LSU vs. AR

Clinton and I went to our first away game on Friday! We did go to the 2011 Cowboy Classic, which was LSU/Oregon in Dallas, but neutral location, so eh... doesn't count! So first away game it is! We left after Thanksgiving lunch and drove to Fayetteville, AR.

Most places were closed Thursday night, but we found this one restaurant open with great reviews, Bordinos! It turned out to be a great meal! Bear with me, you know I'm a burgeoning food writer! Ha! I've copied the menu items and description from the menu on the website!

Apps-
Crab Cake Romesco Sauce
Clinton said the cake was fantastic, I didn't try it, but the sauce was amazing by itself!

Pear Mixed Greens, Sherry Vinaigrette, Bacon, Walnuts, Moody Blue 
This salad was delicious! I loved it so much, I tried to reproduce it here the other day... not the same results. 

Entrees-
Beef Tenderloin Roasted Potatoes, Asparagus, Gorgonzola Butter
Clinton said it was very good. I didn't taste it... can't remember why not! Looks amazing! 

Ricotta-Chèvre Gnocchi Confit Duck, Cranberries, Broccolette, Bourbon Cream Sauce
I went back and forth on which entree I would get because I don't normally like duck, but I'm so glad I got this. Oh my, it was good. Duck is still not my favorite protein, but the rest of the dish made up for it. Never had anything as light and fluffy as those gnocchi!

Dessert-
Crème Brûlée White Chocolate-Vanilla Bean Custard, Caramelized Sugar, Seasonal Accompaniments
We both ordered this. I do not share dessert, and if creme brulee is on the menu, I'M GETTING IT! It was great!

AND of course, I had a...few... glasses of Moscato.

Besides the great food, the dinner was so good because of our unexpected company. We come into the restaurant in the middle of Razorback land, literally steps from the campus, and of course, Clinton is wearing purple and gold. We sit down next to this older couple, and they start talking to us. They were so nice, asking how we liked Fayetteville, asking how had we been treated by the other fans, giving us advice on where to park for the game, telling us the must dos on campus. Turns out we were sitting next to the Alumni President and his wife! They were really fun to talk to and we appreciated them being so nice to the enemy!

We got up bright and early the next morning to get started tailgating! 

The Tommy Jackson Tailgaters

Clinton, Johnny "Tommy Jackson", and Carrie

 It was so cold! We ended up at a bar and grill! Who said 9:30 am was too early for beer and wings?!? So much fun though! Those guys know how to have a good time! 

Then it was game time! Our seats were amazing!
 

It was a great game! So tense, but the Tigers won 20-13! Yay! It was a great quick getaway weekend! 

New Tradition- North Pole Breakfast

I had planned to write about the LSU/ AR game we went to over the weekend, but Fred, our Elf on the Shelf, decided to make his appearance this morning!!

He set up a special North Pole Breakfast for us!

He left Emma this letter!

dear emma,

i am so happy to be back from the north pole! i was so excited to see you that i made this breakfast A for you and your mommy & daddy! i brought you my favorite snow covered donuts and elf sized blueberry muffins! i, also, brought you some christmas crafts to get you in the christmas spiritO!

 i just know that i will get to tell santa that you have been a good girl!! i’ve heard that you want santa to bring you a ride on the Disney boat! i sure hope he does! that sounds like so much fun!  santa asked me to remind you that you have to try really hard to be a big girl and go potty when you need to and mind your mommy & daddy. it’s important to do this, so i won’ t have to give santa a bad report! it would make me really sad, to have to tell him that you’ve been bad, so please be good!

love,

fred

Emma knew that Fred might be here this morning, so she woke up raring to go find out what antics he was up to!

 

She was so excited!!

Snow covered donuts and "elf sized" blueberry muffins

Daddy reading the Elf on the Shelf book!

 As soon as we finished eating and reading the story, Emma wanted to make the Hello Kitty gingerbread house!

All done...

then, Daddy tried to repair the damaged roof...

Catastrophe!

 From beginning of construction to complete destruction... about 20 minutes. Ha! Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.

 Emma said she can't wait to see what Fred does next! ;)

The inspiration for this North Pole Breakfast (or NPB as Clinton and I have been calling it... code name!), came from Pinterest and from this amazing blog I follow, Little Pumpkin Grace! Her NPB makes ours look.... awful, but hey, got to have something to aspire to, right? 

Emma's First LSU Game!!

I am way behind on posting!

We took Emma to Baton Rouge to go to her first LSU game!! She was so excited. The day before, she kept saying "I'm so excited to go to the baseball game tonight!" Eh... close enough! Ha!

Bonus: we got to spend time with Aunt Terri and Uncle Mike while we were down there!

We started the day tailgating at with some friends at TWO different tailgates. Had to break her in right! We visited the Halftime Tailgaters and the Tommy Jackson Tailgate (FYI- we don't know anyone NAMED Tommy Jackson. Ha!). I hate that I didn't get any picture so the tailgates, so all y'all can see what a different world it is there on gameday! Too busy chasing the little girl around, I guess!

We just happened upon Mike, but this is the only picture I got because Emma was running the other way...screaming. Smh.

Playing cornhole with Daddy!

 We took a chance and didn't buy tickets. We used the "cute/sympathy" card and had Emma walk around saying "I need THREE tickets!" Ha! It worked!! A man stopped us and told us he had 4 tickets, and when we told him it was Emma's first game, he GAVE them to us! We tried to pay him, but he said "No, I was looking for a family with a little kid to give them to!" We SO appreciated it! And they were GREAT seats!

A quick stop to see the real Mike! Ironically, Emma was NOT scared of HIM! In fact, she tried to poke him with a STICK! This child...

We headed down to watch the team, band, cheerleaders, etc. walk down the hill! 

The band stopped in front of us, and started playing... Emma got pumped! Raised her fist!

We followed the band into the Pete Maravich Center to watch them play for a little bit, AND take a little sit down break!

Finally, it was time to go into the stadium! Death Valley, here we come!

Look at my loves!

Geaux Tigahs!

Emma did so great! Cheered, hooted, and hollered, and mostly watched the game! About the third quarter, Emma gave it up... it had been a long day!

I was just happy, because it had been so long since I've held her like this while she slept!

She woke back up in the fourth quarter raring to go! And was MAD that she had missed part of the game! Her daddy's child...

And the Tigers won! Beat Ole Miss 41-35 in an action packed game! We had a perfect day at Tiger Stadium!

Little Tidbits

I've been slacking on blogging. And I'm supposed to be busy packing for our weekend trip to Baton Rouge! Emma is going to her first LSU game on Saturday!!

BUT I thought I'd write down a couple of little life tidbits to see if they amuse you as much as they do me!

I tried to make my hair curly for the second time EVER in my life. The first time my friend, Cassidy, did it on our girls trip. I bought all the necessary supplies and attempted to do it on my own yesterday (after getting step by step instructions from Cassidy)! I had just finished and went to find Clinton to ask his opinion. I must have had an iffy expression on my face, because he said "it looks like a mess". Then I must have had an appalled expression on my face, because he said "but its just because you're not dressed yet!" Ha! I ended up wearing it in a bun because I didn't have time to wash it out! It was a mess!

Reminds me of the time I sent him to buy some shampoo for me. He bought some Sleek and Shine, because "that's what I needed for my frizzy hair"! Bahaha. Unfortunately, he was right!

Emma had her class Thanksgiving party today!

This cute little Indian is SNEAKY.

I stopped in CVS for some Prilosec, because I have been feeling AWFUL this week! I was standing in line to pay, while Emma asked for every single candy by the registers. I just kept saying "No, put it back." I paid, and we walked out. I turned around to grab Em's hand before we went into the parking lot. She held up a tube of mini M&M's like a proud, cute, little chipmunk with an acorn! Oh my GOD, she shoplifted! I dragged her back in and made her put it back. Of course, the store was way crowded, and it seemed like everyone stopped to stare at us! Oh gawd! Then on the way back out, she said, "but what candy am I gonna get?" Oh, what AM I going to do with her?

It's the middle that counts the most

Childhood is what you spend the rest of your life trying to overcome. That's what momma always says. She says that beginnings are scary, endings are usually sad, but it's the middle that counts the most. Try to remember that when you find yourself at a new beginning. Just give hope a chance to float up. And it will... from Hope Floats


I'm bawling as I write this.

I love that movie. LOVE it. I've always thought of it as a love story. And it is. But watching today, with Emma, made me realize how much of a story it is about family love, too. Mother/ daughter love.

We snuggled on the couch and watched the whole thing, which is not usual. She normally doesn't like "my movies". I explained to her what the famous line "my cup runneth over" means to me. That I'm so happy in my heart that the happiness just spills over. Just like how I feel with her (mostly ha!).

Emma asked me what was going on during the scene when the grandma dies. I told her that she was going to Heaven. She left it at that.

We finished watching the movie and I went into the bedroom, still crying over the movie. Emma followed me, and wanted me to pick her up. I laid her on the bed and lay down facing her. She said "why did the grandma go to Heaven?" I told her when your time on Earth is done, you have to leave and go to Heaven to be with Jesus. (The best I could come up with.) She hugged me really hard, and said "I don't want you to go to Heaven. I want you to stay with me." I told her I wasn't going for a long, long time. And my cup runneth over.

I have to say the middle of my life is pretty great right now. Still crying.

Emma's Princess Tea Party

Emma has been counting down the days to this party forever! She was so excited it was finally here!

Princess Emma

Look at this face!

They were so cute with their real china!

Even Mamou came in her "royal best"!

Playing "Pin the Sugar Cube on the Teacup!"

Presents!

Such beautiful princesses, handsome knights (Super Heroes!), and a scary dragon!!

Don't forget The Little Mermaid!

It was a great party, and super easy! All we had to do was show up! Felt way weird to not have anything to do! BUT I was still exhausted after, ha!!