Mealtime

We should all relax and enjoy our meals like Gabe

The Grape Popsicle

Word is Gabe loves grape popsicles. Must be true because Mom sent in the evidence.

It's HOT outside!

Well, wouldn't you know it, we have no AC. Our unit went out yesterday, so of course we called a repairman as soon as possible. We had high hopes that it was something simple, such as... just needing coolant or something being disconnected. Ah...but no such luck! The whole unit is shot. That leaves us only one choice: suffer until we can have a new one put in. Problem is, we can't get the new one put in until July 27th. So... I did what any self-respecting Internet nerd would do. You guessed it...I Googled "how to stay cool without an AC".

Here's just a few samplings of their expert advice:

1)Wet your wrists with cold water. Constantly cooling off the wrists will also cool off the body.
wow, I can do that!

2)Use perspiration to cool the body down.
Wait a minute, I thought the whole purpose was NOT TO SWEAT!


3)Wear a short sleeved shirt and put water on the sleeves.
now, that's attractive

4) Stay in a shaded area if possible.
I am not going outside just to stand in the shade


5) If you're in a house, get lower than the roof.
Not even gonna comment on that one


6) Turn off the stove or other sources of heat. Turn off your lamps, as well as your computer.
Stove, OK... Lamps,OK ....computer NOPE

7) Fill a basin with water and sit with your feet in it.
I'm definitely trying that one!


8)Ladies: Try a slightly wet tissue in the cleavage.
Ah.....No thanks

Then they had these Warnings:
1)Over-hydration is a possibility. Do not drink excessively.
2)A body temperature above 104 °F (40 °C) is life-threatening and if it reaches 113 °F (45 °C) you are approaching sure death. Seek medical attention if you are unable to sweat!
At 113 degrees, I would think that you would be more than just "approaching death"


And then there's my Favorite:

If all else fails, go to the mall, library, movie theater or some other air-conditioned public building.

Well, if the experts say to....

Breakfast

It's 5:30 am and the phone rings, my dad picks it up and says nothing, the voice on the other end is my Pap. He only says 2 words, "Come on". My daddy hangs up the phone and walks next door. There sits his two sisters and his dad. His mom (maw maw) is frying eggs to go with the bacon and homemade biscuits. After she finishes she sits down with her husband and children. This happened every morning that I can remember until the day she died in 1980. My dad had a family, my aunts had husbands and children also, But that time together for them was very special. It wasn't that the rest of the family wasn't invited, we could come anytime we wanted. All I had to do was tell my Dad, "wake me up when Pap calls". Most of the time the rest of the family just wanted to sleep another hour or two. It also helps that on 2 acres sat 4 houses, you guessed it...My grandparents and their 3 children. So to say that this family has always been close is an understatement, but because of those early morning breakfasts, "closeness" goes way beyond those 2 acres.

On the lighter side....

To Mom, Jake, Andrea, Gabe, Jimmy, Wendy, Emilee,

& most of the smarter ones in the family

What does the average Alabama player get on his SATs?
.........Drool.

To Sam, Greg, Melody, Audrey, Sarah, Tony & Erin

What are the longest three years of an Auburn football player's life?
.........His freshman year.

To Josh & Kelly

How many Florida freshmen does it take to change a light bulb?

.........None. That's a sophomore course.

To Cody

Why did Clemson choose orange as their team color?
.........You can wear it to the game on Saturday, hunting on Sunday, and picking up trash along the highways the rest of the week

and finally...

(to atone for making fun of ALABAMA)
An Alabama fan was driving down a country road when he came upon an Auburn fan, a Florida fan and a Clemson fan hitchiking. He told the players to jump in the back of his pick-up truck. He then drove down the dirt road rather fast and lost control of the truck as they were going around a curve. The truck landed in a lake. The Alabama fan scrambled to the surface and swam to the bank. When he looked back at the lake, the Auburn fan. Florida fan, and the Clemson fan were still sitting in the bed of the truck looking frantic. As the truck began sinking the Bama fan yelled for the guys to get out of the truck, to which they replied,

“We’re tryin’ to get out, but we can’t get the dang tailgate open!”

The "Magic" Haircut

Turned my youngest son Cody

into my oldest son Josh

The Haircut

My youngest son is 20 years old.... 20. Sometimes I forget that fact. I told Cody that he really needed to get a haircut today as he was looking quite bushy. He agreed and said that he would go as soon as he finished mowing the lawn. So...I start to get dressed without even thinking. I was planning to take him to get his haircut! Yeah, he's 20. I haven't been with him to get a haircut in years. I guess that sometimes being a mom takes you back to times when they actually needed you. I can't tell you the times I had to take my sons BACK to the person who cut their hair to do it over.

Between cow-licks, fine blond hair and a mother watching every snip, it's a wonder my children have any hair at all.

Happy Anniversary

Josh & Kelly
June 18, 2005

Tradition

Well, It's almost that time again. Our biggest family event of the year. The big Cookout! We will be cooking this year on June 29th, (always on the Friday night before the 4th). My Mom & brothers (Greg & Jimmy) have been working in the yard for the past 2 weeks trying to get things ready. I will be going home this Friday to help. There will still be a lot to do.

1) Set up all the tents
2) hang all the lights
3) put up tables & chairs
4)set up: volleyball, badminton nets, horseshoe stakes, etc...
5) clean up the barbecue pit(house)
6) set up card tables for those anticipated games of ROOK
and many more that I can't think of right now.

Last year there were about 115( that we counted) people, yep...your heard right. 115 and that was a "down" year.
We cooked 60 chicken halves and 22 slabs of ribs, that was eaten that night!
The "big meat", Boston butts and pork shoulders cook all night and are ready the next day.
Everyone has a great time. We start around 2 or 3 and it starts winding down about 11 or 12.



Then the best part of the night begins:
The remaining few, usually immediate family, gather around by the open fire and just talk.
We talk about things we did when we were kids, we talk about things our children have done.
But mostly we talk about the ones we miss the most and how they would have loved being here.
We talk about past cookouts and hilarious incidents of the past. Then we get somber and many times tears have been shed talking about my Dad. This was his favorite holiday and he began many of these traditions. Oh... we've talked about taking a year off, going instead to spend the 4th somewhere else. We gripe about all the work it takes to pull it off, and vow to change it. We've talked about putting the meat on earlier so that we wouldn't be up so late. yeah...we talk.



But in the end I think we'll carry on the TRADITION.

The 1st

Father's Day is a bittersweet time for me. Josh and Jake will call their Dad. Cody will wake up and wish his Dad a happy Father's Day. Sam will call his Dad. We will call Jake on his 1st Father's Day. My Mom will call my Grandfather. My Daughter-in-Laws will call their Dad. Gabe will smile at his Dad. But....I can't call mine. And for the first time my cousins can't call theirs.
This is the 1st Father's Day without Uncle Avery.

After a death,
The 1st is always the worst: 1st Thanksgiving, 1st Christmas, 1st birthday and of course if you've lost a Dad....the 1st Father's Day. It does get easier, although it's hard to believe.

The first thing you do is think about the last Father's Day, and you wonder....Did you tell him enough that you loved him, did you thank him for being a wonderful Dad, did he ever realize how much his approval meant to you, and how grateful you were that your kids had such a wonderful Grandfather?
Probably Not....so to all those Dads that are special to us:

My Brother Greg, My son Jake, My brother-in-law Tony, My father-in-law Leon, My Grandfather, & Our friend Koz.



You are all wonderful Dads and Your Children and very blessed.

Love you all,
***** Happy Father's Day *****

Seems like it was only yesterday....

Walk a Little Slower Daddy

"Walk a Little slower, Daddy." said a little child so small.

I'm following in your footsteps and I don't want to fall.
Sometimes your steps are very fast, sometimes they're hard to see;

So walk a little slower Daddy, for you are leading me.
Someday when I'm all grown up, You're what I want to be.

Then I will have a little child who'll want to follow me.
And I would want to lead just right, and know that I was true;

So, walk a little slower, Daddy, for I must follow you!!

- Author Unknown

**1989**

Josh, 10 yrs. old

Jake, 6 yrs. old

Cody, 2 yrs old

Happy Father's Day!

FATHER'S DAY

DADDY'S HANDS

I remember daddy's hands folded silently in prayer.
And reachin' out to hold me, when I had a nightmare.
You could read quite a story in the callous' and lines.
Years of work and worry had left their mark behind.
I remember daddy's hands how they held my mama tight.
And patted my back for something done right.
There are things that I'd forgotten that I loved about the man,
But I'll always remember the love in daddy's hands.

Daddy's hands were soft and kind when I was cryin'.

Daddy's hands were hard as steel when I'd done wrong.
Daddy's hands weren't always gentle,
but I've come to understand....

There was always love in daddy's hands.

If I could do things over, and live my life again.

I would never take for granted the love in daddy's hands

By Holly Dunn

**************

I'll love you and miss you... forever & a day

Chandler & Chloe

What are little boys made of:

Snakes and snails etc.... Chandler is all boy. I'm probably biased but I think Chandler is a very thoughtful, polite and well behaved little boy. He's always there with a hug and a look that says "I'm really glad to see you". Chandler is the grandson of my 1st cousin Karen and the son of her daughter LaBreeska. I know that seems distant but in this family, we are very close.

What are little girls made of:

Sugar, spice and everything nice......yeah right!.....Chloe is not your typical dainty girl, she's your classic ANTI- Dainty girl. And sooo...DRAMATIC

Aunt B: Chloe, I heard your were in a car accident on your vacation?

Chloe: Yeah, I was

Aunt B: Did you get hurt?

Chloe: Yes, I broke my eyelash

So, of course I started to laugh. Chloe looked at me and very sternly asked, "Why are you laughing?"

Needless to say, I will think before I laugh around Chloe.

My Daddy would be proud

I Have Tomatoes, 3 to be exact. So much for my "brown thumb", but...I'm not going to claim that I have a "Green Thumb" until they actually turn RED.

A Day at the Park

Cami, Max and I went to the park today and had a great time. The weather was perfect and the kids were full of energy. After swinging, sliding etc... it was Ice Cream time and Cami got her usual "Dora" bar and Max got an Icee...well needless to say that about 5 minutes into the Dora bar , Cami was very sticky. Not to worry though, the next thing I knew Cami was under the water misting arches getting "un-sticky".

Max is a climber and being the protective "big brother" that he is, he would still wait for Cami to catch up.

After a kids meal, smoothie, and Ice cream we had to hurry back to my house after a couple of hours because Cami said she was about to "throw-up, really" if I didn't fix her something to eat(Mac & Cheese)

So after the life-saving meal and the movie "Nanny McPhee", It was time to take the rugrats home.

Next adventure...Santa's Land!!

The Etheredge Invitational

The 6th annual Etheredge Invitational will be Saturday, June 30th at Stoney Mountain Golf Course in Guntersville, Alabama

Play begins at 1:00.

* After the tournament there will be a barbecue dinner and Trophies will be awarded.*


Past Champions:

2006-Josh Etheredge
2005-Jake Etheredge
2004-no tournament
2003-Josh Etheredge
2002-Paul Kennamer
2001-Paul Kennamer

**I have a tip that can take 5 strokes off anyone's golf game. It's called an eraser. -- Arnold Palmer

Gabe's 1st Trip

Gabe's Mom (Andrea) sent some pictures of Gabe in Cherokee, NC. Jake had taken the Youth Group from his congregation to do some mission work there, and of course, Gabe got to tag along.

There is one picture of Gabe with Chief Henry. Chief Henry has been a part of Cherokee for as long as I can remember. I think all of my boys and 2 or 3 of my nieces all got their picture taken with him when they were small.

If you haven't been to Cherokee in a while, You may be shocked to see it today. Everything has really changed....Well, not everything...Chief Henry is still around.

A Day with Gabe

Gabe visited his Granby and Papa Thursday and even spent the night with us. I know that doesn't seem like a big deal but considering his parents were about 100 miles away in Cherokee and they let me come get him for a night, That...is a BIG DEAL. They have never been that far away from him. We had a great time! Gabe and I went visiting and shopping. We visited the Kosmicki's and another friend named Reva.





At the Kosmicki's, I was excited about seeing Max & Cami because I had not seen them in a while. They all loved seeing and meeting Gabe. Max seemed to be especially drawn to him. I think he would love to have a little brother (hint, hint). After we had been there a while, Max ran inside and came back a few minutes later with a folded piece of paper and gave it to me:


Max: "Aunt B, this is for you"

I open it and it said, "YOU WILL LOSE"

Aunt B: "I will lose?" "What will I lose?"

Max pointed at Gabe

Aunt B: "Gabe?, you think I'm going to lose Gabe, I promise I won't"

Max nodded his head: "Yes you will"

Aunt B: "How will I lose Gabe?"

Max: "Cause, My mommy is going to take him"



Gabe and I also went shopping. We bought several outfits, Gabe couldn't make up his mind. He loved them all.



Then much, much too soon it was time to take him back to his Mommy and Daddy. So.. Max was right I did "lose" him. But the best part is, I will be seeing him again in about 2 weeks!

Special Women: part II

Kelly- Josh's wife. Kelly is a wonderful daughter-in-law. She and Josh enjoy the same things, they play golf together, both love to coach sports and are so much alike. Kelly is a not afraid to speak her mind to Josh, but will also be his staunchest defender.

Andrea- Jake's wife. Andrea is also a wonderful daughter-in-law. She and Jake both have a passion for the youth group in church. Jake is a youth minister and Andrea is supportive and is there to work beside him every step of the way.


Audrey-Oldest niece. Audrey may not "officially" be a woman at the tender age of 16, she is none the less a strong young woman. In a day when most 16 year old girls are giving their parents fits, Audrey has a strong moral conviction and desire to do the right thing.


STRENGTH
COMMITMENT
DETERMINATION
CHARITY

These are the lessons I learned from the 4 women in the previous post that I hope these 3 can one day learn from me.

Lessons from the special Women in my life

Mom- Growing up, my mom was not the huggy, kissy type mom, However, I never had any doubt that she loved me. I always knew that she was the one person that I could always count on. Our house was always full of kids, my parents took in several foster children over the years and my mom became " mom " to many. My dad died 8 years ago and she has had to adjust to living alone. She has had her share of broken bones ( arm, leg, many toes) but she still tries to do as much on her own as possible.

The lesson I take from my mother is STRENGTH.
Aunt A'trice- Growing up, I probably stayed at my aunts house as much as my own. For the past few years she had been dealing with the fact that the love of her life (Uncle Avery) was slowing slipping away because of Alzheimer's. Uncle Avery died in November 2006 and Aunt A'trice was there as she had been for over 50 years.

The lesson I take from Aunt A'trice is COMMITMENT.
Wendy- My sister. While blood may not connect us, our hearts do. Wendy is someone who overcame a childhood that would have broken the spirit of many, Wendy was not going to let that stop her from having a fulfilling life for her and her family.

The lesson I take from Wendy is DETERMINATION.
Melody- My Sister-in-law. I don't know many people with a heart as big as this woman's. Melody is always there with a helping hand. The best part is, you don't have to ask for her to help, she just does.

The lesson I take from Melody is CHARITY.

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I am convinced that the influence of an army of godly women will be incalculable--in our homes, our churches, and our culture. Will you be one of those women?

Nancy Leigh DeMoss