1-6-14

Our town was in a state of suspended animation until today. Everyone was waiting for the big game. I went shopping this afternoon at Kroger and got all sorts of goodies for the evening of TV watching. I made a potato/kale soup for dinner which was so amazingly good with garlic french bread. Then during the game I made cheese dip and the standard hot pepper jelly on cream cheese and crackers. A special treat was hot chocolate and marshmallows made with whole milk. Mmmmm...

Squirt had his friend whom I shall call Strawberry Jello over to watch the game, and her brother whom I shall call Hunter joined us too. My mom was also here, and the last few minutes of the game were too intense for her. She swears she will never watch another football game, since they are so ridden with anxiety. We lost the game, but it was a great season of football nevertheless.

1-5-14

See this? I made a battery from nickels and pennies and lit up an LED with it. It's part of my new curriculum. Today I messed with curriculum for a long time but generally had a relaxing Sunday.

1-4-13

 This evening was really exciting. I got to spend time with two good friends from high school. Blondie, in the middle, lives in Texas, and I only get to see her every couple of years. LACA, on the right, I don't see often enough either although she lives in town. We talked about everything from A-Z and had dinner at Mellow Mushroom.

1-3-13

Worked all day on curriculum again. Took photos of these two little paper houses.
We mailed out our newsletters today! Not bad...

1-2-13

Today I worked on my new curriculum all day. I had to make squishy conductive dough for a photo shoot.

This is the dough before I kneaded it.

Here is one circuit.

And another.

1-1-14

New Years Day. We worked on our annual newsletter today and then went to Mom's for black eyed peas etc. for good luck for 2014.

12-31-13

 

New Years Eve.

We spent the day waiting for Aza to safely arrive in Virginia, which she did.

We spent the evening with my mom and her friends. 

We celebrated midnight safely tucked in bed sleeping soundly.

It was a good year.

12-30-13

Jes got her boots repaired at the shoe repair shop in Opelika. We all three have boots. Today we went to Overall Company for coffee and a look at the new art exhibit. Jes left this afternoon. It was sad.

Aza has been a MOST Successful student of crochet. She picked it up like a fish to water. She made a baby blanket, a hat, and booties for a friend whose baby is due in a week.  It feels so good to teach my daughter to crochet. Aza leaves in the morning. We had chili and cornbread for supper. It will be quiet when she is gone too.

12-29-13

Squirt made beignets this morning. Which isn't helping my expanding waistline. But they sure were good.

Our living room with the tree and poinsettia.

Nana and her grands.

Today I got up early, worked on curriculum, went for a walk with the girls, did yoga with Jes, made a candle, took family photos, and not much else.

12-28-13

It rained all day. Seriously. Two inches of rain! I taught Aza how to crochet. She started making a baby blanket for a friend's newborn and then made a hat for the baby. But Lilly liked it too :)

12-27-13

 

After the party was over and all cleaned up, we played Dominoes!

12-26-13

Lilly and Frisbee touching noses through the back door.

Frisbee has been spending quite a lot of time outside lately. 

The kids don't like having their photo made. Lilly doesn't mind.

12-24-13

Jess arrived today!

Here she is with Lilly on her lap.

So nice to have my girls home.

They made the snowflakes you see behind them...

12-21-13

Aza  and I went to downtown Opelika to an art gallery to look for a gift for Jes. We had coffee at the Overall Company and took this selfie. I love this photo of us!

12-25-13

Christmas morning. Squirt has a very large gift from Santa.

This is the look on my face when I opened my gift from Dan. Aza captured the look of astonishment on my face. He have me a new camera body. A D7100.

I was totally surprised and cried with joy.

12-23-13

 Squirt and Aza decorated the tree today.

12-20-13

My mom's new breakfast room. It was the little kitchen. You are looking at a space that used to be a pantry with a door. Now it's opened up very nicely!

The dining room is lovely with new drapes, an oriental rug Mom had bought 13 years ago and kept at the store all this time. She found the chandelier with fish (you can't see them) at an antique store and had it re-wired. 

Today I stopped by with a headache just to take photos but got roped into picking chicken off bones while construction was taking place at one end of the kitchen and cooking at the other. It was a zoo. Nail guns and table saws going off... you can see the grout being applied up in the corner. The dishwasher wasn't working so The Storyman was trying to diagnose the problem. Zoo. Absolute Zoo.

12-17-13

I went for a walk/run this morning and there was frost on the ground. This is the park near our house. I ran/walked for about 1.5 miles and my knee didn't hurt. It's time to declare myself healed from the car accident.

12-16-13

 

I painted the tops of the jelly jars black and added a logo.

 

Squirt is fixing an iPad screen and cover.  He has a nice little business going and he enjoys it...

12-15-13

I've been making candles for gifts using jelly jars from all the Bon Maman wild blueberry jam I eat. I'm putting soy wax, beeswax, and essential oils in them. Also making body butter from shea butter, almond oil, coconut oil, and essential oils. 

12-14-13

 

Today and tomorrow are the  "Loveliest Village  Tour of Homes" and we went to four houses. This was our favorite. Built in the '30s the new owners kept all the original doors and trim, and re-built the walls in a better configuration. It was really stunning. The yard was too. This is 3 houses down from my mother's house. Growing up i always wanted to go and see this house, but it's set back in the woods so I was always afraid to. Today was fun!

12-13-13

 

The coffee/wine/ice station in the new breakfast room at Mom's house.

 

The butler's pantry in the new breakfast room. This was Dan's idea.

 

The blue cabinet in the breakfast room to match the one The Storyman is building for the kitchen.

 

 

The breakfast room table with the corner cabinet Mom bought in Lexington and had shipped down, and the lovely Nancy Hartsfield painting of vegetables.

 

 

The dining room set for a party. Looking from the front door.

 

 

Dining room view from the kitchen end.

Today was CRAZY. I worked on grading and stuff all day and then submitted my grades and then went to my mom's house to help her get ready for a party. A party! Her kitchen is not done. It was stressful, boy was it stressful. But the party went well-- it was a neighborhood gathering.

12-12-13

 

My high school friends LBB and Trina came over today. I showed them my knitting and crochet work and gave them each a hat. Trina's brother died this week. It is very sad, but I think it helps her to be around her old friends. He got pneumonia, took antibiotics, didn't get better, and ended up in respiratory failure. I don't know how Trina is holding up as she is. 

12-11-13

Well, a month ago today I was in that car wreck. I think I can say that I'm 100% healed. I actually even went for a little run today around this pond near the art museum. Here is a sculpture I like on the edge of the water.

12-6-13

I watched two football games today! First, I watched Auburn win the SEC championship on TV and then we went to Toomer's Corner to throw toilet paper. Then we went to a restaurant and ate dinner and watched some of the Michigan State game. Came home and watched the rest. Yay! Auburn is going to the National Championship game in Pasadena!

12-4-13

 

Dan has been undertaking a big project this week- painting the window pane frames with black oil paint. Meticulous work that can only be done after properly getting the windows to open, sanding the old paint down, and taping. It's going to look beautiful.

12-3-13

I had to drive to Prattville to observe a student teacher today. It takes about 90 minutes go get there. The drive there was fine, and the observation was fine. I took a photo of this sign on her wall that I liked. But the drive home was hard because I was tired and had to keep slapping my face. Giving up caffeine is not easy when I need some to drive :(

12-2-13

I did not take these photos. Root sent them to me in a text message. He and Jes went and found the house my grandmother had grown up in. 730 Napoleon Avenue, New Orleans. Look at that beautiful house. I'm glad it is still well taken care of!

I taught my technology class this evening. The last meeting of the semester. Students presented their final projects then high tailed it out of there. I hope I get good reviews from that class. It was a big class and I didn't really bond with all of them, and that usually impacts my evaluation scores. But they took a post test and the learning curve was VERY steep over the course of the semester. At least I know they learned a lot.

12-1-13

We left Lake Arthur this morning and drove to New Orleans to pick up Squirt who had spent the night with Jes and Root. We had brunch together. Just look at that beautiful couple. The drive home seemed so very long with the stopover in New Orleans. We got home late, exhausted.