a few things

Let's talk.

Not about anything specific.

I don't have any big topics today--mostly just random thoughts.

It is so cold. I'm not even sure if I'm in Georgia anymore. I don't like the polar vortex. It was 40 degrees today [and I was happy!] Yeah, cold weather just doesn't work for me.

I have just entered my final semester of high school! wowowowow I am unbelievably excited. I cannot wait to be at Auburn next year! I have already met so many sweet new friends. {Senioritis is so real.}

Speaking of Auburn, I actually did cry for a minute or so after our tragic lost. We got so close (I wanted it sooooo bad). Then, I remember how completely amazing our entire season was! Absolutely amazing. It only makes me even more excited to go there next year, and cheer on my Tigers from the student section.

I got a new job! I started working at Lizard Thicket yesterday {a women's clothing boutique}. It's fabulous! All of the girls there are so sweet. The entire franchise stands for a lot of things I love, too (customer service, community service, etc.)! the clothes perfect also.

Senior project is going well! I took some pretty good pictures of my beautiful friends the other day. I love senior project, but I also really can't wait for it to be over. I want to take pictures for fun, not for school.
 

 

My goal of being healthier has been hindered by the cold weather. That's probably a bad excuse, but it's made me pretty unmotivated. {I pinky promise I'll try harder}

 

I finally have classes and lunch with friends. I LOVE FRIENDS.

 

My grandmother is a pretty awesome little lady. [I mean, she was in a magazine the other day. Was your grandmother in a magazine?]

 

I need a good book. Help?

 

I really just love Duck Dynasty.

 

I'm running out of thoughts... Well, it's been fun y'all! I'll get back to you tomorrow!



Hello, WINTER

I don't do cold.

It's a pretty well known fact that I do not handle being cold very well, and today was by far one of the coldest days we've had this year. {I'm probably exaggerating.}

I grew up in the South. I've seen it snow here maybe four times (and only for a few hours). I am just never prepared for cold weather. [Maybe someday I will be ready for winter in the South, but as of right now, I have one warm jacket, a few sweaters and some fleece lined tights... that's all I'm going on.]

{For those of you just tuning in, on Fridays I a write a short post called "Hello, ____". You can check some of the others out by clicking here.}

Hello, WINTER. We've already talked about  this. Cold is just not my thing right now.

Hello, short workout... I tried.

Hello, ants? All of the ants made the journey from where the heck the originated up to my second floor bathroom. I've been experiment with various ways to get rid of them (trying to find the most effective). So far, the best is to just blow them away with a hair dryer. [They may or may not actually be regenerating, though.]

Hello, senior project. [so much to do, so little time]

Hello, photoshoot! I helped out on a photoshoot today. It was pretty fun until I lost feeling in my body everywhere.

Hello, work.

Hello, dinner date. Dressed up. Went out. Ate everything. {We went to one of my favorite restaurants, Johnny Carinos... yum}

Hello, bundling up under blankets.

Hello, mega-stuffed Oreos. They're real. {fun fact: Oreos are my favorite.}

 

Hello, warm pajamas.

Frozen

I love Disney.

I could watch Disney movies allllll day and be perfectly content. My ideal date would be staying home and watching Disney movies (probably eating Oreos). If you take me to Disney World, I promise you will be my best friend forever. I love Disney.

It's impossible to pick my favorite movie, but Frozen, Disney's newest movie, is absolutely adorable.

Disney is on this very refreshing, girl-power kick. In Tangled, Rapunzel was pretty feisty and independent. Look at her. She rocks.
 

Now, in Frozen, Elsa is just fabulous. Elsa becomes the queen after her parents pass away. She rocks being herself. {Let it go, Let it go, Can't hold it back anymore} she embraces who she is and creates a life for herself (without the help of man). 
 

Then, there's Anna, Elsa's younger sister. She isn't quite as fierce as Elsa and Rapunzel, but she's quirky and lovely. {Do you wanna build a snowman?}
 

 

Disney also has become amazingly wonderful at creating hilarious, adorable extra characters. There's Pascal and Maximus in Tangled. Frozen has Kristoff and Sven. They're like you're two most inseparable guy friends throughout the movie.

 

 

 

But, of all the characters in the movie, Olaf is the best. He's a cute little snowman created by Elsa who like warm hugs. He is by far the most hilarious, motivational character in the movie. He just wants to experience summer (no one has the heart to tell him that he'll melt).

 

"Some people are worth melting for."



 

Frozen also has some amazing music. Throughout the whole movie, I kept trying to sing along with the characters, but then I realized I didn't actually know the words.

 

If you haven't seen Frozen, you seriously need to. I don't want to ruin the story for anyone who hasn't seen it, so I'll just leave at this. Frozen is wonderful and makes me super happy. GO WATCH IT.

 

You're never too old for Disney.

 







Resoluting.

Welcome back.

My short blogging break for Thanksgiving turned into a little more than a month... wowowow

Where did I go? What happened?
First, senioritis is a real thing (and it just got so bad).  Then, there were holidays {Christmas is my life}. Senior project tried to defeat me. Basically, everything happened, and I just decided to extend my break. [I should have warned you, I know.]

Anyways, it's 2014!
Happy New Year.

For the past few days, I've been making lots of mental notes to myself about my New Year's resolutions. Let's talk about them!

Jessie's New Year Resolutions:

• Worry less. I've had a problem with worrying about what people think of me. Yesterday, I had an epiphany. It doesn't matter what people think about me. I don't need anyone's approval except my own (I know that's kind of circumstantial, but you get it.) This year, I'm going to be all me. {fabulous.}
• Read. I used to read a lot, but I've gotten so busy lately that I haven't had much time. I'm going to find time to start reading way more, because reading rocks.
• Live healthy. I say that I'm going to be healthier all the time. I'm serious. My goal isn't to lose weight. I just want to be healthy. I'm definitely still going to treat myself (because...chocolate), but I'm not going to go crazy on junk food. {generally, once I start eating bad, I just continue to eat everything in sigh, so that's what we're working on}. My goal is to workout three times a week (completely achievable) and to stretch in the morning.
• Have faith. I miss going to church and talking about my faith a ton. I will find a church to go to, and refresh my relationship with God (but I'll do it my way... I'll read, pray, and talk to people).
• Listen. Think. I can be pretty quick to throw out a response to something, and generally it's something I don't mean. I need to learn to listen to what others are saying and think about my reaction. {no more rash decisions.}
• Compliment more. The power of a compliment is real. I'm going to start sincerely complimenting people. I'm going to start complimenting myself, too. Positive thoughts. Positive people.
• Be a friend. I am surrounded by some of the most amazing people, and I'm already beginning to meet a lot of wonderful people who will be at Auburn next year. I definitely need to be a better friend. I need to be there. Talk more. Forgive easily. Laugh a lot. I have some really dynamite friends.
• Take pictures. Obviously I have to take pictures for my senior project, but I want to start taking more pictures for fun. I love my camera, and I love feeling like I'm creating something wonderful. I don't want to get caught up in dreading taking pictures because of my senior project. I want to enjoy it, and do it more. {friends, get ready to smile.}
• Try something. How vague. I'm not sure what I want to try yet, but it will be something new. Maybe I'll actually learn how to play my guitar. Or maybe I'll learn to play the ukulele. I could run a marathon. I might volunteer somewhere new. Maybe, I could go hiking and camping. I don't know. I'm definitely going to try some new, adventurous things this year. [I let you know what I decide at some point...I have a whole year.]
• Give thanks. This year, I'm going to make sure people know how much I appreciate them. Of course, I'll tell people thank you and verbally let them know I appreciate them, but more importantly, I'll start writing thank you notes. Thank you notes are seriously so sweet. They can be for gifts or just nice things that people do. {everyone likes getting notes}
• Blog. Okay, with all the things I've got going on with school and college right now, I'm not going to put the kind of pressure one myself to pretend I will write every day. My goal is to blog at least three times a week. This blog is a super fun way for me to think about things, and really just entertain myself.

Well, this turned out to be quite a good deal longer than I expected. That's pleasant, though! These are all things I can definitely do (you can help me keep up with it). I could probably think of a million more things I should start doing this year, but I think this is perfect for now.

2014 is finally here. I graduate this year. I go to Auburn this year. I know this year is going to be absolutely fabulous.

So, I'm back to blogging and I'm starting on my New Year's resolutions. Here we go!

What are your goals for 2014?

Happy Shrimp Day ?

Thanksgiving! 

I'm going to the beach today, so instead of having a turkey dinner, I will be having a fantastic shrimp dinner {YAY}. For all of you out there wondering, my favorite food is seafood. I love it.

Today is the last day of me posting things I'm thankful for! (thank goodness... it was getting kind of boring. I apologize.) Since I forgot to write yesterday, I'm going to combine yesterday's post with today.

Day 27: I am thankful for my parents.
Day 28: I am thankful for my life (or just life in general).

My parents are the greatest. I wish I had realized how thankful I was for them sooner, but I guess that comes with getting older. They have both done so much more for me than I will ever deserve. They've done things for me that I probably don't even know about just to make sure I have a good life. I'm really glad I have them.

I've already written about my dad once (he was day 5). Just in case you didn't read that post (and don't feel like clicking on the link I so generously provided, I will summarize. My dad is wonderful and strong. He's very protective, so I always feel safe being with him. He's always known how to make me laugh. I can talk to him in movie quotes (which I think is pretty important). He likes to be outside, so I probably got that from him. He does all sorts of cool sports. He's pretty good at art, too (which was always fun for me when I was little... he used to draw the coolest pictures for me). My dad is great, and I am so thankful for him [and for putting up with me for the past 17 years].

My mom is my best friend. That sounds pretty cliche, but she's always there for me to talk to and she truly wants the best for me. I've never had to worry about telling her exactly what I'm thinking. She's always there to listen and hug me. She knows exactly what I like (and fairly certain she can read my mind). She's had to keep up with all sorts of random, emotional teenage girl stuff over the past few years, so I'm impressed that she still likes me at all. She always knows how to make me laugh {the other night, we spent ten minutes trying to throw M&Ms into each other's mouths and laughing every time we missed... which was every single time because we're awful.} My mom is beautiful, and I'll never be able to tell her how thankful I am for everything she's done for me.

Unlike most people, I get the privilege of having two bonus parents.
My step dad (better known as Poppy) has been around for most of my life. He's honest and hilarious. He gives the best advice about pretty much everything.
My step mom (Priscilla) is super sweet, and I love how fashionable she is. She's very generous and patient, and I am thankful for that.

I am thankful for all of my parents. They have helped me have the most fabulous life. Which brings me to the next thing I am thankful for: life. I am so thankful for the life I have been given and everything in it. Sure, I've had sometimes when I haven't been so thankful, but everyone has a bad day. 

Overall, I have been blessed with so much more than I need. I can't even begin to be thankful for every single thing. I love this life, and I wouldn't trade it for anything else (ooohhh that was corny... oh well).

To finish up this Thanksgiving post, here is a Thanksgiving joke:

 What happened when the turkey got into a fight?
He got the stuffing knocked out of him!

here is a picture of a turkey I drew.

P.S. I probably won't post again until Saturday night because I'll be at the beach. Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!

Ooey Gooey Butter Cake

Day 26: I am thankful for baking (and baked goods).

For those of you who don't know, I love cooking (specifically, baking). It is by far one of the most relaxing things to do. Plus, I get bored a lotttt so it's a good way to keep me entertained for a while. 

To inspire some of you to bake some delicious desserts [and share them with me], I'll post one of my favorite recipes!

It's a Paula Deen recipe, so it's only fitting that it's called Ooey Gooey Butter Cake. {I know that sounds disgusting, but it is one of the most heavenly, delicious desserts.}

Ingredients:

• Cake:
• 1 package yellow cake mix
• 1 egg
• 8 tablespoons of butter, melted

• Filling:
• 8 oz. package of cream cheese, softened
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 8 tablespoons of butter, melted
• 16 oz. box of confectioners sugar 

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Mix the cake mix, egg, and butter with an electric mixer (consistency of cookie dough)
• Pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased pan. (I like to pat the mixture up on the sides to give the cake a good crust all around).
• Beat the cream cheese until smooth in a large bowl. (This part can be difficult if the cream cheese isn't softened enough. Because of my lack of patience, I usually end up beating it for a second, then knocking it off the beaters, then beating it more. It's tedious, but it  doesn't take long.)
• Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter to the cream cheese. Mix well.
• Add the powdered sugar and mix well. 
• Spread the cream cheese mixture over the cake (cookie) batter.
• Bake for 40-50 minutes. {Don't over bake it! It is supposed to be gooey on the inside. When the top has turned brown, it's done.}

I promise this is one of the best things in the world. 

There are lots of varieties to this recipe, too! I like to add chocolate chips to mine, but you can also make Pumpkin Ooey Gooey Cake.  

I'm thankful that baking is a thing. If I could do anything, I would definitely start a bakery. [I'm not exactly sure how to do that, though]

If you're looking for any more recipes I've posted, here's a link to my Chocolate Pecan Pie. 

Paula Deen riding a stick of butter in a pile of mashed potatoes.

 

Brother! Sister!

Day 25: I am thankful for my siblings.

Fun Fact: I don't have any siblings who are completely related to me (meaning we have the same parents).

Let me tell you about my wonderful siblings and why I am thankful for each of them!

Logan is my oldest little brother. He was born a full thrity seconds before his twin. I'm thankful for Logan because he is by far the sweetest child I have ever met. He's the most loving boy! He always stresses about me going to college and never fails to give me a hug when I need one (and often times when I don't). He's pretty funny, too. Most of the time I don't really get his jokes, but he laughs pretty hard at them so they must be a little funny.

Dylan is my youngest brother. He's a great boy. He's super driven and determined to do everything right the first time. He's very competitive. He's one of those people who likes being right, which is fine because he's very smart. I love Dylan though because he always agrees with me. (Sometimes I see that as being a suck up), but he always just trying to help out. He'll go with me anywhere and help out with anything I need.

{My brothers are twins and they are half brothers.}

Alli is my little step sister. She's super adorable. Honestly, she is by far one of the most adorable kids. She's going to be beautiful (more than she is now) in just a few years. She's always energetic. Occassionally it's a little too much energy for me to handle, but I'm glad she's alwasy so excited about things. She loves doing crafts and singing and talking to our dogs, just like any little girl. She's always nice to talk to and play games with. 

I'll admit that I have a hard time being patient with all of them at some points. [It's something I need to work on, I know.] Everyone gets a little frusterated with people they live with some point, though.

I'm so thankful to have them in my life! I hope I can be a positive roll model for them. They've taught me lots of things, too.

I'm going to miss them soooo much next year.