A Very Merry McCarty Christmas

I grew up in a fairly small to average size family. My mom has 2 siblings who each have only one child & my dad has 3 siblings with 4 children between all of them. We also don't live close to any of my family members...the closest are about 2 hours away. Both sets of my grandparents lived very close to each other, but we were always at least a 4 hour drive away...therefore, we only saw them several times a year and rarely were my cousins and I there at the same time. But when I married into the McCarty family the size of my family grew exponentially! Both sets of Arch's grandparents are from towns just outside of Lexington and both his parent's have large families. His dad's family LOVES a reunion so twice a year we have family reunions that usually have close to 100 people in attendance. This past weekend we had our annual McCarty Christmas with Arch's dad's immediate family (just his brother and sister's families). Arch's Papa Bruce loved to have all his family around him every chance he got. He passed away just before Arch & I were married, so I didn't get to spend very many Christmas's with him before he passed, but I was always made to feel welcome even before I was an official member of the family. The dinner location has changed every year, but where ever we are for dinner they put up Papa Bruce's Christmas tree complete with all the handmade family ornaments...I'm kicking myself for not getting a picture of it! I did however get some pictures of the grandchildren playing together. Ruth Ann is presently the youngest great-grandchild, however, there's another one on the way...not from our side of the family, Arch's cousin Jenna is due in March...and the oldest are in their late teens. Spencer was the oldest there this year and was quite the entertainment for the younger kids...











(This is Jenna, she's due in March with the next McCarty baby)













This is Ruth Ann with her cousin Madison. Madison stays with Arch's parents in the afternoon with Ruth Ann so these two have gotten to be very close. When Ruth Ann sees Madison she almost leaps out of my arms for Madison to hold her. Madison is a very sweet little girl and I'm so thankful that she has good role models like Madison in her life. As you can see by the picture...she loves her cousin!

Then it was time for presents! Only the little kids exchange names for presents...this year we had Kayla & Kale...



This is Kayla opening her gift...there was a lot going on and this is the best I could get of her with her gift.



Kale got a little help from his mom.





We got Kale a toy truck set and I also made a shirt for him. His mom & I are Facebook friends so she has seen Ruth Ann in a lot of the shirts I have made for Ruth Ann. She usually comments on them, so I thought I could make a cute one for her little guy. This little lab applique is precious and has become one of my favorites for little boys! She obviously love it!

Ruth Ann got a Glow Worm from Kale which she also needed a little help opening...luckily she has a lot of people looking out for her...







All this present opening wore this little girl out...she stopped what she was doing and laid down on the floor!





We're still working on Ruth Ann learning to love her baby dolls...Madison is doing her best to get Ruth Ann to expect the newest member of her baby collection.



But even with all her new toy to play with...she still played with this...



Then she spotted one of her cousin's new toy...



Then she took off towards the big girls to see what they got...



In all the present opening festivities Ruth Ann's hair bow fell out or was pulled out...shocking...but Grandaddy was there to fix her hair...it was a good attempt!

Let me introduce you to Baby Evan...

One of my very good friends, Erin, welcomed her 2nd baby girl into her family last week. Evan Elizabeth was born on Monday, December 14th at 6:45am. Erin is a much better planner than I was with Ruth Ann and her newborn photo's...I didn't even think about it until she was 4 weeks old...luckily my photographer worked us in quickly so Ruth Ann's were done at 5 weeks...Baby Evans were done at 5 days old! Erin very wisely planned this during the summer...see, I told you she was better planner. I'm hijacking these pictures from her photographers website to share with you...if you live central Alabama I can get you the info on how to contact her...she looks like she does a fantastice job!





Isn't it a sweet feeling to love little ones simply because you love who their parents are? Erin has been a very special friend who I met by complete accident. She and I both went to Auburn, but never knew each other even though we were in the same major as undergraduates...she was in the class behind me. We have a very sweet mutual friend named Mindy who knew Erin was moving to Columbia and also knew I would be moving back home to Columbia at the same time. Mindy asked me if I would be friends with her very best friend Erin...but if you've ever met Erin you already know it's simply impossible not to be friends with Erin...she is one of the kindest people you could ever meet. I ended up being miserable living at home and randomly called Erin to see if she would like to be my roommate...sight unseen! What a disaster this could have been for both of us, but it ended up being one of the best decisions I ever made. Erin and I loved all the same things on tv, both loved to read a good book and spent our whole day looking forward to going to bed early...it was a roommate match made in heaven! I wish we could live closer together so our girls could get to know & love each other. Erin is raising the kind of kids you want your children to befriend...they're kind, very sweet and so very polite & respectful. I wish Kate and Ruth Ann could see more of each other and I wish I could have been closer this week so I could have visited Erin and Baby Evan to kiss sweet Evan's face off! These pictures will have to keep me satisfyed until I can make my way to Alabama to meet this sweet baby!!

Giving or receiving???

I frequently read (aka stalk) a blog by a very entertaining young mom named Darby. You can find a link to her blog in the right hand column "Fly Through Our Window". I discovered her blog while visiting another friend's family blog. I've discovered Darby and I have mutual friends, are close in age, both love to sew/monogram/applique and both attended Auburn. Therefore, I consider her a close personal blog friend...however, I'm pretty sure we have a one sided relationship in that I stalk her blog, but I'm sure my blog is not a blip on her blogging radar.

Anyway, I share all this with you because she briefly brought up a point on one of her last posts that made me think she felt a little guilty about gift giving this time of year. I agree that we need to "Remember the reason for the season"...but I think gift giving is a big part of that...here's why...a few weeks ago my mom gave Ruth Ann this book...



It's written in a very sing-songy way and is a pretty fun read that holds Ruth Ann's attention. It talks about all the fun things about Christmas while questioning what Christmas is really all about. Then it hits home with this message...



I LOVE how children's books always seem to say things in a way that even an adult's soul is moved...I think gift giving at Christmas time is all about reminding us of the greatest gift we ever received. I love to see someone open a gift I picked out just for them...I love the reaction and I love when I get to see them enjoy the gift. I think God gets even more excited when a new believer opens His gift for the first time by opening their heart to Jesus. This is the lesson I hope Ruth Ann learns about Christmas...yes, it is better to give than to receive, but I also want her to understand that we give gifts as a way to remember the very best gift you can ever receive. I think as long as you have giving in mind at Christmas, you're heart is definitely in the right place.

Cute shirt

Yesterday I got a package I had eagerly been waiting to receive...it was a shirt from Smitten & Company which I ordered for Ruth Ann a few weeks ago. I couldn't resist sharing how cute she looked in her new shirt...



I bought it from Etsy from a very nice vendor who I hope is coming up with a kitty shirt for me...pictures to follow! I'm very picky about t-shirt quality and these are great! She included washing directions and so far I LOVE it & plan on buying more...go look at her shirts now and get one for the little people in your life!!

Baby it's cold outside...

Today it has been NASTY outside! I'm so glad today was a day off so I could stay in my pj's with my baby girl as long as I wanted...and believe me, I did...it was noon before I took a shower today! I knew the bad weather was coming so planned ahead for our dinner menu for tonight...because when it looks like this outside...



This is what I want to have for supper....



This recipe is from one of my very favorite cookbooks...Catering to Columbia. I received it as a wedding gift and gifted it to a few friends before it went out of print. You could only find this book at The Happy Bookseller (my all time favorite bookstore) in Forest Acres (aka Columbia, SC) but it went out of print sadly before this bookstore closed it's doors.

I've made this so many times, I know it by heart, so I'll share it with you...

1 lb stew beef (I cut the raw pieces into small bite sizes)
1 package Lipton Onion Mix
28 oz crushed tomatoes
28 oz diced tomatoes
2 cups water
1 can lima beans (drained)
1 can peas (drained)
1 can green beans (drained)
1 can kernel corn (drained)
2 cups onion
1 cup celery
1 cup sliced carrots
1 whole potato (peeled and cute into small bite sized cubes)
salt & pepper

Brown meat in very large pot...the tallest and fattest pot you have...as the meat begins to brown you will notice an increase in liquid in the pot...add the onion mix and mix well. Add water, diced & crushed tomatoes. Add all remaining ingredients...salt and pepper to taste. Let simmer for 4-6 hours...when the potatoes and carrots are fulling cooked you should be good to go, but the longer this cooks, the better it is...this also freezes well!

Even Griff was hunkered down for the bad weather...when he looks this pitiful outside it briefly makes me wish he were better house trained so he could snuggle up by the fire place...alas...he's not, so he remains in the cold.



If you live in the South East you had the same weather as I had today...and it may have been worse where you are...I hope you were all able to stay in doors where it was warm and toasty!!

Ladies that lunch

Since I'm fortunate enough to be home with Ruth Ann on Thursday and Friday I like to meet my mom for lunch at the hospital where she works. Ruth Ann can't go onto the floor were my mom works because there are some very sick people on her floor and children under the age of 18 are not allowed in...so we meet her at the elevators. On Thursday we met my mom for a quick lunch since she only has about 30 minutes to eat, but any time we get with Grammy is precious time. Ruth Ann also looked super cute in her Chez Ami knit dress with leggings and pig tails...too cute infact to let a photo opportunity pass us by!!





Even though we live in the same town Ruth Ann doesn't get to see Grammy nearly often enough...however, as you can see, she's very comfortable in Grammy's arms!

Oh, here's a unfair thought for the day...when my mom and I got downstairs to the cafeteria we got in line and my mom was still holding Ruth Ann. Now, my mom and I are often told we look alike even though if you saw pictures of my mom at my age I really don't think we look that much a like, but when we're together we usually get this statement a lot. However, the lunch lady looked at the 3 of us and said I must be the daughter-in-law because I didn't look like Ruth Ann or my mom who she thought looked just alike!! What?? This is actually not the first time someone has said Ruth Ann looks like my mom, usually it's from my close friends who know my mom well. This is the first time a stranger has told me this, so at least it gives me hope that some of my genes are shining through...even though I still see Arch and Spencer every time I look at her!

One of my favorite things...

Last fall I bought a geranium, potted it and took good care of it...but it still died. This fall I did the same thing...I bought a geranium, used the same pot from last year but took even less care of this plant compared to the one I bought last year....however, thanks to a very rainy fall this geranium LIVES! And it's still blooming!



I got a quick picture today since we're suppose to have freezing temperatures and freezing rain tonight and tomorrow...so I'm sure these are the last blooms I'll be see this year. Oh well...maybe next year I'll be even more successful with my geraniums!

Etsy store

I've been asked if I have an Etsy store to sell the monogrammed & appliqued shirts Ruth Ann and many of my friends children are so often seen wearing on my blog. Currently the answer is no, unfortunately I do not have an Etsy store...however, I have been giving it some thought. I've been looking at what others have to offer and I personally love Etsy ...if you haven't visited, do so immediately...it's fantastic. It may be little too late to do your Christmas shopping, but worth checking out for future purchases. I'll keep my blog posted and if I decide to start a store...this blog will be the first to know! Also, if you leave me a comment with a question, be sure to include an email address where I can contact you...otherwise I think my responses are going out into the wilderness of the Internet!

If it looks like it's from the 80's then I'm sold...

Okay my fellow females who grew up in the early 80's...did your momma's put these barrettes in your hair too???



As I have said before I'm a marketing department's dream come true...if I see anything that looks circa 1985 and even remotely reminds me of my childhood...I'm buying it for my baby girl! I LOVE these little plastic barrettes...especially the little rabbit!

So frustrating...

Does anyone else have this problem...



I spent my entire day looking for a missing sock and putting it back on Ruth Ann's foot. Notice how the remaining sock is barely hanging on...oh the money I would spend on socks that would actually stay on her chubby little feet!

The many hair styles of Ruth Ann...

Today Arch went hunting, so Ruth Ann and I had a little mommy/daughter time...



Her first pony tail!!



Her first pig tails!!

Arch has always told me that he has "Chinese straight hair"...his words, not mine, so forgive me for any political incorrectness! I have alway prayed that my little girl have his hair because straight hair is much easier to manage...however, I'm very aware how straight this hair is since her pony tail & pig tails stick straight out of her head!

Now get ready...this picture is going to make your heart melt...at least it had that effect on me...



Just when I think I can't love this little girl anymore, she looks at me like this and I love her even more!!

A Very Merry Supper Club Christmas

Last night we celebrated Christmas with our supper club friends. It was my turn to hostess dinner so I was responsible for the meat. At some point last year I made prime rib for one of my turns at hostessing and I've kinda wanted to make it again ever since. It's so yummy & so easy to make. I really don't like to have meat served on a bone...it grosses me out to see the animal bone, but I know it makes the meat taste better to have been cooked on the bone...so here's a helpful hint...
Where ever you buy the meat, ask the butcher to cut the meat off the bone and then tie the meat to the bones with cooking twine. Then bake as directed. Once the meat is cooked to your liking you can cut the twine and remove the bones. It makes cutting so much easier and there are not gross bones to look at while eating. Arch saved the bones and claims he will be make a soup with them...however, I know better and am pretty sure I'll be throwing these bones out at the end of the week when I clean out the fridge!



I also made twice baked potatoes because they're supper delicious and I am always looking for a good reason to make them...



But before we sat down to eat we wanted to take a group picture of the all the kiddos because all moms (old and new) know that if you want a picture without food on clothes, in hair, all over face, etc...you take the picture first thing! We all took lots of pictures to try to get the best of a group of 6 kids ages 3 & under...I picked this one because almost all 6 pairs of eyes are facing me, but mostly because Jay Brown has the sweetest smile on his face!



It's hard to believe that just 2 1/2 short years ago Jay was the only baby in all of our lifes...now there are 6 of them...we are rapidly letting the kids out number the adults!

Here I think Betsy is asking Ruth Ann "What's with our mom's and all the pictures???" (Actually, I can't wait to hear the conversations these two will be having in years to come...)



Jay was given the distinct honor of holding Baby Roper...I love how Betsy is checking out the baby!



And if you haven't already guessed...I made all the shirts for the kiddos...but secretly, I think I love Roper's the most...I just love a baby in a onsie!

Ruth Ann also got a little sugar from Jay...so sweet!



Then after supper it was present time!!



For the last 3 years we have done a Secret Santa with kids and big kids...i.e. the mommas. We let the oldest go first...mostly because Jay was begging to open his gift. Spencer had Jay's name this year...



And then Ruth Ann played with Jay's train set while she waited on her turn to open a gift...or at least watch me open her gift.



Then if was Mason's turn...



Ruth Ann has a rocking horse in her room and every time Mason comes to our house you can count on finding him in Ruth Ann's room on the rocking horse. Therefore, this toy horse was a big hit for Mason.

Now it's Betsy's turn. My friend Brantley, mother of 2 boys, loves shopping for little girls. This year she drew both little girls names and got the most fitting of all little girl gifts for Ruth Ann and Betsy...




(I love the "old man" face Ruth Ann is making in this picture)





If you haven't been able to tell by these pictures, the girls got American Girl Bitty Babies! I love them! It's just like the babies from my childhood where the eyes open and close when you lie her down. Ruth Ann's maternal skills are still not what I would hope for...she was more interested in taking Bitty's toy bear from her arm than giving Bitty her unconditional love...as demonstrated by Ruth Ann blocking Bitty from having her picture taken...this girl doesn't share camera time well! But I know other little girls who have this baby doll and I'm positive her love for Bitty will grow more and more every day!

Ruth Ann had Christopher's name this year...





Don't you love all the helping hands in this picture?? It looks like both Betsy & Jay are helping Christopher out!

Spencer wasn't home with us this weekend, so Jay offered to open his gift for him...



But don't worry, Jay called him to tell him what he got...



The big kids also enjoyed opening gifts. Sally had my name and got me what I think is on my all time top ten for Christmas gifts...that list includes my Louis Vuitton purses and hard to find Holiday Barbies...it's the cutest camera strap for my SLR camera...I love it!!

Before you look at this next picture, please know we don't usually have so many pictures on our mantel, but every picture that had been an the end table is now residing on the mantel because a sweet little 1 year old baby girl kept pulling them onto the floor.



These are my sweet friends Sally, Brantley and Auralee. I've always thought of myself as a person who values friendship and at each stage of my life I'm thankful God continues to provide me with friends like these 3 fabulous ladies. When I moved to Alabama to attend Auburn I remember crying to my mom because I was positive I would never meet friends at Auburn who would mean as much to me as my friends from home. It didn't seem possible to make friends in 4 years that would mean as much to me as friends I had had for 10+ year...boy was I wrong! My friends from college have been and continue to be some of the best friends I've had in life. Then when I left Auburn and we all went our separate ways I remember having the same thought...would I ever have close girlfriends like that again?? It amazes me how God continues to provide sweet friends for me at every different stage of my life. We're so fortunate that all our little kids & big kids (aka...our hubbies) get along and play well together. I love these ladies because they have provided me a friend to laugh with, a friend to cry with and a friend to lunch with! I love their kids and I love that they love mine in return. I'm lucky to have these 3 in my life and I don't think I tell them this enough...but I hope they already know it!

Then we all sat around and had a few adult beverages...some more than others...