Cows need love too

A few weeks ago, Jameson and I were able to break out of our normal (boring) routine, and head to McMinnville for the weekend; we both welcomed the chance to spend some much needed time outside.  Jameson spends most of his free time with his nose in a book (and checking volquest), and I have a Monday-Friday desk job, so we couldn't wait to get outdoors.
This particular Saturday was windy and chilly but the sun was shining so we bundled up (actually just me, Jameson is a human heater) and spent the day 'playing' on the farm. It was the perfect time for me to photograph their gorgeous land and one of my favorite subjects....cows.

My windowsill

With the amount of time I spend at my kitchen sink (insert any combination of complaints and whines about not having a dishwasher), I'm very blessed to have a window with a lovely view. The best part is the deep windowsill that holds my little collection of antique bottles in which I can put fresh cut flowers.
I have a feeling this spot in my house will be the subject of many a photo-shoot throughout the summer.

Cuttings from my Grandmother's Snowball bush

Patience

Ever since our new camera arrived on our doorstep and became a member of our family (yea, I love it that much), it has been primarily pointed towards my husband.
I have a lot to learn about my camera, which means I must practice, practice, practice. And I can't think of a better way to hone my skills then to use my dear husband as a real-life human test-subject. I'm beginning to think his patience knows no bounds....or at least I haven't pushed him to the brink....yet.
I recently thanked him for being such a good sport and allowing me to repeatedly take his picture, and his response was,
"Well, I know you aren't going to stop, so I might as well smile and get used to it".
Man am I lucky or what?!

What a champ!!!!
I think I'm going to fashion some sort of medal for him to show my appreciation for his patience with my love to stick a lens in his face.
Then I'll make him wear it, have him sport it outside in front of some nice scenery, and take his picture.

Jameson cooks!

A few weeks back on a lazy Sunday afternoon, I had a little helper in the kitchen.....my husband!!
During the week it's usually best if Jameson studies while I cook dinner, a routine that works well for both of us; he gets a little pre-dinner homework completed, and I get the kitchen to myself without the big lug underfoot. But on the weekends we both have a little more free-time, which means I occasionally get a side-kick.
On this particular Sunday, we were trying to finish up some bacon, (such a difficult task to be forced to eat bacon) and decided to go with bacon cheeseburgers and broccoli salad. The broccoli salad is a recipe from Mrs. Paula Dean and is of course quite tasty. Jameson promised me that he wouldn't like it because he ''really hates broccoli", but he agreed to try it and ended up loving it!
It turned out to be a great lunch!

Jameson's creative way to steam the buns

Look at that concentration

Delicious

Spring; a reflection on the circle of life

I took these following pictures a few weeks back when our little yard began to show the first signs of spring.

 Of all the wonderful memories and moments of reflection that living in my Grandmother's home has provided me, enjoying the bounty of her carefully tended to landscape has been one of my favorites.

We are blessed to enjoy little organic remnants of the love and hard work she put into everything she did; these little pieces of her are left behind, leaving live, growing memories for our family to reflect on and cherish year after year.

As Jameson and I look forward to adding to our home's landscaping, I will be thinking of my Grandmother. She would be a wonderful resource for all my gardening inquiries; a wealth of knowledge of which plants to chose, and how to nurse them to their full potential.
My thoughts will be of her as we plant our own little flowering existence, with hopes to honor her with our love and dedication to keeping this home looking as beautiful as she always did.

Pioneer Woman, at last

With our previous technical difficulties resolved, I'm now able to share the story of our exciting adventure to see Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond.
My sister, cousin, and I left Dickson around mid-day on Febuary 25th and made it to Memphis in record time. (I think my excitement gave me a lead foot). We found the Davis Kidd location with ease, received our line tickets, scoped out the book signing area, and had time to go eat some much needed Mexican food all before the 6:00 p.m. start time.

We were excited...

Ree was personable and punctual, and warmly greeted all who had traveled to see her. As you can probably tell there was quite a turnout; it was standing room only.

Everyone was in for a real treat when she revealed that she hadn't traveled to Tennessee alone, but instead in the company of her dashingly handsome sidekick: her famed husband known to all Pioneer Woman lovers as Marlboro Man.
While the crowd was intently watching and listening to Ree tell us about her trip thus far, Laura was completely enthralled with the whereabouts of Marlboro Man.

Everyone else was looking towards the front. Laura?? She turned the opposite direction hunting Marlboro Man. 

The event was well organized; all patrons had to have a line ticket in advance in order to guarantee his or her place in line. The tickets were grouped alphabetically, and even though we made it to Memphis two hours before it started, we were still given line tickets in group M. The line moved very slow and the waiting became somewhat tiresome, but it did allow us plenty of time to scope out our attack, or ummm, meeting of Marlboro Man.

There's just something about a man in a cowboy hat.

I'm not quite sure if Marlboro Man knew what he was getting himself into when he decided to come along with his wife. Most people were just as excited to see him as they were Pioneer Woman. Bless his heart, he stood in one spot for over two hours signing books and taking pictures. At first I felt bad and didn't want to bother him, but with some coaxing and reassuring from sister and cousin, we decided to go say hello.

He was very gracious.....and friendly...and nice......and handsome.....and looked really cute in denim. Check out Laura's smile, she was loving it.

Reading Ree's cookbook while waiting

Joanna agreed to be my photography test subject to pass the time. She's so pretty.

More waiting

After nearly three hours of chatting, giggling (at Marlboro Man), and bookstore browsing, our group was called and we were finally able to meet Pioneer Woman!
Our encounter was pleasant but brief. Considering the number of people still in line behind us, we didn't want to use up too much of her time. We welcomed her to Tennessee, told her where we were from, informed her that her poor husband was also roped into meeting fans, and thanked her for signing our books. She was concerned about about our lengthy drive home and encouraged us to wear our seat belts and drinks lots of coffee. She's so darn thoughtful.
I didn't blurt out my desires to be her best friend, I didn't pass out from nervousness, and I didn't talk to her about my ovaries. All things considered it was a very successful trip!!!
Thanks Laura, Joanna, and Ree for such a fun adventure!!

Now.....if only I can talk my husband into wearing a cowboy hat.

Hibernation

Jameson and I have been in hibernation mode lately: sleep, work, school, dinner, dishes, basketball, American Idol, sleep, work...repeat, repeat. We are quite lame.... I know.
But I think we're finally ready to burrow out of our boring, yet really comfortable shell.

-This past weekend, we took a quick trip to McMinnville to visit Jameson's family. We spent the entire day Saturday outside doing 'farm chores' (which mainly entailed them working and me taking pictures), feeding baby calves (love doing that), riding around on the gator enjoying the scenery, soaking up hours of sunshine, and then visiting with family and friends at church on Sunday. It was much needed.
-Major League Baseball is finally in full swing, (uhh thank you) which means countless hours of entertainment for me and the hubbs. GO Braves!!
-We're continuing to research plant options and gardening tips, and have finally set a date to begin landscaping our barren yard. Bring it on Spring!!
- AND.....we got INTERNET!! Wahoo! Yahoo! Yippee! Hooray! Yay! we are excited.

So be on the lookout for long overdue recounts of what we've been up for the last few months, and updates on our post-hibernation happenings!


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