July Ends

July was a busy month. We began the month with a lot of family around. The Myhand Reunion on the 3rd of July and was so glad to see many of the folks we have not seen in a while. Tracy and Rusty were here with their boys and their friend Clay, Chris and his kids were here for that week as well. Eric and his wife and girls came to visit from CT, that was a real treat. Not to slight anyone but most of the usual ones were here and I will add that we missed Brandon and his family and Dustin and his wife, Jacy. Please mark your calendar for 1st Saturday in July. I am really sad that I have not taken pictures this summer as I usually have. My camera is acting up and I just seem to be too busy, or can't find my camera etc.

Sonny, Pat's brother from OK cam to visit us on the 4th and stayed a few day, we sure enjoyed that. Then on the 5th Chris, Blake, Tracy, Rusty, Clay, Tyler and Tanner headed back to Ms.Then on the 6th Sonny and Pat went to Arkansas, which gave me a couple days to goof off. I headed to meet Pat in Arkansas on Thursday and thoroughly enjoyed my drive. I listened to the oldies on my ipod and shopped along the way. It really is nice to check out fabric stores as I travel. I had heard so much about Tupelo shopping that I intended to check it out, but after going to the Heirlooms Forever I decided I would just go on, I had already spent the money I felt I could shop with, lol. I got to Bus and RoseMary's that afternoon just in time to go loafing with Rose. We really had a nice visit with them and Sonny over the next few days. On Friday morning we ( RoseMary and I  in my van and Pat and Bud in Bud's van) headed to Oklahoma to meet up with more Keesee's for the KEESEE Reunion. Well, Rose is my favorite sis in law for life.WE were following Bud and I was just a talking and enjoying the visiting. We realised we were following the wrong white van. The traffic was horrible and I finally got a chance to pass this truck  that was blocking my view as I was hunting the right van. Just as I went to pass and put the pedal down and hit 82 mph there he was in the other lane and yep he turned around and fought thru the traffic behind me and pulled me over. Well Rose did the talking while I did the crying, lol and he just gave us a warning. He told us to use our cell phone and call our men lol. We made our way to Sonny's and he was cooking supper for us. we enjoyed his vittles and had the best time just sitting and talking. We talked mostly about Elaine cause she was not there. Saturday morning we headed on tp the lake area where we would have the reunion. We really enjoyed seeing all the ones that were there and we were really happy about the room with the air condition. Pat and I headed back to Sonnys to meet up with Elaine ( who had to work and did not make the reunion) where we would have some time to visit with her. We enjoyed visiting some more others who came to see Elaine. Life is good to be FREE to be able to do these things. I enjoyed this trip so much and I think it was the fact that I did not have to be back to anywhere anytime  and could just do whatever. With that being said Pat drove us most of the way home on Sunday because I had been warned, lol.

Then our July slowed down, but we did make another trip. We went to Georgia and met Brooke then drove Brooke to Vburg. That was a long drive, lol. We did this so we could see Tracy and Rusty play in the musical Always, Patsy Cline. We really enjoyed the play and visiting with the kids. We rolled on back to Jasper on Saturday morning and just as we entered Jasper guess what? Pat got a speeding ticket. He drove the crooked road instead of me because it was looking like rain. He saved me cause I would have got one for sure. I wish RoseMary had been with us. I guess we both need to slow down.

Life on the lake is quiet now for us. We have not even been out in the boat since the 4th of July. I guess with the heat and the traveling it just has not been  appealing to us. We will be heading to Meridian tomorrow to meet Tracy to loan her a van, since she has had hers both damaged by the tree falling. I am ready for cooler weather and football season. Blake will be playing football this fall, so we will be traveling to see a few of his games.For now all stay safe and check back on next months adventures.

1 YEAR Already?

I checked the calendar and YES! it has been 1 year already. I have had a wonderful 1st year of retirement. As I look back on the year and think about my bucket list, I find I have not done too bad. I have done many things that I had set out to do and gone many places that I have never been. I have to say that it has been a very successful year filled with many adjustments and I think that it will be even better this next year. I have pretty much spoiled myself and done what ever I wanted within financial reason, lol. I have spent the year at the lakehouse with trips to Mississippi for ballgames, concerts, dental appointments and doctor appointments. I just really like my doctor and dentist and just can't seem to make the change just yet, besides its a good excuse to go see grandkids and I have worked it so that I combine concerts and dental visits, lol.

I must say that I have not done a good job of keeping this blog up and I am sure that I will regret that. I have spent enough time at the lake now that I am beginning to think I would like a beach trip (once the oil mess is over) and I am just almost ready for a cruise, lol. I am really pretty content just hanging at the lakehouse, but would enjoy more days here just me, lol. It has been nice running into a few of my old school mates and catching up, but 30 years is a long time to catch up on. Hopefully, I will continue to fill this 30 year gap on old friends and not create a 30 year gap on Mississippi friends.

I have enjoyed the Sandy's Patches and my applique/sewing. I have been off to a slower start than I had hoped but I think with time that will get better. This is a very new thing for me and I am sure I am making all kinds of business mistakes that I will not know about until too late, but for now I am just enjoying it. I have actually taken a break until the 15th of July, except for items I have already prepared. I am really looking forward to doing some football and Halloween items and probably spending way too much on designs, lol. If you are following the Sandy's Patches blog you can see that I have not kept it up very well either, I am sorry I just prefer sewing over the blogging and paperwork required, lol.

My health has been good this year and I am looking forward to another fun year of Retirement. I hope to build some better eating and exercise habits this next year.

I am hoping to do another post for June with highlights of Lakehouse happenings in the next few days and maybe I will do a monthly post from that point on. Time will tell if I can develop better posting habits.

Surprise! April Ends!!!

I failed again at keeping this up to date. I think the best thing to do is pictures. Spring has sprung and I have not done all the things I thought I would always do here when I retire. I can only blame myself and maybe my sewing machine.

This is spring break and the grandkids were all here to visit. They actually waited til the last day to decide to go swimming. Tanner was the 1st one and then Brooke and her friend Teaghen joined him for a lil bit.

We did get a nice pontoon ride on a sunny day.



What a gang ... they look like they are plotting something, lol.

With all the leaves off the trees you can see our place pretty good.

The azaleas everywhere seemed reall pretty this year.

This gorgeous rainbow was the Saturday of all the tornadoes.

WE did get to take Mom, Dad, Helen and Barbara all on a nice long pontoon ride. It was cooler than we had hoped... but I wanted to do it before Pat took off to Arkansas.



Kyle has been fishing every chance he gets and anywhere he can.

Other things that have occured : Pat went to Arkansas for a week. He met his brothers and they fished and helped Elaine with some things around the place.

I made a couple trips to Mississipi to the dentist and to Brooke and Tanners concert, they both got awards and ofcourse I was so very proud and surprised. I also managed to meet 13 of the guys I use to work with that are now retired for breakfast on Tuesday morning at Shoney's. It really was nice to see them. I hope to get to do that a few times each year.

Things have definately picked up around here. I will be taking a trip leaving Monday gpoing to Washington DC with a group from school... so maybe that will make me rebuild the habit of posting. I must mention I am not the only one that is lacking on the posting.

2010.????.. Wait where did the last 3 months of Blogs go?

Ok I must confess, This blog is boring in the winter months, no one comes to visit and we don't do much at the lake on the house anymore, so I really don't have much to blog about. Shame on me.... cause I think the real problem has been Facebook...and most of my followers are there so they see whats going on in my daily doings. I really am going to try to do better, because there are things that I would share with ya'll that I don't think I would share with the facebook world.

January has flown by and it has been very cold. 2 more months and I will get to experience spring at the lakehouse. I am anxious for that... look forward to some yard work and tanning without sweating.... you know the tanning where you just relax and find it a good reason to read a book outdoors. Until then I am busy as a lil bee most days just sewing away or brainstorming about some new project I want to do. I have pretty much decided I have to start a small at home business just to support my hobby or habit, lol. I always teased when Pat and I 1st married and folks would ask if I was going to quit work... I would tell them "NO! that there is no way that Pat Kessee could make enough money to pay for my entertainment if I did not work... because I would be busy doing stuff and going places and with more time to do that it would cost a bunch.... so I was better off working so there was less time for me to spend money......That being said... That is so TRUE!!!!! I have proved that theory... I can not crank my van and leave the driveway for less than $100.00 and that was not figured into my retirement budget, lol. Now the real question is" Did my new sewing machine save us money?, or cost us money? lol. It does keep me home more... lol. I have not figured out this answer, but I am sure that Pat and I will not agree on this, lol. I am really like a kid with a new toy its just a gas hog and I am use to being able to do what I want and having the extra money to pay for it, lol. This set income stuff stinks. I guess I never built my toys into the budget and just always got them when I worked overtime or had an outage... ummm that's not the case anymore... so it is adjustment time for me or back to work, lol. One day I think I want to do this as an at home business the next day its no I don't . Either way I will do things that family request at cost and will still do things along the way that I see and just want to do for someone, lol.... I just can't help it. So come visit and bring the torn shorts and we will pick out an applique and patch them, lol. I hope to get a lil blog going soon to show the new patterns as I get them for each holiday season. I have come up with some other special things to do besides shirts, baby bibs, burp cloths and blankets, but I will save them for a surprise down the road. When I get this all set and going the way I dream I will post it here, but I want to keep this blog as THE LAKEHOUSE.