Paddling through Brunswick Stew

Last weekend was quite an exciting one for Jeff and me. Ashley and Neil came up Friday and stayed at our house that night. We love having friends come over, especially when we don't get to see them very often! The next morning we headed up to the Hester family farm that's in Virginia. The Hester clan was having a get-together because a family friend was teaching how to make Brunswick Stew. Now, when I think of Brunswick Stew I immediately think of Smithfield's. Probably because that's the only place I've actually eaten some...yes-I'm not a southerner. When we arrived at the house I was a little surprised to see this:

Brunswick Stew cooking outside in a 5 gallon pot that was being stirred by Uncle Mac with a boat paddle. Ok-it's not really a boat paddle, but it sure resembles one! This was the true southern way to make Brunswick Stew, I was told by the other man in the picture (Mr. George). Mr. George also told me that he had a 30 gallon pot to make Brunswick Stew in....30 gallons!! And I thought this 5 gallon pot was big! When the stew was finished cooking LaCoya and I were in charge of transferring the stew into smaller pots. I kept stirring so the stew wouldn't stick to the bottom and LaCoya ladled.

We enjoyed the rest of the day talking and enjoying food with the family. Jeff also stopped and got some hoop cheese. I don't know why it's called hoop cheese, but it's delicious!

On Sunday I went to a clothing exchange with some good friends. I think this is a brilliant idea, especially with this economy. We each brought a bag of clothes we no longer wear and looked through each other’s clothes. We took whatever we wanted! I got a new pair of jeans, 2 pairs of shorts, and 3 new shirts. I also enjoyed some girl time with these ladies!

This same night it started to snow! The first snow of the season and the first snow at our house! This weather was a little strange because it was squished in-between really warm winter days (the day after got up 60 degrees!) Even so, I really enjoy seeing pretty snow falling from the sky!

Quite a busy and fun weekend!

Comments

Bunny

About a year ago I got a bunny as my classroom pet. I have wanted a Netherland Dwarf bunny for quite some time because of their cute ears and they stay small. Small bunny = perfect for classoom life. So after the beloved Max (my old guinea pig) left us, I knew now was the time to get a bunny! Thank goodness my sister Anna looks on Craigs List all the time for animals because she actually found a Netherland Dwarf Bunny that was up for adoption! YAY! I got her a couple of days after I found the post and was so excited. The kids decided to name her Maddi after a character in the book Fever 1793 . If you like historical fiction books, you should check it out because it's really good! Little did I know that bunnies are full of personality! On her first day home she bit me 3 times and got me 2 times with her nails. Good thing is now she likes me (most of the time) and is much more friendly! She lets the kids in the class pet her and feed her. She also hops around the classroom....

Katie

The last three weeks have been a bit of a whilrwind for my family. We found out that my sister, Katie, had stage 3 ovarian cancer. She went into the ER because she was having pains in her abdomen, and they found a football sized tumor. My sister is such a strong woman and was walking around the day after her surgery that removed the tumor! Katie decided to have some fun with her hair before her chemo treatments start. It's a good thing that we have a sister that is a hairdresser, she can do so many fun things to hair. This is what Katie looked like to start: Here is Lauren applying bleach to Katie's hair: Here is Katie as a blonde....I never thought I'd see one of my sisters EVER with blonde hair. I like the analogy she used...she said she looked like Orlando Bloom in Lord of the Rings. :) All the fun colors for Katie's hair: The final product: Please pray for Katie as she starts her first chemo treatment today! Love you sister w...

Thanksgiving

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