Jesus Cookies

Widely known as sausage balls by most Americans, my version is (a)bigger and (b)cheesier (mostly because of a)my laziness to keep smaller batches going into and out of the oven, and also (b)because of my love for a good tangy sharp cheddar cheese).

I grew up eating sausage balls on Sunday mornings when my dad would make a fresh hot batch for Breakfast Sunday, usually the first Sunday of the month at church. And so now every once in a while I'll make them for Carlton on Sunday mornings when we sleep in -- they make an excellent meal for a late breakfast or early lunch, especially on weekends when you just want to stay in your pj's all day and be lazy.

About a year ago, I started bringing this larger version of sausage balls to various gatherings with our friends. They were quickly re-named "Sausage Cookies" because the larger sausage balls would flatten out like a cookie while baking in the oven.

Then during a great college football game gathering this year the Sausage Cookies were re-named again. Our friend Ted, with a mouth full of sausage and cheesy biscuit, said something that went a little like this: "I'm gonna go ahead and put this out there: this sausage cookie just saved my soul. It opened my eyes to all that is holy and sacred, and brought me closer to God. I just decided that these should be called Jesus Cookies from now on."

And so it was. Or maybe, And all God's children said, "Amen." Either way, it stuck.

Our friends are all gathering together later this afternoon for a Superbowl Party at Eric and Stella's house. Carlton received our bring-this-food assignment via text message that went something like this: "Please tell Trish to bring her Velveeta cheese dip. And Jesus Cookies. Lots of Jesus Cookies."

So, without further adieu, here's the recipe that just might save your soul.


Start with these four ingredients:

To make 36 Jesus Cookies, you'll need:
- One package Jimmy Dean Hot Sausage (you can use mild if you don't like things spicy, or maple if you prefer things a bit sweet, but I'd steer clear of the sage flavor in this recipe)
- One large brick Medium or Sharp Cheddar Cheese (I think it's 14 oz or 16 oz?)
- 1 1/2 cups Bisquick baking mix
- 1 cup milk

Then complete these steps to enlightenment:

Start by cooking the sausage. Many online recipes skip this step, but I like to know that the pork sausage is cooked all the way through. And it's also the only way to get rid of all that extra grease. Break the sausage into small pieces as it cooks. (I hate it when the cooks on TV use a wooden spoon to cook raw meat, and they almost always do so. I always get stuck on the worry of those raw meat germs digging their way into the wood and never coming out, and multiplying, and tainting all the food you cook for eternity. But for some reason, today I used a bamboo utensil. Don't ask me why, I have no idea.)

While the sausage is cooking, shred your cheese. I always use the larger side of the grater that makes thicker shreds because the job gets done quicker. But if you like the skinny curly shreds of cheese, that will work just as well. It'll all melt in the end anyway. I usually leave about as much as you see in the picture for snacking with crackers and such later on. Mostly because by the time I have that much cheese left, my arm is tired and I don't want to slice my fingertips on the shredder. (One tip that really helps me shred the cheese: put the brick of cheese into the freezer about 30 minutes before you're going to shred it. It's easier to push through the shredder because it doesn't get all flimsy on you while you work.)

  

Dump your shredded cheese into a large mixing bowl along with the Bisquik baking mix. I use the original baking mix because that's what my dad uses and he's always right about formulas and mathematics and physics and stuff. So these Jesus Cookies always turn out right. Toss the cheese and baking mix until combined well.  ACTION SHOT!!!

Next, drain the grease from your cooked sausage and add it to the mixing bowl along with the milk. Stir it well until everything is combined and sticky. It should stick to the bowl, your fingers, everything. If it's not that sticky, add more milk a little at a time until it's that sticky. But not runny. If it's runny, add more baking mix until it's sticky like I said it should be. This is where my dad's physics are important.

Then plop your dough mixture out onto a sprayed cookie sheet about a 1/2" apart. It's important that the cookie sheet is sprayed because of all the cheese in these things -- it sticks to an unsprayed cookie sheet like a mofo, and you'll never have a single Jesus Cookie that makes it out unscathed. (Can I use the term mofo in the same sentence as Jesus? Is that wrong?) Your pre-cooked Jesus Cookies should be about this big:

After they've baked in the 400 degree oven for about 10-12 minutes, they should look like this, with slightly browned edges. The batter should still be fairly dense inside, but still just a little fluffy.

Sneak one or two while you put the next batch onto the cookie sheet and into the oven. (Should I put the food I'm eating so close to a bamboo stirring utensil that was just used to break up raw meat? Living on the wild side, I suppose.)

If you make these any time in the future, let me know what you think! They're certainly popular with Carlton, with me, and with our group of friends. They're perfect for your family breakfast or lunch, a snack at a party, or even as part of a breakfast-for-dinner meal! This batch is about to head over to Eric and Stella's house for the Superbowl Party. Maybe I should make another batch? 36 might not be enough for these guys.

What I do when the husband isn't around and I don't feel like knitting. Wait. What?

That's right, there was just something about this morning that put me in the mood to not knit. Weird.

So. I got to work on a few loads of laundry and tuckered myself out pretty quickly. I love folding, but today just wasn't the day. But I had the feeling to do something at least something productive. I dumped the clothes in a pile on the sofa and went to find something that would feel a little busier.

But first I decided to fix myself a bowl of Raisin Bran. As I pulled the box from the one shelf in my laundry closet / pantry, all sorts of stuff fell. Chips, boxed pastas, granola bars, other cereal boxes, and even a can of enchilada sauce! That was it... I knew what I would do this morning: organize my kitchen.

Once I finished my cereal, I got to work. Pantry / laundry first, then medicine cabinet, and then whoknowswhatelse. It wasn't so bad, what with Billy Joel / Elton John Pandora Radio on in the background.

Cereals, pastas, other boxed goods stacked. Bagged mixes, loose and random items organized in containers. Interior of microwave scrubbed (gross!), laundry supplies replenished and organized. What a nightmare getting started! Yes, my microwave is in my laundry room sitting atop my washing machine like it belongs there. Everyone I know gives me a tough time about it being there, but look. Understand me here! We hardly use our microwave, like, ever. It's used a lot for us if it's used once a week. So, there is no sense at all for this huge ugly thing to take up 24 linear inches of the give-or-take 60 linear inches of kitchen counter space I have to work with! What are you using the top of your front load washing machine for? That's what I thought. So leave me alone about it. Here's the before, and the next two are the after result. Whew! That was tough.

Hey kids, shake it loose together
The spotlight's hitting something
That's been known to change the weather
We'll kill the fatted calf tonight
So stick around
You're gonna hear electric music
Solid walls of sound

Say, Candy and Ronnie, have you seen them yet
But they're so spaced out, B-B-B-Bennie and the Jets
Oh but they're weird and they're wonderful
Oh Bennie she's really keen
She's got electric boots a mohair suit
You know I read it in a magazine
B-B-B-Bennie and the Jets

Hey kids, plug into the faithless
Maybe they're blinded
But Bennie makes them ageless
We shall survive, let us take ourselves along
Where we fight our parents out in the streets
To find who's right and who's wrong

 It turns out it's a good thing I went through this horrific sight and got everything sorted and organized. I'm low on laundry stain cleaner, canned goods, and totally overstocked on chips. I had absolutely no idea until I did this!

Then I turned to the medicine cabinet and the cabinet which stores Vespa's food and treats. Guh-ross. Grossgrossgross!!! I didn't even take a before picture. First of all, the cabinet itself is just about useless. The cabinet door measures about 6" wide. Then the cabinet is only about 6" to the back of it, but about 30" to the side... it fills in a corner in the kitchen, so it is pretty much there as useless filler. I'm using it for the medicine cabinet, and to store some items from the kitchen that are less used.

I got allergy meds organized first. All the little blister pill packs into their rightful boxes, etc. I struggled a lot with allergies last Spring (our first Spring in south Georgia), and I went through a lot of allergy medicines before I discovered the one that works at all -- Benadryl. I swear these cold meds aren't being used in a meth lab! I just had to go through all this stuff before I found that Benadryl was the only one that made be feel better. Too bad it turns me into a zombie. Anyway, one basket is filled with allergy and cold meds.

The other is filled with vitamins, supplements, Advil, Tylenol, and tummy control.

And finally daily multivitamins, my beloved Benadryl Itch Stick, and other essentials are right in front of the door now. And yes, those are Carlton's Flinstones vitamins. I judge him too.

Then I got Vespa's monthly flea/tick control together along with other random meds that didn't fit on the bottom shelf and shoved it all in the center shelf.

Finally, my last bit of storage in this funky cabinet went to my tiny cheese dip Crock Pot (that's about all it's good for) and my KichenAid Stand Mixer... mixers. The paddle, the hook, the whipper thingy, and the dust guard. They needed somewhere to go that was out of the way, and this was perfect. Oh, and Carlton's beloved 5 Hour Energy thingies. I count them as vitamins. Read the label. So, in they go with the rest of his little Flinstones!

Then there was little miss Vespa. Or this morning after her back yard prowl and failure at bird catching, she was more like Little Miss Sunshine:

I got her cabinet organized, too. Her extra food was stored in an airtight container to keep it fresh, and so were her beloved "doughnut" treats.

Such a pretty kitchen!

Now I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that it doesn't all explode the second Carlton goes looking for the Tums at 2:30am.

Finally!

We finally have a place to hang our framed-and-signed-by-wedding-guests engagement photo:

 I finally have a spot in my bedroom to admire my Degas ballerina replica statuette:

 We finally have somewhere to stuff our underwear, t-shirts, and other casualish clothes that don't necessarily need a hanger to be happy:

I went shopping on Saturday and spent a whopping $190.00 on this solid wood chest of drawers. It's got wood drawers with dovetail joints and everything. And I was ready to have a drawer for our drawers, if you know what I mean! A shelf in the armoire just wasn't keeping me happy... because stacked clothes topple when they're on a shelf. The chest was delivered while Carlton and I were at work (I told them that was okay when I purchased it since even I have a real live grown-up full-time job now), and we ripped it out of its packaging tonight after supper. This sucker was really heavy! After we struggled a bit to move it from the carport into the bedroom on the wall I had designated, I started prepping the drawers for our drawers. They were dusty inside, so I wiped them out with a damp cloth. Then it was time to move the hardware out to the outside of each drawer. I like how it's very straight and square and minimalist and how it almost has an Asian flare. And I love the fact that the hardware is the same wood as the chest:

As Carlton and I unpacked the chest from its cardboard, foam, and plastic packaging, I had noticed it was a bit short and that the feet were shaped differently than what I had seen in the showroom. And when I opened the bottom drawer of the chest, I discovered why: it's because the legs of the chest were packed away for safekeeping. I set them aside for attachment tomorrow. Because, after all, there's no need to get overzealous here. It's not like the legs will run away or anything.

So now we have a beautiful new chest of drawers to store all of our stuff and to make our master bedroom feel even more at home and comfortable (for us and our armoire... she was so tired of toppled stacks of clothes!)

Hooray for finally having another new little important piece of furniture to help make our happy little house a happy little home!!!

My new favorite vegetable

If you know me very well at all, you know how crazy I am about zucchini cooked on the grill until it's charred on the outside and still crisp in the center. You've gotta cut it into quarters, spray with a little Pam olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and set it over direct flame. There's nothing better in the summertime! I have been known to skip over my steak or burger and just eat the zucchini with a HUGE smile on my face when it's done just right. Ahhh, so delish!

Lately, I've fallen in love with something that is JUST as good and -- because there's no grill preparation needed -- might even take less preparation than the zucchini! It's fresh, healthy, full of flavor, it goes with just about anything, and it's really quick and easy to fix. I've made small batches for just Carlton and me (yes, Carlton even loves this stuff!!!!!), and I've also made huge batches to feed 8-10 guests.

Baked Parmesan Broccoli:

1 package of fresh broccoli
Good olive oil
Grated Parmesan cheese
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Maybe some red pepper flakes for a little kick

- Heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Cut broccoli florets from their stalks. (If it's a large side dish, as if chicken and broccoli is all you're having for dinner, I usually prepare one broccoli stalk per person. If it's a smaller side dish to go along with two or more things, cut at your discretion.)
- Spread broccoli onto a nonstick baking sheet and drizzle very lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on lightly (I just use the stuff we sprinkle on our pizza at home -- nothing expensive!) and toss everything around to get it all evenly distributed.
- Make sure everything is spread out on the baking sheet well.
- Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. (The Parmesan cheese tends to get a little salty when it bakes, so while you do want a little salt, go easy on it and salt more on your plate if it's needed.)
- Bake for about 10 minutes, and voila! You've got a delicious, flavorful, and healthy side dish that everyone is sure to love.

We ate this all gone from our plates before I thought to take a picture. Yes, it's that good!!!

(Sometimes, if I'm feeling spicy enough, I'll sprinkle on some red pepper flakes once the broccoli is on my plate. It spares Carlton's sensitive senses that way. Yummmmm for me!!!)

Christmas 2010

Thanksgiving night, lighting the Christmas lights at Moultrie's Courthouse on the Square

This year's Christmas festivities were fast, fun, and frenzied. Unfortunately, I had to work on Christmas Eve until 1:00. But as soon as I was home from work, we loaded up all the presents and headed for Cartersville. Unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera along for our Christmas weekend in Cartersville because of our rush out the door from Moultrie, but I'll gladly show pictures that others took! We drove straight to my parents' house where we dropped off Vespa so she could rest up for Santa's mid-night visit. Then, we drove straight to my grandpa's house for our traditional Christmas Eve gathering.

 My tabletop centerpiece, arranged just in time for the Teller Christmas Gift Exchange and Dinner Party

Papa's front yard was covered in his traditional white wooden reindeer, and accented by lots of lights. Papa had a tiny tabletop tree this year, topped by a countrytastic Santa Claus, speckled with bass fish ornaments and sprinkled with white lights. We had our usual spoiling of Trisha and Kristen by Leslie and Papa. Among many gifts, I opened a beautiful black pearl necklace from Leslie, and then a set of pearl earrings from Papa which match a long pearl necklace he gave me last year for Christmas. Once 10:30 or 11:00pm came around, it was definitely time for Carlton and me to head back to my parents' house for some much needed sleep. I was exhausted!

 Our Christmas tree, cut down at the tree farm by Carlton himself!

On Christmas morning, my sister and I woke up according to our usual Christmas morning ritual: at the crack of dawn. The sun wasn't even up yet! After we walked the pups, it was time to open all the presents that Santa had magically brought in the middle of the night. (Yes, Santa still comes to our house!) Carlton and I were overwhelmed by all the great gifts we were given! Some of my favorites were the new Shark steam mop, some sweater sets and cardigans, a new pair of snazzy shoes, and gift cards for buying home decor. Carlton racked up on new shirts for work as well as gift cards for games and dining out, buy his favorite gift by far was from my dad: an automatic shooting Nerf gun complete with tons of ammo and even a shield! We gave my mom a new travel cosmetics bag, and we gave my dad a 6 month subscription to Netflix to try out. By 9:30, we had inhaled our once-a-year treat of my mom's amazing coffee cake and were on our way for a second Christmas morning with Carlton's parents and Grandmama.

 Two new tree ornaments, and they're two of my most favorite!

Carlton and I both racked up again on excellent gifts from his parents. Carlton opened more collared shirts for work, a nice pair of Smith&Wesson sunglasses, and some cold, hard cash. I opened up some more beautiful, professional sweaters that got me excited about going back to work, a new set of bamboo knitting needles, a beautiful set of table linens from Grandmama, and a luscious fleece king-size heated blanket for our bed. Score!!! We gave Carlton's dad a sleep wireless mouse for his livingroom recliner netbook internet surfing, and Carlton's mom and Grandmama got matching handmade jewel earrings. Surrounded by boxes and bows and crumpled paper, Carlton and I collapsed into a Christmas morning coma... until it was time to meet my parents and drive through the Christmas white snow to Kennesaw's Imax 3D cinema to watch Tron.

That night we went back to Carlton's parents' house where we played with his little cousins Hannah and Justin, opened presents with them, and had some delicious chicken pot pie made by Vicki. Hannah loved her Ribbon Dancer, and Justin couldn't wait to play with Hannah using the new walkie-talkies we got him!

One of the two wreaths that framed our sliding doors which lead out to the back porch, fashioned with a glittery reindeer!

On Sunday morning we woke up at Carlton's house and prepared for our last hoorah of opening presents--with Katie Anne, baby SJ, Saunders, and Katie! I was sooooo excited to spend the morning with Katie Anne and play with her. She opened her gifts very slowly, making sure she got to see everyone else's facial expressions as they opened their gifts, too! My favorite gift to give her this year was a playtime grill, complete with all sorts of food to cook on it, grilling tools like a spatula and tongs, salt and pepper and bbq sauce, and even a propane tank hooked up my a hose to the grill! She cooked and cooked for us and the grill made awesome crackling and sizzling sounds. Then, surprise!!! Katie Anne opened an entire new kitchen, complete with pots and pans and dishes for Doc and VJ's house! Katie Anna racked up on homemaking tools.

My favorite gift to give to baby SJ was something made by hand over a number of nights. I sat, studied my computer, and picked out what I thought to be the most darling (EVER!) little baby boy's sweater vest. I picked out yarn, sat on the sofa, and just knitted my little heart into that sweater vest. I would ooooh and aaaaah over it every time I'd stop and look it over. Of course, I had to take time away from knitting when I randomly decided to paint my living room and dining room, as well as when I made intricate plans for a Christmas dinner party at the house. But I got straight back to work and finished sewing the snaps on the shoulder of that vest the morning little SJ came over to open it from its gift box. He was so excited, he vowed to wear it for his upcoming professional pictures! Auntie Trisha can't wait to see the vest on that cute little Hambone!

It wasn't long after that last splurge of opening gifts (only 2:00!) that Carlton and I loaded up the car and headed back home to Moultrie where we collapsed into the bed and napped. Christmas weekend was exhausting and hectic, but it was so much fun to share the white Christmas holiday with our families!

Autumn in South Georgia

The signs of Summer have finally subsided. While there are still tides of warm air that roll in now and then, I can finally wear a sweater to work and go the entire day with out actually sweating in my sweater.

The gnats are gone...

Carlton and I have enjoyed a football game together with friends in Athens...

...as well as the legendary Georgia/Florida game in Jacksonville, Florida... STOMP THE GATORS!!!!!

 I've finished another scarf for mailing out to my "secret" swap partner in California...

We have celebrated my birthday with some of our close friends at my favorite Thomasville restaurant Marebella, just like last year but with a different group...

Pecans are being brought in from their beautiful groves all around us, ready to be baked into some delicious pies...

Cotton is being harvested from the fields...

 ...packaged for shipping in semi-trailers...

...and processed at the cotton gin for distribution throughout the USA...

Vespa has been chasing squirrels and loving her new playpen, totally free from adult supervision...

 The (apparently) world-famous Ag Expo has come and gone... "Have you eaten today? Thank a farmer!!!"

Vespa is now sporting a smart, fall-inspired houndstooth collar, complete with a coordinating leash for cool and stylish neighborhood strolls...

Calico, Moultrie's Roselawn-ish crafts fair, will be in town this weekend and I won a free ticket at work, so guess who's going to Calico...

I've come to terms with the fact that I just might become that "Kooky Auntie Trisha" because I'm currently knitting what appears to be the smallest sweatervest ever made, ever... and I can't wait to pinch his chubby widdle cheeks when I see him in it, either...

And finally, the City of Moultrie is now making preparations for the Thanksgiving Night Display of Lights that string from the top of the courthouse dome out to the rest of the storefronts around the square...

Autumn is beautiful here in Moultrie!

I'm 26!

Well, I've gotta say... being 26 has been great so far!

One major perk of marrying into the Jones family: they wholeheartedly believe that your birthday should be celebrated for a week! Hence, The Birthday Week. My thoughts on that? Sure, why not! Aside from the fact that my birthday was on November 1st, my birthday celebrations started a little early. I decided my "birthday week" would start when Saunders made it down on Friday night, October 29th. First things first! Saunders brought a gift from his and Carlton's mom-- a birthday present for me! A pretty, wavy, fluted, funky vase with gray and purple swirls all through-and-through. It is totally, 100% me and I love it! Carlton is sure he's gonna be looking at it for years to come. It's the perfect size to hold lots of knitting needles on the sofa end table, or a bundle of flowers on the dinner table! Thanks, Vicki!

Saunders came to Moultrie because we were heading to Jacksonville, Florida early-early-early the next morning to go to the Georgia/Florida football game. Once he got to Moultrie, and once I got home from work and changed, we decided to show Saunders a little bit of the "big town" Moultrie scene. We took him to Blue Sky, a favorite local hangout place for dinner, drinks, watching games, playing excellent trivia, and just hanging out.

As soon as we walked in, Saunders was satisfied: "This is what I wanted, this is something only Moultrie has." And that's exactly right! Saunders treated himself to the gigantic ribeye while Carlton had a burger and I overindulged in the Boom-Boom Shrimp (it's fried shrimp covered in a crazy-good sauce-- kinda a creamy sauce like they serve you at a Japanese steakhouse, only completely hot and spicy at the same time... totally delectable!). We stayed there for a couple hours, just talking and catching up over drinks and desserts.

We didn't stay up too late once we got back home, though, because our plans were to leave the house by about 6:00am the next morning. Goooooo Dawgs! It was a struggle to be awake and out the door, but we somehow managed to do it. The drive was nice, the tailgating with friends was excellent, and it didn't seem like it was long before we were making the trek to the stadium to see an incredibly exciting football game.

Our seats couldn't have been better!  We were sitting just 3 rows from the field... that's right, you read that correctly... 3 rows back!!! We were on about the 15 yard line, so we were right there in the middle of all the action when exciting end zone plays made the crowd go wild. Unfortunately, The Dawgs lost in overtime, but I couldn't complain one bit. It was my first Georgia/Florida game experience and it was so exciting and fun and incredible!!!

The drive back was pretty rough. Not because of traffic, because there was none at all. It was rough because we were all so exhausted and ready for sleep. The stop at the Waffle House was a good call at first, because it gave us a chance to get moving again, to perk back up, and to get some food on our stomachs (I hadn't eaten since my breakfast McGriddle on the way down to Florida because the tailgate cooks only brought sausages and hotdogs... sadly, not my cup of tea). But once that Waffle House started digesting, we only got sleepier and warmer and cozier and more tired. Saunders toughed it out for most of the drive home, and I did my best to talk and keep the conversation going. I didn't want anyone falling asleep at the wheel! We made it home safely in the end, but man-o-man was that a struggle. Thanks for pulling through, Saunders!

Our Sunday consisted of seeing Saunders off, napping, having lunch, napping, tv watching, and seeing friends for dinner. You've gotta love a lazy Sunday!

Monday marked November 1st, my true birthday. I carried my new Dooney&Bourke eggplant-purple patent leather purse to work. Yeah, that's right. You can be jealous, I totally understand why you would be. It's because I have a new eggplant-purple patent leather Dooney& Bourke handbag and you don't. It's completely natural. (Actually, the truth is this: a fellow teller at the bank carries D&Bs on a regular basis. She's got two little girls under the age of four and needs both of her hands open at all times to keep up with her girls. This particular purse is more of a forearm bag, if you will--the strap is too short to classify it as a shoulderbag. So, she had this incredible purse at home and could never use it.)

I sent Carlton a text picture of it and he gave the thumbs up with a return comment of: "I'm so glad I found the perfect birthday present for you, Babe! I was getting worried that I wouldn't find you anything, but this purse is just perfect for you. Happy Birthday!" And so, I got a beautiful, brand new (okay, so it's last season), never-been-used Dooney&Bourke for $75. Can't beat that!)

Monday night I carried my new Dooney&Bourke eggplant-purple patent leather forearm bag to dinner in Thomasville. Carlton took me to one of my favorite places to eat, Jonah's, where I ordered the Surf-n-Turf filet and crabcake with their famous creamy white cheddar grits and coleslaw. Carlton got the fried shrimp and fries. We shared the sinful deep fried hushpuppies... we just couldn't not eat them!

And now for today. My yarn arrived today! Remember, the yarn I purchased to knit this sweater? It was waiting for me, all dry and cozy in its USPS Mailing Box  in the carport when I got home. I'm ready to knit myself a sweater. I really complicated, pretty, retro-style sweater.

As for my birthday week, I think it's gone well so far. Speckled in with a few white chocolate macadamia nut cookies for a nighttime snack here and there, I'm pretty satisfied! We're looking forward to a group dinner in Thomasville on Friday or Saturday night with our Moultrie crew. Since spunky little Stella will be turning 29 on the 9th, this dinner outing should be a fun one!

One more thing before I sign off: I'm not the only one getting great presents around here. Look in the background of this picture I took today after work. You'll see Vespa's new present: a backyard fence! She's been chasing squirrels and birds and lying in the warm sun, all while we're inside not supervising! We are also getting Vespa used to her new "playpen" by running and playing as much as we can, and everybody's having a great time in this cool fall weather!

Thanks to everybody for sending so much love to me for my birthday! More "Adventures of the Moultrie Joneses" updates to come. Muah!