Ketchup

I put this on Rusty's desk as a hint. So far, it's not worked yet.

My handsome son. Sure do miss him.

My other handsome son, or baby boy. Couldn't keep awake on the long boat rides. Sure do miss him too.

What a good looking kid. Looks so much like his mother!!!

The view from where I sat on the boat rides.....

What a silly boy!

My handsome, grown up nephew....

Tyler and Mamaw

There goes Dustin! (See video at the bottom....)

Me and my babies!

The first half of this blog I wrote 2 weeks ago. 2nd half I'm writing tonight, the 4th of July.

I feel like one of those Catholic people in the movies where they go to confession and they say something like, "father I have sinned - it's been 6 months since my last confession, blah blah blah." Except in my case it's: "Father, I have been busy and lazy - it's been ? weeks since my last blog." I guess I'll say a dozen hail mary's and fast for 3 days and get on with my life lol.

I'm determined to post my PRIZED strawberry cheesecake tarts recipe at the end. I have to feel that I have something to contribute to the recipe world and that's my #1 recipe of all time. I'll discuss it more later on..

School got out, my kids went to Bama for 10 days wtihout me. Then I joined them for a week and got to visit with family. Especially enjoyed seeing Dustin and Jacy. Wouldn't it be awesome if Dustin got a job offer in Vicksburg that paid $250,000/year (so he couldn't possibly turn it down) and then they moved here. lol. One can dream. I know that the more likely reality is that all of my family is going to live in Alabama forever and I'll be the once in a blue moon visitor. But at the same time, I love my work here in Vicksburg. And I really don't mind the city and town so much actually. I enjoy the people, sad sacks as some of them may be. I enjoy teaching underpriviledged kids because I believe they appreciate it so much more. So I just don't feel any sort of nagging need to leave here. But I'll just have to figure out how to get to Bama at often times so that I don't lose that sense of having family peoples.

So anyway. I taught the multi-cultural art/music camp this past week and had a good time. Worked my butt off. Got paid about $150 less than expected. But I guess I should have asked ahead of time. I just assumed it would be the same as last year. But money is money these days. We got to take a tour of the entire old St. Francis school building and convent house. It was really interesting and I totally did not take my camera. But I just love old buildings like that. So much of it reminded me of the old Boldo school I went to. We did our grand finale show on Friday and the local TV station filmed it and then I had to do a stupid TV interview and talk about stuff which I HATE doing. But I think I made it through without saying anything stupid or stuttering. I THINK. You know, it's kinda like when they interview football coaches at the end of the game and ask stuff like "So, Coach, why do you think you lost that game?" And the coach is like, "Well, for one thing, the other team scored more than we did. Add that to the fact that we didn't score quite enough, and that should explain it." Stupid questions, stupid answers lol. But it's done, and the rest of my summer will be at my own leisure. But I"ll probably be on TV well into September if they do like they did last year. Keep in mind, this is the stage where they filmed the "Man of Constant Sorrow" part of "Oh Brother Where Art Thou". I so love that stage and auditorium.

Michael Jackson died Thursday I guess. And good LORD. People who last week would have scorned him for being a child molestor were suddenly lifelong fans of the musical "genius" and mourning pathetically. That always intrigues me that society will celebrate a person one day and persecute him the next. Then persecute him one day and celebrate him the next. Anyway. I was working with my 2 summer school correspondence kids on Friday afternoon and I have a music history time line poster on the wall with famous musicians from the 1500's through today. Michael Jackson was listed on the 20th century part with a birth date and no death date. Like, 1958 - ? One of my boys very solemnly and sarcastically asked me, "Mrs. G, could I please have the honor of writing in the 2009 onto the poster of the King of Pop???" I said, "Why, yes, you may. Let's have a ceremony....." We bowed our heads as he wrote 2009 on the poster. And then we laughed our heads off. I guess it's truly sad that he died, for anyone to die for that matter. But life is for the living.

Our band played at a leukemia benefit for a local child couple weekends back. We really rocked that night. We had lots of compliments, radio hosts were talking about us on the radio this week. 2 different people want to book us for weddings, and we seem to be developing a nice following from that night. I'll post a video at the end that we put on youtube. Our singer, young as she is, REALLY rocks. She is the key to the whole thing, I do believe.

Couple of links to our recent performance....pretty good recording I think:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xh8WtA9H2Pg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mib0NW0xid8

Thursday night late I got a phone call from Drew. He said "Guess what!!!!!!" I asked what. He said, "My baseball team FINALLY LOST!!!!!!" I said, "oh, I'm sorry to hear that, that's sad!" He said "NO!!!! I'm glad! Can I come over tomorrow?????" lol. So he showed up at 7 am on Friday with a suitcase so I think he will be here for a week or so lol. We've missed him so I'm glad he's home. I'm hoping to get to take him for a quick trip to the lake since he missed out on that last one due to baseball. He, Tanner, and Rusty stayed up late several nights playing Xbox game.

Tyler stayed in Bama, came home long enough to go to the doctor and dentist, went to camp, then straight back to Bama. I guess I don't mind it because he actually gets out and does stuff there. Here, he just kinda sits at the computer a lot. He likes being out there with the Bama cousins so I like to let him have that time. THe doctor visit was very productive. His meds have been working very well. But the doctor wanted to up the dosages slightly in hopes of even greater success. He told him to do that til September then they will give him a "stay awake" test to see how long he can stay awake with nothing to keep him occupied. If he passes that test, then he can get his drivers license!!! woohoo!!!! And also, Tyler has been suddenly interested in trying to do football again. so the doctor agreed to go ahead and release him to play football as long as he watched himself closely. We are waiting on a letter to be mailed to us from the doctor to show the coaches. Tyler is in no hurry for the letter. He wants to play football but he doesn't wanna do the summer training because he wants to stay in Bama. I don't know if the coaches will allow him to just waltz in there the last week of July and get on the team. but I guess we'll see. We still don't have the letter yet anyway. So we will see. Also, the dentist said his wisdom teeth have to be removed ASAP. So he's gonna have to come home in July for a consultation with the dental surgeon. So he would probably have to miss football practice for that anyway. So I guess we're just gonna have to see what happens on the football thing.

Rusty bought me a laptop for an early birthday present and I am LOVING it!!!!!!! Boy am I! I've been dragging info back and forth from work on 2 different jump drives all year long and I'm always losing them and it's just a pain. With the laptop, everything can stay in one place and I can transport the laptop daily. I'm excited. I'm LOVING it so far.

Rusty and I sneaked to Diamond Jack's tonight and got mufelettas....however you spell it. They make the best ones north of New Orleans. My tomatoes and peppers are still so-so. I get a couple tomatoes off a week, 1 or 2 peppers. I think a few of my pepper plants are actually dying in the heat. It has not rained since May. It did not rain the whole time I was in bama, and still hasn't as of today, July 4. Everything is DYING here. I water them daily. But the 100 + degree heat seems to be just frying everything. I hope that something happens to save my beloved, puny tomato and pepper plants. If they could just get the chance, I think they'd get good.

At the pool at the Big House today, Rusty and Clay practiced scuba diving again. Tanner tried on Rusty's flippers and swam with them. He could go SUPER fast across the pool, like lightning. He said he thinks he has finally found a way to beat Chloe. I told him not to be so sure lol.

Nothing much else. Missed the Myhand reunion at the lake last weekend. Nothing I can do 'bout it. Looking forward to the pics.

Ok, so since that point.....TAnner has returned to Alabama with Brooke and her friend and will be there til next Wednesday. Today is July 4. We went to Aunt JOni's. Oddly enough there were a bunch of folks we didn't know there. WE stayed a bit and had a good time but we came home early. Tonight he and Clay are playing Xbox and I'm spending some much needed "me" time. I've had a somewhat fun, somewhat aggravating couple of days. I will get over it I suppose. Perhaps I get my feelings hurt too easily lol. But I'm resilient.

Late last night around midnight the ground shook and the house shook. sure enough, another darn limb from that 200 year old pecan tree. A BIG one this time. So big it took out another big one on it's way down. I just don't know what to do or say about that damn tree anymore. All I can say is it's gonna just sit there like that until my cruise is over and then I'll worry about money to get it down. I'm just so tired of the whole darn thing. Makes me wanna sell the house and rent an apartment forever.

We've spent a couple of weekends here and there at the Big House swimming. Got a few pics from that I'll post. Seems the kids have been gone for most of that, but Tanner and Drew were here for one day.

Anyway. Everyone is in Bama. Me and Rusty are here, chilling. 2 weeks left til the cruise. I'm gonna post some pics and a couple of videos from my trip to Bama of the kids and of Dustin jumping the cliffs. And perhaps next week I'll get back on track with the posting.

Here's the ugly photos of the friggin limb/s. I'm so mad about it. Those suckers are gonna sit there just like that until I get back from my cruise. To HECK with them. I'm SO tired of that dang tree!!!!!!

5 year old Siberian Husky, free to good home. Tired of trying to keep him in a backyard with limbs dropping constantly. Can't keep a fence up, can't even keep a dang runner line up.



Dustin took forever to make his jump. I stood there with camera ready, ready, ready. He took so long that I started looking away and talking to folks. Then all of a sudden there he goes! So I'm late getting started with the filming, then I kinda go crazy with the camera at the end and forget to turn it off lol