Football, Fans and Freezing Temperatures!

So this weekend was Florida-Georgia in Jacksonville, FL. The game was TERRIBLE- and not just because I'm a Gator and we lost but because both teams played awfully! Every other part of the day however was, in my opinion, perfect! I spent the day in Jax tailgating with my best friends and family, humorously chastised some barking "dawgs" by firmly responding "bad dog, sit!" and finish the night by dancing like an idiot with my friends to 90's classics such as Tootsie Roll. Overall not the outcome I would of liked, but not a half bad way to spend the weekend.

                                                          (Photos by: Samantha Stratton)
Still not totally sure about the face I'm making in the photo with Danny but I think it had something to do with Samantha-our amazing photographer for this photo and pictured above-aiming the camera at what seemed to be our sandals even though the pic came out beautifully. with the exception of the face I'm making.

 So I took this little gem with my cell while sittin' smack dab in the middle of the Georgia section, I love that UF fans have a reputation for "jorts" and yet every school I see at least one middle aged man rocking these. I was also confused as to why he had his back to the field for a significant amount of time...

The Dream Team was more or less reunited this weekend, though if we had our choice there would be roughly 10 more girls we love in this pic who couldn't make it to Jax. Also this was taken during a pause in our 5 hours of post game 90's dancing and therefore I felt the black and white was more flattering.

Possibly my favorite part of the weekend was our custom koozies from Periwinkle Monogram Boutique, I can't tell you how many compliments we received on these but they were fantastic!

So regardless of who you choose to cheer for on Saturday...or Sunday you need to order one of these bad boys-did I mention they're only $10 and can say anything you want! We made up our sayings, so get creative yourself or call Elizabeth the owner and she'll help you come up with the perfect gift for the sports fan in your life! If you can't tell I'm still a little giddy over how well mine came out!

Alabama Road Trippin'

So this past weekend I took a little road trip up to Montgomery Alabama and Thursday night we drove the 45 minutes over to the Bourbon St. bar in Auburn Alabama to see the Casey Donahew Band. Haven't heard of them yet? If you listen to country and you haven't then you're missing out. They started back in 2002 in Texas and even refusing to sign with a major label are gaining recognition for their fun old school country songs. Influenced by the story telling style of country in the 80's and 90's they put on a great live show that I have to fully recommend, they remind me a lot of Robert Earl Keen--yet another Texas musician that if you don't know his music you should. Check out their latest song Double Wide Dream.

The second most interesting part of my trip came when I went into the ladies room of a bar in Montgomery called 1048 where they had a pay by the minute flat iron mounted on the wall! I am still undecided about my feelings on this, it's not often that I am truly torn between whether something is gross or genius. I do wonder if in a few years these will be everywhere..all the same I'm still holding out for the 'straight hair pill' that I know has to be right around the corner.

Finally I rounded out the weekend by spending Sunday night with Caroline, Meagan and Matt in Tallahassee doing a walking ghost tour. The tour is about an hour of walking through guided historical spots in downtown with actual accounts and histories of spooky encounters at some of the towns oldest buildings. With the occasional costumed story teller jumping out from behind a bush this was definitely some good clean family fun though I wish they had some of the buildings open to the tour.

                                          (Ghost Tour photo taken by Meagan Chestnut)

My Favorite Fall Things-Part 1

My absolute favorite season of the year is Fall! It could be because the leaves are changing, there's bonfire smoke in the air, and comfy sweaters and boots are finally a possibility in Florida....or it could be because it means my Birthday is coming and anyone who knows me knows how I feel about my Birthday!! (And my half-Birthday for that matter, but that is for a different post.)

So my favorite parts of Fall are finally in season, starting with all things pumpkin and pumpkin spice! This includes the now mandatory pumpkin spice latte (which you can make for pennies on the Starbucks dollar by buying pumpkin spice ~$2 at any grocery store and just add a shake or two to you coffee at home-instant yum!) I also love to add pumpkin and pumpkin spice to pancakes, cookies, and now pumpkin butter! I was absolutely amazed to realize how many of my friends had never heard of it! It is the less known sibling of apple butter and follows the same idea, first of which it is NOT butter. Apple butter has an applesauce consistency and goes great on toast, pancakes, really any breakfast carb. Similarly pumpkin butter can make breakfast even taste like Fall, but is even more versatile in that you can also add it to cheesecake base to make pumpkin cheesecake or any other number of bases to make a pumpkin treat in no time!

My Recipe:

1 can pumpkin puree-not pie filling
1 cup apple cider
2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice

Mix all together and bring to a boil-should be pretty liquid-y at this point, if it's not add more cider. Once boiling lower to simmer and simmer roughly 2 hours until it has an "applesauce" consistency and has a nice dark brown color. This recipe is super simple and bonus will make your whole house smell delicious!

Additionally Fall has made me appreciate even more my new favorite 'local' discovery http://wmlambandson.com/ Wm Lamb and Son is a company founded by Tallahassee native William Lamb an artist whose work depicts the beauty of Southern living, and is now gaining national exposure for his collaborations with Brooks Brothers and other classic staples of American apparel, He also has extended his designs into iphone cases, tshirts, and croakies just to name a few. Definitely a company to watch, they eye for detail and quality is sure to impress.

(Photo credit: William Lamb Brings Prep to the South. Southern Style Preppy

tallahasseemagazine.com)

This is part 1-I'll follow up with Fall fashions and football in a day or two, but it must be noted that as of yesterday's 1st BCS poll my Gators are ranked #2!!

My 1st Blog!

So excited about my first blog! My obvious inspiration is Mari McMurray over at  clumsybartender.blogspot.com she is a trend genius and over all hilarious writer. Also I feel the need to document my exploits as I have recently moved (back) to Tallahassee, Fl. As a die hard Gator fan it is my responsibility to 'Bring Civilization to the Savages' as the Gator club of Tallahassee so aptly put it. This will mostly be an account of my favorite things, misadventures and the hilarity that my friends bring to my life!

Who I am: as the title implies I am a Southern girl who loves pearls, football, traveling, Lilly Pulitzer, my friends and anything monogrammed! My favorite monogrammed things come from http://www.periwinklemonogramboutique.com/!!

I am also in constant need of life advice, so if you have any let me know!