Paul's King Cake and the Good Life

* Our yummy Paul's King Cakes*

Yesterday, Edward and I made a morning trip to Picayune, Mississippi. Though it was not the main intent of our mission, stopping by Paul's Bakery was a big motivation. Paul's advertises themselves as the authentic king cake bakery. They are really good, and my favorite thing is the unique fillings and flavors. We picked up a strawberry with cream cheese, and pecan praline yesterday. The Mississippi Mud is also a favorite of mine. The store was super crowded when Edward and I walked in yesterday around eleven. They had four big displays in the middle of the store with king cakes stacked every direction. Then a cart with four shelves about six feet tall filled with king cakes was rolled out. The check out line was just as crowded. Tonight while watching the Superbowl, Edward and I were reminded how they still bake the baby in the cake. Edawrd found the baby in his slice as fate would have it. Guess he owes me the next king cake. I won't make him go to Picayune however, Rouses or Sweet Stuff would do just fine.

Cheesiest Romance Novel EVER

*It's Named after me!*

*My Nook with the awesome case I got half price*

*Cover Art for The Dragon of Croatia*

Over the weekend I completed the first book I downloaded onto my new Nook! (Thanks Ed and Family for the awesome Christmas present!) I consistently have a long queue of books that I want to read. The Dragon of Croatia by Valerie Everhart was only three dollars and high on my list. The Dalmatian Coast of Croatia is one of my favorite places. It also fascinates me with its beauty and history that we don’t learn about in elementary school. The description of the book alluded to an adventure with an ancient dragon man and smugglers. It sort of reminded me of a Da Vinci Code type of thriller with a hot guy.

, when I began to read, I discovered a raunchy romance novel with little to no plot. Seriously, there has never been so many three letter sentences written in one book. The main character must have been undressed in about every chapter, and of course the dragon-man was a stud. I like a romance novel as much as the next girl, but I was extremely disappointed that a story set in Croatia could be so shanty. My advice is this book can be skipped, and not worth the three dollars I paid for it.

*In other news Monday I looked out the third floor window at work and spotted this beauty!

Wedding Wednesday: Bridal Show

** Bridal Pin given to me by my MOH Leah!**

Sunday I went with my Maid of Honor, Leah and bridesmaids Ashlei and Linda to the Biloxi Bridal Premier Show at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Coliseum. It was a jungle in there! I am pretty sure there were less people last year when Leah and I went to it. After a very congested registration process (involving two lines) we entered wedding wonderland. Almost every aspect of wedding was covered except for invitations and limos for some reason. It was not as overwhelming today because I already have my venue. Also a good idea of what DIY touches that I will be attempting for my wedding, and what things I will be hiring sometime to do. My two biggies to take care of are the wedding cake, and the caterer.

However, I will never get over how outrageous prices are for anything with the title “wedding” or “bridal” attached to it. Even though it is an event very personal to every couple, it is a business. (A multi-million dollar industry actually.) Many of the same tablescapes and favor tables were similar to last year. I think I saw a half a dozen candy tables. Some of my favorite booths included the lovely ladies managing The Redding House, the great food at Broome’s Catering, and the creativity of Tilley Photography.

All in all it was nice to see my fellow friends that are brides as well, and get some contacts. But I think I will stick to The Knot, blogs, magazines, and a little imagination to create my wedding day vision.

**Bridal Show Goodies**

Tea vs Coffee..

*Bianca and Me at the 2008 Air Show enjoying our coffee*

I finished reading The Ultimate Tea Diet. My feelings about the book are a mixed bag. The author has some valid points:

• A tasty tea is a good replacement for bad craving such as junk food and candy.
• Eat a well balanced diet, and begin exercising. (Like we have not heard that before.)
• Only drink tea you actually like in the form you like it whether hot or cold.

This particular author began his tea shop after going through a midlife slump after a divorce. He basically replaced his thirteen cups of coffee a day with tea. Neither of those beverages are good in that amount. Dr. Tea is very negative towards coffee, which I must say I love over tea. He believes that coffee in years will become what cigarette's are today, considered dangerous to our health. I have to disagree.

When I was five years old I would go visiting with my great grandmother, and when they had coffee they would give me a little cup. Although then it was more condensed milk and sugar it was the beginning. In high school, I would always stop by gas stations and get the "cappuccino" out of the machine. I loved the specialty coffee drinks I would get for the Starbucks on USM's campus in the library. Between graduation from USM and going to Scotland I worked at Nezaty's Coffee Shop in the mall. There I learned how to pull a good shot, and create some truly unique combos. (Green Tea Chai Frap with soy and white chocolate!) Coffee and tea jointly got me through my many night writing on my dissertation. Overseas, I tried coffee in five different countries along the way. Italy and Croatia were the most enjoyable with there stand up espresso bars with the morning crowds and the "shot" was so smooth you would drink it right there at the bar and go on with your day. I worked at Books-A-Million for almost a year making coffee for customers, and still continue entertain my dreams of opening a coffee shop as I enjoy my two cups a day.

Coffee has some good benefits and positive studies behind it just like tea. It can help prevent Alzheimer's disease in women, colon cancer, and adds to the quality of life. Needless to say, I will not be embarking on The Ultimate Tea Diet, but I may be trying some of the crazy tea he has listed on his website: http://www.teagarden.com/ Who wouldn't want to try tea flavor's such as Tiramisu, S'Mores, and Mango. However, I will always love a good cup of Earl Grey.

Wedding Wednesday

Yesterday was the eight month mark for my wedding. Therefore, I need to get my tail in gear. I have two big details in the works, and hope to get some more leads at the Bridal Premiere show on Sunday at the Coast Coliseum. However, I have all the little details really bugging me. Like what shade of blue to use? What flowers should I choose? Where is the sign in table going to go? The list goes on and on... However, I have found relief from my plight. These are some of my favorites details from Etsy.com and theknot.com

*These Bouquets?*

*Or these??*

*I LOVE the hair pieces! They are way cooler than veils*

*This cake topper is the coolest ever*

*They match the cake toppers!*

Tea Diet!

I received this requested book from the library today. I glanced at it years ago in the bookstore, but have not revisited it until my sudden urge for a new diet. I managed to lose a pants size this past year. It would be fantastic to be few sizes smaller for wedding pictures. My biggest challenge is my lack of self motivation. If I am hungry, I generally eat what I want. Edward has to hear me whine if I am tired after a day of work, and do not want to go walk our normal three miles.

I read the introduction so far in The Ultimate Tea Diet, and hope I can get some good leads on a new system. The author "Dr. Tea" came up with his ideas for this book by entertaining questions from customers at his tea shop. He believes that tea is a great way to kick start a diet. He does not give instructions to starve yourself and not exercise, or so the book claims. If I find this book helpful, I will certainly share.

In other news, I am currently working on creating my wedding website through www.theknot.com. More to come on that later as well.

Monday Noms

This past Saturday, Edward and I went to the World Market in Alabama. There they have all kinds of imported goodies. Illy coffee, Asian spices, and chocolate from all over the world. The gummies above are a particular favorite of mine. They are fizzy gummy coke bottles. In Edinburgh I would buy them from the convenient store around the corner from our weekly pub quiz spot at the Blind Poet.

After this picture was taken Edward and I demolished this bag. Some of my other favorites are rock candy, candy apple suckers, coconut M&M's, and Lemon Heads. A good treat is a nice way to chase away the Monday gloom. Especially since the snow did not come this far south, and Monday proceeded as normal for us all along the Gulf Coast.

Be good out there, and stay warm.

Wedding Talk

Edward and I booked a place!!!! We booked the newly remodeled Redding House in Downtown Biloxi on Jackson Street. We will be getting married in September on the same date my grandparents got married in 1959. Trying to find a place has been very stressful for me, because the last thing I wanted was to decorate a community center. This proved to be a challenge with our budget. However, the reopening of the Redding House proved to be a stroke of luck for us! Now I feel like I can let the reigns loose and start putting it all together. Cake tastings here we come!

For all my friends that struggle to be domestic

Over the past two weeks I have had an unusual amount of time off even for the holidays. I spent some of it reading

book I owned by Amy Sedaris. (One I received for Christmas thanks fiance!) Both of her books are her point of view on crafts

and entertaining. I Like You is a collection of hints, tips, parties, and recipes, while Simple Times is a craft book.

I really appreciate Amy's humor as she spins tails about parties past. Some of her recipes even look tasty. However,

almost none of her crafts are very attractive to someone who follows the Etsy trends like I do. There is a lot of yarn,

felt, and popsicle sticks. However, Simple Times is still hilarious, and anyone looking for entertainment and crafts for

random crafts sake will enjoy it.

I have begun my own crafting in a space I finally have sent up, and have all my supplies out of rubbermaid

containers. For my Girl Scout troop this Christmas I gave each girl an album I made out of brown paper bags. I plan on making

most birthday gifts, and shower gifts this year myself. There may even be a little of whatever creativity I have at my wedding in

some of the favors and decor. Sadly, today will end my long holiday stretch, and it is back to work tomorrow.

*My Paper bag Albums*

Resolutions!

I hope everyone has had a great and safe holiday season. Now all the wrapping paper has been thrown away, the turkey carcass has been picked to the bone, and more sugar has been consumed than grown annually on a Louisiana sugarcane plantation we look ahead onto a brand new year. What better way to do that than setting some goals for the upcoming year. Rarely, I make resolutions or give up something for lent. It is just not part of my personality, and I rarely remember them a week after. Over the past few years I have been inspired by my friends that successfully complete multiple goals within a year, especially my friend Tabitha. Therefore, I have several this year to make up for my apathy. Here goes...

M&Y's NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS 2011:

*Be a size six for my wedding in September! I am currently a size ten. (The deposit is down it is definitely happening in September!)

* Write something everyday: whether it be a blog, short story, poem, journal entry, historical society journal article, or whatever else strikes my fancy.

*Read all the books I currently own and have borrowed in the house at this moment before I buy anymore. (There are about 120)

* Use my Kitchen Aid Mixer at least twice a month in order to improve my baking skills.

*Make a profit from my crafting hobby by starting a possible Etsy shop online.

So my goals are pretty lofty, but I have taken into consideration things I have wanted to do for sometime. Therefore, I have geared my resolutions towards those changes I would like to make. I just need to stop watching so many darn T.V. shows!

One last bit of holiday cheer before we return to normalcy.

*Edward and my random red Christmas tree*