Throw Back Thursday – So Many Sequins!

Since I haven’t done one of these in a really long time here’s a real blast from the past.   This is my sister, Gabrielle, and me after our last dance recital.   I’m fairly certain we were seven and nine, though we may have been eight and ten. 

Gabby is the blonde and I’m the brunette.   I will never understand why my mom thought those bangs were a good look for me!

The trophies were for completing two years of dance classes. 

 You may notice that Gabby is holding two trophies and that I’m only holding one.  She also did gymnastics, and got a trophy for that.  I wanted no part of gymnastics. 

They handed out the trophies at the end of the recital.  They called the names, in alphabetical order, and you walked on stage to get your trophy from the dance teacher.  You were supposed to curtsy (for the girls) or bow (for the boys) to the dance teacher, be handed your trophy, walk slowly to the middle of the stage, curtsy or bow to the audience, and then walk slowly off the other end of the stage.  The idea was for there to be three kids on stage at a time.  A kid basically exiting the stage, a kid in the middle of the stage curtsying or bowing, and a kid coming on stage to get their trophy. 

We both botched that.

I got my trophy and ran like my life depended on it.   The video showed me sprinting past the two kids in front of me.  I made it off the stage and back to the dressing rooms before they got off the stage. 

Gabby more than made up the time I didn’t spend on the stage.  She pranced across the stage waving to the audience like she was Miss America.  The two kids behind her passed her, and they weren’t sprinters like I was.   This picture is her still hamming it up after we got home.  

That was our last year of taking dance or gymnastics.  Our mom always made us do everything together, and I hated dance after the first year.   She made me stick it out for another year, and then Gabby had to quit when I did.   I’m not sure why everything had to be both of us or neither of us.   They should have left Gabby in dance and gymnastics since she loved it.  And, given my sprint off the stage, they probably should have considered finding a track team for me. 

So what about you?  Did you take dance lessons?  Did you have to take the same lessons as your siblings?  

Throw Back Thursday - Frankie’s First Christmas

There’s just something about kittens and Christmas trees.  They don’t seem to be able to resist them. 

We got Frankie the weekend before Thanksgiving in 2009.  We put our Christmas tree up on Thanksgiving weekend, so he was fairly certain it was a special toy for him.

Fortunately, he was a tiny little guy at the time, and didn’t damage the tree. 

Do you have any kittens climbing your Christmas tree? 

Throw Back Thursday - Nutmeg Graters

Like the teapots from a few weeks ago, these are pictures from last year’s visit to The Charleston Museum.

It’s always interesting to me to learn about what was popular to serve guests during certain time periods.  Apparently nutmeg graters were quite the thing back then.  

I can’t help wondering how much nutmeg they were adding to their food.  Nutmeg certainly enhances some recipes, but a little goes a long way.  

It kind of makes you wonder what people might have to say about avocado toast in about 200 years.  

Throw Back Thursday - The Duke With Four Legs Edition

Those of you who are long time visitors here at Sweet Tea Reads may remember that our dog Duke started off as a foster dog, and that he came to us heart worm positive, and with a bum leg.

Saturday, October 20th, was five years since we brought Duke home.  The memory showed up on Facebook, along with the first pictures we took of Duke, back when he still had four legs.

It’s actually a little weird seeing pictures of him with all four legs.  He gets around extremely well, and just doesn’t seem to be lacking in any way.  Well, possibly manners, but certainly nothing he needs to live a full and happy life. 

We had Duke for about six months before his leg was amputated; long enough for him to get through the heart worm treatment, and become healthy enough for the surgery.   It was also long enough for us to become too attached to ever give him up, so he became the second in a long line of foster failures. 

Duke recovered quickly from the amputation, and gets around much better than he did before it, as you can probably tell from this picture of him at the Walk to End Alzheimer’s last month. 

Throw Back Thursday - Baby Frankie

We adopted Frankie when he was a very small kitten, but I didn’t start blogging until he was almost three.  Frankie will be nine later this year, and he’s a big cat now, so it’s kind of fun to look back and see how little he used to be. 

I don’t think I've shared any of Frankie’s kitten pictures here before, so here’s the Baby Frankie Edition of Throw Back Thursday.

He was so little when we first brought him home!

He spent most of his time exploring.  Everything was interesting.

He also spent a lot of time tearing things up.

His busy schedule left him pretty tired sometimes, so there were also lots of naps.

And bedtime with his favorite blanket.

Throw Back Thursday - Baby Howard

Howard is probably our most photogenic cat, and definitely has the best poses.  My phone is filled with pictures of Howard, and most people who visit our house end up taking a few pictures of Howard while they’re here. 

I’ve realized that I very often include a picture of Howard when I don’t have another picture to go with the post.  He’s adorable, and there’s no shortage of good Howard pictures, but I’ve never shared any of his kitten pictures.  Howard is eleven, and I’ve been blogging for six years, so he was all grown up before I started sharing pictures of him here. 
So, for Throw Back Thursday, I give you Howard’s kitten pictures, while I take a little stroll down Memory Lane.

Howard definitely fit a lot more places when I first brought him home from the shelter:

He didn't mind the incredibly small TV in my teeny, tiny studio apartment:

And lastly, one of the very few pictures of Howard being still when he was a kitten.

Have a great Thursday!  The weekend is almost here!