Bottling Beer 101

Is he in 8th grade or a freshman at UGA ???

Bottle capper extraordinaire!

Zachary learning to cap the bottles.

Doug showing Zachary how to cap the bottles with sterilized bottle caps.

Zack prays over the beer - he's a religious kid!

Not overly sure how to comment on this one - sorry.

Last night Doug and Zachary bottled the beer that has been fermenting for a little over a week now. Doug calls it "Sam Adams" and Zachary calls it "Zack's Brew" (not sure why a 13 year old would name a beer . . . that's my boy)!! Zachary will be 14 in 20 days - he mentioned to me that near this time next year, he will have his learners permit (I nearly fainted). My kid will be driving (and if you'll note from the pictures here, he also looks like he could put a few of these brews back). Prayers for me and Doug are requested and needed!!

Yum - can't wait to taste the ale. Thanks sweetheart!

Making Home Brew

Last Sunday while I ran errands after Church, Doug made 4 cases of his famous Home Brew (that's beer to you common folk). I don't mean Miller Lite either - it's the Good Stuff yall! It took the poor guy ALL DAY to make this wicked ale in our drive way and all week this week there have been buckets upon buckets "brewing" and bubbling in a dark closet in the house (fermenting). This weekend he will "bottle" the beer and do some other stuff to it and then in about 8 more weeks we'll have some decent BREW! We are looking on Craig's List for a vintage frig. to keep it all in for the Thanksgiving Holidays - yeee haw!

Last Weekend

I haven't had time to blog this week because I'm so busy at work.

Before the 10:30 soccer game last week, Doug and I met with a wedding planner in Covington for several hours. I haven't really said a whole bunch (nothing really until now) about our wedding plans because we actually haven't decided exactly WHAT we're doing next year until recently. Until recently (the last week or so) we haven't had anything planned and now we have EVERYTHING planned. We decided not to use the wedding planner we met with and we're going with another wedding planner (someone in Atlanta). I honestly didn't want a wedding since I've had two - I sort of thought it was tacky frankly but Doug didn't have a wedding at all when he was married - he wound up at the Court house and he thought that was utterly tacky and has decided he wants to plan this event himself so we've both sort of gone wedding nutz again and already knocked the entire event out in a matter of about 10 days. It's not really hard to do - Doug and I should go into business . . . WHAT?

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Last weekend we had a HUGE weekend of soccer, wedding planning and running errands out the Whazoo! Here are some pictures of last week's soccer game . . . .

Honey and Pops

Mr. Doug and Abbey Grace

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Ok . . . after the soccer game we started back in on the wedding stuff . . . we took Mom to the old Mansfield United Methodist Church and have decided to be married there. It is where Popsie's parents went to Church (and his entire family) and where my Mom and her family went to church as children (where my Mom was baptized). Sharon and I also went to vacation bible school there as very young girls during our summer visits with Granny and Popsie to the farm. The Church was established in early 1903 and built shortly thereafter (approx.) - these are all guesses by the Minister and the coordinator. Being back there after 36 some odd years took my breath away to say the least - the smell was the same as well as the appearance. Here are some photos.

There is a stained glass window dedicated to my great-grandmother in the Church.

First Soccer Game

Saturday was our first soccer game - we had a double header during the hottest part of the afternoon on Saturday prior to the Georgia vs. Carolina Gamecocks game (luckily, we made home before kickoff). Sorry, the Dawgs are still highly important on my list of Saturday priorities but I did enjoy seeing Abbey Grace play soccer. Her team won BOTH games on Saturday and it was a lot of fun seeing her have fun (she's not the greatest at the sport as of yet). I still say she needs to be a cheerleader.

Indian Creek vs. Reid Middle School

Here are some pictures of yesterday's game of Indian Creek Middle School vs. Reid Middle School. Zachary played a great game yesterday - the photo shows him actually "in the game" although you probably can't tell my No. 94 is actually in there. Enjoy anyway!

Tailgate GA Style

Angie & Doug at the Tailgate Party

Zachary doesn't like his Mommy to love on him
(or, he doesn't want me to steal his tiny bottle of Coke)

Zachary eating his 4th piece of chicken!

This is before the 12 sandwiches came out

I was trying to sit in the shade - this is before the dehydration.

He looks like a college kids himself already!!

This was our tailgate party at the DAWGS game on Saturday - Enjoy!

GO DAWGS !!

The Georgia RED COAT Band

I have converted Doug from an Ohio State Fan into a GEORGIA BULLDOGS fan . . . who said it couldn't be done? The man loves me!

Saturday, Doug and I took Zachary to his first Georgia Game! Thanks to Aunt Sharon and Uncle Ed's season tickets, we had great seats in the lower level. We tailgated UGA style prior to the game at a prime location on Baxter Street about 3 blocks from the stadium. I fixed the boys a huge cooler of food (ham and cheese sandwiches, pimento cheese sandwiches, chips & salsa, fried chicken, chocolate chip cookies and real coke out of the bottle). I think if I had forgotten the food, it would have been ok with Zachary because he thought Coke in a little tiny bottle was the coolest thing ever (well, and that he got an entire bucket of chicken to himself minus 1 piece that Doug ate). Here are some pictures taken from Doug's Blackberry (I'll post some more photos of the tailgate party later this week).

Cool School Project

Here's a neat school project Zachary had to do for Social Studies last week. He had to bake a huge cookie and cut it out in the State of Georgia for a history lesson. The other boys he teamed up with had to bring other candies and icing as hills, mountains, streams, lakes etc. to put on the cookies (which I didn't get to see before the cookie was eaten). Here was our part of the project.

First Game 14-6 WIN !!

My boy is 5'8 and weighs 220 - he's NOT the biggest kid on the team either

Goooooooo #94 . . . Zack Kimmel - you're my No. 1

The First Game of the Season was a 14 to 6 win over Davis Middle School of Covington. However, my first string player, #94, Zack Kimmel, Defensive Tackle, Defensive Guard (Special Teams) didn't get any play time on the field because he was sick. Yep . . he has a cold/flu/stomach virus that dear old Mom gave him. He refused to call me from school to come get him because he wouldn't have been able to dress out for the game and stand with the team so he didn't call me but he didn't play the game to spare himself from getting sick on the field. Nonetheless he was there, in all his #94 glory (wobbling/sweating) on the sidelines just the same. He's home from school today with Honey and Granny taking care of him with meds (and doing homework/class work as make-up). GOOOO PANTHERS!!!

First Soccer Practice

Monday, Labor Day, was Abbey Grace's First Soccer Practice with The Y in Covington. She will be playing U8 Soccer this season - she decided to do this instead of dance and cheerleading (I know . . . I tried). After soccer season, we will look into the guitar lessons that Granny got her for her birthday. I think we have to concentrate on 1 thing at a time with this one! (oh, if you can't tell which one she is . . . look for the signature bow in her hair).

Sunday Afternoon at The Pool

Abbey Grace and Noah Swimming

After Church on Sunday we ate a huge meal at Mom and Dad's house (sort of an "Easter" lunch) and then waddled to the Clark's Grove pool to lay out in the sun and let Olivia, Noah, Zachary and Abbey Grace play in the pool while we adults sat in the sun for a while (well, Doug and I swam too).

Abbey Grace entering the water after a nice cannon ball!

Sharon and Doug in the shade!