Admit Us.

Into the nuthouse. We have lost our minds. We need psychiatric evaluations. We need the blot picture test. We're probably going to need Prozac, Valum, or possibly a tranquilizer tonight. All because we got another dog. Not just any dog, but another weimaraner.

Last week we debated on whether or not to travel up to North MS to visit my family for the long weekend that we had. The possible winter weather was what was holding us back. Finally, we decided to put on the snow tires and head north. This meant we had to board Layla (our 3 year old weimaraner). We had an awesome weekend at home. We saw some friends, visited family, and ate ALOT. Monday, we roll back into town just in time to pick up Layla from the kennel. While we were waiting, we checked out the bullentin board full of lost cat flyers, puppies for sale ads, etc. But one flyer just happened to stand out. It was a flyer advertising a 14 month old weimaraner for sale. It included 2 pictures (He's quite the stud) and all the good things potential new owners would want to hear (He's housetrained, He can sit, rollover, etc.) What do I do? Write both of the listed numbers down.

The following morning, Ben called. He found out that 'Sippi (short for Mississippi) was a great family dog but his owners just could not offer the proper care. They did not have a fenced in yard and weimaraners require lots of exercise. The owners also travel a lot forcing Sippi to be boarded almost every weekend, which was becoming quite an expense. Ben agreed to come meet Sippi the next day and see how it went. Well needless to say, the meeting went well and Ben left with Sippi and all of his belongings. Ben found out that the flyer had been posted for quite some time and he had been the only one to inquire about Sippi. The owners had made their mind up that if no one had called by week's end, Sippi was going to the pound.

Ben took Sippi home and introduced him to Layla. At first, things were a little odd. A lot of sniffing and even some growling. But it wasn't long before they were outside running around like old friends.

If I had my way, we would already have 5 or 6 dogs. I'm a sucker for them. Ben has told me no (with good reason) since I began asking for another dog about a year ago. But when its feels right, Ben can be a sucker too :)

Life is about to get very interesting.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANNA!!!

Today, February 09, 2010, Mrs. Anna A. Rucker joined the quarter of a century club. I know she feels extremely honored to join me in such a prestigious club. Anna and I go way back, we were Gators together at Greenbrook Elementary. We became super close in high school and were roomates together at Ole Miss. We have experienced so much together, life's great blessings, heartaches, accomplishments, mistakes, and times we'd probably rather forget. We became who we are in part because of each other. I feel honored and blessed that she is such a huge part of my life. She is one of my dearest friends and and I am super excited she is celebrating another year.

Anna & I at Ole Miss

Anna & I at her rehearsal dinner

Let me tell you about Anna. Anna is incredibly smart and has the looks to match. She is a beautiful woman with a beautiful soul. She loves Jesus with all her heart and her Christian faith makes her a very strong woman. She has wonderful taste and is the perfect person to ask for help in doing anything (related to fashion or decorating that is ;) ) She loves her diet coke and Junior Mints. She can argue like no other, you might as well hang it up! She is a amazing wife, daughter, sister, and birdie. She claimes to be a Alabama fan, but I think its just an act she puts up in front of her Daddy. She gets a little tipsy after one glass of wine. She feels womanly when she bakes a loaf of homemade bread. She holds her coffee mug with 2 hands. She loves her dog Bella. But she is best at being a best friend. I am so happy to call Anna my best friend. So heres to 25 more years together dear friend! The best is yet to come!

I love you Anna Banana!

He saw his shadow..

Unfortunately, the groundhog saw his shadow last week. I say unfortunately, because I am not a fan of cold weather. There's nothing worse than the feeling of your internal organs shutting down because you have stepped outside into the frigid air. I also do not like putting on layer upon layer of clothing to stay warm while I'm outside (which in the winter is usually only to walk to and from the car) only to be miserably warm the rest of the day. There is one, and only one positive that can come from six more weeks of winter weather. More time to enjoy delicious soups! We have tried 2 new soups this winter and have loved them, so naturally I thought I would share.

The first one is not for someone who is trying to watch their wasteline :) We love cheese tortellini and it is something we usually pick up every week or so for those nights where we get in late and are not in the mood to cook. This is a great alternative to the tortellini and canned tomato sauce.

Tomato Tortellini Soup

1 pkg. refrigerated cheese tortellini
2 cans reduced-sodium tomato soup
2 cups vegetable broth
2 cups 2% milk
2 cups half and half
1/2 cup chopped oil packed sun-dried tomatoes
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup crushed parmesan cheese

Cook tortellini according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a dutch oven (a large soup pot works just as well) combine the soup, broth, milk, half and half, tomatoes, and seasonings. Heat through, stirring frequently. Drain tortellini; carefully add to soup. Stir in cheese. Sprinkle each serving with additional cheese if desired.


We both grew up on vegtables and cabbage is by far one of our favorites. We love it cooked just about anyway. I love my Nana's boiled cabbage while Ben is a huge fan of fried cabbage. When I came across this recipe I knew we had to try it!

Hearty Cabbage Soup

1lb. ground beef (we use ground turkey)
1 medium onion, chopped
3 1/2 cups shredded cabbage ( I think more is better)
1 medium zucchini, halved & thinly sliced
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 carton ready-to-serve sweet red pepper soup (see note at bottom)
1 can Rotel
1/4 tsp. hot pepper sauce (we love Frank's)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a large saucepan, cook meat & onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add the cabbage, zucchini, and mushrooms; cook and stir 8 minutes longer. Stir in the soup. rotel, pepper sauce, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle each serving with cheese.

Ready-to-serve sweet red pepper soup. I assumed this meant those "fancy" soups that V8 has come out with that comes in the cartons with the canned soup. Either I assumed wrong or the dirty burg's fine grocery stores do not carry such a soup. So I had to come up with my own soup. I chopped 2 red bell peppers and pureed the peppers with about 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of whipping cream. I also added about a cup of vegetable broth to give it a soupy consistency. Now, I have no idea if this is what the sweet red pepper soup was supposed to be like, but the hearty cabbage soup turned out delicious.

Hope y'all enjoy!

Plumber please!

Life has been pretty tame down in the 'burg. Classes are in full swing and I am in clinic 2 full days a week and Ben has been as busy as usual reporting all the happenings in the "friendly city." Yep, things have been pretty normal. However, what is not normal is our bathroom. You see, we live in an 84 year old house with only 1 bathroom. That means only one toilet and one bathtub. This has not been a problem in our 467 days of marriage...until recently. Our house is going on the market in a month or so, which means we (ok really just me) has gone all HGTV'd! Where to start? The bathroom. Apparently, that is a main selling point in a home according to Lisa LaPorta

We got the brillant idea of retiling the bathtub/shower area which still had its original BRIGHT WHITE tile. YUCK! We hired a handyman so to speak, bought all the supplies and in 2 1/2 ish days with no bath OR shower we now have a beautiful modern shower. Pictures to come soon. The handyman did a wonderful job with the tilework, however, he didn't do such a wonderful job when he covered up the bathtub drain. What do you mean you ask? Well after one shower is complete, water is up to your ankles. After 2 showers, water is halfway up your calves. Everytime you take a trip to the restroom, you take a little peek behind the curtain to see if the water has subsided. At night, you say a little prayer that all the water is finally gone so you can take a shower and not have to stand in the Artic Ocean to shower. Most people would call their handyman to have him take care of this problem. Oh no, Handyman decided to get married and is currently on his honeymoon! Ben has tried everything. Plungers, wire hangers, hot boiling water, some contraption called a Snake, he even offered to crawl under the house. We gave up hope of correcting this problem ourselves and reached for the YellowBook. We called plumbers Monday morning and we found one who could be there Wednesday morning, as in today. Well its 2:02 p.m. and still no plumber. No offense to anyone who uses their "hands" to make their living, but we live in Mississippi where college degrees are far and in between so why are we having such a hard time finding a someone who can solve our problem. We have guests coming this weekend and we might be a house full of stinky folks or have an overflowing tub if help doesn't come. The end to come...