I'm going...

with a group of girls ages 9 to 53.

There will be sighs. Maybe even tears. Most certainly squeals of delight that it's finally here.

Yep, we're off to see New Moon tonight. And I can't wait!

How much is that (kitty) in the window?

It's free, I tell you, free!

Yes, Autumn's kittens are ready to fly the coop, and so is Autumn. She had gotten used to being an outdoor cat, with plenty of freedom to run in the woods behind our house. For the past couple of months, she's been stuck inside the house, having to tend to her babies (we all know what that can do to a mother, don't we?).

I'm fairly certain that is not a look of contentment on her feline face, having the life sucked out of her by those five little furballs...



Now that they can eat "real food" (i.e. kitten chow), Autumn runs away from their teething mouths, only stopping to nurse when they catch her at the right moment.


A couple of the more persistent ones have even tried to nurse on Ellie...hysterical to watch!

Watching these little guys grow has been such a great experience for our family. But now the time has come to find them a new home. We have agreed to keep one of the kittens, Mamaw Kay is taking the two black ones that are always snuggled up together, and we are actively looking for homes for the other two. Any takers?

Look at those sweet little faces:

The striped one is Casper, Gabe's favorite.

These two are Mamaw's favorite. The black kittens are Shadow, Boo, Coffee and Choo-choo (named by Isabel and her friend). I think Mamaw may rename hers, and that's just fine.

I've got a great vet that I can recommend.

Aren't they adorable?

A sweet, furry little kitten would make a great Christmas present, you know!

I Survived EE '09!

And I can't wait to do it again next year!

Meeting women that I have blogged with for over a year was an amazing experience. Doing it in the mountains of Tennessee made it even better (that's what she said).

Because I'm just too lazy to link up to all their wonderful blogs, I'm going to give you their names and see how many you know. They're almost all on my sidebar...you can check them out from there.

(L to R, top row: Shannon, Melissa, Kat, Brandy, Denise, Lula and me.

Bottom row: Angie, Jane, Angela, Lizzy, Cara and Shelley)

We had been planning this trip for months; when I got the email from Shannon and Angie inviting me to be a part of Estrogen Extravaganza, I didn't hesitate. I had already met a few bloggers in real life (Catherine, Jennifer, and Lula). I knew it would be a great time. So when I loaded up my van and drove five hours to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, I wasn't even nervous. I chatted with a friend, listened to my Glee soundtrack, listened to a book on CD, and sometimes just enjoyed the silence as my van burned up the 317 miles to the cabin.

Once I got into the mountains, the Queen Navigator, also known as Angie, guided me turn-by-turn to the driveway of our chalet.

Immediately upon opening my van door, I was greeted by these girls that I had only ever blogged with. Hearing their different voices (and accents) was incredible, and we were all so excited to be together for the first time!

If you're wondering what on earth we did for the whole weekend, let me tell you...

We gathered around the dining room table, cracking up over YouTube videos...

We rehashed the scariest parts of the movie only four of us were brave enough to see (Paranormal Activity...Lula was dying to see it, so Cara, Brandy and I loaded into her car and ventured to Knoxville to be scared to death!)

We played 80's Scene It, watched Space Camp and Trublood, and laughed 'til we cried over the silliest things...

We learned some new things from the preacher's wife (and that's ALL I'm saying about that!)

It's amazing what you can demonstrate with a can of crescent dough. Okay, really, that's all I'm saying about it, I promise, Melissa.

While some of us braved the insanity of the Outlet malls, others enjoyed the scenery and went horseback riding. I got some great deals, they got sore behinds. Just sayin'...

We ate, a lot. Although not as much as we had planned, since we all took home lots of leftovers. We had Mexican night, we ate out at Olive Garden and Hard Rock and the Chop House, and of course no trip to the mountains is complete without breakfast at the Apple Barn (a bit disappointed in the food, though, I gotta say).

Here's Lizzy, modeling her mad baking talent...

Apple fritter, anyone? Yum!

We scared off a table full of grumpy ole folk with our laughter at the Apple Barn, which made us laugh even harder...

Overall, the weekend was a smashing success. The traffic was a bit much to deal with (we were so afraid Denise would miss her plane), but that just made the decision to stay through Monday next year that much easier, dontcha think, girls?

My favorite memory of the trip?

Watching Lula, Cara and Brandy at Paranormal Activity. I knew when the scary parts were going to happen, so when I sank low in my seat and covered my eyes, Lula knew it was time to hide behind her pillow.

Yes, I said pillow. She brought her pillow all the way from Pennington Gap to Knoxville, just to protect her at the movies...

(Look closely and you'll see Cara and Brandy hunkered down in the background).

To anyone who has yet to meet a fellow blogger in real life, let this post be an encouragement to you. Meeting people online can be scary, but for this bunch of mommy bloggers, it was a great experience!

Thank you so much, Shannon and Angie, for planning such an awesome weekend! You girls rock!

Digging my way out...

from under the suitcases, bags of clothes and other Christmas purchases, not to mention all the dishes in the sink (I think every single cup in this house was dirty).

I promise I will tell you all about my amazingly fun trip to Tennessee with these women:


As soon as I can find my camera cord. I'm sure it's here somewhere...

Estrogen Extravaganza!

After months of planning, it's finally here!

A big group of blogger friends are driving, flying, hitch-hiking their way to the mountains of Tennessee to have the weekend of all weekends...truly an Estrogen Extravaganza, named by Shannon and Angie.

Food, conversation, scary movies (Paranormal Activity on Friday the 13th, anyone?), more food, shopping, tattoo-getting, horseback riding, more shopping, hot tubs, more movies, scrapbooking, mixed in with finally meeting in-real-life these girls who I have blogged with for over a year.

I'm a bit excited, can't you tell?

I'm sure I'll have MANY blogworthy photos upon my return...can't wait to share them!

This baby...

I have followed his story since before he was born.

It captivated not only me, but bloggers around the world.

Even my kids recognize his face on my computer, and ask how Stellan is doing. All they know is that his heart is sick, and he needs our prayers.

What I know is this: this baby has touched my heart. His miraculous birth was amazing to read about. His mother's faith is something I strive to achieve in my ordinary life.

What I don't know is this: how do you face the daily possibility of losing your son, your baby, your sweet little boy?

I think this is why Stellan's situation weighs so heavily on my heart and mind. Reading Jennifer's blog every day, admiring her beautifully photographed children, praying for Stellan when he's sick and rejoicing when he is healthy...it brings the whole thing home to me, right through my laptop.

Please join me in praying for Stellan this week, but especially now through Tuesday, when he undergoes another attempt at an ablation to fix his heart arrhythmias. Pray for strength for his parents, wisdom and compassion for his physicians and nurses, and for a complete healing for this little guy's heart.

He may not be our son, but he is someone's beloved and cherished baby boy, and he has worked his way into so many hearts. Please let his be healed.

Broken feelings

(Photo from 2008)

Usually, Elijah and Gabe play really well together.

Today was an exception.

Gabe wanted to play hide and seek; Elijah wanted to jump on the trampoline. Unfortunately, Gabe's two little buddies wanted to play with Elijah. Gabe was crushed.

He came into the house, tears flowing, sobbing his little heart out on my shoulder.

After a snack and some mommy time, he calmed down.

Then he turned to me and said, in the saddest little voice, "My feelings are still hurt from 'Lijah. I think they're broke."

Awww, poor little guy. A few hugs, some pizza and a Scooby-doo show and now things are better.

Broken feelings have a way of mending, eventually. Such a tough lesson, though.