Just work work and more work... is that why it is called LABOR day?

I was sent home early both Saturday and Sunday, and was scheduled for 7:30 to noon today. I was sent home at 10:30 today. I am asked to work Wednesday and Thursday afternoons from 3 to 7, and come in early on Friday. So I ought to be making back up the hours that I was sent home.

While my BP has remained in the good to great range, I have still been having anxiety attacks. On the upside, so far the ragweed hasn't gotten to me as much as in years past.

Sam and I have had a couple of head buttings over school work. Like Chris used to do... Sam rushes through his worksheets without benefit of reading the directions. I re-printed the worksheets and had to physically restrain him from writing on them as I went over the directions with him. He already had it in his mind what he was supposed to do. After he marked the first answer incorrectly on the second reprint, Tom backed me up and we made Sam re-read and interpret the instructions. He was making an easy task much harder than it was.

I stopped by the local grocery store before heading home from work today... they are still the best place to buy meat around here. I happened in shortly after they marked down the unsold fresh meat from the weekend... and got five packages of ground beef at half price. I also got one of their 5/$25 deals. Tonite we are having fajitas... I had several huge bell peppers wasting in the fridge. Ben got them last week at .79 each. I am thinking I will have spanish rice with the fajitas... or maybe ranchies. (Ranch Style (brand) Beans).

For now: the house is caught up, the school work is nearly finished, I'm back from the work weekend... no Matthew. I am thinking of having myself a nap!

168/104

That's what my blood pressure was Wednesday morning. It stayed right up there all morning, lowest being 150/95. So I called the doc, and went to an appointment at 1:30. By 3:00 I was ensconced in a hospital bed and monitored up for a 24 hour observation. During my stay, I had nitroglycerin patches pasted to my thigh, blood taken at four hour intervals, and an IV port installed..." just in case". Yesterday afternoon, they did a stress test.

All of my tests came back negative- except the stress test indicated I "may" have a weak heart, it's output is 48% of capacity, and they expect it to be at least 60% in a woman of my age. They want to run another test, a sonogram. What they can do about a 'weak' heart, I don't know and didn't think to ask. The nitro gives one a horrid headache, which sort of precludes thinking.

The Docs believe the High BP is due to the Claritin D. So I have to find some other way to deal with the ragweed issues. They want me back on BP meds... though if I am off of Claritin D and my high BP is caused by that... then it ought to go back to normal without the medication, I would think. I am keeping an eye on it, and do have the prescription.

It was good to be home in my own beddy-bye last night. I slept quite soundly. Now, it is another work weekend... and a long one at that! I have to work all day Monday- the regulars get a paid day off, so it will be the boss and I. He doesn't expect it to be busy. No one will waste labor day weekend working on their cars unless they must, and it is supposed to rain all weekend.

Have a blessed day!

Sleep Deprivation

I got up at 3:45 this morning, after a bout of night terrors and just plain weird dreams.
In my dreams, people kept trying to kill themselves. One person in the dream was sitting in a lawn chair in the yard, with an axe , ready to end it all. Fortunately, he was Obsessive/ Compulsive... and noticed that the rakes and brooms were not standing completely upright and evenly spaced. So he delayed his death until he was finished straightening up the lawn tools. By then, I was there to stop him.
Other dream people were narrowly missing dying all over the place by various means. I "woke up" and told myself I needed to get some sleep, and have GOOD dreams, enough with the nightmares.
My two companions began talking to me... I was obviously NOT awake! They were Brother Rat, and Brahma Bear. Brother Rat was a full six feet tall and sporting a pot belly... he looked quite like a real rat, and not the Chucky Cheese version... except for the blue hoody. Brahma Bear (fertile imagination to come up with those names in my dreams, and even could just TELL it was spelled Brahma) was wearing a red sweater that looked remarkably like the one Alvin the Chipmunk wears. These two companions consulted each other and told me I had Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, which was causing the nightmares.

Okaaaaaay!
I can definitely see where the sleep aid company advertisement came up with some of their commercials! I woke up for real then, and just tossed and turned.

I got up for a few minutes when Mr C got up- around 5 am. I was so tired, and I know I won't have a chance for a nap today, I went back to bed and tried again to sleep. I did get a little snooze in before he had to leave for work at 6:45.
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I sure miss having a camera. Yesterday, we re-arranged stuff in the house. With the corner hutch, the buffet, and the table set up in the 'odd' end of the living room, it looks like a "real" dining room. It is pretty. Aside from being kitty-corner from the kitchen. Mr C commented on that. I asked him if he were willing to re-string all the wires and reprogram the TV and satellite receiver to be able to swap ends of the room around just so the dining room would be next to the kitchen? He said Nope!
Me either.
With the sun filtering through the blinds, Dan sitting at the table reading... it just begs for a picture. The place is actually starting to feel "homey".

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Matt just arrived. Guess I better be feeding him and getting the day rolling. I hope you have a blessed day!

Do- Overs....

I decided this morning that the twins and I are going to re-start our school year. While we did get started earlier this month, I have been away from home so much that all they were getting done was Math and Reading. Most of the local schools have just started in the last week, and a few schools start after Labor Day... so I declared our school year to be re-starting.
(Instead of going back through my schooling log and trying to reconstruct what was done and when, we will just pick up the log anew.)

Mr C took a load of stuff to the storage unit over the weekend. I sent books I have been refusing to allow in storage... just hoping I am proved wrong about them getting mildewed. I sent decorative items that I would love to hang up, but there just isn't room here. Mr C saw that I was sending items I really didn't WANT to send, so he gave in and sent stuff he didn't want to send... like his decrepit weight bench that has blighted the front porch for the last 4 years. As far as I can recall, he may have used it twice in all that time.

The cleaning off of the front porch felt great... my oversized rocker is now out there. I am trying to make room for my tree and plants to come back inside. (Hey Laurie, are you guys ready to give a tree a home? We'd love to have you come visit some time!). It was in the 50's this morning... and it isn't even officially September yet. The weather has felt very October-ish for the last week or so.

I put in a FULL weekend at work. Friday was the regular catch-up of each week. Saturday, we 'cleared the floors' of everything that wasn't a permanent fixture for the annual stripping and re-waxing of the floor. This required moving some 150 cases of oil, dozens of 5 gallon buckets of tractor fluids, fifty or so 50 lb. bags of oil dry (kitty litter), fifty+ cases of antifreeze, generators, jacks, air compressors, and 'portable' fixtures like the antifreeze and windshield wash racks.
On Sunday, we got to move everything back to their nice shiny locations. Today, I go back and set up the new sale that starts Wednesday. (I have an appointment tomorrow afternoon that I scheduled, not realizing it was New Sales Eve. Boss is allowing me to set the sale up a day early!)

The house has suffered through without me, Tom and the boys doing a more or less good job of staying on top of the major things.

As I showered for work yesterday, I heard Tom suddenly start yelling at one of the dogs. As I dripped from the bathroom into the bedroom... he pointed out that sneaky Jaffa had crawled up onto our bed- which is strictly forbidden!... and covered himself up with my quilt. Tom hadn't noticed him there, and had sat beside the dog. He only realized Jaffa was hidden beneath the covers of my yet-to-be-made bed when he put his hand on the dog. Tom later discovered that out bedsheet has a huge triangular rip in it... apparently Jaffa had tried to use the sheet to pull over himself before burrowing under the quilt.

This is the funniest dog I have ever seen about wanting to be under the covers to sleep. If he doesn't have something to cover up with, he will go searching until he finds a throw, a coat, or even a full sized blanket. He drags it to his nesting spot of the moment, and tucks himself in completely, sealing the cover all around himself. A very cold-natured dog! (Still, he better stay OFF of my bed!)

Trying to find a new Normal...

My BP and heart rate did settle down yesterday, and stayed fine the rest of the day.
I woke again this morning in full panic mode, but didn't rush to take BP. I sat and visited awhile with my Mom and Ralph, who brought up a table and some chairs I acquired last week in Ft Worth. When I did take my BP, it was excellent, and my heart rate was 84... not bad for me at all. (I usually run in the mid to high 90's).

Our house runneth over in furnishings. I had intended to put the table and chairs right into storage, but Mr C has to re-organize the storage cubby we rent. Mom made a couple of arrangement suggestions, and we might just decide to live with the table and chairs here, after all.
(Who knows when we will find a bigger place. We are just about two weeks from marking four years in this house.) That translates to $33,600. we could have been paying towards owning a place of our own. (PLUS $1,200 thus far to store basic JUNK.)

*Kerflush*

The whole family is looking for a new "normal". Events of the last couple of weeks have shaken us up, and brought about a fresh reliance on God. Many aspects of the future are unpredictable... and I really like routine. I know the future is never a "given", it just seems so much more changeable, all of the sudden.

I missed sending Grandaughter Amber a birthday gift, and have grandson Gavin approaching his 3rd birthday in just a couple of weeks. I have no idea of what to do for him. At the moment, I can barely think of what to fix for the next meal, much less what to do about an upcoming birthday.

Have a blessed day.

Attack of the Panic

I woke up from bad dreams this morning, shaking. Can't begin to remember what they were about- probably something stupid. (A few days ago I dreamed that I was telling someone that I just don't understand the tattoo phenomena... the WHY of getting a tattoo. The person in my dream asked why *I* had gotten a tattoo. I told them I don't have one... and the pointed to my left bicep, where, by golly, I did have a tattoo. It was so strange, I didn't remember getting one... yet there it was. I went and put on my green O'reilly's work shirt... and sure enough, a bit of the design of the tattoo was visible below the sleeve.... very strange! I woke up... and double-checked my arm- the dream had seemed so real!)

Anyway, whatever it was I was nightmaring about this morning, I woke in a sweat and shaking. My heart racing- I feel like I am having a major panic attack... which I haven't had to this degree in many years. I got up and sat still on the couch for awhile trying to calm myself. After 15 minutes, I was still shaking, and felt like my heart was racing. I got up and took my blood pressure- 185/98. Pulse 105. That's high for me. I sat and rested some more, and came down to 169/91, pulse 101. I sat awhile longer, then decided to take a shower before the day hits full swing. After the shower, I was at 145 over 89... which is slightly high, but much better. My pulse was back up to 104.

I have a feeling I just can't seem to shake off of something really bad happening this morning- yet as far as I know, everything is as well as I could hope in my little bit of the world. With my heart racing so much, I am almost afraid to even have my tea, lest caffeine aggravate the heart rate further.

Chill, Tammy.

School of experience

I have heard hundreds of sermons in my life. Christians are told: You love the sinner, you hate the sin. Many Christians have problems in this area. They "rate" sin... it is OK to befriend a person who does 'little' sins. But if they suddenly discover a 'friend' is involved with a "big" sin... it is time to gather up the stones. God doesn't rate sin. He hates a haughty spirit as much as He does murder.

Like a light switch, Off or On. God sees that something is either a sin, or it is not. There is no "little bit" On. One should not shun a person based on a "sin scale". The sinner should be reminded of God's love and forgiveness, based on repentance. Save shunning for the unrepentant.

Put down the stones.
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The last couple of weeks have been exhausting. I haven't been to bed before 1 in the morning until last night. Then I was back up by shortly after six every morning. One of my boys has been in ICU, from Tuesday until Saturday. He is now out of the hospital and recovering.
The family has spent a lot of time in the waiting room.

One of my grandsons was with us, as we had no sitter to leave him with. He is very observant... he saw people coming through the doors of the ICU crying, and other people would hug and comfort them. He got back to the house after a couple of days of this, and put on his saddest face, his fakest cry, and ran to hug his Mommy. He hugged and patted her for a minute, then ran off "all cheered up".

I have to praise the staff of the ICU at the hospital. Not only did they take great care of my son, but they went out of their way to make the family comfortable. Above and beyond their duties.
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Dan and Sam limped through their lessons last week as best they could. This week we are getting back on track- or trying to. We need a trip to the library, possibly the grocery store, and I think I am going to get me a new supply of Adult Beverage. (It has been a tough week!)
Where did August go? We are eight days until September!
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Our family has really pulled together this week, supporting one another. It is what families are SUPPOSED to do. My kids are really close-knit, and all of this has been hard on them. They nearly lost a brother. The ones who could come to the hospital came... and those who couldn't come didn't whine that they were being neglected. I think they realized that my attention was focused on the one who needed me most at the moment, and that if they ever need me as much, I will be there for them as well.

Visiting

I drove with DS#1 down to Ft Worth Thursday. Mom took me to see my Granny Friday afternoon. We also visited my Aunt Jean. It is hard to cram so much into a one day visit.
Friday, DS#2 came to see me while I was there, followed by my DD and DS#4, and of course, DD's little Tyrel. They didn't get in until after midnight, so technically, it was Saturday morning. We were up way too late, as I had to come home Saturday. We had the 'sleepy sillies', and laughed a lot. Saturday morning, Ty was up at 6:15... even though he was awake into the wee hours with the rest of us. So we got a little more visiting in.

I sent DD and Ty over to the donut shop on the next block to get us an unhealthy sugar, fat, and white flour laced breakfast. She put my change in Ty's pocket to give to me. When he offered me the money, I told him he could keep it. Later, he offered it to me again, and I told him, "I gave you that dollar".
I have DS#2 as a witness... Ty told me "It's FIVE".
How many freshly turned two year olds know the difference in a one dollar bill and a five dollar bill? I was impressed!

I missed Friday and Saturday at work... so Sunday seemed really short. Not having been there for 2 days, I had plenty to keep me busy... and most of it was physical. When you go into an O'Reilly store, you may not think about those aisles that have cases and cases of oil stacked on the floor. But the store planners think about them. They want those stacks to be of the best selling oils for that particular store... and best sellers change from year to year. A few months ago, they swapped the ends of the oil aisle, so that the synthetic oils were at the head of the aisle, instead of the end.
At that time, I didn't swap the stacks of cases on the floor from one end of the aisle to the other. I did that yesterday. I hauled 14 five gallon buckets of hydraulic fluid out for a display in addition to moving some 80+ cases of oil.

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Our family is in need of prayers. We would appreciate yours.

Have a blessed day!

Star gazing

I have been out watching for ' falling stars' in the annual meteor shower. I saw several, and may go back out in awhile. Sitting out under the canopy of stars, you cannot help but realize how small we are in God's plan. And knowing he HAS a plan is a good thing when you feel helpless and small and out of control.

My world was given a major jolt today- one of those days that changes everything. But God is still in control. He spread out the heavens, and established the earth. The 'falling stars' I have been watching were set in their paths when He created the world, and their glory I see tonight was set in motion at the beginning.

The stars go on, whether we choose to see them at night, or choose to stay indoors and watch TV. They are there in the brightness of day, though we cannot see them because of the brighter light. They are there when the storm clouds block our view. Stars always remind me of God.

Tonight, I need reminding.

Surprise! Good and Not so great...

The not so great: Seneca and the kids didn't get to come up here this week.
The Good: Chris drove up a day early. He arrived in the wee hours of morning, after a couple of mis-turns en route. One was mistakenly taking Arkansas Hwy 59 off of 40... at night. Yikes!

Arkansas 59 is a beautiful, scenic route, one I heartily recommend to a leisure driver wanting to see beautiful autumn leaves. It wends and winds through hills and curves and valleys. Deer abound. I shudder to think of a tired driver trying to make his way up it at night.
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My turkey is in the oven- I am cooking it early so that we can have the house cooled down by the time the evening heat hits. I never did get banana bread done yesterday. But we did make 6 mini-loaves of pumpkin-date bread with cinnamon cream cheese filling. And two layers of chocolate cake. I hope the breakfast/ bake sale goes well today.
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It is nearly lunch time. Chris and Ben have been trying to get Jennifer all morning. She promised the kids could come over to visit/ spend the night. Finally, they gave up calling and drove on over to her house.
I will be needing to fix some lunch for Matthew here in a few minutes. He poked around and left his breakfast, and snacks have not been forthcoming. (If you weren't hungry enough for breakfast, you don't need a snack spoiling your lunch.) He keeps saying "meTammy, meTammy: yi eeoh a geenow" "meTammy, meTammy I ee summy eat"
Other than ""Tammy", I can understand "eat". I have mentioned to his Mom I think he needs to be going to a speech therapist. He is four years old and pretty much can't make himself understood. She didn't seem to think it is a big deal.

I was counting something this morning, and happened to get to 17. Matthew clearly said "eighteen". I was really impressed, both with him knowing 18 was next, and how clearly he said it.
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MMM, the turkey smells good! Guess I will go find something to make for lunch. Have a blessed day!

Cooking is an art, baking is SCIENCE

Dan had a miserable failure at bananananananananana (gosh it is hard to stop those nanananananans when you get going) bread. He accidentally added two cups of brown sugar instead of one. He got gooey lumps of bananananana flavored chewy stuff. Not saleable, for sure. We made a quick trip to town, and got stuff for another try... plus some pumpkin for pumpkin bread, and a chocolate cake mix for some cupcakes.

So we had a science fair demo... what happens when you don't add exactly the right amount of the right ingredients when baking. I hope we don't have any more tasty failures!

National Tighten Your Ceiling Fan Blades Day

Ok, so NTYCFB day is totally bogus. But it is still a good idea to periodically tighten those screws that hold the blades into your ceiling fans. I just did mine. All you need is a step ladder, a phillips head screw driver, and a dust cloth. Because once you are up on the step ladder, you will notice how much dust accumulates on those blades. You may as well dust them while you are up there.

Oh, you will find it a good idea to dust the length of the blade AWAY from the bed you are standing on to reach your bedroom fan. Or else you will be rewashing the bedding.
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I am going in to O's this afternoon to set up the new sale, which goes into effect tomorrow. I happen to LIKE the process of tearing down the old displays and setting up new ones. I think I am the only one at our store who enjoys it. So I may as well get a few hours in, to help make up for coming home early every weekend. The sale set-up happens about every three weeks.
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Tomorrow, there is a pancake breakfast/ bake sale/ book sale going on up at the hangar where Mr C works. (Where I used to work!) I will have Matthew early... really early. The sale is a fundraiser for one of the mechanics who has been hospitalized for weeks... maybe even months now. He was riding his motorcycle, when a deer came running across the road and leaped BETWEEN Richard and his motorcycle. Basically, it tackled him off his bike and he fell down into a ravine. There were witnesses to the accident. The motorcycle continued to travel without Richard for a short distance. He broke lots of bones... and he was a big old boy to begin with, over 400lbs. I donated several jars of home made jelly to the sale, and a bag of books. Guess we ought to do some baking for the cause.
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Dale asked me this morning to start keeping Matt on Thursdays again, for awhile. My Thursday off was really short lived, wasn't it? Oh well, extra income!
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OK, Y'all... get busy on those ceiling fans. I don't want anyone bonked with dropping blades.
Have a blessed day!
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Already a third through August!

This morning, Daniel and I took Matthew and went to town. We had to go to Atwoods, where Dan and Sam got new belts. ("Real belts... not the plastic toy kind from WalMart".) Atwoods also had their planters and patio stuff on sale for half price. I wish I had a place to use some of the great stuff they had! I got 3 planters to re-pot some of my weeds.

From Atwoods, we went to Save A Lot grocery. Stocked up on some canned goods, such as Ranchies, diced tomatoes, and fruit. We also went by the bank to deposit my check. I had intended to stop on the way home and pay my Oreilly's bill, stock up on meat at Marvin's Grocery, and put some $$ in my ebay account (which is at another bank). I decided against the stops in Gentry and headed on home.

Matt got up from eating his lunch, and ran to the bathroom to "frow up". He didn't lose stomach contents... just the lunch he didn't want to eat. He crammed it in his mouth and ran and spit it in the toilet. Since he is "sick"... he gets to lay on the couch and have a nap. No toys, no TV, no going outside. I wonder how well the "frow up" game worked with his Gramma?

Chris and Seneca and the kids are coming later this week. I have a turkey thawing for supper one night while they are here. We haven't had the kids all here since before they moved to Texas.

I looked for a birthday present for Amber while I was at Atwoods, but didn't find anything along the lines her Mommy suggested. I'd like to find her something before they get here, so I won't have to mail it.

Time for Mr C to get home for his lunch, so I will say bye for now! Have a blessed day!

Our "Field trip"

Thursday, we decided to 'do something' in the afternoon. Ben is busy on a mission of mercy: one of his (male) co-workers (25) was kicked out by hi wife. Ben has been offering moral support (Wednesday) and helping the guy move to a new apartment (Thursday) ... so Dan and Samdidn't get to challenge Ben to whatever video game duel they had hoped Thursday afternoon.

Instead, we went back to Borders book store, and took advantage of a 40% off coupon, and got one of the "Warriors" series of books that Daniel has been reading. Actually, we got TWO of the series, finally giving up on one Dan has had on reserve at the library for over a month, and buying the book. (It was actually cheaper than I found it at Overstock, as a Club O member!). I picked up a little 'bonus' birthday gift for Amber... but didn't find a main gift for her. I found a cute book for my mom... and a book on airplanes for either Matthew or Gavin... I haven't yet decided which. (Leaning towards Gavin).

We tried to get the boys paintball air tanks refilled, but the filler tank at WalMart was out for repairs. While there, I let the boys choose new comforters for their beds- something I have been meaning to do for quite awhile. Their camo ones we got four years ago have worn out pretty much.

We went to the library, where Dan and Sam played on the one of the chess boards they donated. Both are set up in nice locations, and are reported to have been seeing a LOT of use. I checked out some books for myself.

While at the mall, I dashed into Bath and Body works... they are having the pump hand soap sale! and got several bottles of hand soap. We stopped at the post office and finally got Gma Kathies birthday gift mailed off... an antique glazed porcelain necklace we found a few weeks ago at a rock shop. I also got Bill's pictures mailed off- Chris' went yesterday. He will have to copy the yearbook page if Becky or Bill wants a copy of it.

We stopped off and got a Papa Murphy's (Take and Bake) pizza for dinner... having just discovered the Papa Murphy's in Bentonville. (We tried PM Pizza at mom's house earlier this year... it is sooo gooooooood!)

So we mostly just did errands that Dan and Sam wanted to do... but it got us out of the house for awhile.

Friday, I work Noon to 7:00pm.

Oh, I heard from Chris: Please be praying! Their Emergency custody hearing is the 13th, to determine where Connor and Alana will start to school. it isn't the final hearing, just one to determine where they will go to school this year. All prayers appreciated!

Bill and Glynna report that Nickole is over 15 lbs! and doing well. Three teeth (or was it four?), Rolling everywhere, sitting alone, and freshly shot with all the nasty germs docs say babies need to have. A really big little girl.

~Tammy~

Thursday...

I just discovered yesterday that I probably will NOT have Matthew on Thursdays for awhile. This could develop into me having to work O's on Thursdays... boss has mentioned taking me off Sundays. Sunday off would give us some family time.

But today, it is a day off. The boys and I are thinking up something to do, and getting the schoolwork and housework out of the way. We are thinking of going to the bookstore. I got an e-coupon, and there is a book Dan really wants. They also have 20% off all children's books and games... and Amber has a birthday coming up in a couple of weeks.

I noticed this morning, yesterday's post was my #400 post. Thank you all for listening to me through the ups and downs and ramblings!
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I dreamed of my Granny, and of PawPaw last night. (Actually, it was early this morning.) I was aware in the dream that I was dreaming, but still had a long talk with PawPaw. He had come to get Granny. We talked about my kids, and how much I wished he had gotten to know them. He only ever met Chris and Bill of my brood. I had told him things I wanted him to tell other people when he got back... but after I woke I couldn't remember what I wanted said, or to whom. It was a comforting, if somewhat bizarre dream. In it, Granny was already with him. It wasn't until after I woke up that I realized she hasn't passed away... at least not physically.
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Have a great day today!
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Nothing is ever Simple

I was justifiably unexcited about that house. A matter of self preservation, I expect.

After talking to the bank, Mr C discovered that THIS house requires a 25% down payment. It is missing its "data plate". I went online and did some research. The home owner has been looking for a small metal plate with the serial number on it, which he feared was 'bricked' under when the stone skirting was put up. Actually, the data plate is made of paper.

Yeah. Paper!

It is supposed to be 'permanently affixed in an easily accessible location, typically near the main electrical panel'. "Permanently affixed paper" means it was glued to the wall somewhere. The internet search also said the data plate could be on the inside door of a cupboard or closet.

As I said, that house was spotlessly clean. I would just bet that sometime over the last 30 years they have been in this place, the lady removed the data plate and tossed it into the trash. If it weren't printed on acid free paper, it would probably be yellowed and the ink beyond reading.

Data plates became a federal requirement on June 15, 1976. If these folks bought the place from someone else- it is entirely possible that it was manufactured BEFORE data plates were required. One would think that the bank could send out an inspector of some sort to LOOK at the place and see that it is not going anywhere. They could see that it is in better shape than many 30 year old 'stick built' homes. But no. Without the data plate, they won't make a loan on the place unless the buyers pay 25% down.

The modular homes are considered "portable". We might just haul it away somewhere and where would that leave the bank? LOL.

Scratch this house. This time Mr C is the one upset.

How many times have I asked .."Is this one "it"?

Yesterday evening, we went to see a house in Missouri. (We live in the NW corner of Arkansas, so crossing the state lines of Missouri and Oklahoma are pretty frequent happenings.) This place is about 10 miles east of Jane, MO., where we do most of our WalMart shopping.

After having seen the house online, and doing two 'drive-bys' on it, we were stunned to learn it is a modular home. They have rocks that go from the ground up to meet the wood siding. (My 'dream house' would have rock and cedar exteriors!) It has a 2-car garage attached to the house via a covered passage mud room/ small solarium. The house, internally, has light beige carpets throughout, and white countertops. The place sparkled. My house would be ashamed to be seen there on its cleanest day. We didn't see any flaws in the house... and we usually look really close. I think we were overwhelmed by the showroom clean of the place.

The yard is so heavily tree covered, we would have to search for a spot to garden. There is a small wooden deck on the back. In the yard are two storage sheds, and a pole barn. Leaving the garage in the opposite direction from the house is a huge workshop, which is not only heated and air conditioned, but has two smaller rooms built into it that could be put to use as a bedroom if needed. The house, garage, and shop are all rain-guttered. Concrete sidewalks connect the garage, shop, and house.

The house belongs to an elderly couple, who retired there over 20 years ago. You can tell they really love this place. We spoke to the owner as we were leaving- he and his wife both have had recent surgeries and just can't keep up with the place anymore, he said. Tom is supposed to talk to the bank today and perhaps make them an offer this afternoon.

It was almost 8 before we got home. We went ahead and had the steaks for supper. At that time of evening, I didn't drag out the good china, or make the twice baked potatoes I had intended to serve. I don't have energy left to hand wash dishes at nine o'clock at night. So we had our anniversary supper on TV trays watching a silent movie on TV. (1928, "The Patsy").

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Oh, I failed to mention Matthew. He was remarkably good, for his first day back. He arrived with a gallon of neon green Hawaiian punch, an assortment of kid cereals, and a box of pop-tarts. I was going to pour out whatever was in his sippy cup (yep, four years old and still sucking from a sippy) and make sure he only drank real juice or water. He happened to have real juice in the cup... so that was his juice for the day. When he was thirsty, he got water, and at lunch he got milk.

I removed the lid from the sippy and made him use it like a regular glass. It wasn't until he was ready to leave for home that he was given the neon green poison in the sippy, with the lid on. (I have asked several times that he not bring this stuff, but every week he shows up with a gallon of it. So I wait until time for him to leave to give it to him... Mom and dad can deal with the side effects all evening.)

He has quit calling me "Mom", and settled on Tammytammytammytammytammytammytammytammytammy (while tapping me on the arm). His overall speech has improved enough that Daniel and Sam could understand several things he said. (I would say he is speaking almost as well as an early two year old now.)

If we get the house, I won't be able to keep him any more... it would be way too much of a drive for the parents every morning.

Well, that's about all for now. I hope you have a blessed day!

Happy Anniversary!

Today, Mr C and I have been married for 25 years. I am hoping his gift arrives today. I didn't say anything to him this morning about this being our anniversary. I think I may do a nice dinner with my Grandmother's china. (If I am not too frazzled with Matthew, who will be here any minute.) I did wake with a headache- so not an auspicious beginning to the day. Add some queasiness too ... If I didn't know better, I'd wonder about that!

I'm sure I should have more to blog about later- but for now, I need to close my eyes.

Trying to decide if yesterday went well...

The closet area in the laundry room has been revamped. The boxes in it have *all* been gone through. I have a car trunk full of give-away, headed out this afternoon to a thrift shop and the library.
(I forgot this was Ben's 4am-1:00pm day when we loaded the trunk.)

Our library has a book store, where you can donate books. I have three big boxes for them. (I was thinking of ebaying some, but I checked ebay. The ones I would of tried to sell had dozens to hundreds of copies for sale, and NO BIDS on any of them. I checked Amazon for the same books- and they had at least 88 copies of one of the books, with a starting sales price of .44 cents. I just don't have the energy to waste listing something, packing it, and mailing it, for .44 cents. I'd rather donate.

The rest of the laundry room still looks trashed. The front room, my command center, is still trashed. While I say I went through *all* of the boxes... I am still going through some of them in depth. I found four more BIG boxes of pictures- framed and unframed. I have been working on the first box for hours.

Mr C couldn't believe I was throwing away pictures. Many were pictures of scenery... no explanation of where it was or when it was, or why it was taken. No people in them. Toss. Some badly faded, fuzzy pictures of people. Toss. People I couldn't identify at all... I know they may have been kids of people we went to church with 25 years ago... but not who. Toss. A million of Chris and Jennifer's wedding- with Jennifer's family- with just the decor at the reception... Toss.

I made a pile of pictures to send to others... like Jennifer's wedding cake Mom made- she can put it in her cake picture collection. It was a spectacular cake- even if Bridezilla pitched a fit because it had "white ribbons and(she) thought (she) made it plain she wanted COLORED ribbons on it!" I have a pile Chris and Bill can decide ownership of... high school friends of theirs, a party they went to with Mrs Stuckey. A stack for Uncle Buck, with pictures of Luke and Eric and Lorena. I figure the boys may like pictures of their mom.

I have barely made a dent in the first box. So many of these will need to be scanned and saved to disk... or added to yet another photobook.

I liberated a five foot high stack of books we should be using this school year. Kicked myself for all of the stuff I missed using for the twins in fifth, sixth, and seventh grades. I really need my own library room again! I put the boxes of books that I wanted to have handy up closer to the front of the closet this time. (Becky was right- I do still have the encyclopedias and the Childcraft books I thought I had given to her.)

I used the two huge plastic bins that Mom sent my china up in to house sewing stuff in one box, and craft supplies in another. Both are also accessible now. Daniel burned about a dozen boxes I emptied. (Or that were piled in the laundry room empty.)

Whew.
I had planned on beans for supper, and had gotten some Great Northern beans on to speed soak. Then I forgot about them. Four thirty is a bad time to remember beans you planned to serve at five forty-five. I had Sam dig out the pressure cooker. Dan helped me get the cornbread ready. We finished just as Mr C got home.

This morning, I still have the laundry room to finish cleaning. My room and bathroom never made it far enough to be called "clean" this week. The living room and the kitchen are still "hung over" from yesterday. Pretty much, the whole house is trashed. I have fallen victim to our family's traditional cleaning madness... You empty the room you want cleaned, then sit down with a cup of tea while you painstakingly do minute tasks that aren't going to be seen by anyone. (Like sorting through the pictures instead of finding homes for the books I pulled out of boxes.)

I still have my big "catch-all" desk to unpile in the laundry room. I got Tom's dresser done yesterday. I moved the big mechanic's toolbox from next to the washing machine, to in front of the neatly re-stacked closet. Much easier for Tom to access his dresser now. Gives the room the illusion of a lot more space.

OK. Quit gabbing about what I need to do, and actually get started doing it. Have a blessed day!

Already Time

To pay rent for AUGUST! (Hey, I got it out on time this month!)

If you want to see it, here is a link to the 25th anniversary book.

I plan to stay home today... and work on the house. I never got anything done yesterday afternoon. It seems like I just get more done in the mornings than in the afternoons. The don'twannaain'tgonnas get hold of me about four in the afternoon, and I am DONE for the day.

I was just thinking of tearing apart the laundry room storage area. Long ago, in Marlow, I took apart our "library"/ junk storage room for a deep cleaning. I had debris three feet deep in the living room. Tom came in from a Men's Prayer Breakfast at church and told me he had invited a young couple from the church to have supper with us that evening. Yikes! Good thing I can multi-task!

****************
Daniel just came in to point out that the box from his Chess Set has at least TWO "Engrish" fails. I sure wish my camera was working, I'd post a picture of it!
It says: "A nice decoration and an exiting Pastime. Existing out of 32 chess-men and a chess board"
It is great that Dan saw the mistakes- I don't know how many people would miss "exiting" over exciting, or realize that the game consists of , not "existing out of".
************

Have a great day! I'm off here to get started on my grand stay-at-home plans.

*

debugged

We set off the bug bombs this morning- the three week followup required for ridding the place of fleas. I was going to skip it, not having seen any fleas lately. Not until yesterday, anyway. I found a flea-like insect as I was making up my bed.

We were going to go see a movie. Not checking ahead, we got to the theater complex and found it didn't open until 11:30- an hour and a half away. And it was $8.95 a person to get in... though we weren't terribly keen on any of the movies being offered. Ben had already made plans to meet a friend at a bookstore- which was coincidentally at the same mall as the theater.

While Ben awaited his friend, Dan and Sam and I explored the bookstore. We spent $55 on books- not bad for the haul we came away with. Ben's friend arrived and we abandoned them entering the bookstore as we left.
It was time we could have gone to the theater, but we decided against it. We found an Arby's and got lunch. Did you know they have a limit of the number of 5 for$5 specials you can get? (The special 5-for$5 is only weekends anyway.) We were pretty sure that they seldom sell anyone the limit... 250 sandwiches! And you have to call ahead if you want 50 or more!

We still had just over two hours left to kill. Taking the longest route, we went from Bentonville over through Gravette, and towards Gentry, stopping at AD Distributing. Daniel found what he has been looking for : Chess Sets. He had discovered that the Bentonville Library didn't have any chess sets to help people pass time while they waited for other people. (Heaven forbid one should pass waiting time READING at the library, while Mom works on a project online). Dan asked if the Library would accept a donation of some chess sets. They said yes... and he poured all of his earnings from the last few jobs he worked for the neighbors, into a Chess fund. He bought 2 sets, pretty glass sets, to give.

AD Distributing didn't have nearly as much stuff as it once did, so we weren't there too long. With still 45 minutes before we could air the house, we stopped at Dollar General. I found a collage photo frame, and we got some soap to make laundry detergent. The boys got candy... and we headed on home.

It was almost 90*, so I only let the house air for half an hour before turning on the air. The spray residue is cleaned up, laundry is churning. Daniel is re-re-re admiring the chess sets. Ben is still off with his friend... not sure if we are picking him up or if he will be given a ride home. I need to go clean up my bathroom, and vacuum the house. I guess I ought to get on with that!

Have a great day!

~Tammy~

This Week with the Cow Crew

It seemed to me I was a lot busier than I really was since I last blogged. I worked the weekend at O's.... which was decidedly NOT busy. Came home by 1:00 Sunday, in fact. Mr C took me on a driveby of a local house. Probably 4 miles as the crow flies... but farther when avoiding the tire shredding gravel roads. I don't think he is interested enough to actually go see it in person.

This week: I have groceries to obtain. The 3 week repeat of bug bombing. I have to finish the anniversary gift for me Tom and get it submitted for printing. (Probably best to do this at the library!) Make the "back to school" lesson plans. Organize the packed boxes in the laundry room and see what school books I have packed away in there... we had only packed away the ones I wouldn't be needing for a 'few years'... and now we have been here almost four years. Oh yeah, and Tyrel's birthday present to get mailed. Bad Granny, missed getting it sent off in time.

I let my expensive peaches go bad... they were discovered by the sugar ants. (Yeah, we are still dealing with them!) I am hoping the bug bombing will kill off all the ones currently in here, and maybe the Terro (tm) ant baits will stop their sisters and cousins from returning to my cupboards and countertops.

I am thinking that tomorrow's excursion (we have to be gone 4 hours for the bug bombing) may involve taking the boys to see a movie or something. (They may prefer our newest hobby of strolling through antique stores.)

I'm pretty sure I get Matthew back this coming Sunday. So I really ought to concentrate on getting rid of my hidden pockets of clutter... the drawers and files and shelves and piles of stuff we don't use anymore. (Add a trip to Goodwill onto the list.)

So... my morning cup of tea is finished, I have read through the blogs I visit, and posted my own. Guess I ought to get started on that list!

Have a blessed day!

Thursday

Chris and Ben arrived yesterday afternoon. Chris and I visited awhile, and after supper he was able to contact Jennifer and we got to go see the kids. Connor and Alana wanted to come home with us, and Jennifer let them. It was after 9:00 pm when we got here, so it was a very brief visit.

Chris and Jennifer had an appointment together this morning, and I dropped Chris off. I took Connor and Alana to the park. they behaved very well, playing nicely together. My only issue was Connor's language. Ahem. I had to remind him repeatedly that he was NOT to use the words he was using.

It was really good to see them- it has been an entire year since I have seen Connor and Alana.
************

My anniversary project isn't finished yet... I was really hoping to be done with it today. Stupid slow internet! I have about 10 days before the 25th anniversary.

Yesterday

It was rainy and storming for most of the morning. I got online once the storms had passed... and was only on for 10 minutes or so, when the internet cut off and would not reconnect.

I tried rebooting the computer... nope, no internet.

So I checked the phone line... dead. No static, no open line silence, no dial tone. Just nothing. I waited a few minutes and checked again. Still a dead line. I gave it half an hour, then called the repair service. He had me test the line coming into the house... it was also dead. He promised to send a repairman. The boys and I got busy and made another 10 half-pints of cherry jam.

After Tom left back to work from lunch, Dan, Sam, and I went out to the local peach orchard. They didn't have any "pick your own" today... but sold us a small pre-picked bucket for $12. Yikes. I didn't dig through them until I got home. They ought to be ashamed. They are crunchy-hard, and quite blemished. None ripe enough to eat. We stopped in at the local grocery store, and I redeemed my rain-check for cherries.

Once the groceries were put away, we made another batch of fresh salsa. We had made a batch yesterday, using up a bunch of my tomatoes from my garden. We tried it with a couple of tomatillos- which I have never used before. It turned out so well, we had to buy tomatoes and make another batch. (Not enough to can, but a huge bowl of fresh!)

The phone line was restored while we were gone... but the internet still was not working. All of the phone jacks except the main one entering the house, were still dead. Unless I moved a computer set-up, I couldn't get online.

Dan and I made a batch of enchiladas for supper. They were great! (And we have plenty left for lunch today!) After supper, Mr C went out and looked at the outdoor phone box. He found a broken wire, and reconnected it. That fixed the jacks that had been dead.

I checked my emails... and found that the lady who had sold me the two pairs of wranglers had refunded half my $$... she had double-listed the jeans. GRRR.

This morning, I will be going to get Ben- and Chris- from the airport. Chris has an appointment tomorrow in Bentonville. I have a small stack of mail to stop off at the post office- my shutterfly prints came in and I got them divvied up. Since we bought MORE cherries yesterday, I also have them to deal with. The end of July is sure sneaking up on us!

Have a blessed day!

Why am I so sleepy?

Hmmm- let me recount:

Last night I waited up for Ben to get home, to tell him Mr C had booked him on a flight to visit Chris, leaving at 5:40 this morning. He had to be ready to walk out the door by 4:30am. (We are less than 10 miles from the airport, and it is all country- no city traffic.)
While waiting for Ben to get home, I got interested in a movie. Not smart enough to just turn it off and go on to bed once the message was delivered, I was up until 1:15 am.

I woke at 3:20 and couldn't get back to sleep. So instead of Mr C taking Ben to the airport, I said I'd take him, allowing Mr C a bit more time to sleep. (He had work today and didn't sleep well last night.)
Mr C suggested we go ahead and print Ben's boarding pass... then got up to do it himself. When the pass printed... it wasn't a boarding pass. It was a "space available" pass allowing Ben through security to see if he could get on the flight. Since the flight was wide open when Mr C booked it yesterday afternoon... he decided to check the status this morning.

Yikes! Ben was #40 on the waiting list for this flight!

I took him to the airport anyway, and stayed up once I got home, in case I had to run back over and get him. He called me about five after six... he had been put on the waiting list for the 6:50 flight and wanted to stay to see if he made that one. (He was #14 on the standby list by then.) So I had to wait up and see if I needed to go get him from that flight. (He did make that flight, but I didn't know it until 7:00 am).

By then, I was pretty well awake, and surfed the internet until the twins got up. Our plan was to go to the library. The twins slept until after 9:00 am! They almost never do that! They were anxious to go to the library... but I was decidedly woozy by then. I HAD to lay down. I slept from about 9:45 until NOON.

Yep. NOON.
(Combined with the two and a quarter hours of sleep I got last night, I am now up to five hours sleep of the last 38 hours.)

Once I got up, we made lunch, then headed to town. I worked on my latest project at online at the library, and made good progress on that. It was nearly four by the time we got home... and I had to re-think supper plans. It was threatening to pour rain- and we had planned to cook out.

I sauteed chicken in a skillet instead. Got good reviews from the boys, but Mr C wasn't thrilled with it. (Seasoned with lemon pepper... and during the last 15 minutes I added a splash of OJ and a trickle of honey, and some red pepper flakes... then left the lid off for it to thicken down. *I* liked it!) We also had wild rice pilaf and salad.
*********

I just ordered a couple of pair of baby wrangler jeans off ebay... and forgot to change the address to Becky instead of here. So those will be too late for Ty'ger's birthday. Oh well. Things happen when you are wiped out tired. And it isn't like Ty will CARE about clothes or birthdays at this point.

Yawn. It is 9:00 pm, and I am thinking bedtime!

No Sale!

Tuesday, the boys and I went to the local grocery store in Gentry. We needed (okay- WANTED) some vanilla ice cream to go with the blackberry cobbler we were making for my Mom. Hooray... the store had it on sale!

Blue Bunny: 2 for $8.00!

Regularly priced... $ 3.98 each.

Hmmm... not much of a sale. I pointed this out to the cashier. She said I was the third person this week to comment on the sale. She tried (in vain) to do the math. One of the twins told her... it would be four cents cheaper to buy two NOT on sale.

The clerk still seemed puzzled. We didn't buy the ice cream.

I can hardly wait....

for several things:
1) My mom is on her way up to visit. Unfortunately, her DH only comes for a chunk of fire. I'm sure he will be ready to head back home before breakfast has a chance to congeal on the plates tomorrow.

2) A cold front is supposed to be coming through. While we are in the storm zone... all of the rains have missed us so far. But being 25* cooler will be very welcome...

3) Positive Changes.
Things have been going on in the lives of my older children. DS#1 has a better job, which he starts in just a couple of weeks. DS#2 just moved to a new apartment with his wife and baby... and got a raise in his income. DD is expecting baby #2 in October. DS#3 is hoping to go visit DS#1 soon- #3 hasn't been much of anywhere (except a quick trip to Becky's) in nearly a year. DS#4 likes his job- a trade he began to learn in May.
DH is back to looking for a house for us. Oh, and our 25th anniversary is 3 weeks from yesterday.
4) A new Kitty.
We all miss Al so much. Mr C is not ready for a new kitty. He says NO! and I am under direct orders NOT to bring home another kitty. But some day we will get a new one.

*********************
I feel as if we have actually accomplished something this summer- even if it is just that we have canned jellies and jam. I very much enjoyed our Ohio vacation, and quick little trips to get Becky.
Seems like the summer is about over- but we are really not quite to its middle yet.
***************

It is "funny" how much a part of our lives Al was. I have found myself several times putting things in 'better' locations, so Al won't knock them over. Or looking for fresh catnip plants. Reaching cautiously onto high shelves. Al always had a knack for being where you least expected her. Nothing like teetering on a box in the closet to reach the top shelf, only to come face to face with a warm, furry "Meow".

***********
We got our baking done this morning. A fresh blackberry cobbler, plus two loaves of banana bread. (The banana's had to be used. We added cherries just to see how it would come out. YUM!) Now the house is trying to cool down. I hate baking during the heat of the summer. We cook out most nights, just to keep down the heat in the kitchen. (The kitchen/ dining/ and living room areas are one large room. So cooking heats up the whole living space).

I got a couple of eggplant to fix for supper. Mom loves eggplant, and Daniel really wanted to try it again. I am thinking I will lightly 'bread' it with egg, and rice flour. Then saute it. I will make a tomato based sauce with basil, garlic, onion, and maybe a dash of italian seasoning. That's the plan, anyway. (Also doing grilled steak, and mashed potatoes.)

"Tueday"

(Isn't that a clever take on Tuesday/Today?)

The boys and I did some straightening around the house, then went and visited some antique shops/ junk stores around Gentry. It was fun. I found a cool old necklace I got Gma Kathie for her birthday. I hope she likes it.

Other than the Rock Shop, where I found the necklace, we didn't buy anything. The rock shop was a very educational place. (Proper name was "Cool Stuff", not the Rock Shop.)

We got a box of 'riblets' to grill for supper tonight. And some steaks to fix when Mom and Ralph are here. That's about as far ahead as I have done any thinking. (Mom is supposed to be coming up tomorrow with the hutch.)

I got some prints ordered of some of the vacation pictures, but Becky hasn't got all of hers uploaded yet. I didn't find some of my favorites, mostly of Dad and UB. Guess I will have to order those later. *taps foot impatiently*

Mr C cut a nasty jag in the side of his foot last night. He was walking barefoot out near the road. He 'discovered' a rusty, old, lawn mower shredded Copenhagen tin. It had to be pulled out of his foot. It needed about four stitches, if you had asked me. However, he stoically made do with a peroxide wash, ointment, and a bandaid. A very nasty cut. And I bet his tetanus is out of date. (If you want to see his meanest look, just try suggesting he needs to go see a Doctor.) He woke me up this morning to re-dress the cut. It seems to be sealing shut. I hope all the peroxide and Colloidal Silver I washed it out with got every germ.

That's about all I can think of to blog on "tueday". Have a blessed afternoon!

Another slow weekend

I was home shortly after noon Sunday. My co-workers said it had been crazy busy all week. But both Saturday and Sunday, we were so very slow that we actually got done with everything that had to be done. Including mopping floors and killing giant dust bunnies that hide on top shelves in the back rooms.

I slept in this morning, then ran my local errands. I had a box of stuff I had to mail to Tommy- and I can't send a plain old box of just what is NEEDED. I had to include something for Becky and for Ty. I decided on a stop at the Little Debbie store. So we left the box open, and Dan and I set out for Gentry. We got the Little Debbies, and put several into the box, and sealed it up. Then we stopped at the bank for me to deposit my check. From there, it is a little bit farther up the road to the Post Office. (I can just see the Post Office X-Raying the box... it is full of hoses and automotive belts... and Little Debbies. In X-ray, I'm sure it would look suspiciously explosive.)

From the post office to the grocery store... where we got more white grape juice and sugar free pectin. (I am making more Cherry Jam).

For this batch, I am going to use the full strength white grape juice concentrate. The store had a sale on the Washington Cherries... but no stock. So I got a rain check on them. For the next batch, I may try adding a small amount of sugar- depending on how well we like this batch with the concentrated juice.

I suppose I had better quit playing here online and get busy on the housework and canning before I run out of steam. I always get so much more done in the mornings... I run out of Gitty-up in the afternoons.

Have a blessed day!

Summer Busy

Yesterday we went to the library. Upon arriving- I discovered I had left my purse at home. Yikes! Dan lent me his library card to check out my books. We drove carefully back home. Ben worked the 4am-1:00pm shift, so once he got home, I headed off to WalMart- again! (Yeah, like 3 times a week!) And I STILL forgot the white grape juice, even though it was on my list. (I sent Ben to the local grocery store in Gentry for a bottle.)

White grape juice is the 'sugar substitute' for the unsweetened cherry jam I made last night. It was quite ... tangy. I will try another batch tonight soon, since I have the cherries on hand. But I will add a wee bit of sugar to the second batch. The recipe only makes 5 half-pints. I don't get off until 7 tonight, and I know I won't be wanting to mess with canning anything then. Perhaps I can get the cherries ready, though, at some point over the weekend. First, the cherries are washed, Then the stems removed. Then, lacking a cherry pitter, I use a knife to cut a line around the pit. Once I have all the cherries cut, I twist them apart and remove the pit. It actually went pretty quickly once I had a rhythm going.

Mom and Ralph may come up sometime this week. (Bribed her with blackberry jelly and "cop". (I can't think of which of the kids just couldn't say "cobbler"... they called it a "cop". One of our family names that stuck.)

We finished processing the blueberries this morning. All are now frozen and ready to be gobbled down. (I would say "this winter" but I have no illusions of them lasting that long!) I am thinking I better do the same (freezing) the blackberries for the "cop", lest they ferment in the fridge and make a sour wine, LOL.

Time for me to be getting set and ready for work. Have a great day!

A berry fine day

The boys and I have been processing berries all day. The blueberries need picked over, spread on cookie sheets, and frozen. Then they are put into freezer bags and put into the deep freeze until ready to use. So far, we have only made it through the first gallon.

The blackberries were washed, cooked down to pulp, strained. Then the juice was mixed with sugar and pectin and boiled... then sealed into jars. So far, it looks like this batch of jelly is going to be very thin. If it is too thin once it cools, I will remelt it and add another packet of pectin. We got fourteen half pints today, to add to the 22 we had already done. I hear the little "pinks" of the jars sealing as they cool.

So far, the cherries are just evaporating. Which is OK.

I put chicken in the slow cooker and poured a bottle of balsamic vinaigrette dressing over it. If it doesn't start cooking faster, I may have to finish it up out on the grill.

I organized my canned goods cabinet this afternoon. I have plenty of green beans, tomato sauce, and mixed veggies. I don't have many crushed or stewed tomatoes, which I use far more of than tomato sauce.

The organization is overdue... did I mention I made spaghetti for supper the other night? I had the sauce done and the water boiling for the noodles when I discovered I didn't have any spaghetti noodles. I had to serve the sauce with Penne pasta. Tom and the boys were not all together impressed with the improvisation. I am intending to serve rice with the chicken tonight. And probably, green beans. LOL.

Unfruitful

Where have I been all day?

Well, as decided yesterday, we set off bug bombs this morning. I have only had one flea on me- but that was one too many. The boys and I turned the dogs out, covered the fish tank, and headed out the door. We went south on Arkansas 59. Not being in a hurry, we saw the entrance to "Lake Francis", which is on the OK/AR border. We haven't ever actually FOUND Lake Francis in all the times we have tried to reach it from the OK side. We decided that we would go see Lake Francis.

Today was yet another day we didn't find the lake. Every road ended at a "Private Property, No Trespassing" sign. We gave up and headed on down to Lincoln. We stopped at the orchard store, where it was advertised they were picking peaches. Inside the store were three small sacks of pitiful looking peaches- for $7.00 a bag! So sorry... we can get them at Walmart for less than half that price. They also had a couple of sacks of scrawny, bruised apples, also $7.00 a bag. I went ahead and got a couple of quarts of local honey there, and tried a jar of sugar free cherry preserves, sweetened with fruit juice.

Since we still had a good 3 hours to kill at that point, we explored several local swap shops and antique stores. It is pretty cool that my 13 & 20 year old sons love exploring the old shops as much as I do. Ben found a crucible for his metal casting endeavors, and Dan found just the thing to melt candle wax in, to be able to hand dip candles. I found a hat that just screamed my son Christopher's name... but at $20, I passed it by. (A real jungle hardhat!) I found myself a deeper cast iron double fry pan/ dutch oven. I called Tom before buying it... and he asked "Don't we have ENOUGH cast iron?". (Becky and Ben both replied "You can NEVER have enough cast iron!") It was a real deal- less than half the price I had seen, even on sale. But I passed it by.

We got started for home, knowing we had to stop at WM for several things. However, we saw a banner that said "Blueberries and Fresh Produce!" and turned in that gate. I soon wondered if the sign had small print directing us some place other than the driveway we were on. It wended back farther and farther from the highway. We didn't see anyone. The road got a bit rough, but there wasn't exactly anyplace to turn around. We passed two unoccupied guard towers. All at once, the overgrown road opened up and there was a field of blueberry bushes, with apparently migrant workers toiling away. A man driving a little miniature Subaru truck drove up. He said we had missed blueberry season, for the most part, but they did still have a few gallons available. He led us still farther down the road. Ben and the twins remarked that if Stephen were with us, he would be checking his sidearm by now.

We got out of the car, and went into the blueberry shed. The little man talked on and on about their berry operation. He enumerated their tomato, cucumber, squash and melon plants... but said they were a couple of weeks away from harvest. All they had today was the few berries. We bought two gallons and started back up the road- it was a MILE to the highway! On the way out, we decided from the positioning of the guard towers, they were probably deer blinds.

After a quick run through at WalMart, we finally got home. The house was smelly and hot. I let it air a bare half hour before closing it up and turning on the air. I need to think of something quick and cool for supper and get it started.

We have yesterday's blackberries to deal with tonight or tomorrow, as well as the blueberries we bought today. I got about 4 lbs. of cherries at WalMart. (We can't get those fruit stand fresh here!) The load of laundry I started as soon as we could stand being inside this afternoon has finished washing, so I need to get that taken care of as well!

Have a great rest of your day!

~Tammy~

what happened to blooming where I'm planted?

I really don't know. Mr C didn't like any of the places we looked at enough to put an offer in on one. He is back to searching the internet for different ones, and scouring the homes for sale magazines.
*********
My work weekend was OK, but SLOW. The store probably shouldn't have even been open. One of my co-workers and I put in some hours on straightening and organizing the back room, where the overstock sits. Oil is organized by brand now, as is all the rest of the overstock. My cash drawer deposit was $14.10 Saturday. Not big bucks, for sure.
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Tom and the boys got a few fireworks and set them off Friday and Saturday night. We could see fireworks over east- whether Centerton or Bentonville, I don't know. I missed the rest of the kids. Ben was working, and for the last several years the 4th of July holiday has been the day all my kids have gathered. (Two years for river floats, others just to visit.)
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Today, I have the house to clean and I need to set off flea bombs. Despite baths with flea shampoo, almost daily dousing of flea spray, and the "Frontline" drops down their backs, these dogs insist on having fleas. A baby flea jumped on me in the chair yesterday. Dan and I want to go blackberry picking... take advantage of God's bounty! And I would like to go down to Lincoln and see what fruits the orchards have ripe right now.
Since Ben has to work at 1:00 today, I can't really do the bombs this morning. Not fair to roust him from his bed so early when he works until late... and if I wait until he is up, he won't be able to get ready for work on time due to the fog of the bombs. So I will probably do blackberries and housework today, and then set off bombs tomorrow and go to Lincoln while they work. (It will be Ben's day off.)
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The weather has turned off (relatively) cool and overcast. We had quite a downpour Saturday- a regular toad strangler. The high yesterday was 82*, and about four in the afternoon, the temperature began to drop ahead of a cool north breeze. It was delicious!
I haven't checked on what it is supposed to do today or tomorrow.
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Well, me fellow blackberry hunters have wakened on their own, so I suppose I better go get more appropriately dressed and get out the door before the cool of the morning turns to the heat of July. Have a blessed day!

Hmmmm

We looked at two places last night, and did a driveby on the fourth place on our list. The third place, we looked at this morning. "Funny"... the place this morning was one we did a drive by on a couple or three years ago, and rejected due to the location. (It stayed on the possibility list until it sold, though. Now it is back.) It is 8.33 acres, on the inside curve of a circular road. Perched on a hillside. Dogs roaming freely for ours to "pack" with. It is a "newer" mobile home, but a smoker lives there and it needs some work. Right now it is "second" on the list.

The "real" house is on 1.4 acres. It is quite old, and has had some updates. The front bath opens off the kitchen... the bath is "updated" like a home makeover show- new tub, pedestal sink. The kitchen- Hmmm. I think it is somewhere in the 40's. The dining room, Becky would love. It is scarlet red, with white accents. The front bedroom is electric lime green. The second bedroom, off the laundry room off the kitchen... has the second bathroom IN it. Not divided off... but the tub and toilet three feet from the bed. On the plus side, it has nice trees, including fruit trees on the place. This place is "third".
The driveby will remain off the list, as far as I am concerned.

The doublewide in first place is on 10 acres, down south of Watts, OK. We saw it three or four years ago online, I don't know if it has sold in the meanwhile or was rented out, but is "new" again to the market. This place felt more like home than any we have looked at to date. It has a muddy red pond, very like our Central High place. I just really liked it best, though it had some drawbacks- like "rural water" instead of a well. And price... It is most expensive, except for the real house.

So we are thinking it over. All the places except this one made me feel... uncomfortable. I can't pin down why. The place this morning (the second place contender) had me feeling almost panicky. Third place, I felt antsy... but not so much as this morning. The "first place" contender, as I said, just felt like "home". We will see what Mr C decides to do!

House hunting, chapter ??

I have lost track of the number of places we have looked at on the great house quest. This evening, we go to see 2 more places, both in Watts, OK. One is a 'real house' on a large lot. The other is a doublewide on 10 acres. Tomorrow, we have an early appointment to see a place (another doublewide) on 8 acres near Jane, MO. There is a fourth place, which we haven't scheduled yet, in Maysville, AR. Maysville has one foot in Oklahoma, and is a stones throw from MO.

Anyway... *yawn*.

We went to the library this morning, then to WM for groceries and sundries. I feel like I am falling asleep in my tracks. I should be in there making jelly... I need some giddyap and go. Today is Ben's 4am-1pm shift.

Guess I ought to make myself a cup of tea and see about getting that jelly started. Or maybe just have a nap.

Yikes!

Yesterday's cleaning/ rearranging had an expensive side effect. When we were cleaning out the aquarium, I noticed the bottom seal seemed to be loose. Ben checked it and decided it was OK, and shouldn't leak. Later in the afternoon, I noticed the water level seemed to be down a good half inch. I thought I might be mistaken, but noted the water level.

About 8:30, I happened to glance and the aquarium again... and the water level was down a good two inches. I investigated. The mat it sits on was saturated. There was water on the floor behind the buffet. I quickly began fishing out the three goldfish, and plopped them into the gallon jar we had used earlier while cleaning out the tank. I put the aerator in with them, and send Ben off to Wal~Mart, the only place I figured would be sure to have an aquarium at 9:00 pm!

When he returned, it wasn't with the simple 10 gallon tank I had sent for. All they had was a "complete aquarium set up". $50.00 plus tax. Egads! These are three stupid GOLDFISH. I'm not 100% sure, but I think we bought them when we lived in Westville, to keep Petey company after some fishy disease killed off his tank mates. Not including fish food, we probably have a good $20 each invested in GOLDFISH.

But I didn't demand Ben return the set-up and leave the fishes crowded into the gallon jar. We set it up, and it looks quite nice. The boys were pitching all the old stuff in the trash. I said NO. Who knows when we might have need of a terrarium.

Today we have more cleaning on the agenda. And maybe making the second batch of blackberry jelly- we never did get to that yesterday.

Magic 8 Ball

I finally made the time to upload a picture of Daniel and Sam and their "Magic 8 Ball" birthday cake. The boys were 13 on June 17th. (Dan is in the red shirt, if you can't tell them apart.)

But first...

My mom called me this morning, saying she was going to be going through her shed today while it is "cool" (only 90* instead of 102*+). She and Ralph are hoping to come up next week and bring my corner hutch. My Grandfather built it in the early 80's, probably one of his last projects before he became sick with cancer. It was built into the corner of the dining room of the house. Mom bought the house a few years after PawPaw died, and just re-did the dining room. I laid claim to the hutch. One thing after another has kept the hutch at Mom's... but they are ready for it to be out of their way.

Before the hutch arrives, we had HOPED to be moved to our new place. Seeing as how there is no new place to move to even on the horizon, I have had Ben and the twins slaving away all morning. I decided the best place to put the hutch is in the SE corner of the front room. To get it there, I had to move the buffet and the shelving unit stacked on top of it. (Due to a knick knack shelving unit on the wall, I couldn't leave the buffet shelving unit on top of the buffet and slide the whole thing down)

I decided to take the shelving unit off the top of the buffet, and move the buffet over about four feet. The removed shelf would stack on top of the second shelving unit where the fish tank sat.
(But first) we had to move the fish tank. And the "game" TV and TV stand.

We drained and cleaned the aquarium. Dan and Sam made room for the game TV in their room. Ben carried the TV for them. Then he carted out the nearly empty aquarium, so we could drain and clean it outside. (Much better idea than the kitchen sink!) I cleaned and wiped off the shelves... Ben doing the high shelves of the unit on the buffet.
Then we discovered it is an extremely tight fit for the shelving unit atop the shelving unit... the thermostat at one end and the light switch to the kitchen at the other end. We squeezed it in anyway.

Sam swept and mopped as we rearranged. Dan scrubbed aquarium parts. We got the buffet slid down to its new place, and set up the aquarium on top of it. Just as we plugged in the last of the aquarium accessories, Mr C arrived home for lunch. I told him what we are doing... and why.

He said I should just call my Mom and tell her NO- we don't have room for the hutch. I put off calling until he was ready to go back to work. As he headed out the door, he decided it would be OK to go ahead with the hutch plans... "just one more thing to move".

The boys and I have been on an extended break since lunch. If we don't get back to work soon, we will end up not completing the rearrange. While Mr C was still home, I got all the knick knacks and videos and DVD's put back onto the moved shelf unit. I even tried sorting the dvd's into categories.

Guess I ought to call the boys back in here so we can finish. Have a great day.

Summer!

This is the last day of JUNE. Already!
I was supposed to get Connor and Alana (two of my grandkids) this week. Their mother decided to postpone their visit. Which isn't great- I had this week all cleared and plans made. Instead, it looks like we will clean house. It really needs it. Ben had it all nice and neat when we came home from Ohio. Since then... clutter has begun to accumulate.

Yesterday, Dan and Sam and I picked blackberries. Then Dan and I made jelly. Some of my most important canning supplies were no place to be found. We looked and looked for the canning colander, and the pestle that goes with it. Those are handed down from my grandmother! I also couldn't find the "jar sleeve" and the jar lifter, and the rack for the bottom of the pressure cooker. (My kids always called it 'the holey frisbee'.... and it gets looked for every canning season!) We made do with other items in the kitchen, and the jelly jelled this year! (I did forget to skim it, though.)
We have enough berries to make another batch... except for jars. I may do it with the jars on hand... I have five pretty jelly jars left from the case, and can use an old recycled jar for what is left- or an actually 'jelly jar glass' and then seal that the old fashioned way, with Gulf Wax.

With one month and three days left, I have yet to make ANY plans for our 25th anniversary. I haven't figured out a gift, made any plans for a getaway or a party of any kind. Maybe we will go to Callahan's for dinner or something.

I only planned to sit at the computer long enough to finish my tea... and I just drank the last swallow. Hmmm- do I fix another cup or get off right now? (The second cup won out.)

Have a blessed day today!

Al

While we were in Ohio, Al got steadily worse in every way. Ben banished her to the outside, where she has contentedly, for the most part, laid in the sun and slept. She began her atomic meowing Thursday morning, very early, and was let inside. She found a pillow in Ben's room and curled up. Later, she was doing the atomic meow in the bathroom, and I went to pick her up and set her into the bathtub, so that she could drink fresh trickling water.

I picked her up... and she was urine soaked. There was a small puddle directly beneath her... but not enough to saturate her fur as it was. Mr C checked, and the pillow she had been laying on was wet. Back outside she went. Friday, she could barely get up or down the steps on the porch. Mr C found her curled asleep under the canoe by the well house. He said he needed to 'put her down" and didn't know if he could. We both sat and boo-hooed for quite awhile. Friday night, she meowed on the back porch, but I didn't let her in.

We haven't seen her since then. Mr C looked all day Sunday for her, every place she might have curled up to sleep. The boys say they didn't let her inside. She has been missing more than 24 hours... I am afraid something 'got' her. There are coyotes, foxes, and dogs that roam about here at night. Mr C said he should of put her down the day before, lest she is out there injured and suffering somewhere. I just think she quietly passed on.

After having the critter for almost 18 years, it is hard not to miss her.

Back on track...

Ben and I returned from Becky's yesterday. It was far too short a visit with Tommy and Stephen. Heck, even our visit with Becky and Ty were too short. Tyrel is beginning to speak so clearly. I asked him if he could say "Tyrel". He said "Tyr-eh". I asked him id he could say Jones... and he says, quite clearly "Jone". Pretty good for someone who is a full month from being two years old.

Ben and I detoured slightly from our route house. We go right by the exit to the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. Since the kids practically grew up out there, Ben and I just HAD TO have a side trip through there. We didn't get out and hike- it was 103* But we did stroll around the top of Mt Scott. I sure miss " home".

When we did get house, I relaxed and visited with Mr C and the twins for a little while before heading off to bed. I was in bed by 9:00... and didn't even stir until 9:15 this morning. I don't even think I rolled over in my sleep. Daniel asked if we could go to the library. Mr C called with a list of grocery requests. So we headed off to run errands.

One of the twins discovered I had Tyrel's mock-Croc's still in my car. I also had Becky's magnet still in the car. On our way to take Becky home, we took the realllllllly long route- down 59/259 along Oklahoma's eastern edge. We stopped and saw the Heavener Runestone. What a route to West Texas! We stopped in to see my Dad and Kathie, and my Mom and Ralph, who were at Dad's. After visiting a couple of hours, we headed off into the sunset. Literally. We arrived at Becky's at midnight.
The stars. Oh my. How many people realize there are still so many stars to be seen? I could of stayed out there for hours... if I weren't dead in my tracks. I didn't sleep too well... every little sound woke me. But I did get a nap the next day. Good thing, since we all stayed up until midnight+ again. We were on the road by 7:00 on Monday and on Wednesday. Counting Saturday, we have put in about 2200 miles of driving over 5 days.

No wonder I slept 12 hours.

I had to make laundry detergent this afternoon. Mt Washmore is underway. Becky had to make detergent and get on her Mt Washmore as well... though she may of done that yesterday while Ben and I were on the road. Meal plans this week include Granny's Garden Vegetable Saute, hamburgers on the grill, chicken alfredo, spinach mushroom salad, pulled pork.

Tomorrow, it is back to Oreilly's!

Popping in....

We had a wonderful time in Ohio- one of the best trips ever. We went camping in Tar Hollow State Park- my first trip to that park, though everyone else has been numerous times without me. We had a nice camp site- very large and relatively private, considering the park was jam packed and most other campers were shoe-horned in.

Daniel wasn't having a lot of luck getting Sam to hike with him, until Becky and I agreed to go along. I was insisting... I should say INSISTING that we carry water along on our hike. Tom didn't feel it was necessary, as it was a 'short hike' and a 'cool' day. So the boys gave in (take water or stay in camp!) and we set off for the trail head. Becky and I told the boys we might not hike the whole trail, and if they got ahead of us, they didn't have to wait, as we might turn back.

Tyrel is good for about 100 yards, tops, before he wants "Up". We had already walked for over a mile, just around the campgrounds that morning, with Becky and the boys showing me other campsites they had had in the past, before deciding to take this hike. I had Ty in Becky's Ergo carrier before we reached the trail head. The cute little guy weighed in at 30 lbs. at Gma Arlene's, according to her scale.

So we started up the trail. Dan and Sam stayed with us for awhile, but it soon became apparent we were holding them back. They took the backpack with a couple of bottles of Snapple tea (and Tyrel's shoes!) as Becky and I lagged farther and farther behind. We were really enjoying our walk through the woods- which wended ever upward towards the mountain top. Tyrel was soon sound asleep on my back. The trail switched back several times. We heard traffic from the road- not too far away through the brush from time to time. Daniel and Sam seemed to have vanished from the planet. At times, the trail was a bit precarious- overgrown and slippery. There were unexpected roots and trip hazards- and in places the ravine fell sharply off one side.

After an hour or so, Becky and I saw that the road was about 5 yards from the trail. She graciously consented that we leave the trail and walk on the road. Due to the switchbacks, I thought turning right on the road would take us back to camp. Becky thought left would return us, but didn't speak up. We hiked another 3/4 mile, and found a shelter in a meadow where 3 roads met. Which to choose?

Fotunately, there was water available. Our bottle was dry! We both drank our fill, rested, drank more, and refilled the water bottle. We hadn't taken any snacks. Becky had developed a blister from damp socks. An elderly couple drove by, and let us know which was the correct road... the one we had arrived on! They offered to drive us back to camp, but we didn't have a carseat for Tyrel. After using the facilities across from the shelter, and drinking again, we set off down the road to camp.

At least it was mostly down hill! Becky's blood sugar bottomed out, and I left her resting about 1/2 mile from camp. I took Ty with me and sent Tom to get Becky once I arrived. Sam and Dan had been back about 15 minutes by the time I arrived. Later, we measured out the route via the road... and our round trip hike was over 5 1/2 miles. In 80* weather, carrying 30 lbs., I didn't do too poorly for an overweight, out of shape grandmother. (Don't forget we had already walked well over a mile earlier in the day- and that isn't counted against the 5 1/2 miles.)

ALWAYS take water when you go hiking- even if you expect it to be a short hike and the weather is "cool".
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Tyrel has got to be the best little traveller I have ever seen for someone his age. He was happy, stayed in his car seat, didn't cry and fuss. He sang us songs and played nicely with his toys. We travelled nearly as quickly with him as without- only taking slightly longer breaks at the rest stops. (The longer stops were probably beneficial to ALL of us). Which is good, as we head off to take him home tomorrow!

We're Off!

It is just past six a.m., and we are about to say our traveler's prayer and hit the road. "See" you soon!
~Tammy~

PS... I am leaving my cell with Ben. Call us on Tom's or at Gma Arlene's if you need us! (Mr C's phone ends in "6" instead of 5- otherwise the same as mine.

Almost time

The trip home with Becky and Tyrel went well. We took our time, and even took the scenic route. We were supposed to get some Dorian's Habanero Salsa while we were in Marlow... but the store was sold out.
Becky thought watermelon sounded good, so we stopped in Rush Springs (The Watermelon Capital of the World) at a fruit stand. They 'happened to' have two jars of Dorian's Habanero! Two jars being better than none... we snatched it up.

We are supposed to leave in the wee hours of morning... figuring the more miles we put behind us before Ty'ger wakes up, the fewer stops we will have to make. Ty is a VERY good traveller.

And I haven't even begun to pack.

Work has been BUSY! Even with four (or more) people manning the store, we have had customers lined up down the aisles. Boss gave me a stack of "to-do" price changes and display resets almost an inch thick. Every upcoming display change due between now and the end of the month. The store has been so busy, I barely made a dent in it. Boss told David that if I was finished and the store was slow, to send me home early. (Vanessa had a wedding to attend this weekend, so David is acting assistant manager).

I guess it is time for me to get ready to go!

rain(wo)man

Ever since I have been coming to Nola's house (My DD's MIL), it has rained when I have showed up. Not necessarily ME... but Tom, the twins... any of our family not LIVING here.

Rain in the dry west Texas caliche.

The road was passably dry when I came in yesterday afternoon- drying out from .2 rain two days before my arrival. Storms threatened... but they have had a 50% chance of rain many times, and not gotten a drop.

The storms gathering around began to look serious, so Becky called a friend who lives up the highway a bit, and got permission for me to leave the (non 4 wheel drive) car at her house. Good thing. We had STORMS last night, and they got 1.5 inches of rain. I'd never have been able to get the car the 3 miles from the house to the nearest paved road... the highway.

My DD and her family live in some serious boonies.

We will be heading out fairly early tomorrow... we have to have someone take us up to the car. Someone with 4 wheel drive!

Have a blessed day!

I may be MIA for awhile...

but I will try to post when I can.

Summer plans have taken another fast turn. I am leaving in the morning to go to Becky's house. We will hang loose- or do whatever Becky needs to do to get her squared away for almost a month... before she and I and Tyrel head back to here on Thursday. We hope to drop in on Bill and Glynna and Nickie on our way home Thursday. I work my regular schedule Friday- Sunday... then we all head out Monday to Ohio.

Everyone except Ben, that is. Poor lonesome Benny, here all alone with the two stupid dogs.

Ben is going to take the twins to the library today or tomorrow. We have to get packed for our trip- and remember all the stuff I need to take along for the cakes I will be attempting. I hope to do a graduation cake for Luke, then birthday cakes for Daniel and Sam. I have one week to get everything done that needs to be done... including a 1200 mile round trip to Texas, grocery shopping, house cleaning, laundry. (The laundry piles grow exponentially with house cleaning... I told Daniel and Sam I want their closet CLEANED out. The cleaning of their room and closet will give them something to do Wednesday and Thursday.... two days when they will be on their own from noon-thirty until five forty-five.)

While I am in Ohio- I have very little opportunity to get online. So it may be a pretty dry spell for my blog. Hopefully, I will get back with plenty to 'talk' about!

Right now, Ben and the twins have gone to Atwoods- Ben has been putting off getting new boots, but now he has to have something to cover his pontoons feet. He is almost to the point of duct taping his old boots together. I am trying to finish up a book, so the boys can return it to the library when they go. Guess I ought to get on with that!

Have a blessed day- today and every day!