The Lipscomb Times

She's here!

2012-01-19T10:48:00.000-06:00

I am updating the blog with my daughter sleeping in my lap. Life doesn't get much better than this. She was born at 10:52 am yesterday, and weighed in at 7 lbs 13 oz.

We have pictures and video to sort through, and we will hopefully be adding them here shortly. Katie and I are doing good, got lots of rest last night, and will be going home tomorrow. Thanks for all your thoughts, prayers and notes of encouragement on Facebook and Twitter. We are definitely feeling the love! Justin and Katie

40 weeks

2012-01-17T08:37:00.001-06:00

2 days late, but here is my lovely wife on her due date. We both want to meet Harper so bad!

38 weeks

2012-01-01T16:48:00.002-06:00

28 weeks

2011-10-25T07:42:00.004-05:00

Shaving like a grandfather

2011-10-09T14:15:00.005-05:00

With the little one arriving in just 3 months now (3 MONTHS!) I will soon be outnumbered by ladies in this house 3 to 1. Maybel may not act like a lady, but she is a lady nonetheless. In an effort to increase the amount of testosterone in the house, some changes had to be made.

I have been reading a lot of blogs and websites, and talked to friends who have changed the way they have been shaving, so I decided to try shaving with a safety razor. After some research, I settled on a Gillette Super Adjustable razor. I found that on ebay, and it was made in 1974.

First shave was on Thursday, and it was very enjoyable. I actually enjoyed shaving! For the first time in my life, I can say that.

I set the first shave to music, and it synced up nicely with Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. If it's good enough for the Wizard of Oz, it's good enough for me.

Now if I can just find a honeybadger hair shaving brush.

I think I just felt my first gray hair sprout

2011-09-06T18:19:00.003-05:00

Justin here. Katie and I are going to be parents in January, and we finally got to find out what we are having last week. We had to tell some family over the weekend, and now that we have told them, we can tell everyone else.

It is a little girl! Katie and I were sure it was a boy, but we were both surprised to see a pink blanket when we opened our surprise.
Katie had taken our pictures to Pottery Barn and they were able to see what it was, and she had them gift wrap a pink or blue blanket, based on the gender. Katie met me for lunch later that day, and we opened the box. I would post that video, but Katie doesn't like the sound of her voice on video.

We will be blogging A LOT more (obviously) because of baby girl, so stay tuned for updates.

-Justin

That's what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown

2009-12-03T22:34:00.003-06:00

I love this time of year! Really, who doesn't? You'd have to be a serious kind of "Scrooge" to not get a little warm in the heart when you see pretty lights while driving at night or hear a well-known Christmas song on the radio. Even if the Christmas season doesn't do much for you, you can't help but ignore the buzz that seems to be everywhere because of it. I was actually reading someone else's blog (like most of you because you certainly haven't been reading ours...because we don't post) and I happened upon this clip and remembered how much I loved it and that he quotes one of the best stories/verses in the Bible. It's also one more thing that helps me remember the true meaning for the "buzz" that is everywhere these days. I love gifts as much as the next girl, but more than that I truly love what the real reason for the season is and that's that a sweet baby boy was born a long time ago fulfilling one of God's many promises! Just a reminder to myself that I am blessed because of His love and grace.

I pray that you and yours may feel the buzz that is the reason for the season!

Welcome Back

2009-09-23T11:26:00.007-05:00

I am sorry for the lack of updates on the old blog here. You would think for someone who is home all day, I would have time to update. Truth be told, I have had the time, I just haven't made it to the blog yet. Facebook and Twitter can be so addictive! But, today is a special occasion....we have a tree limb in our yard!

And its not just any tree limb, its big!

No, not that one, the one in the back....here it is.

When I first saw this this morning, I thought the back of the barn would be smashed up.
But the limb it being held up by a small dog pen and a clothesline pole. Of all the places for the limb to land, it picked a good one.

In other news, I am writing this post on our new Macbook! Yes, we took the plunge, and I am extremely happy with it so far. After the rebates and stuff, we got an amazing deal on a new laptop and a wireless printer.

I am also EXTREMELY excited for this movie to come out.

This is what I have to look forward to all day

2009-08-04T09:52:00.004-05:00

There are also men shouting measurements in Spanish, but that part is somewhat amusing. I think they are drilling into the Outer core of the Earth. If a volcano erupts in Franklin, TN today, we can blame these guys.

The homestead

2009-07-02T09:09:00.007-05:00

Ok, here they are. Some of these are not the best pictures, I had to take some last night with the old camera.

Living room:

Guest Bedroom:

Master:

Bathroom (you don't have to say anything, we know. It's bad)

Kitchen (and a dog sticking her tongue out at the camera)

Dining room

Dining room from the Kitchen

Laundry room/pantry

The back patio and fire pit are probably my favorite part of the house. Not included, but I can add them at another time.

Have a safe but fun 4th. Try to have as much fun as Maybel does chewing on sticks in the back yard.

chewing some bark....

Foxes

2009-06-23T07:46:00.004-05:00

Saw 2 crazy foxes this morning coming back from our walk.

I tried to get a better picture, but they were too.....fleet.

Enjoy

Things of late

2009-06-15T17:37:00.003-05:00

Hello there. I know, its been a while. We have so many things to catch-up on.
Here's the highlights:

Pandora - This is a link to my Kings of Leon station, and it will kick you in the face with new and great music, and you will come back for more. I know, Pandora has been out forever, bu I have just now gotten into it because of Katie and I's ....

iPod Touch - We got these as anniversary gifts for each other. Its safe to say that we spend way too much time on them, but they are incredible.
My favorite app? Other than Pandora, probably Nike+. It's making me run. Yes, that is John Basedow.

The Hives - a product of Pandora. been listening to them non-stop for a few days. I can't explain why I like them, but Tick Tick Boom is a great Powersong, if you're a nike+ user.

The house - Yes, we have pictures. We will post them soon, maybe tomorrow. Back to back posts? You better believe it.

And to close, "I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a Hamburger today." Name that cartoon character in the comments for a prize.

63,072,000 seconds

2009-05-05T15:06:00.002-05:00

At roughly 6:20 p.m. tonight, Katie and I will celebrate 2 years of wedded bliss.

I don't remember every detail of the past 63 million seconds, but I do know that they have been made better by having her to spend them with.

Now the question remains...What is an appropriate gift for the "Cotton anniversary"?
Cash....sheets....a t-shirt....socks? None of those scream romance.

I can't say it any better than this, so thank you to Elizabeth Barrett Browning:

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with a passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, --- I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! --- and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

Honey, I love you. Here's to another 2 trillion seconds! (or 60 years)

Happy Birthday Katie!

2009-04-13T08:19:00.004-05:00

Today, my lovely wife turns 27 years old! With our readers help, let's have at least 27 comments about why we love Katie! Happy Birthday babe!

(We both wish we were back there on your birthday...ah Mexico!)

A Tradition Unlike Any Other

2009-04-11T12:10:00.006-05:00

The weekend is upon us. Not just any weekend, I'm talking about Saturday and Sunday at the Masters. This is my favorite major, and its all the more special that it is the first one every year.

I was lucky enough to go to a practice round in 2007, and it was everything I had expected, and then some. The history, the course, the pro's, and surprisingly enough, the food.

All the food prices are surprisingly low. Apparently they haven't changed in years. Another little tidbit is that the wrappers for most all the food is green. Seems normal. But the reason they are green is that if they don't make it into the trash cans, they will blend into the turf while the cameras are rolling.

This is where I fell in love with pimento cheese sandwiches. My parents ate them a lot when I was growing up, and they always just looked horrible. But, I had never tried them until I went to Augusta.

When Katie and I were going through some cookbooks we got for our wedding, we found a recipe for Pimento Cheese spread, and we had to make it. Here's the recipe:
- 8 ounces each of extra sharp white cheddar and extra sharp yellow cheddar cheese (finely grated)
- 1/2 cup Mayonnaise (NOT MIRACLE WHIP)
- 1 4 oz. jar of pimentos (drained and finely chopped)
- 2 teaspoons yellow onion (finely grated)
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
- 3 tablespoons hot salsa
- 2 tablespoons fresh flat leaf parsley (finely chopped)
- 1/4 cup chopped pitted green olives (Optional, and we never include)

Stir all this together, and refrigerate, covered for 2 hours "to allow the flavors to develop."

Other than grating the cheese, this is an easy recipe. It makes a lot of spread, which is a good thing because its delicious. Now, armed with a P.C. sandwich or two and a glass of milk, lets watch some golf!

While the Kat's away

2009-04-05T19:43:00.008-05:00

Katie is out of town for a few days in New York City (NEW YORK CITY!? Get a rope) With that Maybel, Blake and Maverick and I decided to go on a camping trip to the South Cumberland State Park. We were specifically headed to the Savage Gulf area, and had a 18 mile round trip hike planned. We got there late Friday (around 9:45) so we camped there by the car, and headed out Saturday morning around 9.

Having never been to this park, I must say it is amazing. Some of the views from the top of the trails are great. The route we chose was pretty strenuous, a lot of up and down and very little flat ground. Somewhere close to 800-900 feet in elevation change going down and coming back up.

The dogs were pretty good. I was a little nervous at first, since Maybel had run off on Thursday night for about 30 minutes. But having her off the leash was not a problem. They got in trail mode, and stayed on the path most of the day.

After hiking 5 miles, you would think Maybel wanted to rest. Think again....

We got to Collins East around 3:00, and Maybel and I were wiped out. Partly because we had slept about 4 hours the night before, and partly because of the crazy hard trail. She slept great last night.

Got up this morning, hit the trail by 8:00, and we were back in the car by 1:00. It was a great trip, but I will be paying for it for the next few days. I am going to be walking funny because of these sore calves! Maybel also has a few raw spots on her feet, so we both look pretty sad. Hopefully, we'll be back to normal by Tuesday night when Katie gets back.

I think she's tired...

There's more to post about (our new home for one) but that will come. Right now, I've got to catch up on Friday Night Lights!

New Camera

2009-01-19T06:40:00.004-06:00

Katie and I picked up a new camera over Christmas. I thought about taking a picture of it, but I'm just not that fast. Of course, we've taken some shots of Crosby and Maybel, though none of them together. It's in the works though. What a cute little guy.

This camera has a setting where you can set it to pick up one shade and the rest will be black and white. I'd like to say I edited these in Photoshop, but it was all camera. As Sawyer Brown sang, "I got to give credit where credit is due...."

First day home for Crosby

2009-01-08T06:42:00.005-06:00

We've been meaning to post a few things, but never got around to it....UNTIL NOW! This was our visit with Crosby the first day he came home from the hospital.

He was so happy to see us, he slept the entire time. Danielle will no doubt be putting up lots of pictures on their blog, you can see it here

And finally, can you find our dog?

Happy Thanksgiving and Shout out to DT!

2008-11-26T17:33:00.004-06:00

So, I've never been a huge fan of Thanksgiving, except for loving all of my mom's food and seeing and spending time with family, but for most of my life, Christmas has ranked higher in the world of favorite holidays (I mean good food, family, AND presents, why wouldn't it rank higher??). For several years now, my sweet dad has always said that Thanksgiving was his favorite and that Christmas had become too commercialized and people had lost sight of the true Reason for the Season. Honestly, I chocked it up to him being older and wiser and not caring as much about presents anymore. Pretty foolish, I know. Well for some reason, today it hit me. Probably because of the "Fax of Life" e-mail that Dad forwarded to all of us kids and kids-in-law today, which he does sometimes when he feels it is a particularly good thought that he wants us to think about (Fax of Life is an e-mail newsletter/thought for the day kind of thing that he subscribes to, usually pertaining in some way to religious beliefs). It's these little things, personalized with his own little message to all of us that really show me what a wonderful man my dad is and his heart for God that makes me so blessed and thankful that I've had him as an example to lead me all of my life.

The gist of the "Fax" today was that the Thanksgiving holiday has luckily remained just that, a day of giving thanks for all of the blessings that we have been so lucky to receive. Even when the next day is all about finding the best deals and starts the Christmas rush and when gift giving can get lost in the shuffle of gift getting (in my case anyway), the fourth Thursday in November is always set aside for us to stop and give thanks for everything we have and to enjoy the blessings of family and food especially, not to mention, tons of it!

So, this is me, taking the time to think more about what a great holiday Thanksgiving is and to mention to all of those that do and don't know my dad, that he is pretty awesome and that I understand a little more now why he loves this day more than any other holiday. If you're reading DT, I love you more than I tell you and I am so thankful for you!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone and I pray that you all are blessed and thankful for the food and family you will enjoy wherever you are!

We're buying a house!

2008-11-25T11:14:00.004-06:00

Here it is! <--(click it, or you can see it on Realtracs MLS # 999703)

Let us know what you think! we'd love to have everyone over for a house-warming party very soon!

I'm convinced God has a great sense of humor

2008-11-04T08:28:00.005-06:00

And he is laughing at me. This morning Rusty and I were passing out free breakfast at a local apartment complex. We were there to get some names and numbers to possibly quote renters insurance and other things.

One lady drives up in some Vanderbilt Medical scrubs. We started talking and I asked her if she would like some breakfast (Otis Spunkmeyer muffin and a juice box) and she said:

Lady: "No, I can't eat or I will fall asleep at work."
Me: "Well, we can't have that. You need to stay awake so you can be a good nurse."
Lady: "Actually, I'm a doctor."

I also got a mother's name and as she was driving off I said "Have a good day Tiffany" and her name was Kimberly.

I could also tell you the story of me rear-ending a lawyer, and also rear-ending a police officer...but I think you get the picture. There's also the father-daughter dance at Katie and I's wedding, but again, you get the point.

On a serious note, please continue to keep my sweet sister in your prayers. She's still at Baptist Hospital, being observed on medicine. Hopefully she can stay as long as possible, and keep that baby in her belly!

Congrats Andrew and Laura!

2008-10-21T09:05:00.004-05:00

Welcome Evie Jane Stacy to the world. Laura and Andrew became parents last night in Memphis, and we're so happy for them. Look at that hair!

If you were at our wedding, you may remember from his memorable approach to the dance floor. If you weren't at our wedding, where were you? Seriously?!?! You would rather do that than come to our wedding?

A lesson in Frugality

2008-10-09T09:26:00.009-05:00

Katie and I have been on a money-saving tear lately (except for buying a new car.....whoops) and it all started with a little tip from the Nunley. We were at their house and talking about Comcast and how expensive they are, and he told me that you can just call them and ask for a lower monthly bill, and they will do it.

At first, I was a little skeptical. But after some internet research, the approach was proving itself to work for others. So, unless you like paying more money than you should, you should pick up the phone and call your cable provider and ask for lower rates.

The way I did it was this:
- Call Comcast (either the local number or the toll-free 800 number)
- From there, I would recommend going into the "If you want to cancel service...."
The reps that answer the phone in that department are usually going to offer you more to keep your business with Comcast.
- Once they answered, I basically told them I thought I was paying too much and was thinking about switching companies. After less than 5 minutes of talking about where to trim, we have cut off $34 a month from our bill forever, and they also threw in a $15 credit for the next 6 months. I think they called it a "Customer appreciation" credit.

We lost everything between channels 100 and 200....saved us $16 a month. Sorry Encore, your movies just aren't worth it.
We also downgraded our internet package to something slower and haven't noticed a difference yet.....saved us $18 a month.

$50 bucks a month in our pockets for the next 6 months? I think so. If you have tried this, leave your story in the comments. If you haven't tried it, what are you waiting for?!?!

I think we're on our way....

I think Hell may have frozen over

2008-10-04T22:20:00.005-05:00

Because we actually bought a car! After a long day of looking and thinking and looking some more, we finally did it, we bought a new (to us) car! I really didn't think this day would ever come, but it finally has. I really am still in shock that we actually did it, but I'm also very proud of us. As you all know, we certainly did not enter into this lightly and we took our sweet time deciding on what kind of car to get, how much to spend, and most importantly when we would actually get one.

We started out this morning around 10:30 and headed to Carmax to look around, test drive a few Pilots, and see how much (if any) money they would give us for Justin's truck. We were presently surprised by their offer and felt that it would just be easy to sell it to them whether we ended up getting a car from them or not. We saw a few we liked that actually turned out to be close to our price range once we calculated in the trade-in value, but we still wanted to look elsewhere. We had seen one at Carsmart, "home of the half-priced car" and wanted to check it out. So we drove to Hendersonville and were there long enough to find out that somebody else had bought that car early this morning. They had one other really nice Pilot, but totally out of our price range and the guy we talked to was not even interested in trying to get us to look at it. It's probably for the best, because we both would have really liked it and could have ended up spending more than we could. So...we called Joe at Carmax and told him we wanted one there and headed home to get the truck ready to turn in. Luckily, the bank was accommodating and we were able to go sign the papers to become "slave to the lenders" as Justin called it. We headed to Carmax and picked up our new ride! After taking it by the Farmer's and the Joneses' to show it off, we were finally home by 6:00. Did I mention it was a long day?

It was a long day, but totally worth it. We have been blessed with the cars that we've had up to this point (despite a lot of the work that they've needed, they have gotten us to the places we need to be) and we are blessed with good jobs that allow us to be able to get a good quality car that will hopefully take us many, many miles over the years to come. If you ever need a ride and are in the Nashville area, don't hesitate to ask. It seats 8!

Yellow Dan

2008-09-29T14:52:00.002-05:00

A lot of people have asked about how my sister is doing. First, let me say thank you for all the prayers and concern for her. It's nice to know what there are people out there checking up on us.

She is doing well, despite the circumstances. She was was put on bed rest about 6 weeks ago, and has spent the last 3 or 4 weeks on more of a voluntary bed-rest. They are coming up on 23 weeks and although she still has contractions, they are not as bad and aren't anywhere near as painful.

I would encourage you to hop onto their blog and drop her a comment. She has a laptop and tries to keep in touch with the outside world that way. Oh, Yellow Dan is one of her nicknames from the Mississippi days.

She gave me a nickname in middle school that I was especially fond of: Rat...Thanks again for that one Sis!