Summer days driftin' away

For those of you who do not already know, today has been extremely hot! Not to mention humid. On days like today, I often think of things that would make the day a little less hot and a little more bearable.

Of course, the first thoughts that come to mind are food-related.

my favorite snack in the world

Who doesn't like fresh avocado slices on a sandwich or salad or homemade guacamole on a hot summer day?! Love making guacamole with fresh avocados, a dash of salt and pepper, splash of lemon or lime juice, fresh tomatoes from our family's gardens, and a little bit of purple onion! Delishyy!

Or what about  a slice of cold, juicy watermelon?! Watermelon is definitely one of those things I can't get enough of in the summertime!

 A nice, cold glass of lemonade makes any day better. Especially the freshly squeezed kind. Well, crystal light works, too, either way lemonade makes me happy! I love the saying, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." This quote is cheesy, but true. We should make the most of every opportunity we have in life and seek to bring the best out of any situation that may come our way. You're gonna get what you give!

What makes your long, summer days better?! Of course, mine are food-related, but a good book will do it, too! I am in the middle of reading "Heaven is for Real." Great book--short and easy read. Definitely recommend it!

Well, y'all, there's some random thoughts for you from me on this hot day. Hope you all have had a Happy Thursday--the weekend is right around the corner! {Yay!!} We're getting ready to leave for Meridian, MS this weekend to see my little sister-in-law Erin Morgan at the State Junior Miss program. She is currently serving as Jones County's Junior Miss, and will be competing at the Mississippi Jr. Miss program on Saturday. We're so proud of her!

Bye for now blogger friends!

Baked Oatmeal

Happy Monday, all! Hope your weekend was lovely!

If you are experiencing the "Monday Blues" as I call it, here is a yummy recipe that might get your taste-buds salivating and that you may want to try for your breakfast in the morning.

Baked Oatmeal. Ever heard of it?

When I used to think of oatmeal, I used to think of "healthy, old people" breakfast. But now, I have truly come to enjoy oatmeal--especially this sweet, new Baked Oatmeal recipe. For any of you who have a huge sweet tooth like me, I think you will love it. Will says it tastes like an oatmeal cookie. I agree. It's that good.

So for your ingredients, all you need is:

1/2 cup of oil

3/4 cup of granulated sugar

1/4 cup of brown sugar

2 eggs

1 cup of milk

2 tsp. of vanilla

1 tsp. of baking soda

3 cups of old fashion oats

fresh strawberries and/or blueberries

In a large bowl, stir together all of the above ingredients {except strawberries and blueberries}.

Transfer to an 8 in., greased {pam-sprayed} dish. Bake at @ 350 for 30-35 mins. Serve with fresh strawberries and a drizzle of milk on top. Bacon is a good side for it, too! It gives you a little bit of sweet and salty.

I added fresh blueberries from Will's grandparents house to mine. It was delicious. Well anything with fresh blueberries from Granny and Granddaddy's house is delicious!

And if you want, invite sweet company like these two to enjoy with you!

There you have it! Baked Oatmeal! If you decide to try it, let me know what you think! Enjoy :)

Life for a week

Long time, no blog! Well, our week at the beach has come and gone and I am sad to say we are back to the hustle and bustle, of well, life. It was a very much needed break though, and as you will see from the pictures below, we relaxed and chilled to the max! We read, slept, ate, swam, laughed, tubed, fished, cooked, played {games}, etc.

This family beach trip was different from any other beach trip we've been on before. We had a new member to add to the bunch, and his name is....{I bet you can't guess!}

 

 Little Sam!

Isn't he precious!?

I love this little baby! Without him, this years family beach trip, would not have been complete!

Uncle Bubba, Aunt Bugsy, and Aunt Nana

Uncle Cuz Will

Sweet Daddy and Mommy

Along with Sam, we also had another fun addition to our beach trip this year....Stephanie! Stephanie is our brother's girlfriend, and we had so much fun getting to spend time with her this past week.

Ben and Steph

The gang

Very silly together. Hey, y'all, "I got no strings to hold me down!"

 Speaking of Stephanie, I know I mentioned to you in the last post about us girls going to watch her in the Miss Mississippi Talent Prelims before we went to the beach. Well, let me just tell you, she not only WON Talent Prelims, but she also got 4th alternate in the Miss Mississippi pageant. We were so proud of her!

One of the highlights of our trip was not only celebrating the 4th of July, but also celebrating Dad's birthday on the 3rd.

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Cute Parents

Where's Hannah?

We always tell my dad his birthday is extra special because he gets fireworks every year on his birthday :)

One of my favorite things my dad brings with him on our beach trips is his baby boat.

Cruising the bay

Tubing on the bay

One afternoon our brother Ben took Hannah, Will, and I out on the boat to tube. I haven't tubed in a couple of summers at least, and boy did I feel it the next day and the day after that and day after that.  I'm pretty sure I used muscles that day that I didn't even know I had, but it was worth all the soreness in the world--we had so much fun!

While my dad would take the guys out fishing some mornings, we girls {and Sam} would hit up the pool or the beach!

Momma Kat and me

Amy and Baby Sam

Hannah and Steph

Mom and I again

happy place :)

I wish I would have taken pictures of all the delicious meals we had on the trip, but even pictures wouldn't do justice to how yummy everything was. From kabobs to our shrimp boil, we ate well! We often tease my older sister Amy about how organized and planned she is, but truth is, if it was left up to my little sister, brother, and me, I don't know if things would get done. So here is a picture of me with two of the most organized and efficient women I know!

Thanks you two for everything you did to make our trip so wonderful!

Well, folks, that pretty much sums up our week long trip in a nutshell! We did go to the Track one night and ride go-carts and got ice-cream, but sadly I didn't document pictures of that. I do have a "you had to be there kind-of stories" to tell or else you may not think it's that funny. But, picture with me Amy and Ben riding go-cart doubles. A little kid t-bones their cart {at full speed}, they cause a traffic jam at the front of the race with every cart on the track hitting bumpers left and right{I'm pretty sure some people experienced whiplash!}. It was a pretty funny sight!

I also need to tell you about my new loves I discovered while on the trip: banana grams, Mexican train, coke zero, coca almonds, and pretzels and hummus!

I've always been an avid diet coke fan, but I might just say that coke zero is even better than diet coke.

 Did I just say that? How many of you think coke zero is better than diet coke?

Please let me know who you are by becoming a follower or commenting! Sometimes, I wonder if I am  writing to myself or if it would just be easier to download the pictures on facebook. Let me know who you are {if you are still with me after this rather lengthy post!}Thanks, y'all :) Until next time!