Where in the World is Frannycakes? Part 2

Hey Yall! Greetings from Pawleys Island where we have the heat on! Can you believe it? And let me tell you, the heat feels good coming from the vents....real good! Sorry about not posting yesterday. We were very very busy. Scratch that. We were not busy. We did have things to do and people to see and food to eat and naps to take......Did you hear that? Naps to take? I took the most glorious nap yesterday. But I guess I will start at the beginning cause I know you are wanting to hear ALL the details. Okay, okay. Virginia and I accompanied Elaine to interview a caterer for Mary Ann's wedding. That was exciting. I remember the nervousness I experienced just talking to the people at the hotel where we were having Jamie and Lesley's rehearsal dinner. I can't imagine planning a wedding! But that was exciting and we meet with another caterer today. After our meeting we headed to check out a furniture store because Elaine was looking for a love seat for the beach house. After looking at the beeeeeeeautiful furniture, we headed to Steinmart because Frannycakes does not have a Steinmart in Maine and she loves Steinmart! Then it was time to EAT! We met Bethie at Pawleys Island and had a delicious lunch. Nothing better than eating good food with good friends!

Elaine had to tutor so she dropped Virginia and me off at the beach house. We had talked about laying out in the sun between the dunes cause it was just too dang cold to lay out on the beach. There is just something wrong about lathering up with sunscreen when the heater is on in the house. After getting my stomach full, all I could think about was wrapping up in a blanket and taking me a nap! And that is just what I did. And it was GLORIOUS!

For dinner, we had chicken enchiladas and as usual, we were delish. After dinner, my boyfriend John, who also happens to be Elaine's husband, herded up us and drove us to Brusters for ice cream. And it also was delish!!!!! Thank you John!

So what do we have planned for today? Well.....we have another appointment with a caterer and since we will be in Georgetown we are going to the Ball and Que for lunch. Yum Yum Yum. I do love a little food with my grease. Nothing like good country cooking! And after that? Well who knows. I will let you know later!

Friday, I head to St. Marys with a detour to Statesboro. Monday I head to Raleigh. I can't wait to take care of my Bo Bo. Then on Friday, Dick, Julianne, Jamie and Lesley arrive for the weekend celebration of Linley's graduation from North Carolina State University. I can't wait to see everyone!

I talked to Julianne yesterday and she wanted me to give her a shout out on my blog. So without further adieu......HEY Julianne!

I guess I will go get another cup of coffee and get ready for some serious chit chat. I will talk to you later! Tootles!

Where in the World is Frannycakes?

I finally touched down in God's Country around 5 yesterday afternoon! It looks kind of funny though. They have green down here.....green grass, green trees and this thing that I vaguely remember.....flowers!

Dick carried me down to Portland to catch the bus to Boston. Great way to go to Boston.....especially with gas prices and a husband who had a shut down that was starting Sunday. As it had been previously, my bus trip was wonderful with the exception that I was disappointed that we were watching "The Bee Movie" and I had half way watched it on our flight back from Italy. Notice how I threw that fact back at you!

I got a new phone for Mothers Day! It is a smart phone and appropriately titled that because you need to be smart to use it. If I could just get my email to work on it, I would feel alot more confident. I am not sure I can actually get calls because I have not heard it ring yet. The only way I know that I was getting a call was because I was holding it and looking at it trying to figure it out when it said I was getting a call. I will admit that despite some people thinking I should run back to Maine and RETURN that phone cause I am not smart that I have actually figured a couple of things out. So there! And I do have 30 days to return it. And I will be back before 30 days to do that after "Where in the World is Frannycakes?" is over.

We may be getting rain this afternoon and that will be fine. It is just so relaxing here and I am with my bud.........life is good!

I keep forgetting to report that our niece Maggie and her husband Ben are having a baby BOY!!!!!!! We are so excited for them and I know Vickie, the new grand momma, is ready to head to the states! Congratulations to the new family! He will be one lucky very loved little man!

I guess I need to go........relax! Talk to you later! Tootles!

This is a quick post just to let you know that I found a bathing suit. I know that I said I wouldn't post a picture, but I know you wanted to see it and I couldn't let you down. So without further adieu....





















Frannycakes at the Beach

Hey Yall! I have been busy today! I started cleaning out our closet. The key word is started. Because just throwing stuff away is not the only chore in there. I am taking out winter clothes and putting in summer clothes. I am sorting things to be taken to the Goodwill. I am throwing away things that I have been hanging onto for some unknown reason. Everything is being sorted on my bed. Then I take it to where it needs to go. It may take a while!

I just came downstairs to eat my oatmeal. Yeah, I know it is after 12 but I just got around to eating it. If you have high cholesteral, you should be eating it every day. Mine has been high in the past, but with the help of drugs, it is in a normal range now. It stayed about the same level for several years. Then I started eating oatmeal every morning when I worked in Roanoke Rapids. I have it checked every six months and the next time I had it checked the level was down by 60! And I can say that I was not doing any type of dieting along with it, so it cannot be attributed to that. I make mine by the bowl in the microwave using 1/2 cup of the old fashioned Quaker Oats, skim milk, 2 pkgs. Splenda, some salt and cinnamon. Yum Yum. It sticks with you!

I checked the CNN website before I posted and it reported that Paul Davis and Al Wilson had died. If you were a teenager or in college in the 70's, you have to remember Paul Davis. I guess if Dick and I had a song, it would have been "I Go Crazy" even though he may not know that. Of course, I have to fill him in on alot of things! I had his greatest hits CD and would torture my children by making them listen to it over and over. Just one of the perks of being a parent! I also loved Al Wilson and one of my favorite songs of his is "Show and Tell". Julianne thinks that song is just nasty. So whenever it is playing on the radio, I turn it up so she can really enjoy it!

I never did make it to get a bathing suit. I do plan to go tomorrow though. I know......I said that yesterday and the day before, but I do plan to go tomorrow....

I guess I better go back upstairs and get back to work! I will talk to you later...Tootles!

Hey Yall! I am having to regroup this morning. My hair stylist is sick so they called this morning to reschedule. Only fair though. I cancelled on her over a month ago because it was snowing and I was faking illness. Remember? It was the day before my scheduled haircut that my hair looked the best it ever had? Well, it has disappointed me every day since then and I will not be tricked again! My new appointment is Saturday afternoon. Yes, THE Saturday afternoon before my flight on Sunday to South Carolina. I was worrying what I would look like with new color and haircut yesterday. I am pretty sure I will look like a freak now. Just got that feeling......

So what do I do today? Well, I need to get off the 'puter and shower and dress and go look for a bathing suit. Ugh! What a horrible thing to do. And it started out to be such a nice day! I will update you later on what I find. However, you can be damn sure there will be no pictures accompanying it.

The golf course is opening on Thursday. Do you know what that means? The golfers will be a little rusty after staying indoors all winter. Last year during the first few weeks after the course opened, I would collect at least 15 balls a day in the fenced in part of our yard. Keep 'em coming guys and gals! We have friends we like to gift with our collected golf balls. Did I just type that we have friends? That would imply that I have made friends......actually Dick gives them to co-workers. Just needed to clear that up!

I guess I better go upstairs and get ready. I will talk to you later! Tootles!

Chris and Maeby Shea

Hey Yall! I am afraid that my posts are getting duller and duller. Of course my life is pretty dull right now, so that would explain the dull posts.

Julianne was home this weekend. I think she was sorry she came though. We subscribe to the child raising theory of "work 'em like a dog" and since she was home she had to come out and help us in the yard. Just ask the boys.....they don't want to come home any more!!!!!! When they were still living at home, it was a knock down, drag out to get the yard mowed. The boys say that as soon as they moved out we got a riding mower. You know who does the yard work now? Frannycakes is the yard girl. I actually enjoy it most of the time.

I have realized today that I only have winter clothes that fit. None of my summer clothes fit. So I went to Auburn to look for a couple of things to wear down to God's country. I got two pair of capri's. That is about as close to a pair of shorts that I am getting. I am finally getting around to getting my hair cut. My appointment is tomorrow afternoon. No telling what I am going to look like for my trip....you know....down to God's country.

I guess that is all my news. I will talk to you tomorrow! Tootles!

Horticulture Day, Part 2

Hey Yall! I thought that we were only going to do yard work on Saturday. I was mistaken. Did some raking, some weeding, some picking up limbs and chopped up some leaves with the lawnmower. Mowing leaves beats raking leaves any day! Then I power washed the back porch. Amazing! I think I should be a professional power washer! Of course I could not do anything over a one story house....Cause I am afraid of heights! The back porch looks so good.

I can't wait to see how sore I am tomorrow!

One week from today I will be in beautiful Pawleys Island. I can't wait!

Talk to you later....Tootles!

Hey Yall! We had horticulture day here at our house yesterday. It was that time to go outside and tackle the yard and all the mess that was left after the snow melted. Well, most of the snow melted. We still have an island of snow left in the back yard and a couple of islands in the side yard. Keep in mind that we have had weather in the 70's the past few days. It takes a while for this much snow to melt. I had to rack out snow to clean one flower bed. It just does not seem natural to me to have to do this!

The yard was a mess. Keep in mind that we have not been without snow since the beginning of December. Every snow storm would cause some small limbs to break off. Leaves and pine straw were mixed into the snow. Just a mess. My front flower bed did not fare well. It had at least 4 feet of snow most of the time. The box woods were split. I had to cut them down to pretty much nothing. I don't know if they will come back right, but I figured I had nothing to lose. If they don't recover, I will just pull them up and replace them. My oak leaf hydrangea had several limbs that were split under all the pressure. So it has been trimmed back and hopefully will recover too.

We finally finished up around 4. Dick and I can hardly move. We are pathetic! My arm, back and hands hurt! Dick's knee, hands and back hurts. We are moving around like we are 100 years old! There are a few more things that need to be done outside but I think we will have to put it off till next weekend!

For dinner last night we went to a little hamburger place on the highway. We ordered and then sat in the truck and ate and watched people. It had gotten kind of chilly plus I had not put on make up after my shower. So that was kind of fun. I am glad we tried this place again because our first experience there was awful. Not that this time was fabulous, but for a roadside drive in kind of place it was good.

After dinner we drove to Home Depot. Dick got some screen to replace the screen on the back door that Weezie has clawed when she is terrified that someone has left her out in zero degree weather and forgotten about her. Now that has not happened....too many times. While he was getting the screen, I looked at the rugs and found a jute rug for under the table in the kitchen. It has a green canvas binding. I can't wait to put it down. The rug I have under the table now is too small. Maybe, just maybe blogger will let me post a picture of it. Maybe.

I will talk to you later! Tootles!

Hey Yall! Okay....you may have guessed this already...or maybe not....I am in a funk. A major funk. Why? Well if I knew that I could get out of it! I don't have any reason to be in one. Maybe it is being in the cold and snow for so long. Maybe it is because I am missing everyone so bad. Maybe it is because my body needs a tan bad. I have even considered going to the tanning bed......something I said I would never, ever do. But I am about to.... Maybe it is because I am bored.... I have been by myself alot lately. Dick has been having alot of dinner meetings. But this is not his fault. I just need to get out of this funk. In a week I will be leaving for a trip down south and hopefully that will be just what the doctor ordered! I hope.

I am so agravated with blogger. I had a wonderful post complete with a couple of pictures and only one of the pictures would upload. I needed both pictures to do the post, so I saved it and will post it once I can get the other picture to upload. UGH!

I have added some new blogs under Frannycakes Recommended Blogs. Go check them out. One of my favorites is Mack's Mess. It is "written" by a Boston Terrier named Mack and is from his point of view. It is hilarious! If you go, be sure and go back and read previous pages. His April Fool's post was so funny. Mack's momma is one funny person....not that she writes this stuff or anything.....

You know I love me some Today Show. I can't decide if I like Kathie Lee on the last hour or not. Maybe after they stop that promotion of her and how great she is and how lucky we are to have her I will like it better. What do you think?

My daddy just loves Kathie Lee. So much. He loves to tell me about how she makes little children sew her clothes for pennies. In sweatshops. For long hours. I hear about this just about everytime we are together. I did like her and Regis together. I didn't miss them. They were good together. I am just not sure I like her and Hoda. I can't stand how she calls Hoda "Hoda Woman" and how Hoda gushes when she talks. Come on Hoda........

My plans for the weekend include starting to paint my kitchen table and chairs. I am painting them black. I can't wait. I know I will feel like I have a new table and chairs. I would have loved to have done this around Christmas, but paint needs the temperature to be above freezing and the garage isn't heated. I could have done it in the basement, but didn't want the paint fumes in the house. So, maybe this project will get me out of a funk. We will see. I am afraid it will take more than paint to take care of it.

Well, the washing machine is beeping telling me that it is finished so I better go finish that job. I will talk to you later....Tootles!

I Did It!!!!

Hey Yall! I did it!!!!! I actually figured out how to add the music to my blog! I am a genius!!!!!! Okay, maybe that is stretching it a little, but after four plus hours working on it, I finally got it work.

I hope you all enjoyed your April 15th. Thankfully, we had mailed our little gift to Uncle Sam last week. I hate waiting till the last minute even though that is what we always do.

Can't think of anything else to tell you about. I just wanted to tell you that I was excited about my music. Hope you enjoy it!

Tootles!

Good Morning!

Hey Yall! Frannycakes is feeling some pain this morning! I can definitely feel some discomfort from my torture/physical therapy session yesterday. I think I am going to have to exercise the other arm or I will look like a freak at the beach. Too bad I didn't get exercises for the stomach, hips and thighs. I know Dick's blood pressure just went up reading that.....we have a basement full of workout equipment and I know how to use it. Deep breaths Dick...deep breaths.....

I have been busy this morning taking care of a little housework. I didn't do much yesterday. The laundry stops for no one though!

Blogger has me feeling like a blithering idiot! I love blogs that have music on them, so I decided to download one to my blog. I set up a play list and was so excited and impressed with myself and copy and pasted it to the blog and what happened? Nothing, absolutely nothing. I give up. I can't take anymore disappointment with this today. Tomorrow is another day......

I have to run to Auburn to take some things back and I really need to go to Portland to pick up a dress shirt for Dick that had to be ordered and is in. But I don't think I will be venturing that far south today. Dick is not eating out tonight so I need to be home to cook dinner. I made Virginia's famous turkey breast over the weekend, so I just need to put together a couple of things to go with it.

And finally I was able to post a picture of my latest purchase at the Goodwill! Blogger must be feeling some remorse..... I found a bag of bingo numbers and letters that are on ping pong balls! I realize that is not exciting to everyone, but I love letters and numbers on things and this has both! Don't they look cute! This is not the container I am going to use. I just wanted you to see how cute they are!



I guess I need to go get ready for the day! Talk to you later....Tootles!

Dang It!

Did you see my title? I really wanted to type Damn It but you know I don't cuss so I decided to use my next best favorite word. I am so aggravated with Blogger!!!!! UGH!!!!!! I have been trying to post pictures for the past few hours and can't manage to do it. If somebody out there in blog land has any suggestions, please send them my way because I am about to, well, just type Damn It next time. Damn It Damn It Damn It!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I forgot to tell you that Skippy came to visit us a couple of weekends ago. Skip was Jamie's big brother in his fraternity and was also a groomsman in the wedding. We just love him and always thoroughly enjoy our visits. As we had expected, we had a good time and hope he will come back to see us. Hey Skip......hope you read this!

I saw my orthopedist today. The x-rays looked good. He moved my arms around and wanted to see me lift my arm and move it behind my back. He was amazed how good I did. I told him it still seemed tender. He told me that most people who have this break are unable to move their arm anywhere near as much as I can. He really was not sure he even wanted me to go to physical therapy. I told him I just wanted to make sure I was able to get 100% of the range of movement back that I had before I broke it. So he filled out the necessary paperwork for me to go for 1 visit and get some exercises so I could do them at home. The physical therapy offices were right next door, so I went in to make my appointment since I was right there. They took my information and asked could I come back at 1:00. So I went back for my torture, sorry, physical therapy. I can't imagine what that must feel like if you don't have the range of movement that I have. I tell you, I am glad I was only there for one visit. It was hurting! I guess I will start tomorrow. Can't wait.

I guess I will go and try to figure out why my photos will not post. UGH!

I will talk to you later!

Engaged!

Good Morning!

Hey Yall! I told you I would be posting more! Unfortunately, this post will be short and sweet because I have to scoot out the door right after I take a bath in a mere 40 minutes. I have an appointment witht the orthopedic doctor this morning. My arm is much better, but not completely healed. I will let you know what he says.

Dinner went well last night. I was not stressed out by the company coming....probably because it was only "guys" coming over and not the wives. Guys really don't notice the things that wives do, so the pressure was off. As long as you give them enough beer and fill their stomachs, the guys are happy. Now that I think about it, that kind of applies to me too!

Now I have 35 minutes.....gotta go but I will be back!

Finally!

Hey Yall! It is me again. Finally. I think I need to clear up a few theories that have been floating around about me and why I have not posted.....

1. I have not been asleep on my new fabulous red couch all this time.

2. I have not become an Olympic Skier and been in training.

3. I have not withered away to nothing from dieting. Trust me.

4. I have not been eating out and shopping with my many friends I have in Maine.

5. I have not made any friends in Maine. (explanation of number 4)

6. I have not been expanding my mind learning things I don't already know.

7. I have not been laying on the beach in South Carolina.

8. I have not been gardening. Trust me again.

9. I have not been spending lots and lots of time on the computer.

10. I have not been a happy camper.


It feels good to get that out of the way! Now I can tell you the things I have been doing!

1. Cleaning my house

2. Throwing away crap

3. Cleaning my house

4. Cooking

5. Cleaning my house

6. Organizing paperwork

7. Cleaning my house

8. Organizing cabinets

9. Cleaning my house

10. And finally, cleaning my house.


Bear with me.....it will all soon become very clear to you. My computer went to be repaired over two weeks ago. I just got it back. And while my house is cleaner, okay, much, much, much cleaner, and my life is much, much, much more organized, I did not have my connection to my friends and family. And being 17+ hours from the boys and my family and friends, having that connection is very important to me. Vital to my happiness. I am going to try and keep a little better balance with everything. But there is a saying that we like to quote in our little family....."If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy". Clear to you now?

I do want to thank Dick because he was truly feeling sorry for me. He actually left me his work computer a few days. He could sense the desperation. Thanks precious! I love you!

I have some new and exciting ideas for posting and being more regular in my posting. I have an excellent support group that reminds me regularly that I have not posted. I am sorry that I have let you down and will try to do better. But keep in mind that with a life as exciting as mine, sometimes there just is not a post. But remember that I have some new ideas about posts so hopefully you will not disappointed quite as much!

So what is happening with us right now? Well......Tonight Dick has invited a couple of guys from work to eat with us. One is here from Michigan and lived in Georgetown near us when we lived there. The second one has just started here and still has his family living in Michigan while they finish out the school year. Hmmmmm....that sounds so familiar..... We are having Shrimp and Grits and salad and bread and ice cream with chocolate for dessert.

Linley Shea is graduating May 10 and we are all very excited for her! Yea Linley! We will all be going down for the celebration. I can't wait to see her and Chris AND my new grand baby, Maeby Shea. If you have not visited Maeby Shea's blog, then please do.....it is listed in my recommended blogs.

We have another wedding to attend! Mary Ann got engaged last weekend. She and her beau Justin have set the date and it looks like November 22 is it! Mary Ann is very near and dear to my heart and I am so happy for her! And Justin, of course!

AND some other BIG NEWS!!!!!!!! Our niece Maggie and her husband Ben are going to have a baby!!!!!!! We are so excited for them and can't wait for the bundle of joy to arrive.

I know I have left out lots of other stuff, but I will be sure to include it as soon as I remember it......

It feels great to be back on the blog! I have missed you lots!

Talk to you later!