Weekend Highlights

Well, it was a gorgeous weekend in Fayetteville. The weather was perfect! Keith and I saw so many of our friends. It was a blast. Needless to say, Ole Miss beat Arkansas by a couple of points in a really close, exciting, frustrating game. Win or loose, it was awesome....Here are a few highlights:

Lauren, Whitney and I at Z330 on Friday night. Reminds me of the good ole' days



Meredith, Collin and I- Reunited and it feels so good......

















Keith and I haven't taken a picture together in so long! Literally months.....


This is Chip and Brent, 2 dental students from Ole Miss that rode up with us. They had a better car ride home than we did :)















Keith and Stephen Tipton at the Walker/Smith tailgate



















The Jones Clan:



Little Miss Quick and I. Such a pretty girl!



















Mrs. Kendall Jones & Mrs. Kendall Tipton
If only Mary Catherine was there to take our traditional "blonde, brunette, and red head" pic!

Show Down

We're packing up and heading out to the big Arkansas Razorback football show down. We're playing Ole Miss tomorrow and it's certain to be a big game. This is one of the few games we get to attend this year and we're pretty excited. Here's to a big HOG WIN!

Catchin' em left and right

We're snatchin' up field mice like clockwork. It's totally gross but at least we're getting rid of them. Actually, doubtful. I'm sure we'll have this problem as long as we live in a field (practically).
Anyway, the traps are set with our delicious Peter Pan Honey Roast Crunchy peanut butter and the mice can't resist it.
This morning as Keith and I were trying to get the courage to wake up and get out of the bed, I heard a SNAP! from somewhere far off in the house. Ewww! Gotcha!
Needless to say, I don't like entering the house after work by myself until Keith gets out the flashlight and "checks the perimeter".

I feel like Eva Gabor on Green Acres.

Quote of the Day

"....This is fun. It's like deer hunting."


So, you've probably read about our recent mouse adventure. If not, scroll down. Anyway, we've set traps in the garage and in every room of the house. We've caught 3 tiny ones in the garage over the past week. Keith says maybe they're staying out of the house and keeping to the garage. At which point, I always remind him, mice don't know the difference! To them, it's shelter. All the same. They're probably coming in and out of our house all day long. Ewwwww.
So, we haven't seen any more inside or any evidence of them. Great! Maybe we're free and clear.
Until tonight. Keith spots one over by the stairs. He watched for a while and figured out he was hiding under the stairs somehow and coming out, looking for food I guess. So, DKJ rounded up all the traps from other rooms and sets up "the Gauntlet" in that little hallway. Mouse don't stand a chance. So, that's when the quote came in. We're sitting in the living room. I'm enjoying the Sex and the City movie and Keith is watching potential mouse movements from his leather chair.
Fun! Like deer hunting.....Exactly my thoughts!!! :)

Picnic in the Park

Today for lunch I got to enjoy the outdoors with my husband. I picked up some yummy food from Holiday Ham (a Memphis favorite) and met my husband in the park by the Dental School. Class is canceled for him today so he can study...big test on Monday! So, he's been stuck inside the library cramming his brain.
It was really nice to have a little picnic in the park and enjoy the weather. I mean a guys gotta eat, right? I try not to be a distraction, but everybody needs a break now and then.
Those 20 minutes were the best part of my day :)

Fresh Apple Butterscotch Cake, Perfect for Fall!

My sweet friend, Joanna Lynch, is staying a few nights this week with Keith and I. She is in Memphis for work. She's stayed with us once before and I just love having her here. It works out perfectly to get to spend some quality time together. Tonight, she got here just as I was starting to bake a delicious fall cake. My mom first made this recipe over 5 years ago when I went off to college. My roommate, Whitney, and I ate the whole thing! So, I wanted to make it for Joanna and I to share . Now that Jo & Whit live together, I'll be sure to send some home with her :)

We were able to use (for the first time) an awesome wedding gift I received. Actually, no one got this for me, but I wanted it so bad that I bought it with a Williams-Sonoma gift card someone gave us. Anyway, it's an Apple Peeler-Corer-Slicer contraption that is amazing. I never knew it would be so much fun to use! It's a brilliant device. Before we knew it, we had 4 apples cranked out and ready to go in the cake. As you can see, kitchen devices are a simple pleasure for me. You have to try it for yourself, really. No, it's cool. I promise. Ok, maybe I'm a total looser....whatever.
Either way, it was a lot of fun spending time in the kitchen with Joanna tonight and I hope she knows how much I love her!!
So, here's the recipe since I know you're dying for it...

Fresh Apple Butterscotch Cake
click here for printer-friendly version

1 cup cooking oil
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
3 cups diced baking apples
1 cup chopped pecans
1 6 oz. package butterscotch chips

Mix oil & sugar. Add eggs & vanilla. Beat well. Add all dry ingredients. Batter will be very stiff. Add apples & nuts. Pour into 9x13 inch greased and floured cake pan. Sprinkle butterscotch on top of batter. Bake 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve hot or warm. Add whipped cream topping (optional).

One down.....

...Little Bunny Foo-foo
Hoppin' through the forrest
Pickin' up the field mice
and Boppin' em on the head...

We have officially caught a mouse! He was snatched up in the trap we've got out in the garage. As of now, we have a trap set in almost every room. I've got a bad feeling he isn't the only one we'll catch......

Boppin' em on the Head

.....I can't believe what I'm writing. I'm in complete disgust. I thought the ant infestation was bad. I know I'm living in the country now. Oh golly, this is freakin' me out. So, I'm sitting on the couch this evening talking on the phone with my mom (Keith was out running an errand). I just so happen to be looking over towards the dining room, when low and behold, I see none other than a MOUSE! He scurried around the corner and went directly behind the hutch. Lemme tell ya, he ain't tiny.
Of course, I immediately scream and jump up on the couch. I ran to grab my flip flops and headed out the door. I couldn't stand being in my house, alone, with a mouse! Gotta go mom, I need to call my man to save the day. Keith, get a trap---fast! Of course, his first reaction is to laugh at me. All the while, I'm standing in the driveway in my PJs.
Anyway, once he got here he grabbed a broom & hammer (gross, I know) and headed indoors. I spent the next hour standing on furniture looking for the sucker to come running out again. Keith checked everywhere he could to try to find him. No luck. He's here somewhere. Waiting. Waiting and hiding, making it impossible to trap and catch. He could be in the pantry (oh, Lord help me), my closet (frolicking in my clothes), or heaven-forbid, under the bed. Ewwwww, ahhhhh, eeeeeeek. I shouldn't be surprised, we are surrounded by fields!
So, needless to say, I'm totally disturbed, Keith, however, is loving the thrill of this hunt. I hope our traps work and we catch him tonight. Otherwise, how will I sleep!? Wish us luck. I'm off to cook dinner.

I need your votes!

Call this Election 2008. This is serious. Halloween is quickly approaching and Keith and I will be attending a FABULOUS party hosted by our dear friend, Lauren Quick (she loves Halloween as much as I do). The dilemma: WHAT TO GO AS!? This is our first Halloween as a "married unit" so I'm going all out. But, I've spent more time thinking about what kind-of festive treats I'll be baking to take to the party than I have thinking about the costumes! So, blog readers (all 5 of you), I need your votes. The poll is over here ----> on the right!
Oh, and if you think my ideas are terrible (likely), then comment on this post with a better suggestion :) THANKS!

Honeymoon Highlights

So, I'm just now getting around to making prints of honeymoon pictures. Here are a few of my personal favorites:




I put the rest on Facebook. Check 'em out!

At Last

Finally, after years of waiting, my clothing store of choice has created a website for online shopping. I can't believe they're just now getting around to it! Anyway, this makes me very happy. The Limited is my favorite go-to store for work clothes and basics. I love it!
Now I can shop online till my heart's content. Don't tell Keith.
http://www.thelimited.com/

My Favorite Baby

This past weekend I got to spend some time with my favorite baby, Elizabeth. This is my cousin Ashley's little girl. She's a doll! Until I have a baby of my own (light years from now), this is my #1 all-time favorite infant. I had so much fun making her laugh, and I love her expressions!



How adorable is that face!?

I Love Fall!

Here are some pics of the homefront with my fall decor. I love everything about this time of year! Except for the inevitable allergy cold that I have right now...











































I love the smells, the colors, Halloween!! and the fact that Thanksgiving is coming up soon. After all, it's quite possibly the most awesome holiday of all. Think about it (oh, here comes a deep thought). Seriously, Thanksgiving is absolutely wonderful. You have a couple of days off work. You eat the most delicious food in the world with the people you love the most. There's no stress or fuss over presents. You don't feel obligated to do anything but be thankful for all you have. There's a great parade on TV and plenty of exciting football to watch, too. It's pure relaxation. And, it jumpstarts the official Christmas season. Which means, Christmas Vacation must be watched the day after Thanksgiving- and the holiday decorating may begin.

Ok, maybe the Musinex is getting to my head because I'm already dreaming of turkey & dressing. Anyway, the point is: Fall is awesome and I LOVE IT!

The Fab 5

These are my best wine-drinkin', heart-to-heart talkin' friends. I love these girls....












This is us tailgating at the Little Rock Razorback game earlier this month. I can't wait until the November game when we throw a tailgate party in honor of Joanna's birthday! Now I have an excuse to use my finest Razorback serving platters and tailgate accessories. It'll be awesome...

Home Sick

Talk about miserable. I'm home sick from work today. I feel so yucky!
I have a cold, sinus, throat, fever thing going on. So, I have absolutely no energy whatsoever.
I left the office at noon yesterday and have spent my time in either the bed or on the couch. It's a total bummer. When breathing is hard, all you want to do is sleep.
It's driving me crazy to be away from the office with all the projects that are going on. So, I'm also checking email like every 30 minutes.

Anyway, back to my kleenexes. Maybe I'll do some more updates to the blog today since I'm sitting here all alone and sickly.

101 Days

What a landmark. I realized, by looking on my Facebook page today, that Keith and I have been married for 101 days. Yippeee! So far, so good with minimal fighting. Who ever said the first year of marriage is the hardest is just plum wrong. It's a blast!

Also, side note: Thank you, Facebook, for keeping me informed on these important things.

I'm a Home Owner!

Gee Willakers. I own a house. Yep, me, Ken. That's right. At my ripe young age, I own a house. I just signed the papers tonight. Even though we have been living here at this fine establishment for a couple of months, we are just now "officially" becoming the owners. See, we know the builder so we got to live here scotch free for a while.
Anyway, since my sweet hubby is a student, the grown-up fiscal responsibility falls on me...........scary!
So, after 50+ signatures of "Mary Kendall Jones", I now have a mortgage.

Welcome to adulthood, right?