Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Updates....

Oh my goodness, I haven't blogged in a long time. Don't know why but after my trip to Texas and the Rodeo I just haven't had a thought to write about. (or much time to do the blogging)
A lot has happened in the past two months.

The end of March brought a baby to us Bailee Kate was born on March 30.
It didn't take long for me to recall all of the long sleepless nights and being glad that she is only my granddaughter so I can still get a good nights sleep. It has been great to help out with her and have her visit us for a week.

After her week visit we had my grandson Sawyer here for a week. During that time my son and his girlfriend had to get their house ready for a move to California. After being here for all of his military career he is moving to Missouri for a new job. I am thrilled for him and thrilled for her. Its a new chapter in their lives.

My other son and his wife are planning for a baby shower in a few weeks so I have been out doing what all grandmothers do and I have been helping them supply the nursery!! (this is code for shopping!) I have so much fun finding the cute things for the little ones. Knowing that we are having another little girl in the family is wonderful. I have already booked my ticket and am ready to roll come the first of August.

Easter has come and gone and now Mothers day is this weekend. I was posting my moms picture on facebook today and realized that she had been gone for 42 years now. I can remember it like it was yesterday where I was, who was with me and the total fear I had in my mind when it happened. Maybe I will one day start writing a book about my experiences of growing up without parents and how scary it can be. To this day, I still feel like when things are going good that just around the corner is the one thing thats gonna knock me in the dirt again! (probably not. but when you've been there its always a thought)

It makes me proud that I am a mother to 3 wonderful kids with wonderful spouses (significant others) and soon I will watch them celebrate both Mothers Day and Fathers Day with their own children. I love them more than I can even explain and every day when I talk with them or send them a note or text, I try to let them know how important they are to me.
The only thing that would make things better is if they all could be here for Mothers Day. I know that isn't possible, but I do know that when I do get to spend time with each of them I try to make them feel important.

The pool is open and the boat is in the water, now all we need is some sunscreen and a new bathing suit!!! Soon we will be taking our trips out to the islands to enjoy the beauty of our area. Probably helping out our local dermatologist as well.
Remember if you haven't planned your vacation south yet, check out our area www.bluewaternc.com you will be glad you did.

Look forward to seeing you all at the beach soon.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Rodeo Time!!!

YEE HAW! Its rodeo time in the city of Houston, TX. I know you ask, how the heck would we know this one? Well I have heard all the buzz about the big rodeo in Houston, and I wanted to know more about it. My son and his lovely wife live there and have told me about it, but of course I had to see it for myself. Last week I went out to Houston and one night we got tickets to the Rodeo. It was like an oversized state fair like we have in North Carolina, but like they say EVERYTHING is bigger in Texas. Let me assure you that the Rodeo is not one of those small events.
It actually runs for 3 weeks day and night and it is big. They have the standard arena with the showing of horses, bulls, pigs, sheep , cows and the like. They also have an incubator that has live cameras showing chicks hatching from eggs, pigs giving birth and even a cow. Then the booths with everything Texas or having to do with rodeo's and cowboys in sight. Then the food..... no you can't miss the food. Get a good dose of cholesterol with your choices. I stayed safe with a big baked potato that is stuffed with bbq. My son had the "heart attack waiting to happen" on a stick with a roll. But the most unusual was the "Chicken Fried Bacon" that he made me test. At best bacon just is bacon but with the breading of chicken on the out side made this delicacy unforgettable. We also had to have the Funnel Cakes to top off our intake of Grease!! Over all tho it was good and we had a great time.
The next area was a huge carnival. You name it they had it. The one that was so amazing was they had the cable cars overhead. Now if you really think about it, these cable cars are going over your head and they were just installed for the 3 week Rodeo? So, how really safe are these things and should I be walking under them? Yes, I did think of that. Its kind of like the Bungee jumping that they were doing. Did you see the guy who is in charge of your safety as you are getting that harness on your body? Enough said then!
The arena was big too, like I said we are in TEXAS. They had about 2 hours of bronco busting, Mutton bustin, bareback riding and bull riding. The one I enjoyed was the roping. Two guys on horses one ropes the little steer and the other lasso's his feet to take him down and all in less than 4.6 seconds!!! Pretty interesting. My most favorite moment was when one of the Rodeo clowns (they really must be stupid to be that) got picked up by a steer and hurled into the air.
The steer had sufficiently dumped his rider and then when the rodeo clown jumped in front of him to keep him from attacking the rider the steer picked him up with his horn and hurled him! It was on camera so it was pretty funny.
After the rodeo events we saw Lady Antebellum in concert. It was a wonderful time and even better spending time with my son and his wife. I have already decided we will go again next year. I'm planning on getting me a big sequined hat to go with my outfit then!!!

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Saturday Summary

Well its been a busy week. First we started out with Charlie Sheen and his "tiger blood" to now we are watching the ACC championship.
The whole Charlie Sheen thing came full circle this week. First, he starts out bad mouthing his boss and his network and is bragging about his 'Goddesses" . Finally some intelligent adult ( I won't say its his soon to be ex wife) realized it isn't really a good idea to have this loose cannon around his two little boys that are so easily influenced. So, they take his kids and put them in custody and finally last nights interviews I saw showed a more refined and less "spaced out" Charlie Sheen. Now don't get me wrong, I really have no big opinion on him one way or another. He plays a role in a show I don't really like and still don't, even if he got 2 million + friends on Twitter or Facebook or wherever. So, today I hear that one of his "Goddesses" decided to leave his Tigers den. Guess she just couldn't either stand the media attention or it may have been that after her mother saw her on the TV and did't even know her daughter was living with Charlie that maybe she left. Who knows, but I guess I would probably know if my daughter was living with an idiot, crack addict like him. I talk to my kids quite often so if I was this girls mother my first clue that she is a "porn star" would have gotten a reaction before the fact that she finds out from the TV people that her daughter is living with Charlie Sheen! NOT good! He's probably made the reporter from NBC famous because he has had exclusitivity to the story all week. Still nothing I would want to hang my hat from.
Lets see......
Have I mentioned that I love to be a grandmother? Yes, my grandson Sawyer came home on Thursday for a long weekend visit. This is something we look forward to as he has moved to Maryland now and it used to be that he was here quite often. I have to admit, its been kind of lonely here without him. But he is such a sweet kid and I was thrilled that I got to spend yesterday afternoon with him while his dad attended to some business. He and I went to Rango ( its a kids movie) but pretty good one at that. Most kid movies are not that good, but this one keeps it interesting with a lot of innuendo's and jokes that go way over kids heads. It was a great afternoon movie and we ate lots of popcorn and candy!
Another thing we like to do is go to Pizza Hut on our Motor coach. Now keep in mind we are talking like the types of coaches you see entertainers drive around in or the ones the on Home Makeover show that they say "move that bus" when they show the people their new homes. Yes, we take all the little grandkids, and roll up to the Pizza Hut! Its fun for them and they look forward to seeing how much they can push the many buttons on the wall to make the lights go on and off . Last night they closed the bedroom door with their little sister in the room and she started crying!! Those boys are just too mean. Our younger son has 2 boys age 8 an 6 and Sawyer is 7 and then we have a girl that is 4 . They are the young ones and love to go on Pa's coach.
I am looking forward to going to the Houston Rodeo next weekend. My son and his wife live in Houston so I am going for a weekend visit to see them and we are going to the Rodeo. I love horses and going to the Rodeo is just about as much fun that I can think of. We also will see Lady Antebellum after the Rodeo on Friday night. This is a big thing in Texas and runs for about 3 weeks in March. I have talked about going since they have moved there, so I have finally made my plan to go there and see it.
I asked if I should get a 10 gallon hat and boots to match, they just said it would be wise to skip the hat!! Yeah, I guess it wouldn't be good with my hair anyway!! So, I will let you know what the experience is after I return.
Anxiously awaiting my new granddaughter's arrival for late this month, I have instructed her mother not to deliver while I m in Houston, so they better listen to me. That would not be good, and I would be disappointed. But, if she decides to come then, I guess I will have to deal with it. I just hope she will wait.
Time to finish relaxing and get ready for another week..... Sawyer is here for another 2 days so hopefully we can do something fun like go to the bowling alley and play games. Its supposed to be rainy so we will have to do indoor games for the next few days.

Monday, February 28, 2011

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

I asked myself this question this morning after watching Charlie Sheen on the Today Show. I was watching the different parts of the interview he gave to the reporter that they were airing today. I must make it clear that I have watched his show some, and never really saw the humor in it, but others I have discussed this with today think he is so funny.
What is so funny about a man who obviously thinks he does no wrong, makes millions of dollars a day and feels like the world owes him the respect? What happened to the old saying of you get respect when you show respect?
From what I have seen the past week or so is a man who is definitely in denial that he has a substance abuse and sexual abuse issues as well as anger issues. From calling into a radio show and basically trashing the people who support him on his show to the producer. Today he said he was going to change the name of "Warner Brothers to Charlie Brothers" before the weeks end. He trashed the producer and said it was his fault that the show was cancelled for the time being because he didn't have a script for them to tape. Well, if I was the writer and my main character was acting like Charlie Sheen, I wouldn't have wasted my time to write another script for him either.
I have said maybe we all should forget about him and not show him the media attention he is so desiring.. It seems the more the media covers him, the more outrageous things he says. Think about his father and children who have to live with his reputation. The reporter asked him if he would be ashamed that his children would read about this later in life and he said " NO, it will teach them that I am right and they are wrong".
Believe me that whether or not he continues on TV, I won't be watching, but then again I didn't watch to begin with. I thought a show about a guy who slept with different women, abused his mother and brother and did the things that he does on the show in front of an adolescent boy is not the kind of show I want to watch. You may have your own opinion, and I would love to hear it.
I think they need to start a show about how much the Movie/Television/Celebrity business screws up decent people in this world making them think that they are above and beyond the standards that all of us have to live by. Such people who could be on this show are, Lindsey Lohan, Tiger Woods, Mel Gibson, Charlie Sheen and I am sure you can think of more.
For many of my friends and readers who have beaten drug and alcohol addiction or any other addiction for that matter, I know they are appalled by the things he had to say about AA programs and the sort.
I know that everyone is entitled to their opinion so I decided to let you know mine!

Friday, February 25, 2011

FACETIME




Technology is something everyone is having to deal with each and every day. I have used a computer for many years and now I have not only one but two laptops, an Iphone 4 and 2 NOOK readers a regular one and a color one. I also have a digital camera, ipod and video recorder. It just keeps on going.....
One thing that has interested me is FACETIME. This is a feature on the new iPhone 4 by ATT. It is a great addition to the phone which enables you to be able to contact someone an talk to them and see them at the same time. Its kind of like Skype or video chat but you don't have to have those software types on your phone. ATT had this with the iphone4 when it was launched. You do have to be on a WiFi connection on both ends.
Recently my grandson came to visit and his mom gave him her old iphone with no Sim card. He had it and it was used for different applications he had added to it. He got me to give him one of my old iphones and his step dad sold it for us and got him a new ipod touch. The reason I am telling you this story is that now that he has the ipod touch he and I can FACETIME. No longer do I have to call his mom or step dad to get on their phone to talk to me. I just hit his name that says FACETIME and he answers. (This is if he has the ipod touch with him) Most of the time he does and it is so good to see his face. He can show me what he is doing, he can show me around his house or whatever he is doing. The one thing that he enjoys doing the most is showing me his mouth. For some reason he likes to show me his teeth and inside his nostrils. Kind of like in the picture attached. Last night I got to see the bottom of the couch as he decided it would be fun to talk to me when he is laying on the floor. He just shows me everything!!
So, I just watch him show me around the house and we get to catch up in person.
I love this feature on the phone that I am so happy that each of my kids or their spouses have one that they can call me on. It will be especially good when more grandkids arrive. But until then, I have Sawyer to show me around the house, up his nose or under his couch.
The one thing I do enjoy is the fact that I can see him every day and for him to see me, and we can talk about whatever we want for as long as we want. He even kisses me on the screen! But then again when you are as sweet as him, what can I say??
Now for those of you Droid users, I can't tell you what options are available on your phones but I do believe you can download this FACETIME application on the Droid as well.
For now we will continue to FACETIME with each other, until he gets to come and visit us next weekend. Then I can catch up on all of the kisses I missed from the screen.
How do you keep up with your loved ones?? I'd be interested to know...

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Sunday night sound out

I took that name from a friends blog. She does a little question and answer thing on Sunday's so I thought I would just use that for today's post.
Weekend weather was wonderful here in NC high yesterday was in the 70's. People were here either just getting out of the house or here to check out the beach. There is a place we go to on Saturday's for lunch called NIcky's and they offer outside seating, a lot of people were stopping in to eat on the deck. I still don't think its very warm outside so I just stayed inside this visit. If you haven't checked them out you need to stop by. They offer a great hamburger and my favorite is the hand cut fries. My husbands favorite is the clam chowder which offers a lot of clams in it.
Because it was nice we went on a little road trip to Greenville and met my daughter and son in law for an afternoon of shopping. I love to check out the new stuff for the spring and Greenville has plenty of stores to shop in. We went to Ann Taylor LOFT and of course I found a few things that I couldn't leave with out. Krista can't wait until the baby is born since she is not able to buy any of these pretty new things until the baby arrives.
Have you heard about FACETIME? if you haven't and you have kids or grandkids that don't live nearby you need to get it. I love Facetime. It is on the Iphone 4 which we have and it allows us to be able to talk and see each other on the phones. It also is a feature on the ipod touch so my grandson Sawyer has one of those. I can send him a call and he and I are able to talk to each other and see each other without having to go thru his mom's phone. Earlier he and his daddy called me. He was reading his library book and I was able to hear him reading and see him too. Now that is cool, something we can share with him living in Maryland.
His dad has been up visiting him this weekend and they went skiing today at Ski LIberty in Maryland.
Sawyer is such a good skiier and he and his dad did some black diamonds, white diamonds and even some mogals. He is such a fun kid to hang out with these days If you don't have or haven't seen facetime work you need to. Its a great way to be able to keep up with your family.
Another thing I found that is an app that you can download to the iphone 4 is called HeyTell. Hey Tell is an app that allows you to send voice messages, like a text message and talk back and forth. Maybe its kind of like push to talk communications. Its something you can use if you are on 3G or Edge or Wifi to talk instead of using cell service and you can talk instead of texting.
One of the other things I do for our company is to manage the cellular services so I am constantly investigating ways to make things work efficiently as well as saving money.
If you are an ATT customer you can now get an Iphone 3GS for $49.00 with a two year contract. Just thought I'd let you know.
Finally after an entire day of sitting on the couch and nursing this headache, I think its going away. It feels like an ear/sinus infection in the making that has kind of just hung on all day long. Hopefully tomorrow it will be gone and I will be able to get back to my nightly workouts. I just don't feel like doing that tonight. Plus I woke up at 4am and it was pounding then and it kept me up for awhile last night.
"They " say its supposed to be a high of 70 degrees but also a high wind warning, so it will never feel that high tomorrow. Then it is to go back to the 50's again. I just want to know who "they" are? Is "they" the weather people or the guy on the tv who says it will be warm and then it isn't. So, like everyone else I will dress accordingly and be unhappy when it gets chilly tomorrow or the next day.
I am just so thankful for the fact that I am healthy, and able to get out and enjoy all of the wonderful weather and things we have available to us here on the coast.
Have you registered for your free weekend yet? If you go to Bluewater Vacation Rentals on Facebook and register you can win a 2 day stay at the beach in March. Its easy all you have to do is like Bluewater Vacation Rentals. Don't delay do it today I think the contest will end soon.
So what will you do this week to help someone without wanting anything in return? Leave me a comment and let me know.

Friday, February 18, 2011

Workin for the weekend......

I am sure that has been the motto for many this week as the word is out, its supposed to be nice this weekend.
Gradually as the week has progressed the temperatures started to rise and out they came. Yes, I noticed today when I was
traveling to and from work and around town, the visitors are increasing. Its amazing for the temperature to increase 20 degrees and the local weatherman to say that its going to be a nice weekend, the people flock to the beach.
You see usually you can get onto the main road easily and not have to wait for the stoplights thru one cycle, but now its actually kind of busy around here. The first place you notice is the grocery store, there comes a time when you can usually get a front row parking spot but now you actually have park out a little to get into the store. The first time you notice is on friday night that the visitors have arrived, no more front row parking!
Don't get me wrong, we love the visitors to the island and the area, its just so unusual that it is so early in the year. Usually Easter break is the first time we see significant amounts of people since New Years. Its a pleasant surprise to see them so soon. Oh, I am not thinking that spring is here and that we should start getting the boat out and ready, this is just a teaser. I won't rush to the store for this years version of the bathing suit, (they already have them out) because you never should shop for a bathing suit with white legs and black knee high socks. For some reason it just doesn't work for me. I have to get some self tanner and then maybe I can stomach the look enough to try some of them on.
We will be lucky to have these few days of lovely mild temperatures but beware.... next week it will return to temps as usual in the 40's and 50's. I am sure there will be another day or two that will make us long for those mild days, but really, I am not counting on them anytime soon. Living near the water, it takes a little longer because of the Ocean breezes so until it gets to the point that we are complaining about the 90+ degree temperatures, I'll just be happy with the sun shining.
Next week we will be headed down that stretch again and working for the weekend, hopefully it will start to tease us more and more each day.