The Best Secrets...Ever

Tonight, I had a very special treat! I got some of the best cooking secrets from Jason's Granny ever! I have loved Jason's grandparents from the very first time I met them. And...Jason's Granny is one of the most amazing cooks I know. She is one of these...a dab of this and a pinch of that...until you get the right consistency for whatever you are making. While, I don't know how to cook like that. I have to have a recipe for everything that I make! I need exact measurements. I have wanted to know how to make Granny's fried chicken and biscuits since the first time I ate it. It is amazing! Better than anything you will ever be able to buy out. It just so happened that Granny and Grandaddy were coming for dinner tonight. I asked Jason if he thought Granny would teach me how to fry chicken and make biscuits. (Coming from the North, no one makes biscuits!) Biscuits are the ONE thing that my mom cannot make! So Jason called Granny and she said she would teach me how to make fried chicken and biscuits! So, tonight I learned how! I am just so excited. Not only because I now know how to make this delicious meal, but because I was able to learn first hand from the very best. When my Nana died she took lots of our favorite recipes with her. Granny reminds me so much of my Nana. I guess that is another reason why I love her so very much. So, thank you Granny for your wonderful lessons in the kitchen tonight. They mean more to me than you will ever know!

Granny...flouring up the chicken...getting it ready to fry!

Fry chicken fry!

MG waiting on patiently on her dinner!

A sweet smile...

Next you add the butter...to make it golden brown!

Put on the lid and let it cook!

McKenzie got tired of waiting so she got into the party mix!

Granny is telling me that you have to sift the flour for the biscuits. We used my Nana's sifter!

Flipping it over to cook on the other side

First batch...all done!

Now for biscuit making 101.

I can do this!

Granny says...always use White Lily...that is what my mama always used!

Almost done...

Ready for the oven!

All done! Yum! Yum!

Now for the gravy...

The Mariachi Band

Tonight for our Supper Club dinner we met at a local Mexican Restaurant. After we finished eating the mariachi band began to play. McKenzie LOVED it! She did not want to leave. They came to our table because that saw what a great time we were having dancing to their music. They asked MG if she has any requests for them to play. In her teeny tiny two year old voice she said, Jesus Love Me! It was so sweet, I think that Jason and I both had tears in our eyes. The band however, did not know that song so instead they played her the Chicken Dance song. McKenzie loved the motions and we all laughed as they played to us. It was a really fun dinner!

Clapping to the Chicken Dance

Giving them a tip!

Katie, MG, and Me...notice how Katie and I are laughing and how serious MG is!

Twice the Fun

Over the weekend Tate and Amber came to our house for a vacation! Brian was busy at UGA this weekend so they came to hang out. Jason has invited lots of people to a restaurant for my birthday on Saturday. It was a really good time! Amber and Tate came to that and then spent the night. On Sunday, Amber and I loaded up the two kiddos and headed to the farm for a bridal shower at Nana's house. It was so fun! Mom sure knows how to give a great shower and it was so great to see so many people that we never get to see all at once. After the shower we headed back home and we had another slumber party with Amber and Tate. Today, Amber and I got up and braved these two little ones at the beach! It was a blast. We have a "beach" about 30 minutes from our house. It is really a park with a lake and lots of sand. It is tons of fun. We took a picnic lunch and the kids swam and played. Tate and McKenzie are so fun together. They love each other so much and you can see it as soon as one enters the room! However, they are also at the stage that whatever the other one has is the same toy that the other one wants! Potty training two is also lots of fun! You take one to the bathroom, you take two! I am so happy that we got to hang out with Tate and Amber this weekend. We truly had a blast! I just love that they are so close in age!

Tate and Uncle Steve...he came home early to see his sweet neice and nephew!

Papa T was on kid duty for part of the shower! He did an awesome job!

Getting ready to hit the beach!

Brown Sugar

Yesterday, I was making some cookies. McKenzie loves to help me bake. I love that she loves to be in the kitchen just as much as I do. She always wants to help with everything I make. It is so much fun! Anyways, yesterday I turned my back just a few seconds while I put some cookie dough on a cookie sheet and when I turned back around...here she was...in the brown sugar container! She must have eaten 1/4 of a cup. She was so wild last night after that.

Caught red handed!

Yummy stuff!

After running around the house for about 30 minutes and after dinner, her sugar high was over...and here is where we found her...under the table with all the chairs pushed in!

Got it Fixed

I am so happy and proud of myself! I have figured out how to fix my blog and make it normal again! Apparently, after several hours of searching for help on different website I realized that I was not alone in this problem. LOTS of people were just as frustrated as I was. Thanks to some really computer savvy folks, I was able to follow picture directions and get my blog back in line! Thanks to you who ever you are that knows not only how to fix your own blog but how to post pictures of exactly what my screen needs to look like every step of the way!

Template OFF

Okay...so I have figured out some of it...however, I think that the problem is I have a template over my blog page and I can't figure out how to get it off. If you scroll down a little bit you can see where my background that I picked shows up. But, there is still an entire white page over it in the center. Still really FRUSTRATED! Any suggestions?

Who Can Help Me?

I am so frustrated with this blog thing. I just tried to change my background because the one I was using is no longer available. I found the perfect new background and changed it successfully. I then tried to find the place to change my font colors and now my entire blog is lime green....NOT the new background that I picked. The layout is totally different and my list of friends and MG's ticker are gone. I am so FRUSTRATED! Please some one help me!

Blackberries

In the green space of our neighborhood there are lots of blackberries bushes. When we walk at night McKenzie always likes to stop and pick some to eat for the rest of the walk. Tonight, we walked and on the way back we stopped and pick what few blackberries are left, due to no rain and here was her face by the time we got home!

Yes, her shirt says- My Grandpa Drives a Big Ole 18 Wheeler! Tate has one too!

Happy 4th of July

For the 4th of July we followed tradition this year and went to Young Harris to be with Jason's family. It would not be a holiday if we were not at the Urgent Care. Yes, on the drive up, McKenzie was just not being herself. She felt very warm, so I took her temperature it was 103.3. We went to the Urgent Care as soon as we arrived. It turns out it was just a virus, and it only lasted 24 hours and then it was gone. However, poor MG was wiped out. We were able to take a boat out on the lake though. McKenzie loved it when the boat was moving and hated it when we stopped to swim. I guess she thought we were going to get hurt or something and just freaked out. We got have a special meatball lunch at Jason's Grandma's house. It is always fun to see them! We saw fireworks and MG LOVED them! When they were over, she wanted to see more! Happy 4th of July to everyone and thank you soldiers for fighting so hard for our freedom!

MG at Great-Grandma and Grandpa's house

Mommy's little Sparkler

McKenzie with Great-Grandma and Grandpa

Family Pic

Take 2!

MG and Uncle Jared

MG and Papa Norton by the pond

Fillin' up the cup from the spill way

Precious hands

Uncle Jared really wiped out on his mountain bike...OUCH!

Up close on the hip! (Just for you Jeff!!)

The garden...yummy!

MG in the pool with her clothes on!

Sparklers before fireworks! Uncle Jared and Jason

Fireworks!