Summer Hours

My office instituted new summer hours for us to work this week where we can get off at noon on Fridays. We have to work 40 hours (specifically from 8:30 - 4:30). But we can make up the remainder of the 40 hours in any way that we want to as long as we meet 40 hours. Some employees are working from from 7am - 5pm or from 8am - 6pm on Mon-Thurs and 7-12 on Fri. Now, I really would like to get off at noon on Fridays. This would make for a longer weekend or give me an opportunity to go up to Nashville to see the kids earlier on Friday. But boy is it hard for me to get up and going to get to work by 7! For those of you who know me, I am definitely a "night-owl" and love to stay up til 1 or 2 am each night. (I do my best work then). But no can do, if I have to get to work by 7!!!! Andy loves this as he is really a morning person and he likes having me get up early with him. He likes to chatter away and talk about everything under the sun early in the morning. I don't like to open my mouth except to brush my teeth!!@!!&##!!!! We'll see how this goes.....Anyway, I decided I would like to share little tidbits about my family history, experiences, relatives,etc. here in each blog. I figure this might be a good way to help my family remember all these things about our relatives. So, here goes....My paternal grandmother was my favorite person in the whole world. She was just the most wonderful grandmother anyone could ever have and I still find myself thinking about her and things that she did and that she taught me everyday. She died when my kids were still babies, so they never really got a chance to know her. But I have always tried to tell them wonderful stories about her so they will always know her. First of all, her name was Tollie Maddox Hankins Hankins....yes, I know that is wierd, but she and my grandfather were distant cousins. (You know we do things like that here in Alabama!!!) Actually, they were about 12th cousins so that really doesn't count (much???). She was the 5th child out of 7 and the 4th daughter. Her father was so disappointed when she was born another girl, that he refused to think of a special name for her and said, "Let's just name her Tollie, after the mule!" And Tollie it was. This name just fit her to a T however. It just seems like a name for a happy-go-lucky, funny and fun-loving person and that she certainly was. Always smiling and full of a little mischief, everyone loved to be around Tollie (and me most of all!) I love you Grandmother and miss you so much!!! I am trying to be just like you were as a grandmother to Collin and Annie Frances. Well, since the rooster will crow in just a few hours for me, I better try and go to sleep. Andy tells me to just lie still and I will be able to sleep. Yeah, right! His mother use to tell him and his brother and sister that when they went to visit his aunt in Florida who did not have air conditioning. They nearly smothered to death trying to sleep at night, but Pat would tell them to just "lie still" and they wouldn't be hot!!!! That just doesn't work either for a menopausal 55 year old!!!! Wish me luck at sleeping.Toodles and God bless.....
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by Dixie Di
9:03:00 PM
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What a great weekend!

This has been a wonderfully relaxing weekend. Lately our lives have been going 90 to nothing and we have had trouble catching up with ourselves. Don't get me wrong, I function best at the fast pace but every now and then, I need a little slow down and do nothing. That is basically what Andy and I did this weekend. First of all, we found out that Andy got the job at UAH as assistant basketball coach so we had to celebrate on Friday evening a little. Now a big night for us is a blooming onion and the Special with a glass of ice tea at the Outback! I know, you're jealous! So we ran down there ate and were back home and watching tv by 7:30. I told you, we really know how to do it up big!!!!
Saturday was slow paced and relaxing too. Andy worked in the yard and I sewed. Andy watches his sports on his tv downstairs and I sit on the screened in porch and smock and watch the Food Network and listen to the new baby birds in the tree right outside the porch. Now it just doesn't get any better than this. I just can't tell you how much I love my screen porch! I wait all winter to get out there and when the weather gets warm enough, I stay out there as long each day as I can.
Our dog barked all night last night, so I didn't sleep too well. I stayed home and slept in while Andy went to church. I feel guilty, but I sure did need the sleep. We repeated our usual again today...Andy on coach downstairs and me on the screened in porch. The weather was just right to be outside, not too hot, but a really beautiful day. We cooked out tonight and ate on the deck.
Now we just haven't been this lazy and non-stressed in I don't know when. Just a real good weekend. This was good cause next week starts to really get busy again. I leave in less than 1 month for my big show in Arlington, TX and I'm not ready yet. Still lots to do. I will be working overtime for the next couple of weeks.
Plus all the things I want to get down for Royal Southern Baby. I designed a couple new outfits this weekend for Annie Frances that I plan to include on the website. Erin and the babies are coming on Thursday so we can have their pictures made in their Easter outfits for Sew Beautiful. Can't wait to see those little punkins! I talked to Collin this weekend and he asked me to go with him to the grocery store to see the lobsters. I think he thinks I'm just around the corner! We'll go see them when he comes to Huntsville this week.
Well, since I only got about 3 hours sleep last night, I better get some shut eye before Hank starts barking again. The moon was out last night and he could see things in the woods, so he decided to do his guard dog duty!!!!

Toodles!!!! and God bless you!

Here goes nothing....

My daughter, Erin, talked me into starting this blog today. I'm not really sure how this is going to go, but I will give it a try. I enjoy reading my daughter's blog and several others that I check in on every day or so, but sometimes this seems very nosey that I am peeking into others lives! Now, that's not to say that I don't like a little nosieness here and there. I do enjoy hearing about my daughter's family each day. I can't wait to see pics of those grandchildren each morning when I get to work. (more about them later....)
Other blogs seem to have interesting tidbits of info each day and I'm not sure that I have all that much to offer. Life here is rather hum-drum with me going to work each day, coming home, fixing dinner and then I retreat to my sewing room to work on my sewing projects while hubby, Andy glues his eyeballs to the tv! Exciting, huh? But I will try and give my little reflections of wisdom when they occassionally drift through my gray matter...nothing too earth shaking coming yet! Ha!
Andy and I both are all together nuts about our two grandchildren. Living in Huntsville, AL 100 miles from them, keeps us from daily visits, which is really good for all concerned, but it does allow us to see them at least 2-3 times a month. I don't think I can go longer than a couple of weeks at a time to see them. I don't want to miss out on them growing up. I had the most incredible relationship with my grandparents when I was young and my children spent their toddler and elementary school years living just a few blocks from my parents. I feel strongly about family bonds and how important it is to share in your grandchildren's lives. (Hopefully, just to share and not to interfere too much!) Anyway, I can only imagine that this blog will be mostly about my two sweeties, Collin, age 2-1/2 and Annie Frances 5 months. Just bear with me...I should have titled this blog, Nana's Braggin Rights instead. Luckily, you can click off when you get fed up with my flowing expose on how wonderful, beautiful, smart, and just the cutest kids in the world that my grandkids are!!!!! Well, that's even about all that I can take for one night.

God's blessings on all who read this....

di