EASTER BUNNY???

Every Easter Mama would take me and Jay shopping for our Easter clothes.

We would always go to Rich's, downtown Atlanta.  She would get us hats,

shoes,  me a dress and gloves, Jay a suit.   Whenever we shopped at Rich's,

Mama would take us to lunch there.  It was always so much fun riding the 

escalators, going from floor to floor.

I was sad to hear about Rich's closing the downtown store.  I was living in 

Hawaii when I read about them converting the store into condos etc.  If I 

had the money I would have bought a condo there.

When we woke up on Easter morning, there were Easter baskets

outside of both our bedrooms.  There was always stuffed animals,

jelly beans, Easter eggs, and a chocolate bunny, all wrapped in cellophane

with a bow.  I must have been the only kid who didn't like Easter candy.

Year after year, Easter baskets.  Then,one Easter morning, I opened my

door to find a brown paper sack filled with 10 Almond Joys.

Mama finally got it right.  

Best Easter memory.

Easter Bunny???

We're looking for what?

Are the neighbors watching...

Eggs on the ground...  is it sanitary?

You can have them...

... I'll just eat the Honey Baked Ham.

I got eggs... Somebody got a car...

New addition to the family...

EASTER SUNDAY

2013

COUSIN PEGGY

This week Santa is in a time out. I'd like to use this opportunity to share a special 

Christmas memory.  Every Christmas evening my mother would fix her holiday 

punch, made with lime sherbet, and ginger ale.  We had family over during the 

day, but only one at night.  It was our cousin Peggy,  who would stop by to see

what we got for Christmas.  She loved Mama's punch but always jokingly asked

Daddy if it was spiked.  It was always fun having Peggy over because she enjoyed

all the goodies Daddy would pick up from Cloudt's, a catering and speciality shop,

especially the jumbo shrimps.

Another memory, was the 2000 Millennium year.  I came home that year for

the holidays from Hawaii.  Everyone had plans for New Year's Eve but I 

thought it would be more fun to watch the world end with Nannie.  We

decided making Tacos and Margaritas would be a good way to go.  While 

watching the world celebrate, the door bell rang, and there was Peggy.

Best surprise ever!  

Peggy Barnett

Peggy at my grandmothers 90th birthday with family.

Peggy and me at 'Cousins Night' with the Browns.

Peggy is no longer with us. She was everyones favorite cousin.

We all miss her and she will always be loved.

DUH... WE'RE IRISH

 Actually, Irish on Daddy's side, Scottish on Mama's side. 

I spent all week trying to explain to Santa about St. Patrick's Day.

Told him about the snakes, Ireland, blah, blah, blah...  lost him.

Told him the story about our family name and how two brothers

from Ireland, came to America, got mad at each other and went

their separate ways.  One went north and the other south.

North became Embry.  South, Embrey.  Lost him again.

Told him about the celebrations across the USA, (my favorite was

in Savannah, GA) with parades, food, and green beer.

GREEN BEER got his attention.

ERIN GO BRAGH!

SANTA GO GREEN!

TRY MY GREEN!

MORE GREEN PLEASE!

THE BLOG HAS GONE GREEN... HIC!!!!!

ST. PATRICK'S DAY!

2013  

PRETTY IN PINK

Well, I finally made the gallery.  

Just about every wall at the house has art and photos by my blog partner.

After our Oscar Photo Shoot, she decided that perhaps it was time for me to go public.

I'm not a pink kinda guy, but it does bring out my rosy personality.

Her house... her photo... who cares... I made the wall.

THE URBAN LEGEND

Throughout the years, there has been stories about the Christmas House and a child's death.  

Whenever I meet someone with a Forest Park connection,  they ask "Where?"  and I say the

Christmas House.  This even happened on a flight to Hawaii.  They heard that the death either 

started or ended the Christmas decorating.  My guess is that it is somewhere in between.

In 1979, my mother was interviewed by a reporter from a local newspaper and asked, 

"What was the strangest thing to ever happen concerning the Christmas decorations?"

Mama said in 1965 one of the girl carolers that lined the front porch was taken.  The policeman

who found the caroler, which had been tissue papered and dumped in a yard  in

Mountain View, knocked on our door.  Mama was at home, Jay and I was at church.

The policeman told her that her "girl" had been picked up.  Well, she thought her daughter had   

been kidnapped.  She was so "frightened", she just stared at him.  When he realized what he

had said, he told her he meant the statue.  She started laughing and had to go to Mountain

View Police Station to pick up their "little girl."  I did get a big hug when I got home.

This funny story was passed around for years.  

No matter how many times I tell people that there was no death of a daughter or a sister,

I think they still prefer their version of the legend of a little girl's Christmas tragedy, and not

the truth from  "the little girl."

VICTIM...  1ST ON LEFT