Mom in Mental Motion

no matter how you say it, it still sounds the same. Love. When I think of the word gramma, I think love. So that is what my first and subsequent grandchildren will call me. I don’t want memaw, or maw-maw or anything like that. I want gramma. That is the best. And in case you haven’t put it together, I am saying that yes, I am going to be a gramma in January 2007! Brit and Big J are expecting their first baby!

What in the world are they thinking?????? Just about as much as Phil and I were thinking when we got pregnant with Jacob. And Caleb. LOL…I hope everything is ok with this baby because Brit is spotting some. She almost thought she was pregnant, then she thought she was starting her period but then it was only spotting. Today another test confirmed she is indeed pregnant. So I will become a gramma at 40! And her estimated due date is Jan. 9, 2007. My due date for both girls was Jan. 9th! It’s a popular date I guess. Or April is a good baby making month. I wonder how long before Brit will tell her bio dad or let Lauren tell him??? Hmmmmmmmmm…..

And I can’t wait to tell family. It should go over like a ….let’s say….a lead balloon. I can hear it now. “What? They haven’t even been together a year!” Or “What? They don’t even have health insurance!” Those will be said the most. I can hear Phil’s dad, I love the man like my own father, but he will lament about the whole insurance thing. Well I know God will take care of them. He did for us and He will keep doing it. ‘Nough said.

So I had a Pampered Chef cooking show last night, and on the way there, I thought I forgot an important tool. It’s called the Easy Accent Decorator. I needed it to fill the Protiferole Puffs, fancy name for creme puffs. Well sure enough, when I got to the host’s home, I looked and I did forget it! I had the tips though. So I used a ziplock bag to make a pastry bag and put the tip into a corner and filled the puffs. Then before serving them, I drizzled melted chocolate fudge frosting on them and sprinkled crushed almonds on them too. They were delicious. I also forgot the red onion to demonstrate the Food Chopper.

Well wouldn’t you know it, I sold 2 of the decorators! Isn’t that funny?? I mean I couldn’t even show how easy it is to use and I sold 2! It amazed me. It was a decent show for only having under 10 guests. So far I have nothing scheduled for May and I don’t like that. I really want to do a Pretty in Pink or In the Pink show for breast cancer awareness with our Help Whip Cancer campaign.

Better make some phone calls.

I just realized that once I turn in my open April PC show, I will have another $1000 month!!! Yippeee!!!!!!!!!!

Ok….back to your regularly scheduled blog reading….

Well ever since I watched the movie “Walk the Line” about Johnny Cash, I am now a fan of his music. But I like the versions by Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Whitherspoon. I downloaded the songs they did for the movie but listened to clips by Johnny Cash and it’s funny how similar their voices are. And a little trivia here, did you know that Johnny pick Joaquin and June Carter Cash picked Reese to portray them? Yep, they were handpicked. That is cool. And then reading the bio on Johnny on wikipedia, I learned Johnny gave his heart to the Lord and was faithful till the end. His is an interesting story as well as June’s.

My next movie to watch here at home is “Fun with Dick and Jane” even though I saw it in the theaters in Feb.. Phil and I really liked it. So those are my movie recommendations for today…

you know who you are! lol….

The other day I was driving home and I was one street away from mine. At the corner of an intersection, there is this little old ranch house that a little old lady lived in. Now usually I see the same 2 cars coming and going, I am assuming they are family who come and visit and check on her. Well imagine my surprise when I see loads and loads of household trash at the end of the drive just the other day! There was a dresser, too old for use, a black and white (or so I think) little 13 in. tv, rugs, mattresses, filing cabinets, 2 sets of old golf clubs and bags, etc and etc… How sad I thought, she has died and they are just wiping out any proof she lived there. It’s like all those things she had as her worldly goods are of no good to anyone else. So I wonder if she died, or is in a nursing home. I think how soon before the house is sold, torn down and a newer, bigger one is built in it’s place because, after all this is H******y! Sheesh, it’s becoming snobville and I don’t like it. Then we have another house just around the corner from the little ranch that has been without it’s siding for over 4 years. Seems the building permit ran out and they couldn’t afford to finish the place. It has a front yard full of junk trailers, storage units and just plain ole’ crap! The township came down on them because someone finally complained enough and it was found out that there were people living in tents in the front yard area. This house and yard is fenced by large tall trees so it’s not sticking out like a sore thumb but for the neighbors it is. Today I drove by and now they are selling windows and having a garage sale. Boy I sure hope they acquired the proper permit our township requires! It’s never a dull moment on my drives home….

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh………….

I finally got it all typed out…

Dear family and friends,
I guess it’s time for a Spring Vacation report. Now that I have been home 2 days and am getting things back to normal, whatever that was, I have a clearer mind, (stop laughing) to write about our great whirlwind adventures to the south! Ok, maybe not a whirlwind adventure but that was fun to type. We left on Sat. April 8th and returned on Tues. April 18th.
Day 1- Drove through Ohio and Kentucky and into Gatlinburg, TN. The drive was rather dull and uneventful until we arrived in Seiverville, and from there it was about bumper to bumper traffic all through that town, Pigeon Forge, where Dollywood is, and into Gatlinburg. Seems Dolly was in town the day before so lots of folks were still around and in Gatlinburg there was a church convention the weekend we arrived. Good thing we had reservations. We were very hungry and planned on eating at the restaurant located in the Howard Johnson’s but it was closed! it’s a breakfast/lunch place. So we went to Applebee’s, walked to it, and sat right by the window overlooking Pigeon River. How nice.
Day 2- Toured Gatlinburg. Rode the Air Tram up to Ober Gatlinburg and let me tell you, it was quite a ride. The view was gorgeous. The highest we were, according to Phil, was 300 ft in the air. It felt like 3000 ft in the air. Anyway, we went up to the top of the hillside, and from there Phil and the boys rode a chairlift up halfway of the next hill to do the Alpine slide. That’s a sled in a cement chute. It was fun for them. We checked out the gift shops at Ober Gatlinburg, then returned back down by the Air Tram. The Air Tram holds 120 people. Then we had some time in the hotel to watch TV. After that we went for another walk and saw some sites. We played Hillbilly Golf. That is where an incline car takes you up a hill, you get off and play 18 holes of mini-golf on the hillside, then return down by incline car again. That car would hold about 10-12 people. We tried to go to the Hard Rock Cafe to eat our dinner, but it was loud, smoky and Caleb couldn’t handle the noise. Neither could I for that matter. So we found a nice Mexican food place and enjoyed dinner, except that Phil and I managed to tip my cup of sweet tea and it spilled on poor Caleb. He was only mildly soaked.
Day 3- Up early and out the door for breakfast at the same place we tried on Day one but alas, it was closed and not meant for us to eat there. We found a “flapjack” place and ate. Then we took the nice 30 mile drive through the Great Smokey Mountains. It was beautiful. We ended in Bryson City, NC and went to the train depot. We rode the Great Smokey Mountain railroad there. Our trip was 4 1/2 hours. We had a lunch stop in the middle and the boys were able to wade in the Nantahala river for a bit. From there we drove without stopping for dinner to Sun City, SC to Phil’s parents’ home. We did stop along the way for a picnic dinner at a rest stop.
Day 4- We rested and decided on our itinerary with Grandma Sue. Grandpa Roger had to work a few days that week. We went to Kate’s to borrow a few movies. We took the boys to the pool in Sun City.
Day 5- We went on a boat ride to look for Dolphins. This was a nice hour and a half ride along the inter-costal waterways around Bluffton, SC. Very nice weather but we only got to see one dolphin. It was still a nice ride. We went home for some lunch then to see the movie Ice Age 2. Dinner was at Sue’s.
Day 6- This was our beach day. We went onto Hilton Head island and to a public beach. The weather was great but the water was too cold for a lot of swimming. Caleb and Phil managed to get wet though. The boys had fun in the sand. Caleb made a sand angel and Jacob tried digging a hole to China. What is it about sand and digging to China? Jacob wondered if kids on the beach in China dug holes to the USA? That evening we went to the Crazy Crab for our seafood dinner out. The restaurant smelled too much so we asked for outdoor seating. Well we were in the shade which left us all cold. But we enjoyed the meal as best as we could.
Day 7- We, including Great Grandma Jane, went into historic Beaufort for a horse drawn carriage ride. This was a narrated tour so it was fun and informative. We did some shopping then stopped for lunch. While at lunch we had a nice view of a bridge that could move. The middle of the bridge would turn so allow tall ships to pass. This would cause a back up in the town. We also saw a group carrying a cross through the city, as this was Good Friday. We went back home and relaxed and then it was my turn to cook dinner. Everyone seemed to like my new favorite pasta dish.It’s a Pampered Chef recipe called Lemon Chicken Pasta Toss. Yummy. Oh yeah, we had lots of sweets all week too.
Day 8- We got up early and then took the boys to the Sun City Easter egg hunt for kids. There were hundreds of people there. Each kid had a parent or 2 and a few grandparents as well. Our boys found their 8 eggs easily. There was Disney magician there and the Easter Bunny for pictures. The boys didn’t get their pictures taken with the bunny, saying they were too old for that part. I guess they weren’t too old for the chocolate in the eggs. After that the boys went swimming with Phil and Grandpa Roger. Sue and I went out to shop and have a nice quiet lunch in Palmetto Bluff. I had a pizza with crab meat and roasted green tomatoes on it. So good. That night for dinner, Sue made us a wonderful beef loin roast. Roger grilled it. It was so good. We ate good on this trip.
Day 9- Easter morning we went to Church on the Cross at the Cross Pointe campus. It was a nice service. We went home and Phil and I took the boys swimming for a bit. We all rested then Phil and I took a ride on the golf cart around Sun City. Don and Kate, Gina’s parent’s, came over for dinner. We had ham and potatoes and fresh veggies. Also a nice chocolate cake. That night we gathered all our stuff and began the packing again to leave in the morning.
Day 10- After packing and saying our goodbyes to Grandma Sue and Great-Grandma Jane, we loaded up the van and were on the road at 9:30. We drove to Troutville, VA. We had rain from the middle of NC to VA. We went to dinner then swam in the hotel pool.
Day 11- We got up, packed and had breakfast in the hotel. We then drove to Blue Ridge and visited with a friend of mine that I know from the internet. This the 3rd time we have met. This time she met Phil and the boys. She has 12 children, 11 still at home and one grandchild. She is the sweetest, calmest mom I know! Her boys and our boys had so much fun playing for 2 hours. After that we headed home. We got back home at 8:30 Tuesday evening. Both Brit and Lauren were here watching TV and waiting for us. Jack, our dog, who stayed with Brit all week, was so glad to see all of us. Brit spoiled him with a daily walk so guess who is walking the dog every day now?? Yep, me!

Well that’s our trip. If you didn’t read it all, I won’t know and don’t mind. I wanted to only type it out once and post it to my blog and email it around to the family. I also will cut it apart for the photo album I am making about our trip. I already have 65 pictures and plan to get about 30 more printed. Thanks for reading it all if you did. We did have fun and did rest.

Caleb’s sand angel….

Jacob sitting in the hole to China.

Well it’s that time, vacation. I am getting ready. Waking up to snow was a sure sign that we are to go away! No one wants anymore snow in Ohio or elsewhere in the NE USA for that matter. We want our spring time temps and we want them now!!!!

South Carolina is going to be great. I want to explore the historic sites and take a carriage ride around to see the places still standing from 2-3 centuries ago. I want to hear southern accents and be called ma’am. I want to see my in-laws and dear grandma. I need relaxation by a pool or beach. I need a date with my wonderful sexy hubby. I don’t think that’s asking too much, right???

We are traveling down through Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee. We will stay in TN for 2 nights in Gatlinburg. Then we will ride the Great Smokey Mountain Railway train on the NC side of the mountains. That will be cool. The kids are looking forward to the train as much as hubby and I are.

I have to just keep up on laundry then spend the day Friday sorting and packing. Tomorrow I will be homebound as the van is getting the once over. We know the breaks in front need some work. We will rest easy knowing the van is in good shape to make the trip. I hope I am the same! hehehe. My ankles and legs are already beginning to take on the water retension because of the weather getting warm a few days last week. It will not be fun with swollen legs but I am going to make the best of it.

Accent: Something of a cross between Ohio and Pittsburgh…
Booze of Choice: Wine coolers and Irish Creme
Chores I Hate: cleaning bathrooms, laundry, mopping(I did it today though), dusting
Dog or Cat: 1 dog, Jack
Essential Electronics: digital camera, computer with internet access, TV w/DVD player
Favorite Cologne: I use some body spray by Victoria’s Secret or their Victoria cologne
Gold or Silver: I like both
Hometown: A place in Ohio
Insomnia: nah, not with my happy pills!
Job Title(s): wife, mom, teacher, referee, taxi driver, cook, maid, secretary,
Kids: 4 and wondering how soon the grandkids will arrive!
Living Arrangements: in a house
Most Admired Trait: my bowstaff skills, lol…..that was for Napoleon Dynamite fans, but realistically, it’s my memory and intelligence.
Overnight Hospital Stays: 5, 4 births and a gall bladder removed
Phobia(s): all creepy crawlies, the bottom of my coffee cup
Quote: I don’t like it when you look at me that way, Na-pol-leon!
Religion: I’m not religious. But I am of the Anglican persuasion
Siblings: 1 older sister, 1 older brother and 1 younger brother
Time I wake up: 7 am, 8 am or 9 am
Unusual Talent/Skill: Finding things people lose.
Veggies I Refuse to eat: brussel sprouts, collard greens, cooked spinach
Worst Habit: spending too much time online!
Yummiest Food I Make: DH says I make a lot of yummy foods…so I pick spaghetti sauce and meata-balls!
Zodiac Sign: Scorpio but I don’t believe in these things????
Now who to tag back? Trisha, Mama and Dee!

I had another PC show tonight. I had one last night but it was very small. Three guests, me and the host. Tonight there was 10 guests, me and the host. It was a lot of fun. All the ladies were Christians and it was just so much fun to chat with them and show them the products and put together a meal for them. I love what I do! And I get paid for it, how cool is that???

Phil sent me a very nice e-card today. It was very encouraging about my business. I love that man. He is such a sweetie. I have to close out both parties before Spring break and vacation! One more week. Can’t wait.