It's Football Season in the South!

As I walked outside this morning I was greeted by a breath of cool air. It is nearly September in Mississippi. I can see the leaves changing slowly, and in a month I hope that the burgundy and gold colors of fall will be in my backyard once again. Fall is my favorite time of year because of the cool weather, and because it's football season!

Better Than Ezra has forever immortalized this time in their song “This Time Of Year,” where they sing “Well, there's a feeling in the air, Just like a Friday afternoon. Yeah, you can go there if you want, though it fades too soon...” There isn't a better feeling in the world than sitting in the stands watching a game. When I went to college at Mississippi State, I became friends with the football team. My best friend Brittany and I ended up being the team “big sisters.” We would cook and clean and cheer every game for “our boys.” I love my Bulldogs, and miss those days immensely.

In Mississippi, there may be many colleges, but everyone is either a fan of Mississippi State or the University of Mississippi, Ole Miss. Number one rule of Mississippi football, you cannot pull for both. And another one is that you can’t be a fan of both Ole Miss and LSU!

When Ole Miss and Mississippi State meet, this is called the “Egg Bowl.” The annual meeting between these two Mississippi teams is the 10th longest uninterrupted series in the country. This series began in 1901, but it was not until 1927 that it came known to be the Battle of the Golden Egg, or "Egg Bowl." Ole Miss leads the series. In the past it has been on Thanksgiving Day, but recently switched to the Saturday following the holiday. Another large rivalry is between Ole Miss and a school a little farther south and a state away, Louisiana State University (LSU). Most fans have no idea that there is an official name for this game played between these schools, the Magnolia Bowl. This enmity began in the 1950’s or 60’s when both teams were vying for the national championship, and some consider a match more heated than the Egg Bowl. There is something to be said for placing thousands of drunk Cajuns and Ole Miss "social"-ites in an enclosed space - spicy!

As fun as football season sparing matches may be, Southerner’s are known for their “pre-gaming, “also known as tail-gating. At MS State, the very large Winnebago’s start arriving on Thursday, prior to game day. They line up all over campus and the grills are fired up. People spend tons of money on a vehicle that has everything from a retractable tent off the side, to flat screen TV’s. Pass by and know you will be offered something wonderful to eat. Now if you venture to spend a weekend in Oxford, they tailgate a little differently. Ole Miss is known for “The Grove.” In the Grove you will find a tent city, these aren’t tents bought at Wal-Mart, but rented. These tents have wet-bars, flat screens and yes some have fully functionally chandeliers. Pass by and know you will be offered something cold to drink, “hotty toddy.”

Football season has started for the high schools around here, and soon will be the first SEC game. I can’t wait to wake up on Saturday mornings, pull up the couch with my sister and our pugs, and turn on Lee and Kirk on ESPN College Game Day.

Until Next Time & Go Dawgs!
Hugs & Kisses Sister Belle

I'm the Pide Piper of The Crazies

If ever there was someone who must wear "ode de insanity," it would be ME! If you hear voices, don't bathe, or want to tell everyone "hell is in the house" whilst waving a Bible....come sit by me.

My current tale....I discovered today that i am indeed allergic to the blessed Patchouli perfume. A dirty hippy artist man, w/ a lovely dread lock mullet thing working, came in while I was working at the front counter at the CL.

He proceeded to lean in to tell me how he was selling all of his worldly possessions to move to New York and pursue a dame who he had fallen in love with 30 years ago, who was recently divorced, and who he had 2 months to convince to fall madly in love with him BEFORE she moved to ALASKA……

He told me how he had lost his parents, siblings and even friends, but that the hardest was losing his beloved DOG. I agreed, and then to top things off he asked my opinion on how he should ship his beloved CAT to New York so she wouldn’t be distressed by the 2 day CAR RIDE. I told him ask the vet if he could give her Benedryl.

He had come in to pay for the ad that stated he was selling all of his worldly possessions and left. The next customer came in and immediately complained about the "dirty hippy who needed to wash his hair, SMELL" I apologized and simply said it was Patchouli!

When Tom who works up front came back about 45 minutes later....the smell was lingering although Mr. Hippy Artist was gone home to pack for the Big Apple....

What? Why me?

Now I am currently nursing an insane headache and swelling of eyes…..thank goodness I have a bottle of benedryl in my purse, for times like these.

Well I do hope that you all take to heart this lesson, and avoid dirty, Patchouli wearing, dread lock hippy artists from Northeast Jackson.....

Hugs & Kisses.....and a bottle of Fabreze later

Sister Belle

The Annoyance That Is the Drive-Thru

• Make A Decision Already…
  People, Wendy’s has had the same menu w/ few additions for all of time! They even give you the nice mini-menu before you get to the drive-thru so you can see the deals, don’t take 20 minutes deciding if you want chicken or a burger.
  
  
• Count your penny’s before they hatch….
  I love using my card, they swipe it and I move to the next window. But when I do have cash I will be thoughtful and count my change…..because I know it will take a while when I get to the window, I plan ahead.


• Get your order and get on your way
  I know that you want to check your order, but come on and pull up so I can get mine and I won’t start cussing your ancestors for you being around. Stop wasting my time, I’m in a hurry….hence being in a DRIVE-THRU!


• Have it YOUR way…..
  This is a genius little phrase by the scary Burger King, but I think it is something that should be used by all fast food restaurants. If I say hold the pickles, mayo, ketchup, bread whatever DO IT. I know that I am just being picky, but some people might have an allergy to something and can’t have it on their sandwich.


• Salt Salt THERE’S the damn salt….
  I love salt as much as the other guy but when I bite into a yummy French fry I would love to enjoy the taste of the fry not the burning sensation of a salt overload. THANK YOU


• Ice Ice Baby
  Keeping on the subject of order overage, I would like to discuss the usage of ICE. I love ice, but I would prefer not to have 3 sips of my drink and hit the bottom due to insane amounts of ice. THANK YOU


• Don’t SQUISH my sandwich
  Mr. fast food worker I know that you are in a rush but your job is to put my sandwich together in some sort of a way that resembles the picture on the sign. I can’t stand when my burger is covered with condiments ON THE OUTSIDE or when it is so squished it may as well have been stepped on.


• Keep your shoes ON kids…..
  I know that when your kids see the play ground at the Burger doodle they are more excited than a crack-head. They see the slides and tube things and they hate to stop and take their shoes off……and why shoes they. I don’t want my kids playing in a plastic play-land where other kids have done who knows what and my precious germ free angels and stepping all in it. New campaign idea….keep your shoes on and your sneezes covered!


• You are causing NIGHTMARES...
  I know that from an advertising stand point one must make the company stand out, but I have to discuss when "standing-out" turns bad. Prime example in the fast food industry is the large headed Burger King. This dude gives me dreams involving him chasing people and beating them with a chicken fry. This is also the same restaurant that has the talking Whopper People. These unfortunate examples of advertising make me want to scream, and now I will never eat a Whopper again because I will think they have humans inside!
  

I am through venting for today!
Hugs & Kisses,
Sister Belle

Nursery Rhymes…..The truth behind the lines

My sister and I were watching Food Network Challenge on Sunday and they were making cakes that depicted Nursery Rhymes. This brought up an interesting conversation; we were raised on little rhyming tales that made us giggle with glee. Now that we are older and some of us are teaching them our children, should we look deeper into the meaning of these little ditties?

Let’s Get Started….

*Jack Sprat*
Jack Sprat could eat no fat, his wife could eat no lean; and so, between them both, they licked the platter clean.

This is a cheerful tale about Jack who some might consider anorexic and his lovely wife who needs to go to Overeaters Anonymous. They both have eating issues and neither one seems to mind…..as long as the platter is cleaned.
This is really a story about Charles I of England and his greedy wife Henrietta who did not like when Parliament wouldn’t let them go to war, so old Charlie dissolved Parliament and imposed an illegal war tax on the commoners, and “licked” England clean to feed their appetites for war…HAPPY TALE ISN’T IT?

*Humpty Dumpty*
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall, all the kings horses and all the kings men couldn’t put Humpty back together again.

I know you are all picturing an egg falling off a brick wall….NOPE “Humpty Dumpty” used to be slang for a nerd, dork or “egghead.” So this is making fun of a simple minded person

*Ring Around The Rosies*
Ring around the rosies, a pocket full of posies, ashes, ashes, we all fall down

I can still remember singing this song and laughing as we all fell down, in all actuality this is about the Great Plague. A rosy rash is the first symptom….and to help the air smell better people carried herbs and spices….and the Ashes are really referring to a cough that also was a symptom. When we “fell down” we were really re-creating the final step of the disease…death…..HAVING FUN YET?

*Little Jack Horner*
Little Jack Horner sat in the corner, eating a Christmas pie; he put in his thumb, and pulled out a plum, and said what a good boy am I!

Little Jack Horner was not a good boy — he was a thief and a scoundrel! According to legend, Jack Horner was sent to King Henry VIII with a Christmas gift — a pie in, which were hidden the title deeds to twelve manorial estates. (Hiding objects in pies was a common practice in those days) On his way to the king, Jack popped open the pie and stole the deed to the Manor of Mells, a real “plum” of an estate. To this day the Horner family resides there.

And finally I will talk about the poor old woman who lived in a shoe…..this will totally shock ya!

There was an old woman who lived in a shoe, She had so many children she didn't know what to do; She gave them some broth without any bread; She whipped them all soundly and put them to bed.

This is somewhat factually based upon a late 18th Century eccentric one parent family, of Margery Buttwhistle, a known village drunk and prostitute. Ms. Buttwhistle is believed to have had over 20 illegitimate children. She was a terrible mother! In an attempt to grab their mother's attention, the children formed the notorious “Shoe Gang” which specifically targeted wealthy aristocrats footwear in exile from revolution-torn Paris. Once thieved, these trophies were presented to Ms. Buttwhistle, who would trade them for alcohol. The local inn keeper who accepted the shoes as payment stored the contraband in the cellar until they could be secretly shipped up to Bristol. Buttwhistle was in a constant inebriated state, and would seldom leave the bar each night, managing only to collapse in the cellar and sleep off her drunkenness — with only the shoes for company.

Now that I have ruined all of your favorite nursery rhymes I do apologize….although the back-story on our favorite tales are not as we pictured. Someone was pretty smart to turn odd and terrible situations in to something of jest.

Until Next Time,
Hugs & Kisses
Sister Belle

Movie Quotes: What they can teach YOU!

“Tomorrow is Another Day”
Thank you Scarlet you did seem to know how to survive through war and 3 husbands. Even when Rhett did leave you, you helped us all to realize we don’t need to dwell in the past, just move on. He left you that big house, rebuilt Terra…you will be fine! Oh, you also helped us to realize the importance of procrastination.

“The Force Will Be With You, Always”

Old Obi-Wan Kenobi you were such a great Jedi master. You taught us that no matter what is happening in our lives, if we look deep inside our soul and if we stay true to the Jedi way we can kill funny breathing dudes in masks with real light sabers (insert light saber noise here)

“Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain”

Even if the Wizard did hide behind a fake curtain, we won’t hold it against him. He taught us that we don’t need to put up walls around us, even if we are a little insecure. Although, he did incorrectly make us think that by clicking our heels 3 times we could be home with Auntie Em.

” I’m going to make him an offer he can’t refuse”
The Godfather is a fabulous piece of Cinematic History. It makes me long for the days when women were “Dames” and there were “Speak Easy’s.” I digress… This movie helped us to realize that even if you marry money, your hubby might end up being a secret mobster, and that is okay, just spend his money till he goes to jail, act dumb to the FED’s, and always stay on “The Family’s” good side and you will be fine.

“I’m Captain Jack Sparrow”
Yes you are honey and you help us to realize that if our men would wear black eyeliner and dreadlocks we’d go to Davy Jones’ locker to get them back too. Though living in your time we would all be “wenches” and that isn’t as cool as a “dame.”

“Bond, James Bond”
This was an easy transition from Captain Jack, and honey we all know who you are. And our current “James” is Daniel Craig. I don’t usually go for blondes but Mc-Blondie; you have taught us the importance of a good body when deciding to wear a Speedo. All of the James Bond men have also reiterated the fact that men may act humble about saving the world, but they just want to get you into bed, but I wouldn’t mind that one bit now….heard that!

“I’ll Be Back”
Gov Schwarzenegger, you have taught us that even if we feel like a miss-understood post-apocalyptic robot, we can become Governor of California too! The sky is the limit!

“Life's a box of chocolates Forrest. You never know what you're gonna get.”
Thank you Forest Gump for giving us this quote. This helped us realize to read the outside of our chocolate boxes to make sure it is indeed chocolate and not fruit.

“Just Keep Swimming”
Oh I do love me some Dorry the dysfunctional fish! This quote is something that everyone needs to say in the mirror each day. Just keep swimming through life and you too could make it to Australia via some gnarly turtles!

And finally!

“Toga, Toga, Toga”
The great members of Delta House taught us so many life lessons. They taught us the importance of themed parties, Jack Daniels, parades and the true meaning of “Shout”

Hope these quotes inspired you as much as they do me!

Until Next Time

Hugs & Kisses,

Sister Belle

“Crazy is just sane on a lunch break”

Sometimes I wonder if everyone around seems sane, does that make me the crazy one? Then I realize that none of us are completely mentally stable. We may seem normal most of the time, then a situation comes up and we lose it. Take my craziness who just deleted her ex boyfriend’s pic off of the Facebook just so he would notice!

So here are the points at which you know “sane” is on lunch break:

• Next we will go to something that every girl does, the “Drive-By.” This is when we know our man is up to no good and we drive-by where we think they are. We might not see a thing, and then we might see a truck and need to leave a lovely note explaining how we were right and they should jump off a cliff.
  
• You will change your status on the Facebook just to see if they notice! He might notice but most likely didn’t think anything of it.
  
• You add photos of us having so much fun sans their suckiness! If he didn’t care about pictures of you with other guys when y’all were together, he isn’t going to now!
  
• You keep their number in your phone just incase they decide to call you, so you “won’t pick up.” Delete it! After a month he most likely isn’t going to call
  
• You talk to their family or friends to see “how he is doing.” He is “making it” I’m sure. If he was that upset he would have fought to keep you more.
  
• You call the boy just to tell him how you “hate him” and “you never want to speak to him again” NICE MISS OBVIOUS!

Now the above examples can be worked through and know we have all been there and support you through each crazy moment.

Then there is the crazy girl who you need to STAY AWAY FROM:

• When a girl seems to have NO FRIENDS ….no one to tell her that her fiancé is cheating on her and really can’t stand her!
  
• The girl who decides that by showing up at your house it means that she is welcome and can go out with your friends.
  
• The girl who seems to have a heavy drug use problem, and chews out your friends in the bathroom of a wedding
  
• The girl who thinks that you are listening to her and she is really talking to herself…..”is she talking to you or me….i don’t know”
  
• The girl who goes out and drinks so much when she is in public that the ambulance is on stand-by….oh and she is louder than ME and I didn’t know that was possible!
  
• The poor unfortunate girl who has the reputation of Jenna Jamison (well Jenna’s is better) and she thinks that everyone loves her….sorry no one wants to touch you after the entire MS State football team ran a train on ya, SWEETIE!
  
• And my favorite recent story….If the girl brings a guy cookies, expecting something more and when nothing happens breaks into his house and TAKES THE COOKIES BACK!!

Here's to you crazy psycho girls of the world,
thanks to you we all look a little more sane!

Until Next Time,
Hugs & Kisses Y’all
Sister Belle

It's Crawfish Season Y'all!

There is nothing that compares to a warm summer night in the south, when the beer is cold, music loud….and the crawfish are boiling! I think we plan our weekends around those little craw-dabbers. One of our favorite local hot spots is the Crawdad Hole on Lakeland Drive, by Smith-Wills Stadium. It looks like a run down shack, but its walls are put together with pieces of history and pictures of friends. For a few bucks you can get a big bowl full of some good mud-bugs, but if you aren’t a fan…they also serve fresh boiled shrimp. I also love their potatoes and corn. On the weekends, they bring in local bands to rock you through the night. Every year around April, they have the Crawdad Hole Music Festival, a day full of music and fun in the sun.

The weekend of March 14th, you will find my crew and I at Shuckers on the Rez. It is their annual Crawfish boil, with fresh crawdads by none other than the Crawdad Hole. They set up big tents and picnic tables and everyone fills up on food and beer. This is a great place to run into everyone from leather wearing, Harley ridin’ biker crews to polo’d out frat boys. We don’t care who ya are as long as you dance! The bands this year include some of my favorites. On Saturday from 7-11 a wonderful band straight from the Bid Easy called MoJeaux will be rocking the house. We first heard this band last year and instantly fell in love with their incredible talent for both singing and rapping. They will be followed by The Chill, covering all of the classics! On Sunday, local favorites Will & Linda will start the day followed by The Pates, Snazz and then the Tip Tops, who look super fun! Come early to get a parking place! Look for me down front with my Barnett Bend Queens….

Hugs & Kisses
Until Next Time
Sister Belle