Memorial Day Weekend

I finally hit the road to go home for Memorial Day weekend, and it was such a good visit!

I had the best time visiting with my mom, sis and friends. We shopped a bit, had game night, caught up. It was the best weekend I've had in quite a while.

I love shopping for palmettos and crescent moons. Gotta show the love for my favorite state.

Mama bought us new flower flip flops, that are super cute and comfy. Flip flop triplets!

I've been meaning to visit my mom and sisters's new school and classroom's for two years, so we had to squeeze that in, too. My mama is an elementary music teacher, her room wouldn't be complete without fabulous bulletin boards!

My sister's class pet is a teddy bear hamster called Tim Teebow (because he's a good roll model).

Teebow giving me a smooch:

Teebow's Gator Cage:

I have an addiction to the Mellow Mushroom, so we went there for supper Sunday night. I don't even care who judges me. It's delicious pizza, the sauce is the best and the cheese is all stringy and the crust is fantastic and it makes me happy and a little sentimental. For some crazy reason we don't have a Shroom in Gainesville anymore, so I have to get my fix whenever I head out of town.

Mmmm...pretzels and marinara. I could eat that marinara with a spoon!

Monday afternoon we hit Hwy. 25 for Edgefield so we could visit Cooks. They have the freshest produce, snacks, and cheeses.

Ripe, South Carolina peaches! I don't care what anyone says, these peaches are the best. My peaches were so good they didn't last very long. I'm looking forward to my sis bringing me another batch when she visits in June. Maybe I'll be able to restrain myself a little bit and make some peach cobbler or jam.

These tomatoes were so good. There is nothing better than home grown, ripe tomatoes in the summer.

Orange and Grape Nehi soda in the ice chest! Delicious and old school.

I wasn't ready to leave at all on Monday. I wish I could have stayed at least a week longer, so I could hang out and help my mama and sis get ready for the last week of school. Eventually I had to hit the road.

Must have iPod and giant ice water for traveling.

I drove through the Boro on the way back. I will always miss living in Statesboro and good times at Georgia Southern.

I made it back to Florida (still doesn't feel like home yet) just as the sun was setting. Not a bad drive for Memorial Day.

Versatile Blogger Award!

Sarah at Honey, Sugah, Dahlin' was kind enough to give me the Versatile Blogger Award. (Thanks, Sarah!) We've never met, but I feel like we'd be friends since she is also a Georgia Southern Alum. GO EAGLES!

The rules are:

1) Thank the blogger who presented me with this award…done!

2) Share 7 things about myself.

3) Pass on the award to 10 bloggers I have recently discovered and love!

So here we go! Seven random things you might (or might not) want to know…

Here are my seven things:

1. I (like Sarah) have a ridiculous amount of cookbooks. I do cook a lot, but I should probably make myself some kind of deal that I won't buy another cookbook until I've tried 50 new recipes or something like that. Maybe that should be my challenge for the summer.
2. I collect carnival glass. My friend Andy probably thinks it's a little bit old lady-ish of me, but that's fine. I like it because each piece is a little bit unique and it reminds me of my Granny Grits (my great grandmother).
3. One of my favorite places in the world is St. Augustine. My husband took me there to celebrate our first year of dating and we've been back many times since. It's so laidback, you can walk practically everywhere, there are great outlets and the drinks are cheap!
4. I love photography and hope that one day I'll have the opportunity to turn it into an occupation instead of just a semi-part time occupation.
5. I'd love to live at or near the beach at some point in my life. Maybe even just for a summer...seems like you'd almost have to be in a good mood if you lived close enough to the ocean, right?
6. I am a proud Southerner, but if I had to choose any other culture to be a part of, it would be Italian. I love Italian food and could eat it 24/7 and the people seem like they really enjoy life. Plus, how pretty is Italy in the movies? I hope I get to visit one day!
7. I am obsessed with being frugal. I subscribe to 'frugal' blogs, print coupons, clip coupons and I'm always on the lookout for a deal. I rarely pay full price for groceries, clothes and a lot of other things. I love to save $$$!

And here's who my recent favorite bloggers are:

Katie at Tale of a G.R.I.T.S.

Amanda at I Love You Days

Leslie at lmstoehr

Mrs. M at My Life as Mrs. M.

Stacey at The Bowman Family

Katie at Don't Warn the Tadpoles

Brandie at Brandi Nell the Southern Bell

Tammy at Sprout! Coming Soon

Lori at Baby Hennesy

Carolina Girl at Ramblings of a 30 Something Year Old Carolina Girl

Midnight in the Garden

If you haven't read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, get yourself to the library or nearest bookstore and pick up a copy quick! It's one of my favorite books of all time and most definitely a great Southern book. I got totally sucked into the book while I was reading it. It really draws you in with all the great characters and interesting plot. And you know it's not a good story about the South without some crazies, right?



The movie version is another favorite of mine. I can't resist it anytime it's on tv. John Cusack is such a great actor that I'll watch him in just about anything! Clint Eastwood did a great job directing it. I like how everyone in the movie seems authentically southern, even if they aren't. Some of the accents are a little thick, but none of them seem put on, which usually bothers me about movies based in the south that don't feature southern actors.



Sassy Lady Chablis! I still haven't seen her show in Savannah, but I hear it is quite exciting!

One of my favorite quotes is by John Cusack's character, after he realizes that things are a little bit different down south:

'I've only been here three days and it's just a shooting, but give it time, okay. This place is fantastic. It's like Gone With the Wind on Mescalin. I know you're my agent. Listen to me, they walk imaginary pets here, Garland. On a f-ing leash. Alright? And they're all heavily armed and drunk. New York is boring!'

Mercer House is featured in the movie and one of the spots I'll have to put on my places to see and photograph on my next trip to Savannah.

New Southern Stationery

You must check out Coyne & Pickney Stationery! They are based in South Carolina (my favorite, of course!) and have a great selection of southern and low country designs. Just look at these cute Adirondack cards I won in their last giveaway. They are darlin', right?