4th of July...Celebrating Supermen

In honor of the 4th of July, I want to take the time to remember and do something special for the Servicemen, Supermen, in our families. Daniel and I grew up with grandfathers who both served in WWII, Daniel's grandfather, for the Army, in Germany, and mine on a Naval ship off the coast of Africa. My Dad also served in the Army National Guard. Having these men in our lives brings special meaning to the Fourth of July and a special place in our hearts for all who serve our country. To say "Thank you" would be an understatement, but, THANK YOU!!! To all the men and women who serve in our military and the families of those men and women who sacrifice just as much.

Our Grandfathers

 Cody A. Crawford

Lieutenant Colonel U.S. Army

 Thomas A. Black

Petty Officer First Class U.S. Navy

Daddy

 Kenneth M. Smith

Specialist Fourth Class U.S. Army National Guard

Charlie Daniels says it beautifully...enjoy!

Our Nieces...lately

These two girlies are so much fun. Have you ever seen such Cuteness???

Shula's new best friend, Lincy.

Mrs. Ginger and Melissa came to Chestnut for an afternoon visit and they brought Lincy with them. I've never seen Shula with a child and wasn't sure how she would behave. Shula and Lincy both loved each other. Lincy loved a dog that would lay still and Shula loved that Lincy would pet her constantly. 

Shula teaching Lincy to shake.

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Charley Kate in her favorite colors

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Lincy's First Birthday

We had a family dinner at the Old School House restaurant in Troy, AL for Lincy's birthday. Everyone was there to celebrate. 

Lincy was not interested in her cake at all, she wanted to drink from the sippy cup with a straw.

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Tally's first beach trip

May 20th was Tom's 30th birthday, so we all went to the beach to celebrate. It was Charley Kate's first trip to the beach and first time in the sand. 

She loved the water.

Nanny with Tally

"My Daddy is How Old?"

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Weekend with Hoot N Nanny

They have the best toys.

Working in the tractor with Hoot.

Lovin some websites

I thought I would share a few of my new favorite websites.

When Daniel has to work weekends or nights, I spend my time reading or working on Pinterest projects. There is a great website out there called Goodreads that lets you connect with friends and share book reviews and what you are reading now. "Bookselves" are used to organize your books and share with friends. There is a "Read," "to-read," and "Currently Reading" shelf on the profile to organize books. Currently I am reading the Harry Potter series. I know, I'm a little late but I own and LOVE all the movies and thought I needed to see what I was missing in the books. There are a few small details that aren't in the movies that the books cover. Here is a link to my Goodreads profile if your a reader and want to join in the fun.



Then there is Pinterest...Oh how I love thee Pinterest. I have posted several projects in the past that I saw on Pinterest and made at home. Items like burp cloths for expecting friends, shoes for new babies and ear-bud holder for iPhone headphones. My "Sewing Ideas" board is HUGE!!! Stay tuned for more project posts, I have several in the works. If you haven't already, check it out. If your looking for home decor ideas, style ideas, jewelry, recipes, or holiday decorations, Pinterest has it.

Let me know if you are on either site, I'd love to follow you and share ideas.




 

Chestnut Golf Cart

Daniel has been looking for the perfect golf cart for driving through the woods at our house. For months he's searched Craig's list for exactly what he wanted. Nothing was ever available or the price wasn't right. On Saturday we decided we would give the "old Samurai" a try. We knew it had been sitting up and would need some work to get it going again but that's ok, we were prepared for a little work. On Sunday Mom, Dad and I went to see of we could at least get it to Chestnut to have nearby so we could do the work needed. To our surprise, the little guy started up with only a new battery. After a little elbow grease and "adjusting" by Dad, it was ready to go. We actually drove it to Chestnut and then all over the property at home. Check it out!!

Before the cleaning. We took out the nasty carpet and the ratty old tire cover. I think it needs a new paint job (Mrs Deedie;-)) and an Auburn tire cover. Here is what I was thinking:



Daniel said "No" to my painting idea (Sorry Mrs Deedie).  I thought flowers on the hood would be great. I guess they don't go well in the woods and they would stand out just a little bit. Maybe a camo pattern will be better. BOO!

The hood strap is awesome, huh?


Still cleaning the windows.
This is going to be a fun adventure.

Pinterest

I'm not sure if you are familiar with Pinterest or not, but it seems to be filling up my time lately. I can't seem to stop pinning sewing and cooking ideas to my "boards." In the last few weeks we have had two dinners from Pinterest and I've made several projects from my "boards" as well. Both items are for friends or my sister-in-law who are expecting children. Here's the first

Burp Cloths


Here's the link to the tutorial I followed. It Rocked!

Here's how mine turned out.



One "fancy" and one "casual." I went with the more casual since I didn't know at the time that that my brother and sis-in-law are having a girl.

Project #2

A Nursing Cover



Here's the link for this tutorial. Great as well.

And the one Mom and I made:




There are many more projects in waiting. I can't wait to get started. Mama came over to help me on the first major project, the nursing cover. I had lots of questions and she was a HUGE help. Ive done very little sewing before now and she had lots of great tips and tricks.

Since the nursing cover went well I made a second one on my own and shoes for Tally.

Christmas 2011

We were expecting Charley Kate to arrive after Christmas but The Lord had other plans as we see. We were all thrilled to have her with us early. Sunny, Tom and Charley Kate came home from the hospital on the 23rd.



Coming home from the hospital.

Christmas was so much fun this year with Tally and Lincy. Tally slept and Lincy was learning all about Christmas.



Charley Kate with Hoot N Nanny


Hoot is spoiling her already!!

Isn't this the cutest little Tiger??


Lincy loved everything Santa left her and wanted to help Big Mama get her ride ready.





Tally in her Christmas gown. I think she had 7 or 8 to wear in two days.


Tally and Uncle D....still sleeping.


I just have to show you this one shot from Charley Kate's newborn photo session.




Isn't that cutest thing ever?!?!?

Casey Kelly is the photographer that made these pictures. She's from Enterprise.

Welcome to the World,Charley Kate

I'm a little behind announcing the birth of my niece Charley Kate AKA Tally.



She was born on Wednesday, December 21 at 4:21 in the afternoon. She weighed 7lbs and 4 oz and was 20 inches long. She's is perfectly healthy (Praise the Lord) and her Mom is doing great.


Tally and Aunt RaeRay