m & em +a +s: 01/01/2014

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

our weather station needs a thesaurus

Our weather station has run out of adjectives for cold this week: arctic cold, snow shower, still very cold, colder,brief break, very cold, even colder

It's snowing like crazy right now and Mark came home from work early. Feels like Boston!

Monday, January 20, 2014

Holmes' Home Destruction

Our current kitchen is being destroyed, only to be remade in a much more organized and clean, fresh way. Notice the purple rolled laminate, sheet rock-type stuff, brittle aqua tiles, plywood, diamond check something, and subflooring. Mark's been working hard on this project this weekend, and will continue over the coming week(s). We found a hidden growth chart from the kids that lived her in 1961.

Our first home is being torn down today to make way for a McMansion, Atlanta-style

Monday, January 6, 2014

Charleston with the Krieses

We were so glad to have two nights of our Christmas tour to spend with the Kriese family at their new home near Charleston, SC. Lillian took pictures so I'll add ones of us together when they make it to my inbox :). We drove around the city of Charleston, walked into old town Summerville, ate dinners at home, and the guys watched bowl games while the kids ran around and Claire and I visited. We love their new house and home to come again when it's much warmer!! If you go to Charleston check out The Alley for a fun, relaxing lunch with good food--we enjoyed it and Mark's coworker Michael based in Charleston even got to join us.

inside view of front door

exterior view back door

Claire is a great teacher for her kids. While riding in the car together Lillian (10) was looking at coins and said to Alice, "This reminds me of the Second Continental Congress. Do you know about that?" Alice replied, "I know about Cinderella. Do you?"

Georgia Aquarium & Gadsden Imagination Place

The Ely family met us in Atlanta for New Year's Eve and we spent the first part of the day at the Georgia Aquarium. The dolphin show was amazing and Sawyer especially loved the seals. Chasing 5 kids age 5 and under makes pictures challenging, so here are our best:

Grandaddy took us to the indoor "snow" place and the Squires came up another day to play too.

Cousins together -- Graves & Stegalls!

Two days after Christmas my mom's side of the family gathered for lunch. Everyone there grew up in Birmingham but we haven't all been together in 10 years. It was fun and kind of strange to introduce the kids AND Mark to Christopher's family! Many of us are spread out but there's a lot of love among the young girls who go to the same schools in Vestavia. I'm so glad it worked to be together this year. We missed Jan & Bunk's family.

I didn't take any of the pictures in the post, so forgive the quality and quantity. Mama Ann's 90th birthday celebration was planned for lunch on her birthday, December 24th. Aunts, Uncles and many cousins still gathered to celebrate in her honor at my sister Sarah's house. Sawyer met some folks for the first time and it was a nice, low-key way to spend our day.

Christmas Days with Stegalls

before breakfast of monkey bread, quiche and fruit --Alice and I baked :)

Christmas morning at my parents felt like such a small crowd with just my family in town. We had an easy morning, enjoyed playing with toys as we opened and not rushing. Mama's health was poor while we visited and our extended time there was sweeter because we had time to go slowly, not always racing so resting was okay and take-out dinners meant having Mama enjoy the actual meal with us instead of being too exhausted to enjoy visiting with us.

Mark loved his gifts, I got some things I enjoy and had never seen before, Alice is decked out in Sofia the First gear, Sawyer got play power tools and train books. Alice now has babies Uma, Mary (for my mom) and Sofia the First. Mark escaped for a few days to hunt (hike with guns, no killing) with his cousin Len and hang out at Lake Martin.