Tennessee pics



Grandpa Hall's Aunt Alice and Katelyn. She could not hold her enough.

Mommy's cousin Julie's husband Barry. He held me all through lunch the first day I met him.

Mommy's cousin Julie. She really cooked us a great meal. Can't wait till I can really eat it.

Mommy's cousin Sarah's son Hayden. He loved holding Katelyn.

Mommy's cousin Sarah's daughter Kya. She moved me from one arm to the other for this picture.

Grandpa Hall's sister Virginia and her husband Blake. I liked them.

Mommy's cousin Julie's son and daughter, James and Mattie. James played a "mean" piano for all of us. Can't wait till I can play like him.

Slow Berry Cobbler Paula D

I have added this slow cooker recipe because I want to make it soon. Maybe tomorrow.

http://www.5min.com/Video/Slow-Berry-Cobbler-444703488

I found these recipes at the swagbucks tv. A place to earn points for free items. If you would like more information, contact me and I will send you an invite.

BBQ sauce .....

I think I am going to try this BBQ sauce.... I may leave somethings out or add a little more sweetness. 

http://www.5min.com/Video/How-to-Make-Deen-Brothers-Barbecue-Chicken-172972407

I think I will ..... Paula D son's Beef Macaroni and Cheese

I think I will try this recipe soon. Here is a video of how to make it.
http://www.5min.com/Video/Waynes-Beef-Macaroni-and-Cheese-315860052

Great recipe... Paula D.... Chicken and Rice Casserole.

http://www.5min.com/Video/Chicken-and-Rice-Casserole-264791157

White Chili

While in Tennessee we visited our niece Julie. She made dinner for all of us. Julie made a fabulous White Chili. I am going to try making it this week. Good luck to me. LOL

Did some more research....

I did a little research while I was in Tennessee. I didn't seem to get as much information as I would like. In fact I only found a few tidbits. I know what I want to do next time I go and I know where I want to look. Maybe more success next time.

Seen my boys....

Went to my daughter's house and visited with my two grandsons. They were very good on this visit, of course they are always good.
Grandpa decided to wrestle with them, which their father doesn't do. The youngest one didn't understand it and was scared, the oldest he loved it and kept coming for more.
We had Mexican food and pizza.

Facebook....

I think I don't really like facebook. I mean I like the fact that you can connect with friends and family you have not seen for a long time, however I get bored with reading things like: "I don't feel well today." ; "going grocery shopping." So you don't feel well.... go lay down and get well.... go do you grocery shopping.
I do like when people announce good things like babies being born, they have won an award or the fact that someone needs prayers for an illness or tragedy.
I still enjoy reading a good hard copy book, the newspaper (Ours doesn't have much news any more) and magazines.

Aunt Alice

I arrived home Saturday after a week in Tennessee. Lara and I went to visit my husband's Aunt Alice. She is having some memory lapse. She enjoyed visiting, but became confused numerous times. Her son just got out of prison about 3 months ago. He was to go to a half-way house for 2 years, however he came to her house. I believe she is afraid of him. I don't know what to do to help her, but that should be the prison problem and her daughters'. Hope the girls come home soon and decide that she needs help getting him out of there. I am not sure they will come visit since he is there. They wanted her to not leave him anything in her will, but she feels he would harm the girls. So.... the saga will continue....

Lagging

I just realized it has been 10 days since I last posted. I will work on getting caught up on my posting. I have a few pictures I would like to add and what I have been doing.

Need to get....

I need to get Katelyn's buttons on her dress. I also need to get the laundry finished up and to pack for the week. Okay I guess I should be getting off of here then.

Snow no ice yet

It snowed this morning. The snow on the windshield of our car was icy. Tomorrow is forecasting an icy/snowy evening. I just hope Lara and Chris get here safely.

working....

Working on my computer files. I have a tendency when I know I am going someplace for a few days to back everything up on my external drives so I will have them if someone breaks into the house or a storm or what ever might happen. I have numerous copies of everything.
Last night and most of today I have sat at the crazy computer, sorting, deleting and organizing data ~ still not done. Probably a few days of work ahead of me.
I have an external drive for just genealogy, just for pictures, just for documents, just for school things (I won't use these any more, however Kristina, Casi and Lara may want some of them.), one just for magazine articles I like, one for my cookbooks and favorite recipes and one for my adobe suites.
Wow that is a lot of external drives.
I find that many of them are almost filled. Ugh that means I may have to purchase more of them.
I am trying to decide if I should get my hair cut before I go to Europe or if I should keep it as it is. I am thinking of having highlights and lowlights put in. My great husband likes that idea.
I made pork chops tonight for dinner with homemade biscuits, corn, green beans and apple salad. I don't usually fry food, however tonight it sounded good and I needed to pick Rachel up at the junior high, which meant I could not leave food cooking.
Time to go watch Big Bang Theory. Night all.

I have many family updates today...

Today I first called my husband's brother David to see if he knew some information that may help me with my family search on his grandfather, David Hall. We got to talking and he mentioned he had heard that their cousin Sandy had passed. I did not know if she did or didn't. We talked a while and he told me that the trucking company that he worked for just gave him a designated truck just for him with a special decal to depict the fact that he had driven for them 2 million miles accident free. Knock on wood..... He has driven 3 million plus miles accident free in his career.
We talked for a while and then he was heading into a mountainous area and we knew we would loose contact. So we ended it there. He is now 67 years old and doesn't want to think about retiring because he doesn't want to just sit around and wait to die.
Then I called James sister Virginia to see how she was. She said that she just got over pneumonia and that she was having problems with her liver and that she may need to head to Florida to the Mayo Clinic. We will ask that all pray for her.
I then decided I would call Aunt Judy, my husband's uncle Sam's wife (Uncle Sam passed many years ago.) and ask her a few questions. She told me that Sandy passed in August and that his cousin Nancy had another stroke in July and that she was not handling her sister's death well and is in the hospital. She hopes she gets out this week. Aunt Judy stated Nancy wasn't sure she was ready to get out.  Promised her I would call when I get to Tennessee and visit with her.
Then I got on facebook and I typed in my brother-in-law Clyde's daughter's name. Wow it popped right up. I am now friends on facebook with Julie. Whoop! We had a quick catch up and a lunch date for when I get to Tennessee. We haven't seen this family in 20 years or so. So long that Lara doesn't remember them. The last time we saw his brother Clyde was when their sister died. That would be the year 2000.
So I feel that I have had a very successful family day. Can't wait to go to Tennessee.

chicken casserole

Made this casserole tonight. It was really good. I didn't take pictures like my daughter... sorry.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
1 stick butter
1 can cream of mushroom soup or celery soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup water
2 cups minute rice
4 chicken breast ~ skin side up --- Note I used 3 frozen skinless chicken breasts
1 package dry onion soup mix

Melt butter in an 9 X 13 casserole dish.
Mix the soup and water together in a bowl.
Mix soup with the butter in the casserole dish. Make sure to mix well.
Pour the rice evenly over soup mixture and lightly pat down into the soup mixture.
Lay the chicken breasts on top of the rice. Note I cut each of my breast into four smaller pieces.
Sprinkle the dry onion soup on top of the chicken.
Cover with foil tightly.
Bake  at 350 degrees for 2 1/2 hours.

Getting Ready

Oh boy, Heading to Tennessee for a week. It will be so much fun. We will be visiting family and friends. Katelyn will be meeting relatives for the first time. The library will be open and I can do some research. I will need to make sure that I remember the GPS as I don't want to get lost ..... lol.
I have a few people to get hold of so I can make sure they will be in town.

Mom

Mom told me today that I need to get some literature on the trip to England, Wales and Germany ~ and where ever else we decide to visit while in Europe. I guess I will go to the library's website to check out books about the places we want to go.

So glad....

Yesterday one of my son-in-laws had to go to a meeting. The roads were so bad for him to drive home on. I didn't sleep well worried he might get hurt. Glad I heard from them this morning that he made it home okay. It was just really late and they thought I would be asleep.
NO MORE LATE MEETINGS SO FAR FROM HOME WHEN IT IS SNOWING!

COLD!

Oh my have I forgotten how cold Illinois can get. Snow on the ground makes it colder. Hot chocolate and a good read. Work on an afghan and walla, your winter blues go away.

My next project.

My next project is to make one of Devon's Christmas gifts for next year. I am designing and then making him an afghan with Skull and Crossed bones. He loves pirates and SKELETONS. Don't ask. I just call him bones. I will post a picture when I am done with this project.

Snow has come.

Well we did get snow. It isn't that much when you measure it, however it is the wind. White out conditions in many areas. Wind chills....
So far there are no school closings. I wish they would not worry about money and start worrying about the safety of the students and staff.
I am so glad that I am retired and don't have to experience the drive.
This will be the first year for the superintendent at the school I retired from to experience driving the road I drove each bad weather day. Have fun on the curves!

My first time....

Here is the dress I made for Katelyn. It is my first time making a dress. I am so glad I am retired as now I can get back into all of the crafts that I have put off doing for such a long time.

Snow?

Snow? Will we get some? Right now they are saying 3 to 5 inches. We will find out if we get any in the morning. I just hope that it starts before school and that they cancel school before the students get there. It always bothers me to know that the storm comes and they dismiss new drivers, bus loads of students and faculty and staff to drive home in it. What really upsets me is when you are there for less than an hour and they send you home. Why not go ahead and call it off when you know it is just 30 minutes from your district? Once again it comes down to the ole mighty dollar.

Okay, Kristina, I will try swagbucks for you.

I finally started using swag bucks. Kristina has been on me to use them for some time now. I have been able to accumulate many points. I can get some really great gift cards for items that would cost my lots of bucks. Look out Lowe's I am in the hunt for some great items. Also Devon wants me to spend some of them on him an Itunes card. .... Well what an "inexpensive" gift. I just search as usually, watch some great cooking videos and occasionally some others, do a few surveys and walla I have points.
If you want me to hook you up... just write me.

Almost Sunday, Jan. 8, 2011

Wow it seems like this month is going by quickly. It doesn't seem possible... Well I know it is. I was thinking Monday night, just think the Winter break went by so quickly, I would be getting ready to go back to work already... Retirement is great. I don't have to work. I don't even feel like substitute teaching. Woo hoo. My great husband and I are planning our first vacation for 2011.  I plan to do some family research and he is going motorcycle riding. We are going to be camping on some of this trip.
My second trip of the year will be to visit my family in England and Wales. I am so excited. I do not know what gifts to take. Something made in America.
I try hard to find items made in America, but to my surprise I had purchased yarn made in England to make Katelyn's dress. Oh well at least that is a country I don't mind purchasing goods from.  I will ask my family about some gift ideas to take to England and Wales.

Things to take to Wales

My husband told me I need to think of gifts for my family in Wales. I plan to go visit them soon.
I am not sure exactly what to take. ...
It is a long plane ride so I need things that can travel easily.
I know that I must take pictures. I think I may contact Rodz and see if I can mail my packages ahead of time.... but they can't open until I get there.

My second post for 2012

I am currently working on a Katelyn's Valentine dress. It is going good. I can't wait to finish. I plan to do some beading on it. Not sure exactly what method I plan to use yet. I will just have to see it finished and decide what I believe will look best.
Maybe I should actually make another braid first and then see how I want to go about beading.
Hummm to many things to think about at this time of the evening.

It's 2012

It is now 2012. I thought that retiring would be hard. Well, I am busy all the time. I have been crocheting and knitting. I have baked and made things for the men at the homeless shelter.
I will try and post more things as the month progresses. I will not commit to a post each day.

Spring, hurry and get here....

Okay my husband is ready for spring. I asked why? Well it turns out to be my helmet and he is trying to size it to his head. .... Wait then it will be to large for me!

2011 gone... 2012 here

We welcomed in the New Year at home, the two of us, watching The Big Bang Theory, toast and new year kiss.
Today we are having traditional corn beef and cabbage. My mother will celebrate the feast with us this evening.
Rachel is here with us. She skated in the New Year and grandmum's home is where is comes to "crash" for the day.
Here is wishing all of you a very prosperous new year, even if it is only having a better year with family and friends, finding God in your religious preference, or inner peace and health.
Happy New Year.