The Next Martha Stewart

Many of you know I am a fan of Martha Stewart.  When I have time, I try to watch her show or visit her website & marvel at her never-ending perfection.  Because I, too, have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, I understand how gratifying it would be to live in a house where every project undertaken has ample workspace, every drawer is beautifully labeled, and every tool has a matching handle.  But, alas, I don't live with Martha.  I live here in the real world, where not only are my tools un-coordinative, but usually found left under the kids' craft table, or some other non-labeled location.  

But Martha & I are alike in so many other ways.  Take her assistants, for example.  Everyone knows that she would be nowhere without them.  Well, I have assistants, too.  Mine just happen to be around 3 1/2 ft. & 2 ft. tall.  

It was so unfortunate that there was no video camera on this morning to tape me packing up a box to ship.  I had my shortest assistant helping me, and while Martha could do a great segment on what it would be like to pack a box at her house, I could have done one for the rest of the world.  I'll try to describe how it went.  

First, I went to the computer to print out the label.  My helpful assistant was at my knee the entire time. When it was printed, I cut out the label neatly with the recently-found scissors & placed the label on the desk while I finished packing the box.  Once the box was packed, I turned to retrieve the label, but my assistant had beat me to it, label in hand, now nicely crumpled and slobbered-upon.  No matter--in the real world, little obstacles will come.  So, I flattened it back out & dried it off the best I could.  Next, I went to get the packing tape & returned to find my little assistant sitting in the box. So, I carefully removed her & began closing the flaps neatly just as she snagged the tape & took off running with it.  This is where I demonstrated remaining calm in moments of mounting frustration.  There would have been some great footage here of me chasing her thru the house & finally getting the tape only to find she had caused the roll to come off the dispenser & the tape closed onto itself.  Here is where I would have had to cut to commercial break while I spent several minutes trying to find the start of the tape again.  

So, after that, I knelt down, using my knees to hold the box together while I taped it closed, all the while with my assistant trying to climb on my back.  Finally, I finished the box, which showed no evidence of the fiasco that had just transpired.  It really would have been a great segment.  So sorry you missed it.  

As I said, I am big fan of Martha.  But I could teach her a thing or two.

My two shortest assistants hard at work.

"I know my imported spices are in here somewhere!"

GRANT'S BIRTHDAY!

Grant turned 11 on Friday (Ahhh!) and it was perfect timing for the Harlem Globetrotters to be in town.  So, we took Grant & a few of his close friends to the game for an unforgettable night.  We were invited to go early to a pre-game session with a few of the players to hear about the history of the team & take pictures, etc.  Grammy & Papa came as well to be with Grant.  The game was a lot of fun!  When it was over, all the boys were able to go down to the court to get their basketballs signed by all the players.  Grant demonstrated his unique ability to squeeze through a huge crowd & make his way to each player in record time.  Papa & Grammy & Denise & I watched in amazement from the stands where we could see his red striped shirt darting through the masses.  When it was all over, we had a little "tailgate birthday party" back at the truck.  Grant is still talking about it all, so I guess we succeeded in making it a memorable occasion.  

I'm posting some of the best pictures.  Dave & I are still learning this camera, so some are not as focused as others!  

I've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'

No, this post is not about Dave & me :) .  It's about my house & me.  I was just noticing about myself that this is the first January in forever that I don't have the urge to revamp, redecorate, reorganize, or just redo something in the house.  I haven't bought new accessories for the house in months.  The baseboards seem to be begging me for a new coat of paint, and the master bathroom walls are wondering why I haven't made good on my promise to paint them as well.  So, why do I procrastinate?

I'm dreaming of a new love.  It sits here on my desk, promising to deliver abundant opportunities to decorate, organize, & accessorize to my heart's content.  It's my new & improved house, begging me to start building it.  But, lo, I am forced to wait. Wait for permits & engineers & surveys & such.  The agony!  

And yet, I do feel guilty for my discontentment.  My house has been so good to me here.  I recall how it supported me as I changed the paint color in the family room 4 times --in one weekend.  (And yes, Dave supported me, too, though I think he wanted to shoot me.)  It has stood strong, giving us very little to repair thru the years.  It has kept its dignity, never giving in to the pressure of having crazy skeletons & ghosts outside at Halloween or inflatables in the front yard at Christmastime.  For this I will be eternally grateful.  So, I think, for the debt I owe to my love at 8560, I will vow to find an owner worthy of its charm.  And when I find that person, whomever she may be, I will gladly suggest a paint color for the bathroom that will work beautifully. :) 

Just a few updated pics of the kids & their cousins during the holidays...

We went bowling on Christmas Eve with David, Amy, Paul, Maggie, & Callie:

Then a few days after Christmas, we met Kelleigh & Bradley & the boys in Chattanooga as they traveled thru on their way home:

The Sigh

Ahh.  So, to me, the day after Christmas is a sigh.   Not, the depressing, sad variety.  And not the sigh of relief.  It's a sigh of anticipation.  Sort of like the one just before the roller coaster starts to move and you realize the seat belt has been locked and there's no turning back.  You know what's coming is going to be great, but you're still just a little nervous.  

This means that today I am cleaning up Christmas & still smiling at all the things we enjoyed throughout the season, and pondering a theme to best summarize our Christmas this year.  

Being able to spend time with my family in these recent days has been a lot of fun.  And this year, we somehow silently agreed we wouldn't focus on how Grandaddy wasn't here for the first time for fear of starting the emotional chain reaction we're all so susceptible to.  But, rather, we celebrated & reminisced about all the Christmases we've had as a whole family, without someone missing.  

So this year I am most thankful for memories preserved.  Grandmother has always been very good at taking a lot of pictures thru the years & now we're all reaping the benefit.  And yesterday, 

we sat down together & watched Grandaddy's vidoetaped documentation of Christmases past, now converted to DVD.  Watching the memories that play in my mind & being able to let the kids see them is priceless.  We all got a lot of laughs out of the clip of me & Amy singing Ray Stevens at the pleading of Grandaddy.  His laugh in the background was worth the humiliation:).  The video was taken a month before I met Dave.  OHHH how I've changed. ( And thank the Lord!)  

So the picture here is actually from LAST Christmas.  On the last day I saw Grandaddy before he left.  He's here with Lola.  I'm wondering how long she'll have to wait to meet him.  

With all this in mind, it was a great Christmas for almost everyone to receive a digital camera.  Santa came through for Abby & Lily & they've hardly put their cameras down since yesterday.  And Dave surprised me as well with a complex SLR, which

I know I'll have to take a course to be able to use. (Thanks, Babe:)  But I love it.  And I hope to use it to preserve the memories we're going to have a great time making.

I'm so Glad it's Not About Santa!

So, yes, I am sentimental enough about having a Santa picture with all 4 kids that I was willing to pay the ridiculous prices the mall was charging, just to have this little memoir.  Sadly, Grant & Abby no longer feel the need to deliver their long Christmas lists to him like before, but Lily was very concerned this year about seeing him in time to tell him she wants a digital camera (yes, she's four).  And as for Lola, she had seen Santa from a distance a few days before and had not only been unimpressed, but actually perturbed when he got close to her.  So, as we waited in the very long line at the mall last Saturday, I suspected I might walk away disappointed with the entire scenario.  

And I was right.  As we arrived at the front of the line, we were almost shoved toward Santa, who not only did not have twinkling eyes & dimples so merry, he wasn't even trying to fake it at this point.  Lola grabbed me & started screaming as soon as she realized we were getting closer to him, so I decided not to set her down on his lap, but rather just hold her as near as I could for the photo.  However, Santa had a different idea as he demanded I "Just set her down, Mama!".  Well!  So I let her sit for the 2 seconds it took & then rescued her from Jolly Old St. Nick.  Meanwhile, he tried to appear patient as Lily rattled off her list, then we were rid of him as we left to go pay for our wonderful experience.  As we left the scene, Lily burst into tears, due to the fact that her gingerbread cookie that Santa gave her did not have enough icing.  So, no, it was not the ideal little visit that mothers & children dream it will be.  

Looking at this picture, I laugh.  And I think of how happy I am that Christmas is not about Santa. Although I've been as guilty as the next Mom at talking up Santa each Christmas,  I know we have so much in the Lord that we'll never find in anyone or anything else.  In my mind, I can hear my mom saying, "God is good-ALL the time."  And he really is.  Yesterday morning at the Dedication Service at Faith, we read together Psalm 103.  It reminded me of just how merciful God is.  He is faithful when we're good, and even when we're not.  "He hath not dealt with us after our sins;  nor rewarded us according to our iniquities," (v.10)..."For he knoweth our frame;  he remembereth that we are dust." (v. 14)... "The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy."(v. 8).  I'm so sad for the people who think Christmas is about Santa.  He really has nothing to offer.  Except stale little cookies without enough icing.

New York, New York!

What a busy past couple of weeks we've had, and now it's time to get ready for Christmas, so it only gets busier from here!  So, I thought I'd post a picture of Dave & I from our trip to NYC a week & a half ago.  It was so fun to get away from everything for a few days & be together.  If you were watching the Today Show on Friday, the 16th, you would have seen us front & center in the crowd, waving to the camera! :)  This picture was at Tavern on the Green in Central Park on Friday night.  It was a perfect table, right by the Christmas tree.  After that, we saw Mary Poppins on Broadway--very good!  We just had a great time shopping & walking & shopping & seeing the city & shopping (so you get the picture).  I may post a slideshow if I can find the time later.  

And we hope your Thanksgiving was as nice as ours.  Dave's parents and Travis were all here this year. We were only missing Kelleigh & Bradley & the boys.  

So--until  next time!!

For Lola

A year ago, I didn't know my life could get more grand.

You were born, & finally I got to hold you in my hands!

Before you came, we didn't know if you'd wear pink or blue, 

But, the Lord knew better than anyone that we weren't complete without you.

This year has flown, as they always do,

And you've filled the year with fun.

Grant and Abby and Lily

Think you're number one.

And yes, you're Daddy's little girl,

And you give him kisses & hugs.

But Mommy's life is oh so grand

Since I have a little Lola to love.

6 Cousins

This past weekend, Kelleigh and the boys came to visit from Ohio.  Noah has just turned one year, and Jude is 9 months old.  They are both so sweet & have distinct personalities already showing through!  On Saturday, we all went to the park, and the kids had a great time.  Enjoy the slideshow!

nine

Yesterday, Abby turned 9, and we were thinking about how it seems like only yesterday that she was born.  And we laughed, remembering how shocked we were to see that a little 5 lb., 6 oz., red-haired little girl had entered our lives.  And now, she's filling our days with laughter at the things she says and ways she expresses herself.  And it makes me think of how just yesterday, I was 9, and begging Dad to let me get my ears pierced.  And it was that year that he finally agreed.  I thought I was so old to be just getting my ears pierced, but he thought of how it had only been yesterday  that I had entered his life...

Today, a new chapter begins in the life of my Dad, for which I ask for more people to pray. He & my mom have traveled to Tampa where he will join a clinical trial which holds hope for reducing the size of cancerous tumors. I am thankful that this opportunity has been made available to him & I'm hopeful that there will be positive results & little or no negative ones. And so, to whom it may concern, please pray for success in this matter. And the picture I'm posting is one of him with one of his biggest fans:)

So, school has officially started & I just don't really know what to think about it. It's definitely quieter at home, but also less "lively" as well. And I guess now it's time to catch up on all the projects I didn't do this summer! Grant & Abby had a good first day & are proud to be in fifth & fourth grade now. Here is our annual drop-off picture!

Going, going,....


Where has the summer gone? We are in our last week of summer vacation & trying to pack as many activities in as we can before it's back to school next week! I have posted a couple of pictures of the kids from this week. Monday, we were downtown at the World's Fair Park sprinklers--Lily did not want to be photographed due to her getting a black eye from running into someone in the sprinklers! Oops!
Tuesday, we beat the extreme heat at a friend's pool, and then yesterday we visited the Knoxville Zoo with our friends. We have had a great summer, full of exciting activities. Grant & Abby have been a great help with the younger ones & that will be missed when they return to school.
Until next time...

A Little Piece of Quiet...
It just occurred to me a few minutes ago that no one had called or cried for me for a record 5 minutes or so, so I stood for a moment, trying to take as little time as possible to decide what to do with my fleeting time for myself. And so I'm here, trying to keep my commitment to posting to this blog regularly. Just typing whatever comes to mind seems to result in babble, and yet I would have so much to say were there time, as I don't think I've ever been accused of being short on words. So...what to say when there isn't time to say much? Maybe just a quote by James Norman Hall from my Mary Engelbreit calendar--"Loafing is the most productive part of a writer's life..."- Never mind-my time is up--the doorbell is ringing...

Amy, You're My Inspiration!

Hello--if there's anyone out there who's still listening. No, I have not been in a coma for the past 6 months, I've just been extremely busy. But, my sister's blog has inspired me to try to start mine up again. There's no time to update everything that has transpired since I last wrote, but, in short: Lola is now 8 months old & starting to get around pretty well in her own way, Grant & Abby are out of school for the summer, & we have been busy visiting family & having fun. When I last wrote, Grandaddy was still here, but, he left us in February & was "promoted" to Heaven, as he called it. I miss him terribly, but I feel like he can see us & knows how much we love him. And we will see him again. Back in May, we went to the beach with my whole family which is where this picture was taken. So, until the next time...which will hopefully be sooner than later.

Today is a good day because of the news that my Grandaddy has come out of the surgery with a good report. We are so thankful that the Lord has seen fit to give us more time with him here. "The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad." Psalm 126:3

YES-I KNOW blogs are supposed to be updated on a regular basis, but what can I say-- I have been very busy taking care of our sweet little Lola! She arrived on schedule on Nov. 9th & now she's 2 months old already! We are all having so much fun playing with her. And Lily has probably asked me ten times if we can keep her! We've had a great past couple of months. Today I am praying for my Grandaddy who is undergoing a life-threatening surgery at Duke University Hospital. Tomorrow I would like to be able to post that the surgery was a success & all is well. I still need him to be there to hug & kiss me, to call me now & then, & to forward all those emails to me every other day. You know--the ones that say if you really love someone then you'll forward the email to them. He is irreplaceable & I love him.

Day One of our Blog finds us in a very busy time in our lives, as most of you are already aware. In less than 3 weeks, our latest addition will arrive to join the Ryan Family Circus. (Poor thing!)
Somehow we have managed to make it 9 months without finding out if this is a boy or girl doing acrobatics in my belly, but soon we'll all know! Of course, Grant (age 9) is voting for a boy & Abby (age 8) and Lily (age 3) are voting for a girl. All Dave & I want is whomever the Lord gives us!
Business for Dave in the Printing & Promotions world is going well. My part of Lucy & Ethel (purses, totes, baby bags, etc.) is pretty much on hold for a while, but my partner, Denise, is keeping things going for us both. Maybe one day our website will actually be up & running!
Please check back with us frequently & I will do my best to post on a regular basis. Please pray for us, also, as we near November 9, when the baby is scheduled to arrive!