All That's Southern, Short, and Sweet

Blogging about my Bedroom to Avoid Blogging about Casey Anthony

2011-07-05T18:21:00.000-07:00

I had halfway typed my response to the Casey Anthony trial when I decided that it really didn't matter what I thought. Besides, I already ranted and raved with my friends and on Twitter, and at some point you just have to move on. Do I think justice was served? No. There is still a little girl who lost her life tragically early. However, our great country has a justice system where the accused are innocent first. And although I think the evidence made Casey guilty of at least SOMETHING, the jury did not, and I guess that has to be good enough.

Anyways. Moving on. I redid my bedroom colors and linens this weekend with the help of my parents. I had been snuggling into the same Ralph Lauren paisley blue and yellow comforter since my junior year of college, and it was just time for a change! I've been loving greens and teals lately, and I found the perfect curtains at Pier 1.

I chose a simple white comforter from Bed, Bath, and Beyond to replace the old paisley one. I'm temporarily keeping my light blue sheets and pillowcases until I figure out what color to replace them with. To bring in some color I found a super fun green ruffle pillow at Pier 1 and a blue and teal pillow from Target. We even found a teal cube ottoman to sit beside the bed that is perfect for little Pearl puppy to use when hopping to and from the bed!

I still have some work to do, but it's so nice to have a fun color palate to work with in my room! As you can see from the picture, Pearl is really enjoying it too! Next up is getting a short, wide bookshelf to put at the foot of the bed to store some books. I've still got some boxes with stuff in them to unpack!

Hope you're having a great Tuesday!

Happy 5 Month Birthday to Pearl!

2011-07-04T19:24:00.000-07:00

That's right...it's my little Corgi pup's 5 Month Birthday! Pearl is growing up so fast!

Happy 5 month birthday little Corgi!

Recipe of the Week: 2 Uses for Patriotic Funfetti

2011-07-04T18:38:00.000-07:00

Ok so I'm obsessed with anything patriotic, and I LOVE to bake. Who doesn't love funfetti mix? It's so simple and so delish! Imagine my absolutely delight when I stumbled upon this gem:

That's right, it's Stars and Stripes Funfetti! What's not to love? I immediately snatched 2 boxes of the mix and 2 jars of the frosting off the shelf and started plotting things to do with them.

Here's what I came up with:

1. Funfetti Cookies

Apparently a lot of people didn't realize that funfetti also makes fabulous cookies. I made these as a special treat for our student interns at work, and they were all gone within about 5 minutes, so I guess they were good! The recipe is on the side of the mix box. It's as easy as this (from Pillsbury.com):

Ingredients:

1 Box of Funfetti Cake Mix

1/3 Cup of Oil

2 Eggs

1/2 can Funfetti Frosting

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees

2. Combine cake mix, oil, and eggs in bowl. Stir until thoroughly mixed

3. Shape dough into 1 inch balls and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets

4. Use a tablespoon to flatten into 1/4 inch thick cookies

5. Bake at 375 for 6-8 minutes or until edges are a light brown

6. Cool, ice, and sprinkle!

2. Cupcake Ice Cream Cones

How cute are these? I took these to 2 of my dear friends' 4th of July cookout, and they were a smash hit! These are perfect for the summertime because they're just as fun as having an ice cream cone, but they don't melt!

Ingredients:

1 box of Funfetti

3 eggs

1/3 cup of oil

1 cup water

24 Cake Cones

Directions:

1. Mix the cake mix, eggs, oil, and water in a large bowl

2. Place cake cones in cupcake or mini-cupcake pan

3. Fill cone to the top of the stem (roughly 1 tablespoon of batter)

4. Bake at instructed temperature for 15-20 minutes

5. Cool, ice, and sprinkle

The trickiest part to these is having a steady hand when putting them in the oven and taking them out. It's worth the trouble though...people will devour these!

Hope you'll put these 2 simple recipes to work in your own kitchen!

Best,

Trying out blogging....again

2011-07-04T18:08:00.000-07:00

So I really love the idea of keeping a blog. I always have. I kept one when I traveled for Tri Delta, I started one for just random life things, and I had one last summer when I was doing an internship in Dallas. Other than my Tri Delta one, I haven't been the best at keeping up with said blogs. So here I go again, starting to blog again with the best of intentions. We'll see what happens!

For those of you who have followed along on my journeys before, you should know that a lot has happened in the past year. Most notably...I got a job, I got my Master's degree, I moved to a new place, and I got a puppy! You'll hear about some of the things as I blog...especially my Welsh Corgi puppy, Pearl, who I'm absolutely obsessed with (in a totally normal way of course..maybe). You'll also see some house stuff too because hopefully I'll have some good stuff to share!

We'll see what this turns into, but I hope you enjoy following along as I shop, cook, love, and laugh my way through life!

Best,

It's America

2010-07-01T16:57:00.000-07:00

Country music singer Rodney Atkins has a great song about things that make up his image of America.

It's a high school prom
It's a Springsteen song
It's a ride in a Chevrolet
It's a man on the moon
And fireflies in June
And kids sellin' lemonade
It's cities and farms
It's open arms
One nation under God
It's America

These aren't huge concepts but just simple things that make up what he loves about America. It should be no surprise to any of you that of course I had to do a 4th of July inspired post full of love and pride for the greatest country in the world. So here it is...a handful of things that make me love the land of the free and the home of the brave.

The star spangled banner blowing in the wind
Pledge of allegiance
Patriotic songs- National Anthem, Proud to be an American, etc.
Democracy
Picnics and cookouts
Common, every day people made into heroes
The men and women of the Armed Forces
Voting in local, state, and national elections
Religion and spirituality- and the fact you can worship whatever you want and however you want
People who love America becoming American citizens
Singing the National Anthem at a sporting event
Parades
Knowing my grandfathers fought for our country
The White House
The fact that women have the freedom to vote, work, and do all of the things a man can do
Fireworks
Regional and state pride
The willingness to lend a helping hand to countries and people in need
Being able to say "I'm Native American, Scottish, and English but I'm 100% American"
Availability of quality education
The American dream
Outdoor concerts
Seeing an entire country brought together by sporting events like the World Cup and the Olympics
Knowing that our leaders are not born royalty but common citizens elected into their positions
The beautiful spirit of Americans during nation and world wide tragedies
Freedom of speech
Our beautiful landscape...from sea to shining sea.
The importance and value of family...and sometimes creating your own family
Equal rights
The fact that the Constitution that was created in 1787 still governs us today
Hearing the dreams of little boys and girls and knowing that they can achieve them
Small towns and knowing everyone (or big cities and not knowing anyone!)

This is definitely a random list but certainly not a full list. What would you add? What makes you proud to be an American??

My summer by the books

2010-06-27T19:02:00.001-07:00

One of the things I've always loved about summer in addition to the sun, the beach, 4th of July, outdoor concerts, relaxation, and driving with the windows down is being able to read whatever I want. This is the one time each year that I can read for pure pleasure instead of having to read what is prescribed by my classes. Now I'll be honest, some of the books I read are silly girly books just to escape from the real world, others are biographies of fascinating people, some are related to my field of study, while others are an attempt to expand my world view. That's the beauty of a book...it can serve so many purposes! Here's what I've read so far...

Kicked my summer off with Privilege: Harvard and the Education of the Ruling Class by Ross Gregory Douthat.

This book is from Dr. Pruitt's summer reading list, and I really enjoyed it. It gave an interesting look into the ways Ivy League schools claim to be "diverse" but really most of the students come from the same select few high schools. It included a look into the often secret world of Harvard including interesting students, traditions, and educational tactics. I'd recommend this for anyone looking to work at an Ivy League or elite wealthy school.

Moved onto my highly anticipated read, Laura Bush's Spoken from the Heart.

I don't think I have to go into much detail about this one. I loved it. Just like I love everything else about Laura Bush. For more on my obsession, revisit this entry. Mrs. Bush provided an in depth look at hers and former President Bush's life together and a behind the scenes look at the events so many people were quick to critique. She wrote the book beautifully, and I really enjoyed reading it from SMU's campus, where she received her Bachelor's degree.

Then I read SMU's common reading book, Zeitoun by Dave Eggers.

I'll just be honest...I didn't think this book sounded all that interesting, and I was surprised that SMU chose a book about a Muslim family's life during Hurricane Katrina. Now I'm a huge fan of the book and would recommend it to anyone. It follows Zeitoun, a Muslim from Syria, who stays behind in New Orleans to protect his house during and after Hurricane Katrina. The story shows both the beauty and the horridness of the human spirit that can be brought out by terrible disasters. The added element of racial profiling and prejudice only made the book more interesting yet heart wrenching. It's a hard book to explain, but I'd suggest that you read it.

Next came South Carolina's first year reading experience book, Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer.

Another book that I surprisingly liked. It was a very quick read that was written in such an interesting way. It combines the retelling of a tragic death with the author's on personal story and excerpts from other well known authors. I think this book will bring about great discussions amongst first years at USC this year, as it tells the story of a privileged young man who gave up everything he had to make his way across the country and into the wilderness of Alaska.

Jodi Picoult's Perfect Match had been sitting on my shelf for a while, and I finally got around to reading it.

I love all of Jodi Picoult's book because they make you think and put yourself in the shoes of the characters. This book presents another situation that makes you think "would I go that far for my family?" Her books always make me question what I think is right and wrong given certain heart wrenching situations.

Lauren H. let me borrow Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris, which is the first of the Sookie Stackhouse series. These are the books True Blood on HBO is adapted from.

If you like the show, you'll love the books. I know it's weird to like vampire things, but I own up to it at least!

Coming back from the wedding this weekend I finally picked up Jenny Sanford's Staying True and finished it in one day.

Like I said, this was a very quick read. Jenny Sanford was very honest about the ups and downs of being a politician's wife. I love that her story is different because she didn't stand next to her husband as he admitted to the press that he had an Argentenian mistress, she made him do it by himself. However, she thought about her 4 sons and tried to reconcile with Governor Sanford, but he was not willing to meet her terms. Jenny Sanford shows what it takes to be a strong woman even when then entire country has you under a magnifying class. I loved this excerpt from her book:

"What matters most is how you live your life, not what you have to show for it. I ask myself if I have tried my best to love my family, to improve my character, to make a positive impact on the world in some small way. I know who I love and I know who loves me, and if I have made a positive impression on others, that's great. But if someone out there doesn't like me because of something they read in the paper or saw on TV, then that's ok with me, too."

Now I'm reading one of those girlie books I mentioned, Jennifer Weiner's Best Friends Forever.

Other books on my list for the summer:

The Five Love Languages
Nudge
Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard
Lowcountry Summer (new book by Dorthea Benton Frank...one of my favorite authors!)

What are you reading this summer??

Kisko/Anderson Wedding Weekend

2010-06-27T13:22:00.000-07:00

I'm back from a great quick trip to Charlotte for Amy and Josh's wedding weekend! It was a jam-packed visit for sure. Amy picked me and my big, Melissa, up from the Charlotte airport Thursday afternoon, and we went back to her house to start getting ready for the rehearsal. The church was a cute little white wooden church in Charlotte, and we got to see how the ceremony would go. After that, the whole wedding party drove to Capital Grille for a wonderful rehearsal dinner hosted by the Andersons. Everyone in the wedding party was super nice, so we all had a great time together.

Wedding day was really packed and a little stressful with everyone having to get their hair and make up done plus get dressed and have pictures taken, but it was fun to all be together. Amy looked absolutely beautiful just like I knew she would, and all of our outfits came together beautifully. The ceremony seemed to go by so fast, and before I knew it...they were married!

Of course the best part of the whole weekend was having a huge time at the reception. I got to see some of my sorority sisters that I hadn't seen in a while, which was so fun! Everyone danced and ate and drank and had a blast. The whole evening went flawlessly and flew by!Of course a great way to come back to Dallas was to see the ending of the Carolina/Clemson game and see the Gamecocks WIN! I can't wait to watch them play in the championship games. Go Gamecocks!!!

Wedding Weekend

2010-06-23T16:39:00.000-07:00

This Friday is a big day for the Mafia. Don't worry, I'm talking about my Tri Delta family, which is called the Mafia...and we don't kill people or do anything illegal. Anyways, Friday is a big day because my little sis, Amy, gets married to her college sweetheart, Josh! I'm honored to be a bridesmaid in the wedding along with my big sis, Melissa. I fly out to Charlotte tomorrow where someone will pick me and Melissa up, and the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner are tomorrow night. We're having a bridesmaid sleepover with Amy at her parent's house Thursday night and then the big day is Friday!

One of Amy and Josh's engagement pics taken at Elon

photo by John Honeycutt

Amy, Melissa, Me

With Amy at 2008 Homecoming

Amy's always been so special to me. I talked to her during recruitment when she came through the Tri Delta house, and I just knew she'd be a great fit for our chapter. I was her pledge class's new member educator and then ended up being her big sister! We were super lucky to have a close relationship and enjoyed a lot of fun times together at Elon. We definitely stuck by each other through thick and thin! I know that she'll make such a beautiful bride and a great wife to Josh. I know we're in for a fun-filled weekend!

Tri Delta formal sophomore year

Before going out one night at my apartment

New Year's Eve 2008

The Cycle of Student Affairs

2010-05-13T20:36:00.000-07:00

I love my job. There are very few days when I have come home and really genuinely not enjoyed a day at work in the Student Government office. I am so blessed to work with some of the most talented, ambitious, intelligent, and fun students that I could ever hope for. Over the course of this year I was able to work with a truly great group of executive officers, senators, and cabinet members. Luckily only a handful of the students I work with graduated this year, so I did not have to say goodbye to many students.

I went to lunch with my boss and one graduating senior, Meredith, this week. We had a great time at Gourmet Shop talking about the year, how far SG had come, and what Meredith's plans were for the future. As I hugged Meredith goodbye and realized she'd be moving off to a great job opportunity in the next month, it hit me: this was just the first of thousands of goodbyes I'll say to students over the span of my career. That's the cycle of student affairs...and education in general really...we get to spend a short time with these students, watch them make mistakes, watch them achieve things they never thought they could, and hopefully take some part in their growth and learning over their 4 years of school.

How hard is that though? We get attached to these students..they come parts of our lives. There are some students that I stop in to see me several times a week, and it would feel as if something were missing from my day if they just weren't there any longer. I suppose we just have to find the beauty in the cycle. They are supposed to leave us and go on to do bigger things because that is why student affairs professionals do what we do...we want students to succeed. All we can hope for is that when they leave, we've done everything we can do to prepare them for the world beyond college.

Graduation and Goodbyes

2010-05-09T17:44:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe, but it's been almost 2 years since I graduated from my undergraduate institution, Elon University. I thought my time at Elon were some of the best years of my life, from the time I received my acorn at Freshman Convocation to the time I received my oak sapling at graduation. I felt completely at home among the beautiful brick buildings and towering oak trees, and I made some of the best friends I could have ever imagined. I joined Tri Delta, which made me a stronger, more well-rounded woman and found my passion for higher education.

However, four years flew by and suddenly it was May 24, 2008: the day of my graduation. After the parties subsided and my apartment was packed up, it was time to leave Elon behind. My friends went our separate ways, and it was so hard to say goodbye. I remember opening my door to say goodbye to friend after friend and bursting out in tears as soon as my arms wrapped around them. Even though I had a great job ahead of me it seemed in that moment that life as I knew it was over. In a way, I guess it was, but it was really just the finale to one chapter and not the whole book.

Fast forward one year, and I am back in the academic world, this time at the University at South Carolina for graduate school. I came to Columbia not knowing what to expect of graduate school or the people I would be in class with and working alongside. Somehow, I managed to find another perfect fit with the most wonderful people to call my friends. I have made friends that will celebrate my biggest successes, hold me when I cry after a long and stressful day, call me with a funny story, listen to me complain about everything from boys to school, and who push me to be a better professional and person.

Now, two years after I said tearful goodbyes at Elon, here I am saying goodbyes to HESA friends. Most of us will only be separated for the summer as we go off to our internships, but the 2nd years in the program are leaving Columbia to take jobs at institutions across the country. Goodbyes are so hard to say, especially when you have no idea if you'll ever see one another again. However, I feel confident that football games and conferences will bring us all back together again.

I thought life was over when I left Elon, but grad school has taught me that life does go on, there are good people everywhere, and like the Carrie Underwood quote goes "sometimes moving on with the rest of your life starts with goodbye."

Move Over Jackie O

2010-05-04T13:12:00.000-07:00

Sure, Jackie O had the fancy Cassini gowns, exotic vacations to India, pillbox hats, strands of pearls, and large sunglasses, but in my eyes she has nothing on former First Lady Laura Bush. I have a confession to make...I am a self-proclaimed First Lady junkie. It was even my Halloween costume this year. I love seeing what philanthropic and service organizations they promote and get involved in. I love their clothes and poise. Sometimes I even agree with their husband's political views. However, Laura Bush is the complete package, picture-perfect First Lady. In case you didn't catch it today, she was on Oprah for her first interview since she left the White House 15 months ago to talk about her new book Spoken from the Heart and other aspects of her life. She was fabulous.

She is funny. She made fun of herself saying that when she married George W when they were both 31 her friend's parents said "the town's most eligible bachelor was marrying the old maid." She also said that all of their friends were already married so they "had to marry each other because we were the only ones left!" She was so candid and charming.

She is simple. Mrs. Bush drove Oprah's camera crew around the ranch in a white Ford pick-up truck. She said she's happiest when she's with her family at home and loves taking walks around the property with George W. or her daughters, Barbara and Jenna. Her wedding was a no-fuss affair in a Texas church where she walked down the aisle in a white silk shirt and skirt. As First Lady she sneaked out of the White House to go to Target. In a culture that values glamor and flashiness, I just find her simpleness so appealing.

She values reading and education. During her time as First Lady, she never lost sight of her passion to educate the youth of America. She advocated for the value of reading both in school and at home. It was so obvious that she didn't take on a charity just for appearances, but she did it because she really believed in it.

She is so deeply genuine. She conducted the whole interview as though she were talking to a room full of friends instead of talking on stage to Oprah. She was calm, real, and accessible. You just can't help but really like her. Her advice to her daughters on love is also something you can tell she really believes in: "Find somebody you love to be with and share the same hobbies with."

Combined with all of these things of course is the fact that she stayed so poised throughout all of the negative media backlash against her husband. She never lost her cool and never misspoke. Mrs. Bush also was able to keep a private life while being one of the most popular First Ladies the United States of America has ever seen. Laura Bush is a model in grace and humility, and I can't wait to read her new book Spoken from the Heart.

Oh and Jackie O, Laura B's clothes aren't too shabby either!