Weekend visit from a dear friend

My friend Jessica came and spent the weekend with us. We had such a nice time -- she brought her two middle sons (her husband very kindly kept the oldest and youngest and let her make the trip up here!), so our boys played together and we got to sit and talk and (yes, Mom) knit.

We spent a lot of time together when we were growing up -- my dad always called her his "other daughter" -- but this was the first 'sleepover' we've had as adults!

Thanks for making the trip up, Jess...I miss you already! (when are you guys moving up here, hmm?)

Here are some pictures from our weekend...

Frankie & David...

I wonder why they both have guilty looks on their faces?!

Sitting by the pool and knitting

(she got a lot more done than I did, of course...!)

Rylin (who is giving me a dirty look because I told him that at my house, kids who don't stand nicely for a picture have to eat dog food for dinner...he wasn't sure whether or not to believe me!!! :-) ), Frankie, David, & Abigail at the pool

The boys taking an ice cream break

(they played so well together -- it was great!)

Jessica brought a craft for the younger kids --

the boys sat still for a few minutes,

but Abigail, Jessica, & I sat for quite a while and had fun with it!

Saying goodbye -- Jessica & crew headed for home

and we headed for church yesterday morning

Happy National Ice Cream Day!

Pictures from June 2007

One year with a "new" heart!

It was one year ago today that Bruce's heart was successfully implanted with the device that corrected his heart defect. In the past year, the enlargement has reduced from "gross" to "mild", and we have all been thrilled to see his energy level improve and his cheeks looking rosy again.


It is truly impossible to put into words just how thankful I am for God's gift of my precious husband's diagnosis, successful surgery, and return to health.

Thank you, our merciful and loving Father, for Your care for us...

Train Stop Shirt Dress GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!

I have discovered a blog (thanks to another blog I read who mentioned it first!) by a very creative woman who makes lovely girls' clothing. I really enjoy looking and feeling inspired, and she does regular giveaways as well. To enter the drawing, you just create a link to her latest giveaway...so on occasion, you will see links like the one below on my blog, because I'd love to win at least one of these lovely outfits for Abigail!!! Train Stop Shirt Dress GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!

(see? Isn't it lovely?!)

Welcoming our new niece

The McKee family welcomes Audrey Elizabeth,

who was born to Chris & Eugenia yesterday morning.

She was a healthy 6 lbs 1 oz and 18 inches long,

a wonderful size considering her (scheduled) early arrival.

Eugenia made it through the surgery without complication

and we are very thankful for the Lord's care of both of them

throughout this whole ordeal!

Visit to the dentist

Yesterday we visited the dentist -- it was just a regular check-up for David, but it was Abigail's very first time at the dentist (and no cavities!). Thankfully, she was very brave for the whole thing...it helps to have David (who is a trooper about anything), because Abigail watches her big brother and follows his lead. It also helps that she has grown up a lot in the last several months. She handles things much more maturely than she did not too long ago. (Well, okay, most things. She had to have some nasty stuff removed from her ear canal at the ENT yesterday and she screamed bloody murder the whole time! In her defense, though, it was the end of an exhausting, physically taxing day...and she is still having some residual pain from that outer ear infection, so I'm sure it hurt a bit, too.)
In the way of big news for David, the dentist noticed that he has two loose teeth (bottom center)! He got his teeth so late (first tooth the week of his first birthday) that I assumed he'd lose them late, too, so I haven't been looking for it, but lo and behold! ...another sign that our little boy is no longer little!

We had hearing checks yesterday, and both kids were mostly stable with some improvements. Good news, especially after last month's big drops.

Happy birthday, Jessica!

Happy birthday to a friend who's been in my life for a very long time...

unfortunately, I don't have any good 'blackmail' pictures from the olden days

(they're around somewhere but I'm not sure where!),

but since she is coming to visit me this weekend (hooray!),

I will have some new ones to share soon.

Happy 30th birthday, Jessica!!!

Love you!

Congratulations, Caleb!

Congratulations to my brother Caleb, who was recently promoted.

He is now an Assistant Manager at the Lake City, Florida, Sherwin-Williams store!

Congratulations, Caleb -- cover the earth! :-)


At left: Caleb by the infamous paint shaker at his first store...he and it had some very messy adventures together!

Blooming in Georgia

Our yard is full of beautiful blooms right now...here is a mini-tour:

Passing on another skill

Last week my niece came over for her first sewing lesson. Her little sister is scheduled to be born this Wednesday, and Anna really wanted to make a receiving blanket for her. We had taken a trip to the fabric store a few weeks ago, so now we squared up the fabric and finished it with a rolled edge.

Anna was an eager student and we had a thoroughly enjoyable time...she even got bit by the sewing bug and didn't want to stop, so she used the leftover fabric to make two little doll blankets, one for her and one for her sister Olivia, so that they will match the baby.

It's exciting to see the next generation delight in her discovery of one of the domestic arts!

The canning of the beans, part 2

Well, not long after my post on Friday, Abigail marched up to me and asked if she could help me can beans, so I set her up with her apron and a chair and gave her the job of swishing the beans in water to clean them up for me. She did that happily for a bit and then asked me to teach her how to snap them, so I showed her which end to snap off and she helped for a good while. Welcome to the succession of bean-preserving women, Abigail!

On that note, I also called my grandma to share the "I can them just like my mother did" discussion, and she affirmed that yes, she too cans them just like her mom (my great-grandma) did, and she also has vivid childhood memories of her mom's mom helping as well, so I know that Abigail is at least the sixth generation to learn the process! My grandma shared the memory with me in detail and I could just see it...my great-grandma and my great-great-grandma sitting outside in the shade of a big old tree, aprons on, white and red enamelware bowl between them, snapping beans...

Here are a couple of pictures of a new generation performing the same task:

We have 24 quarts canned now!

A time-honored tradition

Today I am canning beans...it always make me miss my mom -- I used to stand at the sink and help her snap when I was growing up -- but in lieu of the enjoyable conversation and laughter of two women working, I am trying out a podcast my mom listens to regularly, CraftLit, where each episode includes the reading of a chapter or two of a book.

My mom and I had a chuckle this morning as she gave me a tip for the canning process and I pointed out to her that of course, that was how I did it already, because I can beans just like my mom did...and she pointed out that how did I think she canned? -- just the way her mom did! Abigail's not into helping with this task quite yet, but in a few years she will become part of the generations of women who have "put up" food for their families, and hopefully she will learn the joy and wonder of being a part of an age-old tradition!

Below are a few pictures of the process...

Cleaning, culling, and snapping the beans into pieces

Some of the tools of the trade

A load (seven quart jars) in the canner Finished product (this was the first load I did, the day we left for Florida)

Happy birthday...it's payback time!!!

I have an uncle who is notorious for subtle prank-pulling...

seven or eight years ago, he called me on my birthday pretending to be a radio station who wanted me to donate a dollar to a worthy cause...after I politely declined, and then tried politely repeating myself, I firmly (and irritatedly!) said no again and then hung up on him, never realizing who it was...so I have waited long and patiently for a chance to repay him in kind...

Well, this year at the beach, he was holding my camera for me and when I got home, I found some unexpected pictures on my camera...

SO NOW IT'S PAYBACK TIME!!!

Happy birthday, Uncle Chuck --

we love you!!!

(birthday kisses to you, too!)

A public thank you

After razzing my mom in yesterday's post about "spoiling" my kids, I thought I'd better post a more serious comment so that those of you who aren't familiar with my tongue-in-cheek humor don't get the wrong idea! My parents do an excellent job striking the right balance between letting the kids have special grandparents' house privileges/treats while at the same time maintaining a structured atmosphere where the kids still have to obey the rules and behave themselves.

Thank you very much, Dad and Mom, for keeping our kids for us during our anniversary trip...

thank you for the generous outpouring of your time, energy, love, and patience...

we know full well that those are all required in large amounts in order to keep up with our pipsqueaks!!!

It is thrilling to us that our kids enjoyed such a wonderful vacation of their own while we were away from them.

THANK YOU!!!

We love you!

Hurled headlong...

...back into real life! Besides being tired out from the trip and a bit lonely for all of the family left behind, we have had quite a few adventures yesterday and today. Ten minutes before we left for OT yesterday, I decided to brush my hair one last time, only to discover -- after I'd already started -- that David had, for some unknown reason, decided to squeeze toothpaste into the bristles. With no time to wash and redo my hair, I just tried to rinse it quickly with a washcloth and keep that side of my head towards the wall and not towards the other people in the office. Abigail has an outer ear infection that looks absolutely disgusting and prevents her from wearing her HA in that ear. I'll spare you the picture. :) The kids are on a mess-rampage. I guess they're excited to see their toys again and have decided to take out every one to get reacquainted...but apparently they've forgotten how to clean up...I wonder if their grandma followed them around and cleaned everything up after them?! :-) There have been quite a few other little weird things that have made for a rough couple of days, but I won't babble on and risk sounding like a whiner! I will say this, though -- I am very much looking forward to a no-appointment day tomorrow!!!

Happy birthday, Mom McKee!

Happy birthday, Mom/Grandma...

we love you very much

and hope you have a

wonderful birthday!

^At Grandpa & Grandma McKee's in Horseshoe, NC, January 2008

Florida trip pictures (tenth anniversary)

...for more pictures of the fun our kids had with their grandparents while Bruce and I were away, visit my mom's blog. She did a fantastic job of blogging their adventures so that I wouldn't feel too cut off from my kiddos! (thanks, Mom)

Home at last

We had a wonderful vacation, full of enjoyable things -- rest, relaxation, husband/wife time, time with the kids, time with extended family, sun, beach, food...etc etc. I will try to post the rest of our vacation pictures sometime in the near future, but for now I need to get busy unpacking suitcases and cleaning snack-remnants out of the car!

Here is a welcome sight that greeted us upon our arrival late yesterday...one of the things that makes us happy to be home again...our king-sized Select Comfort bed!

Ice Cream Social Frock Giveaway!!!!

Ice Cream Social Frock Giveaway!!!!

Tenth anniversary celebration - Monday

Our last night at the beach...

Tenth anniversary celebration - Sunday

Yesterday, after a leisurely wake-up time and then 'church' via two John Piper sermons Bruce had downloaded, we headed over to the beach for the day...

Note one of the few ways in which we are opposites. I love the sun...Bruce loves the shade! He was slathered with SPF 50, and I just worked on darkening my shade of brown!!!

I went between sunbathing and bobbing in the Gulf (see me, below?). Eventually, I talked Bruce into trying the water with me, and we had a blast floating together and enjoying the water. It's so lovely, both in color and temperature -- the bottom is ripples of clean white sand, and the water is a translucent greenish-aqua color. Wow! After a couple of hours, we headed back to enjoy low tide in front of our hotel, where we beachcombed and found several gorgeous shells. We went to dinner, visited a little gift shop, then headed back to the beach for sunset...Even though it was hazy, it was still lovely. We finished the day with a slice of pie at a beachside cafe and then another starlit stroll on the beach.

Tenth anniversary celebration - then and now

Our hands on our wedding day in 1998

Our hands now, in the Gulf of Mexico (with my new ring!)

Roosters-N-Rickrack Pinafore GIVEAWAY!!!!

Roosters-N-Rickrack Pinafore GIVEAWAY!!!!

Tenth anniversary celebration - Saturday

Yesterday we had a pretty lowkey day -- we drove down the coast and gawked at all of the beachside homes, strolled through some touristy shops, and then picked up pizza from Gondolier's for dinner and enjoyed it back in our hotel room while we watched TV. Later on we sat out on our balcony for a while to play Boggle and watch the ships and boats come in and out from the Gulf. We were both asleep fairly early, and I slept until 8:45 this morning, which is a big deal for me!

Below is a picture especially for David and Abigail. This pirate ship sails past our hotel regularly. (Do you think there's any treasure on board, kiddos?!)

The next picture is one of Bruce down on the main pool deck, retrieving the Boggle dice that I inadvertently dropped from our fifth-floor balcony. At that point, Bruce decreed that I could be the hourglass-flipper, but HE is now the (permanent) official shaker. :) Any of you who know me can picture this scenario...!

(PS -- I finally added wedding pictures to our anniversary post...see June 27th)

Celebrating in Clearwater Beach

Bruce and I are in Clearwater Beach, Florida, just the two of us, to celebrate our tenth anniversary! I was feeling very torn about leaving the kids, but they were very excited to have Grandpa & Grandma Minota all to themselves, and at one point yesterday morning, David asked very sweetly, "When are you guys going to leave so we can go to the beach with Grandma and Grandpa?!?" Click here to see pictures of their first day of adventures with my parents.

(The picture was on the beach last night, after our starlit beach walk, where Bruce gave me a traditional gold and diamond anniversary band!)

Our hotel is very nice, the view from our private balcony is lovely (see picture at right), and we are so relaxed. I got a manicure/pedicure in the salon downstairs this morning while Bruce slept until 11 (this was our agreed-upon plan) -- we both thoroughly enjoyed it! We like to relax, be together, and not do much when we are on vacation, so that is mostly what we will do this weekend...

Last night we ate dinner at Watercolour. We ate out on the deck overlooking one of the inner waterways of the Gulf...we enjoyed excellent food and got to watch dolphins breaching as they meandered up the waterway!

Tenth anniversary

Happy tenth anniversary to us...
our marriage (and family) is such an incredible gift and we are so thankful!!!

Hearing loss and other drama

Okay, I know I'm supposed to be on blogging hiatus, but I wanted to share a couple of things. First, the kids had hearing checks today. David had a little loss in a couple of frequencies, which is 'normal' for him. Abigail, however, had another huge loss in both ears, pretty much across the board. Her hearing is now worse than David's! Although we KNOW that CIs are likely in the kids' futures, I guess it doesn't feel like it's truly a potential until a quickly-progressing loss like this reminds us. We still know and draw comfort from the same truths, as always...that the Lord is in control, that He loves our daughter even more than we do, and that His plan is perfect and we truly don't want anything else but His will to be done in our lives and the lives of our precious kids. That said, humanly speaking, there is still some sadness in this very stark reminder of the loss and extra challenges our kids face! Now, on a lighter note, a little story that demonstrates Abigail's royal bent for drama. Tonight she and David were playing when a dining room chair tipped over on her legs...it tipped very slowly and gently, and only onto her lower legs, so it wasn't very scary and not at all painful...but she started to holler and carry on, and David beat me to her rescue. I went over anyway, to offer a hug. After a minute, she leaned back, put on her most woeful face, and with a very dramatic weak and wobbly voice, she asked, "Did God save my life?"

Blogging hiatus

And now I take my leave, at least for a few days, while I get ready to leave for our tenth anniversary trip to Florida. We plan to drive to my parents' on Thursday and then Bruce & I will head out on Friday for Clearwater Beach.

However, Bruce has declared that we must take the laptop, so maybe I will get to post while we are on our trip...!

At the pool with friends

Saturday morning my friend Greta and her kids came over for some play time at the pool...

Bathing beauties David, Lauren, & Abigail

Christopher & Charlie swimming

^Alexander eating...

the previous few nights had been down into the 50s,

so the water was too chilly for him and the moms!

I now realize that there isn't a picture of Greta & me...I didn't think to have one of the kids take one for us. Whoops.

Happy birthday, Dad

Happy birthday, Dad/Grandpa Minota!

We love you and are looking forward to

giving you birthday hugs in person in a few days!