Y'all Come!

The following post is an email I sent a few weeks ago regarding the Holiday Market. I hope those of you stopping by the blog who are in the area will pay us a visit December 5-8, 2013 for a great cause.

 

Friends and Family,

 

I hope this note finds you well and will spark your holiday spirit a little early. As most of you know, I have been an active member of the Junior League of Columbia for 12 years. The Junior League is a non-profit organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism and improving communities around the midlands.  It's purpose is exclusively educational and charitable.  

 

For the last 7 years I have volunteered for the committee that plans our Holiday Market. The Holiday Market is a 4 day shopping event and is the largest fundraiser for the JLC. We host close to 100 merchants from all over the country. The Holiday Market is also well-known for its 3 fantastic events that are open to the community. From the perfect gift to sitting on Santa's lap, there is truly something for everyone at the Holiday Market.

 

I have served in many capacities over the years, but my role this year is overseeing the entire planning committee and event with my Co-Chair and dear friend, Misty Burton. We have chosen the theme "Favorite Things", as our committee has referred to us over the years as Oprah and Gayle. ;-) And we all love "Oprah's Favorite Things"!  We are working tirelessly to make this another amazing market and I would love your support.

 

So here's the scoop...

 

Cantey Building at the SC State Fairgrounds

DECEMBER 5th-8th

With special events DECEMBER 4th, 5th, & 6th!

 

Market is open to the public

Thursday, December 5

9:30-5:00

Friday, December 6

9:30-8:00

Saturday, December 7

9:30-6:00

Sunday, December 8

12:00-5:00

 

Special Events

Wednesday, December 4

Preview Party

6:30-11:00

Silent Auction

7:00-9:00

Grab yourself a date and some dancing shoes and join us! Enjoy music by The Maxx, food by Southern Way, and get first dibs on all the "Favorite Things" our merchants have to offer. Be sure to get a bid number and check out our fantastic silent auction.

Tickets are $55 per person or $95 per couple BEFORE November 15 or $75 per person AFTER November 15.

 

Thursday, December 5

Ladies Night Out

6:00-10:00

This IS the hottest ticket in town. No lie!

It is a pre-sold event that sells out EVERY year. Get your best girlfriends and join us for a night of shopping and sampling food from Columbia's top restaurants.

Tickets are $30 and are NOT available at the door.

 

Friday, December 6

PJs with Santa

5:00-8:00

Get your little peeps dressed in their Christmas PJs and head over for a fun-filled family night. We'll have face painting, by Tag-it Art tumbling from the Little Gym, cookies and crafts, and Jolly Ol' Saint Nick.

Tickets are $8 per child.

2013 Holiday Market tickets will be available online HERE from October 1 to December 3.
Tickets can ONLY be purchased online and at the door (excluding Ladies Night Out).
Visit www.jlcolumbia.org or contact me for more information!

 

 

Please pass this along to your friends and co-workers.

 

I hope to see y'all at the market!!!

 

XO

 

Claudia Baker

2013 Holiday Market Co-Chair

Junior League of Columbia

 

Summer Highlights: The Baker Beach Vacay

Summer Highlights: The Beach

We headed to the beach the second week in June to do our annual beach trip with Shan's family. We spend 70% of our time sandy and in bathing suits. The rest of the time we eat and sleep. It's the BEST!

Here's a glimpse of the week in pics...

The whole gang!

Our little posse.

Fun with cousins from near and far, boccie ball, and yummy seafood!

This is a mom's desperate attempt to get a decent pic of her boys. FAIL. And then it got dark.

All the reasons I love our week!

 

 

Summer Highlights: 20th High School Reunion in Pictures

2013 marks TWENTY years since I graduated high school. It's really weird to say it, but typing it is like etching it in stone. 20 years? Wow!

The occasion brought some of my favorite people together for the first time in many years. Our last official reunion was our 10th and we had a rather small crowd. Fun, but small. Since then, even more folks have gotten married, become parents, and grown in their professional lives. It was so wonderful to catch up.

I really wish there had been more time to visit with everyone. Three or 4 hours just isn't enough to cram it all in. There are some folks I'd love to hang out with weekly. I have to admit that unfortunately it takes 10-20+ years to truly appreciate exactly who and what some people are all about. There were some classmates that I didn't realize how much they meant to me until now. I feel like I should make up for lost time.

We told stories, reminisced, laughed until we lost our voices, and danced, and danced some more. Beastie Boys, Boyz II Men, Kris Kross, MC Hammer... I even did tried to do line dances. Thank goodness for the stellar instruction from a few of my favorite girls and for my thinking ahead - I packed some flats in my pocketbook!

All-in-all we had a great turn out and I have to give kudos to my dear friends Helen and Shannon who planned and promoted this event. It would NOT have happened without them. The arrangement was so festive and the ballroom accommodated us perfectly!

Highlight of the night - spending the night at the hotel with 3 of my dearest friends. We ditched the hubbies and kept the party going until the wee hours. There was so much laughter and so many great memories packed into such a short period of time. And just FYI, the recovery from such shenanigans is MUCH longer 20 years later. Whew!

{Photo cred}

ACF Class of 1993



{Photo cred}

 {Photo cred}

Oh look! It's me!!! Running my mouth. Who'da thought?

{Photo cred}

Will the real Shannon Baker please stand up?

Truly AWESOME people!



 Then the lights came on. And all kinds of craziness was goin' on!

And my MOST favorite part of the weekend...These 3! Some things never change. We were the best of friends and still are. LOVE these girls more than they'll ever know.

Katy, Anna, and Helen...y'all are the best!

And the award for the BEST Photo Bomb goes to... None other than Mike Wilson. Seriously! Some things NEVER EVER change.

Joy comes in the morning!

On Monday my big boys started school. Fulton is now a 2nd grader and Sam is a 5th grader!

Unbelievable!!!

The night before school starts is always filled with great anticipation. We sat around the table eating our ice cream sundaes and I asked each boy what their hope was for the new school year. Their answers were the obvious... do well, make more friends, have fun, get extra recess, etc.

Sam had been feeling a little more apprehensive about the start of the new school year. The last few days he had been talking a lot about it being his last year of elementary school and asking what middle school will be like. He's in those really awkward years - stuck between wanting to feel grown up and still wanting to be a little boy. I remember like it was yesterday having the same feeling. It's so hard!

On Sunday night as I was preparing to tuck everyone in, Sam came into Oliver's room and asked if I'd snuggle with him a little longer. When I got into his room he hopped up on the bed with the picture book "Pickles to Pittsburgh" by Judi Barrett {the sequel to "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs"}. He said, "mom, will you read me this book tonight?"

I was a little surprised as Sam hasn't wanted me to read ANYTHING to him in about 2 or 3 years. He's been a very independent reader for a while. I said, "sure, but wouldn't you rather read it to me?"

He tearfully answered, "No, I want you to because this is what I love about being a kid... I have so many good memories of our time together and I'm afraid to grow up!"

Needless to say, I was in a flood of tears as I reassured him that growing up is good! And just because you grow up doesn't mean you won't have good memories.

His concern is that those "memories will be so far away" as he gets older. Again, I know exactly what he means. It seems like childhood was just a blip on the radar. We settled down, I read his book - holding back more tears, said our prayers, and I tucked him in.

I am so thankful that he asked me to read that book to him, that he shared his heart with me, and that we have created good memories for him. But at the same time I got so incredibly sad that he really is growing up in the blink of an eye. I was emotionally drained by the time I finally went to sleep.

Even after all that...Sam jumped up and was ready for school in record time. Fulton was his usual skippy morning-person self. Oliver was bummed that he has to wait until next week to start school. And the whole family was up and running bright and early! We all felt excited and refreshed.

Sam - 5th grade, Fulton - 2nd grade and Superman in pajamas starts All-day 4k next week {Lawd Help!}



It was a delightful reminder of Psalm 30:5(b)- Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes in the morning.

'Tis true, folks. 'Tis true! Life can be an emotional roller coaster, but we are always restored by His promises. 

So for now, I'll continue hanging on to their childhood for dear life, making memories... even if it means I have to read picture books to each one of them every.single.night for the rest of their lives!

My FULL heart

I was bombarded with emotion this weekend...my hubby in the last year of his 30's, summer ending, school starting! Time is flying by and I just wish I could freeze certain moments. I'm always a tad melancholy at the start of a new school year. But my heart feels a little fuller than usual this time.

Last week we celebrated Shan's 39th birthday. This week his brother celebrates his 44th. So each year we celebrate both of their birthdays with Shan's family on the weekend in between.

Birthday boys!

 



We met for dinner on Saturday night. The wait was particularly long! I was dreading the hour wait with my hungry and bored little peeps, but they were extremely well-behaved. As we sat, the loud pop music was playing in the background and - ironically enough - the song "Troublemaker" by Olly Murs came on. It happens to be one of their favorites. Sam started singing, then Fulton. Oliver even chimed in on the chorus.

My music-lovin' boys were spot-on! Harmony and pitch-perfect!! All the people sitting around us were smiling and tapping their feet along. How could they not? Coming from a musical family, I couldn't have been more proud.

I can't explain how blessed I felt at that moment - with those 3 blond heads happy, healthy, smiling, singing and sharing a passion of mine.

There are days that I think, "what in the world was God thinking when he gave me THREE boys to raise? I CANNOT do this!!!" But I AM doing this, with His help. They are my precious gifts and they fill my heart! Thanks be to God!

At A Loss

I don't even know where to start. I didn't think I would return from a 3 month break with this kind of update.

The month has been so VERY hard for us. It's bad enough when you lose one person, not to mention, two. On February 27th we lost my mom's oldest sister Elaine {"Laynie"} and 2 weeks later we lost my precious 98 year-old great-aunt Nita. It's all been quite overwhelming.

It's been exactly one month since I said good-bye to one of my favorite people on this earth. My Aunt Laynie was one of the most beautiful women - inside and out - that I have been blessed to have in my life.

I keep thinking it's all a bad dream. But it's not. And the reality of it is extremely hard to accept. It seems like everywhere I look in my house there is something that triggers a memory of her or a desire to talk to her.

Fortunately, I had the opportunity the day before she passed to sit by her bedside and tell her how much I loved her and thank her for all she had ever done for me and my boys. I prayed with her and held onto her hand so tightly, dreading the moment I'd have to let go. It was painful to leave her room. I prayed for peace and the wisdom to know when I had told her all that was on my heart. I didn't want to leave out one.single.thing.

My cousin Emily, her granddaughter, delivered the most beautiful eulogy. When she was compiling all the necessary details, she asked us to describe her "Mimi". I said in one word, "selfless", which sums her up completely. But as I use this little blog to archive these times in my life, I just have to document and share who she was to me in more than a word. She was "My Laynie" {A little possessive, ya think?}, a true inspiration.

She was born  May 23,1938 and her name at birth was Claudia Elaine. When I was born my parents gave me her first name and I have always been honored to have it. My whole life we've had an extra special bond. At birth she called me "Rosebud", but as I grew up Rosebud turned into "Blossom". I can still hear her voice in my head. "How's my sweet Blossom?", she'd always ask.

Her only daughter Renee - who's more or less a big sister to me -  is about 17 years older than me. So while she was off at college, my Aunt Laynie and Uncle Russ - an equally amazing man who passed away when I was 15 -  borrowed me for their entertainment. I spent many nights at their house and enjoyed being spoiled! My weekends at their house were made up of special dinners out at Steak & Ale, Shoney's for all-you-can-eat shrimp night - where she taught me to peel boiled shrimp, animal pancakes for breakfast, coffee-milk on the porch, crafts, and fishing. I flash back to those days frequently and without fail I get the most warm and fuzzy feeling all over. I am so thankful for those memories. She had me so rotten that sometimes, as a child, when I was upset or feeling bad, I would call out for her, "I want my Laynie!" I'm sure it made my poor momma feel great! ;-)

On top of all that, she never missed a dance recital, graduation, sacrament, or birthday of mine. On my last birthday, even though she wasn't feeling well, my mom made sure she had a card to sign for me. I am so thankful my mom knew how important it was for me to have "just one more card". I cried as I read her simple birthday message, knowing it would be the last. I will cherish it forever.

Her kind deeds were countless! I recall one of the coolest outfits a preteen could have owned was MINE because of one of our shopping trips to Tapp's. It was an ESPRIT eggplant-colored flared skirt with an off-white top donning tiny Aborigines in beautiful jewel tones that I wore with my eggplant-colored suede flats. It. Was. Awesome! I remember her bending over backwards to help my mom on my wedding day. And then there was the time that a very swollen, pregnant girl's washing machine broke while she was supposed to be on bed rest. The laundry was piled to the ceiling. The poor pregnant girl came home to find that the Laundry Elves {mom and Laynie} had visited and left her a new washing machine and folded stacks of clean baby clothes. She was so, so good to me.

Her goodness will never be forgotten by those who knew her. In her life and in her suffering, her inspiration never ceased.

Before her diagnosis, Aunt Laynie shared her life-verse with me. I'm not sure why, but I'm forever grateful that she did. She lived every aspect of her life through this verse and it now has an extra special meaning to those of us touched as a result of her service to her family and to the Lord.

May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. -Psalm 19:14

After 2 years of battling lung cancer, God saw that her body was growing tired. Even though I selfishly want her here with me - healthy, laughing, and baking her famous Cocoon cookies - HE no longer wanted her to suffer and wanted her to be reunited with my Uncle Russ for eternity. It's that cardinal reminder that we belong to HIM and as much as I hated to let "MY Laynie" go, the good Lord called for "HIS Laynie" to come home.

Aunt Laynie and Uncle Russ - The love of her life.

My heart aches everyday for my mom and her siblings, my cousin Renee and her girls, and all those she touched. We are going to miss her so very, very much!

October 2005 - My mom's siblings with Aunt Nita: Uncle Robert, Aunt Laynie, Aunt Judy, Momma, Great Aunt Nita, Uncle Phil

May 2008 - Laynie's 70th Birthday: Aunt Laynie, Emily (one of her 2 granddaughters), Renee
 

October 2011

 

 

November 2011

I love you, Laynie...and miss you so incredibly much!

{You} have fought the good fight, {you} have finished the race, {you} have kept the faith.
-2 Timothy 4:7

Well...

Hello there.

Remember me?

Allow me to re-introduce myself...

I'm CTBaker in the Acres! I'm the mother of three blond little boys and the wife to a rockstar. Not really a rockstar. He's actually better because he tolerates me on a daily basis. God love him. This is "my place" to rant and share. It seems that I have fallen down on the job again. The only way for a blogger to end her hiatus is with BULLETS!

• I last left you with Sambo's birthday. We were celebrating the wonderful 10 year-old that he is. He had a sleepover with few of his best buds. It was loud and it was stinky in my house for about 15 hours. But super fun as The Avengers, A&W Root Beer floats, and pick-up football games kept us all entertained.

• Then there was the fair. I've done many-a-post about my passion for the SC State Fair, so y'all know the drill...

 

• Then my favorite time of the year...HALLOWEEN!!! But this year I was quite glum, as my hubby had to travel the entire week before Halloween and the week of. I had to ZOMBIFY my little football players and go to the annual Pine Island Carnival all by myself with the boys because his flight came in really late. All was well, though. We met up with Nana, Papa, and cousins Kirstin and Madeline. The boys and Kirstin made a pretty spooky zombie squad and had their fill of carnival food, cotton candy, games, rides, and haunted hayrides.

• The weekend before Halloween I tried to suck as much holiday out of Shan as possible. But he rallied on that Sunday before he left town again and helped me and my mom pull off The 2nd Annual Forest Acres Neighborhood Parade {last year}. We had another great turnout this year with lots of new little ghosts and goblins. The boys weren't interested in putting on all their zombie goop, so they just went as the football team and we were naturally the referees.

• After a very busy, birthday and activity packed October, it was time to give thanks! We celebrated at my mom and dad's house. I was particularly thankful for a couple of reasons. My Aunt Laynie, who has been battling cancer, rallied and was able to join us. It just wouldn't be the same without her. And it was the first of many holidays that my mom and dad had all 4 children and 7 grandchildren under one roof. With in-laws and 5 different family schedules, we often can't coordinate a time that suits everyone so we stagger visits. At first, I was fearful that the Mayans may actually be correct in their end-of-time theory!

• The week immediately following Thanksgiving could quite possible be deemed the busiest week of my life. It's the week of the Junior League of Columbia's Holiday Market. This year our theme was "Be Merry and Bright" and my placement was Holiday Market Co-Vice Chair with one of my favorite people on the planet. It is a week filled with TONS of hard work, events, shopping, damage control, and TONS of hard work.

We turn a warehouse-type building into a shopping wonderland with the most festive decorations and close to a hundred vendors from all over the country. My friend Erin has some amazing pictures of the Holiday Market decorations on her blog.  

After 6 years on the committee, next year Misty and I will be graduating to Co-Chairs of the market and we are so thankful for the leadership of Karen and Erica this year, or "Karica" as we call them, they have well-paved the way for us.
 

As usual, I couldn't have pulled that week off without Shan's help. He is the BEST! Any who... here are a few highlights.
 

Here are just a few other tidbits and pics from the by-and by...

•  I turned 3*!

• We duked out a pretty good Gamecock football season

• The Ver-man completed his first soccer season and got a trophy!

• We found lots of things to keep us "occupied" while Shan was traveling for two weeks. Face-Time on my phone became our favorite thing and he was able to join us as we made our Potato-Head Vampire and during Halloween festivities.

• Oliver went on a trip to the farm and pumpkin patch with his buddies from school. I'm not sure who had more fun... him or me.

• We also attended our 3rd and final Thanksgiving feast at the preschool. We received our 3rd Indian Tribe from Mrs. Frannie and my set is now complete. It was a precious, yet tearful moment for this mommy! I've been at that school now for 11 years and Oliver will be off to big-boy school next year. I'm trying to savor every moment in the "Jesus Bubble" that I can!

 

 

 

• As I mentioned earlier, our hearts were full on Thanksgiving as we celebrated with my mom's side of the family. Not only were all my siblings in one place, but my mom's were too! She is one of seven. Her oldest brother and youngest sister passed away when I was a little girl. But we were so very thrilled to have the five of them all together!

 



Well...it's been a pretty busy fall. And we will soon be celebrating Christmas! I can't believe it. Where has this year gone?

I hope to better maintain my blog for my boys and hope too that y'all will stay along for the ride.

XO,

Double Digits

TEN years ago today, I saw the pinkest, most perfect little baby boy I had ever seen. My life changed for the best at that moment. I had become a mom!!! I had never loved so hard or deeply in my life. God blessed us with Samuel Waddell Baker and continues to bless us with him each and every day.

Sam is compassionate and with his heart of gold he is eager to please. He adores his family, has a true passion for the Lord, and he makes me smile every single day. His sense of humor is beyond his years and he gets a huge kick out of corny jokes and any time I get a good "stab" in at his dad.  He loves all things "boy"- riding his bike, playing outside all day long, basketball, baseball, football, and most recently, soccer.

His beautiful big blue eyes are without a doubt a pair of the kindest I've ever looked into. If the eyes truly are "the window to the soul", then he's got a good one for sure! His smile and giggle still melt my heart just like they did the first time! That blond peach-fuzz that was on his head the day he was born is now a thick blond mop, complete with a signature Dennis the Menace cowlick. We disagree weekly on how long/short it should be, as he has grown very particular in how he wears it. I'm unsure of his exact height but...I'm only a head taller than he is and he rubs it in every chance he can get.

He seems to be a pretty good little writer. His art skills are fantastic and he appears to be a natural on his guitar! He is helpful around the house and an excellent big brother to F & O.

Last night, when I tucked him in, I said, "OK bud! It's your last night in the single digits. Tomorrow we'll welcome you to the double digits. How does that feel?"
He just grinned and said, "Good."

Yes, Sambo! It is good. You are an amazing gift that has forever stolen the hearts of many, many people. I feel sure God has lots of greatness in store for you in this next decade of this life.

Happy 10th Birthday! We love you!!!

Let's see...

Where was I?
Here I am. Back again after almost a month. I'll spare you the mumbo-jumbo about how crazy my life has been with Shan traveling, Holiday Market obligations, Sunday School prep, soccer x3, 4th grade chaos, etc.

If I had to dedicate this post to someone other than my children...it'd be Beth. I get frequent reminders from her to update my blog. So this one's for you, Beffrey!!! Thanks for following me!

I'm going to back up about 5 weeks ago and highlight my precious Fu-bird's 7th birthday. All I have to say is...

Move over American Girl Store! This is how boy-moms do it!

It was "A Very Lego Birthday". In lieu of a party, Fulton wanted to make a trip to LEGOLAND in Atlanta. Since parties can be kinda "spancy", it was a pretty good trade off on our end. If you have a Lego-crazed child, you MUST go. It's very affordable and great entertainment for the whole family. We made it an overnight trip only because my boys and I have a sick fascination with hotels, but it can totally be done in a day trip.

Any who...here are the highlights in pics.

 My sweet boy was all smiles. He really enjoyed himself as he was completely surrounded by EVERYTHING LEGO! There was a Lego 4D theatre, a Lego Master Builder Academy, Lego City which was amazing, and a Lego Cafe with a pit of rubber bricks to build life-size creations and so many more exciting things to do.

Sam and Oliver didn't have any complaints either. They got to take advantage of all the fabulous attractions too. We were all in complete awe of Lego City with their perfect replicas of all the hot spots in ATL. The possibilities were endless for everyone to be creative and have a fantastic time.

On his actual birthday we continued the Lego madness. One of his new favorite things is Lego Ninjago. I don't get it, but all that matters is that he does. We had a Ninjago-style dinner at one of his fave Japanese restaurants. It seemed like the perfect spot! Muzzy, Boppa, Nana, and Papa joined us and we topped our awesome weekend off just right!

Monday following his birthday we had his celebration of life at school. That darn thing gets this sappy momma every time! To say it's flying by sounds so cliche...but it really is. We all enjoyed celebrating sweet Fulton. He is growing into such a fine handsome boy and we love him TONS!

I'm so far behind with this post and can't believe that we will be celebrating Sambo's TENTH birthday on Monday. So stay tuned for more catch up posts and Sam's bday!