Bethany’s Shower

Finally I am able to show and tell what I’ve been working on for the past couple of weeks!  March has been a busy month in itself, but today we had a shower for my sister-in-law, Bethany!

I am so extremely happy and excited for her!  At the same time, it’s a bitter sweet thing because the guy she is marrying, Garth, is in the military and stationed in New York!  That’s like a gazillion miles away from all of us!  Bethany and I are pretty close and it just feels weird to think she will be so far away.  But I’m glad she will be with her true love.  Anyway, moving on before I tear up! 

The shower was a ‘mood’ shower.  It’s a neat idea for a shower that my sister had done for me before I got married.  Everyone is sent an invitation that has a ‘mood’ the bride is in.  The mood could be cleaning, romance, decorating, gardening, and so on. You are then to bring a gift that will help the bride with her mood.   It’s quite fun to see what everyone will bring to match the mood.  Her 2 cousins (and mine too now) Michelle and Melody hosted along with myself.  I was in charge of decorating, so I choose the theme to be lady bugs.  Bethany likes lady bugs and that what her mama called her growing up, so I went with that.  It was fun!

We had a good amount of food, and I added a few personal touches to kind of tie the theme in.  I made lady bug pretzels,

and red and black chocolate covered Rice Krispy's,

some lady bug crackers,

and you can’t go wrong with red strawberries and strawberry lemonade!!

All the food looked great!  Michelle made everything else and made it all look fantastic!

It was so much fun and Bethany got some great gifts to start her marriage off with!

I just hope we have a good while longer before we are doing this again for Autumn!!

I hope Bethany had as much fun as we did!  She got to wear her ‘wedding’ shoes.  She had picked them out to wear with her wedding dress, but is going to end up having to wear flats because the heels make her to much taller than Garth (and he’s tall)!!

Best Wishes you two!!

Fried Green Tomatoes!

Umm, Umm!  Boy am I happy!  Green tomatoes have made it in at our local Farmer’s Market, and are being sold at Calhoun Produce.  And when green tomatoes are in, that can only mean one thing…

FRIED GREEN TOMATOES!

Oh how I love ya!  Fried green tomatoes are a southern tradition (well actually anything fried is!) and I’m gonna share my recipe for these delicious treats! 

First, pick out some good green tomatoes.  I like the really green ones, my hubby prefers the ones that are just on the verge of turning that orangy color.

After you decide which you would like to use, you need to slice them.  My hubby and I were the only ones eating these so I used 2 tomatoes, ended up being to much but we ate what we could!  So that just gives you an idea of how far these go.  I like my slices a little thick, but of course Brando likes them thin.  He is the fryer so I value his opinion.  He said that the thinner the slice the crunchier they are.  Well I don’t like mine crunchy, so.  But depending on your preference just remember; thin makes crunchy and thick makes softer.

They make a mess, but they are so worth it!  After you’ve sliced the tomatoes, dip them in buttermilk and then your batter.  My batter is a little secret shared to me by my husband from when his family owned a fish shop, but all you need is to mix flour with your favorite seasonings and a little salt and pepper.  Make sure you coat them well.

Once they are battered, throw them into the fryer for about 8 – 10 minutes.

Once finished frying, place them on a paper towel to dry the excess grease off of them and then…

Ta da!  Fried Green Tomatoes!!

Janna Banana!

Happy Birthday Sissy!

 

Today is a very special person’s birthday!   Not only is she my best friend, but she is my sister!  She is 12 years older than me, but I am so thankful that she is. 

Not only for the reasons that I love to tease her about, but because she has so much knowledge to share with me.  The do’s and don’ts of life, financial advice, marriage advice, and so many other things!  Sure we sometimes argue and don’t agree on the same things, and she will definitely tell me what she thinks, but I’m so glad she does. 

Sometimes we need to hear those opinions so that we can take a step back and try to do things better.  If it weren’t for her all these years I don’t know that I would have made it through!  I can never put into words what she really means to me, but I hope she knows that she is a very special person in my life!

I can remember when I was little and she would get ready to leave me, I would cry and cry for her to stay.  Even though I know longer cry, I still miss her like crazy when we spend time together and we have to part ways. 

Well I hope today is a wonderful day for her. She begins the birthdays in March. Today is her birthday, in exactly one week is her Husband Stacy’s birthday, and mine is exactly one week later!

I love you Sissy Lynn!

Janna Ranae!

March :)

 

Wow, it’s already March!  Can you believe it?!?  And how about this weather?  I guess it is that time of year, where the season can’t decide if it’s winter or summer!  That’s usually how it is here in south Georgia.  One day we’re all running around in shorts and flip flops working in the yard, the next day we’re bundled up from head to toe running from the car to our next location trying to stay out of the cold!  Well that’s exactly how it’s been this past weekend!  Thursday and Friday felt like mid June with a a high around the 80’s, a nice breeze, birds chirping, and crickets singing at night.

I really enjoyed the warmth and jumped into full spring swing.  I planted some new planters, weeded the front flower bed, picked up a good bit of pine cones (which have covered the same area again), and cut some grass!  Whew, I definitely felt accomplished when I laid my head down Friday night!

Saturday was a mess of a day, but a blessing none the less!  We received 3” of rain!  That’s great for a drought infested area.  All our ponds are almost filled back to the brim and there are actually water puddles everywhere!  When we woke up Sunday, the sun was shining so beautifully, but when you walked outside it was a whole different ball game!  The wind was blowing so hard with such a chill in it!  It was 57 degrees for the most part of the day. Brrr!  I was not made for cold weather!  But today is starting to shape up to be a nice day, still a little chilly but I can feel it warming up!

The sun is out and it is just beautiful!  My mom and I are going for a walk and to pick strawberries shortly!  And even though the weather never can make up it’s mind, this is still my favorite month of the year.  It’s also a very busy month!  We have 3 birthdays this month (mine included) along with the Fire Ant Festival in town!  It’s just a great month!  And being that today is a very special day for a very special person you are going to get a very special second post today!! Stay tuned…

Janna Banana!

Autumn’s Happy Birthday trip to Atlanta!

Brandon’s baby sister Autumn’s birthday was this Friday, but last weekend we celebrated her birthday in Atlanta at the World of Coca Cola and the Georgia Aquarium!  We all had so much fun!

That’s Autumn in the middle!  She turned the ripe old age of 17!  It was so much fun to just get away and be together!  If you live in Georgia or are planning to visit Atlanta, you check these two places out!  They are side by side and make for a great day trip!

Our first stop was the World of Coca Cola.  It is a very interesting museum of how Coca Cola got it’s start.  You go through different exhibits like the Coca Cola Vault, a 4D movie about Coca Cola, and how they make, bottle, and distribute Coca Cola.  The last exhibit gives you the chance to taste all the different flavors of Coca Cola all around the world!  It was quite interesting,

After the World of Coca Cola, we headed over to the Georgia Aquarium.

This was my favorite one.  Mainly because I absolutely love animals and anything to do with water! So here are a few pictures of the fish and other interesting things we saw!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was so much more, but that is a good summary of what you can see at the Georgia Aquarium!  Like I said, if you’re ever in Atlanta you should check them out!  Let me know if you do and what you enjoyed seeing!  Thanks for stopping by!  Later guys!

Janna Banana!

Walt Disney World….Here we come!!!

Yes it’s true!  I’m on my way BACK to Disney!  For those of you who don’t know me, I’m a huge Walt Disney fan!  I love all things Disney from the movies, to the characters, to the theme park, and to the man who made his dream come true!  

 http://movieriot.blogspot.com/2011/12/happy-birthday-walt-disney.html

Walt Disney is one of my Super Heroes!  He not only created many of my favorite movies, but he envisioned and completed his dreams of a happy place for everyone!  It’s not just the buildings and the characters that excite me at Walt Disney World, it’s the memories that are made there, the smile on a child’s face the first time they see the castle and realize that there is a such thing as fairy tales.  That’s all Walt Disney ever talked about was for children to be able to come to a place and really experience happiness no matter their age!

This trip I’m taking Brandon’s and my baby cousin Lily bug for her first trip ever!

I am so excited, because to me this is the best part of Disney World. I’m sure I will have tons of pictures to share when we return. I hope she has as much fun as I always do. So on the eve of our departure to this very special place, I’ve decide to leave you a few of my favorite highlights of Walt Disney World.

The first stop I make on my trip to Disney is the Pirates of the Caribbean!  It is my favorite ride!  Not to mention who’s usually outside telling his stories of swashbuckling pirates and skally wags! (I have no idea if I spelled any of that correct!)

Jack Sparrow…Oh excuse me Captain Jack Sparrow!  Sorry he’s a little blurry, he really wouldn’t stand still!

On to my next stop.

Da da dhum. The Haunted Mansion!  I love it!  And just this past year it got a new queue line that is interactive!  If you choose to take the cemetery route you can play musical instruments and an eerie organ!  It’s so much more fun than just standing in line waiting! O and don’t forget…

Beware of Hitchhiking Ghosts!!! (Don’t say I didn’t warn ya!)

Now leaving Frontier Land and entering Fantasyland, you will notice upon your arrival several changes from the original Fantasyland.

Dumbo’s Flight has been moved and another added.  Also a whole other world has been created for Ariel and Belle with the construction of a new resturant Be Our Guest and Belle’s village from Beauty and the Beast as well as a new ride for Under the Sea.  Not only will Belle and Ariel have their own attractions so will the Seven Dwarfs with their mine coaster!  I can not wait for everything to open, but supposedly Dumbo’s Flight will be open when we go this weekend!!

Another great attraction we enjoy is Mickey’s Philharmagic.  It’s a 3D show with sounds, smells, and magic!  It’s great for all ages and is my mama’s favorite throughout the entire park!  You should check it out!  Be sure to watch Donald Duck’s exit!  It’s pretty funny!

When we take a first timer with us it is a must for them to ride It’s A Small World.  It’s not my favorite ride, actually it’s my worst nightmare, the song just get’s stuck in your head and your singing it ALL day long and it’s just torture.  But it’s a must for any first timer and it just so happens we will have a first timer with us so…We will be riding It’s A Small World!  YAY!!

Now here at Fantasyland you will find the backside of Cinderella’s Castle and the entrance to her Dining room!  It’s also a great experience for the kiddos.  You get to meet Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother and Cinderella herself!  I have recently learned that if you go for breakfast you may get a chance to meet ALL the princesses!  It’s just so much fun seeing all the kids faces smiling…and my own!

Once you leave Fantasyland you will run into Tomorrowland.  Here you can see one of Walt Disney’s very own creations.  It is a little dated, but it is interesting none the less.  It’s called Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress.   Space Mountain is a blast!  It’s geared for the older kids, but is loads of fun.  We also enjoy Buzz Lightyear’s ride which is like a moving arcade game and you get to play against your ride partner to see who has the best aim!  It’s lots of fun.  And you have to do the Monster Inc’s Laugh Floor where the whole show is audience interactive.  It will definitely have you laughing! 

Well that pretty well gives you a tour of my favorite rides.  Of course this is not all there is to do and ride, but these are the highlights of my trip! As for food, Cinderella’s is fun, but a bit pricey so we pick and chose when to eat there.  For lunch I usually like to eat at the Columbia Harbour House, which serves some good sea food! And I enjoy eating at Casey’s Corner at night right before the Fireworks.  Speaking of Fireworks…

The best part of my day is when the lights go dim all over the park and Jiminy Cricket’s voice echoes through out the park announcing that wishes can come true.  I get chills all over as that first spark lights up the sky for the most spectacular firework show on the planet!  It’s absolutely magical!  I’m getting teary eyed just thinking about it!  Well guys, I’m off to make a few more dreams come true!  If you have any suggestions to make our trip even better please share in the comments below!

 

Janna Banana!