Who would have thought...

Who would have thought that on New Years Eve 2002 I would meet my husband? I sure wasn’t out on the husband hunt but fate would have it that he and I would be at the same bar at the same time. Yes, I said bar. I hate to upset some people who may not have known that, but technically we weren’t inside the bar we were outside under a huge heated tent. I guess being outside makes it better. We were in Memphis at Silky’s to be exact. There was a large crowd of Ole Miss students huddled under a tent near a heater since it was freezing. Trey and I had a lot of mutual friends but had never met. Little did I know Trey had already seen me when I walked in. He later told me that he was attracted to my brown curly hair, too bad that it is neither of those things now. A friend of ours introduced us and we kind of hit it off the rest of the night and started dating a few months after. I went back home to what was then Hattiesburg and told one of my best friends that I had met the man I was going to marry. Knowing how picky I was she didn’t believe a word I said. A year and a half later we were engaged, and a year after the engagement we were married.

A picture from our earlier dating days….

Now 7 years have passed and I am sitting at our house in Senatobia with a sick baby. Actually all 3 of us are sick which is not fun. Ford still has an ear infection and Trey and I just have a common cold.

The last 7 years have definitely been a journey. Trey and I have learned a lot, traveled a lot, and I would like to think matured a lot!!! I am really blessed to have my two boys which make my life a better place. I hope everyone will have a safe and happy New Years Eve and a great 2010!!!

Some pictures of my sick little man…



Just playing...

Puddin came to pick me up for a play date…

It finally came!!!!!!

Two days before Christmas Santa came to our house to see Ford. He wanted to see if he had been a good boy this year. I think Delta loved Santa more than Ford did.

Gingerbread man part 2…
Christmas was a little more magical this year having a little one around the house. Santa definitely came to the Lamar household and left lots of goodies for all. Ford had a wonderful time despite having yet another ear infection.
Ashley and I got a SNUGGIE for Christmas!!!!!!



Ford gave Trey and I a present 2 days late… a TOOTH!!!!!!!!!!! He stayed up screaming all night and at 4:00 in the morning I found our new little friend. He won’t let you look at it or touch it too much. I think his little gums are still hurting.

Trey and Ford with his deer...
Ford learned to walk behind his Lion

Run Run As Fast As You Can

Several blog entries ago I asked for people to give me some Christmas tradition ideas and I must say I was disappointed with my feed back. I decided that one of the new traditions we will do in the Lamar household will be to make a gingerbread man. I found a cookie sheet shaped like a gingerbread man and went to baking. Now if you remember from the previous post I am NOT artsy so this is quite an accomplishment!!! I was so proud of my cookie… I highly recommend you doing the same.



The best present….

Puddin, Ford, and I went shopping today. He had such a lovely time on the floor climbing underneath the clothes racks.


Confession Wednesday:

I haven’t posted a blog entry on Wednesday in a while. Being that it is Wednesday that means I must confess to something. I, Jill Anthony Lamar, have regifted presents before!! And DO NOT even act like you haven’t done the same!

Let’s talk about some food now. This is a delicious pie that I actually haven’t made yet, but plan to tomorrow. I got the recipe from a friend after I ate a bite and nearly died from the deliciousness of it….

CHESS PIE

1 ½ cups sugar
1 stick butter melted
3 eggs
1 Tbsp vinegar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 pie crust

Cook at 350 for 40-45 minutes. She also told me to cover the edges of the pie crust with aluminum foil so they won’t burn.

Have you ever played the game, Rock Band? You hook everything up to your TV. There is a long list of songs to choose from on the game and different people are needed to be a guitarist, drummer, and singer. I decided to play last night when we went to visit some friends. Thinking the drums would be the easiest I volunteered to play them. I was horrible. I am the most unmusical and uncoordinated want to bed musician you have ever seen. On song number 2 I opted for the guitar. I would have LOVED the have been the singer but to spare everyone’s ears this holiday season I decided not to. It’s such a fun “activity” if you will, to play. I recommend this too!



I hope everyone will have a wonderful CHRISTMAS this week!!!!!

QUACK

Ford has finally graduated from the kitchen sink to the bathtub. I still think he is too small to sit alone in the tub without a prop so I have been on the hunt for him a seat. I knew exactly what I wanted and they actually have it at Babies R Us, I just didn’t order him one. My Mom, Gran, found Ford a blow up Duck. I am not sure if it was the Duck he loved or the fact that his Gran also threw in some bath toys to make the experience more enjoyable. Needless to say, the Duck was a hit and the good old days of bathing in the sink are gone…. maybe not… we haven’t gotten rid of his sink seat yet!!!


One of my strong points is definitely not arts and crafts. I REALLY wish I were craftsy, but I’m just not. Regardless of my lack of artistic abilities, I decided that Ford and I would make some reindeer out of his hands and feet. It’s a corny project, but I wanted to remember how little he was when he is all grown up. The “simple” project ended up taking us 2 days and I even had to get assistance on the feet. Ford is such a good helper though… he tried to eat my pencil, crumple the construction paper and decided to curl his toes and fingers during the project. They ended up coming out pretty cute for someone without much crafts experience!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE to ride around and look at Christmas lights. I myself, don’t do a good job or decorating the outside of our house, we only have a wreath and spotlight. But I do find great joy and amusement in looking at others’ holiday décor. There is this one house here in town that really puts on a show. When we were on the way over there last night Trey said not to be disappointed if they didn’t have stuff up because the economy could have hurt them. Heavens to Betsey no it didn’t… it was like driving straight into the sun! You have never seen such “yard art” in your life. We attempted to do a drive by and take some pictures but got busted in the act so they didn’t turn out too well. Enjoy…

FLASHBACK FRIDAY…….

These are pictures of my classes from the first and second years I taught school….

And a little flashback for my husband…. This is his 24th birthday (5 ½ yrs ago) on the way to Pickwick Lake. This is also the day he proposed!!!

Is it necessary to be rude?

So I haven’t blogged lately. It’s been a whole week!!! I bet some of you thought I fell off the face of the Earth. Nope… I’m here. I have been spending most of my time stressing about a Christmas card. I was stressed about getting a cute picture of Ford and then it stressed me out to stuff, stamp, seal, and address them all. I was in a Baaahhhhh Humbug mood on Friday. I am over that now. I love checking the mail everyday to see what the cards look like this year. Keep ‘em coming people!

There are two sets of people I really love: children and old people. Last week Ford and I ran to Wal-Mart to get some diapers and I got in one of those speedy (10 items or less) lanes. I got behind a lady who was between 70 to 80 years old… maybe older. She put her stuff down and then handed the lady a gift card. She told the clerk she wanted to pay with the card. The clerk told her to swipe her card. Apparently this lady normally paid with cash and didn’t understand the concept of using the card machine. The clerk snatched the card from the lady’s hand and did it for her. She then proceeded to snap at her to press the payment key. The poor lady couldn’t figure it out so I pushed it for her. She smiled and thanked me and then told the clerk to have a Merry Christmas. Now it was by the GRACE OF GOD that I didn’t let the RUDE clerk have an ear full. I mean WHY BE RUDE…. Especially to sweet old people????? And it’s Christmas for goodness sakes. Just thought I would share my recent Wal-Mart experience. Be sweet to old people… technology isn’t always their friend (or mine for that matter).

MONKEY BREAD

4 (10 count) cans biscuits
For caramel sauce:
1 1/2 sticks butter
1 tsp. cinnamon
¾ c. sugar

Cut each biscuit in ¼ pieces. Roll in a sugar-cinnamon mixture. Put in greased bundt pan. Caramel sauce: Mix butter, sugar and cinnamon.; heat to a slow boil. Then pour over pieces in pan. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. Cool and invert.

Note: The biscuits will fill up the bundt pan. I pour some of the sauce over half of the biscuits and then put the rest of the biscuits in the pan and pour the remaining sauce on the top.

I am a huge homebody. I love to be at home, especially when it is cold outside. Trey on the other hand needs to constantly be on the go. On Saturday he told me he wanted to do something. I asked what he wanted to do. He then proceeded to tell me that I never make any plans and I should plan something to do that day. I suggested going to see Santa Clause at the Oak Court Mall in Memphis. He kind of rolled his eyes since we had already seen Santa twice. So I called my sister in law and asked them to come along for an Anthony-Lamar fun filled afternoon with Santa. We left in the pouring down ran and got to the mall later that afternoon. We thought it would be cute to put Ford and their 2 girls in the picture and give a copy to my parents. Good idea, but it didn’t exactly work out. Ford started pulling on Santa’s beard and the assistants had to go and rescue Santa. Molly Cate and Caroline did not want to sit with such a fat and strange man so in an effort to get a picture with Santa we ALL got in the picture.
This is how you get a double stroller down an escalator…
Caroline wanted to wear my earrings...

Still sick

Tonight Trey and I had the soup and cornbread I blogged about below. Both are my mother in-law's recipes and they are Mmmmm Mmmmm good. I highly recommend you cooking anything that is one of my mother in-law’s recipes. She knows how to cook!

CHEESEBURGER SOUP

1 pound ground beef
¾ cup chopped onion
¾ cup shredded carrots
¾ cup diced celery
1 t. basil
1 t. parsley
4 T butter (divided)
3 cups chicken broth
4 cups diced red potatoes
¼ cup plain flour
8 ounces Velveeta cheese (cubed)
1 ½ cups milk
¾ t. salt
¼ t. pepper
¼ cup sour cream

Brown ground beef and drain. In the same pan sauté onions, carrots, celery, basil and parsley in 1 T butter until tender – about ten minutes. Add broth, potatoes, and beef. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 10-12 minutes until potatoes are tender. In small skillet melt remaining butter, add flour and cook until blended. Add to soup. Bring to a boil then reduce heat. Add milk, cheese, salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Blend in sour cream.

CORNBREAD MUFFINS

½ cup self- rising flour
1/8 cup sugar
½ cup self-rising cornmeal
½ cup milk or buttermilk
1 egg
1/8 cup shortening

Mix flour and sugar in bowl. Stir in cornmeal. Add milk, egg, and shortening. Do not over mix. Pour into greased muffin pan. Bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes or until the top is light brown. Makes 6 muffins.

Ford got sick last week and we went to the doctor and found out he had an ear infection. The little man has been under the weather since then. We have pretty much stayed inside in our pajamas all week and weekend.

I have been trying to capture the perfect picture of Ford for our Christmas card this year. I have become more and more Type A since he was born in May and it’s driving me crazy. I can seem to find something wrong with every picture I take. Enjoy the pictures below of the little man over the past week.

On Saturday I talked Trey into going shopping with me. Something like this doesn’t happen too often. I told him I wanted him to help me do some Christmas shopping and explained we wouldn’t be gone long. He was a trooper and even agreed to miss the SEC game on Saturday (FLA vs. AL). After we went shopping we took Ford to see Santa Clause again. He wasn’t too fired up about seeing Jolly Old St. Nick, but he better be sweet if he wants Santa to come visit in a few weeks!!
Since Trey did such a good job and didn’t complain about my fun filled family day I rewarded him with a bowl of cereal done up the right way!

Going to the doctor

For the past two days Ford and I have spent a lot of time at doctors’ offices. On Monday we had a scheduled eye exam for Ford. I am sure you are thinking why in the world and how in the world? The why is because our eye doctor here in town will check baby’s eyes for free between 6 months and a year. Also, my eyes are far from perfect being that I had lazy eye as a child and got some stylish pink glasses at age four. Trey on the other hand, has perfect eyes. He likes to brag and say that he has fighter pilot eyes. Well, we went for his eye exam on Monday morning and he wasn’t in the mood to cooperate too well. Dr. Scott got her little light that looks like a pen and put it near his eyes and he started blinking and trying to grab it. She tried to cover up one eye and look at the other one and he was having no part of that. Finally comes the dreaded bottle of drops to dilate your eyes… he basically squinted his eyes together so tight that she needed the Jaws of Life to open them to put some drops in there. He screamed and let us both know that he didn’t approve of this treatment. She said she would be back in 15 minutes when his eyes were good and dilated. Do you know how long 15 minutes is in baby time? Like two hours for adults. We played on the floor and found neat things in my purse to put in his mouth (teething) and then rode the horsey on my knee, and within a few minutes the UNTHINKABLE happened… .HE FELL ASLEEP! I was stunned, shocked, baffled, you name it… that is what I was. He woke up when the doctor came back in a performed nicely for the rest of the exam. Fortunately he had no tumors and didn’t appear to have signs of lazy eye so she said she would see us back in 3 years.

The last few nights have been BAD as far as sleeping goes at the Lamar household. Ford goes to sleep just fine and 3 to 4 hours later he is yelling. I would tell Trey that he was teething and go in there and fix the situation and get back in bed. Two nights ago it got so bad we turned the monitors off and let him yell. I thought I was doomed and was committing child abuse for letting him cry, but Trey and I felt abused since we weren’t getting any sleep. Tuesday I took him to the doctor. I told the man I thought it was his teeth and then decided that he actually may have an ear ache. He did. He has an ear infection. I soooooooo should have seen the red flags when he fell asleep on me at the eye doctor. My child does no such thing. He does not fall asleep easily and he sure doesn’t cuddle during the day. He is now on meds and I hope we are on the road to recovery.

Helping momma wrap presents

HAM & CHEESE PARTY ROLLS

2 pans small party rolls, sliced in half
¾ lb. ham
1 pkg. mozzarella cheese slices
Dijon mustard
1 stick butter
1 ½ tsp. poppy seed
1 ½ tsp. dry mustard
2 tsp. onion flakes
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
Spread sliced rolls with Dijon mustard. Add sliced ham and cheese to each to make little sandwiches. Melt together butter, poppy seed, dry mustard, onion flakes, and Worcestershire sauce. Pour over rolls and let set for 10 minutes. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until cheese melts.

These little sandwiches are delicious!!!! I have made them for two Christmas parties we had at our house last year.



CONFESSION WEDNESDAY

I failed swimming lessons as a child!!!!!!! I can swim now thank goodness, but back in the day it wasn’t happening. I remember having the swimming teacher bring me home one day. I must have been an unwilling participant!

Our Christmas Tree