Welcome to the Blog Plantation Y'all

Our family welcomes you and thanks you for stopping by to visit. We are delighted you have taken a few minutes out of your day to spend with us. We are Joe and Jessica. We have two children and one very regal beagle! We post often and it usually includes details of our Christian faith; life here in the South; entertaining our family and friends; tales of our travels; as well as the daily adventures of having two children. Oh, and our passion for Alabama Crimson Tide Football!
Grab a mint julep, relax, and enjoy the site. Don't forget to leave us a message. You can click under any blog entry to do so. We love to hear from our guests.
(Also, please remember that all writings and pictures are the sole property of the blog plantation and it's authors and may not be duplicated, unless otherwise noted. )

Thanks for dropping by Y'all!




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What time I am afraid I will trust in thee
Psalm 56:3

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Friday, July 31, 2009

Positive Day




Today is positive day hosted by my favorite Dustbunny. Well, actually her 12 year old came up with this fantastic idea. So here is how it works. Post about things you are thankful for and love.

So, I thought I would share some of them in pictures!


I am so thankful for so many things in my life, most of all for my Lord and savior Jesus Christ.


I am thankful for my family and the wonderful relationships we have.


I am thankful for friends that I have had for so many years and new friends that have come into my life.


I am thankful for the dustbunny, Libby, Charnita, hewy, Laura Beth, Leigh, and other blogging friends I have made.


I am thankful for those of you who visit everyday and spend time here at the Blog Plantation!

Foodie Friday!

BE SURE TO VISIT GOLLUM
for more Foodie Fridays!



My Sister in law has been in the south for 2 years. Needless to say we have had an impact on her. She is now digging in the dirt, making floral arrangements and baking from scratch. The funny hats are on the way. Yes sir, this girl is now truly dripping in SOUTHERNESS









(Katy's floral arrangement)



So to celebrate Katy (whom I admire so much) and her new found southern roots, we are cooking some of her wonderful ORIGINAL recipes. How adore my Sister in Law. I hope you will as well!


These include her "notes" on each one.





Greek Grilled Eggplant and Chickpea Salad
When you taste this, you won't believe how good for you it really is!



Dressing:



1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil...the good stuff



2 tbl red wine vinegar



1 tbl lemon juice



2 large cloves garlic, presseddried oregano (I don't actually measure it, but use quite a bit)



salt and pepper to taste



Salad:



1 large eggplant, sliced thick enough to grill without falling apart



1 cucumber, peeled and chopped (or 2, depending on how you feel)



1/4 large red onion (or half a small),



mincedpint grape tomatoes, halved



4 oz feta, crumbled



2 cans chickpeas, well drained and rinsed salt to taste (with all the veggies in this, I often need a little extra salt)



I make the dressing ahead of time. Since my olive oil solidifies in the fridge, I usually make it in a jar, shake well, and let it sit at room temperature for about 12 hours, shaking intermittanly, to let the flavors "meld".



We're big garlic fans, so two raw cloves may or may not be too much for you.



When the dressing is ready, I oil the grill, grill the eggplant over a medium heat, then allow the slices to cool before chopping. Then, simply mix everything together.



We can't get enough of this stuff...enjoy!


Blueberry Banana Oatmeal Cookies!







(the picture is from my baking them this week)


Blueberry Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies


Ingredients:


2 eggs


2 tbl canola oil


½ tsp vanilla extract


1 overripe banana
1 cup rolled oats


¼ cup wheat bran


¼ cup whole wheat flour


¼ cup sugar equivalent
(like Splenda or Stevia)
(I find this much to be plenty sweet, but feel free to add more)


½ tsp cinnamon


1 tbl ground flax seed


2 tbl dried blueberries (or dried fruit of your choice)


Directions:


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, beat eggs, oil and vanilla together with a fork. Add Splenda and beat in. Add banana, and mash, mixing well.


2. Put oats into food processor and process until it is the consistency of a very coarse flour. (With as little wheat flour as I have in this recipe, they don't stay together well if you skip this step.)


3. Add oats and remaining dry ingredients, except blueberries, to the egg mixture and stir well until evenly moist. Stir in blueberries.


4. Spoon onto an oiled cookie sheet, and bake for 15 minutes. Can be baked longer if you prefer a crisper cookie. Makes 6 cookies.


5. For a sturdier bar-like consistency, spread into an oiled loaf pan, and bake 20 minutes. Invert onto a cutting board. When cooled enough to touch, slice into 6 pieces and return to oven, upside down, on oiled cookie sheet, for an additional 15 minutes, or until beginning to brown.
THANK YOU FOR SHARING KATY!!
We love you!

Thursday, July 30, 2009

He is coming and needs your prayers!

This is my friend Dena.

We have known each other since High School

Is she not THE cutest expecting mother you have ever seen?



I just love these pictures of her!

Anyway, she goes in tomorrow to deliver her second child.
I cannot even begin to tell you her story.

Both children are miracles by God (not that every child isn't)

Dena has endured miscarriages and losses that would destroy most.

Heparin shots, genetic counseling, and a host of other sacrifices

to bring her two little boys into this world.

Yet, she never complains and never has a "why me" attitude.

She exudes grace, strength, and faith.
I cannot wait for her to hold both of her boys in her arms.
IT IS ALMOST FINISHED D!
We love you!

Please pray for her, lift her up that all goes well.


Captain Germ from the planet sicko

Captain Germ from the planet sicko
has struck the Blog Plantation with a vengeance!
~ Seems a long long night ahead for all of us. It is bad enough that Orry doesn't understand what is happening when he gets sick, but he is freaking out when Mommy (or Olivia) gets sick.
We are hopeful Daddy will prevail over Captain Germ as will we all and be back to blogging soon.
Next week we will participate in tablescape thursday!
BE BLESSED!

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

There is a lot of magic out there!

Do you know what this is?

Why, it is a fairy village of course. For many years they have been found in my Mother's gardens. Tales of them have been passed down for generations.

Only the purest of hearts can see them and only the truly noble ever catch a glimpse of an actual fairy!




We were so fortunate on this day to catch a fairy at play


This sprite was very fond of the water


She frolicked on the cobblestone path




She dreamed of distant lands





She listened for all the music of God's world



She cautiously looked for followers as she slipped back into the fairy village




I hope you enjoyed this most rare glimpse into a world few have ever seen.




These were taken when my Princess was only 2. She was a fairy for Halloween. This was no ordinary fairy costume. This was handmade by my mother. Every one of the 200 plus swarovski crystals hand applied, layers of tulle and sequins. She made her floral head piece and even the wand. Although this fairy had strep throat and a fever of 102 she had to dance through Halloween night. It is still my favorite Halloween ever!

How I adore Fairies!


Monday, July 27, 2009

My son had a "Risky Business" Moment


Tom Cruise eat your heart out!


OK now we have the sunglasses


Before the dance craze!

What a weekend!


We had a fabulous weekend!


To start it off Friday night we went to Friday Night Flicks in the park with the Joseph family. They were showing Journey to the Center of the Earth in 3D. The children had a great time and so did the parents! What a blessing these precious friends are to us. Laura Beth wrote the most precious post about our friendship and why she is walking with me in the WALK FOR LUPUS NOW on her blog, you can read it here

It was the most beautiful post and I was humbled by her words. To be thought of like that, y'all I cannot even explain it.

Saturday, we spent grilling, swimming, and movie night at home. It was great! We needed a "recharge" day!


Sunday, we attended the Birmingham launch party @ Jim N Nick's BBQ for the Walk for LUPUS Now. The event will be held on September 26th and I have named my team in honor of my Mother. We are The Debs! It was great food, fellowship, and CAKE!
If you, or anyone you know is effected by LUPUS you know what difficulties they face. If you can please donate to our team and support us in our walk. Feel free to join our team, you can be a "virtual" walker from anywhere in the country and help us raise money. Even if it is only $1.00 That is one more dollar towards finding a cure. Y'all, we are so close! After 50 years we are FINALLY seeing the beginnings of a path!
So that is it for our weekend, hope you had a great time and enjoyed friends and family too!

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Foodie Friday!

Be sure to visit Gollum for more Foodie Fridays!
Don't forget to enter the give away HERE
see side bar->
So today we are baking
A little pecan pie to satisfy that sweet tooth. Nothing is better than homemade old fashioned southern pecan pie!
So here is our
SHOPPING LIST:
1/3 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup Light brown sugar (packed)
dash of salt
1 cup Karo (2/3 light Karo and 1/3 dark Karo)
3 eggs beaten
1 tsp of real vanilla
2 cups chopped pecans
1 pie crust
Cream butter, sugar and salt. Add Karo, eggs, vanilla mix. Add pecans. Mix well. Pour into pie crust. Bake @ 400 for 10 minutes. Then reduce to 325 for 45 minutes - an hour








Hope you are full! See you next week!

Before you go be sure you entered the drawing !

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Tablescape Thursday

Be sure to visit Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for more tablescapes!

Don't forget enter the giveway here at the blog plantation!

Be sure to check out the details of the give away HERE



In keeping an eye on Autumn
I am going to do something a little different for TT

Here is where we set up for the Trick or Treaters

and below is the dining room

Thank you for stopping by!

Hope you will come back next week

I had to share!

I grabbed the camera when I saw this develop in my dining room
this evening.
Since we posted a lot of Olivia swimming
I guess it is OK that she isn't in any of these.













I will post my regular post tomorrow for Tablescape Thursday,
but I HAD to share these from this afternoon!
Be blessed Y'all

Blog Plantation Activities

* My tomatoes are abundant this year!
We are so blessed.

Well, here is a look into what has been going on @ the blog plantation
over the past few chilly and glorious days!
Puppeteer and puppet


I wasn't exactly thrilled about this

Water gun fights

Bike rides

falls in the mud

Hanging out with Daddy

How blessed we are!

Be sure to register for the giveaway!

See sidebar for details!

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

We are having a give away!



The drawing will be September 1st, 2009.
This is what we will be giving away!!!

An artificial pumpkin with your initial carved on it!

Be sure not to use real candles inside!

To be entered, become a follower and

leave a comment with your email or link to your blog

. That is it.

Winner will be notified

Sept. 2, 2009

Monday, July 20, 2009

Could Fall be on the way?




It seems there is a touch of Autumn in the air. I cannot get over how chilly it has been the past few days!
We have turned the air conditioners off and opened the house
(and freeze at night)
It seems such a tease as I am certain that it won't last much longer. A nice reprieve from the scorching heat of the summer. We had a long cool spring with very late frost and now it seems possible that we will have an early Autumn. Oh, I am bursting with excitement (as I always am prior to Autumn) Pumpkins, spiced cider, spice cakes and pumpkin pie!


So forgive my slight absence, we are outside every moment we can!


So in celebration of all things Autumn, we are going to have a Give Away! Stay tuned for details. Be sure to become a follower, as followers and those who leave comments will be the only ones eligible!
Teased?
Hope so!

Friday, July 17, 2009

Gnome Hunt

We are gnome hunting. It is a gnome from Rome that must be in our home.
OK, OK we have been around Hewy and the gnomes too long!
We will update you as the hunt progresses!
We saved the Christmas gnome.
Hope we will have the same luck today!
If you want to play along visit Hewy for clues

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Foodie Friday!

Be sure to see Gollum for more Foodie Friday!

OK if you dropped by yesterday, you saw Mama's Table.
So we are going back to Mamma's today for dinner:
Stuffed Cornish Hens, glazed carrots, and asparagus



These make such a beautiful presentation!
Cornish Hen
stuffed with wild rice
Glazed carrots
steamed asparagus
Thanks for coming by!
See you next week!