Morals and jumbo packs of paper towels.

I love The Waltons...still.

The television show, not the 

super store Walmart Waltons.

However, I did love Sam Walton.

When he started Walmart 

they stocked only

products made in the USA.

When one opened close to our rural area

I was thrilled.

No more going to a slew of 

different stores 

to get what I needed.

My life simplified.

One-stop shopping.

I was in love.

I swear when Sam Walton died

I considered wearing a black arm band.

I digress, obviously.

Back to the mountain folks.

I have loved them 

since they hit the air waves.

I used to make Stuart watch 

it in high school.

He did but with disdain.

He couldn't take John-boy.

The face mole bugged him.

Please...

I adored the whole cast.

Grumpy Grandma,

ornery Grandpa,

devout Ma, hard-working Pa,

and all the rascally kids.

They were poor.

They didn't have much money

but they did have an abundance

of love for each other.

They owned their own mountain

and ran a lumber  mill.

They faced hard times,

but through it all

they worked as a family.

And their house...

Oh, how I love their house.

I practically re-created the kitchen

when we built our addition.

I love the cabinets,

the big farm table,

the farm-y dishes and pans.

The porch makes me swoon.

Add in the chintz furniture 

in the living room,

and I am in heaven.

 Every episode has a moral.

It is family friendly.

It is decent and good television.

I watch re-runs on Hallmark.

It makes me happy.

Television shows today could learn 

a few pointers from this show. 

It thoroughly entertains

without even one swear word 

or gratuitous sex scene.

No nefarious subject matter present.

If you were too young to watch

or didn't watch it back then,

check it out.

It delivers, I promise.

You can thank me later.

Goodnight John-Boy, 

goodnight MaryEllen,

goodnight Erin, 

goodnight Jason, 

goodnight Ben,

goodnight Jim-Bob,

goodnight Elizabeth.

Goodnight moon.

Ha! I was just seeing if 

you are still paying attention.

Goodnight all.

P.S. They sell the series DVD at Walmart!

Superstitious writings on the wall.

As I was working around home 

I was listening to a little Stevie Wonder.

"Superstitious" got me thinking...

I am not superstitious.

I was with a friend recently

who had a conniption fit 

when I walked under a ladder.

I was incredulous.

Really?? 

Bad luck?

I told her 

I would walk under a ladder

chasing a black cat

while breaking a mirror.

I grew up with all the popular ones.

We heard toads cause warts,

a nose itching means company's coming,

palm itching- there's money coming your way,

a cat has 9 lives... etc.

My mom once told me

as I was sitting on the ground

a few weeks after giving birth

that if I didn't get up

I would catch a cold in my ovaries.

Seriously, she believed it.

I got up.

I mean who wants that ailment?

Where exactly do you apply

Vicks for that?

I mean we rub it on our throats,

chests, and feet around here 

when  a head cold ensues.

I really am not superstitious.

Unless you count

wishing on a fallen star,

throwing a pinch of salt over your shoulder

when you spill salt,

blowing out candles on a birthday cake

and expecting a wish to come true.

Or making a wish on a chicken bone,

giving my daughters'

something old, borrowed and blue 

on their wedding days, and also

 putting a penny in their shoe on that day.

I give a coin when I give a knife or a wallet.

I even have a horseshoe hanging 

facing up to keep our luck in.

What the...

I am a fake.

I practice all that. 

I am shocked.

I am stopping all this nonsense.

I am off to pull a gray hair just

to dare 10 more to grow.

I may even open an umbrella 

right here in the crib.

I'll book a flight on Friday the 13th.

I'll step on a crack.

 I'll even swallow a watermelon seed.

I have just one request of you on my behalf.

Please  keep your fingers crossed.

An Invitation

Remember these??

 

 

Fabulous, I know.

However, even more fabulous

than their appearance

is what they represent.

With the purchase of a pair

a pair is given to a needy child.

This April 5th

I am joining many others in  

One Day Without Shoes.

We are going barefoot

to raise awareness.

I live such a blessed life.

I rarely have a met that isn't met. 

One day with no shoes

isn't much to sacrifice.

Watch the following video.

 

Won't you join me and 

the many others who are 

trying to  make a difference.

Oh, and feel free to shop.

Share the love.

They are cute.

They will compliment

your Easter bonnets!

Ollie update

Baby girl is chubbing up!

She weighed in at 9lbs. 2 oz.

The fortified formula

that is added to the breast milk

is working!

The doctor hopes for 6 oz. 

to be gained weekly

and she is doing that.

He said today

that he sees no sign of

heart failure yet.

Surgery weight is to be around 11 lbs.

He estimates June still.

I am dreading it,

but I am also ready to 

have her healthy.

Keep praying...

our prayers are being answered!

blah blah blahg

Caution:

Long, boring post ahead.

 

It was a good day.

The sun was out

so it was warm in the sun.

Remember my playhouse

that Stuart built me for Christmas.

 

Today her foundation was poured.

Soon she will make the move

to the back yard.

It pays to have several irons in the fire.

You can pour concrete on a Sunday.

Jade helped along with Stu,

and his big brother Doug.

It took ten minutes, seriously.

They really can do anything.

The dogs were on hand to watch.

Harley

 and

  the girls, Reta and Stella

Aubrie and Everett came for the day.

Aub has a cold.

She is being kept away from Ollie.

Abbie and Zac were blisters.

They showed up after the work was done.

Well they did help trim some trees.

They were paid with popcorn.

Aubrie babysat these all day.

She was convinced

she could hatch them.

Everett took a nap with his

to keep it warm.

Aubrie rocked hers to sleep.

She said she was keeping

them safe from "creditors".

Apparently, they don't pay their bills.

Well, maybe she meant predators.

Aubrie is spending the night

in hopes that no one

will catch her cold.

Ev was bummed he had to go home.

However, tomorrow

I will be keeping Caroline,

Aubrie and Everett.

Come to think of it...

our plan doesn't really make much sense.

That's Sunday.

We are fascinating rock stars.

Dearly Loved

It is the weekend.

My life is busy.

I bet yours is too.

I am blessed,

my weekend is busy

with happy things.

A wedding shower,

dinner out,

family times,

hanging with fun friends, etc.

I am not worrying if

I have been harmed by radiation.

I am safe in my home

surrounded by the ones I love most.

I am not taking it for granted.

I am taking it with gratitude.

I am giving thanks to 

the One who loves me most.

I am glad He knows me.

 I am glad I know Him.

My prayer is that you do too. 

This life is short.

I am spending eternity with God.

He is available to all of us. 

Please, don't overlook His promises.

 Have a great weekend

and know that you are dearly loved.

Complaint Dept.

I fear I might be a complainer.

Awful, I  know.

Have you tried to go 

just one day without griping?

It is remarkably difficult.

I try to have a positive attitude.

I strive to be kind 

in my actions and words.

But petty complaints...

I am all over them.

The alarm goes off,

I say" I hate that alarm."

I get out of bed

" Gosh my feet are so stiff."

I descend the stairs grumbling

"I have so much to do today."

You recognize me?

I am a pocket full of sunshine.

Yes indeedy.

I am blessed.

I am grateful for my life.

I started reading this book

a few months ago. 

I read a bit and then lay it down.

Over and over.

I am 3/4 done but

I have yet to finish it.

The author has tons of adoring fans.

She encourages a lifestyle of thankfulness.

People love this book.

This book invites you to be grateful.

The author keeps a journal of thankfulness.

I have my thankfulness journal.

I have many posts in said journal.

#5. Bloggers who entertain me.

 #30. My niece, Ellen who lives by my mom and dad and is readily willing to help them.

#23. clean floors

#62. A safe home.

#73. Babies' kisses.

That's the gist of it.

I love the premise of the book.

The book itself, not so much.

It is not the content

but the writing style.

It is not the kind of writing I enjoy.

It's abstract. 

Read it with a thesaurasus in your hand.

I speak with a 4th grade vocabulary

but I actually have a fairly good

knowledge of vocabulary.

This hard-back is wordy.

With a capital W.

Really wordy. 
R.W.

 Period.

Seriously, 2 pages

devoted to describing the 

beauty in a soap bubble.

I get it. 

Girl, you are wasting ink.

Just say it already.

Blah, blah, blah.

Well, see there I go.

I am at it again.

Gripe, gripe and belly-aching.

Someone kick me in my heinie!

I am a mess.

I need to check myself 

before I wreck myself.

Truly, I am abundantly blessed.

The Lord has given me

far more than I desereve.

 I will continue to give Him praise.

I will continue to add to 

my thankfulness journal.

I probably will not 
continue to read the book.

It annoys me.

Clearly I cannot be annoyed

or I complain.

Amen.

Picking and grinning

I have mentioned before I am a junker. 

Hard-core. 

Til death do we part.

I did the shows, had the shop,

attended weekly auctions.

I bought junk and fixed it up.

I re-invented things

before it was called upcycling.

I was country when 

country wasn't cool.

After years, I kept trading up

to better quality antiques.

I have a house full of good pieces.

Although, I still have a heart for a find.

Rough, unloved, left for the trash finds.

Baby, I swoon.

Now my girls have the bug.

The sickness continues.

They have a business...

Ethel Edith, named after my mom. 

Now, I just pick and stage.

They do the hard work.

Last night Stu and I 

were driving and he mentioned

he saw Stevie Do Da

(his nickname, not mine)

had his track hoe at an old house in town.

It seems he is tearing it down.

I asked if he checked with S.D.D. to see if 

there was anything inside.

He didn't.

I had a cow.

Maggie and Kylie are building a house.

They want old, salvaged stuff.

Doors, trim, whatever we run across.

To keep the peace he called Stevie.

Today we went to pick.

Demolition starts tomorrrow.

Sweet timing.

We went in and took off woodwork. 

We got doors.

We got shutters.

And a really cool, huge pocket door.

The kitchen had had a fire.

It was a mess inside the house.

But look at that trim.

Amazing. 

We also scored a cabinet.

Those are all glass doors covered in soot.

Otherwise, it is in great shape.

Tomorrow we get the corbels of the roof.

It was a coup.

Now we are on his list to call 

when there are old goods.

Happy happy joy joy!

Ethel Edith has a show in my yard

on April 30th.

There will be other great vendors participating.

Check out the details on EE blog here. 

Plan your road trip folks!

Interview with another Superstar

My last interview 

was with the infamous Reta, aka Rita.

Today I am conducting

an interview with 

a favorite blogger of hers.

That would be me.

On to said interview.

All questions were approved by Reta.

1. What is pet peeve of yours?

Overhead lighting. I hate it. I prefer lamps and campfires. 

2.If you could change one thing about yourself , what would that be?

My species, I would be a dog. Sleep all day and sleep all night. 

  

3. What is an embarrassing fact about you that no one knows?

I took square dance lessons in Jr. High. Winning!

4. What are your two most favorite colors?

Pink and pinker.

5. Do you have any special talents?

I can eat my weight in ice cream. 

I can vomit my weight in ice cream too.

 

6. What annoys you?

Lame interviews.

7. What did you study in college?

Home Ec, Family Services and sadly enough, beer too.

8. Home Ec, Can you sew?

Yes, I can sew straight lines like nobody's business.

I can put in a zipper too but I have to be intoxicated.

9. What activites do you like to do?

I like to watch TV.

I like to go junking.

I like to vacuum.

I love to watch TV while sitting on an old vacuum. 

10. If you could go anywhere, where would you go?

Wal-mart. I need paper towels.

That concludes our interview.

If you have any questions for 

Reta or Janie,

please leave them here.

Obviously, no silly topics.

People, this is serious journalism.

Sunday, Sunday, so good to me.

I love Sundays.

Church. lunch. kids.

Today the gang showed up.

I am blessed to have 

a helpful group.

We raked and burned,

trimmed and burned,

raked more,

 burned more. 

The place is looking better.

There is more to do. 

Everyone is coming next weekend

to help and have a wiener roast.

The girls are having their

Ethel Edith show here in later April, 

so Dad shamed them into helping.

He is awesome like that!

It would have taken me 

so much longer.

Every year I have a list 

longer than my arm.

Maggie busted out some "hot" maternity wear

just for the occasion.

We were all jealous.

The littles played and played.

Aubrie hunted birds,

climbed trees and dug worms.

Caroline had a blast. 

They took a gator ride.

Everett showed up late for the party.

I didn't get pictures of him, or Zac, 

or Stu, or me.

Wanna book me for a wedding?

It would be epic,

unless you actually

wanted pictures of the event.

The girls worked on some furniture

while the guys put up railing

on  my porch.

I held Ollie and wrangled the small people.

 They went home happy and filthy.

Funny story of the day:

While we were tearing out 

an old fence,

we encountered a clematis

that I wanted ripped out.

Stu called it a clematic.

The kids were razzing him

until I told my story.

My mom mixes up words- a.lot.

Her real name is Ethel Edith,

but everyone calls her Toots.

So we call these crazy words...

Tootisms.

It is funny - and  hereditary

I am beginning to realize.

Remember my roll call?

Anyhoo,

I told about the time

I called my mom

and inquired "whatcha been doin?"

She said 

"Oh I have been in the yard planting clitoris."

Er, ok. I think you mean clematis.

So you see I'll take 

the term clematic any day.

Hope you had a great day too.

Laters.

Sweet Caroline

Today was a Caroline day.

 

 

Now that Annie is off on maternity leave

she is home with Aubrie, Everett, and Ollie.

I still go there on Fridays.

I keep Caroline there

and we play together.

But Thursdays 

Caroline comes to Grandma Janie's.

It's all aboout her on these days.

She is at a very fun age.

She is 19 mos old.

She is learning to talk.

 

She likes to call Daddy.

It's all about Daddy for this girl.

 

We played this morning 

then we headed to Pana 

to my daughter, Abbie's office.

We planned lunch out and then

adjustment appointments.

Abbie has adjusted Caroline 

since she was a newborn.

It is the cutest thing to see.

You say "Caroline you want 

Abbie to adjust you ?"

and she is running for the table.

She lays there like it is heaven.

 Abbie calls her Bean.

It started with the book that 

shows the size of the fetus.

 Caroline has been Bean 

since she was the size of a bean.

 On the way home she napped.

It is only about a half hour drive 

I got gas and washed my vehicle

to prolong her rest.

Good thing because as soon as I 

unhooked the carseat

she was ready to go again.

Besides Daddy, she love kitties.

She carries them around singing to them.

She rocks them and kisses them.

She sings Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

but she can only say the "up above" part.

The rest is jibberish.

Kitty doesn't care.

So sweet.

She loves books too.

Today she found one in my stash

that plays music.

She was obsessed with it.

Obsessed.

It reads 

If you weren't my little girl 

there'd be a big hole in my heart

A piece would be gone

I just couldn't go on.

My heart would be searching for you. 

There is the sad Daddy and kitty element to it.

It goes on to say 

God gave you to me You're special you see

There's no hole in my heart,

You filled up that part.

I showed her the happy family.

She didn't care about the ending.

We had to read the sad page over and over

and  o.v.e.r.

She got a fat lip and said hole heart.

I  swear she had tunnel vision.

Finally we had to watch a video

to get her over it.

This did the trick.

It will do it for you.

It just plain makes me happy too.

I need to know where they sell

these jumpsuits,

because I gotsta get one.

Don't tell me you weren't shaking a leg...

because we were!

Practice folks!

We can have our very own

Flash mob!!