Taking a ride on Cotton Branch is a normal activity. Seeing two Cowart boys on tractors is not. Today we saw Ryan and Ben fluffing and baling hay. That was a good sight. Both boys worked hard today. The fields with hay bales always look good to me.
This is Ryan on the baler. He knows just how to do it right. Ben on the fluffer. He can really drive that tractor and keep those rows straight! The two of them working together warms my heart!!
Gotta love those hard working guys!!
What better way to start the Christmas weekend than a beautiful communion service!! Josh, Ed and I attended along with our MUMC family (and some extended Herring family that came from out of town). I love that service. Then it was home to a wonderful gumbo supper prepared for us by a friend who has done that for several years. (Thanks, George!! It was wonderful!!) Josh wasn't going to be with us today so he opened his gifts.
I found what I think will be his favorite gift under the tree when all the gifts had been opened!! Sure hope he comes by here soon.
Church today was very good. We had Jody, Tiffany, and all the Cowarts. What better place to be on Christmas Day!! Then off to the homestead to finish up lunch for 2:00 pm. It was delicious even if I did cook it!!
We have a tradition that the kids move the table back when they finish eating and arrange the chairs in a semi-circle. I was finishing my dessert and Tiffany told me that they had moved the table and gotten ready. She said I'd better hurry up or they were starting without me! You can't start without Nana--she's Mrs. Santa!!! :) We sang "Happy Birthday Jesus" and began opening the gifts. They are older now and actually held off wanting to rip everything apart!! We did it one person at a time.
Sam got the hoodie he wanted!!
Everybody got a set of 1500 threadcount sheets. I don't know who was the most excited!!
Boots and More gift certificates.
Jody and Tiffany are going to have to take a trip to Jackson!! The girls got "Mall" cards!!
Graham and Ryan picked out hunting clothes and Haleigh picked out dishes. All were happy!!
Ben had chosen boots and I actually could find his size. He loved them. I told him if I ever saw them in his yard, Papa and I would buy no more!!
Tiffany asked for Tervis Tumblers and threatened anyone who removed them from the house!! As in, she better not find them at the office!! :)
Shelby wouldn't ever tell me what she wanted. Tiffany knew she wanted some Oakleys and she knew there was a website where you could design your own. We designed her glasses and she was sooooo surprised. They even have her name etched in the lens. No one will get these!!
This was my favorite gift!! Sam didn't know he was getting these. He asked for a specific hoodie and pants. I saw these when I was ordering something for Ed and we both said "yes" the minute we saw them!! Sam said, "I look like an old man." But he loved them. They are insulated so he can hunt in them too. Just so darn cute!!
We gave Abby (our niece) luggage. She liked it!!
We gave Tom and Shirlee a Keurig Coffee Pot. I don't even drink coffee and I love that thing!!
Jody got a custom made Dopp Kit with his initials debossed on it. He said he needed it. Hope he likes it.
I guess Shelly can go to Boots and More with the Herrings.
The Cowarts knew just what I wanted--a Shark Steam Mop!! Now I can clean up after the dogs!! Somehow we missed Jennifer opening her SECOND Kindle Fire!!
Papa got a wonderful Pen and Pencil set.
With his crayon maker. I think I want to do this with him.
Everyone was much too good to me. Papa was so sweet and gave me beautiful things. The children gave me loving gifts; some of them were handmade which I love. We enjoyed the day with family. It's sad not to have little ones but it's fun with older kids too! Merry Christmas Cotton Branch Gang!!
The time is flying by and I haven't even thought about blogging. I guess going to Natchez once a week and all the other things that go on around here my blogging has fallen on the list. Most of the time has been spent with choir practice and we had our program last Sunday night. I wish you could have heard it. It was beautiful. We have such talent in our church and it blesses us all. The house got decorated with the help of a friend and Linda. Ben and I started the tree and Linda finished it for us. The mantles were done by a friend and I think they are beautiful. I wish I could leave them up all the time!!
The one in the den looks like this one but with Santas in it. That picture didn't turn out very good. Linda surprised me with the upstairs banister!! It's beautiful.
The tree in the library has all my glass ornaments on it. It usually goes in the sunroom but since Ms Piper barks at it, we decided to move it. Don't want to upset Ms Piper!!
I've been making candy and baking cookies when I could. The tradition of delivering "goodie trays" has begun and it's the Christmas season at Cotton Branch. We're blessed and thankful that on that wonderful night in a stable with a manger our Savior was born.
Youth season opened with a bang for Ben. He got a big bodied eight point. He was in the stand way back behind the house and called to check with Ed if he should shoot. Papa gave the ''go ahead'' and I told him to open his bathroom window that we might could hear the shot. A few seconds later "boom"!! Then the cell phone rings!! Deer down. That meant that we had tenderloin on Monday night with rice and gravy and biscuits!! A great early birthday supper for Ben! Way to go, Ben!
Ed and Jody went to South Dakota several weeks ago on a pheasant hunt. You can see that they did well. Jody had cooked some before and told us how to cook them. Ed went shopping for all the supplies and fixed them for the Herring Bicycle Team.
Being prepped for the grill. Peppers, onions, tomatoes, bacon, pheasant, pepperjack cheese and Italian dressing.
Finished dish!! They were "Phabulous"!! None left to snack on the next day!!
Footnote:
Dr's visit went well. Counts were up a little and CAT scan is planned for Monday. Dr. visit on Tuesday. He considers me to be "stable". When we see the results of the CAT scan, he will decide on treatment changes if any. I get next week off--yea!!
Please pray for Libby's mom, Eunice Norton. She will be having hip replacement surgery on Wednesday of next week. She is one of my "other mothers". :)
Well, it's chapter 3 in the same book. I started my treatment on Wednesday and it was a "Murphy's Law" day. My port didn't want to cooperate so I went to the hospital for a dye scan which showed that the port worked perfectly! Back to the clinic where the meds refused to flow unless I jiggled the bag or rubbed my arm. Finally the flow just stopped all together. An IV was inserted and the meds finished. What should have taken 1 1/2 hours took 5 hours. My BFF was with me and we went to eat lunch. On the way home, Ed called to ask what he could do for me. Libby said for him to turn my bed down and lay out my pj's. I told him not worry that I was fine. When I went into the bedroom this is what I found: He even had honey candy on my pillow that helped my cough!! I crawled into that bed as fast as I could and stayed there until the next morning--didn't sleep much due to steroids but stayed in my bed none the less. It's a good thing. I am very blessed to have so many people looking after me.
Our family has gotten so large that we pretty much keep our dove hunt weekend for family. Ed's cousin and his wife from Texas, our friends from TN, Ed's brother from TN and my brother and his wife from Petal along with our children and grandchildren and in-laws began arriving on Friday. Even with having such a big house, it sure filled up fast!! There was constant chatter and laughter and of course plenty of food. Some of us went out on Friday night and had Mexican. That was a treat. On Saturday morning it was up early and out to the dove field for the men. Never mind that it was raining. "Some of our best hunts have been in the rain." Famous saying!! About 10:00 am when the hunters came in soaking wet and hungry this was waiting for them--a pile of bacon, hot grits, homemade cinnamon rolls, orange coffee cake and fresh fruit with juice, milk and coffee. They needed some nutrition because after all, they had more work to do. The shishkabobs had to be prepared!
Since the beans, potato salad, desserts and appetizers had been prepared earlier, the ladies got to sit and visit!! We certainly enjoyed that.
Of course, there was some ballgame watching!
We signed Kelsey's cast. To bad she's getting it off soon. She won't be able to carry around Ed's art very long!
Sam spent the night with us and we went to church. We filled a whole pew.
Vin and Cathleen from Houston, Texas.
Vivian and Sam from Riceville, TN.
Ed and me--our first picture together in a while.
After a wonderful church service with communion, a delicious Sunday lunch and a short last visit, our house emptied and Ed and I took a nap. A great Labor Day Dove Hunt weekend with friends and loved ones--family--all of them. And what a welcomed addition--soft, sweet rain!!
Little Miss Piper has come to live with us!! Her grandfather was a champion Scottie from England. Long story short, Ed found her and the lady who owned the dogs insisted that she meet us and approve of us before letting us get the puppy!! Quite frankly I think Piper has hit paydirt here!! She's the lucky one! Before she even got here she had a new "Martha Stewart" bed and toys with a new collar. On the way home she got a new harness and name tags. Who's spoiled??? She will never replace Dooley or Sadie but she will have her own place in our hearts! And like them both, she has an attitude!!
This is Ms Diane with Fiona, Piper's mother. Fiona wasn't sure she wanted to let Piper go with Ed.
These two are part of Ms Diane's family of Scotties. She has 13 grown dogs. I would be guessing if I told you who they were. They looked so sweet as they sat together.
Ms Piper sleeping in her new bed in the floorboard of the car (where my feet should have been!). She had it made. * right now she is laid out between me and Ed on the bed sound asleep!! Lucky girl!
A friend of mine told me a long time ago that she no longer has birthdays--she has a "gift month". I've decided now that I've hit the last number before I can "get a check" that I will do the same. The only thing is that I probably won't "get a check"!! :) Usually we have a birthday Sunday lunch but since I'm the one who plans them I didn't do that for me. We had a normal lunch on the 22nd and the usual crew was here. Papa showed up with flowers and a gorilla that sings--he knows I love those animals in the stores that you punch their hands or feet and they do something!! I got cards in the mail and phone calls. My Facebook was overrun with birthday wishes and I was awed by that. Jennifer came by with a wonderful rustic frame (to hold a wedding picture!) and windchime from all the Cowarts. Josh brought chocolates from Laura's in New Orleans. The Smitherrings sent an Amazon gift card which I used right away. Loved it!! A lemon ice box cake also showed up with Jennifer so we had birthday cake! An ordinary day turned into a wonderful one and now I will have great memories of the last birthday. Remember, from now on it's "gift month"!!
Two weeks from yesterday we are getting a granddaughter-in-law. It's not like something new is about to happen, Haleigh has been around for three or four years and is already a part of our family. The day Ryan told us they were engaged, I was totally shocked. No one knew it was happening except for her Dad. I don't know why we were all so surprised. That was over a year ago and the time has flown by. I've enjoyed helping Haleigh with the planning of the wedding. I've had time to work on things while she went to school and worked. We've spent many hours upstairs on Thursday afternoons. I know Ryan is my grandson and not my son. But---we kept him for four years before he started kindergarden and have seen him practically every day of his life. I haven't missed a day (almost) of talking to him. Our bond is strong. I know the old saying, " a daughter is a daughter all of her life, but a son is a son until he takes a wife". Maybe a grandson is your grandson forever!! I'm looking forward to June 11, 2011 because I get my fourth granddaughter and a whole new chapter starts at Cotton Branch!!
One afternoon recently I was gone somewhere and when I returned Ed said he had something to show me. He handed me his phone. This is what I saw.
He and Sam had built another bluebird house and it looked so good.
Sam even used the cordless drill to hang it on the fence post. He loves the bluebirds just like we do and loves the power tools just as much. Thanks guys, for building another house for our birds!
These boys just don't give up! We got a call tonight as I was fixing supper that Bryden had a nice deer. They all came by so I could get my pictures. Shelly with three of his and Jody with his two came bounding in all talking at once. Gotta love those boys!
I guess you know during hunting season that my blog is not for the "faint of heart"! :)
Jody loves for the boys to have a good day but it's getting to him that he hasn't had one. There's always next weekend Jody! :)
Today is one of my favorite days and I think it's because of the food! I love the traditional black eyed peas, cabbage, cornbread meal with all the extras. Today I fixed roast and chicken with rice and gravy, frozen salads, stuffed eggs and dessert to go with the peas. Jennifer brought her wonderful guacamole and chips and cauliflower with cheese. We have many funny stories that always surface on New Years Day that will never fade away. It's tradition!! Some people wish they would just go away! Here are some pics of the day.
Peas cooked with Maw's silver dollar.
Jennifer's favorite frozen salads. We finally remembered to get them out of the freezer.
Lemon Blueberry Bars--these were pretty good, but the Carrot Cupcakes were awful! Something I bought at Handworks that I won't be buying again!!
Josh and Victoria
Ryan and Haleigh--they'd already eaten one NY'sD lunch at MiMi's.
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Bryden is as tall as I am and can just about take me down with a hug. He's the lovable one--you have to grab Hayden to get a hug!
The gang getting ready to fix their plates.
Jody and Ed
We wish everyone a wonderful, prosperous and healthy new year! Our year is going to be an exciting one with the addition of a new granddaughter-in-law and things we don't even know yet. I can't wait to see what God has in store for us!
Nana and Papa--either before or after a wonderful lunch! Tiffany and the girls were MIA and Jennifer never slowed up enough for me to catch her. She took pictures so I hope she posts them.It took Sam a while to decide he wanted to pull the trigger on a gun. But, boy when he did----the gun powder is smokin'! Today it was freezing cold and all the guys went hunting after lunch. My brother and his family came and we ate and had Christmas with them. Then it was off to the deer stands. After discussions of "where are you going?" they headed out while the girls bedded down by the fire to watch a movie. We got a call to get the camera ready that Ryan had killed a deer. Then another call--Sam had one down. They showed up at the house for pictures and I fed them homemade soup to warm them up. Here are the pictures: Ryan's deer weighed 230 pounds and had a beautiful rack. Josh guessed the weight exactly!
Sam's deer was a nice 8 point rack and weighed 165. This was his second nice rack. Once he decided he could do it he hasn't let up.
Their Uncle Jody is a little upset! He's the "Great White Hunter" and the boys are beating him. Pressure is on!! He's taught them his tricks--Outwit, Outsmart, Outplay!! Way to go, Ryan and Sam!
Christmas pictures will come later! The boys came first.
I started this last night and lost it! Computers have minds of their own. Everyone went hunting yesterday afternoon. There were boys and girls all over the farm. I was running errands and cooking soup and brownies just in case they came in starving (what are the chances??). I kept getting calls that "so and so has a deer down", "this one has a deer down", "bring Sadie so she can track the deer" and on and on. Finally I got the call that they were all at the barn and to bring the camera. I wasn't prepared for what I saw or heard. It would take the boys to tell the story but I can show you the pictures. Gotta love deer season on a farm with grandchildren!!
Graham telling the story! Ryan's deer literally charged Shelly, Ben, Sam and Graham. He swam a pond and ran out at them.
When Sadie can't find the deer they usually call in David Rushing with his hound dog. His dogs are great and David is a good friend. He has gotten to be a regular around here and we enjoy having him. He's had Christmas Day supper with us for the last several years. It's almost a tradition!
Hayden and Shelby waiting on the others to get there. They weren't in on the kill this time.
Jennifer and Sam were excited for all of the guys and Emily.
We don't kill these deer just for fun. Just so you know, the meat from the deer was carried to families that need it. We were all taught to share what we have and not waste God's resources.Here they are: Ryan with his 11 point; Bryden with his 8 point; Emily with her 8 point and Ben with his 8 point that had a 17 1/2 inside spread. (I was told that was important to say!) They were all proud of their deer.
How many guys do you know that would come in and help you bake Christmas cookies? Sunday afternoon after the Bude Christmas program I was baking cookies. Ryan and Haleigh came over and helped me. Haleigh picked up my camera and took a few shots. Gotta love those two. They are so precious and will do most anything for me. Haleigh decorated some too. Memories, yes and I love it!
He's doing pretty good with his sprinkles!
Now if we can just hide them until we get our trays made for our friends!
Merry Christmas!!
Ed and Ben left on their hunting trip (you saw the picture of them when they left) and Libby and I decided to treat a friend to dinner out. Deb needed some "girl time" so we went to Natchez and ate supper, looked around Walmart and came home. So much for a night on the town!!
On Wednesday afternoon the Elementary School held a painting class to raise money for the Relay for Life. Jennifer, Libby and I took the class. I should have carried my camera but I didn't. I did however take a picture of the "picture" I painted. We had a good time and plan to do it again soon.
It wasn't the hardest thing I've ever done, but it wasn't the easiest either. But it sure was fun. I found out that things don't have to be perfect to be pretty!
Now for the exciting stuff! Ben and Ed had a wonderful hunting trip. The first day Ben killed a 14 point mule deer. The second day he killed a 9 point mule deer. The third day he killed a havalena. To get Ben to be excited is like melting ice so I'm guessing he had a good time. He said he did!!
This is the 14 point and the guy with him is the guide Randall. Randall has been Ed's guide since he first started going to Longfellow many years ago. He knows three of our grandsons. I hope he gets to take the other three on hunts as well.
All this and getting the house ready for Christmas, doing a little shopping and starting to bake and make candy for trays to deliver, along with hours and hours of choir practice have filled the days and nights for me. It's a blessing to be able to sit here and tell you about our little adventures and thank God for them. Love to you all.
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