BANG!

I'm going to begin this blog with a BANG! little Miss Chem-girl called yesterday afternoon and the first words out of her mouth were "I'm alright." Those two words are always great to hear but they are also words of warning for what's to come.
Seems there was an explosion in the Chemistry building on campus and of course she was in the building when it happened. Fire trucks, rescue and police were on the scene within minutes. A student mixed a big no-no with acid (don't ask me, I'm not a chemistry person, I know H2O and Fe. Other than that? forget it.). Thank goodness she's smart enough to make an immediate call to her dear mother because it was on the news within minutes (nevermind facebook was blowing up with info as well). Knowing she was in the building at the time of the incident would've caused great concern and had she not called I would've been in a panic. There were a few injured students and we're sending good thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery.

Over the weekend we had an 'incident' of our own. I put my coffee cup on the sink ledge while blow drying my hair. Then I laid the running dryer in the sink while I put gel in my hair. The cup jiggled (yes, jiggled) and spilled into the sink on the running dryer. I screamed, DH ran and pulled the plug. Smoke and sparks were flying and the dryer is officially 'fried'.
I found this little pink dryer and snagged it. Some of the profit goes to fight breast cancer and since my MIL is battling breast cancer (again) I thought it very fitting.


I vow to keep the tag on the spankin' new dryer ;).
Recently it was brought to my attention that a local person made the oh-so-snark remark referring to new medical/financial developments, 'what else is wrong with this family?'
I'd like to say what my grandmother always said when others choose to 'judge'; don't worry about sweepin' someone else's porch when your own porch needs a good sweepin'. Hrmph!

In the meantime, I'm on the way to Little Miss Chem-girl's college to change her major....LOL (just kidding).

The Wedding

9-10-2011 The day our eldest daughter (Vetgirl) became a Mrs. Forgive the mish-mash of pictures, blogger is not cooperative when it comes to posting pictures in an orderly fashion.

The Bride, Groom, Sister Bridesmaid and a friend goofing off in the background.









The guests were very pleased with the atmosphere and the food which was delicious. Herb chicken or pasta, salad, potatoes and steamed vegetables were the menu choices.

The flower girl.

Upon my request the bride and her ladies-in-waiting gave me a good shot of the gown backs although they look like they're in a hold-up ;)

My nephew who was also the best man baked the cake to suit the couple consisting of dog paw prints and a techo thing in the middle for the groom. It suited them well, very tasty and he received rave reviews.

Flowers and a picture were in honor of the groom's brother who is serving in the United States Navy. He's on the look-out for a video of the ceremony since he was unable to attend.

The bride with one of her favorite cousins. They were born 3 months apart and went to school together from K-12. They also played in the band drum pit for 4 yrs and have many fun memories.

We're finally caught up on our rest. I've reflected for days and some of the ceremony/reception is a blur. We had a wonderful time and we're very happy for her and our new son-in-law who will now be referred as Tech-Guy on this blog ;).

They are on their honeymoon and will be returning soon. I've heard from Vetgirl and she talked non-stop. We are anxious for them to return so we can hear more about their trip and we can't wait for the pictures.

Today is the day...

Please forgive the poor picture of this blogger but I had to post it anyway.

The daughter in the middle is getting married today. We are very happy and excited for her.

This particular post is focused (for now) on those gorgeous shawls we are sporting.

G and Chan encouraged me to knit a CopyKate shawl for the bride-to-be and started a kal. Chan made the pink shawl for Chemgirl (on the left) and G made the green shawl for me.

They arrived in plenty of time and on what was a rather gloomy and despairing day. You girls made our day and we absolutely love the time, effort, love and care that was painstakingly in these beauties (yes, we have admired the zillion ruffle stitches ;). These are like a hug from dear friends. Thank you again for making our day a happy one with many more to come.

Empty Nest...Part II

Empty Nest Part I brings me to this post. Chem girl has returned to college. We patiently waited for Hurricane Irene to exit and make the move.

Packing the car is always an interesting endeavor with DH. The pillows were 'smooshed' on top of the packed trunk.









The backseat was full to the top of the car and this was all I could see of her during the trip.























For the first time she has a spacious room with not one but two windows. Drywall vs concrete block walls which she dubbed 'prison walls' makes her feel as if she's home. She also has air conditioning which is another plus. She has not had air for the past 2 years and the heat and humidity were horrible in the concrete block dorms.




















She dragged the flamingo lights and this little guy with her. What is up with this kid and flamingos? LOL





















Just like the Cardinal family in Empty Nest Part I we've encouraged the baby to take flight. We now have an empty nest once again. Time is moving quickly and in another year or so we will have an permanent empty nest.
There will be another post of Mr. Bettis and his antics while we were gone but that will have to wait.
In the meantime I am in the process of downsizing and cleaning out. Everything MUST GO! well with the exception of my yarn ;)

Empty Nest...Part I

It's that time of the year. This is Part I of a two part post.
In July we found these babies in the bush by our swimming pool.











Within 2 days they were ready to fly from the nest. I almost accidently brushed this one from the branch. Had no idea he was sitting within a foot of my face when I walked past.











Mom and dad were nearby chirping and encouraging them to fly. Chem girl and I laid on the bed inside and watched from the window. Two of them flew within an hour but the last one took a long time taking flight.
It was quite fascinating to watch the process of birth, nurturing and success of this little family as mom and dad Cardinal emptied their nest.
Now for Part II of the Empty Nest.