Amelia (Bedelia)

This is how I held my great-niece Amelia Henderson for 3 solid hours yesterday while her mom (Audrey) looked through 9 totes of Riley's baby clothes. She is such a sweet little baby. Audrey gleaned about 2 totes worth of stuff for both Amelia and Maddie.

Well, last weekend we were TP'd if you remember and this weekend we were egged! Nicole swears up and down she has no enemies at school.... Anyway, the house is clean inside AND out and I've got a chicken in the crockpot with potatoes and will make some stuffing and maybe a squash to go with it. I think I'll read this afternoon, although since I have a brand new scrap-book room I should work on something. I even bought a new scrapbook.

New Recipe for Mac & Cheese

I saw this on tv. Just can't remember what I was watching. It wasn't anything on the cooking channel. Oh well. I took some pictures because Marlene keeps telling me to do that. So this is:

Fluffy Macaroni and Cheese

I also took a shot of my lovely place setting and my new fall table decorations. Sarah said I should have stuck a sprig of like Rosemary or Basil or something on it. Maybe next time.

The recipe has several secret ingredients:

Evaporated milk, Velveeta cheese, Cheddar cheese, egg, sugar and a pinch of nutmeg. It was way delisioso!

So the recipe: (i actually hate writing recipes cause I don't really measure.

1/2 box macaroni - cooked el dente

1/2 cube of small velveeta cheese

2 cups cheddar cheese

1 can evaporated milk

1 egg

1/4 C sugar or less to taste

pinch of nutmeg

1 t dry mustard (can make w/out)

mix noodles 3/4 of milk egg sugar nutmeg & mustard

melt cheese reserve 1 C for top

pour cheese mix into macaroni

bake at 400 for about 1/2 hour

pour remaining milk and mix half way

after 1/2 hour top w/ remaining cheese and broil 5 min.

Low, Slow, Lazy Day

Slept in, got a late start to the day. Rescheduled an appointment with the insurance man because I didn't feel like going anywhere today. Trying to cope. Did all the usual house chores & even did a load of whites. Just me and Bailey hangin out today.
Got a note from Karen Pianki (Mayes) an old chum from H.S. on my Facebook today. It seems there is going to be a reunion of the Bentley H.S. Concert Choir, next year. We were both in the choir- me for 1 year and she was in for 2.
My sister wants me to start a cooking blog, but I don't know if I could keep up with 2 blogs! Can't I just write the cooking stuff on this blog? What do ya think?

Rain Rain, Finally Went Away

We were left with flooded streets (impassible) and tons of sewer back-up in the flint area. Luckily not us! Yesterday was cloudy and cool - but at least no rain. Someone had TP'd or as Syd called it (Pee-Peed) us on Friday night. What a sopping mess all over the trees, grass, bushes and flowers. I paid Evan $5 last night to clean it up! He did a good job.

Well I finally made the chili and cornbread last night. It was pretty cool yesterday, so I thought it WOULD BE A GOOD NIGHT TO COOK CHILI. (sorry i was interrupted by a phone call.) Sunday night I made a really nice Ratatouille. It's my signature dish. Just like the rat. ha ha

Over the weekend we played *Singstar* with the Renees. We had so much fun we went to Wally mart and bought our own Singstar. Now I'm practicing for a rematch.

Pamper Day And I Don't Mean Diapers

Yesterday I decided we needed an afternoon of pampering. So I made appointments at the Sumerset Spa for Sarah to have a massage and me to have an Ultimate facial and then a nail appointment to get some acrylic nails. Sarah enjoyed her massage and the Ultimate facial was awesome. It included a arm/hand & leg/foot massage, as well as of course a facial massage.

Rumor has it that I will receive more information today about my job. They are supposed to be having a BIG phone conference today to get more details.. We shall see...

Lots of rain expected for this weekend. That's fine. I am armed with lots o' books. Marlene gave me 3 or 4 and I had ordered some from the library and picked up 2 yesterday. I started reading Twenty Wishes by Debbie Macomber yesterday. probably 1/2 way through it already. So it will be a Read-A-Thon weekend.
Doesn't a BIG pot of chili and cornbread sound good??

P.S. Lisa - Cavette is already bye-bye from Center Academy.

Barrage

A group of young people from Calgary - a drummer, 2 guitarists and 6 violinists. They played everything from Ukrainian music to Calypso to Country to Rock to Swing to French. The were quite lively. The spun and jumped sang and danced all while playing the violins. We enjoyed it very much.

P.s. We did eat at Steak & Shake. I think the novelty has warn off. It was only ok.

Sunday, September 7, 2008

The house is clean (smells good too!) the lawn is mowed so we are taking off and going down to Meadowbrook Music Theatre to see Barrage. Free tickets. Well $6 for handling. Barrage is some kind of violin group. I'll let you know tomorrow what it was like. We will eat somewhere down there, maybe Steak-n-Shake.

Life, Death and Politics

Life
I'm back to not sleeping at night
Sarah is working like a dog
Its raining sideways this morning (grass looks good)

Death
My brother Rob's father-in-law passed away yesterday - complications of cancer

Politics
Sick of the sickening presidential slam commercials - why don't they just tell us what their own beliefs are?
Tired of hearing about Kwame Kilpatrick
Unbelievable the way a certain group of people think that Kwame should be given a 2nd chance

Perjury, Misconduct, Obstruction of Justice and Felony Charges

Nothing major. Throw the bum out. That's what Jennifer Granholm is trying to do. May she succeed. Wow, is there even a question?

Anyway, my day in review:
Went to a 9 a.m. meeting where I found out I'm still waiting to find out if I'm going back to work
Did some paperwork on the computer
Ate left over sloppy joe for lunch
Watched Millionaire
Went grocery shopping
Went over to the Renee's to hang out (bought her some detergent and a pack of taco seasoning I owed her)
Helped Renee's daughter Elissa with her homework; wrote a simile
Made some broccoli salad to go with tonight's hamburgers
Checked out everybody's blogs
Watched the dark clouds roll in
Watched the news

Oh yeah, last nite I tried making and eating grilled cream cheese stuffed Jalapenos. Someone suggested it over the weekend. What a mess! Cream cheese oozed out all over the grill. However they were pretty tasty and HOT. I don't think I scraped out all the seeds and veins. I gave all the rest of the Jalapenos to Tom's friend Will.

Camping Extravaganza

We left Thursday night for Myers Lake campground in Argentine/Byron. Set up in the dark, but we got the premo location! You see we were trying the "group" approach to camping. Renee worked diligently to assemble 12 families together to try this group approach. Friday morning we had the place to ourselves. One by one later in the day the campers started pulling in. Renee directed everyone into the perfect spot. All told there were 21 kids and 19 adults. Renee planned a potluck meal for Friday nite so that we could get to know one another. Later around the campfire we tried to do introductions. It was a bit hard over the dull roar of the children at play. It was fun and mostly successful. The weather was great, the water warm the setting beautiful, and the food plentiful! A great time was had by all!!

(Picture "borrowed" by Renee)

We're Outta Here

The campground where we're going is open tonight so we and the TREES are there!
Myers Lake - Come out and set a spell...

Update

For those of you who have been following:
My niece Michelle is now cancer free!!
She's feeling great too.

FYI - I didn't even cook last night, went out to a new Mexican restaurant- it was ok.

Not To Brag, But...

Everyone (Sarah & Niki) said tonight's spaghetti was the best ever. I, yes I, have even outdone my own cooking skills! Tomatoes & peppers from the garden, fresh basil from the herb garden, red pepper flakes, vadalia onion chunks, a touch of Merlot, and of course Italian seasoning and then of course.................the secret spice...........

New Post

How funny that my last post about stuffed peppers caused such a ruckus !
Well I've been busy getting ready for Niki's "Sweet Sixteen" party. We had several H.S. age teens over Saturday night. They were supposed to have a bonfire but that got rained out. So they had a massive shaving cream fight instead. (I'll attach the pictures when Renee has some spare time to send them to me) Then they ate massive amounts of pizza and cake. After that they went downstairs and just messed around with the air-hockey and basketball net.
Yesterday was clean up and rest up after the party. I read a book- finished it too! Dinner was easy, Chicken, potatoes, and carrots in the crockpot. Tonight, chicken nachos for Niki's birthday. After she goes to volleyball practice and assistant coaching soccer with Renee that is. If time we'll go shopping for the digital camera she wants for her B.D. gift.

P.S.

I made a batch of stuffed peppers today.
&
I'm making Monte Cristo Sandwiches for dinner.

Tuscan Pizza

Ingredients:
Pizza Crust - I use frozen bread dough
Cheese Mixture - Asiago, Parm. and Gargonzola
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar & Brown Sugar heated (1/8 C each)
Roma Tomatoes
minced garlic
Fresh Mixed Greens

Directions:
Spread out dough onto cookie sheet
spread out cheese on dough
spread out sliced Roma tomatoes & minced garlic on top of cheese
sprinkle with Olive Oil
heat at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes
Sprinkle top with fresh greens and pour the vineager mix on top
slice and eat!
~Enjoy~

What Today Is Wednesday?

I think Monday and Tuesday were one big long day. It doesn't help that I only got 4 hours of sleep last nite. I know, I know--waaaaaa to ya.
I'm making Tuscan Pizza tonight - YUMM-OH! Smells deliciocio. If you want the recipe just let me know.
I need to start scrapin now that I have a WHOLE scrappin room. Think I'll go to Micheal's tomorrow and get some new albums and some photo boxes. Think I can talk Renee into going too? Probably not on a Thursday. Renee, is your homework done? Get to steppin! Guess where all the pictures are? Stuffed every which way, not a good thing...

Caffeine Overload

Let's see the count for the day =
1 Med. Honey Cinnamon Iced Latte from Seattle's Best at 3:00
1 and 1/2 Iced tea with dinner @ 6:00
1 Diet Coke at 9:00
Raise your hand if you think I can't sleep.
What was I thinking?
Now I'm watching Everybody Loves Raymond reruns at 12:00 a.m.

My Current Favorite Comercial

The Orkin commercial. The one where the BIG bug tries to deliver a pizza to a home. The best part is when the Orkin guy gives the BIG bug a dirty look, then the BIG bug looks at the Orkin guy and then zooms away. So funny!

How trivial you say. However, sometimes it takes the focus off the unbearable. Just a smidgen of humor. Anyway, the camping trip to Bay City was nice and relaxing. Mostly. The beds in the camper are not so comfortable. Didn't get allot of sleep. We are considering upgrading to a hard side camper.

This week I'm going to focus on getting a lot of chores and stuff done. I'm still not sure when I'm supposed to report back to work. Hope to find out this week!

It's Been A Week...

Because...
My brother kidnapped my dad
Katie's moving out
The Renee's are on vacation
I've had the "D" all week
Can't sleep, eat or get myself motivated

Good news -
Niki made the JV Volleyball team
We are going camping - bay city
I decided to let my sister have my weekend up north because of #1 up there.... she didn't really get to enjoy herself earlier this week. I figured we could always sneak away in the camper and that is exactly what we are doing. Camping can be quite relaxing. Just ask Bailey - he loves it!

Star Gazing

2008 Meteor Showers and Viewing Tips
The next meteor shower is the Perseids on August 12, 2008. After the first-quarter moon sets, around 2 a.m., meteors should be more easily visible until dawn. You may see dozens of meteors per hour. I'll be up will you?

I Got Sick of Watchng the Olympics So...

I flipped the cooking channel on. Mrs. Neely from Down Home With the Neeley's was on. She was making a delicious looking bread pudding. I decided to start baking and cooking. I whipped up a batch of that, it's baking now. We put some great new 'rub' on some chicken wings and we're goonna be bbqing them up in a little bit. Then when I was watchin the new Big Daddy's House he was makin some Au'Gratin Potatoes. So I decided to make some cheesy potatoes to go with the wings. Which by the way we're going to try some new sauce that we bought last time in Petosky - Cherry Hot BBQ. Then I whipped up a Green Been Blue Cheese Salad that I've been wanting to try. Next I'll be making:
Scones - umm I love scones, my grandma used to make them. I found a real easy recipe online.
Homemade Salsa - with tomatoes, peppers and jalapenos from the garden
Granola - I have all the ingredients for making a big batch of homemade granola.

I found that baking and cooking has relived a little stress. Who knows what I'll make tomorrow!
Tonight we'll be using our "Coke Rewards" rewards. 2 movies, a large bucket of popcorn and 2 sodas. Just what the Dr. ordered!

Humm Drumm

Sorry folks, nothing much to say lately. There is just some stuff I'm dealing with so I just don't have much to say. But just thought I'd check in.

Sigh...

No Comment...

P.S.

While at the A2 Market we visited the Spice store upstairs in the market building. It was so interesting. I bought some Allspice, Cardamom, BBQ Rub and even some Ginger Twist Green Tea. Don't know yet what I'll do with the Allspice and Cardamom but yesterday we went to Borders and I got a really cool herb and spice book. I had a 25% off coupon for my birthday. I think I'm on a health kick. This morning I made pecan waffles. By the way the tea makes a very yummy iced tea. Today we planted the mint and basil. The lady that we bought the mint from gave us a good tip on how to plant it so it won't spread. Put it in a buried coffee can. So that is what we did.
Tonight we are having some baby back ribs and trying out the rub. I got some of those cute little mini yellow & green squash too.

What Do Golf, Herbs, & Elizabeth's Breakfast Stew Have In Common?

They are all things I have enjoyed previously at one time or another and have partaken of this weekend. Yesterday we decided to dust off the ole golf clubs and headed over to the local 9 hole par 3 course. It was fun and just 5 bucks. The herbs and the breakfast stew kind of go hand in hand. Sarah had a job in Ann Arbor so we decided to head over to the Farmer's Market. We ate of course at "The Broken Egg" and I had my old favorite breakfast, Elizabeth's Breakfast Stew. Many years ago it was named, The Kitchen Sink. It's still the same stuff, hashbrowns, sliced potatoes, ham, bacon, peppers, onions and eggs! Yummy, especially with a spalsh of Clancey's hot sauce. The herbs, well I used to plant and use alot of herbs. I have kind of gotten away from that. I decided today to buy a big bunch of basil and make some pesto tonight. So, that got me to buying a couple of herbs. Of course the basil and also some mint for my iced tea and mojitos!

1958 Babe or Vett - Which Looks Better?

Never mind, don't answer that! We saw this beauty (which one you ask?) at the classic car show in Lexington over the weekend. Had a great weekend at a beautiful B & B right on Lake Huron. Took an unexpected trip to Canada for 20 minutes. That was potentially frightening. Took a wrong turn, couldn't get off bridge and had to go over. Had no $$ to get back so we had to get "denied" access to Canada so we could get back to U.S. for free. The nice Canadian woman did that because it was my birthday. Talk about a "senior moment" ha ha. Sunday we had a small celebration at Mike & Chris's. The Renee's plus the Codes attended. I actually went swimming in their pool. We had spaghetti & meatballs, salad, breadsticks and of course cherry cobbler. Just like Mom would have made, only not quite as good.....

Happy Birthday To Me

We are leaving for Port Huron this afternoon. Gonna hang around and do whatever. W e love to hang out on the river side of P.H. and watch the huge freightors steam up and down the river. Staying at a B & B tonight that is north of Port Huron in North Lakeport. It is supposed to be right on the lake. I'll check back in on Sunday.

Coming Soon to Flint

Sarah saw the sign on her way to work this morning. I am so excited. I wish they would hurry up. I'm waiting for my "Cherry Limeade." The location will be right on my way to work... Miller Road at the I-75 overpass. Well that's if my office is still in the same location. Which is questionable... But I could make it on the way to anywhere, couldn't I?

Suprise Family Birthday Party

So this is the awesome cake that my sister Marlene brought for the BIG occasion! It was absolutely delicioso!! Those planks that you can see were white or dark chocolate all around the cake. We brought the leftovers home, but it's already gone. Laura my sister-in-law had a Mexican food theme complete with gazpacho, chips, salsa & guacamole, a bean dip and then taco lasagna and corn cake. Everything was very yummy. I got a lot of humorous cards and some Gerber daises, perfume and a "SISTERS" scrapbook from Marlene. Oh yeah and Riley picked out the little birdie that you can see by the flower pot.

Home From Vaca

to:
huge piles of laundry
long grass
fried flowers - trying to bring them back to life
heat & humidity
chauffeuring
grocery shopping
but:
a clean house (good job Katie)
my nice fluffy bed

hApPy BiRtHdAy tO mY bIg SiStOpHeR mArLeNe

The Big 6 0 !

C-Ya

Leaving tonight for vacation. Going up to the cottage in Boyne.
Going to:
sleep
eat
read
rest
boat
spend money
watch the sun set
shop
relax
try the new girl scout cookie Blizzard
just plain enjoy myself!

June is Gone

Wow! It's hard to believe it's July 1st!

Some thoughts ~
Trying to keep the flowers hydrated
Love the warm days and cool nights
Evan and I are going to set up the badminton net today - tonight the official tournemant begins
Washing clothes and packing for vacation
The first crop out of the garden - radishes
The bluebirds have flown the coop (nest)
Summer 2008 drink of choice - Mojito
Can't wait to grace the doors of Red Mesa Grill
Got a new weed whacker for the cottage
Got a call from Jeff Grayer (my boss) - It looks like I will have my job back! (Thank you Lord!)

Annonymous Birthday Cards

keep showing up at my house. The latest is a funky 100 year old card from some people I don't Even know, Leona and Herman. Ok, this reeks of my sister Marlene. And anyway there is always an old picture of me when I was a child. She is so funny!

Grandma Rush

Sarah's grandma passed away early Tuesday morning. She was a great lady. She had a really good sense of humor and was very kind! She has just been getting sicker and sicker. She broke her hip about a week and a half ago & then she got a bad infection from an anti-biotic they were using to treat a urinary tract infection. I think she was just tired of not feeling good. The obituary from the Flint Journal is below:

Alva S. (Sy) Rush
RUSH, Alva S. (Sy) - Of Flint, age 86, died Tuesday, June 24, 2008 at Avalon Hospice. Funeral service will be held at 10AM Friday, June 27, 2008 at the Swartz Funeral Home, 1225 West Hill Road, Pastor Doug Klein, officiating. Burial in Sunset Hills Cemetery. Those desiring may make contributions to the charity of their choice. Visitation 1-8PM Thursday at the funeral home.

It's Over, I'm Tired

Woke up Saturday morning bright and early (6:30) to thunder & rain. Oh well. It melted the crepe paper so we had to change the red-spotted tablecloths. Other than that it was okay, by the time we got up it was nice and sunny & everything was drying! We had a nice turn out for the G.P., weather was ok, not too hot. It sprinkled a few times but not too much to ruin anything. We didn't run out of food (the big nightmare!) and actually we had too much. BIG shout out to Tom & Renee, Meckenzie & LeAnn, Mike & Chris(Trenton, Lindsay & too) and Trina for all the help. We couldn't have pulled it off without you guys. It was nice to see everyone. The biggest surprise was Ms. McCann, Katie's third grade teacher from Gaines. She was an awesome teacher! Everyone loved the video that Renee made and hopefully she'll get her business started doing videos. I don't even know if we have any pics - such a busy day. I think Katie took one of the cake, if I can find it I'll upload later today. We had a bonfire after the G.P. Had to stay up on the longest day and all. We toasted the new choclate smashmallows (that's what Syd calls em) that Renee brought over. Different.

June 17, 2008

Sarah turns 40! Some friends decided to decorate the house/yard and we had a little get together to celebrate. It was a cold and cloudy day. The sign kept blowing down, we had to keep putting them back up. Sarah was surprised to see all the signs when she got home from work. She was really suprised to see the blow up picture that Chris did from their middle school year book. We had the Aurands and cousins Mike, Chris & Trenton over for hot dogs & such. A fun time was had by all!

Happy Father's Day to All the Dads

We decided to have Sarah's mom and dad over for brats and burgers. We had an early dinner (4:00) it started to rain about 20 minutes after we got everything in from the grill.

I cooked up 5 lbs of burger (taco) and 3 lbs of chicken today for the G.P. on Sat. Everything is pretty much done. I still have to cook up some more chicken and just buy the fresh stuff.

Yesterday was Katie's graduation at Perani Arena. It was nice and over in 1 &1/2 hours! I will upload a pic when I get up off the couch and get the sd card. We went out to Bubba O'Dooleys afterwards for dinner. It was pretty good. I had a stromboli which was really good.

Week In Review

I'm so happy that Rich's Greenhouse is open. I went and got a variety of fruits and made a yummy fruit salad one night. Sunday we went to the Creek Farmer's Market but it was pretty bad.... Wednesday I attended a luncheon (FCS) to honor the mentors in the mentors program. We're still waiting to hear if the grant to reinstate our jobs will be approved.

Yesterday I was on the computer all day making reservations for our trip to San Antonio and Austin TX. Sarah needs to attend a seminar for one of her service companies so we decided to make a mini trip out of it. We'll be going the last w/end in Sept. Should be fun, I've never been to the Lonestar State before. Probably go to the Alamo, it's in San Antonio. Don't know what else.

Saturday is Katie's graduation ceremony. Then we'll probably go out to dinner. Then of course there is the never ending list of "get ready for the party chores!" Today I'm just chillin - probably do some of the accounting for the buss.

Just Busy

Getting ready for the big par-tay. Renee dragged me out shopping for flowers and pots and stuff one day. Now I just have to plant them! Sarah's been busy painting the deck, putting up and painting a wall in the garage. The grass is coming in good with all the rain we've been having. Yesterday we ordered the balloons and bought more decorations. Did I mention that I can't wait until this bash is over?

Tonight I'm making Monte Cristo Sandwiches. I saw Rach make them and thought they looked yumm-o. I'll tell ya how they are!

June, Wow!

So my fans are getting jumpy again. Have no fear. Anyway, we went camping again this weekend. I had a great idea. Since we were going down to dad's to clean on Saturday I decided that we could camp at Proud Lake and then just hop on over to dad's on Sat. night. That worked out pretty good. And we even got to test out the camper in a thunderstorm! It stormed from 10 p.m. until about 2 a.m.Friday night. I gotta admit it was a little frightening. But the camper held up just fine. Sunday dawned cool and cloudy. All around us we could hear people packing up. I didn't want to get caught packing up in the rain so we booggied and split 45 minutes later. We stopped at National Coney Island at Beck & Pontiac Tr. Man that area has changed so much I didn't even recognize that it was where I lived in the apt.
So by the time we got home it was warming up and sunny. So we decided to start a few projects around the yard. There is alot of work to do. Patching bare spots in the lawn, flower pots, flower beds, etc... Pics are of some of the finished and unfinished projects.

P.s. As you can see we need to buy a new umbrella for our table as the meices have chewed up the old one!

Where Has The Week Gone?

Camping over Memorial with the Renee's was lots of fun. There was all kinds of stuff to do: blanket volleyball, Tye-dye, a DJ, A band, riding bikes, walking to the bathroom. And then of course there is always pushing Sydney on the swing! We ate well and rested well. We did pack up early because we heard there was to be rain/storms and we didn't want to be stuck packing in the rain. We ended up doing the traditional yard work on Monday. Yesterday I did laundry most of the day and then last night was Katie's graduation from skill center. She is a medical assistant and she can now take her test to become a "certified" MA. Today I went to a luncheon that was associated with my old job. I saw the boss people. They are just waiting to hear whether or not the grant $$ will be approved. If so I will start back in the fall. If not I will look for a new job....
Mr. and Mrs. Blue Bird have a flock of young-uns. We can hear them chirping away in the birdhouse. Tomorrow I need to grocery shop and do the accounting for KNS. I am getting behind in that! Sorry I missed my sister-to-pher's 60th birthday party on Saturday. I hear it was very nice! I will have to think of another way to surprise her..........

Camping 101

Okay, I've been to Target, Meijers, Kroger, Target again, Walmart & even Sam's Club. I think I have everything for the weekend. But I can guarantee when I get to the campground I will have forgotten to get something! Should be a nice weather-wise weekend. Yahoo! We just need to re-fill the water tank and crank down the top and pack up the van and buy ice, and... and... Can't wait!

Factoids #59 - 57 -
I remember my first day of kindergarten because my baby brother came home from the hospital.
My best friends growing up were Sharon Bell, Jimmy Clark and Mary Laukka.
I used to bake with my mom when I was little --all the big sibs were in school.

60 Days Til I Turn 50

Factoid for Day 60:
My Favorite Childhood Book - A Fish Out of Water featuring, Mr. Carp, Mr. Carp

A Very Busy Day(s)

Saturday started out bright and early with a trip to the Ann Arbor Farmer's Market. We bought 2 very large hanging baskets for the front porch. Also some herbs and veggies for the "Salsa Garden." Next stop, breakfast at the Broken Egg for a delicious breakfast. Elizabeth's Stew with Clancey's Hot Sauce for me and French Toast w/Carmel for Sarah. On the way home we stopped for some Manure at Gil-Roy's for the garden. Since it was a pretty nice day we decided to get the camper ready for next week-ends camping trip. Sydney came over to try out the little bed and "help!" Next we (me & Syd) filled the water fountains and bird feeders. In between all this, Kam (Katie's fiance) came over - he is back from basic training. We didn't recognize him with no hair! After about an hour's rest it was time to be off to Mike & Chris's for the last card party of the season.

Sunday - Sarah put in the garden and then we went shopping for storage totes for the camper. Also got a coffee maker for the camper and some odds and ends.

Mr. and Mrs. Bluebird

Today I have confirmed that a pair of Bluebirds have taken up residence in a birdhouse that is attached to the privacy fence in the back yard. I saw Mrs. Bluebird go into the house several times. And Mr. was keeping watch. The were very protective of their home. Can't tell if there are any babies yet.

Catchin Up

Went to Mark & Laura's for yummy pizza and an awesome salad that Christ made. Dad turned 82 on Sunday. Saturday went to Dad's to clean. Made a not so great dinner. Flank steak that was tougher than leather. I guess I need to buy some meat tenderizer. Saturday night went over to the Renee's and played Singstar until the wee hours of the morning.
xkahxhxIkzkckznxknxjxnzcbxbcbvbxbcbc I am playing at Kaki's house. (this is Sydney typing)

Sunday got up for breakfast with Sarah's brother's family and mom & dad at a new place for us in Fenton called Beal Street. Breakfast was kind of slow and cold. The girls went to babysit so we watched a movie, Dan in Real Life. Later, took a nap, then went out to dinner at Lonestar. Ended the day with the 3 hour finale to Survivor. Yesterday I got some awful news that my niece's husbands' parents died. Please pray for my niece and her husband.

Ocho de Mayo

Right? Not much going on really.
Getting a haircut today. No color.
Making BBQ chicken pizza for dinner.
Gonna watch Survivor and LOST tonight.
Going to dad's birthday party tomorrow at Mark & Laura's house.
That's about it.

Cinco de Mayo

Getting ready to go to Don Pablos with cousins Mike, Chris, Linds & Trenton. Were not Mexican but it's a good a reason as any to celebrate and take a trip to DP. The bluebird of happiness visited me today. I have a bluebird that sits on our fence every day. I am so excited because we don't get a lot of birds around here for some reason. I snapped some pix but they are kinda far away. I will try and get some closer upper pix. If not I'll upload the ones from this morning. Made the resertations for camping with the Renee's for Memorial Week-end. Can't wait.
Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Eighteen E-Mails in My InBox

That's what happens when you have a garage sale. No time for the computer. The sale was Fri., Sat. and Sun. Friday it rained so we had to close early. Saturday it rained so we had to close early. But all in all it was a pretty good sale. Almost $400 total. (not all of that ours) Then today we had to pack everything up and put it away for another sale. Laura Therrian came for a visit on Saturday afternoon with her granddaughter Kenzie Rose. What a cutie. She was so interested in all the goings on. Oh yeah it was Katie's Sr. Prom too. So the place was hoppin'. We picked out some of Syd baby clothes for Kenzie and Laura got a good deal on an umbrella stroller from down the street. The date for the prom arrived at 5:00 in the Red Ferrari! So we had to quick do pictures. Lucky Renee was here to fix up a hair piece for Katie. She made it out of the previous night's prom's corsage. whew. Whirlwind. Today the Renee's left for their annual trek to Traverse City to stay in the Girl Scout Lodge. Hope the weather is good for them! What ever will I do without my BFF Sydney? I asked her that and she said, "I will come home, Khaki." So cute. Well now you are caught up on the latest!

It's The Last Day of April

AND

• My nose is running
• My eyes are watery
• My throat is sore

Hopefully I'll feel better as the day progresses. Think I'll stay home today, that's fine since gas is $3.75/gallon!!!!

Took the pansies and potted flowers in last night and covered all the flower beds because there was a FREEZE WARNING!

I think I'm whining... Guess I'll get a move on and see what the day brings...

Getting Ready For The Annual Garage Sale

Saturday we cleaned out the garage and set up the tables. We also brought up the totes and boxes of stuff to sell.
Sunday I emptied out and cleaned a tackle box to use for the money box.

Yesterday I went with Renee and Sydney to the $$ Store and picked up some Tag Board to make signs. I also got a new sign to put up at the end of the driveway. I went online and created the Ad for the paper too.

Today Sarah is picking up some new $$$ amount stickers and some brackets to make shelves to put ALL my books on.

Tomorrow I have to put the $$ stickers on everything. AND I still have to arrange everything on the tables. OH yeah and I have to go to the bank and get some change.

Whew! Having a garage sale is allot of work.

More Sunny Daze

I've been spending a lot of time outside - beautiful warm and sunny weather. The pic of "little tree" is from yesterday, April 24th. The other pic is "Sasa" and Syd on the new mower. I found out that I will be getting paid for all the work I've been doing for my old job.

In the news: Wednesday at the S.C. Middle School a boy was found at the bottom of the pool in around 10 in the morning. There are many stories circulating about what happened. From a seizure to a fight in which he got knocked out to he was walking along the edge and no one saw him. He was rushed to the hosp. He is still alive but on vent. His name is Roberto if you want to pray for him or his family.

Yesterday a HUGE forest fire in Grayling, MI. I saw pictures on tv. It was approaching I-75...YIKES! It's way to early to be so dry. There is a ban on burning already.

Just For The Record

I walked for 20 minutes yesterday.
I rode my bike for 20 minutes today.

Just thought I'd set the record straight!
The pics are of:
1.) The new pansies I bought yesterday.
2.) The "little tree" out front. The only tree that we planted that has lived so far.

Today I went to my ex job and ended up staying for a 2 hour meeting. And got myself into a BIG mess. I had offered to keep up the mentor database. BIG mistake! Now I got suckered into making the year end report - which is already 5 days late. (Which I might add is not my fault, since I was laid off.) WHATEVER. That's what I get for being the "nice guy." All for FREE I might add....

Warm, Sunny Daze

Wow, it's been a while. I've been out and about enjoying the great weather we've had. Here's an update -

Wednesday - Went to Niki's softball game. She pitched a really good game. The Renee's showed up just in time for the last out!

Thursday - It was so nice out that no one wanted to go in and cook. We ended up going to get Chinese with the Renee's and we ate it out on the front lawn. Probably looked funny to people driving by!

Friday - I babysat Syd so Renee could go with Evan to the Butterfly house at MSU. We played sick kid, watched a little tv, went ouside and played volleyball. Katie brought us McDonald's for lunch. We went for a walk, played on the swing (Syd's favorite thing to do) For dinner I made some awesome Quesidallas.

Saturday - Sarah had to mow lawns all day. She broke a couple of mowers........
I shopped and cleaned the house because we were having people over for BBQ and cards later in the evening. It was a beautiful day and evening. No rain. The hotdogs and hamburgers were very yummy.

Today (Sunday) Went to Home Depot to look at new mowers. While I was there I picked up some Pansies because I read on my sister's blog that now is a good time for them. I got 2 baskets of purple/white for the front porch and got a basket of yellow for Renee. Then we came home and ate left over hotdogs for lunch. Hung around and played with my BFF Syd. Went to the Renee's for a yummy Turkey Burger BBQ. It clouded up and threatened to rain. But it never did. I think it went around us like it always does. We put Grub-ex stuff on the yard and now since it didnt' rain I think I will have to water the lawn tomorrow. Went for a walk after dinner to walk off the scrumptious cake I consumed. p.s. Thanks for the bbq Tom and Renee!

"No Clouds, No Precipitation"

That's what the weather dude just said. It's currently 58 degrees, but it looks and feels nicer than that! And it has been a bee-u-tif--ul day with more to come. 70 and sunny tomorrow. I think I'll go and hit a few golf balls. I'm thinking about joining up with my sister's (Jan) water drinking contest. 3 weeks. Get some $$ if you drink the most water. I figure, what have I got to lose.

A Day Is A Day

Got up did the usual. ( See Thursday, April 10) Took the cans and bottles back to Kroger so that we could get Subway for lunch. Sarah and I shared a Subway Melt - 5 bucks for a footlong. It was yummy. Then I went with her on an easy job in Owosso. Brandon took the day off today. We had to go in a house and take pictures and change one lock. I read my new book, 7th Heaven by James Patterson. I actually finished it about an hour ago. Got home went over to the Renee's. Woke Syd up from her nap so we could go outside. I pushed her in the swing a while and then we took a bike ride. Her bike was making a loud "snoring" noise so we came back home to see if Sasa could fix it. Of course she did, but Syd was done riding by then.
I made an awesome pot of spaghetti for dinner. Now I'm kind of bored so I'm writing this while watching the Wings in the playoffs. Tomorrow Brandon has the day off again so I have to go to work with Sarah again. I think I'm going to start reading The Winds of War, by Herman Wouk. It's about a zillion pages.

8:45 A.M and Beautiful Snowflakes

Are falling. Sweet! It's a glowing 32 degrees. Winter Wonderland. A regular blizzard, cool. High temp. around 40, wow! I'm thrilled, can't ya tell? Glad I did the grocery shopping yesterday! Guess I'll stay inside today and start a new book. Just finished "The Appeal" by John Grisham. The end was very disappointing. Tonight's dinner - Ham (turkey) for Katie and cheesy potatoes.

Rumor Has It

That a SONIC is coming to Flint! I am so excited I can hardly believe it!! On Miller Rd. where the old Bill Knapps used to be. Strawberry Limeade here I come. Renee told me today that she saw it on the news last night. Darn. Cause us and the Renee's were going to open one up. We just talked about it last weekend.

Well we had some wicked storms today. The siren went off twice. The second time I was in the bathtub!! Scary. We had light hail, and lots of rain. Most of the storms went around us.

Just A Day

Is there such a thing as an "average" day? Unfortunately sometimes. Got up, did my "unemployment" routine. Make coffee. Make and eat breakfast. Visit blogsites and bank accounts. Check "Myspace." Pay a few bills. Do Sarah's accounting. Take a shower. blah blah Went and got a massage and to the Chiro. --Now I can turn my head! Went to Niki's softball game - it was cold and raining so we cheered her on from the car. Lame I know. Some dedicated parents were out there with the big ole golf umbrellas. Brrrrrrrrrr! Oh yeah, went over to the TREE's and saw Elissa's new bedroom, very savvy and cool for a teenage girl! Syd was just waking up and wanted her Mommy and wouldn't even talk to me. That's how I feel too when I just wake up. Dad called and he is back from the great white north safely. Glad he called. And now I'm watching Survivor and waiting for the girls to get home with the PIZZA!!

I Know You Missed My Blog

Because you are all harassing me....... JK Well it has taken some time for me to get my self back together after my vaca. You know, laundry, shopping, cleaning, paying bills, etc.. And last night we went to the Piston's game. Very cool - They were celebrating the 50th year of the Pistons. (Lisa you are getting behind) So 30 of the top scorers were there. I saw John Sally, Bill Lambier, John or James Edwards, Vinnie Johnson, Joe Dumars, Isiah Thomas etc. just to name a few. Got a souvenir hat signed by the Edwards guy. Also got special passes to go to the press conf. after the game, exciting stuff!
The pictures on my blog took place on my second to last day in S.C. That is my sister Jan sleeping on the picnic table at the beach. That is after she already took a nap right on the beach a few minutes earlier! It was hot & windy and really pretty there. We went to the state park. She told me it is where they filmed the Vietnam scene from Forest Gump, cool huh? We went to Beufort and shopped, ate and then went to the beach. Lunch was very exciting. We stopped at a BBQ joint. While we were finishing up our delicious bbq, smoke started pouring out from the side porch where they were heating the coals. Apparently the coals started on fire. The flames were almost up to the ceiling. The waitress went out with a water bottle and shot the flames out. We hurried out of the smokey joint! For dinner we went to an awesome seafood place. We had an hour wait! But it was pretty, we sat out by the water and I took the picture of the shrimp boat. We pigged out on shrimp, flounder, crab, scallops salad and baked potato. No room for dessert! We got home at about midnight. Fell flat out asleep. I was tired from driving - I had to drive - Jan said her glasses were not too good for night driving. We really had a good time in the south! The people are really nice and friendly.

The Red Door and More

It's been beautiful and fun couple of days in S.C. Yesterday we went to my sister's shop, "The Red Door" and messed around. I mostly sat on the front porch in a rocking chair and sipped my tea, pronounced "teaay." I actually rang up a few customers and even gave the change back right! Then when we were finishing up dinner (Calif. Pizza Kitchen pizza, Jan said let's go we're going somewhere for a surprise. Marlene was all in a panic and thought we were going to a southern bible study! We actually went on a private carriage ride around historic Camden. It was awesome! Warm and just the right time of evening. The sun was setting and with all the flowers, bushes etc. blooming it was smellyicious! Our horse Shadow knew the way and clipp-clopped along at a nice pace. 1/2 way through the ride we stopped at a billionaire's mansion because my sister ( I won't mention which one) had to pee. So they went right up to the house to use the bathroom. Quit funny.

Today we bombed around Camden. Had lunch at a little place then went to a bunch of shops - antique and second hand shops. Oh well. BUT, then we found a cousin to the Beal's Outlets like they have in FL. and Marlene and I had a ball. Tonight Jan and I went out for dinner at the "Ole South" a restaurant where people died of food poisoning a few years back!! Long story. We were brave enough to try it. Good ole southern food, everything fried in "fatback." Except the peach cobbler - yummy. Let's see what tomorrow brings!

South Carolina At Last

We arrived officially at 2:10 a.m. After:
flight 3708 delayed
flight 3708 changed from 1:38 p.m. to 1:55 pm.
flight 3708 changed from 1:55 p.m. to 4:20 p.m.
Flight 3708 cancelled
New Flight: 3710 9:30 p.m.
Received $26 food voucher, ate at Chili's Too
Don picked us up at 2:00 p.m. went home to wait
Arrived back at the airport at 8:00 p.m. for 9:30 flight
Moved from gate C2 to C36
Moved from gate C36 to C23
Flight 3710 delayed until 9:45 p.m.
Flight 3710 delayed until 10:15
Flight 3710 delayed until 10:45 (mechanical issues)
Flight 3710 delayed until 11:30 (waiting for crew change)
Flight 3710 delayed until 1:15 a.m. (same)
Flight 3710 back until 11:15 p.m.
Yea! Here comes the crew!
Boarded plane at 11:30 p.m.
Roar! Started the engines (with the door still open!)
Wait, here comes 2 late people...
Ok, we are ready but just waiting for ground crew...
Whew, flight attendant closed the door - manually - got showered with rain upon slamming of door.
Ok, 12:30 a.m. taxied out to Lenawee County for 1/2 hour. I'm sure it was busy at that time of night
Stopped at McDonalds for the late people, got back on runway.....
12:35 a.m. In the air hooray! Free drinks for all your troubles, but the snacks cost $2.00
Anyway, final descent into Columbia S.C. 2:00 a.m.
2:15 a.m. Taxied around the city of Columbia
2:25 a.m. Plane brakes working just fine - came to a COMPLETE stop out in the middle of the airstrip.
Flight attendant flung the door open - no ground crew in sight.
2:30 a.m. Flight attendant makes an announcement:
"Sorry folks we have no Jetway, we will be deplaning right here. Hmmmmm. Get off plane. Look to left, look to right. Hmmmmm there is a guy 200 yards over there- must be place to go.
2:35 a.m. climb steps from bowels of the airport to the main level. Don't have to get our luggage from thingy cause Jan saw it sitting up by "lost luggage" area.
3:30 a.m. Pull into sister's house in Lugoff after driving through dense fog.
3:35 a.m. Head hits pillow - fast asleep!

Good Bye North (cold, snow & rain) Hello South

I (unlike my sister) am still washing and packing. We (my eldest) ha ha sister and I are leaving on the friendly skies to warmer weather to visit the middle sister. We are celebrating our up and coming milestone birthdays. The big 60 and 50! We will have a blast. You never know what can happen when the 3 of us get together. We will spend a day at The Red Door, which is the shop my sister runs. Possibly a day in Beufort which is a quaint town on the shore (so I've heard) and maybe just a day hanging out, or visiting a plantation. There is so much to do in S.C. Keep in touch for updates...

Snowing Like Mad

OR, I'm mad it's snowing. Check it out!!

To Entertain or Be Entertained

My buddy from across the street came for a visit yesterday. I figured I would entertain her so her mommy could get her laundry done. However, it may have been the other way around. A three year old can be very entertaining. We watched Ruby and Max and Caillou. Then we re-enacted the Caillou episode. Caillou and his family went to a ranch. They went for a ride on a cart pulled by a horse. So we found some ribbon for the reigns and galloped around the house! Then we got the toys out. Of course we had to call the Dr. because we took turns being the sick patient. Then we got out the playskool people and played school with them. Of course the playskool people got hurt and had to take turns going to the hobabble. (hospital) Then everyone had to take a nap. Bedtime stories were hilarious! Hmmm, then it was pretty much time for dinner. Syd called her mom cause she wasn't ready to go home yet. She got permission to stay for dinner. She ate her whole plate of sania and coleslaw and 1/2 piece of garlic bread. Then we went outside and Syd rode her NEW bike up and down the street while i tried to keep up with her. Then I told her it was time for her to go home cuase I had to take Niki to softball. She said, "I go with you." I said you can't go this time because we don't have a car seat. She then informed me, "I don't need a car seat I will sit in the back seat like a big girl." How funny! luckily she decided it would be ok to go home so she pedaled down the drive way and up the other side. (me holding on to her on the downside) As I opened the door for her to go inside she said, "Bye khaki see you later!" We had a blast.

Today I think I'll get out of the house. My lunch buddy and I (Chris) are going shopping for her sister-in-laws 25th anniversary gift. The party is Sunday. I'm hoping lunch will be involved!

Snow Snow A Go Go

Away that is! Woke up to another 1/2 inch of the white stuff this morning. Now the weather people are saying we are getting another 2 to 4 inches tomorrow. Enough already. Spring has definitely not sprung. One week and I am heading south, yahoo!
Tomorrow I am going to a meeting regarding grant writing. My former associate from work is putting together a grant writing team. It may be something I can get involved in to earn a little extra cash while waiting for the FCS to make up their mind regarding our jobs. Well that's it--me and the dog are just hangin around.

Never Mind the Gusty Winds

It's the first day of Spring. The sun is supposed to shine today! Yea! Never mind that the forecast for tomorrow includes snow with possible accumulation...... Today is the day to celebrate.

Okay, Okay

No need to worry I am alive and kickin. There just is not much new to report. How about this:
Ten Reasons to Enjoy the Lay-off:

My house stays cleaner
I can sleep in (too much sometimes)
Baily and I are really bonding
Less miles on the car
Smaller laundry loads
I can watch Rachel all day
I can IM my sister
All the calls, errands etc. get done
I can play with Sydney
I am free if anyone wants to take me out to lunch :-)
**Bonus - I have time to visit my sis in SC (12 more days)

Ten reasons being laid-off is annoying:

I have to pick up around the house
I am groggy from sleeping in
I have no money for gas
I have no money for shopping
I eat too much
everyone expects me to cook and clean
The dog is getting on my nerves (my shadow)
My hands, fingers are hurting from being on the computer
I get bored
No one calls to take me out to lunch

Florida in Michigan

I've been thinking so much about Florida that a palm tree grew right in the middle of the office! Syd and I were playing with Cocoa the puppy and the tree yesterday. It sure was sunny! Not much else is new. I've been volunteering a little for my old job. They think they may have found a grant to get us back in the fall. I might hang around for that because the benefits are so good. My sister (who is still in Fla.) and I leave to visit my other sister in SC in 19 days!! Tomorrow I will have pics of the NEW Florida inspired bathroom.

Up To Date

Thursday I had an interview at Ross Medical School in Brighton. The interview went well, I thought. We'll see if I hear back. The interviewer said I should hear by Monday whether or not I will continue with the interview process.

Friday I drove down to Karen & Raymond's to babysit Riley. We had a busy morning! We played Cinderella 3 or 4 times (and that is with 3 changes of outfits), we played Monkeys Jumping on the Bed, We cooked for each other several times. One person cooked while the other laid on the couch with the "flu" and and also a "bleeding boo-boo." Then we did some Brain Quest questions, played going shopping, sang in a band. Whew! Finally Karen came home and we all went to Buddy's for a yummylicious lunch!

Yesterday we went to Home Depot to pick out the wood for the chair rail. We are redecorating the bathroom in a seashells decor. Then went grocery shopping. Watched 2 movies while waiting for Nicole to get home from her Spanish field trip to Chicago. They were supposed to be home around 10:30 p.m. Well at 9:30 she called and said they were going to be late, 1:00 or 1:30 a.m. because one of the girls got caught shoplifting and went to jail. They went to Navy Pier while the whole thing got straightened out. The girl never told the police that she was from Flint with a field trip. Then about 11:00 she called again. They had pulled over to the side of the road because one of the buses had hit a deer. No damage to bus or kids. All in all they made it home about 12:15 a.m. crazy!

Today cleaned the house real good and started the laundry.

Ridin' Shotgun

That's what I have been up to. Twice this week I was sitting in the shotgun seat going from house to house with Sarah. Bailey and I stood guard. (no guns involved though...) We did not go into any "bad" neighborhoods. I read a book while Sarah does her thing.
Today I had an interview for Ross Medical Education Center in Brighton. It seems like a really nice place and the job might be interesting. It is for a career development coordinator. Today I am "volunteering" my time at my old job. I don't think I will do that too much longer though because then they will think they can get the work done without paying me.
ANOTHER snow storm on the way.......

March 1st

MyHotComments

Last Day of FebRuary

Why don't we just say feb-ru-ary? I'll have to look it up. Of course we got a couple inches of NEW snow to end out the month. Record high and all that stuff. I think it has stopped for now. Marlene has been texting me from her journey south. They are in GA somewhere just over the border. It's 54 degrees. Better than 20 something and snow, right? I'm taking a vicarious trip with her.

I'm Bored

Ok, third day off work and I'm already bored! The house is clean & picked up, the washing is done. Made an awesome dinner that everyone liked alot. I guess it's time to write my blog. Too bad I don't feel like doing things like scrapping, organizing drawers, cupboards, pictures etc..
On the bright side, my niece Michelle got her test results back and there is no evidence of cancer! She will have 2 more rounds of chemo as insurance.
On the not bright side my sister Marlene is leaving for Florida for 2 weeks. She doesn't know this but that makes me a little anxious... That's because I tell her she is now the matriarch of the family. :-) Well anway they will have a good time. Hope it warms up - it was 54 in Tampa today.

Time to Catch Up

So, been back from Florida for a week now... :-( It was sunny all weekend so thankgoodness I could adjust. Been drinking lots of O.J. and eating my oranges and grapefruit that I got in FL. Lots of fresh "C."
I'm getting plenty of rest due to the fact that I got laid off from the FCS. It's a long story that has to do with the fact that the grant (federal) that was paying my salary wasn't approved for this year. The powers that be are looking for other money and there is a chance that I will get called back in April. So, I'm going to wait it out until then and see what comes of it. :-)
So I'm getting all caught up on appointments and such things like that.
Let's see what else. All Sarah's medical tests came back negative. We traded the Blazer in for a new work van for Sarah. Her co-worker bought the old scooby van. Nicole is taking driver's ed. scarey!! That's about it for now.

Here are a Few Choice Pics from Florida

The following is from an e-mail FW that I really liked. (which is rare)

Why, Why, Why,
Why do we press harder on a remote control when we know the batteries are getting dead?

Why do banks charge a fee on "insufficient funds" when they know there is not enough money?Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars, but check when you say the paint is wet?
Why do they use sterilized needles for death by lethal injection?

Why does Superman stop bullets with his chest, but ducks when you throw a revolver at him?
Why do Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?
whose idea was it to put an "S" in the word "lisp"?

If people evolved from apes, why are there still apes?

Why is it that no matter what color bubble bath you use the bubbles are always white?
Is there ever a day that mattresses are not on sale?

Why do people constantly return to the refrigerator with hopes that something new to eat will have materialized?

Why do people keep running over a string a dozen times with their vacuum cleaner, then reach down, pick it up, examine it, then put it down to give the vacuum one more chance?
Why is it that no plastic bag will open from the end on your first try?
How do those dead bugs get into those enclosed light fixtures?

When we are in the supermarket and someone rams our ankle with a shopping cart then apologizes for doing so, why do we say, "It's all right?" Well, it isn't all right, so why don't we say, "That really hurt, why don't you watch where you're going?"

Why is it that whenever you attempt to catch something that's falling off the table you always manage to knock something else over?

In winter why do we try to keep the house as warm as it was in summer when we complained about the heat?And my FAVORITE ......
The statistics on sanity is that one out of every four persons are suffering from some sort of mental illness. Think of your three best friends -- if they're okay, then it's you.

Hmmm

Too tired and crabby to write.

Last Day of Sun and Palms

We have had a relaxing last couple of days. Went to the beach for some pure sun time. We went to the Mixon Fruit Farm and took a tour of the farm and learned alot about the growing of citrus fruit. Tasted some yummy samples of fruit and juice. We are going back today to send some fruit home. We have visited with friends, bought the souviner shops out, gone sight-seeing and just hung around in the sun.
Sunday morning we had an awesome pancake breakfast right on the beach! My sister Marlene suggested that one. I will upload pictures when we get home.
Bye Sunshine state!

Chillin in the Sunshine State

Got here about 1:30 picked up our car and breezed on in to Bradenton ridin' in style. It was 75 degrees. We stopped to eat at the Atlanta Bread Co. By the time we got to our condo it was raining and the temp. dropped 10 degrees. Oh well. The sun came back out today and we went to the Jungle Gardens. A really pretty mini zoo. There were no lions, tigers, and bears. (oh my) But parrots, gators and flamingos. Pictures to follow!

Good-Bye

Cold, snow, freezing drizzle, cold, snain, rain, ice, cold, well you get the idea. We're off to sunny Florida!

P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY KRISTEN!!

Record Snow

It's official, we had 12.4 inches of snow. TV said record snow in Flint since 1948. Roads were HORRIBLE today. We'll see if they get them clean enough for school tomorrow. We've already used up the limit of allowed snow days. Today was a make-up day. Now I'm really getting worried though. Weather dude says getting another BIG storm on Tuesday. We fly out (to FLA) on Wednesday.

Pretty Smart

I was very jealous because my sister Jan had music on her blog. So I thought I would try and figure out how to get it on mine. Took me a looooooooooooong time. Whenever I don't know how to do something on the computer I just mess around until I figure it out. Just don't give up. Well as you can see I figured it out.
Another big snow storm on the way. Rain, ice, sleet, snow etc... Will there be another snow day? There are all used up. From now on any snow days will have to be made up. Not good. Don't have to worry about Flint schools though. Tomorrow is a PD day. No school for kids. I think I might sleep in! zzzzzzzzzzz.
Here's a quirky fact: I earned $2000 on Jeopardy tonight. When I lived at home (when didn't I? - ha ha) I watched it every night with my mom. I think I should be a contestent on Jeopardy.

Enough Already of the Snacks and Appetizers

It seems like thats all you have between Christmas and New Years. So for SBS I just made an awesome dish of lasagna. Garfield would be proud. I used tons and tons of cheese. Then I put the suace on after it was baked. (I saw Bobby Flay do it on the lasagna throwdown.) It was enjoyed by all! There are a few leftover pieces....

Life's Twists & Turns

Been at the ER for the last 25 hours with Sarah. She had a sharp pain in her chest that was hurting when she took a breath. They did 2 chest x-rays, an Ultrasound, CT and then today a chest scan. They eventually ruled out anything serious and sent her home with pain meds and an anti-inflamatory. They think it is pleurasy - an inflamation in the lining of the lung. It is a side affect somtimes from having a bad flu or pnemonia. It was very annoying how slow they were. But the ER was hoppin. Flu, broken bones etc. One thing I've learned in the hospital is you pretty much have to take care of your own or your loved one's care. This all on the 3 year anniversary of when my mom died. My sister wrote a great tribute. Here is the web address to her blog.http://www.magnoliawhispers.blogspot.com/ However, I would change the part about her yelling alot when I was young. i don't remember it that way. Anyway, I'm tired and, well that's about it.