Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

greetings from the Blizzard of 09 in Oklahoma! No, the picture displayed was not taken from my grandparents backdoor (you know there are no trees in Oklahoma!). However, I did receive a wonderful new camera from Santa (because I have been so amazingly good this year) so truly stunning pictures will be posted when we return - and I finish reading the 230 page manual that arrived with the camera. Marshall did take a picture with his phone, but I don't have enough gray matter capable of transferring the picture from the phone-email to the blog...oh well, just imagine snow falling sidewides - we are having wind gusts up to 59 miles an hour and snow drifts of several feet...looks like a quiet evening at home waiting on Santa...Happy Christmas to all!

Yes Virginia, there is a penny...

The girls took this toy to Uncle Cranky and Aunt Pendy's house to entertain themselves during the recent Georgia/Georgia Tech battle. Actually the adults (specifically Erick) were more interested in finding all of the treasures. After what seemed like hours, (not really, but time stands still when you are in the midst of a treasure hunt) Erick declared that "there was no penny." Marshall agreed as he had already spent numerous hours attempting to find the elusive penny.

Well, the boys couldn't take it, so Marshall sawed the tube open only to discover that there was, in fact, a penny after all...so all is well with the universe!

Project 1-2-3!

We just thought we were finished with projects! After two weeks of Civil War activity for Camden's project, Mary Mauldin took to the table to create the perfect gingerbread house. I don't know the name of the technique (using tissue paper, a pencil, and glue) we used, but she mastered it very quickly. My only contribution was the snow on the chimney - the rest is Mary Mauldin's work. She can't wait to show Miss Mary Ann (her amazing art teacher) her holiday creation!

From Mary_project

T'was the night before Christmas...

actually many nights before Christmas, but I spent the day after Thanksgiving getting ready for the big event. All the trees are dressed and the teapots have special places of honor...at least my house will look good for the season before the madness of parties, gifts, cards, and baking hits full force!

Happy Fall, Y'all!

Once again the turkey was roasted (by Esco's, thank you very much) and the family rolled out for the annual Collins Family Feast! The children enjoyed the warm Southern weather and the adults did their best to clean their plates. We were especially pleased to have Miss Marshall, a.k.a. Great Mama, in attendance this year. Can you believe she is 95??? At 42 I have more wrinkles that she does! And please take note of the so-very-festive table decorations...Sandra Lee doesn't have anything on me! Happy Thanksgiving to all...

Stingray Soccer!

Caelan's first time on the playing field! Actual contact was made with the ball this season...but didn't she look good in her uniform!

View all

Get your own

Back at the drawing board...

Art lessons with Miss Mary Ann are under way.

This is Mary Mauldin's latest offering...

sunflowers in summer.

Back to school!

Summer is over and we are off to school! The girls are so excited - great teachers and friends in their classes. Camden is also thrilled (I know it is difficult to tell), but he has a great teacher and friends in his class - finally! He is no longer the odd man out...hopefully the smiles (all three of them) will continue through the year.

Happy anniversary to me!

Since we spent the summer traveling across the country, Marshall and I thought that we would spend a quiet evening at home for our anniversary. The strawberry pecan salad with wonderful, the pasta was fantastic, but the best part? Watching my 10 year-old clean the entire kitchen! Not only did he load and start the dishwasher, he cleaned pots and counters and even put the salt and pepper shakers back in the right spot. He also had some help from his little sister. Definitely an anniversary to remember!

The Secret Garden...

is in Melina's room! I spent a day in her room

adding a few flowers to coordinate with the

festive decorating Whitney displayed.

When I asked Melina if she liked the new view,

she offered her standard reply - "No."

Maybe they will grow on her...

Fun in the Sooner State!

few snapshots from the vacation...you can tell that there was never a dull moment during the week! Mary Mauldin spent time in the pool while Caelan and Camden explored the Omniplex with their cousins.

At the beach...

The results are in...Tifton Thunder is 4th in the World Series! The spent the day at the beach and we are off to enjoy the entertainment at Panama City and Pier Park. The children are currently riding go-carts and we are going to try a place called Boon-docks...we are heading home tomorrow.

What I did on my summer vacation...

is probably not what I would prefer to be doing (which is resting on the couch with a few books), but I will definitely appreciate the fact that I destroyed my kitchen "putting up" sandandy peas (this is probably not the correct spelling, but since these peas are incredibly difficult to find, I can spell it however I want!) and butter beans. A full freezer will provide much happiness this fall and winter. Who said a city girl couldn't adapt...Green Acres ain't got nothin' on me!

Watermelon anyone?

When it is too hot to venture outside if you aren't jumping directly into the pool, the girls decided to bring a little bit of summer into the kitchen. I remember making these watermelon cookies when I was younger (obviously many years ago). I am happy to pass along a memory to my little ones!

Summer sweets...

The girls took a stroll next door to Aunt Pendy's special blueberry bushes

and picked quite the harvest!

Everyone enjoyed fresh berries in our cereal for several days,

thanks to these sweet pickers!

From Blueberries

Our first summer job!

School is out and the girls didn't waste any time setting up their first lemonade stand. Of course, they are proud to boast that there is no other stand of this type on the golf course. Where else could you purchase a refreshing drink and an original piece of artwork by Mary Mauldin? The art came straight from the pages of her Big Circus coloring book and the girls sold out their first day in business. The grand total for the opening day - $10.00! And special thanks to Aunt Pendy for volunteering to be the first customer!

Bookworms are graduating!

The girls met again to discuss their latest book...check out the bookworms blog for more pics and a recap of the afternoon.

As a GA I will do my best...

to smile in all of these pictures and not twist and turn and look like I am bored and wish that I were outside eating ice cream and hope that my mom doesn't want to take any more pictures of me in this outfit!

A trip to the zoo...

From Chehaw_Park

Mary Mauldin's first (and last) field trip for the year was a trip to Chehaw Park in Albany. As you can tell by the pictures, we actually had some interesting animals to view...well, maybe not the best shot of the rhino, but not everyone can put their best face forward!

Folk art from the Deep South...

Mary Mauldin's latest art work...an exercise in diptych (imagine how that

word sounded coming from a six-year-old). Not only is she exploring her artistic talent,

she is also learning about wonderful artists - she studied Giacamo Balla today.

All thanks to the expert tutelage of her master, Miss Mary Ann.

Take me out to the ballgame...

So, we didn't bring home the BIG trophy, but congrats to Andrew and the Sluggers for their win in the Peach State tournament. The Thunder didn't roll as strong as we needed, but we did enjoy the weekend with the relatives because WE LOVE BASEBALL!

And the award goes to...

Mary Mauldin! She placed 1st in the K-2nd grade division of the Love Affair Children's Art Show. We were quite surprised since we thought we were going to take a photo of the artist and her work. We had no idea that we would need to stay for the awards ceremony!

The Thunder rolls again!

The Tift County Thunder baseball team rolled through the Diamond Dominator tournament this weekend to secure their 6th title win of the 08-09 season! The boys played five tough games (the first game a loss to a rough team from Jacksonville), but the boys held on through the weekend to face the Jacksonville Jackets in the championship game. The boys pulled off a victory of 7 to 2 against a tough opponent (so tough, the right-fielder had facial hair!) And aren't the cheerleaders too cute for words! The girls made signs and led the fans in Thunder cheers to bring home the ginormous trophy! GO THUNDER!

Truly was here...

and so were all of my dearest literary friends!

This month the Bluestocking Society read Tiffany Baker's The Little Giant of Aberdeen County (I highly recommend the read)...Truly was a protagonist of epic proportions, versed in a bit of herbal magic, all wrapped up in a magnificent quilt. To honor our literary wonder, we each brought our own favorite quilt (mine was the tablecloth, much to the dismay of Kaybo). And please take note of the festive table decorations...bottles were happily supplied by Shawn Watson, our resident Treasure Hunter (a.k.a. junk man by his wife). And thanks to Miss Magnolia for entertaining the girls with a bag of treats from the Dollar Tree. Bubbles are always a big hit! We had a lovely evening, as did our special guest, sister Sue. Hopefully we inspired her to start a bookclub north of the gnat line. We should all hope to be a amazing as the Bluestocking Society!

- til sock be snug! -

Happy Easter!

The morning started early as Caelan sneaked out of bed at 2:15 to see if the Easter Bunny actually left anything in the baskets...after she ransacked her sister's basket, she discovered the coveted Junie B. Jones journal...it took a great deal of stern direction to get her to return to bed...when it was actually time to move around, she was the first to push Mary Mauldin and Camden to their baskets...then we were off to church and then to Edison for lunch and a tense round of egg hunting...Caelan found the most "real" eggs, which I managed to lose before we headed home...hope your Easter was a memorable!

Go Braves!

and Happy Birthday to Cam! Thanks to a special invitation from Cam and his family, we joined them for the home opener of the Atlanta Braves...not too many pictures to share...we battled a two-hour rain delay, hail, and the crowds to cheer the Braves on to a win...actually, we left at midnight (this was before the extra innings needed for the win)...all-in-all a very eventful and entertaining evening!

Rain, rain, go away...

just a few shots to capture the deluge that dropped nine inches of rain on Tifton...so much rain that the buses could not run...no such thing as "bad weather days" in our school calendar...even though we don't know if we will have to make up the day, the children and I enjoyed sleeping in and listening to the rain (once I managed to convince Caelan it was safe to come out of the laundry room!)

We the people...

...in order to pass our Social Studies class, have participated in this very embarrassing production of the Declaration of Independence. The worst part was actually getting out of the car at school wearing my costume! Baseball pants, a linen shirt, and a jacket from the prop closet is not my idea of a stylish outfit!

The Collins Gallery is open!

Please join those on Eagle Drive (that would be our family and the faux grandparents) as we celebrate the premier showing of MMC's artwork (please note the festive, and quite artistic, signature on the paintings)...perhaps we have a Monette in the making!

The future is so bright...

Mae Mae had to get new shades! She is thrilled with her stylish new glasses and is working on her glamour smile and bookworm expression...all she needs is a pencil in her hair and a long black dress...

Future Gym Dog?

well, maybe not, but at least she looks good in her new tumbling outfit!

Where the wild things are...

After the first nocturnal outing for the cats, a serious slumber was in order. To say that the cat did not move from this position for at least four hours might be a gross understatement. Apparently roaming with the wild things is very exhausting!

The Bookworms make a rainbow!

The girls led the worms in a colorful creation of rainbow cakes at the March bookclub meeting. Thanks to the expert tutelage of Ms. Kaybo, Caelan and Mary Mauldin helped their friends create beautiful rainbows. Even Camden got in on the rainbow action!

Thunder Baseball!

We have returned from quite the weekend in Dothan, Alabama. Thunder Baseball traveled west to play in a tournament on Saturday and Sunday. The games on Saturday were hard-fought and we came away with two victories. The children wanted to spend some time in the "indoor" pool at the hotel...I think the screams are still reverberating in my ears from the soundproof pool room! The highlight of the trip was Brant's birthday introduction at Logan's Steakhouse...he was quite the trooper to brave the embarrassing "yahoo" shouted in his honor. And Camden even managed to pitch an a bit, despite the cleverly disguised cast (he did pass the umpire inspection). The game on Sunday morning will go down in Thunder history as the boys rallied back from a 8 to 1 losing score to beat Lee County 13 to 12. However, the Thunder stopped rolling when the Longhorns arrived...we lost 13 to 4 and we headed home...all-in-all a very eventful weekend!

Making a rainbow!

Thanks so much to Miss Kaybo for our initiation into the Rainbow Cake sorority! The girls (big and little) enjoyed the mixing of colors and became quite territorial over which colors were "theirs." While the process was rather messy (plastic cups and spoons are a magnificent invention), the finished product was quite stunning. I was very impressed by the vibrant colors and the girls were very captivated by the tasty finale. I would highly recommend this activity to anyone with children of all ages...it might look like a disaster in the making, but I promise that the cake is well worth the mess! Thanks again Kaybo...we will treasure this memory...

The bone crusher!

Apparently Camden gets his athletic ability from his mother...please take note of the "before" picture of the stunning skill displayed...and then in the "after" picture you will notice Camden is sporting a smashing (pun absolutely intended) black cast...he is thrilled with his new accessory...just what until it

starts itching!

Happy Birthday Dr. Suess!

and thanks so much for your magnificent tongue-twisting tales! The girls celebrated this iconic author by dressing as one of their favorite storybook characters. Caelan choose to emulate Junie B. Jones as she is almost a flower girl in her aunt's wedding. Mary Mauldin attached a bow to every surface to make herself just as glamorous as the famous Fancy Nancy. I hope this inspires everyone to grab a book (or at least a boa!).

Another one bites the dust!

Snaggle tooth for certain! Caelan pulled

out another tooth at school today.

We certainly hope that the tooth fairy

is quiet when she visits tonight...

last time Caelan almost caught her

in her bedroom...the Tooth Fairy

must be getting slower in her old age!

Tomato Girl lives on...

O.K. So I need to add to my original opinion of Tomato Girl. I still think it is quite a disturbing tale (and hope that not all of the disasters could truly be found in one family), I did enjoy the lively conversation provided by my beloved book club - The Bluestocking Society. And many thanks to Jean for the wonderful meal and the interesting momento of the tomato plant. While I am sure that I will not have the green thumb of Tess, I do find it interesting that my husband can now say that he has his own Tomato Girl!

Winter Park Warriors!

Camden and cousins are
ready to tackle the slopes...
hopefully Granddaddy will
be able to keep up!
(Camden is the one sporting
crimson and gray)

A Movement of Moths...

Mary Mauldin completed her first piece of art work under the
expert tutelage of Mary Ann Cox. Mary Mauldin is quite
proud of her first watercolor. She would like for you
to take special notice of the moth that is flying
off the canvas...apparently not a still life painting!

Happy Presidents' Day!

How did you spend your Presidents' Day weekend? The girls fell to their best talents...painting and texting Daddy...Caelan did manage to squeeze in 7 Junie B. Jones books in between messages to her Daddy!

Book Worms are Toothless!

Caelan and Mary Mauldin joined the other book worms on Thursday, February 12th to enjoy sweet treats and discuss their latest book. Thanks to Miss Christy and Caroline for hosting a wonderful evening. Many favorite parts were shared, lots of sweet treats to taste, and some very interesting opinions on what exactly the Tooth Fairy does with all of those lost teeth.

The tooth toe ring was probably the most bizarre...right up there with grinding the teeth to make fairy snow. Such is the imagination of a child...

Sooner Sweets!

A wonderful package arrived today...sweets from Nana! Unfortunately our wretched mother will only let us eat one sweet a day. Mary Mauldin is still trying to argue that the Hersey's Mega-Kiss is still just one sweet...the compromise was the tip...thanks again, Nana...it is a great way to start the Valentine's Day festivities!

The wheels come off?!

Another rite-de-passage for the Collins clan! Caelan has tossed aside her training wheels and is terrorizing the neighborhood (and the golf course) with her stunning display of two-wheeled antics. She has even mastered the monster speed bumps in Uncle Cranky's drive way!

A night at the spa...

Grendel and Ophelia have taken (sort of) to the mandatory bathing...Grendel actually purred during one spa treatment...and Ophelia has stopped turning flips in an attempt to escape...who said a cat didn't like water?

Happy Birthday to Mary Mauldin...

New members to the clan...

yes, I know it is shocking that I have actually allowed felines back into our clan...I am obviously suffering from mental lapses...or I have been overcome by the fumes from the litter box...buh!