Happy Birthday, Aunt Lollie!

We hope you have a special day. Our photo-shoot was quite interesting so I posted the four best but we know you know all about trying to take little girls pictures! Evie loves her Aunt Lollie so much and she tried really HARD to cooperate for a picture. Hope they make you smile!

You are a wonderful Sister In Law! Everytime, I have a question or a problem - you pop into my head as a wonderful resource! You are always so helpful and honest. Those are qualities of a real friend - real friends tell you what is best even if you do not want to hear it! I appreciate your thoughtful advice on motherhood, house stuff and FOOD! I trust you with all the hard decisions in life from first birthday outfits to paint colors. Hands-down, you are the best cook and your recipes make me look like I know my way around the kitchen! You are an excellent role-model for me as a mother. Everyone needs someone who is a few steps in front of them to show them the ropes of motherhood! You've really got it together as Mary and Lucy's mom.

Best wishes that this will be the best year yet. Happy Birthday, Lollie!

Don't call me Suzy!

It was 2 degrees when we woke up this morning! Two are you kidding me - I have never experienced such frigid temperatures in my life. Luckily it warmed up to around 30 - which seemed quite pleasant after our recent weather. Evie and I stayed home most of the day to avoid the cold.

I got a lot done around the house this morning but spent way too much time working on my mistreatment for Evie's window. The Nester must be able to work some magic because my mistreatment just looks like a piece of fabric on the window. I will keep working on it! Evie has been helping too. She stands up next to the chair that I am on and tickles my feet!She thinks that is hysterical! Evie thinks it is really fun to play with all our lotions, brushes and other assorted bathroom items! I took her pacifier from her several times this morning since she it a bit chapped from all of her excess drool. She is so smart because she found more pacifiers to put in her mouth.

At noon today, we heard a knock at our door. It was the contractor here to talk tile! I was so embarassed since we were both still in our pj's but that's what you get when you show up without calling. Maybe he will call before he comes again. I am thinking he was not too impressed with my homemaking skills but he does not know that I work better in my pj's.

Evie and I went to check out a new pediatrican this afternoon. She made friends with a little boy in the waiting room. They were just laughing at each other. Dr. E was pretty nice but he did not stop talking long enough for me to ask him any questions. Seriously, I learned all about Brentwood parents from him. He said most parents are super high strung and have their kids in 5 different activites and think a 3.75 is not a good GPA. I got way more information about parenting styles in the area than important information about his practice. He also mentioned that he had multiple patients coming in to see him before the snow hits. It's kinda like going to the grocery store to get your bread -make sure you stop by the pediatrician just in case you get snowed in for a week. Not sure that will happen even here in the frozen tundra! I am hoping for a few inches so I get a few pictures of Evie checking out the white stuff. Let it snow!

Way to go Cougars!

Carl and I are so proud to be College of Charleston graduates! In case you have not heard - they beat UNC last night! They also beat the Tarheels while I was a freshman at CofC and it was one of my best experiences at the College. Dorms breed excitement. We all ran into the street to celebrate. It got crazy but it was so fun! Admissions got swamped after that win and I was a CofC tour guide so my tours got really packed! Nothing like a little publicity to drum up some major interest for prospective students. Evie LOVES the cougars too!Uncle Ben left this morning and Evie was so sad that she cried when the door closed. She REALLY loves her Uncle Ben -the feeling is mutual. He is really sweet with her and she thinks he is really fun! Evie and I stayed home in our pj's until 3:00. It was one of my most productive days in a LONG time. I am trying to get some things done for Evie's first birthday and a few projects around the house. Today, I did some filing and organizing. It' s amazing how much paperwork comes into our house - bills. insurance, recipes, change of address cards, invites and other things that need taken care of. I used to be on top of all of this but not so much anymore. Carl will be so proud. I have everything ready for tax time except our W-2's. That's pretty good, right? It seems you can get a lot more done around the house when you actually stay home!

Evie went with me to pick out her birthday cake at the Puffy Muffin. Of course, it is pink and green. I love cake so this will be the best part for me besides celebrating my daughter's first year of life! We met Carl to tag-team haircuts then we went to Home Depot.

If you know us in real life, you will be pleased to know that we FINALLY chose some tile for our laundry room! We decided to start with the laundry room and then move to the kitchen after Evie's party. Anything we have will be better than the torn flooring and walls with holes. I guess that's why we got such a great deal on our house. It needs some TLC. Our contractor met us at Home Depot and he said that the plan is to start this week! I will believe that when it happens but when we called to ask him a question from the Home Depot he came right then to help us! Now, I just need to choose a paint color. Carl chose the yellow in our last painting project and it looked like a taxi so it's my turn. We will be staying away from any paint colors with the word butter in it. That's where we went wrong the last time!

5 degrees!

I am not kidding . . . wish that I were but it was seriously 5 degrees when we woke up this morning! Now, that's cold! Our storm windows were iced over and you could feel the cold in your bones. Evie was perfectly warm in her snuggle sack but we were freezing! It's time to turn the electric blanket up a bit. Carl learned today that this is the coldest streak since 1942 and that this type of cold does not last longer than 9 days. I got lost in that conversation but the main idea is that it should be warmer by Monday. Keep your fingers crossed on that one!

Uncle Ben went with us to Gymboree. Evie likes to wander away from the group a little to do her own thing. She's quite nimble in the tunnels and speeds down the mats. Evie looked a little more independent today because there were only 4 kids there. Must be too cold for most people to get out of the house.

After nap, we went to the Factory. Ben discovered that they used to make ovens there so that was an interesting tidbit of information. I was sad because Constant Craving closed their store there and the Frisky Berry was not open either. However, I scored a great deal on some precious green overalls for Evie. Carl was glad they weren't pink since most everything she owns is some shade of pink. I bought a 24 month and was so surprised to see that they already fit her. Sizing is a constant puzzle for moms and babies. Thank goodness, I tried the overalls on her tonight because that would not have been fun if they were four inches too short this fall.

Evie has been getting lots of attention from everyone! She thinks that Ben's computer is really fun and loves to hide under the curtains with him. She is such a little gigglebox! All of a sudden, her hair is so long and is in serious need of a haircut. She looks like a little ragamuffin between her hair and all of her excess drool! Evie is still cute even when she looks like a ragamuffin!

Peek a Boo!

It is so cold here. Seriously the coldest that I ever been in my life. It was 14 degrees this morning and the high was 24. Now, that's cold people! If it's going to be this cold, it would be a lot more enjoyable if it could snow. It's easier just to stay home because Evie does not want to turn into an ice-cube. She still has a runny nose that may be here until spring.

We did not get out much today except for a quick lunch at Puckett's. It's always fun to take out of town company there. Carl and I both had fried chicken. We have had more fried chicken in 6 months of living in Tennessee than in my entire 2.5 years living in Charlotte. It's so good but not the healthiest choice. Nashvillians still exercise even in the frigid temperatures. I am looking for a place where I can walk Evie and be indoors. We think the local rec center will be the perfect fit but it's too cold to go check it out. I am willing to dash from the car to a warm restaurant but not willing to dash into a gym. Makes no sense but it's true.

We used our new webcam to have a conversation with Ipop and Nana this afternoon. It was so fun and seemed like they were right there. My mom was laughing because she did not have her make-up on but she still looked great! Evie was excited to see them and her dogs.

Evie was pretty fussy this afternoon. I really hope that she is just teething and not a change in personality. She has so much drool that her clothes are constantly soaked. Poor thing!

I made the chicken and wild rice soup that was posted last week on the easy meals for moms blog. It was the perfect dinner for this COLD evening! Evie is going to take Uncle Ben to her Gymboree class in the morning. We will need some layers but it will be good to get out of the house. Stay warm! Cold weather is the perfect time for a steamy cup of hot chocolate.

Let it Snow!

Evie went to bed late last night since her friend was here but she was still up bright and early this morning! Evie and her Daddy watched the snow fall. It did not long and it certainly did not stick. After nap, we took Ben to see the sights of Nashville. There was not too much going on downtown. It's too cold to be outside!

Carl and Ben did some things around the house. I am not sure what they did but my computer is working a million times faster! Evie and I went to Hobby Lobby. It was my first time there and I was quite impressed. We just picked up a few things. I am hoping to make a few mistreaments for my windows Nester style. It is so unfortunate that my beautiful window treatments from our last house do not fit these windows!

Evie tried to make friends with the Bissel again. She's still so sure about it but she spent some time petting it in the hallway. I changed the pulls in one of the bathrooms. They were a little rustic for my taste but I sure hope someone would like to buy them off Craig's List. We took the ornaments and lights off the tree. We had a cute little helper who thought it was really fun to play with the lights. Tomorrow, the tree comes down and heads to the recycling center. It's always so sad to take down the tree but it's nice to have the house back to normal.

Evie is enjoying Uncle Ben's visit. She likes having more people to play with her. Chili was a perfect dinner for this cold night! It's a good night for a fire and a movie.

Happy New Year!

We have had a wonderful New Year. Our best in a long time. Carl and I have always thought New Year's Day was pretty depressing but it's fun with Evie! We are also enjoying having my brother visit. Evie was so happy to see her Uncle Ben. They had fun playing this afternoon. Uncle Ben fed her some strawberries and a Nutrigrain bar so that made her even happier. Thanks Uncle Ben for coming to visit us!

Not too much going on around here today. We did a little cleaning and hung a few pictures. Our list is getting longer with all the projects that we need to get completed. Carl and I prepared a Southern New Year's meal complete with pork, Hoppin' John, collard greens, mac and cheese and cornbread. It was delicious! We were lucky enough to have our friends Maura and Tim join us for dinner along with their sweet daughter, Abby! It was such a fun evening! I bought a chocolate pecan pie at the Fresh Market. It was fabulous!

Evie and Abby had so much fun together. They chased each other around and played very nicely. Let's hope they like each other as they get older because we sure like Abby's parents. Don't they look so cute in ther jammies.

I hope all of you had a wonderful relaxing day! Best wishes to everyone for a happy, prosperous and FUN 2010!