18

It's hard to believe that 18 years ago I brought home a tiny bundle of joy. She always had a smile on her face, and she sang along with Luciano Pavarotti before she could walk. She was, and still is, a camera hog, and I've got the videos to prove it! I've had the privilege of watching her grow into an amazing young woman, and I'm proud to be her mother.

Happy Birthday, Sweetie!! I love you:)

All dressed up to attend a wedding.

Sporting the pearls at a family Thanksgiving gathering.

Feeling like a princess after the dance recital!

First fishing trip. She caught six fish!

Fun at the river! Performing "Jubilation T. Cornpone" from Li'l Abner

Enjoying Disney with Grandma and Granddaddy!

Always happy to be cheering, despite the weather:)

Now, if you'd excuse me, I need to go blow my nose......**sniff, sniff**

98

Today my paternal grandmother would have celebrated her 98th birthday. She passed away two years ago on New Year's Eve. My life is not the same without her.

My sisters and I spent many summers at Grandma's house. There was no air conditioning, which taught us that it was better to get up early to get our work done, and to rest in the heat of the afternoon. There was no television, which taught us to find ways to entertain ourselves. There was a huge garden, which taught us that if everyone pitched in, the work would be light. There was homemade ice cream, which taught us the simple rewards of a busy day on the farm. Life lessons learned from a kind, gentle woman.

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

The photo above shows Grandma holding a six-month old Snow White. I had hoped that SW would be born on Grandma's birthday, but we missed it by three days. There are SOME things over which we have no control!!

Acronyms

Earlier in the week, our CPA dropped off our EOQ and EOY business tax forms. The packet included W-2's & 1099's. There was also a note asking BHE to update her SUI rate in QB. ASAP. FUTA rates were current. FICA was already paid.



Snow White came by the office after school yesterday. We discussed her scheduled auditions at JMU & NYU, and decided it was best to just send a CD and a DVD to Baylor. Afterward, she and Cool Breeze worked on her FAFSA form. I played BB on FB.



Once in a while, someone will call Cool Breeze and request a WQIA. Sometimes DEQ and the ACOE will get involved, but not always.



We are living in an acronym world, and I am an acronym girl.

Things To Do Thursday

What's on your list for today?

Frankie Says Relax

Cool Breeze and the Kitty Cat have mastered the art of relaxation. They can often be seen dancing to The Groove, or simply kicking back for an afternoon of football and Die Hard movies. It's good work, if you can get it!

I, on the other hand, seem to struggle with the whole relaxation concept. There are meals to prepare, clothes to wash, and heaven forbid there should be a dirty dish in my sink. The fun never ends. WooHoo!

Then there's the issue with the remote. It never seems to fall into MY hands! During hunting season, CB was gone all day EVERY Saturday. While he was giving out one-way tickets to the skinning shed, the DVR got a good workout while I sat on my increasingly large rear, and I was able to catch up on all of my shows.....while relaxing. I checked the DVR earlier this week. I'm three weeks behind on every show. The accumulation of recorded fodder is starting to stress me out. When will I EVER be able to catch up? How long will it be before the DVR is full? These vexing questions are starting to short-circuit the few remaining synapses in my overloaded brain. The good news is that I have yet to lose sleep over it. I expect that to happen within the next forty eight hours.

I need to get a life. Or maybe the t-shirt;)

Memories

I had the pleasure of meeting some special friends for lunch last Saturday. We went to our usual meeting place, Nick's, in beautiful downtown Shacklefords! The cast of characters included Chesapeake Bay Woman, Bayman, Noe Noe Girl and Hillbilly Gothic. My dad was also able to join us, which was a wonderful surprise!

We spent a couple of hours tossing back carafes of wine, celebrating CBW's birthday and laughing our fool heads off!! Oh, and at some point we actually managed to eat lunch;) We were not asked to leave, but Hillbilly Gothic was busted by the "You Can't Bring Your Own Drink In Here" police. After she explained that she is on a very strict diet, and that it was absolutely necessary for her to bring her own beverages, they decided not to arrest her. WHEW! Crisis averted!

Once our stomachs began to hurt from laughing, we decided that it was time to head up to my grandparent's farm for a little photo session. Old barns, old homes, big trees......OH, MY!

All joking aside, the farm is a very special place to me. Much of my childhood was spent entertaining myself with all of the things that a farm has to offer. Yes, there was "work", like shelling peas or weeding the garden, but the free time was what it was all about! My imagination knew no bounds, and there were SO many things to explore. Much like now.

The photo above, which was taken by CBW, is the back door of my great-grandmother's home. It is off of a small porch, and opens into the kitchen. After years of neglect, the house had fallen into a sad state of disrepair. My dad was finally able to purchase the home and the property, and has begun the slow process of renovating......as time and money allow. I'm trying to wrap my brain around a series of posts about the old home and barn, as well as my great-grandmother, but that is for another time.

For now, imagine yourself coming into the kitchen for a cold glass of sweet tea and a slice of marble pound cake. I believe the cake is still warm...

Winter

This wonderful old dogwood tree lives in our backyard. It has brought us great joy throughout the years, and its beauty spans the gamut of the seasons.

A number of years ago, Cool Breeze and I were searching for the perfect piece of property. We would have preferred waterfront, but it was much too costly for a self-employed couple with a small child. Our search took us back to my home county, which is where we should have begun in the first place. The land was there. It was waiting patiently for us to arrive.

Once we purchased the property, it was time to begin clearing for our new home. The trees that we wanted to keep were to be marked, so they did not meet their demise at the hands of an eager bulldozer operator. Imagine our surprise when this little jewel was discovered! We knew that dogwoods were plentiful, DUH! it's Virginia, but we had no idea that one would have been able to reach this size after being smothered under the boughs of oaks and pines for so long.

Cats and children alike have climbed this tree. There have even been a number of squirrels and an ambitious o'possum who have graced the limbs. And then there are the birds. Birds of every size and color meet in this tree every spring to celebrate the warmer temperatures!

It's a shame that Keats never wrote an Ode to a Dogwood. Obviously, he was NOT from Virginia!! Perhaps I'll have to work on that poem myself...