HMD to meeeeeee

The best things in life aren't things.

Art Buchwald · 1925-2007

Thanks honey ☺ I love you too!

Several years ago I made a rule that my kids aren't allowed to spend money on Mothers Day gifts. Since I like to shower my own parents with presents, I recognize my contradictory example to "do as I say, not as I do". Still, I hoped to liberate my own from the Hallmark Holiday pressure to go out and buy me something. To that end, Sarah deserves credit for honoring her Mother by honoring my wishes.

Neal, on the other hand, forgot about the rule and presented me with a purrfect gift: A new mousepad to replace the unsightly hand-me-down I've used for years. And since my new computer came with one of those oddball keyboards, he shelled out even more money for a fancy ergonomic one. Blogging's gonna be a breeze now!

Covered with cat hair? No sweat!

Looked even worse before I scrubbed it

And although my rule wasn't intended to demand time consuming chores or gifts from the heart — Lori and Maggie did both!

Sample of sampler

Click on the image above to see Lori's completed project

Hoytie Toytie

Presenting ...

Miss Hoyte Bounds

circa 1912

This adorable baby girl eventually became my grandmother — and lots more.

• The school librarian who handed down the district's unwanted Dick-and-Janes from which I learned to read
• The farmer's wife who could out-shuck, out-can, out-freeze and out-cook any other
• A green thumb extraordinaire who lovingly created and tended Tippah County's most glorious daylily garden
• An outstanding seamstress that kept my kids' closets packed with everything from heirloom garments to playclothes
• The dedicated quilter who lovingly handstitched dozens of patchwork quilts for her family, along with countless gifts for St. Jude patients with fellow members of her local quilting guild

My daddy even published his mother's Cornbread Dressing recipe in his first cookbook, Wendell's Favorites. Takes several days to fix properly, and every bite's worth all the work! Click on the image below to discover its location on the World Wide Web:

Watch this, maggots!

Maggie's low crawl demonstration:

It helps to have an important goal to reach. This exercise is in preparation for learning to sneak up on the elusive Mamou Bayou Frog within the year.

From a different angle:

I can taste those tender frog legs already!

Ready for her MySpace debut

You know those take-your-own pictures that kids put on their MySpaces? The confident young ladies to the left make it seem so easy, but the photo below taught me otherwise:

This was supposed to be a charming pose with her Gramma Tea

---

Judging from these recent snapshots, Maggie's technique has improved rapidly since Christmas:

Razzberry

This particular new skill has been learned by following her daddy's example:

.50 Cal Gal

Three years late ... Recently discovered these charming photos from Korea:

Our little Rossini fan

Miss Happy Pants does her Happy Dance!

If you enjoyed Maggie's 15-second dance, here's a lovely way to spend six minutes or so on YouTube:

Rossini - William Tell Overture (Part 2)
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

• Listen closely at 2:43 to see why the director grins.
• The umbrellas at 3:25 are a nice touch too.

Child prodigy

Musically gifted ...

Bouncing baby girl

It was a mere six months ago when Maggie occupied this little spot in the middle of her bouncer. Cute little thing, wasn't she?

These days, she's learned rock and roll with it! (And is cuter than ever.)

In the spotlight

There's a new celebrity in the family ...

and it's my Daddy!

The lengthy story that appeared in Weeks Bay Reserve's recent Pelican Post newsletter was way too long to fit here, so I've omitted much of the bio, along with telltale identifying information (to discourage paparazzi and creepy weirdos from hunting him down). What's left are its most important points:

• They're delighted he's arrived.
• They've realized how fortunate they are to have him as part of the Weeks Bay Reserve team.
• He's a treasured volunteer!
• And I couldn't bear to remove that handsome mugshot.

Still too small to read? Click the image to enlarge

Mirror, Mirror ...

Somebody's discovering her natural beauty:

If you looked like this, wouldn't you
wanna stare at your reflection too?

My granddaughter the genius

You gotta see this amazing video!

80+ MPG

First trip out:

First trip back home:

Success!