Last Days Of May

May has had a lot going on.

It starts off the with kick off of swimming season. Isn't she the cutest?

And the discovery of a new nail polish. It's called Shatter Polish and you put a coat over an under color and you get this awesome crackle look. I love!

More pool time with my favorite girls.

It's officially "kini" season!

And baby girl likes to bake so we spent an evening making cupcakes.

Yum!

No cup cake is complete without sprinkles.

We also took a Sunday and went back to the church that my Dad pastored when I was 5 and 6 years old. See the house to the right? That's where we lived. Right there next to the church on the property.

I hadn't been back there in about 39 years. Wow. It was really nice to be back. I actually did remember some of the people there.

My oldest son turned 27. Whew, that makes me.....err...ummmm....older, I guess.

My youngest son went to the Prom.

Aren't they just gorgeous? I took a couple of hundred photos of them. That's all.

So sweet,

And speaking of sweet. I was spoiled by a few of my favorite things because it was Mothers Day and my birthday.

Purple balloons I love and it makes turning another year older not as upsetting as it could be.

Flowers from my daughter. Beautiful.

Cheesecake # 1.

Birthday cake # 1. Guess who took a bite?

Cheesecake # 2.

They did spoil me for sure. This month has brought a lot of things and I am thankful for them all!

Mr. Sandman

Well, this is a first for me and possibly for you.

I am more of a visual person and posting a blog without a picture is just ... well...against the law!

I guess in Jana's law.

I love to see a picture with words.

I think I used my Childs Picture Bible until I got married! But, to walk in my bedroom and take a picture of an old, dilapidated pillow...well...just couldn't do it.

( it really ain't pretty)

So, here's my story.

It's bedtime.

We are going to bed.

I get distracted with some picking up and putting away and by the time

I take out my contacts,

brush my teeth,

wash my face,

put on my eye cream and lotion,

well...my Ray Ray is fast asleep. It was a long day.

So, I take some time to put on more lotion.

Strange thing that women over the age of 40 do alot.

Then I surf a few channels and get caught up in a mystery and about an hour later, I am ready to get some sleep.

I have two pillows.

One for my head.

One for inbetween my legs.

I started doing that for comfort when I was pregnant 27 years ago and I seriously cannot sleep without it there.

The one that goes inbetween my legs is my most favorite earthly possesion. It is a pillow that Ray Ray bought my for Chrismas about five years ago and it is the softest pillow....EVER.

And the pillowcase is from some sheets I bought years ago from TJ Maxx and they are just soft.

I mean so soft.

I mean hugging this pillow is a spiritual experience.

I mean really, if this pillow was missing I would cry.

I would grieve.

I once loaned it to my Daughter in law

to hug on while she was in labor and the week it was gone, I hardly slept at all.

So back to that night. I reach for my pillow and it isn't there.

A different pillow is in it's place. I look all around.

Well, it's dark. I feel all around.

I can't find it.

Panick.

I keep feeling and oh....no....the worst possible thing....it's under Ray Ray's head. He accidentally took my pillow. He accidentally took my pillow!!!

I seriously was starting to have heart palpitations.

I didn't know what to do.

He was so tired and just having such a peaceful sleep with my, my, special love pillow and I can't sleep without it snuggled inbetween my legs and up near my chest and me hugging it. So...the battle begins in my mind.

Me: I can't sleep without it.

me: But, he's had such a long day and you don't want to wake him up.

*crickets*

Me: If you pull it out and switch it really quickly, he might not even notice.

me: He would notice.

*crickets*

Me: I need that.

me: He's having such a good time with it.

Me: I'm not gonna sleep good and I'll be so tired in the morning.

me: He has to work all day and don't you want him to have a better nights sleep more than you?

Me: Yes.

*more crickets*

me:Yes.

So, I left the pillow under his precious sleeping head.

I took the substitute pillow and got as comfortable as I could and eventually drifted off to sleep.

And I did sleep.

And I wasn't tired in the morning.

And I was surprised.

( really surprised)

And when I was making up the bed the next morning, I made sure the pillow was put back on my side. I guess I can do without it. But, until it completely falls apart, I don't want to!

Time Marches On

How cool to have a friend that you were really a friend with before you were ever born!

My friend and I were expecting at the same time. Ryan was born in January and Michael in May. They were best buddies for years. I loved watching them play together. They took care of each other. Stood up for each other. They took Taekwondo together. They collected baseball cards together. They laughed a lot! They went to the beach together and then slept with their cute little sunburns the whole way home.

They were in Royal Rangers together.

Once Michael got in big trouble with their teacher for helping Ryan with the answers behind the teachers back.

And they helped each other pass all the steps to get their badges.

And they had the same taste in clothes!

( This was Easter Sunday one year.)

And then we moved to another church and the boys didn't see each other as much. And as they grew into teens, less and less. But, they had a friendship that was so special and a couple of weeks ago, we got to see Ryan again.

And here they are. Grown men. Still friends. Michael and Ryan.

Very cool.

Colors of the Wind

With spring coming, the back porch furniture told me they thought they were needing some color. I thought that was a good move. So...the back porch color make-over project began. Funny, it hadn't rained in forever but, about the time we got everything set up to paint. Down came the rain. This was my Grannie Creels front porch furniture and she had it for a long time. Even before I was born. It was white and then when I inherited it, I painted it black. I was in a "spray- paint- everything- that -doesn't- have -legs- black" mood for a while.

Here I am on the front steps of my Grannies house when I was about 18 months old. I am the one in the middle with the cast on her leg. Yep, broke my leg. Still have that cast in storage. I know. Gross. I guess I'm attached to seeing how little I used to be. See the chair in the background? Same one that's about to get some new color.

I don't know who the boys were. Wow, even back then... all the boys just flocked around my sides. Ha! Some things just never change.

Some sanding.

A lot of spray paint. A lot. More than I thought.

And everything looks happy, fresh and new. What do you think?

It makes coming out to sit on the back porch a little more inviting.

Look at my little helper! She loves to sweep!

Now, if we can only stop the cats from pooping in all the plants. They are making it stink out there. Silly cats. Any dirt means a litter box to them.

Here's to spray paint and giving old furniture a new look! Hope you like it!

I really do.

"13"

Sometimes in your life you get a chance to be a part of something really special. Something that involves a lot of different people. People you know and people you don't know. It only comes around to a few people. That happened to me. And I will have this in my heart forever.

The Musical, "13" by Jason Robert Brown.

Leon High School has the greatest Performing Arts Department

E V E R!

I was priviledged to be in their band as they performed this show last October and they did soooo good that they were invited to perform it at State in Tampa on March 18th. And they took us, the band with them. I mean there is some serious talent within this group of teenagers. They can sing. They can dance. They can act. They can make you laugh. They can make you cry. And they make me SMILE everytime I see them.

The teachers that worked with them are the very best and they were able to get the very best performance out of each one there. I met some teens that I will never forget and I already miss seeing them.

This show covered all aspects of the musical theatre world. The stage hands and sound techs were so professional and worked so hard in Tallahassee and in Tampa. The sets were very professional and the lighting was A plus plus.

The music in this show was a challenge for me personally and it took me a solid week of playing hours a day to get where I could read through it. Jason Robert Brown doesn't keep anything simple and I am so glad to say I can play some of his music now. And if you know anything about key signatures. Lets just say that the more flats and sharps, the better he likes it.

The way it works is the school rents the music books for a hefty price and we can use them but, we have to return them when the show is over. I miss my book already as I just love those songs.

I'll be singing them the rest of my life.

The show was centered around a boy, Evan, who was about to turn, "13" and everything in his life was a pending disaster. His parents divorced, he had to move away and make new friends and go to a new school. He was going to have his "Bar Mitzvah" and needed cool kids to come to his party.

He goes to great lengths to make friends and it all blows up in his face. The show covers many of the topics that 13 year olds face every day.

It ends with a song, that the kids absolutely nail time and time again.

I never failed to get musical chill bumps at every practice and performance.

I was able to take my Grandprincess along to several rehearsals over this 5 month period and she rarely missed a show when they were performing.

During that time, she memorized almost every word to every song and she learned all the dance moves .

Plus....plus....she had her first crush on the main character, Evan. That's him above in the Yankees shirt.

I really think a few of these teens are going to take that talent a long way.

They will be fabulous at whatever they do.

But, a few are going on to do Theatre after graduation.

You can watch some of the bigger numbers on YOUTUBE and we pretty much watch atleast one everyday!

I think we are addicted.

Yep. Pretty sure we all are. The whole family.

Stew played the drums.

Jay played Guitar 2, accoustic and electric.

They are brothers.

Jon played keyboard 2

And Jason played bass.

They are brothers.

My son, played Guitar 1, accoustic and electric.

And I played keyboard 1 and we are Mom and Son.

It was a family band and we enjoyed it more than we can say.

I think we all are having withdrawals. Here's a shout out to the teens of "13" who totally knocked it out of the park with their talent and thanks for letting me be a part! I love you all!