Southern Baked Beans

I have been making a modified version of Paula Deen's Southern Baked Beans and Luke loves them. Her version calls for one can which equals 4 servings. I usually take this dish to family get togethers and needed more than 4 servings. This recipe fills a 13x9 dish. Here is the recipe:

1 lb Bacon

2 onions diced

9 tbs yellow mustard

15 tbs maple syrup

12 tbs ketchup

3 (15 oz) cans of pork n beans

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Fry the bacon in a large skillet

Dice the onions

Remove the bacon from the pan and crumble it. I use a food processor. Leave the grease in the pan.

Place the onions in the grease.

Cook the onions until they are brown.

Mix the remaining ingredients.

Add the beans.

Mix in the onions, grease, and bacon. Pour into a 13x9 pan and bake for 45-60 minutes.

A Great Man.

I have asked for a lot of prayers for my Grandpa this year. So I want to introduce you to him. Many of you have met him. Those who meet him, love him. He is awesome! He always has been and always will be the foundation to our family.

Today we got discouraging news from his doctor. He was told he has prostate cancer. His heart condition will not allow them to treat the cancer. But, I am certain it is not his time to go. Honestly, he is one of the toughest men I know. I sincerely think he is one of the greatest men to ever live. He is hard working, honest, smart, resourceful, funny and part superhero. He knows EVERYTHING. He can tell you all about the weather, trees, gardening, cows and anything to do with farming. He LOVES children. He has always been so good to his grandkids and even better to his great grandkids. He is fun but firm. He taught us life lessons through actions and words. He has always been concerned about our well being and did everything he could to protect us and keep us safe.

I have the most wonderful memories...most of them took place at the farm. Some of my favorite memories are riding through the national forest in the scout, fishing, hunting armadillos, cooking with Grandma, eating watermelon with Grandpa, putting up hay, cutting wood, hauling rocks, picking the garden, sleepovers at the farm, and lazy days in the farm yard. We often got to travel with Grandma and Grandpa and made some wonderful memories with them. I had a terrific childhood and my Grandma and Grandpa were a HUGE part of it.

Here is a slideshow of some of my favorite pictures of my grandparents. Please continue to pray for my Grandpa and Grandma.

Thank you for the prayers for Meme. She recovered from her surgery and says she is feeling great!

A Little Update On The Girls...

Kinnison has changed so much in the past year. One minute I find myself looking at a young lady...sitting up so nicely, being independent. I can't even believe how grown up she is. The next minute, she's a complete goofball, giggling like crazy, saying nonsense words...cracking me up and driving me crazy all at the same time. She is a good mixture of fun/serious girly girl/tomboy. She has a huge vocabulary and a great heart. She is so thoughtful and generous. If she has something someone else wants she will give it to them. It makes my heart happy when she does this. She loves to sing and remembers the words to many of the songs. She is so smart. She wants to be a doctor when she grows up so she can help people and save their lives.

Some things about Kinnison:

*Knows all of her letters upper and lower

*Knows most of her sounds

*Counts to 13

*Can count backwards from 10

*Can write most of her numbers on her own

*Can swing by her self now (pump her legs)

*Loves to write and draw

*Loves to sing along to the radio

*Wishes she could start Kindergarten this year

*Loves to pray

Kimber has also grown and changed tremendously the past year…even in the past two weeks. Everyone has commented on how much taller she has gotten. She is very independent. If you try to do something for her she will say ME and get mad at you for trying to help…but at the same time she loves to be cuddled and doctored. She has a huge heart. She gives great hugs…especially at bedtime when she wants you to sleep with her. She is very nurturing. She likes to play with baby dolls and is always worried when other people have boo boos. She is super smart but still struggles to vocalize her thoughts and feelings.

Some things about Kimber:

*Knows how to count to 3

*Can identify 1,2,3,5 when you hold your fingers up

*Thinks everything is blue

*Has drastically increased her vocab since getting tubes in her ears

*Started calling grandpa “big papa” this week

*Started coloring this week instead of scribbling

*Loves to pray (can’t understand any of the words except “dankdo” (thank you) and “nanen” (Amen)

Vacation!

I am so glad to finally be home. We had an amazing time at Tybee Island. The girls loved playing in the sand, ocean and the pool. We got some great pictures of all the kiddos. My mom planned the menu for the whole week and we did nothing but eat! I think I gained 15 lbs. We walked on the pier, viewed a lighthouse and ate at Uncle Bubba's Oyster House. Mom and I got our picture taken with Uncle Bubba! I am so glad that we get to take our girls to see new places. They love to travel as much as we do. We are so blessed that we had the opportunity to spend a week at the beach with the family. Luke and I left a day early so we could go to Jamaica. We didn't plan it that way, but had to move one of the trips because of my NTL class. We woke up at 3 and drove home 16 hours on Friday. We woke up at 3 on Saturday morning and flew to Jamaica. We were exhausted! We went to Sandals Whitehouse in 2006 and decided to go there again. It was our graduation gift to each other. We had a wonderful time. We got to spend some quality time with each other and catch up on some much needed sleep. We missed the girls terribly though. It will be a while before we travel without them again. I am so thankful we got to travel to see two beautiful beaches. I am also thankful that no one had an accident or car troubles. We are so blessed!