The only thing my 16-month-old grandson, Capt. Adorable, sits still for is "reading."
Reading
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Tag Archives: family
Travel
This is where I spent most of this past week — my dear 
husband sprung for a quick beach trip before football season starts (you know here in Alabama, it officially begins with media days in mid-July). So we headed to our favorite Pensacola Beach spot on Santa Rosa Island and I dug in for as much sun and sand as I could get. Thank you, dear 
husband! Of course, the other part of vacation is food and Pensacola food ranks among the best for us. In fact, we sort of plan our days around which restaurant opens at which time and if we stop by to have a drink and appetizer at The Fish House can we still go to Jackson’s for dinner afterwards? Decisions, decisions! We especially enjoyed fish tacos and smoked-tuna salad at Native Cafe and grilled and fried grouper along with raw and broiled (with wonderful cheese, peppers and onions) oysters at Peg Leg Pete’s, http://www.peglegpetes.com/, both in Pensacola Beach, and beer and fried mashed potatoes at Maguire’s Irish Pub, http://www.mcguiresirishpub.com/ in Pensacola. And no visit is complete with dinner at the Global Grill, http://www.dineglobalgrill.com/, a tapas bar in Pensacola where we could not say “no” to homemade potato chips with blue cheese, tuna sashimi, a deep-fried poblano pepper stuffed with cheese, seared amberjack and some lovely little beef things with Gouda and homemade Worcestershire sauce. Among other things. I’m ready to go back.
Yard Sales
We had our first yard sale this past weekend. The verdict? Success! And here’s the key: Have lots of help and have lots of fun. That’s my advice — even though I’ve only had one yard sale. I dithered back and forth about doing it but when my two daughters said they’d help when I offered them a a 50/50 split of the profits — anything to get their junk out of the house! — we were on. And I’m here to tell you that you cannot do yard sales alone. Do not even try it. Everybody — children, in-laws, parents, friends — lent advice and (literally) helping hands. Plus, we all had fun. Made it a party, even. Might as well. Read more in my past two weekly newspaper columns for the TimesDaily: http://www.timesdaily.com/article/20090710/ARTICLES/907105000 and http://www.timesdaily.com/article/20090717/ARTICLES/907175001
Summer Fun
Now, this is the way to enjoy a summer afternoon! Our grandson, 15-month-old Capt. Adorable, cools off at the splash pad at the Hunstville (Alabama) Museum of Art.
Corinth, Mississippi
Whenever you get a hankering for real food in a real place, 
try Borroum’s Drug Store in Corinth, Mississippi. My husband and I were there on the Third of July, when Borroum’s was among the few downtown Corinth restaurants open for the holiday weekend. But Borroum’s is bustling even 
when everything else is open – it’s where the locals hang out every day and you should, too, although you’ll be immediately 
pegged as a visitor when you ask for a menu. This is the authentic old-fashioned soda fountain/drug store from years past. It’s crowded and noisy and messy and you need to check your cholesterol counter at the door. Husband had a cheeseburger and fries and I had the tuna melt, which truly was exactly like my mother used to make: More tuna than mayo. We had a great time eating and eavesdropping on Corinth gossip and people-watching as folks came in to the drugstore part. Then we enjoyed checking out the old photos and antique displays on the way out. Here’s the thing, though, that is what I love about Corinth: At Borroum’s and almost everywhere else in town, the old and the new and the history and the right-now sort of blend together and you can’t really tell the difference. In other towns, a place like Borroum’s would be a touristy spot that somebody bought and redecorated after it had changed hands from the original owners a couple times. In Corinth, it’s run by the original owner’s great-granddaughter — and it’s the real thing. Check it out at http://borroumsdrugstore.net/
Fourth of July
Happy Fourth of July! Hope everyone enjoys food and fun with family and friends -- and you $%#* kids be careful with those Roman candles! (Sorry -- I became my dad there for a minute.)
Yard Sales
No, Tasha the White Cat won’t get sold along with the rest of the stuff slated for our upcoming yard sale, but sometimes I’m tempted. She can be the most annoying, whiny, aggravating little thing — and then she curls up right beside you and tucks her head under and goes to sleep and looks so sweet that you forgive her for the 3 a.m. wakeup calls. Even my husband John Pitts overlooks her irritating determination to get on the other side of any — every? — door, no matter what time of day or night and her overwhelming jump-in-your-lap need to have some of whatever anybody else is eating. Too bad she doesn’t have thumbs and can’t help with yard-sale pricing. We usually donate stuff we accumulate and don’t want to a local church-run thrift store, but somehow we still had tons of stuff taking up prime space. We pretty much have an empty nest now with Older Daughter off and married and Younger Daughter off at college — I always tell them that I don’t mind keeping/storing their stuff, as long as it’s stuff they know they want to keep/store. If not, let’s let it be somebody else’s junk. We haven’t had a yard sale for years and years, and I sweetened the deal by offering each of the daughters half of the proceeds if they’d help declutter. You can see the response here — and this is just part of what we’ve got to sell. Except for the kitty. She stays. I guess.
Fashion
This is my beautiful older daughter, Liz. We were at a family get-together this weekend and I thought she looked absolutely adorable. Now, you have to know that she is mom to my 15-month-old grandson, Capt. Adorable; a dance teacher; a staffer at her local Little Gym and to top it all off, the most frugal and budget-conscious person I know — a trait she obviously did not get from me, to my husband’s eternal consternation. You usually can find Liz in yoga pants or a Little Gym T-shirt or whatever she found on the floor in her closet from three years ago that is clean fits. Clothes just aren’t her top priority day-to-day. But when she wants to, she can put together a chic and affordable look that’s so cute and definitely says “cool young mom.” From the gladiator sandals to the statement necklace, nothing here probably cost more than $35-$50. I love that she took basic shorts and jazzed them up with an eye-catching yet simple and comfortable top that will withstand anything Capt. Adorable dishes out — literally. Plus, the flat sandals were perfect for tramping around on the grass — it always makes me feel slightly superior tickles me when I see unsuspecting and image-conscious women wear heels to outdoor events — what are you thinking??? I am thinking that Liz has this whole mom-style thing figured out — and I shudder to remember our 1980s young-mom uniform. Stirrup pants and bedazzled sweatshirts, anyone?
Grandparenting
It was that classic moment in “The Shining,” when Jack Nicholson peered through the cracked-open door, combined with every scary babysitter movie ever — I had just put almost-15-month-old grandson, Capt. Adorable, in his crib for the night and gone out to my daughter and son-in-law’s den to watch TV when I heard a door creaking … and there was nobody around who should be opening an door. Yikes! Find out what happened at my weekly newspaper column for the TimesDaily, http://www.timesdaily.com/article/20090626/ARTICLES/906265007. (Hints: Capt. Adorable has been walking since he was less than 10 months old — and he was not happy to be left alone in his crib without his mom or dad around that night.)
Marriage
When my husband John Pitts — who is a super writer and the best editor I know — and I recently celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary, I wrote about it in my weekly newspaper column and asked my husband to talk about the five things he’s learned in five years of marriage. He did, it got great response and I was tickled that I had tricked my husband into writing my column for me my husband so kindly wrote my column for me that week. However, most people noticed that he,in fact, had written it and so wondered why I was so lazy and where my five things were. So here they are: http://www.timesdaily.com/article/20090619/ARTICLES/906195000
But, seriously, the main thing I’ve learned in five years of marriage is something I couldn’t quite articulate in my column without seeming to be critical of my first husband, which I’ve vowed never to do in (newspaper) print. What is that lesson? It’s something I struggled with for years: Saying exactly what I mean and trusting that it’s going to be OK. In my first marriage, I picked up the bad habit of being passive-aggressive. You know, playing the “I’m-upset-but-I’m-not-going-to-tell-you-because-if-you-loved-me-enough-you’d-figure-it-out” game that only leads to disaster. That is not the basis for a healthy relationship, and to get over doing that means you have to rely on trust and faith and respect — which I have in overflowing abundance with my husband John Pitts. Who, by the way, is an awesome stepfather, too. Am I lucky or what?
Coffee with Cathy 