Tea Party for the Girls...

At our annual Christmas party, (considering my penchant for collecting tea cups and tea pots) Sandy suggested we have a tea party. So we did! Last Saturday, June 30, I had "the girls" over for tea. It was so much fun! I had collected hats from thrift shops all through the winter and spring and then spiffed them up with remnants from Hancock's 75% off bin. The rule was, if you had to pick up a hat to sit down then you had to wear it! Everyone was a good sport and at least put them on long enough for a picture. I made some yummy treats, including Lancashire Cheese Scones. My favorite part was introducing different kinds of teas from the different tea rooms Melody and I have visited this year. I printed the menu including the tea names on little note cards with Victorian ladies on the covers. Even though I didn't get everything baked that I had originally intended (the power went off Saturday morning for a time!), we had plenty of eatables.

Sharon has a great aversion to being photographed. I don't know why...she is so beautiful!

Kathy has the most tender heart of anyone I know. Her thoughtfulness and love for her family and friends are beautiful examples of living in Christ's life. What a dear blessing she is to us all.

I love Paula's "spice"! (in brown top, putting on straw hat) If she lived in old testament times, I think God would have made her a prophet as she sees straight to the heart of matters. She has so many talents and gifts. I love that she is not afraid of asking tough questions that others shy away from verbalizing. Her courage and tenacity makes us all think deeper.

Beside her (in the red hat) is Lois, our story-teller. She always keeps us in stitches with her exploits. Having raised three girls, she always knows what girls need. Her strength of character and gentle manner make me think of the epitimal "southern woman" who loves the Lord and the people He has put in her life. You go girl!

Charlotte and Lolly sharing a moment of "conversation".

Charlotte (in the purple hat) not only has a marvelous, generous heart for people but understands that puppies need "heart" too!

Cathy (red pants sand beige top) is a lady through and through. She has a beautiful and gracious way of letting the Lord breathe and shine through her that is a real encouragement to me!

This group of ladies is the best! If I had to summerize them in one word, that word would be "strength". Strong wills, strong purpose, strong ties, strong personalities, strong love for the Lord, strong love for their families, strong commitment to each other. All fully aware of the strength of the Lord. ...strong. I like that word!

We always have so much fun together, never lacking for conversation. They are incredible...so supportive, so caring...everything you think of when you stop to consider what kind of people you want surrounding you! I am so blessed to know them! I thank the Lord for each and every one of them.

I am very thankful that Melody was once again able to join us. She was an amazing blessing when she arrived early and helped with the last minute preparations. Afterwards, she delighted me by making a delicious supper of steak, baked potatoes, and salad. It had to be the best meal I had had in a long time. She is an incredible cook. Bless her heart, she even did a bit of washing up....well, the poor thing had to in order to be able to get in the kitchen and cook! Every tiny fragment of counter space was covered up by then. What a good sister she is! I really appreciate her and Doug making the extra effort it took to come as they had to drive over from North Carolina that morning - a 5 hour drive! - in order to be there!
Afterwards, Lolly and I enjoyed a good and truly restful sabbath with plenty of time for fond reflections on the "doings". What a great memory to carry forward through the summer!

The Last Wall

Last summer I redid my kitchen in Talavera and transferware pottery and bright colors on stark white walls. I have really enjoyed the effect and it was fun painting the plates for the walls. However, there was this one little short wall left over. At Christmas, a dear friend gave me a gift certificate to "All Fired Up", the pottery painting place. I saved it for the summer, meanwhile, contem"plating" that last wall. Last week, I went and painted the following for that last forlorn wall. I LOVE the way they came out! Thanks, Martha!!!

I love the flower on this one. It is patterned from a book mark my sister gave me....

This strawberry is my favorite strawberry. It is all lumpy like a real one....

These are my favorite grape leaves...

(See the archive for other pics of the plates done last summer.)

Knitting Mania!!

Well...here they are. My first attempts at knitting. I must say I like it! I also like really short, instant gratification, kind of projects. Hence, the washcloths! This first one wasn't too bad...but not a square, more like a trapazoid! Somehow, I kept "adding" stitiches! Don't ask me how...

Then the second one came out abosolutely square! (the pic may not show that...AND it was wet at the time of the pic!) Yay!! Don't you just love the colors of that one...the yarn is call appropriately, "Fiesta"

And thirdly we have my very first patterned cloth...it was MUCH easier than I thought it would be! The pattern is called "Berry Basket". See, if you look close you can see different poofinesses that look like a woven basket. Don't see them? LOOK CLOSER, they are there...really they are!!! I wove this one a little too loose. But, hey, I'm learning.

Stay riveted on the edge of your seat (ha, ha) for the next one...it uses the Berry stitch and so far I have only ripped it out and started over about 5 times! It is such an easy pattern that is so EASY to mess up!!! ARghhhhhh! (Note to self...you are knitting to have FUN!!)

The Best Memorial Day EVER!

This year I spent Memorial Day with my sister, brother-in-law, neice-in-law, and grand-nephew in Tunnel Hill, Georgia. We had so much fun! In addition to watching Brady-Boy (he is soooo cute!), Melody fixed an awesome meal of ribs, Corley-corn, slaw and watermelon. While doing that, she taught Alyssa and me to knit! We went to Walmart and picked out needles and cotton yarn to make dishclothes. We sat out under the trees where there was a delightful breeze and chatted. Grandpa Doug took Brady-Boy up and down the street in his stroller which they both loved. However, when it came to eating his first watermelon, Brady definitely did NOT love that! The look on his face as he spit it out was endearingly pathetic. Later, we wrapped up the evening by watching the most appropriate DVD for the day, "Flyboys". I have SOOOOOOOOOO enjoyed haveing Melody and Doug here this year. It is just too sad to contemplate how much I will miss them when they go back to Mexico.

Festive Finery!

We had a black history program where I had to dress in costume of the 1890's and read about ragtime. I made a cool costume from thrift store stuff and had a BLAST! Brought back all those days of costuming in college. The kids went crazy over my hat...and I must say, I was feelin' the hat! I even created a bulletin board for Music in Our Schools Month (March) utilyzing it! More about that later...

Ta-Dah!

From left to right: Mama's, Mammaw's, Mine!

One of the highlights of...

this holiday season was spending time with "the girls" (left to right: Melody, Katie, me, Alyssa) taking an art lesson from my niece, Katie who teaches Art to high school and middle school students in Missouri. We used oil pastels on canvas that were shared by my sister, Melody. Not bad for a first effort, huh? I like Melody's trees and mountains much better than mine! But I must say, I do like the swirly-ness of mine. Melody and I used a photo from Scotland. Isn't it amazing how two people can look at the very same picture and come up with two totally different perspectives?! Kind of like life, huh? Anyway, I am very happy to now have a landscape to put on the wall next to my Mama's and Mammaw's. Sure, it isn't of their quality, but who cares...it's mine! For a closer look, click on the photo and then you can see details better...like Mel's mountains!

What a Blessing!

I was so blessed this year to spend Christmas with my family for the first time in over 18 years! What a joy! Lolly absolutely ADORES that Brady-Boy! She gets so excited whenever she sees him!

Aunt Robbie with grand-nephew, Brady...

School Picture 2006

Open Hearts Luncheon 2006

I was blessed to host my Sunday School Class' annual Christmas party again this year! We had yummy food, hilarious fun with our ornament exchange and a really good time. It is the funnest bunch of "girls" I know!
(Sharon, how did you manage to hide from all the pictures?!)

Merry Christmas!

Lolly is quite excited about Christmas this year. One of her favorite holiday activities is helping me wrap presents. Of course, her idea of “help” is a little different from mine! Every time I turn around, she is there with a snippet of ribbon in her mouth or a piece of wrapping paper dangling from her lower lip. The other night, after shooing her away for about the fourteenth time, I looked up and here she comes down the hallway with a long streamer of toilet paper in her mouth as if to say, “HEY! If you won’t let me have any of that bright shiny stuff, I’ll get my own paper!” If you looked up the word “persistent” in the dictionary, it would probably have her picture next to it!

She has a favorite new Christmas tree ornament. It is a fuzzy moose that sings, “O, Christmas Tree” in a very gruff moose-ish voice. She is fascinated by it. Every time I pass the tree and squeeze its tummy, she comes running and stands on her hind legs to see and hear it. Let’s hope her persistence doesn’t allow her to figure out how to get up there and then try to make it “sing” by herself!

The Best Llhasa Ever!

Please forgive my indulgence...but how could you not love this face!?!?!? What a sweet mess-pot Lolly Belle Rose is! She's such a cutie and I just adore her! Bet you couldn't guess that though, huh?

Tea Time for Two!

Melody and I had so much fun going to the Vintage Tea Room on Saturday! Doug and Mel came up for my Fifth Grade Musical on Friday. Then on Saturday, patient Doug (the best brother-in-law in the world) waited for us while we had a "sister day". It was awesome! We went yard-sale-ing (I totally made out like a bandit!) and then for high tea. We tried TEN different pots of tea and made notes about which ones we liked and didn't like. Needless to say...we floated home! We also met some new friends who are believers (they work at IBM). One of them took these pictures as ARGHHH! I had forgotten my camera as did Mel. Don't we look posh?!?!

Where has the summer GONE?!?!?!?!

Once again the summer shadows shorten...

(sob, sob, wail!)

As the shades wain, the anticipation of smelling once again that evocatively redolent crayon bouquet endemic to all elementary schools thrills and titillates the senses of my memory.

OK, enough of the poetic...um...garbage. Wanna see just a little of what I spent my summer vacation doing?

The summer began with the apartment management stripping the wallpaper off of my kitchen walls (there were FIVE LAYERS!!!!), texturing and painting the walls bright white...and when I say bright, I mean "wear sunglasses" BRIGHT! Of course, my floor is also white. White on white. What in the WORLD can you do with a white on white kitchen with brown cabinets?

Weeeeellll....you see, my darling sister sent me a talavera teapot for my birthday this year. When I looked at that teapot and then looked at that blindingly stark kitchen, I knew exactly what it needed! So I spent many (ok, more like scores) of hours painting plates to mount on the wall. I was even able to use a $50 gift card from this year's fifth grade class to buy a talavera clock! What a nice thing to remember them by! So here is what I painted....

Kate, did I do you proud?!? Below is the cute little chalk board that Melody painted for her new kitchen when she was visiting and the clock I bought. It was so much fun getting in touch with that artistic side that comes through my Momma from the Lord. It brought back so many wonderful memories of evenings spent in her studio painting and hanging out while she painted. What a joy it was to do these projects! And now my kitchen is absolutely beautiful with these brightly colored pieces displayed on the white backdrop of the walls. It looks so clean and crisp and totally different from what I had before!

Only 10 days of summer left for me. But I do have a brand new piano waiting for me at school...more on that later!

Lolly's "family"...

Lolly has always treated her brown and white toys very differently from her other toys. Her very first one (the little white and brown teddy bear) was called “baby” because she would carry it around in her mouth, sleep with it and scold it by putting it on the potty pad! Once, she even tried to give Baby a drink by dunking him in the water bowl! She was distraught that I had to put Baby in the clothes dryer after that incident. She never dunked him again!

As we acquired more toys, I noticed that she was very protective and careful with all the toys that were her brown and white coloring; whereas, with other toys she was very “rough and tumble”. So we started calling them by “family” names.

She knows each one’s name and will retrieve from her toy basket whichever one I ask of her. She also treats them differently…Baby is to be gentle with. Brother is to be tossed gently so she can catch him. Sister is to be thrown past her so she can retrieve her. With Cousin we play “keep away” and Trevor Baby is to be cuddled with in the crate during rainstorms. She constantly amazes me with her creative sensitivity!

How beautiful a day can be

When kindness touches it!

~George Elliston

My New Classroom...

After 12 years in a trailer it is so wonderful to have my very own, brand-new, sound-proof Music Room! Did you notice the storage closet door back there?!?! It runs the width of the room...ah, bliss!

This picture (as every teacher will attest)

show's a teacher's "best friend"....my very own thermostat!

Those wacky 3rd graders!

The Lollster

Why do you always assume I am going to eat them? Just because I've done so before doesn't mean I'm going to do so this time!

My Very First Pie!

Truly, it was! I had never made a pie before and here is my first effort. We are NOT going to be nit-picky about the fact that it was a boxed, mix-up crust and canned apples, RIGHT?!?!

ah HA!

Years and years of "school" pictures...once again they took my picture this year...and lost it! Which wasn't too bad because I looked REALLY bad in it. So they retook it on a day when I had a honkin' huge fever blister and I threatened them within an inch of their lives that they were not use that one in the yearbook. So they took it a 3rd time! And BINGO! Probably the best I have ever had! You know what they say about practice...never makes perfect but always makes better! I do declare though, that my hair really doesn't look that red in real life! Mel, can you see my pretty brown "opal" that you gave me for Christmas?!