What a Dr.Pepper Slushy Can Do

After Adam introduced the Gas Station Dr. Pepper Slushy to an older gentleman named Judson from church, it blew his mind, and we've been on his friend list since. What did that get us? An invitation to do some shooting on Judson's family property. Awesome!
I was both dreading and looking forward to the outing. Dreading because my past experience with guns has been "too many people, not enough guns." And then most of the time, the guys just want to show off—so I wasn't expecting to handle one very much. Happily, I was mistaken.

Check out the mailbox below, marking the property line as we drove in.

First off we shot with shotguns as some clay pigeons. Not my favorite…I don't like the kickback of the guns. Talk about a sore shoulder the next day. Marla, our friend just about knocked herself off her feet several times—you should have seen her bruise.

Below is one of the targets set up for handgun shooting with clay pigeons attached to it. I must say, hitting something that explodes, makes a noise, or at least moves is far preferable to shooting at a paper target. I can confidently say I despise paper targets.

Look at all those people—there were more behind me as I took this photo. A LOT of firepower showed up that day. It was amazing and yet slightly uncomfortable too. Have you ever been around a bunch of strangers, each with a gun bigger than the other, each one who showed up just to "play"?

Southern hospitality and love of guns is real folks. Everybody was willing to share ammunition and show us how to handle whatever gun we wanted. I think this pistol (.357) was one of my favorites. I was a pretty good shot with it. Die clay pigeon, die!

Below Adam is handling a Ruger SR9 (I think) I also HATE this gun. (I can't believe I'm talking guns here.) It's heavy, difficult to handle, and too big for me. It also "bit" me when I loaded the clip, giving me a blood blister and forcing me to say a four letter word….actually, I quite willingly said it.

Below left is what Judson called a "Lady's Gun." (He's handling it in the photo on the right too, see it? It's small.) It's a snub nose pistol he loaded with some questionable bullets. See how short the barrel is? I shot it twice and declared "Not THIS lady's gun." The kick-back was awful, it wanted to jump out of my hands. I don't know about you, but if I'm going to handle a gun, I don't want it getting away from me.
If I can't have a revolver (Adam is not a fan because the spent rounds do not eject), then the Smith and Wesson M&P Shield (I think) in the photo on the right would be my choice—at least based on what I tried that day. It's small enough for me to handle, I really had no complaints with it, except it isn't anything special. You know me—I like pizzaz. Can you believe after we got back I started looking up ways to personalize a gun? Who AM I?

Ohhh but wait. We wanted exciting right? The bishop showed up with his new AR-15 and let me have a go. Jaw drop. Seriously? According to Adam, this is how the story goes.

Anna aimed, shot, and "kong!" She hit the metal target which was, maybe 70 yards away. The bishop announced "First time ever shooting an AR-15!" Some of the guys stopped shooting to watch. Anna shot again. Kong! Now ALL the men stopped shooting to watch and the bishop announced "Second time ever!"
As she went on, the bishop who is also cop said incredulously, "She's shooting better than a lot of the guys on the force." (Yes, I know it's easier to hit a target with the AR-15, but she was doing exceptionally well.)
After several shots, Anna's right arm got tired, and her aim shaky. She wanted to give the gun back and let someone else have a turn, but the bishop suggested she get down on her knee to steady things.

Which she did, and continued to hit the two metal targets one right after the other. She started looking around like, "What else can I hit?" And the bishop said, "I put some water bottles over there to the left of the target." 
"Okay!" she exclaimed, aimed, and Kabloosh! 
Everyone around started laughing. Anna surprised them all. She's good—better than me. I tried twice, hit nothing, and so decided to stop so as not to expose myself as a poor shot.
Later she asked if she could have this gun for Christmas…. Uh….sure honey.

Yeah, that was fun. I really enjoyed myself with the AR-15. I liked the size of it, the feel, and the power. I feel bad though—I unloaded a whole clip of ammo. I wasn't even thinking about the cost. Glad the bishop seemed okay with it…Eeee. Maybe he should be next on our slushy list.
Below is just a small sample of the other artillery that showed up. I would have loved to try more but we couldn't stay all day.
Next time my powerful friends. Next time.

So, try telling someone about the Dr. Pepper Slush machine and see what might come of it for you!

You Know the Drill - Engagement Anniversary

Again with the Sushi? What is it with us and sushi? Well, if you've never had fresh shushi rolls, then I don't know if I can explain it to you. Can't do raw fish you say? Some rolls come cooked. It's no different than eating rice with some weird chicken and cream of whatever on top—except that this is about a thousand times better and more flavorful. You can eat it and get full, but not the gross kind of full that comes from eating something heavy and I love that part—paramount satisfaction.
I'm really glad we went out for sushi the day Adam proposed, otherwise we wouldn't be able to justify the expense of such a fabulous dinner.

Someday it will be fun to look back year by year and see how we've changed.

And then of course, dessert comes from the Chocolate Factory.
His choice and Her choice.

Fa la la!

Finally took some time AWAY from the computer and made something by hand. (I've needed some non-screen-staring time.) Check it out here.

Once a year, way out in Waco there's a Homestead Fair  (click here) where a Christian community—they call themselves the Homestead Heritage—puts on a big show with classes and lectures on the basics of homesteading. It includes things like aquaponic gardening, bee keeping, soap making, sheep herding, and barn raising like you see below. It's gaining popularity as I'm sure you can imagine why.

I hoped the barn raising event would be like Seven Brides for Seven Brothers…but it was more of a lecture on the history of barns and different ways of construction (which was interesting) and then the raising of one side of the frame. The guys did it and it was fun to watch.

Of course there are animals to get up close and personal with. Below Adam demonstrates how a man holds a baby versus how a woman holds a baby.

Below is a hand woven blanket. The sign reads: This cotton/linen double weave coverlet was woven on the draw loom in a traditional overshot coverlet pattern called "Double Orange Peel". Three, three foot panels were individually woven and hand-sewn together to make it queen-size with plow tuck or king-size shams.
It took a total of 114 hours from the time the threads were measured until it was washed and ironed.

40 hours to set up the loom
42 hours to weave the panels
32 hours to sew and hem

Oh, and the price: $9,500

Students were demonstrating how the various items are made. I was incredibly impressed. I liked seeing the teens and pre-teens presenting useful skills. We don't see that much in our society and it worries me a bit.

The only "sit down and learn" demonstration we caught was Hot Process Soap Making. Evidently lye is dangerous to work with. Maybe I'll go for cold process if I ever try to make soap. My bad luck dictates an explosion is likely to occur. The presenter was intelligent, well educated, and able to answer questions and make comparisons to the products we buy in the store.

Below is one of the buildings which showcased heirloom quality items for sale. Most were labeled "student work" or "master" and usually had the name of the person who made it. There were quilts, woven items such as scarves and mats and blankets; wooden items like tables and chairs, straw brooms; hand thrown pottery, and hand woven baskets.

Below is the mill for grinding all sorts of grains (of course). There were samples to taste and mixes to purchase, including gluten free options.

Most of the food at the fair is handmade from the communities' own product. We had lovely apple cider donuts. And the brick oven pizza is mouth watering just to look at, its got homemade cheese and farm grown meat. The corn dogs are also made of "real" meat and home milled breading. I told myself I wouldn't eat anymore…but after tasting one of the fresh cinnamon rolls (we watched them take the rolls out of the oven and slather them with icing) I felt panicked—I NEEDED to have one of my own—so we went back and bought more. I become such a happy little oinklett when it comes to great food.

I'd like to go again next year and catch a few more demonstrations and classes. This was a fun first visit!