Favorite Pics

First time attempt to join a link party...over at Kelly's Korner, or actually EVERYWHERE with this new fancy link-a-majig...I'm sure I didn't do it just the right way, but I'll work the kinks out and you enjoy the pictures.

We're doing a blog hop of our favorite pictures. I have 14 nieces an nephews, plus 2 on the way...but for TODAY (and today only) this is my favorite picture. Lane Michael is 6 1/2 months old, red hair, blue eyes, squishy cheeks, and all around great guy. Come find me in another 18-20 years and we'll see about some arranged marriage plans.

**update** it turns out I can't post this until midnight. So I decided to kill time and wait to actually post it (b/c I don't even KNOW if it's possible to delay a linky post), and then I was overwhelmed by a wave of aunt guilt. So, following Lane are some pics of his cousins. I think I got them all (minus the two who are "in hiding"). He's the star (this time) so I won't do all the names. . . because who has that kind of time? But, look and see, I have been BLESSED to share some wonderful children with my siblings and my husband's siblings. I'm doubly blessed because I can sugar them up and send them home. Yes I did say that out loud!

***Replace this line with your content. This week, on TUESDAY, 7/7/09, the theme is A FAVORITE PHOTOGRAPH. Post up one of your favorite photographs and a caption that tells the audience about it. Here is a sample: http://mcklinky.blogspot.com/2009/07/mcklinky-photo-blog-on-tuesday-sample.html Do not change any part of this snippet of code except for this paragraph only.... replace the text that falls between (and includes) the opening and closing asterisks. Be sure to enter your own link to your own blog hop post as soon as the blog hop starts!***

Thirteen for Thursday

Thirteen for "G"

1. Guacamole. Never thought I'd like it, but thanks to the great skills of my sister in law, Kristin, I LOVE it.
2. Gazpacho. I've never tried it, but it's on my list of recipes to make this summer. The list is in my head. If I wrote it down then I might have to feel guilty when I abandon it for night after night of root beer floats.
3. Garlic. Seriously, are all of these going to be about food?? I love garlic. In just about everything. My garlic press is one of my favorite kitchen tools.
4. Going on vacation. Over Thanksgiving. To Florida...I CAN'T WAIT!
5. Grades. I'm working hard to keep them good.
6. Graduation. May 7, 2010. 9:30 AM. Can you tell I'm excited?
7. Grad school. What I would like to do next.
8. Gabrielle. My friends Karina and Marty are new parents. She's precious!
9. Grand Canyon. Maybe I'll go there one day (yes, I'm stretching here).
10. Guatemala. If I went there, I could work on my Spanish.
11. Granola. Not as healthy as you'd think.
12. Geico. I'm insured by a lizard.
13. Ground beef. I could go the rest of my life without it and never miss it.

Can't put a price on education. . .or a good paper towel holder

It has been my pleasure to be a part of this group of crazy communication majors for almost a year now. We are all in a "degree completion" program that caters to adults who have college hours but no degrees. We meet one night a week, five weeks per class. . . for a year and a half. With the same people. Every week. The same. Crazy. People. Let me just say, I am certain that God put each of us in this class for a reason. I couldn't imagine surviving this very busy, hard work filled, often stressful time with any other crazy people. We don't always sit this close, by the way. Our professor squished us like that and left us there for a good hour of lecturing, just to prove a point about personal space. I learned that I like my space.


The same night that the above class completed some real-life experiments, I found this paper towel holder at a local thrift store. Now, I am not planning on using paper towels for much longer (another day, another post), but I couldn't resist it's red-ness. I love red, and since I am now living in an apartment and can no longer have the delicious, brick red kitchen wall of my old kitchen, I find many (many) other ways to incorporate red into my decor. This was 1.98. Not bad, for decor.

Father's Day

I have been blessed to personally experience a variety of types of "fathers" in my life. There is my biological father, who, though I didn't really experience him (he passed away before I was two), obviously had an impact on my life. There is my Grampa Carlton and Uncle Stewart (my dad's father and brother), who stepped up to be that part of my history for me.

There are my uncles, my mom's younger brothers, who were always around when I was younger, before my mom remarried. They were the ones putting my first bicycle together, teaching me how to bait a hook, letting me and my brother rough house with them, and even being the stern voice of discipline a time or two (or twelve).

Then, there is my granddad. He has taught me as much by example as he has by his words. That man is SMART. He can fix anything, I think, and can teach himself how to do just about anything else. He has a mind that makes connections that mine would never dream of, math in nature, physics in EVERYTHING. . . and so on. I have personally seen him exhibit more strength on his knees than most other man show standing. His constant prayers (along with my Granny) have carried me through many tough times, and his sense of humor and old fashioned orneriness never cease to surprise me.

I have also been blessed to watch my brothers and brothers-in-law become fathers. It is the great equalizer to know that those who used to taunt and terrorize me have daughters of their own. And it is a blessing to see how hard working and dedicated to their families ALL my brothers (and in-law) are. Across the board, they are some of the smartest, funniest, and "goodest" people I know.

Speaking of "goodest," my father-in-law is one of the best. I have only known him for 6 short years, but he has been consistently supportive, constantly caring, and always ready at the drop of the hat whenever any of his kids need a hand. Only for him would I give up my ban on making Ooey-Gooey Butter Cakes.

And that's it. That's everyone. . . . JUST KIDDING DAD!!

How could I forget the one dad on my list that gets a capital "D"?
My Dad, whom my mom married when I was 7, is a great man. He and my mom worked hard to make our blended family. . . well, blended. Like my Grandad, my Dad can do just about anything. Cook a great dinner? No problem. Bring a once-dead car back to life? In his sleep. Build a house (or 3), why not? Finish 3 geometry building projects in one night? Sorry, St. James school system, but that was my Dad that did that, not us! My Dad is a man who makes sacrifices for his family, works beyond the point of exhaustion, leads by his spiritual example, and is not afraid to ask forgiveness when needed. He may not be on my birth certificate, and I may not get my afro' hair and dimples from him, but he's the Dad that God chose for me, and I'm so thankful and blessed that He did.

And so, to Richard, George, Stewart, Ron, Layne, Grandad, Mark, Bryan, Ken, Mike, David, Travis, Joe, and most of all, Dad, thanks for being great dads. To me or to your own kids, either way, I have benefited from receiving or witnessing your Dad-ness. Happy Fathers Day, I love you all.

Cinnamon Rolls and a Round of Comfort

If the title sounds like a snack and a shot of something stronger than Granny's iced tea, I apologize. But I only apologize if you're offended. If you're not offended, I'm not sorry.
Wait. . . I seem to have gotten off track. Please, someone dangle a shiny object in front of me.
SO. . . today I was picking up some homemade cinnamon rolls from my niece, Kaylee. She was my first niece and is now 11! You would think that would make me feel old, but really all it does is make me think "Man, her parents are OLD." It's a coping skill. It's called denial, and I love it.
Anyway, Kaylee told me a few months ago that she was starting her own baking business. Well, I generously decided to put aside my aversion to carbs, sweets, and all things covered in wonderful glazed icing, and support her. I'm a giver, what can I say? She made cookies for a baby shower I had (for a friend, calm down). She made an awesome cake for The Brat's birthday. So awesome that by the time we got around to eating the cake in the evening, there were not many icing flowers left and our tongues were blue, if you know what I mean. (I love saying "if you know what I mean" at really obvious moments, it cracks me up!). And this week, Kaylee emailed me to inform me she was now making cinnamon rolls. So I sacrificed my diet (please don't choke on your coffee, I was on a diet for exactly 7.5 hours) and purchased "some."
The point of this little post is not about Kaylee's awesomeness or her baking goodies, though I could (obviously) go on about both. The point is, when I arrived at the baker's home, where she is the oldest of 5 VERY active girls, I was greeted with hugs, playful punches, hair cut updates, and a general bedlam of chatter (which I LOVE). Then, in the middle of the crowd, I hear "I'm FOUR!. . . I'm FOUR" I look down to see Sarah Grace, the baby of the family, beaming up at me. "I'm FOUR. HOLD ME." Sigh. An aunt's gotta do what an aunt's gotta do.
I tell you, sometimes you just have to sacrifice for the greater good.
Bonus: 57 hugs and updates later, I made my way home with a plate of fabulously wonderful cinnamon rolls. No, you may not have any. Order your own!