You Belong To Me . . . .

If you have ever owned a dog, you know how difficult it can be getting them used to wearing a collar.  All the incessant scratching, clawing and pulling, plus that funny little chasing their own tail thing they do to get a better look at it.  Then there is the whole added difficulty getting them used to a leash!

Well, all three of my fur babies have grown into loving their collars.  It took time, but they each have such pride about having their collars on.  Dixie, of course, has a pink collar.  Pink and white houndstooth, to be exact.  Bo has always had a red collar and leash.  The red is such a pretty color on his chocolate fur.  We picked green for Dusty, because green looks good with his blonde coat and green is Jason's favorite color.  Each puppy has a name tag on their collar with their name on one side and mine and Jason's contact information on the other.  If you can believe it, they actually act a little lost when they don't have their collars on.  Generally, it means they are getting a bath.

Just earlier this week, after I had given each of them their bath, I began the process of getting their collars back on them.  They each in turn would stretch their neck out long and hold very still without being told to.  They wait patiently as I fasten the collar around each neck and then proudly beam, holding heads high and shaking to hear their tags jingle.  It is as if they are saying to me, "Thank you mommy!  I belong to you and you belong to me!  I'm wearing my ownership papers around my neck."

I always think of Lady from Lady and the Tramp and the scene where Lady gets her collar.  I found it on You Tube and have included it in the post today for your enjoyment.  I can almost see that same joy and pride in my babies eyes each time I put their collar on.

This is just one of the many forms of unconditional love that animals can bring to your life.  No matter what has happened in a day or how difficult it has been, knowing that when you walk in the door to your home, those big loving eyes and wagging tail will be waiting to greet you saying, "There you are!!  I am so happy to see you!! YOU belong to me!!"

Cooking 101

I come from a long line of good cooks.  I've been fortunate to inherit my family's cooking ability.  I get it from my mom, who got it from her mom and so on and so on.  I also married one of the best cooks I know.  Between Jason and I, we could each weigh 400 pounds easy if we let ourselves.  We love to cook and eat and we are good at both.  Some of our favorite times are in the kitchen, side by side, preparing a meal together.  I think we both express love in that old Southern way by preparing food for those that you love.

Most of what we cook, we don't do by any sort of recipe.  Being from a long line of cooks, I learned early on about a pinch, a dash, a little bit of this and a little bit of that .  Very rarely do I measure anything.  I add something, then I add a little more if I need to.

That being said, I mentioned in blog post #1 that I would post photos and some recipes.  I will most certainly do that, but please understand that most of my "signature" dishes, I don't have measurements on.  I'll do my best to make adjustments so everyone can understand, but I wasn't taught to cook with a measuring cup so I will have to do my best to clarify.  For example, people often ask be about cornbread.  The secret to cornbread is an iron skillet.  You need a good seasoned iron skillet greased with Crisco.  For the batter, I use around 2 cups cornmeal, one egg, a big dollop of mayo and enough buttermilk to make the batter moist. Use more or less depending on the size of your skillet.  Bake in a hot oven until golden brown.  Temp on the oven can be as low or high as you would like.  The higher the temp, the faster it will bake.

This is how I cook and how my blogs about food will most likely read.  For more detailed recipes, I will try to give you an ingredient list and then detail the steps.  I plan on posting recipes like potato salad, homemade mac and cheese, my grandmother's dressing recipe, Jason's buttermilk pie and others as they come to me.  I also like to can my own tomatoes and pickles, so I will be posting pictures and how I make those things during the summer.

Let's get ready to eat good this summer!!

Meet the Baxley's

Ok, so I've posted topics I plan to talk about.  Now I guess I should introduce you to the Baxley family.  First, you have my amazing husband and me:

One of my favorite photos from our wedding day.

This is one of our favorites from last fall.  It was also on our Christmas card last year.

This is our oldest fur baby, Bo.  Bo is a 5 1/2 year old chocolate Cocker Spaniel.  Jason got him for me right after we go engaged.

This beautiful girl is our Dixie.  She is an American Bulldog and she is the epitome of the cowardly lion.  She doesn't know she is a big girl.  She thinks she is a lap dog like the cockers!!

This is our baby dog Dusty at 4 weeks.  He is such a cute sweet puppy!!  I don't know what we did before we had the "baby dog" as we refer to him.

And this is Doerak, the working dog.   He's pretty awesome too, but be careful!!  He doesn't really play well with others.

I don't have pictures of the chickens, but I will get some at some point.  I already have a story to post about the dogs and their collars.  I'll get it ready for tomorrow's post.  Hope you have enjoyed meeting our family!

Welcome the Baxley's to the Blogging World!!

Well, here we go.  Blog post number 1.  I'm new to blogging, but I follow a few and have friends that blog.  I'm a lawyer, so I have a lot to say.  I'm a Christian and a woman of faith, so I like to share my beliefs and my story.  I have a marriage that most people only dream about.  I'm not bragging, I was just fortunate enough to marry someone who is my best friend, has the patience of Job and is the most grounded, centered person I know.  Our life is pretty ordinary, but magical at the same time.

Here is what you can expect from me:  I like to cook and I'm pretty good at it, so I plan to post some recipes, pictures of food, and tips on cooking.

I'm a LEO (law enforcement officer) wife, so I plan on posting about some topics and that are important to folks in the law enforcement community.  I'm also a lawyer, but I will most likely NOT be posting about my work, legal advice, war stories or case specifics.  I MIGHT on occasion post about a bigger issue I see at work, but I am going to do my best to refrain from work related matters here.

We have 3 pet dogs, a police dog and back yard chickens.  You will probably get lots of photos and antics of our animal babies.

I'm new to running and love an exercise class called Pure Barre.  I'll update periodically about what I am doing in these areas and my progress with fitness and weight loss.  I am also an avid supporter of Weight Watchers, so I will talk about that some too.

Jason and I have been trying to have a baby pretty much our entire marriage.  After two miscarriages, we are praying hard about our desire to have a baby and what our next steps will be.  We have tried a fertility clinic and are looking into a Reproductive Endocrinologist.  I'll share as much as we feel comfortable about our journey to parenthood.

Lastly, I hope to post about various issues God lays on my heart, pray requests, praises, inspirational and motivation material and so on.  I hope that through some of my insights will be uplifting to you all.

In a nutshell, that's what I hope to talk about on this blog.  Who knows where it will go, but I'm excited to take this journey with you!  Let's Go!!