Late on Friday!

Back today for Friday Fragments!  Maybe......we'll see what's left in this poor old brain that can fragment itself out and onto this old blog.

Thanks to Mrs. 4444 for hosting Friday Fragments and if you'd like to join in, go on over and join..... dump the leftovers of your week!

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This time forty three years ago, I was in the hospital awaiting the birth of my first child....ultrasounds were still a thing of the future so that afternoon, two doctors came in, felt my abdomen and pronounced that my baby weighed five pounds and they would induce the next morning......He weighed 3 lbs. 11 ozs.  About as accurate as ultrasounds huh??

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Tomorrow is also the Superhero's birthday.  His office had a tailgate party for him today.  

I think he had a good time.......I know they had lots of food!

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  A sweet cousin recently found this photo and had a canvas made for my mama who is the last remaining sibling.  This is the first time I've seen a photo of all the siblings together.  From left to right, youngest to oldest.......Billy Kade...November 13, 1932, Patsy Joyce....March 25, 1926, Mary Margaret (mama).... September 14, 1923, Noah Daniel.....January 17, 1921, Bertha Grayce....March 27, 1918, Bernice Etna....September 6, 1915, Burruss Reginall.....February 14, 1914

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After all the rain, we have had a few days of glorious sunshine.  We took advantage of knowing we would have a beautiful sunset and went down to the marina and sat with and watched.  

The wonder of God's creation!

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Have a great Labor Day weekend!

Caution......days change without warning!!

In our little corner of the word it has basically rained all summer. I'm trying not to let it get me down and am truly thankful that our house isn't flooded as many are having terrible problems with flooding.  They dry out only to have more rain and flooding.  In today's newspaper there was a picture of a home where they have removed all the carpet and baseboards and just put an area rug down until the rainy season ends.  Pumping systems in parts of the city were hit by lightning, stopped and .......you guessed it ....... more flooding.  

People are unhappy.  

Through all of it though, I have a picture in my mind of the towns that just are no more because of tornados or fires and I try to smile and be thankful.  

I'm sitting here waiting for my granddaughter to come finish her packing.  Her granddad will take her to the airport tomorrow to fly away home leaving us with happy memories.  It's been a busy, fun few weeks of visits and Monday, I'll drive down to help my DIL with getting the kids to daycare while our son is on a business fishing trip.  

Ashley got all packed and we said our goodbyes.  Her granddad picked her up for the night and will take her to the airport tomorrow to fly away home.  After she left, as I was stripping the bed I saw that she left her scarf.....California girls get cold in Florida....actually in our houses because they aren't used to air conditioning!  Looks like I'll need to be mailing it to her, hope her little neck stays warm on the plane!   Actually, I hope her flight can leave in the awful weather we've had lately. Monday is her first day of class for this college semester and she will be dropped if she's not in class!  Living on the edge!

She made it home!  I got a text sometime in the night that said.... In San Diego!  

With all my chicks safely in their own nests, I started out Monday to another son and DIL's to be there while our son is off on a business fishing trip to the Bahamas......   I thought I left the monsoon season at  home, but the rain trailed along with me on the interstate.......meeting me four or five times with blinding rain.  Thankfully, even with the rain, the trip was uneventful.  I even managed to drive the whole trip with only two rest stops.  During one stop I decided to get a snack from a machine.  There was a machine that made change and I put a $5 bill in and change came out but only five ( what I thought were quarters). While I'm standing fuming......with a little boy commiserating along with me that I had gotten ripped off.....a lady walks up and asked me if I could do her a favor and watch her car while she visited the restroom.  She was having ignition problems and was afraid to turn her car off.  I said yes and that I needed to find someone to help me with the change machine.  She looked at the coins and said "honey, those are dollars". Am I the only person in America who hasn't seen dollar coins???  Got my snack, watched her car and we both got back on the road and off to our respective destinations.  I said a little prayer that she got where she was going without having to turn her off ignition  

Got to my children's, got lots of hugs and kisses from the grands, had a really good meal and here I sit while children are being put down for the night....grateful for my own safe trip and looking forward to a week with another set of grands.  

Daddy gave me instructions and put his car seats in my car, gave me his garage door opener and we all went to bed.  When the alarm went off, I realized it was only 4 a.m. at my house and groaned as I reluctantly got up and started their day.  Tommy left early, Claudia got off to work and the grands and I started off to school.  My GPS......we lovingly call her Lola, which Charley loved, got us to school and everyone was safely deposited for the day.

Very early morning play

Ready for school, Nana

After school annnnnnnd right before Charley's big meltdown of the day, John is getting supper.  Bless their hearts, they were so exhausted.

Friday after dropping the boys off at their day care and giving them one last hug and kiss, I knew I needed to start for home.  But, First.......I had to figure out how to get the car seats out of my car.  Wow!  Who knew that cars now how some kind of anchors that the car seats are attached to for life?  I mean I worked and worked and worked and for a few minutes considered getting the scissors and cutting the things out and leaving some money and a note saying go buy new car seats.  But, I finally got them unhooked and deposited safely in the house, loaded up my car and headed for home!

I had an uneventful trip home, thank you Lord!

Back to regular life for a few days!

Have you missed me???

Good grief!  I think it's been two weeks or so since I've been here to visit my little blog and I will have to just take a day to catch up with all of my friends.....but I'll have to think about that tomorrow.

Since I was last here, my brother had a birthday, I had a birthday, we had three sets of house guests and various other adventures.  Because my brain is basically mush in hiding these days, I'm going to recap as best I can remember.  

But first, let me say that I just got my 2011 blog printed and on the bookshelf!  Do you print your blog and if not......do......it's a great journal to have for your children to throw promptly in the garbage read when you're gone.  Seriously, I can read back through mine and can't remember those events happening so it's a great thing for me to jog my memory.

OK..... My newly turned 21 year old granddaughter landed on July 30th and just picking her up from the airport was an adventure.  I drove over to the nearby town she was flying in to because it is crazy expensive to fly anyone into our airport she was on the red eye flight.  She got in early morning of the 30th and I had been tracking her flight when I suddenly realized it was landing early and my sister and I jumped in the car to get there before she landed. 

Once at the airport, I was frantically looking at the flight map to see if her plane had landed.  Meanwhile, there was another family waiting.....much more prepared with Welcome signs.....I turned to them to ask if they were waiting for the same flight when I heard my sister say "Ashley!".......I turned and there she was walking into my arms.  I don't know if you can tell in this picture, but the tears flowed freely from her Nana's eyes.  Tears of joy.   

We visited a while with my sister and her husband and then drove home.  


Uncle David greeting Ashley


Tommy and Charley came over for the weekend and Charley loved being with Ashley and vice versa!

Up to Big Blue Pond for a little fishing and swimming.

The Superhero cooked birthday dinner




Uncle Matt with Charley

Ashley and Charley had a grand time together!  Ashley could get Charley to swim like a fish.  Of course, he seems to be clinging to her for dear life in this picture!

Ashley, Nana, Charley and Pappy

Pappy, Tommy, Uncle Matt and Charley

Tommy and Charley left for home Sunday morning.....

and.......Sunday night after church, we had Ashley all to ourselves and took her to eat on the water

Next group of company arrived Monday night.....

Great grandson Liam.....so sweet and has the best disposition!

Liam's mama, Devin and daddy, Ben

Liam with his Mimi

and his Papa

Pappy making Liam laugh

Ashley with Nana

Saturday, just before Devin and Ben started back home, we met grandson Jordan who arrived to start a new adventure living in Florida.  

Son David and family all together for the first time since David and Arwen married!  

As you can see, it has been a busy few weeks here at our house!  

We have had a wonderful time visiting with everyone and now I think I'll take a little nap!  

I hope to be back before too long!!  I'll be visiting you all soon!