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Sunday, May 29, 2011

home improvements at the lake

While I was away in Florida with the new baby and family, we had help with a few things around the lake house. 
We had the yard graded, sodded and an irrigation system installed. 
Voila... our new lawn!
We also had the house painted, "Summerhouse Beige" by Sherwin Williams with semi-gloss white trim.
And... the "dog park" got a new layer of mulch, which the pups are loving! Comfy enough for Sharkey to lay around and hang out, and keep an eye on the neighbor dog. 
It's lookin' good at the lake house!

Friday, May 27, 2011

the "other grandboy"

We're babysitting this weekend... not 14 month old Carter, not newborn Nathan, but Greyson... the "other grandboy", the  min-pin chihuahua pup. He loves coming to our house, running around  the space that is so much larger than his 1 bedroom condo, hiding his toys upstairs like he's doing right now. 
Greyson and Carter waiting for the bath when we were all in HHI. Only Carter got to enjoy the warm bath btw.
Tomorrow we're headed to the lake so he can enjoy vacationing at the other house too.  Maybe... we'll even take him out on the boat. I hear he's a great swimmer!

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

two weeks in May

Since this blog is like a diary or journal for me, I wanted to account for the past 16 days, so I can remember all that went on...
We got the call that my daughter's water had broken at ~ 1:30am Sunday morning, May 8. It was Mother's day. We had had a dinner party with friends that Saturday night and I had just gone to bed at 12:30. We, my daughter Kelly and I, thought about getting in the car and driving down to Florida when we got the call, but I knew we would already be too late, and I was very tired and needed sleep. We packed to go that Sunday morning and Drew and I, Lincoln, Kelly and Carter, made the 7 hour drive and got to the hospital at 6 pm for visiting hours. Auntie Alex stayed behind for work and also took care of my 3 pups, thank you Alex! We got to see the new baby and my daughter and sil that Sunday evening. Little Nathan was perfect and so small at 6 lbs 11 ounces. We stayed for a while and then we headed back to their house to spend the night. We all stayed in Orlando and visited with them until Tuesday and then the others left to drive back to Atlanta and I stayed to help the new family out. Since this was an emergency C-section, they weren't completely prepared with everything they had wanted to do before the baby came home. So I vacuumed and cleaned, did laundry and changed sheets, went food shopping, and got the house ready for the baby's homecoming.
Wednesday through Saturday morning... I cooked and cleaned up, helped with the baby, and tried to stay out of their way enough for them to also have some private time. Thursday was my birthday and we had a special visit from Tricia and Greg, all the way from Puerto Rico, for a yummy pizza dinner. So good to see them! They may just have caught a bit of "baby fever" while they were here. 
Saturday morning I hopped in the car and headed over to Vero Beach...  as our original plan was to fly into Vero, spend the weekend there at the Vero Beach Hotel and drive to Orlando on Monday for the baby's scheduled arrival. My flight plans had changed, but my husband still flew in as planned and we had a wonderful weekend at the beach, celebrating our 33rd wedding anniversary. We drove back to Orlando together on Monday morning, Drew flew back to work on Tuesday morning at o'dark thirty, and I stayed.
Tuesday through Friday I was back to food shopping and cooking, cleaning up the dishes, helping with the baby and taking him for the morning shift so my daughter could get a couple more hours of sleep. My sil came home Monday evening from work, all excited about putting the house on the market so they could move to a bigger house. That was all the inspiration I needed to help them "stage" the house. I rearranged furniture, built shelves, cleared the clutter, and put the house in show ready shape. 
By Friday we all needed a bit of relaxation so we got out of the house and went to Winter Park for a nice outdoor lunch. It was May 20th, my daughter's 30th birthday and my 33rd anniversary! After lunch, we food shopped for a special birthday dinner meal, and cooked up a storm when we got back home. Beef tenderloin on the grill, Crab Cakes with remoulade sauce, Boursin cheese scalloped potatoes, grilled asparagus and zucchini and triple chocolate cake with whipped cream icing for dessert, yum! Dinner was shared with friends of theirs, Lindsay, Mike and baby Parker, 2 months older than Nathan. The day wore Krisitin out and off to bed she went. Saturday everyone slept late and we had a lazy day. I ran a few errands and bought some more food to cook some dishes to freeze and leave behind, Tortellini soup and Chicken tetrazini. Sunday, we all got out of the house, went to the park to take family pictures and then had Ryan's Mom and Brother over for dinner. That night I took care of the baby from 9 pm until 12:40, in between feedings, so they could get some sleep. 
Monday I flew back home to Atlanta. It was a long time to be gone, 16 days, but I loved being there with the new baby and I was happy to help them out. My daughter and I said a tearful goodbye at the airport, but I know I'll be back soon and often.  

Monday, May 23, 2011

I'm home after 2 weeks with the new grandbaby

It was such a special visit! I'm so glad I could be there to help my daughter settle in from her C-section delivery. She is doing great! It's heartwarming to see her with her new son. I loved being there for the first 2 weeks of his life, and I'm grateful to be able to experience it all with her and her husband. 
Of course I have to share a few more photos with you... isn't he the cutest thing?!
the proud parents
my beautiful oldest daughter
it looks like we found him on this park bench, doesn't it?
so sweet

Friday, May 20, 2011

30 candles

The new dining room location
A delicious dinner of barbecued beef tenderloin, crab cakes with remoulade sauce, boursin cheese scalloped potatoes, grilled asparagus and zucchini
followed by triple chocolate cake with whipped cream icing and strawberries
30 candles and birthday wishes come true!
Happy Birthday Kris, hope it was as special as you are!


Thursday, May 19, 2011

our attempt at professional photography...

...with a newborn as the subject. My new grandbaby is so sweet, both sleeping and awake. My daughter is deciding whether to hire a professional photographer to capture this special time. She and I both have good cameras and a 50mm lens, so yesterday we tried our own "professional" shoot. He's 10 days old, here are the results:







We had him naked for these photos. We switched to the brown blanket for a few shots to change it up a bit . It was just in time for him to pee on it. The photo shoot ended with bath time for Baby and a bit of laundry! 

Saturday, May 14, 2011

my first born and her first born


just precious!

Monday, May 9, 2011

What could be a better Mother's Day gift...

than a baby born that day to a first time mother! That's right, my new grandson decided he could not wait until his scheduled C-section delivery date of May 16. He arrived early in the morning on Mother's Day this past Sunday. What a surprise and a blessing! Momma, Daddy and baby are all doing quite well. 
Grandson #2, Nathan Brooks Morgan is perfect! We're all in love...

 Being born is exhausting!

Welcome to the family sweet baby boy!

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

our summer house

I always wanted a "summer house". A simple house with a screen door that slams with a smack as you go in and out. The kind where life is casual, slow and relaxing.  Where you can hang out at the water in your bathing suit all day long, snack on watermelon all afternoon and throw supper on the grill at night. Where you sit outside while the sun sets, watching the water glisten pink as the sun goes down.
Growing up on Long Island, my girlhood "summer house" was out east, at the beach. But as an adult, living in Georgia, my summer house is at Lake Oconee. 
 sunset view from the porch
the great room
my flea finds... the hand painted fish benches and dresser
the kitchen 
 gutted the original and installed new cabinets, appliances and the red oak floor
loft and hall to laundry room and bath
all the beadboard and trim was stained dark, slooowly, 4 coats later, we've been painting it all white
powder room
we changed out the sink, added beadboard and wallpaper
back door to lake
we added the pergo floor, another DIY
master bedroom
love this paint color!
2nd bedroom
beds for 4
downstairs bath
also a gut and redo
 the deck
It's been a labor of love. 
I don't think there's an inch we haven't touched with paint or elbow grease over the past 12 summers. Whoever originally painted that deck railing white, I'd like to have a word with them... yes it looks quaint and crisp, but the upkeep you can keep!  


back to laboring... :-)