Meet...

...Avi-Kate Edwards.

Thankfully, names are not something we have to mull over for a long time. Andy and I like a lot of the same names to begin with and we are both very decisive people. With AG Andy picked the name long before we were pregnant with him. He decided that if we ever had a little boy we would name him Austin after his Dad and Granddad. And Gary after my Dad. It's definitely different. We've yet to meet another Austin Gary. And the nick name AG fits him perfectly. We also choose to call him by both his full name and his nickname.

So, how did we come up with the name Avi-Kate? I have half-jokingly stated since we had AG that I was naming the next child since Andy named AG. BUT I also gave Andy veto power if there was something he didn't like...but again we know what we like and don't like so it wasn't hard for us.Well, first, Kate is another one of my nicknames since my middle name is Katherine. My immediate family and closest friends call me Kate. Andy also started calling me Kate when we were dating. I love the name and I've always wanted to use it in a little girl's name.

Avi is after one of our dear, sweet friends. This is Avi...

With our friend Monica in Keystone, Colorado for our PE class.

With AG in the hospital.

The day she graduated from Berry. 

With AG at her graduation party.

Avi and I met her freshman year at Berry when I was a senior. We became close friends after having a class together. (We went skiing in Colorado for a PE credit.) The next year Andy and I were married and living right off campus...Avi started bringing her friends over to our house on Thursday nights to watch Grey's Anatomy. And thus, our student ministry was born. The people Avi brought over began to bring their friends over and it's just snowballed from there. What started out as four or five girls on a Thursday night has grown in to a family of 20+ students...that we feed and interact with several times throughout the  week.

Avi is one of the most loving and caring people that I have ever known. She has never met a stranger and goes out of her way to make people feel welcome. She's adventuresome and loves to travel. She'll try anything and is not afraid to make mistakes or ask questions. She is determined and hardworking. She is vivacious and her laugh is infectious. As my dad would say, "you gotta have drive." And she does. These are qualities and characteristics that we would hope our little girl would have.

On another note, my appointment went well and Avi-Kate is measuring right on schedule and is weighing in at 5 ounces. I'm 16 weeks and 4 days and she is measuring right there. I go back in four weeks and they'll do my full ultrasound to measure everything. I will say that she was much more subdued than AG was for his ultrasounds! Ha. The tech had to work to get a good profile shot...AG on the other hand was all over the place. Always on the go. AG didn't know what to think about the ultrasound...it was highly amusing to watch his reactions. He kept looking at the screen and looking at me. The heartbeat (which sounded great!) really threw him for a loop. :o)

It's coming...

...a blog post on Christmas, photos from Disney, an update on life this last week with my grandmother, etc. I'm wiped mentally, physically, and emotionally and promise to get to it soon. I'm still dealing with nausea despite being well in to the 2nd trimester and  taking medicine for it.

On the upside we have our gender ultrasound Thursday morning (wahoo!) and we have tickets to the Chick-fil-A bowl for New Years Eve (which I'm really looking forward to date night with Andy...even if it means cheering for the Ole' Ball Coach and the Gamecocks.)

More to come. Andy joked the other day that AG and his sibling were already conspiring against me with being nauseated and keeping up with a toddler that is in to EVERYTHING these days. Ha. So very true...

Words for Wednesday...

Four Generations.

This morning my Dad called to tell me that he was on his way to pick up MeMe, my grandmother, and take her to the hospital. The last three years she has been living in an Alzheimer's facility as her disease has progressed.

These photos were taken in the spring after AG was born. At the moment he is the only great-grandchild. When I was pregnant with AG MeMe told me that she hoped that it was little boy and that he had red hair just like my dad did when he was little. Not only does he have red hair just like Daddy but he's also Daddy's namesake. You can see a hint of the red on his little bald head...and during our visit she kept calling him Mr. Red. I'm grateful for these snapshots because it looks like our days with MeMe might be drawing to a close.

Never a dull moment...

What a day!

Last night we put AG in the twin bed for the first time. I made a trip to Wal-mart after dinner to pick up a bed rail. Thankfully, we only had to buy one since the twin is tucked into the nook in his room. Five minutes after we put him down he came squealing down the back hallway after cutting thru the guest room with his blanket wrapped around him like Linus. Ha. We chuckled and tucked him back in. After that we went off to sleep and we didn't hear a peep till 7:20ish this morning. (Which is early for AG.) I was awoken to, "Hi, Mama!" And two blue grey eyes peering at me...that's how my day started!

Later in the morning I made a master cleaning list for me to take back my house! "Hey, it's okay to let your house go to pot when your nauseated and doing your best to keep up with your very active two year old!" Anyways, thankfully I'm feeling better than I was and my nausea comes in random waves. After making my list I started working around the house while AG ran and played. At one point in the morning I looked over and see him sitting in a full laundry basket, with a (fake) gold medal around his neck, and a small paint roller in hand!

What a sweet mess! Heaven help me what am I going to do with this little lad?!? After lunch we did some more work and then it was nap time...but not before running outside for a quick second to look at the random snow shower we had before it turned to sleet.We attempted sleeping in the "big boy bed" for nap time. After three jail breaks Mommy called it quits and we had nap time in the crib. (If this becomes a huge problem we'll end up putting a gate in front of his door till he gets the hang of things.) I decided I needed a nap because this grey wintry day is perfect napping weather. At 5 Andy called to ask if we needed anything before he came home. I told him we were good and to come home.

Thankfully, he made it home safe and we chatted for a few minutes till Samson started barking ballistically in the front of the house waking AG up from his nap. After settling AG down Andy went out to see what all the commotion was about. There were cars lining the street and it was utter chaos. Our property is cut into a huge hill and the incline of the hill becomes very steep once you pass our house. People couldn't get up and over the hill to get to the back of our neighborhood. Lots people left their cars to go on foot.There were several accidents and unfortunately one of our girls had an accident. She's okay which is the important part but her car is not. We'll know more once we see things in the daylight. When I went out to check on the chaos I saw her walking across the street and she decided to come join us for the night.

After dinner I did some more work around the house while wild man played. Things quieted down and they ended up blocking off the top part of the street. The county schools and private schools canceled for tomorrow and the city schools are on a delayed schedule.

We put AG in his big boy bed and within minutes we heard squeals and tears coming from his room. I went to investigate and noticed Andy had closed the door all the way...AG has figured out the door knobs in the back of the house but the original glass knobs in the front he hasn't mastered. He was "trapped" and when I went to investigate I noticed the fringe from his blanket peeping out from under the door! Ha. We let him out for a minute and put him back to bed. This time he stayed longer and we thought he had gone on to sleep...until Andy went to the front of the house and noticed AG laying with his blanket on the hardwoods outside his door "pretending to be asleep"! We put him back one last time and told him if he got up again he'd have to sleep in his crib! We haven't heard a peep since.

You know you're pregnant when it's a 11 PM and your famished..."Hey, it's okay to eat at 11 PM because your pregnant." And now as I finish up this post my stomach is growling again. (Sigh) I'm off to bed. What a day! Never a dull moment...

Wordless Wednesday...Samson's Snuggling Edition.

Due Date for Tiny E 2.0

Here's the latest on Tiny E 2.0:

Yesterday, I saw my fabulous midwife and she has given me a due date of 6-12-11. This puts me at 14 weeks and 3 days as of today. Which means that my sister-in-law, Caroline, and I are exactly 8 weeks apart. They found last week that they are having another little GIRL. We are excited for them! Speaking of gender my midwife has it arranged for us to find out the sex in two weeks! So, in between Christmas and New Year's I'll go back for my next appointment. We are excited to find out if AG will have a brother or a sister. Once we find out what we are having we'll announce the name we've picked out for Tiny E 2.0. We have one for each sex picked out...we are enjoying keeping it a secret just a little while longer.

My midwife declared yesterday that I was having a girl after I listed my symptoms from this pregnancy and how different they are from my pregnancy with AG. We'll see in two weeks if she is right. Our hearts desire is for a healthy baby but I'd love to have a little girl. :o)

Daybook December 8th/9th

Outside my window: A cold, grey afternoon that is turning in to dusk. These frigid temps are crazy for this time of year. I've always longed for a White Christmas...as Andy said earlier this week that's entirely possible this year. All the talk this fall of a 'mild winter' made me want to laugh...I went on record during the heat wave of November that we would pay later...

I'm thinking:  About a few activities to plan for AG for the next two weeks...simple and low key but hands on. All of our students will be gone and things should be pretty quiet around the house for a few weeks. I'm also starting to think about some fun activities we can do next year/new traditions since AG will be almost 3. His ability to understand will be much greater next year. 


(The rest of this is finished today, Thursday, December 9th.)

I'm wondering: How different things are going to be next year with an almost 3 year old and a 6 month old in the house. Should be quite entertaining. :o)

I'm praying: That I would feel better. Last week at Disney I had to go to the ER and was diagnosed with a sinus infection and a double ear infection. However, I'm allergic to several types of antibiotics and so there is only a handful that I can take while pregnant. What I would normally take I can't take because I'm pregnant. My first round of antibiotics while it helped it didn't  clear everything up. I had to call this morning for a second round. I'm hoping to pick it up after lunch and praying that it will help me get over this. Pregnant and keeping up with a very active toddler is tiring enough...couple that with being sick and I'm exhausted. 

I'm thankful: That AG is over the horrible cold that he had last week.

I'm hearing: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse in the background and AG chatting away. Thanks to Sesame Street and Elmo his new word for the day is 'awesome'. Ha. 

From the Kitchen: I managed to cook a large batch of chili Monday for dinner. I was able to stash two extra helpings in the freezer for 2 more nights. We've eaten every meal at home since returning from Disney because of being burnout on eating out. I also made puppy chow, rice krispie treats, and cookies this week. AG has been enjoying his Mickey Mouse "coo-cos" aka cookies that I made with our new Disney Cookie Cutters that I bought last week.

I'm reading: The Gatecrasher by Madeleine Wickham on loan from my sister-in-law, Caroline. 

One of my favorite things: Decorating the house for Christmas and having fresh greens all over the house. They are everywhere! I'm quite pleased with my new arrangement for the window ledge in the den. It wasn't what I originally planned but it turned out well. I decided to put all of my Starbucks city mugs (17 in all...I think) up there with fresh greens, candles, and faux fruit. 

I'm creating: Plans for the next two weeks and my holiday baking list for the holidays.

Around the house: I need to finish cleaning and unpacking. 

A few plans for the week: This weekend we are headed to the mtns with my family to celebrate Christmas with everyone. Other than that I need to do a major stock piling of groceries because Kroger has several good deals this week when you couple them with coupons. Also getting over this crud once and for all. :o)

Big Bro and Tiny E 2.0

AG wearing his new shirt from Aunt Mis at the Animal Kingdom at Disney.

So, it's official. We are expecting our 2nd child in June...Tiny E 2.0 should be here by the middle of June. Which means the following:

-I'll be a full 6 months pregnant when Caroline gets married March 19th.
-Tiny E's cousin should arrive mid-April...Ronnie is going to be a big sister! These two will be 2 months apart while Ronnie and AG are 5 months apart.
-I'll be pushing 8 months pregnant when Meghan gets married on April 30th. (Which is also Andy and I's 5 year anniversary.)
-AG will be exactly two and a half years older than his brother/sister.

We are thrilled and excited about the new addition! We were a little surprised but grateful. When Andy switched jobs in August we thought maybe we should wait and try around the holidays to let him get situated in his new job...God had other plans. :o)

Here's what happened:
When we came home from Virginia in October I was a week and a half late and so I decided to take a test. I'm never late. The only reason I didn't take one in VA was that I really didn't think I was pregnant. With AG I knew before I even took a test. However, after being 10 days late we made a stop at the dollar store. I bought a test and sure enough within 30 seconds it was positive. I was in shock because again I didn't think I was pregnant. Ha. How little did I know...this pregnancy has been the complete polar opposite of my pregnancy with AG. With this pregnancy I've been sick all day long for about 6 weeks straight. The last 2-3 weeks it just comes in random waves but has lessened considerably. (Almost no nausea with AG.) There has been very little that I've wanted/could eat due to being sick. (With AG there were only a few things I had to avoid but for the most part food was great even in the first trimester.) I've thrown up with this pregnancy and didn't throw up once with AG.

I've put on only a few pounds this trimester due to being sick. The perk is that I'm still wearing almost all of my clothes still while with AG at this point I was in all maternity clothes. I've been told with the second you show sooner and I was completely expecting it but it hasn't happened because of me being sick. I'm almost 14 weeks and it's starting to look like there might be something there. Again, this pregnancy is completely opposite of my pregnancy with AG. At this point we are thinking it's a girl. We'll find out for sure in a few weeks!

So, this would explain my lack of blogging in October/November. I've been exhausted and doing my best to keep my head above water. Andy has been a saint helping with AG and doing housework that I normally do. I'm very grateful for him! As I start the 2nd trimester I'm feeling a lot better (still trying to get over this sinus infection but in terms of pregnancy I'm feeling much better!) and hoping to tackle several projects around the house, get the house back in order, and get back on my blogging bandwagon.

Life is good. God continues to provide and we are blessed and grateful for this new addition. AG's going to be a wonderful big brother. Lots more to post stay tuned...

Wordless Wednesday...Cinderella's Castle Edition.

Tree Farm 2010

So, just like last year we joined the Hornsbys to pick out our Christmas trees. Last year, AG was days away from walking this year he was all over the place. For the most part it was fun...AG had a meltdown when the wind kicked up it was only 39 degrees and in the morning we had some flurries. (Crazy child refuses to wear his hat.) I gave him his paci and he seemed to settle down...I guess I'm partially to blame for this meltdown it was past nap time AND he had been in a car the entire day before driving home from Disney. He was officially wiped when we got in the car and thankfully, we only had to drive 5 minutes back to the house where he took a three hour nap. 

Holding hands with Emma as we go to hunt for our tree. 

AG and Emma contemplating a Charlie Brown tree.

Our tree! It's huge. Wait till you see a photo inside our house. AG was more interested in the measuring stick than smiling for Ginn.

Helping Daddy.

After we cut down our tree they took us on a tractor ride and the kiddos fed the mini horse and burro peanuts. They enjoyed it.

AG giggled every time the horse nibbled his hand.

 AG inspecting both trees and deeming this trip successful.

Like I said the tree is HUGE. Really. Largest we've ever brought home. We brought it in and Andy laughed. He then asked if we had enough ornaments for it or was that my intention all along. Ha. Actually, it wasn't but thanks for the idea Babe. :o) It's a beautiful tree and perfectly shaped. I think that's why I wanted it. Anyways, it's a white pine and a good 8 feet tall once I trimmed up the top a little to put the angel on top. Once I get all the decorations out and to my liking I'll do a tour of the house. I still need to pick up some fir tree scraps from Home Depot to put on the mantle in our room, the master bathroom window ledge, and the window ledge in the den. (If you like fresh greens and free stuff...hit up the scrap bin in the garden section at your local Home Depot. When they saw off a few inches of the tree you select they throw the scraps in a pile. The scraps are free to whoever wants 'em...ah, fresh cut Christmas trees  scent in the house.) Hard to believe the holidays will be here soon. I'm off to tackle some cleaning and laundry. I promise to get Thanksgiving and Disney blogged soon...but for now I have to get the house back in order, the rest of Christmas out, and make a major dent in my shopping...thankfully lots will be coming from Amazon and arriving free on two day shipping...oh, Amazon Prime how I love thee. (One of the best things we invested in this last year!) And bake lots of treats for our students tomorrow night. We are doing our December dinner as dessert and a movie since it is finals week. What better way to start off your Christmas Vacation than watching Christmas Vacation and hanging out with your "family" once last time before the break?!? It's going to be a great week...

Hey, it's okay...

Here's some moments so far...

--to be at Disney World and realize that you are not super woman and you really do need antibiotics...no wonder I haven't felt a hundred percent I've been battling a double ear infection and a sinus infection.

--to let your child be Linus for a night and take his blankie with him. AG's never taken his blankie anywhere but after having a fever all day he insisted we take it with us last night while we got out of the condo. We said if it makes you happy...

--to ride Winnie-the-Pooh more than any other ride so far on this trip because it's clearly your toddler's favorite ride at the moment.

--to let your child eat and drink whatever he wants because he's been battling a nasty cold for a week now and your desperate to keep anything in him. We'll try to get back to being more well rounded and balanced once we nip this...

We made it...short update...

So, we made it here! We got to Orlando yesterday and after a few bumps along the way (literally and figuratively) we are off to a great week of family time...

Here are the highlights so far:

-We dressed AG in his traveling clothes right before we left...I always do this. Inevitably, something gets slopped on him/he gets dirty... I feel like it's a prerequisite for being a little boy. Anyways, we dress him and two seconds later he hits the back of his head on the corner of the window ledge. Yep, blood. All down his back. (Sigh) So we then had to calm the now screaming child with a nasty cold. Force some motrin down his throat for the instant headache he gave himself. Stop the bleeding. And change his clothes. And get on the road. (Sigh) We made it. Got in the car, realized we should get gas, got gas, then realized that it was 11:25 and we should eat lunch b/c we were in the middle of no where (literally) and wouldn't be passing anything when we were starving at 12:25. However, we decide to go thru the drive-thru because the toddler with the nasty cold, instant headache, and bloody knot on his head was about to pass out.

-Sure enough...we get lunch, get on the road, and AG was out by noon. He slept until after 2:30ish.

-We made our only bathroom break at a Starbucks on the other side of Jacksonville. (For inquiring minds we started this trek not from Rome but from Andy's Mom's home in Wadley. Hence, us getting to Disney via Jacksonville instead of Gainesville. And I know that ALL of you have heard of Wadley, GA! ;) For those who have never been to Wadley you should head south for a visit.)

-We get in to Orlando a little after five and headed to Downtown Disney to secure our tickets...thanks Evan for the tip! After MUCH research we decided on an annual pass for this next year. Several reasons for this...the money that we would spend on tickets for a week of park hopping was not that far off from the cost of the annual pass. Couple this with the fact that for this trip we are staying off site and parking is $14 a day but with the annual pass it is FREE! Couple that with the food/merchandise discounts and discounts on staying at Disney properties for our next trip. We were sold. Not to mention that we don't have to pay for AG until he is 3...so we will have plenty of chances to zip back down here for a day or two here and there. We are actually really, really excited about it. This is a first for us. It also came in handy within two hours of purchasing it...

-We are down here for the week with Andy's sister Caroline, her husband Tommy, and our niece Ronnie. They had a free week of their timeshare they needed to use and asked us to join them. We had timed it so that we would both get to Orlando around the same time since we were not coming from the same place to begin with. However, our plans didn't involve traffic, traffic, and more traffic. Needless to say they spent several hours longer in the car than they normally would have because of traffic in random locations the whole way down here. We realized after we finished dinner that the hotel wouldn't let us check in since it is not in our name and that it was going to be at least two more hours before they arrived. What do you do with a toddler who has been in a car ALL day to kill time?!? You take him to Disney World. Literally. Ha. :o) I checked our new iPhone app by Undercover Tourist and saw that Epcot would be open till 9:30. Perfect. We zipped over to Epcot and put our passes to use. Which is the first reason I'm glad/thankful we have them...if we had bought a ticket plan for several days instead we would have blown an entire day of park hopping on this two hour adventure. Instead we walked all over Epcot...AG walked half of the World's Showcase, holding our hands, taking in the sites and sounds. We rode with Nemo under the sea and toured all of Mexico in the this 2 hour adventure. It worked perfectly.

-The next thing I'm grateful about with this pass is this...there is way TOO much to see in one trip. It simply can't be done unless you spend several weeks down here all together. So what ends up happening is you run around trying to see everything and do everything you possibly can! However, today was simply enjoyable for the fact that Andy and I didn't feel any pressure to see it ALL today. We did what we wanted and what worked best for AG. It made today most delightful.

All right, more about today later...I'm wiped and off to crawl in my bed. AG has been passed out since we left the Magic Kingdom. Didn't wake up on the Monorail, didn't wake up on the tram, didn't wake up in the car, didn't wake up getting out of the car, didn't wake up changing his clothes and diaper. I'm off to join him. And this short post has become quite long. :o)

I can't wait...

...to see this twinkle in his eyes again. 

In less than four short days we'll be on our way to Disney World. We can't wait to see AG's reactions after seeing him enjoy Disneyland in the spring. Since then he has changed so much! It's going to be a fabulous week. I can't wait. 

Update on the new table...

So here's a picture of our new dining room table without the two leaves in. We bought it a couple of weeks ago but I haven't had a chance to post any pictures. Andy sanded off the stain and then we had to haul it inside because we were hit with several days of rain.

Andy put the leaves in and laid down our drop cloths and got to work. He did a coat of primer and then a coat of black paint. We then hauled it back outside so that Andy could sand it down again. It now has a second coat of paint on it and it is waiting for another sanding. I need to take pictures of it with the black paint...I just haven't had a chance. Stay tuned. This is Andy's largest furniture project to date. I can't wait to see the end result...I'm already in love with it.

Monday, Monday...

Here's some of the randomness running thru my head at the moment...

-I've started my Christmas shopping...I need to make my master shopping list.

-I've asked one of our college girls to snap our Christmas Card photo ASAP.

-Making plans with our college students to see Harry Potter at Midnight! I need a final head count to pre-order our tickets. I'm stoked. I reread the whole 7th book the weekend before last. I couldn't put it down. Andy has since started reading it.

-Thanksgiving is in less than two weeks! And our college family Thanksgiving is in a week...I need to finalize my menu this week, do my shopping, and start prepping. I've already sent out our facebook invite for dinner. 

-We head to Disney in less than two weeks and I couldn't be more excited! And I can't wait to do AG's first haircut at the Magic Kingdom. It should be a magical week.

-Decorating the house for the holidays...since we will be gone for a week to Disney I'm actually planning to start decorating the inside before Thanksgiving. I want the bulk of it done so that when we get back from Disney we can enjoy the rest of the holidays. I made Andy pull everything out of the attic today and have been sorting everything. All we'll have to do when we get back is decorate outside and I'll have to put the finishing touches on the tree.

-Christmas Trees with the Hornsbys. I'm excited that we are planning to do this again this year. Last year AG was days away from walking this year he is running. I'm positive Ginny and I will have some fun pictures of AG and Emma running around. We are going to get our tree and set it up before we leave...and I'll finish it when we return.

-I need to pick up my Starbucks ornaments this week. Yesterday, while picking up coffee for our church they were unpacking their shipment of holiday stuff. (Yippee!) Each year I get super excited to see what the ornament(s) look like for that year. I now have quite a collection since Caroline (Andy's sis) gave us our first ornament in 2005.

So that's a bit of what we are up to on this wet and rainy Monday. I have lots to post in the coming week...stay tuned...

Happy Halloween...

Buzz Lightyear contemplating his next mission.

Emma came by to show off her cute costume.

This year Ginn and I didn't have to hold them to get a picture...my what a difference a year makes! I can't wait to see them at the Tree Farm together in a few short weeks!

At the end of the night we drove up to GrandMary's house to see her and wish Jack a happy birthday. AG was tired and not excited about pictures...Mary and I on the other hand look fabulous! :o)

Sitting in GrandMary's office and eating some candy while admiring her Tooth Fairy wings. Yes, AG's future kindergarten teacher is THE Tooth Fairy. 

We love you GrandMary! Thanks for all you do...we appreciate you!

"Hey, it's okay..."

Being the blogger that I am I'm totally addicted to reading other peoples blogs and keeping up with their own lives. One of the blogs I follow is about a family in Athens. The main purpose of their blog is to keep people updated on their youngest's, Piper, battle with cancer. However, the wife, Sus, in her sweet humor makes me laugh each week with her new series, "Hey, it's okay..." because I can totally relate. Stuff happens on a daily basis and sometimes I have to laugh because how else do we deal with life's ups and downs but with grace and a little humor. If you feel like following the Needham's here you go.

And here's to my first "Hey, it's okay..." post.

--to give your toddler a side of Goldfish with his pancakes for breakfast because it's only 9am on a Wednesday. And inevitably there is bound to be bigger fish to fry as your day progresses.

--to hold off on weaning AG from his paci because he's a bear who gnaws when he teethes. We've discovered that if we don't give him his paci as of late that he gnaws on his wrist and or four fingers like they are a drumstick. So rather than have a raw red arm we opt for a paci as AG cuts his incisors. The goal is to be done with it by his 2nd birthday.

--to let my toddler go to bed around 8:30ish because his parents, the night owls, enjoy the fact that he sleeps till 9 or later most mornings.

--to have apps on your iPhone specifically to entertain your child while you try and enjoy a meal in a restaurant. And hey, without a little help from Peek-a-boo Barn and Peek-a-boo Wild we wouldn't know all our barnyard and safari friends with their corresponding noises.

--to contemplate asking Santa for a "laptop" that's for kids ages 4 and up for your not yet two year old with the slight hope that he might leave yours alone...even if it's just for a little bit and he's really tech savvy.

--to let your child be Buzz Lightyear for Halloween even though you feel it's cliche to go as something trendy and you'd rather do something classic. But Buzz is who he's in to these days and we are going to run with it...at this point it's highly possible we'll be celebrating our 2nd birthday with Buzz. And I'm okay with that. Really. :o)

--that some days it's all you can do to get dinner (from the freezer) on the table because it was one of those days and you weren't able to shower, get out of the house, or put real clothes on that day.

Words for Wednesday...Charlton's Coffeehouse Edition.

18th century style hot chocolate. Mmmmmm.

A new project...

...there is always something to refinish around here. The latest find is a dining room table that I found at our Habitat for Humanity HomeMart, yesterday. It was a steal. Which made it even more fabulous! With the use of our handy power sander and some paint we should be in business. Andy and I are going to refinish it and give it a Pottery Barn type makeover. In the mean time I need to decide which color I want to paint it and decide on seating. I love the idea of a collection of mismatched chairs and I also like the idea of benches. The thing with the chairs is that it could take me awhile to collect the amount that I need and they would probably need to be refinished, too. Not a problem just time consuming. In this stage of life benches are a little more practical. We entertain our students on a monthly basis and I need maximum seating when we do this...one reason we bought this table is that it has two leaves to go with it. I'm betting I can get 10 people in chairs around it easy...benches may give me even more room to work with. I think I'm leaning towards the benches at the moment. Another plus is that Andy could build them relatively cheaply. And one day, in another house I can repurpose the benches and use my mismatched chair collection, that I better get started on! Ha.

Like I said...there is always something to refinish around here. Makes me grateful that my husband is so talented and enjoys it as much as I do. This will be our largest and most detailed refinishing project to date. Pictures to come.

Wordless Wednesday...Bert and Ernie Edition.

A few photos from Mountain Day 2010

Here's a few of our highlights from Mountain Day weekend. We had a great time welcoming October and celebrating Martha. The weather was perfect and we had a great time sharing the weekend with some of our students.

Will came up for his college visit and got to see the Mtn. Day Olympics.

Alayna, Emily, and Thelma during the Olympics.

Emily, Mallory, and Abby on their first Olympics. 

Grand March on the Mountain. Jess came back to visit and join the fun with Thelma and Harrison.

AG needed his chicken leg to meet Victor.

Two of my sweet, beautiful girls.

With some of my girls before the march started.

Post-March snack for AG along with some tickling from Alayna.

Our traditional Grand March photo.

Two more of my girls enjoying their first Grand March.

Finally, in white and leading the Grand March.

Daybook for October 17th

Outside my window: Falling temps and falling leaves. Although, today it was a high around 80...oh, life in the South. The weather is always unpredictable.

I'm thinking: About everything I need to do now that we are back from our trip...laundry, clean the house, groceries, errands, etc. In addition, I'm starting to think about holiday plans. We have several events planned with our students between now and the end of the year to celebrate the holidays. I've also started lists for gift ideas this year.

I'm wondering: When we will put AG in his twin bed. In our little bungalow we have three bedrooms. The master and the guest bedrooms are quite large. The third bedroom, AG's room, is the smallest room. However, his little room accommodates a crib and a twin bed quite nicely thanks to the inlet on one side of the room. His twin bed fits perfectly in this spot. When we decide to make the switch I'll only have to buy one bed rail and he'll be walled in on all four sides! Fabulous. I bring all this up not because he's attempting to escape his crib but rather he's developing a preference for sleeping in a bed with covers. Similar to his developing a need to sleep with his head on a pillow. We'll see what happens but this change may happen sooner than later.

I'm praying: About lots of things right now...

I'm thankful:We had a great trip and we were able to spend time with my family last night to celebrate the October birthdays.

I'm hearing: The tv in the background and AG's white noise machine coming over his monitor.

From the Kitchen: I need to decide what to cook this week and restock the fridge. I've also got the itch to make Rice Krispie Treats and Puppy Chow. We'll see what I decide to do...

I'm reading: A backlog of magazines that arrived this past week in our absence last week.

One of my favorite things: I'm looking forward to girls night this week...I missed the last two Thursdays due to our trip and I have missed my girls!

I'm creating: Eh, I've got lots to do around the house to regroup from our trip before I can start another project. :o)

Around the house: Andy did yard work today and I still need to get some fall plants planted. I didn't get a chance to mark that off my to do list before we left. I've also started trying to figure out where I plan to let all my plants "winter" this year. I have a collection of different houseplants and ferns. The houseplants spend the warm weather months out on the screened porch and then spend the winter inside. The ferns are in huge terra-cotta pots around the yard and they spend the winter in the cellar near the windows.  The weather hasn't dipped low enough to put them away for good and it's still plenty warm enough during the day. I'm just trying to get ready because with our crazy weather I'll have to put them away in a hurry...best to be prepared. The only plant I'm coddling at the moment is my Christmas Cactus. It was my grandmother's and I managed to bring it back to living a few years ago. It's a tough old bird and it has rebounded beautifully. They do require a little TLC to get them to bloom when you want them to...but the effort is worth it once it is in full bloom. Once she finishes after the holidays I need to get to working on potting up two pieces to share with Meghan and Caroline...as a little gift for their new homes this spring when they both get married.

A few plans for the week: Getting my house back in order! Ha. And celebrating my 27th birthday later in the week. :o)

Week 16 of 52 in 2010...

This recipe was found by my sister, Caroline, and I had to give it a try. The only difference to the original is that I didn't have time to grill the chicken so I just chopped my chicken in to bite size pieces and sauteed them in some EVOO with salt and pepper and some lemon zest.

Easy Lemon Pasta with Chicken
By: Gina and Pat Neely

Ingredients

• 1 pound dried penne
• 2 chicken cutlets, cut into fingers
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
• 2 lemons, juiced
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Directions

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, until al dente.Drain well.

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat a large grill pan over medium high and add chicken. Grill until golden and completely cooked. Remove to a plate and slice.

Add the garlic and red pepper flakes to a saute pan with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and saute until fragrant. Add the cooked pasta and turn heat off. Mix all together.

Remove pasta to a large bowl. Add chicken to the warm pasta and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle in chopped parsley. Add the juice of 2 lemons and mix. Before serving top with Parmesan.

Week 15 of 52 in 2010...

Grilled Asparagus

Granted I recognize this isn't much BUT it was something we had never done before and we did it several times this spring.

Bunch of asparagus
EVOO
Garlic Sea Salt Grinder (I use McCormick)

Wash asparagus and snap off the ends. I used a pyrex dish to spread out my asparagus in a shallow layer and then tossed with a couple tablespoons of EVOO and fresh ground garlic sea salt. We then grilled them in a grill pan on our outdoor grill. Cook until tender but not limp. These go with any meat on the grill.

Few words needed...

...thanks Bobby for your dedication to a club that was considered a nobody. You saw something and made the Braves "America's Team" and for that we will be forever grateful. Life at The Ted will never be the same. It's the end of an era.