Snowjam 2014 became Icejam 2014 on Day 2

 My wife tried to make a snowman but the "dry snow" just would not cooperate!  She braved the cold to build this mini me Frosty yesterday! 

 She could not get the button eyes to stay in place. We usually have wet snow in GA but not this time.  

 Yes the back yard is still covered today. It warmed up to 36 degrees but the snow in the shade is still not melting.  Surely by Friday it will be all gone.

This was my favorite picture posted by one of the TV stations, not sure who took the photo, but it helps to keep a sense of humor in all this snow and ice! 

Snowjam 2014

SNOWJAM 2014 - our adventure in snow here in Georgia - the last one was in Jan 2011! 

Thank the Lord I made it home from work before it got too bad! One of my coworkers said it took him almost four hours to get home yesterday.  My boss said it was 10 PM when he arrived home (we left work at 1:30 PM! ) 

The photo at left was on Brook Hollow Parkway at the Jimmy Carter Blvd intersection.

 Snow accumulated on our back deck - about 1 3/4 inches total by midnight. 

 The view from my back deck - snow covering the neighborhood

 Not enough to snow to completely cover everything but enough to cause the city to shut down!  Governor Deal is asking all employees to stay home Thursday too.  Schools are closed today and tomorrow.

Everything looked so 
dead this winter,  
I love the way the snow changes everything. 
God's gift to us in winter.

family photo Sunday

Great family photo of Cindy's uncle David and 

Jo Ann Baggett with their growing family!  

No Compromise- short film by Philip Neves, BJU grad

Congrats to Philip Neves, a 2013 cinema Bob Jones University graduate. His short film, No Compromise, won the 1st place award for short film in the Intercollegiate National Religious Broadcasters (iNRB) Student Production Awards competition.  
I found this to be very thought provoking, this may be the way life is in our country sooner than you think...take time to watch this short film, about 12 minutes or so...

Santa Clara Vanguard perfoming "Les Mis" - video

This video is from the 2013 DCI Championships - the  

Santa Clara Vanguard performing "Les Miserables"

Franklin Family Birthdays for Jan 16th - 31st

We're celebrating FOUR Franklin Birthdays 
for the 2nd half of January 2014!

Kathy Pettit celebrated  another birthday on this past Friday, January 17th.   

Kathy is the wife of my 

2nd cousin Jamie Pettit,

who is the son of Dianne Pettit.

Hope you had a wonderful birthday!

Ashlyn Stubbs celebrated her 

19th birthday on Monday, January 20th.  

Ashlyn is the daughter of 

Christy and step-dad Preston Pettit,

and granddaughter of Dianne Pettit. 

Hope you had a wonderful birthday this year!

Cindy Lee (Baggett) Franklin 

will be celebrating another 

birthday on Friday, 

January 31st. 

My wife will be turning...let's just say she will starting 

another decade :)

Wishing you a wonderful birthday!

My nephew Philip Logan will be celebrating his 25th birthday 

also on Friday, January 31st. 

He is pictured with his mother, Deborah (Franklin) Logan 

and sister April Logan 

in a picture taken at 

Christmas Eve in Cowpens.

Hope you have great day. 

President Bush #41 at the Duke basketball game Saturday

The Duke Basketball team was honored with a special visit Saturday by President George H W Bush (#41)- there to honor Coach K - and it was noted by the coach that this is the first visit by a current or former President to a Duke basketball game in history! Watch and enjoy this video!

family photo Sunday

Three of our grandsons

(Thanksgiving 2013)

Ethan, Charlie and Layton 

*FOUR YEAR OLDS*

Baggett Family Birthdays for Jan 16th-31st

Celebrating 5 birthdays in the Baggett Family 

for the last half of January 2014! 

Roger Williams will be celebrating his 35th birthday on Saturday, January 18th.  

Roger is pictured with his wife Christina, who is the daughter of cousin Morris and Linda Blackstock. 

Hope you have a great birthday 

this year! 

Tyler will be celebrating his 17th birthday on Wednesday, 

January 29th.  

Tyler is the son of Cindy's cousin Brandy McDonald and great grandson of Winnie Baggett. 

Hope you have a great day! 

Noel Baggett will be celebrating his 39th birthday on 

Thursday, January 30th.  

Noel is pictured with his wife Lisa and children Brooklyn and Travis. 

Noel is the son of Uncle Kelsea 

and Roxy Baggett.  

Hope you have a great birthday this year! 

Catie Baggett will be celebrating another birthday on Friday, January 31st.   

Catie is married to Cindy's nephew Jeremiah Baggett and is pictured with her family at left. 

Hope you have a great birthday! 

Cindy Franklin, my sweet wife, will be celebrating the big one 

on Friday, January 31st!   

Cindy is the daughter of Winnie Baggett (and the late J.L. Baggett, Jr.)

Wishing you a wonderful day! 

 

remembering our history - Battle of Cowpens Jan, 17, 1781

From the "American Patriot's Almanac" by Bill Bennett: Remembering our history - 233 years ago this week - the Battle of Cowpens took place on January 17, 1781!

On January 17, 1781, Patriots under Brig. Gen. Daniel Morgan defeated a British force under Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton at the Battle of Cowpens in South Carolina, a crucial victory in the American Revolution. Morgan was a rough-and-tumble fellow. As a young man in Virginia, he had worked as a wagoner, driving supplies to settlers west of the Blue Ridge Mountains. During the French and Indian War, while driving wagons for the British, he managed to offend a British officer, who struck him with the flat of his sword. Morgan responded by decking the officer and was sentenced to 500 lashes. In later years, he liked to say that the British miscounted and gave him only 499, and that they still owed him one. During the Revolution, Morgan fought at Quebec and Saratoga. In 1780, he headed south to help fight the British in the Carolina backcountry. Tarleton, a brilliant commander, was determined to destroy Morgan’s army. He once declared that “these miserable Americans must be taught their places!” The Americans viewed Tarleton as a butcher because his troops had been known to slaughter men who tried to surrender. When Morgan realized that Tarleton was on his trail, he sent word to local militia: meet at the Cowpens, a frontier pasturing ground. The night before the battle, “the Old Wagoner” moved among his troops, bucking them up and showing them the whipping scars on his back. By dawn he had perhaps 1,500 men carefully placed on the field. Tarleton’s fearsome dragoons charged straight into a trap. The Americans managed to surround the attackers, killing or capturing most of Tarleton’s 1,050 men. Tarleton himself managed to escape. But the battle was a staggering blow to the British—“a devil of a whipping,” as Morgan put it—and helped turn the tide of the war.

painted by William Ranney in 1845

Duke highlight of the week-Video

Duke Highlight of the week - 

Duke hangs on to win Monday night at home against Virginia.  

Virginia was down by 11 points and came back to tie the game 

with just a few seconds left.  

Rasheed Sulaimon puts the game away 

for the Dukies with this 3 point shot!

family photo Sunday

Grandson Ethan helping out at the shop 

(with his dad and grandpa in WI )

family fun times in PA

Spending time with 

the grandkids this week 

in PA - 

Helping Layton paint his car and

family fun time at 

Ryan's Thursday night, 

with 99 cents kids meals! 

click photos to enlarge

Mam-maw and Layton

Brielle eating cotton candy

Hudson enjoyed his cotton candy too

Gideon

 

Video - Canadian Brass performance

Fun video to watch! The Canadian Brass performance was recorded in Italy in 2010 but my son Josh recently saw them perform the same song in PA - music "SCENE FROM CARMEN".  
Enjoy!

family photo Sunday

Grandson Gideon celebrates his first Christmas (2013)!  What a cutie! 

Baggett Family Birthdays for Jan 1st-15th, 2014

We have four Baggett Family birthdays to 

celebrate for the first half of January 2014! 

Happy New Year to all, and please try to stay warm!  

Uncle Joel and Aunt Robbie

Cindy's aunt Robbie Kay Blackstock celebrated her 74th birthday on 

Friday, January 3rd.  

Robbie is pictured with her husband Joel Blackstock.   

They had a birthday party for her on New Year's Day with lots of the family there.  

Hope you have a great new year ahead, and many more blessings from God!   

Andi Jo

Andi Jo will be turning 2 on Sunday, January 5th.  

Andi Jo is the daughter of Cindy's cousin Lori and Craig Wardlaw, and granddaughter of 

Jo Ann and David Baggett. 

Hope you have a wonderful birthday! 

Colin and Jeremiah

Colin Baggett will be celebrating 

his 11th birthday on 

Wednesday, January 8th.  

Colin is the son of Cindy's nephew Jeremiah and Catie Baggett and soon to be a big brother!   

Colin is the grandson of the late John Baggett and great-grandson of Winnie Baggett. 

Hope you have a great day celebrating!  

Derek, Pam, and Allison

Pam Baggett will be celebrating another birthday on 

Saturday, January 11th.  

Pam is the wife of Cindy's 

uncle Leslie Baggett.  

She is pictured with her son 

Derek and daughter Allison. 

Hope you have a wonderful day! 

Franklin Family Birthdays for Jan 01-15, 2014

Celebrating Two Birthdays for the 

first half of January!   

Try to stay warm, y'all!

and Happy New Year!  

Happy Birthday to Victoria Spurlin 
who turned 16 on January 1st!  

Victoria is the daughter of 

Debra(and Tony)Mitchell.

We hope you had a great day!  

On Sunday, January 5th, 

Debra Mitchell will be 

celebrating another birthday. 

Debra is married to my 

cousin Tony Mitchell.   

Hope you have a great day! 

Christmas Eve in Cowpens 2013 - photos