This week, I like Campfire Woodfuel. This is a Birmingham-based firewood delivery company that specializes in kiln-dried hardwoods. I've ordered deliveries from them for the past few years and I usually reserve this wood for indoor fires. Thanks to the artic blasts we've been experiencing lately, our fireplace has been used a lot.
I've had great experiences with Campfire Woodfuel. The ordering process is very easy and they deliver right to your door. And the wood is definitely dry and bug-free. Burns great, too. Plus, they've always provided branded matches and fatwood. Check them out for yourself if you're tired of wet wood!
This week, I love my rubber boots. Rain boots, galoshes...whatever you call 'em. My parents gave me a pair for Christmas a few years ago. Although there are only certain times of the year when I wear them, they are great to have at those times. These boots are perfect for the colder months, when our yard doesn't get a lot of sun and stays wet and mushy.
I'm not sure of the brand but I believe they are still available on Amazon. I've been wearing them a lot lately. They're easy to pull on and off and seem very durable. I just hose them off before keeping them in the garage and they're ready for the next round.
This week, I don't like the state of the movie industry. It just seems all the movie studios are trying too hard - and when that doesn't work, they remake one of their older, more successful films. Who knew we had such a good thing with all of the Marvel movies? Did anyone see that train coming to a screeching halt? Not me!
It's all about quantity over quality now (see: Star Wars). I don't think the rapid availability of in-home access helps either. Graham went to see Sonic the Hedgehog 3 in the theater earlier this month. Despite being released on December 20th and doing very well in terms of ticket sales, it was made available for online purchase today (January 21st). True, technology speeds up the home-release process (hello, VHS), but this seems way too quick. And some of that has to do with the changing preferences of movie watchers. But I have to think the rush to produce new films is really watering down the output.
I dunno...this guy seems to think the problem starts with movie budgets that have gotten out of hand.
This week, I like snow. Well, we kinda had some snow late last week (January 10th). I say "kinda" because it wasn't a very fluffy snow. It was more like ice. Snowmen and sledding were possible though and the kids enjoyed a day off from school - just a few days since the conclusion of their very long Christmas break.
I moved to the B'ham area in January of 2008 and we've had at least one brush with snow in all but a few of those 17 years. It's always a fun time and each time lasts just long enough!
I believe we experienced our biggest snowfall in December of 2017. The twins were very little and were not fans!
This week, I love my new device charger. My parents gifted me a Power Cell-CX portable solar power bank from 4Patriots for Christmas. I love a good gadget and I have few different kinds of chargers but this one has really impressed. It can charge multiple devices at once and very quickly. It is also very durable and has an extremely bright light on the back. Plus, it has a solar panel - when I'm done charging my phone, I can just place this charger in the window and it charges on its own. It's really great! Thanks again Mom and Dad!
This week, I don't love Zenni Optical. In my advanced age, it seems I could benefit from reading glasses. My optometrist helped me know what strength I needed and I began my search for some readers. Graham began wearing glasses recently and Julie ordered him a few pairs from Zenni Optical. I opted to do the same. While Graham hasn't had any issues, I can't say the same. Zenni's shipping costs erode any sense of value that you feel after finding a pair of frames you really like. Despite that, I placed an order on December 30th and as of this post, still haven't received my order. Tracking shows my shippment originated in Kentucky then vanished in Georgia. Zenni's website offers a 24/7 customer service chat feature, but it doesn't work. Zenni hasn't responded to my emails, either. I'm sounding like a real Karen here but this was a pair of readers - no prescription involved. So, I can't recommend Zenni Optical.
This week, I like HBO Max. Julie gifted me a subscription for Christmas. Was this needed? No. Do we already have just about every other streaming app? Yes. But, there's a lot of content behind the sealed walls of Max (HBO Max?). Fun fact: Since childhood, I've never really been an HBO viewer - - except on those rare weekends when the cable companies use to grant free access to entice customers to upgrade. So, I've got a lot of catching up to do!
Top 3 things I've seen on Max so far: A biopic about Bernie Madoff with Robert De Niro in the lead role, old episodes of Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations and the first installment of Horizon: An American Saga. Send me your suggestions!
This week, I love having the right tool for the job. Over the past several years, I have accumulated a wide variety of tools. Lately, my tool nerdiness has paid off as I've worked on all kinds of home projects. There's no worse feeling than having to pause a project for a Home Depot run to buy a tool or supply you don't have. I haven't had to make many of those trips lately - which is a great feeling because the projects are still comin'. The most appreciated tool/item that I thought I'd never use? Knee pads.
Let me know if you need to borrow anything!
This week, I don't like the state of college football. The introduction of the transfer portal and NIL has made college football more like professional football. Players can leave a school in a heartbeat and the teams with the highest payrolls will attract the most talent. I've never had an issue with coaches bolting for greener pastures but it irks me a little now that players can do the same thing. Additionally, the expanded playoff makes for some great TV viewing but has really robbed the grand ole bowl games of their majesty. I don't things will improve, either. That toothpaste is already out of the tube.
*Let's just forget about the past 9 years in which I failed to create 1 post! I'll try to be better about this and include photos/videos once I get back into the swing of things.
The fact that it has been 6 months since our last update should give you an idea of how crazy and how busy our household is these days. Julie just had a bunch of wonderful pictures made of the children and I can’t wait until she gets them on the blog. But, before she does that, I need to get our family update posted!
Let’s go back in time, shall we?
December
Our last family update featured all things fall and rolled right up to our Christmas decorations. Our actual Christmas celebrations were spread over a few weekends and a few locations.
Before Christmas, we visited Auburn to spend time with Julie’s family. The twins got to play with Cousin William, who is 3-months younger but is much bigger! With everyone all together and looking spiffy in their matching PJs, it was the perfect opportunity for fun photos!
We celebrated Christmas Day at home in Birmingham. Santa thought everyone was mighty good in 2016. We opened a few presents, went to church and then finished opening our gifts.
I had a few days off after Christmas so we went down to Camden to celebrate with my family and our Wilder cousins. It’s crazy to see how big these kids are getting but they had a great time playing together!
January
Graham has a December birthday and, until the twins were born in June, it was easy to celebrate his half birthday without getting lost in all the Christmas parties and family events. This time around, Graham followed up his Christmas excitement by opening presents on his actually birthday. And it was a big one – birthday #5!
Here he is opening some gifts from my sister and parents.
But the birthday fun was not over! He had a birthday party at Urban Air, a local indoor trampoline park. Grandma Jane came over from Auburn and was a huge help with all of the festivities! Graham and his friends had a blast!
Later in January, we experienced our first true cold snap of the winter. There were talks of an ice storm in our area but it never really materialized, thank goodness. We did get a small amount of ice though and Graham was very disappointed in his inability to make ice angels.
Let the record show that Harris began getting up on all fours in January and Ellen was definitely growing.
February
Thinking another cold snap might come, Graham and I bought a truckload of firewood from one of those guys you see on the side of the highway here in Birmingham. Apparently, the purchase jinxed us…we still have the majority of this wood!
Ellen caught up with Harris and began crawling for herself in February.
The babies were baptized on February 12th along with 7 other babies!
There was lots of love on Valentine’s Day!
March
BATTER UP! Graham started his first season of T-Ball! Julie and I really didn’t know what to expect because Graham’s interest wavered on and off as we approached the season. But he stuck with it and he had a great time playing for the Pirates!
The first game was not his best performance but that was mainly due to nerves and this being his first time playing T-Ball. Graham got much better throughout the season thanks to his awesome coaches. There are still some areas to improve but I am really glad he wanted to play. He did really well at the plate and in the field!
Later in the month, we all traveled down to Camden for a visit. Julie, my sister and I took advantage of some help with the babies and checked out some of the stops on the Wilcox County Tour of Homes. It was great seeing so many friends and familiar faces and having an opportunity to learn more about these historic homes was also very special.
The warmer weather allowed the babies (and Graham) a chance to be outside in the afternoons. Harris and Ellen really like their swings!
April
We don’t have near the amount of videos or photos of the twins as we do for Graham during his first year. The main reason is because we have our hands full. The babies obviously need lots of care and it’s not like we can forget about Graham. Julie and I have also realized that we’re not making much time for each other, either. That was the basis of Julie’s idea to have a date night once a month.. We started this in April in conjunction with our anniversary and I’m glad we did! These dates with Julie have been a big help!
We were so excited to be out of the house that we got the valet to take our picture!
Easter landed in April this year and look at my daughter in her bunny ears!! She’s so cute!
We had our friends (the Branches) over for lunch after church and they took some great photos for us. We hid approximately 2,000 eggs for Graham and Brooks and they managed to find them all in under a minute!
Graham’s comedic side was on display.
Sometimes, I don’t think Julie realizes how fortunate she is to live with such humorous people.
May
The school year came to a close for Graham. Even when we were taking a tour of the building he’ll be in next year, it’s hard to believe that he’ll be in kindergarten. But with that, summer has kicked off and everyone loves being in the pool!
Thanks for your patience – we’ll try to do better with the family updates. Don’t forget about the precious pictures of the children that Julie will be posting soon (maybe?) and we’ll have lots more pics from our fun summer plans!!
