There's No Place Like Home

We had Dorothy and the Lion as a dynamic duo for Halloween dress-up fun this year.  It all started when Maeve found a Dorothy dress I had gotten her a couple of years ago for her dress up crate.  She immediately wanted to make sure Dorothy's outfit was completed with sparkly red shoes and a basket with Toto.  She never once asked to do anything else.  She was on a mission.  I think it had something to do with the shoes.  Who wouldn't want their own pair of ruby slippers?

With this is mind, we stumbled upon a lion outfit that would fit Cam while out shopping one day.  It was furry and a little bit on the cool side so he agreed.  On the way home, while wearing the furry lion's mane, he admitted that he really wished he had a costume that had a total mask where no one could see his face. He also added that it would be awesome to be something scary.  

We got the best of both.  Sunday before Halloween, we did Trunk or Treat at Harmony.  Dorothy and Courageous Lion humored me with a small photo shoot of them in their costumes in the fall scenery.  It helped that I bribed them with the promise of candy!

Then, on the actual Halloween night, Dorothy had to be the lone Oz character as Mr. Bones, a scary, fully masked skeleton, replaced the lion.  Cam was thrilled!  We had dinner with the Meelers at their Nonna's house which was definitely a huge treat for all of us.  We trick-or-treated in the biggest neighborhood scene we had ever attempted (even for me and Tony).  There were tons of cars lining the streets, costumed characters walking from house to house, and lots of sugary goodness!  It felt slightly like a scene from the movies!

At the end of the night, we all agreed with Dorothy: "There's no place like home!"  

GA/FL

Tony and Cam declared their own "boys" trip and took off to root on the Dawgs.  They drove down to Amelia Island to join Nonna and Pop in a condo.  They took in the familiar AI sights and then rooted the team to a victory.  The score was 17-9 over the Gators!  Cam told people who asked about his trip about his two favorite things:  the players jumping into the stands after their victory and the Florida fans gone!

Looks like the McCullers Bulldog tradition will be deeply ingrained in this little boy!

American Girl

Maeve was finally old enough for us to take a trip to American Girl.  The occasion was my birthday.  She just so happened to be our cover up necessitating the trip!

We took my vintage Bitty Baby that she has shown a whole lot of extra love to after seeing it in the American Girl store.  Bitty was my last baby doll.  I think I was about 11 when I got this baby so it was well taken care of.  When Maeve turned one, Moo passed it down to her.  Maeve has lovingly referred to Bitty as Carlet.  Carlet and Maeve were dressed alike for our big adventure, and boy did they turn some heads when we got there!

I had intended on purchasing a few updated items for this baby and possibly scoping out a potential American Doll to add to Santa's list.  However, after seeing her reaction to the big dolls, I knew the scenario was likely going to turn out to be the other way around.  We looked in the store first before enjoying our meal in the bistro.

Maeve was eager to sit down at a table so that she could slide Carlet up in the seat right beside her.  When the waitress brought out a little cup for the doll, I think Maeve had to catch her breath a little bit.  It was so much fun to have everyone in on the imagination!

We left after picking out a real doll - not a baby - who closely resembles Maeve.  She has blonde hair and blue eyes.  The difference is that the doll's pig tails are straighter than Maeve's.  I think it may be a good thing not to have so curly locked girls to tend to!

I am looking forward to this doll hobby for years to come!

Fall Fair

We opted for the local fair instead of the fall festival, which is usually something I don't like to miss.  Just wasn't up for seeing all the kiddos from school on a Saturday.  We enjoyed some family time at the fair.  We spent a lot of money on very little.

Tony and I left a little baffled:  Was the fair in this condition when we were children and we just overlooked it because of all the excitement?  How did we pay so much for so little?  Just how does one get involved with the fair?  We saw all sorts....

The little ones didn't notice anything but a fun time.  They rode the Berry Go Round that didn't go round, the jet skis that had very little jet about them, the motorcycles whose seatbelts were cable ties, and went down the thrill hill on a potato sack. All in all it was a fun adventure for them.  For us, it was mostly an opportunity to be thankful for all that we have and the lifestyle we live.

Happy Fall Y'all!

Nothing makes me happier in fall than taking a few pictures of my "pumpkins" in the beautiful scenery.  After they spent two nights camping on their fall break with Moo and Doo at their beloved Lake Lanier, I whisked them away to a fall farm tucked away off the beaten path.

The perfect seat in the fall

Stair-step boys on an adventure

I could have spent the whole day looking at the unusual pumpkins and gourds.  It was probably a good thing that we were packed down with they boys and all the extra camping luggage or I would have filled my car with cornstalks, mums, and breads and jams!

Granddaddy would have appreciated the beauty in this "ugly" pumpkin....

.....and the unusual shape of this one.

Enjoying the simple things - relaxing in a wagon while picking out her pumpkins

 I think one of the reasons I am drawn to the beauty of fall is because it reminds me of Grandmama and Granddaddy.  They both marveled through the years of the changing of the seasons and found comfort in its constants even when the world around them changed so drastically - technology, telephones, debit cards, automatic engines, satellite tv, email, and internet were things that caused their heads to spin.  But the simplicity and predictability of the seasons was something they could always depend on to be the same.

On the hunt to find the perfect one

Beautiful view - beautiful children!

Granddaddy shared my October birthday and was a lover of nature's beauty in every season.  I remember his showcase of gourds in his backyard.  He collected the most unusual ones.  Going to a farm reminds me of going back in time when life was a little simpler - the kind of life both of them enjoyed. The apples, the homemade breads and jams, put me right there in their simple kind of place.  I know Granny could have whipped up any of these delicacies and made it look so easy.    She loved to see the different colors displayed in the leaves and the scenery.  Perhaps she took her decorating inspiration from the fall backdrop of colors - she had a way of pulling random things together in an artistic kind of way.

They would have laughed at this display
and said that it was modeled after the two of them!  

This year, more than any other, when I don't have either one of them here to physically take me back to the simpler pace of life, I will cling to the memories I have of the many falls with them.  I will enjoy the cooler temperatures as I sit on the porch.  I will drive a little slower so I can see the beauty in the changing of the leaves.  I will treasure the time spent with my family.

Tailgating

Tailgates used to be a common occurrence for us.  Even when Cam was a little fella, we tailgating almost every time the Dawgs were in Athens.  However, since a little girl has come along, our tailgating experiences have been rather modest.  So, when Tennessee came to town, the McCullers decided to tailgate in true fashion - camper, grill, tents, the whole nine yards (or maybe I should say 100 yards).  

Georgia Family Fun

Tailgates=Playing

Nothing prettier than some Georgia Girls

Not really into posing for Mama's camera

Who knew polka dots looked so good in red and black?  

Maeve went to a camper tailgate last year, but in her two year old state, she didn't remember it.  She was excited to dress in her red and black and play with her friends.  Cam loved the feel of the tailgate.  I know he felt so old throwing the football with the guys.  

Instead of hanging around a making a whole day of it, we opted to come on home when the game began.  Maybe I am showing my age, but nothing beats watching a game at home!  

TOTY

These four letters have popped up in titles, in conversation, and in just my regular life over the last few weeks.  I am honored and I feel highly appreciated.  In many ways it has given me new confidence in what I do on a daily basis - not doing anything different, just a little more secure in the day-to-day instruction decisions I have to make.  Afterall, I have the confidence of me peers, and those are the ones who are right there in the trenches with me, weeding our way through the next big idea (currently known as CCGPS).   I am trying not to let the calls from the newspapers and the rockstar parking space go to my head!  The extra attention has been fun.

On the night of the banquet which honored all ten of the TOTY for the county, I definitely felt like a princess.  I arrived to a table decorated in my true fashion.  It was filled with pictures of my teaching in action over the course of the last 11 years.  Wow did some of those pictures take me back!  The table was yellow - my favorite with trendy gray chevron.  It was indeed the prettiest table there.  At my table were my guests of honor - Tony, who has been frequently referred to as my husband and past TOTY at NOHS, Cam and Maeve, the ones who sacrifice the most because of my career, and Moo and Doo, the ones who have been cheering me on the longest!

I was overwhelmed with emotion when Mrs. Roper described me.  I tried to maintain my smiling glow that she talked of instead of the sobbing mess that I felt like showing.  I was honored for her to share my own words and feel like everyone who heard it know me on a deeper level now.  They know what my daily goal is and that this is not just an ordinary job - it is my mission.  

I feel so blessed to have this honor.