Granny's House: A Place of Love

For the past few years mentoring young students has been on my heart. When I went to the Washington Leadership Conference through FFA two summers ago the project I formed dealt with showing the love of God to those around me, but I never had the opportunity to join an actual mentor program.

A couple weeks ago, my heart jumped a bit when I ran across an organization called "Granny's House" in the weekly MU news email I receive. Granny's House is an organization whose mission is to show the love of God to children living in inter-city public housing in Columbia. One look at their website showed me that this after-school program is exactly what I had in mind. I decided to learn more, and to kill two birds with one stone by writing a Corner Post article about the organization.

What I found last Wednesday was eye-openning and heart-wrenching. First of all, I'm not a fan of driving in the city so I was already a little stressed, but when I pulled into the neighborhood my heart rate increased even more. The area had an overall feeling of gloominess and despair. I was not prepared for this side of the city. Regardless of my initial reaction, it didn't take me long to realize that Granny's House serves as a lighthouse in this community.

As I walked into the house, I was immediately hit with colorful walls and surroundings. I was directed upstairs to meet with Pam Ingram, founder and director of Granny House. Climbing the stairs, I noticed the walls were covered with children's hand prints and scripture verses. When first meeting Pam, affectionately known as "Granny Pam," I immediately knew this was a woman with a lot of energy and a lot of love for the people around her. I soon came to find out that all the children of Granny's House loved Granny Pam too. Every so often, a child would barge in to tell Granny Pam "hi" and something about their day at school. Even after the fifth child within 15 minutes, Granny Pam's welcoming smile and loving demeanor never faltered. I could tell this was a woman who could make people feel special and encourage them to go after their goals.

My conversation with Granny Pam grew from talking about the beginnings of her organization to agriculture and the city perspective of food production. It was a great experience for me to see just what her questions were and to get a real look inside the mind of someone with no agricultural background. I often feel like I know very little, but I am continually amazed at how much I've absorbed simply from being around people with scientific knowledge.

By the time I left, I was feeling much more light hearted. I had the joy of knowing that even in places which may be marked with hopelessness, God cares and sends his servants out to show His love.

Shannen Smith (left) and Hannah Calcote (right) are two Granny's House volunteers from Mizzou

AHHH!!!!

Today is a bit of a crazy day. I've spent all morning reading for various classes and hoping dearly that it will actually stick in my brain. This past hour has been spent studying for my first Ag Econ test tomorrow, of which I am slightly (in a way where slightly means extremely) nervous about. At two I will go to class. At three I will head over to my first off-campus interview site (please pray, I am terrified of city driving!), then come back to my dorm and study for my journalism test tomorrow. At 6:30 I have to make my way down to my CAFNR Week reporting site, and then submit an article to my editor by the end of the night. Ahhh!! Sometimes I wish I could scream, but strangely all I want to do right now is take a nap.


Ah the college life. It's fast-paced, intimidating, frustrating, irritating, but in a strange way fun. As I told my mom last night, I've really got it good here. I may feel bogged down right now, but it could be a whole lot worse!

A Sea of Memories Awaits

Today as I was sitting in the auditorium at Jesse Hall it really dawned on me that this is college. This is the time when strong relationships are built, where we discover who we truly are and what we're meant to do, and where it's ok that crazy things happen. This is what my parents refer to as the 'glory days.' I will someday be the one telling my children stories of crazy adventures just like I sit at the feet of my mom, uncles, and their long-time friends listening to their stories now.


We're about halfway through CAFNR Week, something I'd like to think of as FFA Week on steroids. The students in the College of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources are competitive. Each organization receives points based on their participation and whoever has the most points at the end of the week (which is actually more like a week spread across two weeks) wins bragging rights. And I'm realizing bragging rights are a big deal here. Tonight was skit night, and boy was that interesting! Sitting in the darkness between skits is when it really dawned on me that there are a sea of memories here just waiting to be absorbed.


Honestly, I never thought I would enjoy the 'college experience.' That just wasn't, and still isn't really, my priority. I'm here for a reason- to get to the other side. I look forward to what awaits me in the professional world. The thing is, I'm not sure what that is. The University is helping me out there a little, and while I figure out where I fit in the professional world, I'm going to enjoy this sea of memories flooding at me every day.

Saturday Morning Science

I remember my high school biology teacher talking about a thing called "Saturday Morning Science"at Mizzou. She kind of laughed about it and said it was only for hard core science nerds who couldn't get enough during classes through the week. I'm no science nerd, but I'm about to head out for the Monsanto Auditorium in the Life and Sciences Center. This should be interesting...


So why am I going to spend my Saturday morning learning what an anthropology professor has to say about Neandertals? (And yes, they spelled it with no 'h'- I even looked up to see if that was proper) No, I'm not going just for the free breakfast, though that is an added bonus. I'm going for a Journalism assignment.


By tomorrow night I shall have written and submitted a two-page reflective paper on the presentation which shall prove I attended and thought critically about what was said. Not exactly a convenient assignment, but since when was homework convenient? I do like that we are pushed to take advantage of the extra knowledge and research that MU has to offer.


Here I come Saturday Morning Science!

CAFNR Corner Post Debut

One of the coolest things about Mizzou's Science and Agricultural Journalism program is that the first thing we start doing in the Intro to Ag J class is writing for the CAFNR Corner Post, an online publication by the students and for the students of the College of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources. 

For some, including myself at times, it's intimidating to know that we just got here and we're automatically expected to produce something worthy of publication. There are rules and guidelines to follow as a professional journalist that make writing a new experience. I'm finding that I am terribly wordy, and for that I apologize to anyone it has affected. I am learning though, and that's why I'm here. 

While interviewing random people may be intimidating, I appreciate the program's realization that the best way to learn is by doing. I'm a practical person and learn best hands-on so I appreciate this trial-and-error method. I feel like I can read books about journalism and talk about how to write, but until I actually start writing I won't really learn anything about this path I've chosen to follow.

My first story was about the economic effects of Hurricane Irene on farmers. I blogged a little about it just after the hurricane, but the event kept weighing on my mind. Something that is usually in the forefront of my mind is that we're all connected, and I wanted to see how Hurricane Irene might affect different people, those on the East Coast as well as those here in the Midwest. I'm very thankful for the opportunity to talk to a couple gentlemen actually from North Carolina, one of which actually had a family farm on the coast which was damaged. I had a great experience learning about the hurricane, and then writing the story. 

Everything is beginning to feel a lot more real, and feasible as a future. I have a long way to go, but I'm learning and I'm excited. 

I'd encourage you to check the CAFNR Corner Post and see what everyone is writing!

Chatauqua in the Park (and Dictionary)

Going to the Chatauqua at Simpson Park in Chillicothe is something I have memories of from way back. The chatauqua holds such an important place in my heart that I had to come back to visit it. Saturday afternoon some friends and I loaded up the car and hit the road to Chillicothe where we had an enjoyable evening of looking at the vendors’ wares, watching the Mic-O-Say dancers, and eating cotton candy.

Picture from Chillicothe Parks & Recreation Website

As my friends and I were walking along the paths looking at crafts and artists set up drawing or airbrushing designs on kids, we reminisced about past chatauquas. We remembered coming to watch puppet shows and listening to storytellers. As we passed the blow up boucy houses, we couldn’t help but be a little sad we were grown up.

Now that we’re older we notice different things. We saw crafters making things using old-fashioned techniques, such as spinning and broom making, and we saw other artists using creative new ideas in their goods. One thing we hadn’t thought much of until now was what does Chatauqua really mean?

Chatauqua is a word of the Seneca Native American tribe. There is some variation of what it actually means, but essentially it is the name describing a place on Chatauqua Lake in western New York. This is where the first “Chatauqua” was held. During the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries, chatauquas, or local festivals with entertaining and educational aspects, were very popular. Today chatauquas may not be as popular, but our Chatauqua in the Park is still an important part of our culture and community. 

10 Lessons Learned

I am nearing the end of my third week of classes at Mizzou and thought I'd compile a list of things I have learned this far about college life:

1. Dining hall food is really not that bad, but if you tell yourself it's going to be bad then it will be. 

2. Never walk alone at night. Always walk in big groups when there's lots of snow.

3. If you're not a night person, get over it.

4. In big lecture halls, sit in the front. You may get spit on but at least you can hear.

5. Never take cold medicine before an 8 a.m. class, or if you do make sure you have someone sitting by 

you who can poke you in the ribs if you start nodding off.

6. It's a good idea to have someone sitting next to you who will poke you in the ribs if you start nodding off even without the cold medicine.

7. Start your assignments the day they're assigned, or if possible before they're assigned. The key to a minimally stressful life is time management.

8. Reading assignments will do you no good if you don't absorb them.

9. Check Blackboard and your email often. Class may be cancelled but you'd never know it if you didn't check your email.

10. Don't expect an "A" in every class. Most professors don't expect or even want you to get an "A". It makes them look bad. 

Some of these things I've learned first hand, others I've just heard from others enough times to take the warning. As Annie would say, "It's a hard-knock life for us" college students. But if you manage your time and resources wisely, you'll reap a lot and the outlook for your future will be brighter. 

A Little Bit of Chicken Fried (Or is it Country Fried?)

I love old-fashioned, home-style food, especially fried food. When I was at home I loved nothing more than cooking up some good ol’ fried chicken and mashed potatoes for supper after a stressful day. So, imagine my pleasant surprise at discovering country-fried steak would be served for lunch today at one of the dining halls. This fact seriously made my day.

A friend and I made our way to the dining hall in time to beat the regular lunch rush and made our way to the hot meal station. The thought registered in my head that this was no country-fried steak but actually chicken-fried steak, nonetheless I was too excited about eating any kind of fried food that I pushed the realization aside. My friend, however, did not push her realization aside and asked for some chicken-fried steak. What she received was a confused reply from the server, “Uh, ma’am, this is beef not chicken.”

First, I want to clear up any confusion: neither a country-fried steak nor a chicken-fried steak is actually made from chicken. Generally speaking they are made from thinly pounded beef steaks, though my family is known to also use pork, called cubed steaks. The more confusing question is just what is the difference between country-fried and chicken-fried? After all, the two are oftentimes used interchangeably.

While both are considered “southern food,” some would say country-fried steak is associated more with the Deep South and chicken-fried steak is associated more with the southern Midwest. The major distinction, however, is the way in which the steaks are cooked.

When making country-fried steaks, the cook will dredge the meat in a mixture of flour and seasonings and fry it in just enough oil that the meat doesn’t stick to the pan. Oftentimes, the meat will be cooked in brown gravy during the final cooking stage so that it actually becomes part of the finished product. To most people, the key here is brown gravy. Whether the gravy has been cooked into the meat or is served on top it is usually brown.

For a truly country-fried steak recipe, check out Paula Dean's "Bubba's Country-Fried Steak and Gravy" at Food Network.com 

Like its name would suggest, chicken-fried steak is fried like chicken. This means a good egg coating along with the flour coating is used. The trademark of chicken-fried steak is its nice thick and crispy coating and the peppered white gravy served either on top or on the side. This is my personal favorite and therefore what I, and many others, think of when either “country-fried steak” or “chicken-fried steak” is said. Yes, I fall into the temptation of generalizing too.

One of my favorite websites and blogs to follow is "The Pioneer Woman." If you're looking for a step-by-step approach at learning to make chicken-fried steak check out her site. 

When my friend asked for chicken-fried steak she was using the technically correct term even if today’s society doesn’t acknowledge that. It’s an under discussed topic in my opinion, but now you know the difference. Either way you look at it, fried food is fried food, and fried food is tasty! Even fried food in a college dining hall is tasty, I might add. 

Drive One for Your School (and your FFA Chapter!)

This weekend I am looking forward to a pretty exciting event. I'm going home to raise some money for my home FFA Chapter through Ford's Drive One for Your School! Plus, I'm pretty excited about the FREE Cotton Candy! That's always my favorite.

Here’s how it works: one person per household aged 18 or older can come out to the Trenton Middle School parking lot in the circle drive on Saturday anytime between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. and choose from a selection of new Ford or Lincoln vehicles to test drive. It's completely free on your part, but for every test drive the Trenton FFA will receive $20 up to $6,000. This year there's been a neat little twist added, Ford is sending an extra bonus car to be driven: the 2012 Ford Focus. Drivers who additionally test out the Ford Focus will earn an extra $10 for the chapter, meaning a total of $8000 could be raised in one day!

Where does all this money go? I can honestly say that the Trenton FFA takes pride in being able to help out its community through developing successful students and participating in community activities and projects. Last year’s funds raised from the Drive One for Your School went towards adopting several families at Christmastime and buying turkeys for the Food Pantry. The funds also go to ensure money does not stand in the way of any member’s FFA and career developing experience.

If you're around, I would encourage you to take a little time out of your day on Saturday the 10th anytime between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. to come Drive One for Your School. This is a really great opportunity from Ford to not only raise some money for the organization, but for the community to support the chapter. Community support is essential to any successful generation of students. Investing in the lives of these young leaders can help ensure the future of the community. Hope to see you there!