My Sister's House Child Development Center

09/06/2026

Since I'm trying to celebrate birthdays when I can, I certainly can't let this one pass! Today is our daughter Stephanie's birthday, who is at least partially responsible for bringing MSH into existence! Using the term, "Multi-talented" only begins to describe what encompasses her range of skills. She's been a treasure since the day she was born, and Belinda and I feel so blessed to have her be our daughter. Happy birthday, Steph!

09/03/2026

Gifts that keep on giving.....

Obviously, things have been a little on the sad side since the news of Dolly's passing, but I came across something this week that cheered me right up! I found one of our old cameras from several years ago, and discovered it still had a usb card still in it. I downloaded it onto the computer, and one of the things that appeared was this photo from one of our Christmas Open House extravaganzas (2012 if the image notation is correct). Behold the Reno-Demick sisters: Ariel, Alyssa, and Aleah, from left to right. I haven't checked in a while, but it would be entirely reasonable to find this picture next to the word "adorable" in the dictionary. We were so lucky to have them at MSH, as is the case with so many of our "kids". We will always treasure these gifts we were given, so precious that they keep on giving no matter the passage of time. Thanks, girls!

08/25/2026

Such a sad day for us all. I wanted to make sure we added our condolences on the passing of Dolly Parton today. I'm not sure the word "icon" can begin to accurately describe all that Dolly was. For us, it feels more like losing a member of the family than the passing of a celebrity. At MSH, for the school agers, one of our highlights was always our summer field trip to Dollywood. It still remains one of my favorite places to spend the day (or evening, or both)! Dolly herself, though, was so much more. The number of books we received over the years from the Dolly Parton's Imagination Library must number in the hundreds, and that barely scratches the surface of all the philanthropy, the kindness and generosity that she has shown towards not only her community and state, but the nation and entire world as well. I've included her Wikipedia page below. It's a lengthy read, but well worth it. Please read the philanthropy and awards sections, they will give you a better understanding of just how much good she did during her life, instead of just wallowing in her celebrity. Please be aware that the page is being constantly updated today, and the number of people trying to view it is probably close to breaking the internet.
Finally, you can't celebrate Dolly without paying tribute to her music. I have always been impressed by her willingness to go beyond just traditional country music and put her own spin on songs from various genres of music. Did you know she did a bluegrass version of Led Zepplin's "Stairway To Heaven"? The Wikipedia page can give you a detailed history of her music, but I wanted to give a link to one of my favorites, the bluegrass album, "The Grass Is Blue". Rest in peace, Dolly, and here's hoping we can all be just a little bit kinder in your honor.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolly_Parton

https://open.spotify.com/album/2IIMMoCCMhjNUOmh7JyvkV?si=c6e8d3b2ec5d40f4

Dolly Rebecca Parton (January 19, 1946 – August 25, 2026[2][3][4]) was an American singer, songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman. After achieving success as a songwriter for other artists, Parton's debut album, Hello, I'm Dolly, was released in 1967, commencing a career spanning 6...

08/22/2026

Well, I was gonna solve the problem of "birth tourism", but something else caught my eye:

Reports have been circulating that the Navy is planning on changing the name of the currently under construction aircraft carrier from "Doris Miller" to....you guessed it.....Donald Trump. I of course can't confirm those reports, but I was unfamiliar with the story of Doris Miller. I did not remember his name from any history classes I had taken in school, so I was curious. Fortunately, I was
able to hear someone give some background on his story and was then able to look up some details on his life and heroic actions during the attack on Pearl Harbor. I've included three links for reference in case anybody wants to take a look. His story is quite remarkable and offers up a tremendous example of patriotism in the most dire of circumstances. His story also reflects on our attempts to form that "more perfect union", and that it is not always easy, and is not always a smooth, straight line. With that in mind, I would consider it unfortunate if the reports of that name change turned out to be true. It may seem like a small thing, but I think it is an opportunity to make a great statement about what we value as a country. On a brighter note, two weeks til Football Time In Tennessee!

https://www.pacificwarmuseum.org/learn/articles/the-unforeseen-legacy-of-doris-miller

https://department.va.gov/history/doris-miller/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doris_Miller

Doris "Dorie" Miller (October 12, 1919 – November 24, 1943) was a U.S. Navy sailor who was the first black recipient of the Navy Cross and a nominee for the Medal of Honor. As a mess attendant second class[1][2] aboard the battleship USS West Virginia, Miller helped carry wounded sailors to safety...

08/06/2026

Hey, hey, hey, it's Election Day! Be sure to get out and vote! You get this really cool sticker! What other reason do you need?!

07/26/2026

And now, as a public service, a little history lesson....

Judging from recent political ads and some social media posts, it appears that we've been flooded with the infiltration of communists, heck bent on destroying our way of life. If this sounds familiar to some of you, it's because it is. We went through this a few decades ago, In what some people term "the Red Scare". Here's the Wikipedia link to Joseph McCarthy:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_McCarthy

As a bonus, here's the song, "Like A Sunday In Salem" by Gene Cotton, who I got to see perform at the Amphitheater in Knoxville during the World's Fair. Be honest here, does it remind you of anyone currently?

https://open.spotify.com/track/3yofp0mfmBUsYaCjNGatLB?si=01272609707d4c00

Plenty of other issues to legitimately debate right now that are wayyyyyyy more important than the threat of communism, like the threat of fortune cookies! We here at MSH strongly urge you to get out and vote in the upcoming elections. Our democracy works best when we get input from as many citizens as possible!

Gene Cotton · Save the Dancer · Song · 1978

07/18/2026

Think about that - this is PRE smart phone...Comment below if you think this number has gone up or down since then...

07/18/2026

The Birthday Bash Rolls on! This one's almost two days late, but the 16th was the birthday of one of our favorites, Tyler Beers! Here's a few pics of Tyler during various celebratory occasions, cause it's not a party unless Tyler's around! Happy Birthday, Tyler!

07/12/2026

Back to the birthday beat...Today is Carrie Dance's birthday. Just a wonderful all-around person, the kind we like to falsely take credit for here at MSH. You've seen her in several of the last few videos I've put up, but I thought for her birthday, I'd post this part of the video she and Steph shot for our version of a Mary Kate and Ashley holiday special! I hope to find some more footage of this in the future. I included Emily's comments at the end. They so reflect what it was like to make these things back in the day. Happy Birthday, Carrie!

07/12/2026

I'm sure a lot of you have seen the recent news about Tennessee Titans player Chris Johnson being diagnosed with ALS, along with his requesting that the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge be brought back. In honor of that request, I dug up our Ice Bucket Challenge from way back in 2014, I think. I've included a link to the ALS association if you would like more info;

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1AgDgRZxEk/

https://www.als.org/