More fun photos from Mimi's birthday......

Scooping up a bundle of Christmas joy for an afternoon hug and kiss.......
We all (minus the two elder men, who are at the age that they aren't "required" to attend ballets) went to see Aunt Elizabeth in The Nutcracker on Saturday night. She was one of the dancers in the first scene of the production at the South Jackson Civic Center. And she did fantastically well, and looked gorgeous....but alas, I neglected to bring my camera along. You'll just have to take my word for it.
And upon returning home, Tyner Beth HAD to stop off and check on Nana's cat....and please notice the Christmas greenery Tyner Beth hung for Nana on their "house". Hey, you gotta spread the Chrismas cheer around, to everyone.

We had a great time celebrating Mimi's birthday all weekend long.....time is just always too short when spending it with family.

SATURDAY SHOWCASE.....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MIMI!!!

Turning 83 never looked so good as when MiMi had her birthday celebration last night!! Here she is admiring the YUMMY Italian Cream Cake that Elizabeth made for her.
What a fun celebration we had at Aunt Elizabeth's house.....dinner was delicious....she had appetizers, the best tomato bisque soup, salad, potato & beef pie (with blue cheese rolled into the crust) and Italian Cream cake for dessert. As the kids said (referring to all the courses being served)......."it's like eating at a restaurant"!

They were tickled....and actually did well trying new things....all 3 even enjoyed the tomato bisque. Walt dipped his roll repeatedly! Triumph for the culinary challenged.

Aunt Elizabeth is such a sweetie, and a divine cook. Too bad she doesn't live closer so we could feast on her creations more often! Then this morning, on MiMi's actual birthday, we continued the celebration with the kids all sporting their PJ's & reindeer antlers......and jingled all the way down Nana's hallway to wake up MiMi with the birthday song.

And here they are delivering birthday breakfast in bed with presents on the side!!!!

The CALM before the STORM......

thunder and lightning.........not so much fun for our four-legged friend.

Here's Sadie, resting a little, while the boys watch a movie in our bedroom floor. She loves being included in all the family activities. And the boys love having her hang out with them.

(and please notice the toboggan on my son's head.....why? who needs a head covering when you are INSIDE the house? We do, because Temple won't let us turn the heat up.....he mumbled something about a "budget"....but I wasn't listening....I was busy pushing the up arrow on the electronic thermostat......)Would you just look at how sweet that is?.....

And just a few short hours later.....after the rain continued to drop, the thunder clapped, and the lightning danced across the night sky......the POWER went out. And by candlelight, here is where I found Sadie girl.....

Luckily my sweet honey bought me one of those external flash thingamajigs for my camera, and VOILA....a photo for you from the darkness.......
Because apparently, under the bed is the place to be......if you are a four-legged individual, who is semi-afraid of storms. :)

She's stronger than she looks.....

Yesterday, Tyner Beth was able to go on a fun field trip with several other students (about 60) from her school. The students were chosen from their classrooms and rewarded based on perfect attendance (which we didn't make the cut) or on Best Behavior.

Rivers and Walt were pretty disappointed that they weren't getting to go on this fun field trip......in fact they started saying how it was going to be raining, and with the storm that was passing through it might get canceled and blah blah negative blah. I promptly reminded them that there was no need for their disgruntled opinions....this was received on merit, and they had the same opportunity to be the best behaved just as much as she did. They merely chose not to utilize the "best behavior" function on their persons. And all I have to say to that is...."too bad, so sad, buddy....we're going bowling!".......

No, that's just what the voices in my head wanted me to shout. I actually acted all parental like and told them they should use this as a learning lesson.....which was recieved with a much glazed over stare from the young men in question.


I was fortunate to help chaperone and my little group of 9 kids were a real treat to spend the day with!! We all had so much fun......you can learn a whole lot from little young minds!! :)

All the kids had the best time.....many of whom had never been bowling before.....which reminded me how very blessed we truly are and how we take for granted so many "things".

The bowling alley was only open for us.....and the kids enjoyed every minute.....balls that were too big for little hands, slick floors that were good for sliding (on purpose), and giggles that would make even Scrooge smile!!


Here's Tyner Beth----the ball weighs almost 1/2 as much as her....... But she managed to muster up enough strength to give it a big sling down the lane.......
And would you believe.......it was a S-T-R-I-K-E!!!! I'm not kidding....she bowled two of them actually. Oh, me?...funny you should ask....no, I didn't get any strikes.....even though the ball weighs a LOT less than I do......I was just there for the kids, you know....making sure they were having a great time. :) Did I mention that I was beaten by an 8 year old boy during one of the games???........But, hey, I TOTALLY beat all those little 2nd grade girls!!! TOTALLY.

Love and the frenzy of the Holidays......

So, the other day I shared a funny e-mail from my inbox......now, here's another e-mail I wanted to share, although it's not funny. But it is an excellent read. I do find humor in the fact that God can use whatever means he wants to get my attention.......the internet? You mean God uses e-mail? Yes, my friend he does, in fact.

No, they aren't signed by God, or sent from a web address labeled "hisholymajesty@heavenlynews.com"......nope....but He's the one out there that's making them find their way to my inbox. A word of encouragement, a short note to make me smile, a joke or photo that makes me laugh out loud, or a scripture that I needed at just that time........ Sometimes he "signs" them using the name of one of our friends or family....a clever disguise. :) And other times they come from random....although I guess, in the grand scheme of things, it's not so random. It's Him....and he's anything but random.

At any rate, He "sent" this to my inbox and it very nicely stepped on my toes. And there's nothing more true than the last line.......here's hoping Temple will forgive the fact that I have lost another set of pearl earrings.....but I am most thankful for Temple's gift of love, that endures, and that I can't lose when it falls into an air vent. :)

1 Corinthians 13 Christmas Style
©By Sharon Jaynes

If I decorate my house perfectly with lovely plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights, and shiny glass balls, but do not show love to my family - I'm just another decorator.

If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals, and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime, but do not show love to my family - I'm just another cook.

If I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home, and give all that I have to charity, but do not show love to my family - It profits me nothing.

If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties, and sing in the choir's cantata but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.

LOVE stops the cooking to hug the child.

LOVE sets aside the decorating to kiss the husband.

LOVE is kind, though harried and tired.

LOVE doesn't envy another home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens.

LOVE doesn't yell at the kids to get out of the way.

LOVE doesn't give only to those who are able to give in return, but rejoices in giving to those who can't.

LOVE bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.

LOVE never fails. Video games will break; pearl necklaces will be lost; golf clubs will rust. But giving the gift of love will endure.

I think not.

I received this e-mail in my inbox earlier this week.....and had to pass it along.....because, it is the CRAZIEST thing I've seen in a long time.

The e-mail was for a recipe.....and you know I LOVE recipes. Especially fun ones here at the holidays.....and cookie ones to try with the kids? Even better. But this?....this is what was sent to my inbox?.....you must be kidding me?.......who wasted their time in the kitchen concocting this mess?

12 Days of Holiday Cookies:

Whole Wheat and Chocolate Chip

_____________________

No, I didn't copy down the recipe. I didn't even open the dang e-mail.....after I read the subject title, I laughed in the face of my computer and then promptly hit delete.

As if I would ever consider messing with a chocolate chip wonder......whole wheat? I'll get my fiber elsewhere thank you very much......leave my cookies alone.

Besides, I don't care how cool it is to be eating all "organic" products......I'm not taking any chances.....who wants to be the one to really tick ol' St. Nick off with a plate of whole wheat yummy goodness? Not me.

The Gingerbread House Challenge of 2008

Uncle Kevin was nice enough to take some photos for me when Aunt Karisa brought in gingerbread house kits for the cousins to build a couple of weekends ago. They decided to all work in pairs......except, Walt, the architect/artist, wanted to work alone. Basically, that meant no one could "mess" up his masterpiece.

Here are two cuties....who apparently haven't brushed their hair all day, because they were too busy playing with the dogs, jumping on the trampoline, and the usual cousin stuff...which doesn't involve a hairbrush, unless you are playing beauty parlor. But anyway, they are working hard on their gingerbread dwelling.


How about this pair....silly girls. Looks like they may have already been licking the icing packet and eating a few dozen sugar filled candies......and they are already ready to chomp down on the gingerbread side panels of their homes.....

Here was the final product Savanna and Katelyn presented for the judges. Nice job. Now go lick your fingers clean........I know that's what you intend to do anyway. Enjoy!

So, back to the little girl team.....looks like they've run into some sort of construction snag while building. Hmm.....the roof. How to get the roof to stick? And by the way, whatever Tyner Beth is saying as her general contractor self.....isn't sitting well with the co-owner. Phoebs isn't going for it....look at those eyes. Dissention among the ranks.......uh-oh.

• What will happen? How will this gingerbread drama unfold? Will they fight to the bitter end.....while the house sits just wasting away? Will they dismantle from within the company and rebuild as seperate entities? Will they have to file for a "BAIL OUT" from the government? Girls, look sad and ask for just a mere 1/2 million and you're likely to get it.......everyone else is crying wolf, why not you?

Well, an executive decision was made.....together. Unanimously, the team of little girls decided to offer a "green-house" type gingerbread domain.....with no covered roof. As opposed to a roof that might be likened to those in California that slide off ....... although I'm sure the builders out there use something a tad bit stronger than royal icing!!

See.....all smiles among the team again. Roof, smoof.....nothing comes between cousins. Although, we really could have used some of that bail out money for the holidays.......

And here, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you this worker bee......who diligently worked alone in a different room, for a long while, constructing his gingerbread showpiece. He saw no need to make it all gummy, smudgy, gloppy, icky....or roofless. He wanted it to look as neat as possible, but with a little old world character and charm every cottage should have......even those in a pre-fab kit that are edible.

Please notice his "snow" that has settled alongside the edging of the chimney on the roof......looks pretty realistic....especially for someone who lives in the deep south....and never gets to see snow piled up on the roof, the eaves, or the chimney.........

And here is his design offering for the judges......and he has even added a body guard at the entrance......now this could house Hansel and Gretel......I mean, hey, they need the extra security.
Oh, yeah, he didn't use all the candy to clutter up his humble abode.....and it wasn't really because he wanted an "oh-so-clean-and-sleek-contemporary" design...it was because he was storing it all up in his cheeks for winter....the whole time.

SATURDAY SHOWCASE.....

THE TALE OF CHRISTMAS CRUNCH......

I found this Christmas Crunch "limited edition" box of cereal a couple of weeks ago. The voices in my head told me to snatch that sucker up----because ..hey, it's a for a "limited" time only and who knows when someone might come busting in the Wal-Mart to buy out the entire 300 boxes on display.

Initially, I had put it back on the shelf, reminding myself that Temple is constantly saying I am a "gimmick" freak. But, I let the voices in my head win...(because I am known to do that from time to time)....and put it right back in my cart.

• And right now, I bet you're thinking....what the? She's doing cereal as the spotlight of the week in the Saturday Showcase files????? I never said I was sane. Let me be clear on that fact, right now. Think of it as a sidebar type human interest story...don't ya just love those on the news?

So I brought the new holiday cereal home, made the announcement to the kids, set it in the pantry and walked away. It was devoured in less than 8 hours. Hmm. And by the way, for the record....it wasn't just the 3 kids who ate it....it was Temple, too. In fact, I think he is the one who woke up the next morning and asked in a whiney voice...."Who ate ALL the Christmas Crunch"......I smiled in my head as the voices silently whispered in mockery....."oh, you mean the "limited edition" Christmas Crunch that might be labeled gimmicky?".

So, I ventured out a couple of days later to return with this victory for the voices in my head......and the children I have been asked to feed on a daily basis.

Yes, mam, I did. I bought 4 boxes. Brought them home, announced to the kids, and set them in the pantry. Actually, first, I set them all in a line on the counter as the picture depicts. It looks much more exciting when you have them lined up side by side.....and I said, "Now, everyone can have a box, we will have enough Christmas Crunch to last us through at least 48 hours."

And then I laughed, the kids giggled, and all was merry and bright. They took me literally. Walt and Tyner Beth marked every box with a red sharpie.....by name. Which was a genius idea, really. Now there's no one to blame but you when your box is empty.

That is, unless, the pantry door is left slightly open and a certain dog that inhabits your dwelling can get to the Christmas Crunch box with your name on it, and can dig her nose in far enough to cause some pebbles to spill out onto the floor, so that she (the dog) too, can have some of this highly coveted "limited edition" goodness.

Thank goodness those kids labeled the cereal boxes, otherwise we wouldn't have known who had been victimized in this crime. But of course...you may not want to keep the box that is now depleted of a few handfuls of Christmas Crunch. But certainly not because the dog's nose had been in the box, they disregarded that fact. Who cares about a dog's germs when there are clearly more important issues at hand....like NOT ENOUGH CRUNCH LEFT IN YOUR BOX.

And then you do what any respecting person (who loves Christmas Crunch) does.............you find someone else's box (which happens to be really full)--then take the red sharpie marker, scribble out their name and replace it with yours. Problem solved. Carry on.

This reminds me of so many good times eating cereal.....weird, huh? My favorite is Lucky Charms. And it is still my favorite today....at 36. Although if I'm trying to be all adult like, I eat grape nuts or something.....and then the voices, (those in my head), start a riot and ask me "why in the world do you want to be 'adult-like'?".....and I promptly get another bowl and fill it with Lucky Charms...or Christmas Crunch. So, what about you? Which cereal do the voices inside your head tell you to eat? :)

Walt's Field Trip to McWane.....

Oh, the joys of being parent chaperone on the good ol' field trip.....let me tell you, trying to keep up with 6 eager field tripping boys in the McWane Science Center.....while there are 1000 other elementary age children bouncing off the walls themselves, is no task for the faint of heart.

But I survived....with all 6 of my assigned kids, in tact, also with a stop off at the ol' gift shop, even.

Walt loved the top level of McWane that now houses all these really neat train layouts. Temple had a train layout in the basement of our home in Gadsden. And he even has plans for his layout in our basement here, but we haven't finished that room yet. This spark in Walt's eyes should put a fire under Temple's rear to get in gear so the boys can work on it together. :)
Walt's favorite layout was this one that replicated a fairground. Too Cool.

Another favorite of mine and Walt's was this contraption.....I would have to google what these things are called, and do not have the time, so just look at the photos. Walt, carefully analyzes the pegs...and how they position themselves with your movement into them.

OH NO!!! Not the face. I've got two words for you, son......G.E.R.M.-C.I.T.Y !!! Seriously, if I would have had a can of lysol I would have sprayed it right in his face, eyes and all......but I didn't, so I just hid behind the camera and pretended I didn't notice that he. just. stuck. his. whole. face. directly into where MILLIONS of microbia have been deposited from the thousands of grimey field tripping hands................

I call this shot---"profile of bacteria"----
This neat writing wall was right up Walt's alley. It's actually a dark area of panels with laser light corded "pens" hanging for the kids to WRITE ON THE WALLS....because, you know, it vanishes...unlike crayola crayons, or sharpie markers! I took this with the flash on so you could see Walt drawing.
And here's a photo (without the flash) of my masterpiece---Picaso, I ain't. But this takes me right back to 7th grade, when all of my binders, notebooks and everything else was scribbled with my name and my friends' names.....swirly letters, hearts, stars...etc.

Walt's teachers even joined the fun and had a hair-lifting experience in the wind tunnel. Can you guess what Walt is doing here?

He's in the "newsroom", practicing his skills as a weatherman. Here you see him giving the national forecast.....

And as they say on the morning show we watch, "now, here's a look at what's happening in your neck of the woods".....

Oh, baby, somebody is about to get hit by the eye of the hurricane......
At least Walt can handle the pressure of a category 4 better than Geraldo Rivera.......

It just so happened that Mickey Ferguson, the weatherman for FOX-6 news out of Birmingham, was on location at McWane to do a weather segment live for the noon news. Walt didn't get on tv, but he did get to stand beside this "celebrity".....although I must say, our trusted local weatherman is actually James Spann. No offense Mickey. But thanks for the photo.

A favorite picture of mine.....Walt with one of his best friends, Ethan. They happen to be only a couple of months apart in age. I can't wait until their senior year and I get to pull out all these funphotos of them growing up together.

I saved this beauty for last.....can you find the fish in this photo? The boys were really excited about the "water" area in McWane. They saw this fish there. It blends in so with the stone bottom floor in this shallow little area of water, you can barely see it. It has camouflaged itself like it would on the ocean floor.

• What's it called? Glad you asked.....you'll never guess....it's called a "FLATFISH". Go figure. heehee. Here's a couple of facts for you from wikipedia about the flatfish, 'cause Lord knows I want you to learn something from this field trip.........Some flatfish are able to change their pigmentation to match the background, in a similar manner to a chameleon. The most obvious characteristic of the flatfish is their asymmetry, with both eyes lying on the same side of the head in the adult fish.

There, now, don't you feel smarter already? So glad you stopped by.....

SATURDAY SHOWCASE.....

Well, I had to include two photos today......

It seems that when you are really "special", you are blessed with not one, but two birthday cakes. (Remember I had a caramel birthday cake at Temple's grandmothers.)

And I, my friends, if nothing else, am "special". Or at least that's what my brother used to tell me when I had to ride the "short" bus to enrichment class.......I've always wondered why he said it so funny and smiled as he spoke the word "special".

Anyway, upon returning from our Thanksgiving travels, we also had another round of Thanksgiving Feast with the family.....at my parents. And my sweet mother had also made me this yummy birthday cake to share. It was delicious.....and I say was, because there is only one slice left in the fridge, and Temple has already laid claim to it. Sorry. But you would have loved it....double chocolate fudge cake (3 layers) with caramel & whipped cream & toasted pecans & chocolate shavings.....between each layer. Rich, honey, is not the word. Decadently wealthy like Bill Gates is more or less a better word analogy.

And here is a favorite birthday gift from my sweet Walt man.....who was at the hunting camp all day and into the evening of my birthday, but when he walked through the doors to greet me....he had this homemade present ready to offer. He's resourceful too......there was no artist pad hidden in a deer stand in the woods, so he found a paper plate at the hunting camp and drew me a birthday message all the same.

I love these handmade gifts the best of all.

Thanksgiving 2008

Grandmama made me a delicious caramel cake for my birthday.......she's 82, I hope I'm still baking cakes and look this good at 82......but I've got a while to go since I'm still only 29. :)
While waiting for all the food to be prepared for our Thanksgiving meal, Walt, Tyner Beth & their cousin Amber decided to play cards. Giggles were heard frequently.


After eating, (no, I do not have any pictures of the scrumptious food we devoured....I was too busy eating it to bother with taking a photo.)....anyway, the hunters headed up to the woods mid-afternoon......I think the men all went to get their tryptophan-induced naps from the turkey.....but the kids had a great time.

Tyner Beth and Amber were ready for an afternoon of hunting too.....although I think Tyner Beth was confused about what she was hunting.....deer are not particularly afraid of a pink-shirted, zebra-vested little girl doing cheers in the wilderness. However, Aunt Elizabeth loves a hug no matter how she's dressed. And later, Tyner Beth had the best time playing "hair dresser"......a game Aunt Elizabeth loves to let her play.
T5 and Grandmama had fun looking at old photographs.....so I took a new one to add to the stack. Uncle Jonathan and Aunt Jackie came over late in the afternoon......sorry I didn't get a good photo of the baby bump progress....but maybe I will soon....Jackie is feeling good and the baby is growing and kicking like crazy.....and we can still hardly wait to hold him/her!!!

Tyner Beth was showing how she can do a really good form push-up (especially for a little girl) and she was even trying to do "clap" push-ups....where you clap in between.....and so, Uncle Jonathan challenged her to try to do "diamond" push-ups. Here he is demostrating his skills....of course this led to a little brotherly competition.....with Temple getting down in the floor to show he could still do "diamond" push-ups too. They are too funny.

Although at first Tyner Beth was unable to do a "diamond" push-up, and Uncle Jonathan had given her a training time and expected her to be able to show him at Christmas her abilities. She had different expectations, and worked hard until she did one.....not the best form, but she did it! And she loved showing off her muscles! :)

Thanksgiving Memories......they are wonderful.....times with family can't be beat, any time of the year. Moments that are perfect, like this photo of Tyner Beth and Grandmama's hands.....moments that make you want to hold on to it all.........forever.