"Granddad" Monday's Warm Cocoa 12.15.2025

"I’m busy getting a new home finished for my coming grandbaby.” – Darrell Gibby

Granddad

“I’m busy getting a new home finished for my coming grandbaby.” Darrell said over the phone, “The baby is coming soon and we’re close to getting a new home built in time for the arrival.

Darrell is not going to be living in the house. But, his son and wife and their other two young children will be living there. They’ve all been working together to finish the construction for their growing family. They started building their new home a little over one year ago and have been doing almost all of the construction themselves. So, finding time to fling a hammer or wield other tools has been challenging since both father and grandfather have demanding careers.

Some grandparents would simply say they’re too busy, too old or too tired to throw themselves into such a large project. But not this Granddad! And, he is also busier than many others. He practices law, having his own firm, helps to care for aging parents and works as a volunteer, donating countless hours each week in his community. It is almost as if he is a “constructive tornado”! He does so much, one might be tempted to think of him as a “unicorn granddad.” Yet, if he is a mythical unicorn granddad he’s not the only one.

I sent a message to my friend Rob Surom two days ago asking if I could come over to visit. He’s “retired.” I was surprised to receive his unexpected response.

“It would have to be after 2 p.m. today,” he responded before I asked to come over at 4 p.m. that afternoon. But my schedule unexpectedly cleared so I sent a follow up request asking if I could come a little earlier. That’s when I received another text from him saying, “We’re home. You can come now.”

I wondered who the “we” was referring to as I knew his wife was working busily at the Children’s Hospital. My question was answered when I was invited into his home to find a baby girl held in this former naval aviator’s arms.

“I spend my days watching my grandkids,” Rob said with his disarming smile.

“Granddad,” I said to myself as Rob’s granddaughter looked at me and began to cry!

Rob immediately comforted her and in no time at all her tears were gone and her eyes were again a bright cerulean blue. Those cute eyes weren’t the only blue I saw after spending time with Rob and Darrell.

I saw a promising blue sky ahead for their grandchildren and I understood the use of “grand” as a precursor to the term grandfather and grandad!

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I’m Lynn Butterfield, Real Estate & Lifestyle Expert and Television Host for American Dream TV. I’ve helped hundreds of Buyers and Sellers, as an Associate Broker with Coldwell Banker, to discover where and how they want to live and work; to achieve what I call Realesation™. That’s why I bring you American Dream TV, Both Sides of the Fence, About the Dish, Monday’s Warm Cocoa and Home by Design Magazine to stir your heart and mind. Contact me so I can join you along your own unique path of discovery.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/10S8aY1KXHyzkBm-Xm7gUyQecrZqeYJNI/view?usp=sharing

"Bryan's Recipe" Monday's Warm Cocoa 12.8.2025

"It all starts with the dough.” – Bryan Brandon

Bryan’s Recipe

I was sitting across a table from Chef Tyler Rogers. He’d been crafting a new menu over the past year. One focused on local food products and producers. After explaining the basis of his menu, he brought out a couple of dishes for tasting.

The first dish, smoked shrimp with smoked pimento cheese, came with a beautiful slice of sourdough bread. When I tasted these in combination my eyes rolled back into my head. It was sublime! I had never tasted such layered, complimentary flavors. And, it was anchored solidly by the bread.

“This bread is amazing,” I said, before asking, “Did you make this bread in-house?”

“No,” Chef Rogers answered. “We get it here locally from Ozark Natural Breads.”

I made a mental note of that, excitedly thinking that, perhaps I would be able to purchase some of this crusty, tasteful bread to eat at home. But alas, my hopes were quickly quashed when Chef Rogers went on to tell me that the bread was only available on a wholesale basis. Still, I never gave up hope and before long I thrilled at the sight of Ozark Natural Breads in a farmer’s market.

That’s where I met company owner, master baker and artisan Bryan Brandon. Since then we’ve become friends and he’s been kind enough to teach me a little about what makes his offerings so delectable.

“It’s all about the dough,” Bryan told me in his bakery yesterday.

His sourdough starter began twenty-two years ago. Since then he added a cooling room to make it more vigorous. And, he’s worked to become better at his craft every day since he received his Bachelor’s Degree from the American Institute of Baking, completed an apprenticeship in a French bakery near Normandy and purchased the bakery from his parents. As a result, he’s an extraordinary artisan baker.

As an artisan baker he is constantly experimenting. He’s always working to improve his product and offerings. And he showed me his diversity by taking me on a little field trip to one of his latest ventures, Wicked Wood Fired Pizza. 

It’s a great little shop anchored by a colorful, large wood fired pizza oven, highlighting the side of his small restaurant. When I tasted his pizza, it filled my mouth with the flavor of red oak smoked sour dough!

When I pointed that out, Bryan looked at me with his big, wide, welcoming smile and said, “It’s all about the dough.”

That’s when I agreed, “Yes! A good, happy life requires a great base enhanced by constant experimentation and adaption. Then, when you throw in additional quality ingredients such as spice and diverse toppings, you have Bryan’s recipe for pure joy!

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I’m Lynn Butterfield, Real Estate & Lifestyle Expert and Television Host for American Dream TV. I’ve helped hundreds of Buyers and Sellers, as an Associate Broker with Coldwell Banker, to discover where and how they want to live and work; to achieve what I call Realesation™. That’s why I bring you American Dream TV, Both Sides of the Fence, About the Dish, Monday’s Warm Cocoa and Home by Design Magazine to stir your heart and mind. Contact me so I can join you along your own unique path of discovery.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/14AsoipiePjMdj7ds-f80BAGFyGWst-em/view?usp=sharing

"Harmony" Monday's Warm Cocoa 12.1.2025

"A Marshallese Man Singing.”

Harmony

The vestibule of the large building was filled with people. I was one of them and I didn’t know any of them sitting, waiting there with me. I didn’t expect to as I was there as a favor for a friend. Such situations can be stressful! You know, sitting with strangers surrounding you in a strange place.  Waiting!

I’ve never been particularly good at waiting. Not in a doctor’s office (one of the reasons I rarely see one), not in airports, and now that I’m thinking about it as a reflection, I’ve come to realize that it is clearly not something I like to do, period! But, in this case I was happier to do so because I was helping someone important to me. As fate would have it, it turns out though, that there was another reason to like waiting on this one occasion.

That reason turned out to be an old man, with silver hair, a color matching mustache, and just between caramel-cocoa-bean colored skin. He wasn’t the only one with similar features with me in that lobby last week. Most of the others waiting with me were also Marshallese as it turns out. I was the odd person in the hotchpotch assembly of waiters there. Yet, this man stood out from all others waiting with us there.

He stood out because of, what appeared to be one of his personal and natural traits. He was gently, quietly singing traditional Marshallese songs. His tones were sweet, heartfelt and soothing. So much so that the bothered nature of my waiting-disorder quickly melted away. The entire waiting room had become peaceful because of him. All of the faces around the room reflected his invited contentment. Each face matched my own. Suddenly, sitting with strangers was replaced with commonality.

We had a common feeling of serenity just because one person in the room, the “singing man” was able to remove cultural differences and angst by gifting us with what could be thought of as a lullaby. Yet, it was a serenade that too quickly ended.

The big, double doors just to my left abruptly opened. Those doors ushered in the end of singing man’s induced trance. His voice was stilled and I was startled to know that our waiting had too soon ended. I was sad when the music of the moment had ceased. So, when the musical man walked near me I came up to him.

“Your singing is beautiful,” I said in gratitude with an outstretched hand of friendship.

He accepted my hand and my thanks with his warm caramel eyes gifting me amity in return. Or was his gift harmony?

Yes. The singing man’s gift is harmony!

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I’m Lynn Butterfield, Real Estate & Lifestyle Expert and Television Host for American Dream TV. I’ve helped hundreds of Buyers and Sellers, as an Associate Broker with Coldwell Banker, to discover where and how they want to live and work; to achieve what I call Realesation™. That’s why I bring you American Dream TV, Both Sides of the Fence, About the Dish, Monday’s Warm Cocoa and Home by Design Magazine to stir your heart and mind. Contact me so I can join you along your own unique path of discovery.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/14AsoipiePjMdj7ds-f80BAGFyGWst-em/view?usp=sharing