Reba/Barbara Jean:

I posted earlier in the year about the silly emails April and I do back and forth all day.
Ever since we started watching Reba, (love that show!)we go on back and forth as if we were Reba and Barbara Jean. April is Reba and I am the fun-loving goof ball, Barbara Jean.


Me: I need to go by Grandma’s to pay her bills before I go home, don’t miss me too much.

April: Oh trust me I won't!! I have to run to hallmark after work anyway.

Me:Oh, Reba, can’t you miss me just a little bit?

April: BARBARA JEAN!! How in the heck am I suppose to miss you when you're at my house all day long! Go HOME so I can miss you!
Babara Jean: Oh Reba... you really know how to make a girl feel so...
Reba: STOP, STOP RIGHT THERE, DON'T SAY NO MORE
(as she is pushing Babara Jean out the door)

Storms/Power Outages:

I don't thing we've ever had so many thunder storms in the month of July.
Tuesday of this week around 1:15 p.m. time for me to go to the bank, it started pouring down rain. I waited until 1:30 to leave thinking it would let up. No such luck. I borrowed Sheila's sweatshirt jacket and threw over my head and away I went.
I got drenched!! It was raining so hard it even blew in my truck door as I got in.
Could barely see to drive, it was raining so hard. I get about two miles north of Vienna and it's not raining. I get to the bank in Freeburg and they wondered why I looked like a drenched rat as the sun is shining. I don't think they really believed me that it rained so hard in Vienna until they got the deposit slip and checks and they were still damp. (although I tried to keep them dry under the jacket)
Last night, I decided to beat the weekend rush and go to Wal-Mart and buy groceries and the items needed to make Dwayne his birthday supper of lasagna and delicious cake. (I will post pictures and recipes Monday)
On the way in to town I hear on the radio there is a storm in central Pulaski County with high winds, rain and hail. No problem, I'm in Phelps County and it will be awhile before it heads our way. When I got to Wal-Mart the sky to the west had some scary looking black clouds. I briefly wondered if a tornado was coming. When I'm about half done buying my groceries the storm hit Rolla. The rain and thunder were very loud even in the store. As I finished up I didn't want to go out in the rain so I just wondered around browsing. Then the power went out!! Nothing scarier than being in a dark store with a bunch of strangers!! There was a few emergency type lights that came on and the clerks were going around with flashlights. I immediately headed up front and went to a checkout aisle as I figured I'd be safe there. A clerk had me go ahead and checkout as the registers were still working but not the conveyer belt. They used flashlights to help me unload and checkout. As I'm checking out they come over the intercom (is that still a word in high tech technology anymore?) and state all customers are to leave, they are evacuating the building. I'm thinking, now if there is a tornado they wouldn't have us leave so what are we to do. People were getting pretty angry as you could not see across the parking lot it was raining so hard, not to mention the lightning. I waited in front of the door with a couple who had just checked out and look respectable. The lady said that last year she was there when there was a tornado warning and they made everyone come to the back of the store. She said at that time, people were wanting to leave and they wouldn't let them.
They are still issuing orders for people to evacuate now and if you have a cart full, just leave it and come to the front of the store. I understand they didn't want a lot of theft going on but outside looked pretty dangerous to send people out in. It slacked up a little (very little) so I head to the truck. I sloshed through water and all of my groceries were soaking wet. Lots of fun to unload!!
This storm reminded me of a time when April was younger and when the power went out at the old Wal-Mart. There were no emergency lights then and total darkness. only April still remembers how scary it was.
Even though it was only 7 o'clock at this time, it was very dark. Surprisingly, I hadn't drove very far and that part of town had power. I was afraid Wildcat Creek would be up on Hwy E as I headed home. Luckily, it water wasn't up as I did not want to have to drive all the way around through Vichy to get home.
When I got home, I carried in a few groceries and let Dwayne get the rest as I was drenched and cold. After I changed clothes, I went in and took the now wet groceries out of the bags and put away and mopping up puddles on the floor and countertops. For some reason, I didn't get upset about it all, just seemed like part of life's adventures. Wish I could be calm like that in other situations.

Around 9:30, my Mom calls me. Nothing wrong with that, it's just they are usually asleep by then. Mom asked if I was okay and that she needed to hear my voice. While talking, she mentioned how happy she was; her and Dad have relatively good health, a home that is paid for and a wonderful family. It scared me her talking that way. I thought, is something going to happen to me or Mom. Weird thinking, I know but that's what popped into my mind. Love my Momma very much and cherish this conversation.

I am very grateful the storm wasn't any worse and that all turned out well.

Calf Nuts/Take Two

The pictures from yesterday were just plain gross!! Not that I ate any, but the finished product looks much better than the uncooked nuts. They actually looked liked fried fish and if I had not known what they were, I would have probably tried one unknowingly.
In the future, anytime Alan cooks I will be wary of what it is. lol

Calf Nuts!! / I think NOT

I read on Pioneer Woman's blog about the cowboys frying up calf nuts and having a feast on them. I thought it was gross just reading about it.
Alan, one of the employees, loves to cook and periodically will cook steak or some other meat dish at work. Today, it was calf nuts!! No thank you!! I was not even tempted to try a bite. And believe me, Alan tried to get me to eat some! He did cook some chicken strips and I ate those. (after I saw the box they came out of and knew for sure it was chicken)
If I had to eat something so gross, I would choose the fried calf nuts over the cooked eyeball that was eaten at our pig roast this year. I still almost gag thinking about her chewing up the eyeballs and saying they squish!! (gag, puke)

So today, I am very grateful that I live in a country where food is plentiful and I do not have to resort to eating animal body parts such as these.

Weekend Recap:

Friday:
My weekend started as I wasn't feeling well and stayed home from work. Hadn't done that in awhile. It was actually nice to have the house to myself and not worrying about sharing the TV or my space. lol
Friday night, Dwayne and I went to Wal-Mart and bought groceries. We did better this time. Usually, when Dwayne goes with me he doesn't like it when I dart down an aisle to pick up something-April and I have a routine when we grocery shop and that's what we do. Dwayne thinks I'm just running off. (to where? I don't know)
This time Dwayne had his cart and did his shopping for hydraulic fluid for the tractor, etc. and then met up with me in the grocery section. Good thing as I was debating over trying to slide in around a guy standing in front of the butter section. Talk about plumber pants!! He wasn't even bending over and I could literally see at least two-three inches of his butt crack!! Almost made me not even buy butter as it was turning my stomach just by the mere glance and looking away. Dwayne to the rescue-he walked up and I whispered to him to buy the butter. He stepped in and around and got it. Don't know what the guy's problem was but he was still standing there deciding what butter to buy. Gross!!
Saturday:
I watched Desmon all day while Chad and the others went on a float trip. He was very good all day, I did not have to reprimand him once. The first hour I thought, am I going to have to play farm all day?! After lunch, we swam for awhile and when we went back in, he was content to play by himself.
That evening we went to Sput's Place for Mable Allen's surprise birthday party. And was it ever a surprise!! She had no idea and there were a lot of her friends present that she hadn't seen in awhile. Very good evening.
Sunday:
Dwayne went to church with me and filled is as an usher as April was at the St. Elizabeth picnic. After church, we went to St. Elizabeth for their chicken dinner and festivities.
Sunday evening, Todd and Troy came over and we picked up Mom and went to Rolla for my Uncle Asa Studdard's visitation. I enjoyed visiting with my cousin's two daughters. Very lovely girls, inside and out.
We then went to Maid-Rite for supper. Mom was surprised at the amount of people there she knew and got to visit with.
Chad was sick and unable to go with us. Not sure if he was dehydrated from being in the sun the day before or if it's something else. Picked him up some Gatorade and juice to send with Todd.
Monday:
Went to Uncle Asa's funeral before going to work. It was a nice eulogy and personalized with thoughts from family. In the midst of saying good-bye, there were lighter moments in finding humor while celebrating Uncle Asa's life with funny incidents.

A very enjoyable weekend with family and friends.

Weekend Recap:

Friday:
Friday evening, I went to a friend's house in Vienna for a Home & Garden Party. Had a great time, lots of laughter and fun. After leaving Vienna, I drove in to Rolla to pick up Zach, Ashlyne and Gracie from the roller rink. They seem to have a lot of fun while there. From there, we went to Wal-Mart to buy a few groceries and what we needed for Blake's party on Saturday.
Saturday:
Slept late as usual-love sleeping late! Saturday was clean house day. Dwayne and April cleaned and rearranged the living room. Dwayne had volunteered to be my cleaning lady/man; I think to justify his weekly cigarette money. I call him my house-husband, but he doesn't like that. He really does a pretty good job, but he doesn't do bathrooms. After a morning of cleaning and making food, I relaxed in the pool for awhile. The water was almost too warm to cool off. Good old Missouri weather! LOl
Dwayne left a little after noon to pick up Zach, Nathan and Desmon for Blake's birthday party at the lake. Billie brought the girls over around 3:30 to ride over with me. As you can tell from the following pictures, everyone had a good time. (Despite the heat)

Shelley made Blake's Farm and Turkey Cake:

Desmon & Blake:
The hit of the party from Aunt Bobbie, WATER GUNS!!!!!!
Does this look an excited little boy or what?
More Party Fun - Liz, Shelley, David, Desmon & Blake:The Water Gun Fighters:
April and Baby Nathan:
Ashlyne and Nathan:

Zach, Blake, Desmon & Nathan:

The Party Scene:
Rope Swing Fun -Gracie, Zach, Damisha, Desmon:

Two very tired little boys:

Sunday:
I am sleeping soundly when April Lee taps me on the arm and asks if we're going to have a tornado. I'm sleeping, how in the blank am I suppose to know!! LOL It was dark outside and the wind was terrible, sure looked like tornado weather.
April and I went to church. The afternoon was spent resting and that evening, Dwayne, April, Mike and I went to the Vichy Wye for supper. Afterwards, we took a drive on old Highway 63 to look at the river.

Overall, a nice family weekend and time spent sharing a friend's birthday. What more could a person ask for?

Camaro:

Well, as you can see from the photo above, I did not win the Camaro at the Rolla Lion's Club Carnival. I am happy for the winner and their family (not near as happy as if I had won though! LOL). They look pretty excited about it.

Weekend Recap:

Friday Night:
The evening started out by relaxing and watching TV upstairs so Dwayne and I could each watch our own shows. Not long into the show, Dwayne brings the phone upstairs and it is my wonderful impatient and doesn't give up niece, Ashlyne Paige. Her and a couple of her friends wanted to know if I would take them to the roller rink in Rolla. Naturally, I said yes but she needed to ask her Grandma first if it was okay. Judy said they could go as long as Zach went, too. Little did I know when I agreed to this that I would also have to go back to Rolla and pick them up at ten o'clock! Oh, well, I can remember (vaguely, it was so long ago! LOL)being a teenager and wanting to go somewhere. Actually, I miss the days of running with my own kids and it brought back memories of trips with my kids, the laughter, fighting over the radio station and just all around noise.
After I dropped the kids off at the roller rink, I stopped by Mom and Dad's on the way home and visited. What a nice evening with family.
Saturday:
I was so tired when I woke up. Watched a movie, Valentine's Day, with April and then went back to bed. After I woke up, I swam and laid on the air mattress for awhile. Finally, I felt awake enough to get a few things done. Cleaned the house and then got ready for Dwayne and I to go out to eat in the evening. Plans changed as Dwayne forgot about us going out. Ugh! So, I finished up a book I was reading and made my covered dish for the church dinner on Sunday.
Sunday:
April and I went to church, Dwayne had went over earlier as he was to help in the kitchen for the fish fry. After church, we had a ground breaking ceremony for the the new addition. It was a bittersweet time as Pastor Karen was unable to be there. Her Mother was in critical condition and has since then passed away. Our thoughts and prayers are with her and her family.
Ground breaking for new church addition:


The fish fry was very good and as always, we sat with our good friends, "The Howard Girls" and enjoyed visiting with them.
The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing and enjoying the rain storm. (I'm weird that way, I love the rain, thunder and lightning) That evening for supper, I fixed tacos, beans and rice and coffee cake for dessert. Mike wasn't able to come over as they had a cow die that evening and Chad wasn't there, he was riding horses. (Imagine that!)
It was just Dwayne, April, Todd and I and we had a nice visit during the meal. Todd helped me clean the kitchen and stayed for a few hours watching TV and visiting. Love that kid!! (I guess he's an adult, but he will always be my kid)

Overall, the weekend was what it was supposed to be. A time for relaxing from the work week, visiting with family and friends and keeping the Sabbath holy. I am grateful to live in a country where this is possible.

The EAR:

The EAR aka Elizabeth Ann Rowe kept us entertained last night. There is never a dull moment when Lizzy is around! This little girl talks nonstop and is always happy. (well, almost always) I can't even begin to explain Liz's personality.
She asks questions constantly and then when Uncle Dwayne started asking her a lot of questions to aggrivate her, she was, "Why do you keep asking stuff"? LOL (I actually only learned what LOL meant last year. I thought it stood for Lots Of Love. April would have LOL on her emails and she never says out loud she loves me so I told her I loved that she said LOL on her email messages. The response I got was, "You're a dork, it means Laugh Out Loud!)
The EAR is her term for knowing EVERYTHING and it is her initials. Only Liz would come up with something like that.

Both Liz and her brother, Nathan visited with us for awhile last night. Where Liz is constantly talking and being around the adults, Nathan prefers watching TV upstairs and drawing pictures. Two great kids, two distinctly different personalities.

I am so happy when the great nieces and nephews come over for a visit. I hope their time spent with Uncle Dwayne and Aunt Connie are special memories to them.

4th of July Weekend:

Friday:
Dwayne baled hay so I just watched TV and enjoyed the evening to myself.
Saturday:
Our pastor, Karen Alden and her husband Bill host an annual breakfast at their house. They have a whole buffet of breakfast foods for all to enjoy. We are usually the last ones there, but this year we were about a half an hour ahead of schedule. Kind of threw everyone off as they know it's about over when we arrive. Dwayne, April and I enjoyed the breakfast and visiting with everyone.

After eating breakfast, we drove to Vichy to where our friends, Kenny and Shelley, are building a house. I am happy for them, I remember the excitement of when we built our house. Of course the visit wouldn't be complete without seeing the boys.
House Site:

Nathan and Blake:

Saturday Evening:
That evening we went to Mike and Susan's for their annual 4th of July celebration. I so enjoy going over there and seeing all of Susan's beautiful flowers and landscaping. Susan adds a new feature each year and her yard should be listed as yard of the year if she were ever in a contest. It is truly beautiful.
My good friend, Susan:

This year's new feature, log house for the grandkids:

Fish Pond:

Lake and Gazebo:
The gazebo was added in 2004 when their daughter, Carrie got married in a beautiful outdoor wedding.

Party:

April and I:

Susan's brother, Mike, the life of the party:
Never a dull moment when Mike is around, haven't laughed that hard in years.

Dwayne and Evan:
As long as Dwayne would walk around and carry him, he was Evan's buddy.

Fireworks:

What a wonderful celebration with good friends, food and fireworks.
Sunday:
Dwayne, April and I went to church. April and I are ushers for the month of July.
After church, we rushed home to get ready to go to Aunt Jessie Licklider's for her annual 4th of July Elrod Reunion. Along with Dwayne and I, all three kids attended along with April's friend Mike. It's been awhile since all of us has been to the reunion at one time. You don't go hungry at an Elrod Reunion!! Tons of food and an afternoon of visiting and catching up with everyone's life.
I was so tired when we got home, I took almost a three hour nap. I thought I would have problems going to sleep that night, but luckily I went right to sleep.
Monday:
Dwayne worked in the hay field. I had a nice day to myself cleaning house and doing odd chores that have been neglected. I then relaxed in the pool for awhile. I fixed a nice supper and as a treat, cinnamon rolls. It seems that I only make cinnamon rolls for a funeral dinner or when we have company. Dwayne and April were surprised they had a whole pan made just for them.

I am so grateful to live in a country with the freedom to celebrate with family and friends.

Camaro:

The Rolla Lion's Club Carnival gives away a car every year. My Uncle Emmett Spencer won either a 1963 or 64 Chevy Impala years ago, so I know people do actually win.
I grew up going to the carnival every year. Mom and Dad would take us at least one night and on the other nights, I would usually go with my neighbor friends, Janet and Jackie Jurgensmeyer. I liked it when I went with them because their parents, Charles and Bev would stay later than my parents. And the fireworks display!! Loved it, still do.
I am sad to say that Dwayne does not enjoy going to the Rolla Carnival. He went when the kids were younger but I can't hardly get him to go anymore. He did go last year when April, Mike and Blake were along. We didn't stay for the fireworks, though.
I went to Rolla last night after I got home from work and went to the carnival by myself just to buy tickets for the car. Tickets are six for $5.00. I always put each of our names on a ticket and this year the sixth ticket went for Mike. Hopefully, one of us will win!! You can always hope!

Hope everyone has a safe and happy July 4th Weekend.