It's Tuesday ...

Griffin and I went Christmas shopping today. We went to the mall to meet friends for a playdate at the mall play area, lunch, then just a little Christmas shopping. It was nice to get out of the house. It's cold here ... in the 20s. We had to bundle up, which makes getting Griffin in the car seat and stroller SO much fun. This time of year everything I touch SHOCKS me ... I hate that!! I'm so scared to touch anything for fear of getting shocked ... LOL.

Thought I would share a cute picture I took of Griffin while we were in Florida. He is playing with Daddy's Tonka toy that we found in Bett's attic. It's over 30 years old! How cute is that?? There are actually three of them and we plan to bring them home with us next time we visit Florida.

Ganglion Cyst ...

Yesterday morning when I got Griffin out of his crib I noticed a knot on the top of his hand. Mike and I discussed it and decided we would keep an eye on it, thinking he may have hit it or something. This morning it was still there and it really worried me. I decided to take him to the doctor. I took him in and the first doctor told me that it was called a "Ganglion Cyst" and then she said "But I'm not sure what to do about it". She went to get the elder doctor (the one that nothing bothers and I do not like seeing) and his response was "Oh Mama, it's been there, you've just never noticed it before". And then he goes on to say ... want to know how they got rid of them in the olden days? They would slam a book down on the hand and rupture the cyst. Okay ....

It was never there before. Each time after I change Griffin's diaper, I put him on the floor, then steady him and give his hands a sweet little rub. That's one of our little lovely things we do. If it was there before I would have known.

Apparently this is very common. I have never heard about them before. The doctor said more than likely it will go away by itself. Or, it could get bigger. If it gets bigger then it can be surgically removed. Let's put it this way ... I am NOT slamming a book down on my child's hand to rupture it.

This is what I found online about the Ganglion Cyst:

A ganglion cyst is a bump or mass that forms under the skin. Most commonly, ganglions are seen on the wrist (usually the back side) and fingers, but they can also develop around joints on the shoulder, elbow, knee, hip, ankle and foot. Ganglion cysts form when tissues surrounding certain joints become inflamed and swell up with lubricating fluid. They can increase in size when the tissue is irritated and often can "disappear" spontaneously. These masses or cysts appear to grow sometimes but they are not tumours or cancerous.

So ... will everyone say a little prayer that it will just go away??

Waaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!

Waaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh ... LOL ... just kidding. I really want to put up our Christmas Tree, but Mike is outside helping our neighbor men fix our road. I really want to tell you what kind of road it is ... but my brain is NOT working. I keep coming up with the word "granite", but I know that's not it. It's the big rocks they put down ... when I think of what it's called I will let you know. It's really a mess with holes and stuff and it really needs to be fixed before the snow comes this year. Three of our neighbor men were outside working on it and Mike saw them and felt it was his duty to go help.

I really love that about him. The Christmas Tree can wait.

Doing neighborly stuff and getting our road repaired is much more important. I haven't taken pictures because my husband would KILL me ... but they all look so cute out there on their individual tractors doing their thing. Good quality "man" stuff.

Savannah, The Lady & Sons, & We're Home!

Howdy Everyone!! We are finally home from vacation. It was soooo nice to have some time away ... but it's really nice to be home ... sleeping in our own bed and being home with all of our own "stuff".

We left Florida on Wednesday afternoon and stopped by Savannah, GA for the evening. We were hoping to get into Paula Deen's restaurant The Lady & Sons on Thursday afternoon for lunch. I had looked online and they suggested getting to the Host Station by 9:30 am to have our names added to the list as lunch begins at 11:00 am. I was beside myself ... would we actually get in??? Well ... Wednesday night we decided to head out to get something for dinner. I asked Mike to just drive by The Lady & Sons to see how long the line was. It was only a couple of blocks from our hotel. Get this ... there was NO line. So I hopped out of the car and Mike circled the block while I went up to the Host Station to see if we could possibly get in for dinner. The hostess said ... "Sure, no problem". Oh my GAWD!!! I was astounded. Everything I've seen, heard and read said it's next to impossible to get in. Even the concierge at our hotel said it was wise to get there early in the morning to get our names in.

Mike parked the car across the street in "Hal's Parking Lot" ... $8.00 to park, but it was right across the street from the restaurant, and the majority of the parking downtown Savannah is parallel parking, with hardly any vacancies.

I think the restaurant is three stories ... we ate on the first floor. Immediately after seating us, they brought each of us a fried hoe cake (Yum!) and a cheese biscuit. They have a menu you can order from and they also have the buffett. It's full of all of our southern favorites such as fried chicken, pot roast, collard greens, mashed potatos, sweet potatos, green beens, lima beans, baked macoroni and cheese, creamed corn and a few other things I can't remember. For those of you that have ever been to Buddy Freddy's in Plant City, FL it's alot like that. The food was delicious and the service was wonderful.

I did take a few pictures to share ... I really wanted to take more, but I felt really funny about it. I asked the waitress if I could take pictures and she said "Of course" ... but still ... no one else wasn't taking pictures and I didn't want to look like a stalker ... LOL.

So here's a few pictures I took ...


It's official ... we've been to The Lady & Sons


The front door ... enter into a world of pure Southern charm and awesome food!


We sat directly across from the little gift shop in the restaurant. Griffin kept flirting with these girls.


Mike and Griffin enjoying a fabulous meal!

For those of you not familiar with who Paula Dean is ... she's this fabulous celebrity cook from The Food Network. Not only does she have The Lady & Sons Restaurant, she also has two cooking shows. One is called Paula's Home Cooking and the other Paula's Party. They are both wonderful!! She also has a line of cookbooks and a magazine. Check out her website ... its' awesome!!

Well ... it's our last night in Florida. I've already blogged today, however I will not be online for a few days as we make our way back to Virginia. I just thought I would let everyone know I will "miss" you and look forward to being back online to catch up soon. We've had a really great time during our visit. It's sad to say good-bye to our family and friends, but it's time to head home. Mike will be returning home in the wee-hours tomorrow morning, once rested we will head back on I-95 North. I must say ... I'm a tad excited ... guess where we are stopping on the way back home??? Savannah!!!! Okay ... I'm more than a tad excited ... I'm VERY excited!! We plan to go to Paula Deen's restaurant (The Lady & Sons) ... they offered recommendations online on how to get seated and not have to wait in the long line. Wish us luck that we can get seated and eat ... and maybe, just maybe we might get a glimpse of Miss Paula or one of her boys! Wouldn't that be just awesome?? Anyway ... I am beyond excited and I have the most terrific husband in the world for suggesting this.

I hope this isn't too morbib ... but I really wanted to post this.

As many of my blog visitors may know, we lost our dear sweet Wyatt back in August. For those that don't know who Wyatt is, he was our beloved 11 year old dalmatian. When he passed away his remains were creamated and placed in a beautiful ivory urn. We decided that we wanted his final resting place to be at home in Florida. We had a very lovely burial ceremony on Thanksgiving Sunday while all of those that loved him were here. I bought this sweet doggie angel statue years ago, never realizing it would one day mark our sweet Wyatt's grave.



May you rest in peace dear sweet boy. We love you.

Bett's Surprise 60th Birthday Party ...

First ... I would like to say thank you to Cassandra and Stacie for stopping by to say hi! It's so nice knowing who visits my blog!

Yesterday we celebrated my mother-in-law's (Bett) 60th birthday with a surprise party. Her best-friend Marybell and I had organized it over the past few months and it went off without a hitch. She was sooo surprised and delighted. We gathered about 20 of her closest friends for a Ladies Luncheon at Christy's Sundown Restaurant in Winter Haven.


This is Bett with the DELICIOUS carrott cake Marybell made ... it was the BEST cake I've ever tasted. Yum!! This is a picture of Bett, Marybell, Mary Jean and Linda


The Ladies admiring a handmade gift that Nadine had made


More gifts ...


The only "fella" at the party ...

I've said this before ... and I will say it over and over. My mother-in-law is the BEST! She is one special lady ... she's the strongest person I know, yet at the same time she has a huge heart. I feel very lucky to have you as a "Mom".

I **LOVE** COMMENTS!

I'm the first to admit it ... I LOVE COMMENTS!! Alot of people visit my blog each day, yet only a few of my dear blogger friends leave comments!! I would love, love, triple love for my frequent visitors to leave a comment. It will put a big smile on my face if you do ... I promise I don't bite! I have to admit, I am DYING to know who visits from Los Angelos, CA!

Oranges Straight From The Tree ...

Yet another thing I forgot about ... oranges straight from the tree.

It's so nice to be able to walk outside and pick an orange or grapefruit straight from the tree. It's amazing what we forget about until we have the ability to once again do it.


Grandma & Griffin picking oranges


Griffin & Sara ... Grandma Bett's dog ... Bett is Mike's Mom, we stay at her house when we visit


Our little fruit picker ...

This is Florida ...

Okay ... I admit it ... I wish Griffin could grow up in Central Florida as Mike and I did. I really, really miss being here on days like this. It was absolutely beautiful outside. The sky was blue, it was in the mid-70s and the wind was blowing slightly. Don't get me wrong, I love Virginia ... we live in such a beautiful area, and it's as different from Winter Haven as possible. But, we have family here and being here reminds me just how much I love and miss it.


Isn't the sky beautiful? I tried cropping this image to remove my arm out of it, however it distorted the image too much ... so I left it as it is.


Griffin running through the tall grass behind Bett (Grandma) and Joe's (Grandpa) house picking wild flowers (weeds)


Uh Oh ... he discovered the moss in the trees ... that's something else I miss ... MOSS ... can you even believe that? It such a southern thing.


Growing up I was never allowed to touch moss. My Dad always said it was covered with red ants. Bett assured me it was fine he was touching and playing with it.

Pop & Nana's Gardens

Ray & Jeri (Mike's Dad & Step-Mother) live in a beautiful log home in Davenport. They have the most GORGEOUS garden! I thought I would share pictures of their lovely garden ... it's this gorgeous during the winter ... can you imagine what it looks like during the spring and summer?


Ray (Pop) walking along the side of the house


Jeri (Nana) enjoying her garden


They have collected rocks, jewels, marble, dishes, etc and created these adorable scenes along the walkway. This one looks a little like a heart ... it's actually a crab ... do you see it?


And this is a frog ... so cute!!


Do these flowers look familiar? We stood under these when we were trying to get pictures for our Christmas cards taken


Jeri & Mike


More beautiful flowers


One of the many walk-ways


The swing area ...


Griffin taking a stroll in Pop & Nana's Garden ...

Yard Sales & Thrift Stores

I really want to go yard saling and to thrift stores today. It's 7:15 am and Griffin is still sleeping. I'm thinking we might have fun doing this together. We are going to North Lakeland shopping and to dinner tonight with Bett and Joe ... but I'm really getting cabin fever already this morning. Hope everyone has a great Saturday!

Andi, Uncle Santa & The Festival Of Trees

As you may know we are currently in Florida on vacation.

My friend ANDI, Griffin and I met today for lunch at Olive Garden ... it was so nice to catch up and chat. The food was delicious but the company was even better. It was soooo nice to see Andi.


After lunch we headed over to an annual event they have every year in Winter Haven. It's called "The Festival of Trees" and it's so lovely. Trees are decorated in many different themes and they have many things for children to do.


For me, the highlight of the event every year is seeing Santa Claus. This is a very, very special Santa. Santa is actually my brother Jerome. He plays Santa during the holiday season at many different events. So it's nice to be able to go and visit with "Uncle Santa". Griffin walked right up to Santa, he wasn't scared at all. That made "Uncle Santa" very, very happy I think. The picture above is of Santa, Andi and Griffin. The picture below is Santa, Griffin and Me.


This is a look at several of the different Christmas Trees


And even more trees ...


This year they also had a Gingerbread House contest ... it was fabulous!
Here you will see my favorite three Gingerbread Houses


This is a McDonald's Restaurant Gingerbread House


This is a Log Cabin Gingerbread Church


And finally ... my favorite I think ... The Orange Dome Gingerbread House. Anyone from Winter Haven knows about the Orange Dome ... it's a staple around here. It houses the "Florida Citrus Showcase" ... they have the Orange Festival on the grounds here every year. At one point they painted it like a big baseball because the Cleveland Indians spring train here in Winter Haven, however they have painted it back to look like and orange ... the way it's SUPPOSED to be.

Wow ... coming home makes me miss it even more. What a GREAT day!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!

Happy, Happy, Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!

Mike, Griffin and I are on vacation in Florida ... no ... we are not at Disney World. We are "home" in Winter Haven. We are actually from Central Florida (about 45 minutes from Disney). We only moved to Virginia three years ago, and we still consider Winter Haven home because this is where most of our family is.

We arrived late on Saturday night ... only 13 and a half hours in the car instead of 16. Griffin did really well, we were quite proud of him.

My mother-in-law had her Thanksgiving get-together on Sunday. It was nice to see lots of family and friends. Monday we just hung out around the house and relaxed. Tuesday we went to town, had lunch at Nell's (yummy right Andi??)and then spent some time with Mike's Dad Ray and Step-Mom Jeri. Wednesday we visited friends of ours in Kissimmee, went to Bass Pro Shop's Outdoor World in Orlando and had dinner.

Mike flew out this morning for a hunting trip to Texas with his friend Fred. Griffin and I will be staying here in Winter Haven until Mike returns in a few days. It's nice to have a little extra time here. Today we had a very untraditional Thanksgiving meal ... spaghetti ... but it was GOOOOOOOD!! We had lots of Thanksgiving left-overs in the refrigerator but we were tired of turkey.

We do not have alot going on ... and I'm loving it.

I've taken lots of pictures while we have been here, so I will be sharing some of those in my next post. This picture of the three of us was taken Tuesday at Mike's Dad's and Step-Mom's house. They have absolutely BEAUTIFUL gardens. I'm actually considering using this for our Christmas cards. What do you think??

Quicky Update ...

We are on vacation and I'm just taking a quick moment to say hi ... I will post more later! Missy

Uniquely Michael ...

My sweet husband Mike is unique in alot of ways ... but really ... this has to be one of the most unique ways to rake leaves.


Just get on the lawn mower and blow the leaves into the woods ...


GENIUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just A Little Fun ...

Isn't this fun?



You can visit snapshirts.com and create your own word cloud for your blog. It's really neat ... you enter your blog name and then they scan your blog and create a word cloud for you. If you see words on your created piece that you prefer not to have you can go in and change them.

Give it a try ...

Another Garth Lover ...

Anyone that knows me, knows that I am a HUGE fan of Garth Brooks. Wellll .... we have another Garth fan on our hands ...

The other day Garth Brooks was on Sesame Street. Griffin stopped what he was doing and started dancing and clapping while Garth and the monsters were singing.

Here's proof ...




AFTERNOON UPDATE ...
I just have to share this. I have Griffin's monitor on upstairs and he's just waking up from his nap. We have the radio on in his room when he's sleeping. Anyway ... guess the song that is playing RIGHT now? He's waking up to Garth Brook's "If Tomorrow Never Comes". That was our wedding song. I just thought this was a pretty cool thing since I had just blogged about us loving Garth. TTFN

Friendship ... and stuff

Today was gym day ... much to my dismay I woke up with my sick period headache. Since I didn't get a headache last Thursday (as I usually do) I thought I would be "headache free" this month. No such luck. I was sick, very sick. Of course Griffin woke up early, so when we came downstairs I layed down on the couch. I must have dozed off because when I realized that I had fallen asleep I woke up to find my baby sitting on my feet stroking my leg. He was taking care of me ... my dear sweet angel. I decided to go ahead and go to the gym because G really needed some play time with other kids and I'm really glad I went because I felt much, much better by the time we left the gym. I guess what they say is true ... laughter really is the best medicine.

Since I wasn't feeling good this morning (I didn't even have coffee) I didn't sign on the computer until late afternoon. When I went to check my email I had several emails from my girlfriends asking me where my blog was and checking to make sure I was okay. Apparently something happened with Blogger and my Blog completely disappeared. I don't know what happened ... but it's back now.

I have to tell you ... after getting the emails from my girlfriends wondering if I was okay ... I realized just how lucky I am to have such wonderful friends. I'll be very honest ... it made me feel very special and cared about. When you are alone as much as I am you, it's sometimes nice to know there are people out there that care about you. Don't get me wrong, I know my husband loves me and when he is away from home we talk many times a day ... but it's just really nice to know that my girlfriends cared enough about me to find out what was going on. THANK YOU. You all know who you are and I'm sending you a great big cyber hug and some sweet Griffy kisses too.

So ... let me tell you about this great experience I had ordering from amazon.com. I've never ordered anything from them before. The other day I decided to do a little online Christmas shopping. I ordered on November 10th and they offered free shipping if I chose their "Super Saver Shipping Option". Which basically meant it would ship in 10 days or less. Since Christmas is more than a month away it didn't really need to get here any faster than that. Well, I got an email on November 14th that it had shipped and guess what???? It arrived today!! Oh my goodness I was soooooo happy. If you order from amazon.com and the Super Saver Shipping Option is available on the item you are purchasing I definately recommend it. I give it an A+!


Me ... Oh My ... What could be in this big box from amazon.com????


Why it's a Sesame Street Tool Bench ... now all we have to do is find the drill set!


So let me tell you about our Arby's Restaurant ... it's not just a normal run-of-the-mill Arby's. It's a beautiful huge, lodge looking building. Not only can you get the regular Arby's menu ... you can also get these delicious burritos ...


Not very appetizing you say ?????


How about THIS???? They are delicious ... better than any Mexican restaurant I've ever been to. I'm not sure why or how they sell these (they also offer burrito bowls too). I'm just glad they do. One of these and a small jamocha shake for dinner and I am set!

Now that my headache is gone, I've had a terrific play time with my son, my girlfriends checked up on me, I had a delicious dinner ... AND ... Emmit and Cheryl WON Dancing with the Star! I can go to bed with a smile on my face and happiness in my heart. Love to you all ... good night.

Woo Hoo Hoo Hoo ....

Yessssssssssssssssssssssssssss ....
Emmitt and Cheryl Won ... so glad to see the nice guy win!

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