carly's favorite

My mom and sister left on Saturday to go back home after some crazy shopping (see my sister's blog here ). They had not made it to the end of my driveway before Carly started asking was I going to get the nativity scene down. I had planned on using Saturday to decompress after all the Thanksgiving traveling and festivities. There were a thousand things that needed doing before we started pulling Christmas decorations down. But after the 2nd or 3rd time, I was like, why don't you just get the blasted thing down. She was SO happy. She lovingly opened each piece and put the boxes back while I decided where we were going to set it up. She carried the pieces to the table and arranged them just so, and then she played for a while and then she arranged them again. Later when I walked by, I moved a couple of pieces, arranging them the way I thought they should be. A little later she was appalled "who touched MY nativity scene?"

... ... Each year Carly gets a new piece to her nativity scene on Christmas Eve.

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2004 Christmas Eve adding her new pieces - shepherd Gabriel and sheep

2005 Christmas Eve, Carly opening the camel.

Last year, with MamMam putting out her ox and goat.

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{I wish my pictures pre-2004 were digital.}

just bite my tongue

so I can not scream

"have you lost your mind? Come down from there before you fall and break your arm!"

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camo kids

How cute are these kids?

Carly and her cousin having lots of fun together at Nona's house.

where have you been?

oh, you say YOU have been here all week

that it was ME that has been MIA for the last 10 days!

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We have had a family-filled Thanksgiving which is exactly the way it should be. We went to my MIL's to the Lake House last weekend for a few days and then on to my mom & dad's. We have eaten, cooked, eaten, doctored poison ivy, eaten, visited, eaten, hunted, eaten, worked on stationery, eaten, traveled, eaten, shopped, eaten and I am more than a little terrified to go to my Weight Watcher's meeting on Tuesday.

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Speaking of hunting....

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deer #2 ..her first buck

unexpected outcomes

What do you get when you spend 2 days in the woods?

• great memories of time with your dad - check
• meat in the freezer - check
• one VERY bad case of poison ivy - check

a couple of bumps on Sunday night (thought they were bug bites), a couple of patches on her face Monday morning (started doctoring), swelling, several patches on her face, tummy and hands Tuesday morning(went to the doctor), all over her face, most of the right side of her face and her eye almost swollen shut on Wednesday morning (cut school short), BUT it is Wednesday evening and her eye is open and the swelling has gone down dramatically. I think we might have the worst behind us?

She makes me smile too...(by Daddy)

Every fall, hordes of people spend enormous amounts of money for hunting leases, camo clothing, all terrain vehicles, weapons, ammunition, elaborate stands and enclosures, odor elimination sprays, multiple types of game calls and various synthetic animal urines (some real ones too!) all for the purposes of harvesting the elusive whitetail deer. I've even heard that venison has been referred to as the most expensive meat per pound of any meat in the entire world. Having thought of what I've spent already this year, I totally agree. After investing an amount of money over the years equal to the cost of a quaint, Italian cottage in Tuscany, I have finally realized the benefit!

That's right! My little hunting buddy just harvested her first whitetail deer! It was the exact moment captured in the above picture that I realized, "It's all worth it." I was absolutely overcome with excitement, pride, love and a satisfying sense of accomplishment. We live through our children, and I WAS ALIVE!

There are many "traditions" associated with deer hunting that I've seen and heard about over the years. Most (I repeat "most" - not all) of them I have participated in in some form or fashion. When I was a young hunter, most of my shirts didn't have a shirttail. If that last sentence confused you, consult an avid deer hunter. It was explained to me many years ago when I was but a child myself that the Native Americans honored the spirit of the large game animals that they harvested. Such displays included painting the hunter's face with the blood of the animal. I, with much protest, received the "Indian Stripes" when I harvested my first deer, and my daughter did too. She was way bigger about that whole deal than I was when I was a kid! Her doe was a monster. It weighed in at just over 150 pounds! She made a great 60-yard shot on the deer, and she did it ALL by herself. I only set the gun up on the ledge of the shooting blind and let her take over. She whispered that she was ready to shoot, and all I said was, "take your time and squeeze." Her "brand new" little .243 rifle (thanks, Nona) roared, and the rest, well, is history. And what a great history it is. Man she makes me smile!

veggies

This is one of my favorite ways to prepare veggies. It is quick, simple, pretty and yummy.

Day1, we like it as a side with grilled/roasted chicken or maybe steak. Day2, I like to cook a little pasta, toss veggies with a little olive oil, and top with Parmesan cheese - maybe with some left over chicken. Day3, (if there are any left), I like on top of a little spring mix-left over chicken a bonus. Day4, (if there are any left at this point, it is because Kenny has not eaten at home the previous 2 nights), It makes a great omelet or frittata.

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frozen whole green beans

red bell pepper

mushrooms

purple onion

yellow squash

(these are my typical choices, but you could choose others -

sometimes we substitute asparagus for the g.beans,

and/or omit the squash)

few cloves garlic

toss all in a tiny amount of olive oil

season (salt, pepper,etc)

spread on a cookie sheet

roast on 400

15-20 minutes

They should still be crunchy.

she makes me smile

My darling child has recently been using the word "specific" quite frequently only she says "pacific" so you hear something like this...

Where "pacifically" are we going?

Which generally gets a....

as opposed to "atlantically"? from Kenny or I.

This makes her look at us as if we have lost our minds -

well maybe we have, "pacifically"!

fall evening

Southern Living has nothing on us.

Supper was on the patio by the fire.

And what is more fall than chili and cornbread?

Hopefully we can do this again soon.

What should we eat next time...hmmm?

in the woods

Carly's ACT class (an accelerated class that Carly attends weekly at school- I'm not bragging right now, I will save that for another blog) took a field trip to the Memphis Agricenter. They had a wonderful program on trees. We took a hay-ride to their outdoor classroom, explored in the woods, learned about identifying characteristics of trees, and participated in interactive learning experiences.

Carly had a fabulous time. She would have stayed there the rest of the day. There were some who were not so excited about the adventure - an exploratory hike into the woods down a deer trail was probably a little too much nature for some.

Carly came home with non-stop chatter with her dad about her day filled with talk of nature. I mean who would not love a treasure hunt in the woods - sticks, rocks, acorns, bark (which she asked if I could put in my purse). I'm just glad there was no wildlife to bring home with us - a little bark in the bottom of my purse is a whole different story than a toad frog :)

beautiful place..beautiful day

snap of Carly and I

october reads

• The Prince of Beverly Hills by Stuart Woods

Typically, I like books that take place "today". This book took place in the 1940's. About a cop turned security at a movie study turned movie producer but mostly about a couple of characters and their intertwined lives. A glimpse into the glamourous movie world pre-WWII.

• The 6th Target by James Patterson

Either I have changed or Patterson's writing has changed. It just seems really shallow these days. No character development, poor plot development, minimal twists and turns. I think I am going to stay away for a while.

• The Little Guide to Your Well Read Life by Steve Leveen

Steve Leveen is the founder of Levenger (company known for "tools for serious readers") Non-fiction with pointers on how to add books to your life. Many of them I already do such as making a "to read" list, putting together a library for you home including books you want to read, that it is okay to give up on a book if it is not for you, and to try audio books.

• New Moon by Stephanie Meyer

Follow up to Eclipse (which I loved). I really enjoyed this one but not quite as good as the first one. It is hard to explain so that it even sounds good. It is about a family of vampires and the non-vampire girl who falls in love with one of the vampires. Great character development, imagination, humor, anticipation, and a wonder of what is going to happen next.

• Gone with the Wind - by Margaret Mitchell

It has been on my "to read" shelf for a while and my "to read" list for even longer. I started it while we were at the beach and when I broke it out Kenny said "Gone with the Wind....why not just go ahead and read War and Peace". It did feel a little daunting at 1037 small typed pages. It did take me a couple hundred of pages to get into it, but then I enjoyed every minute. For someone who does not typically read books set in the past, I read one set in the 1940's and this one in the 1840's.

trick-or-treat

{hannah montana}

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{grins all night}

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{the whole gang}

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{trick-or-treat}

It was a fabulous night!

Happy Halloween