Damn Yankees

Grrrrrrrrrrr. Bottom of the 12th ... (yes, 12th) ... Braves are winning 3-2 ... one man on base, one out, A-Rod at the plate (who, I should mention has grounded out into a double play 12 times in the last 6 games) ... and he hits a HOMERUN. Yankees beat the Braves 4 to 3. Arrrggghhhh. So close ... but no winner, winner, chicken dinner for the Bravos.

I can't make it to the game this Friday (I usually go to the game every year on my birthday), but I was able to garner some decent tickets from my snapperhead friend, Will. I won't go until July 8th, but it's close enough to call it my birthday present. And I really can't complain ... Ron bought me my new S.U.V. this year (along with custom exterior parts), so I've already had my birthday! He is, however, taking me to dinner on Friday. I even gave him a "way out," but he still wants to take me to dinner. I guess I must be a good date ... one sip of wine and I can't feel my lips or my toes, so yeah ... I'm a good date ;)

Tomorrow is a BIG day. I teach American History I from 8:00 am to 11:45 am (and hey, Will ... I'm covering Teddy Roosevelt tomorrow ... have we had "the Teddy talk" yet?) ... then two meetings back to back, followed up with my exit interview (via telephone) with my advisor Dr. Truluck, and a former professor, Dr. Sandmann. The interview is at 3:00 ... so everyone light a candle for me. It's not as if I think I'll fail it ... I just don't want to stumble all over my words. I'm not sure why I get nervous when I talk to them ... I work with Ph.D.'s all day long ... but for some reason these folks intimidate me. Go figure ...

Oh my ... it's nearly midnight. Last thing ... I picked out the granite countertops today for the kitchen and masterbath ... OMG ... they're gorgeous ... can't wait.

J.

Kitchen wall color

So there I was ... standing at the counter at RSC Rental Center. Ron had sent me there to inquire about a certain tool/machine we needed. I was not working on Friday (which I won't all summer) so I did what I could to help Ron with the house - I ran his errands. So ... anyway ... as I'm waiting patiently for the guy to find the tool, I look to my left and I see an office. A man finally exits and leaves the door open. I almost screamed, "THAT'S THE COLOR I'M LOOKING FOR!!!" (Yeah, I'm easily excited ... um, no more comments on that, alright?). That's the color you see in the photos above. I wanted a muted mustard color for my kitchen because I have chosen cherry cabinets with a BEEEEEAUTIFUL granite countertop. Also, I intend to accent the kitchen with burgundy and black, so the faux muted mustard was my only choice (I have gay male friends who are helping me with my colors ... need I say more?)

Anyway, give me some feedback, folks. Do you like it? hate it? suggest something wholly different?

Feed the Monster

I ran across the story I have copied and pasted below a few weeks ago while searching for a different document. While it was written very soon after 9/11, it is very applicable today. I hope you all take the time to read it.



A Daughter’s Wisdom

My daughter and I were walking in the woods today playing a game. She was pretending that there were monsters in the forest and that they were coming to eat us. We had to be vigilant. We had to defend ourselves. I asked her, “What is the plan? What are we going to do if we see one of the monsters?”

She replied, “Feed them.”

“Feed them?” I said.

“Yes, if we feed them they won’t eat us.”

I think she has the answer. Imagine if George Bush took that $40 billion that Congress gave him and used it to feed people. Heck, take $20 billion to fix up U.S. security and clean up New York and use the other half to feed people. And not just feed them with food. What if we chose to take $1 billion and build the biggest, most beautiful mosque in the world, right in the heart of Kabul? And what if we gave it as a gift, no quid pro quo, as a place for people to feed their spirits?

What would the reaction be? What do we want the reaction to be? We have choices. Seems we could bomb innocent people to death and celebrate, mirroring images of this week, and thereby satisfy our thirst for vengeance. But what would that get us? A world that so admired the West that it wanted to emulate it in every way and celebrate its way of life? Or would a large part of the 5 billion people that don’t live in the West see things differently? Would more people feel as if vengeance was the only possible response, and figure out more simple and effective ways to terrorize? We can have that kind of world if we choose it. Or we can take my little daughter’s advice and feed people. And what would that get us?

There is no better way to rob the world of its anger and bitterness, jealousy and hate, than to feed people unconditionally … feed their bodies, minds and spirits. Build places of learning, places of spirit, places for healing and nourishment, places of community. Take that $40 billion dollars and spend it in every neighborhood in the world. Put the world to work growing food, healing people, restoring land and water, building communities, creating the thin fibers of connection between peoples, families, communities, cities, nations …

“If we feed them they won’t want to eat us.” Can you think of a better form of security?


From FRIENDS OF PEACE, PILGRIM newsletter, Fall/Winter 2002



Now,I understand that some of you may read it and believe that this idea is very naive ... and that's okay. EVERYONE is entitled to their own thoughts and opinions. I only want to share this story to feed all of you who read this ... food for thought.

Jen

DICK

Cheney, in his infinite wisdom, had the following to say with regards to attempts by Congress (or selective members) to force a withdrawal out of Iraq:

"It doesn't matter where we go. This is a global conflict. We've seen them attack in London and Madrid and Casablanca and Istanbul and Mombasa and East Africa. They've been, on a global basis, involved in this conflict.

"And it will continue -- whether we complete the job or not in Iraq -- only it'll get worse. Iraq will become a safe haven for terrorists. They'll use it in order to launch attacks against our friends and allies in that part of the world."

Cheney said a pullout would signal the United States would not stand its ground in the war on terror.

"No matter how you carve it -- you can call it anything you want -- but basically, it is packing it in, going home, persuading and convincing and validating the theory that the Americans don't have the stomach for this fight."

So American men and women are fighting and DYING to protect EGO??? PRIDE??? He says himself that "IT DOESN'T MATTER" ... really? Tell that to all the parents and children of the dead ... both American and Iraqi.

I have a question for you, DICK ...

When do you put on your BDU's and fight?

'lil bit falls asleep ...

... on the ShopVac.

As you scan this photo you will notice all the CRAP around the ShopVac. The vacuum is in the storage room where the washer and dryer is kept. We are still living in the little house that belongs to Ron's granny until our house is completed. Anyway, I went out to the storage room to get the clothes out of the dryer and I found 'Lil Bit asleep on the ShopVac. Doesn't she look dead? At first glance I thought she was ... and truthfully all I could think of was, "OMG ... Paquita has been at the vet's for a week now ... and now I've killed her sister." Once I saw that she was breathing I stepped inside and grabbed my camera. The flash woke her up.

Isn't she a cutie?

Roof!

They have nearly finished the roof on the new house. As you can see from these photos, we are slowly getting things done. Tonight Ron said that he thinks we'll be finished mid-September or early October. Hannah's birthday is October 2nd, so I really hope we're in by then. She's so excited about having such a bigger bedroom than she's ever had, not to mention having her own bathroom connected to her room. We will go sometime this summer and pick out her bathroom accessories. I've given her freedom to pick out what she wants in her bathroom ... with some veto power by Mom ... but I want her to have what she wants. She has good taste so I'm not too worried. I've already bought Eli's bathroom stuff at Bed, Bath & Beyond (who doesn't love THAT store?). We're going to use a baseball motif ... surprise, right? His bedroom will be decorated for the Atlanta Braves, but his bathroom is more neutral .. you know, baseball in general.

The pictures are kind of dark, I know. We were there tonight around 6:30, and one has to remember that we are surrounded by trees, so there isn't as much light at that time. The photos I took inside are of part of the den and the kitchen. The guy who is building our cabinets sent samples to me today via his wife. His name is Shane and his wife is Heather. She is a student of mine, so I really struck it rich! Anyway, he sent 4 samples. Two with two different colors, and two with those same two colors but with glazen (not sure I spelled that correctly - it's where there is a hint of dark stain around the edges). I had told Shane that I really wanted the cherry wood with the glazen, but if the glazen added thousands of dollars to the price I'd have to do without. Well ... when Heather brought me the samples today she told me that Shane said to tell me that if I really wanted the glazen, he'd do it for a discounted price. Are you ready for this? He said that normally he charges $2000 for the glazen (because I have LOTS of cabinets in the kitchen), but for me he'd do it for cost - $700. Who could say no to that???? Not me!!! Shane and Heather are such a nice couple and I'm thankful that I've not only hired the best cabinet man in the state, but he and his wife are friends of ours. I'll try and lay out the samples and take some pics tomorrow ... maybe they'll look alright to post and I can get some feedback from all of you!

Plumber starts tomorrow ... so we had to go to the house tonight and mark where we wanted the shower heads in the master bath. I've ALWAYS wanted two shower heads in the shower ... so I'm thrilled that my wish has come true. It was fun, actually, picking out the plumbing fixtures. I never thought I'd like that, but I really did. For the kitchen I chose a single faucet where the end of the faucet comes off and becomes the hose. Did I explain that right? Can y'all picture that? Let me simplify that ... instead of having a different spot for the spray hose, it is built into the faucet. If y'all still can't picture it, you're S.O.L. ... I can't explain it any better!

Oh, and more exciting news (at least to me) ... Ron found a website where we can order our kitchen appliances online at contractor's prices. I'm able to buy Thermador appliances instead of the GE Monogram series, so I'm super hyped about it. I may have already posted that news ... I can't remember. Anyway, I'm excited. Also, I found a stainless steel lighted hanging pot rack that matches the appliances to hang over the island in the kitchen. At first Ron said I couldn't have one because they cost $1000, but I made a bet with him that if I could find it for half of that I wanted him to change his mind. Not only did I find it for half the price, I found one for $386! Yeah ... someone had to get out the checkbook and eat crow ... ya gotta pick your battles ... and when you do, you have to make sure your guns are loaded.

Annie-Oakley-ing,

J.

When there's a Will ...

.. there's a way. Okay, corny intro ... please forgive me. But I knew that when I made a post about my friend Will I'd need something extra to make his grand entrance. What the hell can I say about Will? Hmmm, well ... I am trying to keep this blog clean so I'll refrain ;)

Let me introduce him. First, you all must know that I have never laid eyes on him. Not in person, that is. Will is a member of my cohort at UGA. He, too, has decided to add drama, frustration, and sleepless nights to his life in order to pursue a Masters in Education. We have become compadres of sort ... we give each other grief (dare I write "sh_t") at every opportunity. That's what friends do, right?

Will is also a few years younger than I am. I believe I am only 6 or 7 years older than he is, but to hear Will talk you'd swear I was 60 years older. There's a gap there, sure ... but not entire generations! Anyway, Will is married to a woman who should receive an award for putting up with him (bless you Stacy), and they have three gorgeous boys who thankfully look nothing like their dad . Seriously, they have beautiful children and from the things Will tells me, they are truly lights in his life (as is his wife).

Will is ... has been ... will be ... one of the funniest people I know. He can drive me to drink sometimes, but I have to say ... he makes me laugh all the time. Another bonus of being friends with Will is his love of sports, specifically baseball (although he's really a UGA football dude). We can talk about the Braves and trades and stats and ... and ... everything baseball. Few of my friends can hold a conversation about baseball for any great length of time, but I always can with Will.

August 5th is the day I'll finally put a face with the legend. We figured out that we will be fairly close in line when we line up for graduation. That's a good thing ... because we have TOO much to laugh about.

So that's Will ... my partner in crime ... after graduation I'll make sure to post of pic of his ugly mug so all of you can see who makes me laugh on nearly a daily basis. I'm kind of curious myself ...

Father's Day

Well, the holiday came and went without much excitement (which can be a GOOD thing). Ron opened his gifts from the children ... shorts, t-shirts, and a game called 20 questions ... and ... and ... that's it. My husband is not one for celebrations ... never has been, never will be. I, on the other hand, LOVE to celebrate most anything. New car, "A" on a paper, a lost tooth, a new tattoo (just kiddin') ... just about anything. My mother was always very good at that sort of thing. I feel that is why I love birthdays so much. She would make the biggest deal out of our birthdays ... let us know the entire day how she was glad we were born. My attempts to help my husband find the joy in celebrations has been futile ... but sometimes I keep trying. Not yesterday though ... I made the mistake of watching a movie I have seen literally dozens and dozens of time: On Golden Pond. L O V E the film. The problem ... the mistake I made ... was watching it on Father's Day. Yep, memories of my father took over any motivation for celebration. I wonder how long I will feel like that? Forever?

Memories

I just noticed this morning that a friend of mine, Donna Kay, posted on my blog. I must tell those who actually read this thing about her because she may post from time to time, and I think it's essential for my friends and family who do not know her discover why she is my friend.

Hmmm, where do I begin? If memory serves me correctly, Donna and I first met in an upper-division history course called Critical Decade during my time as an undergrad student (and Donna, if I'm wrong please correct me). I was a double major of History and Education, and Donna was majoring in Accounting. I'm not sure why Donna was in there other than she might have needed some elective hours and she loves the professor, Ms. Whitehurst (and Gale loves her, too!). Oh wait, maybe we were in a different course together ... um, was it Special Topics? Crapola. Anyway, the course is actually irrelevant. So ... whichever class it was I became friends with Donna. She has the most infectious laugh you could imagine ... and while she is a brunette, we often wondered if she was covering up the blonde hair! (Just kidding ... Donna can laugh at herself). She is a bright and articulate woman who would keep us in stitches telling us stories. This one time she related a story about something her mother said ... and to this day I remember how hard we laughed when Donna told us about it. I can't remember the entire story ... I only remember how Donna was either on a boat, or talking to her mother about going on a boat and she didn't want to ... in either case, Donna was going to Lake Seminole and going skiing/boating ... and her mother didn't want to join her because lately there had been so many shark attacks ... and ... and ...


OMG, I'm laughing just thinking about that ...

Donna has been married a few years to a man who obviously adores her. I've seen them together and you can see in their eyes the love they have for each other. They also have a new baby who looks JUST LIKE HIS DADDY!! As she mentioned in her post, we don't see each other very much anymore but keep in touch through e-mail forwards and an occasional visit at Publix. I will ask Donna to send me an updated picture of her son so I can post it for everyone to see and fall in love!

Yep, Donna is a funny one ... I'm lucky to have friends like her. I plan to post other short bios about all my friends so my family and other friends can get to know each other.

J.

Where does it come from?

Yesterday as we were riding home ... out of the blue Eli says, "These pretzels are making me thirsty!" ... and then he bursts into laughter. I admit I, too, was laughing so hard I almost had to pull over. Why is this funny? It's funny because that line about pretzels and thirst comes from an episode of Seinfeld. It's been months since that episode, but I remember how Eli laughed and laughed at Kramer (his favorite character) when he kept saying, "these pretzels are making me thirsty." One never knows what Eli is going to find absolutely hysterical ... it just so happens that Kramer puts Eli in stitches. The reason I laughed so hard was because it has been MONTHS since that episode ... and out of the blue ... no reason at all ... Eli looks at me and blurts, "these pretzels are making me thirsty!"

I'll have to call my friend Angela and tell her what Eli said. Angela LOVES to hear about the things Eli says and I love telling her because she has the most infectious laugh ... oh, and she thinks I'm the funniest person on the planet. We all know that I'm not, but you could never tell Angela any different (she's my bud) :)

I think Angela's favorite story about Eli was when I was driving home after picking up both kids from school one day. As we're driving home I suddenly realized that I forgot to run by the store ... and without thinking about Mr. Sponge (Eli) in the backseat, I yell "Oh crap!!" What does Eli say? He says ... "where?"

Where does it come from?

Teaching Philosophy

"We are what we teach; we are the questions we ask; we are the answers we accept; we are the perceptions we hold; we are the feelings we have; we are the thoughts we have; we are the mood we create; we are the vision we have; we, and only we, are the difference between being a stepping stone or a stumbling block. What we think and feel determines the very nature of the classroom world we create for ourselves and others."
- Louis Schmier

I wish I could take credit for those words, but I cannot. I can only post them and relate how I feel about them. I have these words framed in my office so I can remind myself daily how true they are. I teach. I am a teacher. And I couldn't be prouder of my work. I don't know what propelled me to post these words today other than I am exhausted from teaching last night. It has proved difficult at times to also teach some students how to learn as opposed to what to learn.

I'm tired but fulfilled today ... and I am only hoping I will feel the same when I finish my portfolio tonight!

Rain, rain, go away ...

... come again another day ... ya know, like next week when I don't have a paper due! Grrrrr ... hurricane season is upon us. Today we're feeling the effects of Hurricane Alberto. It's not bad ... yet. It's only raining and no substantial wind. According to the weather report, it should be right on top of Thomasville around 1 pm today. On the bright side, at least it will hit during the day. Eli FREAKS out when the lights go out, so maybe it won't be as bad if it's still light outside.

I have what experts call "the dead ass" today. I am sooooooooooo tired, and all this rain isn't helping matters either. I'm nearly through with my paper that is due tomorrow ... about another page and it should be complete. I'm STILL trudging through my portfolio that is due on Monday. I really need the weekend, so I may be putting in a phone call to my prof today asking if I can overnight it to her on Tuesday. She's been very understanding the entire two years, so what's one more favor? (Shut up, Will ... I don't wanna hear it).

Our little kitten, Paquita (which, from the way the vet was talking we should really name the kitten PaquitO), had to have emergency surgery last night. Her rectum was protruding out of her back side yesterday (try not to get a visual on that), and when Ron came home from work he said she had a blockage. So ... $400 later ... she's well again. I'm hoping the vet will take payments ... ;)

Nothing will be done on the house for the next two days ... Hurricane Alberto has seen to that. They did install the doors yesterday ... and man oh man does the the french doors leading to the back porch look wonderful! We invested in Anderson windows and doors (high dollar up front but will save us in the long run on electricity), which means they are all double-paned windows and doors. The grids are on the INSIDE of the two panes which will make it soooooo much easier cleaning them. Also, my smart husband made sure to get all the windows and doors to where we would never have to paint them. I, of course, would have never had to paint them ... but Ron would have. HE'S THE MAN ....(hee hee)

Well, I had better get to working on my paper before the lights go out. Oy vey ...

J.

Acid Stained Floor

As promised, this is a photo of what an acid-stained floor looks like. When Ron and I saw this flooring technique we immediately fell in love with the look. The floor can be made to look like granite or marble, and the color choices are numerous. The bonus to using a flooring method like this is that we are using the concrete floor! No tile, no wood, no carpet to buy ... we use our existing foundation and it will look as if we paid HUGE money for a marble floor. Friends of ours (Micky & Lavaugn) recently built a house, too, and they used this method on their floor. It is BEAUTIFUL ... so we can lean on them to assist us with questions when it comes time to do our floor.
Ron is contracting our home (and much like he does everything else) ... so he has studied every aspect of this method. Just today he spent time at the new house testing different colors so we can find the one we want. The color we both like looks very much like this photo.

Anyway, here it is ... our floor. Kinda cool, huh?

Jen

Progress ...

Starting from the top:
- The first photo is of the grilling porch and the breakfast area.
- The second photo is showing the sitting area and the master bathroom. The second window from the left is where the garden tub will be. It was strategically placed by the window so it can be opened while in the tub ... was Ron's idea ;)
- The third photo is of the side of the house. Beginning from the left side, the smaller window on the end is part of the breakfast area. The huge hole in the middle was a late edition window, so the unit has been ordered. The original plans had a fireplace/hearth room in the kitchen, but I wanted a big window instead. Next is the opening for a door that leads into the mud room/laundry room, and obviously next are the garage doors. The first bay is a single bay for my vehicle, and the next bay fits two cars but we will use it for Ron's workshop.
- The last photo is of the front of the house. I couldn't get it all in one picture, so I made sure to capture the main part.

Roofers are working on the roof this weekend, and the framers should be through at the end of the week. Next comes electrician, plumber, and at the end of the month the bricklayer will begin. Hopefully by the time my mother and brother arrive (last week of July), the outside will be complete and a lot of the inside work. We'll have to see how the weather cooperates ;)

I'm headed out to the property now. Ron is out there (of course) and I'm sure he's not getting much done since he's on call this weekend. He is sampling the acid stain we chose for our floors ... and if anyone is confused by that, I'll use my next posting to show what acid stain is, and how we are planning to utilize this flooring method on the bottom floor of our house.

J.

Male Bonding?

Ron will probably kill me for posting this, but it cracks me up. Like father, like son ...

More artwork

Hannah saw the post I made (see "My Creative Daughter" posting), and she provided me with two other pieces she likes better. I wish I could scan the painted work she has done for me, but she used canvas that is too big to fit on my scanner.

Anyway ... here is some more of her Anime characters. She's good, huh?

J.

Cha Ching!!!

That's the sound I'm hearing ... I just returned from the property. Ron met with the builder and together they decided (and I agreed) to add another room upstairs. It's always hard to tell on house plans just how much room one has until it is being built. We had a lot of extra room upstairs that would be attic space, so we decided to add a 11 x 15 room. The original plans had the large bonus room as a shared room - recreation room and my office. This extra room now will be my office and library. The large bonus room will remain the recreation room, which will allow a pool table, Ron's Bow Flex, and a treadmill. Ron was going to surprise me about the room, but when I went upstairs and saw the extra room being built he couldn't hide it anymore! We discussed columns separating the room from the others upstairs, but decided instead to have French doors open into the room. This gives me a quieter area, but also allows others to see into the library. I liked this idea immediately!

The roofers were there when I left ... but the shingles won't be delivered until Monday. My guess is there is a lot of prep stuff they have to do before the shingles go on. Something wierd ... one of the guys with the roofing company is in a wheelchair. I asked Ron if the guy fell off a roof, and he said he wasn't sure. My next call was to our insurance lady ...

Classes (my UGA classes) begin today. Ahhh, the last semester for my Master's. My friend, Will (the uber-crazy dumbass city planner from Columbus), and I are already fretting over the work. We just found out today that a quite involved portfolio we have to construct is due on the 19th. We thought we had all summer to do it!!! Joke is on us ... but I'm not laughing. Ron already made the comment, "I guess I'm a bachelor again for another two months, huh?" He's right - he is. Such is the life of being married to a lifelong learner ...

J.

My creative daughter

This picture was drawn by the resident artist in my home - my daughter, Hannah. She is sooooooooooo into Anime! Please don't ask me to explain what that is because I don't think I could. I also attached a picture of Hannah surrounded by all of her Anime stuff (the child never asks for anything, so when she actually does I buy it - and this picture shows it all).

I am lucky that I have an arsenal of pictures Hannah has either drawn, colored, or painted. Next month I am enrolling her in sculpting classes ... maybe if I keep pushing this, she may get a scholarship! Which, by the way, I should mention that in August she begins high school. MY BABY DAUGHTER IS BEGINNING HIGH SCHOOL.

Faintingly,

J.

Having a rough day ...

... so I thought I would post a picture that always makes me smile. The photo above was sent to me by a former employee, but he's also a friend of mine. His name is Chris Wiksyk and he worked for me for two years as a peer tutor. He graduated from our institution a year ago and is attending Hawaii Pacific University while he earns his MBA. Chris is one of those guys who will always come out on top ... he has a Midas touch and is the biggest charmer I've ever met (he's also from Canada). If his intellect and wit doesn't win you over, his blue eyes and powerful smile will get ya. We miss him something terrible at work ... things haven't been the same since he left.

My favorite memory of Chris is when I played the ultimate practical joke on him (I had a former student who happens to be a police officer to pretend to arrest him). Chris LOVED to play jokes on me ... from writing on the board (in what looked like MY handwriting) certain messages to other tutors (for example, one time he wrote a note to Hweekor - tutor from Kenya - that he had won Tutor of the Month and was entitled to a $300 gift certificate) to leaving dozens of post-it notes all over my desk and PC monitor (with comments like "Your daughter's principal just called - she was caught having sex). Chris ... is one of a kind (thank goodness) ... and I am posting this picture in his honor. (Also, I'm curious to see who knows who the ugly guy in the photo is ... and HOW they know him).

Chris, if you're reading this ... tell Ole' I said hello ... and where the hell is my video that you promised?

J.

Blueberry Bread

Hello all ... I wanted to share the most fabulous recipe for blueberry bread. It is WONDERFUL ... and very easy to make. I found it on the 'net ... not sure where ... I guess this is plagiarism, but it should be noted that I would give proper credit IF I actually knew where I got it! Anyway, here it is:

- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 2/3 cup milk
- 1/4 vegetable oil
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. grated lemon peel
- 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Grease and flour a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan.

Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.

In large bowl, combine beaten egg, milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract; add to dry ingredients.

Stir just until batter is melted.

Fold in lemon peel, blueberries, and chopped pecans. Spoon into pan. Bake @ 350 degrees for 60 to 75 minutes.


It's VERY yummy ... I know it's probably about a gazillion calories ... but it's a great bread to give as a gift. Serve it warm with coffee ... and everyone will love you.

J.

Bullpen Woes ...

OMG ... can Chris Reitsma become an even worse pitcher than he already is? The answer is yes ... he can ... he has ... he's proven it today by giving up two homeruns in the 9th inning. Ugh. I can only hope that Bobby Cox (the Braves manager) reads my blog and understands that he MUST do something about Reitsma. We're now below .500 as a team ... 1.5 games behind the Phillies and 7 games behind the Mets.

Jen's gettin' skeered ...

Dream Home

Okay, the picture above is from the website in which we found our dream home plans. As you look at the photo try and imagine a deep red brick. We also picked a red grout (for the bricks) to give the house a solid look. The shutters you see will be black, and the trim will be in white. As I post pictures throughout the building process, everyone can compare it to this final picture and watch how it takes shape. Pretty cool, eh?

It's late ... nearly midnight ... and my Braves were swept in a double-header today. They put up the good fight though ... when they came to bat in the 7th inning they were down 10-2. By the end of the 7th the score was 10 - 9. But of course ... our suck-ass bullpen gave up a homerun so we lost 13-9. Oh well ... I'm adjusting to the thought that this may be the year of the Mets. Geeez, I shudder at the thought ... is it terrible to pray that Pedro Martinez gets carpel tunnel syndrome?

I'll leave with that thought ...

J.

H O T

Yeah, that's right - HOT. That's what Georgia is right now. We had some bad weather last night which caused the electricity to go out for over 3 hours. It's funny here in a small town ... when your electricity goes out you call a designated phone number (automated answer) and leave your name, phone #, and address. After your electricity comes back on, the city calls you to see if it came back on! How's that for small town service? This is, of course, in addition to paying your phone bill at Knapp's Hardware store ... gotta love small town life.

I just hung up the phone with a friend of mine who lives in New Jersey, and he was commenting on southern culture and questioned whether or not that is an oxymoron! Grrrrrrrr ... well, I'd LOVE to get some comments from my fellow southerners about aspects of our culture so we can prove that we indeed have culture in the south! Come on friends ... let's show Mr. Joisey that not all of us have broken down and rusty cars in our front yards!!! Let me hear from y'all!

Okay, gotta run now and get the cornbread baked along with making the green beans with new potatoes. Gonna grill steak and sausage tonight ... a southern delicacy, I'm sure ;)

J.

Journal #4

Okay, below this posting you will see pictures of our home being built. So much has been done since taking these photos so I will take some more this weekend. The pictures don't really capture the size of this house ... the roof pitch is so steep ... I think it's the most impressive element of the house. I can't wait for it to be finished!!

Well, it's dinner time and Ron just got home from a hard day at work. Will post more later ...

J.

House !!! (and again)

These pictures are of the land as it had just been cleared. We only cleared enough for the house, the parking pad, and a yard that surrounds the house. The rest of the land will be cleaned up some but remain as natural as possible. As you look at the pictures, try and imagine 10,000 acres of plantation land surrounding our land ...

J.

House !!! (again)

These pictures show early framing ... The picture on the top shows the back of the house, and the picture on the bottom is taken from way back on the driveway.

HOUSE!!!

Okay, I have the first pictures developed. It's funny ... as Ron and I were looking at them last night they seem so outdated already. I took the last ones on this roll just 5 or 6 days ago, but so much has been done on the house that they look like they're so old. I plan to take some more pics on my digital camera this weekend. The roof (from a framing standpoint) is complete - no shingles, but everything else is done to close in the roof.

I will post the pictures in stages. The pictures attached to this posting show the front of the house (which shows Hannah's window of her bedroom, and the window of her bathroom), and the 3 car garage. I will take more this weekend of the back of the house to show the bay window and back porch (which includes a grilling porch, too). Since I am posting these photos now, I will post them in reverse order because they will show up on the blog in order (does that make ANY sense?).

Okay, this posting will be the pictures that show the framing. Again ... SO much more has been done since these pictures but it will give everyone an idea ...

J.

P.S. In one of the pictures you can see the back of my new SUV ... gotta have 4WD for country living!

Justice for Immigrants

http://www.justiceforimmigrants.org/

I wanted to share this link with my family and friends. This issue (Citizenship for Immigrants) is very close to my heart. Those who know me already know that I am a proponent for justice. As one of my professors told me once, "If we want peace, we will have to work for justice. If we desire to work for justice, we have to educate." He's right ... and I am doing my part.

For those interested in this issue, please check out the following link.

J.