Ah, the South

....with it's unrelenting heat, indexes in the 3 digits, and a pregnancy in it's last trimester.

This combination has brought me nothing but grief this summer, but today, I am reminded again of why I love living in the South. I went to early vote and arrived about 20 minutes after the polls opened. The parking lot was bereft of any shade and as I approached the door, I saw a rather large line forming. This line was just past the sign that said "Why wait, Early vote" HA!

I assumed my place in the back of the line with two year old in tow. I was feeling hot, huge, and not so cute. All of my warm weather clothes were dirty, so the best I could pull together was a pair of black leggings and T-shirt. I must have looked as pitiful as I felt, because as soon as I assessed how long the line was, a poll worker came out, pointed at me and ushered me directly inside. At first, I thought it was just to escape the heat, but she got me started immediately in the voting process. I started thanking her profusely whilst pulling out my registration card. I have no idea if there was anything snide said as I was whisked inside, but I am grateful for that sweet woman who knew that that is just what you do in the South.

- Frances, count another one down for Haslam!

Workin' at the car wash....

Train 'em early, I say....(too bad I missed my opportunity to train on the color choices- Jeff looks like a preschool referee and Mad could be on the fairy soccer team)





(you all knew this was coming)

Good aim!

Does anyone else feel like the theme from Jaws should be playing???

Slowly I turn, bit by bit

Kitchen progress....

All appliances working and in place.... (except the gas guys need to come back out and move the gas line exactly 1/2 of an inch so that it will be completely against the wall)



Beadboard in place. Jeff likes the natural. I think it looks country. Our current compromise is to paint it an actual color, rather than white, but that's what I love about a paintable backsplash! Whenever I get bored, I'm off for a quart of paint and some color therapy.



The beadboard underneath the island will stay white though. Jeff spent a good part of this weekend putting up all the knobs. Could that be a more obnoxious project? Is 3 inches or 4 inches down better? We chose knobs for the upper cabinets and handles for the lower ones. I should have gotten a better picture of them for the post, but I'm trying to stay out of my contractor's way. We'll have to do a detail post once this is past. So what's left? Building out the pantry and a petite punch list for the contractor, and a lot of sewing and painting for us. We have a carpenter who is going to build a window seat for us and a bartop looking into the family room. I'm not fully cooking in here yet, all of my stuff doesn't yet have a home, or isn't clean, but I can attest to the fabulousness of a kitchen sink with a disposal and the magic of scrambled eggs. God bless my daughter who thought she had hit the jackpot today with a lunch of apples and peanut butter.

A girl and her cow are not soon separated...

A little adventure was had last Friday (during the 95 degree heat I must add) to the Mayfield Dairy Farm and the Sweetwater Valley Farm.

Strike a pose, Mad....

Madeline with her BFF Mallory.



The whole crew of chillun's with Maggie the Mayfield mascot saying "mooo"!




The necessary equipment to tour the farm in Sweetwater, don't want those cows to catch our colds!




"Baby cows, Baby cows"

We took a little tour around the farm and the guide told us about how they take care of the cows. As I am 7 months pregnant, I kept getting tickled about how high maintenance the cows are. They don't like to produce milk if the temperature is above 60 degrees, so they are kept in a air conditioned barn. I was personally excited to visit them there, I thought they would be pleased with my footwear, but no go. They take 9 1/2 months to birth their new babies, but these poor moms to be are cast out into the open air to birth them. Stand up for your rights to the air conditioned barns ladies! Call PETA, they'll listen! There has to be an app for speaking Mooo!

The fourth and her blueberries

HA! and you thought I was revealing the gender of our upcoming baby. Only the docs know.......

Sittin' in the evening sun.... at our cabin for 4th of July weekend is my absolute favorite summer activity. Jeff, Mad, and I arrived just a evening ahead of the rest of the crew... and 7-8 pm is the most wonderful time to just watch the waves go by.



....or examine your toes...



oh, I wish I was back there now!




This picture is from my kitchen!!! Not finished yet, but with just enough capability to make me want to put something in jars. I put together this blueberry sauce with the gallon that I bought at the lake. I love how their sweet little blueberry cheeks press themselves to the sides of the jar.

Here's the recipe: (thank you Tyler Florence)


2 tablespoons butter
2 pints blueberries
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 lemon, juiced

Combine the butter, blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice in a small pot over medium-high heat. Bring up to a low boil and stir gently until the berries break down and release their natural juices. The consistency should remain a bit chunky. It will thicken up when it cools down slightly.

It's wonderful over anything- ice cream, pound cake, cheesecake, the back of your hand.....as it barely drips over the spoon. Excuse me....