Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Almost finished Taking Care of Business...

Yes, the contest is still on, but I'm all about Finishing What You Start ( on top of the fact that my Labor Day guests just left this morning and all the Corners of My House - which I will be blogging about for the entire September to Remember - are cluttered and dusty, and wonderfully strewn with grandchildren paraphernalia).

Oh...and not so incidentally, our air conditioner is on the fritz. So, all my "corners" are hot. There's not much worse than a sweaty woman with a camera trying to take beautiful pictures of a hot house. The repairman should be here today, after which the house will be nice and clean; the playpen, sassy seats, board books, and Little People will all be stored; and I'll be Cool Again - so I should be without excuse tomorrow. I know that some (or one) of you will entertain the thought that I should be docked a few points for not staying on subject today. But Au contraire, Mary..., I should actually get Mega Bonus Points for blogging in the heat, and for for Taking Care of Aforementioned Business. So there (I would insert some kind of html code for a person sticking out her tongue at you, but I haven't gotten to that chapter in my Blogging for Dummies book.)

Not that today's post can't stand up to the "heat" (pun intended) from Lea, Lori, Meg, Kelley (?) and whomever else is trying to make a September to Remember by blogging for 30 straight days (preferably with a theme, but as we said earlier....the rules are sketchy .....although the Prize Is Not!)

Today, I'm posting my First Day of School pictures (and yes, precious dear readers I adore - and am hoping will vote for me), I know this is the 3rd week of school, but it is THE FIRST DAY OF "SCHOOL PICTURES", thanks to my lost camera, which was found...broken.


This actually is a Corner of My House - it's the little hall between the mud room and the kitchen. Backpacks go on hooks in the mudroom after school, but when they have been checked, restocked, and loaded with a lunch - they go in the hall to be grabbed on the way out the door. These dudes are heavy! I would've bought wheeled backpacks if I would've seen the size of their books (and homework) prior to school starting.



The kids get up at 6:15 to make their beds and get dressed. Then they have 15 minutes to do a morning chore, and 30 minutes for a quiet time before breakfast. (This may all change after last night, when Mary-Faith and Molly heard that Lea's children get up 30 minutes before they have to meet the bus. My children would like to go live with Lea so they could get some extra sleep. So would I.)








Since today was my daughter and her family's last morning with us I made the famous buttery, salty grits with the blackberry compote. Doesn't it look cute in my Wal-Mart red and white bowls? Grits and Wal-mart...They just belong together, don't they?



Cooper was not happy when his Daddy told him he was going home today. Here he is sulking (although it might be because of the blackberry grits, I choose to believe he doesn't want to leave his GrandMama.)




This is not the greatest picture (the brake lights were not actually on...Not sure what the deal is with the red glaring lights...), but you can still see how spiffy everyone looks in their Very Expensive Uniforms (that I had to sell my precious books to pay for.)



Justin says good-bye to Cooper. It's always sad when they leave. Normally, I cry...and the kids whine all day about not living closer to their nephew and niece. But today they left for school to be distracted by Latin and Eusebius.




Cooper and Adeline played a little duet while their parents were packing the car. Did I tell you they were geniuses, on top of being absolutely adorable? Lord willing, our next visit together will be in Chattanooga when we go meet our newest grandson, Thomas.




See you tomorrow with another one of the Thirty Corners of My Home. (I'm counting the hall with the backpacks as the first corner. Am I tricky, or what?)

15 comments:

Laura said...

I'm a day late on the contest! I feel like the white rabbit. Will it help you feel competitive if you know you have already beaten someone? My first "remember" post will also be about the first day of school, but only because this is our first day of school!

Anonymous said...

mary faith might need to check the record. rosalea rises at 6:45 and catches the bus at 7:25. millie and maxx rise at 7 and i take them to school at 9:10. so they do awaken 2 hours before they have to leave for school. they have to make their beds and run in the mornings (and shower). she can still come and live with me though she would have instant breakfasts every day....

Mrs. Pittman said...

Lea, MF did mention the chocolate Instant Breakfasts - and would much rather go running than stay home and do morning chores. And when she finds out you have Ti-Vo, and your older ones don't have to be at school till 9:30, I might as well go ahead and ship her very heavy backpack over to your house.

Is she the only one you'll take? :)

Mrs. Pittman said...

Welcome fellow competitor, Laura!
I'm looking forward to reading your "entries". Just a clarification - because again, we make up the rules and change them pretty much every day -
your posts don't necessarily have to be about memories. The thing we're Remembering in September is to post. Period. As in, a September to Remember to blog each day.

Lea started with her 40 Women to Remember - - - and I (being a major copycat of creative people) chose to blog on 30 Corners of My home. But you can blog on anything you want, and each day doesnt necessarily have to connect to the previous days. Unless we decide to change the rules.

How the winner will be chosen is yet to be decided. It WON'T be on number of comments. There may be a vote (on Kelley's blog?), or we may pick an independent judging firm. As our mothers always told us, "Just do your best - and have fun."

Kelley said...

I will not be competing (oops, I mean participating) in September to Remember except by reading posts by those who are. Meg says the prize is grits from Lea but since I highly doubt anybody would be willing to travel thousands of miles to bring me a prize then I have nothing to compete for, do I? (oops, I mean no reason to participate).

Since I'm not technically a part of September to Remember (except to try and bring out the competitive spirit in all of you who are) then I am feeling free to hand out points where deserved. You, Debbie, most definitely get 15 points for posting in the heat. And another 10 for having cutie-patooties as grandchildren (they're worth more points but since you didn't have to work extra hard to get cute grandchildren you earn more points for posting in the heat).

Anonymous said...

oh no, i will take molly and daniel too. oh, and winston is so cute, can i have him? that smile does me in.... and then i can't leave out my other favorite pittmans, justin, alex and what's his name. i love good ole what's his name... there is always one pittman that i forget...

Krista said...

Looking forward to reading your posts...even though I received a personal tour of the 30 corners already! :)

We need to come see those kittens BEFORE you could actually try to send one home with us. :)

Laura said...

Well, you see I'm already down one on the remembering to blog part. But I shall rally! Thanks to you and Lea for your graciousness.

Unknown said...

This almost makes me want to enter the contest. It also makes me want to send my kiddos to school. And to buy some plates from Wal Mart. And to eat purple grits. And to have my genius, prodigy, not-so-pale grandchildren closer to me!!! I won't be taking pictures of my 30 corners. I might post on my Civil War co-op blog and my Worldview101 blog and perhaps even my Wesos are gutsy entrepreneurs blog . . . one of these days. Not every day. No way Jose.

Lori said...

I love your Walmart red and white bowls.

Anonymous said...

That picture of Cooper pouting is ridiculous. But when I first saw the brake lights one, I thought someone was about to run over all the kids.

Anonymous said...

(Ridiculous as in cute)

Anonymous said...

One last thing I have to point out:

http://www.templebaptistchurchsf.com/files/Zach/Home%20Alone.bmp

Anonymous said...

Shep, How funny that you would post a link to that child star from Home Alone. But, I have to point out that Cooper is MUCH cuter than him...and probably more talented. And he would never have done all those Bad Things that the boy in the movie did (and not because he's such a scaredy cat, either.)

Life with the DixieChirps said...

That adorable Cooper and Adeline ARE more than precious! And I'm sure that they were concerned about leaving their GrandMama (LOVE the name!). They're getting so big!

When you come up to meet baby Thomas, call me if you need another ride up the mountain!

Grits and blackberry compote?!? I have to say that I've never heard of that!

Stephy, Lookout Mountain