Flowers

These lantana I bought at Smith Mountain Lake. I just couldn't resist buying some flowers. I can't wait to get home and plant things.

These are creeping verbena that Diane gave me. She started with just a few plants but they spread like wildfire. I don't know if they will last over the winter at my house or not

A visit to school

On Friday Ryan and I took Sean to Jenny's school so that her parents and kids could see the baby.

Big daddy and the stroller

This was funny. Outside the school there hangs an owl to scare away the birds. I guess the swallows didn't mind because they built their nest right on top of the owl. Can't fool those birds!

Here are some of Jenny's students looking at the baby. Everyone thought that he was so big for 3 months.

Mama and Sean

I can't believe how much Sean has grown in just two weeks. He's holding his head up now so he can sit on your lap.
He is such a good baby, never fusses except to tell you he's wet or hungry.




He smells so good after his bath.

Ah, Provence

This image I found on the web captures my daydream. Occasionally I think about my trip to France and what a relaxing time it was. Sitting in a cafe outdoors watching people go by and hearing the fountain gurguling created the most layed back feeling of just enjoying the moment. I remember coming back and not being able to turn on a tv or even a radio for weeks because I wanted that feeling of contentment to last as long as possible. When I get stressed out all I have to do is picture the lavendar fields or the small villages and it takes me back. I need to go there again.

Have you ever?

(x) Gone on a blind date
( ) Skipped School
(x) Watched someone die
( x ) Been to Canada
( ) Been to Mexico
(x) Been to Florida
(x) Been on a plane
(x ) Been lost
(x ) Been on the opposite side of the country
(x) Gone to Washington , DC
(x) Swam in the ocean
(x) Cried yourself to sleep
( ) Played cops and robbers
( ) Recently colored with crayons
( x ) Sang Karaoke
....( ) Paid for a meal with coins only?
(x) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't?
( ) Made prank phone calls
(x) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose - or other places!
(x) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
( ) Danced in the rain
( ) Written a letter to Santa Claus
(x) Been kissed under the mistletoe
(x) Watched the sunrise with someone you care about
(x) Blown bubbles
( x) Gone ice-skating
( ) Been skinny dipping outdoors
1. Any nickname?
No
2. Mother's name? Eleanor
3. Favorite drink? water, peach tea
4. tattoo? no
5. Body Piercing? Ears
6. How much do you love your job? love retirement much better
7. Birthplace: almost born on a farm, but mom rushed to hospital in elberton, Ga
8. Favorite Vacation Spot? Provence
9. Ever been to Africa? No
10. Ever eaten cookies for dinner? Yes
11. Ever been on TV? no
12. Ever steal any traffic sign? no.
13. Ever been in a car accident? Yes, hit guard rails during snow..slushy road
14. Drive a 2-door or 4-door vehicle? Both
15. Favorite salad dressing? home made oil and vinegar
16. Favorite pie? \pecan
17. Favorite number? 2
8. Favorite movie? like all kinds of movies, love a surprise ending.
19. Favorite holiday? christmas
20. Favorite dessert? frozen yogurt sundae
21. Favorite food? Italian
22. Favorite day of the week? Sunday
23. Favorite brand of body wash? anything that's handy
24. Favorite toothpaste? aquafresh
25. Favorite smell?i like spicy smells like cinnamon, orange, verbena
26. What do you do to relax? Read
28. How do you see yourself in 10 years? Having fun with my husband and my family

Sex and the City

I just can't wait till I get home and my girlfriends and I go to see the Sex and the City movie. For the last year I have been trying to catch the Sex and the City reruns to get all caught up on the loves and lost loves of these four friends. Ryan and Jenny have satellite and they have a Tivo like recorder. That means that you just press a button and it tapes all of the episodes of Sex and the City that it can find. you don't have to put in times, it just knows when they are shown. During the day I watch the ones that were taped the night before. That is really neat! I need to get one of those. I have tapes but it takes time to program it in, and then I take the tape out and forget what's on it. so I'm all ready for the movie now...get ready girls!!!

Hangin' Out

Just relaxing at the Lake House!

The strawberry festival

There were pony rides, funnel cakes, wagons, tractor pulls and of course, strawberries.

Babies are us!

Proud grandma!

Jenny and Sean

Caron and Jackson

Sean found his thumb this week.

Out on the Deck

Sean loves to be in the stroller and to put him to sleep I wheeled him around the deck. He doesn't seem to like his new sunglasses very well.
the lake view from the deck.


Diane's flowers were so pretty.

BRUNCH AT THE LAKE

Diane's table always looks so nice. Her kitchen's theme is red, white and blue. She got these plates at the "Christmas store" in New Jersey.
She also got these balls there too.

The table was loaded with food..bacon, eggs, crumb cake and creme puffs (courtesy of me).

I love this saying on her wall. There is never a lack of food when we visit the Lake House. We had our Memorial Day picnic on Sunday with all the traditional fixings.

Can't sleep

I just can't get to sleep tonight so I'll use this time to update my blog. I'm too tired to post pictures tonight, but many will follow tomorrow. What a great weekend we had. On Friday night after Jenny got through with her work we loaded the van (thank God for vans) and traveled to the Lake House at Smith Mountain Lake outside of Roanoke, Virginia. Sean is just an angel when he travels. Once he hits the car seat he just goes right to sleep and he slept almost the whole way, which is a good thing since he has to be strapped into a car seat.

We were delighted to see Diane's youngest son Josh and wife, Caron, and their new 6 week old baby, Jackson. He seems so tiny next to Sean, but then Sean is almost 3 months old now.

It is always nice being at the lake. Diane's house is so restful on the water and we sat on the deck and hung out all day. Diane, Linda, and I went shopping (well, I guess you could call it shopping) but the shopping there is not the shopping that we are used to. Very few small stores with not much to choose from. But then again, Do I need anything more? The answer for those of you who know me, is....no, well, maybe if it calls my name! After a few hours we went back to the house with only a few pitiful things to show for our trip. I bought garden stakes, Diane bought a little baby stroller made out of wicker to use as a centerpiece for Becky's shower on the fourth of July, and Linda bought some coffee beans. Those of you who know us are able to tell that this was a disaster of a shopping trip.

when we got home the young'ns went out to dinner in Roanoke at Abuelo's a Mexican restaurant and then to the movie to see Indiana Jones. Grandma Di and Grandma Peggy watched the babies. Which would have been fine except that Jackson has a little problem and screams a lot because of his touchy stomach which of course kept Sean awake too. I finally went upstairs with Sean and got him to sleep.

On Sunday we went to a strawberry festival out in the middle of the country. There were stravberries for sale and I bought a flat for us and Diane bought one for them. There was music (four old guys playing the fiddles) and eating (typical fair food, but not as much) and crafts (this could be referred to as "crappy crafts".and pony rides. so all we came home with were the strawberries.

the kids went out on the boat and Seadoo while we watched the babies again. Later on we went in the hot tub and then watched movies.

did it tire you out reading about the weekend? Well, it tired me out too. If the neighbors are finally settled down maybe I can get some sleep. There were cars (minus the mufflers, remember I'm in redneck country) running up and down the street for the last hour. I'm ready to settle down for the night. I can sleep in tomorrow since ryan is taking the day off. he has some sick time he wants to use up before his last day on Friday. he will be working at Wilderness at the smokies from now on being a lifeguard supervisor associate. If you want to see what it's all about you can go to their website: http://www.wildernessatthesmokies.com/ Have a good night, I hope I do.

More baby pictures!

Whoops, two of the same picture. Oh, well I'll get the hang of it someday.

I love this last picture! When you talk to Sean he opens his mouth and makes little sounds. He rolls his tongue around like he's really trying to talk to you.

American Idol

David Cook won American Idol..what a surprise. I was sure David Archuleta would get it since he has such a sweet voice. But either way they both will do well in their careers. Tuesday night just won't seem the same without Idol to watch.

We had a fun day in Knoxville and didn't get home until eight o'clock. First we went to the dr and everything checked out ok for Jenny. Then Baby R us was really fun and I bought Sean some clothes , bottles and formula which they can always use. Then we had a quick stop at hobby Lobby but I didn't really need anything there..lots of pretty things though. A stop at Kohl's was next and I bought Jenny and Ryan some clothes. It is fun to be able to spoil them while I'm here. The baby was excellent. He is such a good boy and never cries hard just fusses a little when he is either hungry, burpy or needs a change. What a kid! I'm loving him so much.

IN Tennessee

Boy am I glad I'm not home at the moment. Don told me it hailed and Yrsa told me someone saw snowflakes the other day. Snowflakes in MAy??? Yes, that's our cold town in western PA. Meanwhile I am here in the south where the temp was in the eighties yesterday. How can things be so different. We wait and wait in Bradford for the warm weather to arrive. all winter it's cold and sometimes not too nice and then spring comes. Oh yes, we do have nice days and everyone cheers up and revels in the sunshine. But then it gets nastly again. There can be no planting of gardens or putting out annuals until after Memorial day because of the danger of frost. Hubby is working on digging up the area where we will have a concrete patio poured soon. (I hope). I hope he remembered to put the Japanese Maple tree that I bought inside the garage on these cold nights.

Well, baby is sleeping..such a sweet thing. This afternoon we are going to meet Jenny at her school and go to Knoxville. Jenny has a dr appointment and then we are going to Hobby Lobby. I really don't need anything at all, but it's always fun to look anyway. Above is a pic of the lion fountain that I bought at Walmart in Carlisle. It will look nice on my paved patio. I also bought a eugenia topiary to put outside this summer.

how Sweet it is!

Here are some pictures of Sean and me. Right now he's down for a morning nap. It is so wonderful to be here with him and share in caring for him when he is this little. He's such a good baby, hardly ever fusses except when he's wet or hungry. He loves to be talked to and watches you with such intensity. He tries to mimic you by opening his mouth and moving his tongue around like he knows somehow that the words must come out of there. He does make little sounds which are so dear. And he has a beginning of smile to let you know how happy he is to be talked to.
Yesterday I went for a walk down by the river on the paved path. I'll try to take my camera next time and get some shots of how lovely it is. The weather is about 76 degrees and very pleasant. I did check out the pottery yesterday but really didn't find anything of interest there except a few summer candles that I bought for all the girls who will be at the lake this weekend. ryan and Jenny will be able to go after all. Diane and Linda will get to see the baby and I'll get to see Josh's Jackson. what fun!

Questions

1. Where is your cell phone? .............. purse
2. Your significant other?.......................Don
. Your hair? ............................................fine and red, flyaway from my walk
4. Your mother? ......................................Passed away 8 years ago, I still miss her
5. Your father?..........................................same
6. Your favorite thing?.............................seeing pretty things at gift stores
7. Your dream last night?......................can't remember
8. Your favorite drink? ............................peach tea
9. Your dream/goal?................................to have more energy and better health
10. The room you're in?.........................Ryan's second bedroom
.11. Your ex?...............................................none
12. Your fear?............................................having a stroke and laying in a bed unable to communicate, but still able to think
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years?........still traveling and enjoying my life
14. Where were you last night?..............in Tennessee
15. What you're not?................................dishonest
16. Muffins?...............................................haven't had one in years, but love al kinds
17. One of your wish list items?.............landscaping for my bank
18. Where you grew up?..........................Bradford, PA
19. The last thing you did?.......................went for a walk along the river
20. What are you wearing?......................a white hat to keep the sun off
21. Your TV?..............................................We have four and I don't even know what kind they are
22. Your pets?...........................................Top Gun, the cat
23. Your computer? ................................very enjoyable since we got a faster line
24. Your life?.............................................my family and friends
25. Your mood?........................................optimistic
26. Missing someone?............................my special hubby
27. Your car?..............................................a vam that I love
28. Something you're not wearing?.......a bikini, and never will LOL
29. Favorite Store?....................................Hobby Lobby
30. Your summer?....................................hot
31. Like(love) someone?...................................Don
32. Your favorite color?............................ green
33. Last time you laughed?.....................when I told someone about my disaster in the kitchen making strawberry pies
34. Last time you cried?...........................months

more questions:

Accent: Yes...if you listen, you will hear Pennsylvania .
Breakfast or no breakfast: Yes, definitely, but only a little
Chore I don’t care for:for some reason I hate using the sweeper
Dog or Cat: have a cat, want a dog
Essential Electronics: my computer and my camera
Favorite Cologne: knowing by Estee LauderGold or Silver: Gold.
Handbag I carry most often: I change them like I change my mind
Insomnia: Not if I get to bed at ten
Job Title: Hmmm, maker of good times (at least that's what I'd like to be called).
Kids: grown.
Living Arrangements: small town with hubbyhomestead that belonged to DH's grandparents.
Most Admirable Trait: Loyalty.
Naughtiest Childhood Behavior: not coming when called, being out with buddies
Overnight hospital stays: for children and a few surgeries
Phobias: don't want to be in really large crowds wating in line at a concert
Quote: Do not follow a path, Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
Reason to smile: Hearing the laughter of my children and grandchildren. :o)
Siblings: two younger sisteres
Time I wake up: Somewhere between 6 and 7 most days.
Unusual Talent or Skill: Anything having to do with art. Unusual? Hmmm...not sure about that.
Vegetable I Refuse to Eat: mushrooms
Worst Habit: constant eating
X-rays: Yes.
Yummy Stuff: Love Italian food...garlic and basil....and cookies!
Zoo Animal I Like Most: giraffe, they have a great lookout on life, so high and away from all the mundane

Baby bathtime

It's bathtime for Sean. He takes his bath at night and Jenny has discovered a new baby bodywash that contains lavender and chamomile. It soothes Sean and for the last two nights he has slept for nine hours. Yesterday Sean had a wide awake day. He must have not wanted to miss a thing because he only slept about an hour and a half all day long. Usually he takes a morning and long afternoon nap. He never went to sleep at night until way after nine and slept till five. Ryan left at eleven and Sean slept, ate, and is down in his crib right now. Not exactly asleep, but just quiet. He is such a doll and I am enjoying the time with him.

New pictures

Here are some pics of Sean that Jenny took.