Brown Sugar Banana Muffins

I found a recipe on Tastespotting yesterday, actually two, but one was for these muffins. I already knew I needed to use up the two bananas that were too ripe for my enjoyment, and I knew I had everything needed in this recipe.

If you've never been to Tastespotting, use this link and visit. Anyone can leave their recipes there. Pioneer Woman has some of hers posted.

After I got the little princess to bed, I made them. You know when you make anything from a 'mix'(I know a lot of people think that's a cardinal sin), but anyway, you usually use one bowl. This took three(thank heavens for dishwashers). But they turned out very well. Don't they look yummy?

The recipe doesn't call for nuts, so I left them out. But when I make them again, I will put nuts in them. They are very moist and have a really good taste to them. Next time I make them, I'm going to do them in mini size so Superhero can have them for breakfast. He's really into him some muffins. Here's the recipe.

Brown Sugar- Banana Muffins

Extra moist and full of flavor...

½ cup butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 large)
¼ cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2¼ cups flour
¾ tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt

1 Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease 12 muffin cup pan.
2 Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add brown sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.
3 Stir together mashed bananas, buttermilk, and vanilla. Stir together flour and next 3 ingredients; add to butter mixture alternately with banana mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition (do not overbeat). Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling two-thirds full.
4 Bake 20-25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pans immediately, and cool 10 minutes on wire racks.

Yield: 12 muffins

Have you baked anything wonderful for your family lately? If so, I'd love to know what it was and might even try it.

PS Thanks to everyone who voted for Tara's clematis. She's my daughter#2.

Hope you are having a dry Thursday(we aren't). Do something silly. Make someone laugh.

It's a Shrimp, Shrimp Take

Several of you have commented about the pot shots my two daughters take at one another and me on my blog. See what I have to put up with?

Daughter#2 mentioned the phrase that is the title of this post and suggested I tell the story for all to you to either enjoy or scratch your heads and say 'huh?'.

First let me tell you there are several years between these girls. The oldest is 42. And the youngest will be 30 this year. How about them apples, girls? One acts like their father, the other looks like him, and that's all I'll say about that because they know which is which.

When Daughter#1's youngest son was about 5 or 6, maybe a bit younger, he would get on his mother's last nerve. Then she would utter the phrase we have all used at some point in our lives,'You are driving me crazy'.. Somewhere, either Daughter#2 or myself heard the phrase, 'It's a short, short trip' which we thought spoke to her phrase very well. We then attempted to get the phrase in her son's head so that the next time she told him he was driving her crazy, he could tell her, 'It's a short, short trip.

He thought this would be funny too, and sooner than later, the occasion arose to use just this line. We also happened to all be together at the time. Whatever he was doing, caused her to utter her favorite phrase, 'You are driving me crazy', to which he replied, without missing a beat, 'It's a shrimp, shrimp take'. Daughter#2 and I busted out laughing, son didn't like. He hated being laughed at. Daughter#1 was puzzled, not only by what he said, but that we were laughing uncontrollably.

He continued, with our prompting to say the words correctly, but it kept coming out 'It's a shrimp, shrimp take'. The more he tried to say the phrase, the more we laughed. We were finally able to stop laughing long enough to explain what he was trying to say. By the time Daughter#1 finally got the joke, she laughed too. Needless to say, 'It's a shrimp, shrimp take' has become part of our vernacular.

I'm sure every family has words or phrases that have changed either the pronunciation or meaning that is yours and yours alone. Tell me what some of them are. I'd love to know if your family is as quirky as mine.

Have a wonderful Wednesday. Attend mid-week services where you worship. Make someone laugh today. And, don't forget, this Sunday is Mother's Day.

The Answer to my Baking Delima.

I posed a question about the difference between cake and regular flour. I got the following explanation from Will over at Teensy and the Boys.

Cake flour has more starch and less gluten, it's the softest of the wheat flours. Cake flour is good for things you want to be extra light and airy, cakes and cookies especially.I've always heard that for 1 cup of cake flour, substitute 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour. You also can try substituting 3/4 cup all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons cornstarch for every 1 cup of cake flour called for in a recipe.

This makes perfect sense to me, and I will try it next time a recipe calls for cake flour. Thanks Will for helping me out.

Cake Flour or Plain Flour, That is the Question?

I told my girls the other day that I was becoming a Food Snob. They laughed....go figure. I have been reading quite a few food blogs, and have spent so much time on tastespotting that it's riduculous. I've been making some of the recipes from there as well as other places.

Trouble is, I want to make almost everything I see on these various blogs, except maybe those with foods I can't pronounce and not sure where they come from. I'm not about tofu, or tripe, although I wouldn't mind cooking ramps and maybe some morel's, or meyers. But alas, those things aren't available to me. And what about the stuff called matcha powder. You get my drift anyway. So maybe I'm not becoming a Food Snob, just someone who likes to try different things.

I have a real delimma that I just can't ask any of the real 'Foodies', so I'm going to pose my question to those who understand and love me for who I really am--a confused old cook.

Could someone tell me the difference between cake flour and regular flour? And if a recipe calls for cake flour, can I substitute regular flour in it's place. I already have plain flour and self-rising flour. It's just me there most of the time, and I just can't seem to justify buying yet another kind of flour just to bake with.

I promise if you answer my question, I'll answer one for you sometime.

Have a tremendous Tuesday. Do something silly. Make someone laugh.

Blogging Is My New Passion!

Less than two years ago, I couldn't have even begun to tell you what a Blog was. I kept hearing the word, and even saw a blog on MSNBC's web page. But to know what to do with one(other than reading) was totally foreign to me.

Daughter#1 has a very good friend what was into blogging and she got her into it. Then my DIL started one. I loved reading and looking at the pictures they posted.

Then slowly but surely I began to feel the need to put my own information out into space. It's interesting that if you send a letter, quite possibly only the person to whom it's addressed will ever read it's contents. If you send an email, that number can go way up, and once that 'send' button has been pressed, you have lost any control over that email(which can bite you in the backside unless you are very careful). Putting information, pictures, recipes anything out on a blog is like saying, 'here is my life-intelligent or not--do with it what you will.

So, I have joined the ranks of bloggers everywhere, and let me just say, I'm loving it. Nothing thrills me more than when a response to one of my posts appears in my email inbox. I have always loved getting personal mail, but this just goes over the roof.

What is your passion? Everyone has at least one. And I must know yours. You are my friends and I need to know all about you. And there's that nosey thing going on too.

Hope you had a great weekend.

Have a fantastic Monday. Do something silly. Make someone laugh.

Go Vote For Tara's Clematis

Go to Wine On The Keyboard, and vote for Tara's Clematis picture. She's doing a great job with her photography.

Caribou Coffee Chewy Granola Bars

I absolutely love these things. They are chocolate mocha flavored, and every bite is delish. A friend of mine gave me a Nature Valley Sweet and Salty the other day, and I decided I needed some of them. When I found them at WalGreens, the Caribou Coffee were right beside them. Same price, same amount of calories, and chocolate mocha. I'm not a big chocolate fan, -- don't hate me, but I love chocolate and mocha.

I am now buying two boxes at a time. They are wonderful for breakfast, they are great as an afternoon snack, and would be fabulous any other time of the day if I would allow myself to have them. If you haven't had them, and if you like mocha, then you will love them.

I've tried granola bars over the years, and frankly I didn't care much for them. Many were like chewing on a piece of bark with a bit of frosting smeared on them. But let me say, they've come a long way baby.

I'm to the point that I actually look forward to the next time I can squeeze one in.

Enough about that! It's Friday, and there's bound to be some loose ends I need to tie up. We're expecting rain today and tonight. It's cloudy and a little(well, a lot) breezy today. I'm hoping for just rain and maybe a bit of thunder, but no severe weather. We've had our share of that this spring.

Superhero played his first ever T-ball game yesterday afternoon. He liked hitting the ball, but wasn't sure what to do afterward. But the real problem came when the ball wasn't hit to him from the other team. He doesn't have the concept yet of going after the ball. His memaw JuJu and his papaw helped on the field with him, but during the last inning, he just marched off the field. Left papaw standing by himself. It was too funny.

He told us later that the only reason he left the field was that he wanted some popcorn. Oh well, next weeks another game. He'll learn. We seem to be in that 'the journey of a thousand games begins with the first swing of the bat'. Ok, so I took a bit of poetic license there, but you get my drift.

I ordered 'The SouthBeach Diet Supercharged' yesterday. I know you are thinking, she posted fudge yesterday with one hand and ordered a diet book with the other. What can I say. My life is one big oxymoron. If the tone of my posts turns cranky, you'll understand that I've started this diet and it isn't going well. I only need to lose a few pounds--and please daughters and friends who know me personally, don't fall out of your chairs laughing. We all know I need to lose a lot of pounds.

What challenge do you have going on this week? Is it something you don't need to eat, like me, or is it a life decision? Maybe something in your spiritual life? We all have challenges every day, some so small that you don't give them much thought. Some you may spend hours hashing and re-hashing. Let me know about yours. I may not be able to help, but I can add your challenge to those I pray about every day. And there's that whole nosey thing I have going on.

Please pray for my friend Tonya who will bury her grandfather, who she adored, today.

Hope you have a fantastic Friday. Do something silly. Make someone laugh.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge

In the event you didn't read all 5 thousand something entries in Pioneer Woman's recipe contest(and I'm still upset I didn't win), you possibly missed my entry. So I thought I'd share it with you here.

This recipe has been in my family as long as I can remember. My mother used to make it when I was little. It was at every family occasion, and when it came time for school fund raisers for school, she would make a batch for my brother and me. When we first started selling it, we charged the high price of a nickel a piece. By the time I was in high school, we were charging a quarter. Remember that was in the mid 60's. But it sold out quickly at that top dollar price.

Without further adieu, here it is:

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge

2 cups sugar
2/3 cup milk
1/2 to 1 cup peanut butter - smooth or chunky or 1/2 of a 12 oz bag of peanut butter chips
1/2 12oz pkg semi sweet chocolate chips
1 T butter
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 to 1 cup chopped nuts

Bring sugar and milk to boil, stirring constantly. Continue cooking without stirring to soft ball stage. You can drop in cold water or use a candy thermometer.

When soft ball is achieved, remove from heat.

Add butter, vanilla, and peanut butter. Stir with a whisk until dissolved and peanut butter loses it's gloss, about 2 minutes.

Add in chocolate chips. I stick mine in the microwave for about 15 seconds to soften them before I add them. They mix in much faster this way.

Continue stirring with whisk until mixture begins to firm up. A couple of minutes. Adding nuts helps this process along.

Turn onto buttered plate or wax paper. Allow to set. This always disappears quickly.

**Note: If you wanted just peanut butter fudge, you could use peanut butter baking chips or white morsels in the place of the chocolate chips.

Another quick candy treat is to take

small heart shaped pretzels,
place a rollo candy on top,
stick in the microwave for about 10 to 15 seconds and when they come out,
press a pecan half on top.

They are delicious and are quick to make. It takes longer to unwrap the rollos than to make them. I don't know what they are called, but a lady brought them to church, and they didn't last long either.

Tell me about a recipe that brings back good memories. I know you have them, we all do.

Have a great Thursday. Do something silly. Make someone smile.

I'm Angry Today!

Yes, that's right blogger buddies, I'm angry. I don't get angry very often. Isn't good for the old blood pressure, but I'm angry.

I'm sure you want to know why, right? I picked up tickets for my DIL and Superhero to go to the Circus last night. My DIL paid for them, I just picked them up for her. $28 for two tickets. This was bargain night. I didn't think that was too bad. She only carried $15 in cash in with her thinking that would buy them something to eat and drink. She had promised Superhero some cotton candy.

They went to the concession stand to get a small bag of cotton candy. They charged her $10 for said small bag of the stuff that probably even counting labor cost less than a dollar. If that isn't highway robbery I don't know what is. That left her with $5 bucks. A small lemonade was $6, and the sword that he wanted which was less than 18 inches long and flimsy plastic was--are you ready for this--$14.

Needless to say, he was unhappy because every 5 minutes someone came by selling stuff that he couldn't have. He even wanted to leave before it was over.

I felt sorry for Superhero, but I felt sorry for my DIL too. Since they've been here with me, she and Superhero haven't had a lot of special time for just them, and we both thought this would be perfect, and it was a disaster.

Anyway, let me tell you that Ringling Brothers circus can come to town all it wants to, but we won't be spending any of our hard earned money going to see them. If we want to see animals and have a good time, we'll go to the Zoo. It would be money much better spent.

So, I'm getting off my soapbox. I need to quit fuming. Have you been angry lately? Have you spit and spewed about something? I told you my storey, tell me yours. I have to know.

Have a wonderful Wednesday. Do something silly. Make someone laugh.

The Circus Is In Town

I went to the box office here on campus and picked up two tickets for the circus yesterday. My DIL is taking Superhero tonight. We discussed it this morning, and I think he is getting excited.

Since they've been here, my DIL hasn't had a lot of time to spend with Superhero one on one, and this will be just the thing for them. We talked about the elephants. He said he'd never seen one, and when I told him it would fill up my living room, he seemed a bit worried. But I assured him it would be a nice elephant, and they might even be allowing boys and girls to ride.

That sounded ok but he wasn't too sure. Then he wanted to know what other animals would be there. I didn't want to tell him certain animals would be there and him be expecting to see them and maybe there wouldn't be any and he'd be disappointed. So I told him there might be a lion, but he wouldn't be allowed to ride it. He was more concerned with being consumed by it, but his mom told him he was far too skinny and he wouldn't make a good bite for a big lion.

When I left for work this morning, they were discussing their evening. I'm more excited about my evening. I get to keep the little princess tonight while they are gone on their adventure. She is a good 10 month old, walking, playing, and giggling. We have fun together, and she goes to bed really early.

What are you looking forward to this evening? Does it involve work, play, children, grandchildren or just some good tv, maybe out to a movie? Whatever your plans, share them with me. I just have to know what you are doing.

Hope you have a wonderful Tuesday. Do something silly. Make someone smile.

The Monday Morning Blues

First let me say I'm thankful for every day that I am allowed to put my feet on the floor under my own power. As you get older, it becomes a trial in itself to do that sometime. However, I can't help having the Monday Morning Blues. Simply because the weekend just wasn't long enough.

I cleaned house on Saturday, so that day was pretty much lost. But I didn't have to be rocked to sleep Saturday night either, so that was the blessing for that day.

I love Sunday's because we have the privilege of worshiping the one true and living Saviour. I was also honored to have my DIL and the little princess attend worship with me. Superhero had spent the night with his other grandmother, so he didn't go with us.

We ate Chinese after services, went home and all took that Sunday Afternoon nap. My son and DIL have decided on a floor plan, so we watched a lot of HGTV to help her get some ideas for floor coverings, cabinets, countertops, lighting, wall colors, brick--the list goes on and on. I really like the floorplan she had chosen, and I know they will be glad to get it built and moved in. My son is in the process of specing it out so they can give the totals for building to the bank. I'll miss getting the little princess up in the mornings and spending time with her. I'll miss seeing Superhero when he first wakes up and gets ready for the day. But I will also be happy for them to be in their own place.

A special thanks to Will from Teensy and the Boys for the cookbook. I got it in the mail Saturday, and am already picking which recipes to make first.

Hope everyone has a great Monday. Do something silly. Make someone laugh.

Late Sunday Afternoon Post

It's late on Sunday afternoon. So I took a nap already. Don't hold it against me. It's one of those cloudy gonna rain days. But I did manage to get out and get this shot of my Clematis before it started raining.

For years I tried growing these flowers. I think they are just beautiful, whatever color they are, but I was about to give up on them when I had a conversation with a lady who grows them beautifully.

Her advice was to keep their feet cool. I told her I watered them a lot, but she said they needed their roots to be hidden well from the heat and sun. So I took her adivce. I planted this one. Covered it's roots with plenty of soil, mulch and I think I even put a couple of stones at the base, and sure enough, it grew. I had trouble getting it to climb the wrought iron post, but some fishing line helped that problem. I think it is gorgeous.

Tell me about something you had a hard time growing. Flowers, garden veggies, kids, anything. I love knowing all about you.

PS. I made that superhero cape yesterday.

Have a blessed Sunday. Do something silly. Make someone laugh.

Friday Has Rolled Around Again

And boy, am I glad it has. It's been a busy week at my house. There's always a lot going on when you have extra people. My DIL has been and continues to be a great addition to my household. She is very good with the kids, and we've worked out a functioning routine so that we manage to get up and out on time in the mornings, and we're pretty laid back in the evenings.

My son came in on Monday afternoon to look at the house she had found, even though by the time he got here, she had pretty much decided it wasn't the house for them, but he went out and looked anyway. And he agreed with her. It's a lot of house, but chopped up in a not so good way.

So, when he left on Wednesday, the decision was to make an offer on a lot. If they didn't get it, there wre two more choices. Their offer was accepted on the first one, and now it's getting the paperwork done so he can start doing the dirt work.

I'm already thinking about when they move out. It's going to be really quiet at my house, and I'm really going to miss being able to read to Superhero at bedtime and getting the baby up of the morning and feeding her first bottle. But, being so close, Superhero can go home with me and I can bring him back to school the next morning, and when the baby outgrows the babybed, she can do the same. Right now, she tends to want to get off the bed or couch by going headfirst. I've learned that the best way to get along with my children is to keep their children safe when in my care. Long as you do that, they'll forgive most anything else.

At the age of 59, I've learned quite a few lessons, most of them the hard way. What are some you've learned? Just because it's Friday doesn't mean I'm not still inquisitive.

Or if you haven't learned any valuable lessons in life, just tell me what you are doing today. That's always fun to find out.

Have a great Friday. Do something silly. Make someone laugh.

I Made The Mistake...

I made the mistake of telling Superhero that I would make him a new cape. I told him this on Sunday, and that I would look for a pattern and fabric this week and make it on Saturday.

He meets me at the door every day to see if I have said pattern and fabric. I am trying not to run errands at lunch to conserve gas during the day and do them on the way home in the afternoon. So far this week, I haven't been able to do that. But he is quite insistent about the whole thing.

My procrastination is causing me additional trouble because now he not only wants a cape for himself, he wants one for his dad, and both cousins. What I thought would be an hour or two job at best, is going to be a whole day job.

My concern at this point is that his dad will get the most use of the cape. I raised a big child. A big child, I'm telling you. He spends a lot of time with Superhero, taking him to work with him, letting him help around the yard and garden, and then playing. And dad doesn't sit and watch, he participates. While dad was here this week, I missed them. Superhero was riding his bike and dad was running along beside. It was a sight that made my heart flutter.

Has your heart fluttered this week? Come on, tell me about it. I have to know.

Have a great Thursday(looks like mine is going to be wet). Do something silly. Make someone laugh.

The Great American Trailer Park Musical

I know you've been checking my blog often this morning to see what I had to say about The Great American Trailer Park Musical. It was a hoot! It was corny, trashy and very funny. It was set in Armadillo Acres, in Stark, Florida.

There were three gals who basically told the story, and they did a great joy. One had a husband on death row, one's husband was buried behind one of the trailers, and the other one's family had disowned them and she had a hysterical pregnancy and wore maternity clothes all the time. The first song they sang had to do with whether they lived on the right side or the wrong side of the tracks, and basically said they lived on THIS side of the tracks.

The one whose husband was on death row was the funniest. She was a ditsy blonde and said whatever came into her head. The story was about a couple who had lived in the park for 20 years. He had been a highschool football bigshot who was failing geometry, and she was a math whiz. He asked her to help him pass geometry, and the rest is history. He now is a toll booth collector, and since their baby was stolen, she hasn't been outside of the trailer.

She's trying to get over her agoraphobia, and he ends up at a strip club where he gets picked up by the new stripper in town, who just also happens to have moved into the park next door.

He has an affair with the stripper. His wife throws him out, and the stripper's marker sniffing boyfriend comes to town to shoot them all. During the confrontation, the boyfriend mentions that his mama used to sing him a lullabye that started off ,'The devil went down to Georgia', and when the agoraphobic wife sings the next line, 'He was looking for a soul to steal', then she knew he was her stolen baby, and now they could all live happily ever after.

The language was a little rough and the sexual enuendos were a little explicit, but other than that, it was funny and very entertaining.

My five friends went also. Four of us started and finished school together, and then we have two we've adopted. Everyone got a kick out of the musical, and we're waiting for the sequel.

This musical was presented by the Drama Dept here at the local university where I am employeed, so it's easy for me to go over and pick up tickets for things here on campus. Sure wish I got a discount!

What have your done thats fun with your friends lately? If you don't have any, make every effort to make some and have fun with them. In the meantime:

Have a great Wednesday. Do something silly. Make someone laugh.

Shrimp and Pasta for Dinner Last Night

I was checking out a few of the blogs that I always check out, and Chocolatehic had posted about a shrimp and penne pasta dish she and the boy had made. Knowing how much my little superhero loves shrimp, I decided to try it.

After work, I went to the local Kroger(where we have the best choices of 'fresh' seafood, and bought a lb of shrimp, some Old Bay seasoning and a couple of other items.

I went home, peeled the shrimp and had it all ready in about 30 minutes. Hey, I could do 30 minute meals with that one--look out Rachel Ray!

The pound fed my daughter-in-law, my grandson-aka superhero, myself and my son when he arrived for a visit. A couple of times, I caught superhero with garlic breath and knew he'd been in sneaking an extra shrimp, but then again, superheros need extra nourishment.

It was a quick, easy dish to prepare, and delish. If you like shrimp and pasta, head on over to Chocolatehic's Place, and get the recipe.

And as an update, superhero was Spiderman last night. I asked him how he slept last night, and he said great. I asked if he had to go out on any calls to save the world, and he said no, things were quiet last night.

His dad came in about 8:00 last night for a couple of days to meet with a builder today and decide if they are going to take the house they've been looking at that's almost finished or if the great land hunt will start up again. He can build, but he's looking at probably 4 months to do that, and they really would like to get into their own place.

Superhero has been sleeping with his mother, but when his dad came in, he lost his spot and knew he would have to sleep with me. He told his dad that he(superhero) should sleep with his mother, and that he(dad) should sleep with his mother. It didn't quite work out that way, but we all managed to make it through the night.

Tonight is The Great Trailer Park Musical. Expect a critique of it on tomorrow's post.

Hope you are having a great Tuesday. Do something silly today. Make someone smile.

Does Batman Have Blonde Hair?

As many of you know, my daughter-in-law and the two grand children are staying with me since she has started her new job, and while they continue to look for a house/land or someplace to live. My son has remained at the other house to finish up some contracting jobs and sell the house they have in NW Arkansas.

Needless to say, there is never a dull moment at my house. The baby is now 10 months old, walking and quite entertaining, but she can't hold a candle to her 4 year old brother. He has Superman and Batman pj's complete with capes, and whenever he dons these outfits, he becomes the super hero on this clothes.

Saturday night after he got his Batman pj's on, I heard him ask his mother, 'Does Batman have blonde hair?'. You may have guessed by now, his is blonde, and he wants to be completely accurate in his potrayal of the Caped Crusader(that is Batman, right?) She got tickled and I didn't hear her answer, but I'm sure she said probably since he would have been totally crushed had the answer been 'no'.

I was telling one of the ladies at church yesterday morning after he'd introduced himself as Bruce Wayne(Batman's counterpart, which I'm sure you already knew) and she had a really good answer. She mentioned that you can't see Batman's hair since it is always covered with the thing he wears on his head with the pointed ears. Now who would have thunk it? You would totally think Batman's hair would be the same color as Bruce Waynes, but if he can transform himself into a Bat, I guess he could change his hair color.

Oh, and by the way, I have convinced him that John Wayne is Bruce Waynes' father and that I was Wonder Woman when I was younger, but when I gained weight, I had to return the costume since it no longer fit. And even though I swore him to secrecy, he has managed to tell several people that I'm Wonder Woman. As you can see, I'm doing my part to warp my grandchildren.

So, do you think Batman could have blonde hair? I'd like to know your opinion. It's that nosey thing I have going on.

Have a great Monday. Do something silly today. Make someone smile.

It's Friday and it's Raining!!!

What a dreary day. It has been pretty all week with warm temperatures, but today it is raining. It has been falling steadily since about 9:15am, and is supposed to do this all day.

On a lighter note, I purchased tickets for me and five other gals to go see The Great American Trailer Park Musical. Classy name, huh? It is a new show about agoraphobia, adultery, 80's nostalgia, spray cheese, road kill, hysterical pregnancy, a broken electric chair, kleptomania, strippers, and disco. It's supposed to be everything a musical should be.

We will see it next Tuesday night. I think it will be hysterical. This will be six women going to see this. No menfolk allowed. And I think I'm the only one who ever lived in a trailer, although it wasn't in a trailer park. It was attached to my husband's grandparent's house. How wierd is that? This little trailer had been attached to their house for my husband's great grandmother, so they could take care of her. When she went to live in assisted care, we moved in. There was heat in this little trailer, but no air conditioning. It was like living in a tin box in the hot sun. Let me tell you, I was almost cooked through and through by the time we moved out. Oh, and I was pregnant during the summer, so I was really hot. Maybe that's what's wrong with daughter #1. Do you think I actually cooked her before she was born? How did I get way off on this subject? Who knows. Anyway, I think the musical will be lots of fun.

What is your next fun thing to do? I have to know. Does this aversion to knowing all your business come from being the only girl in the family? I'm also a middle child, but then Ree at Pioneer Woman seems to have that niche tightened up, so I won't attmept to use that as an excuse.

Have a great Friday(and hopefully a dry one). Do something silly. Make someone laugh.

Maddie's Going To Spend The Night

See this pretty little girl? That's Maddie, Madelyn Elise to be exact, but she likes Maddie. She spends the night with me almost every Thursday night and I take her to school on Friday's. She's 4 and goes to school at Discovery Island. Her mom works 4 days a week, and would have to drive into town on her day off if Maddie didn't spend the night with me. I have to come to work on Friday anyway, so I drop her off on my way.

When I pick her up this afternoon, she'll talk my ear off until we get home, and if she can talk me into it, we'll stop at McDonnies(McDonalds) for her favorite meal which sometimes is a burger, and sometimes chicken nuggets. But most of her sentences will start with,'You know what Memaw?' and if you don't say, 'what', she'll say it again. I try to be attentive enough that she only has to say it once because if she has to repeat it more than twice, she sometimes forgets what it was that she wanted me to know.

We talk about what letter she's learning in school. What she had for lunch and snack. Whether her best friend Emma was there, and what Evan Pitman did to her that day. I think Evan has a little crush on her.

She's in for a treat tonight since my DIL and chidren are staying with me for a while, she and her cousin Ivan(a month older than she)will get to play together. These times have been few and far between but now that they are moving to our area, hopefully, they will get to play often. If everything goes as planned, they will both be in the same school district too.

Needless to say, I'm excited about having her tonight. She is bright, funny and has the cutest little speech impediment, which I can already tell is going away. And she can play with a few strands of that long brown hair, cock her head to one side or the other, and bat those eyelashes and get absolutely anything she wants.

Who are you excited to see today. I must know. I know LisaJ is getting her grandbaby today or tomorrow. What fun you'll have.

Have a happy Thursday, Do something silly. Make someone laugh.

Tuesday Night's TV

Was anyone surprised when Priscilla got voted off last night. I couldn't decide if it would be her or Shannon Elizabeth. But I think probably Priscilla has fewer people to vote for her than the others. It will be interesting to see who goes next.

I felt sorry for Denny Crane and Shirley Schmidt on Boston Legal. Shirley for losing her father, and Denny for being in the courtroom when Alan talked about his friend and what he had to face down the road.

And what about the Biggest Loser! I was rooting for the fellow who needed health insurance to win it all, but wasn't unhappy when the other fellow won. He had worked really hard too. I had forgotten, if I even knew, that someone of those who had been voted off would get the $100,000. I had even mentioned to my DIL that they had to have continued help or they wouldn't have continued to lose weight. It's just a fact, you aren't going to keep working that hard unless you have an incentive. Well, that incentive just happened to be $100,000.

I was relly excited when Ali won the top prize. But I wonder why it's only $250,000. Now I know that's a lot of money, but to be put on display every week, dressed in blubber revealing clothes. Well, let me tell you, it would take more than the possibility of $250,000 to get this fat girl dressed in bicycle shorts and a tank top. I might do it for half a mil, but I'm thinking I'd need the whole million to get me out there dressed like that. Standing up there each week knowing that millions of people are looking at you each week and saying, Gee, would you look at those stretch marks, or those are the ugliest man boobs I've ever seen! And that's exactly what we said too.

Each week while I eat something as I sit and watch this show, I promise myself that tomorrow, I'm going to go for a walk before work, or I'm going to start doing the tapes I buy and then never use. I think I have some of Richard Simmons' Sweatin to the Oldies', and I know I have one of Billy Blanks' TiBo tapes. And yes, I have a yoga and a pilates video also. But I guess I'am afraid I'll wear them out if I use them. And we have a gym here at work that I could go to at lunch, but I'd get all hot and sweaty. Can't have that. Might just smell up a meeting in the pm.

My weight is my biggest struggle in my life right now. And the struggle is more that I can't fit into my clothes rather than battling the ability to stay on a diet. I don't even try to stay on one. Isn't that sad?

What is a struggle in your life today? It's important for me to know I'm not the only one who has struggles.

Have a happy Wednesday. Do something silly. Make someone laugh.

We Set A Record Last Night!

And I don't even know for sure what it was. We were warned about a late spring freeze last night. It actually got down into the high 20's and we set a new low. I went out last night and covered up my clematis that has about a gazillion buds on it. Really about a hundred.

I went out last night and took this picture of my neighbor's dogwood tree. I am afraid after the freeze last night, the bloomage won't last long. Is bloomage a word? If a bird has ploomage, can't a tree have bloomage. Let's see how long it takes this word to show up in Webster's Dictionary.

That's my Japanese Maple on the right of the picture. It doesn't bloom, but I don't know if the cold will hurt the leaves. It is really pretty in the spring, but by the time the cotton is planted across the street and sprayed, my tree will look a bit puney.

This picture is of my Redbud tree. It was in full bloom last week, but with the wind we had a few days ago, most of the blooms have not fallen off.

I was on my way home yesterday and smelled some freshly turned soil. With all the rain we've had, that was a welcome fragrance. Hopefully, the farmers can start getting into the fields and things will be back to normal.

I can't wait for the clematis blooms. It is a soft lavendar color and is one big bloom. And I love the way the blooms look once the petals are gone. They sorta swirl around. I don't pinch them off, because they are so different.

I'd like to thank daughter#2 for winning a book for me from Baking and Books blog. I had installed a new printer at home, and afterward for a while couldn't go to the comments section of several of the blogs I read. When I told her about my problem, she submitted a comment on my behalf, and won. What a great daughter she is. And so are you daughter#1. Don't want any fighting going on betweens sista's.

Tell me about what's blooming in your life today. It doesn't have to be a tree or flowers, it can be anything or anyone. I have to know.

Have a happy Tuesday. Do something silly. Make someone laugh.

Thinking About The Love.

I posted last Friday about family members who may not be around when your children are grown. The only way these children will know how much they were loved and cherished by those family members is through pictures of them being held and loved. Our children need to know they are loved, not only by us, their parents, but they need to know how much they are loved by all their family members. If you think about it, relatives who are not in your life much, just don't mean much to you. And if you have parents and grandparents who are gone by the time you are big enough to really remember them, they won't mean much either.

I issued a challenge to everyone to make lots of pictures of family members with your small children. They may have to ask who that is holding them, but that gives you an opportunity to share with them how much that person loved them, and how much your children meant to them.

I had a comment from Ohmommy from Classy Choas who had a very similar post. And yes, great minds do think alike. I especially loved the picture of her grandmother in her apron. It reminded me of my grandmother. I have few memories of her since she died when I was five, but one thing I do remember is her aprons. Most of my memories are just snippets, but they mean a lot to me. And I do love to read sappy posts. I like those that are funny, silly and make me laugh, but I love those that bring a tear to my eyes as well. For all we read and hear about the terrible things that happen in this world, I am thrilled to hear about the close ties we have through our love of family.

I also feel I have gained a new family through this medium. I could spend several hours a day reading and commenting on blogs. Our internet may often be used for bad things, but finding people of kindred spirits across this country and all over the world is truly a good thing.

Hope you have a happy Monday. Do something silly. Make someone laugh.

The Weekend's Almost Over

Sunday afternoons are always a sad time for me. That means my weekend is about over and it will be time to go back to work soon.

We had a great time yesterday afternoon at the pig-in-the-ground barbeque at church. This is the third annual early spring event. We had lots of wonderful food to go along with our barbeque. Baked beans, salads, corn on the cob, deviled eggs, and the deserts were nothing short of wonderful. Someone even made a hundred cupcakes decorated like pigs. The kids loved them. We had a good age range too. From the very young to the very wise.

The reason this is only our third annual event is because our congregation has only been in existence for 3 years. It will be 4 in June. We started out with 130 the first Sunday, and now have about 600 each week. We began in a rented building with plans to build, and when we grew so quickly, that plan was scrapped for a bigger plan, and we are already outgrowing our classroom space. We are truly blessed!

Our service this morning was a study about the Holy Spirit. The minister talk about being filled with the spirit, and that the Holy Spirit came on the apostles on the day of Pentecost, but it's something we don't tend to delve into deeply. I think we just assume it's there, that it is part of the Godhead, and we pretty much leave it at that.

Now it's back home, working on laundry for next week, getting some cooking done and hopefully a nap. First I have to go get some strawberries ready for my grandson(aka Superman).

Hope you are having a wonderful Sunday. Do something silly today. Make someone laugh.

Hurray It's Saturday!

What a glorious day the Lord hath made. The sun is shinning, the Robins are digging in the front yard, the water is receding and it's just a great day.

We've had a lot of stormy weather these past few weeks. Lots and lots of rain. We aren't in the same sad shape as many of our neighbors who have lost homes and livelyhoods. It's beginning to look like there may not be too many crops planted. But looking outside this morning, it's absolutely beautiful. There's not a cloud in the sky. Who can't look around and smile.

My granddaughter, who by the way has taken up residence in my sewing room, woke up this morning smiling and laughing. I got her up, changed her, fed her, played with her and let her take an early nap on me. I am truly blessed! Her mama and big brother(Superman as he's known today) slept a while and I enjoyed the quiet time listening to the steady breathing of the baby on my chest.

Everyone is awake now and Superman is talking a mile a minute. I think he's trying to get his mother to be the big bad wolf. The Three Little Pigs are his favorite story. No more quiet time. We have a barbeque at church this afternoon, and it's time for me to decide what my contribution will be.

What are your plans for today? I need to know.

Hope you have a happy Saturday. Do something silly. Make someone smile.

Daddy And My Kids

My oldest daughter lovingly called Daughter#1 said she'd better not see any pictures of her on my blog. I'm so sorry Daughter#1, but I found this picture of you, your brother and my dad(your Papa), and I just couldn't resist.

It was her birthday, she looks to be about 7 or 8, so that makes this picture 30 some years old. Notice the old frig in the background.

I didn't take nearly enough pictures of my dad, and other members of the family. I encourage anyone who reads this blog to take pictures of the older members of your family as often as you can. They will mean an awful lot someday. My children got to know their grandfather very well. He died in 1993. They spent a lot of time with him. And occasionally they let something slip that he allowed them to do that I would not have approved of then. Nothing dangerous or illegal, just things I wouldn't have liked.

But they have grown into healthy, adults with few after affects of the time he was in their life, and I think he would be proud of the people they've become.

I know that a large majority of the people who blog have really nice camera equipment, and are taking lots of great pictures of nature. But I'm issuing a challenge to get some really good photos of your older family members with all the grandchildren you can possibly get into the pictures.

Pictures of birds, snowstorms and sunsets are really pretty, and I most certainly enjoy seeing them, but those that will be treasured most are the ones of your children with older members of your family. I've encouraged daughter#2, who has managed to come up with come really nice camera equipment, and she's good with it, to actually set up a photo shoot with her girls and their Papaw Clyde, and Memaw Ozelma. These are great grandparents who probably won't be at the girl's graduations or weddings. So I think it's very important to document for their future those who love them unconditionally. I want them to be able to see the love those great grandparents have in their eyes for them.

When you get a chance to make some of these memories, please post them on your blog for all of us to see. The Bible says time on earth is short and full of troubles. Let's be sure to document for future generations the love we've enjoyed.

Hope you are having a happy Friday. Do something silly today. Make someone laugh.

Are You A Tigger Or An Eeyore?

I watched with interest last night as Diane Sawyer interviewed Randy Pausch. He's the college professor who has Pancreatic Cancer, a wife and three small children. He initially was given 3 to 6 months of quality life. He has written a book titled appropriately, since he's a teacher, 'The Last Lecture'.

What did he do with this information? Did he go home, crawl into bed and begin to feel sorry for himself? Sure he had his moments, but he went home to live out his last days the very best he could. His theory is you can't control the cards you're dealt, just how you play the hand."

He has a lecture online that I'm going to find and watch. They played excerpts last night, and talked one-on-one with him and his wife, but I think it's very important to listen to the entire video he made.

We are all faced with adversity, but this man is facing it with the utmost grace and dignity. He is very aware of what is happening to him, but is choosing to make it the best time of his life along with that of his family.

He talked about his doctor asking if he were depressed. He told the Dr that for a healthy person, he probably was depressed, but for a man with a terminal disease, he thought he was doing very well. The Dr agreed.

I could identify with a lot of the things he said. Five years ago, I was given a probable death sentence. I was told without surgery, I would die, and probably wouldn't make it through surgery. I then had six weeks to get ready. The first couple of weeks, I was in a lot of pain, but after that time, I didn't feel like anything was wrong. I just wasn't allowed to do anything, and couldn't get excited about anything.

Each time I went in to see the surgeon, he was surprised that I was still alive. And it seemed to irk him that I was not only alive, I was laughing and joking. He kept telling me I was in denial. I finally explained to him that I knew what my chances were. I was doing everything he was telling me to do, but I saw no reason to sit around and moan and complain.

Instead, I made dresses for my dauguter#2's baby who I would have never seen had I not made it through this time. She was born two months after I went through all this. And I have three more grandchildren that I would have never known.

At times this Dr was quite a gloomy gus, but it just isn't my nature to be down on a regular basis. Oh sure, I have a pitty party occasionally, but I made it through that surgery, didn't have to have any treatments, and even though he promised me it would be back in 5 years, I haven't seen hide nor hair it. Now when I run into this Dr, he treats me like an old friend. I think he feels I'm one of his success stories, a tribute to his ability. I just think I'm a strong, lucky person. And I give God and prayer most of the credit.

I'm in no way comparing myself to what Randy Pausch is going through. But I saw some of the same traits in myself that he exhibits. He is quite a testament to the human spirit. It would be wonderful if more of us lived each day like it would be out last on earth(We had a sermon on that very subject a few weeks ago). As the later interviews showed, he isn't as energetic as in the first, he's already lived past the time expected, but he pushes on.

If you haven't seen or heard of this man, there is a video of his lecture on the web somewhere, probably on U-Tube. Find it and watch it. I haven't seen all of it, but what I saw, made a huge impression on me. And I intend to find it and listen to the entire lecture.

My question for today is: Are you a Tigger, or an Eeyore? I hope we are all Tiggers and continue to bounce our way through life.

Have a happy Wednesday. Do something silly. Make someone laugh.

What's Wrong With This Picture?

What's wrong with this picture? Why would that big kid take a tricycle away from a little kid? Is that what's happening? Who knows.

I can tell you they are brothers. I can tell you they love each other. I can tell you that under no circumstances would the bigger boy would be mean to the little one. I'm hoping that one of my daughters remember this photo op and 'splain it to me'. I think it was a family reunion, and probably the little blue thing on the side was what the little guy was riding.

But I found it and thought it was a hoot. But whatever had happened, the little guy was not a happy camper. And also, the bigger boy is definitely too big to be riding that trike, which may have belonged to him years earlier.

The little guy is now almost 11 years old, and the bigger boy is 23. I'm sure neither of them would be thrilled to know I've posted this picture. But then they probably won't unless daughter #1 tells them. She happens to be their mother, and will probably have a comment to make.

We're beginning to prepare for our family reunion which will be Memorial Day Weekend. I am already looking forward to seeing everyone. I have only two brothers, no sisters, except those I've adopted over the years. One brother lives in Kentucky, the other in Mississippi. We talk on the phone, and email some, but I'm always happy to see them face to face. If everyone in my immediate family comes we'll total 20. That includes children, spouses and in my case, grandchildren.

We'll also have some cousins on both sides of the family spend some time with us, and our step-parents will be there. I'm thinking there may be another 20. I may have to get more tables.

Do you have family reunions in which you participate? Tell me some of the things you do for fun. I really need to know.

The Things We Hang Onto!

As I've mentioned here for a while, I'm in the process of making room for my DIL and two grandchildren while they are in transition. I absolutely can't wait for them to be here. It's so exciting for me that they will be living in this area so that I can spend more time with them. I've missed so much time with the little ones and I can't wait to start making up for it.

I realize that so many grandparents never get to have that time with their grandkids as we are such a mobile society. And this has always been something we have had to deal with. In the early days of this country, immigrants brought their children and possessions to a new world and never once did they get to go back and visit with loved ones. What separation anxiety they must have felt.

While this country was being settled, many young families moved west, never again to be able to be with their families. What now takes only hours to travel, took them weeks and months. We take our mobility for granted much of the time. There are no destinations we cannot reach within short periods of time; money and possibly government restrictions aside.

But I am getting to be one of the lucky few who will have all my children within minutes of my home. I'll be able to spend time with them. I'll be able to help get them to school. I'll be able to have them spend the night whenever I want them to. If one of them calls, I can be with them in a matter of minutes. I am truly blessed.

I started this post to complain about how I have accumulated so much stuff. I got a bit side tracked, but that's ok. As I go through this 'stuff', I am having an opportunity to take a trip down memory lane. But as I look at some of the things I have kept, I am amazed at some of it. I have three nice sized closets in this house. Living by myself, I have managed to fill them all. Of the three closets, only a small amount of space in one has clothes that fit me. Some of these clothes have been in these closets for the entire seven years I've lived here.

I should have gotten rid of them long ago. But clothes aren't the only thing I've found. I've found bank account records that date back 15 years. Some on accounts that have long been closed. I did manage to pitch them. And as you know, I've gone through pictures. I threw away a lot of blurry pictures. Thank goodness for digital cameras. You don't have to print anything that isn't good. I'd like to know how much money I've spent over the years printing pictures of people and things that are almost unrecognizable.

I also found a letter an uncle sent to my dad a few months after my mother died encouraging him to date and to get married again. I think that one has given me nightmares. No one really likes to think of their parents being back in the dating pool. But he was only 54 when mother died so he didn't need to spend the rest of his life alone. And he married a lady who was very good to him and they spent 24 years together before he died.

But most of what I'm throwing away is junk, was always junk, and forever would be junk. Why have I kept all this junk you ask? I don't have a clue. Part of it is that pack rat mentality. Some if it is being too lazy to sort through and get rid of it. And I don't know what the rest is. But I'm going to get rid of a bunch of it. I promise. I joke and say that I'm keeping all this stuff for my kids to have to go through when I'm gone. In order to get them to fo that, I'd have to hint there is money hidden in it. But they wouldn't believe that. They know too well to fall for such a tactic. They say if you haven't used it in five years, you should get rid of it. That's the rule of thumb I plan to use. That will be my measure of worth. And hopefully with all that said, there'll be a lot of room for my family when it's all said and done.

We Lost A Great Actor This Weekend

If you haven't already heard, Charlton Heston died on Saturday. He was an actor that I truly enjoyed watching. He was also a man who stood up for his ideals. He came under a lot of bad publicity for his stand on Gun Control. He was a man who took being a member of the National Rifle Association very seriously.

I'm a great fan of the American Movie Channel and Turner Classic Movies. Whenever one of Heston's films is on, I always try to watch them. Now that is not to say I would miss a John Wayne movie if they were on at the same time, but I do think Heston is a legend.

Speaking of old movies, I watched 'The Reivers' last night with Steve McQueen. I saw this movie back when I used to go to the drive in. There were always two movies, and the second show one night was this one. The only thing I remembered about it was a car being stolen by McQueen's character. But it was a great movie, and the main character was an eleven year old boy who became a man on a four day trip to Memphis. One of William Faulkner's stories, it was set in Mississippi and Memphis. It was quite a hoot.

I didn't blog yesterday. I've been trying to make room in my cluttered living space for my DIL and two children. I'm so excited they are coming to stay with me during their transition of moving back 'home'. But they must have a place to put their clothes and such. So I spent as much time Saturday and Sunday as possible clearing out drawer space(I'm such a pack rat) and attempting to go through clothes that can be stored or given to Goodwill.

How did you feel about Charlton Heston? Are you a pack rat? When was the last time you went through and did a thorough purging of things you don't need any more? Tell me the truth now.

More About My Favorite Subject--ME!

I'm posting some early school pictures. As I scanned them, one thing I noticed was that there are no big smiles with teeth showing. I don't know why unless I had lost teeth and didn't want anyone to see the holes.

As you can see, I was already into the western theme. I think this set the tone for my love for anything John Wayne early on. Notice I have bangs. My forehead is so high, that I have hardly any hair almost to my crown. This outfit consisted of jeans and the shirt was definitely flannel. I think I wanted to be like my brother so much that I insisted on being dressed like a boy.

Then I found out about being a girl. I got my first home perm. We didn't have running water in those days. I remember mother reading the directions and one of them was that you poured a certain number of pitchers of water over your head to rinse the perm solution out of your hair. And notice, I'm wearing a dress. This is the third grade picture. The year I went from being the baby of the family to being a middle child. How traumatic. My life was never the same. The next photo is my fourth grade picture. That year was a blur. I honestly can't remember anything about it except who my teacher was. She had pets, and I wasn't one of them.
This last picture is of me in the fifth grade. We had another Operetta, and I was a lady in waiting for Snow White's court. My mother made this dress. It was pink cotton with a net overlay. I thought I was big stuff. This picture was made beside our house.

How about your school days? Did you enjoy them, or were they a blur like some of mine? I need to know.

I received an email about a comment I'd left on another blog. I was asked to show some of my crystal/glass collection. If I get time today, I'll take some pics of my favorite pieces and post them tomorrow.

In the meantime, have a happy Saturday. Do something silly. Make someone laugh.

It Was A Dark And Stormy Night

It was a dark and stormy night--oh wait, that's the way Snoopy started his storys on his dog house. But it was--a dark and stormy night and will probably be a dark and stormy day. But today is my brother's birthday. Let me tell you about him. You'd much rather hear that than to hear about the weather. He's nine years old in this picture.

John is 8 years younger than I. I was in the third grade when he was born. My older brother and I were sent to a friend's house to get ready for school so my dad could take mother to the hospital. He was the only one of the three of us born in a hospital. Anyway, we went to school, and about lunch time, I was called to the classroom where my brother was a student and the teacher was a family friend. She got the privilege of telling us we had a new baby brother.

I don't remember what my brother's reaction was. He was a stoic child, who seldom showed emotions. But as for me, I cried! Yes, that's right, I cried. I don't know why. I don't even know if I knew we were getting a new baby before that day. Back in the day, children weren't privy to that type of information. It wasn't discussed. Being in the 'family way' was whispered. I can't imagine why it was so hush hush. But it was. And now my life had been totally interrupted by a 'baby'. So I cried. Maybe it was that I was such an introspective child that I suddenly realized that my days as the baby of the family were at an end. Maybe I saw days of babysitting in my future. Maybe I thought I'd no longer be loved. Nope, I wasn't deep enough to have those type of thoughts--I just cried.

Then my parents had the audicity to bring that baby home. We then had all these people come by to see him. Everyone oohed and aahed over him. Then my Aunt Connie and Uncle Crook--yes we had an Uncle Crook, it was just a nickname-that came. Unbeknownst to my family, I made a deal with Uncle Crook. I traded that baby to my Uncle for three rabbits. What a deal! I got three rabbits for one ole baby. And they wouldn't cry and have to be fed and changed. But do you think I ever got those rabbits? No, I did not, and to this day, I begrudge not getting those rabbits.

But then something happened. Something I never thought would happen. I fell in love with that baby. I wanted to be with him all the time. I talked about him all the time. I was a very proud big sister. Now I'm not going to tell you that I wanted to do everything for him. I can't remember, and after all, I did have to go to school. But I couldn't wait to get home every day to see him.

We're all grown up now, but I still love my baby brother. He's over six feet tall, has a booming voice that can be quite intimidating, and sings like a bird. Albeit a big bird, but a bird. He has, in fact, made his living most of his life singing. He started singing when he was very small, and by the time he was a teenager, was winning talent contests. He went on to major in music in college, and obtained a doctorate in church music. He worked for many years as a music minister. He sang with the University of Memphis singers, and was a member of the Mississippi Singing Churchmen. He was even able to go with the latter group on a singing tour of Europe. He sang at both my daughter's weddings and our Aunt Connie's funeral. He's still singing, but now he also sells chicken farms and drives a bus. The bus job is a story for a later post, let's just say, in his life, there's never a dull moment.

My question today--Who caused your life as a child to be totally turned upside down?

Hope it isn't raining in your life today. We here in NE Arkansas are totally soaked. I'm thinking about calling the local hardware and trying to buy some gopher wood.

Have a happy Friday. Do something silly. Make someone laugh.

More Memories of My Childhood.

I don't remember taking this picture, but I think I was only 2 or 3 years old. This picture of my brother and me are one of several I've run across. When my mother helped in the field, we stayed with our grandmother. The house in the background is hers.

My hair was and still is very straight. But my mother always attempted to put curl in it. The best I can tell, I have some type of curlers in my hair. By the time I was in the second grade, mother was giving me home perms.

I've always thought it was interesting that my brother was holding that poor cat. Doesn't it look like it is right where it wants to be? Notice there is no grass. I remember my dad talking about having to scrape the yard. I guess is was cheaper than buying a mower of some type.

My mother took a lot of photos. She had one of those little Kodak box cameras. And she was thoughtful about grabbing it when anything was going on. I didn't inherit her ability to take good pictures, but fortunately my daughter #2 did.

Who was your family photographer? Did you have lots of photos taken of you as a child? Do you like to take pictures? I have to know this about you?

In the meantime, have a happy Thursday. Do something silly. Make someone laugh.

Memories of My Childhood

This is one of my favorite pictures from childhood. It was made in 1955. It shows my brother and myself in crepe paper costumes made by our mother.

Every four years our school put on an Operetta. It was quite a production and included any elementary student who wanted to participate, and I was all about participation back then.

Parents were told what to get to make the costumes, and given a pattern, and then mothers or someone made them. My brother was a sunbeam, and I was a raindrop. As a younger sibling who absolutely adored my older brother, I rained on many of his parades.

At school we spent time every day working on our respective parts. This was a musical with lots of singing and dancing(oops, did I say dancing?) We moved around alot on the gym floor. There was a story told in song. I don't remember what the story was for this one. But I do remember that in the fifth grade we did Snow White. I have the picture from that one too. I'll post it when I find it.

I've wondered how we managed to get all that in and our school work too, but then, I remember, we didn't have as much to learn back then. History books were shorter, and we didn't have computer classes to go to. But we worked in our practice time.

Do you have special events from your childhood? I sometimes think I didn't have a happy childhood, but I really did. We were free in the afternoons to roam the farm and play in the trees behind our place. There were always stray cats and dogs we adopted. Lots of dirt to dig in, and just the freedom to be a child. We never worried about someone kidnapping us or molesting us. It was a happier time back then.

Tell me about a special time in your young life. I continue to struggle with that inquiring mind thing. You know the one my children call just being nosey.

Have a happy Wednesday. Do something silly. Make someone laugh.

The Winner Is--

I ended up with 21 eligible comments. Eligible meaning one per day excluding my daughters. I used Excel's random number selection, and -- drum roll please-- Lisa J from 'My New Thing To Do' is the winner. Congratulations! If you will send me your mailing address via this email address - shirleysmith@astate.edu - I will send your tea towels off in the mail to you. I have enjoyed playing this little game, hope you have too.

Now on to other important things. Did you watch Dancing With The Stars last night? I was pleasantly surprised at Adam Carolla. I thought he did a pretty good job. I do think they are being too hard on Marisa. All three judges jumped on her. I thought she did a good job as well. The sad part was they were so hard on her, and then just oohed and aahed over Priscilla Presley. Which I admit, she has done well also. But it's almost like - let's get the fat chick! And being one myself, I don't like that.

I think the top ones will be Jason and Christi. He has such a smooth presentation, and she's just downright good. But if they are going to cut Carolla some slack, they should cut Marisa some as well. She may be a performer, but she's a singer, not a dancer.

Let me get off my soapbox. I will not watch the show tonight, I will watch Biggest Loser. I've decided that I just can't devote two nights a week to one show that they drag out for an hour and could be done in 10 minutes. I don't care about all the guest stars who sing and the dancing by others. Oh wait, I was going to get off my soap box wasn't I?

I've started cleaning out drawer space for my DIL and two grandchildren who are coming in less than two weeks to stay with me while they find/build a house. The chest I'm working on right now has a lot of family pictures in it, so you may get bored with seeing me as a child, my parents when they were young, and even some of those two daughters who seem to like to argue on my blog comments.

I also went to the chiropracter yesterday morning. I've had what I call a hitch in my get-a-long, but I was about past getting along. It hurt really bad when I walked on my right leg, and there was only one position comfortable when I was trying to sleep. When I left his office, I wasn't sure I was any better, but I stayed as still as possible at work, and by the time I got home, I was some better. But by the time I went to bed last night, I was a lot better, and even more so this morning. I'm going back Wednesday for another adjustment. I may not have to hobble this time.

Today is April Fool's day. Hope you don't get tricked too many times.

Have a happy Tuesday. Do something silly. Make someone laugh.

News Flash: Contest Will End Today

I've decided to end the contest for the tea towels today. If you didn't see the picture of one of them, you can go to the post titled 'Wednesday Rants and Offerings'.

Sometime around 4:00 p.m. cst. today, I'll take the entries from today and put them with the rest, and do that random number generator thingee. Then one person will be the proud new owner of the two tea towels that I have embroidered.

This was a labor intensive project. There are over 11,000 stitches in each design, and about 15 thread changes. I put in about 2 hours on each one. But I think they turned out pretty well.

Spring is , well, Springing

This is the scene from my front. I took this picture yesterday morning about 7:00 AM. It had started raining and thundering about 5:30, and continued to rain off and on all day.

I planted this little redbud tree right in front of my house in an effort to have some shade. My house faces west, and the afternoon sun comes right in my front door and window. I have oak trees across the front of the property, but my drive makes a perfect place for the sun to peek through. The tree is a delight since it has such pretty blooms in the spring, and then has heart shaped leaves all summer. It's the same tree that I took pictures of my grandchildren in a few posts back.

If you look toward the bottom of the picture, you see something brown. This is what was left behind from the big rain we had last week. The green you see isn't grass, it's weeds. I meant to burn my yard off in February, thus keeping me from having to mow until sometime in May, but alas, I failed to do that, so before long, the mower will have to come out, and at least make an effort for the yard to look good.

I purposly didn't take pictures out toward the pine trees. There are pine cones and small limbs everywhere. These will have to be raked prior to mowing as well. Now I remember why I like Winter--no yard work!!!

What yard work are you dreading? I want to know.

Have a happy Monday. Do something silly. Make someone laugh.

Junk Food List

One of the comments I received the other day asked what junk food I feed my granddaughter when she comes to my house. My daughter has done a good job of watching what they eat and they have some very good eating habits.

For instance, she won't eat cookies, and doesn't want much in the way of baked sweets. She will, however, eat sweet tarts and gummy worms. I try not to keep much in the way of junk food, because if it's here, you guessed it, I will eat it. But when we go to the store, I usually allow her to pick something. You know what? She usually picks gum. Not me, I'd have picked the biggest candy bar on the shelf.

When she came home with me Thursday night, I was still eating Easter leftovers, and I knew she wouldn't care much for dressing and the like. But the one thing she will always eat are potato chips. The wavy plain ones are the ones I keep. She likes them with milk. So for supper, she had more than one helping of potato chips and milk. I made her some rice crispy treats, but she didn't touch them forcing me to eat the whole pan. That was really hard.

Next morning, however, she came in and ordered eggies for breakfast. It seems that a sitter(who was, by the way, wrapped tightly around her little finger) would make scrambled eggs for every morning. So now when she comes, I'm pressed into the service of making them for her. I am always told that the eggies should be cooked in butter, and to put a little milk in them. All this from a 4 year old. Can you imagine how bossy she's going to be when she 14?

Maybe I won't kill them or cause all their teeth to fall out prematurely, but I do have to agree with my oldest daughter, and I pretty much used this philosophy on her kids too. If you leave them with me, don't complain about what I feed them. After all, I'm doing you a favor.

When my children were little, I honestly don't remember monitoring what they ate. We didn't get candy and soft drinks often so I guess it just wasn't much of a problem.

What do you feed your grandchildren/children? Are you a better grandmother/mother than I am? I must know.

Have a happy Sunday. Do something silly. Make someone laugh.

Christ is risen.

I Have a Crazy Wonderful Life

When I first started blogging, I thought I had absolutely nothing that would interest anyone. I looked at Pioneer Woman whose life is the stuff of which dream seem to be made. Then I began reading Chickens In The Road and knew right away that I could never compare to a published author who is doing amazing things Then there's Chocolatechic who is warm and always happy, and I felt her pain as she saw her Grams come to the end of her journey.

I read A Bug's Life and Wonderful World of Weiners where there struggles with health, and I love the food blogs. And the list of blogs I read continues to grow. There's Lisa J who spent several years enforcing laws and helping make a safer place for us to live.

So I said to myself, 'I have nothing to contribute, I live a very dull life. I just go to work--nothing special about my job--I go to church--I do help feed the college age kids on Wednesday night--I play with my grandchildren, sew and that's about it.' As you see, not very interesting. But being a glass half full type of gal, and a self proclaimed fly by the seat of my pants kind of gal, I manage to enjoy my time on this planet.

Fortunately, I have a lot of friends and family who help me through. I tell my daughters at every opportunity that God put me on this earth to have them and then to warp them. And, I might add, I take my work very seriously, and I feel I've done an excellent job. If you read their comments(and they make them!), you know they give me a hard time as often as possible too.

Who keeps you blogging? Who keeps you going? Who is special in your life. Remember that inquiring mind of mine--which the kids just call being nosey.

Have a happy Saturday. Do something silly. Make someone laugh.

TGIF

I'm sorry I'm late getting something posted this morning, but after all, it's Friday. The brunette granddaughter, daughter #2's youngest spent the night with me last night. Her mother doesn't work on Friday's so in order for her to get to school, she spends most Thursday night's with me and I bring her to school on Friday.

By the time I got her fed(and I hope her mother doesn't ask what she ate, cause it was totally not what she needed) and her bath, and a book read, I was-well, I was pooped. Then I didn't get up early enough to do anything this morning except get the two of us ready, and we were still a few minutes late.

Please don't forget my little contest, and continue to leave comments. You can leave one each day so the total will go up and we can pick a winner.

Have a happy Friday. Do something silly. Make someone laugh.

See What I Have to Put Up With!!

As you can see, both my daughters have not only found my blog, but now are arguing on it. You'd think I never did anything for either of them. Acutally, they just like to give me a hard time.

There are 10 years difference in these two girls, and ever since the youngest was born, the older one has claimed she was adopted. At some point, I'll post a picture or two and you will see that the oldest one cannot claim she doesn't belong to me. And even though there is a strong family resemblance between you youngest and me, she looks, is built and walks more like her father.

News Flash: Back to my first effort for a contest. I've decided that 50 is a pretty high number, so I'm dropping it to 30, and I forgot to tell you that you can enter each day.

As much fun as it is reading comments on other blogs, it is just so special to have them on my own.

I love both my daughters. They like to give me grief. But they are both good girls. I can't mention them unless I give equal time to my son. He is my favorite son, but then he is the only one. He is my middle child, and had all the middle child things going on in his life, but he is a very good son. He gave me enough grief as a child, so he doesn't do that any more. I love him as well. He is a very good son.

The absolute best thing about these three children is they have shared their children with me unconditionally. I have always been able to have them with me any time I wanted them. I have been allowed to spoil them and love them and for 10 years, I had only one. His mother, daughter #1, let me drag that child anywhere I wanted to. I'll tell you about some of our excursions sometime.

Wednesday Ramblings and Offerings

Well, did I predict the losers or what? I actually had two men and two women who could have been kicked to the curb. But Penn and Monica were my top two.

Oh Well, we'll see what happens next week.

I am in the process of embroidering two tea towels. I know they aren't big gift certificates, or worth a lot, but I think they are pretty. I have one finished. It took two hours and lots of thread changes, but here is a picture. This is an Explorations softwear design and I stitched it on my Babylock Ellageo. I got the towels from TJMax. I believe in giving credit where credit is due.

If you would like a chance to win these two tea towels, leave a comment on my blog. When I have at least 50 comments, I will put all the names in a hat or something equally technical and pick a winner. Don't you just love getting something in the mail? I am a bit sad that I didn't win the cookbook that was offered on both Tartelette and Baking and Books, but I won't hold a grudge. I'm like that. Easy to get along with. Fun to be with, and I don't need any smart remarks from either daughter.

Relatives may not participate. That means daughter #1 and daughter #2.

I'd also like to report that since I have started taking my medicine as prescribed, I'm feeling much, much better. I really should pay more attention to what I'm being told. And no more mental notes.

Medicine Mania and Maddness Part Duex

Well, you guessed it, I had done exactly what I thought I had. I discontinued the wrong bp med. How smart is that? I never claimed to be super intelligent, but who'd a thunk, I couldn't even keep two meds straight.

I called the dr's office after lunch. The conversation was much better than I anticipated. Nurse Jennifer was on hold with an insurance company, so Pam had her call me back. When I told her what I thought I had done, she looked up my chart and sure enough, I was taking two meds of the same kind.

I have now remedied that situation, and we'll see how things progress. I have also made myself some written notes and am no longer relying on mental ones, since we've just seen how that works out.

Now on to more important stuff. Who do you think will be eliminated tonight on DWTS? For the woman, I can't decide if it will be Marisa the bubbly short gal from Broadway or the Monica Celas. She doesn't seem to have much rythmn. But you can bet the farm it will be one of them.

I also think the men's will be between Penn and Carolla, maybe they should do an act, has a bit of ring to it, but then you'd never know what was going on, because they both talk all the time. Steve Gutenberg is giving his best, but I don't think he will get the votes or has the fan base to keep him on for long. Of course, look how long Wayne Newton stayed last season.

I have to say that Jason Taylor and the hip-hop guy are making a good showing, and Christian, the latin guy is really hunky and talented also.

As for the gals, Kristi Yamaguchi is really going to be hard to beat, and if she has the fan base to vote, I think she could easily go all the way. You can't help but want to give Marlee Matlin a standing ovation. If she could hear, can you imagine how good she'd be. She has style and grace and I applaude her. Priscella Presley was a very pleasant surprise also. I'm proud that a 60 year old grandmother is doing so well. Shannon Elizabeth, with the legs up to her earlobes is really good as well. She definitely has dancer's legs.

But then, even if I were ever asked to do such a thing, you can bet it would be a total disaster. I could do the Twist as a teenager(dating myself here), and even took a ball room dance class in college, but to get in front of millions of people and attempt to do what these people are doing. There's no way. So those who can't--judge. So from my recliner, where I will be every time the show comes on, I will make my decisions for what they are worth, and we'll see what happens.

Opinions people!! Voice them here. I know you have them.

Medicine Mania and Madness

It's been a rough week and a half for me. My dr changed one of my bp meds because I had started having terrible swelling in my legs and feet. She told me that one of my meds had been changed. We have now tried me on a new one with two different dosages. I don't think I'm going to be able to take either of them. They lower my bp too much, and I feel like I want to jump out of my skin.

I've been taking Lotrel and Toprol for about 6 years. I had a pheochromocytoma(fee-oh for short) that had to be removed, and one of the lasting effects of that little jewel is that you are doomed to a life of taking bp meds. In order to get mine balanced, we had to use two. Now the drug company has decided to remove an ingredient from one of them and the dr said other folks had been in with the same problem. So we changed to another one. My delima right now is that I have confused myself about which one I'm replacing with the new one. What a dingbat I've become!

Of the two I'd taken all this time, one is a calcium channel blocker, and the other is a beta blocker. The one I thought she told me to stop taking was the beta blocker, but when I looked up the new one online, it seems it is a calcium channel blocker. All this seems totally confusing, don't you agree? I knew you would.

So, I now have to call the dr's office and my conversation will go something like this: Pam: 'Dr's office, may I help you? Me: Hi Pam, this is Shirley SXXXX, you know week before last when I was in and doc gave me the med to replace one of the two I was taking? Pam: Uhh, I remember you were in, but you probably need to talk to nurse Jennifer. Jennifer: What is your dob? Me 01/03/49. Jennifer: And what is your question? Me: I repeat the question above. Jennifer: I'd better check with the dr when she comes in, and I'll call you back. Me: Thanks.'

Now I'll tell you what she probably said to the dr. 'You know that dumb woman that was in a few days ago(my name inserted). Well, after changing her med a second time, now she isn't sure if she is taking it in the place of the right one.' Dr: 'I know, she's a real dingbat. Maybe I should call daughter #1 or daughter #2 and tell them she really does need a keeper, but in the meantime, I'll look at her chart and you can call her back.'

You can see what I have to deal with can't you. Thing is, I've known my dr since she was about two years old, and she won't really ask my daughters to get me a keeper-- at least not behind my back.

On top of that, I think I'm trying to take a cold. My son's family was sick when they were here last week, and I took care of the baby quite a bit. I think she left me with something. And I also think I need a hip replacement, but I'll discuss that with all of you at a later time. I may go to the the chiropracter in the meantime.

So on this wonderful Monday, may I say thank you for listening to my complaints. What are yours? I'm willing to listen to yours since you've been so patient with me. And remember, I have that inquiring mind thing going on.

Late on Sunday

I'm getting a late start today. First, I overslept, so I didn't get the eggs deviled or the potatoes peeled until I got home from church. Nuff said!

The answer to the question about the celestial body that determines Easter is--drum roll please--Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the Spring Equinox.

Lizaj got the equinox part. The full moon is the celestial body.

We have had good weather for Easter. A little cool, but what I consider sweater weather. The sun was out and it was a beautiful day. I was reading another blogger's site the other day, and she ended her writing with 'Christ is Risen' and another blogger, said in her comment, Christ is Risen Indeed'. I didn't take much notice, but at the beginning of our sermon this morning, our minister talked about how that was a greeting among early Christians. The first being the greeting, and the second the response. He even tried it out on us. Usually, we don't interact with the sermon, we mainly listen, and occassionaly hear an AMEN, but it's unusual for us to respond verbally to the sermon.

Talk to you tomorrow. Christ is Risen.

What are you cooking for Easter?

LATE BREAKING NEWS FLASH-- In case you are just joining us, or are checking back, I'm making Chickens in the Road's grandmother bread. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Do you have your family in on Easter Sunday? Do you have Easter Brunch, or Easter Lunch? If so, do you make all the food or do you get to carry a dish somewhere else?

For some reason, we always seem to have ham and deviled eggs as part of our lunch. We have other dishes with that, but those seem to be the main stays.

This year, our family is scattered. My son and his family were here last week, so they won't be back. My daughter #2 and her family are going to her MIL's for lunch, and my 10 year old grandson is going to Mississippi. My oldest grandson is working.

That leaves daughter #2 and myself. We are trying to decide whether to just go out and eat or what. I'm leaning twoard a crockpot of dressing, deviled eggs, and carrot cake. I'm sure there'll also be some rolls and maybe a salad of some kind.

But it will be lonely since there will be no sounds of squealing children wanting to hurry and eat so they can hunt eggs.

Tell me about your traditions. Remember, I have that inquiring mind thing going on.

Trivia question: What celectial body determines what Sunday Easter falls on?

Note to my #1 daughter--It's not John Wayne!