The AWWWWW Factor

Grace and I were sitting in the den last night watching Christmas shows and eating popcorn. You know...the old shows like "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," and "'Twas the Night Before Christmas." We were sitting in the den with all the lights off, the space heater and Christmas tree on, wearing slippers and pjs, and watching. Lamar had to fly late.

Ok, now that I have set the stage, here is the content of the conversation...

Grace slides over next to me: "Mommy?"

Me: "Yes, Grace, what is it?"

Grace: putting her head on my shoulder and whispers, "You are my best friend. I love you."

Me: "Do you want a pony? A hot air balloon? Anything you want...it is yours!"

Okay, so the last one did not happen, but that is what I was thinking. Moments like these make all of the Oscar award-winning dramatic and tragic moments (translation....Grace kicking and wailing on the floor like someone has burned all of her toys in one big pile and kicked her dog) worth it.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Congratulations to Lamar!! He was named Junior Officer of the Year last night at the All Hands Christmas Party. He as a little bit surprised:) We are happy though.

Getting Back on Track

Well, I am finally catching up. Our life is back to organized chaos...what it has always been. We are finished with the kitchen, and I could not be happier. The cabinets are beautiful as are the countertops. We put a table in there are well. We are so excited. Lamar's big inspection at work ended today, so we will be seeing alot more of him for a while.

Our "Hail and Farewell" from this squadron is tomorrow. I can't believe that we have been in Norfolk for over three years. We have really come to love it. Most people would rather be on the west coast somewhere, but after living there, we have discovered that we are definitely east coast people. As I posted before, we will be staying here in Norfolk for Lamar's next tour. He will be going to HC-2 as an instructor. He is excited. I know that we are going to continue to be happy.

I have taken two of the tests that I have to for the career switcher program. The Praxis II and the VRA are behind me. I still have the VCLA and the CLEP test for history to go. I hope to start the program this summer. It is an intense six week program that gives me a teaching certificate on the other side:) I thought that would always be a good thing to have considering the moving potential that we have for the future.

I guess that is it. We will be home in SC for Thanksgiving. Give us a call. We would love to see you all:)

Love,
Jennifer

Milkshakes

Grace loves milkshakes. She also is really enjoying the new table in the kitchen. We have never had a kitchen table before. We have always sat at the dining room table. Now that the kitchen is FINALLY finished, we can have all of our meals right there. I never realized how much I missed the table in the kitchen until we got it. I promise to post pictures of the completion by the end of the week.

Fashion Sense

Grace came down the stairs the other morning with all of her costume jewelry and her pocketbooks attached to her in some way. She came into the kitchen and explained to me that she was, "going to work to make some money. Give me a kiss, Mommy. I will be back later." She is TOO FUNNY! And quite the imagination.

Halloween Spread

See what happens to your hips when you eat too much Halloween candy!? Actually these are Grace's gaucho pants. She decided that she HAD to put them on herself. She ended up with her whole body in one leg and the decorative strap of the belt over her shoulder. The funniest thing about the entire event was that she would not let anyone help her put it on right. She wore her "hip hugger" dress for about an hour.

Happy Halloween

Halloween

Grace was a 50's girl for Halloween. She had a very good time with the whole trick or treating thing. I subbed at the area Methodist preschool Halloween week. They "trunk or treat" there. The staff clears their cars from the parking lot, and the parents of the kids come and hand out candy from the trunks of their cars. It is a really cute idea. I was in the preK class, and Grace was in the two's. She loved it! No pictures of that though.

Later that afternoon we carved the pumpkin. Grace decided that she wanted a sad face for her pumpkin. When I started to cut it, she cried, "no, mommy, don't hurt my pumpkin!" I explained to her that I was cutting it to make her sad face. She really did not like the insides of the pumpkin. She knew that it was orange...and she knew that it was "yick."

After the carving we went to Nana Sue's house to trick or treat with Lindsay in their neighborhood. She came home with a bucket full of candy. She was only interested in the "M&M's." She calls them "mayonaise." Don't ask.

After Nana Sue's house we came home and trick or treated in our neighborhood with Tyler and his mom and dad. Grace and Tyler rode in the wagon. By the third house, they had that thing down. Grace did try to go into everyone's house while she was getting candy from them. She came home with LOTS of loot that Mommy and Daddy have helped with. Halloween always ushers in the season of extending waistlines and hips:)

TAGGED

TAGGED

My friend Rebecca tagged me with the red words. The idea is to finish each sentence. I finished them and added a few. :)

I am: a mother, a daugther, a proud wife of a navy pilot,a granddaughter, a friend, a sister

I want: to wake up each morning with all of the possibilities before me and no regrets from the day before, to write a children's book, to become a teacher, to be as good a mother and wife as my mother was.

I have: a wonderful home, an attentive and caring husband, a loving family, a great support system, a fantastic daughter

I wish: I had more time during the day to get it all done, I lived closer to my family and friends from childhood, Clemson would have had a better season this year, my mother was still alive.
I hate: I don’t hate. I may not like everything or everyone, but I don’t hate.

I miss: my mother.

I hear: the raging storm outside, the Muppet Christmas Carol, Leila's squeaky toy, Grace's singing Ring Around the Horsey, Lamar typing on the computer.

I wonder: if I am doing the right things in life, if Tommy Bowden is the right coach, why certain people in my family could be so hateful towards others.

I regret: some of the decisions that I made early in life, not telling my mother everything that I wanted to before she died.

I dance: often with Grace, whenever Lamar will.

I sing: every chance that I get. I love to sing. My mother had a beautiful voice. If mine comes close, I am a lucky girl, with Grace in the car, to Lamar sometimes at night.

I cry: in private when no one is around.

I make with my hands: dinner, lists (I am a BIG list person)

I think I can: live through a career in the navy, be a good mother to my children, complete my teaching certificate work, have a happy life.

I write: not as much as I type. I type everything...the blog, in Word documents, emails. Thank goodness for Mary Lil:)

I need: much less than I thought I did long ago. Material possessions are WAY overrated. The love of a child and a husband, the support of a family and encouragement from them all is really all you need.

I should: not obsess about the future as much as I do. I can't control it, but I am always concerned about leaving Grace too early.

I start: and finish all books. I can't start one and not finish, no matter how BAD it might be:)

I finish: most of what I do. I believe that you should try your best to see new projects to their fruition.

Now I tag Julie and Lamar.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Happy Birthday, Aunt Julie! Sorry that the Tigers did not win for your birthday present yesterday! That was REALLY bad. I will be home for Thanksgiving about a week early, so I hope that I get to see you! Tell Mr. Derik that I said hey. Maybe he can take me to Chucky Cheese again:).

Love,
Grace

Project Demolition

We have started the demo of the kitchen. Actually we are pretty much into it. All of the cabinets are out in the side yard. The sink is gone, and all of the appliances are unhooked. The soffit is gone as well. There is a big job of repair work ahead. That and the making right some of the really old original work. The cabinets should be ready and here sometime this week. We hope to have the soffit hole filled, the tile finished and the room painted in time. I have taken pictures of the way that things look now. Once the work is finished, I will add them to a before and after pictorial. We hope that everyone has a GREAT week!!

Station Break

The next several posts are in honor of Grace's second birthday. Since the blog was started after she was born, I thought that I would add a few of my favorite pictures from the early days. From this point...all new stuff! Unless I find more old faves:)

Baby Days

The First Boyfriends

Grace was IN LOVE with these two. They were her first true loves!

Daddy's Girl

Navy Baby

We supported Daddy from an early age!

Grace...A History

Cheesing early...
...the love of the be-be...
...One day old...
...sweet dreams.....















...early Harley fan...

In Honor of Your Birthday

Linda Grace Hardy was born on September 25th, 2004, at 10:45 PM. She has been a joy each and every day since. Grace, you have always been an easy going child, with so much love to give. You are unbelievably wise beyond your years. It often seems as if you know the answer to the question before it is asked. Maybe it is your Grandmother whispering the answer in your ear. Years from now, when you read this, I hope that you feel the love from us, your mother and father, as much as we feel it from you today. With each passing day, you are more amazing that the previous. It is hard to believe how big your are now and how fast the time flies. I can only say that if the next years half as wonderful as these, then I look forward to them with all of the anticipation that I had on the day before you were born.

Love always,
Mommy

Chucky Cheese

We went to Chucky Cheese for Grace's birthday on Saturday. Apparently we invited the entire midlands of South Carolina to come along. IT WAS PACKED!!!! Grace had a great time, and between all of the adults there, we won her 1000 tickets. We got her a prize that she really plays with instead of a sticker or a piece of gum, like you normally win. Thank you Aunt Julie, Derik, Aunt Laurie, Aunt Rai, and Uncle Brandon for the tickets!!! I am glad that you like to share!

Happy Birthday to ME!

Eating on my REALLY REAL birthday at California Dreaming with the family.

Stickers, Stickers EVERYWHERE

Thank you for my stickers, Ms. Janet! I loved them soooo much, I kept them all to myself and used them all at the same time! At least I did not put them on the furniture like Uncle Walter used to when he was my age:)

Hard Day

After playing in the jeep, Grace CRASHED in the living room.

My JEEP!!

Dad got Grace a Power Wheels Barbie Jeep for her birthday. It has doors, seatbelts, and a real FM radio. Big difference from the fire truck, eh Walter? Anyway, BIG hit was the jeep. Grace drove it around the yard at Dad's. She really does not understand the concept of steering. She is too busy watching the back tires roll while she drives in a circle. She did run into the embankment after about 10 minutes and the woods about five minutes later. She finally ran into Dad's garage and left a dent in the side door. It was then that we decided to take the batteries out for a while. She had just as much fun in it without the battery. We moved it to the courtyard, and she would play back there for HOURS. She also found an old umbrella, or as us Southerners would say...parasol, to keep the sun out of her eyes. TOO CUTE!!

PawPaw's Bike

This is me and Grace on Dad's four wheeler. She calls it PawPaw's bike. Daddy has one. Why shouldn't Grandpa. Granted, she cannot tell the difference between a Harley Davidson and a four wheeler yet. Guess that will come with time, right. In the beginning she would only look at the four wheeler. By the time that we left, she would ride all over the farm. Gotta love the country. Nothing like it!!

Hanging in the South

Grace and I went home to SC on September 19th. We stayed until the first Saturday in October. Being this far away, Grace does not get to enjoy her grandparents and extended family the way that Lamar and I did when we were younger. We took this opportunity to let her spend some quality time at home with everyone. We will probably head home early over Thanksgiving as well. We had a ball while we were at home. Daddy came down for a week in the middle. We spent lots of time visiting and shopping. We took Grace to Charleston. She was enthralled with the horse and buggies down there. We were eating in Tommy Condon's on the patio, and she would alert us each time one went by. Thanks to everyone who put up with us!!

Posting Delays

We are in South Carolina. We have been here since the middle of the month...planning to hang out for another week or so. We have taken LOTS of pictures of the birthday girl with all of her loot. I promise to post when we get back to civilization (loosely translated...back to a town where there is a high speed internet connection and not dial up!!)

GO TIGERS!!!

What team was that on the field in Tallahassee on Saturday night? I did not know that Clemson could win...on national TV...at night! When was the last time that happened?......

WHO CARES!!!!

GO TIGERS!!!!

CLEMSON 27
FSU 20

Boy revenge is sweet! The "puntrooskie" what?? Start carving the tombstone!

Ticket to the game $48
Drinks at the stadium $8
Hotel room in Tallahassee $199

Catching the FSU defense looking and COMPLETELY offguard.....PRICELESS!

See you all in Tigertown on September 23rd!

....Can you tell I have had a little caffeine today?

Quite Possibly the BEST recipe EVER

If you like spice cake, this is IT! We love this. I stumbled across it on the internet the other week. Try it. You can alter the spices, add nuts, add frosting. I bet cream cheese would be good! Okay...I digress. I have been using the Sam Adams Oktoberfest beer. It is a really good dark beer with caramel and toffee flavors (so they claim??) Anyway, this is it.....

Beer Spice Cake

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup beer
1 cup nuts (any unsalted kind, optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x5 inch loaf pan. Sift together flour, baking powder, cloves, cinnamon, allspice baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat well. Add flour mixture alternately with beer and mix well to combine. Fold in the chopped walnuts.

Pour into a 9x5 inch loaf pan. Bake at 375 degrees F for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

YUMMY! YUMMY! YUMMY! YUMMY!
Happy Baking!!

Two Peas in a Pod....Or is it Two Nuts in a Shell

Grace and Lamar were playing in the office tonight. They were too cute together. Lamar was making faces at Grace, and she was trying to copy them. She would crack up before she could get it down. Later, I caught her making faces at her Care Bear. I guess that she was practicing for a rematch without any distractions:) The serious picture was the face that she was trying to perfect.

At Home Projects

This is a picture of the front door that Daddy put on the house. We are also going to be tearing out the kitchen at the end of the month. I will post the before/after's then. For those of you who have not been here before...I have also posted a picture of our house.

Hanging At the Park.

Really cool slides, fun swings, lots of ladders, and sand!!! Who could ask for ANYTHING more than the PARK!!!

WOOOO HOOOO!!

My name is Gracie...and I am a monkey!!!

Grace's Big Girl Room

I finally remembered to take the camera upstairs after nap time. This is Grace's newly decorated big girl room. The only thing that you can't see is the butterfly comforter. It was in the washing machine.

New Haircut

Grace has a new haircut. Her hair had grown over the past two years into two very distinct layers. The bottom, longer layer was the one that was still left over from when the baby hair fell out during that lovely stage at six months old. The top layer was what had grown back over the time of the great fall out. Many people had asked why I cut it into layers. She will NOT allow any bows, ribbons, barrettes, etc. into it, so it was ALWAYS tangled. She is a wallower, so it would end up a mess in the morning. This was the result of the haircut. She had to sit in my lap and watch Bob the Builder, but, hey whatever works, right!