Living In Someone Ele's House

I am taking the opportunity to blog while the girls are taking a bath. Now don't be alarmed, I am right here with them, hence the word "lap top" (thank you dear hubby). I do have to say that I love my lap top as it allows me to multitask from anywhere in the house.

Today has been a day, a good day, but a day. We closed on our house on Swathmore Court today. I have to say it is quite a strange feeling to leave your house that you own, lock the door, back out of the garage, go teach Kindermusik, sign a few papers, have lunch, only to return back to the house you left and have it no longer be yours. Weird feeling. But it's done, and it's a good thing. We will close on our new home on Monday, May 3rd. Some minor things are being done to the inside of the new home so we will be on Swathmore Court until June.

Tomorrow we are off to a biker convention in Pigeon Forge. Yes, I did say biker convention People. You know, because I am definitely biker material. Think bows on a pink Harley and you've got me pegged. All kidding aside, Howie's mother Beverly and sister Rhonda are coming for a visit this weekend and we are heading to Pigeon Forge. It also happens to be the time that 100's of bikers from all around the continental US will be conveniently arriving for our own personal entertainment and dare I say amusement. I am sure Dollywood will be quite the spectacle this go around, as if it isn't all ready.

So tonight, after arriving home, I told the girls to head upstairs and get ready for their bath because we needed to go to bed early so we would be all rested for our adventure to Biker World. As I came upstairs, Sophie greets me at the top of the stairs in her birthday suit, a feather boa, a pair of blue star sunglasses, sparkly shoes and costume jewelry and exclaims, "Mommy, I Fancy!" I couldn't help but say, "You sure are sweetheart!, As fancy as you please."

OK no pics for now, but there will be some for the future. Until next time, peace out fellow Friends! I know you're jealous!

A Good Laugh!

Sometimes in life all you need is a good laugh to make things better, to make you stop and think, "This is all going to be OK, this is what life is all about, rolling with the punches, learning something from it and ultimately having a good time." Now I'm not trying to go all SNL "Deep Thoughts" or negate the real God given purpose for our lives, but if truth be told, I'd say, God would agree that a good laugh every once in a while does the soul a great deal of good.

The reason I am writing about this particular thing tonight is because a very good friend of mine just started up her own blog called "Acts of Davis." My friend is a true Southern lady from the DEEP South and speaks with a nice Mississippi drawl. That alone is enough to draw one to her if you happen to love the the whole southern thing as I do. But what I find most appealing about her is her ability to turn situations that could render many people certifiably insane into something humorous and down right fun. If you are so inclined, take a look at her blog at http://www.actsofdavis.blogspot.com/. Many of her entries are about her son Davis, but occasionally she will throw in a curve ball like her latest post on Nascar. I'm still laughing about that one. If you are like me, laughter really can be the best medicine.

An Artist's Rendition

I have a great friend from my high school days at St. Agnes Academy who is an artist and who just recently started her own business called "Paintings for the Heart and Home by Amy Keys". I recently had her paint our house on Swathmore Court as a way of remembering and honoring the house we have lived in for the past seven years, our first home in Knoxville, and the home our two girls were born in. Amy has a whimsical style of painting and I just love her rendition of our home. It completely captures the fun times and love that our home has brought us over the years. Her pricing too is amazingly affordable. This 16x20 canvas of our home is $60 plus shipping. I actually won a contest, so I got it for the cost of shipping only. Check out her facebook fan page at http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/Painting-For-The-Home-and-Heart-by-Amy-Keys/192438648099?ref=mf I think you might just find something there that strikes your fancy!

Sold!

For those of you who do not already know, we are moving to a new home here in Knoxville just down the street from where we live now. We found a home that gives us more space, is in a great neighborhood and that we LOVE! We have sold our beautiful colonial on Swathmore Court to a wonderful couple Court and Marie. I knew Marie in college and she also just so happens to be the childhood friend of my best friend Kristen next door. I am so happy that our home where we have spent the last seven years and where we brought our two girls home to when they were born is going to be owned by such a nice family. As in all things that change, leaving our current home is bitter sweet. We love our neighbors, our neighborhood and our home. It has housed many wonderful memories and fostered many dear friendships which we will of course take with us to our new home. But it is now time for "The Avery House" to move on to a new place to call home and allow the House on Swathmore Court to become the home of another awesome family. It will always hold a very special place in our hearts.

Luck!

When I was a little girl, my mom could go out into a field of clover, look down and pick up a four leaf clover, and then she would go on to find one four leaf clover after another. I use to think that perhaps she must be part leprechaun and could magically make four leaf clovers appear.
I never had the same amount of luck at finding a four leaf clover. I really don't think I have ever found one, now that I think of it. But that's neither here nor there. Anyway, as Emma-Caroline was outside playing in a field of grass, she suddenly ran up to me with a four leaf clover! I was amazed that she had actually found one! Then as her Nana always does, she went on to find three more four leaf clovers, just like that! Must be the leprechaun gene she inherited, or maybe simply just luck!

Kindergarten Here We Come!

This week we went to Kindergarten Round Up at the school Emma-Caroline will be attending next year. We loved the school principal, Mrs. Dunlap, and all of the Kindergarten teachers! They were all so welcoming and Emma-Caroline will be very lucky to have any one of the Kindergarten Teachers at her new school. We were also very excited to know that some of Emma-Caroline's friends will also be attending the same school! There are two little friends named Andie that will be in the Kindergarten class of 2010-2011, one from our church and one from preschool. We have our fingers crossed that perhaps EC will be in the same classroom with one of these two special friends, but if not, it's neat that they will be a part of the same Kindergarten class. Emma-Caroline can't wait to start Kindergarten and asks now every morning if this is the day she will go to her new school. She's ready, but I'm not! It will be here before we both know it, so we're going to enjoy our upcoming summer vacation and then hopefully we'll both be ready for Kindergarten!

Posing with the girls. Daisy is already in 1st grade and Andie will be in the

same Kindergarten as EC. Yeah!
Posing in the Gym! I have to say I think these girls are the BEST!

Andie and Emma-Caroline with Arthur. They were laughing because Arthur's pants fell down. Poor guy needs some new pants. At least he has on long-Johns!

Better Late than Never!

Emma-Caroline informed me this morning that we hadn't dyed Easter Eggs. I had bought the dye, however, with all the Easter egg hunts, church services, and other fun activities, I completely forgot. So we dyed Easter eggs today in all shades pastel for Spring. As the old saying goes, "Better late, than never!"

Getting ready to dye eggs!
Pink first!

Now blue!

Beautiful spring eggs!

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!

We had a fun-filled day today at the Knoxville Zoo with our friends from church, the Taylors. Emma-Caroline and Sophie love playing with Katie and Davis and today was extra fun getting to see all the animals with their friends as well as their mom Miss Vaiden. We all enjoyed seeing the Red Pandas, River Otters, Rhinoceroses, Elephants, Black Bears, Penguins, Camels, Zebras, and Giraffes. No we didn't exactly see the Lions and Tigers, but it was a fun day anyway. We'll see them on our next trip to the zoo.

Emma-Caroline, Sophie, Davis, and Katie
"Looking Up" to see the Red Panda

Watching the Rhino

Feeding the camel.

Taking a ride on the lion!

Easter Reflections

We have had a wonderful Easter Day enjoying early morning church services, brunch with our friends the Taylors and a nice afternoon playing outdoors in the beautiful Spring weather. This morning, Father Brett's Easter message was very inspiring and a challenge I will try to implement in my own life. He spoke of the living Christ, not just as we picture Him after His resurrection but as He lives in each of us everyday. Father Brett is a young priest, but I always find his sermons very uplifting and wise. In every day life encounters with others he suggested that we would be able to see Christ if we decide to look for Him there. Sometimes this may be hard to do, as not everyone we meet seems to behave in a manner that we would expect Christ to behave in. But if we ourselves, think, "Christ lives in this person," it may change the outcome of how we perceive that person, as well as perhaps the situation in which we encounter that person. I know I am not doing justice to the sermon Father Brett gave today, however, I do know that I will try and see the living Christ as he appears in those I meet everyday. Happy Easter. I hope you all have had a very blessed day!

"Eggstra, Eggstra! Read All About It!"

Emma-Caroline and Sophie topped off pre-Easter festivities with 2 Easter Egg hunts today, one in our neighborhood, and one at our church. Lots of eggs were found and lots of candy was eaten! It was an "egg-citing" day!

Hopping Down the Bunny Trail!

Yesterday, we went to visit the Easter Bunny at the mall. It's always fun to go see Mr. Cotton Tail, and this year no one was scared of him!