Category: family


Early In The Morning

Filed under: family, music by misscaron — 2 Comments
February 17, 2010

I have a weird obsession with music that reminds me of my mommy … groups like Peter Paul and Mary and songs like “Early in the Morning” will probably rip my heart out when I hear them and my mother is no longer on this Earth. Seriously. Music that reminds me of my dad, or friends, or whomever will just never touch me the way this music does.

I will never forget the time I found my mother’s 12 string and begged her to play. The only songs she could remember were “Puff the Magic Dragon“, “Blowin in the Wind“, “If I had a Hammer“, and “Lemon Tree“. I remember sitting there mesmerized by her voice and watching her as she drifted away to another time. She looked so happy playing those songs for me.

Last night I was watching an episode of Mad Men and at the end of the episode they played “Early in the Morning”. I immediately thought of my mommy and smiled. I still credit her with teaching me the actual lyrics to “Good Morning Starshine” from the musical Hair (though my favorite version is when Bob from Sesame Street sings it). I still think it’s fun to sing along with the real words and watch my friends in amazement because no one knows them!

So, today, in honor of my mother’s birthday (HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!) I’m sharing with you a few Peter Paul and Mary videos. If you’re like me … and your mommy was a sweet little hippie girl … you will sing along and think of your mommy and smile. Enjoy! :-)

Early In The Morning

The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

Puff The Magic Dragon

If I Had A Hammer

For Loving Me

If I Had MyWay

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grandparents

Filed under: family by misscaron — 5 Comments
January 27, 2010

Hey y’all … sorry I’m a little absent right now. My mother’s mother is in the hospital while they try to figure out why she isn’t getting enough oxygen to her heart and where the internal bleeding she has is coming from.

Grandma Joan has so far had a nitroglycerin pump on her heart, she’s had stress tests, she’s been given blood transfusions to see if maybe the anemia is the main problem, she’s had an endoscopy to see about the erosion in her esophagus (which isn’t evidently what’s causing the bleeding but they took a sample anyway), she now has a camera (that’s in the shape of a small pill) traveling through her system to take pictures so the doctors can see if the bleeding is further down her digestive track.

If all goes well they plan on doing a cardiac catheterization tomorrow to see how the blood is flowing to the heart and then to decide if she will need open heart surgery. She’s at Mayo Hospital so I know she’s in good hands and I’ve visited her often (at least through today).

Tonight I head down to South West Florida to visit my other grandparents. My grandpa turns 80 on Sunday so I had already planned on visiting before all this happened. Thank you all for your well wishes and prayers. I’ll keep you posted as I find out more information and thank you for your patience with me as I’m absent from the blogging world for a bit.

God bless. :-)

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Here’s to a brand new year!

Filed under: about me, christianity, family by misscaron — 3 Comments
January 1, 2010

A new year … new resolutions. I know that I’ve been gone for a while and I apologize. I’ve been thinking about a lot lately and not really sure how to put what I’m thinking into words. When I get frustrated I tend to shut myself off. I’ve neglected my friendships and my health and my sanity really. I mean, I can’t get into a better frame of mind wallowing in self pity now can I!?!

Anyway, this year I’m starting off the year right … doing Beth Moore’s Jesus: 90 Days With The One And Only. Each evening before heading to bed I will do my daily reading and reflection. I know that I’m lazy and will tend to push things off so instead of making it a part of my morning routine I’m going to keep the book by my bed for evening work. I almost always read in bed before I fall asleep so this should work.

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ARGH. My first test of patience in the new year … this isn’t going to be an easy year, is it? I just wrote out another three paragraphs and tried to update and it lost it all. WordPress has been crappy today so I should have figured this would happen and copied the text just in case. But you know what’s NOT fun. Always thinking the worst and then preparing for it. So, I tried to just have faith. It’s not working. Hopefully this devotional I’m doing is going to work. Maybe if I just focus on Him then He will take care of the rest. God I sure hope so. I am so overwhelmed with hate in my life right now. Hate at everything. People on the road. The internet’s functionality. My financial situation. Everything.

So here’s to a brand new year, right!?! I’m headed out tonight to watch the Gators kick butt in the SugarBowl! Hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday and that everyone has a prosperous new year! God bless!

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Rewind Wednesday … Biltmore Estate

Filed under: family by misscaron — 3 Comments
August 12, 2009

Today I’m participating in Design Ties Wednesday blog party and submitting my Biltmore Estate repost from January 24, 2007. This is such a good idea! Especially since it’s summer and I’m busy and also because I’ve been thinking a lot about Christmastime lately. I think it must be the HOT summer we’re having! Well, I just should be glad there are no hurricanes, right!?! Don’t forget to go check them out when you’re finished reading this today.

Anyway, here’s the post … enjoy! :)

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Over the Christmas holiday I went to Asheville, NC and visited the Biltmore Estates and toured their winery. The grounds were spectacularly beautiful despite the dreary winter weather.

It had snowed a few days before (of course it couldn’t wait until we got there) and I managed to capture a picture of some still on the ground.

When you first enter the estate you pass by a branch of the Swannanoa River and eventually travel under the interstate to be in the heart of the grounds.

 The driveway is long and winding and the vegetation is breathtaking … living in Florida you don’t see the scale of the trees like you do in the mountains. It was so beautiful, even in the midst of winter.

The Biltmore Estate once managed a large dairy farm which has now been converted to their winery. The cows were so friendly and came right up to the fence which was quite a treat for my niece and nephew.

 

 

 For dinner that evening we ate at the Deerpark Restaurant. They have a nightly buffet which was delicious but HIGHLY overpriced for the ambiance and service, unfortunately. I’m sure that in the summer when you can sit outside it has more charm.

The Biltmore house itself was absolutely amazing. We participated in Candlelight Christmas Evenings which is the only time of the year they open the house at night. Every room had a Christmas tree and the whole home was elaborately decorated and they take you into parts not open for general admission. There was a choir singing in the Winter Garden and all I can say is that I can’t wait to go back one summer and take the Rooftop Tour and tour the gardens and Bass Lake.

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Malibu Barbie is that you?

Filed under: about me, family, life by misscaron — 1 Comment
July 11, 2009

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Hey there! Today I’m posting some more pics from my trip to southern California. Ashley and I drove around Hollywood and into Beverly Hills, we went out on the Sunset Strip, we went to visit Mark at his place in Pasadena, and we drove out to Malibu Beach. See that picture above? I have no idea who’s house that is in Beverly Hills but they must be in love! How adorable … must have been newlyweds or celebrating an anniversary. Oh look! It’s the Beverly Hills Hotel … just past that is my new home. I can’t wait to have y’all over! Don’t worry … I have a beach house in Malibu as well so there’s plenty of room for guests ;-)

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Ashley and I went to XIV on Sunset for their 6 on Sunset cocktail specials one evening and it was super nice.

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Look at me rockin LA. Get it girl! Ha ha ha. Anyway … another night I was there we went to Ketchup, which is owned by some of the guys from That 70s Show… namely Ashton Kutcher. YUMMY (both the food and the man himself)! Ketchup is known (obviously) for their ketchup’s. They have several different kinds from sweet to spicy to ranch to teriyaki. The food is really good and on Sunday’s it’s half off! Here are a few pics of the restaurant itself along with a pic I took of the fries and ketchup.

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The restaurant below Ketchup is Caffe Primo. Ashley and I ate there for lunch one day and it was soooo good! I had a tunafish panini and it came with a side salad tossed in a yummy vinaigrette. Muy Delicioso! After cruising around town we headed out to Malibu Beach in search of Malibu Barbie.

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We decided to have lunch at Malibu Seafood and on the way there we passed Pepperdine University. For those who don’t know … Pepperdine is a small Christian University located right on the coast in Malibu. It was gorgeous! I can’t imagine having the opportunity to learn in such a beautiful location!

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Driving around we made our way to Point Dume State Preserve which is the farthest point out on that part of the coast and offers the best viewing area for sunsets. We saw plenty of cute little shops and of course, my new beach house, not to mention the surfers in their wetsuits who must have been freezing … especially since the waves were poor and the weather was dreary.

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Our next venture was over to a suburb of Los Angeles … Pasadena. I just loved this town. It was definitely a place I could picture living … cute little backyard pool and all. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the area and am grateful to Ashley for driving me all over the place.

One of the funniest things about the trip were the vanity plates on all the cars! In California it must be cheap to have a vanity plate because I’ve never seen so many cars with them. We saw IMPLTDR (implant Doctor), TRPHYWF (trophy wife), and best of all were all the sayings about cats. Another option for the vanity plate is to include a heart symbol as a character. Here is an example:

 

We saw a TON of cat vanity plates like, 1CAT2(heart) and the heart symbol was at the end (one cat to love?). We saw I(heart)CATS … man, those California folks sure are some cat lovers. Of course most recently on the news I saw some tribute plates to Michael Jackson … here’s an example of what those folks are up to:

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Okay … that’s all for now but stay tuned because soon I’ll post my pics from the beautiful Del Mar Beach just outside San Diego! Hope you are enjoying the weekend. Saturday I was able to spend a few hours by the pool and it was gorgeous! Sunday night I’m headed to a good friend’s wedding. CONGRATS Peter and Jess! Love you! :-)

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Hooked on … The San Diego Zoo!

Filed under: family, life by misscaron — 3 Comments
July 10, 2009

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Hey there … it’s Friday and once again I’m participating in Julia’s Hooked On Houses Friday party. Today I’m giving you a sneak peak of the San Diego leg of my California trip and showing you some of my favorite pictures from the San Diego Zoo. If you have never been … I highly recommend it. I’ve been to plenty of zoos and always thought that the National Zoo in Washington D.C. was my favorite … that is until I made my way to the San Diego Zoo. Oh my goodness … It was amazing! More like a theme park with so much to do …

I know I’m a little off topic today because usually I’m hooked on something house related … but I really am hooked on that zoo. I can’t wait to have children that I can take to California so we can visit the San Diego Zoo. The elephant exhibit was quite extensive and had just opened so it was quite a treat. I hope you enjoyed viewing my pics of the zoo … if you get a chance to visit, you won’t be disappointed, I promise!

Have a great weekend y’all! :-)

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On the road again …

Filed under: about me, family, life by misscaron — Comments Off
July 8, 2009

 

Y’all know how much I love to travel. Recently I set out for Los Angeles to visit my sister and had a fantastic time! So, let me just tell you how amazingly beautiful southern California is … Oh My Goodness … the weather is amazing, there is so much fresh healthy food, and the sunsets are gorgeous. The traffic on the other hand … I could totally live without that!

When I arrived at the Bob Hope Airport in Burbank it literally took me the length of time to pull out my phone and dial my mother for me to exit the building. It’s the smallest, easiest airport, however it’s also the slowest with the luggage!

When I arrived my sister, Ashley, had made me lasagna roll-ups. YUMMY. She took the lasagna noodles and rolled the stuffing in them instead of layering like you would normally. It was a great meal and so easy to do! Go Ashley! The next day we went to her work and she drove me around on the golf cart and I got to see all the back lots of NBC/Universal.

We then went up Mulholland Drive and we took pictures of the Hollywood sign.

Ashley and I drove down Cahuenga Blvd past the Hollywood Bowl and we went down Santa Monica Blvd to the beach and strolled around town and the boardwalk. Unfortunately I was there during “June Gloom” and the beach was overcast and cold!

There are two main roads that travel along the beach, Ocean Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway. Along Ocean Avenue (which is on the top of the cliff) there is a pretty little park with lovely trees and a nice monument to our veterans.

Along Pacific Coast Highway is the beach and access to the boardwalk and carousel.

Along Ocean Avenue are the pretty hotels and little quaint streets that have pretty little beach houses.

Okay y’all … that’s all for today … tomorrow I’ll post the pics from our night out on the town, traveling around Hollywood and the cute little town of Pasadena, and of course, our trip into Malibu! :-)

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Happy Mother’s Day!

Filed under: family, life by misscaron — Comments Off
May 10, 2009

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The above photo is the author’s mother and herself on Hilton Head Island.

Happy mother’s day, my dear mommy. I am eternally indebted to you. I love you so very much and am grateful for all you do for our family. We are truly blessed to have you in our lives.

In celebration of mothers everywhere … have a wonderful day!

Sonnets are full of love
Christina Rossetti (1881)
 Sonnets are full of love, and this my tome
Has many sonnets: so here now shall be
One sonnet more, a love sonnet, from me
To her whose heart is my heart’s quiet home,
To my first Love, my Mother, on whose knee
I learnt love-lore that is not troublesome;
Whose service is my special dignity,
And she my loadstar while I go and come
And so because you love me, and because
I love you, Mother, I have woven a wreath
Of rhymes wherewith to crown your honored name:
In you not fourscore years can dim the flame
Of love, whose blessed glow transcends the laws
Of time and change and mortal life and death.

life-mother6life-mother4life-mother3

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Friday Funny

Filed under: family, funnies, life by misscaron — 1 Comment
April 17, 2009

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So, yesterday I received an Easter card in the mail from my mommy. It was super sweet and very thoughtful but there’s a catch … I already received one last week. Yes, you read that correct. I already received the same card (exact same card mind you) with almost the same sentiment inside. It’s always nice getting mail … especially from my mommy … but it’s just hilarious that she sent me the same exact card because she forgot that she had already sent me one. :)

The funniest part of this story is that my sisters and I have a long running joke with my mom about her memory. It’s not that she’s pre-Alzheimer’s or anything … most of the time her memory is just fine. It’s just that when she’s completely overwhelmed and tired, etc. she repeats things … forgetting that she’s already asked the question, etc.

For example: One morning soon after my one sister had come home for the last few weeks after working the summer camp my mom had asked her, “How’d you sleep?” to which she replied, “Fine.” Well, not but a few moments later my mom asked the very same question, “How’d you sleep?” to which my sister (thinking that maybe mom hadn’t heard her the first time) replied, “Fine.” It was only when my mom … not too long after that … repeated the phrase once again, “How’d you sleep?” that my sister said, “FINE! Mom, you’ve already asked me TWICE!” Poor mommy. She had no idea that she was repeating herself. So now, when any of us asks a question more than once or does something to repeat ourselves the appropriate remark is, “How’d you sleep?”

I called my mom last night to thank her for the card and to mention that I had received the exact same one last week and her response to me was, “How’d you sleep?” LMAO. I love my family. I love that we can laugh at each other and with each other. Good times! :)

Anyway, have a fabulous weekend y’all! I’m off to see David Sedaris tonight! If y’all don’t know who he is I’ve included a few links for your reading pleasure. My book club read Me Talk Pretty One Day and I loved it! I now try to read one of his books whenever I get a chance. Enjoy!

Time Magazine’s 10 Questions for David Sedaris:

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101040621-650720,00.html

Interview with David Sedaris by Linda Richards:

http://januarymagazine.com/profiles/sedaris.html

Selected pieces from NPR:

http://www.npr.org/programs/specials/lists/sedaris/

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I’m a reader …

Filed under: about me, family by misscaron — 2 Comments
April 12, 2009

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So, I’m a reader. Many of y’all know that about me but if you don’t … let me enlighten you for a moment.

One of my mom’s first memories of me as a child was the time she “lost” me in the apartment. She couldn’t believe I got out of her sight. I mean, it’s not like there was that much square footage for me to disappear. Finally, she found me wedged between the dresser and corner of the room just out of sight. There I was “reading” with my stack of books in front of me … pouring over the pages with excitement. Keep in mind that I hadn’t yet learned to read! From my earliest moments I’d rather be sitting with a book than playing with a ball, doing my English homework instead of my Algebra homework, reading the latest paperback novel when I’m supposed to be doing my chores.

Well, not much has changed. Tonight I managed to get some laundry done (remember, I repaired my washing machine all my myself this week!) and I’m currently in the process of putting away the clothes and figuring out what I’m going to wear for church tomorrow morning. And here I find myself … distracted by another book! So, instead of reading it at this very moment … I’m blogging it. ;-)

I’ve decided that I really should share with you the thoughts on the books I’m reading as I always manage to have at least 10 going at a time and I’m also in a book club. I’m not kidding about the 10 at a time. I am too easily distracted and there are just too many good books out there that I can’t wait to get my hands on. Right now I am in progress with: Dark Star Safari, Virginia Wolf, How to Argue and Win Every Time, The Motivation Breakthrough, What’s so Great About Christianity, Your Best Life Now, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, The Courage to be Rich, The Gnostic Gospels, and It Takes a Family. Not to mention the fact that I’m supposed to be reading Persuasion for book club and I haven’t even bought it yet!

What is wrong with me? Why can’t I just pick up one, finish it, and move on to the next? Now, you need to understand that it’s not that I start a bunch and never finish them. On the contrary … I just finished Summer Sisters, before that it was The Know It All, Catcher in the Rye, Jane Eyre, Me Talk Pretty One Day, and Enjoying God. These were all within the last few months! The majority of the ones I’m not finished with aren’t books that you just can’t put down but rather books that are informative and good reads but whereby I have to really consciously make myself read them.

Right now I’m focused on Dark Star Safari by Paul Theroux. It is a work of non-fiction about the author’s journey through Africa, from Cairo to Cape Town. He discusses the people and cultures and difficulties obtaining visas. It is quite fascinating really and is only encouraging my desire to travel to the continent myself. I have recently become a sponsor of a little girl in Tanzania and have wanted to go on safari within the next year or so. We’ll see … as much as this book fascinates me and the thought of a trip to Africa excites me … I have to be realistic and understand that the finances aren’t there to back up my desires.

Anyway, that’s all for now … I’m going to try and update you semi-regularly on my progress with all these darn books but for now I’m signing off. I have had a movie from Netflix on my coffee table for weeks now and again tonight I am choosing to read instead. When I try to explain to people how I don’t have cable they are always completely shocked that someone could live like I do in the 21st century however, when you take into account my passion for reading you understand that cable is a waste of my dollars. Now, a subscription to a book warehouse … that’s something I’d probably be willing to invest in! ;-)

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