I'll Tell You Later, Betty...

Auld Lang Syne 2011

2012-01-15T10:00:00.001-05:00

I've been a bad blogger in 2011.Very Spotty.If I may be frank, dear readers (those of you who have stuck around), I do not multi-task very well. I'd like to think that I do. Heavy sigh. But I don't. What I do well is hyper-focus. Let's give a shout out to Attention Deficit Disorder! So here I am trying to give you a Reader's Digest version of the past year or so. And with my homage to RD it

For a Brief Moment

2011-07-07T20:37:00.003-04:00

For a brief moment I am centered.I am calm.I breathe in......and I breathe out.This old soul greets me in the morning and welcomes me back home in the evening.And for a brief moment I am centered.I am calm.

The Happiest Place on Earth: Day Two

2011-07-01T18:33:00.001-04:00

It was a perfect day in the Magic Kingdom.And they are right.It is the happiest place on earth. It is intoxicatingly happy.The high lasted several days.But I am not a Disney Addict. It is a very pricey drug.We arrived for the opening show. When the gates opened we followed Alice. You know, Alice, as in "Alice in Wonderland". I felt like Alice myself as we headed for the Teacups. The boys

The Happiest Place on Earth: Day One

2011-06-30T16:00:00.000-04:00

Two weeks before school was out the Professor throws out the idea of a surprise trip to Disney World. Knowing that this would most likely be the only time we would go, I was torn. Do I turn him down and hold out for a longer more planned trip or do I jump on the offer knowing that the Professor's Disney World Willingness Window could slam shut at any moment, never to open again? Well, I

Where Did Spring Go?

2011-06-26T19:05:00.005-04:00

We have been busy here on Maple Street.Shall I catch you up?How about a snap shot of the last few months?First off on this snap shot journey is Gavin's first science fair. He received a 2nd Place Ribbon for his project: "Whose Mouth is cleaner: A Dog's or a Human's? Rest easy humans...we win. Then on March 15th Anna had a fight with the storm door and the storm door won. Twelve stitches and a

The Summer of Six

2011-06-16T15:38:00.000-04:00

Our baby is six.How can that be?She insisted on writing her own invitations.Such a big girl...sniff, sniff.Her request for a party was simple. A texas sheet cake with horses all over it.Check.A pinata.Check.If you remember her 5th birthday you know how I feel about pinatas.No living rainbow colored horses were killed at this birthday partyPink and Orange Decorations.Check.Classic tissue paper

Spring Comes To the House on Maple Street

2011-04-25T00:10:00.005-04:00

Our yard may be unkempt and a little worse for wear but Mother Nature decided that we deserved some Spring beauty as much as the next person. This little pearl of a flower is called the green dotted snowdrop. Isn't it precious?We also have an invasive weed growing in our yard that I fell in love with when we lived in France. Back then ignorance was bliss. I didn't know it was an invasive weed.

Spring has Sprung

2011-04-24T21:44:00.000-04:00

Our whirlwind Spring Break trip to Indiana consisted of two egg hunts in two days. The kids were beside themselves in Easter Candy joy.The Gallagher Cousin Chaos was a sight to behold. Mr. and Mrs. Easter Bunny even made an appearanceAn impromptu egg hunt ensued with the Kiley Cousins. Small, intimate but challenging, the hunt seemed to scratch their egg hunt itch. Or so we thought......

A Fairy Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-13T23:22:00.001-05:00

The artist in residence created this little number for today's holiday. Doilies, stickers and a 5 year old's imagination are a powerful combination.To all those loved by me and mine both far and near, know that you are on my heart today and most other days too. How blessed I am to have so many wonderful people to love.

A Decade of Gavin

2011-01-16T21:41:00.001-05:00

Look at that peanut.Now look at that handsome ten year old boy.I am in disbelief.How does time fly so quickly and seem to inch by so slowly at the same time? It is a phenomenon that continues to baffle my little brain.My creature of habit child turned ten in January. He decided he wanted to go bowling again like he did last year. So we indulged him. After all, how many times do you turn ten?

The Ghost of Christmas Past

2010-12-30T19:29:00.001-05:00

Or otherwise titled: "The Slacker Blog Writer Finally Gets Christmas 2010 on Her Blog". This brings a whole new meaning to "I'll tell you later, Betty"...like a lot later, it seems."Who's gonna read it? Who cares now? It's a waste of your time!" -Patrick KileyAnd I reply, "It's the principle of the thing...I've just gotta get it up...uh, I mean posted". I'm imagining when my children are

A Virtuoso in the Making?

2010-12-11T11:08:00.002-05:00

It is too soon to tell. But in our house she is a virtuoso. Uh, just as long as she keeps playing "I Like Chocolate Ice Cream". Anna started violin lessons last fall and I must say it is absolutely adorable seeing her with her little violin. When she practices her bow for the audience I about want to melt in that sweet cutie goodness. So her first recital was in December. I promise I won't

A Revolutionary Holiday - Thanksgiving Part Two

2010-12-09T22:45:00.000-05:00

Only in South Carolina would they name a town, Ninety Six. Where do you live? Oh, Ninety Six. It's like saying you live in Letter "P". The history of the name is unclear. There are several speculations as to why they named it Ninety Six. As I type this I'm beginning to reconsider the "only in South Carolina" theory. Case in point: Hoosier. Need I say more? Maybe my home state and my

Over the Mountains and through the rain...

2010-12-08T16:43:00.007-05:00

[I know, dear readers, that Thanksgiving has come and gone. Alas, so did the time I had for blogging when I began full time employment...heavy sigh.]Indiana came to Clinton for Thanksgiving for the first time. The Kileys all climbed in their cars and made the nine hour trek through rain and mountains to spend the Thanksgiving Holiday with us.The table was festively set...And we all set down to

The Tooth Fairy found Maple Street

2010-12-08T11:00:00.000-05:00

Miss Monkey Mae wiggled the heck out of that tooth. She was determined to meet the Tooth Fairy. But alas, sleep took her out of the running to be the first one to meet her.

Let the Demolition Begin...

2010-11-23T10:30:00.003-05:00

Bathroom of your nightmares be gone!Coming soon: "After" pictures.

The Love Affair continues...

2010-11-11T15:34:00.004-05:00

The clouds parted.The sun shined down on the deprived people of Clinton. (uh, that would be Betty and the professor)For unto us a store has opened. I took a little field trip on my day off from saving postal souls. I traveled the 40 minutes up 385 to reunite with my long lost love, Trader Joe. And he did not disappoint.Upon entering the store I was met by these lovely specimens.And the eye

Inaugural Halloween Party

2010-11-06T16:19:00.002-04:00

The weather was perfect. The company was entertaining. The costumes were fabulous.How could we not have a great time?The kids' excitement and energy were contagious. Although there were eyeballs (doughnut holes dipped in white chocolate), jello brain, gummy teeth,mummy cupcakes and yummy dogs & chips, they barely ate a thing. The little hooligans were content to climb the magnolia, chase each

Hello Miren...Goodbye Matthew

2010-10-05T11:46:00.001-04:00

We had an unexpected trip back home last month. Less than a week after welcoming Miren Elizabeth to the family, Matt got his orders that he was being deployed to Afghanistan within the week. So we hightailed it up north to say our "farewells" and "be safes" to Matt and we got to say our "hellos" and "welcome to the worlds" to Miren as a bonus. So without further adieu, here are some pictures

Long Live Harold Lee Miller Photography!

2010-08-31T20:37:00.001-04:00

When I was pregnant with Anna over five year ago now, I wanted a professional picture of me and my pregnant belly. And lucky me, I was (and still am) friends with a commercial photographer who was willing to take some photographs. Flash forward, it is now the Summer of 2010 and I want an accompanying photo of the dear girl that once was a baby in that handy dandy uterus of mine. I'd also like

First Day of School 2010

2010-08-19T21:07:00.002-04:00

What's a mother to do?I mean, really, she isn't supposed to be this old yet.I took the day off just so I could freely think about her all day and, per chance, forget something that she absolutely needed to get through the day so I would have to go back to school to drop it off. Really, it happened.Okay, so here they are in all their first day glory.My heart aches when I look at this picture.

The House on Maple - Before...

2010-08-12T22:24:00.002-04:00

I wanted to get all fancy and do a "before" video. Let's suffice it to say the learning curve for me and my perfectionism were getting in the way of getting any thing posted before we actually moved into Maple Street. So I'm giving you a pictorial account of the house before renovations and what not begin. So let's start shall we?This is the old Magnolia tree in our front yard. Magnolia

The House on Maple

2010-07-09T11:05:00.000-04:00

Well, hold onto your pants.As I mentioned in the last post, we are homeowners once again...finally...and in the deep South. And I have to say if we have learned anything in this whole process it is patience.Most people go about buying a house the traditional way. They find themselves a great Realtor like Sherry Soforic and go house hunting. It's a very different animal here in small town

The House on Maple: The Beginning

2010-07-08T10:52:00.003-04:00

house2, originally uploaded by missmonkeymae.We are officially home owners in our little town. The house on Maple is a 1937 painted white brick bungalow that needs a lot of love and attention. And we are just the family to give it to her.More to come....

Can it be that my baby is five years old?: Rainbows

2010-06-28T14:07:00.004-04:00

Baby to Five in the blink of an eye.How does that happen? Remember when Summer vacation lasted forever? Now it seems like it's a week long and they are back in school. And it was just a few weeks ago our Anna Mae was a baby.So she had her Rainbow Party. All the invitations were created (Anna drew and cut out all the rainbows)then sent along with a request for each attendee to wear a designated