Green Eggs and Ham

I'm just now getting around to discussing the fantastic weekend that we had this past week. It was like Thanksgiving...only early. It was one of those very rare times when my entire family was together. I'm talking Nana; Mimi; me, my brother, and my sister; each of our spouses; and all of our kids. It was fantastic!

It had been so long since we had all been together that I forgot that my brother has turned into quite the storyteller. You know, every family has one. He gets his storytelling pose going on:

And this is how he begins: "Do you remember reading Dr. Seuss' Green Eggs and Ham when you were little? Well, it wasn't just a book for us. It's what we had for breakfast." He then goes into a diatribe of the weekly specialties in our house growing up which included: Wednesday nights - fried Spam with ShowBoat Pork & Beans; Thursday nights - VegAll with biscuits on top.

Now, my sweet little mother takes Bubby's exaggerations about her cooking really well. No, my mother did not inherit the cooking gene that my grandmother and my aunt have. And yes, Spam and VegAll did make their appearance on the table in our house - although not every week. Like most working moms, she did the best she could with what she had to work with.

There is one thing that Bubby didn't exaggerate though: I would literally kiss his feet when I was little to get him to cook my eggs because I did not want "Green Eggs and Ham."

Allison's Salon Day

Allison spent the night with Nana last night. When they got up this morning, they had a morning of pampering (as if Allison never gets pampered). Nana painted Allison's fingernails and toenails. After that, my brother's family came to Nana's, and my sister-in-law, Lisa, french-braided Allison's hair. Let me just tell you, she has thought she is hot stuff all afternoon. She had such a good time.

Another day....Another birthday!

We celebrated my nephew's 14th birthday on Monday. Allison and I went to Nana's house for the party and for lots of fun times. We had pizza and birthday cake. Allison and Joy (my niece) had lots of fun with their baby dolls.....and my brother.

Meet my brother.....

...and that explains it all!

A true love affair

For the 4th of July, we invited Nana, Mimi, and Lance over for dinner. We grilled steaks, and we had coleslaw, potato salad, and baked beans to go with them.

None of that mattered when Nana uncovered the homemade vanilla ice cream. Lance fell in love with Nana over her ice cream, and Mimi ended up inviting Lance to come to Conway sometime to visit.

He ate a big bowl. Then, he licked the blades:


Then he cleaned out the canister:

The Old Mill

On Tuesday, June 3 we celebrated my mom's 65th birthday. My mom is all about celebrating everything....and I do mean everything! Some people make fun of her for this, but I love it. I love the fact that she wanted to make a day of celebrating this wonderful birthday.

She and Mimi drove up to my house, and I took both of them to The Old Mill. My mom has seen it once, but my aunt - at the age of 79 - had never been there. It was a beautiful, sunny day even if it was a bit warm.

I think The Old Mill is one of Arkansas' best kept secrets. It is nestled in the middle of a neighborhood in the heart of North Little Rock. It was featured in the opening scene the movie "Gone with the Wind". It is believed to be the only remaining structure from the film.

I absolutely love it! Chuck and I had our engagement photographs taken there, and I had my wedding portrait done there. As you can see from my pics, it is breathtaking!