Condo Makeover, Flea Market and a Mass Grave

Has my title left you curious? Hold on to your hats people. This is going to be a long one. Last weekend, my aunts, grandmother, sister and mother enjoyed a girl's trip to Nashville. On the schedule: Eat, Flea Market, Visit Mallory, Eat and a surprise trip to a graveyard...more on that later.

First stop was Stan's in Columbia, Tennessee - "The Mule Capitol of the World." We had a hearty country breakfast at this roadside restaurant and I was tempted to leave with this mug.

Second stop: Flea market at the Tennessee State Fair Grounds. If you have never experienced the Nashville Flea Market you are missing out. The market is held the last weekend of every month and you can find some great deals on one of a kind items.

Below is a little sampling of some favorite finds...

Third Stop: McDougal's for lunch. We all cleaned our chicken finger baskets and even polished off the free soft serve that comes with each meal.

Fourth Stop: My sister Mallory's condo. You may remember, my sister is a newlywed, a nurse and living in Nashville.

For the last several months, she has been on a quest to decorate her condo and I think it has turned out so cute!

Below is a peak inside...











Fifth Stop: Maplewood Confederate Cemetery in Tulahoma, Tennessee. This was the final item on the itinerary and a big surprise to me. I didn't know I would be wrapping up the day with a walk through a mass grave.

You see my Great Aunt Charlotte has spent the last two years researching our family's history. Her studies have taken her to courthouses and cemeteries all over the state. She recently discovered that my great, great, great, great grandfather, John C. Blackmon, was a confederate solider that was buried in a mass grave after a battle near Tullahoma.

Since the cemetery was only an hour out of the way, we took the detour to document this part of our family's history.

Here are all the girls a little worse for wear at the end of the day. From left to right: My cousin Anna, Aunt Charlotte, Aunt Beth, Sister Mallory, my Mom, Yours Truly, Aunt Donna and Granny Ham. I'm so blessed to be apart of a close-knit, large family that loves any excuse to get together. Thanks for a fun weekend girls!

Little Music Maker

Last week, Addi Girl and I wrapped up five days of Kindermusik Camp. I really wasn't sure what to expect but I was pleasently surprised to learn that Kindermusik is much more than just singing nursery ryhmes and preschool songs.

There was storytime, instruments, dancing and a craft time. It was an action packed 45 minutes and Addison loved every minute!

Playing with these sheer scarves was Addison's favorite activity followed by storytime for a close second.

We were so sad when the week came to an end but can't wait for new classes in the fall.

Its Been A Long Day

Cousins at the Beach

Hi folks! We have just returned from the beautiful beaches of the Gulf Coast. I am happy to report that the beaches seem to have bounced right back from the oil spill. There were so many people there you couldn't stir 'em with a stick!

Pops was attending a conference in Sandestin so the whole Tew Crew tagged along too. Despite the heat and crowds, all the cousins enjoyed spending time with each other. They all just squealed when they saw each other. I pitied the poor souls that had hotel rooms next to ours...

...that is until they emerged wearing plethora of LSU paraphernalia.

As you can see, Addi Girl stayed busy finding creative ways to use Kathryn's princess boogie board.

And this little nugget also joined us on the beach; although, she preferred to stay in the shade and out of the sand.

Addison continued her campaign to scoop up the beach one spoonful at a time.

All of the Busbee kiddos have a birthday coming up in a couple of weeks. Their bdays are only 48 hours apart! That means we better rest-up and get ready to head south again for the parties:)

Happy Father's Day

Daddy,

Thank you for...
playing with me,
reading to me,
helping me,
laughing with me...

Daddy thank you for loving me.

xoxo, Addi

Weekend In Review

Why is that weekends seem to pass by in a flash? If I had my way, every day would be Saturday. Speaking of Saturdays, Party of Tew hosted some of our closest friends over for Mexican Saturday night.

Addi Girl was thrilled that someone else shares her passion for refined literature like Fancy Nancy and To Market, To Market.



Our little last minute soiree gave me a good excuse to trim the few remaining blossoms from my gardenia bush for a new table arrangement.

After church Sunday, we attended Brad's company family picnic. There were tons of fun activities for the kids like face painting, jump houses, water balloon fights, sack races and balloon animals.

It was hot. I mean H-O-T! Addison's cheeks were as red as the cherries on her little dress! But the heat didn't seem to faze her one bit.

Of course a construction company's picnic wouldn't be complete without a skid loader jump house.

From looking at the pictures if you suspect Addison has a shiner on her left eye you would be correct. Poor baby hit the concrete face first climbing out of her little pool in the backyard but she's a tough one. She sniffled from a minute and then resumed her routine of crawling repeatedly in and out of her pool.

Have a good week and check back for new items in the Party of Tew Designs shop!