"Son of a Gun, We'll Have Big Fun on the Bayou"

Do you remember that line from an old Hank Williams' song?  It's a fun song about Louisiana and the joys of living there.  It seems like an appropriate song for our Good Friday Crawfish Boil we attended with Amy, Darryl, and Amelia.  Their long time friends, Damian and Rebecca, invited us all to join them at Rebecca's family's farm.  Our hosts, Bill and Debra, made us feel very welcome and we enjoyed meeting them and the rest of the family (and there were a lot of them).  We arrived to find big baskets of crawfish sitting out waiting for the water to boil.  I didn't know they would still be alive, but they were and quite lively too.  There were all kinds of good things to snack on while we waited for the main event -- some pepper jelly on cream cheese that was especially tasty.  There were three long tables sitting out and I envisioned everyone sitting down to a plate of food, but then I saw that these were actually the crawfish platters.

The crawfish were dumped from the baskets onto the long tables.  It was 24 feet of crawfish, corn on the cob, potatoes, sausage, asparagus, artichokes, mushrooms, and sweet potatoes.

Okay, they are all there and look like colorful bugs on the table.  I've made up my mind that I will try them just to be polite.

Darryl begins to peel one for my first bite.  Bubba is already eating them as fast as he can.  He loves them!

This is it.  My first crawfish!  Not bad!  In fact it was actually good.  I ate about ten, which is not really a lot because in that whole bug there is not really a lot to eat.  I also ate some of the other things that were cooked with them.  I especially liked the aparagus.  Would I eat them again?  Probably in a setting like this I would, but I won't be ordering them in a restaurant.  I would much rather have a hamburger.

While all this was going on, Amelia was having fun with her new friends in the hammock.



There were children everywhere.  It was a nice big yard with plenty of fun things to do.

There was an egg hunt.  Lots of eggs to find

Amelia "poses" with Nana and Paw-Paw for a picture.

Later Debra (our hostess) brought out a basket filled with all kinds of treats and doled them out to the children.  Somehow Amelia talked the little boy next to her out of his cowboy hat and holster/gun.  She wore them for a good part of the day.  Eventually she laid them down for a jump in the bouncey house and the little boy eased up and reclaimed his possessions.

Bill saddled up two of his horses and the children lined up for a ride.  Bill told Bubba that the horse Amelia is riding is "30" years old.  Bill patiently led the horse around the pasture giving every child the opportunity to ride.

 

Eventually the adults got their treats as well.  As you can see there were plenty of desserts to choose from.  I brought the carrot cake.  Somehow it survived the drive from Florida, but I was afraid it was not going to make it to the farm safely.  The roads in Louisiana need some serious attention.

We headed for home late afternoon after saying good bye and thank you to our wonderful hosts.  They were obviously the type of people who think the more the merrier and it was very kind of them to include us in their invitation to Amy and Darryl.

There were a lot of other fun things over the weekend.  Shopping for an Easter dress for Amelia was one of them.  This was the first time she participated in that process and she took to it like a duck to water.  She picked out four dresses that she thought were "beautiful" and we proceeded to the dressing room to try them on.  This one was the winner.  Apparently it is very important how far out the skirt will twirl when you spin around.  I liked them all.  I'm glad she picked.

Easter Sunday we attended a church on the campus at LSU.  We returned home for a delicious lunch of ham, scalloped potatoes, brocolli casserole, fruit salad, rolls, key lime pie, and bunny cake.  (I didn't cook any of it.  Amy is a great cook.)







Amelia and I baked and decorated a bunny cake on Saturday night after we returned home from Chuck E. Cheese.  If your eyes are good, you will notice that the bunny has a third eye under his nose.  We were almost finished with the cake and Amelia said, "It would be soooooo funny if he had another eye!" So she determined that a proper place for a third eye would be under his nose.  She placed it there and laughed and laughed.

Saturday night Amy and Darryl went to a restaurant in New Orleans to celebrate their 14th anniversary.  Don't they look nice?  The picture on the mantle was done by Amelia at a painting birthday party.  I decided that she was obviously artistically gifted when I saw her owl picture, but later in the weekend she spent some time creating the masterpiece of Rapunzel which you see below.

At least she enjoys drawing pictures.  I enjoy seeing them.  The weekend also included dying Easter eggs, Chuck E. Cheese, and a lot of good family time.

The little basket of eggs above were probably my favorite part of the weekend.  Amelia hopped into the car after school on Thursday and immediately began to show off her "Resurrection Eggs".  Each egg contains a picture or object pertaining to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.  She began to open the eggs and tell me the story.  The first egg had a picture of a donkey in it.  She told me that Jesus rode into the city on a donkey and the people were so happy and were waving "pom-poms".  (I think that is her interpretation of the word "palms".  The next egg contained a picture of bread and wine and she told me that Jesus ate a last supper with his friends in a special room.  Next came a picture of a cross and she told me that the bad people put Jesus on a cross and he died.  The next egg had a little piece of white cloth in it and from what she said I think she thought they tied him to the cross with white cloth.  A little rock was in the next egg and she explained that after he died they put him in a cave with a rock in front of it.  Then she opened the last egg and exclaimed, "It's empty!  He's alive!  He's not dead anymore!"  And that, my friend, really touched my heart.

I hope that you all experience the same joy that Amelia had when she opened the last part of the story. "He's alive!"

Third Time's the Charm

After weeks of being held hostage by the inclement weather, we were finally able to schedule a weekend getaway to the Corps of Engineers Eastbank Campground.  This was the third time we had made reservations here.  The first time was last summer when I got menengitis and the second time was a few weeks ago when it flooded all week.  But the third time was the charm.  The sun was shining and the sky was blue as we set out for our first visit at a COE campground.  We paid $10 for a lifetime senior pass last summer and were able to stay for $11 per night!  Now that's a bargain.  Going into Chattahoochee we got a glimpse of the Jim Woodruff Dam.

  We took a left in downtown Chattahoochee.  The campground was on the "backside" of the dam on Lake Seminole.  The check in process was easy.  The volunteers manning the gate were very friendly and we proceeded to our camp site.

All the sites were spacious and clean.  We had reserved site #8 on the water and were well pleased with our selection.

We were lucky to get one of the sites with a tree and we had a beautiful view of the lake.  So what do you think was the first thing we did?

Nothing!  We got our recliners out and just sat in the beautiful sunshine and took a little "power nap".  Later we walked around the campground and got the lay of the land.  Part of the time was spent trying to get a picture of me with the geese (Bubba's idea).

Did you know that geese will not stay still so you can get your picture taken with them?

And now a picture of the two of us with the beautiful lake in the background.

For supper Bubba grilled some country style ribs and I fixed some hash brown potatoes and a pear salad to go with them.  Yum!  (Again a good blogger would have taken a picture of the food.)  We also enjoyed some sloppy joes and grilled hamburgers over the weekend.

And now a picture that exemplifies one of the biggest pleasures of camping.

Taking time to appreciate nature and the beauty of the world around us is just something we don't make time for at home.

This was a good weekend and something we "needed".  I'm very grateful for the beautiful weather.  We are already looking forward to our next outing.  The problem now is that the period known as spring break in all schools encompasses a period from late February to the end of April.  Florida campgrounds are booked up and many others as well.  We definitely want to go back to the Georgia Veterans State Park in Cordele, GA, before the end of April.  The scenery there was beautiful last spring and we want to get back while the dogwood are still blooming.  We also want to get back to the place we bought the good sausage last year and stock up on that.  Joe and Judy will be going with us and we will get our first glimpse of their new travel trailer.  We can't wait!

Note:  If all goes as planned, I should be able to retire on November 1.  I have about four weeks of leave between now and then and I want to use it all.  It sounds like a lot, but it isn't when you start figuring all the things we want to do, especially having Amelia with us some.  I'm glad that I have a four day work week right now so that helps a lot.

You Are Invited

Imagine how excited we were when we received this invitation in the mail.  We were invited to GrandParents' Day at Amelia's school and we were delighted to accept.  I took off on Thursday and we drove for hours in some of the heaviest rain I've ever traveled in.  Thank goodness Bubba is such a good driver.  We stopped for breakfast at a Cracker Barrel and lunch at a Cane's Chicken Fingers in Mississippi.  This place has the best chicken fingers I've ever eaten.

We arrived just in time to pick up Amelia from school.  Her cry of "Nana!"  when she saw me in the backseat was priceless.  We returned home to snack on Zulu King Cake and a cookie for Amelia.  This was the first of three King Cakes we had the opportunity to sample while we were there.  This one has a combination of chocolate, cream cheese, and coconut and was delicious.  The others were a Pecan Praline and a Strawberry Cream Cheese.  The were all so good.  What a wonderful Mardi Gras custom!

Amelia was delighted with the present we brought her.  It is the Pop Star and the Princess Barbie Doll. She comes as a princess and by twisting her hair and dress you can change her into the pop star.  She told us several times how much she liked it, but the truth is the last thing she needed was another doll.  I guess that we are the ones who needed to give her a present since we don't see her nearly enough.

Amelia has a Rapunzel game for the Wii that she is obsessed interested in right now.  The thing is that I don't think any of us (adults) can figure out what is going on with it.  Here is a picture of me playing with her; however, I was not allowed to handle the controller.  That is because she was showing me how to play.

That night Amy went to see a former high school student whose team was playing LSU.  She was so happy to see that the girl achieved her dream of playing basketball for Georgia.  (Don't we all remember that one special teacher who really cared?)

This is our official going to Grandparents' Day picture.  We had no idea what to expect but had been told to go  to the church sanctuary to begin the morning.

The place was packed.  I'm glad that we got there early enough to get within a few rows of the front.  One set of grandparents had come from Minnesota and another had come by plane from Atlanta.  There is no underestimating what a grandparent will do for their grandchild.

The program had an Elvis theme.  Each class performed to an Elvis song.  It was a cute program.  Amelia's class sang and danced to "Shake, Rattle, and Roll".  They all performed with a great deal of enthusiasm.

After the program, we adjourned to visit the classrooms.  Amelia's teacher led her class in singing some Valentine songs to their grandparents.  When we introduced ourselves to her teacher, I remarked that we had heard a lot about her from Amelia.  She replied, "If you will only believe about half of what you hear about me, I will only believe about half of what I hear about you."  

Amelia took great pleasure in showing us around her room.  She explained the different areas to us and some of the rules involved.  There was artwork displayed everywhere and we admired it all appropriately.

This is one of Amelia's friends, Elijah.  For whatever reason, he did not have any grandparents present so we tried to include him in our visit.  He was a cutie.  Such an outgoing personality for such a little boy!

We checked Amelia out of school and went to the outlet mall and then for lunch to Chuck-E-Cheese.  She ate two big pieces of pizza and proceeded to use her twenty tokens on all the games.

We went to a Wal Mart where she found these slippers she "needed".  The toes twinkle when you walk.  Of course she needed them.  You never know when the lights will go out and you might need to locate your feet.

Our final stop for the day was the mall where we got a nice long train ride.  Do I not look happy?  I'm probably wondering why Paw-Paw never has to ride the train.  That night Darryl grilled hamburgers for supper and they were really good.  Did I ever tell you that hamburgers are one of my top five favorite foods?

 When asked what we wanted to do on Saturday, Bubba asked that we go to eat at Middendorf's Restaurant where we had eaten many years ago when they previously lived in the area.  The restaurant was destroyed by Katrina but has since rebuilt.  The restaurant claims to be home of the thin fried catfish.  They bring out a plate piled high with the thin fillets of catfish, with french fries and Cole slaw.  It is really good.

Of course, a really good blogger would have taken a picture of the plate of catfish.  My problem is that my appetite is always bigger than my desire for a good blog picture.

The picture on the right features my two girls in their boots.  Amelia loves boots and Amy is trying cowboy boots for the first time.  I think she looks great.

That night we babysit so that Amy and Darryl can go out with friends.  Paw-Paw takes his turn with the Rapunzel game.  He is allowed to actually hold a controller although I don't think he knows what to do with it.

This is our Valentine surprise from Amelia and Amy. There is nothing we would rather have.  For the first time I actually see a little resemblance between Amelia and me?  (Probably my imagination)  She is a precious child and it was our joy to be there for her Grandparents' Day.  We are already looking forward to our next occasion to visit.

One more thing:  When Amelia wants something from Amy, she will whisper her request in my ear.  It always begins with "Tell your daughter to let me play with her phone, etc."  What's up with that?  I don't know, but it is cute.

Redneck Medical Journal Entry by Bubba

Bubba wrote the following after he and Joe went oystering for medicinal purposes, I'm sure.

Oysters are good for your health. First you benefit from the salt air when you ride in the boat to get to where they are. Then you benefit by walking in the mud.  That works leg musclea and your heart beats faster.Then there's the salt spray in your face back to the landing.  When you shell them, you exercise your hand muscles,arm muscles, and chest muscles.  Also when you eat them, if your digestive system is not right it will clean you out.   Then you will be ready for for a new beginning. From Dr. Bubba.    Sent from my iPad

Joe's new boat was deemed "perfect" for oystering.

Bubba is working hard to stay healthy.

And so is brother Joe.....

In fact, it made them feel so good that they will probably do it again soon!

How Long Until Another Rainbow?

Well, we had a couple of weeks of Christmas festivities and returned home on a Saturday morning to a house still full of Christmas "stuff".  Bubba left after we unpacked the trailer to go with his brothers to look at a boat that Joe was hoping to purchase.  And I was left alone missing Amelia already.

Amy's old dollhouse is back in place.  When Amelia is here, it usually sits on the coffee table or in the middle of the living room floor with all kinds of toys scattered around it.

Amelia's craft table sits awaiting her return.  She loves to cut and paste, color and paint, staple and stick.

  

Our third bedroom is Amelia's room.  The stickers on the wall are starting to come loose, but we spend time before she settles down at night to get them stuck back.  One night when we were talking before I read her story she told me, "Nana, I think my bedroom is beautiful."

Someone asked me the other day what was the one thing that Amelia got to eat at grandma's that she didn't get anywhere else.  Well, it is not something to eat, it's something to drink.  We always stock plenty of "yoo-hoos" before she comes to visit.  Amy told me not to let her have too many and I didn't.  We still have one left!  Look, it says its rich in calcium and vitamin D right on the carton!

This is where Amelia plays bookstore/library.  She calls her patrons in one at a time (me or Paw-Paw or Amy if she's here) and allows them to get one picture album of her baby pictures.  She has to do a lot of writing and calclulating before you can leave with the book.  No matter what we are doing, if she calls out that she is ready for a customer we have to respond.

This is a sample of the paperwork required to get a book.  The first line is my age (64).  Next is my name. (Note the curls she has started putting on her lower case 'a'.)  Next she asked my dad's name and the final question was who I was married to.  

It is not so easy to get a good book these days.

This is what I was referring to in the title of this blog. Amelia loves to draw rainbows.  Now I'm looking forward to February when we see our precious granddaughter again!

A Cousin Reunion

We arrived at Frank Jackson State Park to find Joe, Judy, John waiting for us.  Amelia, who had not seen John in two years, jumped out of the truck and ran to give him a big hug.  This, of course, was totally unexpected by John who immediately blushed with embarassment  I think at that point he was beginning to wonder what lay ahead for him in the next few days.

After the delicious lunch that Judy had prepared we all went to their trailer which is quite a bit bigger than ours so that John and Amelia could get to know one another and enjoy playing together.  Let me also include that it was icy cold and windy all week long so playing outside was out of the question.  In no time at all they were having a good time together.  John (age 7) had received an i-pad for Christmas and Amelia had her mom's.  They began to compare games and take turns swapping them back and forth.  I was afraid that Amelia was taking advantage of John, but he assured me, "She has some cool things on her i-pad that I don't have."  There were so cute together.  We often observed Amelia resting her head on John's shoulder while he showed her something on the i-pad.  They played inside together for most of two days without any whining, tears, or melt-downs.  I give John a lot of credit because he is older and was very patient, but Amelia did well at sharing and taking turns also.  Kudos to all parents involved!

Thursday we carried them to a Chuck-E-Cheese for lunch and games.  After pizza, they took their tokens and mostly went to different things to play rather than going around together.  It was a good day although an adult should be tranquilized before going into that place.  It sure was noisy, but a good time anyway.  That night as we left their trailer, Amelia hugged Joe and Judy and then she turned to John, who, this time was waiting for his hug.

That night I was so tired when putting Amelia to bed.  She has a way of stalling the process somewhat.  During a lengthy conversation about our day she told me, "Nana, John doesn't like girls, but he loves me!"  Also in this conversation while she rested her head on my chest, she said, "Nana, you're so soft and wonderful." and then after her prayer and "Jesus Loves Me" and "Sweet Dreams", she called me back again, "Nana, I just want to give you one more hug."  She sure has a tight hold on our hearts.

The next morning both sets of grandparents headed to carry their little ones back to their parents.  We met Amy in Mobile and Amelia was very happy to see her.  We were grateful that they allowed us to have her for this week.  I hope that Amelia and John will be able to have more good times together.  They are two very special children.

Paw-Paw and Amelia enjoy a rousing game of Hi-Ho-Cherrio