The Devil Wears PRADA!

Now this has to be the PRETTIEST little devil this Halloween! And, this little devil, does indeed, LOVE  PRADA! HAPPY SPOOKS DAY!

Halloween Bash @ the Heath's house!

Last night we were lucky enought to be invited to the HEATH's HALLOWEEN PARTY!We had a BLAST! We had sooooooo much fun dressing up and , yes, we went as BOUNTY HUNTER, DAWG, and his wife, Beth! We had soooooooooo much fun! Like Yvette said,it's fun to be with Christian friends. YES! CHRISTIANS CAN HAVE A GOOD TIME!!!!!!!!(I've always said  I just know that Jesus had a great sense of humor and HAD FUN, too)!

AND, NO MORE BLONDE JOKES! I have decided that I'm going to become a blonde after being one last night! HAHAHAHA! WOW, that was  a fun HALLOWEEN PARTY! I felt so: FREE; so SEXY; So DUMB! hahahaha! Like I said, we had so much fun going to the Heath's FANTASTIC Halloween Bash last night! It was sooooooooo much fun! The funniest thing, this girl I just met said, "are you really blonde?" I told her, that I had long dark hair and she said, "I can't imagine that! I can't imagine you looking dark haired!" HOW FUNNY IS THAT?! ......We had so much fun and we danced and danced! When we got into bed last night Terry's back was killing him and my hip was hurting! HAHA ! Yep, those old dancing days seem long long ago! Thankfully, most of the people were OUR ages so we got to dance and rock and roll to OUR music from OUR time! HAHA! Don/Yvette are the BEST HOSTS and always have the best parties!!! The food was great , too! YUMMY.........Our costume was the hit---(I must admit, we stole the idea of course, from Nat/Brad. Too bad I looked like a chunky monkey when I was "Beth" but Nat looked HOT! haha). Anyway, so much fun ! We had a wonderful time! I love dressing up and tomorrow I just might  dye these BLACK LOCKS  and go............BLONDE!!!!!!!!!!!!

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

We definitely have a crazy family! Last night was Michael/Kadie and Nat/Brad's Sunday School HALLOWEEN party (this is the DINKS class---remember? USED to be---that stood for D-double I-income N-no K-kids! Now EVERYONE has kids!!!! There are even 3 sets of twins in there now! WOW! Anyway, they dropped by on the way since it's on the way to Brook/Patti's home in Helena (and I wanted Kadie/Nat to look at some tile we are thinking of putting in the house!). They all came IN COSTUME! Now, really, Michael should be ashamed to go AS A PIMP! But, he did! Kadie was a witch (a sweet witch!); Lily---the adorable little Ladybug (Aunt Cutie gave her for her b'day!). Brad and Nat were hysterical. They went as the BOUNTY HUNTER and his wife, Beth. Brad actually looked MORE like "Leland"---DAWG'S son! But, they looked pretty funny to us! Actually, so funny that we are copying the outfits and wearing them TONIGHT to a Halloween Party Terry and I are going to! (so, more Halloween pix to come!). Kemp was a SPIDER! Now, let me tell you, that boy did NOT want to wear that SPIDER hood! But, we made him for some pix , despite his howls!!!!! They were all soooooooo cute last night and I've been busy all day , printing out the pictures! (and making snacks to take to OUR party tonight). Anyway, I had a hard time trying to decide which to put so I made it easy and put them ALL!!!!!!!!!! BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

A real DADDY'S GIRL!

Lily loves her daddy, like most little girls do!!!!  But, I honestly can say, she adores that crazy daddy of hers!!!!!! Michael is the biggest tease and has more fun with his little angel!She's used to his teasing and acting crazy and she sometimes turns the tables on him and ignores him! HAHA! And, sometimes when he comes to get her here she screams, "NO, DADDY!" even though she is glad to see him, she still wants to stay at GranJan's. Yesterday she was so happy to see him and immediately crawled up in his lap and laid her head on his shoulder! SO SWEET!!!! She loved showing him the AMERICAN GIRLS catalogue that came yesterday! She studied every single doll and looked at every single page!!! I love it, because KATIE had those American Girls dolls (still does in the attic!) and I have been looking forward to the day when I can start buying them again! (I'm really the one who loves those dolls! HAHA! Gosh, they sure have gone up in price over the years!). Right now the "BITTY BABIES" are really  more for her age, but even those I think I'll wait till next year. (When Katie came home and saw that catalogue she said, "OH! MY OLD DOLLS ARE STILL IN HERE!"). Anyway, she loved pointing out each one for her daddy to see. That lasted awhile but, if you know Michael, you know he just HAS to tease her a little!!!! O.K., a LOT! (Reminds me of how he used to tease Katie and Patrick!!!! ). So, he started tickling her and chasing her and holding her upside down. She giggles and laughs and when she gets tired of him she will frown at him and poke those adorable little lips out and say, "NO, STOP,  DADDY!".....Also,  Lily never, ever tries to go upstairs UNLESS her mommy or daddy come in. Then, she tries to run upstairs (to "CHOOTIE'S ROOM") aka Katie's room. I do have toys up here in the computer room, too, and I let Lily and Kemp come up here when I'm up here with them, but we mostly stay downstairs b/c I don't want them falling down all those steps. They never try to come up here unless UNTIL  their mommies and daddies come in and sure enough, the minute Michael (or Natalie)  walk in they both try to run up the steps! As you can see, Lily tried that yesterday and  got  really MAD at her Daddy b/c he wouldn't let her go upstairs! HAHA! JUST LIKE HER DADDY WAS/IS, Lily is a MESS! (oh, does she bring back memories of Michael Brandon Fry when HE was 2!)..........hahahahahaha!

Lily O'Lantern!

What a cute "JACK , excuse me, LILY-O'LANTERN"! Isn't she the cutest little thing? This is what she wore to playschool on Wednesday. (GranJan bought it!). I love picking up LILY from Little Lambs Playschool---she gets so excited when she sees my car! She climbs in her car seat and immediately wants her JUICE in her arm rest cup holder and then says, "Going to GranJan's house?" SHe stays awake long enough to watch her "MISS SPIDER" on her T.V. and we then read books and play. She loves to COOK (like her mama!) and wants to "wash dishes" all the time! Funny!!!!!!!! After reading, she doesn't mind at all going and lying on "BIG T'S BED"! We climb into bed and watch our big screen T.V.in the bedroom. We don't watch too much b/c soon ALL of us are snoring! BUDDY, in the cage next to the bed; MAGGIE at our feet; Jezzie on the couch; LILY on Big T's pillow and GranJAN, all SOUND ASLEEP! Zzzzzzzzz!

Big T's boy (and girl)

Big T loves his babies!!!!!!!! And he loves having a grandSON AND a grandDAUGHTER! Best of both worlds! He can play ROUGH with Kemp---throw ball caps on his head and throw him around and then  can play sweetly with Lily--giving her hugs and kisses and read her books and help her rock her doll baby!........It is really SWEET to watch BIG T with his little grandbabies! He never gets tired of them and loves for them to come over ALL the time!!!!!!!..........

SOAP tales

Kemp loves the bathtub! BUT, tonight he got SOAP in his eyes and he was NOT very happy till we got the wash rag and washed it out! OUCH! That burns! But, he soon got over it and had his usual fun bath time!! After his bath, I wrapped him in a towel and then put his snuggly new DINOSAUR p.j.'s on him. He was so SNUGGLY we just couldn't quit hugging him! What a SWEETIE! G'nite, sweet Kemp!  (I just put you down and you were crying. Then you stopped! Are you already asleep??????????NO!!!!!!!!!!!! Big T couldn't stand to hear you CRY, so he went and got you! You're being rocked to sleep right now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!).

The BEST toy (and cheapest!)

We're keeping Kemp this week-end b/c Natalie is leading music on a Chrysalis (and also she and Brad are giving the "MARRIAGE TALK" on Sat!). Katie is giving her first talk, too! ("IDEALS").  Funny---Natalie and Katie are roomies at Camp Sumatanga this week-end! What better "get-away" than to GET AWAY with girls and GOD! All the laughter/food and even tears! Yep, just what GIRLS Love! BUT, back to KEMP! We're keeping him some of the time this week-end. (right now, he's home with his Daddy, but, he's coming back this afternoon and will spend the night tonight). Yesterday he was here all day and spent the night on Thursday night. We (Kemp and I) , went to WalMart and I was going to buy him a new toy but he was getting tired of shopping and  HUNGRY so I decided I'd just pull something out of my "granjan toys" to give him when I got home (I have a box full of  new toys I keep in a closet to pull out when the little ones are bored!). After lunch (we ate his favorite, and mine! Mickey D's! He LOVES french fries!), he found 2 large pieces of styrofoam from the box that the new heater came from! OH MY GOSH! If I had bought him a toy at   FAO SWARTZ he wouldn't have been happier than he was with those 2 pieces of foam!!!!!!!!!!!! He went nuts over them! Threw them; rode them like  a horse; sat on them; broke them; threw them into pieces! Then, he got the broom and "swept them" up! Laura and I laughed at him for 2 hours! I had so much fun snapping pix of him at play! I HATE those POSED shots of kids. Where they're sitting in custom made little clothes and sitting like a statue, not doing anything.  I like to just follow Kemp/Lily around shooting pix after pix! (Oh, if I had had a digital camera when MY kids were little we'd have to have 2 houses! One for pix and one to live in! It's almost that bad NOW!).I have found that the pictures I made of my own kids of them PLAYING and acting silly are my favorites now. SO, that's what I do with Kemp and Lily! I love the ACTION SHOTS; the pix of them CRYING; Eating; sleeping! I love ALL of them! I don't even care if the house is clean in the pictures, after all, that's part of having kids! Having a mess around!  I even made pictures of the carpet of all the pieces and mess he made! WHO CARES? That's what vaccum cleaners are for!!!!!!!!!!!!!!......As you can see, he was ZONKED after going to WalMart; playing so hard; jumping; laughing; SWEEPING that he fell RIGHT to sleep and slept, for, get this! THREE HOURS!!!!!!!! (now that's definitely worth messing the carpet up for! A 3 hour nap!). I just LOVE sleeping kids pix, too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Konie's 50th Birthday!

Today is Konie Bryant's 50th birthday! (HURRAH!  FINALLY,  the girl is in her 50's! hahaha! )Beth Marsh had the  birthday party for Konie at her beautiful home (in Mtn. Brook aka "the Tiny Kingdom").  Of course, I didn't follow the directions they gave and tried to find it on my own! After about 50 wrong turns, I made it! So glad I did! Great fun!  It's a GOOD THING, I showed up with Katie's camera! (too bad I didn't know how to use it! HAHA), but glad I had it to get some candid shots!  Gosh, I needed a WIDE ANGLE to get all of us together on those steps! No slam intended, but good gosh!  But, we did it! Even if we did have to make the pix in shifts! I mean, who, but KONIE BRYANT would have 100% attendance at their b'day party?!  (I'm still waiting, BETH AND KONIE, for my JULY 17th SURPRISE B'DAY PARTY! You promised me when I lived in RIVERCHASE!)So many GIRLS helping celebrate with Konie on her special day!!! Gosh, we look great to be sooooooo young!!!!! Check out the pictures!!!! All of us GIRLS are in our 50's but I know everyone thinks we're in our 20's! (O.K., O.K, 30's!!!!!!!) .....We had such a great time and the food was great; the house was gorgeous; the GIRLS looked spectacular and Konie, the BIRTHDAY QUEEN was like she always is---the sweetest girl in the world.  I bet if we had WHO'S WHO of our group, Konie would get "BEST ALL AROUND"  and "SWEETEST". (Of course, I would get "best looking"' ; "biggest flirt"; "Personality Plus")....KONIE, this is YOUR DAY! I love you sooooooo much and I know that your 50th year will be sadder this year without Bill, but just look around you and see all the friends who came out on this rainy , gray day  to celebrate YOU and  just see how many friends love and support you.  AND, girlfriend, I love you !  AND  I MISS LIVING ACROSS THE STREET FROM YOU! WAAAAA!And if any of the other GIRLS are reading this, sorry, hate to tell you but I, that is ME, Janice Fry, is Konie's VERY BEST FRIEND (put that in your pipe and smoke it ! Only a 50 year old would remember that old saying! HAHAHAHA)!.............

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BEST FRIEND (just don't tell BOBBIE!)

P.S.  I'm sorry , Konie,  but after thinking about how much fun Beth and I had carrying on today while YOU were partying with all the other girls, I have decided that you might be my 2nd best friend. I had forgotten that Beth and I were best buds in Riverchase. Sorry. Not only that, she spiked your b'day punch. Now that's a good friend! So, Now I think you're my 2nd best. Or even 3rd. I don't want Bobbie to be mad and we DO have history, going back to high school.  I know this will hurt you on your 50th birthday, but sorry, this is how it goes:

KONIE--M3BF

P.P.S. sorry, Konie (and any of the "girls" who are checking out THEIR pix from the party), but you have to look at my grandkids. I stopped by after the party  @ Natalie's and just HAPPENED to ask Natalie to make a pix of me and Lily/Kemp to add to Konie's b'day page! HAHAHAHA

BOX SEATS!

Of course, the favorite new toy was NOT the one I bought for them to play with on Saturday! It was the box that Big T's new carseat came in!!!!!!!!! This provided quite a bit of PLAY TIME on Saturday during the game! Kemp/Lily LOVED playing hide and seek in the box! They were so adorable!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The AGONY and the ECSTASY!

We kept Kemp/Lily yesterday while their mommies/daddies went to Tuscaloosa to see the game. The AGONY were many fights over toys in the morning and The ECSTASY was  the calm after the storm (called "we need a nap"!) in the afternoon .I couldn't help it, I had to laugh my head off when Kemp "wigged" when he and Lily would fight over toys! It was hilarious! She would grab something and run 90 mph and then he would go ballistic! He would fall on the floor, but soooooooo carefully! He didn't want to hurt himself! She would stare at him and then, after grabbing something, would pat him and say, "sorry, Kemper".  After long naps and lunches, those little gremlins LEFT and 2 little angels showed up!!!!!! HAHAHAHA! (just like GranJan, give them some FOOD and a NAP and things are all better!). Actually, by the time Terry got back from playing golf, he DIDN'T BELIEVE me when I told him that K/L had been arguing and fussing!  He kept saying, "they're perfect! What are you talking about?!" They were perfect little angels the rest of the day! In fact, we even got to watch the game while they played AND SHARED on the back porch the rest of the afternoon! They were so cute and so took me back in time to when my 5 were those ages! Kemp reminds me so much of Patrick! I can see Pat/Katie now, playing (and fighting! HAHA). Terry and I laughed at them all day, it is so much fun to have them  come over ;  to play with them; read to them; give them things their mommies won't ; enjoy them;  spoil them  (and , when we're worn out---GIVE THEM BACK! HAHAHAHAHA!)

I've said it before and I'll say it again, being a grandmother is the highlight of my life! I LOVE BEING GRANJAN!!!!!!!!!!!!(yes, even when they aren't perfect little angels! ALL the time!)

Alabama and Ole Miss!

ROLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL TIDE ROLL! In OVERTIME, Alabama beat OLE MISS 26-23!!! GranJan and Big T kept Lily and Kemp today while Michael/Kade and Nat/Brad went to Tuscaloosa to the game. (Pictures of the kids later! First things first! HAHAHAHA!).......HURRAH! ALABAMA WINS! SWEET!

FALL is here! HURRAH

WOW, Fall is here! At least today! This morning it is nice and COOL !  I love FALL in HOOVER--- however, this is when I miss RIVERCHASE b/c we had so many more beautiful trees to change color. But, it's still pretty to look out in my backyard at the trees across the lake changing. Here's a few shots of KEMP enjoying Fall  on the back porch ! (yes, we ARE enjoying the back porch now that it's cooler. Guess I'm going to have to get a big heater for out there when it starts getting cold! I love having most of the TOYS out there!).

HOW DO THEY KNOW?

HOW do the little ones KNOW that boys play with trucks and girls play with dolls???????

Lily playing is so different than Kemp's playing!!! Lily goes for the DOLL in the stroller. Kemp goes for the cars and the trucks and the toy "weed wacker"! HOW DO THEY KNOW ?! Is it INSTINCT?! HAHA! Here they both are, this week, PLAYING with their respective TOYS! (I'm so blessed to get to play "girly stuff" one day and play "rough stuff" the next! FUN FUN)

Update on Becky

So many of you have written me asking about the latest on Becky. Terry has spoken with Donnie, Becky's husband several times lately, but I wanted a WOMAN'S perspective so I finally got in touch with Mary Margaret (Terry/Becky's other sister). I hate to bother her at work so I e-mailed her and she called me back yesterday when she wasn't so busy.....We ,(the Fry family), had in mind to try and get together to see Becky now that it is cooler so I was trying to find out if Becky felt up it, etc. Here's some notes that I jotted down from Mary M yesterday....

Becky is still going to chemo every day. Mary M. takes her and Donnie picks her up. This chemo doesn't make her so sick and doesn't make her hair fall out, but it does make her very tired. Her mouth continues to hurt constantly and the plate that is below her bottom teeth has worked out through her chin so she now has a bandage on that all the time. The doctor wants to take that out after the first of the year. Her "Pet Scan" came back good--they saw nothing but they can't see under that plate, so after they remove it, they will scan her again. She communicates by writing things down on paper (even when she goes to the doctor and has questions) but Mary M. said she tried to say a few words yesterday! Praise God! She has lost down to 114 pounds and has about 5 cans of her nourishment each day (she knows when she is hungry and writes down, "I'm hungry!"). She still has her trac at this time. The Supper Club of friends that Donnie/Becky belonged to :disbanded--they didn't want to keep going if Becky couldn't eat (they are such sweet friends and used to eat out each Thursday night together) , but they continue to visit with her,e tc. She is still living at the Hulseys house, during the week, with Donnie's parents and go home on the week-end. They are going to the beach this coming week-end! She tires very easily but will occasionally ride with Mrs. Hulsey to WalMart and Mary M. said they have even gone, BRIEFLY, shopping. (anyone who knows Becky Hulsey knows she was the SHOPPING QUEEN--she and Mary. M. used to go shopping EVERY Saturday!). As far as getting together with the family---right now Mary M. says she is still  just not up to it. In part, it's b/c she doesn't want everyone to see her like she is right now and partly because she just doesn't feel good. She is hoping to one day get rid of the trac; quit doing chemo and getting on with her life and THEN we will have a HUGE celebration.  That day will be when Becky is Cancer free. That is our hope and our prayer! For everyone who e-mails me and asks how she is doing, I appreciate you and your prayers for Becky. Keep them going. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could see her next year at the MALL shopping (like she loves to do!) or better yet, able to enjoy being with her family who loves her so very much! Please continue to keep her in your prayers and the prayers of your church! If you would like to send her a card, I know she would love it. This is her mother-in-law/father-in-law's address:

Becky Hulsey

1600 Sue Drive

Birmingham, Ala. 35214

...........blessings and hugs Jxxoo

KEMP'S new SUV!

HURRAH, HURRAH! The HORNE'S have a new CAR! Actually, it's a cross between an SUV and a VAN.  It is SOOOOOOO roomy (now they can have more kids!) and you can even switch seats around and have a "tailgate seats"! Natalie said , "it's my dream car!" Obviously, she loves it! Bless her heart, she is soooooo excited and is just beside herself!  I got to ride in it to Springville on Saturday and then, last night, they came by to show "Big T" (no, Big T did NOT go to Homestead Hollow! HAHA). Kemp was watching the WIGGLES as they drove off last night with his feet propped up on the seat in front of him!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Homestead Hollow

After church yesterday, we left for Homestead Hollow in Springville. It takes about 40 minutes to get there from here. We rode in Nat's new chariot--the "Free Style" SUV!  It's a cross between a van and an SUV. It's adorable! (today she's getting the DVD player put in for Mr. Kemp!). Anyway, we  all fit in perfectly in the new car and off we went. Michael/Kadie and Lily were supposed to be meeting us there but he called about half way there and said, "We're not going". I was so mad b/c I wanted to see my Lily see the horses! (she loves HORSES and that was one of her first words to say last year!). Anyway, as we were driving down the gravel path to pull into Homestead Hollow---he NEXTEL-ED Brad with, "where are yall?" That trickster! They were probably right behind us the whole way! ....It was a perfect day for a craft fair!! A little cool at first, but soon the sun was out in full force and it was just perfect. Not too hot/not too cool. JUST RIGHT! Katie and I IMMEDIATELY went and got in line for the HILLBILLY CAFE! I love those turnip greens/cornbread (but I was so mad that they ran out of ONIONS! How could they run out of onions before I had my turnip greens, for heaven's sakes?????????) Anyway, she got the HILLBILLY sandwich (ham between 2 slices of griddle made cornbread with tomatoe! YUM). The rest of the group were walking around the old homestead houses. (Katie and I have seen those many times so we opted to EAT!). But, like I wrote last night---the "rednecks" (what the folks up NAWTH love about Alabamaians)  love coming to Homestead Hollow! Most were talking about "THE RACE" or AUBURN football  (Tide fans are NOT rednecks HAHAAHAHA) or carrying around some of those hideous country items that went out a half century ago! HAHAHA!  And the funniest thing happened when we were in line to get our food. This woman turned around and stared at us. Finally, she spoke to us (in between talking on her cell phone to her husband at THE RACE)  and said, "Where are yall from?"  I said, "Hoover. Hoover, ALABAMA!" (Why, oh why didn't I say "LAGUNA BEACH!" and why didn't I say, "WHERE ARE YOU FROM?"). I guess b/c Katie was dressed stylishly  and CUTE and didn't have on a sweat shirt 5 times too big with "we love racing" on it, we didn't belong at Homestead Hollow! How funny! So the rest of the time I kept asking Katie, "where are you from?"!.........My big (and ONLY)purchase were 2 blueberry muffin  candles---smell EXACTLY like blue berry muffins! YUM! Funny thing is--I HATE to eat blueberry muffins ! But, I do love to smell them cooking and these smell just like them. Katie only bought one thing---an airplane sign to hang in Kemp's room b/c he is obsessed with airplanes (had his name put on it). I don't know if Nat/Kadie bought anything but we just had fun getting out in the open air/smelling the delicious smells of fried pies (which by the way, were SOLD OUT everywhere!); hamburgers; funnel cakes; turnip greens/butter beans cooking in huge pots! YUM! And the pumpkins were everywhere! Gets me all excited about FALL in Alabama!!! crazy weather here---cool one day an scorching the next!! ......We had a great time and looking forward to going back next year, on the FIRST day, so I can get my ONIONS in my turnip greens and MY PEACH FRIED PIES!

Natalie singing @ SonDay Live Service

Today was a full day! We started off by taking Kemp to church after spending the night with GranJan and Big T!  I did the altar,(I'm the official "altar person"! BUT, at least now I have 2 more people signed up to help with the Worship Committee! Hurrah!. Natalie sang , as usual ,at SonDay Live (at Riverchase United Methodist Church where we attend for those who don't know!). But, today I made some pictures! I didn't use a flash b/c I didn't want to take away from the mood of the service. So, some of the pictures are fuzzy. The cute blonde guy is our MINISTER! He's only 25 years old but he sure can preach! The 2 guys singing together , one is Seth  (who always sings at our service), but the other is Alehandro from Venezuela who sings with the Hispanic ministry(they also use our facilities@ RUMC). He sang in Spanish while Seth sang in English. It was beautiful!It's funny because both lead girl singers are named NATALIE! Natalie & Natalie! ......We also went to  HOMESTEAD HOLLOW after church with Nat/Brad/Kemp, IN THEIR NEW CAR!!!!!!(more on that later, too!A "FREESTYLE"!)  We met /Michael/Lily/Katie there . It was crowded, but fun (and hey, we got to be with lots of rednecks! LOTS of rednecks! One was talking to her husband who was at TALLEDEGA while we were waiting to get lunch at the HILLBILLY cafe and was saying ON HER CELL PHONE FOR ALL TO HEAR,"Hey, honey! Has there been any WRECKS?!". Good grief!). I will post those pix tomorrow. Too TIRED to put anymore on tonight!(a "good" tired, tho!). Kemp was EXHAUSTED after such a big week-end....... Then, after we  left Nat/Brad's  we went to WalMart  and we ran into Pat/Stefanie! How Funny!....more later! YAWN!

Sweet, SWEET Laura!

Laura came in today with TWO packages! She said one was for me and the other one for Katie! Inside MY box was the MOST BEAUTIFUL angel tree topper! She is just GORGEOUS! Her wings change colors and she is just beautiful. It brought tears to my eyes, not just the wonderful gift--- LAURA HERSELF is a gift to me!!! And I am SO BLESSED  just having Laura come every week to my house for over 23 years now! What would I do without Laura? She used to come 3 days a week when they children were young, now we don't have nearly as much to wash so now we mostly enjoy each other's company! We love to drink coffee together first thing in the morning; start washing; chatting about all the week's events; laugh about our grandkids antics; gripe about Auburn winning and Alabama losing;  watch the news; eat lunch  (we love lunch!)and never stop talking! I love Laura so much. She is like a sister to me and I can't imagine my life without her!......Oh! and she gave Katie an ADORABLE jewelry "tree" (I forgot to make a picture!). Here's some shots from today!

enjoying the back porch

It's finally getting cooler! HURRAH! SO, with cooler days in the future, I moved the cats off the back porch and put some TOYS there instead. It's been just TOO HOT for the little ones to go out there the past few months, but hopefully, the next couple of months they can enjoy playing out there. I love my porch swing!!!!! It was cooler tonight and I sat there and "swang" while Katie practiced her talk for Chrysalis. (it's awesome!). I can't wait for Kemp/Lily to come over and see how GranJan has fixed them a little play area on the back porch. Hopefully, we'll get plenty of  back porch time before COLD weather comes ! (will COLD weather EVER come?!).......

By the way, MAGGIE (the cat!), is now 16 1/2 years old and still going strong! We tried to get a pix of Jezebelle but she wouldn't co-operate! She is 7 years old and BUDDY is a young 15 years old! SWEET sweet little animals!

My Mimi

Yesterday was "MIMI HAIR DAY". Yes, my 92 year old mother goes every other week to get her hair "done". Of COURSE, she can't go at HearthStone (at the salon where she lives!), she  has to go back to the same woman who has fixed it for 35 years or so (down in yukky East Lake!)! Judy and I (and sometimes Dean!) take turns taking her.  Round trip from here to there---ummmmmmm---60 miles?! Takes me longer to GET there  than to fix her hair! HAHA! But she loves Glenda, who has fixed it all those years. Glenda is so sweet and Mimi calls her "my other daughter!" I've made pictures there before---last year when I took Lily with us, but Katie wanted some "pictures of my MIMI" so she told me to take her new digital camera and make some pix of her yesterday! I'm so glad I did! I LOVE Katie's new little camera. It makes GREAT pix and it's soooooo easy to put in your purse! Not big/bulky like mine! And the viewfinder is HUGE! I can SEE the shots without my glasses! I might just have to steal it ...Wondering about MIMI riding in my little Buglet?  Actually, she loves my little blue Volkswagen and she can get in and out of it very well b/c it is low enough for her to get in/out very easily. We pop the walker in the back seat and off we go. Sometimes we go to eat lunch afterwards, sometimes I run into Dollar General and get her some "surprises"(like yesterday!) and sometimes I just sit there and chat with the other blue haired ladies in the salon....Since she couldn't go see Katie on Saturday night, I had to take her the program. She said, "What was wrong with those judges???? Why didn't they pick KATIE to WIN?!" Drat! I knew those judges should have called my mother to be the 5th judge!

P.S. Don't you LOVE the pix of Mimi in her PINK sunglasses? Katie gave them to her last year! She got them at CLAIRE'S at the Galleria (the shop for young girls!). I think Mimi looks HOT in those glasses!

OH NO! She's got a new secret weapon!!!!!!!!!

OH NO! Just when I least expect it, now Katie has a weapon to PAY ME BACK for all the times I've caught her unaware making photos! Yes, Katie has a camera!!!  It is the cutest thing! Makes great pix!  It  also makes great video clips. She had a digital but it just wasn't any good. So, she sucked it up and bought a better one. It's really great! I'm going to add some pictures she made too.She took it yesterday but only made one picture b/c she was so busy! That's o.k., she'll make up for it now that she's not busy doing pageant stuff! HAHA! I better WATCH OUT! She'll be hiding around the corner when I least expect it and someone just might say, "SURPRISE! You're on CANDID CAMERA!"

By the way, I have one up on her b/c I made her pix WITHOUT MAKE UP on! HA!

JUDGES needed GLASSES last night! HAHA

Well, this morning there are 21 "Misses" and 32 "teens" feeling just like Katie does this morning! Disappointed they didn't get the crown! (I think they ALL should get a crown! HAHA!  56 little crowns!).Yes, you figured out  by now that Katie Bug didn't grab the crown, but she sure grabbed the love and cheers from her family and friends.  From the K-A-T-I-E sign to the whistles from Pat she HEARD us on stage, that's for sure! And she looked GORGEOUS! Since they said, "ABSOLUTELY NO PHOTOS" I had to SNEAK my camera to make a few without a flash. As you can see they are terrible pix!!!!!!! BUT, at least you can see for yourself that the judges needed glasses as KATIE should've taken first place ! (as only a mom would say!)........KATIE, you made us proud! But, you make us proud EVERYDAY just by being who you are! You looked gorgeous (as always!) and we all were so proud of you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HERE'S TO YOU, QUEEN CUTIE--YOU RULE in the FRY HOUSE!

 (and I'm not holding grudges against the judges either! HAHAHAHA)