Red Hot Reads

I know.. I know... I have been non-existence in the world of blogging recently. Drew reminds me daily of my lack of writing. It isn't that I don't have things to write about.

With the weather turning chilly, I find there is nothing better than to crawl into bed or curl up on the couch with a good book. I would totally start my own book club if I could.




I don't know about the rest of you, but I LOVE the movie The Blindside. I found the whole story very inspiring and longed to know LeAnn Tuhoy. She is pretty much kick ass! I highly recommend picking up their book and curling up with it. It is defintely a feel good read.

The Tuhoy's were givers way before Michael Oher came into their life. Selfless giving, no matter who, no matter what. They didn't always have the money to give to others in their community, but they gave and they let lots of young people come and stay with them. We all could be more like the Tuhoy's no matter in what capacity. We don't always have to give money, but we can give in our time and most importantly, in our love and compassion.

Drew and I recently went to our local Barnes and Nobles with a list of books to purchase. I tried to get them from our local Paris library, which I am a card caring member of, but sadly, they didn't have them.



My first read out of the stack was "I Do, Now What?" Now, I know not everyone is married and this book might not be for all readers, but if you are married, I highly recommend. I love Guilanni Rancic on E! News and I think her and her husband Bill Ranic are TOOO CUTE!

I wasn't looking for marriage advice, but I was interested to see what they had to say. Guilana and Bill are very open from everything to in-laws, gift giving, and of course, sexy time. They give tips, not do this, do that advice, but also share their personal experiences, struggles, and adventures in love, marriage, and friendship. All which should be there to make a beautiful, strong marriage. It's funny, insightful, and full of love.

I am now on to "Dirty Sexy Politics" by Megan McCain. I have heard some great reviews on it and am excited to crack it open tonight.

Stay warm and happy reading!!

Diners, Drive-In's, and Dives

At the Hatmaker residence we watch a lot of Food Network. Because we are frequent travelers as well, we love shows that showcase restaurants across the U.S.; in hopes that we will be in the same place as one of these establishments. One of our favorites to watch is Guy Fieri's "Diners, Drive-In's, and Dives.

On a recent episode there showcased a place in Kentucky that just so happens to be a short 35 minutes from Paris. Since we didn't have a sale this weekend, Drew and I decided to embark on an adventure and check out a famous place.

Our destination was Wallace Station's nestled in between Versailles and Midway. It is really convienient to get to off of I-64. We arrived at about 2:00 p.m. hoping to miss the lunch crowd. There was a small line when we arrived, but it got longer behind us. Everyone in line had never been there before and had seen it on DDD.



The building is super small. There are maybe 15 tables/booths in the restaurant, but there is a patio out back with live music on the weekends. While waiting for your food you can check out the simple decor of horse farm hats and featured magazine and newspaper articles. One of the coolest things stenciled on the wall lets visitors know that Guy Fieri was here.




I ordered "The Big Brown" which is the best burger. Guy Fieri named it one of the top 5 burgers he has ever eaten. It is like a Hot Brown on a burger with ham, tomato, and White Cheddar Mornay, which they make. Oh yeah, and they make their own bread. Drew order "Sammi's Pimento Cheese Burger" made with homemade pimento cheese. The burgers come with chips and to complete the Kentucky experience we ordered Ale-8's. A Peanut Butter cookie and Cheesecake Brownie completed our order.



The Big Brown might be one of the best, messist burgers I have EVER eaten. With every bite their was ooey-gooey cheese all over my face and hands. It took me 11 napkins to clean up the mess, but it was well worth it.



After our delicious, T.V. worthy lunch we went to historic Midway where they had a cute, pricey little antique area that was perfect to walk off our lunch.

View from the Block

Well, it is official. The start of the fall sale season is officially underway for DP Sales Management. We have finished up the Georgia/Alabama Simmental Solutions sale on Saturday.

The start of sale season means back to living in a suitcase and fitting laundry in Monday-Wednesday. For some people, it might not be the life, but we wouldn't trade it for anything. Drew was actually saying a week ago that he was ready for sale season to start because since the wedding, we haven't had anything to get ready for, plan, or go to. He was itching to hit the road again.

I personally love sale day. All the adrenaline and action that goes into making a sale successful. I also love my view. I get to sit on the auction block and run the computer. I import all the sale data into the program so that we know who bought what and for how much. I like to think I have one of the most important jobs. :)

As I have done this for quite sometime, therefore I have become quite accustomed to how things are run on the block. I highly enjoy listening to a good auctioneer. Some that I have worked with a lot I even have their tricks of the trade down. I took this picture today while listening to Colonel Tommy Barnes sell.



The view from the block is second to none. You see everything. The ringmen. People's bidding habits. All the cattle that enter the ring. It truly is the best seat in the house.

So here is to a awesome, successful sale season no matter what breed you might be in. Let the madness begin!

Need a little rustic elegance?

Beautify your space...

I love sentimental gifts. Things that come from the heart and have real meaning. I love to give them and I love to get them.

My bestest friend Devan who was the President of our State FFA Officer team is now sharing her creative talents with the world. What was once some doodling and gifts for friends is now bringing in the bucks! She gave us a piece at our wedding shower and a gift for our wedding. We love them both!



Since she is so talented, I wanted to share it with the rest of the world. You can buy her items of www.etsy.com. This is a really cool site where people who make things have an opportunity to share with the world.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/rusticelegancecrafts

Take a moment and give it a browse. She is just getting started, but has some super cute things to offer for your home or for the perfect gift!!!

I don't wanna grow up!

I am currently attending the American Junior Simmental Association Junior National Classic. I have been going to these events since I was very little with my parents, and was very excited to begin competiting and showing. My first junior national was in 1998 in Columbus, Ohio. Sadly, last year, in 2009 I competed in my last junior event as an American Junior Simmental member.

This year I am attending as a spectator. Let me tell you, it is hard. For 11 years, my family and I attended events all over the United States, from Monroe, Louisiana to Fort Collins, Colorado. Not only do you get the chance to compete in the contests, exhibit your cattle, but you also get to meet a lot of great friends.

As a junior member, I always competed in everything. My dad didn't really ever give me a choice, but I loved it. So, you can imagine my dismay, as I am watching the juniors around me heading off to do Public Speaking and Showmanship and feeling a bit left out. I was asked to help with the Mentoring Mixer and a few juniors asked for my help with their Sales Talk. It made me feel very involved to be able to help.

Growing up is awkward and weird. I am very happy to be attending junior nationals with my husband, but it makes it very weird. Married, grown-up, no longer a junior. Though I don't mind not having to do the early show mornings and breaking down heifers.

No matter if I am a junior, adult, or hopefully one day a parent of a junior, I will always love attending these events no matter in what capacity!

We did it!

For the first time.... Mr. and Mrs. Hatmaker! :)


I know that I am way behind on the blogging, but with all that has been going on being faithful to my blog just hasn't been one of them.

But I can findly say that we are married!!! My blog name has super-duper meaning in the last few and right now because there is a lot of love coming from Paris! I mean we are newlyweds, right?

The big day was June 26th, but we of course have been on our honeymoon since then. What a glorious and beautiful day it was! Drew and I have talked a lot about how we did so much planning for so long and then to see it all come true was truly beautiful and amazing.

As a little girl you DREAM of finding your prince and having the most beautiful wedding, and boy do I think I hit the nail right on the head. I can not thank my wonderful parents, my new husband, and all of our friends and family for making it a truly special day and one that I will never forget.

We got married at the Marriott Griffin Gate Resort and Spa in Lexington. They are wonderful to work with and will get you whatever you ask for. Drew and I even had a special girl at the rehearsal and reception that would get us anything we wanted. They even platted our food for us and got us drinks from the bar. The setting for the ceremony was a huge, white southern home called, " The Mansion." It was warm outside but I sure wasn't paying any attention. Only thing I was looking for was my handsome groom at the end of the aisle. Don't let him fool you, he shed some tears. :)



It was a magical day and I am looking forward to married life now!

One Person's Trash.....

is another person's treasure!

With the recent dispersal DP Sales Management had and the wedding in just a week, I have let my blogging skills lack. I apologize to my following and interested readers in letting you down.

Here is what is really cool about getting married... you get presents! Luckily, Drew and I have friends from across the U.S., therefore presents arrive at our house fairly regularly. With our floor covered it was time to find somewhere to put it all, but we didn't really have a place. We have been on the hunt for a corner cabinet since the first of the year but haven't had any luck.

My dear friend Lauren found some pieces at the Peddler's Mall in Nicholasville that she thought might work, so Drew and I headed over to see if there was anything we liked. Wow! The Peddler's Mall was packed full of interesting things. Here is our first awesome purchase.



This artwork is by Dwight Yoakam's wife. It was a set of three pieces but we just didn't have the room. I thought this piece was a steal at just $100. It now resides over our bed.

And low and behold we found something to put our new presents in. Not the corner cabinet we had originally set our for, but these pieces work a lot better in our space. It is of course already full of wonderful wedding presents.



To continue with our antiques/other people's goodies, Drew, my best friend Salena, and I set off to take in the 400 mile yard sale along US 27. This stretches from the state of Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky. It is on the list of 1000 things to do before you die, if you are interested.

We got up early on Friday morning to insure that we didn't miss any good deals. Salena was looking for children's books since she is going to be sharpening the minds of our children, Drew was looking for antiques and deals, I was the passenger.

A few of our purchases....

$5 steal...




Salena's purchase....



I came home with 7 peacock feathers that I got for free at a yard sale. There were in a vase and the lady told me that her mother (who had passed on) would want me to have them. Score! I did the best of anyone that day.

I know that some of my fellow bloggers and readers are into antiques! Right?