A Visit with Memaw

Yesterday my grandmother came over for lunch. She loves, and I mean, loves McHaney. We ate and played dolls. It is good to have so much family around!

PS- I added a new video today!

Top 5 Restaurants

I've been tagged by my friend Melissa for a dining meme. Not sure what "meme" is, but apparently you pick 5 places you love to eat. Post them, and then pick 5 more people to tag so that they can post their top 5. You want to try to pick people in different cities and states, but I'm not sure I know that many people in other places. Anyway, here's my list:

Sperry's- Food is fabulous and reasonably priced for atmosphere and food portions. It has been my favorite Nashville restaurant since high school. The original is located in Belle Meade, but a new one recently opened in Cool Springs. It may not look like it from the outside, but I have to say it is as good as the original

Puffy Muffin- Lunch is great, the crab cake salad, tortilla soup, and ginger tea can't be beat! Don't expect stellar service though. The customer service is lacking.

Genghis Grill- This place is different and cheap. Plus the food is fantastic! If you have never eaten there, please do! You can fix your own bowl of raw veges, meat and other fixins', then they cook it in front of you. It is more than you could ever eat, and it costs about 8 bucks!

The Perfect Pig- I haven't eaten there since high school because it is in White Bluff, but it is definitely worth the drive from what I remember. BBQ is fabulous and the experience is even better!

The Picnic- Once located in a drugstore, this West End lunch spot is worth the wait. And if it is anytime around noon, you will be waiting. The broccoli salad and pimento cheese are great. It's a good place to meet a friend for lunch, and they have a to go fridge. I stop by there all the time to get both!

Okay, so I'm tagging:

Caroline- Brimingham, AL
Missy- Birmingham, AL
Lauren- Pasadena, CA
Amy- Paducah, KY
Julie- Nashville, TN

Happy Memorial Day!

Note the patriotic PJ's. Daddy is so proud we had to post a picture!

Crazy Bread!

Well, Mc had her first attempt at pizza last night... well, maybe not pizza, but crazy bread. There is a Little Caesar's pizza in Cool Springs now. They have a "hot n ready" deal that is 5.00 for a large pepperoni pizza. You can't beat that! So, last night, on our way home from CS, we decided to stop. We got some crazy bread as well, and it was a hit with her! Of course, we rarely find something she doesn't like!

Congratulation Shelton!

My little cousin Shelton, although he isn't little anymore, graduated from FRA today. I've had the pleasure of accompanying him on two Mexico Mission trips in the last few years and must admit that we've gotten closer as a result. I love my cousin and wish him well in all his future endeavors! He will be attending Lambuth University to play football in the fall. Shelton: you are a good man with a heart for God! Be good while you are away from home!!! I love you!

I Love Summer Veges!!!

There's just nothing better than summer vegetables. Sometimes I think I could go from May to August without ever touching a piece of meat. Homegrown tomatoes, potatoes, okra, and corn; mmm mmm!!! Well, I always try to make 1 or 2 visits to the farmer's market every year so I can have some of that fresh goodness, but more times than not, I never make it. Anyway, my friend Carrie turned me on to this thing called a CSA group (community supported agriculture). They are farms that sell meat and veges to local people instead of stores etc. I am so pumped! Daren and I, along with Adam and Jac, joined one this weekend. We are going to split our share with them. Each of us will pick up every other week. It is not very expensive, and we get a 1/4 bushel each visit. It's seems to good to be real for me, so I'll keep you posted and let you know how we like it. From what I've heard, you can't go wrong. Everyone seems to love them! The group/farm we joined is called Avalon Acres. It is also the group Carrie is in. We checked out another 1 or 2, but this one had a pickup about 2 miles from our house. So, fresh veges here we come!!!!

Consign and Find

I love used clothes. Almost all of McHaney's play clothes are secondhand. Some of her really nice stuff is as well. It is amazing the kind of stuff people get rid of; brand name things with the tags still attached!

This season we did the FHBC consignment sale and the Westhaven Sale. I got a lot of great, barely used, play clothes at FHBC. At Westhaven, all kinds of nice clothing. (i.e. Feltman Brothers dresses, with tags still attached, for 10.00, Strausburg PJs for 5.00, etc.)

We also do a lot of shopping at Kid to Kid in Cool Springs.

For a full list of all local consignment sales go to the link on the left side of my blog under favorite links.

Lost

Holy Crap. What about the Lost finale? I mean, really. A glimpse of the future... obviously, some of them will get away.

Claire gets off the island b/c Desmond is rarely wrong. Will Kate and Jack stay? Will the Oceanic crew join forces with the Others to defend the island. So many questions, and no answers till next season.

Plus, what about Charlie. Was anyone taken aback by that? I guess we all knew it would happen sometime. Still, I love Charlie and hate to see him go. I see visions of Charlie in future episodes.

A few other comments about the finale:

John Locke just won't die... I wish he would

Do you think Kate is preggers and who is the "he" she mentioned in the future flashback? Remember "before HE notices I'm gone."

Who is in the casket?

Is Sawyer ruined. Has he reached the point of no return?

How the heck was Penny on the incoming transmission when Charlie shut off the jammer?

Let me know your thoughts and ideas!

Zoe

My in-laws have a dapple dachshund just like Utah, but a different color. Since Barbara came to stay over night, Zoe came with her. For the most part, Zoe and Utah get along quite nicely. McHaney loves having them both to play with. Here are a few pictures I was able to snap. I love the one of Mc grabbing Zoe's tail. Zoe is on point and totally unaware!

Could Andrew Win American Idol?

I've never, never been a fan of reality TV. I watched one season of American Idol when we lived in Memphis and that is only because I had no friends and Daren worked all the time. (I will also admit to watching Newlyweds during a short obsession with Jessica Simpson, which I am way over. I think she's quite the skank these days; John Mayer or not.)

Anyway, Barbara came down to spend a few days and she is very into Idol. So we watched tonight and I realized there is an uncanny resemblance between my brother in law, Andrew, and Blake Lewis, one of the semi-finalist. I called Lauren and she said people tell him that all the time. What do you think? Do you see a resemblance?

First Place... Well, not Really

Today was our last day for gymnastics. They gave out ribbons. So cute. Of course, I forgot my camera and I tried to take pics when we got home, but she was way too involved in Vegetales to have her picture made. Anyway, a special day as McHaney receives her first award... even if it was just for participation!

Cheeseburger in Paradise

Last night Daren and I decided burgers sounded really good. (There's just nothing quite the same as a cheeseburger grilled at home.) I figured McHaney is eating everything else, might as well let her try a cheeseburger. Well, she is not a big fan of white meat. Chicken and turkey is "for the birds" according to her. But, the cheeseburger... now that was a hit! Daren made her a little Krystal sized burger, which I should have gotten a picture of but didn't. We cut it up and she ate it all; then she ate about half of mine. Just the meat and cheese, but it was hilarious. She was making an mmm, mmm sound through the whole thing. Too cute! And, I was thrilled b/c at our last doctor's visit they said her iron could be a little higher. No better source of that than red meat!!!

A Picture with Daddy's Burger. (mustard was all over her by the end!)

Finishing up; mmm!!!

It 's Good to be Loved

I just want to send a big shout out to everyone who has helped me out since the surgery. People have brought meals, taken care of McHaney, done my dishes, laundry, etc. Even those of you who have just called to let me know you love me and care! It feels good to know I have such good friends and family! I am recovering well; no pain medicine in two days! I just feel a little nauseated on and off and, on the inside, my chest feels like, well, like there's a hole in it. Which, I guess will go away once all of my organs shift around and fill it up! Anyway, this will be my last blog about surgery and I just wanted to tell everyone how much I appreciate all they have done!!!

Below are pics of Daren and McHaney at her "mommy and me" gymnastics class. He was the only daddy, but such a good sport. This was my first outing, and I just went and sat, but it was nice to get out of the house, and so sweet to see them spend time together!

It's Over

My surgery is over and I'm glad to be home. It was suppose to be an outpatient surgery, but I ended up having to spend the night. All is well now though. The doctor said my gall bladder was pretty diseased and it really needed to come out. So, I'm glad I made the decision to do so. With a little luck, I'll be all better soon!

I have to give props to Centennial Hospital and their staff. I had a fabulous experience. Nurses were great, care was great, etc., etc. Mush better than my child birth experience at Centennial women's.

Sewing Machine

A lot of girls have responded to Carrie's most recent blog. Looks like most of you are beginners and might be looking for a new machine. If so, I love mine! I bought it as a beginner,. which really I still am, and it has been fabulous. It should have everything you need on it, all the basics, and it is pretty reasonably priced.

I got it at Sears and attached a pic for you. The brand is Kenmore. There is no model number on it or on my instruction book, that I can find, but the pic should be all you need. I think it is made especially for Sears, so you will probably have to go there to get it. If you have any questions about it or want to know what it has/ doesn't have, let me know!!!!

My First Mother's Day

Yesterday was a little surreal for me. People kept telling me "Happy Mother's Day" and I would pause and then say "Oh... thanks." I guess I've always just been the well wisher, not the wishee. Was this anyone else's first Mother's Day? Did it seem a little funny to you too, or is it just me?

My first Mother's Day turned out pretty good. I woke up and Daren and Mc had made me biscuits. They gave me a Mother's Day present, my first, which was a storage unit to keep my car clean. A very "mom" gift for sure! We went to church and then to lunch with Daren's family. Mc had a blast, as usual, playing with all of her cousins. We did dinner at my parent's with my grandparents. (The seester was missed, but we did mom's Mother's Day dinner the night before at our house. Lauren and Andrew were able to be there.) It was a nice day with family.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day BBF's! Hope you all had a great day!

Yeah Seester!!!!!!

My sweet seester, and brother in law, flew into town to surprise my mom, and Andrew's mom, for mother's day. We haven't seem them since Xmas and it was so good to get to visit. McHaney has changed so much since they were here. She loved her "La-La" and Uncle Murdock (you had to be there.) They got to see her walk, talk, crawl and play for the first time.

Anyway, I was so excited to see them and can't wait until June when we see them again. Daren and I are flying to San Fran to meet them and do a wine country tour. We'll get four more days of fun in only 4 weeks!

Happy Birthday Adam!

Friday night we celebrated our friend Adam's 30th birthday. They had a nice little crawfish boil (sans the crawfish) :) at their house. It was a funny night with a lot of laughs. Old stories were aplenty! Gosh we are getting sooo old!

Surgery Update

Well, I just found out my surgery is going to be Tuesday. Five days from now I will be without an organ. Seems kinda weird. Anyway, I would appreciate any prayers you could send up for me. Especially around 10:30 Tuesday morning. I'll need lots of intercessors!

Swimming Lessons

While we were on vacation, my Dad decided McHaney needed to learn how to swim. Seriously, I called one day, asked what Mc was doing and mom said, Oh, her Grandaddy took her to the pool to learn how to swim." Too funny! She took a lesson and everything. They go to the new Y in Bellevue, and there is an indoor pool there that is heated. She absolutely loves it and isn't scared of the water at all. Last night I went with them to see her new swimming technique. She kicks, floats on her back and jumps off the side. Quite impressive!!! Her favorite is sliding down the slide and playing with the "jumping water." She splashed me about 5 times and thought it was hilarious.

Also, how freakin' cute is she in her quack quack cover-up?

She Walks!

I can't believe it, and I knew she was getting close, but to see it... Oh wow!!!! Yesterday at gymnastics we were on the big red mat and Miss Julie started throwing the big bright colored balls out. McHaney apparently saw a ball she really wanted and was standing up. So, she just went after it. She took about 4 or 5 steps and then sat down when she got to the ball. Just like she'd been walking forever! All I could do was point and go ahh, ahh. It was so awesome!!!! I even teared up a little bit. She's done it 3 or 4 times since then. The girls at BUNCO even got to see her take 2 or 3 steps last night. I haven't been able to get a pic or video yet, because she's still a little sporadic, but soon, very soon!

Home Again Home Again

Well,we've made it home from vacation and it was sooo good to see McHaney. Laundry and cleaning seem to be in my future today! We leave again next month for a few more days away in the wine country with Lauren and Andrew. I won't be blogging during that vacation!!!!

Here's a pic of Mc in her new outfit we bought on vacation!

Day 3 at the Beach

We woke up yesterday morning and I wanted to go to the donut hole. So, we got in the car and drove to Destin for a very very large breakfast. While there I said, "I wonder what time the oulets open? While we're here we might as well go." :)

Well, somehow we ended up at The Track, (for any of you who were kids in Destin you know what I'm talking about.) Bumper boats, go-karts, and arcade games a plenty, we chose the go-karts first. They didn't go as quickly as a remembered from my childhood, but I did beat Daren. I wish I would have had some real competition, i.e. the seester. She always gives you a good run for your money. She's been beating me on the go-kart track since she was about 7. She could barely see over the steering wheel and she'd just assume push you into the guardrail as look at you. Oh well! Onto the arcade games where D was a little more competitive. He killed at Basketball, but I beat him on the motorcycles! :)

Then, onto the outlets. A little shopping at J Crew and we were on our way back to the beach. We spent the rest of the day sunning and did dinner at the old Fish House. It was decent, better than our meal at B and A for sure.

I am so glad we did this. For any of you questioning whether it is time to leave the kids behind and vacation with just the 2 of you; trust me, it is definitely worth it. We're headed home today, and I can't wait to see my sweet little Mc, but I wouldn't take anything for this trip. I love my husband and am so so glad we got a little alone time to just be us!

Day 2 at the Beach

Day 2 was great! We spent the whole day laying on the beach. Dinner at Bud and Alley's. We weren't really impressed with our dinner as I ordered a steak medium rare and got it medium well. Daren order the salmon and it came out white. They tried to tell us it was "ivory" salmon, but whatever. I know my fish and Daren ate grouper for dinner. But, the Grantini I had to drink was fabulous, as was our crawfish and crab tostada appetizer. Plus, it is hard to beat the atmosphere! A band on the beach. There aren't too many opportunities for that in a lifetime!

Day 1 at the Beach

Daren and I arrived in Seacrest, after a quick stop at The 331 for lunch, around noon yesterday. Our place is great. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is coming down here anytime soon. We lounged on the beach and relaxed most of the afternoon.

We went to the seafood market around 6:00 and got some grouper and royal reds. (For those of you who don't know, these are shrimp you can only find in the Destin/PCB area. They are huge and taste like lobster.) I was so glad my coveted royal reds were back. They have been non-existent since Katrina and this is the first time I've had them in what seems like ages.

Anyway, we came back, watched the sunset, ate, and just hung out, It was so nice! I do miss Mc, but am so glad to have this time with Daren!

1st attempt at taking a pic of ourselves (obviously the zoom was on.)

2nd attempt (Daren would like me to add that he realizes he looks like he got stung by a bee, in the face, in this pic)

View of the beach from our room at sunset

Florida

Daren and I are leaving for Florida in the morning. I'm excited, but a little apprehensive too. It will be the first time we've left McHaney. We did have food poisoning a few months ago, and she spent 3 nights with my parents, but I could still get to her if I needed too. This time I'll be 7 hours away. But, I'm so looking forward to relaxing and spending along time with Daren.

For all of you parents who haven't left their kids yet, I'll let you know how it is. Pray that I make it and don't come home early. That would not make Daren very happy! :)

Happy 10 Month McHaney

McHaney was 10 months old yesterday!

When Grandaddy Travels

My dad just returned from his first mission trip of the summer. He has spent the last 10 days in the Ukraine, about 100 miles from the Russian border. They were building a house for a family that has adopted 3 little boys. He will be returning again before the summer is over.

Anyway, he bought this little peasant shirt for McHaney at the market there. Isn't it too cute? I can just see her in it this fall with her jeans!