Sunday, September 30, 2007

Some photos from the weekend

Here are a few photos from our weekend.

9/28/07 My new favorite toy. Thanks, Uncle Nick!














Swim lesson 9/28/07















Swim lesson 9/28/07 -Getting ready to swim to side of pool















Swim lesson 9/28/07













After swim lesson 9/28/07













I'm trying to have a private conversation, Mommy and Daddy! 9/30/07















No church for us today because Samuel has a runny nose.

Friday, September 28, 2007

Update on Samuel

---One of my favorite photos of Samuel. He got into that tiny beach wagon that Grammy bought him. He was so proud of himself. He had on his new tennis shoes (his 1st Nike's), which took up most of the tiny wagon since he has huge feet (Size 7). I just love his smile!

Our baby Samuel turned 17 months old yesterday. We are so happy to be his parents and are enjoying him so much! Samuel is growing and changing, and sometimes I wish I could stop him from growing up so quickly. Other times I look forward to the older Samuel because I can't wait to see what God has in store for his life.

If you don't have time to read more, stop now because this is a long one...

I want to tell you what our 17-month old is up to:

-Samuel is very much an outdoor boy. He loves the beach, the pool, his wagon, playing in the yard, and exploring. He is full of energy, which keeps me on my toes.

-He is getting into everything, which can be a problem sometimes... Jeremy and I can't seem to keep him away from the desk in the office. He is so interested in anything he can get off of that desk. Oh, and being tall for his age means that he can take things off of the countertops now. Yesterday he brought me a muffin I had on the counter in a ziploc, and he said, "Bite." So cute! Other times he is pulling down things that I don't want him to touch. I'm learning to move things to the middle of the counters.

-Samuel loves to play! He is always busy! He never stops, and sometimes it makes him unhappy to stop to eat because he's having so much fun. He is getting to the point where he can pretend and interact more with toys, which I love! He loves to pull his tiny beach wagon around the house or ride his "bike". We are using more puzzles with him, and that is fun!

-Samuel can't live without books. "Book" is his favorite word and one that we hear constantly. He always wants to be read to. This starts when he wakes up and doesn't end until he is asleep. He even "reads" in the car. Our little bookworm... We love it when he says "The End". He says that at the end of a book or when he's just had enough of a particular book he will close the book and say it.

-Samuel's new favorite toy is his Noah's Ark, which his Uncle Nick gave him. For Samuel's 1st birthday, he got so many toys, that I put some of them up in a closet. I took the Noah's Ark down this week, and he is having a blast playing with it. He wakes up in the morning and after his nap saying, "Ar(k)". Yesterday my mom was teaching him how to feed the animals and play with them. He enjoyed that and today was doing exactly what she told him without help from me. His only frustration is that he can't open the Ark without help. He'll get that eventually. I took a video of Samuel and the Ark today and will post it as well as pictures of him with it.

-He is talking more each day. I'm amazed by how he picks up words and repeats so many things we say. I love to hear him talk. I especially love it when he says, "Mama" when he wants me or when I leave the room. Recently (after my prompting), he started saying, "Bye Bye, Dada". So sweet!
He loves the word, "No." I sure wish he would learn to say, "Yes." I wonder when that will happen. It cracks me up when I ask him a question knowing that the answer is yes, but he says, "No." Oh well.

-We taught him how to knock on the door, and now he knocks on the door when we get home whether I'm holding him or not. It's cute!

-He loves for us to give him rides on our backs or on our stomachs. He laughs and laughs. He says, "Ride" when he's in the mood for a ride.

-He loves bathtime. He recently started putting his face into the water when he's in the bathtub. I guess he's just experimenting. Funny... He has been washing himself some in the tub. Jeremy started this by asking Samuel to wash his feet. He was quick to do it, so now Jeremy has him wash most of his own body. Naturally, he doesn't quite understand how to do it, so we have to go behind him and wash some more once he finishes.

-Samuel doesn't like to cuddle, but he loves to give us hugs and kisses. He is all about being fair though. If he gives Jeremy a kiss, he immediately leans over and kisses me. What a sweet boy! He also hugs other people. My mom and dad love Samuel's hugs! One "disturbing" thing though- He will blow a kiss to a stranger. This is ok for now, but we will have to have a talk about strangers at some point... :)

-Samuel fell in the parking lot of my grandma's assisted living home, and I was teaching him the words "Boo Boo". Now he touches it and says, "Boo Boo."

-Samuel is getting some color to his skin. He is definitely going to have skin more like his Daddy. (Something I prayed for because I know the cons of having fair skin.)

-Samuel is doing much better with beverages now and even asks for "Milk" or "Juice".
It's a good thing he doesn't realize that Mommy gives him 50% juice and 50% water. I had wanted to wait until 2 yrs. old before I gave him juice, but I started with it 2 1/2 weeks ago when Samuel needed some regularity if you know what I mean.

-Samuel is sleeping through the night (Praise the Lord!) and taking a 2-3 hour nap every afternoon.

-Samuel is such a blessing! Some of you might not know that Jeremy and I chose the name Samuel from the Bible because we prayed for Samuel for over a year before he was conceived. "I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him." -I Sam. 1:27

Ok, now for his 17 month birthday photos!


Ready to go for a walk















Our sweet son















Grand-Mom and Samuel on his 17 Month B-Day



















Enjoying the pumpkin that Grammy sent-
He loves to say, "Whoa" when it moves around.

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Something new for me

Since I became a Mom 17 months ago, I haven't been to a Bible study. That changed today. My church offers a women's Bible study twice a month. Last year Samuel napped during that time, so I decided not to attend. This year Samuel is down to one nap and doesn't go down for that nap until about 12:00, so I am happy to be able to go. Today was a good experience for both of us.. I know he had a blast playing in the nursery, and I learned a lot through my pastor's wife's teachings as well as my small group time.

It's interesting how God works in our lives. Last night I had a bad night because I was worried about Jeremy. I had several nightmares and was concerned for his safety. Jeremy was in Fort Mill, SC all day yesterday and into the morning hours. He was supposed to be leaving around 10PM last night, but that didn't happen. I woke up in a panic around 2:30 AM. Jeremy wasn't home, and on top of that, I couldn't get him on his cell phone for like 10 minutes straight. I was a nervous wreck. I was crying and on the verge of calling the builder he works for when I finally got through to Jeremy. He had stopped at a gas station and had left his phone in the car. I can't tell you how worried I was before I heard his voice. I had pictured him dead on the side of the road. Today during the Bible study, something my pastor's wife said made me realize that I had forgotten God's promises last night. I chose to let my mind wander instead of giving it to God and resting on His promises. I know from the Bible that the Lord is with us and protecting us, so why did I not think of that when Jeremy wasn't home yet? I was wasting my time worrying when I should have been praying and thanking God for keeping Jeremy safe.

To close, that doesn't mean that we should put ourselves in dangerous situations just because God is protecting us. I told Jeremy that I want him to stay put if it's late. I don't care if he has to pay for a hotel room because I know it's the smart thing to do. Plus, that way he comes home rested. Today he has been miserable since he didn't get home until 4:15 AM and only slept a few hours. He tried to fall back to sleep once I left for Bible Study, but that didn't work. He ended up in bed at 7PM tonight. My sleeping beauty. I pray he gets a good night's sleep. He needs it!

On that note, I'm off to bed!

Banana bread (or muffins)

I love to make banana bread or muffins when my bananas get too ripe, so last night I made muffins. I wanted to share this Food Network recipe with you: Banana Bread. I've been using this recipe for awhile, and I like it! When I make muffins, I cook them for about 15-20 minutes. Just watch them when you get close to the 15 minute mark.

On more tip: I keep a few out in a ziploc bag after they cool and then store the rest in the refrigerator or freezer. That way they don't spoil. When we're ready to eat them, I heat them in the toaster oven. They taste so good out of the toaster oven! Yummy!

Do you have a good bread or muffin recipe to share? I would love it!

Happy Baking!

Vacation Rentals By Owner

Have you ever used VRBO to find a vacation rental? I've used it twice. The first time I found a oceanfront rental only 30 minutes from our house as a surprise when Jeremy returned from a mission trip to Honduras in February. We were very pleased with the rental and the fact that they were offering a special of 3 nights for the price of 2 nights made it even better. We had a blast! Jeremy and I really needed to have that time "alone". I say "alone" because we took Samuel with us (as I will do with any nursing baby). He was napping twice a day back then, so that gave us plenty of time together.

A few days ago I decided to look for a rental in Chattanooga. I'm going to be in a wedding, and the thought of staying in a hotel room with Samuel stresses me out. Samuel is at the age where he is VERY aware of his surroundings, and he doesn't do well with Mommy and Daddy sleeping a few feet away from him. He thinks it's time to play. Well, I'm not worried about it anymore because I found a super rental on VRBO for the price of a hotel room. It's described as "Trendy Downtown Bungalow". It's a 2-bedroom house very close to downtown Chattanooga. I was born in Chattanooga, lived there until I was 2 yrs. old, and can't remember the last time I was there. I imagine that it's been 25 yrs.. My mom is supposed to give me directions to the places we lived, so I should be able to see them again. We're also going to spend an extra night in order to be able to take Samuel to the Tennessee Aquarium and a children's museum that's near the aquarium. We're looking forward to our trip!

So, consider VRBO the next time you are planning a vacation. There are rentals worldwide, and I have been pleased to find nice accommodations for a good price. You can rent anything from a tiny studio to a mansion.

One last thing- If you're looking for a place on the beach, a friend of ours has something you might consider. It's on Fripp Island, SC, and it sleeps 2-4 people. Check it out.
It's great for a family with children old enough to go to sleep with Mom and Dad in the room. :) (Not where we are right now.) It's great too for a married couple wanting a little getaway.

Happy Vacationing!

Monday, September 24, 2007

If you like Jim 'N Nick's cheese biscuits

I ate at Jim 'N Nick's several times while I was teaching Spanish, and I absolutely loved their cheese biscuits. You can order 1/2 dozen of them, and I could eat all of them if I let myself. Today I was reading Monica's blog and was so excited to find that she had posted a copycat recipe of those famous cheese biscuits. They are more like muffins than they are biscuits; you cook them in a muffin tin. I made them tonight to go along with Amy's Kitchen vegetable lasagna (from my overflowing freezer). The biscuits were great! I couldn't believe how much they tasted like the Jim 'N Nick's biscuits. Next time I will use less sugar. Tonight I didn't use all of the sugar it called for, but I still think they were a little too sweet. I'm going to cut it to 1/2 cup of sugar and see if that's enough. I shredded my cheese instead of using prepackaged shredded, which I loved, but I would love even more than 1 cup of that cheese next time. It's fun trying out a recipe and changing it to meet your taste! I almost forgot to tell you that the muffins were done after 13 minutes even though the recipe said 20 minutes. Thankfully I was watching them. If I were you, I would stay close to the oven. Overcooked muffins aren't any good...

This week I plan to make oatmeal bread, and I will share the recipe if I like it.

Happy Cooking!

Campaign Against Financial Myths: 82 Myths Busted!

I subscribe to a blog that sent out a link to this very informative list of 82 financial myths busted.
It was very interesting. Not all of it was new information to me, but it's never a bad thing to review things you already know. If you're like me, you want to learn more about making smart financial decisions. Learn away!!!

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Fun in the kitchen and misc. stuff

Yesterday I spent some time in the kitchen and had a lot of fun. I went to a Pampered Chef party about 2 weeks ago and got motivated to cook and bake more. I have always enjoyed baking, but cooking isn't something I have done much of. I am always in a hurry when it's time to eat dinner, so I put something together quickly. I also lost the motivation to cook ever since we put our house on the market. Keeping the house in order and taking care of a toddler has taken most of my time. I know I could cook some during his nap, but I am normally ready for a break by then. I am hoping to change my bad attitude towards cooking. I checked out cookbooks from the library and am also using other blogs and the internet as sources for recipes. I wanted to share some of my finds with you. Yesterday I baked and cooked. I started off with blueberry muffins from Cooking Light. I changed the recipe slightly because I found a cranberry muffin recipe but only had fresh blueberries in the fridge. I also omitted the orange rind. Check it out: Fresh Cranberry Muffins. I have been receiving the Cooking Light magazine in the mail for two years, but I had never accessed their recipes online. I wish I had thought of this years ago. You don't have to subscribe to use their database and print recipes. Enjoy!!!

Next, I baked some chocolate chip cookies. Until a few years ago, I always made chocolate chip cookies. For some reason I was no longer able to get them to rise or turn out the way I wanted them to, so I started making cookie bars instead. I still love cookie bars, but this chocolate chip cookie recipe was great and probably one of the best I've made in my life.
These cookies are to die for: Schoolhouse Chocolate Chip Cookies. I love the blog where I found this recipe. This lady is a Christian, and she homeschools her 5 children (Do I ever admire her!!!). I don't remember how I came across this blog, but I am excited to follow it. Read her profile to see a cool fact about their house, and check out her posts. She has tons of good recipes and creative ideas. Go to: Pleasant View Schoolhouse.

My last task was to cook dinner. While at Fripp, I was looking through my mom's Good Housekeeping magazine and found a Baked Spaghetti Pie recipe. I have made a Paula Deen Spaghetti Bake in the past, but it was very time consuming, so I decided to try this easy recipe. I'm glad I did because Jeremy and I both enjoyed it. Samuel didn't, but that's ok. I have searched for it on the Good Housekeeping website. Since I can't find it, I'll type the recipe below. You won't be disappointed! The one thing I am going to do differently next time is that I'm going to add another layer of spaghetti sauce. That is I'm going to divide the spaghetti mixture in half. I'll put the first half in, add a cup of spaghetti sauce, put the second half in, and then add another cup of spaghetti sauce. I think it will be even better with that extra cup of spaghetti sauce.


baked spaghetti pie

Prep 30 minutes
Bake 25 minutes
Makes 6 main-dish servings

1/2 lb. spaghetti (1/2 box)
2 large eggs
1 container (15 oz.) part-skim ricotta cheese
3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
1 cup marinara sauce
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Cook spaghetti according to package directions; drain.
2. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350. Grease 9 in. glass pie plate. In large bowl, with fork, beat eggs. Stir in ricotta and 3/4 cup Parmesan until blended.
3. Add spaghetti to ricotta mixture and stir until well coated. Transfer spaghetti mixture to prepared pie plate; top with marinara sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and remaining 2 tbsp Parmesan.
4. Bake pie 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes for easier serving. Cut into wedges to serve.

After I put Samuel to bed last night, I watched a movie, which is something I rarely do. Jeremy was busy with business stuff, so I watched it alone. I don't know if you've seen World Trade Center. I don't keep up with movies, but I found it at the library and thought I would give it a shot. I was ready to turn it off if I didn't like it, which is one of the nice things about watching a movie at home. I have to admit that it's a tear jerker. I spent a lot of the movie with tears in my eyes, but I am happy that I saw it. It taught me to treasure every moment with my family and pray for my family. I won't say more because I don't want to give the movie away if you haven't seen it.

Lastly, Samuel started climbing down the stairs in the last few days. At Fripp they had a slide that Samuel went down a bunch of times, but the last time we visited the pool, he didn't want to go down the slide and climbed back down the stairs. I think that was all it took. Now he is climbing down our stairs. I will be nervous around stairs for several years, so I am always right by him while he climbs. I read in Parenting magazine that until 4 or 5 yrs. old children need to be watched around stairs. I don't think I would have thought it took that long for them to be sure-footed, but apparently it does. Our stairs are hardwood, and all I have to do is picture him hitting his head on the hardwood to get me to watch very closely.

That's all for now. Today has been uneventful since it rained most of the morning. No morning stroll for us. Now that it's cool I am taking him outside more after his nap. Hopefully the weather will hold up today for time outside. Samuel should be up from his nap very shortly since he's been asleep for 3 hours.

Have a good night! I don't have kitchen duty tonight because my aunt Faye and uncle Jack are visiting from Atlanta, and we're going to a Greek restaurant for dinner. More recipes to come though.

It's time to read!

I'm always saying how Samuel loves books, and yesterday afternoon Jeremy and Samuel spent some quality time on the couch reading books and laughing. Jeremy loves to make Samuel laugh, and I love to hear Samuel's adorable laugh. Here are some pictures I took of the two of them:





When I see Samuel "reading" books, I wonder what he's thinking or learning. I guess I won't know until he's older and speaking in complete sentences. Actually, a few days ago he did start saying a sentence- Bye Bye, Dada. He has said it several times since then. Jeremy and I were excited! Now I want to get him to change Dada to Daddy and Mama to Mommy. I wonder when he will start that? I always say Daddy and Mommy because I'm trying not to reinforce Dada and Mama. One day...

Monday, September 17, 2007

Lap Time and Egg Salad Sandwiches

This was an eventful day! First of all, it was cooler outside today, which made me happy!!! Samuel and I started Lap Time at the public library this morning. It's a 30-minute program full of nursery rhymes, songs, stories, and play time. It exceeded my expectations! Samuel seemed to enjoy it, which made me happy since this is a free alternative to other paid toddler programs in our area. Once Samuel is 2 or 3 years old, I might spend money on some sort of music class or gym class, but for now I'm going to save my money and keep going to the public library on Mondays.

This afternoon I did an inventory of my freezer and pantry. I was ashamed to see how much unused food we have in the house. Now I need to plan some menus to use up the food before I spend more money adding to the abundance we have. Since I wasn't up to the task of planning a big meal tonight, I decided to make egg salad sandwiches using a recipe I found in The Anne of Green Gables Cookbook. I checked out 5 cookbooks from the public library on Saturday, and I'm going to search for recipes that interest us. That way I'm not paying for a cookbook with only a handful of recipes that I would cook. I thought I would share the egg salad recipe with you. It's not like egg salad takes much effort or intelligence to put together, but I enjoyed having a guideline. I didn't follow it completely because Jeremy and I don't love celery, and I also don't like the idea of butter on my sandwich. I am happy to say that Jeremy was pleased with the recipe. Jeremy is quick to tell me if he doesn't like something, so I was happy to have found something that he likes!

Poetical Egg Salad Sandwiches

4 eggs
1 celery stalk
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon salt
a pinch of pepper
1/4 cup softened butter
2 tablespoons dried mint or parsley
8 slices of fresh bread

1. In a small saucepan cover eggs with cold water - at least 1 inch above the eggs. Place saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil.

2. Remove the saucepan from the heat and cover it. Let the eggs stand in the hot water for 25 minutes. Empty the hot water into the sink and fill with cold running water until eggs have cooled down.

3. Meanwhile wash celery stalk. Chop it into tiny pieces.

4. Peel the eggs. Add them with the chopped celery to a small mixing bowl and mash them together with a fork.

5. Stir the mayonnaise, salt and pepper into the egg mixture. Set the egg salad in the refrigerator.

6. Mix the softened butter with the dried parsley in a small bowl. Set aside.

7. Butter one slice of bread. On the other half spread the egg salad. Put together and cut in half.

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Plane crash in Thailand

Plane crash in Thailand kills 88 people- Read here.

I am praying for the injured and the family members of those killed. I also pray for God to be glorified through this tragedy.

As fragile as life is, I'm so glad that I have an eternal home in heaven. Hopefully you too know where you will spend eternity.

Have a good Sunday night!

We interrupt this program...

...to bring you some random facts. I was "tagged" by Amy in a blogging game, so here goes.

The Rules:
1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.
2. Each player starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write on their own blog (about their 8 things) and post these rules.
4. At the end of their blog, they need to choose people to get tagged and list their names.
5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

Here are my 8 weird facts/habits:

1. In 1995, I lived in China for 3 months through Furman's study abroad program. I studied Chinese for a semester at Furman before I decided to make the trip. In all, I took 3 Chinese courses. The best part about the Chinese course I took in China was that I was the only student and had class in my room. :) I met one of my good friends, Angie Gabb, through my trip to China. We had a blast together along with the other 11 Furman students. Part of time in China was a 2-week tour. I sure wish I could find my photos. If I do, I will post some of them.

2. I like mayo on my fries! I don't do this very often since it's very fattening, but I prefer mayo over ketchup on my fries.

3. I met Jeremy at a bowling alley. For some reason Jeremy loves to tell people that we met at a bowling alley... Our singles dept. at church had a bowling outing, and the girl that Jeremy was dating introduced me and Jeremy that night. I guess that could be a separate item if I wanted to go there, but I won't.

4. I walk and talk in my sleep. My neurologist in Atlanta said that I would stop by the time I turned 30. Well, that didn't happen. I could write a book of all of my nighttime adventures. I think the worst thing that has happened recently is that I woke up as I was opening our front door. That was a scary experience. I easily could have locked myself out since we have turn knobs, and it was locked. That would have been awful since Jeremy was out of town. Thank the Lord I woke up when I did because.

5. I hate sand! I'm not alone though. Jeremy also dislikes it. I don't like to have it on me. It makes going to the beach interesting. We are always in a hurry to rinse it off.

6. I love gum! I keep it on hand at home and buy the multi packs at the store. I almost always have gum in my mouth. (Amy, I'm sorry that I've chewed gum in front of you. I had no idea that you hated it.)

7. When I was teaching at Centennial and before marriage, I had a crush on Enrique Iglesias. This was way before he was known throughout the world. He has my exact birthday to the year, which was weird. I went to a concert in Atlanta and there weren't seats at this club. We all stood up. I was a few feet from him, and I swear that he looked me in the eye. Ask Amy Saunders. She teaches at Centennial and was with me. Ok. Enough of the childish talk and embarrassing moments.

8. I can't live without Diet Coke. I've been drinking Diet Coke since I was a teenager, and I am definitely addicted. I started drinking the Caffeine Free version recently, but I still need to have it on hand. I drink one a day.

Ok, I'm going to tag Amy (not the one that tagged me) , Kelley , and Holly. I look forward to reading your lists.

Saturday, September 15, 2007

A video and more pictures from Fripp

We enjoyed our week at the beach, and now we're home. I told Jeremy that now it's time for me to get some rest since Samuel was up at 7AM every morning, which is early for Samuel. (After 15 months of getting up in the night with Samuel, I treasure every bit of sleep I can get.)

Here are some more pictures and a pool video. Enjoy! (I've posted more photos on our Shutterfly page, which you can get to from the link in the right margin.)

Have a wonderful Sunday! We're excited to get back to our church since we were gone last Sunday.


Fun in the pool



family time in the pool


fun times in the raft


Father and son in the pool


Grand-Dad and Samuel playing in the sand


Samuel, Grand-Mom, and Grand-Dad posing


Father and Son posing


Mother and Son posing


Mother and Son in the pool



Samuel found a piece of driftwood that he loved to carry around.


Date night to Bonito Boathouse Restaurant- 9/14/07

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Jeremy's Birthday


Jeremy turned 36 yesterday. He's getting old. (Just kidding, sweetie.) Yes, his birthday is September 11th. Not a fun day to have a birthday now. Jeremy turned 30 on September 11, 2001, and he hasn't been too keen on celebrating since. The next year he said that we should just celebrate on the 10th or the 12th. We got him to celebrate on the 11th though. Here's a picture from the beach condo last night. Mom boiled shrimp for his birthday dinner and ordered him a cheesecake from Publix. (The letters ran a little on the way out to the beach.)

Happy Birthday, Jeremy! We love you!



Sunday, September 9, 2007

public library praise and plug

Tressa Gibby wrote me an e-mail today that made me think about how awesome it is to be able to check out books from the public library. Recently I've been reading more than normal, and I love being able to put books on hold just by going online and searching our public library catalog. No more looking through the shelves while I have a toddler wanting out of the stroller... I just love my public library! If you always buy your books, you should try the library. There are always some books that you want to keep in your personal library, which is understandable, but do you really need all of the books you buy? I have spent way too much money on books that I will probably never read again. Just a plug for the local library.

The book I have on hold right now is Summer by Karen Kingsbury. It's the 2nd book in her new series, and I can't wait to get my hands on it.

Happy Reading!

Fun at Fripp

Jeremy, Samuel, and I are having a good time on Fripp Island. We wonder if Samuel remembers being here last year.. We rented a golf cart this morning. We enjoy using a golf cart here since it's a small island. We've already been to the beach and the pool. We introduced Samuel to the deer on the way to and from the beach today. He learned to say "deer" and seems very interested in them. Jeremy and Samuel both took good naps today. Jeremy is trying to catch up on his sleep since he's been working 6 days a week and long hours.

This is a great place to relax! The only noise you hear is the sound of the waves crashing onto the shore. (This is a very peaceful place with no crowds.) We are right on the ocean, and last night we slept with the window open. It was cool out and nice to go to sleep to the waves...

Below you'll see a video and some pictures. The rest of the pictures I've taken are on Shutterfly. There is a link in the right margin.

More to come...




Picking up the golf cart

My two favorite guys


I love the beach!!!

This is so much fun!

Following in Mommy's steps by collecting shells.
He watched me pick up shells and rinse them off
in the water, and he started doing the same thing
for about 30 minutes. It was so cute! We are going
to put the shells in his room.

Thursday, September 6, 2007

Whirlwind

Samuel and I went to Pawleys Island for a long Labor Day weekend with Jeremy. Jeremy will stay at Pawleys until Saturday morning, but Samuel and I came home yesterday afternoon. Soon after we got home and I got Samuel down for a nap, I got a call from our realtor about a showing in an hour. I was thrilled to be able to show it while it was still clean and neat, so I packed some of our things back into the car to avoid having to unpack in a hurry. My mom and dad came over to bring over a chair that they bought for Samuel (photo to come in a few days) and to watch Samuel while I did a little bit of straightening up/cleaning. Mom stayed with us in the car during the showing, which lasted 40 minutes. Yes, 40 minutes. We were encouraged since most showings are 5-10 minutes. Their realtor says that they are interested and really liked the house. Now we will wait and see if we get an offer. Jeremy and I are praying for a contract soon either from these people, the people in Charlotte, or somebody else that has yet to see it.

Today I headed over to Bluffton, which is about a 40 minute drive, to return some shoes to Target that Samuel never got to wear before he outgrew them. I bought the next size up since I love them so much! If you click the shoe it will take you to the Target page.

I also had to return a shoe to Stride Rite, but I ran into a problem because I bought the shoes at a retail Stride Rite store, but the closest store to Beaufort is an outlet. When I got to the outlet, the clerk told me that he couldn't return them... I think I will try to sell them on eBay unless any of you would like to buy it. It's a Stride Rite Groov'n Stage 3 Dark Brown and is a Size 6.
It's a $46.00 shoe, but I only paid $24.99 for it. If you want it, let me know. Click on the shoe to go to the Stride Rite page.


Jeremy, Samuel and I leave for Fripp Island on Saturday afternoon, and my parents will join us on Monday. We are looking forward to this vacation, as Jeremy has been gone so much since July. We will have internet access, so I will update from the beach with pictures and videos.

I have lots of laundry, packing, and cleaning to do before we leave on Saturday, so I should go.

Have a wonderful day!