The Bright Eyed Brunette

 Hey friends! I am finally back to blogging. We have had a busy week around here. Last Thursday we got the call that my grandmother, Grammy, was rapidly declining. I got ready and headed to the nursing home. She was awake and would occasionally nod to answer questions (sometimes). After a few hours we set a schedule as to who would stay with her around the clock because we knew it probably wouldn't be long and we didn't want her to be alone. By early afternoon everyone left and went home for a bit. Carl and I stayed with her, taking our turn first. The nurse came in and gave her some Ativan and she fell asleep. That was the last time I saw her awake. Carlie brought the kids by around 4 and then my uncle and sister came in to relieve us, we headed home to eat.  No more than we walked in the door and were about to cook, we got another call. Her breathing was becoming more labored. So Carl, Makena, and I headed back down. Trey came in his own truck. My parents also went back down...

 Hey guys, I guess I need to start a series of recipes titled "Recently Tried Tik Tok Recipes", because that seems to be where I am getting some pretty good ones lately. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Beef and Bowtie Pasta. Ingredients 1lb. ground beef 2 cups bowtie pasta 1 can cream of mushroom soup 1 cup beef broth salt and pepper to taste Instructions Brown the ground beef.  In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef until browned and no longer pink. Drain any excess grease. Season with salt and pepper. Cook the pasta.  While the beef is browning, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the bowtie pasta and cook according to the package directions until tender. Drain and set aside. Make the creamy sause. Reduce the heat under the skillet to medium-low. Add the cream of mushroom soup and beef broth to the cooked ground beef. Stir until everything is well combined and smooth. Combine everything. Add the cooked bowtie pasta to the skillet. Stir gently ...

 Okay, so I'm not a BookTok girlie. I don't have a cute little reading nook with perfectly organized bookshelves, and you probably won't find me filming dramatic reactions to plot twists. But do I love a good book? Absolutely. and do I have a TBR (to be read) list that's growing faster than I can keep up with? You better believe it! Every now and then, I find myself scrolling through book recommendations, reading reviews, and adding yet another title to my never-ending list. At this point, collecting books I want to read and actually reading them might as well be two separate hobbies.  So, I thought it would be fun to pretend I'm a BookTok influencer for a day and share a few books that have caught my attention lately. We've got a little romance, some suspense, a few questionable characters, and hopefully enough plot twists to keep things interesting. Get comfortable and let's talk books! And fair warning, your TBR list might be a little longer by the time w...

 I mentioned a few weeks ago that we were having family pictures taken by Carl's niece, Leslie. We just got them back, so I thought I would share them with you. Brother Bear was zonked out, so all eyes were on Miss Wren! Trey Landon Makena Faith Carlie and her family BeBe, Pappy, and the grandkids :) My girls My three babies 💓 My favorite picture of all💗 If you are in Arkansas and need a good photographer, I would recommend Leslie! Her handle on Instagram is @leslie_kerby_photography. Thanks, Les for the great pictures!

  Happy Monday, friends! Well, here we are again. Another Monday morning, another fresh week, and another cup of coffee that I'm hoping will magically give me the energy to accomplish all the things on my to-do list. Spoiler alert: It probably won't. But I'm going to drink it anyway. I thought we would start this week with a little old-fashioned chit-chat. Nothing too serious, nothing life changing. Just a little catching up on life lately, a few random thoughts, and whatever else happens to pop into my head. you know, the kind of conversation we'd have if you stopped by my house, pulled up a chair, and stayed a while. So grab your coffee (or whatever gets you going in the morning), and let's visit. First things first...it's October! This year is absolutely flying by. I love this time of year. The cozy evenings, the fall decorations, the soups and comfort foods, and the excuse to stay home in my pajamas a little longer. Now if Arkansas could just get the memo t...

 Have you ever been so focused on what was bothering you that you completely missed what God was trying to show you? I have. And apparently Jonah did too. Most of us know Jonah as the man who ran from God, got swallowed by a great fish, finally obeyed, and went to Nineveh. But sometimes I think the most convicting part of Jonah's story comes after all of that. Because Jonah finally did what God told him to do-- and then got upset when God showed mercy. Nineveh repented. God spared the city. And instead of celebrating, Jonah was angry. Then God caused a plant to grow and give Jonah shade. Jonah was pretty happy about that plant. But the next day, God allowed a worm to destroy it. And Jonah was miserable. He was so upset over that plant that he said he would rather die than live without it.  That's when God asked him question that gets right to the heart of the matter. Jonah cared deeply about a plant he hadn't planted, grown, or really done anything for. Yet he was angry wit...

 This weekend definitely didn't go the way I would have liked. Instead of getting out and enjoying the first weekend in October, I spend most of the weekend feeling under the weather. It started on Wednesday with keeping my grandson because he wasn't feeling well. And, of course, when that sweet baby needs his grandma, I'm going to be there. There was plenty of holding and cuddling and trying to make a sick little one as comfortable as possible. Unfortunately, somewhere in the middle of all those cuddles, he decided to share more than his sweetness with me. By the time Saturday rolled around I wasn't feeling so great myself. And honestly the weather couldn't have matched the mood any better. It was the kind of weather that makes you want to stay in your pajamas, curl up under a blanket, and forget there is an entire world outside your front door. So that's pretty much what we did. I guess if I'm going to be stuck inside feeling crummy, at least the sunshine ...

 Happy What's Up Wednesday! Today I am linking up with  Shay  and  Sheaffer  for another "What's Up Wednesday" Let's do this! What we're eating this week... So far this week we have made: Wings on the Pit Boss Slow Cooker Pineapple Pork Chops You can't get any easier than wings and chops! Especially when they are on the grill and slow cooker!! What I'm Reminiscing About... Septembers past: September is Trey's birth month. It is also the month that my grandpa died four years ago. This is the year that Papa gave Trey a gun for his birthday. He was so proud to give it to Trey and you can tell by the look on Trey's face how happy he was. Such a sweet moment to remember. Our county fair is also in September. My kids used to love it when they were younger. They still love rides, just not the traveling kind :) This was Wrenley's school picture last year. She has grown so much in one year :) What I'm Loving... Makena and my mom have started mak...

 Ella Langley's "Be Her" got me thinking about something I think a lot of women struggle with- the woman we think we should be.  You know her. She's more disciplined. More confident. More put together. She exercises, keeps the house clean, reads her Bible every morning, never loses her patience, and somehow always has good hair. We tell ourselves, If I could just be her..... And there's nothing wrong with wanting to grow. But what happens when the woman we want to become turns into an idol? Sometimes we become so focused on our ideal self that we forget to ask God who He wants us to become. There's a subtle difference between praying, "Lord, make me more like Christ," and saying, "Lord, help me to become the woman I've decided I need to be." One is surrender. The other can easily become control.  Philippians 1:6 reminds us that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. God isn't waiting fo...

 Happy Monday friends! I am a little late getting this up, but done is better than one time? That's not how that goes, but it for this blog post. On Friday I spent the day with sweet Wesley Dean. When I tell you he is the sweetest baby, I am not lying. He never cried the whole time I had him (maybe that is because I anticipated his every move because that's what BeBe's do!). We ate, played, changed his booty and slept..on repeat. I haven't kept him alone in a while. I soaked up every moment! After school Carlie and Wrenley picked us up and we went to the hospital where the ice cream truck was parked. Wrenley was super excited to get her ice cream. I shared mine with both Wrenley and Wesley :) All the heart eyes for this cutie BeBe and Wrenley, BFF! I didn't realize how tired I look :( Carlie was on-call all weekend and Caleb was at the fire station, so Makena stayed with them until Sunday morning. Trey also went and ate fish with my dad on Friday (which I thought wa...