Happy Birthday Lindsay!

19 Already!

We're so blessed to call you our Small Child!

Lindsay has a Dream Goal to spend a year in Paris!

(Mom has a dream goal to spend a month in Italy!)

Lunch at The Hungry Owl! 
They were featured on Man vs. Food!!
Awesome Yum Factor!!
Oh-M-Gee!  Jennifer brought a cake to lunch -
Chocolate Decadence (Tarzhay!)
I'd share a picture, but after dropping my camera
in the cake, I'm gonna pass this time.  Holy Moly!

It'll be a weekend-long celebration
topped off with a 
Sunday afternoon Shopping Excursion
with the Birthday Girl!

Jen and I drove to Pensacola this morning to deliver Caroline to the airport for her return trip to France.  What a lovely two week visit we had.  Miss her already!  After a brief stop by TJMaxx, we returned to Mobile.  Yes! We passed the Eastern Shore Center both agreeing we were tired of shopping! She went on home with a sleeping Keller in the back seat.  I'm gonna crank up the radio and attempt to tackle the never-ending To-Do list with the time remaining in the day.  I refuse to let the dust bunnies win exit this weekend without the worst of it completed. I usually have these chores completed between Christmas and New Year's Day, but I wanted to enjoy every minute I had with Caro!! 

* Un-decorate tree and pack  it all up.  Get it back to the garage TODAY.    Find the kitchen counter underneath all the clutter.   Clean up the mess from the sink cabinet where hot water dispenser leaked. Ugh.  Vacuum & Dust  Go thru Keller Bugs toys and pull out some.  It overwhelms Gramma with too many choices!  Clean out the fridge.....gross!  

LAUNDRY.

Strip bed and vacuum guest room.

Clean the doggie slobber and

Keller's kisses from Patio Doors. 

Does this really need words?

Just call me Cinderella for now ..... my prince will

return from the hunting camp in awhile
come soon  with new shoes no doubt!!!

The holidays were grand! My tree is still up! Only because I'm lazy waiting on a shipment of ornament storage boxes to arrive. This year the gift to the entire family has been Caroline's visit from France. She is older than and Jennifer are close in age. Caro was our exchange student approximately twelve years ago. This is the first time we've seen her since! She is leaving this Saturday so we are doing all we can to make her miss us when she leaves! it memorable .... which isn't easy since everyone is working and a lot of things have been closed the last two weekends when we aren't working! Lot's family time!

Keller was so much fun! We had many get-togethers during the holidays and she was in the spotlight every time! Each time Caro has skyped with her family, Keller has been front and center waving at the monitor and chatting bisous and cuckoo....which is kisses and hi!

New Years Eve was not too terribly loud although late! We had a couple of friends over along with our family and cooked oysters from Joe Patty's along with steamed shrimp and gumbo. And last, but certainly not least, cupcakes to greet midnight with!

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and expect a joyous, prosperous and safe New Year for all!!! Be blessed!!

Greetings from the other side of Christmas! Meaning after the crescendo leading up to the big day! We had a fabulous holiday, celebrating many times with different groups of family and friends! Festivities began with the weekend before Christmas, gathering at our home with extended family. I haven't found any photos from that event. I wasn't toting a camera because I was sick, recovering from a terrible sore throat. Enjoyed seeing family I don't see enough of during the year!!

The following Wednesday brought the annual eats and visit from Santa Tony at the office! We are blessed with some great employees at Metro Glass and even with a harsh economy the last couple of years, TK hasn't failied to spread a little extra Christmas joy to each and everyone! (Pics to follow...as soon as I find them!)

The next day was Christmas Eve Eve! We had a Hi-Ho Christmas with our kids since Jennifer, Tyler and Keller would be away at Tyler's mom's for Christmas. I'd have to say with all the activities fo the holidays, the time we spend with our kids (including Lindsay, Jen, Tyler and Keller) is the climax of the season! Below is Poppa playing with Keller and the Handy Manny Toolbox!


That evening, Jen, Tyler and Keller headed out to Jackson while Tony and Lindsay and I headed the other direction to Pensacola. We were expecting Caroline's arrival around 8:pm. We haven't seen Caro in nearly 12 years. She was our exchange student from France ... the region of Provence. Fos sur mur (?) in Marseilles to be more precise. She is a doll!! Caro will be visiting with us for two weeks!!



Lindsay and I took Caroline downtown to visit Artology and walked around awhile before stopping at Buck's for pizza and then back home for the evening. We spent some time on Skype with her family back in France. Technology is amazing! We shared some of Caro's French traditions. (Google 13 desserts of Christmas). We had grand plans to ride around to see Christmas light decorations and attend midnight communion. We were all exhausted and I know Caro still had a touch of jet lag so we opted for sleep instead.

Christmas morning found us all excited again about being together! It was a quiet, rainy day. We spent it sharing a huge breakfast, though it was nearly noon when we sat down to eat! Then we visited and wrapped gifts for Sunday's get-together. The laziness was interrupted mid-afternoon with a call for help during an attemt to rescue a manatee on the bay. We unloaded the trailer and took it to be used for transporting this huge mammal. Sadly, she didn't make it and died from complications of the cold. They are usually out of the bay and in warmer waters long before this time of year. It was a valiant effort by the Sea Lab crew, but we were hoping for a Christmas miracle.





And then we topped it all off with a fabulous Christmas Dinner on Sunday .... the First Day of Christmas! Can't wait til next year!!!

The Delusional List...

I felt the first wave of holiday blues this morning. Sobbed in between chores for a couple of hours. I'm better. I always am after a good cry. It helped me to journal what I was feeling after I talked to a friend on the phone about it. I miss my mom and my aunts that passed away the last year or two. I really do. But that turned out not to be the conclusion I came to. I'm frustrated and anxious because I'm just plain old tired. I do so much during the holidays .... mostly self-imposed expectations and with a bit of "what I think others expect me to do" cause I always have. I don't have the stamina and energy levels I had last year. For lack of a better word, I'm just pissed at this B12 thing. It keeps me drained tagging along with the Iron deficiency. I know I've gotta get a grip on reality and be selective of what I can realistically accomplish this season and still enjoy the holidays. I have other commitments outside of family activities as well during the month of December. What was I thinking? I know! I know! I'll do it all and love it all, as usual.

The JOY I'm looking forward to includes our extended family gathering, keeping Kell Bell for the weekend while her parents take a much needed mini-vacation, receiving our French exchange student for a two week visit (haven't seen her in nearly ten years!), Christmas baking and our family Christmas Eve Eve breakfast and gift exchange and Christmas Eve Communion. I know the anticipation combined with the anxiety of pulling off the perfect Christmas will be ever present on my shoulder throughout the holidays. Don't send me comments about remembering the 'reason for the season' either. I know the reason. If it weren't for my faith and the ever present Spirit of Christmas, I wouldn't make it thru. He made me. Martha just twisted me all up with the perfection thing.

I'm really missing being in my studio too. Haven't had an opportunity to paint in more than two weeks. That is my therapy. Maybe this weekend I'll catch an hour or two painting .... not cleaning. Oh my, that reminds me I have two commissions to do before Christmas. It never ends.

Caro is coming 'home'!!

A dozen or so years ago we hosted an exchange student from Sao Paulo. It wasn't a good experience. Enough said.

Ten years ago we braved the program again and hosted a French student. Her name was Caroline. We had a fabulous time with her! We lost touch a year or so after she returned to her home in Marseilles. More recently we reconnected on Facebook! We are excited to hear Caro will be visiting during Christmas and New Year!!! Can't wait!!! I've pulled out all the photographs from her previous visit reminiscing about the fishing trips, shopping excursions and frequent dining on our local cuisine! Looking forward to sharing our home again!

Mangez bien, riez souvent, aimez beaucoup!