Cheryl's In Town!

What a wonderful surprise to see Cheryl walk into my office this morning! I knew she was in town but we'd already accepted the fact that hers and Sid's schedules might be too hectic to fit in a small visit.

They attended the wedding and reception of one of Sid's cousins, and the graduation ceremony for one of his nephews. Sid's sister lives here and they spent a lot of time with her and extended family.

Needless to say, I was thrilled that they came by my office for a short visit. They had both lunch and dinner plans with family, so I was happy to be squeezed in. Cheryl and I had agreed that this time in Dallas was needed for Sid and his family and that as long as we have Bandera, all is well with the world. I did commit her to the extra three days we are offered since we travel to Bandera in the off-season. Imagine, 10 days in Bandera with my BB!!! That's a lot of Yahtzee and junk food! And naps and talking and laughing.

They will fly home to Pensacola tomorrow. We'll be back to chatting on the Messenger. Thank you, Cheryl and Sid, for dropping in and making my day!

Perverts, Listen up!

All of you perverts are sick, sick, sick! I'm referring to those of you who get some deviant form of sexual gratification out of innocent pictures of nude children. I don't like to call it child pornography because the two words don't go together. YOU are the porn freak, not the child.

My current outrage stems from a recent revelation that someone close to me was found on a website for sexually sick maniacs. I'm infuriated that these perverts know how to access decent family sites where parents record beautiful childhood moments through words and pictures. They scan these sites for the cute pictures we post of our children and use them for their own sick purposes. It is a personal violation of immense proportions. You do not have the right to take a picture of someone's precious child and turn it into something ugly.

Anyone who feels sexual desire for a child should be locked up permanently. There is nothing sexual about a child in the innocent years of childhood. Those who think there is, have a serious problem with selfishness and criminal tendencies. Studies reveal that these perverts do not respond to counseling. They can't be rehabilitated. Do we let them freely roam the streets and internet because they can't help themselves? I say NO in a big way. Millions of children are more important than those who satisfy their insane appetites in this way. I don't care if they have a mental wire loose somewhere, I still don't pity them. They should be punished and removed from society. They are a danger to others.

We have all captured pictures of our kids in the bathtub, or a sweet bottom on a soft blanket, or any other antic we find them in. These are innocent moments we want to keep of children who grow so fast and soon leave this moment in time. The pictures aren't sexual. And a loving parent who cherishes the innocence of such a picture doesn't have the mind of a porno freak. There is no thought that these pictures could end up on a pornography site, their purpose violently distorted. Unfortunately, when such a violation occurs, we have to begin thinking about the dark side of humanity and how it affects our own lives.

Adult porn disgusts me too. It's totally selfish, aimed at those who need instant gratification. But adults can make their own decisions about the direction they want to go. If they want to view sites where other adults have willingly displayed themselves for the world to see, fine, go there and enjoy. Satisfy that deviant hunger you have. But do not go after our children. They don't want to be a part of your morbid fantasy. They are too busy enjoying childhood that shelters them from people like you.

I wish there was a way to prohibit sites from exploiting our children. It is not their right to have such a place. The internet can be a wonderful tool for reaching the world and gaining unlimited information. It can also be abused by acts like this one. What can we do to better protect our children?

Until a solution is found, I just needed to let all these perverts know that they are sick, they need to get over their teenage fixation over the naked human body, and focus on something besides their body parts. Children are off-limits and if that is your personal preference, my hope is that everyone one of you will have your computers confiscated and your sick minds locked up permanently. If you're a threat to our children, I have no sympathy for where you end up. You, the pervert, deserve the worst.

Directions For Dummies

I realize that manufacturers need to cover their back side, but that often leads to a ridiculous list of dos and don'ts for their products. I'm referring to the instruction manual that came with my new can opener from Weasil, the cat, for Mother's Day. Robin was reading some of it to me and we were laughing over it. Yes, we need a life.

Did you know a can opener is not supposed to be placed inside a hot oven? Hmmm. I've never considered doing it, but now that you mention it . . . . A nice melted plastic base with metal garnish and perhaps a finishing touch of mushroom sauce? Serving up that dish would entitle me to "Homemaker of the Year".

Do you suppose there are people who would think it was a neat idea to put their can opener in a baking dish and slide it into the oven? I admit there are a lot of wacky people in the world, so who knows? Personally, I prefer eating what was in the can that the can opener opened, instead of the can opener itself.

Another bit of genius instructed the consumer to not try to open an aerosol can with the can opener. Come on. I just wanted that last little drop of Lysol to disinfect the cutting blades on the can opener. No harm done.

To be honest, if I were making small kitchen appliances such as a can opener, it would never occur to me to tell someone not to bake it. Where does that idea come from? And, I've never considered opening an aerosol can once it stopped spraying. It's pitched in the trash and added to my grocery list.

Of course, lawsuits are rampant in this country and a manufacturer must assume we're all idiots. That's the only explanation I can find for such bizarre instruction manuals. At least reading through it was entertaining and I just might have found a new genre of interest. Or maybe it's given me an idea for dinner tonight. A change would be welcome.

Sissy Sussies

In our family, if you're told you're getting a sussy, you know you're getting a surprise. All the women in the family get in on the fun. Especially corny is a "sussy for Sissy", which is an expression used by my sister, Donna, and me. Donna and I enjoy getting sussies for each other.

I brought a sussy to the farm yesterday for Donna. I'd bought a cute and comfortable pair of gold sandals and thought she'd like a pair too. When I arrived with them, she was barefoot and waiting. Then she surprised me with my own "sussy for Sissy". She had bought me two very cute tops. I'm always excited by a new article of clothing and couldn't wait to wear one to work today. Of course, the size and fit is always perfect. I really need Sissy to do all my shopping (with her credit card, of course!). Tomorrow I get to wear the other new top. I feel so special!

And speaking of special, I was touched by a gift Donna gave my mother for Mother's Day. Mother wanted matching book ends to put in the bookcase my Dad built in their new room addition. The purpose of the book ends was to give my two books a prominent place on the shelf, surrounded by the two book ends. They did stand out and it meant so much to me. Thank you Mother and Sissy! I love you both!

Mother's Day At The Farm

We had a wonderful day at the farm with my parents even though the whole group was unable to attend. Our intention was to take the cooking responsibilities away from my mother, but she did make a chocolate cake and chocolate ice cream.

Allison and I made the beef and chicken chimichangas, which she deep-fried to a sinfully fattening golden brown. Those were topped with an avocado sauce, sour cream, salsa and queso. Allison also made pinto beans while I made black beans and tortilla pinwheels. Donna made the Spanish rice and some delicious chocolate chip and oatmeal cookies. Rita brought the peach ice cream which was divine. We will not go into the amount of ice cream and cookies I sampled!

Lunch was served from the kitchen but we carried our plates into the new sunroom my Dad, brothers, and Ron built on the back of the house. Dad even planned a ribbon cutting for Mother since she has long awaited this new addition. With their new table and a card table, there was plenty of room for us to enjoy our feast.

I spent a lot of time holding Sophia. That was a good Mother's Day gift for me. She even laughed for me a few times. Baylee had fun loving on the dog and donkeys. Jude, too, had a good time at the farm except for his allerigies that kept him sneezing and rubbing at his eyes, and the episode with a mousetrap. He wondered what it was and picked it up. Snap! It got him. He was a little embarrassed by it, but no tears. He's always afraid he is worrying us and makes light of his accidents.

My lovely daughters, Allison and Angela are treating me to laser hair removal for Mother's Day. I'm anxious to go to my free consultation and set up the treatment. Years of electrolysis has cleared away most of my unwanted hair, but there are areas on my face that need attention before I start scaring the grandchildren. I'm ready to get started and I'm very thankful for this thoughtful gift from my girls.

Being a mother is rewarding and I thank God for the children and grandchildren I have been blessed with. My life is complete.

My Mother's Day

My son, Ron, told me he didn't know what to get me for Mother's Day so he said he would bring us dinner on Saturday night. That sounded like the perfect gift to me and I looked forward to his arrival. He assured me it would all be homemade and fresh, and it was. Robin and I feasted on a delicious pasta dish, Caesar salad and French Bread.

Ron makes his own pasta sauce using lots of tomatoes and garlic. He said he put 13 tomatoes into the sauce he brought to us. It was so yummy with a rich flavor. It was such atreat not having to cook our dinner tonight. Ron knew I'd be cooking for the Mother's Day celebration at the farm tomorrow and figured I didn't need the added hassle of feeding Robin and me. Thank you, Ron! The meal was wonderful. Robin grabbed the camera and took a picture of me with two of my boys and the pasta.

Robin gave me a pair of red and white sandals I'd had my eye on and even our Foster cat, Weasil, got in on the Mother's Day festivities by surprising me with an electric can opener. I guess he heard me swearing at my manual one this week when it froze on me and wouldn't even make a dent in a can. It's come in handy with the cooking I've been doing for the farm. Thank you, Robin and Weasil.

Tomorrow's post will include pictures of Mother's Day at the farm with my mother and family. Happy Mother's Day to you all and enjoy your day. A special wish for Cheryl who is in North Carolina to see her nephew graduate from Duke University with a law degree. What a proud moment! Come back safely, friend.

It's Allison & Brian's Birthdays!

My beautiful daughter and her husband have a very unique situation in that they share the same birthday. When they started college there was a gathering of the students to get better acquainted. They were separated into groups according to the month they were born. As they mixed and mingled with others who were born in May, they discovered they had the same birthday and possibly discovered each other then too.

Robin and I had the honor of babysitting their three precious children while they went to dinner to celebrate their mutual birthdays. This picture of them was taken that night as they prepared to leave for dinner.

I didn't have the privilege of raising Brian so I can't share any sterling moments from his childhood. I will say that I admire the man he is, I love his sense of humor, and I will forever be thankful for the loving husband and father he has become. He lives with four people who are so dear to me and I feel confident knowing he is with them. Thank you, Brian, for your part in this beautiful family.

May 10 stands out so vividly in my mind because on that day I welcomed my first girl. At the time, I thought I would just have the two kids so it was important to me that a daughter followed my son. I awoke in recovery and my doctor was there checking on me. He asked if I'd learned the gender of my baby. I told him I hadn't. He said, "you have a little girl". World War III could have erupted, my hair could have fallen out as unsightly warts covered my entire body and it would still be the most glorious day of my life! "I get to buy pink!", I squealed.

Allison continued being a joy all the days that followed. Not only was she a beautiful blonde, blue-eyed doll, but she was funny, easy-going, agreeable, and so easy to raise. She has never given me a moment of concern as to the direction her life was going. If we said no, she accepted it. If we gave advice and instruction, she lived by it. One of the greatest compliments I've heard her give me when she was talking to someone else was, "I loved it when my parents grounded me because I got to spend the weekend with them, doing what they were doing." How many teenagers can say that with any conviction? Those words meant the world to me and still do.

Today, Allison is, of course, still a beautiful woman inside and out. I admire her strength, I admire her as a mother to my grandchildren, and I admire her character. Her children are so fortunate to have such a loving, fun mother. The rest of us are fortunate, too, to have her in our lives. She's so family-oriented and her nurturing extends to us all. I thank God for her and for blessing my life with her sunny presence.

Happy birthday, Allison and Brian. May this special day find you happier than ever, and counting your blessings for all God has showered upon you. Just as we, your family, praise God for the wonderful people you have always been and continue to be. Have the best birthday ever, with all my love.

Spoiled & Pampered

As a Mother's Day indulgence, Patty surprised me with a deluxe French pedicure, complete with foot massage. She called to tell me she had made an appointment for us and to be at her house at a certain time. When I got there she directed me to the salon where she gets her nails done. We relaxed in our vibrating chairs while our feet enjoyed a whirlpool bath.

From the knees down, our calves and feet rejoiced in a wonderful massage, first with an exfoliant, then a soothing cream. A stone smoothed away all calouses on the bottom of our feet, and broke through some skin on my ankle but I didn't let that stop the massage. The place would have to be on fire, with the fire almost licking the edges of my chair, before I'd stop any kind of massage.

We both opted for the French pedicure since it was so neutral and would go with all our clothes. I even gave in to having my eyebrows waxed for the first time. After years of electrolysis, I was surprised I'd relent and allow waxing. It looks great! They are perfectly shaped now.

From the salon we further indulged ourselves by going out for Mexican food. After that feast, we were ready for pajamas and coffee. Robin was in Houston on business and we grab every opportunity to have a slumber party. It was a great evening and full of the girlie fun Patty and I enjoy. We love the pampering and buying fun girl stuff.

Now, I'm ready to tackle the meal Allison and I are making for my mother's Mother's Day celebration in East Texas. And, later, I will report on our Mother's Day activities. My son has told me what he's doing for me, and if it actually happens, I will broadcast it to the world!