Dad and I were fortunate enough to participate in the WWII Honor Flight from SC. From the orientation breakfast to the actual flight, we never could have imagined the reception that we received.

We left the Columbia airport early Nov. 7th and returned later that night. There were soldiers there as well as the general public to greet and send us off with a salute, handshake, and a thank you. When we arrived at Reagan International, we were greeted with arches of water that the plane had to drive through and US Airways people standing on the tarmac with the American Flag, clapping and saluting of the plane. Once we disembarked from the plane, we were greeted with a member of branch of the service and then when we stepped into the terminal, we were blown away with the number of people there to greet us. Young and old alike shook the hands of each vet, thanking them for their service and patting me on the back and thanking me for bringing them. In front of the bus were about 50 "hogs" waiting to escort us into Washington.

Once we arrived at the WWII Memorial, we were greeted by Joe Wilson. People all around the memorial would come up to the vets to shake their hands and thank them for their service. I was blown away with the young kids that would shake my dad's hand and thank him. There are parents who are continuing to teach the younger generation about our heritage and for that I am forever grateful.

I was guardian for dad and for another vet, Paul, who lives in Irmo. He served in the Navy too so he and my dad had lots to talk about. I was able to leave them and go off to shoot/document our day there in Washington. At the end of the day, Paul thanked me for taking care of him and my dad even tho they had to hunt me down several times that day. He was very thankful when I gave him a copy of all the pixs that I took that day. He immediately shared them with his family and children as well as being excited about taking them to Fla. for a Thanksgiving get together.

While we were walking around the Vietnam Memorial, there was a couple following us and stopped me to ask if they could take pixs of my dad and Paul. The lady had had a dad fight in the war and wanted to get a pix of dad and Paul in their WWII caps. My dad who never meets a stranger and Paul who was as equally friendly struck up quite a conversation with this couple and their 2 boys.

After spending a very long and emotional day, we returned to Reagan International for the return flight. Their at our gate was a swing dance club waiting to greet and dance with the vets. They even danced with the guys in the wheel chairs. What an experience.

Another welcome was waiting for us when we returned to Columbia. Bands, people with signs, cub scouts were all waiting to shake hands and say thank you. I kept hearing someone yell my dads name as we moved through the crowd. When I finally got dad to turn and look, he recognized his neighbors. Neither one knew that the other was going to be there.

On a funny note: When we were at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, I left dad and Paul to get ahead of the crowd to get in position to take photos. When dad walked up, he was one level below me and I kept calling his name. He would never look in my direction. Finally, I called him by the nickname I gave him while I was in my teens. Martha, Melinda, and now the boys and Anna Claire call him by that name, Pops. When he heard that name, he turned and found me immediately!

My dad and I were very fortunate that we were able to share this day together. A memory that I will treasure for the rest of my life.

Honor Flight SC

Swing Dancer trying to get my dad to dance
Dad at the Korean War Memorial
Man from Australia talking to Dad and Paul
Dad at the SC Tower of WWII Monument
Dad exchanging comments with Joe Wilson

Miss Ava

Ava loved the bubble gum machine
Pink was her favorite color
We told her to jump!
Gotta love those pink shoes
When Martha lived in Newnan, she lived next door to an amazing family. Sara and Drew have 4 neat kids. Ava was just a little younger than the boys and Jaxon one of her brothers was just a little older than the boys. The two of them loved coming over to play with the boys. We loved sharing popsicles and toys and the driveway with them. I loved just talking to Sara her mom. We always hung outside when the weather permitted it.

After getting to know Sara, Martha found out that Sara was a professional photographer. Martha always hated not having pics. of the boys when they were born and their first 2 years of life. It wasn't long before her walls were filled with pics. of the boys and her and Chris. Miss Priss has been photographed since a few weeks after she was born to just having another session last week. We love Sara's work.

During the summer when Martha and I were back in Newnan to spend a day with the friends they left behind, I was talking to Sara about my photography skills and we decided to spend a morning together. I drove back to Newnan a few week-ends ago and spent the morning with Sara. We used Ava as our model. I had so much fun and learned so much. These were a few of the shots I took. Hope you enjoy them as much as I did taking them

Sewing Projects

It has been so long since I have blogged that I have forgotten how to do it. Got into something called dashboard and have no idea what that is but it does have some of my pictures there where I tried to blog a few weeks ago.

Uploaded new pictures of some projects that I have worked on this summer but couldn't get the text to go next to the right picture.

One is a diaper clutch that I created after Martha asked for something to carry only one or two diapers. So that design is what I came up with. It holds 2 diapers and a small pkg. of wipes - travel size I think. Martha loved hers and a friend wanted one so I made her one.

The dress is a knock-off of a Matilda Jane knot dress. It was so much fun putting the materials together. Martha and I worked with her 5th grade language arts teacher to put the right fabric together. Mrs. Youngner (not sure this is the correct spelling). It was not hard to sew and once I put it on Anna Claire, it was so stinking cute. Plan on making the flared leg pants to go under it and Martha has the Matilda Jane leggins that will also go under it.

The 2 skirts were so much fun to make. I actually use an alg. formula to create those skits. I finally found a use for that high school alg. I took all those years ago. What fun. I plan on selling those in the spring. The pink one was made for a photographer's daughter and I made it without Ava being here. It fit perfectly and looked so cute on her. We used her as a model when I was working with her mom on a photo shoot. That is another story....

Hope you enjoy the designs and look for future works. Also hope to figure out how to post pics and write the descriptions next to the pics.

Sewing Projects

SUMMER FUN

The Three Monkeys

Catching the Rain

Walking on the Railroad

The boys are using the stick their great-grandfather carved to use when he would help Martha peddle her tricycle.

The Orange Butterfly

Oh my, a lot has happened since my last post! I have been having fun on face book and learning the ins and outs of that program. It is great fun keeping up with friends and family. Twitter is not something that I have indulged in. Martha is forever texting someone and I often ask why she just doesn't pick up the phone and call them. In a few years we will have to add "How to Have a Conversation Face to Face" in our school curriculum!

School ended on June 5th for me and I was in the dr.'s office with an ear infection. Today is Aug 1st and I am still dealing with ear problems. It has been a very long summer for my ear - the constant ringing is getting old. I go back to the dr. on the day before school - wonderful - what a way to open the school year.

We spent a week at the beach with the Darley's and the kids loved the water, sand, and pool. Anna Claire loved digging in the sand and was not afraid of the water at all. The boys took their trucks again and enjoyed racing around the beach with them. AC even got into pushing the trucks on the beach. What ever the boys are doing, she thinks she can do it also. She loves to wrestle with the boys and will quite often start the trouble and just giggle when they come after her.

The boys wanted to come to MiMi's house and ride in her car. We had great fun with them. Melinda and I took them to the Kid's museum to see the Blooming Butterflies. The boys were excited to see them and thrilled that there was an orange one. Martha and Chris have done a great job of making sure they know the importance of orange! Melinda and I took the boys to the train tracks to take pictures, but the boys were worried that the train was going to come so it was difficult to get really good still photos - oh heck, it is always difficult to get still shots of the boys!

When I brought the boys home, they wanted to know if I was going to stay at their house for a long time. But of course! One of the things we did while the Princess was sleeping and I am not talking about Anna Claire, was to play in the rain. The boys loved it, but it took awhile for Anna Claire to understand what was happening. We were soaking wet by the time THE PRINCESS got up. She couldn't understand why everybody was taking baths at LUNCH TIME!

I had fun shooting a rehearsal dinner party in mid June. It was at the Corley Mills House and the main dish was a "cooked pig". I took shots of it and a close up of the apple in the pig's mouth and sent it to Martha's old neighbor, the one who always does the photos of the kids. Sara is a yankee through and through and I have had great fun teasing her (she right back at me) about our southern ways. Needless to say, she was not thrilled about a pig pick'n and couldn't believe that we ate it like that. When I told her that a true pig pick'n was eaten by just reaching in and pulling the meat off the bones, she was horrified.

Have tried for over a week to load the pictures of Miss O but they will not load.  Just published a pictures of SB and it loaded right away.  Hmmmm have no idea why I can't load the other pictures.

Oh what a serious face

Favorite Student

I tutor a young lady who is just delightful.  She lived her first few years in Georgia but has now moved back to this area.  She has the most wonderful accent.  I love to hear her talk.  There is something about Georgia and a southern accent.  The boys have a very strong southern accent and it comes from living in Georgia 

Miss O has promised to take me to Europe with her family this summer, if I don't make her read.  She has also made me promise to spend $100 on her and take her out to eat.  All of this I can handle but I still make her read.  She even told her parents that I would keep her and her brothers so they could go on a special date night. Her mom and dad just love it when I tell them how she tries to bargain my way to Europe.  Her dad is a pilot and flys to Europe weekly. What a bummer of a job! I keep so want to go but must work.  Maybe if I stop making "O" read, I will get to go.

Last week when we finished our session, Miss O and I went to the park.  These are a few of the shots I got.

Parker loves the beach

Peyton was excited to see the fire truck

Peyton loves to run his truck on the beach

Parker's reaction when the waves hit his feet the first time.  

Anna Claire has her first experience with sand

Miss Priss loved the water.  Her teeth were chattering but that didn't stop her

Spring Break has arrived and so has my crew.  Yahoo!  Could only be better if I was back in Alaska, my favorite place to visit!

Sullivan's Island provided a pleasant alternative - well sort of!  Melinda was in a wreck and tore off the front bumper on her car.  Martha parked where we have always parked when we went to the beach but this time she got a $50 parking ticket. Martha went to the outlets to get the boys shoes, buy one and get 1/2 off on the 2nd pair - great except when we got back to the house Parker has 2 left shoes! And, Anna Claire got sick with the virus just as we were leaving to go get seafood.  Other than these things, we had a great time.

Weather was beautiful on Sat. and the boys and Anna Claire got to play on the beach.  Martha and I had jeans on and jackets.  The boys and Anna Claire got in the water.  They loved it.  Anna Claire sat right down and started digging in the sand.  Took her a while before she tried to eat it and then when she did, she ate dog poop!  Thought Martha was going to die.  Of course she thought of all the horrible things that Anna Claire could "catch" and had Melinda search

ing the web for news on what happens when a child eats dog poop!

We ate at out favorite breakfast restaurant on Sunday morning - Sea Biscuit on the Isle of Palms.  Yum! Anna Claire loved the Cinnamon brown sugar swirl french toast!  The boys had their pancakes and bacon.

The boys favorite part of breakfast was the fire house across the street from Sea Biscuit.  They were all over the trucks and didn't want to leave.

The boys played on the beach on Sunday again even tho it was colder Sunday.  We were planning on taking them to Shem Creek  on the way home to see all the boats and eat seafood,  Car was loaded and Anna Claire took that moment to throw up!  Parker had been sick on Thursday and it took til Sunday for Anna Claire to get it.  Peyton is a walking time bomb until he gets the virus...and us too!  Oh the joys of having small children around.

Here are a few pictures to enjoy-

My favorite spring flowers!

A young lady that I tutor.  She was born in Savannah and has that same southern accent that the boys have.  I love to hear her talk.  Her dad is a pilot and she has promised to take me to Europe with them this summer, if I don't make her read!  Every week I have to bribe her with something to get me a ticket on that plane.  Now, I have to bake her dad some cookies and I have to promise to take her to get something to eat while we are in Europe.  She wants to go to MacDonalds - yep, think I can handle that.

Miss Priss walking by herself.  The boys were wanting me to read a favorite book that I used to read to Martha.  "The Giant Jam Sandwich"  They have tons of questions as we read the book.

Buck 'n Bubba's!

Oh the fun we had at that place when Martha was in high school!  We would go every Wednesday night cause that was family night.  When it first opened, you would have to catch a shuttle over to the front door as there were so many people/cars that you had to park your car too far away to walk to the door.  

For those of you who did not grow up in Columbia, Buck 'n Bubba's was a country club that opened at the height of the country dance craze.  Yep, we had the hats!  

Nope, I was not out clubbing tonight.  I was at exercise class and we did the Coper Head Road, Charleston, Charleston Shuffle, Electric Slide, Macarena, and Boot Scootn' Buggie.  Oh, did this bring about memories

The boys were enjoying watching cartoons with Bet Bet- Great-Grandmother.  Know the picture is not that good of the boys but will create a memory for them.  
Anna Claire is sitting with her great-granddaddy.  He introduced her to chocolate this week-end and yes, she like it
The boys loved the elephants and all the animals at the circus.
The motorcycles were a favorite and this one on hire wire was Parker's 
The boys were just amazed at all of the acts - as you can see from their total attention to the ring.

The circus was in town and we took the boys and Anna Claire.  AC was free so that was why we took her.  She was not that interested in the happenings.  She crawled all over Martha, Melinda and me.  She walked between the three of us and tried to pull the hair of the people in front of us.  I asked Martha if her actions reminded her of the time she and I flew with the boys to Calif.  That was the longest plane ride in history.  Parker finally went to sleep on that trip but Peyton stayed awake and moving the whole trip!  Another passenger tried to help us out by holding Peyton part of the way and he even gave him up after a few minutes.  Martha's answer was YES

The boys sat in their seat or stood still while they watched the whole show.  When it was intermission, Parker asked me if it was coming back on.  We did buy the boys popcorn but that was all.  The lights they wanted were $18.

We had the kids while Martha and Chris packed up their house for moving.  They have to be out by this weekend.  Of course we had fun with the boys and we got to see Anna Claire walk by herself.  When she would cross the den, we would clap for her.  She started clapping everytime she walked!

Oh!  the boys got to experience the ice cream truck for the first time!  They knew it was the ice cream truck as we had read about it in books.  They just didn't realize you could really buy ice cream!   They do now.  What fun!  Know the ice cream man will be back-he just doesn't know that the boys don't live here.

This week-end was full with activities with the boys, Anna Claire, and a shower for a good friend, Lea Hardy.  The chocolate fountain was Martha's doing and was enjoyed by all as well as the boys.  Anna Claire loves strawberries and she did get to taste the chocolate!  What she really loved was the chicken salad sandwiches.  She actually ate 1/2 a sandwich. 
This is another shot of the good stuff because as you can see below, there was a disaster.  These were the pig-in-a-blanket dish that ended up in the garage.  Now could it have been Martha making a mistake, of course not, it was my oven - according to Martha.  She seems to think that my oven cooks hotter and faster than her gas oven.
Lea and Amy Lock.  Lea is due in Mid may and the guest took turns guessing her delivery date and the weight of Greyson.  The winner will receive a gift for the nearest correct guess.  Somehow I think Chick-fil-A will be part of the winning gift!  Thank heavens for Chick-fil-A!
The boys kept us well entertained during the week-end.  Anna Claire is trying to walk so she is scooting from place to place and loves to transfer from one piece of furniture to another.  That child eats and eats.  The food she put away is unbelievable.  She is on table food and loves it.  We introduced her to her first burger taste from Rush's.  No french fries. Loved Charles' homemade ribs.  We pulled the meat off into small bite size pieces and she just hummed away.  This is what she does when she feeds herself, hums.  When you are feeding her, she doesn't hum but let her feed herself and she hums away.

We let the boys play in the backyard because it is fenced in.  I kept a close eye - well sort of.  I knew they were having great fun throwing their pool toys into the bushes and trying to get them out.  They had tired of using the slide as a launching pad by slamming the toys up the slide so they were flying off the top into the air.  I looked out on them and saw a flower bucket on top of the house.  When I asked the boys how they got the green plastic bucket on the roof, Peyton looked at me and said:  "Mimi, we have a little problem"  Charles could not believe that they had gotten the bucket up there.  He had not seen them launch their toys off the top of the slide.

I had foot surgery back in November, so the boys have watched progress from a boot for 3 months to finally tennis shoes.  They have delighted in seeing Mimi's boo-boo and loved to touch the scar and scream with delight.  They have been warned many times not to step on Mimi's boo-boo or sore foot.  Well, they wanted to see the scar one more time as I was putting them to bed and screaming with delight.  Again, the warning not to step on Mimi's bad foot.  Parker looked at me and asked:  Step on this foot, while pointing to my good foot, and.....before I could answer him, he jumped on my good foot with both of his feet and just stood there with the biggest grin on his face.  Oh, gotta love 'em.

When the boys were little, I taught Peyton to rub heads.  He and I would put our foreheads together and rub out heads back and forth.  He would remember this each time I went to Calif. to see them.  Parker never really got into it.  Well, Miss Priss and I have learned to rub heads and she remembers this each time I see her.  She only does it with me.  She has learned to give sugar and will share her sugar with anyone.  

We were so busy this week-end that I did not have time to take pictures.  Unbelievable.  They will be back Thursday night because we are going to the circus.  Martha will leave them , all 3 of them, with us as she and Chris will finish packing their house.  They have to be out the following week-end.  Do they know where they are going?  Nope.  That is part of the excitement.  Seems as they will be spending several weeks with their friends that moved from Calif to Atlanta.  

Ok, Ok, Martha is coming in this week-end and I hope to get instructions on how to add pics without having to post every time I want to add pics and a post.

In the mean time:  The kids had a great time at Anna Claire's party.  She received many gifts for the Annabelle basket foundation and we hope to pass them along this week-end.

Martha had the kids decorate their own cup cakes and that was a great hit with the kids.  They had such fun adding all of the icing and toppings. Parker had tons of M & M and Peyton just decided to eat out of the chocolate container.  At lease I think that is who is doing what.  When I can't see their faces, I can't tell who is who - oh heck, there are many times that I can't tell who is who when I am looking them full in the face!  Here are some more pics to view.

North meets South!

Martha's neighbor is her photographer and we have gotten to be good friends since Martha and Chris moved in.  Sara and Drew have 4 kids and the boys love playing with Jaxson and Ava.  Her older daughter, Alexe loves to play with Anna Claire.  Sara and Drew are from Michigan and I love to tease Sara about being a Yankee every chance I get.

Ex: In the fall or spring when everybody else still has their heat on, you can usually find Sara and Drew entertaining their friends on the front porch with the door wide open.  I tell Sara you can tell she is a Yankee because only they think it is warm outside when all of us Southerners still have the door closed and the heat on.

We have discussed language, like ya'll, food, and dress codes.

Well, Saturday at Miss Priss' birthday celebration, we introduced Sara and her kids to grits! And low and behold, she has not eaten black-eyed peas either.  When I showed Sara the pot of grits, her question was: "Do I just dump them on the plate?  Well of course.  I asked her how she liked them and she said they were pretty good but the texture needed getting used to.  When I told her that you eat grits after you have been sick, she kind of turned up her nose at that one.

Martha nor I bothered to tell her that the pot of grits that we cooked also had milk, cream cheese, butter and cheese as added ingredients.  Can you imagine her surprise when she buys a box of grits and tries to cook them the first time!  Oh, my - sounds alike another chance to tease her

Snow?  The boys were out Sat. afternoon enjoying the sunshine and their trucks.  24 hours later Newnan was burried in 4in. of snow.  

We left about 15 min before the storm hit.  We were driving out as it began to snow.  We should have stayed to enjoy the boys first real experience with the white stuff.

Martha talked me into leaving my camera with her and now we are suppose to get several inches of the white stuff.  Told Martha that by the time it snows again this much I will be too old to take pictures!  Hope she enjoys my camera!

The boys loved the chocolate fountain!  They had chocolate all over them and everything they touched.  Missed one of the boys and found him in the bathroom where he had climbed up on the sink and was trying to wash the chocolate off his arms, face, and hands.

Anna Claire wasn't too sure what to do with her cake but it didn't take her long to figure it out.

The cake ended up all over her and in her hair!