Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Happy Birthday, Josh!!!

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Big News!

We're Moving!

Anyone want to buy a house? My husband will be starting his new job in 2 weeks and we need to sell fast! We will be in Nashville, Tn. for about a year, and then we'll be in Chattanooga, Tn. Nashville is about 2 hours from family and Chattanooga is about an hour. While I'm extremely happy about the move, I'm also saddened to be leaving what has been our home for 13 years. Cody has grown up here and will still be attending Clemson University. I have made many friends and gained extended "family" here. My biggest sorrow is leaving Max and Cami. I have loved these 2 since the day they were born and it breaks my heart. I will always try to be involved in their lives as long as they will let me. I plan on visiting often! I will also miss a number of friends, Emily O., Susie and Kos, Reva, Shirley, Claire, Judy, Dianna, Angie, Jill, ...just to name a few. I'll really miss my very good friend Brenda, but, I'll never lose touch with her. We don't talk a lot but I always know I can call anytime.



We were hoping for a little more time. I was wanting to make the move this spring, but they seem to be in a hurry for us, so they want us by December 14th. I'll post more as things progress. In the meantime,....Please Pray for us.

Monday, October 29, 2007

Zebra Sighting!!!




Thursday, October 25, 2007

Prayers needed!!!! ***UPDATE***

We're headed to Alabama. We just got word that my Grandfather has suffered a massive Heart Attack and is in ICU. The next 48 hours are critical.


***My Grandfather's first words to me when I arrived at the Hospital were, "You can't keep a good man down". He's now home and doing fine, not bad for an 87 year old!


***Please also pray for Andrea's grandfather, James Baker. He was hospitalized with a blockage in his small intestine. The doctors are going to try to cure this with medicine. If they cannot cure this with medicine, they are afraid to operate. His past heart conditions will not allow them to operate without complications.

Monday, October 22, 2007

A Visit to the Pumpkin Patch

Gabe at Tate Farms


Clap with me Dad!

Don't think he liked the taste of Hay

1...2...3...

Loving the slide!

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Adventures in Home Improvement

This past week has been an eye-opener. Sam and I have been attempting to do some of the work on our own, sometimes we were successful and sometimes....not so much. Here's a few hit and misses:

*We had a broken pane in our bathroom window, so Sam decided that he could replace it himself. He went to the hardware store and bought some materials and then researched it on the Internet. He was on the ladder at the window for a long time and I assumed he was replacing the pane of glass.....Wrong, he was removing another pane so he could take it back to the hardware store to have another one cut! Now....this is an intelligent man and you wouldn't believe the dirty look I got when I asked him why he didn't just take the measurements of the window to the store! Well....to top it off, when he returned with 2 new panes (and the old one) wrapped in brown paper he laid them in a chair. I had been in another room cleaning when he got back so I didn't realize that he had put them in the chair and...yep...I sat down on them. So....here we go again.

*Clorox bleach is great for cleaning, Ammonia is great for cleaning, so...if you mix the 2 of them together you should have a Super Cleaner...right? Wrong, what you have is a very toxic gas that will burn your lungs, throat, nose and put you in the bed. Of course everyone, BUT ME, knows this. But I have to say, my kitchen floor was never cleaner.

*When you hire a 30 year old that takes 15-20 minute smoke breaks (he rolls his own cigarettes) and moves like a 60 year old, your house is not going to get painted in a few days. It has taken a week just to paint the front. At least I'm not paying by the hour.

*There are some things you should not pressure wash; Painted kitchen mats, Barbecue utensils (while holding them in your hand), the dirt off your sandals (while your foot is still in them) and last but not least....plants.


Other than these few mishaps...it's been a very productive week!

House painting (Part 1)







That's not a chipmunk....that's my Grandson

Gotta love those cheeks!



Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Ellison Grace

I'm having a GRANDDAUGHTER!!!!! I can't tell you how excited I am! After having 3 boys and a Grandson, I will finally have that little girl I've always dreamed of. Gabe is 100% boy, rough and tough, so...I hope for a dainty girl. But chances are, she'll take after her Mother and be very athletic, which is fine too. So whether I'm attending Dance recitals or softball games doesn't really matter...what matters is...I will have a Granddaughter!

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

News and Notes

Here lately it seems that I just can't focus enough to Blog anything, I guess I'm just getting older and can't hold on to my thoughts very long. So....I thought I would just give you a rundown of things that are going on with the family.

*Cody is doing great. We don't see him very often but It's great when we do. He's coming home this weekend and I'm going to be cooking his favorite meal (homemade chicken fingers and mashed potatoes).

*Gabe is into everything. Every time I call they are pulling him away from something he shouldn't be into.

* We're finally getting our house painted. They start tomorrow.

*Josh has just started a new job and is going back to school.

*Jake is pursuing his Master's Degree in Civil Engineering.

*Kelly and Josh will hopefully find out on October 16th if I'm having a grandson or a granddaughter.

*My niece Sarah and her Mom are in Washington, DC on a school trip.

More to come.....

Monday, October 8, 2007

Homecoming 2007

My Niece Audrey was the Junior Maid at her Schools Homecoming.




A Family Divided


My brother-in-Law Tony and Gabe

Saturday, October 6, 2007

A Halloween Carol

Ghosts of Halloween Past-

Scene: Huntsville Hospital, October 31st at 12:50am

*Joshua Heath Etheredge is born. My little Spook! I really tried not to have this baby on Halloween but God knew what he was doing, because what followed was many years of great birthday parties and an appreciation for this holiday.

*Josh's 8th birthday party was a carnival. We had a fortune teller, hayrides, and a witch to pass out goodies. The Hayride went around a graveyard where I had enlisted some cousins to terrify the kiddies! Fun, Fun, Fun.

*1st Halloween costumes:
Josh- birthday suit
Jake- Devil
Cody-Pumpkin

Ghost of Halloween Present-

Scene: My House, Greenville SC

*My house is dark, except for a few candles, scary music is playing loudly, a ghost is hanging in the window and candles lead to the door. Great, huh?......well...maybe I overdid it, most kids get to the driveway and start crying. Fun, Fun, Fun.

*Josh will be 28 this Halloween.

*Gabe will wear his first costume

*I will be wishing my kids were still young, and I'll feel so very lonely

Ghost of Halloween Future-

Scene: Somewhere closer to my grandchildren.

*I'll spend one night carving pumpkins with my grandchildren.

*We'll spend another night making ghost and bat shaped cookies.

*They'll come to Granby and Poppa's to help decorate the yard with bales of hay, pots of mums, and an occasional Ghost or Bats flying in the trees.

*I'll finally have my Halloween back!