Take a good look at Dyan Cannon today, ladies…

I always liked Dyan Cannon, I thought she was so beautiful, loved the hair, the laugh, the smile, but lord help, what has this woman done to herself?

Here we go again with the duck lips, the cosmetic surgery the extreme dieting.  This woman is seventy-four years old and she looks like a train wreck.  And here I go again, on that soapbox, ranting about aging in America.  Why do women feel the need to try and look young, when they clearly can’t pull it off?  Why can’t we be okay with our bodies as we age?  Why can’t we embrace our sags and bags, instead of pulling and pinching and tucking and ultimately looking ridiculous instead of natural?

A few years ago, I saw Miss Cannon on a talk show and they were doing a cooking demonstration, making mashed potatoes, and the host could no way get her to take even one bite of those potatoes.  She was horrified, saying they would make her fat.  Well, lady, it’s not too late, you could use a few potatoes to plump up that body a bit.  As for the lips, oh never mind….

I had a total, complete Grammie moment this past weekend…

Oh, I know I must bore all of you with my Grammie stories, but everything she does is just still so brand new to me.

Last weekend, I was talking to Ryan, and I could hear Abby in the background.  She bumped her head, and Ryan said to her, “Abby, did you hurt yourself?”

And this sweet little voice, said crystal clear, “No, I’m fine.”  Oh, it was just so amazing to hear her answer a direct question like that.  Such a thrill…

I’ll try to hold it down, ladies, seriously I will.  But, just think, it won’t be long now until we can have actual phone conversations.  They will probably go something like this.

Me:  “Hi Abby, what’s going on?”

Abby:  “Where’s Bampa?” 

Yep, that’s probably what will happen.  *sigh*

Happy Memorial Day from our famiily to yours....

VPL

Okay, I admit it, I was reading a book, they were talking about VPL, and I was clueless. So I looked it up in the urban dictionary and found out that it means "visible panty lines," so now i'm informed. Do I care, is it important in the overall scheme of things, do I really give a rats hiney about VPL at my age.

Of course not, I could care less, I'm just sayin...

New Orleans ‘2011

I always look forward to John and Deanna’s trips.  They send me a steady stream of pictures, and I feel like I’ve been on vacation, myself…

My pretty little daughter-in-law-to-be looks like she’s having a great time.  Oh, what I wouldn’t give for one of those beignet’s from Café Du Monde with my morning coffee…

A few of her favorite things…

We visited Ryan, and Lindsay last week.  “Bampa” took Abby a Barbie tent and big building blocks, both of which were a huge hit.

Here she sits, with her favorite elephant chair from Lindsay’s parents, her sippy cup and her blocks.  She played for hours surrounded by these toys.

She simply adores “Bampa.”  There are no other words to describe it.  Me, she tolerates, occasionally doling out a quick hug and a big smile, but the good stuff she reserves for him.  Despite all my coaxing, I’ve only gotten an occasional “Naneeeeeeee” from her, when I try and get her to say “Grammie,” but she constantly says “Bampa,” holding up those little arms for him to pick her up.   Grrrrrrrrrrr!!!

My friend Nisha told me last night that it might be 4-5 years before she gives up the obsession with LC and turns her attention to me.  Geezy Pete, lets hope she’s wrong, I’ll be really old(er) in another five years!!!!! I tried all the tricks, too, even bribing her with videos on my iPad.  She would sit on my lap for just a little while, then she was back in the tent. 

I won’t give up, though, I’ll try a new tactic next time.  If it were her Daddy, I could always bribe him with cookies, unfortunately Miss Abigail doesn’t seem to care for them at this point, but I’ll keep trying, who knows, maybe she’ll decide she likes cookies the next visit…

The most amazing German Potato salad, EVER!!!

Oh, do I have a recipe for you, ladies. My neighbor is a German lady, ninety-three years young, and she gave me her recipe for German Potato Salad.  It’s the best potato salad you will ever put in your mouth, pinkie swear, it is. 

I’m posting it on Jan Can Cook. If you want something absolutely amazing this Memorial Day Weekend, try this recipe.  It’s WORLD CLASS!!!

Here’s the quick click…

~ jan

Arnold Schwartzenegger, I've got a Secret....

Well the past few days have been interesting, to say the least.  Those of us who are of a certain "age" have lived through a lot.  We cut our teeth on the Kennedy "bad boys."  We were shocked to hear about JFK frolicking in the White House pool with a bevy of naked women.  We were appalled to learn that he and his brother "shared" Marilyn Monroe,  we were horrified to find out that a drunken Teddy had driven his car off a bridge and left that poor girl to die, and by the time the newer generation of Kennedy's came along, other than the time William Smith raped that girl, we were pretty much desensitized to the family scandals.

Until this week....  I cannot imagine having my housekeeper having, not only a long term affair with my husband, but having a child with him.  This was his housekeeper, the woman who knew the most intimate details of their family life.  She did the laundry, she washed his wife's underwear for god's sake!  She changed the sheets, and emptied the trash in the bathroom, and all the while, knowing that she had slept with this man and had a child with him. This scumbag is the lowest of the low, and the woman is just as bad.   I have never been a fan, I always thought he was pompous and arrogant, a man who's self importance was bolstered by his ties to the Kennedy family.

Maria, however, was always the lady.  Despite her wealth, she was a humanitarian and worked to make a difference for women and children, regardless of economic background.  The poor woman probably turned her cheek in ways that we never even dreamt of.  But what goes around, truly does come around, and this sleazebag is finally getting his cumuppance.

Of course now he is p*ssing and moaning and trying to rebuild his family.  Hogwash, had this woman not threatened to blow the whistle on him, he would have carried this secret to the grave.  What's next for him, a geriatric sex clinic?  Oh puh-leez...

I had to post this picture, ladies.  Not exactly Speedo eye candy, is it?  Maybe, this time, the Terminator is finally EXTERMINATED!!!!!!

Mother’s Day 2011

We had a wonderful Mother’s Day.  The family all came to Heavensville, the weather was lovely, we had brunch on the patio, and enjoyed being together.  Abby is growing so quickly, and is precious beyond words, as all of our grandchildren are.  I hope you enjoy the video.  ~ jan

 

What I've been up to....

Hubby and I spent a couple of days in the yard between rains, and got EVERYTHING planted, I'll post some pictures as soon as I get a chance.  

The family is coming home this weekend, I'm SO excited, it's been awhile since I've seen Ryan, Lindsay and Abby, I can't wait to see how she's changed.  John and Deanna haven't seen her since New Years, oh how she's grown since then! 

We were in Nashville for Easter, I got a new white Ipad 2, which is the just about the neatest thing I've ever owned.  Oh my, it's an awesome thing.  More about that later, too.  Seems like my wheels are spinning here, I need to make a plan, FAST!

It will slow down here soon, I'll be around again, this is just a really busy time of the year for me, but it's so much fun going to the garden centers, picking out the plants, I really enjoyed it this year, despite the icky weather...

~ jan

Carrie Underwood w/Vince Gill How Great Thou Art–Standing Ovation

If you haven’t seen this yet, it’s totally amazing.  What a voice this woman has…

Remember Marcia Clark...

She's had so much work done she's unrecognizable....

Pioneer Woman is coming to Food Network

I just read that my very favorite online person, Pioneer Woman is going to be sharing her own special brand of home cooking in her home late summer.  Premieres August 2011.

And, Trish Yearwood is going to have a series, filmed in her kitchen, it premieres September 2011. WOW, a couple of good ones to look forward to, ladies….

I watched the Judds new show on OWN last night…

I have fond memories of the Judds, I loved their music in the 80’s, and still think that Wy has the best set of pipes on the planet.

So, I’ve been anticipating their documentary on OWN TV, and I caught a couple of episodes last night.  Oh my gracious.  Mama Judd is a bonified wackadoo.  The woman is soooo eccentric.  But I haven’t been so entertained since I saw Tanya Tucker in Tuckerville. 

Wynonna, however, is still magnificent, despite that she has her hair dyed Day-Glo orange and is dating a man named Cactus.  I suspect that both of Judd girls have had a “lot” to deal with in their lifetimes.

The highlight of the show, for me, other than seeing where they live, the horses and the dogs, and the beautiful Tennessee countryside, was watching them eat at the Country Boy Restaurant in Lieper’s Fork, Tennessee.  Yours truly is a huge fan of good ole’ boy diners, and hubby and I ate at Country Boy just a few months ago when we were visiting John and Deanna.  It was so good, beans, cornbread, coleslaw, sweet tea, everything this old country girl, loves…

But back to the Judds, there they sat at a table at Country Boy’s, Mama all decked out in an outrageous plaid school boy cap and a jacket that clashed badly, crying.  But drats, I would have rather saw what they were eating than watch them tearing up, but they didn’t show the food…

They made a total of six episodes, will I watch the rest?  Of course, I will.  I still love their music, I always will, and I’m sure my kids think I’m pretty wackadoo myself, don’t yours?  So in a way, I sympathize with Mama Judd, and I have to admit, she’s pretty fascinating, especially when they hook the computer up to her ears in attempt to balance her brain…

Kids and their pets…

Mother says, and Mother is always right…

I think of my mother so often, especially in the spring when flowers start blooming and trees are showing their blossoms.  She loved spring, even though when I was growing up, it was a hard time of the year for us, living alone in the country.  We had an acre of ground that we mowed, and after the winter, a yard full of sticks and limbs to trim, flowerbeds to weed, a garden to plow.  But we did it, and she did it with grace, never complaining, just doing what needed to be done.

She always said that if you have a late Easter, you will have a late spring, early Easter, early spring.  I think of that so often, and how she was so right.  Especially this year, when Mother Nature just won’t give us a break.  We have a few warm days, and then it’s cold again.  I’m ready to be planting geraniums, haunting the garden centers, enjoying the great outdoors, and we are cloudy in Heavensville this morning, with a predicted high in the low fifties.

And so I wait it out, dreaming of warmer days ahead, and thinking this morning of how it used to be, what a simple life it was, and what good memories I have…

You might enjoy rereading a scrapbook page I made a few years ago, about spring when I was a child.  There’s a picture of my beloved childhood ditch on the page…

All My Children and One Life to Live, cancelled...

First it was Guiding Light, then As The World Turns, now they're cancelling All My Children and One Life to live.  Is Young and The Restless next?

Statistics are showing that there is just not the appeal for soaps that there once was.  People would rather see cooking shows or talk tv.  

I personally think it is sad that it's come to this.  I'm old, I don't like change.  Even though I never watch these soaps, I have fond memories of them back in the day.  It's a sad day for daytime television...

Abby is growing up so fast…

And so it begins…

Spring has arrived in Heavensville.  I happily potted herbs yesterday, but I’m waiting a bit on the annuals.  It’s early yet, we  could get a cold snap and I don’t want to have to cover a lot of plants.

It’s rainy this morning, but the window is open beside me, the birds are on the feeder, and singing in the trees.  Is there anything better than this?  I don’t think so, at least not in my world.

Life is good, I’m living in the moment….

I miss Paul Harvey…

I was such a fan, I listened to Paul Harvey most weekdays, he often put a smile on my face, and I gleaned from him a new awareness of the world around me. He was a National Treasure and I miss his wisdom.

Good Day…