Grandma Murphy turns 57

So, you will not believe our birthday party for Grandma Murphy!

Throw in a few cute children and what birthday party wouldn't be complete?!

We have Iron Man

Princess Adaline

 A snugly bear at the bottom.

But we try and make family birthday's special and exciting. Carolyn requested dinner and games with her favorite Key Lime pie. Great request. I love doing special things to make the home look nice or dinner a little more special and in this case at least the birthday cake and candles the perfect moment.

No, that is not what happened.  All in a matter of 10 seconds the birthday moment was thrown by Murphy man #1 and Murphy boy #1. pictured below.

I had gotten these pretty glittery green candles that went with the Key Lime pie. They took forever to light but nice. Corbin was enthralled and watched every second. I needed to get the pie scoop or something or other and asked matt to walk the lit cake to the birthday girl. This was the downfall of our moment. He walked off with aluminum foil cake bottom (didn't take the pretty cake stand it was sitting on) and as soon as it got near Carolyn Corbin blew out all the candles. Then turn back to me as I turn around and see what the two Murphy boys have done. Horror has filled my face as with the 10 seconds it all crashed and burned. Ha! So much for a special birthday. Here you see Matt relighting the candles so we can sing happy birthday and let Carolyn blow them out.

Wow! What a moment. I think she is afraid to see what will happen next.

Happy Birthday Carolyn Jan Spires Murphy!

Cutie pie

"Oh well, even the best laid plans go amuck" This is a line Carolyn has quoted me several times and definitely the case tonight.

Gatlinburg is Awsome

 The last time I tried to post this blog the pictures wouldn't load. So here I am catching up.
This was what we called the year of the come back. We had not been able to make our annual Gatlinburg trip for over two years.

We have several traditions on our trip. The "core four" always let Tracey pick the cabin and our itinerary. Tra does an amazing job about getting our trip relaxing and fun.

Tracey and Eric picked out another awesome cabin in our favorite Oak Haven Cabin. We have tried many other places closer to the action, but for us this is the best we can find. Oak Haven is in the hills of Seiverville, TN It probably is about 30min from Pigeon Forge.

This year we went up Sunday - Tuesday. Not a very long trip this time, but now we have school age children and Aiden is still too young(nursing) to leave for more than three days. We picked up Eric and Tra around 9a Sunday, loaded up and headed down. There were a few "are we there yet?" moments. I don't remember that four hour drive being quite as long.
We had decided that our Sunday we would stay in the cabin and relax, play games, get in the hot tub, and play games.

Our cabin was so adorable. very nicely decorated, comfortable and clean. We loved it. 

Eric and I went to the game room and played ping pong and foose ball, while the other two napped.  Sunday night football won out a bit on our night and Matt really wasn't in a game mood like I was. 

A few of our other traditions are to eat breakfast at the Pancake Pantry and shop in The Village next door.                                                                       

They always have this little nook so cute and decorated for the season

Look at these love birds out and about without their three little ones. :)

We had such a fabulous day Monday shopping, eating and eating and going back to the cabin for another early night in.

This was the new Moonshine store where they distill their own rubbing alcohol moon shine. It was neat to watch the process. They also had free tastings....

and bluegrass playing out front.

It was a rainy few days and overcast skies. This is the main strip. Things have been tore down and new stores gone up in their places. Interesting after only two years.

Matt has this saying now. Whenever we see something cool he says, "I can make that in a heart beat". Well, he is so talented and can make virtually anything, but my heart has beat so many times since he has stated this about several projects and we are still nowhere.
Matt eyes these beautiful grandfather clocks when we go to Gburg and we walked into the store this time. He wanted me to take these photos so he could know how they looked so he can make his own clock. I have no doubt he would like to do this. But mark my words it will be in his 50s before this will ever take place.

Hungry before our return to the cabin we checked out this new restaurant JT Hannah's Kitchen. We all loved it. But as you can see Matt enjoyed it more than the rest of us. His meal was called  "heart attack come and get me" it had  1 pound of meat and onion straws and cheese and bacon. It was unbelievable.

Here he is so pleased with himself and his meal.

Preparing for the ultimate bite.

In for the kill. I would make many jokes at this point about large mouth here but I will refrain today. :)

Tuesday we went to the Applebarn for breakfast and shopped a little at the outlets and a few shops that can't be missed in a trip to Gatlinburg. Too bad we had to head home so early, but our few days were so wonderful. We love Gatilinburn with the Reids! Always good times.

Mouse Trap

Matt surprised me with tickets to see a Derby Dinner Play. We saw Agatha Christy's Mouse Trap.

It was very good. A murder mystery that I didn't see the ending before it hit.

We were on the floor, great seats. It was a packed house.

Matt and I hadn't gone to anything like this in two years. It was nice to have this special treat for the two of us.

The mysterious set. This is suppose to be the lobby of the Inn where the last two murders take place. dumm dum dum....

I would definitely recommend going. And my favorite item they always have on the buffet is the fried fish. Yumm

Sweet Sixteen

Wow! My baby sister is now 16. I don't remember turning 16. I remember my 18th. Matt couldn't remember his either. What do you remember about yours?

So what does a 16 desire? This one tries to be beautiful and drive. She scored on both this year. She got her braces off (thus the more beautiful) and she passed her test to get her permit.

Lydia never said anything about what she wanted to do for her birthday so we put on a surprise party for her. Boy oh boy was she surprised. After she got home from work at Amazing Glaze around 10:30 six friends and us family were there to say surprise!

I had to drag Gracie out of bed to participate. Now that she has a job she's like, " I have to get up for work."

She did not want the camera to find her, but I did.

So pretty and pink

 Her friends Bethany Thomas, Katie Wagnor, Rachel Griffin, Lydia, Abby Coffman, Kristanna Thomas and Olivia Coffman.

You know girls, they had to hear all the details of the past three hours all over again.

Time for cake & Trick candles

 This Reese's cake would not blow out

 Come on Lydia blow harder

 and again

 and again

 finally she recruited help

 Yeah, it worked

The girls went on to party most of the night while the kids and I went home. The way they were running around like crazy little creatures you would never have known it was nearly midnight. They didn't even fall asleep on the way home.

My youngest sweet sister getting too old for me.

70 degree weekend in November!

Waking up Saturday morning, Matthew off to work early, kids begging to watch cartoons. I catch the weather report. 70's both Saturday and Sunday then 40's the week ahead with rain. Boo

I guess I am still in denial about this fall thing. I love the end of summer with warm nights and t-shirt weather. 

I realize that I need to have a productive day. Wow! Little did I know how much.

I head out the door to let the kiddies watch cartoons with their cereal and I take the nightstand out for another sanding and some painting. That done. First coat is drying. Kids still good while Aiden is antsy to play outside in the beautiful weather. He and I prepare to do some yard work. 

Usually I just get so busy in the fall to clean out my landscaping before the cold winter sets in. This doesn't hurt a thing. But I always look out during the cold or snow and see these weeds and yuck poking through and wish I had cleaned the yard better. Somehow that happens this weekend. Aiden and I are quarantined to the house while his spots heal and so we should get it all done.

I blow leaves cut and trim everything in the landscaping all up front and to the left side of the house. Through the day children need attention, lunch and naps. I pick up sticks in the yard, move a huge pile of leaves (that Matt left), mow the front patch and roll and empty countless loads in the wheel barrel. Exhausted and tired its 4p. Matt is home and it is time to make dinner for my mother-in-law and her 57th birthday. 

Dinner and dishes, kids to bed and I am dozing off to sleep while the Murphy's talk over old family photos.

What a great day! Beautiful and accomplished so much. Big plans for Sunday.

Sunday we wake to another nice day. Just as warm and windy but not as sunny in my opinion. Determined to clean the kitchen first thing. I make muffins, dress and feed the kids and send them off to church with Matt. Now the kitchen, it takes almost two hours to put away dishes, wash, dry and put all the rest of the dishes away. Aiden is happily playing around on the floor. A couple of times I see him out of the corner of my eye nearly walking to reach his next destination. Shall he walk before his first birthday?

Driven to get all of the outdoor mess cleaned away before tomorrow and the cold rain. I clean, blow leaves and cut away all of the landscape mess in the back. pick up all the sticks and debris out of the back and side yard, mow all of the yard. Lunch for everyone Feeding and naps for Aiden. I helped Matt prep some details for life group. And finish the couple of landscape messes in the back of the yard. It is getting dark and Aiden is ready to go in. He is such a doll just watching me while eating his cheerios.  Wash my arms and hands with Tecnu I pray I do not get any Poison Ivy today. It is still contagious but you cannot see the leaves to know what you are touching. Yikes! 

I feel worn out from head to toe but very happy everything looks so nice and tidy for this winter. No more ugly stuff poking out of the snow here at the Murphys.

I want to catch you up about Friday as well. Since we were in for the day I thought I would give you a photo tour of the upstairs at the Murphy's.

Corbin and Addie both have such large rooms. I guess that is one of the perks to having a home built in the 70's. We have made firetrucks the theme. He loves his room but is very excited to get bunk beds for Aiden to share with him in the future. There are a couple of things I want to finish in Corbin's room. I want to paint the road that leads to the fire station. It needs to be completed. and I want to put this shelving unit under and around his window. I want it to have a window seat with open cubes to put his things in. That part may not get finished anytime soon.

 

Adaline is in love with her room. It is definitely made for her. Light pink with ladybugs all around. She can hide away in her princess canopy "her tent" she calls it. You can see the ladybug stain glass on the wall in the picture below.

 Her bed is so precious. My aunt found it at a yard sale. with these wooden roses raised in the wood at the food and headboard. So pretty. Definitely a bed she will have till she moves out. We got her this big girl bed this summer. Carolyn sewed our custom curtains to mach her room out of the fabric of extra pieces of her toddler bedding.

 She has a large shelf along one wall.

 Here is the little princess dancing in her dress up.

 We have totally changed this room. I would still like to get her a rug/or carpet she is super loud in her dress shoes I still have this tree with 3D blossoms I want paint on her wall.

 The bathroom upstairs had a double sink and a long vanity on the opposing side. Short tub though. We want to remodel this down the road. It needs a new tub. Great for four kids but right now we all share this one bath. Our dream is to build a master bath off our bedroom.

 This is the nursery. Currently Aiden's room. He will be bunking with Corbin over the next year or so. Basically when a new baby kicks him out. Matt has built almost everything in this room. The shelves, changing table/chest of drawers and the wains coating behind the changing table.

 
Hallway to our bedroom. Notice the ceiling. This was last years project. While putting in an attic access with a pull down hatch and steps Matt sort of stepped through the ceiling and we had to rebuild some of  it anyway. This is the pattern and color scheme we ended up with.

I don't know about you but our bedroom has gotten the least amount of attention. We have lots of going to do things in this room. Newest to this space is the head and footboards. I stripped down two old farm doors and painted them this dark chocolate. (also the color I am painting the nightstand.)

 Matt had built a bedroom suite when he lived on his own. Almost five years ago he wanted to upgrade to the king. Against my wishes we got the king, which meant that the four poster bed frame we had would not work. Just this month we got our head and foot board.

 We have double closets which have been fitted and designed for a walk in closet(on the list to be finished) and then the fireplace you see here will get a gas insert and be placed on that closet wall.

 You can see my current wardrobe. This and the shallow closet above hold all the clothes I own. All seasons and all sizes. Did I mention we are on the Dave Ramsey plan. :)

So, I realize this turned out to be a super long post but I keep loosing time to get it all in. Life is so full.
Press down and running over. :)