1st Birthday

Rémy enjoyed quite a few firsts this weekend. First bite of cookie while decorating Christmas cookies with Grammy, first bite of cake and frosting. She's sugared up and ready to go for at least 3 months. She had a fun day but was just a bit tuckered by the end. So much activity for one little girl.

Visit with Santa

This Santa turned out to be so kind and friendly, took some extra time to give us tips and pointers about getting a 'good' Santa picture. He's been doing this for 15 years at the Half Price Books on Northwest Hwy. We'll go back to him next year....with two kiddos.

Sweet Treats

Don't ya just love guilt free baking....you know, the kind where you don't have to feel bad for eating it! One of the ladies in our life group had a fabulous idea. Instead of a traditional cookie exchange where we all take home and eat what we swap, we made lots of goodies, brought tins and wrap and packaged them all up to give to friends and neighbors. I just loved this idea 'cause I'm usually giving out goodies anyway, this just made it loads easier 'cause I didn't have to make it all. The hubbies tagged along, we ordered pizza which took care of dinner and the kiddos all had a blast playing together. This is one Christmas exchange that'll become an annual tradition.

5 weeks

Today begins a five week scramble to accomplish too many things in too little time. I finished the semester strong and have a break in classes for the next five weeks. The most important thing on the agenda is studying to take my certification exam. I figured, with Baby boy due in about 10 weeks, the best time to study is now. I'll be taking the test sometime between February and April, but there's just no telling how much sleep I'll be getting at that time! If you are reading this and have taken the TeXES Math 4-8 Certification test....please get in touch with me...I can use all the tips I can get.

Here are some projects I'd like to finish...

Make some sense of what will be Ben's room...

Decopagé crib, changing table and dresser with old comics for Ben's room...

Refurbish an antique tricycle found at a Clarksville antique store...
(hopefully in time for Christmas)


Have a birthday party for a little girl....


and study, study, study.

Thanksgiving Keeper Recipes

I enjoyed hosting a wonderful thanksgiving meal over here for some of our family. I love to cook and used many new recipes this year. Most were from The Pioneer Woman and I was happy with the outcome of every recipe. We had roasted turkey, brined in apple juice, orange peel, salt, peppercorns and herbs. We had pineapple and brown sugar basted ham. I did cornbread stuffing with four types of fresh herbs, creamed spinach, turnip gratin, scrumptious apple pie, chocolate pecan pie, hot buttered rum and spiced cider. Part of the fun of Thanksgiving is that everyone contributes to the feast. Annie brought deviled eggs, Mom brought a cherry pecan jello, salad and crudité tray and an Indiana corn casserole that Walker raved about. Tony and Annie made a pumpkin pie and peeled the apples for my apple pie (Annie's hand survived a runaway peeler). Dad made a seven layer salad that was well liked. John Paul and Tracy made a Cherry cheesecake. Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Elizabeth brought delicious new potatoes and green beans, an apple lattice pie, and a colorful fresh fruit salad.

Another positive note I'll have to remember for next year is that I managed to finish most if not all of the cooking/prep work before everyone arrived allowing me to visit with everyone and be a little more relaxed than just working in the kitchen.

We joined Walker's family for dinner (it seems I can eat 6 meals a day now, no matter if it's Thanksgiving or not) and I especially loved these little appetizers that Debbe made olives wrapped in pie crust and baked. She also made a chocolate graham cracker bar with nuts that was soooo decadent! Rémy loved playing with her cousin Whitman and Aunt Kendra and all the doggies and kitty-kitty.

In these fast and furious times it's a rare treat to take a moment to savor with friends and family.

Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. George Dorsey

In Red Chair Series 11 Months

Don't have time to tell about her development in the past month, but after the rehearsal dinner tonite I'll post more.

Rémy Walking

I finally caught a video of Rémy walking. She's so funny to watch and such a little person now and not a baby anymore. She's so proud of herself, and I'm so proud for her...but a part of me wishes she would just stay exactly like she is.

My Workin' Man

Celebrating my hard working man today. We've been married for four years and not a day passes that he's not doing something handy to help support our family. I love you my hard working man! Thank you for all that you do for me! Here's a song in honor of you!

(Darrell Scott)

I got rice cooking in the microwave
Got a three day beard I don't plan to shave
And it's a goofy thing but I just gotta say
Hey I'm doing alright

Yeah I think I'll make me some homemade soup
Feelin pretty good and that's the truth
It's neither drink nor drug induced
No I'm just doin alright

And it's a great day to be alive
I know the sun's still shinin when I close my eyes
There's some hard times in the neigborhood
But why can't every day be just this good?

It's been fifteen years since I left home
Said good luck to every seed I'd sown
Give it my best and then I left it alone
Oh...I hope their doin alright

Now I look in the mirror and what do I see?
A lone wolf there starin back at me
Long in the tooth but harmless as can be
Lord I guess he's doin alright

And it's a great day to be alive
I know the sun's still shinin when I close my eyes
There's some hard times in the neigborhood
But why can't every day be just this good?

Sometimes it's lonely
Sometimes it's only me
And the shadows that fill this room
Sometimes I'm fallin
Desperately callin
Howlin at the moon...
Ahwoo!
Ahwoo!

Well I might go get me a new tattoo
Or take my old Harley for a three day cruise
Might even grow me a Fu Man Chu...
Oh Aww!

And it's a great day to be alive
I know the sun's still shinin when I close my eyes
There's some hard times in the neigborhood
But why can't every day be just this good?

And it's a great day to be alive
I know the sun's still shinin when I close my eyes
There's some hard times in the neigborhood
But why can't every day be just this good?

Baby Boy Update

We went in for our 5 month checkup yesterday. Little Ben has grown to about the length of a butternut squash and weighs approximately a pound. He wakes me every morning by 6:00 kicking and ready to start the day. (Rémy sleeps until 7:30 or 8, so it gives me some time to myself). We're making preparations for his room and plotting and planning what exciting things will be in store for him when he gets here. Next month we'll get to see more pictures of him and have a better idea of just when he plans to join us.

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.

Play the Ball Where the Monkey Drops It

This is a book I picked up at work by Gregory Knox Jones about why we suffer and how we can hope. This book is really helping me to reevaluate some of life's circumstances and unexpected events in a new light. The title comes from a story told in the introduction. British colonizers who were in India wanted to build a golf course and play golf. The monkeys in India at this time were quite prevalent and they became a nuisance to the British golfers. The men attempted to build fences to keep them out, but the fences could not keep the monkeys out. Furthermore, the monkeys liked to take the golf balls and deposit them other places. Eventually it became more of a nuisance trying to keep them out than to just deal with them. That's when the golfers decided to just play the ball wherever the monkey dropped it.

Yesterday, while reading, I decided to make a few lists. A list of the past (times in my life where the monkey has picked up the ball) A list of the present (things I'm worried about) and a list of the future (things I look forward to). The things I look forward to ended up being the longest list, but it sometimes gets the least amount of attention because so much is focused on the things I'm worried about and the hurtful things in the past when the monkey has picked up the ball.

So, on the days I need a good reminder, here's my list of things I look forward to. In no particular order, except the order at which they popped into my brain.

ordering graduation invitations
turning 27
getting my class ring
baby boy's birth
not being sick anymore
going to a UNT football game
mashed potatoes & gravy
creamed spinach
Life group
Rémy's first steps
studying for & taking my certification exams
Halloween with my little bat
graduation day
job interviews with school districts
developing my curriculum & meeting my students
prized alone time with Walker
putting together my boy's comic book themed room

It helped ease my mind a bit about the worries of the past and of the present to reconsider my short term and long term goals and take a peek at what the future may hold.

In Red Chair Series 9 Months

Just in time for Halloween....here's Fang! Our little vampire bat. Rémy can now stand on her own, and takes small steps toward mama or dada when she's motivated. She has three teeth; two i-teeth and one incisor on the bottom. Her knees never touch the ground when she spidercrawls, guess it's unladylike to get them dirty. She's had some adventures these past few weeks spending a day at the Dallas zoo, visiting with her great grandparents, an overnight trip to nana's house and a couple of baby play dates.

Baby Plagge 2 Sonogram

Here's our little guy...

In Red Chair Series 8 Months

Whew...better late than never, right? These past 2 months have flown by and dragged on at the same time. Who knew that was possible?

Rémy has developed so much this month. I didn't think I would have a favorite phase or time of her life, but I was wrong. I love this age in her development and learning. The possibilities seem endless for her. She is crawling around the house, standing and moving from object to object. She uses a little push toy to walk herself around. She is eating all sorts of foods, but loves to eat off of mommy and daddy's plates the best. She caught on very quickly to holding her own bottle and feeding herself after stopping nursing. She says 'mama', 'baby' and 'dada'. She understands the words diaper, more and bottle. She cut a canine tooth on her upper right side today! (finally) She's going to look sooooo funny in pictures with one tooth on her far right side! She caught her first sickness this month and had a cold that held on for a few days. She had some adventures visiting at Nana's house for a week and then at Grampy and Grammy's house another week.

While this next one certainly caught us by surprise, he/she is growing on me a little more (he he) and I'm becoming more acclimated to the idea.

These past two months in our lives can be summed up in the following statement....'If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.'

In the past 9 weeks since Walker's last day in the banking world we have had a scare with termites invading our bathroom, our air conditioner quit, we found out we're expecting, Walker had 2 failed attempts at the Math certification exam, Truffle was attacked by a wild animal and had to go to animal emergency to have stitches...among a host of other 'minor' things. We're holding on to the end of the rope...luckily we can only go up from here!

In good news, I started school last week and have applied to graduate on May 16, 2009!!!! MARK YOUR CALENDARS. Just kidding about the marking your calendars...but not about the graduation. Also, five minutes ago Walker got a call for a job interview tomorrow. YAY! And tomorrow we get to have a sonogram and see baby Plagge #2!

We'll let ya know how it all turns out.

Surprise!

We're expecting....again! But don't worry, that look of shock on your face right now is not half as bad as mine was...:-)

I think I'm about 3 months along and due in mid-February. We'll know for sure when we get to go to the doctor.

Also, thanks to all of you who have been praying for Walker's job/test situation. He took the test again on Saturday and felt pretty good about it. We won't get the results for another 2 weeks, but at least he feels more confident about it this time than last time.

Grandmother Janet

Here's a picture that I received in the mail a little bit ago. I think the resemblance is remarkable! This is Rémy's Great-Grandmother, my Grandmother. She looks to be about 6 months old in this picture.

In Red Chair Series 7 Months

I started crawling this month, I can say 'da-da' and 'guy-guy'. I can pant like a dog. Mama and Dad had to lower my bed because I kept pulling myself up.

New foods this month are asparagus, yellow squash, zucchini, teething biscuits, pears, carrots, whole rice, peeled & cut up grapes. I'll eat anything, I've never met a food I didn't like.

I like to drink out of an adult glass when Grampy lets me have some of his tea.

Da Da Home

This is what fun we get to have when Da Da doesn't have to go to work....

He takes me to the swings at the park, it's ok if he forgets my shoes.

He takes me into town to eat sushi (I just ate rice)

He takes me to the park again to swing. I love to swing.

He takes me to this cool splash park in our neighborhood.

I started saying 'da-da' a couple of weeks ago. Mama jokes that I learned 'da-da' first so that when I say it daddy comes running to see what I need!

Last Day

Just to give you an idea of an average day around here....Walker rides the DART bus into Dallas and leaves the house at around 5:45 am to make it to the bus station to be at work by 8:30. He's normally home by 7:00 pm, sits down for a quick dinner with us and heads to the library for a few more hours of quiet study before bed. Don't worry, it's only been this way about three weeks. And it saves loads in gas. The cost is $3 a day compared to $12 if he drives himself. Those days are no more.

Yesterday was Walker's last day in banking! This coming Monday he'll be taking the TeXes certification exam to teach high school Math. (Algebra I & II, Geometry, Trigonometry, Calculus, Statistics).

He is spending the week hitting the books hard. If he passes this exam, a letter will be sent to schools telling them that he is highly qualified to teach in this area. After that letter is sent, he can set up interviews and will begin training for his certification on the 17th.

Regardless of how he feels he does on the test we're going out to celebrate on Monday night. He's been studying for weeks and it's been pretty taxing and wearing on all of us. We decided on sushi...one of our favorites and today while Walker was on his way to the library to study he noticed a new sushi joint that opened on the square called Sake Toro Sushi. I quickly googled it and found that it's had RAVE reviews from many people saying it's the best in North Texas. I find that kind of hard to believe, but can't wait to try it.

If you think of Walker on Monday...his test is at 10:00 am and takes approximately 5 hours, we could definitely use your prayers.

What's in the Basket? July

I noticed an idea on another person's blog that I'd like to implement. A Slice of Cherry Pie has an ingredient of the month and asks readers to post recipes/pictures of how they used that ingredient. I'm always looking for new and better ideas for recipes, so this is really fantastic for me, but also for you because you get to be surprised every month by what the ingredient could be. I will try to choose items that are in season and available locally.

It would be nice if you could post the recipe and pictures on your blog and then post a link to your blog in the comments for us to view. Or if you don't have a blog or would prefer not to do that, you can email me your recipe and pictures and I'll post 'em.

So, without further ado, July's "What's in the Basket?" is ONIONS.

Now, I know not everyone out there is a fan of onions. (Tony) However, there are months ahead that I'm sure you'll find an ingredient that fancies your tastebuds.

These are some beauties that Ken and Debbe shared with us from their garden. I plan to perfect my recipe for onion rings with these babies.

You have until the end of the month, in this case, July 31 to post or email your best and most loved recipes including ONIONS. Have fun thinking up ways to use onions!