have good will-power too. You could put "snacky foods" in front of me, and I could look and not eat. I haven't so much been able to do that lately for some reason. As Thanksgiving and Christmas are approaching, I'm only seeing this problem get worse. Any suggestions?

If I were to try the "South Beach Diet," I'm SURE I'd lose weight fast, but on the flip side, I would become a very mean person. No carbs at all? No thanks. I'm with you on the SBD, Em, NO WAY!

Maybe I'll think more about this after Christmas, but all I have to say now is BRING ON THE BREAD!

GO CROOM!

I'm sure most of you State fans have seen this site, and hopefully you've voted for Croom to be named 2007 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year. Who's more deserving?
If you click here, you'll see the standings. Right now, Croom has had the most votes today, and is ranked #4! YAY! So, fellow bulldog fans, go and vote!!!

Oh, and Emily Stringer posted a fantastic article about Croom. You should definitely read it if you have a few minutes. Love that man.

A*M*A*Z*I*N*G

Jennifer Nettles rocks!

The concert was a blast! JR and I had the best time.

I'd seen Sugarland perform on TV, but seeing them live was absolutely amazing. It's no surprise that they were voted CMA Duo of the Year.

I know I have a lot of readers who hate country and are rolling their eyes right now, but you have got to trust me on this one. Country fan or not--J.N. is an INCREDIBLE entertainer. We had great seats too, which always makes it even better. Take a look at some of the pics I got.

I want to be her. :)

Here are some pictures of me and JR before the concert (taken at Heather's) and during the concert (one pic taken by Adelia and the other taken by a random person who I trusted with my camera).

My cousin Adelia (on the right) and her fabulous roommate Deanna (middle) were also there, and we were able to meet up at the concert long enough to take some pics. :) So fun.

And to make the night even better, I got to unexpectedly see little Henry for about 5 minutes before we left Heather's for the concert. Kris and Rob were headed back from the beach and stopped by Heather and Trey's to say hey. It was like a little bonus getting to see my little man!

a little hanging out time with the sisters...

a little smooch from my sweet little Henry...

fantastic hanging out time with JR...

running into Adelia and Deanna...

seeing Sugarland in concert...

ALL IN ONE NIGHT??

Does it get any better than this? :)

Looks like a 4 day week for me and then...A WEEK OFF FOR THANKSGIVING!

What a GREAT day to be a bulldog (and a not-so-great-day to be one of those annoying Bama fans...)!

It was quite the perfect day in Starkville today...
the weather was perfect,

I got to visit with several out-of town friends,

and

WE BEAT ALABAMA.

You must understand...I hate UA almost as much as I hate Ole Miss.

When James predicted (pre-football season) that we'd win at least 6 games this season, I laughed in his face. I guess I should allow his optimism to rub off on me a bit. :) Right now, we're 6-4 with 2 games remaining (Arkansas and the infamous Egg Bowl vs. Ole Miss). We're Bowl-eligible for the first time since 2000.

I'm proud to be a bulldog.

I got to spend most of the day with Chad, Candy, and little Landon. It was the first time I'd seen them since this summer, which is unacceptable and completely ridiculous. I sure do miss those kids.

I also got to visit with Alexa again at the tailgate, which was fabulous as always!

James also managed to squeeze in a couple of minutes of his busy working day to stop by long enough for me to take a cute picture (he knows how important pictures are to me! :) ). He worked both the football and basketball games (which, by the way, we ALSO won!), so needless to say, he was quite busy and had very little time to socialize. BY THE WAY...just so you know...I sometimes refer to him as 'James', while other times it's 'JR'. It's been brought to my attention that this is causing a bit of confusion to my readers. His name is 'James Robert,' but most people call him 'JR.' I go back and forth. Sorry for the confusion. :)

After the game, I got to eat mexican with my dear friends Matthew and Sarah, who were in town for the game. They moved to Lousiana at the end of the summer, and it was my first time to see them since then. Oh how I miss having them here.

3 other quick reasons why I'm in a great mood:

1. SUGARLAND CONCERT TOMORROW NIGHT! :) James and I are headed to the coast! I'm pumped!

2. We're staying in Hattiesburg with Heather and Trey tomorrow night, so I'll get to have a little hanging out time with the sis!

3. 4 more school days until Thanksgiving holidays! I GET THE WHOLE WEEK OFF!!!

Life is good.

These are a few of my favorite things...

I love Oprah. I don't necessarily share the same beliefs and values as her, but I think she is a good person who does incredible things for others. I emulate her selflessness.

If you're ever able to watch her show (I guess that excludes all of you who work until 5!), you may have seen the show titled "Oprah's Favorite Things." It's amazing. I THINK she does this special show once a year around Christmas. It's my absolute favorite. She shares lots of her favorite things (anything from recipes, to perfumes, to furniture) with the viewers, while often distributing samples to her entire audience. Oh how I'd love to be there! While I don't have gifts to give you, I have compiled an Oprah-inspired list that I'd like to share. If you're stumped on what to give certain people as Christmas gifts, maybe something here might give you some guidance. I've been working on this list for a while. Some of these things are items that I have now, have had in the past, or would LIKE to have.

So, allow me to present...

MY FAVORITE THINGS

(in no particular order!)
1. ANN TAYLOR LOFT! This has become my new favorite place to shop. In fact, I have already asked Santa to bring me an ATL gift card for Christmas. Their clothes are stylish, classy, comfortable, and while they're more expensive than Old Navy, the quality is great and will last longer.

2. TV episodes on DVD! My two favorite TV shows of all time are Seinfeld and The Office. I own several seasons of Seinfeld and only the 1st season of The Office, but I hope to one day have ALL seasons of Seinfeld on DVD, as well as the other 2 seasons of The Office. How great will it be in 20 years when I'm still able to watch these shows on DVD after so many years?! (Of course, DVD players probably won't be around anymore, so this could get complicated, but it's a great thought anyway).

3. My transpod! I love my ipod. It was a bit pricy, but I use it while I'm exercising, and now that I have a transpod that goes in my car, I also listen to it whenever I go ANYWHERE! I think these also can get kinda expensive (maybe $75??), but I actually found one similar to the one seen in the pic on EBay for only $20. It was a great purchase. I highly recommend getting an ipod AND a transpod!
4. MISSISSIPPI STATE CHEESE (and other MSU products). Have you ever tried this amazing cheese? So yummy. This actually makes a GREAT Christmas gift for anybody, so if you're looking for something that almost anybody would like (unless they're lactose intolerant!), you should visit this site and order some now!

5. Magazine subscriptions! These make great gifts. You heard me mention recently that my favorite magazine is Real Simple, so if looking to buy for a
female, I highly recommend this one.

6. Lollia bubble bath! I am obsessed with bubble baths. I take them nearly every night, so finding good bubble bath is top priority for me. I've actually never owned this product, but I gave it to Kristen once and I've used it and it is FABULOUS. This, too, can be a little pricy for bubble bath, but who says you can't treat yourself every once in a while? The bottles are really pretty too.

7. Sarah Jessica Parker's perfume: "Lovely"! This was actually on Oprah's "favorite things" list a couple of years ago, and I tried it because SHE highly recommended it. I don't use it now because I ran out, but I absolutely loved it. It's not a heavy scent, but it's enough to tell that you're wearing something. I love being told that I smell good. :) I'm trying to decide whether to get another bottle of this or try something else. Any recommendations?

8. Woodwick candles! Have you tried these? They're by far the best candles I've ever used. In addition to wanting MYSELF to smell good, I also like for my house to smell good. I burn candles often. Santa brought me one of these (Cotton Flower scent---THE BEST!), and I used it all the time! The wicks are actually made of wood (hence the name!) and when burning, it sounds like a fire crackling. Not even kidding. These make great gifts, and if you get "gift-buying-happy," feel free to send one my way! :)
9. Willow Tree Angels! I like these because they're sweet and personable. Each angel has a specific name. For example, the angel here holding the puppy is the "Angel of Friendship." I have been given 2 of these angels. I have the "Angel of Learning" and the "Angel of Love." These are inexpensive and make really good gifts.

10. BATH AND BODY WORKS!! What girl doesn't love to get something from this store? I love it all-the lotion, shower gel, bubble bath, body splash, etc. I was also recently given one of the Wall Flowers that gives your house a great smell and I LOVE it. One of my all time favorite scents is Warm Vanilla Sugar. A favorite seasonal scent of mine is Vanilla Bean Noel (I'm hoping it's back this Christmas). I think giving a $9 bottle of lotion makes a perfect Christmas happy. :)

11. Nike Shox running shoes! I've tried lots of different running shoes and my favorite by far have been Nike Shox. I'm on the hunt for some new tennis shoes (Santa, I guess you can add it to the list!), and I'll most likely be getting another pair of Shox.

12. Pajama Pants! Who (male OR female) doesn't like a good pair of warm PJ pants? I'm always wanting new PJ pants. In fact, if it were up to me, I'd probably want to wear them all day everyday. Unfortunately, people who do this are usually frowned upon. Stacy from "What Not to Wear" says to NEVER them in public. I've learned to do whatever she says.

Anyway, if you ARE looking for good PJ pants, check out Old Navy!

There it is. Of course that's not EVERYTHING, but it's enough for a start. Who knows...maybe there'll be a Part 2 of "LT's favorite things". :)

I've been listening to Christmas music already, and plan on making puppy chow soon, but I'm hoping to hold off on decorating until after Thanksgiving. I've been told by more than one person that it's somewhat tacky. I'm just not sure I can wait 2 more weeks to put up the tree. We'll see! :)

Nobody loves Christmas like me and this cold weather has DEFINITELY put me IN THE SPIRIT!!

Have a blessed rest of the week!