AT THE BEACH IN THE UP OF MI

Well, if you came here

looking for me in a

bathing suit

you can leave

NOW!

Ain't gonna happen, honey!

We are here again visiting

McClain State Park

in

Houghton, MI.

This is such a beautiful place.

MyHero relaxes for a few

mintues before opening a book.

What are you taking pictures of ?

he wants to know.

Nuthin'.

You better NOT be taking pictures

of the back of my head again.

I'm not-

It's your whole upper body!

There are miles of sandy/rocky beach.

The views across to the peninsula

are incredible.

We walk a bit.

I am enjoying the breeze

and the sun

and the atmosphere.

Look at all these cute little

birds

perched on that log.

Ha!  Fooled you-

Those are KNOBS..

(which is also what my son

called uncouth people

but we won't talk about

that here).

OH MY...

More driftwood!!

AND MORE DRIFTWOOD!

OH- Can we take some home with us? 

I askever-so-sweetly.

Seriously?

Yes! Seriously!

Are you NUTS?

(Well, I have been called

that a couple of times but

not in reference to driftwood)

NO!  This is a STATE PARK!

You can't remove

ANYTHING

from a state park..

Hmmpfff..mutter...mutter...mutter..

Like they're gonna

miss one old piece of wood on

the beach.

Yeah- I get it-Y'all don't

need to send me snide remarks

about leaving it there for

everyone to enjoy!

Look here, says MyHero!

What?

Seriously...

MORE ROCKS?

he has a rock 'collection'

Well, this one has copper in it.

Yeah?

Well, when you collect enough

to melt down and make me

a copper pot

let me know.

For some reason

I always think I am way

funnier

than HE thinks I am!

Now he's gonna ignore me

for being a smart mouth.

Sigh...

Well, Thank the

good Lord that I had the

sense to bring along

my

very.best.friend.

Nothing like a cup of hot

Starbucks coffee

on the beach...

Well, except for making out

and we didn't want to make

people talk like
"didja see those old people"?

Yeah...and then there's that!

Happy weekend to all of you!

POPPING IN TO SAY HI~STILL ALIVE AND KICKING

SO...

For ALL of you that have asked me

WHERE ARE YOU?

I am HERE!!

This weekend I am at the base of this bridge

in the UP of Michigan.

MyHero had his 18 month post cancer treatment

throat scope and check up on Friday.

As soon as we were done,

we packed up

and headed north.

Doc says his throat looks good--

but still swollen.

That's okay- Cancer free is good!

Today if he is a GOOD BOY,

we will go see the monks and he can

buy himself a treat!

This place is FANTASTIC!!!

Some of what I've been up to---

I have enjoyed my flowers and sunsets

and even read a couple of books.

I PROUDLY watched

THIS ONE-otherwise known as CJK-

transform into a MAGGOT 

(the ONLY maggot, thank you)

in the play to finish out his pre-school years.

No one could be prouder than we were

of our little maggot!

I watch him Monday thru Thursday 

after school and will volunteer 

one afternoon a week at his school.

I will go from my VA shift

over to his school---a mile or so apart.

These three headed off to school-

Ria going into 8th grade

at a brand new school.

SweetCheeks--with new glasses--

(the better to see my wrinkles with)

going into 5th grade,

and Lulu a sophomore already.

Mimi's two boys- BigBoyE & CharlesInCharge

 are in 2nd grade and kindergarten....

They were so scared getting on the bus

that their hair stood on end.

or it might have been crazy hair day at school

AND

Not to be outdone in the hair department

Miss Bright Eyes cut her hair

tight to her head just in time for 

her three year old pictures

at her little 2-mornings-a-week

church pre-school.

She's a corker!

We are headed down to Mimi's house

next weekend.

Can't wait to see that crazy crew.

Older grands- are John M.

off for his 2nd year of college.

He is one of the fastest runners

in the whole country.

and Miss A--a senior at the 

same school Lulu attends.

This is a prom picture with her date.

  I have other grands, too, 

but don't have permission to 

post pictures of them.

I have been working on a big project

that I will share in a week or so.

I am just not quite ready to put it out there yet..

but it is something fun!

AND---I am still planning on taking the trip

with my best friend in life, Sandy,

mid-October.

We are taking a truck of things to her

vacation home in Colorado.

Looks like we picked up a coupla fellas

along the way there.....

Being as I AM blond--

I get to be the blonde....sorry Sandy...

friendship only goes so far....

Sandy and I laugh about everything, 

anything

and nothing.

Everyone needs a friend like that.

So---if you are very good and 

promise to NOT put Ex-Lax in 

your husband's brownies when you 

are mad at him.....

I might have a little

giveaway that you can enter.

See you shortly with

A GIVEAWAY 

and news about my project.  

AND-
A very happy anniversary today to
Mimi & HarleyMan!
Eleven years today---

Love you to the moon and back.

(mom & dad to Ethan/Charlie & Bright Eyes)

Home Again- Home Again- Jiggety- Jig

It seems all I did for weeks

was work getting the house

ready for sale

so it was fun to get away.

MyHero held down the home fort

while I was gone.

I started out going to 

CARMEL, INDIANA

to watch my grandkids for a few days

so Mimi and her hubby

could go back to Jamaica to celebrate their

10 year anniversary.

It is a CUTE TOWN but 

the monkeys that live there are

even cuter.

CharlesInCharge goes to pre-school 3 days a week.

BrightEyes has one 2 hour session a week.

 Listen, BrightEyes, you are too little to be

showing your legs off!

Put your skirt down!!!!

BigBoy E has homework and does it

as soon as he gets home from first grade.

He loves school -notice he is smiling as he does

his homework!

One day little 

MISS BRIGHT EYES

and I picked up some flowers for her

Mama's homecoming.

She's a happy little soul!

She's even happier since she was

INTRODUCED to

WHIPPED CREAM @ Starbucks.

Mom?  NOT so happy about that!

#Love being a Naughty Nana#

Leaving there I headed back to my 

childhood home in beautiful

BRADFORD COUNTY, PA.

The Susquehanna River runs through the state.

My home would have been on top

of one of the mountains above the valley.

This was the view from our house--

which burned many years ago.

From the church you can see seven counties

(or so they say).

I visited with my dear cousin, Marguerite.

She is 86 and just a riot...seriously...

she could get me in a lot of trouble 

IF I would let her.

Her favorite line is-

"Come on Di-Di"...

that never bodes well for me!

This is Jane (as we always called her) 

and her beautiful great-granddaughter, 

Portia.

Doesn't Cousin Jane just look like trouble

waiting to happen?

I went to the first class reunion I have

ever attended.

It was a two day affair.

I gave a copy of my book to the classmates

that did not already have one.

We did not have a very big class.

I didn't get many pictures there-

I was too busy talking.

So---lots more to share- 

my granddaughter on homecoming court,

a quick trip to the UP to see the leaves,

a pumpkin patch visit with CJK...

BUT

I won't bore you with all that today.

Hopefully--next week I will open

an Etsy shop to dump sell

some old crap wonderful treasures

that you might want to look at.

I have the shop set up BUT

I need to take pictures and get it

ready to go.

I'll be back......but you knew that...

Meanwhile....

you all be good.

I will be practicing for my big night

later this month.

IT'S FRIDAY and Guess Where I Am!!!

Did you guess where I am?

Well, I might not be there 

by the time you read this

but I will be there 

by nightfall today.

I am headed south to 

Indiana.

South to see my daughter, Mimi,

her hubby, Big J,

and these three little dumplings.

Look at that baby hugging that pumpkin.

I want to see some action up close and personal.

Things like THIS!

That kinda looks like my hair 

 in the morning when I get up!

Have a 

GREAT WEEKEND!

Now if you are good-

I will be back here bright and early 

TUESDAY

to show you some inside Fall decorations-

Just wanted to mention.

Hubby and I are still on the 

WHOLE 30 FOOD PLAN.

So far, so good.

We are halfway through it.

HOWEVER-

If I do happen to feel hungry I just 

pull this image up and I lose 

my appetite.

Please feel free to copy and use this, too.

It works better than any diet pills.

Pinky promise!

You DO remember

Richard Simmons, don't you?

That might be the ultimate

"vegging out"...

Have a great weekend-

See you Tuesday!

Finish It Up Friday's FIVE FOTOS & Baby Bright Eyes Update

Good Friday Morning!

So---Some of you know I took a little trip

with MyHero and my granddaughter, Lulu.

We didn't tell anyone where we were going-

we just went.

We ended up on the upper coast of Florida.

So-here are a few pics of our trip.
Is there anything better than sunrise
AT THE BEACH?

We stayed in this sweet little cottage.

The big banks of windows overlooked the ocean
and we were only steps from the water.

Lulu made a friend a couple of days after
we got there.
They hung out and did 
"girl things"
like painting their nails.

Her little friend was just darling and from 
NAWTH CARAHLYNAH!
LOVED the accent!

My Hero relaxed and enjoyed himself.
Hmmm...maybe you should wear sunglasses
so you don't have to SQUINT...just saying....

I made the mistake of telling him I thought
PIRATES WERE KIND OF SEXY..
You know - like Johnny Depp...

.image
UH...yeah.......uhn-huh...
Let me check...
NOT WORKING!!!

 Thus ended our romantic getaway!

Here is the news from my daughter about  
Baby Bright Eyes.
 Thanks everyone!! It was her tibia (shin

bone) and it isn't fractured, thank God!

 We are going in to see the pediatric

 orthopedist tomorrow morning to try and

 figure out why she still isn't 

putting any weight 

on her leg (4 days after her fall).

 Prayers appreciated and thank you, again!

Poor little munchkin-
has to sleep in a basket....lol

Have a GREAT Friday!
I will give you another update on our 
little babydoll tomorrow after she sees
the specialist.

Road Tripping With My Daughter-Florida, The Carolinas & Graceland!

After we dumped the rest of the family

off at the airport

My daughter and I started driving home.

Here she is at the onset.

She is the SELFIE QUEEN!

Remember how she looks here.

It is important later on in the blog.

Speaking of QUEENS....

We took a little U-Turn

from the Orlando airport.

and drove south about 3-1/2 hours to

Cape Coral, FL

image

 We went to see my good friend

Queen Margaret...Queen of  Crazy...

(which is why I love her)

She is starting a whole new life and is 

the happiest I have ever seen her.

Thanks for lunch, Your Royal Highness. 

From there we headed North.

We made a swing to the ocean and drove

A1A from Daytona to the top of Florida.

Then headed to the North Carolina shore.

We visited our dear friends,

Carol & Dr.Allen.

Allen had brain surgery a few weeks ago.

He has a cancerous brain tumor

and has had radiation and is on chemo

so please pray for him and his wife.

He is one of the most brilliant men 

I have even known.

We used to play a game called

STUMP DR ALLEN...

Let's just say whatever we mentioned

he knew something about it.

The man is a walking encyclopedia.

Love you guys!

After we left there we headed almost directly West.

My daughter said that 

EVERY AMERICAN

needs to see GRACELAND at least once.

Being as I am an American I figured I had to go.

My daughter told me I could not go 

looking the way I did.

She insisted I not straighten my hair.

My hair curls when I let it....

So...here ya go....

I'm thinking curls are a bit much on an old lady..

but there you have it.

Graceland-Home of Elvis Presley-

It was a chilly day but the people 

around us were warm and friendly-

all coming to pay tribute to a man they loved.

We saw a couple of  old fat shoe-polish black hair Elvis "clones"

and that was interesting.

It was much like you would expect inside.

Lots of glitz and glamour.

Smoked mirrors were all the rage in

the 60's & 70's.

We did not see the chapel.

 I would have liked to see that...

image

Elvis would be 80 today.

I can't imagine an OLD ELVIS, can you?

I think we remember him at his best-

young and handsome.

image

We had one little scare when we 

stopped at a hotel---

my daughter getting out of the car

wondered...

"Mom, Why is that man 

STARING AND STARING at me?"

Ummm...Could be because he is a

CARDBOARD CUTOUT..dopey...

I thought I would wet my pants laughing---

but I didn't-thanks for asking.

Leaving Graceland we beat

a path home.

We were missing the family.

Now I'm not saying I am a boring conversationalist

but I was talking and looked over at my daughter

to see this.....

So--if you are looking for a traveling companion

and want to sleep the whole way-

call me-

I'll talk and drive and you can

well.....whatever!

So-now that I have bored you silly

with all our mis-adventures I

will change it up tomorrow.

Pinky promise!