Aundree

Aundree Coker Brewer

Aundree was affectionately known in our family as MeeMaw. She was the mother to my father in law, grandmother to my husband and great grandmother to my children.

Aundree passed away last week.

While there were a lot of painful memories and situations surrounding MeeMaw in her last few years, we have committed to reflect on only the bright and funny times we spent together with MeeMaw and the wonderful things she brought to our life.

Now, I have to start out by admitting that I didn't know MeeMaw all that well until after her health started to decline. My idea of her personality may be a little tilted in favor of "Happy Go Lucky" (you would be to if you took some of the stuff they had her on :) but even when everything was on kilter, the vibe that Aundree put out in this world, as the minister said at her funeral, was much more "ragtime" than "waltz"

MeeMaw loved to cook. I first encountered garlic in a jar at her condo.

MeeMaw made Cherry Yum Yum.While it is easily recognized as a cherry cheesecake, commonly found in the South, her version is legendary in the family.

MeeMaw made warm ham & cheese sandwiches for my beloved when he was just a little scoundrel. They were just ham and cheese, but the way she did it made it special and they too are legendary. Chandler has declared he will have at least one MeeMaw sandwich a day forever from here on out.

MeeMaw loved to paint.She mostly painted the ocean.

MeeMaw loved the ocean.She used to live in Myrtle Beach. She had been to see Hawaii.

MeeMaw played the piano.She once played for us, giving God all the credit for giving her a song right there on the spot. She was all over that keyboard.

MeeMaw loved grandkids.She used to babysit my stepson when he was just a baby and still talked about those times with fondness when he was a pre-teen. She always had little gifts for them and someday I'll tell you about the 4th of July cake...

MeeMaw loved to dance...especially line dance!She once told us about her line dancing and let on that she enjoyed the activity with a new found boyfriend.

MeeMaw was feisty.She once called me an old fart!

MeeMaw was in inspiration. I once based a character on her in a writing contest :DEIDRE

A few years before she died, while placing an upside down hair band on my head, to resemble a crown, MeeMaw christened me Queen of the Family- a title that is far better than Old Fart to be sure. Though this was quite obviously an 'off meds' moment, I believe in a very real sense it came from her heart. She went on to explain that I got the title because I had so many children... a commodity which held great value to her. If you don't believe me, ask any one of the children who called her Mee Maw and they'll tell you just how special she made them feel.

MeeMaw's funeral brought all the family together in one place for the first time in a long time, just the way I know she'd want it. Photos will follow.

Greener Grass

Sometimes the grass really is greener on the other side... our side to be exact. There are a few perks to owning your own landscaper...er, um, I mean being married to a landscaper :)

(y'all know I love him)

Cheeburger Cheeburger

After our last day of sports clinics with the Week of Champions, we decided to try one of the restaurants in town that we haven't been to yet: Cheeburger, Cheeburger.

"Big is Better"

It was BIG in calories, fat and carbohydrates. It was also very yummy.

We all ordered grilled cheese sandwiches except Fisher who always opts for PB&J if it is on the menu (and sometimes when it isn't)

Next time we'll try one of the 88 featured milkshake flavors.

Kids' favorite had to be the cardboard cars that served as baskets for their sandwiches and fries. (which they smuggled home and I in turn smuggled to the trash)

The air conditioned, retro themed diner with attentive wait staff, bottomless iced tea and ever present management was the perfect way for these sun zapped campers to end the week.

Week Of Champions

For the last 30 years, Hilton Head has been home to the Week of Champions, an FCA sponsored event that brings former pro athletes into the area to host sports clinics and share God's love with the children who attend.

This week was the Champion's choice for 2008 and there were clinics of all sorts on the island and in surrounding communities.


We were fortunate that clinics were being held just a pace or two up the road at Bluffton High's athletic fields.


We attended football on Monday and Tuesday and then baseball on Wednesday and Thursday.

Former Pro's in attendance @ Bluffton included Derrick Moore, Harry Colon, Chad Ogea, Anthony Telford, Chris Snopek, and Roger Mason.


Tuesday and Thursday were a blast for kids as the Bluffton Township Fire Co. (on site as stand-by paramedics) doubled as cooling agents.

Photo galleries are immense and frankly, overwhelming. They will be posted individually with, or possibly without, much description.

Related Links of Interest Include:

• Fellowship of Christian Athletes
• Week Of Champions
• The Goal

Cricket

Father's Day we did lunch at this little Asian/Sushi bistro near the cinema...what I found in the ladies room was funny, ironic and a wonderful diet pill all at once... (it had a twitching leg, I offered a little help-flipped him over and made a bee line for the door...)

Book & A Movie

The library and cinema have teamed up to reward summer readers. Every week the kids read a book and fill out a book report form (or draw a picture if they're pre-writing stage) and turn it in for free tickets to Thursday morning's previously run movies for kids. This week's was Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium and as usual, I got all weepy watching it. When we came out, a local dance school cornered us with an impromptu dance exhibit... very clever marketing and pretty impressive dancing. Now, all three of my kids want to sign up and as impressive as they were I'm pretty sure I'm going to invoke the Nazarene No Dancing Law in order to prevent my daughter's learning how to shake her little tush like that!

In the theater and waiting for the movie, plus various library visits:

The dance display afterwards:

Love Vettriano

... it started as a mild infatuation with his "The Singing Butler" then grew as I saw more of his work. I can name a precious few artists by their work (it helps if they've been mass merchandised somewhere along the line) but Vettriano became easily identifiable within ten minutes at the art rack in Michaels. Sorta like that Norman Rockwell fellow (love him too) , you just know one when you feel it. The paintings are just my style (yeah, even some of the naughty ones). The scenes are rich with some of my favorite worldly objects- suspenders, hats, red dresses, cars, suitcases and umbrellas - in all the right hues and with a stab of nostalgia in even the most modern depictions.

I have since learned that Jack is considered quite the renegade artist amongst those with noses high enough to snub, not that this dampers his popularity (or bank account) in any way. It's probably one of those "living artist" prejudices.

Apparently some feminists are miffed too, because he shows the way men-some men-- not you of course-see women without their politically corrected lenses (naked)

I am sure they have a point (as they often do) I'm just not sure I agree with it (as I often don't). I say, if you gotta choose, roll with the rule breaker at least for a quick spin and decide for yourself as you make your way around the block.

SO- how is this part of Kelly's "ordinary life" ? Well, I have all these new, blank walls to decorate and though I plan to slap some of my own imagination on canvas, I think I'll share my creative space with this fellow rebel, too- now that I have discovered the many possibilities. Though probably not the naughty ones (not yet anyhow- maybe once the children leave home and we start employing our Ray Stevens' Retirement Plan :)

I swore that we would not, not, not decorate all seaside and beachy just because we are on the coast, but that was before I discovered someone out there who could paint something a little more interesting than a flock of pelicans or that lone sand piper winding its way down the shore. If I want to see that sort of stuff, I can go outside and see it for real. On the other hand, Vettriano's scenes on the beach and otherwise, make me wish there were an accompanying novel or reminds me of one I've already consumed.

So, anyone wishing to write a check, take out a mortgage or sell a major organ to contribute to Kelly's "Gotta Get Vett's" fund please contact me immediately (before I succumb to the temptation of poster prints!)

Perhaps, they offer those paint by number copies... ya think?

:)

Logan's 7th Birthday

Logan's Birthday was in March. She turned 7. I am running a little behind here as we are just coming from a little "internet siesta"- but I thought friends and family alike would appreciate the "better late than never" approach:

 https://www.flickr.com/photos/kellybrewer/sets/72157604576216549

Library Love

We haven't officially moved into a place until we have library cards. We got ours last week and have been faithfully putting miles on them ever since. The kids are participating in Summer Reading and have already met the 5 book minimum- though their personal goals have been set to 25 or more completed by July's end.
This library is one of my favorites- I hated to lose it when we moved from here before, so it has been wonderful to be back in it. All around the building are reading porches with rocking chairs and fans-- it's kinda like Cracker Barrel without the food (or pressure to eventually get out of your chair and go inside)
Library hours are much friendlier here than Wilmington Island-- til 8 PM every night and Sunday hours,too(after church, of course, this is the South)
There is a home education bulletin board in the corner, which leads me to believe we'll meet plenty of other home scholars when there.

Chandler and Fisher met a set of brothers similar in age to themselves yesterday, so each one had a pal his own age to talk with about sports and superheroes, respectively.

Finding new pals was great timing when, from out of nowhere, a gullywasher kept us in the library a full hour or more than we had planned to stay. Not that we minded.

Library Love

We haven't officially moved into a place until we have library cards. We got ours last week and have been faithfully putting miles on them ever since. The kids are participating in Summer Reading and have already met the 5 book minimum- though their personal goals have been set to 25 or more completed by July's end.
This library is one of my favorites- I hated to lose it when we moved from here before, so it has been wonderful to be back in it. All around the building are reading porches with rocking chairs and fans-- it's kinda like Cracker Barrel without the food (or pressure to eventually get out of your chair and go inside)
Library hours are much friendlier here than Wilmington Island-- til 8 PM every night and Sunday hours,too(after church, of course, this is the South)
There is a home education bulletin board in the corner, which leads me to believe we'll meet plenty of other home scholars when there.

Chandler and Fisher met a set of brothers similar in age to themselves yesterday, so each one had a pal his own age to talk with about sports and superheroes, respectively.

Finding new pals was great timing when, from out of nowhere, a gullywasher kept us in the library a full hour or more than we had planned to stay. Not that we minded.

After the Rain

See it? We spotted a faint rainbow yesterday, after the gullywasher that held us prisoner at the library for an hour or more.

Still Life

Clay gets fancy with the fruit display: