125 biscuits

I woke up at 5:38 this morning. On my own. No alarm. And it made my heart so happy. And my equilibrium at the gym happy too, having had 40 minutes to adjust to being awake before exercising, instead of the usual 10 or so. It's now 8:59 and I'm wiped out. But since I don't want to wake up at 4 (which would not make my heart happy), blogging is a clear answer. :)

Today at work we had the monthly staff birthday lunch. While in line I noticed a co-workers skirt and in my head I said, "Oh, Courtney's skirt is from Gap." What came out of my mouth was "Oh, Skirtney's court is from Gap." I heard it come out. I paused. Received a strange look or two. Said it again, thinking still "Courtney's skirt is from Gap" and again what came out was "Skirtney's court is from Gap" still not computing what was wrong. Yeah, blaming THAT on that 5:38 a.m. magic.

Last week (per mentioned, maybe?) was a 4-day work-week, and how thankful I was for it. I did a lot of work at work on Sunday, and Saturday was filled with a project of sorts (more below), and Friday was really a great day of just fun. My friend Katie came to town for a bit--hooray! There was a multi-church Good Friday service--HOORAY! And pizza with excellent ladies afterwards--hooray!

Saturday was a quiet morning. Run, errands (including a trip to the bookstore; more on my selection below) time with a friend. Then, my Saturday project. I got to make breakfast for church on Sunday morning, and I choose recipes that I could do the day beforehand. The menu was biscuits and breakfast casserole. I have an awesome (and easy) homemade buiscuit recipe I used, and the casseroles were easy, just labor-heavy. Zakiya came over and helped me; thank God-I think she grated cheese for an hour and a half. When all was said and done, 125 biscuits were made and 5 casseroles were constructed. At one point I was worried there wasn't enough. Let's just say I sent half a casserole home with someone on Sunday. I took an ENTIRE casserole to work. And took an ENTIRE casserole home. Yes, that's almost 3 too many. I've been having it for dinner since Sunday. At least it tastes fantastic. If you live in Athens and want leftovers or some biscuits, call me. Seriously.

Sunday was Easter Sunday...happy, happy day. Excellent, excellent church service and fellowshipping. Quiet afternoon. Happy-happy.

Oh! Per mentioned, I got a new book. I was given a giftcard to Barnes and Noble, that I went to use it on Saturday. I was going to grab a couple of novels, but it put me in too bad of a mood to buy "beach books" with no scheduled beach time in my future, so I moved on. And a cookbook would be a far more practical choice (and I love practical uses for giftcards). So I spent almost an hour looking at books. I was going to get one by the founders of Baked, but I just wasn't in the mood for a sweets only cookbook (practical, remember)? I saw a few Food Network cookbooks, but I just wasn't impressed. I was thumbing a Rachel Ray when I saw it. The one I was missing. The Joy of Cooking. I'm in love. I used it for the breakfast casseroles. I read a chapter or two when I got home.

My current cookbook collection. Joy fits right in. (The Grit cookbook was absent for this photo-shoot, but definitely an important part).

I took this picture last night from my front door, thinking it was cool (it was at the top of the porch).

This morning at 6:30 I walked into the web.

Not cool.

cotton candy pink

On Wednesday night I realized that I had a four-day work week. Hip-hip-OH NO. It may be a 4-day work week, but I definitely still had a week full of 5 days worth of work to get to get done. This morning I got to work at 8:17 ready to tackle it all AND get health insurance...and at 12:56 when I was fried and decided to go to lunch, I realized I had crossed one, ONE, thing off of my to-do list (but I did have my application for health insurance in, score.). Rather than stress, I took myself to FarmCart (I forgot my lunch at home), and then wandered around in a few downtown stores (I love working DT). I came across a vintage dress in one store. Darling design. Lovely details. But the color...ugh. Pink. But not just pink. "Cotton candy" pink. It's on hold for me until tomorrow...

Oh! And when I got back to work almost EVERYTHING got done. Thanks, Lord.

I didn't share about my super weekend from last weekend. It wasn't entirely what I envisioned travel-wise, but it was still really-really good. Friday night my friend Kelli came over for dinner and a movie (and I lost my winning record of staying awake for a movie). Saturday I had had ideas of visiting friends in Kennesaw and visiting/running some errands with Nutan in Atlanta, but I got tripped up by my goal to squeeze as much as possible into every day. Two different city visits just were not in the works for me, so I ended up running to ATL, seeing Nutan, shopping, finishing some errands, and hurrying back to Athens. We did...well, I got some major deals. I don't know which one was my favorite...an $80 Banana Republic skirt for around $9, or a $128 Anthropology sweater for $19. On Sunday I had a mostly low-key morning and spent the afternoon cooking for church with one of the coolest people I know. Happy times.

So I'm about to embark on a three day weekend. That phrase alone sets it up for success. And what makes it assuredly awesome is that it is Easter weekend.

Praise the Lamb.

current love affair

I have a growing love affair.

I have lived in this sweet city for over six-years, and until this point, I never really went to the Botantical Gardens. I knew it was there, but I just never visited. How lost I was...

After being in the office for 8 hours, I think post-work outside time is of upmost importance. I've tried running trails at the Botans this week. Try is the word to highlight. The level of concentration that it takes to not, you know, DIE tripping over a root or something, is exhausting. My prayer life has gotten a boost during these times, as I'm frequently praying, "Lord, please don't let me break something." Seriously though, I'm loving it. It's quiet, still. I think (more than just not tripping over something treacherous). The Lord talks to me. It's good.

I'm really directionally challenged. On Tuesday, round one, I decided to try the white trail...a good three miles. I doubt I even did 1.5. Why? BECAUSE OF SIGNS LIKE THIS!

It was hopeless.

Today I went back and did the "Orange trail," and afterwards got some pics. Watch out walls, these may be coming your way! (PS...my favorites are at the bottom of this post)

I love this perspective!

Sweet little flowers!

Favorite #1:

Favorite #2. I think this is basically a week, golden-something, but I LOVED it with the golden sunshine coming in behind it.

P.P.S. Today when I was walking to my car after taking pictures, a couple of girls asked me how the white trail went. Hah, hah, hah.

super-weekend #1

I started this blog on Sunday night. And fell asleep while writing it. It's Thursday.

I'm glad for the automatic saves. Here we go...

Why that sort of title for the blog? Because I see a lot of awesome weekends in my future, and I'm calling them out for what they'll be--super.

P.S. Get ready. This post is picture heavy.

The weekend started early for me. I have been working a lot of overtime and I was given a day off. Friday started with gym time, quiet time, and then a zealous attack on my to-do list. For quite some time I've had a to-do list called "things I have to do that I don't want to do." It met its demise on Friday. I now have a new driver's license, car-tag, renters insurance, et cetera. I was eager to get out the door on Friday, so after I blow-dried my hair I didn't bother to straighten it, nor put on make-up. When the thought ran through my head of, "I may need a new picture on my drivers license" I thought no, surely not. I was wrong. New picture. It's bad. Real bad. I was going to take a picture of the crossed off list, but I'll just be satisfied with knowing its demolished. Friday finished with a great dinner with excellent company.

Oh. And then baking 107 cookies.

And then making Lorien's birthday present!

And making icing. (This picture will hopefully be framed in my kitchen. I love it.)

Saturday rolled around with a one-year old birthday party. I made the cookies for the party,

(fun!) and I was asked to take pictures during the party. LOVED IT. And the quality time with that sweet fam!

After the party I crafted with my friend Erika. She's awesome. And our paintings are awesome! Thanks, handy tutorial.

Success!

Sunday was Confirmation Sunday, (nearly) wrapping up a pretty sweet mentoring experience. I say nearly because we have a couple of meetings left to go.

And then post-Confirmation was one of my very favorite times of the week, church at Athens Link!

I also got some (a lot of) pics of my fave flowers on Sunday...

Looking forward to round two.

weeds.

This weekend my church had an awesome fundraising BBQ on Saturday and then church on Sunday at the same beautiful location-Ms. Penny's. (P.S. Pics from the weekend are on my FB. They would be on the FB ALF page but it won't let me put them on their. Funny, FB...funny). We (church) also have a weekly prayer meeting at Ms. Penny's on Wednesday. I love taking photos out at the farm and today I had my camera with me and spied some dandelions.

I went to take some pics but I had a few challenges. One, I was not in shooting clothes--a white-eyelet trench and dress. Two, a friendly welcoming committee (aka the dogs). I got a few...

This was my first attempt.

It didn't work out so well (I think one hand was being used to move a dog over),

but I still really like the texture in this photo.

from the hard places. try II.

This is still one of my faves...

life from the hard places.

Yes.

and the flowers...try II.

I posted these yesterday.

And the pictures didn't go up. Trying again...

So on Tuesday before the storm came I met up with my friend Daynes to take some flower photos at the Botanical Gardens.

Sweet bluebells. Bells...such a happy word to say!

Lovely-lovely.

I'm always glad when the photos I make myself uncomfortable for

come out well.

One of my faves!

The buds look like beads.

Rosemary. Happy sigh.

These pictures uploaded backwards in order.

And I'm okay with that.

and we're back.

Throughout the week, when I'm not blogging, I'll have a moment of, "oh! I should blog about this, that's funny! Or thought-provoking! Or cool!" then I carry on with my day and forget anything I may have thought of earlier. Moving on...

I again, had some receptionist desk time at work and I again, went to check the news. I found another article that caught my eye and made me elicit a HAH! PROOF! right when I saw the subject line. Then I read it. Or most of it. But it also "justified" my eating habits. If you can't tell from my tone in the 'ole blog, I'm a big proponent of eating as naturally as possible (one of the reasons why I bake so much). I have had more than one experience at Trader Joes and Publix of the cashier saying "what a healthy cart," or some variation of that. However, as also evident on this blog I. love. sugar. A usual lunch or dinner is a vegetable salad with a cookie (my reasoning...you have to have carbs somewhere, and I choose to have mine topped with chocolate chips). The article talked about how those who eat sweets also tend to be active to "compensate" which is very true with me. But anyways. I was a fan of the article.

I'm brining chili to work on Thursday, and as I was gabbing on the phone at Publix today I completely forgot to pick up a package of chili seasoning. I ran back in to pick up the $1.25 package of seasoning and I glanced at the ingredients. And was disgusted. There were a lot of things I couldn't identify, and I don't play that way. So after reading the ingredients again and thinking a bit, I decided it was high-time I made my own chili seasoning blend. $11.34 later, and I'm on my way. As I told myself at the cash-wrap, "this will make far, far more than those packets and be far, far better." We'll see on Thursday. I'm also going to be making it in the crock-pot (which I don't do). We'll see. Oh boy...

Last night the weather looked like this for Georgia,

so I decided to not go out and do anything, and instead stay in and get things done (the homestead has been terribly ignored as of late). I was wrapping things up, and finishing up by deciding to wash the drip-pans (which were dusty. not drippy.) on the stove. I go to move the faucet head over and it fell off. And I had the water on full blast. Cue gushing water up the ceiling, me shrieking, turning off the water, etc. It wasn't as messy as it could have been, but sheesh.

It all makes sense!

If you have ever approached me suddenly, come up towards me from out-of-sight (or even from a foot away), casually said my name while I was doing something else...you may be aware that I'll jump. Or screetch. And in really special unique cases, slap (sorry Marcus). At my (awesome) job, you get the responsibility of once a month being the front-desk back-up. I clicked around on the internet for a few minutes to check the news while I waited for the vaccumm to stop so I could begin some calls, and I came across this gem of an article below. http://bodyodd.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/03/31/6384740-5-real-life-conditions-that-sound-like-hoaxes Please note this particular section:

Jumping Frenchmen of Maine: You really don't want to prank these guys on April Fools' Day. Jumping Frenchmen of Maine is an extremely rare neuropsychiatric disorder that causes an exaggerated startle reaction. Something as small as an unexpected poke in the ribs can cause sufferers to jump, scream, flail their arms, hit or throw things, according to the National Organization for Rare Disorders.

I'm not self-diagnosing, but I do have a scapegoat now for when I get easily startled.

Please excuse me while I print this for my office door...