Guess it was more than 3 Inches

This picture was in the paper.

Guess we did get more than 3 inches!

Now that's my kind of snowman, short and fat!

Sherrill's Cookies

This afternoon I had a chicken baking in the oven when Sherrill decided to bake some cookies.

He told me the recipe said it would make 48. Well, after he baked them, there were 2 and a half dozen.

Looks like someone likes to eat cookie dough! Before I could take this picture, he had already gotten into them again. Guess he might be making more tomorrow.

Snow in Fuquay Varina

Cameron

Olivia

How about Jacksonville……..

Did Blake get in the snow?

Snow in Grantham

Snow day

What to do when there's no school and you can't get to work????  Watch Woody and Kylie make homemade pasta.  Lol 

Very Little Snow !

Miss Geraldine's House

Mr Bill's House

This is all the snow we got. Maybe 3 inches in some places.

The weatherman had said we would get 5 to 8 inches. I was up all night peeking out the window!

These were taken early this morning. All that cooking for nothing!

Waiting for SNOW

Yep, I am waiting for snow!

I have a pot of soup on the stove, and getting ready to make pumpkin pie and brownies. If Sherrill is going to be in the house for a couple of days, I better have plenty of food. There is already meatloaf and 

ham with black eye peas in the fridge. Add to that three boxes of UNOPENED Girl Scout cookies.

(I had to hide them from him.) Tonight's dinner will be pork chops and apples (opening 1st jar Christy).

Most people are rushing to the store for bread, but old "fat boy" doesn't want sandwiches……he needs REAL food!

Oh, Sherill has a bad place on his leg. I keep telling him he needs to go to the Dr. or they are going to have to cut his leg off. He finally showed it to me after he heard about A.T.

What do you think?

I have been drawing circles around the areas with a permanent marker, first blue, then red. It seems to be going down a little, but yesterday he came home and it was real inflamed. He had been on a ladder most of the day though. It's swollen too!

Hey KIDS…….where are all of you?
Tristen/Nate….. school got you busy?
Kelli, are you prepared?
Mandy….are you going to stay in Greenville?
Murray Kids……I know Y'all are ready for some FUN!
McKeel Kids…..I'll take my telescope and watch you out the window! (Thanks Kat)
Rollers, last I looked, you were in the 50's!
McEwans …..I know, you are use to snow. NO big deal for you!

Uncle A.T.

Sherrill talked to Aunt Helen tonight and she told him Uncle A.T. is in the hospital.
He had a toe cut off a little while back (he's diabetic) and has had complications since then.
He is in St Francis Medical Center in Midlothian,VA.
Please keep him in your prayers. He is a very young 90 year old!

You've Gotta Be Kidding Me!

No, this is NOT me. This was sent to me for Sherrill to see. 

It is NOT to be reproduced or shared with outsiders.

Looks like FUN though doesn't it!?!?!?

Christy's New Toy

I know Christy is going to have fun with this. I can just see Jacob sitting under the machine!

Sandy Run Baptist Church….AKA First Baptist Church of Gaston

I'm still working on my dead folks. This is the old church. They built a new one, and that's where Grandma Naomi and everyone are buried. They moved the old one across the street.
Look at these fine ladies and gentlemen decked out for church.

The Karate Kid

First night of class!
Go Eli.

Oh,
Carter is jumping rope for the American Heart Association. Does anyone have any extra money just sitting around waiting for a good cause?

H E L P ! ! ! !

Well,
You know how I THOUGHT I was caught up on everything…… Well, it hasn't worked out that way!

I did get through my Insurance audit this morning like a breeze! The little old man from Apex was really nice, and was running late for his next appointment in Kinston. He was in a hurry, and so was I!

Next I was going through some mail dad had sent. Everything was fine UNTIL I came across a Business Property Listing Form that I had mailed in a few weeks ago. Ugh…… it had been returned.
When Mrs Burnett was teaching me how to take over her secretarial duties, she explained to me that unless new equipment or machinery was purchased, she just fills in "Same as Last Year". WELL, I have been doing this since before 2009 (the year she died). It plainly states on the form if it is not filled out correctly that it will be returned, and it was!

Guess What! Now EVERYTHING in dad's shop has to be inventoried! Have you seen his shop recently? There are just little pathways to walk through! He has parts in there from the 1960's!
Oh Lawdy, Lawdy! Please, Please give me some help! I don't want Dad in jail, but that is WAAY to much work for me.  You have to list every item, the year purchased, the cost, and depreciation value.
Any suggestions?? ?   I wonder if I could just make a quick video and send it to them?
It looks like this will require a letter requesting an "Extension to File".
Oh Look, I found these pictures.
Even Eli is having problems figuring what this stuff is!

Found Another Cousin!

Hi Cousin Judy!

My Goodwin line (oldest to present) is Joseph J. Goodwin, George Anderson Goodwin, Cora Estelle (Goodwin) Mack. Cora was my great grandmother. She died when I was 14 so I remember her well.  My family all have similar facial features. We always called it the "Mack Look". But the "look" is from my Goodwin ancesters.

The photos belonged to my great grandmother Cora Estelle (Goodwin) Mack. The photo of her sister, Lilly (Goodwin) DeLoach is what got me into FAG (Find a Grave). I only knew she was my grandmother's aunt who died when she was 18 or 19 years old. She was a pretty girl and I wanted to find out who she was. I went to the cemetary at Gaston 1st Bapt. and found a stone that matched all the information I knew about her. It really felt good to put a name to the photo!

I would like any info on the Goodwin family. You may use the photo's as you like. I have a little info on George but it involves a lynching in Gaston in 1893. A disturbingincident! I can send you the story if you want it. Most all the men in Gaston were involved.  Also George's son Artimus was murdered by his brother-in-law, Alan Neese.

Do the Goodwin's have a reunion? I know the Sightlers do as well as the Jeffcoat family.

I live in Charlotte, NC

Steve Bishop

LOOK! LOOK! Another Cousin!

We both have the same Great Great Grandfather Joseph J Goodwin

Our Great grandfather was William Addison, brother to George Anderson (Uncle Doc). Uncle Doc was the one that sold the land to the railroad, and they gave him the job of station master. He ran the train depot in Gaston.

William Addison was a trial judge. 

I didn't even find him though DNA. I found him on findagrave.com.

Guess What I am Doing Today

"Remember me in the family tree.

 My name, my days, my strife;

 Then I'll ride upon the wings of time

 and live an endless life."

 ~ Linda Goetsch

Corn Casserole

Have any of you ever tried anything like this?

Corn casserole:

1 (15 oz) can whole kernel corn, drained

1 (15 oz) can cream-style corn
1 egg

1 package Jiffy corn muffin mix (8 oz.)

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese or your favorite

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. mix all ingredients, minus the cheese, together and pour into a greased baking dish. After the casserole has baked for 45 minutes, or is set in the middle and golden brown, sprinkle with cheddar and put it back in the oven. Let the cheese melt, take the casserole out and enjoy this ridiculously buttery dish.

Well, I made it!
It turned out pretty good.

My TV is POSSESSED ! ! !

All throughout the day I have heard kids voices though my TV.  I thought I was going CRAZY. I even went outside one time to see if anyone was there. Jack would even bark when he heard them.
I didn't mention it to Sherrill.
Tonight while we were watching TV we could hear them talking again. He looked at me and asked,
"Who is that?". I told him I didn't know that I had heard them on and off all day.
A microphone SOMEWHERE is picking up kids voices, and my TV is picking up the signal.
I will get my iPad out and see if I can record it. This is SPOOKY!

Cutest Present EVER!

We all know buying presents can be a pretty tough thing to do. But, suppose you were a little kid with
no money, but wanted to make something special for your family. This is were imagination comes in to play.
Eli wanted to get his family the best presents ever, but didn't have the money. His next choice was to make something. What he chose to make was AWSOME!

This is Kathy.

I think this was Isaac.

He made each of them into a "Lego People." He hand painted each of the little people, adding in special touches with facial expressions, identical clothing, and a lot of heart!
Kathy took each of them and lined them up on the mantle. I forgot to take a picture of the "Roller Lego Family", but let me tell you, it was darling.
Eli, if you are reading this, please take a picture for me and send it to me.
All of this from the brain of an 11 year old!

Sunday Morning Funnies

I wish I had a picture of it! Sherrill at his best.
He has spent the last hour and a half getting ready for church. He pulls out a pair of slacks, they are wrinkled from the hanger the cleaner's used. He goes to get the ironing board (the rules are…..I will iron on Saturday, bit NOT Sunday. Check your clothes the night before and I will make any repairs. Wait until Sunday morning, and you are on your own!) He comes back with the ironing board, but no iron. He carries the ironing board back, and selects a different pair of slacks (he has at least 20 slacks and 30 something dress shirts!). Those are fine. Then he brings a shirt……does this shirt match the slacks. Sure! Next comes a handful of ties. Which one looks best. No dolphins, save those for summer. No PINK, too summery, that one is just ugly. HERE, wear this one. Next comes the jackets, this one, or this one…..It doesn't matter, either one. He gets his clothes all together, then he looks for his scriptures. He finds them easily, but can't find his glasses. He walks around for at least 10 minutes looking for his glasses.
He had just finished eating lunch before he got dressed. But, all that stress must have given him a craving for food. He walks out the door, dressed impeccably with a gallon of paint in one hand, a glass of Diet Pepsi, a banana, and his glasses. I think he must have forgotten his scriptures. He has to stop by the paint store before he goes to church to have his little gallon of paint shook up.
Sometimes I think HE needs a good shake to get that brain back going right.
While all of this is going on, Jack is on his bed in the kitchen crying because he knows Sherrill is leaving! Ohhhhh Just another Manic Sunday! You've gotta love them.
As for me, I am staying home doing paper work. I have a Worker's Comp Insurance audit next week.

Just another Day……...

I finally made it to the grocery store today. Yes, 40 degrees outside, and I decide to go shopping.  I had to go to the post office anyway, so I thought a quick trip would be in order. I didn't feel like a trip to Wallyworld, so Food Lion had to do.

Doing the shopping, loading the car, no problem! I HATE bringing all that food in the house. When I pack the back of the car I put all the refrigerated/frozen items on one side, and the other stuff on the opposite side. I unload the cold stuff, take a break, then unload the rest. 

I really think Food Lion knew exactly what I was doing. Today they packed all of my COLD items in blue bags, and all the rest in white bags. How cool is that? Now I don't have to look in each bag, I can just grab the blue bags, and leave the rest, which is exactly what I did today. 

Sherrill came home, and immediately saw groceries in the back of my vehicle. And, yes, he unloaded them without even asking! He can be so sweet sometimes, but don't tell him I said that!

So, just another day around here. Sherrill is back to work, and things are normal. 

I have even finished up quarterly taxes for dad and Sherrill that are due by the 31st. Life is good!

What's up with all of the rest of you?

Grandma and the Apps

In case you didn't know this is the symbol for Apps for Apple products. Eli is a whiz at using Apps, even trying to explain to Grandma Cat how far two dollars would go in the App Store. While we were at Kat's, she downloaded the "Find My Friend" App so she could follow me on my journey back across the US. 

I put HER in charge of my well being. She was to check the App every 4 hours to make sure I was progressing on my way east. (I was afraid I was going to fall off the side of the mountain.) Well, the App didn't work! I could have been lost FOREVER. Once I got home I realized she hadn't turned 

"My Location" on my phone on. So, the entire way, I was on my own. If I had gotten lost, no one would have found me. We did have plenty of food, water, and a blanket though. I think this will be the last time I put Kat in charge!

  Today I found another App "Duplicate Detective". It will scan folders, documents, pictures, etc. and show you the duplicates. It found 22, 839 pictures, and almost 2,000 duplicates. Now I have to figure out which ones of them I want to delete. Now that was neat! And, it cost a mere $2.99. I think that was worth it!

Happy Birthday Carter

Happy Birthday to YOU
Happy Birthday to YOU
Happy Birthday dear Carter
Happy Birthday to YOU! ! !

Look at 90 faces of Carter. Always smiling!

Found a New Cousin!

I found a new cousin on 23and me. This one is a female named Tangee. Her father's name is Charlie Jackson. Once I found her name, I emailed her, and she replied back, not giving much info. WELL…… you know me, I can track down anyone. She's in her 40's. Built a $412,000 house in 2011.
Married to someone with the last name Cassidy. Now I just have to track down who her grandparents are. We should be 2nd or 3rd cousins, meaning she should have one of the same maternal grandparents or great-grandparents that I do. Hey Kat……she use to live in Red Bank. Chris went to Red bank School didn't he when you lived there?
I can't wait to find a picture of her. I did find a picture of two Tangee's. One was a blonde, and one was a black girl about my size. I can't wait to hear from her, which ever one she is!

Did you get your Post Cards

Hey Kids…….
Did you get your post cards?
When we got to Tennessee, we couldn't find any. We even went to three different places.
We were trying to out run the snow, so we missed out on Tennessee. Maybe we will have better luck next time.
When I was a kid you could find post cards anywhere. Now they are hard to find. I guess people had rather send a picture on their phone, but I like Mail. Lots of Mail!
Remember now, when you go on a trip, look for post cards, and send Grandma one!
This one came all the way from Mars!

Summer Vacation

Last night my fortune cookie said I would be taking a vacation! What! I have had enough vacations for awhile!
Kat called today and started planning our summer vacation.
I think we are going HERE!

Does this place look familiar to anyone?
Let's see who can figure it out!
We are already looking for vacation rentals!

Today is Carter's Birthday Party !! !!!

Today is Carter's Birthday party.
Make it a good one Little Man!
His birthday will be Thursday.

I Want one of these!

neverendingdecorating.blogspot.com

Look how neat this is.
Now that I am getting old, I don't want to recline, I just want to prop my feet up. Right now I am using a red and green tote that Mandy filled with Christmas ornaments for next year's tree (we haven't put Christmas items in the attic yet).
When I went to Christy's house, she had a "big butt" chair (large overstuffed chair). Now I want one of them, and an ottoman like this. That would be just the size to hold a few grandkids, magazines, sewing projects, or whatever!
Looks like I will be sending Sherrill out to thrift stores to see if he can find me a table……one with wheels would really be cool!

Another Christmas Program

Look here……Lauren and Carter!
Sweet Babies…… OK, they really aren't babies, but they are sweet!

Another Cousin?

I received and email from this guy while I was at Kat's house. I didn't bother to respond until I got home. This is his story.
He found me through 23and me, the DNA testing website.
He was born Dec 1978 in New Hanover County, NC (that's Wilmington area).
He was adopted in July 1981 by a Taylor family. He is searching for his birth parents. He and I are 3rd cousins or greater. We match DNA on our maternal side.
The dark hair, dark eyes, bushy eyebrows are a definite match, but I can't figure out how we connect.
Debbie, any idea how this guy might fit in? His hair is similar to Mark's.
I've got to get a better picture. This one was just on his profile.
Any suggestions anyone?

Merry Christmas Kylie and Jonah

Another……How Did They DO That?

Today while I was a watching a quilting tutorial I saw where I had a notification from Google. I clicked on it, and they did it again …… Auto Awesome took 3 of my photos from somewhere (probably the blog) or it could have been from Picasa, and put them together. See the little white dots on it…. that's snow (animated snow). It's snowing on top of the photos. This image was taken from my computer desktop with my camera. Remember back on the Dec 23rd I told you they had made me a video? So, how did they do this? Who is the little spying Elf that put this together? Does anyone that uses Google have this same
experience, or am I just loosing it? Once you leave that page, the image is gone……forever.
Guess I am going to have to "google" Google Auto Awesome to figure this one out! ! !

Travel Photos

This were some of the sights we saw traveling home. There was snow on the ground in every single state we went through. There was about 12" on the ground in Flagstaff, AZ. One of the most impressive thing we saw this trip were the Vermillion Cliffs in Arizona. That's a picture of them just

above. They were magnificent!

Next was Oklahoma City. I have a lot to write about that, but will do it in a later post.

We are trying to get back on schedule. All 5 loads of laundry have been done, car unloaded and cleaned out, and refrigerator replenished. Now tomorrow fat boy goes off to work, and I start taking down Christmas trees. Maybe we will be back on track by the weekend!

Happy Birthday Blake

Happy Birthday to YOU
Happy Birthday to YOU
Happy Birthday dear Blake
Happy Birthday to YOU!

Kelli, I have his present here at the house. I'll get up with you later.
Give him a KISS for me!

Home Sweet Home

We are HOME ! !! !
Safe and Sound!
Cindy, y'all keep warm in South Dakota. I saw where it's 0 degrees, and gets in the minuses tonight.
Keep those kiddies bundled up!
Christy, y'all won't be quite as cold, but go get blankets and wrap up all of those little animals.
Kelli, thanks for the pictures. They will be posted tomorrow.
That's all for now…….my brain is FRIED!

Looking for a place to stay

Utah house with antelope skull on front

Travel trailer in New Mexico

We have noticed in our journey that you can not always find a restaurant at the same exit with a reputable hotel. So for this has been out best other options!