JANUARY ENDS..... FEBRUARY BEGINS

Finally, January is gone and guess what, I am still doing good on my New Years resolutions. I really did not make many but so far I have been able to keep active and out of the recliner. I am losing some weight and hate to even brag about that, cause I think its bad luck, so enough said, lol.

Things have been a little different around the house, I have started teaching all of them to cook. I will say that Kyle can cook most anything he wants and probably anything I would ask him to cook. I guess that just comes with being the oldest. Blake and Brooke are doing real well, they just need some more time in the kitchen to be able cook a variety of things. They have all been cooking supper one night a week. I am trying to teach them to plan ahead what they are going to cook so that grocery shopping takes care of all the needed items. I keep trying to be invisible, but its just hard for me to do. I have to share my lil tricks in the kitchen or the way I would do this etc and they just fail to appreciate my years of experience, lol. Kyle says "I got this" and then "Remember you are invisible." I offer my help and Kyle says "If I let you help, you take over." I think that is a good sign, lol. Anyway you get the picture. Kyle would probably cook every night if I would let him since he and Blake are still grounded and there is not much else to do. Blake and Brooke have been gone 2 nights a week to the play practice with Tracy, so its a lil harder for them to get the cooking night in and the laundry night too, but they are doing it. I guess my goal is to get them where they can buy groceries and cook without my help so when I retire and decide to go to Bama for an extended period that they can pick up the things that I have been doing and when I return its not to a messed up house full of starving folks and no groceries, lol.

I have had extra time on my hands since the kids are helping more, so I have been surfing blogs. I am finding some neat ones and I have got to figure out how to make mine more colorful. It can't be that hard I just have not focused on it yet, too busy surfing I guess.

The month of January, I have spent the weekends in Vicksburg, spring cleaning and using my new vacuum cleaner. I have had kids help with their rooms and even got Pat to help with our room. Chris started cleaning his this weekend and I just had to help with my vacuum cleaner, lol. I am hoping that the next trip to Bama I can move the remainder of my photo albums and my sewing and craft stuff. This will free up space in Blake closet and the extra closet in Kyle's room.

The month of February, my goal is to move the remainder of the items that will be finding a home in Bama. The first trip that the truck makes to Bama I plan to move my corner china cabinet and the 2 photo cabinets. I will have another van load of stuff out of these cabinets and that should just about finish up my moving.

I spent some time this week looking back at some old photo's and picked a few of groups to post. I was actully looking for a photo I though Susan and I took this past summer of the teenagers sitting on the picnic table like they did many years ago. Susan if you have that picture send it to me... and if we just talked about it and never did then remind me for us to do it this summer. I guess thats all of my rambling for now. Oh did I tell you its 4 months and 28 days until I retire.



Don't they look so sweet and innoscent?
Brooke was not here yet.




Here they are a little older, all except for Tracy's boys and Josh. Whitney is in this one and Brooke too.


The rest will take you back a little further.

Is January always this long?????

Is January the longest month of the year? There is really not much interesting to tell about, but I will post a few pictures of interest and give a little update on us.


Susan sent me a couple of pictures of the lakehouse, but they really have not worked there much since Christmas. They did get a few little things done, like the border around the tub and the ceiling fans hung in the pavilion area.



I have been helping the kids do Spring cleaning in their rooms on Saturday's, because I got a new vacuum cleaner and also because it needs to be done and I don't want to waste the spring cleaning. They think its crazy to do spring cleaning in January. They think its crazy anytime on the year, probably. Kyle let me know he could handle it without my help and he was right, so I spent last Saturday cooking a couple recipe's I wanted to try. Chicken tortilla soup and ham, sausage and bean soup. Both were good, but I prefer home made vegetable soup still.

The kids are taking on a little more of the household responsibilities, I took it easy on them the 1st semester of school because I was in the outage til November and then the holidays were upon us. They have all been good to do anything I ask them to do but if I am at work they don;t think to do things and we all know the men just don't think about it either. I will say Pat is great to do things here but he is not very good at asking for help. The kids are each cooking supper a night each week and they clean the kitchen every night. The boys grades were not to expectation so they are both grounded, I will never understand why they let them grades drop knowing they will be starring at 4 walls until they are better. Brooke's were A's and B's so I guess she has the xbox all to herself for now. Kyle, Blake and Brooke have really grown close with her living here, she really fits in well with Tyler and Tanner too. I posted a few pictures of the kids, pay attention to the one of Kyle, Blake and Brooke taken at Christmas and their heights then compare that to the one of Kyle and Blake taken this past week. I can't believe that Blake has grown that much in such a short time.



Blake and Brooke are very close to the same height here.


As you can see Blake is now taller than Kyle, I knew he had been hard to fill up so I guess there was a reason.


Blake's hands are bigger than Kyle's and Chris's too.



Brooke was dodging a picture being taken and Kyle was making a hand gesture that he knew I would not snap a picture of, Brooke jumped down beside him just as he put his hand down and I snapped, lol. I think they all hung out in Kyle's room all day Sunday, made me wonder if they were plotting against me. Brooke's hair looks much better to me than the dark brown, I think you will all agree.

This is Tyler doing what he does best, and texting while he is resting.

Tanner looks pretty cool here, but probably not many more days of this.

I am still playing with my Wii Fit every day and I am getting better at it. The kids have not paid much attention to it since they got xbox. Hopefully I can keep this up for a while.

Mid January

This is the time of year that I hate most, its cold, rainy and just blah. Things are finally settling in to a normal routine again with the kids having their 1st day back at school on Friday. They all tried to make the best of the last week of being out of school. Brooke spent a night with Tanner then they both stayed a night with Conner then Tanner spent the night with us (well Brooke) on Friday night. Blake stayed a night with his friend then his friend stayed a night with him. Blake went out on Friday night with his friend to the movies...his 1st trip out on the town without adults or big brother. Brittan had got his drivers lisence this week so I am sure there will be more of that to come, as long as they stay out of trouble. I think they all stayed up all night for several nights and then slept late every day but when Friday came they were up and at it and off to school just fine. Kyle and Pat went to deer camp a few times and Chris and I worked.

We have all had a good time playing with my Wii I got for me. It really is neat and the kids beat me really bad but keep me on my toes trying to beat them. Tonight we have Pat on it even. This is really a cool thing and I think everyone needs one, especially retired folks. Yea I am back in the dieting mode and getting exercise as well so hopefully I can keep me at it.

There have been very little change at the lakehouse for a while with weather and sickness of the contractors family but hopefully this next week he will make some progress on the outside. The counter top did get installed and Susan was so nice to go take pictures for me.




If you don't know the lake level is up over the stationary pier handrails and up to the stairs on the big deck. I sure hope it goes down before April showers.

This was taken from the porch on the garage end.

This was taken from the porch on the bedroom end.