Today is not starting off good, but that's another story. First off, let me clarify wanting to sell Mom's house. As you all know, when my mother passed, my brothers wanted to sell the house right away. I just wasn't ready yet so I bought it. I thought with the lousy marriage I have, that I may move into it someday. Just the right size for one person.

The people that live in it right now are interested in buying it, so if I make up my mind for sure to sell it, I know they will buy it. It's old, built in the mid 1940's and there are some things, not really noticeable, that need looked at. Also, if you're in the living room, looking into the kitchen, you can see the floor is not level, which means that someday the foundation will need looked into. So...I'm thinking in the long run, I don't want to spend my aging years ahead, trying to stay on top of repairs.

Another reason I have is, I have it pretty decent right now. I have a nice place to live, someone to help take care of it and I do what I want when I want to do it. I just don't have to be alone. Pretty selfish reasons to stay, I know. I can always leave if I want and I continue to put money back. The job at the Recorder's office allows me to put over $200 back every week, just for me.....in case.

Gina.......... looks like after last night, he won't be bringing this awful piece of garbage out any longer. Last night it was late and he was at it's house. I texted him this: "I can't sleep, on my iPad. Does your GF know you have to work tomorrow? Does your GF know I can't stand her?" Well, she was playing a game on his phone and saw the text when it came up. She has her own phone, don't know why she has to use his, but no excuses, it was my fault. I shouldn't have put something like that in writing. Shouldn't have said it at all...I'm an adult, but have been failing miserably at it lately.


Still loving my job, but I made a mistake yesterday and I really let it get to me. Seems my tough skin is getting thinner and thinner. So I shed a few tears. My boss said not to be so hard on myself, but I just can't help it.

Ricky was trying for this wonderful job at Suburu. Very high wages and he had his hopes up really high. He went through 2 tests and on the 3rd, wasn't asked to come back. He can't apply again for a year.

I have more....but running out of time this morning. Not sure when I'll be able to be back with my class reunion going on this weekend. Hopefully I can continue in the morning, but, not sure.

Janet, I think saying things about Ricky's girlfriend may end up just alienating him more from you. I think you've realized that you shouldn't have said it to begin with now. I was their age a lot more recently and I remember what it's like to be in that situation. My parents never said anything bad about my boyfriends, but my friends did. Even when I knew my friends were right, I would stay with my boyfriend because I was old enough to not have someone else telling me what to do! In the end, I'd not be with the boyfriend and I'd have lost the close relationships with my friends. The fact is, he's an adult now and should be able to make his own mistakes and learn how to navigate his relationships. If he is still spending time with her, there are things about her that he likes. I know it must be hard being a parent and wanting to protect him!

I hope you have a great time at your class reunion this weekend!!! I was really looking forward to having a 10 year reunion last year, but it never got off the gound. Everyone was just too busy to plan it. Now in the age of Facebook I think most people still keep in touch, or at least see where most people are at in their lives. I still think it would be fun to get together in person though. I'd also love to see my old teachers!

We are having a rainy weekend. We'll probably just end up working inside the house on renovation stuff. I want to start spring cleaning too. Our house needs a deep cleaning desperately!

Hi Everyone!
I'm back from my trip to London & Paris. It was wonderful, absolutely wonderful. We spent five days in London and then took the EuroStar - sometimes called the bullet train, for good reason, it goes about 200 mph! :eek: Part of the trip is under the English Channel and it is pitch black when going through the (affectionately called) chunnel. We spent 3 days in Paris and then headed back to London for one more day, then we flew home.

I really did NOT like the 8-9 hour flight - that was rough, really rough. If I ever do that again, I'm taking pain meds and sleeping meds. LOL!

In London we saw the Tower of London, Thames river, Westminster Abby, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, London Eye, Florence Nightengale museum, Windsor castle, and many many art galleries/shops/and the like. We rode the Underground (subway) all over London and for anyone who's been there, yes we did "mind the gap". You hear this automated "mind the gap" message about a billion times when riding the underground. It means don't step in the space between the platform and the subway car.

We did a lot of shopping. Abigail was completely enthralled with all the different shops. We had a ball! We were very close to the high end shops too, Louis Vitton, Chanel, Tiffany and the like. Of course we couldn't buy anything there, but it was fun to look. Our apartment was only a block or so from Stella McCartney's (Paul's daughter) boutique.

The ride to Paris on the EuroStar was really cool. The English and French countryside is very beautiful. Both countries have fields of crops, and with all the rain they have, it was very lush and green.

Paris was different from London, everything is very old and a little dirty. It took us a bit to get used to the difference, but when we did we loved Paris too. We saw Notre Dame, Louvre, Museum d'Orsay, Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysees, Arc de Triomphe, and many other sights. We spent one day at Disneyland Paris. We hadn't planned to do that, but Abigail wanted to and so we went. It was really delightful. It is not yet high tourist season in either London or Paris, so there were NO LINES at Disneyland!! There really weren't lines at any thing at all. And in Paris, often Abi and I were the only English speakers in a tour group. Sometimes we were embarrassed to pull out our cameras and take pictures because we were the only tourists!!! But we did take lots of pics. I'll post some in the picture thread. Abi took lots more pics than me, she's a better photographer, and I need to get her pics downloaded to my computer.

Hi Gayle! It sounds like you had an amazing trip!!! Lol, Scott and I still say "Mind the gap" to each other. Our hotel in London also had a talking elevator and it would say "Going up!" "Fourth Floor" "Please mind the door" etc. So whenever Scott and I are on an elevator, we say those things in a British accent lol! We are nerds.

I really wanted to take the train through the chunnel!!! I've watched a bunch of shows about the building of the chunnel and it's something I really want to do someday! Since we were on a bus tour, we just took the ferry between Dover and Calais.

That is crazy you were the only English speakers in the tour group! Was the tour done in French?

I didn't like Paris as much as London, but we had more time in London so that might be why. I didn't really get to explore Paris much. I also found the people more rude and pushy. Scott and I know a bit of French so we tried to speak some there when we could, but it didn't really make a difference! We did go to different little towns around the French countryside and people were much nicer there, but of course, did not speak English at all!

Again, I'm going to catch up with posts later but I just wanted to check in. I've been so busy in the yard planting flowers and stuff! I've been so excited since I found a website that has "junk" in the yard with flowers!! It's www.fleamarketgardening.org You'll have to check it out!!

Jaci's baby should be here soon!! Last week she wasn't in the birth canal so that was a concern but when she went to the doctor this week she's where she's suppose to be and Jaci is dialated to one!! We went to a greenhouse on Monday and Jaci lost her mucus plug while we were there so we're thinking that she will come early (her due date is July 3rd.) Jaci's wanting me to be at the hospital with her so I'm trying to stay close to the phone.......just in case. And wouldn't you know it.......my cell phone is not working!! Of all times for that to happen!!

We've had quite the explosion of babies in the Baker family!! Not only is Jaci pregnant but Glen's brother's family is expecting three babies.....two in July and one in December......I found out yesterday that Glen's sister's daughter is now pregnant!! And I know of another that is trying to get pregnant!! Lots of babies!!!!

So not much going on here.....planting flowers and plants.......watching kids.......and waiting for the phone to ring!!!

I would LOVE to go to the English and French countryside more than we did. If I ever get to go back with my friend who grew up in England, we will do that

Yes Gayle, i think there are some very lovely places for you to visit if you come back to UK. I have only been to France one time, and i found them very very rude, they are happy for you to be a tourist and spending, but really they dont want to be polite or civil.

Gayle, I'm happy to know you and Abigail are just as nerdy as Scott and I :D Somehow, I had a feeling we were similar lol!

The ferry is something I would probably not do again! It was really cool because I've never been on a ferry that big before! There were shops and restaurants and everything, BUT on our first ride I got so seasick I was green! The waters were extremely rough that day and the ferry was rocking a lot.

Oh I remember those headphones!!! We used them a lot on our tour too!

When we were in Paris, at least once we were actually PUSHED by French people! We tried to be very polite and would always say "excusez-moi" while trying to get by people, and most of them pretended to ignore us. When we were on a boat tour on the Siene, one family pushed right past us and muttered something about "American" I wanted to scream first of all, I'm not American! Lol and also, there is some sort of stigma against Americans there that I don't totally understand. I did know about that before we went though, and we had big maple leaf patches on our backpacks. Obviously we weren't wearing them that day, or maybe they hated Canadians too! But the counryside was so amazing! The little towns with cobblestone roads and stone buildings were out of a fairy tale! And everyone was so nice there! I definitely recommend doing that next time :)

I am working from home today, which is a nice break. My office is having a golf tournament, but I really hate golf. I'd go for fun, but $60 is a little too much for me. I'd feel more comfortable with Scott there, but bringing a spouse costs $120. Yikes! So I am at home instead!

I took Layla to the vet this morning because I thought she had an ear infection. It turns out she just had a huge wax build-up in her ears, so that was a relief! The vet cleaned it all out. On my way home I decided to stop at the post office. I had a parcel, so I went to pick it up, and it was a large envelope from my professional organization I applied to earlier this year. It's official - I'm a professional now!!!! :D I get initials behind my name. Now, I'm kind of a big deal hahaha :)

Oh, and yesterday, we finally got checks in the mail for our travel insurance. I don't know if I got into how big of a headache that was!!! We filed the claim when we got back from Africa, in March. We missed a day of safari because of a cancelled flight, and had to pay for a bush plane to catch us up to the group. Anyways, we called to check multiple times and every time there was something more we needed to submit. Our email itineraries were not enough for the flights because they don't accept emailed documents, they needed originals. Well, when we book online, we only get emails! So we had to call every airline we used, we had to call the safari company and have them issue a statement of incurred costs, we had to prove everything. The insurance company dragged their feet for months, but we finally got paid!!!! We were out about $1200 from all of that, so it is really nice to finally have it back!

Tonight, we are attending our town's grad ceremony. Our three German girls will be taking part (even though they don't technically graduate because this year doesn't count for them). They leave on Saturday!!!! I can't believe it. When we first met them, they were all homesick, and now they are all sad about leaving!!!

Today the courthouse closes at noon, so I'm home enjoying the peace and quiet. Did do a couple loads of laundry, but now I'm getting a little sleepy and a nap is looking better all the time. It's so hot and humid out so staying inside is not a disappointment at all.

Lindsey, I had to file travel insurance once too. I had a conference that took place on a 3 day cruise and Gary had open heart surgery the day I was to leave. I remember having to get multiple original documents, etc etc. but eventually I got my money back too.

I don't care for golf either, so I would have stayed home too. I'm glad Layla didn't have an ear infection.

Janet, it was nice to have half a day off, wasn't it! Are you still working short hours now, even though school is out? Do you think you might get on full time at the court house?

Yes, still working short hours. Department heads are only allowed so much time to spend. I can get up to 28 hours, but I'm scheduled for 21 hours. This week I'll have a couple more hours because one girl is out. The extra money will be nice and I don't mind. I really like working there and the more I work, the more I'll learn. I don't think I can go full time until someone leaves. The county recorder still has 3.5 years left of her term and then she's retiring. So it will be at least that long unless the other girl quits and that's not likely.

Again.......I'll catch up later on the other posts. Things have been crazy here!! Glen's planting in full force......and Dae Lynn's driving the tractor so I've had the kids from morning until bedtime. That makes for a really long day! At first it was pretty nice outside and I was still trying to plant flowers and plants but the last couple of days it's turned off really hot......plus I'm dealing with Jaci and the baby as well.

Glen let Dae Lynn off the day that Jaci gave birth so I didn't have to worry about the kids......but yesterday they were back. I took them to Chanute and they spent the afternoon with Damon's neice. Today Dae Lynn's sick......Karlie has Fifth's disease, and Dean was sick yesterday. It's a good thing that I don't have them because Jaci is coming home today and I need to go over. I feel like I've been in a dead run this whole week!!! Crazy!!!

Oh....and this morning I have a doctor's appointment........a follow up on my diabetes (which has been doing really well). More running!!!

Love ya'll!! I hope you're having a great summer!!

Oh.....and my cell phone died and I lost all of my numbers. I'd appreciate it if you'd text me your numbers again!!!

Janet, I'm glad you are still liking your job. Some hours is better than none at all!

Diana, you have been so busy!!!

I only worked for an hour yesterday and took the rest of the day off. I decided to pull weeds in our front yard because it looks AWFUL! I was out for about 4 hours, and filled up one of those huge lawn and garden bags with weeds! I only got about halfway done. Yikes! I also forgot to wear sunscreen and got burned on my shoulders and back :(

Grad last night was really great. The girls looked so beautiful!!! One of them is incredibly independent, and after half of her class had walked in and were announced with their escorts, she was announced alone. She walked in alone, totally confident, and it was just so her! I just thought "You go girl!!" in my mind lol! The other exchange student who was walking with the grads did have an escort and that was great for her too! She had issues in the beginning making friends because she is so quiet. I was just so proud of them all! I will be really sad to see them go. We got to go down and talk with them a bit before we headed home, and they were crying and hugging everyone. They are so sad that it's all coming to an end. But it was such a great experience for everyone involved!

I love that I took yesterday off, because getting up to go to work this morning felt like a Monday, and there is nothing better than thinking it's Monday and realizing it's actually Friday lol!!!! And not just any Friday, but Friday of a long weekend!!!!! Canada Day is on Monday :)

Gayle, your trip sounds like it was so wonderful!! I'm so glad that you got to go!!

Lindsey, Congratulations on becoming a Professional!! I'm so happy for you!! And I'm so glad that Layla didn't have any problems. I think that she is such a special little dog and I hate to think of her having any more problems.

Janet, I'm so glad that you're liking your job. I love that you have freedom to take off once in a while!

Went to the doctor........and she is amazed at how well my blood sugar is. In fact I've been tapering off of my meds and she wants me to taper off a little more!! She is puzzled over why it went so high in the first place and thinks that maybe the meds jump started my pancreas into working again........Who knows! Of course, I've been watching my diet and I've been doing it long enough that it is becoming a life style (and I have to say that I do cheat.......a little.....very little). Nuts and cheese are my friends!!

So good to know your health is in check Diana. It's great you're taking care of yourself.

Diana, I'm really glad to hear that your blood sugar is doing much better. Hormones can whack out your blood sugar, so maybe that is what was going on. I hope things are going well with the new baby. Can't wait to see pictures.

Janet, I'm so glad that you got on at the courthouse. I come from a little town and so many people worked at the court house, retired from there, and so I have very fond memories of our courthouse.

Lindsey, I hope things are going well for you now. I'm glad to know that Layla and your other pups are doing well at this time. I hope your trip to NO goes really well. I know you are excited! NO is a really cool place to visit.

I'll be going to Oklahoma tomorrow for the whole week. i'm going to see my cousin and go museum hopping with her one day and then spend the rest of the week at the lake with Gary's family. It's supposed to cool off in the 80's up there for the whole week. We've had temps of 100-106 this past week and that is NO FUN! I'm looking forward to cooler temperatures.

I hope everyone had a happy and safe Fourth of July holiday!

If the weather is anything like what we've been having you may need a jacket for the 4th of July!! Our weather has been just beautiful.......with really cool nights! It makes me worry a little for the crops because they need the warmer weather and sun!

I spent several days with Jaci. She was so teary that when I talked to her on her way home I headed right over. She was so nervous and when I think about it she's never been around a lot of babies and isn't very comfortable alone with one. So I went over on Friday and ended up having to watch Dean on Saturday because Dae Lynn had to drive the tractor. I planned on taking Dean home and when I got ready to leave Jaci was in tears so I grabbed some clothes and ended up going back and spent a couple more days. While I was there I cleaned and kept things picked up....oh, and watered the plants outside. Sunday Jaci had EVERYONE come to visit. Poor Nate had to work on wheat harvest and wasn't able to be around much......and he wasn't happy about it either!! While Tammy was visiting Jaci was able to ask some questions......and had a doctor's appointment for the baby on Monday morning.....and again asked some questions that were bothering her. After that she felt a lot more confident about caring for Ali. I told her that I was only a phone call away if she needed me or is welcome to come over. I've been keeping in touch to make sure things are going well. Ali seems to be a really good baby and I think that once Jaci gets the hang of things that they'll get along great!!

Jaci's taking Ali into her old work to show her off and to visit some family then they'll both be here!! I can't wait!! It's so hard to believe how much I've missed that little girl in the last couple of days!! It will be her first time to Grandma's house!!

Also....I've been working in the yard......still!! I've added an old bathtub to my flower bed!! Having your own junk yard has it's own rewards!!! I've found some really cool stuff!! I'm planning on putting in a water garden with a water feature. I'm so excited!!

We're going to Dae Lynn's tommorrow for the 4th. She's so excited to show off her place......and it's so perfect to sit and watch fireworks and have a picnic at!! Happy 4th of July to all of you!!!

Happy 4th of July, my American friends!

Because it's a short week this week, I thought it would fly by. I was wrong! I woke up this morning thinking it was already Friday, but it is only Thursday :eek: Ugh.

Last night I finished painting the Noah's Ark lamp I made for my niece's baptism this weekend. I'll attach pictures. Tonight I will need to spray it, and I want to write a little note for her on the bottom.

Our friend Brian just applied for a job at both my office, and Scott's. He got offers from both, and decided to go with mine. We told him either way, when he gets a new job, we'd have him out for steaks at our house! He wanted to do it this Friday (tomorrow) so we'll have to go grocery shopping after work today. I think I'll just do roasted potatoes and a salad with it. I don't think he really cares about anything besides the steak lol!

On Saturday we are leaving for Scott's parents' city. We have a hotel booked for the night because our anniversary is Sunday and we wanted some alone time. I think we will be going out to eat, just the two of us, that night too. We have to work around the baptism rehearsal Saturday night, and we still don't know what time that is. Sunday morning we'll do the baptism, go out for family brunch, and then hopefully head home! We have the top tier of our cake to eat, and that might take me all day lol! It's really good cake, but it's a lot for two of us!

We decided to get a bond for our niece (besides the lamp) for a gift for her baptism. It is what my Godparents did for me, and I suggested it to Scott when he and his sister were Godparents to another nephew, and that's what they did as well. His parents always buy the religious kind of gifts, and we wanted to do something more practical (nobody else in his family goes to church or has anything to do with religion). So we called the bank, and apparently bonds are only available in September and October! We will just get a card and let them know we will get a bond in her name as soon as they are available.

It will all come together really quick for Jaci. With her wonderful mother and sisters to help her...she'll do great.

Planning on working in the yard tomorrow since we have no plans for the 4th. I need to trim the shrubs and since I mowed last night, Ricky will be using the lawn sweeper. We've had so much rain that the grass had gotten out of control a bit. Then I think I'll need to clean the house and get ready to shampoo the carpets over the weekend.

I did find some flooring I like and Rick likes it too. Now we just need to measure and see what it will cost to have it installed. A past friend had some in her kitchen (her husband laid it) and he didn't do a very good job so I want it done right. Plus, it was a cheaper laminate and some of the corners are up a bit because of spills from a water bowl.

I'm in no hurry as long as it's done before winter.

I just saw I forgot to attach the pictures!!

Is it laminate flooring, Janet? My parents have laminate in their kitchen too and it has held up really well. They just make sure to wipe up any spills immediately, and when our dogs are over, their bowls go on a little placemat so they don't drip right on the floor!

Yesterday was a great day ~ spent it with my good friend doing a little window shopping for a new kayak, for her not me, I love mine!

Afterwards came back to my house for a nice visit. Where my newest Ebay purchase was waiting for me outside my garage! Years ago I had a Krups toaster oven. Loved it. Then thought I needed to upgrade to a KitchenAid toaster oven. Main reason was the KitchenAid was red and my kitchen has lots of red 'stuff'. Sold the Krups at garage sale. Immediately regretted selling it. The KitchenAid never worked as well as my Krups. I wanted my Krups back! The search began. This week the search ended. I found the same model Krups on Ebay. I was the only bidder at $9.99 with $25.00 shipping. I had no problem with that as all together I didn't want to go over $50.00 ~ well next day got a message from seller stating shipping was too high and put $10.00 back into my PayPal account! What a unexpected bonus. Plus the toaster oven is like brand new. I don't think it was ever used. I am happy!!! Soooooo...

Then her, me, and two other friends got together for our birthday dinner at local family owned steakhouse. Three of us have the same week for our birthdays. Well our dinner was the best I have ever had there. I can never decide on steak or fish so I got both. Broiled walleye with a perfectly cooked filet steak. American fries.. salad... I ate so much and still had some to take home.
Which is calling my name now.. yummy...

Today I am relaxing. Maybe pull a few weeds later.. up late as my neighbors were firing off large fireworks till the wee hours.. so I am a little lazy...

Hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July weekend!!!

Hi Everyone! Shada, your weekend sounds so much fun! I love good times with friends, almost nothing better!

I had a wonderful week in Oklahoma. The weather was glorious - in the low 80's during the day and high 50's low 60's at night. It was just fabulous for 4th of July week! We just sat around (outside mostly), visited, ate (of course), visited some more, went gambling at the casino a little bit (I won $50) and just generally had a good time. Thankfully, there was NO family drama. HA! I went to Oklahoma City with my cousin to the Museum of Natural History and the Cowboy Hall of Fame (art museum) one day. We had a fabulous Greek lunch, such good food!!! Then another day my sister-in-law and I went to Oklahoma City to pick up an outdoor table and chairs.

All in all it was a wonderfully relaxing 4th of July week.

Whew! My kids were here for the weekend and they just left. We had so much fun, but I feel like I've been on a FAST treadmill ever since they got here. I really miss them when they leave!

My class starts Tuesday, so I will be teaching now, every Tuesday/Thursday afternoon till Aug. 15th. I've had a really nice break this summer and I am ready to get back to work!

We had a great 4th of July......Dae Lynn had a get-together at her house. She was so excited to have us all there. It ended up just being Amy and her family and Kera's boyfriend, Jordan, and us, with Dae Lynn and the kids. Jaci and Nate didn't come and Feyn and Tammy had company come. We could see the town's fireworks display from Dae Lynn's house so we ended up just staying there.

We've really been enjoying Baby Ali!! She's such a sweet baby!! Jaci is getting where she's not quite as nervous with her. We have an appointment for an ultra sound on Ali this afternoon. The doctor is concerned with her butt crack!!! I guess it's a new thing that is checked on.......and Ali's is curved and deep. It's can be a sign of closed spina bifida so the ulta sound will decide if there's a problem. There's probably not a problem so we're not concerned.

I've finally got my yard looking good!! I still have a few more plants to plant and some that I need to move but it's looking sooooo nice! Now to work on the house!!

I've finally convinced Glen that we need another camper so we're looking for another pop-up. We loved our last one because it's so easy to pull where ever you're going and not too hard to put up. We found one in Bartlesville on Craigslist but trying to get the guy to call us back is slow. If we go down there to look at it we can go and see my brother as well in the hospital.

I've finally gone swimming in our pond. The weather's been a little cooler than usual so the pond didn't warm up as quickly but it's finally warm enough!! Yay!!

I don't know how he did it but my grandson, Elijah, sprained BOTH of his ankles on the 4th of July!! I swear he takes after his Dad!!! Some how he did it while on his motorcycle!! One ankle is worse than the other......Jed is enjoying having Elijah on his level......the floor!!! I need to get pictures of Jed......he is one cute little boy......and scooting all over everywhere!!!

Gayle, it will be nice to be back to work and on a schedule again :) Although, sometimes I wish I got more time away from work and schedules lol!

Diana, it sounds like you have had a lot of time with family lately! I hope the camper works out for you! I really want a camper, but we have nothing to tow one with (even our SUV doesn't have a tow hitch). We always just go camping in our tent, but it's obviously not very comfortable lol! And when we have a family, a camper is so much nicer!

We have severe storm warnings today. It's still sunny at the moment but we are supposed to get severe thunderstorms this afternoon with a good chance of tornadoes. If things start getting bad, Scott and I might just pack up our work stuff and head home. I know it's not really safe to be driving if there are tornado warnings, but I'd rather be at home with the dogs than at my office. If a tornado hits around home, the dogs wouldn't know to get to the basement, and can't anyway because there is a gate blocking them :( And Kash is so terrified of thunderstorms, I hate the thought of him being without me during one!

Lindsey, I hope you didn't have any bad storms today. One of my boys, Rex, is terrified of storms too. I feel so bad for him. I have a thundershirt that i put on him and it helps a little bit. He doesn't go hide in the back of the closet with it on. He's terrified of fireworks too and I forgot to take it to Oklahoma with me over the 4th. There were fireworks everywhere and he was so scared. I just sat and held him very close to my body and he could tolerate it.

Diana, family gatherings are so much fun! I know you really enjoyed it. I'm sure little Ali is OK, they are just being cautious and that is good!

We had rain today, my goodness, we really need it! Our lake (where we get our water) is lower that ever in history. It's only about 33% full. So, I can't in good conscious, water my yard. I just can't use precious water to keep my lawn green. So, it was beginning to look pretty bad. But this rain will perk it up a little. We are allowed to water once a week, but I just can't do it, I'm so glad for the rain.

We ended up not getting storms! Later in the afternoon, the tornado watch was lifted, and we did not even get any rain! The southern part of the province got quite a few tornadoes though!

I'm glad you got some rain, Gayle! I haven't kept up with my watering, and almost all of my flowers are completely fried :( Better luck next year, I guess!

Tonight, Scott and I are going to the speedway to watch some races. I got him tickets for our anniversary. It's some Nascar thing on for two nights (tonight and tomorrow night) t but I really don't know anything about it, except that I will go and Scott will love it lol. I am leaving work early, in about a half hour, so that is nice. I am leaving even earlier tomorrow!

Not much really going on here. Decided to wait on the flooring, not sure why, just don't want to use all (or any for that matter) of the money I've been saving. Since everything is paid off, I may just wait until we get more money saved in the rental house account and use money from there.

Doesn't really matter right now anyway I guess. The boys just don't seem to care about taking care of things like I do and I know they would have the floors ruined or scratched up pretty bad, so I'll wait a bit. The carpet isn't that great, but I can keep cleaning it for awhile.

Janet, I guess I missed where you were thinking of new flooring! I sure do love my wood and tile floors. So much easier and cleaner than carpet. I hope you are able to get them sometime!

Oh goodness, I'm tired tonight, but it's a good tired. I have 4 hours of class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. My class is so great, I love the students (25 of them) and they are such a positive interactive group, they keep me on my toes. This is a health policy class, so with all the things going on regarding the Affordable Care Act on the federal level and the legislature being in session in Texas, well it makes for some mighty fine discussions in class, to say the least. We do current events every day so the students bring in health policy information they have gleaned from the media and then we discuss it. We have some pretty healthy debates, for sure. Today we had someone from Texas Medicaid here to talk to the class and they asked him some really tough questions. For example, for persons on Medicaid, Texas is one of only 2 states that tests for sexually transmitted diseases, but does not provide treatment if you are positive for an STD!!! Does this make sense! I think not. Anyway, the class is so much fun but at the end of the 4 hours, I am completely whipped out!

I spent the weekend with the kids in Houston. We laughed, shopped, ate, played, swam and just generally enjoyed the weekend. It's always good to see them.

This is the last week of school, then my school starts Aug. 28th. Actually my class doesn't start till Sept 3rd, so I will have a little break here.

It's just too hot and dry to do anything here in Texas. We sure need some rain and it has rained a little around Austin the past few days, but none at my hacienda.

Gayle, that's nice that you will have a little break again! And it sounds like you had a fun weekend!

Scott got sent away to a mine for a week for work so I'm holding down the fort alone. This morning I got up 10 minutes earlier than usual, and was still 10 minutes late for work. I had to let the dogs out and feed them, and while I was at it I had some breakfast which I never have time for lol! Tomorrow I will try to get up 10 minutes earlier than today. It will be early to bed tonight!

I am just going to try to get through this week alive lol.... I never appreciate Scott so much as when he's gone and I have to do his chores on top of mine!

It is quite an adjustment when you are alone. I enjoyed it when Gary was gone hunting or fishing, but in other ways, it was a pain. And when you don't feel so good, I'm sure it is not too much fun!

I am so sore today!!!

The last two days I stained my deck. And I have a big deck!!! Thankfully I had help.. another woman, my good friend, or I would still be out there. Powerwashed my house last weekend. Along with both front and back deck. Need to redo the front as I blew my hose so didn't have enough pressure to do a good job. Then to stain front deck and paint trim and garage doors. Going to be busy here for another week. Or two.

Makes me wish I had a man around the house to help out! There are things a woman just should not do. Especially one pushing 60.

Today I have to let deck dry for another day so can't get out there, water hose is hooked up to back so can't get to that either, so I just might go golfing...

I need a day of fun and leisure.. after all it is the last official weekend of summer..

so how is your weekend?

WOW Shada, you've been busy. I know I would be sore too. When you're all done you can sit back and enjoy it all and a job well done. I don't think you need a man to do it for you, he probably wouldn't do it right anyway....lol. I know mine wouldn't. He'd just slop it all together to get it done.

I'm still working two jobs and it's wearing on me a bit. I'm so over the bus driving and wish I could leave, but I need the insurance. So I will have to continue running and know the money is nice. I've not had money to myself in so many years, but I'm not going to go into detail here.

I did get a new bus the other day. I had a 72 seater and it was just way too crowded. I had 3 to a seat except for the last 4 rows of high schoolers. Now I have a 78 seater. It's nice, but I'll have to get use to it some. It has an air seat with arm rests, the seat is also heated, there is a place for my water and well, it's a nice ride. :)

My son is still going out with the same girl. I'm going to post a couple pictures of her for you to see, but not sure how easy it will be with my iPad. Never done it before. Always something new...lol. My laptop should be back in a week or so and I will be one happy camper for sure. The keyboard for the iPad is just too small for my stubby fingers.

Shada, you are so busy! I wish I had that kind of energy lol!

Janet, I could not imagine driving anything that big lol! I don't even like driving a van! The heated seat will be nice for you in the winter! We have heated seats in our SUV and I love them!

We've had a busy weekend. Scott finally got back to working on the renovation. We now have our lights up and working (yay!) and he has started mudding the last bit of drywall. I'm going to wait another week or two to start painting the areas that are ready for paint. We still have to finish putting down new plywood on half the floor, remove everything from the bathroom, buy and install new flooring for the whole area, cut a new dryer vent in the exterior wall, hook up the washer and dryer in their new location, buy and install a bathtub in the bathroom, stain and install doors, and Scott is going to build a bench and storage area in the new mudroom. I want this done by Christmas. It might be too optimistic, but it feels like it hasn't progressed at all in months!

Yesterday we took the day off of house work to go to the city. We bought an antique dresser for the baby's room!!! I think it was a great deal. I found it on a classifieds site and they asked $125 OBO because they were moving. I asked if they'd take $100, and they said $110 at the lowest. So I said that's great! Then they got back to me and said they got a full-price offer from a person from an antique store - the antique store down the street from my house, in my town!!! But they told me that if I could beat that offer, it was mine. So I said I'd give them $140 for it. So when we went in to pick it up, the people from the antique store were there picking up some other antiques. The lady selling the dresser told me that they offered her $150 for it when they got there, but she said she wanted to keep her promise to us. Thank goodness! I really didn't want to miss out on it! If the antique store had bought it, I'd be out of luck because they resell their antique furniture for pretty high prices. I'll attach a picture at the end of this post!

We spent the rest of the day going through the "Parade of Homes" for a lottery for the Children's Hospital. There must be about 15 homes and I think we saw about 10 of them. They are all in the new developing areas of the city, which is neat for me because I work on designing the neighborhoods but never actually make it out there in real life lol! The homes were GORGEOUS! We got a few ideas for our own house renovations :)

This morning, Scott had to leave at 5:00 to be on a mine site by 7:00. He hasn't done a second of work since being there. There's nothing for him to do. It's frustrating because there's so much for him to do at home, but his company NEEDED him there today, cutting short his long weekend. The only good thing is he's being paid double time and a half today because it's a stat holiday. He will be home late tomorrow night, and hopefully won't be going again anytime soon, but really his company can do what they want. They already threatened to fire him if he didn't go today. Ugh!!

Sorry for writing a novel lol! I must be lonely being home alone today! I am going to go continue cleaning the house soon, and working on my homemade spaghetti sauce!

Today I have been a little laid back. I hate the word lazy!!

Put everything back on back deck. Little too cool and windy for me to get the front power washed again... Wednesday supposed to be warmer and sunny so maybe after work I will finish that up. Shouldn't take too long.

And today I found out Lindsey is pregnant!!!! Wow!!!
Congratulations!!!!!!!!!! Due date? Happy to know no more morning sickness.

Lindsey you have been busy also. Your home is so nice now, it will really be gorgeous when you are done.
Love the dresser!!! But I feel like you should have got it for the price first agreed on. Shame on the buyer for putting it up on a bidding war after price was agreed on. But it is nice and will be wonderful for you....

Janet happy for you that you got a new bus... those seats will feel pretty good this winter!

Thank you Shada!! Due date is March 11 :)

I am glad the seller didn't keep the bidding war up longer. She did tell me that about 10 other people contacted her too after she decided to give it to us for $140. We had been looking at nursery furniture sets, and to buy a dresser alone is over $300 brand new, and I think this one is much nicer :) So it was a good deal anyway. We're going to put a change pad on top to use it as a change table too, and now we just have to buy a crib and a chair.

It's good to have a "laid back" day every once in a while :D

I had a nice weekend in Oklahoma at the family wedding I mentioned a couple of weeks ago. It was quite an event with lots of story lines and I won't bore you with everything, but the bride SAYS she is 5 months pregnant. I really don't think she is that far along, but who knows. She's about a size 2 and had a tee tiny baby bump. Her mom and dad are very recently divorced and both brought their significant others to the wedding. The problem is that the dad has been seeing this woman about 7 years and he and the bride's mom just got divorced last Jan. It was such a circus, everyone was whispering. But there were no "blow ups" at the wedding, so that was nice.

I had a good visit with Gary's sisters. It's always nice to see them. We stayed with his sister that lives near a lake and we drove around the lake and looked for deer every night. It's so quiet and peaceful out there.

Well my summer vacation is officially over - my classes start tomorrow! I'm ready though.

We have decided to take my 6 year old granddaughter, Emma, to Disney World over the Christmas holiday. We haven't told her yet, but we made hotel reservations today. She will be so excited. We'll get a 4 days pass and stay in a hotel in the park so we can easily go back and forth. I can't wait, I only wish Gary were here, he loved taking Abigail to Disney World!