WE'RE IN!!

O.K. We decided not to do the PRICEY "updating" thing right now.
And we just moved in.
And we also didn't want to afford the pricey updating thing right now either.

So...something got into Bryan and he woke up Saturday morning having decided we were moving on Sunday.
Oooo Kkaayy.
I don't think I would have gotten away with that, but I wasn't looking a gift horse in the proverbial mouth. And this move-in started after I was at a retreat until 4:00 on Saturday and the 10:30 church service on Sunday (which in the Episcopal church lasts until 12:00 if you're lucky, 12:15 to 12:30 if it's usual). We were lucky this past Sunday!!

We did this with no moving van. No packing boxes.
Just a Chevy Pick Up and a Suburban.

I would have told you about all of this sooner, but I just got Internet access 5 minutes ago.

We haven't moved everything. In fact, not much at all.
*A couch - HEAVY!! But - a place to sit other than the hearth or the $5.00 plastic chairs
*Our bed (beds for the children were already here)
*The breakfast table and chairs
* Some dishes and silverware (some cups already here)
*A floor lamp
* Most of our clothes
* Two cats and a dog (the fish are coming tomorrow)

Oh - and we bought a lawn mower. It's in the box in the garage. Right now, I can't wait to mow the yard. I'm sure after the first time I will be over it and want to pay someone else to do it.

I promise pictures are coming. Maybe even on Wednesday. I need to take some more pictures of the pool too - they have finished the deck and cool decking, and are currently re troweling the inside. They are supposed to be done by April 30. I think it will be way before that - if the weather keeps cooperating.

Out of the Mouths of Babes

The conversation goes something like this:

Characters:
Granny (typical granny, loving, fun)
Grandson (precocious 3 year old, red headed variety)

Dialog:
Granny: Can I fix you an egg?

Grandson: No. I don't eat eggs.

Granny: You don't like eggs?

Grandson: No, granny. There's birds in them.

Let the Demolition Begin

Well, nothing has started on the inside of the house, but pool demolition started yesterday.

The pool will get a new deck, new inside surface and new tiles. After the new part of the deck is poured and the inside of the pool finished, the deck will get sprayed with a coating to help keep the surface cool. This coating will have a slight color to it and it will cover up the color difference between the old deck and the new deck.

Here's what the torn up deck looks like.



Only the portion that is busted up will be being replaced. It was "popping up" (or tilting back) and separating from the top of the pool creating a space between the top of the pool and the deck. We will NOT be replacing the diving board.

They'll be draining the pool soon to blast the old plaster. It will get replaced with an "exposed aggregate". Which basically means a finish that has little flecks of colored stones.

I will keep you updated with pictures. They started the pool sooner than we thought, so I wasn't able to get a before picture. Sorry.

Private Journal Entry

First, I will have to just get it right out there and say how pathetic my post is today....I have found myself putting my daughter's room back to "neat" and found her journal. Hidden strategically under a big pile of stuff. What a find, considering I wasn't even looking for it...didn't even know she was writing in one.

Upon reading it - (Of course I read it. What self respecting Mother wouldn't?) I decided that I have to share what I found. It's too funny not to share.

Let me set the stage:

Cold night.
Lighting fire in fire place. OLD fireplace.
For the first time in 2 seasons.
Parents nervous children wouldn't know what to do if we caught the house on fire.
Went over "Fire Exit Strategies" with said children.


Journal Entry:

"Feb. 6, 2007

I just practist a fire drill. how lame!!! I mean who does that enymore?"

New Houses :-) New Neighbors :-(

New houses.

Before furniture is moved in, they are so clean.
Cleaner than they will ever be when owned by you.

New Neighbors.

Some are known by you and are already good friends. They may or may not come over immediately. After all, you're good friends. That's not necessary.

Others....oohh, the mystery. Who are the people that live in the beautiful houses around you?
In your own little world you imagine that they are all so nice and lovely. They are all so mysterious.

Some quickly come out to meet you.
They offer anything to you that you may need. They let you borrow a wine opener because you have forgotten yours. They are truly sincere when they say you can keep it, and reiterate how you should have kept it when you return it the following day.

Others, wave jovially as they drive by.
Some come over when they catch you in the drive way and love it that you have invited them in so they can get a look inside.

They even quickly try to show you how you are already connected - your mother-in-law taught their child.

Others send their hellos via an agent with the state's Department of Pesticide Regulation and Control. Because the substance that has been placed on the ant hill next to your mail box could be dangerous.
It could have been used incorrectly by not being "watered in".

It could be anthrax.
It is, after all, next to the mail box.

It could also be a way of poisoning lots of things around you because the offending substance has been used within 4 feet of the rainwater drain (that drains to the back of YOUR OWN YARD).

All of the other neighbors (the nice ones that aren't mysterious anymore), upon hearing of this most fantastic "Welcome to the Neighborhood Telegram" know exactly which mysterious neighbor said her hellos in such a manner.

Apparently she's "harmless".

However, her warm welcome has consisted of me having my own personal meet and greet with a state official.

So that a photo could be taken of the offending ant killer: used by us: left by the previous owners: and I'm sure purchased from our "Local Home Supply Store".

Luckily we did nothing wrong.
We followed the label as we should have.
We have violated no HOA rules.

We just have a CONTROL FREAK for a neighbor.

This welcome also allowed the state official to meet my brother.
Because he was the person who actually put out the offending ant killer.
And his signed statement had to be obtained for "the file" so that the claimant could know there was no malicious intent in the powdering of the ant pile.

Except to kill the ants.

And this meet and greet of state official and brother had to take place 20 miles or so out of the way of the state officials' normal routine. Because that's how far away my brother is. I think she was as baffled as we are about this whole thing. I think I can probably scratch this woman off the list of future potential buyers of the house - thanks to "Control Freak Neighbor".

We hadn't even owned the house for 7 days when we received the phone call from the state - much less moved in yet. Well, I say to me...Welcome to the Neighborhood!

Friday we had a neighborhood child over to play. Guess what happened?
He got stung by an ant from another pile!

So what did I do?
I powdered two more ant beds with the same offending ant killer!

I triple dog dare my lovely, mysterious neighbor to call the state on me again. Because I will be the one quickly going out of my way to catch her in her driveway for my own version of a personal meet and greet. I won't be so mysterious to her if she dares make call number 2.

So much for the honeymoon, huh?

A.P. (after post) Quick FYI - there weren't even skull and cross bones on this ant killer packaging.

Post Procrastination

I have got to get over the "need to have a picture to post" feeling.

Don't you think?

I have some pictures to download, but just haven't moved that task far enough up the list yet. I know some of you may be wondering what the front of our new house looks like, and that it NOT a picture I have taken yet, which may be leading to my posting procrastination.

Well, we did close on the house last Thursday. We got insurance to cover the 900+ finished square feet on the ground floor (hazard insurance, not flood insurance). Which is very exciting being that we didn't think it could be covered, and it's going to house some furniture for a guest room and playroom (and all of the electronics that go into having a playroom). That takes our total insurable square footage to around 3700, instead of 2700.

We don't know when we will move in. We want to scrape the popcorn off of the ceilings (don't want to tackle that with furniture in the house) and we want to bring our pretty pink master bath into the '00's, and update the kitchen as well. Our contractor is supposed to get us numbers for all of this stuff next week.

The pool is also in need of a major overhaul. The deck has issues and the plaster is in need of a redo. That contract is getting faxed to the pool guy today. Of course, the pool's issues won't slow our move-in progress.

We did spend last Saturday with our new purchase. All day Saturday.

We tackled a few small things (more on those items below), but it was mostly admiring. And unfortunately for those that stopped by to admire it with us, the best (only) seats in the house are the hearth or the side of the tub in the master bath. Needless to say, our legs were very tired of standing all day long.

We have purchased 1 coffee table, 2 end tables and 1 bedside table to go "downstairs" (we only have a downstairs because our house is raised with a drive under garage - to get us above flood plane). And that is all that we have moved in at this point. And picking those up was one "non admiring" thing we did on Saturday - and that's just because when we purchased these things from the furniture store they needed to be moved out of the furniture store pronto.

Of course when we got them to the house, we stepped back to admire some more.

These tables aren't the only things in the house. The former owners left us a queen size mattress/box spring/metal bed frame, a grill (with a golf ball sized hole in the side of the cover) and a working central vacuum system. They had represented that something was wrong with it, so we thought we had a broken central vacuum system. Upon looking on Saturday, we discovered that just the beater bar attachment had a bad connector. So - BONUS! We thought we would have to buy a new motor if we wanted to have a central vac. And that want was WAY down the list. Learning that the system worked could be considered another important, "non admiring" thing that was accomplished on Saturday.

Two more "non admiring" things that were done Saturday. . .

Bryan is currently on a treasure hunt to find an in ground irrigation valve (its function is to switch watering zones on the irrigation system). After giving a valiant search on Saturday, he's decided that he wants the glory of finding this thing without calling for help from the previous owners. He has been all around the area where it's "supposed" to be; poking with a metal tool trying to find it.

He says that if anyone else finds it, he doesn't want to be told where it is. He is definitely on a mission.

And...Dad and I gave the garage doors an adjustment. My GINORMOUS suburban lacked about a 1/2 inch clearing the opening to get in. The car got all of the way in except for the rear cross rail on the luggage rack. A quick adjustment and !VIOLA! My suburban has a garage to live in (when we get there). We adjusted Bryan's too in case the "Burby" ever needed to get in the other side.

We have also eaten 3 meals there. Pizza on Friday night. "Delivered right to the door", which is a huge treat for my children being that in the country that luxury doesn't exist. Subs and chicken (for lunch), and take out fast food lunches. The kids think these floor picnics have been fun.

The children know lots of other children who live in the neighborhood, and haven't been able to find anyone at home to play with yet. Saturday was "Winter Break" for most of the schools in the area and many kids weren't home. Legare's mission when we are at the house is to go play with his friend from his class. We don't get in the neighborhood well before he asks when he can go to his friend's house. Hopefully it won't be long.

Well, I hope this post has satisfied a bit. I promise to do better later.

X O X O X O

Happy Valentine's Day
to you all!

Only one more day until I get the biggest Valentine's present ever - the new house! And Bryan doesn't usually give Valentine's presents. He's really going all out this year.

Though I will just be admiring it from afar for now.

Lots of X's and O's to you!

Seeing is Believing

BEFORE
(very excited to get her glasses -
this is Julia's serious/focused/REALLY excited look.)

"OH MY GOSH"
(what she said when she put the glasses on -
she couldn't hide the excitement behind her "Serious Wall" this time.
My heart was overjoyed to see this reaction from her)

AFTER
(back to her serious/focused but really excited look)

OUTSIDE
(this is when she realized just how much she hadn't been seeing -
she kept saying everything looked so much closer)

PURE JOY!!

A.P. ("after post" - instead of "PS"): I didn't post anything earlier about her glasses because they were back ordered - we just got them this afternoon. Turns out too, her best friend in class may have to get glasses as well - there'll be safety in numbers!

Flat Stanley

Flat Stanley arrived to visit my Mom from New Hampshire the other day. We decided to take him around Charleston.

We took tons of pictures with him, with Carriage horses, at Rainbow Row, on Cobblestone streets, at the Market, with the submarine Hunley replica. One of my favorite pictures is this one. It is a a really good one of Stanley. He was really pleased that he didn't get washed out by the glare of the sun.

He is at St. Michael's Church at the grave of John Rutledge, signer of the US Constitution. Below is a picture of him, Mom, Legare and Julia. He got to meet Julia with her new glasses.

Student Appreciation Breakfast?

Once a month, the parents at the O'Quinn School provide the teachers with a breakfast. February is the 5K classes' turn to host and we did it today.

I provided fruit.

Yesterday when I was purchasing the fruit I was quizzed by Legare as to WHY I was buying this fruit.

I told him it was an appreciation breakfast for the teachers thanking them for all of the hard work they do.

To which he replies with GREAT disbelief, "Why aren't you doing the breakfast for the children, we are the ones that do all of the work."

I didn't quite understand what he was getting at. "What do you mean, Legare? The teachers do plenty of work."

"Well, we do like 10 pages of work and they do like NO pages."

The Best Music Video Ever

We Tivo Saturday Night Live.
We often laugh really hard.

This is one of the things from back in December that STILL has us laughing. My friends think I'm crazy for still watching this.

And knowing all of the words.
(And some of the dance moves).

And since I found it on YouTube, I thought I would share it with you here.

Most of you have heard about it, if not already seen it. Makes me finally enjoy the phenomenon that is Justin Timberlake.

He's singing about his "junk" "In the Box".

The "Big E"

You know....

I have had several times in my life when I wish I hadn't read all of the pertinent info on a subject. Being a bit clueless about some things is not all bad. I don't know why I feel like I should always arm myself with as much info as I can.

Instance 1: When I had my first c-section, I hadn't read word one on what to expect. "They" always say that you'll have labor like your mother. Well my Mom had her babies in 4 hours and in two. Easy Peasy, Lemon Squeezy! So was I.

Wrong.

After 18 hours of labor, I was in for a c-section. Not a horrible thing except that I had no idea that my arms were going to be strapped down and that I would be able to see nothing.

Once home, I pulled out all of those pregger books and started reading up on c-sections. Time after time they were saying how you shouldn't feel guilty, c-sections were normal, don't feel like you weren't part of "the club", etc, etc.

Well, I didn't feel all that until I read up on c-sections....Thanks Docs!
Of course, I'm over it now.

They didn't mention any perks to the sections. Like how nice life was going to be after the section when I didn't have scars, skin tags, numb spots, etc "down there" like some of the other "vjay-jay" delivery moms. I'm truly the lucky one I think on that aspect. The books just didn't get into that part of the sections.

I always say that if you need some info, "Google" it. You can get your dime store doctorate on the Internet with a good Google search and about 15 minutes of your time.

Instance 2: So today, I found myself feeling mostly o.k. with an issue. But now that I've gone for the doctorate on this subject I'm sitting here, feeling on the verge of tears. Everything is truly fine, but Mommy Mode is kicking in.

I'll bring you up to speed: After an overheard conversation in the car between the children, I learned that Julia was having a hard time seeing the board in her class (that was last Wednesday). Today, we visited a great Opthamologist to test her vision and I was truly blown away by what I witnessed.

Julia, "Miss Good Grades" 2nd Grader, wasn't doing so well on the eye chart. To date, the only test she's ever flunked.

I was kind of shocked when, with both eyes, she was having to read as far up the chart as lines 3 and 4. But with the individual eyes looking at the chart, she was barely seeing the "Big E" at the top of the chart with her bad eye (left). This equates to 20/400 vision.

That's right - 20/400.
The good eye is 20/80.

Luckily she's nearsighted (sees things close, not far). I guess that explains the good grades. All the reading is done in the range of visioin that she does have.

Of course I Google the 20/400 to see what I could find.

"20/ 400 is double the legal blindness numbers of 20/200" was quoted on several sites.
O.K. - quick freakout/mild panic. Feeling of some tears building, but I do not cry, because I know my child is fine.

I keep reading.

Luckily, Julia's vision can be corrected back to 20/20 with glasses. This correction back to 20/20 with glasses means she's not considered blind. YAY!

But I knew she wasn't blind.

This does explain why the doctor reiterated several times with a bit of glee that he could correct her back to 20/20.

So because of the Doctorate just received by me, I am, for the first time, seriously going over things in my head to see where I missed the signs that my precious child could not see. But I truly could have done nothing sooner. I heard last week about the problems seeing. I got an appointment for today.

Scary how a little knowledge and a Dime Store Doctorate can cause you to doubt yourself.

All I can say is, if she's this good at the things she does with that kind of crappy vision, I look forward to seeing her work at full capacity.

She (and I) are very excited about her getting glasses. We have ordered some mighty cute ones that should be here by Tuesday. I'll be sure to take a picture and post. I can't wait to hear her reaction when she realizes how many things she's not been seeing.

Pretty in Pink

I don't have a picture of the sink at the present time...but this will give you a small glimpse into the life of the current owners...who I understand are not gay, but are doctors (of psychiatry and astronomy).

More pictures of the rest of the house to come. We are SLOWLY getting comfortable with all of the little things that need to be addressed with the house. I am also slowly getting REALLY excited!

See you soon!

Aren't these awful!!!!????!!!! The pictures actually make them look better than they are...they are bright and UGLY!

Excuses, Excuses

Hi, everyone. I promise that I have not stopped posting. I do have a few excuses.

1) I like posting with pictures. Since the camera mishap, I haven't taken any because I haven't found the time yet to try to recover them and I've been afraid to "snap". My Aunt Susie has emailed me a few sites that may be able to help me (she's a computer guru like Spencer is).

The reason I haven't had time to follow up on the pictures thing is because life has been a bit crazy around here.

2) Legare spent all of last week testing at his 5K school (standardized testing to share with the first grade schools around the area and also to ensure that his school is teaching them appropriately).

Mornings were spent making sure he wasn't late, which I might mention is usually not an issue, but you get on high alert for timeliness on testing week. His week ended with testing on Saturday at "The School" for first grade.

I'm still nervous for him, even though he mastered the test at his 5K school with a 99%. (I had to brag a just a little bit because I am so proud of him). Rumor has it there are so many incoming siblings that there are more people than there are spots for first grade. But this rumor gets floated from time to time - and we all know how rumors get started. We'll find out the scoop on March 1st so I'll keep you all posted.

The other reason for the no postings has been because:

3) Bryan and I have put a bid in on a house that was accepted and all of my free time has been spent calling and setting up appointments for inspections, etc.

We're not leaving the Red Tin Roof any time soon - the house needs a few things upgraded and a bit of time for renovations will be needed before we move in.

And when we do leave, our plan is not to stay away for long. Our goal for several years has been to renovate this house, but since we've learned that its foundation isn't the best, we decided to tear her down and start again. And while that's happening we need a place to live, so we thought we'd get back in the real estate market one last time.

This morning will be spent at the new place while she gets inspected - so I'll do my best to take a few pictures so that you can all have a look.

I'll especially take some good shots of the Hot Pink fixtures in the master bath (unfortunately I'm not kidding). Potty, tub and sink pictures are coming your way!

LOST and FOUND

LOST:
About 100 pictures taken between Thanksgiving and New Years.

LAST SEEN:
1/8/06 leaving the comfort of their camera home. They were thought to be traveling through the USB port to visit their relatives at the Adobe Printshop on "Brutus", the family Dell.

If anyone has any information regarding their whereabouts or possible recovery please contact their owner. Reward will be in the form of cute pictures added to the blog including subjects such as children (dressed as Santa, opening presents, Speed Stacking, etc.), cousins, parents, animals, and the like.

Pictures don't answer to any particular name, but are truly missed by their sad, sad momma.

7 Random Facts About Me

I'm supposed to do "Tag, You're It". But because I don't know enough people to tag, I'm just posting my facts here without tagging anyone. You're supposed to tag seven people, but you are welcome to take the initiative to do it yourself on my comments or on your blog for all to read.

1 - I used to be organized, and I don't know what has happened but that has slowly gone away. I keep feeling like I'm on the verge of getting it back though. We'll see.

2 - I sang in my high school's show choirs. We put on three large performances a year and the older choir (Jr's and Sr's) competed in a Young Americans National Invitational Show Choir competition in LA my junior year in high school and placed 2nd. The other day I was looking at pictures from this and realized I had taken my picture with Marg Helgenberger (at the time an actress with "Ryan's Hope" soap opera, but you now see her in "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" as Catherine Willows). She was just walking down the street and allowed us to take a picture with her.

3 - My brother has battled the dreaded MRSA "Super bug" 3 times since March of this year (but that's his fact, not mine, isn't it?).

4 - At the Choir Competition mentioned above I also met Dolly Parton in LAX after we landed (super sweet, and super tiny). Also in LAX on the way home I was purchasing magazines and found myself standing next to Eddie Murphy. A few of us were able to snap pictures with him sporting a big smile, but his girlfriend was none too pleased. She was on our flight back to Charleston.

5 - As a cheerleader in high school our head football coach was invited to coach the North vs. South high school football game (North Carolina all stars vs. South Carolina all stars). Our cheerleading squad was invited to cheer. We were on television for this. I think the South won.

6 - I'm pretty good at 80's trivia and I love to play Lingo Plus on gsn (d0t) com.

7 - I really love animals. I even feel bad killing cockroaches and spiders - but I do kill them.
But since you probably knew that...how 'bout....I would really love to act. In anything. A play, a commercial, something. In an effort to do this I said yes to playing Santa Clause and the children's old pre-school this year. I had a ball!!! I want to do more! (Bet you couldn't tell that by #'s 2, 4, and 5. And I don't want to do it for fame or attention - I just enjoy doing it and I like when people are laughing. Laughing is one of my favorite things to do.

Tag - you're It.

Ringing in the New Year!

Age 7: Begging to stay up until midnight so you can see the ball drop. Falling asleep on the couch around 10:00.

Age 10: Begging to stay up until Midnight so you can see the ball drop - actually making it 'til midnight.

Age 14: Spending the night at a friend's house, roaming the neighborhood, shooting off fireworks and staying up way past midnight. Thinking your parents are geeks for falling asleep on the couch around 10:30.

Age 17: Going to a friends' party and getting permission to stay out until 1:00. Having some champagne that someone's mother bought for the gang

Age 22: Drinking way to much Andre champagne and getting really sick. Having your Mom and Dad laugh at you when they get home at 12:30

Age 31: Tucking in your young children and falling asleep on the couch around 10:30

Age 37: Watching your husband get really sick along side your 8 year old. Because they both have stomach bugs. Everyone's in bed (except you) around 10:00. The ball drop party has only just begun - you're planning on sleeping on the couch.

Happy New Year, everyone!

"Best Of" 2006

Let me know if you think I have left out that "one favorite". These are the ones I think Mom liked most.

Dolphin Funeral

The Naivete of Children

Check out the Frog

A little Tin Roof Wildlife

Thought You might Enjoy a few Pictures

Boogie Fever - Tiger Style

**other requests I had forgotten

Fire Seasaon Has Begun

Great Presents aren't always the Things you Buy

There are so many things we think of when we purchase presents for one another. We often think about what it is that our loved one wants.

Is it the Tervis Tumblers they hinted at?

The Speed Stackers they've been talking about non-stop?

The Pterodactyl Hot Wheels track they make you look at every time it comes on TV?

A painting to memorialize your house?

Something to add to our loved one's collectibles?

And there are so many things that you think of that you would like for gifts too. Will anyone hear you? Think about it? Afford it? Want to get it for you? Etc., etc.

Then there are those gifts that you didn't even think would ever be given as a gift.

The ones you knew deep down that you always wanted, but weren't things that you had any control over or could actually purchase. These things you can't even really ask for because it would seem a bit forward or rude.

You know, the long awaited engagement, the announcement of expecting babies. Aileen and I have actually packaged the baby announcements in Christmas boxes topped with bows.

Well my parents gave me one of these types of presents this year.

NO...not an expectant parent present. It was a sweet little card, one to me, one to Joe. We were instructed to open these at the same time, before all of the other gifts.

I assumed it was gift cards.

Until I opened the envelope.

Then I saw their Charleston address on the back.

"Are they moving back home", I thought. No, surely not. Get to the front and read the card.

"Home, Sweet Home"....OMG! They are!!! The jumping a squealing (and flow of tears) that went on was great. I think it took the children a second to wonder what the heck had happened to the adults, and then they "got it" too. Gray (2 years old) never quite understood why we were so excited, but he continued the jumping and squealing every time he opened a gift. He will probably always open presents now with great gusto.

Well, after the excitement died, we got the scoop from Mom and Dad that they will be back here in mid January. Truly the best present this season!

Hi, AXO Sisters!

I just received an email from Jenn "Butt Butt" Butler. She does such a great job of keeping everyone's info distributed among us all. I am glad that she shared my blog address with you all, and hope that one day a reunion can be added to our busy social calendars.

Enjoy reading/looking at pictures. Please feel free to come back here anytime and definitely leave a comment!

Go TIGERS! Go AXO!

Tree Trouble

What a pretty tree.
Wait...what is it that I see?
No, it couldn't be...

I'm not talking about Legare -
It's the little cat - that I see.I know you are all thinking to yourselves, "Now, Anne...cats don't get stuck in trees. Surely you're not going to say you were afraid Felix was stuck."

Well, sure I am. Seriously...you all saw the cat (from Charleston) recently on the national news that was stuck in a tree for about 6 days because she got so high that there were no branches below her to use to help her get out. Well, I was a bit worried for "Trouble" here for the same reason.

It actually didn't take too long for us to coax him out by standing and calling for him from the directions we wanted him to travel. He was very leery, but he likes attention so much that he couldn't resist us calling him.

Meowing all the way, once he got to the lowest fork, he had to kind of cross his fingers, hold on tight to his 9 lives and hope for the best.

(here he's at the fork, having just made it down from the big trunk that you see behind him to the right)

He managed to cling to the trunk, coming down backwards, for about 1/3 of the way down. He kind of jumped/fell the rest of the way. He landed on his feet, but ripped one of his back claws in the process of grabbing hold of the tree so hard.

This is not the first time we have had to help him get out of a tree. This one was a bit harder than the first.

I tell you, he's "Trouble".

Legare's Karate Test

Right before Thanksgiving, Legare tested for a new karate belt. He now has a white belt with a green stripe (this is called a Soaring Eagle program at this dojo - don't ask me what it all means). Following are a few pictures I thought did a great job of showing his great sense of balance. Note his foot placed firmly on the ground.I was especially impressed with this next picture. I am sad to say, I can't remember the names of the kicks, but this is different from the one above. He is really packing some power in these kicks.In Karate, they get rewarded for being focused and serious. The teachers (sensais) do a great job of keeping order in these classes - and they make it look easy! Here are some of the serious karate faces.In the above picture, note the little guy in the red shirt sitting on the ground. This is a serious karate face, not a mad little kid face. Notice Legare's too.

The next picture is a bit closer of Legare's serious face...

This one shows both faces pretty well. Wouldn't want to meet up with them in a dark alley when they're in karate mode...that's for sure!

They're Baaack!!!

On Thanksgiving weekend -
The geese gave thanks for the nice layover.

Giving Thanks

I am thankful for so many things.

My family - here and far - young and old.
My friends - here and far -

My health.
My animals.

My Grandmother's Thanksgiving (or Christmas - depending on the holiday) Dressing recipe.

My house - even though a smidge bigger would have made today a bit more comfortable and made it a bit easier to invite more to help us celebrate things we're thankful for.

That you all keep coming back to read. I promise pictures soon.

I love you all!
Happy Thanksgiving!

Go Tigers!

Fall Camping at Wadmalaw

1 tent
2 excited children
3 port-a-potties
4 new sleeping bags
5 the number of minutes it took to get to the port-a-potties – they were too far away this year (o.k. not really that far away, but when you’ve really gotta go it feels like 5 minutes)
6 when the band was supposed to stop playing. But they broke down and went acoustic until midnight or after. They were very good, and had been playing since around 2:00.
7 dozen donuts at breakfast to go along with sausage biscuits, hot chocolate and coffee
8 (or more) times we told the children to be careful playing around the fire
9 is about the time I went to bed (right after I got Legare settled), and because it had been dark for so long, it felt much later than that.
10 or after before Bryan and Julia came to bed
0 the number of pictures I took – even though I brought my camera. Shame on ME!

Please forgive me for not taking pictures to post of the camping party we attend at Wadmalaw (4th year of this Blue Grass and Bar B Q party) hosted by 4 families.

This party is hugely attended during the day – literally hundreds of adults and children. Then others of us brave families stay the night camping. The first year there were maybe 10-15 of us families that camped. 4 of those were the hosts. This year there were probably 20 tents all over the place.

We got there a bit later than normal (Bryan had to watch the ball game at our house even though there was a satellite tv set up out there) and we scrambled to get the tent up before nightfall.

There is always a blue grass band, hayrides for the kids, a zip slide, a big bonfire, tons of beer and wine, food and dessert. At night they even set up a pseudo “drive in movie” for the children.

It has graduated from a projected movie shot on the side of the tent to a projected movie shot on a sheet mounted on some 2x4s tightly strung between two trees. They have strategically placed the “screen” so that the movie can be viewed from both sides – maximizing the viewing area.

It was really funny listening to the children holler at each other to sit down or get out of the way when someone would accidentally get in front of the projector. They were also pretty good at shouting "stop that" when someone would turn on their flashligt and shine it at the screen rendering a blind spot. These offenses didn't last long - sounded to me like the other children performing the offenses should have been nervous for their safety. This year they watched “Cars” and “Over the Hedge”.

This family outing is one of the things my family looks forward to each year. I promise to do a better job of getting pictures next year. I told Bryan that the children and I weren't waiting for a ballgame to end next time, I didn't like arriving so close to nightfall. And with more sunlight, there will be pictures.

Tag - I'm it!

I have been tagged by Aileen to complete the following sentences.

I am then supposed to tag 3 others, but since none of my friends are bloggers, you may feel free to pick one or two of the sentence starters and leave your completed sentence(s) in my comments section. Consider yourself tagged if you're reading. I look forward to a few responses.

I am: Anne…wife, mother, daughter, sister, granddaughter, cousin, aunt, niece, friend. Bitchy, moody, fun….

I want: sadly, too many material things to name, including a new house. I also want too many intangibles to name, but will name a few...for my children to love me when they are teenagers, for Willis not to be lonely, Pop to heal completely, Mom and Dad to be content (here or anywhere), and for Bryan to keep thinking I’m the sexiest woman around.

I have: a lot to be thankful for: great family and friends and a truly blessed life. I also have an iPod Video that I’ve never put a video onto. I also still have my childhood teddy bear “Smokey”. He is currently in Julia’s room – threadbare in lots of places.

I wish: sometimes that I lived in a traditional neighborhood – a bit closer to town with lots of my children’s friends around (Legare wishes this too). And I wish that I knew how to download videos to my iPod.

I hate: how fast my house gets “unclean”, that Willis is too hyper to let in the house, that I don’t know what I’m getting everyone for Christmas and that my car is 300 miles away from 40K.

I miss: carefree college days, ice from my icemaker (it’s currently broken), a flat stomach/skinnier days.

I hear: the smallest of sounds that wake me in the middle of the night – a hold over from my brother coming to me scared in the night when we were children.

I wonder: if my bladder issues will ever go away.

I regret: that I’m not better at keeping up with friends (past and present); that sometimes I yell at my children out of frustration.

I am not: really blonde anymore.

I dance: or used to. I don’t really do it anymore. My children are the ones I dance with when I do– and boy are they fun – they’ve got pretty good rhythm

I sing: way to much for how I sound. I love Christmas songs and church hymns. I also like singing loud when my iPod headphones are in…the kids and Bryan look at me like I’m crazy, but it sure is fun. I used to sing in the show choir in highschool, and we won 2nd place in a national, invitaional competion that took all 65 of us on a trip to LA.

I cry: a lot…at movies, commercials, tv shows, on the phone with friends and family, during that time of the month, because you may be sad, etc., etc.. Pop says I’m a professional mourner. But I also cry when I’m happy.

I am not always: the nice and confident person you think I am.

I make with my hands: spankings – just kidding! I also make cats purr. Tails wag. Change for purchases at the School store. Hugs for my children. Meals for the family, and orange tiger paws on faces at tailgates.

I confuse: Aileen and Michelle’s Birthdays. March 10 and March 9 – did I get that right finally? I also sometimes confuse adult’s names with their children’s names.

I need: more romance in my life (or at least more dates with my husband), and a good 8 hours of sleep each night.

I should: do a better job with the finances. I should also turn in those overdue library books.

I start: each morning making breakfast for the family and sending everyone out with a kiss.

I finish: the day saying prayers with the children and washing my face before I get in bed. I can count on one hand how many nights I have missed washing my face since my Aunt Mazel told me (when I was about 10) to take care of my face or I would get wrinkles like her. I think the wrinkles will come anyway – surely not from a lack of keeping it clean. I even did this on drunken nights in college. Somehow I always managed to be able to wash my face.

The Naivete of Children

And My 50th Post!

Children are so precious! The way they think is sometimes so pure (o.k. - naive maybe).

Let me start at the beginning...we all know what happens to your pumpkins about 3-4 days after being carved.

Mold.
Pure Penicillin!

And when you're little, you just don't understand that the mold is the reason you have to wait so long to carve them in the first place.

I could never understand why we couldn't have the Jack-o-Lanterns sitting, carved, and lit on our porch for most of the month of October.
They could have graced our porch with their cuteness, or scariness, all month long - but the parents, in all of their wisdom, always made us wait.

Now remember, my children haven't had many jack-o-lanterns in their lives. The few we have made since we've been on the farm have always been taken to Mom's. So the children have never seen the demise of the pumpkins.

And of course, you can't get rid of the pumpkins until the children understand that it's time. They would panic at the "dumpstering" of perfectly good pumpkins if there were no clear reason why to get rid of them.

Well........it's time.
I noticed the growing patches of mold as I entered the house in the afternoon. Julia noticed them sometime a bit later. Her cute self came in, in that Julia, stoic, all business and no play kind of way and says something along these lines.....

"Mom. There is like a squirrel's tail, or something furry, on my pumpkin."

How do you not laugh at this?

You don't want to bruise any egos - you know she's not aware that this big, hairy patch is just medicine in the making - she's never seen a moldy pumpkin before.

Anyway, in all fairness to her - it really does kind of look soft and fluffy like a squirrel's tail. I actually had to do a double take the first time I saw it. You know, maybe Willis has been playing tricks with these pumkins too - maybe some spanish moss draped around the "hat". Maybe a squirrel's tail...

And as Julia noted, it's even in his eyes.

Legare's is growing some too, but not with the gusto of Julia's.So, here's to the naivete of children!

And here's to me, having my 50th post!

7 Hours is Long Enough!

Aileen, Spencer and family met us at the fair this past Saturday. Bryan was out of town, so it was just me with the children.

Legare couldn't wait to share the fair with Lil' Spencer, and Julia couldn't wait to go to "the big kid side" to ride bigger, scarier, dizzier rides. So Julia and I embarked on our own, leaving Legare with Spencer and Aileen.

Juila definitely got her adventuresome gene from me. She was getting angry at some of the rides because they were putting a "Julia's too short to ride this one" height restriction in effect.

And since the children refer to this as "Pawpaw's Fair", around every third corner they were lamenting, "We sure wish Pawpaw was here!".

They think this is Dad's fair because dad is a member of the Exchange Club and he has always been at the fair every time they have been. This year, Dad is living a bit too far away to come and work a few shifts. We missed sharing the fair with Dad and Mom.

After spending 7 hours at the fair (no exaggeration - 11:45 to 6:45 - 7 hours exactly), the smiles were still going as strongly as in these pictures. I was fading, but the kids were still begging for more. I had to draw the line at 7 hours.

Felix - Just Pondering the Morning

Felix really enjoys looking out of the windows. He also enjoys venturing outside.

You can tell he was used to life on the street because he does things like:
-pull trash out of the can
-drag trash bags across the floor
-nibble holes in the bottoms of trash bags not yet removed from the house
-and steal things off of plates when you're not looking (like whole pieces of pizza, waffles, chicken bones - just to name a few).

I call him "Trouble" more than I call him Felix.

He is very sweet though - loves to snuggle, sit in your lap, get licked by Willis (when she's not so hyper), and loves to play with all the cat toys we've purchased. This is an activity he enjoys even in the middle of the night.

This morning in an effort to see out of the window - purched on top of the head board - not leaning on it as above, he was "clumsy cat" and fell. He landed on my face scratching my nose... making it bleed. Yes - I popped him for that one!

He is currently nestled under my left arm, between it and my body as I sit here typing (in bed on the laptop) with paws stretched out resting on my thumb, and head resting on my hand. This makes it a bit difficult to type, but I don't mind.

Just when you think he's been more "Trouble" than you can bear, he totally turns on the charm.

Halloween at My House

How Halloween Looked to Me

My cute children in the costumes they chose...a shipwrecked pirate and Superman with Muscles
The OQuinn gym set up for the carnival. This was my last year in charge and I feel like it ran pretty smoothly. Next year's host is Nancy Egleston - she shadowed me all day on Tuesday. I think she'll do great.
Superman and his favorite side kick - a green Power Ranger (this is Legare's friend Robert).
We were able to line up the children to take a quick picture before Trick-or-Treating in the Weitz, Truluck and Fabian's neighborhood. Thanks guys for letting us tag along. We had a great time. What a crew!
These are the pumpkins that were created at my house - even though we don't get trick or treaters.

These pumpkins were picked out and designed solely by my children. They even scooped the "guts" out. I only drew their designed faces and carved.

The one on the left is Legare's and on the right is Julia's. The ones underneath are ones that I created for a booth at the Halloween Carnival. Willis has since moved all of mine to the yard - their faces looking at you as you leave the porch.
If I didn't know better I would say that a neighborhood kid did it...but then I guess Willis is kind of like the neighborhood kid. And she probably wouldn't have done this had the calming force of Ella been here for a cooler head to prevail.Here are the children's finished products at night.
Happy Halloween!