The Soon-to-be...

...Mrs. Roberts!

So excited for Meredith's wedding weekend!

Its going to be beautiful, wonderful, and fabulous!

Congratulations, Bride-to-be!

Happy Birthday America!

Lake Sinclair was packed with water-worshippers there to celebrate the Fourth of July, and this campsite was crowded with tents and RV's. I love their bus though - Go Dawgs!
Baxter joined us this weekend, and had so much fun - no lack of attention for him this past weekend. While he was very skittish of the fireworks, and barked everytime one went off, he loved being right there with everyone.

Real Houses of Lake Sinclair: Hollie, I thought you may like this one too - David and I thought it was a beautiful house.

On Saturday night, David, Datee, Baxter, Aunt D, Claire, Skye and I went to sit on the edge of the water to listen to the band party going on across the lake. The band was wonderful! We got to sing along to "Mustang Sally", "My Girl", and "Be Young, Be Foolish".

The lake was calm and still as we listened to the band and then the fireworks started when it became dark!

On Sunday, Mrs. Cindy Doles brought this beautiful cake for us to enjoy! How neat is this?!?!

Its not a Coody gathering without Datee's famous fried chicken. He has a special batter that he uses, and its a requirement to eat at least 3 - they're delicious! Here are all the men "supervising" the deep fryer!

David and I attempted a family picture with Baxter - as you can see, he's mid-bark right here.

Lunch was ready, and we all ate too much! BBQ, Brunswick Stew, black bean dip, salsa, fried chicken legs, baked beans, potato salad, mac n' cheese, pimento cheese, and corn on the cob - a nap was required afterward!

And my dad did just that!

Fourth of July Food

Later this afternoon, David and I are heading to Lake Sinclair to spend the weekend with the Coody side of my family. With all the aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings, etc., there will be a lot of hungry people to feed. I wanted to post what I am taking in case any of you need a last minute recipe!

These sausage English muffins are always a HUGE hit...they are filling and the smell is mouthwatering in the mornings. I like to make them ahead of time and freeze them - it lets you get a few more zzzzzzz's but still pull off a delicious breakfast.

Shopping list:
English Muffins split in halves
Jar of Cheez Whiz
Jimmy Dean Sausage
It all depends on what ratio you want your cheese to your sausage; I use 2 tubes of reduced fat sausage and only half of the can of cheese over 2 boxes of whole wheat English muffins. (6 muffins x 2 halves each = 12 breakfast muffins per box)

I like to place the muffins on cookie sheets then freeze them. Afterward, I will divide them into Ziploc freezer bags. When you get ready to eat them, take them out, place back on a cookie sheet, and cook in the oven for about 25-30 minutes on 350!
My next recipe was featured on here a few weeks ago, but I wanted to include pics this time! You can find the recipe here.


I tripled the recipe for the long weekend.

David loves the "As Seen on TV" section, and the last time we were ooohing and aaaahing over the incredible, life changing gadgets, we decided to try the Vidalia Chop Wizard - we are believers now! Look at how neatly it cuts bell pepper!

I think this is the most beautiful dip! My grandmother Baboo always said it was good to have a lot of color in your recipes and on your plate - she would be happy with this.
The last thing I decided to take to the lake was a little variation of the always-popular Italian caprese salad. Its hard to beat, especially when you have the freshest ingredients.
My basil plants are doing so well, and fresh herbs make all the difference when preparing meals.
Little grape tomatoes pack so much flavor, and are a hint sweeter than larger ones. Fresh mozzarella goes a long way when chopped finely, and a little red onion always add a little something extra.
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend celebrating the Fourth of July! Don't forget to wear sunscreen!

Movie Date Night

David and I went to see Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz last night in their action-romantic comedy, Knight and Day. While it was totally over-the-top, it was Tom Cruise at his Mission Impossible best...packed with stunts and car chases. It was really entertaining, and I recommend it definitely for the boys.

Our show was at 7:30, so when we got out it was around 9:30. We were greeted by Twihards waiting for the midnight showing of Eclipse! I really wanted to stay and join them, but I had to work today. Even though David's not as super duper pumped as I am about this latest installment of the Twilight Saga, he's going to go with me tomorrow night to see it! Now that's love!

Just your basic weekend

This weekend had its share of fun times on the lake...Sydney did a little tubing...
And everyone had a shot at being "Iced"







And this beautiful moon was glowing over the lake late last night when we were on our way home after the Jaycees party at Jaime's mom's house. Plenty of fun, lots of sun, and many laughs - it was a good weekend.

Happy 6th Birthday Paisley!

When I turned 21, my gift was this beautiful, fluffy Persian cat; this tiny little kitty covered in fur with the most inquisitive personality. He was gray-blue with amber eyes, and I named the little angel Paisley. He and I lived in Athens for the next 3 years, and I loved playing chase with him, rubbing his back, and having him sleep at my feet. Paisley really is the smartest cat ever - he's helped my dad find bats, told us where his brother is, and sometimes he'll even respond when you talk to him. While he's kind of a snob (as so many cats are), he's really protective and thoughtful. If he could talk, I'm pretty sure it would be in a British accent.

Paisley has a brother named Oliver, or Ollie cat. When I got Paisley, my Baboo got Ollie, and Ollie brought my Baboo and Gongaman so much joy too. Now, my parents have Ollie full-time.

In the process of me graduating from UGA and moving to a non-cat-friendly house in Atlanta, Paisley moved home to have a little vacay with my parents. Over the course of my and David's engagement before the wedding, we all decided that it was best to let the brothers stay together - they tussle in the mornings, receive daily brush-brushes, and basically rule the roost. Paisley really likes hanging out with my brothers and dad, while Ollie seems to like my mom and Abbye the best. Even though David and I have Sandy here at our house in Gainesville, I miss Paisley every day. There's a portrait of him in my hallway that I see every morning. Its awesome to know that my parents and siblings take great care of him, and I am so appreciative of that. He loves living there with them, and he and Ollie are truly a part of our family!

Happy Birthday Paisley!

Father's Day weekend!

Happy Grand-Father's Day to my Gongaman!
Happy Father's Day to "The Dads!" We are lucky kids!

David and I are so blessed to have our dads as our role models, confidants, and as friends - they've steer us in the right direction while letting us be our own people. And even better, they're friends with each other! It sure does make things easy on us...one big extended family!
Over the weekend, I had the pleasure of attending one of David's cousin Kimberly's bridal showers. She's getting married in about a month, and we are excited to head to New Orleans with the Curth side of the family! Here is David's Aunt Jane, Aunt Noel, Mom Pam, Cousin Kimberly, Sister Amanda and me!

After the shower in Atlanta on Friday morning, David and I headed to Macon to camp out with Brince and Becca and work on his new house! Check out my other blog for more on that!
On Sunday, we were able to celebrate Father's Day with my two grandfathers and both of our dads! Here are the Coody kids with Dad! My mom prepared the most wonderful meal, as usual, and had the table set especially for Father's Day. She's always doing something to make any event special, and while it was Father's Day, we appreciate all Mom does for us too!
And here we all are with Datee!

**my weekend wardrobe provided by Hollie B. Hill couture! :)