GOOD MORNING MAGNOLIAS

It is cool morning here. I almost am chllly with the windows open but am thoroughly enjoying it. I had a roast with a packet of dry onion soup on top of it in the crock pot with some yukon potatoes cut up in forths on top of the roast cooking all night. What a killer! So for breakfast I ate two ounces of the meat and one fourth of a potato and a peach. It was totally good and what a breakfast!

LORRAINE I guess my hair is as long as when I was there. I haev been cutting it now and then but keep it long enough to put up. I do that braid thing in the back and different do's. I remember Gen always commenting about my hair when she sat behind me. It is great that it has finally cooled off some for you there. How is the work on the house coming?

GLORIA what grand news. I just know you son will do well in that position. CONGRATULATIONS to him and to you! Got that off your mind.

JEAN welcome back! Sure hope they don't find anything wrong with your dad. Hope you get your bathroom back soon. These construction jobs are dependent on so many things that it is hard to pin point an exact time when all the materials arrive and can be used.

Have a good SATURDAY everyone.

I thought I'd find you peeking in, Maggie! Thanks for the new thread.

It's 91 degrees as I am typing -- very windy so it's not a nice day to be outside. I took a short nap . . . sure don't know why I should be so tired except that I probably didn't sleep all that well Thursday night.

Your breakfast sounds wonderful! I can almost smell it! In fact, I just might make a trip to the store and get a roast for tomorrow. Yep, that's a plan!

See you later!

Good Afternoon, Flowers!
I'm just taking a break from filling a Good Will bag in the room where the computer lives. I just couldn't resist peeking in. It is hot and humid again -- we did have a two hour plus thunder -storm roll through during the night. Our rain gauge said we got 2 1/4", which we needed. I slept through the whole thing and missed a great lightning show according to DH.

Hope you all are having a relaxing day. We are leaving shortly to help plan a mystery trip that we purchased at our church auction in April. I thought the trip was all set up but guess it was just the cost of the bus to go "somewhere". Originally the plan was to go to the state fair but it's been so hot and there are no entertainers that anyone wants to see perform. On to Plan B, whatever that might be.

Jean -- from Iowa!

Hi Flowers,
Well, I'm back from the coast! I really enjoyed walking along the beach with the fog swirling about. And I LOVE being lulled to sleep each night by the sound of the waves.

Anyway, the baby shower (that's the reason I went down in the first place) was a grand success!! The mother to be is "doing" the nursery in a Classic Pooh motif, so my daughter (she gave the shower) kept all the food with a "Pooh" theme. The cake was darling...she got a bee hive mold and made a "from scratch" cake!! (this from a girl who needs a map to find the kitchen!!) then she drizzled it with a caramel-honey glaze and stuck a few fuzzy bees on it. For favors, she used terra cotta flower pots and turned the saucer upside down on the top to make a "hive" She painted them a bright royal blue and filled them with honey soap, honey candy, a tiny jar of honey with a little honey comb in it and a few other things. She tied it up with a pale yellow ribbon making a big bow on top and attached a lable that said "Hunny" with a little bee on it. We had placed them around the room as decorations and the guests where thrilled when they found out they each got one to take home.

So today, I cleaned the house. We are picking up my MIL tomorrow for a weeks visit. I hope the weather stays pleasant like it has been today (mid 80's) and that it doesn't get too hot while she is here.

After we take her home, we have about 2 weeks before we leave for Alaska. I'm going to enjoy just sitting for a while on that ship!!

Hope you all had a great weekend and that it carries over into the workweek!
Jackie

Hi Flowers,
I've been so busy I haven't had a chance to get near my friendly Dell in weeks. Camp ends Thurs, and Family Camp begins then and goes til the 18th. That's when alot of the alums come back to visit, so it's always fun.
Thanks for all your suggestions re: starting an informal group.....does anyone know anything about OA?
Went kayaking Friday afternoon and cracked my windshield putting my kayak in the van..........shoved it just a little bit too hard Guess my next move is to call the insurance man, but I'm sure my deductible is more than the cost of a windshield. However, the float was great. We got on the river at 4:15 and off at 8:15........by the time we went back to retrieve our cars it was dark. We had a great time and saw some beautiful big blue herons, as well as a green one. Saw the biggest clump of Cardinal flowers I've ever seen. They're on the endangered list, so here's hoping they make a recovery.
Spending the summer in a State Park? That's tough duty......not! Are youall the social directors? We used to camp at a state park just north of Hilton Head in SC. It had a gorgeous beach, and lots for the kiddies to do. Returned last spring for the first time in at least 25 years, and the beach has completely eroded! The campsite we used to use is underwater! What a shame. Some big developer probably put jetties in to redirect the flow of the water, as the whole area is mushrooming, where it used to be sleepy little fishing villages and tomato farms.
All for tonight.
Have a happy Monday. Think I'll go to the Aerobics class to see how I like it.
Bubs

Just peeking in on my way to bed.

Jackie -- It sounds like the shower was a huge success! The "honey" ideas were sure cute; I'll have to remember that! Enjoy your visit with your MIL -- I love mine but just having another body around when you're not used to it gets old by the 2nd or 3rd day. I think there's a saying about guests and dirty laundry or some such thing! I know you will enjoy your cruise to Alaska! Are you cruising both ways or flying one direction?

Bubbles -- I'm sorry about your windshield! Doesn't that just gripe you when something like that happens and you've done it yourself? I've heard of OA but have no idea how it works. Sorry I can't help you on that one. I wonder if there might be a website for it?

It is thundering and lightning again tonight but so far no rain. Guess I will shut down and head for bed.

Have a marvelous Monday, Flowers!

Jean -- in Iowa!

GOOD EVENING MAGNOLIAS

I never get on my computer on Sunday till late at night it seems anymore. We are gone most of the day since Cowboy took on that preaching position which is 45 minutes away so we make a day of it down there doing necessary shopping of things that aren't perishable. The morning worship service is at 9 am and the evening one is at 6 pm. We usually do come home in between but I don't get this thing turned on.

JEAN that is a great feeling isn't it to get some things bagged up to give to the Goodwill. I will be so happy to get rid of some of these "fat" clothes. That is totally weird that they hadn't planned that mystery trip before selling the tickets. Now if you help plan it - it won't be a mystery.

BUBBLES we can live year round here in this campground if we wish for my husband is the "maintenance man" so we get free rent. It is run by a private organization that bids on the priviledge of running the campground for the Federal Govt. (it isn't a state park for they are under a different system) The company he works for has campgrounds in several states. I don't know just how long we will be here ~ but have been here since last November. You may be surprised when you do get hold of your insurance company ~ maybe you have "free glass." We do and it sure came in handy with those truck windshields we had to replace. Glad you enjoyed that float trip. I don't know anything about OA but the Web MD sent me a neat thing about "Controlling How Much You Eat - all about portion control. You might want to check that out. There is a lot of information on health and weight etc. Might be a good resource for you.

COOKIE that POOH theme sounded so neat that she did. I love Pooh Bear. I had my daughters room done in Pooh when she was a tyke and it was always so fresh looking. Mind over matter ~ will make the Pooh un fatter.

Have a great week for this is Monday eve peeking at us now.

Maggie,
What a neat way to spend your time! Do have you have the option of going to other parks? Sounds like a great retirement gig to me!
Cookie, I love the Pooh theme and all your daughter did with it! As we say, "She really went to trouble!" The favors sound wonderful. Sure beats the M&Ms and peanuts in a cup or cupcake liner.
Off to call the insurance man........it should be interesting.
Have a great Monday.
Bubs

Jean,
You and I are on the same wave length. I have a pile of clothes beside me which I've culled out for a friend. If she can't wear them they're off to Good Will as well. If I weren't so lazy I'd have a yard sale, but they're more trouble than they're worth in my opinion. Also, I'm clueless when it comes to pricing things.
We're supposed to have a cold front moving in today........yeegaw! It can't get here soon enough to suit me.
Have a good one.
Bubs

Good Morning, Flowers!
It has been raining and the gauge said another 2" during the night. It's only 73 degrees but so very humid that I've left the air on. The bathroom guys were here for a bit this morning and whatever they did has to dry before going on. I don't think they will be back until tomorrow morning. I am really getting tired of sharing my bathroom! At least Bob can still use his own shower.

Maggie -- I didn't realize that Will was preaching each Sunday, let alone twice. You really do have a full day! I think the idea of the mystery trip was to see if they could sell enough tickets to finance a 150 mile trip on this bus with the state fair in the planner's mind. Not everyone showed up and we are definitely the oldsters in the group. Most everyone else will have to line up babysitters. They were talking about taking kegs along . . . since I am not much of a drinker, I have a feeling I could be the designated driver if I knew how to drive a bus! We don't have to go and could just donate our seats to the group for someone else to use.

Bubbles -- I'm with you on yard sales! Since the immigrants have moved in, they will try and jew down a quarter! Too much work for me and since we don't have the drawing card of baby and children's items, we usually end up taking most of it to the Goodwill anyway! I think our cold (?) front moved in last night but the humidity didn't move on out with the heat!

Have a great day, Flowers! I am off to sort through some more clothes . . . I found some with price tags still on.

Jean -- from Iowa!

GOOD EVENING MAGNOLIAS

MR. Iron Monster showed me down a half a pound this evening and I am eternally grateful for I ate out of my range this week but still under what WW recommends for my weight so guess no harm no foul. We went to Trader Joes today and picked up some low point goodies. Speaking of goodies ~ have any of you tried out the new WW candies called Fruities? Kinda like the Ju Ju Bees only a tad softer. They come in lemon, strawberry and blackberry. The whole package is only 1 point [they come 3 packages together celephane wrapped]. I can't imagine how long it would take to eat a package because to get one eaten takes awhle. They don't mix up the flavors so you get three packs of the same flavor. They didn't ask me but I would have preferred they package one of each flavor together.

Bubbles we can go to other campgrounds if we wish and have already been offered a place in another campground but right now we want to stay here for awhile anyway because my parents are up in age and they live near this place. But we are full timers for sure for we sold everything and moved into this trailer and hit the road. What we now own is right here and we love it ~ absolutely no regrets.

JEAN I don't think I would go on a trip like that if they allowed drinking on the bus but to each his own. I am so happy for you that you are getting rain. We still haven't had any and can't have a campfire until we get at least 2 inches.

Have a lovely evening ladies.

Good Morning Friends,
And it is a good morning! The cool front moved through and the humidity is way down. The windows are wide open and the air is off! Yeah!
Called the Insurance man........I have a $50 deductible, but that's OK with me. The sec'y had had another call in the morning, so figured it was the heat........I just let her believe that!
The State Fair of WV opens Saturday, and the traffic increases almost exponentially daily.

Good Morning, Flowers!
I am watching the rain come down again. It stopped long enough so that I could get a walk in this morning. Jason spent the night with us as he had an insurance class in Ames today. Staying here put him an hour closer but he still had a 2 hour drive from here. So I was up early as in 4:45 AM! I think a nap might be in order this afternoon!

Maggie -- Any LOSS is a GREAT loss my friend! I agree with you about the drinking bus trip. Whether we go will depend on when they decide to go. If the farmers are in the field, Bob would much rather be on his tractor doing that! I really don't care one way or the other since we will have already done the train ride by then.

Bubbles -- I think our State Fair starts next week. All I know is there are lots of people and it's usually hot and muggy! The older I get, the less patience I have with crowds! Jason and Amanda want to go because they have never been to one; I told them that this is THE year since Baby Bennett will just be along for the ride! When I was a kid we always went to the MN State Fair so the Iowa fair seems small to me.

I need to get busy and work on some more piles and projects. Have a great day!

Jean -- from Iowa!

GOOD AFTERNOON MAGNOLIAS

Nice day today. In the upper 80's still. I got a tooth filled this morning at 10 am and this dentist cracks me up. He is so neat but I have never had one that gave me a bad experience. This is the first filling I have had in years...... just old ones being replaced. They gave {not the dentist ~ later while shopping}me the neatest make up bag when I bought a bottle of Opium spray since I am runnng low and I never miss an opportunity to smell good. Someone once told me to never buy a fragrance unless they gave you a free gift with it. We have been very fortunate in that department. I think that one of my favorite freebies was huge bath towels. Yves St. L. bath towels. There have been other fun things along the way also. I got the ingredients to make that lemonaide pie and have it in the fridge even as I type.

BUBBLES that is nice that you only have a $50 charge for that windshield. Windshields are so expensive these days. I bet the one for my car is up in the high dollar range for it has that little mustang on top area that hides the rear veiw mirror. If it ever gets broken I want one just like it.

JEAN how nice that your grass is greening up. WOW that was rather early to be up.... you do deserve a nap. But any ole excuse will do.

Have a great OP day everyone.

GOOD EVENING MAGNOLIAS

It has been a perfect day!!!! The sun is out and so is the cool breeze. All windows are open and the air is off. What more can one ask? The temp is in the high 70's and I am loving it. Yesterday was DH's Birthday and DD#1 took us out to eat and so I have been eating really light today. I told him I was too young to be married to someone as old as he is but he only reminded me that I join his decade next year! As long as we have our health I will not complain of ages.

MAGGIE: You are still going in the right direction, Congratulations!! It is nice to have a dentist that leaves you with such a nice feeling. I am going to a new dentist next week and I have heard nice things about her so we will see. Having some sensitivity problems with a tooth and don't know what to expect. Time will tell.

JEAN: That is an early start and not one you want to be doing too often! I remember the old movie "State Fair" with Jeanne Craine. I loved it. Was that Iowa? Looks like it was a big time even back then.

BUBBLES: You are in our weather pattern. Enjoy!!! That $50 deductible is better than paying the full price for a windshield. That's what insurance is for.

Gloria in MA.....breathing in the good, cool air! Have a great night everone.