Sunday

Today I got up had some time with the kids and then it was time to head to Church.  While in Sunday school I had a hard time not moving around to ease the pain in my arms.  After when it was time for Sunday Services it was worse by now the pain was down my back besides in my arms, the more I moved the worse it seemed to get, before I knew it, my hips were flaring up with pain also.  It was nice to get to my car and sit in the heat for a minute kind of like a sauna but not for long, then it was just hot. lol.
I met up with Daddy and got rid of my trash, we are in a burn ban so you have to haul off your trash not burn it.  After that I got home and had lunch then went into the bedroom with Patience, while she played a game on my computer I layed down to rest and try to get my mind off the pain that had spread into my toes and fingers  plus every joint in between, I don't mean to complain but some days are a lot ruffer than others. 

We made noodles and sauce for dinner with salad, it was a very big hit, we don't call it spaghetti anymore since we don't use that type of noodles. lol.  Then Patience and I headed to Church, by now my pain was starting to subside, it is so strange how it works up to a peak then it starts to fade.  Sometimes it just takes longer than others.

After Church when we got home Patience played some more of her game as I tried to access this on my iPhone with no luck, so I waited for her to get done to write this.  I plan on figuring this out so I can maybe start using the iPhone where my newer pictures are at.  So I am sorry but there are no pictures again tonight. 

Family work day

So today I get up at 6am and was so glad to smell coffee, I had bought a new coffee pot the other day and just hooked it up last night.  My old one would not hold the time to program it, then it got to were it just would not work so I replaced it.  It was very nice to have a little me time, I got a load of towels folded then went out and fed the dogs and cat.   Came back in had my coffee,then I went to get dressed when I came back out of my room, Daddy and Ray were here and Tom was outside with Bruttus.   Brandy and her family got here right after this so I came back in the house with the girls to visit while they ate.  I heard someone making noise down the hall and went to look, Payton was sitting on Misti's bed playing with her phone.  I took him back into the dinning room where the girls were and saw Laurie was outside with little bit, I sat at the table so I could talk with the kids and Payton took off down the hall, I followed him to see what he was doing, he had gone to wake his sister up so she would not miss out on seeing the girls.  Payton really looks out for Patience and she in her way looks out for him also.  So now all 4 grandkids are in the dinning room with me and I am trying to make sure they each have what they want for breakfast.  Wow what fun, I sure miss the girls and Laurie's girls being small.  They were not all this age at the same time but still yet getting to go thru this with the four of them makes me compare with now quite often.

Today the group split into two, Daddy, Ray, Laurie, Tom and Brandon were in one group and Brandy, Misti and I were in the other group.  Daddy's group worked in the front yard cutting down damaged trees and My group mainly worked in the back doing tree removal by cutting out the young trees that had started growing in my flower beds.  Plus this way we were able to keep an eye on the little ones that were playing on the swing set.  Every once in a while we went to the front to see what the others were doing, I could not believe all that was done and it was not 10:00 am yet.  The last thing done in the yard today was daddy took the3 tractor and brought more dirt into the front from the pasture so he could block off the boxers escape route, they had found right next to where we had blocked the fence where they had been getting out was another spot they could use.  So Daddy put a bucket (tractor bucket) of dirt there and them they worked it out to cover that area. Tom later told me" It was rather comical to watch the boxers come running towards the front like they were ready to hit the neighborhood, they got to the fence and saw the dirt blocking their way and you could see their bodies slump as they turned and walked back around to the back yard."  I told him "I have got to include this in my blog, John will love this." 

So by now it is getting rather warm out side so it is time to go in and cool off.  Daddy stayed for a bit to visit and then he and Ray went to Daddy's to move a washer.  Tom and Brandon then took down my chandelier above my table and put up a great ceiling fan.  For lunch we made Mexican salad and everyone was able to eat all they wanted with plenty left.  Then the guys went into Patience's room and took her light down and put up her ceiling fan, we are both so tickled with our fans and our new lights.  When we were finished with the work Brandy and Brandon headed over to his Mom's to wish her a Happy Birthday.  We came in from seeing them off and Payton went down for a nap, Laurie and Tom decided to rest for a bit before they headed home so I went into Patience's room and laid down to nap while she played.  When Laurie and Tom got up they went to the gate and reset the timer where the gate now closes fast than it had been.  Not long after this they headed home.   All in all I think our work day went great.  Next month there will be more things to do but with lots of hand it goes faster.   Thanks to everyone of you for all your wonderful help.  I love you guys!!!!

Yes it sure is Friday

So today I could not get out of bed, every time I would open my eyes it was like "Mommy just five more minutes PLEASE"  I waited so late to get up that I had to just put mousse in my hair and go, normally I get it wet to make it easier to style.  So I got to work and got quite a bit done today, and we were rather busy between the phone and folks coming to enroll.  It makes the day go so fast when you are busy.  I was asked more than once when was I leaving and I kept saying as soon as I get done with this, then I would find other things to do.
So I got off at 2pm instead of at noon like I thought but I got a lot done so that is all that matters. So today we enrolled a few more for prek, so that brings them up to 13 and I handed out a few more forms that have not been returned yet.
When I got home we got ready and went to the store to go shopping for groceries and school stuff.  Then it was off to McDonald's for dinner, they have recently remodled it and took away the play area, it looks nice, I could not believe some of the kids in there that were not being watched.  One little boy (about 6) was standing at the drink machine and was holding down the handle to make the tea squirt out and just kept on no cup there or anything just playing, later he got the ketchup handle and was squirting it, the mom was not watching him at all she was busy visiting. Grr I don't know why some people do not think to watch their children when they take them out.
So when we got to the car I looked at my phone and saw Laurie had sent me a message to say they were on the way down.  It will be so nice to sit and visit this evening. 

Thursday is almost Friday

Well this morning when the alarm went off I did not want to get up, I hit the snooze for the first time in a long while, when it went off again I felt like I had overslept.  I jumped up and hurried to the shower, got dressed and ran out the door.  Went by Daddy's for a few minutes then left for work.   I got there a good hour before anyone else and still did not get everything done I had hoped for, I will work half a day tomorrow and I hope to be done.  There is a lot more to updating this system than I had thought and I really don't have anyone to go to for help since we are all in the same boat with this upgrade.   Any school that does not go to it this year will have to next and it could be harder then, since all the techs will be busy with the deadline being then.

After work I went into town for a few minutes then decided to run to the city, to go to Sam's to get somethings I wanted for work.  Misti, Kris and the kids went with me and we went out for dinner afterwards at Primos, an Italian restaurant, it was OK and their bread was great but the food was just OK.  I got eggplant parm. Patience got mac and cheese, Payton got pizza, Kris got chicken marsalas, and Misti got spaghetti.
We then went to Braums after for a cold treat on the way home.
When we got home we saw Scout and Charlie were out of the yard, they are some how or other getting out and then got back in when we drove in.

Workshop part 2

So today I awoke after a rough night, I had gone to bed with a very bad headache and kept waking up to check the time.  Don't you hate when that happens?  Daddy called to let me know my cousin Micheal had lost his house and everything in a fire during the night,luckily everyone got out safely. I can't imagine.  Thank you Jesus for keeping me safe.
I got ready and went to the school to meet up with a co-worker to head back to the city for day 2 of workshops.  This time I stopped to get a cup of coffee on the way so I would not have a repeat of yesterdays headache.  We headed that away and had a nice visit with traffic not being that thick.  When we got there they were serving a goodbye breakfast to all the attendee that were coming for the day.  So I was able to get more coffee, yum. 
It is so nice to go to a workshop and get what they are saying, after these years of working in the office it is all making sense and I understand what they are talking about.  I did not think I would be this comfortable with this, the last two years as I have attended it has not all been very understandable. 
When I got back to work I was able to get some reports done, I will still have to go in in the morning but it should not take all day.  This is my last weekend of summer so I am hoping to enjoy it to the max, yard work and all.

Workshops with food shows

Today I got up at 5 am so I could be ready to leave for the workshop by 530.  I did not stop for coffee as I figured there would be plenty when I got to the city.  Needless to say this is the first workshop that I have been to that did not have coffee.  Other than that it was a very good workshop, we went to 3 different breakout sessions then it was time for us to go to the food show, since we are directors and buyers we were able to go into the food show 2 hours before the rest of the attendees, there were lots of samples to try and lots of new items that have been generated for school to try to get more children eating in lunchrooms.  We could tell when the others were allowed to enter as the crowd swelled.
After the food show we had 3 more breakouts to go to, then it was time to head home to return in the morning for more classes.
By the time I got home I had such a headache from not having caffeine today.  I am heading to bed early so I may shake this pain.

working on not doing anything, shopping for fans

So today I woke up to the sound of rain, it has been a long time since that has happened.  I went to have coffee with Daddy then went to work, the server was down so I was not able to do any online work.  Got a few things done then I said I'm done and went to the bank then home.

 Once I got home we decided to go shopping for the new ceiling fan for over the table, found one that I think will work.  Then got a text about a new mother needing diapers and formula, so we ran into walmart to get that.  Took it to art teacher's house so she could deliver it instead of me. Then the kids got to play with her new baby miniature horse plus her donkey and goat.  They really enjoyed that, Payton kept saying "we need to buy one of these" it was so cute.  When we got ready to leave the little horse kept following Payton not wanting him to leave, it made me think of a little puppy.
Now it is off to bed I need to leave the school at 5:30 for a meeting in the city starting at 7am. :(

Church, relaxing on Sunday

So this morning I got up and showered to try to get the stiffness out, I decided to skip Sunday school and give it a little more time before I got in the car. Payton and I went outside to feed the dogs and cats while my coffee was making. When it was time for Church I went to leave and saw Charlie laying in the food bowl cause he is just too lazy to stand up to eat, we took a picture of him then I left for Church and had a wonderful service but hurt so bad I could hardly sit still, I think I squirmed more than the children did.  After Church i went to town to get a little groceries and to pick up some of my meds.  I ran into a few friends and had a nice visit, then headed home for lunch and a nap.

This food bowl is a 55 gallon drum that has been cut in half

 Well I got lunch but not the nap, I layed down on the couch and watched Barney with the kids for a while then Ray called so I went to see him in town for a bit then came back to get ready for night time disciple training and services.  Patience went with me tonight and had a good time, she has not gone in a while due to wanting to hang with her parents as on Sunday is when they normally are able to all be together and do stuff. 
I have decided to go back on my humira shots to see if that will help with the pain.  I went off them last year due to having surgery and they make my immune system even weaker than the other meds I am on do.  Plus this summer with all my traveling I was not able to take then as they have to stay refrigerated and that would be difficult.  I am home for the school year and no surgeries on the horizon so I have no more excuses.
We are getting a little rain this evening, quite a bit of thunder and a little rain, hopfully it will go on all night.

Chillin at home

Today we slept in, I think all my travels have finally caught up with me.  After we awoke and got out of bed i got the coffee started then the kids and i sat down to talk about today's plans while they had breakfast.  Misti ran to town to get some stuff done and to get a few groceries for us and Daddy.  The kids and I decided today would be a house work day so we divide the chores up with the promise of using the vacuume when each room was done.  they really like to vacuum, so when my room was done Payton got to vacuum it and when Patience's room was done she got to vacuum it and we let Misti vacuum her room when she got in.  with all of us working we got a bit done and all pitched in.  For lunch we had ham and cheese sandwiches plus some grapes that Misti got for us.  On of the chores Payton had was to work up the grapes by taking them off the stems.  I showed him how with a few, he picked them up and ate them then he started removing the grapes but instead of putting them in the bowl he ate them, it took quite awhile till we got any in the bowl.  Ha Ha.  Patience had a cantaloupe to scoop the seeds out of as one of her chores, plus she had to make jell-o so we could place the grapes in the cantaloupe and pour jell-o into it so when it sets up and you slice it you have a smile. We shall have them for desert tomorrow. 
So for dinner we had Daddy over to have curry with us, the kids and I just loved the curry, none of us can figure out why we don't have it more often.  Then after dinner I got a phone call to see if I could go to the school and open the board room to let the board pres in so he could get some phone numbers for the candidates who were not selected.  From there I went to Braums to get Patience and I a cold treat, Payton was already in bed so I will get him something later.  I told Brandy I had lost 3 pounds recently and so now I need to give them a going away party.  Ha ha  Well it is off to bed so I can get up in time for church.

Working on my new program, going out for a special meal

When I finally fell asleep, I slept like a rock,   The alarm woke me with a start.  I felt like I had over slept but no it was just my imagination.  I got into the shower and then got dressed for another day at my job.  I went over to have coffee with Daddy, I remembered to tell him about the deer and he seemed to really get a kick out of it.  We then talked about the board meeting and my impression of the new supertindent.  From there I went to school with today being Friday I am suppose to get off at noon, unless I get side tracked.  Not long after I got to work the one of the ladies, from the company that will be supplying us with our program, called to see if I was ready for the next step in the insulation, I told her I was and that I had watched the training videos, so she told me that I would need to input the school calendar so the program would know when our days off for breaks would be and also when our 9 weeks would end.I was to call her back after I had this step done.  I had to call the switch board back so they could notify her that I was ready and she called again and the told me what the next step would be and so we got the whole thing set up by making one call after another with a step explained in each call.  Just as I was getting to the final step two of our board members plus  our new Super came in with his wife, so he could sign his contract with us, I stopped working on the program and got a contract drawn up, we now have a supertindant under contract so it is official.  I went back to working on the program with one eye on the clock, I had told Misti I would get off at twelve and we would go to the city to see  Brandy and her family, then go out for dinner at Cheddars, one of my favorite restaurants.  When I got home and we were loading up the car to head towards Brandy's my cell rang and it was the air con man that I had called this morning to come work on the schools air, he had told me he could not get to it till Saturday, so I was suppose to meet him at the school to let him in sometime Saturday, anyways he was calling to let me know he would be able to do it right then if I could meet him there so I said sure, I told Misti I will swing by the school on our way out, then take the back road to Shawnee and grab lunch for us to eat as we were traveling to the city. Now I don't have to worry about needing to be close by for when he calls.  Today was going so smooth, it was alot better than Thursday had been. 
We had a great visit with Brandy and family, then we all went to Cheddars and got dinner, onion rings, edamame, Monte Cristo sandwich ,oh my, yum yum.  Afterwards we went school supply shopping, Misti was needing to get Patience some things and I had told our JOM sponsor that I would get the crayons for the JOM kids and the paper folders that they would need.  Our cashier was great about running 100 folders and 60 boxes of crayons thru and comping the price that office depo had it all going for.  Once we got done with all this it was time to head back to Seminole. As we got home I heard the boxers growling at something and one of my cats crying, they had bulldogged the cat when it came into the yard for a drink and would not let it out of the yard, I grabbed the boxers and Misti tried to get the cat out, it was so scared it would not move, I told Misti to change place with me, she came and grabbed the dogs, I went into the house and got a towel to cover the scared cat with, so I would not get scratched, I got him out of the yard, and we all came in to go to bed.

Todays the day

OK so I got up this morning after a great night of sleep and knew today was THE day!  I was getting my new student information system program today! YEAH, I was going to play on it while the board meeting was going on and it was going to be great.   Now it is time to wake up to the real world, but I will get to that soon.
After I fed my darling dogs I headed to Daddy's to see how his night went and to have some coffee, on the way there about 1 mile from my house I saw a doe, she was just standing there looking around and enjoying the morning, I remembered at that point that I had forgotten to tell Daddy that Nicole and I saw 22 geese walking across the road near his house, when we returned from Chicago, single file in no hurry ,cause they knew they had the right- a- way, they just took their time, it was a wonderful sight.
So when I got there we got busy talking about this and that and I plum forgot the deer and the geese.  I had bought some sweet rolls last night at the store and I knew if I kept them here I would eat the whole package so I took them there and gave them to Daddy so he could have them later in the day or for breakfast in the morning.
When I got to work I started pulling files of students that needed to be rotated, and taking out the shot records that had not been inputed so far this year, I was going to use this as my new info to input when my program was up.  I got the call and remoted the tech in and found out we needed to have access to the server so I called the school PC techs and one of them came out from Shawnee and helped me get the remote access for the server, it then took the rest of the day for this to be updated, from 10:00 am till 2:15 pm  I have a clean office now, cause I could not get on the PC while this was all going on ,so I cleaned.   When she was done I asked her" so what do I do now to get on the program? "  and she replied "Tomorrow they will call you with a new password"can you believe this? I have waited all summer for this day to get here to have it fall apart, oh well I did not have time at the board meeting to do this anyway.  I was disappointed but I know there will be enough time to use this, I was working at my desk when I was asked by our male custiodian where my husband works, it is not any easier now than it was a year and a half ago to tell anyone, little did I know this was just the warm up.
So after work I went home and made some fried rice, I had told Daddy I would have it made before I went to the meeting, well it was still cooking when he got there so we got to visit for a bit then when it was done Daddy ate then we went outside to move a little dirt with the tractor so the boxers would not go under the gate any more, not long after that Daddy went home, then Misti and kids got to the house so they were able to eat then the kids and I played hideouts, where you get a blanket and put it over your head so you cant be seen except by the people under the blanket with you, I told Patience how her and Pappy use to take blankets and put them over the table so it would make a big tent and the would play there so we decided to use the dinning room table and after I got it set up I told them I need to leave for work so I will see you tomorrow.
I got to meet each of the prospective Supers, I was pretty surprised when as they came in each one would come up to my window and say "You must be Jenny", Each one had been to the schools website and knew who was who, It was kind of comical when the first one greeted me and said   You must be Jenny and you are the High School Secretary, I thought wow they need to update that page cause I am a lot more than that, but the new guy will find that out soon enough.  Each one was very friendly but I guess if you want a job you are going to go in friendly, they arrived about half an hour apart, so they hung out at my office visiting with me while they waited to be called into the board room.  See there was not time for the PC.  Two different candidates asked me where my husband worked tonight, like I said this morning was just  the warm up, I got on my phone and texted my friend and told her I needed my umbrella, so we chatted for a bit then I told her I was OK and  would not cry at work.  I don't know what I would do without her, she makes me smile and helps me keep on keeping on.  Well it is off to bed for this tired lady.

Work, Work, Work

So today I got up and got a nice warm shower, it felt so good on my poor joints and back.  Then I got ready for work and headed out the door.  When I got there I saw I was the first one so I made the coffee and then looked towards the door and saw there was light coming in where there should not have been, I went to investigate and saw that someone had the door propped open a little where it was pulled to but not shut, I went across the cafeteria and saw the door one the other side was the same way.  Anyone could have come in during the night and gotten into anything.  This really frustrates me, some times I just feel like most of the people there just don't really care about somethings like this.

I went into my office and sat down to work.  Later it seemed there was one interruption after another, so I don't feel like I got much accomplished today but I know tomorrow will be better cause I will get my new system then get to work late for the board meeting so maybe I will have time to play around on it while they are interviewing.   

When Jean our lady custodian came in I told her about finding the doors not closed cause I figured she is the last one to leave and should have been the one to close them she did not seem too surprised, I guess she had them propped while she was waxing for ventilation and did not check to make sure they closed all the way.

So I was in the kitchen chopping veggies for tomorrow nights fried rice, and Daddy was resting on the couch when the phone rang and it was Mark calling to tell Daddy that he was at the house with the motor for the ac.  Daddy called later to let me know it was up and running so he would stay there tonight and I would go over for coffee in the morning.

I went out side to clean out the dogs water bowl ( tank) while it was refilling I went to pulled the grass from the flower bed and turned to look, Charlie had climbed into the tank and was laying down, when I went for the camera he jumped out.  The water bowl and the flower bed both look better.

When I came in I got on Facebook and shared memories with Ray and John.  It is nice to remember things, I had a bit of a scare last night, Daddy asked me what misti's dogs name was and I did not know.  Then I told him I thought maybe Sweet Pea but was not sure.  I am thinking it might be time to go talk to a Dr. but I am a little scared of what I might find out.  we will see.

Tinkering around with this and that

So today Daddy and I had coffee here at the house while we discussed what we each hoped to accomplish today.  Daddy took the tractor and moved some dirt from the field to the front fence to see if my bright darling boxers would be contained.  So far so good. 
I went to work and got some of my student information programs upgraded, in preparation for Thursday's big change with it, when this is all done I can work from home at night and on the weekends when I need to do eligibility and state department reports, it will be a great asset.
after work I went to Wal-mart I think this is the first time I have gone since  got back from Brandy's. When I was finished I stopped by Daddy's to let him know we were having Chef salad for dinner tonight and tomorrow night maybe fried rice. ( He had told me the other day not to worry about him for meals unless of course I was making fried rice. Ha Ha)

Misti and her children left not long after I got home, to go see Kris for a couple of days in Pryor.  Daddy and I got a few things done around here then  made the salad.  After dinner we went outside to look around at this and that (to look for the boxers), we counted and  I have 8 or 9 melons on my volunteer watermelon plant that has taken over my rose garden.  Misti and I were both saying we don't know how many time we have tried to grow watermelon and never had luck, this one came up on its own and is doing great.
After we got done outside we were looking out the back and Charlie was standing in the ice cooler that had been left on the porch full of ice.  Never a dull moment with these 2.
I thought I would be able to input some photos of my babies but that will have to wait till I am at work, my Internet will not carry the load. 

Its always in the last place you look,( cause you quit looking.)

So today started off with me not sleeping very well due to the fear of not hearing the alarm clock for my first day back to work.  I am so glad Daddy called, when I heard the phone I went ahead and got out of bed and went to the shower.  After getting ready for work I went out to feed the dogs and noticed the boxers were gone.  When I got in the car to leave I saw that they were outside the yard.  I went down the drive and opened the gate, Charlie came in the when he saw Cheyenne had stayed out he tried to go back out, I got the gate closed behind my car with Charlie still in the yard, Cheyenne came up to me just wagging her stub, she thought she had out smarted me but i reached down and picked her up and placed her over the fence.  I was so busy thinking who out smarted who. then it dawned on me I had just showed both of them another escape route.  The dogs are smarter than I am, I guess.  I drove just a little down the road and stopped, I was able to watch to see where they were getting out of so I can block it tonight.  I am so glad Daddy called and woke me a little earlier than I had planned.

I stopped at Daddy's for coffee and so we could visit about what we would do with the dogs, and Daddy told me his ac is on the fritz again.  We decided that he would come over to the house and stay there once he talked to the ac guys, so he would not get overheated.

I really enjoyed going back to work today it was nice to be back.  The janitor and custodians were the only workers there today so I was able to get quite a bit done for my rollover of school years.. Tomorrow I will need to have it all finished before 10 am so when the accounting firm we use calls I can give them the info and have my system ready to start the next cycle.

I got off about 3 so I came home and saw the dogs out side the fence again and got them back in. Then I went into the house and sat in the living room for a few minutes trying to think where my ipod could be, it has been about a month since I misplaced it.  I can see myself sitting on my blue couch and having it by my leg.  I have moved the couch, I have lifted the cushions, I have looked under the couch with a flash light.  nothing!  Then today I decided to look between the recliner part of the couch and the rest of it, for some reason my eyes went down and on the frame of the recliner lay my ipod.  I was so happy to have my stuff back.
When Misti, Kris and the kids got home I said something to Patience about my iPhone and she did not notice I had two of them, Payton told me YOU FOUND IT!  He was so happy to listen to his Joe song again.

When Daddy came over we looked at the fence and Daddy put some wire trays to block the dogs from getting out, he just knew we would not need to worry anymore.  We were in the house and I said something about the boxers being out and Daddy said no they cant be out, he looked and saw they were out by the trash cans.

Dad and Ray talked this evening about the boxers finding their way out of the yard and decided we will put a hot wire on the bottom of the fence and see what happens next.  Will keep you posted.

Coming Home

Today, Brandy wore me to let me know it was 8:00am, I got up and got a shower.  Time to get dressed for Church.  When I was dressed I went into the kitchen to have a cup of coffee. 
We left for Church and sang a wonderful song, I just love Chruch music, after we sang and had  prayer we went into Sunday school classes, the adult class is studing the book of Matthew right now. One of my favorite books of the Bible.

When we went back into the shanchuary we sang some great songs.  Brandon did and awsome job of preaching today, he always does a great time but todays was just awsome.  he preached on trials and tribulations, how even when you are a good person bad things happen, but it just depends on how you react to them.   Could you be like Job and being tested?

After Church we went back to Brandy&Brandon's with Hollee, Scott, Mattison and Makenzie.  We had pot roast with carrots,potatoes and onions.  We also had pasta and cheese, green beans, salad and warm rolls.  It was savory.   For desert we had some more of the mint brownies the girls helped me make.
I headed home after lunch, stopping in Shawnee at Lowe's to look for a ceiling fan to put over my dinning room table, no luck, all they had took the small light bulbs I am wanting to get one that uses regular size light bulbs.

So I headed to Pink Swirl, a frozen yogurt shop.  I knew I would not find the ceiling fan there but they did have some great yogurt. Ha Ha.

I got home and played with my boxer babies for a little while then went into the house to get out of the heat.,
since I was tired I layed down for a little bit and chatted with a friend on Face book for a bit.  About the time I was getting heavy eyed the alarm clock went off for me to get ready for evening Church .

After Church I was able to play with Patience and Payton for a little bit before Payton had to go to bed.  Patience and I then went outside so she could show me how she could toss a ball in the air and hit it with her tee ball bat.  We then sat down to watch food network star.  Now we are heading off to bed so I can head off to work in the morning.  This has been a great summer.

My first IPhone

So today I got up as Brandy was leaving for her workshops, went into the kitchen to make coffee, as I was measuring out the grounds I felt someone come up to me and give me a hug, it startled me at first, Makenzie was just waking up and came into the kitchen to find me.

While the coffee made we talked about what we would do today.  After the coffee was finished I poured myself a cup and sat at the table.  Mattison woke about then and joined us in the kitchen, we decided on oatmeal bars for breakfast then we would make brownies for tonight's desert.

We had a great time making the brownies, while they were baking we unwrapped Andes mints, so we could place them on the hot brownies to make a nice frosting.

Brandon came in not long after the brownies got out of the oven and I told him Misti was on the way up, she had gotten her new phone and was bringing me her IPhone so I could use it for a little while before mine was do an upgrade so I would know if this is what I wanted.

We got to listen to Mattison read us two chapters from her book today then we wrote a short story with Makenzie's sight words so she could read it to her Mom and Dad, they will be surprised.

We had McDonalds for lunch and Brandy made it in as we were starting so she was able to join us.  It was very nice to visit with Nicole, Misti, Brandy and Brandon while the kids played.  When it was time for Misti to take her charges home I went down the hall to tell them they were going and Payton said he did not know where the girls were.  I looked in the toy room and Makenzie's room with no luck, I went into Mattison's room and saw the blankets moving on the bed, they had made the bed over themselves so we would not find them.  Ha ha. When I looked at Payton and told him "I guess you will have to go home without Patience", he said " I will  find her", and pulled the blanket down.

After Misti and Nicole left with the girls, Brandy and I went to the AT&T store so they could move my stuff over and put a data package on the phone for me, it took quite a while as the gentleman we wanted was helping others.  When we got back to the house we found out the phone was not ready as we needed to remove everything on it so it could sync on  my computer without it thinking it was Misti's. I now have most of the stuff done, other than putting photos, phone numbers and songs on it. Ha ha.  It will take time I guess.  I had too many apps for the phone.

Tonight we had hot dogs and chips for dinner then some wonderful brownies for desert.  The girls really liked eating what they made.  Makenzie asked if we could make them again next time.

Spending the day with two Granddaughters

So today I woke up earlier than I have in quite a while, it was 6:45 am.  Can you believe that!  Brandy was ready to head out to her workshop and Brandon had already left for work.  Makenzie was awake already and so we visited while I made coffee, when the coffee was done we practiced Makenzie"s sight words, after that we woke Mattison up so that we could have breakfast , Mattison got to read a chapter of Junie B Jones to us after we were done eating.  Later we played Yahtzee, then decided the winner would get to pick out the game we would play after lunch.  Mattison was the winner so she had some time to think about her choice while we played catch, to work on hand and eye coordination, the way we did this was to each get a tennis ball and lightly toss it in the air and catch it without dropping it. We also found the time to look on the computer at different recipes we would like to make, we decided we would make desert for Saturday, will need to go get ingredients tonight. We will make Mint Brownies.
 Poor Pinker belle had a rough time with Brandy not being home she just whimpered and looked around for her, especially when we went out for her potty breaks.

For lunch we had pizza, chips,  fruit and yogurt. After eating lunch and talking about how things are made we watched a video on the computer about how yogurt is made, we talked about trying to do this but then decided we would look into this some more.   We cleaned the kitchen then played Mattison's choice of games which was Sequence Kids.  When we were done with this it was time to do the sight words again and the for Mattison to read us another chapter of her Junie B Jones book.  After we finished this we put on Tinkerbell and watched this until Brandon came home.  When Brandy got home we went to IHOP for dinner then we took a trip to the AT&T store to visit about the new phone that are coming out.  I was surprised that we had to sign in and be on a waiting list to have our turn to talk to an employee, kind of like you are at the Dr.s Then it was time by now to get home so the girls could get to bed.
Brandy and I ran to Wal Mart to get the things the girls and I need so now it is bed time for us.

Hanging out in Moore Ok

Got up this morning and had breakfast with Patience and Payton, we got dressed and fed the animals.  I got my things ready for my trip to Moore, Payton asked if he could go with me on this vacation and I told him I did not know.  I called Misti and asked her if she minded coming after him when she got home as I did not think he would want to stay the night without her.  Patience has gone with me so many times, and Payton does not get to, so we decided it was time for the little man to get to go.  He smiled really big when I told him he could go.  We got in the car, went to get gas then went into the store for drinks, and snacks.  Even though it is only an hour drive you might get ravenous so u need to make sure there is food and drinks in the car when you start out on a trip, Ha Ha.

We got to Brandy's house and played in the back yard for a little while then we came in and ordered a pizza for lunch then after we ate lunch we got ready and went for our pedicures, the four of us, Brandy, Mattison, Makenzie and I had appointments for 2 pm.  Since Payton was with us he sat on my lap while I had my pedicure, he got to see what it was like without having anyone touch him.

When we were done we headed back to Brandy's house and met up with Misti, Nicole and Patience.  The kids had a great time playing together and the adults got to visit.  Brandy made spaghetti for dinner and we had a wonderful gathering.  Afterwards we went to Makenzie's softball practice, it was 101 degrees and those girls were such trooper doing their warm ups and and practicing.  I could not believe how well they worked in the heat, the coach did have them take drink breaks often.  This was from 7pm till 8 pm. When it was over we let the kids play at the playground nearby.  Misti and her kids left with Nicole to go home, we came back to Brandy's and the girls showered the we made home made shakes, and the girls  headed to bed and now the adults will do the same.  

Hello from Seminole

Got up this morning around 8:30 got rounded up and left Broken Arrow around 9:30, headed to Tahlequah to the furniture shop then on to see the sites at NSU, got to see where the girls will live this next year, then we went to the library and met up with Robert, visited for a few minutes about this and that and the weekend also, then we headed on to finish touring NSU.
From Tahlequah we went thru Muskogee and on south to I 40 then west to head to Seminole. We made it to Seminole today about 2pm. Nicole headed to the house and I headed to work, I was able to get alot done in the two hours I was there.  As I was getting finished Misti got to the school with the kids.  I had them ride with me to town so we could go out for dinner after I did the schools banking and also this way Misti would be able to go on to Pryor to help Kris get his new apartment set up.  While we were at dinner at Cassadoras my stress level went thru the roof, between the people at the table behind us being very rude, coming over to our table and asking if we needed any more kids or did we have enough, while I was on the phone trying to hear what Dad was saying, plus the difficulty of hearing on the phone and not being sure what the correct answers was to his questions as to what time would he get the papers he needed me to bring him.

When we left as I was buckling Payton into his car seat I heard someone beat on the hood of my car and I saw red!! As I turned around I saw my dear friend Janet and her daughter Kara plus Kara's husband Tommy standing there smiling, it was so nice to see them and talk for a few minutes.

From there we went on to WalMart to get the oil changed in my car so I would not worry about taking it on the road to go to Brandy's, I looked for some bread like I got while we were in Chicago, but no luck maybe in Moore.

Then we stopped at Braums for Ice cream to bring home for dessert, it was so nice to go to Braums again.  You don't realize what you have till it is gone.  when I finally got home it was so nice to be at home but my temper was still up, I vented to Misti about everything then I got it out of my system then I got to unpack my new lens that I had ordered while in Chicago.  It was a perfect fit.We got to listen to a couple of minutes of rain while we had our treats then it was bath time and now it is bedtime.

Returning to Tulsa

I did forget to mention yesterday while we were out and about we went to Jumba Juice and I had a mango go go, it was mango and pineapple with some berries i think , anyway it was great.

So today we got up and had coffee, then we started making sure that all of our belongings were packed and ready to take home, while we were doing this Monica was at volleyball camp and Gloria was still gone to church camp.  After we had everything taken cared of Ann showed us how to stamp cards, she explained step by step the process of doing this, I did not realize how time consuming it is to make a card.

When Monica got home she made a cake for us to enjoy after lunch.  We had bought some Italian bread the other day so for lunch i chose to make a peanut butter and blackberry jelly sandwich with it, it was just as good as i thought it would have been.  then later i did have a nice piece of that delicious cake, it was outstanding!

So then after lunch the time had come to load the van for our trip to the airport.  We left a little early so we would not worry about traffic or any other delays.  We said our goodbyes at the house so Ann and Monica would not have to get out of the van at the airport.

It was quiet the experience when we arrived at the airport.  This would be the first time that i would be checking luggage since all the changes have taken place.  We were at terminal 2 since that is where we were told we needed to be, then we are3 told no you need to go to terminal 1 to check in and turn in your luggage, so we went to terminal 1 got the luggage turned in plus got our boarding passes.  Now is the time to go thru security, so we get in line with all the others and when we get closer I asked a TSA agent if this was the right point since our gate was not listed above on the sign, he informed me we could go thru there then we would need to go thru the tunnel to terminal 2 as that is where our gate was.  We had plenty of time and got to look at a lot of stuff between where we were and where we needed to be.  Just before we got to our gate we stopped at McDonald's for refreshments then went and sat at the gate.  While we were at the gate we heard them on the intercom stating the flight was overbooked and they were asking for volunteers to take a later flight. We decided we would do this but there were plenty of others with the same plan so by the time we got to the gate they did not need anymore volunteers.  Our flight was very uneventful which is a great thing. I read on the flight and Nicole worked on her crocheting.

When we arrived in Tulsa, Laurie was waiting for us and we collected our thing and came to the house.  Tom was home from work so we loaded into the car and went to Cheesecake factory for dinner.  They have avocado egg rolls that are very different but good, I also had the meatloaf platter with mashed potatoes that have corn pieces in them and snow peas with other veggies.  I brought my pina cola cheesecake home for dessert for later, I also brought half my dinner home to have for lunch tomorrow, the servings are so large there it is amazing.

Steak & Shake, Fox Valley Mall

Today we had a bit of weather, 70 mph winds with a little rain, I slept thru it and found out about it when I awoke .  Ann received a call from Monica telling her the school where Monica was having volleyball camp lost their power so camp was canceled for the day.

We visited for a bit then got ready to venture out and about.  Our first stop was Steak and Shake, I was able to try their Royale Burger, that  had seen on their menu earlier on our trip.  Ann had the chipotle burger, Nicole had the guacamole hot dog while Monica had the grilled cheese sandwich.  My burger had a fried egg on it and  that made it very yummy!

We then went to Fox Valley mall to do some window shopping and not so window shopping.  I found a few things that I could not live without.  We found a few blouses and were amazed when we got near the rail to see it is a 3 story mall with the food court being the bottom floor with a 2 story carousel in the middle of it.  The size of this mall just really did surprise me. 

When we left the mall we headed over to Micheal craft story, that is where the deals were found this day,  they had a great sale going on plus we had a 20% off coupon to use on our total including sales items. ( That is a good coupon) from Micheal's we headed over to Wal-Mart to get a few items including a great loaf of Italian bread that was just calling out to me to buy it, so I did.

When we returned home we had dinner of left over that we had not finished from the past week, when ever we were out to eat anything not finished came home in a doggie bag for this meal.  It was like revisiting the past week in food, yum.

Monica went swimming today with her friend Morgan this afternoon, on the way home they stopped at 7-11,  since today is 7-11 the slurpies are free, it was at 7:11 pm.  We all thought that was so cool.
Tonight we shall watch a movie and just hang out.

Church and Art

So today we got up and we got ready for church, while we were getting ready Gloria was making sure she did not forget anything as she was going to a church retreat after church for 3 days at Wisconsin Dells in Wisconsin.  Here is a picture of the 3 girls when we got to church before we unloaded  Gloria's items.  We had a wonderful church service with lots of music and a great message about God being the Author of the Bible and we should follow His authority. 

After Church Monica went home with a friend and Nicole, Ann, John and I went to Chicago to the Art Institute, we had a awesome day looking at works of art and trying to decide which ones we liked the best, we also got to see some of the miniature rooms that they have there, the rooms are in such detail you feel like you are looking into the window of the houses.  There are labels telling you what region and era each room is decorated in.  After we got done in the museum we went across the street to an art festival where there were artist selling some of their work.  We only went part way thru the festival since we were so tried from walking thru out the museum.

On the way home we stopped at the Cheesecake factory for dinner and had some great food, Nicole got crab balls and Ann got a Navajo sandwich, John got Crispy Spicy Beef with rice and I got Asian Chicken Salad.  We also got cheesecake to bring home, we were all so full, and so we could share with Monica.  It was wonderful

Cantigny, Monica's softball game, Noodle & Co, fancy cupcakes

Today we went to this beautiful flower garden on the grounds of Robert R. McCormick's  mansion, he was at one time the owner of the Chicago Tribune, when he passed away in 1955,  the mansion and grounds were donated to the public, Robert was also in the military, so there is a military museum on the grounds also. There are areas for lots of things for the public to do or watch. Today when we arrived they had baseball games getting ready to start, the players were dressed in uniforms from days gone by.  Monica was able to talk to one of the players later in passing and he spoke like a gentleman from days gone by. Tonight they were having a symphony on grounds.

   We saw lots of beautiful flowers and plants.  They have labels in the beds for most of the plants which makes it so neat that you can compare different varieties with each other. While we were walking around we saw a bride and groom having pictures taken in the flower garden, we saw a lady sitting in one of the arbors painting an arrangement that she was looking at, I looked at her painting and it was almost like looking at a photo of the arrangement

There is also a wonderful rose garden with lots of different types of roses, if you wanted you could make a donation and have one of the bushes dedicated to a love one.  At the beginning of the rose garden they have a tablet where you can look up the name of your loved on and it tells you what bed the rose bush is in that you dedicated to them

They also have what they call an idea garden that has lots of different flower arrangements in it plus and alphabet garden where you try to find the plants that start with each letter.  We did not do this as we were all getting tired and were ready for our picnic at the picnic grounds on grounds. While we were picnicing we saw the wedding guest arrive and saw the car that was decorated for the bride and groom.  While we had our picnic the tables near us were having a celebration of some type and had a roasted pig in addition to a lot of other nice looking foods.  It sure made me think of picnics in Hawaii on the beach, rice pots and all ( not that we did the whole pig, but you get my meaning),  they had about 30 guest there.

After our picnic we came back to the house and got ready to go to Monica's softball game, it is so nice to watch her play, I had a great time and did not even realize I was getting burnt.

 When we got back to the house to clean up for dinner is when I found out I was burnt. lol
For dinner we went to Noodles & Co, they have the best noodle dishes there, but my favorite is their Ice Tea, there is just something about it.  We asked last time what variety it was and were told it was just a black leafed organic tea. After we all got stuffed we got to-go boxes and headed back to the house once again.  We then dropped John off to mow the yard and headed into Naperville to a cupcake shop called The Sugar Monkey.  They have designer cupcakes there, like what you would see on " Cupcake Wars".  I got a Strawberry Coconut, it was a white cupcake with a strawberry baked into it and covered with white butter cream frosting that was coated with coconut.  Yum Yum.   I was treated to some beautiful music tonight as the girls both practiced on their instruments

Tonight we will watch 27 Dresses, from what I hear it is good :)

Brookfield zoo

Today we went to the Chicago zoo, it is a very large zoo with many wonderful exhibits, the large cats have a great exhibit and the rhinos are so close you can get a good look at them. The primate house is amazing, it is divided in to the countries that the primates come from I could not believe how close the camels are to the public also, the thing that I liked the most was the dolphin show, gosh it was so nice, they said they have had dolphins for 50 years there and had been doing research for 40 years.  One of the trainers was in the water with the dolphins and worked with all of them one at a time, it was very nice to watch.  The whole zoo experience was a lot of fun. For lunch we had hot dogs and fries, Monica had pizza and Nicole had a gyros.

We came home after and Monica got ready to go to a birthday party, then we ordered Chicago style pizza the was very good.

 We watched  Believe in Me , it is a very good movie about girls high school basketball.
This movie takes place in Oklahoma in the 60's

The STRESS of new techonlogy

We took Gloria to drivers ed today after lunch, we then went to Wal-mart to see if they had the bathing suit and shorts we were looking for.  No luck on the suit but we did find shorts that would work.  So then we decided to go to Best Buy to take care of a bill and so I could look for a new lens for my Olympus digital that I had bought last July, guess what,  it is obsolete!!  The lens that they now have are for a compact Olympus digital.  I have been told more than once when you get a name camera ( Olympus, Nikon, Kodak etc) the lens are interchangeable, not so.  So the gentleman who talked with us at best buy stated we might have better luck online at the Olympus site, at eBay, amazon or in a camera store in person.  We then went to a camera store and the only lens they had for my brand was once again for the compact.  Ann looked online at Olympus site while we waited for Gloria to get out of class and we didn't really have luck there but we are not giving up
. 
We then went to Family Bookstore, a wonderful Christian bookstore that I love!  I was able to find some books, cds, movies and other items there that I was very happy with.  The problem being When we got there somehow or another I got my foot in the way of the front passengers door, my poor toes, I thought I was going to cry.  I was able to shake it off after a little while.

Our next stop was to the nail saloon to have pedis, we were told they would do 4 of us at 4pm and for us not to be late please.  We got there at 5 till, they were not quite ready for us.  About four o'clock they took Gloria , who had a cello lesson at 5:30.  At 4:05 they took Monica and about 4:15 they called Nicole back, about 4:20 the gentleman came over and told me it was my turn, I informed him that it was too late and we would not be done in time, My toe was sore and I did not want anyone touching it plus I knew I would be the last one to finish and did not want to hold anyone up.  I am planning on asking Brandy if we can take her girls next week to get one, we will see.

We came home and then Ann took Gloria to her lesson while John, Monica and I made baked spaghetti, I watched more than helped but I did learn a new recipe.  It was coming out of the oven as Gloria and Ann came in so we were all able to sit down and enjoy dinner together before John took the girls to church for Bible study.

Movies & Music

We got to listen to some wonderful music Tuesday night, Monica played us some songs on her trumpet, the Gloria played for us on her cello, WOW they are both so talented.  Weather it was Disney or Harry Potter it was great.  Earlier in the evening we watched a movie called Change of Plans it was very good.  Then we got to watch some family movies from when the girls were younger, it was so nice to think back to those times.  Boy was in one of them when the kids were coloring Easter Eggs at Mom's house, it seemed like he should still be here.  When will it seem real?  I was up till about 1:30 am trying not to think but knowing one day soon I am going to have to quit running.  Then this morning I was up at 7:30 sending Misti an e mail about remembering where I had put some papers. I then went back to sleep, sleeping solid, turns out it was not a real memory, since she said that is not where the papers are. 
I got up at 10:30am to get ready to go to Feed My Starving Children, this is a place where christian volunteers arrive to package food for children in parts of the world where there is need.   Haiti, Uganda, Philippines is where the packages we packed today were going.  Ann, Monica, Nicole and I went today.  We worked for about 90 minutes today after being instructed on the correct method of doing this, you have about 6 people on a team and each one has their own job to do, one pours chicken base, then dried veggies into a bag that another is holding open under a funnel, then the next one pours soy bean and then rice in the bag.  The person holding the bag then weighs the bag and if it is within the limits it is handed to another person who is sealing the bags and they in turn hand it to the person who is counting the bags to box 36 bags go into a box and our team packed 19 boxes, in all the 97 people who volunteered in our time slot boxed 102 boxes.  It was awesome to do this, I would love to find a place closer to home to do something like this. 
We then went to pick up Gloria from driver ed the went to Wal-Mart to look around then on to Steak n Shake for a drink.
We went to take Monica to her trumpet lesson, then came to the house to meet John to go out to the movies and dinner.  We went to Hollywood Palms, this amazing theater that had all these old movie posters hanging all over their walls of the outer rooms.  Then you went into your theater, where there are tables and very comfortable chairs, your waiter comes and takes your drink and dinner order before the movie starts then delivers it to you during the movie.  It was a lot of fun. We watched Cars 2, it was pretty good. 
We are now back at the house relaxing.  This has been a very enjoyable day.

Arriving in Chicago

So today we arrived in Chicago, John and Monica were at baggage claim to get us.  Ann was with Gloria at Drivers Ed  today was the first day. ( Big Landmark)  we had peanut butter and blackberry jelly sandwiches for lunch we also had chicken enchiladas (reheated)  it hit the spot ( yum).  I then got to go with Ann to pick up Gloria when her class was over.  Later we went to Wal-mart and had a great time shopping for odds and ends plus some groceries.  We came back to the house to visit for a bit then we went to Fridays for dinner wow that was good.  they have the best vanilla bean cheese cake. After dinner we came to the house to water the plants then we came in and all sat down to watch a movie called "Change of Plans"  I picked up this movie earlier this week and thought everyone would like it.

Airport bound

We are fixing to leave for the airport, my stomach is a bundle of nerves, you would think I had never flown before.  I guess it is just the anxitety of the trip.  I know I will feel so much better when we land and see John on the other side.  I have a very thick book a movie, lots of snack and my pc to keep me busy on this 2 hour flight.  I will get back to you when we get to Johns house.  I am closing this so I can shut down and pack my last minute things.

Fireworks

We (Tom,Laurie and I) got to watch fireworks together.  we sat in their front yard and watched all the neighborhoods around shoot them. We came in when the neighbors got closer than we were comfortable with, to shoot some.  They were shooting them in the middle of the street.  The fireworks were going off all around where you did not know which way to look, it was very nice. 

Chicken and Dumplings/ Trip plans

We just had an amazing dinner of Chicken and Dumplings.  I am so stuffed I feel like I could pop!  Wow that was great.  I think bedtime will be here soon.

 Nicole and I will leave in the morning for a two hour plane ride to Chicago.  While there we will see John, Ann and their daughters Gloria and Monica.  This is my second summer of going to Chicago to visit my brother John and his family, last year my sister Laurie went with me and this year her oldest daughter will be going.  Laurie will take us to the airport in the morning before she heads to work.  John will pick us up on the other side.

 John, Ann, Gloria and Monica just left today from my house to head home, our trips were reversed last year.  We went there first then a couple of weeks later they came here.  This year due to some scheduling issues with my job they came here first then we will go there after.  It will all work out. 

Cherry Berry

Wow that was wonderful, I got white chocolate, cheesecake and tropical yogurt with snickers, cheesecake bits and mango liquid bubbles.  That was amazing!

July 4th 2011

This is my first attempt at blogging.  I drove to Broken Arrow today.  Having left my home in Seminole, around one o'clock, I arrived here around three o'clock.  My wonderful niece Nicole Lehnick is my traveling companion for this trip.  We will stay the night in Broken Arrow at my sister Laurie and brother-in-law Tom's house.  We are heading to Wal Mart for dinner ingredients then on to Cherry Berry, I am pretty excited about the trip to Cherry Berry as I have never been there but heard about it from Nicole, I am also pretty excited about dinner.  We are having Chicken and Dumplings, yum yum.