Marilyn and the Chocolate Factory

Last weekend, my mom's one and only cousin Marilyn came in from Alexandria, Virginia to visit. We hadn't seen her since my wedding 5 1/2 years ago. Since then, she has become a first time grandmother and is spending her precious air miles flying to Santa Monica, CA to visit her adorable grandson Dylan. Who could blame her?

She finally made it back down south to where she still calls home. Everytime she comes, her and my Nanny have a standing date at the Krystal. Funny, she lives 15 minutes from our nations capital and probably some of the best cuisine in the country, but what she really longs for when she visits her hometown is a good ole' "burp burger". How does the saying go... "you can take the girl out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the girl!"

Friday, we went to the Boathouse for lunch and then took a tour of downtown where Marilyn grew up. Her old homeplace is now the back parking lot of the UTC Arena... sad.

Sunday, I had the family over for dinner and we did it Papaw Ned, or as she called him "Bubba" style. My Papaw was an AMAZING cook and Sunday dinners just haven't been the same since he died. Luckily, the women in this family were taught by the best, so our family dinners rival any country restaurant you can find.

I only provided the venue, sodas, bread, and salad. I've been known, on occasion, to contribute a mean spinach dip but sadly, that's about as far as my skills go.

My mom and MarilynThe Fam
My aunt Shara and cousin Emily
My dad, brother and Trace. Yes, Trace did begin the party clothed, but by the time dessert rolled around I felt he was better off topless. No amount of Totally Toddler Nursery Stain Remover can get Death by Chocolate and Cherry Cheesecake out of a white knit collared shirt!

And, who exactly was it that allowed him to eat dessert on my sofa???


I can't believe my baby brother is getting married in 4 months!

Once the hoopla was over, as we were cleaning up, we found a huge bag of Ghirardelli chocolate bars in the pantry left by Marilyn. You have to know my husband to be able to appreciate the sheer joy he got from this discovery. He has since passed this love on to our child, who needs NO help in the energy department. So the past few days he has begun a love affair with two things... Ghirardelli chocolate bars and Willy Wonka.

We taped Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory a few weeks ago, thinking Trace may someday watch it. That was a favorite of mine growing up but I figured he was still a little young. Let me back up, we taped the original 1971, Gene Wilder, version of Willy Wonka. No offense to Johnny Depp, but he has just creeped me out ever since Edward Scissorhands, and Willy Wonka is a classic... some things are better left alone. I equate that to remaking Grease using Zac Efron and Paris Hilton as Danny and Sandy. It's just unAmerican!

Trace loves this movie and watched the entire thing before church last Sunday. He even watches the part before they go into the factory and the Oopa Loompas appear. I was amazed... I wouldn't even watch the Wizard of Oz before it got to the colored part until I was almost grown. He crawls up on the couch and chants "oopas" and then says, "oh boy" when it comes on.

I don't know if you've seen it in a while, but the part that really gets him is when Veruca (the spoiled brat) is declared a "bad" egg and falls down the shoot into the ??? He always turns to us with these huge, concerned eyes and says "uh-oh". Is it too early to start explaining to him what a bad egg is? He also cheers "burt, burt" when Charlie and Grandpa Joe are floating in the bubbles and must burp repeatedly to save themselves from being sucked into the fan. (Boy, I sure have said the word "burp" a lot in this post... sorry!)

Here is Trace enjoying those many chocolate bars. Why is he always sitting on my couch when he's eating this stuff?

And here is the aftermath... NO, he did not eat all of those. Believe me, he had a LOT of help from his daddy! As I sit and write this, that shirt is in the wash drenched in Totally Toddler :)


Thank you Marilyn! We had a great weekend, the time always goes too fast. We can't wait to see you again next year... we love you!