no improvement to report

I really hate being sick.

So much wasted time.

Our kitchen counter looks like

a pharmacy delivery truck

got lost and dumped it's load

in our kitchen.

We have day stuff, night stuff,

stuff to dry you up, stuff to stop your cough.

Enough...................

The fact that Dennis was in town

and able to take the girls to school

and pick them up this afternoon,

Was the only thing all day

that made me smile.......

A kiss to make me better

I'm sick AGAIN.

The last time I remember

being this sick this often,

was almost 12 years ago,

when I was pregnant with Ashley.

I spent the day on the couch

with a fever ranging from 103.3

to 100.7 depending on how long ago

I had taken the three Tylenols

that kept me relatively comfortable.

So the animals gathered around me.

Even the dogs spent some time

lying in front of the couch.
They always make you feel they care,

no matter what.

As rotten as i felt

it still made me smile.....

Yearly pilgrimage

Today was clear and sunny,albeit cold.

Perfect day for a drive.

Thanks to our wonderful neighbor,Sara,

who takes care of letting the dogs out

so we can venture away from home

for more than a few hours at a time,

we took our yearly pilgrimage to Cincinnati.

It is now part of our Thanksgiving weekend tradition.

We enjoy going to Kenwood Towne Center

and the surrounding stores.

Different stores than we have here in Lexington.

One of the treats is having lunch at The Cheesecake Factory.

Lunch there is always enjoyable and today

we topped it all off with a piece of

Peppermint bark cheesecake.

Delicious......

On the way home we always stop

at the same restaurant....

LaRosa's Pizzeria in Florence.

It's a small family run restaurant

with the best pizza in Kentucky.

What a wonderful day.

We are indeed blessed.

How can we help but smile.....

Day after casserole

The day after Thanksgiving

means different things

to different people.

For some it means shopping at 5 A.M.

For us it means "day after casserole".

It's another Lawrence tradition,

a kind of Holiday Sheppard's pie.

We take all the left overs

from yesterday's feast

and make the most delicious casserole.

This year Emily helped make dinner

with Dennis instructing her.

The smell and taste of this wonderful meal

will surely make you smile....

So much to be Thankful for

Twice a year, I am banished

from the kitchen.

Today was one of those days.

Dennis and the girls take care

of Thanksgiving dinner

from soup to nuts.

They start mid morning

making the "Lawrence " stuffing.

Then the bird is "dressed"

and put in the oven for about 5 hours.

This year we tried our first fresh turkey.

It was absolutely delicious.

The table is set with care

using Dennis' grandmother's antique dishes.

The aroma of the turkey baking

permeates throughout the house

all day, until it finally comes out of the oven

golden, juicy and so appetizing..

By the time we sit at the table

there is enough food for about 20 people.....

peas, carrots, corn, asparagus,

two kind of mashed potatoes,

rolls, cranberries, stuffing and of course turkey.

Wine and Sparkling Apple Cider are also served.

Since , of course, we are still hungry after all this (!)

dinner is followed by blueberry and pecan pies.

After dinner we write on the the table cloth

the things we are most thankful for

for this year.

We have been doing this since 2000.

It's fun to revisit the entries every year.

Seeing the names of friends and teachers past,

remembering pets, come and gone,

braces, come and gone,

moves to new states and trips to far away places.

And when everything is said and done

one of the things I'm most grateful for

is that the girls clean everything up........

If that doesn't put a smile on your face

nothing will..........

Spicy hot

The girls have started their Thanksgiving break.
After cleaning the house, and starting the laundry,
we made spicy-hot cinnamon hard candy.
This is Kayla's favorite, although everyone likes it too.
So we boiled sugar, corn syrup and a little water.



When it got to temperature,
we added cinnamon oil.
We were supposed to add the colour
at this juncture, but we thought
we would be a little more creative.
So we poured the melted mixture
onto a sugared and foiled tray
and only added the food coloring then.



We crisscrossed, swirled and marbled.



It looked like a work of art.
Almost too pretty to eat.....
But we broke it up



and it was delicious....and spicy-hot!
Then we went shopping.
There were smiles all around!

Our baby is growing up....

Yes, Ashley is growing up,

but it's Bentley I'm talking about....

We have been taking him out ,

day and night, since we brought him home.

This weekend we introduced him

to the collar for the electric fence.

Today, for the first time,

he went out by himself,

unsupervised......and lived!!

He didn't run away, get run over,

or get electrocuted....

Not having to go out

in the cold rain anymore

now that makes me smile.........

Another ceremony, another medal

We received an invitation in the mail.

The School Board wanted to recognize

all the students that scored a "distinguished"

(the highest possible distinction)

on their CATS test last school year.

Emily was one of those students....

She, along with the students from

Third grade through senior high school,

were handed medals and were congratulated

by each member of the school board.

We are so proud of Emily.

Her accomplishment are numerous.

She has quite a collection of plaques and medals.

She never fails to make us smile.....

Kirkin o'the Tartan

We are of the Lamont Clan.
Dennis' mother was born in Coatbridge, Scotland.
This is our clan Tartan....

This only comes up once a year,

on the Sunday were we celebrate

Kirkin of the Tartan at St. John's Episcopal Church.

Kirkin of the Tartan means

Blessing of the Flags or Blessing of the Families.

It is a celebration, not only of religious freedoms,

But freedoms in general.

St. John's celebrates this day with fanfare.

The Lexington Pipes and Drums come to play

and worship with us in growing numbers every year.

We parade through downtown Versailles,

with police escort and led by the bagpipes,

And end up at the church for a ceremony

and a very moving service.

Each clan is called out by name

and the members stand and are recognized.

When the pipes play "Amazing Grace"

there is not a dry eye in the church.

This year was especially moving because

this is our last Kirkin with the man

who brought us this great tradition.

Father always wears his kilt on this day

We see parishioners on this Sunday that we don't often see.

We worship and celebrate and hug and

break bread together, then go on with our day,

with smiles on our faces and in our hearts....

Feast for the heart, eyes and ears

Tonight I spent a few hours

with my three favorite things,

my family,photography and music.

The Lexington Singers, the Children's Choir

and the Lexington Singers 'orchestra

performed while pictures by

James Archambeault, a world famous

Kentucky photographer,

where projected on a big screen.

The performance was

at the Singletary Center for the Arts.

There was nearly 300 singers.....

What a delightful evening.

Now it is late and I am going to bed

with a smile.......

Thru the eyes of Love

Meet Gracie.......

We buy all our pet food

at our local feed store downtown.

They have rescued kittens waiting for adoptions

and Gracie......

Gracie is a 4 year old cat

who doesn't like anyone....

Except us!

She comes and meets us

as soon as we come through the door,

let's the girls pick her up,

and purrs like a motor boat.

They keep trying to give her to us.....

I'm sorry but I can't go double digits....

Before this picture was taken

she was resting her head on Kayla's shoulder.

In this shot, she has so much love in her eyes!

Don't let them fool you....

Gracie is a sweet and cuddly cat.

Every time we see her

she makes us smile............

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Sorry about the clarity of the picture but.....
As I was driving home this morning,
I saw donkey lying in the field.
It's the first time I see him lying down.

He reminded me of the donkey
that is part of our creche.

Except ours is a lighter brown.

Still....It reminded me

that Christmas isn't far off.......

It made me smile.....

That really sounds great....

Today being Wednesday,

Emily had a guitar lesson.

She has been serious about these lessons

for three for four years now.

She is actually REALLY good.

She practices every week

but we don't really hear her.

Then, once or twice a year,

the teachers have a recital

and we sit there with our mouths open

thinking, wow , she is really good.!

This year she has a new teacher.

He former teacher was good

but not very fair with his

criticism and/or praise.

He was very gender driven

and girl guitar players were clearly

not his thing.

To her credit, Emily hung in there

for more than three years.

This year's teacher seems much more fair.

He doesn't shower her with compliments

but does tell her when

she has played a piece well.

It makes her feel SO good.

Sitting at the back of the room,

I can tell......

Her shoulders go up, she sits up straight.

and I smile...........

Another pet?.....Do I have to feed this one too?

Remember the inchworm

I wrote about last week?

Apparently it had a friend.....

I was fixing fresh oregano tonight,

for my Italian meatloaf,

when my fingers felt something.....weird.

First I thought it was a spider nest......yuk,

but on closer inspection,

I saw that it was a chrysalis,

complete with worm....larva...green thing inside.

How truly beautiful is that?

I have never seen one this closeup before.

The girls thought it was pretty cool.

You hear of them in school,

see pictures in books

but here was a real live chrysalis,

right in our own kitchen.

So we decided to put the whole branch

in a clear glass jar and wait for spring.

I don't think it needs anything at this point,

except air, (which we provided).

Just hanging out, waiting for "the change".

I'll have to research this

and make sure I don't have to feed it or something.

As questionable as it all was

while I was cooking dinner,

and as much as I wanted

to just throw it down the disposal,

Just get rid of it,

waiting for a lifeform to transform

before our eyes,

now that has to make you smile.......

Again....?

Ashley had braces,

on the top only,

two years ago.

Today they "reassessed"

to see what, where and for how long

she might need them once more.

So we went and took x-rays

and impressions.

Ashley took it all in stride....

It made me smile......

'til the bill comes in........

Can winter be far off?

It's mid November.
Hard to believe.
It was 70 and sunny and beautiful today.
Not many weekends left like this,
I'm quite sure of it.
So today, we winterized.
The gardens were cleaned up,
the plants were cut back,
the leaves were picked up.



It's already looking more
like winter than fall.
Most leaves on the trees are gone.



But if you look very closely
there is a promise for a new beginning
just waiting to awaken........



In the form of buds
already formed and waiting.......
But first nature must sleep.......

Doesn't all of this make you smile?.....................

All around fantastic day.

What an amazing day we had today.

The weather could not be beat.

How blessed we are to have

such beautiful weather in mid-November.

This weekend was the Christmas Open house

downtown Versailles.

The stores were all decked out

in their Holiday Best.

We visited with new friends and old.

Had lunch at a local Homestyle restaurant

and compound pharmacy....(where else can you find this combination?),

which had the most amazing vegetable soup,

and simply enjoyed the entire day.

Everywhere you looked,

there were smiles.....................

Litter.....what litter?

Do you let your dog lick you?

We don't.....

Yet we DO love our dogs, but...

We know where their mouths have been.

This afternoon Bentley came out

of the guestroom where

the downstairs kitty litter is kept.

His nose was completely covered in litter.

By the time I got the camera and focused

half the evidence was gone.

As much as I wanted to scold him

all I could do was smile.....

no I laughed!

Inchworm, inchworm......

We had a wee visitor today.

We used to call them silk worms.

I'm not sure what their real name is.

I actually found him in the house.

Trying to escape certain death, I'm sure,

having lost his camouflage

now that the leaves are all gone.

As I picked him up

I could feel how incredibly soft he was.

His colour was exquisite.

(It made me long for a blouse that colour...)

I brought him outside, put him on the porch

and he made his way to the brick.

It was fun to see him "walk"

It reminded me of Eric Carle's

"Very Hungry Caterpillar"

Isn't the resemblance sticking?!

Seeing him there

in such beautiful contrast with the red brick

left me a little afraid for his safety.

But watching him "inch" away

I couldn't help but smile......

I thought I was done............

Today I put what I thought
was the finish touch
in the girls bathroom.


I researched musical sayings,
selected the font and the size,
ordered from this fabulous company,
Wordsanywhere.com, and received
my order in 2 days.
I was very excited until
i read the directions and
found out I had to wait one month
for the new paint to cure
before I could letter the wall.
So today I did......
And it's too high
Sometimes it's tricky to install.
Today it was....
So now I have to find a way to fix it.........
Stay tuned....
Still....imagining it centered....
made me smile......

Today I got a kiss......

Banks do not have a very good reputation these days.
They are often cold and impersonal.
They took huge bailouts when the rest of us
were left holding the proverbial bag.
And yet.....
I went to our bank today.
I only had to make a deposit
so I used the drive thru.
The personnel at this bank are always
courteous and friendly.
So after the required small talk
and good wishes for the day
I reach for the "tube"
to retrieve my receipt
and found a kiss waiting for me.



How very sweet (literally!)
It made me smile.....

Thank you Mr. Post

Tom Post bought a burned down castle

in Versailles a few years ago.

He rebuilt it and made it look magical again.

He also purchased a building downtown.

The J. Amsden & Co building

at the corner of Main Street and Court Street.

It's a beautiful building full of carvings

dating back to when builders were artisans

and did work they were proud of.

The second floor windows were boarded up

when Mr. Post bought the property.

So he ran a contest to see who remembered

what used to be under there.

He has been removating this building

and today I noticed the most amazing

curved windows on the second floor corner windows.

The morning sun was reflecting

off these beautiful windows.

It was a spectacular site.

It always warms my heart

to see these little slices of history

loved back to life

for us enjoy again

So thank you, Mr. Post,

for the smile.....

A fascinating new experience

Yesterday, the University of Kentucky

Metal Art department

Had their 17th annual "Iron Pour".

So the girls got a scratch block

and carved a design.

Emily and Ashley carved their hands

and Kayla made an FFA 2009 carving.

Students and artists from all over

send in their molds to be poured

each year on this occasion.

Some are small but others are big and heavy.

Most are brought in by forklift.

(Dennis was happy to see they use a Clark forklift

for this very important task!)

All afternoon they stoked the fire

and melted the iron.

After dark they finally poured the molten iron

into the molds and onto the scratch blocks.

Today we went and picked up our casts.

The girls were thrilled.

What came out was an iron tile

with their design in relief......

well, two out of three anyway.

Something happened to Ashley's scratch block

the tile didn't form but she still got her hand in iron.

It looks very abstract....a happy accident.

We all loved the experience which was both

fascinating and educational for all of us.

It brought to mind my dad

casting his weights in lead for his decoys

in the neighbors kitchen in Ste-Barbe.

And that made me smile........

So many colors

We went downtown Lexington today

and experienced something new.

But that is tomorrow's story.

As we were walking around

I spied this tree in the park

by Victoria Square.

I couldn't believe all colors

on one single tree.

I think they were all there

from yellows to deep reds,

greens to oranges

even purples.

What a beautiful site.

The fountain, of course,

added wonderful sound

to this awesome sight.

It made me smile.....