family life

Our latest comings and goings…..

November 1, 2009 by Edie Wadsworth 8 Comments

I’m sneaking in a post because I’m very chatty and since my blog has recently been taken over by the 12 Days of Christmas {which I am thoroughly enjoying, BTW}, I haven’t gotten all my words and pictures out lately. Steve was off work last Friday so we took the girls to lunch at the Tomato Head and then to the zoo. It was a beautiful day, the fall colors were shimmering, the animals were frisky and the weather was perfect.

We saw ‘Edie–the Elephant’ which inspired me to go for a run once we got home. I’m just saying. Maybe it was the line ‘compared to other elephants, Edie is a medium sized, well-proportioned elephant with short tusks and little tail hair’. Nice.

In other news, we’ve been studying the Vikings in history and made these darling little Viking boats. I started a book on the Norsemen called “West Oversea” by Lars Walker. Very interesting historical fiction about the Vikings. And lo and behold, that same week, Issues Etc interviewed Lars Walker on the Vikings and on his book West Oversea!!! I was completely wowed by that. I mean, I love Issues for a variety of reasons but sometimes their timing is impeccable.

And I’m not gonna lie, we are huge Minnesota Vikings fans! How ’bout that FAVRE? Truthfully, we have loved Brett Favre forever. A rugged man’s man from Mississippi. What’s not to love? Who doesn’t love Brett Favre? Doug and Andrew—don’t answer that.

I’m pretty sure my girls may be confused and think that Favre sailed from Norway to Iceland.

On the photography front, I’ve been experimenting with the manual settings on my Nikon d90. I took this pic with a iso of 1200, white balance of ‘flourescent’ and now I can’t remember the aperture. I love how it turned out though. I really don’t know any other way to learn than to practice with different settings and take tips from friends like Darby whose pictures are inspiring. {Click on her photography icon}

Then, there were the trick or treaters making their funny faces.

So, now you know the rest of the story.
I should also let you know that I just became the newest contributor to the Blissfully Domestic Online Magazine. Any ideas what I should write my first post about?

Do-Si-Do

October 29, 2009 by Edie Wadsworth 13 Comments

My best friend from high school celebrated her 40th birthday this weekend. Shawna (shown middle) also happens to be my sister’s (shown on your left) sister in law. I know, I know. But it’s the south, remember? And how did she celebrate this milestone, you ask? With a real life ho-down square dance —–in a barn. Now you’re starting to be jealous that you don’t live below the Mason-Dixon! It was unbelievably fun. We laughed at old pictures of big hair and blue eye shadow. We learned how to ‘alabama{allemande}-left’ and ‘rip-and-snort’—-that’s square dance lingo for all you northerners reading. And I think the best part was that the teenagers and small children had just as much fun as the adults. Though they probably won’t be as sore tomorrow.

I spent the night with my sister, who lives at the Foothills of the Smoky Mountains and we enjoyed some good food and good fellowship before the party. That’s my brother–in all his Volunteer glory—who, as you may or may not remember, won $25,000 in the Poker World Series this summer.

Sis made these little pumpkin yummies and I took about 53 pictures of them.

The kids had a blast at the square dance. It reminded me of days gone by when this is how ‘we’ entertained ourselves and our youth. Nobody said ‘bored’ —-not even once!

Shawna, Gina, and I and all our girls (minus my little Caiti—who would’ve had a ball). It was so nice to be together again. Happy Birthday Shawna!!

Uncle Mark, who said before we left for the party, “I don’t why this family has to square dance everytime we get together,” seemed to be having more fun than anyone.

My wheels are turning now ’cause Steve and I are renewing our vows this summer and plan to celebrate a little. I may just have to ‘grab my partner and do-si-do’! You gotta love the south!

How to Enjoy Carving Pumpkins with Small Children

October 28, 2009 by Edie Wadsworth 19 Comments

In my naivete’ as a young mother (many years ago), I would often save the pumpkin carving for Halloween night.

Because small children jacked up on chocolate in layers of netting and green paint isn’t stressful enough.

I’ve since learned that pumpkin carving can be enjoyable—–under the right circumstances.

::And here are those circumstances::

You need not go to a certifiable pumpkin patch. One of our local churches has made their front lawn into what for all intents and purposes is the perfect pumpkin patch. And it’s right in town. There are no farm animals or funny smells. And it’s close to TCBY.

TCBY makes children compliant and agreeable if not down right giddy.

Take your perfect pumpkins home and quickly get those seeds out, wash them thoroughly, removing the stringy mess of pumpkin-stuffs. Preheat your oven to 275 and spread your pumpkin seeds in a single layer on a pan —ready for roasting.

Then sprinkle my new friend ‘Jane’ liberally over the seeds and roast for 45 minutes—shaking the pan periodically to keep them from browning too much on one side. I was introduced to ‘Jane’ by a new blogger friend and I can’t wait for you to meet her on Sunday as she kicks off our 12 Days of Handmade Christmas with a wonderful tutorial. I know, the suspense is killing you.

But you’ll just have to wait.

After they finish roasting, pour them into a bowl and drizzle with a little olive oil and add more Jane’s to taste. Only after you’re enjoying your wonderful–popcorn like- pumkin seeds with a tasty beverage (Mike’s Hard Pink Lemonade for me) may you continue your carving duties. This little treat will have the same effect on you that the TCBY had on the children. Now everyone’s happy and agreeable.

Carving pumpkins has never been so good.

For those of you who aren’t sure how you feel about christians celebrating Halloween, you will enjoy this segment by Jennifer Roback Morse on IssuesEtc. For those of you who would love to poke fun at my southern accent (when I called into to Issues today as they were interviewing Gene Veith about homeschooling), click here.

What do ya get when you take two girls thriftin’ downtown?

October 16, 2009 by Edie Wadsworth 17 Comments

A little bit of this……

‘Down down baby down by the roller coaster

sweet sweet baby I’ll never let you go

Shimmie shimmie cocoa puffs

shimmie shimmie wow…..

Grandma grandma sick in bed

call the doctor and the doctor said,

Let’s get the rhythm of the head (ding dong)

Let’s get the rhythm of the hands (clap clap)

Let’s get the rhythm of the feet (stomp stomp)

Let’s get the rhythm of the ~~~hotdog~~~~ (swirl up and down)’

And thank you Savannah!

and a little bit of that…..

and not much shopping for these……

okay, so maybe we found a couple of things…….

todays’ treasures total $28

hope your friday was full of treasures……

happy weekending!

check here, the flea market magazine, for other nifty/thrifty finds.

A Field Trip with Savannah

October 8, 2009 by Edie Wadsworth 18 Comments

Savannah (Steve’s beautiful 25 year old, actress/model, MAC make up artist—with a degree in political science– daughter) is visiting this week. She’s so much fun to be with and the girls and I are in heaven, having her here to teach us all about makeup, clothing trends, and the craziness of pop culture. She is smart, well-read, funny, and can knit like a champ. Oh and did I mention she’s drop dead gorgeous?

So, on our escapade to Abingdon to see Tom Sawyer at the Children’s Theatre (which was wonderful) we stopped in at a local yarn shop and oooh-ed and aaaah-ed at the luscious wools and cashmere’s. I could just live in this room I think.

Then, we visited the MAC counter, where she showed me everything I needed to make myself look 25 again. We’re working on an eye make up tutorial today that I’ll share with you later this week. You’re in for a treat.

And the wonderful, crisp fall day came to a perfect close by meeting my teens for dinner in Johnson City.

How lucky am I????

Happy House Guests and a Recipe

October 5, 2009 by Edie Wadsworth 19 Comments

Come on in y’all!

When you’re having company, make an effort to make the entrance of your house inviting.

I love creative tablescapes and this time of year, the possibilities are endless. Natural elements like pumpkins and hay make for visual interest.

And what fun we had sitting around the table when Savannah arrived. We can’t wait to spoil her this week.

The blackbird kept watch over the zucchini tart.

And then Grandma made these gorgeous and delicious apple pies. She’s not only a master knitter but an expert pie maker. Apple pie + zucchini tart= happy house guests.

It was so wonderful having Caiti home too. We have missed her terribly!

Find out what your guests love and plan to make it. Caiti’s favorite: Blueberry Almond Coffee Cake!

Recipe for coffee cake:

1/2 cup butter,softened

8 ounces cream cheese

2 ounces almond paste (or 1 t. almond flavoring)

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 1/2 c. flour

1 1/2 t. baking powder

1 1/2 t. salt

1 3/4 cups blueberries tossed in 1 T. flour and 2 T sugar

Lemon Glaze:

2 cups powdered sugar

2 T. lemon juice

2 T. heavy cream

1 T. softened butter

Preheat oven to 350. Combine butter, cream cheese, almond paste and sugar; beat until fluffy. Add eggs and then flour, baking powder and salt. Then fold in blueberries. Bake in a well-greased bundt pan for 35-40 minutes. While it cools, combine ingredients for glaze and stir until smooth. Drizzle over pound cake and enjoy!!

I’m joining Rhoda for a recipe swap. Click here for more deliciousness.