Merry's "Pearls"

GREASE.....is the word!!!

2009-09-26T13:37:00.012-05:00

Out of order, as usual, but here is my autograph from Taylor Hicks, who was Teen Angel in Grease! It was "Girls Night Out" having a little fun with the Taylor cut-out!

Taylor Hicks signing autographs after the performance!

Taylor Hicks singing "Beauty School Drop-out." The crowd just went WILD!!!

BIRMINGHAM loves the home boy!

Great production of Grease!

It was a fun night out with the girls! First dinner at Brio, then Grease! It was fun Kathy and Tricia!

Fun at Emmy's house!

2009-09-05T16:28:00.007-05:00

Maggie shares her ball with Hayes......Come on Hayes just push it back to me!

Getting ready to take off. He's up and rockin'!

If he sees something he wants, off he scoots!

SWEET baby Hayes Scott!!!

2nd Tooth is on it's way in! Should be in later on today!!! Bring on the steak!!!

SO CUTE With LOTS of HAYES SCOTT

2009-04-07T18:41:00.015-05:00

Hayes is wearing his Uncle Matthew's day gown from 1982. I think he wears it very well!

Another one in Matthew's day gown. We have several outfits from Matthew's days that Hayes will look adorable in.

First time in Emmy and PapaRick's swing.

Sweet Sarah with her son Brennen (1 yr and 4 mo.) Brennen is giving Hayes some good lovin'.

Sarah with Brennen. Sarah has been a great friend to Whitney since middle school.

Sarah with Brennen, Whitney with Hayes.

OK, I've had these glasses long before anyone ever heard of Sarah Palin.......Look at that sweet Hayes!

PapaRick gets a little Hayes smile!

Then PapaRick gets a Hayes yawn!

EXCUSE me!!! Do I know you??? I believe you're in my place, little squeaky!

Double chins! Double chin on Hayes and double chin on PapaRick.......

Maggie says, "looks like trouble to me."

Waiting on BATH time...

2009-04-04T21:36:00.003-05:00

Hayes at 3 weeks. Not much for the bath. Actually, he's not a fan of having his clothing off. Such a sweet boy!

Hayes is growing!!!

2009-03-27T23:00:00.002-05:00

Poor Baby Hayes had his 2 week check up today and got the little shot in his heal! He is really growing. He was 8 lbs 8 ozs and 20 inches today!!!

I believe this is the first real picture I have with EYES open! He is a SWEETIE!

Sleepy Hayes

2009-03-22T22:46:00.002-05:00

Well, at least Hayes sleeps well during the day.......

HOW CAN I RESIST THIS FACE

2009-03-18T19:31:00.004-05:00

Is he cute or what?

Sleeping soundly in his crib~

MORE SWEETNESS

2009-03-15T21:20:00.007-05:00

Can you believe this is Hayes and GREAT-GRANDMOTHER Mimi

Hayes with Mimi and Daddy Bill. How precious to have Great Grandparents to love on him

Just LOOK at that face!!! How about those long fingers??? Looks JUST like the fingers of his sweet Mommy 29 years ago! SOOOOO Precious!

Sweet little Mommy after first night at home......Sleepless in Ross Bridge!

HAYES HARDY IS HERE

2009-03-12T16:59:00.009-05:00

I just haven't figured out how to line up my photos. This is Emmy getting sweet sugar from precious Hayes.

Whitney and Justin just before little Hayes entered this world.

Whitney, loving on sweet Hayes

OK, so my pictures are out of order. This was taken just BEFORE she delivered.

Sweet Baby boy!

Hayes Scott Hardy born today at 10:47 AM. He is 8 lb. 2 oz. and 19 inches long. All are well. Whitney is euphoric, of course, and Hayes is so precious! Please keep them all in your prayers as they adjust to their new life! Welcome to this world, HAYES!!!

STAY TUNED.....

2009-03-11T23:04:00.001-05:00

EXCITING TIMES COMING OUR WAY.

More to follow on "soon to have a name" Baby Boy Hardy!!!

ALMOST THERE......

2009-03-03T13:59:00.004-06:00

IT won't be much longer now!!! Here's Whitney at 9 months EAGERLY waiting the birth of Baby Boy Hardy (aka No Name) in the baby's nursery. She has been BLESSED beyond words by the generosity of friends and family. (I'm having Blogger issues as I'm trying to upload pix of her shower, so bear with me).

SWEET, SWEET MAGGIE

2009-03-01T22:00:00.003-06:00

This past Thursday, Maggie had a tumor removed, along with 20% of her bladder. While the surgery went well, she is not out of the woods yet. We get her pathology report back on Tuesday, which will tell us what we are dealing with. Obviously, we are hopeful that all the cancer was removed and that will be the end of that! That's the best case scenario.

Maggie came to us as a rescue in 2002. She had lived in a cage all the first 5 months of her life. She has been a wonderful addition to our family. It was after the death of my Dad that we decided to go ahead and add a sibling for Millie, our other Bichon. Millie and Maggie and inseparable.

Please keep us in mind as we have a difficult and sad situation in front of us. Even though we realize Maggie is actually a dog, she is obviously so much more to our family. She is a sweet, precious dog to us.

AND IT SNOWED!!!!!

2009-03-01T21:08:00.007-06:00

It was a WINTER WONDERLAND!!! If only for a short time! Snow makes us happy in the South!

Wow!!! It was a blizzard!

This is our neighbor, Frosty - The Snowman! He is over 7 feet tall.

It looks as if we've finally had a snow event in Birmingham, Alabama. It's SO exciting when we get a little snow here, after all, we are in the "Heart of Dixie."

SNAKES on the plane....

2008-11-21T12:19:00.002-06:00

(read...laundry room!)

OK, I DETEST snakes! Let's get that little fact right out there. Well, late yesterday after I got home from a LONG hard day, Debra (a saintly woman) was cleaning my home. All the sudden she started screaming, squealing, and making other high pitched sounds and suggested I come see what she was seeing. Me, being oh so smart, says OH NO DEBRA, I CAN'T LOOK, what is it??? Debra says, "It's a snake!!!!!" Well, sure enough, a small (gigantic 6 inch) snake had somehow slithered into my laundry room and had made itself cozy under my laundry hamper.

As Debra was moving (rapidly) around, screaming and being otherwise out of control, I was frozen in my chair (at the computer). What do we do? We are two horrified women with a snake in the house. Oh my goodness! How exactly are we going to remove a mini Mr. No-Shoulders from my freshly cleaned home? I called my son Matthew (hubby out of town on business), who only lives a mile away and convinced him that I indeed had a snake in my laundry room, and tried not to exaggerate the size of Satan's little hand puppet. In a few minutes in marched Matthew, Amanda in tow, with a small garden tool (sized appropriately for the task at hand). The next thing I knew Matthew was chopping that little thing to pieces. At least he didn't bring a shot gun and blast a hole in my laundry room floor, which is what I half expected. Thank you son, you are SO my hero (and what do you want for Christmas?). And Amanda (thank you, thank you, thank you) even cleaned up the carnage.

So, guess what Mr. Hubby gets to do when he gets in tonight? Find out the point of entry of the mini Mr. No-Shoulders and FIX IT!

A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY......

2008-10-29T11:35:00.005-05:00

AKA: I'm to sexy for my shirt!!!

You will not believe what happened to me yesterday! I went to my hair stylist for a trim and highlights, just like I always do. We'll whenever I get highlights my stylist has me take off my top and put on a smock. I've been doing this for years. OK, so I have my hair done and I go back into the restroom to change back into my top AND IT WAS GONE!!! We searched the shop and someone finally concluded the person before me must have put it on instead of the GREEN shirt that was left handing in the restroom. Now GREEN is just not my color. So the owner of the shop called the person before me and she said "Are you wearing the same top you had on when you came in today?"........silence.....Uh...no!" OK, there's more, she was across town going to a doctors appointment and could not bring it back!!! All the while, I'm standing there thinking, "I'll have to drive all the way home in this SMOCK." The good news is that another stylist had been shopping that day and had a new top in her car. Normally, I would never wear someone's clothes, but she insisted and I didn't have a lot of choices here. So, I wore a lovely new gray knit home! Now that was a very close call!

Passages II

2008-08-26T13:30:00.007-05:00

It's official!!! I now can post this!!! Whitney is EXPECTING!

We are all very excited and eagerly await the arrival of Baby Hardy. She is due in March.

My Lovely New Design

2008-06-25T18:59:00.005-05:00

I'VE BEEN PIMPED! My blog, that is!

A BIG thank you to Jamie for my facelift. Thank you so much Jamie, you did a wonderful job. Now all I need is INSPIRATION for my next blog!

A Honey in Hoover

2008-06-12T18:28:00.010-05:00

It's a beauty!!! This home even features a main level garage that will hold 3 or more cars! Master suite with hardwood floors is also located on the main level. If you, or any of your friends, are interested in seeing this Hoover home, just contact me. I'll be happy to show it to you. You can get more information by visiting my listings on Realtysouth.com

And if you don't want to be in the spacious yard, or on one of the many open decks, you can always relax on this screened deck and enjoy the breeze of the ceiling fan.

OK, how much fun can be had with your friends and neighbors on this beautiful front porch?

This large den addition had extra tall "beadboard" ceilings, hardwood floors, SECOND wood-burning fireplace, lots of windows, and friendly dog just dying to get back inside...please!

Did I mention the plantation shutters? Beautiful new chandelier in dining room.

The mantle is antique, the fireplace is REAL and burns wood! Built-in bookcases flank the fireplace. Hardwood floors on all the main level!

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION!!!

2008-06-11T22:27:00.005-05:00

Great Kitchen with tile floors and much more.
OK, so these pictures are in reverse order! Bottom line is this, do you know of anyone needing a GREAT, one level, brick, fenced yard, tile bathrooms, PERFECT move-in condition, great CLOSE-IN location, all this for a GREAT price? For more information go to realtysouth.com and search for multiple listing number 393600.

Open floor plan, spotless, move-in condition!

Want to see inside this lovely one level home?

PASSAGES

2008-05-27T18:28:00.005-05:00

After a total of 21 years of school, Matt has finally graduated! Actually this is his second college degree, and probably his last. He now has a PharmD from the McWhorter School of Pharmacy at Samford Universary. Congratulations Matthew! Your Dad and I are very proud of you! We are also proud of Amanda for supporting your family for the past 4 years. You both deserve the very best. I'm certain you both are looking forward as you begin your career with Crestline Pharmacy.

"Lap" Time

2008-04-17T16:14:00.008-05:00

One of the best times a Mother has with her children is "lap" time. You know, those rare times when son or daughter runs to Mom to "hold you." With my children, lap time was often short and sweet. It seems a little lap time goes a long way with a busy child. Lap time memories never go away. I can still easily remember the warm, loving, cuddle time with a child in my lap.

Lap time now is a little different. As my nest became empty and we invited two adorable canines (Millie and Maggie) to live with us, I again began to experience the wonderful feeling of "lap" time. Only now, it's a fluffy Bichon Frise named Maggie. You know my doggies are very regimented. They have to have two, 20-30 minute walks daily, water and food in doggie dishes at all times, and for Maggie "lap" time. Now just so you'll know, Bichons are here on this earth to sit in your lap. Maggie, on the other hand, is my busy Bichon and only wants to sit in my lap when I'm putting on make-up every morning. So we have our little routine. When I pull out my chair at the vanity in my bathroom, here comes Maggie to sit in my lap. She sits in my lap until I've finished with my make-up, then off she goes, just like a busy child.

I know it's a little weird, but it's kinda sweet. It's our special "lap" time. For Moms with an empty nest, it's OK.

By Request

2008-03-27T17:06:00.002-05:00

I have heard from several that you'd like home "selling" advise. For those of you who know me, I can go on and on and on, well, you get the picture.

The best thing you can do to sell you home quickly, in the market we are currently in, is to price it right. In years past, you all have been able to make quite a profit and in a relatively short amount of time. Well guys, times have changed. Homes that sold 12 months ago most likely would not sell for as high today as they did then. Price.....it's the key.

For you in The Birmingham area, I hope you are enjoying this beautiful weather. Mid 70's...it just doesn't get much better!

One of my listings

2008-03-21T15:24:00.001-05:00

I'm just playing with pictures to see if I can post any. This is one of my new construction homes.

Getting there

2008-03-21T14:45:00.002-05:00

Hopefully, I'll have someone (Whit) show me how to post pictures soon. I'm coming up with some ideas for my blog. If any of you need any real estate advise, just let me know. I'll be happy to post some buying and selling advise here.
Real Estate Pearl: If you're considering purchasing a home, consult with a good Realtor. This cost you nothing. Be sure you find a Realtor that you trust. One good question to ask a Realtor is this, "Would you recommend this property to your relative"? A good Realtor is equally as important when you are selling your property. Your Realtor should be able to "stage" your home for selling. Remember this: You live in your home one way, you sell your home another way. This means to de-clutter and pack away the collections of things. If you have questions on this, email me privately and I'll elaborate.
Today's Pearl: Freedom......without it, nothing else matters. (This has to do with our earthly Freedom)
Hope you all have a wonderful Easter and get to spend time with friends and family. Happy Easter!

Welcome to my world!

2008-03-17T22:12:00.002-05:00

Well, I never thought I'd be BLOGGING! We'll see how this works out. I am usually short for words. I have been a "Blog lurker" for a while now and have enjoyed keeping up with a few people. Look out Blog World, here we come!