Rivalry Dinner

Russ and Rob have a bet over the Clemson vs. South Carolina game each year. This has become a new tradition which definitely benefits the wives because the loser has to cook dinner at the winner's home. This year's dinner was prepared by my fabulous husband. He cooked for 2 days and it was totally worth every minute he spent in the kitchen. The food was delicious! Here's the menu and pictures of each course. Go Tigers!

2nd Annual Rivalry Dinner 2010

Snack

Selection of Charcuterie and Farmstead Cheeses

2004 Schramsberg “Ouerencia” Brut Rose, Napa Valley, CA

Salad

Baby Greens with Goat Cheese and Dried Cherries

2007 Fournier Pere & Fils Sauvignon Blanc, Loire Valley, FR

Soup

Silky Corn Soup with Gulf Crab Fritter

2006 Matanzas Creek Chardonnay, Sonoma Valley, CA

Fish

Pan Roasted Halibut with “German” White Bean Salad

2006 Matanzas Creek Chardonnay, Sonoma Valley, CA

Intermezzo

Pink Grapefruit Sorbet

Pasta

Riverview Farms Sausage Meatballs with Tagliatelle and Red Gravy

2007 Moobuzz Pinot Noir, Monterey, CA

Meat

Wine-Braised Short Rib with Wild Mushroom Ragout and Nora Mill Grits

2005 Kathryn Hall Cabernet Sauvignon, St Helena, CA

Dessert

Blueberry Cobbler with Lemon-Buttermilk Sorbet

Batdorf & Bronson Dancing Goats Blend, Atlanta, GA

My First Cold

Jacey-Kate woke up with a cough about 2 weeks ago. This cough led to a cold which led to sleepless nights. Of course mommy was the only one that daddy thought could comfort our sweet baby at 2:45 in the morning. Even the 30-45 minutes in the middle of the night were priceless moments with Jacey-Kate as she nursed, babbled, coughed and sucked her thumb. Mommy is so thankful that she's on the mend and sleeping through the night again. We were shocked that she was so playful during the day, very much her sweet self.

From Cold

From Cold

Grandma and Grandpa Kiefer came for a visit while Jacey-Kate was sick. It was so nice to have extra hands to hold and love on her. Jacey-Kate kindly, or not so kindly, passed along her cold to mommy and daddy. Poor Grandma now has a stuffy nose, too. We'll miss you grandma and grandpa, but look forward to your visit in March with great grandpa Kiefer.

From Cold

Jacey-Kate's Half Birthday

I can't believe my precious baby girl is 6 months old. I feel like someone pressed fast forward because of how quickly Jacey-Kate has grown up. She's just adorable and so busy. I think she's starting the phase where she wants to be near mommy or daddy at all times because when I leave the room, she screams. Russ said we're going to have to condition her to being in a room by herself, so we're letting her scream. She eventually gets the picture....we'll be back. :-) Everything Jacey-Kate touches goes in her mouth, but no teeth yet.

December was a busy month. Joey Potter, FCA director, gave Russ and I tickets to the SEC Championship game. It was sooo fun! Our dear friends, Pam and Aaron Lake, babysat for us. When we picked Jacey-Kate up, Aaron informed us that Jacey-Kate might end up being a professional bonger when she grows up because she drank her bottle in about 6 seconds flat.

Russ and I volunteered for Passion Jan. 2-5th, so Jacey-Kate stayed with Lulu and Dee in the mountains. She had a great time with her grandparents and didn't wear them out too much. We're so thankful she's sleeping so long at night and napping well during the day. Passion was amazing! It was so cool watching 22,000 college students worshiping together. The speakers were perfect for the conference the bands were awesome and the four days volunteering really helped to center me which was a great way to start out the new year.

Hope you had a wonderful New Year, too!