First Steps

Rémy took her first steps last night! We were astounded. All of us were in the living room and Rémy was just crawling around on the floor, stood up in the middle of crawling, took a step toward Truffle, sat back down and started crawling again. She did this several more times last night and every time it just amazed us. Once I get over the amazement factor, I'll have to remember to pull out the camera!

27 Years Ago Today...

Laura & Dollye

First Birthday

Take the Last Train to Clarksville...

We're headed to Clarksville for the weekend for camping, campfires, s'mores and deer season! Do you think we need to get Rémy more camoflauge? I'm not sure she has enough for the three days we'll be there....hmmm.

entropy

In Red Chair Series 10 Months

I am 10 months old now! I can say kitty-kitty and uh-oh and duth (duck). I have six teeth which have helped me graduate to big people food. I can stand on my own and can walk from object to object or if someone is holding my hand. I've had lots and lots of boo-boos this month as I'm learning my way around. I had my first 'craft time' and have started investigating the new elmo potty in the bathroom. (More later on potty training a baby).
My adventures this month have included cutting hay on the tractor with Grampy and Daddy, trekking with Mama to pick up a crib and dresser for my baby brother, a quick visit with Nana and Aunt Annie, having one of Whitman's cows lick my foot, a day with Grammy and Aunt April, Uncle Brandon and my cousin Braedon, a couple of visits with Aunt Lisa at the Dr.'s office and lunch with 'Aunt' Elaine the day she passed her licensing exam!

Uh Oh

Fabulous Recipe for Sweet Potato Corn Chowder

4 slices pancetta
1 white onion
sprinkle of bay leaves
sprinkle of basil
1 medium sweet potato
1 medium regular potato
4-5 cups of chicken broth
1/4 cup brown sugar or honey
1 bag of frozen corn (it's about 3 cups)
1 cup heavy cream

Brown the pancetta in a pan until crisp. Remove and use the oil to cook the diced onion until tender. Add the bay leaves, basil and cubed potatoes. Brown for a few minutes before adding the chicken stock, just enough to cover the potatoes. Let this come to a simmer and cook for about 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Add the brown sugar or honey. At this point I would transfer everything to a stock pot because my pan was getting a bit full. Add the corn and heavy cream, stir and heat just until those ingredients are warm. Ladle into bowls and top with the crispy bits of pancetta.

This was delicious! Perfect for a nice chilly fall evening. Goes great with ghiradelli brownies with fat free ice cream and fresh raspberries for dessert.

Happy 25th Birthday George!

Here's a few pictures to commemorate the day you were born...


October 16, 1983


George Andrew


Laura holding George


Big sister with brother

Congratulations George & Katie

These two have decided to get married after dating for over 4 years! Upcoming nuptuals will be November 22, 2008 at 2:30 pm. We're excited for you two and will post wedding photos after the big day.

Black Friday

The biggest day in any retail store for sales is usually the day after Thanksgiving every year. I love working this day. There are so many customers the day just flies by. We usually decorate the store, start the Christmas music, sell loads of Christmas cards and calendars. And while it's not exactly ideal to roll myself out of bed to go to work after stuffing myself on turkey and other goodies the day before, the only thing I really miss out on is the leftovers and the shopping.

This year, retailers will be convincing consumers more than ever to spend their hard earned money with their store. I'm more excited than ever to work Black Friday this year. We've decided to open 2 hours early, instead of 9:00 am we'll open at 7:00 am at an extra 20% off of half price or less! AND the first 100 customers get a free tote bag and $5 gift card. One of those lucky 100 customers at each store will win a $200 gift card. That's reason enough to roll yourself out of bed, put some coffee in your veins and camp out at the Half Price Books parking lot until the open sign illuminates the darkness. Find the location nearest you...at the Half Price Books website.

You know I'm only telling you this because I don't want to be the only one up at the crack of dawn on the day after Thanksgiving!! And who wants to pay retail prices on anything??

Quote of the Day

from Paul Basden, one of our Sr. Pastors at Preston Trail..."It's hard to hate someone when you understand them."

Made me think of several groups which can show a little more understanding instead of spreading hate.

Republicans
Democrats
Wives
Husbands
Co-workers
Neighbors

Family Pictures

Dollye's 2nd Halloween(neighbor also pictured)

John Paul, George, Annie, Dollye

Annie, John Paul

Mom has recently let me borrow all of the family photos that she has. She ordered them by groups of years. It's now my project to scan all of them in, and order and catalog them so that all of us can have access to these photos in the coming years/ generations. Here's a few to help kick off the month of October! I'm sure to come across one with Tony soon.