Happy Holidays!

We had a fantastic Christmas and you can view some of it by clicking on "Our Pictures" on the right hand side of this page.

We had Christmas Eve at Ray and Diane's across the street. She fed all 40-50 of us homemade lasagna and pizza. It was a warm evening and we spent a large part of it outdoors. After dinner we came to our house (the Shumbies' and us) to relax and open a few gifts as the midnight hour was approaching.

On Christmas Morning we went over to the Shumbie house first thing to open the remainder of the gifts. Wow, was Santa ever good to everyone. We had a blast, took our time and looked at each other's gifts and enjoyed. And of course we had so much fun watching the two dogs play and open presents. Socks taught Jake to play tug of war with the bone and also to chew on cardboard - which is one of Sock's favorite things in the world to do. Jake tried it but just couldn't really get into it. Well that took all morning so then Kirby and I went home to clean up and relax until time to prepare the rest of dinner.

So, Shumbies came back to our house. We just went back and forth all the time! Kirby had been marinating the turkey in tabasco sauce for almost 24 hours and had the cooker all set up out back. It is really fast to cook the turkey in hot fat! Only 55 minutes. It was a first for us and we had a really fun time with it. And then we proceeded to eat again. We have certainly been well fed through this holiday.

After dinner we all sat back and watch "Fred Claus" to finish out the evening. They will be back this afternoon as we didn't get any game playing in yet and we must do that!

I hope your Christmas was as wonderful as ours!

townsendtales

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New Fireplace

I was wanting to post a picture of the fireplace that Kirby redesigned so today I asked Jake to sit in front of it and let me take his picture. He didn't really want to so he gave an exasperated look for the camera.

And as I said before, I never thought to take before pictures. Probably that is because I say to Kirby things like, "Maybe we should redesign the fireplace?". And then the next day I come home and the old fireplace is just GONE! Then we have to try to come up with a new plan. Yesterday I came home to a hole in the kitchen wall - and you thought he had finished the kitchen didn't you? Ha! I had mentioned that the area that backs to the fireplace needs a nice cabinet and showed him a picture of a couple nice pieces. So he decided to build it in. He bought a ready made kitchen cabinet which really matches what we have very well. He will install it right behind the fireplace as there is plenty of room. Too bad the builder didn't do it. And we don't use heat in the fireplace anyway - as you can see from the picture!

So here is a picture of the fireplace when we bought the house. A very nice design but too colonial for our tastes.

Dottie's Cookbook

I have started a new blog! A few years ago I started adding my mother's recipes to an old recipe program and never got them all entered before we left to go cruising and the computer went away. Christie has been holding the recipes for me and I just recently got them back from her. They are in a large plastic index card box and I am going to attempt to put them all on a blog. I am hoping that her descendants will enjoy them! And actually, since my father was a good cook too, some of these are his.

Take a look and let me know what you think. Happy eating! There is a link on the right - My Mother's Recipes.

http://dottiescookbook.blogspot.com/

Tug-a-War Lessons

I know everyone probably gets tired of seeing pictures and video of Jake and Socks and I promise (?) not to do it often but this one is so precious. In it you will see Jake chewing on a nylabone. Socks comes along and wants to play tug-a-war with him and the bone. So, she teaches him how to do it. She is a very pushie girl! So, take a couple of minutes and get a laugh out of this. Turn your volume OFF or you will hear us all making "Oh, so cute" noises as we watched.

And you can see that Kirby cut the carpet back to work on the fireplace. One of these days we will get around to getting the new carpet!

Old Folk All Dressed Up

Kirby and I enjoyed my company party last Friday night. It was held in the large ballroom at the Marriott downtown Charleston and there were probably 500 people there. They fed us, entertained us and gifted some of us, just not Kirby and I. Lots of door prizes - the best being $500 gift certificate to Best Buy but what I really wanted was the "Day Off" certificate. Darn, I didn't win. But we had a really good time and it was fun getting all dressed up. Here is the picture that Christie came over and took of us. Not bad for old folk, eh? We clean up pretty darn good, even if I do say so myself!

Love - pure and natural

That's my youngest grandson, Kevin, who lives in San Diego (the one with the red curls), with his best friend Zack. They have known each other all there little lives. This is one of the most beautiful pictures I have seen in a very long time.

Christmas 1951

I have been wanting to put this out on the web for years now. With this blog I think I have the correct vehicle. I have a document that came with my dad's things when he passed away. It is a poem written by his cousin, A. J. Erwin, while in Korea during the Korean War. It expresses one man's frustration over war and it just seems to me that in over 50 years, nothing has changed.

The original poem is typed on onionskin paper and is a carbon copy. It has been folded up for over 50 years and is very fragile. It would be wonderful if somehow the descendants of Mr. Erwin would see this and write to me. It would be nice to know a little bit about the man. Anyway - here are his words.


Here is an excerpt from the Truman Museum & Library -
In October, General Douglas MacArthur predicted that the war would soon end and that American troops could be going home by Christmas. He had not foreseen the entry into the war of Chinese forces that began in earnest in late November. The troops would not be home for Christmas. Instead, during the bitter cold and snow of their first Korean winter, they would be in a desperate struggle to stage an orderly withdrawal before the advancing Chinese forces. Three Christmases would pass before the fighting would end in Korea.
http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/study_collections/korea/large/gi.htm

Kitchen Remodel

Kirby has been working so hard on the house ever since we moved in. He has done everything himself, from the new toilet and water heater to the tile floor and redesigned fireplace. I know that what he enjoys most is the planning and designing of projects so I really appreciate all the hard work he has done. No one likes dealing with toilets, that's for sure! There is no telling how many times he has been in the attic crawling around and the trips to Lowe's would fuel a cross country trip.

The kitchen is now finished. And we had to hire the granite people. Only help he has had. We considered doing tile countertops as he could have done it himself but the granite is just so beautiful and easy to use and maintain - so it won out.

Of course I didn't think to take before pictures but we do have the pictures that Christie took when we were buying the house (since we were in California and she was here). So for your entertainment - here are some pictures.

This is the kitchen before.




























And this is our kitchen today. Everything is new except the cabinets which have been painted. The walls were painted, new tile floor, new stove, microwave, dishwasher, reefer, countertops. I LOVE IT!!

Christmas Trees for Dogs

Last night Kirby and I attended my company holiday party. Christie came over before to take our picture and she offered to take Jake home with her so that he and Socks could play.

Now, we chose to have an artificial tree this year so Jake has been around it and trying to eat my "plastic" ornaments since Thanksgiving weekend. We never even thought about what he would do with a live tree.

So, Christie took him home with her and he had a wonderful time with his best friend, Socks. But no one thought about the live Christmas tree in the living room - except Jake. He was delighted to find out that the Shumbies keep a tree in the house and he wasted no time in marking his territory! Christie caught him peeing on the tree! Thankfully he pretty much missed the tree and there were no gifts under it yet. He got the tree skirt really good but it was washable. So, according to Christie, no harm, no foul! Jake is still welcome to come back.

Soccer

Casey and Brendan, our grandsons, headed out to LA to day for some soccer tournaments. This is a really big deal for them and I am wishing them lots of luck in the games and lots of fun on the trip. Love you boys!

Kevin and Family

I haven't seen my youngest grandson in so many months! Thank heavens for digital pictures and the internet. I received these pictures today and he is just so cute and I AM a grammy - so I am putting his pictures on my blog.

Here he is with his daddy, Ryan on their Christmas Tree hunt. Kevin is 2 and a half now, is out of diapers and just moved into the Big Boy Bed. He goes to pre-school, loves to swim in his pool and is having a little brother in February. I love you, Kevin!!

Thanksgiving at the Shumbie's

We are so fortunate to have part of our family so close by. It took all of 3 minutes to drive to Christie and Michael's for our wonderful Thanksgiving Day.

As usual Christie prepared a wonderful turkey dinner. That turkey was the juiciest ever and the dressing to die for. She definitely had a great teacher. And I want to thank both Brendan and Casey for the great job of slicing the turkey! This year instead of the traditional pumpkin pie she made a gooey pumpkin cake and we all agreed it is much much better than the pie. Note Kirby's homemade sourdough bread on the table.

After dinner we played Mexican Train and Casey won for the first time. (We didn't realize he had never won, but he told us) Yea! Casey!
Christie and Michael always take great pictures!
It was Jake's first time to visit his best friend, Socks and he had a lot of learning to do. First he had to navigate the open stairs from the garage (where we contained them to say a frisky "Hi" to each other) to the house. Those stairs were scarrrrry. Then he had to try to walk on the hardwood floors. We took him upstairs later just to see what he would do. The stairs were carpeted so that part was good but he had to be cajoled into climbing them. The fun part was his trip back down where he took it nice and easy. The two dogs certainly have a good relationship going on - which is why we let Socks chose which dog she wanted!

Socks is the one decorated for Thanksgiving and Jake is the one tired from all of Sock's affection. Oh, but she does love that boy and is almost shameful in showing it!

What Kirby Did On His Birthday

For those of you who have known Kirby for a long time - or, like Lee, all your life, you might find it hard to believe that these pictures of Kirby are real and that he actually was having a good time. Since he doesn't have his boat anymore, he must put his energy and passion into something else. Would you believe that Kirby was out mowing the lawn on his birthday in 40 degree weather?? Granted it was sunny, calm and dry out so it really was pretty nice but - really - can you believe your eyes!! Well, of course you have to remember that on the East Coast football does not begin until 1:00 PM so he had all this time to kill, right? But, by 1 he was over to the Man Cave with the troublemakers, Phil, Ray and Robert drinking home brewed Ale and building a great fire for later while watching the games. The Shumbies joined us and we all stayed near the firepit as we celebrated Kirby's birthday. Phil grilled burgers and dogs in the 38 degree cold after dark! But, it really wasn't too bad. Maybe it was the good company - and of course the hot coals. We even did some science projects with melted glass - it shatters by the way - after it cools. But the Corona label lasted a long time.

We spent a lot of time in the front yard today again trimming the big oak tree. Jake loves it when we are all outside as he used to be an outdoor dog and is adjusting to living indoors. We put him on a long tether and he just hangs and waits for neighbors to come pet him.


I think Kirby had a good birthday weekend. Thanks everyone for your good wishes. He loved it!

Dogs in Motion

Here is a video of Jake and his best friend, Socks, playing in our living room. Socks is the aggressive one! We call her the "Bulldozer"!

Happy Birthday, Kirby!

Introducing - Jake!

The nice lady from the shelter arrived at 3:30 yesterday afternoon with the two dogs in kennels in the back of her car. We brought them into the house one at a time to meet Socks and the rest of the family. First Zoe came in and she and Socks were "OK" but didn't play. Then came Jake and it was love at first sight for the two of them so - Socks chose our dog for us because we just couldn't make that decision - both dogs were wonderful each in their own way. It was really hard on us to let Zoe leave and even harder on Jake to have them leave him behind.

He is going through an adjustment time. He's great about the crate, knows it is his special place, doesn't pull on the leash and we haven't heard his voice yet. I have brushed a bagful of hair out of him and we gave him a quick bath. Jake is used to living outdoors in a large pen with a roommate and lots of dogs around. He seems to just love other dogs and he really loves people too. We have had a few walks around the block so he can be outside like he is used to.

As you can see from the picture, Jake and Socks finally pooped out after all the running and rough-housing. I think they will be real buds when Socks gets over having to share us with him. She likes him, just wants to still be the only dog. But she is a sweetie and there should be no problem.

And the Winner is................Jake, our new "son"!

More information to follow when we know each other better. So far all is good. He is about 3 years old and easy to have around. That could change as he gets comfortable...but I am happy! And he and Socks fell in love right away. Kisses, hugs and lots of chasing around the living room. Fun!

The Expectant Parents

Do you think we are excited about getting a dog? You are right, we are! Well, I am beside myself and Kirby is looking forward to having a dog. He has humored me and agreed to this. But I know he will enjoy the companionship as much or more than I will.

So, we are pretty much ready. We have a nice crate with a new soft pad for a dog who has lived outdoors for a year. (Silly us) We have a brush and shampoo for a dog who hasn't been bathed in a year, a bag of Iams dry food, a leash and a collar and a large bag of leather chews. Oh, and beautiful designer bowls for water and food - for a dog who has lived outdoors in the elements for a year!

So excited!!!

Update: Nov 13 - Tomorrow the nice lady from the shelter is coming with 2 of our favorite dogs. They will get to meet our granddog Socks and we will see how they get along. Then the hard part...chosing which dog. One is yellow and the other is black and I just can't choose. The black one is Zoe with blue eyes and the yellow one is Jake. They are the top two in the pictures below.

New Family Member

We have finally decided to open our home to a new family member. We are going to adopt a dog. We have been searching for about a month now and are getting quite close to a decision. Of course, no dog will ever replace our wonderful Holly, whom we still miss but know she is happy with her new mommy and daddy. We are sure that Holly would approve of our decision. So, here are some of the dogs that we are thinking about....this is not a contest, so I don't expect you to tell me who you are voting for...I am just very excited!

Birthdays Day

Christie's birthday was Monday and mine yesterday. I decided to take the day off from work and Christie planned a perfect day for us. We started with a rich cup of very decadent coffee at Biggby Coffee - our favorite coffee house. I had some really fattening thing with caramel and whipped cream - oh, yum! And then it was off to the club and the steam room. We had packed all our creams and potions and fancy duds. We had the steam room all to ourselves and stayed as long as we could. I think we were both afraid to say anything about feeling roasted for a while. Finally I said - I'm DONE! And Christie scrambled out almost faster than I could! Oh, it was wonderful. My skin is so soft still. I need to do that daily!

In the picture, you have to notice our necklaces. We bought them for each other as gifts - not knowing what the other was doing. Pretty cool, eh?

We did all our hair and make-up right there and it reminded me of my days on the boat and using public showers. But this was much nicer than any public shower I ever used! And then it was off to downtown Charleston.

We first visited the Nathaniel Russell House which was first completed in 1808. It is a lovely home with a great history. After our tour it was lunchtime so we found our way to "Slighty North of Broad" or S.N.O.B. as they like to say. It was a fantastic lunch at one of Charleston's most popular places. Christie had the (raw) tuna and I had Southern Shrimp and Grits which will forever remain in my memory! It was to die for, trust me! Grits don't have to be yukky!

After lunch we found the Aiken-Rhett House and had a tour of it also. This one was built in 1818 and was just huge. It went on forever, had slaves quarters and a stable. It was fun imagining the lovely parties on the beautiful verandas!

On the way home we stopped by the fish market and picked up a few pounds of fresh shrimp for a wholloping $5/pound. One of our favorite family dinners is Peel and East Shrimp and Caesar Salad. So, we stuffed ourselves just a little bit more. It was an absolutely PERFECT Birthday Day with my wonderful Daughter. We have decided it will be an annual event!

Two Bootaful!

Two Bootaful as in Too Beautiful!! Got it?? Just check out the footwear. Yep. We are both wearing designer boots. Both Casey and I have problems right now and found ourselves wearing identical orthopedic boots. Casey has a stress fracture and his grammy has some sort of tennis elbow of the ankle. We did not plan this! But it IS very Bootaful!

Pictures and more pictures........

I guess you can tell that it is all about the pictures for me. I am not a writer and I just love pictures. Photo journalism would be right up my alley. So, while I am here - a few more pictures! And here is Granddog Socks on Halloween.

Pictures from Christie and Family

Here is the romantic couple out to dinner for Christie's birthday. And here are my boys - Casey and Brendan.

More Pictures from Christie's Birthday

After work we went over to the Shumbie's to help Christie celebrate her birthday. We ended up going to Brixx for a Pizza Party. Brendan had soccer practice so wasn't able to join us. Here are some pictures...........

Happy Birthday, Christie!

My firstborn had her ____ birthday today. Christie, you are more beautiful than ever and you are also the most wonderful person I know! I love you! And I can't wait until Friday when we get our day on the town together! Love you - MOM

Coastal Carolina Fair - Ah, the Colors!

Kirby and I went to the Coastal Carolina Fair this afternoon. It was a feast for the eyes with all of the wonderful colors! Between the colors and the people watching - wow, it was great. And we also had plenty to eat. I headed right to the corn dogs - something I NEVER eat but used to all the time - about 100 years ago.
There was one "booth" that was nothing but candy - what would have been called "Penny Candy" years ago. Do you remember those Candy Cigarettes? I thought they were illegal today!

We didn't go on ANY rides this year because last year I learned that I have reached the age where they are no longer fun - they are painful! So we ate, walked, sat, walked, ate and had a great time!