It's a Wonderful Life!!

My Mothers Sayings......A Contest!

My Mother is my best friend. At the ripe ole age of 47, I at long last, can say just about anything to the Motherly Unit, as I refer to her on this blog. She has lived a rather ordinary life, but then again, extraordinary. Six months before she was born, my grandparents built a home for themselves on South 15th Avenue. She lived there all her childhood and many years as an adult. South 15th Avenue is close to the park. She moved away from that house when she was 62 years young. I grew up on South 15th Avenue. I rode my bike every day to the park. I remember the monkeys howling and Miss Hattie wailing (she was the elephant).

One day my dad took myself and Allen to the park. Now outings with my dad by himself were few and far between, he worked all the time and was tired. We went everywhere with Mother. Well, this Saturday was different. We were standing there looking at Miss Hattie, when all of a sudden Miss Hattie lifted her trunk and pointed it at my dad and blew out the biggest ball of snot I have ever seen. That ended the outings with dad. I can look back on that time as a milestone in my life. Just as daddy was getting used to 2 little ones, that damn Miss Hattie had to go off and snot on him. It was quite disgusting. We rushed home to get dad cleaned up and then we took a nap with our shoes on - that was another great event. It was billed as a special treat, to take a nap with our shoes on. I remember a crazy song my dad used to sing to Allen and I, it went like this:

""I knew a girl who was tall and yellow. She slept in the hall with her feet in the cellar.""

Now how strange is that, friends?

Well, speaking of strange, I have been taking note of all the funny, quirky ways the M.U. phrases things. Here are a few:

1. He is as rich as cream.

2. He is wound up tighter than Dicks hat band.

3. He has a fart in his brain.

4. Chicago pronounced "Sha car go"

5. Look what the cats have drug up.

6. He was deader than a doornail.

7. A stitch in time saves nine.

So these are just a few that popped into my head.

This is a challenge, a contest so to speak. The winner will receive a $10.00 gift card from Starbucks coffee.....and everybody loves coffee right??

What is the craziest phrase you have heard your parents say???

Winner announced on Saturday on the Saturday Evening Post.

Good Luck.......

It's a Wonderful Life, and other Worthy Tales.

Peace!

The Saturday Evening Post - Bunko Chicks

It has been a busy week at the office! The M.U. went with my cousin Sally and Nick to North Carolina. They said the leaves were at their peak and spectacular. I got a call on Wednesday that my dear cousin, Robert, passed away. He had stage 4 lung cancer and had opted not to continue with Chemo. Robert was such a likable fellow - and he and his wife would always stay at my house when they visited Swan City for family reunions. You see, the M.U. has a large family both on her mothers and fathers side of the family. When the A.F. and I were picking out names for Mr. Man, we had several Samuels and Roberts on both sides. Of course the A.F. wanted to name him Schrader Ray after his hero, the race car driver, Kenny Schrader, but I was not having that....Anyway, I called Sally and Mama to tell them about Robert's passing. With family coming into town, we had to get food together. I ordered sandwich trays from my favorite local sub shop down the street and Mama asked sweet Leisa to make a cake and a breakfast casserole. So everything was set for the crowds coming in.

Friday's are so busy at the office. So, unfortunately, they had planned a 11am visitation and 1:30 graveside - and I was not able to attend. I did take a sandwich tray out to the M.U.'s after the service and visited with everyone for a while. It was good to see everyone!

I hosted Bunko this month and we had a wonderful time. This group of chick-a-dees is too much fun. We laugh, cut up and basically act like a bunch of teenagers. I asked Kim, my wonderful, best in the business, Massage Therapist friend, to sub for Leisa - so we had no ghost playing this time.

The food Tu prepared was simply divine. Mr. Man made the dessert. It is an easy dessert that is simply death by chocolate. You take 2 boxes of brownie mix and prepare according to directions. Pour half the mix into a 13 X 9 pyrex dish and lay on top any type candy bar you like. He put the plain Hershey bars - but when I had this, it was Symphony bars and I think that was better. Cook till done and serve hot with ice cream.

Here are some pics of the Bunko Queens......

I was not on my toes as a photographer, because I know I missed pics of several queens. I know this because pretty Paige chased me around the table to steal my crown.

So, we had alot of fun!

We had an unusual turn of events when a MAN showed up for Bunko. Yes, a real live MAN. We all gasped......

THE MAN left quickly enough and we didn't miss a beat with our rolls.

Here are a few other pics of the evening.

It was a glorious end of a good week!

Peace!

The Saturday Evening Post - Reincarnation and The Snaggletooth 1st Grader

If I were of the persuasion to embrace re-incarnation, I would either come back as my dog, Ginger, or a 1st Grade Teacher. Now, I say this with a little reservation, but let's just take this one step at a time.

Ginger, my beloved rescue dog, has a wandering spirit, much like myself in my younger days. What with all the kids in and out of the gate and door, we have found it quite difficult to keep her gated in. She is the neighborhood watchdog. She not only barks at people, but she barks at the wind, squirrels, birds, and stalkers. I am thankful she is a barker. But some of my neighbors may beg to differ. One night not in the too distant past, she had "treed a cat" (is that how you spell it?). Now bear in mind this was 3am and I was in a dead sleep. The barking aroused the attention of my neighbor Sid. He walked down and tried to persuade Ginger to settle down.

All I heard was a man's voice outside my bedroom window. And being the cautious and scared individual that I am, I called 911. The police came out, walked around the house and didn't see anything. They said "we must have scared him off". The Stalker must have scampered home before blue came. So they left and I had a sleepless remainder of the night. The next morning I called Julie to tell her about my stalker and the police drama. She in turn called her beloved only to discover he was my stalker. So, a belated thanks to Sid for watching out for my well-being. But scarring me to death. I am just glad to know who it was.

The other event with Ginger was when my back-yard neighbor, Steve, called at 2:15 AM to say that he was gonna KILL my beloved Ginger if I did not shut her up. I still have that taped conversation saved on my answering machine, just in case.

You see, I sleep very peacefully on my C-Pap machine, and I don't know there is a world going on out there. It takes alot to stir me to arousal (please get you mind out of the gutter!). I have been sleeping like a baby lately - which is a much needed reprieve from the days before C-Pap.

And thanks to Ginger for keeping the neighborhood a safer place.

The other reincarnated force I would be is a 1st grade teacher. I had the pleasure of participating in Mr. Man's "workshops" on Wednesday. My "job" as the guest teacher was to listen to the children read. There were 4-5 in a group and the children would take turns reading short stories. I so enjoyed this - just the pure delight in the eyes of a child when he has sounded out a word and got it right. They were so eager to learn to read. As for my home, I place reading a priority and Mr. Man and I read every night - without fail. It is our time to unwind and calm the day and spend time together. He will read aloud for 15 minutes or so, then we read silently our separate books. Mr. Man is like me, he has several books going at one time. His reading has dramatically improved in the last 3 months or so. I would not say he is way ahead of the other children in his class, but he is in the top 3. Proud, Proud Mama, I am.

Mr. Man has been fiddling with his front tooth for some time now. He wouldn't let me touch it. But at school, he bit into something and it made his loose tooth bleed. He went to his teacher, which she promptly referred him to the assistant, Ms. Wade. She took a Kleenex and pulled that sucker right out. So in Mr. Man's backpack was a sweet note along with the tooth in a container.

That was last Friday. We were spending the night at the hotel in Gulfport Friday night and Mr. Man was worried that the Tooth Fairy would not be able to find him at the Fairfield Inn. But lo and behold, she not only found him, but left him a personal note and $5. Inflation, it is killing me.

So here is my snaggle-tooth 1st grader in all his glory.

Now is there anything cuter that a boy missing a tooth? I think not. It is a segway to adulthood. It has generated conversation about the importance of taking care of those permanent teeth. My dentist would be so proud! I loved to ask Nellie Boone to smile when she was snaggle-tooth - she lost both her front teeth about the same time, so she was extra special cute.

So all is well with the world and we are one tooth less, with several more to go - I am excited! I love my son!

It IS a Wonderful Life!

Peace!

The Family Reunion

There is nothing like spending a lovely early November day than spending it with about 50 folks you hardly know, but have a connection. You glance around, scanning the crowd, and you begin to notice familiar faces. Then you begin to put parents with children. Then there are all these "extra" people to place. That would be spouses and children. I didn't know these folks. I have heard about most, but never met them.

There are a few tid-bits I found amusing:

My Great Grandfather "Doc Vinson" was a traveling dentist. He would go from town to town fixing everyone's teeth, and then move onto the next town. He and his wife had 19 children, 12 lived to adulthood. My Grandmother Agnes was the oldest daughter. My Mother (the M.U.) claims Grandpa Doc died of the hiccups.

My Great Great Grandfather "Samuel"  worked for a widowed landowner and she had a daughter, Mary Ann "Molly". Samuel was off to enlist in the Civil War in 1861 for the Confederacy, and asked Molly (10 years younger) if she loved him. She said yes, so Samuel asked Molly to wait for him. She was only about 16 and did not really care that much for him, but was tender hearted, so she said she carried a cut onion in her handkerchief, in order to shed a few tears when saying goodbye.

When Sam enlisted he provided his own horse - the only thing he owned, and the records show that Sam was to be paid 40 cents a day for his horse. Records indicate he had not been paid anything for his horse and had accrued $24.80 that the Confederate Army owed him. He was in the siege of Vicksburg that lasted six weeks.

During the war Sam was injured. As Sam told the story, he was drinking water from a creek and looked up to see a Yankee soldier on the other side of the creek aiming a rifle at him. Sam jumped in the creek and the Yankee shot at him, hitting Sam in the foot. Sam's big toe was amputated. Sam was reportedly an "overbearing person, but never to Molly". In later years he was confined to a wheelchair for chronic vertigo.

Rebecca (Molly's mother - the widowed landowner) seems to have been a woman of considerable wealth for that time. She is shown in the 1860 Rankin County Slave Schedule as having seven male slaves and four female slaves and she owned a prosperous plantation, in the Piney Woods Area of Rankin County. Molly had a special "Mammy" who dressed her hair every morning, and then went off to braid the hair of the little black children on the plantation.

Note: The Ammones farm (Molly's mother) was located between the towns of Jackson and Laurel in an area known as Big Piney Woods. Many years after it left the Ammones family a school was established there and named Piney Woods School. The school became a landmark institution for educating young black people.

The two men Samuel enlisted with, came home from the Civil War and together they established New Prospect Methodist Church at Brandon and built the church themselves. Molly and Sam's son in law, Jimmy, would always sit in the Amen corner of the church and you'd hear him all during the sermon, "Amen, Amen, Amen" to everything the preacher said. He also from time to time would sing in the Choir and would sleep most of the time....

I have so many funny stories of my great Aunts and Uncles! Many of my Uncles opened up Cleaners in the New Orleans area. I remember as a child on up thru teenage years spending many times in New Orleans. They were all big Saints fans, and when the game was "blacked out" they would all come to Kay's house (my mother). I have so many wonderful memories.

There were pictures of old reunions at Uncle Bob's and Aunt Mary Helen's home on the Ticfaw River. It was always around July 4 weekend. You talk about wild, now let me tell you, sports fans, my family could throw a party. We would float down the Ticfaw River, sneak off in the woods and smoke, and freely help ourselves to the picnic table full of assorted adult beverages. Cousin Milton saw me and immediately came up and said you and your brother took Preston (his son) off after a reunion and partied. He remembered it better than I.

But here are some pics - as you probably guessed, I was the family photographer.

Just to show what a small world we live in. I was a Pilgrim at Cursillo #50. I was mentioning this fact to Cousin Lou (this is where the reunion was in Gulfport). We talked on about this and that and later realized that her niece was married to Stan P. that was on staff when I was there.

I have written about my dear cousin, Karen, and her husband Charlie that live in Pensacola. We shared so many summers together either in New Orleans or in "the country" as they liked to call Swan City! She would say in her coon ass accent "I want to go stay by your house". This is a funny pic - Karen is the one on the far right that is the monkey that "sees no evil".

It was a fun Saturday! Plus Mr. Man met many of his extended family and was such a good boy. He lost a tooth Friday, so the tooth fairy even found him at Fairfield Inn in Gulfport!

Peace!

The Crusaders - Coming Up For Air...

  With the advent of Fall we look forward to a busy schedule! In my former life I watched alot of football - I don't really miss that much. Now I go to pep rallies and parades - plus alot more.

Mr. Man had a bad week at school. We are on the light system.

Monday - Green

Tuesday - Green

Wednesday - Red (we just skipped right over yellow)

Thursday - Blue (it was bad - trust me!)

Friday - Green

He was concerned!

The week before it was a yellow somewhere in the middle of the week. Maybe that is always the reason I appear stressed at WAP!! Let's just suffice it to say disruptiveness, disrespectfulness, not being kind to his classmates, making noises, playing too rough on the playground - well you get the picture - he was testing his new territory - First Grade.

Mr. Man was grounded - but I did allow him two outings - one was a pep rally and one was church. Here is the proof (about 80).

We spent the weekend confined to home - which ain't so bad to me. He was grounded from the computer, but we played games and read. He watched some TV - all in all - it was a pleasant weekend.

Our other outing was church. Here are some pics of the Upper Rooms - the best way in the universe to teach children about God in my most humble opinion! And may I add that Ms. Shannon, Ms. Debra, Ms. Jennifer, Ms. Kaylee and all the shepherds have big ole stars in their crown!

So, that was our grounded weekend. It wasn't all that bad, now really!

I had a little chat with the school counselor - because he was referred to her by his teacher. She gave me some helpful hints, which have worked. She told me that most kids are so motivated by staying on Green all week so they could pick out a treat from the Treasure Box on Friday's. Mr. Man told her there was nothing in there he liked! She recommended my making a "deal" with him at home that I would do something he liked or buy something he really wanted. So, after a week of all Green - he wanted the coveted Level X - Pokemon Cards. Simple enough for me.

All is well with the world so long as my child is behaving - and believe me, he is one hard headed little man. His teacher said he has made the turn and knows she intends to enforce the rules.

She also said everyone in the class took a reading test and his score was above average and he is reading almost at 2nd grade level. I was proud!

So, that is the story of my life - one minute you are down and the next you come up for air.......

I prefer air.

My sibling and I have an appointment with his Psychiatrist on Friday. He seems to be doing OK. He called the doctor today because the night medicine is not helping him sleep. Last Friday, he told the Psychiatrist and I  he had not slept in 2 weeks - amazing, huh? He increased the dose. All I can say is that today is a heck of alot better that last week! I guess that is progress.

To Peace and alot of Air!

The Fry-Day Drama

Some things are certain in life. The sun comes up, work, income taxes are due, and the sun goes down. Then in betwixt and in between some days are quite pleasant and some are filled with drama.

Yesterday was drama.

I knew my brother was having some trouble. It all started with some suspicions that things were amiss. His wife left him and cleared out the house. The only furniture he has is his bedroom set and Andrew's bedroom set. She took all the sheets, left 2 flimsy towels, everything - cleared out. This was not unexpected. Everyone in the family and some close friends knew her agenda for several years. But I have to hand it to her - I couldn't have put up with my brother and his addiction problems for as long as she did. So, I can't fault her one bit.

I agreed to pay his bills and meet his basic needs. At first I would give him a company check to buy groceries and gas. Then I realized that was not working - there was little food in their house and he was always out of gas, but going nowhere.....This was my first red flag.

So, I gave him a company credit card with his name on it with a $500 credit limit and set up with the credit card company that he was to get no cash out. I thought that amount of money would buy groceries and gas for a month. My thought initially was  I just wanted to meet his basic needs. I did not want to enable his addiction. So......the credit card company called on Wednesday to say that they suspected fraudulent charges. It was the same charge for Wal-Mart and a drug store of $53.50 that alerted them. Plus the fact that he was going to the same gas station several times a day. Later I found out he was buying phone cards for his dealer in exchange for drugs.

He had not answered my calls for 3 days, plus Andrew said he was laying in  bed all day depressed. The whistle was now blowing and I knew he was in full blown relapse. What distresses me the most is that I was the enabler. I tried so hard to take the correct precautions and to just meet his basic needs. But let me tell you folks, drug addicts are a step ahead of us normal folks! They are smart and cunning. They can find the back door to the alley and slip thru in a moments notice and not even blink an eye. To put it bluntly, they are liars. And the drug is the devil.

It made me think of this tune which I loved in the 70's:

So, I made a visit to his house, and sure enough, he was laid up, depressed, and not even able to carry on a cohesive conversation with me. He hadn't had a bath in 3 days and things were bleak. I was concerned to say the least.

What was I to do? He had previously told me that his Psychiatrist was drug testing him every 2 weeks and offered to bring me proof. The proof never came. So here it was Friday at noon - I figured Psychiatrists take off on Fridays - but I called his office and a woman called me back. I told her the details and said I didn't know if I could get him in. She started talking things like suicide, involuntary commitment, and yadda yadda. I became even more concerned. She told me if I could get him to the office, the doctor would see him.

I went back over there and fortunately he gave me little resistance. He would not take a shower, but he agreed to go. Now all this previously was drama to me, but let me tell you folks, the drama was in the Psychiatrists office. I found out he had only seen this man twice in November 06 - he was an hour late to the first appointment, 15 minutes late to the second appointment and never came to the third appointment. He had only been drug tested twice. NOT EVERY OTHER WEEK.

He was prescribed heavy doses of a medication that the Psychiatrist said worked on the same chemicals in the brain as cocaine. Plus something to take the edge off (jitters) and something to help him sleep. We re-scheduled for next Friday and we were on our way home with Allen armed with a hand full of homework - recovery work. He advised him to go to meetings and work a spiritual program. I was thinking - yea, right - that is going to happen......

We dropped the prescriptions off at the pharmacy and I dropped him off to take a shower. And I was off to my normal life of picking up Mr. Man from extended care school.

Mr. Man and I had a date last night so I asked Allen to go with us. He did, but he had the jitters bad. He bounced his legs up and down the whole movie and ate a whole bag of Reece's Pieces - you know the big bags you get at the theater's, not the .99 bag at the convenience store. On the way home we went to get the prescriptions.

So, as the Drama unfolded - I prayed - and asked God to guide me to make the correct decisions. I asked friends to pray. I have a certain peace that things went well, and he was able to get the help he needed for that day. Today is another day!

I will pray for more peace! And healing! And discernment!

Thanks be to God! Our peacemaker and our healer!

Hump Day - At Ease

I have felt so peaceful lately. This is a welcome change from my usual bizarre world. I have been reading alot lately - mostly spiritual in nature. Most of the time there are 3 books sitting around - I multi-task well!!

Several "dramas" have reared their ugly head my way lately. Don't you just hate that. In any given moment - Murphy's Law kicks in and rules.

I am proud to say that a couple of issues with the A.F. have been turned over to legal counsel. I am at peace with this, it was long over-due. Speaking of which, Mr. Man announced to me that his dad and Ms. Ashlyn just got married. Now all this is news to me. But friends, my sympathy to her. I am sure she is quite nice and sweet, but boy-hidey if she only knew that she just jumped in a sack full of snakes. Bless her heart!

Business is good, but my main manufacturer is giving me fits and demanding that my vendors only carry his line or he won't sell to them. Now isn't that the craziest thing you have ever heard. That situation will only dilute the market further (to my benefit since they will be open to buying my private label). It is a two-edged sword. My vendors want to carry his product, I just have an option for them if needed.

Well, the wonderment and excitement of 1st Grade has faded, on day 3, none the less. It may turn out to be a long year. Mr. Man doesn't do well with alot of change. He likes structure. I had my SISTERS group last night and we didn't get home till late. Mr. Man is like me in many ways, he loves to stay up late and likes to sleep in. We are not on the same schedule as school!! He was tired and grumpy this morning. I literally had to dress him and practically drag him out the door. It was horrible - I hate those mornings. I didn't lose my temper, but the devil was whispering in my ear....

Reminds me of a scripture verse I heard while listening to my 2nd favorite minister - of course my Metro Minister is tops, but on occasion I have listened to Joel Osteen, the smiley preacher. Anyway, the verse is from Isaiah 54:15: NO WEAPON FORMED AGAINST YOU WILL PROSPER, BUT EVERY TONGUE THAT RISES AGAINST YOU IN JUDGMENT, YOU WILL SHOW TO BE WRONG.

One of the books I have in rotation right now is "Your Best Life Now" by the Smiley Preacher. I remembered a little diddy his mother prayed before her children went off to school for the day. I wanted to pray this for Mr. Man in the morning. It struck me as simple, yet so powerful. I spent about 45 minutes flipping thru the book trying to find the quote, this is an excerpt that includes the little diddy....

"All my life, I've been aware of God's favor. From the time my siblings and I were little kids, every day before we left for school, our mother would pray, " "Father, I thank You that Your angels have charge over my children, and that Your hand of favor will always be upon them." " Consequently - and I say this humbly- I've come to expect to be treated differently. I've learned to expect people to want to help me. My attitude is: I'm a child of the Most High God......He has crowned me with favor."

It is true, we are God's children. We have to live life to expect his favor. He wants us to have peace and make our lives easy. As Smiley says, "To be favor-minded simply means that we expect God's special help, and we are releasing our faith, knowing that God wants to assist us."

Tonight in our PHAT group Sara F. used an analogy I loved......We love it when our own children come to us for help, or for love. Simply put, God works the same way. We are His children, and he wants us to come to him when we need help.

Our Lord is Good indeed!!

Peace!

A Piece of my Valley....the Bitch Column.

As days go, this has been one I would prefer to push the delete button and make it go away. Wouldn't that be remarkable! There is a saying that goes something like this: You have to walk thru the valley to get to the mountain. Probably the best therapy for me is to start a gratitude list immediately. But, in the meantime, here goes my bitching:

Andrew announced yesterday he wanted to go to JCJC this fall semester. So being the good Aunt that I am, I went to the web site and researched classes and options for him. Registration began today, so we made the trek to Ellisville to get him enrolled. I was stressed over all this. To my amazement it was a quite pleasurable experience and went quickly. This was about the only positive part of the day.

We went in his vehicle because he needed gas (imagine that?). Well, I went to the driveway and his vehicle was covered in mud. That started the drama and tears. I lit into him like white on rice. You see, he loves to go mud riding and he trashed his former vehicle. Mud riding will tear up a vehicle in a matter of a few months. I bought his present ride several months ago. The second day he had the dadgum thing, he wrecked it - ran into the back of "one of his friends" - so the airbag went off and the front end was bashed. But it still runs - it just looks like a bunch of rednecks have camped out in it. I felt like I would be in my environment if I had a chew of snuff and a paper bag with a quart bottle of Malt Liquor - or better yet, Gin and Juice. The angrier I became and the more I glared out the mud covered window, the more I cried - so I was in an unpleasant state of mind when we got to JCJC.

He brought me home and by that time I was fully propped up on the pitty pot. So here are the unpleasant layers of my onion:

**  Contractual Issues with Mr. Man are unnerving. He has been in time out more times than I can count. He is testing me at every turn. I am holding firm, but my nerves are about shot. If school doesn't start soon, maybe my friends will come visit me in the insane asylum.

** The A.F. owes me a 5 digit number in business matters.

** The A.F. has given me $100 in 8 weeks for child support.

** The A.F. wants to get Mr. Man this weekend. I need a break, but I am completely pissed at him. He also wants Mr. Man to go on his route again.

** I received a bankruptcy notice on a vendor that owes me a 5 digit number.

** Andrew's vehicle rides like a military tank - shake, rattle and roll - yeehaa. It was quite a pleasant ride to JCJC - at least his AC rocks!

** My brother has been receiving a SS check on Andrew's behalf (his mother is deceased) for 6 years now, do ya think he has saved any money for his education??? NOT. He laughed in my face. Damn crack cocaine - I swear, that drug is straight from the devil. At least it appears he is drug free right now.

** An employee of my main manufacturer threatened to beat the s _ _ _ out of one of my best vendors - and he is nicest man you would ever want to meet. Ongoing problems with this employee. Why does the owner allow this man to remain in his employ?

** Stepped on the scales this morning and I have gained 5 lbs since I last weighed, which was about a month ago.

** Insomnia problems in the worst way. I haven't been able to go to sleep before 3 am in the past 3 nights.

** Ambivilent about starting this food plan. If I fail one more time at this, I think I will drive to Vicksburg and jump off the Mississippi River. I have done my homework and prayed alot - I am just apprehensive and scared. I am not very good at good choices in regards to food.

** My business e-mail mysteriously has no messages in the inbox - everything has been deleted and lost in cyber space somewhere looking for me, possibly gone forever. Cyber space is big.

** The M.U. told me there was a tropical storm brewing in the Gulf. Another hurricane and I am heading for Vicksburg.

** Alex, my beloved 14 year old daschund is peeing all over my house. I am tired to cleaning up urine.

** TV in the living room has gone from an off and on lovely color to dull shades varrying from Black to Gray to White. I dream in color and by george, I want to watch Days of Our Lives in color also.

** It is oppressively miserable outside. My electric bill was $313.00 this month. But I just checked weather.com and we are due a cool snap late next week - 93 degrees. I'm excited, are you??

** I still have't filed my income tax which is due tomorrow - thank goodness for extensions. The M.U. takes every opportunity to remind me of this. She is so damned organized.

Shall I go on?

There is more.....

Enough already.

So, this is my bitch column tonight.

I know that tomorrow is another day, but I sure hope dawn comes quick. Then I hope to have enough instant coffee to make at least 2 cups, cause I don't see alot of sleep in my future.

I know in my heart of hearts that God is good, but the joke is on me. Like Mr. Man says "Mama, the devil is whispering in my ear".

It's a Wonderful Life!

Peace!

Hump Day Story: Why, Oh Why Didn't I Ask?

So, the story goes like this. After the party for the M.U., I couldn't find my camera. I looked everywhere, i.e. car, house, the M.U. house, my garbage, the M.U. garbage, the Club House - it was no where to be found. Now, please understand that this was big drama, and anyone that was around me for 5 minutes knew that my camera went M.I.A.

Part of the reason I was stressing over this is my immediate family has not been together in one room for around 3'ish years or so. Plus my sweet Uncle Jr. (my Dad's brother) and his wife, Betty were there. Along with my cousin Jean (Uncle Jr.'s daughter) and her family. Jean and my other cousin in Pensacola, Karen, are the closest I have to sisters!

The other part I was stressing over it was the M.U. 70th birthday, not to mention that I love to post pics.

So, as time goes by, I am busy backtracking. Now, please understand that Mr. Man was a witness to all this craziness. My house is basically clean, but I am one who has the propensity to get a stack or two built up here and there. Combined with the memory problems I have had over the last year from neurological problems from WNV - so I just could not for the life of me figure this out.

My A/R Guru, AJ came to work today and I was ranting and raving about my  humongous loss: my beloved camera.

So the conversation went something like this:

AJ: Well, are you sure you have looked everywhere?

Me: Yes, everywhere.

AJ: Well, have you asked Sam?

Me: NO.

Me: Sam, do you know where my camera is?

Mr. Man: Yea, it is at the Club House in the work out room, behind the blind, I put it there.

Me: You what?? You know where my camera is?

Mr. Man: Yea, mama, I hid it from you, because you hid it from me.

Authors side note: My A/R Guru, AJ, is busting out laughing!

So, the mystery has been solved. I promptly called the M.U., who was on her way to work, and politely asked her to check at the Club House, in the work out room behind the blind.

About 45 minutes later, the M.U. waltzes in with a smile on her face, dragging in my beloved camera.

So, my friends, when all else fails, ask the child.

I know today is Wednesday, and I was born on a Tuesday, but it was not yesterday. Plus I did not just fall off the turnip truck. Now, why, oh why, didn't I ask Mr. Man sooner. It would have saved me alot of anxiety.

Peace!

P.S. Now the mystery is solved:

He IS a little MAN!

Scratching his privates and picking his nose....

Never, Never in a million years did he get that from me .......that is completely from the A.F.

It's a Wonderful Life!

Peace Out.....

Circa 1937

The M.U. celebrated her 70th Birthday in a fine fashion. Her children gave her a party. It was not the party we had imagined or planned, but it was the party SHE wanted. And the way I figure it, if you are turning 70, then you should celebrate it the way you want. She doesn't like to be the center of attention and she doesn't hear well (remember she is 70) so large crowds make her nervous. I liken it to my long and almost forgotten tripping days in college when I heard voices. (Gotcha - NOT!) Dadgum, when I turn a mere 50 I am throwing myself a huge party and everyone is invited. So, here is my Mothers family in attendance:

My dear Shae beautifully designed the floral arrangements. She even let The Blue Eyed Beauty, Sassy and Mr. Man help with one arrangement. She has a certain flair with flowers! My A/R guru AJ made a wonderful tasty crab dip (the M.U. favorite seafood) and she also artfully carved the watermelon boat, chock full of fresh fruit. The small but friendly crowd devoured all but about two cups of fruit. We are hearty eaters, if nothing. To borrow from The Pioneer Woman, the little punks had the first taste. Check it out:

Basically since Katrina blew her nastiness our way, my immediate family has had division amongst the ranks. God love him, Allen withdrew and softened his stance and made this birthday extra special for our Mother! I believe this is one reason it was so important for her to have those close around. Only one word comes to mind for this current situation: hopeful. I asked Allen to grill the steaks, because he is the Grillmeister. He handily agreed. He brought the steaks over to the Club House and jumped in the pool with Mr. Man for a swim. Mr. Man is glad to see his Uncle Allen again.

So, here he is coming in all sweaty and hot, with a tall drink. Of ice, he loves to chomp ice. It drives me crazy. Why exactly do folks feel they must chomp ice?? I have never quite understood that concept. But it works for him. I used to work routes with him from time to time and he always knew the stores that had the "best ice" as he liked to call it. Back in the days when he was a bourbon drinker, he would consider it a crime (and punishment) to have a glass with just a few cubes. He wanted the glass overflowing with ice. I often wondered what the addiction to ice was about.

I think he looks quite well. He seems happy and is working, which is a huge advancement over the past two years. We are so proud of him!

All this is Gods goodness hard at work. Lots of intercessory prayer from a huge number of folks.

It was unfortunate that my sweet Andrew was not able to join us. His "betrothed" has been cramping for about a week now and she miscarried over the weekend. I have very mixed feelings about this. I will solicit more prayers for him as well continued prayers for Allen. Our Lord is so good and knows and wants to meet our every need.

It is always good to be with Lee and Remi. Remi's mother drove down from the mountains of Tennessee to be with us. She likes the little names I so freely give to everyone and has requested one of her very own: T.O.M.  - which stands for The Other Mother! She even drove all day on HER BIRTHDAY! We love you T.O.M.!! The M.U. opened an unusual gift, it was a fruit bowl - that is a bowl with holes in the bottom and a plate it sits on to catch the water from the fruit. It was beautiful, a gift from Betty and Uncle Jr. Sweet Leisa made some wonderful stuffed potatoes for us along with steamed asparagus with a simply divine sauce. The M.U. thought the cake was the prettiest birthday cake she had ever seen. And it was beautiful, I ate the last little bit at 1 a.m. this morning. It was not only beautiful, but tasty! Guess what...............it's gone, done, never to be forgotten!

My cousin Jean and her family were there. It is always good to be with them. We love to get together for birthdays, so we were in our element. Russ and Russ II came,along with Ryan. Ryan is getting something very special! A service dog or a companion for him. They left Saturday going to Orlando to be with the dog and learn its commands. Ryan has Muscular Dystrophy and he is a special boy and has been in a wheelchair for about 5 years now. He always has a smile on his face and Mr. Man loves him. He especially likes to hang onto his wheelchair and ride wherever Ryan rides. We don't like him to do that, but he finds every opportunity to jump on the back - then we pull him off. They are a special family - we missed Matt, he was working.

I particularly enjoyed two pics - each of my precious brothers and my mother, she is my heart. I hope to be just like her in 2031!

So, all was well with our souls last Friday night. The Club House was the perfect place to have a party of this size. There was enough room for everyone to mingle or sit and have an intimate conversation. The food was outstanding! But most of all, I am proud that my sweet Mother could enjoy herself around the family she loves so dearly.

Peace and Love!