It's about time ...

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/03/17/christians.protest.ap/index.html

I have been confused and annoyed by the many people I know (and don't know) who claim to be Christians, yet support the killing of others. Finally a group of Christians recognized the hypocrisy and did something about it ...

Bubba's Beer Biscuits!

Like most southern women, my mom and I share a love for a certain southern woman's cook books - PAULA DEEN. Today I decided to bake some biscuits that I've been meaning to for so long but never got around to it - BUBBA'S BEER BISCUITS. The recipe is from her The Lady & Sons Savannah Country Cookbook (1997, p.101). Here is the recipe:

BUBBA'S BEER BISCUITS

4 cups Bisquick

1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar (I used the 1/2 cup)

One 12 -ounce can of beer (I used the King of Beers - BUDWEISER)

2 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix all ingredients well, adjusting the sugar according to how sweet a biscuit you prefer. Pour into well-greased muffin tins. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve with honey butter.

They're excellent! Try 'em!

Kindness extended

Wow, this posting is a long time coming ... too long, in fact. I've had these photos on my camera for a few months, so it's time I delete them. I have to post them first before I hit the delete button. I have several students and friends who read my blog, so I want to make sure they see how much I appreciate their kindness.

Starting from the top photo ... this is a housewarming gift from my friend, Linda. She gave this to me at the end of December and I am just now posting it!!! Sorry for waiting so long, Linda ... my appreciation for your effort in creating such a wonderful basket is immense. Linda is a true friend who cooks as well as she is kind - which is ENORMOUS - so I definitely loved everything she included in the basket.

2nd photo - the bottle of Jameson Irish Whiskey ... was given to me by a student named Jonathan (I will not include his last name to protect the innocent - which means I don't think he's 21 yet!). He hails from Ireland and will graduate this May. He played on the TU soccer team for 4 years, and I had the pleasure of teaching him last summer (20th Century America and Middle East History). I haven't cracked open the bottle yet as I have promised him we would take a shot together to celebrate his graduation ;-)

3rd photo - the Ghiradelli chocolate basket ... was given to me by another student, but this student is from Serbia. His name is Nikola (I will not include his last name for privacy) and he brought this to me to thank me for my help with his graduate admissions. He was applying to 3 different graduate schools (UGA, Georgia Tech, and one in New York ... can't remember the name) and had to write the requisite personal statements and answer posed questions. His english writing skills are, in my mind, excellent for having only spent 5 years in our country. He, like Jonathan, played soccer for 4 years but he graduated last year with his degree in Business Administration. He was applying to MBA programs and wanted to make sure he answered all of his questions correctly, and that his personal statements reflected his marketable assets. I gladly assisted Nikola anytime he needed my help, which was probably around 25 hours all together. He is an eloquent writer ... especially when writing about his love for his family, especially his father. It was truly a pleasure for me to help him, but he wanted to indulge my other pleasure (no, not that one, Will) - CHOCOLATE. I mean, what woman doesn't like chocolate? This kid is going places ... he's a great thinker! Oh, and guess what ... he was accepted to the University of Georgia's MBA program AND he was offered a well-paid assistantship!!! He's a wonderful kid and I look forward to seeing him on the cover of Business Weekly one day ...

Last photo ... was another gift from a student. This student, Janne (pronounced "yawn"), is from Norway, but his family has since moved to Sweden. He went home over the Christmas holidays and returned to college with this bowl for me. It was, as all the others, completely unexpected and unnecessary, but it is a lovely handblown bowl. When he gave it to me I said, "Oh Janne ... you didn't need to buy this for me!" He said, "No, it's no problem, Mrs. Lindquist. I told my mom all about you so SHE bought it for you. She went to one of those stores that was going out-of-business so she bought it for real cheap!" Clearly Janne is becoming more and more Americanized ...

;-)

Wood plates

Okay, last posting for the day ... it's a beautiful day and Ron promised to take me up a hill by the pasture. I will bring my camera in case the view is breathtaking ...\

Anyway, this past Thursday Ron and I were both home from work so we spent the day running errands. He had to go to the dentist first and was there for several hours. I spent that time shopping in Cairo (where the dentist is) ... going to cute little shops I've never been to before (local girls - you've GOT to go to Miss Mert's - very cute stuff). After the dentist and after lunch, Ron and I found ourselves at Kevin's Sporting Goods. Ron wears Orvis shirts and was hoping they had some new ones in ... and I don't NEED a reason to go to Kevin's! I love it there! So ... back to the subject at hand ...the wooden plates and bread holder you see in the photos are representative of our little trip there that day. I've oogled (that's a verb, right?) over these plates for a while now, and Ron bought them for me.

Don't they look great on my table?

F-I-S-H-I-N-G

Woo hoo! This was our next adventure ...

When the kids and I returned home, Ron called to let me know he was at Wally World buying fishing poles! Across the road and way way far back in the woods on the plantation is a fishing pond, so Ron thought we could sneak through and get some fish! When he got back he loaded up the Mule (see picture) and his four-wheeler, and we headed to the pond. I have never been through the plantation (you know, since I'm not a hunter) ... but man oh man ... I enjoyed it so much! Hopefully one day we will own some real acreage ... 200 or more ... because I love riding through it. Perhaps it stems from my love of American history, but I ride through and imagine who had been there hundreds of years ago. Ron loves to look for arrowheads, so this is something we share.

Anyway, you can see from the photos I've posted how beautiful this area is (man, I love south Georgia land), and also see Eli and his first fish!!! He caught 10 of them yesterday! He was soooooo excited ... each time I baited his pole and he put it in the water, he brought it back up with a little brim on it! Needless to say, we had a fish fry out on our back porch last night. That, too, was fabulous. Ron set up one of those outdoor cooking thingies (that's an industry term) ... you know, that one would fry a turkey in ... but we used a black cast iron skillet.

Wow ... what a great end to a not-so-great spring break.

Jen :)

One of those great days ...

... was yesterday. Do you know what I mean by "a great day?" My definition is where everything seems to be going right ... everyone is happy ... and stress is at an all-time low? Well, we had one of those yesterday. It was a GORGEOUS day outside ... 73 degrees, sun shining like it had somethin' to say, slight breeze that blew when it needed to ... ahhh, was great. Around 11 me and the kids went to Cherokee Park for a TU Alumni BBQ. Very low turnout sadly, but ever since Micky left the Advancement office things haven't been the same. Anywho ... Kristin met us there and we played catch with the kids ... Eli showed off his pitching prowess and Hannah wowed us with her strong arm (the chick should be playing softball, but she will not do it ... she's all girl). We also blew bubbles and threw the frisbee a few times ... the bubbles were definitely a hit. I still love to blow bubbles! After the throwing, catching, and blowing (heh, heh) we had a decent meal of bbq chicken.

We left there after an hour and a half and went to the TU softball game. I have many students who have been begging me all year to go and watch them play ... so I did ... FINALLY. They are sooooo good! They won the doubleheader yesterday which put their record to 12-5. Way to go!

We made it back home around 3 pm ... just in time for our next adventure ... (see my next post).

Busy, busy, busy!

Oh my ... it seems I never have a chance to catch everyone up on all the news from the Lindquist household. Well, it's nothing too exciting that will send CNN running, but there are from time to time new developments. One such development is Ron's new company - BUCKHORN PROPERTIES, LLC. He (I guess I should say "we") are now in the business of buying property, building houses, and of course the ultimate goal, SELLING the houses! We just closed on two lots and attaining construction loans to begin building our first two houses. While it's a bit intimidating (you know, the D-E-B-T), it's actually kind of exciting. The houses we are building are so necessary in our area. Housing costs have skyrighted so much that affordable housing is almost non-existent. The two (and hopefully many others to follow) will be priced around $155,000. They aren't considered low-income housing ... they are only affordable-based-upon-an-average-income housing (I think that's an industry term :)). They are in a brand new development off of Hwy 84, and if I remember correctly we actually break ground in about a week. If any of my local friends know of anyone who is interested in having a house built, please refer them to me! I'm also excited about choosing the wall, carpet, and tile colors. The best compliment given so far (with regards to our new home) is when my dear friend, Micky, walked in and said, "Girl, it looks as if a gay man picked your colors!" He, of course, plays on the "other team" ... was a florist for years ... now a very successful caterer ... so I was happy as a pig in slop hearing that!

Other news ... spring break for the college is next week ... and I am counting the minutes! I won't be able to enjoy it all that much since I have to attend an advising conference @ FSU on Monday and Tuesday. I chose to work on Wednesday (peace and quiet with no students - yea!), and I am off on Thursday and Friday. Ron is also off those two days so I'm hoping for some time with the hubby. It may be filled with running errands but it will be nice to have some alone time. The kids won't have their spring break until April, so they'll still be in school while I'm out.

The week after the kid's spring break I head to Denver, Colorado for 5 days. I have another conference to attend, which isn't so bad since it's in Denver! My friend Angela is coming along to keep me company. She's never been to Colorado so I think it will be fun going to the places I went 10 years ago while there. The conference, from all accounts, should prove to be excellent. I've never been to this type of conference so I am definitely looking forward to learning some new things.

Eli and Hannah have finally worked themselves through the virus that was going around. Hannah had it while my mom was visiting ... and thankfully my mom never got it. Whew. The only great thing about Hannah being sick was that she had to stay home for three days, so she spent a lot of time with my mother. In fact, on the Thursday prior to my mom's departure I had to work so mom stayed with Hannah at home. Hannah was in heaven!! She absolutely adores her "Nana" ... and while I hated that I had to work, I am thankful that Hannah was able to spend that time with her grandmother. Those times are, and will be, precious to Hannah. Eli did fairly well while my mom was here. His pattern was thrown off, but he still loved spending time with my mom ... she kept saying, "I'm going to find your tickle spot!" ... which had Eli laughing each and every time she said it. (Will ... ahem ... we don't want to know YOUR tickle spot ...)

While she (my mom) was here I was able to spoil her silly! Ron was very sweet to not say anything about the amount of money I spent on her. If she saw something she wanted ... I bought it ... without question. I think she left with 5 cookbooks, 3 new suits, lots and lots of kitchen gadgets ... and who knows what else! I love every second of it! She gave me so much growing up ... not necessarily material things (because those don't count) ... she gave me her time when I needed it, and her constant unconditional love. She spent so much time spreading herself thin over 5 children that she never spoiled herself. EVER. It was MY turn ... and I was so happy to be in a position to do so. On Valentine's Day I took her to get a new suit, a manicure and a pedicure, and I cut and styled her hair. That night she and I went to Thomas University's bi-annual Dining for Education held at the Meridian Art Gallery downtown. She nor I cared for the fancy food, but it was cool standing in the lobby surrounded by the "uppercrust" (you know, the type that spends more in a day than some people earn all year - I kept convincing myself that their Republicanism would NOT rub off) ... having a glass of Chardonnay with my mom. How cool is that? Normally I would be peaved at paying $100 for a dinner I didn't eat, but it was worth every penny. Me and my mom hung out. VERY cool.

Anyway, it's time to go for now. I have lots of other news but it's time to get out of my office and go home! Until next time ...

Too cute not to share

A good friend from junior high/high school, Miriam, sent these photos to me through an email, and I thought they were cute enough to share. I don't know who took them (and I hope I am not infringing on anyone's work - I don't have plans to print and distribute them), but as you can see it is amazing how well the dogs and children were matched!

MY MOM IS HERE!!!

I know it's been ... what? ... FOREVER since I've posted. Lots and lots of things have happened ... we've moved in, I've been buried with the APR report, and many more things. Just last week one of my students passed away, so my life has been consumed with that as well.

But on a GREAT note, my mom is here! I flew her in last Friday and she will leave again this Friday. The kids are having such a great time with her ... Hannah can't seem to leave her side! We will be leaving in a few minutes to hit some more shopping, but I wanted to post this little post first to let everyone know that as soon as things slow down for me I will be back to posting the usual mundane crap of my life!

Off to shop!!

J :)

Bedroom additions

In an earlier post, which may not seem "earlier" for you because if you're scrolling down it will seem to you to be "after" ... but trust me, it was earlier. Anywaaaaaaaaaay, I mentioned that Turner's Furniture had a huge sale on Thursday, so when I went in to purchase the leather loveseat I also purchased two nightstands for our master bedroom. Nothing too fancy ... just two nightstands that we needed at a good price. However, as the ever-so-famous radio personality Paul Harvey says, "now you'll hear the rest of the story."

So ... I went in and found Barbie, our saleswoman, and she proceeded to write up the loveseat on the sales ticket while I browsed the store. I remembered that I needed nightstands so I looked at the ones that came with the bed we bought, but not only were they too expensive they were also too big for what I wanted. So Barbie (you're imagining a blonde woman with big breasts, aren't ya? Well, you're wrong - she's a petite brunette in her early 50's - work with that imagery) and I are walking around trying to find nightstands that would compliment our cherry sleighbed, and she finds exactly what I was looking for. Big deal, right? Well ... as we stand looking at the nightstands I say to myself (but aloud), "Hmmm, I'm gonna need lamps." Bear in mind, the SALESWOMAN is standing next to me salivating over my dilemma. I typically would not like this, but this ONE time I can say I'm glad I was thinking aloud. Barbie grabs my arm and says, "I've got the perfect lamps for you. Follow me." Like the good girl I am (cough), I follow.

We walk a few steps and turn a corner ... and then I can a huge beam of sunlight ... the kind from heaven ... shine upon two lamps. I swear I hear harps playing ... and angels singing ... because there in front of me ... are my lamps. Not any lamps ... MY LAMPS.

The photo I posted does NOT pick up the intricate details of my lamps, so allow me to describe them to you. Each lamp has a black stalk with a light gold medium-sized lampshade. Upon the black stalks are GOLDEN DRAGONFLIES ... gliding up the stalk like vines ... and on top of each lamp ... perched above the shade ... is a dragonfly landed upon a lillypad.

Now ... I know sure as I'm sittin' here that nary a one of you will understand how much I adore these lamps ... but that's okay. I don't mind. I love them ... L O V E them. Not as much as my children, of course ... but if the house caught fire I'd get my family out and run back in for these.

I also posted a picture of my newest framed artwork. The four golden frames will be hung above our bed this weekend (I've been given his word), and will tie into the lamps so beautifully.

Oh yeah, there is also a few pics of the antique dresser a friend (and one time mentor) gave me - Gale Whitehurst. I love this dresser and I think it looks great with our sleigh bed.

Okay, now I must go and finish helping Hannah prepare homemade potato soup. It's her first time to make it so I need to supervise :)

Last thing ... I hope all of my readers will take a moment on Monday and think of why we celebrate that day, MLK's birthday. I'll post about that later ...

J

Gettin' closer ...

... to actually finishing the den. This is a photo of our leather couch's cousin - the loveseat. They've missed each other so much, and who am I to keep them apart? Ahhh, I love to help bring ... um ... couches and loveseats together :)

Of course, Turner's having a HUGE 35% off sale helped a little, too ...

The newest "kill"

Ron is thrilled to introduce his latest possession ... counting from the left, it's the 3rd deer. Well, there is a single pic of it, too, but when it is photographed next to the others you can get a better idea just how big this deer is.

He is the Great White Hunter ... and our deep freezer can prove it!

J

TU Alumni Party!

Will is gonna LOVE this ...

Ahem ... okay. Let me be the first to invite all TU alum to my house on March 2nd! Micky West, Director of Alumni Affairs, asked me (as his friend and colleague who he owes BIG time) to host an alum party at my house. This, of course, forces Ron and I to get EVERYTHING done in time so for that I thank him.

Anyway ... the part that will absolutely slay Will ...

Not only is it an alum party, but I've decided for a Mexican theme party! We are going to hire a Mexican band to play outside on the grass ... and serve Mexican food, margaritas and Corona! So ... if anyone reading this attended TU for a minimum of 2 years - YOU'RE INVITED!! Invitations will go out soon so be on the lookout.

Okay dude ... I'm ready ... let's hear (er, read) it.

J :-)

Doggy style

Introducing ...

(2nd pic) Sally (the black dog) and Precious (the little red one). We only recently added Precious to our family. My dear friend Ginger brought her to us as she had been abandoned by a neighbor. They moved and left the dog ... who does that? Anyway, she's ours now and she fits like a glove.

The top photo is of Lilly, our whore dog. Yes, she's in heat ... and yes, she's ... she's ... yeah, she's doing that. It's one of those wierd moments that captures your attention ... and is so unbelievable that you can't turn away. Not only could I not turn away .. I reached for my camera in my bag (I know Will ... I'm expecting LOTS of comments on this one).

What do all of these pictures have in common?

N O T H I N G

... which is why I lumped them all together! From the top ... the new grill. Ron was smart to get a gas line running outside on the grilling porch, which means no more running to the store to get a new tank of propane!! Since I have a gas stovetop now (I'll regale everyone with stories of how I am learning how to cook with gas again ... can you say, "burnt peas?") it only made sense to run a different line outside on the porch.

Second pic ... the FINALLY completed shower in the master bath. Ron is still having a tough time adjusting to two shower heads. Me? I loved it right away ...

Third photo ... laundry room. Need more? I didn't think so.

Fourth ... Hannah's den of solace - her bedroom. We haven't hung anything on her walls yet, but as soon as we do I'll have to post a new picture. She is sooooooooo into all the Japanese art and characters ... and her wall hangings reflect it.

And the last one ... is obviously the garden tub in the master bath. After the final inspection (oops, hadn't had that yet), we will hang the hanging light fixture over the tub. It's GORGEOUS ... and hopefully we would have put in the little shelf on the wall (you know, for candles and ... um ... things ;))

Other pics and such ...

Starting from the top ...

The wine rack - nothing too fancy since we don't drink a lot of wine. I would, but it would be too easy for me to become a "wino." :-)

The antique buffet - this piece of furniture came from my mother. When she happened upon it one day and brought it home, I fell in love (sorry Ron, you weren't the first). One of times my mom came to visit me, she surprised me and brought it with her (my mom drives a truck - no, not a semi, Will). She told me that she wanted to see me enjoy it while she was ALIVE, and she didn't want to wait until she had died. Pretty cool, eh? So I do as exactly as she suggested ... I enjoy it. It is one of my favorite pieces ... ever.

The last pic is showing the columns that divide the dining area from the den. I've yet to buy a dining table, but will as soon as I find the one I want. We kind of did the backwards way (with regards to the dining table) insomuch as we invested 2K in the kitchen table. Most people pour their money into the dining room furniture, but we figured we'll get more use out of the kitchen table - THAT'S where we have "family time" EVERY day and not just a couple of days of the year. I want a small intimate table (preferably an antique cherry table) with parsons chairs. If anyone finds something like this LET ME KNOW!

J

Newest photos of furniture

Okay ... I've been asked by a few friends to hurry and post some pics of the house, so here I sit ... devoting as much time as it takes to post them (this should make you happy, Debbie!). Anyway, I suppose I will post them in groups. This posting is strictly the newest furniture pieces (minus Hannah's and Eli's bedroom suites). We still have to buy the matching leather loveseat, a dining room table, nightstands for our bedroom, and office furniture for my office.

I'm not sure which piece of new furniture I like best. I love to lay on the couch and smell the leather ... and I love eating dinner at the new table looking out onto the plantation greenery ... but I think the bed is the prize. I bought 600 count Egytian sheets for it, plus a down mattress cover. It is very close to feeling like a "heavenly bed" ... you know, those that are found in the hotel chain ... man, I can't remember which chain ... well, the mind goes first, right? Anyway, a few years ago I went to a conference in San Antonio, Texas and stayed at a very nice hotel that features the "heavenly beds." Oh geeeeez ... it was soooooooo difficult to get out of the bed. My new bed is very much like that. I bought the comforter and pillow shams at Target. I looked at many different places for the right comforter ... and when I went Christmas shopping 2 weeks ago I found it. I was trying to take a close up picture of the comforter, but I figured y'all will just have to come by and see it!

J

P.S. Did anyone notice the dead carcasses hanging on the wall behind the couch?