Taz...

Two weeks before Boo died, our little black pom started losing the use of her hind legs. We took her to the vet and they were unable to determine what was wrong with her. They took x-rays, but found nothing. They prescribed steroids in the event it was a bulging disc, but this did not help, and in fact she seemed to get worse. Then she lost the use of her front legs. There are no local vets with MRI equipment, so I took off work last Tuesday and took her to Mississippi State University Vet School. This was the day after Boo died, so it was a very emotional trip. And, I had to leave Taz there, which made it even worse. I thought we would get an MRI and come right back home and they would call us with the results. The vet student that was helping me was the best. Her name was Danielle, and because of her, it was easier to leave Taz behind for a few days. Dr. Baez told me there was probably a list of 50 things that could be the problem, and an MRI would help us narrow it down.

The MRI indicated she has 3 disc compressions in her neck. She will need to go back on steroids if we have any hope of resolving this issue, but she has to be off previoius steroids for 2 weeks before she can begin new steroids. And, a neurologist (I didn't know there were doggie neurologist) looked at her and he said she has all the symptoms of Cushing's Disease. Panting, extreme thirst which leads to increased urination, dull coat, etc. If that is the case, she has had it for years and we had no idea, and our local vet never picked up on this. The Cushing's can be treated, but she has to be off the steroids she was originally taking for 2 weeks before she can be tested. So, for now, we have a dog that can't walk, but is otherwise healthy, and happy most of the time, unless we leave her sight. She eats well, goes potty, communicates with us, etc., she just can't walk. We put a sling around her belly to take her to the bathroom, and she handles this quite well. She can crawl on her belly pretty well with limited use of her legs, but she can't stand up.

Next week we will have her tested for Cushing's and then put her back on steroids in hopes of resolving the compressions in her neck, and then hopefully she can walk again. The doctor at MSU didn't give us much hope for some reason, but the vet student, Danielle, was a lot more positive. She even called me daily, on her personal cell phone, to give me updates on Taz, and then called after we brought her home to check on her. I am believing the vet student is on to something. This is one tough little dog, even at 11 years old, and if any dog can recover, she is the one.

I am pulling for you 100% TAZ!!!

RIP Boo... you are missed..

Boo, our pomeranian that was 14 years old, had to be put down November 30. He was in kidney failure. Apparently he had been sick for a while, but we really didn't notice it. He appeared to be getting frail, but we attributed it to his age. He has always been healthy and has rarely been to the vet for anything other than routine exams. But, when he finally appeared sick, the end was near. It is our understanding we could not have done anything to help him, or save him, even if we had realized something was wrong and taken him to the vet. We discussed at great length what needed to be done, and in the end, he let us know it was his time.

We had him cremated and have ordered a box with his name on it as his final resting place. We don't have any place to bury him, so we decided to just bring him back home. Hopefully he will be back by the end of this week.

I have cried many, many tears over the loss of this animal. There is a huge hole in my heart right now. I look for him every time I walk in the door. I miss his barking at "Are Not," our neighbor's dog. I miss him running after his ball in the front yard. I miss him begging for a treat. I miss everything about him.

I love you Boo..

Holidays...

I will be decorating for Christmas tonight and tomorrow. Daughter started her decorating last night. We like to have it done before Thanksgiving so we can just relax, or do a little shopping during the long Thanksgiving weekend.

My only delimma is I don't have a tree yet. I am buying one at lunch today. Fake, prelit and slim are my only requirements.

Happy Friday!

BK turns Three!!!

Blowing out the candles on her Ariel Cake at Johnny's Pizza.. We are all about some Ariel..

Posing..

My two nieces, who are sisters... 23 years apart.. I love them!!!

Posing... again.

Being her mother's child.. she loves the Iphone! And don't think she doesn't know how to use it. The girls has definitely got it going on...

Halloween...

In front of a neighbor's house.

Setting out to fill their bags.

They had a blast! And, as of today, we still have plenty of candy.

We have been busy!!!

The last half of October was busy. Between decorating for fall, fall festivals throughout the area almost every weekend, school programs, LSU football, two weeks of non-stop rain, two sick grandkids, at two different times, things have been hectic. But, when I do get a chance to sit down, take a breath, and look at the July edition of Southern Living, for the first time, I wonder what else I could be doing besides looking at a 4 month old magazine. So, apparently I like "busy." And I guess that is a good thing because it will be Thanksgiving in three weeks, and Christmas in less than 2 months.

I have started my Christmas shopping, and that is a good thing, but I still have a lot to do before I finish. I have recommended we only let the grandkids pick out three items for Santa to bring them this year. I think this made me a less popular G and Mom. Time will tell..

And, Daughter has taken up hunting. No kidding! She is anxiously awaiting the day she can shoot a deer. And, she likes to tell tales of what they have already killed by bow and arrow. I do not like to hear the details of the killings. And she knows this, but acts like she doesn't see me when I put my hands over my ears!!! The only time I want to see, or hear about dead animals is when they are already wrapped in brown paper and marked "deer hamburger" or deer sausage" or "deer tenderloin," etc.... And, BRACE YOURSELF... she has asked for HUNTING STUFF FOR CHRISTMAS!!! I don't hunt. I am not married to a hunter. How am I supposed to know what a girl needs to go hunting???? I am suddenly confused. She has always wanted a new purse for Christmas, or jewelry, or cute picture frames, or perfume, or Silver Jeans, or just cash to spend at the after Christmas sales.. but this year, she wants HUNTING STUFF!!! How do I deal with this????

Over at G's House...

It didn't rain today.. and that is a first for my small town in over a week. And, it got downright chilly while I was sleeping. The temp when I got up this morning was 55 and a little while ago when I ran to the post office, it was 57, and that was today's high. Before I left for work this morning, I turned off the AC and raised the windows. I plan to add a blanket to the bed tonight and keep the windows open. This is my favorite time of the year, and love it when I can keep the windows open for days at a time. And, this cool air can't hurt the hot flashes either!

Tomorrow, Daughter and I are headed to a local fall festival with the kids. They love going to these kind of events, especially if they can jump on stuff, ride a train, and eat junk food. Tomorrow's weather calls for boots and fleece pullovers. Have I said I love this time of the year?!!!

No LSU football this weekend, but there is a much anticipated throwdown at the Superdome between the undefeated Saints and the undefeated Giants at noon on Sunday. I love me some Saints and I expect this to be a good game. When they aren't playing the Saints, I am a Giants fan. Sorry Eli.

Have a great weekend!!!

Pumpkins...

We decorated pumpkins this past weekend at Daughter's house. BT said this one was his mama.

Here is the family. From left to right they are:

Daughter, BK, BT and Gramere. BK is responsible for Gramere's face. BT was the artist behind the remaining pumpkins' faces, including giving himself three eyes.

They seem very happy sitting there on hearth having their picture made.
On the day we went to look for pumpkins, BK was having issues. She was picking up pumpkins and tossing them around like they were nothing. Her mama got on to her, and BT tried to make her understand pumpkins were not for throwing. She didn't care. Meltdown ensued.

She put her hand over her face and moved away from her brother so we couldn't take her picture. There were no tears.. just wailing.. loud wailing.

This was the first pumpkin she tossed.

And here was the next one. And yes, they were heavy, but apparently she is stronger than we thought. And, yes people were staring at us, but we wanted to capture the moments so we delayed making her stop until the photo had been taken.

Acorn head...

This is a hat that his great-grandmother brought him from one of her trips. There are actually more attractive ways to wear it, but he prefers the "acorn" look..

White donuts...

She got up at 5:44 this morning. And, she wanted "white" donuts.

She wanted a lot of them.

When her brother got up, he wanted donut holes.. from the Donut Barn, and he didn't want to be late for school. I love that kid!! BK said she didn't want anymore donuts, but she wanted some milk. So, I ran in, got 2 bags of donut holes, and 2 milks. I gave BT his donut holes and milk, and gave BK her milk. Approximately 10 seconds later, she wanted donut holes. I handed her a bag. With her, you have to stay ahead of your game, or witness a meltdown. I was ahead of my game, and the meltdown was avoided. Happy Friday.

Book Fair..

BT's school had a Book Fair for his school at Barnes & Nobles last night. He was definitely excited about going. When Man picked him up at daycare yesterday, he asked BT if he wanted to go eat pizza.. BT declined because he was concerned he would be late for the Book Fair. He is definitely related to me. I am never late to any event, and have a very low tolerance of people who are chronically late. Another story for another day. Anyway, BT and BK had grilled cheese sandwiches at my house, and then we headed to Barnes & Nobles. Grilled cheese was the only thing BT thought I had time to prepare prior to the Book Fair. HE DID NOT WANT TO BE LATE! We were 30 minutes early, but BT wanted to have time to look at EVERY SINGLE BOOK in the children's section. I think he succeeded. I had taken him to the book store this past weekend, per his request, and he loved it. The Saints were playing, but I said "what the heck," we can't be gone that long. We were gone for over an hour. Thank goodness for DVR!!! He picked out 4 books for himself and 2 for his sister. His mission last night was to get the one book he did not get this past weekend. It was a book on the anatomy of a frog. He loved it, but wouldn't get it over the weekend because he thought it was too expensive. But, apparently four days later, on Thursday, the price of the book was just right. I now know stuff about a frog's anatomy I didn't learn in 10th grade biology.

BT sat next to one of his friends while listening to the principle of his school read Curious George. When Mrs. Jones asked questions, I could hear him answer the questions over the other 40 or so children present for the reading. Once the reading was over, we picked out a book from his teacher's wish list, purchased it and donated it in his name to the school this morning. He loved the idea that he (G) was buying a book and giving it to the school. We did have to read the book last night prior to going to bed, since BT said I needed to know what it was about prior to donating it to the school. So, today, it is a slightly used book, but I can honestly say I did not lick my fingers when the turning the pages, but BK was eating grapes and BT was eating cheese as I was reading and they might have touched it, once or twice.

BK loves her brother.. can you tell? Either that, or she wanted to let that other little girl know she shouldn't mess with her "brudder"...

Just stuff...

Here are the rules: Respond and rework: Answer the questions on your blog, Replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own invention, and add one more question of your own.

The Questions:

What is your current obsession? My grandchildren, of course..

Who was the last person you hugged? I hugged BK as I put her in her carseat last night when they left house. I hugged BT first.

What is the next thing you are "counting down" to? Family Reunion in October. Woohoo!!

What are you listening to right now? Country music.

What is your favorite weather? Fall weather - crisp, cool mornings and evenings.. Love it.

What is your least favorite season? Right after Christmas.. January, February.. I feel like I am stuck in the house..

What’s in your purse? Sunglasses, wallet, reading glasses, lipstick, gum, etc.!

What is your favorite dessert or cool treat? Right now it is the cheesecake from Philip's. DIVINE!

What did you want to become as a child? A nun.. SERIOUSLY!!!

What do you miss? My dad.

What’s your favorite brand of jeans? Not really into brands, but I do love my Silver jeans.

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go? Beach.

What are your most challenging goals right now? Keeping certain people focused on what is important.

What is your favorite sport to watch? LSU football, and then the Saints!!!

Describe your perfect day: Cooking out with family and friends, while watching a football game..

What TV show would you want to be a cast member on (reality included)? Survivor, but my husband says no way..

What is your most prized possession? My cowboy boots..

Name one favorite childhood memory? Playing softball.

What is your favorite food? Mexican, Johnny's Pizza (which I don't have access too in my neck of the woods) and anything I cook on the grill. Yes, that is vain...

She is her mother's child...

Conversation between BT and BK this morning on the way to school:

BT: I am rolling my window down G...

BK: Roll your window up! You are going to mess up my hair!

And that is exactly what Daughter says everytime they roll the windows down..

Meet Riley...

also known as the cousin to Riley a/k/a Elf on a Shelf. Yep, they both have the same name. I don't know how it all happened, but I do know Cousin Riley is related to Riley a/k/a Elf on a Shelf, because B.T. said so. They are cousins... I think Cousin Riley may be from another planet, but I can't be sure..

I don't think they are first cousins..and probably not second cousins either.. Judge for yourself.

B.K.

B.K. spent the night with me Friday night.. B.T. doesn't usually allow this to happen, but on this particular night he was O.K. with it for some reason. We skipped the bath Friday night and took one Saturday morning instead.. After she had her bath, she wanted an ice cream cone for breakfast. I said why not?!!! She is eating it while watching "Sponz Bob Swear Pants."

We then moved to kitchen and watched Mickey Mouse Club and ate cake. She sang and played right along with Mickey Mouse Club, answering the questions as if Mickey himself was sitting in the room with her talking to her...

We then went outside and blew bubbles..

We stood in the chair and rang the bell hanging the tree...

for a long, long time.. really loud...

And then we rode our Harley to the end of the road and waited on mammaw to arrive... And she could not have been sweeter during the whole process.. except for when I washed her hair and she swore I got soap in her eyes and it was burning her eyes up!.. I love her more every day!

Learning about BT's days at school..

Last week I kept the grandkids one night while Daughter went to school.. BT taught me a few things he had learned in Kindergarten... Apparently the teacher will write the numbers down one by one, as pictured above, and then skip a number and write the next number to see if the kids actually know their numbers when they see them, or if they just have them memorized. As you can see BT did the same thing to me, and then told me it was a "trick".. and he spelled "trick" so I would more fully grasp the concept of what HE was trying to teach ME.. Same concept with the alphabet..

Then, because BT wanted me to experience school with him, he drew a picture of the music room at school, complete with a tambourine, cymbals, maracas, etc. The music notes were drawn to see if I could guess what they meant. I am still trying to figure out what "Feel Up Your Orchestra Good Behavior" means..

Late summer fun..

One tired princess...

Riding the train..

Reviewing the zoo map to make sure we don't lose our way..

Checking out the bear.. or he might have been checking her out..

Sitting in the cave under the beaver dam..

Gotta make sure our Monster Truck is ready for the leap over the pool..

When diving for "alligators," a girl needs her goggles.

BT and his friend "K"..

She told her mama she wanted to be cute for BT..

I think the red cowboy boots complete the outfit...

This girl knows what it takes to look good...

..eat lots of salad... and always wear your lipstick...

My Treasures...

Picture day at school is today.. BT is wearing his "collarn" shirt for this special ocassion and BK broke out the bracelets..

"You be in BIG trouble mama."

A couple of weeks ago, Daughter and I were taking the kids to eat and in the process of getting everything ready to go, Daughter may have forgotten something. She started her car prior to our getting everyone in the car and buckled up in an attempt to keep our hineys from sizzling when they came in contact with the leather seats. It was the day the temp reached 105. BT, for some unknown reason, got in the car when Daughter started the car. I guess sweating is not one of his issues. I was in the house dealing with BK and some random issue she was having at the moment. When done, I walked outside to put her in the car, and Daughter was walking back toward the house. All of a sudden the car starting rolling forward, TOWARD MAN'S CAR that was parked in the garage!!! Thinking that I might be way stronger than I actually am, in spite of carrying a 3-year old around, often, I grabbed the door handle in an attempt to stop the car. Yes I did. I actually believed I had the ability to stop a car with one hand. I could not get the door open for some reason, since I was thinking I could jump in and save the day, IF I COULD GET THE DOOR OPEN. Might have been that I panicked since Daughter and Man are both beyond ANAL about their vehicles and all these visions of what would transpire if their vehicles actually touched, acccidentally or otherwise. Dealing with both of them would have simply been too much. Daughter finally realized what was happening, or she heard me scream really loud "YOUR CAR IS NOT IN PARK, YOUR CAR IS NOT IN PARK!" She came running and was able to open the door I had previously been unable to open, jump in and hit the brake. And, BT who was sitting in his car seat UNBUCKLED, never realized what was going on. And the car was rolling UP a hill... After we all calmed down, and the sweat had dried, we headed to the restaurant. BT, in listening to us talk about the catastrophic incident we had just avoided, finally realized what had happened and told his mama that Man would have grounded her if she had actually hit his car. He followed it up with "you know how Man is about his car mama." And, BK picked up on what was going on and said, "You be in BIG trouble mama if you hit Man's car."

Sniff, sniff...

BT spent the night with me last night. He wanted me to take him to school this morning. We hung out last night, watched Big Brother, and then watched Santa Clause 3 for the 74th time in BT's lifetime. He loves it. He didn't go to sleep until almost 10. Way past my bedtime for sure. But, he woke up on his own this morning about 6:15 and was ready for his second day of school. We got dressed and when I asked him what he wanted for breakfast, he said donut holes and apple juice. So, we headed to the the Donut Barn and got just that. We were a little early for school, so we made a practice run through the drop-off area since I wasn't sure where to go. 15 minutes later we came back, still about 8 minutes too early to drop him off, and parked and waited until the teachers came out to get them. He repeated the rules to me about dropping kids off. Say your good-byes and get your final hugs in before you get to the drop off area. We did that while waiting on the teachers to come out. When the teacher opened his door, he got his back pack with his lunch stored inside, told me he loved me, and jumped out of the truck and never looked back. I cried as I drove very slowly away from the school. I watched him look around like he was not sure exactly where to go, and then a teacher took his hand and they went inside. I am not ready for him to be a big boy yet. Sniff, sniff... :(

First Day of School...

I really thought the first day of kindergarten for BT would be similar to our first ballgame. He wouldn't want to go, would walk in the his room, and then run out crying for his mama, etc. You know the story. But, I could not have been more surprised. He was excited! I went over to Daughter's house so I could take BK to daycare so Daughter could take BT to school, since I feel sure if BT was going somewhere new, BK would want to do it to... Strangely enough he wanted me to take him to school, but I told him only moms could take you to school on the first day, and I could take him any day after that. And he bought it. But, BK couldn't understand where her "brudder" was going when only she and I left for daycare. She was sad. And, when I dropped her off at daycare, she cried. She kept asking where he was going. It broke my heart.

Anyway, BT had picked out what he wanted to take for his lunch for his first day of kindergarten. Most kids would want PBJ, chips, pre-packaged cookies, capri sun... but, not BT. He wanted a cheese sandwich (not grilled), toast rounds that I got at Fresh Market, a slice of a cake I baked that he said is the "best cake ever," peanut butter crackers for his snack, apple slices, fruit chews and apple juice. I am sure when he started pulling everything out of his lunch bag, he got a few stares. But, he is an individual, and is not swayed by what everybody else is doing, eating, wearing, etc. That is one of the MANY things I love about him.

When Daughter asked him how his first day of school went, he said it was fun, he didn't remember what they did, he liked his lunch and was ready to go back. Unfortunately they don't get to go back today, but they do go back tomorrow and then they are on a regular schedule after that.

And I don't know why that one picture is turned sideways.. And, I can't figure out how to remove it.. Another DUH moment..

A trip down memory lane...

If Man could go back and live his teen-age years again, he would do it in a heartbeat. He loves me and the life we have, but in his mind, he had the perfect life from 12 to 19. The "Mayberry" kind of life. As for me, I didn't think being a teeanger was good, much less great, and would never, ever want to re-live that time of my life. My mother was very strict, especially on me, and nothing about those years was pleasant.. but, so you won't think I am in need of counseling to get over that time in my life, I won't go there. And no, I don't need counseling. I am good now, and my mother and I get along now because I can actually tell her my side of the story without fear of being grounded for a minimum of six weeks for "talking back" a/k/a having an opinion.

ANYWAY... Husband and I took a drive down to the town of D'Lo this past Saturday. He would probably ride down there every weekend if I would go with him, but the population of that town is less than 300, and in my opinion there is absolutely nothing to do there, and I mean NOTHING, except ride around and talk about what happened at the park, or on the rocks at the Strong River, etc. more than 35 years ago. You can only do that so many times before I start dozing off. But, I tried to be attentive as he told me his stories for the umpteenth time, since these were obviously happy times in his life. I heard about the horse he had that wouldn't cross a certain bridge without the rider (Man) getting off the horse and pulling him by the reins. I heard the cat story, again, and I won't even go there. I heard about his pet hawk that used to ride on the handle bars of his bike. I heard about who used to live in that house, and who used to live down that road, who owned the store across the street from his grandmother's house, and I heard about the "dark woods." I heard about the hole in the rocks in the Strong River that bascially had no bottom. And they used to trick people to stepping off in the hole while crossing the river. He thought this was funny, and I told him what I would have thought had he let that happen to me. We looked at the trees where Husband and friends carved their names and/or initials many, many years ago. I took pictures of the names, but they didn't turn out very well.. We rode on down the road to Mendenhall, which is where he went to school. We stopped in the Mendenhall Grocery and Grain which is now a gift shop, and visited with one of his friends, who is also the owner. I actually enjoyed this part because I got to shop... and I found two really cute LSU huggies (one for me and one for Daughter) and some jewelry that I could NOT live without. When we left there we made a pass around the town square and he talked about how busy it used to be in the middle of the day on a Saturday, and how not busy it was in the middle of the day on the Saturday we were driving through, almost 40 years later. He remembered the diner his grandfather had, and he talked about sitting there many Saturday mornings just watching the cars go by.

Then, we made a pass by his high school, and then we headed home. And, he thanked me for going with him. I just smiled.

He truly was the "Opie" of Mendenhall. He roamed the streets of D'Lo and Mendenhall, without a cell phone, and his dad (Sheriff Taylor) and grandmother (Aunt Bea) never worried about him or gave much thought about anything bad happening to him. He was always safely home by suppertime every single day. He would sit at the dinner table with his dad and grandparents, have a home cooked meal, then watch a black and white TV until bedtime. And, just like my family, they didn't have air conditioning. They had an attic fan and slept with the windows open. And he wouldn't have had it any other way..

Was it necessary to do all the cleaning?

Last week was busy. I was supposed to be off today and tomorrow, and therefore, I was extra busy at work, and at home, in an effort to make sure my desk was clean before I left work Friday. On the homefront, I was busy cleaning.... some was necessary cleaning, some just because I am a compulsive cleaner at times. I cleaned light fixtures, windows, floors, moved some things around.. not furniture.. just lamps, pictures, and other things I have sitting around that cause me to have dust.. sometimes more often than I want too. It is kind of like getting something new when you move things around a bit. Or at least that is what I tell myself so I will stay out of T.J. Maxx and Marshall's.

I have an outdoor rug under my table on my deck. It was in desperate need of a good scrubbing after being out there for two years. Man wanted to know how I was going to accomplish this since it was his opinion it just needed to be replace. I think not. I told him I was going to clean it just like we used to clean my grandma's front porch when I was growing up. Pour some washing powder on it, wet it, and then get an old broom out and scrub it until it is clean. Rinse. And, that is exactly what I did. I laughed when I was doing it because it brought back memories of cleaning my grandma's front porch this exact same way, almost every Saturday morning. And for whatever strange reason, I enjoyed doing it.

And, just when I thought I had cleaned everything, I noticed a splatter of something red on the front of my white kitchen cabinets. On closer inspection, with my glasses on, there were other splatters in various places from the grandkids dropping things, or Man dropping things and it somehow making its way to the front of the cabinets. So, I cleaned the fronts of all the cabinets as well. When I finished with that chore, I took my glasses off because I didn't want to see anything else that needed to be done. And, I went and got a shower before I had time to change my mind.

The Beach...

We spent most of last week at the beach. We headed out Tuesday morning with Man, Daughter, Niece, BT, BK and of course, G. Needless to say we had to buy a turtle to put on the top of the SUV for all of our stuff. And, we took less stuff this year than last year. Seating arrangements, as designated by BT were: Man driving, Daughter front seat passenger (she SAYS she gets car sick if she rides anywhere other than the front.. not sure I believe this since it didn't happen until she had kids), BK in carseat in "middle backseat" as BT calls it, right behind Man, niece in "middle backseat" behind Daughter, and BT and me in the "very back seat".. Yep, I am ALL THE WAY IN THE BACK because BT wanted it that way. And, 2 hours into the trip, BK decided it was just not fair that she was not sitting by me like her "brudder" was and we moved her to the "very back seat" too and I sat between two carseats for the next 4 1/2 hours. Woohoo!!!! It actually worked out fine since I could tend to their every "whine" without any interference from any of the other adults who seemed to aggravate all situations involving small children in a confined space for multiple hours. We watched five movies, some more than once. I can now read the lips of Willy Wonka since I opted not to wear headphones. The funniest thing was listening to the kids sing along with the music while they had their headphones on. We couldn't hear the music but they could.

I would have taken a nap, but when BK caught me napping, she woke me up and told me "You no take nap G." If I dozed off again, she would pat my face to wake me.

We arrived at the beach earlier than expected, and spent a good bit of time trying to get the condo we specifically requested, and were told was available at the time we made our reservations. Man doesn't take no for an answer and we finally got what we had requested. Not sure why they tell you one thing when you make the reservation and then try to give you something different when you arrive. We finally unloaded our stuff and then Man and I headed to the grocery store. Once we got that over with we headed to the pool. BK is the exact opposite of her brother. He watches over her like a hawk. She is fearless while he is extremely cautious. We could leave him by the pool for hours and never worry about him getting in over his head. You have to be in the water with BK because even when the water is covering her nose, she is still smiling and headed for deeper waters.

We eventually made it to dinner which was fantastic. Steamed lobster, crablegs, shrimp, clams, etc. BK ate whatever we put on her plate, including the clams. She will eat ANYTHING! We had to special order BT chicken strips from another restuarant so he would have something to eat other than crackers. Can you say "picky eater?" Once dinner was over, we headed back out to the village for armbands and lots of bouncy things. The kids were loving it, and so were we, when the bottom fell out and sheets of rain starting falling. We ran for cover and stood there for about 30 minutes thinking it would let up, but it did not. BK went to sleep in my arms and I ended up walking back to the condo, barefooted (didn't want to ruin my shoes), carrying over 30 pounds, up hill, in the rain. And, she woke up as soon as we walked in the door. Go figure. I finally got them both to sleep, again, only to be awakened hours later by BK, who had wet the bed. Lovely. I put dry towels over it, changed her, got them back to sleep, and then I returned to my bed. 2 hours later, BK joins me and Man in our bed. And, she wants to snuggle. And she snores. And, I am in the middle. I don't like being in the middle. I get up early, as usual, and she sleeps til 8. Lucky her.

And yes, I did wash all the sheets and blankets the next day, only to do that every day we were there because she wet the bed every, single, night. Lucky me.

We headed to the pool again, and we stay all day. A good friend (former neighbor) and her daughter (who my Daughter used to babysit) drove down from Alabama and we had dinner with them. I love these people!! We had lots of fun together when we lived closer, and I miss that. They left too soon, and we headed back to the village to get tattoos, and listen to the band. The end of another fun day.

Thursday we traveled east to meet more friends from Alabama for a few hours at the pool. We thoroughly enjoyed the visit with them too. The kids had fun, and we had to head west way too soon. We spent more time at the pool and then got dressed for dinner again, and headed to a place outside of Baytown. It was not as good as I remembered it being. Next year I will vote to try somewhere new. The kids enjoyed it because it was on the beach. When we got back to the village they were showing a movie and we got to see the last hour of Lemony Snicket.. Yes, I spelled that correctly. BT wants his own copy. I am working on it.

Also, BK was standing at the pool while we were with friends, and an EXTREMELY large man walked by her and down the steps into the pool. She stared at him for a long time and then said "He's big." And when I started laughing at her for observatoin, she put her hand over my mouth and told me to SHHHHH....

Friday we spent the day at the pool, ate some of the best pizza ever on the lake, made a wasted trip to the outlet stores, went to dinner again, and listened to a band while the kids danced, danced, danced. When the kids showed signs of being tired, and they should have been worn out, we headed to the condo. We had another night of wet beds, and BK joined me and Man again. Funny thing is, she wet the bed, got up, took her clothes off, and came and got in my bed completely naked.

Saturday we headed home bright and early, and yes, I rode in the "very back seat" between two carseats for 6 1/2 hours, and at times I had a towel wrapped around each arm so they could rest their heads on something while staying strapped in their car seats. We watched five more movies, again, some more than once, again, and then we FINALLY arrived home. Fun trip. Tired G.

Can't wait until next year.

P.S. Daughter realized she didn't have access to Facebook shortly after we arrived and could barely function. Thank goodness she could still send text messages. I am not sure she could have survived being competely disconnected from "her world."

As if anyone cares....

I don't have time to post anything about my vacation since it would take too long, so I will post a little information about myself.. Sounds kind of vain doesn't it?? Whatever! Here goes..

1. What time did you get up this morning. 5:00 A.M.

2. How do you like your steak? Medium.

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? I can't remember. I usually wait until they are on pay-per-view and then I can have a beer(s) and watch the movies, and be close to my own CLEAN bathroom.

4. What is your favoirte TV show? Right now it is Big Brother. That is about the only thing that is not a re-run this summer.

5. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? The beach.. in Florida.

6. What did you have for breakfast? Not a thing.

7. What is your favorite cuisine? Mexican.

8. What foods do you dislike? Right now, I can't think of a thing I won't eat.

9. Favorite place to eat? Cazadores's Mexican Restaurant.

10. Favorite dressing? Ranch with a little Italian mixed in. Weird, I know, but I love the combo.

11. What kind of vehicle to you drive? Ford Explorer.

12. What are you favorite clothes? Silver Jeans.

13. Where would you visit if you had the chance? Again, the beach.. my favorite place to go for any ocassion.

14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full? Always 1/2 full!

15. Where would you want to retire? Duh! The beach!

16. Favorite time of the day? Morning. I am definitely a morning person.

17. Where were you born? Franklin, LA.

18. What is your favorite sport to watch? LSU Football!

19. Bird watcher? Yep.. I can sit on my deck for hours, with my favorite adult beverage, and watch birds, especially humming birds.

20. Are you a morning person or a night person? Morning, morning, morning!!!

21. Do you have any pets? Yep, three pomeranians.. Boo, Dooley and Taz..

22. Any new and exciting news you want to share? Nothing new or especially exciting going on right now.

23. What did you want to be when you were little? A nun. And, if you knew me, you would think that is hilarious!

24. What is your best childhood memory? Hmmmmm... Can't think of a "best" one, but we did go camping a lot and I enjoyed that.

25. Are you a cat or dog person? Dogs.

26. Are you married? Yep, for 25 years.

27. Always wear your seatbelt? Absolutely!

28. Been in a car accident? Yep.

29. Any pet peeves? Rude inconsiderate people. I have more, but you might think I have issues if I list them all.

30. Favorite pizza topping? Anchovies. Yep, I love anchovies on pizza!

31. Favorite flower? Sunflowers.

32. Favorite ice cream? I prefer yogurt, but I do like me some Blue Bell.

33. Favroite fast food restaurant? Wendy's.

34. How may times did you fail your driver's test? None.

35. From whom did you get your last email? Debbie.

36. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? There are too many too lists, but I would definitely give I.O. Metro a try. And then go down the road to White House/Black Market.

37. Do anything spontaneous lately? Does buying new reading glasses today at Dollar General count?

38. Like your job? Love it!

39. Broccoli? Had it for dinner last night.

40. What was your favorite vacation? The beach! Just got back.

41. Last person you went out to dinner with? Hubby, daughter, niece and grandchildren, at the beach..

42. What are you listening to right now? Trace Adkins sing the Honky Tonk B' Donka Donk!

My birthday....

My birthday was yesterday..Some people might say it was one of "the big ones".. It was really just another day. Until my husband, who doesn't talk much and rarely plans anything, along with Daughter, put together a surprise party for me!!! I was totally surprised. Husband had already requested that he and I go to dinner alone. I was a little distressed about this since I had already told Daughter we were just going to hang out at my house and I would grill something. I thoroughly enjoy doing this and I was happy to do it. A couple of days later, when she asked me if we were still doing this I told her we were not because Husband wanted to take me to dinner. Her response was "Well tell him thx for including us :)" I felt really bad and told her we would go to dinner early (which is not unusual for us) and get back early and then they could come over. She was good with that. Well, when I got home yesterday from work, Husband had just cut the grass and had not had a shower. I was little distressed since I knew Daughter wanted to come over with grandkids. Without being pushy (and while I was drinking a beer - Husband doesn't drink), I got him to go ahead with his shower and he was dragging his feet. He FINALLY finished getting dressed and we were walking out the door and he told me he had to go to the bathroom!!!! And, he took his phone with him, which I thought was a little strange. So, I opened a beer (actually I had already started on my second beer and I proceeded to finish it) and waited, and waited and he finally appeared again. When we are walking out the door he tells me where we are going to eat and that he wants to run by the appliance store and check on a griddle for the new stove. I am about to come come unglued! I tell him I will take care of that later, and he says it is on the way and he wants to ask the salesman a couple of questions. So, we get in the store, he starts looking at all kinds of stuff, being extremely talkative and asking questions about things we have no use for and I am trying not to get mad on my birthday! We FINALLY get in the truck and head to the restaurant and get stuck in traffic. He is constantly checking his phone, which is strange because he is not one of those people who obsesses over his phone. We FINALLY get to the restaurant and we (I) am talking away about some mundane thing and then I attempt to speak to the bartender when I hear "SURPRISE, SURPRISE, I WANT SOME GUM G"... (although BK was glad to see me, she just wanted some gum) Daughter, grandkids, mother-in-law and friends were already there and had a cake and gifts, etc. I was SHOCKED!!!! Husband was very proud of himself for pulling this off. Daughter helped with it as well, and she never even hinted that anything was going on, and even acted offended that she didn't get invited to dinner with us.

It was a wonderful surprise!!

Appliances....

are finally in!!! Of course, it took me most of the morning and part of the afternoon to clean up the mess from the night before when the space for the new stove had to be enlarged. And, the delivery man didn't show up until almost 2:00 that afternoon and didn't leave until almost 6:00 that evening. But, it is done, and it all looks good, except for the crack in the top of my stove. Yep, after the delivery man left, I was cleaning it and noticed a 4 inch crack. So, a new stove has been ordered and will be delivered week after next. The one I have can be used, but lucky me will be AT THE BEACH next week and won't be using it much between now and the time the new stove is delivered.

Friends...

A long time friend and her fiance came to spend the weekend with me this past weekend. And, even though we had to do all of our cooking outside on the grill due to the lack of a stove, we had a great time. We pretended we were camping, but without the sleeping outside in the heat and mosquitos part. It was all good. We left the house once a day, each day for a meal that was not prepared on the grill, but other than that, we didn't do a thing other than spend time together. I was sad when she left yesterday. She lives far, far away. I have driven to see her before, but it was a LOOOOOONNNNNGGGG drive. We try to see each other at least once a year now. Can't wait til next time.