FRIDAY THIS & THAT- SOMEONE IS GETTING MARRIED! A SWEET CHEEKS TAKE ON CHURCH CEREMONIES

 I wrote this down a long time ago and want to post it here for the kids to read "someday".This is a long read from the time SweetCheeks was little and Lulu was about to make her first communion. It would take 2 hours to read the whole thing so I will keep it as short as I can here.  

This is the soon-to-be-bride, Lulu (our Alana Lauren)

Ready? Here we go-the story as I wrote it way back then (2010)

The first mistake of the day was getting SweetCheeks (Age 3) dressed early.

As soon as her dress was on she ran outside. 

Me: Where are you going? 

SC: I gonna descerate the fwront porch-dat's where! 

Me: Hmmm.. What?

SC: I gonna put sum plantds in da pots das out heah. 

Ummm...

Me: Maybe you shouldn't do that with your good church dress on.

SC: Noooo-dat's OK, Nanee, Mama dusn't care if I dooed it. I just gonna put dese here!

As she says this she is waving sticks and then shoving them down into the winter dirt pots on the front porch. Oh- and because she doesn't want to get into too much trouble she is recruiting Ria to do the actual "planting" (also in a matching church dress)

I finally coaxed the girls inside to watch Lulu get ready for her first communion.She had a beautiful simple white dress on and her veil. (Lord forgive me for the curse words as I sewed the lace on the veil for the THIRD time so it would lay right). 

Today it hangs nicely.

SC: Arhe you gettin murried today, Lulu?

Luly: NO! (All embarrassed because at this age liking boys is akin to saying you have cooties) 

Lulu: I'm making my first communion.

SC: Wahl- I haffing MY furst communion, too!

Lulu: NO! You are not! You aren't old enough and you don't even know what it's about.

SC: YESSS I do!!Iss putting a dwress on and going to church and then eating sumthin'. See! I telled you I knowed whut isss wus!

Lulu: (eyes rolling & starts giggling) 

SC: ISSS NOT funny eifther, Lulu, and I not goin now cuz I hates Church!

Mama: Admonishes Sweet Cheeks in 'that' tone.

SC: Pfffftttt (her favorite noise to show her disdain)  I ridin to church wiff you, Naneee, and we can gets a steamah or sumthin at Starbucks beforah we goes to church!

That sounds good to me I say under my breath.

As I am buckling her into her car seat she looks at me and very sweetly says in her nicest voice-

Naneee- I really do hates church!

I start praying not to commit Holy Murder 

before we get to church.

It was all good once we got there..but notice the expression on SC's face.

Those were certainly the days of laughter and tears and 

I treasured every moment with those girls.

Now they are grown and working and/or in college.

Lulu will soon be dressed in white once again and I can't wait to see that and hear

Sweet Cheeks opinion about that ceremony.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Love you guys and so many of you have followed along since SC was a little girl. 

I may have to follow up with the actual church experience. It is giggle worthy.

Thanks for riding along down 

Memory Lane~

FRIDAY THIS & THAT- SECRETS BIG AND LITTLE

     Secrets can do us in, right?

There are SOME secrets

I will take to the grave.

Those secrets are in 

"THE VAULT"

There were lots of secrets to share

at Disney World with three little girls

planning something.

Only two of there were in on

"the planning"

because 

Sweet Cheeks was known to 

tell everything she knew

to Nana!

As you can see here,

there are plans afoot.

But maybe if Sweet Cheeks leans in

she can be in on

'THE PLAN'.

NOPE! Not happening.

Most things change over the years, right?

Confidences are shared more freely....

Or....Maybe Not!

Listen....Do you hear it now?

   NOPE!  Some things never change!

The last two pictures are 

from our recent vacation.

I will be back next week

with more pictures 

of our time there.

Today, I am taking the little VW bug,

putting the top down,

loading in 

Thing One & Thing Two

and going to get a Starbucks

and two

Pupacinos

(also known as pup cups).

Have a wonderful weekend.

AND

Please, if you know me,

don't tell anyone any of

MY SECRETS!

MEMORIAL DAY BABY BIRDS

I am remembering our little

SWEET CHEEKS

a few years ago.

She was a funny kid-

without trying to be funny.

Hope you enjoy the

'conversation'.

Early on I stuck some

faux greenery in the

window boxes of the playhouse

we built for the grandkids

to give it some Spring color.

We can't plant outside 

until after Memorial Day

here for fear of a freeze.

Not likely at this point,

but we proceed with caution

anyway.

SOMEONE

has made a discovery.

What IS that, 

SweetCheeks?

Look at that face!

Let's get a little closer, shall we?

And, even  closer...

SweetCheeks laughed hysterically.

She thought there was something

wrong with them because they

didn't have feathers and their

mouths took up half their bodies.

She had questions-

Where isss the Mohm?

She's around here somewhere, SweetCheeks.

WHERE?

Well, she is probably out finding

food for her babies.

Whut do thehy eaht?

Worms and bugs.

EWWWW!

Whereh's the Daddy birhd?

He's around somewhere.

Doesn't he help her?

Not much I guess.

Thass how you know he's

the Daddy, right?

Yep...That's right...

(I am laughing out loud by now).

She can't wait for her sisters

to get there to show them

the "baybees".

She fills them in on all the 

particulars.

I think she said the 

DADDY bird was a lot

like a husband....or something

to that effect.

And, here they are a week after

I sure do miss the days when

life with the grands was

sweet and simple...

we only worried about what 

we would have for lunch

and what bedtime story we

were going to read.

Big girls now-they are busy

with friends and

DANCE,

DRIVING,

ENTERING NURSING SCHOOL.

Lucky me to have been able to

SHARE THEIR LIVES!

Almost ready to share some 

CONDO PICTURES!

Still need several things

like bathroom mirrors

and dining room chairs.

I did get the front area

planted so will share that

in a few days.

Still have to do the back patio area...

and it's a hot mess!

Oh---and I got a nice little surprise

delivered yesterday-

sitting just outside my door...

will share THAT, too!

Y'all are gonna die!  lol

Guess saying that in today's

COVID-19 climate is not

too smart.

Hey!  Never said I was smart....

Have a great day!

SWEET CHEEKS PICKS/DROPS/SMASHES A PUMPKIN

If you have seen this before

I apologize.

I think it will be a recurring post

every Fall for me.

I couldn't resist

posting this again.

for all you

PUMPKIN PICKERS.

This is SweetCheeks

at two years old.

She is 12 now.

Here she is holding

THE PUMPKIN

she picked out.

..AND..

Here she is about 

15 seconds later.

Ummmmm.....

Poor SweetCheeks!

I love that we have a

moment like this forever

frozen in time.

Someday she will show this

to her own granddaughter

and smile a sweet

little smile of remembrance.

I hope you have a 

Smashingly good Wednesday..

and I mean that in the

NICEST WAY!;>)

I SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM?

You know one thing 

I love about 

summer?

Ice Cream!

Now you can go to

an ice cream shop but----

Is there anything better

than homemade

ice cream?

This tastes like a 

DREAMSCICLE!

Remember those from when

you were a kid?

Well, I made ice cream

that tasted much like that!

ORANGE CRUSH ICE CREAM

Ingredients:

6 cans of ORANGE Crush Soda

2 cans Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 cup sugar

Put 2 cans of Eagle Brand Condensed Milk 

into a big bowl.

Stir in the sugar.

Slowly pour in one can of Orange Crush to

combine the first can of soda with condensed

milk and sugar.

Continue adding 5 more cans of Orange

Crush.

Add the mix to ice cream freezer.

Crank up the ice cream maker.

Mix until the ice cream is firm.

Let sit several minutes to "ripen".

Freezes well.-Makes 3 quarts.

So- after mixing this-

I dug out the old

ice cream maker,

and cranked her up.

Here is where the 

I wanted to SCREAM

comes into play.

She made a few turns

and groaned and moaned.

We "helped" her run

until her motor quit.

Thankfully, the ice cream

was almost done.

Bye-Bye old girl!

At least we got this out

of you before you died.

I went to Sam's Club

and found a new friend.

Hello Baby!

You sure are a pretty thang!

Aroma (don't you love the name)

 ran perfectly and 

we were delighted with

this- 

OLD FASHIONED CUSTARD ICE CREAM

We really like the custard

rather than ice cream.

Ohhhh...This is sooo good!

It's too bad that 

no one in this family likes

ice cream!

THIS ONE

 would rather have

a cupcake

at the local trough buffet.

It's an old picture-

I wonder if SweetCheeks remembers

that day like I do.

Bittersweet-to see them grow up.

isn't it?

Anyway-moving along-

If you don't have an

ice cream maker, or have

never made your own ice cream,

you are missing one of

life's special little joys.

Yes. You. Are.

Have a wonderful weekend.

I will be back with a

PICK YOUR FAVORITE

the first of the week!

Pinky Promise!

HAPPY FIRST DAY OF SPRING-SHARING SECRETS

Short and Sweet

today.

I call this

Sister Secrets.

This has always been

my favorite Springtime

picture of these

3 girls when they were little.

Sweet Cheeks, Ria & Lulu

in the dresses I made for them
for a trip to Disney World.

Hey- What's the big secret, SweetCheeks?

Don't you love it?

I hope you have someone

special in 

YOUR LIFE

to share a secret with.

Have a blessed, wonderful

first day of Spring!