Gotta Love My Boys

So I was enjoying a wonderful evening with the ladies of our Sunday School class in celebrating the third pregnancy of dear, sweet Kristi Gay at Sommer's Place on the East side of Montgomery (remember this tidbit of info as it will be an important detail in the story later), when I was told that my cell phone was ringing. I had not heard it since we were in a busy restaurant. So I pull it out of my purse and see that I have four missed calls and several text messages. As I'm looking at it, the phone begins to ring again. It's a number I don't know, but I answer it anyway. It's a very frantic Scott. "Jamie, where have you been!!!???? Davis has locked me out of the house and I don't have a spare key!!!!!!!!!" Well, first of all Mr. Ramsey, you know where I am. And second of all, I'm in Montgomery! A speedy exit from the restaurant is possible, but I'm kind of far from home over here. On a good traffic day it's a 30 minute drive to our new home in Prattville. I tell him to hold tight and that I am leaving now. We throw my food in a to go box and I dart out of the restaurant. I hurry home, breaking several traffic laws on the way. I pull up to my frazzled husband in only his boxers (white with little green shamrocks on them; a gift from Ireland from his Mom) and an undershirt waiting by the back door. Davis is crying but I was happy to find out he had not been crying for the entire hour that he was locked in alone with only Sam and Libby (dog and cat respectively). The story goes that Scott went outside to tend to the cats who had ants in their food, when Davis locked the deadbolt behind him. Scott ran to the neighbors house (in boxers!!) to call me for help. I guess we've learned a lesson here - we need to hide a spare key! Thankfully everyone was okay, I just missed out on an enjoyable evening with my lady friends. There is never a dull moment with my two boys. If it's not one thing, it's another. And I love every second of it.

Potpourri Part One

Potpourri: a collection or combination of miscellaneous, unrelated elements or objects.

Missed me? Missed you too. Just been bumming at the beach with the fam for the past week. So this post will be a potpourri of sorts including, but not limited to, recipes, playing in the rain, witnessing the formation of a rainbow, big boy undies and the beach trip in review.

First of all, I must give you a bit of background on the Davis beach trip. In a word: FOOD. It's all about the food. We plan our meals in advance and we all bring tons of our favorite snacks. I decided to bring buffalo chicken dip, ground beef casserole, lemonade pie and rice krispy treats. I also thought it would be fun to share the recipes with y'all. I am not going to share the rice krispy treats recipe though. If you have not made them, shame on you.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

2 10oz cans chicken, drained
3/4 cup buffalo chicken sauce

2 8oz packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup ranch dressing

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Heat the chicken and buffalo sauce in sauce pan over medium heat. Add cream cheese and ranch. Cook, stirring until well blended and heated through. Mix in half of the cheese. Pour into baking dish. Top with remaining cheese and bake at 350 until heated through and cheese is bubbly. Serve with tortilla chips or Chicken and a Biscuit crackers. Yum yum.

Homestyle Ground Beef Casserole

1 pound hamburger meat
1 can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano, undrained

1 can rotel
1 6oz can tomato paste

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp dried Italian seasoning

1/4 tsp pepper

3 cups uncooked egg noodles
1 8oz container sour cream

1 3oz package cream cheese

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1 cup shredded mozarella cheese

Brown meat and drain. Mix in both cans tomatoes and next four ingredients. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for 5 minutes. Cook egg noodles according to package; drain. Stir together hot cooked noodles, sour cream and cream cheese until blended. Spoon egg noodle mixture into a lightly greased 9x13. Top with beef mixture; sprinkle with cheeses in the order listed. Bake, covered, at 350 for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake for 5 more minutes.

*Cook's Notes (that'd be me): Got this recipe out the AMAHZING Southern Living cookbook "comfort food." I recommend that everyone gets this cookbook!! I've made tons of stuff out of it and have not been disappointed yet! This freezes very well. I also doubled the recipe for the beach and it made a ton. That's why the photo has two of everything. I also use mild rotel so the kids can eat it. And, um, I've also been known to throw in a little extra cream cheese. It can't hurt it, right??

Lemonade Pie
*Got this recipe out of the hot off the presses August Southern Living, aka the proper Southern lady's must-have mag.

1 12oz can evaporated milk

2 3.4 oz packages lemon instant pudding mix

1 tbsp lemon zest

2 8oz packages cream cheese

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 12oz can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed

1 9 inch graham cracker crust

Whisk together evaporated milk and next two ingredients in a bowl 2 minutes or until mixture is thickened. Beat cream cheese and vanilla at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add lemonade, beating until smooth; add milk mixture and beat until blended. Pour into crust. Cover and chill 8 hours. Garnish with whipped cream if desired.

*Cook's Notes (me again): if you choose to use sugar free instant pudding, the package will only say 1oz. This is correct - don't buy 7 packages trying to equal two 3.4oz packages like some idiot I know. Also, next time I make this I am going to get a bigger pie crust as all of the mixture barely fit into the 9 inch crust. And I will make this again - easy and delish. I know, mine's not as pretty as the one on the cover of the mag, but mine was meant to be eaten, not photographed.

To be continued...

Sweet Summertime

Oh I miss those days as the years go by. Oh nothing's sweeter than summertime.

I just love summer. Some of my best childhood memories are of summer. Days spent at the pool in Jackson. Going to the creek with cousins. Shelling peas, butterbeans and anything else you could shell. Clarke County pears. Fresh squash. Eating cold watermelon in the backyard. Swinging on the front porch with PawPaw. Eating Ed's at Nanny's. The sweet smell of plums. The song of the whippoorwill. Snow cones. Fourth of July fun at Aunt Carolyn's. The taste of an ice cold Coca-Cola Classic. Planning sleepovers. That feeling you have when you get home from the pool, change into your dry clothes and lay down for a nap. Ah, the list could go on for days. I have so many incredible memories and I just wish I could somehow go back in time to experience it once more. Summers in Walker Springs are hard to describe with words. It was more of a feeling. I think it's one of the many pleasures of growing up in the good 'ole South. It makes me sad that Davis won't have the kind of childhood that I had. I guess that will be my mission - to make sure Davis has the best childhood possible. A childhood that he'll look back on as fondly as I do my own.

You Are My Sunshine

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray. You'll never know dear how much I love you. So please don't take my sunshine away.

My Daddy used to sing this song to me while we were trying to fall asleep. It holds a very special place in my heart. So early on, I decided it would be mine and Davis' song. There are no words to express the love I have for that little man. I cannot remember what life was like before him - although sometimes I remember when Saturday mornings roll around. Part of the reason I wanted to start this blog was so that I could record the things that are currently happening in his life, the things he is doing and saying, etc. His little life is going by so fast and I want to hold on to it and remember it always. So Davis here is what you are up to these days. You are now 25 months old. Oh what a joy you are to me and Dida (that's what you call him by the way).

*One of your favorite phrases is "not nice." And you use if often - both to people and inanimate objects. You were sitting on your potty the other day and fell off. To this you replied "Not nice potty!" You ran into the door, "Not nice door."

*You have absolutely no interest in potty training at this moment. You do like your potty though. You carry it all over the house and stand on top of it to turn lights on and off.

*You are so loving and affectionate. When you first wake up, we snuggle and you play with my hair. You also like to play with my hair when you're falling asleep. Mommy loves this.

*You don't like macaroni and cheese, which is very weird. Are you really my child?

*Yes, you really are my child because you love almost every other food out there. And you like candy a lot.

*You love to sleep in the bed with us, even though I am trying desperately to get you to sleep in your big boy bed all night. You've been doing better though, I will give you credit for that.

*You and I take naps together every Saturday and Sunday, and every other day that we are home together.

Davis, Mama loves you with all of her heart. Please be mine forever.

BFFs

Alright. I'll be the first to admit that I don't have that many close friends. I consider my mom and two sisters, Tracy and Courtney to be my best buds. But as I like to say quality over quantity is best when it comes to friendships. When I moved to Montgomery far away from all of the close friends that I had ever known, I began to pray fervently for a close friend. Well boy did God ever answer my prayers. After many years of praying, He not only gave me one, but two. I am doubly blessed with two wonderful friends who make me laugh uncontrollably. I think the secret to our friendships is that we have so much in common. Like me, they are super gorgeous, insanely funny and remarkably talented. Not to mention we have exceptionally good taste and loads upon loads of style. Shopping is a passion we all share. We do it so well, it's a shame we can't get paid for it. I shall now tell you more about each one and what they mean to me. Let me start with the more mature of the two (and by mature I mean older, not old), Karla. Karla is a riot. She says what she thinks and holds nothing back. I really think she and I could have a talk show together and become super famous. Because, I mean, let's face it, who wouldn't think we are funny. I think we are both funny on our own, but when mixed together, we are like dynamite. She is super loving, loyal and she gets me. I really think we could spend hours together and never run out of things to talk about. I heart her. And then there's Shannon. Ah, what a tall drink of water she is. She is stunningly beautiful on the outside, but even more beautiful on the inside. One really cool thing about her is how when we make fun of her, she makes fun of herself along with us. How fun is that?! Shannon and I embarked on the incredible journey of motherhood right at about the same time. And now our two boys, Coleman and Davis, are BFFs. It warms my heart that they are so close. I know that Shannon and I will be friends forever. No doubt in my mind. She is so steadfast and true in our friendship and I only hope that I am as good a friend to her as she is to me. (*Read these last sentences in retail voice, because as I'm writing this, that's how they sound in my head.) Oh how I love my girls! Let's hear it for my ladies! May we always be this close! Here's to many, many more laughs, giggles, outbursts and retail excursions. Love you ladies! You are truly an answer to prayer.

There's a First Time for Everything

Okay, so I'm new to this whole blogging thing. But I thought it would be a great way for me to keep my family apprised of all of the Ramsey goings on since we don't get to see each other as much as we'd like. Plus in my old age I've become a bit of a homebody. Maybe it's because we just moved into our dream house or maybe it's because I am a product of two homebodies. Whatever the case, this blog will serve as a creative outlet for me and an update on all things Ramsey for the parents, sisters and family. I hope to keep this up, but I have been known to get on a random kick and then fall off the boat. We'll see...