I really hate to write in my journal and then go back and read it cause it makes me sound like a complete idiot. When I write, I'll have a paragraph for each topic, but when it's added, it all runs together with no paragraphs or anything. So, I guess from now on I'll just do one topic at the time. This one is about one of my pet peeves. Yall all know that I listen to the radio all day, every day. There are a couple of guys on the morning show that cannot talk without saying something like" He brought it to Hutch and I" or "its for Hutch and I" or "want to go with Johnny and I?", then the other night when the football game was on, one of the announcers said "the storm is getting to Chuck and I". Why do supposedly educated people always use I when sometimes it's incorrect? It's always incorrect when its being used as the object of a preposition. Please, oh, please, don't do this anymore! Its REALLY getting to I!!!!!!

Tea Party 9/6/03

Today I had an experience I have never had before and one which I'll not forget anytime soon. I went to a TEA PARTY!! Anni, the lady next door to me, invited us......Emily,Sarah,Rebecca,Rachel, and me to a teaparty at her house today from 2 to 4. The girls dressed up in dresses and hats, makeup and curls and off we went. Anni met us at the door also in a dress and hat. Her house was beautifully decorated and the dining room table was sumptious! Fresh flowers in vases, gold dinner ware, white dishes with contrasting serving pieces.....and the FOOD!!!! So much and SO delicious. Ham biscuits, tiny chicken salad and pimiento cheese finger rolls,carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, lemon squares,cupcakes, cream cheese brownies, miniature oatmeal cookies,little finger print cookies, gum drops, mints, and Mexican wedding cookies. After eating and good conversation, we went into the living room and played charades for a while. Then we played another game similar to clue.... a murder victim, witnesses, a jury and a judge. After the judge and jury leave the room, the remaining people decide who is to be murdered and who is the murderer. When the judge and jury come back, the jury has to ask questions until the judge thinks he knows who is the murderer. We had a lot of tall tales about the victims and take my word for it...its hard to lie there dead with the witnesses talking about you without laughing or moving! It was really fun. We finally ended up leaving about 5:30....an hour and a half late! We're going to get together again and do something else...a make over party or maybe a Halloween party. Whatever we do, I know it'll be a really fun time. I can't wait!!!

Isabel 9/18/03

We'd been hearing about Isabel for the last week and as it loomed ever nearer we began to get advice from the TV and the radio. Have at least three days supply of water, canned and other non-perishable foods,a non-electric can opener, first aid kit,battery operated radio,candles, flashlight,and fill your tub with water. OK....I'll sorta go along with most of these things,but why do I have to fill my tub with water? To make sure I have a bath after three days? To play with my rubber ducky while the power's off and I can't watch TV? Anyway, I did have candles, a flashlight and a battery operated radio at the ready when the power went off about 4PM today. I finished cooking and we ate by candlelight, although Rachel didn't want to stay, so she went home with her mom. The rain was pretty heavy at times and the wind whistled around the house, but our trees stayed put. The funeral home next door lost a BIG limb off of one of their magnolia trees and the awning over my small kitchen window is hanging up side down under my window, banging against the house every time the wind blows, but every thing else seems to be intact. Early on this morning I moved my chairs, table and my plants off the deck and took down my windchimes. I moved my flags and light weight chairs off the front porch, but the front didn't get the wind that the back got. According to the radio, there were a lot of trees and power lines down and a lot of roads were pretty bad. Schools closed early and most of the businesses around town also closed early, but I think most everything will be back on track tomorrow. All in all, it was an interesting day, but I was really glad when the power came back on a little after 8PM. I had lit all my candles and was reading by flashlight when all of a sudden the radios in the kitchen and the bathroom came on and nearly scared me out of my socks. I was kind of sorry to have to blow out my candles and get back to the real world.

Its been A Long, Long Time 10/15/03

Seems like forever since I've written any thing. So much has happened.....we had our hurricane, Isabel, and a house full of kinfolks who were here because their power was off for over a week. We had fun....cooked....ate.....cooked....ate. I ate more that week than I had since my kids were young and I was cooking three times a day. Got my computer worked on that week. One of my company was very electronic minded and put a new fan in my cpu which certainly helped cool that down quite a bit. He also hooked up a game on my TV for the kids and reprogramed my upstairs TV. It was a very enjoyable visit. The 14 year old girl cooked and helped with the babies. I really missed her when she left. Then, last weekend I finally got to go to the beach. It was a very short stay, but as I walked on the beach, I could feel the tiredness seeping out.It was so nice to just laze around for a couple of days. I wish I could have stayed on! I jokingly told my grandkids who were there that when I "got old and retired" and got rich, I was moving to the beach and stay year round. Wouldn't that be wonderful? I think I started life as one of those amoebas that we see in cartoons coming up out of the ocean! During the last two weeks all three of my babies have had colds and one had an ear infection and sinus infection and bronchittis(?). I'll be glad when they all get well and back to their normal selves. Today, I only had the youngest. Of the other two, one was sick again and the other spent the day with her grandma. Don't know how many I'll have today. Well, it's been a disappointing day as far as my Cubbies went. To lead for 7 innings and then to get the stuffing beat out of them!! I'm hoping for more this day....I'm hoping that Kerry Wood has his good stuff tonight and that we'll FINALLY get to the World Series again. Well, it's getting late....must get to bed so I can get up on time. More later.

Nothing Special 10/17/03

Last weekend when I was at Atlantic Beach, Bobby and I decided to try and find some yardsales. Since the weather last Sat. morning wasn't the best, I really didn't expect to find any. Surprise! We found two, one so-so, one actually pretty good. I bought some books for Chad and a connector for the play station so four people at a time can play. Pretty good for just a buck! We went to a little town called Newport, which was just like the little towns you see in movies. That would be my second choice of a place to live if I were rich. The first being the beach. But, back to business. We accidently came upon a church thrift shop and went in. It was well arranged with shelves, racks for hanging clothes and bookcases for the books. Everything was clean and neat and the prices were fabulous! Baby and kid clothes were 25, 50 cents and a dollar. Grown ups were one and two dollars and they were nice things. Best of all, the books were 10 cents for paper backs and 25 cents for hardbacks. Unfortunately, I had read all of them except one!! After we left there we went to a few more thrift and consignment stores. I saw a lot of things that would probably sell well on e-bay...boots,jeans, things like that, but I didn't have the money or the space to bring a bunch of stuff home. Maybe next time........ I'm hoping to go to a few yard and estate sales tomorrow. I'm almost out of good reading!!