I Saved the Best for Last

After arriving home late on Monday evening, we spent all day Tuesday frantically packing the trailer to head out for Opp, AL, and five days of fun based at Frank Jackson State Park.  Since we arrived on a Wednesday, there were many beautiful sites on the lake from which to choose; however, we unknowingly picked the one site that had been having "problems" with its sewer which resulted in our having to pack up on Friday morning and move two sites down to a site that ended up being even better especially since it did not have a "problem".

 While Bubba and I got things in order, Amelia relaxed in a recliner while she talked non-stop about seeing Uncle Joe and Aunt Judy.  "I just love them and they are so nice," she said.  As usual, Judy had prepared a delicious lunch for us.  She has been so sweet about accommodating my desire to stay on my diet.  She had made chicken salad with all the "legal" ingredients and served it with a wide variety of fruit.

We returned to the trailer after stopping at a Dollar Store to pick up a pink tablecloth because Amelia had planned to entertain Judy with a tea party.  I brought the china tea set that I had partied with as a child.  I fixed lemonade for tea and little plates of sweets, ham and cheese, and fresh pineapple.  Amelia served as hostess instructing us to say, "Here, Here" when we needed something.  After she filled our cups, we had to clink them together like we were having a toast.  Bubba and Joe were there, just not invited to the ladies tea party.  Eventually Amelia said, "Would you boys like something?" and she passed the treats to them instructing them to say "Here, Here" if they needed anything else.  She even brought her i-pad out so that we would have music at our party.

After the party we enjoyed a period of bubble blowing which is always a proper ending for a tea party.  The next morning Judy and I got our nails done and I had Amelia's toenails polished.  I can't believe that I didn't get a picture, but just picture Dorothy's red glittery shoes in the Wizard of Oz.  Amelia was pleased.

Joe would bring out the Kubota every time Amelia asked him to and she steered while Joe or Bubba managed the gas and brakes. Amelia calls it a "Kumoter".

Amelia loves the cows and horses on Joe's farm.  On the way back to the camp site, she told us that we should have a farm only she specifically requested that we have chickens on our farm.  She wants to be in charge of animal names and began giving names to chickens that had only hatched out in her imagination.

We had a low country boil one day for lunch (and leftovers for supper).  It was so good!

Uncle Joe got out John's old "tornado bike" for Amelia to ride.  She had so much fun spinning around on it that she completely forgot about riding her scooter.

There is a fish pond at Joe and Judy's that Amelia was looking forward to fishing in.  I knew she was serious when she asked to wear my hat to go fishing.

Joe helped her throw out and immediately she began catching catfish.

She really had to lean back and pull to get them in.

She was afraid of them after she pulled them in.  This is the first time she has fished where she would catch them fast enough to hold her interest.

Amelia demonstrated her reading skills to Joe and Judy who gave her their undivided attention.  I'm so glad that she is getting to know them.  Can any child ever suffer from having too much love?  These are memories that she will have for the rest of her life.  I know that I can still remember special times with my grandparents and aunts and uncles.

We enjoyed wading in the water.  Amelia called this her beach.  She admired the water in the evening calling my attention to how it sparkled in the setting sunlight.

Paw-Paw and Amelia always enjoy taking a selfie.

All too soon, it was Saturday and time to meet Amy and Darryl in Mobile to return their daughter to them.  We walked down to the "beach" one last time.

Amelia told us that if anyone wanted to sleep in her bed while she was gone that it would be okay.

 Of course the good times did not stop when Amelia went home.  We camped for two more nights and enjoyed more good meals and a lot of good conversation with Joe and Judy.  We're planning a trip to Savannah, GA, soon and we are looking forward to venturing further away from home.

Amelia was so happy to see her mom and dad.  We are so thankful for the time they allow Amelia to visit us. 

Of course they know that we will always take good care of her! 

The Project

You know there are some people who are crafty and some who are not.  Apparently Amelia has great faith in my abilities and I hate to disappoint.  Soon after we arrived in Baton Rouge the mail came and in it was Amelia's Disney Princess magazine.  Amelia immediately began to look through the magazine with great interest when she came to these pages...

Now this looks easy enough, doesn't it?  In fact, it says, "Show your sewing talent by making it yourself!"  Amelia looks up at me and says, "Nana, will you make this for me?"  What was I supposed to do?  I mean the child really believes that I can make things because I can "needle".  I picked up the materials called for and began to cut 55 strips of tulle 5 inches wide.  

I don't know exactly how many hours I spent on this project that was supposed to be so simple that a child could do it, but eventually I sort of finished it.

Amelia helped glue on some of the decorative silver bows and flowers, but I was 20 strips of 5 inch tulle short even though I bought what the directions indicated.  I brought it home with me to finish.  I think I'm going to move all that stuff over to elastic rather than having it on a ribbon.  That will probably require more time, but I'm going to finish it.  After all, Amelia has faith in my abilities especially since I know how to "needle".

Easter 2014

Back down I-10 we travelled once again as we headed to Baton Rouge to spend Easter with Amy, Darryl and Amelia.  We waited until Good Friday to go which meant that the traffic was heavier and we endured rain for a good part of the trip.  The best part of the trip was meeting Joe and Judy in Mobile for lunch at Tacky Jack's.  That really helped to break up the trip so it didn't seem quite as long.

We got to Amy and Darryl's and waited about thirty minutes before they came in from the Good Friday Crawfish Boil and Easter Egg Hunt with the family of their friends, Damien and Rebecca.  Amelia was so happy to see us and we were just as excited to see her.  My resolve to not take her something when we visit didn't last too long.  We had a Cracker Barrel checkers game and a new book for her this time.  She and I played a game of checkers and she was pretty sharp -- except that she insisted that some of the pieces were bodyguards and some were queens in addition to the usual kings.  I can't believe how well she is reading.  In the "I Can Read" books, she easily reads the level two books as well as some at level three.

Saturday morning Amy and I got away for a couple of hours of shopping.  I think Amy was disappointed that she was not able to get creative with our Easter meal -- I wanted to stay with my WW program and Darryl is doing a low carbs plan with good results.  She did make us (Bubba, Amy and me) a dessert that was "legal" and delicious - Red, White and Blueberry Trifle.

Amelia and I always make a cake for Easter.  Every year she gets better on this project.  She was able to get all the ingredients in the bowl without dropping anything.  She enjoyed running the mixer and stirring the batter.  It was definitely a well mixed cake.

And of course she was pleased with the finished product which was decorated appropriately for Easter.

Then she and Amy dyed eggs together.  This is something that I never really enjoyed as a mom so it was nice to sit this out as a grandmother and just watch the "fun".

That night Amelia left a piece of cake and a Yoo-Hoo for the Easter Bunny who ate most of the cake and apparently took the Yoo-Hoo with him.  Following a delicious lunch of Ham, Green Beans, Sweet Potatoes and Trifle for desert, it was time to hunt eggs outside.

It was a good day and I think we all enjoyed it.  On Monday we headed for home with Amelia who was beginning her spring break.  Amy was out of school the week before so we were excited that we would get to have Amelia for the week.  On the way home, we stopped at a Cracker Barrel for breakfast.  I had been hesitant to do this since I started my WW plan.  I ordered Eggs, Grits, and Wheat Toast which was hard because I love their biscuits.  It was good and I was proud of myself.  When I weighed on Tuesday I had lost another pound.  The week ahead promised to be a good one as we were planning on camping in Opp, AL, and spending time with Joe and Judy.  Amelia always enjoys seeing them.  For her it is like having two sets of grandparents at one time.  Does it get any better than that?

Realization of a Dream

Before I retired a lot of people would ask me what I planned to do.  Along with naming things like travelling, camping, visiting with family, etc., I said that I wanted to clean out closets and have a big yard sale in the spring and just get rid of stuff.  This past weekend I did just that.  I started in January going through closets and setting aside things I wanted to be rid of.  The week before Bubba and I tackled our garage area and the closet out there which was so full that we just shoved things into it and shut the door.  We began to move things out on the porch and started pricing them.

I had quite a pile of stuff accumulated and the fear began to set in that if it didn't sell, what was I going to do.  

Saturday morning we got up at 5:00 and began setting up our tables and hauling boxes out to the area we decided would be best for people driving by to see us.

By 7:00 we were all set up and ready to go.  Many years ago when I had a yard sale, people started stopping before I could even get my stuff out.  This year we were ready well before the start time of 8:00, but this time there was nothing. I was starting to get a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach that this had all been for nothing; however, eventually there started to be a steady flow of customers.

By noon we were down to one table.  Hallelujah it was almost over.  A few of these last items sold then we left several things out with a big sign that said "free" and we were done and exhausted.  I did not have anything that had to go back to a closet.  Mission accomplished!!

My Easter Gala

This is my favorite time of the year.  The weather warms up, the flowers begin to bloom, and everything feels fresh and new.  As I began to place a few decorations out for the Easter season, I got the idea that I wanted to have a luncheon and invite some of my favorite former co-workers to come.  So I began to prepare.  I spent all day the day before cooking.  I made a blueberry cake, a strawberry cake, and a red velvet cake.  I cooked chicken spaghetti and a Paula Deen chicken and rice casserole and prepared a seven layer salad along with yeast rolls.

I served the main meal buffet style from the bar.

Half of my friends sat in the dining room.

Others sat at the kitchen table.  I was able to have a turn at both tables as I ate my chicken salad made with fat free mayo.  Yes, I did not even taste any of what I had prepared.  I enjoyed seeing them enjoy it.  There was a lot of catching up and a lot of laughing.  It was so much fun.

This young lady was recently promoted to lieutenant.  When I saw her a week prior I told her that if I had known she was being promoted that day I would have baked her a cake.  "Oh, I'll see you next Wednesday," she said.  So I baked her a red velvet cake and presented it to her before she left.

This was a fun day.  I enjoyed visiting with friends and I enjoyed the preparation of the food.  I don't want to get out of practice just because i retired.  And as I'm sure you've heard me end before -- a good time was had by all.

An Officer and a Gentleman

I left behind a lot of good people when I retired, but I had my favorites.  One of my favorite officers was Willie W.  Officer W. was instrumental in the forming of a DR Squad (Discipinary Report) for inmates who committed a minor/first infraction of the rules.  They were given the opportunity to either go to confinement or participate in the DR Squad program.

Under Officer W.'s leadership, the inmates would march the compound calling cadence and maintaining strict discipline.  The squad would do special work on the compound and would sit in classes taught by Officer W.  Officer W. wrote the lesson plans.  He taught lessons covering everything from manning up and accepting responsibility for their actions to how to shave and bathe properly.  His feeling was that many of the inmates had not had a father figure in their life to teach them such things.  He kept them busy all day.  They would run and exercise and march.  You could hear them calling cadence in my office from down on the compound.  Statistics proved that of the hundreds of inmates who passed through Officer W.'s squad, less than five had ended up back in trouble.  Everyone who visited the institution wanted to meet Officer W. because they had heard about the work he was doing.

I admired Officer W. because he went the extra mile.  He believed that what he was doing would make a difference and he was right.  His day could have been a lot easier if he had been content to sit in a dorm and babysit, but he chose to go over and beyond what was required of an officer.

I had hoped to see Officer W. make sergeant before I retired, but he didn't.  About a month ago, I learned that he was going to be promoted.  I was able to attend and was very proud for him.  The downside of his promotion is that he will not be able to continue leading the DR Squad.  He will be placed on the night shift running a dorm.  That is such a waste of talent, but sometimes that is how things go.  I'm hoping that that might be rectified in the near future and that Sgt. W. will be able to resurme the work he started.  Somehow I lost the pictures I took at his pinning ceremony, but I had a couple of other pictures of him that I will share.  Congratulations Sgt. W.  You make us all proud.

This is a picture of Sgt. W. taken at my retirement luncheon.  This is the uniform he wore while working with the DR Squad.

And this is a picture (left) of him taken at a former warden's retirement celebration.  

My Favorite New Gadget & More Good News on the Scale

The scale and I had another good meeting this morning.  I have lost two more pounds for a total of 21!  I am finding the Weight Watchers Simply Filling program to be the best yet.  There is no measuring, no weighing, and almost no counting points.  You just select the foods on the list.  It is a lot easier that trying to figure points on everything.

I've really been enjoying pineapple on this program.  The fresh ones are really good right now and my new pineapple-peeler-corer-slicer makes eating them much easier.  A slice of pineapple tastes as sweet as any prepared dessert with a lot less consequences.

You slice the top off of the pineapple with a knife and center the gadget over the core.   

 Then you apply pressure as you twist the gadget down to the bottom of the pineapple.

Then you pull up and all these beautiful slices of pineapple come out of the "shell".

This is what you have left over when you are done.  You might lose just a little bit of fruit by doing it this way versus using a knife, but the ease outweights that.  In the past we've avoided buying pineapple because they were so much trouble.  Now we're buying them two at a time and enjoying every bite.  

Now I just need to figure out something creative to do with that shell.

Late Update on News from the Scale

 This week the scale was again my friend.  I lost six pounds for a total of nineteen.  I did exercise four out of seven days so I'm sure that helped some.  I have several things I want to write about in the next few days -- everything from our newest gadget to a lunch with former co-workers.  Stay tuned.

Bummer

Well, Tuesday was my day to weigh and I guess you probably surmised correctly that I didn't post the results because they were not good.  I gained two pounds.  If I had eaten the pizza and all the other delicious things I turned down, I would have figured that I got what I deserved.  But I didn't!  Oh well, I'm into a new week now and have added walking back to my routine so hopefully next Tuesday will bring better news.

Babysitters - Will Travel

How far would you travel for a babysitting opportunity with your only grandchild?  Bubba and I just returned from Baton Rouge (again) where we kept Amelia two nights for Amy and Darryl to go out.  The first night (Friday) they went to New Orleans to eat at Emeril's Delmonico in celebration of their 15th wedding anniversary.

The next night they attended a gala which is actually a fundraiser for the school Amelia attends.  There is a nice meal with a lot of auctions both silent and regular.  It's a dressy occasion and apparently a lot of fun.

Amelia thought her mom and dad looked "gorgeous" and I tend to agree.

Meanwhile we managed to get in our customary trip to Chuck-E-Cheese where I ate the salad bar instead of pizza which was not fun because I love pizza.

Amelia usually stores her valuable prizes in our car so for two trips to Chuck-E-Cheese, she has a hot pink braid, a blue braid, and two bracelets.  She is a lucky girl.  She could score more prizes, but she likes to play a lot of things that don't reward the player with tickets for prizes.

We enjoyed time outside in the beautiful weather.  I'm finding it very difficult to stick to my plan to not buy her something every time we go for a visit.  This time we took her a ball and bat which she seemed to enjoy.

We also played soccer (her version) again.  She is very bossy.  She has a soccer whistle and props her foot on the ball while she explains the rules to us.

Unfortunately Bubba does not follow the rules and enjoys aggravating Amelia so he was frequently in "time out" for his bad behavior.

She read "Abe Lincoln's Hat" to me and I agree that it is "seriously" a good book.  I'm amazed at how well she reads to just be in kindergarten.  Amy says that most of the children in her class are also good readers, but I just don't remember actual reading starting at such an early age.

We made the trip home today in the usual eight hours with just a stop for lunch and gas.  It was rough, but we did enjoy our time there.  Amy and Darryl treated us to lunch yesterday as a "thank you" for babysitting although we were happy to do it.  Bubba was a happy camper with his tray of crawfish.

Now, I sure you are interested about my diet progress although Bubba thinks it's not that great a topic.  I said that I would report on the Beef & Asparagus Stir Fry.

The recipe made four generous servings so we ate it for two meals.  It was delicious.  I served it with a wild rice blend and steamed broccoli.  We also discovered that we really like fresh asparagus so we will be repeating this recipe and also eating more asparagus in the future.  We're trying new foods and so far we are eating well (probably better and healthier than before) and enjoying it.  Tomorrow is my day to weigh.  I don't know what to expect.  I chose well when we ate out and when we ate in, we prepared meals like I would have eaten at home.  The down side is that I've been almost a whole week without any exercise to speak of so we will see and I'll report.

The root canal that I wrote about last week has finally been done.  I loved the lady that did it and there was absolutely no pain before, during, or after.  I go back in six weeks to have the medication she put in removed and replaced with a permanent substance.

It looks like we have a few days of spring weather ahead.  I have some things I want to do around the house and I may decorate for Easter.  It's one of my favorite times of the year.

Good News on the Scale

I weighed in this morning and I had lost five more pounds for a total of fifteen in three weeks!  I'm excited because it proves that we can enjoy camping without adding pounds.  I'm trying a WW recipe for Beef with Asparagus Stir Fry tonight.  I'll let you know how it turns out.

I talked to Amelia last night.  She talked and talked about all the books she can read.  She told me that she was going to read Abe Lincoln's Hat to her class Thursday and that she was excited because "It is seriously a good book".  I'll have to get her to read it to me because I've not read a "seriously" good book lately.

Time to Catch Up

When I last blogged, I had a root canal and a weigh in scheduled for Tuesday.  I weighed and had lost two more pounds.  That makes ten in two weeks! I'm very pleased with the new Weight Watchers program and look forward to the challenge of camping and visiting while sticking to it.  Pictured below was my favorite meal of the week.

The weigh in may have taken place as scheduled, but the root canal did not.  I was at the dentist at 7:30 and was back home by 8:30 having been numbed and drilled (a lot).  He was unable to "gain access to the nerve" so he stuck some "putty" in the hole and referred me to an endodontist next Tuesday to have it done.  The good news is that he did not charge anything for the work he did and I'm assuming that whatever he drilled will not have to be done again.

When I returned home we headed for Frank Jackson State Park in Opp, AL.  This is my all time favorite park to stay at so far and it has the added benefit of being close to Joe and Judy.  We haven't seen them since Joe had his shoulder surgery a month ago and Judy's broken foot was put in a boot.  We had boiled eggs en route.  After we got set up we went to Joe and Judy's and Judy had made chicken salad which she served with apples, honey dew melon, canteloupe, grapes, and strawberries.  It was a perfect WW meal and was delicious and filling.

We went to Larry's Bar-B-Q in Andalusia for supper.  I was able to get chicken with a baked potato and salad, still staying on my diet.  (I carried my own salad dressing and spray butter).

At WalMart afterwards, Judy and I had a good time grocery shopping for diet items.  We loaded up on Jello and sugar-free pudding.  It was actually fun.

A fish fry with "legal" vegetables and salad.

Judy and I had our fish grilled = delicious.
Grilled pork chops, oven fried potatoes, carrot and apple salad, steamed vegetables, corn on the cob and mango-corn salsa.

In addition to the delicious WW friendly meals we had at Joe and Judy's, we grilled hamburgers one day at the camp site and grilled chicken another day.  Both times we were able to sit at the picnic table and enjoy the beauty of the lake.

While we were there Bubba helped Joe with a few of his farm chores.  We spent a lot of time visiting and catching up.

  Note:  Joe is the foolhardy one on the left.

Judy and I did a little shopping and I was able to get a much needed pedicure while she was having her nails done.  As much as I love pedicures, this was my first one since I retired.  I just haven't been able to work it into my schedule.

We ended up staying four nights and would have stayed longer, but the campground could not accomodate us any longer.  It is spring break in the surrounding counties and people were filling the park up in a hurry.  I got to sit outside and read for a few hours one afternoon and it felt so peaceful and good to enjoy the sunshine after so many dreary days.

When we returned home Saturday afternoon, it looked like spring had sprung while we were gone.  All the azaleas and dogwood are blooming and it looks just beautiful.  Busy days are ahead, but we are enjoying this freedom called retirement.