It's not the O'Hara's...but it's close.

Last weekend Jeff and I went to snoop around a new home his uncle just bought.  It's just 15 minutes away, and his uncle's not moving from the farm, but if it was me, I would come here every weekend to soak up it's history.  And serve dinner parties constantly.  And have everyone call me Scarlett O'Hara.

It's absolutely breathtaking.  Gone With the Wind being my favorite movie, I was in heaven walking around this place.  I felt like I just walked onto Tara.  It's a work in progress.  His aunt and uncle are doing amazing renovations, and I can't wait to see the finished product.  

The front porch alone is enough to make me faint.  The columns must be thirty feet tall.  Can you even see Jeffrey, there?  And they wrap all the way around the house.

 As I entered, I realized the main foyer is the size of my living room practically.  And the detail in the flooring in amazing. 

 Every room has chandeliers that will bring you to your knees.  Well, they did me, at least.  What I wouldn't give for one of these original fixtures in my home.  They're like pieces of art.

 And the hardware, have mercy. 

 And wouldn't you love every guest in your home to have their own fireplace in their bedroom?

 I could go on and on, but for now I'll just anticipate the finished remodel of this gorgeous 200 year old home.  And of course I'll share pictures with you. 

It's a Fact: Babies Love Owls.

And that fact makes me so happy, of course!  My friend Amy is having a baby soon, and like a smart Chi O, she's decorating her little man's nursery in owls.  I can't wait to see it! 

And appropriately, the hostesses at her shower did a fantastic job rolling with owls for the theme of the party as well!

 Not to be overlooked is this angel face, Avery, who had her very first birthday not long ago.  Could she have a sweeter face?!

 We celebrated at her house, where she invited all her best friends, who brought their parents along, for delicious chili and hotdogs. 

 What a sweet (and patient!) brother Will is, waiting for Avery to dig in!

 And like I said, this baby loves owls too!  These cute pink owls popped up all around the party, and were just as yummy as they were cute!  Great job, Lisa!

It was definitely an Evening of Wishes!

 This is one of those moments I can't wait to blog about...but then I don't know where to start.  I look forward to this party all year.  It was our second annual "Evening of Wishes" to raise money for Make-A-Wish, to grant wishes in our local area, and again contrary to all my last minute melt-downs, was a huge success!

Partly because of this guy, I have no doubt.  Jeff had it tough the last few weeks, as I read my and his to-to lists out loud hundreds of times a day.  Both of us being on the MAW Board is so fun, and I love that he loves MAW as much as I do.  His involvement and enthusiasm in something so special to me, well, I just don't know that I could put into words.  He is definitely my rock.  (Doesn't hurt that he cleans up well too. :)

 Ok, so the party.  This year we kicked it up a notch!  BAM!  And held it at Green Island Country Club, which (I think) is definitely one of the nicest places in town!  (and nearly broke the bank negotiating!)  It all turned out perfect!  We dined on salmon and steak, and the service was wonderful!

We had two wish families as our guests of honor. :)  Here are the Moseley's.  I met Daniel three years ago, and granted his wish shortly after to go to Disney World.  After three years of treatments for leukemia (ALL), next month will be his last maintenance chemo!  We are so excited!!  Daniel is a rockstar, and I love the strength and love this family shows in everything they do.

 The main event of the evening was our silent auction, once dinner and speeches were over.  It's amazing how the community steps up for our organization.  We had the most amazing items!  Here's a peek....  My favorites will always be the paintings we have from wish kids themselves of their wish experience, you'll see them mixed in the other items.  They're always the first to go, and I can imagine them all hanging proudly in someone's office or playroom to brighten their day, I know it would mine!

 We had gift baskets from doctors offices for free services, furniture, memberships to the Coca-Cola Space Center, concert tickets to Sugarland and Guns n' Roses, an AU autographed football, paintings, photography sessions, this awesome Char-Broil grill....I could go on and on!

 And of course, the ever popular item from last year, the Barrel of "wish" spirits, had to be on the auction block! 

 We even had a limited edition guitar from the Eagles!

 And a Tribute to Bobby Cox all our Braves fans wanted in their "man caves!"

 I am so grateful for the people who came out to support Make-A-Wish, some friends or co-workers, some new friends I met that evening.  All however, were there to make wishes come true!

 We loved our entertainment, and if you need a good two-man band, we give two thumbs up to the Tony Boloney Extravaganza with Rob Hall!   They were perfect!  And man, can they sing!

 Our other special guest for the evening was Emma (and her family).   Terri (with me there) and I had the honor of granting her wish last year to cruise to Jamaica.  Emma is graceful and hilarious and a joy to be around, and her attitude is positively infectious.  We asked her to speak at an Evening of Wishes, and tell us all what Make-A-Wish means to her.  After we got up next to her (when a few sweet tears begin to fall) for support, she captivated the crowd with the true spirit of our mission, which is to enrich the human experience with hope, strength, and joy.  If anyone does, Emma has all that, and more.

 As we all dried our eyes :), my main man Daniel came up to lighten our moods and help me with door prizes!  This was his job for the night, and he was a champ!  He may not know double digits yet, but we worked it out together, and it was a big hit!  I think he's fallen in love with the mic, because his mother sent me a picture the next day of the stage he set up in their living room! :)

 I could, and truly want, to tell you every detail, about this evening.  Most importantly I suppose, is that we reached our goal, and raised $10,000 to grant wishes that night!!

None of this could have been done without the incredible Board members I have in Columbus, who continue to impress me with every meeting we have with their ideas and spirit.  Our sponsors for the evening made all of this possible, and from the tips of my toes to the bottom of my heart I thank you, as well as our friends and guests who came.  You have all made wishes come true. 

If you think about it, and I do all the time, it's a really simple thing.  All we want to do is make a child smile, make them laugh, and watch it trickle to their siblings, and parents, and wash away any negative for a day or two.  It hasn't happened in a while for sick kids, so our job is to make it.  And when it does, it is so infectious.... making a kid's wish come true. 

Weekends on the Farm

They certainly never get dull.  Like this weekend Jeff's daddy called him down to the barn to help "de-horn" a young bull.  That one I stayed a home for.  Yuck, yuck, yuck.

We also never go hungry.  We love homemade cinnamon rolls (thanks to Pioneer Woman).

 And of course there's the moment when you realize the young chicken you've been raising, eagerly anticipating gathering her fresh warm eggs to cook with....CROWS.  I have since learned you can't tell little boy chicks from girl chicks, and have to wait til they're grown.  Well this clucker went down to the big barn, and we've got us a fresh batch of egg-laying hens now.  That don't crow.

 As usual, our afternoons consist of Kubota riding around the farm, and visits with all of God's creatures.  This mama cow will let you get close enough to pet her.  In fact, most the cows are so used to the trucks they'll practically chase you expecting hay or feed.  The spoiled heifer.

 If we're lucky, and Saturday we were, the neighbors will be ropin' and ridin'....is that what it's called?  The whole family has beautiful horses they take to rodeos and rope steer with.  It's fun to do, and even more fun to watch!  I wanted to break out some ol' school Garth Brooks....It's the broncs and the blood, the steer and the mud, it's that damned ol' rodeooooo!

 Anyway....I digress.  Back on our side of the fence, the Robinson's have a few horses too.  One of my favorites belong to little cousin, Rani, who's five, and won ribbons of her own.  Her little pony's name is Wee.  You know, like ya mama, or ya grandmama use to say..."Aw, wee...."   He's pint sized, just like Rani, and both are so precious.

 And CLEARLY the most patient pony on the planet to put up with Jeffrey and his shananigans.

 We cruised fields until we ran across my favorite jackass.  Well, he was until this weekend.  We never leave home without checking the bread stash for expiration dates (and believe me, a dad and two kids NEVER know when to throw out bread).  So I grabbed the stale bread that was inevitably there, and lovingly fed this hunk of good-for-nothing donkey, until someone got a little overzealous and chomped down on my FINGER!  And I'm talking drew blood!  I try to love this hairy, stinky, waking-me-up-at-all-hours-hee-hawing-for-no-good-reason face....but at this moment we're on a break.

 This weekend I was off-duty in the kitchen.  I'm not sure when that was established or why it happened, but I relished every moment.  Jeff cooked homemade pizza one night (well, he poured Ragu on Publix pizza dough, chopped up ham, and opened a can of pineapples) but it was FABULOUS, babe!  And the other he made wings, which I love.  Seriously.  I eat wings like a man.  And Jeff makes some wings to rival any restaurant, and it's quite the process. 

 Sunday was a work day.  We put on our Beverly Hillbillies hats, and loaded up the truck, and headed down to the hunting property.  I prayed I didn't see anyone I knew.  Seriously.  Jeff asked that I not take any pictures for fear someone might copy us.....right.....  I was afraid we might be pulled over.

We drove 30 mph and finally got there.  Once at the hunting land (deer season is right around the corner in Georgia) we unloaded the Kubota, then the deer stand, then the feeders, then the corn, then the tools....Lord, what am I forgetting?  Though I think I mostly watched, I really did try and help, and we managed to get the stands up the trees and strapped in, and all ready for Jeffrey and his mini-me Kyle to bring home supper very soon!

   And now since hunting over corn is legal in Georgia, Jeff even went so far as to build them troughs to eat from (to keep the wild hogs out).  This is strange to me, it's not so much like "hunting" anymore, but "waiting."  Trick or treat, Bambi!

 And finally, last night we (correction: I did the work, Jeff critiqued) carved our pumpkin!  Looks pretty scary, right???!!!

 Jeff picked my spiders apart, and informed me it was more like a "beachy pumpkin," because they looked like crabs....but soon as the lights went off, I saw him cringe with delight!

Happy Fall, Yall!  We are loving this weather.  And we're gearing up for a big weekend coming up.  We've been planning and planning for An Evening of Wishes for months now, and it's finally here!  I can't wait to tell you all about it!