i am an aunt again!

i have a another niece!!!
(we love girls in our family) :)Audrey Laine

(sorry the picture is blurry - it's taken with a cell phone)
born this morning at 4:15 AM
7.9 lbs and 19 inches long

Heather left revival service early last night.
I texted her until the wee hours of the morning.
Chris had to work 3rd shift - no time off accumulated.
and he had to quickly finish a construction job this morning.
I didn't feel comfortable going alone.
but you can bet your biscuits,
we are headed to the hospital in a few minutes.
can't wait to get my hands on her.
and my camera in her face. :)
(more pictures coming very soon)

CONGRATULATIONS SWAIN & HEATHER!

picking and grinning

when Chris has been available,

he has been 'sitting in' with the Gipson Family
and playing the dobro with them at their concerts.he has enjoyed the extra-picking time
and the practice too. ;)

husbands kayak. girls chat. kids play.

a few weeks ago,

Chris and his buddy, W, kayaked on the local river.
so, W's wife and I met up at Chick-Fil-A for lunch.then headed to the botanical gardens.
to chat. catch up. share.
and take care of a little business
in gathering thoughts for an upcoming event.and of course,
we walked around the gardens with her sweet kiddos.fed stale bread to ducks and fish.rang the big bell.
enjoyed each other's company.
and savored the moments of lovely spring weather.

summer is on the way!

I love grilling.

and can't wait to do more of it.so glad Chris enjoys it as well.
he likes trying new things.
(he mixed a concoction of seasonings for this shrimp)
he's definitely becoming quite The Grill Master

enjoying the longer, warmer evenings

a few weeks ago,

we and our friends, Brian and Casey,
went to the local botanical gardens
for a picnic of chicken salad and pimento cheese
we had fun strolling through the gardens
playing frisbee
laughing at this and that
and generally, just having a good time.

Casey pretending to be scared by something
in this dark stone "cave". :)
cute little love birds
uh, Brian?
he had to go.
and Chris was in the men's.

crazy, fun times!

shopping gals

we hit the mall together with my mom (she's taking the picture)
to find new dresses for Easter Sunday.
it was a lot of fun.
laughter in the dressing room.
mom and Heather speeding on I-85.
getting donuts from DD!

what's up with silver models?

thrive

when i snapped this picture,that's the one word i thought of ...

thrive.

just writing this wears me out.

you see.
late one Friday afternoon.
we had a hair-brained idea.
to drive 45 minutes.
just over the NC state line.
meet friends.
hike together to see Whitewater falls.
after hiking .5 miles to this lookout,
we should have stopped.that wasn't such bad idea.
fresh air. exercise. and gorgeous view.
actually that would've been a good idea.however, one of the guys suggested we hike
the other mile to the bottom to see the view from there.

do you noticed?
it got dark quickly.and we had to hike out
another mile
up hill
through mountainous terrain
in a hurry
with two kiddos
as daylight was rapidly fleeting.

not a good idea.

we totally over-did-it.
and my leg muscles reminded me of this mistake
for several days following this 3-mile crazy adventure.

as requested

recipe for

ham quiche

ingredients:

1 (9 inch) deep dish pastry shell
1/2 cup of milk
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (sharp is best)
1/2 cup of mayonnaise
2 TBSP all-purpose flour
1 cup cooked ham, diced (I used canned)
1 cup shredded swiss cheese

bake pastry shell at 400 degrees for 3 minutes.
remove from oven and prick with fork.
return to oven and bake 5 minutes longer.
remove and cool on wire rack.
combine mayonnaise, flour, eggs, and milk.
mix thoroughly.
stir in ham and cheeses.
pour into quiche shell.
bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes.

ta-da. you've got ham quiche! enjoy.
(thanks to my 'favoritest' aunt Nancy for sharing this with me)

the great son-in-law

Chris might give his dear mother-in-law a hard time.
And enjoy aggravating her to no end.

But, he does love her.
Last week, he and I labored a few hours
pressure washing mom's house and
the week prior he had cleaned out her gutters as well.so there's the proof. in a picture.
he's a great son-in-law.
if I do say so myself.

a fierce game of miniature golf

we met friends in Pigeon Forge for Easter weekend.
we hung out together.
shopped a little at the outlets.
played card games at the cabin.
had an interesting meal with a unique waiter at TGI Fridays.
strolled the streets of Gatlinburg.
avoided the 'Burger King with a stench.'
settled for Wendy's even though the frosty machine was down.
A spilled his drink twice in one meal
and cut himself on a souvenir knife.
and we had a fierce game of miniature golf at Ripley's.

hole-in-one for A!

and a hole-in-one for H.

concentration is the key.
stick your tongue out if you have to.the pro's pose.and two crazy golfers we found.

needless to say, a FaBuLoUs time was had by all.
can you tell?

Gaither concert trip re-cap

we had easy travels to and fro.

Chris' uncle, E, escorted us all together in the minivan.
we stopped for Sonic dinner.
and then attempted to hunt down some bobby pins
so I could pin up my curled hair.
(I left my little case of pins at home)
waited in traffic ... too long.
the guys dropped us girls off at the door
so we wouldn't miss anything.
and they hunted down a parking spot.
we saw some unusual picketing going on.
we found our seats.
then decided we'd rather sit in un-sold balcony seats
where we wouldn't be so crowded.
and closer to the stage.
so we switched.
we screamed and yelled for our favorites.enjoyed the Gaither Vocal Band set.
Charlotte Ritchie was singing solo.
Buddy Greene was a hit!I, of course, soaked up all the David solo moments.
the Isaacs showed off family harmony.
and my cousin, L, was happy to see Marshall
filling in for Michael English.we thoroughly enjoyed the concert.
on exit, I had trouble keeping up on the 4-5 block walk to the car.
it was windy and chilly and all the group was in a hurry.
but, I was 'crippled' due to sore muscles
from hiking 3 miles the day before.
we finally made it to the car.
and safely arrived home around 1 AM.the Gaither concert trip was a great success.
can't wait for the next one!

what's the result?

of a crazy, bluegrass fan yelling and applauding
after the musician takes a 'lead'?the musician, Josh Williams grins and smiles

by the way, he is the 2009 IBMA guitar player of the year.
so of course, he "wore" it out!and so did this mandolin player.Bluegrass Under the Stars 2010

spring blooms

not sure of the proper name for this flower.
I've heard my mom and granny call it thrift.beautiful camellia bush:the day we "looked" at our house before buying.

these irises were blooming everywhere.
100's. literally.
we've thinned them out in the front flower beds
to make room for other flowers blooming other times.
but they sure are beautiful.
and made a big impression that day

now the dogwood tree is blooming.
and the azaleas have blooms as well.
and I spotted a red tulip bud.

the last pictures from the beach

girls at miniature golf

mama and son chilling on the beach

the boys on the beach together

Robin shot a hole-in-one! yay!

the Johnson family at Cheeseburger in Paradise

today's the day

and the two shall become one ...

today. at 2 PM.congratulations, Brian and Casey.
you two are special to me and Chris.
and we love you both.may God bless your marriage

and give you many happy years together.

sweet Sam (a post for Beth)

here are the pictures I snapped of Sam

at the beach.

enjoying his thumb:taking a nap on the beach:"get the camera out of my face, or i'm going to take it:"playing with my sunglasses to avoid a nap.
not looking at the camera:becoming the next Einstein:posing like a big boy. sitting up alone.
of course, his mom is behind him for precautionary measures.Beth, I plan to upload them to Wal-Mart.com
and print them to your local store.
but, I'm not guaranteeing that to happen in the near future. :)

bocce ball

a new discovery.a fun beach game.tossing balls several feet.attempting to land closest to the little white ball.