Christy's House

This is Christy's house.
She just re-did her front porch. It was just stained wood, then she added this paint stuff with sand or something in it. Every two years we have to stain our deck. This time we are painting the rails, and I am thinking about putting on something like this
to cover the little splinters, cracking deck boards, and all the little imperfections.
Does anyone else have this on their decks? I'm afraid it might cover up the cracks between the boards. Any suggestions?

Ouch, it hurts

I have been walking around for about three weeks with my elbow hurting. I still continued to do my regular work house cleaning, cutting grass, power washing the deck, etc. Finally last week I went to the Dr. He told me he thought I had broke it, and sent me to the Ortho dr. Well, I couldn't get in to see him until this week, and it was really hurting, so last Thursday I went and had it X-rayed. Then Wednesday I went to Greenville.
I had a cute early 40's Dr. I just knew he was going to think I was out of my mind. But, he checked it out. Final diagnosis, bursitis, small fracture, and bone spur. To top it off, a tendon keeps jumping out of space and rubs between the fracture and the spur. You can even see the bone spur at the tip of the elbow! They gave me a copy of the X ray on a DVD to carry to Greenville. Then I asked the Dr in Greenville if I could keep the DVD. He even explained to me how to open it!
So, yes as you get older, you really can break a bone and never realize it. But look at those strong healthy bones. That's from all that milk, straight from the cow, I drank when I was growing up.

Mandy and Izzy

Mandy went to visit Isabella on Wednesday and took this picture of her window outside her room. I noticed the last time I was there that different rooms had different pictures on them. Evidently someone is going around painting what the patient wants. You can even see her name on the upper right hand side, above the room number.

Happy Birthday Mandy

Happy Birthday to YOU
Happy Birthday to YOU
Happy Birthday dear Mandy
Happy Birthday to YOU.

Hope you have a good one!

I AM SECURE ! ! !

I finally did it. I deleted all email addresses from my Yahoo, Google, and Aol accounts. I would have deleted them from Road Runner too, but I forgot the password. It's the one the technician uses when he sets up the account! I now feel SECURE. I did print out about 100 of email addresses I can't do without! I didn't realize I had so many fellow researchers! So, if you don't get emails from me, it might be because I didn't save your address. Now it's time to do something with my Facebook account!

email from Sto

Christopher

   Notice the missionaries above. One WITH a helmet and one WITHOUT. Take a guess who is the one WITHOUT. Yes, that would be Chris. Eli said it was stolen. Grandma Cat's opinion was that he left it somewhere. Anyway, it is GONE. He had to buy a new one. I'm sure there's better things he had rather spend his money on.
  By the way, it has happened. He only got ONE email last week, and that was from Christy. I can imagine how disappointed he must have been. Now, I still write him (snail mail) at least 3 or 4 times a week, so I am covered. But SOMEONE out there beside Christy could have sent him an email. In case you forgot, his email is
                     christopher.roller@myldsmail.net
  

Isabella

Isabella had a temperature yesterday, and the protocol is to get her to the nearest hospital immediately.
So, she went to Wayne Memorial here in Goldsboro, then last night around 11:000 PM was transported  to Duke. They have to find out where, and what is causing the infection.
Her address while she is there is:

Duke University Hospital
Isabella McKeel
Room 5126
2301 Erwin Road
Durham, NC  27710

Work and work......

Last week I had a sudden spurt of energy and decided to clean off the deck in preparation for warm weather. I called Christa, pulled out the power washer and a big jug of bleach, and we went to it.

We washed, and washed, and washed, but it just wasn't coming clean like it usually does. Sherrill came home and told me that the bleach wasn't pumping up through the hose. All that work for nothing! Then the next day I got there and tried it again, this time by myself. I washed, and washed, and washed.

Yep, I finally got it clean. I even bleached all the stain off! Then Sherrill said, why didn't you do the pickets. Well, I DID do the pickets, just on one side. 

Next came the job of cleaning out the spa. We worked, and worked, and worked. I filled it up one day, got all the jets going, and it was ready. Just like every year though, the water that stays in the hoses and jets turns to "crud". So we had to empty the 500 gallons of water I had just put in and clean it out again.

We are waiting a few days to fill it up. There's no need to put water in it when the nights are in the 40's.

Now we have to stain the deck. I'm not sure when we will get around to that!

This morning I heard the bird singing that always wakes me up. He sounded a little different, muffled, or further away. I just knew Sherrill had closed him up in the bottom of the hot tub. We listened at the door for awhile, then Sherrill opened it very carefully. Yep, we could hear the bird loud and clear. He was just up a little higher in the trees. But, I was still afraid he might have built a nest, so I had Sherrill open the door on the hot tub and leave it open. I have been keeping an eye on it to make sure no bird goes in.  

I got the grass mowed, except for the "hill". I even pulled the weeds from the flowers. Now Sherrill can  

do the weed eating when he gets home. 

Added to that I have taken three classes this week, and have almost finished another quilt top. This warm (not hot) weather is good for the soul! Time to go to work everybody!

All about Blake

The other night we were just sitting around and Sherrill asked if I had heard from Kelli recently, and was wondering how Blake was doing. Sherrill doesn't usually ask about ANYONE! I told him that Kelli had sent some pictures a couple of weeks ago, and I thought they were probably doing fine. He told me to send her a message and check on her and Blake. This was odd, because HE never remembers anyone's name. He still calls Kurt, "Curtis". It surprised me that he remembered Blake.
So Kelli, Grandpa is improving. Now, if you can just get him to be nice on the phone, you will have it made! Thanks for sending more pictures.

School's Out

Today was Catherine's last of school.
Tomorrow will be Luke and Kenny's last day.
Wayne County kids have to go until June 7th.
Poor Olivia and Cameron are in year round school, so they will be there most of the summer.
Eli and Isaac go until sometime in June.
When do Seth and Meghan get out?
Tristen, are you and Nate out this week too? I know you usually get out first.
Get ready parents....... it's gong to be a LONG summer :)

Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies

Look,
I found a new recipe......

Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies 

Set oven temperature to 375*- 400*

Cream together:

1/2 cup Butter

1 cup Sugar

1 Egg

1 teaspoon Vanilla

1 teaspoon Baking Powder

1/2 teaspoon Soda

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg

Heaping 1/2 cup Sour Cream

Add:

2 2/3 cup Flour

Divide dough in half.

Roll out to 1/4" thickness on well floured surface

Cut with cookie cutters

Bake 8-10 minutes until lightly browned

Let cookies cool

Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting a day or two before serving

Store in airtight container

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

3 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon milk
3 oz. cream cheese softened
2 c. powdered sugar
1/4 tsp. salt

Cream butter, cream cheese. 
Add milk, salt and sugar.
Beat until creamy.

Happy Birthday Randy

Happy Birthday to YOU
Happy Birthday to YOU
Happy Birthday dear Randy
Happy Birthday to YOU! ! !

Anyone out there with a really bad picture of Randy, send it my way, and I will post it here!

Mandy's Produce Market?

Look at Mandy's garden. She's really proud of it. Sunday she brought us some squash, lettuce and cabbage. I cooked the squash Sunday, and Sherrill loved it. The head of lettuce was so cute, and I will be cooking the cabbage tomorrow. Oh, for lunch will be a salad and bacon and lettuce sandwich of course (no tomato). I think she is most proud of her sunflowers, and 70 cucumber plants. Now, who needs 70 cucumber plants? 

If you see someone sitting on the side of the road with fresh veggies, look twice, it might be her!

Looks like it's gonna be one of those days!

It's Monday.
Hang in there!

New Bathing Suit

Look Ladies.........

I found the "most perfect" bathing suit. A little string here, another string there, and Pom Poms everywhere! I know all of you want one! :)

Happy Birthday Cameron

Happy Birthday to YOU

Happy Birthday to YOU

Happy Birthday dear Cameron

Happy Birthday to YOU! ! !

And another

 And another

Cameron, I need some more pictures of you!

Welcome to the World Ashlyn Rae Stokely

Ashlyn Rae Stokely Born 4:41 AM on May 16, 2013
7 pounds 13 ounces  19 1/2 inches long.  Welcome to the world. Congratulations to Troy and Holly, and big brothers Austin and Shane.

New Project

I've been working on organizing all the pictures I have on my Mac. Now, it's less than a year old, but has over 5,000 photos on it. Yesterday I identified about half of them. It's really cool. The easiest way is to get a group photo with 20 or more people in it, identify them, then let the computer match their faces.  When doing the matches, it shows just the faces, so you really have to stop and think, or go back and look at the original pictures. I've had the most problems with Austin and Shane Stokely, and the triplets.
It often confuses people, like James and Larry, Mandy and Meghan, and any others that look somewhat similar. One of the problems are vacation pictures, with 'unknown". You have to mark each one of them to ignore. So far, I have 105 people identified. There are thousands more to go. I haven't even added in the ones on the external hard drives, or the laptop! Once I identify all of them here in Picasa, then I have to do the same thing in my Photo Elements program.

Best Biscuits EVER

I have NEVER been able to make good biscuits, no matter how hard I try. I just can't do it!

Well, NOW I can. If I can do it, so can you!

Here's the recipe

7-Up Biscuits

2 cups Bisquick mix

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup 7 -Up (I used Sprite)

3 Tablespoons butter

1. In a bowl, combine the baking mix and sour cream. Add the 7-Up and combine. The dough will be very tender.

 2.Sprinkle some additional baking mix on your working surface and shape dough into a 9 inch square.

3 Cut dough into 9  biscuits

4. Put  butter into a 9 inch square baking dish and place in oven. Let melt. (I do this while oven is preheating. Just make sure it doesn't burn.)

5.  Place the dough into the baking pan on top of the melted butter

6. Bake at 450 degrees for 10-15 minutes until golden. Butter tops.

Happy Birthday Grandma McKeel

Happy Birthday "MaKeel".
We love you and miss you.
P.S.    Christy wants pancakes!

Eye Fi

  

I'm still taking my online classes. Yesterday my class was on digital editing, organizing, and preserving photos.  This is where I learned about Eye Fi.

Eye Fi  is a SD memory card with WiFi and geotagging capabilities. So, after a long day at the beach or lake, you just come home, put your camera near your computer, iPad, or whatever, and it AUTOMATICALLY downloads all of your photos to the computer. No USB cords. No work.

They also have where the cards can geotag, or give the Lat/Long where each photo was taken. 

So, for all of you that have hundreds of photos in your camera, but just haven't "had the time" to download them, you need to try out an Eye Fi card. Do a little research before you buy one. Some have  

free WiFi for a year, others have geotagging, and some have both. You pay for what you get!

Cool huh?!

Call to Chris

10 minutes of video games 90 Yen.
I guess this is where Chris will want to hang out!

Kat was able to call Chris for Mother's Day. It was 4 pm her time on Sunday, and 7 AM his time on Monday. Joe  "Face Timed" me on his iPad, so I could hear everything Chris was saying, and could see Kat and Eli. For some reason, they couldn't hear me, so I would write out my questions and hold them up to the camera eye. His Grandma Sue was on speaker phone and could hear and talk to him too! It was so great to hear him and to see how excited he was. He eats rice at least once or twice a day, along with Ramen noodles. He really likes the people at church. He was paired with an "older" missionary (he is 24) from Seattle, so Chris will have someone to calm him down a little. He talked to Kat too!

Chris told about his adventures of riding the plane and the train, and the people he has talked to. He doesn't ask for anything, but was going out to buy his bike and an electronic dictionary. He is right outside Sapporo in a little town called Toyohira. You can "google it" and learn about its history.

After talking for almost an hour, it was time to go, and a tearful Eli told his big brother "I Love you". It was such a heartfelt gesture, you couldn't help but cry. 

Kat won't be able to hear from him again until Christmas. That's going to be a LONG 7 months.

Be safe Sto Baby!

Kat just emailed this to me. It is the mission President and his wife, and Chris's companion. Kat got an email with just a picture, and I got an email, but no picture. 

They're Back.......

Meghan and Seth were finally able to come back for a visit! These kids have really grown.
Kindergarten has worked wonders with Meghan. She is quite the little lady.
Maybe next time Liv and Cameron can come and hang out with us!

Thanks for all the birthday wishes and the money!!!

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day!
Were you allowed to sleep in late? Did you get breakfast in bed, or did you wake up to kids fussing?
However you started your day, don't fret. Today is YOUR day. Celebrate it to the fullest. You are the person responsible for raising my little grand babies, and my not so little ones. You have done a great job so far, so hang in there, you still have quite a ways to go!
Whatever you choose for today, make sure it is something you will remember forever! Give those babies a big hug and kiss, because soon they will be gone, and will be celebrating this holiday with little ones of their own!

Happy BIrthday Tristen

                                                       
 Happy Birthday to YOU
 Happy Birthday to YOU
Happy Birthday Dear Tristen
Happy Birthday to YOU.        
                                                       
We LOVE YOU!
Driver's Ed is waiting for you!

Mandy plus 5

me and all five kiddos .... ♥

Baby Quilt

I have the baby quilt on the quilt frame, and I am over 3/4 finished with quilting it. Next comes the binding, and it will be ready. I hope Holly hangs in there. She's not due until the 15th! I hope to finish it by the weekend. Debbie, let me know when she goes to the hospital!

Yep..... another Hijacking

Yep, by now you all know I was hijacked. Poor me! And yes, I did change my password.

I deleted all of my contacts from my Yahoo account, because Yahoo is who gets Hijacked the most.

But No, they hit my AOL account. I might just go and delete all of those folks too, but there are hundreds of them. The last time I tried to print them out, it was over 12 pages, and then all of them didn't load up. I didn't realize I have chatted with that many people over the years!

My google accounts have always been safe. I use them mostly for church stuff and medical junk.

So, sorry for the inconvenience of the spam. Hope no one clicked on anything.

What?!

5:01 pm phone rings
"Hello, this is Spring Creek Vet Hospital reminding you of Jack Roller's appointment tomorrow at 11:30"

The old man won't go to the Doctor, but he makes sure Jack does! What's wrong with this?

The Last Farewell......for now

   Around 4:20 I received a phone call from Chris. He was at the airport in Seattle. One group of missionaries flew out one hour before his flight. His group of six were about to fly out, and they were going to meet up in Tokyo. They leave Tokyo, and go to Sendai. They split up again, Chris and his group to Sapporo, and the other group elsewhere.
   He was still excited. I asked him what was the bast part of the MTC, and he said he has so many stories that he would have to write me to tell me. He is still a little worried about not knowing the language, but said his first companion will be a Japanese guy.
  He should arrive about 9PM tonight (Utah time).
  Good Luck my boy, and stay safe!

Murray family......without Randy

Look what I just got!
Thanks Wendy.
Are y'all going to load up Randy in the UHaul?

Mother's Day

I read an article on item's NOT to purchase your mom for mother's day. I think EVERYONE NEEDS an Inflatable Zebra. What do you think?? Is there some item listed here that you would love or do you just agree with this article. Mom there is a Inflatable Zebra coming with your name on it... :)

Happy Cinco De Mayo

Release your inner Hispanic vibes today.
 Ah, go ahead, have a shot of tequila, or go out and buy a chihuahua.
 You could even visit a Hispanic flea market!
 It's time to C E L E B R A T E!