First Day of the Bers

Today is the first day of September. September is the first of the ber months. Yay!

Of course, we still have plenty more hot and humid days ahead, but July and August are behind us and that makes me and this lovely pumpkin lady happy!

It means that soon we'll be putting out mums and pansies. I've already been planning where I'm going to put mine. And last night I even started getting the area ready.

I'm thinking about my scarecrow. I've even got his spot picked out. Now all I'll have to do is get him made. I'll go to Goodwill and get some cheap clothes. This year Jeff's going to build me a frame for my scarecrow. Every other year, I have to spend a few minutes each day standing the poor soul back up. Speaking of scarecrows, this is a picture of two amazing ones that Jason's cousin made for a hoe-down shower. Aren't they adorable?

The first day of the bers means that my birthday is in six weeks. I'll be 45. Wow, that's old. Some days I feel it. Some days I feel younger than ever.

I love the sweet smell of apple cinnamon in the fall. I can't wait to start burning a few of those scented candles. I don't burn them any other time, except in the bers. I just can't enjoy apple cinnamon in July. Doesn't work for me.

Even though I love summertime and I'll always be a summertime kinda gal, I believe that fall is my favorite season. May and June are great in Georgia. July and August are torture. We get four months of the bers. And that's a good thing.

College football starts tomorrow night.

Yet another great thing about the bers. College football Saturdays make me deliriously happy.

The only bad thing about the bers is that after they're gone, the dreary arys follow.

What does the first day of the bers mean to you? What are you looking forward to?

Till next time, have a great first day of September.

The Ones That Didn't Make It

Till now. I take a lot of pictures for my blog. Most of them, though, never actually make it. It's not because they're not good pictures, but usually it's because I just don't blog after I've made them.

While going through a couple of flashcards, mostly in my phone, I came across some pretty good ones and I thought it'd be fun to put them on here. Of course, they're not in any order at all. That would have taken forever.

Ross & Cam arm wrestling August '10.

Suz and her chocolate birthday cake. August '10

Cam's 18th birthday cake -- err, uh, fruit bowl. August '10.

Cam & PeePaw. Cam's 18th b'day & PeePaw's 89th August '10.

Ross riding the big tractor. July '10.

Postgame pigout at Pizza Hut. April '10.

Eli's championship tournament trophy. October '09.

Ronnie & Nan. Halloween '09.

Me as I Love Lucy. Halloween '09.

Jeff goofing off at the Halloween store. October '09.

How I look and feel most days. Halloween store. October '09.

Kitchen table at the cabin we stayed in for my birthday. Blue Ridge. October '09.

Little boy reading us a story while Suz, Alayna and I were eating Chinese food. Alayna, this one's for you. September '09.

Electric Chair. Had deposition at the State Bar of Georgia building. '09.

Bird watchin' in Decatur between depositions. September '09.

Bandit ready for the Dawgs to play. Fall '09.

Sunset on the way to eat dinner. '09.

Me being a tiger in the kitchen. August '09.

August birthdays at Ed & Jeans. August '09.

What happens when you let your son use your tin foil and he lets it roll down the driveway, then tries to get it back on the roll and in the box. August '10.

Saw this butterfly on the way to my car from deposition in Jackson, Georgia. August '10.

View from an office building in downtown. July '10.

Just a cloud. '09.

Getting my hair done. '09.

Anniversary roses. July '09.

Ethan receiving an award in 3rd grade. '08.

Me going to the gym. April '10.

Butterfly on my porch. April '10.

Bird's nest at Tybee. June '10.

Blister after walking about 7 miles in the blazing heat at Tybee. June '07.

I took this picture because of the room on the top floor. Upside down horseshoe and a black rose decorate the door. Tybee. June '10.

Everything's better in Metter. On the way to Tybee. June '10.

Hydrangea arrangement I made. August '10.

Workers at the Peachtree Plaza. They're replacing glass blown out by the tornado that went through downtown last year.

Snapped this one from a parking garage on the way to my depo. August '10.

Homemade ice cream. Summer '10.

Jeff and me. Christmas '09.

Watching the snow from my bedroom window. February '10.

Eli the tiger. August '10.

Flowers from Parks family after my hysterectomy. October '08.

So what about you? Do you have lots of pictures that you take for your blog and they never quite get their five minutes of fame?

TGoodnessIF. Have a wonderful weekend!

Till next time. Live, love, laugh.

Happy Birthday, Suz

There can be no situation in life in which the conversation of my dear sister will not administer some comfort to me.
~Mary Worley Montagu~

Today my little sister turns 37. It really doesn't seem possible to me. I mean, it seems like only yesterday that Crystal and I were on the merry-go-round at my Aunt Barbo's house when she came out to tell us that we had a new sister, Suzanne Layne.

Big sisters are the crab grass in the lawn of life.
~Charles M. Schulz ~

She was not a very good baby, but I don't remember that. I was almost eight years old when she was born, and to me, she was a perfect little doll. I held her and fed her and I think in a way, maybe mommied her a little, too.

Never let an angry sister brush your hair.
~ Author: unknown ~

She loved frilly dresses and clinking shoes. She wanted to be a gymnast, a cheerleader, and a softball player.

It's a fine thing when sisters love each other.
~Lorna Landvik ~

I used to do Crystal's makeup before school every morning. Then she ended up doing Suz's makeup before school every morning.

The mildest, drowsiest sister has been known to turn tiger if her sibling is in trouble.
~Clara Ortega~

Pity the one who upset her. Be it a friend or a boyfriend. Crystal and I were definitely protective of our baby sis. We defended her with the ferociousness of a tiger many a time. In fact, we have some hilarious memories defending her against some of her fellow catty high school cheerleaders. Remember the time we cleaned out my refrigerator and put the leftover food in someone's mailbox? Of course, this was only after they had done something to her mailbox.

What's the good of news if you haven't a sister to share it?
~Author unknown~

She can tell in the first half second of hearing my voice if there is something wrong with me. And I do the same with her. When something good or bad happens to me, I want to talk to my sister.

Hell hath no fury like sisters in a bad mood.
~A Girl Named Kelly Kelly~

We fuss. We argue. We cut each other short. We put each other off. We take out our frustrations with the world around us on each other. The best part about all of that, though, is that we understand that that's what we do. And it's okay. No apologies necessary. We're each the one person that we can do those kinds of things to and it's perfectly understood. This includes Crystal. We understand each other. Three sisters.

So I didn't plan for this post to be about sisters, but about my sister's birthday. The sister I love so much and I don't know what I'd do without her. I look forward to growing old with my sister. Watching her kids grow up. Her seeing mine. Having wedding showers and baby showers for each other's kids. Sharing the woes of marital bliss, the gripes about work, and any and everything in between.

As I used to sing to you when you were a baby, I love my Suza!

Happy birthday, my dear sis! I love you more than you'll ever know. Well, that's not exactly true because I know you do know 'cause you love me that much too! I hope you have a wonderful day filled with cool temps, hot coffee, good hair, the perfect outfit, comfortable shoes, the creamiest chocolate, happy kids, and lots of lovin' from your hubby!

A sister is a forever friend.
~Jenny DeVries~

Suzanne Layne

November 2009

Happy 18th B'day, Cam

On this day, at this hour, I was giving birth to our second son, Alex Cameron Kelly. Before I went for my C-Section, the doctor told Jeff and me that he wasn't going to be a very big baby. Look at this picture and tell me what you think. Was he right or wrong?

He was a giant of a baby, weighing in at 9 pounds, measuring 21 3/4 inches long! And honey, let me tell you. It was 9 pounds of pure sweetness. What wouldn't I give to go back to that day just for a few minutes.

Now, he's a senior in high school. Slowly mapping out his future.

He makes me proud. He's thoughtful. He's sweet to his cousins. He loves his family. He's determined. He's hard-headed. He makes me work out harder than I ever thought I could. He makes me laugh every day. He also can frustrate me more than any other person on earth.


He's my second born son, Alex Cameron Kelly. And I love him with all my heart!

Here We Go 'Round the Mulberry Bush

While taking my shower tonight, that song just kept playing over in my mind. I have no idea why. And I have no idea what a mulberry is. I don't think they grow around here, though. Do any of you know what a mulberry is? Can you eat them? Where do they grow?

Today was the first day of school for Suz's kids. Eli started first grade. Alayna started middle school. Reid started seventh grade. Seems like every year when her kids start school, we try to meet for lunch and a little shopping.

She is in charge of making the invitations for a couples shower that she's helping host in a few weeks, so we went to JoAnn's. What an awesome store. They have anything you could ever want in the way of crafts, fabric, jewelry making, framing, anything. We had so much fun in that store.



While there, we reminisced about the good ol' days. The days when our mom used to make our dresses. She used to drag us to the fabric store. They weren't good ol' days at the time. We'd spend an hour or two there looking at patterns and fabric.


We'd look through these pattern books and pick out the dress we liked. Truly, I wasn't even sure they still made these pattern books, so I was delighted to see that they did.

Back then, though, there were stores that just sold fabric and sewing notions. It would be considered by today's standards a drag of a store. I guess that's why they have to sell other things in the store too.

At JoAnn's, they offer sewing lessons and I think we may take them. We would both love to sew. I mean, I don't think I could sew anything my boys would wear, but maybe I could make an apron or a pillow or something.

Yesterday afternoon, we celebrated Ross's birthday with the family. He has finally turned the corner with the wisdom teeth thing. He's feeling much, much better. He still looks a little pale to me, but I think he's definitely on the mend.

I made chicken and dumplings, which I'll just say were delicious. Except the dumplings disappeared. I guess I stirred them too much and they just dissolved in the broth. My family was very kind, though, and complimented me anyway. Good thing I opened up two cans of biscuits to go along with them. Otherwise, it would've just been chicken soup.


Thankfully, I didn't mess up the red velvet cupcakes. Nope, sure didn't. They were out of this world yummy. I think a cupcake tops a cake any day. (No pun intended there.) You get way more frosting on a cupcake, and who doesn't love frosting? He couldn't eat one because he still can't swallow very well, but I've got him one in the fridge for later.


I knew I had done a good job raising my son when, after the party was over, he thanked me. I got so choked up. It's nice to be appreciated.

The kids swam and the grownups swam too. It was another blazing hot day. Joseph brought over his new truck. He turned 16 on the 4th and he and his dad have been working on his truck. It's a Bronco and he's very proud of it and I'm proud for him. I'm sure Crystal will enjoy having another driver in the house. That is until the insurance bill comes.

Guess that's it for this trip 'round the mulberry bush. Till next time...