What's on Jessica's phone

I linked up with Jessica at The Lowe Family News to share my phone pictures of the week.

This is our little baby tree. (its actually an outdoor tree) It's tall and skinny like I wish I was. It fails in comparison to my mom's magnificent tree at home but its a perfect fit for my little college family. The tree skirt used to be on the tree when I was younger. cute huh?

Jimmy and I put up lights.. aren't they festive!? We had to plug them into my room through the window because the stupid house doesn't have an outdoor socket. so lame

This is Oli and I relaxing at home during the long weekend, and yes it is warm enough for shorts, sick I know.

Daddy-O giving Oliver leftover turkey. He probably gained 10 pounds from all of the table scraps. he. was. in. heaven.

This my friends is Oliver's place to lay. I make my bed and get my pillows
just right and turn my back for one second only to find this. This isn't from this week because my room looks like a tornado hit it and my bed hasn't been made since.. longer then I care to say, but it's so cute I had to share!

my new obsession

Yesterday I did one of the coolest things ever..

I

touched

a

real,

live,

elephant

There is a tradition at school called elephant walk so they had two live elephants on campus to take pictures with.

I'm a city girl and never see animals other than pets and squirrels, and of course living in Texas, cows. I say this knowing full well that people who live in rural areas don't see elephants on a daily basis, I just want to make sure you grasp how much I love seeing unusual animals. I get super, over the top, 4 year old kid excited when I see a deer walking on the side of the road, or huge birds fly overhead, even once when I saw a skunk on campus.

So you can imagine how thrilled I was when I saw a freaking elephant standing right on the grass where my aerobic walking class is held. Yes, I've been to a zoo and a circus, but seeing these things on my turf was totally different. We had to drive past them on the way to the parking lot and I was jumping up and down in the seat squealing like a little kid. And I may have even shed a few tears of excitement. go ahead, judge me.

Another thing that made me overjoyed was how excited Jimmy got. He has been on a hunting safari in Africa and seen elephants in their natural habitat but still cheered with me on the way to park the car. I think it may have had something to do with how cute I looked singing and dancing :)

As soon as we got to them I jumped in to take the picture. Then we just stood there for 30 mins watching them while other people took pictures. The elephant handler was so funny. A girl came up and was visibly terrified to be standing so close to a trillion ton animal so he yelled "hurry and take the picture before it kills her". She didn't think it was very funny.

So needless to say its all I've been thinking about and have added an elephant to my Christmas list. I wonder how Santa will fit it under the tree.

Monday's Menu

You guys are not even ready for the recipe I am about to give you. Everyone goes nuts when I make this green bean casserole. I saw it made a few years ago on food network and it is the bomb.com. And since Thanksgiving is just days away I wanted to share it with you so you can have the dish at your Thanksgiving feast!

Green Bean Casserole

• serves 6-8
• 2 cans of green beans
• 4 tb butter
• 2 tb finely chopped onions
• 2 tb finely chopped mushrooms
• 2 tb all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 cups of corn flakes
  
• shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Place green beans in a casserole dish and set aside.
Saute onions in 2 tb butter until translucent.
Stir in mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and saute 3-5 mins.
Add in flour and stir for another minute or so to cook out the raw flour taste.
Whisk in sour cream.
Simmer for a couple of minutes to bring tastes together.
Melt remaining 2 tb butter in a small pan.
Crush cereal in a plastic bag and pour in pan with butter, toss to coat.
Pour mushroom mixture over green beans.
Top with shredded cheese.
Sprinkle buttered cereal.
Bake for about 20 mins, or until light golden brown and bubbly

via google images

Fightin Texas Aggies

I woke up this morning wishing I was still at Kyle Field. Last night my amazing Aggies beat the hell outta the nebraska cornhuskers, and it was a monumental game, record breaking actually. The 12th man broke a college football record for most students in attendance, 31,005 students to be exact. Jimmy and I were there to help break the record!

The saying about the Spirit of Aggieland goes that "From the outside looking in, you can't understand it. And from the inside looking out, you can't explain it." And I'm having that problem as I write this, the feeling at Kyle Field last night was indescribable, amazing to say the least.

There is something special about A&M and it was definitely apparent at last night's game. The feeling of the stadium shaking, literally shaking, from the voices and movement of the record crowd was one of the coolest things I've ever experienced. And it was the first time in almost 35 years that people rushed the field!


And if you think I'm just bragging about my school, do some research. You will be amazed by the tradition in Aggieland and in all Aggies.
I wish everyone could experience it.



I am so proud to be an Aggie!

My biggest fan

My beautiful grandma, Evelyn, reads my blog every day. Every time we talk she tells me how much she loves and looks forward to reading it, and gets on to me if I don't write. She is definitely my biggest fan. She is the coolest grandma around, she travels and parties with her senior friends. She is a cross-word genius. She's a great cook. But the thing I love most about my grammie is that she tells you how it is, I know she'll always tell me the truth, even if its not what I want to hear.

That's why this e-mail she sent in response to the post about my Christmas wish list is so funny.

"HEY YOU!! READ YOUR BLOG, YOU DON'T ASK FOR MUCH!! IS THAT A BRACELET? HOW MUCH DOES THAT COST? AND WHAT DO YOU WANT WITH A SEWING MACHINE? ARE YOU PLANNING ON SEWING YOUR OWN CLOTHES LOL YOU KNOW MAYBE YOU SHOULD MARRY AN OIL BARRON, THEY GET MORE MONEY THAN A DR. YOU ARE SO SPOILED, BUT I LOVE YOU JUST THE SAME LOVE READING YOUR STORIES, I GET A FEW CHUCKLES..MAYBE YOU SHOULD WRITE ABOUT OLIVER, AND HOW YOU WOULD LIKE TO GET HIM A DIAMOND CHOKER, HE IS SO CUTE.. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF. TTYL, LOVE YOU LOTS. GRAM"

Like she didn't have anything to do with the spoiling?!

Gram lives in Connecticut, which just so happens to be my favorite place, coincidence? I think not. The last few times we've gone up there we brought some "extras" (jimmy and beth) and there was a shortage of beds so I stayed in Grammie's room. We stayed up late talking and laughing so loud at an inappropriate joke she told that we woke everyone up.

My favorite times with Gram are the hours we spend coloring. Yes, coloring, as in coloring books. You'd think this is a memory from my childhood but it's actually pretty recent. So what if we're grown ups who color in children's coloring books, we can stay in the lines like you wouldn't believe.

Also, since I didn't post it the other day and since I got it from her, here is the macaroni salad recipe. I don't have exact measurements. just go with it.

Macaroni Salad recipe

We always make a ton so there's plenty of leftovers to eat the next few days.

• 1 pound macaroni- elbows or shells, or whatever you have really
  
• mayonnaise and miracle whip
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped cucumber
  
• 1 large can of tuna fish
• salad supreme seasoning
• salt and pepper

Cook and drain macaroni, then let sit and cool. Add chopped veggies (you can add more to taste, those are just an estimate), drained tuna, equal parts mayo and miracle whip (a few scoops of each), and seasoning. Mix well. Let cool for at least an hour, it always tastes better the next day though so the longer the better.

(my camera is dead & I can't upload pictures of mine so I found this one)

so there you have it, now you all know my amazing Grammie, and have her delicious recipe.

I love you Gram!
thanks for everything you do for me.

P.S. how gorgeous is she on her wedding day?! you should see the pictures of her from back in the day on the beach.. hot mama!

Monday's Menu

Soooo we had the most delicious burgers for dinner with roasted corn and one of my favorite dishes, macaroni salad with tuna. Which I was going to give you the recipe for, I took pictures of it and everything and then I saw a commercial for this..

This my friends is Sonic's new holiday treat.. the sugar cookie blast
And it is a treat indeed. The combination of cinnamon ice cream and chunks of snicker-doodle cookie go together like lamb and tuna fish (10 points if you can name that movie) but really.. perfect combination, tastes like Christmas morning. Unfortunately, I only had a few bites before my stomach gave into the richness, and I couldn't go any further.

I have a really bad, and I mean really bad habit of seeing food on TV and having to have it. NOW. It is usually something on Food Network or Travel Channel, this is the first time I've been sucked in by a commercial. Damn those clever marketing people at Sonic, they got me.. and I'm so glad they did.

Maybe when I recover from my sugar coma I'll post my macaroni salad recipe.

Dear Santa,

I wish I wasn't a broke college student, and that Santa wasn't broke from paying for two college educations, and that I didn't have such expensive taste. Because all of these facts make up the unfortunate equation that equals me owning none of these things that I'm dying for.

via

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I think I better go get a lottery ticket.

Happy Veteran's Day

DISCLAIMER: you will SOB!!!

This is the most emotional, beautiful, amazing, video I've ever seen. I've watched it over and over and cannot stop crying.

Thank you to those who serve, and to the families who support them.

What I'm loving Wednesday

So excited that I linked up with Jamie for my first W.I.L.W

I'm loving that in 15 days I will be feasting with family

I'm loving that Jimmy and I are going camping next weekend

(picture from our camping trip in the Smokey Mountains last spring)

I'm loving the delicious tacos we made for dinner

I'm loving that junior e-walk is in a few weeks

I'm loving that I don't have class tomorrow!

I'm loving the Hershey's candy cane kisses from Brooke

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I'm loving all of my fabulous new followers!

I'm loving the free copies of Brazos Valley Bride on campus today

via

Anthropologie vs. Anthropology

Anthoropologie

Anthropology This all nighter would be a lot more enjoyable if I wasn't studying the latter.
via via

Monday's Menu

I am so inspired and excited by the support of my 5 new followers (whoop!) that I have decided to do a weekly post about my adventures with cooking. Today wasn't the best example to showcase but for having absolutely no food in the house, and lacking in the time department it turned out delicious. Jimmy and I love to make pizza, and one of my cook books contained the perfect recipe for tonight..

mixed herb pizza

• serves 2-4
  
• olive oil, for brushing
• 1 quantity pizza dough
• all purpose flour, for dusting
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh marjoram
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
  
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 tbsp olive oil flavored with mixed herbs
• 1 1/3 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  
• salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F/200 C. Brush a cookie sheet with oil

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured counter to a 10-inch/25cm round. Place on the cookie sheet and push up the edge a little. Cover and let stand for 10 minutes.

Combine the parsley, basil, chives, marjoram, garlic, and sour cream in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Brush the pizza base with the flavored oil, then spread the herb mixture evenly over it almost to the edge. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and bake for 20 minutes, until crisp and golden brown.

(yes, we paper platted it, but look how cute they are)

I used a pre-made dough and unfortunately didn't have time to get fresh herbs but luckily my spice rack had all of them (I halved the amount of herbs called for). Even with these short cuts it turned out great!

Try it, it was super easy and great if you're short on time. And I loved that it was different than the usual tomato sauce and pepperoni pizza we usually make. AND its perfect for our vegetarian friends, Mihir and Ankita!

Thanks everyone for the kind words of encouragement, I'm super excited about blogging again and after a test on Wednesday this blog will be getting a makeover.

Come on people

Okay readers.. we need to talk. I know I have a few faithful readers who rave about my blog, and I don't want to take anything away from them when I say this but.. it would be a lot more fulfilling to keep up with this blog if I had more readers. I know my blog isn't the most exciting, I'd like to think it is because it's fairly new but I would feel a lot more inclined to spice it up if I knew I was writing for a larger crowd. I currently have 12 followers, twelve. some of the blogs I follow have hundreds. lame

soooo if you're reading this and are not a "follower" do it, or else! ok not or else but it would be nice of you. Just click on the "follow" button on the right hand side and choose an account you'd like to use. Also, tell your friends, parents, kids, aunts, cousins, strangers. All the cool kids follow my blog. And feel free to comment or email with thoughts, ideas, questions, suggestions, personal anecdotes. I'd like to get into blogging and have relationships with my readers and giveaways and contests and witty banter like other blogs I've seen. I can justify taking time away from studying if I have fans depending on me. So come on people, help me make this the best blog ever.

Think about it this way.. when they make the movie about my life you'll play an important role. You'll be able to say you knew me way back when.

Baby its cold outside

Mother nature finally got her shit together and realized its November and not the middle of July. There are no words to describe the overwhelming excitement I felt when I reached to the back of my closet for a sweatshirt. It's not even that cold but for Texans it may as well be 20 below. You should have seen the girls on campus, decked out for a blizzard, Uggs, scarves, puffy coats, I even saw a pair of ear muffs. I'm not sure if they think the ski attire is necessary or if maybe they live by the "if you build it they will come" motto and think if they dress that way cold weather will come. Despite the fact that they looked ridiculous it made me so unbelievably ecstatic to see people bundled up, drinking what I can only imagine were festive holiday drinks like pumpkin spice lattes and peppermint mochas. In the spirit of the temperature drop I made chili for Jimmy and his roommates. Everyone in Bryan/College Station must have had the same idea because I snagged the last two cans of chili beans on the shelf. And to make everything even better Oliver has been super snuggly! I can't wait to put up Christmas decorations, listen to Christmas music, drink hot chocolate, and the yankee in me longs for real wintery things like building snowmen, snow angels and sledding. When I think about living up there I think about how much my Aunt Deanna hates the New England winter because it is so cold for so long, but I think I would rather be miserable in the cold for months than be miserable in the unbearable heat for months. Don't get me wrong, I'll always be a proud Texan, but I'd love to have more than two seasons. maybe someday. Talking about winter is making me want to watch Elf, which my mom's name is in. Buddy the elf's mom's name is Susan Wells, pay attention next time. And I'm getting really excited about our 2nd annual tacky sweater/white elephant Christmas party! happy almost-winter :)