THIS WEEK

We had a great supper club gathering last Saturday night. I fixed Pastalaya (using Emeril's recipe) and everyone said it was great. Lee baked his Sour Cream Pound Cake and we ate that for dessert with fresh strawberries and real whipped cream.

Sunday was our church picnic. Of course, our version of a picnic is you get your food, go in the gym and eat it and then play bingo. Amy spent some time outside with Eamon as they had some bouncy things and a train for the kids to play on.

This week has been pretty uneventful. We're heading to New Orleans this afternoon so we can go to Katie's dance recital tomorrow night. I'm hoping my gall bladder takes the weekend off, or else I will be miserable.

HEY!

Yesterday evening, my anniversary, Lee went to the ballpark to sell beer for Jesus. What can I say, I don't want to come between my husband and his religion. So, on my way home from work, I called Amy and we met near Eamon's day care at Jim and Nicks for dinner. While the waiter was trying to take our order, Eamon kept trying to get his attention. He said "Hey,....Hey....Hey....Hey'. The guy kept ignoring him. Finally, Eamon starting tapping him on his arm saying 'Hey'. The guy looks down at Eamon who then says 'Daddy drive fire truck'. I guess he felt like the guy really needed to know.

FROM THE WOODS

News from the woods is that they are both fine. Nick will be done with his part of the trip on Sunday in Boiling Springs, PA. His aunt will pick him up and he will fly home on Tuesday. Ely will continue on. I've spoken to him a couple of times and he sounds great. I'm thinking maybe he should just live in the woods, he seems so happy there.

In the mail

So, yesterday in the mail we got an invitation to a high school graduation. So nice of the family to think of us, unfortunately, I have no idea who the child is. I swear! I just can't figure it out. Then I wondered if I should just send a check in case it's somebody I really should know and am just having a senior moment. Then I wondered if this might be a money making scheme by some senior. Just think, you order a couple hundred extra graduation invitations. You pull up some random list of names from some random place from the internet, it's easy enough. Mail them out and chances are about 25% of them will send you a card and some money, just in case they know your parents and don't want to hurt their feelings. Think about it. This could be true. Meanwhile, if anybody knows Chelsea from Kenner, let me know.

Is it the middle of May already?

Time seems to be flying by so fast. Seems it took months (or was it years) for Ely's graduation to get here and now it's history. Ely and Nick are out on the trail. They crossed into Pennsylvania on Sunday. Today they should get the first package I've ever sent to 'General Delivery'. Ely needed his sleeping pad and his long underwear pants.

We had Kim and Alan's baby shower Saturday night. I cooked red beans and rice and pastalaya and everyone seemed to enjoy them. Amy made a diaper cake that was very cute, she decorated it with receiving blankets. Kim and Alan are so sweet, I'm so glad we could do this for them. Harry and Debbie and Kelly and Alan's Aunt Kim all came in from Louisiana for the event. Kim's mom, Sandra, drove in from Mobile. Wehad brownies and eclairs (E. Claire's) for dessert. The eclairs were in honor of baby Emily Claire (aka E. Claire).

My New Car

Have you seen my new car? I got it a few months ago and just love it. The other day I took it to the car wash and was a wreck the whole while afraid that they were going to damage it. When I left I found some smears by the radio and turned around and went back and made them buff them out.

Report on the Sister's Lunch

Ok, so they gave us a little chicken breast (maybe from a sparrow), a little rice and a bunch of salad greens that might have been in the vicinity of some salad dressing at some point, but not very close. Water to drink, no tea. After we finished lunch, one of the ladies at my table asked about dessert was told that the two pieces of candy in the little box at each place was our dessert. Well, then what was the damn spoon for? We didn't even get coffee. I left there hungry and had to stop at McDonald's to get a McFlurry (really could have eaten a burger and fries, but I didn't.)

Ok, in case you are inclined to remind me it was for a good cause, I do know that, but I would have been $40 instead of $30 for some extra food.

Got back to campus and spent 10 minutes and a gallon of gas trying to find a parking place. There was one right next to the building but our campus mail guy had it blocked. I drove around and came back, he still had it blocked. Parked a block and a half away, trudged up hill in the heat to find, yes, you know it, the place was now open!!!!!

Ok, I must go now and put together a grocery list for Ely's party.

Sister's Luncheon

I'm headed to the Sister's Luncheon for breast cancer in a little while. Meeting my friends, Pat ( a cancer survivor) and Donna there. In previous years it's been at They Club and the Wynfrey, but this year is at B&A Warehouse in town. Not looking foward to parking and catching a shuttle bus to the place, but that's the plan.

YES, I KNOW IT'S BEEN MONTHS

I haven't had much inclination to write since Johanna passed away in early March. So much sorrow. Didn't know I could hurt that much. I guess we've been lucky or blessed or whatever you believe in that we haven't had much tragedy in our lives. This was truly the hardest thing I've ever had to deal with in my adult life.

However, life does go on. Spring has been beautiful in Hoover, the flowers made a great show this year. Wish I could keep them all year long, but alas, my azaleas have seen better days.

Most of you know that Amy is expecting again, this little one will join us around Thanksgiving. We've asked Eamon several time if Mommy has a baby in her tummy and he just laughs and says, 'nooooooo' and shakes his head. He's just too cute. Poor Amy has been sick again with the pregnancy and I'm hoping it doesn't last much longer. If she loses any more weight she'll be buying smaller clothes instead of maternity clothes.

Ely will graduate this weekend and then he and Nick will take off for Harper's Ferry, WV to begin the AT hike. Nick plans only to do two weeks and then come home. Ely will hike until he has to get back to start grad school in Huntsville in August or until he breaks something, whichever comes first.

Party at our house Saturday night after graduation. Come if you can.

Jenni has picked up some extra work at a place called the Puzzle Piece, she'll be working with autistic children and is very excited about this. She certainly has a special gift.

I'm sewing again, another thing I just wasn't able to make myself do for months. It sure feels good. I'm working on a special gift for someone's baby but I won't say what it is because she might be reading this.

I'll try to be better with posts in the future.