He's been "Laboring" ever since!

September 1....Labor Day (some years!) and our wedding day! For 31 years Rick has used my Grandfather's old saying that he "married on Labor Day and has been "laboring" ever since."

BUT, we look pretty happy in these pictures!






I love you!

White Shirts and Good Genes.....

No, that's not a spelling error....

Every time we make a trip to the beach we have a mandatory family photo day...doesn't every family? The pictures always turn out great - it's what goes on behind the scenes that we will remember...the sand, the sweat, the "discussions" about lighting and background...followed by a round of Bushwackers and more shrimp!

Perdido Key and No Hurricane!

Packing for a wedding and a week at the beach required several "checked bags" ...but Tucker did not fit! He hates it when the suitcases come out. Never the less, we spent a few days in Birmingham as spoiled guests of my sister and special guests of the bride...it was a beautiful wedding! I especially liked the tribute to Kentucky, Mint Juleps.... but the next day we all suffered from the Kentucky "Wild Turkey" flu.
Our week at the beach was full of family fun, we ate our share of fried crab claws, shrimp every way possible (if I named them I would sound like Forrest Gump!), and drank our share of Bushwackers. We had a pancake cook-off, which I won with my Almond Joy Pancakes, (Sorry Sandi, I had the chocolate advantage) and we started the tradition of Kid's Cook Night (would highly recommend - we required a special cocktail, appetizers, and a main dish!). Rick treated the kids to a surprise deep sea fishing trip (a tropical storm didn't scare any of them away but some will never fish again!) , we built sandcastles, played football (just one broken toe!), rode the waves, took family photos, visited with the Colonel and Jane, played Dominoes, toasted Brad and Brooke's engagement, (read Sandi's blog for sweet details!), AND LAUGHED...a lot!
It was a great vacation!

***Stay tuned for Family Pictures on the beach....skip it if you dare!

5 day count-down!

Perdido Beach here we come!

Bedroom Make-Over

Please indulge me on this post...I am a HGTV-watching "decorette" and I have spent the better part of my summer reclaiming the master bedroom at the Rivah Cottage as Christy gets closer to moving out. With our encouragement she had transformed it into a feminine, modern silver, white, and teal suite....perfect for her! I have painted, hung curtains, ordered a new KING size bed, mattress, and dresser, and made at least 100 trips to stores to buy, return, and buy the accessories needed to pull this large room together. The best way for me to share this new space with Rick, who is in London, and sister Sandi, who is in Alabama is to post a blog on the completed project. The bed is heavenly and I'm worried about Tucker giving up his side when Rick finally gets to sleep here! Enjoy the pictures...
and I'll leave the light on for you, honey!

Love is Sweet

Christy has been planning Michelle's one BIG wedding shower for months and it was a perfect day! I was one of 100 hundred guest invited so it was my chance to meet Doug's family...the Irish "Kelly" sisters- who all look alike, the Italian "Long" sisters-who all look alike, Grandmother, Great Auhhnts, second cousins, and a few characters I don't think anyone else knew! Oh yea, and the bride and groom!

Here are a few pictures of the "special touches" like the pink rock candy favor...Love is sweet, and the Grand Marnier chocolate cake, and sweet pink roses for the Mom's! The bride's maids are all different sizes and ages - wonder who that tall blond is???

The pasta aisle!

OK, when did the pasta aisle become so confusing?  You girls in London can't imagine the choices - and don't even get me started on the cereal and coffee aisles!  My nutrition Guru, Jeni H. has taught me to look for whole-wheat but with Rick's diet of no-wheat, that became a challenge - face it , pasta became a challenge!  But he's in London (Miss You!) and it's summer and I spotted some fresh (from somewhere other than here) tomatoes and my mind went straight to my Mom's Simple Summer Macaroni Salad.  Pure comfort food....home grown tomatoes, chunks of ham, green pepper, celery, and the almost extinct, Miracle Whip.  No basil, mint, or cilantro for flavor, just salt and lots of black pepper. I just could not bring myself to use Whole grain or multi-grain plus omega 3, and I knew better than plain white elbows, so I tried the NEW Smart Taste..."a delicious durum semolina flour plus 3x the fiber and calcium equal to an 8 oz. glass of milk".   That about covers all the food groups, right?  It has to sit in the fridge for a while so I'm waiting.  The true test will be whether C & H eat it, Doug will eat it - he eats everything!