17!

B is 17 today! When I wonder where the time goes in early December, I am always surprised to remember that the girls have birthdays 6 days apart at the end of the school semester and 2 weeks before Christmas!  I knit the handwarmers and the hat.   She is holding the hat because we  wanted you to see the cute headband from SG ! The very cute on B shirt is from SG as well!

Happy Birthday B!

As I write this T is driving back from college having finished his first semester.  Celebratory dinner will have to be squeezed between SG's rehearsal for the Winter concert and B's horseback riding lesson after Rick gets home from being oncall. They are calling for 2 to 4 inches of snow as well tonight.  If dinner ends up being tomato soup, grilled cheese and key lime pie(B's request) at least  we will all be at the same table-I am thankful!

15!

SG is 15 today.  The sweater is from B.  You can guess who the hat and fingerless gloves are from...
                                                             Happy, Happy Birthday SG!

Henagar Drive In

The sign pointing the way in to the cornfield

      Last Saturday night, we took all the kids to the Henagar Drive In in Henagar, Alabama.  The huge screen rises up from a converted field and there is room for a hundred cars.  Open year round, they play new releases, have inexpensive snacks and my carload of kids(6 of 9kids) cost $15! Does it get any better?!

Decorated for the season at the admission booth

      We have been in all types of weather, but it was 40 degrees Saturday night.  At least, there would not be mosquitoes! Arranging to go, we packed all available blankets and the pads from the lawn furniture. Coats, hats, jackets and as many gloves as we could round up!

Everyone piled in the back of T's pickup for a picture and warmth.  The girls headed to the other car to watch the movie and to use the car as a windbreak!

     The drive in always plays a double feature, but with the cold, I was good for only one.  Tangled might not have been everyone's first choice, but  at least it was a fun way to watch the movie. As for the movie, Rapunzel is strong and independant, but I couldn't shake the anxiety I felt about the story.  It is a story of a missing and exploited child, even down to the annual candlelight vigil. Grimm's Fairy tales were always gruesome, and Disney handled the original story in a typical Disneyesque manner with songs and silliness. In the end, I decided to be thankful for the children in my life, the fun and even the cold...all in all a good way to spend Thanksgiving!
      

Georgia Ladies

Mrs. Rosalynn Carter

Mrs.Lillian Gordy Carter

We were back to the drawing board after discovering our new boys were girls! Until SG thought to look up famous Georgia ladies...  Rosalynn Carter, Lillian Carter, Scarlett O'Hara and Olive Ann Burns were all on the list.  Pet names in our house have to be literary or historical (very loose definition as the kittens were originally named after TV characters), but the names have to be easy to shorten as well.  Rick is adamant about this although he is the first to admit cats selectively respond to their names.  Here they are:

Formerly known as Luke Duke... Rosalynn Carter Barr
" Roz"

The former Bo Duke now known as Lillian Carter Barr
"Lil"

              I just hope their namesakes never went after each other like these two do all day long:-)!

Never believe what you read...

Remember yesterday when I said that we were able to determine the sex of the kittens by checking online? 

We did determine the sex, just not the right one for either of them! Dr. Applebaum, our new vet, took a look...both girls!  Thankfully, they are healthy, but we are back to the drawing board about names. He tried to make us feel better by pointing out that in his practice 9 out of 10 ginger cats are male, so it was really unusual to have two females.  The naming game has started all over again:-)