Kole Alexander

Let me tell you folks, there is nothing more precious than holding a newborn. And I have had some AWESOME quality time with my nephew. He is a great baby. He only cried during diaper changes and didn't quite care for his bath. But if you keep him warm, he's as good as gold.

When we got here yesterday Morgan's introduction to Kole was less than exciting. She came in, Nannie carried her in to meet Kole, she glanced at him quickly, grabbed a pony and announced she was going to go play! After all the talk about wanting to see Kole, I guess he wasn't what she had pictured in her mind. She did ask to hold him about 2 hours later, and I got this precious picture.

We spent some time today just looking out the window. He was awake and very intent on staring out the large window in the house. For about an hour we talked and took pictures. Well, when I say we I really mean me. He's too young to take pictures yet.

I don't know how anyone can hold a newborn and not believe in God. What a precious gift from heaven, given to our family by our Lord. A December baby really touches me more, as we are celebrating the birth of our new born Jesus. It makes it so real. I am so glad I get to be Aunt Jen to "my guy". I am truly blessed.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Over the weekend we FINALLY were able to get the Christmas decorations out of the attic and displayed. Thankfully Kole waited until our tree was put up before he made his debut :) Morgan had such a wonderful time this year. When we got the nativity scene out she crammed all of those figures into the creche! Then she spent about 20 minutes rearranging them so they were "just right". She will be playing the role of a cow in the stable for the day care's Christmas program, so our cow is right next to baby Jesus in the creche.

Her favorite part, by far, was decorating the Christmas tree. She was less than pleasant yesterday, and multiple times was banished from the living room. But when it came time to decorate the tree she was as cute and heart melting as ever.

As we unwrapped ornaments you could see the anticipation on her face. She was so excited to place the ornaments, hanging them all on the bottom of the tree. With some help from Daddy she started scattering them around more.

I took a video of her decorating the tree here. It takes a while to load on YouTube, so don't be surprised if you have to wait longer than normal. While we were decorating the tree, I noticed that Morgan was spending a lot of time on the opposite side of the tree. When I stood up to look I noticed her kissing every ornament. It was the sweetest thing I have ever seen. It's nice to have these quiet moments, when she has no idea I am watching (or videoing) to remember how wonderful it is to be a child at Christmas. I love that she knows about Jesus as well as Santa. She fully understands that Jesus' birthday is coming and talks a lot about what she learns at school. She also knows very well who Santa is and about his reindeer.

It's so fun to have this time with her, to remember the real reason for Christmas as well as have fun with the silly parts that are tied to the holiday.

A child born on the Sabbath day...

We are excited to introduce our first nephew, Kole Alexander, who was born this morning at 5:48 weighing 7 lb. 1 oz. He looks just like Julia. Patrick's sister Amy is doing very well. She is thankful that her labor lasted a little over 4 hours and after 3 pushes, Kole was born. He is nursing like a pro already.

His big sister, Julia, is completely in love with her baby brother. Morgan and I will be going down to Charleston on Tuesday to meet Kole and spend a few days with the new family of FOUR (I have 3 days of work down in that area). For now we simply say prayers of thanks to God for an easy delivery and a healthy, handsome baby boy.

Off the beaten path

Hello! Yes I am still alive and well even though it has been a while since I posted. I have lots of updating from the last few weeks to do, but tonight I am settled quitely in a beautiful, quaint bed and breakfast in Petersburg, WV.

I've never stayed at a bed and breakfast before. I arrived much later than expected but the Innkeepers were waiting for me with a cup of tea and a slice of freshly baked (and still warm) pumpkin pie.

I've been on the road all day and was so tired when I arrived. However, unlike the anonymity of a hotel, Geri and Ed engaged me in conversation, asked about my visit to Petersburg, and we had a nice chat over pie. Even though when I arrived I only wanted to find my bed, I was glad to have some company and conversation. When they showed me to my room, I was amazed!

I have a wing to the house all to myself. We entered into a morning room with a day bed and some antique furniture. The french doors were opened into the Sweet Country Suite. I so wish I had brought the camera to get pictures of my own, but I was able to pull these off their website.

The suite is decorated with lots of Thomas Kinkade (who happens to be my favorite artist) and floral country. Even the bathroom is very tastefully done. I am already in love with the place and am trying to figure out a way to get back down here with Patrick and Morgan.

Unfortunately my stay will be very brief (about 12 hours or so) then I am back on the road for work. But for tonight I will enjoy the country quiet with my cup of tea and mints, yes actual mints, on my pillow!

Stay tuned for an update of the past few weeks soon...

After a quiet weekend playing bachlorette....

I sure did miss this funny gal!

But while she was away, a reindeer made an appearance at our house....

and our Christmas Cactus looked like this!

Our Veterans

US Air Force--Gulf War

US Marine Corps--current Iraq war

US Army....World War II

There aren't enough Thank Yous in the world for these guys.....may we never take one single day of freedom for granted.

A beautiful, fun weekend

Another weekend has come and gone, another step closer to the new year, although in Small Town USA you would never know it's November (and I am certainly not complaining!). The weather this weekend has been gorgeous. Low 70s, bright blue sky, shining sun. How wonderful!

This weekend also marked the last WVU football game for Morgan and me. Normally by this time of year we have already put away our pom poms for PJs. Thankfully, with the beautiful weather, we were able to enjoy just one more game.

Morgan, ready for the game!

The real reason we take the stroller...

This gal LOVES football!

The drum line jamming in the endzone

My two loves

Morgan, enjoying a game day pepperoni roll

Josh, did you see that?!?

Giving Big DB (aka Uncle Jeff) a kiss

Our Maryland Visitors (SIL Cecelia, and brother Jeff)

We continued the fun today with a spa party at our house for my girlfriends while Patrick and Morgan went to the first WVU Basketball game of the season (our 'Eers are ranked #9 in the nation!).

The spa party was great. So relaxing, and great company. After the party, Morgan showed why she is most definitely my daughter...

A Lazy Friday Post

It's not a lazy Friday here in Small Town USA, but I am posting this "getting to know you" post in a lazy effort to put something new up here!

1. What is your favorite thing to snack on while you're blogging? Usually, a diet soda...I am trying to blog instead of eating!

2. What is one thing you wouldn't want to live without (you can't say your family here)? Clothes

3. Beach, Mountains, or Farm? Oh the beach, of course! But I will say I'd like to have a mountain cabin for a vacation place.

4. What's your least favorite chore/household duty? Dishes

5. Who do people say you remind them of? Most people would probably say I remind them of my mother.

6. Prefer parties and socializing or staying home with the fam? Home, for sure

7. What's one thing you eat that grosses most people out? Pork Rinds (oh man now I want some!)

8. Do you sleep in your make-up or remove it like a good little girl every night? HA! I don't wear make-up because if I did I would be the one sleeping in the make-up.

9. Do you have a hidden talent or a deep desire to learn something that you've never had a chance to learn? I think I'd like to re-learn how to play the piano, and I would love to learn to play the violin.

10. What's one strange thing you're really good at? Calculating the tip to round out at an even number (it drives me NUTS to have extra "cents" laying around in my checkbook).

11. What first attracted you to your spouse? He was/is genuine.

12. What is something you love to smell? Morgan's hair after a bath

13. Tell something about you that you know irritates people? I am a major scheduler....like I know what we are doing every weekend for the rest of the year. I've gotta know what's coming up in the next 6 months or I feel totally out of control.

14. When you have extra money, what's the first thing you think to do with it? Hardy, har, har, extra money. That's a good one. But if I DID have extra money, it would go toward buying Morgan clothes (as if she needs any).

15. Are you a silent laugher or a loud laugher? Not a loud laugher, but I guess I'm an in between laugher.

16. Where is your favorite place to shop? Kohls

17. What's one thing you'd do more often if you had more time? Read

18. Are you a big spender or frugal? Honestly, I am a frivoulous spender. Not a big spender, but I buy stuff that we don't need.

19. Who is your favorite character of all time? Hannibal Lector

20. Would you want to be famous? No, thank you. It'd be nice to have the money and homes of the famous, but I'd rather not live under a microscope.

What are some or all of your answers?

A is for...

Apple Butter!

Last Saturday we made the trek to Webster Springs to participate in the annual making of apple butter. We first participated last year and had such wonderful time. I think the best part about making apple butter is you get to spend about 5 hours with many generations of family, hearing stories, sharing your own, and it is a day focused not on cooking, but on togetherness. This year was no exception.

Patrick spent the entire time outside with the apple butter crew. I was in charge of the food/kitchen since it is so hard for me to stand outside in the damp weather with my fibromyalgia. I got to spend some great quality time with my sister-in-law. Julia and Morgan vascilated between indoors and out, checking the progress of the apple butter and playing with a new friend.

I thought it would be fun to post the process that the Tenneys use to make apple butter. I have learned from others that there are many ways to do so (both inside and outdoors), but this is how we do it in Webster Springs, WV...

Step 1: Take one clean, large, copper pot. Make sure it is level so your apple butter doesn't slop out when you stir.

Step 2: Pour in defrosted applesauce (previously made by hand). I think we used 10 gallons.

Step 3: Find really weird looking fork thingy to stir the apple sauce (to keep it from burning).

Step 4: Make sure your fire STAYS lit, and that it is adequately big enough to boil the applesauce, but not so big that it comes up over the bottom of the copper pot.


Step 5: You stir the boiling applesacue.

And stir......

Add many pounds of sugar and stir some more...


Until the applesauce has boiled down to a consistency you like (we like ours thicker than runny, but thinner than paste)

Step 6: Add in cinnamon dots candy to turn apple butter from yellowish to red.

Step 7: Find two strong men to remove copper pot from over fire to canning area.

Step 8: Add in 7 vials of cinnamon flavoring (not pictured).

Step 9: Get your canning assembly line ready, jars and lids out, and start filling jars!


Step 10: After as much of the apple butter has been scooped from the copper pot and canned (we got 73 pints this year!!), you may eat the remaining apple butter directly from the pot.

And at the end of a very long but fruitful day, you sit on the couch with your great-grandmother and cousin and listen to a story.

Happy Harvest/Halloween!

On Friday Morgan's pre-school class had a Harvest party where the kids dressed up, ate pumpkin pancakes, carved a pumpkin, and roasted pumpkin seeds. Although our little Cinderella was in a foul mood, she seemed to enjoy parts of the day.

That evening we headed to Webster Springs and picked up our neice Julia along the way. We dressed the girls up and they went to some relatives' homes to get some candy. Julia had a wonderful time. Morgan, still in a funk, wouldn't say anything to anyone, but she still got a few pieces of candy.

All in all they got just enough candy to make them happy, and not so much that we had to hide (or really eat) some to get rid of a ton of candy. A good day was had by all (except Cinderella, but at the end of the day she was happy).