from the meadow of the royal fortress

SEW y'all

2009-08-17T20:50:00.004-04:00

Sew y'all...that is the name of Big Connie and myself's new sewing adventure. I am in the process of building an etsy site, a blog, and a website. We are both VERY excited. Maybe we will become rich and famous, ha! But I'm hoping to make a little extra money if nothing else.
I asked my friend, Amanda, to design a logo...she is totally amazing. And this is what she came up with:

I think it is just perfect. However, I think it might look better without the ruler/cutting mat below the sewing machine. Still working out all the details. I'm stoked to get this off the ground and (finally) running.

Plus, Jack is entering a BBQ cook-off in October, in Canton, and SEW y'all is going to get a craft booth. Sew (hee hee, I hope I don't wear this out) everything needs to be ready by then. More on that to come later. The cook-off I mean. Not my overuse of the word "sew" instead of "so."

Sam loves to talk and eat...at the same time

2009-08-17T20:29:00.001-04:00

I love this. Especially because I do this too. Obviously, he loves the puffs (and they didn't make him have fish face either.) He is too cute. Seriously.

Fish Face

2009-08-17T20:24:00.003-04:00

I have never seen him do this before, and I couldn't stop laughing! I was feeding him Green Beans for lunch and he started making a fish face. Unfortunately, by the time I got the camera, there were no beans left. But you get the idea.

Dancin' Sam

2009-08-17T20:17:00.002-04:00

Sammy, apparently, LOVES to dance. And the boy has rhythm. See him in action:

Photo shoot

2009-07-31T22:39:00.004-04:00

I had an impromptu photo shoot while watching Sammy today. I think the photos turned out great! However, it's not too hard when he is soooo cute. And today, he told me I was the best aunt in the whole wide world. Yeah, he loves me lots.

I am so glad I finally bought Adobe Lightroom. It is almost just as much fun editing my pictures as taking them. And it is very user friendly. Here is a link: http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshoplightroom/passionate/?sdid=EPIHW

I started by downloading a FREE 30 day trial. Any pictures you edit in those 30 days get saved to your hard drive, so you don't have to worry about losing your work. (plus, you can download it again after 30 days with another email address....secrets, ssssshhhh) However, I thought it was well worth the investment, so I was honest in the end, and paid for it. I'm still watching tutorials online and trying to figure it all out. But so far, I couldn't be happier. It is MUCH easier for me than Photoshop.

Anyway, back to Sammy, here are the pictures:

Sicko Sammy

2009-07-30T21:47:00.004-04:00

Wednesday, I was watching Sammy for the day because Lindsey's mom, Daphne, had surgery, and as she normally watches him, I have been getting to keep him lately. It's unfortuante she needed surgery (everything is okay and she is on her way to a smooth and quick recovery!) but I am thankful for the time I am getting to spend with the little man.

However, while watching him, my ever so keen maternal instincts kicked in, and I could tell he was not feeling well. So, first order of business was to call Big Connie. That's a maternal instinct, right? To call your mom? She came home at lunch and confirmed my thoughts by 1st, taking his temperature. (hello, kim? you know where the thermometer is, right?) and yes, he was running a temperature of 102.1. Well, the thermometer said 101.1, but apparently when you take a temp under the armpit, you add one degree. News to me. I guess that is more comfortable for the patient, than up the bum, however. So we called the Dr. and they said to bring him in. Upon hearing this, I of course freaked out, and insisted Big Connie join us for the trip. Not because I am scared of the Dr. (ok, maybe that's 50% of it) but I have never driven a car with a baby as a passenger. And he's not my baby. Watching him at the house is one thing, but getting in a car, to go the Dr., that was too much for me. Plus, the little booger didn't feel good, I didn't need to go into a panic attack to top it all off.

Anyway, we got him to the Dr. and he said all Sammy has is a sore throat, and not to worry, just give him Motrin. (the Dr. prefers Motrin to Tylenol in babies over 4 mo. old) Another lesson for me.

Here are some pictures of him when he is feeling better (and his friend Ashley too.)

Tubing in Helen

2009-07-30T21:34:00.003-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, Jack and I took Grace and her bestest, Camryn, tubing in Helen. It was so cute, because we surprised Grace with the entire weekend and she was so excited, I thought she was going to have a stroke.

We went on a Friday, to avoid the crowd, thank goodness. I had been up to Hiawassee the Saturday before, and when I crossed the river in Helen, you couldn't even see the water for the tubes. It was not so bad for us, nor was it as cold as I was expecting. And other than the fiasco of Jack losing his Maui Jim sunglasses (ouch!) there were no incidents. (He decided to stand up from his tube just up-stream from the largest white water experience on the river, and fell, went on his butt down the fall, got trapped by the current, blah blah blah, and incidentally, lost his glasses. Yeah, he was pretty ticked.)

Anyway, the girls had a blast, myself included. Jack said he is never going tubing again, imagine that.

Coincidentally, the girls had matching bathing suits...

Love it!

seriously....

2009-07-15T16:24:00.002-04:00

it's already the middle of july?

how the heck did that happen?

where has the summer gone?

inspired by my newest most favoritest blog, i am going to try to be more diligent regarding my blog as well as take better pictures and start cooking. and wash all of my jadeite that is in my cabinet and start using it too.

check out her site: http://thepioneerwoman.com/

the kiddos

2009-05-17T21:38:00.006-04:00

we FINALLY all got together (minus Jamie GHG and Lexi, who we greatly missed) to celebrate Mary Emma and Shep's birthday. The kids all had a great time playing together, and they are all too cute. Really. It is hard to believe how precious they are. And I can't wait to meet the 2 new additions, Charlotte and Briggs. Yams is having another boy, due August and Jessica's little girl will be here in October. YEAH!!!

Oh, and I LOVE my new lens. It takes really great pictures. And I downloaded a free trial of Adobe Lightroom. I just need to go ahead and buy it, but I somehow need to find $300 laying around, anyone?

And here is a picture of Grace at the pool on Friday, she is getting so big. It is hard to believe she is already 7 (and a half). However, she acts like she is 11 or 12. I asked if I could take her picture, and she started posing. Hilarious.

how has it been almost 6 months...

2009-05-17T20:32:00.004-04:00

since Sammy was born. That is ridiculous. And he is ridiculously cute; here is the proof:

This is my favorite!!!

Critter Control....again

2009-05-14T13:08:00.008-04:00

How come everywhere I go, I am surrounded by critters?

A few months ago, there was the bat in the house (see earlier post and associated video). And then there is the rat story from when I lived with the roomies on Ashford Dunwoody. (Remember, Monty ate my bed, and chewed a hole in the wall). Oh, and the nasty wharf rats (honestly, they were HUGE) at my old office that we saw on a near daily basis. And a few years ago, there was the baby opossum in the house that we caught and set free.

Well, they are back. Almost all of them.

The other day, whilst hanging out on the deck enjoying the weather and a cocktail, Gerdie became obsessed with a particular area. Specifically, she was staring through the deck boards, clawing at the deck, and not leaving that spot. I poured water on the deck in an attempt to remove any smells, etc. that she couldn't seem to leave alone. Which didn't work. So Big Connie decided to go under the deck and check it out.

And she found this:

Yes, that's a bundle of bats, baby bats, and they are living under the deck. GROSS!!! There is a huge pile of poo under them too. But Jack said to leave them b/c they eat mosquitoes and such. So, I guess they are going to stay for now.

Oh, and Big Connie said she saw them flying back in for the day when she was running on the elliptical machine the other morning, at daybreak. Freaky.

And by Freaky I mean:

A. That she saw them on the move.

B. That she was up that early AND working out.

So that is critter number 1 back to haunt me. Now on to critter number 2.

Yesterday, Jeremy had stopped at CVS on his way home, and nosy that I am, peaked in his bag at his prizes. To discover a mouse trap. I said, "Oh, do you have mice at home?" (while feeling sorry for him and his critter problems). And his reply, "No, you have mice downstairs."

Um, excuse me? Pardon moi? Repita por favor?

I think I stared at him for a good 2 minutes with my mouth wide open (good thing I was not outside while the bats were on the move....)

He said he was just laying down for bed, heard something, flicked on the light, saw the mouse on top of the entertainment center, threw his wallet at the mouse, which scared the everliving poo out of it, and it was trying so hard to get away, it was just skidding and sliding all over the place. Again, FREAKY. No, actually, GROSS.

So he set up the trap, I assume. I did not see him again last night or this morning, and he is gone until Monday. Great, Monday...that is 4 days away! So I guess we will have to wait and see until then...unless I hear a loud slap of a closing trap or smell something rotting. Because there is no way I am going in there.

Critter numero tres, the opossum, has stayed away....for now. And lets hope it stays that way!

alyssa, this is for you

2009-05-13T17:55:00.004-04:00

jennith's sister, alyssa, is in Ghana! and she is going to try to bring me back some more new fabric (if she can find it)! yeah!

here is a picture of what lindsey and emily brought back:

it is labeled: veritable real wax afroget. happy hunting! oh, and i would like a LOT of it...but at least two yards. (lindsey and emily brought back 12 yards total, which is an entire bolt.) 1 yard is enough for a purse/bag. 2 yards would be enough for a blanket/quilt. so, if you find something cool, i could make you something too!

Wow, I need to learn time management skills

2009-05-11T21:44:00.005-04:00

So, I keep hearing from people, "when are you going to update your blog?"

Not only am I amazed that I hear this from people other than my mother, I am disappointed with myself for not taking the time to keep up with something that I love doing (telling people the ins and outs of my life like anyone cares, heh!)

Seriously though, I can't believe how occupied and busy I can keep myself while not holding down a full time job. I have a new found respect for stay-at-home mothers! (And I don't mean that in a cynical way, either).

Since I am at home most days (i.e. unemployed), and have been playing nurse-maid to Jack since his surgery (I will blog about this later), there always seems to be a need to run to the grocery store, wal-mart, the gas station, do laundry, dishes, take out the trash, mow the grass, decorate, rearrange furniture, go yard selling, etc. Okay, so maybe those last three are an indication of things I would like to do full time, or as a paid occupation, rather than things I "have to get done" on a daily basis, but either way, I have no idea how I did any of these things while working a 40+hour/week job.

And in case you were wondering about my last blog post, no...the interview did not go as well as planned. Well, I shouldn't say that. The interview itself went well, in my opinion, but the fact that I got no return call/email, as promised, I might have been a little to hopeful. Oh well. My un-employment check is well received each week.

The sad thing is, that since getting laid off, there has only been one job posting anywhere on the internet for a Landscape Architect in GA, and apparently everyone I know applied...as to be expected. And since the hiring company is looking for someone with at least 8 years of experience, even though my resume and credentials are impressive (according to the HR manager), I am not even going to be considered for the position...since there was SO much response to the job.

No shit. Between Brent (former boss/co-worker) we can name at least 25 LA's that got laid off in the last 2 years who are looking for a job. And we can name 6-7 people, that we know of, who applied for this job. So, if you are looking to hire, you are in luck, b/c there is an endless pot of well qualified and skilled people who NEED a job. However, if you are like me, and are one of the many LOOKING for a job...well, see above.

Regardless, I am keeping a positive outlook, looking for ways to make money (watching kids, side-jobs, sewing, etc.) and trying not to stay too worried or anxious about it. There is a plan for me and it is ultimately out of my control, so I am not sweating the small stuff. And when you consider the "small stuff" a steady income, then you must be doing pretty well in the sane department.

Or smoke too much crack.

P.S. (to my Grandparents who read my blog, or at least I think you may occasionally read my blog, I have not, nor ever will, smoke crack...its just a saying among us young "whippersnappers!" And pardon my french)

P.P.S. (more blog posts and pictures to follow...SOON, I promise this time)

new career?

2009-02-04T18:02:00.002-05:00

i have a job interview tomorrow. i don't want to give details yet, though. might jinx it. but the job itself could suck too. we shall see....

hiccup head

2009-02-04T17:57:00.001-05:00

lindsey walker was here today and she had sammy really going. listen when he starts laughing, with the hiccups, its sounds like he's saying "hiccup"

Little Sammy

2009-01-24T14:09:00.004-05:00

okay, so one more good thing about unemployment is getting to baby-sit Sammy. here is a video of the cute little booger. (please ignore my singing!)

oh, and i am not shaking the chair either, that's just how fidgety he is!

Job-less

2009-01-23T13:39:00.002-05:00

so, yes, i have officially lost my job. sux. however, if we do get any new work, i am going to get paid on a job by job basis. unfortunately there are no jobs in the landscape architecture world right now. each week, i feel like i hear of someone else who has lost their job. its really scary.
however, there are some benefits:

going out on a wednesday night to east atlanta to see a band play (thanks rodney) and not having to worry about getting up early the next day
sewing all day
catching up on my stories
getting even more addicted to facebook (wait, that is a con)
becoming an expert at my new wii (wait, is that a con too?)

okay, maybe not SO many benefits.

i'm trying to stay positive though. but going to the unemployment office on wednesday didn't help. there must have been a couple hundred people there. and i was shocked at how many of the people looked like the "corporate" type. they were even calling people to the back for "orientation" in waves of about 35 due to the # of people there. if you go to the department of labor's website, it lists the national unemployment rate at 7.2% while georgia's rate is even higher at 8.1%. i had a meeting with a client, former client, last week who works for goldman sachs. he said, unemployment was only going to get worse, even if the economy starts to turn for the better. he explained that it is the last thing to "crash" so to say. employers wait too long to lay people off-not wanting to face to truth, hurt people, etc....and then, once things start to get better, employers are more slow to re-staff. it makes sense, but it makes it even harder to see the light at the end of the tunnel knowing this.

so, if you shop in the alpharetta area, you may see me bagging your groceries! if they are even hiring....

i'm still here

2009-01-15T13:59:00.002-05:00

so i know it has been forever...no real excuse. its not like i have been busy with work. quite the contrary, i don't really have a job anymore. as of next week anyway. so, the job hunt begins. and maybe a few more posts to my loyal readers, ha!

more sewing creations

2008-11-06T20:40:00.005-05:00

i started this georgia bulldog diaper bag, um, at least 1.5 years ago. the only thing it needed to be complete were the handles...which took all of 30 minutes. how sad. i truly am a procrastinator. but my cousin, amy, said she needed a new bag, so i decided to finish this one for her. i had actually forgotten i had even started it. oops! well, its done now, and it turned out great. i almost kept it for myself and made her another one. i hope she likes it!

this is the outside, but technically its reversible

this is the bag flipped inside out, but it can be used this way too. all of the Georgia fabric is the pockets, of varying sizes on both sides of the bag

here is a coloring book bag i also made. the bag will hold 2 standard size coloring books, or in Grace's case: 2 coloring books, her camera, her gameboy, and a stuffed animal! they are great to take to restaurants or keep in the car-but NOT in the summer, the crayons will melt.

this bag will hold ~20 crayons, all on one side of the bag. the bag can also be made to hold an additional 20 crayons on the other side.

if you (whoever "you" are that read my blog) want one or know someone who would, please let me know because i would love to make them. i would also love to get this going as a side business or main business for that matter. so, if "you" would like to finance this, that would be great too!

Fall

2008-11-05T19:19:00.004-05:00

I LOVE fall. The air is so crisp and fresh, the sky is so blue, and the landscape seems to come to life with fall colors. Which is great practice for messing around with the camera. And fortunately there are 2 beautiful maples in the front yard that appear blurry they turn such brilliant yellow. And its the time of year for my favorite holiday, Halloween. Oh and then Thanksgiving. I guess the only down side is the sore throat and Jack goes hunting out west for 2 weeks. Oh yeah, and that stupid daylight savings time...

Mr. Powers

2008-11-05T09:50:00.006-05:00

I had been standing in line to vote for about 10 minutes when the nice volunteers came around and pulled the elderly gentleman directly in front of me out of line. They told him they could offer him some assistance in voting, to which he replied "thatta be good, seein' as how i don't read nor write." They then explained to him, when it was his turn, they would read the ballot aloud and he could tell them which candidate he would like to vote for. Then, he re-joined the line, directly in front of me. Meanwhile, I had stricken up a conversation with the gentleman, Mr. Smith, in line behind me. As we were discussing the fact that 20 of the 24 representatives on the ballot had no opponents, the elderly gentleman, David Lee, turned around to join the conversation. Or so we thought.
He began by telling us he had never voted before, and Mr. Smith told him, "Well, congratulations on voting today!"
David Lee proceeded to tell us he was only here to vote for the president to which Mr. Smith added, "well, I wish you would vote for everything, but it's a great to be involved and at least you are here."
David Lee said, "You don't know how much power I have"
I assumed he meant, by voting he had power, and his vote counts, and he is ultimately choosing the next leader of our country. Obviously, Mr. Smith agreed and told David Lee, "you are right, we all have power by voting...blah, blah, blah."
Then the conversation took quite and interesting turn.
David Lee continued by saying "Satan is evil, and will try to get in your heart, but you can't let him. He killed all his children. He is evil."
Mr. Smith whispered under his breath, "oh no" and moved away towards the windows on the other side of the hall where he was keeping his coffee and newspaper. Meanwhile, I'm thinking, don't leave me! How do I respond, what do I do? Then I thought, oh, he has powers...like he has God on his side and the power of the Lord to keep Satan out. WRONG.
Just then, David Lee looks me right in the eyes and asks me, "Who do you think got OJ Simpson, Michael Jackson and Ray Lewis out of jail?" I nervously look down at my feet and respond with "I don't' know...um, uhhh, I have never thought about it before" David Lee proceeds to tell me HE DID. He has powers. And I don't know how much power he has.
All I can think is, great! There is a certifiably insane, old, crotchety, country, and toothless man in front of me in a line, to vote no less, that is at least 100 people deep and an hours wait. WHO THINKS HE HAS POWERS.
As my jaw begins to lift off the floor, my brain also starts ticking along again and i think: if he really has powers, don't you think he would be bestowed with the power to read and write? Of course he would! So, not being as worried that he might cast a spell on me, I decide the best plan of action is to ignore him and maybe he will stop talking. Miraculously, it worked. Well that and the fact that Mr. Smith realized he was in the wrong polling place. Which was followed with a few minutes of drama, as a panic spread through the crowd as everyone began to worry they were in the wrong place.
After the drama, and checking to make sure I was in the correct place, I befriended as many other people behind me, in case Mr. Powers decided to strike up another conversation.
We made it all the way to the front with no other incidents and I thought that was the last I would hear from ole Mr. Powers.
It was then his turn to show ID and vote. The lady checking IDs said, "I'm sorry sir, you are at the wrong place, you are supposed to be at the fire station." First of all, why did this keep happening? He had his voter card which said he was at the correct place. But none of this really matters because all I can think is, great...way to piss of the man with the powers. I'm trying to give her the look of-you better not make him angry, he has powers...don't say anything else. PLEASE.
Well Mr. Powers shouts, "That's fine, you can keep it" and tosses his paper at her. "He ain't gonna get my vote. I'll just leave. I ain't' goin to the fire station, he just won't get my vote" The young man who is going to read the ballot comes over and explains Mr. Powers is going to vote as he is going to read to him. The lady says, no he is in the wrong place...and the kid says, "just give him a provisional ballot." I think he started to realize Mr. Powers is crazy because at this point he is getting mad and yelling. Then the lady says, "well I already voided his slip, so he is going to have to fill another one out." Mr. Powers, yells, "I caint..I don't know how. I caint do it!" The kid, bless his heart, calms Mr. Powers down and helps him fill out another form. That's when Mr. Powers says, "Now if you get in trouble for this, you just let me know. I'll getcha outta jail...I'll call the judge. Just let me know, I know the judge, I'll getcha out." The kid is like, "uh ummm, okay...but its fine, I can fill this out for you."
Well, I guess he can get anybody out of anything...I mean, a kid at the polling place, MJ, OJ...whose next. I'm sure I can come up with a long list of people who would like to meet him and put his powers to work.
By this time, I have begun to vote, but am rather distracted as I want to hear EVERYTHING Mr. Powers has to say. Fortunately, he and the kid are right behind me. As the kid begins to read the candidates for president, Mr. Powers yells, "Just put me down for the black man." Kid replies, "Sir, I have to read all the candidates." When he gets to Obama, Mr. Powers again yells, "That's the one, I want to vote for the black man...put me down for Obama."
By now, I am done voting, and as much as it pained me to leave and miss any more excitement, I left.
However, I do remember Mr. Power's address....might have to start driving by to see what goings-on are happening at the old homestead. Quite an interesting feller. Plus, you never know when those "powers" might come in handy.

The Great Grandparents

2008-11-04T21:27:00.006-05:00

Granny and Grandad came down for the weekend to meet their first Great-grandchild and first (and only, so far) boy to carry on the Cunningham namesake. On Grandad's side at least. We do have another cousin, Derek, who is also a Cunningham...but this is the first in our immediate family. So there are 4 generations of Cunningham Men, pretty cool. ANYWAY, they were thrilled to death and so excited, as you can imagine. Grace also got to come over to meet him as was just excited She was even pushing Granny out of the way. Although, according to Grace, she said she didn't push, "she was there first!"

More Sammy

2008-11-04T20:31:00.004-05:00

Pictures from the hospital that Lindsey and Andrew took:

and a recent picture:

hALlowEeN

2008-11-04T20:30:00.000-05:00

When I first asked Grace what she wanted to be for Halloween, she stated, rather sure of her self, "a vampire." Well, upon going to the store and seeing the actual costumes, she ended up on the other side of the spectrum:
Right before Grace headed out, she said, "oooh look, a wishing star" So cute!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

2008-10-31T12:35:00.001-04:00

Sammy, Day 2

2008-10-23T23:01:00.005-04:00

Okay, so I am obsessed. I think my blog has officially turned into Sammy's blog. Oh well.

Look at all that hair!

and MY double chin!

Big Connie is SO proud (I'm just glad Andrew delivered on the grandbaby front)

Lindsey and Carla

Dad was holding him and said, "look, he already has a DUI ankle bracelet." Nice.

Grandpa Bill looks quite proud himself

The Cunningham Men

Grandmommy Audra

What a beautiful family...I'm so proud and happy for you guys, and I love you more than you know!

I'M AN AUNT

2008-10-22T21:38:00.004-04:00

Samuel Haven Cunningham

7lb. 9oz.

21 in. long

6:43ish pm

He is an Angel!!!!

SAMMY...

2008-10-22T16:25:00.001-04:00

is on his way, RIGHT now. I CAN'T WAIT to meet him. Oh, I am so excited, I am going to have leave work...not like I am getting anything done anyway! YEAH, YEAH, YEAH.

Grace loses a BIG tooth

2008-10-21T21:53:00.001-04:00

and my new found photo editing fun!

the kiDdOs

2008-10-20T22:35:00.005-04:00

I am having a great time taking pics of all my friends beautiful and sweet kids. Plus, I downloaded a free trial of Adobe Lightroom today and having been playing around with that. So much fun! Now, if I could only make $ doing this...

Baby Bump

2008-10-20T22:22:00.001-04:00

Little Sammy will be here any day now. Lindsey and Andrew went to the doctor on Thursday and she is 2cm dilated and the doctor stripped her membrane (whatever that means). Can you tell which belly little Sammy is in?

Sunflowers

2008-10-20T21:24:00.002-04:00

I love when you are driving down the road, and something like this is waiting to be discovered. And you actually have your camera with you!

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-20T21:18:00.001-04:00

Scampi the Shrimp Head

2008-10-20T21:11:00.003-04:00

So, whoever said, "do not play with your food," has never had a giant deep-fried shrimp head on their plate. Because I am here to tell you, there is no way not to play with it.

weekend warrior

2008-09-22T19:33:00.003-04:00

i was feeling extra crafty this past weekend and decided it was finally time to finish a purse i started 6 months ago. upon completing that purse, i was inspired to make another one with fabric i got at least 9 months ago. then, i took a trip to joann's and saw the cutest iron-on transfers and made some onesies for my soon-to-be-here nephew. i had looked on-line for rockin baby stuff (as i imagine little sammy will come out with a mohawk and tattoos) but the prices for anything were ridiculous...average $18-$30 for a onesie. with the cost of the transfer plus the cost of the onesie, they ended up being less than $3 apiece. much better. and i can afford to buy more than one!

yes, i put the last 2 transfers on the hiney

big connie busts her arse

2008-09-21T12:53:00.005-04:00

last week i got a call from big connie saying she needed me to take her to the emergency room because she fell. apparently she had one too may bourbons and decided to play like she was mary lou retton and do a split on the hardwood floors. the result is a pulled hamstring and one NASTY bruise:

joke of the day

2008-09-17T14:58:00.000-04:00

Two tall trees, a birch and a beech, are growing in the woods. A small tree begins to grow between them, and the beech says to the birch, 'Is that a son of a beech or a son of a birch?' The birch says he cannot tell. Just then a woodpecker lands on the sapling. The birch says,'Woodpecker, you are a tree expert. Can you tell if that is a son of a beech, or a son of a birch?' The woodpecker takes a taste of the small tree. He replies, 'It is neither a son of a beech nor a son of a birch. It is, however, the best piece of ash I have ever put my pecker in.'

daisies

2008-09-08T20:49:00.001-04:00

living with epilepsy

2008-09-08T20:24:00.006-04:00

my dog gerdie has been diagnosed with epilepsy. her first seizure, that i witnessed, was in february of 2007. it was one of the scariest things i have ever seen. at first, i had no idea what was going on. it looked like she was trying to get up, but her leg was asleep and she couldn't get her footing. but then she just keep shaking and her eyes looked strange b/c they were completely dilated. of course, i freaked out and started screaming, and fortunately my brother happened to show up at the house and he picked her up and carried her to my car so i could rush her to the vet. however, by the time we got her in the car, the seizure was over and she was wagging her tail like nothing ever happened. i took her to the vet anyway, and they ran tests, and all of the results were normal. the vet told me to keep a log of her seizures and if they became more frequent or began to last longer (this one was about 4 minutes, although it felt like 20) she would need to be medicated. fortunately, she only had a few more over the next 12 months. however, last month she had 3 seizures in 2 weeks, 2 of those being on the same day. witnessing that many that close together made me think she's probably having the seizures than i am aware of. so we took a trip to the vet last week, and made the decision to put gerdie on phenobarbetol, an anti-seizure medication. she will be on the medicine for the rest of her life, but at least no more nasty seizures. the only negative side effects i have observed are she is a little dizzy and her appetite and thirst have significantly increased. in fact, the other morning while i was getting ready for work, after she had just eaten, she busted into the dog food container and was chowing down like she hadn't eaten for days. which is funny because she normally eats one piece of food at a time. now, i think she could out-eat monty! okay, maybe not.

o sew hip

2008-09-08T20:05:00.005-04:00

i was browsing etsy and some other blogs, and came across this cute idea for camera straps. rather than fork out $25 for one, i decided to make my own. i took a scrap of fabric, ironed it to fit and sewed it over the side of the strap that has the cannon logo . much cuter now, and it only took 10 minutes to make. i hope all of my new classmates in photography class think they are as fabulous as i do, and the orders start flying in.

Campaign Coif

2008-09-02T09:01:00.003-04:00

I was going to try to think of something snappy to write...but I think the photo says it all:

oh ryan

2008-08-26T21:05:00.006-04:00

yes, that is me and ryan. it is from the magical night we hung out together....well, ok, not so much "hung out" as i just stood around outside his tour bus waiting for him to say hello to me. but either way, i met him, so don't be jealous! (note...the one-eyed-willie look i have is from the amount of adult libations consumed. aarrgggh) i'm sure, however, this time after his concert we will have more time to get to know each other.

facebook

2008-08-22T12:42:00.002-04:00

i have joined the on-line community...fred made me do it.
its pretty cool though, lots of peeps i haven't talked to in a while. i hope they confirm me as a friend. wouldn't that be horrible-oh i remember you, but you are not "friend" worthy. we'll see how long it lasts anyway.

revelation

2008-08-20T19:22:00.002-04:00

I realized I am never going to get any better at photography unless I actually take a class. So I am officially signed up for one this fall which meets for 6 weeks. The funny thing is, I have always loved taking pictures, but I have never taken a class. Well, I took a dark room class, but never a class on how my camera works i.e. how to change the F stop and aperture. I did buy a book on photography, and one of the first things I read was how much equipment professional photographers use to get great pictures...like the pictures in National Geographic. Like the ones I always think I can take, and then am so disappointed when not even one of my pictures looks anything close to that quality. The book further stated that you see only the best picture, out of hundreds the photographer took. How inspirational. The good thing is I am not trying to make a living out of it. Although, that would be nice too.

Break the law to save your pet?

2008-08-20T16:24:00.004-04:00

I saw this in the paper today:

"A lot of people are talking about an incident in Texas where a young couple, rushing their dying dog to a veterinarian, was stopped by a police officer. The man was driving 100 miles per hour while talking on his cell phone with the vet’s office. When stopped late at night, the officer repeatedly yelled at the hysterical driver, and at one point told him “It’s only a dog, you can get another one.”
The dog, a teacup poodle named Missy, died as the couple waited 20 minutes for the officer to write a ticket. The couple believes the officer took that long on purpose. The police say the driver was a menace."

Here is the video:

What an unfortunate situation. I would ABSOLUTELY break the law to save my heathens, Monty and Gerdie...but not at the price of harming myself and all the other drivers on the road. Over 100 mph while on the cell phone does not make for a great combination, especially when you are that upset. However, the police officer does come off like quite an a-hole. "It's only a dog, you can get another one," excuse me who the hell are you to tell me my pets are not like my children? If you lose your job for this incident...it's only a job, you can get another one! Obviously neither party involved handled this situation appropriately, but if he had pulled over a driver with a sick child, there is no doubt the officer would have escorted them to the hospital. Anyway, I feel for the couple who lost their pet under such horrific circumstances. And I also hope the police officer can see how inappropriately he handled the situation and caused more emotional stress to an already clearly upset family.

Sammy the Sumo

2008-08-18T20:39:00.003-04:00

He is quite the chubster-he must get his double chin from me!

sOuTh cAckaLAcKie

2008-08-18T18:29:00.004-04:00

I had to go to SC for a job a couple of weeks ago...to the country. We stopped in a small (one block long small) town for lunch; the food sucked, but at least the town was cute and provided for some photographic opportunities.

who figures this stuff out?

2008-08-14T16:19:00.000-04:00

one more from charles

2008-08-14T15:56:00.000-04:00

so funny

charles has a licking problem

2008-08-14T15:52:00.000-04:00

Could be a crack head

2008-08-12T12:53:00.000-04:00

i know most have seen this...but its just too funny not to post

One of Life's Mysteries

2008-08-08T17:47:00.002-04:00

My mom just called to tell me my Aunt Winnie died. She was my Great-Grandfather Morgan's sister, and was just a few days short of her 109th birthday! The crazy thing is, her care-giver, an edlery woman herself, died at EXACTLY the same time. Goes to show there is more going on in the world than we can see.

From the Ozone to the Ho Zone

2008-08-06T14:35:00.003-04:00

By DANA DeFEVER
Newhouse News Service

Published on: 08/05/08

FLINT, Mich. — Sometimes, Sherrie Lynn Palmer can't even walk her dogs down her street without vehicles beeping at her, mistaking her for a prostitute. So she decided to act.

After watching drug dealers and prostitutes doing business on the street and finding hypodermic needles and condoms left in their yard, she and Russ Palmer have posted a sign outside their home: "No Ho Zone."

"We don't want it here," said Sherrie Lynn Palmer, a 48-year-old budding artist who made the sign featuring drawings of eyes watching the street and a dog chasing a prostitute.

"There's a lot of really good people around here. I don't want to sit here and let the crime fester. ... It all starts with the prostitutes. It brings everything else."

Russ Palmer, 57, got the idea for the slogan after seeing a report on the ozone level.

The couple have lived in the house for four years. When they first moved in, they opened an antique shop, but the illegal activities on the street deterred customers. They closed the business after also having health problems.

The criminals and prostitutes don't live in the area anymore but they still choose to do their business there, sometimes throughout the day, Sherrie Lynn Palmer said.

"It would be a relief if it was only at night," she said.

There are hopes of cleaning up the streets and the neighborhood. Since the sign went up in May, there has been less activity on the streets, the Palmers said.

"The area's coming up to what we want. We're just waiting it out," she said. "I think it's a sign of hope."

Ray, I can't wait!

2008-08-02T10:06:00.005-04:00

Presale tickets went on sale yesterday for one of my favorites, Ray Lamontagne. I got 4th row center, at the Tabernacle. Be here now....

The Critter Gitters

2008-07-29T20:14:00.004-04:00

Today there was quite an adventure in the Cunningham household. This morning, Jeremy mentioned there was a bird in the house that buzzed past him and continued up and out the fireplace. However, Big Connie thought it might actually be a different flying species. She could still hear something in the house, and upon further inspection, she was correct in her assumption. Good thing the Critter Gitters, a.k.a. Russell and Jeremy, helped rid us of the rodent.

Tate City

2008-07-29T19:15:00.003-04:00

We went back up to the Tallulah River this weekend with George and his family. However, this time we took the "short" route. We made it all the way to Tate City, population +/- 32. My cousin, Jeremy had told me about it, and being that it is so remote and up in the hills, I was expected to hear dueling banjos and see people with 3rd eyes. Not the case. Most of the 32 residents obviously have a lot of money-the town mainly consists of horse farms and beautiful estates, and a lot of free time on their hands-the nearest store is a 30-45 minute drive back down the mountain. There is a cute little cabin for sale which is more representative of the style and character of a remote mountain village. If I had money to spend on a vacation home, this would be it. But for such a great location, $165,000 doesn't seem that bad at all. I guess I also need to start a vacation cabin fund. Anyway, after our tour of town, we headed back down the river to fish. After seeing all the caught trout last week, and the number of people having success, we were quite excited. However, Saturday was one of those day where the fish just weren't biting. You could look down and count 30 fish in the holes, but they just weren't interested in eating. And people were trying everything: corn, dough bait, crickets, spinners, flys, and on and on. There was one little old lady who had caught 5, but out of the 40 people or so fishing, she was the only one. I would imagine the fact that she had been sitting in the same spot for a few hours was her trick.
I did get to play around with my camera trying to capture moving water again. Obviously I don't know what I am doing, as none of the pictures turned out. I could get the speed correct, but too much light was coming in and I don't know how to change that setting. The fact that the pictures last week turned out so well was sheer luck. So, I have decided I need to sign up for a class on basic camera operation.
After fishing, we headed back to Clayton and then made a detour to Sky Valley to check out the piece of property that Jack is a shareholder in. There is a neat old covered bridge and a huge waterfall that goes down the mountain called Estatoah Falls. You can even see the waterfall when you turn up the road to Sky Valley.
On our way back to the city, we stopped at a farm and picked up some fresh fruit and veggies which we thoroughly enjoyed for breakfast, lunch, and dinner on Sunday.

Bad Carma

2008-07-29T14:47:00.003-04:00

So, apparently my car was pissed off at me for the whole power line incident. After I took it to the shop to get an oil change, new brakes, and an expensive tank of gas, she wouldn't start. Two nice men jumped me off and as I was leaving the parking lot, it died again. Then after 30 minutes of trying to find someone else with jumper cables, I finally got her jumped off again. I was too nervous to try to drive, so I pulled into a parking spot, and sure enough, died again. After a $50 tow and a $65 new battery everything was as good as new. Except the balance on my credit card. That added with oil change and brakes left me in the neighborhood of $500. Nice.

In the meantime, I have decided I was foolish to ever buy this car, because I have always wanted a Jeep Wrangler. Too bad I still owe exactly what my car is worth...so if anyone reading this wants to donate to my Jeep fund, just let me know. This is what I was thinking:

Don't step on downed power lines

2008-07-22T10:13:00.003-04:00

My life just flashed before my eyes. This morning, on my way to work, I was waiting to turn right at a red light. I could not turn right b/c there were quite a few cars coming, one of them being a large utility truck with a crane. Apparently, the driver did not have the crane down all the way and it caught on all the power lines in the intersection. He did not realize and kept driving, taking all the lines with him. The lines started to break from the transformers and the poles and went flying through the air. There was a huge popping noise and sparks flying everywhere. I started to freak out and rolled my windows up b/c the flying, sparking lines were flying straight for me and the open window. Then there was more noise and sparks as the lines all came crashing down on my hood and the roof of my car. I guess it was lucky the guy driving the death crane truck still didn't realize b/c he continued to drag the lines off of my car. All I could think was get the hell out of this intersection so I turned right to get around the truck. Then I noticed there was a mini-van dragging another line. So I just squeezed between the van and death truck and was free!
I didn't know what to do, so I kept driving to the office, which thank goodness was only another mile away. I could feel my nerves getting the better of me the closer I got to the office. I kept thinking the electric shock was somehow delayed and at any moment I might still get fried. (I know, not rational, but I was still very freaked out.) When I got to the office, I just walked in and collapsed on the floor and had a break-down. Somehow I managed to tell Brent what happened and we went outside and looked at my car. It does have some black streaks across the hood and one scratch-but it appears most of it will clean up. Scary.

Hiawassee Weekend

2008-07-21T12:15:00.007-04:00

This past weekend, we took a trip to Hiawassee-for those of you who don't know-it is a small town in the north Georgia mountains where my family was born and bred. Friday night we hung out at the lake with the Girles (that is my Aunt and Uncle's last name) and enjoyed a beautiful sunset. Afterwards, Jack instructed the kids on how to build a fire. Saturday morning we watched the parade downtown, which featured a lot of cool antique cars and horses. After the parade we took a ride to Upper Hightower and then followed the dirt road, well not dirt so much as rocky and a little scary, along Charlie's Creek and over the Tallulah River. My little car did great, although there was one time I thought we might not make it. I'm glad Jack was driving. I even got to pull out my tripod and practice taking pictures of moving water-something new to me. The shots turned out pretty good, however it started raining and we ran out of time so I didn't get quite as many as I would have liked. Once we crossed the river, we road up towards Tate City and then back down over Clayton Mountain to Hiawassee. The drive was very picturesque as we followed along the rivers and creeks for most of it. The old forest is so dense, it most have been at least 10 degrees cooler up there than in town. There were lots of people fishing, each with their limit of trout on their lines. Unfortunately, we forgot our poles, but we will definitely be heading back to this spot to try our luck and maybe even stay the night camping.

Samuel Haven Cunningham

2008-07-17T20:45:00.001-04:00

This is my nephew who will be arriving around October 22nd. I actually hope he is a Halloween baby, as that is probably my favorite holiday. However, Lindsey may not be too happy if he is that late. I can't wait to meet him and spoil him!

Dirty Gertie

2008-07-17T20:31:00.002-04:00

Apparently there is a Bloody Mary named after my dog. I love Bloody Marys and I love my dog, what a perfect fit.

Dirty Gertie

1 1/2 oz vodka
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1/2 tsp horseradish
3 dashes of Tabasco sauce
1 dash of pepper
2 parts tomato juice
1 part clam juice
1 celery stick and jumbo shrimp, for garnish

Fill a tall glass with ice. Pour in vodka, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, Old Bay, black pepper, horseradish and Tabasco. Stir. Fill the glass with a mixture of tomato and clam juice. Stir well. Rim glass with Old Bay, and garnish with celery stick and a jumbo shrimp.

And yes, I tried it. And yes, it is delicious.

We can thank George for sharing this one.

hey yall...guess who got a moustache?

2008-07-17T10:17:00.004-04:00

http://video.aol.com/video-detail/bruce-from-family-guy/4158949992

Thank You Heather

Birthday Madness

2008-07-14T09:05:00.005-04:00

Over the last week, there were quite a few birthdays in my family: My Dad and his sister, Vicki (who are only 12 months apart), my brother Andrew, my Uncle Cecil, and 2 of my nieces Donna and Brittany. What momentous occasion occurs 9 months prior to the first two weeks of July???

Out to dinner for Andy's Birthday

Cecil and Dad
The birthday crew-minus Donna
The Old Fart
Grace
Landon, Stephanie and Grace
Logan
Grandad, Granny, and Vicki

time to drop some LBs

2008-07-10T14:31:00.002-04:00

Don't people realize it is rude to assume another person is pregnant? And then ask, while rubbing there own belly, with a goofy ass grin on their face, "is there something you forgot to mention?" Ummm....yeah, apparently I need to lay off the big macs bitch.

July 4th Weekend

2008-07-07T19:49:00.003-04:00

We had a great time hanging out at the neighbor's pool as well as Jennith's this 4th of July weekend. Friday, The burger cook-off, Bobby Flay style, was a hit-the winner being Allison's Southern Chicken burger with caramelized onions, pecan, peach and bourbon. Delicious! I also got to mess around with my camera while playing with sparklers. I don't think I recovered from Jennith's until sometime after lunch...on Monday.

California Dreaming

2008-07-07T17:17:00.002-04:00

Black and White Pics

2008-07-07T17:15:00.001-04:00

If "Life's a beach"....

2008-07-03T16:19:00.002-04:00

then why cant everyday be like this?

After a hard day's work

2008-07-03T16:15:00.003-04:00

I took this at my office this past winter

My Baby Brother's Wedding

2008-07-03T15:51:00.003-04:00

First Post

2008-07-03T15:18:00.003-04:00

I started a blog...everyone else is doing it.