What in the World???

Last night I told the Superhero that I thought I was becoming a hermit.  His reply.......so typical him......then why do you need to buy so many clothes?  Well.......hermits want to look nice, even if they are at home!  

I'm not really a hermit, but these seem to be the places I go these days......mama's apartment, church, the occasional lunch with the Superhero and once in a great while lunch with a friend.  Don't get me wrong......I'm not even minding staying home more. Yesterday, before 8 a.m. I had everything out of the floor of my closet and vacuumed out more dust than should be allowed by law!  So, see I do exciting things.  

O.K. so I may be exaggerating a little bit, just shows you how I've been feeling lately and that's o.k. we can't be all up all the time, none of us!

BUT!  Last week was mama's birthday!  She turned eighty nine and those of her children who were in town had lunch with her and celebrated in a quiet way this birthday.  If you remember last year's birthday party you will understand why we decided just to have lunch this year.  

She started out the week with a little confusion and I called the nurse right away to come check her because that usually means a urinary tract infection. That's how she started out last year's birthday and it seemed as if the nightmare might reoccur.  

Thankfully, she was feeling better on her birthday and seemed to have a good time at her party.

Her lunch was in the private dining room at the retirement center.  As always, I must include a few pictures of the day.

The guest of honor with flowers from sister Cathy.

Sister Debbie and me with mama

Sister in law Lois and brother Tommy with mama

Me and the Superhero with mama

brother Michael with mama.  That's mama's good friend Becky sitting on the left and a little slice of Debbie on the right.  

Cake and flowers.......what more could a girl want??

Sister Cathy couldn't be at the party, so she requested I take her picture (when she was forty) with mama and tell you all she still looks the same......which seriously, she does!

Baby brother Steve.....right.....couldn't be there either

Just for fun and because I think as people get older, we tend to forget that they were once young, here's mama at her friend's wedding........a few moons ago!  

Isn't she gorgeous!!!  

Happy Birthday, mama!

Friday Fragments on Thursday....

I usually wait until Friday to do my Friday Fragments post, but tomorrow is going to be a busy day.........which was so busy it turned into today!! 

 Thank you to Mrs. 4444 for hosting Friday Fragments.  Go on over and join in the Friday party.  

Busy because it's my mama's 89th birthday! No big party this year, but those of her children who are in town will have lunch with her and we're having cake and ice cream......because really, what kind of birthday doesn't have cake!?

Today mama asked if tomorrow was her 88th birthday and I replied no.....89 and she just said HMMPH!
Happy Birthday, Mama!!

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Does anybody else just hate having sudden car problems?  My car has a thingy added by the Superhero and his cohort......our next door neighbor......that does whatever it has to do that enables us to pull the car behind the motorhome.  Get all that???  This week it started making a noise, a bad noise.  Tomorrow after the party, I'll have to take it to a mechanic to see if they can MAKE IT STOP fix that pesky noise.  Fun times!

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Someone......you know who you are.....said I was their inspiration for starting a diet and exercise plan!   I'm happy to see others jumping on the "get fit" wagon!  

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We've been having sunny days that are cool in the mornings.  Feels like Fall in Florida!  That means it's time to break out the blue jeans!  No sweaters for a while, not that cool!  

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I'm very sad about the attacks on American Embassies, and especially sad about the loss of lives.  When any American is attacked, we are all attacked.  I hope you'll all join me in praying for our country! 

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Have a great weekend!

Winning is such fun!

I entered a contest over at http://www.linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com/ and I WON!!!!!

A beautiful canvas from canvasmojo !!!

I have only won one other give a way and so many people were entered that I was quite sure I had no chance, but I did!  Which taught me a good lesson......enter anyway because if you don't you have zero chances to win.

And here is the absolutely gorgeous canvas I received in the mail yesterday just days after I sent in my picture.

Isn't it gorgeous?  They did a great job and even sent me an email showing me what it would look like to make sure I would like it before finishing and mailing it to me.

I highly recommend you both read Linda's blog .......she has lots of contests......but also a great blog, AND 
go look at canvasmojo's site and let them turn some loved photos into something wonderful.

Now just where to hang this beauty?

Even through the rain....and other stuff...

It's Friday and time to link up with Mrs. 4444 who hosts Friday Fragments, a collection of things that happened during your week.....go on over to read her fragments!

First let me say that if you find you never hear from me again, blogger has notified me that they are giving me the new interface whether I want it or not and trust me I do not!  There is even a button to push to "learn more" .....but I'm not going to push it because then I might get it even sooner!  

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Speaking of rain......it has been raining for months with a few days of sun to keep us from going bonkers.  One of mama's caregivers reminded me to be thankful I don't live in New Orleans and I am very thankful and very sad for those who lost everything in the flooding and destruction.  But I'm still ready for a few sunny days before Fall sets in for real.  Of course in Florida that could be November so we're bound to have good days before then!  So other than the rain, or should I say even through the rain we had good times.

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August was full of birthdays and the month passed so quickly that I woke up and it's September!  There are also lots of birthdays in September in our family!  When you are part of a big family, there is hardly a month where there isn't a birthday so we are in constant celebration mode.  Or depression mode depending on which birthday.  

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Since we have been on our quest for better health and thinner bodies, I have endured several people saying those precious words "now you look too thin".....but the Superhero hasn't had that problem.  I think people are really hesitant to say things to men that they will say to me women.  But tonight, oh it did my heart good, we were in line for supper at church when the Superhero's mom said those words to him.....and added she hoped he didn't lose anymore weight.  When he told her he was planning on losing eight more pounds, she wasn't too pleased.  
He and I know she's just concerned for our health, but we are so much healthier than we were fifty and thirty pounds heavier!

Now the really funny part about that is that when he was starting his journey and hadn't lost much yet, his mother told HIM that I was looking way too thin and he replied "Don't say that to her, it hacks her off"....WHAT!!!!!  I asked him if he couldn't have been a bit more tactful and he then asked me if it hacks me off and I said yes, so he said, well?  I know that's a lot of he said, she said!  Anyhow, he asked me to tell her that about him now and I said no way!  I am certainly way more tactful that you!

I have a theory about weight gain and loss.  If a person is thin, people get used to seeing them thin......so when they gain weight, people think they are putting on pounds, but do they say anything?  NO....that would be rude!  After a period of time, everyone gets used to seeing that person that weight and it seems normal.  Then when a person loses weight and actually just goes back to where they were way back when, people once again are shocked at your appearance, but now that it's losing weight, they feel free to say that dreaded phrase ...you are getting too thin.  I think they will all eventually get used to us being thin and hopefully that will be the end of that particular line of discussion.  If we can keep the weight off, maybe we will once again seem normal.  

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So...I spent weeks sealing the tile in my kitchen area, which includes a long entry hall.
So here are the results...

Before...

After...

The before picture doesn't look nearly as bad as it does in real life!  I stopped at that hall and put a long rug there because I'm not sure I can go any further.  It's a back killer job!  

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I hope everyone has a great weekend!  Sweet MIL is taking us out to eat tonight at a great place right after we see the movie 2016.....hope we aren't too scared to eat! 

Happy Birthdays.....

Yes, that's plural!  We are celebrating two birthdays today.  

My oldest son, Paul....

This picture is in our apartment in Alaska.  You can see the sign out the window for Eielson Arms Apartments.  Do you think he wanted to go outside??

He's forty two today.....that is 4.2.  and hard for me to believe that I'm old enough to have a 42 year old child.

And the Superhero, who will forever be older than me!  At least for eleven months out of every year.

Happy Birthday!  I love you both.

Hit or Miss.......???

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Sigh.....

We are preparing for a hurricane.  Hurricane Isaac.....which as of now is still a tropical storm....and as of now headed west of us.....and I hope it goes far enough west to give some rain to those who need it!  We don't.  

I've always been very nervous about hurricanes, or as the Superhero says "when the barometric pressure goes down, my anxiety level goes way up"  That's a true statement.  Oh, I know, everyone is nervous about a storm, but I usually go way overboard.

***** O.K. obviously this post never got finished so that's the before and now is the after!

We are praying for all those who got a direct or easterly hit from Isaac.  We were once again spared and only got lots of wind and some rain.  Of course, this morning we woke up to a little while of tornado warnings and lots of rain, but we aren't complaining!

I started to talk about how nervous I've always been during a hurricane's approach.  A native of Florida, I am no stranger to hurricanes.  

Note to family members....these are my memories and only mine.  They could be spot on and they could be the product of an overactive childhood imagination, but for the purposes of today, just remember they are MINE!
Thank you!  Whew!

O.k. now.....I grew up in a two story home and during an approaching hurricane our mama didn't want us to sleep upstairs.  I guess in case the top part blew off! In any case, I remember being scared when a hurricane was approaching and sleeping in the living room and eating by candlelight.  

I googled researched hurricanes in the late 1950's and figured those that frightened me most could have been Hurricane Flossie in 1956 when I was four.  Or maybe Tropical Storm Debbie in 1957 when I was five or maybe a later one when I was a little bit older.  Neither of these were direct hits but merely brushed the Panhandle of the Gulf Coast.  To be clear let me say we don't actually have to HAVE a hurricane, just be put on notice that one is approaching for me to start the anxiety attacks.  After all, my anxiety problems started young and although with age I am able to be completely hysterical rational and understand how to prepare when a storm is coming, it doesn't completely alleviate my heightened sense of impending doom.  

In 1995 as my nephew in Pensacola was preparing to wed in ten days and my own wedding was exactly a month after Hurricane Opal arrived it was especially upsetting to all our family.  I remember waking to my phone ringing very early and my sister in law saying something to this effect "there is a category 5 hurricane headed directly to your front door!"  I may have gotten the wording a little off but that's what I heard.  So I gathered my wedding dress and photo albums, called and learned where my eighteen year old was going to be during the storm and headed off to the Superhero's house.  On the way I stopped, along with every other citizen of the county, at the grocery store to stock up on diet pepsi necessities we would need during the storm.  I called my parents and they headed over to the Superhero's house with their own set of necessities.  Basically, we had a huge party with the following people......
The Superhero's parents, 90 something year old grandmother and his uncle, his brother and wife and our two youngest sons who were young.  My daddy and the Superhero's daddy had fun sitting in the garage on ice chests watching the wind.  I cooked spagetti and we settled in for the duration.  Even though Opal came in around Pensacola Beach, we got devastation all along the Gulf coast.  But both weddings went off as planned.....thank you Lord!

Below are a few pictures I took on my way to work in nearby towns shortly after the hurricane....

If you can't read this is says.....Anybody got an aspirin and the owners' names.  People marked their homes and tried to keep their sense of humor through it all!  
Doesn't look too bad does it?

Well, this is the other angle of the house.  It fell into the Gulf.....

This is just one example of homes and businesses we saw all along the highway.

Please don't misunderstand, I never want anyone to think I make light of a devastating situation.  I think people try to keep their humor because at times, it's all they have left.  All those homes have either been torn down or rebuilt and the Gulf Coast survives as it always does!  

 Many storms that have come near us during the years.......but right now I want to extend my thoughts and prayers to those in New Orleans and Mississippi who have gotten the worst of Hurricane Isaac.  I do assure you that the people all along the coast will rebuild and recover from this storm.  We are a tough breed here in the south!

A little trip......a little sun.....a lotta rain

After waiting out a storm last Friday.....like not yesterday because I'm really behind, we got packed in the RV and got over to the state park for a few days of beach and relaxation.......well in between rain storms.

Saturday was really nice.  We stayed down at the beach and actually in the water most of the morning.   

We rode our bikes back to the RV around lunch time, got ready and went to eat lunch and shop a little.  Then back down to the beach hoping for a sunset....but not to be, the clouds were taking over the sky and blocking out the sun.  Not to be disappointed, we swam and floated for a long time just enjoying the water and if you've never just floated around in salt water, you must do it and soon.  Just after we got back to our chairs to sit and read for a while, a little family walked by and asked if we had seen the shark!   Thankfully, we hadn't seen it or we might have had a mild to major attack trying to get to shore!

All set up in our favorite place with our books, cooler and chairs. Time to relax!

The water was gorgeous!

 Yes, I'm showing off my weight loss......I wore this bathing suit in Disney World in 2008 and it hardly covered my stomach.  Now it fits and I'm enjoying it again.....or should I say for the first time!

We went to bed to thunder Saturday night and woke to storming rain Sunday morning.  We looked up churches in the area and started our day worshipping at a small and very friendly church.  After church we grabbed a bite to eat and went to the movie where the rain brought in tons of other people making us really glad we got there early.  

Monday, same weather....... rain, rain, rain.....So we headed off for a little shopping and decided to eat lunch at one of our favorite restaurants, P.F. Changs.  I wanted desert and they have miniature ones which are about three bites so we had the "Great Wall of Chocolate" in a shot glass and shared the tiny thing!

Back to the RV where we were entertained by the sound of falling rain all through the afternoon and night.

BUT......Tuesday dawned and the sun came out!  We could hardly load our cart fast enough and get down to the beach.  This time, we packed our lunch determined to spend as much time on the beach as possible.

The Superhero hooks that cart with all our things to his bike and we cycle about a mile to the boardwalk.  Then walk the long walk down to the beach.

Looking out from the boardwalk at that gorgeous Gulf!

These clouds worried us for a while.....

But this continued to draw us...

The red flags were flying and when we stood ankle deep in the Gulf we could feel the pull of the undertow....

The surf was up!  These pictures don't show how high the waves really were.

We stayed at the beach until 4 in the afternoon, then packed it up and headed back watching some bad looking clouds.  Sure enough, about five minutes after we unloaded our cart, the rain came down in full force.  

Wednesday morning it was time to get ready and head home.  Our short vacation was over but we enjoyed every moment, even the rain.