Economic Education in Mississippi

Clearly, I've been behind on posting my stories & news articles, which was in fact, the reason I started this blog...

The Rankin Ledger recently ran a story I covered on the Mississippi Council on Economic Education's luncheon. I was impressed to learn that our state is actually one of the top in the country on economic education, something we clearly need.

Pam Nail

I had the pleasure of interviewing Pam Nail, Mrs. World 88 and Jackson resident, for this story that ran in the Northeast Ledger. She was a victim of abuse as a child and has strived to help others in her shoes and she was also a real pleasure.

Clinton's 4Cs

The Clinton News ran a story in today's paper about the 4Cs, a non-profit that has been thriving in the Clinton community for years. I remember visiting their thrift store, which helps fund their food services, while in college at MC.

They are doing great work, especially for the often overlooked elderly population.

Punkin' Pickin'

Today my daughter's preschool class went on their annual field trip to the Pumpkin Patch. She woke me up this morning talking about how excited she was and she had a great time indeed. Here are a few pics:

She's the cutie third from the end on the right side.

Better late than never...

Doghouse was such a dear and tagged me with this award...

The Rules: Every superior scribbler will name 5 other super scribblers. if you are named you must link to the author & the name of the blog that gave you the award. then you must display the adorable award and link to this post, which explains the award. finally you must visit this post and tell your name to mr. linky list. then they will have a record of all the people who are super scribblers!

My nominations are:

Saranne - her sarcasm absolutely trips me out.

Black Betty - again, the sarcasm is what gets me. And the fact that her pregnancy posts are so funny and so true.

Bring the Rain - You just have to read the story... make sure you have tissue handy.

Randi - need beauty secrets? She's got them.

Stacey - Subtle hilarity and very down to earth.

Why I love the South - Reason #4

When I was a teenager I was determined that I was going to be a big-time television news reporter when "I grew up." The only thing that didn't appeal to me about that job was the fact that I would most likely have to give up my Southern accent.

I love a true Southern accent. Watching actors try to nail one drives me nuts.
Nicole Kidman in Cold Mountain.
Kyra Sedgwick in The Closer.
Julia Roberts in Charlie Wilson's War.
Give me a break. The list goes on and on.

My four-year-old is super Southern. I find myself correcting her when she draws out her one syllable words into four syllables or when she says "laht" rather than light. I've got to stop doing that. It seems that even Southerners think their own accent makes them look stupid, thanks to other parts of the country that take that to be the truth. I think it's a part of culture we need to hold on to.

Luckily for me, I grew up to be a writer rather than an on-air reporter (I guess I'm a grown up now?), so my accent is still dripping with y'alls, fixing-tos, and lots of syllables and hopefully, through written word, I can still sound somewhat intelligent to others throughout the country...just maybe.

Maturing...and I hate it.

I've heard that the ones that are really feeling the hurt from the economy are the hairdressers and nail techs. Apparently people are going longer between haircuts and forgoing having their nails done. I'm not one to get my nails done, but I have been going longer between visits to Alison, my trusty hairdresser, mostly out of laziness, not the economy.

BUT - I'm now in a mad rush to get an appointment with her ASAP!
I'm not old, I'm really not. In my mid-20s I SHOULD NOT be finding gray hair in my head, but they are ruthless, popping up like crazy out of nowhere. I've been plucking them (I know, I know, you're not supposed to do that) because they shine like a lighthouse on my head of dark brown hair.

Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. This stinks.

I've never been one to dye my hair, but I'm about to be a convert. Heads up, Alison, you're about to start getting a lot more of my money every six weeks. Hopefully I'll make up for some of that lost business due to the economy.

Brokenness

I try to keep things pretty light and airy on this blog, but I have to write about something that has been on my heart and mind this week. Our church is having a revival summit and we've been trying to make a conscious effort to go every night despite all the excuses we could find not to. I hate to say it, but I've been a little reluctant. I know deep down that I have to give up control, but being the control freak that I am makes that pretty tough. I really like my life the way it is. I have a relationship with God, but lately, that's it. He's my friend, yes, but I haven't allowed Him to take the reins.

Last night the speaker talked about brokenness and for the first time it really made sense to me why I have to come to God with a broken heart before He can do real work in me. He gave the example of how, in the Bible, the broken loaf of bread could feed the multitudes, the broken rock of Moses gushed with water, and finally, it took the broken body of Jesus to release the grace of God. Brokenness is when the good comes out, so to speak.

The speaker also made a great point that we can't say to God, "Thy kingdom come," unless we say "My kingdom go." Basically, I can surrender and be broken, allowing God to work in my life, or I can wait until He allows me to hit rock bottom. I've been in both positions before and know that it is much better to throw myself on the rock rather than to wait on the rock to fall on me.

So this week, my goal is to come to God with a broken and obedient spirit and wait and see what He has in store for me.

Back to the grind

Due to the constant weight gain and the fact that this working out at home thing is clearly not working for me, I joined a gym last week.

I went to the gym pretty religiously before we moved in March. I cancelled my membership and in an effort to save money, convinced myself I would work out at home. Not happening. I'd rather watch TV or eat, which is also clearly not working for me.

I actually really enjoy working out and I also enjoy dropping babies in the gym's child care and plugging into my ipod and not hearing any kid noises for a good hour and a half. I think this time out for me makes me more patient wiht my kids in the long run.

So, here's hoping this will make the creeping up of the scale subside. We shall see.

The dermatologist visit

So I went to see my dermatologist this morning. First of all, she looks so much like Sarah Palin, I could hardly concentrate on what she was saying. I just kept expecting her to break out in the awkward little dance Palin did on SNL's Weekend Update Saturday night (which was awesome, by the way).

When I left the appointment and started making my way through the parking lot, there was this man peering into the back of my car. Obviously he saw the "what the heck" look on my face and asked if that was my car. "Yep, sure is," I said. He preceded to tell me some story about how he needs a new car and was thinking of buying one like mine. He asked a few vague questions - "How does it drive?" yadayadayada. Then, he said, "I'm not going to rob you or hurt you or anything." Clearly the look of terror on my face said it all.

I've always been one to freak out in situations like that. He had a heavy jacket on and had his hands in his pockets the entire time. He was a shady looking character anyway, despite the fact he was circling my vehicle suspiciously. I just kept waiting on him to ask me to hand over my purse or knock me over the head with some blunt object. Luckily I was able to play it cool, jump in my car and drive off. I gave the derm's office a call on my way home just to give them a heads up about the guy in the parking lot. They all probably thought I was crazy. I'm sure it was some regular patient or something. I'm sure I overreacted, but you just don't go snooping in the windows of people's cars. Go to a car lot to check out vehicles!

Tagged...

I was tagged by Doghouse.
I'm pretty much an open book, so this is going to be hard.

1. I love lasagna and pizza, but hate spaghetti...with a passion.

2. I'm allergic to fake cinnamon. I'll take cinnamon toast anyday, but give me a cinnamon toothpick and my face swells up.

3. I grew up in the same town as Faith Hill - the only thing Star is famous for. And no, I'm not friends with her. I'm not that old. :)

4. I'm afraid of heights, unless I'm strapped in. Planes don't bother me, but ledges even five feet high scare me to death.

5. Growing up, my dream was to be on Good Morning America. Seriously.

6. I'm a clean freak living in a messy house.

7. I once had an obsession with Hanson.


Okay, now I'm embarassed.

I tag:

Andi

Saranne

Randi

Monica

Betty

Stacey

Carrie

Halloween Fun

This week the Clinton News ran a story I wrote on Halloween costumes. Like I said, I wish I were one of those creative moms that makes my kids' costumes, but I've found ordering them online is so much easier. I click and they arrive at my doorstep.

Sorry!

Sorry I've been a bit absent this week. I wish I could say I've been on some amazing vacation, but the truth is I'm a serial overbooker, which I've been extremely guilty of this week.

First, who saw Project Runway? Leanne, Kenley, and Korto were my favorites from the beginning. Although Kenley turned me off toward the end of the season, I love her designs. Korto's final collection was my favorite out of the three finalists, but I consistently like Leanne's designs throughout the entire season. I think she's really talented and I think the judges made a great decision.

Second, who saw the Presidential debate? Not me. I'm sick of it all. Important? Yes. I should have been a more concerned citizen and tuned in, but it's so exhausting. November won't come soon enough.

Tada!

Project headboard is complete! This was so easy thanks to a helpful father-in-law and a staple gun. I'm very pleased with the finished product. On to the next!

Halloween Costumes

So my four-year-old changes her mind A LOT. This poses a problem when it comes to Halloween costumes. We have gone from Little Red Riding Hood, to a "scary witch with a purple dress," to Dorothy from Wizard of Oz. I thought we had settled on Dorothy. She said she wanted her baby sister to be Toto. So that was the plan...until this morning.

I mentioned to my husband that I was going to order their costumes today (wish I had time to figure out some cute, creative way to make them myself, but I don't, so I'm paying for someone else's creativity and I'm ok with that). My daughter overheard me mention them and I said, "You still want to be Dorothy, right?" That was met with sure "No!," like I had lost my mind. So she informed me she wanted to be Alice in Wonderland and as a result, baby sister can't be Toto. So #1 is Alice and #2 is now going to be the Cheshire Cat and I think it will all be pretty stinking cute.

In the spirit of Halloween...

I have to make a plug for one of my new favorite shows - Ghost Hunters. This is a group of former plumbers that go into so-called haunted places all across the country and try to debunk any paranormal activity. Last night's episode was at an old plantation in south Louisiana - creepy. Lots of times "footsteps" are actually pipes in the floor, or orbs are actually dust particles, you get the idea. BUT- there are times they catch voices or sightings that they can't explain. I'm a skeptic when it comes to ghosts, but this show has made me think twice. My husband and I DVR it every week, wait until the kids are asleep, turn out all the lights and watch it, usually leaving us (or maybe just me) completely freaked out. If you get a thrill out of being spooked, you have to watch this show. It airs on the SciFi channel on Wednesday nights. Also check out Ghost Hunters International that airs in the summer. It's spooky too.

Oh what fun

Last night we went to the state fair to ride a few rides and have some fair food for dinner. The kids had a great time (and so did we). Our oldest was so excited and squealed the majority of the time and #2 chilled in the stroller in her usual manner. #1 wouldn't ride anything by herself, so we were the idiots squeezed into the kiddie rides.

Design on a Dime

By far, my favorite thing to spend money on is decorating my house. We moved into a new house in March and I have in my head exactly how I want each room to look. My goal is to take one room at a time and decorate it exactly how I want it.

The only problem is that my husband and I had to sit down recently and make out a very strict budget. The way the economy is going, we decided we should be saving more than we have been. I'm a bargain shopper anyway, so it's going to be fun to decide on inexpensive ways to achieve the looks I want.

I'm planning on posting these endeavors and any good outcomes. I'm sure there will be some things that don't turn out like I want, so you can learn from my mistakes. My current project is an upholstered headboard, so be on the look out for that.

Update on the weight loss...

I'm FAT. Officially.
Gained 4 more pounds. Not pregnant, believe me I checked to be sure. I mean, why else would I be gaining weight for no particular reason? I'm not middle aged, not pregnant, just fat. So as of today I'm doing without my diet cokes and only drinking water. Maybe I'm retaining water???Really, I know I have been lax on my healthy eating habits. I always do this when the first signs of cool weather come around. I put on cozy clothes and eat. Motivate me, please. Ugh. Frustrating.

Why I love the South - Reason #3

Chivalry is alive and well down South.

Let me be clear, I know full well that I am perfectly capable of opening my own doors and pulling out my own chairs. I think that women can do anything men can do, blah, blah, blah, but it sure makes me feel good to have my husband open a door or something of the sort. When I was younger and in the dating world, my parents would be appalled if some guy I was dating didn't go around and open a car door for me. It's common courtesy, and part of our culture in the South. I can only hope it's a piece of culture we can hold on to for the next generation.

I'm stoked

The October issue of Portico Jackson magazine is on newstands now, featuring my story on Operation Shoestring. OS is an incredible organization working to help keep our inner-city kids in school. They are celebrating their 40th anniversary this year and the story of how the organization was started is really interesting.

Also, Portico is a really polished and sleek magazine focusing on the Jackson metro area. I have fallen in love with the magazine and the fact that they show that there are good things happening here. Go pick up the October issue or heck, get a subscription. Visit their web site http://www.porticojackson.com/.

Pilates & Fitness

So my previous post about the Pilates studio was for this story in Parents and Kids' October issue. Until March, when we moved homes and cancelled our gym membership, I went to Pilates and Yoga classes a couple of times a week. I've never been much of the strength training type, so this was great for me. It really is such an energizing, unique type of exercise. It's enjoyable and actually feels good, unlike some of the other types I've tried. Hopefully soon I'll get back into the swing of things and get my exercise routine in gear.



Also in this issue is a story I wrote on Beginner Fitness and another on Family Fitness.