A New Project.....

Now that I have my Christmas Curtains done, I want to try one of these!
Christmas is coming early this year!

Eli and Chris ~ Brothers being Brothers

This is Eli and Chris on their last luncheon out with their mom in Reno.

On the Road Again......

Eli, Fido, Eva, and Kat
Katie is hiding under Eva

Walking the dogs. Somebody has to do it!

August Birthdays

 8th     Austin Stokely's Birthday
16th    Uncle Joey's Birthday
19th    Brooke Stokely's Birthday
21st    Jeff McKeel's Birthday

Congratulations Cameron

Repeat...... Stolen from Facebook......but proud of him nonetheless~

Today in the Quay

Young Racer from Fuquay-Varina is among the Best in the USA

Cameron Murray is a young bandolero racer in the USLCI. This is his first full year and so far he has claimed the 6th position in the nation out of 105 in his age group (outlaw). This week he will complete the Bojangles Summer Shootout series at the Charlotte Motor Speedway with many others from all over the US and then finish the year out at his local tracks. He runs at Wake County Speedway, Southern National Speedway and East Carolina Speedway.

New Adventures......

Yes, everyday is a new adventure....... just ask Christy.  Christy is off this week camping with a group of young women (teenagers). I know there are at least 20, and could be more. This is really stepping out of her norm of life on the farm, and air conditioning.

Then there's Kathy. She should be loading up and moving on down the road today to meet up with Joe. Chris stays behind to work for another 2 weeks before he reports back to school. Can't you imagine Kat and Eli in a moving truck with 3 dogs. I would hate to be a part of that excitement!

She has promised a picture.

As for me, I resume my volunteer jobs this week. I had taken off the month of July to relax and catch up on some things. But now, it's back to work, (without the pay).

As for Mandy, we all know every day is an adventure! 

And for Kelli..... good luck with potty training twins! That should be quite the adventure! Don't give up on it....hang in there. It will save you big bucks in the end.

So, get out there and enjoy life. Make every day an adventure!

Poor Sherrill .......

Sherrill brought me a big spotlight and sat down a chair in front of me. He asked me to look in the roof of his mouth to see why it was itching. I looked, but nothing looked strange. I told him I would research it, and you won't believe what I found out.
Itching roofs of mouth come from no other than allergic reactions to cats ! Who would have thought?
We only have at least 20 cats running around the place...... Really ? ! ? !
Our new neighbor Mashawn came over last week with her mom and asked permission to call the Humane Society to have them picked up. I told her to go for it..... they weren't my cats, just please tell them to leave the calico because she belongs to the lady across the street.
I hate to see all of them leave, but I know more will return! ! !

Christmas in July.......Sherrill's Birthday present

Sherrill's Birthday Present

Sherrill's Christmas Present

These were delivered yesterday! 

I was SO excited. They are rope lights attached to metal frames. We carried them in the garage/junk room and plugged them in to make sure they worked. I wanted to take them outside and set them up when it got dark to see how they looked, but the old man wasn't interested. The wheels on the bike are animated, and so ate the elves filling up the stocking.  I can't wait until November to decorate! ! !

Christmas Movies ~~~~ Christmas Fun

Remember back in September when Sherrill was painting my living room and dining room, and I took my curtains down. Well, I never went and bought any to put back up! My plan was to make them, but then the flood came, and the couple moved in, and he dies, and she moves back in..... you get the message here. The other night while watching a Christmas movie I realized I could NOT put up my trees until I get some curtains. I want the same valance that scallops like my old one. So I thought, why not red velvet and fur. I googled it the next day, and this is what I came up with. No, mine will NOT have the tabs on top, and the bottom will be scalloped, and I haven't decided about the leather strip. I have already ordered the fabric, and the fur. Christy had even said she would make them for me. But, I was so excited, I had everything sent to my house, so my up and coming project will be making 4 Santa Curtains! I might even make one for Sherrill's bathroom! ! !

Today my new Christmas tree will be delivered along with two presents for Sherrill (more about those later).  I am SO excited! Christmas is in the air, even if it is 90 degrees outside!

Remembering Orange Cat

Do you remember "Orange Cat" from the July 1st and 2nd posts?
He was one of the ones that follow Sherrill around, and thinks he owns the place.
Well, sad to say, Orange Cat passed away last week. Sherrill found him lying in the front yard, dead from an apparent hit and run. She was able to make it to the middle of the yard before she expired.
I guess now she is in charge of all the feral cats up in heaven!

Friday Visitors

Look at who came for a visit.

They were in town to attend Abby's great Aunt's funeral.

What a lovely surprise!

Brain Dead

Sherrill came in Thursday night at 8:00 PM and told me he had two invoices and three estimates I needed to get out that night. I explained I was tired, and would do it the next day........ but NO, they had to be in Friday morning!  I stopped what I was doing, pulled out the laptop (Quick Books), and started my work. I really don't mind doing the invoicing, because our agreement is I can charge an additional $50.00 charge for each one I do. So, I type out what he has, add on my small fee, and email them. Easy Peasy....... but not at 8:00 PM!

Friday night I go to my room early to just sit back and watch a movie. Somewhere around 9:00 he comes in, "I need the warranty info for the weed eater". Well Sherrill, you had it a couple of weeks ago when you carried it to the repair shop. "I need you to find it for me". I'm thinking, "I'm NOT your mother!"

So I get up, literally drag myself down the hall to go through HIS papers to look for the warranty info.  It only took about 20 minutes and I handed it over to him (after making a copy). Saturday morning he carries the weed eater for repairs, comes in, and throws the paperwork on the kitchen table. It sits there most of the day (me determined NOT to move it), but later finally had to give in after it was covered with food, etc.

Later that night I informed him that the "Office" closes at 4:00 PM. Any requests after that date will have to wait until the next day. He just laughed. Then I spurted out that HE closes at 6:00 PM, so I have two additional hours to get any requests in! ! ! He got a BIG laugh out of that one.

Moral of the story......... When you get old, allow yourself to sit back and enjoy life. Don't make yourself rush to do anything....... except of course running to the bathroom!

Get Ready, Get Set, ..........

Click....... Add to Cart

Prime Day starts at 9:00 PM tomorrow. Get your fingers ready! I'll probably be up all night!
Looking for some great deals.
Go to camelcamelcamel.com to compare Amazon prices before you buy an item.
Happy shopping!

Happy Birthday Abby

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

Better watch it....... You are moving on up! ! !

Special Days in July

 1      Grandma Jeanne
 8      Abby McKeel
13     Cindy Evans
17     Kurt and Christy Anniversary
18     Mandy and Scott Anniversary
22     Aunt Wilma
23     Grandma Cat and Grandaddy Joe
26     Nicolus Evans
27     Daniel Evans
27     Jerrud and Cindy's Anniversary

Wow! ! ! there's a whole lot of partying going on! ! !

Dad and his cats

Sherrill and the Cat

Last weekend Sherrill decided after 11 years that he was going to dig up a stump in the front yard. The dirt around it had washed away, and when I would cut grass, it looked like a sinkhole. Notice that by this point the stump was well below ground level. I told him to just fill in the hole, but he needed to use up some of that testosterone, so he just kept on digging! When he dug out the first shovelful, and threw it on the ground Orange Cat went and sat on top of it. With each shovelful, Orange Cat would go and sniff out the soil, and would wait for the next batch.
Finally he got tired of messing with Orange Cat, so he pushed her out of the way. So, she went two feet away, and laid and watched him until he finished, then followed him to the back yard to watch him carry the stump (it was about 4'long and 1 1/2 ft around!
As for me, I was sitting in the rocking chair at the front window watching him work. I  could have pulled up the window and screen before I took the picture, but that would have been just too much trouble.
As for Orange Cat, she doesn't have a name. She is either third or fourth generation from Grandma Cat. I'm not sure who her mom was, but Carter might remember. She has run the other cats from the patio and has taken over. She does let them hang around though when it's mealtime!

Men ! ! !

I got up this morning at 4:30 to talk to Sherrill before he went to work. With all of his strange schedules recently, he has started this new one of getting up early. I'm not allowed in the kitchen
while he cooks, and I'm not allowed to talk too much. I am there mostly there to listen. He was about ready to walk out the door, and he told me to go to the bank today, and to order his meds. I told him OK, and he walked to the kitchen, I was at my desk.  I could hear him talking baby talk to Jack, telling him to have a good day, etc, patting him on the head, and telling him that he loved him.
I responded quickly, "I didn't get a pat on my head"! He climbs over the dog gate, walks towards me, and pats me on the head, and tells me again to have a good day!

I guess if I had paid 5 grand on something, I would pat it too! ! !

Things are NOT always as they seem......

Two weeks ago I went for a routine visit to the Dr.  I always ask for the slip of paper that they use to file the insurance. When I got home, I noticed a different diagnosis code. I was tired, and just wanted to rest. I called Christy and asked her to look up my new diagnosis code 200.00. I fell asleep, and woke up about 9:00 pm.

I called Christy when I woke up, and asked her what the code was for. She told me reticulorsarcoma. I had never heard of that word before, so she kept repeating it over and over. I asked her what it was, and she replied "some kind of cancer".  I told her thanks, and I was ready to go back to sleep. BUT, I had too many questions, so out comes the iPad. I started researching to see what category I fell in. 

I found one section that fit me perfect..... anemia, high white blood count, yep, it fell into the B Cell Lymphoma. Grandma had leukemia, so I'm following right behind her. Then I decide, oh, I have to check the life expectancy. This is where it got a little unnerving. Life expectancy 6 months to 2 years. OK, that's fine, but these tests were done 2 months ago during a brief visit to the ER. Why was I just now finding this out? Oh yeah, that's right, I didn't wait to see the ER Dr.

I walked out without treatment! My fault for that one!

So, I start making my list....... Things to do to for Sherrill .........

1.  Go online and change all bills to come snail mail, no more emails.

2.  Pull out the life insurance policy, with directions of what will need to be done 

     at the courthouse.

3.  Add his name to my bank account, not to have access while I am alive, just    so he will inherit the money at my death, and not have to wait for probate.

4.  Write a new will. Hand written, notarized will be sufficient.

5.  Make Sherrill a phone book with all the numbers in my phone and address book.

6. Make a list of all websites and login information for Christy, just in case he doesn't get the snail mail.

7.  Teach Phyllis how to use Quick Books so she can do his invoices.

There were lots more, but the big one I had decided on was to plan a family vacation.What's the use of spending insurance money on a funeral? I had much rather spend it on a vacation. So, the choice will be...... attend a funeral, or go on a vacation, or stay at home and wonder........"What are they doing now"?

I was up all night, then had to go to work Tuesday. I was calm and methodical about the entire thing. No tears, no remorse, not even a little upset. Just an old woman on a mission. I had to stop by the Dr office for labs before I went to work. After more blood was drawn, I asked to see the Dr for a minute. She came out, and I told her I did NOT want this diagnosis 200.00, that she needed to change it to something else. She looked at me with a surprised look, and asked, "What's diagnosis 200.00?" I rattled off Reticulorsarcoma, and showed her where I had written it on the slip of paper. She asked, "Where did you get that from?". I showed her.......right here.......as plain as day! She laughed, hugged me and said, "That's not a 2, that's a Z." So I asked her what the Z00.00 code was for, and she said, "Preventative Care......your physical!" I blurt out in my normal excited voice, "So, I'm not going to die?". She patiently replies, "No, Judy, you are not going to die", then gives a slight giggle, followed by the entire lab waiting room bursting out in laughter. I told her, "Well that's good to know.....I have to get to work!" My step that morning had a little more bounce to it, and the smile on my face was larger that it had been when I entered the office.  I had spent all of those hours the night before frivolously.

I am still awaiting lab results, and other tests, but I DO KNOW, it is NOT diagnosis 200.00.  And, by the way, I continue to make my list......just in case! ! 

You KNOW you are OLD when..........

.......You click on all of the "google" images on their search page......just to learn something new!

http://g.co/doodle/k9vnsu

My musical composition!  Try it, it's cool!