Twenty-one Years Ago.....

.....this sweet little princess was born.

Just look at our princess now....

(I love that little girl. :)

Very Punny

This article appeared in our local paper about a month ago, and I think it qualifies as a worthy candidate for my "Weird and Wacky (and often humorous) News File." Incidentally, the headline is exactly as it appeared in the paper. Read on.......

The bread is toast after grocery fire
By Staff Reports - Athens Banner-Herald
Published Saturday, March 06, 2010
Barrow County firefighters rushed to the Publix on Loganville Highway on Friday morning after a load of bread caught fire.
A smoke alarm in the back of the grocery store triggered an automatic call for help, according to Lt. Scott Dakin, spokesman for the Barrow County Emergency Services Department.
Firefighters found smoke in the rear store room where someone had left a shopping cart full of bread near a heater, Dakin said. The heater ignited the bread, which caused little damage to the store.

[Editor's note: I'm glad that the fire caused only a small amount of damage--unless you happen to be a shopping cart full of bread. However, I can't help but wonder about the circumstances that led up to this unfortunate event. Maybe someone was just trying to keep their hot cross buns nice and "toasty," or perhaps this was an episode of "Hoarders" in the making. In all likelihood, it was probably just a case of being in the wrong shopping cart at the wrong time. Aside from a noticeable lack of American cheese (and, of course, the shopping cart) this just sounds like a typical Sunday lunch around our house, including the smoke and firetrucks. If you've been around Tadpoles and Teacups very long, you may remember this post . ~cn]

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[P.S. If you like the pic, you can find it and others like it here -- for FREE!]

Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans

Wait.....I was supposed to be making plans!? No one told me I was supposed to be making plans. No wonder I always feel like I'm treading water in a whirlpool....with a blindfold....during a thunderstorm!
As usual, it's been a busy time around "Nash-ville." But, in spite of my haphazard approach to life in general, I have been quite busy making some of this.....

And a little of this.....

With a few pieces like this.......

In addition to getting ready for a show featuring things like this......

I've also been busy with the usual stuff like some of this............



And cleaning up lots and lots of this..............

And, of course, dealing with mountains and mountains of this......

[With a little help from my friends.....that's our cat, Friendly. And, no, he is not. You've met him here.]

But in spite of all the crazy stuff life seems to throw our way, I have managed to find a little time for this........

[That's me and my main squeeze, and our his dog, Cooper. We're sitting on the porch of our garden shed earlier this year. Remember Cooper from this post about his Christmas Snuggie? Update coming soon. Film at 11.]

Breaking News!

[Click the image above for the link to the mag.]
With the demise of Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion [Sigh...I'm still in mourning] I've been on the lookout for things to help fill the creative void. One of the greatest perks of blogging is discovering new things, and this new magazine fits the bill. It's right up my alley: lovely graphic appeal, holiday themes, and inspiring ideas!

Head over to Holiday with Matthew Mead to find out how you can win the opportunity to have your blog or online shop mentioned in the magazine. Holiday with Matthew Mead is a "book-azine" celebrating and offering inspiration for the Christmas holiday season. To be released in October 2010, Holiday is offered via online orders only - in limited quantities - and will not be sold on newsstands. But, by simply following the BUY HOLIDAY MAGAZINE link below their banner, you can reserve your own copy of this beautiful magazine, with guaranteed delivery of the magazine straight to your mailbox! Holiday with Matthew Mead is 144 pages of holiday inspiration with well-known and admired designers, bloggers and top-notch features, printed on beautiful paper and not drowning in ads!

Now, head on over for your chance to win!

Dancing Shoes

“ Those who danced were thought to be quite insane by those who could not hear the music.”-Angela Monet

I’ve recently been learning to dance. With others. By myself. Outwardly and in my soul. I dance for grief and joy. For disappointment and excitement. For desire and contentment. For worship and exultation of my Lord.

I can’t get enough of art and I secretly wish that I was more artistic myself. Dancing is an artful endeavor — one that I feel I can grasp because ANYONE can dance. It’s just a matter of hearing the music.

[Written and photo illustrated by my daughter. ~cn]

Does This Post Make Me Look Smart?

Yes, Spock, the value of Pi is most definitely a transcendental figure without resolution. Yeah, that's it.....that is just what I was going to say. [cough, cough]

Sadly, the truth is that the last time one of my kids asked me to help them with their math homework, I had a meltdown that sounded strangely similar to Spock's computer on this clip. It was my youngest child, and she was in 3rd grade.

3.14...........Happy Pi Day Anyway.

(In honor of my oldest daughter who, in spite of my "stellar" math tutoring skills, is now an Industrial Engineering major. Apparently, that little apple fell far, far from the tree.)

The Big Squeeze (Redux)

[In honor of my recent visit to the local IHOP mammography facility, I decided to post this rerun today. Re-posting, I've heard, is a giant blogger no-no, and I understand why. It's the same reason people are bored with episodes of Gilligan's Island; there are just so many times a person can watch the Skipper and Gilligan sail for help on a raft, only to wind up back on the same island. However, in the wake of my recent blogging absence, I decided that something is better than nothing. And having a body part flattened to the thickness of a pancake is most definitely something, even if it is a re-dux. For the record, I'm pretty sure that you are better off re-reading this recycled post about my mammography experience than reading a brand new post about my recent colonoscopy--trust me. You and your Wheaties will be much happier. Apologies to those who may have seen this episode before. Signed, Cathy, aka Mary Ann.]




I had my annual mammogram this week. It’s not the worst thing I’ve ever done, but I would have preferred a root canal or maybe car trouble instead. In all fairness, the hospital does try to make everything as comfortable as possible, and they have a lovely waiting room with a soothing fountain and current magazines. They also issue you a luxurious robe to wear instead of the conventional hospital gown. But, the comfortable part ends there. After a few probing questions, the real fun starts when the technician positions the machine, hits the "squeeze 'til you cry" button, then ratchets it up one more notch. And then she says, "Now, hold right there." Ummm, at that moment, I'm fairly certain that I had no other choice--I have on no top, my clothes are in a room with a soothing fountain, and I'm being held hostage by the jaws of life. I did have to laugh though when the tech told me to relax; I told her that I thought she was really in more of a position for relaxing, and that I was taking care of the grimacing. All was over in about 10 minutes and then I was on my way.

Honestly, it's not that terrible. I have an aunt who is a breast cancer survivor, and have several friends who have been diagnosed recently. I know that early detection is the key. So I suppose it's a necessary part of life, and my husband says that it sounds way better than what they do at his annual exam, where he says that they do much more than ask probing questions.

Lost in Space

Back soon!! (Promise!)
:)

Coming Clean

My name is Cathy and I bought a Snuggie for Christmas. And I bought it for the dog. Yes, the dog. I'm not proud of it, but it's time to come clean and admit the awful truth. . . A Snuggie. For the dog. For Christmas. Maybe it was a moment of weakness. Perhaps I was sucked into the late-night world of infomercial madness, or maybe I succumbed to the stellar Snuggie marketing campaign.


Whatever the reason, Cooper has a Snuggie. And he wears it. Proudly.

[I'd show a pic of Coop actually wearing his new Snuggie, but our computer was attacked by the H1N1 or some other horrible virus, so I'm unable to download pics at this time. Stay tuned.....]

Happy New Year

Suddenly everything 2009 seems so "yesterday."

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Now, show us whatcha got, 2010!

:)