Welcome "Penny" to our family !!!!

Christmas was wonderful. We had many gatherings of family and friends and all the trimmings.
On Dec. 20th, Bo graduated from Stetson Law College and we all had a wonderful time celebrating with his friends and their families in Florida. We rented a wonderful house there on the water and had a little buffet for everyone after the graduation. Now he is enrolled in a bar study course and will take the bar in late February. Pictured above, "Penny" his new puppy .. she is our graduation gift to Bo. He has wanted a bulldog for many years but was never really in a place to have one . Now with graduation over, he will enjoy having a study buddy and little friend to move on his journey with him. She is only 8 weeks old !!! It took us over a month of constantly searching the internet and many phone calls....lots of scams ...to find her. Is she the cutest little thing??????

Thanks Scott and Cindy

Again this year, my sister, Cindy and her husband, Scott hosted Thanksgiving. Their hospitality is overwhelming as 30 to 40 people gather there each year to give thanks to the Lord for all the bounty of life and to fellowship with each other. The feast is always a spread of southern dishes, everyone brings their signature dish. My contribution each year is a picnic shoulder ham and my broccoli salad. The salad is a mixture of bacon, broccoli ( raw), red onion, pecans, cheese,and golden raisins. My son, son-in-law and my nephew , Robby will not let me get away with a new dish. Usually, I make a plum cake although this year, I did not. I will save that for Christmas dinner. It was a beautiful day , crisp air and sunshine. We were blessed to have all of our children with us there this year. Bo was home from Florida, Kelly and Tom with the two children came and stayed until they had to move on to the other grandma. Peter and Amy joined us and all of Cindy's kids were there as well. My 83 year old aunt came for the first time in decades to be with us and my mother and her husband were there . Several other friends from church and our extended family, the Vatters were able to join us as their children were all out of town.
We spent the rest of the weekend eating turkey sandwiches and Christmas shopping ...putting our box together for our loved ones in Italy. In the evenings we just hung out together at the house. Now , I will start packing away all the fall decor and replacing it with my treasured Christmas decorations. Hopefully, by the weekend, the house will take on a Christmas flavor. Tonight it smells like gingerbread because I did some early baking for Bo to take back to Florida tomorrow.
The rest of the month will be dotted with Bo's graduation, family gatherings, Sophia's 8th birthday, my brother-in-law Scott turning the big 5-0 and Bo's 28th birthday , an office party, the JOY party here at the house and of course, Christmas Eve buffet and Christmas Day at Cindy's house. We are blessed and though all of the family imperfections are here ...we won't focus on them but rather on the blessings we have through Jesus, the health we enjoy, the liberty we are afforded in our great country and the blessing of living in my beautiful city, Charleston. We will look past all of our failures and celebrate our victories knowing that God is a redeemer and our closest advocate and friend . He will be the focus of our holidays, his birth and his Lordship over our lives. We pray that you and yours will be blessed with His presence and that you will make wonderful memories in the next few weeks for all of your loved ones.
Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Roberts family.

Okay so I am a color person !!!

I want to love the shabby chic and all the cream and white but every time I get the chance to throw some color in the mix, I do it. Finally, one room in the new house is painted. The Charleston room is now" Baked Cinnamon". I love it. As I stand in the room now, I feel warm and cozy. Granted the room looks a little smaller but it is the cozy feeling I love and want in all my rooms so now I have begun a rampage of paint buying. Today, hopefully, we will get the paint for the dining room. I have decided on a rich shade of gold because I love the glow that color gets in candlelight and I hope to fill that room with friends and candlelight as soon as I can. I will post some picts soon. Of course, as my friend Tiffannie can attest.... it is always about 2 weeks before the holidays that I decide to do major changes to the house !!!!! Why do we do that????? Haven't we learned yet.... January, February and March ...there is nothing going on and that is the time to do this stuff but inevitably I find myself stapling, sewing and painting in November and December... if you are ever here on a holiday, you may smell fresh paint.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you and get your sleep. I read that during sleep our bodies create an acid that flows into the muscles and makes them tender and pliable.... making it hard to get a pulled muscle. Now I know why I tend to have a pulled out back or neck during the holidays. Sleep is the secret!!!!

Turkey Cranberry Wreath and Holiday Plum Cake

So many people have asked for this recipe, I decided to post it..... it is a family favorite. I am also posting my holiday plum cake recipe. This has been a holiday staple for the Roberts household since my kids were young. I make it small loaves and give it as gifts and it is beautiful made in a bundt or tube pan.




Turkey Cranberry Wreath Recipe

2 pkgs. crescent roll dough
1/2 c. mayo
2 Tblsp. honey Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. course black pepper
2 cups cooked chopped turkey (or chicken)
1/2 c. thinly sliced celery
3 Tblsp. snipped fresh parsley
1/2 c. dried cranberries (Craisins work great)
4 oz. grated swiss cheese
1/4 c. chopped walnuts
1 egg separated

Combine all ingrediants except the crescent rolls, and the egg.
Separate crescent roll dough into triangles, With wide ends facing toward the center, arrange 8 triangles in a circle on a round baking stone or a pizza baking sheet. Corners of wide ends should touch, it will look like a flower. Take remaining 8 triangles and match wide end to wide ends with points facing the center of the baking stone or baking sheet.
Scoop mixture onto the wide ends of the dough, making a circle.
Weave dough, outside piece, inside piece, alternating all the way around to make a wreath.
Take separated egg, discard or save for later use the egg yolk. Beat egg white lightly and brush over wreath.
Bake at 350- 375°F depending on your oven for 25-30 minutes.
It's really good, I've made it with leftover turkey, deli turkey (not the best though), and chicken. The cranberries really give it a zip!!

Holiday Plum Cake

Sorry folks... that one is a family secret and my daughter has forbidden me to give it away so if you got it on the one day it was on the blog...count your blessing.

Let's Party til the wedding is over !!

Thank you Aunt Harriett for the wonderful engagement party for Peter and Amy. Thank you also to all of you who came out to wish the happy couple a wonderful engagement. I feel already that my days of having Amy to myself are slipping away so quickly. I am so glad that she is marrying Peter but at the same time will miss her being within reach every day for hugs and chats and Jammie time.
I think that we will be celebrating for the next 6 months... Amy and Peter.... our new grandson , Britton and Bo's graduation from Stetson Law School in December. Once the holidays hit in a few weeks , we will be on gooooooooo time. My lofty goal of having the downstairs painted by Thanksgiving and the Archdale house on the market is pressing in on me now. What am I doing taking time to blog??????? gotta go !

Now the paint choices !

It is incredible how many shades of green are in the paint chip racks...and gold and red and any other color. You can even choose between hundreds of shades of cream or white...WHITE .. I kid you not ! Each night I pull all the paint chips out and go from room to room to see if one of them just sort of jumps out at me and says" I am the one !". Eventually, I will just pick one and go with it and for the most part that works. A decorator told me once that if you pick a palette of three colors and stick with them ( varying hues are allowed) that you can never go wrong. Fall colors work best with me. I just feel good around them ..they are warm and cozy. So , on with the "broken pot " which is a shade of terra cotta ... and paint on with the "restrained gold" ... what does that mean? Hopefully, when it is all on the walls the house will look" lived in" . That is the shade for which I am really striving. Picking the colors has been difficult but now the real hard part .... picking up the roller ! The holiday crush is on.

Like I have time and Money to Decorate right now !

The wedding is just around the corner...right after the holidays and decorating for that season, Bo's graduation Dec. 20th in Tampa and still trying to get the house on the market ( old house ).
I do not really have time to decorate and shop and paint but the ox is in the ditch so who needs sleep really? Jim and I are off on a little 4 day jaunt to Niagara Falls to attend a wedding and see friends but not before I get this dining room at least a jump start to the holiday frenzy. Jim picked up the table and sideboard for me today. I just love them. The table is 86 inches long at it's longest but has many configurations from 2 people to 10. The chairs are most favorite furniture I have ever bought. I cannot wait to get the new tapestry on them and have a few precious friends over for dinner.
The wedding plans are moving.. We booked a site for the reception. It is a beautiful ballroom and will make a great spot for a big celebration. Everyone is so excited. Amy has waited a long time to find her perfect match. She just started a new job as well. Her new job is perfect for her and pays her very well and she is working in her field which is rare. She is an instruction designer for The Citadel. We are a Citadel family so her love for the school is just icing on the cake.
Kelly loves her job. Sophie and Caleb are doing well . Caleb and I have the best time the 4 days I have him each week. He is very into superheroes ! I have learned all the names of every superhero group that exists. I did not know I would get such an education. He has mastered the computer now. He can navigate around and print his heroes very well.
Bo is doing really well. He will study from graduation until Feb. and then take the Florida bar. I am sad that he is not moving home to Charleston but happy he will only be a days drive away. We are all looking forward to the holidays ! Turkey, broccoli salad, pumpkin pie, plum cake.... I can feel the pounds just thinking about it all. I love Christmas so as much as I do not really have time, I am sure that the house will be loaded down with decorations. I hope you all are enjoying the fall ! The colors here are just starting to turn. Back to the dining room project...

They are even cuter than the picts !

Jim and I got a chance to see some of our little "youth group grands" over the weekend. Donald and Mary Beth brought " Charley" to see us and we also got to love on little Jrew Rose. Thomas and Dita were in town and brought him to see us ! I promise you that even those pictures you see here on the blog are not as cute as these two little ones are in person. I had a hard time letting go of them at the end of the visit. Jrew is just a little shrinky dink of Thomas and Charley is sooooooo beautiful. They were both as sweet as they could be. Donald and Marybeth and Thomas and Dita are doing a wonderful job as parents and each of them love their new roles.
The Spanns live in Greenville and the Roses live in Nashville. Too far away from Auntie MJ.

Retirement is not for the faint of Heart

Ahhh! Retirement. You spend your whole life thinking that day will come when you can put aside your work and rest and enjoy traveling, chillin with friends, relaxing on the beach, boating. Well, hopefully, it is coming but to date I have not seen any sign of it. The work only changes. No one tells you that with retirement comes grandchildren, weddings for your offspring, graduations and aging parents and aunts. There is no mention of the mounds of paperwork that still pour into your box and the upkeep on all the things you have aquired over the years of hard labor. My niece, Mandy was complaining about her new schedule the other day. School all day and then work. I said " welcome to the real world, honey". She quickly retorted, You ain't got no job!"
So innocently said my dear. My job is 3 houses to be upkept, one to get market ready, one to decorate and unpack, one to continuously clean and ready for friends and parties, one grandchild to print superheroes for each day, one husband ( God bless him, he is the overlooked one in all of this) , paperwork and computer work... for the house, the ministry of JOY, the wedding, a wedding to plan , a graduation to prepare for, food in the house, calendar to keep and that is only what I can think of at this moment. I HAVE A JOB ! School and a 3 hour a day job, trade me anytime. That said, I have a blessed and wonderful life so not complaining just making sure all of you know that retirement is not what you think. Enjoy your life whatever stage you are in !
Life is sooooo busy that for the first time in 32 years, I did not get out to buy a birthday present for my two wonderful girls last week. Late but not forgotten girls. It will come when you least expect it. LIFE is Busy !

Let the planning begin...

Well, it is well underway ! The planning and stressing out for the wedding of Amy and Peter. All we know so far is it will be in the spring. Unbelievable to me is that all the places we have called for the reception site are booked for all of April, May and June until 2011. Is that incredible that people are planning for a wedding in 3 years? I am sure the right place will surface but for now Amy and I are online and onphone searching for the perfect venue.
Over the weekend we did manage to get away to a nonservice area for mobile phones which gave us a much needed and forced rest. We spent the weekend at Givhans Ferry state park enjoying the family reunion. It is an annual event where we reunite with cousins and aunts , uncles and catch up on the latest weddings, engagements, babies, deaths and happenings. We had a cabin and 2 campspots so it was a lot of fun.
NO PHONE SERVICE ! That was really a challenge for everyone. I don't know what earth shattering news we missed. How did we ever manage without the constant connection to the world.The weather was perfect for camping ( though I slept in the cabin) and it was really great to taste all the home made dishes at the reunion dinner. The bluegrass tradition continued with the younger generation taking the helm. Clary and Scottie have really mastered the mandolin and all the guitars and singing and violin were awesome. If you closed your eyes, you could just pretend the Old Grady Boys were there . I am sure that if they could hear , they would be pleased to know the tradition has not been lost.
The calendar continues to be filled with so much activity ! The holidays are now getting close.. Bo will graduate , Amy will get married, my house will get decorated, Kelly's stint at teaching will end, the custody battle will get solved, the new pastor will get chosen and installed, the garage will get cleaned and organized and Jim and I will survive it all. What dream am I in again????

The Caterpillar or as Caleb calls it... clattapeeler

Last week, Caleb found a pretty lime green caterpillar on a leaf outside our house. We brought him in and put him on the leaf in a cup. The caterpillar had no idea who had moved him or even that he had been moved but I imagine that in a very few minutes he had an instinct to start moving toward freedom. If he could think ( in human terms) he would have been saying " hey wait a minute... what is going on... why am I in this prison and what is going to happen to me... what can I do to escape?" He did not know that all along the plan was to carefully feed him, watch him and eventually return him to freedom as a beautiful butterfly. In his little green cup , he had food, safety from predators and an audience to watch his beautiful spinning , sleeping and eventual flight BUT he did not know that... He did not know that there was oversight and protection for him. He thought surely that being free of this " unexpected bad situation" was the best thing for him.
YOU guessed it...he escaped. I looked for him for a little while and then assumed he would never be found. That night, Amy found him...well half of him...on the kitchen floor. He was still wiggling but not viable so he ended up in the caterpillar morgue.
Life lessons filled my head....
How many times an unexpected bad situation comes along for us. We think ...How can I escape this...Don't we know that God the omnipotent, God the provider, God the overseer and protector has a plan for us..... In Jeremiah...one of our favorite and most quoted passages, God says, I know the plans I have for you.....for good and not evil ....to give you a future and a hope. Like the caterpillar ....we do not see the protection and plan so we wiggle to get free and change our circumstance.... instead of appreciating the provisions and blessings we do have , we focus on the things we do not have or the thing we want to happen. God's timing is good. He wants to spin us into a cocoon with our temporary capture and see us through to our eventual flight all the time knowing that we will be more beautiful for the experience. Those who " wait on the Lord" see that good plan come to fruition...those who fight it and escape sometimes find a worse situation on the other side. The Word tells us to Wait on the Lord.... to be patient in trials and persevere.... that is when we build character and also come into the perfect plan He has for us...
Next time you fall into a "prison" trust that God has your back ! Wait on Him and see what beauty he will bring from the experience.

AND the move continues

We are going on the 3rd month in the new house and I am amazed at how many boxes are in the garage and still unpacked !!! You might recall that when we moved from Niagara Falls, we sold everything with the house to the new commander there. We only brought our personal items and a few treasured antiques... all the furniture and accessories were left in the house. We still managed to fill the largest u-haul truck available. What was in that truck???? Now I am finding out. Craft supplies I will never use, clothes I will never wear, dishes from which I will never eat or serve,COATS I WILL NEVER WEAR ( THANK YOU , LORD) you get the picture. I am trying as I unpack to get rid of all of it. The kidney foundation and goodwill will have to build a new location. Truthfully, if someone set the garage on fire( the storage spot for all of this) I would have a hard time saying what was in there. STUFF ! Do we really need stuff? I think if I could bring myself to it, I could live on white t-shirts, black pants a few blazers and a few scarves. Think how easy life would be. That will be my new project.
Well, the camper life is out for now. The auction campers turned out to be in terrible shape and the base did not make us take them. For now, I will continue to live in the house and try to get it ready for the holidays. This will be another weekend that I do not accomplish this because Cindy and I are still in the process of moving my aunt to her new apartment. That will take the weekend to get the bulk of her stuff over there. Talk about stuff !!!! We did manage to get rid of about 20 huge bags of stuff from her place. WHERE do they put all the stuff when you get rid of it? I hate to think about the landfills etc.... hopefully, they burn all this stuff.
Let's talk about coffee. It is kind of like salad, always taste better when someone else brews it. I have tried every coffee on the shelves. I even joined Javalia and ordered coffee from them for a while... got the free coffee pot and everything. I have yet to find a coffee to brew at home that tastes as good as the fine restaurants serve. What is the secret? Do you have a coffee you swear by? My mother makes the finest coffee I have tasted . She has given me her secrets...you buy Maxwell House Master Blend... You use a heaping teaspoon for every two cups ( cups meaning her cups she uses to drink from) and then you dash the grounds with a little salt before brewing in an electric percolator. I followed all of the instructions and still cannot get the house to smell like hers when her coffee is brewing and cannot get that taste. It must just have to do with being home. I have to think back a long way to get visions of home where I grew up. That will be another post.
Must move on to my day. Caleb is on the way and we are taking a picnic on the boat with Big Daddy. Have a great day!

The weekend went by fast. Bo was here for a wedding with his good friends, Dennis, Angelo, Matt and Anna and he brought his friend, Jessie with him from Florida. They all stayed at the beach house. I have yet to go out there and see if it is still standing. Dennis informed me that they cleaned up before they left. Amazed that it even crossed his mind, I will report later what that means in his glossary because I can assure you that it will not meet my standard. In the past, I have found items I cannot discuss here and wondered if it was really my house when I entered due to the sand, beer can and general untidyness of it all. The old house will survive them and I only hope that the memories everyone makes there will be good ones. I only got one little hour with Bo over the weekend . We met for lunch Sunday and then he and Jessie flew the simulator for an hour before they hit the road back to law classes and Florida. Dec. 20th is on the way. Pray for Bo to do well on the bar in Feb. and to find a good job.
I have really enjoyed keeping my grandson , Caleb. Today was just an ordinary day, nothing to speak of but even those days are special when he is around.
My sister , Cindy and I have been moving my aunt's household from an apartment on James Island to one closer to us. Did I mention I hate moving? I am sure I did somewhere in my blogs from the last couple of months since I am still moving into my new house.
Jim and I won an auction for a pop up camper this week and I am considering whether to chuck everything and move into it. Wouldn't that be the simple life. You could move around visiting great spots and when you decide you don't like the people or the weather, you just jump in your car and pull your little home along to the next adventure. How much trouble could it be to clean?
Think of the money you would save !!! Even gas prices would be okay if that was your home.
Cindy and Scott also won one in the auction. We have not seen them yet...YES, you read that right, we bought them sight unseen. This could be a mistake but for the price we paid, we could put new tires, new mattresses and new awnings and even new ac and still come out on top ! Now you might say, I did not know that Dixie was a camper.... you are right , I am not a camper but if I do go camping, I am not sleeping on the ground so for the 2 times a year that I may go to the reunion at Givhans or take a little mountain trip, it will be fun. Also , all my kids now have access to a pop up so I think it is a good purchase. Bo may end up needing a home if he does not pass the bar so I can soooooooo see him in the pop up.
Amy started her new job today. I am a little sad because it has been great having her at home to jump in the car and do errands, etc.. Now it is back to Boogie and me.
I met the mom and sister of one of my new cadets over the weekend. Great people ...easy to see why my cadets are so special. I think they are doing really well.
The next few months are busy.... may not blog much but will try to keep in touch with all of you who have a blog. Adios

Sister and best friend, Cindy

Busy Days

As you can see, lots of new photos on the blog. Our days have been very busy since the move. We have a garage filled with boxes so the end is nowhere near in our unpacking. I am keeping my precious Caleb during the week while Kelly teaches so he is helping me unpack ! I have to tell you , my biggest holdup is that I have been glued to the t.v. watching this Sarah Palin landslide ! I am in awe of how our country is pulling toward her. She stands for what is right and good and I am so proud of her for speaking out ! The left wing is shaking in their boots.
Summer is coming to an end ... I love fall so that is the silver lining on that cloud. Jim and I are planning a trip to NY to see our friends and attend a wedding. We will be celebrating our wedding anniversary there....34 years. Where did all the time go?
The holidays will be upon us before we are ready...always are... and I will have to stop where I am and decorate whether the house is ready or not. I think Jan and Feb will bring a welcome lull in our activity so we can catch up ! Retirement is not for the faint of heart.
Bo will graduate from Stetson Law on Dec. 20th so that adds another element to our already busy month/season. Maybe 2009 will be my year to be organized and relaxed. ???????????

Our Vacation to Seaworld and Busch Gardens

What a great week ! Tom and Kelly, Sophie, Caleb , Uncle Bo and I all went to Busch Gardens for two days and spent a day seeing Uncle Bo's house and school campus and swimming at the hotel. The last two days, we left Bo in Tampa and took off to Orlando for Seaworld. I may sound like I am bragging ( I am ). My grandchildren spent 5 days in the car, at the parks, in the hotels, restaurants and got pushed past dinner, lunch, bedtime and naptimes...and were wonderful every second of our trip ! I am overwhelmed at the politeness, the appreciation they had for everything and the joy they were to me for every part of this vacation. My hat goes off to Tom and Kelly for the great parenting they have done. Also, I must say my son in law took great care of us. We had to leave Big Daddy Jim behind to work so Tom had to take over all the care of the Gigi.
I am posting some of the best photos from the trip. I cannot tell you how beautiful the parks were and how much fun we had. This will go down in my memory as a really wonderful time. The weather was cool and breezy the whole trip with occasional rain showers to cool things down even more. We did not miss out on anything. Caleb ( 3) went on every big ride they allowed him to enter and Sophie made the Gwazi coaster with Uncle Bo and her dad !!!! Gigi watched as they coasters rolled upside down and went at 65 miles an hour ! The shows and exhibitions at Seaworld were awesome. The kids got to feed the dolphins and pet the stingrays. Get to Seaworld if you can !

The crew is back

My Guatemalan crew is home safely and back to routines and life in the good old USA. You will see some of their photos on the site. Happy to say that my sister and brother-in-law did not arrest me for vandalism but much appreciated all that I did to the house ..... should have painted as now I know they would have been ok with that.
Moving along with the move into the new house. It is much easier with Bo and his truck here. Hopefully, I get this old house on the market soon.
We are off to Seaworld Monday and Busch Gardens after that. Will post photos when we return.
Someday, I am going to rest.

I should have gone to Guatemala

One of the reasons I did not sign up for the mission trip with Jim, Bo, my sister and her entire family( minus Robby and Holly) is because I thought 12 days would be perfect for me to laze out on the beach, get some stuff done in my beach house....like painting etc... and move a few items to the new house...NO that is not what is happening. For the entire time they have been gone I have run from one house to another.... 4 of them... Cindy's house, my old house, my new house and the beach house trying to take care of 2 dogs, 3 cats and 4 houses. This is not fun or productive. I will consider it my contribution to the mission. Hopefully, tomorrow when Amy takes over at Cindys' and with the animals, I can get to some real missions....like moving and maybe find one day that it is not raining that I can actually take a nice long nap on the beach.
I have however found some things to occupy my time while I am at Cindy's sleeping with a 70 pound pit bull ( not a dog person) refer to older posts for info on that... and I might say that I have renewed my belief that dogs are meant to live in China where they can end up in a soup. It is one thing to be kept awake by your husband snoring and tossing but when you are giving up your comfort for a spoiled pit bull who snores loud enough to wake the dead... that is too much.
Anyway, I did say I found some stuff to pass the time at Cindy's while I am dog sitting. I have redecorated, remixed . She will either love me or hate me when she comes home. I did stop at painting walls without her permission only because if she hated them, I would have to paint them back so I will just wait on the painting but she will come home to some changes.
So you all don't think I am too bold, she and Scott did say I could move furniture around while they are gone.
Well, I must go finish my kitchen redo and get the spoiled dog into the house and find my 3 inches of bed that he allows me. Tomorrow cannot come too quickly for me. Woooooohooooo , tomorrow night I will NOT have a dog in my bed... how many women can say that????

Off to Guatemala

So it is 4:45 in the morning. I just dropped Jim and Bo off at the airport. The money we spent on food bars, toiletries,last minute items, and work clothes, hats, sunscreen etc.etc. would give a few people in Guatemala an annual salary. None of us got any sleep so hopefully, the plane will afford the group a little rest. I am sure that since I had only 2 members to get off to the plane that my sister who had 5 to get there is exhausted and she is on the trip. She is 3 years younger than I am so her energy level is a little better. I am not called to go to any 3rd world country and hike mountains, break rocks with an ax for concrete, eat foreign food or sleep in cots. Forgive me but I am sure it has to be a call and I just do not have it.
While they are gone, between taking care of animals ( which I have already shared about in previous posts), getting some stuff moved to the new house, having New York friends visit and trying to lose 50 pounds.... just kidding.... although it would be nice... I am going to try to enjoy my solitude.
Yesterday, a tree fell in the front yard of the new house. The storm in Summerville was severe and the tree was a Bradford Pear which I understand is prone to break when they get tall. Well, it did . Jim and Bo managed to cut it down and get it out of the driveway before they left the country. It was a beautiful tree that added a lot to the landscape so I am sad but what can be done ??? I guess I am thankful the lumberjacks were still in the country when it happened.
Pray for the team in Guatemala. One of my nieces on the trip is diabetic so I am praying for her to do well in the heat and activity. I know they will all benefit from the work they are doing there. As for me,
Right now, I am going to climb into bed with the shades down to block the morning sun and sleep until my body says wake up !

Our Happy July 4th

What a great weekend ... The beach was beautiful. We had our grands and our two little Italian visitors Anabelle and Victoria Moore, at the beach house for the big 4th celebration. See the photo on the left of the page to see some of the loving that went on with our little darlings ... the house was full. The old house is really too small for a big crowd but we made it work....beds and sofas and suitcases, beach bags...it was reminiscent of beach retreat days when we were busting at the seams at the rental houses for SOAR retreats. No shaving cream fights or water balloons from these little ones... we are keeping that a big secret.... We are tooooooo old for such nonsense now ...
Now recuperating from 3 days at the beach with everyone...I am off to an early bedtime and a great celebration at Calvary tomorrow. Jim is preaching...kelly and her fam are coming..our longtime friend David is here and Amy and Peter will be there...also our little Italian sweethearts... so we will all be together except for Bo who is in Florida until Wednesday. He will come home and pack and head off to Guatemala with Jim and 10 others to a mission there.
My memories of this 4th will be flags, hotdogs, apple pie, loved ones and the beach !!! Life is a celebration.

July 4th

Right now we are managing 3 houses...not so much fun. The house we are in and want to market in the next 2 months ( meaning we have to move our stuff out !!!) The house we bought several weeks ago ( which because of being too busy , we have been unable to move into) and the beach house which is still a shack but with new roof, windows and siding... we feel compelled to now update the inside. Still trying to enjoy the prettiest part of summer. It seems all I do when I get to the beach is work. The palm trees swaying and breeze blowing call to me but I cannot seem to get to a place where the house is not calling me also to do some of the much needed clean out.
HOWEVER ! I am leaving here today ( house 1) and going to the beach. I promise I will be on the sand for any time of the day that is sunny and nice and I will do my work at night.
We feel blessed to be celebrating Independence Day with some of our family and friends. I will have 2 precious little ones who are visiting us here from Italy... Victoria and Anabelle Moore.. daughters of youth group alumni and extended fam.. Tom and Leslie Moore. We have found that Folly Beach is the place to be when it gets dark on the fourth. The money goes up in smoke for about 2 or 3 hours and the beach is the place to take our chairs, coolers and torches to soak in the glory of America.
Next week I am honored to have Jay Black occupying the beach shack. This was a way for me to congratulate him for his 4 year tenure at the Citadel where he maintained a 4.0..one of 4 cadets to do so in his class. He was not recognized at the graduation when the top 2 were named. I am appalled. You would think that 4 cadets out of all of the grads could have been named for such an accomplishment. Well , I cannot go back and fix that but I can reward Jay for his dedication to excellence. He loves the beach so he will be shacking it before he takes off to his new home and job in D.C. next week. Jay , YOU are surely what we consider the ultimate cadet.
Jim and Bo are heading to Guatemala next week as part of the mission team from our church. Please keep the whole team in your prayers for safety and spiritual blessings and growth.
I will be helping to babysit the spoiled rotten dog that belongs to my sister. This overgrown pit bull who is really a baby!!!!!!! will be spoiled by Amy and me for the length of the mission trip .. this is to include one of us sleeping with him...... do I love my sister or what.... I do not even like dogs ! Before all of you dog crazy people out there start throwing tomatoes at me... I do treat them like I like them but here is what I have to say about owning a dog..
fleas and flea treatments
hair and furniture
smelly breath and dog odors
no manners as the excrete gases and saliva
barking
pooping and other stuff
hindrance to travel
I could go on but you get the drift
Okay, heading to the beach for a real few days of vacation and fun.
Happy 4th to you all and as you celebrate... think of the blessing of living in the greatest country in the world.
Adios

okay so I got tagged by jenny

Not sure I am doing this right but here goes...
6 quirky things about me:
I rarely if ever wear tennis shoes... I think they are clunky and hot and look totally unfeminine.
I have a pet peeve about having a garage on the front of a house.I think they are ugly and take away from the house.
I am a stickler for proper grammar. I think every American should know how to use the English language.
I think everyone should learn to write a proper thank you note and do it often.
I am never really happy with my haircut.
I love being alone. I am a people person most of the time but my alone time is important to me.

So there they are... now I am tagging: Kelly @ www.reserfam.blogspot.com , Amy @ www.amygrace77@blogspot.com , Karen @ www.leaderboys.blogspot.com , MaryBeth @ www.espann.com , Dita @ www.therosefactor.com and Jim @ www.landofbiggs.blogspot.com
so now I guess each of you are tagged and you have to :
write on your blog six quirky or odd things about you, then tag 6 people to do the same. There are no prizes or curses involved !!!!! Just fun to learn about each other. Dixie

My German Adventure

My latest real adventure happened rather out of the blue ! Jim and I were in IHOP with my sister when we noticed a family eating near us were speaking German. Jim, who claims he can speak German now feels challenged to talk with them. His German is really limited to ordering stuff in a bakery so I thought , "this will be interesting". He proceeds to ask them what city they are from in Germany. The wife of this group of 5 does speak English fairly well so she tells him they are from Stuttgardt... I think that is the right spelling. Anyway for the next 15 minutes , Jim and Barbara, the wife, try to converse with each other...mostly in English...well all in English. They were a husband and wife, two teen daughters and the wife's sister, Isolde. Bruno, the husband spoke no English but they all were very interested as Barbara translated for them.
We found out that they had just flown into Charleston that Evening.... 30 minutes prior to our meeting them. They got a rental car and checked into the Best Western near the IHOP on 17. They were tired and hungry. As the conversation went on, we learned they were on a tour of several cities in the USA ...planning to spend one day in each of them. They had just come from
Niagara Falls !!! They only had one day in Charleston.
NOW !!!! the next thing that happened is that I am sitting there thinking how much of a hassle it is going to be for them trying to see anything that would truly give them a picture of Charleston, in just one day ! I am thinking of the downtown traffic, the one way streets, the things they will miss... Soooooo I offer to take them on a tour then next day...fully thinking they will say no because who would trust a complete stranger to be in charge of their day ? First the mother and Dad talk it over and they say thank you but we will do okay. We continue on eating and the mom says.... the children like the idea of having you show us the town. So I did.
The next morning I met them at 9 and got into the rental van with them. We took off.... the waterfront park, King Street, Meeting and Broad, Church Street, The Battery, Rainbow Row, The Market,The Visitors Center, The Citadel Campus and gift shop. We did the whole downtown thing for about 3 hours then off to Ravenel Bridge and Shem Creek, over to Isle of Palms , Sullivans Island...where we parked and they walked in the Ocean for a bit. Finally , it was 3 o'clock. We went to Bessingers for lunch...they loved the BBQ and then I got my car and led them out to Middleton Plantation. They wanted to spend time there for the afternoon. I gave them a map to get to 17 as they were already packed and planning to leave for Florida after the plantation.
It was a wonderful day. I loved meeting this lovely family and establishing friends in a far away place. Since then, I have received an email from them. They are back in Germany and considered Charleston the highlight of their travels.
I love living in a city that has so much to see and do. I have no plan to move from here ever again... God willing.
I hope the family spreads the word, that we are friendly and love our home city. Surprised as I was that they took me up on the offer, I am thankful that Jim speaks enough German that he was able to start up the conversation that led me to that fun adventure. Barbara is going to email pictures to me soon. I will post them for you to see.

Last night, Jim and I went to a birthday bash for my sister, Harriett. It was at her club... JB Pivots Beach and Shag Club. She booked the fabulous Coastline Band. Jim Quick and his band are really southern soul and beach music. They were better than ever and I guess have become very popular and are booked way in advance. They have won many Carolina Beach Music awards. You can look at them at their site..
www.coastlineband.com
Amy and Peter joined us there and it was a lot of fun watching the showband and watching Amy and Peter Shag. For those of you who are not from the South... Shag is our state dance here in SC. The movie " Austin Powers" has raised some eyebrows when we speak of the shag in places other than the south. Peter and Amy have been dancing together for a couple of years now and have really honed their skills. The club offers free lessons but quite honestly, Jim and I have tried that route. Trying to confine Jim into a framework for dancing is impossible. He learns the steps and then about 5 steps into the dance, he breaks out into the JIMSHAG ! Yes folks, you are in for a new type of dance. The Jimshag is great ...just not to be confused with the state dance shag.
Check out the website for all the activities planned at PIVOTS. You can find their link on the sidebar.
Summer is underway , we have already lost use of the boat for a short time. Jim ran the boat into an oyster bed and the propeller had to be fixed. We would have used our backup propeller but it is also in the shop. This is only one small chapter of our boat stories. It would take a blog dedicated to just that to tell you all of them. Suffices to say, if you do not have about 500.00 a month to throw away, do not buy a boat.That is a conservative estimate which includes payment, insurance, repairs, gas,and storage.Did I mention that also if you drop the engine cover on nearby cars..it is expensive... that did happen to my Z.
Summer Calendar is filling up ! I am still looking for the days when we can just sit back and relax and enjoy being retired. Right now , I forcibly plan them.
Check the sidebar for a few new links to blogs that are fun to read.

why the photo

just so you know , I posted this photo of the skink in reference to the episode I told you about in the blog post entitled...Life is just too busy.... this type is not poisonous but a black one with blue stripes is so be on the lookout.

skink lizard

thought you all might like to see a skink lizard.... here he is !

Life is just too Busy

At some point, I am hoping that life is going to allow me to do all the things I have put on the back burner. In my little fantasy world, I am a painter, a crafter, I have learned to use a jigsaw and created all the little gifts I see in the shops, I am a wonderful cook and have many dinners at my house for everyone to just pop in and eat ( like mom's house was). I could make you a long list of all the lists I have that are reminders of the things I need to do. Here is the problem. The days come and go and they get so filled up with paperwork, phone calls, household issues and calendar postings, weddings, funerals, celebrations ...all good stuff but taking all the time that I was going to write a book, get in shape at the gym, spend time with old friends...... The older I get the more I see that time is not on our side...life has way more to offer than we could ever make time for ...so I will just be thankful that every day is full and that Jim and I are healthy enough to enjoy them.
We are in the middle of choosing a financial plan for buying the new house. I never knew there were so many options for a loan or so many little ways they can charge you for the loans, there are PMI and closing costs, and required insurances and lawyers fees and interest rates and
termite bonds and house warranties and on and on and on..... I am about at the place where I want to sell it all and buy a small 2 bedroom condo with someone else doing the yard and having an amenities center . For what it costs to keep up a beach house ...even one that is paid for....I could rent the nicest house on the ocean for several weeks a year and still come out on top.
Now the windows they ordered for the beach house are inches too small so the top of the window area is open for all Skink lizards etc. to get inside. Of course, this has to be fixed....did I mention I got bitten by a skink lizard. Until that day, I had never heard of a skink lizard. They do bite if you step on them... I think I stepped on his tail.. I am sure the people 3 blocks away heard me scream. In that 2 seconds before I realized what was happening, I thought of the following.
A snake has bitten me... I am going to die...thank God I am saved...my grands won't remember me... Jim does not know anything about passwords, user id, or account numbers, who will clean my house before the big wake... then I realized it was not a snake but a one foot lizard who looked all slimy and nasty. Okay enough about that. UNPLEASANT TO SAY THE LEAST. So then came the other bad part.... the reactions to my announcement that I ahd been terrorized by a reptile...
Jim.... in comparison to my news of today.... my friend lost a grandchild....okay, Jim , you win hands down. kind of an unfair response in that not only does it take away any right of mine to get some sympathy and concern but I have to say, this is just totally unfair and uncalled for.
Amy... Oh my gosh, I am glad it was not me...because I would have died of fright.... I would have, I I I I I I
Kelly, What is a skank? Was she ugly? ( My first understanding from the guys present at the biting was that it was called a skank)
Cindy, after much laughter, where were you????
Okay, maybe this was not life threatening but I thought someone would understand the gravity of the situation...
Oh Bo......... lizards do not bite.... OH yes they do OKay???
Clary was the only one with an appropriate response, She texted me this..
Are you ok... do you need to go to the hospital... did it hurt?
I know who to call the next time I have a big deal happen to me.
So tomorrow is Saturday. We have a wedding and a retirement party and Sunday I am doing some stuff after church for my sister...so I will not be painting my original or creating any great craft or writing a best seller that day but Monday maybe........ OH Wait... Monday, I have to go wait on the electic guy again...still has not come..... and sign loan papers and call the orkin guy and the insurance people and drop my car at the shop...did I mention my car???
OKAY... my car issue...
Jim is washing the boat on the one trip we took out in the boat that did not require we buy a part or take it to the shop..Not free mind you since we pay a payment each month, and insurance and gas... but normal stuff.....he comes home happy in his great boat adventure and is washing the boat and puts the engine cover on the side of the boat ...it slides off onto the passenger door of my car and puts a $1000.00 dent in it. Add that to the cost of the boat. As I type , both propellers are at the shop from a run in with an oyster bed so the boat is OOO... which means out of order... the state it is in 3 /4 of the time. The one fourth is fun so I guess this is just what having a boat is about.
Okay enough of my musing. I will let you know when the electric job is actually done. Hopefully, I will be able to post that before summer is over.

Still waiting for the Electric guy !

So here I am still waiting for SCEG ! Now only to find out that all of my calls ( about 20 ) and all of the appts. were wasted on the wrong people. I finally get to the right department and am given red tape from here to Columbia for this removal of the box from the house..for a few hours by the way !!!!! Today I am heading back to the beach to continue my quest for service.
Mother's day was wonderful We spent the day at Cindy's house with family. Mom is doing well, she is having her birthday next week.....86 th.
Jim is on a bike trip with air force friends...yes for those of you who do not know... Biggs got a bike. Kawasaki 1500 classic cruiser. It is army green and black and he is having fun with it. I am never getting on it but I am glad he is enjoying it. So now he has a bike and a boat.... that should suffice for a mid-life crisis quencher , right?
We are planning for an October family reunion. Last year it was so good to see all the cousins and play music and picnic at Givhans Park. I am hoping this year all of my kids can come.
Short post today, I am late getting ready for my jaunt to the beach house. Kelly and Caleb are coming with me so that is fun. Hopefully, the electric guy thinks so.

I hate Monopolies

So for the last 2 days I have been stuck at the beach....oh wow you say what fun...no not fun. I could not leave the house because I had to wait there for a SCEG (electric company)to arrive to move the electric box off the house for 1 day to a temporary pole. This is so that our construction crew can finish the hardy plank siding on that side of the house. Seems simple but NO... there is a lock on the meter so only they can remove it. After 5 times of scheduling and no one showing up, they tell me the order was put in wrong . A supervisor then took over and set it up for Thurs. Of course , they do not give you any time frame, just the day.... they did not show. Several calls and complaints later they rescheduled for Friday.Same situation...did not show. I finally had to leave for other plans and now it is scheduled for Monday. I have not confidence that they will show on Monday but what choice is there??????????? The only electric company in SC sooooo I wait.

The workers at the beach are about 2/3 done on each project so none of it is finished and the old house looks worse than ever as it is all torn up during this process. I have faith though that when it is all done, it will be the best it has been since we owned it. I am anxious to get some downstairs cleanup done and get allllllllllll unwanted junk on the garbage pile. It is unbelievable how much stuff accumulates there !!!

We close on our new house May 23rd. Seems so fast !!!! The move is daunting but I know once we get there and settled in , I will enjoy it. We will have an overlap of buying and selling so that we can move one room at a time.

Our trip to NY was so much fun. We went up there for a wedding. The groom is a friend of Amy's from Clemson and the bride is the daughter of my dear friend, Judy in NY. The two met just as we were moving away from NY to return to SC. This past year has been a whirlwind romance for them and the wedding was wonderful.

It was good to see all of our friends and our NY adopted family while we were there. We stayed with the mother of the bride, Judy.

We do not have any travel plans for summer. In July Jim and Bo will be going to Guatemala with a mission team from our church. My big trips will consist of the 6 miles between the old house and new one and back and forth jaunts to the beach ( about an hour each way).

I just have too much to do for traveling right now. Hopefully, in the fall, I can get away to see my friend, Faye, in Austin , Texas.

Faye was here for a few days in April. We always savor each moment together.

Today, I am catching up on housework and laundry and will take out some time to spend with Sophie and Caleb...my little darlings. Jim is working today. Tomorrow we will all go to my sisters for a mother's day celebration. Hope you all have a wonderful Mother's day whether it is spending time with your kids, your mom or your memories.

Here is a photo of Faye and me a couple of years ago when she visited me in Niagara Falls.

Seems like a couple of years ago that we were stringing the streets of Folly Beach !!!

Here she is ... Stella Bird ! This is from a tea we had at my sister, Cindy's house. I hope when I am her age, I can feel and look half this good. She was about 84 here....will be 86 this month.

Those are some good genes !

Mother's Day

Sunday is Mother's Day. Thought you all might like to see a photo of Mom. She will be 86 in a couple of weeks. I think she is amazing. Her health is perfect. She only takes calcium and a vitamin each day. She can still shop, garden , cook and enjoy spending her money. Charles, her husband does most of the cooking and she does most of the money spending. This photo is a couple of years old but she still looks the same.
I have loved and still enjoying being a mom and now a grandmother. It is the single most rewarding job in the world. It is a real joy that all of my children are thriving and enjoying life.
Family remains the most treasured asset we have.
Today as we enjoyed lunch together, Kelly , Caleb, Amy and Bo and his 3 friends, I felt like the richest woman in the world. Having all my kids with me at once and one of my grands..... Bo and his friends left lunch and hit the road back to St. Petersburg to get to their summer jobs and I am heading to the beach to see what needs to be done to get the house back together and ready for the next big visitors... never know who that might be.
We are blessed beyond measure and cannot contain all the life that comes our way.
Next week, we start packing for a move... let's hope our backs don't decide to go out or some unwanted unexpected something does not show itself !!! Life is full of surprises.

Our visitors

Bo and his friends, Matt, Michelle and Jesse, were all here for the a long weekend. They were all recuperating from finals at Stetson Law . Bo and I gave them as much of Charleston as we could cram into the 4 days. They chilled at the beach house a good bit and we were able to meet them for dinner and lunch a couple of times. What wonderful friends he has made. I am sure when they all graduate in December it will be hard to go their separate ways.
Now we get back to real life. The beach house is undergoing major updates with windows, doors, siding and a new roof. Next we move on to the rescreening of the porch and some carpentry and painting inside and finally by end of summer we hope to remodel the bathroom and get new kitchen cabinets and add a laundry room to the mix. All of this will make the house more enjoyable for all of us who love to get away from the city.
Jim is getting ready for a bike ride to the Appalachian area. He and some of his motorcycle friends are gearing up for this adventure next week. I will take the few days alone to enjoy the beach and get some projects done at home.
We will close on the new house sometime this month and then the big move !!!!! I hate moving but hopefully, we will have this house for a long time and there will be no moves in the calendar again for at least a decade.
It will be nice to have more room. Hope that all of you will take advantage of our space. We love company.
Today, I am picking up my mom and we are meeting Bo and his friends for lunch before he takes off to Florida to start his job with the state judge in Tampa. This is a great experience for him and in the fall he will work in the solicitors office in Tampa as part of his last semester.
Graduation is Dec. 20th woooohoooooo

Off to the beach

I am heading back to the beach today ...guests arriving tomorrow and right in the middle of all the renovations. Bo and his friends arrive tomorrow and since two of them are of the female gender, I have to put a spit shine on the house.

The new house we bought is in Ashborough East. It is a pretty neighborhood with a lot of older homes. All the residents take a lot of pride in their property and the trees and shrubs are really beautiful. The house sits in the middle of a cul-de-sac which is nice and it has a pretty wrap around porch on front and a big screened porch on the back. We hope to put a pool in by late summer/next summer according to timetables of the pool people.

Jim is working for Boeing at the Charleston Air Base. He teaches in the C-17 simulator. It is a stress free job and his hours are very flexible so it is nice for him. He can work nights and get some golf in...or work days and have nights free. For a man who has worked 60 hours a week since he was about 18... this is a treat. He loves working with the pilots and most of his co-workers are flying buddies from the past assignments.

This weekend, he is speaking at the retirement of Tom Crawford ( the weather man), who is retiring from the reserves. On Sunday we head to Columbia to attend a banquet honoring Jim's old coach, Rusty Hamilton. He is being inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Jim was inducted last year in the OUTSTANDING AMERICAN category. This year Coach H. asked Jim to introduce him at the banquet. What an honor that is.

Hoping to see my grandchildren today. Here is a photo of those 2 precious angels. Also posting my latest picture of my girls, Amy and Kelly.Kelly is enjoying being mom to them . She is an excellent mother,,,,,,,,,wonder where she learned that??

Today was so much fun. I printed this picture of Charley Spann and carried it everywhere showing her off to the world. Charley was born yesterday to Donald and Mary Beth Spann. Donald grew up in our youth group and is like a son to us. I feel so proud ...like a grandmother. This little one is blessed to have two wonderful parents who love the Lord and will raise her in a loving and beautiful home.

Jim and I also bought a house today . More news about that later.

Welcome to the Land of Dixie

Hey everyone,

what a year this has been. I am starting this blog to keep track of all our ins and outs. Hope you enjoy it. Starting with our retirement from the Air Force last year in May, we moved home to Charleston , SC. I will write a little each day to catch you up on us !! Hopefully, I will get news back from you. Dixie