The Daily Adventures of FourEds

Our New Addition

2011-05-09T20:53:00.001-04:00

We are alive and well......and always busy.

This is one reason we've been so occupied.

Is he not adorable?

This is Snickers. He is our daughter's new Yorkie-poo and is 7 weeks old.

He is 1 1/2 pounds of trouble, let me tell you.

At first he had some health issues but after a weekend of hourly feedings and medicine, I'm happy to report that Snickers is doing great.

He's running around here jumping and growling at our feet.

Hopefully I'll get back to regular posting - I miss it so much.

Hope everyone is having a great Spring so far!

Beaufort, South Carolina

2011-03-28T22:35:00.000-04:00

This past weekend my daughter had her final gymnastics meet of this competition season. I'm sort of relieved but it is a lot of fun so I will miss it (til next October). Her State Meet this year was held on Parris Island - that's right, THE Parris Island......where they make Marines.

We drove down on Saturday and stayed in Beaufort. Such a nice little town. I wish we would've had more time to sightsee and explore.

Take a look around at what we did get out and see....

Me & my girl enjoying the beautiful day.

These girls are all teammates & they had a ton of fun.

I have to admit that my favorite part of the weekend was watching all of her hard work pay off.

She came in 1st place on Beam and Floor and finished 3rd place All Around.

Great job, G!! We're very proud of you.

My once a month post

2011-03-15T12:49:00.000-04:00

I guess if you're still reading my blog, you can tell I've sort of lost my blogging mojo.

It's hard work to post frequently - especially if you're into nesting blogs where you constantly have to come up with projects to post about.

So....I've stopped worrying about it & started enjoying other things.

Here's what we've been up to over the last month:

(Somehow the pictures got all out of order but it doesn't really matter)

More baseball....

The UGA / Michigan meet in Athens, GA - so fun.

More baseball.....

Gymnastics competitions in Charleston and Athens, GA.

Gotta love SC in February!

Congrats G!! Great job.

We have definitely been busy and are enjoying the nice weather we've been having.

Hope you're doing well also.

I'm so excited!!

2011-02-16T20:06:00.000-05:00

Look what's starting again.......

That must mean Spring Time is on it's way!! Yay!!

Spring's on it's way....

2011-02-14T11:33:00.000-05:00

This past weekend was beautiful in South Carolina. It did get a bit windy on Sunday afternoon but I'll still take it. This week promises to put me in a Spring Fever kinda mood that is sure to be ruined by another bout with snow and ice but for now - we're loving it.

G had a friend staying over so we headed to the park.

What a great time they had. They finished it off with ice cream.

Ah, to be a kid again.

Hope the weather's looking "spring like" where you are.

Tiger Paw 2011

2011-02-08T12:38:00.000-05:00

As some of you may know, we are a gymnastics and baseball family. Well, baseball's just getting warmed up for a new season but gymnastics will be coming to an end at the end of March, so we are in full competition mode around here.

Last weekend G had a big meet down at Clemson University. We always look forward to Tiger Paw and the girls have a blast.

Here are a few pictures from the days festivities.

What a fun time they had.

Thanks for sharing our day.

More Snow.....really??

2011-01-10T19:25:00.002-05:00

Am I in South Carolina or not? We have been getting so much snow lately that I'm a bit confused.

Take a look at what we woke up to this morning:

.....and man is it COLD! Do you have snow at your house?

Christmas Day 2010

2010-12-26T12:16:00.001-05:00

Wow. What a day. We had a very blessed Christmas and I hope that you did as well.

We've actually got snow on the ground in South Carolina for Christmas, if you can believe that.
It's beautiful. Cold. But beautiful.

Here are some pictures from the last couple of days.

We're enjoying our Winter Wonderland.

Enjoy the rest of your break.

The Grove Park Inn at Christmas

2010-12-24T07:52:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas to you and yours. I hope this finds you enjoying this festive time with your friends and families. We're almost ready for the big day and Mimi has arrived to celebrate with us.

Yesterday, G and I took a girls trip with some friends up to Asheville, NC to see the Grove Park Inn's National Gingerbread Challenge entries. It is always beautiful there but decked out for Christmas was even better.

Come along, won't you?

The girls actually got to decorate gingerbread cookies with a pastry chef from the resort.

They had a ball.

Then it was on to see the gingerbread creations. The winners had already been taken to NY so we didn't get to see those, but I can only imagine - we thought the ones left behind were beautiful.

Here is the back of the Inn. I think I'd spend all my time down by the fireplace with a nice hot cup of cocoa.

Hope you enjoyed coming along with us. If you ever get to see this beautiful Resort, please do so. It's a very special place.

Hope your Christmas Eve is Merry!

Our MVP

2010-12-14T13:33:00.000-05:00

Hey there. Hope you're enjoying this festive time of year. I don't know about where you are but in South Carolina it is FREEZING!! I have to remind myself that I am indeed still in the South & not stranded in Upstate New York somewhere.

Well, we've been busy as always & one of the special events we've had going on was our son's baseball banquet. Travel ball is over for the year (finally) and the coaches decided to have our banquet at a local church so we could have our dinner, socialize, watch the slideshow & socialize some more without being rushed.

I must say, it was a very nice evening. They worked really hard on the food & there was a ton of it. We had our share of work to do to get ready - I took some of my favorite pictures from the season & had them made into 16x20 posters for the boys to take home and I made collages for the coaches. They turned out great & the boys (and parents) loved them more than trophies.

Later during the evening the coaches gave speeches and then handed out a couple of awards. We were so proud when B was announced as the MVP for the team! He truely loves baseball & it's nice to show him that hard work and dedication really pays off. I have to brag on my other "son" as well. P won the Hustle Award for the year & that was well deserved also. Those boys are like brothers & it was a good night for them both.

Here are some pictures from our evening & a special thanks goes out to Daddy for the wonderful slideshow presentation - great job.

P winning his Hustle Award.

B winning his MVP award.

Daddy giving a little speech.

It was a fun night & now we're ready for the Spring season to begin.

Gingerbread Time

2010-12-09T15:22:00.000-05:00

My kids wanted to tackle making gingerbread houses this year, so while we were at the stores shopping for gifts we picked up a couple of kits.

I must say that these kits make it much easier than it would be if I had to make everything from scratch - mine would never even stand up, I'm sure.

Here are some pics of how their project went....

One small problem - a caved in roof. Oops - better fix that.

They turned out pretty cute, I must say.

I have thought about some things we can do differently next year - I can't wait. I may even have to have my own house to decorate.

Hope your Christmas season is going great.

Christmas at ReeRee's

2010-12-06T18:56:00.001-05:00

Well, I am glad to be home. We had an extremely busy weekend going to North Carolina for our family Christmas visits of 2010.

I'll start out the recaps with our visit to my Aunt Rita's home in Swansboro, NC. I just love going down to the coast - it is always beautiful no matter what time of year. This year it was freezing but still pretty and I did brave the winds to go outside and snap a few pictures for you.

Here we go.....(picture overload).

The boys room - they have two grandsons & this is where they sleep when visiting.

The bathroom between these two bedrooms.

The other guest bedroom - this one faces the water. Beautiful views.

The landing of the main floor. Her home has three levels and you aren't supposed to have any living areas on the bottom floor in case of floods, however they did include a guest suite down there (which I forgot to photograph).

The stairs that are in the center of the house.

This is looking down on the entrance level - there is a fountain down there & I just love the water sounds.

The breakfast area off the kitchen and living room.

The wet bar.

The dining room.

The views - I know!

The landing on the third floor which is all master suite (ignore my posing daughter).

They have a little coffee area in their bedroom so they don't have to mosey downstairs for a while.

Our hosts posing with my mom. I can't believe all those pictures and I forgot to get a good one of the living area and kitchen. There was just too much going on, I guess. Hope you enjoyed a look around.

I'm off to rest up.

Christmas at Mom's

2010-12-01T07:32:00.001-05:00

In our family, the day after Thanksgiving is reserved for something special. No, not midnight shopping at the mall, but decorating MiMi's house for Christmas.

This year was no different - we even started a little earlier (after our turkey settled).

Take a peek at Mom's house for Christmas.....

I love the simplicity of a green and red wreath.

Miss Mallori checking out the Christmas tree. I think her parents might need a tabletop tree this year.

That's a glimpse - she still had more to do after we left....poinsettia's to buy, lights to replace on garland for mantel, and a few other things, but it was looking very welcoming.

I just love this time of year.

Happy Bday B!!

2010-11-29T07:24:00.001-05:00

I can't believe my first born is 13!!!!!

It seems like yesterday that we brought that 8 pound cute little baby boy home from the hospital.

You have changed and grown so much during these first 13 years, and I can't wait to see what God has in store for you down the road. Stay the same funny, loveable, intelligent young man that you are, keep your focus on the Lord and you will be a success at whatever you want to do.

We are very proud of you and love you with all of our hearts.

Happy Birthday Brayden!!

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-28T07:46:00.000-05:00

It was nice to head back up to North Carolina for the holiday.

We don't go back up there as much as we used to. I guess SC is feeling more like our home now and with the children's busy schedule, there's never really time.

We enjoyed having Thanksgiving with my sister and her husband, my mom and my uncle. The crowd was smaller than usual - hubby couldn't make it and my other sister and her family went to Georgia to visit family down there, but we enjoyed our smaller gathering. It just meant more food for me.

Here are some pictures from our trip:

There's always dancing.

Getting ready to dig-in.

And, there's alway birthday cake. Both of our children are born during this festive time so we just celebrate with the family while we're home.

Enjoyed time just sitting around & talking. I told my mom when I saw her like this that she reminds me of those crazy great-aunts that you see in all the movies.

I always help her decorate before we leave. Here's a sneak peek. I'll have more on this later.

Overall, it was a great and quiet holiday. Hope yours was too.

Now, to get my own Christmas decorations going.

Happy Bday G!

2010-11-27T11:03:00.000-05:00

10 years ago today, we got the surprise of a baby girl.

It is so amazing to watch you grow into a young lady. You change so much every year and I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for you in the next 10 years.

Happy Birthday to you, my sweet drama queen.

I love that she still wants to play with American Girl dolls. Please don't grow up too quickly.

Happy Birthday Gracie - we love you!!

Hittin' the Road

2010-11-24T07:29:00.000-05:00

We're off to my mom's house in North Carolina to celebrate Thanksgiving.

Hubby won't be joining us this trip - work beckons, but he will be enjoying the holiday with some friends and their family. He will be missed.

Hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Enjoy that shopping madness if you get out in it (I don't) and may you find lots of good deals.

I can't wait for all of the delicious food and, of course, the Macy's Christmas Parade. My favorite.

We have so much to be thankful for. May everyone remember the reason for the holiday while we're all gathered around the table.

Safe travels to you and yours.

My Annual Virtual Thanksgiving

2010-11-18T15:34:00.000-05:00

Every now and then I like to throw a little virtual get-together. Since next week is one of my favorite holidays, I figured I'd go ahead and plan out what we would have and how the table would look.

Take a look......

A pretty but casual table setting.

This turkey sure makes a pretty presentation.

Love, love, love asparagus.

This sweet potato casserole looks good but mine never has marshmallows - it's all pecan crunchy goodness.

Now, it's time for dessert. Yum.

I just loved these little pats of butter on the silver trays - adorable.

Now it's time for a nap & some football.

What's on your Thanksgiving menu?

All pictures courtesy of my favorites - Southern Living or Better Homes & Gardens.

My Baby's 10th Bday Party

2010-11-16T07:46:00.000-05:00

10??

Really?

Where does the time go?

It is zooming by at warp speed, I tell you.

Well, she's not officially 10, yet. The official date for that is November 27th, but with all of the Thanksgiving hoopla and the fact that we have every weekend completely booked until December 18th, her friends party had to be this past weekend.

Here are some pictures from all of the ~~chaos~~, I mean fun.

Whew! I'm still recovering. It was a sleepover party (which I vowed last year to never do again). Now I remember why. They had a great time and about 30 minutes of sleep each - I may have had an hour. I happily sent them on their way at 10am and then headed out for a day at the baseball field.

I'm thankful this weekend is over and that G got to make lots of memories with her friends.

Now, if I could just get that teal green nail polish out of my carpet.

Any tips?

It was a rainy day...

2010-11-08T07:25:00.000-05:00

and the hubby was out of town....so, what's a girl to do but break out a paint brush or two?

I was tired of my plain white doors and happened to have a gallon of glossy black out in the garage and....

Voila!

Before and afters:

Front door:

Back door:

Garage door:

My son & I were talking about our house while I was painting and he said that it feels "cold" to him. Well, that's all this mom needs as confirmation that she needs to warm things up with some color. I've been on this neutralizing kick for a while but we just love color, so I'm looking forward to bringing it back.

I just have to make up my mind on which ones to use.

Hope you have a great week.

A busy end to October.

2010-11-02T08:06:00.002-04:00

Hi there. Thanks for still stopping by occasionally.

We're still going full force with hardly any time to rest - maybe that's why I'm sick right now.

Anyhoo - let's take a look at a few things that were going on around here last week, shall we?

1. Babysat for friends - forgot how busy one year old's are.

2. Same day - Daddy's 40th birthday.

3. Baseball tournaments & gymnastics meet at our gym (means lots of work) on the same day.
Gymnastics Scores:
vault 8.00
bars 9.125 (1st place)
beam 9.05 (2nd place)
floor 9.05 (2nd place)
AA 35.225 (2nd place)

4. Took friends kids out trick-or-treating in our neighborhood. I forgot how 1 year olds don't like to be held while running in the streets or have their pictures taken in their cute costumes.

Makes me really appreciate my 9 and 12 year old children.

5. Took daughter to pumpkin painting party at friend's house.

6. Took daughter to scary Halloween party at another friend's house straight from the ball field.

And in between all of the above - we also had to do school and clean the garage.

I'm really tired this week - I wonder why?

Hope November is a little calmer and quieter, but with Thanksgiving and both kids birthdays the week after - I'm guessing it's not.

1st Meet of the Season

2010-10-25T22:16:00.001-04:00

What a busy weekend we had. B had baseball tournaments all weekend long and since they were unplanned and thrown into the schedule at the last minute, we weren't at the last game on Sunday. Why, you ask?
Well, that would be because we had a previous engagement with our daughter at her first gymnastics meet of the new Level 5 season.

She was so excited (and nervous). I also get nervous for her and it goes by so fast that I usually don't take pictures during the actual competition but only during warm-ups.

Here are a few that I was able to get. Those blame gyms are sometimes so dark & icky, for lack of a better term, that the pictures don't always come out very well.

Cute hair (didn't last long)

G's Scores:

Vault: 8.325 (5th pl)

Bars: 8.45 (7th pl)

Beam: 8.525 (7th pl)

Floor: 9.15 (2nd pl)

AA: 34.45 (3rd Place)

Team: 4th Place

What a fun day for her. She's off to a great start and I can't wait to watch her sharpen her skills as the season continues. She'll get another chance to compete this coming weekend with our first home meet.

I'd better start resting up now.

Hope you're having a good week.

Proud to wear Pink

2010-10-20T07:13:00.001-04:00

This past weekend we had another baseball tournament. (I know - what weekend do we NOT have a baseball tournament?)
In support of October being Breast Cancer Awareness month - the boys proudly sported their PINK.
Check it out:

Proud of their PINK nails.

Stylin' with the pink belt.

Rockin' the pink gloves.

Adding pink to the cleats.

Boys, y'all are awesome and we are proud of you showing your support to a great cause.

Why? oh Why?

2010-10-04T08:15:00.001-04:00

I'm on a mission.

What's my mission? you ask?

To find the mysterious, hidden bottle of this delicious treat:

After visting practically EVERY store I pass - it still eludes me.

My daughter is so tired of going through all of the cold sections of the grocery stores. Yesterday she shivered in with me again but we were still unsuccessful.

For now I'm making due with my Cinnamon flavored creamer but I'm not giving up! I've found lots of Peppermint Mocha's & Gingerbread Latte's but none of my fall favorite. I guess everyone just knows how yummy it is.

Pumpkin Pie Spice - you will be mine before long.

Until then - I'll continue the hunt.

It's a little Fallish around here.

2010-09-30T07:04:00.001-04:00

If you've been surfing around in blogland, you've obviously seen everybody's beautifully decorated "Fall Homes".
I love browsing and getting tons of new ideas (that I don't have time to implement in our home). Let's face it - if I tried everything I've seen that I just love, I might have my fall projects completed by Christmas. So, while I don't have any major projects that I've done or any outstanding decorations, it is finally looking & feeling a little like Fall around here now.

As long as our home is warm and inviting, I'm a happy girl.

It's even starting to look a little like Fall outside - do you see those few leaves on the ground?

I've still got to get my mums and pumpkins for the front porch but the mums I planted last year are blooming.

So pretty - I love the color.

Hope you're having a good week & not getting washed away in all of the rain that's been around lately.

I've been baking

2010-09-20T12:01:00.001-04:00

When the cooler weather starts to blow in, I get this urge to head to the kitchen. I just love cooking and baking and Fall is one of my favorite seasons to do it.

The other day I found myself at home long enough to whip up a delicious peach cobbler. I used a recipe I found from Paula Deen (I just love her) and it turned out great.

Yum! It was so good.

We've also been doing a lot of this:

Baseball.....it's as American as ~~apple pie~~ peach cobbler!

Misc. Friday Ramblings

2010-09-10T08:14:00.000-04:00

Hope this post finds you and your family doing well.

We're good and busy - but isn't everyone. Every weekend on our calendar is booked up through the first part of October. I get tired just thinking about it but it's full of fun stuff so I guess it's worth it.

The temperatures have started to fall a little bit here in the Upstate of SC. The mornings and nights are cooler and I'm loving it. It does still warm up during the daytime but at least the humidity is at a bearable level now. I've actually been able to bring out a couple of my Fall items to get me more in the mood.
My throw for the porch and a couple of scented candles.

I need the blanket when I'm out on the porch looking at this:

so beautiful.

The apple orchards up in the mountains of NC are open now and are getting pretty busy. We haven't been able to drive up to pick yet but I did stop by the fruit stand down the street and get some already picked. Can't wait to start baking.

I picked up a few of these beauties too.

That's about all from around here. Hope you have a great weekend - we're spending most of ours at baseball tournaments. Leave me a note & let us know your weekend plans.

Sports Photography

2010-08-31T08:32:00.000-04:00

If you know me in the real world, you're probably used to seeing me with a camera around my neck. I just love capturing our lives in a permanent way. I see everything as a possible picture. It's just a hobby for me - I guess that way I don't disappoint anyone if the pictures don't turn out the way I envisioned them.

Well, our kids are very active in their respective sports. B plays baseball (a lot). He's currently on two teams - a travel team and a rec team. G is also a very busy girl preparing for her gymnastics competition season that begins in October.

While spending time at all of these sporting events, somehow I have become the "official" photographer for our travel baseball team the Carolina Scorpions. Everyone always looks forward to the picture posts on FB that come soon after we play a tournament. I must admit that sports photography is a lot different than posed photography. I find myself thinking ahead in the game (kind of like the boys do when playing). You have to know where the action's going to be & what's coming next in order to prepare for it when it happens.
I'm having a lot of fun with it - who knew?

Here are some of my favorites so far:

She's one of our #1 fans - isn't she adorable?

That's just a few - I could bore you with these all day. I've got so many that I just love. It probably helps that I know the boys behind the shots and that's why they're so special. We see how hard they work and sweat and play.

I've still got lots of learning and practicing to do. Good thing we've got lots of games coming up, huh? One thing I have learned is that it's really hard to get good pictures through those little fence holes.

Hope you're having a good week - I'll be stopping by soon.

A Very Special Birthday

2010-08-22T12:27:00.000-04:00

This weekend we headed back up to North Carolina for a very special celebration. It was hubby's grandfather's (a.k.a Big Daddy) 90th birthday.

He is such a wonderful man - so laid back and quiet. Always tinkering around with something & always tries to plant a garden in the spring and share with neighbors all summer.

I'm glad we got to make the trip to help him celebrate.

Here are some pictures from the festivities. The party was held at their daughter (Aunt Dale's ) house - I just love her pond in the backyard. Come along for the party.

Two beautiful & sweet girls - Katie & Gracie.

Katie is Rob's sister's daughter.

Here are Big Daddy & Big Mama with all of their grand-kids & great grand-kids.

What a blessing - wish my grand-parents were still here.

Four generations of Edwards men.

And now for the Edwards ladies.

Everybody had such a great time visiting and seeing each other. We aren't all able to get together but maybe once a year so it was extra special to celebrate with Big Daddy.

Thanks for coming along and if your grand-parents are still with you - go give them a big hug.

School's Back Bash

2010-08-19T08:34:00.000-04:00

I wanted to call this little virtual cook-out an End of Summer Bash, but it's really not the end of summer at all.

My thermostat makes sure I'm aware of that fact, so I decided to call it a School's Back Bash. Not as catchy I know, but it's early and I've only had one cup of coffee.

Every now and then I like to peruse the pages of my favorite magazine, Southern Living, and their website to come up with virtual party ideas.

So, if we were all meeting up this weekend for a get-together, let's see what would be on the menu, shall we....

The main theme of this party is a Low Country Boil - makes my mouth water just looking at it.

We would also have some yummy grilled tomatoes with basil.

Some watermelon salad.

We'd have a little grilled pound cake for dessert.

Some cool refreshing lemonade iced tea.

Where would all of this take place, you ask?

What about dining by this beautiful waterfall?

And, afterwards (or during) all of the kids could go down & play in the lake.

Sounds like the perfect weekend cook-out to me.

Wouldn't it be fun if we could actually do it?

Thanks for playing along & enjoy your weekend.

(All photos courtesy of Southern Living.com)

It's a new year

2010-08-12T07:22:00.001-04:00

Monday was an important day at our house.

It was the first day of school (cheers, whoops, & hollers). They weren't really cheering, whooping & hollering. It must have just been my imagination.

We homeschool our kids and I decided that since we had a break at gymnastics this week, that it would be a good week to start our new school year.

I still do the "first day of school" pictures. This is my son's favorite part - not really.

Take a look at my 7th and 4th grader - they're growing up so fast.

Yes, my kids go to school barefoot - it's one of my favorite things about home education.

B is doing an online academy this year & somehow I got more books than he did.

It's break time.

It's homework time (yes, his teachers actually give out homework - he's thrilled). Not really.

Thanks for tagging along & checking out our first day of school.

Hope your kids have a great first day & productive year as well.

Summer Memories

2010-08-05T08:43:00.001-04:00

It's funny to me to title a post "Summer Memories" when there is still so much summertime left on the calendar, however, it is the last week of summer vacation for the kiddos so let the summer memories of 2010 begin.

That's just a few of some wonderful summertime memories.

Next week, we begin a new level of learning.

G will be starting 4th grade and B is starting 7th.

Unbelieveable to me that time is passing so quickly.

Hope you are enjoying the last days/weeks of summertime.

I'm off to finish up school preparations.

It's like thunder....lightnin'

2010-07-26T20:33:00.000-04:00

Have you ever tried to photograph lightning?

I've tried a couple of times with no success. Usually, my arm gets tired of holding the camera and my eyes hurt from looking through the view finder because I don't have one of those fancy remote trigger thingy's.

Well, earlier this evening my daughter and I were spending some quality time outside rockin' on the front porch and a storm started to roll in. I figured it would be a good time to give it another try, so inside I ran before it could blow away.

Sure enough, there was lots of lightning around for me to try to catch, but that stuff happens fast & I was usually too late. When you're trying to capture lightning strikes, you end up with a lot of shots that look like this:

But, if you're just patient (not easy for me to do) and prop your arm up and wait.....

some of your photos turn out like this:

I was so excited I finally was able to capture that powerful strike with my camera. I didn't get as many as I'd like and I would have preferred it to have been a little darker outside but it was fun trying. If my daughter didn't have to eat dinner I would have stayed out a bit longer.

Next time you have a storm rolling in, run and grab your camera.

Let's continue this July baseball theme

2010-07-24T09:46:00.000-04:00

Since I've only had ONE post this month and it's already the 24th....let's just continue on the same theme as my life lately - BASEBALL.

My son (and husband) are complete baseball fanatics, so they don't mind this way of life at all.

I have to admit - I'm a big fan, as well (especially when B is playing).

And he's been playing - A LOT....in the SC Dixie Youth O-Zone State Tournament (I might add).

We were real proud of our team. They were the runners-up in the District and did really well at State.

Here are some pictures for us to remember the journey:

The supportive sisters.

This is after we beat our District rivals & sent them packing.

This is the game we lost that sent us packing.

Win or lose everybody had a great time.

Now we're heading into travel ball season and the boys (and girls) couldn't be happier.

Just thought I'd leave you with the beautiful scenery we came home to one afternoon.

The rainbow was too big for me to fit into one shot.

Hope your July has been great - can't believe we start school in a couple of weeks - yikes!

Baseball Camp 2010

2010-07-05T07:50:00.001-04:00

What a busy & fast summer this is becoming.

I looked at the calendar the other day and actually had to tell the kids that we only have FIVE weeks left.

FIVE? 5. FIVE!

How can this be?

It's all too fast. Must slow down.

Ok, I've gotten control of myself - now on to one reason the summer is moving too quickly.

Every week is booked. Last week it was baseball camp for my baseball addicted son.

He was able to go to one of the best camps around - Clemson University with coach Jack Leggett.

What a great week these boys had. They learned a lot and it wasn't all about baseball.

Coach Leggett stresses three things: Academics, Attitude, & Athletics.

Here are a few pictures I was able to snap during all of the preparation & activities.

Four of the boys from their All-Star team went to camp. It was nice that they were all together.

B's on third where his best friend's playing. P was always telling his team members B's secrets about stealing bases.

This is how Miss G gets through most baseball activities.

Coach Leggett talking to the boys on the last day.

He had just come back from Omaha where they were one game away from going to the National Championship.

The boys really enjoyed their week away.

I think they learned a lot & are ready to head back next summer - now to put all of those new skills to work in our State tournament starting on July 17th.

Stay tuned.

Blow out those candles.

2010-06-30T12:31:00.000-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to ME!

It's that time of year again - one year older and hopefully wiser.

It's been great so far - nothing fancy...hubby's working, son's away at baseball camp so G & I have just been hanging out and piddling around the house. We'll probably get with Daddy and go out to eat tonight.

Hope your summer's going well - it sure is going by quickly

(sort of like those birthdays I keep having).

America's Favorite Pastime

2010-06-23T08:54:00.001-04:00

Man, has it been HOT here in South Carolina!

With all of this heat and humidity, you'd think we'd find a nice cool air conditioned place to spend our evenings - but you'd be wrong.

Each and every evening we've been sweating & swealtering while our little slugger plays his heart out in our District Tournament.

Last night was the night - the District title was on the line and we had to play a team that had defeated our boys once before with all old (with a little help from some bad umps & stacking their team with older players, I might add) - but our boys didn't give up and knew that they were good enough to win.

They played their hearts out and at one point earned 11 runs in one inning. Things were looking good until the other team hit a grand slam to even up the score at 13.

It stayed this way through the sixth inning so we had to go into extra innings. We came up to bat with no runs, then they came up to bat and the boys refused to let them score. We headed back up to the plate in the eighth inning and remained tied. It eventually came time for the other team to hit again and they managed to get one runner on base. Then the coaches switched batters and darn if that kid didn't get a base hit that allowed the runner to score.......

Game Over! Score 14-13 (we lose).

What a wonderful baseball game it was and the boys were just thrilled that they had icy's waiting for them in the dugout. They really kept great attitudes throughout the whole tournament and we couldn't be prouder.

They won't focus on this game for too long because they did qualify for the SC State Tournament that takes place in July so it's onto the practice field between now & then.

Here are a few pictures of my Dixie Youth baseball player and some of this week's fun.

Can't wait to head to State in July!

Gymnastics Camp 2010

2010-06-21T09:05:00.000-04:00

Wow! Time sure is flying by.

I can't believe we're on the downward slide of June and I've only posted 1 time.

What in the world?!?

I guess we've been too busy living life to blog about it - I'll try to do better.

Well, last week we were busy with gymnastics camp. Olympia Gymnastics Camp, which is run by Olympic Champion Svetlana Boginskaya, comes to our home gym every year. All of the girls just love it and she usually brings another Olympian with her and this year it was Chellsie Memmel. She was so nice to all of the girls and they had a great time.

Here are some pictures from the last day when they put on their show.

Sorry I couldn't get the video of the routine to load - it was really cute.

She got to work with the Level 6's this week and was so excited. She's on Level 5, actually, but is trying really hard to convince her coaches to move her up - they'll make their decision in August.

Here's Chellsie Memmel giving G her certificate and below is Svetlana and her wonderful team of coaches.

G added a lot of new skills - this week she accomplished:

Giants

double back handsprings on beam

fly aways

front tuck off the beam

and

switch leap on beam

Thanks OGC for a great week!

Love this time of year

2010-06-07T08:02:00.000-04:00

This is our second June in this house and I've learned that my yard loves this time of year.

Take a peak at why......

Let me just tell you - this red lilly is a trooper. Daddy didn't realize at first that it was on it's way to becoming a beautiful flower - he just thought the big green stalk was a weed........and sprayed it!!!

After we had a little discussion - I think he will remember in the future.

Now, these are a few that I've added since we've been here.

I think they like it here, too.

I wish you could see these in person. This one is huge.

This is just a few of the flowers that are blooming right now.

Hopefully you have some pretty color around you as we head into the dog-days of summer.

Vacation Pics

2010-05-31T08:06:00.000-04:00

Happy Memorial Day to you and yours. If you have anyone in your family that has served for our country, I'd like to say a big "THANK YOU" to them & go ahead and hug them for me too (if you don't mind).

Well, I'm finally getting around to posting some of our vacation pictures from last week. I still have another camera to download, but those will have to wait.

We (meaning my husband) decided that he wanted to go down to the Tampa/Clearwater area of Florida this year for our vacation. So, I did what any good wife would do & washed all the clothes, packed the bags and off we went.

While there, we went to Busch Gardens and Adventure Island. The kids had a blast and it was a great way to spend a few days. I have to say that even in May the weather was extremely HOT and therefore, Adventure Island (a waterpark) was our favorite place to hang out.

Take a look at some of the fun.......

Busch Gardens Tampa:

(B is in the first seat on the last row - just pure luck that I got his picture.)

G patiently waited while her big brother rode the scary rides.

Adventure Island:

We had such a great time. I wish we didn't have to rush back for baseball tournaments but we were kind of missing our puppy and I definitely think he missed us.

If you're ever in the Tampa area, I highly recommend both parks - they were a lot of fun.

Enjoy your Memorial Day (we've got thunderstorms).

It's been a while, but.....

2010-05-25T15:55:00.000-04:00

..........we're back!

What's that? I didn't even tell you we were leaving?

Surely that didn't happen. I've been such a good blogger lately.

Oh, wait. Now that I sit down and think about it......we have had a lot going on, so it might have slipped my mind.

Ok, I'll tell you now.

We've been on vacation in the Tampa/Clearwater Beach area of Florida.

It was so beautiful and we had so much fun.

When I'm not rushing out the door for a baseball tournament, I'll download our pictures and tell you all about it, but for now - hope you're doing well & I'll be by for a visit soon.

I'm so glad summertime's here.....*squeal!*

Beautiful Home Tour

2010-05-11T09:04:00.001-04:00

Every now and then, I'll find a beautiful home highlighted in our local magazine Greenville TALK.

I was browsing around this morning and this is what I stumbled on.

Are you ready to see?

Come along for a quick tour.

(All photos by Patrick Collard/Staff)

Well, that completes our tour.

So, tell me your thoughts on this property.

Is it everything you've dreamed of having or do you find it a bit cold and impersonal?

I can tell you that one major issue I have with this home is that it's not wired for TV's or Internet access to ensure that they will spend time doing other things. (Gasp! - No computers??) If this was my house, that would definitely have to change.

Hope you enjoyed taking a peek - have a great day.

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T08:48:00.001-04:00

Sending Happy Mother's Day wishes to you & yours.

If you are a mother or are celebrating with your mother, may you have a blessed day.

If your mother is no longer here, may you have wonderful memories of your time together.

Here are some flowers to brighten your day.

Hope it's wonderful!

To our moms, mother-in-laws, and grandmother's.....Happy Mother's Day to you. We love you and thank you for all you do.

Enjoying Spring

2010-05-06T07:56:00.000-04:00

Hello there.

Sorry I've been MIA.

We've just been busy.... finishing school, curriculum shopping for next year, painting, planting, going to baseball games, gymnastics practices, mowing grass, washing cars and dogs, reading on the porch and basically anything but blogging.

I just haven't had the desire to post.

I think about it - I just don't do it.

I am still visiting and keeping up with you, though, so don't you stop too.

I'm sure I'll be back soon. As soon as I get one project finished enough to take pictures.

Don't forget to enjoy your Spring too.....it's going to be a hot one here today - 90 degrees! Woohoo!

Take care & I'll be by for a visit soon.

Sunday Morning Visitors

2010-04-25T09:20:00.002-04:00

As I was sitting in my kitchen on this beautiful Sunday morning enjoying my cup of coffee with the back door open, I noticed I was being serenaded by lots of happy little birds.

That in itself is not unusual, however, I didn't recognize the song. I can normally tell what kinds of birds are around and since I couldn't, I headed out to the porch to investigate.

This is what I discovered........

They are so cute, but I'm not sure what kind they are.

I know we don't normally see them, so they might just be passing thru on the way to another location.

If you happen to know what kind they are, can you please leave me a comment & put my mind to rest?

Let's see if we have any bird watchers out there.

Thanks & enjoy your Sunday.

*Update: I've researched a little and do believe that they are Bobolinks. (Jodie, I think you were right.) My bird book didn't show that they should be in this area, however when I looked online, the map did indicate that this is in their migratory pattern. I'm so excited that we got to see them as they were passing through.

Neither One

2010-04-21T22:50:00.000-04:00

Gotcha!

We didn't end up using either of the colors that I teased you with last week.

They both turned out a little too "green" on our walls than I actually wanted, so we ended up choosing......

Cliveden Sandstone from Lowe's.

It's on their Historical Colors list and I've been real pleased with the results.

Here are some Before/During pictures:

You can see the difference when they're together but overall it's a subtle change, but one that makes a huge difference in the overall feel of the rooms.

(The darker color is the new one, BTW.)

Here are a few afters:

Ok, on my computer screen it doesn't seem much different but trust me - it is!

I'll post more pictures once I've gotten my rooms back to normal.

Hope you're having a good week & enjoying this beautiful Spring weather.

Finally painting

2010-04-14T08:06:00.000-04:00

Well, we've been in this house a year and a half, and I have FINALLY gotten around to painting our ugly family room walls.

When we moved in, I realized that I could not stand the pinky-beige, flat, chalky paint that covered EVERY wall in this house.

I've been busy, but patient, as I've waited for a time that I could remedy that situation.

The time finally came last week when I couldn't take it anymore and ran out, got some paint samples and threw them up on the wall to live with for a couple of days.

Hmmm. Which one did I choose?

You'll have to wait to see - I've still got accessorizing to do.

Hope you're having a great week.

Happy Early Mother's Day to me

2010-04-09T10:45:00.001-04:00

Look what I got for my early Mother's Day gift........

I absolutely LOVE it!

At first I thought they were a total waste. I mean, you have to buy each serving of coffee/tea/cocoa individually. That would cost our family a fortune.

Well, I discovered that they also have a little filter thingy that you can buy and it actually allows you to use your own coffee.

I was so excited to hear this so I ran right out and got one.

I got ours from one of those big box club stores that may start with S and end with an M's. It was cheaper than my favorite store that starts and ends with a T, and it actually came with 72 little coffee things.

Even the kids are excited about it, especially since you can get hot cocoa for it.

I want to send a huge, heartfelt THANK YOU to my wonderful family for knowing exactly what I wanted for Mother's Day.

Y'all are the best!!

Mom's Birthday

2010-04-07T08:37:00.000-04:00

This past weekend we also celebrated my mother's birthday.

My sister had some family over to her house for a little birthday cookout and cake.

Little Miss Mallori was in attendence, so we all got to love on her.

I think Mimi & Mallori had a good time.

The boys didn't get to go with us due to some baseball & fishing obligations here at home, so they were missed.

Hope your birthday was great Mimi - we love you.

Trying to catch up

2010-04-05T08:33:00.000-04:00

Happy Easter everyone!

Oh, wait. That was yesterday, wasn't it?

That's the story of my life lately.....always trying to catch up.

The truth is, I've been too busy enjoying my family and all of the beautiful weather we've been having to keep my blog updated.

We're usually outside every afternoon after school and our weekends have been busy, busy.

For now, let's jump backwards a couple of weekends and take a look at my daughter's trip to TN to celebrate a friend's birthday.

After an overnight at their lake house on Douglas Lake in Dandridge, TN, the plan was to head to the Knoxville Zoo for the morning.

Here we go......

The rhinos had been introduced to a new member of the community - the male was trying to meet the new female & those other girls were determined to keep him away. A fun little show took place.

The girls got to ride a camel. They really enjoyed that.

After having a picnic lunch at the zoo and checking out all of the animals (and gift shops) we piled back in the car and headed on the three hour drive to Nashville, TN.

The birthday girl also wanted to celebrate with her friends at The Rainforest Cafe. We had never been to one before and it was quite a treat.

Hope you had a great birthday, Lorin!!

Everybody had such a great time. It really was a fun weekend.

Must be Spring

2010-03-29T08:39:00.000-04:00

Q: How can you tell it's Springtime in SC?

A: This is what you may see when you look outside the front door.

It was quite a storm we had yesterday. Thankfully no tornadoes here but there were some in NC.

How was your weekend? Ours was packed with travel excitement - more on that later.

Sometimes life is tough

2010-03-25T07:50:00.000-04:00

Well, yesterday was the day.

The day we had to say good-bye to our sweet, Murphy.

I wasn't ready.

I'm never ready to say "Good-bye".

I'm more of a "I'll see you soon" kinda girl.

But, yesterday when the kids and I got home from running errands, they called me to come upstairs and look at her. She was sitting in my daughter's room and when I looked at her eyes, I knew. One of them was completely dialated and the other was still skinny.

She looked so pitiful and I knew.

Thankfully, one of the mom's from my daughter's gym is a vet, so I gave her a call.

Then I called Daddy and he said he'd meet us there.

I won't go into all the details, but she confirmed that Murphy was indeed very sick. She could feel a tumor in her tummy area.

We had come to this conclusion before we took her in, so we knew the end result.

It was a very peaceful procedure and Daddy was with her til the end. I just couldn't do it, but I'm so thankful he did.

Now, we're left to go on with life without that sweet kitty lap surfing every evening and I'm thankful that we still have Chase to keep my mind off of that.

Here are a few pictures of our beautiful Murphy - she is missed terribly.

We love you, kitty!

I'm still around

2010-03-22T08:25:00.000-04:00

Hello? Anybody still out there?

I'm still here. I've just had a lot of irons in the fire and haven't felt like organizing them enough to post.

But, don't worry - I'm slowly coming out of hibernation.

It's Springtime now - although it doesn't actually feel like it today.

I love Spring.

I was finally able to spend last Saturday working out in the yard. My arms can tell. They're sore.

Here are a few glimpses of what we've been up to this month:

New rug. Too small for this space? Let me know your thoughts. I just loved the colors & can always find somewhere else to use it.

We've finally been painting. I'll have a complete post on this soon (I hope).

I've been worried about my 17 year old kitty, Murphy. She's on her last leg and I'm trying to know the best way to handle her last days. She's not in any noticable pain so I'm not sure if it's time to put her to sleep or not. Any advice or similiar stories would be appreciated. She's extremely skinny now and hardly eating at all.

Spring is slowly blooming inside our house as well. Here's a glimpse.

Yay for grilling season! (man that chair needs a good coat of paint - it's on the list & hopefully will get done soon).

Hope y'all are doing well and thanks for stopping by.

Charleston - Day 2

2010-03-14T14:22:00.000-04:00

So, we continue on our quick weekend visit to the charming city of Charleston, South Carolina.

We had to start our day off with a nice breakfast and then get to the convention center for my daughter's gymnastics meet before we could go and do more site seeing.

After her competition, we headed out again.

Walk around with us, won't you?

That's a brief look at our quick trip.

Thanks for coming along.

I can't wait to go back.

Charleston - Day 1

2010-03-10T08:21:00.001-05:00

Whew! What a busy weekend we had.

Here are some pictures from our first day down in the Low Country of South Carolina.

Got to the hotel.

Did a little outlet shopping.

Headed into town to walk around & explore. It's so beautiful.

Went to The Market.

So many great things for sale and watching the people work on their baskets was fascinating.

More walking around in awe of this beautiful city.

We couldn't fit in a horse drawn carriage tour this trip but we're definitely heading back sometime soon.

Did a little browsing.

Then we headed to dinner at Bubba Gump's.

Mimi and her Bucket o Trash.

My Shrimp & Grits

Then we went back to the hotel for a little swimming with friends and to rest up for the next day's competition.

What a great first day in such a beautiful city.

Stay tuned for Day 2 coming up soon and believe me, there will be lots of drool worthy architecture involved.

Yay! A Trip.

2010-03-05T07:58:00.001-05:00

I've been waiting for this weekend for a long time.

"Why?" you ask.

We're heading to Charleston!

I'm so excited I can hardly stand it.

Believe it or not, I'm a Southern girl by birth & have lived just a few hours from this town for most of my life and I have never been.

Shhhh!

Don't say it too loudly.

I don't want to lose my official GRITS creditials. (That stands for Girls Raised In The South in case you didn't know.)

I can't wait to see all of the following pictures (that I found somewhere on the net & have no idea who to credit for them. If it's you.....sorry & thanks for the great picture.) in person.

I've checked the weather forecasts and it's lookin' good - in the mid 60's all weekend.

I'm packing those flip-flops and will be back on Monday.

Hope you have a good weekend and I'll have lots of pictures of Charleston and my daughter's gymnastics meet when I return.

Birds & A Small Change

2010-02-26T13:00:00.001-05:00

Since I've put the bird feeder up, we've been doing a little bird watching while doing school at the kitchen table. (Just one of the advantages of homeschooling.)

Here are a few of our visitors from the other day.

I hope they don't all decide to come for a snack.

Surprise visitor - I think my daughter got a hold of my camera.

The mojo is slowly returning. My coffee table went from this:

(just keeping it real)

to this:

Hopefully I can make a few more changes around here soon.

Have a great weekend!

Mojo - where did you go?

2010-02-24T08:15:00.004-05:00

Are you waiting out the winter on some tropical island?

Are you hiding in the bottom of a vitamin bottle?

Maybe you're in hibernation.

Maybe you've just hunkered down under the covers til the sun decides to stay for a while.

Not sure where you've gone but you're sorely missed.

I have painting I want to do and rearranging, organizing, and fluffing, too.

Mojo, please find your way back to me - my days are lonely and cluttered without you here.

************************************************
Have you lost your mojo too? Hope not - it's no fun trying to get it back.

My hubby says it just sounds like I'm close to turning 39 - great answer, honey. Thanks for the input.

Feeling Beachy

2010-02-18T11:46:00.001-05:00

Since it's the middle of February, I decided to do a little beachy house tour.

This is the beach home of a local family that was featured in our Greenville Talk magazine.

Let's take a look around.......

Simply beautiful.

Now, I'm ready for a vacation.

Really??

2010-02-16T20:24:00.000-05:00

Seriously??

And we wonder why our country's in such a mess?

It's a great day to be a kid or a dog.

2010-02-13T14:29:00.004-05:00

When you're a kid, one of the best sights in the world to see is a yard full of snow.

Clean, white, fluffy snow. Not that icy stuff we've been getting here in the Upstate of SC.

Well, it became a reality for a lot of children yesterday and I have to admit that even though I was fighting it with all my being.....it is pretty.

Thanks to basketball games and baseball evaluations being cancelled, this is what the kids have been doing all day.

The boys built their fort for the snowball fight. It got pretty intense for a while but they had so much fun.

Chase loves the snow and stayed outside for hours watching the kids and playing soccer.

Now, this is what mom is left with.

What a great day to be a mom. Cookies and hot chocolate are now being enjoyed by all.

Oh, I almost forgot to wish you a Happy Valentine's Day!
(I'm not a huge fan but I'm not a Valentine's Scrooge either, so enjoy.)

Result: Fail

2010-02-10T08:24:00.000-05:00

Many of you may have heard of a wonderful company of products called Burt's Bees.

We absolutely love these all natural products that just happened to be made by a company in our home state of North Carolina.

Well, last fall I discovered that they have a lip balm that has color in it. I was sold instantly - my lips won't chap and will have a beautiful tint to them without using a heavy lipstick or gloss.

I decided to buy it immediately.

Loved it. Used it all the time.

After a few days, I started to notice that my lips were starting to get this tingly feeling & feeling a little puffy and sore in some spots. (nice description, I know).

At the time, we had a lot going on family wise. My step-father had passed away & we were at my mom's house and with everything going on, I didn't put two & two together and realize that my favorite new product was causing an allergic reaction.

Gasp!

Once I finally figured it out - I was in complete denial. It can't be - I love this stuff.

So....I had to eventually cave in and stop using the product but every time I'd pass it in the stores, I'd be a little sad.

In the meantime, while I was still in the dark, I had also picked up another one of their products. It's a little glossier but still wonderful.

Fast forward to last week. I was passing their cute little display and stopped to linger. I can't possibly be allergic to their lip shimmer, I thought. It must have been something else - maybe stress, or the moon, or something other than this lip balm. I'll give it another try - my husband at this point is rolling his eyes and chuckling at my state of denial.

So, I bought another tube. Ahh, I do love this stuff, I thought as I put it on.

A few hours later - uh, oh!

My lips failed the test.

I must, indeed, be allergic. I almost cried tears of sadness - almost. Then I remembered that I still have their Super Shiny lip gloss waiting for me at home.

I highly recommend that you try your own test & if you pass....I'll try not to be jealous.

Misc. stuff

2010-02-09T17:46:00.001-05:00

I don't have a lot to say - that's why I haven't posted in a few days.

We've been busy.

Gymnastics meets (which I can't post pictures of because the laptop with the photos has decided to be fickle).

She did well and came in 3rd all around - at both.

Basketball games (which I won't post pictures of because I've already done that)

Before mentioned computer problems. It started out as an internet connection issue (I think) and we've been on limited connectivity for about a week. Internet repair man came today. Out of three computers, two were working when he arrived. Only one was working when he left.

I was not sad to see "Willy" leave. He didn't really know what he was doing and his accent was hard for me to understand but I didn't have any problem understanding - "I don't know what the problem is or how to fix it." (said with Quatemalen flair).

It took a woman from the Philippines to fix at least one of the laptops for me while on the phone.

(She didn't even have to come to my house, stay for two hours & then tell me she couldn't fix the problem.)

Bless her.

They're calling for more snow/ice wintery mix crud tonight. This could be part of the reason I'm so blah.

I have to go to the grocery store for something e.v.e.r.y. day. I'm tired of being at the grocery store.

That's about it for now - hope your week is going a little better than mine but in the grand scheme of things - we're doing Great!