My Favorite Songs

I have made a list with careful consideration, hesitation...and probably some other -tation words I can't think of. Meditation? Every time we go on a long trip (more than a couple of hours in the car), I go crazy on the iPod, scrolling through songs and quizzing Alan on who's singing. I have said 100+ times, "I can't believe you don't know who this is; it's one of my favorite songs!" Alan has good taste, but he could care less about who the artist is, the background of the song, etc. Me, I'm another story. I am a self-proclaimed audiophile. I can appreciate anything from classical to hip hop to outlaw country to blues to 80's to zydeco to 90's grunge to malt shop to...ya heard?

My friend Aaron and I have a game where we hit the scan button on the radio in the car and see who can yell out the artist first. It gets ugly. We are both the sorest of losers. And I looove music trivia. Rock & Roll Jeopardy is the only trivia game I'd ever have any shot at winning.

I believe I can trace my music-lovin' roots back to a few people and places. My daddy's truck: I think of Willie Nelson, Hank, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash and lots of country gold. I think of my aunt Connie introducing me to Led Zeppelin records (among others) starting in the 4th grade. I think of riding around in my best friend's big brother's van (it was only the coolest van ever) listening to everything from Queen to Rancid. I think of a shoe box full of mix tapes (still got 'em) from a rock and roll boyfriend.

So, all that to say, it was difficult for me to make this list. It'll be making its debut soon. In the meantime, what's on your list?

Throwback Thursday - Favorite Toys Edition

I had tons of toys as a kid. We had all the good stuff. And it really wasn't because we were spoiled. It was because my dad loves to play with toys.

I went through a rock-tumbling phase when I was little. Yep, my daddy bought me a rock tumbler, and I would search for HOURS for rocks that would shine up real pretty. My pockets were always heavy. I think my parents thought I was going to become an archaeologist. This might sound like a boring hobby, but I'm here to tell you it was not only fun, but a brilliant move on my parents' part. Seriously, how much trouble could a kid get in while she was crouched over in the driveway sifting through gravel? Chuck and Toni - 1, Misti - 0.


I had another toy that might have consumed me more than the rock tumbler. Maybe more than Super Mario World, and maybe more than Legos. Okay, maybe not as much as the Legos. But still, how, how did this contraption keep me so busy? It's a piece of black paper with holes on it. Covering a lit screen. With colored pegs. And whimsical designs to follow. Are you kidding, it would still keep me busy! I seriously loved this thing. I was really a very social child, I swear, I was class president and had slumber parties and rode on floats in the Christmas parade. But I was also known to spend entire evenings in my room...alone...

with my Lite-Brite.

Date-a-versary

I love November. Not only is it my birthmonth (woooot!), but it has a few other special days. Thanksgiving. My pawpaw's birthday.

And today. I started dating a boy with a killer grin and the biggest heart on November 3rd 6 years ago today. It was a day that looked kind of like today. Cool weather, blue skies, rainbows, birds chirping...Or maybe not the last two, but it sure felt like it. Awwww I'm a sucker. But it's my date-a-versary. And I've got a vase of roses on the table in front of me to prove it. :)

My favorite picture of my piece!

I stole this from some of you guys who did it a few weeks ago...

♥ What are your middle names?
Dawn and Reynolds - although I kept my maiden name as my middle, so technically I'm Misti Harrington Walker.

♥How long have you been together?
Today is 6 years since we started dating, and we've been married for 3

♥ How long did you know each other before you started dating?
Hmmm...couple of months

♥ Who asked who out?
He asked me...and our first date was during an Auburn/LSU game. My mom said "Aww, true love!"

♥ Who made the first move?
He did

♥ How old are each of you?
I'm 26, he is 28

♥ Did you go to the same school?
We both went to the same college

♥ Are you from the same home town?
Nope, I'm from a little town about 3 hours south of his

♥ Who is the smartest?
He's an engineer...and wayyy smarter than I am

♥ Who majored in what?
I was all over the place: art, English lit, art education...nutrition. He stuck it out in chemical engineering.

♥ Who is the most sensitive?
I am, but Alan has the softest heart of any guy I've ever known.

♥ Where do you eat out most as a couple?
Fox's pizza or Papa Joe's poboys...we really don't eat out at other places here.

♥ Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
Our honeymoon in Florida...but I'm trying to convince him to take me to NYC this year! We also have some penciled-in Europe plans...anybody wanna go? :)

♥ Who has the worst temper?
Probably equal...and we mellow each other out which is always a plus!

♥ How many children do you want?
However many we get. I mean, not like the Dugars or anything. Maybe 2 or 3.

♥ Who does the cooking?
Definitely me. Alan can make blue-box mac & cheese, but other than that I don't believe I've ever seen him so much as butter a piece of toast. He is darn handy on the grill, though. Which cancels out the toast comment.

♥ Who is more social?
Me by a landslide. He's not a hermit or anything, but is very introverted.

♥ Who is the neat-freak?
Ohhh, me. Call me Monica. I clean behind maids.

♥ Who is the most stubborn?
Probably me again...I can be a real jerk.

♥ Who wakes up earlier?
We switch off...but on weekends, Alan will sleep like the dead unless I wake him.

♥ Where was your first date?
Dinner and a movie

♥ Who has the bigger family?
Mine's a lot bigger and growing more every day it seems.

♥ Do you get flowers often?
I'd say so...and I love 'em. I have heard so many people say they would rather get something that doesn't die, like chocolate. Well, I love chocolate, but flowers are gorgeous and don't make your arse bigger! My heart melts every time I open the door for Alan and he has a handful of flowers.

♥ How do you spend the holidays?
We try to split it up. It's always hard for me to be away from my family though. We spent our first Christmas with his family and I cried the entire car ride there and back!

♥ Who is more jealous?
Neither of us really gets jealous. But I have a short fuse, and it probably wouldn't take much before I clocked a hoe...haha

♥ How long did it take to get serious?
Maybe 6 months? I told Heather I loved him after 3 months. Took him over a year to tell me.

♥ Who eats more?
He does, but I can hold my own when we eat pizza...for some reason when I eat pizza, all rules of being lady-like are off.

♥ What do you do for a living?
I'm a director (clinical nutrition) at a hospital. Actually, not for long. I've got a couple of other plans though. He's an engineer for a local firm.

♥ Who does the laundry?
I do, but if he gets tired of waiting, he will :)

♥ Who’s better with the computer?
Probably him, I'm always calling and asking him how to do stuff. I even suck at Microsoft Word.

♥ Who drives when you are together?
He does, but sometimes when we're going to my parents' I have to - I get carsick when he makes that drive. There is this one gas station on the way that I know I've had to stop and yak at like three times. I bet when our jeep swerves in the guy is like, there's puke face.

♥ What is "your" song?
We don't really have one song. We danced to "Shelter" by Ray LaMontagne at our wedding, and we both love that one. We think Brad Paisley wrote a song ("Then") about us. And we can both sing all the words to Gangsta's paradise.

A few pumpkin recipes

For my little holiday business venture, we added these - only a little more spiced up - to the lineup.

We are trying to think of creative, cheap, packaging ideas. So far we've thought of grocery store paper bags, raffia and my stamps. PLEASE share ideas if you have any!

I love anything with pumpkin in it, except...are you ready for this...pumpkin pie. I think it's gross. How un-American is that? I'm Still searching for a pumpkin pie recipe that will change my beliefs.

I really like Giada's recipe for pumpkin ravioli (minus the sage - ew). This one is definitely worth a try.

Spiced pumpkin seeds are unbelievable. You can do this same recipe for pecans or walnuts.

Happy Fall!

Lately

Lately I have been watching Three's Company re-runs on TV Land while I get ready for work, and I've been wondering if this is really what people laughed at in the 80's? Who am I kidding, I catch myself laughing...loudly...plus their clothes are so fetch.

Lately I've been into recipes that have like, 5 ingredients in them. Two ingredients is even better. I.e., for dinner tomorrow, we are eating asparagus wrapped in prosciutto. SO GOOD! And then we'll probably polish off some Ben & Jerry's gingerbread ice cream. Which has probably eleventy-billion ingredients.

I have also been perusing my new issue of In Style lately, and I am digging the country fall fashion. I like the boots and leather jackets and lace and flannel. I used to rock the flannel/plaid in junior high when I had crushes on skater boys, and I'm glad to see the plaid come full circle. Does that mean I'm getting old...when a trend comes BACK around? Funny how I wear scrubs every day but I read fashion magazines like crazy.

Although I won't be in scrubs for long. Friday is my last day as a full-time RD. Better things are on the horizon! I'm finishing up my thesis (gag) and will be able to teach in the Spring. My friend Kim and I were half-way kidding around and said since we both would be jobless through the holidays, we should bake stuff and sell it. Only the more we talked about it, the more excited and serious we got. We brainstormed a little and figured it'd be a fun ride.

Working at the hospital gave me some pretty good contacts, so I brought some samples to my first potential client today...and he placed 25 orders! He also went ahead and reserved us for the Christmas and New Year's holidays. We have meetings with 5 or 6 other places after my last day of work, so hopefully they have the same reaction!

Now everybody pray that my oven doesn't break. And also that Stephen and Alan don't gain 100 pounds/have heart attacks from being our recipe-testers.

Hummingbirds, Samantha, Jeannie & Lucy

I'm having trouble making my way to bed tonight. I'm giving myself ten more minutes to get sleepy before I put on my Bewitched DVD set. When I was a kid and watched it I always wished my name was Samantha. I also sort of wanted to be a witch like her. Or a genie like Jeannie. I REALLY wanted to be like Lucy and Ethel and just get into trouble all day. I love the one where Ricky hires a financial manager and cuts Lucy's funds off, so she gets credit at the grocery store and takes cash from all her friends, charges their groceries to her credit, and blows the cash on getting her hair done and whatever else she wants to do...then she ekes out of it by mistakingly winning money in the stock market.

I get chatty when I can't sleep.

I can't sleep because I'm making some...career changes very soon. I have butterflies, although they feel more like hummingbirds. Stay tuned.

Case of the Mondays, on a Tuesday

Did anybody else die laughing on the last Office episode when Michael Scott said "Apricots...made with real apes."

It FEELS like Monday over here. Today on the radio the weather guy said, "there's a 90% chance of rain today, and forEVER." Weather like this just makes me want to sleep an extra hour, watch His Girl Friday and eat toast.

Mmm....toast...

Have you ever played the game where you say a word to someone and they have to immediately (no thinking allowed) say what pops in their head? My sisters and I do this, and we always end up pee-your-pants-laughing.

I just mentioned that because when I said wrote the word "toast," I thought "Toni." Who is my mom and my bff. Who always makes me toast and coffee. Mmmkay, that one wasn't very funny, but you get the idea...

I almost don't want to do this because it lowers my odds of winning, but my buddy (and secret book club partner) Sara is doing the best give-away ever on her blog. Why is it the best ever? She's giving away a book, coffee, and fuzzy socks! Stop by and check it out, because who doesn't love a book, coffee, and FUZZY SOCKS?

You know what I just thought when I typed "fuzzy socks?" Toast. With butter and English Breakfast tea.