Royal fun and frivolity

The royal princesses, pausing for a photo op:
Back row:  Faith, Amy, Haley, Traci
Front row:  Haley, Joan, Joy, Ansley, moi, Macey


Joy brought scrumptious red velvet cupcakes, and decorative British flags for the royal occasion…




And under this “crown” was a to-die-for rum cake.  Empress Bee, wish you had been here!


Lovely young princesses…they will surely remember this wedding as being FUN!

A small party crasher…actually two wee lads came over to see their big cousins…and eat cake!

Haley and Traci.  These two have been co-teaching together for so long they can finish each other’s sentences.



A big party crasher -  Brian, giving Duchess Kate his own hug and kiss.  What a nut!

Joy even brought Will & Kate paper dolls for the young princesses to enjoy.  And they did.

It was a very fine wedding party.  Thanks to everyone  attending, and for all the great contributions!  We’ll have to do this again, minus the wedding part.  What shall we celebrate next time?

How about friendship?!!!  That works any time, y’all!

Historic day in England; celebration in Mayberry

So now the young couple is married, “the kiss” has happened, and now they can relax a bit and let their hair down.  Well, if royals ever let their hair down…I think Will and Kate are doing just that, which will surely change the fabric of the monarchy for the future…in a good, less stuffy way.

Who got up at 4a to watch it?  Not me, unlike what Haley and I did way back in ‘81 when we got up at o’dark thirty to watch William’s parents get married, live on TV.  TIVO had not been invented way back then!

Dick, Haley, and I have been to Westminster Abbey.  We love seeing all these historic places and events, even on TV, so I had Dick TIVO this wedding.  I want to share this event with Haley, and now her two daughters, and Amy (who was a toddler at the time of the other wedding)…and some other gals tonight.

We are having our own “royal wedding'” party on our deck tonight to watch this historic event at our leisure.  If any of you princesses are in the neighborhood, drop by. 

Tiaras are optional, y’all!

Safe and sound

The storms that have been devastating several states for the past few days moved through North Georgia last night.  Thirteen known dead in Georgia thus far, and about 125 in Alabama.  Many schools in NW Georgia are closed today due to damage, no power, or blocked roads.

We moved vehicles under cover last night, as it looked like our area might at least get hail damage, then we both stayed up late watching the weather news and monitoring the storm progression.  All the bad stuff danced south of Mayberry, so we only got rain and thunder…no damage.

Our hearts go out to all those who have lost family, friends, homes, and businesses as this storm careened across our country.  Seeing the devastation on TV is truly heartbreaking.  Dick’s niece and family in hard-hit Birmingham only lost power for a little while, and have a lot of litter in their yard this morning…small price to pay in the scheme of things.

So the sun is shining here in paradise this morning.  There is no angry wind blowing, the water in the lake is peaceful outside…we are safe and blessed.

Life is good, y’all!

Beautiful surprise

Right next to our driveway, here, close to the house... I just spied this Lady's Slipper sitting there, all alone. Who knew?!

Welcome to the neighborhood, my beauty!

Tuesday stuff

Who knew nail polish came stacked in a tower?  It sure was a big hit with the birthday gal, as was her CAKE, both at church and then at home.  That’s double cake!  Empress Bee would like that.

Well, Joy and I got the BSP scrapbook pages all finished, then began the process of putting the pages into the scrapbook.  Rut roh…it wasn’t big enough to hold all the pages we had.  Fortunately, Haley had an extra scrapbook on hand, so I drove over and picked it up, then back to work we went.  It’s a biggie, and I know Marie is gonna love it when we present it to her tonight at the Founder’s Day dinner.

It chronicles a whole year of our chapter’s activities…programs, parties, and fun stuff.

Neither Joy nor I plan to be on the scrapbook committee again any time soon!  Heck, we both have too many projects of our own that need completing!

By the way, what are YOU doing to preserve your own family’s memories?  Don’t let all those photos be “strangers in a box.”

Have a terrific Tuesday, y’all!

Scrappin’ kind of day

Joy and I are two ladies on a mission—to finish the scrapbook for our chapter.  Period.

Paper cutter – scissors – glue dots – glue tape – ink pads – acrylic and wood stamps – photo album – page protectors - lots of craft paper – ribbons – stickers -------between us, we’ve got it all.

We have a deadline.

We are determined.

We are organized.

We will…………..…just DO IT!

And it will be a memorable history of a whole year of our sisterhood…to be presented to the past president for safekeeping.

Have a little fun today.  Joy and I sure will.  Happy Monday, y’all!

Happy Easter!

Alleluia! Christ is Risen!

I wish for each of you a very blessed Easter Day.

And a very Happy Birthday today  to  sweet Macey.  May you be blessed with all good things in your life, now and always.  You are loved very much, honey girl.

Life is grand!

Haley ziplining

Haley ziplining

Haley couldn’t let her girls outdo her, so she swapped her good shoes for a pair of my Crocs and off she went!

You step into a body sling, and then the long attached strap is clipped onto the trolley overhead, so there is no danger of dunking into the lake…unless you instead use the T-bar to sit on.  Then you can drop into the water from that…which I’m sure the kids will be doing this summer.

I need to turn my iPhone the other way and see if that works better.  Who wants to be my next movie star???

Life is short…make FUN of it, y’all!

Fun for all ages.

Dick being Dick

Note the wrapped leg. I am pretty sure this is not what the doc meant when he told Dick to elevate it, but I may be wrong...

Check this out.  Just posted the video:

http://youtu.be/uNZBNJb9QSY

Special note update:  No, Dick did not go IN the water.  He landed on the other side with wet feet!

Rut roh…

Dick has an owie.  He has had a pain in his L calf off and on.  When he walked in the door with an incredible limp and I discovered  that this has been going on for a WEEK, well…off to the doc he went yesterday.  Note to self:  don’t ever let MM go to the doctor alone again.

He has a torn muscle behind his knee.  On the ‘good’ knee.  Sigh.  Heat and elevate and stay off it for awhile.  Yeah, right.  This morning he said that he probably wouldn’t be a good patient.  Ya think???  Help me, Ronda!

So he is all propped up in bed…with his computer…and the remote control…having his own forced vacation.   With room service.

Any bets on how long he stays beached and behaves?

Decorah Eagles

I am thoroughly enjoying watching this eagle family in a high nest in cold Iowa.  They don’t mind folks spying on them---mama, daddy, and three baby eaglets. 

Viewing is open 24/7, however yesterday, the lens was ice coated all morning so I couldn’t see the family until in the afternoon:(  They are all fine, so pop in every now and then and have a look.

Streaming .TV shows by Ustream

The info indicates that this is this pair’s fourth year of producing eaglets.  Good for them!  We don’t want our national bird to become extinct.

Which is the male and which is the female?
It is hard to tell the difference unless they are both on the nest. The female is larger than the male.  This female has a ridge above her eyes that goes further back than on the male, and her eyes are surrounded by a greyish shadow; the male has a line around his eyes that makes them look “beadier.”  Some think that the male’s head is “sleeker” than the female’s.

Check them out.  You can read lots more info on the website…if you want to do that.

Life is fluffy and good!!!

Installing Spring…

INSTALLING SPRING...

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Please try again. See more.

Hello, clemetis.  I see your buds on our trellis, and I await your beautiful purple blooms.  I’m glad you are faithful and show up each year.

The Lady’s Slipper I mentioned before is indeed in the orchid family, Ivana.  I rescued those two pink babies (and others) from an endangered spot and have been pleased with their annual return.  I did have a yellow one, but I am afraid our house construction might have disturbed it.  I’ll have to be on the lookout for it this year.

The kids have been busy cleaning up the pontoon boat to get it ready to go in the water (we provide the toys; they get to clean them up—nice deal for everyone!).  Dick checked out the engine yesterday, so it is almost good to go.  Woohoo!!! 

What did I just hear?  A cold front moving through on Wednesday?  Oh noooo.  Say it ain’t so, weatherman Glenn!  Did I “woohoo”  too soon???

Spring is awakening

I have been watching for my Lady Slippers to wake up from their winter's nap...and am finally rewarded with a promise of their forthcoming beauty.

Mother Nature is slowing giving birth to spring in Mayberry. Hallelujah. Bring it on!

NASCAR trainee

Whose dumb idea of wood chips??? Asphalt is much faster! Zoom, zoom...

Saturday and beading stuff…

While Maytag Man was out working on lengthening and strengthening this new truck bed these past couple of days, I was inside busy beading.

We know who had the most fun!

This is what I made for Joy for her birthday…and she liked it.  She is the blue gal, that is for sure.

These are two different sizes and shapes of lapis lazuli, and potato pearls, with silver accents.  I just love those pearls.  Each one is different, and has its own little characteristics.  I used a little smaller sized pearls for the earrings.

And then I finally got around to making another two-string necklace of sodalite tubes, chips and balls, with silver bead accents.  I don’t know if this one has a permanent home here or will be given away.  I had fun…and also managed to get some more supplies heading my way, since my supplier was have a HUGE sale!

“We secure our friends not by accepting favors but by doing them.” ~ Thucydides

Have a great weekend, y’all!

Red, white, and blue tax day!

In honor of tax day, here is a little tax funny for you:

I have a visitor staying with us for the weekend: He's from the Netherlands.  As a way to loosen things up and get the conversation flowing, I noted that we have something in common: we both have red, white, and blue flags.

"Yes!" he said. "Our flag symbolizes our taxes."

"Um...huh?" I stammered.  I mean yeah, it's almost April 15 here, but the flag symbolizes taxes?

"Yes," he said.  "We get red in the face when we talk about them, white in our knuckles when we get our tax bill, and we're blue after we pay them."

"Ah," I said, immediately grasping the concept. "That's the same with us -- only we see stars, too."

Have you mailed your tax forms yet???

Thursday Joy…

Guess who this sign made me think of, especially since it was at a bead shop?  Bingo—Empress Bee.  Joy and I saw it when we were out shopping last weekend, and it made us both smile.  I just had to take a photo of it.

And speaking of Joy, today is Joy’s birthday, folks.  Please join me in wishing this sweet BFF a very happy birthday.  She is appropriately named, since she brings lots of joy to many people.

I am truly blessed to count her as a good friend and BSP sister.

Here is cake for everyone.  Now be nice and share.  There’s enough to go around…

Terrific Thursday, y’all!

Busy Day Soup

Our rain storm brought back cold weather, so soup sounded good (and quick) for dinner last night.  I made a big pot, so it may get recycled tonight, along with an ‘everything’ loaf of French bread.  Yum…

This recipe actually came from Joy’s church as one of their standby, feed-a-crowd-in-a-hurry meals.  It did not have any seasonings in the original version, and I can’t cook without them, so I have embellished the original recipe.

6 c water (I used beef stock)
1 lb ground beef
1 L can chopped tomatoes, undrained
1 pkg frozen mixed vegetables
1 pkg onion soup mix
2 cubes of beef bouillon (use if cooking with water)
½ c macaroni or rice
minced garlic
salt & pepper
Italian seasonings

Brown and drain the ground beef.  Add water and bring to a boil.  (The original recipe called for cooking the beef in the boiling water rather than browning it.)  Add remaining ingredients and simmer for one hour.  Freezes well.

Bon appetit, y’all!

Blooms and greenery

Spring is slowly emerging here in nawth Georgia. The dogwoods are finally beginning to bloom…

 

 

Azaleas are showing up…

 

 

There is new growth on trees…

 

 

 

 

…and geese are looking for nesting places…we just don’t want them to nest here in our cove!  They make a big mess and are quite noisy.  Please move on to the next cove, which belongs to the forest service.  The trees won’t mind your noise at all.

Words of wisdom:  The best way to forget all your troubles is to wear tight shoes.

I hope you have a terrific Tuesday.  Go out and enjoy it!

Saturday fun

Amy and Jason had some friends over for dinner and a zipline experience.

 

 

 

 

Ready, set, goooo…

 

 

 

 

This little guy must have gone 4 or 5 times.  He loved it…and shamed his big sis into giving it a try.  She thought it was AWESOME!

It was just another day in paradise.

And now back to reality Monday—laundry, cleaning, marketing…and watching a hummingbird getting his breakfast outside on a sunny day.

Life is good, y’all!

Birthday pie

Instead of birthday cake, Haley prefers a Key Lime Pie.  I made two of them for her birthday dinner, and boy were they good!  Made from real key limes…

…and the zest of about 8 or so of those little buggers, which had to be done before they were sliced and juiced…

And a from-scratch graham cracker crust. 

Nary a slice is left.

If you want the recipe, click here.  Leave a comment if you make one and let me know what you think.  You won’t be disappointed.  Works well using lemons (real ones), too.

Happy Sunday, y’all!

Missy is grounded!

See this Keurig box outside on the ground—for a very good reason?

The door is ALSO open for a reason—to let this guy OUT after Missy brought him INSIDE the house.  Yes, snake #3.

It was just a grass snake who though s/he had found a nifty new home.  I had to kick the box a few times to get him to leave.  Oh, I got him inside the box by sweeping him in there with a broom!

No, you can’t go outside for awhile, Missy.  You are grounded!  This is called “tough love.”

The end of snake events.

May all your events be good ones today.  Be sure and give someone a hug, OK?

Can you guess what it is?

Look at the photo carefully and see if you can figure it out before reading more.

I’m waiting.

It is easy…

Really, it is.

Spring is just around the corner!

I sure hope so!  I’m tired of cold weather.

Happy Friday, y’all!

More wisdom…

Words for Women to Live By....................part 2
 
8. I know I'm in my own little world, but it's ok. They know me here.

9. Lead me not into temptation.  I can find it myself.

10. When life gives you lemons -- buy some Coronas.

11. Forget about the perfect man - he's living in San Fran with his boyfriend.

12. Keep your chin up.  Only the first 40 years of parenthood are the hardest.

13. If it has tires or testicles, it's gonna give you trouble.

14. By the time a women realizes her mother was right, she has a daughter who thinks she's wrong.

Life is short ...forgive quickly, love truly,
laugh uncontrollably...
and never regret anything that made you smile.

Wednesday wisdom

Words for Women to Live By..............part 1
 
1.  Aspire to be Barbie - the b*tch has everything.

2. If the shoe fits - buy them in every color.

3.  Take life with a pinch of salt........ a wedge of lime, and a shot of tequila.

4. In need of a support group? - Cocktail hour with the girls!

5. Go on the 30 day diet. (I'm on it and so far I've lost 15 days).

6. When life gets you down - just put on your big girl panties and deal with it.

7. Let your greatest fear be that there is no PMS and this is just your personality.

Happy Wednesday, y’all!

Tuesday in April…really?

Hail.  We got some late yesterday afternoon. 

Looking out across the cove during the downpour gave the impression of that other white stuff that happens in winter.  Hello, Mother Nature, this is APRIL…spring.  Remember?  It is supposed to be warm.  I am not supposed to still be wearing fleece when the calendar rolls over to April.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Birthday bling and other stuff

Whew….no more snake sightings.  And yes, Empress  Bee, being the good blogger that I try to be, I did attempt a photo of the snake…but rather than stay and smile and say cheeseburger for me, he took off slithering away and so that I wound up with Missy and the table leg in the photo—no snake.  Bummer.  Hopefully he stays G.O.N.E.

So now that Haley’s birthday has come and gone, I can post the bling that I made for her (that she posted on her blog yesterday—thanks for the reminder!):

This set is made from amethyst chunks and rounds, rice pearls, and gold spacers.  I need to make one for me, since I like purple so much and have some more ‘stuff’ in my stash pile.

 

For this one, I used Peruvian opals and aquamarines (her birthstone)  and a silver heart toggle.

We’ll have all the kids here Thursday night for a birthday dinner.  We believe in ‘birthday season,’ not just birthday.  Why not celebrate often!

Enjoy your day.  I am heading to the dentist office.  Not fun.  Anyone wanna join me???

Observations on growing older:

~You forget names .... but it's OK because other people forgot they even knew you!!!

Happy Monday, y’all!

Not again!

So after the lovely shopping outing and lunch with Joy and Joan yesterday, I am sitting upstairs at my desk…alone…and I hear Missy behind me with a certain sound reserved for “admire my catch of the day, mom.”  I figure she is bringing me a mole or a mouse.

No.  A small snake.  Now I don’t know if it is the same one from Friday, but I don’t want it in the house.  And I am alone.  Hmmm.  I approach Missy.  She runs under my craft table, snake dangling from her mouth.

I need something to put this danged critter in…a plastic carryall.  Yes, that will work.  I grab the yardstick (you think I’m touching that thing like Dick did?). 

Missy drops the snake…under the table.  It slithers.  I get on my knees so I can see what I am doing and prod the snake with the yardstick.  Missy doesn’t like the competition, and tries for another capture.

I prevail…into the container he goes.  And I carry it out the front door, dangling the carryall by the yard stick.  I don’t want that thing to slither out on my hand. 

I place the snake near the woods, thinking he will scamper for cover.  It didn’t work yesterday putting him out the back door, so I don’t know why there will be a difference today going out the front door, but at least I tried.

This snake is retarded.  He immediately slithered down the driveway, heading back to the house, but I beat him to the front door and left him outside to figure out his fate.

That’s twice.  If found inside again, that snake will be history, people!  Enough is enough.

The end.