Wildrose Golden Zeke

Monday was a day that we have waited for for a long time. We traveled to Oxford, Mississippi to pick up our new lab puppy. When I say a long time, I mean a LONG time! Jay put a deposit down on a puppy from Wildrose six, yes SIX, years ago. He was still in college when the mating didn't take and he got an internship at Nucor and had to live in an apartment, he decided that it just wasn't good timing. Now that we are settled in our house and have been married for over two years, we felt like now was as good of a time as any. We went to Oxford this past spring to check out the kennel and before we left, we had activated the deposit for a yellow, male lab. We picked out a dad and a few different moms and were told that we would probably be able to get a puppy in the spring of 2012.

Fast forward to about a month ago......

We called Wildrose because we had noticed that the puppies that were being shown on the website weren't matching the mating schedule. Jay sent an email and within hours we were contacted to receive a puppy that someone had decided not to take. Since I am going to be out of school for a few more weeks, we were so excited to take him because we would have time to housetrain him and get him used to 204 Barbara Drive.

Even though we have two dogs already, we have bought so much puppy 'stuff.' From collars to leashes to tie offs to puppy bumpers-we've got it all. This puppy does have some pretty big shoes to fill: he has multiple field trial champions in his blood lines and one international field trial champion on his dad's side of the family.

When we went to pick up the puppy, we talked with one of the vet techs about how to care for the puppy and then we got to meet him. His belly is SO BIG! I am not exagerating when I say that this little puppy had a belly almost the size of a small canteloupe. When he lays on his stomach, it bulges out on the sides-so funny! They told us that they like chubby puppies and lean dogs. If that's the case then he's as fit as a fiddle. We went out and took the picture below with his mom and dad and then we got to put a pin in the map for Kennett, MO.

I am so upset that I forgot to take a picture of that map because it was really neat to look at all of the places where Wildrose pups have gone. They have gone to all 50 states and even outside of the country! There were only two other pins in the bootheel, so now Kennett is officially on the Wildrose map.

Funny story and then I'm finished. The owner of the kennel, Mike Stewart, has become quite the expert in dog training. He was featured on the cover of Forbes magazine, has regular articles in numerous hunting and outdoor magazines on behalf of the kennel, and has trained both of the Ducks Unlimited Mascots, Drake and Deke. Part of the reason that I forgot to take pictures of the map was because he was talking to us about our 'future plans for our puppy.' To be quite honest, my immediate plans didn't go past getting him to peepee and poop outside. Considering my impromptu puppy interview, I was a little nervous. I was holding Zeke and trying to be the model of a good pet owner not even realizing that he was biting my finger. Mike took one look at me and said, "Oh, dont' do that or you'll have a biter in no time." I was so embarrassed! I could just see them giving me a big F and taking the puppy away-unfit parents-haha!

When we finally got Zeke in the kennel and I closed the door, I looked at Jay and said, "Mike Stuart just got on to me!" I think he laughed for five minutes straight. Now I am bound and determined to teach this dog to be obedient and to be a great retreiver. Puppy training clinic is in the fall and you can bet that when Zeke and I get to Oxford there will be NO biting!

Front entrance-so pretty!!

This is Wildrose Trading Company. Anything you need from Tervis Tumbler to Sporting Dog First Aid kits-they have it!

This is where the 'dads' are kept. Also, the DU mascots are kept here in the 'penthouses.'

This is when we first met Zeke!

Can you tell we are tired? My face was so swollen from my lake sunburn!! It was completely worth the trip!

Wildrose Golden Zeke with his Dad, Rusty, and his mom, Katie (and his new mom and dad, too).

Ready to ride!!!!

Drake being the submissive big brother that we knew he would be.

Have a great weekend!

Lake Pics

Here are some pictures from the lake this past weekend........

The backseat was full!!

Heading to the water!

Jay is ready to ski.

Looking very official with the life jacket and gloves :)

Rockin' the children's life vest!

It's a super-hot week, so everyone be careful. Have a great day!

Norfork Lake, Good Friends, and a Cream Soda

I will post some pictures from the weekend soon, but I can honestly say that I have never been so tired! Friday morning, Jay and I headed out with our good friend, Jarred Gooch. My mom and her husband have a house at Lake Norfork and have been wanting us to come visit all summer. My mom's father-in-law lived to be 100 years old. He passed away a few months ago and Jarred had been his nurse numerous times. Everyone went on and on about how good he was to Mr. Tackeberry, Butch was really wanting him to come over to the lake.

We decided to take Drake to Mountain home to board him at Deborah's pet spa and resort-hehe! Soooooo, here we all go Jay and Jarred in the front and Drake, Sassy, and me in the back. After dropping Sassy off at my mamaw and grandad's house we were en route to the lake. I have to say that if the DJ gig doesn't work out for 'The Situation,' Jarred could pick up the slack. Not only did I have a trip down 412; I also had a trip down memory lane. I heard more 80's and 90's music than I have heard in quite a while.

When we got to the lake we dropped off Drake at the 'spa' and he didn't even look back before leaving. Now I know how all of you moms feel when your children just run off to their first day of school without even looking back to wave (or wag) 'bye!' I called later that day to check on him and I was told 'that he was settling into the resort area nicely'- oh good grief :)

After heading to Wal Mart to get groceries (and have a 20 minute conversation with a lady on oxygen and a moterized scooter about whether or not I was wearing a mini-dress and why she couldn't wear one anymore), we did one of my favorite things........NOTHING!!! We just sat around and waited on or friends Woody and Missy to make the trip from STL. After some dinner and bowling, we hit the sack for a long day on the lake.

I want to emphasize the word long.....LONG!!! We got on the water at 9am and didn't come back in until 5:45. We had the best time! All of the guys did some water skiing, Missy and I layed out quite a bit, and once again, Gooch rocked the Ipod (yes, I said 'rocked the Ipod'- I can't help it, I listened to 90's music all weekend). It's so tough for all of us to get together these days. I guess that's why we had so much fun. We just caught up and had a good time. I even jumped off of Big E. I can't have you going and thinking that I am a daredevil or anything, so I'll let you in on a secret......the water was so high that it was only about 20 ft tall-haha!

That night, after dinner, we decided to play Battle of the Sexes. We got this as a wedding gift and I am ashamed to say that it still had the plastic on it. I think that based on those questions it was pretty clear that the boys and the girls, both, need quite a bit of work on figuring each other out. I will say that the dead ringer of the game was.....MOM! She got quite a few questions right and some the had right and I talked her out of it..oops!

The next moring we went to get Drake and he had gotten an A on his report card. Yes, he really got a report card, filled out complete with comments. It's proudly displayed on our fridge. On the way home, we had to make one more stop in Hardy, AR. Jay and Jarred discovered that I had never had a cream soda in my life and this just wouldn't do for them. I had to endure multiple stories during the weekend of hanging out at the Parker's house, playing Halo and drinking cream sodas. I don't know what Carrie Parker put in those sodas, but they left quite the impression on those guys. Anyway, Hardy has an old fashioned soda fountain and nothing would due but for them to get me a cream soda. I have to say that I wasn't sure about it in the beginning; I mean, I pictured something that was cream in color; you know CREAM soda. This was brown and just looked like flat Dr. Pepper. But after three drinks I was hooked. Next time, I'll have to try something else new. That place had tons of old-timey stuff!

It was a great weekend with great friends and family!! I just sat in the back seat with my big baby in my lap (Drake) and thanked God for all that he has blessed me with.....and that cream soda, yum!

Weddings and Babies!!

I guess I am at the age where lots of my friends are getting married and having children-two very joyous occasions. This weekend, I was fortunate enough to celebrate both a wedding and a baby! My good friend Casey married her best friend Kevin in one of the nicest weddings I have ever been to. It was obvious that everyone there was so excited for the new couple and were truly there to wish them the best!! Casey is also very special to my mom. So special, in fact, that she let them leave the church in her car. Okay, people-I have never even driven her car-haha! Casey loves horses and has always been in 4-H, so her wedding had a western theme. She even wore cowboy boots under her wedding dress! I can't stress enough how fun the wedding was. Mom even got up and did the Cupid Shuffle!!

Mr. and Mrs. Brown

So cute!!

On Sunday, I went to a baby shower for my friend Lindsey Crafton. This will be her first baby, a girl named Layla Grace. I am so sad that I forgot my camera, because it was BEAUTIFUL!! She got so many cute little girl clothes and looked like a gorgeous, 'glowing' mommy-to-be. An added bonus, I got to chat with Haley Mitchell, one of my best friends (and bridesmaids) that I haven't seen in WAY too long.

All in all, weekends like this are super busy (and tiring), but are so much fun! It's always nice to celebrate 'the good stuff.'

Our Little Oasis

Hello!

I wanted to show you some pictures of what I did to get ready for the 4th of July. We had some friends over to grill and watch the fireworks, so I thought I'd take some pictures while the yard was lookin' good :)

Our front door

I made this wreath myself. I have been resisting the mesh, but it's so easy to work with that I think I have given in!

Freshly painted pool house :) The red patio furniture is my birthday present!!!!

I drug Jay to Trees 'n Trends on the 4th of July for this patio funiture. They were having a BIG sale!!!! Then we raced home with two truckloads of furniture to beat the thunderstorm. Very eventful morning!

For the life of me, I could not get Drake and Sassy to look at the camera. They were too focused on the pool vaccum.

These flowers are my green thumb claim to fame! I forgot to water them and thought I had killed them, but nursed them back to health. Usually, within a month all of my flowers are crispy, so I am excited that I have been a little better at watering.

This is our old patio furniture. Still serves its purpose, but I think it had definitely seen better days-haha!

I hope everyone enjoys their HOT Saturday!

Foodie Fridays- A Day with Mamaw

Hi Everyone!

A couple of weeks ago, I spent the afternoon with my mom's mom (my Mamaw). We talked about lots of things, but then we got into the recipes! When I left I had the most sentimental thing that she has ever given me.......

This book is full of recipes that she copied down herself. She couldn't remember how old it is, but I am almost 28 and I have never seen it. She, basically, bought a notebook and put dividers in for all of the different categories of recipes.

Then she wrote recipes by hand in the book or pasted them onto the page. This is a meringue recipe. For some reason, this picture would not download in the right orientation, but since it was her handwriting I wanted to include it anyway.

You're turning your head sideways right now, aren't you??

There's also TONS of recipes that she has clipped out of magazines and stuck in the proper section.

She also gave me this really old book titled The Art of Cooking and Serving. It is really neat because it talks about all sorts of very proper serving techniques. I looked for a copyright date in it, but the front pages of the book are missing.

Below is an example of how you should dress your maids based on what type of affair that you were having. I figured that we all had been wondering how to dress our maids, so I just thought I'd share that with you-haha!

Finally, I hit the jackpot.........I got the recipe for her chicken and dumplings!!! I also got her divinity, fudge, dressing, jiblet gravy, and the recipe I'm going to give you today-plum cobbler.

This plumb cobbler is something that I grew up eating at my Mamaw and Grandad's house. I can remember stopping by after I had gotten out of school for the day and she would have a big pot, yes pot, of it all ready for me. The recipe is super easy, so I wanted to share it with you.

In case you can't read my writing, I'll type it up for you (lefties write MESSY).

-Take 1 and 1/2 rolled up, frozen pie crusts and cut into strips after they has been thawed & layed flat.

-Put 1quart of fresh or frozen plums into a pan or heavy pot with 2 c. water.

-Add 1 and 1/2 c. sugar and bring to a boil.

-Drop strips of pie crust into the pot and boil 15 minutes with the pot covered.

-Add butter if desired

I had thought about putting cinnamon or nutmeg into the recipe, but like the saying goes, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!!!"

This was such a fun day, because I got to spend time with my Mamaw and learn more about something that we both have enjoyed doing during our lives. I will treasure the cookbook because it is something that she created and the other book because it is something that personifies who she is as a person-classy with good taste.

Enjoy!

Puppy Pics

Okay, I'm definitely feeling less stressed today. I'm not finished whith my paper, but I'm really close. This is was my desk looked like last night at 9:30.

Jay just walked in the office and laughed at me! I consider myself pretty organized, but for some reason, this paper has not brought out that quality in me.

But enough of that. Now for some fun stuff. Here are some new pictures of the puppy!!!

4 weeks

I think that we have decided on Zeke. I can't believe that Jay actually let me name the dog. He was online trying to find some Irish name since his dad was from Ireland. I didn't know what name he would end up with, but in the in he liked the one that I came up with.

5 weeks

All three of these puppies are boys, so we aren't sure which one we will be getting. The kennel is absolutely beautiful, so I will take pictures that day and post them, as well. I'm sure that this experience is going to give me lots to write about. Have a great day everyone! Only one more day until the weekend!!!!

PS-I had one Foodie Friday and then classes started, but I have a really good recipe for tomorrow ;)

Oh my!!!!

I have been being a very bad blogger lately, but I have had so much homework!!! I am taking two classes that usually take a whole semester in a 6 week period. I just keep telling myself that it will be over soon (this is week 4), but it is all I can do to keep up with everything. This week alone I have two two page papers, a ten page paper, a 45 minute presentation, three forums, and two case studies to do-aaaaaaaaaaaahh!!! At this point, I have the 10 page paper, two forums and two case studies left. The paper is due tomorrow and everything else is due on Sunday. Not to mention that I am teaching Sunday School for the youth this Sunday and I have to get ready for that, too. Oh, yeah, and Jay is wanting me to read this book about being 'The Leader of the Pack" for when the dog comes. Right now I feel like I am at the back of the pack and they are dragging me along-haha! I do have a point besides just griping. I know that lots of people that read this blog have so many things going on (a few of you have this same amount of homework that I do). I guess I just felt compelled to write about how I tend to stress about things that I don't really have control over. I have a huge problem with this and I just need to remember that this is a sin and I should give it to God and he will take care of me-he has done it before.

I just want to say that I have lots of cute pictures of our new patio furniture, my first tomatoes, new pictures of the puppy, and my house all decked out for the 4th. I will get those up soon. I have a girl in my class that said that blogs are narcissistic (you know who you are :)), so another reason that I haven't been blogging is because I have been thinking about that. I decided that I don't want my blog to be one of those things where I create this mythical perfect life because, quite frankly, it just doesn't exist. I feel very blessed to have the life that I have, but from now on if I'm stressed, I might write about it. If something goes wrong, I might write about it. If I'm about to have a nervous breakdown......well you get the idea. I think that a narcissist is someone that thinks that every little thing that they do is the most important thing and everyone would want to know about it. Well, I think that some of you guys care about what I do-you're my friends and I care about what's going on with you, too. However, I think that if I mess up (which I lately feel like happens more often than not) I can write about it and if at least one person hears about it and they don't do it, well then it was worth putting it out there.

I don't mean to sound gloomy, but I am going through a pretty reflective period right now, and even though it is empowering to learn more about yourself, the road to get there can have some bumps along the way.

This is the Johari Window. It is something that is pretty interesting to me and also something that we are discussing in our classes. Basically, it says that there is open information that we know and that everyone else knows, hidden information that we know but no one else knows, blind information that others know but we don't realise and then unknown information that no one knows about our selves included. I think it's really interesting to try to examine myself and try to bring information from the unknown and the blind to the hidden and open windows. I don't think that everyone should know everything, but anytime that I can learn more about myslef-good or bad-I'm in.



Adding to the family!!!!

Hi everyone! Sorry I haven't posted this week, but it has been very busy with many different things. I had to share with you a very special picture..........

One of these little pups are going to be going home with us in a few weeks. This spring, we visited Wildrose Kennels in Oxford, MS where Jay had put a deposit down on a pup when he was in college. The litter didn't take and then he started working at Nucor and it just never worked out. When we visited the grounds of the kennel and talked to the owner and other trainers we were so impressed that we activated his deposit for a yellow male. We were told that the earliest that we would be able to get a puppy would be March or April of 2012. Jay sent an email to the kennel this week to check on an updated mating schedule, and they sent an email back saying that a puppy out of this litter had become available!

We will be traveling to Oxford on July 18th for a new puppy seminar and then we will take our little guy home. We are so excited and can't wait to get him. Jay and I have already started working with Drake more, but really I think they are both working on training me-haha! I am going to be in charge of house training, so I need all of the prayers I can get.

They are supposed to send us more pictures at 5 weeks, so I will post them as soon as I get them. If you want to check out Wildrose Kennels you can go to their website  http://www.uklabs.com/. This is a great kennel, which is home to the Ducks Unlimited mascots. They truly live a sporting lifestyle of training working dogs that can also be family pets. I know you're probably thinking, "What are they going to do with three dogs (and eventually a baby)?" Well, when I posed this question to Jay, he said, "Well, I guess we'll just make a movie!"

Well, you get the idea! Have a great night!

Foodie Friday!

If you know much about me, you know that I love to cook! Even more than cooking, I like to bake! The guys at Nucor know this also, because I bake so much that we can't (and shouldn't) eat it all so it goes to Blytheville to the mill. I also give food to anyone sitting still long enough to eat it including my personal trainer, but I was told that that was 'just wrong.' Jay has decided that any time I get stressed or bored I bake, so that's about 80% of my time-haha!

When Jay and I got married, I had no clue how to cook anything! When you grow up living with just your mom, it doesn't really make sense to cook a lot because you would never be able to eat it all and it would go to waste, sooooo I never really learned how. Jay, on the otherhand, is a FABULOUS cook and can just throw things together to make a wonderful meal. Being one that doesn't like to be outdone, I decided that I had to learn to cook. I worked really hard one summer and tried lots of new things, and I finally got the hang of it.

Baking is my favorite thing. I think that, many times, baking a cake is associated with a special occasion or is a way to make people especially happy, so that's what appeals to me. In 2009, I decided to enter my brownies in the Delta Fair and I got a blue ribbon! Well, it was all done after that and I had the bug. The next year, I entered two cakes and my brownies again and look what happened!

That's right, folks, best of show! My hummingbird cake took top honors, and I also got two other blue ribbons: one for my apple cake and I don't remember what else I entered, but it must have been good-haha! My brownies got a dissapointing third place, but I bought some baking chocolate that was older than I wanted, so I wasn't surprised. Even though these cakes take hours to make, some of my favorite recipies are really simple (i.e.-box of cake mix and canned frosting). Due to my LOVE of food, I thought I would devote Friday's to just that, so 'Foodie Friday' was born. I'm going to try to put up some of my favorite recipies that are not only quick and easy, but also really good!

I should exted a disclaimer with this first recipie: it is ADDICTIVE!!! I was given this recipie by Laurie Vaughn, a friend that works at Kennett High School and goes to church with me. After she brought these treats to a youth function at our church, I harrassed her children, Logan and Landon, at KMS until I felt like I had all of the details. I am a big eyeballer when it comes to baking, so I pulled the following recipie from the internet since it had exact oven temps and times.  

Festive Pretzel Rings

1. Heat the oven to 170F. Set a number of bite-size, waffle-shaped pretzels (one for each treat) in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, then top each pretzel with an unwrapped Hershey's Kiss or Hershey's Hug.
   
2. Bake for 4 to 6 minutes (the white chocolate will melt more quickly), until the chocolates feel soft when touched with a wooden spoon. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and quickly press an M&M's candy into the center of each Kiss.
   
3. Allow the treats to cool for a few minutes, then place them in the refrigerator to set, about 10 minutes. Place handfuls of the candies in clear plastic bags and tie on colorful ribbons.

Recipe courtesy of familyfun.go.com

Now, as you'll notice, I changed the type of pretzel, but any type that is small enough to hold the melted kiss will do. Also, you can use Hugs or Kisses depending on what you want, and around Christmas you can use red and green M&M's to make it look festive. Lastly, don't forget the parchment paper. I didn't use it for one batch and boy did I end up with a mess!!! I hope you have fun making this easy recipie and even more fun eating it!

Have a great weekend!!!!!

Back to School!

Yesterday was my first day of summer classes and I have to say that if I make it through these classes with an A it will be a miracle! I initially thought that this was going to be a pretty quiet summer, but within a week I successfully filled up almost every weekend with something that is going to take us away from home, or take the better part of the weekend in Kennett. On top of that, I am trying to get caught up on all the things that 'I don't have time to do' during the KMS school year.

Back to classes..... I am taking two classes this summer. One is online and is an assessment class that, quite honestly, will just be one of those things where you try not to think about it and you just get it done. While I find the subject matter interesting, I am refusing to really think about the amount of work that this class requires in a 6 week period. The next class is one that I am really looking forward to. While the schedule is daunting, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2 to 6, the subject matter is quite interesting. It is a class over group counseling and we are actually going to be participants in a counseling group lead by our professor. I have to tell you that this makes me pretty nervous, because I am the kind of person that can endlessly talk about things that don't really matter, but find it very difficult to put myself out there in front of others. At any rate, I am excited about this class and the direction that it might take. I keep telling myself that the whole point of counseling is to foster a sense of 'self-actualization,' so I truly believe that this process is going to be benificial for everyone in the class.

With my new blog and classes starting, I have been on my computer lots more than I am used to. I had to show you my computer's competition, because it is pretty steep. Take a look at Sassy. This is what she does the whole time that I am on the computer for any reason! After about 5 minutes when she can't take it anymore, she squirms around to the front of the screen and noses my hand away from the keyboard for some love. :) Add Drake into the mix and there's no wonder that I haven't gotten anything done over the summer!

Have a great day everyone!