Whew

T. Willy turned 3 yesterday!!! We were in New Orleans over the weekend so we had his birthday at my brother-in-law, the Grillmaster's, house. He and the Mrs. were gracious hosts and we had a blast.

We had a wonderful visit with my nephew. Although Melissa suggested it, we didn't actually give him car keys and point him to the beach, but we did enjoy 3 trips to the beach and had such a good time with him. We were also able to give him a tour of New Orleans and his first beignets.

So here are some pictures.












































































I had to add this picture of T. Willy. This is how his hair looks every morning when he wakes up.



So there you go. Have a great day!!!

Winding Down

When I began this blog, I was about to enter graduate school. I was very nervous and the end seemed very far away. Can you believe the end is almost here?!?!?! Graduation is one month from today...incidentally, so is MK's birthday. It is sort of anticlimactic. I won't officially be finished until July 1, because I have a practicum to complete. But the end is in sight and it feels great. I have four big projects to complete but two are with partners and the partners are very ambitious, so the burden is shared. I just really can't believe it. I also applied for a job, contingent on finishing school. If it works out, I'll tell you more.

My nephew is flying down on Saturday to spend his Spring Break with us. We are so excited to have him. He is flying into New Orleans where the Big Man's family lives so we're going to give him a little tour of the area and then go to my in-law's church Sunday. Then we'll come back here for the week. It has been really warm but is supposed to turn cool this weekend. Hopefully it will warm up enough for us to take him to the beach. I think he would be a bit disappointed to fly this far and not go swimming. He will turn 17 while he's here, too, so I'd love any suggestions about how to celebrate with him.

Speaking of swimming, that is something we were able to do earlier in the week. MK has been in twice, but I just braved it once. So I'll leave you with a picture.


Have a great day!

Spring Break

This week was MK's Spring Break. We took her and a friend to the beach on Wednesday and then to Olive Garden for lunch.

Where did spring go????

So, it was 83 here today. I think spring is gone and it's summer now.

Busy around here. This was my Spring Break from school and next week is MK's. We did a bit of spring cleaning, purged A LOT. We bought some new furniture for our bedroom and moved the mismatched pieces that we had into T. Willy's room because our old furniture matches his room better. Pictures do a better job than I can, so here they are.




















Yes, the changing table is still up. Stop nagging, we're working on it!






And I had to end with a new picture of MK. I just love those brown eyes, plus our old digital camera died and we finally replaced it so I was able to post new pictures. Have a great day!!!

By the way...

Spring has sprung. We took a trip to the beach for lunch the other day. Here are some pictures.

It's a new day

When MK had just turned 2, she crawled out of her crib and surprised us by walking into our room one morning. We have waited and waited for T. Willy to do the same. But he never did. As far as we can tell, he has never even attempted to crawl out of his crib. Like father like son because the Big Man's mom says that the Big Man never crawled out of his crib either. Well, T. Willy turns 3 next month and I just kind of felt like it was time to get rid of the crib. Someone gave us a toddler bed but he wanted nothing to do with it. So today we assembled a new bunk bed for him, and he is sleeping in it as I type. I am trying not to be too sentimental, but I can't help it. He's my baby, likely my last child, and now the crib will be packed up and stored away.

Don't get me wrong, I am eager for him to grow up and pass all of the milestones that life offers. I just wanted to take a moment to remember the past 3 years and what a surprise he was in the first place and how our lives are so much better for having him in them!

A Dearth of Posts

I have not been posting much lately. Thanks for sticking with me.

Today I have a story. It is a story about two women. We will call them E. & J. They were born just a few years apart. E. discovered a lump in her breast and ignored it. She knew about it, it caused her pain, and she ignored it. She continued to ignore it until it was finally so large that it was noticeable to the eye, and her husband noticed it and finally forced her to see a doctor. J. did not discover her lump. In fact, it wasn't a lump at all. It was barely a speck on the mammogram that she has faithfully every year. It was a speck that the radiologist saw and then told her to come back in 6 months to see if it had changed. J., however, did not wait. She went to her doctor who took action. They did an ultrasound, still inconclusive, and then a biopsy. When the results of the biopsy came in, the result was malignant. But it was so small that the doctor felt pretty sure that she had removed it all with the biopsy. Nevertheless, the next step was to have another procedure and remove a lymph node and have it tested to see if the malignancy had spread.

That is not the end of this story.

J. had the lymph node removed today and was given the results shortly thereafter. Negative...meaning the cells had not spread. She is well...she is cancer free...she is my mom. E. was married to my uncle. She is his late wife. While we do believe she is with the Lord now, her family miss her desperately.

I am thankful for my mom, but more today than usual. I am thankful that she took action and went through some unpleasant things to protect her health. Thanks, mom, for your example!!! I love you!!!

A

Counting down

So tonight was the first class of my last full semester. After the semester ends, I have to do a tutoring practicum and then I'll be finished. It sounds easy enough, but the two classes appear to be the toughest yet. I was just beginning the program when I started this blog and at that time, it seemed like it would take forever. How wrong I was. The past year and a half have just flown by! I don't know what the future holds right now. The Big Man and I have started talking about when I'll go back to work. I LOVE being home with T. Willy but am also eager to get into the classroom. We'll see.

The kids and I flew to Delaware to visit my family the day after Christmas. We had a wonderful trip, but as always, it was just too short. We were able to visit friends and spend a lot of time with my parents and my brother's kids.

After a slow start, T. Willy is really starting to talk now. He is asking questions and answering some too. What a difference in the last year.

So, nothing too exciting, but I wanted to check in and get the Christmas decorations off the screen!!! Happy New Year!!!

Come on in!

So I enjoyed participating in Boomama's Bloggy Tour of Homes so much, I was thrilled when she announced that she was going to host again for Christmas. So please, settle in, and welcome to our Florida Christmas home!


My mom made this cheery Santa for us. He welcomes you as you enter the front hall.


















The Big Man and I begame engaged Christmas 1988. Whew! We bought our first Christmas bear that Christmas and have collected one each Christmas since. It seemed like such a good idea at the time, but we are running out of space. This year they have been separated because they no longer fit in one location. So here are some bears in the kitchen.














Here are some more in the kitchen.














More in the kitchen.
















And here are some bears in the office. That should add up to 19! We have been faithful to get these bears each year, but around 1991 we considered giving up, but reconsidered and bought a plain bear in 1992 and painted 1991 on it...and one year we thought we'd be creative and got a Snowden snowman. But since then we have returned to the bear.














When our daughter was born, we started a collection of village pieces for her. Our intent is to continue collecting them until she leaves the nest and then they will be hers. We did not display them this year, though, because we have a very curious 2 1/2 year old running around. When he is older, I'll bring them back and if Boomama continues to host, I'll post them. Here is where I need your help: we are collecting villages for MK but have yet to begin a collection for T. Willy. Any ideas? We are looking for something not too expensive and something that my future daughter in law will not hate me for.

The next post is one that I posted last week or so, but it's our tree and our fireplace mantle. After that I posted pictures of the family at our town Christmas parade. Thanks for reading and please leave a comment to let me know that you were here!!

Annette

Deck the Halls

We put up our tree and did a little decorating around the house. There are a few other things but T. Willy's busy hands prevented us from displaying everything. We also did the outside but I don't have pictures of that yet. So here are a couple of pictures of our brand new artificial tree sans presents and our fireplace, which we have finally been able to use this season.

It's that time of year

So last night was our little city's Christmas parade. It seems that EVERYONE shows up to either participate or watch and catch candy. MK walked with her Girl Scout troop. Our intention was for us to park, I would walk her to her starting place, then I would walk back to join the Big Man and T. Willy at our designated place in the crowd. Ha! I forgot that last year I left very early and the Big Man drove separately and through the magic of text messaging we were able to find each other. This year we all rode together and encountered the rest of our town heading to the parade. We finally found a parking space, got T. Willy settled in the stroller and parked The Big Man and T. Willy. Then MK and I took off for her starting point. We were so relieved and saw many groups of walkers, but no troop. Yikes. A kind soul asked if we were from Cluster 3, which we did not know because we only know the troop number, and she said if we were they had already started walking. So MK and I ran to catch them and sure enough, they were already in the parade. We finally caught them, there was no way I was going to make it back to the Big Man, so I just joined the parade. What fun! Here are a few pictures of the biggest night of the year in small-town Florida!!!


I was able to snap a picture of my guys while we walked by. Too bad T. Willy's face has the orange safety wire straight through it. Can you just see how secure it is, holding the raging crowd back? The lady on your right was so helpful. She gave T. the lollipop he has and was very vocal when people got in front of him.

















You cannot predict how a 2 year old is going to act, but T. was great. He just stood and watched. Even when MK and I walked by, he just waved and kept watching. That is usually a signal to him to run after us. I think he was just enjoying time with his dad and the lady who was supplying him with sugar.

















This is the only picture I was able to get of MK in which her face was not obscured. I normally would not include such a fuzzy picture but I didn't want her to be left out!!!

Please read the entire post before passing judgment!

A few months ago, the Big Man and I bought some new lamps to replace lamps that had been broken. We were very happy with these new lamps and thought they added some warmth to our living room. We really liked these lamps.

One of the lamps broke.

It turns out that the part that held the shade was just soldered, even though it bore weight, and it snapped off.

So the Big Man complained about it.

Every time he walked by it, he complained about it.

Every time he thought about it, he complained.

This went on for a while.

Today he complained again...with vigor.

So I did not complain about it, but went to Lowe's, bought two pieces for it, and fixed it. Hooray for me. It is actually better than it was before because the replacement piece is a solid piece of metal, not just two pieces shoddily soldered together.

Is this a chance to bash the Big Man? No...it is a commentary on balance and how we complement each other. Because even though the Big Man complained and did not take action, I took action only because he complained. I was apathetic, er, content, to just adjust it every time the shade fell. You will note that I did not suggest that the lamp just broke today. It was probably 1 1/2 to 2 weeks ago.

So thanks to the Big Man...for the lamps and the balance!

Political Humor

So with all of the political commercials we've watched lately, I was reminded of something MK said when she about 3 1/2. She was watching t.v. and a political ad came on. One candidate was addressing the incumbent by name, saying things like, "Bob, you've let us down," and "Bob, you should have done this." MK watched this ad, and then said to me, "Mom, why does that man keep calling me Bob?"

Have a good day!

Trick or Treat

So here are some pictures of the kids tonight. We had a great time and Mk was such a big help with T. Willy. She led him around and he finally got the hang of it. We tried to get him to say "Trick or Treat," but he didn't do it...he did say, "Elmo," as he held up his bucket, which we interpreted to mean, "Feed Elmo!", and "Thanks." We walked with some friends for awhile and they offered T. Willy a ride in their wagon, but he did most of the walking himself. It was fun and we have toooo much candy (if there is such a thing.)

Fun weekend

This weekend was busy and fun! MK had a Halloween party on Saturday night. We roasted hot dogs and made smores and played a few games and then just sat around the campfire and the girls told stories. They put up with me because I wasn't leaving nine 6th graders alone with the fire. They were all well-behaved and loud and fun! The Big Man's mom came over and watched T. Willy which was a big help.

On Sunday we went to church then MK had a Fall Festival with the Girl Scouts. It was a cluster event so several troops participated. MK let T. Willy tag along with her and they both seemed to have a good time. Today was back to school and something I have long awaited: since the time changed, MK did not have to walk to her bus stop in the dark!!! It was completely daylight and we couldn't stop laughing at how strange it felt.

I'm sorry that I don't have pictures to post but all of the pictures have friends in them. Tomorrow is trick-or-treating so I promise to post some from that! Have a great day!

Early Thanks

Thank you for the early birthday wishes. Wednesday is the big day. The "anonymous" donor is my mother in law...so now I will get Martha Stewart Living! Yea! Thanks, V!

Also, Thom, we do get Bon Appetit (I told you...it's a real addiction) I just made a flourless chocolate cake from it and it is my absolute favorite dessert!!! I also made dressing last week from the Thanksgiving issue. It was really good but I'll doctor it just a little when I make it again. It has crawfish, bacon and collard greens. I have officially embraced my "southernness" and have started eating and enjoying collard greens. I also say, "fixin' to," which is something I did not say before.

I took MK to visit her friend this afternoon out in the country. The family used to be our neighbors but now they live on 40 acres and built a beautiful home and barn. I am always so happy when MK gets an invitation because I enjoy the drive out there so much, but even more this time. We had a big surprise this time because their road is now paved. It made such a big difference.

So, there's a little update. Have a great day!!!

Hello. My name is Annette and I am an addict.

My drug of choice??? MAGAZINES!!! I cannot walk past a magazine aisle anywhere. A great evening out for me would be a trip to Barnes & Noble where I can just sit in the magazine section for hours. More specifically though, a magazine that has the word "Living" in the title...Country Living, Southern Living, Coastal Living, you get the idea. I get those 3 magazines delivered to my home but the Living magazine that I do not get anymore is "Martha Stewart Living." But I did pick it up the other day and have enjoyed it so much. I am no Martha Stewart, nor do I aspire to be, I just love the way magazines feel in my hand and, apparently, the way they look in the basket beside my bed. Now, if only I can find "Organized Living."

Checking In

Whew...I have not posted in a looong time. So I will break down what has been going on.

* The Big Man had knee surgery. He has been home since early September and goes back to the doctor on Thursday to see when he can return to work. He had torn his ACL years ago, had surgery on it once before, but aggravated it during the summer after falling off a ladder. We have all enjoyed having him home but realize it will be over soon.

* Mk had a vicious bout with strep last week and missed school for the whole week. We tried 3 different antibiotics, 2 doctor's visits and a shot before her fever dipped below 101 on Friday for the first time since Sunday. She is back to school today and feeling fine.

* T. Willy is developing a cold but it isn't keeping him down. His vocabulary is finally expanding to more than 2 words at a time and he is really going to miss his daddy when the Big Man goes back to work. They have really bonded. Usually when I get him out of bed he says "Mommy" as soon as the door opens. Yesterday he said "Daddy", so that should give you an idea.

* While MK was dealing with her illness, I developed a fierce sinus infection. Usually I am a DEEP sleeper but I was up for several hours Thursday night with a burning sore throat. To show how unusual that was, I woke up Friday morning to the sounds of the Big Man making a doctor's appointment for me. He knows I would have put it off, but he wasn't taking any chances. So I had a shot too and felt much better after a long nap.

* And...my washing machine died a horrible death and we had to get a new one. I didn't mourn it long. It went just the way it would have wanted to go...full of clothes and water.

Whew! We are finally enjoying some cool(er) weather and are looking forward to the full onset of fall and some good health. Thanks for checking in!!!

Happy Birthday to the Big Man & Melissa!!!

I met Melissa the same day I met the Big Man and in that order. The powers that be at the university put Melissa and me together and they put the Big Man in a room with Matt, a friend of mine from high school. We soon realized that the three of them had sequential birthdays, Sept, 1,2 and 3. So Happy Birthday to all of them!!!

Middle School Vernacular

Two things that MK said this week made me laugh.

We were driving in the neighborhood and went past a house where the garage door was off its track. MK looked at it and said, "That's jacked up, yo."

Before I start worrying that she is growing up too fast:

The subject of Britney Spears (maybe I should worry) came up. MK said, "I feel sorry for her baby. I really think Social Security is going to come and take it away."

Whew!!!

Ch-ch-ch-changes

This was a milestone week at our house. MK started middle school! Wow...I do not know where the years have gone. We attended Open House on Monday and were able to take her schedule and find all of her classes and practice with her locker combination. Big stuff! I can't say that Thursday was the most relaxing day for me, but school began and she did great. She really enjoys it. She had a few struggles with the locker combination but nothing major. She has found all of her classes with ease and even reunited with a good friend who had left her elementary in 4th grade. She is enjoying band and playing her clarinet. Whew! Life is good. I searched and searched for a picture of her on the first day of Kindergarten, but I cannot find the CD with the archives on it. I am not happy about that. But I did find one of her in 2nd grade on a trip to Disney World. So I've posted that and one of her on her first day of 6th grade.

























Also, today the Big Man and I celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary. He actually worked and I took the kids shopping but we made plans to get a babysitter on Tuesday. So we'll go out then. I had to get this old to realize why there are so many cliches about time flying...they're true!!! Have a great day!

What a great idea!

One of my hobbies is touring homes for sale via realtor.com. I pick a city and look inside homes and get decorating ideas. It also satisfies my incurable nosiness. Boomama (see sidebar because I STILL can't figure out how to insert a link. Duh!) took it one step better. She has asked bloggers to post pictures of their own homes. So, here are some pictures of our Florida home.


Front Door:















Blog Station:













Main Living Area - a couple of views:












Kitchen eating area:














My choice: I chose the media room and T. Willy's room. MK's room is getting a makeover soon. School starts next week so that is my next project. The paint is here and ready, I just have to get motivated.



















So, that's some of our house. Please post your own pictures and let me know if you did! Have a great day and thanks, Boomama (see sidebar)!

MK - don't get too used to it!

Each year MK goes to New Orleans to visit the Big Man's family and to attend VBS at their church. This is actually her last year to go to VBS as a "kid" but hopes to be a helper in the next years, especially when T. Willy can go. This year we were debating how to get her there. It's a 3 1/2 hour drive, not a big deal, but everyone had things going on so we were trying to figure things out. It turns out that my in-laws have some friends who own a beach home in our area and were there and returning to the N.O. area on Sunday on a private plane. It worked out that they were able to take MK with them! I think I was more excited than she was. I was so excited that she was willing to try this adventure. It wasn't her first flight, but it was the first time she had flown without me. Fortunately, she knows the family and they have a son near her age. So here are a few pictures of her big adventure. I just hope that flying coach isn't going to be too hard for her after that! We appreciate the family and their willingness to let her join them. The Big Man has some days off at the end of the week so we'll all drive over to get her.





































Please don't forget the Gulf Coast in your prayers! Things are NOT normal and won't be for a long, long time. Take a look at my sidebar at the FBC site if you get a chance. It's my in-law's church and there are pictures of some of the work the teams have been doing.

Have a great day!!!

Look what MK found in our garage today!!!!

I am not afraid of spiders, but even this was ick! I took the picture first and then killed it!











We aren't quite sure what it is...it was in its web and its death was swift so I didn't check to see if the red marking was on its abdomen or back. But still...yuck.


MK had her first band practice today. She really enjoyed it which was a relief to all of us. I finally had a chance to go inside her new school. It is much bigger than her elementary but I think she is going to be just fine. It starts August 3 so this is a good chance for her to meet some people and get used to being there. T. Willy and I went to the library which is conveniently located across the street. Then we came home and she practiced for us all. It took her a long time to make a noise but once she figured it out, she did really well.

Old Friends, New Friends

Whew!!

Wow...what a busy month!!! It goes something like this: school for me, busy fun for my parents and the kids, work for the Big Man, drive from FL to NC to visit wonderful family we haven't seen in tooooo long, drive from NC to DE to visit wonderful family and friends we see more often but still not enough, crabs and a softball game, a trip to VA to visit our college alma mater - all I can say about that is wow!!!fireworks, swimming, ice skating - FINALLY meeting up with Melissa (wish I would take the time to learn to insert a link there, oh well, check out the sidebar)and her wonderful kids and sister(the last time I saw Thom I think she was a teenager!!!), a trip to "John Boy's" homeplace (and getting in the middle of a catfight between the proprietors of the museum and a gift shop), good bye to the Big Man who drove home while I rode back to DE with my brother, a fun 4th of July party with more friends, sending MK on a trip to NYC with my mom, brother and a new friend, K, one day of sinus trouble and rest, a sub, a trip to DE's famous Dairy Palace, and 2 unremarkable plane rides home. I'll try to sum up in photos. Whew!



MK and T. Willy on the front porch of the CB where the Big Man was working when MK was born. There were still some employees there that remembered him.







The Big Man and MK standing outside of my dorm...I lived in this dorm for 2 years, on the first and then the second floors...it's where I met Melissa and where I lived when the Big Man and I first became friends and then started dating.








MK and me at the new church on campus.

And what a month it's been

Actually, it hasn't been an action packed, mile a minute month. It has just been kind of boring and not much to write about. It's 2 in the a.m. and I'm up finishing some homework. I'm in the middle of a 10 day class which I am really enjoying but, between that and the other, there are many projects due in a short amount of time. I finish on Tuesday and then we leave for DE on Wednesday. My parents are here and helping with the kids while I'm in school. I am barely missed. They are having a great time and really filling in the gap. I just have to make it till Tuesday. I am sure I'm rambling and punchy due to the late hour. I just wanted to fill you in and let you know we're still alive!!