Bonnie's Blog

First Kiss

2012-02-14T06:57:00.002-05:00

Do you remember your first kiss? Do you remember the first kiss with the Love Of Your Life?
My first kiss was not all it was cracked up to be. Kissed a boy who was friends with my friend Mary's boyfriend. Hated it. Not romantic...he just wanted to make out. I was 14 and now realize that I was probably too young, lol.But then your Prince Charming comes along. Even the first kiss with the Love Of My Life was not in a very romantic place. But it was a magical kiss. And 20 years later, his kisses are still magic!

Our first kiss actually took place in the bathroom door way of his work shop. We were hanging out after he got off work with some of his co-workers, drinking some beers and ladies, you know what beers do to you. Numerous trips to the bathroom. Well after coming out of the bathroom after one of many trips, I was just standing there with my hands on the sides of the doorway and Hut walked over and kissed me. Definitely the element of surprise. And he told me later that he had expected me to slap him for it. Not this girl. That kiss made it "love at first sight". Curled my toes, lol. I still remember it like it was yesterday.

So did I bring back any wonderful memories for you?

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!!

Triple By-Pass Surgery

2012-01-20T09:27:00.002-05:00

Right now the Lord literally has my husband's heart in His hand. My husband will be going in for a triple by-pass surgery on Monday morning. He has severe blockage in 3 of his main arteries.

I am only posting this because it helps to to deal with the anxiety I am feeling right now. We have both spoken to the surgeon and he has made us feel at ease about the procedure. Plus we have talked to numerous other people who have told us Dr. Dodd is one of the best heart surgeon's in the Southeast.

However, I am still feeling very anxious and nervous. Everyone tells me that's normal and I suppose it is. But I'm also trying to be strong for my husband, who is trying to be strong for me. And I can see in his face that he is just as nervous as I am. But the Lord got us through his stroke in August and He will bring us through this. I do have faith.

And my friends, both local and computer, long-distance friends have truly been a blessing to me through all my issues. I truly could not get through these hardships without your heartfelt prayers and words of wisdom. I do get alot of strength and encouragement from each and everyone of you and I love you all.

Thank you all for sticking by me and letting me vent, rant and rave, cry, giggle, laugh. I always try to return the favor but am not as good at words and such as most of you, so I tend to stick to the background. But I do want you all to know that I do pray for you, feel your pain and anxiety also, even though I may not leave a message or send you an email. I am with you, regardless.

Most of you follow me on Facebook, so I will try to update when I can on Hut's progress. If I am unable I will get one of my kids to post a comment on my page. I beleive most of you are friends with at least one of my kids, too, lol.

This blog did not go in the direction I was thinking when I first started it, but it went the way I believe it was supposed to. I wanted to let you all know a little about what would entail with the surgery, but instead I was meant to tell you how much I love you guys. I thank God everyday for each and everyone of you.

Talking Turkey with Mother Nature at Work

2012-01-16T10:44:00.011-05:00

I know you guys are probably tired of seeing these guys. I take pictures of them ALL the time. They may not be the prettiest birds on the block but I just love them.
This past weekend they all decided to show me their plummage. They've NEVER opened their feathers for me before. They really are beautiful creatures.This picture shows the 3 toms with their feathers opened and if you look closely you'll see the 3 "babies".Talking Turkey, lol.This one turkey just put on a fashion show. Here is a really good look at his hind end. I wish he wasn't behind the fence, but oh well.Side view. He had ALL his feathers spread out. I was so excited to be able to see them in "full dress".
I had to be very patient here. If you look closely, you will see a bee in the flower in the middle near the bottom. Can't believe my camera got such a good shot. To the left is another shot of a bee on a flower. You can actually see his wing in this photo.
We have a small pond behind the State Farm building I work at. The turtles come out alot when it's sunny. I have to zoom in from across the pond though. I tried walking down to the water from the side closest to them and they all dove into the water. Wish I had a better camera with a lense that zoomed in more. I guess if I ever win the lottery I will buy one.

Mother Nature was out in full force this weekend. If you look really close at the middle of the picture you will see a female cardinal. I was so thrilled to be able to see her and for her to let me take some pictures of her. Another shot of her in the middle of the picture. She sure is hard to see. She blends right in with the scenery.Here's a really good shot of her. She has something in her mouth, not sure what. Looks like a piece of mulch. I sure am glad she let me get some great pictures of her.
Here is the love of her life. Mr. Cardinal. Isn't he gorgeous??? I was so blessed this past weekend to be able to get some pictures of them. They usually flitter around from tree, to bush, to wherever and I can't get them to stay still for a picture. This past weekend they both let me take a couple.Another beautiful shot of him. Isn't his red coloring just stunning?
My last shot of him. What a contrast between his red and the green on the bushes. Where you can't really see the female, the male just stands right out.
This is a Sandhill Crane. They are an endangered species here in Florida but we have quite a few on the property. This one looks like it only has one leg, but like the Flamingo, they will lift one up and "hide" it for whatever reason.Mr. Blue Jay. We have quite a few of them around, too. He's got a nut in his beak and he was trying to break it open on the branch.
What are you lookin' at? Peeking out between the branches.Not a great photo, but if you look close to the middle of the picture you will see a red-headed woodpecker. He was not very cooperative. He kept flying higher into the trees. So this is the best picture I could get of him.No, your not seeing double. These are two of the Sandhill Cranes looking for some yummies in the orange grove.Another shot of the turtles on the bank. I did not realize that I had also gotten a shot of the duck swimming in front of them.This is a Blue Heron. The turtles usually hang out with him all the time.

It was definitely a great time to work a weekend and have my camera with me. I hope you enjoyed seeing some Florida wildlife. I don't think I'll ever get tired of it and I hope you won't either.

How Much Is That Doggie In The Window?

2012-01-12T14:22:00.003-05:00

As we were driving to meet up with the kids, we saw this cute dog hanging out the back window of a pickup truck. He/she was very content to see where they were going, lol.

Cookie Making "Monsters"

2012-01-08T07:00:00.001-05:00

I know by now most of you have seen this picture of the girls. Right now it is my all time favorite picture of them. Look at the serious, intense looks on their faces. It reminds me of Norman Rockwell.
The beaters with cookie dough on them sure are yummy!

Hmmmmm? What should I do with this green icing? Let's help GiGi ice the cookies to that we can eat them. Yay!

Holiday Celebrations at the Farm

2012-01-06T07:00:00.001-05:00

Every year State Farm puts up displays for the different Celebrations of their diverse employees. The pictures are pretty much self-explanatory and hopefully will give you a better understanding of some other ways holidays are celebrated around the world.

Snow Central Santa Visit 12/15/2011

2012-01-04T07:00:00.000-05:00

Just a few pictures of Santa's Visit at Snow Central. Guess because the kids go every year we did not take any pictures of the "Snow" part of it. A very candid shot of Santa and Mrs. Claus. Scott D'Elf doesn't even remember taking the shot, it's so candid.Santa (a.k.a. Grampy) with Layla Sue. I think she's figuring out that this might actually be Grampy but she's still not real sure.Layla's cousins JoJo and Abby with Santa.
Cousin Ethan with Santa, on Ethan's birthday, which just happened to be the same day as Snow Central. Ethan's not too sure about Santa.Diana's sister and her family. Ethan on Momma's(Jessie)lap with Daddy (Ian) behind her and JoJo and Abby on Santa's other side.Wade, Layla, Rossi and Diana under the tree where Santa was just sitting.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2012-01-03T09:28:00.002-05:00

I know I'm always a day late and a dollar short. I hope everyone had a wonderful, safe, fun-filled holiday. We did, even though I was in some pain from my treadmill accident. But all is well now. I have so many pictures to share from the Christmas holiday that I really need to find time to post. New Year's Eve we did the Cruise at Old Town in Kissimmee with Wade, Diana and Rossi. Layla was with her father in Tallahassee. The cruise ended around 10 and we were home and in bed before midnight. Wade has a "69 Chevelle that he takes out to the cruise sometimes and it's lots of fun. But anything done with family is usually tons of fun anyways. So here's to a great year for everyone. I am not making any resolutions this year, just gonna take life one day at a time. God has his plan for me and it doesn't matter if I make resolutions or not, God will guide me to where he wants me to be.

Grampy & Nana's Christmas Gift

2011-12-21T07:00:00.000-05:00

Grampy and Nana decided that this year we are going to start trying to take care of our health. Too many issues this past year. I was fortunate enough to get this slightly used, almost new treadmill from a co-worker. I figure Grampy and I can watch out favorite shows while walking or listening to music and won't have to worry about it being to dark, too rainy, too cold or whatever other excuses we can come up with, lol. So here's to a hopefully much healthier year.

WHPD PROJECT REACHOUT

2011-12-20T09:25:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, Dec. 17, Santa and Mrs. Claus helped the Winter Haven Police Department deliver toys to some very needy families. We delivered to 7 families.

The family in the above photo are in a very hard situation. Dad lost his job 2 /12 years ago. Mom works at 7-11. She was able to get Dad a job part time at 7-11. Well then 7-11 cut her hours and now her house in in forclosure and the bank is not willing to work with them. They will be moving after the first of the year. So sad.
One of the children we delivered to...in awe of Santa.

A group shot at the first house we delivered to. Top right hand side is DARE Officer Terry Bowden. He has been doing Project Reach Out since 1995. Officer Bowden gets names from the local schools for the families we deliver to every year. He then puts the children's names and the gifts they want on a wreath in the Police Station and the police officer's and their families purchase the gifts for the families. Project Reachout also supplies food for a Christmas meal for each family. Walmart also in the past 3 years has donated money towards the cause. This is one of our absolutely favorite events to do every year. And we will continue to do it for as long as we are able. Thank you WHPD for allowing us to take all the glory for your hard work.

Turkeys, turkeys, turkeys

2011-12-19T08:36:00.007-05:00

There were 4 turkeys in the parking lot Sunday morning while I was at work.
One decided to walk right up to the vehicle. The following pictures were taken in the rearview mirror.
The turkey checking me out.She is pecking the rear bumper.
Looking for some more grub.Just making sure she didn't miss anything.She's done, so now she's leaving. I can't get over how unafraid she was of me or the vehicle. I stayed inside the vehicle because I wasn't sure if she would try to peck me or not. And I had to use the Security camera to take pictures because I forgot my camera at home.

Need I Say More?

2011-12-08T09:50:00.000-05:00

December 7, 1941 Never Forget

2011-12-07T07:40:00.001-05:00

Making Cookies

2011-12-06T07:17:00.002-05:00

I just wanted to share this photo of Layla and Rossi making cookies. It's such a candid shot and it shows lots of love going into those cookies.

2011-12-04T15:35:00.003-05:00

THE LEGEND OF THE CHRISTMAS SPIDER

(A folk legend from Germany and the Ukraine)

Once upon a time, long ago, a gentle mother was busily cleaning the house for the most wonderful day of the year.... The day on which the Christ child came to bless the house. Not a speck of dust was left. Even the spiders had been banished from their cozy corner in the ceiling to avoid the housewife's busy cleaning. They finally fled to the farthest corner of the attic.
T'was the Christmas eve at last! The tree was decorated and waiting for the children to see it. But the poor spiders were frantic, for they could not see the tree, nor be present for the Christ child's visit. But the oldest and wisest spider suggested that perhaps they could peep through the crack in the door to see him. Silently they crept out of their attic, down the stairs, and across the floor to wait in the crack in the threshold. Suddenly, the door opened a wee bit and quickly the spiders scurried into the room. They must see the tree closely, since their eyes weren't accustomed to the brightness of the room... so the crept all over the tree, up and down, over every branch and twig and saw every one of the pretty things. At last they satisfied themselves completely of the Christmas tree beauty.
But alas!! Everywhere they went they had left their webs, and when the little Christ child came to bless the house he was dismayed. He loved the little spiders, for they were God's creatures too, but he knew the mother, who had trimmed the tree for the little children, wouldn't feel the same, so He touched the webs and they all turned to sparkling, shimmering, silver and gold!
Ever since that time, we have hung tinsel on our christmas trees, and according to the legend, it has been a custom to include a spider among the decorations on the tree.

The spider you see on the top of the tree in the photo at the top is on my pine tree in the front yard. I was putting garland around the tree to add a little color and try to decorate it up. I saw 2 small lizards near the top of the tree and when I got to the top I saw this spider. I hate spiders but this one is very pretty...same color as the tree. I have no idea what kind it is or if it's poisonous or not. But it stayed where it was while I got the camera and took it's picture. And yes it has a web at the top of the tree. I guess the spider is what the lizards were after.

It's that time of year

2011-11-22T08:44:00.008-05:00

Bok Tower "This Singing Tower" Lake Wales, FL
Pinewood Estate located at Bok Tower, Lake Wales, FL
Family portrait at Pinewood Estate. From left to right Scott, Santa, Liz and Mrs. C.
Santa handing out a cookie.

Santa and Mrs. C. in front of the patio door coming off the living room.
One of my favorite pictures of Santa. He's next to the tree in the living room at Pinewood Estate.

Now you are all probaby wondering what this has to do with the title. Well most of you know that Hut and I are Santa's "helpers". And right after Thanksgiving our life is strictly lived as our alter egos. Not complaining though. It's just a really busy time of year. This year we have cut back some due to Hut's health issues earlier this year. Next year Mrs. C plans on cutting back more so that we can spend more time with the family before the grandkids grow up and we miss it, lol.

The pictures I've posted above are from an event we did at Bok Tower for the Pinewood Estate. We just recently recieved the pictures so I wanted to share.

Bok Tower is also known as the singing tower because it is a Carillion Tower. It has giant bells in the tower that are played at numerous times of the day during the year.

The Pinewood Estate is a beautiful home that is located on the property with the tower. Every year at Christmas the Estate is decorated. And every year the them is different. This years theme is movies. So I am hoping to get out there again this year and check it out.

I did do a blog last year about the tower and the estate. I will add the link below in case you would like to check it out.

We were very fortunate to be able to have a tour of the tower and go to the top to the bell level. The tower is not open to the public but since I have connections ( a good friend works there) my whole family was able to enjoy the tour.

Everyone have a wonderful Thanksgiving and remember to thank God for all the blessings in your life.

http://bonniebeebadd.blogspot.com/2010/12/bok-tower-and-pinewood-estate-part-i.html

http://bonniebeebadd.blogspot.com/2010/12/bok-tower-and-pinewood-estate-part-ii.html

Computer Issues

2011-11-14T09:01:00.001-05:00

Seems like if it's not one thing it's something else. My home computer has the blue screen of death. Message says something about Hard Disk. So I have been without a computer since Friday afternoon. I think Hubby uploaded a virus because he uploads and opens EVERYTHING!!! I used to but have learned since I'm sure I uploaded a virus or two back in the day. I am calling Best Buy today to see if that is something that is covered under our warranty or service policy or whatever it's called. I can't find the paper work for it, but my sister says she just gives them her phone number and they are able to pull everything up. So wish me luck. I am going crazy without my computer. And my old computer is not hooked up to the internet. :(

New Blog?

2011-11-08T07:45:00.002-05:00

I am trying to figure out how to update my blog to the new edition. Can I have some help please? Or I may just start a new blog and hope for the best. I have photos from the HeartWalk, Layla's Birthday and Putt Putt golf that I want to share but do not want to have to deal with the issues I had with the last post. If you read the mini truckin' post you have to page wwwwaaaaayyyyyy down to leave a comment. I could not fix that to save my life. So any help would be greatly appreciated so that I can once again try to be an active member of the blogging world.

Mini Truckin'

2011-11-08T06:00:00.003-05:00

For years you guys have followed Wade and his band adventures. Now it's Scott's turn. Scott is really into mini truckin'. Below you will find many types of vehicles, trucks, cars, big trucks, bigger trucks, motorcycles. Even a wagon. These people are very family oriented and come together as a community in times of need. These people are very proud of the way their vehicles look , sound and run. I did not post any pictures of engines or sound systems just awesome paint jobs. I will narrate some other pictures further down the blogs. Enjoy!

The photo below is a frame that someone is going to build into a low rider .

Not only are there low riding cars and trucks but scooters, too. This is a stretched scooter.

The back of Scott's truck. He is petitioning to be a FREAK.

Below are photos of some of the club logos that go to these events.

They even made a low rider wagon.

Blogger Issues

2011-11-07T07:36:00.004-05:00

Am I the only one having issues with blogger? I have been trying for two weeks to get a post done about our day with Scott at a mini trucking event. Blogger is giving me a fit with uploading and placing photos in my blog. I am so frustrated because I never really share what we do with Scott and Liz and now blogger just won't let me. And now that I have my camera back I have photos from the heart walk, Layla's birthday and Putt Putt golf that I would love to blog about but I don't want to take months to do it. Any suggestions?

Ghouls Night Out

2011-10-31T21:02:00.003-04:00

Hogman with Dr. Paul Bearer and Hearsaul. The original Dr. Paul Bearer was an icon in our area for many years. He hosted a Sunday afternoon movie time that was called Creature Feature. It was always a creepy movie. The original Paul Bearer passed away in 1992. This Paul Bearer and his sidekick do a fabulous job every year at Ghouls Night Out.

Hogman rides again. We were a little worried that Hogman might now be able to drive the hayride this year, but all was for nothing. He drove for 3 hours straight and probably could have for another 3, lol.

Rossi Jean waiting for Nana and Grampy to get done "playing" so she can get something to eat.

Layla Sue with her trick or treat bag, playing with one of Nana's scarves. Everyone is ready to go eat after the event. These were the only pictures I have of this years Ghouls Night Out. But be assured that EVERYONE had a great time once again.

What a weekend!

2011-10-24T07:50:00.002-04:00

Busy, busy weekend for me and Hut. He is doing really well now and he really enjoys getting out so much more. So that's what we do. Saturday we spent the day shopping. Layla's birthday is coming up soon (November 1). Her party is on the 5th of November so we thought we'd better get her shopping done now. Next weekend is all the Halloween events so I knew we wouldn't have time then. And this cool weather just makes me want to shop for Christmas too. Needless to say we probably spent too much money, lol. We did find what we wanted to get Layla for her birthday, so I'm glad that's done. We also found a few things to get her for Christmas. And then there are those things you buy for the grandkids "just because". So hopefully we will see them soon because we bought Layla and Rossi some "just because" gifts that they really need NOW. And I have come up with some really good gift ideas for the other family members for Christmas. So that will help on future shopping endevours.

On Sunday we went to a mini truck show in Clearwater with Scott and Liz. Scott is petitioning to join a truck club called Freaks of Nature. He goes to alot of shows to support his club and we go as much as we can to support the club too. The event this past weekend was to help raise money for a fallen mini trucker. Courtney Halloway passed away a few month back and left a young family behind. He was a writer for Mini Truck magazine and he was a vital part of bringing mini trucking to Florida. He was an avid mini trucker back in the 1980's when no one even knew what mini truckin' was. All proceeds from the weekend show, 100%, went to Courtney's family. Scott was the "official" photographer for the event, using my camera or I would share photos with you. Most of the vehicles there were AWESOME! There were a few that were still under construction. There was even a young boy who took his little red wagon, lowered it like a mini truck, painted it green and put skulls all over it. Starting young. The group that put on this event actually awarded this young man a trophy for his wagon. That was just awesome. The mini truckin community is definitely family oriented and you can feel good about taking your children to their events. Hut and I enjoy going to them. Quaker Steak and Lube ( yes, Steak) is the restaurant that donated their parking spaces for this event. They also donated 15% of their sales to the event. There were also raffles and t-shirt sales. Another day i spent WAY too much money, lol. Oh and I tried to buy Scott a Christmas present while I was there, something Liz said he wanted. Don't you know he caught me in the act. So I just gave it to him, told him he wasn't getting anything else for Christmas. But of course, that won't be the case.

On the way home from the truck show we got a phone call from the long lost grandkids. They were visiting their grandmother who lives close to us. So we stopped at the house to pick up some goodies we had for them and headed out again for a visit with them. It did my husband good to see them. They are our grandchildren by his daughter. The kids were excited to see their Pop. So it was a great day all around. So how was your weekend?

Blogger is at it again

2011-10-21T13:09:00.002-04:00

Okay so I don't always leave comments when I visit your blog. But if I have something to say, you know I will, lol. I left too loooooooong comments today on 2 of my blogger friend's blogs. And they are not there! Blogger has done this to me before and it is very frustrating. So Granny Annie and Pea....I'm sorry. I just can't remember all that I had written in the comments and am too frustrated right now to leave another one. Once I cool down I will be back and hopefully can be as witty as I thought I was earlier, lol. Okay, feel better now that I've vented. Thanks.

Bonita Fay's Fussing Forum

2011-10-19T09:13:00.002-04:00

That's what I think I'll change the name of my blog to. Seems I only have things to fuss about these days.

I will say I've have some fun days with the kids and grandkids lately, but without pictures (since my camera seems to be forever on loan, lol) it's just not the same blogging about it. Hopefully this weekend I'll get my camera back.

Seems to be family issues with an in-law. Nothing that is said or done can make this woman happy. She is miserable and she wants everyone else to be the same. She thinks she should be the center of attention, even at the grandbabies birthdays. Ooops, just let the cat out of the bad didn't I. No I'm not talking about me, although I do love my share of attention. Okay, I'll let all the cats out of the bag.

My wonderful daughter in law Diana, I believe was adopted. There is no way she could have been born of the woman I am speaking about. I can't even begin to describe how awful this woman is to her children, her parents, the people at church, everyone. And nothing is ever her fault, NOTHING!! It's always someone elses. The stress she puts poor Diana through is horrible. She has a FIT everytime we do anything with the kids. She says they don't spend any time with them. We live over an hour away and we usually see the kids once every 2 weeks. Sometimes in our neck of the woods, sometimes in theirs, but mostly in the middle. Diana's mother lives 5 minutes, yes 5 MINUTES from Diana and the kids. But she's always too busy when they want to do anything with her.

And then she always wants to pick fights with her kids in Church. Can you believe that? Picking a fight with your kids IN CHURCH. And when the kids tell her that Church is not the place to fight or have heated discussions, she gets all mad and walks out. She even had a fight with her other son in law right outside the Church doors, using profanity. It's truly ridiculous.

So to keep the peace and to try to make life easier for Diana, Wade and the kids, Hut and I have decided to forego any family events. That includes holidays and birthday parties. It's just not worth the stress of dealing with her. I have informed my daughter in law of our decision and I'm sure she is not happy with me. But someone needs to try to keep the peace and if Hut and I being at the family functions is going to cause this woman to go off the deep end, then I am willing, for the sake of my family, their sanity and peace of mind, to walk away. We will just have to have 2 celebrations or something to make up for it.

And this is coming at a time when my ex-husband is getting ready to be released from jail and we have issues with his girlfriend. She always tries to stir up trouble too. But I have extended the Olive Branch to them so that we can try to wipe the slate clean (even after all he has put my boys through). I just want to have a stress free time with my kids and grandkids. I'm praying I can do this with my ex and I am also praying that Diana's mother will see how hurtful her ways are to everyone and hopefully get some help for her issues. Pray that this woman finds peace in her life soon.

Thank you all for once again letting me fuss and air my dirty laundry. It's just because I know you will all have some great advice and words of wisdom.

After Stroke Question

2011-10-13T14:13:00.003-04:00

Most of you know my husband suffered a stroke back in August. I am thrilled to say that he is almost 100% after only 2 months. I am back to work and hopefully next week he will get the OK to go back. I won't go into any details of his stroke or his recovery for the past two months. I will say one thing though, his symptoms were not what are always posted for tell tale signs. If you aren't sure, just take them to the hospital.

With that said, I know a few of you have been through some hard times also with spouses and family members. So I have a question to ask. Once your spouse or family member was able to take care of themselves, did you feel let down? I spent two months, 24/7 with my husband. I am very thrilled that he is fine. And I was glad to get back to work although leaving my husband home alone with just the dogs cause me alot of concern since there would be no one to call 911 in case something happened. But even being back at work, I just feel.....well....not myself. I guess the best way to explain is....Christmas. All the hype, busy ness, buying, wrapping, festivals, events. Then Christmas morning after the presents are all opened....I just feel....let down. There's nothing left for me to do. I have no purpose. Well maybe not that bad. But I just don't feel like I'm doing enough or something. Almost like I'm depressed???? Even though I'm relieved at the outcome, I'm not really happy. Does that make sense? It is so hard to describe how I'm feeling. Did any of you ever have "strange" feelings after going through a particularly difficult time in your life? You don't have to go into anything specific....I just want to know that I'm not alone with my feelings.

Feeling Fall

2011-08-12T07:47:00.003-04:00

Even though it is still hotter than the dickens (102 yesterday) and we don't really have a fall season I can still feel it coming around this time every year.

I don't know if it's the New England in my blood or what, but for some reason by the middle of August, even in the heat, I can just feel the stirrings of autumn. I get ansy for the craft shows and holiday events that will soon be here.

I know those of you who live in the parts of the country that actually have seasons can probably actually feel the change in the air. Am I the only one in the heat zone that can tell?

We have at least another month and 1/2 of miserable heat before we start cooling off. Please send some fall freshness our way.

Wade & Diana's New House

2011-08-02T19:52:00.012-04:00

Took me long enough I know,lol. Back in May Wade and Diana finally signed papers on a house. It was built in either 1925 or 1929. I can never remember. The person they bought it from has really kept it up to date. It was totally renovated and is up to code on everything.
This is Layla sitting in their front yard. These pictures were taken when they were moving in. I will try to get some more recent pictures and post them later.

This is the door that leads to their cute little Florida room.

This is the Florida room. Trust me all the stuff is gone and it's much bigger than it looks, lol.

This is the front door leading into the living room from the Florida room. Hard to see but it has a glass door knob. All the doors in the house have old glass door knobs and they all lock with skeleton keys. And yes they all have the skeleton keys.

The fireplace in the living room. It now has a BIG tv hanging over it. But it's such a beautiful fireplace.

This is the dining room. These pictures really don't do this house justice. The rooms are a whole lot bigger than they look. Don't you just love the hard wood floors? And the previous owner even left his aquarium for them.

This is the main bathroom between 2 of the bedrooms. Don't you just love the shower curtain and rug? Diana's grandmother bought those for her.

This is the girls room. Much different looking now. It has a bunkbed in it to give the girls more room. I will definitely have to take more pictures.

Wade & Diana's room right across from the girls room.

When you walk into the kitchen this is to your right. I LOVE those glass front cabinets.

To the left has you walk in. They have since moved the fridge and are going to take the shelves out to move the stove over that end.

This is as you walk into the kitchen. I love this old sink. Deep on one side, shallow on the other. And it's porcelain. The window at one time looked over the back yard. Now it looks into the office/spare bedroom.

A shot from the kitchen through the dining room and living room. You can see Grampy silhoutted in the background.

This is the office/spare room. It now has a bed in it along with the desk and a dresser.

The extra bathroom off the office/spare room. It has a shower, sink and toilet.

This is the laundry room. It's right off the second bathroom. It also leads out to the backyard. It's actually a pretty good size.

My favorite picture of the new house. Rossi thinks it's a play house. Layla decided to join her.

I hope you enjoyed this quick look at the "new" house. I will definitely work on getting some more up to date photos next time I've over there.

RIP VICKI

2011-07-29T08:13:00.002-04:00

This is my beautiful friend, Vicki. She passed away yesterday after a horrific, one car accident. Vicki was driving home from a 2nd job at 2:30 am and fell asleep at the wheel of her car. Her car veered off the road and hit a tree. Unfortunately, Vicki was not wearing her seat belt. She was 41 and has 2 teenage children.

She was full of life and love. Always smiling, joking, having kind words for everyone. Always had a spring in her step and she was willing to help anyone with anything they needed if she had the means. She worked alot helping people with their insurance claims. One story that comes to mind was when she went to help a gentleman settle a claim after his wife passed away. He was very depressed and the whole time she was there he kept telling her he needed to show her something. Well he finally just went into the bedroom and came out with a gun. Vicki just kept her calm and gently removed the gun from the man's hands. He did not bring the gun out to harm Vicki. I believe he was silent asking for help because he did not know what to do without his wife and I truly believe that if Vicki had not been there, the man may have killed himself. Vicki got the man the help he needed.

She was truly a gifted person and will be missed by many. God has another angel in heaven. Please keep her family in your prayers.

Stop and give your loved ones a hug and let them know how much they mean to you and how much you love them.

AREA 51

2011-07-28T06:00:00.002-04:00

This book is not what I was expecting. When you hear Area 51 you think "aliens". At least I do.
And actually the very beginning of the book mentions the Roswell incident, I guess to capture your attention. However a wrench is thrown into the equation. I won't mention what it is, in case you would like to read this book. This book is actually historical "fact" based on de-classified government information. It amazes me the experimentation our goverment has been doing since the 1950's in an area they still claim doesn't exist. It's a history book about the CIA, FBI, Air Force, various private companies working together on projects that even today, if you don't have a need to know, you don't know. And it's very disturbing to learn exactly what our government was doing and are still doing and the public really has no idea. The end of the book is most disturbing, learning what kind of experiments our government did on it's own citizens without anyones knowledge. I have to say that I am skeptical of some parts of this book, although, once reading it, some theories make perfect sense. I probably have you all confused by now, but if you love history, science fiction and mysteries, this book definitely covers all three. And there is alot of technical terms which I did not care for, as it made some of it confusing for me, since I am just a layman. I do highly recommend reading it. It will definitely make you look at our government in a totally different light.

Just a few thoughts

2011-07-27T08:36:00.002-04:00

First of all I want to wish my mom a Happy 81st Birthday. That is how old she would have been if she were still with us. She has been gone for 8 years and I miss her very much.

My DIL Diana has started a food blog. It's called Chasing Flavour. The link is Chasingflavour.wordpress.com. She did her first post yesterday and she is very witty. And I can guarantee you the food will make your mouth water.

I totally suck at trying to lose weight. Those of you who have followed me for years know this, lol. I did really good on the Visalus Shakes while I was on that diet. However I seem to lose interest in everything I try. I lost 10 lbs on the shake diet only to gain 14 back. I know I can't do dieting alone and that is kind of a cop out. But I really think if I had someone to hold my hand while I'm trying to lose it would help me. I love my husband but he really is no help. And I really need to take at least 20 lbs off even though I would love to take 50 off. I would not only feel better but my health would be better also. My sugars are creeping back up and it's scaring me, but not enough to take control. Pretty sad, huh.

One day I will do a blog about Wade and Diana's new house. They moved in in May. I have taken pictures and posted on FB but not in a blog. I am so proud of them. I am also proud of Liz and Scott. They have not purchased a home yet but they finally were able to move into a place of their own. I know they are enjoying being on their own, being able to do their own thing. So yay for all my kids.

Layla starts pre-K in a few weeks. This is going to be a hard transition for Diana I believe. It's hard to believe Layla is growing up so fast. I'll have to get some current pics and get them posted.

Hut and I are starting to get the house somewhat organized since the kids are now all out and they have taken quite a few things with them. I'm hoping to get rid of a few more pieces of furniture by giving it to Wade and Diana. Once the clutter is gone, I'm sure I'll feel better about my house, lol.

Lots of changes going on every day. So what's going on in your part of the world?

Not So Random Venting

2011-07-25T08:18:00.003-04:00

I would have loved to share photos from Layla's homecoming with you, but none were taken. Layla's Grammy had to make everything about her and just totally ruined the mood for everyone. She kept saying that it was her idea to have a party for Layla coming home and she didn't understand why me and Grampy were doing everything. It was actually Grampy and Aunt Jessie's idea to have a party. And as far as us doing everything...I made some Cap'n Crunch chicken and Diana's favorite cookies and had Publix make a sandwich tray. I did spend Saturday night at Wade and Diana's so that Rossi wouldn't have to endure a 4 hour car trip.

I really try hard to get along with everyone. I have finally given up on Becky after this weekend. I have bitten my tongue so much that it's hanging by a string. I feel sorry for her children. I don't know many parents who will give things to their kids and then expect them to return them when they are done with them. I only expect my kids to hang on to family heirlooms. I don't care what Becky gives her kids, if they don't want it anymore she wants it back. When I give anything to my kids....don't give it back to me. Throw it out, give it to your friends, sell it at a yard sale. Not Becky, you will not throw it or give it away. If you choose to sell it you better be prepared to give her the money for it.

I don't know why I let this woman get under my skin except that she says nothing to me and Hut to our faces. She takes everything out on her kids. And nothing is ever her fault. She makes her kids choose between her and their father. If they speak to their father and she finds out, all hell breaks loose.

I have prayed and prayed about how I feel about Becky. The Lord put His arm around my shoulder and His hand over my mouth. However, I believe He knew I needed to vent and that my friends would understand a let me. So here is where I am doing my venting. I appreciate each and everyone of you and don't really expect any comments. Just pray for me that I don't finally lose it and put this woman in her place. The last thing I want to do is cause any more issues for my daughter in law. But also know that I will continue to go to family events, I don't care WHOSE idea they are, if to be nothing than a thorn in her side.

Okay now I feel better. Thank you again for letting me vent and being the great friends that you are.

Missing Layla

2011-07-22T09:24:00.014-04:00

Layla has been visiting with her biological father for 6 weeks. 6 WEEKS!!!!! That's a long time not to see Layla. The WHOLE family is waiting for her to come home. She will be coming home tomorrow night. After Church on Sunday we are going to having a welcome home party for her. We are all so excited about her coming home. I am just going to try to share some pictures of Layla and they are in no particular order. Enjoy!

Layla at Cousin Tony and Tarah's Wedding July 2009.
Layla watching the dolphins at Seaworld 2010.

Layla with her own pumpkin October 2009.

Layla at the playground in Winter Haven 2009.

Nana and Layla with faces painted 2009.

Mommy and Layla 2009

Layla and Daddy sharing a milkshake Christmas 2009.

Layla at Diana's stepsisters wedding 2009.

Layla at Rossi's 1st birthday party...she wants the camera 2011.

Layla at Bass Pro Shop looking for Grampy who always seems to get lost 2009.

Layla with a pumpking she carved with Daddy Jake 2009.

Layla the first time we met. May 2009.

Layla 2008

Layla...2009?

Layla at DQ 2009.

Layla on the carousel at Seaworld 2009.

Layla's face painted at the Osceola County Fair February 2010.

Layla with Daddy and Mommy at Old Town 2009.

Layla playing drums at Seaworld 2009.

Layla and Daddy coloring at Kool Kats, Old Town 2009.

Layla and Daddy riding the Carousel at Downtown Disney 2009.

Layla waiting for Daddy's band Under The Empire to play 2009.

Layla riding her bike home from Grammy's 2011.

Layla Batgirl Halloween 2009.

Layla at Uncle "Gotty" and Aunt "Wiz"'s wedding 2011.

Daddy and Layla at Layla's 3rd birthday party 2009.

Layla ready to box at the baby shower 2010.

My favorite picture of Wade and Layla taken at Seaworld 2009. Looks like the fish is kissing Layla.

Layla ready for the wedding 2011.

Layla helping Mommy at the babyshower 2010.

Layla hanging 10 at Universal CityWalk 2010.

Layla playing at Clearwater Beach 2010.

Another fave picture of Layla taken at Old Town 2009.

Layla jammin' to Daddy's band in Ybor City 2009.

Layla riding the horse at Fat Boys 2010.

Layla on a hot, hot night at Old Town 2009.

Layla cooling off at Seaworld 2010.

Layla playing drums at Seaworld 2009.

Layla sitting on Santa's lap. She has no idea who this really is, lol. 2009

Layla, Old Town 2011. Boy we sure do go to Old Town alot, lol.

Layla all gangsta at Fuddruckers 2009.

Mommy and Layla being silly with hats at Downtown Disney 2009.

Layla at the playground 2009.

Uncle "Gotty" and Layla Downtown Disney 2009.

Layla the painted princess. Downtown Disney 2009.

Layla having fun at the Osceola County Fair 2010.

Layla after playing "makeup" with Nana 2009.

Layla at the Strawberry Festival 2010.

Mommy, Layla and Daddy Christmas 2009.

Layla watching fireworks 2009.

Cool Layla with her new sister Rossi 2010.

Layla and olives 2009.

Layla and her ears that Daddy made her because she wouldn't listen, lol. 2009.

I sure do miss Layla.

Random Thoughts

2011-07-07T08:10:00.002-04:00

Today is just a day of random thoughts. Like Casey Anthony will probably be walking the streets of Orlando at some point today.....a woman who got away with murder. I saw a quote this morning about the missing timeline. If you don't pay your light bill after 31 days, you have no electricity. If you don't pay your water bill, after 31 days, you have no water. If you have a child missing for 31 days, you get to walk free. Makes you think, doesn't it. Alot of people are upset with the verdict, but it is all said and done. And now Casey will get rich and she can even admit she did kill Caylee and she won't have to do any time. Very sad. I am trying to see it from the jurors perspective, but I still am having a hard time with an innocent little girl having to give up her life so her mom( and I use that term loosely) can live the "good life".

Another thing I have been thinking about today is family. I have always considered myself a family person. I LOVE having get togethers with family. When Hut and I first got married our house was the "go to" house. The one everyone got together at. Brothers, sisters, in-laws, out-laws, cousins. Once my father in law and my parents passed away all that stopped. My husband's family had a falling out that lasted darn near 10 years. Now they are speaking again. But my family did the same thing. I can't tell you the last time my family got together. My brothers don't speak to me at all. My one sister and I talk but not often and I do send my oldest sister a Christmas card and sometimes a letter during the year with family updates. Now my boys are grown and it's their turn. Wade and Diana seem to have the "go to" house now. As for Liz and Scott, once they get settled on their own, I'm sure their's will be a "go to" house too. I sure to miss time with my family(brothers and sisters) but I am sure enjoying the new memories with my sons and their families.

And I am also thinking about FB. It there really that much drama in the world or only on FB. And I know I've made my share of "dramatic" comments. I do love FB, though. All my blogger friends are there and I can keep up with them in real time. Plus I've found friends and reconnected with people I hadn't seen in many, many years. And I can keep up with long distance family members and have even become friends with some of my second and third cousins that I have never met! Technology is amazing.

I have other random thoughts in my head, but just bits and pieces. So I will save those for another day.

What a way to start the day.....

2011-06-08T08:16:00.003-04:00

I am sure you can tell what these are pictures of. SNAKE!! Yep, that's what it is. Same snake, two pictures. This snake was found under MY desk this morning. It's a baby snake, not sure what kind. I put my purse under my desk every day....imagine if he had climbed into it. EEWWWW! So my Wednesday has started out on a great note, lol. We let the snake go back outside. Hopefully he'll enjoy a long life......but not if he ends up under my desk again.

Much needed getaway

2011-05-04T19:53:00.003-04:00

Just wanted everyone to know that I will be going to St. Augustine this weekend. Hut and I are leaving Friday morning. We are stopping in St. Cloud to pick up the granddaughters, then we are going to head up to Jacksonville before heading south again to St. Augustine. I promise to take many, many pictures to share with you all. Everyone have a great weekend.

Jared, The Subway Guy

2011-04-24T15:24:00.011-04:00

Back in September of 2009, I had the pleasure of meeting Jared Fogle, the Subway Guy, when he made an appearance at State Farm. He is a very awesome, down to earth guy. Nothing fake about him. And he is a very wise man. The photo above was one I took while he was there. He actually saw me taking his photo from across the lobby, since I couldn't leave my desk. He came right over and bent down so I could take an up close and personal picture. He even remembered my name from when he was introduced to me by my friend Julie, on his way in.

I say he is a wise man, because while I was at the library, I found the book he wrote on his weight lose. It was almost like divine intervention that I found this book. I was at the computer, looking up authors I wanted to read and when I turned around, there it was. The Book. I saw it and thought, what the heck, I'll read it. What a great, inspirational book. It is NOT a diet book. It's the story about how he came to try Subway sandwiches to lose weight. And the book is written to help people overcome whatever their vice might be. Not just weight loss. Drinking, drugs, gambling. I wholly recommend that everyone read this book. I loved it so much, it touched me in such a way, that I actually went on eBay and ordered one so that I could have it within reach anytime I wanted to read it. So check it out.

Here is a photo of Jared with the pants he wore when he was at his biggest. He carries them with him where ever he gives speach. He weighed 425 lbs when he decided to change his life. He eventually weighed in at 180 lbs, 10 of which he gained back, so he is at 190. But he has maintained that weight for over 12 years. And his book talks about changing your life, not dieting. Many words of wisdom in his book, that are now hanging on my front door, so that I can see them on my way out everyday.

Pine Tree Crosses

2011-04-23T13:49:00.003-04:00

The Pine trees start their new growth in the weeks before Easter If you look at the tops of the Pine trees two weeks before, you will see yellow shoots. As the days get closer to Easter Sunday, the tallest shoot will branch off and form a Cross. By the time Easter Sunday arrives, you will see that most of the Pine trees will have small yellow Crosses on the tallest shoots.

The photo below shows a shoot that looks like a star

Rossi Jean

2011-04-14T05:55:00.006-04:00

Nope you're not confused. This is Layla. Isn't she a little beauty? I thought I'd share Layla with you first because you're probably gonna get tired of seeing Rossi, lol.

Rossi Jean has learned to stick her tongue out for comic effect. I thought she was so cute doing it last Saturday that I took a bunch of pictures. Yeah, I know, typicial Nana. Just bear with me because these are sooooo cute, lo. Sticking her tongue out at Grampy. Just sticking her tongue out while she's looking around. Playing with her tongue.

I'm cute hanging sideways in my stroller, sticking out my tongue

This is her "mean sticking out tongue" look, lol.

I'm sure by now you're tired of seeing Rossi and her tongue. I just thought she was so dang cute doing this the other night. Thanks for letting me share.

Just Plain Stupid!

2011-04-06T16:40:00.003-04:00

That's the only reason I have. I am just plain stupid sometimes. Those of you who follow me on Facebook know I just recently went to the Doctor's. I had let my diabetes medicines run out and then just ignored my diet for 4 months. 4 MONTHS!!! What the hell was I thinking? I wasn't. Now I'm paying for it. I have the onset of Diabetic Retinopathy. Good news is....if I keep my diabetes under control from here on out....it won't get worse. I also have protein in my urine which means I am damaging my kidneys. Good news...doctor says if I keep my sugar under control it can be reversed. Why do some of us thing that if we ignore things nothing will happen? I am proof that doesn't work. I used Christmas and being busy with Santa as an excuse and then Scott and Liz's wedding. But really there was no excuse. I have honestly been trying to get my sugar under control. My glucose readings have been really good for the most part. Some have been a little high but I know it was caused by what I ate. So I just won't eat those foods. I'm learning all over again. I am even going to be seeing a diabetes specialist, which any other doctor never suggested to me. I love my "young" doctor because he really is about taking care of me as long as I try to take care of myself. He would rather see me off pills than prescribe me more. So it is all up to me to accept this challenge of getting well and staying well. And I do accept it because I have so much to live for and see!

The Reception

2011-03-31T07:00:00.003-04:00

Now for the fun.Grampy and Rossi enjoying sweet tea and appetizers.

The ringing of the bells begins.And more bell ringing.Scott trying to get to Liz so the bell ringing will stop.Liz at the couple's table waiting for the "bell" kiss.Appetizers are done...now waiting for the "grub".Rossi visiting with her Aunt Liz.Layla helping Aunt Liz practice for the First Dance.Okay, where do I hold on?Aaahhh there we go....let the first dance begin.Enough of dancing with the groom...now it's Mavy's turn.Layla and Daddy dancing.Newlyweds goofing for the camera with their version of the Tango. Eat your hearts out Dancing with the Stars.Layla traded in Daddy for some Mommy dance time.Now Daddy's cutting the rug with Rossi and Liz is dancing with Hope.Scott and his grandmother dancing.Liz and Hope with Brittany and her husband shaking their groove things in the background.There's a whole lotta shakin' going on.Diana and Rossi sitting this one out.My handsome hunk waiting for someone to ask him to dance.Faith, Liz's Aunt Lisa, Liz and Brittany doing the Cuban Shuffle.Liz and Diana trying to teach Layla the Electric Slide.Okay enough dancing....time for some cake!And so married life begins, lol. It's a spatula...not going to do much harm.Cutting the cake.....with the spatula.I missed the cake/face smashing thanks to a camera malfuntion. This is the after affects.Wade getting some icing off of Scott's shirt. Wade then proceeded to smear it all over Liz's face.Rossi with Momma's flowers. I just love this picture of Rossi.Faith eating her cupcake.And Layla Sue "wearing" her cupcake.The brothers seem to be scheming.Finally....Hut and I getting ready to dance. Liz with her Grandmother, Susan, who performed the ceremony and her Great-Grandmother, who is 92 years old. Doesn't she look wonderful for 92? Now comes the real fun. Decorating the getaway vehicle. No one thought to buy one of the car decorating kits, so we went old school and decorated with anything we could get our hands on, including birthday wrapping paper for little girls.Beer cans, streamer decorations, and paper bells.They cut up a beer carrying case and taped it to the back windows. I'm so glad we found a second use for alot of the decorations.Remember the "kissing" bells. Well the girls brought out just about all of them and here you see Wade putting them in the hubcaps of the truck. We put bells everywhere in and out of the truck.Even on the windshield wipers. Yep that's me getting in on the action. I had told Wade the picture I had taken of him putting bells in the hubcaps was a blackmail photo. So I guess Diana decided to get even by taking this picture.Miss Rossi and her Momma.Here comes the groom out the door, getting ready to leave.

Here's Liz trying to make her escape.

Not sure what's going on here but it's a great shot of the brothers.

Liz, Rossi and Scott.

Liz and Scott getting ready to make the great escape.

The Wedding

2011-03-30T04:00:00.015-04:00

No matter what I do I can't seem to get this blog edited to the top of the page.

Let the Wedding begin.....

Liz's grandmother at the podium. She performed the ceremony. And the groom looking excited with his groomsmen. Oh and Rossi.

Here comes the bridal party. That is Diana leading the pack.

Here comes Flower Girl, Layla.

Here comes the Bride. Isn't she beautiful?

The exchanging of the vows.

Wade and Rossi during the ceremony. You can't tell she's sick. Poor baby had the croup and strep throat. Only no one knew.

Liz's little brother Jack was the ring bearer. Or as his shirt stated....Ring Security!

Repeating more vows.

Trying to untie the rings from the pillow. Oops someone forgot to do that once Jack got to the front, lol.

Scott putting Liz's ring on her finger.

Liz putting Scott's ring on his finger.

And THE KISS!!!!!

Welcome Mr. and Mrs. Scianimanico!

Picture time before the reception. Here's the bride with her maids. Diana and Layla on the left, then Brittany, Faith, Liz, Shannon, Mavy and Hope.

Layla, Daddy and Mommy. Rossi was with Grampy.

Jack...aka....RING SECURITY!

Roy, Scott and Matt. You can't tell Scott's proud of his new jewelry can you???

Diana goofing for the camera.

Scott and his Momma....now he's a married man.

The bridal party minus a couple. Starting from left, Matt, Roy, Wade, Diana, Mavy, Shannon and Layla in the front.

Proud Mama Bear ( that's what Liz calls me), with the happy couple.

Momma with Wade.

Layla, Jack and Hope.

Layla with her momma's flowers.

Getting ready for the Wedding

2011-03-28T18:48:00.017-04:00

March 26, 2011. The Wedding day has finally arrived! Still more prep to be done before the actual ceremony. Time is of the essence.

Liz baked almost 200 cupcakes for the wedding. The morning of the wedding she calls me and asks me if I could ice them. Here are some of the finished ones.

And the heart shaped cake she baked needed to be iced. She just wanted it iced but I told her I would be putting a border on it.

And the cake with the topper on it. I want to mention that this topper was ordered 5 days before the wedding. The lady on eBay sent the topper without recieving her payment first because she wanted to the couple to have their topper. So thank you Nancy for making Scott and Liz's day special.

Wedding bells to ring when you want the couple to kiss. Oh how Scott hates those bells, lol. You will understand why when we get to the reception.

Liz just had her hair done for the wedding. She is going to help with some finishing touches.

Liz working on her cupcake Wedding Cake.

And the finished "cake". I love this idea.

The sign hanging at the alter.

Here's Matt. He's the best man. Don't you just love his faux hawk?

Scott's grandfather passed away at the end of January but they still wanted his presence at the wedding. So they set up a memorial table for him.

A framed picture of Liz and Scott. There were pens hanging next to it so you could leave your wishes for the couple on the black mat.

Liz took pictures from all the different years of her and Scott's life, printed them in black and white and then hung them on the wall behind their table.

Now the fun begins. G&S Hitman Music has arrived. The DJs. Simmie and his cousin Greg. They really rocked the house.

Mine and Hut's chair for the ceremony. Hut was very proud that his says "Father of the Groom"

An ice cream truck showed up while we were waiting on the bride.

Scott and his Momma....his last picture with me as a single man.

Scott's grandmother had arrived so all the boys were over talking to her.

Some of the family waiting for the bride. Grandma Tootsie is in the green shirt.

The bride has arrived. Liz is in the middle next to her maid of honor, Brittany. Liz's sister Faith is on the left.

Brittany, Liz and Faith.

The Beautiful Bride.

Diana and Rossi.

Miss Layla Sue all pretty in pink.

Grandma Tootsie playing with Layla & Rossi.

Diana, Brittany, Faith, Liz, Shannon and Mavy.

The girls all lined up to go in.....let the Wedding begin.

Wedding Prep

2011-03-27T21:19:00.007-04:00

Friday was a day spent prepping for the BIG wedding on Saturday. Everyone chipped in to help.

One of the food items on the reception menu was my Cap'n Crunch chicken. Scott crushed the cereal for me, which, I believe was the hardest job of the day. I also made deviled eggs, potato salad and a pasta salad. While I was out shopping for last minute food ingrediants, Liz baked all the cupcakes for her wedding.And she baked a small heart shaped cake for her cake topper. Liz & Scott decided that cupcakes were the way to go instead of the traditional wedding cake. Once I post wedding pictures, you will be able to see what a great idea that was.The building where Liz and Scott got married had a full kitchen so the night before we brought over some of the food we had already prepped because I had no room in my fridge. When we got there the kids had already had most of the place decorated. Here is a shot of the tables being set.I have better shots of the table decorations in the wedding pictures. Liz made these all herself. The wire flower holders look like vintage dresses and she made the smaller flower arrangements next to it. And yes, I got to keep one of each.

A close up of the smaller table arrangements.

Here's the proud "father" of the groom supervising.

Liz and Scott's table.

Scott and Shannon (one of the bridesmaids) hanging flowers for the alter.

The girls taking a well deserved break....Shannon on the left, Mavy in the background, Liz in the gator shirt and Brittany with her back to us.

Liz goofing with the decorations.

Liz's cousins hanging decorations.

Scott, Matt (the best man) and Roy (one of the groomsmen) trying to talk Scott into flying to Las Vegas.

Matt still trying to get Scott to "run".

Roy trying to stay out of trouble.

Liz and Scott deciding if they like the arch or not.

Matt and Roy redoing the archway.

Brittany and Scott "fighting" about something.

And Scott wins by carrying Brittany out the door.

Nature at work....again!

2011-03-21T05:58:00.004-04:00

You all know how much I love the building where I work. Especially if I have the chance to work over the weekend. There is so much nature out there to enjoy and I don't know if it was because of the full moon but there was alot of nature going on Saturday. I'm so glad that I always think to take my camera with me on weekends that I work. The majority of my time when I work weekends is away from my desk. I am usually in a vehicle driving around the building making sure the perimeter is secure. So that gives me lots of opportunity to be at one with Mother Nature.

The first thing I saw on my rounds was the beautiful full moon getting ready to set. It was absolutely gorgeous.My first actual breathing contact with Mother Nature was this raccoon down by the pond. I was actually sitting in my car and my lens zoomed in far enough to catch this little guy. The raccoons are sooooo cute. I actually saw a Momma raccoon with two little babies but I couldn't get a picture of them. The babies looked like kittens. I just wanted to bring them home.

Next on my rounds was this Painted Turtle. He was on his way to the pond. See him smiling for the camera???I saw this squirrel and another one chasing each other around the trees. Got them to stop long enough for a couple of photos.

Here is the other player in the game of squirrel tag.
For some reason there was only one Sandhill Crane out. Usually there are close to twenty during the course of the day.

Another raccoon. This one is very friendly. Comes right up to the car. Loves Cheez-its.
Another turtle as well. Not a great picture. This one was in it's "teenage" years judging by it's size. Wasn't too small....wasn't too big.
The turkeys were out ALL day! Surprising considering turkey season opened on Saturday. Guess they know they can't be hunted on this property. These four always hang together. They are all Toms. The hens are all sitting on eggs.
This one was the least skittish of them all. He pretty much let me pull up to him and take a close up shot. As you can tell, they are all young toms.

Lastly, a couple of shots of another turtle. I actually think this is the first turtle I took a photo of earlier in the day. The first one had moss all over it and so does this one. And this one had come from the other side of the pond, so I think he just went for an extremely long walk.

A shot of the turtle heading off to wherever it is he or she is heading.

Blogging

2011-03-18T08:09:00.002-04:00

I would really like to start blogging again. I feel like I just don't know how to do it anymore. And FB is so much quicker. Of course I also think I have to have photos to go with my blogs. Which is why I didn't blog about my 5oth birthday. No photos. Only photos of my new tattoo. And now I feel like I need to explain why I don't blog. Hopefully next week I will have a blog about Scott's wedding. Yes, my youngest son is getting married and I haven't even blogged about any of that. But I will do a wedding blog...hopefully sometime next week. So please just bear with me and I will hopefully get back to blogging somewhat normally real soon.

Happy 1st Birthday Rossi Jean

2011-02-01T06:00:00.011-05:00

From this...January 27, 2010

To this......January 27, 2011. Can you believe Rossi Jean is a year old already? Where does the time go?

Rossi and Daddy getting ready to open some presents.

Rossi sitting on the 4 wheeler that Grammy bought her, getting ready to open the first present. I think Daddy volunteers for this job every birthday because HE likes opening the presents.

Daddy reading the card while Rossi pays attention to every word Daddy is saying.

Rossi loves this present. Wade called it an Abacus.

The whole family in on the gift opening. Diana, Rossi, Wade and Layla with her back to us.

Rossi has found a way to get in to trouble already with her 4 wheeler.

Some Rossi and Daddy time before the cake cutting.Layla wants the camera to take some pictures herself.

Rossi slowly checking out the icing on the cake. Yummy!
Getting in to it a little bit more.
Not messy enough for "mean Mommy", who smashes Rossi's face into the cake.
But Mommy got her "just desserts". Grammy got even for Rossi.
And Daddy helped Mommy get even with Grammy. Glad I wasn't part of that mess. And poor Aunt Liz. Got slimed by Rossi with Buttercream Icing because Rossi didn't like getting showered off.

I have many more pictures but didn't have time to post them all here. For those of you on Facebook, you will find all the pictures there. Everyone had such a good time at Rossi's party. Everyone should have a 1st birthday party every year!

The Orange Dome

2011-01-21T05:38:00.004-05:00

In 1964 construction was started on a very unique building in Winter Haven. It was round topped and was being built where the Florida Citrus Festival would make it's home. Construction was completed within a year and in 1965 the Citrus Dome was opened. A time capsule was buried on the grounds at that time, to be opened 100 years later.

The capsule is acutally built into the wall right outside the main entrance to the dome. As you are facing the entrance the capsule would be on the right side. The window in the middle was a ticket window. In recent years it became a showcase window. I know I would never fit in that space....it's teeny tiny.

This is a photo of the front of the building. It was originally designed for parking on the main road, Cypress Gardens Boulevard. Today that is not possible because the Boulevard is now a 4 lane highway.
This is a picture of the back of the bulding. This is the door that actually leads from the building to the fairgrounds. The Citrus Festival was last held in 2007 I believe. There was not enough funding to keep it going and the popularity decreased over the years. My husband and I used to volunteer at the Festival and it was a sad day when they made the announcement that the Festival would not be returning.
The roof of the bulding is not actually attached to the building. It sets on top of some brick columns. It is probably the most sturdy building in the state. It is a very unique building and I am hoping to be able to get inside soon to take some photos.
And I am planning on researching more of the history and how and why it was built the way it was. I am also going to try to find some photos taken in the late 1990's when it was painted like a baseball with backwards stitching (long story). I wanted to share some of the Orange Dome with you because within the next 18 months they are going to be tearing it down. I just don't understand how we can destroy history like it was never there. The Dome has been many things over the years...it has not been sitting empty. It has been used by Walmart for layaways, it's been an ice skating rink, volleyball court, it's held parties, car shows, boat shows, rv shows, holiday events, the Festival of Trees. Lots and lots of fun and good times in that one small building.

Bikers

2011-01-19T18:31:00.002-05:00

Layla got a new bike for Christmas. Since her Grammy babysits and doesn' t live too far from Wade & Diana's, Wade decided the bring Layla's bike to her Grammy's and then when he went to pick up her and Rossi, he rode his bike with a trailer.

Layla riding her new bike. We noticed she needed her seat raised and hopefully Daddy took care of it.

The crew getting ready for the ride home. You can barely see Rossi in the trailer.

Rossi is ready to go.

Rossi is such a character. You can tell she's ready to ride!

And off they go....heading into the sunset towards the ole homestead.

Wild Parrots

2011-01-19T05:59:00.009-05:00

About 25 years ago someparrots escaped from Cypress Gardens. I believe a bad storm had blown through and damaged cages. Some of those escaped birds have survived and thrived in the wild for all those years. They actually have a next built between some power transformers out on Lake Howard right near the trail where I walk. With my new camera that Santa brought me for Christmas I was actually able to capture some really good shots of some of them.

Here is a photo of the nest between the transformers. I was concerned because I know transformers can blow and start fires. Evidently they have new tranformers that won't do that anymore, so I was assured that this wouldn't happen to the parrots.

A little closer shot of them at the nest. I saw 4 of them the day I took pictures. But you could tell there were more with all the squawking going on.

It's hard to see but on the bottom of the nest there is an opening where the birds crawl in and out of the nest. This is the closest shot I could get. Arent' the parrots just beautiful?

I saw this squirrel and thought it would make a great shot. I love this new camera I got. I just love how this picture came out. Pea and Susie Q....I may be able to give you a run for your money photowise now, lol.

I loved the way the Spanish Moss looked against the other trees.

Another shot of some Spanish Moss hanging in the trees.

Here is a shot of the sunset over the trees at the Lake Howard Nature Park. The pinks and purples were beautiful.

Bok Tower and Pinewood Estate Part II

2010-12-13T10:40:00.013-05:00

Okay, now that I've given you a small teaser for the Pinewood Estate, I'll share some more pictures. And I have to tell you that my pictures don't do the Estate justice and most of my pictures are of the many trees that are decorated there.

I ended the last blog with the Christmas Tree in the kitchen. As you walk out of the kitchen you walk into the dining area. We caught Santa and his elves getting ready to dine.

This tree is in the dining area. If you look closely you will notice the top of the tree is bent over. There is an elf on top that is trying to jump from the tree to one of the balloons hanging from the ceiling.

Santa greeted us as we left the dining room and headed towards the living rooms.

This nativity was set up in front of the fireplace in the loggia. I call it a living room. For some reason I didn't get any pictures of the huge wreath hanging from the ceiling or the tree in the corner. Gives me an excuse to go back (giggle).

On ourway to the next living room areas we passed this snowman. I was told the glass room he is in is called a box window. There were 3 of those windows on the ground floor of the house. To me they were more like Florida rooms.

This was part of a scene decorated by a member of the Trans Siberian Orchestra. It was the music room. Gorgeous! I am thinking that I definitely need to go back and take more photos....I'm realizing that I really didn't take enough.

This is a sitting room by the music room. The lifesize doll on the couch? I thought she was real, lol.

This is the opposite side of the sitting room. I just love the rocking horse in front of the fireplace. From here we headed up a small spiral staircase to the second floor where all the bedrooms are. The main bedroom had all the furniture removed so they could make it a room of just Christmas trees.

There were probably 6 or 7 trees in the room. This is the blue tree.

And a pink and red one.

A small country style table top tree.

And a very Patriotic tree.

They even put a tree in the bathroom!

This bedroom has a tree between the two twin beds.

This Santa greeted us on the staircase leading back downstairs. He's covered in leaved and pine cones. I don't know what Santa he is but I call him Santa Nature.

This bedroom was off the landing between the second floor and the first floor. This was my favorite room. It was the brightest room in the house. It just seemed so cozy and friendly.

Santa and I did an event at Bok Tower around Thanksgiving and we were in a patio area. I had a picture posted on FB for awhile of me and Santa on the patio. This is the same patio. They have filled it in with beautiful pointsettias. See the fountain? This house sat abandoned for many years before BOK Tower bought it. Limbs, leaves and moss covered this area. As it was being cleaned and the debris removed, they discovered this gorgeous fountain made out of Italian tile. There seemed to be no damage. They found the handle that would turn on the water for the fountain and much to the suprise of everyone, the fountain worked!

On the way back down the hill to the Visitor's Center, the boys decided to play. Wade was chasing Layla and then jumped on Scott's back for a piggy back ride.

In the Visitor's Center there is a cut out in the wall that is as big as the biggest bell in the tower. Here is Layla standing the the bell. About a year ago I think I posted pictures of Hut and Scott standng in the same bell. It is HUGE!

Also in the Visitor's Center is the original sketch of the Tower. This is what they drew before they built it. The Visitor's Center has alot of amazing articles and items from the tower. I promise I will take more photos next time. I am going to try to go out there one more time for the Christmas Display and after the holiday, when flowers are in bloom, go out and take some actual photos of the gardens. I just happen to know that Santa is giving me a new camera for Christmas. SSSHHHHH don't tell him I know or he may just give me coal, lol.

Bok Tower and Pinewood Estate Part I

2010-12-09T22:27:00.032-05:00

We have this beautiful tower in our neck of the woods. It is called Bok Tower after the man who built it...Edward Bok. This tower took 2 years to build and it was built during the height of the depression. The tower itself is not open to the public but the beautiful gardens surround it and the Pinewood Estate, which was purchased by the Bok Foundation in 1970 are. It's a beautiful, serene place to spend a day.

During the course of the year they also have concerts at the base of the tower and many take place in the evenings. Bok Tower is built on the highest ground in the State of Florida.

I am fortunate enough to have a friend who works at Bok Tower and myself and my family were fortunate enough to get a private tour of the Tower.

This is the front door to the Tower. It is made out of solid brass and weighs about 1000 pounds. The outside of the door is polished twice a year. The inside of the door is polished once every 2 years. If you look closely at the 3rd row down on the left...there is a tree. This is actually a peep hole door so you can see who is at the door before you open it. My kids call it the Wizard of Oz door,lol. The door depicts different biblical scenes.

The whole family in front of the door. Front row is Liz holding Layla and Diana holding Rossi. Back row is me, Scott, Hut and Wade.

Edward Bok is buried right at the front door. He did not want to be buried at the Tower but his wife insisted he be buried there after his death. So he is right at the foot of the stairs between the Koi/Swan pond and the front steps.

When you walk in the front door you are in an amazing hall. This is the fireplace. It has alot of hand carved ornamentation that my camera just could not pick up (Thank goodness Santa's bringing me a new camera for Christmas). It has an outline of the state of Florida, some scenes and some sayings. I'm not sure any camera's could do it justice.Here is some of the carved decoration on top of the fireplace. Men playing bells. I guess I should have mentioned that BOK Tower is actually a carillion with about 60 bells. They have a carillioneur that plays everyday during the holiday season and for special concerts they hold throughout the year.

This is the ceiling in the hall. It's peaked. Look at beautiful the bricks are inlayed.

This is a balcony in the hall that leads to the second floor. We only got to tour the first floor and the bell tower. The other floors are now used for storage and offices.The railings and stairs are made out of ornate wraought iron. The staircase was a spiral staircase. We all wanted to climb them but they were off limits. Notice how beautiful the bricks and marble are. How boring our building are nowadays that are being built.

This is the tile floor. Stunning! The star in the middle is the Star of Life. I really wish I had posted more pictures of the floor. The floor depicts ocean life, progressing to lakes and rivers and then land. All the tiles depict different types of animals.

These are our gracious hosts....on the right is Martin...he works at Bok Tower and granted us this tour. On the left is his beautiful bride Amneris. We can't thank them enough for giving our whole family the opportunity to do what very few can.

Up to the bell tower. We actually took an elevator up to the top of the tower. The elevator was built originally with the tower in the late 1920's, early 1930's. Very small elevator. We had to make it in two trips. The bell tower holds I believe 60 bells of various sizes. There is a room right under the bell that has a keyboard that the carillioneur plays. It was too dark to get any pictures through the windows.

A little dark but this is the largest bell in the tower.

The bell tower has 4 balconies (one on each side) that we could go out on and see the view. There is ornamentation going alot further up the building from the top floor that we were on. This is tile work going up the side from the balconey. This was all just cleaned and the workers actually climbed the sides of the tower to clean them. Not a job I would want.

Also at the top and on all four corners are these hand-carved Griffins. At least I think they are Griffins. Martin called them monsters. Can you imagine carving these by hand at the VERY TOP of the building? And back almost 100 years ago.

Here is a view from one of the balconies. I love this view because it shows that there are still some orange and other citrus groves in Florida. As a matter of fact...BOK Tower has working groves on their property.

A view from another angle. We believe this is Mountain Lake. Mountain Lake is one of the places that the Millionaires of the day would stay. And some still do. The Rockefellers stayed ehre and I believe they still do. Also one of the members of the Trans Syberian Orchestra has an estate there.

And yet another view from one of the balconies. As you can see Polk County is still very rural. And I hope it stays that way.

A view of the Koi/Swan pond from the top of the tower. I'm so glad my son Scott was taking these photos, lol, as I have a terrible fear of heights.

A not so clear shot of Edward Boks tomb from the top of the tower.This is a shot looking up from the entranceway to the tower. We were way up there. Now it's on to the Pinewood Estate for their Christmas displays.

We actually stopped on the other side of the Koi/Swan pond for some photo ops. This is Diana, Rossi, Wade and Layla in the front.

Liz and Scott. Notice the tower in the background in both photos. It's so beautiful.Right outside of the Pinewood Estate there was a huge picture frame for photo ops. So you know we took advantage of that. Here is Liz and Scott.

And Diana, Rossi, Wade and Layla.

The Pinewood Estate was built by C. Austin Buck around the same time as Bok Tower. Mr. Buck was a very wealthy man. He was vice-president of Bethlemhem Steel in Pennsylvania. His family only used the house 6 weeks out of the year. It is a 20 room Meditearanian Style house. My favorite part is it has 5 bedrooms all with their own bathrooms. I would love to have my own bathroom. And of course I have no picture of the house itself, just the Christmas decorations.

This is the Christmas tree in the kitchen. It is set in front of an elevator. It it believed Mr. Buck's mother was in a wheelchair and they used this lift to get her to the upstairs rooms. The staircase next to the tree comes off the main entrance and was not built for fluffy people like me.

I have decided to make this a two-parter so you wouldn't have to continue to wait until I finished with the rest of the pictures. Hopefully I will be able to post Part II tomorrow, but now promises. :)

Coming to you soon at a Blog near you.....

2010-12-07T06:58:00.002-05:00

You all know it's a busy time of year for us. But this past weekend we were able to spend a wonderful day with the WHOLE family. I will be posting pictures hopefully this afternoon. And hopefully I still have some people who check in from time to time.

Flip Floppin'

2010-08-12T05:59:00.005-04:00

I know I said I wasn't going to blog anymore. But sometimes you just have to. They are having a bake sale at the hospital that my soon to be daughter in law works at. Scott had baked some brownies for it, but I wanted to do something different. I had seen these really cute cookies that looked like flip flops in a Disney magazine called Family Fun. That is what I wanted to do. These are no bake cookies since you use store bought cookies. You use Milano cookies from Pepperidge Farm and Cameos. We couldn't find Cameos so we used Vienna Fingers.

Milanos. These come a variety of flavors. We used them all. There is Double Chocolate, Mint Chocolate, Milk Chocolate and Raspberry.

These are the Vienna Fingers. These and the Cameos are vanilla cookies with a white cream filling.

We found that icing the whole cookie made it easier to attach the "toe" pieces for the flip flops. You can choose to leave the cookies plain and just put a bead of icing to attache the "toe" pieces.

The Milanos....almost ready.
The Vienna Fingers....almost completed.
Here we just used icing to add a little dressing on the "toe" You can also use small candies to dress up the toes. The toe pieces are shoestring licorice. The magazine said you could also use gummy worms cut in 1/2. This proved to be too difficult for me, lol, so I stuck to the licorice.
Here is sampling of the finished products. On the bottom right of the photo are some Milanos with no icing. The decoration on the toe part is part of a gummy worm. On the top left are some flip flops made with the gummy worms. I just couldn't get them to do right so I just gave up. Hopefully these will sell well at the bake sale today.

Random Grandbaby Photos

2010-08-05T05:57:00.005-04:00

I know these photos are small. I swiped them off of Diana's FaceBook. I just thought they were too cute not to share.This one of Rossi reminds me of the Titanic pose on the front of the ship.

Layla and Rossi...so sweet.

This is one of my favorites of Layla. Wade had told her since she couldn't hear what he was saying he was going to make her new ears. They look like Shrek ears.

Rossi eating a piece of pizza crust. She definitely takes after her Daddy and Uncle Gotty!

This is my favorite picture of Rossi right now. I just love this crooked face smile.

Another shot of the sisters. I hope they stay this close always.

I think I'm done

2010-07-29T07:34:00.003-04:00

Blogging seems to be a thing of the past. No one seems to do it anymore. There are only 3 on my list that post regularly. I will continue to read your posts as I do enjoy visiting with you all. And most of you are on FB and that's how we now keep in touch. I may on occasion do a post but it would not be very often. Feel free to check back from time to time if you'd like. But I will continue to visit your blogs and leave comments.

Excited

2010-07-14T13:45:00.002-04:00

Trying not to be too excited though. They actually worked on my road yesterday. And Scott called and told me they are working on it today again. WHOOOHOOO!!!! Yesterday they had surveyors and the road grader. Today Scott said they were digging up the hot top at the end of the street near the main road. That means they are going to start putting in the curbs. At least that's what it's supposed to mean. We'll just have to keep watching. But it's a start and I'm happy about that. Thanks for letting me vent my frustrations over the road to you.

Mother Nature at it's Best and Worst

2010-07-13T05:56:00.003-04:00

We have a family of Sandhill Cranes that come by work everyday. Here's momma, daddy and the baby all the way on the left.
Same family...different pose. They almost look fake.
I call these guys the "Death Squad". They hang around ALOT! And always from the light posts. Kinda creepy, like they are just waiting for their next meal. Silly me, they probably are, lol.This is an old metal igloo cooler that I found at a flea market a couple of years ago. I thought I'd be slick and make it into a planter. I used fake flowers and as you can tell, they are all faded. Anyway, the purpose of showing you this is the next picture.
You really can't tell but if you look really close inside the lid....there is a bird's nest in there. Yep, there is. It's a small brown bird, not sure what type. I can't believe the bird built it so close to the house, especially right by the front door. We go in and out constantly and the dogs run around and bark. But the bird seems content there. I had thought I saw a small brown bird fly from there the other day. Scott told me yesterday not to touch the cooler. I thought it was because it was hot. Him and Liz told me there was a bird's nest in there. Now I'm going to be very protective of it. Can't wait to see how many babies we have.

No Money

2010-07-08T14:42:00.004-04:00

That's the reason my road is a mess. No money to finish the job. It's a county job. How can the county not have enough money to finish the job???? Well it's time to call newspapers and news stations. That's what I'm going to do. Or at least that's what I was going to do. We just got a call from the paving company and they said the county paid them the money they were owed. I still haven't seen any activity on my street. This all happened on Thursday and now it's Saturday. If nothing happens on Monday, then I am calling all the media that I can get a hold of. It's really ridiculous. The only thing saving us now is no rain. The road isn't half bad when there is no rain. Of course that doesn't help us with our transmission. The paving company did say if we go to a transmission shop and get a statement that says the road was the reason for the transmission being messed up, then they would pay for it. I am thinking about pursuing that avenue. I know Liz is....she hasn't even paid off her car yet. So that's all I have for now. Everyone enjoy your weekend. I'm spending my Saturday at work.

Dirt Road Update

2010-07-07T07:43:00.002-04:00

The road is not any better. They haven't worked on it in almost a week. And the rain just makes it miserable. We try to do our running around after work so that we don't have to leave the house again once we are home. Yesterday the garbage truck got stuck 1/2 way down the road. Had to get a tow truck to pull them out. Guess our garbage will be overflowing again after that. I'm sure they won't be down the road again anytime soon. And when Hut finally got to talk to someone about the road, they told him it would be done by the end of SEPTEMBER!!!! When we had the meeting about the road work we were assured it would be done by the end of MAY! It's been being worked on since JANUARY. I am so frustrated. The transmission has started slipping in one of our vehicles. I was told a transmission flush would fix it. I think either the paving company or the county, someone should fix it for me. We all know that's not going to happen. Now the transmission on Liz's car is acting up too. And they tell us it's not caused by driving through that mud. WHATEVER!!!!

My Dirt Road

2010-06-29T06:56:00.004-04:00

My road has been torn up since January 27, 2010. They put in new sewage pipes, new water pipes and drainage. We are supposed to be getting curbs and finally a new paved road. Well it rained really bad for over a week and what a mess! Then it dried up and the road was good to drive on, but they didn't work on it. They haven't worked on my road in almost a week. And now the rains are back. Last time it rained and the road got all tore up, the garbage men wouldn't even try to pick up the garbage. I had to get up and drive Liz to work one morning because her car wouldn't make it down the road. Well we are at that point again today. And I'm at my braking point so I will be calling the paving company to find out what's going on. In the meantime here are some "lovely" photos of my wonderful road.

This is right in front of the house. You can't even tell where the yard ends and the road starts, it's such a mess.

The kids down the road love playing in the mud. They are the only ones.

A couple of shots of the road as you leave my yard to drive down to the highway. Keep in mind we live on a dead end street so there is only one way in and one way out.

A shot of the overflowing garbage. It has since been picked up but I'm afraid with the rain and the road being tore up again, we have this to look forward to again.

The poor lady down the street. Her house is only 3 up from the paved road. She couldn't even get into her driveway, the front end of her car sunk into the mud. Even the tow truck driver wouldn't try to pull her out.

However a local redneck in a 4 wheel drive pick up was able to get her out and into her yard. I really hope I don't have to go through this much longer.

More of Mother Nature at Work

2010-06-25T18:12:00.000-04:00

I just love this HUGE flag that is hanging in our building. I took this picture from the 2nd floor balcony.
Here was a guy I really didn't want to run into last Sunday when I was working. I was in the vehicle, he was sunning himself and he could have cared less that I was taking a picture of him.

This picture gives you a little idea about how long he was. These are called Black Racers and we have them all over the property. They are not venomous and they eat rodents and bugs. So they are pretty good to keep around. And they are QUICK!
As I was driving around I spotted something in the tree line by the pond. No it wasn't Big Foot.

Oh no here it comes.

Look it's just a raccoon.

Good morning Security Officer!

He came right up to the car. He must have known I had some Dunkin's Munchkins.

And yes I gave him(or her) some. Here he is with one in his mouth.

Another one in his paws. He was a hungry little bugger. I had 25 munchkins and he probably ate 12.

Posing for a side view.

And my last view before he got his belly full and wandered off.

I was so thrilled to see a raccoon and be able to get some photos. This made it worthwhile to work on Father's Day.

Father's Day...Finally

2010-06-24T16:49:00.005-04:00

We celebrated Father's Day the Thursday before. Liz and I both had to work on Father's Day and Wade, Diana and the girls had a chance to go to Disney with some friends that day. So Hut and Scott spent Father's Day together, which was nice for them. But on Thursday we told Hut that was going to be his Father's Day and we were just going to take him out to eat. He picked Longhorn's to eat at. What he didn't know was that Scott told me about a tool set that he wanted. So all the kids chipped in and we bought it for him. Liz made him a Father's Day card and everyone signed it.

Hut's reading the paper but spies someone coming around the corner with something.

Here is Hut reading his homemade card which he really loved better than a store bought one.

Santa Claus is coming to Town wrapping paper. What better wrapping for you know who (wink).

Here's the proud Daddy with is 117 piece tool set. The kids really made his day. We all love you!

I hate my computer

2010-06-22T07:04:00.002-04:00

I don't really hate it, but it just aggravates me. I spent 1/2 an hour this morning waiting for it to quit freezing up and stuff. Our friend hasn't had a chance to look at it. If I can just get photos uploaded, I can do posts from work. I have the photos uploaded to the computer I just haven't been able to upload them to the blogger system. So bear with me, friends, and I'll have some more posts coming your way soon. I hope.

Mother Nature at Work

2010-06-18T07:00:00.000-04:00

Just a little play on words there. I took some pictures of Mother Nature while I was at work. I am so lucky to be able to work in a beautiful location. And I'm lucky enough that I can carry a camera with me and take photos whenever the opportunity arises.

Even inside the building. This flag hangs in our Atrium in the middle of the building. It hangs from the balcony on the 3rd floor to just past the balcony on the second floor. This flag is HUGE. They don't hang it all year round but they do put it on for special holidays, like Memorial Day, Veteran's Day, 4th of July.

We see lots of these guys around, Sandhill Cranes. This one walked right up to the car. Unfortunately they really have no fear of humans anymore.

Here is a Momma and a Daddy Sandhill Crane.

And their two babies. Notice the babies don't have the red markings on their face yet. Sandhill Cranes mate for life. If something happens to one of them, the other goes on in life alone.

Here is a very dangerous Florida Squirrel. Just kidding. They are not dangerous. And they are everywhere.

This is an Ibis. It's the mascot for the college football Florida Hurricanes.

A painted turtle that I saw crossing the road. It was so hot I picked him up and put him in the grass in the shade. He tucked himself all in and wouldn't let me get a good picture of him. A few minutes later he was gone. He was heading towards the pond we have on property.

We have Magnolia trees all over the property. Here is one of the blooms in the tree.

Pansies that border the parking areas.

Cracker Roses that are planted on one side of the building.

I'm not sure what type of flowers these are. Or the next two pictures either. I just know that they have some beautiful flowers on the property.

These border one of the three employee parking areas.

These are down by the pond. I'm not sure if you can tell or not, but these are purple flowers with some white flowers mixed in.

This is a Bird of Paradise. I just found out these are considered to be trees. Not sure why, lol. These are planted by the Cracker Roses and the other pink flowers.

A close up of the Bird of Paradise. See the snail. I thought this was pretty cool, so I tried to get a clear close up. Like I said before....I am very fortunate that I get to not only work, but work in such a beautiful place for a company that truly believes in keeping things as natural as possible. Alot of the land that this company owns is undeveloped. They also have working orange and grapefruit groves around the building. By working I mean that they take care of the groves, and the grove produce fruit. They then have someone come in and pick the fruit, which they then sell and they donate all the money to their charities. It really doesn't get much better than that.

Old Town

2010-06-13T16:58:00.015-04:00

A couple of Saturdays ago we went to Old Town. Old Town is a "shopping center'' based on the old " cobblestone Main Street" days. On Saturday nights they have a classic car show and cruise. The Saturday night we chose to go just happened to be the 20th anniversary. It was so busy and it was VERY HOT!!!!!. Scott went with us ( Liz had to work) and Wade, Diana and the girls met up with us. Scott's friends Matt and Nicole also met up with us. It's kind of a central meeting place between St. Cloud and Winter Haven. Here is Daddy trying to make Rossi giggle.
She's thinking about it.
Rossi trying to figure out what Grampy is, lol.
Nana got Rossi to giggle.
Nana and Rossi playing some more.
Rossi is such a happy baby.

Layla didn't even know Nana took this picture. You can tell how miserable hot it is just by looking at her face.
My handsome hunk of a husband.
His goofy side. He was imitating some of the kids who think they are so "gansta".

A face only a mother could love ( yeah right). Uncle Gotty being goofy, too. Must have been the heat.
One of the shops had some cardboard things that you could use for photo ops. Here's Layla escaping with Stitch.

Rossi trying to escape to. Had to be the heat.

Layla on Mission Space. I love how she made a face to match the other two faces.
Here are some photos of some cars that were there. I'm not sure how many were there that night but the cruise took 2 1/2 hours for all the cars to cruise. It's usually only 45 minutes to an hour.

This car probably at one time ran moonshine. How exciting. And moonshine cars are actually how NASCAR started.
I'm not real educated in cars, but this one was cool in that some of the engine components were painted to match the exterior of the car. I tried to get a picture to show that.

This picture doesn't do this truck justice. This truck had the longest front end I have ever seen in my life. If I had an extra $64,000 laying around I would have bought it. Yes, I said $64,000, with 3 zeros. It is a beautiful truck.
I took pictures of this vehicle because my husband and his friend Daryll made up an imaginary band a few years back and called it the Possum Band. No one played...they just talked a good story, lol. When I saw this I just had to take a picture for the "band". I wish I had taken more photos but I would have filled a months worth of blogs with all the vehicles that were there.

Computer Problems

2010-06-09T09:39:00.002-04:00

Once again my computer is being a putz. Yes, a putz. Hopefully my husband's friend Brenda (who is a computer whiz, thank you) will be able to look at it and figure out what's wrong. It constantly freezes up. I spend hours waiting to do anything on the computer anymore. Took me 3 days of trying off and on just to post a video of my Molly. So please bear with me. I have not forgotten ya'll. I wll do a post as soon as I am able to from somewhere other than work. Shhhh, I think the boss is listening. Gotta go. Love you all!!!

Clearwater Beach

2010-06-01T16:48:00.007-04:00

Clearwater Beach is my FAVORITE beach. I love, love, love this beach. I'm a little sick that the oil spill may eventually reach it since it's on our west coast, but until then I am going to try to enjoy it as much as possible.

One of my favorite things is seeing the Pirate Ship that sails out of there. I have never been on it, but some day I will. If you wave at it, and they see you, they fire the cannons, lol.

Layla Sue when we first got there. She had no idea she was going to the beach until that morning when she got up and Mom had her bathing suit on.

Rossi Jean on her very first visit to the beach. I think she is definitely going to be a beach baby.

Although the water was nice...most of the time was spent playing in the sand. Here's Aunt Liz and Layla before we decided to buy toys.

Scott was a good sport by letting Liz, Diana and Layla turn him into a merman.

Aunt Liz having some Rossi time.

Nana and Rossi watching the crazy kids bury Uncle Gotty.

Rossi was pooped out. Taking a nap with Mom. I just love this picture of Diana and Rossi.

Finally Nana bought some beach toys and it was fun time for everyone....especially Layla.

More constructing. If you look in the left hand bottom corner you can see the start of Fort Scianimanico.

Another shot of sand toy fun with a bigger shot of Fort Scianimanico, which was built by the way, by Diana....Queen of the Fortress.

Rossi is happy as can be after her nap. She is such a happy baby and she had a great time at the beach...even if it did rain.

Motocross in Bartow

2010-05-26T06:00:00.001-04:00

Saturday night we went to watch a friend of ours, Brandon Hershey, race. I have never had the opportunity before to see him race and he's been racing for close to twenty years. It was awesome. We will definitely go watch him again next time he races so close to home. Just a few shots of him jumping the hills.

And here he is taking the checkered flag! WHOOO HOOO! Standing ovation, screaming, stomping of feet, clapping of hands.

BUBBA GUMPS ANNIVERSARY DINNER

2010-05-25T13:01:00.007-04:00

May 25, 2009 Wade and Diana got married. May 23. 2010 they asked us all to celebrate their One Year Anniversary with them. Bubba Gumps is Diana's favorite restaurant and her and Wade ate there the evening after they got married. So what more appropriate place to have dinner. I'd never been there, but I will tell you that I will definitely go back.

Bubba Gumps is located at the Universal City Walk in Orlando. Warning...if you get there before 6pm parkings is $14. After 6pm it's only $3.

Some different ways to serve shrimp.

A table of party goers...Liz on the left, Scott, Bobby and Bobby's wife Kerin in the back with their daughter Shyenne.

More partyers(sp?)...Diana's brother Casey, her mom Rebecca, in the back on the left, Diana's dad Kevin with Layla on his lap, Ethan ( her BIL), baby Jo and Jessie, Diana's sister.

Our table...Hut, of course. Next is Casey, Rebecca and on the right Wade and Rossi.

Diana socializing at one of the other tables.

Aunt Liz and Rossi Jean.

Rossi all tuckered out from the excitement.

My ex-husband and his girlfriend Christy. They were a little later than everyone else but room was made for them.

Rossi with her Papa wearing Casey's hat.

Layla Sue Hanging Ten after dinner.

Rossi Jean Hanging Ten with Daddy.

Layla Hanging "20" with Grampa Jim.

The "old" newlyweds one year later. Very handsome couple.

Yep, you can tell they've been married awhile, lol.

Grampa Jim and Layla on the Carousel.Nana and Rossi.

It was a fun time had by all. Congratulations to Wade and Diana on their first year together and to many, many, many more.