14-10-06

Annette was cute, and sweet, presenting the gift she made for me. She folded the pages of a book in a way that makes a heart. She said, "I chose the roses for you," and that she liked the way you could still see whole pictures of the flowers, even when the craft was done. It looks like an enormous amount of precision folding and care, and when I commented about the time, she said, "I enjoyed doing it for you."

Beverly wrote me a sweet note, and is going to take me to lunch and to see the Sandhill Cranes.

Beth gave me a theme present -- a movie night, at her house, where she said there will be appetizers, and she put Champagne in my gift bag, along with some movie candy. She said, "And I made a definite time, so it can't just never happen."

John and Kim and Noah gave me a sweet card.

Shawn brought his girlfriend. First girlfriend to come to Second Sunday Supper. Brittany was the first to meet her. She sent a text to all of the girl cousins. Morgan's response: I"m currently driving 90 miles an hour down Schillinger.;-)

The girls all cooked and the kids helped set up and clean up, so it was a really easy night. Barry spent all day helping me, and took care of getting and heating up the Boston Butt.

Kim, going home with leftovers, "Thanks to you, I won't have to cook tomorrow night!"

Skyler, sitting at the table: "I'm waiting for Noah." When I told her about her ring shopping trip with Papa, she said, "Cool!"

14 09 25

Beth came to see us! Felt like forever since we'd seen her, and I really wanted to get to see her before we left for Vero. I was very happy that she made the time to come by. 

14 09 22

We had a good time at Goodtimes.

Noah: "We don't call it 'Goodtimes for nothing,"

Brittany worked, and Skyler was sick.

Angela and Ryan came and we all sat out on the pool deck and talked and played Phase Ten. She said it was fun to just come and hang out for a little while. Tori was here last weekend and couldn't make it back. Kennedy kept in touch, but was busy wrangling with her washer and dryer. She said she thought she'd be in Mobile today, and that she would probably get to stop by.

Blake and said he was going to try to come. Morgan was in Atlanta. Amber came after while and sat out by the pool with us. I was glad Beth checked to see where Zak was --- turns out his truck is broken and he needed a ride, so she went to get him. He sat with us for a while, too.

When Evan sent a message last week, he was sick, so I guess he was still sick Sunday. Faith and Daniel didn't come, but Michael was here. He said he'll be playing the drums at a game this coming Thursday.

Noah was here, as were Shawn, Tyler, and Willo.

Noah has become a French Toast fanatic, Kim and John said, now that he can eat eggs even if they aren't in baked goods. He gave lots of hugs and pat-pat-pats.

It was the smallest group ever in the pool, and for most of the afternoon was just Willo and Rodney. She is all about her Uncle Rodney. She said his name so many times Sunday that she really was saying it more clearly by the end of the day.

Beth played Phase Ten with us. Most of the rest of the kids stayed inside, playing the video games, I think. Barry was inside.

Chris went to get Faith, Michael, and Daniel, and while he was gone, Willo started saying that she wanted to swim. She was dressed in her shorts, but no shirt. Beth told her she needed her bathing suit, and Willo told her that she was wearing her "silly suit."

She took her shorts off and asked again. I told her we needed her swim pull up. She said, "Please let me swim in this pull up." I told her would mess up the pool, and I thought we were done with the conversation. But....we weren't. She solved the problem by removing it.

14 09 17

Annette called. I just happened to be in the house, so that was fun. She called just because she realized we hadn't talked in a while. Had a nice little visit. 

Beth stopped by. She was on her way back from Louisiana. The rest stop is closed. No bathroom. We laughed. I told her she probably didn't have any idea what I had to go through to get that rest stop closed. ;-) 

14 09 04

Kelly answered my text.

Mama Cat is here with me.

Beverly, Beth and Annette, having fun at Goodwill, choosing their outfits for Brian and Jamie's wedding. For Jamie, because she wants some fun pictures.

Barry and I had a nice supper at Wasabi and then went to Fresh Market to get the wheat grass, and then came home and watched the news and then made juice.

He doesn't have pneumonia.

I got the liability insurance audit done yesterday, and without too much headache or fallderall. I'm beginning to think I might actually get to go walk on the beach Monday.

14 08 27

Hug from Beth. We'd talked about a movie night --- to watch Gone With the Wind ... but she did n't get any sleep the night before. She had to get to FedEx, but she still stopped by for a hug. 

14 08 25

Good visit with Beth. It was just fun. Neither one of us cr-a-zy about talking on the phone, but she had a little time, and so we got to have a little visit. 

14 08 16

Skyler got her red belt! 

 Hey mom so are you. So, Beverly was trying to figure out how to be in two places at once re: things the girls needed, and as she left I said, "You're a good mommy." The door closed behind her, I turned back in the hall and headed for the kitchen. While I was still by the table, I heard the door open again, and she said, "Hey, mom. So are you." 

Pool with Beth. Beth came over to sit in the sun and we got to have a happy little visit. 

14 08 06

Chris happy about Beth telling him that he was doing good. He said she is very strong.

JA - cookie day. (JA to Beverly: "We get to be here for cookie day!"

Chris happy re the kids and prep.

14 08 05

Had a nice phone visit with Annette.

Tori saw Orcas yesterday. Said it made her so happy she probably won't ever be sad again.

Brittany is having fun at her doll-making class.

Beverly had a good first day at work.

Beth posted funny things about turning her hair blue.

13-11-19

Beth and Sonya liked my Facebook writing.

14 07 22

Getting to see Beverly

Beth said my fingernails looked pretty.

Beth and I are going to take a course together.

14 07 15

Zak reading his card.

Beth invited us to join them at Blue Gill for a birthday celebration for Zak. It was their family plus two of Zak's friends, and Shawn, Barry and I. We were on the deck, and the weather was nice, and Beth went to look for alligators. And the music was good, and Barry bought a CD from the guy who was playing that night. And Beth ordered a dessert for Zak, and then gave him his card. (He did not want any singing). But Beth had written in the card, and he read it carefully, and then his friends read it. 

14-07-09

Beth came to see me.  Christie re Goodtimes.

Beth said she needed a mama hug, and that she hoped when her kids were grown they would need her hugs as much as she needs mine. She was leaving with Lori to go to Florida on a trip, and so drove out here early in the morning ---- 7 --- for coffee, and we just had a nice visit. 

She said that she had seen Christie Bowen the morning they'd been headed out for Goodtimes, and told them about Goodtimes, and that Christie sent her a text later saying she was going to do that for her kids, and to appreciate family, because not everyone has that. 

April 7, 2014

~Barry, after we were back home and settling in to watch T.V. "Another successful Second Sunday Supper."

~He said "Morgan was proud of her cooking. She had a right to be."

~Willo was scared when she got here, but she came to me so we could go get her card with the duck. She's learned I keep little surprises for her in my office. She seemed pretty happy after that.

~She wanted to play with Daniel's toy. It was on the table, and he was sort of leaned over, hugging it. I told her he seemed to be holding on to that pretty tightly. He said, "She can play with it." He was going to let her put on it on the floor, but she said, "I'll sit by you, Daniel."

~Willo, puckering up for a kiss, when I protested that I couldn't go with her to my office  because I miss the good-bye kisses from the kids who were gathering up to leave.

~I'm always the one looking for kisses, so when I heard Andrew say, as Annette was about to shut their front door on our way to the estate sale, "want to say Hi to Mom," it made me feel good.

~Beth and I had a good time Saturday morning. I sailed into Saturday without a lot of leftover Wonderland on my mind, so much less stress. We played tennis, and then we had lunch.

~Annette went with us to the monthly estate sale, and we had a good time looking at things together. I had decided before I went that hanging out with her was more important to me than my usual self-focused walk through.

~Kids at the table, laughing and talking before supper.

~Played in the bonsai garden with Barry.

~Brittany, carving the roast, putting the vegetables in the bowl, "I'll do this. You can go and visit."

14-2-12

So, my computer is responding exceedingly slowly --- I'm more in touch with aggravation than I am with joy and appreciation, but we'll give it a go...

Beth stopped by yesterday to get her pottery and visit a minute and bring us some king cake. Barry came in to my office and said, "I'm not sure, but I think the Beth-mobile is here!"

Morgan revamped the craft room! It looks amazing. Lots of things vamoosed.

I think we've found our new computer guy. He is easy to work with. And I think we have a solution that is going to work, although I'm still going to have to drag the laptop back and forth, which was kind of disappointing.

Beverly posted some cool things to my timeline.

14-2-7

Kennedy and John were here Friday, and came by to see us and visit for a little while. We tried to figure out where to go have supper ---- Kennedy started out telling John that she thought maybe they could learn something from us, as they have that discussion all of the time, but the conversation took so long that she changed her mind ---- "Y'all are worse that we are!" 

Beth stopped by with some yummy king cake that she brought home from New Orleans.

Zak put a picture on twitter of him and Morgan at the hunting camp, with a note that they looked almost just alike --- and they did. She showed it to me, and the said that every time she puts something on Twitter, he has something funny to say about it. 

14-2-3

Beth brought us chicken salad.  She had told us about new place --- Chicken Salad Chick, I think --- that she thought Barry and I would like. They have something like 24 different kinds of chicken salad. But they're only open for lunch on the weekdays, or something like that. She bought three different kinds of chicken salad, and some croissants, made us six sandwiches, and put them in ziplock bags for us. It worked out perfectly, because we were going to have Winn Dixie salads for supper, and I didn't think that would be quite enough.The sandwiches were just right. Mostly, it tickled me that she went to so much trouble for us.

Beverly is happy! I got to talk to her after she finished her first day of training for her new job. She was tired, having been too jazzed to sleep through the night the night before, but very happy about her new job. They focus on teamwork, on noticing the ways they are alike, on their personalities and working with those. They have outreaches in the schools, and support programs for mothers. She is very excited about being hands on, making a difference. 

Hugs from Morgan. Text from Angela. 

Morgan, re finding the little present I had gotten for Beth, "Looking for something in your office is a little like looking for something in those pictures --- "find the hidden object." ;-)

14 01 28

Beth brought Barry a surprise. She brought me cookies. It is a wall hanging --- a woven bonsai tree. I don't know where she got it, but it is cool, and she thought about him when she saw it. She posted on Facebook about BelVita cookies, and we both like the blueberry, but I"d never had the cinnamon, and she brought me some of them.

Special because you made it. I was going to heat Barry's grilled cheese up in the frying pan, and he said he used the toaster. I told him I was trying to make it special an d he said it is special becauseyou made it. 

14-01-20

I got the front bedroom straightened back up Saturday, and that is a relief. I found the papers I'm going to need to get Andrea started on posting 2014 things. I thought of ways that I can get all of the Wonderland things I've had on Angela moved back out to the office. I have a plan for releasing the mileage project, and also the bill paying. There will have to be more, but those will come from projects, and I will just have to think differently about those each time they come up: Does it have to be me?

Morgan and Beth had fun shopping for Morgan's "grown up" ensemble for her interview today.

Got to talk to Daddy and Kathi. I mentioned that I'd seen the article on the Dogs for Life groundbreaking, and Daddy told me that they had given her an award. She and I talked about that. She was cute --- said it was her first award --- all the rest were for her and Daddy together, or just for Daddy.