Event Planning & Family Time

The end of January, the planning committee for the GEMS Ladies Tea fundraiser met at Candice's house to go over the event, fill positions and plan the last minute details.

Candice is a gifted decorator and I am enjoying working with her and this fine group of ladies!!

She had her kitchen set up in the decor we will be using for this year's theme.....

"With God ALL Things Are Possible"

The table set with a yummy salad, chicken pecan quiche, fruit, cheese, cake....Mmmmm!!

Meeting time! This was the first time I met some of these ladies and their daughters! Candice got a committee together for the first time, this year, to help her organize this fundraiser. Her vision is for Mother's and Daughter's to work on this together. I think that is going to be a good thing.

Candice and her daughter Lina

Esther and her daughter Jewel

Carol and her daughter Shaelyn

Peggy and her daughter Sarah

Me and Tamara

After the meeting, the kids and I drove up to GA to be with my parents and my sister and her family the rest of the weekend!! :) {Dan came up on Saturday}

Cousins happy to be together again!! :)

Friday, our children went with their cousins to school. That was their FIRST time sitting in a real school setting {well, other than Danny going to Kindergarten at a public school}

While the kids were in school, Mom and I went along to the Martin's new restaurant, Family Table Restaurant, in Pelham, to get ready for a large crowd that day. Friday's are usually a big day customer wise, plus that particular Friday they had to serve around 80 people with the Rotary Club {they had a special speaker that day and it was a bigger crowd, think it actually turned out to be about 60 people}

Rhoda gets out the big whisk!! :)

Nicole is the official sweet tea maker...and it was Mmmm, Mmmm good!

Mom taking the fat off the roast...

Chris was making gravy, I think....

And this was where my lunch came from. :)

Nicole relaxing before the doors are open.

It's not often I have the privilege of eating lunch with my parents!! :)

Saturday, Chris, Mom and I went into the building Dad and Dwayne are remodeling and helped unwrap 80 new chairs for their conference room.

We enjoyed a supper around the fire that night...

Later, we were joined by Dwayne's parents and sisters to celebrate Heidi's 13th birthday! :)

Happy Birthday Heidi! She is almost as tall as I am!! :O

Sunday afternoon, after naps, we were drawn outside to enjoy the warm weather and another campfire. There were still hot coals there from the night before.

Mom teaching her grandchildren how to whistle with a blade of grass! I remember HER mom, my Grandma, showing us how to do that, but I could never quite get it. Maybe I wasn't patient enough??

 Anyway, I got it this time! :)

The "Crystal Gang" as they dubbed themselves, coming back from playing in the woods.....and they brought some more wood for our fire. It LOOKED like they were dragging something dead! :P

Before we left Sunday evening, Mom and Dad handed out gifts to those of us who couldn't be in PA for Christmas.

Tamara got some fuzzy socks, chapstick and perfume.

It's always fun to spend time with my sister and her family and having Mom & Dad there, made it even better. I enjoy every moment I get to spend with them! Just wish we didn't live QUITE so far apart! :P 

But, this is where God has us and I guess it will be up to Him to grant that wish! :)