What an eventful weekend.....

This weekend was full of many obstacles. After work on Friday, Dennis and I ran a few errands and went to eat at a Mexican restaurant. We were going down Hwy 25 towards Dennis’s house about 9:00. It was dark outside and on this particular part of the road there are no street lights so all you have are headlights to see by. I was behind Dennis in the right lane and all of the sudden he slammed on brakes. I had to lock my brakes up behind him and all of the sudden I ran over a pile of tree branches. I came really close to hitting him. Thank goodness he didn’t come to a complete stop or we would have had a 3 car pile up. The car behind me swerved in to the left lane and the lady said she barely missed me. All I saw was smoke from her tires as she went by. I was glad that Dennis was in front of me in his SUV because I would have messed the whole front in of my car up if I had hit them first. Dennis broke them up when he ran them over. Dennis called me right after it happened because he wasn’t sure which car I was. By this point, I was crying and he asked if I was ok. I told him I was and but that something was wrong with my car. He had pulled over and asked if I could drive up to where he was. I told him that I was on the side of the road so he pulled over and walked to where I was. When I got out, this is what I found.

I have no idea how it got wedged like that. I thought the branch had stuck through my plastic bumper. After jacking my car up, we saw that it had hit the perfect spot right in front of my exhaust pipe. There was no major damage to my car just some paint that is cracked and is chipping off. We all got very lucky that night to say the least.

Dennis and I went to Vicksburg Saturday to look at flowers and a photographer. I had an appointment with the florist at 2:00 and when I got there the place was closed and nobody was there. I was very mad. I could not wait to get to work this morning to give her a phone call. She said that she had written my appointment down on a ticket and it had gotten moved. She apologized and asked if I would give her another chance. I am meeting the preacher tomorrow afternoon so she agreed to stay open until I get there. Maybe this time she will actually be there. We booked the photographer so that was a good thing. He is going to take our engagement pictures as well sometimes in April. We were also able to get an idea of china, flatware, and some everyday patterns. The planning is still moving along. Maybe we won’t have anymore bumps in the road. (yeah right!)

Brandon had his first tee-ball practice Saturday. He is in the 4-5 year old age group and they are all so funny. Most of them didn’t even know which way first base was. Brandon did good though. Below are some pictures from the practice.

190 days........

The wedding is in 190 days. I know that sounds like a lot, but it’s really not. It will definitely be here before we know it. The planning is still going strong. I found a dress this past weekend as well as bridesmaid dresses, a junior bridesmaid dress, and a flower girl dress. I am glad that I found them because they take 12 weeks to come in. If they need to be altered, that will be another 10 weeks. With all that said, they should be ready about middle August. Let’s hope they come in early and the alterations don’t take quite that long. I will really be nervous if they aren’t ready by August. Dennis and I picked out tuxes. I didn’t really do much picking. I went along mostly for support, but he did a very good job. Those all have to be fitted by July 8th. As you can see, my calendar is already filling up and this is just the beginning. We also decided on where we wanted to go on a honeymoon. We booked the trip to St. Lucia a few days ago. I am so excited about going. I wish we were leaving tomorrow. We booked it through Sandals. Go to www.sandals.com to see more about the resort. Don’t forget to keep checking the wedding website. There should be a few new updates soon. I am going to look at flowers and a photographer this Saturday so maybe I will have good luck this weekend as well.

Wedding Website

The wedding website is up and running now. All of the pages don't have information yet, but it will be updated as the planning continues. I went dress shopping this weekend. I found my dress, the bridesmaid dresses and the flower girl dress. I am really glad that I found everything. Just less stress on me. The address to the website is below.

www.harrelsonandsteed.com

Feel free to browse around and email us. It will continue to be updated as we know more about the big day.

A date has been set!

Dennis and I have finally set a date. We are getting married on September 8, 2007. The planning seems to be going good so far. It has been a little stressful, but we have a church, a reception place, and a band. Hopefully all the planning will be less stressful in the next month or so. I am going to look at wedding dresses this Saturday and hopefully start thinking about my bridesmaid dresses as well. My sister and Abbey are going with me so hopefully they will be able to try a few on. Let’s hope I find the dress that I want so that will be one less thing to think about finding. I didn’t realize how much work planning a wedding was, but now I know exactly what people are saying when they say it is stressful. There are way too many decisions to make. As a little girl growing up, you know exactly what you want you’re wedding to look like and then when it comes time you have know clue or at least I don’t. Dennis is working on a wedding website for us and I will be sure and post the link as soon as it is done. He is very good with that kind of thing so I was excited when he told me he was creating us one. Abbey seems to be really excited about the wedding. She is at the age where she knows what goes on a wedding. Brandon on the other hand has no clue. We were eating at Dairy Queen last night and out of nowhere Abbey said, “On yalls wedding day, Daddy is going to be standing there and when you walk in the door he is going to be looking at you with a smile on his face.” She said, “And when you walk in that door, you are going to be staring back at him with a smile on your face.” It was so cute that I couldn’t help but laugh. It amazes me that little girls already know exactly what goes on in a wedding. We girls start thinking about that at a very early age. I will continue to update my blog as more and more things get planned. I can’t wait until September 8, 2007!!!!!!

First Comes Love, then comes.................

Marriage! Dennis and I are getting married. He proposed to me last night at his house. It was a sweet proposal. We are both very excited about this. We are still working on a date. We will know more in a few days after we get a church and a reception place booked. We are both very excited. I will have a lot of work to do over the next few months, but it will be worth every minute of it. My ring is beautiful and I absolutely love it. He did a great job with everything. I will be posting more details as we started finalizing all the plans.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

I hope everyone is having a great day. Dennis surprised me with a Jane Hollinger necklace that I wanted. He gave it to me last night. I bought him a new wallet. I have washed his twice in the last month so I figured I owed him a new one. Maybe I won’t wash this one. We are going to eat at Char after work. I am excited because I never eaten there at night, only at lunch one time. Have a great day!

I love the new Karma necklaces. My mom is getting me one for Valentine’s Day. I can’t wait to have it so that I can wear it. If you don’t already have one, I would definitely go out and get one. They are so cute.

I posted this picture of my sister’s car tag a few months ago because she had two year stickers and no month sticker. I laughed at her for awhile about this one. Sometimes I think her hair should really be blond. People say that about me too but I’m not that bad. Anyway, I had forgotten about it until my sister calls me this morning at work to tell me that she just got pulled over for her tag. She said that the policeman walked up to her car and was laughing. She asked him what was so funny and he replied, “Did you know that your car tag has 2 years and no month?” She laughed and said, “Yes!” He asked her if her friends had laughed at her about this. She said, “No, but my sister posted it on her blog.” He told her not to worry about it because she will be getting a new tag next year but that she could go to the courthouse and see if they would give her a new month tag. I wish I would have been in the car with her because I would have probably been rolling around in the floor board laughing so hard.

Long Time No Blog!

It has been a while since I have posted. Not much going on right now. Nothing exciting at least. I love crawfish and Dennis and I went and ate them last Saturday. They were so good. I am still on my diet and it is going good so far. I have lost some weight which is good because it makes me want to keep trying. I only have about 15 more pounds to loose. I still have the swimsuit that I want hanging up in my cubicle. Hopefully they won’t sale out of it at Victoria’s Secret before I reach my goal and can order it. If so, I have seen plenty more that I would like just as well. I love to buy swimsuits. I only have about 10 right now that I wear.  I think I need a few more to add to my collection.

Dennis, Abbey, and I laugh almost every night now when Brandon plays his game boy. It is so funny because he gets into it so much. He plays Pirates of the Caribbean (Canibean to Brandon) and he makes the funniest faces with his mouth. I don’t think he realizes he is doing it but it is hilarious. Once we start laughing he stops but he starts it up again shortly after. He starts smiling because he knows what he is doing. It is really cute. Just another reason why I love him.

And the Winner Is...................

Contestant #6, Mary Margaret Roark. This weekend my cousin was in the Miss Teen Dixieland Pageant in Laurel. This was her first pageant to ever participate in. My mom, Abbey, and I went to see her. I am so glad that we did because she won. She looked really pretty and carried herself very well. She is only 16 years old so I can’t imagine what she will look like when she is 20. In June, she will come to Vicksburg for a week and compete in the Miss Teen Mississippi Pageant. Good luck to her this year as she represents Miss Dixieland in 2007.

Rebecca, a friend from work, found out today that she is having a sweet baby girl. She thought all this time that it was a boy and I kept trying to tell her that she was having a little girl. The Chinese calendar was right again. It's going to be a beautiful baby because she has beautiful parents. I can't wait to meet her at the end of may. Let's pray she will be little so that Rebecca can deliver her easy!

Happy New Year!!!!

I hope everyone has a wonderful new year.

Santa was good again this year!

I had a wonderful Christmas this year. I think all of us did. Abbey and Brandon got lots of gifts. Below are pictures from the holiday:

What a huge success............

I have to say that our Christmas project this morning was a huge success. We put a smile on 213 kids faces. We had a blast. I did the second grade class and they were so grateful for everything they got. I am so glad that I got to be a part of it. I can’t wait for next year so that we can do this again. I have posted pictures below from various classrooms in the school. Thank you so much to everyone that helped. I wish yall could have been there. Enjoy!

Getting in the Christmas Spirit...........

I can’t believe it is almost Christmas again. It has really snuck up on me. It has been hard to get in the Christmas spirit this year. Maybe one reason is because the weather has been so unpredictable. You never know how cold or hot it will be. Tomorrow morning should really bring the mood to me. My office along with several other businesses has adopted a less fortunate elementary school and we have bought every child in the school a Christmas present. I am so excited that I get to go tomorrow. My dad’s department at work took one of the second grade classes and I got to help buy all their gifts. My mom and I had a really good time shopping for them. My boss let my department at work draw names to see who was going. My name wasn’t drawn but Monday one of the ladies came to me and told me that she would like me to go in her place since my family was going. It really made my day. I was so upset when my name wasn’t drawn, but I knew that I would get to go next year so I was happy when I found out I could go. The kids at this school have no idea we are coming. Well, except maybe the 5th graders. Last year, Southern Cross bought gifts for the 5th grade class. Everyone who went said it was a wonderful event so we decided to buy for the whole school. Word got around the school that when you get in the 5th grade you get a Christmas party. They should all be really surprised to know that this year every grade gets a party. We are going to sneak all the gifts in while they are at a choir program. When they get back, they will be so excited to see what is going on in their classroom. I will be sure and take lots of pictures of the class I am in. I can’t wait to see the smiles on these kids’ faces. It may even bring tears to several faces.

We all went to Canton Sunday night to see all the lights. The kids had a good time riding the train, fire truck, and carrousel. All the lights were really pretty. It neat what they have set up there. We all ate at Cock of the Walk afterwards. Below are pictures from Canton.

Christmas Cards............

These are pictures that Dennis may use in his Christmas Cards. I took a picture of Abbey and Brandon by the Christmas tree last year and I want do take one every year. You know, a Christmas tradition.

Easy Mashed Potato Casserole

2 teaspoons butter or margarine
16 medium green onions, sliced (1 cup)
1 med. Yellow or orange bell pepper, chopped (1 cup)
3 cups hot water
1 cup half-and-half or whole milk
¼ cup butter or margarine
1 package roasted garlic mashed potatoes (2 pouches)
1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese (6 oz)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 2 quart casserole with cooking spray. In 10 inch non-stick skillet, melt 2 teaspoons butter over medium – high heat. Cook onions and bell pepper in butter 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; set aside. In 2 quart saucepan, heat water, half-and-half, and ¼ cup butter to boiling; remove from heat. Stir in both pouches of potatoes (and seasoning) just until moistened. Let stand about 1 minute or until liquid is absorbed. Beat with fork until smooth. Spoon 1 1/3 cups of potatoes into casserole; top with half of the onion mixture and ¾ cup of the cheese. Spoon another 1 1/3 cups potato over cheese; carefully spread to cover. Sprinkle evenly with remaining onion mixture. Top with remaining potatoes; carefully spread to cover. Sprinkle with remaining ¾ cup of cheese. Bake uncovered about 30 minutes or until hot.

Weekend in New Orleans

Dennis and I had a great time in New Orleans this weekend. We got there around 2:00 and checked in the hotel. We walked around the French Quarter for a while and then got ready to go eat. I loved The Red Fish Grill last time so we went there to eat again. The oysters are WONDERFUL. Afterwards, we went to the piano bar at Pat O’s. It was fun as well. We saw a girl that had her wedding dress on. Yes, in the bar at Pat O’s. I had never heard of a reception at a bar in the middle of everyone, but then again I am from Mississippi not Louisiana. The girl was so drunk. She was dancing with everyone and I even saw her kiss a few people. Hopefully she knew them. Her dress was so nasty at the bottom. Her train was tucked into the back of her dress but at some point it had fallen and was dragging the ground. I was in the bathroom and I saw a girl from the wedding party so I asked her if this was indeed a reception. She said “Oh no, this is just the party after the reception.” She told me that the reception was from 2:00 until 6:00 and the people weren’t ready to end it yet so that brought it to Pat O’s. What a crazy night those people must have had.

Later on about 5 guys dressed up like Santa Clause came in the bar. I have no idea what they were doing. One of the ladies that was playing the piano and singing said that the malls must have closed and they were off duty. It was pretty funny. Like people always say, you never know what you are going to see in New Orleans.

Dennis is finally coming back from Las Vegas today. He has only been gone 4 days but it seems like forever. I am picking him up at the airport at 5:00. By the way he’s been talking, he had a really good time. He saw several celebrities and even met a few. I think his favorite was the lead singer from The Killers. He loves that band so I was glad he got to meet him. He is pretty warn out. If you’ve never been to Vegas, you do A LOT of walking. I went shopping while he was gone. My mom took me to the Boardwalk in Shreveport, LA on Monday so that I could get my Christmas presents from her and my dad. It was a really nice place. It was SO cold though. It was an outdoor mall so we had to go outside to get in each store. I was so ready to turn the heater on in the car. I got a lot of cute things for Christmas. I can’t wait until I get them.

I am so sad. My favorite Mexican restaurant in Jackson closed. I was excited when they opened about 6 months ago because there has been one in every town I’ve lived in and now the one in Jackson has closed. I went last night to get something to go and there was a sign on the door. Oh well, there is still one by the Dogwood Mall that I can eat at. I am getting hungry just thinking about it. Yummy!!!!

Cute Pics..........

Chicken Enchilada Quiche

1 Pillsbury refrigerated pie crust (from 15 oz. box), softened as directed on box
4 eggs
1 cup half-and-half or milk
1 can (12.5 oz) chunk chicken breast in water, drained (1 ½ cups)
1 ½ cups broken tortilla chips
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup salsa
1 can (4.5 oz) green chiles
½ teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste
Sour cream, if desired

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place pie crust in 9 inch glass deep-dish pie pan as directed on box for One-Crust filled pie. In medium bowl, beat eggs with wire whisk until blended. Beat in half-and-half. Stir in chicken, chips, both cheeses, 1 cup salsa, green chiles, and salt. Pour into crust-lined pan. Sprinkle pepper over top of filing. Bake 55 to 65 minutes or until crust is light golden brown and knife inserted into center comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Cut into wedges. Serve with sour cream and/or salsa.

Squash Dip

1 medium butternut squash, halved and seeded
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 whole head of garlic
1 (11oz) log goat cheese
1 lemon, juiced
¼ cup finely chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 3510 degrees. Brush the cut side of the squash halves with some of the olive oil, and place them oiled side down on a baking sheet. Cut the top off the head of garlic, and drizzle the remaining oil over it. Wrap in aluminum foil, and place on baking sheet with the squash. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the squash can easily be pierced with a fork. Scoop the squash out of its skin, and place in a serving bowl. Squeeze the cloves of garlic out of their skins, and into the bowl with the squash. Mash until smooth. Stir in the goat cheese and lemon juice until well blended. Sprinkle walnuts over the top. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Happy Birthday Dennis!!!!!

Today is Dennis's 27th birthday. He is in Las Vegas so I didn't get to celebrate it with him. We are going to New Orleans this weekend so this will be are birthday time. He will be back from Vegas Thursday night and I can't wait to see him.