Goodbye School....Hello "Y"

Well Cameron and Olivia have finished the first track session of this school year. Cameron says its hard and Olivia saying its too easy.  Cameron has to read alot ( not easy for him) along with math and then an alternating subject.  Olivia has to learn site words that she already knows.  With that said, they are now at the Kraft Family Y and loving it.  They get to swim three times per week, fish, archery, and many more things.  Everyone has a necklace with their name on it and collect beads and other prizes for a grand prize at the end.  The absolutely love that place.  Soccer starts soon as well as dance, so we (parents) are not looking forward to fall, but thats what we do.  Hope everyone is having a great summer. 

PS: Our campground fishing tournament is this weekend and they are looking forward to winning more fishing poles, nets, t-shirts and other prizes.

Wendy

UGH....Back to the Grind

Monday. NO one likes them. Let's just do away with them.
   Sherrill was home today and he spent his day outside working in the yard and cleaning out the spa.
Christa and me stayed in the house cleaning. Jack was back and forth. The electrician came back and put us a ground wire in to help with future lightening strikes.
  Sherrill brought us in fresh squash, cucumbers, and cantaloupe. That's his way of telling me what he wants to eat. I added in steak and stewed apples, and we had a meal. He will have to walk a few miles to burn off that meal. So now the house is clean, our bellies are full, and it's time to sit back and enjoy our evening. We have been watching the Olympics on and off. Every night we watch Little House on the Prairie.
  No news for today.
  Come on now folks........what's going on with you!?

Today was a better day

Yes, today was a better day. I slept in late. Sherrill cooked lunch. We got all the phones hooked up, and
got the printer almost completed. We are still having trouble with the printer's wireless though.

   I forgot to tell you that my son James came and hooked up the new modem. I was having such a stressful day Thursday, when it came in, he came over and got it going. We have a real hard time with AT&T. Abby helped him or course. At one point we had to call AT&T. James got frustrated and hung up on her. I told him she would call back, and she did! He stuck with it though and at least got me hooked up through the ethernet. Friday I was able to get the wireless set up.

   Thanks James and Abby for making my day just a little brighter!

   And then there were Kat and Christy. They took it upon themselves to have delivered a brand new tv and three telephones. I cried. Sherrill got mad. I kept threatening to send it back. Finally I just sat back, hooked up the TV, and really enjoyed it all. Sherrill called Kat and asked her why she hadn't bought us a big screen 10 years ago! Thanks Kat and Christy.

  Thanks to everyone. Love you each and everyone!

Hey, sorry I haven't wrote anything in a while I have been busy. I have a job now! I work as a babysitter, I have to get up at 5 and be at the house by 6 then I watch a kid in the morning before he goes to daycare then I watch a 1 year old and a dog. I watch the little girl until 2 or 3. I work everyday but Fridays. Well softball is over we got 6th out of 15 teams at state. Nate doesn't do much but he is starting football soon. Mom and dad mostly work. But not a lot has happened. -Tristen

And then came the Lightening

   It all started with a simple thunder storm. We watched TV, then just went on to bed. Sometime before midnight the ground shook, and my room lit up like a spotlight. There was such a BOOM that it left ringing in my ears. I looked up and saw the little red dot on my tv was now blinking. I got up, unplugged the tv, and went on to bed. The next morning I got up with Sherrill, checked out my tv and told him about what had happened. We checked all the other TV's in the house, and ALL of the ones that were plugged in were gone. I keep the one in the kitchen unplugged, and the one in the garage was unplugged. The Mac wasn't working, The printer is dead, as well as ALL the phones.
  To fast forward......we got 3 of the tv's repaired. The Mac is at the Apple store (estimate for repair 800.00). The electrician came to check out all the "fried" items. Time Warner man came to do his repairs. While they were here, we found WHERE the lightening struck. It hit the house right outside of Sherrill's bedroom window, about 3 feet from Sherrill's bed (right where Jack sleeps).

This is what it looks like.
Pieces of the siding ended up in the middle of the back yard. This hit is about 10 feet from the AC unit. I sure am glad that didn't die!
   Thanks Abby and Christy for keeping the blog going while I was going through internet withdrawals.
Cindy, sorry I didn't get your card in the mail. I had quite a stressful week. I didn't do any fussing, but I did my fair share of crying.
  OK Tristen, we are waiting to hear from you and Kelli too!

Happy Anniversary Jerrud and Cindy

Happy Anniversary you two.

Happy Birthyday

Happy Birthday to you Happy Birthday to you Happy Birthday to Daniel Happy Birthday to you.

Running Away

I was on my way to town and I found 2 little boys running away from home.They were walking along side a major 4 lane highway. What would you do? I stopped them and called 911. I put them in the back of my pickup.One was not wear shoes and the had a heavy winter jacket on. The cops come and took the little boys on drive around the neighborhood trying to find there home. These boys were 3 and 5 yrs old. They told me they were running away from home because mommy was going to leave daddy because he has no job. The 5 yrs boy said he didn't want to live with mommy and was going to run away till she left and come back and live with daddy. Because he loved daddy and didn't want to go with mommy. How sad. I was just dumb struck. If you lost 2 little boys, how long would it take you to call the police to report them missing?? So I wonder what ever happened to the boys and if the parents were charged? I guess I'll have to ask for the police report in a couple of days to find out. What did everyone do today?

White Lake Fun!!!

The kids had so much fun, we are headed there again this weekend!!

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

Did you know??

Mom's house was hit by lighting and her High-Tech devices are "fried". So she has asked me to do the blog post. I hope I can get some help from Tristen :) Me and the kids are currently watching the History channel and did you know that 2 nuclear warheads fell in Goldsboro, NC in 1961? Here is a link to the story. Did you know this happened?? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1961_Goldsboro_B-52_crash

Happy Anniversary MOM and DAD!

Today is Grandma Cat's and Grandaddy's anniversary.

Sto Bo

Sto's senior portrait came in today, and I am a little disappointed. In the picture itself there is about 3-4 inches of background. Notice how his shoulders are different heights? This is NOT the quality I had hoped for. Should I contact them to voice my opinion? He's still my Sto Baby, even if this particular picture is disappointing.  Joe Roller, can we crop it to make it better?

Simple M&M Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 sticks butter
• 1/3 cup sugar
•  (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 1/2 cups self rising flour
• (8 oz) chocolate chips or mini M & M 's

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 deg
2. Beat butter and sugar until creamy, then beat in sweetened condensed milk
3. Stir in flour and M & M's,  mix well
4. Roll heaped tablespoonfuls of mixture into balls, place on oven trays and press down gently
5. Bake for 15 minutes until golden.

For ladies only....

Who knows the name and purpose of this item?

I've gotta try this

Remind me to try this! 

Pineapple Teriyaki Grilled Chicken
Ingredients:
1 (6 ounce) can pineapple juice
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
4-6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
Pineapple slices (optional) 
Chopped green onions (optional)

Directions:
In a medium bowl, mix the pineapple juice, vegetable oil, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic powder, and pepper. Place chicken in the bowl, and coat with the mixture. Cover, and marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
Heat grill to medium-high. Place chicken on grill until just cooked through (about 5-7 minutes per side). 
Place pineapple slices on grill and cook until grill marks appear (just a minute or two per side).
Remove chicken and pineapple from grill and place one slice of pineapple on each chicken breast. Sprinkle green onions on top. 

Oh this heat.......

   It's been just one of those days. This coming from the woman that sits inside all day where it is cool, or at least rides in the car that has GREAT air conditioning. Well, not today.
   I had to carry my car in to get the windshield replaced. The two questions I asked, "Do you PROMISE you got the right windshield", and "Do you PROMISE it will take less than an hour"? She told me YES for both questions. Sure enough, in 45 minutes the technician came in with the keys.
I was outta there and on to my next stop.
  I have been having problems sending faxes to my dad, then the copier stopped working. So Saturday I went out and bought a new printer/ fax/ copier. Sunday I started unhooking the old one, and it started back printing. I called my dad today, and he said "Oh yea, I just got a fax from you asking if your fax was working." Yes, it works. So, now I have this printer on my table, and the old one is back working.
I load this 50 pounder in the car and carry it with me to town. So, after the car repairs I am off to Staples. I start sweating about now. By the time I HAUL this machine into Staples, I am REALLY sweating. I don't even have a free hand to wipe my forehand, let alone under my boobs! I get it returned, then off to Lowe's. Now, it's 95 degrees outside. Why in the heck do they have their doors propped open. Are they crazy or not?! I get my items from there. By 11:30 I was on my way home and pass Sherrill on his way to lunch.
  From a woman's perspective, all of the above tasks should have been a MAN'S job. But, Sherrill has been working so hard, and he has been outside everyday in the heat, so I decided I would help him out.
When he comes home from work today he asks me if I will take him BACK to town, he needs to go to the paint store. On our way to town he comments about how CLEAN the windshield. Then it hits me, it's not CLEAN it is CLEAR. It is NOT tinted. All this morning that HOT sun was baking me. Everyone knows that BLACK Buick Rendezous ALL have dark tinting on them, even the windshield.
Not any more. I pointed this out to Sherrill, and he immediately called the insurance company (poor Wanda). When we got home I called the glass company and they assured me it was the right windshield. It's not the same windshield they took out!  Now I have to figure out WHY I have a different windshield. Any suggestions or comments about this problem would be appreciated.
  So now it's 9:00, I am cool, but still frustrated because I had to sweat today.
  This old woman does NOT like sweat! Perhaps tomorrow I will just stay inside where it is cool!

Happy Anniversary Christy and Kurt

Happy Anniversary Young'uns.
Hope you can sneak away and celebrate in style. Just drop the kids off at my house.....yes, I'll even watch Big mac!

PIE

OLD FASHIONED BANANA CREAM PIE 1 pie crust (9 inch), baked 3 tablespoons cornstarch 1 2/3 cups water 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk 3 egg yolks, beaten 2 tablespoons butter 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3 medium bananas lemon juice whipped cream In heavy saucepan, dissolve cornstarch in water; stir in sweetened condensed milk and egg yolks. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat; add butter and vanilla. Cool slightly. Slice 2 bananas; dip in lemon juice and drain. Arrange on bottom of prepared crust. Pour filling over bananas; cover. Chill 4 hours or until set. Spread top with whipped cream. Slice remaining banana; dip in lemon juice, drain and garnish top of pie. Refrigerate leftovers.

What's for dinner.......dessert?

What's for dinner?
Sherrill had grilled smoke sausage with onions and peppers with black eyed peas and boiled potatoes.

Jack had grilled chicken, and some ground beef.

I had tacos and watergate salad!

I thought I would be able to quit fixing 2 or 3 different meats at mealtime once the kids left. Sherrill and I don't always eat the same foods, and I had been waiting for tacos the entire time Kat was here. I finally got them, but had to share with Jack!

Fun things

   I LOVE looking at items that other people have made, and usually thinking, "OH I can make that".
It always looks easier than it is.
   I want to try this though. Can't you imagine a doll quilt with a little turtle appliqued on it? Or maybe a little pillow. I love the little toenails!
   Photos from lilypadquilting.blogspot.com

Christmas Countdown

Christmas Countdowns at WiddlyTinks.com

School News

Cameron and Olivia should have started to school this week.
So, how did things go?
Who starts next, the Blegens or the Rollers?
Hope everyone got their new shoes and new clothes!

Happy Birthday Cindy and Aunt Louise

Today is Cindy's (Evans) 20th birthday and Aunt Louise's 79th.
Happy Birthday!

Meghan and the Flamingo

A few weeks ago Meghan and Seth went with us to visit Grandma Cat. We went to visit Tristen, my niece. We were in their garage and saw this humongous Pink Flamingo. It was just SCREAMING Meghan's name. She's the child that LOVES flamingos. We loaded it in the car, and she carried it home
with her. I never realized how large this thing was in relations to Meg's small body.
  Meg, hope you are feeding the flamingo!

Quiet House

The house is quiet.
   Kathy and the kids are gone. She flew out at 5:30 our time. Arrives in Phoenix around 9:30 our time. Meets up with Joe (He has been working there), then they all fly home together around 11:00. Sherrill is betting her that Joe puts her and the kids together on the plane, and he slips away and sits somewhere else. Joe said it depends on if Isaac sleeps or not.
   Cindy flies out early in the morning.
   Hope everyone has a safe and uneventful trip.
   On our way back from the airport, Interstate  40 was shut down somewhere in the Wilsons Mill area.
We had to travel down the back roads. The SBI was out everywhere, not the highway patrol. I still don't know what was going on. It wasn't mentioned on the news.
  Good night!

Kids will be Kids

4 Water guns
3 Kids (Eli inside)
1 Aunt Kathy
1 Water hose
EQUALS........
Lots of FUN!

Wishing for a girl

 Now, if there was a little "Roller" girl, everything would be JUST RIGHT!

Happy Birthday Abby

Happy Birthday to YOU
Happy Birthday to YOU
Happy Birthday dear Abby
Happy Birthday to YOU!


Hope you have a great day today!

GOLD I tell ya!

Why not go to Colorado to pan for gold. There are 48 counties that are great for panning for gold and with gold at it's all time high we could make back what we spent on the trip and maybe even more. Today for just 1 gram it could make you $50.83. 1 ounce would make you $1581.00. Just think put all the kids in the river and let them make money. What an adventure it would be. All they would need is a pan.

Yellowstone

What do you think about Yellowstone. Lot's of stuff to see and there are lot's of large homes in that area. Some are on river's and some are just a stone's throw from Yellowstone. http://www.vrbo.com/144262 http://www.vrbo.com/82011 http://www.vrbo.com/151009 Have you ever been??

Here is a spot that i found, it looks very cool, and its in florida. Take a look. http://www.vrbo.com/95109 -Tristen

Vacation 2013

 
 In case you are wondering about Christy's last post, here's the info.  Cindy came by yesterday and we were discussing vacation plans. One of the suggestions was Canada. The only drawback for Canada is everyone would have to have passports. There are a lot of lakes and streams for fishing, small communities for sightseeing and shopping, and should be a nice cultural change (especially trying to talk to the French Canadians)!
  So, pick a city, find a house, post some pictures and let's see what we come up with. Sherrill still wants to go to New Orleans again.
  Right now we are thinking about summer 2013.

Alaska

I vote we all go to Alaska for the Salmon run next year. The good months are May, June and July. No passports are needed to go there. http://www.vrbo.com/140046

Playing in the Heat

Kat took this picture of the kids playing outside the other day.
Everyone is happy, and no one fussing........not at the moment anyway.
Cousins, cousins, cousins! They seem to be having fun!

Condolences

This was the news for today.

DEPUTIES: Elderly Man's Death Suspicious

Deputies say they are investigating the suspicious death of an elderly man on July 4th.

The body of Ralph Jones was found late last night at his home on Slick Rock Road, outside of Goldsboro.

Wayne County deputies say friends of the man called 911. The 81-year-old man's body will be sent to Chapel Hill for an autopsy.

Anyone with information on the man's death should call the Wayne County Sheriff's Office at 919-731-1481 or Wayne County Crime Stoppers at 919-735-2255.

  There's really no nice way to tell the story. Wendy and Cindy's grandfather was killed last night. I don't think there are a lot of details right now.  

  Our sympathies go out to Wendy, Cindy, their families, and their mom. It wasn't too long ago that their Grandma died. I can't even imagine anything like this happening. We love you girls. Stay strong.

  

How I spent my 4th of July......

No cooking!
No fireworks!
Just bumming around and watching Jack. He's sick. He has an upset tummy.
This is how Isaac started his day. He slept in late!

I did make that orange dessert today. Wow, it is REALLY good. I'm glad I found that recipe.
That's all for now. Time to go watch some more Redneck Vacation. Oh what old folks do for fun!?
HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY AMERICA!

Happy 4th of July!

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hope its great. Dont get hurt when shooting fireworks! love you all. -Tristen

Kids and electronics

   I couldn't understand Isaac's fascination with electronic devices until the other night. Kat was sitting back on the couch reading from her iphone, and Eli was at the table on the laptop playing games. So what was Isaac to do but go crawl in my desk chair to watch itunes on my computer (Yo gabba gabba episodes). In the seat of the chair he also had the ipad with more Yo gabba gabba.
   Isaac is only doing what he sees others do. Kinda like following the leader. Why worry with playing with a ball or a truck, when you have lights and sound coming from all of these devices.

Monitor is set up high so he can't reach it! 

This is where he spends most of his day.

I want some of this......

Orange Fluff Jello Salad Recipe:

1 large package Cook and Serve vanilla pudding
1 large package orange jell-o
2 cups water
1 16 oz Cool-Whip (lite or fat-free is fine)
1/2 bag mini marshmallows 

1 can pineapple tidbits (Any size, depending on your preference)

1 can mandarin oranges (Any size, depending on your preference)

2 bananas, sliced (Optional, put in before serving so they don't turn brown in the fridge)

Mix together pudding, Jell-o, and water over medium heat until it boils. Remove from heat and pour into a large mixing bowl. Refrigerate until mixture has thickened (about an hour). Beat until creamy. Fold in Cool Whip, marshmallows, and fruit. Chill about an hour before serving.