Thursday, August 30, 2007

Stupid is...as Stupid does.

Wake up call!


As I do every day, I went to my computer to check my bank account. I attempted to log in only to be refused. The message given me was "No Such Account" I tried three times before I started to panic.

I immediately called the Bank. They informed me that they had frozen my account because it had been "compromised". Banks are very sophisticated in their security systems, and for that I am thankful. It seems that they monitor habits when accessing an account online, and became suspicious when mine was accessed from another Country. They shut it down and notified me via email (which I failed to open BEFORE I freaked out).

Long story short, we had to completely close our account and open a new one. I had to give them a list of what payments or checks that were yet to come out of the account so that they would be aware. My new checks that I had ordered about a month ago, aren't any good now. They are sending me a free box of checks for the "inconvenience", which won't arrive for 7-10 days. Thank goodness they allowed us to keep our check card numbers so that we could continue using them.

Then I started thinking about a Dateline report about thieves who would wash checks in Bleach to remove the ink and then re- write them. Then...I thought, How stupid could I be?

I actually posted pictures of my checks online (to show off my grandson). Oh..I took a pen and scribbled out all of the vital information, but....If common thieves can "bleach" the ink off, just think what a smarter thief can do with a computer and an idiot like me.

P.S. Yes, the Check post has been removed.

Monday, August 27, 2007

Happy Boy



Sunday, August 26, 2007

Paint by Number


I'm desperate to find someone to paint my house. The man who put up our GutterGuard system gave me an estimate and told me to call him when we get ready to paint. Well,...I call his number but he won't answer his phone, and I've been calling for a week. I've left message after message, and believe me...that was harder than you think.
Every time I call I have to listen to "Larry, the cable guy"(yeah , the red neck comedian) say "He's comin, hold yer horses, dang, how many times you call him in a week?"and so on and so on until it finally goes to his messages. If his purpose is to get you to quit leaving messages, it works. I let it ring a couple of times and before "Larry" can utter his first nasally "He's comin" I figure he's not gonna answer so I hang up.



Thankfully, Koz gave me the name of someone else, so...I called him and HE ANSWERED! He's coming this week to give me an estimate. Yeah!

Git
-r-
Done!

Saturday, August 25, 2007

Ocean Play

Gabe and his Uncle Josh in Destin.

Friday, August 24, 2007

A Little "Carrot Lovin"



Thursday, August 23, 2007

An Apple a Day...

...I wish! I have another "dreaded" visit to the Dr. today. Maybe it won't be that bad because I don't think I'll have to see my "Devil Doctor". But knowing him, he'll make a point to see if I've lost any weight. Good thing...I have. (This visit is just to have Blood work done to check things like cholesterol, blood sugar and all that good stuff. I won't know the results until September 5th.) The good news is, I've lost 20 pounds in 1 month! I know, I know, a lot of it is just "water weight", but hey....a pound is a pound. In this world, filled with all of these brilliant minds, why, just why, can't someone come up with an anti-fat pill? I mean it seems that everything that has been invented or discovered over time has just the opposite effect. I don't know who discovered Chocolate, but whoever it was, he should be shot. The same thing goes for the person who decided to add sugar & vanilla to cream and then decided to freeze it.

As for that apple... bring on the caramel!
SKINNY PEOPLE TICK ME OFF!!! Especially when they say things like, "You know sometimes I forget to eat." Now I've forgotten my address, my mother's maiden name, and my car keys, but I have never forgotten to eat. You have to be a special kind of stupid to forget to eat.--SIOUXSIE Q

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Someday I'll....

1) Walk out of Wal-mart without spending more that $25.

2) Go 3 days without having to shave my legs.

3) Learn to cook for 2 instead of 5.

4) Put more than $5 worth of gas in my van at a time.

5) Use a hair color to get rid of gray.

6) Let my husband win an argument.

7) Drive to Alabama without having to stop for a cat-nap.

8) Go 1 year without a speeding ticket.

9) Wash the towels before we run completely out.

10) Have extra light bulbs, salt and trash bags on hand.

11) Give in and get glasses.

12) Be able to see the dog poop before I step in it.

13) Be a size 10 or 12 or 14....

14) Go to bed before 1 am.

15 Enjoy life and forget about 1 thru 14.

Dog Days of Summer

Well, it was another 100+ degree day here and it's really getting monotonous. Let me say first of all that "I do not hold Global Warming or President Bush responsible". Growing up in the South we always had summers like this. When we were kids, did the heat ever affect us like this? I dread going out to the mailbox everyday, yet when I was younger I could stay out all day. Don't tell me it never got over 100 in Alabama. Oh...yeah, we would get hot but my Maw Maw used to fill up a "washtub" out in the yard for us to play in, or my Uncle Avery would take us to the "swifts" (the swifts was large creek where the water ran fast and cold), or we would just play under the big Weeping Willow tree in my Aunt A'trice's yard (we also played Church under her carport). I know that there have been "Heat Advisories" put out by the experts. And I'm not saying that it isn't dangerous for certain people, I'm just saying that we have gotten so used to air conditioning and other conveniences that we just can't tolerate it anymore.














Don't get me wrong, I'm counting down the days until Fall (my favorite time of the year), but until then I'll continue to run my (new) air conditioner 24 hours a day and just pray that I don't have a (heat related) stroke when I get my electric bill.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

shhhh....

Remember the post " A Day with Gabe"? Well, in case you don't, it was about Gabe getting to come stay with us for a night. While he was here, I lost his pacifier and ended up buying him a new one because I couldn't' t find it anywhere. Well....it's been found, I don't know where it was but I do know who found it. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this. Look closely. Yes,...he has a pacifier in his mouth and is sound asleep.

Monday, August 20, 2007

Bama Fever



Even Singlet has caught "Bama Fever". His best buddy is this "Bama" Elephant that he sleeps with. He'll drag it up on his pillow when he's finished playing with it and cuddle beside it to nap.

Roll Tide

Sunday, August 19, 2007

There's always a critic....

I don't know what it is about me and restaurants. If anyone is going to get bad food or bad service, it will be ME! I would say that out of every 10 dining out experiences, at least one or two will be bad. But....yesterday was a double doozie.

1) We ate lunch in Clemson at a Seafood Restaurant. It was a nice place, lunch prices were great and I was hungry. I had not had breakfast and I love seafood. I was really surprised by their menu, they even had Red Snapper. I have never tried RS and my brothers have told me how great it is, so I was really excited. Well...if all RS tastes like this, I'll stick to Catfish. It wasn't so much the flavor of the fish, it was the fact that they cooked it until it was tough as leather. So needless to say, I complained. Now, I know that if my sons are reading this they are shaking their heads and laughing, because my misfortunes at restaurants are a running joke in this family. Result: 15% off our ticket

2) Later that night we went out to celebrate our wedding anniversary. We chose to go to "The Peddler". This restaurant is a very popular steak house in our city. If you don't know where you're going, you'll miss it, because the sign is a small sign by the driveway. It's a very "rustic" looking log and rock building, inside there are antiques and even a buffalo head in the waiting area. There is no menu to look at, Your waitress will either recite the menu or the chef will come out with a huge slab of Rib eye (their signature steak) and slice it for you at the table. Well....we really don't like Rib eye because of all the fat in it, so we order our favorite...NY strip. We like the strip because it's very lean, no gristle or fat. We got our salad, (which was wonderful) then came the steak and baked sweet potato. Remember why I said that we like NY strips? (no gristle or fat). My husband's was wonderful. Mine was ALL gristle and fat, I couldn't even cut it much less chew it. So...I complained.

They offered me another one but I didn't want that, so she said she would talk to the manager. She took my plate and after a while she came back to the table and said, "um...how much of the steak did you eat?". Good grief...what? Well...I never saw a menu or a price list, so...maybe they charge by the bite. I didn't know what to say, so I just looked at her dumbstruck and said " I don't remember, you took my plate, go look. Anyway......Result: my steak was free, but my potato, salad and tea must have been around $15.00. For those prices, I can live without the "rustic charm".

Saturday, August 18, 2007

Singlet

This is Gabe's first dog. He's a miniature dachshund named Singlet.....yes Singlet (you know, a wrestling uniform). As many of you know, 2 of my sons were High School Wrestlers. Between the two, there were 4 State team Championships, and Individually there were 1 State Championship, 2 second place, 2 third place and 1 fourth place finish. So,...yes, wrestling is in their blood. Gabe is named after Dan Gable (all I know about him is that he was a great wrestler). Before my sons got involved in the sport, all I knew was the childhood memories of watching "Gorgeous George" wrestling on TV. High School wrestling is nothing like that, Thank Goodness!

Back to Clemson

Well, we moved our youngest back to Clemson today. He was not supposed to move in until Sunday but his roommate is a new transfer and was able to move in today, so Cody went ahead and moved in also. Which was fine to us, because I really wasn't looking forward to moving on Sunday. I won't go into all the details of the day, but I will say....Cody was ready for us to leave as soon as he unpacked. And...that's okay, I have to remember that this was different from last year. Last year he was a freshman and I think he was comfortable having his parents there, helping. But...he's a sophomore now and really don't need us as much. So.... of course, I tried to stay as long as possible. While he and his roommate unloaded, I started putting things away in his kitchen. Every trip up the stairs,with his arms full, he would look at me and say, "Mom, don't worry about that, I'll do it". I finally got the hint and kissed him good-bye and that's when I realize that my "freshman" feelings haven't changed. My Baby's moved out!




Packing up his truck



Around Campus and Downtown Clemson



His Apartment from the outside
and the inside




Of course this was the first item moved in.

Monday, August 13, 2007

Oscar & Angel

Oscar and Angel are a couple we've loved for 12 years. Both are getting on in years (84) and their health is failing fast. Angel is riddled with tumors and Oscar has started to have seizures. They live very comfortable and want for nothing. They have a home and people to drive them on trips, but sometimes I can just see a sadness in them. They have several children and I don't know how many grandchildren, their daughter Molly is the only one they see on occasion. Some days Angel can't even get out of bed because of her back, but Oscar is always by her side. Even though they have separate beds, most of the time they're snuggled together in one. Angel will be leaving us shortly, WE (her caretakers) have decided that she shouldn't suffer any more. We will miss and grieve for her. Oscar will be devastated and probably won't last long without her. When my Grandmother died, my Pap basically stopped living and was gone within 5 years. I'm afraid the same thing will happen to Oscar. I hope not, but with his health problems, I'm not sure what will be his demise, the seizures or a broken heart.





Oscar and Angel

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Gabe at 8 months




Gabe is soooo much fun now. He really has a great personality, he only has 2 temperments at the moment. He's either smiling and laughing (which is 90% of the time) or showing us that he has a temper. He loves to hold your fingers and walk, which is more like running because everything he does is at full speed. He also Loves to dance, Jake can sing "I feel good...na na na na na na na" and that head starts shaking and his little body starts rocking. It's hard to believe you can love anyone as much as your own children, but believe me....you can.

Going home + "Bama" food = Busted Diet

After doing so good on my diet for 2 weeks, I went to Alabama. No, Alabama is not the culprit, it's just the food IN Alabama. I started off pretty good. Sam went and bought groceries for us to eat while at my Mom's, he bought fruit, chicken, fresh veggies....everything that we were supposed to eat. Sunday was good, Monday....good, Tuesday....we ate supper at Pepaw's (it was too good), Weds....OK, by Thursday, it was "What Diet?". Thursday ended up being "Girls Night", we ate at Chili's and then went to see "Hairspray". Even though I ate bad at Chili's, I told myself that I would cancel out that meal by not having my usual Popcorn and chocolate covered raisins at the movie. Then came Friday night. A Big Cook-out! It was so hot during the day we didn't start the cookout until 6:30,...well that meant that the chicken and ribs didn't get done until about 8:30.(lots of time to snack) Of course the chicken and ribs were wonderful...but I didn't eat that much. I only had 2 ribs and a half of a piece of chicken, no potato, little slaw and no bread. Sounds like I did alright huh....It would have been great, if it wasn't for that piece or two of lemon tart I had for an appetizer. Oh well...Back on the diet now that I'm home and I see lots and lots of chicken and fish in the future.


Here are a few pictures from the cookout:

Yes,....we actually have a "Barbecue House"





Pop and Grandmother with Pop's new "Toy"



While we were waiting to eat, all the grand kids went "riding"

New Hardware


Sarah and Emilee got to show off their new hardware this weekend.

Michael Cole

Meet the newest member of the family, and our first Great-Nephew.Gotta love the hair!

Cole is the son of our nephew Michael and his wife, Amanda.


We got together at Pepaw Etheredge's and had a cookout on Tuesday night. It was great to see everyone and to meet Cole.

Friday, August 3, 2007

Butterflies, turtles and a talking Rat



Max,Cami and I had a busy day today. I'm leaving to go to Alabama Sunday and I wont get to see them for a while so we really enjoyed the day together. First stop was IHop for breakfast, of course I got the low cal plate (egg substitute w/ onions, bell peppers and tomatoes), Max got pancakes, eggs and sausage, and Cami got the smiley face pancakes which were, in her words, "so very delicious".
Next it was on to the Roper Mountain Butterfly Garden. We saw maybe one or two butterflies but the big attraction for Max was the Lilly Pad Pond, which was full of turtles.



As we stood on the bridge looking at the Pond, the turtles swam up to us and after waiting for a while to see if we were going to feed them, they eventually swam away.






We ended our day at the movies. The only one that they would agree on was Ratatouille. The Bratz Movie was out of the question for Max and Transformers was met by a resounding NO by Cami. So after butterflies and turtles, we ended our day with a Rat.

Thursday, August 2, 2007

Ties that bind

Well, only 3 more days until we are Alabama bound. I'm so excited to go home to see Ga......eh, everyone. Cody hasn't been to Al. since March, so he's very excited. He is looking forward to seeing his big brothers and I know that they are anxious to see him also. There are 3 years and 4 months between Josh and Jake, but there are 4 years and 3 months between Jake and Cody. And boy did that extra year make a difference. Josh and Jake were pretty close growing up. They played together and even spent one year of high school together, but Cody was always small for his age and was always the baby to them. When Jake graduated, Cody was only in the 7th grade. (I held him back a year because of his size). But now that they are older, At 27, 24, and 20 that gap that was once huge is beginning to shrink. I always knew that one day they would become very good friends, not just brothers.

Wednesday, August 1, 2007

Doing a "Happy Dance"


We have AIR! Yes, you heard me right, air. Cool, cool, air.
For those of you who don't know why I 'm so, so excited about this. Our AC unit went out on us June, 21st,That's roughly:
40 days ago,
or 960 hours ago
or 57,600 minutes ago
or how about this 3,456,000 seconds ago ( not that I was counting)
To put in perspective just HOW excited I was to get Cool Air... in a mad dash to go buy new filters, I had to turn around half way there and go back home because I had my pants on inside out.

Beach Baby, part 2