Shaving

No more peach fuzz for Pumpkin.

He'll kill me when he reads this, but I wanted to document it.

My boy is becoming a man...

Christmas 2010

We kept our tradition alive.

We went to sleep last night and woke up this morning for our Christmas.

Here's the tree before while the boys walked the puppy dog.

My mantle was a bit different this year. I added garland with lights. It was lovely to have on in the evenings. I think I'll do it again next year.

Puppy dog even got dressed for the occassion! He doesn't even bother the candy.

Wahoo! Go Ducks!

A Bike! This one is big enough for Pumpkin! We are considering the GOBA ride this summer. I am the wimp and need to rise to the challenge. I want to do it but am afraid I'd end up with too many aches and pains. Oh! Yeah! One other minor detail is that I need a road bike.

This is one of the treats we got Buddy. It is a five foot long rope good for flossing. He went to town.

The boys got a Kinect. I am proud to say that I am the bowling champ. Go figure that one.

The much requested sweatshirt is finally Pumpkin's. He's talking about going to school there. We'll see.

The Big Guy's surprise. He wakes up really happy. He's known for saying to all of us grumps, "get your butt, get your butt out of bed." The iPad is personalized with "get your butt ON the iPad." He was thrilled and is working on getting it all set up.

I was floored. There was a gift under the tree for me from David. He ordered it from a jewelry store he frequented in PA (back in the double income days.) He worked with a designer from afar and ended up with this opal. The picture doesn't do it justice. I love how it changes color in the light.

We are having a great day playing with our toys. There are snow showers outside. It is gorgeous, but not amounting to anything. We'll have our shrimp and grits for dinner. A Merry Christmas For All!

Christmas Eve 2010

I only snapped a few photos on Christmas Eve.

My brothers~

My VanDeren family~


We drove up to Cincinnati on the 23rd. What a great tool the iPhone is. We googled Skyline and took a detour in Louisville for a coney for dinner. Yum! There was snow on the ground and it was pretty cold when we got to Cincinnati. Pumpkin forgot his tennis shoes. He is an official Southerner. He walked around up there in slippers or loafers w/o socks!

On the morning of the 24th, we went to Jungle Jim's. I enjoy seeing ALL the stuff there. We bought a few treats for the puppy dog and some fresh baked pretzel bread that came in handy on our ride back to TN. I could spend hours wandering around up there. They added kitchen supply stuff. It is amazing!

We headed to my brother's for the annual Christmas Eve dinner and then to mom's for the presents. It all went by too fast. David got a Table Top Cornhole with Vanderbilt decals. It is adorable. I got a new knitting bag with a magazine and a gc for a local yarn shop. I can't wait to start a new project!

On the 25th, the boys went to mass at the church where David and I were married. For some reason, I had not slept well and my stomach was hurting. I opted to stay home. I was sad, but felt that it was for the best.

We weren't sure about the impending weather for our drive back to Collierville. There was snow in KY and TN. We normally leave very late at night and get home in the wee hours of the morning. We figured black ice would be an issue late at night. I was okay with staying an extra day. But, my boys would not have any of that! Their presents were waiting for them at home. We ended up leaving Cincinnati at about 12pm. There was snow, snow showers, and lots of uneventful driving. We were grateful. We ordered Chinese when we got home and made the best of it.

It was great to see my family. The best part is just hanging out. I am grateful that my boys accommodate me and go with the flow. It was also great to be home safe and sound. There is no place like home!

Present...To Me...From Me

The boots on the right are now mine!

I ordered them from Sahalie. They ran a holiday sale and I just could not resist. It is so tough during the holidays to only buy things for others. Don't you agree?



These boots are the most comfortable things. Our climate is not that harsh. I think the midrise Bogs will do. If you need some new boots, I recommend these. They are amazing - even if the Big Guy thinks they are the ugliest boots he's ever seen!!

Nikko Christmastime

Many years ago, my sister gave me her Nikko Christmastime collection of china. I've added a few pieces to it. After Thanksgiving, we pull it out to use it as our everyday china. It is subtle tradition, but one I look forward to each year. In 1999, I started buying the annual plate to add to the collection. Some years I buy it ahead of time. Some years, I've found the plate on clearance after Christmas. This year I stopped in Dillard's with the hopes of buying and using it. Our local store was sold out. This morning I logged on to replacements.com and clicked away.

I ordered this one with Pumpkin in mind as this was the year he was born.

I ordered this one with Peanut in mind as this was the year he was born.

In addition, I ordered the plate for 2010. It is not one of my favorites, but felt compelled to keep up the tradition. The plate is titled, FIrst Noel. It kind of makes me feel old as our First Noel with Pumpkin was 15 years ago!!

I checked to box wishing to receive the plates by Christmas. It'd be fun for the boys to eat our Christmas dinner on "their" plates. We'll see if the delivery guy can accomplish that task.

Away in the Manager...

My mom's only outside Christmas decoration.

It was made by my brother more than a handful of years ago. We put it up for her when we were home this weekend.

Simple. Beautiful!

Slippers for the Retiree!

My brother, Rick, retired! His last day was last week. Officially, he is done on 11/30. He's worked for P&G for 33 years! He is excited to pursue this next chapter of his life. He is very fortunate to get this opportunity to try a few new things.

We made a quick trip to Cincinnati for his retirement party.

Here the boys are in the car on the way to Cincinnati. Puppers was the best four-legged traveler. Thank goodness for pretzels. They seem to make any roadtrip better:)

The retirement party was at Dave & Busters. It was wonderful. They did a great job. My boys got their fix of playing pool. It was so nice to see some of my family. The time is always too short, but I did enjoy the time we had.

I struggled with a gift and decided to make slippers. So, here's another pair of felted slippers. They are fun to make.

I used my mom's washing machine and they felted up great.

I don't know if they fit, but hope they do!

We are so happy for Rick & Joyce. We are crossing our fingers he finds some free time to help us with some projects here in Memphis!!

Thanksgiving 2010

The Big Guy and Peanut kept the tradition and ran in the Turkey Trot 4 miler. It was raining and really windy. When the race started, the rain stopped but the wind kept blowing. Here they are before the race right when we got out of the car to brave the elements.

I only had my iphone which was on its last bit of battery life. I played with the photos to make them a bit better. The Big Guy said that they both look like they just woke up.

We missed having Pumpkin with us. He was at swim practice.

The route was a bit different this year. The first two miles were literally all uphill. The wind did not help things. And, I listened to the boys and brought Buddy with me. He was a great puppy dog. He was smart enough to turn his head out of the wind.

Here he sat waiting for the results to be posted.

After the run, we headed home to clean up. My inlaws hosted a wonderful turkey dinner. I brought the standard strawberry pretzel salad. The meal was yummy and we enjoyed seeing family. The Big Guy snapped this picture with his new Blackberry.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

I am still contemplating waking up early to do a little shopping. Then, we are driving, driving, driving to Cincinnati for a quick trip home.

My Closet

This past summer (I am embarrassed to say it was that long ago) when we came home from Cincinnati, my clothes were on the floor. The wire shelving just wore out and fell from the wall.

A couple weekends ago, the Big Guy got inspired. I cleaned it all out, he patched and got to work painting it.

I tried to reuse as much of the shelving as I could. However, the systems were updated and not exactly a perfect fit.

Today I got everything back into the closet. The clothes are not arranged by color, but they are arranged in a very user friendly way.

Peanut told me that I have too many shoes. You can never have too many. Can you?

Here's the new closet. I faded the photo colors as the pink robe dominated every photo.

Unlike the Big Guy who has an armoire in our bedroom, most of my clothes are in the closet. I might add wire shelf dividers on the shelves to keep the folded clothes upright.

I put my big felted bag to use holding my swimsuits until summer.


What a pleasure to walk into my closet! The Big Guy thought it looked great. He walked away thinking I did not have that many clothes after all. I, on the other hand, felt like my stash of clothes is a bit excessive.

I'm inspired to tackle the bathroom. We want to try doing it ourselves. It, though, may take some time...

The Big Guy's Office

Walls at the Big Guy's office:

The classic picture of the sunflowers from the Tour de France.
His diplomas and a picture that used to hang in my office. The picture made me a bit melancholy.
The jersey (converted into a bag) he wore when he had his bike crash more than 5 years ago.
A medley of pictures including a wedding photo that makes me feel quite old!
A Giro helmet ad and a cross-stitch designed by me. It was one of the first gifts I gave to him.
A globe, a gift for a service anniversary.

180K and Counting!

We passed 180,000 miles this weekend!

It was a bit of a challenge to get the shot. The Big Guy snapped away while I was "flying" down the highway.

I had to use the antique effect in iPhoto - figuring it was only appropriate.

Volvo for life???

Race For Education 2010

The weather was gorgeous yesterday making for the perfect day for a run.

My boys all ran in the Race for Education. It benefits the Shelby County public schools. They had a new venue for it this year. Albeit farther from home, the location was great.

There was some smack talking going on before the run. Peanut is an experienced runner and thoroughly loves it. Pumpkin is an experienced swimmer and is running for the cause. It did not stop him from talking it up with his bro'.

One of Peanut's soccer team mates was there too. He hung with him for a bit and then was off! Pumpkin beat Peanut to the mile marker, but could not hang with his younger brother any longer. Actually, Pumpkin's knee started hurting (can't take a swimmer out of the pool!)

Not the best picture, but one of Peanut crossing the finish line. He took second to a classmate of his. He ran a great race, a personal best!

The Big Guy ran a fast one too. He said that he felt great.

Pumpkin finished. His knee was bothering him. Fortunately, it seems to be okay this morning. Whew! He's got some swim meets coming up and that knee is pretty important in breaststroke.

We stuck around for the awards. Pumpkin won an itunes gift card in the raffle and the Big Guy won a gift certificate to Red Lobster (he's never been but can use it at the family of restaurants.) We were pretty lucky:)

It seemed like the participation was pretty good. The money benefits the fine arts and "extras" at the schools. Every little bit helps!

Slippers for Peanut

Just in time for the colder weather...



He wanted each one to be different, but still black and gold. We are patiently waiting for basketball season when it gets a bit easier to be a Vandy fan!

I made the Women's large, narrow version using Lamb's Pride bulky. They felted perfectly thanks to my friend, Linda, and her washing machine. Our low water washing machine just doesn't felt like the regular washing machines do!

Knitting...

I get asked on a daily basis if I am done knitting Peanut's slippers.

He's changing it up a bit. Each slipper is going to be opposite of each other.

Black and Gold are the colors! Go 'Dores!

I'm on the black slipper. It's a bit more of a challenge knitting with the dark color.

Back to it...

GWU Patriots Stocking Cap

Just in time for the colder weather...

a belated graduation gift for our nephew.

Knit using Karabella 8 and lined with a band of fleece.

Hope he wears it with pride a George Washington University!

Happy Halloween 2010

Happy Halloween!

This year we kept the decorations simple. As a matter of fact, we did not have any decorations until this afternoon.

Good use of our grass/leaf clippings, heh?

The spray paint squirted every where out of the can. I was afraid I was going to have a flourescent finger!

Pumpkin is at home with us handing out candy. Peanut went to a friend's house. They are going to go out and hit the neighborhoods. We'll look for him.

We recycled a costume. Pumpkin wore this in 8th grade. Peanut is only in 6th. Is he a chick magnet or what? We are still pretty safe as he doesn't want anything to do with girls!


An advantage of having only one child go out is that we don't have as much candy in the house. I am already thinking about a 100 grand, or an airhead, or a tootsie roll...

Peanut got 5 pounds! In all that candy there were only two mini 100 grands and no airheads. There are about a dozen midget tootsie rolls with my name on them. What is it with chewy candy?!?

Mystery Sock KAL

I DID IT!!!

My socks are finished. I am so excited to have a pair of handknit socks just for me!

I participated in the Mystery Sock KAL hosted by Kirsten Kapur. This pattern exposed me to new stitches. I did my very first cable stitches. I am so grateful to Kirsten for hosting this and sharing a free pattern. It was inspirational and motivational!!

I have not blocked the socks, yet. It may have to wait. These will be perfect for Halloween. Don't you think?

I knit the socks in a 75% Superwash Merino Wool/25% Nylon in fingerling weight. I bought the yarn on http://www.etsy.com/index.php from Cantrix. The colorway is Flame. The yarn is lovely! I love the semi-solid color.

I am thinking I just might cast on for the mate of the sock from the 2009 KAL...

Fall Break 2010

We had a fabulous week last week. We stayed close to home just hangin'.

• Peanut and the Big Guy went to a soccer tournament in Jonesboro, AR. Coach pulled Peanut's team off the field. The other team was playing "let's get someone hurt" ball. It was not quality soccer.
• Pumpkin and I shopped the used car lots. We haven't found anything - yet.
• We played Corn Hole. I need lots more practice.
• Peanut got his Learner's Permit.
• We enjoyed a yummy late lunch at Uncle Lou's. Peanut declared his burger one of the best ever!
• We ventured in to the Nike Clearance Outlet and come home with new soccer cleats. The smelly ones were immediately tossed.
• We road our bikes on the Wolf River Trail. I summoned the courage to ride the man-made ravines.
• We enjoyed another yummy lunch at Trolley Stop Market. Peanut declared his burger just about as good as the best ever.
• I made lots of progress on my pair of socks for the Mystery Socktoberfest KAL. I just might have a fancy pair of socks by the beginning of November.
• Pumpkin got contacts!
• Peanut got some jeans just in time for the weather to warm up!
• Pumpkin, Peanut and I took our bikes to Shelby Farms. We rode the Greenline with a late breakfast stop at Republic Coffee. We may have started something. Peanut had an iced coffee and liked it.
• We ran misc errands including signing Peanut up for basketball.
• The Big Guy took Peanut and some friend to the haunted corn maze.
• We finished the week off with another soccer tournament.
• We watched City Island and Blindside -- along with lots of football in between!

We are off and running into this new week. But, before we know it we'll be off to enjoy some turkey!!

Driving?!?

They were off to get Pumpkin's learner's permit.

It took three hours. The lines were long and the process was "painful." Pumpkin got his permit! We've driven in a parking lot and are working up to the actual roads!

Corn Hole

The Big Guy got a Corn Hole game for his birthday. His mom and dad made it. I know this game is all over the MIdwest. But, we have not seen too much of it down here. We played it over the 4th of July and knew it would be something we'd enjoy.

It's become a nightly challenge - if we can work it in.




This one went in!

It is lots of fun and we are enjoying the family time!

Happy Birthday, Big Guy!

This is one of those low key birthdays. Are we even keep track anymore???

I was so impressed with Pumpkin. He made this banner and put it up before the Big Guy came out of the bedroom this morning. There is some compassion deep down in this teenager. His handwriting is so sloppy. The Big Guy was shocked when he found out Pumpkin did it all himself.

We have one of those evenings shuttling the boys ending with Peanut's soccer game. I made a birthday dinner of black beans and rice, kiwi, and carrots. We'll get to eat it in stages. For dessert, we have a white cake with homemade chocolate icing. We'll decorate that with candles and see if the Big Guy's lungs can blow them out!

Happy Happy, My Sweetie!!

LUVMUD2010

This weekend, Memphis hosted the first LUVMUD2010. It was a 5k of an original kind! The boys were excited to participate. The proceeds benefited a worthy cause, Habitat for Hope.

We left Pumpkin's swim meet to get to the run. We were there a bit early. There were lots of folks in costumes. Amazing! It was so hot outside. I was surprised so many stayed in costume and braved the heat. We found a spot with a/c and hung out for a bit.

They started the race in waves. Here the guys are waiting for the race to start.

Pumpkin and Peanut were a two man team. I was so proud of them. They stayed together throughout the run. There were six obstacles spread through the 5k. The last obstacle was a 50ft. mud pit. Pumpkin used those strong arms to pull him through the mud. What a mess!

Peanut was right there too! He was their team leader and headed to the tables to sign in their finish.

The Big Guy ran as an individual, but tried to stay with the boys. The heat and hills took their toll on him. But, he made it! Who knew mud could be refreshing?!?

I did not want to get anywhere near them!

They coined this one the mud tan. Needless to say, two pairs of shoes were added to the trash.

The fire department brought their truck and helped with the clean up. They built a hose manifold. Race participants got to hose themselves off. They went from hot to showering with cold water!

The Big Guy was helping Peanut get the mud off!

Fun was had by all. The boys are waiting for official pictures to be posted. And, they are excited to do it again next year!!