The morning of the weighin, Bayley cut meggie off the stalk and after a quick clean up, headed to the co-op to weigh her in. The results was over 16 lbs of cabbage!
Monday, May 24, 2010
Meggie
Bayley's third grade class participted in the Bonnie Plant's Mega Cabbage Contest. Bayley's mega cabbage got named Meggie and was treated like royalty during the couple of months it took to grow. According to Bayley, Meggie needed lots of water and had to be "fed" at least once a week.
The morning of the weighin, Bayley cut meggie off the stalk and after a quick clean up, headed to the co-op to weigh her in. The results was over 16 lbs of cabbage!
The morning of the weighin, Bayley cut meggie off the stalk and after a quick clean up, headed to the co-op to weigh her in. The results was over 16 lbs of cabbage!
Friday, April 30, 2010
Phenominal Women
I thank God every day that I'm not a man!
There are so many blessings in being a woman. I know, you're probably thinking I've lost it, but really... think about all the things that are special about womanhood.
We get to wear beautiful clothes and not be made fun of for them. In fact, where men are ridiculed for and over abundant sense of style, we are applauded for the same trait. Not only do we get to wear those beautiful things... we get to dress daughters and nieces up in things just as cute. (Have you noticed how pitiful the selection of little boys clothing is these days?)
We get to choose what we do... we can have the career of our dreams or stay home and raise a beautiful family... or find a rich man who will dote on us and treat us like gold and never have to work again (which sounds absolutely lovely in theory but probably would be extremely boring for me personally in real life)
We get to have crazy, insane, amazing relationships with our mothers, aunts, cousins and girlfriends. Men don't understand these relationships but they are the butter on our daily bread and sometimes the only things that keep us sane!
We don't get considered a wimp if we weasel out of the heavy lifting. But we do get lots of points with guys when we can take care of ourselves (Note: For some reason, my friend's husband thinks I can change a tire... I need to correct this false assumption... I know the theoretical basics of changing a tire, however the practice of such is still foreign to me.)
We are soft, we are strong, we are fearless, we are comfort, we are tenderness, we are determination, we are women! And I think... because we are so many of these things without being too much of any one of these things... we are phenominal!!
There are so many blessings in being a woman. I know, you're probably thinking I've lost it, but really... think about all the things that are special about womanhood.
We get to wear beautiful clothes and not be made fun of for them. In fact, where men are ridiculed for and over abundant sense of style, we are applauded for the same trait. Not only do we get to wear those beautiful things... we get to dress daughters and nieces up in things just as cute. (Have you noticed how pitiful the selection of little boys clothing is these days?)
We get to choose what we do... we can have the career of our dreams or stay home and raise a beautiful family... or find a rich man who will dote on us and treat us like gold and never have to work again (which sounds absolutely lovely in theory but probably would be extremely boring for me personally in real life)
We get to have crazy, insane, amazing relationships with our mothers, aunts, cousins and girlfriends. Men don't understand these relationships but they are the butter on our daily bread and sometimes the only things that keep us sane!
We don't get considered a wimp if we weasel out of the heavy lifting. But we do get lots of points with guys when we can take care of ourselves (Note: For some reason, my friend's husband thinks I can change a tire... I need to correct this false assumption... I know the theoretical basics of changing a tire, however the practice of such is still foreign to me.)
We are soft, we are strong, we are fearless, we are comfort, we are tenderness, we are determination, we are women! And I think... because we are so many of these things without being too much of any one of these things... we are phenominal!!
Thursday, April 15, 2010
How Crazy is the Truth!
In honor of my friend Aleta, who is a self-professed freak magnet, I have to share this story... even if it does make me worried about my genetic make-up!
My Aunt recieved a card in the mail the other day. Since it wasn't a holiday, she was a little surprised. Inside the card was a picture of an elderly man (80 years old) holding two small little girl. The card read like this...
Dear Jane, Congratualtions! You have new cousins! What do you think? Love, Norman
My Aunt was in shock! You see, Norman is an only child and he never married and both of his parents have passed away. He's a bit of an "odd-duck". My aunt very diplomatically inquired about the maternity of the two babies and got this response.
Norman had hunted down a doctor in California who would attempt to use invitro fertilization to help him have children. He then selected a surrogate mother (I am just curious about how that one worked) to carry the children, and 9 months later, he is the proud father of twin girls, Nora and Norma at 80 years old!
I just don't have words!
My Aunt recieved a card in the mail the other day. Since it wasn't a holiday, she was a little surprised. Inside the card was a picture of an elderly man (80 years old) holding two small little girl. The card read like this...
Dear Jane, Congratualtions! You have new cousins! What do you think? Love, Norman
My Aunt was in shock! You see, Norman is an only child and he never married and both of his parents have passed away. He's a bit of an "odd-duck". My aunt very diplomatically inquired about the maternity of the two babies and got this response.
Norman had hunted down a doctor in California who would attempt to use invitro fertilization to help him have children. He then selected a surrogate mother (I am just curious about how that one worked) to carry the children, and 9 months later, he is the proud father of twin girls, Nora and Norma at 80 years old!
I just don't have words!
Friday, April 9, 2010
Bridges & Beaches
So, It's Spring Break... and I need to get away.... I'll let the pictures tell the rest!
One side note... I know that my friends hate bridges, but I have to admit... I LOVE THEM! Especially the Skyway!
On a side note.... Check out the handsome man I found while I was eating dinner.... I gave him my number, but he hasn't called yet... I am so disappointed! (lol, just kidding, but I seriously couldn't pass up taking a picture of a real live pirate!)
What a great day! I just wish I could have stayed longer!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Busy, Busy Bees
I feel like I've done nothing but run for the past three weeks! It's been straight from one fire to the next until I feel like I'm almost out of water... and it's still February!
The past two weeks, especially this past weekend and this week have been crazy! We had our revival at church starting Friday night and running through Sunday night. On top of that, Saturday morning, I met friends for breakfast at Akins before going on a quick grocery trip to get the final ingredients for my contributions to Marnie's shower food! BTW... Cream Cheese is a life saver!!
After breakfast, it was a quick trip home to get all my food ready and get a shower before running back to Trenton to get a shower gift (I know, I know... talk about procrastination!) before heading north of Bell to set up for the shower. Heather's home was absolutely beautiful and was decorated in the wedding colors perfectly! Carrie's Cake was awesome, and all the rest of the food was pretty amazing as well! My contribution was a three super easy dips which all have a cream cheese base...
Caramel Fruit Dip: Spread a container of Mazzerotti's (sp?) caramel apple dip over a block of cream cheese, serve with Apple Slice or other fruit.
Buffalo Chicken Dip: Layer Cream Cheese and Canned chicken mixed with wing sauce. Top with shredded cheese and bake until bubbly, serve with tortilla chips... YUM!
And of course, my favorite!
Pepper Jelly: Spread a jar of pepper jelly over a block of cream cheese. Serve with crackers (It's unbelieveable, even if the pepper jelly isn't my recipe!) ( like the pretzel flip crackers that are half pretzel, half town house cracker)
After we got everything cleaned up and packed up from the shower, I headed home to relax for about half an hour before I headed to revial. I went early, because we are working on a picture directory and we were putting together the first set of pictures. Dale did such a good job building the display boards and the pictures look great too!
Sunday after morning services, we had a pot-luck dinner at the American Legion Hall between Trenton and Bell. There was tons of food which was all delicious! My contribution was a Spinach Salad that my Aunt Myrtle gave me the recipe for. It's super easy and as Eric says "off the chain" good!
Here's the recipe for that...
1 bag spinach
1 pkg bacon- fried and crumbled
2 cans mandarin oranges (drained)
1/2 cup toasted almonds
dressing:
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup oil (I use olive)
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
Shake well and pour over the other ingredients right before serving.
The only problem is that this salad doesn't keep well... but when you've got a crowd, it's amazing!
I did actually make time to read a book that Carrie gave me to read "The Wedding Machine" and boy did it make me think of "The Sisters". I probably should have used that time to do something else, but oh well, it was nice to just zone out into another world!
Monday it was back to the grindstone... and Since it's National FFA Week... we've got all kinds of things going on... I am thinking about running away soon! All I can think is if I can make it to spring break, I can really just disappear for a couple of days and catch up on all this sleep I've been missing!
On a side note: Week Three has ended and we are still on track! I personally have not purchased fast food for breakfast or lunch and I have either been cooking supper or just skipping it which has led to losing 7 pounds over the past two weeks... see... something good has come of this! Now if I can just keep it up!
The past two weeks, especially this past weekend and this week have been crazy! We had our revival at church starting Friday night and running through Sunday night. On top of that, Saturday morning, I met friends for breakfast at Akins before going on a quick grocery trip to get the final ingredients for my contributions to Marnie's shower food! BTW... Cream Cheese is a life saver!!
After breakfast, it was a quick trip home to get all my food ready and get a shower before running back to Trenton to get a shower gift (I know, I know... talk about procrastination!) before heading north of Bell to set up for the shower. Heather's home was absolutely beautiful and was decorated in the wedding colors perfectly! Carrie's Cake was awesome, and all the rest of the food was pretty amazing as well! My contribution was a three super easy dips which all have a cream cheese base...
Caramel Fruit Dip: Spread a container of Mazzerotti's (sp?) caramel apple dip over a block of cream cheese, serve with Apple Slice or other fruit.
Buffalo Chicken Dip: Layer Cream Cheese and Canned chicken mixed with wing sauce. Top with shredded cheese and bake until bubbly, serve with tortilla chips... YUM!
And of course, my favorite!
Pepper Jelly: Spread a jar of pepper jelly over a block of cream cheese. Serve with crackers (It's unbelieveable, even if the pepper jelly isn't my recipe!) ( like the pretzel flip crackers that are half pretzel, half town house cracker)
After we got everything cleaned up and packed up from the shower, I headed home to relax for about half an hour before I headed to revial. I went early, because we are working on a picture directory and we were putting together the first set of pictures. Dale did such a good job building the display boards and the pictures look great too!
Sunday after morning services, we had a pot-luck dinner at the American Legion Hall between Trenton and Bell. There was tons of food which was all delicious! My contribution was a Spinach Salad that my Aunt Myrtle gave me the recipe for. It's super easy and as Eric says "off the chain" good!
Here's the recipe for that...
1 bag spinach
1 pkg bacon- fried and crumbled
2 cans mandarin oranges (drained)
1/2 cup toasted almonds
dressing:
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup oil (I use olive)
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
Shake well and pour over the other ingredients right before serving.
The only problem is that this salad doesn't keep well... but when you've got a crowd, it's amazing!
I did actually make time to read a book that Carrie gave me to read "The Wedding Machine" and boy did it make me think of "The Sisters". I probably should have used that time to do something else, but oh well, it was nice to just zone out into another world!
Monday it was back to the grindstone... and Since it's National FFA Week... we've got all kinds of things going on... I am thinking about running away soon! All I can think is if I can make it to spring break, I can really just disappear for a couple of days and catch up on all this sleep I've been missing!
On a side note: Week Three has ended and we are still on track! I personally have not purchased fast food for breakfast or lunch and I have either been cooking supper or just skipping it which has led to losing 7 pounds over the past two weeks... see... something good has come of this! Now if I can just keep it up!
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Week two... and still chugging along...
So, back to the February challenge... So far, so good! I must admit that on Friday, I had to let the lunch bunch judges weigh in on whether or not I had cheated... Ethan brought me lunch from McDonalds... which is border-line cheating. Kaylin determined that it was not a cheat since I didn't pay for it or go get it myself... (she's such an enabler!!) Bri just raised her eyebrows and shrugged...
Saturday however, on my day at the State Fair (notice, this is one of those occasions when I was allowed by the rules of the challenge to eat whatever, and wherever I wanted) I indulged myself in some serious fair food! Kyle and I split a cinnamon bun that was coated in icing, followed it up with a glass of Netterfield's lemonade (my favorite!) and a few of Clay's bbq pork rinds. Will purchased a yard of kettle corn and we worked on that as we browsed Cracker Country. Our last stop of the day was at the Pickle Barrel Sirloin tip booth where we enjoyed mashed potatoes, steak tips, mushrooms and a sweet tea. Talk about stuffed (I promise I skipped supper that night!)
And as to why we were at the state Fair... Our poultry teams (which I coach) competed in the practice contest (practice because it isn't the state contest) placed 2nd and 8th overall. The high school and middle school were all in the same stack, so if you seperated out the middle school by themselves, they placed 2nd out of all the middle school teams. The more exciting news is that the Sr. Dairy team claimed a state championship! I am so excited for those 4 girls because they have worked really hard over the past 6 years to get to that point!
On Monday, I was off work and headed into Gainesville to do a little shopping- grocery and other. I didn't even stop to eat while I was there. (This was huge, because my favorite place to eat is McAlister's and I drove right by it.) I made sure that when I bought groceries that afternoon that I bought enough lunchmeat for sandwiches during the week. (I miss calculated since we have almost eaten all the sandwich meat in two days)
Anyways... so far, so good... my pocketbook feels a little less drained!
Saturday however, on my day at the State Fair (notice, this is one of those occasions when I was allowed by the rules of the challenge to eat whatever, and wherever I wanted) I indulged myself in some serious fair food! Kyle and I split a cinnamon bun that was coated in icing, followed it up with a glass of Netterfield's lemonade (my favorite!) and a few of Clay's bbq pork rinds. Will purchased a yard of kettle corn and we worked on that as we browsed Cracker Country. Our last stop of the day was at the Pickle Barrel Sirloin tip booth where we enjoyed mashed potatoes, steak tips, mushrooms and a sweet tea. Talk about stuffed (I promise I skipped supper that night!)
And as to why we were at the state Fair... Our poultry teams (which I coach) competed in the practice contest (practice because it isn't the state contest) placed 2nd and 8th overall. The high school and middle school were all in the same stack, so if you seperated out the middle school by themselves, they placed 2nd out of all the middle school teams. The more exciting news is that the Sr. Dairy team claimed a state championship! I am so excited for those 4 girls because they have worked really hard over the past 6 years to get to that point!
On Monday, I was off work and headed into Gainesville to do a little shopping- grocery and other. I didn't even stop to eat while I was there. (This was huge, because my favorite place to eat is McAlister's and I drove right by it.) I made sure that when I bought groceries that afternoon that I bought enough lunchmeat for sandwiches during the week. (I miss calculated since we have almost eaten all the sandwich meat in two days)
Anyways... so far, so good... my pocketbook feels a little less drained!
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Sunday Love
I hate Valentine's day. Always have. The fact of the matter is that all it boils down to is a day for single people to have their singleness thrown back into their faces as the whole world seems to "couple-up" even if just for the day. And the sad part is that we focus on having someone to say I love you to on that day more than any other. So, I typically boy-cott this extremely over-commercialized, romance driven holiday with a vengence. The only exception being that my cousin and I would always get each other something so that even if we were single, we didn't look like total losers.
This year however, the black day fell on a Sunday. I love the fact that I had something else to focus on all day... because who should really be our valentine? I mean, who gave his life because he loved us? And thankfully, the focus of the day wasn't on who had a sweetheart with them, but on how many people we had at services (total side track here, but this is about the fourth or fifth week since the beginning of the year that we've had over 120 people attend our services) and where we were going to have them all sit.
After services that night, we had a "valentine's party" at the preacher's house. After a great meal that included all different kinds of goodies, the kids were herded into a bedroom to play while the adults settled down in the living room for some friendly valentine's games. Between the "lovebird" game and the purse scavenger hunt, the whole room was rolling with laughter! I was quite impressed with some of my church family's answers and determination to get to hold the prized singing monkeys! But I think James won the night with his "eyes on the prize" competitiveness! (Bless Jennifer's heart)
We have been blessed with a church family that is not only growing in number, but one that is growing spiritually. I can remember times when I was the only person there between the age of 20 and 30. Now... there's actually a group of people my own age. But the best part is that they are concerned with spiritual things, like spending time with other christians and studying the Bible together. The concept of loving your brethren is one that has been redefined for me in the last year. What a better way to spend your valentine's day!
This year however, the black day fell on a Sunday. I love the fact that I had something else to focus on all day... because who should really be our valentine? I mean, who gave his life because he loved us? And thankfully, the focus of the day wasn't on who had a sweetheart with them, but on how many people we had at services (total side track here, but this is about the fourth or fifth week since the beginning of the year that we've had over 120 people attend our services) and where we were going to have them all sit.
After services that night, we had a "valentine's party" at the preacher's house. After a great meal that included all different kinds of goodies, the kids were herded into a bedroom to play while the adults settled down in the living room for some friendly valentine's games. Between the "lovebird" game and the purse scavenger hunt, the whole room was rolling with laughter! I was quite impressed with some of my church family's answers and determination to get to hold the prized singing monkeys! But I think James won the night with his "eyes on the prize" competitiveness! (Bless Jennifer's heart)
We have been blessed with a church family that is not only growing in number, but one that is growing spiritually. I can remember times when I was the only person there between the age of 20 and 30. Now... there's actually a group of people my own age. But the best part is that they are concerned with spiritual things, like spending time with other christians and studying the Bible together. The concept of loving your brethren is one that has been redefined for me in the last year. What a better way to spend your valentine's day!
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