The hubs and I celebrated 10 years of marriage last month. Our schedules only allowed us to take a weekend away and neither of us were up for driving very far; priority number one was peace and tranquility...and a sunrise view from our bed. So! We chose a B-n-B outside of Branson on Tablerock Lake. This was a gamble, because we've stayed in some pretty crummy b-n-b's before, but the website showed beautiful views and the rooms looked great.
As it turns out, the Anchor Inn On the Lake was perfect!
Breakfast was to die for! Dee made Pecan Pie Muffins, along with hashbrown casserole and fruit. The muffins were so good, I purchased her cookbook there at the Inn just for the recipe!
It's pretty simple with only a few ingredients. I must share it here.
Pecan Pie Muffins
1/2 cup Flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
1 stick melted butter
2 eggs
Mix the flour, sugar and pecans together, set aside. Beat eggs until foamy and add the melted butter. Then add the wet ingredients to the dry, mix well. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees in a lined muffin pan. The recipe makes 9 muffins.
The best part, is that they stay so chewy and moist after baking inside. The top forms a crust and is kind of crunchy.
I
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Miss Leddie Ledbetter: The Worst and Sweetest Dog
Miss Leddie Ledbetter was our family dog of 12 years.
Ryan gave me Leddie Ledbetter on Valentine's Day the year before we got married. She's a black lab and to all stereo-types, she lives up to the rambunctious lab reputation.
When I watched the move "Marley and Me" I laughed and understood every single element of frustration that family had with their lab.
I had Leddie in an apartment the first year. Not a wise choice for a big puppy. She chewed everything and was tough to potty train. I actually thought she wasn't that smart because she was so stubborn....I learned later I was very wrong. Stubborn yes, and also very smart.
I took her to obedience training. She failed. She was way too hyper. But...when she wanted to she could sit, speak, shake, roll over and lay down on command.
At about 6 months old, I gave her a kong to play with and filled it with peanut butter. Several hours later, she had licked all the peanut butter and started a nasty case of diarrhea. I took her to the vet and he diagnosed her with an allergy to peanut butter and it sent her body into shock. They gave her meds and she got well enough for me to bring her home. But the diarrhea continued to last for weeks. It also induced red mange. She lost most of her hair. Not a cute puppy at that time...skinny, patchy hair with major bowel problems. I had to take her weekly to be dipped at the vet to cure her mange.
She overcame the kong....continued to eat my shoes. She learned how to turn door knobs with her mouth and open doors if they weren't locked. She ate the arms of my antique chair. She tore the drywall down in my apartment bathroom. And the carpet in that apartment had to have been replaced when I moved out. Leddie knew what it meant to be potty trained,but she would just get so mad at me when I left her for work each day, that she'd go to the bathroom ALL OVER THE FLOOR.
She would run circles over and over again through the space...figure 8's and was super full of energy.
I took her everywhere with me and my family absolutely despised her. I was never allowed to have a dog inside as a kid. Leddie was the first to grace my childhood home. She terrorized my mother's furniture and carpets. Jumping over the ottomans, climbing up on the kitchen counters to eat everything that would be out for her to sample.
She had to get out....every time the door was open she ran as fast as she could and bee-lined to play outside. She was a jumper. She jumped on everyone she met, licking and greeting them.
She loved to play with other dogs.
She ate all of the filler in the box springs under my bed. She ate anything and everything that would be left in the sink or the dishwasher on plates and bowls.
She HATED pills and medicine. She could not be tricked with them put inside hot dogs or treats. She would put the food in her mouth and somehow remove the pill inside it and spit it out. She was smart.
My husband wanted her badly to be a duck dog to take hunting. You could forget that! She would retrieve them, but wouldn't put the duck in her mouth and would only "nose" the ducks back to the bank. He was so embarrassed that he only took her once with him.
I loved her though. I was a very hyper kid and my mom says Leddie was just like me. My sister pinned her the name "Devil Dog."
We took her on a trip to Mississippi for our first Thanksgiving together. On the way home we went in to eat dinner, but kept checking on her about every 10 minutes. About the third time we went out to make sure she was ok, immediately we saw blood all over the car. She had gotten her leg stuck under the gas pedal and punctured an artery. Blood was squirting all over the inside of the car. We patched it up as best we could and rushed to the vet. She was stitched up and ok.
After my husband and I got married we moved into a duplex and added another lab to the family...a yellow one named Logan.
They learned to love each other and for all relationships considered in doggy land,they seemed like a happy couple. They barked a lot. Our neighbors hated us. Even called animal control several times, hoping we'd be fined and had to move.
About 6 months later we bought a house...had a baby and moved across town. The house had a big back yard. No hopes of landscaping that yard with two big labs in it. Leddie didn't like to stay confined to the yard...she MUST GET OUT. It became a huge issue keeping the dogs in the back yard. She could climb and jump a 6 foot privacy fence. Logan would dig holes and they would climb underneath the fence. So...we put up an electric fence around the yard to keep them in.
One afternoon we had some trees cuts in the back yard and the fence was turned off. We were out of town and our neighbors called to tell us our dogs were out. They had both escaped and Leddie was hit by a car. It punctured her lung, knocked her hip out of place...but she survived and was ok. I made a ridiculous scene crying in front of the animal control officers as we picked her up.
We moved to NW AR and rented a house. Logan decided he didn't like Leddie anymore. He mauled her 2 times...the last time it was so bad that she had to have drainage tubes put in her back and stitches. We decided that Logan needed a new owner, especially since we had a small child of our own in the home and didn't know why his temperament had changed so suddenly.
We bought a new house and moved across town. Leddie seemed to like being single again. We had another baby and Leddie loved our girls. She was still very rambunctious and hyper, even at 7 years old.
We kept her inside whenever we were home, but that ended on a rather expensive note. I was making a corndog for my oldest daughter and laid it on a plate on the counter. Before I turned around, Leddie had jumped up on the counter and ate the entire thing, stick and all. There went our Disney vacation I had made a deposit on that morning. She ended up having emergency surgery that afternoon to remove the corndog. She laid around our house with a huge bandage wrapped around her abdomen for about 2 weeks.
From that very expensive note, she stayed outside most of the time. I'd let her in when I was at home, but she continued to eat anything that my kids left out on the counter or on the table. She would jump up on the dining room table and eat their dinner if they weren't careful to guard it.
Disciplining her didn't matter. She was very hard-headed.
In her 11th year, she developed cancer. It didn't seem to hurt her and the vet told us they could either remove it or let it be. We decided to not operate since she was so old.
We had never been able to landscape our yard, but we thought since she was 11 years old, maybe she wouldn't want to dig or tear up things if we splurge and put in new flowerbeds. After laboring over the new beds all day, we went inside so excited to have a nice new element in the yard. We woke up the next morning and found Leddie sitting in the middle of them so proud that she had chewed up all of the edging and strewed the mulch all over the yard. So much for growing out of that!
About 4 months later, I noticed she was panting a lot and sort of lethargic. I let her in and she collapsed on the floor. She wouldn't eat or drink anything. I thought it was heat stroke. She ended up drinking a little water and then started throwing up. I couldn't take her to the vet with my two little ones at home alone. She was over 100 lbs and I didn't want my girls to experience the vet and see her like that. By the time my husband got home the vet was closed and she seemed to be doing a little better.
Through the night she got sick again. By the morning it was really bad. We put her in our shower and I bathed her and Ryan carried her to the car. We each said our goodbyes, just in case she didn't make it. Ryan took her to the vet. The vet told us they didn't think it was heat stroke, but maybe some other issue and that she was in a lot of pain and suffering. She died later that day.
I tell you all of these details about a dog because I loved her. She was a huge part of my life for a long time. The first pet we had as a couple, the first loss my kids ever experienced. Our home will be vacant without her. What a journey she took us on! I'm so going to miss her sweet face and her sleeping in the floor beside my bed. Even if she was a "bad dog" she was my sweet Leddie.
Ryan gave me Leddie Ledbetter on Valentine's Day the year before we got married. She's a black lab and to all stereo-types, she lives up to the rambunctious lab reputation.
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| She was a cuddle puppy, but also ate the lining under this bed out of the box springs. |
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| Leddie at 5 months, before the peanut butter catastrophe. |
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| Me & Leddie, she was about 2 years old. |
When I watched the move "Marley and Me" I laughed and understood every single element of frustration that family had with their lab.
I had Leddie in an apartment the first year. Not a wise choice for a big puppy. She chewed everything and was tough to potty train. I actually thought she wasn't that smart because she was so stubborn....I learned later I was very wrong. Stubborn yes, and also very smart.
I took her to obedience training. She failed. She was way too hyper. But...when she wanted to she could sit, speak, shake, roll over and lay down on command.
At about 6 months old, I gave her a kong to play with and filled it with peanut butter. Several hours later, she had licked all the peanut butter and started a nasty case of diarrhea. I took her to the vet and he diagnosed her with an allergy to peanut butter and it sent her body into shock. They gave her meds and she got well enough for me to bring her home. But the diarrhea continued to last for weeks. It also induced red mange. She lost most of her hair. Not a cute puppy at that time...skinny, patchy hair with major bowel problems. I had to take her weekly to be dipped at the vet to cure her mange.
She overcame the kong....continued to eat my shoes. She learned how to turn door knobs with her mouth and open doors if they weren't locked. She ate the arms of my antique chair. She tore the drywall down in my apartment bathroom. And the carpet in that apartment had to have been replaced when I moved out. Leddie knew what it meant to be potty trained,but she would just get so mad at me when I left her for work each day, that she'd go to the bathroom ALL OVER THE FLOOR.
She would run circles over and over again through the space...figure 8's and was super full of energy.
I took her everywhere with me and my family absolutely despised her. I was never allowed to have a dog inside as a kid. Leddie was the first to grace my childhood home. She terrorized my mother's furniture and carpets. Jumping over the ottomans, climbing up on the kitchen counters to eat everything that would be out for her to sample.
She had to get out....every time the door was open she ran as fast as she could and bee-lined to play outside. She was a jumper. She jumped on everyone she met, licking and greeting them.
She loved to play with other dogs.
She ate all of the filler in the box springs under my bed. She ate anything and everything that would be left in the sink or the dishwasher on plates and bowls.
She HATED pills and medicine. She could not be tricked with them put inside hot dogs or treats. She would put the food in her mouth and somehow remove the pill inside it and spit it out. She was smart.
My husband wanted her badly to be a duck dog to take hunting. You could forget that! She would retrieve them, but wouldn't put the duck in her mouth and would only "nose" the ducks back to the bank. He was so embarrassed that he only took her once with him.
I loved her though. I was a very hyper kid and my mom says Leddie was just like me. My sister pinned her the name "Devil Dog."
We took her on a trip to Mississippi for our first Thanksgiving together. On the way home we went in to eat dinner, but kept checking on her about every 10 minutes. About the third time we went out to make sure she was ok, immediately we saw blood all over the car. She had gotten her leg stuck under the gas pedal and punctured an artery. Blood was squirting all over the inside of the car. We patched it up as best we could and rushed to the vet. She was stitched up and ok.
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| Ryan and Leddie on our wedding day. Sorry, the pic won't rotate. |
After my husband and I got married we moved into a duplex and added another lab to the family...a yellow one named Logan.
They learned to love each other and for all relationships considered in doggy land,they seemed like a happy couple. They barked a lot. Our neighbors hated us. Even called animal control several times, hoping we'd be fined and had to move.
About 6 months later we bought a house...had a baby and moved across town. The house had a big back yard. No hopes of landscaping that yard with two big labs in it. Leddie didn't like to stay confined to the yard...she MUST GET OUT. It became a huge issue keeping the dogs in the back yard. She could climb and jump a 6 foot privacy fence. Logan would dig holes and they would climb underneath the fence. So...we put up an electric fence around the yard to keep them in.
One afternoon we had some trees cuts in the back yard and the fence was turned off. We were out of town and our neighbors called to tell us our dogs were out. They had both escaped and Leddie was hit by a car. It punctured her lung, knocked her hip out of place...but she survived and was ok. I made a ridiculous scene crying in front of the animal control officers as we picked her up.
We moved to NW AR and rented a house. Logan decided he didn't like Leddie anymore. He mauled her 2 times...the last time it was so bad that she had to have drainage tubes put in her back and stitches. We decided that Logan needed a new owner, especially since we had a small child of our own in the home and didn't know why his temperament had changed so suddenly.
We bought a new house and moved across town. Leddie seemed to like being single again. We had another baby and Leddie loved our girls. She was still very rambunctious and hyper, even at 7 years old.
We kept her inside whenever we were home, but that ended on a rather expensive note. I was making a corndog for my oldest daughter and laid it on a plate on the counter. Before I turned around, Leddie had jumped up on the counter and ate the entire thing, stick and all. There went our Disney vacation I had made a deposit on that morning. She ended up having emergency surgery that afternoon to remove the corndog. She laid around our house with a huge bandage wrapped around her abdomen for about 2 weeks.
From that very expensive note, she stayed outside most of the time. I'd let her in when I was at home, but she continued to eat anything that my kids left out on the counter or on the table. She would jump up on the dining room table and eat their dinner if they weren't careful to guard it.
Disciplining her didn't matter. She was very hard-headed.
In her 11th year, she developed cancer. It didn't seem to hurt her and the vet told us they could either remove it or let it be. We decided to not operate since she was so old.
We had never been able to landscape our yard, but we thought since she was 11 years old, maybe she wouldn't want to dig or tear up things if we splurge and put in new flowerbeds. After laboring over the new beds all day, we went inside so excited to have a nice new element in the yard. We woke up the next morning and found Leddie sitting in the middle of them so proud that she had chewed up all of the edging and strewed the mulch all over the yard. So much for growing out of that!
About 4 months later, I noticed she was panting a lot and sort of lethargic. I let her in and she collapsed on the floor. She wouldn't eat or drink anything. I thought it was heat stroke. She ended up drinking a little water and then started throwing up. I couldn't take her to the vet with my two little ones at home alone. She was over 100 lbs and I didn't want my girls to experience the vet and see her like that. By the time my husband got home the vet was closed and she seemed to be doing a little better.
Through the night she got sick again. By the morning it was really bad. We put her in our shower and I bathed her and Ryan carried her to the car. We each said our goodbyes, just in case she didn't make it. Ryan took her to the vet. The vet told us they didn't think it was heat stroke, but maybe some other issue and that she was in a lot of pain and suffering. She died later that day.
I tell you all of these details about a dog because I loved her. She was a huge part of my life for a long time. The first pet we had as a couple, the first loss my kids ever experienced. Our home will be vacant without her. What a journey she took us on! I'm so going to miss her sweet face and her sleeping in the floor beside my bed. Even if she was a "bad dog" she was my sweet Leddie.
Monday, August 1, 2011
The Coconut Birthday Cake
My first attempt at making Ryan's favorite cake was a success! The recipe is posted in an older post and it's well worth the effort to find it and make it if you're a coconut fan. I baked two layers and then split them in half. I put it in the fridge to "set up" for two days before we ate it. According to Granny Ludie, that's very important!Did you notice the super cute cake plate? Thanks Gwen! I love it!
My days of claiming I'm not a baker are over. I have no excuse now. I will move forward with cake mix in hand. I'm leaving the "from scratch" stuff to Chef Jaime.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Banana Pudding Cupcakes
I made banana pudding cupcakes tonight as an early birthday treat for the hubs. I am super proud to say they were delicious! I changed up a recipe I found at http://ryansbakingblog.com, trying to find the closest thing I could to make sure they tasted like Bliss Cupcake's version we have here in town.
I think they were better than Bliss', but I did take a few easy outs along the way.
Here's the recipe...Starling approved.
Robyn's Easy Banana Pudding Cupcakes
1 box of yellow cake mix and the ingredients it requires on the box
3 mashed bananas
1 sliced banana
1 box of instant vanilla pudding
2 cups of milk
1 lrg container of cool whip (don't cringe...I know homemade is better, but this mom didn't have the time to make whipped cream this afternoon)
1 box of Nilla Wafers
24 cupcake liners
Preheat the oven to 325. Line muffin pans with cupcake liners and spray with non-stick spray. Put a Nilla Wafer at the bottom of each liner.
Make the cake mix as directed on the box, then stir in the mashed bananas. Spoon the mixture into each liner to about 2/3 full. Then bake for about 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely.
Combine the pudding mix and milk and stir until it's well blended. Put the pudding in a large ziplock bag, then store it in the frig until the cupcakes are cool.
Make a small hole in the middle of each cupcake, then clip an end off of the pudding bag and pipe in pudding in the center of each cupcake. Top with whipped cream (or cool whip if you're me). Garnish with a Nilla Wafer and a sliced banana.
Makes 24 cupcakes. They were a hit with the entire family!
FYI: I got permission to use a cake mix from Chef Jaime before I tried it. I'm sure making it from scratch is wonderful too, but I'll take help where I can.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
The Hub's Birthday Week
I have a wonderful man in my life. This weekend is his birthday. I ask him what he'd like for his birthday and he says, "Nothing Rob. I can't think of anything that I need, so don't buy me anything." What do I get for the man that wants nothing? I've decided that this year I am going to cook a week's worth of his favorite dishes and desserts.
Here's what I've got planned:
Banana Pudding Cupcakes! The husband is a man of few words, especially with food. One afternoon he came home from work and was going on and on about Bliss Cupakes http://www.blisscupcakecafe.com/ banana pudding cupcakes that someone had brought to his office. I jumped on that...and for his birthday last year, he received them instead of the traditional birthday cake. This year, I'm going to attempt to make them myself and here's the recipe I've found that closely sounds like it resembles the one from Bliss. http://ryansbakingblog.com
Put aside one cup of the filling and then add to it....
1 1/2 c whipped cream and put it in the freezer
Bake the cake according to the directions on the cake box.
Layer the filling mixture in between the 3 cake layers. Then put whipped cream mixed with the filling on top and sides and put in the fridge. Sprinkle with extra coconut. It's better if it sets for a day or two.
My sister made this for Ryan back in December after writing down Ludie's recipe. She text'd it to me...the above is my interpretation of what she sent. I think I got it right....
I'll let you know how it goes.
The final dessert will be Ludie's Lemon Pound Cake. He loves this so much that it was actually his groom's cake at our wedding. We made several of them, in different sizes and had them on display, along with a recipe card sharing the "secret" recipe for our wedding guests. Looking back now, I don't have any pics of it....but it was such a hit that the recipe was printed in my hometown church cookbook the next year.
Three desserts this week! I might have to sneak in a special dinner or two. Sugar overload is headed our way.
Here's what I've got planned:
Banana Pudding Cupcakes! The husband is a man of few words, especially with food. One afternoon he came home from work and was going on and on about Bliss Cupakes http://www.blisscupcakecafe.com/ banana pudding cupcakes that someone had brought to his office. I jumped on that...and for his birthday last year, he received them instead of the traditional birthday cake. This year, I'm going to attempt to make them myself and here's the recipe I've found that closely sounds like it resembles the one from Bliss. http://ryansbakingblog.com
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| http://ryansbakingblog.com/2011/01/banana-pudding-cupcakes/ |
On to dessert number two! If the banana pudding cupcakes are a success, I'm going to ATTEMPT to make Granny Ludie's Coconut Cake. Now...this isn't the normal kind of coconut cake....it's the super special one that he guards when we visit Curtis, cuts big slabs of it to take home with us and then doesn't share any of it with anyone else. Since I don't really bake, this will be a challenge for me in itself. We are talking about layers and layers of special filling and to die for frosting. Here's the recipe! Get excited!
Granny Ludie's Coconut Cake
For the cake-
1 box of yellow cake mix (Ludie says to use Duncan Hines)
2/3 c water
3 large eggs
1/2 c oleo
For the filling-
Mix together:
2 pkgs of thawed frozen coconut (this is a must, don't go for the kind in the can)
2 c sugar
16 oz sour cream
Put aside one cup of the filling and then add to it....
1 1/2 c whipped cream and put it in the freezer
Bake the cake according to the directions on the cake box.
Layer the filling mixture in between the 3 cake layers. Then put whipped cream mixed with the filling on top and sides and put in the fridge. Sprinkle with extra coconut. It's better if it sets for a day or two.
My sister made this for Ryan back in December after writing down Ludie's recipe. She text'd it to me...the above is my interpretation of what she sent. I think I got it right....
I'll let you know how it goes.
The final dessert will be Ludie's Lemon Pound Cake. He loves this so much that it was actually his groom's cake at our wedding. We made several of them, in different sizes and had them on display, along with a recipe card sharing the "secret" recipe for our wedding guests. Looking back now, I don't have any pics of it....but it was such a hit that the recipe was printed in my hometown church cookbook the next year.
Three desserts this week! I might have to sneak in a special dinner or two. Sugar overload is headed our way.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Life on Canvas
Recent canvases I've painted for friends.
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| This is the biggest canvas I've painted. It's 3x5 and my friend requested an African tree. |
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| Crowns for the princesses! |
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| Her name is Miss Arkansas XO, Jobelle. |
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| Savvy's birthday present. |
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| A crown for Kendall. |
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| Hello Kitty for Madison. |
Bev's Wedding
My first cousin and one of my favorite people got married earlier this month. The couple chose Old Washington Historic Park for the location, the Presbyterian Church and the old gymnasium for the reception. It was simple and just beautiful!
I helped design her wedding programs. We chose to do a 3-tiered fan, instead of the usual folded program. I found an idea on-line and changed it up a bit to fit what the couple wanted. Here's what I came up with!
I helped design her wedding programs. We chose to do a 3-tiered fan, instead of the usual folded program. I found an idea on-line and changed it up a bit to fit what the couple wanted. Here's what I came up with!
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| The women in the family helped cut them out! |
days with my girls
Life is good. I'm going at it with a positive perspective and it's taken me a long time to "Be Joyful Always." I still find that I can let myself get down sometimes. It's especially hard when things don't go my way.
Stay focused and move forward. Where else can you go?
With summer near an end, we've traveled and I've being teaching both sessions, but I feel so weighted down and tired. I haven't had much of a summer, but that's not to say I don't remember the days as a reporter where I worked through holidays and weekends, so I do appreciate my two hours of "work" each day and the time I'm able to spend with my daughters. My two girls have come along with me quite a bit to campus. They watch movies and do crafts while I'm in class in my office.
They turned 9 and 5 this summer. June and July always mark big birthday celebrations for us.
They fuss and really argue. Is it their age difference? I'm beginning to wonder. I so hope they one day get along and love to spend time with each other.
The best days are spent with all 3 of us singing at the top of our lungs to music in the living room.
Watching Ginny Grace dress up over and over again like a princess and put on a recital for us.
Finding Starling curled up with a book in her room, reading quietly...without me asking her to take some time out to read.
Listening to them laugh together.
Going shopping with them and they each have their own opinion as to what they like. I'm sure I'll regret saying that later. We went shopping for TOMS yesterday and Starling picked out the perfect pair of glittered black shoes, while Ginny Grace found her own pair of sequeined Yellow Box flip-flops. My little fashionistas.
Motherhood is the best thing that's ever happened to me. How did 4th grade and kindergarten get here so fast?
Here's what I hope to leave each them with today: I love it when people who could be totally threatened by each other make the choice to truly appreciate the other person’s gifts. It’s a great reminder that beautiful things happen when we’re not afraid to step back and let someone else shine.
It took me a long time to not be threatened by those who were prettier, smarter or more talented. I embrace God's gifts he blessed me with. I only hope my girls will embrace their's too.
Stay focused and move forward. Where else can you go?
With summer near an end, we've traveled and I've being teaching both sessions, but I feel so weighted down and tired. I haven't had much of a summer, but that's not to say I don't remember the days as a reporter where I worked through holidays and weekends, so I do appreciate my two hours of "work" each day and the time I'm able to spend with my daughters. My two girls have come along with me quite a bit to campus. They watch movies and do crafts while I'm in class in my office.
They turned 9 and 5 this summer. June and July always mark big birthday celebrations for us.
The best days are spent with all 3 of us singing at the top of our lungs to music in the living room.
Watching Ginny Grace dress up over and over again like a princess and put on a recital for us.
Finding Starling curled up with a book in her room, reading quietly...without me asking her to take some time out to read.
Listening to them laugh together.
Going shopping with them and they each have their own opinion as to what they like. I'm sure I'll regret saying that later. We went shopping for TOMS yesterday and Starling picked out the perfect pair of glittered black shoes, while Ginny Grace found her own pair of sequeined Yellow Box flip-flops. My little fashionistas.
Motherhood is the best thing that's ever happened to me. How did 4th grade and kindergarten get here so fast?
Here's what I hope to leave each them with today: I love it when people who could be totally threatened by each other make the choice to truly appreciate the other person’s gifts. It’s a great reminder that beautiful things happen when we’re not afraid to step back and let someone else shine.
It took me a long time to not be threatened by those who were prettier, smarter or more talented. I embrace God's gifts he blessed me with. I only hope my girls will embrace their's too.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Teaching In The Summer
I've taken on teaching three summer courses.
The first one is a television reporting class. It's challenging and it's been awhile since I've taught it alone. I'm loving every minute of it.
For the first time in a long time, I find myself anxiously looking ahead as I plan my lectures each night. I look for materials, reading text and finding new notes. I recently attended a conference where I ordered a number of new textbooks and it has really been like Christmas for me, reading the new books as I've filtered through them looking for new chapters to use for my lectures.
The students are in their final days at the University. There are only 8 of them. It's the perfect number for this type of course. They are all seniors and are willing and ready to take on challenging stories. Each week they turn packages and look-lives, learn the in's and out's of the newsroom....the patience of a journalist....quality writing....how to be a multi-faceted journalist.
This week we are posting their stories to the web for the first time.
The first week of class they went to Joplin to cover the horrific aftermath of the tornado. I didn't make them go, they all carpooled and wanted to go on their own. They came back with amazing stories of survival. You can check out all of them at www.uatvonline.net.
My UATV students were some of the first reporters on the scene there in Joplin. What an amazing accomplishment for them. I'm so proud of the work they're doing and the aspiring journalists they are.
The next class ahead is new! Field Production on location from Hot Springs....I'll let you know how it goes.
The first one is a television reporting class. It's challenging and it's been awhile since I've taught it alone. I'm loving every minute of it.
For the first time in a long time, I find myself anxiously looking ahead as I plan my lectures each night. I look for materials, reading text and finding new notes. I recently attended a conference where I ordered a number of new textbooks and it has really been like Christmas for me, reading the new books as I've filtered through them looking for new chapters to use for my lectures.
The students are in their final days at the University. There are only 8 of them. It's the perfect number for this type of course. They are all seniors and are willing and ready to take on challenging stories. Each week they turn packages and look-lives, learn the in's and out's of the newsroom....the patience of a journalist....quality writing....how to be a multi-faceted journalist.
This week we are posting their stories to the web for the first time.
The first week of class they went to Joplin to cover the horrific aftermath of the tornado. I didn't make them go, they all carpooled and wanted to go on their own. They came back with amazing stories of survival. You can check out all of them at www.uatvonline.net.
My UATV students were some of the first reporters on the scene there in Joplin. What an amazing accomplishment for them. I'm so proud of the work they're doing and the aspiring journalists they are.
The next class ahead is new! Field Production on location from Hot Springs....I'll let you know how it goes.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Owls
I am a Chi Omega Alum and that means I love owls. I painted this canvas for a sweet new initiate. I had to share it with you. I thought it turned out kinda cool. Sunday, May 8, 2011
A Mother's Day Made of Food
My Mother's Day was actually a weekend full of eating! My mother, sister and grandmother came into town to visit. I shall take you on a journey of amazing food...it's worth reading simply due to enjoy dreaming about the deliciousness of what we savored. We indulged...we were gluttons. I confess.
Saturday we decided to go for what I consider to be one of the ultimate places for lunch in our joyful little town. Hammon Trees. This is a locally owned restaurant in downtown Fayetteville. It's all Dickson Street. That means you will see all that this precious city offers. The quirkiness of the city...people who are silly, people who cool.... You can sit outside on the patio on a gorgeous Northwest Arkansas day and enjoy the breeze, drink a Boulevard and eat! We didn't enjoy a beer Saturday...but we did the next best thing...we...ate...the BLUEBERRY GRILLED CHEESE! Let me explain.
First, I ate my usual turkey salad. Yes, I am easy to please for lunch. I want their turkey salad with their homemade ranch. It's yummy, simple and fresh. But, I want to convince my sister (who is a chef) and my mother to order one of their amazing, gourmet sandwiches. I've had most of them at one point and time on the menu. They both chose the caprese. My grandmother had the ham and cheese. Starling had a cup of black bean tortilla soup and Virginia nibbled on a classic grilled cheese.
The menu at Hammon Trees is super cool. Here's a link! http://hammontreesgourmet.com/ They have funky sandwiches, but their claim to fame is their grilled cheese. You keep seeing a common theme...the word cheese? It's on purpose. Check out their menu.
We all shared a blueberry grilled cheese for dessert. I got two teeny bites...TWO I TELL YA! It went lickety split before I could reach for more! This dessert is layered with buttery pound cake, honey, blueberries, cream cheese and mascarpone cheese. It's so good. We should have ordered two...maybe three.
That evening my sweet husband grilled hamburgers and hot dogs for us. What a guy!
Sunday morning was the best meal of the entire weekend.
My grandmother is one of the reasons I love to cook. She is a gem in the kitchen and can just add a little dab of this and a little dab of that and it all just comes together. She got up Sunday and made us homemade biscuits and chocolate gravy. If you've not ever had chocolate gravy, don't gag at the thought. It's not an acquired taste, it's amazing...give it a try. Unfortunately, I can't share the recipe with you on here, because I don't know hers. She just tosses this and that in a small pan and makes it work. The times I've tried to make it, mine has turned out to be more like warm pudding than gravy. I'm convinced she just holds a secret Billie cooking power. (The same thing happens when I try to make her fried chicken. I follow the recipe, but it NEVER tastes like hers does.) I do know that it's mostly made up of cocoa power and sugar.
Her biscuits are heavenly. They're made with self-rising flour, by hand and she uses an old soup can to cut them out. They're light and fluffy, but crunchy on the outside. I always go for the ones in the middle of the pan.
The photos are of her and my girls making biscuits together. I hope her love of cooking rubs off on them.
Since we had a big breakfast, we ended up eating a late lunch/early dinner.
We splurged! It was Mother's Day. I'm milking the event for all it's worth.
Our last stop for the weekend was Noodles Italian Kitchen. http://noodlesitaliankitchen.com/ Noodles is locally owned in Fayetteville. We've been coming there for years. It opened back when I was a sophomore in college. (I'm really telling my age here.) My girl's love it because they can color on the table tops and eat bananas foster. My husband loves it for the fettuccine alfredo. I love it for a few reasons...my number one reason (I sing loudly here) THE HOMEMADE LASAGNA...the other is the artichoke spinach pasta.
The lasagna is made fresh every day and it shows. Enough said. Nothing more to say. The meat sauce is perfect. Not spicy, not too tangy or sweet. It's perfect.
I am not a chef. I am not a food critic. I like to eat. I like a place with a great atmosphere where I can sit back and laugh.
I just wanted to share what we ate so you might go there if you are ever in Fayetteville.
Do you have a hometown restaurant you savor? Noodles and Hammon Trees are just two of Fayetteville's gems. There are tons more. Gosh I love this town!
Saturday we decided to go for what I consider to be one of the ultimate places for lunch in our joyful little town. Hammon Trees. This is a locally owned restaurant in downtown Fayetteville. It's all Dickson Street. That means you will see all that this precious city offers. The quirkiness of the city...people who are silly, people who cool.... You can sit outside on the patio on a gorgeous Northwest Arkansas day and enjoy the breeze, drink a Boulevard and eat! We didn't enjoy a beer Saturday...but we did the next best thing...we...ate...the BLUEBERRY GRILLED CHEESE! Let me explain.
First, I ate my usual turkey salad. Yes, I am easy to please for lunch. I want their turkey salad with their homemade ranch. It's yummy, simple and fresh. But, I want to convince my sister (who is a chef) and my mother to order one of their amazing, gourmet sandwiches. I've had most of them at one point and time on the menu. They both chose the caprese. My grandmother had the ham and cheese. Starling had a cup of black bean tortilla soup and Virginia nibbled on a classic grilled cheese.
The menu at Hammon Trees is super cool. Here's a link! http://hammontreesgourmet.com/ They have funky sandwiches, but their claim to fame is their grilled cheese. You keep seeing a common theme...the word cheese? It's on purpose. Check out their menu.
We all shared a blueberry grilled cheese for dessert. I got two teeny bites...TWO I TELL YA! It went lickety split before I could reach for more! This dessert is layered with buttery pound cake, honey, blueberries, cream cheese and mascarpone cheese. It's so good. We should have ordered two...maybe three.
That evening my sweet husband grilled hamburgers and hot dogs for us. What a guy!
Sunday morning was the best meal of the entire weekend.
Her biscuits are heavenly. They're made with self-rising flour, by hand and she uses an old soup can to cut them out. They're light and fluffy, but crunchy on the outside. I always go for the ones in the middle of the pan.
The photos are of her and my girls making biscuits together. I hope her love of cooking rubs off on them.
Since we had a big breakfast, we ended up eating a late lunch/early dinner.
We splurged! It was Mother's Day. I'm milking the event for all it's worth.
Our last stop for the weekend was Noodles Italian Kitchen. http://noodlesitaliankitchen.com/ Noodles is locally owned in Fayetteville. We've been coming there for years. It opened back when I was a sophomore in college. (I'm really telling my age here.) My girl's love it because they can color on the table tops and eat bananas foster. My husband loves it for the fettuccine alfredo. I love it for a few reasons...my number one reason (I sing loudly here) THE HOMEMADE LASAGNA...the other is the artichoke spinach pasta.
The lasagna is made fresh every day and it shows. Enough said. Nothing more to say. The meat sauce is perfect. Not spicy, not too tangy or sweet. It's perfect.
I am not a chef. I am not a food critic. I like to eat. I like a place with a great atmosphere where I can sit back and laugh.
I just wanted to share what we ate so you might go there if you are ever in Fayetteville.
Do you have a hometown restaurant you savor? Noodles and Hammon Trees are just two of Fayetteville's gems. There are tons more. Gosh I love this town!
Monday, May 2, 2011
A Jeep & The Memory of Mike
I was able to see it through my own children. It all happened with a Jeep.
My father was an outdoorsman. Not just the kind that occasionally hunted or fished. It was a way of life for him. My mom says he would take off for camp...weeks at a time. He didn't spend Thanksgiving with the family. He spent it at Starling Camp.
He anticipated deer season, turkey season, muzzle loader season, bow season...you name it...he knew when it was. There are three distinct smells I recall from him: 1. diesel fuel 2. pine trees and 3. the smell of gun powder. He drove 2 prized rides: a white Ford pick-up truck and a 1976 burgundy Jeep.
Daddy passed away in 1986.
My mother gave the jeep to my uncle Roy shortly after daddy died and thankfully he kept it in excellent condition.
Last Saturday while we were down visiting over the Easter holiday, my girls were playing outside with Roy when he offerred to take them for a ride in the jeep. I didn't think anything of it at first. Roy walked over to the shop, started the jeep and drove it out for us to see. It took my breathe away. I hadn't seen it in that condition since daddy had been alive. He had gotten new tires on it, recovered the seats and had replaced the top and doors. My girls rushed over and hopped in with huge smiles on their faces.
One of my best memories of my dad, was riding in that jeep with him...just the two of us...no top on or doors...he was wearing an old black cap with his crazy hair curling up out from under the cap (that looks exactly like my sister's today)...and a black work shirt and dirty jeans. We were headed into town on the highway just passed mammaw's house. As we came around the curve into Sally White's house, his cap flew into the air out into the pasture. I thought that was just hilarious as a 7 year old! He stopped the jeep and ran out into the field to fetch the cap.
As I saw my girls ride away with smiles on their faces with Roy behind the wheel last weekend, I felt my father watching us. His spirit was with us that day. He was happy we were sharing this part of him with my girls.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
The Story of Sada
My mother tells me she originally was going to name me Sada. So I came up with the idea one day to tell my girls stories about a little girl named Sada, each night before they go to bed. Let me just say that this has become a HUGE PART OF THEIR DAY. My daughters have their own ideas and independant views about a little girl named Sada. I am tickled at how excited they are about her stories and adventures. Let me tell you how it all began....It started 4 months ago. Each night before they go to bed, I tell them just a little bit about Sada. They have their own room, so I usually share the exact same story and they're only a few minutes long. Sometimes I don't even have anything planned before I walk in there and sit down beside them...the story just comes to me as I tell it....about a little girl....who was a lot like me as a kid...with a few exceptions.
Sada only wears dresses. She doesn't wear shorts or pants, only dresses.
She wears socks with sandles. Her sandles are white, with flowers on the toes.
Her socks come to her knees. She wears them pulled up to her knees on Mondays.
She wears her socks folded down to her ankles on Tuesdays.
She wears her socks rolled down to her ankles on Wednesdays.
Her skin changes colors, depending on her mood.
When she's happy...she's blue.
When she's angry....she's green.
When she's sad...she's yellow.
When she feels shy....she's red. Her skin is kind of like a mood ring.
Sada's favorite food is spaghetti. Her mother always makes it for her on Monday's. Sada eats it in a big bowl and with a slotted spoon. She likes for the noodles to slip through the holes. She also likes to slurp her noodles. Now Sada knows that it's not good manners to slurp...BUT...her mother and father allow her to slurp her noodles because Sada has extra good manners on everything but noodle slurping on spaghetti nights.
She helps set the table.
She puts her napkin in her lap.
She waits until everyone else at the table gets their food before begins to eat her own.
She puts her napkin in her lap.
She waits until everyone else at the table gets their food before begins to eat her own.
Before she leaves the table, she asks to be excused.
Enough about the fictional Sada. You want to know how this has affected me? Now my girls use good manners at dinner! But they also want to slurp noodles every chance they get. They talk about Sada all the time. "Mom...would Sada wear this?" My 4 year old asks me in the morning. It's my own fault I told her about knee socks with sandals. What was I thinking?! I must be more careful when designing a fashion-forward character...right?!
I told one story last night about Sada taking a bath with her swimsuit and goggles on, in a bathtub full of bubbles...and tonight, Ginny Grace came into the living room ready for bathtime in her pink swimsuit and green goggles! ** Note the cute picture to your right.
Motherhood is the most fun thing ever. There is nothing that can top it. There is nothing I would rather do or be. Adding Sada Stories to the journey are an unexpected addition for us Ledbetter girls. I'll let you know where we end up.
Enough about the fictional Sada. You want to know how this has affected me? Now my girls use good manners at dinner! But they also want to slurp noodles every chance they get. They talk about Sada all the time. "Mom...would Sada wear this?" My 4 year old asks me in the morning. It's my own fault I told her about knee socks with sandals. What was I thinking?! I must be more careful when designing a fashion-forward character...right?!
I told one story last night about Sada taking a bath with her swimsuit and goggles on, in a bathtub full of bubbles...and tonight, Ginny Grace came into the living room ready for bathtime in her pink swimsuit and green goggles! ** Note the cute picture to your right.
Motherhood is the most fun thing ever. There is nothing that can top it. There is nothing I would rather do or be. Adding Sada Stories to the journey are an unexpected addition for us Ledbetter girls. I'll let you know where we end up.
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