a day with the sweet pea~

every week i have the pleasure of spending time

with this wee one... little miss iris

it is one of the highlights of my week

she is one of the new grandkidlets

and by that i mean....

our grandkidlets are kinda divided into

2 groups

the old grandkidlets

&

the new grandkidlets

the old ones are fun in that they are

potty trained

feed themselves & even feed you sometimes

can help you do any number of things

and

they figure out things like my

electronics

such as

dvd players

computers

phones

well...you get the picture

the new ones are fun in they are not yet sassy

they like to be rocked & read to

they take naps

and

they love you despite

the fact that you have moles

brown spots

&

wrinkles

there are advantages & disadvantages to both groups

when group one has had enough of your old self

you move to group two

they don't care how old you are!

~*~

wishing you a...

happy friday

~*~

what can happen during a bathroom break~

the pixie & i spent the afternoon together

i HAD to go to the bathroom

when i came out

i found this little pixie, with her back to me, 

putting something  in my purse

when i ask her what she was doing

she replied "chapstick"

(we both share the love of chapstick & lipstick)

when she turned around

it was lipstick, not chapstick

 she had ever so precisely put on her little smackers

as i was getting my camera

she was getting my phone

never, ever, ever

a dull moment

when this one is in the house

*LOL*

~*~



Still holding on to the south~

if you can't be in the south

bring the south to you!

we had a low country boil on saturday

and what fun it was!

we were concerned about everyone having to sit in the sun

(we live in the middle of the woods, but not one tree around our house)

so the hubs and i came up with this idea~

3 twin sheets sewed together, some tent stakes

and a thing magig the hubs rigged up to hold up the center

worked perfectly!

our decorations consisted of ball jars filled with candles,

sand and seashells from our many trips to the coast

some spanish moss hanging here and there

heavy duty kraft paper

served as our tablecloths

rolls of paper towels

for napkins

the hubs started with potatoes, sausage, onions, garlic, lemon

and old bay seasoning

then added corn

and topped it off with shrimp, crayfish, lobster, crab & crablegs

yummmmmmm

what low country boil is complete without crabcakes...*lol*

this was also to celebrate my son's 29th birthday

red velvet cake with cream cheese icing

covered with sand (graham cracker crumbs)

and topped with crabs

thank ya Paula Deen

they were dilish

happy birthday douglas!

we put all the food in a screen tent

to keep the flies at bay

it just doesn't get any better than this!

well, if there were an ocean close by

that would have been a little better

good food, good friends, good family

a few goofy folks

(aka the birthday boy)

auntie abbey holding miss iris decked out in crabwear!

lots of family

these two littles ate stuff they weren't too sure about!

full bellies & smiling faces

such fun!

nothing better than everyone gathered around one table

to share a meal~

even the littles got a taste of the south

(he didn't really eat it)

we are fortunate, the hubs & i, to be blessed with

good friends & good family

~*~



letting go...

whenever we return from south carolina

i have a hard time letting go...

my mind keeps drifting back

to what once was just a short time ago

i truly believe my soul lives in the south

i yearn for the ocean and all that the south is

i miss the smell of the pluff mud

and the saltiness in the air

i miss the sea oats

and

all the treasures that can be found

on long walks on the shore

i miss the relaxed slow pace

and the kindness of the people

i even miss the heat & humidity

i do not miss the bridges that connect the islands

i will not drive over them

if we lived there

i would be stuck in mt. pleasant or charleston

until the hubs rescued me

off all things south

the bridges are the only thing i do not miss

thank you sullivans for sending

a ohio girl home refreshed

and

ready for the autumn leaves to fly

until next year

~*~