Mississippi Braves game

Philip and I got a couple of tickets (and $10 in Braves bucks!) for the Mississippi Braves game on Friday night. It was the first time I had been to the new Trustmark Park or to a Mississippi Braves game! It was a blast! And the Braves beat the Carolina Mudcats 3 to 2!

They really do a lot of contests and give-aways between at-bats. My personal favorite was the eye-ball race sponsored by the Jackson Eye Associates. (There were kids that wore these giant balls over their heads that had an eye painted on them.)

Mama and Daddy had Anastasia for the weekend, so she missed out...well, she would probably disagree.

I dropped it.

Anastasia spoke her first sentence today! Philip and I both heard it - doesn't the Bible say something about two witnesses...Anyway, her first complete sentence with a subject, verb and direct object was, "I dropped it."

We had some (amazing) fried catfish from Lumpkin's, a unique BBQ place here in Jackson. (If you're local, you should check it out!) I peeled off the fried skin and handed the fish to Anastasia. She dropped it on her shirt and Philip said just that. As I went to get pick it off, Anastasia looked down and said, "I dropped it."

Anastasia is very verbose. It's not all intelligable, though. Philip and I joke that she has been practicing so much, she is just going to wake up one day and start speaking complete and understandable sentences. I'll keep you posted.

Pilates

I have the privilege of being a Pilates instructor! Pilates is a popular class at the local gyms. It was designed during WWI by Joseph Pilates. Pilates was a German who became disenchanted with the political direction his country was taking and immigrated to the United States. Though his methods were first used for military purposes, Pilates was quickly embraced by the dance and entertainment community. Pilates not only conditions the entire body but helps rehabilitate after injury.

Pilates focused on strengthenging, stretching, and stabalizing a few key muscles. Incorporating proper alignment, centering, concentration, control, precision, breathing, and flowing movement is how this total body conditioning is achieved. The result is long, lean muscles (like those of a dancer!).

If you're new to Pilates, thinking about all of those principles at one time can be overwhelming. However, consistency will gain mastery. Joseph Pilates had a 10-20-30 concept: after 10 sessions, you will be comfortable with the moves and notice a difference. After 20 sessions, you and others will notice a difference. And after 30 sessions, you will have a whole new body! All of this assuming you make good choices outside of the Pilates sessions.

In the late 1960's, Joseph Pilates claimed that he was 50 years ahead of his time. As Pilates has gained incredible momentum in the past 10 years, I would say he was right on target! Pilates continues to gain popularity. But this isn't a fad. Pilates will be an industry standard for years to come.

a little comic relief

WRONG E-MAIL ADDRESS

A Minneapolis couple decided to go to Florida to thaw out during a particularly icy winter.. They planned to stay at the same hotel where they spent their honeymoon 20 years earlier.

Because of hectic schedules, it was difficult to coordinate their travel schedules. So, the husband left Minnesota and flew to Florida on Thursday, with his wife flying down the following day.

The husband checked into the hotel. There was a computer in his room, so he decided to send an email to his wife. However, he accidentally left out one letter in her email address, and without realizing his error, sent the email.

Meanwhile, somewhere in Houston , a widow had just returned home from her husband's funeral. He was a minister who was called home to glory following a heart attack.

The widow decided to check her email expecting messages from relatives and friends. After reading the first message, she gasped and fainted...

The widow's son rushed into the room, found his mother on the floor, and saw the computer screen which read:

To: My Loving Wife

Subject: I've Arrived

Date: October 16, 2005

I know you're surprised to hear from me. They have computers here now and you are allowed to send emails to your loved ones. I've just arrived and have been checked in.

I've seen that everything has been prepared for your arrival tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing you then!!!! Hope your journey is as uneventful as mine was.

P. S. Sure is freaking hot down here!!!!

Independence

Lately, I've been telling our Reliv story a lot. And I am still impressed by Philip's results. In Feburary of 2010, Philip found that he was able to climb onto our bed by himself. Prior to Feb 2010, that was something that I was doing for him every time he needed to get to his chair or the bed.

Philip had found relief from his migraines, seasonal allergies and anxiety not too long after starting to drink Reliv. We would have been highly satisfied if those results were all we ever saw. But, to God's glory, Philip has seen increased mobility!

In fact, his mobility continues to increase. He's now able to get onto one of our living room chairs unassisted and swim without needing a flotation aid. And all that Philip has changed has been adding Reliv.

Philip's independence positively impacts my life, too. I have more freedom. Freedom not only from the physical activities but also from the concern about how long Philip has been home by himself and if he's stranded on the floor. We are grateful to God for creating such a product as Reliv.

Mississippi State football

There are plenty of articles to read about Mississippi State football. However, I don't read them. I know that some would elate me, some would infuriate me and some would make me want to attend every football game this season.

I get all the Miss. State information that I want from my Daddy, my brother, John, and my friend, Alison. Between the 3 of them, I can be as well informed as I choose to be. Apparently, Dan Mullen is rather confidently optimistic about the Bulldog's upcoming football season. He's gone from praising our team's effort to praising their execution.

Now, most maroon-bleeding Miss. State fans are, at the most, cautiously optimistic. If we do have a winning season this year, Dan's attitude just may catch on. Of course, I bet that he wants his attitude to catch on before the season starts. I can't blame him - a positive attitude and belief go a long way. Henry Ford said, "Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're right."

If Mullen's change in vocabulary (from effort to execution) is any indication of whether or not the entire team thinks they can, I want season tickets!

the early service

Philip and I are members at Pear Orchard Presbyterian Church in Ridgeland, MS. Pear Orchard has an early morning (8:00 AM) and late morning service (10:30 AM) on Sunday mornings. We started going to the early service a few months ago when it fit Anastasia's nap schedule the best.

I'm now a huge fan of the early service. We get to worship, go to Sunday school, go home, have brunch or an early lunch and by noon have the remainder of the day to rest. By the end of Sunday, I feel like I am ready for the week.

Last weekend, I got to visit my former church in St. Louis, MO, Memorial Presbyterian. They now have a Saturday evening service. That would probably gain my allegiance if I still lived in St. Louis. But for now, we're early-morningers and loving it.

Whipped Cream Biscuits

I made biscuits for the first time tonight! I got the urge to try making biscuits a couple of hours ago. The first recipes I looked at called for shortening. I don't keep shortening on hand and don't care to either. Then I ran across a recipe called Whipped Cream Bisciuts, which only called for 4 ingredients!

I don't own a biscuit cutter, so I started texting around. Not only did none of my neighbors have one, but one didn't even know what a biscuit cutter was. I suppose we have Pillsbury to thank for that. So, I drove to our local Family Dollar hoping they would keep them in stock. No luck. Not wanting to forge the Wal-Mart battle, I had the grand idea to use a white wine glass...it worked perfectly!

The Whipped Cream Biscuits were super easy to make and delicious. The texture was just right, too - they were so light and airy. There wasn't that hint of preservative that the canned biscuits have, either. I went to the Farmer's Market this morning as well...talk about feeling connected with my Southern-ness right now. The Whipped Cream Biscuits are now a staple for the Southern Soens!