Merry Christmas!

Just in Time!

Several bloggers sponsored giveaways from Marley Lilly in the last few months. Unfortunately I didn't win, but I did head over to their site and ordered a few scarves for Christmas gifts! They arrived on Tuesday and are now on their way to their new homes! I love the way they turned out and the customer service was excellent! And, the prices can't be beat!

Yes, even though I have TONS left to do, I took the day yesterday and rode to Spartanburg SC with husband. He had a job to do and I have gone with him a few times in the past, so when he asked if I wanted to ride along, I said sure! While he packages up chemicals and such, I go shopping or hang out at McDonalds drinking coffee and reading a book. (I haven't figured out where there is a good coffee shop, so McD's has to do for me!)
Wouldn't you know we were right outside Spartanburg when my phone rang and it was the nurse from son's school. He was in her office and he had a fever of 100.7. I felt really awful because when he woke up he said he didn't feel well, but I thought he was just trying to get out of his mid-terms, so I told him to suck it up and get ready for school! I am such a bad mom! I explained to the nurse that i was out of town and gave her a neighbor's number to try. Of course the neighbor was gone and so, long story short, son stayed in the sick room almost all day until neighbor finally go there to take him home. When she did get him his temp was up to 102!
I took him to the doctor today and he has a sinus infection. Got three prescriptions filled and hoping we will be as good as new soon!
Now, just trying to get some gifts wrapped as we are leaving in the morning for my parent's house for the weekend.

10 Days Until Christmas!

I still haven't finished shopping! This is so unlike me!
I haven't baked a thing! Well, I did make one thing but I took it to daughter's school.
I just mailed our Christmas cards! And here I was complaining that we had hardly received any so far.
We go to my parent's house this weekend and I still don't have all the gifts I need. And, in the middle of all the holiday bustle, I decide to paint the room that is over our garage to make a new bedroom for son! Just call me crazy!

Chocolate Caramel Brittle

You may have already had this recipe before, but I just discovered it and made it for our teachers at the middle school.
OH. MY. WORD! It is DEVINE! And easy, which makes it even better!

CHOCOLATE CARAMEL BRITTLE

1 sleeve saltines

2 sticks butter

1 cup brown sugar

12 ounces chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 11-17 baking pan with foil. Lay saltines in a single layer in pan, sides touching. Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add brown sugar and heat to boiling for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Pour butter/sugar mixture over saltines, making sure to cover all of them. Bake for 7 minutes. Melt chocolate chips in microwave for 2-3 minutes until they are completely melted when you stir them. Spread them on top of the saltines, covering completely. Refrigerate until completely cooled and hardened. Break into pieces.

Not sure where I first found this recipe, I had copied it into a little pad I keep my the computer to make notes on!

How Many More Days Until Christmas?

I have finally finished putting up the Christmas decorations inside the house! Now, I still have outside to do but that doesn't take very long.... we're pretty low key outside. Things have been so busy I didn't think I would ever get everything done!
Yesterday was the teacher Christmas lunch that the PTSA hospitality committee puts on and of which I am chairman. It was fantastic! We had so much food and the teachers really enjoyed it. Of course I was so busy making sure platters were filled and everyone was having a great time that I never did get around to taking any photos. Take my word, it was very nice. I had my committee members bring their silver pieces and we used that on the buffet table. It looked great and the parents who made food really stepped up and made their most unique party food. I was so tired when I got home, I was in a bubble bath and in my pajamas by 7:30!
Now, I am usually finished with all my shopping by Dec. 1st, but for some reason I just couldn't get it together this year. I have one more week before school is out, so I'd better get hopping!
Drove through the neighborhood tonight and so many have their yards decorated already. I just love looking at the Christmas lights and the more the better, just so it's in someone else's yard! There is one guy in the neighborhood that goes all out. I noticed tonight that he has two life size animated Santas in the yard! I love it!
I made a super easy candy on Tuesday... I'll post the recipe tomorrow and if you've never tried it, you must! Easy and delicious!

Still trying to catch up!

After being away from home for five days, I found I have a lot of laundry and other things to catch up with!
We had a great time away! The "cabin" we stayed in at Devil's Fork State Park was really nice. I was a little worried at first, after all it is a state park! But, I would do it again in a heartbeat. I noticed that many of the other people that were there all seemed to be together. In one of the houses I noticed a Christmas tree and wondered if that wasn't where grandma had decorated for the grandkids! The best part was that it was only a 40 minute drive to my parent's house!
We spent Thursday at my parent's house with the rest of the family. We had dinner with my parent's neighbors from across the street, which was fun! There was sooooo much food! We had turkey, ham, two kinds of stuffing, two kinds of sweet potatoes, macaroni and cheese, squash casserole, okra, green beans, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, rolls, pumpkin pie, apple crisp and pumpkin cookies. It was fun catching up with the neighbors. Their children were like cousins to us, both of them were in my wedding. The son's new wife is expecting a baby in April and it was great getting to know her and filling her in on the things her husband did when he was a kid!
Friday we spent some time in Clemson. We showed the kids around campus and ate lunch downtown. On our way back to the house we tried to find an old friend's parent's house. We finally found it and popped in for a quick visit. Most of the family was gone to a high school football playoff game that one of the sons coached. So we made plans to come back on Saturday when everyone would be home.
Saturday morning we met with a realtor to look at some vacation houses. We looked at six. One of which I really like, but husband thinks it needs too much work and doesn't like the houses around it!
Then we found one that husband really liked and I didn't! This may end up taking us a while. We had hoped to find something that we could make an offer on that day!
Saturday night we visited with our old friends. It was so nice to see them and catch up! We didn't go to the Clemson/Carolina game, instead we just watched and cringed by ourselves at the cabin!
Would you believe that even though I had two cameras with me, I didn't take a single photo!?!
Today I have to put away the pumpkins and start getting out the Christmas decorations!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We are spending Thanksgiving at my family's house this year. There will be 17 of us for dinner. My parent's neighbor's, whom we have known for 34 years, are eating with us. It should be fun. Their son just got married this past January and they are expecting their first baby this spring. He was a junior usher in my wedding! Makes me feel old!
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and safe travels!

One Word...

DELIGHTFUL!

Happy Weekend!

This week I was buried under work for the HOA at our lakehouse of which I am the President!
The Board came up with a new budget for next year and also decided that our monthly fees needed to be raised in order to cover all our costs. Let me tell you, people started acting like they had NO sense! I won't even go into detail, but it wasn't pretty. Though, the new budget and fee increase passed, so suck it up buttercup!
I also had to write a lien to place on one of the properties. I had no clue what I was doing until my favorite attorney friend gave me some free advise!
We decided this week to go away for the whole Thanksgiving holiday instead of just Thursday and Friday. Called the kennel for diabetic kitty, of course this late in the game there was "no room at the inn"! UGH! Sweet talked my neighbor into coming over for a crash course in administering insulin shots to a cat! I owe her BIG time! We start lessons on Sunday and I fee sure she will be pretty confidant by the time we leave on Wednesday.
No plans for this evening, other than opening a bottle of wine and enjoying a glass or two!
Have a fun and relaxing weekend!

Happy Birthday!

Saturday was my mom's 68th birthday.
She and my dad happened to be at their house on the Isle of Palms, so we went over for a birthday dinner that I prepared! I figured it was easier to go see them, that way I have control over when the visit is over! I made stuffed shells at my house and just had to heat them up when we got there. Unfortunately I had such a busy week that I only had time to swing by the Piggly Wiggly to pick up some cupcakes. The teens thought they were great! And no one else really complained either.
My parents have just recently returned from a 6,000 mile trip around the US and we were able to see all the photos they took along the way. They were gone for 4 weeks and had lots of adventures to tell us about!

Fun at the Fair

While I am NOT a big fan of the fair, we did make a visit last night with the whole family. Teenage son went kicking and screaming, well not really, but he might as well have!
It ended up being a really nice evening. It had threatened rain all day and there was a chance later in the evening and I think that kept most of the people away! That was fine by me, because if you really want to feel good about yourself, make a visit to the fair!

I rode the rides with daughter since son thought he was too cool to do that with his sister!

We didn't ride very many as I can't do the whole swirling-around-in-circles-while-upside-down thing anymore!
We had the pleasure of seeing a concert by former American Idol contestant, Danny Gokey! It was a great show and he sang for almost 1 1/2 hours!

After the show, daughter bought a t-shirt and we waited in line to have him sign it. You should see the photo I took while he was signing... I was using son's camera for the evening because it fits great in the pocket of my jacket, but I am not really familiar with it. I ended up with a nice shot of the table cloth instead of Danny! Daughter grabbed the camera and snapped this one as he was signing the next person's photo.

And of course, what would a trip to the fair be without eating fair food?! I got my fix for onion rings and a corn dog. That should satisfy me until next year!

Odds and Ends

After someone, who shall remain nameless, wiped out my microsoft office I had to resort to using daughter's laptop that had a trial version of office 2010. I had the women's club newsletter to type and get printed and realized that to use my printer on my desk I had to put the laptop on the floor under the desk because that was as far as the cord would reach! I had a lot of fun lying on the floor trying to get the printer set up on it!
We hadn't been to the lake house in almost two months, so we decided that we would head up on Saturday morning. I let everyone know that I wanted to pull out of the driveway at 11:00 am! The car dealership where husband bought his car will wash and vacuum your car for free on Saturdays, so he decides to head over for a quick cleanup! Instead of getting his car cleaned, he came home with a new one! We didn't leave for the lake until 3:00. But, I do like his new car!
Teenage son is taking a home ec. class as an elective this year and they made cookies on Thursday. He decided that he wanted to make them again for us and I took the supplies to the lake for him.

What was left of his finished product!

He made a maple icing for his cutout sugar cookies and they were really good! All I had to bring them home in was an almost empty Krispy Creme box (there is one chocolate glazed doughtnut in the photo!)
My parents are coming down to their beach house on Tuesday and mom's birthday is Saturday, so I guess we had better plan a little celebration for her. I am thinking some cupcakes from the local cupcake shop!
Happy November!

Happy Halloween!

My New Favorite Salad!

Couscous Salad

1 box Near East couscous, prepared according to instructions
2 containers Athenos tomato and basil feta cheese crumbles
1 can black beans, drained
1 can white corn, drained
Bunch green onions, chopped
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 T. sugar

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl, serve chilled.

This is so yummy!

Things are looking better!
Son, the person that is having some problems, has started counseling.
So far, so good.

Yesterday one of his friends got punched in the face because he bumped into a kid in the hall at school. He was in ICU, now in regular room. Has broken cheek bone, jaw, orbital bones and some loose teeth. Son is at the hospital now visiting.

I am ready to throw my computer out the window! I think we have a virus and someone in our house thinks he can fix it! I am thinking not!

Teacher workday on Friday, so I am thinking a little trip out of town is in order. Wonder where we should go?

Been on an emotional roller coaster this week.
Dealing with someone that has a problem.
Only this person doesn't think there is a problem and says they don't want to change.
Taking new steps to try to get through to them.
I hope this is not the beginning of the end.

My First

I had my first one today! After all, it was overcast and 78º, that's practically coat weather for us! ; )

I would just like one week that had nothing on the calendar!
I have the women's club newsletter that has to be done by tomorrow, and I haven't even started!
I need to send out a letter to all homeowners at the lake to get everyone up to date on things that are happening in the neighborhood.
I had to drive to the lake to make a trip to the courthouse to look up a property and see who holds the mortgage on a house. It's not a bad drive, but it took a big chunk out of my morning. But, I did like walking around the courthouse of the small town and soaking up the "smalltown-ness"!
I had a PTSA board meeting tonight, but decided to just send my committee report so that will free up a small block of time!
I had to visit banks to figure out where we need to move our HOA account. Then have to meet with new treasurer on Thursday to open said account!
This is only part of my to do list for the week!
I think next year I am not going to volunteer for anything!

Happy Birthday!

Teen age girl turns 14 today! It's hard to believe that my youngest is that old. She has requested her favorite dinner, spaghetti with an olive and anchovy tomato sauce. Tomorrow night we are taking five friends out for wings and then back to our house for cupcakes. Sounds like the perfect way to celebrate turning 14!

I Couldn't Believe My Eyes!

Would you believe my local W*l-M*rt carries this line now? That almost made my trip in to that place worth while! Needless to say, I stocked up!
Have a great weekend! I am hoping to stay around the house. Husband called a little bit ago and thought it would be great to go to the NC mountains this weekend. I declined. Maybe next month!

Happy Birthday Son!

Today is teenage son's 16th birthday! It seems like just yesterday I was taking this photo!
I have been busy wrapping gifts and baking his cake. You would think that as much as I bake and with all the wonderful recipes I have that son would pick a really fantastic cake for his birthday. But, no, he wants a chocolate cake with CANNED frosting! Ugh! It kills me to have to even use it, but I guess it's his birthday and he should get what he wants!

Labor Day Weekend

We are enjoying the beautiful weather this weekend here at the lake!

Had a great get together with the neighbors last night. We had burgers, hot dogs, wings, meatballs, several salads and key lime pie squares. It's always fun when we get together, we have so many awesome cooks!

Today is husbands birthday and if he even knew about this blog I'd wish him a happy 47th birthday! I am getting ready to make his birthday cake, an orange cake with raspberry frosting!

As soon as the cake is done I'm heading out to the pool and planning a girls weekend with some of my girlfriends!

Have a great remainder of the weekend!

I just finished reading this book. It was pretty good, but I thought it was strange that the pilot in the story said he was going to call his wife to tell her he would be late. Yet at the end when Ben goes to see her she didn't seem to be that worried that he had been gone for a month and there had been no word from him. I realize that he didn't file a flight plan, but you would think that if his plane was gone and he had told his wife what he was doing that someone would have "tried" to find out what happened to him.
Did anyone else find that strange?

A Pleasant Surprise!

I was looking for an off-white roman shade for daughter's room at the lake and decided to make a quick run to JC Penney to see what they had. As I pulled up to the store I saw the above sign at the doorway and immediately my heart started beating a little faster!
When I got inside I forgot all about the roman shade and was on a mission to see why they had a Sephora sign on the outside of the building! It seems that they have a "mini" Sephora right smack in the middle of the first floor! I'll take mini over none any day!
I was able to pick up one of my favorites while I was in there:

I love to keep a little tin on my bedside table to use on my cuticles before I go to sleep!
Oh, and I did find a roman shade, and it was 50% off! Yea!

I Have No Excuses Now

I won three gallons of this paint! Now I can't put off painting the room over the garage, which once complete is going to be teenage boy's new room.
Robin over at All things Heart and Home has started using this paint and LOVES it! She has painted walls and even furniture with it. So, since I have a few projects that have been sitting there just waiting for me to tackle them, I entered her giveaway and won!
So now I have no excuse for not getting busy and doing some painting!
I'll be sure to give my opinion and post some before and afters!

I Got My Car Back!

The repair place called this morning and my car was ready to be picked up! YEA!
The rental wasn't that bad. It was a black Nissan Altima. Though it was kind of dirty when we were looking for damage to note before I drove off with it. When I turned up my nose and said that it seemed hard to see any dings when there was so much grime on it, he asked if I would like them to wash it before I took it. I said, "please!"
The worst thing about it was this morning when I was picking up the kids for car pool and couldn't figure out how to open the trunk for them! At the first kid's house I ended up having to turn the engine off and get out and use the key fob thingy to pop it open. Then I realized that I could stay in the car, but just turn it off and do the same thing. The guy from Enterprise drove me to pick up my car and used the Altima that I had driven and when we got in I asked him where the button was to open the trunk. It was one that I would have never guessed! All it had was a little arrow on it, no image of an open trunk like many of them have. Oh well, at least I have my car back and it looks fantastic! They even washed and vacuumed it for me!

My New Favorite!

Love, love, love 'em!
They are made by the Mediterranean Snack Company. I found mine at Publix.
They are great with hummus!

Yes, I Did Think You Had Forgotten About Me!

I finally got a call from the auto repair shop that is going to repair my car. The first thing the guy said was " I bet you thought I forgot you." To which I replied, "yes, I did."
I had originally taken my car in a MONTH ago and then the bumper didn't come in because it was on back order. It took four weeks to finally come in!
So, tomorrow morning after dropping off the middle school kids, I head over and see what type of lovely rental they have waiting for me. My skin is crawling as I think about it!

I Need Suggestions!

Who has an eyeliner that they just LOVE?!
I am so tired of the liner on my top lid ending up all over my eyelid in no time!
I need something that has some staying power!
Any suggestions?
Have a great weekend!

School has Started!

School started without a hitch!
Can you tell that 10th grader is beginning to think these first day of school photos are lame! I couldn't even get a photo of the two teens together as son had to leave at 6:30 and daughter didn't even get up until 7:00!

I normally love when the teens go back to school, but this year I didn't feel that way. Teen son got into a little trouble right at the end of school last year and I liked having him home over the summer because I knew exactly who he was with and what, for the most part, he was doing! When he is at school, I can't control who he talks to or what he is doing with them during the school day and that makes me very nervous! Sure, his dad and I can teach him right from wrong and model appropriate behavior but in the end, their peers have such a BIG influence on them! Say a little prayer for him that he will make the right decisions!
We had a fun weekend at the lake. Spent a lot of time out on the water and just having a great time!

Now that I have the house to myself again I am on a cleaning binge! I am throwing out and getting rid of "stuff" we don't need and giving everything a good cleaning. I feel like our house really takes a beating during the summer with the teens home so much and so many other teens coming and going.
Trying out a new recipe for Pad Thai tonight. I hope this is going to be a keeper! If it is, I'll have to share.

I am Ready for the Weekend!

So glad for the weekend!
School starts Monday and I am ready!
Heading to the lakehouse in the morning. I would like to go up tonight, but husband likes to turn the air off when we aren't there and it would be about 1000º when we got there. So we will leave early in the morning.
We have some friends coming up for the day tomorrow. One family is bringing their boat. I think it will be fun, but I have to make another trip to the grocery store for some additional food!
Here's to a relaxing weekend all around!

The End is in Sight!

This morning was the Back to School Breakfast for our teachers at daughter's middle school. I am the Hospitality chairman this year, so this was my first "event" to coordinate with help from my committee members. It was a success! We served muffins, fruit, sausage and egg casseroles, grits, roasted new potatoes and assorted juices and coffee. The teachers always appreciate and enjoy the food.
Now, just a few little things on my To-Do list for the rest of the week.
School starts for the teens next Monday. We have just a couple things to get, other than that, we are set! I'm thinking a weekend at the lake would be a nice thing!

What I've Been Doing...

• Last Monday took my car in to be repaired from the "crash". Five hours later picked it back up as the bumper is on back order and won't be in for a week or so!
  
• Dropped off rental that I had had cleaned and only used for five HOURS!
• Tuesday I drove to Charlotte to pick up teenage daughter, or Crash as we now call her! Planned to leave a couple hours early so I could make a stop at a fabric store to look for something to make some new window treatments for our bedroom. Came to complete standstill on interstate just a few miles out of town! Ended up not getting to make fabric stop. Was delayed so long that I had to run to gate to get there before the plane did! But, she did make it home with no problems, so for that I was thankful! And from the way she talked non-stop the whole way home she had a pretty good time all things considered.
  
• Took daughter to follow up doctor appointments to check on injuries. Was able to remove temporary cast from wrist as the x-ray we had done here in SC came back clear and Dr. determined it was probably just a bad sprain.
• Visited dentist and had one of daughter's teeth fixed, the one with the biggest chip! Pain from bruised gum and lip was too much so we have to go back another day to fix the other one.
• Took both teens to orthodontist. Great news, they both need braces at the low price of JUST $5700 a piece!!!!
• Call from furniture store and new stuff for bedroom will be here Monday (today), which means I had to get my butt in gear and start painting our room!
• Painted all Saturday afternoon.
• Painted all Sunday afternoon! Finally finished and don't want to see a paintbrush or roller for a VERY long time!
• Furniture arrived at 10:30 this morning! YEA!!!
• Have to work registration at the middle school on Tuesday and Wednesday, so I have been working all afternoon getting all my stuff together for the Hospitality Committee table.

So, how have you been?

What is That Funky Smell?

So this morning I dropped my Volvo off to be repaired (from that little crash that happened) at the body shop.
The car rental people sent a very nice man to come pick me up and take me to my rental.
I've said before how anal I am about my car. Well, maybe I give off a vibe because the young guy at the car rental place did his best to get me in a car that would meet my standards! I ended up with a fairly new Jeep Compass(pictured above), not bad, but no leather seats but didn't have many miles on it so I figured there hasn't been a lot of time for people to trash it!
It was pretty clean, though I just cringe at the thought of touching a steering wheel that someone I don't know has touched! Isn't that strange? So, I made a quick stop and had it cleaned on the inside! But, after I got home I noticed it has a strange smell! It's not a BAD smell, but just a smell. So, I went out and made another stop and picked up a sachet and put it on the floor in the back seat and will see how that works!
Tomorrow I drive to Charlotte to pick up teenage girl. I will be so glad to get her home! Keeping fingers crossed that tomorrow's flight goes well!

23 Years Ago!

How time flies when you are having fun!

A Blog Award

I
Just got this "Sweet" Award from Cool Gal over at It's The World I Know! How nice of her!
If you haven't visited her, click on over! She's even hosting a fabulous give away right now!
I have to list ten things about myself and then pass it on to ten bloggers!
1. I am the oldest of three girls. My youngest sister is 9 years younger than me and I really don't remember her when we were growing up! Weird, huh?
2. Husband and I are going to join the Peace Corps when our youngest graduates from college... that is a long way off still!
3. I am very opinionated.
4. Have been married over half my life!
5. Have always had a tendency to hold things in. I am now paying for it!
6. I was born in New Jersey, but consider myself a southern belle!
7. I yell at other cars when I am driving! I also use my horn A LOT!
8. I envy people who have big, close families.
9. I am ready to move out of town and back to the country! I want my chickens again!
10. I am addicted to those crazy Bravo shows... Real Housewives, Flippin' Out, etc.
I am supposed to tag 10 other blogs, but as I am looking around, it seems this is a popular tag! So, it you haven't done it yet, consider yourself tagged and tell us some stuff about yourself!

I Couldn't Make This Up If I Tried!

We headed up to the lake with teenage son on Saturday morning. The weather was hot and steamy but husband and son spent most of the time out on the water or in the pool (which felt like a bathtub to me!)
This morning I get a voice mail when I was in the shower.
It is from the friend that daughter is visiting.
It says: Mrs. Lowcountry this is friend. Daughter and I were riding bikes to the beach and she hit a hole and flipped over the handle bars. Some people are helping us and an ambulance is on the way. My dad will be here soon, he was at my brother's swim meet. Call me.
We don't have great cell phone reception at the lake house, it's just in one of those places where if the wind blows right you can talk, if not forget about it!
Of course the wind was not blowing right for me!
I finally get in touch with friend's mom and she says daughter is on way to emergency room and she is meeting them there (she was at swim meet too.)
Nurse calls from ER and I can kind of hear her saying that daughter has scrapes on face, a chipped tooth and possibly a fractured wrist and they need permission to treat because at this time it is just daughter and friend in the ER, mom is on the way with copy of our insurance, etc.
I quickly pack up our stuff and tell husband we need to head home where I can talk on our house phone and be able to hear exactly what is being said.
We are home in record time and I talk to daughter. She is in good spirits and even kids around a bit.
The x-rays looked good, but there could still be a problem with her wrist so put her in a splint and she needs to see specialist during the week. She also needs to see dentist on Monday to assess her tooth.
Asked her to send a photo with her phone of her face.
Oh my, her face is swollen and scraped! But the tooth doesn't look as bad as I thought it would.
I am really thinking she will never want to leave South Carolina again!
And I'll bet this friend's family never invites her to visit again!

US Airways unaccompanied minor program leaves much to be desired (you know I really wanted to say something a lot less nice!)

Life has been a whirlwind of activities here in our household!
Monday daughter and I drove to Charlotte to spend the night with SIL so I could take daughter to the charlotte airport for a 10:00am flight on Tuesday.
We had a great drive up and a wonderful time visiting. SIL made a wonderful lasagna. spinach salad, and carrot cake, for dessert! We were able to visit with her whole family as her son and DIL, my BIL and his son, and another nephew all came over for dinner.
Daughter and I got up early Tuesday morning and headed to the airport. We were able to walk right up to the unaccompanied minor check in at US Air and complete all the paperwork and pay the additional fees($100 each way), since she was traveling alone. I had her booked on a flight into Laguardia, where her friend's mom was going to pick her up and take her to their home in CT. She is spending the next two weeks with them!
At 9:30 we said our goodbyes and daughter started crying because she was nervous about flying alone. I told her not to worry, that she would get on the plane, it would fly to the next airport, she would get off and her friend's family would be there to get her! The US Air person at the gate escorted her onto the plane with her arm around her while telling her that everything would be just fine!
I received a few texts from daughter and she seemed better. She told me about the people sitting around her and what was going on while the other people boarded.
At 10:05 the plane pulled away from the gate and started it's taxi to the runway.
At 10:15 daugher texts me and says something is wrong at Laguardia and they can't take off for 50 minutes. I tell her that it will be fine and they'll leave before she knows it! I tell her that I am still at the airport and won't leave until she takes off (there goes my plan for stopping by Trader Joe's!)
Finally, at 10:45 she tells me she has to turn off her phone because they are getting ready to take off. I see several planes that look like hers take off and go to the car to head back home.
At 12:30 I start thinking I should hear from her soon, as I told her to send a text as soon as they landed.
At 12:55 I get a call from the girl's mom at Laguardia asking me if I have heard what happened?
When she said that I almost drove off the road! I'm thinking what do you mean "heard what happened"?
She says that daughter's flight was diverted to Philly. All flights in and out of Laguardia have been cancelled! Wile I am talking to her I get another call, so I take it and it is an automated call from usair letting me know her flight was "cancelled"! That's all, no phone number to call for more information, nothing.

So, I find an exit and pull off since I have a feeling I might be on the phone for a while!

I get a text from daughter that says "you know I'm in Philly, right?"

To make a VERY long story, short, after MANY delays, a VERY RUDE and unprofessional US air worker at the Philadelphia airport, daughter FINALLY got to Laguardia at 6:30 that evening. Of course her luggage wasn't on the plane and they told her it would arrive on a 9:00 flight. I told her to have it sent to her friend's home and to get the heck out of there!

To make it even worse, the friend's mom got to Laguardia at 10:45, she wanted to be sure she was there with plenty of time to get parked and get a gate pass before daughter got there! And, besides daughter's friend, who is 12, she has a child that will be one year old next week! How much fun was that trying to keep a one year old happy for almost eight hours?!

On Wednesday I got a text from daughter saying she was scared to death to fly home! I told her that the odds of that same type thing happening again were very low and besides if it did, she know nows what to expect and will be a pro at handling it!

Trader Joe's

We don't have a Trader Joe's near us. :(
But, I am going by one on Tuesday right outside of Charlotte!
What is your must not miss favorite item from Trader Joe's?

4th of July

We had a lot of food!

Lots of fun!

And fireworks, when I saw this!

That Bang You Just Heard Wasn't a Firecracker!

An old lady visiting the neighbor's across the street here at the lake, just BACKED into MY CAR!

I think I am going to need another festive beverage!

Happy 4th of July!

We'll be heading to the lake early tomorrow. Husband is on his way there now to meet the guy delivering the new Seadoo.
Staying at the lake until Monday, then home to re-pack and get ready for a few days away on Amelia Island. It's become our home away from home and since it's not a very long drive, daughter talked husband into making the trip! I am looking forward to relaxing and being taken care of!
Have a Happy 4th!

Surprise!

We bought this as a surprise for the teens. It will be delivered on Friday and when daughter arrives at the lake on Saturday she will see it and probably "freak" out! Son arrives home from Australia at 8:00 pm on Saturday night and is going to "freak" out when he finds out we are taking him home to the lake house, that is... until he see this!
Just received an email from husband letting me know that his brother and son can come to the lake on Sunday and stay until we leave. That's nice, I didn't realize we had invited them! Oh well, I'll deal with it graciously as always!

A Good Beach Read

If you are looking for an easy, light, quick read, then this is the book for you! I just finished it and it was a great poolside read!
Now, on to something a little meatier!

You can go home again

(Downtown Greenville)

Daughter and I made a quick trip to my hometown on Monday.
We first made a stop at my sister's office where she gave us the grand tour and then we walked to lunch. We ate at a table outside at Two Chefs Deli.
Even though I live only 3 hours from my hometown I hadn't been there in a year and a half!
I was able to talk to my best friend's mom and catch up on all the happenings (bf died seven years ago and I try to keep in touch with her parents several times a year).
We went out to eat and then headed downtown for some ice cream and a beautiful night at the falls!
We left after lunch on Tuesday to head home since daughter has some babysitting jobs later in the week.
Now the rest of the week will be filled with trips to the pool and perhaps a trip or two to the movies!

Early Morning Phone Calls

There's nothing like being awakened at 6:20am and hearing teenage son's voice saying
"Hi Mom! Were you sleeping? What time is it there?"
Yes, the son that NEVER even wrote a letter home from summer camp thought it would be nice to check in bright and early this morning! I guess I have give him a break, after all, they were getting ready to have to go to their rooms for the night and it IS hard to realize you are 14 hours ahead of your home time!
I really thought we would NEVER hear from him the whole time he was gone! Sounds like he is having a blast so far.

We got teenager to the airport with no problems yesterday.
He is still on his way! It will be around 9:00 tonight, our time, when they finally arrive in Cairns

This was the only photo I could quickly snap while waiting for everyone to get checked in. You know it would be so embarrassing to pose for a photo for your mother!
Teenager used to go to summer camp for a few weeks each summer in NC. He started going the summer after 2nd grade! I don't think I was nearly as worried as I am now! Maybe because he was only a four hour car drive away and not halfway around the world!
It is hot as heck here! Almost 100º and it feels like 100% humidity! Not a good day to be outside! Even the pool doesn't feel good.
I have been catching up on laundry and cleaning since yesterday... how a family of four can make so much dirty laundry is beyond me!
Tomorrow is a good day though: pedi in the morning, a little shopping and then lunch with a friend. Then tomorrow night my pokeno group is gathering for a fun night.
I think teenage daughter and I may drive to my parent's house on Thursday to visit with my uncle who is visiting them from Pittsburgh. He was always my favorite uncle and he is getting older and I don't want to miss this opportunity to see him.
Thanks for some of the book suggestions! I have started a list and will be sure to check them out!
Stay cool!