Guns Are Only Half of the Answer

I have remained silent on the school shootings in Connecticut .  Mainly because, well, what is there to say?  It's a horrible, tragic event, that no words can even begin to express the amount of sadness and downright angriness I feel.  There is copius amounts of pain, suffering and disbelief all over the country.  The healing process is just beginning for the families and friends of the victims and I'm sure it is an all encompassing, overwhelming sense of loss. 

Do I blame guns for what happened?  Absolutely not.  I don't think it matters what instrument the killer used.  He could've used a truck bomb like Timothy McVeigh, an airplane like al-Qaeda, a pipe bomb like Eric Rudolph... the list goes on.  It doesn't matter.  I blame Adam Lanza.  And maybe I also blame society as a whole. 

Here is a great post from Bonnie Garret, former GSL Secretary (and full disclosure, my younger sister).  She put into words a lot of what I've been thinking.  I will say, the only part I kind of disagree with here, is her annoyance with the NRA.  I actually found it to be respectful that they didn't come out 'guns a blazin' right away. But that's a whole other topic.  Give this a read, it's worth it.  And please let me know what you think.   

GUNS ARE ONLY HALF OF THE ANSWER

I don't know about anyone else, but I was rather annoyed that the NRA appeared to be paralyzed after the recent massacre in Newton.  If they've since found their voice, it hasn't been loud enough for me to hear it, much less average Americans.

Just why would they decide to shut down and take cover?  It certainly appeares to me that they wouldn't have had to if they had a solid message that was worth communicating regardless of what's happening in society. 

I imagine that's got to be how many non-NRA members see it as well.

I may get hate mail for saying this, but guns are not the answer.

They are half of the answer.  As in:  Guns in the hands of good people do good; so what we need is more good people.

I doubt that many would argue that this society's apparent downhill spiral seems to coincide with the deterioration of the family: broken homes, fatherless children and the like.

To read the rest of the article, visit Guns Save Life.

Christmas Program

Lola had her Christmas party at daycare today and the kids sang a bunch of songs for the parents. They were all so darned cute! Here are a couple of videos... the first one Lola had a solo, she was so shy you could barely hear her. So NOT like how she is at home!

12-12-12

Wishing a very happy birthday to my little sister today!  If having a birthday on 12-12-12 isn't the coolest, I don't know what is!

Wordless Wednesday: Oh Christmas Tree!

Today's the Day!

A quick update on Shelly... she has been hit hard the past week with chemo to prepare for the bone marrow transplant today. JC flew down to Gainesville on Monday and underwent the peripheral blood stem cell retrieval process yesterday. They collected enough stem cells (more than 29 million!) that he doesn't have to do it again today.  So he's done and will be able to spend today with the family while Shelly undergoes the transplant.

These have been maajor answers to all the prayers!  Please keep them coming for fast recovery and no rejection issues for Shelly, continued good health and growth for Tegan and safe travels for Nick as he makes trips back home and to work. 

I may be a biased aunt, but Tegan is one of the most beautiful little babies I've ever seen!

Toon Tuesday: A Little Political Humor

Wordless Wednesday: Family Photos

Last Christmas, my siblings and I got our Mom a family photo session.... it only took 10 months, but we finally had them taken this past weekend!  Here is one of my favorite shots from the morning.

 

 

My co-worker and friend, Lindsay Mitchell, took them for us.  Thank you Lindsay!

Sending Some Love

Many people have asked for an address for Nick and Shelly. They will be at an apartment in Gainesville for next three months. The address is 4700 SW Archer Road, unit #5, Gainesville, FL 32608.

Shands Hospital offers a way to send some love as well. You can send an email message to Shelly here: https://ufandshands.org/send-patient-message. This is a great way to send her and her family words of encouragement--and great for her scrapbook! So let's bury her in a pile of well wishes!

They also have a baby registry on Amazon.com. Tegan will be in the hospital for a few months still so for right now an online baby shower is in the works. Right now all the love, support and prayers are needed to get Tegan big and strong!

Tegan grabbing onto Daddy's finger

She's Here!

We have a healthy beautiful baby girl!  Tegan Sophia was born on 10/11/12 at 6:08 pm at 2 lb 12 oz and 15 1/2 inches long.

 

 

For such a tiny little thing, she's coming out fighting (just like her Mama!)... she is not intubated and is breathing on her own. Not all the tests are back yet, so she's not out of the woods, but so far everything looks good.

 

Now onto recovery for Shelly and preparing for the bone marrow transplant.  Thank you for all the thoughts, prayers and well wishes, please keep them coming!

 

 

Thursday Thirteen

1. This week has been a busy one, sorry if you've called, texted or emailed and I haven't responded.  I will eventually get back to everyone!

2. Happy birthday to my big brother Buck!  He turned 39 yesterday, hard to believe next year he'll be 40. 

3. What do you consider "old"?  I have friends that freaked out turning 25, others at 30 and then others at 40.  So far, none of these numbers freak me out.  To me, 70 is old.  Scary, considering my dad isn't far from it, but he is FAR from old in my eyes!

4. BIG things are happening today!  As soon as I get the go aheadl I will be sharing!

5. JC hopped on a jet plane this morning to go to Florida.  He has his bone marrow donor evaluation tomorrow.  Please send some extra prayers that all goes well and he's cleared to donate to Shelly!

6. Monkey was very matter-of-fact that she would be going with JC today.  Poor thing was a bit broken hearted when she couldn't go. 

7. Our summer volleyball team had our last game last week.  This saddens me.  I'm going to miss seeing my team every week!

8. We are taking family photos next weekend, as long as the weather cooperates.  What color schemes do you like to see right now?

9. Two of my favorite people are getting married on Saturday.  I can't wait to celebrate their day with them.  Congratulations Josh and Leah!

10. And because of this wedding, the Abbey family will be coming home!  I'm looking forward to spending a little time with them before they have to head back to Oklahoma. 

11. I've found a new love for the chilly mornings.  Mint Hot Chocoloate.  For two reasons, I refuse to by the pre-made mint hot chocolate packages.  One, we have a Keurig coffeemaker so those while I would buy the k-cup, I don't like the loose powder.  Two, I'm kind of a tight ass with my money... which yes, sort of contradicts the Keurig thing.  So, to solve this problem, I've been making regular hot chocolate (from a k-cup) and putting one small drop of mint extract in it.  Top with a little milk and it's amazing!

12. I got a new pair of boots.  They are Ferrini's... I've never owned a pair of those before, but so far, I love them!

 

13. I'm seriously considering chopping my hair off.  I adore this cut.  What do you think?

 

 

Wordless Wednesday: Puppy Love

My parents got a new puppy last week, she's a 10 week old Pyrador - a cross between a Great Pyrenees and a Labrador, and she is ADORABLE!  The girls have fallen in love of course!

Wordless Wednesday: Budding Photographer

Monkey wanted to be on the opposite end of the camera for a change... besides us being a little out of focus, she didn't do too shabby!

 

Moving Along...

On Wednesday of this week, Shelly finished up her 23rd day in the hospital.  She was able to get a sonogram that showed baby Tegan weighing in at an estimated 2lb 2oz and doing great! 

After her induction chemo, her immune system finally rebounded enough that she was able to be released. She is at their Gainesville apartment now and will get some tests today that will hopefully allow her to go home home until the 8th of October.

On the 8th, she'll need to go back to the hospital for another bone marrow biopsy, this will be her 4 week biopsy after induction. C-Section will follow on October 11th.  Which also coincides with JC flying down for pre-testing, so he'll get to be there when lil Miss is born. 

Shelly will be admitted for the bone marrow transplant on October 23rd and will start chemo on the following day.  This chemo will be extremely rough on her.  JC will start his shots on the 26th and then fly down on the 29th to start the collection on the 30th.  The actual bone marrow transplant will happen on October 31st.  Happy Halloween!

Of course, this schedule could all change, it's tentative right now, but as long as Shelly's biopsy is good and she heals good enough after birth, everything should go as planned. 

An interesting note that I didn't know... after the transplant Shelly's blood will match JC's DNA perfectly.  Even down to being male blood!  She will have JC's immune system as well after it's all said and done. 

So basically, a lot is happening and very fast.  Please continue to keep Shelly and Tegan in prayers for their upcoming challenges they need love, comfort, and strength for good health!

Harvest

I've been gone the last two weekends so I took today off work to have a Mama/Daughter fun day.  I asked Monkey what she wanted to do on our day and without hesitating she said she wanted to go combine.  So that's what we did.  

 

In the combine with Uncle Jack

Watching the corn dump into the auger wagon
 

Farming with Papa Bob
 

It's not all fun and games, he put her to work too!

 

Farming is dirty work.... but loads of fun

Grilled Stuffed Peppers

I haven't made stuffed peppers in a while and I had some in the fridge that needed to be used.  Instead of going the traditional route, I thought I'd try them out on the grill.  BEST. IDEA. EVER.  Well maybe not ever, but best idea involving a green pepper in a long time, these were so good!

 

 

 

What You'll Need:

• 4 Large Green Peppers, cut in half and seeded
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 jar of diced tomatoes
• 1 boil-in-a-bag rice
• Italian Seasoning
• Mozzeralla Cheese

What You Do:

 

Brown ground beef in a skillet over medium heat.  Add onions, tomatoes and a couple of dashes of italian seasoning.  Remove from heat. 

 

Cook rice according the package directions.

 

While the rice are is cooking, prepare the green peppers.  I wanted the peppers to be nice and charred on both the top and bottom so I took a short cut and roasted the tops right over the open flame on the stove top.  You can put them on the grill as well.

 

When the rice is done, add to the beef mixture.   Use a spoon to scoop into the green peppers.

 

Top each pepper with a slice of mozzeralla cheese.

 

Grill peppers over medium heat until the peppers have nice grill marks and the cheese is all gooey and melted. 

 

I served with a slice of garlic bread, a side salad would be nice as well.     

Another Update...

Shelly and Becky in St. Maarten

Shelly started her first round of chemo on Tuesday. They call this the induction phase and it is being done with baby on board. She is expected to be hit really hard during weeks two and three so any extra prayers and encouragement during this time will be additionally appreciated.

She has tested positive for a double mutation which may throw a wrench in things, most likely this will mean she will need a bone marrow transplant and the doctors would like for JC will be the donor. No set date for this, but could possibly be looking at mid to late October. One step at a time and right now it's getting through this first round of chemo!

Shelly is in the Bone Marrow Transplant portion of the hospital so she can't receive any flowers or plants, but if anyone would like to send a card, letter, or pictures to her, here is the address:

Shands Hospital
1515 SW Archer Road
BMT Unit/Shelly Gardner/ Rm 7120
Gainesville, FL 32608

You can also visit here for updates:
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/shellygardner

 

Please keep the prayers coming! 

Update on Shelly

I am asked on a daily basis how my sister-in-law Shelly is doing.  Thank you to everyone who has been praying for her, it is definitely working! 

Doctors are baffled by the slow progression of the leukemia as her blood work continues to remain on just a slight decline! This is wonderful news and a huge blessing for her little girl.  The doctors are optimistic at this point, but her platelet levels are getting to the point where they will need to make some decisions soon about if she will undergo a blood transfusion or get her admission underway and start treatment. Currently, they are hoping that her admission will not be until next Tuesday, September 4th, with treatment starting on the 5th. Baby will have hit 23 and a half weeks along by that point putting her at over 29 weeks by delivery time, if all goes according to plan. The first 5 weeks of treatment are beyond tough, so please keep praying.

And another great piece of news is that the blood typing came back today and my husband, JC, and his sister Becky are both matches should Shelly need a bone marrow transplant in the future! 

Thanks again for the continued prayers, and as a reminder, please please please sign up for the Be the Match bone marrow donor registry! 

Wordless Wednesday: Bow & Arrow

I love how my darling child can wear a tutu and shoot a bow all at the same time... that's what I call well-rounded!

Pizza Stuffed Zucchini

Anyone else have zucchini overload in their garden?  We certainly do.  My favorite way to prepare it is with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and just toss on the grill for a few minutes.  But there are only so many times a girl can eat grilled zucchini.  So along came this creation.  I must admit, we were pretty pleased with it.

What You'll Need:

• 1 1/4 cups marinara sauce
• 1 large or 4 medium zucchini 
• 1 tsp oil
• 1/2 small onion, finely diced
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 diced green pepper
•  1/2 cup diced mushroom
• 1 lb Hot Italian Sausage
• Mini Pepperoni
• Shredded mozzarella
• Grated Parmesan cheese

What You Do:

Preheat oven to 400°.

Cut zucchini in half lengthwise and using a spoon, scoop out the center flesh.

Place 1/4 cup of sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 12" baking dish, and place zucchini halves cut side up.

Brown sausage over medium heat.  The last few minutes of browning add the onion, garlic, pepper and mushroom. Continue cooking until veggies are soft.

Using a spoon, fill each hollowed zucchini with sausage mixture. Top with a couple of tablespoons of sauce.

Add shredded mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese.

Finish off by adding pepperoni. 

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and zucchini is cooked through.  You want the zucchini to be cooked, but still crunchy.   

Squirrel Hunting

We took Monkey out squirrel hunting this weekend, we didn't see very many squirrels, but she got a lot of practice shooting her BB gun!

These are a couple of my favorite shots of the morning.

Taking a break from hiking.

Showing off the holes she shot in the shell!

Cucumber Boats

This summer has been hot. Not normal summer hot, like 50 Shades of Hell hot. When it's this unbearable, I like to have food that is refreshing and cool. That's where these cucumber boats come in.

There's nothing really special about these, you could just slice up a cucumber and throw some cottage cheese on top, but the boats look more appetizing and you MUST add basil and cilantro to the cottage cheese. 

What You Need:

• 1 cucumber, peeled, halved and seeds scooped out
• 3/4 cup cottage cheese
• 2 tablespoons basil, chopped
• 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
• Salt and Pepper - to taste

What You Do:

1. Peel a cucumber - I don't mind the skin, so I just peel off the parts that aren't good.  Slice it in half and using a spoon scoop out all the seeds.  Sprinkle a little salt on the cucumber.

2. Mix together the cottage cheese, basil, salt and cilantro and fill the hollowed out area.

3. Sprinkle with cracked black pepper.

4. Chow down.

Wordless Wednesday: Somewhere Over the Rainbow

This photo was taken a few weeks ago, there was a full double rainbow in the sky.  Monkey was super excited about it!

Be the Match

The first half of 2012 hasn't been so great.  I find it's better to look at the glass as half full rather than half empty and always try to stay positive about things.  So I haven't even bothered blogging about the trials we have been faced with.  I don't like to dwell in it and I think that no matter what life throws at us, I would rather roll with the punches than lie on the ground and be trampled.
However, now I'm going to share a little something and just ask for your prayers.

My sister-in-law, Shelly and her husband Nick are facing some pretty tough stuff.  They've already been down a really long road, three years ago she was diagnosed with breast cancer and beat it.  Last year, came a diagnosis of infertility due to the breast cancer treatment, and was able to beat those odds as well, as she is now 20 weeks pregnant.  Unfortunately the road has gotten even longer, last week she was diagnosed with MDS/early stage leukemia (AML) caused from the breast cancer treatment as well. 

They have spent time at the ER and Mayo Clinic and will now most likely be going to Shands.  Her type of leukemia combined with being pregnant is pretty rare so finding someone to treat her has been difficult.  They believe Shands has the Neonatal and Cancer facilities to help. If she wasn't pregnant, she would already be starting chemo, but as of now, they are playing a waiting game trying to give the baby the best chance at survival.  There is good news, they think they'll be able to treat this with chemo, but she may need a bone marrow transplant.  She will probably be spending a lot of time in the hospital, but right now, taking it one day at at time. 

I'm asking for you to please pray for her, Nick, and that precious cargo she is carrying.  I'm also asking that you sign up to be a bone marrow donor.  Not only is Shelly facing this fight, but a very close family friend is currently battling MDS-AML as well.  While you probably won't be a match for them, you may be a match for someone else.  Go to the Be The Match website to sign up.  You could save a life.

Here's to hoping the last half of 2012 brings forth more joy than sorrow.

Last Appleseed of the Year!

Next weekend, August 18-19, is the final Appleseed of the year at our farm. If you haven't made it out to one yet, you don't want to miss this one!  Fun is guaranteed to be had by all!

If you aren't familiar with what an Appleseed shoot is all about, check out their website.  You can also see if there are any other events close to you coming up.

Big Fan

This was Monkey last night as we were watching the Olympic coverage of the women's U.S. beach volleyball game.  Yep, she's definately my daughter.

Hats off to Funk Farms

I wanted to share this awesome accomplishment by a family who I consider to be my own!  Congrats Dan and Kathy!

Originally posted by the Illinois Beef Association

Dan Koons of Funk Farms Trust
Picture courtesy of Summit Livestock Facilities

Funk Farms Trust, located in Shirley, Ill., was recognized as a 2012 regional Environmental Stewardship Award Program (ESAP) winner during the 2012 Cattle Industry Summer Conference in Denver, Colo. Funk Farms Trust is the Region III ESAP award winner and will compete with six other regional winners for the national ESAP award, which will be announced during the 2012 Cattle Industry Annual Convention and Trade Show in Tampa, Fla. The ESAP award is sponsored by Dow AgroSciences; the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS); U.S. Fish and Wildlife; the National Cattlemen’s Foundation; and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA).

According to a nomination by the Illinois Beef Association, conservation of the land and efficient utilization of the resources have been a long time priority at Funk Farms Trust, which is managed by Dan and Kathy Koons. The Funk Farm Trust is one of the oldest farms in Illinois, dating back to 1824. Presently, Funk Farms Trust encompasses 2,175 acres, of which 1,700 acres are used for corn and soybean production.

Funk Farms Trust has worked with many organizations to improve the environmental quality of their operation, including the USDA NRCS, the McLean County Soil Conservation Service, and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Conservation and stewardship measures taken by the farm include establishing 35 miles of waterways and 25 miles of terraces to prevent soil erosion, establishing grass along hedge rows, recycling nutrients back into fields by utilizing a feedlot and handling manure through composting.

Preserving hedge rows and buffer areas throughout farm is required at Funk Farms Trust. The farm uses hedgerows to help improve air quality by diminishing wind and airborne dust and pollutant distribution. These hedge rows also address water quality issues by filtering and slowing rainfall, allowing runoff to percolate slowly into the soil and water table.

“Funk Farms has always been a shining example of what conservation and stewardship could be and should be on farms and feedlots in the Midwest,” said Steven L. Foglesong, owner of Black Gold Ranch and Feedlot, and past NCBA President. “Funk Farms has always been willing to try new technology in their conservation efforts and then share the results with others as is evidenced by the many open houses and field days held there over the years. Dan and Kathy have always been willing to open their doors and be advocates for not only the beef industry but the rest of agriculture as well.” Through a dedication to responsible environmental practices and conservation, NCBA has represented America’s cattle producers since 1898, preserving the heritage and strength of the industry through education and public policy. As the largest association of cattle producers, NCBA works to create new markets and increase demand for beef.

The National Cattlemen’s Foundation (NCF) advances the future of the beef industry by assisting in the education of the next generation of beef industry professionals. For more information, visit www.nationalcattlemensfoundation.org.

Food, Think!

I attended a conference today for work.  Since I work in the ag industry, this was a conference centered around agriculture.  I have been so busy the last few weeks I hadn't really had a chance to look at the agenda before actually showing up at the conference.  Once there, I took a peak at it and one speaker stood out to me, Cassie Payne Webb. 

Cassie grew up with an urban childhood, attended college at Vanderbilt University and was a school teacher in Brooklyn, NY.  She readily admits she was a believer of all things Michael Pollan and had MANY questions about the safety of our food supply.  She went on to get her Masters Degree at Texas A&M University in Animal Science.  She now understands the degree of safety and system of checks and balances the U.S. food supply undergoes and is now advocating for the industry! 

Check out her blog, Food, Think!  Cassie does a great job at getting right to the heart of the matter of food safety and dispells a lot of the myths that are out there.  It goes to show that first-hand experience is the best way to change someone's opinion.  If someone is willing to learn, we should be willing to teach.  Let people come to your farms and answer the questions that they have. 

Fancy Footwork

This cool cat is celebrating a birthday today....

He's the funniest, strongest, most supportive and just all around greatest dad out there.  Coudn't have made you better if I built you myself. Love you Pops!

ABUSE OR INGENUITY?

What do you think?  My vote is with ingenuity.

PRO-GUN GROUP USES CHICAGO FIREARMS BUYBACK PROGRAM TO FUND SHOOTING CAMP FOR KIDS

A pro-gun group claims it flipped the script on Chicago's firearms buyback program by selling old, broken rifles to the city and then using the money to buy guns and ammo for an NRA-sponsored shooting camp for kids.

"Guns Save Life," based in Champaign, Ill., recently sold 60 firearms to the Chicago Police Department -- 10 of which were manufactured before 1898 -- in exchange for $6,240 in gift cards, according to group president John Boch. The sale also included five BB guns and a rickety pump-action shotgun that was held together by duct tape and zip ties, he said.

"They recognized it for the junk it was," Boch said of the sale. "At one of the locations, one of the detectives was very tenacious ... And hit the guys with a flurry of questions like 'Where the hell did you get these, from a graveyard?' "

But the department carried out the transaction anyway, and the organization used the proceeds to fund the youth shooting camp. Boch said the money earned is being used to buy rifles and ammunition for an annual summer camp held at Darnall Gun Works & Ranges in Bloomington, Ill.

"The real delicious irony here is that the city of Chicago is paying for rifles that we're giving away to young people as part of this camp," Boch told FoxNews.com. "The program was intended to get unwanted and unused guns off the street to make the community safer. We provided them unused and unwanted guns."

Unwanted, because "they just didn't work."

Chicago's gun turn-in program, dubbed "Don't Kill a Dream, Save a Life," was implemented with the goal of removing dangerous weapons from the street. The program claims on its website that a "gun in the home is more likely to be used in a homicide, suicide or unintentional shooting than in self-defense." The initiative cites alarming statistics on its website to bolster its argument -- such as the claim that "States with the highest levels of gun ownership have 114 percent higher firearm homicide rates and 60 percent higher homicide rates than states with the lowest gun ownership."

The police department accused Boch's group of "abusing" a program intended to fight Chicago's crime rate.

"The amount of gun violence in Chicago is simply unacceptable and the impact of gun violence is far reaching," the police department said in a statement. "There's a ripple effect following every shooting incident that we all feel. We host the Gun Turn-In event on an annual basis to encourage residents to turn in their guns so that we take firearms off our streets and it's unfortunate that this group is abusing a program intended to increase the safety of our communities.”

But Boch used his group's sale to mock the effectiveness of the city's program, saying, "Just look at the murder rate in Chicago – is it working?"

"There’s a heavy police presence at every one of those turn in locations," he continued. "What criminal is going to submit themselves to that kind of police scrutiny for a couple hundred bucks?"
"Guns Save Life" said it sold its firearms to the city on June 23. For every gun sold, the group received $100 in the form of Visa debit card, Boch said. They received $10 for each BB gun.

The youth camp, which caters to children ages 9 to 16 and is sponsored by the National Rifle Association, "teaches the next generation how much fun shooting sports are and how to handle guns safely," he said.

Pomegranate-Cranberry Popsicles

It's been so hot and humid around here, I've been in the popsicle frame of mind!  I tried all sorts of different combinations, but my favorite so far is this one:

Pomegranate-Cranberry Yogurt Pops!

What You'll Need:

• 1 cup Honey-Vanilla Greek-style yogurt
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup pomegranate juice
• 1/2 cup cranberry juice

What You Do:
1. Mix together the yogurt and milk until it's thin enough to be poured.

2. Mix together the juices.

3. Alternately pour an inch of yogurt into the popsicle molds, then an inch of juice, and repeat until the molds are filled. Use a knife to gently swirl the liquids together.

4. Freeze overnight, until the popsicles are solid.

5. Run the molds under warm water and gently wiggle the sticks to free the popsicles from the molds.

Wordless Wednesday: Swim Lessons

Monkey started swim lessons this week and is LOVING it! 

National Take Your Daughter to the Range Day

Ahhhh.... it's FINALLY Friday.  This hasn't been the best week for me, so I'm more than excited that the weekend is just a few short hours away.  I don't know what exactly we'll be doing, for once we have a pretty open calendar.  And for this, I'm grateful.  But I do know one thing we'll be making time for... some more of this:

Do you know why?  Because tomorrow is National Take Your Daughter to the Range Day!  If you live near a range, spread the word and take the family!  If you aren't close to a participating range, that's okay too, take your family shooting anyway and suggest to your local range that they join in on the fun next year.  If you don’t have a daughter, adopt one for the day!  It could make a huge difference in her life

She's Done it Again!

A Girl and Her Gun is back at it!  She's beyond generous and having another awesome giveaway: 

First Place-

$200 toward firearms training
An OWB Holster from White Dog Holsters
100 rounds of ammo in .380, 9mm, 40 cal or 45 ACP
The Cornered Cat: A Woman's Guide To Concealed Carry

Second Place-
$200 toward firearms training
100 rounds of ammo in .380, 9mm, 40 cal or 45 ACP
The Cornered Cat: A Woman's Guide To Concealed Carry

It's only open to women, ages 21 and older and you have until July 3rd to enter.  If you have been wanting to attend a training course, or would like a loved one of yours to get some FREE firearm training, have them sign up today! 



 

Happy Birthday Peanut!

While taking some photos of Monkey for her birthday, I also snapped some of her cousin Peanut for her 6th birthday.  These girls are more like sisters than cousins, I can only imagine the trouble they will get into when they are older!

Happy birthday Peanut!

CornBelters Game

We enjoyed an evening at the Corn Crib over Memorial Day weekend, the kids had so much fun!

Belated

Exactly one month ago, our precocious little girl turned three years old.  I realized last week that I'm a bad mother and never had her pictures taken.  Since JC lavished me with such a nice camera for Christmas, I thought I'd give it a go myself.  I am the FURTHEST thing from a professional photographer that there is, but I do enjoy taking pictures.  So with that said, here are some of the photos I snapped of her...  if you happen to know a thing or two about photography, please feel free to leave some constructive criticism!