What is Your Generation?

We hear about the X-generation, the Baby boom generation, and others. And as I was plugging money into the drink machine this morning, it dawned on me which generation I identify with most. I am definitely a part of the Pepsi generation. Now that doesn't mean I won't drink a Coke on occasion. I think it basically means that I was raised on cola's, or as Yankees say, 'Pop'.

Here in the South, where Coke originated, any type of carbonated drink is a 'coke'. I started drinking 'cokes' when I was a kid and they cost a nickel, and I remember all the hula-ba-loo when they went to six cents--yes, you heard correctly, six cents. Before too long they went to a dime and at that time, my dad said when they went to 15 cents, he'd quit drinking them.

If the truth was known, he probably had one days before his death in 1993, and I know for a fact they cost more than 15 cents by then.

Back to me and what I love most. If I'm hot and really thirsty, don't come at me with a bottle of water, unless it's to pour on my head. If I'm not feeling well, don't come at me with Pepto to settle my stomach. If I'm needing to get woke up in the morning, don't come at me with a cup of coffee. I simply need a 'coke'--whatever brand it may be. A cold coke will quench my thirst. A cold coke will settle my stomach, and a cold coke wakes me up in the morning. Oh yeah, I don't want a diet anything. Don't like em, can't stand em, might as well drink muddy water from a hoof print.

But here in lies the rub--I'm not supposed to have them. I have diabetes and high blood pressure. Not supposed to have the sugar, caffiene or the sodium that are part of the ingredients. But do you for one minute, think that makes a difference? Nope. When I try to get on a healthy diet, I will exclude cokes. And I can make it for a while drinking caffiene free tea sweetened with Splenda, but that only lasts a couple of weeks at best, and then something will happen, and I absolutely, positively have to have a coke, and one leads to another.

In other words, I'm totally addicted. Is there a 12 step program for people like me? Does Weight Watchers qualify as one--not that I'm a member or anything, but that comes to mind when I think of 12 steps.

I guess I'm just a total failure when it comes to being able to stay away from cokes. It's not like I have to have them to live. When I fail at a diet, I always say it's because I can't go cold turkey with food.

So here I sit, swigging on my Pepsi this morning. Enjoying it immensly. Knowing it's not good for me. I guess you should be praying for me.

Hope you are having a wonderful Thursday. Pray for our country. Love one another.

Who Ordered This Weather?

Last week it was the wind. Oh and let me tell you, I hate when the wind blows. I live in an area that is mostly a sandy loam mixture of soil. When the wind blows, that stuff gets up in the air and lands smack dab on my furniture and floors. It's not as bad as it used to be before I got new windows and doors, but it still manages to get in.

This week it's the rain and thunder. And boy has it rained. This started yesterday, and continued all night. Now it's raining again today and probably will for the next couple. You may not get any dust, but I did get a surprise this morning(should have taken a picture). I walked through the living room and noticed something on the floor, then noticed it was moving, then realized it was two of those red worms that come up on the concrete during and after a rain. How they managed to get into the house is beyond me, but there they were. They now reside in the garbage can outside. They gave me the creeps.

In these pictures, you can't really see the rain falling, nor can you hear the thunder, but you can see the amount of water standing in my yard. We've gotten about 3 inches so far, and will probably get another 2.


Enough about the weather, here are a couple of pictures of my favorite girls. The one with Tiger belongs to The Contractor, and the two in my recliner belong to Daughter#2.


I hope you are having a great Tuesday. And I hope you are staying dry. Pray for our country. Love one another.

Show and Tell

My grandson, aka Superhero spends most Wednesday nights with me. This is something he's done for a while. Nothing new.

This morning as we were leaving for work/school, he said he didn't have anything for show and tell today. In the time we've been practicing this ritual, he hasn't needed a show and tell item. But he did today, and wasn't too happy that he had nothing in his posession.

So with his lower lip quivering(and melting my heart), I began trying to think of something worthwhile for him to take. I suggested he tell the story I had told him the night before about the spring frog that landed on my forehead one night after I'd turned the light out, but he just didn't think he could regale the class with that story unless he actually had a frog.

I thought for a minute and finally asked if he wanted to take one of my stones with him(I collect rocks). He wanted to know which one and what was special about it. I told him it was a Petoskey Stone that it was actually a fossil and it came from Michigan. You can read about them here. I know you are wondering how a country girl from Arkansas came to be in posession of such an interesting piece of history(coral that lived 350 million years ago in the Devonian age). It was given to me by my friend Jan who is actally from Michigan, and probably collected them as a child, and she was nice enough to share with me. I keep it in a shadow box along with some of my other favorite trinkets.

He said ok, but his heart didn't seem to be in it, but I turned around and went back to the house, ran in and got it anyway. Once he saw it, he knew it was something that would make a bit hit. I wrote the name, what it was and where it came from so he wouldn't forget on a piece of paper as I drove down the road. When we got to school, he went straight in and showed the teacher what he had and that he wanted her to keep it for security sake.


I hope it garnered the reaction he hoped for.

If you had to come up with something off the cuff for show and tell, what would it be?

I hope you are having a wonderful Thursday. Pray for our country. Love one another.

Mondays YUK!

I'd tell you I hate Mondays if you didn't already know that.

I hate Monday's because I have to come back to work. I try every Monday morning to come up with a reason why I'm not able to come to work. Unfortunately, Sick of work isn't a viable excuse.

That's the only reason. The sun is shining. The temp is 70. Perfect weather to be anywhere besides work.

Fortunately, I have a window so I can see what it's doing outside, which makes me hate Monday's even more because I can see why I want to be somewhere else.

Is there a day of the week you hate?

Hope you are having a great Monday. Pray for our country. Love one another.

Strange Relatives

My 5 year old grandson aka Superhero spends the night with me on Wednesday. I pick him and his suitcase up from daycare. We go to church, where we help feed the college kids, have Bible Study, and then to my house afterward. He is usually hungry and needs a snack, and we watch a little tv.

If you are around me long, you know I have a wierd group of tv programs that I like. On Wednesday night, it's Dog the Bounty Hunter. I know these are a rough bunch of folks, but they are very family oriented, and I honestly believe they care about the people they have to catch. Now don't get me wrong, I think they love the chase and the catch too.

Anyway, I allow Superhero to watch Dog catch the bad people. This week when we were going to school on Thursday morning, from the backseat, Superhero said, 'hey, memaw, that bounty man was at my grandma's house Easter'. I said he was, and he said yes. We talked about it for a few minutes and when I got to work, I sent an instant message to the DIL, Superhero's mom, told her what he said, and asked her if she didn't want me to know she had famous relatives, or if she was ashamed of them. She replied with an OMG and the little man rolling on the floor laughing(if you IM, you know the little man I'm talking about). She said her aunt's boyfriend had long blonde hair and wore the arm bands like Dog does.

I have told everybody that knows Superhero about our conversation. It just doesn't take much to impress that little guy.

Do you have famous or infamous relatives? My claim to fame is that my mother's cousins were the Wilburn Brothers. Unless you know old time country music, that name won't mean much, but they had their own show on Saturday afternoon in the 60's out of Nashville, and even though they weren't mentioned in the movie, Loretta Lynn got her start on their program. She was their girl singer. They also toured with Elvis before he became King and was traveling around from one honky tonk to another.

Hope you are having a great day. Pray for our country. Love one another.

A Sad/Funny Story

I was reading a blog yesterday that talked about a cousin's death and having to tell a brother. I, too, had to tell someone they had a loss, and it brought to mind a story about my children's father when he was a little boy.

My children's father was raised by his maternal grandparents. When he was very small, his great grandmother came to live with them. She thought this little boy hung the moon and was the only child ever born. When the other grandchildren came, she would hide this little boy's toys because she didn't want the other children to play with them. She did everything for him.

She became ill and was almost bedfast. She also had a habit of taking her medicine everytime she thought of it, so she had to have someone with her at all times. Being a farming family, everyone big enough was needed to work in the fields, so the little boy was given the job of sitting with grandma. I'm sure this wasn't what he would have liked to be doing, but sit with her he did and found this to be quite a chore.

Then after a protracted illness, the grandma passed. Having no phones, this little boy was sent down the road to tell the neighbors about grandma's death.

He, being about 5 or 6, proudly walked into the neighbor's house, propped his hand on his hip, leaned against the door and announced,'Well, grandma finally died'.

I've often thought about how much that old lady loved that little boy. I've thought about what a chore she was to this little boy and that his only thought in her death was that he could now go out and play rather than be confined. He never knew the joy he had brought to her, and he only remembered what he considered a form of punishment having to sit with her. He never knew what a blessing he was in her life. Wherever they are, hopefully they are together, and enjoying each other's company.

Who was a big influence in your young life that you may know only through the stories you've heard?

This is a beautiful day in NE Arkansas. Hope it is where you are and you are getting to enjoy it. Pray for our country. Love one another.

Spring Plants - New Life

Today is the spring plant sale here on campus. The plants are usually pretty nice, and reasonable. They have lots of flowering plants, trees and some vegetables. I'm picking up some tomato plants for the Contractor(he's got a garden going)and a flower or two for daughter #2. She has a flowerbed she's cleaned up and needs some plants for.

I'm interested in the Lantana's and wave petunias. My front porch gets a lot of afternoon sun and these are about the only things that do well that I like. Most of my flowergardening is done in containers on my porch. I'm not able to do what I used to, and out in the yard, things get overgrown pretty quickly. I do have a monkey grass border, but mostly just yard.

I'll try to have some pictures of what I buy on my blog tomorrow, then as the summer progresses, I'll let you see what a brown thumb I actually have.

Hope your garden is beginning to come alive. I'd love to hear about it.

Have a wonderful Thursday. Pray for our country. Love one another.

How Was Your Easter?

Easter is the official sign that Spring is on the way. We get to wear new outfits, at least the kids do, color and hide eggs, and spend time with family. I'm teaching the 5 year olds at church this quarter. I had 5 little girls and one boy this Sunday. The girls all had on new dresses, and most of them were made similarly to what the girls have on in the picture, but all different designs. They were really pretty, and I wished I had taken my camera.

I took off work on Good Friday and cleaned house. I cooked on Saturday, and all my family was together for a meal on Sunday. I made crockpot chicken and dressing, a ham with marmalade glaze, Pioneer Woman's baked Mac and Cheese, deviled eggs(daughter #2 kept saying they had too much paprika on them), mashed potatoes, green beans, cranberry sauce(out of the can), Sister Shubert's rolls(they are worth the price for the trouble they save), and two Snicker's pies.

The little ones played. After we ate, the four youngest put their Easter clothes back on, and had a few photos taken. I don't know who was the hardest to pose, the older three or the youngest.

I thought the girls all looked spiffy in their matching dresses. I think daughter #2 found them and with the DIL's approval, they got all three alike. Superhero co-ordinates very well in his green shirt. I don't know if you can see the princesses feet, but they are both barefoot. They didn't go to church that way, but it was too much trouble to put their shoes back on just for a picture.

You may also notice that Superman has both princesses in a sort of head lock. He is one loving kid and any time you take a picture of him, chances are his arm is around someone.

I hope you had a great Easter. Saw those you cherish, and found the egg with the best prize.

Have a great Wednesday. Pray for our country. Love one another.

Spring is on the Way

I'm looking forward to Easter. It's a signal that Spring is actually here, or at least close. I know officially Spring has sprung, but it's time for things to actually turn green and bloom. And I can start wearing my summer clothes.

How many of you remember that you couldn't wear white before Easter or after Labor Day? Now I'm not a fashion statement. I'm more the what not to wear statement. I'm not up on the latest fashions, but I still hear my mother's voice in the back of my head saying things like,'you can't wear that yet, or you shouldn't still be wearing this now.

Along with good taste, many of the fashion rules we learned have been thrown out the window along with the length of skirts and shirts. Showing your belly button when I was young caused you to be the talk of the town and gave you a reputation. Short skirts did almost the same thing. I never had to have the length of my clothes measured in school, my dad wouldn't allow me to have anything that was too short. Too long was fine with him, but never too short. And Heaven forbid if I ever tugged on a skirt in his presence. I was promptly sent to put on something longer.

My oldest daughter has a favorite saying when she sees someone in something that is too tight or short. She says that just because they make it in your size doesn't mean you should wear it.

Do you think some people have warped mirrors that even though they are fat, they look thin in them? Or maybe warped eyeballs that see things one way when they are really another>

I'm not sure what got me on this subject today, but if you have any fashion statements to make, feel free to make them here.

Hope you are having a great Thursday(It's Conasta night for me). Pray for our country. Love one another.

Nosey Ole Me

I've decided to be nosey. Now if you know me, you know that I am not a nosey person. Really, just ask my daughters. They'll tell you that I try to mind my own business and don't usually ask questions. In fact, they get annoyed with me for not knowing all the details about things.

Now there's a good reason why I don't ask a lot of questions. If you tell me something and I attempt to repeat it, there's a good chance I'll get the facts all mixed up, so I've decided the best thing is the less I know the less I can repeat incorrectly.

But today I'm going to ask a question. If it's in print, maybe I won't get it too mixed up.

Are you getting a new outfit for Easter? If you are, then please describe it. If you aren't getting a new outfit, they why not? Is it because you are busy getting new outfits for others?

I personally am not getting a new outfit. I'm going to wear the same thing I wore last year. Why, you ask, I just don't need anything. And I'm not making dresses for the girls this year. I think this is the first year I haven't been sewing right up to Easter.

Hope you are having a great Tuesday. Pray for our country. Love one another.

Oh Spring Where Art Thou!

Oh Spring--You keep teasing me with warm days and pretty blooms on the trees and bushes. My daffodils have bloomed--my hyacinths have bloomed, and now it looks like there will be a freeze tonight. I'm ready for the wind to calm and the days be warm enough that I can frolick about outside.

Like I'm going to frolick about outside or elsewhere. I would like to be able to get out without being blown in every direction, and I would like for the weather to be comfortable without a jacket. Just about the time I pitch my jacket in the laundry room for a final wash before being stored for the summer, I have to go dig it back out.

The news said that the peach crop may be devastated again this year. They lost one a couple of years ago, and the peaches were so expensive last year that you could hardly afford them. I think I've found a free source this year unless the freeze tonight gets them. I may have to put out my own peach tree for future use. I have a pecan tree, but have to fight the squirrel's for them. Maybe they don't like peaches.

Needless to say, this is a dreary Monday. The only bright spot is that the stump grinders came and ground my stumps this morning. My neighbor called early and told me they were there. She is retired, and has been holding the check I wrote to them so they could be paid when they were finished. She had stumps they ground also. She's a big help to me with things of that sort. She called me when the tree cutters came to see if I wanted mine cut, and she called when the grinders came through so I could get a deal made with them.

The other bright spot is my oldest daughter. She is on day 7 in her attempt to stop smoking. Even though she grumbles about it, she is making a hard effort to stop. I can only imagine how hard it must be. I'm addicted cokes. I can go a few days without one, but sooner or later, I break down and have one. So, to some extent, I can identify with what she's going through. I want her to stick it out for herself and for her two children. She has a son about 23 and one 12. She needs to be around to finish raising them.

Hope you are having a greta Monday. Pray for our country. Love one another.

Last Night at the Taste of Home Show

I promised I'd let you know about the show last night. I left work at 5:00, and it took all of 10 minutes to get there. We were given a bag with magazines, and other goodies in it.

I was expecting to be able to sample at the booths (that means eat-free). However, the lines were horribly long and many of the people thought nothing of getting ahead of you in the lines. Note here to my daughters: I did not break line, nor get ahead of anyone.

What we found out though, was that the samples weren't free--nuh uh. You had to pay for most of them. Finally, after standing in line for about half an hour, we got some ice cream from Andy's. If you haven't had Andy's Ice Cream, you don't know what you are missing. Creammmy! Delish! and lots of other adjectives.

They wanted everyone in their seats by 6:30--some people didn't get there until 7:30. They took up our yellow cards we'd filled out for the door prizes, and promptly at 7:00 the show started.

Janie Dunn is the gal who did the show. She's funny, articulate and very interesting. She put on a good show. She did greek turkey burgers, mexican lasagna, granola(that I might even try), ginger chicken and pasta, shrimp salad, salmon with orzo, creme brulee, a fruit tart and lemonade. These cooked items were given as door prizes also.

They gave away lots of cookbooks, bags of groceries, gift certificates, a free-standing island, a side by side refrigerator, a queen set of mattresses and more. And I won N-O-T-H-I-N-G!

The show cost $14 to get in, and I basically left a cooking show hungry. Now something just ain't
right about that. We had to go to Sonic and get a burger. It was after 10:00 by the time we got out of the parking lot, and I don't usually eat that late, but I did last night. I was definitely in peril of wasting away.

I did see a lot of people I hadn't seen in a while. There were about 2,000 people there. I was disappointed in the number of vendors, and I'm alwasy unhappy that I left unfed.

Have you ever been to a cooking show? If so, tell me about your experiences.

Hope everyone is having a great Friday. Pray for our country. Love one another.

Taste of Home Cooking Show

A group of us from work are going to the Taste of Home Cooking Show tonight. It's here on Campus, and we are going directly after work.

It has been here before, then it moved to another city nearby, but has come back here. A couple of girls have been before and they say it's fun. The doors open at 3 this afternoon, but the actual show begins at 7. We are going at 5. You go through and visit all the booths where they are demonstrating their products and giving free samples. Then at 7, you watch the demos. I think it will be lots of fun.

One of my friends here at work gets the Taste of Home Magazine, then at the end of the year, she gets all of them in book form. After she gets the book, she shares the magazines with me. It has some really good recipes in it.

We paid a total of $14 for our tickets, but they say you get a goodie bad at the door that has stuff in it worth about $60.

I'll let you know more about it tomorrow. I might even share some great cooking tips if I can remember them.

Have a great Thursday. Pray for our country. Love one another.

April Fool's Day and a Funny

I love to play tricks on the people I love. Actually, I'd play tricks on strangers if I thought I wouldn't get shot. The only problem is, I'm not good at it. I don't have a poker face. I can't tell you some big elaborate story without getting tickled. And I usually get the whole thing mixed up and it ends up not being funny to anyone.

So, I guess I'll pass on the jokes today and just try to behave myself(no comments from children).

But let me tell you a couple of things I have managed to pull off. You may not see the humor in them, but we thought they were funny at the time.

On our boss's birthday one year, we ordered a cake, but we all called in that morning. Some of us began calling the afternoon before for a day's vacation, then some called in that morning saying they were not feeling well. As we sneaked into the office, we could hear her on the phone telling someone she had to cover everything that day because everyone had called in. While she was still on the phone we all yelled happy birthday.

Then one year for my friend's 50th birthday, I took her eighth grade school picture and enlarged it almost an 8x10, and made a wanted poster out of it. I put up about 40 around town and one near her house. When I went by later in the day, she had gotten out and gathered them all up. But she wasn't mad. She thought it was funny. I had put wanted in big letters at the top, and at the bottom something about birthday wishes for this 50 year old.

If you've played a joke on someone, tell me about it. I love to laugh at someone else's expense.

Have a great Wednesday. Pray for our country. Love one another.