Gotta get me some that SPOON BREAD!!!

...now, I know you don't have music in your head when you see that phrase...

But, I do...

I can hear these two college guys with guitars...

singing this anthem...that the Berea Chamber of Commerce, I'm sure, still doesn't know existed...

SPOON BREAD...gotta get me some of that...SPOON BREAD...

I won't completely set the scene...(it involved some portable potties and tents, etc.)

But I can't help but sing it when I see this 

and this...

Oh...wait...

you're probably asking,

"What the heck is spoon bread?"

Well, the short answer is eggy cornbread.

The long answer is- it's the dish that Boone Tavern Hotel is the most famous for. I'm not totally sure, but it may have originated there. And, Boone Tavern is the now five-star hotel located right on Main Street in Berea. Opened in 1909, the hotel was the brainchild of the college president's wife. 

And from this eggy-cornbread dish came the idea for yet another festival in Berea, Kentucky. The 14th Annual Spoon Bread Festival happened right here in my little corner of the world. And, it sentimentally marks the anniversary of my move to college from Alabama. The first Spoon Bread Festival was held just a couple weeks after I unpacked my bags here for the first time. 

(side note: my family treated me: my first night ever in Berea was spent at Boone Tavern Hotel. It was also the night that Princess Di was killed in that car accident. The next day, I moved into a dorm room for the first time.)

OK...I know...

Move on...

the only semi-decent shot I managed to grab while keeping my hoodlums from hoodlumming somebody. Four adults is just not enough for three boys... 

ANYWAY...

the above shot I got on Friday night. There's one shot that's missing: my mom and I walking the Spoon Bread one-mile fun walk. We came in last...dead last...behind a 3-year-old. (I took a photo to prove it: my mom walking, with the lights of the police cruiser just behind her to escort the fun-mile caboose up Chestnut Street. I don't know what happened, but the image was completely blown out!)

The other photos I got on Saturday, while boys #1, #2 and #3 were at our friends and we were out on a date. 

Yep, that's exactly what you do on a date in Berea, Kentucky. You go to the Spoon Bread Festival (or one of the other 500 festivals we've got going on here) and get some spoon bread- that costs a whopping $3 a cup! 

We thought that was a little steep. So today, I made my own flippin' spoon bread. I'll share the recipe pretty soon. I wanted to try it out first before I photographed the process. I must say, it was pretty good for an Alabama girl, but we are pretty darn good at cornbread. 

And you don't make this stuff in an iron skillet. They have a spoon bread baker, made right here in Berea, that they sell at the Boone Tavern gift shop. (in that Tater Knob Pottery slideshow, it looks like a deep pie dish) I don't have one. I've always wanted one. I just made mine in a casserole dish. I know, can you believe I don't have pictures of it.

So we wrapped up our date night in the Sonic Drive-Thru and a little jaunt to the dollar store.

I know...we're really livin' the life! 

The last date night was at our place. I love date night. Even when it's not our turn to go out on a date (and spend some big money at the dollar store). 

Our friends' kids are just sooo good with our boys. The boys just love them. When it's our turn, most of the time, we just sit around while they do all the work entertaining our kids. It's kind of nice :-)

Here some scenes from a couple weeks ago. 

Love date night...

love spoon bread...

love eating spoon bread on date night...

only comes 'round once a year!

Where I've been

...two places...

at the computer working on a stinking blog post about my bathroom

and...

sick in bed...

oh, yeah- I had to work a couple days, too.

So here's an interim post until I can't get my bathroom blogged about. 

Arghhh! I cannot tell you how irritated I am about it. 

AnyHOOO...

Last Wednesday and Thursday...

so sick...

you know, 

yuck sick

:-(

I was in bed, still way yuckier than the rest of the family who had already recovered from this velociraptor of a virus

and this was my view when the fellows came back from an errand

They just busted in so excited to give me flowers. That's the back of Walker's head there, blowing out as fast as he blew in. Charlie said they spotted them growing in our fence and remembered on the way back from town to go get them. I just love those guys!

So, there's plenty more I could talk about that's happened since last post, but I won't bore you with the mundane details of trying to convince a child that 4 years old is plenty old enough to poop in the potty...His latest argument went something like this:

 

"But mommy, how would you feel if,"  imagine him sitting on the potty with the door open and yelling this to you in the other room, "I were bigger and you were little-er and I told you to use the potty. 

Now, how would you feel? You wouldn't like that, would you?"

Oh yeah, I wasn't gonna go into that...or that as punishment, Charlie taped his thumb with electrical tape for a few hours...killed him...that kid always has his thumb in his mouth. Not too happy.

So skip ahead...

to today...

Backstory: I have a job meeting lots of super people in law enforcement. There is no typical day or typical person in this line of work. And I'm so grateful to have these opportunities. 

 

Assignments I've had range from meeting an 11-child Amish family in their home without electricity 

or running water to photographing the governor. 

 

I've photographed from the floor at Rupp Arena a UK/UofL game.

 And I've watched the Thunder Over Louisville fireworks display from a 

Fish and Wildlife boat on the Ohio river.

and too much more to mention...

 

Of all them, the Amish family was my favorite assignment.

No comparison.

 

Anyway, today was no different. But this one...

right here in Berea!

 

At the Madison Southern High Homecoming Parade

Why? You're probably wondering...

Well, that nice young man in that  above photo was the National School Resource Officer of the Year.

And because, this summer, he had a major unexpected medical ordeal, he was unable to attend the recognition ceremony in Louisville. The administration presented Berea Police Department Officer James "Doty" Harris the award today and made him Grand Marshal of the Homecoming Parade. 

And as it would so happen, our magazine is featuring school resource officers in the next issue.

So, I took the boys and the hubby to work with me this evening.

They think I have a pretty cool job. 

They get to meet police officers and...

they get candy...

Lots of candy...

 

Enough candy that even big brother wanted to share

And they got to see tractors and big rigs, to boot!

Notice the thumb-- wrapped in electrical tape!