The landmass between New Orleans and Mobile

Earlier this week, the weather channel offended Mississippians by referring to our state as the landmass between NOLA and Mobile... Which has somewhat seriously/somewhat lightheartedly turned into movement here in Mississippi.  I think that the weather channel heard us because they now say MISSISSIPPI every other word.  Its all in good fun -- and a little bit of mockery.

In all seriousness, Mississippi often gets igored during national disasters. We got hit by Katrina 7 years ago and NOLA suffered a flood (due to their own mismanagement of levees AND building their city in a bowl)  Both were tragic, but only one was an actual hurricaine.  However Mississippi begin working to rebuild while many (not all) NOLA residents whined about the federal government to tv crews.  I love my state, I'm proud of it. 

Here is something my friend Russell Latino posted that has picked up statewide attention.... (by the way, when he refers to that piece of heaven near batesville, he is speaking about Oxford, home of Ole Miss)

"The "land mass between New Orleans and Mobile" has a rich and complicated history. It gave birth to the Blues & Rock-n-Roll. Maybe you've heard of Elvis, B.B. King, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters or Robert Johnson. The "land mass between New Orleans and Mobile" inspired and cultivated the likes of Faulkner, Welty, Ambrose, Percy, Foote & Grisham. Of course, you needn't pick up a book, because this la...

nd mass is full of great storytellers who need only a porch & a glass of sweet tea. The fields and gyms of the "land mass between New Orleans and Mobile" have produced thousands of world class athletes, though we are partial to the pigskin having trained arguably the greatest quarterback (Favre), running back (Payton) and receiver (Rice) to ever play the game. Our Coast is marked by sugar sand beaches and comes with a bounty of fresh seafood. Our fertile Delta has fed and clothed people the world over. And, if you ask me, there is a little spot east of Batesville that is God's country. Let me be clear, though, we are not perfect. There is dark blight in our past. There is still division to be conquered, but there is also unity on many grounds. You see, the people from the "land mass between New Orleans and Mobile" are a proud bunch. We're intensely loyal, hard working and resilient. We are people of faith who'd give the shirts off our backs to help a friend in need, which may explain, despite low wages, why we give a greater percentage of our income to charity than any other state. We still know the value of a firm handshake and looking a person in the eyes. Oh, and weather channel, the "land mass between New Orleans and Mobile" is called Mississippi. Maybe you forgot since after Katrina made landfall on our shores, we rolled up our sleeves and went to work instead of heading for a camera to complain about what the federal government wasn't doing for us."

                                                   instead of our "Mississippi" magazine...

This is from the Clarion Ledger's political Cartoon Artist, Marshall Ramsey......

A little about the landmass betwee NOLA and Mobile....

Yep, thats where it is!

Gotta love ecards...

What I am reading Wednesday

1. I love this article on "The pain of Childbearing" (mothering). Favorite line: "I cannot raise my children to be safe, but I can raise them to be strong."  I think thats true of my siblings and me...we were raised to be strong in a world that isn't safe.  I suppose the best you can do for your kids is to first teach them the gospel daily and second, teach them how to live in this world -- strength, kindness, endurance, etc.

2. I love Mississippi.  One of the poorest states but one of the most generous.  When people hate on my state, I get so angry. You don't even know how great this place is, how people come together for good causes, how you get invited to peoples homes and how you are taken care of.  Mississippi is a special place, but go ahead and hate on it: we will keep it "our litte secret" and keep awful haters out.


3. This article talks about trials and their purpose.

And it is why Peter is able to say, with a straight face, that you should “rejoice” in trial (1 Peter 1:6).This doesn’t mean it’s fun to be in a trial. It only means that the cognizance of what the trial really is in the spiritual realm (an opportunity for faith to prove itself) is the “joy set before you” (see Hebrews 12:2) that will make the trial bearable and will motivate you to keep clinging to God and keep obeying. Jesus had to live life the same way, and He set us an example. So whenever you feel that grumbling in the tummy, or you are caught in another trial, tell yourself, like Linda did: “Good. This means something good is happening.” It is having “the mind of Christ.”


4. We all have walked through a desert before.  A desert can be used for God's purposes.

Summer in the South.

I love the south. I love summer.  I love southern summers -- hot and humid and muggy. So hot that I have to run at 6 am or 9:30 pm. So hot that we wear dresses and skirts all summer and people not from the south think we just like "dressing up" (which is partly true), but when I was living up north and was told this, I smiled and laughed.  I wear dresses because its a lot cooler than wearing jeans.

I love hearing crickets/cicadas.  I love tans. I love the little girls that form around your face due to the heat.  I love sandals and painted toenails.  I love windows down and country music blaring.  I love crawfish boils and shrimp boils and pool days.

I love cookouts  -- BBQ chicken, corn on the cob, steaks, hamburgers, back porches, patios, cool drinks, paper plates, and messy hands.

I love large front porches on old 100+ year old houses.
I love tall windows with shutters.
I love rocking chairs and porch swings.
I love front porch sitting with iced tea, lemonade, cocktails.
I love waiving at the neighbors walking by.
I love family.

I love babies in monnogramed clothing.
I love smocked dressings on little girls and jumpers on boys.
I love that in the south, babies are expected to dress like babies, not mini adults.
I love white sandals on little boys (not shown here)

I love watermelon -- cold, straight from the fridge, juicy and red, sometimes with salt added.
I love how sticky your hands and chin get....making you need a shower almost immediately.
I love the excitement of buying our first watermelon of the season.

Southern Belle Secrets

Y'all may have noticed that I LOVE the SOUTH.  I love front porches, searsucker, college football, tailgating, mixed drinks, magnolias, cookouts, bbq, watermelon, sundresses, pearls, Lilly Pulitzer, and the list goes on and on....

For those of you who aren't southern, I thought I would share some of our secrets...stolen from pinterest but I wholeheartedly agree (and I'm pretty southern...I have lived in MS, AL, GA, VA, TX)

What I am reading Wednesday

This article is me to a T....except not as extreme.  I don't see myself as a newlywed, decorating a nursery before I get pregnant. But I am naturally a planner and thus, often a worrier. So I look ahead.  I want to know where my life will take me-- if a job will open up in a year or two, if a relationship will lead to forever or just heartache, if I will be a lawyer forever or do something else, if I will travel to this ballgame next year, how many kids should i have, etc etc.  I often times (espeically relationally) am worrying because I want to know the outcome in order to diminish pain.  This author made some good points about always looking to the future not the present.

I LOVE this article on praying in expectation.  This is what has changed the most in my prayer life in the past year or so.  I read a lot of spurgeon exerpts and articles talking about praying with real faith....and as I started praying, expecting an answer and thanking God for that answer before he even answered, I begin to get more answer and at very least, notice answers that had been there. 

A yankee's perspective on ole miss and the south.

Growing up SOUTHERN

I saw this article on my sister's facebook wall and had to share. It's about southern women....which is one of the defining characteristics of my life. I loved it and actually it pointed out a couple ways in which I am failing as a southern lady -- i.e., I have left the house plenty of times with no makeup or wet hair.

I think growing up southern is interesting. You are keenly aware that the rest of the country is intrigued by you yet full of improper misconceptions...and often times judging you.  My time in DC showed me that people assumed I was uneducated, racist, etc.  I even had someone ask me if white and blacks went to prom together or if we had airports?? really???  We are assumed to be either white trash racists with confederate flags in the back of our trucks, barefoot and pregnant or live in old southern mansions and drink sweet tea, boss our maids around, and plan charity events. Some of what people think is true, some isn't.  For example, the impression that we are highly religious, sometimes in a fake way...very true.  In the south, you are born Baptist or Presbyterian in the same way you are born black or white. It just is.  Others assume we love traditions, and that is true, but I think that the most southerners have learned which traditions are worth keeping.... confederate flags and separate water fountains weren't good, always bringing a meal to a new mom or sick friend is good.

I remember reading when I was a child about how some people in the civil war didn't have slaves, and probably didn't even care about states rights, but they were southern and they were fighting for the South.  I have thought about that a lot.  I am about has conservative and patriotic and loyal as they come, but I love the South.  If there was another war, I think I would support the United States, but it would break my heart to do that. Because I see myself as first, a Christian, second, and American and third, a southerner.  And like this article points out, no other group or region in the country feels such pride as we do.

Important things about growing up southern:

1) follow all fashion rules. White is not okay until after easter...neither is searsucker, lilly pulitzer or linen.  And you must quit wearing these items after Labor Day.
2) Every girl must own  pearls.
3) Smocked outfits are best for children. Babies should not wear jeans til a certain age. Kids should dress like kids, not jr. adults.
4) Double names are acceptable even when you are an adult woman.
5) Sunday Lunches are important. Just as important is never showing up at a party empty handed. Even a bottle of wine or tin of cookies will do.
6) Even girls should know and love SEC football which is clearly the best conference.
7) Yes mam, no mam, yes sir, no sir.
8) The truth can be spoken, but kindly, not harshly
9) You bring meals to the sick and help with fundraisers/charity events
10) you must know how to cook...even if its a few dishes or desserts, you must know.
11) Southern staples: fried food, watermelon, grilling out, bbq, sweet tea, mint juleps, grits -- I dont like fried food or tea very much so I must be a southern failure.
12) A southern woman knows how to be a good host.  Whether throwing an amazing party for your child's birthday, hosting an engagement party, or having people over to watch the game, southern women make people feel at home.
13) thank you notes (I have become bad at this too, its my goal to fix that!)
14) Dresses are most appropriate for church.  Some women wear pants now, but church is fancier than the rest of life so I stick to mostly dresses, especially for big sundays.
15) Always say hello and ask people how their day is -- my friends in DC thought I was so strange for this. I would ask the cashier at walgreens how she was doing, but thats how we were raised-- slower pace of life.
16) Church is important and family is second most important.
17) Front porch sitting is an activity
18) Tailgating is an art form and at Ole Miss, it requires nice table cloths, dresses and sometimes even chandiliers.
19) In the south (and I assume in most parts of suburban or rural america), people still parent their kids... even if the kid goes to daycare, even if he has a nanny, mom and dad come home and spend time with them and correct them and remind the kids who is the parent and who is the kid.  Obviously, even in the South, this has changed some, but most people I know still think a spanking or timeout is perfectly acceptable and expected.
20) In the south, men are still expected to be gentleman....and the women let them.  Sure, I can hold a door for myself or get home safely, but there is no reason to not let a guy do it for me.  Just like he can probably cook himself dinner, but he likes when I occasionally make him supper.

Southern Girl's Fall Bucket List

My sister tagged a list on pinterest of the southern girl's fall bucket list. I loved it and decided to make my own (although obviously some of mine are the same or similar to the items listed on the list she found)

my FALL bucket list:

• attend a football game and tailgate at an SEC school



• have a football game date



• make some type of pumpkin treat - pumpkin muffins, pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie



• wear boots with skinny jeans



• learn to tie a scarf atleast 3 different ways



• carve a pumpkin



• snuggle on the couch while watching a scary movie for halloween



• make some type of fall wreath or decoration



• find the perfect saturday game day outfit in your school's colors!



• stock up on fun pairs of tights



• make some type of hot drink with an "adult beverage" added



• pick out the perfect dish to make for your family or friends thanksgiving



• find a tasteful yet attractive halloween costume



• plan a girls night on a chilly evening -- cookies, cocoa, fireplace and chickflicks



• spend a morning in your pjs and blanket on the couch with a good book



• take a picture in leaves



• complain about your "red" nose



• find an adorable hat!



• hot chocolate with marshmellows!



• cook a good chili for friends or a boyfriend.



• enjoy the few perfect weather nights on the porch with wine and friends before it gets cold



• if you are in Jackson, attend Mistletoe Marketplace AND the preview party



• bonfire and smores



• enjoy starbucks holiday treats



• buy a fall candle to make your mississippi home smell like fall despite the fact that its still 85 degrees today :)

What about you?? Whats on your Fall Bucket list/ to do list?

Things I love Tuesday

Things I am loving right now....





1. Jackson Restaurant Week.... like every other major city, we now have a restaurant week where the restaurants have discounts and special menues and everyone partakes...Have we finally arrived? (the answer is no, but its a step in the right direction..)





So maybe a girls night or if I am lucky, a fun date?? Why not both? I have all week!



2. Spending my saturdays here... I LOVE Auburn, I would rather attend a game in Jordan Hare stadium than be almost anywhere else in the world...BUT I love tailgating in the grove even more than tailgating at Auburn. (Why cant I tailgate in Oxford and go to a game in Auburn??) Maybe because I literally have 2 decades of memories there and my family and friends are all there...but to me, it represents football season.

3. Skinny Girl Margarita...fun summer treat, less calories

4. My new Auburn skirt, making its debut this week at the Auburn Clemson party at my house...and making its Auburn debut at either the UF or OM game...

5. This quote stolen from a friend off facebook. I find it encouraging in my singleness but also in other areas of life where I might let others (mainly, Satan) make me feel not good enough...I am sure y'all can relate.

"What circumstances do you find yourself in today? Give thanks and pray without ceasing. For as we keep our eyes on him and praise Him in all circumstances, we silence the Accusor (the good, the happy, the hard, the confusing, the horrifying), the one who exists to blame God for not being good and blame us for not being good enough."