Thank a Farmer

WARNING: SOAPBOX ISSUE

I watch the Georgia Farm Monitor each week - this is a show produced by the Georgia Farm Bureau and for me, it is a way to stay connected to home, learn new things about my home state, and learn more about agriculture.  Obviously having a grandfather that farmed and having my other grandparents live beside a massive dairy growing up, I have a significant appreciation for farming and farmers. 

I also understand that unlike most of us, farmers (and ranchers, dairymen, etc) put everything on the line and are at the mercy of really one thing - the weather.  Something they have no control over - bad weather can mean no crop, which basically means no money.  Think about that for a minute.  Sure, USDA offers crop insurance but keep in mind - that isn't a given - each year cuts are discussed for it (and yes, I am sure some people cheat the system, but not everyone).  And there are other factors, but more and more it comes back to the weather.  Then toss in increase in gas prices which is required to operate the equipment that is required to plant and harvest crops or feed the cattle or deliver the milk...then all these new EPA regulations on everything from pollution (yes cows produce methane, yes it is considered a pollutant that some have tried to regulate - so please tell me where to get my milk or beef if cows are now regulated for the bodily functions) to medications.  Now I understand we have got to regulate things, but when those that grow our food can no longer operate because of cost, we have a problem.  Get beyond food - what about cotton?  Are we going to become completely dependent on other countries to grow one of the most basic, most commonly used fibers??

Anyway - back off the regulation issues - back to the life of a farmer.  I can't say it any better than to share a real life story.  I encourage you to watch this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMSFN8FFRXQ&feature=channel_video_title).  A childhood friend (honestly she was born 5 days after me at the same hospital - we have been friends since we met in the hospital nursery) and her husband have been selected as a finalist for a Farm Bureau award.  If selected, they win a trip to Hawaii.  After you watch this, I think you will agree with me - they deserve this trip - they need a break.  Even Andrew said, "my hours aren't as bad as the hours they put in each day, and they don't even know if they will break even."

I say all of this for one reason - to ask you to Thank a Farmer.  To all of my young friends that are continuing on the tradition and for those in my family still keeping up the cows, thank you. 

And I leave with my the prayer my parents taught MB and I, "Thank you, God, for bread and milk and other things so good.  Thank you, God, for those who grow and cook our food. Amen." 

Ouzts Thanksgiving

I am super thankful and filled with warm gratitude to have in-laws that I truly enjoy.  Here is a picture sample of our evening together.

Greenhood...I mean, Greenwood

My dear former co-worker that left us for Viking, Kim, has renamed Greenwood to Greenhood.  Here is a prime example of the reason for this new name.

I encourage you to click the picture for a larger view and please, oh please, let me know what Christmas decorations you can identify.  Oh and if you can tell me what those red things are - Lesley and I will both sleep better tonight.

Thanksgiving

Are you ready for this? 

I have hit or miss pictures - but here are some highlights.  We were able to go to Madison on Tuesday afternoon, but drove in terrible storms (including tornado warnings)...it took 7.5 hours - usually takes slightly over 6 hours.  We made it safely and for that we were extremely thankful.  During the trip, we were taught that if Tucker starts panting uncontrollably in the car, it is his way of telling us he needs a potty break.  We learned the hard way - he wee'd in the car on his bed.  I caught it the best I could in a Chick-Fil-A kid's cup.  It was his first accident in the car ever.  Poor boy - didn't know how to tell us to he needed to go when in the car.  He held it for nearly 3 hours.  I was not thankful for this experience...I also was not thankful for having poured water in my lap attempting to get water for him to drink thinking he was thirsty before the accident.  We stopped as soon as possible to clean up - and yes it looked like I was the one that had the accident.

Mom and I cooked all morning on Wednesday - we each made a 3-layer cake...both tasted great - one isn't as tall as the other and it seems neither of us can ice the bottom of a cake - she is going to kill me for posting this...I gave thanks for my dad's mother's baking abilities.

We flat out love how much Tucker loves his grandparents.  He goes nuts when he sees any of them and could careless about us once he is with them. Tucker and Mac are attached at the hip...or leg...he is actually attached to all of his grandparents like this - I just only got pictures with Mac. 

We enjoyed this beauty on Wednesday night...dinner outside by the fire was perfect.

We stuffed our faces twice on Thanksgiving.  Once with my granddad's extended family then again with Andrew's family.  It is wonderful to be able to spend Thanksgiving with both families.  We are so grateful to be able to share with both families.  We were also able to spend lots of time with Gary and Lindley - which let's be honest, they are essentially family.   Brandy took a ton of pictures at Thanksgiving and once I get a few from her, I will share the Ouzts family Thanksgiving.  I think MB took some in Bostwick.

Then this is the return trip home...we have Tico for the week.  All were concerned about Tucker and Tico in the car together, but they were super wonderful...sitting this close even...

Just a cool picture I got while we were driving beside the Atlanta airport...it is the highlight of my trip usually - I love planes...



And I will leave you with this beauty - Tucker slept like this for a solid 30 minutes - we decided this would be like us stretching to reach our toes and then sleeping like that...

 Back view -

Front View - all four paws together...

Prayer Request for Dalton

First and foremost, Andrew and I would like to share a prayer request with everyone.  Some of our dearest friends, Jonathan and Kara, are expecting their first child, Dalton, in February.  Dalton has been diagnosed with severe partial Trisomy 13.  Rather than attempting to explain, I direct you to their blog.  Here is the link to their blog (http://devotionstodalton.blogspot.com/).  There are so many unknowns at this time that prayer is the best answer.  Jonathan, Kara, and Dalton - we send our love and prayers daily from Mississippi.

We're Home!

We are back from a wonderful visit to Georgia for Thanksgiving.  I have pictures and stories for later - but for now - I am working on Christmas decorations and making sure Tucker and Tico continue to ignore each other.

We hope everyone had an amazing Thanksgiving and was able to spend time with family and/or friends!

Bop's!!

We are addicted to sweets, even through all of our diet efforts - we can't kick it.  As many of you know, we are both calorie counters - ask Andrew - he lost 35 pounds counting calories (and walking the golf course, but really just counting).  We have learned the art of saving calories during the day so we can have a treat at night.  A piece of bread or french fries vs fruit can be exchanged for a cookie - which would you rather have????

Anyway - there is a Mississippi custard spot that we love...love...love!  BOP'S!  Call me crazy but their custard (super thick ice cream) is the best I have ever had.  Andrew's favorite is the "Mocha-Chocha-YaYa" and mine is the "Fudge Brownie Sundae."  However, I didn't feel like the super warm, moist brownie topped with amazing vanilla custard, roasted pecans and hot fudge last night - so I got a concrete instead - an M&M concrete.  You know how back in the day at DQ they would turn the blizzard upside down to show you how thick it is - well I am fairly certain that you could leave a Bop's treat upside down and it wouldn't come out for days...it is that thick and creamy and dreamy...

Sooo next time you are in town - we will take you to get a real treat - BOP'S!!

Burnt Nail

Pretty sure I need to go back home and start over...

I just managed to burn my fingernail.  Not my finger, but the nail only.  I was lighting a candle with a lighter and got the nail only.  Gross and odd, huh?

A Glimpse at Our Future

I must share this story...we enjoyed a nice lunch at the Japanese place (after cutting both front and back yards, scooping pop, spreading winterizer, cleaning house including mopping) with a family of five sitting at the same table.  There were three kids, boy, girl, boy...oldest maybe 10 youngest around 3 or 4.  The entire meal they all ate their food, asked nicely for whatever they wanted, and even tried new foods...and never once did any of them do anything out of line (even a minor step).  


During this youngest son asked dad if he could go hunting tomorrow.  Dad said, I am taking your older brother, so you will have to ask mom if she will go with him so I can take you.  Very quickly both boys turn to mom and ask, will you please go hunting with us so both can go? Mom asked sister if she would go spend the afternoon with her grandparents...and she said of course, so Mom agreed to go hunting.  


As we drove away, I said, "wow, that was a glimpse at our future."  Andrew responds, "First, we aren't going to have three, just two and ours will never be that well behaved."  I died laughing...I was thinking more about the hunting discussion than the behavior, but I just loved how honest he is about how terrible he was as a kid.   Once we stopped laughing, we agreed that we will likely face the same hunting situations one day too.

Cooking Club, November Edition

More recipes to share...all from Southern Sideboards (Junior League of Jackson) again...

 Make this cake and make it now!  It is wonderful!  Would be great as cupcakes, muffins, anything, just make it!

 These little fellows were surprisingly good.  We first tried them cold and they were really good, but then we tried them warm and they were even better.  So here's the deal...they are great cold, but they are excellent warm...unless you tried them both ways at the same time, you wouldn't know this though.  Great for a party!

 This is very similar to Grandmomma's mac and cheese...also reminded me of Bear's Den, just not as greasy...  Super quick, super easy.

We actually had this in July, but it is really good.  Sounds kinda odd, but good.  In fact, I think we are going to have it tonight.

Not Right

It is not right to have this amount of candy sitting on your desk when you are trying not to eat sugar during the day.  It just stares at me all day - I wish my coworkers would hurry up and eat it all.

 It is not right to make your dog carry his own bed from the bedroom to the living room, but if he volunteers, then it is perfectly acceptable.  It is my understanding that he volunteered for this task.

Loud Prints, Loving Boys, and Looks Yummy

MB knows me well - I love loud prints, colors, designs, etc on the golf course and while I don't like things to be overly feminine, I don't like to have  "man's bag" either.  So her choice of head covers is just perfect!

Then I caught this loving embrace and look...

Cooking club is tonight. My task for the evening is pumpkin cake.  The recipe indicates that the cake should be made ahead of time and chilled so that the icing may set.  Now in my family, if the cake looks like the Leaning Tower of Pisa it will taste wonderful.  If like looks wonderful, it usually doesn't taste too hot.  (Yes the picture is at an angle, so no Leaning Tower of Pisa).  The truth will be discovered this evening.

Oh Mrs. Susan - I need my cake pan back.  I left it at your house last weekend. 

Andrew and His Boys

All dogs love Andrew.  He is the dog whisper - has been his whole life.  While in med school, he trained Bailey (his parents' black lab) to duck hunt.  They spent hours working together and even had a few successful hunts!  Bailey is the most well behaved, well mannered dog ever.  On the other side of his hip is the dog that is semi-boarder line worst behaved dog in the family (only the lap dogs are worse).  This picture was taken right after we got to Macon on Friday/Saturday morning.  Bailey greeted us at the car and never once left Andrew's side.  Tucker loves his daddy much more than me so of course he stayed on the other side.  We even slept with both dogs in the room.  Tucker had to sleep beside Andrew (on the floor of course) and Bailey (the dog that actually does what you say, when you say it, and will stay there until you tell him otherwise) had to sleep beside me on the floor.  We figured Tucker won't share his bed and didn't want to deal with a dog feud at 4am.  It was hilarious all weekend - I would be fussing at Tucker trying my best to get him to do something (he is and has a hard head), and I would look over and Bailey was already doing what I was begging Tucker to do and I wasn't even talking to him.

Two reasons for posting this - one - in case you want to compare Tucker to a "large for the breed" lab and two - to share just how much dogs love Andrew and how much they love him.

I am pretty sure the only thing to have made this picture any better for Andrew would have been to have Annie (the chocolate lab that was already upstairs to avoid the monster dog) and Maggie (his family's lab when he was younger) in the picture with him.

Crazy Weekend, Again

Here is the run down - Andrew, Tucker and I went to Macon this past weekend for two reasons...1) I had a wedding to attend and 2) Andrew skipped the wedding and celebrate GT Homecoming/Clemson (smack down). 

The wedding was wonderful (except I was the oldest Phi Mu there...and whew...that hurt).  Below is a picture of us with the bride.  Ready for this - this is my Phi Mu family, minus the one on the end...that is the bride's sister (who is an active Phi Mu, but not in our family). 

for the heck of it - here is the family in Oct 2005...

Lindley went as my date since Andrew skipped out and we had a blast.  It was great to finally see her again!  Lindley is married to Andrew's best friend, Gary.  When all of us were dating, Lindley and I were informed that we better like each other because we had no choice but to friends...I think it worked out okay!

 

Andrew reports that the game was a blast and so was the company!  He enjoyed all of it so much that he had to spend the night :)!

Tucker thoroughly enjoyed his visit with Bay and Ann but missed Grandma and Grumps.  He did get to see Mac and CC though and was shocked and thrilled.  Mom and Dad took Andrew and I to lunch on Saturday at our favorite semi-Macon place - Grits Cafe in Forsyth...YUMMMMMY!  They claim I have a birthday this week - I have decided that since I can't remember how old I am already there is no point in adding another year, 26 sounds grand.  Don't tell me I haven't been 26 in two years please ;) !  Thanks for lunch Mom and Dad!  And thanks for letting me tag along while y'all went shopping.  And thanks for walking my dog.  And thanks for my gift - y'all are wonderful!

Then on the way home on Sunday we stopped to visit Natalie and Jason.  We had an amazing lunch and enjoyed our time with them.  We miss those two - even Tucker, he told us so. 

In case you couldn't figure it out - the reason we have 72K miles on my 2009 car is because we love family and friends - and we don't mind the drive at all.