photo 266

After all of the complaints about having to wear a tie to school everyday, I was absolutely shocked when Forrest asked if we would buy him a suit to wear to Youth Convention. Of course we went that day...and I was shocked when he picked out not one suit, but two...because "Mom, think about all of the ladies that will be there, I need to look good". While I realize that I may be a bit partial, I have to say he looked great. (I texted him while he was at the convention and I asked how it was going. His reply..."I am totally rockin this suit"... have I mentioned how modest he is)?

photo 265

We had a very lazy Saturday...a rare treat. We missed Wall-E while it was in theatres... so we bought it, snuggled up on the couch and watched it together this afternoon.

photo 264

Each week Cammie is assigned a new letter. She and I go through magazines looking for pictures that begin with that weeks letter. She likes to take in at least two pictures...just in case someone else brings in the same picture, she'll have a back-up.

photo 263

Just in case you were wondering how big a 9 month old Saint Bernard's foot is...I wear a size 8...evidently so does he.

photo 262

Chloe made this noodle necklace at school in preparation for their Thanksgiving feast. I wonder if the real indians had brightly died noodle necklaces?

photo 261

My Grandma gave me this plant 14 years ago. She started it from a clipping from her larger plant. When she first gave it to me it was one little sprig with 3 or 4 leaves on it. (Pardon the pic...taken with iphone in really low light).

photo 260

Each of us got to take a rose from the funeral arrangements. I plan on hanging these upside down to dry and then attaching the bouqet to the corkboard in my office.

photo 259

The slide show is coming together. I'm soaking in each of the images, searching for details and answers to questions that I waited too long to ask.

photo 258

Mark and I are working on a slide show to play at the funeral. All of my aunts, uncles and cousins have brought us pictures of Grandma. I love getting to go through them all. This afternoon I found a huge plastic tote under the bed in Grandma's guest room. It was stuffed with pictures. I spent hours sorting through them and I loved every single precious second of it. My favorite pictures were the ones taken when she was a teenager and in her twenties. I would give anything to be able to ask her about them.

photo 257

My Grandma died this morning. I didn't take any pictures today...my camera was the last thing on my mind. This is the last picture that I have of us together.

photo 256

Chloe's class went to the Adventure Science Museum. She was so excited about her first field trip... but she was even more excited about riding on the school bus to get there. During a lecture about dinosaurs there was a Q & A session. The lady held up something that looked like a rock and asked if anyone knew what it was. The first kid said "a rock"... which was wrong. Chloe was called on next and she shouted out "dinosaur poop"...everyone cracked up laughing... the boys especially...something about the word "poop" and 6-7 year old boys. Oh, she was right...it was fossilized dino poo. (Please ignore the very poor quality of this photo and yesterdays photo...both were taken with iphone in poor light).

photo 255

Every Wednesday I volunteer in Chloe's class. I help the kids with their AR tests. Chloe loves to have me in her class room... and I love that I am able to be.

photo 254

Miss. Marley had an apointment to visit the vet this morning. 12 weeks, 32.5 pounds.

photo 253

The down side to volunteering to work the book fair... finding too many books that you can't live without. (This is the second haul).

photo 252

Allison at Maggie Moo's Mom made me these adorable custom hankies. (There are actually a few more but they are being laundered).

photo 251

I. Heart. This. Doggie. (Especially when he pouts).

photo 250

Staff retreat... things to read during down time...

photo 249

The Webkinz collection is getting out of control. When we asked Chloe what she wanted for her birthday, without fail her reply... "Webkinz". These are the newest additions.

photo 248

Supergirl has insisted on donning her uniform...(no, it is not a costume, it is a uniform) every single day.

photo 247

We have established that I am partial...but seriously, could a doggie be any cuter?

photo 246

We had a few spider balloons left over from the Halloween party. Cammie wanted to let one of them"fly away".

photo 245

Happy Birthday Ladybug!

I cannot believe you are 7!

photo 244

While at the school carnival, I thought it would be fun to torture Forrest by making him pose with the girls. Does he look thrilled or what?

photo 243

For the pumpkin carving contest the kids had to choose a partner and show up at the party with a hollowed out pumpkin. The actual carving took place during the party.

photo 242

Chloe and Cammie went to a Girl Scout trunk-or-treat with their Brownie troop. Chloe was a "snow princess", Cammie "supergirl) and their friend Madeline was a kitty.

photo 241

When my folding table is clear of laundry it can be used for other things... like a staging area for the Halloween party we are throwing for the youth group.

photo 240

I first heard of the class "basket" when Forrest was in the 5th grade. I think I sent in a $20 dollar donation. We did not attend the auction and I maintained the allusion of large Easter basket type baskets going for a hundred dollars or so. Imagine my surprise when I found out that the the term "basket" was used very loosely... the word "basket" actually means "room moms competing to create the most elaborate set up possible...and then it is wrapped in cellophane and referred to as a basket". Our "basket" was an oven donated by the Sears outlet.

photo 239

We went to early vote today. I forced my silly son to go with me so that he could see how it works... I must admit, the thought that this goofy kid will have a say in the next election is scary. Just kidding... what really scares me is that he will get hisdrivers permit in 3 months.

photo 238

This is my new favorite iPhone game...Wurdle. It's simliar to Quordy only there are more letters and they look more like Scrabble tiles.

photo 237

Cammie began drawing these owls last week. Since then, they have been turning up around the house. This particular owl is a boy...because only a boy owl would have blue hair...according to the artiste.

photo 236

The foliage this year is unusually vibrant. I think it seems that way because all of the trees lost their leaves early last year due to the drought. Regardless of the reason it is gorgeous!

photo 235

Over the summer Chloe decided that she wanted to collect snow globes. If she hears you mention that you are going on a trip she will casually say "I bet they have snow globes there. Did you know that I collect sow globes"?

photo 234

Sidewinder is a local plumbing and sewage company. Click on the picture to get a closer view of what is written on the bumper. I thought this was HILARIOUS! (I was so happy that I had remembered to put my camera in my purse).

photo 233

I have an aversion to checking the messages on my machine. I always check the caller-ID to see who called though. Once a month I will go through and delete all of the old messages. Weird.

photo 232

Forrest is constanly switching out the artwork on the back of his bedroom door. Every time that I go into his room I check for his newest drawings. This one cracked me up.

photo 231

Mark has been trying to convince me to give up my "paper" calendar and switch to Outlook for a few years. Since the iPhone synced so easily with Outlook I decided to give it a try. After a three month trial run, I switched back. Not only did I switch back, I bought an even larger calendar than I had before the switch.

photo 230

While putting away the coffee cups, I decided to clear out some of the clutter that made the cabinet over-crowded. Even though the kids haven't used a sippy-cup in almost two years, for some reason there were all of these sippy components in the cabinet.

photo 229

Have I mentioned that we didn't tell Forrest that he would have to wear a tie and sweater vest in the Fall and Winter if he got into JPII? We knew that he would be less than excited about his required attire. Right before school started we told him...and to say that he was a wee bit disgruntled would be an understatement. Today was his third day in tie and vest...he claims he is choking...poor kid. (Doesn't he look cute though)?

photo 228

Have I said that I LOVE these doggies? They are so sweet together. There were a few moments after we had paid our deposit but before we had brought Marley home that I thought "what have I done"? I am happy to report that there has been no feelings of remorse. These puppies are the best.

photo 227

The moon was HUGE and bright tonight...I wish we had a telescope.

photo 226

Fall makes me happy...

photo 225

In a moment of domestic bravery I broke out the ironing board. I know, amazing isn't it? Don't be concerned, there were no pleats or creases to worry about, and no clothing items were harmed in the filming of this event. The shower curtain made it through safe and sound.

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side note: I had to go out and buy a new iron. After using the old one to put a hem of "stitch witchery" in a costume at church it somehow got misplaced. I hadn't noticed that it was missing until yesterday. When did I use it to put that hem in? Last Halloween.

photo 224

Winston...mourning his fall from "top dog" status and the loss of his beloved air vent.

photo 223

Meet Marly. She moved in this morning and promptly took over Winston's beloved air vent.

photo 222

Winston...in a state of contentment and happiness...secure in his "only dog" status. Poor guy, he doesn't realize what tomorrow is...

photo 221

Today was not a good day. I walked into Forrest's room to get the empty hangers out of his closet and I was confronted with this bold statement of rebellion. He seems to think that he is "too old" for Bionicles. It's "not cool for an almost 15 year old to have toys layin' around his room mom". "Mom, seriously...I'll be driving in a few months. Don't you think it's time to put that stuff up"?

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My answer..."NO, I most certainly DO NOT think it's time to put that stuff up".

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sigh.

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Unfortunately, he's right. That's what I decided after spending most of the day looking at old pictures of him and figuring out how many days I have until he leaves for college.

photo 220

My magnet board is officially full. Two more are in the works.

photo 219

This is what I see 50% of the time when I walk into his room (the other 50% of the time he is bent over his sketch pad...his recent fixation is political cartoons). He has great taste (ahem...no, I'm not partial) in music and he is constantly pushing himself to learn new songs. It's good for me to remind myself that even though he can drive me absolutely insane at times...he rocks.

photo 218

Theses two have the biggest "personality clashes". To see Forrest teaching Chloe how to play Rock Band gives me hope that eventually they settle into one another.

p.s. please excuse the super blurry photo...very low light.

photo 217

I heart Hannah. I cannot believe how big H is. It's so strange thinking of her in middle school. Stranger still is thinking about her moving up to the youth group next year. .

photo 216

The bees at the Pumpkin Patch were relentless. When this guy dove into my soda I gave up the fight. We stopped at McD's for large teas afterward...nary a bee in sight.

photo 215

Our house must have faulty wiring or something...we have light bulbs blowing out on a daily basis. It's gotten to the point that I wait until a minimum of 6 lights are out before I go around the house with the basket o' bulbs and replace the blown bulbs.

photo 214

My two favorite moments:

1. At the beginning when she asked Biden if she could "call him Joe".

2. When she reminded him that he had stated during the primary that Obama wasn't ready to be president.

The Saturday Night Live spoof of the debate was great too.

photo 213

Peeling potatoes is one kitchen task that I actually don't mind doing. It reminds of my Grandma. She would always let me peel the potatoes when she cooked dinner. When I was too little to reach the counter she would pull a chair up to it for me to stand on...and she also let me eat little pieces of the raw potato with salt sprinkled on it.

photo 212

I have ever said that I do not heart grocery day? I don't mind the shopping part...it's the toting the 256 bags into the house and putting everything away part that drives me nuts.

photo 211

Cammie and Chloe received their report cards today...this was Cammie's first ever report card. I can't believe (a) that 6 weeks of school have already flown by and (b) that Cammie is in kindergarten...I know I've had 6 weeks to get used to it, but it just seems unreal that she is big enough to be in school.

photo 209

This has to be the strangest antique/art/junkstore that I have ever entered. It's located next to the hotel where our retreat was held so on our way out of town we stopped in. It was...strange. It had a weird assortment of things...things that I couldn't believe anyone would buy...and then when I saw the prices, I just laughed.

poto 210

Tiffeny (who owns Winston's mom) brought the puppies by for another visit today. It's good for the pups to be socialized as soon as possible and with as many people as possible...and our 5 kids plus half the neighorhood kids are a socialization in themselves. Cammie squatted down to pet one puppy and then several rushed her and she ended up on her bottom with 4 puppies kissing her.

phoo 208

After our evening session, several of our friends came back to our cabin to watch the first debate. I'm not happy with the options we have for our country. For the second presidential election in a row, I have to go with the default "lesser of two evils"...

photo 207

We left for a marriage retreat in Monteagle this morning. When we got here, we found out that we could rent a cabin instead of staying in the hotel. Believe me when I say that the cabin was "basic"...but I loved the afternoon sun on the ceiling.

photo 206

Every single day, Forrest eats a bowl of Cocoa Krispies after school.

(The pic was a bit blurry...my finger slipped when I went to adjust the contrast...and it ended up looking like this...I decided Forrest would like it this way, so I left it).

photo 205

After Forrest entered middle school he was no longer interested in taking box tops to school. Out of habit, I continued to tear them off of packages and toss them in the "box top" drawer...for three years. When Chloe and Cammie came home from school asking if we could "start collecting box tops", I pulled out the drawer and showed them our stash. They looked happier than they had on Christmas morning. Chloe decided that they should ration them and each of them should only take in 30 per week. Once Cammie agreed, Chloe trimmed around the edges neatly and seperated them into 6 stacks of 10. For Christmas, Santa will be bringing Box Tops.

photo 204

Did you know that the entrance to Target is also an entrance into a time warp...seriously...you walk in expecting to "just pick up a few things"..."it will only take a minute"...and when you walk out, you find that you have lost two hours of your life.

photo 203

The new puppy came for a visit today. Winston willingly shared his water with her...hopefully this means he won't be too jealous of her when she moves in for good...

photo 202

I love curly leaf ornamental cabbages...especially when they have dew drops on them.

photo 201

My muffin can read.

photo 200

Comin' in for a kiss...

photo 199

The window box under the kitchen window...replanted for fall. Are pansies not the happiest flowers?

photo 198

Cammie presented me with this bouqet a few days before I left for NY. I was surprised to find that they were still blooming when I got in Monday night.

photo 197

Quordy. The only thing that made two 4 hour layovers bearable...and the most addictive iPhone game download out there.

photo 196

The Jersey skyline at sunset was gorgeous.

photo 195

I heart the subway. In fact, I heart public transportation in general...in big cities, not in Nashville.

photo 194

Happy Happy Birthday to me!

photo 193

Times Square

New York, New York

photo 192

Birthday present number 1. Honestly, I am spoiled beyond reason.

photo 191

After the mums are potted, it's time to break out the Fall wreath.

photo 190

I absolutely love mums...they signify the beginning of my favorite season.

poto 189

Saint Bernards grow extremely fast. It's a good idea to photograph them next to a stuffed animal while they are tiny and then rephotograph them next to the same stuffed animal periodically to show the progression.

photo 188

We spent the morning doing outreach to promote our Friends Day services tomorrow. I had forgotten how rewarding community outreach is.

photo 187

My knock-out roses after an afternoon shower.

photo 186

I heart kids that read.

photo 185

I tend to gravitate towards earth tones...in clothing, in decorating, in scrapbooking...I forced myself to use pastels for ths one.

photo 184

Chloe's first spelling test...I broke my "no magnets on the fridge" rule for this one.

photo 183

Shopping for girl toys...photo courtesy of Hannah who was bored to tears while furniture shopping.

photo 182

Bet ya can't guess what this is...

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(Rachel and Renee you're not allowed to guess).

photo 181

Shopping for boy toys...

photo 180

Sarah's birthday was on Wednesday...we celebrated tonight at Sambucca. Happy Birthday Sarah!

photo 179

I spent the day in Franklin with a friend picking through antique stores. This tray was my favorite find. I set it on my desk to hold scraps.

photo 178

This lovely specimen of an evergreen tree was planted by my lovely specimen of a neighbor in June. In June, this beauty was only half brown. In June, the weeds were not taller than the leaning brick edging...but almost. Now, it is almost September...the weeds are taller, the edging is leaning-er and the evergreen is ever browner. If it happens to be uprooted and hauled to a dumpster in the middle of the night...it wasn't me.

photo 177

Winston, the six and a half month old Saint Bernard has a paw larger than Cammie, the five year old girl.

photo 176

Sometimes, no matter how sunny it looks, there are a few clouds and stray threads blocking the view...and sometimes, the prettiest wrapped package with the tidiest bow is held together with duct tape underneath...

photo 175

"Photogenic" is not on the short list of good-qualities that I posses...for some reason, I liked this one though.

photo 174

My beautiful Grandma on a good day. I am so immensely thankful for the good days.

photo 173

Me as Strawberry Shortcake, circa 1982. (pardon the weird camera angle...no matter where I stood or how I turned the camera, the shot kept coming out crooked...my patience was on the thin side, and rather than throw the camera or kick the table the layout is standing on, I settled for a crooked picture).

photo 172

Firmly back on the wagon...

photo 171

Forrest continually leaves his retainers lying around the house. On one hand, I want to complain about it and on the other, I'm just happy that he remembers to wear them 90% of the time and they haven't been thrown in the trash or fed to the garbage disposal.

photo 170

Freshly filled cereal-keepers make me happy...(it's the litte things in life)...

photo 169

I forced myself to clean off my desk. I plan to create at some point this week.

photo 168

Consignment sale mayhem is over. While I will be selling things in the Spring sale via Saint Vickie, I think I will forgo the working part...how many of you saw that coming?

photo 167

I love this kid...seriously, "Happy Cammie"...she is just the coolest.

photo 166

MacKenna and I playing with the camera while she tries to color my hair and I try to convince her to buy a water camera before she goes to Disneyland.

photo 165

Today was Cammie's last "Thursday's at Grandma's" visit. Next week she will be in school full time and I'll be going to Grandma's alone.

photo 164

In this picture, she looks so big...obviously ready for her first day of kindergarten. In the drop off line, walking into the school with all of the other kids, she looks tiny...obviously in need of staying home for another year and giving me a reason to nap daily.

photo 163

Cammie and I spent the day being lazy...catnaps and Tivo'd episodes of the gymnastics competitions in Beijing. She starts Kindergarten tomorrow...I'll miss our naps.

photo 162

First day of school, first day of first grade. Over the camera.

photo 161

Poor, poor Winston. I had to feed him by hand for the first few days until finally, he figured out how to eat with the cone on around his head.

photo 160

The Brownie troop went camping this weekend. I drove up on Saturday just in time for the trail ride.

photo 159

Hannah turned 11 on Tuesday. She now wears heels to church, wanted a *real* purse for her birthday, fixes her own hair...and occasionally she will still play with toys.

photo 158

Cammie had her immunizations for Kindergarten this morning. This pic is before the nurse came in wielding 4 needles...when she was still convinced that she wouldn't cry and it wouldn't hurt. Poor little muffin.

photo 157

I helped out at Brea's consignment sale for a few hours today. This is one tiny section of the store...I think this is the boys 12months-3T section. Seriously, there were MOUNDS and MOUNDS of clothes.

photo 156

Winston had his vasectomy (doesn't "vasectomy" sound better than "neutered") yesterday. He wouldn't leave the incision site alone...so, he gets to wear this charming cone for 10 days. I can't decide if he's pouting because of the surgery or the cone.

photo 155

Master Forrest on his first day of High School.

photo 154

My shelves over-floweth. I pulled out some of the books that I have had for years and never read, the books that I thought were poorly written and added those to the Hardy Boys books that Forrest crammed onto my shelves when he decided he was too cool for them and traded them in for a few new-to-me-books at the Book Attic.

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Perhaps this is a sign that I am over my book issues?

photo 153

Master Forrest just returned from Freshman Retreat. He is a member of the House of Leo.

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Sometimes, I think his new school takes itself a bit too seriously. Mail from the school is addressed to "Master Forrest L***", am I the only one that thinks that is hilarious?

photo 152

My replacement phone has finally arrived and I officially on the iphone bandwagon. Seriously, this phone rocks!

photo 151

Winston is THE laziest dog. This is how he eats...lying down with his head in the bowl.

photo 150

Another piece of family memorabilia. Did you know Social Security cards were originally metal?

photo 149

My Grandaddy Jim (grandma's first husband) died when I was six. I've never really known much about him...until I began working on the tumbleweed. I've now tracked is lineage back to the early 1800's.

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His masonic ring is one of the family "heirlooms" Forrest showed during his family tree presentation.

photo 148

My sister and I met at our aunt Patti's house to go through old pictures and memorabilia looking for missing dates in Forrest's Family Tumbleweed. I think that they have to be two of my most favorite people in the world.

photo 147

Sophie's birthday menagerie.

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Sometimes it feels like we are being overtaken by Webkinz.

photo 146

Mark's Saturday morning pancakes are the *tastiest*.

photo 145

Happy Happy Birthday Sophie! We love you the most! (No one fret or worry that we play favorites, we tell all of the kids that).

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p.s. You get extra brownie points because you asked me to make your birthday cake instead of buying one and when I asked why you said "because yours are prettier and they taste better".

photo 144

Because she fixed her hair herself and because after she asked me if I liked it and I said yes, she pointed to my camera and said "well, take a picture of it".

photo 143

This is one of my most favorite plants around the pond. Not only did it survive being dug up by Winston three different times, it has also survived my lack of watering.

photo 142

We picked Chloe and Cammie up from Carol's house pretty early this morning to head back to Nashville. Cammie fell right to sleep. It amazes me that she can sleep bent over at the waist with her head in her own lap. If her gymnastics career falls through, she could always be a contortionist in the circus, ha.

photo 141

We went into Savannah for lunch at Lady and Son's. Fortunately, we were able to walk right up to the hostess stand to get our reservation.

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We walked around and explored the little shops until it was time to head back to the restaurant.

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This was the first time that I had eaten at L&S in it's current location. I have to admit, I was a little disappointed. Mark and I ate at L&S for the first time several years ago and the food was much better then. Paula was still cooking and her sons were running around the room refilling tea glasses.

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Don't get me wrong, it was good...just not remarkable.

photo 140

Amy and I decided to take a stroll along the beach on Hilton Head. It lasted for all of 10 minutes. It was HOTTTT and HUUUMID and it was the most crowded beach I have ever been on...

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Despite of the heat and the crowd, the ocean was as breathtaking as it always is. For me, it is impossible to stand next to the ocean without being in awe of how big our God is.

photo 139

On the way to Savannah Amy and I spotted this guy on the interstate (this was just after I won the "which one of us will get a ticket in Mark's new car first" contest).

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Dirt bike...check

Ankle socks...check

Neon yellow rain slicker...check

Dismembered bike attached to large metal trunk...check and check

photo 138

Is there anything better than new school supplies? Instead of fighting the masses for tax-free crayons, I decided to go today.

photo 137

Kids that love to read are cool.

photo 136

This. This makes me happy. When the tops of the washer and dryer are bare, when there is nothing hanging above them, when there are no piles heaped up to the window sill... I am happy.

photo 135

There was a stretch between 11 and 13-and-three-quarters where I was sure that one of us would not make it to his 18th birthday...it was rough.

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Right before he turned 14, things changed. Hallelujah!

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Seriously, he has turned into the coolest guy and it is actually fun to be his mom again. Not only did he bring his grades up, stop back-talking, and start listening... he also mastered the ollie.

photo 134

Mr. Winston, pouting on the deck.

photo 133

Another creation by Mark and Forrest. This one was for World History... an ancient structure. They spent hours cutting down dowel rods to the right length and then gluing them together

photo 132

A few years ago, I asked Forrest to save me a tag off of a new pair of jeans. I liked the texture and shape and wanted to use it on a layout about him. Two or three years later and he still savs me tags that he thinks I might like.

photo 131

Random, miscellaneous toys. Forrest always had a couple of toys in his pocket, I remember him playing with all of these at different times. It makes me so sad to think that there may only be a few, if any, days of playing with toys left for him. Next year, it will be a drivers permit...

photo 130

Mark and Forrest built this "airplane" out of recycled/found items when Forrest was in the 5th grade. It had eye bolts for wheels, but they have since been lost. I've always thought that this was the coolest project...I'm glad to see that Forrest evidently thought so too.

photo 129

For some unknown reasons, Forrest has amassed a collection of cereal bar wrappers. This is about a third of them. I threw the other two-thirds away before thinking about taking a picture.

photo 128

The next few posts will be of the random things that I found while ceaning out Forrest's closet.

This is a hat that came with cotton candy at the circus. Forrest likes to wear it. The first time he wore it, he was just being silly. Once he realized that it irritated me, he decided that he should wear it at various random moments...like when we have company over for dinner...

Teenagers...

photo 127

I love the new water camera! The kids do too. They wanted their picture taken under water over, and over, and over...

photo 126

This was taken while we were on a gi-norm-ous water slide at Holiday World.

photo 125

We spent the 4th of July visiting Mark's uncle in Smithville, Tn.

This pic was taken at the Smithville Jamboree. Lot's of singing, fiddling and banjoing...Yeeehaaw!

photo 124

We are going to Holiday World this weekend, so I bought this fun little toy.

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When we went last year, I tried using a disposable water camera...it was lost within the first two hours. There was no strap on it and it had to be carried everywhere. This little baby has an attached wrist strap and is waterproof to 10'.

photo 123

Cameron and Clay... permanent fixtures in our summer time landscape. I am so thankful that Forrest has these guys.

photo 122

For some reason, Winston likes to sleep on his back with all four legs sprawled out.

photo 121

Stacks of dirty serving dishes = tasty treats, hours of Scattergories, squeeling kids, lots of laughs and good friends.

photo 120

Mark and Forrest are camping in Cumberland Caverns. Marty and Mac are having dinner at Waffle House. All of the girls are at VBS.

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Amy and I watched a movie and broke in her new rocking chairs.

photo 119

How can it be called a beauty shop if this is what you look like while you're in it?

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Maybe if you're tying to impress a microwave...

photo 118

Vacation Bible School started tonight. The girls loved playing in "God's Big Backyard".

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They did not love the snack...fruit with shredded cheese on top.

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I do not love that I have to wash their shirts every night so that they can re-wear them the next day, lol.

photo 117

The breakfast room has been converted to an art studio. The artiste's are kind enough to move their masterpieces at meal time...but quick to reclaim their space as soon as it's over.

photo 116

We were hoping that I could use this old phone until my new one comes in. Fortunately for Chloe, the sim card was obsolete, and could now longer be used. She loves her new *real* cellphone and charges it every night.

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She turns the ringer off before church, then turns t back on after service. She's started carrying a purse everywhere we go so that her phone is always available. I'll hear something ring and think it's my cell phone...as I dig through my purse, she'll giggle and say "That's for me, I'll get it"...she's figured out to make it ring on demand.

photo 115

Low-tech. That would be the best word to sum up my temporary replacement cell phone.

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After losing my cell phone last week, I had to get it replaced. The phone that I want doesn't come out until mid-July...and I didn't want to pay much for a phone that I would only be using for three weeks, so for the low-low price of $40.00, I got this.

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I've wanted to throw it on more than one occasion. How many more days until June 11th?

photo 114

Summer takes a toll on the kids. By bedtime, they are exhausted...and they usually sleep until 9:30. Except on Sunday mornings. We had to drag Cammie out of bed for her bath. As soon as she was in the car, she laid her head on Forrest's shoulder and fell right to sleep.

photo 113

Mark spent the day playing with the new toy he received for Father's Day...a pressure washer.

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If he had given me a new vacuum for Mother's Day, I promise you that I wouldn't have spent an entire day "playing" with it. Evidently, a man's idea of a good gift and woman's idea of a good gift are ENTIRELY different!

photo 112

I forgot to order coffee pods before we went out of town. Today was a sad, sad day. I have a caffeine withdrawal headache that is threatening to turn into a migraine. Blessedly, my order was delivered this afternoon.

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Woeful...because she had just gone round and round and round, faster and faster and faster on the tire swing.

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In a rare moment of photo cooperation, Sophie posed for me.

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We hiked up to Clingman's Dome.

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I have three words to sum up the experience: Out Of Shape

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Okay, a fourth word: Beautiful

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After tubing (which there are no pictures of as of yet because I took them with a disposble camera), we drove to Gatlinburg. After dinner, we went to Ripley's Believe It Or Not. The kids posed in front of a "shadow catcher".

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We woke up this morning and decided to take an overnight trip.

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Destination: Townsend, TN...where according to my Kids Love Tennessee book, we could have a grand time tubing down the Little River.

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Since it was Father's Day, Mark got to choose our lunch venue. Cracker Barrel.

Cammie decided to put on a fashion show while we waited for our table.

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Chloe and Cammie had already watched Kung Fu Panda, so Mark and I decided to take Hannah and Sophie. While it was cute and (Jack Black is hilarious), it wasn't in the same league with Toy Story or Finding Nemo.

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Chloe graduated from Jr. Blue Belt to full Blue Belt today...she rocks!

photo 104

I heart my drycleaner.

And, seeing how I don't know how to iron (nor do I care to learn), they heart me too.

They have my phone number (account number) memorized (all 3 that work the counter), they come out when they see me pull in and carry in my ginormous clothes hamper and they carry my clothes out and hang them in my truck.

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When Chloe overheard us talking about taking the training wheels off of Cammie's new bike, she was determined that she would learn how to ride a two-wheeler first. It took her less than 10 minutes to get the hang of it.

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My first break from the kids since school let out...how did I spend it? Catching up the laundry...joy.

photo 101

Ola. Se habla espaniol.

Well, not very much. Not yet.

Hopefully by the end of my classes I will.

photo 100

I have another confession... I am completely clueless when it comes to fixing long hair. When it actually turns out *cute*, I am genuinely surprised.

So, when a little girl at church passed me this morning, and then said to her mom "Mommy, she has princess hair", it made my day.

photo 99

Cammie's actual birthday is on Monday, but we celebrated today. Her party was low-key this year, which suited her just fine.

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She did make a few requests...

1. Chocolate cake with pink flowers...Check. Thank you Publix.

2. Vanilla ice cream...(vanilla??? whose kid is this???)...Check.

3. Two presents...one for herself and one to share with everyone else. Check. A new bike and The Bee Movie.

4. Doritos. Check.

*She had on a cute outfit, but changed into this ensemble...green shirt, orange and white floral skirt, brown leggings, and a Barbie cheer leading costume on top.

Happy Happy Birthday Muffin!

photo 98

We went to visit my grandparents today. Today is my Papaw's birthday. The kids played, my grandma listened to Chloe sing for two hours, and Papaw and I talked politics (one of his favorite things to do).
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Each time I go to their house, I pass this old, dilapidated farm house. It sits out in the middle of a wheat field, and there are three ancient oaks that shade the front porch. The driveway is usually blocked by a heavy chain. Today, the chain was lying in the gravel.
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I pulled in and shot from all around the house. The windows were broken out, the doors were open.
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Something about old farmsteads draws me in.
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This is a favorite from today...the door leading to the upstairs. There were two steps up, then the door. It was flung open and resting against the first floor wall.

photo 97

Have I said that I love, love, love this dog?

photo 96

The Popsicle man made his rounds again this week. The girls retired to the play house to eat their treats...high above Winston's reach.

photo 95

My sister and I went to our 2nd "Card Club". I am so thankful that we have committed to spend time together... she makes me laugh, which is free therapy.

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My sinus and allergy issues are killing me. Seriously, they've had me bed ridden for 36 hours. On the up side, it was an excellent opportunity to read without interruption.

photo 93

You know how cows stand in their pond to cool off? Winston does the same thing. (The fish love it...they swim through his legs and surface when he drinks...funny).

photo 92

We celebrated Amy's Happy Happy Birthday a day early with steaks and yummy yummy Chocolate Ganache Cake from Publix.

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Happy Birthday to you A. Love you!

photo 91

These two donated their gorgeous tresses to Locks For Love.

photo 90

Thursday's this summer are reserved for "Library and Grandparent's Day".
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First, we checked out our books, and then we headed to my Grandparent's house. We carried along leftover Fajita Soup (miracle of miracles, I cooked two nights in a row) and carrot cake. Grandma and Papaw were happy to visit with the kids, and the kids were excited to read their books to them.
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My Grandparent's live in Portland...which just so happens to have the best strawberries in the state of Tennessee. We stopped and bought a gallon on the way home. They are incredible...sweet, sweet, sweet and juicy. They also look gorgeous in a simple white bowl.

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Chloe has discovered the joy of good old fashioned games. Uno, Candyland and Guess Who are her favorites. She begs anyone and everyone to play game after game...her favorite playmates are Mark and I, followed by Forrest and Hannah. Cammie and Sophie are at the bottom of her list, but will do when everyone else says no. When Cammie or Sophie play her, they all three cheat which leads to much arguing and much refereeing.

photo 88

I decided to cook dinner for the first...okay second time this month. Mark requested spaghetti...which was great because I actually like cooking spaghetti and, my spaghetti is quite tasty if I do say so myself.
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When I went to find the hamburger, I discovered that it was missing...Carol had used it when she stayed with the kids. Yes, that was a month ago, and yes, I am just now noticing that it's gone, and yes, I know I need to cook more often. Okay, moving on...
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So, I had to improvise. I found a package of ground Italian Sausage...and since spaghetti is an Italian dish, I decided to give it a try. I am happy to report that it was yummy. My little husband is happy to report that we actually ate a meal at home.

photo 87

You may remember that I mentioned that Mark and I had steered clear of the Lost bandwagon until I discovered during the season premier this year.
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And, you may remember that once we recognized the error of our ways, we spent many an hour watching episode after episode trying to catch up. Well, that frenzied back epsiode-athon lasted through Season 1 and Season 2 (47 episodes total). Then somewhere around the 9th episode of Season 3...our watching fizzled out. Not because we had lost interest, but maybe because we had ingested more TV in three weeks than we had in the past three years combined.
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Since our cook out was rained out and we were not able to work outside...we decided to watch a few episodes...which ended up turning into 10. We only have 4 left, and then we are on to our Tivo'd episodes of Season 4.

photo 86

Forrest has had friends over every night since school let out. His room is showing the effects...it is also smelling of the effects. Eu De teenage boy.

photo 85

The Popsicle truck made it's first visit to our neighborhood today. The kids were SO excited...they were squealing and jumping up and down and laughing. Of course they ended up with drips and dribbles of sticky goodness from the their foreheads to the tops of their feet...and in Cammie's case, all down her pink velour leggings.

photo 84

Our landscaping in the front yard was looking a little rough. Actually, it was looking very rough. The drought last year killed off most of our shrubs. In November, we spotted several good looking holly bushes that a neighbor had dug up. We loaded them into Mark's truck and brought them home. They did the trick through the Winter...but looked a bit scraggly this Spring. So, we had everything pulled out and replaced. Some things we moved to other places, and some got tossed.

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These lovely Care-Free roses (similar to Knock-out roses) make me happy. There are now three pink and two yellow rose bushes making me smile every time I pass them.

photo 83

The girls spent the night with a friend last night...stayed up late, got up early. Then, they played outside in the sprinkler for most of the day.

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Muffin came in and climbed into a pile of towels awaiting folding...and fell right to sleep.

photo 82

Forget the market...these little piggies went to the salon.

photo 81

While the Artist Brown is yummy, it also dark. Which meant we needed a little more light. Two of these lovely little lamps on the buffet did the trick.

photo 80

Ch-ch-ch-changes....

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The painters have arrived and the Terrazo Tan (terracotta) kitchen walls have given way to Artist Brown (Hershey's kiss). Yuummmyyy.

photo 79

We have entered a new phase, and I am scared.

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A week ago, Mark and I were talking about the special service that was planned at First Church. Forrest piped in and asked if I could get him a new shirt and TIE.

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I was happy...I thought that maybe he wanted to get used to wearing a necktie since he will be required to wear one to school everyday next year. So, I made the mistake of asking why he wanted it.

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His response? "You know, because of all the ladies that will be there".

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Lord help me.

photo 78

The Brownies had another field trip today...but this one was for the whole family. We started out at Owl's Hill Nature Sanctuary in Brentwood for Butterfly Day. We were lucky to find this Monarch caterpillar chomping away on a Milkweed plant.

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Next, we headed to Granny White park to do experiments on erosion and to eat our picnic lunch.

photo 77

When I realized that this purse would match my dining room table centerpiece *perfectly*...I took that as a sign that I should definitely buy it. Makes complete sense.

photo 76

During graduation, Chloe couldn't seem to keep her toesies in her shoesies.

photo 75

Remember WRA #1?
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Remember my newly planted herbs?
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The water-filled pot on the right would be WRA #2 and the half-dug-out pot on the left (including the dirt) would be WRA #3.
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Of course we would end up with a dog that digs.

Surprisingly, I still love him.

photo 74

Me...in need of eyebrows, concealer and lip gloss.

photo 73

I love it when a new shipment of coffee arrives at my door.

The sight of a jar filled to the brim with Kcups is oh-so satisfying.

*The pods are used in this fabulous little coffee maker.

photo 72

Happy Mother's Day to me...

I heart Bath Junkie.

I also heart that one opened up in the shopping center behind my house.

I heart, heart, heart that my little family gives me a "filler up bag" for Mother's Day each year.

If you haven't visited Bath Junkie, you should.

You see those little bottles?

Well, you take them to bATH JuNKiE, and you decide what you would like in them.

Me? Hmmm...in that round jar, I will have exfoliating body scrub. In the silver spray bottle, body spray. I'm thinking the other two bottles will be a lotion and either a shower gel or bubble bath.

After those tough choices are made, you choose from a few hundred scents, or make your own. Next, you choose which color you'd like your bath stuff to be. Finally, you sit on a cute stool and watch the little lady mix up your custom beauty potions.

Good stuff.

photo 71

Chloe's Brownie Troop went on a field trip to the new Fire House. All the girls thought that touring their sleeping quarters was the coolest part.

photo 70

A sure sign that we are indeed home. The bills that were supposed to be paid on the 1st but couldn't be since we were out of the country...finally got paid today, on the 9th.

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Don't worry, we have a good payment history so I don't think they'll be cutting off the lights or the phone...I hope.

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I love handprint art from the kids...especialy this one...Cammie's last Mother's Day gift made in pre-school. *Sniff*

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My baby will be in kindergarten next year...and no, I'm not okay with it. *Sniff*

photo 68

We missed Winston about as much as we missed our kids...shhh...don't tell the kids that.

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He, however, was blissfully unaware of our absence...the owner of the training facility took Winston home with him every night instead of boarding him with the other doggies and spoiled him rotten.

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While he was given the royal treatment, he was also taught *puppy manners*. I am happy to report that we picked up a better behaved puppy. No more biting, no more barking, and no more jumping. He also walks on his lead without pulling...which may not sound like a big deal....but in 3 months when he weighs 100lbs, it will be a very big deal.

photo 67

Home.

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Slipping back into regular day to day life...and things like tennis lessons.

photo 66

Our final destination was the cemetery/dump.

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The cemetery is located right next to the dump. Thousands of families live in the dump. They have built there homes from their findings and they make their meals from other peoples refuse. Their clothes are scavenged from the piles and they sell what they can in order to make a meager living.

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When we pulled into the cemetery (where people also live), we looked around for a few minutes. There are crypts that belong to the wealthy (which is a relative term here), but the majority of the huge cemetery is filled with walls and walls of tombs.

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Immediately, you notice where a casket has been removed from the wall...a gaping hole in the midst of the markers. You see, you have to rent your space in the wall. This debt is passed down from generation to g