Kate comes to Hartford . . .

What a great weekend! We had our first visit from Baby Kate -- along with Casey and John and Anna and Zach! It was the best Father's Day gift for PawPaw (I'm calling him PeePaw) -- and I kind of enjoyed it too!

Casey, John and Kate met me in Dothan Friday afternoon; and after a visit to the Baby Store (I got to rock and change a poopy diaper while Casey shopped), John took my car to Hartford and Casey, Kate and I went to visit MawMaw in Westside Terrace and Nanny at her house (the great-grandmas). They enjoyed getting to see how much Kate's grown since they saw her at 2 weeks! Then Anna and Zach arrived around 10:00 and it was crazy house after that!



We got to baby sit while Casey and John went to a wedding at Panama City on Saturday! Despite having a cold and stuffy nose, Kate was wonderful and so much fun. It just melts my heart to have her smile at me. She has this way of holding her hands like she's praying! Casey says the day care ladies call her "the praying baby!" I learned how to make bottles again -- she gets really mad if you don't feed her when she's ready -- or if you stop in the middle to burp!

I tried to talk Kate into staying with us for another week -- but she wanted to go home with her mom and dad! I know I'm not going to be able to wait another two months to see her again -- we may just have to find an apartment in Madison! (Just kidding, Casey!)

The two hour drug test!

Surprise! When I arrived at work this morning, I found I had been selected -- no, not for a promotion -- no, not a raise -- a random drug test!

I guess it was time. In my 24 years working there, my number's never come up for that prize before. So I headed out to the warehouse where the pregnant nurse was supervising the drug testing in the men's restroom. I go in and sign up, empty my pockets and set my Blackberry on the table. She asks me to pick out a cup -- they all looked alike to me, but I chose one. She poured some blue stuff in the toilet, and I sat down to "get the sample."

Well, low and behold, I couldn't go! I went just before coming in to work. She ran water to get me in the mood -- and I just couldn't get more than a couple of drops in that little cup. She said that wasn't enough -- I had to fill it to the white line! So we had to stop -- but I couldn't leave or be left "unattended." She followed me to the kitchen so I could get some water. I drank 5 cups. Sat there for about 15 minutes and thought I could go.

So we did the procedure all over again -- select a cup, blue stuff in the bowl, sit down with my cup. Tried to relax. Got just under the white line. Tried the water again. While the water's running, I hear someone whistling. Then I heard a toilet flush and a male voice say, "Oh, I didn't know you were in here!" Our engineer had come in (he said the nurse was asleep when he walked in and didn't think anyone was there). Said when he walked by my stall he thought those didn't look like "men's shoes!" Thought I was going to die! Still couldn't go! I've never had this problem before. That urologist must have done a jam-up job on my surgery! Had to stop again.

Meanwhile, there was one guy waiting to do his test -- he had the same problem as me, so I didn't feel as bad. While he was "doing his thing," I sat in the hall outside and drank a Diet Coke this time. Nurse sat with me while I drank my Coke. Tammie and Larry laughed at me (this was in their department.) Me and the nurse got to be good friends talking about kids and husbands and stuff waiting for me to get the "urge." Finally . . . after 2 hours of trying to pee, I got that cup filled! Good thing too, because she only had one little cup left! Relief!

But then I spent the rest of the day running to the restroom every 15 minutes! I hope it's 24 more years before I get picked for that task again!

Girls raised in the South . . .

What an exciting week ahead! First, we get our first "Hartford visit" from baby Kate this week -- just in time for Father's Day! She just over 3 months old, and I cannot wait to show her off at work and church! This is Casey's latest photo! Doesn't she look like she's saying, "What in the heck has she put on me this time?" My true little "southern girl" -- they're raising her right!

Second, the whole crowd is coming home -- Casey, John and Kate -- and Anna and Zach! And third, my new furniture will arrive on Wed. just in time for the crowd -- and we'll have a sofa sleeper so Anna won't have to sleep on the sofa! I haven't quite got Stacy on board for the entertainment center change, but he's coming along!

I love being from the South -- and here's something that was sent to me a while back that I love. You know "GRITS" stands for "Girls Raised In The South?"

SOUTHERN WOMEN

• Southern women appreciate their natural assets: Clean skin. A winning smile. That unforgettable Southern drawl.
• Southern women know their manners: "Yes, ma'am." "Yes, sir." "Why, no, Billy!"
• Southern women have a distinct way with fond expressions : "Y'all come back!" "Well, bless your heart." "Drop by when you can." "How's your Momma?"
• Southern women know their summer weather report: Humidity - Humidity - Humidity
• Southern women know their vacation spots: The beach - The rivuh - The crick
• Southern women know the joys of June, July, and August: Colorful hi-heel sandals - Strapless sun dresses - Iced sweet tea with mint
• Southern women know the movies that speak to their hearts: Fried Green Tomatoes - Driving Miss Daisy - Steel Magnolias - Gone With The Wind
• Southern women know their religions: Baptist - Methodist - Football
• Southern women know their country breakfasts: Red-eye gravy - Grits - Eggs - Country ham - Mouth-watering homemade biscuits with momma's homemade jelly
• Southern women know their cities dripping with Southern charm: Chawl'stn - S'vanah - Foat Wuth - N'awlins - Addlanna
• Southern women know their elegant gentlemen: Men in uniform. Men in tuxedos. Rhett Butler
• Southern girls know their prime real estate: The Mall - The Country Club - The Beauty Salon
• Southern girls never insult; they just say, "Bless her heart . . ."
• Southern girls know the 3 deadly sins: Having bad hair and nails - Having bad manners - Cooking bad food

More Suthen-ism's:

• Only a Southerner knows the difference between a "hissie fit" and a "conniption fit," and that you don't "HAVE" them, you "PITCH" them.
• Only a Southerner knows how many fish, collard greens, turnip greens, peas, beans, etc., make up "a mess."
• Only a Southerner knows exactly how long "directly" is, as in: "Going to town, be back directly."
• Even Southern babies know that "Gimme some sugar" is not a request for the white, granular sweet substance that sits in a pretty little bowl in the middle of the table.
• Only a Southerner knows instinctively that the best gesture of solace for a neighbor who's got trouble is a plate of hot fried chicken and a big bowl of potato salad. If the neighbor's trouble is a real crisis, they also know to add a large banana puddin!
• Only Southerners grow up knowing the difference between "right near" and "a right far piece." They also know that "just down the road" can be 1 mile or 20.
• Only a Southerner both knows and understands the difference between a redneck, a good ol' boy, and po' white trash.
• No true Southerner would ever assume that the car with the flashing turn signal is actually going to make a turn.
• A Southerner knows that "fixin" can be used as a noun, a verb, or an adverb.
• Only Southerners make friends while standing in lines ... and when we're "in line," we talk to everybody!
• Put 100 Southerners in a room and half of them will discover they're related, even if only by marriage.
• In the South, y'all is singular, all y'all is plural.
• Southerners know grits come from corn and how to eat them.
• When you hear someone say, "Well, I caught myself lookin'," you know you are in the presence of a genuine Southerner!
• Only true Southerners say "sweet tea" and "sweet milk." Sweet tea (not available above the Mason-Dixon line) indicates the need for sugar and lots of it -- we do not like our tea unsweetened. "Sweet milk" means you don't want buttermilk.
• And a true Southerner knows you don't scream obscenities at little old ladies who drive 30 MPH on the freeway. You just say,"Bless her heart" ... and go your own way.

Chair confusion . . .

I've ordered my sofa and reclining chair . . . now I need two side chairs (both the same) to complete the "ensemble." So here are some choices I've found online -- some are from Overtsock and some from Target. They've all got good reviews. My sofa is cream color, the chair is blue, green and cream print. I love the first one, but is it too wierd? Give me some feedback!

What happened to my voice?

How can you make a woman miserable? How about taking away her voice for three days?

I've lost my voice and don't know where to find it! I don't know what happened. I had a cold that I brought home from South Carolina, but I was feeling better by Friday. Then I played "Texas Hold-Em" -- strictly for charity, you understand -- Friday night! It was fun! Never played "serious" cards before -- but this really was for fun since we weren't playing for money and it was for the Cancer Society! The only other woman playing was Tessa - my daughter's age! It took me a while to convince the boys not to call me Mrs. Hatcher -- they were all my daughters' ages too! And I hung in there for a while! Made it to the take-down to two tables from three! And, seriously, I didn't holler a lot! I was very dignified! It might actually be more fun than Bunco!

Anyway, when I got home, I had to cough some -- and no, no one was smoking cigars in there -- and then my voice disappeared! So far, it hasn't come back, and it makes it a bit difficult to communicate -- especially when communication is your job!

Hopefully it will come back by Friday. That's our Relay For Life for the American Cancer Society, and I'm the emcee for the Luminaria Ceremony and Survivor Dinner!

We've got the cutest t-shirts -- well, my Texas Hold-em t-shirt was cute too, Paul! But our t-shirts for WEC were designed by daughter Anna and look really good. We're going to have so much fun Friday night -- fun, food, walking, talking (I hope), dancing -- and all for a good cause. I've lost too many friends to cancer. All the money raised goes to the Cancer Society for research to find a cure! Want to donate? Click here!

Road Trip!

Before I start on the road trip, I just have to post this photo of our beautiful baby Kate in her cute little dress mom Casey smocked for her! Isn't she just precious? I cannot wait two weeks for her to come visit -- well, and Casey and John too!

I just returned from a road trip to South Carolina for a few days to visit my brother's family and see my nephew Graham graduate from high school. I took my mom, and then we met up with Anna in Montgomery (she was on her way back from a week at the beach). Anna drove the rest of way once we got to Georgia (thank you Anna!) -- I HATE driving through Atlanta! Eight lanes of traffic with people buzzing all around me -- it makes me a nervous wreck! I love our little two-stop-light town! The only thing between me and work is a four-way stop!

While waiting on Anna in Montgomery, I stopped at Rooms To Go (thanks Mary Tyler for the suggestion)! Just wanted to check out the Cindy Crawford sofa I found on the Internet. Well, with a little help from my mom and Anna (she totally dissed my choice of chair, said it was too 'hotel lobby') -- I ended up buying the sofa, which I totally love, and a reclining chair in blues, greens and cream. Didn't find slipper chairs to go with them, but I'm looking on Overstock.com! I can't wait to get my furniture in a couple of weeks! Haven't told Stacy yet, though, so shhhhhhh!

Actually I haven't seen him since I left on Sunday. He left the day I got home to take three of his FFA students to the State Convention in Auburn! They're having a big time and will be home tomorrow.

So, I digress! Getting back to the road trip! We ate out Sun. nite and I had some excellent fried catfish and huspuppies! Mon. nite, they had a ceremony for Graham to receive his Boy Scout Eagle Scout degree. Very proud of him! That's quite an accomplishment -- and his dad (my brother Walker) and his brother Charles both are Eagle Scouts. Walker smoked some great ribs for dinner afterwards and we all enjoyed some time with their friends and Frances' family!


Then on Tues. nite Graham graduated -- in a huge class of over 600 -- in 1-1/2 hours! What a change from our little 50-member classes here! It's a very nice new school in Spartanburg County. And they were very strict about yelling out during the announcement of the names, which they needed to, and escorted out several detractors! I think that should be done here too -- it should be a dignified ceremony for all.

On the way home, we stopped at Chateau Elan Winery & Resort in Braselton, Georgia, for a tour and "wine tasting." They weren't making wine that day, but it was interesting to see how they do it. It is very beautiful there -- would love to go back to the spa sometime! Maybe we can do that as a "girls" trip sometime -- or we could take the guys and let them play golf while we "spa"!! Thanks Walker and Frances for your hospitality -- and the great BBQ!