Monday, April 27, 2009

News Update....

Do you want the good news or the bad news first?

Well the good news is: Joe has been at the top of his game lately, pitching flawlessly and helping his team to victory. Then last Friday night after pitching a "stellar" game, (striking out 5 out of 6 and pitching 2 scoreless innings), Joe was sliding into third base near the end of the game and landed a little too hard on his left wrist and had to be taken out of the game. Later, at the doctor's office, he learned that he indeed had a fracture in his wrist. Now that's BAD news!

Hang in there buddy, heal quickly (and completely!), your team's going to miss you. I was so glad to see your spirit high. I'm sure you will pass that onto your teammates, too!


While visiting Joe we found Mom, Mary, rushing around, preparing dinner for a pre-Father/Daughter dance gathering, checking book reports written by both children, coaxing Issy dressed and towards the car to be taken to her soccer game! She later worked her magic, with no time to spare, turning Issy from soccer player to princess and hosting eight for dinner!


Mimi and Grandad spent the weekend with the "Best Lawyers in America"! We attended a dinner at the Atlanta Aquarium, a brunch and art discussion at the Four Seasons, lead by Pulitzer-Prize winners, Steve Naifeh and Gregory Smith. Then a we attended a tour of the High Museum and lectures on "Masterpieces". Terr spent the day on Friday, attending CLE programs put on by the same group, which he described as "stimulating, as much for the comments from the group as from the speakers".

After all this, we proudly added new, signed copies of The Best Lawyers in America, to our library. :)








(We are all looking forward to Kristin and Alan's engagement party, at the High Museum, in two weeks!)

Monday, April 20, 2009


No Joy in Motherhood from Croft on Vimeo.

Honk had a successful run and Andrew definitely broke a leg!

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Honk! ~ Dress Rehearsal

Tonight's dress rehearsal proved that Andrew and the other cast members of the Wesleyan Junior Players will have a very successful run this week of the musical production, HONK!. Honk! is the story of the ugly duckling. In the opening scene, Andrew appears as Drake, the father of a clutch of incubating eggs, with one seemingly very large and odd egg, sitting in the middle of the nest. Andrew has several solo parts and does a great job as the not-so-enthusiastic father of what appears to be a not-so-perfect son, among the four other ducklings.

Dancing with the Stars has nothing on Andrew!! I give him a 9.99 (just so he'll have something to reach for in tonight's show!)

Andrew's ability and confidence on stage never cease to amaze me. He is a joy to watch perform, a disciplined thespian and a great team player (like his sister in the Easter Play at the Lower School, where she too had a solo part and sang like an angel!). I hope you get a chance to see him in action! So Andy, take a bow and...

BREAK A LEG!

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Terr has a Birthday!

The ageless wonder...
TERR

The ageless wonder is still at the top of his game! He is keeping the peace by mediating countless cases from year to year. He out cheers everyone at countless ballgames played by Ford and Joe (and every game he can find time to watch on television or otherwise!). Of the other grandchildren, he attends every play and special event when ever possible. He reads, keeping up with the changing times so to try and be a wise investor of our future. Nightly, he prays with me at dinner, goes to weekly bible classes with me and church on Sunday. He is a lawyer's lawyer and gives back to his profession. He holds my hand when it needs holding.

Again this year I can say that I am the benefactor of his birthdays...all of them...and I am grateful for what the years have taught him and therefore what they have given to me. Today, I celebrate Terr, as a husband, a father, a lawyer, a citizen of this great country and a child of God.

Happy Birthday, Terr! (Oh, and I want to tell the world that I love you and will until the end of time.)

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Morgan has a birthday!


Morgan is catching up with Emily and Keegan today...she is 10 years old! Was it really that long ago that she and Emily shared baby sitter, Rebecca, got tattoos and talked baby talk together?


Was she really one of the members of the early Kid-Pack (Keegan is missingin photo) before Isabelle and Aidan and of course William, came out to play?

Boy, how time has flown by and I don't want to miss another minute of it! Happy Birthday Morgan. Grandad will miss you today, he really likes sharing his birthday with you. Have fun at Disney and make it the best birthday ever!





I hope you dance, darling girl, I hope you dance.



With all my love and best wishes for a Happy Birthday,



Mimi






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Easter Blessings...



Hope yours was filled with blessings.

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Easter Past

Joys of Easter from the faces of yesteryear. I look forward to creating more memories tomorrow.
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Friday, April 10, 2009

Good Friday...

Just three more days and we celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Thanks Be To God for the Gift.

Tuesday, April 07, 2009

Joe is ELEVEN today!

Can it be that JOE is turning ELEVEN? YES! YES! YES!

Knowing that Joe would be busy on his birthday, Grandad and I took a few minutes on Sunday afternoon to pay him a visit and wish him well. I entered into Joe's exciting red-and-black room, got the tour and talked with him for a few private minutes. As you can tell, Joe is a huge UGA fan! It is easy to see what his college goals are and where his football loyalties lie. Of course, it helps that both his parents are UGA grads.

Joe tells me that everything is good. School is good, his team is 3-0 in the current baseball season, he is looking forward to turning eleven (he is having some guys over to spend the night and go to some racecar driving place) and that he is happy. I can tell you that he was delightful to talk to, his room was amazingly clean for an eleven-year-old boy and that he greeted me and said goodbye to me with really warm, sincere hugs. It was good to catch up with this fine young man who has a special place in my heart.


Happy Birthday Joe!



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Monday, April 06, 2009

Hello in There


Every couple of weeks or so I go the Brian Care Center in Powder Springs to visit my great Aunt Lillie. The center does the best it can, but it isn’t an upscale nursing home by any means...though it seems like even when they're good, nursing homes can’t be a great place to be. The facts are, it’s a hard place for me to go - and on the other end, and it’s a hard place for me to leave. My visits usually end in tears streaming down my face all the way home. The tears are for many reasons: the loss of the person you once were, your memory, your loved ones, your status in life, freedoms, abilities, privacy and health. I guess if you stop and think about it, what’s not to cry about! Except the fact that Aunt Lillie accepts what she has - she laughs, and doesn't complain, ever! These are life lessons that I am learning from her with every visit I make to the nursing home.

Yesterday my Mom, Uncle Kenneth, Steve and his dog Sprout came to see Aunt Lillie, bringing with them gifts and memories of family to share.

I brought a small picnic for us to enjoy, while we visited outside in the sunshine. There isn’t much room in her small quarters, so I was grateful for the good weather, even if the air was heavy with springtime pollen.

Lillie was overwhelmed with the company and many beautiful gifts. I know she couldn’t wait to get back into those boxes when everybody left and she was free of social responsibilities so she could indulge.

We gave her moments of joy, I’m sure, yet I could see in her face the struggle to hide personal physical problems and memory problems that she was trying to cover up. She worked hard to be her old self, always covering her confusion with a smile on her sweet face.

Yesterday was a good day, yet also sad...after all, I also got to see my lovely Mother, Uncle and Steve…but it took a turn when I walked past Leonard’s room. I wanted to introduce him to Mom and found his name missing from the name slot at the side of the door. Do you remember Leonard? I wrote his remarkable story a while back (http://familychatterbox.blogspot.com/2008/06/giving-half-of-all-you-have.html). I found Leonard gone, someone else in his bed, and all I know is that Heaven has another saint added to its number and that the world has lost a good and Godly citizen.

I write this just to make you aware of the place where we could also be, tomorrow. To remind you to look at the elderly and know someone is inside longing to be recognized. There is a song that comes to mind that I want to share…

Y'know that old trees just grow stronger,
And old rivers grow wilder ev'ry day.
Old people just grow lonesome
Waiting for someone to say,
"Hello in there, hello."

So if you're walking down the street sometime
And spot some hollow ancient eyes,
Please don't just pass 'em by and stare
As if you didn't care; say,
"Hello in there, hello."

Goodbye, Leonard. Thank you for sharing half of all you had with me. I will never forget it. mpc

P.S. The last time I saw Leonard, maybe two or three weeks ago, he was quietly laying in bed listening to old church hymns on a tape player/radio beside his bed. I started singing, softly to the music and he joined me, looking me straight in the eyes. After a few bars I asked how he was and he said, "I'm just ready to go home. Thank you for coming by."

Sunday, April 05, 2009

Spring

A Sunday afternoon walk in our neighborhood with my man and other gifts from God. Not much can beat the beauty of Spring in Atlanta.
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Palm Sunday at Apostles




The children at Apostles took a journey through Jerusalem today, experiencing the sight, sounds and aroma of the city 2000 years ago. Strangely enough the Shepard family looked very familiar!












Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Kim at Work


Yesterday, I went to ADAC (Atlanta Decorative Arts Center) with my decorator/designer/daughter from Regas Interiors - Kim Regas herself. This morning when I was thinking about blogging, I realized once again that she had had me so engaged in what we were looking for that I forgot to take pictures of this precious woman doing one of the things she does best. I promised myself last time we journeyed into her world that I would do just that, so I could share it with you here. Well, pictures or no, I'm sharing anyway!

What maddening conditions Kim has to work under! Her creativity is always limited by the client's financial means, color taste, style and time frame, not to mention personality. Then she has the limitation of her own personal schedule: she has to meet the needs of the ever-present carpool line, afternoon snacks and motherhood. I watched her tackle this task up close yesterday, always acting as if she had all the time in the world, always greeting everyone in the showrooms with a warm demonstration of respect, kindness and professionalism and always, always being patient and understanding with me. She worked so hard giving me all the time I needed, trying to hear what I wanted and turning it into reality without letting me make big mistakes.

When another client calls her cell phone (and they do frequently), she talks to them as though they are the only client she has, yet efficiently, without letting them know that she is busy and doesn't have time to talk. It's amazing. She has learned to keep good notes, remember names of showroom vendors and to keep up with what is new and old in the design world.

She also gives much of her time and talent away pro bono (and I get my fair share!). Last week, Kim's months of accumulative work came together helping the children's school with their annual fundraising auction/gala that provides the school with tens of thousands of dollars.

I watch all my daughters interact with their families and each other and I think they couldn't be any better. I hear about their great accomplishments in their chosen professions and know they are excellent at what they do, and it is a privilege to watch, to get a glance at the woman away from being a daughter, a wife, a mother. As exhausting as their lives must be, I think Hanna Montana doesn't have anything on any of them...they are the best in both worlds!

Thursday, March 26, 2009

A Regas Spring Break...

Joining friends in Orlando, the Regas family spent several happy days at Universal Studio over their Spring Break. I delighted in seeing their happy faces through pictures. I know you will too!


Regas Spring Break at Universal Studio 2009 from Croft on Vimeo.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Spring Break has come and gone...

Highlights from the S-C's Spring Break Vacation.

This was truly a special trip because it was five year William's first trip to Disney Word and everything was seen, once again through the fresh eyes of a child. Away from the park, they all just hung out together, swimming at the pool and playing in the sand at the beach. This family enjoys their down time!

Let me know about your Spring Break experience and I'll post it too!

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Phillies 4 - Pirates 2 !



I don't have the stats of this game but this guy (Keegan) looks like he can hit it out of the ball park!



And pitch too!! Look out Ford and Joe, I think you two may have more than a little ball throwing competition this summer at Grayton.

You know what I think...any fellow that looks up for the answers can't go wrong!

Note: I got these great pictures today from Keegan's ipod (?). I don't know how he sent them but I was tickled to see them. Thanks so much for letting us see you play!

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Thursday, March 19, 2009

My Day in the Mountains


My Day in the Mountains 3-19-09 from Merry Croft on Vimeo.


Yesterday I got up with the sunshine and had coffee on the porch by the creek. I set up my easel and started a new painting, trying a new technique using a black and white underlay. I took my camera and walked through the woods taking pictures and enjoying the solitude, until I ran into mountain friends, which I enjoyed even more! I got a lesson on using my new camera. I read a chapter in Acts. Kim sent me a picture of Emily and William taken in a pile of stuffed animals while on vacation. I heard the sweet voices of Terrence and Kate on the telephone before going to bed....It was a really good day.


Monday, March 16, 2009

Happy Birthday Kristin!


May all your dreams come true.

With love for a Happy Day,

Dad and Merry
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Thursday, March 12, 2009

10 From 10th Street

A Musical Review presented by The Children's School Players.

Morgan performed once again, by signing songs from The Lion King, in this musical review of the past 10 years of performances of the TCS Players. An AMAZING job done by lower school age children!

Next week Morgan is off to Charleston for a rock climbing competition.

Way to go Morgan!!!


Wednesday, March 04, 2009

A New York Experience

New York (March 1 – 3, 2009) was a trip filled with new experiences. Upon arriving at the airport, Terrence and I loaded our things into a car that Kate had sent to pick us up. We were delivered to a bed and breakfast in Brooklyn called the Akwaaba Mansion…six blocks down and two blocks over from the brownstone where Kate and Jeremy live. We found Akwaaba to be well maintained, old but delightfully decorated in eclectic antique furniture and African art. Our room was called the “Jumping the Broom" room - one of four guestrooms - and was designed for newlyweds and romantic weekenders. It had a double-sized jacuzzi, which I later discovered filled with a bubble bath and strewn with rose petals! Down the hall from us was a small, one-chair reading library, and next door to it, an equally intimate room for watching television. A cozy fire warmed the living room downstairs that connected to a huge dinning room where the guests shared morning breakfast as well as afternoon tea. Across the hall was a ball room with two fireplaces , and it is often used for parties, weddings and other such special events.

After we met the staff, Kate came in, greeting us with hugs, kisses and a bottle of wine. We checked out the upstairs, put away our things and headed out for lunch at a place called Peaches. Kate and I later chilled and chatted in the TV room while letting Dad take a rest - he was trying to feel better from the results of a terrible cold made worse by a head-packing airplane flight!

Saturday evening, Kate literally took care of us at her apartment on Putnam Street. She pampered her father with a eucalyptus steam bowl, cold medications, and hot herbal tea with ginger and honey. If he didn’t feel better after all of that, he most certainly did while being served a wonderful dinner of local sole over a bed of lightly sautéed radicchio, small white beans, shallots and fish broth with a side of beer-steamed maple kale (the like of which I have never tasted before!). It was an excellent dinner and a memorable evening.

Kate joined us, and the rest of the B & B guests, in the dinning room the following morning for breakfast. We ate and talked, learning about each other and again enjoying good food. Of course Kate made friends with all those who were there.

Sunday afternoon was spent at Kate’s, playing Rummikub (that ended in a three way tie!) before heading down to Manhattan to check into the W Hotel in Times Square. Kate was scheduled to be in Washington the next day, meeting Jeremy at an environmental conference; and we had business in the city. But as luck would have it, the snow started to fall, and the weatherman was predicting a foot or more in Washington and NYC, so Kate canceled her trip and went with us into the city.

Our hotel room made us feel as though we had been teleported into a space ship, so we seized the moment and took advantage of the photo ops! The freaky glass walls of the bathroom provided our main foreground, and although the water reflection didn't show up in the photography, Kate did a great imitation of a mermaid in the lobby where the ceiling and walls were made of glass with water running over them!



Dinner, a movie, a late night snow walk (after putting Terrence to bed) and eating black ‘n white cookies in Times Square finished off our night, before Kate took the subway back to Brooklyn (much to this mother’s dismay). It was hard to see her go. She called me less than an hour later to reassure me that she had made it home safely.

Snow fell steadily all night and much of the following day as Terr finished up his business on the 34th floor of a high rise building. I was given a comfortable place to read, write, text and hang out while he was in meetings. I was invited to lunch together with the group and enjoyed watching the way my husband conducts himself professionally. I found it no wonder that he is so successful and a true “super lawyer.” I don’t get to see that side of him very often and it was a pleasure to be there.

Well, we made it home about midnight, even though many of the flights were cancelled. The Atlanta snow was all but gone. The house, bird and fish were fine and it felt good to get back into our own bed. I’m sure you all have many snow tales to tell, and I want to hear them all! I miss you when I’m away.
Thanks to Mike and Kim for sending me snow pictures while we were gone...