Earrings

Anne Parks got her first pair of earrings last weekend. They were stick-ons. She won them playing the fishing game at GermanFest. She was so proud of herself. You can't really see the earrings in the photos, but you can see how much she liked them.

Playing Dress-Up

Anne Parks has has some dress-up clothes in her toy box for a while, but just last week, she started really playing with them. Here, she's dancing in Daddy's office...

Ganne's Birthday Wishes

Earlier in the month, I mentioned Ganne's birthday. She turned 75 this year, so we decided to do something extra special. My mom contacted friends, colleagues, and students who had been a part of her 75 years and ask them to send her birthday greetings. The results were beyond what we imagined. Ganne received over 170 cards and emails!
Today, she had a meeting in Jackson and stopped by to see us this afternoon. She brought her "birthday book" with her, and I snapped a few pictures.
I've inherited many qualities from my Ganne, but I wish I'd gotten her knack for organization. The book contains all of the birthday cards and emails - alphabetized by sender.
This is the card that Anne Parks picked out and sent. She calls this "Hello Kitty-Cat"
In addition to the birthday greetings, Emily and I wrote this poem. If you know her, I think you'll agree with our assessment.

She Is…

She is a collector. Of Hummels and postcards and books. Of toothpick holders and L.V.’s folk art.

She is a teacher, and although retired, you are sure to learn something when in her presence.

She is a saver. She is a pack rat, an eater-of-leftovers, a coupon-clipper, and one who freely accepts (and often requests) the senior discount.

She knows how to create her own parking space.

She says things like, “Woo Ooh!” and, “I love you a bushel and a peck,” and, “Wonder who lives here.”

Her yard is colorful with its day lilies and yard art.

She cheers for the Whippets, the Bulldogs, and sometimes, to our dismay, even the Rebels.

She is proud to be an American and flies her flag with honor.

She is true Mississippian with her magnolia tree and syrupy sweet tea.

She has a sweet tooth. You won’t find her without chocolates or mints in her purse. Her candy dish is full of M&Ms or gumdrops and there’s Neapolitan ice cream in her freezer.

She is a member, and often a leader, of groups like DAR, Cameo Society, Attala County Historical Society, Twenty-first Century Club, Little Garden Club, and Colonial Dames.

She likes things from south of the border – from chalupas and chimichangas to her favorite game, Mexican Train.

She is a “cook who cares.” She makes special treats like cocoons and "goop". She leaves the cherries out of Emily’s fruit salad; Laura’s chicken spaghetti is topped with extra cheese; and Andrew knows he can have fresh blueberries or sweet potato casserole on request.

She is up-to-date with the latest technology (if you don’t include the cell phone). Our email in-boxes are always full of interesting forwards and “personal notes”.

Her hometown is "a place called Sallis." She is at home in Kosciusko and has great memories from Monticello and Indianola.

She is a preserver of history who has researched and written historical accounts of her hometown, her church, and her favorite organization.

She has a new room full of memories.

She has nimble fingers that quickly type, beautifully play piano, and sweetly tell “face stories.”

She is full of energy and her house is always fun. With wind-up tub toys, phone calls to the library for story time (“Hang up the phone now please.”), a yellow bicycle-built-for-two, a tree to climb, and a closet full of toys and books from decades passed.

Her sleepovers bring back sweet memories of the fold-out couch with feather pillows, stories about Duke told in a voice unsurpassed by the most famous storytellers, her silky pajamas, and cold cream good-night kisses.

She decorates for every holiday on the calendar.

She has two Christmas trees: one dedicated to family and one to the state she loves.

She wears brooches and pins, and her necklaces are works of art. She wears socks with a ball, clip-on earrings, and a ring shaped like a butter tray. (Actually, she hasn’t worn it in quite some time…it’s just sitting in her jewelry box…maybe she should let someone wear it…someone like her second-born granddaughter who has admired it since she was very small.)

She likes a good game. She is a Wheel of Fortune fan, follows high school and college sports on the radio and TV, and has a weakness for entering contests.

She is a traveler who prefers taking the scenic route (i.e., the Natchez Trace).

She has many opinions. Sometimes she doesn’t even have to state them aloud. You can tell what she’s thinking with one look at her face – the higher the eyebrows, the stronger the opinion.

She is a celebrity. She makes regular appearances in the Star Herald.

She believes in the power of prayer and prays for her friends and family by name each day.

Three generations share her name.

She is a friend, a mother, a grandmother and a great-grandmother.

She is our Ganne.

German Fest

This weekend, we attended German Fest in the nearby community of Gluckstadt. We had a great time. We played games, rode a horse cart, and ate some German food, all while listening to a band clad in lederhosen play German folk music.
I realized after we parked that I'd left my camera at home. This is the one shot of the day that my dad got with his phone.

Southern Miss Fans?

Anne Parks and I went to our first Southern Miss game last weekend. We actually only made it as far at the tailgate. We'd been there about 20 minutes when the bottom fell out. Although I'm a Bulldog to the bone, I thought it be fun to sport some black and gold (a shirt I got at MINT, by the way). It felt a little strange dressing up in another teams colors, and Anne Parks was thoroughly confused. She kept looking at her shirt and saying, "Where my bulldog go?" and trying to chant "Maroooooon. White!"


Maggie, Uncle Aaron, and Aunt Jen (some real Southern Miss fans)
Maggie and AP


AP and Quinn - after it started raining


Standing in the rain
Running in the rain
The rain would not stop, so Jason's dad, Mike, went to the car to drop off our gear, then come back and get us. This is what he looked like on his return. He was dancing and singing as he came. What a ham!

We put on our ponchos, then Mike, Susan, Jennifer, Maggie, Anne Parks, and I all walked to the car under that giant umbrella - Mike singing the whole way.

We had a great weekend in Hattiesburg. Here's Jason, AP, and Papa just before we got in the car to head home.

A Birthday Party

We joined our friend Bonnie in celebrating her 30th birthday this weekend. Here are some pics:
Bonnie - a few years ago...
and at her party on Friday.

Jason and sister Jennifer


The party was held at The Bottling Co. in Hattiesburg. The band that played was called The Chee Weez, and they all were airbrushed to look like the Hulk. Very strange, but pretty entertaining!

Photo Albums

If you're interested, I've added a few more Kodak Gallery albums to the column on the left.

Two Docs and a Rock

Have any of you tried to make an appointment with a dermatologist lately? My advice is to go ahead and make one now, just in case you have a problem in the future. They are almost impossible to get! The earliest I could get for Anne Parks was March 4, 2009!
You've probably noticed in pictures that she's had a rash on her face since May. We've been to the pediatrician twice and couldn't get rid of it, so he suggested a dermatologist.

Like I said, appointments are hard to get, so we decided to try the "walk-in" option. There is a doctor who takes walk-ins first thing in the morning a few days a week. AP and I left our house at 5:20 am and arrived a little before 6:00. There were already two others in line outside the clinic! While we waited, we had a picnic of coffee (for me), milk (for AP), and donut holes. At 7:00, they let us in. We got to see the doc, and he diagnosed Anne Parks with having a rash. He said it all started with her paci and gave us a prescription. The cream has already started to help. I'm glad we didn't wait until March.


Our Picnic
Waiting patiently for the doctor
Our adventure at the dermatologist's office was on Wednesday. On Thursday, I was in the middle of class when the school secretary came and told me that AP's school had called. She had put a ROCK in her NOSE, and they couldn't get it out. I went to check on her. By the time I got there, she was in the lunchroom. When I walked in, she shouted across the room, "Mama! Look! I got a rock in my nose!" She was very proud of herself. The rock was so far up that I had to use a flashlight to see it. Jason met us at the doctor's office. Waiting in the exam room, Jason could still see the rock, but by the time the doc came to look, it was GONE! Our doc consulted with an ENT and determined that she most likely swallowed it. We're just going to watch her for the next few weeks. The doc says that if there's still a rock in there, it'll start to STINK in a few weeks! Can you think of anything more disgusting? We are just praying that it's gone.

Anne Parks got a sucker for being a good patient. We got in the car, and she promptly went to sleep.
What a week!

Maggie

Anne Parks spent a few days in Hattiesburg last week. On Saturday, Jennifer and Aaron brought her home. We met for lunch, then Maggie came home with us for the afternoon so her mom and dad could do some shopping. Anne Parks and her cousin Maggie love being together.

My big project for the weekend was cleaning out and hosing down the garage. Anne Parks and Maggie helped.



Anne Parks would hold the hose, and Maggie would back right into it. Our next stop was the bathtub for a good scrubbing!

Fairies

When we were young, if you'd ask my friend, Laura, what she wanted to be when she grew up, she'd say she wanted to be fairy. So, while planning her baby shower, I told my friend Jessi about a sweet fairy dress pattern that I'd found here at one of my favorite craft blogs, Craftzine.
Jessi's very talented mom offered to make one for Laura's baby, Elizabeth, and one for Anne Parks as well. Jes found all of the great fabric (mostly sheets) at thrift stores.

Here's Elizabeth's in pink...

And here's my sweet fairy in yellow.

The dress is great for twirling!







Thank you, Mrs. Martha and Miss Jessi!