Mother's Day and Prom Pics

I had mentioned that I thought this post would be my 100th, but this post is 99th, so the next one will probably be my 100 Things About Me post. I hope I can come up with that many things that won't put everyone instantly in a boredom-induced coma. Heck, it might even put me to sleep, LOL.

Onward to the pictures. That one to the left was taken at my church Sunday morning, just before Jessica and I left for lunch at Jonesboro. She's not really that much taller than me, she has on 3-inch heels with her skirt, and I have on flats. She took me to her favorite eatery, a place called Fat City Grill. I just know BooMama will get a kick out of the name. :-) It was actually pretty good. I got a steak and baked potato, and it came with a salad and California-style mixed vegetables, steamed. The veggies were just right, tender-crisp, not limp and lifeless like they are at some restaurants. I didn't have any room for dessert, didn't even ask what they had. The steak was really good, too, and A1 was the only steak sauce on the table, which is my favorite anyway. They had others on request for the heathens that like other brands, LOL. :-) But mercy sakes, they bring you a steak knife that resembles a Samurai sword to cut the steak with! That joker was 12 inches long, seriously! You had to be careful of your glass and other tableware when you carved your steak. One careless slice and you'd clear the table! I really enjoyed the meal, and especially the time with my baby girl. Besides the meal and the 2 dozen roses she brought me earlier, she gave me a really mushy card, a sterling silver, heart-shaped "MOM" pendant, and a "Chicken Soup For Every Mom's Soul" book. I love everything she gave me, but I enjoyed our time together as Mom and daughter the most, I think.

Now to the good stuff, as if that wasn't good enough. People, she took me joyriding with her and her boyfriend. I'll wait a minute for that to soak in for you.......Yes, my 18 year old daughter took me, her MOM, riding around with her and her boyfriend, Jason.........And we had FUN!!! Yes, indeedy, we did!! And I'm gonna get all sloppy here, but you know those rare times out of time, when a moment is just so magical, you know you'll remember it for the rest of your life? That evening was one of those times for me. Riding around with the windows open, the music cranked up, laughing at totally stupid stuff, and having the time of my life with my daughter and her crush. Did I mention I had the best time ever? 'Cause I totally did, y'all. I did. And I think I was paid a compliment, too. When we were at the quick stop filling up with gas, one of Jason's guy friends called Jason's cell phone and asked what he was doing. Jason told him he was about to go riding around with Jessica and her Mom. Apparently the friend laughed at Jason and talked about what an awful time he was in for and so on about having Jessica's Mom along for the ride. Jessica could hear both sides of the conversation and just smirked as she listened. Jason said his goodbyes and hung up and they went inside to pay. This was the first time Jason had spent very much time around me, so I don't really think he was exactly sure what he was in for himself. We sang along at the top of our lungs to all the songs we knew, and just generally goofed off and cut up. I'm still just a goofy kid at heart myself, and that is my kind of entertainment. I love the wind coming through the open windows, the music cranked up and just riding, at night especially. I've always been a cheap date that way, but with the price of gas these days, my kind of fun is getting more expensive all the time. We stopped on a deserted stretch of highway in the Bootheel of Missouri, just stopped in the middle of the road and turned the car off and got out to watch a big orange full moon rise over the trees. Lightning bugs were flickering all around us, away from artificial lights, and frogs were croaking from the fields on either side of the road. The only thing missing was Lamar, he spent the day with his Mom. I really needed someone to cuddle with right then, like Jessica and Jason were cuddling. It was so sweet, y'all. Like I said, it was one of those magical moments. Later on, I asked, "Are we having fun yet, Jason?" And listen to this: he said, "I'm having a GREAT time! Randy didn't know what he was talkin' about." He's so sweet, y'all!! He's my favorite 18 year old guy right now, LOL. ;-) I took lots of pictures to keep the memories alive, too.

And now I have some pictures of Jessica and Jason taken last Friday, May 12 at her Senior Prom for Bay High School. Sorry these are so dark, but I did the best I could with them. A photographer, I'm not. I like to try, but I'm more enthusiastic than talented when it comes to photography. A "photographer" is surprised when he has a photograph that occasionally turns out bad. I'm a "picture-taker" who is surprised when I occasionally have one that turns out good, LOL. :-) For these pictures, though, it might have helped if the subjects weren't chompin' at the bit wanting to get away from the sniveling Mama who wanted to take the time to "pose" them for pictures. I just hope the professional pictures turn out well. Graduation is this Friday at 7 pm, so I will be bawling and slinging snot with the best of them when my baby girl sings and gets her diploma. I'll try to get some pics if I can see well enough to focus the camera. It's gonna be a bittersweet time, I know.

Well, I need to post this and get some things done, so I will wish everyone a good Wednesday. I'll work on those 100 things and try to get that posted either tonight or Thursday. Peace and Love to all. :-)

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY ! !

I'D LIKE TO WISH ALL MY FAMILY
AND BLOGGER FRIENDS
A VERY HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! !

Get ready to be highly envious of me, family and blogger friends...............I AM A-L-O-N-E IN MY HOME.
Yes, that's right--ALONE. Ah, blessed solitude. Well, if you don't consider the 2 cats, 2 zebra finches and the betta fish I'm alone. The fish and the birds don't bother me much, but the cats have a way of making themselves known, if you know what I mean. One of my cats is 13 years old and doesn't do much of anything anymore, and the other is a 7 month old giant 12 pound kitten. Candy, the old lady, is asleep on the end of Jessica's bed as close to me as she can get without being in my lap. Dolly, the giant kitten, is currently hiding somewhere. She is a black tortoiseshell and was lying in the middle of the living room floor, and I didn't see her earlier when I came in from the mailbox. I barely stepped on some appendage of hers and she came up spitting and fuzzed out, and now she is giving me reproachful looks and skulking under the furniture. It wasn't like I stepped on her purposely. I have never stepped on a dog or cat, or a kid for that matter, on the couch, bed or a chair. I just don't walk on furniture, it's not my thing. Okay, I confess, when we were kids we would try to maneuver around the living room without stepping on the floor, because everyone knows, if you think about them long enough, monsters really are lurking in the shadows under the furniture. As a certified grownup, though, walking on furniture is not my thing. So, why do cats and dogs insist on lying in the high traffic areas of your floor? I believe Dolly thinks it's her mission in life to get under my feet as often as possible in as short a time as possible. Most of the time I manage to dodge and step over or around, but her number came up earlier. I have on soft-soled houseshoes, so I know I barely even set my foot down on a tail or foot, I couldn't really tell, but I know I didn't put my weight down at all, or we would be having a Dolly funeral about now, or at the least taking up a collection to put her in traction for the next 8 weeks. Anyway, she really took it personal and has a real hate-on for me right at the moment. I can almost guarantee she'll put it aside for a few minutes if I go open a can of Mariner's Catch or Mixed Grill, though. Her snit with me is directly proportional to how hungry she is. Fill 'er up, and she'll be back to purring and shedding on me, all slights forgiven. If only people were so easy to pacify..................*SIGH*...........

I digress, but the reason I am enjoying all this solitary splendor is that Jessica is on her senior trip to Hot Springs and Little Rock, and Lamar is gone to spend the night with nephew, Danny. This is the second night I've been by myself, actually, since Jessica was out late on prom night, and left at 5 am on her trip, and Lamar had already spent the night with Danny last night, too. Danny's father-in-law had surgery Thursday and his wife is staying at the hospital with him for a couple of nights. He had a rough couple of days, but Danny said he's improving now, praise the Lord. Family, pray for him, he had to have a colostomy, and we still don't know how extensive the cancer is/was.

Okay, family, don't faint, but tonight I'm going to do girly things. You know, do my nails, bushhog the eyebrow (yes, if I don't really keep after it, I have a unibrow that goes from temple to temple!), pick out my dress for church tomorrow and all that jazz. I may (!) even put on makeup tomorrow morning! Shock, Shock!! I should make myself as presentable as possible if Jessica is actually going to be seen with me in public, don't you think?
Actually, in her defense, as far as I know Jessica never went through that phase that some teens do where they are ashamed of their parents, or at the least, don't want to look like they, you know, like to associate with them. I still have to study my Sunday School lesson, too. Lamar is going to church with his Mom for Mother's Day, and Jessica is going with me, so we will be going our separate ways tomorrow. I am looking forward to tomorrow, I really am.

Well, as I explained earlier, I will be gone most of the day on Sunday, so I don't know when I will be back to pester everyone here. I just noticed too, that this is my 99th post, so I suppose I will follow tradition and post 100 things about me for my next post. I only hope I can think of 100 things anybody else would even remotely be interested in knowing, LOL. I may alienate my family, much less my blogger friends who don't have that blood thing going on that means you HAVE to love me, we're related, LOL. So, anyway, once again, I want to wish everyone a HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY.

More Mama-Isms

Hello, all. I have my doubts about getting this to actually post, but I am going to give it a try. Demon blogger is being a real snot today, along with the rest of the internet. Internet Explorer and Yahoo Messenger have went all wiggy, too. I thought it might be only MY puter, but after talking with several people I know it's basically the whole web. Don't know what's up with it, but I hope it's fixed soon. Dealing with uncooperative puter business makes me want to say bad words. :-)

Friday night is Jessica's Senior Prom, and at 5 am Saturday morning she gets on a bus to go to Hot Springs for her senior trip. She has a full weekend, since she won't be back home until about 5 am Sunday morning, then she is going to church with me for Mother's Day. I've heard a few rumors about her taking me out to eat for Mother's Day, but nothing is confirmed yet. She went ahead and gave me one of my gifts tonight. She brought me 2 dozen long-stemmed pink roses, bless her heart!! I am thrilled with them, and they are absolutely gorgeous! That is about as good a shot of them as I could get, up there to the left. She said she has something else for me, but I have to wait until Mother's Day for that. You know, I think I like this working thing she's got going on. She told me when she handed me the roses, "Here, Mom. I think you'll like this better than a handful of weeds." But I loved those weeds and wild flowers just as much, because they were given with love, from her heart. I have one of the roses in a bud vase here on my computer desk so I can look at it often, but I kept all those weeds until they absolutely fell apart, too. If it's given with love, even a bouquet of weeds is beautiful to a Mama.

These 2 pictures were taken in 1985. The one on the left was taken at a wedding shower for me and Lamar, and the other one I think you can figure out by the wedding dress.

In honor of my Mama, and for Mother's Day, I am going to post some more of my Mama's Southern sayings, that I like to call, "Mama-Isms". I had such a party in comments when I posted the first installment of these, I hope everyone likes these as much as the first batch. Enjoy, everyone!!

Grinning like a possum eating green persimmons.
Running like a strip-ed ended ape.
When someone is nauseous: Careful, she's about to bring that up for another look!!
If that don't beat a hen a-wormin'!
If that don't beat a hen a-peckin' with a wooden bill!
When threatening to whup (spank) a child: If you don't straighten up I'm gonna tear you up like a sow's bed!
When a child has a dirty face: You look like you've been rootin' with the pigs.
I wouldn't know him if he walked up and bit me.
I wouldn't know him from Adam's off ox.
A long way off, like having to park a long way from the mall entrance: We had to park on the north forty! (acres)
He looks like the tag end of hard times.
Saving "it" for hard times. (Whatever "it" may be at the time.)
Thicker than hair on a dog's back.
When food is moldy: It's got hair growing on it.
Any stale bread or baked goods, especially hard biscuits: You could'a knocked a bull down with 'em!
Not feeling well: I ain't quite up to snuff today.
Limping: I've got a hitch in my giddy-up, or git-alongs.
A stingy person: She's tighter than the bark on a tree.
And, She's so tight she squeaks when she walks.
Look what the dog drug in and the cat wouldn't have. (Usually teasing someone who comes to visit or walks in.)
Working from daylight to dark: We worked from can till cain't.
When someone sassed Mama: If I want anything out of you, I'll ask for it.
Your hair looks like a rat's nest.
When someone was about to mess up her clean kitchen snacking around: Don't you get in there a-messin' and a-gommin' and mess up my kitchen!
Those sheets were so wore out you could throw a broom straw through them.
Prices on anything: Gas is as high as a cat's back right now!

Well, that's all I have right now, but I know I will have more. I hope everyone enjoys them. Hope everyone has a great Friday and a wonderful weekend.

Hot Dog!!!!

First things first. I have been extra busy for the last few days, so I haven't been blogging much. BooMama and Brenda even commented that I had been conspicuously absent. Hmmmm........Which means either, 1. I should be touched that people miss me when they notice I'm missing in action for a couple of days, OR, 2. I am on here blogging so much that even a short absence is cause for concern that I MUST be sick or having some sort of crisis, because after all, what else could possibly keep me from blogging?! I'll just take the position that you're concerned and miss me when I'm not committing regular bloggery, LOL. And I am touched that you care enough to ask about me, truly I am. Thanks for your concern, everyone.

I have noticed a lot of those flowers like that one up there blooming lately. For you that don't have the privilege of seeing (and smelling!) Southern Magnolias in bloom, you are missing out on a feast of the senses. The flowers are a creamy white, and they have the loveliest scent. Sort of like a citrusy lily scent, but really they have a delicious scent all their own. When it hasn't been pouring down rain, it has been nice enough out to drive with the windows down, and the smell of the magnolias drifts through the open windows. Mmmmmmmm................That's mostly in town.

Now out in the country, along the gravel roads, I often see and smell my very favorite wildflower: wild honeysuckle. Mercy, I could roll in the stuff and sleep in it. If I could ever find a perfume or candles and air freshener that smelled like the real thing, that would be the only thing I'd use. There's a picture of it there to the right. It may not look like much, but a small bouquet of that stuff will fill a big room with it's heavenly aroma. Did I mention I love the stuff?

Now, some good news for me. A few weeks ago, I learned about a writing contest online, sponsord by Heather at Mom2Mom Connections. The theme was A Mother's Love, and on a whim, never really expecting to win anything, I entered my Letter To Mama, my blog tribute to her on the first anniversary of her death. (UPDATE: Okay, I got the link fixed, but you have to scroll up to the top for some reason.....Blogger, I do not understand thee.....!!) Well, look HERE!! (This one is fixed, too.) Lo and behold, I won 5th Place, and also the Mother's Legacy Award!! Now 5th place might not be very exciting to anyone but me, but I am thrilled! Not that there's a trip to Ooga Booga or a gold-plated anything that goes with the award, but still, this is big stuff to somebody who's never won anything in her life. Thanks to Heather and all the judges for recognizing me. If you click on the link, scroll down to see the list of winners and honorable mentions, etc.

And, I want to post a few pics of Jessica. The first one is from her boyfriend's prom. Her prom is coming up this Friday night, and she plans to wear the same dress again. She is going to have a full weekend. After prom on Friday night, her Senior class leaves at 5 am Saturday morning going to Hot Springs, Arkansas for their senior trip. They will be going to Magic Springs, a theme park, for the day and evening, and leave again coming back to Bay at about 1 am Sunday morning. That will have them getting home around 4 am, then she is supposed to go to church with me that Sunday morning for Mother's Day. Okay, look over that itenerary and look for time for sleeping in there. I don't see much time at all for sleep, plus she has been designated to stay awake on the way home and keep the bus driver awake, so she will get less sleep than probably any of them. Youth will only cover so much lost sleep, I tried to tell her. I predict one cranky, exhausted teenager on Mother's Day......Happy Mother's Day to me.......... ;-)

And, I wanted to post a pic from Monday night. She received an Arkansas Scholars Award, which is awarded to only the top 5% of all Arkansas high school seniors. To receive this award, she had to maintain a "B" average or higher from 9th grade through graduation, could not exceed the state mandated limits for absences, and have no discipline referrals in that time. There are more requirements, but it's late and I can't remember them at the moment. There are no real money benefits, but the award goes on their high school and college transcripts, and all businesses and employers who are members of Chambers of Commerce give preferential consideration to Arkansas scholars when they are hiring for jobs and positions, so it may benefit her in the long run, if not immediately. There were three others of her classmates from Bay who also got the award.

Well, as previously mentioned, it's late, or early, according to your perspective, so I am going to wrap this up and post it. Wishing everybody a wonderful Tuesday!!