HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MR MOOSE!

i need to scan more of the old photos of the coconut krewe! 

especially for birthday posts!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MR MOOSE!!

what happens when the coconut krewe has access to your phone

captain chaos on my lock screen

super nana as wallpaper

first we said goodbye and then we said hello again and then we said, i'll see you tomorrow

so after a tearful  i'll see you tomorrow and total distraction on my part that resulted in me missing my off ramp and having to make an eight mile totally out of my way but-the-only-way-to-get-back-to-where-i-was-supposed-to-be detour, i arrived back at the plantation.

and then the real fun began.

it had looked as if the weather was going to be kind to the mr & mrs matrix part of the coconut krewe and not storm down on them along the east coast and they would have an on time 17:45 departure to IAD aka dulles and then on to LAX, but nay, nay, that most certainly did not happen! i'll skip the part in between, but at 21:00 i was picking them up at SAV and bringing them back to the plantation.  

their flight THIS MORNING was scheduled for 05:45...

oh yeah, like that happened.

this time it was mechanical problems.

we did get a call telling us, but not a request for another pick-up.  it seems the airline decided that super nana and mr matrix were not the people to trifle with again, so the coconut krewe is on their way.  just so you know, none of this bothered BGM at all!

Baby Girl Matrix

i'm going back to bed. xo

UPDATE from camp matrix@IAD

ready to go!

 LAST UPDATE for TODAY:

super nana, mr matrix and BGM have landed!

this happened today

super nana and BGM

scenes from a couple of krewe days or why i haven't been blogging

The Kid making a chocolate cake

the MITM added the strawberries

i did the frosting

there was a lot of cooking, but i don't have all of those pics, but just know that everything was delish!

BBC cleans up very well

cereal is your friend

a bottle in the morning with the MITM

BGM and the MITM

BGM toes

BGM just noticed who was taking the pictures

guess who loves you?

there are more photos and stories to share, but right now, it's time for brunch!

coconut krewe summer, part 2

super nana, mr. matrix and BGM arrived today!!

we just got back from the sand gnats v north carolina hickory crawdads baseball game and fireworks display! the gnats took the game, 3 -1 and had a crowd of 3,003 people at historic grayson stadium!

we had a blast.

more tomorrow.

i'll see you tomorrow

captain chaos, Stretch, The Kid and BBC left this afternoon.

did i tell you how much i hate taking people to the airport? well, i do. and it's not because of the driving and bags and the craziness of departures.

it's because i hate saying good bye.

i cry.

A LOT.

i really do hate saying good bye.

(you know i cry when people arrive, too, but that's because i'm so happy to see them.)
(so, maybe it's just airports.)
(but then again, no one has arrived or left on a bus or a train, so...who knows.)

so, when you leave, i'll give you a hug and a kiss.

and then i'll say,

i'll see you tomorrow.







because i hate saying good bye.

turn your phone

what we've been doing

thanks for the tip, UB, about camera position. or as the cap't said, pistol straight, camera sideways.

i made a movie!

on another note... we've lost another follower! *sigh*  it's because i wimped out on the 365 challenge, right? but, i really would have liked to say g'bye.

it's over, i'm done

the 365 challenge, i mean, not the blog.

i remembered what our dear pal, charlie, said about the reading challenge. to paraphrase, it's about the joy, not the process. trying to just fill the date with something and not a thoughtful piece started to take the joy out of blogging, so i have to nix that, sugarpies and just go back to blogging because i want to! (and i can just post pics without feeling guilty!) (yes, yes, i know, 12 years of catholic school is so ingrained in me that i still feel guilty about stuff that isn't even sinful.)

sooooooooo,  yesterday was a big holy-moley-it's-raining-and-the-sky-has-turned-black-and-the-clouds-have-opened-up-like-a-tap-turned-on-fill-blast storm! streets were flooded, trees toppled over, power went out and it was hot damn scary! we left just as the storm was intensifying because we had dinner reservations and a meeting set for The Kid with Chef Amie at cha bella. the only road in (or out) of the plantation was already flooded as we drove out, safely i must add because we all know Stretch and cap't chaos read the blog, as it wasn't flooded on the outbound side. there are NO pictures because i was driving and The Kid was way too mesmerized by the storm and the MITM was way too busy criticizing my driving. (y'all ain't surprised, right?)

The Kid and Chef Amie

it was raining when we left downtown, which is about 13 miles from the plantation, so we knew the storm had probably died down out our way and were we ever right!  not only had the storm passed, it had knocked out all the power for about all the homes (give or take a dozen) out this way. anyway, at this time of the year, to be without your AC for even 30 minutes tends to make people CRAZY. all of this was mad crazy for The Kid because around here, when it's dark it is crazymaddamndark outside and it was H-O-T! inside and out. a couple of fire trucks, 3 or 4 georgia power trucks, all sorts of attendant vehicles and official people were dealing with the problem and the newly arrived loonies who REALLY freak out when stuff like this happens.

and then,  we turned corner and what did we see? one of the tall sugar pines around the corner and down the street from us had fallen across the roadway, probably shortly after we'd left the plantation! given were we live, the tree had already been chainsawed into smaller chunks and piled on either side of the road. you gotta love suburban forest living, folks have all the proper tools! our house, like all the others around here, was dark, but still cool inside. the only thing to do was find the flashlights and LED candles and relax! 

lantern shadows

The Kid and The Maltese Falcon

it's a good thing all of the potentially dangerous trees were removed from our front yard yesterday because living around here you never know how the wind and rain are going to mess up a great evening!  it's looking really different, but we're all getting used to it.  we'll post pictures after the clean-up.

BUT, i do have some other pictures for all y'all!

BGM

BBC eating dirt

xoxoxox

vacation time on the plantation begins TODAY

The Kid aka big sister to BBC arrives tonight and will be here with us for 2 WEEKS!!! she'll be with us for a week alone and then captain chaos, Stretch and BBC arrive next monday and will be here until july1!  we have some things planned for The Kid. she wants to be a professional chef when she grows up, so we've set up a surprise meeting with a local chef who just happens to be a woman! 

we've known The Kid was coming for a few weeks, but it seems that everything tht really didn't need to happen has happened this week (don't get me started about the taxes) and now the front yard is completely torn up because we've had to remove a few potentially dangerous trees.

i had started this post earlier, but here it is after 14:00 and i am so not prepared!!! thank goodness her room is ready!

xoxoxox

Father's Day 2013

here's to all the dads! to the guys who know that there's more to being a father than bringing home a paycheck. to all the guys who've sat through three hour productions of Grease because their kid was in the chorus. to the new dads who wake up for the 3AM feeding even though they went to bed at midnight. you guys know who you are!

and i raise my coffee cup to all the uncles, cousins and friends who share in the raising of the tribe because that's what you do when you're part of a family!

where has the time gone?

me and captain chaos a long time ago

BBC in motion

captain chaos and BBC

not much more for today. it's still paperwork time around here, but we'll be done tonight!

falling off the wagon

or

quarterly reporting time. i'll see all y'all when all the paperwork is finished.

Postscript:

i made a really lovely shepherd's pie with the leftover lamb. 

Happy Birthday, Uncle Bubba!

 here's to our pal, map on his birthday! cheers, sugarpie!



xoxoxox from savannah, the MITM and the coconut krewe!

it was a late night...

a bit of bubbly, duck paté, brie, prosciutto, crackers and mini cream cheese and salmon rolls (already eaten when pic taken)

shredded leg of lamb served with purple cabbage, smashed veg and gravy

pinot noir was served

big lamb! or what the MITM is making for Big Shelly today

here's the recipe he's using. yes, i know, it is jaime oliver, but remember here in the states, most of us love him and his ideas about cooking!

i'll post more pictures later because y'all already know that's how we roll heah on the plantation, baby!

wow, how did it get to be friday already? or picture day

one of my jobs requires that i do a lot of waiting. today it was in a parking lot. i took a few photos of the post andrea storm clouds through the moon roof (closed) of my car.

yeah, how exciting is my gig, right?

and since it's friday, that means it's BABY PICTURE TIME!

BBC and a tree

BGM and a hat

i have to go back and count, but i'm still doing my 365 personal challenge!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MITM!!!

UPDATE

the MITM arrived home safely and is currently sound asleep on the couch after a grueling 24 hrs in transit.

xoxoxoxo

it was supposed to rain...

the MITM will be in ATL in an hour and home tonight. (3.5 hour layover there)

yesterday, i was severely injured (OK, not really) and really didn't do a lot more in the office/guestroom, BUT, i have organized all expenses, etc. for 2013 in correctly labeled files. that alone is a major accomplishment in MY book. not that the accountant would agree given the backlog still needing attention, but i digress (which is so easy for me...)

anyway, one more thing to do before the MITM gets home.

(OK, i'm lying, there are a gazillion things to finish before tonight!!)

i suppose i should get moving. . .

sweet mary sunshine or inspector lewis will get me through anything

remember the office redo?

yeah, i know. how long ago was THAT project started?

i'm finally getting around to it. in order to do anything i have to deal with all the paperwork, files, and assorted miscellany on the partners desk and the floor. the good thing is that this room has a large closet that has already been fitted out with coated wire shelves that are perfect for office supply storage AND still function as a guest clothes closet!  niffy, right?  half of it is already organized, but only very loosely so, as in supplies are in their original boxes or in cute containers that make absolutely no sense at all! but i digress...

where does inspector lewis come in?

he and the dishy hathaway (if you know the series, you know who said this and why) are playing on the dvd here in the office. i tried listening to music, but it was disturbing, almost too exciting, no matter what station i put on (thank you, pandora, normally, you are a perfect companion)! there's something about the cadence of their speech and the familiarity of the stories that's comforting when i'm alone. it's certainly making this job a TON easier.

i'll be back.

UPDATE: i have injured my hand and absolutely must stop working!

saturday shopping

those of you who know me know that i am not a leisurely shopper. i'm one of those "i know what i want, i know where it is, let me get it and let me get the hell out of here" shoppers.  today, i did exactly that!

first stop was a friend's garage sale because she had a ton of things for the grandkids! 20usd and i scored, baby! there will be pictures later when the mini coconut krewe gets to play with all the new old stuff. next was a quick trip to the book store for some books and toys that were on sale! i even found a 12usd basket (also on sale, just at another store) to put all these treasures in.  i was in and out of there in 20 minutes!  a new record for me, sugarpies!

last stop was the adult beverage mart for a case and a half of some very delicious wine and spirits.

and there ya go, i am done.

the MITM returns home on monday and his birthday is 05 june, so he'll be home for a celebration!