At Long Last....

Frannycakes wants to apologize to everyone. I am alive and healthy. I have just been busy doing all the things that I don't do when I am supposed to do it. Please remember that I am very spoiled and tend to only do what I want to do when I want to do it. And sometimes you just have to do a few things that you don't really want to do but have to. Does this make any sense? I sat down last night to post and just drew a blank. My mother called this morning. She and my dad were wondering what was wrong with me.....I had not posted. She suggested I just had "writer's block". And that is entirely possible. My friend Beth emailed that she was going to have to actually WORK at work if I didn't post something for her to read. Beth.....I am posting today so I will not have to worry about you working at work! That is just too much of a burden for me to bear! Elaine emailed wanting to know if I was still sick. It is nice to know people missed me....for whatever reason!

The picture above is taken in front of our house. Even with above freezing temps for two weeks and rain for a couple of days, we still have this much snow on the ground. This area is part of the golf course. We have golf course on 3 sides of our house. I will be on the lookout for stray golf balls with a vengance once the course opens back up. I will be taking golf lessons soon. And I am sure I will need alot of extra balls. This is going to be interesting. I will keep you updated. I tell Dick that I am going to get us matching golf outfits. He just rolls his eyes. I can tell he is not really sure if I am teasing.....and I'm not sure I am either. It is going to be fun!

Yesterday, Weezie went to the spa....um....groomer. She had gotten very shaggy and was one big fur ball. She looks like a new puppy now. They put bows on her and she looks cute....especially rolling around on the floor trying to get those bows out! I am ready for a nice warm day to take her for a walk.

Today is overcast and gloomy. They are actually predicting some snow next week....and lots of rain. Snow is predicted for Easter Sunday. I am going to Raleigh that day. It better not delay my trip! I am going there for a week to pick out a condo for the "children" to live in while going to school and for me to visit for weeks and weeks at a time. (That last part was added to bring fear to the "children".) Actually, I think they like for me to come. I take them out to eat, I buy them things, I cook for them.....I generally just add entertainment to their lives! They are all good "children" and I am so proud of them.

I wish we were going off this weekend like we did last weekend. The "Big Shutdown" starts this weekend. I hate that word shutdown. It brings back bad memories. Fortunately, Dick does not have to be out there 24 hours a day during it like he had to do in the past. But it still is a frustrating period of time for him and in turn, me. We are running to Portland tomorrow morning to go look for invitations for the rehearsal dinner. I want to get that out of the way. Then we will have lunch and come back home so he can go back to work.

Well, that about wraps it up. See? You have not missed much! I will do better starting today.

I will talk to you later! Tootles

Monday, Monday

The weather has been rainy and overcast. And I am still feeling waves of nausea. Yuck. But I am feeling better right now than I did earlier today. Today was a very lazy day for me. And the weather cooperated perfectly!

I have added another blog to my list of recommended ones. "A Day in the Life of an Ambulance Driver" is an excellent blog. He is a talented writer and actually has already written a book. And I will tell you that I have just discovered him within the past couple of weeks and he has made me actually cry tears twice. He is from Louisiana and some of the things he writes carries me right back to Bastrop and Monroe. I think you will enjoy his blog. Take a look and let me know.

Even with the rain and the above freezing temps for the past couple of weeks, we still a lot of snow on the ground. However, I did see more grass in the back yard today than I have in months. I think we have made the turn to spring....maybe.....

Nothing more to report on.....I will talk to you later......Tootles!

Farm Pictures

Dick was petting the cow....good cow....good cow.....




I know you can't tell by the picture, but this "part" of the cow is taller than I am! And it was not very clean either.....we decided to walk the other way around!




Miss Piggy




"What are you looking at?"

Dick said we get our hair done at the same place!

Trip to Portsmouth

We are home! We had a very nice trip to Portsmouth, New Hampshire. We left around 8 on Saturday morning. Our first stop was Dunkin Donuts for breakfast. An excellent start if I must say so myself! Dick had his usual small coffee, not filled up to the top, and two chocolate frosted donuts. And, of course, they filled it up to the top which irritates him to no end. I ordered a Tropicana Orange Coolata with whipped cream on top and a multi-grain bagel with low fat cream cheese. I know, I know.......this is so out of character for me. I have been known to eat a whole dozen of donuts with my partner in crime Anne Marie. But in my infinite wisdom, I realize today that if I have a sugar rush first thing in the morning, I will be in one foul mood for the rest of the day. And that would not be a good start to the weekend away. But.....back to the trip........

Dick picked a route down the coast. We had driven north to Bar Harbor, but not south. It was beautiful. There was a beach, complete with rocks. Some parts of the beach had more rocks than others. The beach communities reminded us of the beaches down south 30 or more years ago. We liked it and decided to try and go for a weekend when it warms up a little. The houses on the coast are so pretty. Dick said he had started to like the looks of houses up here.....I must admit I am feeling the same way. We saw a lot of houses overlooking the ocean that we wished we could buy. We went through Kennebunkport, but decided that George and Barbara Bush would have to wait for out visit. We were on a mission to shop at the outlets at Kittery. I guess we will stop in next time. You can't do everything.....we will catch you later Barbara!

The stars must not have been lined up or something but I just was not in the shopping mood. So we left after a couple of stores and drove on to Portsmouth. We were hungry though, so we stopped at a seafood place and ate. It was good, though our little restaurant in Turner has much better lobster rolls! But we had some wonderful beer there and actually, our drinks cost almost more than our meal. We drove around downtown and decided to get out and shop there for a while. Weezie was with us and we discovered that almost everyone in Portsmouth has a dog and had them on a leash downtown also. We did a little bit of window shopping. Now I know that I have probably alluded to the fact that Weezie does not know that she is a ......dog. It must be a law there at you can only have dogs that weigh over 75 lbs. Weezie was pretty horrified at the prospect of walking on the same sidewalk as these "animals". She would try to climb up my leg. I would carry her then put her down. Well, she met another dog on the sidewalk and.....you guessed it.......it scared the crap out of her. Literally. Oh yes, that was fun. Thankfully, I had some tissues and gracefully proceeded to pick it up while stepping in it all at the same time. And of course the sidewalk was packed with people. You get the picture. I am pretty sure Weezie had been saving up for this moment for some time. After finding a garbage can to throw the tissues away, we left to find the hotel. We stayed at the Hampton Inn. It was very nice. Weezie got in her Vera bag and we smuggled her in to the room. Dick fell asleep on the couch then moved to the bed. I was laying on the bed watching a movie and listening to Dick and Weezie snoring, so I decided to join them. It was a glorious nap. Dick woke up before me and actually went shopping without me. Now don't get too excited. There was a Home Depot right by the hotel and a Circuit City across the street. When he got back, we went to eat at a BBQ place down the road. It had started to snow. We watched the snow falling through the window at our booth. It was so pretty. But it was above freezing so it was not sticking.....yet. We got back to the room and watched a movie that we had never seen and then it was lights out!

Today, we left about 10. We backtracked part of the way to see the coast again. Then we headed to a maple syrup farm. Today was Maple Syrup Sunday in Maine. A lot of the farms that harvest and manufacture maple syrup open up their farms and give tours and samples. Cars were lining the side of the roads. We found a place to park and started walking. We saw where they evaporated the water out of the syrup. They gave everyone a scoop of ice cream with maple syrup on top. Delish Delish Delish! Give it a try! They were having a pancake breakfast there, but we had already gotten something to eat by that time. We bought some of their syrup. Outside, there was a long line of people waiting to get a stick of maple taffy. They had made a layer of snow on the table and poured lines of maple syrup on it. They took popsicle sticks and pulled and pulled it and wound it around the stick. That looked like something that I would have been interested in eating, but I didn't want to wait in line for it. So we left with our syrup and headed home. We ate some lunch and decided to go to a farm that is pretty close to our house. They were doing the maple syrup, but it was in a shack down a hill that was muddy and we decided not to go slippin' and sliddin'. But we did go into the barn to see the animals. I took some pictures and had hoped to post them with this post, but something is not cooperating with my plans. So I will post them later. Sorry!

I don't know if we ate something out of the ordinary or just had too much fun, but my stomach is not feeling well today and neither is Dick's. I feel sorry for Dick having to go back to work tomorrow. Hopefully, he will be up to snuff.

I hope I didn't bore you with all the sorted details. It was a good weekend.

I will talk to you later! Tootles!

Today Show

I can't believe I forgot to let you know that I saw Reese and Callie on the Today Show this morning! They looked beautiful in High Definition! I hope they were able to talk to Matt! One of these days I, Frannycakes, will go to the Today Show and I will wave to you all!

Great to see some of my favorite people on TV! That means you too Matt!

Talk to you later! Tootles!

The Big D and I Don't Mean Dallas

It is Friday and I have done a very poor job of blogging this week. Very poor. I have had a little bit of an excuse. As many of you know, I only have one friend here in Maine. And that friend is getting a divorce. It seems her husband decided he didn't love her anymore and is moving out this weekend. This has not been a long time friend.......just a short time friend. And I do not know all details of their relationship, just as I probably wouldn't know all details of even my closest long time friends relationships. I think maybe the reason this has upset me so much is that she is my age. She has 3 children. Two of the children are in college. One child is still at home. She has moved and moved and moved with her husband as he changed positions. She was pretty much a stay at home raise the kids mom. And now she is among many other things worried if she will even have health insurance.

So are you depressed now?

Dick and I are going away this weekend. Just a little get the hell out of here trip. I am smuggling Weezie into the hotel in her beloved Vera Bradley bag of mine. I guess I will have to find somewhere else to put my make-up and assorted other beauty accoutrement's. She is such a sweet baby. She is outside right now. We still have major snow outside even though it has been melting for a couple of days now. And it is soft. She is trying to walk around the back yard and sinks with every step she makes.

I talked to Jamie last night. He seems to be enjoying his job.....as much as you can the first few days when the people that are training you are busy, busy, busy. I explained that everyone is nervous to begin with. He also worked at Macaroni Grill yesterday. He asked the people at one table where they were from and they were from Jacksonville, FL. And they lived on the same road he lived on part of the time he lived there. The next table had a son who goes to the Citadel. It is a small world out there!

I guess I should go get productive. I will talk to you later! Tootles!

Uncle Mental Pause

First of all, I want to apologize for yesterday's lack of a post. I finally decided to go to Portland and got back around 7. I was tired of just looking and not buying......you know how that can wear you out! I ended up going to bed about 10:30. I have not been sleeping well lately. Well, to clarify that, I have not been sleeping well for the past 3 nights. I can't seem to get into a good deep sleep and I just toss and turn and I am hot and just can't get comfortable. I am thinking it is just about time to retire my sexy flannel pj's and get something that will help me stay a little bit cooler. I can not blame any of this on the weather....it was 8 degrees outside when I finally gave up and came downstairs at 3:30. It hurts me to even type 3:30. And I have been wide awake since that time. Could it be that dreaded....ugh....Uncle Mental Pause?

I have a few things that I have get done today. Plus I have to go to Walmart to get some thread so I can sew on a button for Dick. I have all the basic colors, but of course I need a non basic color thread.

As I am typing this post I can hear the oil company pulling up outside and filling our oil tank with about $500 of fuel. Typing $500 hurts me too! Hopefully, our heating season is coming to a close. Hopefully. It will be nice to be able to open the windows again. I never thought I would ever say that. Way down yonder in the south, it was either heat or air conditioning for me. The thought of opening a window and letting in that humidity and hot air would put me in a bad mood. But we don't have the humidity or the heat up here so opening a window is a good thing. As long as you close it when the winds pick up or everything you have hanging or sitting on tables will be blown away! Remember: Wicked Winds!

I heard from the Virge that Callie and Reese will be on the Today Show on Friday. I will set my alarm so I will not miss a minute of them. (Please make note of that Uncle Mental Pause!) I hope they will have a sign or something so I can pick them out easily. Hint Hint HMMMMM....What could that sign say that would catch my attention??????? FRANNYCAKES!!!!!!!!

I guess it is time to get my rear out of the recliner and get to work. Especially since I have been here since 3:30. UGH!!!!!!!

I will talk to you later......Tootles!

Deep Thoughts....

I hope you enjoyed the snow pictures I posted. I will have a few more to post later. Last night it started to snow again. Then it stopped. Tonight we are supposed to get a few inches. Weezie is loving going out and climbing the snow peaks. She is a snow bunny now. Much to my horror and to Dick's delight, she is barking her little head off when she see's a bird, a squirrel, a swaying tree or anything else that she imagines is outside. And her bark is not that pitiful little one syllable half cough. It is now a two syllable....ruffruff! It is cute and she is so serious about it. I make her come inside when she starts barking and she continues to growl for a while when she gets in. Last night after coming in, she continued to look at the kitchen cabinets from the safety of the corner of Dick's chair, growling at whatever her imagination had conjured up. Yes, those crumbs on the counter scare me too, but I have learned how to deal with it!

Sunday, we went for a quick trip to Walmart. Afterwards, we went to Lone Star for lunch with a gift card our sweet realtor gave us when we closed on our house. Thank you Lorraine! It was delish! Then we were off for home for an afternoon nap. I got on the couch and Dick was in the recliner. I was just about asleep when my cell phone rang. It was Chris and I know he could tell that I must have been asleep. But it was good to talk to him. I went back to the couch and just as I started to drift towards la la land, the washing machine started beeping that it had finshed. Our new washer and dryer beep continuously when they are through. It drives me crazy. Not only the washer and dryer.....the dishwasher also beeps and beeps. You just cannot ignore it. I have got to read up on stopping this beeping! So needless to say, I did not nap. Later, I started going through files shredding and thowing away. It feels good to get rid of so much. I would really like to try and get a little bit more organized with all of my filing. Right now I will just start with filing. Other things later. I promise. I think.

My trip to South Carolina has been cancelled for right now. I will have to reschedule at another time.......We still have to go look for condo's. I am gonna miss my buds. I know girls weekend is going to be fabulous and I hope you all have great weather. Of course bad weather has never dampened the fun! When you are playing cards, please make sure everyone knows that I beat Cathy McEllvine (?) at cards and she had an 800 score. And that I may have single handedly knocked her out of going to nationals. Whatever the hell that is!

Dick has dinner out tonight. I am seriously thinking of showering and going to Portland. I will wait and see if I still want to after I shower. I can always get my thoughts straight while I am showering. Which explains why I sometimes wash my hair with Clearisil face wash and wash my face with shampoo. I am thinking about other things while multitasking. That's my story and I am sticking to it!

I will talk to you later......Tootles!

Snow Pictures

I wanted to let you see our snow we got last night and this morning. It is really pretty and I wish we had visitors up here to enjoy it! Dick got the snow blower out and gave me the shovel. I worked on the back porch. I don't know if you can tell, but the snow was against the french doors that go to the porch. Weezie was happy to get the porch shoveled off. I will post more pictures tomorrow. For some reason, I am having a hard time downloading pictures tonight.

I will talk to you tomorrow....Tootles!

Snow Pictures

Winter Storm Watch

A winter storm watch is in effect for our little part of the world. Can you believe it? Just when the other snow had started to melt, we are getting more. The forecast sounded like at least 2 feet. Weezie was getting excited being able to see more grass to poop on.....

I have put links to some of my favorite blogs over on the right side of my blog. Check them out! They are all a little different and I thoroughly enjoy them all. I am adding a new one......Second Effort. I think you will enjoy him. When you have time, go to his archives and start at the beginning. It doesn't take long to read to the present. I am just trying to share the joy with my friends!

Chris and Linley got back to Raleigh from Louisiana on Sunday night. Early Monday morning, Linley woke up with a horrible stomach virus. It lasted about 24 hours. Yesterday, Chris got it. It must have been a bad one. I am so thankful Linley was there to help him. Thank you Linley! I am glad they are both feeling better. Even more thankful you can't catch it through a cell phone or through the computer!

I exercised today....not for long, but I did exercise. Hopefully, tomorrow I will be able to go even longer.

I have been busy getting my list of addresses ready for the wedding invitations. Thank you to everyone who sent me their full names. You know we got to be proper with this! I can hardly believe it is only 4 months away.

I had hoped we would be able to get out of town this weekend so Dick could get a little change of scenery. But it looks like the weather is not going to cooperate. This has been a long week for him. I would say it has been a long week for me, but you all know that I am spoiled rotten and have nothing to complain about. Really, I don't.

I will talk with you tomorrow.....Tootles!

It's Raining, It's Pouring, Dick is Upstairs Snoring!!!!!

Today was very uneventful. I got up, got my cup of coffee and watched the Today Show. Then I got dressed and went to the grocery store. I went to my favorite store, Shaws. That was a treat. When you walk in the door, there is a Dunkin Donuts to your immediate left. Since I still had my headache, I decided that I needed a Coolata to make me feel better. It was delish, if I must say so myself. I enjoyed it till the last drop. Nothing like self medicating.....

After I put up the groceries, I made a PB&J Sandwich. Then I decided to go get a shower and maybe my head would open up and some of the pressure would be relieved. That made me sleepy, so I layed down on the sofa and dozed for a while. When I woke up, my headache was gone. I am so glad.

Tonight we had salmon, sauteed spinach and corn on the cob. It was very good. We really would rather cook the fish on the grill, but decided against it because of the rain. I can't wait till it warm up. We cook everything down to the vegetables on the grill. It won't be too long. Of course, we still have a lot of snow, so........

Dick has a dinner out tomorrow night. No cooking for me! I do love the occasional dinner meeting.

That about wraps it up for me.......I will talk to you tomorrow! Tootles!

Happy Birthday Ben!!!!

Southern Accents......That Sounds Like a Good Magazine Title!

I still have a big one.....of course I am talking about my HEADACHE and not any other part of my body this too would describe. I am hoping it is caused by the weather and not a sinus infection. We are about to get some rain and then some snow. I tried the magic potion this afternoon after getting desperate.....Goody powder and Coca Cola. Now most of the time, this is magic. However, it helped but did not take it away. I am going to try it again before I go to bed. I hate these headaches.

We went to a going away drop in tonight. It was nice and I got to meet some more people from the mill. Too bad none of them live near us. Oh well.......maybe when it thaws out I will meet more people.

I talked to the couple whose house burned yesterday. It was all I could do not to start blubbering right there. My eyes kept watering up and my voice cracking. Dick's company is letting them lease the house we lived in for a time that is here in the neighborhood. They already have a builder who is ready to start rebuilding as soon as the insurance gets settled. I am glad they are able to use the red house. This neighborhood has just come together for them. People were moving furniture in there tonight for them as we were coming home from the party. I will go down tomorrow to see what I can contribute.

Someone asked in the comments who Josh was.......he is our nephew, son of Dick's sister Debbie and her husband Steve.

Today while I was in Walmart, I was checking out and the man behind me started talking to me and the check out lady about my accent. He went on and on and on and was imitating me. I finally turned to him and told him that people down south thought that northerners had funny sounding accents. He replied with a southern accent that no, southerners had funny accents. I told him I would try to imitate him but I would probably hurt his feeling and I tried my best not to do anything that would hurt someones feelings. And to that he said absolutely nothing.

Well, this old southern girl (and proud of it!!!!!) is going to medicate and go to bed. I hope my frown turns upside down in my feelings picture tomorrow! I will talk to you tomorrow.........Tootles!

Happy Birthday Josh!

Mornin' Yall!

I usually don't post this early.....um....it is 10:30 in the morning......early...right? I have kind of been out of sorts since returning to this place called Maine. I can't quite put my finger on it. Is it because I was gone for a whole month? Yes, probably. Is it because I have been around my children and I miss them? Yes, probably. Is it because I have been around my bestest friends and I miss them terribly? Yes, probably. Is it because I have had very little sunshine and a lot of overcast? Yes, probably. Is it because I have a killer headache that just doesn't seem to want to go away? Yes, probably. I need some sunshine and green. We still have snow....though it is melting as I speak...um....type. I checked the weather forecast this morning and it looks like I spoke too soon about us getting no more snow. I will get over all this.............and the sooner the better.

Today, I have some paperwork stuff to take care of. The taxes are just about ready to go. I have some reimbursement things that need to be sent in. And I need to throw away a lot of things that I have filed that we just don't need any more. Of course, the moment I throw them away, I will need something. This theory explains why my files are so full......you know......just in case.....

My birthday present from Dick was a plane ticket to go to a girl's weekend in SC. I made my reservations last night. I know, I know..........I were just complaining about being out of sorts........well, I think I can justify myself...yeah...okay.....I am killing two birds with one stone........I am also looking at condos while I am down. We have to get one in Raleigh and I will be looking at them with a realtor while I am there. See.....justification. Of course I get to see the bestest friends again......

Yesterday, one of the houses in our neighborhood burned down. According to what Dick said, it took 30 minutes for the fire trucks to make it here. Kelly had left to go pick up her kids from school and when she got up the hill, she saw the fire and called 911. It was a complete loss. I am afraid that if our house caught on fire, it would be ashes before anyone even saw it. We are kind of isolated from the other parts of the neighborhood. And most people aren't home during the day. It makes me want to take Weezie with me when I leave the house.

Okay....I will try to leave on a cheerier note. I don't have to cook dinner tonight!!!! How's that for cheerier? There is a going away get together tonight. I am all for those!

I will talk to you later! Tootles!

Happy Birthday Gran Gran!

Another Day in Paradise

We are melting. The snow is slowly melting away. We will probably not see it again until next winter. I will miss it.

It has been a very lazy Sunday. Dick went to work for a little while this morning and I slept in. It was glorious! After drinking my coffee and checking my email, I washed a load of clothes and took my shower. Around 5 we went to Auburn to have dinner with someone who was interviewing with Dick tomorrow. It was not the most exciting dinner I have had, but then I didn't have to cook dinner so I won't complain.

Today is Gran Gran's Birthday! Happy Birthday Gran Gran!!!

Boring days create boring blogs.........I will talk with you tomorrow....Tootles!

A Good Day

For the first time in a long time, it is above freezing! And tomorrow is it supposed to rain, not snow! I guess this is the beginning of the end for our snow. Weezie has been enjoying climbing up to the top of the snow from the path that Dick blew out for her. She looks like a little furry mountain climber, so proud of her accomplishments!

Today, the "retired math teacher" called me to tell me that I had thanked everyone who had emailed me and those who had sent cards, but not those who had called and especially not those who had sung to me. Actually, I was trying to forget about that singing part.......She told me that since I had omitted this in my blog that she would not longer call and sing to me on my birthday. If I had only known....I would have started my blog years ago......HaHa......Just kidding! Please let me thank everyone that called that Blessed day. If I forget your name, remember I AM 48 years old and somethings are bound to happen to the memory! Here goes.....

Elaine, thank you so much for calling and singing me such a beautiful birthday song. You have such a beautiful voice and it will be etched in my 48 year old memory forever. I also received your beautiful card today. Even though the woman on it did not look like me (she looked too....um.....hungry), it was a splitting image of Dick. Thank you again. Gran Gran, thank you for your card as well as the wonderful shopping moo-la! Debbie, thank for your birthday call! Mom and Dad, I swear I am 48 (count with your fingers). I swear. Thank you for calling me and wishing me Happy Birthday! Vickie, thank you for calling me all the way from Italy, or It-lee as we like to call it around here. I also enjoyed talking to Delma. Thanks so much. Aunt B also called with a birthday wish....thank you! And of course my precious children called, Jamie from Lexington. You know....the "employed with benefits" Jamie! Thanks Jamie! And Chris and Linley called from Louisiana. Thanks you! Thank you! One and All!

Whew! Today, Dick and I drove to Augusta to eat BBQ and go to Barnes & Noble and Michaels. The BBQ was delish and a nice treat. On the way over, we passed a lake where several people had pulled over to the side of the road and were looking out at the lake. Part of the lake had started to melt. Right on the edge of the ice was a bald eagle. It was big and it was so beautiful! I think he must have been looking for some fish for dinner. While Julianne was here we were going down a road and probably 10 or 15 turkeys were standing right by the road. Dick says they are trying to find food because of the snow covering everything. I guess the eagle was having to do the same thing because the lakes have been iced over for a while. So now I can say I have seen a porcupine, a moose, a skunk 3 times as big as Weezie, and a bald eagle in Maine. Dick told me he would take me places and show me things....oh yeah he has!

It is about bed time so I better go....I will talk with you tomorrow! Tootles!

Tales of an Unauthorized Mad Woman

Julianne and I got up at 3:30 to go to the airport. 3:30!!!!!! I have flown out of Portland many times at 6 in the morning and have never seen much of a line of people. Usually we can just walk up to a kiosk and get our ticket. Well, this morning, there were more than 50 people standing in the kiosk line. US Air only had one person checking in all these people. Julianne got her ticket at 6:15 for her 6:30 flight. There were a lot of people that missed their flight. Thankfully there was not a line at security so that didn't hold her up any. I am going to miss her.

This afternoon, she went to get a new phone that our cellular provider in NC was giving us. I despise this company. If my children were not use to unlimited minutes, I would change. Let's just say this company rhymes with "SunCom". The account is in Dick's name and he had to move heaven and earth just to put me on the account as an authorized person. Okay.....that was an exaggeration......he just had to move earth. But back to the story. Chris had to get a new phone a month ago. He called me from the "rhymes with SunCom" office and he gives them all the security information after he asks me on the phone. They never even talked to me! Well, today when Julianne went to the office in Rocky Mount, and I really, really despise this office, they informed me that I had to make her an authorized user to be able to get the new phone. Furthermore, that I was not authorized to make her an authorized user....only "Mr." could do that. It just pushed me over the edge! I proceeded to tell this lady that this was all ridiculous and how my son had just gotten a new phone and didn't have this problem and blah blah blah blah blah blah blah BLAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It put me in the worst mood. If anyone needs me to "whoop up on somebody" I will. Without a second thought. That is just the mood I am in and I warned Dick when he walked in the door. Don't mess with me. I ain't in a good mood!

I also want to let everyone know that Big Head Fred emailed me today with a belated Birthday wish. He also thinks he can do haiku........about as good as he is as an interior decorator! Thanks Big Head!

It is going to be an early to bed night for me. I am dangerous when I am this tired. Talk to you tomorrow! Tootles!

It's My Birthday!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday to Me!!! I have had a wonderful birthday. I got to sleep until 8:30. Then I rolled out of bed and came downstairs for a cup of coffee. I turned on the gas logs and curled up in the recliner and turned on the Today Show. Then I proceeded to check my email. I had some very nice birthday wishes from some very nice people. Thank you!

Julianne and I took our time getting ready and drove to Augusta to do some shopping. On the way, I got me a "Birthday Coolatta". I have been trying to stay away from them for a while now. I am not sure where the Dunkin Donuts Coolatta Rehab is, but I was destined for an intervention if I continued drinking them the way I had been when we moved here.

When we got home, Dick was waiting for us. He had gotten off a little bit early. He surprised me with some beautiful flowers. Isn't he sweet? Then he took us out for dinner. As Julianne said, "In the words of Frannycakes, it is delish!" We shared a desert because we were all very full. It was a great dinner.

Something funny happened this afternoon..........we stopped by the mailbox and Julianne got the mail and handed it to me. I had some birthday cards......Thanks Anne Marie......we danced in the car to the musical card....so funny!........Thanks Gran Gran......I will have fun shopping!..............and Thanks Aunt Dot! Your note was so sweet. In her note, she wrote something about she had enjoyed my blog and reading about my exciting life. Well, I am reading all the cards out loud so Julianne can enjoy them and when she hears what Aunt Dot says, she asks "Are we reading the same blog?" Well, we both burst out laughing! I guess it is all in eyes of the beholder. Julianne does not read that.......Aunt Dot does. Am I living an exciting life......well......somedays yes and somedays no. But I am glad that someone is reading it as exciting......Thanks again everyone who called or emailed or sent me a card. I love you all!

I guess I had better go to bed. We have to get up at 3 to get Julianne to the airport for her 6:00 flight. She is going to be one tired puppy tomorrow. This tired old dog (I don't think I can be classified as a puppy any more!) will be napping tomorrow. I am going to miss my little girl. But I will be making a few trips down there in the next few months. We have to look for somewhere for Chris and Julianne to live next year. They are going to live together. Say a prayer for that!

I will talk to you tomorrow! Tootles!

I had big, should I say little, plans for today. A Reba marathon and napping to name a few. But they were not to be. I got up around 8 and went downstairs for my coffee and Matt Lauer.....I mean the Today Show. I decided that I needed to go through the mail that we had received the month I was gone. I had already sorted through the bills and assorted other crap, but I needed to go through catalogs and magazines. So I sat down and went through that and threw away everything we did not need. Believe me, it was a lot! Weezie has rediscovered her toy basket, so I had to pick up all her toys that she had scattered all over the den. I emptied the dishwasher and started refilling it. I made up our individual baggies of oatmeal. The washer and dryer started their work and the vacuum started up. I wish I could say it vacuumed on its own. A month had gone by since I had vacuumed and it needed it bad. Then I started dusting and go done with the downstairs. Tomorrow I am finishing upstairs. It will be nice to have a clean house. Oh....I guess that means I have to clean the bathrooms too. Walmart was out of the rust remover, so I can only clean so much until I can get that. We have a well here and even though we have extra filtering for our water, we have problems with rust. We have had to get used to alot of new things living here!

It was very cold today. Tomorrow is going to be warmer.....if you call 19 warmer. Weezie doesn't stay outside very long when it is below zero. Of course we still have a lot of snow......

Gotta go iron my man's clothes for tomorrow.....Tootles!

Monday, Monday

Julianne and I have had a lazy day today. The only thing we did productive was to go grocery shopping at Walmart. I love shopping at Shaws, but somehow I feel like I've spent a lot more money there. But they do have such a good selection of everything....but again it is more expensive. Oh the decisions I have to make.....

Dick had a dinner meeting tonight, so Jules and I had scrambled eggs, grits (Yum Yum) and toast. When he got home, he had a movie he had to watch for work. Yeah right! No really, he does this from time to time. It happened to be a war movie and I can't watch those so I am upstairs in my bed with the electric blanket on high typing away! It is supposed to get down to -4 degrees tonight with winds up to 40 mph. I told you we have wicked winds up here! The windows sound like they are going to break with every gust. I used to worry about the two dead trees in the front yard being blown into the house and of course hitting me in my bed since I am the closest to the windows. Chain saw man took care of that concern for me. Now I am afraid the glass from the window breaking is going to get me. I guess tonight I will sleep with my head under the covers. Hopefully Dick didn't eat anything spicy at dinner!

So tomorrow I will be building a fire in the woodstove and dressing warm. The wind chill factor is supposed to be -25 degrees. Julianne and I plan to have a "Reba" marathon. And maybe even a nap. Or two. Come on over!

I absolutely love the picture I posted of the "Card Mafia". I almost didn't post because I loved seeing their faces when I pulled up my blog. I guess I should clarify that the people in this picture are the "Georgetown Mafia". Sumter has their own "Mafia" and get together with the "Georgetown Mafia" from time to time. They are a little more serious and "cut-throat" than we are, but we love them anyway.

Chris and Linley will be traveling to Louisiana this weekend to attend a wedding of a high school and college friend. He wants to show Linley around Monroe and Bastrop and Ruston and introduce her to some of his friends. They are both very excited about their trip. I know they will have a good time.

I guess that is about all I have for now..........talk to you later.....Tootles!

Card Mafia?

This is a picture of what John Benson calls the "Card Mafia". Now I am not sure if that exactly describes us or not. I do know that we have single handedly boosted Hershey's earnings by all the chocolate we have consumed while playing cards. We have been known to break out in song and one member thinks she has a beautiful voice. That is debatable. And some members think they have a degree in cosmetology. If they did, it would have been taken away after a certain highlighting incident! But one thing I am sure of is these are some funny, crazy and wonderful women that I am honored to call my friends. I love you all!

Fiesta!

Fiesta!

FIESTA!!!!!!

First, let me say that a wonderful time was had by all! The theme was FIESTA! I have never seen so many Mexican decorations. Virginia had told me she had lots of decorations for a Mexican party and she wasn't kidding! I am impressed. The food was delish. Unfortunately, I was unable to eat more than a few bites because I was talking too much. The beverages available were Margarita's and Corona's. And water, of course. The Margarita's were yum yum! It seemed like a reunion of friends because some of them we had not seen in a long time. It was great.

I want to say a big thank you to my wonderful friends Elaine, Virginia, Beth, Barbara and Katharine. I appreciate all your hard work and will never forget your generosity. I know this is a memory that Jamie and Lesley will cherish. Thanks so much.

Of course, after the party, the "children" were not ready to stop partying. So they went out again! But thankfully they were not out long. We were in bed by 1. The next morning, Mom and Dad left around 6. We had breakfast around 9:30 and after cleaning up, it was time to start lunch. Does this sound like a pattern? At 1, the Dumm's, the Benson's, Virginia, Carrie, Sean and the entire Jackson group had lunch. We had gotten BBQ and Barbara brought a fabulous double chocolate cake. We were stuffed.

Chris, Linley, Julianne and Nathan left shortly after lunch. Then Sean left taking Carrie and Lesley with him. Lesley went to spend the week in Charleston with Carrie and her sorority friends. We left about 4 to take Jamie to the airport. When we got there we found out that if he left Sunday night, he would be stranded in Atlanta because of the snow in Cincinnati. So instead, they booked him on a direct flight to Cincinnati the next morning. Back to the beach house we went and we all were in bed pretty early. Dick took him to the airport early for his 6:00 flight. We were checked out of the beach house by 9 heading for St. Marys.

We had a good visit with Gran Gran. She has a new cell phone now. She had to learn alot before we left! I know she is probably text messaging by now! Actually, all we learned how to do was make a call and check voice mails...........more than that would be TMI.

Thursday night, Tommy and Doris brought my precious niece and nephew, Thomas and Hannah for pizza and quick visit. They are as adorable as ever and it made me wish we lived nearer to them.

So that brings you to my previous email about getting up and leaving for Raleigh at 5. I am getting a little sleepy now as I type.......maybe......I......will........take........a.......nap.

I am posting some pictures from the Fiesta. Hope you enjoy them!

And now for the best news yet........Jamie has a job! We will start next week and will continue to work some at Macaroni Grill. I will give you more specific information later, cause I don't remember any of it except it has pretty good benefits and it takes a load off my mind......and his I am sure!

It's great to be back blogging! Tootles!

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggidy Jig!

After two very long days of driving, we finally arrived home around 5:30 last night. A plane trip is very deceptive to the mind when thinking about how far Maine is from "our people". However, a car ride brings nothing but the cold hard truth that we are "a long damn way from home". We started out around 5 from St. Marys, GA and drive to Raleigh, NC to pick up Julianne. We then drove to North Baltimore to spend the night. The exit we took for the hotel was also the exit for the mall and other fabulous stores. One of them was IKEA which I have been dying to go into and look around and maybe even PURCHASE something. I know this is going to be hard to believe, especially those of you who know my love of shopping, but I was just too tired to shop. So we ate at Chic-fil-a and then we went to the hotel. I put on my sexy flannel pj's and checked my email and crawled into the bed. We were all asleep by 9:30. The next morning, we got up around 5 and left shortly after 6. Around New York, we started to see a little bit of snow here and there. The farther north we went, the more we saw. As soon as we crossed into Maine, we saw alot more. Besides being just dog tired, the ride was not bad.....just long. Of course, Dick and I were ready for divorce court when we arrived, but withdrew our papers this morning. No need to worry. The snow here is piled high on each side of the road. Our back yard is pretty deep....almost up to the top of the fence. The deck snow is almost to the top of the table and past the seats of the chairs. Weezie just looks and looks. Dick got out the snow blower and plowed a walkway from the porch to the garage door.

I have my usual excruciating headache I get whenever I leave Maine and come back. It usually takes a couple of days to get over......I looking forward to that. Dick has already exercised and is taking his bath. Julianne is still in bed, where I would still be if my head was not hurting. I am a slug in the recliner blogging. I guess I should go and get a bath.

I plan to let you all know about the fabulous Fiesta given for Jamie and Lesley in South Carolina after my bath. It was wonderful and everyone had such a wonderful time that people did not want to go home.......I will save the details for later today.......

It is wonderful to be back blogging. This recliner just gets the blogging juices flowing.....Tootles!