Showa!

This weekend has been crazy! Saturday I worked at the coffee shop, went to a makeup appointment with our Mary Kay consultant to figure out Erin's and the bridesmaid makeup for the wedding, figured out Erin's bridal hair, and went to her bridal shower! It was beautiful and lots of fun. I was so glad to see all of my friends there. We all send these chain emails back and forth, but it's so good to see them in person!

Erin got so many pretty things! (My mom gave Erin these potholders from Anthropologie)

Of course we had a little fun while we were there. ;-)

Fun! (Ashlee, Sital, Katherine, me, Erin, Corey)

Today, I made my own granola bars!

They turned out wonderful. I was inspired by a blog I read, where she makes these huge batches of granola bars, called Alliebars.

I found a recipe online for chewy granola bars and tweaked it a little bit.

Ingredients:
4.5 cups of rolled oats (NOT quick oats. I read that they are more likely to be crumbly if you use quick oats)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup of honey
2/3 cups of melted butter
1 cup of flour
1 tsp. Vanilla extract
1 tsp. baking soda

Add in all ingredients in a bowl. Add in any mix-ins you like. I bought a scoop of two different trail mixes as Fresh Market, which ended up being so convenient (and I actually think cheaper, considering I didn't buy any more than I needed, only to be stuck with leftovers, and both of my trail mixes were 25% off!). I had: dried cranberries, pistachios, cashews, pecans, sunflower seeds, almonds, and raisins.

Press the mixture firmly into a greased pan. Bake @ 325 F for 18 to 22 minutes. Take out and let cool for 15-20 minutes before cutting and serving.

I cut them into 18 bars and I figured each is ~200 calories. I individually packaged them for when I'm on the go. So much fun. I love baking!

-- Post From My iPhone

(via centrecountyrecycles.com)

Phewww!!! I'm pretty sure this picture sums up how I feel right now! Yesterday afternoon, I was awarded "Outstanding Senior in News-Editorial," the highest honor for my major. (Well, ok, sort-of. Everyone falls under "journalism" and must pick an emphasis- i.e. News-Editorial, PR, Broadcast, Film) Afterwards, my parents came back to my house and packed up most of the non-essential furniture I brought. It's sad, but it needed to go! I only have three weeks left, so it won't be bare for long!

Today, I am presenting a paper at an Undergraduate Research Conference at USM. I've never presented a paper at a conference before, so it should be interesting.

After this, all I have left are an English paper, my capstone portfolio, my big "beat" story, and two exams and I am HOME free!!

More later!

It's been a crazy weekend! Today my sister, MG, and I went to see Rachael Ray at the Colliseum. We really had no idea what to expect, but it was really cool.

Half of the Colliseum was for the show, while the other half had booths with all kinds of products, etc. People were buying things everywhere! There were a few cute things I liked (one really cool measuring spoon set that I'm going to have to find somewhere), but most booths were only taking cash!

Here is my sneaky picture of RR. I was sitting next to a security person and they said repeatedly DO NOT take photos. So, I sneaked a photo for the sake of the blog. The show was interesting and it was fun to see her, but it was short! Also, halfway through the show the stage lights went out so we were left in the dark! Eventually they got the building lights to come back on (they are those fluorescent lights that take a while to warm up before they come on). It was definitely interesting to say the least.

Coastee for a Day

When I was in high school, people around me used to discount USM. It was either Ole Miss or State and Southern was for the "coastees." It truly seemed like the coast was a whole different world away. Heck, it might as well have been a different state for me. But, after a last minute "Ah-ha" moment, I decided to give USM a try over my once coveted Ole Miss. What I found out is that I liked the so-called coastees. In fact, a lot of them knew how to have more fun than people back home. Not to mention I was way closer to awesome places like New Orleans and, of course, the coast.

It's also funny for me, because I feel like the coast (and USM) gets considerably more play now than before. Maybe it took Katrina to make it important to more than just south Mississippi. It definitely needs all it can get.

Every time I go back to the coast, I can't help but love the vibe it has. Forget Daytona Beach, Miami, Destin - this is where it's at for me.

Hoping to enjoy the little time we have left (27 days!!), my best friend Erin and I took a day trip to the coast to soak it all in and get a few Walter Anderson prints before we are too far away.

We started out at Coffee Fusion, a cool coffee place that specializes in bubble tea. It sounds weird, but oh-my-goodness, it's amazing. Typically made with a milk tea, such as Oregon Chai, bubble tea is created with tapioca (which give the illusion of bubbles). Bubble tea can be frozen/blended or liquid form. Coffee Fusion's bubble tea is typically blended, but can be liquid with "bubbles" suspended.

Afterward, we hit downtown Ocean Springs. Though I don't have pictures, we made a B-line to Realizations, a store at the old train depot in Ocean Springs which is run by and sells nothing but works by the Anderson family (mostly everything Walter Anderson). I got a great crab print and shirt!

After a stroll down Washington Avenue (and a look in the windows of a tapas bar which was closed for lunch... grr) we headed to Shearwater Pottery.

It may be down the scariest gravel road in your life, but it's worth it. The pottery is beautiful and you've got the added benefit of a great harbor view inside. We both debated all kind of pieces but ended coming out empty handed. We both want to come back with more money to invest in some of the more expensive, substantial pieces. There is a $70 pitcher with my name on it! (Ok, not literally)

Getting hungry for lunch, we drove back downtown and per a local's suggestion (thanks to the girl at Chandelier Outfitters!) we ate at Mediterrianeo. Though I was in the mood for Greek, I could help but get the CRAB CAKE SANDWICH. If you know anything about me, you should know that crab cakes are my weakness. As in, they are the food to my heart. There's not one I won't eat (except, put that remoulade on the side, please?). This was divine! (Aunt Jan, I told Erin that these were your kind of fries. Perfect steak fries- so hot but crispy and awesome!)

We rolled out of the restaurant sleepy and content. It was so much fun to get back to the coast at least one more time before we got too far away.

Happy (Belated) Easter!

I hope you guys had a great Easter yesterday! Our family had a lot of fun, especially going over to my grandparents' house for the day. Toby, of course, got to go along. I'm pretty sure it's safe to say that everyone enjoyed him!

Speaking of "enjoying," we also got to enjoy the fountain one of my grandparents' neighbors randomly put in the lake in their backyard. Funny thing is, it's controlled by the people who put it in, so you never know when it's going to be on or not. Needless to say, it's a conversation piece. :)

We also dyed easter eggs. I remember when I was little we would dye them in their backyard on a picnic table and I think the package only came with about 6 colors. Now, there are 12 colors in a box!! Who needs that many? I know I'm definitely not old by any means, but it's surprising when things change like that.

Off to a packed week of classes and some fun thrown in. On Wednesday, Erin and I are headed to the coast to go to Shearwater and hopefully to get a good po-boy while we're at it!