The Tea Room in Sumter, South Carolina

The Tea Room

I love this place!! Such a femine, lady like dining spot, with a huge tea list! Love the raspberry tea.

Fine china, cloth napkins, old silver, tons of vintage items and pictures; roses on the table.

They deliver your check in a vintage ladies evening bag & you place your credit card inside. When they bring you the sales slip to sign, it is on a antique silver tray.

Poinsettia

I recieved this poinsettia last Christmas, 2008. It has been on my sun porch all year growing new green leaves. And look what has happenend = = = > it has bloomed!! Yes, a little late for Christmas but still pretty remarkable I think! In the past Iread about how to get last year's poinsettia to bloom again, and it always involves months of complete darkness and lack of water. I've thrown a tad of water on this once a week and occasionally have sprayed some green algea plant food on it when spraying my other house plants. Don't know what worked, or didn't work, but I am pleased. I can't wait to see if the bloom grows bigger!

::Hungry for my son::

I've got to type this as fast as I can before I go eat my entire box of NS food!!!!!!!!!

My son is in college . . . he use to be 2 hours away and he would come home every 3-4 months for a weekend visit. This semester he transfered to the University of Hawaii - we are in South Carolina. Needless to say, but I'll say it anyway, he cannot simply come home for a weekend. I am really really missing him today. I have a strong desire to buy the largest bag of M&Ms and nestle on the couch and eat them all. Yes, I know that eating crap is not going to bring my son home, it is going to make me feel like crap afterwards too.

I need support from other moms with children that are far, far away! Believe me, I would rather have him in Hawaii then with a shaved head fighting in Iraq. Those mother's amaze me how they continue to move through their daily life day after day after day.

I have a box for my son to take to the post office this afternoon. I am mailing him his valentine card & gift: Quicksilver Board shorts, madras cargo shorts, Tshirts, micro popcorn, trail mix, etc. My husband and I plan to go to Hawaii in November and that is so far away. I would love nothing more than to surprise my son with one-third of his mom gone for good - - the fat part.

My son does call about once a week, and sends the occasional text msg, and we communicate on facebook. I write him an ongoing letter and send upbeat, happy news. The last thing I want is for him to know how much his moving leaves a hole in my heart.

After going to the post office, I have to go to the grocery store for dog food - Poor Lucky Dog is completely out of food. On second thought, it would be better for me at this point in time to stay out of the grocery store, so instead I will pay more and go to the pet speciality store instead!!

Thanks for reading this far . . . typing has kept my hands buys!!! All comments are welcome and will be greatley appreciated!!

The Beep-beep-beeping stopped!!!!

No sooner did I publish the previous post, then "volia" the beep-beep-beeping stopped!!! YIPEE!!!! I can now head to the shower and I hope like hell it does not start up again and startle the hell out of me!!!

Time to Replace the Battery in the Smoke Detector

Great, sitting here typing and the smoke detector in the master bedroom begins it's piercing beep-bee-beep signaling the need for a new battery. Scared the shit out of me and Lucky Dog. Lucky Dog came under the desk and the poor dog is quivering and shaking - it has to hurt his ears too! I let him outside immediately and headed to the garage to get the ladder to at least take out the old battery.

Back inside, even with the ladder and me up high on it, I cannot reach to remove the cover and thus, remove the battery. So, I am listening to the beep-beep-beep and may go completely mad before the battery runs out of juice to even beep-beep-beep!

Almost 3 minutes before the beep-beep-beeping began, Jay had called to let me know he was going to be late tonight because he is in Beaufort. Great! I have more than 3 hours to listen to this sound. I was heading to the shower, but now don't think I can actually enter the master bedroom. I know, I know, the shower will cover up the beep-beep-beeping, but it's when I get out of the shower that I'll have to listen to it while I am doing all my beauty routines! Jeesh!

Thinking . . .

Yesterday was the inaugration of President Obama - still sounds too weird to even say that for some reason. I loved watching all the pomp and seeing our men in uniform. There is something extradorinary about seeing a new president elected and take office - I get goosebumps watching this stuff. Mrs. Obama looked beautiful and their children are adorable. The First Lady wore J. Crewto the swearing-in ceremony! How cool is that?

I really, really liked watching & hearing George W. Bush's welcome home speech he gave in Middleton, Texas! He is a hoot. He spoke of the principals he used daily in his life; how he didn't always do the popular thing, but he always did the RIGHT thing. He said his new domestic policy will involve taking out the garbage and mowing the lawn. His first day at home he would wake up, make Laura coffee, read the paper, go for a long walk, fish, and by then it would be 8:00 AM - - - laughter --- that's how it is when you are a Type A personality!

I didn't see any of the balls or what Michelle wore, but I assume in the next days we will be bombarded with pictures and fashion critics will be taking their shots at Mrs. Obama.

On a different note, I have started the Nutra System diet program. All is going well. I have not yet tried the exercise DVD nor done any exercise to be honest. Need to. Want to. Have become a little too addicted to facebook since connecting with so many high school classmates.

Facebook: my addiction, checking up on people, looking at their photos and reading their information about jobs and family; then there's BINGO, and CASINO, and SCRATCH-OFF-TICKETS, and SUPER-POKE-PETS . . . I need to put an end to my daily obsession! But I do like to check in on Mark-a-Doodle-Bug!!!

I talked to Barbara G. yesterday - we were both online at the same time and I told her to "CALL ME" and she did!!! Her voice was exactly the same and the years fell away. She is a dear sweet friend and I am so proud that she went back to school and became a nurse! She was meant to be one - - she was too, too, adorable in her candy-striper" uniform as a high school student.

Working today: 11:00 am - 1:30 pm; 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
May get more hours if available.

Sad note: Last night watching TV there was something on the show about a husband dying and leaving his family without money or security.

I said to my husband, "If you die tonight, I am screwed."

He said, "WHAT?"

I reply, "We don't have wills!"

He became very upset and aggravated and got up huffing & puffing and said, "Social Security will pay you more money than I make now - your not going to be screwed! You said you could do it online for $12 bucks so go online and do it!!!"

Wisely, I paused between the time of thought and reaction and made no comment. I never said it cost $12 bucks, that's ridiculous and untrue. I had told him it could be done at LegalZoom.com for around $70.00 per will.

He got up all annoyed and paced around and then headed back to the bedroom. I turned off the TV, took the dog outside, smoked a cigarette, and went back to the bedroom. He was already in bed reading. I did my nightly beauty rountine and got into bed.

I said something light and cute that I don't even remember, but just to kill the wall of silence. He commented back. We both read for awhile and then he put his book down and turned out his light. No "good-night" was spoken. That was it.

This morning I woke up at 6 AM took Lucky Dog outside and then went back to bed. His alarm was going off and he pushed snooze a couple of times. Next thing I know, it is 9 AM and I am waking up from a deep dream filled sleep. I come out to get coffee and he has left for work. No note on the table. His silence continues. I haven't checked my email because I don't expect there to be a mesage.

Do I owe him an apology???? Based on my experience of loosing my father when I was 15 years old, I guess I believe that if the man loves his wife and family he pre-plans for his demise. Looking back, after my father passed, we continued to live in the same house, my mother did not go out and get a job [she had never worked], my brothers did not have to leave college and come home to work, all three cars were paid off. Nothing in my life changed. It was not until I grew up and had 20/20 hindsight, did I realize how our lives could have changed.

My father had lovingly pre-planned for not being able to provide for his family. I wish my husband felt the same way. Perhaps instead of spending money on redecorating [which could have waited], he could have used the same money to get some of our affairs in order. *Sigh* Don't know how to communicate this to my husband or if I will even bother to use my breathe and vocal cords.

We had a fun weekend:

I had a great weekend and as the picture shows my hubby had a good time too! Yellow roses are my favorite and this arrangement is perfectly beautiful!

Re-decorating in Annette Ville

It has been a busy time at home. Now that Mark is in Hawaii we have redecorated his room. Jay painted last weekend and this weekend we made the headboard, got two new lamps, and new bedspread and pillow shams. We are in the proces of figuring out what will hang on the walls.

See our new headboard? It is made of plywood, covered with thick foam: the middle panel is covered in a textured gold fabric, the side panels are black, and between the panels we added black and garnet colored trim. Hubby added some crown molding along the top with a shelf - painted bright white to match the room's trim.

Here is a close up of the headboard details:

We are having all of Mark's Cross-Country and Track ribbons mounted in a shadow box to display on one wall above his XC & Track trophys.

We are now in the process of culling through old photographs to display on the larger wall. Old photographs include our grandparents, great-grandparents, and our parents. Love the look of these old photos as we've begun spreading them out on the bed to arrange for hanging.

New window valance, new lamp, & hubby's childhood desk:

Close up of lamp shade on the night stand:

Close up of the new window valance:

A close up of the new bed comforter colors:

Close up details of the desk lamp [ I love the texturing ]:

One thing we've put on the wall above the closet, as our guests lie in bed they will see this sign our daughter gave us:

I'll update as we progress in the guestroom and get pictures and accesories added!!

*SIGH*

Mmmmmm.....finally got some sleep! The boy sent me a text message late yesterday that he was able to get the math class he needs for Freshman year and will now have enough credit hours to remain a full-time student and received his financial aid monies. Sigh of relief for him and myself!

New Picture

This is the view from Mark's dorm room window....Diamond Head can be seen in the background. I can't wait for him to post more pictures!