Frannycakes

Sick Little Puppy

2012-01-13T13:13:00.001-05:00

Hey Yall! I have been at the vet already today with Weezie. I just realized that she really isn't a "puppy" anymore, but an old lady. She will be 10 years old this May. Poor little thing! She has been sick throwing up and just acting like she is hurting and can't get comfortable. I slept on the couch last night so I watch out for her. Those of you who know Weezie know that she does not like to be held, does not like to sit on furniture with you and generally is happiest if nobody pays her any attention.

For the past couple of days all she wants is to lay on the couch and for me to hold her. So I took her into the vet today. She has a history of bladder stones and had surgery several years ago. After a thorough exam, he started gently pressing on her spine and she would tighten up. He feels like she has hurt her back. An x-ray showed she did have some stones and one in her kidney. She also has a bladder infection. But he didn't feel like that was causing her the most pain. He feels like the worst pain in coming from her back.

So he gave her a shot of steroids, a bottle of prednisone to start tomorrow, muscle relaxers and antibiotics. I took these pictures when I got home after I gave her the medicine. I think the muscle relaxers kicked in. The girl is out and snoring her heart out. Did you notice the collar she is wearing? A girls gotta wear some bling even when she doesn't feel good.

I guess I will go continue to do some cleaning out and throwing away. It is ashamed that I don't have some muscle relaxers to take with Weezie. That couch is big enough for us both!

Graduation from Nursing School!!!!!!!

2012-01-12T12:13:00.000-05:00

December 17 was a very exciting time for our family. Jamie graduated with a degree in nursing. For those of you that don't know the whole story, very few of you I am sure, Jamie decided to return to school after an unfulfilled business career. He had received a degree in Business from the College of Charleston years ago. He decided to go back to college to get his degree in nursing which is so perfect for him. I know he will be a wonderful nurse and touch the lives of his patients. We are so proud of him!!!! Way to go Jamie!!!!

The whole family got in their cars and headed to Kentucky. Such a fun 11 hour drive. We were hoping for good weather and no snow on our drive and Mother Nature came through for us.

The graduation ceremony was so nice and seemed very personal. Each student had written who they wanted to thank and why. It was very touching. Lesley pinned him. Such a good day!!!

Jamie and Lesley

All My Children.....The Jackson Family

All of us again. We were freezing!

Jamie and his Gran Gran

Jamie with Aunt Vickie and Gran Gran

Grandaddy and Ga Ga with James Thomas

Jamie and Lesley with Lesley's parents

Jamie and Lesley and her family.

Want to know the icing on the cake? He already has a job and has begun working! So proud of you Jamie! We love you!

Public Service Announcement

2011-10-28T16:10:00.003-04:00

DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT use a razor to shave off your stray eyebrow hair even if the hair is an inch long and appeared overnight.

You are welcome.

Love

2011-10-02T22:21:00.001-04:00

2011-09-30T11:00:00.000-04:00

Hey Yall! After I posted yesterday, I realized that I had forgotten about some pictures that I took with my cell phone while we were at Jamie's. Grace Darling, my grand-dog, has terrible allergies. And when they are at their worst, she manages to pull out all the hair on her paws and lick them until there are sores. Poor baby. Lately her allergies have been flaring so she gets to wear her cone....which is something like a crown but not really. It doesn't seem to bother her at all and has learned how to get around with it on. In this pic she is wearing her halloween costume.

Grace Darling

I couldn't leave out a picture of Jamie relaxing on their fabulous sofa. He's so cute. I just want to squeeze his cheek. I am his momma. I can say that.

~~James~~ Jamie

I guess I need to go and check out my cell phone photos. There is probably a few blog posts there just begging to be written...probably...

Later...

Jamie and Lesley and Kentucky

2011-09-29T21:08:00.000-04:00

Hey Yall! Long time no see! Mr. Frannycakes and I took a trip to Kentucky last weekend to see Jamie and Lesley. They moved during the summer to a town about an hour away from where they were living. The town they are living in is so cute! And we loved their house. I'm sorry I don't have any pics from the inside! I will do better the next time we are there. They have a new sofa, a sectional, that Mr. Frannycakes and I lurved! We have a sofa that is not long enough for us to lay down on and take a nap comfortably. But they do. We all watched the Georgia Tech football game. I was laying down dozing. Dick was laying down. Jamie was laying down. Leslie was making jewelry. And there was still room left on the sofa!!! Even with Grace Darling and Weezie on it! We will definitely be getting us something like it in the future. Can't wait.

Saturday night we had dinner with Leslie's parents who came over to visit and join us for a storytelling festival that Jamie and Lesley had planned for us to attend. There were 5 or 6 storytellers that had been at this festival that started earlier in the week and we were attending the last performances. There was a huge tent and it was filled with people. It was wonderful and I am so glad we were able to go. One of the storytellers went to the same college I did and was probably there one of the years I was. It is a small world. After all. At least that is what I have heard....

I sure hated leaving them. Living so far apart is the pits. But we will be going back in December for Jamie's graduation. Can't wait.

Later...

Hello.....My name is Frannycakes...

2011-07-31T20:05:00.000-04:00

Hello...My name is Frannycakes...You might remember me from long, long ago when I pretended to post whitty tales of my exciting (cough, cough) though somewhat humdrum life. I cannot be blamed for the entire time I have been away. Blogger has had a problem and my blog was lucky enough to be one that would not work. I make no promises. But I will try and do better. Try.

Have yall read The Help? OMG!!! It is so good! I loved it. I even talked Jamie into listening to it on tape. He loves it. And the movie is coming out soon...

32 Years of Wedded Bliss.....Happy Anniversary Dick!

2011-06-23T01:34:00.000-04:00

Happy Anniversary Dick!

Thirty two years seems like a really long time,

but after looking at these pictures, it was just yesterday,

wasn't it?

I love you!

"What do you mean he's not a train engineer?"

Did Someone Call for a Nurse?

2011-03-31T23:39:00.000-04:00

Sunny Florida

2011-03-27T18:00:00.001-04:00

Hey Yall! I guess by now no one reads Frannycakes any more. I have been a horrible blogger. So for those of you who actually still check once a month to see if anything has changed, you are in luck! Mr. Frannycakes and I drove south to sunny Florida for a ~~romantic getaway~~ work meeting that he had scheduled. While he slaved away in a meeting, I slaved away in a lounge chair at the pool. It was glorious. Our hotel was on the beach and there were lots of the wooden chairs with umbrellas set up. Of course you have to actually pay for those. And since I had no idea how long I would be out in the sun since my lilly whites haven't seen the sun since last summer, I decided I would play it ~~safe~~ cheap and lay by the pool. There were two pools, one heated and one not. The throngs of middle school age boys and their families that were there for a baseball tournament decided they desired warm water to swim in and left the unheated pool to the old biddies that were really only there to lay in the sun anyway. I always dread going to lay out because there always seems to be a bunch of itty bitty bikinis and model figures laying around. Well folks, it was a good day for me. There were two similiarly voluptuous in a once piece and one who made us all look good in a bikini. A BIKINI!!!!! A good day!!!!!!

On Friday, Mr. Frannycakes and I headed down to the pool. Ms. Bikini was no where to be seen and neither were the one piece girls. A couple of young girls were laying out with their 'kinis on. I wanted to tell them enjoy it while they could.

Our good time was cut short by work trouble, so we headed back to Savannah on Saturday. We were supposed to go to spend the night with Chris and Linley and Maeby Shea. Not being able to go there was a big disappointment.

Gazing past my pedicure needy feet at the Tiki Bar dreaming of a diet coke on ice...

Mr. Frannycakes needs to spend some extry time in the sun......

Later gator....

Pretty Flowers in a New Vase

2011-03-13T15:21:00.000-04:00

Hey Yall! Isn't this pretty? I received this gorgeous vase from Beth and Elaine for my birthday. Both of these ladies have one and I have been wanting one for a while. I had even gone in search of one, unsuccessfully. Yea!!!! I am so excited!!!!

I had received some beautiful birthday flowers from Mr. Frannycakes so I took the arrangement apart and started filling in the holes. It turned out gorgeous if I must say so myself.

Beth and Elaine told me to fill it with flowers and take a picture and place it on the blog. They said they were sick of the wedding picture of me and Mr. Frannycakes that I had posted. I have to say that these two are mightly bossy about my blog. Mighty bossy! Thanks girls, I love it!

We had some friends from Maine stay with us Thursday night. They brought me flowers and they were beautiful too. I felt like a florist around here. I ended up putting them in the living room. I love the lillies and roses.

Hope you all have had a great weekend! Talk to you later!

Happy Valentines Day!

2011-02-14T15:41:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentines Day Dick! I love you!

Frannycakes

2010 Christmas Pictures

2011-01-02T21:15:00.002-05:00

Hey Yall! We had a great Christmas. Hope yours was the same. It was a different Christmas for sure. This year our married children spent Christmas day with their wives family. And we got them for New Years. So for Christmas day it was Julianne, Gran Gran, Mr. Frannycakes and me. And it was still nice....just different. Mr. Frannycakes' sister Vickie and her husband came up for lunch and then took Gran Gran home with them. So our house got very quiet very fast.

Due to the east coast snow storm, travel plans after Christmas changed a little bit. Jamie and Lesley and Grace Darling came in a couple of days after they had planned. But we were glad to get them any time we could! Chris and Linley and Maeby Shea came in Thursday night. And finally (!) we were all together. It was Christmas!

New Years Day was my Mom's birthday so we kind of surprised her by planning a little birthday party with our New Years celebration. My brother and his wife and kids came up. And we had a great time. It was so good to get everyone together. We got to take some pics and for the most part they turned out good.

Sister getting excited!

Jamie and Lesley

Julianne and Gran Gran

Maeby Shea getting her Christmas present.

Grace Darling getting her Christmas present!

Jamie, Grace Darling and Lesley

Linley, Chris and Maeby Shea

Too Much Lunch!

Grandaddy resting his eyes.......hahahahahahahaha!!!!!

They whole group minus Weezie.

Brother, Parentals, Sister (favorite)

Tommy, Doris and the two cutest, well behaved children in the WORLD!

Grand-Children

Linley, Chris, Julianne, Jamie and Lesley

Our Family

Maeby Shea snuggling with Frannycakes

And in case you were wondering what Weezie was doing all day........pretending she was the only dog.

Frannycakes hope you had a wonderful Christmas!

Talk to you soon!

Happy Birthday Ga Ga!!!!!

2011-01-02T20:08:00.000-05:00

Hey Yall! We had more to celebrate on January 1st than it being a New Year! It was Ga Ga's Birthday! She and Daddy came up to Savannah to celebrate the New Year and we surprised her with a Birthday celebration. My brother and his wife and two precious children came also and made the day perfect. All of Frannycakes and Mr. Frannycakes children were here and got to enjoy the celebration. It was a perfect day.

Happy Birthday Ga Ga!!!!!! We love you!

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice!

2010-12-03T09:49:00.003-05:00

Hey Yall! Aunt Frannycakes is excited to introduce our newest baby in the family to you, Miss Annabelle! Isn't she just precious! I can't wait to hold her and get some of that good neck sugar.......isn't it just the best kind?

Congratulations to her Momma and Daddy! You done good!

Later...

Congratulations Julianne!

2010-10-31T21:46:00.002-04:00

Hey Yall! Guess what? Julianne just completed ANOTHER marathon!!!!! Wow.....I am so proud of her. Her precious roommate, Jen, ran with her. Way to go Jen! When I get pictures, I will post them.

Way to go girls!!!!!

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-30T22:21:00.012-04:00

Hey Yall! It's back by popular demand........Dogs in halloween costumes. I have had many requests or maybe just one request for my annual dogs in costume post. Just a quick note....the above picture was taken by us while we were in Maine. Driving around the Moosehead Lakes, we came upon a farm that had this set up by the road. We drove right by, backed up and took the picture!

Today, Mr. Frannycakes and I came upon a contest for dogs dressed up on costumes. I thought I had my camera, but couldn't find it so I took pictures with my cell phone. The quality won't be as good. We saw some really cute costumes!

Enjoy the pictures!

Don't you just love a Yellow Jacket!

Oh sorry....didn't mean to insult the dogs.....

Officer Dog, not to be confused with Dog the Bounty Hunter

I got a monkey on my back.....

Our granddog, Maeby Shea, in her devil costume complete with demon eyes....

A tale must wag....

Scooby Doo

For my Catholic friends.....

hhhhhhhmmmmmmm............

I love me some bunnydog....

A cute Boxer Ballerina!

AAAWWWWWWWWWW!

Happy Halloween Yall!!!!!!

Maine Vacation

2010-10-18T20:31:00.010-04:00

Hey Yall! Frannycakes and Mr. Frannycakes just got back from a vacation in Maine. Mr. Frannycakes Mother and Sister Debbie and her husband Steve joined us for the week. We had a full schedule and spent a LOT of time in the car. We moved to a different hotel every night. We definitely went at the perfect time to see the beautiful leaf colors. We had a good time and were pretty much worn out when we touched down back in the south.

Julianne was able to join us for the first few days. It was great to have her with us.

Enjoy the pictures.....

Mainely Colors

2010-10-18T20:20:00.001-04:00

2010-10-08T01:12:00.000-04:00

Hey Yall! Guess what I get to do today?

Later...

Julianne's Marathon

2010-10-03T21:28:00.008-04:00

Hey Yall! She did it! She finished the Portland Marathon in 4 hours 26 minutes! I am so proud of her! Julianne and her roommate Jen ran together. Jen was so sweet to hang with Julianne the whole race. Last year, Jen ran and won in her age group! Wow! I know that having Jen with her definitely helped Julianne. What a great friend!

Jen's parents, Michael and Joanna, were so sweet to include Ben and me in their plans to go to the different check points so we could see the girls run. Her whole family was there. They are such a nice family too. I am thankful Julianne has been blessed with good friends.

Julianne looked like she had only ran a couple of miles when she finished the race. The temps were perfect and you couldn't find a prettier place to run. Maine is absolutely gorgeous right now. I posted a picture of a tree that was along the way. The reds are so pretty. I definitely miss living there.

After the race, we went over to Julianne's friend Julie's house. Her parents recently purchased a home downtown. Julie and another friend Megan ran the Half Marathon. Congratulations Julie and Megan! Julie's parents had a Marathon Party at their new home. There was lots and lots of delicious food and drink. But the best part was being able to visit with them and their family. I have met so many wonderful people from Maine since we moved away. Why couldn't I have met them while I lived there? Oh well, better late than never. I will take what I can get. Thanks Margaret and Rich! Your house is gorgeous!

Enjoy the pics from the marathon!

A Welcomed Sight

2010-09-30T01:21:00.004-04:00

Hey Yall! Can you see it? It is a double rainbow! I took the picture when I got out of the car at the Wally World this afternoon. It was a welcomed sight after getting nothing but rain for a couple of days. Maybe my sinuses will have some relief for a while.....yeah right.

Surprise...I posted again!

2010-09-29T12:49:00.002-04:00

Hey Yall! As you can see from the picture above, Buzz is still upset about the game last weekend. Fortunately, I have gotten over it and moved on. So what is happening in Frannycakes world? Well, let's see.....

I drove to St. Marys Monday to pick Ms. Weezie from her Ga Ga and Granddaddy's house. She stayed for a week while we went here and there. She didn't seem to be very excited to see me. I figured that would change once we got home. Unfortunately, I think she depressed and wants to go back. Plus, she thinks she can eat what we eat.....hmmmmmm......

Savannah weather and my sinuses are NOT friends. I have woken up with a horrible headache the past two mornings. I had having to deal with this when it is hard enough just to fix a cup of coffee in the morning. So pitiful I know...

Trying to figure out what to pack for my quick trip to see Julianne this weekend. We are still quite "warm" here and they are into fall there. It is painful to even pull out the winter clothes and try them on. I end up turning the air conditioner down so I am not sweating the whole time. Yall might not want to me post anymore if I continue to whine like this....Honestly, I think it is the headache because you know I never whine....

I have some errands to run. TJMaxx, Marshalls, Ross, Walmart, Sams and pick up some food for Mr. Frannycakes for this weekend so he doesn't starve. Poor baby. He is on call this weekend or he would be going too!

I am going to Maine this weekend cause little Julianne is running in a marathon. She is alot like me in that respect. Twenty six plus miles.....where did she come from? I mean, I saw her when she entered the world and she still looks like that baby. Anyway, we are very proud of her for many many reasons and I can't wait to see her cross that finish line!

I guess I need to hit the road. If I time my errands just right, Dick will have to take me out for dinner and I can't mess around with my perfect timing....

Later...

Fun Weekend! Part 2

2010-09-28T11:08:00.004-04:00

Hey Yall! I found a few more pics of our fun weekend. And I wouldn't want to deprive you of a couple of them......

Fun Weekend!

2010-09-28T10:10:00.007-04:00

Hey Yall! Yeah.....I know....Frannycakes is not a good blogger these days. I want to be but seem to have a hard time putting together a post that anyone might find interesting. I know that I have vowed to do better. I meant it when I said it but you know how life goes. I would tell you that I am going to do better but you probably wouldn't believe me. I tell you what.....why don't you, my three readers, tell me what you want me to write or post about. Leave me a comment. You don't have to have a google account or anything like that. You can leave a comment and sign it with you name and just hit the anonymous button. I will be waiting.....

Last weekend we met Chris and Linley and Jamie in Atlanta for the GA Tech, North Carolina State football game. Lesley couldn't attend (so sad) because she had to study for a test on Monday (which FYI she did very well on!) and Julianne is way up north studying and enjoying cooler temps. Julianne's birthday was earlier this month and I told her we would be celebrating her birthday at the Tech football game....without her.....yes, I am cruel like that. Maeby Shea, Chris and Linley's boxer baby, came and stayed at the hotel very patiently while we enjoyed the sights. We stayed at a Hilton Suites and it was wonderful. Definitely gonna go there again.....

We rode MARTA down to North Avenue. The hotel took us to the Marta station which was a couple of miles from the hotel and then picked us up. We got there early so we could look around. It was already hot as all get out. We walked up the hill by the stadium and down to the student center. It does not seem like it could possibly be 32 or 33 years ago that Dick and I were walking around campus ready to experience life. The students all looked soooooooo...........young. Anyway, we were already starting to get soaked with sweat when we walked back down the hill to go into the stadium. We got seated around 11:30 and the sun was blazing. With no breeze. Ugh. Frannycakes held out until half time and left to go enjoy the rest of the game in the Varsity. With a slaw dog. And onion rings. With lots of grease. And a diet coke. And air conditioning. About 15 minutes later, Dick joined me. We were both completely soaked with sweat.

I think we are a jinx to Tech. Well, maybe just me. Anytime I watch a game or go to a game, they lose. Any team I watch and want to win, lose. So I have decided to eliminate sports from my activities. Only for the benefit of the teams, from the bottom of my heart.

After going back to the hotel to take a shower and changing out of wet clothes, we headed back downtown to ride around and have dinner. We all turned in early. After breakfast the next morning, we all headed in different directions to return to each of our daily lives.

Hope yall enjoy the pictures! Don't forget to leave me a comment on what you want me to do a post on.......

Later....

Wedding Pictures

2010-08-02T23:42:00.009-04:00

Hey Yall! I told you I would be back. I am amazed that blogger actually let me upload all these pic's. My wonderful, talented brother Tommy took these pictures for us. We are still going through the photographers pictures and I will share some of those with you. These pictures begin with the rehearsal and goes through the rehearsal dinner and wedding and then the reception. These are just a few of the many pic's we have so far. Hope you enjoy them!

New Family Member!!!!

2010-08-01T18:50:00.004-04:00

Hey Yall! I just had to introduce you to our newest family member, Bailey! His parents are Maggie and Ben and he has a big brother, Jackson who he looks an awful lot like already! Big Brother is not sure he really likes little brother, but I predict they will be best buddies. Grandmother Vickie is helping out and I know enjoying every minute of it!

Can't wait to hold Bailey and smell some new baby! And get some good neck sugar....you know what I mean!

Talk to you later!

A Wedding!

2010-08-01T17:54:00.002-04:00

Hey Yall! Frannycakes has been having some blogger problems with photo uploads. Sorry it has taken me so long to post pictures. I have uploaded one pic with this post and will upload more later. Hopefully my problem has been fixed.

Chris and Linley are married! Linley was a beautiful bride and Chris was a handsome groom. And contrary to predictions, he was calm, cool and collected. Everyone was. And everything was just perfect. The reception was so much fun and the dancing continued until 12. Sunday morning, everyone was invited to a local restaurant for breakfast and there were over 40 people there. The Newlyweds joined everyone for breakfast and got to say goodbye to family and friends. Mr. Frannycakes and I then joined Chris and Linley over at her parents home. They had bunches of gifts to open and it was like Christmas! They are so thankful for everything they received. Linley can't wait to start using her new things and cooking! We left to go home after opening presents.

They went to St. Lucia for their honeymoon. They loved it and said that an all-inclusive resort is the way to go! They got home last weekend and have been moving their gifts and her things to the condo in Raleigh to get ready for the movers......MOVERS???????? WHAT???????? Chris and Linley got a great wedding present on Wednesday before their wedding. He accepted a job in Alabama!!!!!!!! Yes!!!!!!! He got a great offer and starts his job next week. They are headed that way today and hopefully will be able to find a place to live fast so Chris won't be living in a hotel too long. Linley will be looking for a job as a Speech Therapist and hopefully she will find just what type of position she wants. We are very proud of both of them.

I know that was a very condensed version, but hopefully the pictures I post next fill in some of the blanks. Please feel free to send me a question if I have left anything out. I do have a few more tales to tell.....just give me a little time.....

Talk to you later!

Surprise.....An Actual Update!

2010-07-07T10:13:00.002-04:00

Hey yall! Yep, I am still alive and kicking...okay, not really kicking, but I do move every now and then. Life seems to be happening at a rapid pace and then life seems to be at a standstill. Ya know what I mean? I will go into a little more detail after I tell you why I am coming out of blog coma.....

Yesterday, Mr. Frannycakes and I went to Wally World to pick up some snack stuff for him to take to work. Usually he just leaves me a list or calls me with a list of things he wants because he generally tends to avoid the Walmart like the plaque. But yesterday while we were eating dinner he mentioned that we should go to Walmart together and get his stuff......more on that below...... ANYWAY........we were in the back of the store and there was a young couple with a little boy in the cart. They caught my eye because the little boy said, "Right daddy" like Chris used to say 4,298 times a day. So I smiled as they walked on and then....I looked down at the daddy's legs.....he had on shorts and sandals.....AND an ankle bracelet! Not the kind of ankle bracelet that you get at the jewelry store......the kind that the Po Po put on you when they want to know where you are at all times!!!!! Mr. Frannycakes response after I grabbed him and made him look was "I think I would be wearing long pants". I guess I was kind of shocked that he would want to advertise the fact that he had even been that up close and personal with the Po Po. I am just saying that if I ever get one you won't see me at the Wally World with shorts on. Come to think of it, you won't ever see me there with shorts on anyway! Yall may see this every day, but this was a first for me!

Why did Mr. Frannycakes want to go to the Walmart? So he could drive his new car! He has a new car and I have yet to take a picture of him in his little red convertible. But I will take it this afternoon, so be sure and check back tomorrow and I will post it just for you.

Lots of things going on really soon around the Frannycakes house.....Christopher and Linley are getting married in just 10 days!!!!! We are so excited! They have been together 5 years and engaged for 2. It has been a long time coming and I am glad we are finally coming up on the big day.

Jamie and Lesley and Grace Darling are coming sometime this week. They haven't been here since Christmas. Hurry up and get here! Weezie wants to see Grace Darling!

I guess I should close and get the yard ready to mow.

Talk to you soon!

Graduation Celebration!

2010-05-18T11:57:00.003-04:00

Hey Yall! Big celebrations in the Jackson Family! We traveled to Raleigh last weekend to celebrate Christopher's graduation from North Carolina State University! We are so proud of him!

Thursday night we all piled into two cars and headed downtown to Woody's which is a sports bar restaurant that according to Chris has the best wings. They have about 8294 big screen tv's on the wall showing different sports. The guys were particularly interested in watching a basketball tournament. Sorry, you can probably tell I am not a sports watcher because I don't even know who was playing. We made plans to go while the game was on, you know, so we wouldn't have to talk and converse..... Imagine our shock when we were told that they did not allow any basketball games to be shown on the tv's! What? Surely this was a joke! They beg, they pleaded, they talked to the owner. No. No basketball game would be shown. So if you are ever in Raleigh and you want wings to eat and you want to watch a basketball game while you eat said wings, do not, I repeat NO NOT GO TO WOODY'S. The wings turned out to be good though.

Julianne's friend and my second daughter Angie, or Angie Pangie as I like to call her, came for a few days to celebrate with us. She is the one in the picture of Jamie and Chris torturing someone!

We really had a good time, well, except for the game thing, which was the reason we went there.

Linley's Graduation

2010-05-09T23:40:00.003-04:00

Hey Yall! This weekend we traveled to Cullowhee, North Carolina to celebrate Linley Shea's graduation from Western Carolina University. She received her Masters and will be a Speech Pathologist. (Please correct me Linley if I am wrong!) Cullowhee is a beauiful town which mostly consists of the college. The whole area up there was just beautiful. It was so nice to get to see Linley's parents, grandmother and brother. Linley, we are sooooooo proud of you and can't wait for you to become a "legal" member of our family in July! I said legal because you are already a member of our family in our hearts. We love you and are very proud of you!

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T17:02:00.001-04:00

Happy Mother's Day Mom! I love you!

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T16:53:00.002-04:00

Hey Yall! Happy Mother's Day! I hope you all have been pampered and waited on all day! It has been quite here in Frannyland. I did sleep late and it was glorious. Thanks Mr. Frannycakes!

I just wanted to post a picture of my heartstrings along with the furry child and grandchildren. It was hard to get a picture with everyone and the dogs. Chris had his wisdom teeth out two days before this picture was taken and this was the only one that had him smiling. We were taking pictures for out Christmas card and this was one of 2845 we took.

I love yall!

Honey Do Party

2010-04-14T18:53:00.004-04:00

Hey Yall! I am so sorry it has taken me this long to post the pictures we took of the Honey Do Party that was given for Christopher and Linley. I know I have told you this before, but I mean it with my heart. I have the best friends a person could ever hope for! This party was given by my friends John and Elaine (who graciously opened their home for it!), Virginia and Henry, Beth and Scott, Barbara and Jim, Katharine and Kenny, and Barbara and Danny. We didn't get alot of really good pictures because the camera flash was reflected on a mirror. But we had a fabulous time and Chris and Linley received a lot of very nice gifts.

Chris and Linley modeling their aprons.

Linley with her parents and grandmother

Chris and Linley with their parentals.

The Hosts and Hostesses

Elaine and Frannycakes

Dancing the Pole.....continued....

2010-04-12T19:29:00.002-04:00

Hey Yall! Today I received the following comment which was Anonymous but signed by Julianne's friend Julie.....

Anonymous said...
Mrs Jackson-

Julianne is relieved to hear it's not any pictures of her...

-Julie

So am I Julie, so am I.

Dancing the Pole.....

2010-04-12T01:03:00.002-04:00

Hey Yall! Frannycakes MAY or may not be in possession of some very in-ter-est-ing photos from this past weekend. I am sure you all would love to see them, but someone may not want Frannycakes to post them. hmmmmmmmm......I will keep you informed.......

What I Did Today

2010-03-21T23:23:00.003-04:00

Hey Yall! Well, here it is because enquiring minds want to know.

1. Woke up on Benson's' couch. Slept there because I was coughing.
2. Wiped the faucet that was running from right nostril.
3. Sneezed.
4. Blew nose.
5. Eventually showered.
6. Coughed.
7. Blew nose.
8. Went out to Groucho's with the Benson's.
9. Asked Mr. Frannycakes to walk into Food Lion and get me some Puffs with lotion.
10. Looked in mirror while in car.
11. Resembled Rudolph.
12. Sneezed.
13. Blew nose.
14. Dozed while Mr. Frannycakes drove home.
15. Sneezed.
16. Blew nose.
17. Spilled dinner on clothes.
18. Changed into grubby sweats.
19. Sneezed.
20. Blew nose.
21. Sent thank you email to Elaine for weekend.
22. Sneezed.
23. Blew nose.
24. Received a reply from Elaine.
25. Sneezed.
26. Blew nose.
27. Read that she highly recommended I go get some Zicam.
28. Sneezed.
29. Blew nose.
30. Grabbed purse.
31. Sneezed.
32. Slid feet in shoes.
33. Sneezed.
34. Blew nose.
35. Drove to Walmart in record time.
36. Coughed.
37. Sneezed.
38. Blew nose.
39. Speed walked into Walmart with grungy sweats.
40. Sneezed.
41. Blew nose.
42. Noticed people moving to make way for me.
43. Sneezed.
44. Blew nose.
45. Panicked.
46. Couldn't find Zicam.
47. Called Elaine.
48. Sneezed.
49. Blew nose.
50. Found Zicam.
51. Picked up x-large bottle of Advil.
52. Sneeze.
53. Blew nose.
54. Picked up x-large bag of Halls Cough Drops.
55. Sneezed.
56. Blew nose.
57. Self checked out.
58. Sneezed.
59. Blew nose.
60. Speeded home.
61. Sneezed.
62. Blew nose.
63. Ripped open box.
64. Medicated self.
65. Medicated Mr. Frannycakes who is sneezing and if he ends up feeling like I feel
right now will be in intensive care....Just saying.
66. Sneezed.
67. Blew nose......etc., etc., etc.,

There you have it.

Welcome to My Morning!

2010-03-17T13:19:00.006-04:00

Hey Yall! Happy St. Patricks Day! Today is a special day in Savannah. St. Patricks day is HUGE here. People have been partying downtown since Friday. Frannycakes and Mr. Frannycakes are not the party-all-night-downtown type of couple. It would be especially hard for Mr. Frannycakes since he goes to bed at 9. Hopefully you can see that todays newspaper is printed on green paper! Sorry it had to have that horndog Tiger's picture at the top. Just don't look at him. While I had the camera out, I looked around to see if there was anything else I could show you.......hmmmmmm.......not really anything picture perfect. So, lest you think I keep a picture perfect clean, everything put away house, this should set you straight. We live here, therefore, first thing in the morning, you get what you get. So here goes....

Actually, there is nothing wrong with this picture. Just some orchids that I bought and planted in an outrageously expensive bowl that Elaine made me buy a thousand years ago that I have to use everywhere I move because it was outrageously expensive. I love these orchids. I hope I don't kill them. Think good thoughts for them....

Next is Weezie in her bed. She is not amused. It is not time for her to be awake and doesn't like to have her picture made anyway.

These are Christophers' shoes. Right where he took them off last night. Nice.

This is Weezies' baby. She left it here when she......okay, I won't go into that. Anyway, she left it right there.

Obviously, there was a big party here last night because this lamp has one wonky lamp shade. Was it Weezie and her baby.....

Here is my coffee hot and ready to drink while I check the blogs...

Computer is waiting for me to sit down and get serious. You know, by checking the blogs.

Isn't this a pretty bush? It is beside our patio.

Note to self.....need to plant pansies.....

Do you see the egret on the other side of the...er....intracoastal waterway?

These geese love to hang around our lot during the morning. I love to see them dive for fish.

Surprise! BoBo, aka Christopher, came home last Saturday and left this afternoon. It was so nice to see him and get to visit. It has been a long time since Christmas.

Talk to you later!

Johnny Mercer and the Parentals

2010-03-11T00:06:00.002-05:00

Hey Yall! Johnny Mercer and the Parentals....you heard me right, but it's not the name of a new band. This was taken last weekend when the parentals were here in Savannah to visit. We had gone downtown to eat at Vinny Van GoGo's and the new Johnny Mercer statue is in the city market area.

Happy Birthday Gran Gran!

2010-03-11T00:02:00.003-05:00

Hey Yall! Today is Gran Gran's Birthday! Hope you have a great birthday!

Birthday Fun!

2010-03-09T10:56:00.004-05:00

Hey Yall! Since I am another year wiser, hehehehehehe, I decided that I should update on what else happened on the celebration of the blessed day of my birth. I also decided yesterday during my reflection of things important in my life that I should update my blog more often since it gives some people so much joy. Cough, Cough. During that reflection I also decided that I should get a pedicure more often and neti-pop my sinuses regularly along with many other things that I won't bore you with. Well, not today.

When I said in my "51 Things about Me" that I have the most wonderful Family and Friends, I meant it! Thank You, Thank You, Thank You to everyone that wished me a Happy Birthday by a phone call, card, email, or facebook. I was truly moved that you all thought about me. It was a great day!

Now let me tell you how I was feeling yesterday. Ugh. Awful. My sinuses were full and threatening to burst. As Rosanna Rosannadana said, "I thought I waz gonna die." After talking to my sinus expert friends, I decided it was time to pull out the old Neti-pot and do the Neti. Unfortunately, after searching every cabinet, closet and drawer, I was unable to find it. You see, no good deed goes unpunished around here. I cleaned out my cabinets in the kitchen and rearranged it all so I didn't look like a pack rack or even worse, one of the hoarders on tv. I decided that no one wanted to see my Neti-pot in the cabinet when they opened it, so I put in a special place so I could get it without exposing it to the world. Well ding dang, wouldn't you know, I can't remember where that place it. I looked everywhere all the while my head was about to split. So on to plan B. I had a bottle of saline nasal spray. So I hang my head over the sink and proceed to empty the bottle spraying massive amounts of saline solution deep into my nasal cavities. After about 15 minutes, it happened. Oh my mercy.....the pain and burning. THE BURNING! I lay on the couch, I walked around the house, and my right eye watered. What was up with that? Only one eye watered! Finally, it eased off after about 30 minutes. Note to self......go get another Neti-pot TODAY! And use it daily. So the next time you come to visit me and you see this cute little white tea pot looking thing on my counter, DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT, decide to make tea with it. You have been warned because it will now be displayed and ready for duty.

Mr. Frannycakes called me yesterday morning and told me that he would be taking care of dinner. And he did! There is a store that sells casseroles and cakes and stuff that you can get frozen or hot and ready to eat. He brought home a wonderful seafood casserole and things to go with it. Yum Yum Yum. You did good Meester! Jeb and Brandi joined us. They brought me something that came in this bag:

It was a delicious ice cream cake!

Confused over the "49" on the cake? Let me explain.....I didn't particularly like being 50 last year. I don't feel 50. I am sorry. I don't feel grown up and 50 is just a grown up number. So I have decided to start counting backwards. So this year I am 49. Don't judge me! And I can't tell you how happy it makes me to say I am 49 and I don't care what anybody says, I am 49 now and look forward to being 48 next year. Try it, you might like it.

Here is a picture of Jebbie and Brandi from last night.

Mr. Frannycakes brought me some beautiful flowers for my birthday.....

When Mom and Dad came Saturday to celebrate the blessed year of my birth, they brought me the most precious, beautiful cake. It was like a babycake and it had a flower that covered the entire top of the cake. Mom knows I like lots of icing and a little bit of cake to go with it and this cake was perfect! I had wanted to take a picture of it before we cut it but I was needing a sugar rush and we all had a piece before I realized I hadn't taken a picture. So here is the front half of the cake. Just pretend it still has the back.....

And here's the back.....

So I guess you can tell I had pretty much a perfect birthday! Thank you again for all the Birthday wishes and believe me when I say that I know I am blessed with such loving family and friends. I love you!

Happy Birthday to ME!!!!!

2010-03-08T12:33:00.003-05:00

Hey Yall! Happy Birthday to Me! In honor of this glorious day, I have listed 51 things about ME. Now why you would be even remotely interested in reading this boring list about me I don't know. You might find out something you didn't know, or want to know! I saw this on another bloggers blog who is also celebrating her birthday today. Believe me, her list was shorter and much more interesting.

51 Things about ME!

1. My birthday is March 8. (This is going to be easier than I thought!)

2. I love bunnies.

3. There are 2,729,381 bunnies, figurines and dust, in my house.

4. I have lived in Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Louisiana, Tennessee,
North Carolina and Maine.

5. I miss living in Maine.

6. I have the most wonderful family who loves me. Most of the time!

7. Mr. Frannycakes is the best husband I could have ever hoped for.

8. Sugar is not my friend even if I love it more than my luggage.

9. Steel Magnolias is one of my favorite movies.

10. I have been to the town where Steel Magnolias was filmed.

11. “Good. Real good.” is a saying that is spoken a lot in my family.

12. I am afraid of heights and Mt. Washington is responsible.

13. I love “Reba”. I hate that it was cancelled. Hate it!

14. My son Jamie, 28, has a business degree and is back in school to be a nurse.

15. My son Chris, 25, who will graduate in May in Mechanical Engineering.

16. My daughter Julianne, 22, is a Chemical Engineer major.

17. I have a daughter-in-law named Lesley who is going to be a Dr. Lesley.

18. I have a list of prescriptions I want filled when she can legally write them.

19. I have a daughter-in-law to be, Linley, who will be a speech therapist.

20. Linley will hopefully teach me how to speak without my thick southern drawl.

21. I doubt Linley will be successful in that removal.

22. I loved college and all my friends I made there. I can’t wait to catch up
soon.

23. I have been to Italy and loved it and want to go again.

24. I have been on a cruise to the Bahamas with my family and loved it.

25. I love to go to Happy Hour at Sonic.

26. I love to go to look for treasures at thrift stores. Love it.

27. I have a Honda Accord and love it.

28. I use love it too many times……

29. My favorite word to use is “Dang”.

30. I need to lose weight.

31. I hate going on a diet.

32. I don’t have a gall bladder, appendix or uterus.

33. I have a road map of scars on my stomach.

34. My children make me laugh!

35. I hate to exercise.

36. My hair is curly. I have tried to make peace with it. Tried.

37. I need my glasses to see. Dang.

38. I have a dog named Weezie who snores like a man.

39. I love blogging.

40. I love margaritas but rarely have them.

41. I love sweet cream ice cream with strawberries at Cold Stone Creamery.

42. Diet Dr. Pepper is my drink of choice.

43. I have broken one foot twice and the other once.

44. I broke both feet at one time. Talented!

45. I love shopping.

46. I love vacationing at Pawleys Island.

47. I am blessed with the best friends in the whole world.

48. I love to sew, mostly for the house.

49. I love my furry grandbabies, Grace Darling and Maeby Shea.

50. I can’t remember numbers.

51. I once worked as a PE teacher…..hahahahahahahaha. I swear!

Jimmy Buffet

2010-02-22T15:24:00.003-05:00

Hey Yall! Isn't that the greatest picture? I love it! Saturday, Frannycakes and Mr. Frannycakes went down to Jacksonville with the parentals to see my brudder and his adorable family. Good company! We converged on Tommy and Doris' house and had a shrimp boil for dinner and it was delish! Did I mention beer and margaritas? Delish! After the great dinner, we headed downtown to see Jimmy Buffett!!!!!! Everyone was having a great time in the parking lot tailgating. Some were having way too much fun. We had great seats and were able to sit down and see the concert. My standing up and dancing for hours days are so long gone. Come to think about it, I am not sure I ever had those days. Anyway, Jimmy (we are now on a first name basis) put on a fabulous concert and we are now close personal friends. Thanks Parentals!!!!! We had a great time!!!!!!
'

Happy Valentines Day!

2010-02-14T20:57:00.003-05:00

Hey Yall! I hope you are all having a wonderful Valentines Day! My Valentine and I had breakfast at Cracker Barrel which always starts the day good. Mr. Frannycakes has been working a 16+ hours night shift for the past two weeks during the yearly shutdown. He actually "volunteered" to work this shift. I guess he thought he was still in his 20's or even 30's. He has actually faired pretty well, you know, for his age.....hehehehehehehe......but I hope he doesn't "volunteer" again. But back to the story...His last night working was supposed to be last night, but he broke it to me at breakfast that he would have to work one more night. I am almost used to it now. So no big deal.

He went to bed shortly after we got home and I sat down to read the paper. I did a few more things and then my eyes started to get heavy. So I decided that I would just take me a quick little nap. Unfortunately, I couldn't get warm, so I went and got a heated throw and plugged it in and proceed to go straight to la la land. For a total of 4 whole hours. It was glorious.

I saw something Saturday in Savannah I have never seen before. At the corner of intersections, people were selling Valentine gift baskets. You know the kind, baskets filled with gifts and wrapped in cellophane and tied with a pretty bow. Obviously, I have seen gift baskets before. But one of the things in it was what I have never seen before. Of course you know that a dozen roses is a pretty standard thing to give to your loved one for Valentines. Right? And what happens after a few days (if you are unlucky) or a week (if you ARE lucky, real lucky)? They are gone, dead as a door nail. I love that saying. So instead of having to go out and buy these beautiful roses that may not make it till tomorrow, why not give something, that looks the same, but can be enjoyed for years to come? That's right! A framed picture of a dozen red roses! Now these framed pictures weren't small. They stood high in the baskets, so high that I could actually see it clearly from the far lane looking to the corner where they were selling them. And the scary part is, most of them were gone by the time I went back home. Somebody is enjoying their beautiful roses in a picture. They might actually be on to something there. But not at Frannycakes house. Never. You got that Mester?

I guess I better go....still kind of sleepy.....

Georgia Snow

2010-02-12T21:40:00.002-05:00

Hey Yall! When we moved back down south, I figured I had seen the last of that thing we called snow. Hmmmmm. I guess not. It has been snowing for a couple of hours and will probably continue for another couple. Our yard looks funny covered in white. But after living in Maine, this only qualifies as wimpy. Sorry. Even Weezie wasn't impressed.

Talk to you later!

Who's Your Daddy?

2010-01-21T09:48:00.002-05:00

Hey Yall. Who's your daddy? But I guess we already knew the answer to that one, didn't we.

Thank goodness for there is a dumb ass to give me something to blog about today. The natives are restless.

So Sorry...

2010-01-15T10:26:00.001-05:00

Family Friday

2010-01-08T23:20:00.004-05:00

Hey yall! We had an exciting day. Gran Gran and Vickie came up to Savannah to see the brand new precious darling "T" and visit with his parents and Debbie, who is his grandmother. Everyone loved on him! We had 4 generations here today. After visiting a while, we had taco soup (that Debbie brought), salad and bread. Since I was the hostess, it was my responsibility to hold precious while everyone ate. He was a little angel for Aunt Frannycakes! I wanted everyone to eat very slow so I could snuggle with him for a good long time. We had a nice visit and we took these pic's to share with you. Enjoy!

Grandmother Love

2010-01-04T09:48:00.002-05:00

Hey yall! Frannycakes got a call this morning from "Sweet T's" grandmother. She loved the pictures we had taken of him when he came to visit. She did have one concern....that I had not made any mention of her, you know, the grandmother. Well, lucky for her, I actually have something even better. She is the one in the middle.

You are welcome!

Hmmmmmm.......

2010-01-02T23:17:00.003-05:00

Hey Yall! Me thinks somebody was in Maine a little too long.....

I'M IN LURVE!!!!!!!!!!

2010-01-02T13:49:00.005-05:00

Hey Yall! I am just gonna let you know....I'm in lurve!!!!! In case you don't know what lurve means, well, I just gonna tell you. It means love. Only a thousand times more! We have a new baby in the family. I am just gonna call him "T" cause he is hardly big enough for his whole name. And he is beautiful and pretty and gorgeous and I just want to go and run away with him. Of course it would be a little rocky for a few days cause "T" loves him some "nursey". We invited his momma and daddy over for dinner last night cause we knew they would be bringing the little man with them. And they thought we wanted to see them! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA I got to hold him while everyone ate and he went to sleep and I just lurve me some sleeping newborn love. Love it. Makes me want my own grand baby. I can't wait till that day. They will have to get a restraining order to keep me away. I am sure of it.

Here are some pic's we took last night.

"T" and his Uncle Mr. Frannycakes!

Awwwwwwwww! I think he lurves his uncle and wants to live with us!

Looks like cousin Julianne is in lurve too!

"T" and his momma

It take two to load little tiny "T"!

Lots of work to strap precious into his seat.

His momma and daddy said he screams when he gets put in his seat. Do you see screaming?

What about now?

Here?

I didn't think so! They are telling stories on him.

Are you in lurve now? I thought so.....

Christmas in St. Marys!

2009-12-27T22:56:00.004-05:00

Hey Yall! Today we drove down to St. Marys to celebrate Christmas with the Fam! I told Mr. Frannycakes that today would be a first for us.....the very first time we would be able to drive down to celebrate Christmas and then drive home. This is FABULOUS!!!!!!!

We celebrated today with Mom and Dad, Tommy and Doris, Thomas and Hannah, Nancy and Dennis and Becky. We had a wonderful time visiting with everyone. Mom cooked a delish lunch and we all were very uncomfortable driving home. Very uncomfortable!

Hope you enjoy the pics!

The Parentals (Mom and Dad) laughing while opening their presents.

Chris and Thomas playing....who is having more fun?

The Parentals giving Weezie some love. Weezie is thinking, "Where is my present?"

Hannah and her Glamour Camper. I need to go camping.

Tommy and Doris taking it all in.

Daddy resting his eyes.

Chris and Thomas resting; well one of them is.

Daddy still resting his eyes.

Same song, third verse.....

Julianne and Hannah

Two pretty girls!

Talk to you later!

Christmas Morning in Georgia!

2009-12-27T22:04:00.005-05:00

Hey Yall! I am just now getting around to posting our Christmas morning pictures. This is just a sampling of what we had going on that morning!

Someone is trying to sneak a peek!!!!

The children are ready to see if Santa brought them anything!

Grace Darling went straight to her stocking and drug out her present!

Lesley and her new "pink" stethoscope engraved with her name!

Jamie in his new footed pj's.

Oh my.....let's just be thankful for underpants.....

No Chris, you do NOT use a football to play golf!

Talk to you soon!

Christmas Pictures

2009-12-25T21:17:00.009-05:00

Hey Yall! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! We certainly did! It was so nice to get everyone together. And it pretty much stayed that way the whole week before Christmas. Linley (and Maeby Shea) had to go back to be with her parents and family. But we had Jamie and Lesley (and Grace Darling), Chris and Julianne here for the holidays. We did one day of touring downtown Savannah and a couple of days of the girls (without me) Christmas shopping. They had a great time together! Christmas day was very relaxed. Jamie and Lesley are heading out early, early tomorrow morning. We are going to miss them.

We didn't get our Christmas cards out as early as usual because we couldn't get everyone together for our annual picture. After attempting to take a picture out by the...ummm....Intracoastal Waterway....we decided to go inside because the wind was blowing to hard and messing up the girly's hair, not to mention distracting the doggies. It is hard enough trying to get the children all smiling and keeping their eyes open (yes, I am talking about you, Jamie!) without having to keep three dogs looking in the right direction. So we moved inside to the living room where we determined that our Christmas picture would not be taken at the house. So we drove downtown to Forsyth Park. If you can't take a good picture there, then you won't take one anywhere.......You know, they should write a song with that phrase....and low and behold, after about 50 shots, we got the one we were looking for. I am sharing with you some of the pictures we took that for reasons that will be obvious, we did not use. And you will also see some good ones. All of them are for your entertainment. Based on my comments, I am here to please you. Enjoy!

Response to Critics

2009-12-10T11:46:00.002-05:00

Enough said.

2009-12-06T23:29:00.002-05:00

Hey Yall! Have any of you finished your Christmas shopping? Don't tell me if you have.....I don't know why I asked that cause I would probably take you off my friend list if you have finished. I have done almost all of my shopping on-line this year. I still have a couple of things that I need to go to a store to get. But all in all, this year has been easy. We are having a smaller Christmas. BE PREPARED CHILDREN!!!!!! It just gets a little ridiculous after a while. I think we will have a wonderful time together and celebrate the true meaning of Christmas.

This morning started out with Mr. Frannycakes having to go to work to check on some things that weren't working correctly. When he got home, he fired up his smoker and put some chickens in to cook. Tonight we had smoked chicken, roasted potatoes, butternut squash, brussel sprouts and okra. I love roasting vegetables. It brings out the delish flavor of the vegetables and is so easy to do. The smoked chicken was tender and moist and thankfully we have some for leftovers tomorrow. That Mr. Frannycakes is getting right talented with his cooking. I think I will keep him.

It is about time to turn in for the night for me. Weezie has already started the snoring and I can't even hear the TV.

Talk to you tomorrow.

Lazy Saturday

2009-12-05T23:25:00.002-05:00

Hey Yall! It sure has been a lazy Saturday around here. Except for about an hour in the garage sending things to the Goodwill, I have been chillin. Like a villin. I took a little nap late this afternoon and made waffles for dinner. And they were delish if I must say so myself. I have been trying to limit my carbs. During dinner I figured out I must have had at least 250. Maybe more. And they were good.

Do the numbers 39-34 mean anything to you? GO JACKETS!!!!!!!

Thanksgiving - Part 2

2009-12-04T23:46:00.006-05:00

Hey Yall! I told you I would be posting about Thanksgiving! Have some faith in me! All the "children" came in, by car or by air, on Tuesday. I can't tell you how great it was to have them all here. Only Julianne had seen the house. It seemed like it had been forever since we had seen Jamie and Lesley AND Grace Darling. We had seen Chris a couple of weeks before at a golf tournament, but we didn't get to visit with him very much. It was just wonderful to have our family together. Unfortunately, Linley Shea was unable to come. She stayed at home and had Thanksgiving with her parents. This will be their last Thanksgiving before they are married!

On Thanksgiving day, GaGa, Grandaddy, Tommy, Doris, Thomas and Hannah came up to celebrate with us. Thomas and Hannah brought me some flowers and a bunny. These babies know what I like! They are both so sweet. Mr. Frannycakes fried a whole turkey and a turkey breast. Tommy wanted to come and see him fry it because Daddy had told him Dick has this special pyro-technique he used when we were living in Maine. It involved large flames and the fear of burning the house down. Luckily, it turned out to be fine and he has learned what NOT to do! The turkey was so delicious and moist! Even after several days it was still just as moist.

Dick put his kayak out by the....ummmmmm......intracoastal waterway(?) so the kids could use it. Thomas is a pro! He paddled around the bend and back. I think his momma and daddy need to buy him one! The hammock was also a hit with all the "children".

We had a wonderful lunch and some delicious desserts made by mom. By that time, it was time for them to hit the road so they could eat their leftovers that got sent home with them. I hope theirs was as good as ours. Delish!

On to the pictures!

Julianne and Jamie

Chris and Julianne

Frannycakes and Julianne

Frannycakes and Julianne going shopping.

Thomas, Chris and Hannah

Julianne and Hannah

Our whole family!

Tommy, Doris, Hannah and Thomas

Weezie hiding from Grace Darling on the coffee table!

Julianne and her Daddy

Tommy, Chris, Jamie and Thomas

GaGa, Julianne, Lesley, Hannah and Grandaddy

Hope you enjoyed pictures from our Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving - Part 1

2009-12-04T22:56:00.004-05:00

Hey Yall! I told you I would be back with some pictures from Thanksgiving. Actually, these pictures, with the exception of the last one, was taken the day before Thanksgiving. We had some of Dick's family here for a quick get together. In addition to our family, minus Linley, we had his mother, Vickie and Delma, Debbie and Steve, Josh and Nicole (who will be bringing the newest family member into the world any day now!), Maggie, Ben and Jackson. Of course Jackson was the center of attention while he was here. How could he not be? He is just a precious little thing and so happy and we just all love him. I think he looks alot like Jamie did when he was Jackson's age. We had a nice visit, even though it wasn't very long. Everyone had places to go. Debbie and Steve had rented a house at the beach for the Thanksgiving holidays since Nicole wasn't supposed to travel. The last picture I posted is taken on Friday. We went on a tour of Savannah and met the Debbie's whole family downtown. It was nice to see John and Julie. We hadn't seen them since they were dressed in a wedding dress and tux!

Chris, Jamie, Julianne, Lesley and Gran Gran

Julianne and Jackson

Julianne, Weezie and Jackson

Jackson telling his grandaddy he is ready to get in the water!

Vickie (aka VV) and her grand baby Jackson

Dick, Debbie, Gran Gran and Vickie

Debbie, Gran Gran and Vickie

Julie, Steve, Debbie, John, Nicole and Josh

I have to say that it has been wonderful to live near family again. I didn't realize how much I had missed it. Hopefully, we will be here a good, long time.

Next up, Thanksgiving, Part 2! See you then!

Okay Already!!!!!

2009-12-01T10:16:00.003-05:00

Hey Yall! Did you read the title to this post? I AM POSTING!!!!!! ENOUGH of the harassment!

I guess all my 3 readers think I am just busting at the seams (well, those seams too!) with hilarious stories of Frannycakes life. So much has been happening around here in my life that I can't really think of anything hilarious. Sorry. Moving tends to make Frannycakes into an unpleasant person. Somehow we always seem to move around the holidays. Not only do I get to move and put away and decorate, I get to do it for the holidays and have Thanksgiving and Christmas and well, that is just too much for Frannycakes pitiful little brain to process. Last week, I did what I swore to myself I was not going to do......I started throwing things in the closet and pretended that I had finished putting everything in their place. I can lie to myself like the best of them. I also am experiencing the letdown of moving into a new house....with my old stuff. You know, the old stuff that has moved with me the 400,000 other times we have moved. Ugh.

Enough of that! I do have a picture that I took with my pink dingleberry last month. This is a picture of Frannycakes with two of her closest to her heart friends, Beth and Elaine.

These two crazy girls called me this morning and wanted me to drive to Charleston and have lunch with them. Normally, I would have jumped right in my car and gone. But Mr. Frannycakes and I are driving to Georgetown later this week to a funeral for a friend who died. So I had to apologize and then kick myself for not going. Oh well.....I need to do a little shopping around here anyway. Alone. Don't make me start whining again.

Thanksgiving will get a post of its own later today. I swear! Pictures included! I double swear!

I am off to take a shower and get ready to hit the stores.

Talk to you later!

Frannycakes is Tired

2009-11-30T00:24:00.002-05:00

Congratulations to Jeb and Brandi!

2009-11-15T00:22:00.002-05:00

Hey Yall! Tonight, Jeb and Brandi got engaged! I am so happy for them! Looks like next summer is going to be a busy wedding party time for us.

The Happy Couple!

Awwwwww......aren't they cute?

Congratulations to Jeb and Brandi! Frannycakes loves yall!

Update From Georgia

2009-11-01T23:13:00.003-05:00

Hey Yall! I promised someone tonight on the phone that I would do a little update. It probably won't be the kind of update that she wants. But here goes.....

This is a picture of two boxes of "put it together yourself, sucker" shelves that we bought at Tarjay for Mr. Frannycakes office. You know the kind....it has 4,298,321 pieces and takes most of the weekend to put together? Mr. Frannycakes practiced using "special" words in different combinations. Many times. And he is so thankful that he gets to start all over again next weekend with the other box. However, the main reason for the picture was so that you, my three readers, can see that we left the box in the living room because it weighed two tons. Carrying it up the stairs to the second floor was not part of the price, so he carried it up piece by piece. Aren't you glad you didn't come over to visit today or you could have helped?

This is a picture of the Intracoastal Waterway behind our house. Did I say Intracoastal Waterway? I meant lake. Did I say lake? Cause it really is more the size of a pond (or ditch as Mr. Frannycakes refers to it.) But I must say, I can almost see the tide coming in and going out, so I'm gonna keep thinking I will see a yacht going by one day.

I may not have any pictures hung and I may not have my pantry organized and I might not be able to drive my car in the garage because of the boxes, but you can be sure that I will have me a few flowers by the front door. How do you like the new wire thingies in the pots? I found them at JCPenney marked down to $8 from $59. And Mr. Frannycakes, who bless his heart never says one thing (scratch THAT) about anything I buy, had a fit. Cause we didn't need it. Can you imagine? One of these days I am going to do a post on how much money I have saved him! And really? Don't they look fabulous by the front door? I knew you would agree with me!

Since Mr. Frannycakes has an office, we, um I, decided that I would also have an office. There was this teeny tiny room by the front door that needed something special in it. And one of Mr. Frannycakes pet peeves is paper work and bills and junk mail on the kitchen counter. So I have put all my bill paying, files, and assorted other crap in this special room. I have tried several times to go in there and get it organized. But every time I do, I start having hot flashes. That is why there is a fan in there, to cool me off! Unfortunately, when I have one of those horrible things, which I have been having at pretty much every breath since we moved here, the fan does not full fill its promise of coolness. Nothing, and I mean nothing will cool me off. I am a wreck, I tell you. A menopausal wreck.

Okay, how did that get on here? Isn't she cute? If you don't know that I love bunnies, then it is time to learn.

So, aren't you glad you visited me today? We actually did have a pretty productive weekend. I hung curtains in two of the bedrooms. Pictures are coming in the next couple of days. Not the kind on the wall, the kind in the blog.....just needed to set that straight!

And you want to hear some exciting news? Jeb, one of our friends from SC, has come to stay with us for a month while he does a rotation at one the hospitals in Savannah. He only moved in today and has already brought some excitement into the house. Aren't friends great?

I will be talking to you soon!

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T14:42:00.002-04:00

Hey Yall! Happy Halloween! Once again I have been been bullied by anonymous friends and family for not posting. It seems one young lady, I will call Mini Frannycakes, is deeply disappointed that I have not posted my yearly photos of dogs dressed up in Halloween costumes. And I have been told that I need to post house pictures and blah blah blah. Frannycakes has been extremely tired and irritable (just ask Mr. Frannycakes) and is trying her best to put the house together and decorate it so it will be beautiful. I have made countless trips to stores only to come home empty handed. It is very discouraging and exhausting. I did try and take pictures of the house I have done so far, but the battery in our more "sophisticated" camera was dead. So I took some with my new Dingleberry.....some call it a Blackberry....I prefer Dingleberry cause it make me laugh.....and I will post it later.

So Mini Frannycakes, these are for you!

This is for all my Catholic friends.

He really does look like a construction worker, doesn't he?

I couldn't resist the baby bunny!

Chris and Linley need these cuties to come to their wedding!

Doesn't this look like the most precious little baby?

So.....are you happy Mini Frannycakes? Can you study now?

I hope everyone has a wonderful Halloween!

Goodbye Maine

2009-10-06T20:57:00.000-04:00

Today we moved out of our house. The movers finished around 4 this afternoon and I finished around 5. It was so sad pulling out of the neighborhood and heading to the hotel. The leaves are still beautiful. I am gonna miss this place.

Happy and Sad

2009-10-05T14:18:00.000-04:00

Hey Yall! Remember a couple of days ago when I told you how pretty the leaves are up here? I wish you all could be here to enjoy them. I am feeling a very wide range of emotions right now. Part of me want to grab some pom poms and do cheers that this southern girl is going home. And part of me wants to sit right down and cry because I won't be able to enjoy all the colors and the snow and the cooler temps that Maine has to offer ever again. And I think I can say with relative certainty that we will never be moving up here again. I can tell you that I have not always felt this way when we moved away from an area. One place in particular I just wanted to press the gas pedal as hard as I could so I wouldn't waste any time getting out of town.

The temps are cool today. When I was deciding what to put aside so the movers didn't pack, I only thought about packing hot weather clothes because I know it will be warm when we get to Savannah. What I didn't think about was that I might need some cool weather clothes for days like today. The windows and doors are open and I broke down and turned on the heat because I saw Weezie shaking in her bed this morning. I mean shaking! I had a fleece throw wrapped around me and so I took it off and put her wrapped up back in her bed. She has not waken up yet! And snoring away. The movers are impressed by her snoring. I think we should enter her in a contest.

Hopefully, the movers will be finished tomorrow and we can leave on Wednesday making our way down to our new abode. Closing there is on Friday and move in on Saturday. Whew! Just the thought of all that makes me want to take a nap.....in a room without Weezie, of course!

Talk to yall later!

Yep, That's What I Want.....

2009-10-01T19:46:00.000-04:00

Hey Yall! Sorry about my serious lack of posts lately. We have been in undisclosed location doing some necessary things for the new house. However, we are back in beautiful Maine where the leaves are turning the most beautiful colors. I am really really gonna miss all this when we get to undisclosed location. And I might even miss typing undisclosed location, but probably not.

And for all you curious loyal readers, all three of you, we are nearing the day when Mr. Frannycakes says I can disclose the undisclosed location.

The movers are coming to pack up all of our stuff on Saturday. They will become our new best friends for a scheduled three days. Then we head to undisclosed location which might have been disclosed by that time. Maybe.....

Until then, I think I need another drink......

More Pics....

2009-09-26T09:54:00.000-04:00

A Little Looky

2009-09-25T23:54:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday Julianne!

2009-09-21T23:34:00.000-04:00

Hey Yall! Today is the blessed day of Julianne's birthday. She is 22 years old! 22!!!!! This is so hard to believe. It seems just like yesterday that she came into our lives. And we have never been the same. Happy Birthday Ju Ju! We love you very, very much!

Six Sixty Three

2009-09-20T22:27:00.000-04:00

Nice number.....

You Likey?

2009-09-19T23:29:00.000-04:00

Me likey.......

Happy Birthday Vickie!!!!!

2009-08-31T01:38:00.000-04:00

Hey Yall!!! Today is Vickie's Birthday and even though I can't tell you how old she is, I can tell you it is midway between 55 and 60. But I can't tell you the real number because, you know, old people start losing their sense of humor about how old they are getting.....

In case you can't tell which one is the Birthday Girl, look to the right. And in case you are wondering who the other two are, it would be Dick's other sister Debbie and his momma. Nice looking family, aren't they?

Happy Birthday Vickie!!! Hope you have a good one!!!

Happy Retirement Merwin!

2009-08-28T07:30:00.003-04:00

Hey Yall! Today is a very special day! Our friend Merwin and his wife Shirley are retiring today. Oh Happy Day! They are going to take a nice long vacation at Pawleys. Frannycakes is extremely jealous! I couldn't find a picture of Merwin on my computer, but Mr. Frannycakes has graciously allowed me to post a picture of him that strangely resembles Merwin so if you see anyone that resembles this picture, please tell him Happy Retirement and that Frannycakes sent you!

Happy Retirement Merwin!

I HAVE A SECRET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-08-25T23:10:00.002-04:00

Hey Yall! Long time no talk! I feel like I have been in the car all summer! We just got back Saturday from SC. Julianne's internship ended so we helped her drive back to the frozen tundra. Oh yeah......it isn't frozen yet, but it's just a matter of time!

Are you waiting to hear my secret? Huh? Well.....We didn't win the lottery....bummer....I am not pregnant....hahahahahaha! I haven't gone on a diet, again, yet....Chris hasn't graduated, but he will in May!!!!

Nooooooooo! This is really, really, really exciting! WE ARE MOVING!!!!!! And even though I can't tell you where yet, I can tell you that it is not in the north or the west. Thank goodness. I need to get back with people that talk like me. Well, kind of like me because nobody talks like me!

Nothing like a little teaser is there? I promise that the minute Mr. Frannycakes gives me the okay, I will be right back on here with ALL the details.....Until then....Tootles!

Quote of the Day

2009-08-04T12:43:00.001-04:00

"Like the old joke goes, President Obama isn't a doctor, but he plays one on TV," said House Minority Leader John Boehner.

Thanks for the quote John!

A Little Scary and A Little True

2009-07-28T00:12:00.003-04:00

Hey Yall! I received this quote from a friend today.....

"Joe Biden makes Dan Quayle look like Stephen Hawking"

Vacation Part Two

2009-07-27T23:26:00.002-04:00

The Jackson Family!

Virginia, Callie, Zippy, Henry & Reese

Callie, Henry & John

Chris & Linley

Christopher

Al E. Gator

Mr. Frannycakes in his new kayak!

Virginia, Jamie, Lesley, Julianne & Mary Ann

Prepared for fun....2 tubes and a can of cold beer!

Lesley & Grace Darling

Mary Ann, Elaine & John

Mary Ann & John

Jamie, Lesley & Grace Darling

Scenes from a Vacation Part 1

2009-07-26T22:38:00.008-04:00

Hey Yall! Why do vacations go by so fast? We had a fabulous vacation at Pawleys Island. This year we rented a house on the creek. I have to say that it worked out wonderfully for my family and the two other families that were with us. We mostly layed out on the dock and some kayaked and tubed. We had beautiful views and lots and lots of delish food. It was great to be together as a family. Here are some pictures that Mr. Frannycakes took. He is a wonderful photographer.

Don't Be Jealous

2009-07-21T22:23:00.002-04:00

Hey Yall! Don't be jealous.....it is 62 degrees here. I know a few of you are not capable of not feeling jealous, but it really doesn't become your glistening with sweat faces. Really.

Happy Birthday Chris!

2009-07-20T22:45:00.004-04:00

Hey Yall! Sunday was Christophers' 25th birthday! Wow, that is so hard to believe! Since we had to leave early Sunday morning, we celebrated his birthday on Saturday night. These are some pictures that Dick took that afternoon. Hope you enjoy

I'm Back!!!!!!

2009-07-20T22:10:00.002-04:00

Hey Yall! I have received so much grief from family and friends for not posting that I decided that I had better get back to work and post. I can't guarantee that it will be very interesting. In some ways is seems like nothing has been happening, then in other ways it seems like it has. I will let you decide. Don't go blaming me if you are completely bored....you were warned!

Mr. Frannycakes and I got back to Maine early this morning.....around 2 am. We left Pawleys Island at 5 am. You do the math. Frannycakes has been in a fog all day. This afternoon, I got lazy on the couch and did some snoozing. It was glorious. And as usual, it will not affect my ability to sleep very well tonight. I love having that ability.

Where have we been? Well, we headed down to St. Marys a month ago. Gran Gran, Mr. Frannycakes mother, decided to take a last minute, vacation to the hospital. We couldn't let everyone have a good time without us, could we? Thankfully, it was a quick vacation.

Dick came home and went on some business trips and then came back down to get ready for our nephew's wedding. Our entire family came and it was nice to have all the kids together. The wedding was beautiful.

Next came our vacation. We rented a house on the creek at Pawleys Island. I only went out on the beach once. The rest of the time we sunned on the dock. Dick had his kayak and the Benson's brought their john boat. We had a bunch of floats and some of the group floated down the creek. I think everyone had a great time. Have I mentioned how wonderful the food was? It has spoiled Mr. Frannycakes. Withdrawals will be hard for him.

My parentals came for a few days when we moved into the house. It was great to have them with us. I had stayed with them for a month. My bedroom looked alot like it did when I was growing up. Hopefully it has recovered since I left.

Gran Gran and Debbie and Vickie came up the last part of the week. This was one of the first times they have been able to come with us. Hopefully they will be able to come again next summer.

This was a very condensed version of our summer so far. I will be post pictures for the next few days so you can see exactly what I have been talking about.

Talk to you soon!

The Joys of Living in Maine

2009-05-25T20:40:00.002-04:00

Hey Yall! I get email weather bulletins and looky what I got today......

Issued at: 3:08 AM EDT 5/25/09, expires at: 3:15 PM EDT 5/25/09

frost advisory in effect from 1 am to 7 am edt Tuesday
The NWS in gray has issued a frost advisory, which is in effect from 1 am to 7 am edt Tuesday.
An unseasonably cold air mass will move over northern new england tonight, combined with a mainly clear and calm night. This will allow widespread frost to form in interior locations later tonight, as temperatures fall into the upper 20s to mid 30s. Even though some of the normally colder spots will fall below freezing, a hard freeze is not expected.
A frost advisory means that frost is possible. Sensitive outdoor plants may be killed if left uncovered.

Just some of the joys of living in Maine.....

Giggle Girl Update

2009-05-10T22:06:00.002-04:00

Hey Yall! Giggle Girl is going great! She is still sore and taking Advil every now and then. Every day is better and better for her. She gets her drains out tomorrow and should be back to normal for starting her summer internship!

The picture above is a $5 bunch of Gerber Daisies I got at the grocery store. I got them when we stopped there for ice cream right after her surgery. I tied them up with a pretty ribbon and put them in a white pitcher and put them so Sister could see them. They still look pretty!

Hope you have a wonderful day!

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T21:49:00.004-04:00

Photo Credit - Molly Chicken

Hey Yall! Happy Mother's Day! Hope yours has been good....mine has been GREAT! I talked with Jamie and Chris by phone and wished they could have been here. Dick let me sleep in this morning and it felt wonderful. Julianne made a wonderful WW desert for me.......mmmmmmmm......yum! Later this afternoon, I wrapped up in two throws AND and electric throw on the red couch and watched "Under the Tuscan Sun" while I occasionally rested by eyes. (That was for you Daddy!) All together....A Glorious Day! Can I get an Amen?

Here's a big Happy Mother's Day wish to my Mom and Dick's mom! Can you feel the hug? It's a big one!

Giggle Girl Update

2009-05-08T11:09:00.003-04:00

Hey Yall! Giggle Girl, aka Julianne, giggled until right after I took the picture of her yesterday. And then it ended. She was very hungry and was satisfied with ice cream and sorbet and yogurt for a while. Then she didn't want any more sugar. So I made her some soup. That didn't really hit the spot. She had some tears and also some laughs. The laughs came from reading the blog post about her because didn't remember anything about what happened. She took some of the Tylenol with codeine prescript but she didn't feel really good after taking it. I am pretty sure it was the medicine. So we have gone back to the Advil.

Today has been a good day so far. She feels good and is just a little bit sore. I have told her to take it easy. Easier said than done!

The weather is crazy here. Cool, cloudy, partly cloudy, raining, repeat! And it is killing my sinuses! We are finally getting green, so pollen might be a part of it. I have been taking Zyrtec at night and Flonase during the day. Until this crazy weather, it had been doing great for me.

I will talk to you later....

Wisdom Lost

2009-05-07T11:40:00.004-04:00

Hey Yall! Sister had her wisdom teeth removed this morning! Do you see that drug induced look on her face? I stayed in the room while they put her to sleep then went to the waiting room. I found a couple of magazines that I wanted to read from cover to cover and find out who's doing what to who when and where. You know the kind. Cause inquiring minds want to know. I sent Dick a text message to tell him that she was asleep and I would let him know when they were through. I had just started the first magazine and not even found out the first bit of gossip and a nurse came and got me. She said Julianne did great and was being so funny. Hmmmmmm.......funny? When I got back there, she looked like she was 12 or 13 and was giggling and telling them thank you and she wanted to do it again and giggling some more! She was cracking those ladies back there up! They gave her a prescription for Tylenol with codeine, but wanted us to try 3 or 4 Advil first to see if that would take care of the pain. Julianne said she wanted the prescription filled. I told her I thought she was enjoying herself just a little bit too much laying there in googly land to start on the prescription. They gradually raised her chair till she was sitting straight up and I held on to her arm and led her, giggling the whole time, down the hall and out to the car. She was too funny.

It is kinda cool here in Maine today. We have the heat on AND she is laying under an electric throw on the couch snoozing away. She is probably exhausted from the finals that she just finished up yesterday. A lazy day will do her good.

Don't you just love her ice packs? The nurse came in with it and told her she was going to make her into a bunny. Julianne just giggled then got serious and said, with a mouthful of gauze, "We love bunnies!" Then she giggled some more.

I will keep you updated on the giggle girl.....

Happy Birthday Virginia!!!!

2009-05-05T23:59:00.003-04:00

Hey Yall! Today is Virginia's Birthday! Virgie, I hope you have a wonderful birthday and I can't wait to see you!

Planting the Crops

2009-05-05T00:01:00.001-04:00

Hey Yall! As you can see, Frannycakes finally started planting the crops. I haven't finished yet. I ran out of potting soil and plants. And you kind of need both of those when you are, well, planting the crops! I have been instructed by Mr. Frannycakes NOT to plant any vegetables because he WILL NOT water them while I am visiting at the beach this summer. Since he did not water them last summer or the summer before that, I tend to believe him. Soooooooooo, no vegetables. Blah. I love growing tomatoes and peppers.

Talk to you later!

50th Birthday.....Part Two!!!!!!

2009-05-04T06:00:00.001-04:00

Hey Yall! I am just a little late in posting pictures from my second (!) 50th birthday party. Tommy, my brother and the official photographer, finally sent me some of the pictures so I could post them on Frannycakes. And now I am finally posting them!

This was a true surprise party. I did not have a clue. It honestly took me till waaaaaaaaay after the party was over for it to sink in. I had been in South Carolina with my buds having a girls weekend. Dick had flown to St. Marys to see his momma and sisters. My brudder Tommy and his wife Doris were supposed to be bringing the kids up on Sunday, my birthday, and visiting with us and celebrating my birthday at my parents house. I got up very, very early in Charleston and showered and dressed. No make-up. Pulled hair back. Wearing clothes for the second day because I was planning on changing after I got there. I picked up Julianne and she didn't say a word about it. When we got there, Tommy's car and my parents car were parked in the driveway. I was excited that they were already there 'cause I don't get to see them near enough. We got out of the car and walked up to the house. I opened the door and "SURPRISE!!!!!!!" It took me a couple of minutes to understand what was going on. Then I saw what looked like my cousin JoRhee. I haven't seen here in several years. Could it really be her? I just looked around and then I saw my Aunt Jo. I have so many good memories of my Aunt Jo from my early childhood. I really couldn't believe it. It had been so long since I had seen her. Also celebrating was my Aunt Nancy and Uncle Dennis, my cousin Becky, Gran Gran (Dick's Mama), Dick's sisters Debbie and Vickie and her husband Delma and their daughter Annie. It was truly a party!

Frannycakes and her Aunt Jo.....can you tell I'm excited?

Making the rounds through the house and trying to visit with everyone, I came upon this.......

.....which I like to refer to as the Frannycakes Shrine. Do you think my finger tasted good in the big picture? It must have been fattening too cause my thighs were thundering!

My Dad, Julianne, Tommy, Frannycakes, Aunt Jo and Mom

Frannycakes, Daddy, JoRhee and Jack

Frannycakes, JoRhee and Aunt Jo

Blowing out the Birthday Cupcakes!

Frannycakes the Birthday Girl

Frannycakes and her Daddy

Hannah and Aunt Fran opening presents

Hannah and Aunt Fran thrilled with Depends!

Mom and Dad have a wonderful large deck and it was decorated with round tables with black balloons. Have you noticed that everyone was supposed to wear Black? Tommy and my Dad grilled hamburgers and we had a great cookout. Everything was so nice and truly appreciated!

As you can tell, I had a fabulous birthday! Thank you everyone!

Things I Need To Do.....

2009-05-04T00:01:00.002-04:00

Hey Yall! Doesn't that begonia look pitiful? And doesn't that planter look sad? They look that way 'cause I ran out of planting soil, all 6 bags. No teeny weeny bags....big boys. I have a sad spike plant and some verigated ivy to add also. And they are also very, very sad.... But I bet you already knew that.

Talk to you later!

New Vehicle

2009-05-03T18:07:00.004-04:00

Hey Yall! Can you believe it? Two postings in two days? I must have the flu. Yeah that is it......I have the "Whine Flu", just ask Dick. This is now parked in our garage. Thank goodness it is parked on Dick's side. Not enough cup holders for me.....

Ben's Graduation

2009-05-02T21:20:00.006-04:00

Hey Yall! Today was Ben's graduation from Maine Maritime Academy. He received a bachelors degree and already has a job waiting on him! Yeah Ben! In case you don't know Ben, he and Julianne have been dating for almost a year and is a very nice young man. Today was a beautiful day! We left home around 7 am and headed to Castine. I wrote about this little town recently here on this blog. We got there a little early and went ahead inside as soon as they opened the doors to the public. Maine is still a little cool folks! We sat down hoping Julianne would let us know where she was since the place was starting to fill up fast. Finally we see her. And guess who was sitting right in front of us? Ben's grandparents and aunts. His parents came in about the same time as Julianne. Now what are the chances of that happening? The ceremony was very nice. As the parent of one child who has graduated already, I can tell you that there were some very proud parents there. And I can't wait to have that opportunity again when Chris and Julianne graduate. Ben looked very handsome in his dress whites. He couldn't wait to change out of them! According to him, they were very uncomfortable. One thing I can say about the north.....they are much, much more respectful during graduation ceremonies than people are in the south. I love the south, but it is just ridiculous and embarrassing. And I know that anyone from the south reading this knows exactly what I mean.

Ben's parents invited Dick and me to the lunch they had planned honoring Ben. We ate at a wonderful restaurant on the waterfront. The food was wonderful and it was so nice sitting with a sweet family. His sister has a precious little girl and we got to eat across the table from her. She kept us entertained the whole time!

Here are a few pictures from our day. Hope you enjoy them! Tootles!

Inexcusable

2009-04-28T14:21:00.002-04:00

We are being led by a bunch of dumbasses. Plain and simple.

Surprise.....An Actual Update!

2009-04-20T10:27:00.003-04:00

Hey Yall! Yep, it is an actual update on the crazy life of Frannycakes. Refill your coffee, grab a diet coke or cold beer and find a comfy chair to sit and be updated. And probably bored out of your gourd. Hey! I didn't say it was going to be interesting!

There has been lots happening and not must happening. Does that make any sense? Finally, all the snow melted in our yard. I have become an expert on raking. Me and the wheelbarrow and rake have been best friends. I would prefer different best friends, but for up here in Maine....well, enough said. We had about a million pine cones on the ground. I might or might not be exaggerating by about a 100,000. But only 100,000. Lucky for us, we have a vacant wooded lot right next to us. The owners live out west and don't visit regularly. So all 500,000 wheelbarrow loads went directly over to the vacant lot. Don't judge me. And I am pretty sure I am not exaggerating about the number of wheelbarrow loads. Pretty sure. Enough about me and my best friends.

We are trying our best to clean out the house. I have been throwing away everything I can get my hands on. On every move we have made, that would have been 7 (using moving companies), they come in one day and pack up everything in the house. And when we get to the new location, we unpack or put up what we don't need. I actually have thrown away a lot of junk when I unpack, but the majority of the stuff stay in boxes. We have gone from BIG house to small house to BIG house and then to small again. And different color schemes and different amounts of bedrooms and so I have lots of decorations that might work in one house that won't fit in another house, but MIGHT work in the next house. And those things I like to call my "INVENTORY". I am trying to keep my "INVENTORY" down in the basement....also known as my "INVENTORY ROOM" so I always know just where to go get something I might need to, you know....decorate. But back to what I was trying to tell you....it has just gotten out of hand. And every time we went to the attic to find something, everything was getting spread ever where and it looked like a tornado had hit it. So I have been going up there and bagging up and donating or throwing away. Of course, I have not been able to that everyday because since we live in Maine, it might be freezing up there! But I am working toward having organized stacks of boxes. Oh yeah, like that is gonna happen!

Saturday, Dick and I went to visit Julianne and buy her a pair of jeans. Of course, she could have done this by herself, but it is more fun when the parents actually pay for it and not funnel it through their checking account. We headed to Castine to visit Ben, Julianne's boyfriend. He is about to graduate from Maine Maritime and Dick wanted to take a tour of their ship they use for training. You know, men are interested in things like that. So Dick and Ben went on the boat and Julianne and I sat in the car. I actually would have gone on the tour but Julianne was wearing sandals and they are not allowed on the boat. She had a pair of running shoes, but they clashed with her outfit and she wasn't about to clash. Castine is a pretty town that sits up on the side of a hill that goes down to the water. Almost none of the lots are level, they all have a slope. And there is an ordinance about houses having to be white. It looks very New Englandy. The only sad thing is that they don't seem to like having Maine Maritime there. And it is not a new school. Pretty much been there since the beginning of time! There seemed to be strong sense of snootiness there. Something I wouldn't have gotten along with, but I am sure there are people who would love it. To each his own! Ben graduates May 2.

Yesterday, Dick bit the bullet and put up a ceiling fan in our den. Hopefully, this new fan will help keep me cool in the days to come. Cause just in case you have forgotten, I hate being hot. Especially since we do not have central air here in Maine. Why oh why would anyone not put central air in a house. It should be a state law. Mainer's see no need for them. Frannycakes disagrees. Strongly.

I am starting to stress out a little about Julianne's move down south for her summer internship. Not that there is anything to be stressed out. It is just that we don't have any specific dates for us to leave Maine, only her start date. Plus, it looks like Chris might have an internship in the same area and may be living with her. I can kind of feel my blood pressure rising even thinking about this so I will end this part right now. I guess I just get stressed over change.

Chris and Linley are starting to think about dates and wedding stuff like that. Not that Chris told us, I read it on Linley's blog! This should be an exciting summer of planning and setting dates. I can't wait.

We talked to Jamie and Lesley on Tokbox last night. If you have not heard of tokbox before, look into it. You are able to visit with one another on webcam for free. My new computer has a webcam in it. There is nothing like being able to see each other! Of course, visiting with Jamie on the webcam is always an adventure. We always get to see him dancing in the background! Soooooooooo Jamie! And we get to see Grace Darling. They are doing so well and we can't wait for them to come and visit with us this summer. And have I told you that so far, Jamie has been accepted to one of the nursing programs he applied to and still has to hear from two others? Congratulations Jamie!

One other piece of news......Our nephew Josh is engaged! He and Nicole are a very cute couple and have been together for several years. Josh graduated last year and Nicole graduates in May. They are planning a wedding for next March. Congratulations!

In other not so exciting news that I try to forget but my pants won't let me, I went back to Weight Watchers. Yes, there are people in Maine that go to Weight Watchers. Actually, there are probably 40 people in their meetings. I am steadily going down, just not as fast as I would like, but it is probably better this way. I haven't felt like I was really on a diet except like when I passed the Easter Reece's eggs and of course the Whoopie Pies at the grocery store and anytime I want something sweet. Other than that.....It has been pretty easy. Dick is eating all the same things, so it should be pretty easy. Ugh, I loved being cursed with fat genes and of course, fat jeans, which you are required to get when you have fat genes. Double ugh.

Aren't you glad I posted. Nothing too exciting. Just a glimpse at my life here in Maine. What am I going to do today? Pay bills, make doctor's appointment, call about apartment rental for internship, vacuum, dust, work in the attic if it is above 50 degrees up there, etc., etc., etc. Come and visit me so I won't have to do these things. Please.

I will talk to you later! Tootles!

50th Birthday.....The Bluff

2009-03-25T22:17:00.000-04:00

Hey Yall! I told you I would be back with details of all the birthday fun I had. I had the pleasure of being invited to Girls Weekend at the Bluff. The Bluff is a house at the bluff, the name I will not disclose because I'm not sure my friend whose family owns the house would want the whole world, or the three of you who read this blog, to know exactly where their house is located. Anyway, it is located in the Charleston area, so we had lots and lots of shopping available and restaurants to sample. On our last night there, my buds took me to the Sewee Restaurant, in Sewee, no less, for the birthday dinner. They had given me a birthday hat which said "Fabulous Fifty". And of course that is exactly what I am now. Anywho, they made me wear it at the restaurant. I got two kisses from strange men while I was there....don't worry Mr. Frannycakes.....on the cheek only. We had a fabulous meal, then waddled to the car to go back to the undisclosed bluff.

Back at the undisclosed Bluff, I was instructed to put back on my birthday hat. I had to remove it in the car because the both of us could not get into the car together! After replacing the hat, I was given Ms. Bluff, dressed up in birthday wrapping paper. Ms. Bluff decorates every Girls Weekend. Her presence is required. Don't judge us! It is just a ritual that must be abided by. Anyway, While I held Ms. Bluff, I opened presents. And presents I got! Unfortunately, I am unable to mention any of them here because my children read this blog (also Mr. Frannycakes) and I don't want to gross any of them out. Of course, Julianne was there for this part of the party and was totally and completely disgusted and particularly disappointed in Ms. Elaines card. Ms. Elaine made me read it out loud and it was hard for my child to hear these things.....You should be ashamed Ms. Elaine!

The little girls, as we like to call Emily (Elaine's daughter) and Julianne, cause they are the little girls of the families, stayed around to take some pictures. No one will ever accuse us of being photogenic! After viewing the pictures on the camera, Virginia announced that she wanted them taken over because she looked like a stroke victim that had been posed next to me on the couch for pictures! After closer inspection, she was right. Now if we could just get her a job in Hollywood playing stroke victims in the movies.......she would be rich and famous! Cause it is obviously her calling! I can say I knew her when.....

Somehow through all the pictures, I maintain to keep the same smile on my face while every one cracked up. Beth completely lost it and we had to suspend pictures while she laughed about Virginia and her stroke pose. Sick group we are. And proud of it.

Girls, I love you! I needed this weekend so much. And I treasure our friendships. Thanks for being my friend.

2009-03-21T20:12:00.002-04:00

Hey Yall! Yesterday as I was vacuuming the house, I decided that I wanted to move the furniture in the den around. If you have ever been in my den, you will realize that we really have everything arranged in the only position it can be arranged in, well, to be able to see the tv. And isn't that the reason we are in there? I mean, why have a tv with 150 channels that have absolutely nothing worth watching if you aren't going to be watching it. So, I decided to move and push and shove and drag and kick the furniture in a different arrangement. And I did and unfortunately, you could not longer access the den because the furniture had blocked the entire way into that part of the room. Well crap. So I pushed and pulled a walkway into the room and it looks absolutely ridiculous but we decided at the time that we were just too tired from moving furniture and from work to change it back. And you know what? I love how you can lay on the red couch and watch nothing on tv and not have your neck contorted into a painful position. I fell asleep on the couch last night and took a nap this afternoon. This morning when I woke up, I had some pain in my back, radiating from my left hip up the side of my back. And it got much, much worse after my nap. I am waiting just a little while to let the beer I drank in one swig get out of my system so I can take a pain pill I horded from my broken arm incident last year. I am hoping and praying it will take care of it cause it feels pretty bad.

Earlier today when it just kind of hurt, Dick and I went to see I Love You Man. It was funny. Probably funnier to the younger folks in the audience. I am pretty much appalled at the language used today. And there was alot of that and adult themes used. But I laughed out loud a few times and we both agreed that we had seen better.

That's all for now.....until after the meds.....

Clean House? In My Dreams.....

2009-03-19T20:36:00.004-04:00

Hey Yall! Sorry I didn't post yesterday. I was busy trying to straighten some things up around here. I was gone for two weeks and once we brought all our junk back into the house, well, it was a mess. THEN the mail was delivered. Lots and lots of mail to go through and organize and file. Then the bills to pay. Then the HOA of the condo we have in Raleigh somehow didn't credit two months of fees, so I had to get copies of those cancelled checks and try and straighten that out. And they did. So I was up to my neck in paper work. Now I'm only up to my waist.

Today, I took Mr. Frannycakes truck to have the tires rotated. I sat in the waiting room for two hours. The cable tv was out, but the lady that pretty much runs the place had brought a season of "Friends" and had it playing on the big screen TV. She also had made coffee. It has been a while since I have watched "Friends" and I had forgotten just how funny it could be. I found myself laughing out loud. Thankfully, I was the only person in the waiting area. It was kind of nice to know that I could nothing but watch tv and enjoy it.

Our temperature up here is supposed to get colder this weekend. We still have snow. A lot of it. I need to start thinking about what I am going to plant. For some reason, plants and flowers up here know that they have just a small window of opportunity to grow and bloom and they do it faster than I ever seen it in the South. (Notice I capitalized South......) We have some painting to do to touch up a few places and a whole lot of sand to get out of the garage. Once the snow completely melts, it looks like we have had a major wind storm in the yard. Limbs, sticks, leaves, and pine cones are everywhere. It will be a major raking job. Anybody want to come and visit???????? I will buy you a rake and even put your name on it!

Yall be good and I will talk to you tomorrow!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

2009-03-17T10:54:00.002-04:00

Long Time No Blog

2009-03-16T23:52:00.002-04:00

Hey Yall! I have probably lost all of my three readers during my break from blogging. I know I still have one (Daddy) who reminded me daily while I was visiting that I have not been updating my blog. I actually have a pretty good excuse for not blogging and you know that I always have an excuse up my sleeve ready and waiting! You see......my 'puter was real sick. If you remember from a previous post, I got a virus. Then we paid $200 to get it back to working order. (The $200 made me sick.) Then when we got to Raleigh, I opened it up to check emails and other important stuff and my screen was black. The computer was running, but the monitor was dead. Lucky for me, I have a very sweet, loving and caring husband who said he would buy me a new one for my birthday. Birthday, you ask? Yes, Frannycakes had a birthday.....but more about that later. So Mr. Frannycakes bought me a new computer yesterday and after many, many curse words coming from my mouth and mind, I promptly returned it to the store this morning. Then I drove to Portland and purchased a different one at the Best Buy. And it has been a glorious day. Just glorious! Thank you Mr. Frannycakes!

We got back to the frozen tundra on Saturday. Our trip down south was wonderful. The temp's down there are much different than up here. Thankfully, I packed a couple of summer outfits just in case I got hot. And guess what? I got hot. Very hot. I do love the Maine temps.

I have a whole post planned about my different birthday celebrations. I am waiting for pictures. And when they come, I will let you know all about it!

It feels great to blog again.... And if you haven't given up on me...thanks! I will try to do better!

Tootles!