Category: family tree

A bridal shower.

6 Comments

I co-hosted a bridal shower for my cousin Molly over the holiday weekend.  When Aunt Jenny proposed the idea, she suggested a brunch, then after I agreed, followed up by asking for a proposed menu. It wasn’t until she asked for a shopping list that it sort of dawned on me that by co-hosting, I would be catering the whole she-bang.  Why yes, I’m fully capable and yes, I do happen to actually do that particular activity from time to time for people I’m not related to, but always in the role of the very capable assistant, never do I actually assemble the menu and recipes and shopping list myself.  I’ll admit, I had a moment where I wondered WTF I was doing, with a  wavering in confidence before I got over myself and just went with it.

Continue reading →

Adventures and ponderings.

2 Comments

A good bit of our adventures throughout the year tend to fall into two categories – events my husband has to attend for work that Edie and I tag along to or things we do with our dear friends the Smileys. Occasionally, the two merge, like this past weekend’s adventures – Pat’s employer, James River Association, hosted an oyster roast down in Lynchburg at Kegney Brothers featuring Will’s Christchurch School oysters.

The scene
UNO!
The grub – trout, kale, oysters, potatoes. YUM.
Sunset over the James.
Smiley men at work.
OYSTERS!

Continue reading →

Celebrating Mollie

2 Comments

IMG_7293 (1024x683)My friend Mollie turned 40 last week and over the weekend, her husband Will threw her a party. Saturday afternoon, after Edie’s soccer game, we headed over to Urbanna to help her celebrate.  I’m not sure if the party was a surprise, but our showing up, along with Mollie’s friend Ro, definitely was.

Dave and Wade
Pile of kids
Captian Will
Teal!
Pat lights a fire
Party!
Briar, in the middle of the action

Continue reading →

Scenes from a vacation.

3 Comments
Jumping girls
Walker’s fish!
Trying to get a shot
and another
Sitting on the dock at carp city
In which the children discover they can see under the store at the marina
Feeding the carp (and getting their toes sucked!)
Photo bombing Will
Making movies
Sunscreening himself
Tubing girls
My love.
Chill time.
More tubing girls
Bringing in the catfish
Posing with the catfish
Photo bombing Owen
Photobombing the photobomber
Keeping Walker on the boat
Captain and First Mate
Walker skis!
Huck Finn
The skiing squirrel in action.
Walker skiing
Going for a ride
Lunch on the boat
Later afternoon view from the dock
Water snuggles
In which I hold on for dear life
Back at the dock
Owen practicing his karate kid moves
Briar in her tux
Mollie and Abigail
Captain Will
Edie attempts to get on the tiger
And falls off.
Tricks time
Finally on!
Tubing girls
Tubing Abigail and Owen
Hands free Owen!
Walker and his mama
Watching Walker ski the cove
Floating children
The floating island of children
My girl.
Besties.
Snuggles!
Evening

We spent a few days last week down at Granny’s cabin at Smith Mountain Lake with our dear friends the Smileys.  There was lots of fishing, swimming, tubing, skiing, boating and photo taking of it all.  Walker, two, doesn’t quite swim yet (although he thinks he can) but he can water ski.  Why yes, it was sort of like watching a squirrel.  Pat caught sight of a big ole catfish hanging out under the boathouse and made it his mission to catch it, which he did Friday morning.  Every male in the house ran down to assist bringing it in, yelling for me to bring the camera.  It was a big deal. They now sell little tubs of peanut butter to put on your toes for the carp to suck it off down at Carp City.  Of course Edie and Abigail went for it.  Walker had me take a few hundred fish pictures, Will had me take a few hundred pictures of Walker water skiing and that’s at least part of how I ended up with over a thousand shots on my memory card from the trip. Mollie and I added clean-out-the-fridge nachos to our meal line up this time – definitely must remember to do that again. I averaged a book a day – nothing says vacation to me more than being able to sit and read for hours on end. The weather was absolutely lovely, with the hottest day being of course, the day we were packing up, which resulted in a last minute jump in the lake, then driving home with a bag full of wet bathing suits which promptly went into the washing machine and hung on the line to dry. It was a wonderful break – thanks to Will and Mollie for having us (and to Granny!).

Official Summer kick-off.

8 Comments

It’s officially summer here at the homestead, and not just because it’s been hot as all get out or because the calendar says so or because I’ve picked the first tomatoes and cucumbers in the garden.  Edie’s bff Soph is home from Guatemala for the summer and we had our first (of many) river days with the Smiley clan, which is our official measure of the summer season.

IMG_2825 (1024x683) Continue reading →

Home.

IMG_2565 (1024x683)My Granny and Granddad’s back yard backed up to a Catholic Church.  All of my aunts and uncles, as well as my parents and myself (and one of my sisters) attended the parish school, just steps from their back yard.  My parents were married in that church, I was baptized and confirmed there.  As kids, we played all over the grounds, including the graveyard (most particularly that graveyard). As the area around it changed and developed, that particular spot stayed the same.  Sure, the uses have adapted – the ‘old’ school is now a retirement home, the ‘new’ school (built in 1959) is now a private Christian school and I’m not entirely sure what the convent is – but the church is still there, its physical presence seemingly unchanged.  For all intents and purposes, it is the spot that is home to me, the one that is always there, exactly as I remembered it, if smaller (because everything is smaller than we seem to remember it). Continue reading →

The Old Mill

2 Comments
Five Photos, Five Stories, #2

IMG_0088 (1024x683)

When Pat’s folks were here in early April, we took a day trip to up Washington, Virginia.  Pat’s dad Jack had been doing some genealogy and discovered his four time Great Grandfather (did I get that right?) Calvert had operated a mill there in the late 1700’s.  While we’ve driven by Washington numerous times over the years, we’ve never stopped off, as it is off the main highway.  We learned it’s only a few minutes off the main highway, much closer than we had thought.  The mill was located just outside of the town proper.  It was only later, when I was looking through my shots did I realize we’ve driven by this mill countless times on the road just above it, thanks to the green sign in the upper left hand side of this photo.  I thought it was just an old barn and definitely did not have a clue as to it once being part of the family. Funny how things like that work out, isn’t it?

Suzicate at The Water Witch’s Daughter invited me to play Five Photos, Five Stories. I invite Melissa at Green Girl in Wisconson to participate.  If you wish to play the rules are that you post a picture a day with a story, fiction or non-fiction, or a poem and nominate one fellow blogger a day to participate.

That time…..

8 Comments

Of all the adventures I had over the years with my cousin Henry, I think the one everyone found hands down most entertaining was the time he traded me to a Mexican for a pitcher of beer (“And a t-shirt!” Henry would always add).

33414_1532205829447_5224033_n

Continue reading →

It’s not all rainbows.

9 Comments

IMG_9960 (1024x683)This past Friday night found me home alone, as my family had taken off for different sides of the state with one in Williamsburg and the other in Lynchburg for their various activities.  What did I do with my glorious alone time?  Why I scrubbed out both showers, removing the shower heads to be soaked in vinegar, caught up on some netflix and had pop corn and ice cream for dinner.  Of course. Isn’t that what every forty-something wife and mother does when they get alone time? Continue reading →