Kelli and Blake

Kelli and Blake came today. We talked, we played, and we ate. It was great seeing her and Blake.

Thanks for stopping by Kelli Bug. We love you!

Post Party Pics

Here are some late pictures of Kenneth's 11th birthday party. He had lots of fun and we had LOTS of cake to eat. Wal-Mart made the mistake of making a FULL sheet cake instead of our normal 1/4 cake. I think we had cake for at least 1-2 weeks. Enjoy!

Our New Cub Scout

School bus out of commission

   Well, the "school bus" is out of commission. It spent Sunday night, all day Monday, and Monday night in the shop. I guess it won't be hauling any kids any time soon!

  There's a hole in the gas tank. Now, with Sherrill's gas bill being over $600.00 a month, don't you think he would realize SOMETHING was wrong. He said he had been smelling gas for about 3 months. Duh, that should have told him something.

 Anyway, it will have to stay until they can get in the new/used tank. Oh, I can tell already, it's going to be a long week! And NO, he's not driving the Rendezvous to Raleigh. He can use it around Goldsboro, but NOT in Raleigh. I know he would try to strap a ladder to the top!

I'm so Tired!

  No, not from online shopping.........I've been on a road trip.
  I traveled over 500 miles today, round trip. I went to West Columbia, SC. My cousin called Sunday and told me they had some items that belonged to my Aunt Louise, and if I wanted them, I could go get them. So, I loaded up the car this morning and took off. Sherrill and Jack stayed behind.
  I had planned on spending the night and doing some visiting while I was there, but I arrived earlier than expected, got my goodies, and "got out of Dodge". I never even stopped for lunch until 2:30 this afternoon. I sure am glad Sherrill packed me some "mini" packs of nabs!
  I made it home right at the edge of dark (I don't see very well after dark). I'm so excited with my "loot". It's early Christmas for me. You all know the things that thrill me the most, old musty papers from 50 to 100 years ago, and I have plenty of them! I even found my Grandma's unemployment book from 1952, old marriage license, and all kinds of good stuff.
  I won't be spending a lot of time on the phone tomorrow, I will be rummaging through my stuff.
 

Let's SHOP

Any last minute Christmas gifts?
Get online and start shopping, NOW!
Spend that money........ make the hubby work just a little harder. Nope, just kidding. save your money.
All news reports say that prices will actually be lower the first week in December than they will be on cyber Monday. So, who do you believe? I'm still trying to find "fat boy" a fleece jacket on sale.

New Pics

Hey, I just asked, and they immediately appeared. Thanks Kelli!

I can't believe how much Blake has grown. I haven't seen him since last year about this time.

Kelli Bug, you need to bring him for a visit. We miss you!

Gone!

 It finally happened. Almost all of the leftovers are gone! There's enough turkey left over for about two sandwiches, and just a couple slices of cake left. I made a pot of soup tonight. I ate soup, Sherrill ate steak. That's life!
  The house is clean and decorated. The yard is clean and decorated, except for a few falling leaves.
Life is good. Sherrill is happy, Jack is happy.
  I talked to Chris a couple of times today. He is still on cloud nine. He's taking turns calling everyone.
  One more day to rest up folks, then it's back to work time. Take it easy while you can.
  How about somebody posting some pictures here.

Where is Sapporo?

Where is Sapporo? Simple, it's right there. It's the capital city of Hokkaido, Japan.
 6,492 miles from Goldsboro!
That's where Chris will be going on his mission! ;(
Yes, there has been an earthquake there, and it's close enough for a tsunami.
I'm sure he will have more info for us.

Jack on Steroids

Jack has been having major allergy problems. Sherrill finally called the vet and got him some meds. He's been on steroids since Tuesday. Him and Sherrill both spend most of their day in the kitchen eating, and eating, and doing some more eating. Tonight Jack was laid back on the rug, and his belly and abdomen was bulging. It actually looked distended. Sherrill took a look and said it was fine. The next thing I knew, Sherrill was laying down beside Jack, both of them taking a nap after a big meal.
These guys......two of a kind!

New Recipe

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• brown paper bag (you should be able to ask for these at most grocery stores)

• 1 cup brown sugar

• 1 cube butter (1 cup)

• 1/4 cup light corn syrup

• 1/2 tsp. salt

• 1/2 tsp. baking soda

• 3 bags microwave butter popcorn (generic works great)

• chocolate candy coating

TO MAKE:

• pop 3 bags of microwave popcorn according to directions on package

• pour popcorn into brown paper bag

• combine brown sugar, butter, corn syrup and salt in a microwavable bowl.

• microwave for 2 minutes. stir. microwave for an additional 2 minutes.

• add baking soda and stir well.

• pour mixture into the brown paper bag, over popcorn. roll bag shut and shake.

• microwave the whole bag for 45 seconds. shake again. (repeat 3 more times)

• carefully pour popcorn onto some waxed paper.

• melt chocolate according to directions on package. then put into a small ziploc bag. cut a corner off of the bag and drizzle the chocolate all over your popcorn.

• let that sit for a few minutes. then package it up and pass some out.

Courtesy of asouthernfairytale.com

Thanksgiving Feast

NOT!
Yes, today is Thanksgiving. I just took the turkey breast out of the oven. The sweet potato casserole and dressing are finishing up as I write this.
Yes, we are having a Thanksgiving at our house this year. And
Yes, I still HATE cooking. No, I DESPISE cooking. Sherrill still wants to cook for a large family, and have all the leftovers. I on the other hand want ONE  Thanksgiving meal, and have lots of desserts.
So, today I have decided to cut back, WAY back. No longer do we need sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, and potato salad. Just sweet potatoes this year.
And no way do we need mac and cheese, and dressing. This year, just the dressing.
Salad of choice is watergate salad.
Throw in a little string bean casserole and corn, and that's it! Oh, and the gravy(wish my sis was here to make that). Then of course the rolls.
Now for dessert, no longer do we need pies and cakes. One dessert, that's it. So, we settled on 1/2 of a chocolate cake.
Why can't we do like most senior citizens and go out to eat? I had rather spend my day talking to the grandkids instead of in the kitchen.
 One funny part. I left Sherrill in the kitchen sautéing the celery and onions for the dressing. When I came back they had cooked away. I mean, 2 cups of vegetable was down to a serving spoon size. So I had to chop up more and start the process all over again!
 HAPPY THANKSGIVING everyone. Hope you didn't have to spend most of your day in the kitchen!
  Wish I was in Branson!

Sto and Eli

See what the guys do for entertainment?
It's a new  dance game that goes with their XBox.

Chloe's New Home........

Take a guess who "Chloe" the cow belongs to.
She's at home now along with 2 horses, 2 goats, chickens, and 4 children.

3 Kids ........30 Minutes on iPad........

When you take 3 kids, put them on an iPad for 30 minutes, download 2 free Aps, and what do you get.........  Over $80.00 in Aps charges.
  This morning when I was checking my mail I received 2 emails from iTunes saying a charge of 25 dollars and something had been charged to my credit card. Then the next email said a charge of 60 something dollars had been charged. Oh no, what have I done now...........
  I called "my new friend, Apple Care". NOPE, nothing they could do to help me. I had to fill out forms online to correct the situation. There I was able to put in my phone number, and within 2 minutes I received a phone call from Apple. I explained my situation, and they took the charges off. She also sent an email with instructions on how to prevent this from happening again.
  Ipads are made when once you type in your password to pay for an Ap, it remains active for 10 or 15 minutes. During that time kids are invited to purchase a"souped up" car with extras for a mere $59.99.
Carter sure can't read the fine print. Are they (Apple) STUPID or something?
  Well, this old Grandma has learned her lesson. BEWARE OF THE APS!

Happy Birthday Kenny!

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

Hope you have a Great Birthday!

More Food!

I think I might make these this year instead of sweet potato casserole.

Loaded Baked Sweet Potatoes Recipe:

Ingredients: 

3-5 medium sweet potatoes

1 tablespoon melted butter
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
a dash of cinnamon
mini marshmallows

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Rinse each sweet potato, scrub clean (if you plan on eating the skin), pat dry and poke each potato all over with a fork.  Line a baking sheet with foil.  Place potatoes on the baking sheet and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until soft.

While your potatoes are baking, combine melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and vanilla in a small mixing bowl.

After your potatoes are finished baking, remove them from the oven.  Carefully slice open each cooked sweet potato lengthwise.  Fill the open gap of each potato with a handful mini marshmallows.  Pour some of the butter/sugar mixture on top of each sweet potato.  Top with another handful of mini marshmallows.  

Turn your oven to the broiler setting.  After it is heated up, place your baking pan with your sweet potatoes in the oven for 30 seconds, or until your marshmallows are golden brown.  Be sure to keep an eye on them so they don't burn.  Sprinkle your potatoes with a dash of cinnamon and serve.

My New Best Friend

I have found a new friend.  They might just be the best friend in the world! I was having problems with the computer the other day. I wasn't able to access the files on my hard drive. I had been "locked out". I called Apple Care. I explained to them I was an old woman, and they would have to be easy with me. We went step by step, and changed the settings. And it worked. I could access the files immediately, all 950,000 of them! I have 89 Gigs stored on that one hard drive, then I have another external hard drive for my laptop. Yes, the old one, I never purchased a new one. I bought an ipad instead. But Shhh, Sherrill doesn't know yet.
   Then yesterday I spent going through that same hard drive for pictures to make Kenny's birthday video. I couldn't find all the pictures, so I went to spotlight (that's like search on a PC), typed in jpeg,
then thousands of pictures popped up. I highlighted them all to save them into one folder, then the computer went wild, and started saving each picture into individual folders. There were HUNDREDS of folders popping up, and I couldn't stop it. The Mac went into overload, and once again I had to call my friends at Apple. The Mac by now was still spinning, so I had to shut it down to stop it's brains from going into overload. We got that straightened out, kinda sorta.
  When the lightening struck the old mac, and they transferred the data to the external hard drive, it all arrived there in a "mumbo jumbo" manner. Applications were stored with pictures, documents, video, everything was just dumped into different locations. Now I have to go in and straighten it all out.
  But, don't worry, I'm happy. Apple Care told me I still have over 1,000 days I can call, anytime, and they will be there just for ME! How many friends will let you do that?

Catherine

Look at this girl.
She is really growing up fast.
Thanks for the picture Cricket.

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Decorating tree, and watching Christmas movies.
Great way to spend a quiet Saturday afternoon.

Name these kids.........

Who are they?
Please number your answers one thru six. Three of them are easy, the other three a little more difficult.

Hey Tristen

Tristen,
    Grandpa said you are going to be one of the witches in The Wizard of Oz. Which witch?
Are you going to be the one that melts? Girl, you've gotta keep us posted!

Here's Isaac

  I found this one on Facebook. Just wanted to make sure everyone got to see the growing Isaac.

Happy 84th Birthday Dad

These pictures were from 2 years ago.
Who needs a 4 wheeler when you can drive grand daddy Joe's Monster tractor?
Be sure to call grandaddy to wish him a Happy Birthday!

Sunday..... a day of rest

Today was a day of rest.
I took a morning nap, and then I took an afternoon nap.
I did manage to fix the potatoes and corn to go with Sherrill's BBQ pork chops.
I decided I needed to rest some from my long haul yesterday.
What have the rest of you been up to?

Great Day for a Road Trip!

 Yep, today was a GREAT day to be on the road.  The weather was great, the company was well
OK, (if he could just sit still). He wiggles around like a kid. Good food, and good conversation.
We went to E-City to see the folks. Dad's birthday is Monday, so I wanted to go for a visit. Sherrill agreed to ride along, so off we went. I knew dad wouldn't have a cake, so we carried him 2 dozen of assorted doughnuts. You all know how good Grandma loves Krispy Kreme!
  This trip we went through Snow Hill instead of going down the "super Highway" AKA 795. More houses have been built up, the road has been paved, and I still miss some of the old houses they have been torn down.
  Coming home tonight we went through downtown. Streetscape is now open, That's the block from the traffic circle to past City Hall. Lots of people were downtown with plenty of activities at the bars, restaurants, and the Paramount Theater. The Republican and Democrat offices were finally CLOSED!
Sherrill was surprised to see all the activity.
  Mom and dad are dad are doing fine. Dad was plowing over the graden, and "moving the leaves". No, not MOWING, just MOVING. Moving them from one place to another. Mom was walking without her walker, but was still doing a little "hobbling". I forgot to carry my camera this trip, so I missed out on some new pictures. I'll be back in a few weeks though and will get some then.
  Aunt Debbie was working, so we missed her.  We didn't call Brit and Tristen. I knew by the time they got there we would be leaving.
  Great day, great trip! I'm just tired now.

For the Grandkids

Oh kids,
Look what I found on the internet.
Are they talking to YOU?

Free Give-A-Way on TV

Oprah gave away cars,

The Doctors gave away Neti pots, and then today, they gave away "Squatty Pottys".

Yes, you read it right, "Squatty Potty".

The cute little stool you place in front of your toilet to make "Nature's Business" easier, cleaner, and more productive. I didn't believe there was such a thing, so I checked it out, and YES, they sell for $59.95 on amazon.com.

   If you notice the form of the squatter above, it is similar to the positioning you would have to be in to use the "squat pots" in China (remember that picture from Amber)?

  So all you moms, we didn't teach our kids correctly how to do Number 2. My suggestion is, buy one of these for your husband, and get HIM to teach the kids the proper way to POOP!

Party Pictures

Happy Birthday Catherine!

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
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Happy Birthday Grandma

   Happy Birthday to one of the greatest women who has ever lived, my Grandma Naomi.  This is one woman that I NEVER heard her raise her voice, never heard her say anything bad about anyone, and a woman that could let you know how much she loved you just by her smile and touch. She never missed the opportunity however to remind you how special you were to her. She loved people, traveling, and just good ole "road running". She never learned her multiplication tables, and never finished school, but she was wise beyond her years.
    I love you, I miss you, and want to tell you that you were the BEST GRANDMA EVER!