Holiday Time in the Virginia Hills

Christmas cousin dress-up time at Grandma's! We opened boxes and emptied stockings with matching jammies, outfits, and lots of other little delights.

We used up one gift right away...shooting skeet against the Blue Ridge back-drop. It was really mild weather for the end of December!

Family times always require special foods. This year's Christmas dinner ended with creamy cheesecake and homemade raspberry topping.

The hubby and I took a night away to celebrate 15 years of marriage. It was a couple months later than our anniversary but grandparents gladly kept the children. Unfortunately many of them and the cousins got a tummy bug while we were away meandering through art galleries and enjoying an elegant urban bed & breakfast.

The bigger family holiday gathering brought in more cheerful cousins. 
We toured the old homeplace Grandaddy-Great built as a field trip down memory lane (and learning experience for us younger ones.) 

We ripsticked and learned to ripstick. 
We skyped with missing family. 
We ate burritos, fruit, chicken, salad, cake, veggies, bread, snacks, and more. 
We climbed all over the playset. 
We balanced on the zip line. 
We looked at pictures. 
We dabbled on the piano. 
We played the name game. 
We opened money cards. 
We chatted, discussed, explained, and caught up.

Ah, family!

Charleston, SC Heritage

The week before Christmas we spent a few days at Grandmama's.

Almost all the local family came in Sunday afternoon for desserts. Hurray for seeing aunts, uncles, cousins, and cousin's children that live 1200 miles away. Lots can change in two years time, since our last visit, but some things are always the same...like food and family squeezed around Grandmama's table squeezed in her tiny house. And her southern big breakfast cookin'.

We mostly relax while we're visiting and thoughtful aunts usually bring over activities for the children. City living is quite a change for our country kiddos. We brought along roller blades to make use of all the available pavement, but unfortunately it rained during most of our stay.

One evening after the skies cleared, we ventured downtown (and that is an adventure for us...one way streets, ack!) and walked along the bay from The Battery to Waterfront Park. My parents have framed pictures of some of these special places Dad remembers well from childhood, and it is always sweet to me to be able to share the real life place with my own children -  their papaw's heritage.

We enjoyed more visits and gifts from family.

One morning we drove a few miles to the coast. The girls mostly got soaked, then chilly. It started to sprinkle just as we got de-sanded and situated in the vehicle for the ride back to Grandmama's.

For several hours we chatted about Grandmama's life in the 40's and 50's. What her childhood and young married life was like growing up in a different era, different setting, different circumstances. The oral history interview questions from The Well Trained Mind was completed during several sessions. Remembering can be taxing, especially the hard times, of which she endured many. Of course we learned fun tidbits too, like that she and her older brother won dancing contests at the local dance hall!

Praising God that Grandmama is still spunky in her 80's! 

And that He is the Great Redeemer!

Sweet C is Five

After much disappointment of not being able to edit my pictures any more, I am finally resigned to posting the raw, discolored, uncrisped photos as they turn out...

Cora turned five in December. She chose a daisy cake from The Cut up Cake Party Book that my mom passed on to me from which I remember picking cakes when I was little. Unfortunately the 6 containers of vanilla icing I picked up on sale after Halloween for birthday icing purposes revealed itself in a lovely orange color as we peeled back the silver seal. Hence the orange undertones in the following photos.

For her special supper she wanted to eat meatballs, taco salad, butter beans, and cheese puffs. In the grocery snack aisle she wavered from potato chips to cheesies,  to popcorn, to...before making a final decision!

You will have to tilt your head to view this pic because apparently the rotated pictures revert back to original when they transfer to the blog. Lovely. These are some of the reasons I have put off our family journaling for over a month. Messing with computers and not resolving issues is very frustrating to me. Perhaps the new camera wasn't such a great idea.

 Cora's goodies from grandparents: roller skates, C cap, fuzzy scarf, white tank, balloons, play food in a very fun bag, markers, pad, and tissues.

That is one delighted girl!

Shane's Birthday

More memory moments at Shane and Cindy's...

the girls' outdoor kitchen

mudpies in the 'oven' (fridge/dehydrator)

hours of imaginative play

Littles laundry assistance

Pasco asparagus for lunch

Riley & Hank rounding up the chickens

fixing a minor issue

Friday, May 17 Shane turned 37! Cindy had several families over for a rib dinner to celebrate.

ribs, mashed potatoes, salad, bread, birthday cookie, & cherry dessert

the (adult) crowd:
Dave & Carla, Steve & Jana , Martin & Rachel, Harvey & Lorna

a big rack

Hank and Riley had slept in various places outside almost every night. This night they opted for the front patio. A little better than the 1st night when they got thoroughly mosquito bit out in the shed and had a cat snuggling with them!

sacked out

December Delights

Art class: Learning one point perspective.

Baking Days: birthday cake, french bread, gingerbread cookies.

Violin Concert.

Christmas goodies.

1st fur buyer meeting of the season.