So Much to be Thankful For!

We enjoyed a great Thanksgiving holiday with my family! My parents, Brandon and Grandpa joined Jason, Krystal and The Zohan at our house to eat, hang out, watch Seinfeld and play a serious game of Taboo.

Great-Grandpa and the two great-grandkids...
The Most Hilarious Little Turkey Ever...
My sweet boy and me...
Gran was sure to bring Dawson some turkey, rice and vegetable baby food so that he wouldn't miss out on the action...
Our table...
...which was too small to hold all of us AND the food, so we had a buffet of sorts: turkey, dressing, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, cranberry salad, cranberry sauce, rolls, tea, three kinds of desserts...and, ok - I think that's it!
This was the most unique thing I made...pumpkin dip! I found it on Rachel W.'s site and it was so good! One can of pumpkin, one block of cream cheese, one cup of powered sugar and voila! Serve it with some gingersnaps and cider and you're set!
Aunt Michelle sent Dawson a very sweet "Baby's First Thanksgiving" card that was just too cute not to display!

I hope you and your family had a wonderful holiday!

Discover Compassion

I think God uses children to teach us some of the most profound and yet simplest of lessons.



I received this photo and the following e-mail today from my best friend, Megan, who is the Volunteer Coordinator at Habitat for Humanity.

"Good Afternoon ;)! About twenty minutes ago I got to experience something very sweet and powerful. A husband, wife, and their two children came into the office. The oldest boy was carrying a small box decorated with Christmas paper, bows, etc. Inside the box was a small donation he wanted to make to Habitat.

He started collecting his money last Christmas and said he wanted to give it to builders because he likes to build things ;). I tear up as I write this b/c even in our nation's tough economy a seven year old boy gets what it is all about...compassion!

I hope you all have a GREAT Thanksgiving ;)!

Sincerely,

Megan "

May we all adopt his generousity and humble spirit!

I Call Upon the Evil Spirits to Leave You...

Be healed!

G. I. Jane

Or Zoey, as it were.



Osama bin who?

Yeah, I've gotchyo dirty bomb riiiighhhht here.

Manchester Means Family

We have had something going on nearly every weekend since the middle of August, so there are several events that I'm just now posting about! (Shameful, I know).

I thought I'd start catching up with our family reunion in Manchester...it's a town that's about 30 minutes from Murfreesboro. My grandmother and grandfather (my mom's parents) grew up there, and so I have tons of great-aunts and uncles and cousins that live there. On the last Sunday of August, we always get together - it's a tradition that's been going on as long as I can remember. Sometimes, we have it outside, but this year, we had it inside a church fellowship hall since it was so hot. Everyone brings a covered dish or two, and we all eat and talk and spend time with each other. Every year is exciting because things change so much - someone's married, engaged, going to college, pregnant, just had a baby...all the things that make life fun!

Now, someone please tell me what's wrong with these two pictures....

Why are the ladies in the kitchen working...
...while the men are just sitting there?? Um, hello? Shouldn't it be the other way around?
Dawson catches up with his Great-Aunt Robin and Great-Grandpa...
My mom and her cousins Sherri and Gary...
My cousins Meredith and Madison chill with D-Word...
When I say "some family" I'm not talking about 10 people. There's, like, 84.
My mom's cousin, Joe, and my dad attempt to share pictures of their kids with their phones. I'm not sure how well it worked, what with those new-fangled contraptions and all. (Dad, I'm so kidding. Please don't write me out of the will or anything.)

I love my family!

Dawson is Ten Months Old!

It's so hard to believe that ten months ago, he was just beginning to smile...


...and focus on your face...


Now? He's standing up...

...hamming it up...


...and eating it up!


Dawson is pulling up on everything in sight, curious about everything around him, LOUD...and, most importantly, as precious as the day he was born!

Don't You Just Want to Eat Him Up?

This? Is cuteness on film.



Dawson Fletcher, CEO, Fletcher Enterprises






Thank you, Krista!

Dude, Seriously?

Dear People,

If someone could please come up with ways to fix the following, yours truly would be thrilled.


1) The makers of Gerber Single Grain Rice Cereal: Could you please figure out a way to make the spout on your box actually work? Something tells me that when you pour the cereal out into a bowl, two more cups of cereal should not come out when you try to shut the spout.

2) The marketing department for OrangeGlow products: You know, I would be way more interested in buying your smelly-good cleaners if I didn't lose my hearing when your spokesman opens his mouth. Perhaps you should pay to have his hearing tested. Just a suggestion.

3) Logistics Department at Hobby Lobby: Do you exist? I'm starting to wonder. Do you realize you provide the smallest buggies on the face of the earth for people to buy grandfather clocks, furniture and 18x24 gallery frames?

4) The morons who ran out of gas on Manson Pike last night: Hazard lights. Use them.

5) The moron who almost hit me trying to get out of the lane blocked by gasless morons: Blinker. USE IT.


Thanks so much in advance for a quick resolution,

L

Weirdness Times Seven

I've been tagged by Rachel and Meag to tell 7 Weird Things about myself. Trust me, there are more than seven.

1) I am obsessed with wearing my make-up. If you happen to see me without it, I'm either: 1) deathly ill or 2) recovering from childbirth.

2) I have a very strong aversion to clowns. I think they're demonic. Somthing about a grown person dressing like that...I just don't know.

3) There are three green things I will eat: lettuce, green beans and turnip greens. Asparagus, artichokes and peas are so wrong in so many ways.

4) I cannot stand a dirty kitchen. See #1 for reasons if mine isn't clean. Something about crumbs and plates with food on them screams "DHS! DHS!"

5) I get super-excited about getting a card or package in the mail. It's like Christmas on a random day.

6) I'm obsessed with making sure Dawson's ears and nose are clean. Ick, I know. But you know what's even more ick? Ear wax. And boogers.

7) I adore chocolate-covered cherries. I could eat them for all three meals and snacks. As far as I'm concerned, the person who invented them should get the Nobel Prize.

Is that weird enough? Just say yes.

How Much is That Doggie in the Window?

Dawson LOVES puppy dogs- he says "woof, woof!" whenever he hears or sees one, so I thought it would be great if he could be one for his first Halloween!

The costume was HILARIOUS...it had a tail and everything...the collar says "Woof!" (just like Dawson!)
The Hutchings Family came to visit before we all headed out to drop in on friends and family. Moo, Web and Vance dressed up as hillbillies. (Ahem, I...yes, I...painted farm animals on Vance's overalls for his costume. Let's just say you're not going to see my work on Kim Wheeler's site ANYTIME SOON. Moo cow? Um, more like mad cow.)
I think Dawson and Vance have their own baby language.
"Hey, you! Give me some candy!"
Our first stop was Aunt Meagan's, where, Dawson got his first "treat"...peach cobbler!
Aunt Meag and D-Word...
Then, we headed to Aunt Sophia's, where Mama Toombs (Sophia's mom) and Alex (Sophia's sis-in-law), were waiting to see the little puppy!
Dawson has a thing for brunettes, I think...
Next, we stopped at Aunt Michelle's where there was a par-tay going on! Jaden had a special treat for Dawson...special baby food, Gerber puffs, a teething toy and all kinds of goodies!
Jaden, Dawson and Aunt Michelle...
All the kiddies at Michelle's set up a "candy store" of sorts with all the treats they had gotten and were bargaining and negotiating one kind for the other...can you say "relatives of realtors?". Dawson had his mouth open, ready to sample any questionable candy.

We also stopped at Aunt Stephanie's on the way home, but D-Man was so tired that he was already sound asleep!


Thank you to all the "aunts" for letting us trick or treat...you made Dawson's night very special!

Happy Birthday,Grandpa!

This is my grandfather, Claude...Dawson's great-grandpa...




...and we want to wish him a very happy 82nd birthday today!

My grandpa is just cool...he is smart, handy and hilarious. He grew up in Manchester, served in Japan during WW II, and until recently, still drove veterans from Chattanooga where he lives to the VA Hospital here in Murfreesboro so they could receive healthcare.

He is a Godly man with a generous heart and we love him very much!

Happy Birthday, Santa Claude!