Bring In the Spring

It is past my bedtime, so I'm going to keep this short and sweet. I think bullets to shoot straight to the point are in order...

• The Big Guy has a new skill - drinking from a sippy cup. Addi Girl is taking responsibility for this achievement:)

• We made Cinnabunnies. They looked cute and tasted even better.

• My Camilla bushes have been in bloom for over four months now. They have never bloomed for so long. In an effort to spruce up for spring, I incorporated some white blossoms into a few arrangements using only clippings from my yard and a head of cabbage. 

• A lush look for pennies. I say you can't beat that. Nope. Can't beat it with a stick.

• Happy Spring!

Since We Last Spoke: The Holidays 2012

The holiday season started out with a big milestone for the Big Guy - solid food! During the first two bites, he was a bit skeptical. From the third bite on, he couldn't get enough! Thus far he has liked everything except beets. Can't say that I blame him. His favorite foods are anything and everything that doesn't have beets. I really can't pinpoint a favorite because he gobbles everything up.

Bradley's appetite is serious. He has milk before a meal and then he will scarf down two jars of baby food. That means we can go through 5-6 jars of food a day. We may go broke trying to feed this kid. 

Addison's favorite past time is mothering her baby dolls. When she is playing with her babies she often likes to get dressed up and "go to Publix". She has quite the imagination and sense of fashion. Her fashion philosophy is more is more!

Each year we split holidays between our families. Thanksgiving was spent with the "Tew Crew" and Christmas was spent with "The Hamlations" (Can you tell Brad really likes nicknames?)

At Thanksgiving, I was tasked with creating arrangements for Tula's pretty tables. November in Mobile doesn't yield many pretty blossoms, so I focused on using foliage to create the look. I think the combination of colors and textures turned out beautiful. Best part of these arrangements is they were free! I trimmed them from The Tew's front yard that morning in my pj's:) 

Aunt La made the most adorable paper grocery bag turkey for the kid's table. These pictures don't do it justice!

2012 Christmas Card Photos

This Christmas was so amazing. Addison was old enough to start grasping the true meaning of Christmas and was so excited about all the different activities of the season. It's just magical to watch her experience all the traditions of our faith with such joy and excitement. Bradley was thrilled to finally receive some "boy" toys to play with:) Below are pics from all our Christmas events....

Christmas Morning 2012

Hamilton Christmas 2012

Shipp Christmas 2012

New Year's with The Tew's

Hippy Hop Party for Frances

Yesterday we hopped on over to the Busbee's for this little rabbit's first birthday party.

Lauren had everything decorated beautifully to coordinate with the rabbit theme. Lots of creative party decor ideas!










Walker and Kathryn's birthday party was also this weekend and they still had their awesome slip and slide rented. After Frances cake was cut, the kids - notice Brad is the biggest kid of all- wasted no time slipping on their swimsuits.

Unfortunately, Party of Tew missed the twin's bday party but I'm sure the Busbee Buzz will have a write-up of the weekend festivities soon:) Happy Birthday kiddos!

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!