Happy New Year

John at the FD for a 24 hour shift today. :( He will be working at the mall for a little while tomorrow. We will be having the traditional New Year’s Day meal tomorrow of black-eyed peas, cabbage, roast and cornbread.

I received a call from a realtor this morning who has a client in town for the weekend searching for a house. She is trying to schedule showings and wanted to know if we would mind her showing ours this weekend. I told her anytime over the weekend would be fine. You never know when the right person will come along.

I baked some goodies to take to the fire station to snack on tonight while we play 10 Penny and ring in the new year. John, a few firefighters and I played 10 Penny until 11:30 p.m. John was about ready to go to bed so I headed on home.

Happy New Year to all our family and friends. We wish everyone health and prosperity in the new year.

Remember to laugh everyday. Happy Trails. Stay safe.

2,258 alarms for 2009.

Stay Safe

Mulching leaves.

John off today but he got up early to mulch the leaves in the yard before the rain came.  He took a nap afterwards.  While he was napping I went to my hair appointment.  I had to get some of that gray stuff in my hair covered up. I may be older than John but I don’t want to look like it. LOL

John will be at the fire station on New Year’s Eve to bring in the new year.  I will be cooking our traditional black-eyed peas, cornbread and cabbage for New Year’s Day.  The rumor is that it will bring you luck in the new year.  Ok, I am not superstitious but any help selling this house would be greatly appreciated…..so I will cook and eat those black-eyed peas.  LOL

Remember to laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

No Country for Old Men

John off today.  He took Mom Hatch and Aunt Martha back home to Crystal Springs after breakfast this morning.  While he was gone I cleaned house and later on  made a grocery run and a trip to the book store.  Gotta have something good to read!!

Later this afternoon John drove over to Dawg’s to get his mower so he can mulch the leaves tomorrow.   I know that is just what he wants to do on his day off.  The yard is so full of leaves every time you open the door they get in the house. LOL

Nothing much going on.  We are chilling out in front of the TV watching “No Country for Old Men”.  It is a very violent movie.

Remember to laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

John finally got his haircut.

John worked a partial shift at the FD today.  Before going in to work he did manage to get his haircut.  His schedule had been so hectic before Christmas he hadn’t been able to find the time until today.

I took the ring John got me for Christmas back to the jeweler today to have it re-sized.  I sure hope it doesn’t take too long! I want to wear it. LOL

Not too much news today. Tonight Mom Hatch, Aunt Martha, Fred the beagle and I are just chilling out and watching television.

Remember to laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

Christmas Lights

John off today. Yeah!!!!  The day started off slowly as we all slept late….almost 9:30!!  Mom Hatch, Aunt Martha, John and I  watched a movie called The Contract.  It was fast paced with many twists and turns which kept you interested. 

After watching the movie John went over to the neighbor’s house to repair the worm gear on their garage door opener motor.  I know his efforts were well appreciated as the garage door had been out of service for a few days.

Tonight we took Mom Hatch and Aunt Martha out driving to look at Christmas lights.  There were several with lights that flashed in sync with music. We all enjoyed the outing very much.  

Remember to laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

Christmas Dinner after Christmas.

John off today. Yeah!!!  Since John was at the fire station yesterday we had Christmas dinner with Mom Hatch, Aunt Martha and his sister Mary Lee and her family today.  Our menu included:  Ham, broccoli casserole, carrot soufflé,  green beans, potato salad, rolls and assorted desserts.

Mom Hatch and Aunt Martha will be staying for a short visit and returning home on Tuesday.

Hope all our family and friends have enjoyed their Christmas holiday.

Remember to laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

Merry Christmas

John at the FD for a 24 hour shift today. :(   After John left for work I cooked a carrot soufflé’  to take to Bob and Marcy’s along with the dishes that John and I cooked yesterday.  John drove over to Bob and Marcy’s and met me for Christmas lunch there.  It was just the four of us but we had good food and a nice time.  Tomorrow Mom Hatch, Aunt Martha and John’s sister Mary Lee and her family will join us for Christmas lunch at our house.

I visited John at the FD tonight and they had their Dirty Santa gift giving party.  It was quite comical as they are a funny group of guys who like to joke around with each other.  It is always entertaining. LOL

We wish all our family, friends and the military men and women serving our country a very Merry Christmas.

Remember to laugh everyday.  Happy Trails.  Stay safe.

Christmas Eve

John off today. Yeah!!!! This morning started off with a cooking frenzy. John said he would help so that was good. As I was getting ingredients for several dishes together I realized I needed butter and that I had purchased dill relish instead of sweet relish. That was an “OH NO” moment but John, being the sweetheart that he is, said he would go to Wal-mart for me. Is he brave or what? LOL The rest of the morning and early afternoon was spent cooking.

Tonight we drove over to Bob and Marcy’s for our annual Christmas Eve party with my family. Marcy, Bob, Annie, Terry, Robert, Kelsey, John and I enjoyed a variety of foods and then gathered around to open presents. Robert and Kelsey left a little early to go over to Kelsey’s Mom and Dads to open presents there. The rest of us decided to play a round of 10 Penny. It was very amusing as it was Terry’s first time to play but he soon caught on. Before we knew it, it was 10:30 p.m. and as John has to work at the fire station tomorrow it was time to go home and get some sleep.

Merry Christmas to all our family and friends.

Remember to laugh everyday. Happy trails. Stay safe.

Burgers and Christmas Ham.

John at the mall today but got off early because it started to rain. Yeah!!!   He made a Wal-mart run for some last minute grocery items….again!! LOL   I think we are keeping Wal-mart in business.

This afternoon John and I went to visit Nicole Jenkins, wife of firefighter Matt Jenkins, who recently had their second child.  He came 2 1/2 weeks early.  They live in Flora, MS which is a 30 minute trip for us so afterward we stopped at a local burger joint called The Blue Rooster.  They have assorted burgers and sandwiches on their menu as well as a “build your own” burger.  John ordered  “The Old Fashioned”  burger.  It had chili and onions along with the other normal toppings on it.  I chose the “build your own” burger.  The food was good but I like the Mug Shot's Grill burgers better. (This is the burger place we ate at with Mike and Leslie when they were visiting)

After returning home John baked the Christmas ham and we chilled out the rest of the evening.  I will be busy cooking tomorrow.

Remember to laugh everyday. Happy trails. Stay safe.

Lunch with friends.

John at the FD for a 24 hour shift today. I met with my friends and former co-workers Kay and Amy for lunch today. We had a nice lunch at Alumni House and exchanged Christmas gifts.

Later in the afternoon I picked up my mother and we went to Wal-mart for some last minute gift cards and boxes. That’s right….another Wal-mart trip. Just when you think you are finished you remember something you forgot on the last trip …or something else comes up that requires more stuff. LOL The store was crowed and the traffic was heavy even early in the afternoon.

I brought John dinner to the fire station and I left as they started playing 10 Penny as I had promised my mom and dad I would play 10 Penny with them. Mom won the first round and I won the second. I don't know how the guys at the fire station fared with their games but I am sure they had a good time as usual.

Remember to laugh everyday. Happy trails. Stay safe.

Wal-Mart….grocery shopping!

John off today. Yeah !! We slept in late….almost 10:00!!! I think we could really get used to this. The weather was nice today…..so warm we wore short sleeves.

Later this afternoon John and I ventured out into the crazy shopping world to get a wedding gift for one of the fire fighters and to go grocery shopping at …..WAL-MART… of all places! After purchasing the wedding gift at Bed, Bath and Beyond we decided we were hungry and ended up at a local Chinese buffet. The food was very good and at the end of the meal the waitress brought us our fortune cookies. Mine read, “The winds of change will blow your way next month” and John’s read, “Never give up” I wonder if that means something about the house. I sure hope it does. LOL

By the time we reached Wal-Mart it was after 5:30 p.m. and just in time for the after work rush crowd. What was I thinking???

Remember to laugh everyday. Happy trails. Stay safe.

Debra, a friend and reader of the blog asked about 10 penny. Debra this is a link for the card game 10 penny. We use 3 decks of cards including the jokers.

Stay Safe

Wrapping Gifts

John at the mall from 1 to 9 today. :( 

This afternoon I picked my Mom up and took her to finish her shopping.  The traffic and amount of people in the stores was crazy!  Afterward I returned home and wrapped all the gifts I had purchased the other day.  Ok, now I am tired of wrapping. LOL

Remember to laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

Shopping, 10 Penny and Christmas lights.

John at the FD for a 24 hour shift today.  My sister and I went shopping today and were glad to finally get it all done.  The traffic and crowds in the stores are crazy!  After all that shopping I decided to fix tacos with rice and beans for dinner.  It was quick and I was tired so I chose something easy.

I brought John dinner to the fire station and stayed to play a round of 10 penny.  It was very entertaining as they are all so vocal.

After leaving the fire station I  picked up Bob and Marcy and we drove around looking at all the Christmas lights.  This is something we like to do every year.  We noticed there were fewer people decorating this year and thought it might be due to the economy. 

Remember to laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

Back home…..very very tired.

I arrived back home at 1:00 a.m. this morning. Very very tired. The funeral for my uncle was at 2:00 p.m. with a dinner and slide slow at the fellowship hall following the service. There were relatives I had not seen in 30 years. It was good to see them and see how much everyone had changed since childhood. The sad part of it all is that funerals are usually the only time and place people make the time to get together. It seems everyone has too much to do to keep in touch and before you know it a large portion of the uncles, aunts and cousins have passed away. Mom, Dad and I did not leave until after 5:00 p.m. and we agreed we would drive until we got tired then stop and find a hotel room. We were making great time until we came into Baton Rouge, LA. The traffic was stop and go and we were stuck there for over an hour in the pouring rain but surprising enough we were all wide awake so we decided to drive thru and get home.

John was scheduled to work at the mall today from 7 to 3 but got off early….around noon. Yeah!!!! He ran a few errands after work and since then we have been at home chilling out.

Remember to laugh everyday. Happy trails. Stay safe.

Good Day

Got off from the FD, 11 calls yesterday and last night, then headed to the mall. Usual mall day except we had our Christmas party which was catered by Mint Restaurant. After lunch, much to my surprise they gave all of us a Christmas bonus then had a few drawings for prizes. I ended up with a gift card for Barnes and Noble and a dinner for two at Mint Restaurant, sweet.
I got off at 2:30 and dropped off some of the leftover food at the fire station. I got home and refrigerated what I had then went to Sears to order a microwave/vent a hood. Ours burnt out yesterday morning. Delivery is expected Jan 12th. Left Sears and picked up Fred from the dog hotel and brought him home, he was happy. From there I headed out to Bass Pro Shop to pick up a hand held GPS unit (Garmin eTrex Venture HC) that we will use during retirement. As I was leaving Bass Pro Shop (4:45pm), Bridget called and said they had just finished eating and were getting on the road heading back to MS. They will most likely stop somewhere tonight and arrive tomorrow. I work the mall 7-3 tomorrow.

Stay Safe

Arrived Safely

Today I worked the FD. Bridget and her parents were off to Vidor, TX for a funeral. Her uncle passed away with his family with him at home. He will be missed by all that knew him. Bridget called after they arrived and were checked in to the hotel in Vidor. She was planning to call her cousin Daniel to see if they could get together for dinner. Usual FD day for me, working the mall tomorrow and Friday on the 7-3 shift. Nothing exciting going on here, just ready for the house to sell so we can get on the road.

Stay Safe

Mom Hatch & Aunt Martha’s last day of their visit.

Today is the last day of Mom Hatch and Aunt Martha’s visit.  John was off today and met with the attorney to finalize Mom Hatch’s estate planning.

Bob and Marcy had an appointment to have maintenance work done on their car today and I was to pick them up early this morning.  Afterwards we planned on meeting up with Annie and going Christmas shopping. Annie had an exam with her company first thing this morning.  She passed and was so excited as it will give her a designation with the company.  Congratulations Annie.

By the time Annie met up with us it was lunchtime so we decided to go to Piccadilly restaurant.  I called John and he, Mom Hatch and Aunt Martha had just left the attorney’s office  so they met us for lunch.  After lunch John drove Mom Hatch and Aunt Martha back home to Crystal Springs and the rest of us continued on with the Christmas shopping determined to finish. 

Tomorrow I will be traveling with Bob and Marcy to Vidor, Texas to attend the funeral of our Uncle Ben Wallace. 

Remember to laugh everyday. Happy trails.  Stay safe.

Daughter-in-Law out of gas.

John off today. Yeah!!!!  We woke up to rain and temperatures in the low 60s.  Pretty harm for December.  John fixed us all a nice breakfast of biscuits, bacon and eggs.  It was yummy.

We received a distress call from our daughter-in-law this morning.  She was on her way to work and ran out of gas a short distance from our house. John hurried to her rescue.  It seems her day started out as one of those when you just want to go back home and start over.   I think her day got better though.

Mom Hatch, Aunt Martha, John and I have watched several Christmas movies today. Surprisingly, there are still a few we had not seen.

Remember to laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

Sad News

John still at FD today. :(  It looks like the rain may be leaving us today. Yeah!!!

I received sad news today that my uncle, Ben Wallace of Vidor, Texas passed away early this morning.   His wife and eight children had gathered last night to have a family dinner and to decorate the Christmas tree and house as they do every year.   At least they were all together one last time.

Bob and Marcy came over tonight and played a few rounds of 10 penny.  Marcy beat us severely. LOL  I think we need a rematch.

Remember to laugh everyday. Happy trails.  Stay safe.

The rain is back!

John at the FD for the first half of a 48 hour shift.  :(    It has been raining on and off all day long and I think the same is expected for tomorrow.  The good thing about the weather is that it is not really cold.

Not much news today.  Mom Hatch and Aunt Martha entertained themselves watching the game show network while I played bejeweled, wrapped a few Christmas gifts and finished making a Christmas wreath.

Bob and Marcy came over tonight and played a couple rounds of 10 Penny.  It was entertaining.

To our RV friends Jim and Dee, congratulations on getting your new rig.  May you have many happy trials in it.  We hope to see you on the road real soon.

Remember to laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

Lunch and a Wedding.

John off today. Yeah!!  I met my friend and former co-worker Amy for lunch today at Alumni House, a local sports grill.  Our other friend Kay was supposed to meet us there but was sick with a migraine.  Sure hope she feels better soon. 

John attended the wedding of Jeff Case, a fellow firefighter tonight.  We wish them much love and happiness in their future together.

Remember to laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

No news on house showing.

John at the FD today for a 24 hour shift. :(   My day consisted of fixing meals, laundry and polishing furniture. So much fun I just can’t stand it. LOL

No news from the realtor who showed the house yesterday.  Hopefully someone will come along real soon and make an offer.

Remember to laugh everyday.  Happy trails. Stay safe.

Realtor showed the house today!

John off today. Yeah!!! The rain has gone and the sun is shining bright….temperatures are a little cooler.

Right before lunch we received a call from a realtor asking if she could show our house. Well……of course she can. LOL  This is the first showing so far this month. She said she had a client flying in from Chicago who wanted to buy a house before Christmas.  Needless to day, we straightened everything up and Mom Hatch, Aunt Martha, John and I left and had lunch at Applebee’s.  No word back from the showing.  We are keeping our fingers crossed. This house selling business is tiring stuff.  It needs to sell….we want to be on the road with our camping  buddies!!!!!

Remember to laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

Rain, Rain Go Away!!!!

John off today.  He cooked yummy waffles for breakfast.  Thank you John. 

The weather is definitely warmer today but it has rained all day on and off; sometimes very heavy.  We are under a tornado watch tonight until 9:00 p.m.  Tomorrow the temperatures will be much much cooler.  Sure will be glad when this weather moves on out.

John took Aunt Martha to her follow up dentist appointment this afternoon.  She is having a crown replaced.  You know how it is with the dentist…..they keep you coming back.

I cooked a meatloaf (John’s favorite) with sauced cauliflower (Leslie’s recipe) for dinner.  Thanks to Leslie for giving me this recipe.  Everyone loved it.

Update on Ina Jo:  She will be going home from the hospital tomorrow.  She is so happy that she will be going home for Christmas.

Remember to laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

Drizzling Rain

John at the FD for a 24 hour shift today. The weather here today is chilly with drizzling rain. Just enough to make the roads a dangerous place for stupid drivers.

John said they had 10 or so wrecks and medical aid calls; not unusual for this type of weather.

I drove Mom Hatch and Aunt Martha to a dentist appointment earlier this morning and the crazy drivers were out in full force. On the way going and coming we saw two cars that had run off in ditches and one guy in a truck almost hit us on the interstate. I was glad to get back home.

Bob and Marcy came over late in the afternoon to visit with Mom Hatch and Aunt Martha. We had burgers and fries for dinner and then Bob, Marcy and I played a few rounds of 10 Penny.

Update on Ina Jo: The social worker met with the family today and it is very likely she will go home this week. Thanks for all the prayers.

Remember to laugh everyday. Happy trails. Stay safe.

Just a regular day….not much news.

John at FD for a 12 hour shift. He is working for someone else today. The snow has all gone away and the sun has been out most of the day. The weather tomorrow is supposed to be rainy but a little warmer.

Mom and Aunt Martha watched the movies Fracture and The Accidental Husband today. They both liked Fracture the best as they love murder mysteries. I caught up on housework and boring stuff like that today. Not much news to tell.

Missing our camping buddies and hope to be on the road soon.

Remember to laugh everyday. Happy trails. Stay safe.

Bye Bye Snow

John off from FD today but has to work at the mall for a few hours.  Woke up to snow on the ground this morning.  There was just enough accumulation to say it snowed.  The sun was shining bright and the snow started melting.  It was pretty while it lasted.

John stayed at home with Mom Hatch and Aunt Martha while I ran a few errands before he had to go to work at the mall.

Update on Ina Jo:  The doctors say she has greatly improved and will most likely go home next week.  Thanks for all the prayers.

Remember to laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

Where’s the snow? See below

John at FD for a 24 hour shift today. :( I drove Mom Hatch and Aunt Martha to Crystal Springs for their doctor appointment this afternoon. We were early so they took them early and we were on our way back home in a little over an hour. Pretty good for a doctor’s office.

Since the weather has been getting colder all day I decided to cook some homemade soup and a large pan of cornbread for dinner. Cold weather and homemade soup just seem to go together.

Snow or snow flurries are in the forecast but so far I have not seen any. It is very rare for us to get accumulations of snow here.

Remember to laugh everyday. Happy trails. Stay safe.

The snow had already started melting by the time I got home about 8:30am on 12/5.

The parking lot and roads were to warm for it to stick.

It was about 35 degrees when it started snowing around 7pm.

Looking toward the road from the parking lot.

Looking back to the trees in the back parking lot.

Front of the station and memorial garden.

The Ram at rest.

Side shot of the Ram.

The forecast started off with snow for southern Mississippi. We were to get a dusting. It started snowing about 7pm at the FD and stopped around midnight. We had between a 1/4 to a 1/2 inch accumulation. A little more then a dusting. It was after 8:30 when it started at the house.

Stay Safe

Added Saturday morning.

Not Much News Today

John off today from both jobs. Yeah!!! The weather here is quite cool but not rainy. Not much news today.

John stayed home today with Mom Hatch and Aunt Martha while I took my mom to finish her Christmas shopping. The stores weren’t too crowded and she was able to get everything done without waiting long in the checkout lines.

For dinner I prepared French fried onion chicken and rice pilaf as well as a spring mix salad with bleu cheese crumbles, glazed almonds and raspberry walnut dressing. Thanks to Leslie for the salad tips.

Remember to laugh everyday. Happy trails. Stay safe.

Leslie and Mike left today…..sad sad!!!

John at the mall 3 to 11 today. :( Leslie and Mike left today to start their journey back to Utah to be with their family for Christmas. We are really going to miss them.

I left early this morning to attend the funeral of John’s niece’s dad who passed away Sunday suddenly. Makes for a sad beginning of the day.

John arrived home shortly after I did with Mom Hatch and Aunt Martha. They will be visiting for a while.

I received a phone call from Leslie letting us know she and Mike had arrived in Shreveport, Louisiana safely. Sure wish we were on the road with them.

Remember to laugh everyday. Happy trails. Stay safe.

Mike and Leslie’s Last Day is Mississippi

John at the FD today for a 24 hour shift. Today will be Mike and Leslie’s last day in Mississippi. We did not have any set plans today and decided on running around and visiting some local outlet and salvage stores. I was looking for some cheap Christmas decorations for staging the house….since it is still on market. I did find some Christmas napkins for the table but still need a centerpiece.

After all the running around we called John and he met us for dinner at the local Applebee’s. John and Mike chose sirloin steaks while Leslie and I opted for the Fiesta Lime Chicken. The food was great. We finished our meal and visited for a long while. Finally, John left to go back to the fire station and Mike, Leslie and I returned to our house. We did make one final Wal-Mart trip so Mike and Leslie could stock up before hitting the road tomorrow.

We will miss them terribly and hope to see them down the road soon.

Remember to laugh everyday. Happy trails. Stay safe.