All Things Southern......

I get excited about a lot of things, I am a "joyful" person I like to think.  Since most of my blogging is about my kiddo's I thought I would share something that I read on the blog of another friend, Angela Furr. (I hope you don't mind me "stealing")  Anyways..... I love my Mississippi Magazine!!! I get silly when it arrives in the mailbox, same as my Southern Living magazine. I just love all things southern, food, cool places to travel, unique shopping etc.....  Angela shared this from an issue from last summer that I remember reading.  It's worth sharing! :D  Read on boys...............


15 Ways to Charm Her




Southern Living, July 2009

By Amy Bickers





“Want to impress a Southern girl? Just think “What would my grandfather have done?”



Number one: We still expect you to give up your seat for a lady. On a bus, at a bar, on a train. . . we don’t care where you are. Unless you are at a restaurant and the only lady in sight is the one taking your order, stand up. Now.



On a recent Friday night at a bustling restaurant bar, two friends and I waited for our table to be called. The barstools were occupied so we stood patiently, sipping wine and chatting about the workweek. When a couple nearby stood up, another woman – who had been there less time than we had – swooped in, reaching across us to put her purse on the stool. This isn’t the worst part. It’s what happened next: Her male companion then slid onto the other barstool.



Hang on while I do a geography check. Are we not in the South? If ladies are waiting for a seat and you have a Y chromosome, do you sit down? No, sir. No, you do not.



We know modern life is confusing. The roles of men and women have evolved over the years. As Pink once sang, “Shorty got a job, Shorty got a car, Shorty can pay her own rent.”



But come on, let’s keep some things old-school. My late grandfather- he of the East Texas upbringing, U.S. Navy captain status, and Cary Grant good looks – would never have allowed a woman to stand while he sat. And if you want a Southern woman to love you, neither will you. So, men, here’s a short list of things Southern girls still expect from you.



We still expect you to…





Stand up for a lady. Actually, this doesn’t just involve chairs.



Know that the SEC has the best football TEAMS IN THE NATION. Big 12 fan? Hmm, perhaps you should keep walking.



Kill bugs. Delta Burke as Southern belle Suzanne Sugarbaker on Designing Women said, “. . .Ya know, when men use Women’s Liberation as an excuse not to kill bugs for you. Oh, I just hate that! I don’t care what anybody says, I think the man should have to kill the bug!”



Hold doors open. This goes for elevator doors too.



Fix things or build stuff. I once watched in awe as my stepfather built a front porch on the house he shares with my mother. He knew just what to do, cutting every notch, hammering every nail. The project was complete by sunset.



Wear boots occaisionally. Not the fancy, l-paid-$l,000-for-these kind. We’re talking about slightly mud-crusted, I-could-have-just-come-in-from-the-field boots.



Take off your hat inside.



Grill stuff.



Call us. If you want to ask us out, don’t text and don’t e-mail. Pick up the phone and use your voice.



Stand when we come back to the dinner table. ”Just a little half-stand is enough to make me melt,” my friend Stephanie says.



Pull out chairs. Wait, that’s not all. Scoot them back in before we hit the floor.



Pay the tab on the first few dates. ”If you ask me out, you pay,” Stephanie says. “If I ask you out, you should still pay.” Listen, guys, it’s just simpler this way.



Don’t show up in a wrinkled, untucked shirt. Care about your appearance but not too much. Don’t smell better than we do. Don’t use mousse or gel. You shouldn’t look like you spend more time in front of the mirror than we do.



Never get in bar fights. Patrick Swayze might look cool in Road House, but in reality, bar fights are stupid and embarrassing. You don’t look tough. You look like an idiot.



Know how to mix our favorite cocktail JUST THE WAY WE LIKE IT. Fix your favorite too. Sit down on the porch (it’s okay if you didn’t build it), tell us how your day went, and we’ll tell you about ours.



We’ll leave the long list to the girl who falls in love with you.

Cashism

So my little Cash man likes being naked! It's hot as who'd a thunk it here so I can't blame him really!! If I could get away with it I would strip down too!  His nakedness doesn't bother me one bit, he's 3.  It seems to "bother" Alese and Patrick a little, Patrick asks what I am going to do when he strips at Kindergarten and I guess I will be okay with it if the girls start throwing money at him! :D he he he.  So yesterday was the hottest day since 1950 something another, at least that is what I was told so Cash got naked immediately after breakfast and stayed that way all day long.  Finally about late afternoon Alese told Cash he needed to go get some underwear on and to that my little comedian said "Alese pretend I have underwear on"!!! hahahahahaha  All I could think was he is full blooded Ard, he comes from a long line of smart a**es!  Never a dull moment!!

ANNUAL BEACH TRIP WITH GIGI

Every summer (or nearly) Mama and I have taken off to Gulf Shores for a long weekend.  It is always a lot of fun, relaxing, shopping, eating just whatever our little hearts desired.  Now that I have little rugrats our tradition has changed a little.  Last summer Arden was just a baby so we took her but left Cash with P Daddy.  Arden (as well as Cash) was a very good baby, we even went and watched a movie.  She just sat in my lap, never made a sound.  I had all intentions of leaving both of them for our beach trip this year but Mama said "oh let's take Arden" and I thought to myself she must have lost her mind and if we are taking one we may as well take them both!  So we did and we had a blast although going to the beach with young children is exhausting! :D  We went to LuLu's which for those of you that know me well know that is one of my favorite places in the world!! Great atmosphere and the kids had a blast.  There is usually a long wait for a table but there is so much to do and buy that I have never minded to much.  Here are a few pictures of us there.

We spent some time out on the sandy white beach digging for shells and playing in the waves!!  Gigi had as much fun as the kiddo's.  It was so fun watching Cash and Arden laughing and playing. 

This little boy in this picture with Mama and Cash made fast friends with Mama.  He talked her head off, told her all about himself and his daddy.  He followed her and Cash around for a while and seemed to never really shut his mouth.  Mama finally asked him what his name was and he told her "oh no I am not supposed to tell my name to strangers"!! hahahahahahahaha

I think Arden has had enough!

CASHISM

Cash is ALWAYS cracking us up and I have to admit, Arden is easily following in his footsteps!!  She can't make complete sentences but she sure can yell "STOP IT CASH" plain as day!!  This story is to be continued........

So, last night I discovered that we had yet ANOTHER leak from our recently fixed ceiling, coming from our recently "fixed" air conditioner.  As I was standing there completely frustrated and really tired as it was 9 0'clock and we were just coming home from dinner I started telling Patrick "we have to get up in the attic and stop this now before the ceiling falls".  Cash just so  matter of factly took my cell phone out of my hand and said "give me your phone mama, I'm a gonna call Bob the Builder".  I started laughing so hard, I am so thankful to God for putting this little blessing in my life, in this house to keep me grounded and help me remember what really matters...and to NOT freak out over things I have no control over!! 

CASHISM

Tonight Cash and Arden were playing so sweetly in the bathtub together that I declared we needed to make some video of it and so I was off to retrieve my video camera!  Now, this will shock no one more than it does me but....I got side tracked, started cleaning something (I have admitted that there is in fact some sort of OCD issues going on with me).  I wasn't gone long but longer than the 32 seconds it should have taken me to get the video camera.  When I rounded the hallway I heard Cash say "Arden we made some bubbles" and I must admit this was the first time I actually wanted these bubbles in the bathtub to be coming from their little boo hiney's but I knew I would not be so lucky and that they had gotten into something! I share my tub with them and I wash my face in the tub at night but I ALWAYS (except for this time) put my face cleanser back in the drawer!!!  When I saw my bottle of expensive (it costs to stay looking younger than your older husband) facial cleanser floating with the lid open in the tub I was sickened!! I actually sat on the edge of the tub rather quick to keep from passing out, I dropped my doomed to age face in my hands and was giving myself a brief time out before I decided which precious baby  would get their naked boo hiney spanked first!!  Before I could say a word Cash Thomas James said "Me and Arden are sorry Mama, try to keep an open mind"!!  WHAT???? Where did THAT come from?!!  Veggie Tales I presume but it worked, I immediately began laughing uncontrollably and they didn't get spanked.  Not by me at least, maybe by their daddy when he as to either look at my aging face or buy me a new bottle of cleanser!

THROW ME SOMETHING!!!

This past year we were invited to a Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans.  Normally I would shy away from that sort of madness but this time was the exception.  Our friends (The Hunter's) aunt manages the Capital One building on Canal so we were able to park in her garage AND we had a fenced in area, just for us!! It was so awesome because the kids were able to run around all they wanted and we could relax.  I was also thrilled that my parents along with their favorite traveling buddies (the other Ard's) came and spent the day with us.  Arden enjoyed eating everything she could get her hands on, literally. I bet that child ate 3 funnel cakes. All 3 kiddos were passed out before we exited the parking garage! GREAT memories!!

Cash the Comedian on Vacation

I am blogging from cell phone so I won't be going into a lot of details. However Cash cracks me up everyday and I am always afraid of forgetting the things he says, I know he said something hilarious on the ride down and I have already forgot it! Shame on me! So I will continue to play catch up on the blog but I will also post some random things like this!

We are in Destin for the 4th so the kiddos have been going wide open. I told Cash today that I wanted him to try to potty before bed. He told me he didn't have to go but I told him I wanted him to come try. He then said "I don't have to go, come watch me don't"! Ha! So I followed him in the bathroom and watched him alright and he DID go! Ha. He has been so sweet with Arden, he loves her so much and wants to hold her hands and help her with everything!! I pray it lasts! More on this super fun beach trip later!