Vicksburg, Mississippi

It was a beautiful day in Mississippi today. We drove through Vicksburg to see the "Siege of Vicksburg". All of these pictures were taken by Erin. She is working on her next 4-H project--photography!

Me and Amber in front of a line of cannons:

The cemetery has the distinction of having the largest number of Civil War graves of any national cemetery in the United States. There are 17,000 Union soldiers buried there, but there are no Confederate soldiers.

The small markers are graves of unknown soldiers. There are only about 5,000 known soldiers buried here.


The U.S.S. Cairo:

This ship was sunk in the Yazoo River in 1862. The ship was located after many years and finally lifted from its watery grave and reassembled in 1964. You can actually walk on it. Very cool!

One of the many memorials throughout the tour:

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving! After the tour today, I am reminded of all the sacrifices that were made to make our country what it is today. For that I am very thankful!!

Award Winning Swine!

"Smart Swine Stan" won 2nd prize in the 4H Piggy Bank Pagent. We are so proud to have an award winning swine!!

Yummy Soup!

I went to Olive Garden a couple of weeks ago to celebrate a friend's birthday. I ordered the Pasta Fagioli Soup, which I love! I remembered as I was eating it that I had a recipe for it. A few days after I ate there, Stuart met a friend at Olive Garden and ordered the same thing. He came home and said "Didn't you use to have a recipe for that?" So, I took that as a sign to dig out the recipe. I cooked it tonight. It is super easy and delicious!!

Pasta Fagioli Soup


1.5 pounds ground beef
1 c. onion-chopped
1 c. celery-diced
1 c. carrots-slivered
1- 24 oz. can chopped tomatoes
1- 15.5 oz. can dark red kidney beans (drained)
1- 15.5 oz. can light red kidney beans (drained)
3- 14.5 oz. cans beef broth
2 T. Oregano
1 t. pepper
3 T. parsley, chopped
2 t. tobasco (exclude for milder taste) (I just used 1 t.)
1 jar 24-28 oz spaghetti sauce (I use a different brand than the kind I use for spaghetti)
8 oz. macaroni shells


Saute the beef in a large pot. When the beef is about browned, put in celery, onion, carrot and tomatoes and allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Add all of the other ingredients and let simmer until the celery and carrots are tender. At least 1 hour. Makes 5 quarts (You might need to add a bit of water as it cooks).

Enjoy!!

Sunday Afternoon Project

Erin had to make a pig bank for 4H. She called it "Smart Swine".

I think he turned out really cute. The only thing that I did was help with the hot glue. She came up with the idea and the "how-to". She is such a creative little girl!!

Veterans Day

Erin was out of school today, so the two of us went to the Veterans Day Parade. I was not thrilled about going, but it passes one block from my office and it was a beautiful day, so we did go. It is not an extremely exciting parade, but I am always glad I went once it is over. And hey, who doesn't love a parade?

Anyway, everytime I am at the Veterans Day Parade, I get this lump in my throat and my heart is so proud that I feel like it might bust! It is amazing. It happens everytime!! The sights of the men and women of our military marching with the cadence being called out, the vehicle with those who have received the Purple Heart, the vehicle with the WWII vets....I get a little teary-eyed recalling the sacrifice that has been made and is made everyday, so that my youngest daughter and I can sit there with no fear and honor these brave individuals. Trust me...I want them on that wall....I need them on that wall!  So, for all of those who have served, are serving, and will serve......Thank You!!!!

HALLOWEEN!!!!!!

We went to a Halloween party tonight. Me, Stu, Amber, and Leanna were a 4 count pack of Crayola Crayons. We were the winners of the family costume contest. We won a $50 gift card to Red Lobster!! Not bad for something thrown together the night before!

Erin and her friend Callie were dressed as a witch and a devil:

We bobbed for apples, went on a hayride, and made s'mores.

The night was a lot of fun, but almost ended on a very sour note. While driving home, someone ran a red light. Thanks to the incredible reflexes and driving abilities of Stu, we avoided a major collision!!!!

School Fun

Erin's class put on a play at school today. Her and her friend were Carpetbaggers.  They had to dress like men because that is who the part was written for.  Of course, (and I am not being biased) she was the best.  Just ask Grammie! :-)

After the play, they painted pumpkins.