Life with the Pattersons

Oops

2009-08-11T18:54:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am totally aware that I have not posted the pictures I promised. I seem to have misplace the card that those picts were on. I am looking...

In the meantime, you can follow my surgery blog at hystersisterat34.blogspot.com.

For Stephanie and Celena...

2009-07-28T15:58:00.000-07:00

I have been terrible about blogging this summer. I have narrowed it down to 2 reasons...#1- Facebook is so much easier. While I don't get to say as much, it is so much easier to post pictures. #2-my children no longer nap. In some ways it is nice, but I do miss that time to myself. Plus, their daily quiet time seems to be spent on the computer! But, Stephanie and Celena have both asked me to post on my dollhouse. I have some pictures, but I need to download them. I promise I will do that by this time tomorrow. Deal?

We have had such a busy summer. It has just flown by and I can't believe we only have a few more days until school starts.

I have lots that I do need to write about, and I will do that soon!

Doll House Progress

2009-06-09T14:43:00.000-07:00

I am actually very close to being done with the actual construction of the house, but I wanted to post some pictures of the progress. I THINK I have been working on it for 3 weeks. (That doesn't include the week I was at the beach.)

After I inventoried all 8 million pieces to this thing, I painted a couple of coats on the outside pieces. I chose a light sunny yellow. Actual construction went very quickly, as far as getting the walls up.

The first huge job to tackle was the porch. All the railings had to be made piece by piece. It took me longer to paint the porch than all the other steps combined until this step. It really looks good.

The last thing I was able to do before I left for vacation was construct the roof. The dormer and gable gave me minor trouble, but it was pretty easy. I had to mark the lines for the shingles. The shingles had to be dyed with a special dye that did not come until a couple of days before I left. They were supposed to dry for 5 days, so I did get them dyed before I left so I could work on the roof when I got home!

That's all the pictures I have for now! I did finish the blasted roof, but I have yet to take pictures of it!

More on the dollhouse...and life

2009-05-26T18:57:00.000-07:00

I am sitting here, on the night before the last day of school, multi-tasking. I am facebooking, embroidering, and I guess I should blog, too. Today was Emily's field day and I have some pictures, but the transfer card to my camera is broken. I hope to work on that soon! She had a great day and it was all over after lunch, so I checked both her and Tyler out. When kids say they don't do anything the last week of school, you need to believe them. They really don't do anything. We came home and waited out a rain storm and then went to the library. We got lots of good books and some books on CD for our trip to the beach next week.

I guess I should continue my dollhouse story. So I bought the Vermont Farmhouse and opened it and labeled all the parts before building. I was in Germantown and thought I might see what their Hobby Lobby's dollhouse aisle looked like. They had the Vermont Farmhouse assembled and it was really small. It was nice, but smaller than I wanted. So I spent the next couple of days with that yucky feeling in my stomach that I had made a mistake. I spent lots of time looking at the catalog and praying about it (Yes, I believe God cares about me, which includes what I purchase.) and I narrowed it down to 2 houses. One TRULY was my dream dollhouse and the other is nearly. I drew the dimensions out on butcher paper and soon realized that super awesome dream house would not work. So I went with the Princess Anne dollhouse. It is bigger than the farmhouse and has some extra details.

I would love to tell you that I packed up the Vermont Farmhouse and took it back. But, I would be lying. The whole family was with me for moral support when I bought #2, so the kids kept asking me what I was going to do with the first one. I kept telling her that I didn't know, but she insisted that she wanted it. When I reminded her of the perfectly decorated and accessorized Loving Family dollhouse upstairs, she said, "Yeah, but its already all done." My word. I am a moron. I got all into the whole shebang of Christmas that I got her the whole kit and caboodle. The collecting aspect is the best part of having a dollhouse. So I told her she could have a wooden dollhouse when she is older, like 8. I slid the box under my bed, with plans to make it for her 6th birthday in July. I don't know if I can do it, but I will try.

I have been working on my dollhouse for a couple of weeks, and I have taken lots of pictures. When I get my camera cord fixed, I will give a progress report.

Off I go to embroider!

Scheming to get a doll house

2009-05-23T06:51:00.000-07:00

After 15 years together, Brent is used to my projects. He is very patient when I get an idea that I MUST do. He is even semi-understanding of my tornado-like closet of a sewing room that spills all over the study. But, for some reason, I was nervous about bringing up the idea of a doll house.

I began looking online at ready-made doll houses. Way too expensive for what I wanted and really not as much fun as building one. I looked at plans for building, but I just don't have the skill or space to build one from scratch. Plus, I want to do this independently and I don't believe I could use all the tools on my own. I decided to look at kits. My only experience with doll house kits was the one Becky had as a little girl. It was pitiful. You punched out the pieces out of wood and glued them together. It was fine for a 4 year old girl (FYI, Becky went on to get an unbelievable doll house fit for a queen later in life, so don't feel sorry for her.) So, I didn't have high hopes for a doll house made from a kit.

I began to research kits and found a company in Vermont called Real Good Toys. It has a great reputation, and offers over 50 different models. I spent many days looking at the website and dreaming about which one I would choose. Actually, dreaming about which one I could afford. The most expensive kit is $1,125 and as big as a van. About a week into the looking, I decided that I just could not justify the cost of any of the kits and put this dream on hold again for another few years.

Or so I thought.

I was doing my weekly shopping at Hobby Lobby ( I buy craft supplies like most people buy milk and bread.) and I decided to walk through the miniature department. And by department, I mean a 6 foot display. Boo. I could not believe what I saw on the floor. 4 large boxes labeled "REAL GOOD TOYS." 4 of the most affordable models right there in Hobby Lobby! And, get this...about 1/2 of the catalog price! I looked for the trademark Hobby Lobby sale sign, but there was none. There was also no 40% off coupon for the week. I filed this information in my brain under "I HAVE TO MAKE THIS WORK" and went home.

Two days later, the 40% off coupon came out in the Sunday paper. I had yet to discuss this with Brent. How do I tell this dear, patient man the plans I have for another crazy project? I dropped the kids off at school on Monday and headed to the Lobby. I really felt like the Vermont Farmhouse was the model for me. Cute little farmhouse with shutters and a front porch. I put it in my buggy and went to check out..oh wait...the coupon was sitting on my kitchen counter! SHOOT! I sulked all the way to the shelf and put the doll house back.

We had soccer that night and we had to take two separate cars. We ate a picnic supper afterwards and I told Brent and the kids that I need to run an errand on the way home and I would meet them there. Then I headed to Hobby Lobby, 40% off coupon in hand, and bought my Vermont Farmhouse. I left it in the van and didn't breathe a word of it.

I have 30 minutes from the time I get home from work until I have to pick up the kids from school. I rushed home Tuesday and unloaded the box from the van and took it to my bedroom. I opened it up to get the instruction book to read in car-rider line. Oh the pieces! The trims and the shutters and the flower boxes! It was all so pretty and such good quality. I was so pleased.

Brent came home and had to have seen this enormous box in his bedroom. He said nothing. All night. Not a peep.

On the way to work the next morning, I called him and asked if he saw it. His response was, "Well hello, Clark Griswold." (He gets a bonus in May and generously shares it with me and assumed that this was a bonus purchase with a bonus that we haven't gotten yet.) That's it. No questions, no nothing. That night, I was reading the instruction booklet for the 5oth time and he simply said, "I just didn't think doll houses were for grown-ups."

Now, the kids' response was a whole new kettle of fish. They were fascinated. The catalog that came with it was enough to keep them mesmerized for hours. Emily kept saying, "This is for you and me both, right??" I spent the next couple of days checking the pieces and making sure everything was there and labeling all the parts. I really needed to decide on paint colors first, so I did not get started right away. But, I couldn't wait to start my Vermont Farmhouse.

My first love

2009-05-22T15:50:00.000-07:00

Besides Bo Duke, that is.

When I was 5, we went to eat lunch after church at someone's house. They had an older daughter, who was probably just a few years older than I, but I thought was way older. She had the most amazing thing I had ever seen. A doll house. I don't remember a whole lot about it, but I fell in love with it. I remember just sitting in front of it and being amazed at the detail. And my parents took note. For my sixth birthday, I was given my very own doll house. It was just a plywood shell of a house, no doors or windows, or even paint. Just a plain wooden box with 6 rooms. And I loved it.

I think the first thing we did was paint it. My dad and I painted it off white with a brown roof. Then we went to the Elf Shelf. The Elf Shelf was a toy store that had a room in the back full of doll house furniture and accessories. I bought a wooden bed, a baby bed, and a high chair. We also got a model kit to make a bathroom that my dad built. That was all the furniture I had, but somehow I played with that for hours. No dolls, even. My mom cross-stitched a rug for the nursery and we bought some wallpaper for it, too. It had pink and blue and yellow balloons on it. Then I got a baby from the Elf Shelf. Just a little naked baby no bigger than an inch. I named her Suzanne. Suzanne lived by herself for about six months.

We moved to Pensacola the summer that I was six. But, I loved going back to Huntsville to visit grandparents and the Elf Shelf. That Thanksgiving, I got a refrigerator and some food (bowls, a salad, ketchup, and Corn Flakes). And then for Christmas, I got the mother lode. I got a Fisher Price family. It had a dad that looked like my Uncle Clellon, a mom that looked just like my mom, a tiny little boy that I named Billy, and a sister. My sister Becky had a RAGGEDY dollhouse that was built from a kit and we both got Fisher Price furniture that Christmas. I swiped her fireplace, and I got a plastic brass bed and a little white dresser that I gave to the sister. I remember getting pieces of furniture here and there...a table and chairs, a hat stand. Mostly I made things or improvised. If it was tiny, it was going in my dollhouse.

We then moved to Charleston the summer that I was 8. Sadly, Sister was lost in the move. During that summer, I was introduced to the Brady Bunch. I turned my dollhouse into the Brady's house. I scrounged up enough small dolls to make the whole family. I think I played Brady Bunch every day that summer.

The next summer, we moved to another house. For the first time, my dollhouse was in my room. (Both my dollhouse and Becky's dollhouse had always been in our family rooms for some reason.) I think the new location and my getting older really got me into the decorating of it. I totally dove in to re-inventing everything. I spent every penny on dollhouse stuff, painted the rooms, and painted the outside yellow. We even bought windows and doors for the house and painted them blue. By now, the family had been adjusted. The dad, Billy, and Suzanne were still the same, but mom had been replaced by a Glamour Gal named Diane. I also added a teeny tiny baby that I bought at a cake decorating store and named her Paige. (I had made a friend at school named Suzanne that had a sister named Paige, so that seemed appropriate.) Until now, though, my doll house world had been my own private obsession.

The summer before the 5th grade, many things happened. We took a trip to Washington and I was blown away by the miniature exhibit at the Smithsonian. It opened up a whole new world of how far you could go with this hobby. I also discovered two things at the library that summer...a magazine devoted entirely to miniatures, and books written by Rumer Godden. I dove into these books about dolls in dollhouses coming to life after dark. I also wore the pages out reading those magazines and seeing what grown-ups had done with their dollhouses. I also met Jackie.

Jackie lived a couple of streets over from me. I am not sure how I ended up going to her house to play. We had some friends in common, but had never been in the same class at school. The first time I walked into her room and could not believe what I saw...she had a dollhouse,too! I had never known someone else, especially my age, that had a dollhouse. Hers was a larger scale, suited to Barbie size, but it was wonderful and I knew right away that we were kindred spirits. Then I walked into her kitchen. Her mother had the hugest, most amazing dollhouse I had ever seen outside of a museum. It was breathtaking.

Since Jackie's dollhouse was a larger scale, we both decided that Barbie was the way to go with miniatures. We created fabulous worlds for our Barbies. Since my dollhouse was smaller scale, I had to use my mom's end table. I still loved my dollhouse, but the ongoing construction ended. Jackie and I got older, and by the time we were in 7th grade, teen-angst had replaced us staying up on Friday nights making Sculpy pastries for our dolls. I moved back to Huntsville the summer before 8th grade. My dollhouse stayed packed up for a year.

We bought a house with a family room in the basement. My dad put my dollhouse there. I set it up, but did not touch it for years. After I graduated from high school, we moved to Memphis. I packed my dollhouse up and it still sits in my parents' attic.

All these years later, I still love miniatures. I am fascinated by anything that is a tiny copy of something that is real. I tried to pass this love on to my own daughter. For her second birthday, I searched ebay for months until I had the entire Little Tikes dollhouse and all the furniture. Is there anything cuter than a miniature Cozy Coupe? I think not. I would set up the furniture for her to play...and she had very little interest. She liked it fine, but she would have rather played with blocks. Then for the Christmas that she was 4, Santa brought her the Fisher Price Loving Family Dollhouse with all the furniture. So cute. I just loved it. And she did for a while, but it lost its charm. It sits in the playroom, so bright and pretty with all its perfectly matched furniture. If she has someone over that is interested in it, she will play it, but usually it just sits there.

A few weeks ago, I was in Hastings book store and I happened across a book called "The Doll People." I had to buy it. It is about a family of dolls that lives in a dollhouse that has been passed down through many generations. It reminded me so much of the Rumer Godden books of my childhood. I read it that day and spent lots of time thinking about how happy my dollhouse made me. I also remembered how much I dreamed as a girl of one day having an amazing dollhouse with all the bells and whistles, like the displays in the miniature stores.

I decided then and there that I was going to do that very thing. Build my dream dollhouse.

What time is it???

2009-05-17T18:33:00.000-07:00

Summer time...it's my vacation! (That's for you, Jennie.)

Well, school is out for me. It won't seem that school is totally over until Tuesday when I would have been going to work. I had the best last week. Our program was fantastic and the kids had a ball. I got so many wonderful, creative gifts and tons of well-wishes from my parents. It was hard to let some of my babies go, but I will keep in touch with many of them. We had a fun work party Thursday night, too. I am going to miss seeing those ladies on a daily basis. They are a good bunch of girls to work with. I will especially miss working with Stephanie, and maybe someday I will again. I left there knowing with all my heart that I will always love teaching.

As some of you know, I, along with my dad, am the interim children's minister at our church for either the summer or until someone is hired. It is a job I am well suited to do, even the permanent position, but it is just too many hours for someone with two elementary-aged children. I have prayed for many years that I would somehow be able to be on staff with the children's ministry, but the money just isn't there for 2 people. Maybe someday...

I am so looking forward to summer vacation. I don't feel the need to cram tons of projects in since I will be home in the fall this year. There are lots of things on my to-do wish, though...

*Refinish the kitchen table
*Paint my bedroom
*Paint the hallway upstairs
*Clean out the attic
*Paint all the interior doors
*and one more...

I will post about it tomorrow. I have a project already started, and I have considered making a whole new blog for it. I'll fill you in tomorrow!

Hi. I'm new here.

2009-05-10T18:43:00.000-07:00

It has been 3 months since I blogged. I got bogged down with having so many pictures and events to blog about and no time to do it, so I gave up for a little while. Facebook is so much quicker, but I miss being able to expand on thoughts and all our goings-on.

My school year is coming to an end. I have one more week. I LOVE these kids. Even more, I love their parents. I have never had a class that I loved the parents this much. I am going to miss all of them so much. However, I let them know at work that I am not coming back next year. I am not sure what I am going to do. I have the luxury of not HAVING to work, so I can take the time to figure some things out. But, I love to work. I am just not sure what I am supposed to be doing. There are so many things I love to do. My embroidery of course, but I feel very isolated doing that. It was great when my babies were home all day anyway, but they are gone 40 hours a week. I love teaching, but my preschool doesn't pay much, not enough to make it worth being away from home so much. I feel like so much goes undone at home when I am working like that. I LOVE teaching so much, but I worry about what kind of wife and mom I would be if I went back 5 days a week. Those are just two of my options. I will discuss more later.

I had a wonderful Mother's Day. Brent and the kids gave me a jewelry armoire thing that hangs on the wall and Brent cooked me French toast. We ate Japanese after church and then I took a long nap. We met Kathy and the kids tonight for supper at TCBY! Kathy gave Alex ice cream for the first time and I got some good shots, but I am going to stop while I am ahead and not post any pictures this time.

I hope that I can get back to blogging with some regularity!

Tears for my Snack Shack

2009-02-16T14:31:00.000-08:00

I have held back tears all day yesterday and today as I think about news we got yesterday. The camp that Sycamore View has used for many, many years has to close. They just decided on Friday (It is a 4H camp that has let us use it all these years while they take the week of for July 4th.) and it was announced to the youth group and parents yesterday. None of the elementary know yet, and we have yet to tell Tyler and Emily. I just cannot bear to tell them.

Buford Ellington 4H camp is an old Army barracks, basically a neighborhood that we are all a family at for a week every summer. Kids can ride their bikes and roam free like they should be able to at home but are not able to. I have gone every summer since we got married except for the summer that Emily was born. I was 7 months pregnant one summer with Tyler, but I felt that 8 months was pushing it, especially with a 2 year old in tow! My babies have been raised as camp kids. Our whole summer revolves around this week of camp. We were running errands today and Emily talked about camp for probably 20 minutes. It is just a part of life that we LOVE. How can I tell them that it is all going to change???

I know we will be fine. We are scrambling to find a place to have camp this summer. Most camps stay booked up years in advance and it is so hard to find a place for 300. We are looking and begging God to show us a place. I know it will be a huge adjustment, and there will be lots of blessings, but right now I am just sad. I will miss the bike riding, the benches and trees by the directors' cabin, the snack shack, pool time, Jason that works at the camp, all the sweet kitchen ladies, Walmart runs, loading and unloading air conditioners, Ga-ga, and so many more memories. Please pray that we find something soon. I would really like to have some good news to tell the kids when we tell them the bad news.

Happy Birthday, Brent!

2009-02-14T00:00:00.000-08:00

My Valentine Brent is 34 today. For a whole week, he is older than me and I milk that for the full 7 days.

I often tell my friends that I won the husband lottery. Brent is such a good man. He is so generous to me and other people materially. He would give someone the shirt of his back. He is the best dad and always puts the 3 of us before himself. He is such a godly man and a spiritual leader for so many. He is my best friend and we truly do have the best time together, no matter what we are doing. He is such a hard worker and encourages me in ALL my projects and very rarely complains about how much I do. Plus, he does all of his own ironing. I tell you, I won the husband lottery.

Happy Birthday, Brent!

WEDDING PICTURES!!!

2009-02-04T05:51:00.003-08:00

Becky's wedding pictures are ready! To view then, go to rhondagrayphotography.com. They are great!

The best day ever

2009-01-20T14:27:00.000-08:00

On the way to school, Tyler pronounced today THE BEST DAY EVER. We got snow, plus a new president! How much better can it get???

We woke up to unexpected snow, which thrilled the kids. School was not canceled. Here is a picture showing how they felt about that call.

Stephanie and I drug in a TV for our kids to watch the inauguration this morning. Many of the children wondered if the new president would come to our school. My dad is in Washington for the inauguration, but I never saw him in the crowds. I was so proud that he was there that I pretended that I saw him anyway! Aretha Franklin's hat got much approval from the preschool age group, that's for sure!!!

2009-01-07T20:30:00.000-08:00

I have had many inquiries about why I have not been blogging. Two words...CHRISTMAS and WEDDING. Christmas break did not turn out to be quite the break I needed it to be!!! Becky's wedding is in 2 days...2 DAYS! I am ready for it to be over so I can sleep at night! It is so exciting, but so nerve-wracking! So, I promise that after a good long nap on Sunday, I will blog. It might not be much, but I will get back in the swing of things! Wish us luck on wedding day!

My Son

2008-12-18T13:37:00.000-08:00

This is my 8 year old son, Tyler. As I have said on many occasions, he is my soul walking around outside my body. We are two peas in a pod, I am afraid. I passed down many terrible traits to him, both personality-wise and physically. He has my bony legs and feet, my teeth, a constant tummy-ache, the need to save and collect everything, my fine art of being sloppy, my moodiness, and my reading obsession. I tried, but he got all these things from me anyway. We get each other, though. Being empathetic towards his flaws does not make it any easier, though.

I am afraid we won't make it to his 9th birthday. One of us isn't going to make it, anyway.

Tyler was the best baby, toddler, and small child. So obedient, polite, and a joy to be around. I could take him anywhere and people would always comment on what a precious child he was. I knew it wouldn't last forever, but I hoped, deep down inside, that I was wrong.

Now he is 8. And potty humor reigns supreme. He loves Power Rangers and Pokemon cards. He lives to harass his little sister. He pushes, screams, and scares her on an hourly basis. Let's not even discuss behavior in the car. I'd rather take a bobcat on a road trip. His room is ALWAYS a pigsty. He drips toothpaste from one end of the bathroom to the other. He pops the knees out of new jeans within a month of getting them. And, he will wear the same socks for days on end if no one intervenes.

I. HAVE. A. SON.

And he is a doozie. I get so frustrated with him, and just when I am at my breaking point, I will hear him whisper, "Hey Em. Will you sleep with me tonight?" Or, "I'll play Polly Pockets with you if you want." Maybe he'll be human afterall.

In the car this week, he asked me what it meant to be mature. I thought about it a while and felt it was easier to explain what it meant to be immature. We talked about different examples of maturity versus immaturity, and he sat back and took that all in. Then he said, "So basically, I am mature at school and church, but immature at home and in the car." Yes, Tyler, that is exactly right. Anywhere you are with your mother, you are immature. I guess I'd rather have him be mature for other people than me...

But, at the end of the day, he is my precious boy and I love him beyond words. So concerned about his friends' feelings and looks out for kids that need extra help. So deep in his faith at such a young age. So crazy about his family.

If you'll excuse me, I have to go wade through piles of webkinz and legos and Magic Tree House books to get to his dirty clothes.

My favorite gifts

2008-12-18T05:45:00.000-08:00

I have decided that since I am out of school and have some time to blog, I am going to devote each day to someone in my family. Today is yet another crazy day, so that might not happen. But, I will TRY!!!

Ahhhhh...

2008-12-12T10:47:00.000-08:00

Today is the first day in a long time that I have had time to just breathe. I have lots to do around the house, but for the first time in weeks, NOTHING has to be done TODAY. I am officially on my Christmas break, so maybe I can get caught up on blogging. I never blogged about Halloween, Senior High Retreat, or Thanksgiving and I don't know if I ever will!!! I am just going to pick up with December.

We went to see Santa Claus last night. I THOUGHT Thursday would be a great night, but I was so wrong. We waited for an hour to see the big man, but we were waiting on Brent for dinner anyway so it was fine. I did not make the kids dress up this year, per Tyler's request. He also gave me an ultimatum while in line...no more Santa pictures after age 10. I told him we would see. I know he is questioning things and that I am lucky to still have him believing at 8, but deep down, he knows. I know he does. But, he just plays along with it all. I think for my sake!

I had my class party yesterday and it was my last day of school until January 6th. I so need this break to take some time for myself. I love to do for others, but I have to remind myself that I am no help to anyone if I am a Grinch.

Involuntary blog break

2008-12-04T15:17:00.000-08:00

Ever since I have gotten back from Dallas at the beginning of November, it has been a constant stream of deadlines and commitments. I am a bit at the end of my rope, but I am seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. Tonight is my only night home this week and I am using it to play catch-up with my life. It feels good to get caught up a little! Everything should settle down a bit after this weekend and I can get back to blogging about our misadventures!

A dream come true!

2008-11-10T14:39:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I spent the past few days at the NAEYC conference in Dallas. About 20,000 preschool and kindergarten teachers under one roof...you can only imagine.

Being the insane Sesame Street fan that I am, I nearly wet my pants when I found out that Bob would be teaching a music class at the conference. I got to play the hand bells with him on the stage. It was very exciting! I got to meet him and get a picture with him. He was so great and so genuinely glad to meet everyone. He did ask me how old the girl I was buying his newest cd for was...I was like, "33...you got a problem with that?"

One quick post

2008-11-04T15:18:00.000-08:00

I am running around like crazy trying to get ready to go to Dallas tomorrow. I am going to the National Association for the Education of Young Children conference. But, I just had to post some pictures of my sweet Tyler with his new glasses!

A for effort

2008-10-31T20:05:00.000-07:00

I tried, but I couldn't get totally caught up today. Maybe tomorrow...

Elegant Event

2008-10-31T14:40:00.000-07:00

In my class, we study a letter a week, much like in a kindergarten class. (We have had students raise their hands the first week of kindergarten and tell the teacher that they already know what she is talking about!) When we do letter "E", we have an "Elegant Event" which is a fancy party where we only eat "E" foods...egg rolls, ears of corn, deviled eggs, eclairs, and elbow macaroni. It is always so much fun and the kids love being all grown up!

Shopping Day, part two

2008-10-31T14:12:00.000-07:00

So our next stop was Tyler's surprise...the Lego store. He overheard Brent's mom ask Emily on the phone if we had been to the Lego Store yet and he FLIPPED OUT! He could not stop laughing!

He got the one hour time limit as well. He had a blast. Emily loved it too. She found something she wanted, but Gran has already gotten it for her for Christmas, so I had to play the "You already got something" card. They both LOVED the Darth Vader made out of legos.

Now imagine spending the rest of the day shopping with 2 kids that had their dream toys in a bag in the car. Not easy, let me tell you. It was actually a pretty dissapointing outlet shopping day for the grown-ups, so after supper, we went back to the mall where the AG store was for us to do some shopping. I bet Santa did some shopping, too!

Shopping Day, Part one

2008-10-31T11:24:00.001-07:00

We decided that Monday would be shopping day. The first stop was Emily's surprise. We told Tyler the night before about the American Girl Store, so he knew. We were walking in the parking lot and she actually fell on the ground when she realized where she was!

We gave her one hour to stay in the store. It was amazing. Each item was displayed with little cards that had the picture and bar code on the card that you took to the cash register. Tyler immediately started collecting cards. After about 5 minutes, Emily looked up and whispered "Can I get one?" like she knew I would say no. She could not believe it when I said yes! She would choose a doll, carry it around for a while, then change her mind and choose another. She finally chose Mia. I was sad because I wanted Kit. Emily really wanted the concession stand but had to leave it there.

Six Flags

2008-10-31T11:01:00.001-07:00

We spent our Sunday at Six Flags. This was both a great day and a terrible day. We had a great time, but I have realized I am officially done with roller coasters. I LOVE roller coasters. We went to Kings Island a couple of years ago and I was seeing some signs that my body was not happy with the roller coasters. This trip to Six Flags confirmed it. Every bone in my body ached and my head felt like it would explode. I am so bummed! Looks like it's the tin lizzies for me from now on! Next thing you know, I'll need a hover-round.
We got the kids on an upside down coaster, which they did not know was going to go upside down. I nearly wet my pants at their reactions. It was hilarious. Emily was terrified, but still says it was her favorite thing. Tyler, on the other hand, would file for independence from us if he could. He was MAD. There was a Thomas train ride that was really for little kids, and Tyler was mortified that we asked him if he wanted to ride it. Emily really did, so he "did it for her." He secretly loved it. There was lots of fun Halloween stuff to do, too. It was a great day and the kids loved Six Flags. It just made me want to go to Disney!!!

Please be kind and rewind

2008-10-31T08:34:00.001-07:00

I cannot believe it is the last day of October and I have done so little blogging! Where did my month go??? I am going to try really hard to catch up today. I need to blog about our trip to Atlanta, Elegant Event, High School Musical 3, Farm Breakfast (Oh, I have already covered that), Trunk and Treat, Tyler's eye appointment, and the Halloween party flop of the century.

Ok...I'll start with Atlanta. We went to Atlanta for our fall break. We checked the kids out a little early on Friday the 10th. Everyone was so happy and fine for the first couple of hours. We popped a movie in and Tyler fell asleep. Very odd. We stop in B'ham at Cracker Barrel and he leaned over on my shoulder. He was burning up. I went to the car and got the thermometer...he had a 102* fever. WHAT??? We scarfed our supper and got back in the car. I gave Tyler some Tylenol. A while later he said, "Hey mom, what flavor was that Tylenol you gave-------barf, barf, barf. Everywhere. All over the van. We were in the middle of nowhere and somehow got a roll of paper towels and some garbage bags and somewhat cleaned up the mess. We got to Atlanta late that night and bathed puke-boy and put the kids to bed. I washed out whatever I could in the tub. It was terrible. We had car mats all over that hotel room.

We got up Saturday morning and Tyler said he felt fine. He had a slight fever, so I gave him some Tylenol and we headed to Stone Mountain. We had the greatest time. We rode the train, explored all over, went to the little town, and rode to the top of Stone Mountain. It was so windy, it nearly blew the kids over, literally.
All of these pictures are of some of the pumpkins dressed up as story book characters.

Here are some shots of Stone Mountain. Tyler loved to repeat the fact that a tall man could stand in the horse's nostril!

These are from the top of Stone Mountain. They actually had to close it down later in the day because it was so windy!

There was a neat ropes course for the kids...also one for adults, but the wait was 2 hours.

We waited for more than 2 hours for the Laser Light Show. We rested on some blankets and ate and read during this time. Tyler was over Stone Mountain and was running fever again. (I know, mean mom) The light show was great, but Emily was scared of the fireworks. That has never been an issue before, but she was freaking out. It was a great day and we plan to spend more time at Stone Mountain the next time we go to Atlanta.

Oooh! One more thing. My kids had their first chicken on a bone. At first, they thought it was great, but Tyler eventually decided that it creeped him out. Amen.

Farm Breakfast

2008-10-25T14:07:00.000-07:00

I am going to eventually post on the entire past month, but I am going to go backwards. It just makes me feel better if I have blogged on the most recent activity!

Yesterday was the kindergarten Farm Breakfast. Each of the 12 kindergarten classes has their own table in the cafeteria and the room moms (me) decorate to look like something "farmy" and serve farm foods. The kids love it and it is a big highlight of the year. I made little flowerpot nests and put these squeaky chickens in them. I got a lot of dirty looks from all the noise they made!!!

These are some pictures of Emily and her best friend, Campbell. I am afraid they are 2 peas in a pod!!!

HOORAY!!!

2008-10-24T11:03:00.001-07:00

My precious computer is back home. I have been without internet and all my teacher files, plus all my camera and embroidery files, for nearly 2 weeks. It has been TERRIBLE!!! At one point, I just cracked up because all 4 of us were on the bed crowded around Brent's iTouch. I have so much blogging to catch up on. I caught up on all my reading today...I have missed everyone so much! Today is a busy day, plus HSM 3 tonight (already got tickets!) so I'll blog soon!

2008-10-17T18:54:00.000-07:00

our computer is sick and being fixed. I will return to blogging hopefully in a week. Typing on an itouch is for the birds.

Pumpkin painting

2008-10-06T08:30:00.000-07:00

We let the kids buy some pumpkins at the farmers' market to paint. They had a blast. They are dying to demolish their creations to eat the pumpkins seeds, but I am making them wait! Also, we do paint topless around here if we've already had our baths...sorry if you are offended by the worlds palest naked kids. I did take clothed pictures this morning, per their request, but I have not downloaded them yet.

The Struggle

2008-10-04T19:15:00.000-07:00

OK, friends, I am having a hard time with something. Brent and I are taking the kids to Atlanta for a long weekend during fall break. We chose Atlanta because there is so much fun stuff to do. We considered many other places, one being Chicago. We decided against that because I wanted Emily have the thrill of getting an American Girl doll at the actual store and it is just too close to Christmas. I could not go to Chicago and not go to the AG store. Well, my mother-in-law informed us recently that Atlanta now has an American Girl store. It is not as elaborate as Chicago and NY, but STILL. I have been thinking about going for weeks. We have not told her. Now for the struggle. I want to get her a doll so badly I can't stand it. She is asking for Kit for Christmas. Maybe we could buy her now and then she can ask Santa for stuff to go with Kit. I don't know what to do. Honestly, I would get her one now AND one for Christmas. Brent would act like he was having heart failure, but he also probably feels that it is my work money and I can spend it how I want to. What would you do?

Tyler has a surprise, too. There is a LEGO outlet in Atlanta. He asked us the other day if there was a LEGO store closer to us than Orlando. We just looked at each other and laughed. I also want to give him a big chunk of change to spend.

What would you do?

We finally caved

2008-09-29T15:25:00.001-07:00

After years of telling our kids that we will not buy them things on infomercials, from AquaGlobes to the Vidalia Onion chopper. From the Gold Claw to sending our gold to some stranger in the mail. We have purchased Mighty Putty. They are delighted. They even wanted their picture made with it! We are going to save the world with this stuff!

Your tax dollars at work, folks

2008-09-26T06:53:00.001-07:00

Yeah, but can your kid do THIS?

What's going on???

2008-09-25T14:52:00.000-07:00

I have been so bad about blogging for the past month. What have we been up to at the Patterson house? Well...

SCHOOL
The kids have been in school for 6 weeks now and we are settling into our routine. Tyler has more homework this year and fights it...he loves his free time after school. He has a really great teacher that is really encouraging his creative writing and we are loving reading the things he writes. I laugh so hard when I read his journal that I cry, but only after he goes to bed. Emily is loving kindergarten and being at big school. She thinks she runs the place and is always telling us stories about how she runs errands for her teacher or who she sees in the hall. She writes her sight words countless times everyday and keeps us in stitches singing songs that she has learned.

I am in my 5th week of school. I have a smaller class this year and that has taken some adjusting. Plus, we don't have anywhere near the strong personality clashes that we had last year. Very little drama, that's for sure. I am really getting to know the kids and love them dearly. It is such a sweet, easy group. I do struggle with being away from home, though. I stayed home for 6 years. I worked very hard during those years with embroidery and sewing, more so than I work now, but it is just different. I just want to come home and crash after school, but I can't! I always feel rushed and like nothing is entirely done, like the laundry. I have Mondays and Fridays off, so that is nice. I try to stay at home one of the days and run errands and eat lunch with the kids the other one. I don't know what the answer is to me feeling this way, but I do feel that I need to be teaching at this point in my life.

CHURCH
Brent and I have moved from teaching the teens on Wednesday night to being small group leaders on Sunday morning. I have the 10th grade girls and I just love them. I am partial to them anyway, since they have been my favorite group since they were in the 6th grade. I know I am not supposed to have favorites, but I do. We are loving our new preacher, who is like a breath of fresh air for us!

SEWING
I am missing sewing. I am making some dresses for Em for the fall and winter, but she is just getting too big for the cutesy stuff I used to do for her. And I just don't have time to sew like I used to when I stayed home. Kathy had her sweet baby boy 3 weeks ago and I sewed up a storm for him, so I did get a little fix this month!

WEDDING
Oh my word, I totally forgot this sewing project. I am reconstructing a dress for Emily to wear in Becky's wedding. We had picked out a ready made dress online, but I found a dress at the clothing sale. It just called to me! I have no idea how old it is, but it was very dated. It is ivory raw silk with a smocked bodice. It had red bouillon roses on the bodice when I bought it. It had a big lace collar that I have removed and I also but out all of the bouillon roses and am in the process of hand embroidering dark purple flowers in the place of the red roses. I still have not decided if I am keeping the sleeves or not. I need to try it on Em again and see what I think. Plans are going well for the wedding. We met with the florist Monday and that was the last of the really big things to take care of. We have flowers, pictures, dresses, a cake, a church, and a preacher. Everything else is just a bonus!!! Showers are about to start and that is the fun part!

NO SOCCER OR DANCE
We made the decision last spring that this fall there would be no extracurricular activities. That has been wonderful. We are all at home together at night after crazy days out in the world. We do miss some aspects of it, but we have enjoyed the break so much.

Do you bloggers ever hit a blog wall? I am a big "night thinker" and I lay in bed at night and just think about things. I am always thinking about things that I could blog about, but then when I have time to sit down at the computer, I just don't feel like blogging. Maybe I need to have subjects to blog about like Danna. Any ideas?

Internet woes

2008-09-24T13:13:00.000-07:00

We have been without the internet for a few days so I haven't updated. Now that I can blog, I have nothing to blog about.

Is it odd to you...

2008-09-17T18:59:00.000-07:00

...that we both do this when someone puts a camera on us? Some sort of genetic flaw perhaps?

The party

2008-09-15T09:12:00.000-07:00

To celebrate his birthday, Tyler had 2 friends spend the night and then we went to Incredible Pizza for lunch on Saturday. Here are some shots of all the fun.

I have an 8 year old?

2008-09-12T12:32:00.000-07:00

How it is possible that this child is 8? Wasn't it just yesterday that he was my big-blue-eyed, shiny-bald-headed, knee-sock-wearing baby boy? He was up at 6:20 today, so ready for his birthday. He got to open Emily's gift, which was a goldfish Webkinz. He named it Swimmer, but spelled it Swimer when he registered it. He doesn't get his bad spelling from me! He also doesn't get his crazy math skills from me either...he is a whiz at math. Brent's got him doing some pre-algebra stuff, and he LIKES IT. He is such a good boy. We went and ate lunch with him today and he just sat there and chowed down on his Happy Meal while wearing the goofiest birthday crown I have ever seen, just hugging and kissing all over us. He doesn't care what anyone in the world thinks...he's just his own person.

On a side note, Brent and I snuck the kindergarten hall to peek in to see what Emily was doing. I promise, the door was opened 1 inch and somehow she saw us. Mrs. Driskill was in the middle of teaching and Emily yells out, "CAN I GO SEE MY MOM AND DAD?"

Leg, anyone?

2008-09-10T15:41:00.000-07:00

I have a weird problem with eating meat off a bone. I grew up eating fried chicken, but somewhere in my adult life, I developed a yucky feeling about this. I vividly remember the first time I saw someone at Magic Kingdom gnawing on a giant turkey leg. That just repulses me. Now I have a new spine-tingling image burned into my mind. As I was leaving Sam's this afternoon, I looked over at a family sitting at a table. They actually had gone back to the rotisserie and bought a chicken and were sitting right there in the Sam's food court dividing their spoils. I nearly died.

Military BRATs

2008-09-07T18:24:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to meet 2 girls today at church that are Navy BRATs. I don't run into many people in this area that are, so we had a nice little talk. (These were teens visiting our church this morning and just happened to be put in the small group I was leading.) The opening question for our group this morning was "To understand me, you need to know___________." At first it seemed we had lots in common. The older of the sisters started out by talking about moving lots, etc. and I really related to her. But the more she talked, I realized how bitter she was. She very much had the attitude of "Why bother with anything? It will all change." Granted, her family moves tons more than I ever had to, but it really took me by surprise. I have been thinking about my experience in the military and how it shaped me.

Although my dad was in the Navy when I was born, he took a few years off and then reenlisted when I was 6. We moved from Alabama to Pensacola. We stayed there for 2 years, then moved to Charleston. We were there for 5 years, then moved to Huntsville, which was home anyway...just a lucky break. We got to stay in Huntsville for 5 years, then moved to Memphis. I got to experience finding the joy in all situations. While I learned to mourn old friendships, I also learned the art of making friends quickly. I learned how to visit churches and find a church home. I gotten to see worship in all kinds of places, and see the differences in churches, and appreciate those differences. I have friends all over the country. I think our family was closer than some, because in some instances, we were all we had at times. It is pretty easy for me to be out of my comfort zone, because I had to do it so much. I am so thankful for the opportunities it gave me growing up. We never lived on base or went to base schools, and I feel that probably made my experience more positive than some.

I hated leaving friends and church homes, but it made me cherish every moment that I have in all situations. I hope that is the difference between those girls I met today and me.

Cha-Cha-Changes...

2008-09-05T07:05:00.000-07:00

Kindergarten has brought about many changes with Emily. Some I love, some...not so much.

THINGS I LIKE ABOUT KINDERGARTEN
1. The baby talk Emily did all summer has stopped.
2. Tyler is more eager to share his day since Emily shares hers so openly.
3. I really like the new kindergarten curriculum...and I can already tell
Emily is learning lots more than she would with the letter books.
4. Her confidence is improving each day.
5. She has made friends quickly.
6. She really likes to buy her lunch, unlike her brother.
7. Tyler and Emily miss each other so much during the day that they can't wait
to be back together at the end of the day.

THINGS I DON'T LIKE ABOUT KINDERGARTEN
1. New phrases, such as "She was all up in my face." Nice.
2. Bows are for babies.
3. Shirts with an applique that match your shorts are forbidden.
4. The kids' lunch schedules are an hour and a half apart...no going to eat with both of them.
5. Emily sharing her mom's opinion openly with all that will listen. (Concerning Bratz, immodest dress, etc.)
6. I miss Emily being with me all week long. My ride to and from work is so quiet!

All in all, we are having a great experience with school for both kids. Macon Hall is a great school and we are so thankful to be a part of it.

Attack of the killer hornworms!!!

2008-08-28T17:36:00.000-07:00

Brent and I were in the backyard tonight proudly picking our veggies out of our beautiful garden. All of a sudden, I saw the biggest caterpillar I have ever seen. We called the kids out to show them. Then we realized that we were each showing the kids a different worm. We took a step back and realized that our tomatoes were covered in these things. We came inside and look online and now know that our tomatoes are being eaten by horn worms. Of course, I had to take some pictures first, but then Brent peeled them off and put them in jars for the kids to take to school tomorrow. They had better leave our tomatoes alone!

It's my turn!

2008-08-28T06:28:00.000-07:00

I started back to school this week, and Emily and Tyler felt it was appropriate to take my picture like I do for them. Emily needs some work...or a bigger screen on the camera. We had a great first day. I only have 14 kids, which is fabulous compared to the 20 I usually have. They seem to be a pretty easy group of kiddos, and I am very happy to be back in the classroom. I cannot wait until Friday, though!

My first day of school!

2008-08-28T06:25:00.001-07:00

I am alive

2008-08-20T06:38:00.000-07:00

I am still here...just busy. It is inservice week and clothing sale week. How lucky can one girl get????

My day alone, just me and the pepto

2008-08-14T15:35:00.000-07:00

What did I do on my first day alone in I don't know when? Well, I had big plans. But I got a stomach bug yesterday and I was wiped out. Brent and I took Emily to school and then I came home and rested for a bit. Then I decided there were things I needed to do. So, I pulled together my best attitude and headed out to the world of Memphis shoppers. Blah. First, I went to Super Target. I bought many glamourous items, including kitchen shears and pants hangers from the dollar bins, knit pants for Emily, and stuff for Tyler's treasure box at school. Red dot merchandise was 75% in the dollar bin! Then I headed to Chocolate Soup. Nothing there. Then I went to TJMaxx. I was beginning to get annoyed by everyone being rude. Then I went to Lace Cottage. Then I went to Ross. I really don't like Ross, but I was going to Shoe Carnival to look at shoes for Becky's wedding and Ross was next door. I ended up getting the silver bridesmaids shoes for $13! What then???? Hancocks and another TJMaxx. Then TBCY for lunch. I should not have done that. My tummy has given me grief all day for that choice. Then I went to regular Target and was so annoyed by the rudeness there that I called it a day and came home. I did get a few minutes rest before going and sitting in the car riders line. I have not done that alone in 2 years. It was odd. I was bored, but I also did not have anything to do. Once I get some projects going, that will get better.

Emily had a great day. She has acted like she's been at Macon Hall all her life. The only bad thing she has said is that she didn't have time to finish her lunch. Funny, her chips and Twix bar were gone. The poor sandwich only had 2 bites gone.

Off she goes!

2008-08-14T07:36:00.000-07:00

Emily started kindergarten today. They do staggered attendance the first week and today is her day to go. She will start 5 days a week on Monday. We have walked Tyler to his room all this week, so she has been by to see Mrs. Driskall, her teacher, several times. There is another Emily in her class, so she is Emily P. I thought she would go by Emily Kate, but she thought Emily P. was cooler. And who am I to argue. She was so excited and I can't wait to hear how her day went! It was a girls day...only 2 other little girls were coming in today. I am sure she will have loads of stories to tell!

Tyler's first day of 2nd grade

2008-08-13T05:43:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I am a tiny bit behind this week. Sorry.

Tyler started second grade on Monday. His teacher is new to Memphis and the school. She is from St. Louis. He has 2 girls in his class from last year. His girlfriend is not, but he sees her at lunch and in car riders line. That seems to be OK for now!

Comment from Brent

2008-08-08T12:43:00.000-07:00

Apparently, my husband feels that my blog entry from yesterday was too long to be one paragraph. I apologize if I offended anyone by this. I didn't know blogs were graded.

A Clinique compact

2008-08-07T12:39:00.000-07:00

I dear friend of mine has someone, maybe an aunt, that works for Macy's managing the Clinique/Estee Lauder line. Every couple of months, she sends a huge shipment of leftover bonuses. We go through all of them and divide the spoils. It is so much fun. I love make-up. I was going through my new stash a little bit ago (Yes, I was getting ready at 2:30 today, so what??) and I started thinking. If I wanted to, I could afford to buy department store makeup at this stage in my life, but I don't. I am fine with other brands. But, when I was in the 8th grade, I wanted a Clinique compact more than anything. It was THE status symbol at my school. After P.E., all the girls would gather around the locker room mirror and whip out their compacts to freshen up. I wanted one of those green marblized things so bad. I never had to nerve to ask my parents for one. Even then, I couldn't see spending money like that. (I mean, $20 would have bought a new pair of keds!!! Hee hee) Remembering that made me think of status symbols throughout my life. When I was in kindergarten, it was a rabbit coat. Remember those??? I never got one...too expensive I'm sure. Plus, a little impractical. In 3rd grade, it was a ski jacket that the sleeves zipped out. I had one, but it was THE UGLIEST thing ever. I am sure mom found it on clearance. It was yellow, gray, and red. But, I loved it. In the 4th grade,it was Chic jeans. I could choose one pair of Chic jeans or 3 pair of Super Denims for the whole school year. I wore those Chic jeans until they were thread bare. In 5th grade, it was parachute pants. Mom found 2 pair on clearance for my birthday. In 6th grade, it was reebok tennis shoes. Grandmother Baeder got them for me for Christmas. I had to wear them with everything. In 7th grade, it was Sebagos and keds. I got the Sebagos, but I had to buy TG&Y white canvas shoes and I glued the old blue labels off my mom's 1970 keds to the cheapo's. Toward the end of 7th grade, it was Guess jeans. There was no way my family could afford Guess jeans, but somehow, right before we moved to Huntsville, my mom took me and bought some. I wore those jeans for 2 years. Even when the knees busted out, I sewed them back up. I guess when we moved back to Huntsville is when status symbols really made a difference. Everywhere else that I lived, it was cool to have certain things, but you were liked even if you didn't have them. It wasn't like that at Huntsville Middle School in 1988. I wish I could go back and whip out my Cover Girl compact and stick my tongue out at those snobby girls. I wish those girls hadn't made me feel so bad about myself. I guess there were other status symbols throughout high school, but I don't really remember them. I had found so many wonderful friends that loved me even if I bought my make-up at Walmart. :) I don't really remember it being an issue in college. I know I wanted certain things that I couldn't have, but I never felt like I did when all those girls pulled out their Clinique compacts. And if you are one of my teenage friends dealing with this right now, please know that it doesn't last forever. Find friends that don't care what is on the outside. There is life after middle and high school. Praise the Lord for that!!!

Not too bad...

2008-08-07T11:26:00.000-07:00

Brent and I have been married 11 years. We got 12 5-piece place settings of our everyday china. Brent broke a bowl within the first year. Emily broke a dinner plate today. I guess that speaks well for Mikasa. I bet I don't have any more credit from wedding returns to replace the plate, though.

Ready for school

2008-08-05T10:59:00.000-07:00

Emily got her kindergarten shots yesterday. It did not go very well. She has been given some unhuman strength, that's for sure. There were 4 shots, and after #1, she rolled herself in a tight little ball that could not be undone by 2 grown women.

Registration was this morning for both of them. We also bought our school supplies at school this year. I am sure it cost more than Walmart, but it took less than 2 minutes to do and no crazy mamas with buggies riding my tail. We came home and they put name labels on everything and had to best time. They love new school supplies as much as I do!

Hand Cramp

2008-07-31T16:17:00.000-07:00

Emily had a birthday party this morning at Paint a Piece and Tyler and I took the time alone to go to Toys R Us to see what he might like for his birthday, which is 6 weeks away. This, my friends, is his birthday list.

**Power Rangers**
Jungle Fury Force...
Sound Fury Tiger Ranger
Sound Fury Bat Ranger
Sound Fury Elephant Ranger
Sound Fury Cheetah Ranger

Red Tiger Hand Gear
Jungle Master Megazord
Claw Cannon
Wolf Battle Bike
Tiger Battle Bike
Blue Battle Bike
Jungle Master R/C cycle
Red Thunder Roar Vehicle

**Legos**
Star Wars legos...the following numbers
7666
7668
7667
7669
7672
7659
7658
6212
7656
7661
Mars Mission Legos...once again, I gave up on the names.
7646
7647
7692
7645
7699
7649
7648

More green lego sheets (Like the hard plastic kinds)

**DVDs**
Narnia
Ratatuille
Enchanted?????
Every possible Power Rangers and Scooby doo DVD at TRU

Remote Control Eve and Wall-E
U command Wall-e

K'nex

Some Cars cars that I pretended to write down

All of the new Star Wars vehicle and characters from Clone Wars.

That's it. All he wants for his birthday. Oh, he said he wouldn't mind a few gift cards.

Busted...seriously busted

2008-07-31T06:17:00.000-07:00

I have been keeping a secret from my American-Girl-lovin' daughter. I myself own Molly McEntire. I used to keep her out, but Tyler always poked her eyes when he was a baby, so I put her away. She has been kept on the tippy top shelf of Emily's closet until today. I was checking email about 30 minutes ago and I heard a big crash bang and "MAAAMMMAAAA!" Only it wasn't an "I'm hurt" MAMA, it was different. Emily came tearing down the stairs like she was on fire and turned the corner and...she had Molly in her arms. Sheer joy. She said, "I have had Molly all along and we didn't even know it!" I had to explain to her that this was my Molly and she could play with her all she wanted to, but her hair had to stay braided and her clothes had to stay on. She was OK with that, but it has made Christmas seem even farther away for her. Oh, she longs for the day that she has one of her own!

Photographer info

2008-07-30T09:52:00.001-07:00

I have had lots of email today asking about our new photographer. It is not a chain. It is called Lasting Expressions and is owned by the nicest man. He and his wife are Christians and really strive to have a Christ-run establishment. It is semi-pricy, more than Penney's. Probably more than Portait Innovations, but I know you can spend tons there, too. If you buy the $250 or higher package, you get the copyrights to your pictures. That in itself is worth the money! They took more than 50 shots and were so wonderful with the kids. Also, they have a HUGE wardrobe of clothing to choose from if you want formal pics done. Tons and tons of strasburg for girls. Not too much for boys, but some for boys under 6. We used the off-white dress in our pictures from them. If you go, let me know and I can give you a referral card!

The most amazing pictures ever...

2008-07-29T19:06:00.001-07:00

2 kids and a gun

2008-07-29T15:34:00.000-07:00

For those of you that don't know the greatest news ever, my sister is getting married in January. Her dear fiance did not propose until last week, leaving 2 short weeks left of her summer vacation to scramble to do stuff! We have done a good bit (Oh, so much more to get done...) but she has tried to get her registering done this week. She did 2 places herself, but today we tackled Target with Tyler and Emily in tow. Besides the annoyingly loud sighs from Tyler every time we went down another aisle, it was fun. Tyler and Emily loved the scanning gun and would have registered for some good stuff if they had not been monitored. Emily could not understand why Becky did not want the glitter filled froggy tumblers.

On another note, I am in love with a new photographer. Photography is about my favorite thing in the whole world, and it is becoming my kids' as well. I will post the shots from today after Brent sees the slide show. I would like for him to see them first.

What we did on Emily's 5th birthday

2008-07-23T13:23:00.001-07:00

Paula Deen's

2008-07-21T17:40:00.001-07:00

Ok, so my friend Julie came to visit from Oklahoma. We went to college together and she used to live in Memphis. She wanted to go to Paula Deen's restaurant at Harrah's in Tunica. So Saturday after Em's party, we loaded up Joy's van and 8 of us made the trip to Tunica, MS. We stopped at the Tunica Outlets first. They are nothing to write home about, but it is just nice to go in a store with no kids, ya know? We spent about an hour and a half there and then went to the casino. We always tease Julie because she is the shortest adult in the world. They carded her at the door. It was hilarious. She was delighted, though! Part of our group went ahead of us to get in line. They were in a line for 5 minutes before they realized they were actually in line for some sort of slot tournament. Once we got in the right line, we only had to stand in line for 30 minutes or so. When we got in, we got the greatest surprise. I don't know if they thought we were a special group of ladies or just wanted to keep us from running everyone else off, but they gave us our own private dining room! It was fabulous. We ate and ate and ate. It was so much fun. As we left the casino, Lisa, Kathy, and Frances played the quarter slots. Kathy and Frances lost, but Lisa won $2.50. We had to get out of that place after that...too smoky. Our ride home was just as much fun, although not as roomy as the way there!!! Too many mashed potatoes!

Girls of Gluttony

2008-07-21T17:39:00.001-07:00

Flip Flop Celebration

2008-07-21T16:37:00.000-07:00

Emily had her birthday party on Saturday. It was a flip-flop theme. 8 little girls from church came. We made flip flip pillowcases and decorated flip flops. We also did pedicures on 90 little toes. We all had a great time...except Tyler. He just didn't dig the girliness.

Emily's 5th Birthday Party

2008-07-21T11:43:00.001-07:00

The troopers

2008-07-12T20:33:00.000-07:00

Not everyone at Blueberry Day was as delighted to be there as the Patterson crew. Kathy, who is heavy with child, (You're welcome, dear.)was such a trooper and picked and sweated with the best of them. Abby was not so happy. She loved it the first 20minutes or so, but then she had HAD IT. She went from person to person, but no one would rescue her from this torture. (Anna, one day if you see these pictures and notice you are missing, I will tell you that your mom took you to an all day VBS for your "Spiritual well-being.") Audrey also is not an outdoorsy kind of gal. She said this was a bad day! Betsy loved it and made Audrey stay anyway! Graham Horner, in all of his 2 months, also not a fan of blueberry picking. Go figure!

Blueberry Day!

2008-07-12T20:26:00.000-07:00

Our Small Group at church went to a blueberry plantation in Nesbitt, MS today. It was the hottest day of the year and we nearly melted! It was a lot of fun and we came home with 2 gallons of blueberries! Tyler said he wants to have his birthday party there! I am sure most 8 year olds would not enjoy picking blueberries in the hot sun, but whatever...

Day out with Thomas

2008-07-09T14:15:00.000-07:00

From the time Tyler was 20 months old, until somewhere before kindergarten, he ate, breathed, and lived Thomas the Tank Engine. We have so many Thomas trains that we could put him through private school for a few months with the money they cost. We have 20 or more VHS and dvds, too. I will never get rid of the Thomas trains, but I have been encouraging him to do through the movies for the clothing sale. He was looking through them today and found his very favorite Thomas movie, A Day Out With Thomas. I think he watched it 500 times during the Thomas years. I dusted off the VCR (literally) and put it in. He, with his big ol' almost 8 year old self, sat and watched every second of it. He remembered every word. It was kind of comforting to hear that music in the background as I did housework. Just like the good old days. He didn't cry for me to rewind it like he used to. He just got up and looked up Power Rangers on the DVR.

Camp 2008

2008-07-08T18:36:00.000-07:00

I can't believe camp has already come and gone. Camp being over means that school is closer than I want to admit. Around 265 of us went this year. We (our church) use a 4H camp in Milan, TN. They close down 4H camp for the week of the 4th, so we have used it for probably 20 years. This was my 9th year to go. I missed the summer I had Emily. I did go the summer I was 7 months pregnant with Tyler. That was an adventure! Anyway, my sister Becky and I has the girls going into 5th grade. Emily was with us, too. My kids think camp is the greatest thing. We had the best time and I will post pictures when I get around to it. I have to find the cord to plug all my camera stuff back up. I still have stuff to unpack, unfortunately!

I have been painting the playroom this week. That is the one thing on my summer to do list that I HAVE to do, so I will be glad when that is done so I can move on.

Off I go to unpack more!

Home sweet home!

2008-07-05T10:12:00.000-07:00

All 4 of us have been at camp for a week and just walked in the door. I have piles of laundry to do, and fingernails to cut (long, dirty ones gross me out!) but I will post soon...after a good nap, of course!

Depths of Despair

2008-06-27T06:14:00.001-07:00

If you love something, set it free; if it comes back it's yours, if it doesn't, it never was.

Lindsay and Graham's shower

2008-06-24T10:50:00.000-07:00

I had Lindsay's shower for baby Graham a couple of weeks ago. I made the cutest cake...you gotta see it. And, although I am not usually a fan, I made a diaper cake that was precious. That's where the pictures stop...I was too busy lovin' on that sweet baby to take any!

Kind of Charlie Brownish, but so cute!

I don't think there is anything better on earth than a baby shower!

Facebook

2008-06-24T10:46:00.000-07:00

How fun is Facebook? This morning I found my best friend from 4th grade. She moved away after 5th grade and I haven't seen her since. I wonder who I will find next...

Emily's Recital

2008-06-23T18:58:00.000-07:00

The Saturday that we came back from Honduras, Emily had her dance recital. It was downtown at the Cannon Center. She did a great job. She is really good and quite coordinated...must be some sort of genetic flaw! It was also our 11th anniversary!

Last day in Honduras

2008-06-23T18:57:00.001-07:00

This week, in review

2008-06-20T13:44:00.000-07:00

I have had to hardest time finding time to blog this week. Mainly because of Facebook, I fear. I haven't felt well all week, either. I am afraid I brought home some kind of friend from Honduras, but I don't know for sure. Emily had gymnastics camp all week. She was the youngest and by far the smallest, but she held her own. She's just such a little athlete. She has another week of it next week. Tyler will be going to Tye-Dye Camp. As he says, he was born to craft! Ha! They are taking these camps at Harding, which is about 5 minutes away from our house. They only last an hour or so a day, so it really isn't worth it to come back home. I have stayed some and Becky has come up there and we have used the library to do some stuff for camp. (She didn't even tell me once to be quiet!)

Tonight is the Camp Rock premier, at 7/8 Central. (That part always has to be added by Tyler!) They cannot wait!!!

I do have one more Honduras album to post and then I need to post about EK's recital. Maybe I'll get caught up on blogging before camp!

Honduras, Days 7&8

2008-06-16T13:57:00.000-07:00

We woke up Wednesday morning and went to Olga's house. She is one of the girls that helped in the kitchen. She lives in a barn with 22 other people. She wanted us to see her house. I guess I just got overwhelmed by heat on the way there, because I tossed my cookies on the way there. I was really dizzy and nauseous for quite a while. Plus, I was eaten alive by fire ants. Not a good start. Andy drove me and the other non-walkers (sick, injured,etc.)to join the rest of the group at Made In Honduras. Diane (we used her beach house) has taught this community of people that they have valuable trades and talents. They make things and sell them in this store. They get 100% of their sales. We spent all the money we had and gave these people the best day of the year. Many families will eat for months off this day. It was wonderful. We then went to town. The plan was to eat and shop in town for several hours. Some people went to the beach and played volleyball. My group ate at Chicken Express (We had the OK that this was safe!). Our soldiers, of course, followed us and we treated them to lunch. We got lots of looks with these guards with us. We also ate more ice cream! I was feeling Ok, but just really weak. We walked back to camp and waited on everyone to get back. I rested for a while, and actually went to sleep. Not a good sign. We were all supposed to eat supper and go worship at the teen center some of the group had been painting. I couldn't eat much and stayed back while the rest of the group went to Mahogany Bay. 2 of the teen girls were sick, too, so we just rested. I packed some of my stuff and just waited. Brent came back early with sick kids. Everyone came back late and no one really went to bed. We had to be up at 3:00 am anyway! I got up at 3 and threw up. Randy gave me phenegren and we walked to the end of the road and waited for our bus. Then I had some phenegren gel. I slept the entire 7 hour bus ride to San Pedro Sula. That was a huge help. I did not sleep at all to Atlanta, but it was a great flight. We had individual movie screens and airplane food never tasted better! I had pizza and ice cream in Atlanta and got to Memphis a little after 10:0o. It was good to be home, but I will always wish I was in Honduras.

Honduras, Day 6.3

2008-06-16T13:40:00.001-07:00

Honduras, Day 6.2

2008-06-16T12:26:00.001-07:00

Honduras, Day 6.1

2008-06-16T12:13:00.001-07:00

Honduras, Day 6

2008-06-16T11:51:00.000-07:00

I am so close to getting to the end of these posts, I can taste it!

Tuesday was another fun day at school. We had the K, 1st, and 2nd graders. We seemed to know them the most since we had spent the most time with them. They are the sweetest kids and so funny. I hated to leave school. I know I will go back there one day, but it just seemed so final leaving this day. We left after lunch and came back to camp. During the day, another one of our groups took the 9th graders from the school on a field trip. They hike through the jungle to a waterfall and swimming hole. After they got back and the school kids left, Brent wanted to take some of the kids back up there. I had visions of a nap, but I knew I would never forgive myself if I missed out on this. Jennifer and I headed into the jungle after them , but they were way ahead of us. All of the sudden, 2 of the soldiers appeared with us. They were following us to make sure the old ladies got to the falls! So sweet. It was a long little hike and we finally made it. It was very slippery and rocky and I was so scared I would fall. How would people explain to my kids that their mom died on a mission trip falling from a waterfall??? It was very steep terrain, but I did get up there. All the boys were so surprised that the old mamas made it! This was so much more than a swimming hole. They were diving off of 25 ft rocks into the falls. They had the best time and afterwards told Brent that Jim wouldn't let them just over 4 feet. They thought Brent was the coolest, but he just assumed it was OK with Jim and they had been doing this the whole time. Jennifer jumped, but I didn't. I was the photographer ONLY. I used to be more of a dare devil I guess.

We got back to camp and bathed in the river and then ate dinner. It was Alexa South's 16th birthday, so we walked the miles and miled to town and went for ice cream. It was so worth it. Laurie Willis made cakes for her. It was this night that we realized the soldiers from camp had followed us. Our teens really made some good relationships with them. They were not there to guard us, just the mahogany trees. But throughout the week, they had become really protective of us. They followed us all the way into town to make sure we were safe. Then they walked us all home. We were so thankful for them!

Honduras, Day 5.3

2008-06-16T11:36:00.001-07:00

Honduras, Day 5.2

2008-06-16T11:20:00.001-07:00

Honduras, Day 5.1

2008-06-16T11:15:00.001-07:00

Honduras, Day 5

2008-06-16T11:02:00.000-07:00

So I am now a little more than 1/2 way through with my Honduras posts. We had such a wonderful Sunday and really felt more confidant about our Spanish skills for Monday's school. Some groups went and worked more at Little Hands and the septic tank, and others painted. My group went back to the school to work with the 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders. They really responded well with us and we had lots of communication going on. The kindergartners get out about an hour before everyone else, but most have to wait on older siblings to walk home. They came and found us and mobbed us while we were trying to work. It was wonderful and so much fun. We ate lunch at school and then Emilson took some of us to the "fruit man" to buy pineapple. We bought 5 of them for less than $5 American. They were wonderful. And gone in minutes.
Today was a glorious day. I decided to take no more showers. Instead, I decided to bathe in the river. Totally rinsed hair and shaved legs did me a world of good.
Everyone made their way back to camp and then we ate dinner together. We had spaghetti of all things. No garlic bread, though!

We got word of a single mother that needed some help with her house, so Brent, Jim, Rachel, and Chris look a jungle trek to see if we could help. There was apparently a big communication problem, because when they got there, there was no house. She needed a house built. Brent said we could have done it if we had know ahead of time.

Honduras, Day 4.3

2008-06-16T10:59:00.001-07:00

I think this is Honduras Day 4.2, for real

2008-06-16T10:07:00.001-07:00

Facebook affair

2008-06-15T15:47:00.001-07:00

I feel unfaithful...I have started Facebook for my teenage buddies, and I am trying to get that up and running and have neglected my blog. I am so tired of do Honduras slideshows. It is my goal to finish that this week. Hold me to it! We have had a great "first week" of summer vacation, even though I've been out of school a month and Tyler 3 weeks...preparing for and going to Honduras took a chunk of that time, so now we are in the throws of vacation. Tyler swam about 15 hours, we've signed up for the summer reading club and the library, swam at Joy's (40+ people went!), we've watched tons of tv, slept late, and cleaned closets. I also had Lindsay's shower Thursday, but I will post some pictures of that later!

I need more sleep

2008-06-13T19:59:00.000-07:00

Brent just informed me that I posted the same slide show 2 times. Sorry. I will fix it tomorrow.

Honduras, day 4.2

2008-06-13T13:21:00.001-07:00

Honduras, Day 4.1

2008-06-13T12:55:00.001-07:00

Honduras, Day 4

2008-06-12T10:52:00.000-07:00

This day was one of my favorites. We were originally going to divide into 3 different groups and walk to the various churches. There are 4 churches of Christ in Trujillo that have split off from each other for various, probably long-ago forgotten reasons. Just like the U.S., huh? God worked wonders, and all 4 churches decided to come to our camp for worship and an afternoon of fun. These groups had not met since 1992. No one really knew what to expect. We set up as many chairs as we could and each of the groups arrived one by one. They all brought their own chairs from their respective We had no idea if anyone was mingling since we didn't know where everyone was from. With our limited spanish and no English on their parts, there was not a whole lot of interaction. The 4 different ministers led us through worship. We sang songs in spanish and english and Jim and Emilson together delivered Jim's sermon. Jim had on flip flops and had to put on Justin's shoes before he preached. Apparently, that wasn't proper for preaching! So we had church and afterwards began to meet people. I met the most precious teenager named Blanca. She spoke no English, but was very patient in speaking slowly so I could understand her. We had a wonderful conversation and spent the whole afternoon with her best friend, Nelia, and Leah, Rachel, Rachel, and many other of our teen girls. Nelly, as Blanca called her, spoke tons of English. All the boys and men played soccer all afternoon. All of the leaders of the 4 congregations reconciled and met for a long time planning their futures. It was a wonderful day. Everyone left before suppertime and we spent the night playing cards and just talking. It was truly a day of rest and much needed by everyone. It was on this night that I discovered the glow-in-the-dark roach/beetle thing that lived in our cabin.

Honduras, Day 3.3

2008-06-11T15:57:00.001-07:00

Honduras, Day 3.2

2008-06-11T15:53:00.001-07:00

Honduras, Day 3.1

2008-06-11T15:49:00.001-07:00

Honduras, Day 3

2008-06-10T15:22:00.000-07:00

This is the day that Mr. Rooster decided to show off. He started cock-a-doodle-doing at 3:00 am and kept it up until pretty much Thursday when we left. There we many schemes made to off this alarm clock. Anyway, breakfast this morning was huevos rancheros. We divided into 3 groups. One group went to paint at a place called Mahogany Bay. Another group went to start a septic system for a single 19 year old mother of 4, one of whom has cerebal palsy. My group went to the missionary's house that is working with Little Hands, Big Hearts. This is a group that helps families of children with disablities get assistance with healthcare, nutrition, physical therapy, etc. Their house is up on a hill with a mudslide of a driveway and I believe the driveway was about 1/4 mile long. We covered about 1/3 of it with sand and gravel to help with traction. They are also needing a security wall built around LHBH, but tree stumps are in the way (like 100 tree stumps) We worked on getting some of the land cleared for that. They have 4 children and I loved spending time with them. They had a puppy that they wanted me to play with. After playing with this dog for a long time, Andrew said, "He has ringworm." Nice. This was hard, hard work. Harder than most of the teens had ever done. We left LHBH and met the rest of our group at the beach. The beach is very narrow. It is normally pretty clear I hear, but it was cloudy due to all the rain they've been getting. There were tons of sand dollars. There were also tons of sand fleas. There is a missionary vet that we worked with that actually lives in a house on the beach, so we got to rinse off at his house. We walked a couple of miles on the beach to a restaurant called El Delphin. It was pretty much the nicest restaurant in Trujillo. We had the place to ourselves and it was a nice catch-up for everyone. We had shrimp, fish, corn, a baked potato the size of a golf ball, and tortillas. AND SOFT DRINKS. We left there and walked (up the steepest hill I have ever seen) to the town square for ice cream. They had melon ice cream and it was wonderful. It really wasn't safe for the ladies to trek the few miles back to camp at night, so we piled into missionary trucks and went home that way. As gross as I was, I couldn't bear to shower in the icy shower.

Honduras, Day 2.2

2008-06-10T14:01:00.001-07:00

Honduras, Day 2.1

2008-06-10T13:44:00.001-07:00

Honduras, Day 2

2008-06-10T13:29:00.000-07:00

We woke up Friday morning and had a breakfast of eggs and fruit. Our camp had purified water, so we could eat fruit washed in it. That was a nice surprise for me! Many of the missionaries in the area came and talked to us about their work. Then we headed off to Trujillo Christian School. A 45 minute walk uphill through the jungle. No one expected it to be as hard as it was. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done. We got there and had a little VBS for the 6th and 7th graders. We sang some songs, read the good Samaritan in Spanish, and did a wordless skit of it. Then we did some crafts with them. The 7th grade girls really like Brent and giggled whenever he came around. It was kind of awkward, as it would be with any middle-schoolers. I am not sure any 6th and 7th graders speak the same language as we do! After that, we ate our back lunches. Dogs just walk everywhere and came in to join us for lunch. After lunch, we all had different jobs to do. I painted a classroom and Brent picked up and burned garbage. Some of our guys poured a concrete floor in one of the rooms. Many just loved on the kids. God heard my prayers and sent someone in a car to get the elderly women! We got back to camp and painfully showered (COLD WATER) and ate a dinner of fried chicken and plantains. After some card games, we went to bed.

Honduras, Day 1

2008-06-10T13:23:00.001-07:00

Honduras, Day 1

2008-06-10T12:58:00.000-07:00

We left for Trujillo Thursday, May 29. We spent Wednesday night at mom and dad's since no one close to us was going to the airport. Stoney, who was taking Meghan anyway, picked us up at 3:00. IN THE MORNING. I took Tylenol PM the night before, so I was pretty much in a stupor. We were the very first ones at the airport...like even before the janitors. We left a little after 6:00 and I slept HARD from Memphis to Atlanta and then from Atlanta to San Pedro Sula. I am sure that was a blessing for all around me. We got off the plane and had to go through customs, which I had never done before. Then we got on a bus (an old prison bus from the U.S.) and piled all our luggage on a flatbed truck. It was raining, so we stopped a got a tarp. After 8 long hours, we arrived at our camp. It's kind of hard to explain where we stayed. There is a man from New Orleans that owns a mahogany and cacao plantation in Trujillo. The plantation is no longer functioning since Hurricane Mitch, but there is a camp where the plantation workers used to stay. That is where we stayed. The Mahogany trees surrounding the camp are protected by law, so there are soldiers that stay in the camp to protect the trees. They are the same age as most of our kids...so you can expect many stories of the soldiers to come! We hired a lady to cook for us. She lived 8 hours away, so she slept in the kitchen. We ate rice and chicken and went straight to bed. All the adult women stayed in one cabin. There were 6 of us. 2 of the cabins had bathrooms (I use that term loosely)and they let the old ladies have one! We had a sink and a toilet and a hose of cold water for a shower.

Still no Honduras pictures

2008-06-10T08:38:00.000-07:00

Sorry. It's just not happening. I think as soon as school was out, somewhere in outerspace a satellite sent word to the world that I could do sewing work again. It is uncanny how many orders I have gotten just in the past week.

Tyler spent the night with Zach last night and Emily is loving being an only. She is my late sleeper, so I got to sleep until 8:00 this morning and she woke me up by bringing me breakfast in bed! (A granola bar in a princess bowl)

As soon as I finish all these orders, I will start putting Honduras slideshows together.

Processing

2008-06-08T19:57:00.000-07:00

It is 10:00 Sunday night and I should be off to bed. I am still so tired from Honduras, but my mind cannot turn off tonight. I have gotten home and done all the laundry and cleaned the bathrooms and done Emily's dance recital and done our new church wing dedication. I have edited all 600 pictures taken over the last week and a half. All things that needed to be done before I begin processing. Processing the stark poverty and the pure joy that I have seen. Processing the bond that 42 people have after a trip like we had. Processing everything that God does to set up his will to be done. And processing that Grandmother is gone. My Grandmother Parsons died the Saturday that I was in Honduras. I knew there was a significant chance that she would while I was gone, as she has been sick for many weeks. I did get to call home on Randy's phone, and got no answer with mom and dad, their cells, or Becky. I just knew in my heart. I have struggled the past few months with the realization that her passing was not far off. She and I were so close growing up. I am going to be very candid about her, so please don't be offended if I say things that don't sound very grandmother/granddaughterly. (Is that a word? It is tonight.) My grandmother grew up in family full of older brothers in a mill village. From what I know, she did what she wanted to do and her brothers got her out of trouble lots. She had my dad when she was barely 18 and was divorced by then. She married the man I consider my grandfather while my dad was still a toddler and was married to him for 55 years. She didn't have to take a lot of responsibility most of her life and it really affected how she viewed life. She was very sheltered and her world view was very limited. I guess she was just a result of her environment. As I said before, as a child and even a teen, we were very close. As I grew older and matured into a young woman, I began to realize that I was "outgrowing" her. She did not identify with who I was and what I did and believed in. She loved me fiercly, but our relationship could be strained at times. She needed me to be the same girl I was at age 12, and I needed her to be an adult. A few months ago, I was discussing how I would feel when Grandmother died. He reminded me to remember EVERYTHING about Grandmother, not just the recent years. I began compiling a list in my mind that I need to get on paper (or screen?). So here it goes... I am calling it "Good Times With Velma."

GOOD TIMES WITH VELMA

1. Going to A&W and Kmart just the 2 of us when Becky was a baby.
2. Playing in the white gravel around the tree in her backyard.
3. The wagon that she pulled us around the block in.
4. Picking blackberries
5. When she stayed with Becky and me in Pensacola while mom and dad looked for a
house in Charleston.
6. Christmases...we would circle everything in the Service Merchandise catalog...
and get it.
7. Drinking coke for breakfast
8. Her endless supply of junk food
9. The trip we took to D.C. in 1984
10. Her INSISTING on taking us around the block in the wagon and we were WAY to old
11. Her horrible photography...no one ever had heads.
12. She bought me Guess Overalls
13. Before my first date, she took me makeup shopping
14. She would always take me shopping in high school. I would have to try everything
on and when I would come out of the dressing room, she would sigh, "Oh,
Elizabeth!" like it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.
15. Her reading Little Red Riding Hood before bed when we were little
16. My senior year spring break...me, Becky, Justin, Grandmother, and Granddaddy
in Gatlinburg.
17. Gatlinburg, period.
18. She took me to see Reba McEntire 2 times.
19. She took me to get my hair "made big" the summer before high school.
20. She would buy me Paul Mitchell hairspray and stick it in my purse.
21. I said one time that I liked cheesecake and it was ALWAYS in her freezer.
22. She screamed, "THERE'S MY BABY GIRL!!!!" across the campus my freshman year
at Harding.
23. She told Brent as he was about to walk down the aisle at our wedding that it
wasn't too late.

Grandmother was ALWAYS saying inappropriate things. That is an understatement. I was mortified most of my adult life by this, but it was always good for a laugh once we go out of earshot. She called the Vietnamese family across the street from them "The Vietnams." If she saw someone that was different from her...fat, dressed differently, etc., she would grab whoever's arm she was closest to and whisper, "I wish you'd look!" That got old by the time I was 18. She started preparing for her death before she was 50. She was always giving stuff away, like giving us her jewelry and sentimental gifts. And there was always a long history lesson that went along with each gift. And many times, we heard the same history lesson over and over again. She would call on random days and say, "Remember what you were doing 14 years ago?" Seriously???

I missed her funeral since I was in Honduras and I am so sad that I didn't get to see all the family and friends that were there. Her friend Edna said that she would have loved it...I am sure all the people and the gossip.

So, I guess this is my own little memorial. I will always remember Grandmother as the fruitcake that had her ears pierce with me when I was 7, ice skated with me when I was 12, always had Roller Coasters (Remember? Like spagettios?) when she cooked tamales for the adults, and would do anything for us. Apparently, at the funeral, I was elected as the next person to take Velma's place. At least I'll always have good lipstick and purses.

One more thing...the Walgreens AND CVS pharmacists were at her funeral. Classic. Drug stock will never recover.

Tagged

2008-06-07T06:50:00.000-07:00

Jennie tagged me while I was away...

What were you doing 5 years ago?
1. 8 months pregnant with Emily
2. Still unpacking boxes
3. Getting Em's nursery ready
4. Sewing, Sewing, Sewing
5. Watching Thomas ALOT

What are 5 things on your To-Do list today?
1. LAUNDRY from Honduras
2. Emily's ballet recital
3. Clean guest bath for Pattersons
4. Begin editing Honduras pictures
5. Send birthday card to Granddaddy

What are 5 snacks you enjoy?
1. TCBY
2. White cheddar Cheez-its
3. almonds
4. watermelon
5. anything caramel

What are 5 things you'd do if you were a Billionaire?
1. Pay my mom to quit her job
2. Buy my parents a house
3. Build a new Trujillo Christian school
4. Build a new SVCC preschool
5. Go to Disney World 3 times a year

What are 5 of your bad habits?
1. Biting my nails
2. Being impatient with impatient people
3. holding in bad feelings
4. Being a people pleaser
5. Watching too much TV

What are 5 jobs that you've had?
1. Yogurt puller at I Can't Believe It's Yogurt
2. Babysitter
3. Recruiter for Harding University
4. Teacher many places
5. Children's minister

Name 5 places where you have lived.
1. Portsmouth, VA
2. Huntsville, AL
3. Pensacola, FL
4. Charleston, SC
5. Searcy, AR

Who are 5 people you want to tag?
1. Dallas
2. Shannon
3. Danna
4. Amy G.
5. Amy W.