Sending Love From Alabama

HAPPY 30th BIRTHDAY SON

We love you and miss you so much

Josh "Through the Years"

Do you know how to spell........

SCUPADINE

Courtney and Lawson came home, for a few hours, Friday to attend a funeral. When we returned home, from the funeral, John and Lawson changed clothes quickly so they could go outside and play before the trip back to Birmingham.

Lawson loves to eat off the scupadine vine that our neighbor has between our yards. Law eats the scupadines skin, seeds and all. John spends time showing him how to spit out the skins and seed and he can do it correctly but we assume that he thinks that is too much trouble.

Today was another rainy day and I thought I would write a post to keep for a day when it was needed. Law eating the scupadines Friday made me remember these pictures that I took back in August.

I decided to publish the post now after this happened

I can't believe that I am about to tell this but luckily

I don't mind laughing at myself

Let me start by saying that I have always thought of myself as a good speller

Really I am!

That having been said.........

I have always heard of this fruit that Law was eating

I thought I understood what people were saying when they called it by name

I decided maybe I needed to double check my spelling before I started this post

so I..........

Went to edit on my computer and typed in the word

Not going to tell you how I spelled it

This is humiliating enough

Here is what happened

Encyclopedia

Returned no results

Did you mean scuffing?

Dictionary

The word you entered is not in the dictionary

Click on the spelling suggestions below:

1. stuffing

2. Scheveningen (huh?)

Thesaurus

The word you entered is not in the thesaurus

**not even a suggestion**

so I went to my old standby that treats me right....

Search the Web

Typed in my spelling for this fruit

Your search returned no results

had an idea

went back to

Search the Web

typed in

muscadine

and there it was

mentioned in a sentence along with muscadine

SCUPADINE

I will make sure that Lawson pronounces it correctly

****blog spellcheck does not like the way I spell muscadine or scupadine****

WARNING WARNING This house protected by Guard Lizard

Just in case somebody might decide to come to my house and do something they shouldn't........my front door is still being watched by

"GUARD LIZARD"

When I took the close up shot of Guard Lizard he rolled his eyes at me.

Just like my kids did when they were tired of the picture session.

Amen...Whoo Hoo...Roll Tide...Yea......

Can you think of any other expressions?

I think the text message I got this morning explains the title of this blog.

Anna, the Lawson family is soooo proud of you!

I am already missing the celebration that Cathy and I would of had but I bet Cathy has all the angels in heaven celebrating right now.

After all, the sun is shining!

Raining in "Biblical" proportions

I heard this statement made by an ESPN announcer during the Alabama game Saturday. It has been raining in biblical proportions in Alabama this week. The Auburn game had not even been on yet! Did you see that rain coming down at 7:00? But you know football fans in the state of Alabama.... a little (err... lot of ) rain won't stop us!

I firmly believe that everything happens for a reason. I am sure that God has a plan for all this rain and we may or may not ever know what is his reason. That having been said..........

I am so tired of rain!

The only sunshine I saw this weekend was in the smiles of my grand babies.

Mother Nature has been decorating my yard this week

I went out to take one or two pictures of the mushrooms and discovered
all the different varieties

Bailey seems to be tired of the rain and Labs love water!

You know that I live in the country so I will put an alert on my blog if I see animals running by in twos!

Brady and Kim

Happy Anniversary

THEN- 11 years ago today

NOW- 2 months ago

A Big Win

Southern Arkansas played West Alabama last night in Magnolia.

John and I tried to find it on the radio with no luck.

We went to bed without knowing anything about the game

At 11:40 we got a text message from Josh.

John was asleep

I had to wake him up and read it to him

It said

Just won 38 to 30 in 5 overtimes

We haven't talked to Josh but I bet he is one happy coach this morning!

Guard Lizard

We have always had lots of lizards around our house. They love to hide behind the window shutters, hide in my ferns, and they really love the pool house. It seems like everywhere I walk around our house I see a lizard sunning or a little head will pop out to look at me. Sunday, as I was about to go in the front door of our house after church, I went to put my hand on the door handle and realized there was a lizard sitting inside the crook of the handle. I put everything down and looked close......and the little bugger didn't move. It turned its head and looked at me but didn't look a bit phased that I was an inch away. So, I took my camera out of my purse and took a picture. I could swear I saw a lizardy smile as the flash went off. I just didn't have the heart to shoo him away so.......I gathered up my purse, Bible , umbrella and the bag with G-Mama's dirty clothes.....wobbled back down the brick steps in my Sunday heels, walked up the uneven stone walk and went in the backdoor. I guess that is what you do when you have a lizard guarding your front door!

DO YOU REMEMBER

* I remember when I just happened to turn on the tv and realized that something was happening

* I remember picking up the phone and calling Cathy to tell her to turn the tv on in her office because something was happening in New York.

* I remember just about the time she got her tv on in her office that a plane flew into a building

* I remember us telling each other, in that strained I want to cry voice, that something was wrong

* I remember thinking about Courtney, who was to fly home that day from North Carolina

* I remembered that she had called earlier to tell me she had just got the call that her new job was New York City!

* I remember watching the people running away from the Twin Towers

* I remember that Courtney could not get home because the airports were closed

* I remember Courtney calling and saying that all the rental cars were gone

* I remember crying

* I remember Courtney called to tell me that several of the Stockamp people had rented a U-Haul truck to get home.

* I remember those towers falling!

* I remember praying

* I remember that Alabama did not play football that Saturday.....and I didn't care

* I remember Brady and Kim walking into church that Sunday morning with, 7 month old, Emma. Emma was holding a flag that they had gotten at a memorial service in Tuscaloosa and she would not put it down.

* I remember, hearing sobs, as I sat on my bench in church. I looked to see who it was.....it was Courtney seeing Brady for the first time since it had happened.

* I remember Courtney flying out of Birmingham on the first flight to New York City after 9-11

* I remember the first Alabama ballgame after 9-11. Both teams walked out in silence and stood on the sidelines with their helmet under their arms.

* I remember Cathy and I sobbing as we sang the National Anthem

* There are many more things that I remember

Never Forget

I had asked for a flag pole for my birthday which is in October. I told John last week that I would love to have it up by 9-11. I have flown a flag since 9-11 but about a year ago a bad storm blew my flag and wooden pole away and we decided to get the real thing to replace it. My sweet husband put the flag pole up for me Monday and we raised the flag in honor of 9-11.

NEVER FORGET

Teresa Howell and I went to visit Courtney in NYC the December after 9-11. I put this flag on the fence that surrounded Ground Zero. My church, Central Church of Christ, was leveled by a tornado the month after 9-11. This flag was in the rubble. Robert Newton climbed in and got the flag for me so I could put it on the fence with a note from our church. As I was putting it on the fence, with help from Teresa, a man was nearby playing Amazing Grace on a flute. I still remember that moment in time.....everyone was so quiet......big crowds...but very quiet.....as Amazing Grace floated through the air.....a very poignant moment.

I WILL NEVER FORGET

What did you do on..........

09-09-09

at

We were on our way to the zoo

These hogs were hiding when we looked at the exhibit. The trainer/feeder came up as we were leaving and called them up for Lawson. He told us that their names were Star, Spangled and Banner. They were born on the 4th of July!

Lawson loved the "mingos"

Tuesdays with MeMe

Precious CargoMei-Anna Porter and Abby Claire

When I talked to Emma after she got her braces I told her that I would give her some money to get everybody a milk shake. Back when Courtney had braces we would make shakes at the house on the days that she got adjusted. Of course, we did not have the luxury of TCBY or Mc Donalds as Emma chose. Kim was making pictures Tuesday so we stopped by McDonalds for the promised milk shakes and a little play time.

My Heart is Very Sure......

That the most beautifully painted and most elegant poem in any Hallmark card could not touch my heart like these little messages.

Emma left this message on the frig for me this summer

Written on a scrap corner of our church bulletin. A dear friend passed this to me one Sunday during church, about 3 years ago, during a very sad time in my life. It still makes me smile.

Abby's thank you for her birthday present

John has left little messages for me all our married life

And of course

our modern day version

of a little note