Just Chilling Today

 Girls got here first thing this morning and ran to Poppie. 

Poppie is more interesting than Gmaw this morning I guess. Of course,  they are looking at horses.

Candy date after breakfast 😋 I was out of a few oils in my diffuser and a local Mennonite store carries them. They have alot of organic things too. And candy. I use to take their Daddy and Uncle Dallas to this store because they would want to spend their lock box money here on candy. 

We got back and played outside for a few minutes before it got too hot. 

Lunch and then nap. 

It's ok to let them make their own menu. Why yes, those are covered sunflower seeds. Then a little school with Scout and Violet. I love Leapfrog educational products.

My lunch, Fresh salad from my Aerogarden and it's resprouting already. I've got spinach and basil going too.

After nap, they played until daddy came to pick them up. 

After they left, we got ready. 

MUCH NEEDED date night for us youngsters. 😁😁 Dinner and a movie. Catch y'all later. 

A Tribute To A Great Man

 

103 years ago a very special human being was born into the Oliver family. His name was Benjamin Franklin Oliver Sr. He is a 4th generation Oliver from the Oliver's of Cades Cove (which makes me a 6th generation). I affectionately called him PaPa (that's how he spelled it). He led a very full life. He worked the fields as a young kid singing hymns my great grandparents taught him. He knew what hard work was and how to live off the land. They had to in order to survive. When he was a young man , he went into the Army and was in WWII.  He was severely wounded when a bomb exploded behind him running to a fox hole. The bomb took his  best friend. 

He was transported to Germany for many surgeries to remove shrapnel from the back of his neck. His two hands were severely burned along with other parts of his body. He lost several fingers on one hand and the other was nerve damage and left it crippled. He learned to write left handed. My grandmother received news that he had been wounded in action and went for a year not knowing if he was alive or dead. She got word a yr later where he was and they sent her a train ticket to come to where he was recovering. My PaPa made a promise to God that if he let him live to see his family that he would serve him the rest of his life and that's exactly what he did. He surrendered to preach. He loved the Lord and his family and lived his life loving others enough to save their souls.  He preached until his health couldn't hold up. He loved my grandmother with a devotion and passion like no other. He raised his kids to love the Lord. His love and knowledge has been passed down to all of us. I learned so much as a kid as I would spend summers and basically anytime I could with my grandparents. I loved seeing him behind a pulpit. That's just where he belonged. My grandmother would brag about how handsome he was. And she was right. Happy Birthday in Heaven PaPa. I love and miss you. I sure could use some of your advice now a days. 

A Sun Shiney Day

 As soon as our girls got here this morning, we cooked and ate breakfast 

 Some times you just have to sneak in good things to eat with a few sprinkles and whipped cream. Whole wheat waffles with sweet potatoes and bananas. 😁😁😁

After breakfast, we put on some play clothes and headed outside. First, we checked our little peppers and tomatoes. They were taste tested right on the spot. Literally.  

We then cleaned their play house out. I am so behind in doing that. Thank should have been done in the spring. Oh well, it's done now. 

I turned their splash pad on to stay cool. Even frogs need water. 

Lunch time

We were so exhausted when we came in and changed clothes. We took a much needed nap. When we woke up it was time for Daddy to get off work and get them. 

Me and dear hubby ran to town and got a few groceries.  

Now it's movie time with my sweetheart. 

Great Birthday Week

 When your sweetheart makes you an immaculate dinner for your bday. Biscuits, pork chops, cajun sausage,  shrimp, and crab cakes.

You know the ole saying,  "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach?" Well, that would be me. Yep, me. Me Me Me. 🙋‍♀️🙋‍♀️🙋‍♀️🙋‍♀️🙋‍♀️thank you sweetheart.

The next day, Me, dear hubby and Dallas went to a place I've been wanting to go to for a long time. It is a restaurant hewn out of a cliff in AL.   It is called Rattlesnake Saloon. 

Oh, Look, it's Jimmi Hendrix. Can I have your autograph?

The next day, me and my Momma met my sisters in AL  for a much needed HOME trip. 

It's so nice to go back home every once in a while. AL calls my name. We got the chance to have a picnic with MaMa and PaPa. MaMa was a picnic packing queen. She always fried chicken, packed corn on the cob, potato salad, watermelon, fried apple pies and tea. Oh, and her famous cookies. Well, we had her cookies today. 

It felt nice to clean and decorate. It's been a long time. 

We rode around to some old childhood homes. So many memories. We had many pictures on that front porch.  It was a relief to know that the couple who lives there now are children of a couple that were friends with MaMa and PaPa. 

We got a chance to tell alot of stories. 

The church where PaPa use to pastor holds alot of memories of many years of  VBS in the basement where MaMa taught classes. The study beside a child hood home that PaPa use to use to study for his sermons. 

It was a very good day of just reminiscing.

Then it was Buckin' On The River with my favorite cowboys and cowgirls. The girls really enjoyed the girls barrel racing.  8 yr old little girl sang the National Anthem.  The youngest competitor was 11 yrs old from GA.  The girls thought mommy might have been with the ambulance crew. They were kind of disappointed that she was not one of them.  But all in all it was good. Saw and cheered for some cousins who competed. 

So......this barn and horses is 20 yrs old. They were Dakotas. Then Dallas played with them. Now it's their turn. ❤❤🐴🐴🐂🐂🇺🇸🇺🇸

I have a new maid. Meet Hazel. It is so neat to turn this baby on and sit down and watch a movie with my sweetheart. I snatched it up when it was half off on Amazon Prime Day. 

I sat one day and sewed Atleigh some cases for her electronics. 

So yesterday, I had a copy cat. She said she has to look beautiful for Poppie. Girl don't even know she is already beautiful in God's eyes. But she was still excited to look and smell nice.

Inspecting dirt on Gmaws floor, oh wait, that's a sprinkle. 

I bought these books around 10 or so years ago. I'm going through it again. You can teach an old dog new tricks. Let's just say, after just the first chapter, I have a whole lot of work to do. ❤

This is the face I got after I gave her Poppie a kiss. 

Caroline thought after nap time today, it was time for her stuffed animals to take a nap.

Yesterday me and scrappie butted heads all day. But when she hugs you in her own time and mood, it all goes away. ❤❤

I don't know if I have updated everyone or not but dear hubby's sister is not doing good.  She wound up in ICU for a week with a tear in her lung and fluid built up so bad she was swollen and unrecognizable.  They got the fluid out and kept her in there a few days longer to observe her. She was on the mend so they asked to transfer her to a nursing home for rehab. The nursing home we requested was one that his other sister use to be the administrator of. She knows everyone and trusts them. They got her there and settled. However, she has done nothing but sleep and is not eating hardly anything. They can't start rehab with her like this. We have got to talk to the nurses and her Dr. 

Hopefully we can get her established.  It is a family affair and she still has to make her own decisions and let her family know her wishes. 

As for now, it's nap time. 😴 

Lots of Busy Things

 We have been busy aroud here still. 

Guys with jacked up trucks and long legs have no consideration when their short legged little momma has to drive their truck. This is literally how I see over the steering wheel.  😳🤦‍♀️

Been having fun with my besties.

No morning is complete without rainbow pancakes. With Whipped cream and sprinkles of course.

Or we have something like this

Breakfast of champions. Rainbow 🌈 pancakes with sprinkles and oranges. Then chaffle with blueberries 🫐 strawberries 🍓 and blackberries.

I swear, Atleigh has my back all the time with, "Gmaw, you gotta pee?"  😒 😅 Bless her, she knows me.

My Ranger riding, berry picking buddies.

When you know you're too big for the splash pad but they say, "Get in Gmaw!" Gmaw gotta do what a Gmaw gotta do.

When your granddaughter says, "Gmaw, you take care of me. I love you.!" The water works wanna flow but you can't let them see you cry. 😖😭😁❤

Yes child, I have and always will. ❤

Caroline doesn't think I have enough babies so she hooked me up this morning.

Planned a day to meet my momma for Grab Your Granny Day and went swimming and had a picnic. We didn't get to do alot of this last year because of the pandemic but we got back to it this year. 

We spent all day at the river. We were exhausted.  

We celebrated the 4th very differently this year. Every year we entertain big time for our family and friends. We have alot of people, tons of food, games, and fireworks display. This year it was just me, dear hubby, Dallas and the girls. Dallas girlfriend Brylee had to work, Dakota decided he wanted to hang with friend, dear hubby was exhausted from being at the hospital with his sister, so we were determined to have some normalcy and grilled some hot dogs and shot some fireworks for the girls. 

We managed to have ice cream cones for dessert. Me: "Atleigh, it's gonna be late when we get done shooting fireworks,  do you just want to spend the night with Poppie and  Gmaw?

Atleigh: "Of course!" 

What was I thinking. I should have known the answer to that. 🤦‍♀️

Processing cheese and these little mice stealing it.....😁🐀🐹

Just a girl and her Poppie. She's stealing my sugar also. 

Naptime snuggles

If she ever comes up missing, just find Poppie then you will find her. ❤