A bridge to somewhere - everywhere!

One thing we've been waiting on to finish the kitchen is the floor. You know, it needs to be the last thing you do so you don't get paint on the floor or get it scratched moving an appliance or something. We've scheduled the floor to be refinished 3 times. Our weather has been so entertaining this year that the workers weren't able to get to us a couple times. Our entire first floor is hardwood. I love it. However, we knew we would have to move out if we got all the hardwood refinished at the same time. We decided they could just refinish the kitchen right now.

Guess what? You can't get to our bedrooms if you don't go through the kitchen. I had just about decided to go get a cheap hotel room for a couple of days but, Bert kept saying he could build a bridge. Yeah, right! Well, he did it and we used it and got to our bedrooms just fine.

Doesn't the floor look beautiful? They did a fabulous job and I think the smell is gone now.

Snow, and snow, and more snow... January and February, 2010

We didn't send out a Christmas card this year. I think it's the first time since the kids have been here so, that would be at least, 14 years!! I hate we didn't get a card out, because it is our only communication with a lot of our friends and family and because it allows me to show everyone how talented Bert is. Anyway, I thought this would be a great time for you to see how much the kids have grown.
This is my baby girl, Jacqulin, she's almost as tall as I am and gorgeous.




This is a lot of snow for the south, it's a little deceptive though. I heard a lady on the news talking about people from Tennessee just don't know how to drive in the snow. I was very offended, we can drive just fine in the snow thank you very much. However, no one does well on ice. After about 3 inches of snow it started sleeting. We were sitting in the den and could hear the ice falling. Jacqulin went outside and picked up the top layer of ice. This is why we can't drive well.


By the way, February is almost over but as I write this, snow is flying outside, again. Very strange for Tennessee. The kids have had 7 snow days out of school. As a matter of fact, this is the last week of February and this will be the first week the kids will go to school for an entire week since the middle of December. This makes me giggle, what a great winter. I wish we would all go to 4 day work weeks.

Merry Christmas Eve 2009

Our Christmas is usually divided into parts, his family, my family. I guess everybody does something like that. Every Christmas Eve we celebrate with Bert's family. Aunt Beverly said when our kids were little that it was only fair for the Sumner family to start coming to our house so Luke and Jacqulin could get in bed and get ready for Santa. Thanks Beverly! That has been the greatest blessing over the years. It usually meant getting the kids in bed so that Bert could put something together and I could get the wrapping done!

We enjoy the Sumner clan coming to our house every Christmas Eve. This year we even had a new addition, Little Anna! I loved that she came to our house for her first Christmas Eve celebration. Here are a couple of people who loved having her here as well.



This is Papa and his new wife, Bobbie. Papa gave us a scare this year and spent the entire month of October in the hospital. He had a bout with pneumonia and then open heart surgery. We were so blessed to have him in our house this Christmas. We love you Papa and we are very thankful you are well.

Every year we read the Christmas story together. For the last several years Luke has read the story. This year Jacqulin asked him if she could read it. She is growing up so fast. It was nice for her to read the scripture aloud to our family. It was almost as if it was a statement of her faith. She did a great job.


We always eat soup on Christmas Eve. In one of Jacqulin's classes they were discussing holiday traditions. She said everyone thought soup for dinner wasn't very Christmasy - I don't think it is either but my kids think it's the norm now. This year we had Taco Soup, White Chicken Chili and I added Chicken Tetrazini (not a soup).

Some kitchen back story!

Most of our friends and family know the kitchen has been a labor of love and most of the labor was done by Bert. We did hire some things done but, thankfully, Bert is very capable of doing a lot of the work himself.
Well, the last day of school before Christmas break was December 18 and it was one of those silly 2 hour days. Jacqulin's class had a party, Luke had a final. We were all home by 10:30.
Jacqulin and I had plans to go the Rockette's Christmas program at 5:00 with her friend Kahsia.
Well about 1:00 Bert was outside (in the rain) making one last cut with the saw. He ran inside, and started screaming for me. When I found him he was on his knees on the floor in a ball holding his hand. I didn't know what had happened and he wouldn't let me touch him.
He had cut his thumb. I thought it got caught on the saw. It ended up a metal ruler got caught in the saw and it slammed into Bert's thumb.
We made a quick trip to the emergency room for a bandage and a tetnus shot. Thankfully he kept his thumb and all his fingers. Just lost a thumb nail.



Jacqulin, Me and Kahsia ready for our show.

Layla Jane Totcky

Layla is my sister, Sonya's, grandbaby. She is the first great-grandchild in the Totcky clan. Unfortunately, we don't see her very often so I was thrilled when her "Me" (that is Sonya's Granny name) and Poopa (Billy) brought her to Franklin on Christmas day. She did not stop the entire time she was here.


My mom kept cereal in the bottom cabinet and everyone new that . I know everyone of my cousins and probably all the neighbors could tell you where the cereal was in our house. It seemed almost magical and something your were compelled to share. We played in that cabinet too. Bottom cabinets make the best cars and your could get several kids in one cabinet car.

Well, with the kitchen renovation I haven't sorted out what goes where. All my spices were placed in a couple baskets in a bottom cabinet. It was magical for Layla. She played with those spices for hours. I may keep those spices there forever just so she can come back and play with them.


If she would just line them up everything would taste better.


Shake, shake, shake....

My Christmas present is a kitchen!

So, the hardwood isn't finished and the back splash hasn't been put in but, the kitchen is functional. Everything was working and just in time for our Christmas Eve celebration with Bert's family. We had a great time visiting with everyone.

Merry Christmas from my little drummer boy!