Maids a waitin' and waitin'...

My friend Kurt (middle groomsman) sent me these photos of his friend's wedding. The next photo explains why the odd looks on their faces....

Pretty Maids a Waitin'

family

i love this photo!

i'm not sure what the circumstances were for the photo, but i imagine that they may have been celebrating the return of my dad from WWII. my brother ed was around 2 when daddy was able to get back home. those are my mother's parents and her sister in the photo as well as the family home (still located on Martinwood Circle in Huffman) in the background.

(left to right standing) Pawpaw, Ed, Mawmaw, Mama and Daddy

(kneeling) Aunt Itara and her husband.

i didn't come along until 10 years after this photo!
i miss my parents and grandparents. i never knew my mother's sister, but she is always smiling and looks so happy in all the photos i've seen.

i was blessed with good parents that loved each other.

my girls

these are
my girls.

they are
dogs.

i think of them as children that i don't have to send to daycare when i go to work.

georgia

sushi

brooke (a.k.a. white dog / honkey)

I've been a mother for over half of my life...

Today is my 1st borns birthday. Vance is 31 today. He is a northern baby and a southern child. Enough about him - 31 years ago at the young age of 20, I became a mother! There really isn't a good time to have a child. If you have them young, as I did, you don't know what the heck you are doing and really don't realize that this is a life you are shaping and molding. If you have them later in life, when you are more mature, you know too much and worry about everything! I'm glad I had my children when I did. They really turned out pretty good, but I can't take the credit for that. They had a super dad and a heavenly father to watch over them.

Happy Birthday, Vance! I'm sorry I had to whack you so much with a wooden spoon when I was shaping and molding you. I'm sorry I overreacted when you scared Abby with the rubber snake. Remember, it was your daddy that made you eat all of that spaghetti till you threw up. Sorry about slamming the trunk to the car on your hand - you were smart to take the keys away from me to unlock the trunk.

You are a terrific person and I love you very much!!!

Kitty Litter Cake

Serving Size: 24

1 (18 oz.) box spice or german chocolate cake mix 1 (18 oz.) box white cake mix
1 pkg. white sandwich cookies
1 large box vanilla instant pudding mix
12 small tootsie rolls
1 litter box (preferably a NEW one!)
1 plastic scoop
green food coloring

Preparation:
Prepare cake mixes and bake according to directions (any size pans). Prepare pudding mix and chill until ready to assemble. Crumble white sandwich cookies in small batches in blender, they tend to stick, so scrape often. Set aside all but about 1/4 cup. To the 1/4 cup cookie crumbs, add a few drops green food coloring and mix using a fork or shake in a jar.
When cakes are cooled to room temperature, crumble into a large bowl. Toss with half the remaining white cookie crumbs and the chilled pudding. You probably won’t need all of the pudding, mix with the cake and “feel” it, you don’t want it soggy, just moist; gently combine. Put mixture into clean litter box.Put three unwrapped Tootsie rolls in a microwave safe dish and heat until soft and pliable. Shape ends so they are no longer blunt, curving slightly. Repeat with 3 more Tootsie rolls and bury in mixture. Sprinkle the other half of cookie crumbs over top. Scatter the green cookie crumbs lightly over the top, this is supposed to look like the chlorophyll in kitty litter. Heat remaining Tootsie Rolls, three at a time in the microwave until almost melted. Scrape them on top of the cake and sprinkle with cookie crumbs. Place the box on a newspaper and sprinkle a few of the cookie crumbs around. Serve with a new pooper scooper.