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!

Before and......

Good Morning! If there's one thing that I like it's the thought of 'before and after.' I always like those home makeover shows where you get to see what it looked like to begin with and then you get to see the finished product. Well, here is my before and after. These are some pictures of my front yard in the VERY beginning of the summer. I have decided that since I have some free summertime on my hands as a teacher, I am going to see just how green my thumb really is. I've been fertilizing everything and watering regularly. Normally, if I keep any of my flowers alive until July, 4th I have really accomplished something. Hopefully, at the end of the summer I will post pictures of plants that are much bigger and healthier and I will have those same two ferns hanging from the front porch (usually, I go through at least a couple of hanging baskets, haah)!

These azaleas are my favorite thing in the front yard! They are like big pieces of bubble gum. They had even more blooms on them, but after all of the rain we got they started looking a little 'drowned!' :)

Notice the fern that will, hopefully, still be there in a couple of months.

Jay cut our crepe myrte back A LOT this year, so we'll see what it looks like come August.

This was the first bloom on my 'knockout' rosebush. (That is the actual name, although it is really pretty!) Since then, it has been covered in blooms about twice. I am trying to shape it into a ball, so we will see if I can accomplish this, also.

This is a view of pretty much the whole landscaped area.

Now, we will check this out again in a couple of months and see what happens.

PS- If you don't see any pictures, you'll know it didn't go so well-haha!

Have a great day!

Remember when...

Yesterday I took my Nana to the Dr. in Jonesboro. I have to confess that it was the first time that I have taken anyone to the doctor. Moreover, I realized that since my parents and my husband are pretty healthy, this was the first time that I have really taken care of someone. As the day went on, I got better at it, but when they called her name to come back to the examination room, she was juggling her purse and her oxygen canister and I didn't even think to help her-so embarrassing!!

By the end of the day, we had gone to the doctor, visited two McDonald's to get a Caramel Mocha Cappuccino, made a quick trip to Hobby Lobby, picked up dinner at Olive Garden, and completed some grocery shopping. Out of all of the days events, my favorite was the conversation. I always forget everything my Nana has experienced in her life. I always like hearing her stories about when she was a young mother of three, or when she traveled all over the state with Eastern Star. I especially like the stories about my Grandma Maggie and the way things were when she was a little girl. Yesterday reminded me of how important it is to take the time to visit with grandparents or anyone that has been on this Earth longer than we have. I always learn something new and even though yesterday was all about her, I may have gotten more out of it than she did. Have a great day, everyone!

This week is the Miss Missouri Pageant in Mexico, Missouri. For two years I competed in this program and I feel very lucky to have met so many intelligent women and to have participated in so many wonderful experiences. I remember how I felt on Monday night:

We had been in practice for a couple of days and interviews were going to start on Tuesday. Everyone was so excited and nervous because whoever was the winner at the end of the week would begin their journey to Miss America. It was pretty surreal.

At this point, everyone is running on pure adrenaline and hours of practicing dance numbers in an unairconditioned gym didn't help much either. In the end, we all made it through and even though I never was crowned Miss Missouri I would never trade the life lessons and life changing responsibilities that came with the territory. Even as a local title holder I was able to realize what it meant for people to rely on you and respect you and what it also meant for people to look up to you. That was one of the first times that I stepped outside of myself and evaluated whether or not I would respect myself as an onlooker, or wonder how I got that title in the first place. I try to do that in my walk with God. I won't even begin to say that I always measure up, but I always try to practice this technique for a good 'reality check.' In honor of the 2011 Miss Missouri Pageant, I thought I'd brush the dust off of some old pageant pics......

My 2006 Headshot-Oh, how I love airbrushing!!

My decorated door on arrival day.

My Miss Mo Little Sister. She traveled all the way from Senath!!

The 2006 MO Girls Troupe-The most talented group of women I have ever worked with!

If anyone feels like channeling their own inner beauty queen, I have heard that they will be cybercasting the final night on Saturday. Later in the week, go to missmissouri.org for more info. I know I will be watching and I just might even get out one of my crowns-just kidding-or am I? :))))))





Hot, Hot, Hot!!!!

Good Morning everyone!! I just got up and checked the weather forecast and right now, in Kennett, it is 88 degrees, but the heat index is 101! In honor of this blistering summer day, I thought I'd post a picture from a few weeks back. I put this on facebook, but since it's really cute and I had to work very hard to get it I thought I would put it on my blog.

This is our resident squirrel which resides in our neighbors' front yard tree. I'm still working on a name, but he likes to play in the mornings and lounge on his front porch in the afternoons. We are friends right now, but I think that might change when he discovers my tomato plants beside our carport (pictures of those to come). This leads me to my question of the day...

Does anyone have any tips for keeping critters out of my tomatoes?

As a new gardener, I get so excited to water my plants and count the tiny green tomatoes, but I have caught 'my little friend' counting them, too. I can only imagine that he looks at my tomatoes and thinks 'buffet!!' My friend and certified green thumber, Viretta Sexton, had heard that if you put a pan of water beside the plant they will drink the water and leave the tomatoes alone because what they really want is the liquid in the tomato. I am going to try this, but any additional words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated!

 Have a wonderful weekend and stay cool!

My First Post!

Hello everyone!
Thank you for visiting my blog. I am just getting started and figuring things out, so I may not be an expert blogger just yet, but I will get the hang of it.....eventually! My main reason for creating a blog is to let my friends and family that aren't local keep up with what we are up to (even the ones without facebook). Additionally, I'm sure that there are some bootheel people that would want read what's going on with us, too. Please follow me either by email, or on blogspot. I am not going to link to facebook, so check back often. Thanks again for visiting!