Hippity Hoppity...

Happy Easter!

What's everyone doing today?

Our plans are quite the normal...

I'm up and ready this morning.

Got my Green bean casserole done & my deviled eggs dyed

and ready to be eaten.

{recipe to follow this week}

Dinner at my Mommas starting at 1pm, along with my GI-gantic family {of 30+}

following with a massive Easter egg hunt.

I always look forward to seeing my nieces & nephews in their Easter outfits.

Something about a good Easter outfit makes my heart smile.

Then we have our second dinner at 5pm

back on the hill with Aaron's family following a very small egg hunt.

However, we actually have kids on his side this year who can hunt so I'm pretty pumped.
It's his Daddy's birthday!
 Happy Birthday Mr. Paul! If my husband keeps growing up to be just like you..
I'm so happy with it.
His gift? Beer & iTune Gift Cards.
Yes. He is seriously addicted to iTunes now that Aaron showed him how.
We find it quite funny.
Interesting Fact: My father in law loves music, writes his own songs, plays
the guitar & sings away beautifully.

Cheers to another year with you. We love you very much!

I hope to have a follow up post on how Easter day went, with pictures to share
later this week. Until then... Good Day♥

Me + You = let's get personal

... and have some fun!

Okay. So I've tried this before.

Never really much luck.

Am I that... lame?

Do I keep you snoozing?

Or do I just talk to damn much & you already know everything about me?

Okay. Don't answer that.

I already know I talk excessively.

But is all serious-ness.

 Let's have some fun people!

So. Here is goes.

I've put myself out there a time or two

but now is the time to ....

ASK ME ANYTHING

That's right. Whatever you want.

Serious. Creative. Funny. Not Funny. Dumb. Personal.

As long as it is about me, I'll answer it.

I'll even go as far as answering what my favorite ZOO animal is

like I remember The Bargin Blonde having too.

{yes... i looked that post up. yes.... i spent forever looking for it.}

Answers will be up next week.

Until then.

It's all peaches & cream gluten free food.

... & kisses too♥

Please welcome a home-town friend, now a blog friend....

Hi friends & fellow bloggers!

I have a very special friend of mine

yesss... a hometown friend. A friend I've known for many many years.

Yeah well... she is now considered  blogger.

 

is JUST starting her blog.

 Like {Just Starting}.

Now I'm not gonna say I had anything to do with it but

basically I set her up... I forced her. Gave her no option.

Candice is not only a special friend of mine but one of my real life

besties. She was in my wedding {& her hubby too}. If you follow me on instagram {stilettosandafishingpole} you have probably seen our [Yahtzee Games] a time to do.

You've seen her in my St. Patricks Day pictures.

She's a pinterest junkie. She loves to shop. Small town gal. The BIGGEST heart

for all animals, which is why she has three labs... yes labs {Annie, the momma had a litter of puppies and Candice would NOT.. I repeat would NOT just give them away to anyone. Which is how she ended up with Annabelle & Rugar}. Poor child can't be on time for anything... we love her though. I've started telling her the wrong time {an hour early} just so she doesn't miss out on anything. She has a heart of gold. One of those... be there in a second if you need me {probably the ONLY time she's on time. haha {love you girl}}

Shes plays the BEST damn snookie I've ever seen. Which brings me to say she loves her some trashy Jersey Shore. You've even seen her win the Santa's Little Helper award at this Christmas Party. She's fun. I love her! Xo

I'm stopping there before I get all sappy.

Even though she knows like...

everything about me. She reads my blog consistently.

And probably yours too.

I begged and pleaded for her to join the blogging world.

She claimed,  "My life is too boring. I don't write."

Yeah well can we all please tell her ...

we don't consider ourselves writers either?!?

Well... most of us.

 Some of you do. Not me.

Anyways. Please head over to

 her place and please give her a big welcome.

She is really awesome and I know she's gonna make a wonderful blogger.

You will LOVE her hubby Daniel, who is her complete opposite.

{kind of like Aaron... only louder - no joke}

Direct her. Give her advice. Be nice.

Follow her if you want. You will see a LOT more of me if you do.

Isn't that fun?

Uhhhh... duh!

So what are you waiting for?
Go meet Candice. Thanks LOVERS!Peace out!  

bloom :: finding the beauty in the unexpected

Kelle Hampton
a blogger, a mom, now a writer.



So are you in tears?

Because I was  earlier, when I saw this video on The Mess' blog. And every time I see this video I feel more touched and I cry more - I can't stop watching it.

I immediately felt compelled to write and share. Nobody should miss out.

I started following Kelle Hampton many months ago.

I've been watching her throw the best of birthdays, the most creative holiday parties & day in and out of her life with her two little girls and her husband. One of my favorite posts

was a Christmas Party {a must read} she had for the girls and their friends. It blew me away.

I was drawn to this. If you know me, you understand my love with children

with special needs. As a team member of the SOGA {Special Olympics of Georgia} & always a fan of the special needs kids/adults - I loved seeing Kelle with Nella and the life she gives her.

I always questioned why you saw a person with down syndrome

in the clothes that never fit, was extremely out of date and ... just bad.

I always wondered why their hair was never fixed and their shoes were... pitiful looking.

Just because they weren't born listed as the "normal" baby, doesn't mean they needed to be put out on the roof and be given up on. Kelle doesn't do that. She is inspiration to this world. She is a wonderful reason why I love blogging. Kelle makes the world a better place.

Nella is the beauty of all.

She smiles. She plays well. She loves. She's beautiful.

Their life {the whole family} has always been so inspiring.

I recommend you read her heart-felt birth story after this post. 

#TrueStory

A week ago my husband had to deliver something to a company.

After leaving he calls me and says

Aaron: "I just left a place that you would LOVE.

Me: {thinking he is being funny} "Oh yeah, where?"

Aaron: Coastal {something, I forgot}"

Me: "What is that?"

Aaron: "It's a place where all special needs people of all ages

work. They have them doing so many different things. I didn't think they lived to be

as old as some of them where."

Me: "Oh how fun. Yeah, they do. They are just like us."

Aaron: When I walked in, they all just looked at me and I felt kind of

weird... uncomfortable. {saying this very sincere}

Me: "Well now you know how the world looks at them when they

walk in a room."

Aaron: "Hey hey now, I wasn't being mean. Don't judge."

And that stuck with me for a while because it's so true.

As  much as my husband wasn't NOT trying to say or judge them, making them an outkast,

that is exactly what this world does. Kind of like Kelle was making a point of ...

She thought he world was over, yet it was just starting.

I bought this book today. Immediately. It's been out for one day.  

You can find it at any Barnes & Nobles, Books a Million, Target or online HERE

 @ Target with a coupon code of 10% off { code = TGT4TWW7},

online offer expires Apirl 10th.

Thank You Kelle. I'm so excited and can not wait to see what you have

to say. Thank you Stephanie for writing just a wonderful post today.

It sucked my wonderful eyes right in.

Stuffed Artichokes

The Recipe
This is a old family recipe that I'm sure my grand mother got somewhere else. However I always looked forward to Momma making these once a year. They are {fattening} delicious.

Ingredients:
4 - Artichokes
1 Cup - Parmesan Cheese
3.5 - Sticks of Margarine
1/3 Cup - Vegetable Oil
4 Cups - Italian Bread Crumbs
1 tsp - salt

How to prepare:
Before anything, you want to cut of the bottom stems of the artichoke to where it can sit by itself. Then wash them without pulling the leaving apart, drain well. Melt your margarine. Add your Italian bread crumbs & cheese together with your margarine. {Should be moist, not soupy}. Stuff as many leaves using 1 tsp of your mixture. Make sure you push bread crumbs down as best as possible.

Next you find a large pot - fill with 3 inches of water, your oil & your salt & place your artichokes in the pot. Bring water to boil {on high} & then cover and reduce to medium.
Cook for two hours. {Or until the leaves will just pull off very easily. Should not have to tug.

I had to use two pots. A smaller pot for just one artichoke. The one by itself cooked for 2 hours, however the other three I cooked for 3 hours.

You do not eat the leaves itself, however you bite down on the the leaf and pull with your teeth.

You'll love it.

You can thank  me later!