Dee Wissing's 17 kids sure know how to keep a secret.

They didn't tell her there'd be a knock on her door Friday morning and Bam!

ABC (ENLARGE)

Surrounded by family members and chef Emeril Lagasse, Dee Wissing is served breakfast Friday morning on live national TV.

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Emeril Lagasse was standing outside.

He walked right into Wissing's Marietta home for a Mother's Day segment on ABC's "Good Morning America."

In his breathless introduction, Lagasse said, "This winner, you're not going to believe this, she is the mother of 17 children. Yeah — 17! And she had every one. It's amazing."

It's a good thing Wissing is an early riser. She's usually up by 6 a.m. most mornings and was already dressed when Lagasse arrived.

"I told him if I had known he was coming, I would have dressed better," Wissing said.

"I'm still in shock," Wissing said. "I was so surprised for my children to be able to keep a secret from me. I pretty much know what's going on in the family."

Wissing won the "Breakfast in Bed contest." Her daughter, Jenny Murphy, nominated her.

She handled the unexpected visit calmly and good-naturedly. After the crew fitted her with a microphone, she was treated to a piece about her life narrated by former Atlantan Robin Roberts.

A split-screen showed Wissing smiling while friends and family paid tribute to her resourcefulness and love.

"Speaking of surprises, can you handle one more?" Lagasse asked. "It's a big one."

He then took Wissing outside where a bed had been set up in the front yard. She was served Lagasse's Lemon and Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes while surrounded by about 100 friends and family — mostly family, of course.

Her 11 daughters, six sons, 43 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren gathered outside.

"The pancakes were great, but I was too nervous to eat a whole lot," Wissing said.

With all the children in town, including one son who came from Colorado, they'll celebrate Mother's Day a day early.

Where will they all stay?

"Some are staying here, some with brothers and sisters," Wissing said. "We always make room for everybody."

Dee is retired from from a part-time job working in Macy's customer service, but her husband, Bill, still works designing and equipping restaurants.

"We have the greatest family in the world," Wissing said, "and we have always said that. We're very close and just have lots of love. I hope and wish other families and people, knew what love was, then we wouldn't have any problems today."

Those are words of wisdom from a woman who answered "72" when asked her age.

Over the telephone, other voices could be heard in the background.

"I'm 74, they said," Wissing said of her children. "They're not supposed to know how old I am. They don't let me get by with anything."