For Aunt Helen

Paula Deen has a cooking show on the food network. She is from Albany, Georgia. She has a restuarant in Savannah, GA called the Lady and Sons. She cooks good southern food just like I am used to. She makes a lot of things my Me-ma used to cook. Out here she comes on at 6:00 am and 9:30 am on Saturdays and Sundays. Through the week I think she comes on here at 12:00.....I don't usually watch through the week. Her show is called Paula's Home Cooking. I just love her and love to hear her talk. I have tried lots of her recipes and can't think of any I have messed up. Her ingredients are simple and usually I have heard of or seen most the recipes. Her being from Georgia she does cook some oysters which I have no desire to try.

Fleta told me to

4 Jobs I have had
My first job I worked at Wal-mart....first as a cashier, then in health and beauty aids, and then in womens clothing....my mother encouraged me to apply for this job...she new she would get a discount.
While I worked at Wal-mart I would also volunteer at the hospital....they voted me volunteer of the year and as soon as I graduated high school they gave me a job. I didn't work in a typical volunteer job. I worked in the Human Resources department and therefore had access to all employee records. It was then that I decided I wanted to work in the health feild. I knew how much everyone in that hospital made. The job they gave me when I graduated was as the receptionist for the Cancer center. I worked for one fabulous doctor and one bitty. I worked 30-36 hours a week and went to college full time.
To have a good medical career and because I got married I transfered schools. While a the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville I did many jobs, I worked in the registrars job as work study. I took care of an 80 year old man with cancer... I cooked, cleaned and took care of his garden, I was a graduate assistant to one of the professors in the Speech department, I babysit one of my professors little boy and in turn she took care of me when I needed it and allowed me to sleep at her house many nights.
After graduating with my Masters degree in Communication disorders I am a speech-langauge pathologist. I have worked in nursing homes, at Carroll Regional Medical Center, and for several Carroll County public schools. I Now am the Director of the Speech Department for and intergrated preschool where I work with 0-5 year olds and mentally disabled adults in their work environment. I am blessed with my job.

3 movies I like
Like my aunts I don't watch lots of movies but three I have watched and like are
Gone With the Wind
Love Story
To Kill a Mockingbird

3 TV shows I watch I try to limit my TV watching.... but some shows I indulge in occassionally
What Not to Wear
Paula Deen----I love her!!!
Grey's Anatomy

4 Foods I love....this will be hard to limit to 4
Homegrown watermelon
Bacon,Lettuce, Tomato, Onion and mayonnaise on toasted bread
Fried squash
fresh green beans, with new potatoes and bacon grease
Homemade desserts

4 places I have lived
Pottsville, Ar
Fayetteville, AR
Mt. Vernon Tx
Green Forest, AR

4 websites I visit daily

Blogs....that is it

4 vacations
Skiing in Breckridge, Co
Corpus Cristi, Tx
San Antonio, Tx
Oregon
Mesa, Az
Panama City, Fl
New Orleans, LA

4 friends
My sister, My husband, My parents

Stitches

I took the one picture of Sigie yesterday in her new Auntie shirt. Then I tried to go to work this morning to take care of a little paperwork and I had been there 10 minutes when they paged me for a phone call. I question whether to pick it up or not because everyone knows I don't work in the summer but I picked it up anyway and it is Eric very concerned Sigie needs stitches. Well she needed 4 to be exact. She fell while playing and hit her head on the corner of the entertainment center. We are not exaggerating when we say she is a dangerous child. Dr. Nelson said she could glue them or stitch them. The glue would be painless but leave a good size scar. Eric wanted the glue I went for the stitiches. He got to sit in the waiting room with the big girls. I got to console Sigie while they sewed her up. Dr. Nelson had said she would fall asleep once they injected the medicine around the wound. Sigrid fought her screaming and kicking til the last stitch. Dr. Nelson was very calm and steady through the whole process she just kept saying "she sure has a lot of fight in her." Wonder where she gets that......

The little mermaid

Astrid in total awe and wonderment.

Little Larry

Sigie liked to eat the sand.

We're Home

How wonderful it feels to be home. I think that is the best part of vacation. You appreciate home so much more after being gone. I think Sigie thought we had moved. She just ran around laughing and screaming when we got home. I know she thought we were never coming back. Astrid also was glad to be back. She went straight to pop and gigi's when we got here. She had been sad the last two days of vacation. She would call pop and gigi and just talk and talk and not want to hang up. Ingrid on the other hand was plenty happy being gone. She did not cry to come home once.
Well I guess I will post a few more pictures. There are none of me for I was behind the camera the whole time. So sad yall can't see how lovely I am in a bathing suit. HA!!

Laura's Swing

 

Laura's blog looked so sad. I decided to post a picture
of her swing her Daddy put up for her for Mother's Day.
When he built my swing, Astrid came over and sat and
looked sad...Pop asked her what was wrong and Astrid
said...my Mother would like a swing I this. That was
enough to make Pop want to fix her one.

Laura, Eric and the girls are having a great time in
Florida and Laura said Tuesday it rained some, but
they are not near the storm. Today the girls walked
on the beach and gathered shells. They love shells.
We miss them but they will stay the entire time as
gas is expensive and so they will need to enjoy
the whole week.

I sure miss my Sunshine girl and her babies!
Sunshine's Mom 

The Dying Bush

Well I have been trying to upload pictures to this thing and it is taking too long and I am impatient. I let Astrid and Ingrid play with my camera one day and they had a blast. If gave me an idea for santa claus. They took some really silly pictures and some wonderful pictures of each other. They took a picture of one of my bushes outside my front porch. It has slowly been dying and I couldn't figure it out. Finally my husband confessed to have been peeing off the porch at night.

Saturday morning we leave for the Florida beach. I hope my girls enjoy it and will remember it. Not a lot is going on here. We are enjoying our time off....working in the yard and house, taking the girls swimming and to the library. The girls joined the summer reading program at the library. Astrid is reading well...she spent the night with pop and gigi and read to them. Her favorite book right now is The Golly Sisters Go West.

I will try to upload the pictures again later if I find the time.

Happy Birthday Eric

Here are Eric's birthday cakes and pictures of him with two of his girls. I couldn't find a picture of him with Sigrid. I can't believe I don't have one of her with him....she cries and cries when he goes to work in the morning and her favorite word is Daddy. He is a marvelous Dad and an even better husband. I hope he has a happy day.

This week

Well just 4 more work days till summer vacation. I can't wait. Astrid has 2 more days til she is a Kindergarten graduate. My girls are growing up fast. Eric has 8 more work days. I have lots of projects and ideas conjured up in my head for summer but only a few will actually be realized. We are taking the girls to the beach for the first time this summer. Ingrid has big plans for frequently staying with Auntie Erin and going to the Froggie pool in Harrison. Eric and Astrid have plans for camping and canoeing. Hopefully they will want to go to the Buffalo alot and Ingrid, Sigrid and I can stay with Auntie at night instead of staying in the tent.

Eric's birthday is on the 29th. He will be 38. I will probably let him by his own gift. He will want a cheesecake or a red velvet cake for his birthday. I bet I make him both. I hope he has a wonderful day. Last year his mother called him on June 28th to wish him a happy birthday.....he had to argue and argue with her to get her to realize she was one month late and she didn't even get the date right.....I can't imagine not remembering one of my children's birthdates. Not everyone is blessed with the love we have all enjoyed our whole lives through. Some mothers put themselves and their wants first.

Little Fishy

Here is Ingrid at dance recital practice. Tomorrow is her big moment. She of course was the most talented and the prettiest of the five little fishes.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to you all....but especially to my Momma. I love you Mom. Thank you for all your help and support. Thank you for always pushing me. Thank you for expecting so much out of me and accepting nothing less. Thank you for marrying my Daddy. Thank you for making Family number one in your life. Thank you for loving my husband as he is. Thank you Thank you Thank you! I LOVE YOU!!!!

My Baby

My sweet baby

my clean baby

Astrid's Medicine

My sister is always putting food on her site so here is what my girls like for me to make. Astrid was sick yesterday and stayed home with Pop. When I came home she wanted me to make cinnamon rolls....so I did.

Ta Da

Here is my beautiful dancing queen. She has a recital a week from Sunday and she plays the part of a fish.

Astrid's Quilt

This is Astrid's favorite blanket. My mema made me a blue wedding ring quilt once and I like to keep it on this bed but Astrid sneaks in behind me and puts this one on it. I have resorted to just folding the wedding ring quilt at the foot of the bed. This blanket Grandma Powell made for me. One summer, I was 4 or 5, a big truck backed into our driveway....I asked mom who is that. She said she thought Santa was coming early. From that truck I recieved a beautiful brand new white bedroom suit with a canopy bed. Mom decorated the bed and my room in red and white gingham. Grandma made me this blanket to go with it. On the other side of the blanket, it is red and white flannel in a gingham pattern. It is tied together with yarn not quilted. This blanket is so soft and Astrid will sleep with nothing else. The lace around the edge is gone but you can see where it once was sewed to the blanket. Astrid likes things worn out and old.....Ingrid likes them new and frilly....what will Siggy like. Astrid is reading Dick and Jane....Ingrid is reading Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus...Siggy is trying to escape.

Another week gone

Well another week down. Astrid lost her first tooth yesterday. She is quite proud. We worked in the yard today. My husband mowed. I had to move my Iris'....they get in his way when he is mowing and he just mows them down. Ingrid planted a bradford pear so when she looks out her window she can see it. I planted two crepe myrtles at the side of the house....I guess they are Sigie's. Astrid and her Daddy are going fishing tomorrow...Pop may be going with them depending on where they go. I think Ingrid and I should go shopping....she likes that.

Aunt Syble's Iris

Aunt Syble Garrison gave me this yellow iris. She is actually my
Mema's first cousin. Her father and Grandma Renfroe were brother and
sister.

Easter 2006

Well the Easter Bunny found our house worthy to visit last night. I felt we had gotten enough toys in the last two weeks therefore the Easter Bunny was instructed to only bring constructive items and a little candy. I was leary that I would wake up to disappointed children. Well bright and early this morning we wake to Ingrid's screams. She storms the bedroom and anounces that the Easter Bunny has brought her what she always wanted...an umbrella. There was no disappointment at our house thank goodness.


Last night I also had the bright idea we would learn the Easter story by making these cookies that are suppose to represent the story. With each ingredient I added I read a bible verse and discussed it with Astrid and Ingrid. The first ingredient is to beat pecans with a wooden spoon as Jesus was beaten...the girls understood this and participated well. The next ingredient is a teaspoon of vinegar to represent what Jesus had to drink when he was thirsty on the cross. The children are to smell the vinegar.....Ingrid sniffs so hard she burns the inside of her nose. Then we added 3 egg whites to the vinegar to represent life. As they beat they turn white which represents the purity after our sins are washed away. I then placed salt in each of the girls hand and allowed them to taste it before adding it to the eggwhites...they spit it back in their hand and then added it to the eggwhites. It was to represent the salty tears shed for the cross. Next is a cup of sugar to represent how sweet it is that Jesus did this for each of us and if we ask him to live in our hearts we reap the benefits of heaven. Ingrid said she definetly wants Jesus to live in her heart because she wants to go to heaven. It doesn't say to let the kids taste the sugar...just to add it to the egg whites. There was loud protests from Astrid and Ingrid on why they didn't get to taste the sugar. Next we folded in the pecans and placed the cookies on a cookie sheet in mounds. Each mound is to represent Jesus' tomb. We placed the cookies in a preheated 300 degree oven and turned it off. The girls placed tape on the oven door since we couldn't figure out how to place boulder in front of it. The girls nominated me to be the guard for the night. This morning we woke up...I was not a good guard I went to bed....We took a bite out of our cookies and they were hollow just like the Jesus' tomb. I don't know if the girls understood the whole of the story but I think they enjoyed the experience.