Honey, Sugah, Dahlin'

Sweet sticky boy!

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Cook) — Mon, 14 May 2012 22:36:00 +0000

While celebrating Mother’s Day at my parents’ house last night, my sister Sami snapped these pictures of Wyatt with a bright rainbow lollipop. She’s got crazy skills. If you’d like to hire her, check her out at Sami M Photography.

Party time!

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Cook) — Tue, 08 May 2012 01:30:00 +0000

n Saturday, we hosted a joint first birthday/graduation party for Wyatt and Suzi. There was so much great food, family, and friends!

Wyatt’s colors were red and aqua and Suzi’s colors were red and black so we stuck to red napkins and plates.

On Sunday, I turned 26 and everyone came over to enjoy leftovers. Look at this nifty personal pie maker my husband got me. I’m excited to discover all the possibilities!

Suzi is a graduate

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Cook) — Tue, 08 May 2012 01:16:00 +0000

On Saturday morning, we dressed up and headed down to Valdosta to see my middle sister Suzi graduate from Valdosta State University with her degree in Early Childhood Education. She is now certified to be a teacher in the State of Georgia. I hope she finds her dream job. She will be a great teacher!

Wyatt is one!

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Cook) — Tue, 08 May 2012 00:10:00 +0000

We have had an incredibly busy weekend so this will be post #1 of 3. Sorry to bombard you with pictures but a boy only celebrates his first birthday one time and we wanted to do it right.

Justin surprised us with a trip to Zoo Atlanta for Wyatt’s birthday on his big day. We had a great time, even with the 15 million kids there on school trips.

Our spoiled little boy left the zoo with a stuffed tiger, a stuffed giraffe, and a t-shirt too! We had a great time and I am so glad Justin took the time and effort to plan such a fun outing for us to celebrate Wyatt’s birthday with.

Among other toys, he got a tricycle for his birthday from us. I bought some fun, yet education, Geranimals toys for Wyatt but Justin picked out a flashy red Radio Flyer tricycle that matches the wagon he got for Christmas. His little legs are still a big too short to pedal it, but he likes to sit on it and honk the horn.

He also got his very own smash cake. Justin, Wyatt, and I had our very own little birthday cake party that night.

Here it is!

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Cook) — Wed, 02 May 2012 22:54:00 +0000

Honey all bottled up and labeled. So proud!

Weekend wrap up

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Cook) — Tue, 01 May 2012 22:32:00 +0000

Wyatt had a blast at the local mall in the three-way mirrors while Justin tried on some pants.

I think he ate at least three strawberries right out of the field when we went to pick some at Calhoun Produce.

Justin tosses him up in the air and he giggles like crazy. He actually looked like he was jumping off the roof in this one.

Wyatt was playing at the front door and I was able to snap a quick shot of his curls in silhouette. He is finally getting some hair but it is so blonde it is hard to see.

We had a great weekend but it was good to head back to work yesterday. We have a big weekend planned! Justin has a surprise for us on Friday and it’s Wyatt’s first birthday. Saturday is Suzi’s graduation from Valdosta State and their birthday/graduation party, and Sunday is my birthday. I can’t wait!

Honey time

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Cook) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 22:12:00 +0000

My husband can get into some crazy things, y’all. Last year at the Georgia National Fair, we visited the bee booth that had a live hive sandwiched in plexiglass and he announced that we needed to get some honey bees. I have to admit he has dabbled in wine making, hard apple cider making, and has preserved a myriad of canned items and they have all been successful so I didn’t object-too much. Since the hives are behind his sister’s house, I was terrified that one of the kids would get stung a million times like that boy on My Girl. More on that later.

One weekend in February, Justin stopped at a local apiary and bought two hives already set up with bees and all. He put them out and checked on them weekly. This past Friday, I took off work and it was time to extract the honey. It was a little tough and we learned a lot as we went along.

Remember I said I was terrified of the bees swarming and attacking? Well, we only have two bee suits and a friend came over to watch Justin get the hives. I stayed back for the most part but one time I was a little brave and was able to sneak up behind Justin to snap this shot with shorts and flip flops on. Apparently we have docile, happy little honey bees.

Justin really impresses me with his knowledge of how the hive works, what all the technical terms are, and his ability to figure it all out. He even talked to the apiarist we bought the hives from and found out that a light dusting of powdered sugar will treat mites in bees. (That little bit of info is free for y’all.)

It’s a little difficult to see but those little shots of glistening is actually honey!

We took the frames home and scraped the beeswax and honey into a cooler that had a screen built into the bottom. More professional honey folks have centrifuges that spin the honey out to separate it from the wax, but we always have to figure out things the hard way instead of spending cold hard cash. It actually worked pretty well.

We let the honey filter through the screen into another bucket that was topped with cheese cloth. Let me just tell you--Justin and I couldn’t help dipping our fingers in there and eating it right out of the cooler.

We ended up with more than five FIVE 5(!) gallons of honey. I don’t think I typed that big enough:

FIVE!

We have to let it settle a bit more and pretty soon we’ll get to enjoy the hard work. Next on my project list is making beeswax lotion bars and candles. I have about 15 pounds of beeswax to work with.

Vera and Tervis: My favorites

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Cook) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 22:16:00 +0000

I rarely am brand loyal. I have a ~~cheap~~ thrifty gene and hate to spend big bucks on a product when I can get something similar for a lower price, but there are two notable exceptions in my life: Vera Bradley and Tervis Tumblers.

I got my first piece of VB when I was in college. Justin got me a purse and a whole bunch of accessories in the New Hope pattern and I have been hooked ever since.

Since then, I have always enjoyed seeing what new fun patterns emerge each season. This week, I won a $50 gift card for one of our local shops, Traditions, on Facebook. Traditions has a lot of great gifts and fun stuff, but I knew immediately I would be getting a new Vera bag. Here she is! It’s the Hipster in Lime’s Up. I think it’s just perfect for the summer time.

Also, I mentioned a few weeks ago that I somehow managed to break my Tervis Tumbler. The return form said that I would receive my replacement in 6 weeks. Imagine my surprise when I got it in the mail after less than two weeks! I am so happy and I love the cute little Southern Belle artwork.

Long story short, I am glad to spend a few extra bucks to get quality products. Check them out if you haven’t before.

Weekend wrap up

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Cook) — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 23:52:00 +0000

Justin headed down south to Osceola County, Florida with a fellow firefighter and his dad to go turkey hunting. I am so glad that he was able to get his first turkey!

I went out Saturday and Wyatt racked up on toys at yard sales. I never pass up good books for him and my theory on toys is that as long as I can wipe it down with a Clorox wipe, it’ll be fine. I do this because the very first thing Wyatt does is put it in his mouth.

Rivers Marie turned 6 years old on Wednesday so we had a pool party for her on Sunday afternoon.

Wyatt had a blast with Rivers’ Disney Princess lollipop. He was kind enough to give it back after he had drooled over every inch of it.

Look at that face! My daddy said that’s the devil dancing in his eyes!

Changing so quickly

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Cook) — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 00:43:00 +0000

In February, I attended a baby shower for one of my three college roommates. We all got together for our first picture since our ~~graduation from Georgia Southern in 2008~~ Erica’s wedding in 2009. It’s pretty neat to see how we have changed in four years: three marriages and two little boys later!

The Impossible

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Cook) — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 12:55:00 +0000

I did what I thought was impossible or highly improbable. I dropped my Tervis Tumbler Big T and it broke. Thankfully, they have a super awesome lifetime guarantee and in 4-6 weeks, I’ll be getting this baby in the mail!

That’s right! The only good thing that can ever come from a broken Tervis is “shopping” for a new design if you’d like. Can’t wait to get it back in.

Easter recap

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Cook) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 21:42:00 +0000

It’s a week late, but here’s a quick recap of our Eater fun. We went to a fun egg hunt on Saturday, but Wyatt just didn’t get the concept yet. One other little boy wanted more eggs but his mom said he had enough so he started picking them up and putting them in Wyatt’s basket. Wyatt kept slinging them out and rolling them around on the ground

Here are a few shots of the weekend fun:

Here are a few shots I snapped under the arbor at Mama and Daddy’s house:

Very Vera Backgrounds

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Cook) — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 00:33:00 +0000

I know most folks know that you can download Vera Bradley computer backgrounds like this:

But did you know the download page also has iPhone and iPad backgrounds, too?!?

Here is my phone all bright and decked out in Twirly Birds Pink.

Download yours on the Vera Bradley website!

Mary Kay Andrews

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Cook) — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 15:45:00 +0000

Mama, Sami, and I got the opportunity to attend a luncheon supporting the Tift County Library Foundation on March 10. The keynote speaker was one of my favorite southern writers, Mary Kay Andrews. I discovered her books while I was in college and I have been hooked ever since!

I laughed when Mama and Sami were getting their books signed. All of my MKA books are on my Kindle. I guess I should have had her sign my Kindle cover. Here’s Sami’s:

Fun with his cousins

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Cook) — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 15:45:00 +0000

Wyatt got some good play time in with Jake and Ben. They rode him all around the yard in his new wagon for a good 30 minutes!

Easter fun at the Rock Ranch

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Cook) — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 00:26:00 +0000

This past weekend, Justin, Wyatt, Mama, Daddy, and I went to The Rock Ranch in The Rock, Georgia (It’s a real town, I promise!). One the way up we stopped at the hotel furniture liquidation store Rhoda posted about here.

***SIDE NOTE*** After reading her post, I stopped there one day after a work event and snagged this huge (2 1/2’ x 5’) mirror for $29. It’s awesome!

Wyatt demonstrated his strong man skills!

The weather was terrible the entire ride up to TRR but thankfully it cleared up. We had a good time. Wyatt didn’t hunt any Easter eggs because he’s still a bit too small and we didn’t want him crawling around on the muddy ground. We had a great time though!

About that last pic, Mama did a great job of cutting me out, but let me assure you, I was right there to catch my little Weeble if he looked like he was about to slip.

Birthday fun

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Cook) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 23:16:00 +0000

Thursday was my SIL’s birthday so had everyone over for burgers and cake. Justin and Amanda got into a little exchange and got a bit of icing on each other. Of course, Wyatt loved his piece of cake so we took the legs off the utility sink and made a redneck baby pool on the back porch for Wyatt.

Amanda snapped these shots of him. She does way better than I do with my iPhone!

March Randoms

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Cook) — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 23:08:00 +0000

Here are some random pictures of what’s been going on this month:

Justin got our two beehives up and going. Since we have to distinguish between the two, Justin let me “name” the queens. We now have Dolly and Reba. I got the chance to don a bee suit and get up close and personal with them. I only had my phone and the touchscreen wouldn’t work with the gloves, so I will have to go back out there with my real camera and get some pictures.

We also have two other new additions to our menagerie. Meet Ouiser and Clairee:

Aren’t they fabulous?! I named them after my two favorite ladies on Steel Magnolias, of course. I can’t wait to get eggs from them! We were able to repurpose Skie’s giant box into a coop for them. It’s not beautiful but it serves its purpose.

In other great news, my college roommate Erica and her husband Nick welcomed Baby Henry into the world on Sunday. He is so cute and he already has more hair than Wyatt. I can’t wait to go over to Statesboro and see him in person.

Stationery card

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Cook) — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 20:28:00 +0000

Confetti Party Blue Birthday Invitation

Shutterfly cards for birthdays, Valentine's Day and Mother's Day.

View the entire collection of cards.

Fire Ant Festival Time

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Cook) — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 10:56:00 +0000

We had the Fire Ant Festival this past weekend and boy are we tired! Justin cooked in his first Florida BBQ Association cook and it was all great. We didn’t get a chance to take home one of these awesome trophies, but there’s always next year!

We had some of our favorite folks come visit for the weekend also. On the left, our friends Sharon and Rusty from Australia. They’re posed in the middle between Mama and Daddy. Also, my Aunt Kimmie and my cousin Steven got to visit from New Jersey.

On Sunday, Sami and I went to watch The Hunger Games. This movie blew me away. It was a hundred times better than I could have ever expected, especially since I basically have a silver plated copy of the trilogy on a pedestal the size of my house.

Sadly and excitedly at the same time, Wyatt took his first step while I was gone. I am so glad Justin was there to be able to see it, but I wish I hadn’t missed it. He’s growing up way too fast!

Camping at Lake Blackshear

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Cook) — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 20:35:00 +0000

This weekend we camped out at Lake Blackshear. Sami came and took a few quick pictures for Wyatt’s birthday invitations. I think they are fabulous!

We celebrated my BIL Michael’s birthday at the Mennonite restaurant in Montezuma and rented kayaks on Saturday. We all had a ton of fun!

Rodeo and Smokin’

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Cook) — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 00:59:00 +0000

My parents, my sisters, Wyatt and I went to the Georgia National Rodeo in Perry two weeks ago. It didn’t start until 7:30 p.m. which is Wyatt’s normal bedtime, but he was a real champ and only napped for about an hour of it.

The next day, Justin had a barbecue competition out at the Perry Airport. It was the Pigs and Wings competition, which made him really happy because our team is called the Flyin’ Swine Smokers.

Like our super awesome logo? Jeigh Hall from Jeigh Art and Design is a genius and did a fabulous job for us. We are so lucky to have such a talented guy in our hometown.

I am so happy for Justin! He got a call (which means he was in the top three in pork loin and had to turn in more to be judged)

Overall, he placed 3rd in loin, 10th in chicken, and 12th overall out of around 60 teams. This is a BIG DEAL considering this was only his third competition and he did it all by himself with very little help from me.

Of course, our little man had to have his own shirt—the printer wouldn’t make screens small enough to screen print his size without us ordering 20. I just printed some out on t-shirt transfers.

A few weeks behind

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Cook) — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 00:44:00 +0000

I am at least three weeks behind on my blogging! Sorry y’all! I have a very very busy March coming up so I am afraid I might get even farther behind. About four weeks ago, Mama, Sami, Suzi, Wyatt, and I headed to Savannah for the Savannah Women’s Show. Here are some highlights.

We got passes courtesy of our favorite Pepper Jelly Queen and a great friend of mine, Lauri Jo. Y’all—go check out her website and buy cases of that stuff—NOW! It’s divine.

Wyatt and I headed back to my old college town of Statesboro for my college roommate’s baby shower. I am waiting for them to post our group pics on Facebook—see, I’m not the only one trying to catch up

Wyatt and I each tried out some of Aunt Sami’s gear.

New Duds

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Cook) — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 10:32:00 +0000

I absolutely love my local Cato store. I am not a high fashionista—I need clothes that fit, are current, and are affordable. I hit up my local Cato and got a few great outfits. All of these together were less than $250! I have to take back the denim dress, though. It looked cute in the store but when I got home I realized it doesn’t lay right. I have a feeling that would be fixed after a few washes, but I don’t want to take the chance.

As you can see, I mixed a few pieces. I love cardigans—can’t you tell? I actually had the black polka dot dress (above with the pink sweater) on at church Sunday with a red sweater.

10 months old

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Cook) — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 00:38:00 +0000

I originally thought I would not turn this blog into a full-on baby blog, but it seems keeping up with both is getting the best of me. I haven’t updated poor Wyatt’s baby blog in a long time. Our little man turned 10 months old yesterday. Time flies! Here is the final product of our mini photo shoot.

Here is what I had to work with. He doesn’t stay still for long any more!