New Product Alert!

Jarred and I came across a new product in the grocery store last week. Krusteaz has created a One Step muffin mix. All you do is add 2/3 cup of water to the container...shake...and pour into your muffin cups. It takes all of 60 seconds and there's NO cleanup. No washing a spoon and mixing bowl/slash/let's be real/ no leaving them in the sink to be cleaned by your loving husband! Being that these new One Step mixes were on sale and so ridiculously easy, we decided to give them a try. We've used Krusteaz's regular muffin mixes in the past and always enjoy them, but something this easy couldn't actually be good, right?!?! WRONG! They were DELICIOUS! The easiest and greatest muffin mix ever!! We are soo buying them again!

If you're an "all natural, organic" elitist, then no, you probably won't like them. But if you regularly do muffin mixes from the store, I highly recommend! Enjoy!

Tag, I'm it.

My sweet friend Andrea is playing a little game of "blog tag," and I am to answer the following questions that she thought up:

1. If you could have someone play you in a movie, who would you choose and why?
Hmmm, I'll tell you who I wouldn't choose, Katherine Heigl. And no, we do not look alike.

2. If you won the lottery, what would be the FIRST thing you'd do with your money?
Now this is a tricky one. I would simultaneously buy land for a deaf school in Uganda, give money for a high school to be built at a certain school in Nairobi, Kenya, and book a trip for my dad and I to go to Alaska. Boom. All at once.

3. What songs will ALWAYS bring you out on the dance floor?
It's pretty much a guarantee that if any Journey song or Pour Some Sugar On Me is playing, I'm dancing. End of discussion.

4. What is one quirky thing you do that others find strange?
One thing. Really Andrea? You thought I could name just one thing. Perhaps it'd be easier to try and narrow down to one thing I do that others don't find strange. On the other hand, I've come to believe that many of my strange behaviors aren't all that odd, they're what other people really wish they were doing...if they didn't take themselves so seriously. Let go people, be loose, have fun!! Go Rollerblade while twirling a baton. You know you want to!! Oh wait, you don't? Really? My bad, I guess it is just me.

5. If you could change your profession to anything, without having to go back to school, what would it be?
I'd like to be a Volunteer Coordinator for something. I LOVE recruiting people to give back. I could never have a normal sales job, but selling people on helping others: ding, ding, ding, best job ever!

6. What one superpower would you choose to have?
I'd have to go with the ability to teleport. I use to say flying. But teleporting is like the lazy way to fly, right?

7. Who is one famous person you'd like to meet?
While there's not really any one famous person in particular I'm dying to meet, I'd love to go to Ellen's show. Such a fun audience to be in!

8. If you could live during any time in history, when would you choose?
Although the whole Civil War thing and slavery aren't all that appealing, hoop skirts and elaborate dresses totally are...Take me to Gone With The Wind baby!!!

9. What is your favorite photograph?
Hmmm, now THAT is tough. You've inspired a stand-alone blog post to address this issue. For now I'll give you my favorite picture of you, Andrea:

10. Would you rather be 4' or 7' tall?

4 feet. If I was a boy, I'd go with 7 feet.

11. If you could only do one dance for the rest of your life, would it be the macarena or the electric slide?
Electric slide, duh!! You can do so much with it: twirls, slaps to the ground, shimmies. The possibilities are unlimited!

So there ya go! Love you Andrea!

Ben Crane...My Long Lost Best Friend??

One of the best things about loving any sport, is getting to know your favorite players a bit via interviews, facebook, twitter, etc. While there are many golfers I love, I think I just discovered who has to move to the top of my list...because quite frankly, we are obviously long lost best friends. Ben Crane is a decent golfer, 4 PGA Tour wins to date, no superstar on the course, but respectable. However it's off the course that he's caught my attention. His twitter account says he's "leading a campaign to let yourself go and have fun. Love Jesus, family, golf, and being ridiculous. Join me..." Um Hello? Is that my twitter account or his? In the last year and a half or so Ben has released several hillarious videos featuring himself and other golfers, they're definitely worth YouTube-ing. But it's his latest video that shows the greatest link between the two of us:

Look familiar?? It's obvious great minds think alike:

So as the Fantasy Golf season heats up, watch out Ben Crane, because you're getting some playing time!!

Also, if there are any other freaks out there that would like to play Fantasy Golf on Yahoo with Jarred and I, holla back!

A Major Life Accomplishment

Hear ye, Hear ye. I have a big announcement to make! This afternoon I had a major life breakthough! One I'm sure my mom wishes would have come about 20 years ago. I actually ate an entire package of orange peanut butter crackers...and loved it! (Pick your jaw up off the floor mommy).You know the ones...

Maybe this doesn't seem like such a big deal to you, but I've encountered these crackers many times in my life  and it's never ended so well. These have always been the go-to snack my family and friends take on hikes in the mountains. While everyone munches away, I scrape the peanut butter off each individual cracker and eat it plain. Yes, I was that kid in elementary school who only ate Jelly sandwiches. No peanut butter involved! Ew. Gross.

But I've turned a corner folks! I officially like peanut butter crackers, and it couldn't be more perfect timing! Jarred and I will likely be living off these things in Africa. Bring it on though, because they are delish!!

On The Willows

     For all you hard core Blog readers out there, a new blog was started just a few weekends ago that you might be interested in. On The Willows is a blog for women that discusses a range of topics from movie reviews and Etsy to deep spiritual matters and the nitty gritty challenges of everyday life. It was created by my good friend Stephanie and has contributers from all over the country post about what's on their hearts and minds. While most are women from the West Coast or Northeast, I'm holding it down for the southern gals out there! In fact, you can check out my debut post here! The blog is meant to be both an enouragement to women and a form of Christian community amongst ladies from all over. If you're in the mood for some interesting reading, check it out!

Happy Monday!

That Magical Time of Year...

Let's be honest, January is a pretty boring month. Unless you have a birthday to spice it up or plan some fantastic get-a-way for MLK day, January stinks. The holidays are over, it's cold, spring break and summer are still forever away. Boring. That is until you make one very important realization...something quite magical rolls around each year at this time and it makes me smile from ear to ear. That's right ladies and gentlemen, it's Girl Scout cookie season!!! *cheers and loud applause*

Doesn't your heart secretly leap for joy when you see the first cookie stand outside the grocery store? Don't lie. It does. One of my fabulous former students up here in Boston is a Girl Scout superstar, and I was delighted to buy several boxes of cookies from her last week. This year we went with Thin Mints and Caramel Delights...both staples of course...and a new little treat, the Lemonades. And let me say, I highly recommend them! If your daring enough to stray from your usual favorites, the Lemonades are worth a try! If that makes you nervous, just remember the old Girl Scout tune you sang as a child, "make new friends, but keep the old...one is silver and the other's gold." You don't have to give up your old favorites, just add to your cookie repertoire!

Speaking of favorites...what's yours?

Returning to the Dark Side

We are inside a month until our trip to Africa...whoop whoop...and thus I've begun the last minute preparations. Suitcases are already being packed, and we are pumped!! If you've been friends with me long enough to remember my first trip to Africa, you may remember something was a little different about me...

You got it! I was rocking a deep brunette look for the first time in my life. My sister thought it might be a good idea since standing out in a foreign country isn't always the best thing for an American to do, and there aren't exactly a ton of blondes bopping around Kenya. So I abandoned my traditional southern blonde and went over to the dark side. While I quickly transitioned back to blonde upon my return to the states, I've enjoyed looking back on my brown hair from time to time. I'm not going to lie, brunettes do have a lot of fun too!! Or maybe the fun was in being in such an amazing place...but who's to say? The big question now is...what about this time? Do I dare going dark again???

Oh I dare...

Welcome back you brunette locks of intrigue...welcome back.