Happy First Birthday to my Baby!

One year ago today I was giving birth to my sweet Emma. This year has been an amazing gift~ watching her grow and learn, as well as learning my own lessons in motherhood. This child has blessed my life beyond imagination and I am so excited to see what this next year (and many more years) brings her.

Emma, I thank God each and every day for you. You have added the richest joy to my existence and I am so proud to be your mother. Thank you for being such a precious, beautiful little being and for making my life so much brighter. I love you so very much. Love, Mama

Tasty Tuesday: Nannie's Potato Salad

It's Tasty Tuesday time again and this week I'm servin' up some good ol' fashioned Nannie's Potato Salad.

If you've been reading with us, you probably know that this is the fifth week I've featured a Nannie's recipe. It's become somewhat of a trend and now it is my quest to collect and share as many as I can! To check out previous eats click here.

Do you have any favorite recipes you'd like to share as well? If you do, head on over to Balancing Beauty and Bedlam to link up! We'd love to read about what you and yours are feastin' on!!

I think my Nannie made some of the best potato salad. Of course, I think she made the best of everything.

I'll never forget when we had family get-togethers, Nannie would line her counter full of food (kind of like a buffet) starting with the meat, then with the sides, lastly the pickles, olives and relishes. Past the sink we got our drinks and then on the stove were her biscuits or rolls. It was a nice little arrangement. Once we had our plates, the adults all sat in the kitchen (where it would turn into HOURS long conversation) and all the kids would head on into the den to eat~ the older kids got the couch and chair and the youngin's got to eat on the steps.

Anyway, as we trickled through the buffet line, it was always right around the side portion of her spread that there was some congestion. And of course, potato salad was always at the center of those sides. It was also one side that there was rarely any left over! Good thing Nannie always made extra to have on hand after everyone left!

We always said Grace before eating. Papa would bless the food usually before we lined up to get our food, but once everyone had their plates, there was a definite moment of silence while we stuffed our faces. I say silence, except for the sounds of my cousin Brian grunting and hmmm-ing his way through his food. Looking back, we all ate like (and sounded like) we hadn't eaten in ages! But that wasn't the case of course, Nannie's food was just that good!

With that, may this recipe become part of your family gathering line-up as well. I hope you like it!

Nannie's Potato Salad

2 hard boiled eggs- slice then mash in separate bowl- let cool

6-8 potatoes diced- boil until done, but not mushy. Drain good and do not run cool water over them. Let cool before mixing.

2-3 celery stalks diced fine

1 small onion diced fine

diced sweet pickles

mayo (this is dependent on you and what type of texture you like- use your judgement)

In a separate bowl mix mayo and pickle juice (also based on how sweet you want it)

Combine all ingredients and then fold in mayo mixture.

Enjoy!!

Tasty Tuesday: Nannie's Rolls

Well, it's Tasty Tuesday yet again and I not only have another wonderful story to share, but also another of Nannie's recipes!

"Roll" (snicker) on over to Balancing Beauty and Bedlam to share your own food filled memories, too!

This week brings to mind, with Spring and all, those crisp Sunday afternoons after church when we would all meet at Nannie and Papa's house for lunch. Most of the time Nannie had sandwiches or something easy to fix, but sometimes she'd go all out. And on those days we might have her homemade dinner rolls.

Now these rolls weren't just reserved for Sundays (THANK THE LORD!). We could have had them anytime during the week, but the memory that stands out the most is these springy Sundays.

Nannie and Papa lived not even a block from the church so we would walk home after the service. Nannie would immediately hop out of her church attire and into her housecoat (kinda like a little moo-moo only cuter) and her slippers. Now you gotta picture this...Nannie was all of about 100 lbs and maybe 4 ft 5 in. So she was a little itty bitty woman. Her hair and make-up would be to a T! She'd even still be wearing her hose. All this paired with that flowered coverall- it was just too cute for words. And she'd be shooing all of us out of the kitchen so she could get the food done. Only my momma was allowed in there because she could help, but she still had to stay out of Nannie's way.

I'm exactly like that now in my own kitchen and again, my momma is the only one allowed in it with me!

It would come time for us to eat and Nannie would holler, "Come on!" I'd grab Papa's hand and say, "come on, Papa". And his response would always be, " where we goin'?"

This was our routine.

Then we would sit down and Papa would share the blessing with us so we could dig in. On the days we had these rolls, they were the first things on our plates, already buttered and a bite taken before anything else had been touched.

They are that good.

Once again, these recipes that I share have brought joy beyond words to me and my family for years and years. I hope they bring just as much to yours as well.

Nannie's Rolls

2 cups luke warm water

1 pkg. dry yeast

1 tbsp salt

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 sup oil

1 egg beaten

7 cups plain sifted flour

Combine water, yeast, sugar then stir. Then add salt, oil and egg. Slowly add flour to mixture and then work with hands until all is moist. Let rise double- work again and place in fridge overnight (cover w/ wrap). The next morning re-work dough and make into rolls. Let rise double then bake at 350 degrees until golden brown.

Enjoy!

Memories....

As I stood in front of the salmon painted house, I felt nauseous.

I had been on countless interviews all over the city and now, here I was in front of the one and only Arts and Leisure magazine in the area. My head was spinning and I was certain I would botch this interview as well.

The good news was, this opportunity came looking for me. Sort of. I had applied six months earlier then didn't hear anything. That is until one day when I was working my cashiers job at Target and I got the call on my cell. City Magazine was interested and the Editor wanted to meet with me personally.

As if the stuccoed building wasn't enough to intimidate the heck out of me, the Editor-in-Chief was even more so. Tall, blonde, fashionable and obviously she had her poop together if she was manning the helm of this ship. I wanted to tuck my tail and run.

She greeted me at the door, firm handshake and all. Then she lead me into the open sitting area and prompted me to take a seat. As I fidgeted, she sat down next to me and then proceeded to flip through some papers held together in a file folder- my portfolio.

"Great shoes," she said as she peeked up over the pages of my writing history. My life flashed before my eyes.

And then as if we had talked for hours over my goals and the magazine's needs, she told me they were looking for a Festival/Events Column writer. And it was mine if I wanted it.

Just like that. The next thing I knew, I was attending and writing about some of the most note worthy engagements in Roanoke.

This monumental experience turned into three years of part-time freelancing as a City columnist. It was amazing and so memorable.

Why am I writing about this you ask?

"Running in Heels" on the Style network has spurred all of my nostalgia. It's a terrible show, what with it's cattiness and backstabbing. But it reminded me of days long gone, when I was young and passionate about my career in writing.

Ahhhhh, to be young and accessory savy again. So much has changed since that magical time. I'm married and a mom now. And though I'm still passionate about writing, my inspiration differs greatly from black-ties and wine festivals. As you know my muse is one, so the bulk of my creativity hovers somewhere between snot and spit-up!

Oh, and those great shoes.....

They've been traded in for a trusty old pair of Crocs!

Tasty Tuesday: Nannie's Biscuits

I see a trend beginning with these Nannie's recipes! But I just can't help myself!! These delightful dishes that I've been serving up for Tasty Tuesday have brought generations of joy to my family, so I figure why not share the love!?!

For this week's Party, I present you with Nannie's Biscuit recipe!

I miss the days of homemade biscuits! There's not a morning in my childhood that I remember Nannie not having fresh, out of the oven, homemade biscuits ready for me and Papa and maybe even my cousin Mike to devour at the breakfast table. Early on mine accompanied the prettiest scrambled eggs you've ever seen and then as I got older, my biscuit came with tomatoes and a dash of salt! And she rarely sat to eat herself. She was a constant wisp of a little lady here and there and everywhere making sure we all had what we needed, if she could get us anything else and also planning what she was going to fix for lunch and then dinner. If she made enough biscuits we might have had them with fried chicken, chicken gravy and tomatoes and cucumbers that night!

What I remember most of all was the love that went into whatever Nannie made~ this was especially evident with her biscuits in the way she handled the dough. Nannie loved cooking and baking. Watching her in the kitchen are some of my fondest memories.

Though this is a simple recipe, I can vouch that these biscuits are some of the lightest and fluffiest you'll ever taste. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have!

Now roll on over to Balancing Beauty and Bedlam to share your favorite recipe with the rest of us, too!!

Nannie's Biscuit Recipe

2 cups Virginia's Best Self-Rising flour

1/4 cup shortening

3/4 cup buttermilk

Mix all the ingredients together. Sprinkle flour on pastry sheet (not too much). Roll out dough with rolling pin (flour rolling pin lightly). Cut the biscuits, roll scraps and then cut more until all the dough is used. Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes.

Enjoy!!

Happy Easter

Mark 16: 5-6

As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed."Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him."

REJOICE! He has Risen!

Hooked on: Love

Call me sappy if you want! I'm hooked on Love! Maybe it's that Spring is upon us, but I just want to hug everything in sight!

It's Hooked on Friday time and Love is in the air! Swoon on over to Hooked on Houses to tell us what you're hooked on, too!

No, really- this time of year with the budding flowers, the crisp breezes and overall renewal from a sleepy winter, how can you not feel it! ?!

I love my husband with a new heart. I love my daughter with an excitement for what this next year of her life is going to bring her.

I love that Summer is right around the corner.

I love all the bright colors springing up before our eyes.

I love the chirp-chirp of the birds.

I love my family and friends to the point of dizziness.

Ahhhh, it's overwhelming all this love. But you know what?

None of my love compares to the love Jesus showed for us by dying on the cross for our sins. On this Good Friday- Love is abound! Because our God loved us so much, He came as a man to be persecuted among His people and then He willingly submitted to the most painful physical death, all while bearing the weight of the world's sin, then He rose from the grave to ascend into Heaven, leaving us with the promise that we might one day have eternal life with Him should we except this gift of......

Love.

Happy Easter weekend to you all. I pray you are blessed and overcome with the love of Christ.

Tasty Tuesday: Nannie's Pea Salad

For this week's Tasty Tuesday party I decided to not only pay tribute to yet another highly disliked vegetable (last week was brussel sprouts), but also to another fantabulous Nannie's recipe.

Let me start off by saying I'm not a pea fan. I'm very picky and snobbish when it comes to peas. I hate them cooked and served up as a side. I will tolerate them in casseroles, but only about once a month maybe. If eaten at all I prefer to eat them in salads (note: not on salads, IN salads). My daughter hates peas as well. They just aren't that popular in the Mayhorn household.

However, having said that, I love pea salad, therefore I think peas (like brussel sprouts) are worthy of a blog. Especially when paired with my Nannie's Pea Salad Recipe. It really is yummy (coming from a pea hater), but who could go wrong with Nannie's recipe afterall? So won't you give peas a chance, please? It would be a great side for that upcoming Easter lunch or dinner! Now hop on over to Forever Wherever and join Kim and the rest of us in sharin' some food!

Nannie's Pea Salad

1 can tiny baby peas "LeSeuer" brand

1 can french style green beans

2 oz. jar pimento

5-6 green onion, sliced thin, use some green

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup cider vinegar

2/3 cup sugar (or Splenda)

Heat oil, vinegar and sugar (or Splenda) to dissolve (on low heat)- Let cool completely. Mix all together and then let it marinade in the fridge for at least 24 hours.

Enjoy!!

A Liiiiiiittle Freaky!

So, I go up to rock Emma to sleep the other night after Jon couldn't get her to bed. We're up in her nursery going through the usual nightly routine when I look over at her nightstand. It's dark (with the exception of the glow of the nightlight) so I don't know exactly what I'm looking at, but whatever it is, I know it wasn't there earlier and that it's out of place. I reach over to find a half naked Skipper doll with her hair crazy all over the place. To most people this may not seem at all strange, but my daughter isn't even a year old and we don't own any barbies whatsoever! So this freaked me out a little.

I ran downstairs to ask Jon where it came from...here's where it gets even freakier! He said that while he was up there rocking her (mind you, she had nothing in her hands when they set out for night-night) he felt something tickle his arm and when he looked down there was this creepy looking doll. He said it magically appeared and has no idea where it came from.

Totally weird!

We're certain a cousin or niece left it over here at some point, but we were so freaked out by it we threw the doll away in the outside garbage! Ugh, it gives me chills just thinking about it.

Who knew Skipper could be so scary!?!

Hooked on: Tuna

It's Friday and that means the Hooked on Fridays party over at Hooked on Houses. In honor of spring and my weight loss goals, I'm totally hooked on Tuna!!

This is seriously like the perfect food when it comes to calorie intake, protein intake and overall hunger satisfaction. Not to mention, there's like a 101 ways to fix this stuff! My personal favorite happens to be tuna salad because it's quick and easy.

You know, it's hard keeping a food diary and watching how many calories to take in. Not to mention, it's only a couple of months until bikini season. With all the stress that goes along with dieting, you're sure to pack on a few cortisol related pounds. So I set out to find a simple, stress free approach to insure I stay on track to wearing that hot little number I got a few years ago for my honeymoon. Currently only one butt cheek fits in it, so we've got some work to do!

Now of course, exercise is a huge factor in all of this, and I hate to exert myself too awful much. Therefore, in addition to my tuna filled diet, I'll be working out to the tune of Bob Harper from Biggest Loser with his weightloss yoga DVD!

But back to what I'm hooked on...for dozens of awesome recipes check out the Starkist website! If I eat tuna salad only once a day, that guarantees a delicious, healthy and filling meal all for about 160 calories a pop!

My simple Tuna Salad Recipe

1 can Tuna

2 tsp light mayo or light ranch dressing

1 tsp sweet pickle relish

Stir it all together and Viola!!

I'd love to hear what your weightloss goals are and how you plan on acheiving them so drop me a comment and let's share!! And while you're at it, swim on over to Hooked on Houses and let them know what you're hooked on as well!!

Gotta Love Jane Austin!

Again, for the second time this week, I'm participating in a cool blog party. For this one it's all about things you love! Check out what other bloggin' moms love over at The Diaper Diaries and while you're at it, tell us all what you love too!

I happen to love the whole idea of 18th Century London. In fact, I'd love to live in that time, but since that's not possible I'll have to live vicariously through movies and books!

I have not personally read any Jane Austin (though she is on my list), but I happen to love the movies Emma and Sense and Sensibility! I haven't decided if I would be a commoner or a member of the elite- both I think instill such endearing qualities what with the proper demeanor, quiet strength and simple beauty. But according to this fun little quiz apparently I most resemble....

You are Emma Woodhouse from Emma! You are clever and quick: where you err once, you are right a hundred times! Aware of your situation in life, you are eager to help others who are less influential than you. Although with great charm and well-meant intentions, you tend to manipulate people. Possessing a social and energetic disposition, you enjoy hosting and attending evening parties and indulge in dancing.
Your view on love: ~The course of true love never did run smooth!~

(By the way- my daughter isn't named after this character!)

Back then I just imagine that everything was so much more enjoyable. Every emotion, task and responsibility I see as taking on such intense shape because there weren't any of the distractions that we have to day. To do or be something meant to do or be it with your entire being ~with such passion and focus that even a stroll through a meadow became a life altering experience, invoking intrigue and inspiration!

Hmmm, what a beautiful existence. I think I'm going to curl my hair in tendrils and sip some tea now!