Soufflé

The long weekend started off by a rita riverside. Perfection! Then I wondered down a trail to see that mother nature had created a flower petal tablescape for me.

On Saturday morning I had the opportunity to go to the Viking Cooking School to take a class that was one of my birthday gifts from my mom. I took my new roommate Rachel with me on the adventure! We concurred chicken stock, vegetable soup, marinate fish, butterfly chicken, rice pilaf, shallot green beans, and ended with chocolate soufflé (look up pictures of this, and you will see ours turned out amazing)!

After we went to Lush to get candy yummy bath products, oh and the sugar lip scrub you can eat.

On Sunday sweet grandmother had all the grandkids over for a cooking class of her own. We had a chicken and dumplings contest. My own mother was the judge and she didn't even pick mine! P.S. Do you know how much lard is in the dumplings? Don't ask!

 My cousin's sons swinging with Belle. Then it was time to bake brownies and lick the spoon and bowl of course!

 Sunday night was the Pinterest Party! We were tasked with coming up with creative ways to display jewelry. Below is mine.

Just Kidding! The one above is not mine, I wish! That is fantastic. Below however is! Haha I am so not artsy.

The next morning we ventured antiquing with Jon and Savannah and I captured this lovely face! Do I know him!?!

A quick snap of the skirt I purchased at Target about 20 minutes before this picture was taken. I get spoiled when I come to Atlanta and a Target is so close!

Grilling by the river, it was great until it rained, then it was still awesome being with some amazing people!

Weekends are my favorite. I love absolutely love spending time with friends and family! Oh the adventures we have. I also learned that one of my dearest friends, Emily got engaged this weekend! It is so much fun to plan weddings, I can't wait!

Tomatoes

What is real, true, and beautiful? It is you silly! Believe it, live your life by it. Make real food from scratch. Clean up the world you live in. Be with the people you love. Laugh at the little crazy things that appear.

Tomatoes. I hate them, well hate is a strong word, but I hate them. If I was told that I had to take a bite out of a tomato like I would an apple, I would make a gagging noise and say no thank you. However, I like them with things in their non-raw form. Like in a homemade tomato sauce. The amount of preservatives found in tomato sauce is totally crazy, cra-cra crazy. It is way cheaper to make you own. I promise. And I even more promise that it is simple and you won't be in the mummification before it is due time.

EASY PEASY TOMATO SAUCE:

3 big awesome tomatoes
1/2 of a medium sweet onion
3 garlic cloves (more if you love it)
1 can of organic tomato paste
1/2 to 1 cup of  red wine depending on how liquid you like the sauce
3 tsps of fresh herbs (basil or oregano or both)
a swirl of extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

For non-vegetarians feel free to add some ground pork, chicken or traditional beef.

Directions: Add all and let simmer for an hour, while you drink the rest of the wine and you have tomato sauce.

Oak Hill is so beautiful. I mean like the house on the movie Sweet Home Alabama beautiful. Oh wait it was! For the Young Alumni Weekend at Berry College, we got to be apart of cleaning up/clearing out some of the trails behind the museum. It was a lot of fun. I enjoyed spending time with some amazing past alumnus of Berry.

This is Jeff Hawkins. He is a stud. At least that is what he will tell you =) He is honestly one of my best friends and I had the pleasure of hanging out with him on one of his craziest weekends of his life this past weekend, and as you can see he is driving a bus! Haha

Music set to soft lighting is the best! It was here that earlier in the evening that my mom's rental lake house was auctioned off for the good cause of buying a tractor for the season's harvest. It was so much fun! Live auctions are a hoot!

I heart Chattanooga! One of my work stops was in Chattanooga this week and I got to enjoy the running water of stairs! How cool is this!

It is a fox lamp. It is currently looking at me right now as I type this. It is creepy. It is in my hotel. It is going to haunt me tonight I just know it. 

As creepy as the fox lamp is, the view from the hotel room is awesome. One of the greatest things about traveling for work is getting to experience different views, different perspectives.

I wish the best on all of the readers of my blog this week. I wish you the very best. Oh, I almost forgot. I have a secret that I must tell you. I am revamping this blog/ getting a new blog for myself. I am having the amazing Savannah over at Maiedae design it for me. I will give you a hint, the new name starts with an R. Can you guess what its name will be?

Leader

Taking charge, stepping up, being a leader. Those words, better yet thoughts have been surrounding me the past few weeks as changes and events have taken place. Here are some of the reasons why:

My father was the mayor of the town I grew up in. He lead his community, my home community through so much. Just like he did with my family. The city hall was named after him, because of his leadership.

This is in Lilburn, GA less than a mile from the house that I grew up in. Leading is about change, but I am no so sure that all change is good change.

In Leadership Rome, we got the opportunity to kayak down a river in Rome. I am thankful that I got the guts to do it!

This is the suitcase that I gave Amelia before she left to go after her dreams. At this very moment she is interviewing with one of the top law firms in the country. She will lead so may people.

This photo is of the Winshape Retreat Center where I attended the Chick-fil-a  Leadercast 2012.

My dress and wedges hanging out on the lawn of Berry College's graduation. Where leaders have been made.

The centerpiece of my cousin's wedding. A new relationship for the bride and groom will begin.

Ok, ok I didn't lead anything but I heart crab legs.

Holly tasting oysters for the first time!

Sometimes leaders need to rest on the beach too.

Glenn leading my grass into submission.

Receiving my diploma of sorts at the Leadership Rome graduation.

At dusk on top of Myrtle Hill Cemetery where Glenn and I discussed  what it takes to be a leader and what an amazing grandfather he had who is buried here as a veteran and doctor in this great community.

Separated

Things stay the same for a little while, then a catalyst comes along and shakes things up. A graduation, a marriage or a conversation. They come in and change your life. My roommate for the last year and half is leaving me. It is hitting me harder than being given separation papers. Amelia has been a huge influence in my life in baking, God, music and love. Her passion for life has driven me further than I ever thought possible. I have cherished our crazy talks about how I hate the fact she wears leggings everywhere. Tap dancing on the hardwood floors. Singing in the shower. Going over her lines for the up coming play. Doing a devotional and praying together. Being by her side for major life achievements, such as acceptance to law schools and her determination not to give out her number to a strange man (which she later failed, with a justified reason of course).

The randomness that has taken place in our house, the joy that has filled the air. If walls could talk, rather sing, they would speak in a Very Mary Kate voice with a little Kate Reed (Fairly Legal) for reason. They would speak of boy heartache next step conversations, cooking lessons, but mostly uncontrollable laughter.

Amelia made me scones almost every Friday and she made me coffee every single morning. She has such a selfless personality so one of the things I taught her this semester is the power to say no. But in many more ways she has taught me to say yes in love and thoughtfulness. 


I admire her adventurous spirit ( how we ran 5 miles one day, she ran circles around me and I got shin splints), her ability to learn numerous songs in different languages, and desire to help people which is why she is going to law school.

I will leave you with a song that I will forever associate with Amelia, because she did this song at her senior show with Tupperware.

I love you Amelia and I will miss you being my roommate, but you will always be my friend in my heart. Oh and the fact that you are just going to be an hour away in Atlanta is fabulous!