Celebrating Our Dad (and Husband)

Celebrating Dad's Day on the road home...

Tori made Dad a bunch of crafty things at preschool.

As we were traveling home from NYC, Chris didn't have much of a Father's Day celebration. So the kids and I wanted to take a moment to tell him just how much we appreciate and love him:

Jonathan says, "Happy Dad's Day...Thanks for all the great times we have together. I love you very much!"

Tori says, "I wuv you, Dad. You make me happy!"

Cindy says, "Thank you for your unconditional love and for the way you care for us. I appreciate all the sacrifices you make for our family and for all those times you make us feel special. I am very proud of you!!!"

Happy belated Father's Day to all!

PS--Perci is back to her usual cute self!

A Perci Scare

A happier moment last week when we picked up the furry sisters from Mrs. Jeannie's and Mr. Ron's cabin in the woods...They love to be country pooches for awhile when we go on trips. We are so thankful that Jeannie, Ron, and their granddaughter are okay after their auto accident. They are extremely wonderful people who make the world a better place!!!

I really don't want to think about the outcome, if our vet had not had state of the art monitoring equipment during surgical procedures. But, to make a long story short, Perci did not have her surgery today on her leg. Her little body couldn't handle being put under with the normal procedure, so both her heart rate and temperature dropped too low too quickly. They can take other measures if and when we want to try this again. We are going to wait awhile and see how she does. She is still really out of it, even at this hour. The kids are worried that all she is doing is sleeping, and Sophie is worried so much that she paces in front of her and gently licks her on the ear occasionally. Dr. S. said that she would sleep much of the day/night, but she should be more spry and awake by in the morning. All I know is that anesthetic really did a number on her, and I feel to blame for putting her through all this.

Yep, I can't help it. Even if she is of the four-legged variety, she is one of my babies! Please say a prayer that she recovers by tomorrow and that we can make the right decision for her in the future.

I hope that tomorrow is a better day for all of us...
Cindy

Our Big Apple Adventure, June 15-19

Day one...After a very uncomfy overnight bus trip, our first stop was the Millennium Theater in Lancaster Co., PA to see Joseph.

We ate supper at the Amish home located by this lovely Amish farm...Notice that there are no electrical poles! It was a beautiful area, but I don't think I could give up my modern-day conveniences.

Day two...Taking the ferry to Ellis and Liberty Islands
JJ had an awesome time despite the long days of touring and the late nights.

He and Mamaw Teina were buddies through the whole trip!

Ellis Island registration floor...My dad, JJ and I represent the current three generations of descendants who came to America by way of this check in point to become free Americans.

The baggage room...What you see when you first arrive at the memorial and museum at Ellis Island.

JJ and "Lovely Lady Liberty with her book of recipes..." (My ode to School House Rock)

Ending day two with Wicked on Broadway!!! (I was beside myself with happiness!)

Well, almost ending the day...We made a quick stop on the way back to the hotel at Hershey World.

JJ and his big bucket of Kisses. We will be eating these until Christmas!!!

Day three...The Today show and our shout-out to Tori back home with her Mamaw Sandy and Paw Estel. We didn't get on T.V. because of the large crowd gathered for the concert series. Kenny Chesney was there, so that's why we all were dressed in orange, for our hometown boy.

JJ could have spent his whole vacation here.

And I could have spent mine here...all three stories of an American Girl fan's dream world!

An evening with the Blue Man Group...What an unusual and awesome show!!!

Ending the day atop the Empire State Building...

Day four...Starting the day with a movie locations tour (at Washington Arch Park)

A stop in Harlem at Ladder 14 Station to see the Freedom Engine that the people of East Tennessee donated in 2002 after the 9-11 attacks. . . This is most of our travel group, by the way.

An afternoon with my parents at Serendipity 3 (and a little shopping at the cute boutiques and Bloomingdale's close by). Just look at those massive and heavenly desserts...my frozen hot chocolate was divine!

We met my cousin John and his family for dinner at a wonderful Italian restaurant before heading to see Phantom of the Opera. My mom was thrilled to finally see it!

Day five...Heading home, but not before stopping in Hershey, PA for a glimpse into the world of Hershey chocolates.

This was our quick, but enjoyable trip to NYC. JJ liked visiting and would like to go back, but he said he preferred ET more. Chris and I also got our fill of city life for awhile. But there is something vibrant and magical about NYC that keeps us going back again and again. We look forward to the next time because Tori will be old enough to enjoy what NYC has to offer.

Check back soon for a couple more catch-up posts.

Hope you are having an enjoyable and restful Sunday!

You Know Summer is in Full Swing When...

Chuck E Cheeses is the main destination for the day, and the only decision to make is what kind of treat you want after playing all those cool games.

It is time to eat creative VBS snacks.

You spend five evenings enjoying VBS activities.

You spend part of the VBS evening doing neat crafts with puffy stickers.

You are able to spend VBS time with your best friend. (It was so great that the theme this year was "The Big Apple Adventure" because we are leaving for NYC this week!)

Dad gets up early on Saturday to make Mickey pancakes just for you!

The Potting Shed

Before I get back to the kids in the next blogs, I thought I would take some time to share one of my favorite things about our home. My potting/storage house was designed by my dad and built by him, my father in laws, and even my Grandpa Ingram. This was one of the first major constructions we did shortly after buying our c1892 home. There was an old shed in the back at first and all my dad had to do to raze it was to give it one big push! Lots of the materials came from a "railroad salvage" store in Knoxville, including the windows. My father-in-law designed the gingerbread trim...it's a smaller version of the trim on our front porch.

Shortly after its completion, we had to convince the property assessor that this was not a small house! (My dad thinks on a large scale!) In fact, for several years, we would find a bagged telephone book on the door handle as if they thought someone lived here! This dutch door leads to the potting room. There is storage space in the back that covers the length of the porch and potting room.

One of my favorite wreaths I have made. It's about seven years old, but it still looks pretty good!

Another design-by-dad...My potting bench.

Besides my bench (that is so precious to me) this is the other fav thing in my room. A very talented lady in Spring City had a shop where she sold her creations. She has since closed it and moved on. I am so glad that I made the purchase of this shelf long ago!

I love birds and birdhouses...This is where I store and display the majority of my collection. The crackle effect painting was done by myself and Paw Lowell (before he was Paw Lowell!) Jonathan was not even born when this was started and completed. (So you see where I spent my time and energies before the kids came along.)

A favorite view...This is from the swing looking onto our back porch. I always plant petunias of some sort in my planters in memory of my Grandma Ingram. My grandfather was gifted in farming, agriculture, and horticulture. In fact, he was a high school ag/shop teacher until he retired in the 1970s. After retirement, he and my grandmother opened a greenhouse business. I spent many Saturdays as a teen helping out during growing and planting season. My grandma was in charge of the flowers, and she always had to have petunias when they placed their seed order every year.

A view out the dutch door...I knew in my heart that we would have kids one day. So I had this spot picked out long ago to house a fort/play set. Hopefully, one of these days, Tori and I will have a "little" playhouse (with my dad designing it, one never knows) to be seen out this door, too. (I have approached him with my playhouse plans a few weeks ago...)

Have a good weekend in your favorite place!

The Secret is in the Sauce...

The origin of this spaghetti sauce...My paternal grandmother and grandfather (Rose and Austin) who met during WWII. She was a beautiful Brooklyn Italian girl who was visiting her sister in California and met her handsome soldier who came from the farms of Sweetwater, Tennessee.

My dad has spent years and years perfecting this sauce. My brother Tony and I had a "cooking school" with my dad one Saturday morning over seven years ago to learn to make this sauce. He makes wonderful meatballs, too. But I haven't mastered that one yet. When people are invited to a spaghetti dinner at my parent's house, they know that they have hit the jack pot. My mom and dad even give out sauce as gifts at Christmas.

Just as a warning to you...I never measure with exact measuring devices (except the sugar). My dad taught us to use our hands, so I am giving you approximate amounts.

Makes enough for dinner and several meals after. This freezes well in plastic containers.

You will need the following: (including a big soup/sauce pot!)

1 6 lb. can of crushed tomatoes (We find ours at Sam's Club, but I am sure they will have it at Costco, too.)
3 lbs. of ground beef
2 cans (larger sized, 16 oz.) of tomato paste, use only one if you desire less thickness
3/4 cup of sugar
3 tbs. parsley flakes
5 tbs. garlic powder
4 tbs. oregano
about 3-4 cups water...I use the crushed tomato can as my measuring device, fill it about 1/3
salt and pepper to taste

First brown ground beef with parsley flakes and 3 tbs. of garlic powder. A tip as you brown: We like bigger chucks of meat in our sauce. So divide meat carefully. Drain. (My dad swears that you should brown your meat in the same pot you will cook from because it makes it more flavorful. I use my big frying pan and then the pot. I really can't tell any difference, but don't tell him that!!!)

Add all other ingredients together (including the last 2 tbs. of garlic powder) and stir well before adding meat. Let simmer for about 30 minutes, then place on low for about 2 hours. The sauce gets better as it ages. So the second time you serve, it will be more flavorful.

You can use this of course on any pasta or use it as the sauce for lasagna.

Today's blog is in honor of my dad and in memory of two special grandparents whom I miss very much.

Happy eating!

How To Beat the Heat...

Run through the sprinklers with Paw...

Go swimming lots...
(Tori has progressed to swimming all over the pool this year, including the deep end!)

Celebrate a sixth birthday...Happy Birthday Drake!

Help Mom plant and water flowers all over the yard. (The above pic was taken in my potting shed. I plan to blog about it later.)

In fact, watering plants lots and lots due to the extreme heat!

Make lots of spaghetti sauce to eat now and freeze for later...A family recipe I will share with you soon.

And finally, read lots in your parent's bed. Isn't that the best place in the house? (By the way, JJ and I are reading the Harry Potter series this summer to get ready to visit Harry Potter World at Universal Studios in July.)

I know that you have seen it on the daily forecasts, and maybe you are experiencing it too. (If so, you have my condolences.) We are in a very hot/dry weather pattern that usually doesn't happen around here until much later in the summer!!! What happened to our mild June days? I really despise this hot weather, and I hope that we have some relief soon!!!

Aside from the heat, we have had a great first week off. Well except for a couple of things...The first day, the kids and I really just chilled, played some, and rested. After that, we have been doing the appointment thing...JJ will have braces by Christmas (What a gift!?! He has one more tooth to lose...And he really isn't too excited about the whole ordeal he has in front of him.), and our little doxy, Perci will have to have surgery this summer to repair her left hind leg (Something we have been watching grow progressively worse since we adopted her...Our vet said that it is time, so she will be in major recovery for two weeks ("Cone of shame" type) and then four weeks of "therapy." (And guess who will be her P.T.? You guessed it...Moi!) You go in for a well-check and shots, and you come out with a estimate of an expensive major surgery for your furry babe. Dr. Susan has assured us that she will be so much better and lose the extra two pounds she has gained because of the pain that leads to her inactivity. I want her better...and the kids are really sad about all of this.

That didn't really sound like a good first week off...Thanks for listening to all of that. No, really, despite those two things and the heat, it really has been a good one. As far as the next two weeks, the kids have VBS starting tonight, and next week is vacation #1 to NYC. Projects abound in this household...cleaning, organizing, getting ready for the major kitchen re-do, and a major outside project (You'll have to wait on this reveal later!). Life is always interesting and busy around here!

As I type this, there is a thunderstorm brewing...Hopefully with a reprieve from the heat! Have a great Sunday evening. And I hope to catch up with my blog friends while the kids are gone to VBS!!!
Cindy