Pictures of the newest Paige in our lives....

Ruth's beautiful daughter-in-law just added some 3 month pictures of her beautiful Paige to FB so I "snatched" a few for my own use. The more Ruth tells me about her daughter-in-law, the more I like her. It appears she is as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside which is quite pretty. Ruth and I are going to have a small adventure tomorrow afternoon and I'm looking forward to it. Will post pictures and details tomorrow. Isn't going to be all that exciting to anyone else but something we will remember. I'm always so happy Ruth and I have maintained our friendship over the years and miles even though long periods of times pass between our communications, we are only a phone call away from being 17 years old again. We liked each other immediately and I treasure our times together even more today. I might add a few more pictures of Paige tomorrow since her mom gave me permission to "snatch" them.

A Lovely Sunday .....

I love these eyes - they make me feel good. I'll have to say today has been what I can officially call a "good day" so far. I slept until 9:44am (yum) after which I had my first cup of coffee while I read the Sunday comics. BigD cooked one of his delicious breakfasts - eggs, grits with cheese and butter, bacon and biscuits with butter and raspberry preserves(double yum). I can't wait for Bentley to have one of BigD's breakfasts at the beach in August. He may have to take his Operation activites up a notch up each day to compensate. Sadly, I had to discard my peonies but Kurt sent me a picture of one he got from his yard. His caption on his txt msg said "every day can be Kurt day". Cute. Ruth called yesterday to say her Mom had her dig up some peony bushes and did I want them? YES! Not sure they will grow here but plan to try again. I might give one to Katarina in case mine don't grow - we can get flowers from hers. :-) Then I studied my WT for the meeting, folded some clothes and got ready for the meeting. We had an excellent speaker today and the WT study was very interesting. Eileen raised her hand twice and got to comment once. She is doing so well - it makes my heart swell to see it. Oh - I almost forgot - I got to the meeting today almost 15 minutes early! I know - unheard of but was nice to have time to visit with people I find it hard to get to after the meeting. Duh - the reason we are encouraged to get there early! You could feel that people were a little more relaxed today. Could it be because they don't have to go to work tomorrow? Maybe but it is also a gorgeous, bright day. I rode by GG's to give Pamalama the flash drive but she wasn't there - she came by a little later on her way to her sisters to pick it up. She brought back the dishes we left down there Friday night and we gave her the dishes we brought home. BigD is making BBQ chicken, cole slow and I'm cooking some taters to be mashed with butter and milk. YUM! Leah sent me a picture of Page's "cheart" - it is a piece of cheese she cut into the shape of a heart - ergo - "cheart". :-) Then she sent me another one of some nesting dolls they bought at the rock show. We love nesting dolls and these are cats. You can see how tiny they are beside Leah's hand. They always have fun at the rock shows and see all kinds of cool "stuff". She also said Kurt has tons of meat (steak, chicken, fish and franks) marinating and he plans to cook it all. BigD added a little something extra to the sauce today - not going to tell what. If he likes it and adds it again, we will wait and see what the kids think of it. Tasted good to me - oh yeah - I took a break and ate my dinner. The cupboard is bare as far as sweets go so I'm baking the roll of sugar cookies I bought awhile back to let Page cook - the expiration date is May 25th so that's close enough isn't it? So it is now 7:14 pm and the sun is just starting to move a little lower in the sky. Yep - I feel summer right around the corner. Hope the bride and groom have a wonderful honeymoon, that Roseanne's children all get home (or to the beach) safe and sound and that everyone out there has had a lovely Sunday also.......

Another wedding......

I wasn't sure I was going to be able to make it to this wedding for several reasons - one being my stomach not doing well these past few days. Since the wedding was out of town, I wanted to make sure I could get home before dark since I would be going alone. I also wanted to support the wedding party and families so decided I would be okay to go. I keyed in the address to my GPS for the fastest route and boy was that a mistake. I40 was not only under construction but it was jammed pack full of people heading down to the beach. I felt like I was going way out of my way to get to the address but my GPS got me there right after the wedding party had gone in. Everyone looked beautiful and I only got emotional two times. I was glad I missed them walking in because that would have probably made me tear up too. After the wedding, we were told the reception would be at 6pm so we all went to eat at Smithfield's BBQ. It was great to be with the entire McM family. I called Pat Clark Kent with his new spiffy glasses! It was so good to see him and his lovely bride. Everytime I see him I think the word - miracle! I know Roseanne was happy to have all her children and grandchildren with her. With all the turmoil she has experienced these past two years she has learned how strong not only she is but these wonderful adult children she had the privilege of raising and raising well. I got some great pictures of a lot of people but didn't get a single one of the bridal party. After we ate, we went over and sat in the garden of the reception hall until 6pm. After waiting until after 6:30, I knew I needed to get back on the road so I could get home before dark - especially since I had decided to take the "avoid traffic and highways" route. The reception hall was gorgeous! I would love to have a place like this for a special party one day. Even the bathrooms were elegant with marble everywhere and so clean. As much as I hated missing seeing the bridal party and enjoying some of the desserts, the trip home was lovely. Not only was it scenic, it was much faster. I had planned to pick up some Krispy Kreme doughnuts but they are still closed. BigD called and asked me to get him a ribeye sandwich from Fat Daddy's so I picked us up some dessert at the same time. I'll post a few more pictures to give an idea of the beautiful people who attended the wedding. The last one is a treasure I picked in the garden - my Mom's favorite flower - a gardenia. My dear Katarina - so talented and special in so many ways. Of course Keith and J from my KH - such handsome young men.



I love this one of Roseanne with our dear friends from the RTP congregation. I remember when I helped them with their wedding and now their daughters are both grown! It was so good to see both of them. Doesn't Roseanne look ravishing?
And then the dear brother on the left. I remember going on his and his wife's study with Cathy so many years ago when I was new in the truth. I told Roseanne
that he and his wife need to learn how to say No. They are always so helpful at parties and events.

....and then my gardenia -

Friday night at GG's....

Had a very busy day yesterday - an 8.25 hour day in service. Didn't plan it that way but studies take precedence - meaning you go when they let you - right? Got to spend time last night with some of my favorite people which is always nice. BigD must have been reading my mind because he called just as I was going to call him to say GG's youngest daughter was in town and he was thinking about making his famous seafood soup and some fresh shrimp and I said - "I was just going to suggest we go down to GG's to eat and drink some wine". Are we really getting that N'Sync? :-) I love this picture I got of her and her oldest daughter from the shower we gave last month. She asked me to bring my laptop so she could see the pictures I took of her daughter's wedding. GG is experiencing some major pain with her hip/back/leg and is on some serious medication for it which makes us all worry. She seemed to enjoy our visit and the good food, pictures and conversation. I told Pamalama to pick up a flash drive and I'll download the pictures to it. She just dropped it off but I just got out of the shower and am going to be getting ready for the wedding in a few minutes. Hopefully, I will have some nice pictures to share. Wish I felt a little better but maybe the good company will help.

Wednesday all day long.......

Recognize this? It's the huge, weighted hula hoop I purchased for quite a sum of money to exercise with and guess what? It still has the tag on it! Surprise, surprise! I have a picture of Page trying to use it that shows just how big it is. It looks nice against that wall though - don't you think? I think that picture is on my other computer so will add it later. The cable guy came at 7:00AM!!! He got everything working again so that makes us happy. Had a productive day in service today - all morning door to door with Gene, Gerl and a sister visiting her daughter from Buffalo, NY. We worked semi-country territory which was pleasant. Gerl went with me on my study with Shen and we enjoyed having it on her front porch. It was also nice to be with Keith for a little while. My dear friend has been having so much pain lately and some of it has come to a head so hopefully some healing can begin. I have a doctor's appointment in the morning and I'm not looking forward to it but plan to go ahead and face the music. Get it over with - maybe it will inspire me - yeah, right! Had a call from Ruth in Florida asking me to pick her up at the airport tomorrow afternoon. Her daughter and daughter-in-law purchased her a ticket so she could come be with her Mom for the funeral Friday. I'm glad she is able to be here even if it is for such a sad occasion. Inez looks good in the pictures doesn't she? We were planning to spend some time together later this summer but this visit will replace that. They are going to be very busy planning their trip to the Rodeo in Wyoming but I'm going to miss it. And yes Ruth, I snatched this picture also. I also love the one I posted of your Mom when she was much younger. Page has reminded me several times that your Mom's was one of the first responses she got for my Love Book several years ago.

21st Tuesday of 2010....

I know - it is almost Wednesday but I just remembered I was born on a Tuesday. Monday's child is fair of face, Tuesday's child is full of grace,Wednesday's child is full of woe,Thursday's child has far to go, Friday's child is loving and giving, Saturday's child must work for a living, But the child that's born on the Sunday, Is fair and wise and good and gay. I've had a busy Monday and Tuesday so far this week. We have the bed set up in my room but I can't find my second set of sheets! What's up with that? I am supposed to have two sets of white and one set of green and I can not find them. The whites I took off the bed are in the washing machine so I'm going to sleep in the back room again. That brings up another thing - now that I have my new mattress and box springs on my bed (not new but new to me), I'm not sure I'm going to get rid of the water bed (Soma tubes). I have slept so good back there and am not sure if it is the bed or being in the back room. Either way - I'm not taking it apart at this time - will wait and see what I decide and if I decide, want to wait until we are definitely putting it in the truck. That means we are living with a queen sized mattress and box springs leaning against the wall at the foot of the water bed. This house feels so small right now. I have boxes piled up to go through - yep - really am de-cluttering right now. We'll see how long that lasts. I got a very sad phone call this afternoon from my dear friend Ruth in Florida - her Mom's childhood friend died and she was wondering if I would go over to check on her - and OF COURSE I WOULD! She didn't even have to ask because as soon as she told me, I turned the car around and headed back to the KH so I could go over there to be with her for just a little bit. Ruth has known this dear woman her entire life and has so many wonderful memories of times spent with them - especially at the Lake. Gail and I went over but first I picked up some pretty white daisies for her. She had a vase and I got a picture with Gail's telephone but it isn't very clear. We all agreed that daisies make us smile and she needed something to smile about. We also shared with Gail that Ruth's granddaughter won the State Pole Bending Championship for Florida (Rodeo) and will be representing Florida in the National Competition in Gillette, Wyoming in July. Big trip and we are all very proud of her - such a smart young woman. We got our Internet back but still don't have the cable TV in either room BigD unplugged the TV's from the boxes and we have some cable in the living room - mine in my room just refuses to do anything - have had nothing but problems with that TV and cable since I've had it. I'll have to say I got quite a bit done while the TV was actually off - what does that say? Yeah - I don't really want to know right now - at least I have Internet again. My connection to all my friends and some family. And Katrina - the painting is by John Singer Sargent and I snatched this one too. Love the colors --- again....

Lazy day today.....

It has been a pretty lazy day today - washed a few loads of clothes, worked some crossword puzzles, studied for meeting, went to meeting (excellent speaker today), fixed some fresh asparagus and salmon, and now watching a movie on TV with BigD. This is one of my favorite paintings - love the colors. Page has a large print of it that Ruth framed for her. I also love this one - the dark colors with the wind catching the fabric. Notice the trees in the background bending to the wind also. Lovely. We just had a quick shower -hope it hasn't rained much between here and the coast. Eileen and her dear hubby are bringing us the new mattress Eileen is giving us. Was so hoping Fina would be at the meeting today but when I went to the back, she wasn't there. Color me sad. :-( It was nice being with everyone - even though I am still trying hard to hold on to my beach "persona" for as long as I can. When I left the KH, I cranked up my Motown by Michael McDonald CD and yep - could swear I smelled the ocean for just a second there. I love it when it comes up a sudden hard shower and then before the rain even stops good, the sun is shining brightly on the wet leaves and blades of grass. I was just telling Big D about our bunny rabbit. He was in the same spot this morning when I walked out to get the paper. We were laughing about how they think if they sit real still we can't see them. We love having our own little bit of wildlife in our yard. Makes us both so sad to see how they tear all the trees down for each development. Then they plant those pitiful little trees that don't hold up well. Just noticed what time it is so I'd better get busy on taking the mattress and box springs off the bed. Not sure where I will put the others ones yet. Argghhh.

Winding down.......

Had to share my beautiful peonies now that they are all opened up. Just spoke with Eileen who said their new bed is everything they wanted and more. The sale was so good they went ahead and purchased a new Queen mattress for the other room and are giving that old one to their daughter. It must have been a great sale. BigD called awhile ago to say they were on their way to Blue Point to get some clam chowder to go and were going to cook some shrimp and a few of the flounders they caught for dinner tonight. I'm sure it will be good since they are all excellent cooks. As I was dusting today, I noticed these stones I picked up on a beach in New Hampshire. I love stones - don't ask me why - I'm drawn to some of them. Page2 loves all kinds of stones also - her Dad used to fill his pockets with rocks when we were in service and her Mom has been collecting semi-precious rocks and stones for years and has helped her start her own collection. They go to the shows when they are in their area. These particular stones made up the beach - the sand was right at the water. It was odd for us to see people sitting in their beach chairs on the rocks but evidently is was perfectly normal for them. When I checked the mail yesterday, I found the satin roses - hair pin and corsage had arrived. I ordered them from an artist on Esty. I have several knitted ones and have enjoyed them on my coats and sweaters so thought I would try some for summer. The only disappointment was that I waited too late to get the corsage in the deeper pink. I do think I will enjoy it in lighter shade also though. As I sit here in my little living room surrounded by the things that bring me pleasure, my eyes rest on a painting I purchased at CenterFest downtown quite a few years ago. I took Mom with me and we both enjoyed slowly walking from booth to booth - a good memory. I fell in love with this painting and the artist was truly not charging enough - especially since it was already framed. As we were walking away, I noticed the signature on my newly purchased piece of art and went back to the booth to ask the artist a question - and it turns out she was the wife of my GYN!!! I was even more excited about this lovely watercolor of one of my favorite places - the beach I was just at this past week. Several years after this I asked my doctor if his wife was still painting and he said that she wasn't. She had taken up golf! Wow - if I had that talent, I don't know if I could just stop like that. I just remembered that I also bought a pair of unique earring and a necklace made of small, smooth stones - yep - I love them! So between the picture, the stones and the phone call from Eileen, I guess I'm still winding down from my beach trip - I can honestly say the relaxation and memories of this trip have lasted longer than some of my other trips. It was nice to know that Eileen, Gerl and  SheilaB have been feeling the same way - we are going to hold on to those feelings as long as possible.......winding down............

Saturday afternoon meanderings...

Okay - is this a good thing or a bad thing that I'm starting to see faces in trees and posts? I took this from the swing at Eileen's Retreat. Hey - that's not a bad name for her little piece of paradise is it? I might suggest that to her. I slept in this morning but not long enough. It has been a slow day so far of watching some shows I recorded using the cable box. I'm not sure this is a good thing or a bad thing. I just noticed my peonies are blooming out really full and beautiful - but as pretty as they are, they aren't going to last long I fear. I received a call from Page2 a little while ago. She asked me why Grandaddie betrayed us. When I asked what she meant, she told me he betrayed us when he didn't come up there with me a little over a week ago. Was it really only a little over a week ago? I explained that my short visit was a last minute decision and Grandaddie had to work. She said she had already talked to Page1 and was going to call Grandaddie next. I asked her where she was and she said in her room looking out the window. When I asked where her Mom and Dad were, she said taking a shower ---- together! Oh yeah - I don't think Mom and Dad were aware that she was calling multiple people to talk to. Should be interesting if they look at the number of calls she made.
I still love that little piece of hair sticking out of her helmet. She really was excited to see me - I'm glad her Mom didn't tell her I was coming. They love to see her get excited too. I told her we would be coming up shortly - maybe one day this coming week to bring the waterbed mattress for her Mom and Dad. Another reason I need to get up from here and strip my bed. That mattress is going to the back room to replace the waterbed and Eileen and her dear hubby are bringing me the one they replaced at her place with the new bed. I had just told BigD about a week ago that I wanted to get rid of the waterbed so I can move the bed easier. As it turned out, the waterbed I had given Kurt and Leah had sprung a leak so it worked out well for all of us. She is going to let me know if the box springs is okay and what size it is and we may only have to move the tubes and mattress itself. That would be great.

Back to reality .....or am I?

I'm not really back to reality because my mind is still down East for the most part.:-) As I was leaving for service today I noticed a new resident in our yard. We have very little in the way of woods left around out house these days. It seems like a dream when I remember how deep the woods were behind us. We always have at least one bunny that comes out into our yard during the summer. This little one sat very still as I got out to pick up the newspaper. We had a nice slow and easy day but I got to talk to quite a few people which was nice. Shen cancelled her study but I did get to have Fina's. Her little boys were so cute in their little shorts - they were going out after the study. I can't believe how much they have grown. I took a little longer lunch hour today which amazingly seemed to give me more energy for the hotter afternoon. After service, I drove over to where Roseanne works and gave her my crock pot (she is doing the meatballs for the wedding) and the little gift I brought her back from the coast. I didn't take a picture of it but it was a magnet shaped exactly like the one I got both of us with the Eiffel Tower on it but this one has a sea bird - lovely picture. After telling her how much I like her new purple cast I had to get on over to one of my favorite places - Wellspring (Whole Foods). Picked up a few favorites including some flowers. I purchased a lovely milk glass vase in one of my favorite shops at the coast and bought some pretty peonies to go in it. I wish I could have gotten the vase in a light blue or green but all they had was white. I love the perfect shape for small bouquets. I also bought some happy daisies just to brighten up the living room. As delicate and beautiful as the peonies are the daisies are just plain happy flowers. I put them right up there with buttercups (daffodils) for making me smile. SheilaB just called to see if I got back okay and to talk more about the trip. Gerl and I talked about our week during service today too - so maybe it's not reality yet.

EI Adventure - Last Day

Oh my - today was my last morning in this wonderful place. I rushed to get everything in my room packed so we could strip the bed and get ready for the delivery man to bring the new king size headboard and frame for the mattress Eileen is getting for her bedroom. After we got everything into the living room, we fixed a bite to eat and had our BS while waiting for the man to come. After the bed was set up I packed my car and sadly left. Idecided to set my GPS for the scenic route and it was wonderful. Beautiful countryside, small towns with lovely older homes and then in Trenton, I stopped to get a few picture of a place I think is beautiful. I love the Spanish Moss that hangs from many of these trees. I was talking to Mae while I drove home and describing the sights. Big D called to see if I was on the road and I could hear the wind blowing because they were on the boat fishing. I decided to follow the GPS route to the tee and was pleased when it took me right by one of my favorite Chinese Restaurants in Raleigh! When I worked in the Raleigh branch, I would order from this particular restaurant on a regular basis. It was nice to see the familiar sight of the unique sculpture out front. It was a nice way to end a lovely drive home on a beautiful day. Since I went to the meeting last night, I pretty much unpacked and got caught up on some paperwork. Eileen called to make sure I got home okay and I had to tell her of the few things I left behind. She had found most of them. We both got a laugh out of it. Her dear hubby was coming down today to purchase the mattress and get the new bed set up. She was so excited which made me excited for her. Ahhhhhhhhh.....

EI Adventure - Day Six

Adventure is almost over - and was over today for Gerl and Yvonne. It was a bittersweet morning with them packing and getting ready to go. After they got everything packed and taken to the car it was time to say good-bye. All of a sudden - the swings were empty. What a sad feeling. It was then time for Eileen and I to get dressed and drive into town to return the big yellow and orange sun she had purchased. She decided it wasn't right and we agreed it definitely cost way too much. She did purchase a king sized white wood and wicker headboard and frame. After that chore was done we drove across the street to Pier 1 Imports - I can't remember the last time I was in one of these stores but I still love them. We made a few small purchases during which time I had a total GERD attack - you know - the one that mimics a heart attack. Oh yeah - fun, fun. I had forgotten to take my Prilosec this morning so they got me a bottle of water and it passed. Then I took Eileen by Mae's two cottages so she will know were we will be in August when the whole family is down. As I was walking around the side of the cottage toward to the water - all I could do was fill my lungs with that fresh sea air off the water - she said she finally understands what I mean by the smell. Nothing like it. Then we rode down to the two shops I try to always come to when I am down and picked up a few things I have been wanting. After that - we realized we were running out of time and had to get home to get ready for the meeting tonight. We decided on a quick supper from Micky D's which was yummy. We got to the meeting early and our new friends Amy and her dear hubby sat beside us. The meeting was good with lots of participation. Eileen told me she was going to work on participating more now that she has been to the mid-week meeting too. So the time is fast approaching for me to say good-bye to Elvis and all the other characters I love here including the DQ where we got our second blizzard of the week!!!

EI Adventure - Day Five

Another full day today starting with having our coffee on the swings and then we had bacon, cream cheese eggs and toast on the good Italian bread for breakfast with Yvonne's good coffee. Gerl and I walked down to the beach to put our feet in the water. I hate it when I loan someone something and it looks better on them than me. What's up with that?I let her borrow one of my hats and she looks great in it! After the first shock of cold from the water, it feels good but not good enough to swim in yet. Eileen and SheliaB joined us and we all walked some. SheilaB has to be careful because of her knee and Eileen's hip bothers her. I did get a good picture of them though. We have been having to put up with the jets from Camp Lejeune flying over our area all day long. We think they are training but it is so loud because they are flying so low. Then Gerl insisted we take one of us to send to my sister and her sister who work together where Gerl used to work too with a note saying - Missing You! Oh yeah - they are just going to love that aren't they? After awhile, we all went up to the benches on the walkway and enjoyed the ocean breeze and the sound of the waves (when the planes weren't flying overhead). We came back and sat on the swings with Eileen and Gerl riding the bikes from time to time. I pulled some of my CD's and we cranked up some music, popped some wine and Corona's and at one time, me, Gerl and Eileen were dancing away. SheilaB got a video but can't share it for some reason. We all looked good in it if I do say so myself - at least I think we did on that tiny screen with my not so excellent eyesight any longer but in my "mind" we looked "good". :-) SheilaB and Eileen came inside to get supper started - Eileen wanted to see how she makes her baked spaghetti. We weren't ready to eat yet so we sat, swang, danced, and listened to music. Oh yeah - we do so know how to chill out. We keep saying we need to get a good picture of all four of us together but that isn't going to happen tonight unless you count this one of Gerl and SheilaB on the deck. Personally I love it. We hated to come inside - the breeze from the ocean felt so good while we sat under the trees and did the "tres in da win" thing. Of course little Daisy has had it made this week between me and Eileen holding her constantly. Of course, she always wants her Mama but when Mama is busy, I'm a good second best. As a result, I haven't had to miss my Miya too much since Daisy's hair is covering my black pants just like Miya's does. Such a sweet little dog - I will miss her. Of course Eileen had to show everyone her "walk the dog" hat.

BigD and Miya have been on a mission.  Evidently there is a small mouse in the house and he said Miya runs up and down the hallway all night looking for it. One day when I called, he held the phone to her ear while I talked

to her and he started laughing. When he got back on the phone, he said she was rubbing her face all up against the phone as I was talking.

Sweet baby girl. Gerl and SheilaB go home tomorrow and tomorrow will be my last whole day. Not a happy thought so will shelve it until I have to think about it.

Sweet, Sweet Dixie. She know who the princess is here.