September Ends!

I really don't have anything exciting to report at this time, but will try to report on the week, without boring you to tears.

The OUTAGE officially started and I have been very busy at work, but it has not been to bad for the most part. It is kinda fun the 1st week or so, its kinda like a "HOME COMING" you get to visit with all these folks you have not seen in 18 months and even some of the retiree's have come back to help out. I don't remember if I told ya'll but I bought my own parking spot at work as a donation to UNITED WAY. I must say that is the best thing I have bought myself in a long time. Front row parking, and with the crowd there right now its value has doubled in just 2 weeks, lol. I have been offered $500.00 for it already, lol. Seriously it is so nice to not fight for a close parking spot and not leave 30 minutes early to get one. Outage means many things besides work, this week I have managed to stay on my diet and turn down pizza, red beans and rice, ice cream and banana pudding. There is always someone bringing in food to share with all and its always something bad for me, lol.

Pat has not been feeling well this week and went to the doctor, he is much better now and hopefully will continue to improve. The kids and Chris all seem to be doing OK, but then I might not know since I am only home 2 hrs before bedtime and leave as they get up. I feel like I have lost total control of my house hold, lol. Blake cooked supper one night and Kyle cooked supper one night, so they are trying to help Pat out.

Kyle spent a couple days at his Mom's this week because his truck was broke and over there. I was proud of him, he managed to take the starter off and go get another and put the new one on and did not ask for any help from Pat or Chris. Pat was willing but just never got asked and just letting Kyle handle it. All the kids spent the night with a friend on Friday night and Chris was working. I was not sure where the boys were, but Chris knew and they all came home Saturday for a day of football and snacks. We spent the day watching football games and pat even wore his Alabama pj's during the Bama Georgia game, lol. I think we have won him back over to be Bama Fan again. I think he is also an Ole Miss fan now that they have the Arkansas coach. We did enjoy the Ole Miss and Florida game.

I had hoped to get some pictures of the progress on the lake house from Susan this week, but seems she has been busy too. The contractor has been on jury duty this week so things did not progress as he had planned. From what I can tell over the phone they have torn out the old bathroom and finished some plumbing tie ins. They had to replace the floor joist and refloor that room which will be an entry hall. They have cut the entry door way and just nailing up plywood to close it up each night until the door comes in on Thursday. The ceramic tile has been completed in the hallways and bathrooms. I am waiting to hear the bedroom carpet estimates and thinking that in 2 or 3 weeks I will have carpet. Pat will going out there on Saturday and be there for a week or maybe 2 and will send me pictures. I really am jealous.

Thank You Susan, I was just about to post when I got email. So now I have pictures to post. I guess they aren't as far along on the ceramic tile as I thought. It seems they did not get the mudding done.

This is the master bath, still need to get vanitys installed and doors and trim.

The bath tub will have ceramic tile on the wall. Notice the step to get in the tub, lol.

This is looking from the master bedroom door down the hall to the guest bath.
This is the laundry area in the hall, they are waiting to see where the dryer exhaust needs to go when the washer and dryer are delivered this week to finish the last few tiles here.

This is the old bathroom area all torn out and repaired. I think this will look much different by the time Pat gets there.

I called Susan since I knew she was at the lake house and we discussed the Bama/Georgia game as we watched it. Christy I must tell ya that Susan was yelling for Georgia. We was wondering if the kids were wearing Bama clothes or Georgia clothes today? I will say that I am a Georgia fan except when they play Bama. It was an exciting game and an exciting day for football.

Brooke's Birthday Week!!!

This has been a busy week with my long hours and Brooke having a birthday. I am practicing the 12 hours this week and the outage starts on Sunday. I only worked 10 hours on Wednesday and Thursday so I could do Grandma stuff for Brooke's birthday.

Wednesday I got up earlier than normal to go get chocolate donuts for Brooke for breakfast since we would not do cake until Thursday when Chris would be home and got there to find that they did not have any... I commented gee I must be really early and they informed me NO !!! We had a mad rush thru here this morning and they are all gone. I thought to myself yep the outage has started, lol. I was able to get 8 chocolate covered logs so my efforts were not wasted. The 8 was gonna work out fine and I had it all planned out as how everyone would get 1 including Tyler and Tanner since they come by the house every morning. When I saw Tracy that afternoon I asked if Tyler enjoyed his donut... she thought I was crazy and Tanner did not get one either. I had told Blake ( because I knew he would take care of Tyler, lol) to take him one when he got here. I started investigating the missing donuts and everyone thought I was crazy.... making an issue out of the donut, lol. Well I wanted to know who ate them... did Blake forget and Chris ate them when he came in from work? Did Pat eat them? Did Blake eat them and think I would never know ? lol. I text Chris at work and he had one and only saw one. Ok so thats one, but another one missing , still to solve. I was really getting into my investigation... Tanner was really amused with me.....Pat did have a half he found after everyone had gone and Chris was in bed , lol so now I am only missing a half of a donut log, lol. Well I did find out where the other half went, lol and it was the Birthday girl...hmmmm or did she just say that to shut me up, lol. The only reason I cared was I did not want anyone to be left out or to think I left them out. Far as I know Tyler never knew a thing, lol. I cooked some of Brooke's favorite dishes for supper Mac and cheese and chicken and rice casserole. Later that evening her other Grandmother ( Nancy from N.C.) came by to visit. She came straight from the airport and had sugar cookies for all. We had a nice visit with her and her sister Judy.

Thursday I ordered pizza for all and had chocolate cake and chocolate ice cream. Nancy and Judy came back for our little birthday gathering, and again we had a nice visit with them. We let Brooke miss school on Friday and she went with Nancy for the weekend.

Friday the boys went to their Mom's after school so the weekend was quiet. Saturday I did sleep in until 8 then the walmart run til 11, then laundry and watched football.Pat and I watched the ALABAMA and Arkansas game, him in his Arkansas shirt and me in my Bama pj's lol. As you all know Bama rolled and roasted them hogs from Arkansas (sorry Arkansas family, can't help myself) then late that day we watched the Tigers, Auburn and LSU in a good close game... but dang our team lost. I can see that next week will be an exciting game for Brandon and Christy with Bama and Georgia playing. Brandon have you been converted to a Georgia fan? I must go for now so I will close with ROLL TIDE ROLL!!!!!!!

Mid September

Its hard to believe September is half gone, I just hope the next 6 weeks goes as fast. Its one of my favorite times of the year with weather getting cooler and football season. We have had lots of ran here over the last 2 weeks with all the hurricanes. We have maintained safe and even kept power, cable and phone. We have had tornado warnings and drills at school and work. Brooke and Tanner almost got to come home one day when they lost power at the school, but the power came back on after many kids had left and before it was their turn to have parents called. they were not happy so last week when the power went off they called Papaw pat from their cell phone. I guess the decided Pat would come get them if they called so last Monday Brooke was texting Pat that Tanner was sick and for him to come get them well after an hour of texting he was called by the office and went after them and put them straight to bed... they went right to sleep... they had spent the entire weekend together and stayed up too late and was behind on sleep, apparently. We have decided they can't spend 2 nights together on weekends lol.

All the kids got their progress reports and they were all good. So Kyle has gotten his truck back and his phone as well. Man it has been a long summer ... if you gonna slack off on your school stuff don't do it the last semester around here, PLEASE!!!!!

We made a trip to the lake this weekend and have a few updated photo's. Finally we have the rock columns on the pavilion finished. The walls have been painted and they are ready to start laying the ceramic tile in the bathrooms and hall area. We rearranged all our stuff in the den area so it can be covered and the walls that need to be altered for the front entry and the garage/mudroom entry. I know I will not get back for many weeks but I am sure Susan will send me photo's. I think Pat will be able to make a week trip out there the 1st week of October when the kids are on Fall Break. My outage hours start tomorrow and I am not looking froward to that but the money will be nice to help out with some extra stuff for the lakehouse.

The existing rock fireplace and the new rock is matching up pretty good considering.


As you can see the water level is down but I suspect it will go lower before it starts up, lol.

I went to a Curry High School football game on Friday night, and saw Ali with her flag in the band. Marcia's grandson Jake plays on the team and had some good plays tonight. It has been 35 years + since I have been to a game there. I did not see anyone that I knew other than the group that went with us or we had planned to meet there, but I know there had to be some I knew and just did not recognize. There was a good crowd and was a pleasant atmosphere even if we did get beat badly. I don't know why Curry is playing the teams they play now vs the ones they use to play. I feel like they have them playing out of class or something. I was surprised the band was so small, I wasn't expecting it to be anything like the bands I have been use to hearing but was not expecting a 32 instrument band with 12 dancers and 6 flag girls. I suspect someone is having to rebuild the band as Tracy is building the choir group.

Ali as the band comes in before the game.

Yellow Jackets ready to BUZZ the field.



Fans support their team even when they lose.