Happy Jake ~ Happy Amy

Amy was up and out early ~ Jake was being picked up at 10 am to go to his rehab place in Pittsboro, NC.

Jake's new barn

Amy said that Jake went on in to his stall and started eating, so all must be well.  This will be a load off Amy - she can work and not have to go and check on him twice a day ~ she knows he will be clean and fed.  And be treated for this injury.

Better days coming!!!
Love, Leslie

PS ~ Christmas was great!  One of my many fabulous presents was this gift brought back to me from Alcatraz.  You probably didn't know that you could get a gift AT Alcatraz!

And, they got it autographed!!!!!!!

Good News for Amy ~ Merry Christmas All Around!

Why be on time?  I got up this lovely warm Christmas day and made orange rolls for breakfast, took the dogs outside into jungle-like humidity and came in to wrap presents.
Since no one here gets up at dawn's early light, it is safe to do.

I bought some scratch-off tickets and I won $50.00!  Sweet! 

Amy's vet, Dr. Fernando (isn't there an ABBA song about a Fernando?) is taking Jake to his fancy smancy vet facility to treat Jake for his re-injured leg - so goodbye to the barn that Amy paid so she could clean out Jake's stall herself and feed and water him!  Plus, Jake will get state-of-the-art care.

And, the big news, Amy looked at a barn the other day and the owner texted her this morning and said that she would have an opening in March and she would hold it for Jake!!!!!  This new barn is well run and Amy is thrilled!  

So this looks like the start of a very good year!  

I hope your day is fantastic!
Love, Leslie

Merry Christmas and We'll Take Dinner on the Road

Christmas Eve is always celebrated at Nana's house (Lori's mother-in-law).  So we were on our way.  We received a text message saying that the power was out at Nana's, so we were to meet at Lori's house.

Jim packed up all the food and took it to his house.  Which was gloriously decorated with the table set for brunch tomorrow.

This is Lori's front door.

Lori's tree - Gorgeous!!!!

The table all set for brunch.

God love Jim.  He got all the food heated and plated - it was delicious!!!!!

Here is a "crazy, woo-woo" story.  Mom told me on Sunday morning that Dad and David Robinson visited her during the night.  I, of course, sent a text to all the sisters about the visitation.  

Sunday evening, Carolyn called Lori to tell her that she had met a really really nice guy - they had an instant connection - and his name is David Robinson!  And, he went to Georgia Southern for 3 years before transferring to Georgia State.  

So I don't know if there is any woo-woo here, but it works for me!

So, here it is...three minutes to midnight.  Merry Christmas!!!!

Love, Leslie

Wreaths Across America

I would like to thank Bob and Carol Turman for all their work in bringing Wreaths Across America to the United States Naval Academy.  This year, Carol was successful in putting a wreath on every grave ~ 2100 of them.

The Naval Academy does not offer any support for this endeavor, there are midshipmen that help put the wreaths out, along with other volunteers - most friends of Bob and Carol.

Holly sent this picture to me:

This is Bob between Scott and Dad's headstones.

The wreaths look beautiful!

Again, special Thank You's to Bob and Carol and Holly!

Love,

Leslie

Trip to San Francisco

Well, the travelors safely arrived on the west coast ~ on the way to the airport the conversation was like this:

"Here is the basketball.  I thought you were going to put it in your backpack?  I thought YOU were going to pack it!  I have to take out my shoes!  I will buy you shoes in San Fransisco ~ they do have a Nordstrom there."

They took a ferry to Alcatraz and did in fact, make it to Nordstrom.  

Is Maren hiding?

Somehow, this looks appropriate.

Does Tony seem to have a maniacal look in his eyes?  He is with Amy (somewhere in the car) and her mini-me, Maren.

Happy Holidays!
Love, Leslie

I Was Uncorrect....Go Navy

Well, I just heard on the Tony Kornheiser Show that the Navy football coach is staying at Navy!  I really thought he would go to Brigham Young but nope.  So, see you next year at the Army-Navy game in Baltimore!  Go Navy!!!!!!!!!!

Army-Navy, The Results

Well, Jim went and played golf so Amy and I settled in to watch the game by ourselves.  I had lots of snacks, there was alot of angst, but Navy managed to win.  There were alot of issues:  Navy's coach had an appointment on the following Monday to interview at BYU. And, it was Kenan Reynolds last game (boo hiss on the Heisman voters).

I really thought Navy would lose that game.  

So cute!  Andy, Kate, Millie and Blaise  Vanslyke LIVE from the game.

And, Amy and I survived "THE PRANK".  However, Lori and Jim had to collect the signs immediately because signs were not allowed in their neighborhood.  Which made them both late to work.  And Jim did find the Go Navy Beat Army sticker that was placed above his brakelight.  But, Jim was a good sport.  He showed up on Sunday wearing his Army ballcap with a sign that said "Go Navy! I Love Amy!" on it.

I am loving looking for Christmas decorations and I was driving and stopped at a light when I looked to my left and saw this fabulous display.  I can't wait to see it in the dark!

I need to get more lights on the house for next year. 

Much love,
Leslie

PS ~
The lighted wreath in my window puts on a show on my ceiling:

More Christmas and Army-Navy

This Saturday is going to be balmy up the Eastern Seaboard.  It is going to be lovely in Philadelpia.  Every year I have gone to the Army-Navy game it has been frigid or pouring. Next year, in Baltimore, since we are planning on going, it will probably be the coldest ever.

In honor of Army, Amy thought it would be fun to "prank" Jim (our most esteemed brother-in-law ~ who happens to be an Army Colonel and Judge in the JAG Corps).  So, first a blue and gold Navy collar appeared on Jim and Lori's dog, Snoopy.  (He looks fabulous in it.) And then today, we painted Go Navy Beat Army signs:

And placed them down Jim's street and put one right up at the special underground parking at the courthouse.  And, we did this at 11pm.  A true recon,

I do hope Jim enjoys it as much as we did.

And I am continuing Christmas here at the house:

My cousin Mike made the bottle for me.

Wreath in the dining room window - I do need to fix the cord.

Our undecorated Christmas tree - that is a job for tomorrow.

It takes about a week to get everything done - and I imagine that I could so much more!!

So, enjoy the lights and GO NAVY!!!!

Love, Leslie

Deck the Hall With Baughs of Holly, Fa La La La La, La La La La!

I am decking the halls, and while I WISH I could get my house to look like that....the body is not willing.

I have the garland around the door, and I wanted to get a huge wreath on the front of the house, but I can't drill thru the stone.  (Amy frowns on that.)  So, I hung the wreath on the screen porch.  The lights are on around the deck, the tree is up, and of course, it tilts a bit.  Got to fix that.

Anyway, it is coming along.  My nephew, Jesse, went to his corporation's Holiday Party that was done in his bosses home.  9,000 square feet, and 20 decorated trees!!!!! BUT, they paid someone to do the decorating.  Cheaters.

Presents are arriving via Amazon.....and there is not enough time until Christmas.  Isn't that always the way?

Happy Hanukkah!

Love, Leslie

Ok, here are some of my efforts:

The mantel

Here is the wreath I wanted to go on the front of the house.   

The front door.

Navy Uniforms for the 2015 Army-Navy Game

Have you seen the Navy uniforms for the 2015 Army-Navy Game?  Fabulous!

Love the gloves!

The helmets ~ with ships on them!

We have had such a good time watching Navy football this year!  And we are looking forward to watching Army-Navy.  

GO NAVY!!!

And, go to:  http://promo.espn.go.com/espn/contests/nissan/heisman/2015/#!/ballot
to manually vote for Keenan Reynolds for the Heisman.  I know it is a long shot, but he is ahead in the fan voting!!!!!  And for some strange reason, ESPN took him off the ballot. 

I think he personifies what the Heisman means:

"The Heisman Memorial Trophy annually recognizes the outstanding college football player whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard work. The Heisman Trophy Trust ensures the continuation and integrity of this award. The Trust, furthermore, has a charitable mission to support amateur athletics and to provide greater opportunities to the youth of our country. Our goal through these charitable endeavors is for the Heisman Trophy to symbolize the fostering of a sense of community responsibility and service to our youth, especially those disadvantaged or afflicted. All assets of the Trust beyond the expense of maintaining the annual presentation of the Heisman Memorial Trophy are reserved for such charitable causes. The Trustees, who all serve pro bono, are guided by a devotion to college football and are committed to community service and the valued tradition which the Trophy represents."

.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here it is, 9:36 pm and all is quiet.  It was a lovely lovely day.  Exhausting, though.  

Here are some of the photos:

The creation of the vegetarian stuffing - note the receipe taped to the microwave.

Mike joined in to assist.

Maddie, Mike, Caroline and Amy

Maddie, Caroline and Maren.

Jim feeding meatballs to the dog pack and I love it because it reminds me of my grandmother, Sissy below.

Sissy feeding the original pack in Davidsonville.

Naptime.

We did miss Drew, Nancy and Zoe ~ but I have to say, we shared the cooking ~ Jim and Lori made their first turkey ever!  And green bean casserole, mac and cheese, and Lori made Nancy's famous gingercheese cake.

I made ambrosia, cranberry relish, carrot cake and purchased 12 pounds of smoked turkey, which I thought was a smoked turkey, but it was 12 pounds of smoked turkey - not bones. We have ALOT of smoked turkey!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And, the vegetarian stuffing was delicious.  We watched alot of football and thought of our family and friends.  

It was different, but was good.

I hope everyone had a wonderful, blessed day.

Love, Leslie

Thanksgiving ~ The Preamble

This is the first Thanksgiving I have participated in the preparations.  I was somewhat blase' about it.  I had the receipes and an idea of how I wanted it to be.

Totally incorrect.

First of all, it takes longer than I thought.  And grocery stores are INSANE!!!!! And where do you put the stuff if your refridgerator is small and you don't have alot of storage?

Hmmmmmm.

So yesterday I decided to start the process - not the grocery shopping, I did that on Sunday. I decided to make the cranberry relish, ambrosia and carrot cake.

Making the carrot cake.  And hand grating 3 cups of carrots.  The cake better be worth it.

A small sampling of the dishes.  OMG!!!

So, got everything made.  And of course, the cake won't fit under the cake dome.  Oh well. Everything else looks great.  

The house is ready, just doing some wash (the quilts on the sofas and the new tablecloths for the tables).  

Ultimately, everyone will have a great time and the mess just won't matter.

You are all my blessings.
~Love, Leslie

2015 Christmas Wooden Shoe

In the Scandinavian cultures, it is common to put out their wooden shoes for St. Nicholas. He fills them with oranges and chocolates and nuts.

In 2015, Amy has the newest in footware and when she puts it out for St. Nicholas, he can REALLY fill it up!

It is not the muddy steel toed boot she wears to the barn, it is the Storm Trooper - like boot in the back.  She got it today ~ a little history here:  as you may remember, she tore her ACL and all ligaments in her RIGHT leg and after surgery she has been very good about going to her Physical Therapy.

However, in PT, she did "something" to her LEFT leg.  After seeing the orthapedic, she was given the lovely boot to wear for 2 to 6 weeks, while they figure out if it is a sprain or a tear!

Happy Holidays!!!!!
Love, 
Leslie

BEWARE!!!!!!

Ok, sisters mine......I am giving you fair warning.  Mom has had quite a temper tantrum and has made a couple of decisions:

1. she wants to move back to Maryland
2. if Scott were still alive, he would be taking care of her
3. and I am hateful

Ok, don't freak out.  She is NOT moving. (That is not an option for her).  She just likes to spout off.  Amy is going to refinance the house and give her back her $100,000.00 ~ she wants it, because she keeps throwing that up at Amy.

I am going to find a psychologist that she can talk to - and maybe adjust her meds.

And, to make her "happier", I am going to clean out her closet.  Ok, I know that is just revenge on my part, but it is sweet.

And please don't panic, Mom is what she is.  Amy and I don't torture her (maybe the closet is torture), and we give her everything she wants, except her ability to drive and cook.

She just likes to be cranky about some stuff.  And I do know that her inabilities are tough on her.  And she likes to alienate those closest to her - which is me and Amy.

So, basically nothing is different.

Much love,

Leslie

Homestead Gardens ~ I Miss Them!!!

I miss Homestead Gardens!  It was always the place to go to get in the spirit of Spring, or of Fall ~ if I needed a pick-me-up, Homestead Gardens was the place to go.  And to get in the spirit of Christmas...Wow!

Because of how people shop, Homestead Gardens has the opening night of the Christmas Shop literally on Halloween.  I would always take Mom the night before ~ no one would be there and we could wander all around, no crowds.  And we always found something special to use for decorations.  It was great.

My friend Holly evidently went there the other day and sent pictures!  I am so jealous!!!!!

I have got to find a place like this in North Carolina.

I have purchased two small Christmas trees and Yes, a gift ~ and I have already sent out the e-mail to my sisters to get their lists up and ready.  I know, I am pushing the season.

I am eyeballing the house to see where I am going to put the decorations ~ and it is 73 degrees here.  This is when I should put up the outside lights, so I don't freeze my fingers off.

On the mom front, (I know....to go from the glorious holidays to mom) I took her to the doctor.  She had a list:  get the flu shot, get a dermatology consult, tell him that she is having trouble with her breathing (gets out of breath getting dressed, can't walk 20 feet).

The nurse did her pulse ox test, it was 99.  Very good.  Took her blood pressure, 100/70.  Also pretty good.  The doctor checked her ekg results from Maryland.  What could be the problem?  Well, I interjected and said that she wasn't doing any exercise, at all.

I evidently am the scurge of Mom's life.  And then the doctor told Mom "no more salt and no more potato chips."  Whoa!

And on that note.....Love to all!
~Leslie

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

We have been busy getting ready....and I am sure I don't have enough candy.  Since this is the first time in the neighborhood, and there are a bunch of little kids, and we have sidewalks...I expect we will have alot of kids!

The neighbors have a pot luck in the cul-de-sac before Trick or Treat and we are bringing boneless chicken wings and then we have to dash home and get dressed (we want to surprise the kids). And boy did we!!!!!!

Carole sent the first picture of dress up and it came with a caption:

"Who said there weren't any unsexy costumes for women?"

And I made the Mummy Hotdogs:

AND they were delicious!  I am making mini mummies tomorrow.

We tested out the front decorations last night:

We have scary music and Darth Vader in an upstairs window with a strobe light.  It will be FUN!

We had a blast - Amy and I sat on our driveway, and some people thought we were mannequins, one little guy kept saying "don't worry, it's not real"  ~ you could see the kids slowly walk up to us ~ FUN!

Amy's ruby slippers

And the Davidsonville contingent dressed up:

Tigger

Check out those eyes! This is not Zoe, as I had thought, but Dani, a friend.

And, yes, I had enough candy.  In fact, I have ALOT of candy!!!!!!!!!

Here are some of my decorations in the house:

A murder of crows on the mantle.

I had spiders hanging from the chandelier and you can't really see the black roses with the tea service.

Love,
Leslie