The Beginning

A very cold day, but the ducks returned to the pond.

Our neighbor, Donna, left today in the helicopter that is a speck on the horizon here.  She collapsed and her family thought she was having a heart attack, but after getting to the hospital, she is doing better.  She has been in and out of the hospital several times in the last few months.  She has portable oxygen all the time now, but she still goes in and out by herself in her car.  I hope she gets to come back soon.

Next week George and Patsy will get their G money.  For the second year, they will not get a raise because the cost of living is the same as it was in 2008.  I do not believe that.  Here is my list of costs for common groceries.
Milk $3.58 gallon
Bread $2.24 (this is the Sunshine loaf I always buy
Folger Coffee $6.98 for 34.5 oz
Eggs $1.64 a dozen
Flour great value $1.58 for 5 lbs
Sugar great value $2.74 for 5 lbs
Canola oil great value $2.58 a jar (the size I always buy, maybe 1 qt?)
Green Beans 67 cents a can
Imperial Margarine 69 cents a pound
Bananas 49 cents a pound
Potatoes $2.50 for 10 pounds, on sale
Avocado 98 cents each
Ground Chuck $7.38 for 3 pounds

These are walmart prices from sales tickets in the month of December.  Let's see what they are in a month, 6 months and a year.

The End

Started this am with rain, but ended up a really nice day up in the 60's.  George had fun on the tractor.  We had ducks on the pond.  A nice day for us, but a deadly tornado over on the AR/OK border town of Cincinnati.  I am ready to start over with a new year. 

What

am I doing?  This is how I like to use the laptop.  I tried using it with the mouse pad on the laptop, but I hate it.  The lap table here is a piece of cardboard.  Tomorrow, I am going to get George to cut a piece of the paneling we used in the bed room to use in the place of the cardboard.  I can use the mouse just on the chair arm, but I like this  better.  The problem with the laptop mouse pad is that I can not get it to scroll  like the scroll wheel on the regular mouse.  That means you have to grab the side bars to scroll web pages and the web is the only way place I use the laptop.  I think there is a way to set the mouse pad so it will scroll but I have not been able to figure it out as yet.  I try to use the laptop if I want to get on the web when George is here because he would much rather play cards on the real computer.  All in all I am pleased with the laptop. 

 I am going to get a portable hard drive to back up my pictures and genealogy files, but I have not gotten it yet.  I may get George to go with me to Bestbuy this weekend and see what they have.  Walmart did not have much selection.  I think I am going to try one of the online photo sharing places also.  I think Erin uses Shutterfly.  I do not have to go back to work until next Wednesday so I have time to play.

This is the quilt Helen sent me.  It is one Grandma Gaddy made.  I do not remember it.  I think it looks good here.  I wanted to leave it out on display but would not want it to get much ware and tare.  This rocker is rarely used.  When Robert is here, he likes to sit in it and watch TV sometimes, but other than that hardly anyone ever sits in it.  I like having the quilt out where I can see it.  It makes me feel you to see it on the rocker.

A tale

Or two. Helen is posting old pictures.  When I got out the Christmas stuff, I looked at some old pictures.  This is one Junior has asked about not long ago.  He calls it the two headed calf.

Good news

The girl went to LR to the Doctor today.  They said she was doing great and could return to all normal activities. They released her and she does not have to go back to LR.  She will return to school next Monday.  She is a great present.  Only 4 years old and already she has been on 2 helicopter rides.

Alone at last!!!

Greg went back to OK, George took the two big kids home, I took the little ones to meet there Mama at Green Forest about an hour ago.  Tomorrow will be a real day off.  I am tired.

Christmas, Again

Emmy helped Hannah play games on the computer, for over an HOUR!  Emmy is a big help with the babies.  I was really impressed how she played with Hannah at Hannah's pace on the computer for such a long time. 

Hannah got in the box and said, "I am a present."  Then she got Robert to get in the box with her.

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Two very pretty girls.

Hannah took this picture.  Lane played with the little ones also.  We went to the store to get Emmy's present from GMaw.  Emmy got a Wii and needed more controlers, so that is what we got.  Hannah went with us while Robert stayed with Daddy.  Lane carried the girl all around the store and took care of her while we shopped.  With the big kids here, the little ones are not much trouble.

Everyone is still here this morning.  We are going to have waffles for the kids for breakfast and the big boys are going to get left over biscuits, potatoes and gravy from yesterday. 

I am in the bedroom playing on the laptop, Papa is in the living room playing cards on the desk top and everyone one else is asleep all over the house.

And, that's the way it is at our house, December 27, 2010...