Happy Birthday, Buddy!

Happy Birthday, to you! Our puppy dog is two today. Does that make him 14 in dog years? I went to the dog bakery a few days ago. We gave him this pupcake this morning. He has a few puptarts waiting for him for later. He did not quite understand the excitement, but he loved his treat.

We are glad he is a part of the family - dog hair and all! I think he has taken my husband's heart and wrapped it around his paw. Of course, my husband would never admit that!


Is that something for me? What's this Happy Birthday song all about?

When do I get to eat it?

That was pretty good!

Holiday Music... In My Ear

Just this morning, I downloaded Josh Groban's album, Noel. Wow! It made my walk with Buddy something special. I love holiday music and this album is a wonderful addition to my collection. I only got about half way through. I am saving the rest for my walk tomorrow. It will motivate me to get out there - just to hear the rest of the songs. Josh has an amazing voice.

All Gone...

A day or so after I took the pictures of our beautiful maple trees, lots of the leaves were gone. We put the boys to work raking. They begged to jump in the pile before we moved it to the curb.



Now, the leaves are all off the trees. For the remainder of the winter, we will only get the leaves from our neighbor's pin oak tree. There is a touch of sadness that comes with fall as all dies off to sleep for the winter. On the other hand, fall is the time to rejuvinate, step back and take it all in. We are enjoying the cool mornings. The dog and I like the cool air in our lungs are we make our morning trek around the block.

Wonderful Weekend

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoyed the days off. This is the first time in many years that we have not traveled during the week of Thanksgiving. We missed the beach and the roar of the ocean. But, we enjoyed just kicking back and relaxing.

We celebrated Thanksgiving with my in-laws that are here in the area. My sister-in-law hosted. The meal was fabulous. The table looked beautiful. I brought my camera but forgot to take any pictures. The boys had a great time playing football outside, playing king of the hill and ending the night with a round of pool inside. They wish we could have a pool table - just don't have a room that will accommodate that!

I did not brave the crowds in the wee hours of the morning on Friday. My husband decided to work. He got up really early heading into the office. The boys and I did a little bit of shopping using up old gift cards they had. And, we stopped in Target buying some inexpensive DVDs they had. We have lots of movies to watch. I did start our holiday list. We crossed a few off buying things on the internet. I am so thankful for the web. It makes those faraway gifts easy to give!

My husband and I watched the movie, Sicko. It is definitely thought provoking. We are thankful that we have good medical insurance, but it begs to question if that will be enough. The movie is one all should see just to open our eyes to the things that need to be fixed in our health care system. It is very disturbing. I did not come away with any answers just awareness of some of the issues.

With the family we watched Evan Almighty. It was well received and poignant for this time of the year. If you have time to squeeze it in before the holidays, do it. There are some humorous lines and it made me think about my behavior.

We watched lots of football. The SEC and others had some nail biting games. I won't mention the Commodores! We have to cheer them on during basketball. While the football was on, I started some more knitting projects. One involves felting which I have never done and can't wait to see how it turns out. My list of projects for gifts has gotten quit long. I just have to keep knitting away...much to the chagrin of my husband. The boys need some new flannel or fleece pj pants. How hard can those be to make? I hope to make it to the fabric store today or tomorrow scoping it out. And, the Christmas cards remain an idea in my head. I keep searching and have not hit the nail on the head. I want to production of the cards to be reasonable. Trying to balance that and affordability can be a challenge. I need to focus on those today and tomorrow too.

At the end of this week is the Madrigal. That means lots of extra performances for me. I am excited for it and will be glad when this week is behind me. The Christmas parade is Friday night. The boys are planning a get-together here with friends minus me:( Oh! Well! I'll be singing and won't be able to join them. I get to clean the house for them!!!

Gotta get cracking on my list...

Technology Advances...

A few nights ago, I called my mom and tried to get her to my blog sight. Without mentioning her age, I will just mention that my mom was 45 when she had me. Back then, that was extremely old to have a baby and for it to be the sixth child in the family made people's heads spin. About a year ago, she became the proud owner of a mini Mac using to download pictures of her family. She hasn't mastered the Mac nor the desire to search the Web. Her generation wrote everything down or used a typewriter. All this technology can still be foreign to her.

On the phone the first night, I tried to talk her through accessing my blog. But, we did not succeed and I had to leave to go to choir. I sent her an email with my blog link in it and she went to work cleaning up her inbox. Like I said, she is by no means a regular user. The next evening, I called and she was able to open up the email. She clicked on the link and got to see the blog. The main driving force was for her to read about the All Southwest Choir concert. She was so excited! She hit the Print button and printed it all down. I hope it made her night as she sat and caught up on my posts.

I am proud of her to be willing to try the Mac thing. Yes. It does get her frustrated. It frustrates us all! It all comes with learning something new. Way to go, mom! Hope you enjoyed the blog. I'll have to work on iChat, next!


Krohn Conservatory, Cincinnati, OH
June 2007

Turkey Puzzle

Check out the following puzzle:



I took a break while baking some pies and went out to jigzone. This is the first time I beat the average time. This turkey makes the wrinkles that are appearing on my forehead look good! I am thankful my wrinkles are nothing like this turkey's.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

All Southwest Tennessee Choir

I have been talking about the "All West" auditions and rehearsals for weeks now. The kids from all the different schools came together for rehearsal Thursday night, Friday all day, and Saturday morning. The guest conductor, Dr. Bowers, was from University of Central Florida. She flew in to conduct the Junior choir. The kids got lots of choral instruction. They were making the music "sing."

Yesterday, was the big concert. It was amazing. The music was wonderful. I was so proud, of course! Our seats weren't the best. They were looking great as Pumpkin came in. Then, a tall girl blocked our view. I had no choice but to focus on the music. It was full of expression, lots of dynamics and lots of pride. It was so refreshing all the kids taking pride in singing.

The first song was O Music by Lowell Mason. The choir did sing the praises of the music. It was well done.
The second song was Laudate Dominum by Sherri Porterfield. It was my favorite. This was probably the hardest piece and the fact that is was in Latin did not help. I have a thing for Latin music and it was beautiful. Their voices were so pure.
The third and forth songs were Till the Walls Come Down by Lon Beery and Dona Nobis Pacem by Giulio Caccini, respectively. The boys sang the third song and the girls sang the forth. Pumpkin had to quickly learn Till the Walls Come Down as his voice is an Alto II and they weren't singing. The conductor wanted all the boys to sing together.
The fifth song was Alleluia Round by William Boyce. It was gorgeous. You wanted to join in and sing Alleluia with them.
The sixth song was Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen arranged by Ruth Elaine Schram.
And, they finished with Brothers, Sisters, Join Hands by Earlene Rentz. It was very poignant. The message was for peace and for all to get along.

The only complaint was the hosting school's A/C was not functioning. Apparently, it is antiquated and when the temps outside cool down, they shut the system off. It was about 70 degrees on Saturday. It was hot on the stage. A couple kids sat down and one senior singer left the stage. My heart went out to the kids. They have worked so hard learning the music and it ended up being very hot! I am sure they will work that kink out for next year.

Pumpkin appreciated having the opportunity to participate and will audition next year. It has brought the music out in him. And, we are grateful. He was singing before he could speak and we pray the desire to sing keeps burning bright!



Before the concert sitting in the cafeteria getting ready to line up.


On the stage and ready to begin.

The group of singers from his middle school.

The group of singers from his middle school with his conductor. We are extremely grateful for all she did.

The Senior Honor Choir performed afterwards. They were conducted by Dr. Philip L. Copeland from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He was wonderful. He's added his comments on the performance on his blog. Their music was more challenging - as you would expect. I was just amazed by the maturity of the voices in just a few short years when you compare the two choirs. One piece they sang was In Remembrance by Jeffrey L. Ames and I thought of my niece and husband who continue to grieve the stillborn birth of their baby boy. It was quite moving.

Many More To Go!

I feel like I am hunkered down on a mission. A few weeks ago I was surfing the internet for free easy knitting patterns. As a novice knitter, I can't tackle too much yet. I found a pattern for slippers using three yarns. I had never done anything like that. They looked easy enough. Off to Hobby Lobby I went as all the yarn stores were closed for the weekend. I found the large needles and the brown and blue yarn. These slippers are so much fun! I had to order the dpns in the large size. I went back to the store buying some sale yarn and I scrounged through all my supplies to round up all the needles I have. I was able to keep knitting until the dpns arrived. I am intrigued by end result of mixing the yarn.

Today I finished my first pair of slippers. I am going to embellish them with a button or two from my Grandma's button box. Surprisingly, they turned out pretty good given the variability of my stitches and tension. I have lots more work to do as these will be my "happy" gifts this year! I hope everyone has the same size feet as me! Gotta get back to it. There are only 41 days 'til Santa comes knocking!!!

And, for those of you who are lucky enough to receive a pair. I apologize that you are getting a sneak preview!

Oh! Fall!

The colors are peaking here. I have a wonderful view of the maple trees outside my front door. The color of the leaves is gorgeous! I snapped this shot as the sun was starting to set. The shades of red and pink were just dancing around the tree. It was amazing!

They will be gone quickly. Lots of leaves fell through the night covering the ground below.

Tunica, Mississippi

On Friday afternoon, my son, a fellow swimmer and I made the trek to Tunica, Mississippi. But, not for the reason most folks go to Tunica. We were headed for a swim meet at the Tunica Aquatic Center. All that gambling money funded a beautiful swimming pool with a diving pit. The unfortunate thing is that Tunica is out in the middle of nowhere and the facility just doesn't get used the way it should. We'd love to have a pool like that in our community.

Anyway, we were driving down the road as the sun was setting over the Mississippi River. You can't see the river, but the sun was gorgeous - as well as the sunset. My son snapped this photo from the car. He tried to take some more minus the power lines, but one was blurry and another one had a truck in the way. This is delta country. The land is very flat harvesting lots of cotton. In the median and on the shoulders, there were clumps of cotton as if it blew off the bushes.

The beautiful sunset caught me for just a minute and took me away from all the demands of the day. In just minutes, it was dark and the night continued on...

An OSU fan in Tennessee Territory

Peanut is a big time OSU fan! It doesn't hurt that two of his cousins went there and that they are playing very well.

On Sunday, I broke down and bought him new running shoes. We stopped in a few local stores, but he could not find what he wanted. I was not about to give in to Nike Shocs - his real desire. So, we started searching the internet. We found some he liked at Kids Foot Locker. I decided to give it a shot and order them online. He needed new basketball shoes too. We added them to the cart. As I hit the purchase button, I was pretty confident I'd have to go back to the store to exchange the shoes for a different size.

Guess what? The shoes came in the mail yesterday. And, both pairs fit! I could not believe it. He has growing room and he says they feel comfortable.

His new running shoes are scarlet and grey - right in line with his fondness for OSU. He knew right away what he was going to wear today. As you can see, it all supports the Buckeye's even his red band on his braces. We walked to school today with Buddy and he did not complain about the new shoes at all. I think he was excited to show them off.




I am not sure who OSU plays this weekend, but I know what shoes one little guy will have on!

Wildlife in Suburbia

When we moved here seven years ago, the trees were just becoming trees. Now, the trees in the neighborhood are becoming fairly good size. We need the shade in the summer. And, we get to really enjoy the colors in the fall. With the growth of the trees comes other critters. The other morning, I was walking down the hall and outside the transom window on the gutter a squirrel stared right at me. He or she did not move for quite some time like I had caught it in the middle of something. I was trying to figure out what it was doing and IF it was causing our roof or house any harm. He stayed long enough for me to snap one photo. When I opened the door to get a bit closer, he scurried up the roof!

Eight Days Ago

I've been trying some knitting projects and haven't been posting much. I have to perfect my knitting skills - those of knitting and ripping out.

But, a friend just emailed these photos and I decided to post them. I can't believe Halloween is history. All the good candy (lost of yucky stuff remains) is just about gone and we are moving rapidly toward the big Turkey day.

Here are the boys and a neighbor before trick or treating.

Here are some neighborhood kids getting antsy to get the show on the road.

The two dads and I waiting for it to all get started. The dads walked with the younger kids. I went home to hand out the candy. I pulled out my orange LLBean jacket I've had for years. It is the perfect jacket for Halloween, but not the best if you are a Vandy fan in Tennessee country!

My Fairy

This is interesting...I've never had too much interest in fairies. But, a friend of mine suggested I take venture to this site to find out my fairy's name. My results are as follows:

Your fairy is called Fire Elfglow

She is a cheerful sprite.

She lives where fireflies mate and breed.

She is only seen in the light of a full moon.

Her dresses glow with fiery colours. She has delicate green wings like a cicada.

Get your own fairy name here!

Okay. I am not too sure about the mate and breed thing. What does that mean? I'll have to ponder that one.
I don't naturally migrate to bold colors. Perhaps, there is an inner self in me trying to get out and wants me to wear the flashy stuff! I am relieved to hear she has green wings. I love the color green. I am not particularly fond of cicadas, those bugs that make their appearance every 17 years. The analytical part of me keyed in my maiden name too. The results were very similar only changing the when the fairy is seen. The results must be very dependent on the first name. I may have to go back and try my nickname...

Race for Education - Post Script

How could I forget?

We were sitting down after the end of the race just hanging out. I looked over and there was a dog with sort of long apricot colored hair. He looked strikingly familiar. I went over to the owner and asked if the dog was a labradoodle. Sure enough! He was not only a labradoodle, but he was our dog's brother!!! I am not sure you refer to dogs as siblings. But, they both came from the same litter. I wish I would have thought to take a picture for comparison. We did exchange phone numbers and hope to meet at a park with the dogs. I will remember to take pictures if we do that. Amazing, huh? The dogs came from a breeder in Little Rock about two hours away. They have ended up living about 5 miles apart.

This world is just so small!

Race for Education

Yesterday my younger son, Peanut, and my husband, Joe Bob, ran in a 5K. The proceeds benefit the public school district and the individual schools the children attend. My older son, Pumpkin, volunteered at the water table. He needs community service hours for the Jr. Beta club.

The weather was gorgeous and the route is very flat. Based on Peanut's stellar performance two weekends ago, we had high expectations. I expected more people. But, I guess there are lots of things vying for time on a Sunday afternoon.

Peanut and Joe Bob started off strong. I walked to my place near the finish in the shade. I got this one action shot. It is from pretty far away. At this point, Peanut started his "break-away" from Dad. Peanut ran a little bit further. I glanced down and he had stopped running. I picked up my pace to go cheer him on to the finish. Little did I know we were going to see his pb&j AGAIN!!!! Joe Bob was right there consoling him - which he really did not need. As soon as he was done, he stood right up and ran full out to the finsh line. I've learned this is quite common at races. I found it to be disgusting. Those things make me nervous. I did maintain control. Once I saw that Peanut was okay, I was relieved. To top it all off, he a personal best time. We waited around for the prize drawings, but we weren't lucky. Peanut was starving! He ate all the free food they had to offer coming home and eating dinner too! I was just impressed that he did finish. I think I would have sat down and cried!


Peanut and Joe Bob resting after the finish of the race.

We hope this doesn't prevent him from wanting to do this again. He is a talented little runner. We are going to stick with 5Ks that start first thing in the morning. Then, there is no question as to whether you eat or not! I was a softie last night and caved into his request for new running shoes - anything to keep the interest alive. We tried something different and ordered them online. I will be surprised if they fit!

Happy Birthday, Beth!

Happy Birthday, to you!

I think the picture was from a classroom. The camera was not sophisticated enough to document the date.

We are thinking about you today.
May your year be Blessed!
Thanks for the friendship and the person you are!
Love and Birthday Wishes from afar!

Robert W. Merritt

Today would have been my dad's birthday.

My husband always laughed when my dad looked at someone and said, "Well! There is an individual thinkier!" As my dad aged, he mellowed seeing the good in all people. I tried to scan some more pictures of him in, but the I am having technical difficulties and not lots of time. So, I thought I'd list a few folk that I saw today who were individual thinkers. Sometimes, I wonder if when I see these unique people if my dad is indirectly talking to me telling me to love ALL of God's people ~

My younger son got the first award. It was cold on the way to school. We just HAVE to bike. He wore a balaclava over his helmet to stay warm. The funny thing is he was wearing cargo shorts!

The neighbors have lots of drivers. They don't park their cars in the driveway but out on the street across from our driveway. It can make it a bit cumbersome to get out. I guess they want to keep us on our toes and not hit their cars on the way out.

I had to take the Pilot in for service. The Honda salesmen were huddled outside waiting for the next "guest" interested in buying a car. i had to smile because it was chilly outside. The salesmen without a coat did not dare show that they were cold. If you are immune to cold weather, does that make you a better car salesman?

The high school just got out of school and there were cars all over the place. It appeared like total chaos. Parents were slowing down for their kids to hop in. Again, this is the way of the individual thinker. Traffic gets worse. But, the kid gets in and doesn't have to ride the bus or wait in the pick up line. Go Figure!

I am all in favor of thinking out of the box. I just have the hardest time when it is my own two boys trying to think OUTSIDE MY box! I appreciate the perspective my dad gave me. Thanks, dad! Keep pointing them out and tapping me on the shoulder from heaven!

Happy Birthday, Joyce!

Today is my sister-in-law's birthday. Happy Birthday, Joyce!

I have been thinking about her all day. I find that it is no coincidence that Joyce was born on the holy day, All Saint's Day. I have always thought there was something special about this sister-in-law of mine. She is an amazing listener. She takes the time to appreciate people for all that they are worth. She is a massage therapist. In addition to healing people with her hands, she is able to heal people with her words. She is a very talented care giver. She is a wonderful wife (I think my brother would second that!) and a very loving mom. She has relationships with her daughter, son-in-law and son that are amazing. I can only pray that my relationships with my boys end up that way!

Today, our priest spoke of saints and how they lived the Beatitudes. I don't have the power to declare a Saint (Joyce, if you do become a Saint, I'll need all the help I can get!) but Joyce is one person, I think, that incorporates the Beatitudes into her daily life. Our priest mentioned that living that way is not easy. In August, Joyce's grandson was delivered as a stillborn. She not only had to grieve a grandson, but help her daughter and son-in-law grieve the loss of their first child. She is the supporter. Fortunately, she has lots of support for when she needs it. These past few months have not been easy and the road to recovery will be long. The Beatitude, Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted, rings out for Joyce. I didn't mean to make this birthday wish so serious. Please forgive me!

May this year ahead be filled with healing and comfort. We love you and send Birthday Wishes from afar!!!


Joyce with her son and daughter.

Halloween Summary

The night of trick-or-treating was a success! I felt good about it because we guessed right on bags of candy. The weather was beautiful and fun was had by all.

My socks were festive. Not many folks saw them except for when I was on my bike picking up my son from school. I had to roll my jeans up so the pant's leg would not get caught in the chain. My younger son had some fancy socks on too. But, mine took the prize - candy?

The boys were playing football in the yard right up until it was time to go. Thank goodness the costume prep was minimal! It was nice that we did not have the time change yet. It did seemed like we weren't so rushed as there was a bit more light out. My older son went off with a neighbor boy. They had a goal to canvas the entire neighborhood. I think they did as he brought back lots of candy. My younger son stayed with a group and parents. They went pretty far too. Everyone was tired when they came home.

Here is all the candy. You gotta love a dog that doesn't go after the candy. He walked around and got in the boys' faces, but did not find much of interest. We are so goofy. We separate is by type trying to judge what is most popular. Then, the candy gets put into bowls divided up by chocolate and other. Normally, the lollipops get put into a bag. I don't think that happened last night. We did take an inventory trying to incorporate some math with the sugar high. Can you say boring? I briefly thought about having my older son calculate all the calories, but why take the fun out of it? The following details their treats:
Lollipops 37, Reeses Peanut Butter Cups 25, Kit Kats 15, M&Ms 25, Hershey's 10, Snickers 18, 3 Musketeers 5, Tootsie Rolls 23(minus a few already this morning!), Baby Ruth 4, Almond Joy 5(those will go to Grandpa), Twix 5, Whoppers 9, Butterfinger 9, Neslte Crunch 5, Milky Way 2, Kissables 2, Heath 2, Krackel 1, Rolo 1, Milk Duds 4, Kisses 4, Twizzlers 19, Skittles 8, Smarties 22, Nerds 13, Candy Corn 4, Starburst 12, Mike & Ike 6, Jolly Ranchers 14, Now or Later 9, Cheetos 2, Laffy Taffy 6, Peanut Butter Taffy 16, Gummi 8, gum 10 and fruit snacks.

It is amazing with all that candy in front of us, it just doesn't look that appealing. My weakness is Tootsie Rolls. I tried some tiny ones and they were hard. I guess I've turned into a TR snob only liking certain ones!

I am sure we will have candy for a few days. But, I know the boys will be excited to come home from school today, look it all over and grab a few!