Playing Catch Up!

So I need to give you all an update about several things:
1.  I didn't get picked for jury duty.  I did have to go the jury room but thankfully my number was at the end and by the time they got to the last five of us, they had already selected the jury.  Thank the good Lord above.  That's the good news.
2.  Now for the bad news.  I know this may sound crazy and I'm okay with that but last Tuesday morning I got a bad feeling.  Not a bad feeling like too much guacamole at the Mexican restaurant but a feeling that something bad had happened to Sadie.  She was currently at Holly's house because she likes for them to be there 10 days before the due date.   Now before I go any further, I have had these feelings before about my children.  Like when you feel like something just wasn't right; you don't know exactly what but something is off.  Well, when you're an empty nester, apparently that translates to your dogs.  I'll get to the point in a minute but let me further explain that our older dog, Kirky recently had a emergency hysterectomy due to an internal infection (which I discovered and about sent me over the edge).   This is really probably more than anyone needs to know but that gives you some background as to what might otherwise seem like erratic behavior on my part (not that I'm not prone to erratic behavior but for once this behavior might have been justified).   To the point already.
So sensing something was off, I texted Holly just to see how Sadie was doing.  She immediately called me (not a good sign) and asked if I had already talked to Amber, the young lady who oversees the foster dogs.  I had not.  Holly had asked her to call me but she just hadn't had a chance to yet.  Imagine right now that I'm a basket case.   All of this to say, early Tuesday morning, Holly had heard Sadie whimpering over the baby monitor and thinking she was in labor, got up to check on her.  Oh no, she wasn't in labor.  She was, how do I say this delicately ... having an ugly discharge.  She knew something was bad wrong and called the vet, who said to meet her at the hospital immediately.  Long story not so short, Sadie had an emergency C-section and had miscarried all of her puppies.  Apparently, one had died and poisoned the rest of them (there were 6 puppies total).  My heart was broken for my Sadie.  Holly reassured me that she was doing good and I could come get her in a week and that meanwhile, Sadie would be recuperating in a warm bassinet in her breakfast room.  So yesterday, I went and picked her up and other than one ugly scar on her belly, I am glad to report that our Sadie is doing fine.  She slept under my arm last night.  Bless her heart.  Whew.
3.  Okay, so Saturday was our big Georgia-Auburn Tailgate and let me just say first, we had a great time!  The Dawgs dominated Auburn!  WooHoo!  There are a few things you should know about Saturday:
Yes, it was C-O-L-D, cold.  When we got to our tailgate spot that morning I think it was 28 degrees.  E and N had already been there an hour before us to hold the spot and it was even colder then (thanks for braving the cold, guys!)  We all knew it was going to be cold so we were prepared.  And by prepared I should tell you that on the Wednesday before when I was shopping with a couple of friends at the TJ Maxx in Buford, I bought these.  And I am beyond thankful that I did.  They saved my feet.  Now, while these may not look like the cutest boot on the block, they are fur-lined and water repellent.  And honestly, they are much cuter in person. 

So what does one do when they get to their tailgate spot at 9:30 in.the.dang.morning. and the game is not until 7:15 that night ... well, we watched football on the flat screen... right there in the back of E's Tahoe.  Let's just say that N is the bomb when it comes to anything technological.  So yes, we sat by the heaters, watched football and ate.   It was awesome. 

You can't see it but D was grilling brats when I took this photo.  I adore these two. 

We don't look as cold as we are, do we?  The warmth of the sunshine saved us. 

One of us took a nap.  In his defense, he got up really early and it was a loooonnng day.

This just never gets old ... Saturday Night Lights!

And because you know I'm all about the food and drink, a few of my contributions to the Tailgate were this Breakfast Casserole; Black-eye Pea Salad; and ... get ready for this ... Salted Caramel Bacon Brownies.  Have a mercy, they were as good as they sound. 

Oh and I made this Hot Chocolate and transported it in a hot pot.  It was delish! This recipe can also be made in the slow cooker but I didn't have time for that Saturday morning so I just made it in a big pot and let it simmer for about 30 minutes. 

Hot Chocolate:
Ingredients:
1/2 cup dry baking cocoa
1 can sweetened condensed milk
7 1/2 cups skim milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
Directions:
Put all ingredients in a large pot on medium heat.  Simmer for about 30-45 minutes, stirring constantly.  The milk will scald if you aren't careful.    If using a slow cooker, cook on low for about 3 hours.  Serve with mini-marshmallows.
Enjoy!

It's the Big Day before the Big Day

Have a mercy.  It has been a whole week since I blogged.  Not that I haven't thought about it.  I even have a sticky note in my planner that has my blog topics written on it.  Like, you know, I had a plan.  Which I do.  This week has gotten away with me and the main reason for that is it is a Wedding Week, like the week before a big wedding tomorrow.  Which means along with the everyday responsibilities, it seems every spare minute in my mind I am obsessing, mentally checking and rechecking every.last.detail of the Day.  To say that I don't want anything to go awry would be an understatement.  Funny side note:  I just googled the word "awry" to be sure I spelled it correctly and looked at the definition.  Awry means:  to fall apart, unravel or to  fall into disorder. Ah yes, that is exactly what I don't want to happen.  And it won't, I know that.  I tend to be a bit of an over-thinker and so a Wedding Day that You Want to Go Perfect is an over-thinker's nightmare.  As E and I always say, Sunday's Comin.'  It gives double good meaning to that old phrase for a wedding planner.

But Sunday is stacking up to be a busy day.  So I hope I can get this old body up and out the door early for Worship and Sunday School.  I sure don't want to miss.  We won't be in town next Sunday so I really want to be with my "church people" this weekend.  It really makes me happy. 
Sunday afternoon we will celebrate with our dear friends their Daddy's 90th Birthday.  Since Mimi turned 89 last Sunday, I have been reflecting on a long life well lived all week.  It is truly a blessing to have a parent for such a long life.  I am so thankful.
Sunday night is an Inaugural Night of sorts.  D and I, along with three of our best couple friends are starting a new tradition, a Supper Club.  We have talked about what a great idea this would be for years and by golly, we are going to do it.  However, lest you think we are all going to do the traditional go-to-each-others-houses-and-cook-type Supper Club, that may not happen.   We are just going to Supper. Together.  We'll take turns planning the monthly outing and just go enjoy being together.  You just have to be intentional about these things or they just don't happen.  I can hardly wait to be with these precious friends.

And speaking of Inaugural Nights, did you hear the whoop-whoops of excitement coming from the houses last night?  If you had been close to mine you sure would have heard it.  Just in case you aren't immersed in sports, specifically football, you might not be aware that last night at 6:00 the ... drum roll please ... SEC Network premiered!!  There might or might not be a few words of the "Halleluiah Chorus" sang at my house.  Believe you me, it was a BIG night!  We (and by that I mean, my husband) had been counting down the days until this premier. 

And get this ...  for the past few days D had been in Kansas City at a food show.  So yesterday morning he hears that he can get an earlier flight home than expected so he jumped on it.  As he was standing in line to board the plane, his phone rings.  It is our Coke Rep/friend/huge Bulldog fan who says "I've got an extra ticket for the 3:00 Bulldog practice in Athens, can you come? and oh by the way, Matt Stinchcomb (from the SEC Network) will be interviewing Coach Richt while we are there so we'll get to see that too. And it's a party type thing with food and drinks, a couple of talks from the Coaches, it kinda sounds like something you might enjoy."    Are you kidding?  D could have flown home without the plane.  As soon as his feet hit the Georgia clay, he changed clothes and made a bee-line to Athens.  To say that he was over-the-moon excited when he got home last night would be an understatement.  So pretty much, he had the.best.day.ever   You know, I just had to smile.  My husband works hard, long, long days.  His job comes with much responsibility and stress.  He has a lot to juggle.  So when a little fun unexpected something comes along to break up an otherwise stressful week for him, this wife was extremely thankful.  I truly believe it was no coincidence that he was able to get an earlier flight.  I believe our good God knew what he needed.  As He always does.

So today and tomorrow will be hectic but oh so fun.  I have had the pleasure of watching this precious bride grow from a girl to a woman, and now a wife.  I'll be honest, these are my favorite weddings.  Having a history with the family makes a Wedding Day oh so much sweeter.  So much love to Erin and Will!  Your Big Day is going to be Wonderful! 

LSU Who?

On Saturday there just happens to be a Big Game in the SEC football world.  If you are a Georgia Bulldawg you know what I'm talking about.  Here's an interesting factoid for you:  The Georgia Bulldogs will become just the fourth team in the BCS era to play three top 10 teams in their first four games. 

So in honor of this occasion I'll share a little video that was created in 2011 by some UGA students, several you might recognize from Gainesville.   I think it still applies ... LSU Who?  Go Dawgs!!

Have I Mentioned How Much I Love Fall and My Camera Roll

Oh y'all ... I can't wait for it to be fall.  Granted, this summer has not been the hot-sweaty-humid-think-I'm-gonna-die kind of summer but still.  Is fall not the best?  So we're off to a great start with football and all (go Dawgs) but bring on the pumpkins, fall festivals, cool temps and of course, the food.  I can hardly wait to start baking with apples and sweet potatoes.  Of course, I know we can do that most anytime but it does just call for it in the fall.  Just as a little teaser, I'm making Slow-Cooker Applesauce for supper tomorrow night.  I just couldn't wait.  If you've never made it, it is super easy.  Just put 10-12 peeled, cored, diced apples in your slow cooker with about 1/2 cup water, 1/2 brown sugar and a shake or two of cinnamon.  And that's it!  Let it cook for about 7-8 hours on low and you'll be glad you did.  Your house will smell amazing and the end result is fabulous.  Try it - you'll love it! 

So... what's new with you?  I've spent most of the morning over on the Cooking with Crevolyn blog writing posts for the week.  Today I wrote about Saturday's tailgate and a post for Thursday about the Pound Cake Challenge.  I'm loving doing this cooking blog now that I've finally figured out how to do all of the features like post pictures, schedule posts, etc. The internet thing ... it might catch on.

So since I have figured out how to post photos, let's take a stroll through my camera roll.  These photos are in such random order but here goes.

So this is Kirkley, she's our older Cavalier.  Kirkley and Sadie are both foster dogs which is a great program with a local breeder.  Someday when I have lots of time, I'll tell you about it.  Anyway, we are crazy about our two little girls.  This photo was taken yesterday when I picked Kirkley up from the breeder where she had been on a little "vacation."  Let's just say that in about 2 months I'll take her back to the breeder for her to bring forth a litter of little Cavaliers.  Awww....

 This was last night.  They were glad to be back together. 

Last Saturday we tailgated in Athens with these three.  It was so much fun!

So remember I told you that we went to see The Jesters at Chateau Elan last Sunday.  We danced until our feet about fell off.  We could not have enjoyed these fine musicians more.

This is currently my favorite cookbook.  It came out last year.  It has great recipes for tailgating but in case you're not into that, it has great recipes period. 

The Atlanta Falcons came to City Park a few weeks back and we decided to walk down the hill and take in all the fun.  It was great!  Before the game started, four sky-divers landed in the middle of the field.  It's not everyday you see that.   Aren't these two just the cutest?

And here's the rest of the crew that night. 

Back on August 3rd, Kenny and Zac came to the Dome.  It was an amazing concert. 

This is where we went after the concert.  It's a tradition. 

Oh and this is the picture I texted my family on August 16th.  The day Elvis died.  Moment of silence please. 

Look who sits with me in the morning while I have breakfast and read the paper. 

Well, hey ... how about me and Joe Nichols?  We went to the Poultry Federation's Night of Knights which was a big old hoop-de-doo at the Cobb Galleria.  Joe was the featured performer for the evening.  After the concert, we went to an after party and lo and behold, look who showed up and signed autographs?  Side note:  my word at the cute.

Not sure you know Joe?  Check this out.

Me and D at the after party. 

This was before the boys walked out the door to go to the Clemson game.  Side note: my word at the cute. 

The Bulldog Nation

I have to admit this because I believe in no deception. I was not born a Bulldog. Sad, but true. I grew up in the rural corn fields and coal mines of Southern Illinois. While there was a major university within 30 miles of us (the one I graduated from), college football, at least in my family, wasn't a big deal. My dad loved sports and since I am an only child, I watched it all with him. But his personal favorites were the professional teams - the St. Louis Cardinals, which by the way, they should still be - baseball and football. Well, I really don't give a hoot about professional football but boy have I ever grown to love college football. Somehow you just can't live as close as I do to Athens and not be a Bulldog. Granted, some try. There is that other team in Atlanta who well, give our Bulldogs a run for their money. My nephew and some very good friends of G's go there so I really can't bash the bugs. As long as they aren't playing our Bulldogs.

Being a bulldog was a natural fit for me. I love red! So thank the good Lord, the Bulldog"s signature color is red. Now that is a blessing I tell you. Considering the alternatives - neon orange, gold, purple, - now those are fine colors, not just the best for me personally. So, it is a fine day when it is a Game Day and I can proudly wear that red and black. Unless, of course, it is a black out which suits me too. I have a really good friend whose husband is a huge Bulldog fan but there is a problem in that family. This girlfriend doesn't own red or black - well, not much anyway. Let's just say her signature color is brown - all shades of brown and any color that compliments it. Brown is very chic and looks great on her . . . she can rock it! However, it is not, and I repeat not, a bulldog color. I've got to have a talk with her.

Well, tonight is the first home game for the Dawgs. G and D are headed that way. They are pretty pumped to be sitting in a box way above the hedges with some other family members. Many thanks to them for making my men so happy. The Dawgs got off to a rough start last week but after losing two star players to the NFL, what can you do. I still love em. And Mark Richt is the best. So all that's left to say is
Gooooooooooo Dawgs! Sic em!