Friday, October 31, 2008

wild weekend coming up!

Tomorrow will be a busy day for Dan and myself. We will be working at the store until 1pm. When we close we will go home, load the horses and go to the barrel race at Iron City, Tn. Kelly will meet us there. We have tentative plans to go to Crump, Tn first thing Sunday morning to the flea mkt. Dan has a couple of things he is looking for. I need a new stool for the store. With the new machine and a new computer we need more good seats. We must be home by about noon. Kelly and I are going to a baby shower for our buddy Ashley Parker later in the afternoon. Ashley and hubby Clay are expecting their first baby in late January. It's a boy! We are pretty excited about this little fella! Next week I will publish some of the shots of some of the presents we made for little Hesston.

The comcast installer spent about 3 and 1/2 hours with us today. When he left he told me I could talk on the phone, watch tv and run 4 computers all at the same time. WOW! We probably won't watch a whole lot of tv unless the weather is bad or something. We don't watch much daytime tv. [ I used to watch Oprah but haven't in so long I don't know if I could get in the habit again.] I can tell you this....... I love Hi-Speed internet!! I might have a slight case of whiplash from the pages loading so fast!!!!

We did a couple of jackets and a couple of bibs and I did the cutest little pink bag with a ballerina bunny on it today. Needless to say we love embroidery! If things get a little slow at the store on Saturday I will upload some pics of our newest projects.

Well it is almost 11pm on Halloween and just like the last 17 years no trick or treaters at our house. Isn't that weird. When we lived in Cedar Hill, Mo we were on a major hiway and didn't have any trick or treaters there either. We've have never had trick or treaters our whole married life. I don't know why I keep buying candy.....okay, I do know but don't tell my weight watcher leader!

Have a wonderful weekend and don't forget to "fall back" with your clocks Saturday night!

Thursday, October 30, 2008

WW, Hi-Speed, Warming Trend & Embroidery!

First off, Weight Watchers didn't go that great today.... I only lost .2 pounds. Yes that is a point in front of the 2. I am beginning to see a pattern. Good week, not so good week, good week, not so good week. Now we need to work on 2 good weeks in a row.

Friday is the day Comcast is supposed to come to the store and hook up our hi-speed internet, cable tv and telephone. Yippppeeee!

Finally warmed back up and will be in the 70's for a few days. Still no rain though.

We were busy today embroidering. Did a little boys jacket with his name, elephant, and roll tide on the front. Also got some more bibs and starting doing them up for sale. I have also included a shot of one of Dan's pullovers that we did a couple days ago. Enjoy!










Wednesday, October 29, 2008

$1.36 a gallon!!!


We can dream can't we? This is a shot I got at an old abandoned store in Tishomingo County, Ms. I was taking shots of the store and decided I had better get one of the gas price too. It goes to show how long since the store has been in operation. Gas prices are falling, thank goodness, just not this low!


Dan & I are making good progress with the embroidery machine. Danielle has been a blessing to us as she has figured out a lot about the computer program and then taught us.


I mailed my Outdoor Alabama photos yesterday. Keep your fingers crossed that at least one of the six places in the contest. My shots included 2 gulf fritillary butterflies, one praying mantis, one bumble bee, the foot bridge at Rock Springs on the Natchez Trace and of course the "award winning" mushroom. I entered the mushroom in the "wild flora" category. Just between us it is not a plant. Nor is it an animal. It is just fungi! I contacted a mushroom expert via email to get a scientific name for my mushroom. The website said feel free to email and ask for an ID but it might take 2 to 3 weeks for a reply as the "expert" is very busy. You can imagine how shocked I was when I got a reply the very next day. He wanted to know where the picture was taken in the US and in what type of area as he had been researching and tracking this particular mushroom, the amanita thiersii. I responded and told him we lived in the northwest corner of Alabama and the mushroom was growing in the horse pasture. I took my shots to mother and daddy's when I picked them up so they could see them before I mailed them. Mother's favorite is the foot bridge shot! Check out my Flickr Photostream [link on the left] to see these shots and more.

Next contest is the Wildlife Wilderness Week in Pigeon Forge, Tn. Still have some logistics to work out on this one though.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

What A Weekend....

It was definitely a busy one. We were very busy at the store Saturday morning. Dan was sewing on patches for a biker, I was embroidering names on jackets and we were selling a saddle all at the same time! Saturday afternoon we went to Decaturville, Tn to the barrel race I won the 3d in the adult and didn't do anything in the open.

Kelly has started a new adventure and is selling Premier Jewelry. She got her kit with all her display jewelry in it Saturday. She brought it to the barrel race and we had a ball looking at all the beautiful jewelry! This stuff is really nice and is priced great too. My buddy April is having a show November 16th. I have already picked out what I plan to buy at her show! Having a show is a great way to earn free jewelry and I expect April will be getting quite a bit of cool jewelry. If you are interested in hosting a party contact Kelly at nksmith05@gmail.com. [There are several options including having a catalog party.] Or, if you would like to look at a catalog and order some nice jewelry let her know and she can get you fixed up.

Dan had a rough day today and unloaded 415 bales of hay. All but about the last 100 he did by himself. Our good buddy Joe came by when he got off duty and helped finish the last load. We thought we had a couple of young boys lined up to come and help, but they didn't show up. Dan can still work a lot of younger men into the ground. I'm proud of my 52 year old husband. He is one tough fellow!! He said the satisfaction came from knowing we have plenty of hay to get us through until next year.

Tomorrow will be cold and blustery with a chance of frost Monday night. I got our oil filled radiator heaters out today and cleaned them up, we may need them this week!! This is shaping up to be a busy week at Shamrock, can't wait to embroidery some sweatshirts. Hope to have some shots of my handiwork later in the week.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

more embroidery projects

cowboy kitchen set

Chili pepper dish towel
I have had so much fun working on these projects. With learning something new comes a great sense of satisfaction.
Weight Watcher update.....today was my weekly meeting and weigh in. I am pleased to say that I lost 2 pounds and 6 ounces this week. Yippppeeeee! This really boosted my spirits! All I need to do is keep that up for 15 more weeks. Sounds simple enough.....
Barrel race this Saturday at Decaturville, Tn at the Triple P arena. I love going to these barrel races. Keeping my horse rode is what keeps me moving in the evenings, otherwise I would spend way too much time in the recliner, especially when it is cold!

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

School Party!!

That's where I'll be Friday evening from 5:30 until 7:30 pm. My photog buddy Charlotte has been asked by her niece to come to Weeden School and take pictures of the children at their Halloween Festival. Soooooo, Charlotte asked me to come with her and I can't wait! I think it will be alot of fun. It's been a long time since I was at one of these school functions. My kids are old, [ahem] I mean mature. Anyway, Charlotte is a lot of fun so I'm sure we'll have a blast.

Dan will be gone Thursday afternoon so Danielle will be working with me at the store. We will attack the embroidery machine once again. We have some winter scarves to do. Not a minute to soon. The weatherman said next week we will have temperatures in the 30's at night! BBBRRRRRRR!!!!
The older we get the less and less we like cold weather. Sometimes I wonder how we ever made it in Cedar Hill with temps so low and snow and ice constantly throughout the winter. Snow days were so common the kids would be in school half way through the summer. Matt doesn't seem to mind the cold and every once in a while he mentions that Dan & I should move back up there.....no way! We've decided that 40 degrees is cold. We might consider moving to the edge of Tennessee if we found some acreage but that is as far north as we want to go! Did I mention we're gettin old?

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Today Mother and I ran some errands and one of them was to go to Helen Keller Hospital for my yearly mammogram. I have been having mammograms for almost 2o years now. It's very important to me. My mother and my aunt [daddy's sister] are breast cancer survivors!! This puts me in a high risk group. My doctor in St. Louis had me start getting mammograms as soon as mother was diagnosed even though I was only 30. I have had one every year since without fail. Early detection is the key to curing most cancer. Mother is living proof. She has had cancer twice. Both were found early enough and surgery saved her life. If you haven't had a mammogram and you are in the age group to have one I urge you to get one now! It may be a little uncomfortable but is doesn't hurt.
I started to have a disclaimer for this post that it was for women only, then I decided no.... I want my male readers to encourage their wives, sisters, daughters and any females in their lives to take this seriously and get a regular mammogram, it might save their life!!!!

Embroidery 101

I spent the whole week learning the ins and outs of our new machine, still have tons to learn.....Saturday Kelly and I went to the computer store and each got a refurbished computer. Sunday we went back over to the store to set mine up and load the design software. Kelly got everything set up and was trying to load the software only to find out the sewing machine store had given us the wrong software. They had given us an upgrade when we didn't even have anything to upgrade. I went back over today got the correct software and Danielle, [my neighbor, my friend, my part-time employee, & my photog buddy] installed it and started learning how to use it so she can teach me. Danielle has been really interested in the new machine and I think she is going to be a great asset to us because of her design talents! Below are a few of the things we have done so far that I've gotten a shot of. I have plans to do several more things tomorrow and feel I am getting better at this every day.
Update on comcast.... installation won't be until October 31st. Apparently AT&T won't release our phone number until then. [We chose to keep our same number] Danielle and I are both excited about having hi-speed at the store and the computer I bought will burn CD's and DVD's. We're moving on up!!!!
Sorry about being a blog slacker, some days I just can't get it all done. I am finishing up my entries for the Outdoor Alabama photo contest and have been in contact with a mushroom expert from the UK getting the technical info for my mushroom shot. He is very interested in this particular "shroom" as he has been researching and tracking it for a while now. I am also getting tech info on my butterfly and praying mantis. Lots of correspondence that has taken up a lot of time.






Thursday, October 16, 2008

WW update and more......

WW was a dissapointment today. I gained the 1/2 pound that I lost last week. Bummer! I'm blaming it on the antibiotics, I'm on day 16 of antibiotics with 9 more days to go. Double Bummer! The weight gain culprit may be that we are eating supper at 9:30 and 10 o'clock every night. Tonight we got in early and ate at about 8:30, the earliest this week. Anyway I have had a serious talk with myself and have vowed to do better this week! Hold me to it!

I'm still learning the ins and outs of the PR 620. My brain is still intact, I think. There is a lot of info to learn and my ability to process new info is dwindling fast

I signed up for the Comcast "triple play" for businesses. We will be getting high speed internet, phone service and basic cable tv for $99 per month. I hope it's as good a deal as it sounds like.
I went to the computer store down the road that I have used from time to time and they have a refurbished desktop pc that I will be picking up Sat. It will be used solely for embroidery programs. I am excited about having high speed internet and plan to do my blogging during the day from the store. We will also be able to do more with online sales. When we change over to Comcast phone service we will illiminate our toll free number but will be available through email. kmcgee99@aol.com . I kinda feel like we are being transported into the 21st century. Not bad seeing how we're almost a decade into the new century! I did 2 potholders today with a horsehead on 'em. Dan assured me at that rate we'll be wealthy in no time flat! LOL
Hope to have shots of some of my embroidery work tomorrow, check back!

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

The PR 620


This bad boy is our new embroidery machine! I spent yesterday trying to learn how to use it.... my brain didn't explode, but there were a couple of times when I thought it might. I mainly used the different fonts and practiced setting it up to do different things. I also practiced hooping. This may be the hardest part. Today I will practice some more.
Did you by any chance see the beautiful full moon last night? I would have loved to have taken some photos of it but we were hauling hay 'til about 8:30 last night. Then we had to feed and I fixed supper. We finally ate about 9:30 which isn't much later than normal for us. That is one thing WW emphasizes.....don't eat late! Oh well..... I'll work on it.
Today is Pilates, thank goodness, I really need the stretching exercises. Our instructor is really good about doing what we need. So I'll just say, Marilyn, I need to stretch today and she will have us do a lot of stretching. I like that!
I hope to go get some sunset shots at the Tennessee River this evening. I have to get my shots ready to send in for the Outdoor Alabama contest. Time is running out. I have about 6 so far and the limit is 10. Maybe Dan will go with me and it won't take us to long. Dan is pretty good about helping me find some good spots to shoot from.
Have a great Wednesday!

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Crazy, Crazy, Crazy!

That's been our weekend! Friday, Mother had her colonoscopy and got a good report. We were there and back home by 9 am. Dan and Bradly and Joe left about 12:30 and Danielle and I were in charge. We stayed busy all afternoon. Before Dan left I walked down to the credit union to make a deposit and who should come driving up by my Daddy. The one who swore he was through driving. When he saw me he kinda did a double take then I said, "caught you didn't I?" He just laughed. When we closed I headed downtown to Legends and got Mother, Daddy and myself some supper. Brought it out to Mother & Daddy's and we had a nice meal together. Daddy's insistance on driving again has us all upset. He thinks it will be okay to drive close by the house...... he was 2 blocks from home when he totaled the car.
Saturday we went to Decaturville, Tn to a barrel race. Didn't win a darn thing but had a good time anyway. It was good to see some ole buddies that I haven't seen in a while. Dan was pretty tired since he got home Sat. morning at 3am and got up at 6am to feed and go to the store. We got home from Decaturville about 1am after driving around Savannah, Tn for an hour looking for Diesel! Never a dull moment!
Sunday was catch up day at home, doing those projects that we'd been putting off. Ned and Kelly came down in the afternoon and we went to Russelville to meet a fellow with a horse trailer for sale that they were interested in. They bought it.
Monday morning Ned, Kelly and I headed for Ken's Sewing Center to purchase our new Embroidery/Monogramming machine. It's really nice. Ned & Kelly put everything together and put it through it's paces. It is soooo cool. I did one item myself and will work with it more today. It's a lot to learn and my brain could explode before I "get it". We're hoping this will add a new dimension to our "awards" business. And we look forward to doing some cool items for sale and custom orders for our clients. We never left Shamrock until 5:45 pm last night. Ned and Kelly had to unload their old trailer and put all their stuff in the new trailer and then get their horses. I don't think they got gone 'til well after 7pm. Bradly and his folks had come over so Bradly could help Dan ride the horses they traded for over the weekend. We came in the house about 9pm, ate supper, watched "Dancing with the Stars" and went to bed!
That's my weekend update.....stay tuned for an embroidery machine update. Don't bother listening for a loud explosion when my brain blows up....it won't be that loud! LOL

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Gran's New Car

Ain't she a beauty! Gran & the car! It is really nice. I drove it today....sweet! I think Gran is really gonna enjoy this one. It's not really the color of her other Accord but this is the closest thing they have to it now. She likes the color. Thank goodness. Tomorrow is a busy day with Gran having to be at the hospital at 6:30 am for outpatient procedure. Dan is leaving at 1pm to go to a horse sale. That means I get to do all the feeding by myself tomorrow night. Bummer. I'm really slow by myself but I get it done. Gran & I went to the Kennedy/Douglas center today and looked at the "Outdoor Alabama" photography exhibit. It was really cool. They also have an exhibit of paintings by the Shoals Art Guild. Some really nice stuff to see. If you haven't been there I recommend it! The "Outdoor Alabama" exhibit will be there through the 14th of October. Check it out!
I really feel bad that some of you still can't leave comments but I really do appreciate the emails! It's nice to know you are keeping up with us through the blog.
I weighed in at WW today. I was really dreading it because I was sure I had gained weight this week. I had actually lost a 1/2 pound. Not much and not really significant but I'll take it!




Gran & her 2009 Honda Accord

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

2009 Honda Accord in Red

Monday, daddy and I went to the Honda dealership to see about replacing the car he totaled. Mother didn't feel well so we went without her. She knew she wanted another accord and wanted a red one like she had. First off the Accords have changed their body style, they are bigger now with an entirely different dash. The color has changed too. The red is a darker red. They didn't have one on the lot so we drove a gun metal grey one out to the house for mother to look at and drive around the block. They also had an '07 Accord that was pretty much just like their '04 except it was WHITE! Wrong color!!! She wouldn't even talk about a white one. She had already decided what she wanted. Pat came by before we took the car back and he went back over to the dealership with us. After some negotiating our salesman said he could get a red one by Wednesday. We told him we would be back then. The rental car had to be back today too. Pat planned to come to the dealership when he got off work. We all met there at 4 pm and by 5:30 mother & daddy were the proud owners of a brand new red '09 Honda Accord with tan interior. It is a beautiful car but I don't know if we will ever figure out all of the bells and whistles! The owners manual came with "cliff notes". Daddy was telling the finance man that this was the 3rd car he had bought from them. He asked, "how long did you keep the other cars?" I told him daddy kept 'em 'til he wrecked 'em. Everybody laughed except daddy. hhhmmmm. I should have taken pictures of the new car and I will tomorrow. Tomorrow we go to the courthouse to transfer the tags from the old car to the new car. I think we will go by the Kennedy-Douglas Art Center and look at the 2008 winners of the "outdoor Alabama" photo contest. I plan to enter a few shots this year for the '09 contest.
Friday morning is when we go to the hospital [at 6:30 am] for mother's colonoscopy.
Saturday is the first barrel race for the "winter series" at Decaturville, Tn. This goes through March. Nov. 1st is the first barrel race for the "winter series" at Iron City, Tn. This series goes through April. I'm not sure about Dan but I am glad the barrel races that we go to are starting up again.
Tomorrow is weigh in day at Weight Watchers. I admit,I'm dreading it....I don't think I lost any weight this week. I will report in one way or the other. I'm still on antibiotics and will be for quite a while, they do slow down weight loss don't they? Or is that just a theory I hatched in my own brain? Check back for an update......

Monday, October 6, 2008

Oh, What a Beautiful Bride!


Saturday, Kelly and I went to Rome, Ga for the wedding of Katie Bandy and Jordan Southern. It was one more beautiful wedding. It was held at the Proctor Farm in Rome. It was the perfect setting for a western wedding. The weather was beautiful, the food was great and the bride never quit smiling. I was so glad we went and were able to share this important day with Katie and Jordan. They make the cutest couple. I wish them many, many happy years together.


Karen, Katie's mom, the youngest and best looking Mother of the Bride ever!





The Bandy Klan.
Dennis, Karen, Katie, Jordan, Allyssa and Ben








Dennis and Karen. Dennis held it all together until he and Katie had their dance. He is such a sweet daddy and Katie is the light of his world!


Kelly, Dennis and Karen.











One of my favorite cake eating shots of all time!





















Ain't this sweet!


















These four cowgirls are definitely out of their element.... they usually have on jeans and boots and have ropes in their hands. But don't they look good?
Whitney, Brandy, Jill & Kelly













How about a Bride, her bridesmaids and her mom dancing on the bar? Do these gals know how to have fun or what? Karen said if she made it through the night she would dance on the bar, she was true to her word! The crowd loved it!
This is why Karen is such a good friend, she ain't afraid to have a little fun!

Thursday, October 2, 2008

3 Lbs. Lighter!

Yep! That's me, 3lbs lighter than this time last week. That's pretty good when you have a birthday during that week! I was really pleased, 10 more weeks and I'll reach my goal. LOL I know it doesn't work like that... I have done WW before. 3 pounds is really more than average and as time goes on the weekly weight loss is more like 1 pound. But that's okay, as long as I lose and not gain.

Now for my "boil" update..... My doctor said it was a boil. Yuck! He also told Sally to get the #11 blade! That's all I'm going to say about that. It wasn't pretty. There is a culture being grown and I am on antibiotics and am using an antibiotic ointment. I do feel better. Thank goodness!

Saturday is the wedding of Katy Bandy and Jordan Southern in Rome, GA. I'll be there. We have been friends with the Bandy's for many, many years. Our kids have roped together since they were little. We have been to rodeos, jackpots & trips out west together. When Kel got married Dennis & Karen came from Ga on Friday night and met Katy at our house. She was in college in Arkansas. Karen was so much help "wedding day" that I don't know what I would have done without her. Finally, I get to return the favor. That's one thing I know for sure in my 49 years, good friends are a blessing in this life and I cherish all of mine.

I may not get to blog for a couple of days. We are going to meet Kelly & Ned in Lawrenceburg, Tn. tomorrow night for dinner and I will go home with them, then on to Ga on Sat. for the wedding. Sooooo, have a great weekend! And check back Monday for wedding photos!

Mormon Missionairies

This summer we had the privilege of meeting two very fine young men. Elder Shaffer [left] and Elder Bybee [right]. They are Mormon Missionairies doing their mission in Alabama.
One day this summer they came in the store and we were visiting when Elder Shaffer noticed Dan's T-shirt. He was wearing his DNCFR shirt from Pocotella, Idaho. Elder Shaffer asked us if we had ever been to Pocotella. We told him about going out to watch Matt rope there and he said he always goes because it is close to his home. They started coming in about once a week to visit. One day we got to talking about the PBR and bucking bulls. Elder Shaffer said that was his plan when his mission was over, he would like to raise bucking bulls. Needless to say we enjoyed talking to these guys. Yesterday they came in for Elder Shaffer to say Goodbye! He has been transfered to Birmingham. Bummer. He will be a Zone Leader in B'ham. Elder Bybee will still be in Florence and will continue to come by. We hate to see Elder Shaffer leave but are so impressed that they feel he is ready to become a zone leader. If you don't know, Mormon young men and women have the option to go on a two year mission to anywhere in the world the elders decide to send them. It was hilarious hearing what their reactions were when they found out they were going to Alabama! They can email their families once a week but only talk to them on the phone at Christmas and Mother's Day. They do a lot of maturing while on mission. We took pics with my camera and his camera. We gave him instructions to keep in touch! We wish him all the best in everything he does!



Wednesday, October 1, 2008

My Big Day!

Yep! Today is my 49th Birthday! I have been thinking about what to write about such a monumentous occasion! Nothing comes to mind! LOL I will say that I see 50 a lot clearer now. But first I'm going to enjoy being 49 for a whole year!!!
I have been a little under the weather for a couple of days. It is either a boil or a spider bite on my thigh and it HURTS! I have an appt. with my Nurse Practioner, Sally at 10:30 I hope she can help me.
Have a great Wednesday and I will too!