Alabama vs Mississippi State

Since many of the other Mizeranys are too busy to attend football games this Fall, we have been lucking out with tickets.  Steve and I requested two tickets at the beginning of the season for ourselves, but since Mimi had two extras, we decided to bring along the boys (Bennett made plans with a girlfriend).  We went down as soon as Preston's flag football game ended, and got there early enough to tailgate for a couple of hours before the kick.  Steve and Becky Gebhart flew into town to watch the game, and tailgated with us beforehand.

The sun was shining so of course the boys kept shedding their coats, but it really was brisk.  The boys threw the football with each other, and some other kids for awhile.  But eventually Walker came inside our tent and got cozy under some blankets while sitting in front of a space heater.

Another big win for Bama (24-0)

Walker finally met Big Al!

Ridge Road Redo

Our House, Feb 2013

Since Steve and I moved into our home 11 years ago, we have tried to think of ways to make it more "ours."  We loved the inside layout of the house, but never thought the house had a lot of curb appeal.

After living in it for several years, we bit the bullet and completely re-landscaped the front yard, adding a sprinkler system, lighting, a concrete parking pad and a variety of new bushes and trees.  They have matured nicely over the years, and we like the look more and more.  However, we were still not fond of the fact that when we open our front door, we were immediately in the elements.  Not to mention, the front of our house takes a beating from the sun since we face southeast.  We tried to think of ways to add a covered porch since Homewood is such a front yard community, but could never think of anything since our yard is so small (and I hate to give up grass).

March 2018

Architect's sketch

But after being told we had some rotten window sills, we knew this was our opportunity to repaint our house, and do any other changes to the front so it is all tied together.  Therefore this past spring, we hired an architect to give us some ideas for the front of our house.  We loved one of the ideas he presented, so we hired a local contractor and went with it this summer.

Mid July we got started with the framing.  They changed the dormers by putting in two windows, and changing the roof to have a sloped roof.  In addition,we raised the center gable, and roofed
it all (in a quick 6 days).  Since we had so much leftover brick, we decided to build a new mailbox structure (since our previous mailbox has been replaced 3 times), and it turned out great!

During the second week of construction, they started the new overhang, putting up new cedar posts and beams, along with a gorgeous cedar ceiling.  They finished the siding, and roofed it all.  Then the new copper lanterns were installed (our architect recommended two new ones in a different shape).  We also installed half gutters off the front, and finally removed the railing on the right side, so our stairs "spilled" into our yard better.  The final decision was BY FAR the hardest one...paint color!

New construction is so popular in Homewood, and it seems that every new house is being painted a creamy white.  In fact, our street has three new white houses!  Since our house is so tall, I was afraid that it would not only look huge, but also look like every other new house, which I did not want.  My first choice was dark gray, with the idea that the cedar might turn light grey.  But after speaking to several people, I realized that is not how large cedar posts and beams react to Alabama weather.  Instead they dull in a variety of ways, turning lighter brown and mildewing and darkening if exposed to elements.  Since we wanted to keep the wood a consistent color, we decided to stain it.  But again, what color?

After meeting with our decorator and a decorator at the paint store, we decided on Gauntlet Gray for the house, Simply White for the trim and staining the cedar a water-based Cliffside Gray stain (only one coat so it wouldn't be too dark and we could see the wood grain).

But before we could even paint, we had to replace all of the rotten wood that got this process started in the beginning.  Sadly, we also had to replace three windows that were irreparable.  That process took a little longer than we thought it would, but it was done properly and it looks great now.  Our only decision left to make is whether or not to have custom shutters built for the dining room window (the one on the far right of house).  But for now, we are just going to enjoy the transformation of our home.

October 2018

Halloween -2018

As Bennett and Preston get older, Halloween becomes more and more about just the candy and time with friends than anything else.  Preston's costume choice has been very easy the past two years, wearing football pants and one of his many football jerseys.  This year Bennett was going to dress up with a bunch of friends, but ended up having a fever, so I kept her home.

Walker decided he wanted to be a pirate, which was super easy since we already had all of the stuff from Preston's dress up days.  It was another beautiful day, but since Bennett was under the weather, I stayed home with her and passed out candy for the first time in years.

Steve took the boys to see Mimi, Papa and Uncle Dan first thing, as we do every year.  And then they came back here and headed towards Edgewood on foot.  Preston met up with friends, while Steve took Walker to several houses alone.  Steve stayed in touch with Pres by tracking him with his gizmo, but he was with his friends, and they would run into each other occasionally.

When the evening came to a close (since it was a school night), the boys came home with a big surprise for Bennett.....a HUGE bag of candy!  Aunt Shell and Goo donated to the cause, as well as Mimi and Papa and others.  It was a very sweet gesture, and she was just thrilled!  Of course, they all had to dump out their candy to compare and trade.  Even though the night didn't go according to our plan.....it worked out fine for all parties.

What a crew of fun sweet boys!

Halloween candy trading begins!

B came out okay considering she didn't trick or treat at all

Mizerany Birthday Boys!

October Birthday Boys

It is hard to believe my father-in-law is 89 years young!!  Wowsers!This year, we celebrated him twice.....well all of the October birthday boys had at least two birthday celebrations!

Michelle and the girls kicked it off by planning a fun night out on Louis and Steve's actual birthday where we had someone teach us how to cook a fun dinner, but he did all of the work....right up my alley!

Then we celebrated Steve's birthday
again at Gian Marcos with several of our friends.  Of course I failed to take pictures, but just imagine friends over indulging in both food and wine without any children.

After a short break, then it was time to celebrate Louis Mizerany, Sr....his 89th birthday!!  Dan planned an impromptu night out at The Club on Papa's birthday, and all of the family was able to make it!  We had a blast together, and enjoyed a great meal.

Following that night, Mimi had to do her annual family dinner, with not one, but three cakes!  One cake for each birthday boy.  Sadly, I was unable to make this year's celebration because it was the same day as the witches ride, but I was able to enjoy the yummy leftovers.

Mimi and Papa with their grandchildren

Mizerany Family

The Confetti WItches

One of Homewood's favorite events each year is the Homewood Witches Ride, which is held the Sunday before Halloween each year.  As mentioned in previous posts, it is a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, that was started by a friend and fellow Homewood resident. It has successfully raised more money each year than the previous thanks to Janie Mayer and her constant dedication to improve it.

For the past couple of years a group of us have dressed up together....always trying to come up with a theme that compliments the organizer's theme of the parade.  This year the theme was Mardi Gras, so we all chose a different color, and got dressed head to toe in that color with Mardi Gras beads.  We had our make-up done to match our chosen color, and we named ourselves the "Confetti Witches."

After we got our make-up finished, I hosted a short pre-party, and then we biked over to the park so we could check in and line up to throw candy.  Since there are over 500 woman biking, and many don't ride bikes regularly (and do that with a cocktail or two before coupled with throwing candy), we like to be in control of our situation and stay away from the crazy riders.

Kennedy, Jennifer, Jessica, Marianne, Ana, Britt, Leah, Anna, me, Chris and Lauren

Lauren Tanner

Marianne Siegel

Janie Mayer, the master mind behind the Witches Ride

Chris Newell

Popping the confetti!

At the starting line!

The after party at Little Donkey!

Immigration Simulation

Homewood Middle School does a number of fun things for the students to help them process the learning of various subject matter.  One of the coolest events that requires a lot of work from teachers and parent volunteers is the Immigration Simulation.  Each student is given a name and country, and they have to research that country and come up with a back story, and why they are coming over. They have to dress the part, and come to school ready for immigration day.

They start in their classrooms, and when they exit, it is as if they are getting off of the boat.  They begin standing in lines (just the immigrants did), and go through all of the same steps.  They would check their health, literacy, and money, and would have their boarding cards checked at the various checkpoints.

Once they came to Ellis, they were inspected for any kind of illnesses. Inspectors looked at everything including their heads and eyes and were even watched for signs of limping.  If anyone found anything wrong, they marked on their clothes with chalk in order to alert someone else later on. 

Bennett in line with her baby

The whole process would take 3-5 hours back in the day, standing for much of the time.  At HMS it took the kids about 2 hours to go through the whole process.  It was a fun and educational morning, and I enjoyed watching the teachers, parents and students totally get into it.

Many long lines as each student was questioned

Being questioned about her black eye

B got sent to "quarantine"

At the Travelor's Aid Society

She was approved!  Welcome to the USA!