Bob-Remember Bob?

This is SweetCheeks taken

about a year ago.

She is sitting next to her

'visable friend, Bob.Bob was quite the character,

as we understood him.

Sometimes he was her

older friend.

Sometimes he was her "baby".

Sometimes he was just

BOB.

SweetCheeks often had long

conversations with him

on her "phone".

She would tell him to pick

up mulhk on his way home from work...

and then scold him when he got

there for buying a candy bar

for himself and forgetting the mulhk.

SweetCheeks used to tell

us how naughty Bob was.

One time he ate all

the Junior Mints.

When I aksed her who did it

she said that BOB did it.

An' now hims takin' a time out

wright now oveah on the timhe out step.

(You remember, the third one from

the bottom where we can SEE him..

NOT the third one from the top).

The other day I realized that

Bob hadn't been around in a

while.

Where's Bob? I asked.

Him's Dead!

What?

Yup! Him's Dead and

iss in the ground.

Oh No!

Where's Bob's friend, Deed?

Hims' Dead too!

And Rainbow?

Hers gone!

Gone where?

Hers Dead too,

you silly goose.

Poor Bob, Poor Deed,

Poor Rainbow..

They have faded

into the never-never

land of a child's imagination.

I will miss them.

They were a lot of fun.

But- I think there might be

just a spot of fun left.

SweetCheeks informed me that..

Rainbow hass a sistuh..and hers

is REALLY naughty!

Great! Can't wait to meet hers!

Birthdays, Barbie & Blessings

This is MamasBoy

and his niece

SweetCheeks.

You do remember them don't you?

Their birthdays are only a few days apart..

So, we celebrated them both at our

Thanksgiving gathering.

I think most of you will

remember that MamasBoy is

an idiot entertainer--

and laughs are his pay.

He showed up wearing an outfit

his Dad would have worn in the

1970's and proceeded to speak

with a Polish accent all night..

Yeah..so funny you want to beat

him with a stick laugh right

out loud.

His sister, Mimi made the cake.

The front is a Barbie Doll

and the back cake is a guitar.

See what I mean?

The whole family is nuts.

Before cake we had to open gifts.

MamasBoy couldn't wait for SweetCheeks

to open hers first...

So he opened his!

He got a leg lamp.

His wife was more than thrilled.

He wants to put it on their mantle.

She wants to shove it up the giver's nose

put it in the closet.

SweetCheeks got her first Barbie.

Neither of the other girls are interested

in Barbie..but SweetCheeks likes her

for her Princess Qualities.
Little SweetCheeks loved her Barbie Cake.

Uncle MamasBoy blew the candles out

about 15 times before SweetCheeks got

a chance to blow them out. She didn't

know whether to laugh at him....or cry...

The laughter won out.As soon as the candle was out

MamasBoy yanked Barbie from her skirt.

Gasp...He handed her to SweetCheeks.

Here-he said...lick her dress off.

SweetCheeks started giggling.

Come On SweetCheeks-

Lick Barbie's dress off..

Noah-yoah is cwrazy Uncle MamasBoy

an yoah isss nott funny efther!

Then why are you laughing? Look-you CAN eat it...try it...

Hmmmm...she's thinking about it!There-See! How is it?

Does it taste good, SweetCheeks?

Yoah know whut it tastestes lwike?

Nope!

It tastestes lwike a icing dwress!

An now I gonna eat it all!That was almost the best part of the night.

However, to me, the best part was watching

our son-in-law, TheIslandScout, drop down

on the almost empty four person couch.

He sat right next to MyHero,

up close and personal.

MyHero does not like other

MALES invading his space.

TheIslandScout snuggled up tight.

It was a picture not to be missed.

Now doesn't that just bless your heart?

We're Staying Over~ Right??

The Trio has come

to spend the

day.

We have cleaned out the playhouse

and now it is time to

help Papa

tidy up the lawn.

Hmmmm...Are you sure that

meets all child safety

requirements?

Papa!

Papa?

PPPPPPAAAAAAAAAPAAAAAAAAAAA!

BE CAREFUL WITH THOSE

KIDS ON THERE!

GEEZZZ!

They're fine- You worry too much..

Unh-huh--It's all fun

and games

til somebody gets their

eye poked out with a stick...

or worse....

falls off the tractor and

gets run over by the wagon.

Just Be Careful!

Yeah..yeah..yeah..

They soon discover it is too cold to play outside.

They troop into the house

and decide to watch a movie.

And, here it comes..

The question of the day~

We're staying over, right?

*sigh*

Right?

The sucker light on my forehead starts

blinking...

We'll see!

(and y'all know what THAT means-doncha?

Yes! That's a yes..of course it is)

It takes 26 argumentative minutes to pick

a movie.

Because SOMEONE wants to watch

The Whizard of Hoz for the

575th time.

And SOMEONE ELSE wants to

watch

Shirley Temple (can you believe that)

Shirley Temple as Heidi and Lulu

still loves it?

That kid has good taste.

Finally, finally, we decide to watch

for the 5,362 time....We know all the words by heart.

Beautiful Ria must put on her best gown

to watch this movie..

and spinning is part of the

fun.SweetCheeks is looking a little woe-be-gone.

Whatever is the matter, SweetCheeks?Sadly, the words fall from her lips..

My shoes doan't mhatch my dwress!

That's okay, SweetCheeks..

No one will notice.

Yes! Yess! They will!

Ih'll notice, Nana.~

And 'sides that..loook...

Cinduhrulla's face falled off and

now my shoes is whrecked.

Oh My! I'll fix them later.

Pwromise?

Yep! I promise!

Blasted stinking shoes that cost as much as

a regular pair and fall apart on a whim!

The movie is playing loud

and clear..

They just HAD to watch a movie.

Here's what the girls are doing..

whilst the movie is playing..

SweetCheeks is reading her

Rainbow Book...Ria has changed into her pjs.

and is eating her hand...and Lulu has changed into her pjs

is engrossed in computerland.The movie is over..

I make them take their baths...

(which they were supposed to do

BEFORE they put their pjs on)

and off they go...

each to their own bed.

This is CuddlyThis is Drooly..
And this is Messy MilkHead...
The morning finds them like magic...
all in one big bed..

in the upstairs guest room...
waking up while Nana
makes her coffee.

(Look how BIG Messy Milkhead looks)

Must be a camera trick The coffee is brewing

and the Three Bears Cereal is cooking

and soon they will come down the steps

with sleepy smiles and good morning kisses.

Do you suppose that someday

someday..

they will remember

waking up in a big bed at Nana's house,

smelling coffee brewing...

and oatmeal cooking..

and know how

much they are loved?

I hope so!

A Different Kind Of Christmas Story

What fun to have kids around at Christmas.

There is nothing more fun than watching

the excitment a little one feels when

they finally "get" Christmas.

But, because the real reason for Christmas

sometimes gets lost in the overwhelming

outpouring of gifts from Santa...

I have a tradition that

I would like to share with you.

This was not my idea..

but something

my daughter, TPot,

does with her children,

her three little daughters,

Lulu, Ria & SweetCheeks.

She does this because

she doesn't want them

consumed with the idea

that Christmas is all about

Santa and presents...

lots and lots of presents.

Presents that

they don't need.

Presents that are there

just to fill every space

under the tree.

The year Lulu was born

she started this tradition...

They each get 3 Santa gifts.

It is something they want..

but can be as simple as

a hula hoop...

or as intriguing as a guitar.

Here is how it happens here.

Come Christmas morning

everyone gathers round the tree

and Mama reads

a simple child's version

of the Christmas story.

When they get to the part

where the 3 Wise Men

come to the stable

(each bringing a gift)

each child goes and finds

their 3 Santa presents

under the tree.

They come back to sit

next to Mom and

then she reads

the rest of the story

of Bethlehem.

Then, and only then,

the opening fun begins.

Of course, they get gifts

from grandparents

and aunts and uncles, too,

as the day goes on...

but I thought this

is a very

special thing to do.

Now, as you can see,

here is SweetCheeks,

last year...in one of

Nana's special gifts!

It has been used for

great entertainment..

and if you want a

REALLY GOOD LAUGH

you can read about that

here.

I promise it will bring a

smile to the surliest face.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Blue Bowl

All day I did the little things,

The little things that do not show;

I brought the kindling for the fire

I set the candles in a row.

I filled a bowl with marigolds,

The shallow bowl you love the best-

And made the house a pleasant place

Where weariness might take a rest.

The hours sped on, my eager feet

Could not keep pace with my desire.

So much to do, so little time,

Yet, when the coming of the night

Blotted the garden from my sight.

And on the narrow, graveled walks

Between the guarding flower stalks

I heard your step; I was not through

With services I meant for you.

You came into the quiet room

That glowed enchanted with the bloom

Of yellow flame. I saw your face,

Illumined by the firelit space,

Slowly grow still and comforted-

"It's good to be home, " you said.

Blanche Bane Kuder

May each of you have a warm, comforting place to call home

for the Holiday.

Diana

LET THE SHOW BEGIN!

I did a post about this

early on--when I first started posting..

but..because I am going to

talk about a special

Christmas tradition tomorrow..

I wanted to acquaint some of my

new readers with this first.

You have never seen a show

quite like a show

performed by

the one

the only

SWEETCHEEKS!

This happened about 9 months ago..

and is as funny today

as it was then.

SweetCheeks is a performer of

extra-ordinary talent. It's a lot like

pay-per-view except she is

a lot more expensive.

Her best performances are usually

preceded by the words..

"Hey, guys..wanna see sumthin'?

(as if we had a choice)

She got the stunning new outfit you

see above for Christmas last year.

It seems to fit her personality

which runs from flamboyant

to downright outrageous.

And, although she likes to pretend

she is a princess..

she is much better as her

own character.

Take a seat, ladies and gentlemen,

the show is about to begin.

This entails lining up on the couch

in our assigned seats.

We always have to leave a space

(or two) for those "friends"

that we can't see.

(We know they are there because

SweetCheeks tells them where

to sit and they get the primo seats).

After we have plunked ourselves down,

the ticket collector takes our stubs.

She looks suspiciously like the actor,

and director, and performer

of the show

we are about to see.

If it is an especially exciting show

we must also fasten our seat belts.

Don't ask because I don't know..

but I think "we" sometimes

have SHOWS and

AMUSEMENT PARK RIDES

a bit mixed up.

Makes no difference.

Here comes the announcement...

WADIES & GUNTULMANS..

WEWCUM TO THU SHOOW!

Now I gonna dance and sing

ouprah

(that would be opera for those

in the know)

Oh Boy! I can't wait.

I am already laughing while

MyHero has that

deer-in-the-headlights-look

the one that means

OH NO-NOT AGAIN.

Buck up Buddy! This will

be over before you know it.

By the time the first few lines

of Jowly Old St. Nickkolus float out

I am suffused with laughter.

At this point

the show

STOPS!

THISSS PLAYH ISSS NOTT FUNNY!

NOW- Stay in yoah seats..

we are gonna haffta starht all

ovearh again!

This statement is accompanied by

a dramatic sigh and

an arm swiped across the brow.

The seat belts must be

refastened and tickets collected

once again.

The show resumes.

I look over at MyHero who

whispers out of the side of his mouth,

without moving his lips..

I can't wait for the intermission.

And, once again,

the strains of

JOWLY OLD ST. NICKOLUS

fills the room.

Millions! She Got Millions!

She looks so sweet and innocent.

But looks can be decieving.

No one could believe it

when Sylvia was arrested

for murdering her 5th husband.

The sting operation went off

smoothly.

Buford Buxumbomb

entered her lair and

was caught off guard

by her bewitching beauty.

Left to his own devices

he could have become

Victim #6.

However, his loyal side-kick,

Bubba Bejewsus,

busted the door in

with one swift kick

right after Buford

snapped this photo.

Sylvia was soon known worldwide

as

The Black Widow

so named for the dreaded

Black Widow Spider.

The men in her life never

suspected how deadly her bite could be.

ps...I finally got a grin out of MyHero..

However, I don't think it was my words that made him smile....Country Living Ad- Royal Velvet @ Bed Bath & Beyond

God & The Post Office

This was sent to my

by my sister-in-law, Ellie..

Kind of sister-in-law..

used to be sister in law..

Just a "sister" now...

Anyway, she is an animal lover

and sent this to me..

I am forwarding it to you.

This is not her child but

someone sent this to her.

I have always believed that

Postal workers don't

get nearly as much credit

as they deserve...

this will warm your heart..

This is one of the kindest things you may ever see.

It is not known who replied,

but there is a beautiful soul

working in the dead letter office of

The US postal service.
Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month.

The day after she died, my 4 year old daughter Meredith

was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey.

She asked if we could write a letter to God

so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her.

I told her that I thought we could so she dictated these words:
"Dear God, Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick. I hope you will play with her. She likes to play with balls and to swim. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her You will know that she is my dog. I really miss her. Love, Meredith"
We put the letter in an envelope

with a picture of Abbey and Meredith

and addressed it to God/Heaven..

We put our return address on it.

Then Meredith pasted several stamps

on the front of the envelope

because she said it would take lots of stamps

to get the letter all the way to heaven.

That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office.

A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet.

I told her that I thought He had.
Yesterday, there was a package

wrapped in gold paper

on our front porch addressed,

'To Meredith'

Meredith opened it & inside was a book by

Mr. Rogers called, 'When a Pet Dies..'

Taped to the inside front cover

was the letter we had written to God

in its opened envelope.

On the opposite page was the picture

of Abbey & Meredith and this note:
"Dear Meredith, Abbey arrived safely in heaven. Having the picture was a big help. I recognized Abbey right away. Abbey isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog.. Since we don't need our bodies in heaven, I don't have any pockets to keep your picture in, so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by... Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you. I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much. By the way, I'm easy to find, I am wherever there is love.
Love, God"

I thought of my friend, Tete, as I was posting this because

her "baby" just went to KittyKat Heaven

and so...

now she knows!

And all God's children said

AMEN!

xxoo Diana

Phantoms In the Pantry

My friend, Jettie, and I

have talked about ghosts.

We don't talk about them much

because we don't want people to

think we are

well...you know...

CRAZY.

Be quiet-You on the left!

I heard you going..

Ding-Dong-

Nut-so..

I resemble that remark!

Anyway...

Are you ever just sitting someplace

and you feel like someone

someone

someone

somewhere

is watching you?

Do you get that creeeeeepy feeling

Like there is someone besides you

in the room?

Me too!

The other day I had that strange,

unsettling feeling..

I whipped my head towards the

Pantry Door..

and I saw

(Oh! Mary Mother of God

and all the Saints)..

I saw..

THIS.

My heart began to beat a bit faster...

I neared the door for a closer inspection..

Holy Weirdness...WHAT?

Some one is IN there..

Trying to get out!
Who's in there, I ask in a quavery voice..

The eyes-rolled-back-in-its-head

phatom pushes its face closer to

the door..

I'm scared,

I stage whisper to no one..

A voice floats eerily out to meet my ears....

HAWWWWHHHH...IH'M GONNA GETT YOAH!!!

Ha! What can one little ghost do? I ask bravely?

HAHA! I HAFF FRIENDS...

AND

YOAH BETTEARH BE SKARHED!I AM scared...

I am scared they have

eaten all

of the

Cheetos!

the end

Are Those Pants Brown?

WHAT'S WRONG

WITH THIS
AD?

I don't even need to make up a

caption...

EWWW

Ad-Northern -Country Living..

If the advertiser would like this ad removed-please notify me.

Pumpkin Pie Torte-Oh My!

Now I'm not saying...

Seriously ..

I am NOT saying..

That this is

THE BEST

Pumpkin Pie Torte

that you will ever eat.

I don't have to tell you

because pictures

speak for themselves.BabyE was given a tablespoon

of

Pumpkin Pie Torte

that was left in

Mom's Dish.

I don't know if he has ever

had a real

sugary treat before.
Here he is trying to figure

out how to get it

out of the bowl..

Hmmmm...Maybe

Just Maybe..

If he puts the bowl down

a bit and leans his face

towards it...

Maybe-just maybe..

that will work?He gets enough in his mouth

to look at Mom and

signal

with his baby blues..

Mmmm...This is good!Next he looks at Nana.

Mmmm...Nana...You are the most wonderful,

beautiful, sweetest Nana ever.

I love you Nana.

This is THE BEST

Pumpkin Pie Torte in the

whole world!

Can't you just read that in his expression?

I can...because I am the

Grandchild Whisperer..

I KNOW what they are thinking..

And...because I know...

Because I KNOW..

how much this little boy loves this

I ask him

ever so sweetly..

Do you want another bite?

What do you think this expression means?

I'm taking that for a YES..

A big resounding YES!

One more baby bite..

and then it's off to bathtime and

beddy-bye for you.

Now in case..

just in case..

You, too, would like to see

looks like this on the faces

of your family and friends...

I am posting the recipe

right here for you.

It is courtesy of Carol

a volunteer co-worker..

She said it was

calorie free between

November 1st and Thanksgiving..

but she may have been lying..

you know how those red-heads are.

So..go ahead...be brave..

Try this for yourself!

Pumpkin Pie Torte

Base:
1 Box white or yellow cake mix
½ cup softened butter
1 egg
Combine above-reserve 3/4 cup of this for the topping.
Press rest into a 9/13 pan.
Filling:
1-30 oz can Pumpkin Pie MIX (not filling)
1/3 cup evaporated milk
2 eggs
Combine above and pour over base.
Topping:
3/4 cup reserved topping (from base mix)
1 cup sugar (a little more if you like it really crispy)
1 t cinammon or pumpkin pie spice
Mix together. Sprinkle on top of filling layer.
Bake @350º for 45 minutes or until set

(make sure base is done-I baked mine for an hour).

Cool completely.

Serve with whipped cream or Cool Whip.

Sit back and enjoy the looks on

the faces of your friends/family/co-workers.

Don't eat any yourself..

because I have learned that

the fatter they get..

the skinnier I look!

Amen

SweetCheeks~Pumpkins and Prayers

Last weekend the girls

wanted to use their

Pumpkin placemats

one more time.

Lulu set the table

while Ria & SweetCheeks

supervised.

We had some of our favorites..

Toasted Cheese Sandwiches

and

Tomato soup~

courtesy of Campbells.

(Did you think I was gonna lie

and say I made it from scratch?)

God let Campbells make

soup in cans for a reason.

Just think-

Every can of Campbells I buy

means some canner keeps

his job for one more minute.

See? There is a purpose behind every

action.

Now, before we eat,

SweetCheeks volunteers to say a prayer.

She prays for soup that is NOT too hot

and she prays for Dora thu Explorerah

and she prays that her underwearh dus

not stick to her butt.

Her sister, Ria, is her

best audience..

hanging on to her every word.

It is all Lulu can do to not

burst out laughing.She is so earnest in her prayers..

that I am impressed.

I, too, am hoping that my underwear

doesn't stick to my butt..

especially considering I might

wet my pants if I stand here listening

much longer.

The prayer ends and the meal commences.

There is only ONE wee problem.

SweetCheeks insists her cup has a hole in it

cuz it is dripping down her chin.

I tell her she has to "line her lips up

with the curve in the cup" like her

sisters are doing.

She tries it several times before

voicing her final opinion.

Dese is stooopid cupps cuz they dwrip

dhown yoah face! And I doan't want

to haff to line my mouff up with the

cup like yoah sayed woood work, Nana..

cuz I tried it and it dussn't whork at all!

Can I jus' haff a spoon now, please?Yep! You sure can, SweetCheeks.

Next time you should pray for cups that

don't drip.

Pffffttt...Dass is not effven funny, Nana!

The Poltergeist

Remember the movie

The Poltergeist?

When all the chairs

would be stacked in a row..

on top of the table...

and they would look away

and it would happen again?

And then the Mom and

child slid across the floor

seemingly with no

visible means of doing so?

We have a Poltergeist too.

OUR Poltergeist

has a thing for

Pears!

Yes-you read that right-

PEARS!

No chairs on the table for

our ghostly presence.

The house is full of

gremlins and ghosties..

and every time

YES

EVERY TIME

the Poltergeist

leaves

the pears look like this..

Did you see that?

I never see it happen..

I never notice the

Poltergeist

doing

The Deed..

But when I look..

expecting to see this...

I see this...

I noticed that the

Poltergeist
even sampled a faux pear..

Hmmm... I should have been

smelling waxy breath
to try and roust

out the culprit

before tooth brush

time...Surely then

I could have fingered the

guilty party.

The first time it happened
I thought it was a fluke..
But then...oh then...
It happened
EVERY TIME..
And finally...
Finally.. I caught

THE CULPRIT

Aha! It is

Princess Poltergeist

herself.

Notice how she can turn

a whole room sideways

in the blink of an eye?

Scary stuff, that~

I have never said a word to her

about the pears.

She never mentions them either..

But when she leaves..

They are in a

straight line..

and I never see

it happen.

Just another one of life's

little mysteries~