The Week in Review

This past week was probably one of the busiest I have had in a while. I had a full week at work giving orientations on the library databases and getting back into the swing of life at the library. It was good to see everyone and find out that one of our younger librarians is expecting in January.

Monday evening we began the mushroom scare with #2. Check out Laura's blog http://www.thehensonhouse.blogspot.com/ for the details. In short, Wes ate some wild mushrooms in the backyard and had to spend the night in the hospital. We made a flying trip to Tupelo and kept William overnight and came back home Tuesday evening after all was well again. FYI, there are only 5 varieties of mushroom that will kill you, and they do not grow in managed backyards. But some of those will make a person fairly sick. In the words of William, "We don't eat mushrooms."

Wes enjoying William's birthday party. No ill effects from his mushroom tasting.

I have also made another step into the world of technology. I added the text option to my cell phone. Yes, I felt like an idiot at first, but I am learning my way around the vocabulary and short cuts for words. Most of my friends know that talking on the phone is not one of my favorite things to do, so texting lets me communicate without all the niceties of phone conversation. I now know why my writing students were writing is such a weird language. They had a good bit of carry over from their texting habits.

We were back on our way to Tupelo on Saturday morning for #1's birthday party. The rain didn't put too much of a damper on the occasion. Laura and Chase moved it to the fellowship hall at their church. A good time was had by all.

William eating a piece of his motorcycle birthday cake.

Daddy and Wes think the cake tastes pretty good too.

We then left in the afternoon to go on to Olive Branch for a visit with our dearest friends Shirley and Jay. We had a great time sitting on their back porch swinging, catching up, watching birds, and eating too many do-nuts Sunday morning. The night before we met several friends at the Como Steak House for a great meal and fellowship.

Shirley and Jay. Hard to believe we were all in college together some 37 years ago.

Laura says I am never on the other side of the camera. So here I am with the sweetest husband a wife could ever ask for.

Life looks to be a bit quieter this coming week. C U LTR

DETOX!!!

You are not going to believe this! Laura wrote a post about William staying with us last week, and a lady who has a web site about grand parenting picked it up on her search of the web. She in turn posted what she had read on Laura's blog and asked for comments. I had commented to Laura on her blog in a silly way before I had read the lady's comment. The lady is Susan Adcox and is a retired English teacher (Imagine that!) and the grandmother of 7 grand kids. So I made a comment to her website http//grandparents.about.com . Check it out if you get a chance, and if you are in the ranks of the many grandparents out there or are on the other side as parents of grandchildren, make a comment and see what kinds of comments we get. Scroll down a bit on the site and see what comments have already been made.

Kakki Time

Today I started back to work at the library at MDCC. I enjoyed being back in the routine and will work my two days on Tuesdays and Wednesdays this semester. As my last hooray for summer, I kept #1 (William) for the week and other grandmother Sandi kept #2 ((Wes). You may remember that we did the same back in May, just reversing the grandchild we kept.

I will admit that William had to be entertained a bit more than Wes, but I would not trade the time for anything. We did a little bit of everything from riding the motorcycle, hot wheels, petal John Deere tractor, and the big boy bike with training wheels.

Riding my big boy bike. Look, Mama, I have on my helmet!

Just call me the motorcycle man.

William also got to play with some of the other kids in Inverness.

Swimming with Katie Arrington

William and Grace's version of the bike and skateboard routine their mamas use to play when they were younger.

If you read Laura's blog last week, you may remember her entry about being a redneck. Well, William visited his redneck roots last week.

Redneck swimming pool

Eating ice cream after running through the sprinkler

Being a redneck and getting the last drop

But the best part was spending time with William hopefully making memories that will stay with him for a lifetime.

Poppa teaching William how to play Battle

Baking cookies with Kakki. I know those of you who know me can't believe I am baking cookies. Don't worry. They are slice and bake!

THERE IS NOTHING LIKE KAKKI TIME!!!

Here Comes the Bride #2

Well, I was on the wedding circuit again the week-end of the 19th. The daughter of one of my closest friends got married here in Inverness. Along with bride, the ceremony was beautiful, a true worship experience uniting two wonderful young people, Emily Harris and Philip Soen.

If you read my earlier post about the wedding I directed at the end of June, you will remember that I was quite surprised at the recessional music as the wedding party departed the ceremony. There were no surprises this time, thank goodness. I didn't have my camera again, but I doubt I would have had a chance to take pictures anyway.

This wedding was special for several reasons. I have known Emily and her parents Jack and Sara Ann for over 25 years, and Laura and Emily have remained friends over all these years. As we were discussing the wedding later in the evening, we reminisced about the time they were in the 3rd grade and Laura actually saved Emily's front tooth that was knocked out by a fall from a see-saw. You know the kind--the one were the person on the down side decides to get off the see-saw while you are on the up side in the air only to plummet to the ground with a vicious bump on the hard ground. Emily's mouth hit the handlebar, and one of her front teeth went flying. Laura was able to find it in the sand and the dentist was able to reattach the tooth. Emily has a beautiful smile today.

Another reason this wedding was so special was that several friends of Sara Ann's had a hand in helping her get a wedding together in 5 months. Yes, you read right 5 months! As a matter of fact, a new business may had been born from this experience, P&K Creations or P&K Flowers or The Crazy Ladies or Call Us Crazy. We are not sure just yet! Lanny Kennedy and Allison Poindexter took on the flower duties, along with Becky Maxwell. Now, this wouldn't be anything extraordinary for someone who has done this for a living and with experience working under a deadline, but these ladies volunteered for this job with no wedding experience under their belts. Becky has done this type of work before, and she made two beautiful sanctuary arrangements along with the bridesmaids and bridal bouquets. Let me say, Allison and Lanny rose to the occasion beautifully, and I have no doubt their services will be required for future weddings. I went with them to scout out flowers, and I had no idea there were so many varieties of pink or that two women could change their minds so much about what they wanted. Too many choices for me. I am sticking to the directing!

Miss Hospitality herself, Cindy Baird, coordinated the hospitality suite for the out of town guests at the hotel. I understand from all the Chicagoans (Is that correct?) that her work was not in vain, even if Preston did give her a hard time for stealing the coffee pots from the church and not getting them back for Sunday morning coffee before Sunday school! Pray, Cindy, Pray.

As always Brenda Yant was her stalwart self in taking care of the of the errands and behind the scenes work. I even understand that she drove the streets of Inverness at 70 miles and hour on some of those errands. No one will ever accuse her of not being a focused woman with a mission.

Pam Walker and Sylvia Spivey kept the wedding party fed and pampered through the pre-ceremony pictures and the waiting time before the ceremony. I heard the guys thought the food was excellent for what was suppose to be a snack. As a wedding director, these ladies were a god-send since I didn't have to worry about a wedding party with empty stomachs, prompting a fainting spell.

The hardest worker through all this was Jack, Emily's dad. Early on, it was decided that the reception would be at the family home in Inverness known as Oakhurst, a.k.a The Big House. The house was built in 1904 and is a beautiful 3 story home. The house has not been lived in for a while, except for renters who have needed a home for a special reason. For example, Jack let a family rent the house for several months after their home burned and they were in the process of deciding what to do. The house needed some work, and Jack took on the challenge of getting the place up to reception specifications. With a lot of Jack's sweat and help from some of the Inverness men and Robert, Jack's help, the home was transformed into a beautiful home again and the perfect place for a reception. Here again another business may have been spawned from this wedding. I understand there have already been inquiries about the possibility of renting the home for another wedding reception.

More memories were made for a group of people who have been friends for a long time, some for almost 40 years. The links that make us all friends range from growing up together, attending high school and college together, working together, going to church together, raising children together, and supporting each other through both sad and joyous times. I feel so blessed to be a part of such a wonderful group of friends, and it is my recommendation that we go somewhere for a long week-end and make another memory!

Kakki Time

Over the 4th of July week-end, we went to visit the kids in Tupelo. One of the highlights of the visit was going to see William and Wes take swimming lessons. This was a special time for me and one that brought back good memories.

When I was in high school, I worked as a lifeguard and swimming instructor for the city recreation department in Tupelo. (Some of you may not know that I was raised in Tupelo and graduated from Tupelo High School in 1969.) I lifeguarded at the kiddie pool the summer after my 9th grade year after I earned my junior lifesaving certificate, and the summer after my 10th and 11th grade years, I lifeguarded at the city pool after I got my senior life saving certificate. After I graduated from high school, I got my WIS (Water Safety Instructor) certification and thus began my life as a swimming instructor. I continued to lifeguard in the afternoon and evening after teaching lessons in the morning through graduate school. I taught at the old WPA pool by the old high school track and field in Tupelo that has since been filled in, then at the city pool, and then in Cleveland at the CRA. To say that I taught hundreds of kids and adults would be an understatement. I loved swimming as a kid and could not have had a better summer job.

William and Wes take lessons at the city pool where I taught and lifeguarded. The place is still the same with some remodeling, and the smells of clohrine and and the touch of hot concrete are for sure still the same. As I watched the boys, memories flooded by brain. I remember grandparents coming to watch on the final day as their grand kids took and, for the most part, passed their swimming tests. Now, I am one of those grandparents, and I understand that pride that just takes over the heart and makes it want to burst. I had such a good time at that pool and made some close friends, one of who is still a close friend to this day and one of the Lalis.

There is the most wonderful program in Tupelo called Survival Swimming. It teaches "little people" as Laura calls them to be able to survive in the pool, whether swimming for fun or in case of an accident. William has become quite the swimmer for a 2 1/2 year old. Wes is still in the beginning stages but is doing well with learning to float.

One afternoon we went to the pool of a friend of Chase and Laura's. William strutted his stuff while Wes and I watched.

No need to get in the sun if we don't have to.

I'll be swimming next year!

I love the water! Watch me do my stuff! Go to my mama's blog site http://www.thehensonhouse.blogspot.com/ and you can see me swim on video.

Here Comes the Bride

I do not have any pictures to document the following story since I did not take my camera with me over the week-end. I hope you will enjoy reading it anyway.

Most of you know that I am a wedding consultant. I can order wedding invitations, stationary, and reception items for 50% off the price that brides find in the stores. I work out of my home and do not have the overhead that the stores have, and I enjoy giving brides a break with the expenses that can get out of hand very quickly. I also address the invitations and other types of invitations for different occasions. Along with all of this, I direct weddings and will plan some or all of the wedding. I got involved with wedding planning when Laura got married and dropped it all in my lap because pharmacy school didn't allow her much time for planning.

I have told you all of this in order to preface the story I am going to tell about the wedding I directed this past weekend. A year and a half ago, a very close friend of mine passed away from breast cancer. She had three precious sons, one of whom was tragically killed in an auto accident about two years before she passed away. Her second son is like a brother to my Laura, and so obviously there is nothing I wouldn't I do for him. I offered my services to him and his precious bride as my gift to them.

Now, as with all wedding coordinators, we all have our stories about the happenings at the weddings we have directed. This week-end comes in as one of the top surprises that can happen such as fainting groomsmen and bridesmaids, unruly ring bearers and flowers girls, feuding families, bridezillas, strange music requests and a host of other mishaps that can make even the most seasoned director go into apoplexy.

I am known for being a detail person who makes sure all the Is are dotted and the Ts are crossed down to the seconds that a song lasts, to the length of time it should take to take pre-wedding pictures, to the number of programs that should be runoff. That's my OCD nature. So needless to say, most of my weddings go off without a hitch, at least with the stuff I can control. I have had a groomsman faint, a ring bearer refuse to sit down when he was suppose to, a flower girl who decided it was time to do a dance performance when she arrived at the front of the church, and a bride who cried uncontrollably during the ceremony. But the wedding this weekend got the best of me with something I could have controlled if I hadn't let my affection for the bride and groom cloud my judgement.

The wedding was at the Capitol Club in Jackson that offers a wonderful view of downtown Jackson and a beautiful sunset view, which for us was obscured by an overcast sky and an afternoon rain. We rehearsed the ceremony Saturday morning with no major hitches. The minister was wonderful to work with, and we were in agreement with the bride's requests. The one thing that kept bothering me was the fact that the music for the ceremony was recorded, and I had to coordinate with a member of the band to play the correct CD for each time the occasion called for music. The parents were to be seated to Josh Groban's You Raise Me Up; the wedding party was to march into Pachabel's Cannon in D, both recorded. The bride and her father were to come in to the Bridal Chorus which the keyboard player of the band was to play. After the presentation of the bride and groom, I was informed that the band would play the recessional for the bride and groom, but that they did not not know the selection since it was to be a surprise for them. Needless to say, I was a bit, no a lot, concerned about this but did not express my concern since I felt that nothing too bad could happen. This was my mistake. The bridal party was to recess to the Beetles' song All You Need Is Love. We practiced the ceremony twice and all went off without a hitch. When we left, everything was in order, except of the nagging feeling that I didn't know the song that was to be played for the bride and groom's recessional.

Everyone is on time and the pictures go off without a hitch. My greeters and program girls arrive on time, and the Capitol Club staff had everything in order. Our guests began to arrive, and we soon had guests standing in the back for a lack of places to sit. Recorded prelude music stopped exactly at 7:30 as it should, the grandparents and parents were seated in exactly 3 minutes and 42 seconds, the length of the recorded You Raise Me Up. The bridal party entered to the strains of Canon in D, and the bride and her father marched in to the Bridal Chorus. The ceremony went fine. The bride got a little tickled and rocked back and forth on her heels, and the best man got the rings messed up, but nothing major happened during the ceremony that would leave the guests thinking the director should be shot. After the minister presented the bride and groom to the guests and they clapped, they prepared to recess down the aisle. At this point the band struck the first note to the "surprise" song. Surprise is an understatement. The song was James Browns' I Feel Good. Yep, you read right, I Feel Good. When the bride heard the music, she got into the mood and walked a few steps down the aisle swinging her bouquet above her head. There were laughs all around from the guests, and those who know me and my OCD nature immediately turned to see the look on my face which I understand was one of total shock. This exit would have been okay since we we were not in a church, except that the band got into the song and forgot to put on the CD for the bridal party, who were confused as to what they should do, stay or exit. The ring bearer and the flower girl were so confused they finally left holding each others' hand. The maid of honor and the best man decided to follow them and then the music stopped, but there was no All You Need Is Love. I was in the back trying to get the attention of the band member who was suppose to put on the CD. Confusion reigned supreme. So the band played for each couple as they left: "So good, so good, " followed by the drum beats. All You Need Is Love finally made it for the grandparents to walk down the aisle.

When the bride and groom passed me, she was tickled and his eyes were as big as saucers. The best man told my husband, "You are not going to believe what just happened, and DK ain't gonna be happy." The reason he had to tell that to my husband was that he had missed it all because he was holding the elevator for the bride and groom to go down to the first floor to have a little time to themselves before they talked with the guests. Lance later told me he remembered thinking, "Where did that music come from? I don't remember it playing this morning."

The recessional was the talk of the evening. Most thought it was fairly cool. I'm not sure what I thought it was, but I know that N and B are married just the same. I love them dearly and wish them the best as they begin their life together that I know is going to be "So good, so good."

Note to self: I have 2 weddings coming up in July. Make sure you know all the songs to be played!

Mr. Green Jeans

My husband Lance has long been known as a "player." Now, I know in today's language a player has a negative connotation. By player I mean he plays golf any time the sun is shining, the temperature is over 40 degrees, and the wind at no more than 30 miles an hour. Any or all of those combinations. Yeah, that serious. I could be known as a golf widow, and our preacher does not get his feelings hurt anymore when Lance leaves as the benediction is getting started. Can't be late for tee time.

But there is another role that Lance fills that many may not know about: He is a gardener, a.k.a Mr. Green Jeans. This year he has one of the prettiest gardens he has had in several years. He has butter beans, squash, cucumbers, okra, tomatoes (135 plants), eggplant, and peppers.

He is also a magician. He can turn a basket of vegetables into a chocolate pie or coconut cake or bread pudding. Now that is magic. We have several older widows that he looks after and takes fresh vegetables to and they in turn make sweets for us. Nice trade off.

Cucumbers running on poles

Rows of butter beans

Watermelons and cantaloupes

View of the garden with fig trees in the background

Red sunflowers

Some of the 135 tomato plants

Squash