I remember...

...picking berries with her. They were the biggest, sweetest berries. We always went walking - searching for berries or sweet gum off the sweet gum tree. We would chew it and put it in the refrigerator so we could have it later. I loved the smell of the honey suckle along the roads.

...gravy and biscuits...there's nothing like her gravy and biscuits. Nothing. Every single morning she had fresh biscuits and gravy on the stove. She always cooked every meal. We would have fried potatoes, okra, peas, cornbread, squash, fried apple pies, etc. She grew a garden her whole life. We would have cold watermelon on hot days and warm hot chocolate with marshmallows on cold days.

...bedtime stories. When we would we spend the night, we would sleep in the "yellow room". She always turned on the electric blanket a while before getting in bed. The feeling of sliding cold feet under warm sheets is unforgettable. She told the best stories. I loved the sound of her teeth :) My favorite bedtime story was Jack and the Beanstalk. She told it every time.

...feeding the pigs. We would ride in the back of the truck to the pig pen up the road. She always had old scraps to feed them. She loved animals.

...summer sausage and peaches. She always had summer sausage and cold, sliced peaches in the refrigerator. She would slice the summer sausage and heat it up. It was delicious. I always chose it for a snack.

...music. There was always some form of music at her house. The guitar, fiddle, banjo... We would always dance. I loved Wildwood Flower.

...the "pump house". She magically had tons of paper hidden away in the pump house. It was the old printer paper kind where you tear along the dotted line. She would make us hundreds of paper dolls.

...stray dogs. All dogs knew to come to her house if they were hungry or injured. She saved every one of them. We would keep them as pets.

...holidays. I miss holidays at her house. So much.

I miss her.

6 months later...

So 6 months has gone by since I've blogged. Here is what we have been up to lately.

Over the summer, Bella lost 2 teeth and Gavin attended bible school for the first time. He probably should have waited another year. He was very cute though.






Bella is a first grader. She doesn't love school as much as she did in Kindergarten, but she likes it. I asked her if she liked her teacher, and her response was, "Well...I don't know...I guess I will have to get to know her better." I love her. She looked very colorful for her first day. She is a colorful person - it only fit. :)

She always manages to remember her brother while she's at school. :)


Every once in a while, I get the chance to have lunch with Bella. I. Love. it.

At the first signs of cooler weather, we headed for a picnic in the park. It was sooo fun...I love these memories we are making. :)

We celebrated my birthday today. I'm 29! Geez, I'm old! :( I woke up to a new dust buster and a cake. We also went to our favorite donut shop and had donuts in our pajamas. My kids are adorable. ;) I even got to have lunch with my friend, Nicki! It was a great day!



I love shopping for Bella. Period.


Gavin is always cranky when he has to be woken up. He likes to sleep until 10:00, but I wake him up at 8:00 every day so he will take a nap with the other kids. He doesn't like it.

Seriously, it takes him like an hour to get over it. lol

We are moving! Here is where.