When I moved back to my hometown, I dreamed that my days would be filled with moments like today. Today, my sister Kendall and I, had a birthday brunch–in her new home–for our grandmothers.
How many people can live in the same town with both of their–not only living–but healthy enough to pop over for brunch, grandmothers. We feel so blessed, and I am ashamed that I don’t take advantage of my ability to soak up their love and wisdom and grace and humor more often.
Kendall clipped these yellow roses and Queen’s lace from my Aunt Alice’s yard. Then, she mixed some of Mom’s china with her own to complete our sweet table.
Kendall, I’m sorry that the only picture I took of you was when you lit the candles for those few minutes…before we realized that it was too cheesy to have candelabras burning at 10 am.
My tomato tarts were photo-worthy, if I do say so myself.
As was Kendall’s DELICIOUS fried okra salad. I ate mine and then finished Mimi’s off when she wasn’t looking 
We also made a ham and swiss quiche, fruit salad, and pistachio muffins. It was good. I tell it like it is, and there wasn’t a bad thing on that plate.
Along with the food, we reminisced over memories of Mimi’s husband–my Papa–who was Sheriff for 16 years and never once carried a gun…apparently he was intimidating enough without one. I remember the man who used to take me with him to the barber shop, and bought me a gingerbread after his appointment was over. A pig farmer, who let me ride beside him in his truck while my cousin Boyd (6 or 7 at the time) playing gate man–wordlessly hopping out of the truck each time Papa paused, to run open and close each gate that we drove through.
We also heard about how Mimi’s opinion that I was “plum crazy” for delivering a baby without medication. She slept peacefully through the births of all four of her children, with the use of “some kind of gas”…I think I may request that this time around. Sounds like a good deal to me!
Evelyn Runnell Clark, “Ruby Pearl”, Mimi, my Dad’s mom
We talked about the way Grandma still loves to sleep with her face touching “Sollie’s” back–despite the fact that he has been having recurring bad dreams about snakes, during which he nearly knocks her out of the bed. Is anybody else laughing out loud?
We compared my Uncle Greg’s night-time terrors as a six-year-old to Pace’s night-time terrors and decided that maybe she inherited her sensitive heart from him.
We laughed about how, with her first baby, Grandma followed her doctor’s instructions so to-the-letter (He TOLD her that her water would break and THEN her contractions would get closer together and she could come in to the hospital. When her water never broke, she kept refusing to go to the hospital–despite the tremendous amount of pain she was in.) that she nearly gave birth at home with only “Preacher” (her nickname for Grandpa) to help. Apparently the nurse said, “If you had stayed home any longer, you would have just spit that baby out.” My water never breaks until the baby comes either
Catherine Evelyn Sollie, “Sister”, Grandma, my Mom’s mom
As you can see, Kendall and I may have rocked our brunch menu, but the priceless part of the day was the quiet, uninterrupted “girl talk” we shared with the these women we love. Happy Birthday Grandma and Mimi!!! I think we should make this a new tradition.
That we are having a baby!!!
That I am already 26 weeks along and due on August 6?
That it’s looking like these may be the ONLY two men in the Maddox family?
That in this picture all FOUR of us are expecting (even though Caroline didn’t know it yet)?
These are my sisters, in case you didn’t know. And I have good reason for the crazed look in my eyes.
That in a 6 month time frame, my Dad and Konie are going to double the number of grandchildren they have–from 5 to TEN?!
That we are all a little worried that we may burst with joy or craziness…and we’re leaning toward the crazy at present?
Life is full, and we feel so very, very blessed. I am not going to make any more promises or vows about being back soon, but I do miss this space ever so badly. I am still constantly writing blogs in my head and hoping that there will again come a day when I get to put them down on paper. Right now though, I feel certain that I can only handle the things jumping up and down at my feet and screaming for my attention…Maybe we could invent a computer that screams as loud as a baby if you don’t pay attention to it?? 
I am here right now partly because I love Valentine’s day, partly because I know if I don’t post these pics before March creeps up–I never will, but mostly because I just read my friend Melissa’s extremely true and very funny post and it got me out of bed and to my computer with an echoed “Amen”!
Now that I am much more of an Instagrammer than a Blogger (that feels like a dagger to my heart), and there are new people in my virtual life that have no idea why I have this bizarre passion, I feel the need for a little explanation. So, if you made it over here from Instagram-Welcome! There is a bit of the back-story and one of my most favorite V-day ghost memories here, and if you care about what we were up to in 2009, 2010, and 2011 you can have a good laugh at how much we’ve changed, like I just did. In 2012, Jay Paul was a few weeks old so a card to our friends was about as creative as I could be.
After two years of slacking, it was time to make a Valentine’s Day Ghost comeback! I decided I wanted to create a breakfast “picnic in bed” for a few of our friends and family (who were in town on the big day).
No, I did not make the yogurt, but I did slice the fruit
And I made some granola.
Ordered some coffee from our favorite Seattle dealer!
And while I tried to tell myself to step away from the plastic-ware, I just could not resist rolling them up.
Packed away with some coffee cups.
And away we went with our little red baskets–who made me so happy I wanted to pinch them!
I was also in charge of Mary Aplin’s class Valentine’s day party. Here I was finishing up the cupcakes with two of my goblins.
And don’t you worry for a second that I forgot my true Valentine this year! He lost his wedding ring (Again!). It happens a lot in the OR–at least if you are my husband. You aren’t allowed to wear a ring when you’re scrubbed in, so he ties it in the tie on his britches. Then, if he changes clothes before coming home…down the laundry shoot goes the ring. His mother warned me about this dilemma before we got married. Prepared as I was, I haven’t bought a ring from a jewelry store since that first ring (almost) 10 years ago. We have bought rings at Walmart, from street vendors, and even fashioned them from random scraps lying around the farm.
I decided it was time for a real ring again…
And since it was a real ring, it came with a real proposal.
I paraded through his busy clinic with these balloons, then got down on one knee and asked him to marry me–again.
He said yes
And then we went away for the weekend to a friend’s farmhouse with four other couples who are dear to us. I will hold back from dumping all those shots on you, but this is my favorite from the weekend. Jeremiah and I came in from a morning run to find all these busy little bees happily preparing breakfast together. I love community.
Almost as much as I love Valentine’s day.