I have a little time on this Sunday evening so I thought i'd share what few pics I have of my visit with Disgruntled Daisy and her sweet SO Manblogger back in April at Myrtle Beach!

We had an uninvited guest at dinner, Finn McCool's which was very laid back and very good. Man bought our dinner - again many thanks sweet guy! (oh and for those who aren't familiar with southern wildlife - this is a raccoon or a 'coon!) They are terrible scavengers!

Man watches as Daisy tries her hand at peeling boiled shrimp

The girls thought they were SO grown-up at their OWN table!

Our hotels shared a waterpark, much enjoyed by the guys and the kids. Daisy and I just lounged around and kept the cabana boy busy ;) Here an unsuspecting Brittany is about to get nailed by the HUGE bucket! Man braved it - he said it was COLD!

Daisy, Me & Manblogger

The night-time view of the pool from our balcony. Isn't it beautiful! The ocean is just off to the left, that is a sound I love to hear at night. Sooooo soothing.

Stacy & Man, I can't wait until we go on vacation with them again in October. The four of us really hit it off!

Me & Daisy, the first second we began to talk it was as if i'd known her my whole life. I truly love these two people - they are just like long-distance family!

Thank you for the opportunity to spend some time at the Beach (something I can never get enough of) and can't wait for Savannah in October!

Okay you all know how it is in your last week at a job, you do what you can, clean out and discard but still I have time so I said "heck I might just blog every day this week"...!

If I ever get busy and download my pics from Daisy & Man's visit I will blog further about that, then I need to download the few pics I took of Bella's visit.

Y'all will not believe it but I have no pics of Madison's recital.
All because I was so FREAKING busy doing costume changes. She had FIVE. Seriously.
I handled it like a trouper, no post-Paxil meltdowns or screaming or impatience. Not a bit.
All this despite my own jitters over my end of show dance debut.
I'm not angling for a gold medal.... or even a pat on the back.
What I WOULD like is......
1) a pedi/eyebrow wax.
2) cute pair of (cheap) roll-up capris I saw a NY&CO when Bella and I were there Friday.
3) Cookies from the Mall.

Unfortunately these things will have to wait until maybe the week-end because my fun-ds are all funded out but I get paid this Friday - yippee!!!

In other good news Stacy met with the mortgage broker today and gave her the hard docs she needs and things are looking GREAT. She said the only thing that will mess things up are if any of the inspections fail or the property doesn't appraise right.
Seriously this is a year and a half old house so I think it will inspect okay and if not I believe the sellers would make things right. AND they are selling it for over $20,000 LESS than market value.

Well what do you know? A post from "she-who-no-longer-blogs"!
I had to write and let you know that Bella arrived safely last night. Her plane was right on time and we were out of that airport in no time at all just yakking away.
So much so, that I almost took a wrong turn going out of the airport - imagine that! :)
I plan on blogging about her visit (with her permission) and I also would like to blog about my recent visit with Disgruntled Daisy & Manblogger (complete with pics) with their permission also.
I hope life is treating everyone well.
I still have good days and bad days - but don't we all?
I will be glad to get Madison's recital over with tomorrow. Our practice last night did not exactly go "smoothly". Ha! All in good fun, though, all in good fun.
Have a fabby week-end - and try not to be TOO jealous of me & BellaLouWho living it up in the Carolinas!

You all know I love Brett Favre with the fervor of a squirrel trapped in a nut factory but Minnesota?!
Although it would KILL me, yes - i'd run right out and buy the Favre Vikes Jersey.
OMG how could I EVER face my BIL? He would never ever let me live this down - EVER!

**P.S. If you don't like Favre, think he's washed up etc.. etc.. etc.. save it.
I really don't care to hear about it ok?

Here is the view of my front yard, see the "Easter Bunny Stop Here" sign, the mini-flag, the wooden easter cutouts on stakes, the egg tree!

Here are the girls hunting the hidden eggs! Madison was a really aggressive hunter. MUCH more so than last year :)

We had some company dyeing eggs on Friday. This is a tradition i've starte with Madison and Brittany last year but this year my sister-in-laws grandaughter joined us. She's a year and a half older than Madison. That's Madison in the middle (as if you didn't know) and Brittany on the left end.

The first egg she did herself! I must say I wasn't at all impressed with the PAAS egg dying kit we got this year. Despite using white vinegar the eggs didn't get as bright as they usually do. Oh well, the kids loved it anyway!

Madison had to take a picture of me holding the eggs, this was before they applied the stickers on them. (they were skimpty too - very disappointing.)


Madison drew her kitty's name on this one "Wink" and dyed it blue in his honor. Yes we've established that Wink is, indeed a HE! :)

I have a LOT of Easter pics to share but I thought i would start with these.
Easter afternoon I took Madison to the Park to get some shots in her little polka dot pillowcase dress. I didn't realize all of the azaleas had already bloomed but i'm happy with the shots I got anyway! Not bad for my little kodak easyshare :)

This gazebo has hosted many a wedding :)

I love her peeking around the bushes in the pathway!

I'll ignore the goofy grin but hey - it's pure Madison!

She had to kneel over and peer in at the tadpoles. This is the same pond our Basset Hound "Flash" fell in while I had him on an excusion when Stacy and I were first married. Madison found that VERY funny. I thought it was an unusual shot.

Although there are many benches strewn throughout the park, this is the only white wrought iron one.

This is one of my favorite shots. I really got pretty lucky with the lighting!

I like the greenery against the gazebo in this one (and her bare tootsies!)

This one I told her to just walk toward me, I like the shadows and contrast but it's a bit TOO light... still I like it.

I could not "fix" the glare on this one, maybe if I had photoshop or something fancy but I did love the flowers in it anyway!

This was one of my favorites also.

Yes i'm terribly biased I think she is such a pretty little girl and her personality matches her looks perfectly. She's a sassy, cutie pie! More pics this week, of her finding her basket and our dyeing eggs Friday evening. Oh, I know you can't wait! LOL
Hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday!

Even I am sick to death of being so freaking crazy/depressed etc. So I can only imagine what the rest of you are feeling. I don't blame you if you avoid my blog!

I am battling some really heavy dark things but i'll be okay. I know alot of others have been there and made it through and so will I, because I do not walk alone.

Phillipians 4:4-7 "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus".

I posted something on facebook, it refers to one of my favorite poets:
Dylan Thomas -
"Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Yes I am aware it is a poem about death but I think it is a beautiful poem nonetheless.
I wish you all a wonderful Good Friday right on into Easter Sunday.

This is one of the biggest reasons that I will never let the darkness overtake me.

Okay, Okay I know I pull out this same cartoon every year but I can't help it! I love it! It never fails to put a huge grin on my face!
Someone inevitably sends me the one of the two chocolate bunnies where ones tail is bitten off and the others ears are bitten off and the one says "My butt hurts" and the other says "What???!!!". Cute, but nowhere near the dyed egg one. That is an Oscar among Easter cartoons in my book!

Can I just say i'm glad i'm off today too because this Easter Bunny is t-i-r-e-d.
I was off yesterday and spent all day long running here and there and everywhere. I had to go to Lamar to pick up Madison's easter dress. The one I ordered at the Egg Scramble. Specifically commenting several times on the little girl running around wearing the pattern I wanted and ordered. Is that the pattern she presented me with? NO. I'm still shaking my head over it but alls well that ends well.

I finished up the Easter Baskets. That is always a slight chore because Madison just doesn't like candy much so I have to improvise.
Then i'm mad about her messiness and think "I'm not buying her that, she will just strew it around the livingroom" then I have to back up and say "Wait, wait, hold up. It's not about whether she's neat or what she does with it, it's about making her up a great Easter Basket. Take a chill pill lady". and I do!
Stacy is not really hard. I don't buy him alot of candy but I know what he likes. My main problem is his favorite Nascar driver isn't Mr. Popularity and it's hard to find his stuff. I did manage to get him something but I wish I could have done better. I even went to the Darlington Raceway Giftshop and the lady LAUGHED AT ME when I told her whose merchandise I was looking for. I think I did okay. If I can manage to find anything else between now and Easter -fine but at least he's got a basket!
Does anyone else do a Basket for their SO or just kids? My Momma made me a basket right up until I got married and a few years ago Stacy took up the mantle and made me one. That really meant alot to me. I am the kind of person who wholeheartedly believes in Christmas Stockings, Easter Baskets and whooping it up on Birthdays!
I have his Fathers Day Gift all planned out now I just need to plan when i'm going to get it and where i'm going to keep it.
My this is a long and rambling blog post. I hope you are still awake! If you made it this far YOU deserve a few Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs as a reward!
Hope the Bunny is good to you all!

or how I fought the law and the law did NOT win!

On the first of March I was going through the small armpit town of Society Hill, South Carolina.
I was horrified to see a flashing blue light in my rearview mirror. Being I had not owned the Charger a week, I was a bit hyperventilating anxious about getting stopped. I knew I was NOT speeding

The dirty bastard nice officer said I disregarded a stop sign and wrote me a ticket for a big fat four points / $250 fine.
I did not mind so much paying the fine but the four points - they would have adversely affected my driving record and caused my car insurance to go up! up! and away!
Happily the Monogram Queen's niece works for the Darlington County Sheriff's Office (she is just starting out and goes through the academy in June) and besides that, I know a few people in high places. (I AM a Queen, you know).
Talked to a few people and promptly forgot about said ticket, knowing it would get taken care of.
Fast forward to Sunday evening April 5th. I called my niece to ask when the court date was. She informed me it was Monday April 6th. Oh.Shit.
I hadn't got the "official" word that it was taken care of, it was too late to really get in touch with anybody (except family - you can call them ANY time) so I would have to go to court in the armpit of a town called Society Hill.
I was seriously perturbed by these events and very worried I would lose my shit arguing with the dirty bastard nice policeman who wrote me my ticket. I went to the courthouse and ran into a guy I went to school with. I explained the events and how our friend had talked to the Police Chief and my schoolmate went inside and popped out a minute later saying "Everything is cool, you can go".
Whew. Relief. I grabbed him and kissed him on the cheeck and went on my merry way.
Oh as I was leaving I saw the dirty bastard nice policeman. I did allow myself a small smirk at him.

This Little Light O' Mine
I'm gonna let it shine
Let it shine
Let it shine
Let is shine ....

I had my moments this week-end...
but I can do it.
I will prevail.
I will.

Happy Happy Birthday to my dear friend Bella!

To the one who takes the best care of me and Madison (and the dog and cats) ..
42 never looked so good! Looking forward to the next 42 years!
I love you honey!

Happy Birthday also to Disgruntled Daisy who shares this special day with my precious husband. I can't wait to see you in a few weeks!!!!!

Okay since I blogged about Squirrel Girl yesterday (and did NOT wake up with a harelip Miss Lynilu - thankyouverymuch!
I thought I would introduce you to some more of my er, interesting, workmates.

Sasquatch- She weighs about 300+ lbs, stands about 5'11 and wears EXTREMELY tight stretchy pants, highwaters no less, with sandals (No matter how cold it gets) and wears her hair in pigtails. Yes she is in her forties.

Redneck- Cute as a bug, looks like he should be chewing on a piece of hay, and country (I mean Kon-Try) as the day is long! Lives to go fishing. I would love for my niece to hook up with him. He makes me laugh and saves my sanity many a day. Bickers incessantly with...

Grumbles- She is a really really nice lady but don't go near her desk or she grumbles and mumbles. Can't stand for you to put anything in her "in" basket LOL Her and Redneck keep up a running commentary (i.e. she's going to stab him if he puts anything else on her desk. He 'bet not come over there again... you get the picture).

Two-Face - She has two names to match her two personalities. D*nna and D*idra. Seriously. She will let us know which personality is in control so we know how to approach her. I avoid her at all costs. She scares me quite frankly. She told us once in a meeting she has a detailed plan on what to do if anyone ever opens gunfire in the building.

I'm going to stop here because I know y'all think I am making these people up but I SWEAR I am not.
Pinky Promise!

As I may have mentioned before everyone here now has cubicles. With high walls, but cubicles, nonetheless.
There is a lady who sits next to me. She's nice, she's very nice but it is, well, a challenge sitting next to her.
She has a serious hearing impairment (wears double hearing aids) and she talks with that toneless nasally voice that some hearing impaired people use. Sometimes it really is annoying. I KNOW she can't help it but it's nails on a blackboard some days especially because she's also so LOUD.
She also has serious allergies and sneezes LOUDLY all day long. And she blows her nose LOUDLY ~honk~honk~ all day long.
She brings snacks and food and huddles in her chair nibbling on them. Sometimes I just want to say "_______ it's okay, no one is going to take your food from you".
It's official - I think I work with this ....

*** it's also official i'm going straight to HELL for making fun of a hearing disabled person :(

I never made it around to read on Friday so i've got some catching up to do... I hope I get it done. Boss is off this Friday so that will give me a little breathing space on THAT day! (gawd Friday seems so far away on this Monday!)

Had a TERRIFIC "girls week-end"! Me, Madison, my sister (birthday girl), niece Casey and Brittany went to Columbia and stayed at the Embassy Suites there. Madison is now spoiled when it comes to hotels. She'll think they are all like Embassy Suites!
She doesn't remember any of our prior stays in hotels, just our stay at Oak Island last year in the beach house so this is quite a yardstick to measure future hotels by for her!
They have a managers receiption from 5:30-7:30 with light h'ors d'ourves and an OPEN BAR. We didn't over-imbibe but it was nice, very nice.
We hit some thrift stores Saturday and I even found a Kelly's Kids tunic with "Maddi" embroidered on it! The girls got to enjoy the Pool (their favorite part of the week-end - go figure!) and we went to Riverbanks Zoo on Sunday. The weather was - PERFECT.
Life is GOOD for...

Down the road that connects my neighborhood with US Hwy 52 lies this tobacco barn all but forgotten and soon to fall down.

You used to see these all over the place but no more. I can't even tell you the last time i've saw one. Maybe over in the Lake City or Mullins area they are more plentiful but not around Florence ... anymore.

They harken back to a by-gone era. When tobacco was picked by hand, bundled together and hung up to dry in these old barns built solely for this purpose. My brother used to work in tobacco when he was young. He said it was hard, hard backbreaking HOT work. I believe him. I never saw anybody look happy while doing it!
When our grandparents first moved down here to South Carolina from Pennsylvania they lived in Mullins in an area called "Penderborough". I have no idea where it even is today. I haven't been there since the 1970's. My brother worked tobacco for a man named Mr. Marvin Shelley. Mr. Marvin even came and visited us in Pennsylvania once.
I know you had to be very careful of snakes in these barns because they were rife with them. That right there kept me firmly OUT!
Anyway i've always loved these old barns. If this one falls down I might purloin a piece of wood from it and do... something with it. Not sure what but something.

Hope I didn't bore you too much with my meanderings into the past and hope you have a great week-end!

Decked out in shamrock's from head to toe! (shamrock trim on her jeans, "Everyone Loves An Irish Girl" t-shirt, Shamrock Antennae). Madison loved dressing for St' Patrick's Day!

This is her "leprechaun face". Don't ask...........!

I took my sis out to celebrate her birthday, we ran into her friend Cheryl (in the hat) and her friend Sonja. They were good company! We had some laughs, some beer, some shots and shrimp!

Hope you got your Irish on too!

This little girl is SO excited!

Sneaky had one kitten over the week-end. She never got really big so i'm not surprised. He is a feisty little thing.

He hollers the minute Sneaky steps away from him. She was anxiously watching me take his picture. I hope this little guy makes it. Her last litter did not.
Regardless she WILL be spayed this time. I feel like the world's worst pet owner but I am happy to welcome this wee one to our family.

No, I am not yet sure if the sex but he looks like a "he" to me!
**St Patrick's Day pics tomorrow!