Merry Christmas

Yesterday, Lee and I took Eamon to see Santa at the mall. Eamon decided he was not sitting on the fat guy's lap, so Lee and I had to sit there, too. Oh well!

Nunsense

Last Friday night I went to see Nunsense in Montevallo, put on by a local theater group. It took place in the library theater. In attendance were: me, Kathy, Jennie, Kristi, Jenni, Amy and Kim. It was very funny and we all had a good time. The weakest cast member was the person who played the Mother Superior and she should have been the strongest. In the version I've seen on TV, Rue McClanahan plays the Mother Superior and she is fantastic. But, of course, we only paid $10 to see this, so we got our money's worth. The other 4 cast members were great. If you want to see some of it, you can find it on UTUBE (the real play, not the one in Montevallo.)

Before the play, we went to the Eclipse Book and Coffee shop for dinner. It was a quaint little place that looks like it was once a house. They serve soups, salads and sandwiches (and milkshakes). After the play, some of decided to go back for milkshakes. Well, we go there to find a Poetry Slam going on. The whole restaurant part of the place was filled with people listening to the 'poetry'. After each recitation, the audience would rate them on a small dry erase board and hold it up for all to see. We listened to several of them while we waited on our shakes and Amy summed it up by saying the all needed to be on antidepressant. It reminded me of seeing those poetry readings in old 1950 and 1960 movies with beatniks in them. The beatniks were always in that setting. The only difference was that in the movies everyone applauded by snapping their fingers. I don't remember if anyone actually applauded these 'poets' or not.

Moss Rock and other things

Amy, Eamon and I went to the Moss Rock festival on Sunday afternoon. It was a beautiful day. We say Aunt Jen, and some of Amy's church friends there. Eamon got to pet a snake and pounded flowers to color a wrist band.

In the last few weeks, I've make Eamon's holiday outfit and his Christmas stocking. I'll post pictures soon.

For those of you who have been keeping up with the slow pace of our bathroom remodel, just wanted to say that the skirt and trim on the tub and the trim on the vanity were installed yesterday! Hooray. I plan to look for a pretty shower curtain this week and then paint. Hopefully, I can get the painting done this weekend. It's a small bathroom, shouldn't take too much time. If all goes well, it will all be finished and decorated by supper club next weekend.

Race (well, walk) for the Cure

Last Saturday, Amy, Eamon and I walked one mile in the Breast Cancer Race for the Cure. The weather was not ideal, misty and drizzly, but never really rained while we were there. We werew supposed to walk with my friend, Pat and her family, but they decided not to because of the weather. We met up with Amy's friend, Jennie, her mom Mary, who is a breast cancer surviror and Ashley, Emily and Rowan and walked with them. It was overwhelming to see the number of people who showed up and staggering to thing about how many people are impacted by breast cancer.

I haven't done much, but go to work this week, since I've been fighting off some kind of sinus/allergy crap. Feel much better today and hope to have a great weekend of sewing. Also need to straighten up the house. Since we got the new TV, I've got stacks of movies on video tapes that I need to decide what to do with.

I'm still working as a temp and still looking for permanent work. Had an interview last week at UAB that sounded promising at first, but then found out they wanted me to actually do some fund raising - asking people for money. Withdrew my application immediately. Not my thing. Hopefully, something will come up at least by the time my services are no longer needed at Samford.

An Unexpected Trip to the Beach

Amy and Ed decided to go to the beach for a few days before Amy started her new job. Did I mention Amy got a new job at UAB? Hooray! Anyway, they invited me to go. At first I was a little hesitant since I was worried I would be in the way and also didn't want to take off from work since I have no vacation. After Amy reminded me that my dear friend, Debbie, lives right accross the bay on Dauphin Island, my mind was made up.

We drove down on Sunday, September 27 and got down to Foley in time to do a little shopping before check in time at the condo in Gulf Shores. Ed got us settled in at the condo and went back to the main road (about 12 miles away) to buy groceries. They fixed fajitas that night. The condo was very comfy. The only disappointment was there was no washer and dryer, but that turned out to be no big deal.

Eamon loved the beach, the birds, the pool, the other guests and the food. Amy packed his trains, tracks and trucks and he played with those anytime we were inside.

The weather was great, I thouroughly enjoyed my vacation. Debbie came over from Dauphin Island and visited with us on Monday. It was so good to see her. We had a great visit.

We ate out some, we ate in some, no real schedule, just what a vacation is supposed to be.

And In Other News

I was contacted by a recruiter about a temporary contract job with AT&T. She interviewed me over the phone and then the next day I had a phone interview with her boss. She said she thought I might have a shot at it and is sending my resume in to them today. My chances are probably slim to none, but it was neat to called. Apparently, my 31 years at BellSouth impressed somebody. She said she is going to keep my resume on file in case something else comes along.

I'm still a temp here at Samford, so I might as well be a temp somewhere where I can use my experience and make more money.

What's new with me

Not much. I went with Amy and Eamon and Kristy and Jennie to the Leeds Folk Festival last Saturday. It was a rainy day, but we had fun. We went to a drum show especially for kids and Eamon had a blast, he danced and danced. Everyone was looking at him and laughing. Ashley, Clarence and Rowan met us there. We walked around a while and found a cow, which Eamon got to pet. Decided not to eat at the fair because it was too wet. Stopped at a local Leed's barbecue place on the way home and it was pretty good.

Went to a friend's house Saturday afternoon for an Open House in honor of her son (an old friend of Ely's) who was home from DC. After we left there, we went home because Amy had invited her whole crew from earlier in the day over to watch the Auburn game on our new big flat screen tv. They grilled hot dogs. Rowan and Eamon played, they were so cute to watch. Eamon calls Rowan, Bebe (baby).

Success

Went to yet a third Walmart after work yesterday, found what I wanted, found someone who waited on my and brought it to my care. Out of there in 5 minutes. Hooray! Now to get somebody to get it out of my car and into the house......

WALMART HELL

So, we ordered a new flat screen tv yesterday. Found a deal on one with free shipping. Of course, one thing leads to another because now we need a new console thingy to hold the Uverse box, dvd player and whatever the hell else Ely has hooked up to the tv. Not wanted to spend more on the console than we spent on the tv as that would completely negate the savings, I went to Walmart to find one. The had two that I liked in my price range.

Walmart number 1, didn't find any in a box by the display, so I asked a clerk to find someone to help me to find out if they had any in the back. Waited 15 minutes, no one showed up, I left.

Ok, yes, I was dumb enough to try another Walmart, I was a woman on a mission.

Walmart number 2, again they had a display model, but none in boxes. Even if they had, it would have been to heavy to pick up, so I would have needed assistance. I went to customer service. The person there made a call, then walked somewhere. Finally she came back and told me to follow her. She takes me to the back by the package pick-up counter and the bathrooms. She goes in the back, comes out with a manager. He goes with me, looks at the furniture, takes down the number and goes about for about 10 minutes. Comes back, tells me they don't have any. Then he offers to scan the bar code and see if they have any on order. We go to electronics and he gets some guy to scan it. This guys say that according to the scanner, they have 9 of them in the back. He notes the bin numbers where they are and tells me he'll get me one. 45 minutes later (yes, I know, I'm a fool, why did I stand there for 45 minutes?), he never came back, so I left.

Oh, did I mention that this all occured after I had to wait 30 minutes past my appointment time in the dentist office to get my teeth cleaned??

Bottom line, I still have no console to hold all the stuff and the old case won't accomodate the new tv.

I know this story had captivated your attention and your are so sympathetic to my plight, but I just had to vent and if you can't vent on your blog, where can you??????

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Couldn't think of anything clever to name this post, so just went with the day. Here's what's been happening, not necessarily chronologically.

Ely got a full-time job (yes, he's still going to school full-time, but his classes are at night). They don't pay much, but they have free cokes (anyone who knows Ely, knows they are going to go broke on that one), free sandwich stuff for lunches and uniform shirts and a service that cleans them. It's some kind of IT company.

I am still working as a temp at Samford in my old job. I really would like to stay, but there is some mystery thing going on and they can't make a commitment. My take on it is that there is or is going to be some changes on campus that will result in an extra secretary and they are going to place her in this job. I was upset about this for a while, but realize it is out of my control. Everyone in my department keeps saying how glad they are that I'm back and what a great job I'm doing. I just organized and pulled off a gigantic office rearrangement of people and desks that went extremely well. So, I may not get the job, but things will not go smoothly when I leave and they will miss me. How's that for ego?

I spent Labor Day with Eamon and Amy and we went to Jim and Nick's for lunch. Amy got Eamon an order of fries, but he really preferred the ketchup. He uses the fries as a tool to scoop up the ketchup and then after a while just dips in with his hands and get's it without the fries.

We all went over to Amy and Ed's on Saturday night for football. Have you ever watched football with Ed? It is an experience that I can't describe. I've never known anybody to get so intense about a ball game. Anyway, we had fun and all of our teams won (Georgia, Auburn and LSU).

I've been getting back into smocking lately after over a year of making boy clothes. The smocked dresses are so cute. Next, I want to do some more heirloom sewing, that's pretty intricate work, but the finished products are worth it.

Lee went down to MS and LA Labor day weekend to visit three of his sisters who are all having health problems.

That's about all that's going on.

Birthday Celebration

Eamon doing a little jig.

A wild game of Cranium.


Birthday cake from Publix.


Did you know that dip was a full body experience?

More, please.

Yesterday, we celebrated 3 birthdays, Kim's, Ely's and Ed's. I cheated and bought a cake instead of making on, but everyone seemed to enjoy it. The highlight of the day for Eamon was the onion dip. That boy loves his dip.

Everyone played Cranium after we ate, except Eamon and me, we napped.

Not sure why, but we didn't get any pictures of Ed or Ely. They really were there.

Bathroom Trauma

Ed came over Sunday to continue the bathroom tile job. Our bedroom closet is connected to teh bathroom, so we have to do that floor, too. We soon realized, much to my dismay, that the whole closet system had to come down in order to get the carpet up and get the tile down. The prospect of emptying out my closet caused me a lot of stress, so I had a big glass of wine to ease my nerves. Amy and Ed helped me pull everything out.

Currently, all of our clothes and other paraphenalia, is strewn around the bedroom, dining room laundry room, living room and guest bedroom. Finding clothes and shoes to wear to work in the morning has been quite a challenge.

This whole operations made me realize that I have too much crap and I am going to think long and hard before I put stuff back in there. The closet is gigantic and we couldn't hardly walk through it before.

Ed is tiling today, so, hopefully, I'll be able to get my clothes back in there soon.

Working

I'm still working at Samford. Sitting at my old desk, it's just like I never left. They've moved a lot of the work on to other people, so it's not busy at all. In fact, I've been sort of bored so I got someone else in the department to give me some work to do. Being busy makes the time go by faster. I can't stand to just sit here and do nothing.

Sunday at Home

Kim and Alan and Amy and Eamon came over after church on Sunday. Lee and I were too tired to cook, so he picked up bread and cold cuts and we just had sandwiches. Of course, I did make the requisite brownies. Kim and Alan always look for the brownies when they come. Kim did bring over a cake she made from scratch with a cream cheese icing and some blueberries. It was delicious, good job Kim.

Supper Club - August, 2009

We had supper club this month at Ro's and Ko's. Ro fixed a great pasta dish and a wonderful chocolate torte for dessert. She babysat Gabriel so Renay and Niko could go out to dinner. He is such an easy baby. He stayed up for a little while, but was really never fussy. He amused himself for a long time.

We didn't stay long. My neck was killing me from my marathon sewing event, so we went home early. Took some advil, slept through church on Sunday but my neck was fine when I woke up.

Bathroom

All of you know that we have been redoing our master bath for many months now. For some reason, all projects at our house take 100 times longer than they do at anyone else's house.

We (Lee) agonized over what tile to put down on the floor. I tried to give some input, which he said he wanted, but that wasn't true. I finally said pick a damn tile and let's just go with it, I don't care anymore.

Ed got started on the floors this past weekend. He's never done tile work before, but he just got in and got to work in typical Ed style. He's not afraid to tackle anything. I know it's hard work and I can't express how much I appreciate what he is doing for me. If left to the men who live in my house, the floors would never get done. Of course, they can both tell you how to do it because they believe they know how to do everything. It's the actual execution of the work that seems to elude them.

Of course, meanwhile, my toilet is on my front porch. It rained the other day and filled up the tank and the next time Eamon came over he so enjoyed flushing the toilet. Why didn't I take pictures of that? I must be slipping.

Ed's coming back today to work on the floor some more. Hopefully, he'll get the toilet back in soon. I've been sleeping upstairs so I can use that bathroom. I have to pee so many times during the night and just don't want to have to climb up and down the stairs 4 or 5 times each night.

Next step, have the electrician come in and wire my new lights. I've bought a smaller mirror than the old one and are having side lights put in.

I'll post pictures of the new bathroom soon.

Sewing

Sit and Sew was last Friday night. I thought I could finish two outfits I was making for Heather's baby shower, but I messed something up and had to rip things out and yada yada yada. Needless to say, I didn't finish, so got up early Saturday morning, determined to get them finished for the 11 a.m. shower. Didn't happen. I got everything done except the buttons and button holes. So, I ironed them and wrapped them and gave them to Heather but told her she had to give them back so I could finish them. She got a kick out of that. They are finished now, I just have to get them back to her.

Supper Club, July 18, 2009

Very successful evening. I cooked Braised Short Ribs with gravy and served them over Swiss Chard and Pearl Onions. Lee fixed mashed potatoes. For dessert, I fixed a Strawberry Cheesecake Trifle (used Amy's trifle bowl). Everyone seemed to enjoy the food. As usual, company was excellent.

Friday, July 17, 2009

Well, I really don't have anything exciting to blog about today. This will be my last day as a temp in the Pharmacy school. On Monday, I will move to my old office to temp in my old job. How strange is that? Katy, who took my place, is moving to another job on campus, so I'll fill in for a while. Looking forward to being back with all my old friends.

Tomorrow is supper club at our house, which I'm looking forward to. The menu is a secret, I'll let you know next week how it turns out.

Eamon and the Golf Cart

Yesterday evening we kept Eamon so that Amy and Ed could attend their church group meeting. We were letting him play outside when an elderly couple from down the street, that we rarely see, came driving by in their golf cart. They stopped to talk and were immediately drawn to Eamon because he was waving to them. The lady got out (poor thing is 80 years old and walks with a cane) so that Lee and Eamon could take a ride in the golf cart. The went to the end of our short street and back. Eamon got out, blew a kiss, waved, told the man bye-bye and then climbed back into the cart. The man wound up taking him on a couple of more rides just around the cul-de-sac. As they left to drive home, the lady said about Eamon, 'You can't get any more precious than that!' Well, of course, I agreed with her.

What's Cooking?

Amy brought Ellen over today so she could sew. Ed kept Eamon at home, since he probably wouldn't have allowed much sewing to go on. Ellen made a very cute apron and then she tried out the apron while making brownies. The brownies were great. Thanks, Ellen.

Happy Birthday, Jenni and Amy!

Today we celebrated Jenni and Amy's birthdays. Jenni will be 40 later this week and Amy turned 30 on Friday. We started off with bacon wrapped shrimp, a family favorite. We fixed chicken kabobs and warm potato salad. It was mostly family, but Jennie and Kristi came over, too. Jennie brought mint brownies, yum. Ed brought a cookie cake.
Ely had to work, but he got home while everyone was still here.

July 3, 2009

Today was Amy's 30th birthday. Hard to believe. I remember the day she was born so clearly. What a fat, beautiful baby she was!

Jenni came by with Isaac and Liam today (Kaia's boys), she has them for a few days. Such beautiful children, and growing up so fast.

We took Eamon and Ellen swimming at Kathy's house today. She has very nice to have let us use the pool. Eamon seemed to enjoy himself, but I think he would have had more fun if he had taken a nap before we went.

Friday night, typical summer night at the Guess home. Lee at the ballpark, Marie sewing and Ely studying Persian. Yes, Persian. See that's what's so great about our home, you just never know what will be going on.

Just another day

I went down to visit Amy and Eamon last night for dinner. Ellen is visiting from N.O. and was making pizza. Alan and Kim came and then Ely showed up. We all enjoyed watching Eamon entertain us. Ellen had made a praline cheesecake that we had for dessert, it was awesome. I am declaring Ellen the 'Cheesecake Queen'.
Ely had class tonight, but had left his wallet home, so I went down and brought it to him and he bought me dinner at Al's.
One more day to work this week, hope I can find something to do there tomorrow.

Phone Call

My husband calls me today. Here is the conversation:

Husband: "Do you have a mastercard or Visa with Excalibur (can't remember the name of the company he said)? They keep calling me on my cell phone about an account."
Me: "No, my Visa is with Lancelot (made that name up)."
Husband: "Well, do your check your balance daily?"
Me: "No, I don't. And, I've never heard of the company you are talking about."
Husband: "Well, you need to check. I'm getting bad vibes from these people. I think it's a scam. You better check your account ."
Me: "I don't have a VISA with those people."
Husband: "Yeah, well, you need to check everyday. I think this is a scam."
Me: "Well, tell them not to call you anymore and do not give them any information."
Husband: "Check your balance. I know this is a scam."

So, just to shut him up, I go online, check my balance with MY VISA company. There is no problem. I call him back.

Me: "I checked, there is no activity on my account. If they call again, tell them to take your number off of their list and to not call you anymore."
Husband: "I think it's a scam. You need to check everyday."
JMe: "Ok, fine, I'll check 6 times a day, but I still don't have an account with that damn company!!!!"
Husband: "I think it's a scam."

Holy Crap! Somebody help me out here! The man is going crazy because of these phone calls. And, what part of 'I don't have an account with these people', can't he understand?????

As I said earlier today, the worse thing about getting old is being married to an old person.

WWMD

I visited some of my old co-workers on campus this morning and some of them told me that they wished I was back because I was good at handling things and getting things under control. One of them said he was going to get some bracelets made that had 'WWMD' on them for 'What Would Marie Do'. Apparently, there are and have been some things that happen that they feel I wouldn't have put up with. Yeah, I had a reputation for not putting up with much crap. I told some friends yesterday that I worked with years ago, that I am and never have been a team player. They laughed and agreed. I really work best when I am in charge and can boss people around. It's a gift!

Today I was sealing some envelopes and thought to myself, 'I used to have people who did this stuff for me'.

Anyway, it was good for my ego to hear that they still miss me and wish I was back.

Temporary

Usually when you start a new job you clean off the desk,dust it off, clean out the drawers and organize in a way that is logical to you. As a temp, especially if the incumbent is returning, you pretty much have to leave things the way you found them. I'm finding this very difficult. But, I have no choice but to keep my hands off.

Working again is ok, there really hasn't been very much to do and I would rather be busy. The days are just dragging by. Hopefully, things will pick up.

I got to see Eamon on Sunday and we even took our nap together, just like old times. Ed cooked shish-kabobs and ribs, Amy made brownies (a Guess household staple) and we just sort of lounged around. Kim came over right after church and stayed a little while. Alan and Ely had to work, so they weren't around.

Amy took some pictures of Eamon eating ribs, hope she posts them soon.

Transitions

I read once that the only thing certain about life is that things will change. Since Amy has lost her job and doesn't need me to watch Eamon for a while, I've taken a temporary job at Samford. I'll work 1/2 day tomorrow and then all day Friday through July 14. It's hard to describe my feelings about this whole thing. Anger and sadness that my precious child lost her job. Happiness that Amy will have some time to spend with Eamon. Sadness at not seeing Eamon almost every day, he grows so fast and learns so many new things everyday. Pleased that I was able to get a temp job so quickly and that everyone I know at Samford seems to be genuinely happy that I will be back for a while.

Today, lunch with my good friend, Pat.

Nap Time

I found some neat fabric in my sewing room that I've had for about 5 years. I started to make a quilt for Eamon and then Amy suggested I make a sleeping bag. Well, I couldn't find a pattern for a sleeping bag but did find one for a nap map. Eamon liked it so much and I had so much fabric left over that I made another one so he can have one here and at his house. Here's some pictures, don't have any with him in it yet.

Here's a close up of the fabric.

This is the mat ready for use.


It rolls up and buttons and has a shoulder strap on top for easy carrying.



And, yes, it has his name on it.

Anonymous Matrimony

So, we attended two wedding on Saturday. It amazed me, as it has in the past, how impersonal some weddings are. I know it would be impossible for all ministers, priests, etc. to personally know all the couples they marry. But, how hard would it be to ask a few questions beforehand to find out a few things about the couple? For one of the weddings, the couple has asked the chaplain from their university to come to town to officiate. When I found that out, I thought, good, this will be good, he knows them. Well, maybe he knew them, but he sure didn't act like it. He told a story about a couple who always repeated their vows on their anniversaries, it was very touching. However, he never made any personal reference to the two young people pledging their love that day. Those types of weddings leave me feeling empty.

When Amy and Ed married, Father McDade made it his business to get to know them and, at the rehearsal dinner, asked people questions, so during the wedding he gave a very personal and touching sermon.

Ok, I guess I've preached about that enough. I'm going to the zoo with Amy and Eamon and a friend of Amy's and her baby and mother. Should be fun.

Let me tell you aout my grandkids...

No pictures today. Sorry. Nick has spent a lot of time with us this week and it has been so nice to have him with us. He went with me to take Eamon to 'swim' in the baby pool at the 'Y' yesterday but the pool wasn't cleaned yet. So, we came home and Nick got Eamon's plastic pool out of the garage and turned the hose and filled up the pool. Eamon got in and out of the pool and had a grand time.
Last night, Ely, Nick and I went to the dollar show and saw 'Taken'. Wow, I don't think I breathed from the time she was taken until the end of the movie. It was truly action packed. Enjoyed it so much, I'm checking to see what else is playing.
Nick went home this afternoon. Eamon went to visit his Auntie Rae with Amy for a couple of days. It's very quiet here. Thought I might get a lot done, but besides mopping the kitchen floor it didn't happen. Oh well, maybe tomorrow.

Heartache

I have to keep reminding myself of all the blessings that I have. I have three smart, hard-working, healthy children and two beautiful grandchildren. I do not live in an appliance box. I have a refrigerator door connected to a refrigerator that I can put notes on. Even though my 401K took a big hit, there is still some left. I've had two long term, great jobs in my life. I have some wonderful friends. My husband loves me.
My heart breaks when something bad happens to any of my children. I wanted so badly for them to have easy and happy lives, an impossible idea, I know. Some of you know that the nasty recession has claimed another victim in our family, which makes me very sad.
An old friend sent me some words of wisdom, out of the blue today. Here are some things I need to remember:

Life is not fair, but it is always good.
It's ok to get angry with God, he can take it.
Don't compare your life to others, you have no idea what their journey is all about.
Everything can change in the blink of an eye, but don't worry, God never blinks.
Whatever doesn't kill you really makes you stronger.
No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
Frame every so called 'disaster' with these words, 'In five years, will this matter?
Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
Don't take yourself too seriously, no one else does.
Believe in miracles.
If we all threw all of our troubles in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
The best is yet to come.
No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
Life isn't tied up with a bow, but it's still a 'gift'.

Dinner with a Friend

Last Thursday night I met my good friend, Pat, for dinner at Jackson's in Soho Sqare in Homewood. The weather was delightful and we were able to sit outside and have a leisurely dinner. It was good to just sit and visit for a while.

Back to Aldridge Gardens

Lee and I took Eamon to Aldridge Gardens Friday. He chased the geese and wasn't the least bit intimidated when one of them hissed at him. All went pretty well until we came upon a puddle and he wound up laying belly down in it. He's so funny around water, just loves it. So, we had to drag him away from the puddle to continue our visit.

We looked for the ducks but all we saw were geese and one snake. Where have all the ducks gone?

Supper Club

Saturday night was Supper Club night with Rick and Kathy and Ro and Ko. This month we met at Rick and Kathy's and Rick fixed Fajitas and Sangria. Dessert was plantains over ice cream. Yummy. Everything was great. After dinner we played Wii bowling and Ko won.
Supper club night is a very special event for us. We've all become so close over the last couple of years and we look forward to our time together.

CARROTS - Utensil or Vegetable

My biggest daily challenge is what to give Eamon for lunch. There are things he likes, but it might not be the right day for it. He may want mac and cheese today, tomorrow he might throw it on the floor.

Today I tried backed beans ---- not interested. Tried some yellow rice ---- no sale. Barbecued pork ---- not today. Baby carrots and ranch dressing, now this was a big hit. Well, the dip was a big hit, he used the carrot as a utensil to get the dip out of the bowl. Then he would lick the dip off and put the carrot back into the dip to get more. He also had some goldfish, but that's a given, he'll eat those anytime.

Now, what will I offer him tomorrow. Probably frozen pizza, that's always a winner!

Church Picnic

So, today was our church picnic and, yes, it rained all day. But, you have to understand that our church 'picnic' is held at the church and is mostly held inside. We got our barbecue and ate in the school gym. Usually, some people do eat outside, but it wasn't really an option today.

Amy, Ed, Eamon, Kim and Alan attended at sat with us. Felt bad for the little kids because there is usally a moon walk, fire truck, merry-go-round, etc. Most everybody played bingo after lunch. Alan won once but had to split the $25 pot with somebody else. Eamon enjoyed running back and forth on the bleachers with Papa close behind.

There was popcorn and cotton candy (which was very good, hadn't had any in years.) There was also a cake walk, but I didn't play.

Home chillin' now. Need to put down the computer and do some smocking.

Mother's Day

This is out of order, but I failed to post about Mother's Day. All the kids came over including Kim and Allen (except Ed, he was in Atlanta). Ely cooked jambalaya and Amy brought home made chocolate chip cookies. We played 'Last Word'. Alan took a nap on the sofa, he REALLY love our sofa. It was a great, relaxing day. Sorry, but I forgot to take pictures.

Breast Cancer Luncheon

Today I attended the breast cancer luncheon with my friend, Pat, who is a breast cancer survivor. Our friend Donna was there with her amazing mother, Frances. Pat's daughter, Amy and her sister Jane were also there. The food was very tasty, amazing for such a big event. All the breast cancer survivors got a prize, Pat got a great looking purse that her daughter seemed very impressed with. Donna won the center piece ----again this year because it goes to the person whose birthday is closest to the date of the luncheon. So, she may have to sit at another table next year!!! Just kidding.
It was very sobering to me to see the number of women who stood up that were breast cancer survivors. Too many women get this awful disease.
Ed was going to bring Eamon over after the luncheon but he fell asleep on the way here (Eamon, not Ed), so Ed took him back home to put him to bed. Since I have some free time, I guess I'll go upstairs and sew.

Red Hat Day

So, this morning Eamon spotted the red hat that his Aunt Dianne made for him and decided he needed to wear it.

Lunch with Old Friends

Today, Eamon and I had lunch at Chick-Fil-A with my friends Ronne and Mike. We used to work together and formed a great relationship. It's not often that you work with great people like them, it was a rare experience and I enjoyed every minute of it. We worked hard and had a great time doing it. We traveled a lot and had some wild times. The stories are all funny (especially when Ronnie tells them).
Eamon was great at lunch. Sat in his chair and ate french fries.
After lunch, we came home and took a 2 hour nap.

Wonderful day!

Dinner, Reading and Ribs

Kim and Allen came to dinner tonight, we hadn't seen them since Palm Sunday. Lee grilled ribs and chicken and made potatoes au grautin. I made bread pudding and a cake. Amy and Eamon stayed for dinner and Jenni came over. At Amy's suggestion, we put a candle in the cake and sang Happy Birthday because Jenni will be in Mandeville all summer and not here for her birthday. It's always fun when the family comes over.
Poor Eamon was up way too late and Amy called a little while ago to say he was up for two hours last night so she is letting him sleep and will bring him over later. So, I'm going to get some reading in before she comes. I'm reading 'Unlucky For Some' by Jill McGown. Not really crazy about her writing style but have decided to finish the book to find out 'whodunit'.
Oh, the Braised Short Ribs turned out great, I'll put in a link to the recipe later. I didn't follow it exactly and may change some things when I cook them next time. The key to the success, I believe, is to cook them for a long time so the meat just falls apart.

Weekend Update

There were openings at this weeks Sit and Sew so I got to go Friday night (which was great since I was sick last week). I started and almost completed two rompers for Eamon, all I had to do yesterday was the button holes and buttons. Did the same for one Amy had made last week, so now he has three new ones. We've already made him a bunch of shorts and I've put appliques on some t-shirts to match but have a few more t-shirts to finish up. I'll post some pictures when I get them all done.

Trying a new recipe today, Braised Short Ribs. I've eaten them before but have never fixed them. If they turn out good, I think I'll serve them at our next supper club.

Monday, April 27

We had our supper club at Ro's house on Saturday night and had a wonderful time. Food was excellent, as usual. Great to see everyone. Got to see their little grandson, Gabriel, for the first time. He is a precious thing.
I feel like I've finally gotten rid of my sinus thing and feel better than I have in over a week. Hooray.
Waiting for Eamon to arrive so we can play today.

Friday, April 24

Today, I went to a retirement luncheon for someone I worked with at BellSouth in Human Resources. He was the only man in the group and was always a delight. It was good to see him and other co-workers. It was a big boost to my ego when a couple of them told me that they enjoyed working for me and that after I left things were never as good. One lady told me I brought peace to the office. Nice to know someone has nice thoughts about me.

Went to Sit and Sew last night with Amy but this sinus thing was making me feel so bad I had to leave early and didn't get anything done. Feeling better now, but not fully cured. Seems like everytime Eamon gets sick, I get sick right after that. I guess because we swap spit all day long. Eating with Eamon is a group participation sport. Hope I can get cured by Monday morning.

Tonight is Supper Club with two dear couples, hope I'm feeling well enough to enjoy the good food and company.

My Days

For the past year, I've spent almost everyday with Eamon. It has been amazing to watch him grow and learn. Everyday he seems to pick up some new skill. Here are some of the things we do during the day:

We sing
We dance, he's recently added turning around to his dance steps. He's got some interesting moves.
We play in his kitchen where he pours coffee for me into my cup. We both then 'drink' from the same cup. I sit on the floor next to him while he moves all the kithen paraphenalia from one place to another in and out of the kitchen. The other day he got the container of dog treats out of the real kitchen and shoved them into his play oven. The kitchen came with plastic food - hot dogs, hamburgers, sliced cheese and bologna, etc. Even pretend peanut butter and jelly. Everyday, without fail, he bites each piece of food to see if it's edible. It wasn't yesterday, but let's give it another try today.
We eat breakfast and dinner and snacks in between. Lately, this has consisted mostly of yogurt and goldfish and cheerios. His choice, not mine. He insists on having his own spoon for the yogurt (usually the one that looks like a yellow crayon) and he digs into the yogurt and feeds himself while I slip spoonfuls into his mouth and try to retrieve the yogurt he's dropped on his clothes or his chin. By the end of each meal, we are both usually covered in yogurt.
When he starts to get sleepy, we watch Sesame Street that I recorded in the morning and we sit in the recliner and he usually falls asleep. Sometimes, if I'm tired to, we both just stay in the recliner and sleep. Other days I put him in his crib so I can get some things done.

I'll try to report from time to time as our activities change. I read somewhere that at 15 months old you could give them a crayon and let them 'draw' on a piece of paper. Well, he's more interested in eating the crayon and paper than drawing at this time, so we might try again next month. I love arts and crafts!

Ears and Phones - can you hear me now?

Yesteray was a interesting day. Eamon had a temp and I was trying to get ready to go meet Amy at the pediatrician's office, so I let Eamon play with my cell phone. Well, when I got it back it was covered in slobber and soon I found out that it was broken. I could hear people but they couldn't hear me. Luckily, it was time for a new phone anyway, which I got today.

Turns out Eamon had infections in both ears, poor little thing but he was very happy and pleasant in spite of that.

I had trouble sleeping last night (happens some times) so Ed came and picked up Eamon when he got off from the fire station. I hate that he had to miss the day of painting, but I was really exhausted.

Weather here is beautiful today, would you believe it is 86 derees? Sun is shining and there is a little breeze blowing.

Back to Easter

Here are a couple of pictures of Eamon's Easter outfit made by yours truly. The design on the collar is shadow embroidery. We have no pictures of Eamon in the clothes because he got into the dog food as soon as he got in from church and the clothes had to go into the wash. No permanent stains and I hope to have pictures of the child in the clothes at some point.

Thinks that make me laugh

Ed fed Eamon lunch today and it warmed my heart to see them play. The both had spoons and Eamon fed Ed while Ed fed Eamon. Later on, Ed put bananas on his head. Simple things, but made me laugh.

Zoo Class

On Wednesday, Lee and I took Eamon to his zoo class. Usually he goes with his daddy, but Ed had to work. The topic of the day was 'Black and White Animals'. They kids got to pet a chicken, a ferret, a hedgehog and a snake. They got to look at, but not pet, a porcupine. Eamon did very will, gently petting the animals. However, during any lull in the action he headed out the door to go exploring.

Afterwards, we rode the carousel. Eamon then wanted to go play in the water, but I wouldn't let him because it was too cool. He was not a happy camper about that. We ate lunch and strolled around the zoo for a bit before heading home. Eamon fell asleep right after we pulled out of the zoo parking lot.

Easter

We had a great Easter weekend. Johanna, Katie and Ellen all came to visit. The girls enjoyed playing with Eamon. Saturday evening Jenni, Nick, Sam and Collin came over and they all tie dyed tshirts. Later on they dyed Easter eggs. On Sunday, after church everyone helped plant flowers in the yard and now it looks great.

60th Birthday

Ok, so here is my first blog. Not sure what I'm going to do with this, but here I go. Time seems to go by so fast, so I thought maybe I should start some type of journal so I can remember what I've done. This certainly won't be a place where I will write down my most profound thoughts, because, quite honestly, I don't have any.

Today is my 60th birthday, doesn't seem possible because I'm sure I was in high school just last month. Yesterday was my birthday celebration and I was surrounded by family and friend. Well, the friends we actually Amy's and they really didn't come to see me, but to see Rachel's new baby, Juliana Kate, but it was fun to have everyone here anyway. My favorite times are when the house is full of people and food.

Lee grilled his delicious all-day ribs and some chicken. Jenni brought baked beans and chocolate cake and Amy and Ed fixed salad and mac and cheese. It was a dreary day weatherwise, but everyone seemed to have fun anyway. Eamon enjoyed playing with Rachel's girls, Evie and Rosie, but wasn't too impressed with the new baby.

Today is Monday and Eamon is here, but napping now. This is my time to read or sew or nap. I think I will go and work on his Easter outfit now. Not much left to do, but don't need to put off till the last minute.