Happy Birthday, dearest Craig and Laura!

Happy Birthday, dear friends! Happy Birthday to you!

Last Sunday we celebrated two special birthdays...Craig and Laura's! And a yummy lunch it was! Rob and Will joined us, and eh-hem, ladies, what two great catches I think they are! Poor Anna wasn't feeling well, but she rested in the family room while the rest of the children all played so nicely...lincoln logs, polly pockets, and you've got magic!

Macy served our crustinis with cream cheese and my spinach-artichoke pesto while 'Ivey' and Oriel handled the bar; Eric grilled us some yummy cajun pork tenderloin that we served with roasted red potatoes with garlic and rosemary as well as a few extra vegetables (for our veggie friends ;); and Charley provided a delicious chocolate/hazelnut-cream cake!

Remember gals, next year we're gonna party like it's 1999!

I love how different our girls are!

Today the girls and I had a great day...you know...one of those days when things go 'better than normal'?!? We did our school work, had some lunch, flew out the door (in much less of a furry than we 'normally' fly out the door!) and drove to my doctor's office, for I had to have some more lab work done to check my thyroid levels...again! Well, the girls were so well-behaved! (I'm still bragging on them to their daddy!)

Before we left the house, Tressie tucked a few snacks inside my purse...Valentine gifts that Mimi sent them...Thanks again, Mimi! You're the best! So as soon as we got to the doctor's office, she quickly remembered them! So as I sat in the lab chair waiting to be stuck with pins and needles, while the girls sat across the room (while still in my sight, of course!) Tressie proudly passed out the snacks.

And across the room Macy whispered to me, "Momma, I don't really care to eat anything in a doctor's office." But Annie gladly took her snacks, started eating them and ran to my side to 'take care of me' and see what was going on and said, "Uh, ma'am, is that her blood? I didn't know it was so dark!" She wanted to know every detail and wasn't skirmish at all! I just think it's amazing how God made us all so different! How boring would it be if we were all similar?!?

Don't ask her; she's just the...!

This afternoon while the girls were sitting by the fire doing their schoolwork (yet another reason to embrace homeschooling!), I overheard Annie tell Macy and Tressie to not ask me about something because she knew I wouldn't give them an answer but tell them that they'd have to ask their Daddy.
They were scheming to find out if I would give them a "yes" to allow them to all sleep in Macy's room. And somehow they've alreadly learned that "if Mommy says, 'Yes,' then Daddy will say, 'Yes'!"
Is that a self-learned lesson, for I don't know any parents who teach that, yet all children inevitably learn it!
So as Macy and Tressie continued on with their scheme, Annie had it come to a screaching hault when she adoringly/respectively said, "Don't ask her! She's just the nutrition girl, cleaning girl, and teaching girl!" Then a few moments later, "Daddy...he's the king, and he makes the decisions!"
I thought that was hysterical!

A Super Fat Tuesday!

Do you ever have those days that just seem to fly by ~ too many things to do and too little time?

This last Tuesday was one of those days...super Tuesday and Mardi Gras day! There were the regular daily to-do's, and then there were the extra daily to-do's for that day. And time limitations...aghh! (I guess if it hadn't been for the polls closing at a certain time, I wouldn't have gotten much of my extra--curricular chores accomplished, so I'm actually thankful for my deadline.)

So we whisked through our day accomplishing our chores, flew up to the polls to find that there wasn't any line (woohoo...usually, there's a long line, but this year we hit the polls at the correct time!), and flew back home to put the finishing touches on our king cake and finish our red beans 'n rice! Yum! I wish more than anything that I had taken a photo of our king cake, but as soon as some of my girlfriends began arriving for a "dessert and discussion" on a book that we had all read, we cut the cake and didn't look back! It was pretty (if I ever-so-humbly do say so myself), and it was fun for the girls and I to make (and the girls loved guessing who would get the baby in their slice of cake)! And the discussion on our book was great too...we all have/been reading Passionate Housewives: Desperate for God, which is a great book and one that I recommend highly!

All in all, it was a busy day but also a productive and enjoyable day...can't ask for much more than that!

"You know...I'm not so freaky about that!"

After supper tonight Annie walked into the kitchen to tell us something, and then she saw her daddy and I hugging, and she said, "Oh, you're so much in love, I can wait!"

"Aw...yes, we love each other."

"You know...I'm not so freaky about that!"

"What?!?"

"I'm not too much into that...you know, romantic stories?!? I'd rather super-hero stuff!"

"Slurp it like an oyster!"

Perhaps we've had a little bit too much Food Network around here while we haven't been feeling well, for we've been sleeping a little here and there (thanks to cold meds!), and there have been times when the only thing on TV to watch for entertainment was Food Network.
Today at lunch, I overheard the girls' giggling and saying, "No...like this...slurp it like an oyster!" while they were eating their pizza bites. And aside from vacationing at the beach, Food Network is the only other exposure that I can imagine they've had with oysters!
One of the best joys of motherhood (among many others!) is the fun in watching the girls enjoy life's little things!

A flying trip to S'port!

Although I absolutely HATE to leave my peeps behind, I was pretty excited that mom, dad, and Jan offered me a ticket to join them in Shreveport! And it was such a hurried decision, that I didn't even have time to get too worked up about it, but since I couldn't sleep I did get up early Saturday morning to make some pecan sandies for PawPaw and and cranberry-orange scones for Mamaw. Then after a while my peeps slowly began to awake and come downstairs, and at the first sound of Tressie's voice, Eric and I knew...Uh-Oh! She didn't sound good! So after Eric squashed my suitcase (it always takes a man to get my much-needed things to squish down so that the suitcase zipper will close!), we ran out the door to run by the pediatrician's office before the airport...always a lovely start to a trip for a mom who hates leaving her babies behind!

After waiting for what seemed forever in the pediatrician's office (I thought it'd be empty on a early Saturday morn, but nope!), we saw Dr. M to learn that she had bronchitis. So after Eric reassured me that she'd be fine, he drove us quickly to the airport; and we had plenty of time to sit and visit while we waited until boarding, then the tears began to flow! Tressie fell apart; Macy tried to hold her composure, and Eric kept looking at me with the expression "Get goin', for they're going to be fine! You know you're gonna have fun!" So as I tried to maintain my composure, I leaked a few tears and got got my powdered-sugar'd pecan sandies through the airport security (I was worried about that!) and flew to Memphis where Aunt Jan was waiting for me!

My plane was a little bit late, so I was so thankful she was there to quickly get us to the correct gate; we boarded our next flight and giggled all the way to Shreport where we landed, rented her car and drove ourselves to Pawpaw's house, and then we would drive on to the hotel to meet mom and dad. It was so good to see Pawpaw, and it was even more wonderful to hear how happy he was to know that we had pulled all of this together to be there for him, a simple man with a simple art show. Of course, we told him how special he is and how special it was to us that we be there to support him at this "simple" reception for his art exhibit! While we were getting ready to take him with us to the hotel where we were meeting mom and dad, Jan learned that they had been in a little wreck near our hotel. So we stayed with them (as long as we could...it was bitterly cold and windy!) while they finished up their paperwork with the police and the lady who had backed into them, then checked into our hotel, and then went to supper at Imperical Cathay (one of our favorite restaurants in S'port!). After a wonderful supper (if in S'port, one must go there!), we dropped off Pawpaw at his house and went on to our hotel.

It's surprising that any of us got any sleep, for we were all over-tired and having a great time laughing and just being together, and the fact that Jan was reading the jokes in Reader's Digest wasn't helping any! The next morning we awoke, got ready and had b'fast together there at the hotel, and then I rode with mom and dad to attend Grace Pres. (where some old friends used to attend...I wrote the "old" there just for you Rachel!) and then on to Pawpaw's art exhibit at the Barnwell Garden Center and Art Gallery.

Pawpaw's leaf paintings are some of my favorites; however, this one is extremely great, for he has also painted the matting.

Pawpaw looked great, and it was wonderful to see so many people trying to steal a moment or two with him. Everyone was impressed with the exhibit which features some of his artworks from 1926 to 2007! It's titled Dr. Hank Stoer: An 80-year Retrospective. And here is a newpaper article written on him...we're so very proud!

As a child, just one of my favorite memories was the whole family going down to the Barnwell Center, so the adults could walk around and reflect on the artwork that was on display, all of which I knew MY Pawpaw had done. And when the kids would get restless (which was almost immediately!), Alal would take us either outside to play on the lawn along the river or into the domed botanical conservatory, where we could run and play (until our parents joined Alal and us!) and look at all of the unusual plants and flowers! But another fun memory that I still enjoy is watching all of the fur coats come out in the winter, and let me tell you there were some pretty fancy coats and even some interesting artsy clothing at this reception...worth writing home about! Now who doesn't enjoy watching people?!?

One wonderful aspect of our trip was getting to visit with some of Pawpaw's close friends but especially our ability to visit with one of Alal's closest friends, Helen! It was as if we had spent the afternoon with Alal herself. It was so wonderful that she was able to be there, and she hasn't changed a bit...still hasn't since my earliest memory of her! And I've almost convinced her to come up here to visit with us...I really hope she does! The last time she came was when Macy was a little baby, and they stopped here to spend a night on one of their many travels through our area! Those gals liked to travel!

As the reception ended, we said our goodbyes to everyone, and Mom and Dad drove me back to the airport where I rented a car and followed them to Ruston to visit Mamaw, mom's mom. She also looks so good! She has really blossomed there in her nursing home, and I really think they need to pay her to live there, for she helps keep everyone in their places....and she really is the healthiest of all living there! Since it was late when we got there, we were just able to visit with her for a while before we headed back to our hotel, and I just had a great time talking and laughing with mom while we just laid in bed and tried to fall asleep. It really was the first time that I had gotten to visit with mom on this wild, fast trip!

The next morning we quickly got ready, had breakfast and went to visit with Mamaw some more. We took her for a walk to visit with some of her friends there at the nursing home, and then later that morning, I had to say goodbye to both of them to begin driving back to S'port...but first stopping at the Pewter Co., of course! Since Pawpaw had previous "engagements" I drove on to meet Jan at Helen's house, and we all went to have lunch at the Real Pickle...another S'port must-do! While eating lunch together, we decided that we'd just drive over to Jimmie's house to visit with her for a while, and it was so great to see her as well! Another one that hasn't changed at all in my memory! Not any at all, as Annie would say!
Then Jan and I had to say our goodbyes so that we could get back to the airport. After doing a last-minute quick search for a Mardi Gras king baby, we rushed to return our rental cars and check into finding one of Pawpaw's paintings that's located at the airport (which Jan did find...woohoo!), and we boarded our plane to Memphis, giggling all the way, of course!

Before parting ways, we had a quick bbq dinner (hello...Memphis!) before boarding our individual planes. And I just have to say "Thanks be to God!" for our landing safely, for I thought I was seated beside the next news-maker! The fella didn't speak English; he looked very suspicious; he had a terrible case of tourettes or drug withdrawal or something, for he kept jerking this way and that (I didn't know if I should scream for help for me or him!), and to top it all off, he was really sick with a sinus-something! Aghh! I've never been concerned flying in any way or fashion, but after that flight I was so thankful to put my feet on the ground and get away!

Ahhh...to be back home with my little fam! But wait...the first sound of their voices....they were all sick as well! My poor babies were all coming down with this yucky virus/bronchitis/whatever! And my poor husband who had been taking care of them all the while working from home during his busiest time of year at work! What a great guy! And not to mention that they hadn't told me while I was away that they were all dropping like flies! (One can't tell over a cell phone connection, I guess, for I talked to them non-stop...remember, I have all girls!) But home sweet home...we've all just stayed home and cuddled in front of the fire in fireplace, and I'm so thankful that we do homeschool, for we can do some schoolwork here and there, snuggled together in the warmth and comfort of our own home! Now...to get back to our "normal" routine!

One of my all-time favorites of Pawpaw's artwork...Mother Stoer, standing at the back gate of the Stoer family home!

A fun day at the Aquarium w/ friends!

Last Friday, after a quick bite to eat with our dear hubbies, Kendall, Carter-Man, the girls and I went to the Aquarium! We still can't get enough of those adorable penguins....they are just too cute!
And we walked and walked and walked some more! We made sure that we made the most of our trip by running from exhibit to exhibit to maximize our opportunities to see different animals being fed! Macy enjoyed chasing after Carter-Man, and Annie enjoyed trying to name and make friends with all of animals, while Tressie just enjoyed running! And Kendall just kept me laughing as she usually does! She is just hysterical!

While we were having a great time wandering around, mom called and asked if I wanted to join her, dad, and my aunt on a quick trip to Louisiana to be there at my grandfather's art exhibit's reception...well, of course, I did! So after making a few arrangements, they got me a last-minute ticket! Thanks again, Mom and Dad!

Happy Birthday, Macy!

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday, dearest Macy!

Happy Birthday to you!

Another special day to celebrate! Again, I can't believe it's been nine years since Eric and I drove our neighbor's car to the hospital to have our first-born! Our little Christmas baby came right after a terrible ice storm hit our area, and our car was blocked in our yard with trees down every where! What an incredibly fun and memorable time of our lives! The fact that was nine years ago is rediculous!

So it was nine years ago that we had our first bundle of joy! As our tradition, we celebrated sweet Macy's birthday with a yummy breakfast at home, and we enjoyed watching her open a few gifts to let her know that we love and appreciate her. Her sisters showered her with little gifts that they had each secreatly wrapped in aluminum foil; Pawpaw gave her a beautiful aquamarine ring; Mimi gave her a cute, little black purse that I only wish I could borrow; and her daddy and I gave her a little MP3 player.

While everyone got dressed for the day, Mimi and I began to make some preparations for her birthday party when we returned home...she was having a few friends over for pizza and ice cream, so we made some cute, little chocolate lolli-pops in the shapes of pizzas.

So while the chocolates chilled, Dad took us all out to lunch to celebrate the birthday girl! Chinese~whoever would have guessed!?! Like grand-father...like grand-daughter! And it was sooo good!

After doing a little more after-Christmas sales shopping, the girls drove on home to work on last-minute things before party! With mom's help, for this party... I was prepared! We had everything set out and waiting for our first guest.
















Everything was set out and waiting...our party favors, our pretty cupcakes with their coordinating sprinkles, all of our pizza toppings and sauces, our crustinis with artichoke-spinach pesto and cream cheese, our orzo pasta salad; we even had everyone's individual pizza doughs ready and waiting! But where were those fellas? Dad and Eric still weren't home from their little shopping spree...I'm not sure that I've ever met two other manly men that like to shop as much as these two do!

As the girls arrived, they all went to the living room and were chatting like little adults! It was so cute! And the next time that I came into the room, they were playing a game - they sooo looked and sounded like little adults! It was so cute!

After several "Where in the world are you?!?" phone calls (respectfully, of course!) the guys showed up, and we got our party started. We needed our daddy to be here to toss the pizzas in the air...not my speciality! After the girls prepared their individual pizzas, we put them into the oven and went to open gifts that Macy's sweet friends had brought her.



After enjoying their individual pizzas, cupcakes, ice-cream and lots of laughter, we bundled up and headed outside to light some fireworks!

And after passing out our party favors and saying our good-byes we began to relish the last evening that we had with Mimi and Pawpaw. Yes, it was our last evening with them visiting us this trip. Poor Mimi, I think we wore her out...by this time she was barely holding herself up straight...the lady who claims, "I can't remember the last time that I wasn't well!" was tipping over from her cold medicine! And this was our last night having them stay with us.

What a help they were and what a wonderful time we had with them! I still cry like a baby when they pull out of the driveway! And um...I'm not the only one! You can hear the girls' crying; I try to hold back my wailing, and Eric does his best to keep his chin up!

We all get so sad to see them go...we hope and pray that one day they'll live closer! Then we can sit around and celebrate birthdays all day long! For in two more days it's Pawpaw's birthday!

Happy Birthday, dearest daddy!

Happy Birthday, dearest Macy!

Christmas Back-Blogging!

More to come!

Happy Birthday, Tressie!

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday, dearest Tressie!

Happy Birthday to you!

Tressie, Mommy and Daddy and your sisters love you so much, and we're so proud of the little lady that you are becoming!

It's so hard to believe that my baby is now five years old! She's still an itty-bitty thing, so I can still wad her up into a little ball and hold her like a baby...which she actually enjoys our doing to her!

Celebrating birthdays is a big deal on my side of the family, and thankfully my dear husband eagerly agrees...after all, who doesn't like feeling special!?! And having two daughters, my dad, my grandmother, my cousin as well as several close friends all having Christmas birthdays, I don't want their special day to go unnoticed! Who would?

So the evening before Tressie's birthday, the girls made plans for the next morning...to have her stay in bed while they would eagerly prepare the birthday girl her favorite breakfast and hand-deliver her birthday cards and gifts!

The next morning, Tressie stayed in bed (most likely pretending to be asleep!) and awoke as she heard us coming in to greet the big birthday girl! After enjoying some time with the birthday girl, we began to get ready for her birthday party! It was a really, rainy day, so it was all too easy to move slowly and sit around and snuggle!

As the day flew by (as it often does when Daddy has stays at home!), I glanced at the clock...and it was nearing the time for guests to arrive! Aghhh! I had spent the day loving on our "baby," finishing up the birthday cake and doing last minute preparations for our birthday party and my parents to arrive for Christmas! I still have NO idea where the time went, but before I knew it...I was living everyone's nightmare! You know...the one where you're standing there naked in front of others! Poor Eric was still working on the swords that we were making for the two little fellas that were going to be at our "princess" party. Macy was ever-sp-helpful and rushed upstairs to help the girls get dressed while I ran to get in the shower! And as I was desperately praying for "a few more minutes" I continued whispering under my breath, "This is a nightmare!" As I was stepping out of the shower, the doorbell rang, and there were some of our bestfriends, Kendall and Shelley and their adorable baby Carter-man! I'll never be able to thank them enough for stepping in and hanging up this and that.

Kendall sent me back upstairs to get my make-up (and clothes!) on while she finished up this and that...and as I came back downstairs, the rest of the guests began to arrive! And what a fun, cute, little party it was! We had little cucumber-dill tea sandwiches, orange-cranberry scones, pecan sandies and pink lemonade.



We read The Princess and the Pea and played a princess/pea game; the little girls made little princess tiaras while our two princes decorated their two wooden swords. Tressie opened up the gifts that her friends so graciously gave her; and she blew out her five candles (I still can't believe that there had to be five!), and then Mimi and Pawpaw arrived!

After dining on salad and a few pizzas that dad and Eric ran to get (I seriously think they were looking for any excuse to get out of the house!), Tressie opened a few gifts from Mimi and Pawpaw, we had our devotions, got ready for bed, and fell fast asleep! A long day!

Merry Christmas!

"Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse."

Being a parent on Christmas day is such a gift in itself...just being able to look at the world through your children's eyes! As soon as all of the children were awake, one could see it in their eyes, "When will we get to open some presents?!?"

Christmas morning Jen made us some wonderful cream cheese and raspberry danishes, and once we thoroughly enjoyed those, gifts were passed out, and a sea of wrapping paper, gift bags and bows were tossed everywhere!

As usual, Christmas morning was a blurr, for after a few of the new toys were thoroughly enjoyed, time snuck up on us once more! It was time to wrap up b'fast and get on with the preparations for Christmas dinner....and more family to arrive!

This Christmas (I have to say!) was a really special one, for we all just had to take turns holding our precious new little one, Ceilidh Winn (gaelic and pronounced 'Kay-Lee')! So while preparing Christmas dinner and in between stirring a sauce, chopping and dicing, we took time to handle the little bundle of joy while momma or daddy took care of something else. All the while, Mimi and I were entertained by Na-Na's musical numbers...a side note: tickets go on sale soon! If interested, contact me, his studio manager!

While we were enjoying the "sounds of the season" (with 6 grandchildren all in close quarters, we found that dad really liked to chop firewood for us...I think he was escaping...shhh!), we got a phone call from a friend in our church that had a father that Annie had invited over...well, the more the merrier! And what a treat it would be to have Señor Efrom join us. So Macy, Annie and I ran out in the sleet/rain (we considered that a white Christmas!) to get him. I'll never forget how thankful I was that we did go and get him, for he was waiting for us! He had the sweetest note written to our family and 3 gorgeous, little dolls that a family member of his in Columbia had made for our girls! We are so blessed by his kind friendship! And when we arrived back at home, Aunt Jan, Uncle Eddie, Will and Aimee were there as well!

We had a wonderful meal (ham, cornbread dressin', white rice w/ gravy, asparagus casserole (yum!), green beans w/ almonds, cranberry relish, Eric's yeast rolls (a product that has graced our table ever since he and Dad gave me my beloved KitchenAid mixer last Christmas!)...and Aunt Jan's sweet potato casserole that she makes for Eric. All of which was followed by Nate's delish decaf-coffee, our traditional ambrosia (which Mom and Macy have taken over making), and our coconut cake (with the mysterious recipe that Alal took to her grave that we are still guessing as to how to make!).

Then we have always traditionally opened up gifts with our extended family after Christmas dinner. And again...the sea of Christmas wrapping paper, bows, and bags once again grace the furniture, floor, under the furniture, etc.! It's so much fun! And I have to say that one of my favorite memories from that day was when I overheard Señor Efrom tell someone in his beautiful, Spanish accent, "Your family is so easy!" I think he's so right. Our family is so blessed by the love, respect and laughter that we all share. There is never a dull moment when we all get together, and the laughter that fills the room is truly a gift!

As the evening drew to a close, everyone began to collect there things, say their goodbyes, and we made plans to get together the following day to celebrate boxing day, beginning of kwanza, etc.

What a wonderful day and evening it was, and how great it felt to get the kitchen cleaned up (again...thanks, Mimi!), get the kiddos tucked snuggly into their beds and get into some jammies...just in time to begin our late-night chats, drinks, etc. that are always a barrel of laughs as well!

"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"

Christmas Pageant

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given:
and the government shall be upon his shoulder:
and his name shall be called
Wonderful,
Counselor,
The mighty God,
The everlasting Father,
The Prince of Peace."

The girls did a fantastic job in the Christmas pageant that our homeschool group put on this last Thursday evening. Macy did an excellent job saying her debut speaking part (wording above); Annie did an excellent job entertaining the people on the first row (thanks again, Julie, for maintaining her as well as you did!); and sweet, little Tressie did an excellent job singing the chorus lines and twirling her hair...and waving to mommy and daddy every chance she saw us looking at her! The evening was priceless!

Celebrating the Christmas Season w/ Friends!

What a perfect month to celebrate the Christmas season...

Those that enjoy warmer than normal weather have had that! And those that enjoy cooler than normal weather have had that as well! So all in one day, we were able to enjoy the best of both worlds!

The girls and I were able to go see "Dr. Fred" who is the world's best pediatric dentist! The girls LOVE going to his office, so that alone was equatable to a great day! That afternoon was spent delivering birthday party invitations, and we even helped ourselves to an impromptu visit with Brooke, Janie, and Marguarite! At this time of year, we couldn't plan a better opportunity to get together to visit and play outside!
Then that evening, we were able to get out and enjoy some of the Christmas season with some of our good friends, Charley, Laura, Annah, Sam, and baby Kate! The early evening brought Christmas lights, caroling, a quick visit with "a man dressed like Santa," hot chocolate and home-made marshmallows (Thanks...what a great gift!)!

After a fun evening with these peeps, we enjoyed a quick visit to our friends' open house to celebrate the birthday of our good friend, Micah, who is back at home for the holidays! Happy Birthday, Micah!

Time to start planning for Christmas!

For our family, there are three plants that must be present in order for it to feel like Christmas!

My top three favorite "can't live without" plants for Christmas are paperwhites, Christmas Cacti, and a collection of beautiful, blooming amaryllis bulbs. And for most a house still isn't ready for Christmas without at least one poinsettia, of course, so I'll add it to my list as well! And as such an emotional being, I do get butterflies in my tummy when I even think about the days' arrival when it's time to start preparing them for their big show!

Paperwhites: I can't think of paperwhites without thinking of my dear Alal. She gave me my deep love for the intoxicating smell of paperwhites. Going to her house during the holidays is such a wonderful, sweet memory for all of us! But one of my favorite memories is pulling up to her home and seeing the beautiful display of white blooms' leaning on the windows, and once you entered her home you could smell her perfume in her white hair as she hugged you and then immediately afterward smell the beautiful aroma of the paperwhites behind her! And how easy can they be?!?!
I like to be among the first customers of the year to purchase paperwhite bulbs (in bulk for a discount, of course!) to give away as gifts, display in our home, and if I can, save a couple for another impressive display at Easter. A pretty container, some pea-gravel (my preference), an odd number of bulbs, a little water...and you're done! And I'm absolutely positive that one can watch them grow, if you stand still and watch closely! They're so eager to impress! And that-they do!
(Tip to stunt their growth: if they are growing too tall, a little splash of vodka [or other strong alcohol] will prevent them from growing to heights unseen!)

Christmas Cacti: At this time of year in particular, I see Christmas cacti for sale in all of the stores; however, they look so small and lonely. I like to live in my world where I think that everyone and everything has a special, wonderful story. So as I look at the lonely Christmas cacti, I know that one day they will be much bigger, showing a beautiful display of flowers, and being passed down from one generation to another for years to come! And again...how easy is it to care for them?!?!
As sentimental as I am, I can't remember where I got my first Christmas cactus, but regardless it's been moving around with our family for years and growing larger all along. And when Alal passed away, I was able to smuggle one or two of hers into the back of the moving van (no, now I remember I had to hide them amongst several other plants that I hid in the back of the van that Jan and I were driving!). Anyway, it has adjusted quite well to life here with our little family...spending summers outdoors and coming inside to live with us once temperatures become cooler, and now what a wonderful display from this beloved houseplant!

Amaryllis bulbs: Well, it seems that I can't mention my third favorite "can't live without" plants for Christmas without mentioning Alal once more. Obviously, you can see that she gave me a love for the holidays as well as gardening (amongst many other loves!), and I think my fondest memory was her giving me the most beautiful container with three tall, beautiful blooming amaryllis bulbs as we were pulling out of her driveway. I still have the container and dream that I can once more get it to look as elegant as it did that day when she placed it in my lap as we drove away from her house. Of course, I also have to mention my gracious husband that drove me away from her house with the delicate centerpiece in my lap, his lap (when I was driving), or protectively seated on the console between the two of us.
Another fun memory of a beautiful amaryllis is the tallest amaryllis bulb that ever lived...in our home, at least! It grew so humorously tall that Eric and I contacted Steve Bender, the gardening editor for Southern Living as well as my favorite writer for SL, and he responded personally to us and agreed that exessive temperatures or too little light promotes a stalk that grows and grows and grows! Lesson learned!

And then the poinsettia: To most people this plant is considered easily disposable. And at this time of year when most outdoor plants have relocated indoors, I'm "this-close" to agreeing. And I can tell that Eric's about "this-close" to reporting plant suicide, when he tries to shimmy his way down to our basement, where I've convinced him our plants are enjoying living their snow-bird days! Anyway, it's quite easy to keep poinsettias alive and looking well, but once their red bracts die and reflower as "just green ones"... one has to really be dedicated to not tossing the plant in the trash with the rest of his brothers and sisters! Again, I said that I'm sentimental, so I do hang onto the plant year after year! However, this last Fall I wasn't as dedicated as I could have been to ensure that my plants rebloomed another brilliant red display this Christmas, so this year, my poinsettias will remain hidden...with the other plants on the steps to the basement and the huge fern that mocks Eric as he tries to pass it.
So for now I'll just wait and hope for the next poinsettia to grace my front door from an endearing friend...and I won't even tell the ones on the back steps that they've been replaced for the time being! If one of my gal-pals reading this also finds that poinsettia rebellion (refusal to being induced to reflower) is infuriating without diligence on our part, then lets just sit and sip some poinsettia cocktails! Jan, Mimi, Lorrie?!?

Golden Compass - Please don't support it!

Most of you have already heard about or read about the movie Golden Compass. Not only is it blasphemous...well, enough said...basically, please don't go see it! To find out why...click the link below.
I do hope that this movie is not supported...at this time it's still "not yet rated."

http://snopes.com/politics/religion/compass.asp

Annie and her buddy

As much as I love the days that have gone by as well as the present, sometimes I dream of a glimpse into our future!

I love our girls for so many different reasons; however, our little Annie is one complex being! She is so rough and tough, so active, yet so caring and gentle.

She has made a life-long friend at church, Señor Ephraim, who is extremely quiet at church; however, little Annie and he have the sweetest relationship. As soon as church is over, they both make a beeline for the area where they can sit and visit...they color, build paper airplanes, talk about their week past as well as their week to come.

They are both so blessed to have the sweet friendship that they do!

Haircuts all around, please!

Well, it's the end of summer, and we're all in the need of a haircut! So I lined 'em up and let Miss Melissa cut away! She even cut Annie's pigtails out and sent 'em home with her for us to keep! Annie wanted to be sure to have a piece to send to her penpal! Everyone but Macy and me got their hair cut, and I'm thinking of taking my hand to Macy's beautiful locks, and I think I'll let her do the same to me! My hair has gotten so long, I think I have enough to let her have a go at it! And she gets such a huge thrill out of my allowing her to paint my toes, just wait and see the look on her face when I tell her in the morning that she can have a wack at my hair!

Yummy fingernail polish!

Last Sunday we had some new friends over for lunch...Chet and Erin H. along with their new baby Harkins (or baby Hutch, as I seem to always call him!) as well as Ed and Erma C. with their son Daniel (who is a hoot!) and Ed's father, Señor Ephraim, who is "Annie's new best friend."

We had roast, cous cous, green beans w/ almonds, baby carrots, and E's delicious yeast rolls. Then for dessert, I served a new recipe that i made up for Bourbon Bread Pudding with a wonderful whiskey sauce. It seemed to be a big hit with everyone, and some even went for seconds...including the girls, to whom I had gladly given just the bread pudding; however, they were intrigued by the sauce that was being passed back and forth, and I explained to them that it was something that they most likely wouldn't care to have. And little Annie (who thinks that Sprite is too "spicy") insisted...so I gave her a teaspoon of the sauce onto her bread pudding, and she whispered to me, "Bleck...it tastes like fingernail polish!"

That precious girl!

Having four of us gals, we inevitably have seen most restrooms in restaurants, shopping malls, etc.

So the other day when we had to run into a store after a day of running lots of errands, I knew that it would be a good idea for us to run into the restroom "before" we began our shopping. And being in a hurry, I rushed us in and was hoping to rush us back out!

Well, Annie (the girl who is NOT in a hurry and just takes life in stride and enjoys every minute of it!) was slowly taking her time to wash her hands in the touch-free faucet and was in a stare in the mirror.

After a few minutes of us all standing there waiting for her to finish rinsing off her hands, I was "this close" to fussing at her when she broke her stare and said, "Momma, I've just been staring at how beautiful you are!"

What a precious thing that girl is!

"No talking with food in your mouth!"

"No talking with food in your mouth!" is the reminder that the girls hear from momma and daddy and of course each other over and over!

The girls and I were eating lunch together today (sandwiches that Macy had made for us), and I said, "Macy, that was delicious! Thank you!" Annie said, "What, momma?" I then said it again...the same way, for I'm in such a hurried rush today, "I told Macy 'that was delicious! Thank you!'" Then I realized why they couldn't understand me! Aghh...the horror! So I then corrected myself and told the girls, "Aghh! I was talking with food in my mouth! So sorry, girls!"

So Tressie sweetly said, "That's okay, Momma, I don't think that the neighbors saw you!"

Lost Dog - Reward!

The day that we prayed would never come has arrived! Beloved Brownie is missing!

He was last seen sporting red snowman pajamas and lovingly being held by his mother once she returned from church.

Oh where, oh where, is our beloved Brownie?!?

Book Club

I am so grateful that it is so much easier to homeschool in today's age! We are blessed by the support of much of society, our friends, our family, and our churches! And in addition to the many opportunities homeschoolers have, we have a wonderful homeschool group that has many additional opportunities for us! One of the opportunities is our homeschoolers’ book club! Each child brings a book of their choice which they have read along with a short report or narration, and it's a great opportunity for the kids to “speak” in front of a small group, and when the club meeting is over, the kids can collectively decide if they would like to all read the same book or to each choose his or her own selection! And then my favorite part...afterward, we usually get together for lunch! These are such sweet days, and I can already see them flying past!

Macy's Narration:
The Secret of the Old Clock

Annie's Narration:

The Velveteen Rabbit

Tressie's Narration:
Guess How Much I Love You

Wo-man's best friend

Annie's riddle for PawPaw!

Backatcha, PawPaw! (I've removed the video!) In response to your riddle for Annie, here's one for you, PawPaw!

PawPaw's riddle for Annie: Why was the math book so sad?
Answer: Because it had so many problems.

Annie's riddle for PawPaw: Why is eating at a restaurant on the moon so boring?
Answer: Because there's no atmosphere!

"Annie's Watermelon Patch"

"Annie's Watermelon Patch" is now officially open for business! She grew her watermelon plants from seed, has watered them all summer, and is now going to reap the bounties of her harvest...well, maybe she and the ants are reaping the bounty. But she and her sisters were thrilled to have been able to pick their first watermelon of the season!

Nature Study - Charlotte Mason Style!

Here are a few tips that I have learned and wish to better incorporate into our nature study, as Charlotte Mason would have approved!

1. Scheduling more regular time outdoors and encouraging a spirit of investigation.
2. Encouraging the girls to try to figure out answers to their questions rather than expecting me to do all the reasoning for them.
3. When answering their questions, make the answer living—not just facts from a textbook.
4. Not to overwhelm them with too much scientific terminology too soon.
5. By giving direction, sympathy, encouragement, and helping with experiments.
6. By teaching science through a combination of nature study, laboratory work (uh... albeit, that's daddy's department!), and living books, using both random and structured studies.
7. Remembering that dabbling in random scientific information is not the same as learning careful observation and understanding.
8. By not showing my fear and/or distaste of something that interests my children.
9. By sharing their wonder and admiration for their nature discoveries.
10. By my constant learning about science and nature so I will have information to give them as they desire it.

For Sale!

It's that time of year when I clean out the kids' closets, and look what I found! I warned my fellas* to keep their stuff put up! If interested, leave me a comment and make an offer!

*permission and blessing were given by dear husband to sell!

Here's what I found:

A really nice set of Men's Tommy Amour 845 Oversize irons. In excellent condition with graphite shafts and original grips. Played only 5 rounds. Includes stand bag with double shoulder strap. $200 or best offer made by Saturday, September 15th!

A Brand New Craftsman Professional 9.0 amp reciprocating saw! Comes in hardshell case with bonus kit (blades, gloves, extension cord, safety glasses). New... never used and includes manual.
$60 or best offer made by Saturday, September 15th!

A "nearly new" Sony TRV250 camcorder! This records to Digital8 media (2 hours per tape) and also has USB streaming or i.Link connectivity. Features include, Steadyshot, 700x zoom, nightshot, and snapshot. It has only been used for about 10 hours and has been well taken care of. I will also include the battery, charging cable, AV/out cable, USB streaming cable, infrared remote control, owners manual, software CD's, and unused media!
$150.00 or best offer made by Saturday, September 15th!

Brody's first vacation...Labor Day weekend!

Well, I've finally been allowed to ride in the car...I was a little nervous at first while riding around without a strap around me like my family was riding, so they finally pulled over and helped me into my crate, and I slept all the way to our destination...I had to rest up for my first vacation...ever! Once we arrived, I excitedly jumped out to greet my favorite cousin, Buddy, whom we lovingly call Prince Snarles!

Let's go over the rules one more time, for that's a long way down!

After a long day of following this bucket'o'fun, several romps under the bridge and getting to lap water out of the creek with my cousin Prince Snarles, I had to enjoy my first over-night vacation! After all, it's a hard time keepin' up with all of my gals, and I was ready for an evening of relaxation! But did I hear someone say, "Who wants a treat?"

What would stayin' at Aunt Jan and Uncle Eddie's be without a midnight snack?!?

Such a neat idea!

After discussing paying bills, responsibility, and other "hot topics" with a girlfriend of mine (LeighAnn was it you?), she told me something that I thought was so interesting! Some friends of theirs were working on encouraging and training their son to become a wise, responsible, young man, and they allowed him to open up his own checking account so that he could take over the responsibility of managing their family's electric bill. The son was to be held responsible for paying the monthly electric bill...he would have to accept the electric bill, write out a deposit slip and check for the appropriate amounts, have it all approved by his father and pay the electric bill in a timely manner or know that his family would have to suffer the consequences. I think this is so neat!

Of course, we have daughters who we are training to (Lord-willingly) be godly, young ladies, so I don't feel that this would be appropriate for our family...and certainly not at their ages at this time! Yet the girls and I do pray regularly for their future husbands AND their families.

One day last week, the conversation of their future husbands came up between Macy and me, and I asked her if she hoped that her future husband's parents disciplined her husband, and without a hesitation, she said that she did hope for that. I asked why she felt that way, and she said that she hoped he was being taught to do what was right. I was so proud of her for thinking about this!

Busy days!

I just absolutely love being able to be a "stay at home mom"! To me, it's the most rewarding job in the world! I'm absolutely in love with my kids, husband, and making our house our home. Thank you, Lord, for the many blessings that you have given to us!

And my favorite days are the days that daddy spends with us...even if it is just for an afternoon. So I was thrilled to have an afternoon that E took off of work early to run around town with our little fam as we went and ordered a couple of "workbooks" (who doesn't crave the smell of a fresh workbook...it's all I can do to keep myself from doing the girls' workbooks myself!), visiting our friends' new baby Katherine Jane S. (although I told everyone that it was Katherine James!) who is absolutely adorable! And then a successful, family trip to Sam's!

Now, I'm not saying that I wouldn't rather be spending a relaxing day with my toes in the warm, sugary-white sands at Rosemary Beach on the gulf of Mexico while E and I sipped refreshing margaritas and watched our sun-burnt free children playing in the sand; however, this was a pretty great day!

How much does this cost?

Yesterday, we quickly did most of our school work in the morning (leaving some more readings to be done in the afternoon) so that we were able to go and pick up Miss Craig and take her with us to have lunch with Laura S...and Anna and Sam!

After lunch, we ran inside a new bookstore in the mall, and the girls were thrilled! But so was I, for everything in the store was automatically half-off...I love stores like that; however, it just makes me cringe a touch when I go into the next store and my brain automatically takes 1/2 off there as well! But back to the girls...it is so nice to have children that get thrilled to go into a bookstore; however, there were too many books that they were begging for me to purchase for them.

Knowing that they each have their own little purses, and some of them actually haven't spent all of their "spending money," I saw an opportunity for them to decide whether or not they wanted to make their own purchases. Tressie quickly set her eyes on a book on tea parties...no surprise there!

She asked the lady, "Um. Excuse me, ma'am. Um. How much does this book cost?"

The lady answered, "$5.00."

Tressie said, "Well, I only have one dollar and a few pennies."

The lady was quickly cast under Tressie's spell and answered, "Well, if your mommy says that you may, then I will sell it to you for $1.00."

Tressie was beaming with pride, and she successfully made her transaction ALL by herself. I did show her how to set her purchase up on the cashier's table, then she counted her money out and slid them across the counter to the lady! Then she asked the lady for her receipt to put in her purse and then said, "It was a pleasure doing business with you!" And the lady ran to the back of the store to get her manager to have Tressie tell him what she had said.

Now, all the while Miss Craig had picked out the same book, and I could tell that she was thinking, "I'd like to get this for my grandkids, but I'd like that same deal!"

Then once the coast was clear, Annie set her eyes on her prize and begin to "bargain" for the David and Goliath book that she HAD to have! She went to the manager (since the other lady was still palling around with Tress!), and she asked him, "How much does this book cost?" And I'm standing back watching and thinking, "Once again...here we go!"

He answered, "$5.00."

Annie said, "Well, I only have one nickel!"

Now the fella was cast under Annie's spell, and he answered, "Well, let's think. What can you do?"

She said, "Well, do you have any jobs here that I can do?"

He said, "Well, let me think!" "There's a customer over there that looks like she might need some help. If you'll make sure that she can find everything okay, then I'll give you that book!"

As a mother-hen I watched her closely, and I could see that we weren't getting out of there any time soon! Annie was then proudly accepting her task as a "worker" and making sure that customers were "finding everything okay"! She did a great job, and the look on her face was priceless when she was awarded her earnings...she's still holding onto that book tightly! And she had to call her daddy at work and Mimi and Aunt Jenni and Aunt Losi,...to tell them what a great day she had! "My first real job!" she continued to exclaim!

After a couple of more stops to help Miss Craig get some of her shopping done, we dropped her back off at her house, helped her unload her shopping bags, then drove back home and collapsed...on the sofa to finish our readings, of course!

Back to school!

Well, we've already begun our school year...we generally begin the day after Labor Day! But this year, we wanted to begin earlier...and we've had a WONDERFUL week! I can't believe that it's already over! We're actually looking forward to next week, for then we'll be a little bit more "in the swing of things"!

To begin with a "fresh slate" this year, we re-organized our family room (which is where we get our seatwork done) and have created lots of checklists, which our girls LOVE like their mommy LOVES...and even daddy has grown to love!

Who doesn't have a successful feeling wash over them when they get to cross something off of their checklist?!?

And although Monday morning's schedule isn't quite yet "flawless," we did at least get a day of "orientation" done! I came into the family room, and the girls were lined up fully dressed and proudly wearing backpacks (under the thoughtful guidance of big sister!) and harmoniously saying, "Good morning, Mrs. Chandler!" And their daddy had written on a board, "Welcome back, students!" It was too cute!

On Tuesday morning we really got down to business and were finished by 1:30, so we still had time to spend a lazy, summer day at the pool with friends!

Now, it's Wednesday, and we're actually getting ahead of our schedule! What a wonderful, great feeling!

Firetrucks and Beach Balls! In that order!

Friday afternoon, the girls and I ran our errands...perhaps too many, for it was a hot day, and half of the cold things that we bought were sure to melt on the way home! After just running into Wally World "for a second," we ran into a friend of ours in the parking lot...I tell you that parking lot was so hot! It was so hot that I just couldn't stand there and visit...couldn't leave the car running with the girls in it...couldn't leave the girls in the car without the A/C running...what's a gal to do! The heat coming up off of the black pavement was torture enough!

So with very poor manners, I shouted to LeighAnn..."Gotta run...popsicles are melting...run by our house, have a popsicle, and we'll talk there!" Yes, very poor manners...but sometimes the best visits are impromptu visits! So LeighAnn and her girls ran by since their daddy and brother were out of town. And wow...I really recommend to anyone to have friends drop by when you're trying to get the groceries out of a hot car and into your cool house! What a treat!

Having too much fun just hanging out talking, we talked them into staying for supper, and Eric set up the DVD projector for the girls to watch a movie while we just sat there eating popcorn and still chatting! As the evening grew longer and the movie ended, they packed up and started to head home. As we were outside saying our goodbyes, we could hear nothing but sirens going up the street. Jokingly, I said, "Let me know if it's something Gladys Kravitz needs to know about!" Before I knew it, she was back in my driveway, saying, "Quickly, get in the car!" She drove me up the street to see our little local grocery store on fire! Yes, it's a small town, and this was huge! I called Eric, who then came with the girls in our car! After just a few minutes, the crowds began to grow just as quickly as the fire grew...situated right next to our gas station. Everyone was standing in awe...mind you that it's almost midnight...and people were standing there taking videos and photos with their cell phones held high in the air as if we were standing there at a concert.

Photo by Jonathan Payne

As the intensity of the heat grew, I stood there shielding my face, looking at the blazing fire with all of the other onlookers. It was becoming more and more obvious that this was a gas-leak that had exploded. And as I stood there, I had to think of those watching the Twin Towers on 9/11. If they had known that they had a couple of extra minutes, would they have been standing there with their children...uh, no! So I took LeighAnn's kids and mine back home. And after she left with her crew, Macy and I sat on the front porch talking to my mom, sister and brother-in-law, neighbors, etc. while Eric went back up there. Yes, it was 'something to write [call] home about'! Again, remember it was now getting close to 1AM...and people were walking up and down the road as if it was their usual 4:00 neighborhood stroll! So after Eric came home, Macy and I drove back up there...but first we drove by and picked up Kendall...it wasn't the first time she and I have run around the mountain in our jammies, and I'm sure it won't be the last! We went back up there to hang with the crowd that was starting to die down as the firemen were beginning to get the blazes under control. We parked our car and sat there watching, giving our own commentary...there's never a dull moment with Kendall's comedic commentary and my laughter. We made a memory...I'm sure that Macy won't forget that evening...ever...sitting on a grassy knoll at two in the morning with Mama and Miss Kendall, watching history being made. Our town is small, and nothing ever changes...which is what I love the most! But this evening, the entire mountain changed before our eyes.

The next morning we awoke and quickly donned our bathing attire (some more or less than others!), for it was Carter-Man's first birthday! And a yummy cookout and pool party were definitely in order!


Happy Birthday, Carter!

Giggles and grins

A freshly bathed girl, a tummy full of supper, a pleasant, a gentle rain falling outside, and a comforting daddy's voice reading our family devotions proved to be just too much!

Lots of popsicles, plenty 'o sunshine, fun day at the pool, two wonderful girlfriends that took our girls today so that momma and daddy could go to a drs. appointment...

Can we tell who made the most of the opportunity?!?