My First Vlog (A.K.A. Letting My Udders Hang Out)

If you can't view this video, here it is on You Tube.

Y'all, have a long, happy weekend! 

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I Will Blog for Sweet Tea

*UPDATED*

Official Count is around 115 followers! Goal: 313 (reduced goal since Chick Fil A is closed on Sunday :D (Make sure you @reply to Bovine Bliss after you follow or it doesn't count!) The year of sweet tea is for me and the cow vlogging is for you!!

The other night right before I flipped my laptop closed, I tweeted this:

"I wish Chick Fil A would let me blog for them. They could pay me in sweet tea."

I wasn't kidding.

And then I went to bed and dreamed of a land where the golden goodness flowed freely and unicorns danced like the wind (yeah, let's analyze that later, k?).

A day passed and I found a curious message in my inbox from a Chick Fil A restaurant owner: "If you were serious about your tweet, I have a proposition for you."

It was like the Sweet Tea Fairy was waving her magic wand in my direction!

So. Here's the deal: If you are on Twitter, I need your help. There's a new Twitter account called BovineBliss. For every new follower I send their way, they will send me a glass of sweet tea.

I need a moment.

{Wipes happy tears away}

What's in it for you? Well, not much. But, let's think of me, shall we?

I'll keep a count of just how many sweet tea coupons I get and if I reach 365 (a year's worth), I'll Vlog (video blog) myself standing in front of my local Chick Fil A in a cow costume and post it on my blog. 

Or I could  shave my head or kiss a live chicken on the lips...

How about you come up with a creative and humiliating idea and tell me in the comments if I reach my goal. I'll choose a few and let y'all vote on it!

The key? As soon as you follow BovineBliss, please send an @BovineBliss message and mention that @WeareTHATfamily sent you.

Cheers {clinking styrofoam cups together}

Have a happy weekend, y'all!

A Sweet Day

*Comments are now close, because I'm working on drawing a winner!* 

{you might just want to stick around for a very sweet giveaway}

They say time flies when you're having fun.

I can't believe I've been blogging for a year.

Because this is my idea of fun.

One year.

And yet, it seems like I've been sharing my life with you for much longer. You've held my hand on terrible Mondays and shared in my good/bad news. You didn't judge me when I did this or showed pictures of this. And when you cared enough to help me with this, it meant so much to me.

I look forward to more.  Much more.

In honor of this little anniversary, I'm very excited to announce that one reader will win something very special.

And very dear to my heart. 

This is my way of saying thanks for making THAT family feel normal. Sometimes.

Are you ready?

Because I am prepared to giveaway.............. {please, a drum roll would be appreciated}

ONE YEAR OF SWEET TEA!!!

I know.

For those of you who read often, you know I'm a heavy {sweet tea} drinker.  It's a problem I love having! 

One very lucky person will win a $100 gift card to Chick Fil A or Cracker Barrel  on Friday, Oct. 31 of this week. (And I'm reluctantly withdrawing my name from the pot).

$100 of sweet tea.

Why, that's 80 cups of sweet tea. Oh, stop my beating heart. Or it's 25 one-gallon jugs (one for every other week of the year) of the liquid manna.

Or it's a lotta chicken.

I am not taking a stand against the chicken, per se, I'm just thinking the choice is clear.

ONE YEAR OF SWEET TEA! ($100 value)

(Winner can choose between Chick Fil A and Cracker Barrel based on location. And if you don't live near one of those, we'll find some good sweet tea for you).

All you have to do is leave a comment and tell me how long you've been blogging or been reading blogs (everyone is eligible).  AND you can get a double entry if you subscribe to my blog. It's free and you just have to click below and follow the directions! (Make sure you mention if you're a new subscriber or already subscribe in the comments).

Subscribe in a reader

If you don't win, you can drown your sorrows in my sweet tea recipe.

This giveaway was made possible by some very special sponsors, thank you!

Now, since my blogoversary happened to fall during the week of Bloggy Giveaways, click the following link to find more fabulous giveaways!

More giveaways at the Bloggy Giveaways Quarterly Carnival!

Clearly, I Have a Drinking Problem

Hooked on Sweet Tea.

It is a beautiful beverage, really.

Go make yourself a glass (my recipe)!

Visit more people who are hooked at Hooked on Houses!

Sweet Tea

I'm trying to help some of my readers cool off for the summer.  Sweet tea is always the refreshing answer!

And, it has come to my attention from some of my reader’s comments that there are those of you who have NEVER tasted sweet tea, southern style.

And for that I truly apologize. 

Before you deem your life unworthy of being lived, let me first ask forgiveness for my ignorance.  In honor of the Southern ways, I will try to redeem this by introducing you to sweet tea.

I must let you know that this is the remedy to what ails me. I drink it very seriously.   

Sweet tea is a southern tradition older than dirt.  A well-known southern belle put it this way, “it’s the house wine of the south,” (Dolly Parton’s character in Steel Magnolias). 

It’s as southern as trailer trash, rednecks, camouflage and rodeos.  

Sweet tea is heavy on the sweet.  It requires mass amounts of sugar.  I once heard Mark Lowry say his sweet tea was only sweet enough if it could be substituted as pancake syrup.  Down here in the South, when we say sweet, we mean sweet.  Okay, ya’ll?

Let me tell you what it is not.  It’s not instant.  It is not unsweetened iced tea with sugar or artificial additives.  There is NO adding of artificial sweetness required or allowed.  That actually RUINS it.    Making sweet tea isn’t as easy as some think   The key to sweet is this:  the sugar must be added when the tea is hot.   It is a process that requires an expert. I have consumed enough sweet tea to actually pee it, so I think I qualify.

Boil a pot of water and remove from heat. Place 6 regular teabags in the water and steep for about an hour. Pour warm tea into a gallon sized pitcher. Add 1-2 cups sugar to the warm tea. Stir well. Add room temperature tap water to the top of the pitcher. Refrigerate. Serve on ice when cold. The ice is also important. You’ve got to use a lot of it. And if you have the electronic equipment to crush it-then crush away, my friend.

Do not put ice in the pitcher.  You are a loser if you do this.  I’m just pointing out the facts because the sugar will never dissolve. Sweet tea is a sacred production that requires patience. It must cool completely in the fridge.  

If you can’t wait, just get out the instant tea. It’s delicious. And if you’ve EVER enjoyed instant ‘sweet tea’ you don’t deserve real sweet tea. So stop reading.  Now.  

One last hint is to not over steep.  That and leaving sweet tea un-refrigerated too long makes it bitter.  Bitter sweet tea—well, it isn’t sweet, now is it?

I only recommend buying sweet tea from two chains Chick Fil Aand Cracker Barrel .  I cannot be held responsible if you buy grocery store sweet tea in the gallon jug.  You may die.  I mean it.  Amazing research done by Cracker Barrel proves that sweet tea drinkers are more laid-back and friendlier than soda drinkers. The report also stated that sweet tea consumers are perceived funnier and more exciting than unsweetened tea drinkers.  There you have it, dear ones, I owe all of THIS to sweet tea.

Some think it’s an acquired taste and others resist because it is fattening.  They are dim-witted.  It is nectar from the gods.  I have had tight pants lately, so I’ve substituted meals for sweet tea.  There are just some things in life worth getting fat for.  

You may also think I’ve been harsh and unfair.  Get over it.  Sweet tea is important to me and I stand up for what matters.

So, go ahead.  Don’t be afraid.  I challenge all my northern, eastern and western friends to give it a shot.  I guarantee it’ll be so good, you’ll slap your Momma or marry your cousin!