Texas Peanuts Makes Peanut Butter Donation

I had an awesome opportunity fall in my lap a few weeks ago. I got a call from an investigative reporter from San Antonio's WOAI NBC affiliate who was looking to do something special. The San Antonio Food Bank, like most food banks, was seriously low on their most demanded item - peanut butter.

WOAI's show Trouble Shooters was looking to partner up with the Texas Peanut Producers Board, HEB grocery stores and Time-Warner to donate two pallets of peanut butter to the San Antonio Food Bank. (Two pallets = 6,000 pounds of peanut butter!)

So, we shipped the mascot outfit for Tex P. Nut down to San Antonio and I jumped on a plane (my 12th in seven days) and showed up to the San Antonio Food Bank just before we made the surprise to the food bank's director, Eric Cooper. (We hired the station's intern to wear the Tex P. Nut suit.)

Not only was this a great promotional opportunity for the peanut board, but it was also a great way to help out the needy of San Antonio. The episode aired last night on WOAI at 10, and can be found on the station's web site.

Watch the episode of Trouble Shooters here!


Be sure to donate a few jars of peanut butter to your local food bank this holiday season.

Tunes Worth Listening To

I'm certainly not a dignified music critic, but I do like good tunes.

My hubby has quite an ear for new and old, and likely unheard music, and he's really broadened my listening range.

Therefore, I thought I'd share a few artists and songs you should check out on iTunes. If you already listen to these people, good for you.

1. James McMurtry - This guy is totally cool. Not only is he the son of the acclaimed author, Larry McMurtry (Lonesome Dove), but he's also one interesting dude. He sings it like it is, and is a great story teller. A lot of his songs are covered by other artists now, but he's an original.

Check out: Lobo Town, Sixty Acres, Levelland, Out Here in the Middle, Ruby and Carlos and Choctaw Bingo.

2. Ryan Bingham - Here's a guy with quite a story. He used to ride bulls for Tarelton State University in Stephenville, Texas, lived out of a van for a while, and now packs 'em in the dancehalls with his raspy voice.

Check out: Dylan's Hard Rain, Day is Done, Sunrise, Country Roads and Tell My Mother I Miss Her So.

3.Slaid Cleaves - I don't really know much about this guy, other than I like his sound. Some terrible mainstream country artist just covered his song "Broke Down" and butchered it. Listen to Slaid's version.

Check out: Broke Down and Horseshoe Lounge

4. The Wood Brothers - These guys have some crazy lyrics, but a great sound.

Check out: Loaded and Twisted.

5. Hogg Maulies - I have to promote these guys. Not only are they friends, but they're a big reason I met Byron. Oh, and they're a great band. I spent a good amount of time listening to them and following them around Texas while at graduate school. (I'm still trying to get Byron to play harmonica with them like he used to back in the day). I know they've got some new songs they've yet to record, so keep an eye out for those one of these days. For now, buy these songs on iTunes. And, for all you folks in PG, they have a new t-shirt I think you'd enjoy.

Check out: On Your Own Tonight, Fall Back, Goodnight, Towerbells, Greenback Dollar and Truth Be Known.

6. Steve Earle - You've heard this guy over and over. Listen to Feel Alright and Telephone Road.

7. The Old 97s - These guys are fun. Listen to Barrier Reef

Fall Foliage in the Ozarks

This past weekend we spent some time in the Arkansas Ozark Mountains and were able to see the fall foliage in its prime.

Our good friend, Carolyn Arnold, so graciously shared her lake home with us in Diamond City, Ark., on Bull Shoals Lake. The combination of the foliage with the autumn sky made for one amazing sunrise.

Further west in my hometown of Prairie Grove, Ark., the leaves where painting their own picture.

I always miss fall in the Ozarks. Out here in West Texas, only the elm trees actually change color, but they only change yellow. There aren't too many maple trees out here in the flatlands.

Tate

One of the many wonderful things that have accompanied getting married include getting nephews.


I mentioned before how much our nephew Tate resembles Byron in behavior. Obviously, I didn't know Byron as a kiddo, but I think this is about as close as I can get.



This kid is crazy about sports. He loves all of them.


Tuesday was Tate's fourth birthday, so we took him a Razorback football jersey to add to his collection of team jerseys. Of course, a football game broke out in the backyard.


You would expect most four year old kids to just run around and throw the ball with little to no accuracy.



However, Tate knows how to do the three point stance, he knows punt formations, and he can kick a football off a tee into the neighbor's yard.


I'm not sure who had the most fun - Uncle B or Tate.

Beneath the Lights of Texas

The weather this fall has been beautiful. While I would prefer slightly more jacket-conducive temperatures, I can't argue with the all-around pleasantness of this month's weather (despite the normal extremes that seem to happen out here, i.e. 39 degree days followed immediately by 93 degree days).

The fall sky in West Texas is a sight to behold. The mix of deep blues and purples with orange, red and yellow is breathtaking.


We had a Tech co-ed intramural softball game last night (I get to play Tech intramural sports again since Byron works for the Texas Tech University System - lots of excitement here). Our game started around sundown, and I was half tempted to take my camera to the outfield with me. I decided against it, because I could envision myself sticking a cleat through the LCD screen on the back of the camera, or something awful.


We won the game and no one was injured.

Pumpkin Carving

In the spirit of the fall season, we hosted the Second Annual Wine Not Pumpkin Carving. A cold front moved through right as we were beginning, and the temperature went from 83 to 58 in a short amount of time.

Regardless, it was a nice, chilly fall night, perfect for pumpkin carving.



Mary Jane and Nathan brought a battery powered pumpkin carver. They were well-prepared.



This is Byron's pumpkin. Impressive, huh? He's an impressive guy.


This is my pumpkin. Byron and I did pirate themed pumpkins in honor of Texas Tech's homecoming this weekend. (TTU head coach Mike Leach has a thing with pirates...)


Last night also marked exactly one year since Byron took me on our first date.


This is Erica's pumpkin. One eye fell out, so she had to support it with a toothpick. I would give this pumpkin the "Funniest Pumpkin" award.


This is Rachel's pumpkin. She's a big Twilight fan, so she was all about the vampire action.


This is Mary Jane and Nathan's pumpkin. I think it's the cutest.


As they would say in the Viney Grove News, "A good time was had by all."

Wedding Photographer's Blog

As I've mentioned before, our wedding photographer Cristy Cross had some super cool ideas. Her photo booth setup was a BIG hit at the ol' weddin'. It's an awesome way to remember who was there.

Check out her blog posting on our photobooth. You'll probably see someone you know.

It was loads of fun!