a need.

it has been far too long since my phalanges have touched the ivories. gosh, I miss it. 

(this song was played at our wedding. enter warm fuzzies. *sigh*)

finger lickin'. fo' sho'.

For all you sweet & savory lovers out there who don't mind pesky little calories now and then, have I got a gem for you. Praline bacon. Sweet ... salty ... southern. It is so wrong that it's so right. My first taste of this delectable paradox was at Elizabeth's Restaurant in NOLA's bywater district. Had it not been for Andi, my friend who doesn't mind taking in a stray a.k.a. me, suggesting that we do brunch at Elizabeth's, I might never have stumbled upon this scrumptious little treat. So, with my tastebuds still smiling, I hastily googled the recipe so that I might bless others with this goodness.

Behold, praline bacon.

via Elizabeth's

Praline Bacon

"a NOLA original - Elizabeth's Restaurant (1998)"

Ingredients

• 1 pound thick cut bacon
• 2 1/2 ounces light brown sugar, about 6 tablespoons
• 1 1/2 ounces pecan halves

Directions

Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Line a half sheet pan with aluminum foil. Arrange the bacon in a single layer on a cooling rack, and set it in the prepared sheet pan. Bake until the bacon browns and the fat is rendered and bubbly. About 30 to 35 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the brown sugar and pecans in a small food processor. Pulse about 15 times or until the pecans are finely chopped.

Remove the bacon from the oven, sprinkle with the brown sugar mixture, and pat down to adhere. Return to the oven and bake until the bacon is crisp, about 10 minutes.

Cool on the rack for 10 minutes before serving.


Eazy peazy! And as soon as I'm back in my kitchen, I will be making some of this tastiness and sharing all the deats!

story. of. my life.

Whatif
by Shel Silverstein

Last night, while I lay thinking here,
some Whatifs crawled inside my ear
and pranced and partied all night long
and sang their same old Whatif song:
Whatif I'm dumb in school?
Whatif they've closed the swimming pool?
Whatif I get beat up?
Whatif there's poison in my cup?
Whatif I start to cry?
Whatif I get sick and die?
Whatif I flunk that test?
Whatif green hair grows on my chest?
Whatif nobody likes me?
Whatif a bolt of lightning strikes me?
Whatif I don't grow taller?
Whatif my head starts getting smaller?
Whatif the fish won't bite?
Whatif the wind tears up my kite?
Whatif they start a war?
Whatif my parents get divorced?
Whatif the bus is late?
Whatif my teeth don't grow in straight?
Whatif I tear my pants?
Whatif I never learn to dance?
Everything seems well, and then
the nighttime Whatifs strike again!


alternate ending...
Somebody slip me an ambien for pete's sake.
just kidding.

maybe.

nonsense.

I should be working on my thorn in my flesh twenty-five page graduate change proposal paper. Or shoving my nose into my gerontology text book. But I'm not. I should be a good student. But I guess I'm not.  Instead, I would rather dilly dally by blogging about some nonsense.
For instance, earlier this week, after driving back from a wonderful weekend in Florida with my wonderful Justin, I became a member of the "I-kinda-sorta-maybe-can-change-a-flat-tire-all-by-myself-sorta" club. I'll admit, my initiation involved the help of my friend, Andi, and a lovely little gentleman with a good Samaritan spirit. But I could do it all by myself. I could. Just in case you're wondering.

I've also discovered that my love for mother-baby nursing is pretty much taking over any fixation that I had before for pediatric nursing. I do love pediatrics, but mother-baby nursing gives me just enough med-surg experience to keep up with my skillz and just enough little people care as in babies, not 'little people' to appease my pediatric urges. It's like the best of both worlds. True, sometimes the mothers can be ... shocking, for lack of better words (ie. cartoon watching and thumb sucking) :-O. But the fact that I wake up each morning of clinicals with anticipation and excitement for my next shift is a pretty big sign that just maybe this is IT.

Anyways...

Pinterest has quickly become my favorite way to take a break in the midst of all the busywork I've been assigned, and though I haven't really pinned much this week, I did stumble upon my go-to color choices for around the house. Turquoise & gray. I am love love loving this palette! Add a couple complimentary colors like yellow and navy and cream and it's perfect. Oh, and maybe alittle green. For sure.

via Pinterest

 
                        

Oh. And, obviously, this thing I've got for turquoise has crept it's way onto this very page. Hence, the new background. ß à
Well...maybe it's more like aqua than turquoise. But who's asking?

As for other non-significants...
I miss Justin. (and Petey and Paisley)
School = the pits.
December, where are you?
Yes, I like to wear stretchy pants. 
Theories of alternate realities freak me out.
Adele is only 4 days older than me.
I want need a mani-pedi.
Leptospirosis is one bad mamba jamba.
This post is ridiculously mundane.

The End.

  

cookies? no. just alittle respect.

One lazy Sunday afternoon.

One knock on the door.

Two earnest little girls with a mission to just remember. 

oh, baby!

I am smitten. Plain and simple.
I know, I know. I'm only  23. (and?) I know, I know. I've only  been married alittle over a year. (so?)  I know, I know. Motherhood is not only  giggles and rainbows. (well, duh.) I know. But that doesn't stop me from conjouring up a splendid little image of brown curls with a smidge of red and freckles in tiny little patches and chubby cheeks and legs and fingers and toes. It doesn't help that I often read a sweet little blog about a mom who loves "way more than you know" her precious little baby girl. And it doesn't help that a little lady gave me an adorable owl baby tee and that everytime I see it, I feel like its just missing something (like curls and freckles and chubby chubbiness). And it especially  doesn't help that I am surrounded, at least once a week, by cooing and crying and suckling. By tiny fingers that grasp so tightly and tiny eyes that open just so slightly. Once, twice, occasionally three times a week for the month of September, I will be shadowing a mother-baby nurse for my final hoorah preceptorship of nursing school. And after just two shifts, I have that twinkle that just won't stop. I've got this little bubble of L-O-V-E growing and growing inside of me for life's sweet miracles, and I cannot WAIT to share it with our future baby O. Now, I'm not saying that a baby O will tumble into fruition anytime in the near future (unless it's a God thang, of course). No. What I'm saying is, when I experience a mother's love for the very first time, its truly going to capture me in ways I cannot even fathom. And that. just. thrills me!

*pic found via Pinterest

saturday. sunday. FUNday!

Wow! See that month up there ^ ?! Time is flying. And that makes me H-A-double P-Y! Hurry up, December.

Last weekend, Justin and I were the host & hostess with the mostest (we hope) for Michael and Mandy (Justin's brother and his wife) and their five kids. FIVE kids. all under the age of eight. insert *shudder * here.
Okay. I kid, I kid.     ha! so pun-ny!
It was  such a treat to have the house filled to. the. brim. with Overbys! Between burgers and hotdogs and cookies and muffins (and more muffins) and chaulk and bubbles and dolphins and sea lions and sand and sun, there was never a dull moment.
We took a trip to the Gulfarium Marine Show Aquarium on Saturday and from the get-go, we the kids were captivated.

I literally could not wipe the smile off my face when I saw that extraordinary creature smiling right back at us. And so close too! After peeking at what would soon be the show-stopper, we wandered on over to the other exhibits and saw some pretty fascinating creatures... 

Molly the sea lion, strikin' a pose.

one old, old, old tortoise.

penguins that dig the heat.

love birds. *sigh*

But the main attraction had our eyes a-bulgin' and our cheeks a-grinnin'.

Those faces just say it all! Dolphins are so fun and so smart! Like...genius smart. They follow commands, jump, dance, dribble, surf, sing and even paint! Pretty amazing for fins and flippers, if you ask me. or the kids. :-)

After all that amazing-ness, we grabbed a quick bite, lathered up head to toe in SPF and headed to the beach. It was a scorcher of a day and the cool ocean water was just  the thing keep us from melting away.

We stayed at the beach 'til the sun got all toasty and golden, drove back to the casa, and CRASHED. The sun knows just how to suck alll the life out of ya. But, oh, how I slept like a baby would with a full belly and clean hiney.  And speaking of babies...well, I guess that'll just have to wait until the next post. :-)

the crew.

minus

this handsome hunk.

P.S. Wonder not. I bear no babes. I'm just surrounded by them here lately and wanna say a thing or two about it. And later, I will. :-)