Morning flowers! Sorry I have been absent but busy busy busy!

I won $550 at the casino over the weekend and promptly spent most of it on stuff to work on the house! I got four new light fixtures, weed killer, marble stones for the strip of flower bed I don't want to deal with (man those stones are expensive.) You think you are getting a good deal at $3 a bag, but we had to buy 30 bags for our skinny little strip of dirt.

I spray painted the bricks on the fireplace with a faux gray stone and they look spectacular. When we moved in here I had painted the mantel with a faux off-white stone and left the brick, but Jack fixed a hole in the living room ceiling and used that spray can texture on the ceiling and got it on the bricks and it dries in like 30 sec and WILL NOT come off. Looked like bird poo dripped on it so I had to do something and the gray looks great with the blue walls. I cleaned out the filing cabinet and threw away 4 bags of trash and old stuff and we hauled that upstairs. Jack has not been ready to tackle the cabinet yet as it is terribly heavy.

Hope you all had a lovely mother's day. DD took me to lunch and bought me a cute capri outfit that actually I picked out and ds and dil sent me an Ann Taylor scarf and pink and white breast cancer m and m's and a beautiful card and then they called Sunday. I went with dd to pick up T from school and I looked around the corner of his class room and yelled surprise at him as he was coming out. He ran out the door with his gift for his mom (a plant) and handed it to me, said, "Happy Mother's Day, I love you Nonny." I could just seemy dd flipping over that so I told him it was for his mommy not me.

Gotta hit the bricks as I want to get a lot done today again.

Faye

GOOD AFTERNOON MAGNOLIAS

FAYE thanks for starting us off with a new thread. Your house is sounding like it will be picture perfect in a magazine. I love what you have said you have done ~ thanks for painting a mind picture for me! Aren't kids so precious. I had a child once try to give me a baby Cabbage Patch doll that her Nanna had given to her ~ I looked her mother in the eye and said, "Thank you so much, but lets leave it here to sleep with the rest of it's friends so it won't get lonely." I could see her mom sigh with relief that I didn't take it when offered. Come Christmas that year that dear little 5 year old presented me with a Cabbage Patch doll for my own that could live at my house. I still have that doll and will keep it forever as long as I am on this earth.

Not much happening in this berg today. We wen't out to Bubba's today to look at a tail-less kitten he has but it will be a long hair when grown and I want a short haired Manx for Turn to help train to play fetch.

Good Evening, Flowers!
It is so very windy in my corner of the world today. The sun disappeared for awhile and the clouds were moving in but now the clouds have blown on by and the sun is back out. It is a warm 82 degrees; I'm not ready to turn the air on but I sure hate the hot sticky feeling too. Tomorrow is our World Day in the park and I'm hoping it doesn't rain and the wind goes down. I will be at the high school with 50 some students and two other teachers. These kids are way behind in assignments and/or have not completed their detention/Saturday School obligations. They will be informed first thing in the morning and I know they are not going to be happy about it! "Oh well . . . . . . ."

I talked DH into rewrapping my foot last night. The guy who did it last week didn't have enough layers over the knob on the pin and it was rubbing on the next toe. Ouch! The last thing I need is a blister to contend with. I have an appt. Thursday morning to have the pin and stitches both taken out. I sure hope my doctor isn't sick this week!

"Gma" -- Thank you for starting the new thread. You have been one busy Flower that's for sure. Congratulations on your winnings and it sounds like you bought wisely. It's always a good feeling to do some house cleaning and tossing. I have got to do that this summer.

Maggie -- When my daughter was in 2nd grade, we room mothers collected money from the class and bought her teacher a cabbage patch doll. She is a single, now retired teacher and still has all of her stuffed animals and dolls sitting around her house. She had Jason when he was in his brace and still remembers both of the kids. I hope the little kitten will find a good home -- I just finished picking up a pile of "Mom's" fur. She just sits and picks, picks, picks. I'm wondering if she has an allergy of some sort but she doesn't scratch. I need to have DH hold her and cut some matted clumps out -- she really doesn't like that!

Hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday tomorrow. I am off to read the paper.

Jean -- from Iowa!

JEAN no doubt that kitten will have a good home even if we didn't want it. It was the animal control person from the Sheriff's department that told us where it was. She keeps good tabs on all the animals around this county and knows who has what. In fact she has already had that mother cat and her babies in for a check up then sent them all back home with a good report. She is a real neat person for that job.

Jean: Sounds like your kitty may need prednizone as it does sound like she has allergy issues. I would definitely not want to be you this week with those kids.

Maggie: I am having so much fun working on the house. It doesn't seem like a chore to me at all, but then not having kids in the house nor a full time job outside the house, I have lots of time to spend on it. I will try and get some pics taken when we are through.

It is plain miserable here weather wise. It is hot and very very humid so you don't want to even go outside. Wonder if this is what summer will be like this year? If it is, I know I am going to be in that pool a lot! I want to go out and respray weeds and work on the dirt patch, but it is so awful out I am not sure I am going to do that. I may just start on the dining room doing some painting.

Have a great day girls!

Faye

GOOD EVENING MAGNOLIAS

It has been an up and down week weatherwise....one day it was 82 and the next 60. However we have been enjoying some outdoor time and got part of the side yard raked and leaves disposed of. I will work on the rest next week and then it is the deck furniture to take out of the garage, wash down and put out. June 25th, when my DS & family will be here from NC is fast approaching and we want to be ready ahead of time so there is no last minute panic. The 30th is the BIG REUNION. It will be the first time in 4 years we have been altogether. Have found a small horseshoe game we can set up for the kids and are thinking about renting a jumping, trampoline type apparatus....it is the kind you blow up and is protected on all sides. Looks like a small castle. That should keep them busy. Also looking at meal planing. The reunion should not be too difficult...dogs and burgers for the kids and steaks on the barbie for the adults. The DDs will bring appetizers and desserts. I think a large salad and either corn on the cob or baked potatoes will complete the menu. My concern is I don't know how many other meals will be needed over the week. Going to the Science Museum one day and possible other places so...will we be eating here or out or at one of the DDs. Oh well, I guess we will figure it out sooner or later.

JEAN....So good to hear your toe is progressing nicely. I'll bet it feels good not to have it wrapped up with the warm weather around the corner.

FAYE...You must feel like your in a new home with all the work you have done. Wow! You were lucky to win so much at the casino and wise to use it on such useful items.

MAGGIE...Another top down ride....It must be a great feeling with the wind in your face and hair on such a beautiful sounding day.

Gloria in MA.....wishing you all a great weekend.

Maggie....Just stopped by to read and I love your suggestions for the BBQ! Most everything can be made ahead and that's a good thing!!!!

I'll be back another time but for now hope all you Magnolias are having a great Sunday.

Gloria in MA....Bye, Bye