Gammaw and Pappaw Come For A Visit

Last weekend, Bruce's parents made a quick trip to come and visit us. The guys--Bruce and his dad--did a few odd and end jobs around the house including replacing the weather-stripping and hinges on the back door that leads to our patio, rebuilding the single gate on our privacy fence so that it could become usable, and adding latches to both the single gate and double gate on our privacy fence. Like I mentioned, it was a short visit so only a handful or so pictures were taken. Here's a few to enjoy...

Helping Daddy pull the old weather-stripping off the back door.

Watching Gammaw roll out the clay.

Using molds to make different animals and shapes.

Showing Gammaw how we play with clay.

~A Simple Moment~

Bruce and his dad getting boards measured and cut for the 'new' gate.

Bruce hanging the new boards on the single gate.

Just A Few More...

Tonight I was on the phone telling my Mom to be sure and check her e-mail because I posted a blog post with pictures from our trip to Bellingrath. Of course her reply was, "Well how many pictures did you post? You didn't post just pictures from the Gardens, did you?" So...to better appease my mother, I've decided to make a second post with a few pictures that were taken while life was going on around the house. Enjoy! Oh, and Mom, when I have to upgrade my blog because I've used up my photo allowance on this basic level, I'll send you the bill. ;-)

Nana reading to Brinley...and Bruce.

Brinley showing Papa how to put together The Very Hungry Caterpillar puzzle.

Brinley and Papa playing with 'clay'. (Its really closer to Play Dough, but she calls it clay.)

Papa showing Brinley how to push the molds down and wiggle them slightly into the 'clay' to get the best shapes.

Papa and Brinley going over the animals and shapes that they have created.

~Brinley and Nana~

Birthday Weekend

So as most of you know, last Saturday was my birthday and to help celebrate I was given one of the best gifts of all--a long weekend visit from my parents. Mom and Dad arrived on Thursday after their long, 10-hour drive. That evening we visited, dined over a meal of homemade Chicken Spaghetti (Thanks, Mom!) and Garlic Bread, went for a short walk after dinner and basically just enjoyed each others' company.

On Friday, we decided to head over to Bellingrath Gardens and Home here in the Mobile area. For those that aren't familiar with this property, Bellingrath contains 65 acres of various gardens, a 10,500 square foot mansion, a lake, a conservatory, an observatory, a chapel and much more. Bellingrath was actually built by Mr. Walter Bellingrath, President of Mobile's Coca Cola Bottling Plant back in the 1930's. As you can imagine, touring the gardens themselves is an all afternoon event....especially when you have a two-year old in-tow that wants to to stop and smell every flower along the path. Luckily, we were blessed with absolutely beautiful weather last weekend--70s during the day and 50s at night. That evening we dined at home on steaks, baked potatoes and salad...yum!

On Saturday, Bruce, Dad and Brinley piddled around the house while Mom and I had a little 'girl time' and visited a few shops in town. That evening, Bruce and Dad cooked Fish, Shrimp and Oysters in the deep fryer on the back pation while Mom and I put together a coleslaw. For dessert, in honor of my birthday, we had cheesecake.

On Sunday, since Mom and I ran out of time for shopping the previous day because of needing to get back to the house to cook, we headed back out in search of a sewing machine. On their first day here, Mom asked me to think about what I wanted for my birthday and I knew I wanted a sewing machine and for her to show me how to get started with it. After taking a quick look at Target's selection, we drove further in town to JoAnn's and found a lovely Singer that should get me started. After spending a bit of time picking out the machine, scissors, thread, bobbins, etc. we came home and threw together a quick dinner of cheese enchiladas, tamales, and spanish rice. After dinner I was eager to pull my sewing machine out of the box and get as much time in with mom showing me the ropes. (On a side note, I've been forgetting to mention this to my mom as I've talked to her this week, but on Monday I mended two pairs of Bruce's dress slacks that needed new hems. For a beginner, I think I did a pretty darn good job.)

Mom and Dad left as the sun was coming up early Monday morning. The day that they leave is always a bit difficult. Seeing certain things seem to sting as they catch my eye--the coffee maker sitting on the counter, used towels hanging in the guest bath, empty coffee mugs sitting in the kitchen sink, a toy left accidentally left behind by their dog, Maggie. After so many visits over the past few years that I've lived out of Texas, I'm used to seeing these things and sort of expect to find them. One thing that I didn't expect was Brinley's reaction to their departure. When she woke up and ate her breakfast, I don't think she really noticed or hit her that Nana and Papa were gone. It wasn't until I let her down from her booster seat after breakfast that she saw the empty air mattress and said "Nana and Papa?" I told her that Nana and Papa had left early in the morning while she was sleeping before the sun had even finished coming up, and that they had to get back to Texas so that they could go back to work the next day. She looked in the corner of the room where Maggies's bed had been almost as a way to verify that they were gone and then went on with her day playing.

Overall, we had a wonderful weekend together and we look forward to seeing each other again over the holiday season.

Here are a few more pictures from our day at Bellingrath...

...and a few more pictures from Bellingrath...

Wow That Was A Long Break!

Since its been almost a month since my last post, I'm sure all 8 of my regular readers are wondering what we've been up to during this time. Well, I guess I should begin by telling you that for the past several years, I've wanted to refinish our kitchen table. You see, the table that we've been using is actually my first table that my parents bought me for my first apartment right before my first year of college. (Wow that's a lot of 'firsts'.) Anyway, most of you that have been in our home at one point or another know that it had cream-painted metal legs and a light wood top. Since all of our furniture is dark as well as the kitchen cabinetry in our home, I've been wanting to refinish the table top to blend in more with the other pieces. So, a few weeks ago, Bruce, Brinley and I set out to Lowe's to by sandpaper, stain, clear-coat, vinyl gloves, brushes, etc. to get my little project done.

After a couple of weeks of sanding, varnishing, and clear-coating (hmmm...don't think that's a word) nearly every evening, I am pleased to say that it is finally finished and we have a kitchen table to eat our meals at again. Being my first refinishing job its not perfect--the varnish turned out a little lighter in a few spots and the last coat of clear-coat has tiny bubbles in some areas--but overall, Bruce and I agree that it looks much better than it did and I LOVE how the dark finish seems to tie things together in the kitchen and dining area.

On another note, we've also had a little visitor around our home. A few weeks ago, a stray dog started hanging out in our front lawn. To Bruce and I, it looked as though she had puppies within the past 3-4 months so I hated the thought of not giving her food and water. (As someone that spent 20 months nursing a little one, I know that when you're nursing you're almost hungry enough to eat a horse.) So, after a few days of just letting her hang out on the front porch, we (and when I say we, I'm saying that rather loosely and really mean 'I') moved her to the backyard. I didn't want a sweet, well-behaved dog like her to fall into the wrong hands so she was put into the back while I could find another place for her. Well, fast forward two weeks to this past Saturday, Brinley and I were finishing up dinner (Bruce was having to work) and while Brinley is occupied at the table, I step out on the back porch to give the stray some dog food. I stepped back into the house to rinse out and refill her water dish and when I step back out on the back patio I immediately noticed that the stray wasn't eating. This was highly unusual for her because any other meal she had been given she would practically inhale. It wasn't five seconds later and I realize that there is something coming out of her...yes, as in a puppy! I peek through the window to make sure that Brinley is still occupied at the table in her booster seat and I quickly grab one of the towels that the dog had been using as bedding to help catch the puppy.

Puppy #1, a male born at approximately 7:30PM.

Soon after I made sure the puppy was okay and the momma dog cleaned up most of the mess, Bruce arrived home. It was one of those evenings that I really had to make a grocery run so I went to SuperTarget and when I got home that evening I found a second puppy. Thankfully, that is all that the momma dog had and both puppies and Momma dog are doing well.

Puppy #2, a female born at approximately 8PM.

...And the proud momma dog.

Now that fall is officially here, the weather has been a little more bearable than it was in the middle of summer. Our high's are still in the lower 90's and our low's at night are still in the low 70's. Rain has been sparse the past several weeks and we've been having to water the lawn to keep it somewhat green. However, within the next few days things are supposed to cool off a tad and our highs are expected to be in the mid 80's and our low's in the low 60's. Woohoo! I think if I could have one birthday wish (hint, hint) it would be to have beautiful fall-like weather the weekend of my birthday. I guess we'll have to wait and see how things pan out. :-)

A Weekend In Memphis

Brinley playing in the sprinklers at a splash pad in nearby Collierville.

Playing under the rainbow sprinkler.

~Daddy and Brinley~

Try not to get wet Bruce!

Bruce, Meagan, Greg and the boys' grandma playing a few rounds of Rummikub.

Apparently something was really funny.

Greg looks a little worried about his Grandma's move.

A'Pexi resting by her Daddy's feet while a vicious game of Rummikub is played above her.

Brinley and 'Gammaw' reading a book together.

Brinley and Uncle Greg drawing pictures together.

~Bubbles~

Daddy's blowing bubbles...

...and Brinley's trying to catch them!

~Brinley and Daddy~

Daybook:

32 Things About My Sweet Hubby

In honor of Bruce's 32nd birthday, I decided to create a list of 32 things about him--some things you may already know and some things you may not.

1. He was born in a suburb of Chicago. Yes...I know...I married a yank. I hope though, that my fellow Texans will find it somewhere in their hearts to forgive me of this sin.

2. He asked me to 'go steady' with him on April 1, 2005. Happy April Fools Day!

3. He puts up with all my weird little quirks...like having to have socks folded a certain way.

4. He loves Brinley with such a passion and shows it to her each and every day.

5. He is an amazing engineer that I am so proud of.

6. He is a classic 'meat and potatoes' kind of guy. If I left the grocery shopping up to him there would not be a single fruit or vegetable in this house.

7. Oh, and the guy loves milk. He could seriously drink about a gallon a day if we had the room in our fridge...and grocery budget.

8. He attended parochial school Kindergarten through 12th grade.

9. He is not in any way picky about beer. I love being able to go down the 'beverage' aisle and just grabbing the 6-pack that has the most appealing packaging to me on that particular day.

10. He dislikes watermelon, cantelope and sweet tea.

11. He makes a pancake breakfast for us nearly every Sunday morning...yum!

12. If he's home, he has the responsibility of giving Brinley her bath every evening...and he does a great job of it!

13. His all-time favorite sport is soccer.

14. He is such a kind, generous soul.

15. He's quite the handy man. If there is something that he doesn't know how to do, he 'Googles' it and learns how.

16. He learned what pickles are 'made out of' last weekend. (In case you're wondering, last weekend he asked me "What are pickles made out of?" I said, "What do you mean?" He went silent for a minute. I asked, "You do know that pickles are made from cucumbers, right???" He gives a blank look. Then I went into the whole spill about how certain varieties of cucumbers are used to make pickles and that the pickling process can be done to a variety of things--okra, peppers, eggs, beets and so on. Oy....

17. He enjoys outdoor activities--camping, kayaking, hiking and the like.

18. Without his bi-pap machine the man would snore so loudly that the walls would shake and the roof would cave in.

19. He does diaper changes without complaint.

20. (I think) He has been in nearly every state of the contiguous United States.

21. He loves A'Pexi...although I don't think he'd admit it if his life depended on it.

22. He can't whistle.

23. He enjoys sci-fi shows and moves--Star Trek, Stargate, Star Trek, etc.

24. He's the best snuggler.

25. He's good with computers and all that technology stuff.

26. He loves the Sour Cream Chicken dish that I make and I'll be serving it for dinner tonight.

27. He can't stand for his face to be wet. He has to have a towel close to the shower stall so that he can dry his face as it gets wet in the shower.

28. He's an Eagle Scout.

29. He blesses me and our family in more ways than I can count.

30. He has a love affair with 7-layer dip.

31. He loves our Lord and has serves Him with such an eager heart.

32. He is an amazing husband, best friend and daddy.

Happy Birthday Sweetie! You mean the world to me....and more!