We are in Ft. Worth at gary's uncle's. His other aunt and uncle brought our pickup down from Oklahoma. I am the chief cook and bottle washer for the weekend. Gary and I would be happy going out to eat. But his uncle likes to feed us. Trouble is he is 82 and can cook the meat ( brisket, ribs, etc). And he didn't pay any attention to food for the rest of the meal. LOL! He's not married so there is no one to think about such things. Gary's aunt from Oklahoma is a bit ditzy and not much help.

So while I didn't plan to have a busy cooking/cleaning weekend, it's OK as they are all having a good time. Both of Gary's uncles are wood carvers, so they are trying to help Gary, who is just getting into it. I think Gary could be real good at it and it would give him something else to do. So, I can sacrifice my services for this cause. LOL!

Also, it is cool, cloudy, rainy, and thundery here. Wonderful weather.

And right now, it is pouring down rain. I need to take a nap! LOL!

Ah! What a lazy Saturday. Dozing in the chair, rain and thunder outside, football on the TV. My football team got beat today and I don't even care! LOL!

Gayle, wood carving sounds like just the think for Gary! What a great idea:)

I'm waiting for the rain to get here. It had better NOT go just north of us:eek: I want to crawl in bed with my book and listen to the rain and thunder!! LOL, times have sure changed! I used to want to crawl into bed with my husband during a storm:kiss4:

LOL! Betsi, you are too funny!

We had rain yesterday evening and last night. The sound of it was so nice!! I can't believe the weather we've had this weekend........so nice!!!! Janet and I have really enjoyed it!!

Last night we drove over to Amy's and Dae Lynn's and Janet met their families. I think that she enjoyed Dean and Karlie!!! We're thinking that Karlie should go home with Janet for a couple of weeks then we'll come and get her........ROFL!!!!!

This morning we ran in to some garage sales but since it rained they'd didn't have them so we went out to the VFW to an auction but we didn't find anything there either. We stopped by Feyn's house and Janet met his family and we went to my MIL's house and looked around at where the wedding was at and Janet met my MIL.......oh.....and she met two of Glen's brothers, Mark and Burke. We came home rested a little, ate lunch, and visited. Then we went in to a purse party!!! It was those Meshi purses where you can change the covers!! I ended up buying one and a couple of covers......plus I booked a party.......kick me!!!! We drove around a little bit then came home and visited some more!!!

Jaci ended up going out of town so Janet didn't get to meet her. I was so disappointed but.......Janet will just have to come back another time to meet her and Nate!!!

Janet's not real happy about driving back home........it IS really far!! We're considering selling her van and buying her a plane ticket!!!!!!! She swears that she'll never drive it again!!! LOL


Gayle, I think that carving would be a wonderful new hobby for Gary.........as long as he doesn't cut himself..........otherwise it could get a little expensive!!!!! You'll have to take some pictures when he gets something done!!

Betsi.....you crack me up!!!! Sadly I think that we all feel that way!!!!!!

Well...let's see....I did the same as Diana...lol...so just read her post. I did meet everyone except Jaci and Nate. Diana has a large family and everyone was so nice and made me feel right at home.

I am nervous about the drive home, but hopefully with God as my co-pilot...everything will be fine. I did sleep very well last night. Also...need to say that Diana is a very good cook and she wouldn't let me do anything. We had Taco soup and some kind of chicken casserole and both were just sooooo good and easy to make.

I would love to come here again, maybe in springtime when the garage sales are going full swing, but I'll fly...no more of this driving long distances.

Please keep me in your prayers for my ride home.

I'm so glad you girls are having fun! You'll be fine on your way home Janet. Aren't you proud of yourself for doing something you really wanted to do, even though it made you nervous?

You'll do fine Janet. Don't worry too much. I love to drive and take long driving trips. I don't like to drive long distances all in one day though. I like to drive about five hours then stop and go again the next day. If we lived closer I would drive with you, Janet!

I'm glad you guys had fun this weekend, to bad you didn't have more time together. Janet drive safe on the way home.

We got home about 4:00 this afternoon. It's such a boring 3-hour drive straight south on I35. The traffic is always bad on a Sunday afternoon too. Anyway, we made it safe and sound.

Gary got some wood carving books and a couple of tools. He's going to be looking for a wood carving class in Austin - hope he can find one soon while he is enthused about it.

His uncle had a double rocking/reclining love seat and we just loved it. I don't sit and watch TV very much, but it would be perfect for those times that I do. And when I am not sitting in it, it would be perfect for two little Yorkie boys, who are always on this lap!

I arrived safely home around 9:20 this evening. Long 12 hour drive, but much easier coming home than going to Kansas. Had a lovely visit, but much too short. Next time will definitely fly.

So glad you got home safely - that IS a LONG drive!!! Glad you got to visit with Diana though!

We had a good time but it sure seemed short!!

I thought for a while that we were going to be selling Janet's van so she could fly home!!! It is a LONG trip!!! I think that it was a good trip for her......she was even missing her Mom before she went home!!!

Janet, I'm glad that you're back home all safe and sound.

I woke up this morning thinking about you Janet. I'm so glad you got to go see Diana, and that you made it home fine. 12 hours is an awfully long drive by yourself!

Betsi, it sure is a long drive....so the next time I'm planning on flying that way I can stay longer and not be so nervous. The drive home was always in the back of my mind and I worried about it.


Let's see...today I cleaned my house. I don't think they did anything at all. Oh excuse me...my husband did do his own laundry. The floors needed swept so I ran the sweeper and mopped the kitchen and bathrooms. Dusted, been doing laundry all day...gave 5 dogs a bath (no grooming) and then myself. Over the weekend the dogs must have been left in their crates a little too long and had gone potty in them. So....I woke Ricky up and made him clean them out. He had to wash them outside. I had asked him if they had 'gone' in their crates and he said he checked and all was clean. The two crates that had the mess were Emily and Ozzie, they even had some of it on them. So I just washed their bedding and gave them ALL a bath.

I knew it would be like this when I came home....so I wasn't disappointed.....just pissed!

Just thought I'd check in and read a few posts and see how everyone is doing.

Gayle, so glad that Gary seems to be better and that it wasn't his heart.
Lindsey, so glad that Layla is progressing so well!!!
Janet, so nice that you were able to go visit with Diana!!!
Diana, so nice that Janet was able to visit and that you had a nice time!!!
Janet, wonderful that you got home safely.

I hate to leave anyone out, but I'm still catching up on everyone.

We've been extremely busy traveling and such.

October 1 we went to Dallas for a dear friend's wedding. She's the daughter of my best friend, so we had to be there. Our daughter, Karen, was a bridesmaid, so she flew to Dallas and came home with us for the weekend and flew out of Austin, back to California. There was a wedding here in Victoria on Oct. 2 nd that we attended also. Oct 6 & 7 I had a business trip to NJ. It was a quick up and back, just spent one night, but had to drive home late from the Houston airport, made for a very long day on the 7th.

October 15 and 16, Rex and I traveled back to Dallas for a state builder's show and meeting. Rex was on the state board the past year, his term just ended. His birthday was on the 17th, so we celebrated while we were in Dallas. It was nice to get away, just the two of us with no dogies or anyone.

October 19 we flew to California for Carlton's homecoming. Carlton is Karen's husband, and he made it back safely from Afghanistan. The last two months of his deployment were very dangerous. He was in Sangin where all the heavy fighting is taking place. They were being fired upon by snipers and others, and had no food. They couldn't get provisions in by air or land due to the heavy resistance. They killed chickens and goats and lived off the land. At times they made a meal off boiled onions. He lost 40 lbs. It was quite an experience and he is very glad to be home. He arrived on the 20th and we flew home on the 22nd.

This weekend, we rested and I tried to catch up on a few things. Yesterday we had a fellowship meal after evening worship, so had to prepare food to take.

Next weekend is heavy duty cleaning to get ready for Karen and Carlton to come visit for 3 weeks or so. They should be here on November 10 or 11 and will stay through Thanksgiving. Hopefully he will get leave again for Christmas.

Melissa and Garrett are doing very well. Garrett has a new higher paying job and Melissa is working hard in nursing school.

I know this is long and if you don't read it all, I understand. It's just been a very hectic month.

We are so relieved though to have Carlton home!!!! It was quite a weight worrying about him and Karen. I thought it would be easier when they are grown, but you only have more to worry about it seems.

Love to you all!! I'll get busy reading and catching up on everyone else.

WOW! Marilyn, you really have been very busy - but in a GOOD way!!!

I had no idea Carlton's deployment in Afghanistan was so dangerous. I just can't imagine. There are not many people who have to learn to live off the land anymore - what an experience. I'm so glad that he is home safe and sound.

It sounds like you will have a wonderful fall with Karen and Carlton home and Melissa and Garret so close. It's not often that extended families get to be together so much during the holiday season!

I'm so glad you checked in - I think about you and wonder how you and your family are doing!

I'm glad that you checked in, Marilyn!! You sure have been busy!! I'm glad to hear that all's good with Karen's husband. I'm sure that everyone's thrilled to have him back home safe and sound. Enjoy your time with your family........just don't take so long to come back on here!! Hugs to you and your family!!

So glad you've checked in Marilyn. We missed you and would like to see you here more often. Wonderful news that Carlton made it home safe and sound. What a horrible ordeal he had to go through. Praying it has no lasting effects.

Thank you for your kind words and it is nice to be missed. Carlton has a really good outlook on life, and he's just so very glad to be home and enjoying being here. He says he will probably be jumpy for a while when he hears a sudden loud noise, and feels he needs to duck sometimes when he's outside but I really don't think he will have any longterm really negative effects. It's just made him even more appreciative of life. Some of the guys are messed up, but Carlton left having just married Karen in December. He had chased her for a while and at first she was very resistant and had ditched him more than once, so when they married, it was like he'd won the grand prize. Karen realized through his persistence that she had misjudged and that he's pretty special, too. There are some differences to work through, but they are obviously very very happy. He had lots of supportive family and a new special life to come home to. Many of the guys didn't have good relationships with family so for them it was different.

Today someone made me some pancakes (unexpected) and I went early to vote :D

This morning I ran my route....came home...tripped over an x-pen and then went to vote. Didn't really do much else so far today except run the afternoon route. Just didn't have a whole lot of ambition today...maybe tomorrow...maybe not...LOL.

Today Gary and I ate breakfast at our favorite Mexican restaurant - migas, beans and potatoes. MMMMM! Then I went to school. I had office hours this afternoon and I had a parade of my students in and out of my office all afternoon. They have a paper due in a couple of weeks, and that always brings them out of the woodwork.

Then I had class from 4-7 and it was a fun class. I love my students and have a really good time with them.

Gary went to the acreage house inspection this afternoon and everything is in excellent shape. There are a few termites in a tiny area of the steps of the wood shop out back. It is not unexpected as it is way in the back of the property next to an undeveloped wild area. It will only cost a little to eradicate them and we can ask the sellers to do that. There are none in the main house and it is very far away from the shop. We had termites in a shed in our back yard here at the house we live in now, and was is VERY close to our main house - but no termites in the our main house either. We only found them when we had the shed taken down. No telling how long they had been there.

So far today I have gotten all my phone calls made that needed to be made. Made an appt. for Ozzie and Gidget to get neutered/spayed for the 12th, checked with Anthem to see if Ricky was still covered, found out for sure when my hair appt. is and checked on a friend. Waiting on the bedding shop to open so I can call and see if they sell bed rails for a twin bed. Way past time on getting Rick moved to another room so it's time. The snoring is still horrible and I'm done with it.

Trying to get some laundry done and then plan to clean some drawers out. I do have some chicken breasts layed out to thaw so I can fix the chicken casserole this evening for supper. I can hardly wait because it was so good!! Hopefully I won't screw it up...lol

Janet, I bet the chicken was delish!

I got a lot done at school today - tomorrow will be a busy day, so won't get much of my own things related to class done - so I tried to do as much as possible today.

After I got home, Gary and I went to the new house to look at a couple of things. It is really cool here this evening, and cloudy. It's only about 55 with a VERY brisk wind, so it feels really cold to us thin-blooded Texans! LOL!

Then we went to Home Depot to look at tile. I'm still deliberating about the color of tile to put in the new house.

After that, we met the kids at a Mexican restaurant for dinner. My enchalidas were just so so - but Emma's french fries were really good! :D

Now, I'm too tired to do much of anything, so I'm veging out in front of the computer.

I went to Dae Lynn's this afternoon to try and finish our painting. Ha ha!!! It seemed like something came up every little bit to interfere so we didn't get as far as we would have liked. I'll have to go back next week and get it finished.

One of the things I had to do was go to town and pick up Feyn's kids, Karley, Kiley, and Elijah. When they got to Dae Lynn's Dean was so glad to see them that he gave them lots of slobbery kisses!! Elijah got more than his share......I guess Dean was happy to see another boy!!!

After that I came home and got ready and went in to church. I'm in the nursery on Wed. nights. Tonight I had Maddy, a two year old little girl that's always saying "I sorry!!" She's so cute!! And I also had a 1 year old little boy named Hunter. He got tired so I gave him a bottle and he fell asleep. I guess that he'd been out with his Papa on the combine and had a big day. After church we ran to the grocery store and then took little Karlie home!!

And now......here I am......up too late on the computer...................AGAIN!!!!!

Whew! Diana, you make me tired just reading your posts. Where do you get your energy, girl!!!

That's what I'd like to know...I need some of that energy. I didn't get the casserole made last night because I looked at the motorhome, so I'm fixing it today for Ricky and I for lunch.

Don't really have anything that absolutely needs done today.... so I may not do anything at all. I don't know.

I think that I've been sleeping better and therefore I feel better. I have some sleep apnea but if I sleep on my stomach then I don't have much trouble. I've been doing that since last spring and it really has made a difference in how I feel. I also think that it's helping me lose a little weight because I do feel like doing things.

I love doing things with Dae Lynn and the kids......she's like a best friend right now and willing to go and do things with me. I enjoy that. I also enjoy helping my kids out with whatever they're doing!!

I was also thrilled to pick up Feyn's kids after school. They are sooo much fun to be around but are so busy with other things that I don't see them as much as I should even though they just live down the road from me.

Today I have Dean while Dae Lynn cleans at the church. Just him and me!! I'm finding out that my house isn't very baby-proof!!! I really need to be cleaning because I have care group on Sunday evening and I think that we have another hay ride on Friday evening.....plus we have harvest going on so I'm on call to help do shuffling and other things!!

I'm also trying to get some things priced to take to my flea market booths......and it's going very slowly. I'll probably be going to Joplin next week sometime........Boy....I AM busy!!!!!

Looks like we've all been keeping busy!

I took yesterday off work because work has slowed down so much. My dad came into town Monday night and had a doctor's appointment here Tuesday. So after work we met at my grandma's house, with my brother, his girlfriend, and the little girls, and my aunt and uncle, and we ordered some pizza :) Then 8 of us went to a hockey game. The 6 year old brought in a little notepad and pen, and she was just drawing away, and then she put it up in the air with a huge smile on her face... she had written "GO CANADA GO" hahahahaha! It wasn't exactly "Canada" playing, but we were playing an American team (Spokane) so I guess it worked!

Scott and I went back to my grandma's house to play cards with my dad, uncle, and grandma for a few hours, and we spent the night there. Scott got up early to go to work, and I slept in until 8:30 and then went for breakfast with my dad and grandma. Then we went shopping. I found some great deals on last year's model of snowboards and bindings, so I think I will buy one this weekend! We also went to find a new dining room table for my grandma, and did lots of other random shopping with my dad. We went out to eat after everyone else was off work and then my dad was going to head home and we also headed home.

It was probably 8:30 or so when we got home, and I still had dishes to do (we had a boil water advisory for the past week, so there's a counter full of dishes to wash!) but I just loaded up the dishwasher a little more and ran that... I'll hand wash the big stuff tonight.

This morning felt like Monday lol! The 4-hour webcast meeting didn't help first thing when I got to work, but I can just think there's only one more day and then the weekend! I should really take every Wednesday off lol... it breaks up the week nicely!

I have to confess that I after I came home from the bus route (and getting my flu shot) that I came home and slept most of the time. I woke up at 1:00, ate some lunch and then went to pick up the kids.

I slept in this morning :eek: Oops. Somehow my alarm was shut off. Scott's went off once but neither of us remember hearing it. We use our cell phones for alarms because the power goes out so often. Somebody called (wrong number) and we both wondered who would be calling so early. Then he said "Look at the time on your phone!" I looked... 7:59 :eek: Work starts at 8! I got ready as fast as possible, drove into town, and we were both an hour late :rolleyes: But we're both well rested! :D

Sounds like the crazy work hours you were having have gone away Linds! Great! Relaxing is so important.

Isn't if fun to have the kids over Diana? I would just love to get a wet Dean kiss! How cute he sounds!

I had mine on the weekend, and they are just so much fun! I am beginning to teach them to get their own drinks, snacks, etc. The two little ones seem to ask for something every other minute, and my legs hurt! Mackenzie can do it for them, but I like to give her a break when she comes here. So much falls on her at home. I bought an air mattress, and Brandon and Kassidy sleep on that on the living room floor, while I sleep on the couch. They are afraid to sleep without me, and my bed is too small for all 3 of us. This works out great, and Mackenzie has her room upstairs and feels so grown up! Jess and Steve have not been getting along, so they needed a couple of days to talk. They made up, so it was a good weekend for all.

Yesterday, I put thermal curtains up on all my downstairs windows. I had to shorten the kitchen drapes, but I used velcro to hem them. I hate sewing! I used those spring rods for the windows, so there was no hanging of rods. I did put a rod up over the patio doors, which 1) stayed up and 2) came out even! It seems that wall is not easy to screw things in, but I figured it out. I will glue the screws in if I have to! I can do these things, but this is the first curtain rod job I did. Anyway, I think it is much warmer already. I hope they help because I am really cheap about spending money on fuel! It is very dark in here now, but it is so cozy too. I can open the patio drapes anyway if I want. The drapes are from Family Dollar. They go behind my real curtains, so why spend money on them? The patio drapes were on sale in jcpenney.

Today, I am going to hang a mirror on my bathroom door. Wish the door luck!
Then, I may hang a big picture I found at a flea market and framed.

Either the walls will collapse or it will all work!

It sounds like you had a good time with the kids, Judy!! I keep kids glasses at a lower level so that even the little kids can get their own drink. It works out great and I don't have to get up and down.

It sounds like you're still decorating!! Wish I was there to help you put up the curtains and the pictures. I love doing that stuff!!

I use a lot of tension rods too. I don't like having the marks on the walls and they work great!!!

You know......I haven't forgotten about your little tin box. I got to a place where I didn't know what to do but I will get it finished after Christmas. What I have done is so cute and I know that you'll love it.....it's just figuring out the last little bit!!!


Lindsey....I'm sure that after all of your long hours that there's very little that could be said about you coming in an hour late!!!


I woke up with a headache this morning. We've got a flu that's going around our family and I hope that's not what I have. I wish that it would either get better or worse because I have to clean for care group on Sunday evening. If I get worse then they'll have to find another place to have it....or....if it gets better than I'll feel like cleaning. Bummer!!!!

Let's see...what did I do today...oh...laundry as usual, put dishes away, paid bills, read the first 6 chapters of Matthew, played on computer some and then took a nice long hot bath. Now I'm back on the computer. The boys are with the Scout troop but I don't think they are spending the night.....bummer.

I ran around looking at some more tile today. I think I have found what I want, but now am trying to find it at a cheaper price. Here is a link to a site where there are some good pictures of the tile. We like the darker color, Desierto the best, but if we go with this tile, we will put down a few of the lighter Saguro tiles, just scattered in ramdomly. http://www.marazzitile.com/series/su...ltillo/docFile

After running around, it was time for Emma's birthday party at Arrowhead Ranch. Oh My! 10 four year olds. It was a lot of fun. There were pony rides and stage coach rides. Here is the link http://www.arrowheadranchonline.com/index.html. You can see the little red stage coach. Believe it or not, that was the kids' favorite. I think they were a little afraid of the horses, although there was a little shetland pony. Of course, Emma rode the horses a dozen times! There were also goats, chickens, and rabbits to pet and feed. Then they went into the "barn" for cake and presents. It was a very easy party and the kids had lots of fun!

After the party, Gary and I went to the new house. They inspected the septic system on Thursday and it had some problems that were fixed on Friday, so we went by today to look things over. The inspector still has to come back on Monday to sign off on the inspection, so it hasn't been covered yet. They didn't make as big a mess of the yard over it as I thought they would. I know we are going to have to do some work on the septic in the future, but I think it will be OK for 4-5 more years.

Finally, we came home and are watching TV. Kansas State is beating up on my football team. :(. My other team is getting beat too, so it's not a very good football day. I need to go to the grocery store, we don't have any milk or bread! :eek:

Today I spoke with Lynne for a bit and then went to Lafayette. Bought one of those utility tubs to give the dogs a bath in. I was giving them one in the bathtub, but it's getting harder on my knees and back. This should make it much easier. Bought a couple light bulbs...lol..how exciting.....right? LOL. Felt good to get out. Hadn't really been out by myself since I went to Diana's. Now I'm watching the Colts game.

Well yesterday I went and met my son who had my Mom with him. Now she is here with me!!! Tomorrow we are leaving for Tennessee. She wants to go see the Christmas lights! We will be camping there until Friday.:p We're gonna have fun. She deserves a little getaway time after the past several months. I know it's only been 3 weeks since Dad passed away but she really needs to get a way for a few days and she absolutely loves Christmas lights.....and there are over 5 MILLION lights there from Nov thru Jan.
I will post pics:D
Today we packed the camper after I took her to church. It has been a good day:)

Gayle, the tiles look great!! Can't wait to see them in your home!!!..........What a great place for a birthday party!! I bet the kids all loved it!!!........I have one other thing to say...........GO, K-State!!!!! LOL

Janet, I'm sure that you enjoyed getting out for awhile....even if it wasn't to get very much!! Who knows....you may learn to venture out more in your own area because if you can drive ALL the way here you can get around more there!!!! Have fun!!!

Paula, I'm sure that a few days away is just what your Mom needs. She's been through so much that a change of scenery will be nice not only for her but for you as well!!! The first year is always the hardest after losing a loved one. One of these days check on the internet about grieving.....it's a process and we go through many different emotions in dealing with our loss. Don't think that you're going crazy or should "just get over it" because that's not the way we deal with death. I learned so much about grieving when I had a miscarriage 20 years ago. Check it out when you're having a really tough day. Hugs!!

We went to church this morning and after church drove to Independence to eat Mexican food with Dae Lynn, Damon, and the kids. My granddaughter, Daya, came along as well. Then we went and bought dog food for Jazzi and Reuger then Dae and I went to Walmart. I picked up some food for our care group this evening. We just grilled hamburgers since we didn't have a very big group. It ended up we also had my son's church youth group at the same time for a hay ride and hot dog roast. It was pretty hectic for awhile!!! We had a good time but it was a small group.....so many were busy with other things......I'm so glad that I didn't kill myself trying to get everything perfectly clean!!