A Year in the Life

Harry (22), Elizabeth (18), Hopson (24) & Henry (16) Christmas season is so wonderful because everyone comes home.  It's also great because once Christmas is over they leave.  But not this year.  I was just getting into the habit of cooking for 3.  It's a big difference cooking for 3 instead of 6.  Henry was loving being an only child.  Like really loving it.  He had the entire upstairs to himself.  He could spread out all his stuff & be king.  Last year he moved into Harry's old room & since it wasn't everything he wanted he then moved into Hop's room.  In September Hop asked if he could move home for a time.  His lease was up on his apartment & he wanted to take his time finding a new place to live.  We said ok as long as he didn't expect to live at home forever. At about the same time Harry told us he had a Co-Op with a building company in Birmingham.  Obviously, we wanted him to live at home....

This year has been CraZY!  Kids moving in, kids moving out, jobs, volunteering & just life, in general, has made this year fly.  We did take some time out this Christmas to go visit my brother & his family in Tampa.  Every time we go down there I have to remind myself that if Cotton wants to engage in high-risk behavior I will go & have fun & think about potential consequences later.  Cotton has a history of having us do dangerous activities. What are some of those you might ask?  Well, I'm glad you did.  Canoeing with alligators, hang-gliding, trapeze lessons, and paddleboarding (potentially with sharks).  The main thing missing from this list is skydiving.  We knew there was a high probability Cotton would book us all tandem jumps for Christmas.  I accepted it, because what am I supposed to do, let my kids go & me not?  I don't think so.  In the car, we were all in agreement Cotton was going to tell us w...

And Loving... I recently started a new job.  Yes, at my age it can be a little scary, but it's been great.  Before I go forward, a little back story first... ...For the last 4 1/2 years I have been a sub in my children's school system.  (if you are a mom, love kids, and need a great way to make a little spending money, I highly recommend it.)  I loved being a sub!  I was able to be like everyone's favorite aunt.  You know the one I'm talking about.  She the one who comes in and loves you for you.  She helps you get through the have to's so you can have a little fun while your mom's not around. The way a sub enters a classroom is SO important.  You have to be confident, because it's true the children can smell fear, but you also have to be available to the kids:  available to offer an ear, extra help, smiles, a few hugs, and maybe even a little discipline in a life-giving way. We would play 4 corners if everyone finished with thei...

 A friend from grade school was going through old pictures and found a picture of the house I grew up in.  I have wonderful memories from that home.  We played football in the front yard, swam in the pool, built homecoming signs, and watched movies and the 1984 Olympics.  My parents let me invite the entire 8th grade over to swim the day we officially became 9th graders.  That house is filled with laughter.    My parents didn't care about your background.  They didn't care what kind of home you came from.  They wanted you to feel loved and accepted when you came over to our house.  It was a house that love built.  It's funny looking back.  You think that some kids have it all together just to find out they saw themselves as misfits.  I was always the one who felt like I was on the fringe.  Not cool, not as smart as I wanted to be, not a lot of things.  I wonder how many other kids felt & feel like that to...

and I think I have OCD. The older I get the more I like things 'just so'.  Well, maybe a little more than just so.   I had to run to the grocery store to get some noodles for tonight's dinner, because of course I forgot to get them yesterday when I went to the grocery store.  The joys of getting older & speed grocery.  We have a grocery store that has smaller carts that I have fallen in love with.  I only have two chicks at home, so I don't need a ginormous cart anymore.  This isn't so much about the carts themselves but about the cart return areas.  One a side note, I'll admit I'm somewhat lazy.  I don't park my car closest to the door to the grocery store, I park by the cart return.  It's also a habit.  Ever tried loading four littles into the car, putting all your groceries in the car & then returning the cart before your children die from a heat stroke & everything frozen melts?  Good times.  The way ...

I even asked nicely.  I have sacrifices I need to make.  Just kidding.  In case you didn't know, I'm allergic to alcohol.  Yes, it includes all kinds of alcohol.  Even if it's clear without sulfides I will have a reaction.  It's really pretty.  Think temporary hives & swelling.  Yeah, it's great. Last night I went out to dinner with a group of girlfriends.  It was hot & humid...duh, it's summer in Alabama.  My hair was exceptionally big, but that's another story.  I asked my waiter if I could have a virgin margarita.  It's a limeade with salt, but hey, I was in the mood for it.  It was so pretty when he brought it out.  It was limey & I really wanted to use the glass as a salt lick, but decided to use my manners instead. The first sip was so refreshing.  After about 3 sips, I started wondering if there was some alcohol in the drink.  I was starting to laugh a little  more, and I noti...

Yeah, I wish.  Cake is easier to make, well sort of.  Ok, not for me.  For me, cake is impossible to make as well as anything that is classified as a dessert.  Did you know that stressed spelled backwards is desserts?  For me it should be desserts (that I have to cook) spell stressed. Last week Henry told me that for his French class today he needed to bring Mille-Feuille.  It's no big deal he said.  We could get it at Whole Foods he said.  Of course, I completely forgot about the M-F until yesterday when Hen reminded me about it.  Ok, no biggie.  I will call Whole Foods to make sure they have some handy & I'll pick it up & Henry can take it to school & we'll all be happy. Because I'm writing about it, you already know that Whole Foods did not have any.  As a matter of fact, they looked at me like I had grown another head when I asked them about.  The bakers at WF had no idea what I was talking about.  Mill...

UAB Sigma Kappa 2015 Colonization Class Today was an exciting day.  It was one of those days that you celebrate the joys of youth.  It was the kind of day that old people watch and smile and remember when it was their turn to celebrate and be celebrated. Today my sorority colonized a new chapter.  Sigma Kappa is now part of the sorority experience at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.  I am so excited I can't even stand it. The young women in the room were beautiful, smart, enthusiastic and diverse.  A colonization class is special.  They are the trailblazers.  They will set the tone of the UAB chapter for years to come.  If what I saw today is an indication of this chapter's future...WOW, these young women are going to rock this sorority thing! I was talking with all the alumnae in the room, and the really neat thing is, there was only one from my home chapter.  Alumnae groups are made up of women from all over the United State...

Several of my posts have been very serious and, hopefully, a little thought provoking lately & so I'm offering my humiliation up to make y'all laugh.  Laughter is good for the soul.   “Life is worth living as long as there's a laugh in it.”   ~L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables I spend just a little bit of time sitting.  I sit when I work; I sit when I sub; I sit when I'm driving children all over the place; and I sit when I write.  It's amazing that my behind is not flat as a pancake.  This is not really about my behind, it's about my new desk chair. I've wanted one for some time now, but just now purchased it.  It doesn't go with my decor or other furniture at all, but I don't care.  It's an exerball chair.  I like it a lot except for one thing, it's not made for short people.  When I first put the chair together, well, when Henry fixed what I had messed up, I was so excited, but noticed it sat kind of low to the ground. ...

The last two weeks have been CrAZy!  Oh wait, our weeks are always crazy.  :)  Because of what we did over Christmas vacation I have some definite opinions about a few things.  I know, hold your comments, I have opinions about pretty much everything.  Here goes... This reminds me of a Christmas Carol. We left Christmas day for Park City, Utah for the fam to take our vacation skiing.  We are usually spring skiers, but because Hop's spring break is different from the other three, Harry had the idea to go at Christmas.  We left the 25th so I didn't really decorate the house for Christmas.  I put out our favorite decorations, but I didn't put out everything, and it was all packed up before we left.  I didn't even wrap any presents.  I love Christmas, so this part was hard for me to swallow. All my peeps skiing on the 26th. We arrive in Utah to it snowing.  It was in the 20's, which is cold but manageable.  My first hic...

As all moms know, December is CrAzY!  Not only is there the regular schedule to keep up with, but you have added in the seasonal schedule: decorating, cooking, Christmas cards, gift buying & wrapping ~ to just name a few.  Christmas is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year, but instead it turns into the most dreaded & miserable time of the year. Ask me how many people I've heard complain about their extended families & having to spend time with them.  Ask me how I felt last night at the Galleria.  You know what, I felt sad.  I saw unhappy people trying to find gifts for people they don't really like with money they probably don't have.  The whole season gets kicked off with Black Friday which has turned into something ugly & selfish.  I don't want to be that way at Christmas.  I want to feel the love of my family.  I want to laugh and make happy memories.  I want to lavish in the simplicity of the king wh...

My children are pyromaniacs, but then again, aren't most children?  Mine come by it naturally.  My sister & I used to stick our fingers in candles to play with the wax & Hopson used to set rice fields on fire after they had been harvested on his family's farm growing up.  (yeah, I know, Hopson wins...)  But, playing with candles has always been a fascination of mine.  I just can't help it. Our kitchen, which I spend most of my time in, smells like rotten pumpkins right now.  Yuck!  My centerpiece that was on my table had three pumpkins & I didn't know the bottom had become rotten until yesterday.  In case you've never smelled rotten pumpkins, it's gross.  I've scrubbed my kitchen down, but I still get whiffs of it every now & then.  Bleh!  Because of the smell, I picked up some fragrance spray that I like at the grocery store.  It has a nice fresh smell to it. When I brought it home, Henry discovered it ...

So, this past weekend the entire fam went to Oxford to visit the grandparents & go to to the Auburn/Ole Miss football game.  It was nice to spend more than 10 minutes with Hop, and it's always nice to be spoiled by my in-laws.  Tickets, check.  Very warm clothes, check.  Tailgating, check, and as far as tailgating goes, The Grove is iconic...and...a little crowded...and...a little rowdy.  We passed about 7 different Elvis impersonators.  (hilarious)  Most tents are decorated to the hilt.  (love it)  The food is second to none.  (my pants are a little tighter today.)  It's funny because when the game starts, there are about as many people in the Grove watching the game on TV as there are in the game.  It's great! Our game plans were varied and interesting.  Hopson wanted to say in the Grove to watch the game on TV.  Hop, Harry & nephew Garner all went into the game & sat in the Auburn section.  We...

For some reason, I find this article hilarious! For the love of Pete, LET ME SLEEP. But, don't tell me when to sleep; where to sleep; or how to sleep. I have found that as I have gotten older I am sleeping less and less.  My mother-in-law told me this would happen.  I really hoped she was making it up, but she wasn't.  I have noticed that I am sleepiest around 8-9, but if I can stay up to 11, I can stay up all night.  Or rather I will stay up at least until 3am.  It would be great, if I were a vampire.  Since I'm not it really stinks. If you are on social media in the middle of the night it is amazing the number of friends who are wide awake with you.  Last month I posted on facebook "I love insomnia, insomnia's my favorite" with a few cute emojies with it.  Someone made me giggle by writing back for me to make sleep my favorite.  Trust me, if I could make sleep my favorite I would. I'm an early bird, so when the sunshine is awake...

This weekend my younger two children are participating in a youth Discovery weekend at a church close to our home.  We have lots of friends that go there, so E & Henry will have a great time.  Harry is fishing with his grandfather & a friend, and Hop is still working.  Hopson & I should be childless for the weekend...but we're not.  We volunteered to keep seven 9th grade boys.  Most of whom we know & love.  Boys are easy.  Throw some food at them; let them run around & then unwind with shooting pool or watching tv & they're good.  I could do seven 9th grade girls, but I think the boys are easier.  Since we have three boys, we kinda know what to do a little better.  Plus, Elizabeth is not your typical girl.  She is very low maintenance thanks to her brothers, and that has spoiled us terribly. This morning while we were waiting for all the boys to finish showering & come down to eat breakfast, Hopson sh...

Celebrating 50! The three brothers: Hopson, John & Will My in-laws, Peggy & Walter, have been married 50 years.  You know, that is an accomplishment.  It's actually hard to believe it's their golden anniversary, because they don't act like they are old enough to be married that long.  They don't behave act like they are senior citizens & every once in a while you see that little twinkle that has helped them be so spry. Fun with cousins For their anniversary, the family headed up to the beautiful mountains of Jonas Ridge, North Carolina.  Peggy grew up in Morganton about 30 minutes away, and it has been a favorite spot of theirs for a long time.  It is lush, green and the temperature was wonderful for the middle of July.  We had an adventurous time visiting with family we don't see very often.  It's just fun to see fam you don't get to see very often.  We went hiking.  The children went down a rock slide, swam in fre...

Every time & I mean every time we go visit my brother in Tampa we engage in high risk behaviors.  He for sure wants us to step out of our comfort zone.  I'm boring and safe.  If you don't believe me, just ask my children.  But, when I'm with my brother, risks abound.  :) In the past, we have: Canoed with alligators.  I was scared to death especially when one swam under our canoe & bumped the boat.  I may or may not have squealed like a little girl.  It was scary.  Um, have you seen me?  I would be a tasty snack.  I think of a juicy steak that is marbleized in all the right places.  :/    Had trapeze lessons.  Swinging on a trapeze is a lot harder than it looks.  Arms and core are used a bunch.  The trapeze artists (and they are artists) make it look so easy.  They are incredibly strong, very nice and have to wear incredibly tight belts.  I mean, they squeeze the air out of you, b...

Harry Harry Harry.  My 17 year old quick witted, sometimes smart mouthed and who is the child who is clever in his arguments.  I hope he becomes an attorney, good gracious he would be a great one!  He's the child that thinks that the worst thing you can say is no & no doesn't always mean no from the parental units.  His cute clear blue eyes will look at me & say bet maaam.  (it's really but mom & it's what Cartman says on South Park , but it sounds like bet maaan.)  Because I tend to see things in black & white, it's hard when he pushes his limits.  Black and white ~ good, you know where you stand...shades of grey ~ bad, too much unknown. Harry told me today that he hasn't had the chance to watch his favorite show, Maury Povich, in forever.  He loves to talk about what's going on on the shows.  He comes down and says with a grin on his face & little laugh to his voice:  "OK mom, you're not going to believe this. ...

I need to learn that when I haven't had a lot of sleep I do not need to write on this blog or anywhere else. Oh.My.Goodness. They say that if you drive while you're very sleepy it's almost like driving under the influence.  Well, I guess that applies to writing as well.  I need to learn to just say no.  I wanted to get the pictures on Pinterest of the Magnolia leaves I used on the buffet table & wanted to  have a blog posting to go with it.  Well, that went well didn't it?  Thankfully a friend called me out...Allyson...yesterday over my phrasing.  I heard how I wanted the sentence to sound in my head, and it was fine.  But, the transfer to the blog was disastrous!  After I got over my mortification I had a pretty good chuckle.  I know y'all all laughed at me, so I might as well laugh at myself too.  But no worries, I promptly fixed it. I told everyone I had a huge breakfast & then I pooped.  So not what I was t...

...than for permission.  Right?  Well that depends on what you're asking forgiveness for. Harry, Harry, Harry.  He's so crazy.  The child is 16.  All we heard when he finally turned 16 is how he can't wait to drive all by himself.  He can't wait to drive his car.  (He and Hop had to share for a few months, he made it sound like it was the most horrible thing he's ever done.)  Well, six months have come and gone since Harry's sweet 16. I'm thinking, Harry's arrived.  He's going to be super happy.  He has wheels that are his own, and he can take care of getting himself from place to place.  Yeah, that was my mistake. Cash burns a hole in that child's pocket.  He thinks, I have it, I shall spend it.  (Insert big eye roll here.)  So Harry calls me one day a few weeks ago to tell me he's going to a friend's house that lives about 30 minutes away.  Mommy brain goes into overdrive here.  I'm thinking to mysel...