One of the Most Successful Weeks of My Career

Planning for the past week made me nervous.  I'll admit it.  I get nervous sometimes.  Well...not really nervous...I don't know what the word is.  Is edgy different from nervous?  It was a control thing.  Teacher retreat on Monday...Junior Orientation on Tuesday...Senior Orientation on Wednesday...Open House on Thursday.  I desperately wanted everything to go well.  I wanted my teachers to say that they'd never been to a better teacher retreat ever.  Likewise for the students at the orientations and the parents at the open house.


I didn't hear any complaints (yet) so in the world of public education this is considered...



Of course, this is the last week of having "Friday off" so as you would expect, I'm getting ready to launch into WORK!  Must reconcile all of the college schedules with the high school schedules.  It would help if I truly understood what I'm doing.  I've got the high school scheduling part down pretty well...unfortunately our system does not interface with the college system so we have to do TWO schedules for each student.


Hank came to the open house for moral support. My goal for the evening, in addition to giving the parents a chance to meet our teachers, was to have each and every parent and child leave that auditorium knowing without a shadow of a doubt that they MATTER!  Even the challenging ones.  PARTICULARLY the challenging ones, because they've often lived years of thinking that they DON'T matter at the schools they attend.  It's a sin and a shame that any student, young or old, would feel that way.


I told my school community that with the exceptions of my family and my faith, NOTHING in this world matters more to me than the education and welfare of their children.  They can take that to the bank, and I expect them to call me on it if they ever feel like I'm not living up to my promise.


Did I mention that I have a DREAM TEAM staff?


OH...and the students chose their mascot....the TITAN!!!!
School Colors: Green and Black...we need to choose a nice shade of green.


Have a great weekend!

It's 4 a.m....What are you doing??

I'm sitting on the sofa in the sun room writing a blog post.  Our teacher retreat went very well on Monday...at least I think it did...nobody quit so that would seem to be a good sign.
Our Junior Class orientation was fabulous yesterday...the kids are SO excited which makes me very very happy.  Today the seniors will make their presence known.  I didn't realize how much I missed being in a school building.

So...enough about work.  Lorelai has been a roving bank teller this summer and her assignments have taken her all over the lowcountry.  People have been wonderful to her wherever she's worked...EXCEPT for one branch out in a WAY rural area.  Lor is her mama's daughter to be sure. Tell her what the rules and the processes are she by golly, she's gonna follow them.  Apparently, this little branch likes to follow their own processes, not necessarily the ones that EVERY other branch she's worked in this summer follows. 

For one thing...the first day (yesterday was her last thank goodness) at this particular location, she was told that if she wore a skirt or dress, she must wear PANTYHOSE!!!  PANTYHOSE!!!!  The child might wear pantyhose in the winter...if she went to a funeral.

Of course, another employee came to work one day wearing pantyhose AND socks with her tennis shoes.  She also wore a polka dot polyester dress with some sort of big flashy belt and dangley earrings that didn't match.  Sort of an Ugly Betty look.  I think we need to set that gal up with Miss Janice, who is an expert at putting together the RIGHT kind of look. 

When Lor came back from lunch one day, there was a Braun men's electric shaver...new in box...sitting at her teller station.  A customer brought everybody one.  A BRAUN MEN'S ELECTRIC SHAVER?  Does this strike anybody else odd?

Legare is home this week.  Bless his heart, he's cooked supper for us the last two nights...possibly out of good will but also possibly for self-preservation.  These days, I only cook on the weekends.

Ned recently had a little bout of gout.  (LOL...a "bout" of "gout"...I just crack myself up sometimes...even at 4:34 a.m.)  He's fine now.

OH....Join me in boycotting Best Buy, won't you?  Our 18 month old Sony Bravia TV has been on the fritz for SIX WEEKS.  They've sent somebody over here THREE times and they never have the right part....THEN they take an ATTITUDE with us when we get frustrated at having to wait ANOTHER two weeks while they order a part and schedule another time to come over.  Not to MENTION that they only do home repairs from 8 AM until 5:30 PM.  What are we supposed to do....take a vacation day every two weeks to sit here and wait for some INCOMPETENT to show up with the wrong parts?

We're at a loss to know how to handle it...when you complain they are rude.  So much for customer service.

BEST BUY...You need to get your act together.  I'm flabbergasted at your utter lack of professionalism and complete disdain for your customers when there are issues with products purchased in one of your stores.  We even paid for the four year service and replacement plan.  How long do we have to wait before you just replace the darn thing?

READERS....Do you know anybody who might have some powers of persuasion with Best Buy??  I need their help...

Have a good day!!

Belles do NOT get overwhelmed...

So, as I was coming off of working this past week of three days of meetings and putting out fires...the week before my teacher retreat next Monday and student orientations on Tuesday and Wednesday...all for the brand spanking new school I'm opening, a veteran co-worker asked me, "So, Belle....are you feeling a little overwhelmed?" 

My immediate response was, "Now what in this WORLD would make you think that I am overwhelmed???"  To which he replied, "It's in your eyes...I know the look...I've looked that way MANY times myself.

Hank apparently told our friend Ted that, "It's starting to get to her."  Ted apparently agreed.

What is WRONG with them?  Belles do NOT get overwhelmed.  Belles always have everything under very tight control.

For pete's sake, I am a ESTJ on the Myers-Briggs Personality Test...

I am a LION...

I am a FOX (not to be confused with foxy, which I may ALSO be if I might say so myself).

I AM WOMAN....HEAR ME ROAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't just do my best...I do WHATEVER IT TAKES.

When I walked in the back gate last night Hank asked, "So, do you feel caught up?"  (That might very well be the stupidest question anybody ever asked  me and if I recall correctly, I told him so.)

Fox...Lion...best...WOMAN....ROAR  ROAR  ROAR.

Good heavens...my eye is starting to TWITCH!!!!!!!!!!!!

OK...maybe Belles do get a little overwhelmed......

I know...I can't believe it either...

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

Look at what I got...

No...not a boat.  We did look and think we've zeroed in on what we eventually want, but won't be making a purchase until next spring.

I've been looking for a long time for the right thing to go on my dining room table.  I played around with putting this or that in vases that I had and even bought an arrangement once that was OK, but just OK.  In the Land of Belle, "OK" is not good enough.  In case you wonder...we found the oyster shell container about three weeks ago at Southern Accent Designer Showcase, then took it to Buy the Bunch (both in Mt. Pleasant) for them to create the arrangement. I was finally able to pick it up yesterday and believe the end result to be absolutely perfect for a lowcountry home.

On my way home, I stopped at one of my favorite little shops at Belle Hall Shopping Center....Zinnia.  LOVE IT!  Found this cute as a bug insulated lunch tote.  Since principals do NOT get to go out for lunch, I figured I need something stylish to carry my mundane little ham sandwiches in.  Zinnia has this and other similar items in LOTS of patterns.  

I surely do enjoy retail therapy.  How about you?

Last Week in the Land of Belle

I spent two days in Columbia this week in the state Principal Induction workshop.  I learned some good things.  For instance...my general way of coping with life in the workplace when I am not feeling stressed is that of a lion.  When I experience stress in the workplace, I tend to become more of a fox. The third option was to be a Saint Bernard.  My personality type according to Myers-Briggs is ESTJ.  And apparently, side effects of being a principal include but are not limited to heart attacks, strokes, mental and physical exhaustion, and walking pneumonia. The guy who facilitated the whole thing was hilarious.  Oddly, and even though what I just wrote is likely coming across sarcastic, it was actually reasonably interesting.  Except for the side effects part...I found that troubling, as did a number of my fellow new principals. So much for being uplifting...let's move on.

Monday is Lorelai's 20th birthday. MY BABY IS 20!!!! Can't tell you what we have for her I'll have photos on Monday.  She left this afternoon for Clemson to move her things from the old apartment to the new one.  She talked three guy friends into going with her and clearly, she intends to be queen for the weekend while THEY move her things. Last I heard, she had Alex driving and she was in the back seat taking a nap. Bless you, Alex, Cody, and Roy...bless you!!

Hank and I are going to look at boats in the morning.  When we bought our last boat eight years ago, we had visions of taking weekend trips up and down the intracoastal.  Guess how many times we did that in seven years.  Yes indeed...a grand total of NEVER. Our trips were limited to trips out to Edisto, over to Dataw, and down to Hilton Head. So, we sold it last summer.  But we miss it. So...we're going to start looking but we are NOT buying.  Next spring perhaps.  With school starting before you know it and football season on the horizon (GO TIGERS!!!!) we won't be doing much boating in the immediate future. 

Whew...time for bed.  Nighty night....Hope you're weekend is fabulous.

Let's Stir Things Up a Little Bit

So, the other day when I was catching up on blog reading, I came across a post in which the blogger raised questions about "the blogger's voice."  Her questions and remarks, then the onslaught on subsequent comments (some of them NOT so nice) caused me to think a little about my "voice."  I think that people who read my blog and know me personally would say that what you read is all me...pure and simple.  I'm not putting on airs or creating some kind of fantasy world.  I like what I like....don't like what I don't like...and don't much care if people agree with me or not, although I believe that most of my blog friends DO agree (or at least amused) or they wouldn't be reading.  In turn, I tend to read those with which I identify the most.  


I also enjoy "style" blogs and a few off the wall ones.  Awkward Family Photos never ceases to amuse me.  I like recipe blogs.  I like design blogs.  I'm not opposed to some gossip thrown in here or there.  I like blogs that inspire.  It's hunky dory if the blogger has created some kind of fantasy world as long as I like what I read.


I don't like blogs where there is a lot of profanity.  I might throw out a "hells bells" or a "tinkers damn" once in a blue moon, but that's where I draw the line.  I dropped several blogs from my reader back during the 2008 election when uninformed people from BOTH parties started slinging a bunch of baloney around and about.  I'm a respecter of opinions, but not if the other person doesn't respect mine as well.


I don't like blogs that are routinely negative...we all have bad days now and then, but some people seem to have ALL bad days.  I read a quote the other day...can't remember who it was but it might have been Abraham Lincoln..."Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be."  Ain't that the truth?


In short...my opinion is that everybody has a right to blog what they want to blog the way they want to blog it and I have a right to choose whether or not I want to read it.  Neither party owes the other any apologies.


SO...at the risk of opening up a can or worms...what do you think?  What are your favorite kinds of blogs?  Do certain catch phrases that bloggers might take on as a gimmick bug you?


Let's also declare this a "de-lurker" post.  Humor me please....reveal yourselves and SHARE!

Weekend Wrap Up...and a Recipe

Tomorrow this time I'll be back in the thick of things from a "busy" perspective, but this weekend....this weekend has been glorious. I never did get to the Piggly Wiggly yesterday, but talked Hank into stopping for me when he ran to town to share some of the bounty from our fig tree with Tom and Ann. I did a little recipe experimentation last night...pan fried tilapia with squash salsa. It's a keeper.

Just dice up a couple of squash, a couple of zucchini, a purple onion, a large bell pepper, and sautee' it in olive oil and some Cavender's seasoning for three or four minutes. Let it cool, then mix in about two tablespoons of chopped basil and four or five tablespoons of red wine vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste. Dredge the fish (you can also use catfish or trout) in Martha White cornbread mix (the one in the tradition of the old Ballard cornbread mix) and pan fry in olive oil. Put the salsa over the fish to serve. I think that stone ground grits...lots of butter and cheese if you want...are the way to go as a side. YUM!

Here are a few photos of what others at our house were doing on Saturday afternoon...

Lazy, Crazy, Hazy Days

Don't you love the feeling of being "caught up?" Hank and I were talking last night and lately, we both feel like we get up early, rush to work, stay late, come home, and collapse. The house is always clean (thank goodness for Daisy) and the yard is always cut (thank goodness for Hank) but we get behind on other things.

For instance (and of utmost importance), when I logged onto my Google Reader yesterday, it indicated that there were 1000+ unread posts. It took me two hours before the number went BELOW 1000+. I'm pleased to say that I'm caught up...a product of not so much as stepping one foot out of the door of the house yesterday. I read blogs (sorry for lack of comments...) and washed a mountain of sheets, bath towels, beach towels, and clothes.

It was a nice day, but I'm still feeling at loose ends just a bit. Today, I need to run to the Piggly Wiggly but honestly, I just don't feel like going anywhere. Wonder if I can cobble together something for supper without having to shop? Perhaps I should just go lie down and read. Yes...that sounds good. The Piggly Wiggly will still be there in a few hours.

So, it is decided. I'm going to attempt to forgo the crazy and hazy, opting instead for pure LAZY! By the way, if you don't have an Original Pawley's Island Rope Hammock, you really ought to be ordering yourself one! In our 27 years of marriage, we've never been without one...sometimes two!!

Rising Stars....Competitive Much????

While I know you're thinking that I've become a boring blogger, life is anything BUT! The days of the week FLY by in a blur. We're in the new office and nearly all set up. We got telephones last Monday and computers Wednesday and desks for the computers yesterday. You should have seen me working with the monitor sitting on the box the computer came in and the keyboard in my lap. I had to sit on the floor to talk on the telephone. Everyday is an adventure!

Yesterday afternoon, Hank came by and helped hang pictures. The mission of our school district references "lowcountry traditions" and I found some very reasonable photographs of lowcountry landmarks at the farmer's market last weekend. It all looks marvelous if I do say so myself.

I didn't think I could ever find another administrative assistant as marvelous as Lilly but I must say that my new assistant Trina is working out beautifully. Her middle name must be "efficient" because she is getting everything organized and has already figured out how I want things done. The most wonderful thing, after six months of working virtually alone at every task related to opening a new school, is having someone answer the telephone. Some days all I DID was talk on the telephone. Don't get me wrong...I WANT to talk with the parents and students. I do NOT want to talk to every Tom, Dick, and Harry VENDOR trying to hawk the product that is going to save all of society.

We're almost exactly one month away from the students walking into our doors for the first time. That's a little nerve wracking; however, I haven't been this excited about my professional life in many many moons. Our school is going to ROCK!! This week I spend two days in Columbia at the state Principal Induction conference.

At our district new principals' orientation last week, the superintendent told the six of us that we got our jobs because we are "rising stars." Good heavens, I'd sooner throw myself in front of a BUS than let that man down. He has a way of inspiring a person to be the best they can be. SO, since I REALLY would rather NOT throw myself in front of a bus, I suppose I'm just going to have to SHINE!!! You know me...I have just a teeny tiny competitive streak.

I wonder if I could get a tiara instead of a trophy?

The Mini Honeymoon

Hank and I had a marvelous time last night. We always enjoy our little getaways right here close to home and dinner at the Peninsula Grill never disappoints. For Hank...seared scallops with a hot potato salad, a trigger fish entree', and a banana pudding-type dessert. For me...lump crab and tomato salad, a melt in your mouth fillet mignon, and milk chocolate creme brulee'.

We get the biggest kick out of people watching. We arrived about half an hour early and enjoyed a libation in the bar. One fellow, 55-ish, not too tall, arrived with a fairly large party and he thought he was SOMETHING...nice enough looking white linen shorts and a navy blue and white checked starched shirt...sleeves rolled up...loafers...no socks. Bless his heart, the hem was completely out of one of the legs of the shorts and he was sporting a toupee that was just awful. Either a toupee or he desperately needs a new barber.

Then there were the three guys at the bar. One was dressed "Charleston normal." One had on a sport coat that looked much like the one Hank wore when we departed our wedding reception in 1983. The other one...two words...Miami Vice. It was unfortunate.

Of course Hank and I looked perfect. Sorry...no pictures...I didn't feel like fooling with the camera.

We're back home. Not sure what Legare is doing today. Lorelai is with a group of friends floating down the Edisto River. Hank is cutting grass and I'm getting ready to finish writing my faculty handbook so it can get to the printer.

It was a perfect anniversary...off we go into year number 28!

Happy Anniversary...to US!

That's US as in Hank and me. Not the country, but I guess you knew that.

At right around 7:22 PM this evening, we will have been married 27 years. That's a pretty long time. I used to thing that people who had a 25th anniversary were old. I'm not old....Hank is older than I am but he's not that old either. We're going to celebrate tonight so I'll share details about that tomorrow.

As far as the week in review...I've been a bad blogger and a bad housekeeper and not much of a cook, but I've been an EXCELLENT high school principal, if I do say so myself. We're in the home stretch...by next month this time I will have held the staff retreat AND the student orientation.

Hank is going to Hometown on Sunday to tell his mother that she is moving to Green Grove next weekend whether she likes it or not. It ain't gonna be pretty...BUT, considering that she is not taking her medicine and is going to cause some kind of awful car accident because she insists on driving, it's got to happen. His uncle has her at the doctor this morning...the doctor who told her two weeks ago, "Oh don't worry about what the NEUROLOGIST told you...you can drive." Guess he's going to be feeling pretty stupid this morning when he says, "Oh well...by the way...not only can you not drive but you also have to MOVE to assisted living." He thought he was SO smart two weeks ago...he did WAY more harm than good, let me tell you. WAY more!!!

On the family front...Legare is working hard in Charlotte for three more weeks before heading back to Chapel Hill to finish his final year of law school. Lorelai thinks herself a great financial mind as she continues for another few weeks at the bank before heading back to Clemson to be a Welcome Ambassador for the freshman class. I created a Facebook page last weekend for Ned. He misses Hometown so badly so I had the idea that he could reconnect. Sure enough, a week later, he has 22 friends. Cool!

Have a great weekend!!

Driving Mr. Ned

So, as it turns out, my cousin Nancy called this morning and collected Mother at 11 AM for a day at the lake, so Ned and I skipped brunch and came straight home. As Nancy got in her car with mother and my aunt, who isn't too far from being in about the same fix, I said, "Go with God" and I meant it. She'll be slap worn out by the time she goes to bed tonight. Ned only asked about the cat and dog twice and then let it go. He didn't even talk to himself about it as we made the hour drive down the country road. I was amazed...

He IS a bit fixated on the selling of the house in Hometown...he and Hank are out in the pool and I'm pretty sure that's what they're discussing for the umpteenth time. He says he'd like to go back and "rake the yard one more time" and "take sleeping bags and spend the night." Considering he's never raked a day in his life, much less slept on anything other than a Serta Perfect Sleeper or some such mattress, he must REALLY want to go. We're playing it down...I don't think it would be a good idea.

I've fixed one of Ned's favorite meals for supper. BBQ chicken, rice, butter beans, and potato salad, with chocolate ice cream for desert. I'm using my grandmother's chicken recipe, which is really more of a smothered chicken cooked in the oven but she always called it BBQ chicken. It isn't Hank's favorite as he's more of a grill it kind of guy, so I only fix it when we're feeding Ned. The men (yes, Hank and Ned) are going to eat an early lunch here tomorrow (Grandmama's spaghetti sauce recipe...nothing Italian about it) then they're going over to the farm for the afternoon. I'm staying home. YAY!

I do want to tell you about the potato salad. My aunt Zoie made the best and I've tried to replicate it for years...just can do it, even though I know exactly what's in it. Potatoes, mayonnaise, mustard, salt, pepper, onion and bell pepper. Today I did a switch up and the end result is DELICIOUS! I caramelized the onion, and threw in the diced pepper for the last five minutes. OH MY GOSH...I wish you could taste it.

Ta ta for now!

Got to Love a Holiday Weekend

I've made some lovely new blog friends from over at WOW. Ain't life grand?

Moved into my new office suite today. Today was also my administrative assistant's first day and she is FABULOUS. Keeping me organized and on the straight and narrow is NOT for the faint of heart. She has her work cut out for her.

Lorelai returned from Florida and within two hours was sick as a dog. That child just goes and goes and goes until she slap wears herself out. After two days of sleeping and a good start on an antibiotic, she's feeling quite a bit better. SO much so that she's ready to pack up and go to the beach for the holiday weekend. I don't know about that...

Ned is coming to see us over the holiday weekend. The other boys are going away and the staff deserves a day off. It will be interesting...he is not at all wild about Precious, the dog OR Boo, the cat. He'll talk to himself all the way from Green Grove here...trying to convince himself that neither animal will bother him. What's so funny is that they WON'T bother him....never have, never will. It's nuts! We aren't telling mother that he's coming home with us....she'll work herself all up into a dither. I don't feel like dealing with a dither this weekend.

For those of us working four ten hour days this summer (or four twelve to fourteen hour days as the case may be) today is FRIDAY! YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY

It's shaping up to be a quiet holiday weekend here in the Land of Belle. What are YOU doing this weekend? You never know...I might show up....with Ned....and Mother. (I don't blame you. I wouldn't tell me either...)

WOW! I'm a BON

The post title is not very clear, is it?

I'm honored and humbled to have been chosen today's Blogger of Note (BON) at Words of Wisdom (WOW). If you are popping over from WOW, welcome to the Land of Belle where just about any kind of crazy can be found. Make yourselves at home...I am a wife, mother, sister, daughter of the south, educator, and friend who can at times be something of a control freak, loud mouth, over-eating and impatient pain in the neck. I can pitch QUITE the hissy fit when I put my mind to it...

If you're an old friend, THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for reading about all of the craziness in my life and leaving your comments. If you're new...well...I hope that you'll become a friend and visit often, as I look forward to visiting your blog.

WOW asked me to give you links to three of my favorite posts....that's a tall order, because as everybody knows, ALL of my posts of marvelous (see...that remark is a prime example of the pain in the neck thing I mentioned in the first paragraph.)

Anyhow, see what you think about the following...

I'm a Fast Learner

I Want to Hold Your Hand

Three Quotation Thursday

And I'll leave you with a photo of my most prized possession...our family. Come back now, ya hear?

I'm Groovin' on Lists

In addition to becoming a weekend blogger, I find myself developing a love of writing posts in the form of a list. I'm not sure what it says about my mental state that I write random things which I imagine somebody out there might find interesting. For example...

1. What is it with men and DIY projects? Hank is outside in the blistering heat putting stain and sealant on our new deck. If he drops dead of a heat stroke I am going to be MAD!

2. We've had a pool for 12 years or so. I bet I haven't been in it more than 15 times. It was so hot yesterday that I felt no shame whatsoever in putting my chubby and untanned body in said pool. Today is shaping up the same. Why oh WHY did I complain about the cold weather last winter?

3. I think I forgot to mention that Lorelai and I watched Young Victoria last weekend. We liked it a lot and highly recommend that you see it too, particularly if you like period pieces. I didn't realize that Queen Victoria had nine children or that she'd become queen so young.

4. Hank's cousin has moved to the area so we had her over last night for supper. I've been in a cooking mood and we had boiled shrimp, tomato pie, and cucumber salad, with a bourbon banana pudding for dessert. The leftover banana pudding is calling my name right now, hence one of the many reasons for the chubby body referred to in #2.

5. It will soon be time for the beginning of the month of jubilation in celebration of Lorelai's birth (otherwise known as July). She will be 20 on the 26th. I feel that a mother/daughter spa day and afternoon tea are in order.

QUESTION: What's the most special/fun thing you ever did with one of your children for a birthday???

I want lots of answers....what you did might be a better idea than what I'm planning!!! Don't be shy now...

Saturday Stuff

I'm sorry I was disrepectful to USC yesterday. Young Mr. Roth pitched QUITE a game last night. My guys looked kind of like the Keystone Kops several times. Oh well...let's see what happens tonight. Honestly, I don't have anything against the Gamecocks UNLESS they're playing Clemson.

The pimento cheese rice was not our favorite last night. I won't make it again but will be happy to share the recipe with that disclaimer. The pork with black eyed pea relish and the collards were fabulous though. Really truly!! I also tried another sangria recipe...it was tasty...had tequila in it.

NOTICE TO PEOPLE WHO RAN IN THE JUNE PRIMARY AND RUN OFF ELECTION LAST WEEK: If you won...congratulations. If you did not win...sorry 'bout that. Either way, get up and out this morning and COLLECT YOUR SIGNS from the side of the road. It's over...we're tired of looking at them. DO IT!

Lorelai called last night about 11 PM as she was getting on the teacup ride...she is probably still asleep this morning. Hank is cutting grace. I believe Legare said he was going white water rafting today. The house is clean. I believe I need to read some blogs.

Have a lovely day.

Friday Facts

Ah...sweet Friday.

Lorelai has gone with some Clemson friends to Orlando, hoping to see the Harry Potter "thing" and spend some time at Disney World. It is hotter than the hinges of hell here. I cannot IMAGINE how hot it must be there.

If you're following the College World Series, you know that CLEMSON and the University of South Carolina are playing tonight at 9 PM. Tom and Ann, whose boys are both at USC, are coming over for supper (pork medallions with black eyed pea relish, pimento cheese rice, and sauteed collard greens) then we're going to make a pot of coffee and settle in to watch the game.

GO TIGERS

My new office will be ready this week...sort of. The space is ready but I don't think our server, computer, etc are going to be ready. I really am going to miss my colleagues "uptown." I've worked with some of these people of many moons, but I am more excited about my newest challenge that I've ever been about anything professionally speaking.

There are already many stories to tell about our students...not going to tell them on the blog so I guess you'll just have to wait until I retire and write a book. Can you hang in here with me for another ten years???? Shoot, I'm just hoping that I can hang in here for another ten years.

I found out on Wednesday morning that my newly hired math teacher had been chosen for an assistant principal position. I called Hannah (from the Nashville trip two years ago...click HERE), the principal who hired her, and calmly said, This is Belle, get your pocketbook and your car keys and run as fast as you can. I'm giving you a 20 minute head start before I start looking for you. Be afraid, be very afraid. Of course by the time I got to the "be afraid" part, I was laughing so hard I was about to fall out of my chair, and so was Hannah...laughing, that is. I'm not sure whether or not she was about to fall out of her chair.

Technically, I'm thinking I should have gone into "panic and freak out" mode at this point as good math teachers are difficult to find, particularly this time of year. I opted instead, for "keep calm and carry on" mode and within 24 hours, I had the phone number for a new math teacher. PLUS, she has experience as a senior class sponsor (and loves the role) so I am very pleased.

Time to hit the stores.

Have fun this weekend a stay cool....

The Wedding and Father's Day

The wedding was beautiful. The reception was HOT! Legare was able to reconnect with quite a few people he had not seen since he graduated from high school. I still think of those people as children...including the bride! At one point a group of four or five were standing around and I had a flashback to a preschool Christmas program at the Baptist church where they all had giant red bows around their necks.

Hank,Legare, and I left around 9 PM to come back home but Lorelai stayed and danced the night away with her friends, then rode home with our next door neighbors.

Hank got up this morning and went to "early church" and the kids and I stayed home like heathens. Hank is an usher this month and he takes the job very seriously. He got home a little after 10 AM and we've enjoyed sitting around, drinking coffee, and talking. Shrimp and Grits is Hank's Sunday dinner of choice for Father's Day but he has to cook it because that is his specialty. I'll clean up. I'm not quite understanding how I cooked and cleaned on Mother's Day and he's cooking and I'm cleaning for Father's Day while our children sit around and enjoy the fruits of our labor. Lorelai is currently back in her bed napping before lunch and Legare is outside sitting in a chaise lounge by the pool. It must be nice...

I took a few photos before we left for the wedding (and I promise that Lorelai did NOT take that orange bag in at the wedding or the reception) Check out the "life lessons" blog later today for more on lowcountry wedding fashion information.

Wedding Season

We moved in our house in August of 1985 and our neighbors in October of 1985. Their daughter Camille arrived shortly after their move in December, and Legare followed in May of 1986. Camille is the one we threw the brunch for a few weeks ago and today is her wedding day. She is marrying the most delightful young man who just graduated from The Citadel and the wedding will be in Summerall Chapel at The Citadel. It's a beautiful place...

The reception will be held over in Mt. Pleasant at The Cotton Dock at Boone Hall Plantation.

Legare is on his way home from Charlotte to attend, so our family will all be together tonight. Lorelai and I have been shopping and hope to look FABULOUS, so we will take lots of pictures. Hank and Legare did not get new outfits but they don't really seem to care. For Lor, we ended up buying the first dress she tried on in Luna on King Street. That NEVER happens. By the way, they have a marvelous online shop also.

Look for some fun photos of the big event tomorrow.

So...what are you doing this weekend?? I know that Preppy 101 just had a big wedding event in her family. Anybody else "doing" weddings this summer?

The Friday List

It seems that I'm falling into a "week in review" pattern these days. I'm groovin' on it...

1. I did NOT bring work home after my "four tens" (more like "four twelves, but anyhow...)

2. I'm proud of me for not bringing any work home.

3. The maid is coming today, the air conditioner repair guy is coming to look at the duct work above Lorelai's room because it's VERY warm in there, and I...I am going shopping.

4. Mother hasn't had any other spells this week and Hank's mother is still quite indignant and has made it clear that she does not need any help from anybody. Okey dokey then...

5. Lorelai is in her sixth week of working at the bank and she has not complained ONE SINGLE TIME about getting up and going to work. I am completely and utterly amazed. So is Hank...

6. Legare is completing his second week of work and absolutely loves the firm. He likes Charlotte quite a bit and would love to settle there, I think. I'm cool with that...it's MUCH closer than Chapel Hill.

7. They started moving furniture into my new office suite yesterday. I hired a fabulous secretary last week and will interview what I hope will be my final staff member on Wednesday.

8. ...and then there are the stories I cannot tell...let it suffice to say that being a high school principal (even of a smaller magnet high school) is NOT for sissies!!

Have a fabulous weekend...

You've got to laugh or....

...you'll go crazy and THAT won't help.

Yesterday, Hank's mother was diagnosed with Vascular Dementia and moderate Alzheimer's. Like we didn't already have our hands full with MY mother.

As I've said before, I could fill ten blogs with stories about Hank's side of the family but those are his stories not mine and he doesn't find as much humor in things as I do. Humor helps me cope...so shoot me.

He had a terrible go round with her after she had her own go round with the doctor after he told her she couldn't drive anymore and ought to move to assisted living. (We're going to just take over a wing at Green Grove...)

As Hank drove away last night with her car keys in his pocket, she informed him that she will "burn the house down" before she'll move to Green Grove.

Talk about being homeless...

A Guest Post Courtesy of ADG (Maxminimus)

I know I'm not the only fan of Maxminimus and its author ADG. He has QUITE the following...What a southern gentleman! What a wonderful daddy to his beautiful daughter LFG!! And to top it off, he's a South Carolinian by birth and a right snappy dresser. He graciously agreed to write a guest post for me and for the girls over at Life Lessons for Dumb Boys. Tell your friends, and if you don't visit Maxminimus on a regular basis, well, you really should start. He never disappoints...

So, without further adieu...courtesy of ADG...

Knucklehead Management

Now I’m thinking that since very few boys are reading your blog, I’ll pen this for the girls. Sort of a primer for things to consider regarding expectations YOU set. NOT expectations that your parents set for you. If you value who you are and what you are—set parameters that YOU believe in. This leads me to…

Number One: Don’t abrogate responsibility for your standards by saying …. “My parents insist that…..”. If you want to be treated a certain way and you feel like you deserve such treatment, let these knuckleheads know that it’s you—not your parents who are setting your standards.

Number Two: The way you begin is the way you end. In other words, the standards you have at the beginning of an encounter will at best, be the standards that carry the relationship. You can loosen the reins a bit over time if you choose, but it’s tough to heighten your standards later on if knucklehead starts getting sloppy.

Number Three: He’s not THAT cool and you CAN live without him. Tough news I know but please…if you feel bad about things with knucklehead more often than you’re having fun—it’s time to curb the boy. I know, I know…he’s the cutest guy in school, quarterback of EVERYTHING and it’s you—pinch yourself—it’s you he wants to date. Big whup. You’ll have more fun with someone who’s slightly less cool but scores higher on the consistency scale.

Number Four: God love ‘em…they are all knuckleheads…every last one of them. The good news is that they are coachable—especially if they really like you. Even the ones that might be a bit cooler than the others are really, deep down, just knuckleheads. Think about a Labrador puppy…that’s your knucklehead boyfriend. Use this as context when you are suggesting that they turn their baseball cap forward, buy their khakis in a waist size that isn’t four sizes too big and not refer to you as “she and her” when talking to their friends while you are sitting at their side. You have a name. Insist that they use it.

Number Five: I don’t care if they are in church or at mass five times each week, these knuckleheads are a hormonal mess! You’ve heard it from your fathers and probably others but you’ll hear it again from me…they will do anything and say anything to reach the ultimate conquest. Do I need to be any more specific? When you and knucklehead are reading poetry amidst a breezy day on The Battery—trust me—knucklehead would rather be doing other things. Don’t let him. Oh and by the way, don’t think any of this hormonal messiness settles down any sooner for the knuckleheads till about age thirty
.
Number Six: And finally two things to close this out. First…these knuckleheads that are causing you so much joy, frustration, giggly fun times and moments of rage…none of them will be your husband. Hate to burst your bubble but statistics are on my side in this case. So use this time as a training and development opportunity. Trial and error…now’s the time. Hone your skills…it’s time for having fun ‘cause this is just a scrimmage. Second…You my girls, have ALL the power in this game. The sooner you recognize it and leverage such power amidst all things knucklehead, the sooner the doors will open for you, your name will be used in lieu of “hey you or her”, ball caps will do a one-eighty and baggy pants will suddenly fit.

Mother vs Emergency Medical Services

So, mother woke up on Saturday morning and for whatever reason (like she turned both of the air conditioners in her apartment off before she went to bed, got dehydrated and overheated and panicked....I'm just sayin...) her blood pressure went up dangerously high.

She pressed the emergency button and the nurse came to check on her, gave her the morning dose of blood pressure medicine and decided to send her to the hospital for good measure. When the ambulance arrived, mother had already started to feel better and she REFUSED to get in the ambulance.

Now on the one hand, it turned out alright because we would have spent the day in a hospital emergency room for nothing. On the other hand, a person REALLY should get into an ambulance and go to the hospital when a medical professional calls one to come get her.

When I arrived at Green Grove, she was sitting in her recliner getting all sorts of attention, retelling her story over and over. Of course the story was a little different each time she told it because she really couldn't remember what happened. We had a long day sitting around until the house doctor arrived. I looked at magazines and played Scrabble on the iPad (gosh I love that thing) and she talked and talked and talked and talked. One minute she told me how lucky she is to live at Green Grove...so very blessed. The next she told me how loud the air conditioners are and they are making her ears hurt and how the "old" people around there just like to stay in their rooms and she doesn't have enough people to talk to.

We looped through the funeral plans and whether or not all of her affairs are in order because she is "ready to go." I was patient as I could be but did finally have to get snarky so as to get that particular topic of conversation out of the loop. About the 10th time she asked about her affairs, I assured her that they were in tip top order and that she could go anytime she feels like it. That prompted an indignant, "Well, I'm not planning to go anytime soon!!!" (But she didn't mention it again.)

I have to laugh because she was up and down all day, but when a visitor came in she got all quiet and shrank down a little smaller in the chair, pulling the quilt up a little higher under her chin. When they called to say the doctor was coming down, she said something about the living room being a mess, jumped up, started carrying doodads into the bedroom and at one point while folding a towel, actually reached over and, standing on ONE foot, pushed a partially open drawer closed with the other foot. (The foot on the side of her body she said hurt so bad because of arthritis.) By the time he got to the door she was back in the chair under that quilt.

The doctor's advice..."stop getting so worked up." Go Figure!

Before I left, I laid down the law about the air conditioners....it ended up being 105 yesterday with the heat index. I taped the thermostats down so that she can't move them. Since the noise bothers her then she's to turn on the one in the living room at night and the one in the bedroom during the day. One will cool both rooms just fine. I put notes on both and stickers with arrows pointing to the "off" setting and the "cool" setting. Then I talked to home health services about making sure she kept them on AND I put a note on the door so they would remember to check when they come and go.

Then, I told mother that if she so much as THINKS about not following my instructions that it will not be pretty....if she gets cold she can cover up....but turning the air conditioning off is NOT an option.

So, as I left, she asked, "How much money do I have?"

I wonder if she's thinking of making a break for it?

I Wish I Had a Clever Story to Tell You...

I wish I had a clever story to tell you...but I don't...

Today, I will just have to dazzle you with random tidbits of useless information. I know you're just SO excited.

1. We're on a four ten hour day and Friday off summer work schedule. Today is Friday. Everybody I know took armloads of work home. yay for Fridays off...

2. On the bright side, I've been working all day in shorts and a t-shirt without putting on any make-up while listening to a soundtrack from GLEE. That makes me happy.

3. I just watched the season finale of GLEE last night. It made me sad and happy at the same time. Now I can't get Bohemian Rhapsody out of my head.

4. A fourth young man has moved into Ned's house. They all seem to be getting along fine.

5. Mother had her 82nd birthday last week.

6. This past week was the most hectic work week that I've had in recent memory, which is why this belle screamed on the blog. THANKS to those of you who heard me!

7. QUESTION! Have you ever been terribly disappointed in someone that you really thought the world of? So much so that you weren't sure if you'd come out on the other side of it? Just wondering...

8. More work?? NAP???? More work?? NAP?????

9. I guess you can tell which one I'm leaning toward. Hope you have the most wonderful weekend!

If a Belle screams AAARRRGGHHHH on a blog will anybody hear her???

Calamity Jane Meets the Clampetts

OK....so I bragged TOO much last weekend about what a wonderful, happy, fun, restful weekend I had because when Tuesday morning came around and I went back to the office.....SLAM...SLAM....SLAM. Things came at me from every direction...it was like a bizarre-o world.

For example, I made a snarky remark to the Boss....remember all those posts about how he "gets" me. Well, CALAMITY JANE, he got mad about this one. I apologized and we're OK, I suppose. No need to bore you with the other things as I don't suppose any of them were any GREAT big deal but put all together, I was feeling a bit put upon by the end of the day on Friday...kind of like I'd lost my charm with people, you know, that old magic touch that calms things down and makes them all better?

Saturday, Hank and I moved Legare to Charlotte for his two month summer law clerk position. He's in an unfurnished studio apartment about four blocks from his office in one of those big TALL buildings uptown. (It has vertical binds ADG...but it is NOT my fault...apparently you have to endure these sorts of things in a short term rental.)

We refused to move his furnishings from Chapel Hill and told him that we would bring a bed, bedside table, chair and ottoman, and a couple of lamps from the farm. It's on the way from here to Charlotte. I know HE feels that our plan is unworthy of his greatness BUT, one needs to be reasonable when you're just talking about eight weeks. So, Hank and I (mostly Hank) loaded things in the back of the Ford F150 truck and off we went to Charlotte. If we didn't look like the Clampetts come to town, I'll hush. Legare will survive.

I hope you had a good week last week. I've got to shake off the Calamity Jane thing (and probably the Clampett thing too)...put me on your prayer list. You know how I get when things don't go my way! Apparently I can no longer be snarky, which we all know is a coping mechanism to me. Oh Lordy...what am I going to do????

My Sweetgrass Baskets and Happy Memorial Day

I hope you've been enjoying this weekend surge of posts. Alas, I go back to work bright and early in the morning. A bright thought though...in two weeks we'll begin our four day workweeks through the summer. Since I'm already going in at 7 AM and staying late, it won't be a change for me EXCEPT that I'll have Fridays off. I am doing SUCH a happy happy dance in my head right now.

I've been playing around with my new camera and took pictures of my sweetgrass basket collection. Some are displayed and others are truly used...hence the photos of the messy key basket and even messier make-up basket. (EDIT-Just realized that a photo of Lorelai holding a pair of shoes that she wants me to buy for her slipped in to the slide show...just ignore that unless, of course, YOU would like to purchase that nifty pair of Kate Spade wedges for her!!)

The making of these baskets is a true art...one which has been passed down from generation to generation for hundreds of years. It's a dying art, not to mention that basketmakers are having a harder and harder time finding sweetgrass, which is why I try to buy one whenever I can. Maybe I'll give one away sometime. That would be a NEAT giveaway.

Happy Memorial Day...hope you're enjoying some start of the summer fun!

Ahhhhh....Chapter II AND a Recipe

We are having a wonderful time entertaining Legare's buddies from Chapel Hill. I prepared a delightful brunch this morning (if I do say so myself) and they've just headed downtown for a Spoleto Festival chamber music concert at the newly renovated Dock Street Theater.

If you've not been to Spoleto, you're missing a treat. We are so blessed...hot and crowded...but blessed.

I'm going on a hunt this afternoon for a dress for our neighbor's wedding. I'll drop Lorelai off to meet the boys and she'll spend the rest of the afternoon with them. I like them a lot...they are SMART boys (well young men, I suppose).

We treated our guests to dinner last night at McCrady's. (I know, I'm giving you too many links but they're all worth a look.) Every now and then it occurs to me that we sometimes take a lot of what we have here in the Lowcountry for granted....it pays to refresh one's memory occasionally.

I could NOT wait to share this recipe with you. Carolina Peach Sangria, also found in the June edition of Southern Living Magazine. We had it with our brunch this morning and there is JUST enough left for Hank and me to have one more glass late this afternoon. You need to make it a day ahead for the flavors to meld. This recipe is a keeper here in the Land of Belle.

What is my problem? Oh yeah....I'm a MOM!

So...I'm sitting here at 12:25 AM waiting for Legare and his friends to get home. What IS my problem? They are 24 year old men, for pete's sake!! Ever since he left home to go to college in 2004, I've never lost a minute's sleep...as long as he isn't home, that is. When he's here I fall right back into the old habit of waiting up. I'm getting kind of sleepy...

Good grief!

I'm going to bed now...

Maybe...

Ahhh.....

Ahhh...that is me releasing a heavy sigh because for the first time in WEEKS, I have a day with absolutely nothing to do but what I WANT to do. The wedding season and graduation season and "oh my gosh I have to open a new school in two months season" and (get this!) "REALLY doctor's office? I've been walking around with STREP throat but you don't call me for a WEEK after I came to your office and you told me there was nothing wrong with me but now you say the test came back positive and I need an antibiotic" season. (Good thing I didn't believe you and only waited FIVE days to drag myself to a different doctor.) Anyhow, HAPPY DAY!!

I bought myself this for Mother's Day but haven't had time to figure it out until this morning. I played around with it last night and took a couple of photos outside. Even without reading the camera guide, I can already tell you that I've never had a camera that took such good photos in the dead of night. (Seriously, it was almost 11PM by the time we finished supper and went outside for a little splash of dessert wine. There is one obvious problem, though....the reflection from the solar landscape lights put off an odd "ribbon" of light...one across the face of the guy on the left and a lighter one to the left behind Legare. Anybody know what to do about that??

Legare is home and brought two friends who wanted to visit Charleston. One of the young men is from NC, so he's been here before. The other, a rising 3L like Legare, is from KANSAS!! YES...Kansas is REAL!!! He was here when he was three years old for his uncle's medical school graduation....oddly, he doesn't remember much about it.

They left bright and early this morning for breakfast at Henry's before heading downtown. We had a supper last night here at home. Artichoke dip, crabcakes, rosemary roasted potatoes, green beans, homemade cheese biscuits (BILL...tell Martha Lynn they were fabulous!!) and my famous caramel pecan pie.

Lorelai and her friend Julia are off for a girls' day of shopping and a movie. Hank got up this morning to take Ned to the farm for a little bit and I AM NOW GLORIOUSLY ALONE to drink another pot of coffee and blog and read and probably take a nap. Ain't life grand???

What are you up to today?

Not such a Rowdy Girl...

We'd planned a Rowdy Girls weekend at the summer house last weekend and just didn't want to cancel even though I still had a pretty good case of the crud. Louis and Sue arrived with their new boat in tow and Meg and Will got there shortly thereafter....just in time for the sunset.

You know your friends love you when they let you "be" when you're supposed to be entertaining. When I went to bed Friday night I told them where all of the brunch food was and crawled away....wasn't so sure that I wouldn't have to come home on Saturday morning and just leave them there. It was awful...darn that doctor who wouldn't give me a Zpack.

Saturday morning around 11:00, Hank checked to make sure I was still alive. About 1:30 in the afternoon he checked again and told me they were leaving in the boat for Edisto. I got up about 4:00. They got back around 5:00 and bless Hank and Meg...they took over the cooking duties for the second time that day. I stayed up until about 10:00 pm then left them all alone again.

I was useless and so disappointed that I didn't get to be ONE BIT ROWDY!! Better yet, I got downright mad...

Rest assured that I was sitting in front of the doctor's office when they opened at 8:00 AM on Monday morning. Finally, I convinced somebody to give me the antibiotic I'd needed for the better part of a week.

Feeling much better now, thanks so much.

But I'm still mad. Know what though...I still looked better than this gal. I think her rowdy days are finally over...

Happy Birthday Dear Legare...

I ran this post last year in May of 2009. Indulge me in a repeat, if you will.

Legare is 24 years old today.

Happy Birthday!!!

Legare is going to be 23 years old tomorrow. Good grief...23! I am the mother of a 23year old MAN! I'll post a few pictures but also thought I'd share the story of his birth. Legare was almost two weeks overdue. I called the doctor about 9:00 AM on Sunday morning, May 25, 1986, and he told us to meet him at the hospital. After an exam they determined that I MIGHT be in labor and that we should go walk around somewhere for a couple of hours and come back. By that time our best friend Scott had arrived. He was in his third year of med school and didn't want to miss anything. We went to the mall and walked around...everybody but me ate lunch, then we went back to the hospital about 2:30 PM. The labor hadn't progressed very much but since we were there, and they were going to induce on Tuesday anyway, the doctor decided that we might as well stay.



They hooked me up to an IV and the FUN started! After awhile they broke my water and there was lots MORE fun. Poor Hank...we didn't pay ANY attention in Lamaze class because we were so busy laughing at all of the other people. He'd try to tell me to breathe and I'd get mad. The nurse would say breathe and I would breathe. Scott left for a couple of hours to go to church. Every now and then Hank would say, Scott will be back in a little bit...you won't mind if he stays with you...he'll be right back...you'll be OK with Scott while I go check on Mom and Dad. I know Scott is coming back....you'll be OK, won't you?" Hank told me later that his hand and arm were sore for the longest time. Who knew I could be so strong.

Scott got back and Hank took a much needed break. The doctor came in and I grabbed him by his necktie and demanded drugs. An epidural was there el pronto and everybody calmed down. Hours went by and finally it was TIME....at least everybody thought it was time EXCEPT Legare. He was apparently very comfortable and didn't see a reason to hurry. Scott was hanging right in there with us all night long but all of a sudden things got a little bit scary. Legare would slide down during the contractions and slide right back up when the contraction was over. About 2:45 AM on Monday morning, the 26th, we prepared to wheel down to the OR for an emergency c-section. I was tired and had gotten the shakes. Hank held one hand and one of the anesthesiologists held the other. At 3:27 AM, along came Legare...all 8 pounds and 6 ounces of him.

There was no crying...the baby was in a little bit of distress and they ran away with him before I could even get a look. His first Apgar score was a "2"... a few minutes later it was up to a "9" but not wanting to take any chances they took him away. I was fine, so Hank went with the baby.

I arrived in my room around 5:30 AM. Hank went home to shower and I fell asleep. At 7:00 AM, the phone in my room rang. I remember thinking...who the heck is calling me...what is WRONG with them...but I put on my brightest and best southern belle voice and had a conversation with Hank's cousin like I'd just awakened from a restful night's sleep (as opposed to having just been through HOURS of excruciating pain, emergency surgery to have a baby, and less than two hours sleep!!)

Mother arrived about 7:30 AM and immediately went to the nursery to find out when I would get to hold my sweet baby. About 8:00 AM, they finally brought him in. It was a moment of pure JOY! We got lots of flowers and had lots of company and I entertained in grand style. Actually, Hank says that I just THINK I entertained in grand style that first day. I apparently fell asleep mid-sentence with most of my visitors.

We came home four days later and as we drove away from the hospital, I recall thinking...what is wrong with the people at this hospital...how could they let us LEAVE with a baby. We don't know what we're doing. WHAT WERE THEY THINKING!!

Mother and Ned stayed with us for three weeks. She slept in the nursery with Legare and only woke me during the night when he needed to be fed, thus I was able to get my strength back quickly and Hank didn't get exhausted taking care of the both of us. What a blessing.

Legare has continued to be pure joy....most of the time. Like any other kid, he had his MOMENTS! I surely can't tell you about all of them but let's see...there was the time, one February, when Lorelai was about four, that Legare told her that it was her birthday. She was SO excited. Only problem....her birthday is in July. It wasn't fun.

Did I ever tell you about the time we discovered (at the END of the day) that he'd enjoyed a BEER at 8:00 AM (before he went to school) a mere two weeks before graduation? Thank The LORD that he didn't get caught. Why would he do such a thing, you might ask? He was hot and thirsty! Well...there you go...

Legare is going to do great things in this world.

On the night you were born,
the moon smiled with such wonder
that the stars peeked in to see you
and the night wind whispered.
“Life will never be the same.”

Because there had never been anyone like you . . . ever in the world.

(excerpt from "On the Night You Were Born" by Nancy Tillman)

Son...Daddy and I love you more than you can imagine, my sweet sweet baby boy. Lorelai loves you more than you know too...she just isn't going to tell you that. There might be kids loved AS MUCH as you and your sister in this world but I guarantee that there are not any loved MORE. HAPPY BIRTHDAY...we'll see you later this week.

Yep...I'm a big talker...(or not)

1. Last weekend I got to feeling pretty good about myself what with a couple of posts over the weekend. Yesterday I had to resort to a repeat of an old "Three Quotation Thursday" so as not to feel so bad about myself.

2. I left work last Monday afternoon with a scratchy throat which turned into full blown laryngitis. Good news for the people who have to be around me. Bad news when your job involves a lot of talking.


3. I miss the days when the doctor would always write a prescription for an antiobiotic. I understand the reasons why they don't do that anymore but I paid good money on Wednesday morning for a diagnosis of "I think it's probably viral and will go away in a week to ten days. Get some chloroseptic lozenges, use afrin if you need to, and don't talk."



4. Oh YES!!! THAT will WORK!!!!


5. Lorelai has written a post for "dumb boys" go check it out.

Three Quotation Thursday...What Do You Think?

"They're certainly entitled to think that, and they're entitled to full respect for their opinions... but before I can live with other folks I've got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience. " -Atticus Finch in "To Kill a Mockingbird" (Harper Lee)

Don't you wonder how some people live with themselves? Sometimes my conscience works overtime...I fret over the smallest little thing that I might have said that might have maybe sometime in the oddest little circumstance PERHAPS have given somebody the wrong impression. What is it with people who just don't seem to have a sense that other people and their feelings matter? I just can't understand it...

------------------------------------------------------------------------


"Back in 2002, Edwards sent me a Ken doll dressed in bathing trunks, Rio de Janeiro Ken, with a teasing note, because he didn’t like my reference to him as a Ken doll in a column. In retrospect, the comparison was not fair - to Ken." -Maureen Dowd on John Edwards

This just makes me laugh!
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"In the South, people take great pleasure in other people's lives, they consider them works of art, eccentrics are discussed and doted upon." -John Berendt

Truer words were never spoken...as long as our eccentrics are of a reasonably sweet disposition they are community treasures. Is it like that in other regions? Could be... I just don't have a point of reference.

I Know...I'm On a Roll This Weekend

I just could NOT bring work home with me this weekend. I've been missing my blog world SO much and I'm going to do better. It's amazing what a comfort blogging can be, isn't it? This situation where I only have time to blog or read blogs on the weekend is going to have to end soon. The "madness" has begun in our office with people still not sure about what they'll be doing next year and others getting word that their jobs have been eliminated. People are edgy and I feel SO bad for them. It could have been me. I NEED my blogs!

Thanks to those of you who started following the new blog, Life Lessons for Dumb Boys. We'll see how it goes. The girls are excited and REALLY, if any of you my dear friends or your daughters have stories/lessons to share I'll be more than happy to publish them. Just let me know...you can send anything you'd like to my e-mail (lifeofasouthernbelle@gmail.com).

We got the nicest thank you note written on a beautifully monogrammed card in the mail yesterday and I just have to share it with you. What a lovely young southern belle this friend of Lorelai's is...

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Southern...
Thank you both so much for taking us to eat at Magnolias last week while we were at the beach. You were so generous to think of us as we celebrated the end of a successful school year. The food was delicious, and we thoroughly enjoyed our evening. I am so excited that Lorelai will be living with us at Clemson next year. Our week at Edisto was great fun, so I am sure that sharing the apartment will be too! Hope to see you all again soon.
Sincerely,
Mary Elizabeth Bradford

Receiving such nice notes from young people these days is a rarity. Both of our children...yes, even dumb boy Legare...have a ready supply of personal stationery and I always encourage them to write more than the standard "Thank you so much for the white towels. I know I will get much use from them. Sincerely, Johnny" kind of notes. I don't know about you, but I kind of take the two line notes as insincere. Sort of a "my mama made me do it" kind of thing.

I'm NOT saying that my kids haven't written those kinds of notes (and I shudder at the thought) but I'm always trying to move them in the right direction.

Don't we have an obligation to our children to make sure they go out into the great big world knowing social graces?

What do you think?

I almost forgot..

Oh...jump over and see my new venture. Not sure whether or not it will catch on but we'll have fun with it for a time...

A New Blog...

Life Lessons for Dumb Boys