Happy Birthday Linley Shea!!!!!!! We hope you have a wonderful Birthday!!!!

A Darling Yellow Jacket

Isn't she the cutest little yellow jacket you've ever seen?

We had a wonderful time in Lexington! This visit was so different from our visit back in July. We were able to relax and enjoy being with Jamie and Lesley. And our new grandbaby, Grace Darling. Did you not know that I have a new grandbaby? Well, I do! She weighs 1 pound and has white fur and is full of energy! You really must go to Jamie's blog and read about their new family member. She is so playful and into everything. I have never seen such a teeny tiny puppy go so fast up stairs! And she would head in that direction in a heartbeat. She really is sweet!

Jamie and Lesley's townhouse is so cute. Lesley has added a much needed feminine touch to it. They are a busy couple. School keeps her busy and work keeps him busy. Things seem to be going really well!

We had dinner over at Lesley's parents house Friday night. John is a great cook! He cooked the entire meal and it was delicious! They are great hosts.

Lesley's brother John came back from Iraq on Sunday. We are all thankful he is home. Originally, he was supposed to come in Friday and we were going to be able to attend the homecoming. But as things progressed, it was Sunday after we left that he arrived. Now if everyone could be back home with their families.

Saturday night, Jamie, Lesley, Dick and I travelled to Mason, OH to Merwin and Shirley Moores' sons wedding. It was beautiful and the bride and groom looked very happy. We had a wonderful time visiting with old friends. Lesley introduced her new mother-in-law to some tasty new drinks. We thoroughly enjoyed the open bar! Unfortunately, we had to leave early because we had an almost 2 hour drive back to Lexington and had to get up early to drive to Louisville for our flight back to Maine.

Dick and I cut the grass once we got back home. I had attempted to cut it last Wednesday. I was about halfway finished when a crazy rain store blew up. The wind was blowing hard and it was pouring. It never did ease up, so I was not able to finish it before leaving for Lexington. We had asked Julianne to cut the back but she swore she was not able to make it work.

I have been washing clothes all day. My parentals are coming on Thursday! I can't wait. Wednesday we have meetings in Orono at the main campus of the University of Maine until 11 AM. Then I will go into a complete panic about cleaning the house and having it ready. Just kidding Mom and Dad! No really, but don't worry about it. I need to feel that panic everynow and then to do any good cleaning!

I hear the buzzer on the dryer so I guess I need to go and fold me so clothes!

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

A Quiz for You!

What do all these things have in common?
Scroll down!


















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They are about to be gone! Fall is here and the leaves are turning colors and falling off the trees. The tomato plants are ripening their fruit and will soon complete their season. The bell peppers are some of the last on the plants. And the golf balls will be put away until next spring.

It all makes me want to start a fire and settle in for the winter! What about you?

More Good Stuff.....

I thought this white dish was pretty with the flowers in the vase! I can either hang it on the wall or use a plate stand. 79 cents




I liked this plate because of the color. I plan to hang it in the hall bath upstairs. $1.99




Another white plate with flowers. I might use with other similar dishes. 59 cents




I love this little white pedestal dish. I have some blue and white bunnies on it right now. I can decorate it with ribbon weaving it in and out of the cut outs on the edge. $2.99




I love this white divided dish. The design is pretty and the rim is dotted. It will go with everything! $2.99




This little dish has lily of the valley on it along with gold. I thought it was a pretty and unique dish. 99 cents




This is a hammered aluminum tray. It is small and has pomegranates on it! $1.99




Aren't these wine baskets cute? I love the berries around the top. $1.99 each


That's all for me now. Talk to you later......Tootles!

Goodwill Goodies

I promised pictures of some of my Goodwill finds and so I pulled out the old camera and had a very unprofessional photo shoot around the house. Most of my things are still sitting in a cabinet waiting for a good cold day to start decorating the house. So if some of the items look ridiculous where they are sitting, well there is a reason that. 'Cause that is not where they belong! Here we go!



The back of this trivit is marked Williamsburg and Queen Ann Cyper. I bought it for $1.99. Pretty good deal since I checked the internet and the cost is $45.00. I am excited to get this because I always wanted to get one when we were in Williamsburg. I have it on my bookshelves in the den.



Don't you just love the little birdies! They are painted creamy white and it looks like the paint is peeling off in places which makes it look "vintage" and remind us of all our little feathered friends outside! They were 99 cents each. And it doesn't cost anything to feed them!



This pewter bowl looks great in the kitchen with my stainless steel appliances. It cost $2.99.



This is just a pretty white plate with raised fruit. I think it will look pretty with hanging onthe wall or sitting in a plate holder. The price was 99 cents.



I love this ceramic tray! It is colorful and I think I will probably display it as much as use it. $2.99



A small plate that is a sweet saying about friends and family.....it made me miss mine! 59 cents.


That is all for now.....I will do the rest of my loot tonight. Hope you enjoyed it!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JULIANNE!!!!!

Today my baby is 20! 20!!!!!! It really does not seem possible that it has been 20 years since our world of little boy blue suddenly added PINK! I can't tell you the surprise and excitement we felt when we found out you were a girl. And I must say you were 100% girl. The minute a baby doll found its way to your hands, you held it with love and "la la'ed" it to sleep. You completed our family in a wonderful way!

Happy Birthday Ju Ju! We love you!

How do you like my bell peppers that I am growing? Do they look like the ones you buy at the grocery store? Do you think I am living on a toxic waste dump?

Oh, and Happy Halloween a little early!

Yesterday, I was reading some of my favorite blogs. Over at Metalia's blog, she wrote about teenage crushes on celebrities. She asked her readers to comment on who was their teenage crush. Drum roll please.........







Thats right! Bobby Sherman was the man! It was kind of funny thinking about it. I would read Teen Beat and all the other teen magazines so I could learn "everything" about him. Yvonne, of Uniquely Me, said her crush was Donny Osmond. Donny was a close second, but Bobby was my man. I am not sure how old I was during this time. I must have been like 12 or 13. I saw a "Where They Are Now" program on TV a while back. Bobby is now a paramedic. And he doesn't look as good as Donny Osmond does now.

Did you have a celebrity crush?

I decided I needed to post on my blog so I wouldn't lose all my loyal readers who are left. I must warn you that I will probably be posting more as the holidays approach since there will be more activity in my little part of the world. I know, I know. You are probably thinking I am just teasing you with the promise of lots of new posting, but think back to last year when I started this fabulously entertaining well written thing called a blog. Plus, it will be getting COLD soon and there will be nothing else to do but blog. Okay? Isn't that what you really wanted to hear?

Frannycakes was a busy bee this weekend. Since the temperatures are dropping around here, I have been in a cooking mood. So Saturday afternoon, Tricky and I went to town to pick up some supplies. We got a new fall flag for the side porch. You know us, always festive. He got a new belt and windshield wipers for his truck. No....not from the same store.....Pep Boys does not sell belts for pants silly..... Then we went to my favorite overpriced grocery store. I love that place but feel guilty shopping there unless I happen to get some of their buy one get one free deals so I feel like I am coming out even with the cheaper grocery stores. Anyway....I just had a few things since I was just freezing a few dishes. Tricky decided to stay in the truck and listen to the football games while I ran in and 30 minutes later he came in looking for me and wondering what was taking me so long. He helped me by pushing the cart and in the process becoming separated and so I was wandering around with and arm full of groceries looking for him on one side of the store while he was on the other side looking for me. We finally checked out and headed home. I immediately started making chili to freeze. Then I started the soup that we all loved from last winter. The name of the recipe is "Vermont Ski Lodge Soup" and it is delish. It makes enough to serve 20 so I was able to freeze a bunch of individual serving bags so as to not waste even a little bit. Tricky had a bowl and gave it his sign of approval. Good enough for me! Sunday, I started a pot of red chicken stew. Yum Yum Yum. The family had a bowl for dinner and I froze the rest (which was a lot!) in, you guessed it, individual serving sized bags. I will probably make another pot of Red Chicken Stew to freeze so we will have some extra just in case. Just in case of what, you ask? Just in case one of you come up to see me.......

Julianne went hiking this past weekend with the son of someone that works with Tricky. (I decided to call him Tricky today!) He is a senior at the University of Maine. She had a great time and was exhausted when she got home.

Did I mention that it was 44 degrees outside when I got up this morning? I have on my white zip up sweatshirt jacket over my sexy flannel pjs. Virginia? Are you reading? I am copying you. Virginia has the most....um....how can I describe this.....HIDEOUS while pull over white (questionable) sweatshirt that obviously gives her comfort. And we all know that when you can get comfort from something, you need to hang on to it. Well, in most cases we should hang on to it but in Virginia's white sweatshirt I am not sure. After a few more washings, it may not be an issue as there is quite a bit of fraying. Maybe Santa Claus will come through for her this year. You hear that Virginia? You better watch out, you better not pout, you better not cry, I'm telling you why........YOU NEED A NEW SWEATSHIRT!!!!!! You are welcome!

Dick, I mean Tricky, has an important meeting this weekend up at a lake here in the great state of Maine. I felt sorry for him while he was loading his truck with fishing rods and reels and fishing "stuff". Julianne and I are bacheloretting it and it will be a toss up who has a more relaxing time!

I guess I need to go and be productive. Okay.....I just need to go.

Oh! Most of you who read this are parents and you know how it is every now and then that you feel like you succeeded in trying to raise your kids right? Well, today when I checked out "A Jackson Thing" I had that feeling. Go on over......And if you don't think that the words "Dingle" and "Berry" aren't funny, then I need to have a talk with your parents!

Tootles!

Greetings from Maine......And how was your weekend? We had a good one even though it seemed to fly by. Friday night, we went to the restaurant at the country club and had dinner with a couple from our neighborhood. Kelly and Paul and their daughter Carly joined us. Kelly and Paul owned the house that burned. I wrote about that a few months ago. They have been living in the house that Dick's company owns. They are rebuilding on the same site and the new house is beautiful. It is about 5 weeks till move in and they can't wait.

Saturday, Dick and Julianne mowed the yard. I was given a day off from the yard duties. Of course I had to wash clothes, but that seems to be a daily thing. Then Dick and I drove over to Boothbay Harbor. Another beautiful place in Maine! We decided that we want to go back for a weekend.

Todays temperature only got to 58 degrees. I love it. We got lots of rain also and we desparately needed it. Tomorrows temperature is supposed to be about the same. I also see alot more leaves changing colors. Looks like Fall is knocking at the door and turning the knob!

So what's up with you? Let me know!

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

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CALLIE!!!!!!

More Blog Recommendations

I am just a wealth of information. Just ask me. If you have not gone to "A Jackson Thing" then you must right this minute. Jamie is hilarious.

I have also added a new favorite. "Southern Hospitality" is written by Rhoda and she lives in Birmingham, having moved there from Atlanta. I love her decorating style and would love for her to come and decorate my house. I think all you girls out there will enjoy it. Be sure and go back through her archives to see all the pictures of her house. And she likes yard sales. Many of the things she decorates with comes from them. Take a look....you won't be sorry. I am hooked!

Another blog I recommend is Muffin53. She calls herself "Empress Bee of the High Seas" because she LOVES going on cruises! She is funny and sweet. And she has an important message for all her readers. She went for her yearly mammogram. It happened to be only 11 months, and they had planned a cruise and wouldn't be there at the 12 month mark. Insurance only covers a mammogram every 12 months. Instead of postponing it, they decided to go ahead and do it and pay themselves. Well folks, she found out she had breast cancer. It was caught in the early stages. It had not spread and she will only require a weeks worth of treatments. Let's all learn a lesson from this. Go have your mammogram. Do it every year. Do not postpone it. I had been delaying mine and the day she posted the results, I called and had it done two days later. Go check out her blog, Muffin53.

Linley also has a blog which I have talked about many times. Under Frannycakes Recommended Blogs it is listed as "A New Year". Don't be alarmed when you get there and it has a different name. She has retitled it "A Lady Downtown" because, you know, she is a lady and she does live downtown! She has posted pictures from their last trip up here.

Yvonne is my blog friend from the Chicago area. She is a proud momma and wife and talks about her life. I know I have told you about her blog before, but just in case you haven't visited lately, go! Her blog is "Uniquely Me" and is also linked at the right.

I have many blogs I read every day, so if you are interest, I can recommend others! I guess that is about all for now...........

Tootles!

Don't Be Jealous!

Don't be jealous......at 11:32 on Thursday morning the temperature is 59 degrees.

Recommended Reading

Jamie, our oldest and also a newlywed, has started a new blog. You can link to it by clicking on "A Jackson Thing" on the right side of my blog. It is listed under
"Recommended by Frannycakes". He just posted a hilarious story about something his Daddy taught him. You won't be sorry!

FIGHT!!!!!

Those of you who know me know that I love to go to Goodwill and the Salvation Army. I hate to ride past one because I just "know" that there is a treasure in there waiting for me to buy. I have gotten some great things at these places. Lately, I have been looking for several things. After finding a couple of Southern Living year end cookbooks, I decided to start checking the book section to see if I could find others. Almost every time I go, I find another one. I have got to make a list of the years that I have so that I don't repeat. But that has not happened so far. Most of the time, I pay $2.99 for them. A couple of times the price was $1.99. I am also collecting silverplated knives, forks, spoons and serving pieces. It doesn't matter if they match or not. I have an idea for a way to use them, but my lips are sealed for now. Even if I don't use them, I usually pay less than 30 cents per piece. Friday I stopped by for just a minute and evidently a whole house load of things had been donated. Some very old stuff. I got some small sized books that were old.....the 1930's and they are red, blue and green. Perfect to decorate with! I also found two beautiful aluminum pieces. One piece is a two tiered round tray with a nice design. The other was a cute tray. But......back to the story!

Yesterday, I decided to ride over to Augusta. I went to the Goodwill first. Lots of other people had the same idea that I had. When I walked into the building, I immediately heard two women screaming obscenities at each other. Evidently, someone who must have found some really great things and was in a hurry to get out of there before someone stole them from her "cut" in line. Now I have been in that store before and the checkout line is all mixed together because there are not individual checkout lanes like at Walmart or the grocery store. So, it is possible that she did not "cut" in line. Fortunately for me, no one asked my opinion, so I kept it to myself. I was, however, wondering if I should just back out and forget about the Goodwill. It used to be that you would just get screaming and a "cat fight." But today, they may have a gun. But fear not, I went directly to the back of the store to the books and to look for my treasure!

But I didn't tell you about all this so you would know my hangouts up here in Maine. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO..........It brought back to me an experience that I had many years ago at the Salvation Army in Georgetown with my friend Elaine. Elaine is not quite as big a fan of the 'Army as I am, but she went with me to find the.....you know.....treasure. After a while of looking, looking, looking, I found two oak barstools that had backs and swiveled. I had found my treasure! We had a bar in the kitchen and we needed them desperately. Maybe not desperately, but we needed them. So, we take them to the front of the store. I told the lady there that I wanted the stools, we both commented on how they looked new and what a good deal they were. About this time, a lady walks up and says that she had looked at them at the back of the store and SHE wanted them. Well. I thought Elaine and I were going to have to fight her. (Elaine wanted to fight her but I held her back!) The clerk told her that we had brought them up to the front and said that we had wanted them and that she had said nothing about them. Neither of us like confrontation, so I paid as fast as I could and got the hell out of there! Over the years, this story gets juicier and juicier. Chris asked me one day did I "fight" a woman in the Salvation Army once. I am not sure the "children" have ever even heard the real story before today. So there you have it.............It wasn't me, your mother, that wanted to fight, it was Ms. Elaine. You know....she is like that.....Just so you know......

I might take some pictures of my "treasures" and post them later. Don't be jealous. I might take you to the Goodwill one day and find you a treasure. But don't expect me to fight or cut in line for you to get it!

Tootles!

It is Working!

Thankfully, Blogger is fixed. I shall continue with my entertaining and insightful stories......

This afternoon, Dick, Julianne and I went to Kennebunkport to have dinner with Janie, Doug and Doug's mother, Mary. Kennebunkport is an absolutely beautiful town. It was filled with shoppers and tourists this afternoon. We got there in time to be able to do a little bit of shopping before we met them for dinner. The shops were all so cute. I might want to go back there when I can do some leisurely shopping. We went on to the restaurant and met them there. They were having a nice weekend enjoying the town. The meal was very good and we had a great time just sitting there talking. We had a great time and was sorry to have to leave. We got home around 11. Dick has already gone to bed. I am watching Doc Hollywood and blogging all at the same time. I am talented like that, you know?

It is hard to believe that Labor Day is just around the corner. Summer is just about gone here. I keep seeing red leaves on the ground. I have been seeing some yellow in the trees too. Pretty soon it will look like a beautiful watercolor of reds, yellows and oranges.

That's all for now......Tootles!

I am so agravated! Blogger is not cooperating with me today. I have the most amazing picture to post and it will got post it on the blog! I will keep trying!

Franny Stonehenge

The temperature in my part of the world is 64 degrees. It feels fabulous. Don't hate me for it.

Absolutely nothing is going on here. I am feeling like a nap would be good. Obviously the feeling is in the air. Weezie is snoring away in her bed. Life is good.

Chris is back in school. He has bought books twice now and if he calls again I will have to find a job. Julianne is going to get her books this afternoon. I guess I need to get the classified section out of the newspaper. Are these young'uns ever going to get out of college?

I have heard from Jamie that the wedding pictures are outstanding! They received a cd with the pictures (1,000 !) on it. The photographer said it will be online any day now. Jamie will contact me with the log in information and I will send it to who ever might need it. It will be hard to pick what I want. I will want them all!

That's about all my news. I will talk to you later....Tootles!

Chris and Linley left this morning. Early. Very Early. We got up at 3, left at 4 and got there at 5. They took off at 6. It has been a long day! I stopped at the Wally World on the way home and picked up some necessary things and probably some unnecessary things! I picked up the house when I got home and then mowed the grass. On the way back into the house, I realized we had tracked alot of grass in so I decided to vacuum. After a quick shower, I decided to "rest my eyes" for a couple of minutes. An hour later I woke up and have felt like I am in a coma since. I am going to bed when I finish this post.

It is chilly here tonight. I feel like I need a blanket to warm my legs and feet. I have closed all the windows but I am still cold. Hopefully we won't warm back up to the 90's any more.

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

Chris and Linley's vacation time is winding down. They fly out at 6 tomorrow morning. Chris is going to try and get in one last fly fishing adventure today. He is bugging me to get up out of my warm (more on that later) recliner with my coffee and warm laptop on my lap. He wants to go pick up Weezie from the borders. Why is Weezie at the "Spa" you ask? Because we went to Bar Harbor this weekend.

We left early Saturday morning and headed for Bar Harbor. The temperature was only supposed to get up to 69 there over the weekend. It was also raining like crazy. But that did not discourage us. We stopped at Dunkin Donuts on the way to get coffee and donuts and continued on our way.

We were starving when we got there, as it seems we always are everywhere we ever go. Since it was pouring rain, we decided to try what was closest to where we were able to find a place to park. That restaurant would be the Parkside Restaurant. As some of you who read this blog already know, when I find a restaurant I like, I tell you to go there.....or a store I like, I tell you to shop there. Well, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, ever go eat at Parkside Restaurant. I have never been treated so bad. During the lunch hours, they seat you in the front under awnings outside. Since it was raining, they had the plastic sides rolled down to protect you from the rain. They seated us and everything was going well. However, we were seated by a downspout that was pouring water and it was splashing water on our feet. Half of us were wearing sandals. I had gone to the restroom and had just stepped out when I saw Dick standing there. He had asked our waitress if we could move to another table. (And there were other tables available.) The waitress turned to her boss who was standing by me and Dick and told her in a clearly disgusted voice and the Boss in an even more disgusted voice said, "Well where do they want to move?" I could not believe they were talking like this with us just standing there by them. So the boss goes with the waitress and fixes another table for us. The whole time they acted just totally put out. Finally, our waitress comes and takes our drink order. In a few minutes, they seat another group right beside us. Then they take their drink order. Then they bring their drink order. We have yet to get our drink order. Finally, we get it. The other table has now ordered. The waitress takes our order. The other table gets their food and orders dessert. We get our food. The other table finishes and leaves. We are eating. Julianne ordered a sandwich but didn't want any dressing on it. Yep, you guessed it........mayo on it. We were afraid to send it back for fear of.....well, I am sure your imagination can figure out what we were afraid of. She was starving, so she ate around it. During the time we were there, we witnessed the waitress rolling her eyes at other diners requests and just rude treatment by the whole staff. As we were leaving, the waitress was clearly aggravated with something and Chris asked her if she was having a bad day. She made some comment about it being the end of season, UGH! Well, if end of season, beginning of season, middle of season, paying customers make her and the whole staff so rude to their customers, then I will do what I can to make sure they don't have to worry about customers coming there. I am going to all the restaurant review sites and giving my review. I know some of you are wondering why we just didn't leave. Well, it happened so fast and took us all by such surprise that they were actually acting so ugly, plus the fact that it was really pouring, that we just went ahead and ordered. In hindsight, we should have left.

By the time we left the horrible PARKSIDE RESTAURANT the rain had stopped and the sun was peaking from behind the clouds. It turned out to be a beautiful day. We decided to go to Acadia while it was nice and clear so we walked back to the truck. Dick was already there waiting for us while we were walking down the block. Right in front of Dick, a tour bus plowed into the side of Dick's truck. Can you believe it? Poor Dick, he has had such back luck with his truck being hit with it just sitting there. The back panel is scraped up. I "hope" that the tour bus driver would have stopped to leave a note if Dick had not been there, but there was some doubt in our minds whether he would have or not. Anyway, Dick will get on this first thing this morning.

Cadillac Mountain views were awesome. It is just an amazing view. And it was COLD!!!!! The wind was blowing like crazy. There was a quick walk on the mountain then back in the car for some heat. We decided to to check in at the hotel. We stayed at the Acadia Inn. It is the sister site to Bar Harbor Inn. The room was nice. We all decided to lay down for a nap. And a nap we took. Dick surprised us with reservations at Jordan Pond for dinner. The popovers were a hit. And everyone agreed that it was one of the best dinners they have had. One of the desserts was a popover cut in half, vanilla or blueberry ice cream put in the middle and blueberry sauce poured over it! If you ever go to Bar Harbor, you must eat there. Last year when the Benson's and McFaddin's visited us, we ate there and it was a big hit also!

Dick and I insisted the children take us back to the hotel and they continued on back downtown. They got back around 11 and we all slept like babies. We got up, had breakfast downstairs and left. We drove around the park and saw all the sites. We then headed back home. It was a nice weekend.

So I guess I need to go get my clothes on and go pick the Weez up. It is kind of chilly this morning. I have my sexy flannel pj pants on and a warm up jacket on. Yeh, that kind of chilly.

I will talk to you later.......Remember, stay away from Parkside Restaurant. But go to Jordan Pond!

Tootles!

She's Back!!!!!!!!!!!!

Frannycakes apologizes for any withdrawal symptoms you may have experienced. I have been guilty of blogger block. Hopefully I have pulled out of this condition and will be a faithful poster from this point on......

I would like to do a quick shout out to my friends and family who have emailed and called and voiced their concern.....Mom and Dad (Hey Daddy!!!), John and Elaine (no more harassment, please) and Virginia (nice song you left on the answering machine!) and anyone else who I might have left out. It is nice to know that I was missed.

For those of you who might not be aware of this.......Chris and Linley have been here for a week now and will leave next Tuesday. We have been having a good time. Julianne's friend Angie is here from North Carolina. She is in 7th heaven right now.

Dick took Chris fly fishing last week and had some experienced fly fishermen give him some lessons. Well, he was hooked. After the lesson and catching some fish, they high tailed it to LL Bean and Chris purchased a fly rod. He got up early this morning and went fishing. It is a little chilly out this morning and I am sure the water is COLD. It probably won't even matter to him.

Yesterday, Dick took all the "children" to Mt. Washington. Afterwards they went to North Conway, NH for lunch. I stayed home because I will never ever go to Mt. Washington again. I mowed the grass, washed clothes and did a little cooking for the hungry masses.

Today I am taking the "children" to Freeport so they can do some shopping. I need to pick up a couple of shirts and pants for Dick. They are great for work and wrinkle resistant and I am all for wrinkle resistant! There are outlets in Freeport also so I know the girls will have a good time.

We have a bird feeder out in the back yard. We have a lot of small birds that visit for meal time. We also have 5 chipmunks that live under our back porch. They are so cute. They are tiny.....about a quarter the size of a squirrel and are light brown with a stripe on their backs. They love the bird seed and will eat and eat and you can see their cheeks getting bigger and bigger. They drive Weezie crazy. She can't get under the porch so they know they are safe there. She will just stand there and stare. They do their little squeal sound and she goes looking!

Julianne starts back to school after labor day. Chris and Linley start back on the 22nd. The weather seems to be cooling off and while I was mowing the grass yesterday, I saw a lot red and yellow leaves on the ground. Could it be fall is knocking on the door? I hope so. I had being hot. My internal furnace is stuck on high and so if it is hot outside, Frannycakes is not a happy girl. Come to think of it......Let it snow!

I have some pictures I took Tuesday night at our Lobster Boil. Plus I have some more wedding pictures to post. Thank you Mom and Dad. I will try to post them later today.

Jamie and Lesley are busy. Lesley has started back to school and Jamie is working so they are both pretty busy. This week would be perfect if they could be here with us.

That all I have to report for now......I will talk to you later....Tootles!

Happy Birthday Nona!

I hope you have had a wonderful day! Happy Birthday!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Emily!!!!

Today is the blessed day of Emily's birth! It seems like just last week that I was at the hospital waiting for her arrival. A nurse brought her from the OR in a rolling glass "Popemobile" and she was just precious! I thought she had a very strong resemblance to her sister! But now I can see her mother too! She has grown up to be a beautiful, inside and out, young woman! Happy Birthday Emily.....I love you!

Movie Night

It was movie night in our little part of the world tonight. I rarely go to the movie theatre, but Julianne wanted us to have a girls night out. I told Dick I wanted to go see "Hairspray" and he wanted to go also, so that movie was out of the question for girls night. So Julianne decided that we would go to "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry." It was a great movie! I laughed so hard! Besides the humor, it contained a very important message. I can see why it has been doing so good beating out "Harry Potter" and "Hairspray." Go and see it if you have a chance and let me know what you think.......

They're Back!

I talked to Jamie tonight around 8:30. He and Lesley were in the Atlanta airport waiting for their flight home. He said their flight from Costa Rico was very scary and that he screamed like a girl. (Now does that surprise any of you who really know Jamie?) According to him, their honeymoon was wonderful. I didn't get to talk to him very long because his battery was about dead. Their flight doesn't get in until 11:30. Getting up and going to work should be alot of fun tomorrow morning!

This is a pictures of Jamie at his bachelor party. They made him wear a ball and chain the entire time. The ball had "Lesley" written on it! She was such a good sport!

On Sunday before we checked out of the hotel, I was walking down the hall to our room and I happened to look up at the maids cart and sitting right on top was the ball and chain! I guess he had left it Thursday night in Christopher's room where the party ended up and forgotten it. When the maid cleaned up the room after everyone had moved out, I guess she found it and was going to keep it! I took it off the cart and sent it to Jamie. I "know" he wouldn't want to lose that souvenir!

Saturday in Maine

I would just like to let all of you down south know how nice the weather is here and that we have been in the cool low 80's with no humidity today. Just thought I would let you know......Don't hate me because I am cool!

Dick and I decided to go over to Yarmouth for their annual Clam Festival. Now I am not a clam fan, but I am a festival fan, so we left around lunch time heading towards Yarmouth. It is north of Portland and south of Freeport. We decided to ride through Freeport. I have never seen so many people there! It is definitely tourist time up here. LL Bean was doing some kind of good business. Almost everyone I saw had a bag from LL Bean. From there we went on to the festival. It was huge! And everyone there was so well behaved and there was nothing trashy about it. There were lots of food vendors. All of them were local clubs and groups making money for their organizations. All the parking downtown was in lots around banks and other offices and the parking fees went to soccer, basketball or other sports teams. There was free parking on the outskirts of town, but you had to ride a shuttle so we opted to just pay for the parking. It was definitely worth it. I have to tell you that people around here as a whole are much more well behaved than down south. Sorry. It hurts me to say that about my southern home, but it is true. There were also thousands of people there and there was no trash anywhere. We stayed there a few hours then made our way home. Dick and I went to a local restaurant for dinner and he had steamed clams and I had a lobster roll. Then we went to the ice cream stand and had ice cream. It was all DELISH!

The newlyweds will be home from their honeymoon either tonight or tomorrow. I can't wait to talk to them! And I have not forgotten about the rest of my report on the wedding. I was hoping to have some more pictures from friends and relatives by now..........I am sure that they have all just been busy and not had a chance to read my request for pictures.........

I guess I better get ready for bed......I will talk to you later....Tootles!

Happy Birthday Chris!

In keeping with my new tradition of belated birthday wish postings.....Happy Birthday Christopher!!!!! It seems like just a couple of years ago that you came into our lives. You were our best baby.....only whimpering when it was time to eat and then settling back into a deep sleep. Then you were a quiet and content toddler as long as you had a pacifier in your mouth and one in each hand! You did love your pacifier! I hope you had a wonderful birthday and we can't wait to see you in a couple of weeks! I love you Chris!

THE Wedding!

I know some you have been checking to see when I would post about the wedding. We have been trying to recuperate from the trip to Lexington and back! But I think I can start one of many posts about the wedding now. I will start where I left off with the last post.

On Wednesday afternoon, Julianne and I attended a Tea given by Lesley's Aunt Vicky and a family friend. The food was delish and of course the tea was wonderful. I finally got to meet Lesley's sister Amy and her baby Kyrie and immediately fell in love with both of them. Kyrie has lots and lots of precious baby rolls and the biggest eyes! She is just the happiest baby and I kidded Amy the whole weekend that I was going to put her in my suitcase and carry her home with me! After the tea, we went back to the hotel to change and get ready to go to Lesley's parents house for dinner. Dick had been napping during the tea. So we got him up and away we went! Dinner was wonderful! They have a wonderful deck off their den and we ate dinner there. The weather was perfect and it was a very relaxed night before a very busy weekend. Lesley's parents are wonderful people and Jamie is lucky to be marrying into such a nice family.

Thursday brought friends and family! All day (and night for some!) friends and family trickled in. That night, unknown to Jamie, his groomsmen had planned a bachelor party for him. I think he was actually a little bit disappointed that no one had planned anything for him. Some of the guys took him out for dinner and when they came back to the hotel, the plan was for one of the guys to call everyone else who was upstairs to come down to the lobby. So we all went down and then we walked outside and there was a stretch Hummer limo waiting for the party to begin! Jamie was so excited! Dick was kind of in charge, along with Kasey, Amy's husband. So nothing was going to be going on that shouldn't be if you get my drift. John, Lesley's Dad, also was along for the fun. They went and played pool, went to another bar, and rode around in the limo alot. This seemed to be a hit! They all loved it. Upstairs, about the time the guys went out for dinner, the girls were getting together for a Lingerie Shower! And she got some beautiful lingerie. And some other fun stuff too. Amy and Lesley's sister-in-law Ashleigh threw this fun party. They had some delish food and some fabulous drinks. We all went downstairs to see Jamie off for his party. Then the girls left for their party. This old lady went upstairs to chill out alone. Shortly after arriving at our room, I got a call from Mary Ann. They were just getting to Lexington. So I went downstairs to help move Virginia and Henry in and say hello to Elaine and her car full. They were staying at another hotel that night, so we shooed them off and all settled in for the night. Dick came in around 2 and woke me up telling me to come to the window. We were staying at the Radisson in downtown Lexington. Our room was on the 16th floor overlooking the park. There is a fountain on the hotel side of the park. All the people from both parties had met up and were down at the fountain. Jamie was carrying Lesley through the fountain! Tommy took a wonderful video of this. According to reports, the parties finally wound down around 4.

Friday at lunch was the bridesmaid luncheon. We all went to a quaint bed and breakfast. The food was delish and a good time was had by all. While we were enjoying girl time, the guys were having boy time at Lesley's parents house. They enjoyed barbecue and guy stuff. Afterwards, they went to pick up their tux while the girls had manicures and pedicures. I picked up some cut flower and greenery to decorate the tables for the rehearsal dinner later that night. Vickie, Debbie, Elaine and Virginia decorated the tables for me while I stood around blabbering about absolutely nothing. I was helpless. Thanks ladies for bailing me out.

Around 6 we went to the Headley Whitney Museum for the wedding rehearsal. Wow. What a gorgeous place. Everyone was quick to learn their parts and so we left for the hotel. When we arrived, everyone was already there waiting for us. After a cocktail time, we started our dinner. The Radisson did an absolute wonderful job. The food was delish. Absolutely delish. After eating, Dick started the show. We had put together a video of pictures of the couple growing up and then pictures of them together. It was very sweet and I have cried every time I have seen it. I think they liked it. Then Dick got up and gave the sweetest, most heart wrenching speech and toast and he truly touched us all. Jamie and Lesley were both sobbing. And of course so was I. I was so proud of him. He is a wonderful father and husband. After that, they received lots of other toasts. Chris and Julianne's toasts were especially touching for me. I was proud of them too. Thankfully, I did not have to speak because no one would have been able to understand anything I said because of the blubbering. It was definitely a big night for out family!

We were truly blessed with wonderful weather the whole weekend. Not too hot and sunny skies! We made it to the museum mid day. We had food for the grooms cottage. They guys hung out back there all day. The girls got the main house upstairs to dress and get ready. There was a make up person and a hair person to take care of every ones needs. Lesley looked absolutely beautiful! The bridesmaids look absolutely beautiful! The flower girls looked absolutely beautiful! Everything was absolutely beautiful!!!!!!!!!!! Not to leave out the groomsmen and the groom.........they were so handsome. And the best man.....he was HOT!!!!!

So our little boy got married! We added another girl to our family. I now have 2 daughters and I couldn't be happier! I hope to have more wedding pictures to post after all my buds send the pictures to me. Hint Hint. Thank you to Tommy for sending me these pictures. Thomas and Hannah were adorable and so well behaved. I can't wait to see the official pictures.

I will tell you more about the actual wedding part later. The newlyweds went to Costa Rico for their honeymoon and will be back this weekend.

More wedding to come......Tootles!

Greetings from Lexington! We are all settled into our hotel and exhausted. Just in case you are wondering, it only took us 20 hours to drive here. Only 20 hours. I begged Dick last night to please let's sell the car and get a plane ticket home on Sunday. I have not given up hope that he will change his mind. Yet.....

Lexington is a beautiful city. We are on the 16th floor looking out over a park and the building where the Kentucky Wildcats play basketball. There are fountains in the park that are going all night long. Around 2 this morning, there were people playing in the fountains. I would have been down there with them if it had only taken us 19 hours to get here, but 20 hours was just too much.....

Tomorrow, there is a tea given in Lesley's honor. We are all excited about that. Julianne and I need to go get a pedicure and manicure so we don't embarrass the Jackson side of the family. I have been saving up for a pedicure.....not money.....dead skin...... Dick will fly in around lunch time and for dinner we will be going to John and Linda Lancaster's to eat with them at their house. That will be so nice to have some informal before the formal.

Jamie and Lesley came to the hotel about 11 last night. They were so cute! Both of them were so excited and Jamie just couldn't stop smiling and laughing. It makes me feel good that they are happy.

The masses start arriving on Thursday. I can't wait! We are going to have so much fun! Thursday night is a lingerie shower for Lesley here at the hotel on our floor. That should be great.

Friday will be the Bridesmaid Luncheon, the Groomsmen Luncheon, the rehearsal and the Rehearsal Dinner. It should be a day of fun and laughs. And of course you know what comes on Saturday. Right now, the forecast is for the low 80's. That sounds really good to me!

I will be updating over the next few days....Tootles!

Prayer, Please.......

Last night, one of our friends from Georgetown, Scott, was hit by a car. His wife, Beth, is one of my good friends. He is in the Trauma Unit with his arm broken in 4 places, his ACL torn and other parts messed up in his knee, some facial trauma and additional trauma to his spleen. He underwent some type of surgery to try and stop the bleeding in his spleen early this morning and it looks like it is working so far. He had heart valve replacement a few years ago and takes a blood thinner. This has complicated things. Hopefully he will be able to undergo surgery on his arm and possible leg on Saturday.

Beth and Scott have 3 children and the oldest two are Jamie and Christopher's age. Will is younger....10 or 11?

Please pray for this family and a speedy recovery for Scott.

HAPPY BELATED ANNIVERSARY JOHN & ELAINE

I was reminded today that I had missed wishing John and Elaine a Happy Anniverary on the blog. So here's to you John and Elaine......I love you both! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

Ugh!!!!!

Do you want to hear something funny? I mean really funny? Something that I just can quit laughing about? I have poison ivy on my face. Less than two weeks before the wedding. Mother of the Groom. Poison Ivy. Yeah, I am laughing all the way to the doctor.

Is it just me or does it seem like there is nothing worth watching on TV? We have lots of channels and 7 or 8 HBO channels and you would think I could find something that is interesting to watch. So what am I watching? Frasier.

I went to Augusta today. I got slightly irritated when I went by the college to get something signed for Julianne. I walked in, told the lady up front what department I needed and she replied that I was there. A young man in shorts with tattoo's completely covering his legs from his ankles up to only God knows where was standing there talking about a human resource class he was scheduled for. I had to laugh because I had a visual of him coming in to interview for a job with Dick. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Anyway, enough of my visuals. He was complaining, using the words crap, sucks, etc. with the lady and it was getting on my last nerve. And all this time I am waiting, there are people who work there walking right by me acting like they had nothing to do, but no one asked me if they could help. What happened to helping people in business'? So anyway, after about 20 minutes of feeling totally invisible, I stepped up to someones desk, and told her what I needed. She signed it, stamped it and I was on my way. UGH!

On the drive over to Augusta, I passed by a couple of the lakes. It really made me wish we had been able to find a house on the water. We tried...........really hard. But I love me house we did get even though we get some evil winds up here on the hill. Evil.

Dick, Julianne and I mowed the estate this afternoon. Dick used the weed eater, Julianne used the push mower to get where the riding mower couldn't go and guess who got to use the riding mower? You guessed correctly.....ME. I kept humming the theme song to "Green Acres".....Fresh Air......Times Square......! We got finished in record time according to Dick.

The weather is back to the correct temperature. Tomorrow is supposed to be in the 70's. I had to close the windows downstairs because it was too cool. Hopefully it won't get hot like that again....haha.

That is about all my news. I will talk to you later! Tootles!

Garden Update

Two posts in one night.....a record! I forgot to let you know about my garden. Everything is looking really good except for my tomatoes. They are growing and looking green, but I have a sneaking suspicion that someone did not water them everyday while I was at the beach. Just a suspicion and I could be wrong.....of course the dried brown edges of the leaves didn't get there by themselves....but I might be wrong. Anyway, the herbs are looking great. We shall be very blessed with bell peppers! Very Very Blessed! And the sweet banana peppers are also plentiful! Very Very Plentiful! Did I say that my tomatoes might not have gotten enough water........

Tootles!

I would love to tell everyone what I got done today....of course I would have to kill you. Cause it's a secret and you will just have to wait. I know you want to know.......But NO! You will just have to wait. NO I said!

It has been hot as hell up here in the frozen tundra! We have had two days in the 90's and I am sorry, but that should only be allowed if you have central air conditioning. It should be a law. And no one in this part of the US has central air. It is just very uncomfortable even with window units. We finally have a unit in the den and it does make it feel cooler, but move out of this room and it is hot. Okay......I am whiny. Sorry. I don't like to sweat. At all. Period.

We have a few things planned to do this weekend. I am going to Augusta tomorrow to pick up some things for the wedding. Then hopefully I will be back early so I can start dinner and get it mostly done by the time Dick gets home. Saturday, we are going to see the Bangor Symphony Orchestra against a backdrop of the beautiful mountains. I guess that Sunday we will go get Dick a few pieces of clothing to freshen up his wardrobe for the wedding. Julianne had her bridesmaid dress and her dress for the rehearsal dinner altered. I had my sleeves hemmed to three quarters and then took in another jacket to have the sleeves shortened and a dress to be taken up. When I pick it all up Monday we may just be ready for the big day! Clothing wise that is. I must say that I have many other things I need to take care of before the wedding. But I can't wait!

I just want to do a little bit of momma bragging...........Chris took two summer courses and one was statistics and he made a B+ (YES!) and the other course he made an A+ (YES!). We are proud of you Chris!

I guess that is all I have to write about.....I will talk to you later....Tootles!

Home At Last

As you can tell from the title, I am home at last. I had a wonderful vacation. Not all vacation though. I did have some work to do while I was down there. I got home around 8 last night. Julianne had cooked us dinner and it was delish. She even had dessert!

This is going to be a short post because I have one of those splitting headaches. I always get them when I go from one place to another. And to make it even worse, everything is covered with pollen here. So two strikes against me!

I will be back later...I promise.....Tootles!

Good Morning from Pawleys! Things are moving slowly here this morning. Elaine and John have gone to pick up his mother and bring her here. She fell earlier in the week and broke her knee cap. She will be staying with them until she is able to get around on her own. Virginia and Henry have gone to pick up crab cakes.....YUMMY! Reese is checking email and Callie is getting ready to go on the beach. I am doing my usual 'puter stuff but after this post I am putting my suit on and heading on down myself. I have my thong (not) laid out on the bed ready to go.

So far it is beautiful here. Today will be my last beach day. I will be getting up early tomorrow for the hair appointment and trip to Raleigh. So I guess I better head on out NOW!!!!

I will talk to you later! Tootles!

Frannycakes is a Beach Bunny!

Frannycakes has been a horrible blogger. I hear this is the first step to solving any problem.....you know.....admitting that you have a problem. I have been at Pawleys Island for the past two weeks and have been spoiled rotten every minute! My friends Virginia and Elaine invited me to spend their weeks at the beach with them and it has been glorious. They have pampered me and fed me well. Probably too well I fear. I will probably have to starve the next 23 days. Why 23 days you ask? Jamie and Lesley get married in 23 days!!!!! I can't wait! We are going to have such a good time. They seem so excited everytime I talk to them.

However, all good things do come to an end. I have to leave early Friday morning to drive to Rocky Mount to have my hair "done". Done means adding color, taking away gray and trimming. I need it all done. I have not found a new salon in Maine because I wanted my special person in North Carolina to do my hair for the wedding. After Friday I guess I will have to find someone up there.

After getting my new do, I am heading for Raleigh. Hopefully we can get Chris moved into the condo by mid day Saturday. I would like to have everything where it belongs before I pull out on Sunday morning. I have some great ideas for decorating the condo but most of it will have to wait until September when life slows down a little for me. I can't wait to get started.

Dick and Julianne are doing just fine without me up there. I am not sure they even want me to come home on Sunday. Dick said I could stay longer. But I am ready to go whether they want me or not.

Saturday is our 28th anniversary. Twenty eight years!!!!! It seems like just yesterday that we were preparing for our wedding.

I got an email today from a very special friend of mine requesting at least a small post to the blog.....I hope this will do the trick Jeannie! Sleep well! I miss you!

And not to leave out one of my favorite readers.....HEY DADDY!!!! I LOVE YOU!!!!

I will try to do better. I promise.

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

I saw this over at Ambulance Drivers site so I stole it!!! HaHaHaHa!!! He thinks his was pretty accurate. Do you think mine is? I think it probably is!

Frannycakes -- [noun]: A person who laughs at anything (even this entry) 'How will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah

It is raining today in Maine and the temperature is 54 degrees. I am just a little chilled at home today. I wish I still had on my sexy flannel pj's! I could curl up on the couch and take a little snoozie. Of course I can take a little snoozie with my jeans on. But it would feel better with my pj's!

I have not been good at updating the blog. What is my problem? Well.......I wish I knew. I have had a lot on my mind. My beach trip is coming up and during that time we are closing on the condo. I have some good ideas about decorating it, but I have to put those on the back burner until after the wedding because of time. And of course the wedding....even though there are things that I can't do until closer to time, it is still on my mind. And I feel like I have discussed all these things many times, so surely you are bored with it all now. What? You want me to keep talking about everything? Really? Okay.....but you begged!!!

I will be heading down to God's Country either Friday or Saturday. Chris has a roommate now. Bummer. Now I can't hang around in my jammies and sleep in the spare bedroom. How inconsiderate of the apartment complex to put someone in there! So I am not sure if I will stop off there or go on to the beach. It sounds like it is going to be alot of fun at Virginia's house. Lots of girlie's......oh and John and Henry and maybe Jeb and maybe Chris for a couple of nights. Lots of good food too. Hmmmmmm.....will I be able to control myself? I am gonna try.

The condo closing is set for the following Friday. I am not sure if Chris is going to want to move in that weekend or the next. He is pretty sick of his apartment complex. So whatever he wants to do I will cooperate with. I need to go up in the attic and gather together things that I can take down there for the condo. Hopefully I will be able to get a bunch of stuff together. We surely have enough of extra junk to take!

I will be mailing out the invitations for the rehearsal dinner soon. Everything just seems like it is falling together. I know I am excited.

Sunday, Dick and Julianne drove over to the Appalachian Trail. Dick had bought a book on trails here in Maine and plotted out their trip on Saturday. Most people would have picked a nice, relatively level hike for their very first time ever hiking. But those of you who know Dick know he would never have done that. He picked a mountain to climb! He told me they would be back around 12. I started lunch at 11:30. At 1 he called. They were at the top and had to walk back. So they ended up getting home around 4:30. Dick could hardly walk. It is even worse today. He is living on Advil's. Everyone is laughing at him at work. I am laughing at him at home. And does anyone wonder why I would not go for a hike with him in the past? Julianne is doing great...no problem. She is just tired.

I guess it time for me to update on the garden. My crops are doing well. The cherry tomatoes have taken the lead over the regular tomatoes. They have doubled in size. The herbs are looking healthy and I actually used some fresh basil in what I cooked yesterday. The bell peppers and sweet banana peppers are preparing to feel the masses. No sign of the peonies. I am afraid I will have to go to Lowes and ask for a refund. They were not cheap. Hopefully they will pop up soon. Cause winter is just around the corner. The iris' that the previous owners left out front are beautiful. At least they were until the rains came and beat down a few. The pansies I planted look good too. I had to put down some small containers of beer for the slugs. They took right to it! Each small cup I put out is loaded with slugs. I guess I will have to repeat it after the rain.

Weezie says hey....no.....sorry......that was just a snore. But I am sure she would say hey if she was awake. I am pretty sure......

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

Today started out like most of my days......coffee, Today Show, email, coffee, news, coffee, blogs, coffee..........you get the idea. I decided to do the cleaning I needed to do then take a bath so I went ahead and got dressed. I would have just kept on my sexy flannel pj's but since the golf course opened, there are golfers everywhere and some of the work I had to do was outside. I cleaned off the back porches and the front side porch. I pulled some weeds and picked up a couple of golf balls. Then I went inside to do what I have been putting off since the ground thawed.........well, maybe not that long, but for a while. I cleaned the downstairs bath (No, I had not been putting that off...it gets done a couple of times a week), vacuumed the hardwood floors and moved furniture to get it all (Ugh), vacuumed the carpets, cleaned the inside of the window seals since the windows have been open, clean baseboards (ugh), mopped all the floors downstairs, washed 4 loads of clothes PLUS throw rugs, dusted, and cleaned the kitchen. I finally got in the shower at 4. We had grilled hamburgers (beef and turkey, separate, not together) and salad for dinner. And no one even had an idea what I did today! Tomorrow I will do everything I did today but do it upstairs. Maybe.....

Dick took his truck in today to get it repaired from when it got hit while I was in Raleigh many moons ago. I know he will be happy to have it returned in perfect condition. Then I am taking it with me to Raleigh, then on to Pawleys Island and back to Raleigh to move into the condo. I know Chris will be excited to not have party central living underneath him. I think it has just about gotten on his last nerve.

Jamie is in Jacksonville working for a couple of days this week. I can't wait to hear about his visit with Annie and Bailey! He was going by to see his "peeps" at his previous employment. And Aunt Vickie and Gran Gran were going down to see him too. I hope he remembers why he is down there!

Julianne seems to be enjoying her summer job. She was tired when she came home today and went to bed early early! It has been nice having her here with us.

I can't believe that the wedding is just around the corner! I am getting a little bit nervous thinking that there must be more that I should be doing. I was hoping that we could find a cheap flight so we could fly to the wedding, but it doesn't look like that will be possible. So road trip here we come!

I think I need to go on to bed.....I am starting to see double.

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

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARY ANN!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Mary Ann!!!!!! I hope you have a wonderful "blessed" day of birth!

For those of you who do not know who Mary Ann is, and I can't think of very many, she is the oldest daughter of my friend's Elaine and John. She and Jamie went to school and graduated together. She is also going to be a bridesmaid in Jamie and Lesley's wedding. She actually started her teaching career by doing parent teacher reports with me when she and Jamie were in the third grade together. Every afternoon when school got out, she would run out to my car (I picked her up) and jump in the front seat beside me and start reporting (see...Parent Teacher Report????) everything Jamie had done and gotten in trouble for during the day. And she was glad to do it for me...... I got much more information from her than I ever did from Mrs. Maring! Of course Jamie hated her for it, but obviously he got over it since she is in his wedding! Happy Birthday Mary!

Greetings! I made it through the heat wave. Temps are supposed to be getting back to normal tomorrow. Dick flies back in tomorrow afternoon and I am sure he will say he doesn't know what I have been complaining about! I have not turned the air conditioner on in my room yet. I slept with the windows open the past two nights and it felt great to feel the wind blowing through the room. Now don't get me wrong.....I do love me some air conditioning and would take central air any day over an open window!

Today there was a golf tournament. Around 8:30 there was a mad rush down the cart paths. They definitely had a good turn out. The tournament was a fund raiser for a scholarship. All the golfers seemed to be having a good time. I could hear lots of laughing.....along with balls bouncing off trees and leaves falling to the ground! I did not find any balls in our fence which was a little unusual. I usually collect at least 4 balls each afternoon.

Julianne has driven to Farmington tonight. She met some other "kids" that are college students working at the mill this summer and they are having a small party. Yeah....it makes me very nervous, but she said she will be home around 12. And I have directions to the party. And I have a phone number. And I have her phone number. And.......

That's about all my news. I will talk to you later! Tootles!

I know you probably get tired of me telling you about my fondness of Maine. You will be happy to know that I have a grip about it too. Today our temperature is supposed to reach 94. I know, I know......most of my readers (family and friends) experience these temperatures all the time. Well, there is one big difference. You have air conditioning and I DO NOT! Houses here do not have central air conditioning. And most of the time there is no need for it. We have 3 window units that we put in during the summer and take out in the fall. Dick put a unit in our bedroom and a unit in Julianne's bedroom. When he gets back, we will put the larger unit in the den. But in the meantime........

I think I will take off and plan to spend some time in the air conditioned stores. Julianne wants to go see a movie tonight. The air conditioning will be the best part of the evening.

Well, that is the end of your weather forecast for Maine...........back to your part of the world..........

Tootles!

Farmer Frannycakes

Yesterday was very busy and productive. Just the kind of day that Dick likes me to have......hehehehehehe. After having my pot of coffee and reading the news of the day, I dressed and headed out to Auburn to get some plants and potting soil and assorted other things I needed to complete the "farm". Got some of the stuff at Wally World and the other stuff at Lowes. I could have purchased much much more, but I would have needed the heavy duty plows the farm down the road has to cultivate the yard. I guess I will stick with the beds I already have. I decided to plant peonies to see if I could actually grow them. We will see.......the people we bought the house from had them in the bed by the back porch and loved them so much they dug them up and took them with them. Of course they had asked me if they could and like the nice person I am I said yes. And they in turn told us we could move in before closing so I thought that was a pretty good deal. When you are nice to people, they tend to me nice to you. And when people are not nice to you, you tend to not be nice to them. Just ask the people who bought our house in Roanoke Rapids. They were an absolute nightmare to deal with and we didn't cut them any slack when we closed on Friday afternoon at 4. Had they been "nice" and not "nightmares", we would have let them move in before the deed was recorded Monday morning. However, hell would have frozen over before that happened. They were not given the keys to the house until the recording took place at around 10 on Monday morning. But enough of those fun recollections.......

My main purpose in buying plants was to buy vegetable plants. Yes, I am a farmer. Hopefully, I will keep them alive and be able to feed my family this summer. I have most of them in pots. The bell peppers and sweet banana peppers are in the ground. I have regular tomatos and cherry tomatos. Regular updates and photos will follow! I also bought some herbs and surely I will be able to keep them alive. Right? Anyway......please send me all your suggestions in growing the crops.

Today I am paying the price for being outside all day yesterday. The pollen has just started up here. My head is killing me. My throat is sore. My ears hurt. My teeth hurt. Plus, my middle finger who hints to me every day that it has arthiritis aches. And a couple more have started hinting. I know, I know......

Dick is going to Lexington to visit Jamie and Lesley today and I am jealous. I really really want to be there.

I guess that is all I have to report to you now.....I will talk to you later....Tootles!

Happy Birthday John & Elaine!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday to two of my favorite people! Hope you both have a wonderful birthday! Have an extra piece of birthday cake for me! I love yall!

A Sunny Maine Morning

Good Morning! It is beautiful up here in Maine today. The sun is shining and there are no clouds in the sky. As soon as it warms up just a little bit, I am opening some windows. The birds are chirping out at the bird feeder and the squirrels are eyeing the feeders too. Our fountain on the back porch is full of bird seed and little feathers. I guess I will go out and clean that up today. I have some other plants to put out so I think this afternoon will be "farm day".

Dick flew to Cincinnati yesterday and will be there all week. Then he is driving to Lexington to spend the weekend with Jamie. He is so excited. I wish I could have gone but you know how those last minute tickets can be sky high. I definitely have enough here to keep me busy.

Julianne started her job on Monday. She seemed to have a good day so I guess that is a good sign. She has been getting up at 5 and working out before getting ready. I got up at 5 this morning to make sure she got up then went back to bed. Then I woke up about the time she was leaving and then got back in the bed. It was about 6:30. I had just about dozed off when I heard some talking and laughing outside. There were golfers out at 6:30! I have got to get some sleep at some point.

Chris started his summer session at State yesterday. As a full time North Carolina State University student. Just thought I would throw that in. Love ya Chris!

I guess that is all I have to report right now. I have some pictures from my trip to SC that I will post later.

I will talk to you later! Tootles!

Home Again!

Home Again! Finally! Julianne and I pulled into the driveway at 7 last night. After 2 very long days of driving, we were ready to get out of that car. We left Pawleys Island at 7:30 on Friday morning. We stopped for an hour and ate lunch in Roanoke Rapids with Nathan and his mom Peggy. Hey Peggy! Then we hit the road so we could make it to Washington just in time for rush hour(s). I wouldn't want to miss out on that experience! After stop and go and stop and go and stop and go, it took us about 3 hours to get through the nation's capital. Then we headed to Baltimore where we spent the night. But first things first......

Julianne and I left Raleigh heading for St. Marys on Friday for Mother's Day. We got there around 6. We went out to eat with Mom and Dad. There is a home cooking all you can eat place there and we went to....well....eat all we could eat! Actually, I managed to fill up my plate with just the right amount of food to begin with so I didn't have the pleasure of going back. Then we went to see Gran Gran and deliver her Mother's Day present since she was heading to Debbie's house the next morning. We had a good visit then headed back to Mom and Dad's to go to bed. We were tired and slept great. Saturday, we went to Jacksonville to my cousin Becky's new house and had a cook out by her pool. Her house is beautiful! I think I could move right in! And I know I could put that pool to use! We had a great time sitting and snacking by the pool watching Thomas and Hannah and Tommy in the pool. Those kids are growing up so fast. Thomas has lost that little boy look and Hannah is just so grown up acting. Tommy grilled burgers and they were delish! Of course, Nancy and Dennis were there as was Doris. After such a nice time together I always wish we lived closer. Big Head Fred was even sited.

Sunday, Mom, Julianne and I went to Jacksonville to help Mom find some shoes for the wedding. That is really a hard job! But we were up to the challenge (barely) and found a pair. We were all exhausted by the end of the trip and some of us slept on the way home.....

Monday, Julianne and I headed out to Pawleys. We stopped at a strawberry patch between Charleston and Georgetown. Years ago, Julianne and I had stopped there on day to pick some strawberries. I was excited. Ju was not. All I heard was how humiliated she was to be doing that.....what if someone rode by and saw her.....like they could identify her behind all the way across the field! So Monday I purchased two buckets already picked so I would not scar her emotionally AGAIN. And because it was hot and I didn't want to sweat like a pig.

It was great to finally arrive at the beach house. Elaine was there and helped us unload. We did a little bit of grocery shopping. Elaine had to tutor at 6, so I cooked roast and warmed up some of her leftovers from Mother's Day. We called Virginia and were shocked to find out that she was coming that night! She pulled in late and completed the group! We were roomies and of course started laughing after we retired to our room. We thought we had kept it under wraps, but were informed the next morning that we had not. Chris and Linley came on Wednesday. I am glad they were able to enjoy a little bit of relaxation before their classes started back.

We did alot of laying out on the beach, then moving to between the dunes where it was warmer. I read Stuart Woods new book way to fast! I wanted it to last longer! It is good so read it if you have a chance. Our visit to the beach was very relaxing. The food was good too. Of course, it always is good. No dieting there!

Did anyone else watch Grey's Anatomy Thursday night? We all thought it was horrible. What are they thinking? And George better not be leaving. Burke can leave. But George better not and he needs to get his act together. And as for my personal physician, Derek, he better get his act together too. I would hate to have to change doctors.

We are home. It is a long way from SC to Maine. A long way. But it was worth it. Thank you to everyone that opened their abodes to us and visited with us and made us feel welcome and loved. And thank you Dick for letting me leave you here to tend to Weezie. I love you!

Aunt Vickie is visiting the states from Italy! I can't wait to see her!

I guess that is all my exciting news. We need to get in gear and get ready to go to the grocery store and Wally World to buy Julianne some steel toed boots! I am laughing because Julianne and steel toed boots just seem strange in the same sentence!

I will talk to you later! Tootles!

Moving Out!

I am reporting today from Raleigh, NC. It is overcast and dreary and my sinuses are giving me a fit. I can feel a trip to the CVS coming on. But enough about me. Chris and Julianne picked me up from the airport. My flight was actually a little bit early getting there. I had managed to get my luggage and was heading to the parking garage when the children met me in the hall. They were running just a little bit late because everyone is moving out of the dorms and traffic was horrendous on Hillsborough Street. Not that moving out day has to occur for the traffic to be horrendous, but we won't go into that today! Anyway, it was great to see them and we quickly exited the airport on our way back to Hillsborough Street.

Chris had to go to work, so Julianne and I got her car and headed to Target to get some boxes to store her "stuff" in. We made record time in the Target despite our inner longing to leisurely look at every item there. After checking out, we went to Panera Bread for lunch. Then we made our way back to her dorm after a quick detour at the Self Storage business. We rented a storage unit to house her "stuff" and bought a couple more cardboard boxes. Then we headed back to the dorm. Amazingly, we had everything packed up in about 2 hours. Nathan had his dad's truck and he was coming over to take Julianne out for dinner. So we enlisted him and Linley and their vehicles to help ferry all the boxes to the storage unit. And it went pretty smoothly. Thank you Nathan and Linley for your help!

We had hoped to have Chris meet us for dinner, but he was not able to get away. So we went out to dinner with Julianne and Nathan. Ju had to twist my arm to go cause I really didn't want to go to Bahama Breeze, but it was delish!!!!! And I think that Clay Aiken's twin brother was our waiter. I swear. Looked just like him.

I am washing washing washing washing washing washing washing washing washing washing washing washing washing washing washing washing washing washing washing washing washing washing washing washing clothes. It will probably be about that many loads. Maybe even more. Chris has dirty clothes and I don't think Julianne has washed clothes since she has been at college. I am just a wash woman. Among other things.

I am not sure what we have planned for today, but I know it will start with a trip to CVS. Maybe a nap or two also. Chris is working all day, so it will just be me, Ju and Linley. We have to rest up for the beach. Resting up to rest is very important.

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

Monday, Monday

It is Monday again. And again I am spending a Monday the way I always wanted to spend a Monday when I was working......being a slug! Not totally true, but I have been taking my time doing what I need to do and mostly what I want to do. Kind of sounds like me, doesn't it?

We had a very low key weekend. Dick has been stressed with some work related issues. He was so wired Friday when he got home that he went straight to the lawnmower and mowed the lawn. Saturday, we drove to Farmington. I met Dick at Le Fleurs Restaurant for lunch on Sunday. As always it was DELISH! Then I went to the grocery store there in Jay. That didn't take too long because all Dick requested to eat while I was gone was some lean cuisine meals. Okay.....I don't want anyone passing judgement on me about this. When I have gone somewhere in the past, I have left food and when I returned, it was sitting there in the refrigerator untouched. Therefore, I have left it up to him. I have him some breakfast things and plenty of beer (a major food group, right?) and some lean cuisines that he requested. Plus he has his ice cream bars....he will survive. Bob at Le Fleurs will take care of him if he will just call and order something before he leaves the mill. Anything he orders will be enough for two meals........I will not feel guilty!

I am headed to Portland to proof the rehearsal dinner invitations as soon as I get my rear in gear. I have to return something to Pottery Barn. I wish I could order some furniture and at least one of everything they have while I am there but........did I just doze off.......I must have been dreaming I won the lottery! Anyway, after that I will be heading back home to pack up my summer clothes for the south. I am not looking forward to the heat. I love the cooler temps here in Maine. But I am looking forward to seeing two of my babies and chillin with my buds.

We talked with Jamie over the weekend and he seems happy as can be! He and Lesley were painting their apartment. Lesley has been busy hanging curtains......feathering their little nest! It is just a little over 2 months till the big day! We can't wait!

I do believe that is about all the news I have. I will talk to you later......Tootles!

Happy Birthday Virginia!!!!

Virginia had a birthday yesterday and I called her to wish her a good one. I can't tell you her age because that would be heartless to do to the elderly, but I will tell you that she is much, much, much older than I am. Hurry on the beach Virgie! I have missed you!

It is Cold!

The temperature in these parts is in the low 50's. As long as you are in the sun and the wind isn't blowing it feels pretty good. But once you get in the shade.....well.......my warm laptop sitting on my lap feels pretty good right now. Dick as the doors opened up and I am slightly chilled.

Tuesday I am leaving on a jet plane again. Back to Raleigh to help Julianne get out of the dorm and go to the beach. Elaine has a week at their beach house and Virginia attending also. It is so nice to get there and just relax. I am looking through all my books to pick just the right one for the week. Maybe I can even catch up on some sleep. That will be nice.

Friday, Julianne and I will head back up to Maine. That will take us a couple of days. She starts to work on Monday so she will have Sunday to rest up.

Congratulations to Mary Ann on her Graduation today from the Citadel. Did you wear your uniform......hehehehehehehe......Actually she got her masters there AND she received an award during Graduation today. She teaches in the Charleston area and I know she is doing a wonderful job. We are proud of you Mary Ann!!!!

Jeb, Mary Ann's brother, will graduate next weekend from the University of South Carolina. Congratulations Jebbie! It is hard to believe that our babies are getting so grown.

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

A Whirlwind Week!

I decided that I really needed to post on Frannycakes so I didn't lose my loyal followers (Hey Mom and Dad!!!!). The last week has been very busy. We have seen some beautiful places up here in Maine and when we beg and plead for our family and friends to come up and visit us, we feel the need to show them everything because we don't know if they will ever come visit us again. This has been the case wherever we have lived. But up here it seems even more important because most of our visitors have never been this far north. And trust me, everything here is different than it is down south. Trust me.

Gran Gran and Debbie flew in on Wednesday. I picked them up from the airport because Dick had decided that he would take off Friday and Monday so he could have a long weekend with them. We ate lunch and then headed north. Since they had gotten up very very early, they were tired from their trip and decided to rest for a while until Dick got home. As usual, I wowed them with my culinary skills! Hahahahaha! For dinner we had grilled salmon, roasted sweet potato wedges, and roasted asparagus. This is our very favorite meal and probably have it twice a week. They did like it and Debbie told me yesterday that she was serving the sweet potatoes and asparagus for dinner.

Thursday, the girls met Dick for lunch in Jay at Le Fleurs. We always enjoy eating there and I think they enjoyed it too. Then we headed to Freeport for a little LL Bean fix. I didn't buy anything but had a good time. We walked to a few of the outlets there but didn't stay long because it was cold! For dinner, we had lobster rolls from Youly's. This too is one of our favorites.

Friday, we drove up to the Rangeley lakes area. There was still alot of snow there and the lakes still had ice. This is always as pretty ride.

Saturday, we got up early and started out for Bar Harbor. We drove through Rockland and Camden and lots of other beautiful coastal towns. In Ellsworth, we stopped at one of Maine's famous close out stores, Marden's. Over in the fabric department, I found a decorator fabric that I have been looking at for a long time. It was $5.66 a yard. Plus, I got 20% off for getting the whole roll. I got 16 yards for $80. I am not sure exactly what I am going to do with it, but I am prepared when I do!

Bar Harbor was as beautiful as ever! We had reservations at the Bar Harbor Inn but it was too early to check in, so we decided to go to Cadillac Mountain and Acadia National Park. The weather was supposed to be rainy, but it was clear and beautiful so we were smart to do this on Saturday because it did turn rainy Sunday. The view was beautiful from Cadillac Mountain. After checking in, we all went for a rest. Then Debbie and I went down town to do a little shopping. Next was dinner and then we all turned in early.

Sunday, we drove around the Bar Harbor area and the surrounding towns. It was raining, but still it was pretty. I had told Dick that I wanted to ride down some streets in Bar Harbor to look and see if I could find the Bed and Breakfast that Gu Gu (my grandmother) and I had stayed at when we visited way back when I was 11 or 12. I just happened to look out the window when we were riding back into town and there it was. Dick said he would ride back by to make sure after we did a little bit more shopping downtown. The shopping did not take long....it was cold and windy and just not fun walking in the rain. So back we went to the Bed and Breakfast. I told them to look for a small pool to the right.....I had remembered swimming while I was there. Sure enough, when we pulled into the parking lot, there sat the swimming pool. Next trip, we will stop by and see if I can look at the room. Nice memories!

Weezie had stayed at home. We had a friend come by and let her out twice on Saturday and once on Sunday. She was glad to see us.....mostly to see Debbie because she would give Weezie a treat everytime Weezie looked at her. You can imagine how many treats Weezie got because Weezie caught onto this fact very fast! She goes to treat rehab tomorrow......thanks to Aunt Debbie!

Monday, we got back in the car again and headed for the presidential mountains. Mt. Washington is one of them.....you know, my personal favorite.....NOT! Actually, it is beautiful. We can see it from our neighborhood. It is covered with snow and beautiful to look at......but not to ride to the top. I think I actually had a panic attack on the way up. Thankfully, the park is still closed so I didn't even have to worry about that ride again. Unfortunately, the weather was bad for this trip and the clouds were laying low. We were not able to see many (any) mountains at all. We drove to North Conway, NH and visited the outlets there. Debbie and Gran Gran found some "souvenirs" there. You know....the kind you wear! We bought a flag for out house and that was about the extent of our shopping. Then we headed back to our little part of Maine. Gran Gran treated us to her pancakes for dinner and it was DELISH!

Tuesday, Dick went back to work and the girls got up leisurely and decided to go to Auburn to do a little leisurely shopping. We had lunch there and headed back home for some R & R. We had chicken and dumplings for dinner. Then the visitors packed and decided to retire for the night.

Wednesday morning, we left for the airport around 7. The visitors are just pro's at flying now. They had the flight attendant sharing her sandwich and desert with them cause "they were hungry". I am going to try that my next flight!

Thursday was crazy. I had some things I needed to Fed Ex and fax. So I got it all together and headed to Auburn. On the way home, Julianne called and said I needed to fax a copy of our new insurance card to the doctors office. Since I was almost home, I decided to go back to Auburn later in the afternoon. When I walked in the door, I immediately saw something that should have been in the box that I Fed Ex'd. So.....two trips to Auburn in one day. Duh.

That brings me to today. The sun is shining and we wind is blowing like crazy. The golfers are out and obviously from the 8 golf balls I picked up in the back yard yesterday, they are a little rusty. I am about to head for the shower. I have a tube of self tanning moisturizer that I am planning on applying heavily. I will be at the beach in a week and don't want to blind anyone.

Whew! Now wasn't that exciting! Hopefully, I will be back to regular blogging now. I have missed you.

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

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAGGIE!!!!

We hope you have a wonderful Birthday!!!!!