Short Visit With Family

My mom and grandmother came up to visit few a few hours after making their annual trip to to the Ashevilles farmer's market. They stayed literally 2 hours, but I will take what I can get. The timing was perfect because when they arrived Carson was still down for a nap. So Ella got a little one on one, then I put her down and Carson got some one on one. Then Tyler came home (everyone was up at this point)! Just in time to play a game of Sorry and take some pictures. Mom came bearing gifts, homemade pillowcases and miniature pumpkins.Great visit- even if it was too short. See you soon!

A Day At Lake Glenville

During World War II, Alcoa Tennessee needed more electricity for the war effort. As a result, Glenville North Carolina was flooded (which was a small city at the time) to produce more energy. After church today, we went to visit this lake and ended up spending the entire afternoon. The lake is about 30 minutes from our house, but the road was very curvy!

The lake itself is beautiful, but has few places to access the water other than boat docks. We ended up taking a picnic and letting the kids play on the playground. After walking around and taking pictures- we found a cleared trail that lead us down to a sandy beach on the water. The boys were in heaven and played in the water for over an hour.

After playing in the lake we had to strip everyone minus underwear just to ride home. Tyler said it was an awesome day.

As for Ella, we forgot to pack her stroller intended for off road adventures so she ended up being carried a lot. We heard no complaints from her either.

Western Carolina University Homecoming Parade

Friday night we kicked off the weekend by attending the WCU Homecoming Parade. The kids really enjoyed seeing all of the floats- especially the really homemade ones. Tommy and I enjoyed the band the most. The band is actually a lot better than the football team. The WCU band is one of the 12 bands across the country to play in the Rose Bowl!

As Good As It Gets...

I have been trying for weeks now to get a good picture of all three...together. I come home, download and delete. This is the typical picture I get and I am tired of trying. So here are my three. Carson sticking his tongue out, Tyler doing his squinty smile like the sun is piercing his retinas and Ella smiling but trying to get Tyler's hand off of her shoulder. Christmas pictures should be really fun this year!

The Divine Miss E

Ella's New Room

As many of you may know, Tommy has been working tirelessly on creating a lovely room for Miss Ella. Poor thing had to live in the dining room for almost 6 months of her life as we waited on C-Horse to join Tyler in the big boy room. Then, the room looked more like a guest room with a crib stuck awkwardly in it than a little girl's room. No mistaking this space now. All girl. All pink. All the time. My mom is in the process of making a valance- you guessed it...THREE SHADES OF PINK PLAID, and I still have to hang stuff on her walls, but you can still get the feel of the room.

Now myself, I would have never wanted a pink room- much less two tones stripped with a gloss finish. I think I was still climbing trees into my early teens. However, following two boys (all boys at that)- I wanted one corner of femininity in this house of testosterone. I might even find myself sneaking off into this room for peace and quiet.

And yes, the room is as pink as it looks in the photos. Imagine the inside of a circus tent... then add a little bit of sheen...AND VIOLA!

After Tommy had spent so many hours measuring, marking, taping- I dared ask, "What are we going to do if Ella hates pink and wants it repainted?" To which Tommy calmly replied (with pupils dilated) "I will paint it any color she wants, in 10 years." Ella baby, I hope you like pink.

Soup and Smores Party 2010

A few years ago a dream was created from my love of parties and soup. I wanted to have a soup party in the fall where friends brought over their favorite pot of soup along with a batch of recipes to share. It would be a way to sample different kinds, get tons of new recipes and get to visit friends at the same time. My vision came true last night. The first annual Soup and Smores party came to fruition. With a big fire pit out back, it only made sense to add the smores. After all, what chases soup better than graham crackers with melted marshmallow and chocolate?

We had about 30 friends join us, half being kids between ages 1 year to 11 years of age. Tyler and Carson were in heaven. The kids played outside all night. Tag, swinging on the hammock, walking the trail- eating tons of smores...

The soups were incredible- the best part was the variety :Chicken Tortilla, Duck Cassoulet, Roasted Tomato Basil, Smokey Pumpkin, Butternut Squash with Sausage and Rice, 2-Alarm Vegetarian Chili, Ghoulish, and a big salad to boot. We had a topping bar from popcorn to smoked Gouda cheese and more beer and wine that you could count.

One of my favorite lines of the night was from Tyler, who had walked me down to the bottom of the driveway to see off some guests only to realize two of his friends were still on the porch when we walked back up. He spotted them and yelled, "Oh! the girls are still here!" Two seconds later- the picture below was taken.

One of my favorite nights in North Caroline so far- I love being surround by good food and friends.