because I'm such a good girl!

{I've been wanting one and trying to wait patiently... but I must have mentioned it once or twice? Thank you sweetie - you are the best!}

daddy daycare

Kenny spent yesterday at home with the girls while I was at work. Carly had her friend Miss MM over for the day. Her mom dropped her off about 9:00 and picked her up about 5:00. They spent the day at the house playing. I asked Carly what they did, and she said "just about everything". They rode bikes, rollerblades & green machine, played frisbee, played Wii, watched a movie, and made Jiffy Pop on the stove top {a first for both of them}. They ordered a pizza for lunch and when I got home the 3 of them were playing Mario Kart.

wordless wednesday

another generation

{it watched over my sister, me, and all our friends - now it watches over as Carly plays at Mom & Dad's}

Alley-cat

{Mom and Dad got a new cat. They live in the country, surrounded by fields. They typically have an outside cat. You could call her a barn cat but they don't have a barn - more like a shop cat or a utility room cat. Carly became attached and named her "Alley". When I called to say we were on the way. She asked me what TIME was I getting there. I asked her did she have some other plans. She told me no that she was just excited about me meeting Alley.}

bike rides

{Carly spent a few days with MamMam & Grandaddy last week. As usual they all had a good time. There was swimming, cooking, game playing, T.V. watching, visiting and this trip lots of bike riding. From Mom & Dad's house, they can ride to the post office. Carly's favorite part was riding off the curbs and down the handicap ramp. She thought she had discovered a new thing until I told her I was just a little older than her when they built the "new" post office. My friend and I were so excited that there was something different to do when we were out riding bikes. I told her that we had broken in those curbs and ramp a good 25 years ago!}

morning with the boys

{while we were in the Delta at Mom & Dad's, the boys decided to spend their day fishing. They invited Carly to join them. She said she wanted to go but she did NOT want to stay all day and she did NOT want to take the fish off her hook. I told her she could call me and I would pick her up where they put the boat in. As for taking the fish off, she didn't have to worry because they didn't catch anything. Even though they didn't catch anything, the weather was gorgeous, the bugs were not a problem, they had junk food from the gas station/bait shop, and a cooler of drinks. Carly was done at lunch, but the boys stayed the rest of the day}

wrinkly toes = fun day in the pool

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{absolutely gorgeous day at the pool}

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{big fun with friends}

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fun at the drive-in

Last night, we went to see Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs at the drive-in. We were rookies and didn't really know what we should plan for. I packed some snacks and we stopped at the Sonic for drinks. I'm loving that you can take your own food and that the Sonic is right down the road. Score some points for the drive in. The movies start at 8:20 /twilight and the second feature at 10:20. Movie tickets were only $7 for adults and Carly was free. Score some more points.

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There were only a few cars there but most either had lawn chairs or were in the back of minivans or SUVs. We made ourselves comfortable in the car with the windows down and the sun roof open. Then it started to sprinkle so we rolled them all up and cut the car on. The rain didn't last but a couple of minutes but by that time we discovered all that open window time had let in a couple of very active mosquitoes. So we left the windows up. Kenny suggested next time we need to bring the Thermacell.

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We told Carly we were going to the movie, but she was unsure about why we drove way up into Memphis when we have a movie theater much closer to our house. Then when we were driving in she saw the screen and asked "is that a huge movie screen?" I told her yes. "So, we are sitting outside and watching the movie" (which we have done before) I told her not exactly. Then we got settled in and she asked "so you sit in the car?" I told her yes that it was called a drive-in movie. "Wow, that's neat." She had never heard of such. She had no clue that such a thing even existed.

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rainy summer morning entertainment

wordless wednesday

biltmore visit

{last week, when Carly was on vacation with her friend in east Tennessee, they made a trip to Asheville, North Carolina to see the Biltmore. The Biltmore has been on my list of places to see and I haven't made it there yet. But, Carly beat me to it!}

{Carly and her good friend Miss MM bought matching outfits while they were off. Kenny said they looked like the Bobbsey Twins. Carly said they were thinking more Mary Kate and Ashley. Here they are in front of the Biltmore beside one of the gigantic planters.}

{By Carly....."The Biltmore was built by Mr. George Vanderbilt. My favorite things were the swimming pool, library, Mr Vanderbilt's room and Mrs. Vanderbilt's room. I was surprised by how much room they had. I thought it was interesting that there were so many changing rooms because guest could not walk through the house in their swim suits or gym clothes. I also learned that the chess set in the library was owned by Napoleon. The Halloween Room was also cool it was painted by guests attending a party. The house also had a bowling alley. Behind the bowling alley was where the people who worked in the kitchen slept. It was said that if guests stayed up bowling late to expect a bad breakfast."}

letter from home

Dear Carly,

It is time to come home now. I know you are having fun this week on vacation with your friend. I can't wait to see your pictures of all the fun you had over in east Tennessee. But, I miss you.

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You have already had an amazing summer for a 9 year old. You have spent lots of time with friends, you went on vacation to Washington D.C., you have spent time with both of your grandparents, you went to summer camp, you had a wonderful 4th of July, and now you are off seeing new things with a friend. You have been gone SO much.

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Daddy and I have enjoyed some time by ourselves. We have spent quality time together that was all about us. We have gotten into a routine around here that reminds me of our life before we had you. We have cooked out, watched movies, spent time with friends, and gotten on each other's nerves. We are ready for you to come home now!

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I know it is just home - no friends, no horses, no swimming pool, no grandaddy's office, no boat, no cooking with Nonna or MamMam, no cookouts, no creeks, and it isn't the White House. But, mom and dad are here {and gabby} and we are ready for you to be here.

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So, here's the deal. Next week, you get us. You get us all week. You get to go to work with us. You get to help with dinner. You get to snuggle up and watch a movie and eat popcorn. You get to play Wii with dad and help in the yard. You get to read with me and play cards. You get to love on Gabby and feed her breakfast every morning. You get to swing on your rope swing and ride your bike in the cove. You get to sleep in your bed all week. Deal?

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So, go ahead and enjoy your last couple of days with your friend. Make the most of seeing the gorgeous scenery and having fun on vacation. Next week is "at home-week". And personally, I can't wait!

. I love you very, very much, Mom

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carly-daddy time

Last week {when Carly was home for a couple of days}, she and Kenny spent the afternoon together. I took her to meet him at the golf course so they could hit some balls. It had been a while since they had done that. I think they both had a good time. Not to mention the icees they had on the way home!

4 for the 4th

1. We are able to gather at the Lake House with Celeste, Doug, Beege, Libba, and JC. It is one of only a couple times a year that we are all together along with T'giving and C'mas. **Josh we missed you!

2. Holidays always seem to be defined by food. Some of the strongest memories I have are food traditions. The 4th is no exception. There has been tons of food but we have had all the traditional ones too - fried fish, pimento cheese, homegrown tomatoes, stuffed eggs, watermelon, ribs and homemade ice cream.

3. Because we are out at the lake we don't usually have the opportunity to see professional fireworks. Some years we have bought fireworks but we didn't this year. We did buy some sparklers which were big fun even when you do them and it isn't quite dark yet!

4. Kids frequently remind us that the simple things are the most fun. Carly has had big fun today looking for treasures on the sand bar, digging in the sand, swimming, a foam water gun, splash ball, sparklers, old maid card game,a star headband, slip n' slide, and time with cousin JC.

for grandaddy

{guests at the corral where the horseback riding took place}

this might be trouble

Miss M's mom arranged for a morning of horseback riding. This was Carly's first riding experience so she was a little nervous. Nonna said that didn't last long and before she knew it Carly looked very comfortable sitting up on that big horse.

I think there was some discussion last night with her dad about having her own horse. I stayed out of the conversation but I believe I heard her dad say that she was going to have to get by with a bicycle.

may and june books

• Night and Day by Robert B. Parker.....Quick, mystery read about Chief Jesse Stone trying to catch the Night Hawk. Serious brain numbing only for pure enjoyment easy summer reading. Don't expect deep insight, deep thought, or a need for a dictionary.
• A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith....."coming of age" story about Francie. A young girl who lives in immigrant filled Brooklyn, NY during the time of WWI. A story about her struggle against all odds to survive and thrive. It was an enlightening story of the struggles of families who are truly fighting for life not whether they deserve a new car or not.
• Broken Window by Jeffery Deaver..... A Lincoln Rhyme murder mystery with as usual lots of crime scene problem solving going on. This book centered around a data collection company which is a REALLY scary concept all in itself!
• Tell No One by Harlan Coben....I read this book a few years ago and loved it. I was in the library looking for an audio book. I saw it and decided to listen to it again. It is still one of the best triller/suspense books I have ever read. I remember reading it and not wanting to put it down. There were a couple times I pulled into the garage and didn't want to get out of the car because I wanted to keep listening!
• Bel Canto by Ann Patchett... Ragtag terrorists, an opera singer, Japanese tycoon, polyglot translator, and a variety of multinational party guest thrown into a mansion in an unnamed South American country. Patchett tells at the beginning what is going to happen but as the book moves along I don't want that to be the outcome so rather than rushing the story and wanting to see what will happen, I {like the characters} begin to want things to stay the same and to enjoy the here and now.
• Long Lost by Harlan Coben.....This is another book in the Myron Bolitar series. Love me some Myron and his buddy Win. All by itself it is probably just an okay book but with all the history from previous books and all your connections to characters it makes it a much better book.
• The Whole Truth by David Baldacci.....I continue to really like Baldacci. Somehow he makes it seem like he has more pages to invest in his characters and his plot and his conclusion than other mystery/thriller novelist. Most books I am wishing for another 100 pages because there just wasn't enough - enough background, enough bonding with characters, enough plot development and definitely not enough in the conclusion. I feel like I am a little more invested in Baldacci's books and that I get a little more quality entertainment. Reporter Katie James and mercenary Shaw collide when Shaw's finance is killed in a plan to send the world back into a Cold War,

wordless wednesday