Not the best few days. Followed perfect Easter lunch with colonoscopy prep. Clear liquids all day. 

Please tell me why jello even exists. The texture is ridiculous. I had to try something though. Some homemade turkey broth from the freezer saved me from starvation. 

Took a break before the big gulp on Amy's front porch in her new swing. Beautiful Trixie joined us.  And yes white wine IS a clear liquid. Headed home for a horrible evening of gagging down 2-4 liters of cold seawater. I flavored it with lemonade powder. It helped. I started coughing during it and figured the lemonade was irritating my throat. I will spare y'all all the details but to say I'm free and clear. See them in 10 years. The bad news is the cough was a virus coming on. Two days later here I sit. 

I even have fever. Ugh. Well the good news is...

...I've got my dog and a new Flavia book. 

Ivy took Toby to her apartment for a little bit. He rode in the car seat. ( it belongs to the little girl she nannys ).

Easter weekend

Linda got to come for the weekend! Joe had mega choir duties so he told her to go have fun. We took her immediately to Saltine for oysters. 

Met up with Jan

She had oyster poboy, catfish, shrimp poboy and then boiled shrimp!  Easter brought us to the Patrick house. 

Daphne and Dupree were decked out in Easter kerchiefs.

Sophie and I showed up in almost the same outfit. 

Mom made the best of it in her boot. 

Mary Grace and Ryan's house looked great. Wish I had gotten group shots of everyone. Dad always made us line up for Easter pics. 

The table. We made  one big square. 

Ed gave Dupree some love. Obviously there are no grandkids here.

Finally to the lowest strata

Sophie's attic area was last. Each box was like a microcosm of a period in her life. 

Every time she moved, she left a box. 

I recognize that sun. 

And at the bottom of every box was a sock. In both attics. Now we know where the lost socks are. 

A bright spot in the week...Lucy home for her spring break. We took her to Bravo. 

Another favorite Easter project

Baskets for the children's shelter. Thanks to all who helped.

Endings

Ivy came by to finish off cleaning out her closet. Found this gem. 

List is almost done. 

Brody stopped to see Mamaw before getting in the car with Nana Jan, Cary and two cats to drive to his new home in Fort Wayne, Indiana. 

He brought flowers for her. 

She got him a Curious George book that had to be read immediately.

I got him one dinosaur for each hand. 

One selfie for the road. 

What is the best spring vegetable? New potatoes of course. With butter, cream and fresh chives. 

Crown Prince in town #killthefattedcalf

Chris is in town for spring break. That means great food. Candy and I took him to one of his favorites...The County Seat at Livingston. They are famous for their meats but I went veggie. Carrot tomato soup and the best chopped salad I have ever had. 

Ok I indulged a bit on dessert. But 4 nut cookies stacked up with buttercream icing?!? Oh, and Chris posing with it. 

Chris's steak and Candy's brisket were reportedly wonderful too. 

Here they are post lunch. 

Spring temps means ice laden drinks on the deck. And consequently begging ice loving dogs. 

Ok, I'm sure y'all are all jealous. I got to take this baby for a spin. Mom is having some foot troubles. So I did her grocery shopping for her. Don't worry, she'll be free wheeling on her own again soon. 

Since this was St. Patrick's day , Chris was inspired to write limericks and post them on Facebook. Here is mine. 

He said if you commented on his post he would write you a limerick. Here is Mom's 

Nice. He and Mary Grace had a great little exchange. Check it on his Facebook page. 

Spring Book Club

Book Club, what a joy. Sue hosted. Everything was beautiful. 

Front room was welcoming. 

She set a gorgeous spring table. 

Cauliflower dip served with asparagus. 

And I promise that these were some of the best deviled eggs ever. 

Beautiful salad. We added chicken, feta, pecans and dressing. Perfect meal. Our book was very thought provoking and sad. The Feathered Bone by Julie Cantrell. If reading , beware. Sniff, sniff. 

Ed is sick. Coughing and congestion. He had to work anyway because so many managers are out for spring break. I made him some homemade chicken noodle soup. 

Attic repeat attack

Another day sifting through memories. Had Sophie and Mary Grace come over and make selections of things to keep. 

Girl Scout badges never sewn on. Oops. But, dang did I work hard as leader to make all that happen. 

Mamaw got a shout out from Sophie. 

Definitely in the keep 4ever file. 

From my way, way over the top 3 year old birthday party for Sophie. Trying to make up for having Mary Grace. This was  a pin the crown on the princess game. That was the event starring Bundt cake Barbie. I decided to make one of those cakes with the cake being Barbie's skirt. I figured I could do it myself with a Bundt cake. I baked one and it came to her calf. Baked another and put it on top of the other one. It came to just above her knee. Baked a third one, piled it on and it came to the top of her legs. Exhausted and time running out, I wrapped fabric around her naked waistline and iced the three cakes. Gold icing mind you. She was Belle. It was passable. The next day as party time drew near I noticed a grease stain creeping up the fabric. Oh well, everything else went ok. 

Don't try to keep paper mache King Tut mummies, no matter how good they are. To dust they returneth. Yuck. 

What do you do with trophies? Great bible school crafts. Bev did the best job with those! 

Christening gown found! Russian doll Mom and Dad brought MG. It is a rattle with a bell inside. 

Not sure how to feel about a brown snowman but Michael made up for it with a Power Ranger sticker. 

And I will end with this letter. It says it all. 

Attic attack

I'm sitting in my chair drinking a glass of water, trying to clear the dust out of my airways. 

After a goodbye lunch with Cary and Brody, Ivy and I got to work cleaning out our attic.  It has been on my list all winter so we needed to hurry before the temps rise. 

We started by removing most everything and sorting it. Apparently I have a thing for fall because I had 4 boxes of decor. Well, it is two of my favorite holidays. 

Next to come out were our VHS tapes. This represents hours and hours of our lives. 

Looks like a peek into the proverbial Disney vault. 

Things got a little more sophisticated here. 

Each girl got a pile of their stuff. MG's had crutches, bats and an art envelope that read- CAUTION. 

Sophie's is labeled and has a gnome peeking out. I guess that tag is off of Butch the Blue Blizzard, her first car. Ivy took her pile home before I got a picture of it. 

We decided Mary Grace had been through the most stages. Found a few relics. Valances from the bug era, the Asian dynasty and the inexplicable (and brief) girly, girl phase. Boy I did a lot of decorating and redecorating in those 3 rooms. 

And what to do with all this leftover fabric from client projects in the 90's? Loved us some tapestry!! 

Not to mention all these craft items I have from Girl Scouts, my teaching artist stint (printmaking), cemetery rubbings and Antonelli Interior Design classes...phew. 

How many sleeping bags could 3 girls have?

A few little woodland creatures, unsure of their future.