Sandy Spring Sundays

One positive of southern life is being able to enjoy the beach in MARCH! Just an hour ride into Mississippi and we have gulf beaches to enjoy.

Sandy Spring Sundays Spent Smiling!

(How's that for some alliteration!)

A recipe!

For a few months, I had a cooking blog with two of my friends called '3 Moms and a Kitchen'. We arent blogging there anymore, but obviously I am still cooking!

Every so often, I will post a recipe. Here is one I had posted in '3 moms'.

Banana French Toast

I don't think I can really call this a recipe... It is pretty much just adding bananas to the french toast recipe I use. French Toast is a super easy, super affordable, and definitely not only for breakfast! And you probably have all the ingredients on hand all the time, so its a good quick go to item.

Ingredients (serves 2-3, but easily doubled or tripled!)
(all measurements are approximate.. You can't mess this up y'all!)

4-6 pieces of bread
1-2 tbsp butter
2 eggs
1 1/2-2 cups of milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp sugar
2 bananas cut into slices



Directions

-Heat a large skillet over medium heat.

-Whisk together your eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon.

-Dip each side of the bread into the mixture and place into hot skillet. I can get 2-3 pieces in at a time.

-Add the banana slices to the side that has not hit the hot pan yet.

- After you lightly brown the first side, flip carefully. The bananas will use the egg mixture like a glue and will stay on the bread well.

-When both sides are golden, remove from pan and finish the other slices.

-Add some warmed up maple syrup and a side of bacon or sausage or corned beef hash!

Enjoy!

Just some pictures....

Untitled.

I had an abortion.

There, I said it. I have been staring at this blank blog post for days now trying to figure out how to even begin a blog like this. Nothing sounded right.. I though about calling it a confession, or a secret, but none of those seemed right.

If you are horrified enough by the first 4 words of this post, then I suggest you stop reading now. I am not writing his because I want anyone's pity or anyone's opinion on it. If you liked me before you read this and you stop after, then you really aren't the kind of person I want in my life, or even reading my blog, anyways.

But, let me back up a bit... Almost 12 years....

I was 15 and in love, well you know that "in love" you think you are in when you are 15. Like the Taylor Swift song.. " When your fifteen and somebody tells you they love you, you're gonna believe them". I really did believe and I think in my own 15 year old way I loved him too.

I made the decision to have sex with him and we didn't use any protection.
I don't know why..
I wish I did..
I was stupid, that's why.

I think I was in denial about being pregnant for a long time too. The boy who loved me had already decided he didn't love me anymore and he didn't even know I was pregnant yet.


But I remember it like it was yesterday.....

I remember not getting my period the first month and thinking nothing of it.

I remember going with my mom to try on bathing suits for a school trip and none of the tops in my usual size fitting me because my chest had grown so much.

I remember finally realizing and crying on the phone to a friend that I though I was pregnant but I would never have bought a pregnancy test myself.

I remember him telling me I HAD to tell my parents.

I remember my mom who must have over heard my phone conversation coming into my bedroom and tell me to get off the phone so we talk.

I remember telling her I though I might be pregnant.

I remember her walking out of my room and hearing her car pull out of our garage.

I remember her coming back with the CVS bag with the EPT test in it.

I remember peeing on the stick and how fast those two telltale lines popped up.

I remember falling into a pile on the bathroom floor.

I remember my mom telling me we would handle it.

I remember calling my ex and telling him I was pregnant.

I remember him calling me a whore, telling me it wasn't his child, and hanging up on me.

I remember crying.

I remember calling back 7 billion times that day and never getting an answer.

I remember my mom getting the phone book.

I remember there was no yelling.

I remember her making an appointment for me to "handle it".

I remember crying all night long.

I remember calling my ex the next day and hearing "The number you have called has been disconnected".

I remember feeling alone.

I remember my mom waking me up at 5:30am to go to the Women's Center.

I remember them laying me on a table for an ultrasound.

I remember NEVER looking at the screen.

I remember refusing to be awake for the "procedure".

I remember sitting in an awful paper gown in a waiting room with other women in awful paper gowns.

I remember crying.

I remember them calling my name to come back....

I remember laying on another table.

I remember them starting the IV.

I remember crying.

I remember my mom's comforting face when I woke up.

I remember leaving the clinic and driving through the crowd of protesters that always stood on the sidewalks in front of the women's center.

I remember they called me a murderer.

I remember crying.

I remember my friends and my parents NEVER judging me.

I remember being really, really sad for a long time but NEVER talking about it, because its such a taboo subject in the world.

I remember every single day, even almost 12 years later.

I do not for one second feel ashamed for what happened to me. It was a decision I was incapable at making at 15 and so full of teenage emotion, so my parents did what they though was best for me. And it was what was best for ME at that specific moment in my life.

I think the people who need support the most are sometimes shunned and unforgiven for things they have done. But I know that only God can judge me, and me and the Big Guy are pretty tight.

And if even ONE person feels like they are not alone out there because they too have had an abortion, then this blog post.. the hardest post I have ever written, was worth all the tears that fell on the keyboard as I was typing it.

Five Question Friday

Head on over to Mama M's and join the blog hop!

1. What is your favorite part of a Thanksgiving meal?

Mmm its a toss up between the turkey and the mashed potatoes.

And I honestly love the Ocean Spray cranberry in a can that comes out still shaped like the can.

2. Are you a host or a guest for Thanksgiving this year?

Both! We had some extended family in town last weekend, so I cooked for the 6 of us. Yesterday we went to my in laws to eat and spend time with family.

3. When you think of one Thanksgiving tradition, what comes to mind?

Talking about what you are Thankful for. And the mom of the house spending 5+ hours in the kitchen making the entire place smell amazing!

4. You have two pieces of pie in front of you and you HAVE to eat one...do you choose
pumpkin or pecan?

Pecan please! This jersey girl use to pronounce it "pea-can" and all the southerners laughed at me. I know now the correct pronunciation is "pa-con".

No offense pumpkin pie.. I just prefer you in cheesecake form, specifically from Olive Garden.

5. Are you a Black Friday Shopper?

As in wake up at the butt crack of dawn on a day I don't have to get up? No. I am not. I have gone mid day on a rare occasion, but the crowds, the messy stores, and every awful driver giving me panic attacks is NOT my idea of fun.

Maybe my attitude will change when our little man is old enough to want some high priced, sought after electronic, but right now, there is NOTHING I want or need bad enough to deal with the madness.

You can catch me on Cyber Monday looking for some steals online... and seriously folks.. you know that come the last week or two before Christmas, everything goes on sale in the stores...

I'm Thankful for...

And so, so, SO MUCH MORE!

Happy Thanksgiving y'all!

Russell the Sheep - Holiday Gift Guide Week 1

I'll be linking up with Mama M. for the next 7 Mondays participating in her 'Holiday Gift Guide'

This week edition is: Off the Beaten Path Children Books.

My pick is a silly read that my 4.5 year old loves.

Russell the Sheep.
by Rob Scotton

A cute sheep has trouble falling asleep. He tries many different ways to help him fall asleep, looking for the perfect place, counting stars,and taking a walk. The pictures are delightful and funny. The story is a good length for preschoolers attention span. Check it out, you won't be sorry. And just maybe it'll help your bedtime routine go quicker too.

Halloween 2010

Coming soon...

A new blog venture with 2 of my wonderful friends.....

Check us out here....

Official.

This pictures somehow just makes it so much more official for me. I don't know if it is the generic portrait background that every school photographer uses or the forced smile, but this picture cements to me that my sweet little boy who came into this world at 5lbs 8oz is no longer as little as I would like to think he is....

Five Question Friday

Head on over here to join link up and join the fun!

1. If you could speak with a different accent, what would it be (i.e Australian, Scottish)?
Ohh British for sure! And then I'd have little children with cute British accents, cause that is the cutest sound.

2. Can you fall asleep anywhere? (i.e floor, couch, deck)
No. I mean I am sure if I was tired enough I could, but I like my bed and occasionally a couch. Now my husband could sleep standing up...

3. Do you use public restrooms? If so, do you sit on the toilet?
I do *ducks head in shame* I wipe the seat first and use a liner or toilet paper to cover it. and of course if its mega gross, I don't. Don't lie, I bet you do too! :o)

4. If you were stuck in an elevator for 24 hours, what celebrity would you most want to be stuck with?
Ooooh this is a tough one. Jennifer Garner. I think she just seems like a cool down to earth mom. If I wasn't married and a mother, Nick Carter ;o)

5. Where did you & your significant other go on your 1st date?
We never truly 'dated'. We had many mutual friends and spent time together before we were ever a couple. I couldn't remember the first place we ever went together...

Cousins.

Five Question Friday

Head on over to Mama M.'s for more fun and to link up!!!

1. What is the first nightmare you remember?
In the dream I woke up in the middle of the night because of a noise in my childhood home and I realize people have broken in. So i decide that if I stay realllllllllly still and pretend to be asleep, that they will just take our stuff and leave without hurting anyone. So I lay in bed trying not to move an inch and hear them come into my room and leave and come back and leave. Then I heard my brother wake up and scream and then I woke up... I still haunts me.

2. Even if you're not a sports fan, what's your favorite sport to play/watch?
BASEBALL!!! We are HUGE Philadelphia Phillies fans!!!!!

3. If you could pull off one piece of trendy fashion, what would you want it to be (jeggings, hats, thigh high boots, etc.)?
Jeggings. Cause the sound comfy. And I wish it was cold enough for Uggs in Louisiana.

4. Did you make good grades in school?
I was a decent student. More so before middle school when I discovered boys among other... ahem things. :o)

5. What magazines do you subscribe to?
Well thanks to Coke Reward Points and all these freebie blogs I read and follow on FB, I get A LOT. Parents, Parenting, Everyday Food, Cosmopolitan, Southern Living, Good Housekeeping, Woman's Day, Harper's Bazaar, and I am sure I am forgetting some. And my 4 year old gets Hi-Five from Highlights.

You know you're from South Louisiana

You know you're from South Louisiana if... (I had to remove a few.. cause I am just a newbie New Orleanian!)

You can properly pronounce Lafayette, Bossier, Natchitoches, Opelousas, Shongaloo, Pontchartrain, Ouachita, and you know that New Orleans doesn't have a long "e" sound anywhere in it



You think people who complain about the heat in their states are sissies.





You know that the true value of a parking space is not determined by the distance to door but by the availability of shade.



You cringe every time you hear an actor with a Southern or Cajun accent in a "New Orleans-based" movie or TV show.



You measure distance in minutes.



You listen to the weather forecast before picking out an outfit.




You aren't surprised to find movie rental, ammunition, beer, and bait all in the same store



A Mercedes Benz isn't a status symbol. A Chevy Silverado Extended Bed Crew Cab Truck is



You know everything goes better with Tony's or Tabasco.



You actually get these jokes



You are 100% Louisianan if you have ever had this conversation:



"You wanna coke?"

"Yeah."

"What kind?"

"Dr Pepper."



you have ever had to switch from heat to AC in the same day.



you use "fix" as a verb. Example: "I am fixing to go to the store."



All the festivals across the state are named after a fruit, vegetable, insect, or mammal.



You know only four spices: salt, pepper, Tabasco, and Tony's




You know all four seasons: Almost summer, summer, still summer, and Christmas.





You describe the first cool snap (below 70 degrees) as good gumbo weather.



Fried catfish is the other white meat



You reinforce your attic to store Mardi Gras beads.



Your sunglasses fog up when you step outside.





You sit down to eat boiled crawfish and your host says, "Don't eat the dead ones," and you know what he means.





You push little old ladies out of the way to catch Mardi Gras beads.



Little old ladies push YOU out of the way to catch Mardi Gras beads.



You leave a parade with footprints on your hands.



You believe that purple, green, and gold look good together.




You know that Tchoupitoulas is a street and not a disease.



Your grandparents are called "Maw-Maw" and "Paw-Paw."



Your Santa Claus rides an alligator and your favorite Saint is a football player.



You have to reset your clocks after every thunderstorm.



When it starts to rain, you cover your beer instead of your head.



You eat dinner out and spend the entire meal talking about all the other good places you've eaten.



You know what it means for food to come 'dressed'...



you 'ax' for things...





You save newspapers, not for recycling but for tablecloths at crawfishboils



Drive-thru daquiris -- it's not drinking and driving until you put the straw in.





You know cowpatties are not made of beef




You have a monogrammed go-cup.





You've ever worn shorts at Christmas time



You pronounce Lafayette as "Laffy-ette" not "La-fy-ette"



You know the meaning of a "Delcambre Reeboks" (that would be a pair of all white fishing boots)


You've ever had Community Coffee



You pronounce the largest city in the state as "Newawlins."



You prefer skiing on the bayou



You can list all the ingredients of a gumbo or a jambalaya

A mostly picture post...

This is me and my mama on our trip to San Antonio at the Alamo...

Mason at the aquarium.

Swingin' with Dad.

Park 09.11.2010

My preschooler!