Thanksgiving at the Tidds

We were in Simpsonville for a special Thanksgiving with the Tidds, Cavins, and Gram Todd. We got to enjoy seeing the kids together again, and it gets better everytime. As a stay-at-home mom, I must say that it is a delight to be around family and to see Greer play with other kids especially her cousins. I only took pictures at the park, so we will have to wait for the others to send pictures of the other things that we did.

Greer and Garrett playing
Uncle Nathan and Greer

Aunt Allison, Uncle Nathan, and Garrett

Greer and Daddy swinging

Greer and Daddy pushing Grey

As Promised

As promised, here are some pictures of Greer playing mommy to her stuffed animals. I hope that you find it as precious as I do.

Greer wiping the Clemson Tiger's nose
Greer feeding the Birthday Bear

House Lighting

It just hit me that I could add these pictures, so I thought I would show you two of the lights I have ordered for the house.

Formal Dining Room ( I am in love with this light!)

Breakfast Nook (with the Citrus Rug)

By the way, our closing is on Tuesday. (You can pray it goes smoothly!) I am getting quotes on plantation shutters, picking out paint colors, and looking at window treatments. I went to look for the bathroom hardware today, and hopefully got it all. Greer is getting good at socializing in the stores while I pick things out! The only time she cries is to remind me that it is snack time.

Sweet Girl

I know that I need to add some more pictures of Greer. We have taken some that I will put on here soon, but while I am waiting on Chad, I will tell a little of what has been going on with her lately. I really want to document this, so that I can remind Greer of it when she is older.

Greer is such a sweet mommy to her animals and dolls already. The imitation this week has hit record highs. She has a runny nose, and as expected, I have been wiping it regularly. SO...I have found her taking kleenex and wiping the Tiger's nose, Dolly's nose, and sometimes she will even wipe mine.

She has a precious doll that came with a spoon, cup, and bowl. (Thanks Mrs. Anna!) For months she has been feeding that doll, but this week she started putting her animals in the big high chair and using the doll's utensils to feed them. So sweet! Greer I hope you hear and understand all the times that I tell you that you are going to be a wonderful mother one day! I really believe that and hope that it will come in God's timing! Being your momma is the best gift in the world! I love you more than you know, and nothing will ever change that!

New Furniture

Here are some of our recent finds for the house. I found the rug online, and the furniture came from the Mitchell Gold+Bob Williams Outlet in Hickory. I could fill up a house quickly there! Maybe Chad will let me go back one day.

Citrus Rug for Breakfast Area
Greer loves it already

Bedside Table

Chad's Leather Chair

My green chair (color doesn't translate so well)
I am thankful for a husband that lets me have so much fun shopping for good deals! I told him yesterday that this has been so rewarding and low stress for me that I might be looking for a side job decorating. I can't wait to see it all together!

Nov. House Pictures

Here are some pictures of the house taken over the last few days. I already added them to facebook, but wanted to add them here as well. Chad does an inspection on the house tomorrow, and we are supposed to close on the 25th. The carpet should be in now, and I can't wait to see it! God provided us a painter through the miraculous intervention of one of my new rugs.

Here is the story...the UPS man called while I was running errands on Monday. He had my 9x12 rug, and was wondering where I was. Thankfully, I was close and he was willing to wait and put the rug in my car. So last night Chad brought the rug in, and a guy asked him if he needed help. (Of course the answer was "no" because I have a strong husband.) But they got to talking, and this guy--our across the hall neighbor--is a carpenter that would be willing to do our painting! I can't tell you how relieved I am. I haven't been able to get any quotes because I haven't picked out any wallpaper for the bathroom. Can I tell you how hard it is to pick out wallpaper with a 1-year-old?

Guest Bath
Laundry Room

Looking into the Breakfast Nook

Greer admiring the new dishwasher

A shot of the hardwoods (they are covered in cardboard, so I had to pull it all back)

Country Grandparents

Things Greer did with her country grandparents...

Rode a John Deer
Jumped on a trampoline (with assistance)

Saw dogs, chickens, horses, and donkeys but NO petting. She is too afraid to touch them.

Rocked in an antique rocking chair that belonged to granddaddy.

Played with my cousins-in-law. They were wonderful with me! The next morning Greer woke up saying "Bub" because that is Will's nickname!

Greer, Will Cosper, Katherine Cosper

Thanks for a fun week country grandparents!

**I should have included teething in this list. Yesterday Greer was acting strange, and I noticed that she has a molar coming in. Too bad Uncle Mark wasn't there to see!

Special Friends

While in Mullins, we were able to go and visit some special friends...

Greer, Sage, and Walker

Greer and Walker

Walker thinks Greer's shirt is fun to touch!

Baby Caroline (our friend, Rita's daughter), Wyatt (Sage's oldest son), and Greer

Isn't it sweet how Wyatt and Greer want to hold a baby in honor of Baby Caroline.

Thanks ladies and kiddos for a fun day!

More Recipes

Bran Muffins

6 c. all-bran cereal
2 c. boiling water
1 c. oil
4 eggs, beaten
3 c. sugar
1 qt. buttermilk
5 c. plain flour
5 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. salt
24 ounces apple butter
2 c. chopped walnuts (optional)
2 c. raisins (optional)

Pour the boiling water over 2 cups of bran cereal. Add oil. Mix and let stand while assembling the other ingredients. Mix together the beaten eggs, sugar, buttermilk, and the rest of the bran in that order. Sift flour with soda and salt. Combine all ingredients, stirring in apple butter, walnuts, and raisins last. Bake in greased muffin tins at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes. This mixture will keep up to 6 weeks in the refrigerator. I prefer to make all the muffins, and then freeze those for future use in Ziploc bags. Yield: 6 dozen

Creamy Tomato-Balsamic Soup

I made this soup tonight and we all loved it. Greer even got seconds. I think it is perfect for those of us who get to stay at home with our kids. It was very easy (thanks to the timer on my oven)! I made it in the morning, and reheated it for dinner. Of course, we had it with grilled cheese sandwiches! Prepare the soup up to two days ahead; reheat over medium heat before serving.
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: about 1/2 cup)

1 cup less-sodium beef broth, divided
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 cup coarsely chopped onion
5 garlic cloves
2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes, drained
Cooking spray
3/4 cup half-and-half

Preheat oven to 500°.

Combine 1/2 cup of broth, sugar, vinegar, and soy sauce in a small bowl. Place onion, garlic, and tomatoes in a 13 x 9-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Pour broth mixture over tomato mixture. Bake at 500° for 50 minutes or until vegetables are lightly browned.


Place tomato mixture in a blender. Add remaining 1/2 cup broth and half-and-half, and process until smooth. Strain mixture through a sieve into a bowl; discard solids. (I omitted this step.)

A New Recipe

You knew it woulnd't be long before I started adding recipes on here, did you? Chad and I made this pizza earlier in the week, and it sure is a lot healthier and better tasting than ordering pizza in! It even makes 2 pizzas!

Roasted Pepper Pesto-Tomato Pizza

Ingredients
½ c. prepared pesto
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 (5.2-ounce) bottle roasted red bell peppers, drained
2 whole wheat pizza crusts
2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
2-3 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 450°.
Add pesto and next 4 ingredients to a food processor (pesto through bell peppers), and process until smooth, scraping sides of bowl once.
Place pizza crust on a baking sheet. Spread pepper mixture over pizza crust, leaving a 1/2-inch border; sprinkle with mozzarella. Arrange the tomato slices in a single layer on top of the cheese. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes. Sprinkle pizza with oregano.
Repeat for additional pizza crust.

Getting Some Thoughts Down

These days if I am not caring for my family, I have found myself reading. The Lexington library has a section of books by South Carolina authors. If you were unaware, I am a BIG fan of my home state and I love to read SC Fiction. In many ways it is like a free vacation for me- most of my favorites take place on or around the beach.

I just finished The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd. It is a great story, and I highly recommend it. She has a beautiful way with words, and seems to put the feminine plight in such a delicate way that it transcends the differences you may feel from the characters. This book seemed to hit home for me in a couple of ways. The main charachter is in the empty next stage of life, and she is confronted by her lack of vitality and life. She recaptures her "life" through an affair with a monk (which I don't recommend), but I did enjoy the fruit of that new energy. She is also an artist (something I would like to be when I grow up), and she and her monk have a discussion that really captured some things that I am growing to embrace.

Brother Thomas: "This is just my own opinion, but I think the real jolt [of art] doesn't come because the art is objectionable or because it evokes social critique but because the viewer becomes lost in the sheer beauty of it. It gives a person an experience of the eternal."

I struggle with the connection between creating and The Creator. My thought goes something like this...How can I pretend to have something to offer than can compare with what He has given us? In my life that has led to passivity and fear to create art. The opposite should be true, and should motivate us even more. I can look at myself as a mirror of the creativity of God. My art can expose the world to the beauty that they have yet to experience. Amy Free's photography (see Blue Buckle blog) has greatly inspired me to appreciate the world around me, and has led me to worship Christ AND prod my heart for the sin of neglecting that worship.

With a child, I have little time to paint or draw. Hopefully the time will grow, but I have been trying to pick up the camera more. Here are a couple of shots that I hope will help you to worship The Creator, God, and His Son, Jesus the Christ.

Undisclosed Location on James Island

Along the Virginia Creeper Trail

Fall Trip

Here are some photos of our trip to Abingdon, Virginia. We enjoyed the beautiful fall leaves and hiking the Virginia Creeper Trail. If you haven't had the chance to visit, it comes highly recommended by the whole Tidd family.

Walking in historic Abingdon.
Just starting the hike. Will Greer enjoy it?
She is already happier. It is breathtakingly beautiful!
Greer can't stop with one candy corn. Who was the crazy parent that let her hold the bag?
A family picture when the big hike is all over. From the smiles I can assure you that we were living off of endorphins, and our feet were not yet aching. We walked about 10 miles that day.

If you would like to see all of our pictures, click on "Fall Trip" above. I have linked it to our Shutterfly webpage.

Everything is better with...

Ketchup! Notice how Greer is dipping her broccoli in it.

More House Pictures

A new picture of the house.
Our side yard- a retention pond
Looking into the living room.
The backyard- I hope Scout will like it!
My future bedroom closet. Maybe I will get some suggestions from my favorite California Closets rep. :)

The sheetrock is going up this week (Oct. 13) and outside they are putting up the siding, so I hope to have some new pictures soon!

The New House

Here are some pictures of our house as it is being built. The framing has taken place so quickly, and we are getting so excited. When we left our house last night we ran into one of my old friends from college. He was out walking with his precious baby boy. It turns out that they live just a few houses down from us! Even though we were all suprised, I was reminded of the goodness of God. He was not surprised, and I am confident that He put us there to show His constant love and care for me.

News on Little Greer

OK, I will start by apologizing that this news is so late. Last weekend Greer injured her foot/leg/something. We went to Urgent Care, and they were unable to find a break. So we waited...and waited...and still she wasn't walking on it. Today I took her to see a pediatrician in Mullins (thanks to Aunt Ash and Uncle P for the help). He had some x-rays taken, but so far there is no evidence of a break. He will probably call me back in a little while, but before lunch he and I decided our next step would be calling Moore Orthopedics in Lexington (thanks Aunt Meghan) and asking them for a follow-up appointment.

She really is pretty happy. She is a little more moody when her Motrin wears off, and she refuses to do much walking on her foot. Momma and Daddy just need to make sure that their baby is all right. We wouldn't want to ruin her chances of being a professional athlete this early.

Discipline Help...please

Today Greer decided she would take a step forward in disobedience and hit me. Thankfully, she only weighs 1/5 of my body weight, BUT I would like help extinguishing this behavior so that it will not continue. When she did it today, I told her that it was not nice to hit people. Then, I put her in her crib alone. When she stopped crying, I went back in her room and told her that I would not allow her to hit me, and then we read a book together, so that she knew I loved her. I am not really sure when it is appropriate to start spanking. I have read so many different opinions. Most of the things I have read are very general, too. I did read this great article on Family Life that I thought I would pass on. Strong-Willed Child will be my next read!http://www.familylife.com/site/apps/nl/content3.asp?c=dnJHKLNnFoG&b=3584679&ct=4638723

Happy Anniversary Chad!

Thank you for 8 wonderful years! I look forward to many more as your wife and best friend! We have persevered through many different changes, but I am so thankful for the opportunity we have had over the past 15 months to be parents together. We have learned to care more deeply for each other as we care for Greer.

I will miss you tonight while you are on the road. It is kinda fitting with how the past year has been! I appreciate your forethought to plan a vacation in Atlanta to reflect on our marriage and spend time together last week. As for tonight, have you given any thought to having dinner delivered to our door? Just kidding! I guess I haven't had to cook the last few nights. You always plan ahead!

My E-mail to the Governor

In case Gov. Sanaford isn't allowed to read his own e-mail, I decided to post the e-mail here for him to read. You might find it funny as well. Pray for an end to the bureaucracy!

Governor Sanford,
I recently moved back to my home state of South Carolina after living in North Carolina for 3 years. I experienced the normal trepidation this week as I prepared to transfer my license tags to SC. I had pulled together every form of personal ID for that great challenge. Today (Saturday, September 6)was to be the big day, but after getting up at 7 AM and getting my 15-month-old daughter ready, the office was closed for "office maintenance." I was devestated as I thought of the lack of respect for the residents of South Carolina. We pay taxes to employ those that work at the DMV, and they did not have enough courtesy to put a note on the DMV website. Even though I have been living in another state, I have followed many of the changes that you have been making in South Carolina and the Department of Motor Vehicles. While I appreciate the strides you have made, I hope that you will sincerely consider pushing for a more professional and customer-focused work environment. In my opinion, a government agency doesn't have to more closely resemble a communist country than an American business. Thank you for your time and your work on behalf of the state of South Carolina.

Update

The DMV was closed for "office maintenance."

SC is reminding me way too much of Slovakia

I am glad that my life amuses someone other than me. In fact I think it is helping me find the humor in things that frustrate me. Case in point...

As you have read we just moved back to SC. Let's start with our residence...an apartment that cost way too much considering I have asked the staff to fix some problems and we still have a toilet that runs and a light bulb hanging out of the fan with no cover on it. These both seem like easy things to solve, but then again I must have moved to a communist country. Last week my car was hit with a plastic gate that guards the exit to our apartment. It is on a sensor, but it did not work for me. The staff told me not to worry the paint would come off of my van. Never mind the gate not actually working or it hitting another car.

Next...our new residence. I could go all day on this one, but I will spare you. We are building a house through KB Homes. We signed the paperwork 7 weeks ago, and chose our customizations 4 weeks ago. There is nothing on our lot, no one had called for the last 6 weeks, and we are paying rent until our house is done! Chad called on our way to Atlanta, and they explained that someone would call to schedule our preconstruction meeting. Never happened, so my brilliant husband called their VP of Sales. We later recieved 2 calls. Turns out someone listed our NC phone number in the files (even though we never gave it to them), and they couldn't reach us there. Capitalism at its best! So we have a meeting on Monday, and they still seem to think that after 2 months of no progress that the house can be finished in 4-6 more months.

OK, I saved the best for last. Tomorrow Chad and I are going to the DMV. I have pulled every form of personal identification I can find in expectation for this fine meeting. This time I have a secret weapon...Greer. You see she is just too cute! They have to help me. Even though, as much as I would like to have the name Reagan Fowler Tidd on my drivers license, I know this cannot be done in my home state. Funny I had it in WV and NC, but I already fought this battle when I lived in Mullins.

Yesterday I went to pay our car taxes. In SC you have to go to the Auditor's office to get the assessment of your property, then you go to the Treasurer's office to pay them. Stupid! NC and WV both condensed this process to the DMV. (Mark Sanford, I hope you are reading this.) The Auditor told me that I had to have ID stating that I lived in SC before she could assess the value of my cars. Which meant that I would have to go to the DMV to change my license and come back and then go back to the DMV to get my tags. Then Greer got to her...she told me that I could provide her with proof of an address change, which I had. Then I just had to change Chad's SC license to our new address, which could be done on the computer next door. Within 30 minutes I left the county office, a lot poorer, but I left with all the information I needed to go and get tags for our cars tomorrow. There is hope in the fine state of SC!

But somehow the frustration of it all makes me wish that I didn't speak the language and that we had some sort of excuse like "30 years under communist regime". For now, I will just chalk it up to a government that is way too big to trust me to want and try to be a responsible citizen and businesses that think they can have their cake and eat it, too even in a recessed economy. I wish we could all return to a time when a free market economy provided an incentive to do your job well. Oh well, guess that is just way too much economics talk from someone who hasn't taken a class on the subject since high school.

Same Thing, New Eyes

I thought that I would write a little about the new opportunities I have had over the last couple of days. My wonderful husband took me to Atlanta to see what was quite possibly the worst showing of the Clemson Tigers in my memory. I will try to make sure that ugly display does not overshadow the beauty of the pregame activities.

OK, back to the new. Chad and I has so much fun alone for a few days in Atlanta. There is so much to do, and we made the most of all the restaurants and local flare. Sometimes in life I find myself just observing the people around me and all of a sudden I feel a fire in my chest and the blinders I was wearing come off. Really, the account that I am getting ready to describe started out like it had the previous times.

I was sitting in the stands of the Georgia Dome enjoying the worst "game food" that I have ever eaten. We were in a little mix of Clemson and Alabama fans. Over to our right was the Clemson band pumping out team pride better than I have EVER heard before (Great Job Clemson Band!), and I looked down at the field and something new happened. I imagined myself as the parent of a freshman football player that had been dreaming of this day AND it was finally here. Team pride is a term that we all throw around, but I find that the pride is in an image. It is very generic, and selfish. The pride that I am talking about is in a person. A child. Your child.

It is how we felt watching Michael Phelps' mom at the Olympics. I couldn't help it. I wanted to find one of the proudest dads in the whole stadium. Ever heard of Mark Richt? He is the Georgia football coach, but his son had the intelligence to go to Clemson. :) Mark, a former QB himself, was there to watch his son, Jon, a walk-on QB at Clemson, sit the bench. The love of a parent really has nothing to do with performance. It has everthing to do with perseverance. To see our kids have a goal and achieve it- that is pride. It doesn't matter if the goal is walking, using spoon, or becoming a college football player.

Just one of the little joys of parenthood. I am just so proud to share it with so many parents all over the world. Oh, that the Lord of the universe would make me into the kind of parent that reveals His love and His pride in those he created to the whole created world.

Is this funny?

Thank you for being patient with the lack of pictures on our blog so far. Please humor me as I update you on the last 12 hours of our lives, and explain why the pictures haven't made it here. Well, let's back up to Sunday when Greer woke up screaming. She had thrown up in her crib, and Chad and I attributed it to the little bit of pizza we gave her the previous night at dinner. She recovered well, and we spent the next few days with Kate and Amelia who came up from Beaufort for a visit.

Yesterday Greer's little virus hit mommy with a gigantic thud. I felt nauseated, but attributed it to drinking OJ for breakfast (high acid content isn't always good for me). Later, all the food I had eaten came back up for a not-so-pleasant visit. You know the great thing about being sick and the mommy- YOU have to clean it up. By the way, Chad is in TX for the week. So after trying to convince myself that getting it all out was going to make me feel better, I noticed that I had the chills. Yikes! A virus! Kate was nice enough to give me some time to rest while she took the girls in another room, but with the chills I realized that I was contagious. She took Amelia, and Greer and I tried our best to make it through dinner, a bath, and bedtime.

I feel asleep at 8 pm, and feel somewhat better this morning. Good enough to take care of Greer, but not good enough to drive to Simpsonville like our original plan. You see Chad and I have tickets to the Clemson-Alabama game, and we planned a nice long weekend of rest in Atlanta. Chad's parents are keeping Greer. So...I hope to feel better soon, and I hope to see Chad real soon. Nothing like being sick to show you how much you need the people you love.

Our Move to Columbia

I guess this is a great time to start a blog. We have just been uprooted and replanted in a new place. I am waiting on the Lord to provide the water and fertilizer so we can grow and flourish in this new environment!

Here is the story of why we decided to move:

As most of you know, Chad has been traveling for work a lot. At least twice a week he gets up at 4 am and drives to Columbia for a full day of work. (This doesn't include his additional travel to Charleston, Wilmington, Asheville, Texas, etc. to do his job.) It finally hit us at the end of May that maybe we should consider moving to Columbia. Admittedly, this was a slow process for us since he has been doing that for more than a year.

First things first, we had to sell our house. Well, that was the easy part. One of our neighbors agreed to buy our house, but he had to sell his first. His house closed last week after being on the market a grand total of 3 weeks. Great job Brian! So our house closes this week when he returns from Las Vegas (hopefully with plenty of money).

After looking for a house in Lexington, SC (southwest of Columbia), we decided that the best option for us would be to build through KB Homes. So we are currently living in an apartment until our house is done. Hopefully that will be in 6-8 months, but so far no visible progress on our lot. I will update with pictures soon!