NANA NOTES

BACK IN THE BABY BUSINESS. . .

Well, I wonder how many people that title shook up!!  We are in the baby business but not the human kind.  Jody brought me a baby deer yesterday afternoon.  It seems that someone in Abita Springs had the mom and she died after she gave birth.  They were too busy to care for the baby so Jody spoke up and said his Mom would take it.  Yes, I have "sucker" written across my forehead!  You know how much we love to feed baby animals and we didn't get any last year. ( Rosie and Reba still come around out back but no longer come to the house.  We can't wait to see if they have babies this summer.)  Anyway, I took "ARBY" and he immediately felt at home. I was up at 3:30 this morning feeding him and brought him to the house.  He's eating about 2 ounces of milk every three hours and "doing his business" just like he should.  We're doing great.  You notice I said HE so I'll have to be careful with him when he gets older.  Fenn's will love me for the next six months--my milk bill will be HUGE!!  Magic (the cat) isn't sure what's happening and he took off running when he saw him this morning.                      Ed brought company home for lunch today from Jackson--I don't know what they thought about a family that had a deer in their house.  Welcome to Cotton Branch!

"I've Been to the Mountain". . .

While I was away "doing nothing" at the beach Ed was in Colorado doing a little bicycle riding.  I may have mentioned that more than once in my writing while I was gone.  He rode 419 miles in six (6)days and two of the mountain peaks were over 10,000 feet.  He also mentioned 12 % grade which to me is almost straight up!  He's been "training" for this since January--loosing weight, eating right, drinking barrels of juice and gatorade and putting in lots of miles on his bike.  To say that he was anxious about the ride is putting it mildly.  By Thursday night I was ready for him to get on the plane!  He didn't want to talk much on the phone other than to let me know he got there until after the first ride on Sunday.  After that we talked everyday--mostly right after the ride to let me know he'd made it and was ok.  I'm very proud of Ed for doing this.  He's always done whatever he set his mind to do and I expected him to finish this ride.  I had all the confidence in the world that he would.  I loved having him call me sounding like a little boy who had just opened his Christmas presents with the excitement in his voice.  The guys in his group were a good match; they were compatible and helpful to each other.  They were friends.  I asked for prayers for Ed on Sunday before he left, and he said that he felt them each day on the mountain.  When you see him on his bike around the county just know that this man "has been to the mountain" and loved it!

MY GIRLS---

Sunday when everyone (but Josh who is in Washington State and Abbey who was at a friend's house) was together I asked Jody to take a picture of me and my girls. Jennifer is my daughter and Tiffany is my daughter-in-law, but they are both "my girls".  With a total of nine children between them we don't have much time to spend doing "girl things" together, but I always know they are close by and will help me if I need it.  I look forward to the day when we can do "girl weekends" together and go somewhere fun.  By the time the children get old enough for us to do that, I may be too old to move or they may have to push the wheel chair.  Somehow I think they'll be game and we'll go.

MY DAUGHTER AND MY FRIEND!!

How do you like my new blog header?  What a surprise!! Jennifer and Lindey did this for me as a surprise for my birthday last week and totally rocked my socks off!  I couldn't have planned anything any better (that's the truth).  I LOVE IT!!!

Sunday we had birthday dinner celebrating for Tiffany and me.  We each had our own cakes.  Mine was a Dairy Queen ice cream cake (which I LOVE!!)

and Tiffany's was a homemade caramel cake which she requested. We all decided that it's not what you look like on the outside but what's on the inside that counts.  The caramel cake was to die for--I wish she had taken it home with her.  It was not pretty but, oh, man ---

We hadn't been together in a while so there was lots of talking and catching up.  I even got the kids together for a picture.  Check out the KIDDO section for the new shot.

A Birthday Surprise from Lindey

Mom,

I hope you don't mind that I asked Lindey to help me w/ your blog header.  She was more than up to the task and was just as excited as me about surprising you w/ your new design on your birthday.  I dropped the ball and didn't check my email so I'm late getting it changed over, but I hope you like it anyway.  Lindey gets all the credit.  All I did was send her the picture.  Isn't she just amazing?!  Sooo, Happy Birthday from Lindey!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!

Yep, today's my birthday!  I'm as old as Ed and Libby.  And--I'm glad to be there.  I've had calls from several relatives and friends, Jennifer posted on her blog and Libby gave me a present.  We're going to Outback to eat later this afternoon and taking a scrapbook class tonight.  We keep saying we don't want to go home. We leave tomorrow.  It's been a great birthday week.  Sunday we'll have birthday for Tiffany and me at the house.  That will be fun too.  Happy Birthday dear Nana, Happy Birthday to you!!

ANOTHER GREAT DAY AT THE BEACH

We had a terrific day.  The sun was at it's best.  Yogurt and fruit with homemade granola started our day and then off to the beautiful sand and water. There were several people on the beach and I told Libby to head wherever she wanted--she could go over by this group of children of by this older woman.  I felt a slight tug of the buggy away from the children toward the older woman and laughed.  We got our chairs and umbrella set up and settled in for the day.  The camera came out and I told her that there would be NO pictures of us on the blog.  We would do FEET ONLY!!  You just have to take our words for it that we had on swim suits!! We had fun in the water digging for shells and found some pretty ones.  You get a work out trying to keep yourself from being knocked down by the waves but it's good exercise.

There's a special day coming tomorrow.  I'll tell you about it then.  In the meantime just look for the bright colors on the beach. (That's not either one of us in the picture in the water!)

The days are going by too fast. BTW--Ed called and said he made it today.  He had just finished and couldn't talk long.  He wanted to wait till he had rested some before he gave me the "real" long story of the day.  Thanks for the prayers.

Jennifer, here's one water picture.  I thought it was neat.  They are harder to get than you think.  This is the fountain at the condo.

IM SO "TOADALY" LAID BACK

I forgot I had my camera with me.  When Jennifer said take "water" pictures for the Heidi Swapp contest it reminded me.  Today was a glorious day--Libby and I had a good breakfast and headed for the beach.  The breeze was awesome; the sun was terrific and then these two girls from Switzerland came up and one had on a THONG!!! Of course she only weighed 100 pounds and probably not over 20. The other girl came over and asked me (as best she could in broken English) if there were any sharks in the water.  I told her as far as I knew there weren't--lots of folks were in the water--and off they went.  ANYWAY--at the condo we collect frogs--and the other day I found this one to surprise Papa.  It has on a crown and he's so cute.

My game will be to see how long it takes him to notice it.  BTW--his ride today went well. His legs gave out in the middle part of the ride but he managed to hang on and finished well.  He was going to get a massage when I talked to him.  Tomorrow is a very big day--80 something miles and two 10,000 foot peaks to climb.  Please keep him in your prayers that he will stay well and be safe.

Back to the beach tomorrow if Libby didn't get too much sun today. I'll try to get those "water" pictures for the Heidi Swapp contest!!  And no THONGS!!!

WE'RE TOTALLY

relaxed and ready for the beach.  Ms Charlotte left today and we did a little housekeeping.  That and a little shopping.  I replaced the shower heads in two of the showers and we had wonderful grilled chicken salad and baked potato for supper.  We watched two movies (recommended by a friend and the lady at the movie store--both were bombs).  Tomorrow is BEACH day and so is the rest of the week.  I am so totally ready for that.  I've been talking to Ed everyday and he's having a great time in Colorado.  His ride on Sunday wasn't what he wanted it to be but today was wonderful.  His confidence is back and he's ready for the rest of the ride.  When I see him on Saturday he'll be skinny and I'll be brown.  Oh, well, tan chunky looks better than white chunky!!

WHAT A LAZY DAY. . .

Three girls at the beach and we haven't seen the sand yet!!  Today was spent being LAZY!  We were just flat tired from yesterday.  We ate a late breakfast and watched movies all day.  That was when we weren't talking or working SODUKU puzzles or scrapbooking.  I have to tell you that Libby has introduced me to these *&%$ puzzles and I think I'm getting addicted.

They didn't look that hard and I picked up a book at the book store when we were shopping.  I promise you, you can't put it down.  It says "EASY" but that's a crock!!  I told her I was not liking her at all at this point.

Tomorrow is Sunday and we'll try for the beach.  We had to get Ms Charlotte on the sand before she leaves.  I'm feeling the need for some SUN!!

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE. . .

THREE WOMEN TO DRIVE TO ORANGE BEACH?!  Well, let's put it this way--we left at 5:30 am this morning and we got here about 5:30 pm tonight!! Lots of laughing along the way; breakfast at Starbucks ( frappuchinno and blueberry scones); shopping until 2:00 pm; lunch at Panina Bread; stopping at Burris' for peaches; then to the grocery and on to the condo!!  We had planned to cook in but the grill had been left outside and it was RUSTED so we had to drive into town to get a new one since our beloved Al's 5 & 10 had burned to the ground.  While we were there we thought we'd just get a Back Yard Burger and be done with it.  More laughing and back to the condo where we are safely tucked in for the night. We should sleep soundly and late in the morning.  If I listen closely I think I hear the beach calling.  Good night.

Some Computer Time---

I was going through my junk mail yesterday and saw the cutest plaque.  I thought, "I can do that on the computer."  So I spent an hour recreating it.  Of course mine doesn't look exactly like the one I saw but it's pretty darn close and it means the same.  Friends are important to me and I have many that are special.  This is for all of you. 

A little housekeeping--On the Finishing Touch post I said "Dana Case" and it's Donna Case--sorry.  Cookie and I went back this morning and it is still wonderful.  Lots of gorgeous plants.

Fun Day Outside. . .

Finishing Touch Design Club met Tuesday.  We went to Buds and Blooms Nursery and Smith's Hydroponic Greenhouse in Brookhaven.  Both places were a first for me although I've eaten Smith's tomatoes forever.  The weather was wonderful--the coolest breeze--just perfect for toodling around in greenhouses looking at beautiful plants.

Dana Case has her nursery "fixed up" in the cutest "rooms".  You know how much I love YARD ART and this girl has it!!  If you can't tell, this is an "outhouse" complete with potty!!  How cute is that!!   There were brick walkways and signs and birdhouses EVERYWHERE.  I was using Delores' camera and the batteries ran down.  I will never again go anywhere without MY camera!! After leaving there we went to Smith's Greenhouses where we saw huge and beautiful tomatoes and lettuce being grown hydroponicly (in water without dirt--for some of you who don't know that!!).  I wanted to pick and eat right there.  Another house had squash, cucumbers, and beautiful flowers.  We all wanted to start growing things right away.

Lunch was calling--even though it wasn't The Old General Store as we had planned.  Cracker Barrel welcomed us and after wonderful salads and much laughter and conversation, we left for home.  A bit of a break in the usual routine--it was fun!

IN SEARCH OF. . .

the elusive PINK dragonfly!!!  Ed and I went fishing Saturday.  There were dragonflies EVERYWHERE! Blue ones, green ones, black ones, small ones, big ones and yes, even  PINK ones.  I had never seen those.  My first thought was, "Oh, I wish I had my camera!"   We fished a while and I watched with awe at the beautiful colors.  Today after lunch and reading the paper we decided to ride around the farm.  I told Ed I would take my camera so we could snap the  dragonflies.  Oh, yeah!  We looked and looked and saw all kinds.  I never knew there were so many.  And they were so beautiful.  But where was the pink one?  We kept looking and I kept taking pictures--I am learning to love that!!  Oh, there is a blue one! We kept riding and all of a sudden Ed says, "I see one, get out of the truck."  I got out very quietly and, oh, my gosh--there it was--the beautiful PINK dragonfly !! 

Now this may not sound very exciting to you but the whole time I was taking these pictures, I was climbing over the seats moving from one seat to the other in Ed's truck,  That in itself is a huge laugh (at least to me!)  Thanks for chasing the dragonflies with me Papa.

Trip to the Movie "CARS"

Libby called on Friday and suggested we take the kids to see a movie.  They wanted to see CARS and I thought that would be a good idea since I love kids movies.  We loaded up her grandchildren and three of mine (Ryan thinks he is too old and the girls were in Texas and Amanda had the boys) and off to Brookhaven we went.  We got there in time for me to snap a shot of the five unwilling subjects and buy LOTS of popcorn and HUGE cokes and candy.  We got settled in our seats and laughed a bunch.  Sam and Leigha went to sleep; Spencer and Ben sat on the front row; Graham and and Libby and I had a blast.  Libby asked me on the way over, "Why do we do this?"  It's because WE like the movies!!! 

Out Stampin" Up. . .

The Stampin' Up Girls meet the second Thursday of each month to "collect" stamps and supplies for our hobby.  We enjoy a time of fellowship and lots of laughs while we make cards and stuff!  Our group is growing and I've gotten to spend time with some people that I've known for a long time but not spent much time with.  Having things in common bring you together.  We met last night and I took my camera.  Amy said she'd have to sign a release if I used her picture.  The others didn't mention that so here goes.  Tina, Sharon and Joanne got right to work.  Joanne always works fast and finishes quick.  Tina is new but seems very interested.  Sharon is totally hooked and wants to be a "scrapper" too.   Nell and Kathy are died in the wool "scrappers".  They get every tool and every paper you can think of.  Cookie is new to the stampin' thing and is learning to "collect" very quickly.  Our discussions center around the latest new stuff and where you get it.  Ebay is often mentioned because they're always looking for a bargain.  What a fun group!  Thanks, Tammy for starting us up!

"Good Morning Glory"

Ever since I can remember whenever I see someone I say "good morning glory".  I have always loved Morning Glories.  My mom had them and so did my grandmother.  I've wanted to plant them and this year I finally did it.  I bought a trellis just for the occasion.  This morning Ed and I were sitting outside while he drank his coffee [I'm not old enough, you know :) !] and the morning glories were in full bloom.  The reward for so little effort was wonderful.  We enjoyed our little quiet time---The birds singing, the donkey braying (lol), the peacocks squawking, and Ed got a good back scratch.  Oh, the joys of country living.

A GOOD WAKE-UP. . .

Jennifer woke me up this morning at 6:30 am and said "let's go pick peaches." :)  That was after she turned me down yesterday and I guess I made her feel guilty!!!  I rolled out of bed, put on the same clothes I had worn yesterday and off we went.  She even brought me a biscuit to eat on the way.  The PEACH PLACE opened at 7:00--we got there at 7:10 and there were cars and people everywhere. Off we went with our buckets and baskets after asking the lady what to look for in a good peach.  It didn't take long to get the hang of it and boy was it fun.  I even found Jennifer in one of the trees.  We ended up picking 106 pounds of gorgeous peaches--in all stages of ripeness.  You can't have enough when it comes to Graham, Ben and ME!!  We had a good morning, some Mother/Daughter time and we will all enjoy the fruits of our labor.

I've already got some cut up with sugar (Splenda) on them and I hear the ice cream freezer cutting off.  Gotta go enjoy those peaches.

Slow Day. . .

Today is Tuesday and so far this week has been a bit slow.  Yesterday I took the boys to pick peaches only to find the "peach place" closed.  That was after I had made a trip to Magnolia to work on Master Gardener files with the Extension secretary who was out sick and no one called to tell me. Two useless trips!!  That night I played bridge and WON!!  I got a neat prize and had a terrific dessert from Paula Dean's cooking show that Libby is totally hooked on so the day ended up OK!  Today I had my hair cut, went to see Mom at the nursing home and went to the post office to mail all the graduation gifts.  When I came home Linda had four bushels of butterbeans.  I managed to keep busy until she had finished washing, blanching, cooling and bagging them.  I did have to go to town and be with Ed when he had his doctor's appointment that I had scheduled.  I wanted to make sure that he was A-OK for this "Ride the Rockies" bicycle ride he's doing in ten days.  He's been riding about 500 miles a month and for this ride he'll do 419 miles in a week.  I came home and wrote checks to pay bills and Cookie and I are going to a class at my favorite Snap and Scrap tonight.  We should have fun.  Tomorrow I am going to try the peach thing again and take my car to Brookhaven for a tune-up and a new windshield.  Life in the fast lane.  Sometimes I get dizzy trying to keep up!! I'm having almost as much fun as Jennifer--cleaning the ice out of her freezer!!  Have a great week.

NEWSFLASH!!

"THE" call came this morning!!  Sam "pooped" in the potty.  Now you may wonder why I'm excited about that.  We have had a baby in our house for the last 35 years.  I have been buying diapers for that long.  I will be able to take a trip with the money saved when I don't have to buy diapers.  For the last 14 years I have kept Jennifer's children before they went to school.  Sam is fast approaching kindergarten (which is traumatizing his Papa) and for the first time we could be having "empty nest".  Ok, it's bittersweet.  But, woohoo Sam!!  Nana's proud of you for going to the potty!!  No more diapers and wipes!!  (Needless to say--there are no pictures for this post!!)