Wednesday, Jan 1 I made my annual stew with black eyed peas. While I don't put much stock in them giving me "real luck", we do like the stew and it has just become an annual ritual. We invited Misti, Haleigh and my cousin Todd to join us for dinner. It was fun to visit with everyone. Todd brought us some lemon cookies that were quite good. We enjoyed them for the next few days.
Friday, Jan 3, was a busy day. We met some friends at Downstream Casino for lunch. After consuming more food than we probably needed, we visited for nearly two hours before heading back to Oswego. It wasn't long after we returned home that we left for Elmer and Cindy's to spend the evening with my sisters and our husbands at 5:30. She made chili with fixings and I made a four layer dessert. We had a good time visiting. I don't know why we don't get our husbands together with us more often.
Monday, Jan 6 we drove to Parsons to watch Kamron play basketball against Chetopa (where I lived for 12.5 years). It's always fun for me as there is usually a grandchild or family member playing on the Chetopa team. Before the boys game started my cousin Dennis arrived with his friend to watch her grandson play. It was good to visit with him for a few minutes before we left.
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| Kamron in the back with the knee braces. |
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| Great storage area |
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| I love I can get to my Instapot without reaching up over my head to take it down. It's heavy and I've worried about losing my balance while standing on a stool to do that. The storage shelf can be moved up or down as needed. Another drawer above this area is convenient. |
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| File cabinet and two nice drawers. |
Wednesday, Jan 8 I attended our women's BIble Study. It was great to see these ladies again. Later this afternoon, Brett called to let us know it looks like Jameson will be here tomorrow.
Thursday, Jan 9 we headed to Joplin about 9:30. Our grandson Jameson arrived before we got there, although the nurses had expected he wouldn't arrive until closer to noon. Emilee's parents, her aunt/uncle and siblings were in the waiting room, along with Jameson's siblings Dacy, Tucker and Logen. No one had met Jameson Nash yet. It was at least another 20-30 minutes before Brett came back to get Jameson's brother and sisters to meet him. After they had some family time together, the rest of us were able to go in to visit as well. It was quite a group heading down the hall to the birthing center - 9 or 10 of us. However, the room allowed plenty of room for all of us. Little Jameson met each of us personally and of course there were many pictures taken.
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| Jameson Nash |
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| Proud Mama and Daddy |
Saturday, Jan 11 - this is what we woke up to.
Sunday, Jan 12 my sisters and I left Oswego at 11:30 and headed to Granby, MO. We are going to visit a beloved family friend, Joyce McGill. Joyce and her husband George had four boys that are close in age to my sisters and I. After George passed a few years ago, she moved to Granby where one of her sons lives. We had a great time catching up with her and hearing about all of the boys and their families. We had to take a picture together as well.
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| Jody, Crystal, Joyce, Cindy and Me |
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| Me, Cindy, Joyce, Crystal and Jody. |
Monday, Jan 13 was another trip to Joplin and beyond. We had the oil changed at the Toyota dealer there, stopped at a few stores before having lunch at Lotus Express on 20th Street. My cousin mentioned this place in a post on Facebook a few years ago and I've wanted to stop here for a long time. Dean agreed and I'm glad. The food was amazing and the price was even better! They have lunch specials for $4 that include your drink. Dean chose cashew chicken and I had General's chicken. The gave us nice sized chicken chunks, freshly deep fried, with sauce added as they made up each order, a large serving of rice, and the choice of crab Rangoon or egg roll. What I loved most was the chicken was nice and crispy since the sauce was added right before we received our meal rather than a soggy coating like it typically is at a buffet. I could not believe it was only $4 each. We will definitely go back.
We made a stop at the RV store near Coachlight in Carthage, then stopped at Kentucky Fried Chicken for a quick lunch. Another place we will visit in the future - as we had a nice meal for $5.99 each. Chicken strips, potatoes and gravy and a biscuit. We each had three large strips. I had to give Dean one of mine I was so full. Afterwards we stopped at a Dollar Tree in the same area to pick up a few gifts to take to big sister Logen, before we headed to Brett's to spend some time with Jameson and his family. He is a precious little guy.
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| Proud Papa right here! |
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| A little cutie for sure! |
After leaving Brett's, we made a stop in Pittsburg to check on mail that might still be delivered. Except for a few Christmas cards it was all flyers and junk mail. NOTE: FOR FAMILY AND FRIENDS WHO WOULD LIKE OUR NEW MAILING ADDRESS, PLEASE COMMENT ON THIS BLOG POST AND I'LL SEND IT TO YOU.
You would think we might head home at this point, but not us - we headed to St. Paul to watch Kamron play basketball. You can imagine our surprise, after Dean paid our entrance fee to discover it wasn't St. Pat's playing St. Paul - instead it was Thayer. Ah-oh! The young lady refunded our money and we left just a little embarrassed we had arrived at the wrong school. Fortunately it wasn't far to St. Pat's, so we only missed the first quarter. As usual we enjoyed watching Kamron and visiting with Marc and Jaxson.
It was a long day, but a VERY GOOD one.
Wednesday, Jan 15 we were on the road again. Before leaving Oswego for the remainder of the winter, we wanted to see Dean's siblings. They typically get together once a month for dinner. His brother was not feeling well, so we drove up early in order to visit with Larry & Sandi before meeting his sisters Joyce and Marie and sister-in-law Connie for dinner. It was good to see them all and catch up with everyone. I cannot believe I failed to take pictures AGAIN!
Thursday, Jan 16 as I read RV blog posts I discovered that George of the blog Our Awesome Travels http://geosuzie.blogspot.com had passed overnight. He was recently diagnosed with cancer. I've followed his blog for many years, enjoying his posts on their travels, RV info and the recipes that he shared (a former restaurant owner and cook). I enjoyed his blog so much and I was looking forward to the opportunity to meet him and his wife Suzie this year as they passed through Branson on their way to Arizona for the winter. Only a short time before they were to leave he became ill and their traveling days ended. Even through his short illness he always had a smile, continued writing his blog as long as he could, and then Suzie, his wife stepped up and shared information with us. George, you were a blessing to me in many ways and I will certainly miss your words and most of all that big smile of yours.
I had a busy day today, first stop was at Cook's New Looks for a good trim. Now that I'm letting my hair grow out I will have Marla, my hairdresser, trim it before I leave and again when I return to Oswego. I am surprised how quickly it has grown out.
My granddaughter Haleigh recently cleaned out her clothes closets and drawers. I offered to take the clothes to the church in Chetopa where I've taken things for several years now. Misti was going to leave the door open for me, but when I arrived it was locked. It so happened of all days, Haleigh happened to forget her math notebook at home and I don't think that has ever happened before. She called me around 10:30 asking if I could take her home over the lunch hour to get it and while we were there, she helped me load the clothes. I took her to Casey's so she could grab a sandwich and we rode around while she ate it. It was fun to visit with her during that time. I learned Casey's has more food items available than I knew about. Good information to know when we need a quick "on the run" meal. Cindy said she'd ride to Chetopa with me, so I picked her up. When we returned we drove by our property to see how the garage renovation is coming along. Our contractor, Broc and his crew started work on the outside several days ago. They have all of the new windows and side door in, and have started putting the metal siding on. Unfortunately, there was a mix-up at the factory and the overhead doors will be a week late in arriving. We are hoping they get the final work done before we leave next week. After that we took a drive through the park before I took her home. By then it was time for me to leave to pick up Jaxson at his school. He is spending the night with us tonight.
Jaxson and I just made it back to Bentley, when Haleigh called to ask if she had left the garage door opener in my car over her lunch hour. I didn't see it at first as it had fell down alongside the floor mats and blended in too well. We turned around and headed to Misti's house. Dean had picked Haleigh up at school, then took her home, so she could drop off her books and change in to her work clothes. Nana to the rescue!
We had another fun evening with Jaxson. He drew pictures with his new art set he recieved as a Christmas present. We colored, played cards, watched The Grinch before bedtime, then finally settled down for the evening. He sleeps on the couch, so we went to bed early with the idea he would be able to sleep better without the TV on downstairs. 30 minutes or so later I heard him go into the bathroom so I got up to check on him. Evidently he wasn't as sleepy as I thought as he had been up making another picture for me. After that he settled in for the night.
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| Earlier picture |
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| Since he couldn't sleep....why not draw another picture? |
Friday, Jan 17 we woke up to some pretty heavy. Dean rode with me as I drove Jaxson to school this morning, and I was glad for his company. When we returned to Oswego we stopped for breakfast at Circle C's. We had a nice visit with Carol and Jerry, then Betty and Dennis came in. It's always good to see and visit with them. I discovered that my dad and Jerry were in the Army Reserves together; and they were in Colorado the year we went out with my dad any many of our friend's families during the annual Reserve "Summer Camp". We no more than returned home than Marc called to see if I had picked up Boog (that's what he calls Kamron). I said No, I was going to get her on Monday since she's out of school then. Come to find out she was out of school today as well for Teacher's In-Service and she thought I was coming to get her today. So, I hopped in the car and headed to Parsons. We decided for something to do today, we would hit some flea markets. I am looking for a cheap table to put between our chairs to hold our glasses/cups, remotes, etc. Despite the rain, we headed toward Baxter Springs, KS first. Lo and behold, at the second store, I found this odd looking, homemade table that I thought would work fine. It wasn't real pretty but with a few coats of paint, and a little remake by my carpenter Dean Peine I thought it would fit the bill. I paid $15 for it and I figured the paint wouldn't be too high - as I only need a quart.
I took pictures and sent them to Dean to see if he could take it apart from the bottom to make the bottom shelf the same length as the middle shelf. The bottom shelf was way too long for it to work in the space we have. He said he could do that, so Kamron and I loaded it in the car, then we headed to Joplin. Originally we were going to a flea market there on North Rangeline, but since I had already bought a table, we decided to visit Bed, Bath and Beyond instead. We just enjoyed walking through and looking at stuff and we spent an hour or more there. Kamron thought Dairy Queen blizzards sounded good, so we visited the new one on 32nd street in Joplin. They were excellent! Great idea Kamron!
We drove back to Oswego, stopped to pick up Papa and then took Kamron home. After visiting with Marc and Jaxson, we returned to Oswego in time to get ready to go to Cindy and Elmer's. This will be our last time to play cards together for a few months, since we leave Oswego next Friday the 24th. We laughed so hard tonight I wasn't sure I was going to be able to catch my breath a time or two.
Saturday, Jan 18 Dean took the table to the garage and when he brought it back it was exactly what I wanted. He's such a wonderful husband! On Monday I will pick out some paint and hopefully get three coats on the bottom of it. We'll let it sit overnight before I put three coats on the top of the shelves Tuesday. I put a tarp down and painted it in the RV. It dries much faster here than at the shop. While Dean has a couple of heaters there it is still really cold with the temperatures we've been having. The shop is too big for these small heaters without insulation. That will be a new project for this spring.
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| In the store |
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| After Dean shortened the bottom shelf. (the bottom shelves are the same length even though the picture doesn't reflect that) |
Sunday, Jan 19 After church, I headed to Cindy's for our sisterfest. Crystal brought homemade chocolate chip cookies - yummmm! She also had her grandson Dempsey with her today, and we enjoyed his antics during our visit. Too bad I didn't have Jaxson so they could play together. She left at 2, and since Jody and I were parked behind her we all left. I arrived home right after the start of the Chiefs game against the Titans. I left at 3 to head back to church to attend a 75th birthday party for Bill Hoffman, a good friend and former neighbor of ours. It's always fun to attend these, not only for the birthday boy himself, but its also good to visit with friends we may not see often. I enjoyed visiting with Steve and Nancy, Donnie & Janie, their daughter-in-law Leigh and their grandchildren, Buddy & Carolyn - my dear friend from High School, and many others. Back at Bentley, I joined Dean to watch the rest of the game where our Chiefs won ---- and in case you didn't know, THE CHIEFS ARE GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL! 50 years of waiting for a second chance.
Monday, Jan 20 This morning we received news that our cousin, Steve Nash, passed last night. We know he is with his Heavenly Father and we are thankful he is no longer in pain.
We originally planned to leave this Thursday for Wichita, but have decided to wait until Friday for a couple of reasons. The forecast is for rain all day on Thursday and mostly clear on Friday; and we expect the work on the garage to be completed by then. Dean really wants to be here to see the finished project. We'll have to put the car in the garage before we leave, too.
My neck has been bothering me again, so I stopped to visit Dr. Frisbee, before going to the the hardware store for paint this morning. My cousin Todd stopped by this afternoon and brought cookies - oatmeal and chocolate chip. Yummm!!!! We had a nice visit with him. I managed to get three coats of paint on the bottom shelves of the table. Tomorrow I will paint the top of the shelves.
Our move to Wichita on Friday will give us time to visit with both Heath & Jarred's families before we begin our winter travels in the south. Jarred will be ordained at his church on Sunday evening, Jan 26 and we both felt it was important for us to be there. Fortunately, the weather has really been mild compared to past January's.
Tuesday, Jan 21 The chiropractor helped but I will be calling tomorrow to have another adjustment. His office is closed on Tuesday's. My neck is much better but my leg is still bothering me some. Getting in the truck and driving 350-400 miles a day for two days after we leave Wichita means I need to be in good shape. Tonight my sisters, my daughter and I went to Chetopa to meet with my cousin Steve's family at the funeral home. We love this family so much. We are so sorry for their loss.
Wed, Jan 22 I was back at the chiropractor at 9:30 this morning. I felt a big improvement after this adjustment. Since we wanted to check the mail at Pittsburg before leaving - it was just another 20 miles to see Baby Jameson and his family. How could we pass that up?
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| Jameson Nash - 13 days old |
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| Notice that red hair? |
On the way to Brett's I took this picture of geese on the north side of the road.
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| Geese...thousands of them. There were two large sections, and while I took pictures of both, the first one did not come out. Too many rain splatters! |
It has rained almost all day. When we left town we noticed our contractor was working on the garage - they just have a small amount of work to finish up outside, but when we returned it was not completed. I imagine the rain got too heavy to continue, and it was still raining when we returned. Hopefully, it will clear up tomorrow.
Thurs, Jan 23
I'm finally up to date.
Broc finished the garage today:
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| Quite a transformation don't you think! |
I spent most of my day getting some much needed paperwork done, and prepping for our move tomorrow. Dean needed a haircut so I met him at the garage. I was surprised how much warmer it seemed inside after the work on the garage has been completed. I'm sure Dean wishes it would have been done before he started work on the desk. I know he worked in some pretty cold conditions at times, especially when the wind was blowing. We decided the hair clippers have seen their last day of cutting hair. A purchase we'll need to make within a few weeks. Last time I cut it we talked about needing to replace them and this time there is no doubt.
Kamron had a basketball game at Chetopa this evening. Marc and Misti met Dean, Haleigh and I at the Hornet's Nest in Chetopa for dinner before going to the game. (By the way, for those of you not familiar with Chetopa - the school mascot is the Hornet, hence the name of the restaurant) We had a nice visit and a great meal. We left shortly before 6 and we made it just in time as St. Pat's game against St. Paul was just starting. It was a very tight game and I believe only the five starters played the entire game. It's possible one might have gone in for a short time, but Kamron never got to play. Sad for us! St. Pat's won the game by a few points. This is an end of the year tournament and they will play again tomorrow night but I'm not sure who with. We gave the kids and grandkids hugs since we are heading out in the morning and won't see them again until April.
As we were leaving my cousin Rick Nash, his wife Sherrie and daughter Rebecca came in to watch their graddaughter Bella play. It was good to visit with them for a few minutes before heading home.
Since it's supposed to snow tonight and get below freezing, we decided to pull the slides in just to be sure we don't run into a problem like we did back in December at Brett's and couldn't leave for a few days.
Thanks to everyone who has asked if I'm still going to blog and if things are okay. Yes we are doing great, just very busy the last few months. I am looking forward to blogging again on a daily basis. Thanks for following along and I always love hearing from you.
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