Carolina Adventures

The New High School Freshman!

2008-06-03T19:53:00.002-05:00

This morning we attended Christina's 8th grade graduation. The ceremony went beautifully. I have to say, Christina was ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS! This is a picture of her with her closest friends. These girls are known as the SMART girls of Whale Branch Middle and is the group all the teachers tell the parents to have their kids hang out with. There is one missing but you'll see her in a sec. This is Mr. Williams. He is the I-Tech teacher and Robotics coach. He met Christina in the 6th grade and has held onto her ever since. In his 36 years of teaching he said she has impressed him the most. :)
This is Christina and her very best friend Leah, the one missing from the top photo. These two are a couple of goof balls when they get together. They aren't afraid to be themselves together. LOL I've witnessed many a burping contest this year! Oh yeah..we're talking real southern flowers here people! LOL!
This is a mural she designed for the wall. She drew it on the wall and some 6th graders helped paint it. She wasn't thrilled with their help. LOL They went out of the lines!
So here she is for the world to see. The newest member of Battery Creek High. Eric and I are so proud of our baby.

P.S. Yes...that is blue hair. LOL Her mom gave it to her as a graduation gift. Yep..that'd be me! :)

A boy's room is his castle..

2008-05-31T19:55:00.002-05:00

I was standing in Bubba's room the other morning just glancing around. Actually I was picking up some dirty towels. LOL Anyway, while I looked around I thought to myself..every facet of his personality is displayed in this room. I didn't post all the pictures but here are a few. The pics missing are his gun rack army men and fishing gear.
Well that just goes without saying doesn't it?
His football side, perhaps one of his greatest loves in life. LOL Outside of fishing that is. He's pretty proud of that Rookie of the Year trophy.
This is his pirate cove. I like to think this shows his love of getting into mischief. He does it well you know.
The flag my cousin Bill bought for him. He's deployed to Iraq right now. Bubba has a very deep seeded love and respect for his country and military.
Of course there's the cowboy side. He hasn't been able to ride in quite a while and he misses it. This is what every little boy should be. OUTSIDE! Having fun with his friends, having adventures, chasing little girls with frogs or bugs, exploring and getting into mischief.

Ya gotta love those little men, and as well all know; they don't really change as they get older..they just have to buy bigger pants. All the older little boys I know in Sheldon still love exactly the same things that are on this post. LOL They still want a little space free from the girls, they love their sport, they all like to cowboy up from time to time, yes..they still get into mischief and boy do they love a good day of fishin'! Yeah, they're pretty special. :-D

2008-05-22T19:25:00.002-05:00

Now who is that riding off into the sunset? This was a really nice deer track we spied on one of our MANY bike rides. Bubba was pining for his 20 gauge after seeing it. LOL

This is posted per Bubba's request. That is the ONLY reason its on here!! I just proved my love for him. LOL

Family Time

2008-05-12T21:11:00.003-05:00

Catie and Aunt Erin at the Mad Hatter being silly.
My favorite cowgirl.
Sheesh! What a motley crew! LOL
Catherine was sooo ready for some lunch and a chair!!

Eric's mom, step dad and sister came to visit a month ago. We took them to Savannah for the day and boy did my m-i-l love it! Had to catch a few shots of them enjoying the Mad Hatter!

Semper Fi

2008-04-29T13:05:00.002-05:00

Ok, ok, I realize we have more Army personnel in our little circle than we do Marines but thats alright. ;) I grew up in the Marine Corps so they are near and dear to my heart.

This is my girlfriend Rosy and a few of her guys. Thanks to some very dear friends and family members we were able to send them 23 lbs. of Girl Scout cookies! When I received the pic from Rosy I said...girl, you and the guy on the left look like you're in pain! LOL Send me one of you actually smiling! She is currently deployed to Iraq and hopes to be home next spring. To have fun when she's off duty she umpires for PALS. Shelby and I miss her terribly as she always made great calls during games...even if they weren't in our favor! LOL

Funny how a little box of cookies can make someone far from home smile ya know? This picture is a great reminder of the sacrifice our military is making for us on a daily basis. When is the last time a box of cookies made you sooo excited?

I'm currently putting together another box to send them so if you have a letter or anything you'd like to send to a Marine just get it to me and I'll send it along.

I understand we'll be welcoming home one of our heroes pretty soon! :D Great job LT! More proud than you know bud!

That's my baby

2008-04-22T21:51:00.003-05:00

You all know Shelby loves her softball. I'm proud to say she's coming even further with her catching. She always gives her team 100%. What mom/coach could ask for more than that?

LETS GO PURPLE AND GOLD!

Spring Has Sprung!! Ya'll!!

2008-03-26T16:19:00.002-05:00

Saturday was such a beautiful day I HAD to go outside and plant something! I could resist it no longer! I also had my very good helper. She was repotting her miniature rose plant.

2008-03-11T11:00:00.001-05:00

I'm cheating. I took these pictures last summer at Hunting Island, one of my favorite places on Earth. I can't wait to be back there again!

2008-03-01T21:01:00.002-05:00

She was waaaay too cool to be there that morning...at 5:30 am.
Now would someone like to tell me how I was "lucky" enough to chaperone the 6th grade girls?! This pillow fight last almost an hour, then the wrestling lasted another 15 with jumping from bed to bed. LOL I had a great time.
This is the competition floor, where the magic happens. A crappy picture but you get the point.

"The Pit"...where the teams work on their robots and wait for their turn on the competition floor. So this is it. I'm done posting from the robotics competition. For all you parents and grandparents, this is a really cool thing to get your kids involved with. They learn so many neat things, things you would never dream of and they go on to do some pretty incredible things with their schooling. I think some Blankenship boys and girls and a certain little Whittington guy would like it!!

2008-02-28T16:04:00.002-05:00

OK people, this is a test. These pictures are from the robotics competition at Clemson. These are members of the special "security detail" they hired for the event. LOL The test is...tell me either the name of the character or the species. LOL Betcha didn't know just HOW nerdy I really am, did ya?? Oh yeah, and naming Bubba doesn't count either!

2008-02-25T17:09:00.003-05:00

Yay! I was finally able to log in! I've been having some issues with it lately.
Some of you know that Shelby, CJ, Bubba and I went on a little trip two weekends ago. We traveled to Clemson University for the SC State Robotics Championship. Shelby is on the robotics team at her school. They placed well at regionals so won a spot to compete at state. Being that this is also the college of choice for Shelby(she decided this in the 5th grade) as well as being Jeff's home for a few years I figured what the heck. I guess they can kind of sort of be considered pictures of home for Jeff. So, here ya go buddy. They're not the best in the world but then again, I never claimed to be a professional! LOL
I was trying to fit the entire stadium into my camera. As you can see it didn't turn out well. LOL So I took it in sections.
There's a huge hill to the left of this picture that little Eric spent every free moment rolling down. By the time he reached the bottom he was very much out of control and almost went head over foot at one time! LOL He loved it!

This is inside Little John Coliseum where the competition took place. The competition was amazing! I'll save those pictures for tomorrow.

2008-01-29T22:54:00.000-05:00

These are some old chairs Eric and I are repairing and refinishing for some old people we know. HEE HEE!!! :-)
Please notice the PINK shirt! Don't let Eric tell you he did it all himself! LOL This is actually quite relaxing, the sanding and fixing I mean. I had a hard time pulling myself away from it.
Primed and waiting for a coat of satin black!

2008-01-26T20:50:00.000-05:00

Christina and her Great Uncle Kurt, getting a lesson.

Uncle Kurt jamming. He's recovering from his cancer at my mother's house until he's strong enough to move back to San Diego. He's incredibly talented with the guitar. This is the first time I ever saw him hold an acoustic, he's always been on an electric. LOL

2008-01-20T20:37:00.000-05:00

This is Master Gunnery Sgt. Higgins, Eric's Grandpa. He had an amazing military career, one of the best I've read about to date. I began a scrapbook for my m-i-l with items from his career. The neatest things I saw were postcards and "V"-mails(Victory) to Eric's Grandmother. He always called her, "my darling" or "dearest love" or "my sweet darling petunia". His words were so tender despite the battles that raged around him. I believe its just another great example of not judging a book by its cover. I was honored to meet Grandpa Higgins before Eric and I were married. He was very lighthearted and smiled a lot. I think Eric misses him. This is his favorite picture of his Grandpa. He was quite a Marine, he was quite a man.
I just know you're all dying to see this picture! LOL This is a picture of the island of Okinawa, where I used to live. Of course it has changed quite a bit since this picture was taken, but this is it, this is where I lived. Both of my Grandpa's saw action here and Grandpa Higgins was stationed here later in his career. Pretty neat I think.

2008-01-16T19:30:00.000-05:00

Christina and I started playing racquetball about a month ago. You can't tell by this picture but she really enjoys it! She just doesn't like having her picture taken. Even Pooh likes to play. So I'm hoping that between softball, racquetball, football and cheerleading and the amount of time I'm on the go each year I'll be dropping some weight! LOL Even if I don't, I LOVE playing this sport with my baby girl!

2007-12-15T07:49:00.000-05:00

This gothic style church is in downtown New Bern. It is very large and somewhat forboding. For some odd reason, the front entrance brings to mind the Spanish Inquisition! LOL I guess for me it's the heavy architecture. I had to go across the street and to the back of an alley to get this picture and I still couldn't get it all in there.

You know I love history!
The interesting thing about the grounds is that like our own beloved "Old Sheldon Church" this one also has head stones dating back to the 1700's. It also has a nice little playground for the kids that is open for public use as well. The thing is, you have to walk through the graveyard to get to the playground! There is no defining line between the two. I grinned to myself when I saw it, thinking...oh yeah! Beaufort would really let that happen with all the regulations that go on there! Another thing that struck me was that the church kept it open for the public to use. A dad had his three daughters playing while his wife was shopping down the street. I just don't recall any church's here that leave their playgrounds open for public use.
Sadly, due to crime we can't.

The Man Party

2007-12-12T16:54:00.000-05:00

Bubba's man party was a giant success Friday night. We steamed oysters, ate cake and generally ran amuck! Ahhh....the finer things in life!

This guy came away from the table rather umm...bloated. LOL I have to say, I've never seen ANYONE shuck and oyster as fast as Jamie. LOL She must have done this before!

Great Trip!

2007-11-26T22:29:00.000-05:00

Eric and his little sister Erin, the baby of the family. She has a twin sister Erica.
The girls at Bear Park downtown New Bern. I thought this kind of thing belonged in Alaska myself!
Pirates are a biiig deal on the coast of N.C. Blackbeard's home port was Beaufort. And yes, it's pronounced differently up there. You'll catch a lot of crap if you say it the way we do down here! LOL Catherine is doing her best impression of Capt. Hook I think. This is a bear they made when they bricked the street. I'll have to find out why the bear is such a big deal there. It is the city mascot dating from about 300 years ago. I believe 2008 is their 300th anniversary. They're already preparing for a big blowout.

The trip to New Bern was great! All us girls went shopping while the guys stayed home and shot skeet. I'll have to practice a lot to out do Bubba now! He has definately improved! These are some pics from down town New Bern, including the birthplace of Pepsi. Those pics we'll post for Poppie!

Before and After...again

2007-11-13T23:06:00.000-05:00

The funny thing is, it wasn't planned! I noticed it while working on the computer and snuck out to get my camera. LOL They even cross their legs the same!

2007-11-10T21:24:00.000-05:00

I was playing around with this picture on photoimpression. I like the way it turned out. She was eating breakfast at Shoney's and drifted off to another world!

Our little champ!

2007-11-10T20:26:00.000-05:00

Getting ready to pull out for Irmo! Breakfast anyone?
My beautiful cheerleader!

This weekend has been a real treat! The girls did BEAUTIFULLY! They came in 3rd place for state. When you consider they were put in the wrong category they did even better! They put up against a squad of 3rd graders that have been together in gymnastics since 3 and 4 yrs old. The other squads had 28 girls and we had 8. When the cheer board was approached about it they said the programs had already been made and they would stay where they were. Oh well, they better look for Beaufort again next year! The Bluffton Rams took first place for the middle school age girls. Way to go!

These are some pictures of the cheer princess over the weekend. We had a great time but she's very thankful to be in her own bed tonight!

GO RAIDERETTES!!

2007-11-03T19:32:00.000-05:00

My hands were really shaky today so forgive the blur! Of course you recognize this little cheer meister! These little girls placed 1st for their age group in the county and will be going to the state cheer competition in Irmo, SC. We will be leaving Friday afternoon and getting a hotel room for the night. Otherwise we'd have to leave around 4:30 in the morning! And let me just say, the princess does NOT do 4:30am! They will cheer sometime Saturday.

Tadaa! Sporting her first place trophy, plaque and medal! I think she's just as excited to spend the night in a hotel for the first time as she is about the competition! LOL

Spooky!

2007-11-02T22:38:00.000-05:00

The last time my little sister and I did anything silly for Halloween she was 6 and I was 16. The people in the pictures have changed a little since then. ~smile~

Harvest Youth...the ones I could get standing still anyway.

2007-10-31T23:43:00.000-05:00

Yes, yes. I do look good!
Ride em' cowgirl!
Pastor throws for a long pass, all beit incomplete it was still a good attempt!
You want some of this? You mean my candy? Let me pray about that and get back with ya!

2007-10-29T22:01:00.000-05:00

Well, this picture is for Jeff and Jamie. Thought you might enjoy it. LOL
This is for my two favorite boys. Quite handsome don't cha think? Bubba says he can't wait until they're on the same NFL team together. ~grin~ Good friends are the best treasure you can find.

2007-10-24T20:46:00.000-05:00

Well the season is over. The Raiders played a heck of a game tonight! They didn't win the championship this year but man, what a great group of boys! There were some tears at the end but its all a learning experience. Coming in second place for the county is a great accomplishment. Way to go Raiders! I'm proud of you! Especially our two Sheldon boys Jimmy and Bubba!
The first of many football trophies!
Geeze I love that kid! On a happy note, Eric and I have a 4 month hiatus until softball season! Woohoo!

2007-10-23T19:39:00.000-05:00

Before.... and after. LOL Thought it was a cute sequence.

2007-10-18T06:41:00.000-05:00

I thought this would make one heck of a jigsaw puzzle. LOL

Colors of Fall

2007-10-16T19:00:00.000-05:00

These pumpkins are HUGE! Ok, this is too sweet. Its also deceiving as crap!
Ahh my little man, after he peed in the pumpkin patch.
Now doesn't she look excited to be there?

Crown me Queen of the punkin heads!

This is one of my favorite times of year. Every year my mom, the kids and I pick out the best pumpkins we can find. I have a lot of "favorite" times of year though, I think its just doing something with the kids that I love. I pray they have loads of good memories stored up in their heads and hearts for later in life. Silly things are VERY important ya know! ~big smile~

2007-10-16T06:29:00.000-05:00

Eric requested some Big "E" burgers for he and the girls on duty at station 41 a few weeks ago. They really liked them and couldn't believe how big they were. LOL This skinny little brat ate the entire thing without batting an eyelash! She runs everyday for exercise, I told her she better tack on a couple more miles for a while after eating that thing!
Of course I know Eric likes them. LOL
Jen had to burp a few times and make some room in her belly for more.

I love my firefighters and paramedics, but they sure can kill some cows!

2007-10-12T21:21:00.000-05:00

This is what happens when a horsefly gets too close to a Princess! LOL

Angels Among Us?

2007-10-10T21:33:00.000-05:00

Hah! I think not! In our youth class we're doing a study on angels. I told the kids to pick someone and dress them the way they believe an angel looks. Its amazing the impact TV and movies have on our lives. Let me tell you, this is NOT how our Lord describes his angels. I think the kids were a bit surprised to learn what they really look like. I told them that in this case, truth is DEFINATELY stranger than fiction! Read this and see for yourself! Ezekiel 1:4-28 Interesting huh?

2007-10-09T20:19:00.000-05:00

This is a special post for the LT. I've been a bit of a slacker lately on the blog and since this was started to give you some pictures of home these are for you! Last Saturday Bubba had a football game on Barker Field in Hilton Head. These oaks were just outside the fence and I LOVE them! They definately say Lowcountry. They remind me of the oaks out at old Sheldon Church. I can just imagine the indians walking through the woods hunting with their bow and arrows.
This lovely little guy has been hanging out under the Blankenship barn. We saw a lot of each other over the past couple weeks. So Jeff, enjoy a few pics from around home.

2007-09-27T21:01:00.001-05:00

Sorry I haven't been around for a while girls. I tried telling my life to slow down a bit and it simply refused! I need to post something, as I feel I have let my blogging buddies down; so I'm cheating with some oldies! Sorry! Christina was my official photobug at the scrapmeet. She did a great job with the pics!

2007-09-18T20:13:00.000-05:00

I love the teahouse decor. It's nice to escape once and a while and just be a girl.

Daydreams...

2007-09-13T18:24:00.000-05:00

Would love to know what was going through her mind. Whatever it was I'm sure it was pink and sparkly. LOL

2007-09-13T06:41:00.000-05:00

This is 12 sets of shoe pom poms Shelby and I made for Pooh's cheer sqaud. It was a lot of fun making them with her and the girls were so excited to get them on their shoes. Kids are so much work, but they sure can be fun too!

Because of you....

2007-09-11T21:01:00.000-05:00

Because of you...the ones that came before...and the ones that are yet to come, we can do so many things, things we take for granted every day. Every one of you have my love, pride and adoration. Never forget this day, lest we lose our diligence in pursuing the terror that will undoubtedly come again. Never forget. Because of you... Capt. William Eubank U.S. Marine Corps
1st Sgt. William Wiseman U.S. Marine Corps
Ssgt. William Eubank U.S. Army

*Ssgt. Shane Matthews U.S. Army
*Lt. Jeff Blankenship U.S. Army National Guard
*Gunnery Sgt. William Eubank U.S. Marine Corps
*Capt. Mike Eubank U.S. Air Force
*Sgt. Sheri Burkeholder U.S. Army National Guard

* I don't have pictures but they definately make the list. It's a long post. Keep going.

2007-09-11T20:54:00.000-05:00

We can do silly girly things.
We can bear arms. We can take a walk in the woods.
We are allowed an education.

2007-09-11T20:44:00.000-05:00

He has a heart for his military.
Riding free.
We are able to worship our God in our own way.
Spend time with our family.
Celebrate our freedom.

2007-09-09T21:41:00.000-05:00

I've heard a lot of preachers say, "Get out of your comfort zone for Christ." Its not easy to do that and its something we should all work on. Me just as much as the next guy. I think it helps me a bit being that I love to talk to people and am pretty outgoing. Never met a stranger ya know! My husband on the other hand is painfully shy. This is good in a way I think, because we even each other out. Some how he can stay composed at a football game while I cannot. LOL
Well, this wonderful man that God made just for me is about to take a bionic leap out of his comfort zone. We have been practicing a few of his favorite southern gospel type songs. Anyone that knows Eric KNOWS he doesn't talk much(unless its talking smack to Jamie or something like that), doesn't sing loudly, likes to sit in the background of things, just a quiet behind the scenes kind of guy. Very humble ya know? So this is waaaay out there for him! We're going to sing a song together pretty soon. When he's comfortable enough with it not to throw up. LOL So here's a BIIIG pat on the back for you babe! I'm more proud of you than you would ever know.

Helmets! Helmets! Everywhere a Helmet!

2007-09-07T22:28:00.000-05:00

Ahhh, the Clemson lover! HA!
Umm, Erin? When did you pick up my camera?? You think you're funny huh?

So today in the world of the Raiders we put decals on all the helmets and striped them. All 24 or so of them! Not a bad days work. LOL We had fun doing it, especially with our kiddos being on the receiving end of it.

A big "THANK YOU!" to our first sponsor of the Burton Raiders...Wayne Blankenship Construction. Ya'll are awesome and we appreciate it so much!

2007-09-05T21:43:00.000-05:00

This is Catherine and her pet snail Gary. LOL She doesn't even mind his snot trail! Could it be she's not as much a priss anymore?? Maybe, but she still doesn't do any type of flying critter or spider or "stinky bug". A girl needs standards ya know!

2007-09-03T20:14:00.000-05:00

This building is in Waynesboro, GA. I think its an old railroad depot by the bricked in bays you see. Maybe?

2007-09-02T19:31:00.000-05:00

Please look at the post below as well!! Now I'm no great detective but doesn't this picture warrant some kp help??? Behold...the disasterous results of "THE HELPER".

2007-09-02T19:17:00.000-05:00

What happens when Eric Saunders Jr. is involved in "helping" me fry chicken for Sunday dinner? Rather than explain I submit the following...be warned ladies, it isn't pretty.
First off take note of the hand with the flour leaving the grasp at a high rate of speed toward Shelby's face...
Mmhmm...coincidence? I think not!
I don't recall giving birth to a Japanese girl in kabuki makeup.
Has he no decency?! Not even the baby was safe!
Ahh sweet retribution!

The Big E

2007-09-01T20:54:00.000-05:00

Eric loved the burger. He said it was darn good. I guess that Savannah girl knows what she's talking about.So last night Eric and I were watching Paula Dean. I love her show! We also watched the special where she went to Europe a couple months back. Hilarious! A Savannah girl doing her best to speak French was a hoot! Anyway...she was making burgers last night and man oh man! They were HUGE! I told Eric I wanted to try making them sometime so today I did. They turned out really really well!

It's a rainy day, Eric is on duty, so the kids and I baked ALL DAY LONG. We made homemade doughnuts, chocolate chip cookies and sugar cookies. Yum! And the Big E...which is pictured above.

Someone Special

2007-08-31T21:09:00.000-05:00

You all know this face. My little sister Cherish is 10 years younger than me. She is the only sister I have and I love her dearly. I moved away from home right before she turned 6 so I missed out on a lot with her. She has surprisingly good memory of the things we did get to do though. I'm thankful that I have her with me now. We do the things we didn't get to do while she was growing up, like dye Easter eggs, wrap Christmas gifts, bake cookies, make Grandma's fried chicken or just sit up and watch movies. She has grown a lot since she moved here and I'm very proud of her. Now if I can just get her to slow down her driving we'll be doing great! Ahh, the concentration of the artist!

2007-08-29T21:08:00.000-05:00

I took this picture the other night. Going for a different type of shot. For some reason it took these flowers FOREVER to finally bloom. They didn't last long either, maybe a week and thats all she wrote!

2007-08-28T20:21:00.000-05:00

Doesn't that football mom look familiar? Yep, this is what comes from Sheldon! Now doesn't that just spell T-R-O-U-B-L-E?
Break it down boys!

Ok now, this is a total little hunk a man! Just don't tell him I said that!

Gimmee an "R"!

2007-08-26T21:05:00.001-05:00

Well, here she is! The newest Raiderette!

Pooh started cheer practice on Saturday with the assistance of her Daddy! He took her to practice while I was at the church moving. All I can say is...he is a WONDERFUL Daddy! Not many men would be willing to go through this for their little girl, but Eric did. Whats more impressive...he remembered the cheer and the names of the moves!! LOL

No Daddy! With enthusiasm!
Now on a more serious note. I hope ya'll enjoy these pictures, because when my husband sees this post...its gonna be, dead woman walkin!!

He really is a good Daddy, don't cha think?

Faith will always see you through

2007-08-25T20:20:00.001-05:00

It may sound silly to most and thats ok. When I look at Christina's arm it has always reminded me of my faith in our Lord. No matter how bad the situation, how painful the moment, my Christ, my God has always walked me through. At times I've lost sight of Him when I've come up against what seems to be an impassable wall, but He's always right beside me, waiting patiently for me to hand over the reins. You are always changed somewhat when you reach the end of the dark tunnel and step out into the light. Just as Chris was changed through her ordeal so are we all through our faith in Christ. He does and will always walk us through, if not carry us completely.

Better late than never I guess. Sorry girls!

Per the Iceman's request...

2007-08-23T19:00:00.000-05:00

Getting ready.
Bubba and Jimmy taking a breather.
Jamie, this is the one Bubba said hurt his butt. LOL
Bubba LOVES his helmet! Its hard to see but there is a black stripe down the center.
Another breather. LOL

2007-08-23T06:16:00.000-05:00

I guess we can say that my taste in jewelry is a little "different" than some girls. I don't really care for diamonds and yellow gold, which makes Eric smile by the way. I love silver, especially with some Swarovski crystals in it! This is a picture of one of my favorite necklaces. I'm not thrilled with the way they turned out, but I do love the subject! I think I'll post more pics of my favorites.

2007-08-20T20:43:00.000-05:00

This is one of my favorite little creatures. The Luna moth. The "branches" on her wings are so perfect, I can just imagine Christ painting them and then letting her fly out of his hands. How can anyone think something this perfect happened by accident??

2007-08-17T21:28:00.000-05:00

Peek-a-boo...
Another one of those surprise portrait shots!

2007-08-14T22:17:00.000-05:00

Now really...was it that much further to actually go inside the bathroom and do this?! Boys!!

Relaxation

2007-08-13T19:53:00.000-05:00

Yes, this is relaxing to me. Doing something silly with my babies! We have a great time doing stuff like this, and its cheap too! LOL The bottom pic is the Q siren I posted a couple weeks ago. I forgot to put up the big picture! Better late than never I guess.

2007-08-12T20:47:00.000-05:00

Today was a good day. Eric and the kids made me a heart shaped birthday cake...and no I didn't get a picture of it. I completely forgot! Geeze! It was a nice quiet day at home pulling ticks from area 51. Something I'd rather not have to do again! LOL Poor kid. Sorry, I have to pull from the vault tonight...again. I love this place I call home.

2007-08-09T21:04:00.000-05:00

These were taken at the Relay for Life last month. My girlfriend Angie and her crew had a kissing booth with manicures and all kinds of great stuff. I was wondering why Bubba kept running up to me yelling, "momma! I need another dollar, I need another dollar!" What a stinker! LOL
My sister working our tent. Hot dogs anyone? And this ladies....is Mr. Relay. Its a silly way to raise money for their teams throughout the night. Whichever guy dressed in drag raises the most money wins the "coveted" title of Mr. Relay. Now Ju, I have to ask, the one you saw in the post office...did it resemble this guy? LOL

2007-08-08T21:23:00.000-05:00

I cheated tonight. Pics from a few weeks ago at Hunting Island. I like the sand dollar the best because it has both of their hands in it.

2007-08-07T21:09:00.000-05:00

This is a picture of Catie and her friend Marissa taken at the girl's Allstar game. We always called her George, just to mess with her. She always laughed herself silly.

Marissa died earlier today from spinal meningitis. Catie is so upset. I did the best I could to answer her questions, but in the end Eric and I just held her while she cried. Please pray for her parents Christine and Chuck, her older sister Megan and her cousin Cassandra. Her Granny Barb is a member of Riverview and will need our prayers as well. I love you all.

Watch out for snakes and turkeys!!!

2007-08-04T19:37:00.000-05:00

Ol' Eagle-eye Blankenship schooling the younger crowd on the finer art of B.B. guns!

Today we made a little trip to "Poppieboro" aka Waynesboro. LOL Bubba came up with that all by himself, he's very proud of it. It was a truly wonderful day. As you can see by the pictures the kids hit the ground runnin! When they were called to go home we all got the "aww man!" We saw turkeys and deer which sparked a little competition between Shelby and Bubba as to whom was coming back first to go hunting. Rolling my eyes now. LOL Bubba is still waiting for the Iceman to come home so they can go hunting and fishing together. He said if he had been here today, it would have been just perfect! ~big smile~ Now, about the title...as Catie was heading down the creek with her sisters she yelled out..."ya'll watch out for snakes and turkeys!!" Gotta watch out for those Toms I guess!

Details!

2007-08-03T19:16:00.000-05:00

I normally hang out with "U".

Helping Hand

2007-07-31T21:24:00.000-05:00

I thought this was really sweet, so I snuck a quick picture. Eric was helping her with science homework.

2007-07-29T19:55:00.000-05:00

I'm not at all happy about the pic of the skink. It's blurry due to me having to duck under my steps and stay at a far enough distance to keep from scaring him away. Oh well, his colors are really pretty, though I could not find out how to brighten them up without doing the entire picture.
This little booger was a hitchhiker in my truck the other day and bit the fire out of my leg! I pulled over to scoop him up in a water bottle just in case I had a reaction to it. I had blood poisoning from a spider bite when I was pregnant with Shelby and haven't forgotten it! Can't be too careful! I have to confess, I said I was going to kill the spider...but in the end I couldn't do it. LOL He's living in Ms. Pauline's pampas grass bordering my driveway. Live and let live I guess! LOL

Familiar Scene

2007-07-28T19:15:00.000-05:00

All the girls can sympathize and empathize here! LOL Give it three days and there will be 18 washcloths, 36 socks, 12 towels, 18 pairs of underwear and panties, 18 shirts....hmm, maybe I'll stop now. My shoulders are beginning to slump! LOL ...........I know I know...its a blessing that we have clothes to wash! ~big smile~ it really is.

Monkey In A Tree...

2007-07-26T19:41:00.000-05:00

This is one of his favorite places to be. In a tree, in the woods, under a car, shooting a beebee gun. What a boy, a handsome one I might add. LOL

Holy Moly...She posted!

2007-07-23T21:08:00.000-05:00

Sorry I've been MIA for a week. I had company and was just too darn tired! So Saturday night I took my kiddos to the Drive In. We had a blast as always. Here are some pics from the Drive In!

2007-07-13T20:14:00.000-05:00

Well, I didn't get the chance to take the pic I wanted for the smell of summer. This is a good one though. The more I look at it the more I like it. I suppose a lot of people would use this for a subject but thats ok. The smell of sun tan lotion, the sand and seaspray...now that's summer!

I like the shrimp boats in the background. Catie calls them pirate ships. LOL I love it! She was so excited when she saw them and started yelling, "mommy! pirate ships! Look! pirate ships!" I was unable to convince her that they were shrimp boats, that's ok, I like her story better. It's definately more exciting! Blow up the picture, it looks better like that. LOL

2007-07-12T21:20:00.000-05:00

I thought this was pretty neat Ms. Jan! I confess, my stay in Alaska was only overnight! LOL But hey, I can say I've been there! LOL

Fun In the Carolina Sun

2007-07-12T20:48:00.000-05:00

I took the kids to Hunting Island today. We had a great time as always! I love doing things like this with them. I'm so grateful God made me a momma! I really like the sequence in this first set of pics! They were so silly!

My bathing beauty doused with that wholesome salt water. This is the ONLY picture I could get of Christina! The elusive Chris fish! Get her near water and she grows gills! LOL

Fuzzy Wuzzy

2007-07-11T21:02:00.000-05:00

I love these two pics. Sadly, I didn't take them! Eric took them a few days ago. I saw them on the computer after downloading them and said, "well dang! those are great!" LOL So I cropped them a bit and here they are! I think maybe he should carry that camera around a bit more!

2007-07-09T15:31:00.000-05:00

I liked the way the sun and shadows played on Ms. Pauline's old pumphouse. This guy was being very territorial of his vine and leaves. LOL Took a quick shot before he jumped onto my camera!

2007-07-07T21:15:00.000-05:00

These are just a couple more shots of the guy in the post below. He was a pretty neat little subject.

Comin for Ya!

2007-07-07T21:10:00.000-05:00

This little guy was watching me quite intently! As I moved he moved with me! LOL When I brought out the camera he started walking over to me! LOL I really like the sequence of the pics.

Round, Round, Round

2007-07-06T20:11:00.000-05:00

Now I don't know how many things we were supposed to take pictures of for this assignment, but I couldn't resist this one! I want to meet the man that made this sign! LOL

I like this one the best. Another one of Eric's! Wait till you see his pics I post next. They turned out really well!

A couple more for good measure.

2007-07-05T22:11:00.001-05:00

And the rocket's red glare...

2007-07-05T22:04:00.001-05:00

Sorry for the delay in posting. I've been tired, no different than the rest of you I know. These are from Parris Island. I like how they turned out, being my first shot at fireworks.

Ok, tell me that last one doesn't look like a Palmetto!

Home, safe & sound...and a little more holey!

2007-07-03T22:25:00.000-05:00

She is home, she is hurting, she is grumpy, she is the Princess! LOL The surgery could not have gone better. The recovery has taken a side road already, she decided it would be a great idea to climb up and stand on a chair...and then fall off. Yeah, I was thrilled. So where is that industrial strength velcro?? I thank you all for your prayers...the Carolina Dictator is doing very well and is absolutely POSITIVE we will be going to P.I. for fireworks tomorrow! LOL

BTW, the ice cream cone was the only thing that made her offer anything close to resembling a smile! I gave up when she said, "Momma PLEASE stop taking pictures of me." Poor baby! LOL

2007-06-30T22:35:00.000-05:00

OK, I'm cheating tonight. I don't feel that badly about it either. LOL We attended the Relay for Life last night held at the Naval Hospital. It was a great time, but we never went to sleep! LOL
I made a promise to someone that I would walk 60 laps around the track for Grandma. Eric picked up the challenge with me. So we walked and sold hot dogs for what seemed an eternity! Bottom line, I kept my word, Eric and I walked our 60 laps in honor of Grandma. By the way, thats 15 miles, not bad for an evening walk! LOL

I have to say, I'm very thankful Eric was with me. We had the best time. He kept me laughing all the way around the track and gave me encouragement when I needed it. We got home about quarter till seven this morning. He made sure I was ok after developing heat exhaustion at the relay, and off to work he went. No sleep at all! So if he falls asleep in church tomorrow...just nudge him gently. LOL The lady in red is Aunt Jo. She died of cancer 7 years ago. One day ya'll, one day there will be a cure. I know it. Well, either that or Christ is coming. I'll take the latter if I had to choose. LOL

2007-06-28T23:00:00.000-05:00

I'm with Judy, photographs can be so deceiving! LOL
What you can't see in this pic is that he was just kissing her on the cheek and she is pinching him under the water!

What a Day!

2007-06-27T21:20:00.000-05:00

Well girls, today was interesting. So interesting in fact, I had to pull over in downtown Charleston and have a complete and total meltdown. First off, Catie will be alright. She will definately be having surgery involving some yucky stuff and bone grafting. I am more at peace with it now, knowing for certain that this is NOT a cancerous tumor. I cannot express in words how thankful I am for the prayers she has received. We don't know exactly the day, but she will be having her surgery very soon. The surgeon wants us to be incredibly careful with her arm due to her having almost paper thin bone. All I can think is, well great, this will be the time she ends up breaking the darn thing! All the mom's know this is true! Murphy's law! He said absolutely no cheerleading until after surgery. Oh yeah, thats gonna go over well. Like the Hindenberg! We don't know if physical therapy will be involved yet, we'll be finding out very soon!

Driving out of Charleston I wanted to get the day off my mind a bit. So Pooh and I stopped for dinner in honor of our misplaced buds. It's been an incredibly long day and this helped me relax a bit. So Jame, these are for you. I wish you could have been with us.
Don't take Catie with you if you want to eat your onion ring! Little brat! We finished the day with a stop in the 'boro. Everyone on this blog knows this place I'm sure. Pooh deserved an ice cream, and enjoyed every bit of it.
Her big sister in the background was enjoying her chocolate shake!
Her t-shirt says Carolina Princess...Shelby told her it SHOULD say "Carolina Dictator" LMAO!

Go Beaufort!

2007-06-26T21:25:00.000-05:00

Can we get a "WOOHOO"? The Beaufort Allstars schillacked Ridgeland tonight 14 to 3! The girls are on cloud nine, so are the parents! ~grin~ They play Walterboro tomorrow at 6.

The Shelb got a run and did some stealin! Her second time up to bat she stole all the way home!

Poppie's words of wisdom must have worked! The pics have beautiful subjects but they were taken with my phone so they kinda stink. Eric says, "actually the girls stunk! after the game of course!"

2007-06-25T21:34:00.000-05:00

I have a very short post tonight. We're back from Walterboro and the Allstar game that didn't have such a great outcome, for Beaufort anyway. LOL Turns out, the 3rd baseman broke her collar bone on Saturday. I think it threw the girls off a little. Beyond that, it was just goofy mistakes. Oh well, I wouldn't be able to do any better! I think they did pretty good! We have an 8 o'clock game tomorrow in the 'boro as well.
Oh yeah! They charge $3 for the adults to get into the game! I was thinkin'...geeze we're around $250.00 for this season already! Cut me some slack good buddy! LOL Maybe they're trying to buy a scoreboard with the money! It would help to have a scoreboard! LOL

Tired girl!

Sheldon Card Sharks

2007-06-24T18:35:00.000-05:00

Saturday night was card night at the fire house. Here we have our 1st place participant with his winnings. A certain commissioner seems to feel it was rigged. LOL I say, there have to be some type of tiny perks that come with being married to the head of the Ladies Auxiliary! ~smiles~ How do ya like that smirk? Yep, he's rotten!
Now here...our lovely model displays a fine deck of cards. He had to get some thrill out of the night, he was the first one out of the game! LOL
Ahh yes, and here he is proudly displaying the pink dealer's button. Give him a hand ladies, our lovely model! Amy these are for you. LOL

Do you still love me?

2007-06-23T14:23:00.000-05:00

I am about to let you in on a little nerdy secret of mine. I LOVE Celtic music! Not to mention the history, the Highland Games, the dancing....I'm sure you get the point. I even learned how to draw celtic knotwork (it takes a looooong time if you do it right!) LOL I'm definately a Carolina girl, but if there was one place on Earth I could go I'd be hopping the next flight to Ireland! These pictures are from the Celtic Music concert at the waterfront this week. They were so good! Another interesting point, they are all active duty Air Force. Very cool.

This is my fourth daughter Leslie. LOL She's always with us, a real sweetheart! I don't mind a bit claiming her. So now you all know. Do ya still love me??? A nerdy Carolina girl that would loooove to go to Ireland? LOL

2007-06-22T21:31:00.000-05:00

I would like this pic a lot better if the flash wasn't on. Oh well, still learning. ~smiles~

2007-06-21T21:01:00.000-05:00

I have always loved noticing every little detail of my babies. I'm sure all us mom's do it. Noone can tell us in greater detail anything about our kids than we can. Sitting on the couch last night I got one of those chances with Pooh. She has her Daddy's feet as you can well see. Take a look at that last pic. LOL
In this pic you will see my feet and Eric's, as well one of the kiddos. You have to guess the kid! LOL

Great Catch Don't Cha Think?

2007-06-20T05:59:00.000-05:00

Sorry ladies, this handsome young man is taken. By fishing. LOL He has fishing and football on the brain 24/7, and if he asks me one more time to take him to Mike's Marine I think I'll lose it! ~grins~Although...this is a whole lot better than sitting in front of the t.v. or playing video games, so I'll take it!
Just call him "fish lips".
Thats the part I can do without. LOL

*Disclaimer* These pics were taken by Big Eric, nice job babe!

Father's Day Dinner

2007-06-18T07:02:00.000-05:00

The poor guy only gets snow crab legs a few times a year. He usually ends up shelling the meat for Pooh. LOL He doesn't seem to mind though. He' s a wonderful Daddy.

The Princess & the fish...

2007-06-16T22:40:00.001-05:00

I can't add a single thing to this pic! LOL

2007-06-15T06:41:00.000-05:00

It's just around the corner...his tackling momentum is building...WATCH YOUR BACK!! LOL

2007-06-14T23:09:00.000-05:00

This is my Great Great Grandmother, Martha Elizabeth. The story goes, when my Grandma was born, she was blue and not breathing. G.G.Grandma was helping her daughter deliver her baby as was customary since babies were rarely born in a hospital in the 1920's. Great Grandma Ada was of course very upset when she realized her baby made no sound and didn't have that pretty pink skin. G.G. Grandma took the baby and held her tightly to her chest, gently massaging her tiny body and talking to her very softly. After about 10 minutes I'm told, the baby began crying. She was given the name Martha Elizabeth in honor of her Grandma who saved her life. You know me, I love family stories.
This is Great Grandma Ada and Great Grandpa Frank. And here she is, Martha Elizabeth, my Grandma. It's still ok to have a hero when you're in your 30's right?

I've never watched someone I love so much slip away bit by bit. As much as I love her, as much as I don't want her to hurt...I'm not ready to let go. Time is so precious, and so short and so very fleeting. I was talking to a dear friend the other day. She was telling me that her daughter still wants to climb into her lap and for her to make everything better. ~smiles~I know the feeling, because all I want to do is crawl up in Grandma's lap and smell the lotion on her soft hands as she wraps her arms around me. It's the safest place in the world to be. Ya'll will have to forgive me this one post, I've had so much going on lately I feel on emotional overload and don't have a great venue of ways to get rid of it, so the blog is it. It has taken more than an hour to write this post! LOL Well I think I've clouded my eyes enough for one night. I promise a much cheerier blog tomorrow!

Coincidence? Hmmm...

2007-06-13T19:52:00.000-05:00

I present to you...the jury, the evidence. I leave it for you to decide.

You know I love ya girl! LOL

Galilee Comes to Sheldon

2007-06-12T22:31:00.000-05:00

I caught Pooh listening! I'm so excited! LOL Caleb has that "huh?" look on his face.
I love how this turned out! Such great talent we have at our church!
Yum! I'll take two of everything! I got down on my knees for this shot. It was a much more exciting view when I got to the lower levels! LOL I think we miss out on important perspectives and points of view when we grow up. Hmm, yeah that was a little redundant! LOL I love the well!

SCRUNCH!!

2007-06-11T17:09:00.000-05:00

They had to scrunch into the smallest place we could find. As you can see they had a blast!

Little Allstars

2007-06-10T19:57:00.000-05:00

Here they are! Two of the Allstars! Shelby and Cassandra will begin practices tomorrow evening at 7. They will practice 6 days a week with their first playoff game to be on June 25th. Both of the girls worked very hard all season and it paid off. I don't think I could be more proud if I tried!
I would also like some tips on keeping boys away from these pretty girls!! Praise God they are soooo interested in softball! At least for now! LOL

2007-06-07T22:42:00.000-05:00

I'm cheating tonight! LOL I don't feel like downloading the pics of the camera right now. This was taken 3 years ago at the tea house in Port Royal. We had the best time, just me and my girls. The guys were home doing what else? Man stuff! Wow! Have they changed or what? I didn't think Christina was ever going to forgive me for making her wear a skirt! LOL I'm happy she finally got over it!

Helpin' Dad

2007-06-06T06:30:00.000-05:00

As Bubba says, "I'm a man! I do man stuff and I eat man food!" LOL So here he is being a man, helpin' Dad work on the truck. And here he is passed out after a migraine knocked his feet out from under him from a long day of "being a man!"
Ya gotta love em', the men in our lives, big or small. ~smiles~