Fine as Frog Hair!

Hey Y'all!
Sorry I've been missing in action this week. We've been busy going swimming, me getting plumb blistered during that process, going to the library, helping Mammaw (more than normal), and spending time playing here at The Doublewide. I've not taken a single picture all week. I think my camera is actually pouting! hahaha
I am terribly addicted to Big Brother 11. I am hooked and since there's an extra 3 hour live taping that airs on Showtime from 12 to 3 AM, I record it and then catch up during the mornings while I'm cleaning.
We start Vacation Bible School next week at our church and I'm teaching the 2-3 year old class. Say a prayer for me! hee hee
Have a great weekend!

OH Lord, Help ME!

Hey Y'all!
Hope you're all having a wonderful end to your week!
I feel like I'm paying for my few days away from my normal life last week to the beach. First of all Robbie hasn't gone to bed before 12:30 ALL WEEK! He wakes up by 9:00 every morning too. I cannot function on 8 hours of sleep. I need more like 10--seriously!
Anyway--I did a jewelry party Tuesday night. It was FUN and we had a great time, but I didn't get home until 11:00 because we stayed and laughed and then I stopped by another girl's house to get her final orders from her jewelry party that I did for her before we went to the beach last week. I just knew Robbie and Big Daddy would be asleep, but....no such luck. I think we were up until 2:30 that night.
The following day, I called mammaw when we got up just like I always do. My friend Julie who is her babysitter had Gastric Bypass surgery Wednesday so I knew Mammaw would be by herself. She didn't answer. I waited a few minutes in case she was in the bathroom or milling about the house and called again. Still no answer. So....I loaded Robbie in his carseat and drove across the road to check on her. She was fine, but her telephone was in about 3 different pieces. The battery pack was pulled out, the cover was gone, and the charging pad was unplugged and sitting on the table beside her chair. Instead of asking her what had happened, I tried to put the phone back together. I've done this many many times. This time the phone wouldn't work. I tried to find the "other" phone since it's a two-phone cordless thing where only one needs to be plugged into the jack. The other phone was GONE...nowhere to be found. I looked in the trash cans, in the bathroom, everywhere with no luck.
So I left there with that one little mangled phone and said a prayer for it.
When I called about an hour later to check on her, she didn't answer again. After our trip over there again, I decided that the phone I repaired probably just needed some time to charge.
It never did charge or work so after church on Wednesday night, we headed to Wal-Mart to get her more phones.
I don't understand why these phone companies can't just make a PLAIN cordless phone anymore. You been shopping for new phones lately? I'm amazed!
Now, most people can adjust and "get it" after they figure the phone out, but how do I teach my 82 year old Mammaw with dementia how to work a phone that doesn't have a dial on it and doesn't have a cord on it either? Hence, the post's title!!!

So tonight, after calling a bunch and driving over there a bunch, I went over and took my cell phone. We played "how to answer the new phone when it rings" over and over and over and over. I was like, "Ok Lord....Is this Your idea of a sick joke?" I just know God was chuckling at me! I called her home phone like 8 times while I was there and she would look at me and say, "How do I answer it?" over and over and over!!
So---then my girly-girl light bulb went off! I took the hot pink nail polish that I used for her pedicure on her birthday and painted the "phone" button and then put a big pink X on the off button. After that, we practiced and she "got it!!"
So yes, LORD HELP ME! I hope she continues to get the phone thing because if not, I may very well end up looking like one of these people really really soon:

Fun Day Planned

Hey Y'all!
I hope your day is wonderful so far this morning!
We are sitting here making plans for today. I could NOT get Robbie to sleep last night. I swanee it was almost 1:00 AM before he finally went out. By then, I was WIDE awake and could not go to sleep myself. So, I came in here to the office and got on the internet. I think it was around 2:30 before I got to sleep---maybe 3:00!
And...to top it all off, when Big Daddy got up at 6:00, Robbie was awake too and had to potty. He was trying to chit chat. I told him, really clear..."It's too early for you to be up. You need to go back to sleep." Thank God he did go back to sleep and then slept until 10:00. Whew!
So, now we're making plans to go do something for the rest of the morning and afternoon. I think we're going to go to the library and let him pick out some books then maybe we'll go junkin' to our favorite thrift shops in town. You KNOW I can't make a post without a picture, so here's our little Stanley Public Library.

Also, I wanted to show you what I made yesterday. I was looking around the internet at some crochet stuff and I found where someone had taken rag strips and made bowls and rugs and things. I sat down with my big plastic crochet hook and a big ball of strips and made a bowl and a set of four coasters that fit perfectly in the bowl. It's not perfect by any means and I'm proud that I made it without a pattern! I hope you have a wonderful day today with whatever it is you choose to do!
Be Blessed!**EDITED TO ADD PHOTOS:**
Here's Robbie at the library earlier today! The last one CRACKS me up!

Ever Feel Like God Did Something Just for You?

Hey Y'all!

As Doodah and I were riding home from our Girls Only trip to the beach, God gave us the most beautiful sunset to look at. There were so many different rays poking through the holes in the clouds. It was amazingly breathtaking! Seriously!
I just want to share how absolutely beautiful it was and what a great artist God is!

Be Blessed!

Relaxed and Refreshed

Hey Y'all!
Me and Doodah got home last night around 8:30 or so.
There were so many things that we experienced while on our beach trip with the girls.
Here are a few:
*First and foremost, I got some good ole beach crab legs. YUMMY! While we were eating outside on the deck, we heard a loud yell and saw that the yell came from a man who fell. As everyone rushed to see what had happened, we all witnessed him having a horrible seizure. Some people called 911 and we watched the ambulance drive away with him. I said a quick prayer for him and I still hope he's ok.
*After leaving the restaurant, we noticed a man who appeared to be totally drunk approaching my van. I quickly hit the LOCK button and stopped to let him walk by us. He just stood there so I began backing out of the tiny parking spot. He started yelling and acting like I ran over his foot. I SOOOO did not. My sister and the rest of the girls told me to just leave. His friend was yelling at him to just come on and get in their car, but he kept acting. We finally "escaped" and we were glad to get away from him.
*We went to a consignment/thrift store---well several. As we were leaving I noticed a table of FREE items! I grabbed up these hangers,

these cute little tea cups
and this cute hat that my friend Rhonda modeled for you after church today! hee hee
and this neat old oval small frame. I have big plans for it and I'll show you soon what I want to do with it! The earrings are vintage clip-ons and they were $1.99 a pair at Goodwill. The little ivory and green crocheted item slips on the bottom of a pint jar. I SHALL use this on my desk at school for my pens and pencils.
THE BEST PART IS THAT ALL OF THESE THINGS WERE FREE!!
If you know me, you KNOW I adore and lust after vintage and antique crocheted items. I don't like the "yarn" stuff. I always keep my eye out for the old thread crocheted things!
Here's a picture of some of the doilies I found. I have three more, but I'm NOT hauling out the camera and taking any more pictures tonight.

I especially love these little cup holders. They fit around the bottom of a glass and they're really cute. *Me and Doodah went to a few places on our own too. We went to an antique store where I found more doilies to add to my collection. Also, we found a place called The K-9 Bakery. We both bought treats for our "dog-kids" and LulaBelle just downed 3 peanut butter flavored bones dipped and covered with icing.
*We went shopping to a place called, "MAYFAIR." It's a bunch of really nice shops full of cute stores for skinny people, so we all split up and shopped wherever we wanted to. Doodah and I ended up at Michael's. We got some great deals on some stuff and there are surprises in store for some "projects" we got stuff for.
*Me and Gina took the golf cart and rode around Carolina Beach looking for yard sales. We only found three and neither one of us bought anything! UGH! So, when we got back to her place, I talked Doodah into going to more that were out on the main highway. I hit a few jackpots!
I got LOTS of VHS movies for 50 cents each. The Disney ones are for Robbie and the Hallmark Hall of Fame are for emergency days at school since they're G rated!
Some books for either 25 cents or 50 cents
Pillowcases were 25 cents. I plan on using them to make some cute aprons. I found a tutorial somewhere and they're so easy! I do love me some aprons!
I also found this GORGEOUS pitcher. It was a whopping dollar!

*We drove down to Fort Fisher and took some pictures. Me and Doodah bought matching capris for $10 just for our picture opportunity! None of the pictures are good, due to the sun setting in our faces and the wind, but here are a few.

*On the way home I saw this teenager racing a lawn mower in his yard. One of those racing kind...you know right? I've heard of them but have never seen them. As we passed, I told Doodah that he was going too fast. When I looked in the mirror, I saw him jump off of it in a ditch and the thing rolled over on him. I was freaking out but she made me keep going because there were people in the yard. I was screaming!
We had a great time!
I'll be back tomorrow and post some pictures of the beautiful sunset God gave us to look at on our way home!
Be Blessed!

Mammaw's 82nd Birthday

Last Thursday my sweet little Mammaw Frances celebrated her 82nd birthday!
Way back in October, I probably would have told you that she wouldn't have made it to see her next birthday. Because when I walked in her house and found her lying on the floor, unable to get up, I remember thinking that she probably wouldn't make it much longer. As a matter of fact, as we were following her in the ambulance to the hospital, I told my daddy and my little sister that this was the beginning of the end. She proved my thoughts wrong praise God!
My Mammaw Frances has dementia. It's linked with Alzheimer's disease and it's a monster. If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you've read about my sweet mammaw.
As her birthday was approaching, I had been trying to think of something special to do for her. I ended up deciding that we would all meet at her house and have supper which would be followed by cake and ice cream.
I called everyone up and laid the law down to my brother. He's mammaw's favorite (seriously) but he hasn't been to see her since Thanksgiving. UGH! He only lives about 40 minutes away but he's too busy to come and see her. And the poor thing.....everyday she asks me if I've heard from him or she tells me that she can't remember the last time she saw him. It makes me very angry at him and I have to pray daily for God to remove the anger from my heart against him.
Anyway---my brother and his wife and their son did end up showing up about an hour late, which is so typical.
We had a wonderful time. Me and my sister cooked hot dogs with all the fixins. That's one of Mammaw's favorite things to eat. Afterwards we made homemade ice cream and we all got our bellies full! Of course, my daddy brought some ears of Silver Queen corn from his garden and we had some good corn on the cob, and I mean so good that I had 3! I hope you enjoy the pictures from her party!
Mammaw, Me and my sister, Amanda (lovingly named Doodah)
Mammaw, my daddy, me and Robbie
The whole crowd! Ain't my Big Daddy cute in the back?
For Mammaw's birthday present, I gave her a pedicure while she wore her "Happy Birthday" crown. Those fresh flowers on the end table beside me are from her sister in law and brother in law. He is my Pappaw's brother. They've sent her flowers as long as I can remember on her birthday because they were at a funeral together and Mammaw made the comment that she didn't want a bunch of flowers around her when she died. She said she wanted to enjoy them while she's here, so they do that every year! They're so sweet!This is probably one of my most treasured pictures. I'm glad the Lord has let Robbie get to know Mammaw. He absolutely adores her and her piano that he plays everytime we go to her house. It wears on my nerves, but Mammaw always says, "Just let him play--I love hearing it!"
On another note...
Me and Robbie are going "thrifting" tomorrow. I am having thrift store withdrawals, so I am excited! The girls and I have decided to leave Wednesday night instead of Thursday morning for our Girls Only beach trip to Wilmington! WOOHOO!!! Now--hopefully I won't get a speeding ticket since I like to drive fast and those "bears" like to hide at night.
I did another jewelry party tonight and made around $100 for just 2 hours! I love this company and their jewelry and making that extra money on the side ain't too shabby either! You can look at the catalog or find out more information about Just Jewelry by clicking HERE.
Ya'll have a great night and be blessed!

All in a Day's Work

Wow! This weekend is gone already ain't it?!
I don't have that many more weekends left of my summer vacation, so we're doing all we can around The Doublewide to fill everyday with fun while trying to get things done too!
Yesterday Big Daddy and his daddy worked on getting Robbie's playset put up. It ran into finishing it this afternoon but Robbie loves it and I'm happy they felt the need to buy it!
Here's some before and after pictures: The view from my kitchen window. *Notice the sand pile my daddy brought for Robbie too in the left corner!*
Robbie was occupied in his little pool while Big Daddy and his daddy worked hard.
Finally, it was pretty much completed. The swings weren't hung yet, but that didn't stop Robbie from trying out the slide. I am laughing because Miss LulaBelle sure was making sure Robbie was ok. She thinks he's a pup of hers and she is the MAMA-Dog of this house!First time on his way up!
Going down!Robbie and his Pop-Pop. Thanks Mimi and Pop Pop for some outdoor fun now!
While I had another man here, I decided the two of them would haul my stand-up freezer outside so it could defrost. I honestly couldn't tell you the last time that was done and there was more ice blobs in there than anything!

My daddy showed up with more corn! I cut it off the cobs and here's the process:
First of all, you have to use your Southern Girl Charm and get somebody to shuck it for you. I hate doing it, and my daddy and my Big Daddy took care of that for me! They didn't see me sneak out the back door and snap this picture!

Then you wash it and get the silks off, as best you can, and then begin cutting it all off of the cobs.

And while you're working really hard, add a cute little dancing boy to the kitchen who seems to be a Pro at staying right underneath your feet the entire time!
When you get enough to fill up a quart bag, use something to scoop the corn into those freezer bags. Also, if you're lucky enough to have one of your mammaw's pyrex bowls from forever ago, use it! It'll make that corn all the more sweeter.
Then while you're just cutting and working away and your mama calls and offers to help, take her up on it! (Even if you caught her lovin' on your youngin' afterwards).

Then you sit back and thank God for providing you with a yummy treat for the winter.
I also sent squash, zuchinni and okra to the freezer yesterday! The gallon sized bags were too large for the amount that I would probably want to use later on, so I re-bagged it and ended up with 7 freezer quart bags of zuchinni! Here's how pretty it was before the cutting began:

Whew...I'm ready for my Girls Only trip to the beach at the end of this week. I'm headed to Wilmington with 4 other girls from my church. My little sister, Doodah is going too and I'm soo excited to get to spend some time with her. I may need to borrow one of my mammaw's pair of depends undergarments for the ride down there. We laugh so hard and I usually end up wetting my pants because of it--seriously!
Have a great week!
I'll be back tomorrow to post pictures of Robbie's "Ball Egg" plants and a post from mammaw's 82nd birthday party with the whole family! My brother graced us with his presence, and that really made mammaw's day! In case you've forgotten, we found a golf ball in the garden when we were planting so my daddy snuck down there later and planted some white squash where him and Robbie planted the golf ball. If anybody has any good recipes for this type of squash, please send them. Here's one picture just so you'll know what kind of squash I'm talking about:

Until then, Be Blessed!