Kids Dancing

On 7:56 PM 0 comments
After our wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with family, then the sad news that my grandfather, Papaw, passed away this afternoon, we spent the evening being thankful for family and the precious time together. After most of the thanksgiving crowd had left, the kids were our entertainment as they danced the evening away. It was great for our spirits, to be able to sit back and laugh, after the news of our loss.  We will have a busy next several days, so tonight was rejuvenation for us to make it through. Here is a short video clip of the Kids Dancing
Buffy, this video is mainly for you! We missed you being here, but are so glad you will be able to be here so long at Christmas. The trade off is pretty good! And we will be there 2 weeks from tomorrow! Chicago here we come!



This is the group that was here for Thanksgiving. There is one person not in the picture, Caroline. Not sure where she was...guess next time I need to do a head count of my immediate crew...I really feel terrible that she is not in the picture...maybe I'll "photoshop" her in!
Here is a list of names, from left to right, front to back: Tommy, Brenda (aka Honey), Heather, Billy (aka Papa), Elise, Lindsey, Lee, Randy, Paula, Robert, Elwood, Mark, Heath, Leah, Primo, Leanne, Will and William.


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Need a Laugh?

On 7:38 PM 0 comments
If you need a good chuckle, check out this website www.awkwardfamilyphotos.com. The things people do!
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Caroline Lost a Tooth

On 5:58 PM 0 comments

My sweet girl has lost her first [top] tooth. She was so excited to show me this afternoon when I picked her up from school. Looks like she will want a front tooth for Christmas!
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Yankee Doodle and His Sweetheart

On 8:46 AM 1 comments
Sewanee Elementary's 1st and 2nd grade performed "United We Stand". It was fantastic (but of course, I am a little biased!). Yankee Doodle is performed by Camden Eslick and Yankee Doodle's Sweetheart is Caroline. Click the link to see them perform. Yankee Doodle and His Sweetheart.




 
 
 Among other songs, they sang "America the Beautiful". They signed it as they sang. Here is the video to watch it.  America the Beautiful
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Potato Soup...Yummy!

On 12:30 PM 0 comments

I can't take credit for this recipe, it came to me from my friend Ashley King, years ago. It is a winter favorite at my house. Caroline requested it for dinner tonight, so I am making it now. Be warned...this soup is delicious, addicting, filling and comforting...but there is nothing healthy about it! That doesn't keep us from enjoying it, every now and then though!!
Ashley's Potato Soup
3 lbs red potatoes, diced into 1/2 inch cubes (I use a whole 5 lb bag bc we like it really chunky)
Kosher salt, to taste
1/2 stick butter
1/4 cup flour
2 qts half and half (I use whole milk to cut down on the fat)
2 lb Velveeta (or the knock off brand)
1/2 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled
pepper (I use none bc I don't enjoy it at all), to taste
garlic powder (I use 1/2-1 tsp), to taste
hot sauce (I use 3 or 4 "shakes" of the bottle of Louisiana Hot Sauce), to taste
As a garnish:
Cheddar Cheese
Chopped Green Onions
Sour Cream
Cover potatoes with water, add kosher salt, and  boil for 10 min. In large pot, add butter and melt over low heat. Add flour, mixing until smooth. Place over low heat and gradually add half and half (or whole milk). Continue to stir until smooth and begins to thicken. Add velveeta, in chunks, and stir. Cover and put over low heat. Stir every couple of minutes. Drain potatoes and add to cream mixture, once the velveeta has melted. Add bacon. Stir in garlic powder, pepper and hot sauce. Cook over low heat for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Enjoy!
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Bonfire and a House Full, Makes My Heart Smile

On 9:38 PM 0 comments
We had our first bonfire this past weekend and I would say it was a success. There were about 60 people here of all ages. The kids roasted hot dogs and marshmallows, jumped/ran/slid in the bounce house, played spotlight and had a wonderful time. The adults enjoyed the fire, watched football and visited with friends.
It does my heart good to have a house full of people. It is almost therapy to me! It is not stressful at all. I enjoy the company. I enjoy cooking for everyone. I enjoy the friendships.
I get it very naturally, from both sides of my family. My maternal grandfather and paternal grandmother are the ones who passed these genes along to me. On Thanksgiving, my mom's dad, Grandpa Ford, was known to go to the military base near Memphis and bring home guys who couldn't be with their family. With all of the family we have and the extras that would come, there was usually more than 30 people at Thanksgiving. There have been recent years when we have been back in Memphis at my Aunt Nicki and Uncle Kenny's for Thanksgiving when there was 70+ people. (Of course, no one person did all the cooking. We all love to cook and pitch in for a fabulous meal!)
My dad's mom, Memaw, loves for her house to be full. And her house is truly full of love. She grew up in a house (which she lives in now) that many people were always in and out of. Her mom fed the farm hands daily and she and her twin sister were the youngest of 11 kids.  It was a house with a open door to the whole community.

Pot 'o chili keeping warm on the fire

 
My parents followed along with these ways, also. There was always a reason for a party! There was everything from Halloween parties (complete with a haunted house in the garage) to cooking a whole hog and feeding 100 people. The times we cooked pigs, were parties that lasted all weekend. For those who have ever participated in that, you know that the cooking of the pig is the actual party. By the time the pig was done, the party was all but over!

Maggie and Maddie toasting marshmallows

With a house full of people the norm as I grew up, it was literally a house with an open door. I think the only key, to the house we moved into when I was a freshman in high school, was left in the lock on the inside of the door and the only time it was locked was when everyone was in for the night. With my parents having kids in high school for 12 consecutive years, there were always friends and family coming and going. It was the place to be in the summer, because we would always be in the pool. In the winter, we would turn the garage into our hangout. In the last several years they sold that house in Yorktown Subdivision (in Franklin). We laughed as they were moving out, wondering who we had forgotten to tell that they moved. Who would be the first to go to the door and just walk in (as everyone did)?
Will tending the fire. He kept us all warm and fed with the fire blazing!
After growing up with an open door policy, that is basically all I know! There have been many times in the last several years we have wanted to have "get togethers", but couldn't because we didn't have the space (60 people in 1100 sq ft would be a little insane!). Now that we have a place inside and out to have friends and family over, I sure hope we continue to take advantage of it. I love seeing a kitchen full of friends enjoying each other's company and kids running around laughing and giggling. Life is good!
Plans for New Years anyone?

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Elise's Birthday

On 10:29 PM 2 comments
This pic's for you Buffy! After they opened and read your card, this was what they did the rest of the night. Of course, we all laughed, so they kept at it!

Elise had a wonderful birthday (that was celebrated for several weeks). I love any excuse for a party (and cake!), but boy am I glad her birthday is over! She took to heart that is was HER birthday. But somehow we managed to convince her that once she actually turned 4, she turned into a kind, sweet little girl. It's only been a week, but so far it has worked! You can see the anger come across her face (over those tiny things that really irritate her), then a flash of awareness. She then turns on the smile and then life is good! Boy, you have no idea how much I hope this lasts!!!
When she got a birthday card in the mail, Caroline took advantage of her reading skills. She read the card to Elise. It was so sweet to watch those two.

Buffy sent Elise a card (that sings...thanks Buff! You have no idea how many times we have heard "A very happy birthday, to you...sang by none other than Strawberry Shortcake). Although the rest of us got irritated by it after DAYS of it, it thrilled her. And really, on her birthday, that's what matters.
She did get some money for her birthday. We took her checks to the bank and opened her first checking account. You wouldn't have known she didn't deposit a million dollars.
For months, when you asked her what she wanted for her birthday, she said an ipod (and a vacuum cleaner). I thought it was insanity for a 4 year old to have an ipod. Then several people pointed out to me that she worked Tommy and Caroline's ipod just fine. So, she got an ipod (pink, no less).
I can't describe her excitement. This picture does not do it justice!! (And if I had known how much peace I would have in the car if she had her own ipod, I would have bought one MONTHS ago! Most of you know, Elise is a talker! She talks non stop most every waking moment she has....and some of her sleeping moments. Now that she has her ipod, I can actually hear the radio...or my own thoughts. A novel concept!)
She lays in bed and watches it. She normally is not a tv watcher at all, but she loves her ipod!

The other huge reaction was from a set of "Guest Checks". As she put it, "It's just like they use at Chips and Cheese!" aka Los Alamos, our local Mexican restaurant. Now she walks around and takes our order. But beware! You can almost guarantee if you ask for something, she will tell you she is out of that right now, but maybe next time.
She got a vet outfit (which she wears while taking our order).
The vet, with ipod attached.
Her Honey and Papa got her a vacuum cleaner. Oh how I wish it really worked! Atleast she knew what a vacuum was. After the dusting incident I really questioned my house keeping!
There will be one more celebration this weekend. Buffy is coming home from Chicago for the weekend and we will celebrate with her and our local friends with a bonfire in the field. Ummm, Hot Dogs, Chili and Roasted Marshmallows! Stay tuned for pics!
And, Happy Birthday Elise. I hope it was a great one, but I am so glad it's only once a year!

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Happy Birthday Elise!

On 6:05 AM 3 comments

It truly doesn't seem possible that today my youngest is turning 4. Seems like yesterday she was a newborn. I guess time flies when you are having fun! And Elise is going to make sure those around her have a good time.
If I had to describe Elise in one word, it would be "intense". For those of you who know her, you understand that completely. She is either at one extreme or the other. She can go from happy and giggling to angry and glaring in less than one second. When she is happy, she is a complete joy. She is carefree and makes everyone around her smile. She is someone who walks into a room (at age 3) and turns into the center of attention. She can shower you with love and kisses in one minute, then shoot darts at you with her eyes in the next minute. She holds the true meaning to "If looks could kill".
When she starts shooting those looks, Heath calls her "Bertha" after his mom. She had some looks that could shoot darts also! She sure would have loved Elise!
When Elise would go to work with me Ms. Johnnie and Ms. Rosemary named her "The Boss". That description fits her (too) well. She frequently tells Tommy and Caroline that they have to listen to her because Ms. Johnnie says she is the boss. Sad thing is, they usually do listen to what she says.

They have adored her from the moment they laid eyes on her.

Tommy wanted to hold Elise every chance he got. When she was maybe a week old, Elise was napping so I got the other 2 settled and went to take a quick shower. I got out of the shower and went immediately to her Moses Basket, where I had left her sleeping. To my surprise, she was not there. I quickly go to the living room to find Tommy (age 4) sitting on the couch holding her. She was still sound asleep. He said she needed him, so he went and got her. I could do nothing but love on him for it.

Elise's full name is Elise Kelly. Her middle name was taken from Sean's middle name. Kelly was the maiden name of Sean's paternal grandmother.
In this pic, Sean had come home from Ohio State for a visit right after Elise was born. I am not sure he had ever held a baby so little when we put her in his arms and snapped a picture. You can tell by the look on his face that although he is delighted to see her, he is not so sure about holding her. He was accustomed to wrestling with a 4 and 2 year old, not a week old infant.

Elise has never been afraid to get dirty. She is the first one to pick up a bug, worm or caterpillar. If she comes up to me and says, "Look what I have" with her hands clasped, I am usually concerned. There is no telling what she has picked up! She is not afraid of anything. She will stand up for what she believes in, no matter who she is standing up to. This will serve her well in life, as long as she is believing in the right things!!
Happy 4th birthday my sweet 'Lisey!
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Halloween

On 12:15 PM 2 comments
This one's for you Tracy! I have been editing pics, then get the kids in school before I could get the post done. Just a couple of days behind!!! Thanks for keeping me on my toes, though!

We had a great Halloween. My kids love getting dressed up, then getting candy on top of that! It has also given me an opportunity to edit pics. I have found that is addicting! It's amazing what you can do with editing software. So, back to Halloween. Tommy was Luigi (from Super Mario Bros), Caroline was (what else) a ballerina and Elise was Hannah Montana (who wore vampire teeth all night!). That gave most adults a shock. This cute little blonde dressed up as Hannah Montana, but when she said, "Trick or Treat" all you could see were green vampire teeth. She keeps us laughing!


Tommy and Grant (who have been friends since before they could walk) conspired to be Mario and Luigi. Luckily Grant's mom (Ashley) and I figured it out before Halloween so we could take advantage of the photo opportunity! Before we went Trick or treating we stopped by their house for pics.These two were funny. Can you tell they are very comfortable with each other?


 For even more fun, I dug out this pic of Tommy and Grant. This was summer of 2002, so they would have been about 1 1/2 years old.

Now back to Halloween...Then it was off to trick or treat. Heather, Will and William went with us to Sewanee to trick or treat with another set of friends. William was Dumbo (which was Tommy's first halloween costume and he screamed the WHOLE time he had it on! William being so sweet and even tempered was happy as could be.) Heather wore the girls purple wig, but she did, at one point, have my kids convinced that she had cut and died her hair.

Caroline and her dear friend Mary B (Smith). They had a wonderful time. But, I think these two would have a great time where ever they were!
Then this morning after the kids were at school, I was trying to get the kitchen under control when I noticed the [huge] bowl of Halloween candy was not in the pantry. I knew that couldn't be good. Heath went looking for it and quickly came and told me I needed to see. So I grab the camera and follow him upstairs to Tommy's room. On the table in his room (which he usually uses for Legos), was part of the Halloween candy, sorted into piles.

And beneath the table was the rest of the "stash" that I am assuming he just hasn't gotten the time to sort yet.

He is something else. Truly, I am glad that the bowl was discovered in his room, because he cares very little about eating it. He will sort it (because he is known to have OCD tendencies), then use his tractors to scoop it, etc. If it had been found in Caroline's room, well, it would be 3/4 eaten and I would have a little girl with a belly ache! Oh, the differences in kids!
As I said at the beginning, I have been playing with picture editing. As I laid in bed Halloween night, I realized I had not taken a pic of my just 3 kids together in their costumes. AGGHHH! Then, Sunday morning I realized I actually may be able to solve that problem. I remembered I had seen something on the photo editing software that would "clone" part of a picture. So, after playing with it, I figured it out. Below is the picture I started with. The very first pic at the top was my end product. I need to practice with it a bit more, because if you look close, you can tell by the bricks behind the kids that something was done. But, it solved my problem of not having all 3 kids in the same pic!



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