Weekend Wrap Up {A day late}

*This post was supposed to go up yesterday, but for some reason (my error) yesterday's and today's got switched*

Whew. The last few days have been a whirl wind. 

I'm in the final days of summer up on the mountain, I leave tomorrow. 

*tear*

But I'm ready. I'm homesick, miss my doggie, and am ready to have my own bed again!

Anyways, this past weekend was super busy, but fun-filled at the same time.

I'm wrapping it up for ya today!

Friday:

We spent the day outside ATVing, fishing, fire building, and bird house building. 

My grandpa, cousin, and I worked on hoisting the birdhouse we handmade because if it's not suspended, the birds won't nest  due to those silly squirrels.  

We finished the day with watching, my current favorite movie, The Breakfast Club.

Saturday:

We woke up early to go back to Chick-fil-a to have their breakfast buffet.

mmmmm.... So good. Because the picture is a bit blurry, I will gladly go into detail of what my breakfast consisted of:

Grits, Bacon, Eggs, Biscuits, Chicken, Sausage, potatoes.

ahhh, I'm telling you, it's amazing. 

Then, we went to Goodwill and found a couple of things. 

{I came out with two new books!}

After that, we went over to tour Berry College. It was such a cool experience. 

Martha Berry was such an amazing woman who really revolutionized education in the United States!

By the way, does the picture above look familiar to you?

Well, it does to me! This was the plantation house they used in the movie "Sweet Home Alabama", which just so happens to be a favorite of mine. 

Our trip was cut short because our Sweet Jakey, got sick. 

So, we headed back up the mountain. 

Later that evening, we went over to Cloudland Canyon State Park for their annual Star Party!

A professor came and taught us all about summer stars, then once it got dark enough, we set up these huge technical telescopes and looked at the stars. It was clear enough that we could see Saturn! I've never seen a planet up close like that before, so I thought it was pretty amazing. 

Sunday:

better known as hodge-podge day

We did a little bit of this, and a little bit of that.

First, My nana and I made the best french toast ever. 

Then we worked it off by working outside in the heat. 

We were trying to re-uposlter a chair and literally had to pick the glue off with screwdrivers. 

Don't worry, I'll show you guys the before and after!

Then, we cooled off by watching.... you guessed it

Sweet Home Alabama.

I just had to see the scenery we saw the day before.

Then, I made cookies. 

yum.

and we concluded the day by fishing!

Jakey caught a large bass

and I caught....

a log. 

Yep. I caught nothing. 

boooo!

We had fun, nevertheless, 

and even Charlotte had to join in on the fun!

It was a great weekend and one I will remember forever.

Love you Nana and Papa!

and Jakey!

A Migraine Experiment

{source}

 I have chronic migraines, but I (somewhat) have them under control.

I know my triggers, how to prevent, and how to treat. 

Someday soon I'll write up a big long post about my migraines, but for now, I just had an idea.

Suffering from chronic migraines is a constant experiment.  Every single case is different so you have to find what works for you. For me, it's been a perpetual trial and error, but through it all, I've figured out what works for me and what doesn't.

I'm willing to try anything. I find that during the school year, my headaches get worse. This makes sense because stress is my number one trigger. When I have my long days (8am-4pm) at school, I almost always come home with a throbbing head and/or migraine. It sucks.  Especially when I need to study or do homework and I can't look a a computer screen or read a book because my vision is so blurry.  

So I came up with an experiment. They say that exercise helps with migraines {My neurologist confirmed that it's worth a shot} and this is the one method I haven't tried to help. So what if, starting this new school year, I exercise on a daily basis and see if doing so helps with my headaches?

I've got nothing to lose. I mean the least that could happen is that I lose a few pounds in the process and I certainly won't complain about that. 

But if it does work, I'll be able to study when I need to and can really focus on lectures. It will be great.

So, starting wednesday (I get back to Texas tomorrow), I am going to start my experiment.

I don't start school until the 26th, so I think getting a bit of a head start will help. 

Has anyone else tried this? Let me know!

Mug Swap 2013

Yay!! I am participating in A Cuppa Kim's 3rd annual mug swap and couldn't be more excited.

If you don't know what that is, it means that you give a mug, and you get a mug. 

Entires are now closed, but you can certainly join next year. I'm kinda nervous because I filled out my entry in a rush because I didn't want to miss out, and regretted not adding more information for my poor person to buy for me. 

 *Sorry, if you're reading this!!!*

Anyways, I'll update you when I get my mug, and share with you the mug I buy for my person!

{Which I already received my assignment :)  }

Screws fall out all the time. The world is an imperfect place.

^500000 Brownie points if you can guess what movie that's from 

OK, so are you ready for some random?

No? 

Too bad ;)

1. Yesterday, My grandma and I  went to Chick-fil-a which was Dwarf House location (we had no idea). Let's just say that it was an experience. Not only did they have waiters and hostess that seat you, but they had menus!! Menus that included hamburgers!! I just think that goes against everything chick-fil-a stands for. Haha

2.

I've been kinda obsessed with The Breakfast Club recently. 

Like I've-watched-it-twice-in-the-past-24-hours obsessed. 

and now I really want this shirt.

3. Can I just say how annoying it is that people are already talking about fall? 

It's not 'pre' fall. Fall is NOT just around the corner. (OK, maybe it is, but just go with me for a sec)

 It's summer.Trust me, I love fall just as much as the next girl. It just so happens to be my favorite season, but IT'S AUGUST!!!!I can barely get over the fact that summer is on it's tail end, let alone knowing that Christmas is 5 months away. 

 Let's just take it one season at a time please.

4.  

OMG.

 This. is. genius. 

I can't wait to do this. 

Watch out Addison.

5. I met the cutest little kid the other day. 

I was sitting on a park bench reading my book (how picturesque) and he walked up to me, wearing his bike helmet and spiderman shirt and said the following without taking a single breath:

"Hi I'm Aaiden. A-A-I-D-E-N. Daddy says I'm good at riding my bike my favorite color's blue and I was Spiderman for halloween I live in Florida in a small house but I have my own room with a Batman pillow I went to Disney World once for sissy's birthday she was Marida from Brave I was Spiderman Do you have training wheels? I ride my bike with training wheels because mommy says I'm not big enough yet. What's your name? Well, I gotta go, mommy loves me."

and then he walked away. 

and yes, I did write every word down so I wouldn't forget it. 

And that concludes this super random post.  

(My mommy loves me, too)

A Heavenly Combination

Guys, I've found it.

My holy grail shampoo & Conditioner. 

I used to have the philosophy that all hair care products are to be treated equal. Boy was I missing out. 

I bought these on a whim when CVS had a deal where you got 2 for $10, instead of the regular retail price of $10 each. For $5 I figured I'd try them out.

Ever since I started using them, my hair has felt thick and soft. I love it! I've noticed that my split ends have almost all disappeared seeing that I'm way overdue for a haircut. 

Not only does it feel great, but it smells lovely too.

Next time these go on sale, I highly recommend checking them out!

Buy them here:

Shampoo 

Conditioner

The Easiest (and Ugliest) Berry Cobbler. Ever.

Up at my Grandparent's, there are tons of fresh blackberry bushes. Last year, we picked so many we didn't even know what to do with them all. 

So this year, I added on my Bucket List to make a blackberry cobbler with all of our fresh picked berries. Well, I jinxed it. The few blackberries we could find were over-ripe and sour. 

So my grandma and I resorted to the next option. The Baking Gods must of been against us because we were out of flour to make our own pastry crust and seeing that the nearest town is 20 miles away, we weren't about to go get some. So, we really had to improvise.

 Thus coming up with the easiest, best tasting, definitely not the most beautiful, berry cobbler. 

So guess what? I am going to share with you how to make this (non)beauty. 

Here's what you'll need:

4 cups of your choice in berries (I used these frozen ones from Costco)

2 cups sugar, divided

1 box of (2) pre-made pie crusts

1/3 cup water if using fresh berries, skip the water if you're using frozen.

8 Tablespoons softened butter

Nutmeg and Cinnamon (Optional)

Note:

I had to add a bit of cornstarch diluted in water to make my cobbler thicker and less runny. 

First, preheat your oven to 375 and grease your baking dish. I prefer using a cast iron skillet, but use whatever you have. I placed the skillet on a foil wrapped baking sheet in case the cobbler spilled over. 

Then place berries, 1 cup sugar and water (if needed) into saucepan and cook on low heat, stirring often.

Slowly add cornstarch mixture if you feel like the berry mixture is too runny. 

Once berry mixture reaches a slow boil, turn off heat.

Next, unroll one pie crust and place on the bottom of the skillet/dish and add the berry mixture.

This is where ours got ugly.

Add remaining pie crust on top. 

{Ours broke apart in transport, so we kinda patch-worked it on there}

In a small bowl, add remaining cup of sugar and desired amount of cinnamon and nutmeg (I used about a teaspoon of both) and mix. 

Sprinkle mixture all around the crust. 

Then, cube butter and place randomly place it around the skillet. 

Place in oven and bake until the crust is golden brown. 

(Ours took longer than usual at about 30 minutes, checking every ten)

and Viola!
You have the easiest, best tasting berry cobbler around.

It's definitely not the best looking cobbler ever, but it sure tastes delicious!

  

I recommend serving with a giant scoop of Bluebell Homemade Vanilla.

Yummmmm.

I'm drooling just thinking about it!

The World's Longest Yard Sale

Do you slam on the brakes when you see a little sign like this one?

I do!

I looooooove garage sales because you can't beat the prices. 

I'd pick yard sales over Goodwill any day. 

*Gasp*

Yes, it does take waking up at the crack of dawn, driving all around town and trying relentlessly to follow signs in order to find that one good sale.

but when you do, 

it's like finding gold. 

Say you find a shirt at a yard sale. Generally, people will ask about $.50-$2 for it.

At goodwill, it will cost you around $4.

OK, OK, I know you're thinking "Get to the point already, would you?!?!"

The point is that I spent this past weekend, actually 4 days, doing nothing but yard sale-ing. 

WHAT?!?!?!

Yes. I went to the World's Longest Yard Sale.

What's that, you ask?

Well. Just what I typed. It's the longest yard sale ever... as in the world. 

It starts in Michigan and ends in Alabama and runs along Highway 127.

The best part about it is that my grandparents live off 127 on Lookout Mountain! 

Right smack dab in the middle of this map, you'll see a small little dot that says "Mentone." They live about thirty minutes north of that town in Georgia, but folks in the area call it the TAG area (Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia)

So for three years now, we've dedicated our weekend to scouring out the best yard sales driving through the three states.

It's awesome. There's literally hundreds of those little yellow signs everywhere. 

Yes, there is lots of junk. 

Lots. 

but every once in a while, you strike gold. 

What did I buy, you ask?

Tons and tons of clothes for my Shop

1 vintage blue mason jar

a pair of Teva sandals

and a bag of old vintage victorian silverware.

I would've bought more if I didn't have to haul it all back to Texas.

My grandma, however, got tons of things. Mainly stuff for crafts and some patio furniture. 

We met some interesting characters (Country Folk, as my grandma calls them) , got to enjoy the wonderful mountain scenery, and some good quality bonding time along the way.

If you live off Highway 127, I highly recommend checking it out next year!