Dad's Family Portrait

A visit over at the Tammy family home

Dad is trying to get one good picture of the family enjoying the lake. He took his tripod out into the water hoping to be able to have a wide enough angle to get everyone in the picture. The first photo was bad, the twins Pete and Salty are hidden.

The second photo is better. Ted dragged the little boys' fort down to the edge of the water so they could slide and splash. Pepper is wanting to take the raft out. Tammy and Mel are canoodling out behind the big pine. Mom is ready with a beach towel. Grandpa and Grandma are enjoying the new beach chair. Grandma loves the color. Grandpa is griping about cup holders. Grandma tells him to hush.

Fortunately, the Turner family has extensive beach front property. Grandpa couldn't find his trunks and came out 'as is'. Mom is starting to worry about him. He just hasn't been himself all summer.

Mom told Dad that none of his pictures are straight.

He said, "The pics can be cropped at photoshop."

Mom said, "but will they look right for our Christmas Card?"

Dad said, "OH, LORD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Esme's Cousin Alex

It is lunch time in the St. John household. Emme keeps nagging Basil that they need to get a longer table. The four little ones, Daniel Jim, Rowan, Riley and Jada have to squeeze together on the bench. Marley and Marybeth have to share a chair. Which is another problem. They don't have enough chairs for everyone.



Emme's finishing up at the range. Elissa is pouring coffee. Esme is feeding Ellery and Jessamyn. Which is another problem. They need a second highchair. Jessamyn is sharing crispy rice cereal with Silly Old Hound Dog.



To Esme's surprise, in comes her cousin Alex moving at her usual speedy pace. She has an important job as a municipal planner and is never without her briefcase or phone.

Alex just doesn't understand why Esme only wants to teach part-time at the nursery school. Or why Tyler spends so much time at home, when she has a busy modeling agency to manage. Or why Elissa works only two days a week in her medical practice. Or why Emme works Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at her interior design shop. And Sister Claus......Alex will never understand catering to any man the way Sister pampers Santa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Alex is just right for stirring up some tension in Basil's happy life. And just right to give Matt some uncomfortable discussions with Elissa. And just right to give Esme's husband reason to stay away longer on his business/golf trip. And just right to keep Tyler's husband, the long-haul trucker, on the road. And absolutely perfectly right to give Santa cause to stay out in the barn currying the reindeer til long after Sister has fallen asleep...............

This set of doll dishes belonged to my grandfather's little sister. Aunt Bessie was born in 1907, so the dishes are probably 95 years old.

The Next Installment

When we left the dollhouse last week, Baby was trying to get out of her carrier.




What a difference a week can make! Soon Baby will be climbing the furniture.

Basil is video-ing and Matt is encouraging Baby to crawl to him.

Tyler is so excited! She was beginning to think Baby was a late bloomer.

While everyone is occupied, Silly Old Hound Dog is pondering the remote. It would have a satisfying crunch and yet the buttons have that bounce back motion.....

The New Television

The guys are fascinated with the new tv that Basil and Emme just bought. It has on screen programming. They found a fishing show. Basil and Matt are discussing whether they should go to look at a new fishing boat tomorrow.



Basil is keeping a tight grip on the remote. Emme told him that if he changed the channel one more time, she was hiding the dratted thing. Little Daniel Jim is doing male bonding with his daddy Matt and Uncle Basil.



Emme, her sisters, Sister and Elissa, and friends she loves like sisters, Esme and Tyler are talking computers, new clothes, the neighbors, kids' school clothes, new fat free recipes, new shoes.........with the ridiculous notion that the men are watching the babies.

Meanwhile, Tyler's bald headed baby girl is learning to crawl out of her little carrier. No one has noticed

Tyler really needs to pick a name for the child. She can't go off to nursery school being called Baby!

No one has noticed except for Ellery, but being a baby himself, he's cheering his little baby friend on. Silly Old Hound Dog is so patient with the babies. Emme wasn't sure a hound was the right kind of pet for her family. Now of course, she loves him.

The Very Nice UPS Man Brought Sister Claus!!!!

After work this afternoon Emme picked Sister up at the airport. Sister tries to get away for a week or so before busy season starts at the North Pole.

Elissa has so many plans for Sister, Emme and herself. She wants to do some shopping, have tea at the hotel one afternoon, drive over to visit the the Sleeping Bears National Lakeshore park and climb the dunes, have a ladies only movie and popcorn evening, etcetera and so on.

All the kids are ecstatic to see Aunt Sister. They have so much fun with her. She lets them do almost anything they want. Daniel Jim is disappointed that Uncle Santa couldn't get away from work.

Basil and Matt don't want Sister to bring toys for the kids. They want the children to appreciate Sister, not the toys she has access to. Sister was up in the attic at home and found this old hand crank sewing machine. She thought to spend time with Marybeth and Marley sewing.

The kids finally settled down after dinner. They went off to play, leaving the adults to visit. As usual, Sister needs to cuddle the babies. Silly Old Hound Dog knows Sister must have a ginger bread man cookie in her pocket. She smells delicious.

Emme Is Almost Finished With Her Kitchen Make-over

Emme stopped in at Michael's Arts and Crafts yesterday afternoon. She found two styles of unfinished dressers that she liked. Then she hurried over to Ben Franklin's and found a house shaped shadow box.

Emme took a shower to wash the paint out of her hair. She painted the dresser, shadow box and her table and chairs. She just has to stop to look at her new china cupboard.

Basil is supposed to be feeding the baby a snack. Obviously little Ellery isn't cooperating with his daddy.

Emme's nagging Basil to hurry. They are going to the drive-in this evening. Emme's sister, Elissa is going to watch the children so they can have some time to themselves.

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Several days later...Emme has to go into work this afternoon and things are hectic. The sitter is late, she can't find her pink shoes and Riley decided she wanted to drink her milk in a pretty cup