Sweet Mary Reese

Posted on May 15, 2008 by carly

MR is still recovering from Hand-Foot-and-Mouth, so we decided to take it easy today. We sat outside, ate Popsicles, and watched the power company cut down a tree in our neighbors yard. MR was fascinated by the process. While we were sitting, MR fell asleep in my arms (a rare and truly special occurrence). I didn’t dare move for fear of waking her up. I wanted to enjoy every minute of it. As we rocked, I began thinking of the many things that I wanted to tell sweet Mary Reese.

Here are some of my thoughts:

Mary Reese, develop and nurture your relationship with God. Proverbs 3:5-6: Trust the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not to thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.

Mary Reese, your Dad and I love you and always will; no matter what. Please don’t be afraid or embarrassed to come to us with a problem. There’s nothing you could tell us or do to make us love you any less.

Mary Reese, your dad is honest, genuine, smart, and caring. He adores you and has since the minute he laid eyes on you. I hope when you grow up, you look up to your dad the way I look up to mine.

Mary Reese, having the opportunity to stay at home with you and watch you grow has been the greatest gift your dad has ever given me.

Mary Reese, nothing makes me happier than your sweet smile, hearing your laugh, and seeing your face light up when your Daddy comes home.

Things I want you know as you grow:

Mary Reese, respect yourself and others. Discover the gifts that God has given you and use these gifts in His glory.

Mary Reese, live your life with passion; be willing and open to try new things, visit new places, and meet new people.

Mary Reese, be honest. When it’s all said and done, all you have is your word.

Mary Reese, manage your money wisely and stay out of debt. Debt not only drains your bank account, it drains your life. Stay away from credit cards. If you don’t have enough money to buy it in cash, you probably don’t need it.

Mary Reese, when you grow up and leave, please call me (at least daily) and let me know how your life is.

Mary Reese, like your mama, this list is a work in progress. I hope to add it as you continue to grow and learn. I love you more and more every day and feel so privileged to be your mama.

Posted in family, mary reese | 6 Comments

Hand, Foot, and Mouth…Oh My!

Posted on May 14, 2008 by carly

The cousins are down for the count…Hendley and MR have Hand-Foot-and-Mouth Disease. The virus is common in infants and toddlers and is characterized by fever, sores in the mouth, and a rash with blisters. Poor Hendley has the rash all over her body. For the most part, MR has managed to escape the painful rash and sores, but has had a fever for most of the day. This morning, her fever spiked to 103 °F, causing Henney Penney quite a scare! With the help of Tylenol, we’ve been able to keep it down to 100 °F. Needless to say, little Miss Mary Reese spent most of the day resting in her crib. Sadie took full advantage of her absence and once again took over her playmat…

The Carly Cooking Show continued at the Harvey household tonight. Tonight’s meal: braised beef short ribs, brown rice, and buttermilk cornbread. The meal was delicious! The beef was tender, the cornbread sweet, and the leftover gravy from the ribs went perfect with the rice. I hate to admit it, but I’m actually enjoying my time in the kitchen!

Braised Beef Short Ribs (not a quick and easy meal, but worth the effort and time):

12 beef short ribs, bone-in
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup grapeseed oil or olive oil
1 yellow onion, peeled and chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 750-ml bottle good dry red wine (we used a zinfandel)
6 cups beef stock

1 Preheat oven to 350°F. Season ribs. Heat oil in a large, heavy bottomed ovenproof pan over high heat. Add ribs and brown on all sides (about 1 minute per side). Work in batches if you need to so that the ribs don’t get crowded (this will help with browning).

2 Transfer ribs to a plate. Add the onions, celery, and carrots to the pan and sauté, stirring often, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Pour off excess fat, then add the wine, deglazing the pan, scraping off any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Reduce the wine by three-quarters until thick and slightly syrupy, about 15 minutes.

3 Return the ribs to the pan, add the beef stock and enough water to cover the ribs. Bring to a boil, cover with foil, and place in the oven. Cook in the oven 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until the meat is fork-tender. Allow the ribs to cool in the liquid, then cover and refrigerate overnight.

4 The next day, remove the excess fat that has solidified at the top from the overnight chilling. Place the pan with the ribs and cooking liquid over medium heat, uncovered. Cook until the liquid has reduced by three-quarters, about 1 hour. Continue to cook, spooning the sauce over the ribs, until the sauce is thick and ribs are glazed. Take care not to burn the glaze; move the ribs around in the pan to keep them from burning.

This cornbread is love in an 8×8 pan; quick, easy, and delicious!!!

Buttermilk Cornbread:

1/4 pound butter
2/3 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

1 Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8 inch square pan.
2 Melt butter in large skillet. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Quickly add eggs and beat until well blended. Combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir into mixture in pan. Stir in cornmeal, flour, and salt until well blended and few lumps remain. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
3 Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

MR didn’t hesitate to pick up the phone to check on Hendley

MR going strong at 9 p.m (hence my late blog posting)

Posted in mary reese, recipes | 1 Comment

Bullying, breakdowns, and a major blow-out

Posted on May 13, 2008 by carly

I know,  it’s just a pair of shoes, but MR’s latest purchase makes her look more like a toddler than a baby. I’m still not sure how I feel about the transformation…

The goal of the day was to enjoy being outdoors. MR and I sat outside and read about Lucille the Hippo, sang nursery rhymes, and visited with our 86 year old neighbor who still insists on referring to Mary Reese as “that cute litttle boy”–despite the fact she always has a bow in her hair and is dressed in pink.

To top off the day, we went on a long walk.  As soon I got to the end of the driveway, I realized that I forgot my sunglasses. Too lazy to turn back, I decided to forge ahead; I spent the next two miles regretting this decision.

About a mile and a half into our walk, MR and I decided to stop at UVA to sit in the shade and enjoy watching the students pack for the summer. I can tell I’m getting older because I equate the students leaving with less traffic. As we sat, we were joined by another mom and her baby. While we chatted and exchanged numbers, MR managed to push the other baby over, steal his passy, and hit him over the head repeatedly with her doll, Lucy. So much for another playdate; that sweet lady couldn’t get away fast enough.

Before continuing on our journey, I got out my camera to take a few pictures of MR. In the midst of making high-pitched “mommy noises” to get her attention, poor MR had a blowout…a major blowout. With only one diaper and no wipes, I knew I had a decision to make…find a soft leaf or use her favorite blanket as a wipe. Surrounded by magnolia trees, I was forced to choose the latter.

Stuffing the dirty blanket and diaper in the bottom of the stroller, MR and I made a mad dash for the house. When we got home, I reached in the under-basket of the stroller to retrieve my keys. When I did, my sunglasses feel off my head–the sunglasses that I thought I had left at home– the sunglasses that I so desperately wanted throughout our walk…I had to laugh.

Our afternoon adventure proved to be too much for MR. When we got home she slept a record 3 hours and 10 minutes. Her extra-long nap meant that I got a chance to blog, catch up on laundry, do the dishes, and get supper started!

Posted in Uncategorized, mary reese | 2 Comments

Rainy, cold…perfect

Posted on May 12, 2008 by carly

You know you’re not in the “true” South when it’s the middle of May and the high is 54° and the windchill feels like 48°. Regardless of the weather, we had a perfect weekend! On Saturday, G participated in Relay for Life. The event was a true testament to the spirit, courage, and strength of the millions of people touched by the disease. In addition to walking 7+hours, G was able to raise $1,000 for the cause! Thank you for supporting him with your prayers and donations. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

On Saturday night, Julie and Bill invited us over for grilled chicken and hamburgers. Hendley and MR played on the floor, while Julie and I caught up on “grown-up talk”. It is truly a blessing to have my sister, brother-in-law, and sweet niece less than 2 miles away. I still can’t believe we both ended up in Charlottesville together!

After Saturday’s events, G and I looked forward to a relaxing Sunday. The cold, wet weather was the perfect excuse to stay indoors and stay in our pj’s! Always sweet and thoughtful, G made sure that my first Mother’s Day was special. Not only did he go out in the rain to get me Panera, but he also gave me three handmade cards (one from MR, one from Sadie, and one from himself), a bottle of my favorite perfume, and a DVD of MR’s baptism.

Looking back, I should have added a #6 to the list of things that I love about my mom. Here goes:

6) My mom taught me the importance of marrying a man who is smart, thoughtful, and caring.

Following my mom’s advice, I did just that! Thank you G for all that you do!

Posted in mary reese, memories | 1 Comment

Happy Mother’s Day, Taren!

Posted on May 10, 2008 by carly

Top five things that I love about my mom:

1) She adores her grandgirls and has fully embraced her role as “Gran-C”. The self-proclaimed “Road Warrior” makes the 7 1/2 hour trip to Charlottesville every month to visit Hendley and MR. She is very hands-on with the girls and checks her “grand blogs” several times a day to see pictures and keep up with their daily activities. In addition to spoiling her grandgirls, she also loves her granddogs and demands to see pictures of them too! Gran C even allows Sadie and Reagan to jump on the sofa and occasionally sleep in her bed.

2) She’s a giver. You’ll never leave my mom’s house empty-handed. She also gives to those who need it most. Walk around town with my mom and you will see that she knows every homeless person in Athens, Georgia– by name.

3) She’s young at heart. She is a self-proclaimed facebook stalker and has recently signed up for her own account. In one week she already had more friends than my sister (sorry, Julie). She is also a fan of reality tv, especially American Idol and Dancing with the Stars (don’t dare call her during one of these programs). One of her “friends” on facebook is non-other than Jason Castro from American Idol. Apparently she had been offering him some friendly advice before he got voted off the show.

Carol Harrell wrote
at 8:06pm on May 2nd, 2008
Jason, How about singing some Bob Dylan or Paul Simon on Tues?

Jason Castro wrote
at 9:09pm yesterday
thanks for the song ideas
i cant say what i actually chose…lovely american idol contracts.
but…you’ll see on tuesday
thanks for the support,

Jason Catro. xxx
 

 4) She has a sense of humor and doesn’t take life too seriously. It doesn’t take much to get my mom “tickled”. She is the first to spill food on her clothing, the first to trip while walking, and the first to laugh at herself. My mom doesn’t mind that my sister and I refer to her as “Taren” instead of “mom”…its a long story, but we’ve been calling her that for over 10 years now.

 5) She is as strong as a mule. Forget having a man around on moving day. Last year, my mom came up while I was 8 months pregnant to help us move. She moved box after box and single handily moved a mattress, hutch, and dresser. There’s just no stopping this woman…

I love you mom! Wish I could be there in person to wish you a Happy Mother’s day. Thank you for teaching me how to give, laugh, and love.

Saint Taren

 Be young, be foolish, be happy…

Christmas 2007

Big Daddy, Gran C, and the grandgirls

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How sweet it is

Posted on May 9, 2008 by carly

To steal a line from my dad,             “It don’t get no betta than this”…

My day started out with a beautiful bouquet of sunflowers waiting for me on my front porch. The flowers were an early Mothers Day gift from my dear friend K and her family. What a blessing it is to have such caring, thoughtful friends!

The next highlight came when Crutchfield agreed to exchange my broken camera for a brand new one. While I did have to use a variety of threats to seal the deal, it is good to know that there is at least some descent customer service out there.

Just when I didn’t think things could get any better, I received a call that my friend Mary had delivered a healthy baby girl. After dropping MR off at Aunt Julie’s, I headed to the hospital to meet Mary and her new bundle of joy, Avery. Avery is absolutely gorgeous! She has a head full of black hair and has the prettiest lips I have ever seen! I cant wait for MR to meet her new friend.

My day ended just as sweet. For several days now, I have been wanting to try out a new recipe for creme brulee. Unfortunately, up until last night, my stove was still recovering from the baked asparagus episode. Well, after 3 days of using Easy Off  oven cleaner and scrubbing like a maniac, I managed to get our oven looking as good as new. With a clean, smoke-free oven, I was finally able to make the much anticipated dessert, and boy was it worth the wait!!!

To top things off, I have also been blessed with a wonderful husband who doens’t mind making a special trip to the grocery store to buy me eggs, peanut M&M’s, and an US magazine. And, a sweet little girl who gets cuter by the day. Ahhhh, how sweet it is; it really doesn’t get any better than this!

Sweet Mary Reese- 7 months old

Playtime before bed

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Henny-Penny: The sky was a-falling

Posted on May 9, 2008 by carly

When I got home from my doctor’s appointment yesterday, I was surprised that Sadie, our beloved first-born, was not waiting by the door. After all, she always greets us when we return home. My immediate reaction was oh my God, she’s dead. I rushed upstairs and threw MR in her crib, all the while looking for our beloved pet. I looked in the guest bedroom, our bedroom, and the bathroom. My search ended in the office where I found sweet Sadie sound asleep on MR’s playmat; her head and front paws resting on a boppy pillow.

Earlier in the day

Sleepy Sadie

Looking back, I think Sadie knew something we didn’t. She must have been resting up for the big storm. Last night around 9:30, local radar indicated several storm cells that were favorable for producing tornadoes, strong winds, hail, and flash flooding.

I’ll be the first to admit to having “Henny Penny” tendencies, and last night was certainly no exception. When I heard the word tornado, I made a mad dash around the house stocking up the essentials: water, blankets, food, toilet paper, and of course MR’s baby book. Oh, and our camera so that I could document the events as they unfolded.

Fortunately for us, the bad weather was short-lived. After spending an hour or so in the basement dodging hopping spiders, we decided to head back indoors in hopes of getting some sleep. Although, G had to endure “sump pump duty” for the rest of the night, we managed to get by with little to no damage. By mid-morning the storm had moved off, leaving 3 inches of rain in its path, a sleepy daddy, and one frazzled mom who swore the sky was falling.

Henny Penny in all her glory

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Sassy britches

Posted on May 8, 2008 by carly

Miss Mary Reese has certainly given me a run for my money today. Its 11:00 and she has already gone through three outfit changes, refused to eat her breakfast, and assaulted poor Sadie with her sippy cup. Maybe its because she started off her morning sporting a pair of hot pants…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not much going on around the Harvey house today. I’ve got a doctor’s appointment at 3:00, so Julie is going to keep MR. Tonight, Im serving up round two of the Carly Cooking Show. Hopefully this time we will not have to evacuate the house to enjoy our meal. I’m trying out a new recipe for smothered pork chops and G is lending a hand to make his famous cucumber salad.

On a side note, G will be participating in Relay for Life this weekend. If you would like to donate please visit: http://main.acsevents.org/goto/g.harvey.

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