Thanks for a blooming great year!

you know how I love a home-made gift...so I assume that everyone else with any sort of taste desires the same. The girls and I made these flower pots for their various teachers (Camden's teacher received one also, even though he wasn't in on the crafting activity). Hopefully the flowers will bloom through the summer and then the pot can be used to hold the plethora of objects a teacher seems to collect. Just a small token of our deep appreciation for the teachers who endure the act of teaching to inspire our children.

Happy Mother's Day!

yes, I realize that this is a bit late, but when I have I ever gotten a gift to someone in a timely fashion. I hope that the festiveness of the gift helped with its delayed arrival...I think my mom and Miss Lou enjoyed their gifts. I know the girls and I enjoyed making it.


This idea was stolen from Pendy. Her daughter-in-law Ashley gave her a name picture for Christmas. I thought it was adorable, so I did some research on the internet and discovered that these items are rather pricey. So, I loaded the girls in the golf cart, grabbed my marvelous camera, and we headed off in the neighborhood to see what we could find. I thought we did relatively well considering this was our first attempt. We only had to cheat on the "L." You would think that this would be an easy letter to find - not really. Caelan was overjoyed to find the "R" sticking up in Pendy's yard.


Miss Lou's was a bit easier to do (fewer letters), but I thought the flower was a nice touch. They might not be the most professional pictures, but we were certainly proud of our handy work.

And the award goes to...

Camden for Honor Roll status for his 5th grade year! We are very proud of his academic accomplishments even if he earned his grades kicking and screaming. Definitely gets his logic from him father...if I could only get him to read!

Sorry the picture is so small...google chrome and I are just starting our relationship and I am definitely not the one in charge!

The S.S. Minnow...

We spent the weekend with David and Stacy during a recent baseball tournament. It was wonderful to have family literally two minutes away from the ballpark - this was especially helpful because it rained the first day of the tournament. Despite the rain, we did manage to take a spin at on the lake. While I look less-than-stunning in my windblown state, the children had a large time - especially Camden. Who knew he was a sailor at heart?

My first pound cake...

was a very large success! Not so much in that every member of the family thought it was the best thing that they had ever put in their mouths, but in the fact that it was truly LARGE! I enjoyed it with strawberries and even added MORE butter and toasted it for a lovely breakfast. After I had eaten half of the cake since the rest of the family was apparently bothered by a cake without icing, I decided that the next time I venture into the pound cake realm, I will make smaller cakes and freeze the majority so I won't be forced to eat the entire cake (which I could have done - much to the dismay of my hips).

A tiny dancer...

As May brings the year to a close, Mary Mauldin is set to star in her second dance recital. She doesn't remember her first one (she was three), so we are not sure if it counts. At any rate, her big performance is this Sunday and she is a bit nervous. The stage is much bigger than she imagined, the lights very bright, and the music is TOO loud. We will hope for the best and wish this tiny dance well for her debut (second time around)!

Big Dog turns 40!

It is sad to say, but Big Dog has joined me in the 40 realm! I can no longer say my husband is in his 30's! Holding true to Big Dog form, we had a small crowd to wish him well. Plenty of food (thanks to my mom) and a cooler of beverages to ease Marshall into his twilight years. Thanks to Shae and Brady for the entertaining gift of charred chicken wings - Brady's specialty from the grill. Here's to 40 more!

An Easter in Edison

Thanks to the rest of the Collins clan for a wonderful Easter. We enjoyed the bountiful spread, the engaging conversation, and the traditional egg hunt. Even though Caelan couldn't find her golden egg (all the grandchildren had a special money egg), we still enjoyed the day. Actually, Charlotte found the egg several weeks after Easter when she was watering her rose bushes. Obviously Caelan is not one for digging for eggs!