Celebrating 90 Years

This past weekend, we celebrated Tracy's grandmother's 90th birthday. Her actual birthday was on Thursday, and the immediate family (if you can call it that....there were about 30 of us) took her out to eat. On Saturday afternoon, we hosted a reception at the church for other friends and family. She really didn't want us to do anything or "go to any trouble", but we couldn't let this milestone pass without a celebration. It wasn't anything fancy, because she's not a fancy kind of person, but we had to do something!

One of the most special, thought-provoking moments of the afternoon for me was when our pastor said a few words at the beginning of the reception. He talked about how Paul wrote to Timothy about "the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you." (2 Timothy 1:5 NKJV) Three of Grandma's five children, along with grandchildren and great-grandchildren are active in our church, and that's a testimony to her faith and the way she raised her family. I am blessed to have her oldest son as my father-in-law, a wonderful Christian man who raised my precious husband in the same way. Tracy's granddaddy was a deacon in our church, and now Tracy, his daddy, and his uncle are all serving as deacons. Tracy and I are trying to raise our boys with those same Christian values. I am not saying any of this to brag; I just feel incredibly blessed that the Lord gave me a Christian husband and family.

I had wanted to try to take some really great photos of the afternoon, but I just didn't feel like it. I have had the old cold/sinus junk that everybody else around here has already had, and wound up going to the doctor on Saturday morning. Luke woke up during the night Friday night crying and saying his ear hurt. Since he'd just had the upper respiratory virus, I felt pretty safe diagnosing him myself, and decided to take him to a walk-in clinic I really like instead of sitting at the pediatrician's office for hours. I decided that since we were going, I might as well see the doctor too! So we both got some medicine, and I managed to help with the reception and get a few photos, but nothing like I'd planned. I just felt too bad. Here a few photos I snapped, though. Doesn't she look good for 90? Still able to live by herself and drive to the beauty shop and church.

E-Readers?

Just wondering....do any of you have an e-reader? Kindle, Nook, etc.? If so, give me your thoughts on them. They look so neat, but I wonder if I'd really like one or not. Sometimes my eyes get really tired looking at the computer, so I wonder if I'd get eyestrain with an e-reader. Also, I love to swap books with friends. If I understand correctly, that's not always possible or easy with an e-reader. Do you know anything about this? What about the availability of cheap e-books? I love to shop the bargain table at B****s and N***e!

Speaking of books, I've just finished I Still Dream About You by Fannie Flagg. It was a $5.98 bargain book at BN. It was a great read! Would you believe it's my first Fannie Flagg book? I've never even read (or seen) Fried Green Tomatoes! I think I'm going to have to remedy that soon, though!

Who are your favorite authors and what's your favorite series?

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is one of my favorite holidays. It's just a nice little pick-me-up in the dead of winter, and I love the flowers, the colors, the hearts, you name it! We didn't do as much celebrating this year, because we have a sick little guy at our house. We spent all of Sunday afternoon in the pediatrician's office with Luke. He tested negative for flu, so the doctor said it was a viral upper respiratory thing. He sure has been a sick boy. He started getting sick on Saturday, and today (Wednesday) was the first day he's shown any sign of recovery. Back to Valentine's Day...

Luke felt so bad he didn't even want his goodies at Grandmommy's house.

...but Matthew sure did!

I only managed to get one picture from Matthew's party at school. When I made it down to his classroom, they were watching a movie, so I had to do the best I could in the dark. Look at that tongue!

By the time we got home, Luke had perked up some and he and Matthew both were ready for their valentines from Daddy and me.

Remember, my mother-in-law is a florist, so it's kind of a given that I'll get flowers. But also remember, that's pretty much the only time of year I get them! I seriously doubt I'd be getting a dozen roses if Tracy actually had to pay for them, nor would I really want him to spend that kind of money on them! Remember my tip, too--if you want to make fresh flowers last longer, don't just add water every day, completely replace the water. Pour out the old water and fill the vase with fresh water every day.

Hope your Valentine's Day was spent with those you love.

And the Winner Is...

...ME!

I won! I won! A few weeks ago, I was home on Friday morning preparing to leave for an FBLA board of directors meeting out of town. I was supposed to be packing. Instead, I was on Facebook. I saw a post that Ruthanne from Eclectic Whatnot was going to be doing some giveaways in the form of a trivia contest starting at 10:30 that morning. I had been admiring her camera strap slipcovers for a while, but couldn't decide which one I liked best to actually place an order. So at 10:30, I was sitting on ready! I didn't get the first question in time, but I did get the second one, and here's what I won...

I love it! It's so cute! My favorite thing about it is that it is padded on both sides. One tutorial for making a camera strap cover that I had read only had you put the padding on one of the pieces of fabric, but this one is fully padded...just enough to make it more comfortable, but not so much as to be bulky.

Ruthanne has just stocked her shop with all sorts of new camera strap covers along with some pleated scarves. Go check it out at www.eclecticwhatnot.com.

In other news, I did spend part of the day yesterday as planned reading The Pioneer Woman's new book, Black Heels to Tractor Wheels. In fact, I read the entire thing. Yep, the whole thing in one day, and I do recommend it!
I think I'm going to have a little bit slower week this week, thank goodness! Last week was crazy busy getting ready for FBLA competitions on Friday, plus haircuts and doctors' appointments after school. Maybe it's just me, but I just don't function as well when we have so many things going on in the afternoons that cause us to be late getting home, then rushing to get supper, homework, baths, etc.
I do have tentative plans for one afternoon, though. Tracy's aunt (who is my home decor expert) and I are going to Hobby Lobby! HL just opened in our town this weekend, and I am so excited! Prior to this, the closest one was 60 miles away! Mama and I went Friday afternoon, but it was pretty crowded and I didn't get to spend the time looking that I wanted to. So D and I are planning another trip. She "sees" things and ways to use them in the house that I don't, so I need her help! Tracy has joked that with Hobby Lobby in town, he may have to put me on an allowance! Ha! But he may be right.... :-)

My plans for the weekend...

1) Go to Matthew's last basketball game of the season this morning

2) Curl up with this....

Have a great weekend, friends, and stay warm!

Pickin' & Grinnin'--Again!

I've written in the past about my love for music and about our family's musical traditions. If you're a newer reader, you can read about it here and here. At that time I tried posting some videos with no luck, but now that I've started using YouTube, I decided to share again.

He'll Roll You Over the Tide: This is from our family reunion this past summer. An oldie, but goodie. Aunt Lucy, Uncle Amos (who passed away a couple of years ago), Pam, and Eddie have been singing this as long as I can remember. , In fact, somewhere there's an audio recording of them singing it when I was about four, and you can hear me as loud (or louder) than them! It was this song that I clung to a couple of summers ago, when Tracy was laid off from his job.

This is one I haven't shared before. You may remember me posting about losing a cousin unexpectedly, just three days after our family gathered for my Uncle Runt's funeral. During that weekend (of Uncle Runt's funeral) my Uncle Mikey and Aunt Frances, cousin Garland, Aunt Nadine, cousin Tricia and her family, AND my Matthew all stayed at my mom's house. Talk about a full house! Anyway, that Sunday morning before the funeral, Uncle Mikey and Garland practiced one of the songs to be sung that afternoon, and Tricia happened to capture it on video. Obviously, they weren't planning on being videoed....Uncle Mikey is in his undershirt, Aunt Nadine in her housecoat, kids are running in, the sun is shining in so bright you can't see the faces well, the ironing board is still set up, etc. However, given the circumstances, I want to share it...the last recording I have of my cousin Garland and his AWESOME mandolin picking. He had so much talent....Thanks for indulging me as I share my family's music, and I hope that in some way, it's a blessing to you.

40 Questions

I ran across this today, and decided it might be fun to post on the blog. Nothing too exciting is happening right now for me to post about!

1. What time did you get up this morning? 7:20

2. How do you like your steak? Medium well

3. What was the last film you saw at the theater? I really can’t remember…maybe the latest of the Twilight movies?

4. What are your favorite TV shows? American Pickers, House Hunters, The Today Show

5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? Either the mountains or the beach

6. What did you have for breakfast? Nothing

7.What is your favorite cuisine? Southern country cooking

8. What foods do you dislike? Rutabagas,sushi

9. Favorite Place to Eat? Depends on what day you ask me! A few favorites…La Parrilla, PF Chang’s, Cheesecake Factory, Old Mill

10. Favorite salad dressing? Ranch

11.What kind of vehicle do you drive? Ford Expedition

12. What are your favorite clothes? Jeans

13. Where would you visit if you had the chance? New York City…I’m making plans for a big trip for a “milestone” birthday that’s coming up in a few years.

14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full? 1/2 empty...sorry!

15. Where would you want to retire? Right here at home…but it would be nice if I had a beach house too!

16. Favorite time of day? 3:00 p.m.

17. What is your favorite sport to watch? College football

18. Bird watcher? No

19. Are you a morning person or a night person? Morning person…definitely!

20. Do you have any pets? One dog, a few random cats that hang out here

21. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share? Not really

22. What did you want to be when you were little? A teacher

23. What is your best childhood memory? family reunions, playing with cousins, going to the all-night gospel singing every summer

24. Always wear your seat belt? Absolutely!

25. Been in a car accident? Yes, just a minor one, thank goodness!

26. Any pet peeves? When people don’t spell and punctuate correctly, nor does it bother them.

27. Favorite Pizza Toppings? Sausage, green peppers, & onions

28. Favorite Flower? Roses…can’t go wrong with a classic

29. Favorite ice cream? Peanut butter & chocolate from Baskin Robbins; Mayfield Moose Tracks

30. Favorite fast food restaurant? Chick-fil-A

31. How many times did you fail your driver's test? None

32. From whom did you get your last email? My cell phone company

33. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? Oooh, that’s a hard one! Hobby Lobby or any home décor store.

34. Like your job? Love it, most days!

35. Broccoli? Yes

36. What was your favorite vacation? Matthew’s first trip to Disney World the summer before Luke was born

37. Last person you went out to dinner with? My husband, Tracy

38. What are you listening to right now? The sound of my laptop fan

39. What is your favorite color? Pink

40. Drink of Choice? Sweet tea or Caffeine Free Coca-Cola