Happy Birthday, Eliz!

"Ode to Eliz"

You're the kind of friend

Any girl would like to have.

You make me smile when things get bad.

Your gift is giving.

You are not selfish.

 Those great care packages, I will always cherish.

Atlanta Fun Day!

Barberitos and Related!

We have so much in common.

Our friendship was fated!

You and me, as friends,

We fit like a glove...

because "every good and perfect gift (that's you!)

comes from above."

HAPPY BIRTHDAY,  SWEET MIDDLE E!

(Apparently, I am not a poet.)

I love you,

Little B

It's Fall, Y'all!

Even though the weather in South Georgia still feels like summer, I'm still wearing my flip-flops and the leaves aren't changing yet, I know it's fall. And how do I know that?

This:

The smell of peanuts being picked.

I love the smell of the earth during harvest season for some reason. Whenever I smell it, it conjures up the memories of my childhood when I used to ride with my Papa Milton in his pick-up while he was hauling trailers full of just-picked peanuts to the local peanut company.

I also know it's fall because I'm eating a lot of these.

Boiled Peanuts

A Southern delicacy, boiled peanuts could probably be considered "the official snack food of the South."

If you're not from these parts and are unfamiliar with boiled peanuts, click HERE. You start by pulling up some green ("raw") peanuts, picking them off the plant and then washing them.

Place as many as you can get in a large pot to boil. Season with as much salt as you like and let them slowly boil for about three hours. If you prefer, add Cajun seasonings with the salt.  It's your preference.  Taste them along the way to see how they're coming. After they are completely boiled, let them soak in the brine for a while to absorb some more of that saltiness. Eat 'em warm or after cooled down with an ice-cold Coca Cola. 

There's nothing like Georgia peanuts right from your papa's farm and boiled by your grannie.

Swagbucks, anyone?

Not too long ago, I discovered Swagbucks.

Swagbucks is a "search & win" site where all you have to do is use it as a search engine, win "bucks" and then eventually trade-in the bucks for all sorts of cool prizes including magazine subscriptions, iTunes downloads, video games and consoles, books, memorabilia, airline miles and more. Currently, I am planning to accumulate enough Swagbucks to get a free year's subscription to Better Homes & Gardens magazine.

Now, you may say, "I love Google too much to use another search engine." Well, the Swagbucks search engine combines Google and ask.com for a completely thorough search. To see how great the search engine actually is, scroll down to the bottom of the page and try it out for yourself! You can even download a toolbar for any web browser to be able to access your Swagbucks search engine easily. For more FAQs, click HERE.

Give Swagbucks a try! I am sure you won't be disappointed. Click on the button in this post or on the right-hand size under "Swagbucks Rock!!!"

...Foodie Friday...Spicy Chicken and Black Bean Chili

Today I am tagging along with Eliz's Foodie Friday. Last week I was in the mood for something spicy and filling, but I hadn't been to the store. So, I raided the pantry to see what I would come up with. This easy chili was made quickly with simple canned items that I almost always have on hand.

Spicy Chicken & Black Bean Chili

- 1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained
- 1 (10 oz.) can Rotel (or diced tomatoes with chillies)
- 1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce, Mexican HOT style (or regular if you don't like so much spice)
- 1 (4 oz.) can white meat chicken (The can pictured is more than you need unless you like it really meaty)

Add all the ingredients in a saucepan and heat through. Garnish with whatever you like: a dollop of sour cream, a sprinkle of shredded cheese, chopped green onion, etc. Serve with tortilla chips or crackers. Makes 3-4 large bowlfuls.

Yummy.

Khanna

Khanna = Food

The other night I cooked Indian food for my parents. My mama experienced it's tastiness when she visited me last November, but my daddy had ever tried it. Until now...

Masala Dabba (Spice Box): Cumin powder, Jeera (cumin seed), Mustard seed, Cardamom, Turmeric powder, Red chili powder

The trick is the pressure cooker.

I made dal, rice, roti, lady finger and spiced up some chicken, too.

Daddy really liked it! Yay!

It was fun to cook Indian food again, and I was starting to miss eating it!

North Carolina...c'mon and raise up.

After Saturday in Athens, AYo picked me up on Sunday and we road-tripped it to North Carolina, the Wake Forest-Raleigh-Durham area. We have a bunch of college and journeyman friends there who are attending Southeastern Seminary.

It was so great to see all those we know and love and really fun to see how we are all connected to each other in different ways. Love it.

This picture includes Leslie- college friend and journeyman, Lee- India journeyman friend (from same training group as Leslie) and boyfriend to my India roomie Reba, & Patrick- sem student, next door neighbor to Leslie, Auburn alum like Lee and boyfriend of my bestie Eliz

My other bestie Dana (who set Eliz and Patrick up)

Here's the UGA crew eating at Chick-fil-A (AKA best place in the world)...an old pastime of ours: Dana, AYo, MT, Leslie and me

I didn't get pics of the road trip up, but here are a few from the road trip home. We were stylin' in AYo's grandad's '93 S10, listening to music and sermons on my computer and eating chips out of a take-out box.

AYo was a champ because the ole baby blue S10 didn't have cruise control. We had too much fun playing the alphabet game, singing Disney songs, sharing the iPod earphones (until we realized we could just use my computer) and stealing coffee creamer from convenience stores.

One of the best road trips I've ever been on!

It's Saturday in Athens...

and it's time to tee it up between the hedges!

As an alumnae of The University of Georgia, it is always a pleasure to get back to campus. This past weekend I was able to go to see my Dawgs play ball against the South Carolina Gamecocks. Either I am really lucky or people feel sorry for me and my boredom, but friends gave me their tickets to the game for free! So Saturday morning, I got up early and drove to Athens for the game.

I met up with my sweet friend Morgan and headed to the tailgate that our college ministry was hosting (sorry no pictures). I had an extra ticket that I didn't have a buddy for, but I found my good ole friend Collin. He joined me for the game. After the tailgate we went into Sandford Stadium, and I went to find my little brother Blake. I found this:


He and his buddies spelled out "Go Dawgs!" and even made it on tv. I give them props for sacrificial team spirit. I bet that body paint is annoying.


After seeing Blake, I made my way up to my seats in the upper level. This was the first time I sat in the non-student section or in an upper level. It was quite a different experience because the "non-students" don't stand the entire game and cheer like students do. I found myself being told to sit down a lot (not that I was that much in their way really...I'm not that tall). Here are two pics from my view of the pre-game show.



Finally, here come the Dawgs! It was an exciting game that we could have played a bit better. But, a win is a win. And it always feels great to beat Steve Spurrier!

How 'bout them Dawgs!

Love.

When I'm bored, I sew.

Since I am still on the lookout for a job (any ideas?!?...seriously), I am finding myself to be a bit bored lately. It's not that I am not enjoying every minute of being home with family and friends. I most certainly am! But, during the day when everyone is at school or work, I find myself cleaning a lot and being an obsessive organizer (can my closet be cleaned out one more time?).

So...I got the old sewing machine out and bought some cute fabric to do some sewing. I learned to sew in India and was able to sew some totebags and even a dress for my sweet little friend Lyla Joy. Now that I am home and have the accessibility to some amazing and helpful sewing products, I decided to expand my repertoire and try applique. I used this tutorial from Sew,Mama, Sew!. Here are some pics of my first adventure in applique!

I used Steam-A-Seam2 fusible webbing because it is two-sided and makes doing letters easier.

It's for Halloween!

Ironing the webbing on

Cute letters

Here is the finished product. The seams on the zig-zag are a bit janky, but keep in mind that this was my first applique and pretty much my first time sewing something that wasn't a straight line. I think I did pretty good for my first try!


Don't worry, Kacie. I made Lyla Joy one (or a few)!

Virginia is for Lovers...and reuniting with people you love.

A little over two years ago, I had the privilege to spend two months on "the farm" in Virginia, training for my two years in South Asia. One of the best things about it was sharing the time with some super-cool people that were headed to destinations all over the world. Well, most of us completed our term around the same time and were able to reunite on the farm for one last hurrah as a group.

The Georgia girls- Lindz, me and Ayo - reuniting in the Charlotte airport.

I got to see Christy for the first time since I left. She's at the farm now, training for her term. I heart her and her hugs. She rocks!

More UGA fun: MT and Leslie Jane came over to Virginia from North Carolina to see us!

How cool is this? Rebecca and I met our India roomie's (Kaitlin) sister in Virginia! we heart Blythe.

Most of the group from my days at the farm.

Deb!

Angela, Christy, Lindsay and me

AYo, Lindz, me and Dan...Mike, we missed you!

Paige! Love. this. girl.

Sadness...saying goodbye to Reba

Dukha aiytu.

Atlanta Fun Day

An old tradition...Atlanta Fun Day.

For the past few years (and when I am in the country), Eliz and I have "Atlanta Fun Day." Usually, we eat Mexican food, go to Ikea and just shop it up even if we don't buy anything.

This year, we started by going to the super cool Dekalb Farmers Market.

It's a world market, meaning they have products imported from all over the world. Of course, I love this because in all my travels I have found some pretty awesome food that I am starting to really miss. Here, I can find the right products to make my favorite dishes and even some of the exotic fruits available over there.

However, I did find mine and Rebecca's most hated fruit: jackfruit. It stinks!

I found *my* flag.

Sweet Georgia peaches (just like me!)

We ate in their cafe...yummy!

We took our dessert home and posed for a timed-pic. Aren't we cute?

Then, we went to some of our favorite places: Ikea and Target! We love to shop together at these two places. We finished the day with, of course, Mexican food. I am so glad Eliz shares my love for Mexican food. But, alas, no photo.

To see Eliz's post about our Atlanta Fun Day, click HERE.

I had an excellent time reconnecting with one of my bestest friends ever! She is so sweet to me. She even let me invade her space for three nights, cooked some delicious meals for me and even had a cute "welcome" basket ready for me with my favorite snacks and treats! Boy, do I love this girl! I just hope I'm half the friend to her that she is to me.

Love you, Eliz.