Soldier and Wife

Friends Andy and Julie have been married just over a year now, and this video was made back in June 2007 at the celebration of their January 2007 marriage. Andy made the video that you see while in Iraq fighting for our country and he proposed when he returned home- he kept Julie's engagement ring in his grenade pocket, close to his heart, the whole time.

Pastor Rob Collins

Big Brother's ordination ceremony was Sunday at Maxwell Baptist Church- sis and I drove down to attend and it was a wonderful event in so many ways. Rob is the pastor at Crossroads Baptist Church in Estill Springs. We are so proud of Pastor Rob and his spiritual leadership in the community. Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thy own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths."

The Big Cheese = Warmbrod Health Crisis

Here we are at Chuck e Cheeses on Thursday night for Blaine's basketball trophy party. It's a great shot of Drew's elbow. If you look closely, you can see the germs swarming. I planned to get these pictures up on my blog ASAP and predict that someone would end up sick -It's my policy to NEVER visit these places during cold and flu season. Let's just say that there's give and take in every good relationship, and while Drew was (probably) sharing his afternoon pink eye outbreak at the Big Cheese's, Blaine and I were attracting our very own strep throat and bad cold germs. The surgeon general should put a warning on the door of that place.

We laugh in the face of danger! Drew and Mommy in the throws of germ warfare.


Doesn't every kid have this picture from their first trip to the Cheese's?! It's mandatory in 7 states.

Blue Ribbon Winner

Mom says that Granny got her recipe from a magazine, and the internet lists the recipe here as a state fair winner.

Your Driver Awaits

Dear Daddy, Welcome back from New York! Your driver is waiting at Baggage Carousel A.

I heard this song while I was out today and it reminded me of my Tommy and how much I am looking forward to having him back from NYC (and the Rogaine part made me smile big)- Love you honey, and nevermind the clowns..... Play 'You Take Me the Way I Am' .

To Blog or Not to Blog- Ingredients of a Secret Family Recipe

(Pictured Granny, Momma, Me, each of us at age 17- hairstyle commentary on future blog)

So there has been some concern voiced over Granny Ruth’s Red Velvet Cake (GRRVC) recipe being blabbed all over the internet. Flattered that someone thought my blog was that popular, I immediately checked to see whether the Drudge Report had picked up a news story related to Granny Ruth. Shockingly enough, no mention of red velvet cake there, but I learned that Obama has now taken Hillary to the mat (Hillary, you should have passed out GRRVC at the polls, girly girl).

Still a wee bit concerned that I might have over-exposed the family, I ventured out to Joey’s House of Pizza for my favorite lunch. Joey Macca’s chicken parmesan is responsible for at least 10 lbs of my previous ‘baby weight’ and Joey and his wife Chris are behind the counter and asking me how’s the baby doing, yadda, yadda, yadda. I told Chris how I have Granny Ruth’s picture beside her cake recipe on my blog and asked her ‘How do you know a recipe is a family secret?’ Okay, so they aren’t southern and don’t know much about red velvet cake, but they are Italian restaurant owners with lovely Brooklyn accents- they KNOW secret family recipe etiquette, know what I’m sayin? So I thought about what Chris said while I devoured my delicious chicken parm and here’s my press release on the subject:

Okay, so Granny freely shared the recipe with anyone that asked for it. My mother verified this fact for me. And Granddaddy was married to her for over 35 years and never knew it was a secret. In all her days, Granny never once withheld a recipe from anyone claiming it was ‘classified’. The woman was proud of her cookin’ skills and would have shouted it from the mountain tops. And, finally, no one in the family makes a living off this secret recipe. So it ‘s fair bloggin’ material.

And I know that Granny Ruth would be ‘tickled’ that her sweet little picture and her superb recipe were featured on my website, almost two decades after her passing.

Where do you think I get it all from, anyway- the cooking, the craftiness, the call to any stage that’s willing to hear me speak? She’s actually the one that put me on stage the first time, backing me up on piano with a ‘Do Lord’ and ‘Nothin but the Blood’ solo performance at Hickory Grove Baptist Church. Hesitant to share her talents, she was not. And her spirit lives on here, with me. I won’t ever apologize for that.

Let’s all be sensitive to anyone concerned about this recipe leaking to the masses via this blog (and I hope it does because I signed this website up for google adds – cha’ ching baby!). So, if you decide to print out the recipe and pass it on, give due props to Granny Ruth.

And further expanding my bloggin skills, check out the new survey I added on the subject in the top right margin…

Korby Lenker and Dickson Brothers Photo Shoot

I happened upon Korby Lenker- who is playing in Nashville at the Exit/In on Wed, Feb 27 and I am lovin' his vibe. He's opening for Robinella and we all love her! Who knows? You may just see lil me there!!! Yes, I may venture out after dark on a school night!!!

Listen to his music by clicking here korbylenker.com

And new pictures of the Dickson brothers, who clean up quite nicely:





Just to show off to sis how fast her boys can be blog super stars....she just emaield me these pics from Saturday....What super cuties!

Girls Scout Cookie Day

For this look, you need: hand-me-down oversized T-shirt, big brother's shoes (wrong feet), and Daddy's baseball cap.


Parmesan cheese shreds were on sale at the market, so I tried out an edible salad bowl (which I have wanted to do since I saw it in a Southern Living cookbook). Spray a skillet w/ nonstick spray, throw in a thin layer of the shredded parmesan, remove with spatula, shape over a glass tumbler just before the cheese is stiff and totally crunchy, and Voila! You, too can glam up dinner!


In the age old debate- 'Tag-a-longs vs. Thin Mints?', our house goes 2 votes for Tag-a-longs, 1 vote Thin Mints, and Andrew abstains, responding only with baby sign language for 'more' and says 'Mo tookies, peese.'

Saturday

Here's Tommy - looking really cute & back from a workout- sporting his Valentine's present- his iPod armband thingy.


And the Dickson brothers are spending the night tonight- Matthew is in the house napping while non-sleepers were banished to the back yard.

Blaine's 2007 Pass Completions

This is my first iMovie project- Blaine's pass completion highlights. If you don't see me in public for say, two years, and my children are wearing rags, no shoes, and have dirt under their fingernails, it's probably because I am sitting in front of my Mac creating iMovies from all of our home video footage- please plan an intervention. But seriously, if anyone knows how to make the videos show up clearer on youtube please comment! Newby needs some advise.

Pink Velvet Cake

So my first go at Granny Ruth's red velvet cake was a success, but Tommy and I both felt it was heavy on the oils- especially considering the low- fat restrictions in this house of late- our taste buds just aren't the same. So I revised the recipe to get the fat down a little (and because the $2.99 bottle of popcorn oil had 2/3 cup of oil left and I can't bear to waste!) Sooo, to limit the fats, I reduced the popcorn oil from 1 cup to 2/3 cup, and reduced the 1/2 cup vegetable oil to 1/4 cup olive oil. At the same time, I increased the 1 teaspoon cocoa to 1 tablespoon to make up for the flavor loss from the reduced amount of oil (and I added 1 tsp baking powder). I considered using 4 egg whites instead of 2 whole eggs, but, come on people, this is red velvet cake, after all- and there's 8 oz. cream cheese and 1 stick of butter in the icing anyway! But the truth is that I was short on eggs. Next time, I will use the 4 egg whites and a lowfat cream cheese and see how it goes. Surely I will rue the day I tinkered with Granny Ruth's recipe, but then again Granny Ruth never watched Dr. Oz on Oprah.

Speaking of Dr. Oz, take his real age test at www.realage.com.

Mowrer Chair

College compadres Matt and Jenn (Huddleston) Mowrer had a chair upholstered and you can find it featuredhere . It's too fabulous!

Thank You, Easter Bunny! Bock, Bock!

I will follow the lead of mass retailers and get Easter in full swing before you've even finished your box of Valentine choc-lits! Easter is my favorite holiday and I love, love, love this recently discovered photo of our beloved Chew-Grammy. This is soooo, soooo Grammy! This is from Spring 1993 and if any of you know the story behind it, please, please share in comments.

And here are some of our eggs that we have painted over the years- Tommy & I are devestatingly horrible artists, but every year we break out the acrylic paints & take our creative frustrations out on unsuspecting boiled eggs. Grammy taught me that the boiled eggs would keep forever as long as they don't crack- who knew?!

'Bear & Bees' Tommy, 2006


'Chocolate Chicken' Janey, 2004 (from children's book 'Max & the Chocolate Chicken'


'Chickie' Grammy, 2006


'Fuzzy Wuzzy Bunny' Tommy, 2004


'Glam Bunny' Janey, 2004


'Andrew', Grammy 2006 (before Drew was born)


'Ten Years of Wedded Bliss' Janey, 2007


Whale (Chasing Seal), Tommy, 2006


'The Year We Found Giant Crawfish in our Yard' Tommy, 2007

Happy Valentine's Day!

Here's my red velvet cake! Have a lovey dovey day!

Granny Ruth's Red Velvet Cake

To call this simply 'cake' would be an understatement, it's an experience. You've never really had red velvet cake until you've had this one. You won't believe the secret ingredient.



I'm not sure where Granny Ruth (pictured) got the recipe, but she'd been making it since before sis was a wee baby.

While we're lingering here in 1987 (this shot taken just a couple of years before she passed) check out this view! This is Granny standing in her yard, and, on a clear day, you could see our house way, way off in the distance to the left. You could see my paternal grandparent's farm just outside this shot to the right. This is where I grew up. Truly beautiful country down around Belvidere, TN.

Thanks to Aunt Pam Jackson for passing along the recipe. If you decide to make it, please post comments, I would love to know what you think!


Granny Ruth's Red Velvet Cake
2-1/2 cups self-rising flour
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 c buttermilk
1c Reddenbacher Popcorn Oil (crazy, but trust me here- no substitutes!)
1/2 c vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 bottle red food coloring (or however much you have left over from Christmas cookie baking)

Mix all ingredients together until mixed thoroughly. Pour into either two round cake pans or one 9-1/2 X 13 pan, sprayed good with cooking spray, and bake in oven at 350 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes.

Icing:
1 box powdered sugar
1 stick margarine
1 8oz. cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla
Cream margarine and cream cheese together with mixer; add powdered sugar and vanilla. Mix thoroughly and frost cake.

Snow, Moe, and Go

Blaine and I celebrated his SNOW day today with a power lunch at, where else but Blaine's fave? Moes. He didn't know how rare it was to see kids out in restaurants at lunch during the week, until I shared 'the secret' with him. Shocked, he was, at how our society normally locks children away in school cafeterias so that parents can power lunch at the restaurant of their choice. We burned off lunch with some raquetball at the YMCA. It was great bonding fun for mother and child.

Habitat for Humanity Volunteer Recognition Event

Last night Blaine was my date for the NAHFH Volunteer Recognition Event at the club level of Titan's LP Field. It was a wonderful event, and it was my job to thank the committee members. For those committee members who were not there, here's my thank you speech (pep rally style):

My name is Janey Warmbrod and most of you know me as the Nashville Habitat 2007 Board Chairman. What most of you don’t know is that I was a cheerleader in high school, and this is my chance to lead a cheer at an NFL stadium, so I am gonna take it and demand some crowd participation at the end of my thank yous!

It’s my job this evening to thank our many committee members. I am actually surprised to see them here this evening, since this event wasn’t listed in their workplans for the first quarter 2008.

I really wanted to thank the Executive Committee, but I couldn’t get unanimous email approval from all 5 members for my remarks, so that will have to wait.

Instead, I will start with a thanks to the safety committee, who wanted me to be sure that everyone knows there are exits to the front and rear of the assembly area in case of emergency.

And a thank you to the family selection committee, for the gift of homeownership is a bigger present than even Santa can deliver! And at the same time, thanks to the Delinquency committee- no you are not the Grinch who stole Christmas Committee, but rather the opposite! You ensure that homeowners stay focused on protecting their biggest wealth building asset.

And to the Golf Classic Committee- it was all birdies and eagles this year- what an amazing fundraising event- our hats off! And from what I hear, Tom Curl did not hit his driver into the group in front of him even once, so it was an all-round success.

And to the Administrative Committee, whose policy and procedure manuals further define the 10 Commandments- this, at least according to the Faith Relations committee who also deserves a big pat on the back.

And a Hip Hip Hurray to the development committee and capital campaign steering committee, for putting the ‘fun’ in fundraising with events like Honky Tonk Angels and an Evening with Tim & Faith.

To the home store committee and their deconstruction efforts for taking houses apart and to the construction committee for putting houses together. And to the rebuild committee for taking houses apart AND putting houses together.

And to the family support committee, the community relations committee, and the Dickson committee, you are truly the best at what you do (at least until Kanye West decides to go into non-profit).

And, finally, to the finance committee, who allocates funds for all of the important things- like Volunteer Recognition Events which keep the volunteer relations committee busy!!

A Big Ole’ Boo- yah to all of you!

And finally, to those committees that I may have inadvertently forgotten, let’s do that cheer now (Lead crowds in ‘2 bits, 4 bits, 6 bits, a dollar, all for Committees let out a holler!!)
Thanks again to all of the committee members for all that you do!

Blaine was playing around with the video feature on my cell phone last night, and I thought it would be great fun to see if I am talented enough to get a video off my phone into this blog. Thanks to a little search from google this morning and trusty youtube, voila! You can't hear it, but you can see us 'get our cheer on' at LP Field last night.

Tuesday's Entourage

This morning, Andrew and I were rolling- p.jammie style- with the Dickson brothers- shown here Zachary, 3 yrs. and Matthew, 7 months with Drew. 3 or 4 more kids (boys, of course, because neither sis or I are capable of having a girl) are tethered to the roof, leaving the spare tire caddie available for future Dickson children. We've got our b-ball at the ready in the floorboard- ready to school another family of toddlers if the opportunity arises.

Timberwood Development

Here's the latest progress on our new, all-Habitat Nashville neighborhood- it is so exciting to see! We wrote some big checks to make this development happen, so thanks to all those who contributed!

Hi Batman!

Here's a little video from Sunday (mostly for remote Pappy to enjoy). The viewer really feels like they have been transported into the pages of a comic book, as Blaine adds the special comic book effects- Crash, Boom, Bam.

To the untrained eye it looks like just another kid video, but it really represents a re-birth of technology here at the Warmbrod house.

We purchased a new video camera when Drew was born, and it was agony transferring the tape to DVD using our PC. To summarize, we'll just say the DVD burner blew up. So here I am, new blogger, with no way to get my videos on the web. So, so sad.

A lady of action, in between client meetings yesterday, I wandered into the Apple store. Twenty dollars later, our 6 yr. old Mac saves the day again! I came home with the new cable, plugged it into the camera and the Mac, and Presto! I was transferring a clip from Sunday's video to youtube in about three minutes!

Haven't I watched enough Mac commercials to have discovered this sooner??!! Certainly it was the brainwash effect from reading way too many Microsoft SQL server and Microsoft Business Solutions manuals this millenium (even as I type this, I am distracted by the Microsoft Certified Professional email that suddenly landed in my inbox- eerie proof that they are always watching...).

Which means way too many kid videos will be added to this blog until I work it out of my system (or begin to knit something fabulous).... Enjoy!

That's How Drew Rolls...

Andrew owns his look- he's wearing his Halloween jammies under snuggly fleece (to chase off that winter chill) and he's fashionably accessorized with his heh'- mut.

An Evening with Tim and Faith

Tommy and I recently attended an event with Wayne and Judith Everett at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center- Tim McGraw and Faith Hill performed with the Nashville Symphony to benefit Ensworth School and Nashville Area Habitat for Humanity. Ensworth is celebrating its 50th Anniversary, and they are building 4 Habitat homes this year to celebrate! Tim and Faith graciously agreed to perform two concerts to raise the money for the event.

As Wayne, Judith, Tommy and I were sipping cocktails in the balcony lounge (admiring how splendid we looked when not in sweats and sporting milk stains from leaking sippy cups), we noticed the exterior balcony doors being blown open by the wind! Peering out the windows of the Schermerhorn, we could see that the tent hosting the Ensworth Patron's dinner was at the mercy of the elements! The wind and rain actually collapsed one part of the tent during the main course! Needless to say, the dinner wrapped up early and desserts were served- cocktail style- in the beautiful Schermerhorn lobby.

Speaking of Nashville Habitat for Humanity, here's a clip of the groundbreaking ceremony at Timberwood- the Ensworth houses will actually be built in this neighborhood on Tiger Circle. As 2007 Board Chairman, I helped to break ground. I am the fourth shovel from the left.

Blaine's First Touchdown Pass

For my second post, I thought that I would wow the audience with a video clip. Flash back to August 2007 (look closely on the next episode of 'Lost'- you will see this same clip playing on a TV in one of the flash forward scenes)- one of the most exciting moments in Warmbrod Family History- Blaine's first touchdown pass. He threw 8 touchdown passes in his first season as quarterback, and this clip is actually his first three plays- ever- as quarterback. He was just barely six. We were shocked and thrilled- the prior season, he was ranked as one of the bottom two players on his team.




Recently, Blaine's class wrote 'how to' instructions on various subjects. Blaine reveals his QB secrets in this 'how to':




Translated: 1. Get the ball. 2. Get in ready position. 3. Throw the ball to your team. 4. Stay with the coach. It's that simple. Blaine shared this with Eli Manning just before the super bowl, and, well, that's how history is made, folks.

Honorable mention: Yesterday, with about 8 seconds left on the play clock, Blaine shot the winning goal for his basketball team to win 19-18. He jumped up, pulled down the rebound (his team had already shot twice and didn't make it) and right back up for two!! Off he ran to the other end of the court with a fist pump and a smile! Parents were immediately on their feet, cheering wildly- I received a high five or two fellow parents! Another grand, proud moment in Warmbrod Family History. He celebrated afterwards with a chocolate milkshake with whip cream and M & M sprinkles.

Fee Fie Foe Fum Now I am a Bloggin' Mum

Okay, so here I go with my first blog. And for the first time in my life I don't have anything to say. Is there an official term for that- say, blogger's block or something?! I wouldn't know because you could count the number of blogs that I have read on one hand. Okay, it's probably time to try to post a picture.....

TAAAA DAAAAA! That went well. Here we are- all four of us- Tommy, Janey, Blaine (6), Andrew (17 months). This was in our Christmas Card, which you probably already know but you don't know that it was like 90 degrees in October when this was taken. I pleaded with Blaine that 'if you smile really great you will only have this sweater on for 5 minutes tops.' To which he responded (insert whining six year old voice here) 'I remember last year when I had to wear a sweater and we went somewhere and it was definitely longer than 5 minutes.' And he's right, because he only wears sweaters like once per year- but he's in heaven today because it's February 5 and he's at school right now in shorts....