This is the sunset I have right out my back door. It is really beautiful though I don't take advantage of it everyday. I just read Fannie Flagg's Can't Wait to Get to Heaven and it was an incredible story that reminded me to look at more sunsets. The characters made me laugh out loud and cry at certain times. Fannie Flagg also wrote Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe. Some of you may have seen the movie. I highly recommend this book for everyone to read.

No, this is not a seance....we had no electricity last night because of another big storm. These storms over here are incredible with high winds and lots of lightning and thunder. At least it was cool and we were able to sleep ok. The lights came on during the night so we are back in full swing and I can blog again!

One night while Caroline was here she made homemade fried chicken. It was incredibly delicious even though I was lacking necessary ingredients in my cabinets like black pepper and red pepper. I am just used to using Tony's all the time. Kyle made darn sure he was home for fried chicken that night. Thanks again Caroline for a night I won't ever forget!

I am sooo late but Happy Birthday, Hollywood D. I really hope you got something pink for your birthday (and something you can talk on!!). We love you!

Here are the best kids in the world. Josh came in for the weekend to go to six flags. He said it was hot and crowded. but it was good to see him and it was good to have all three home at once. Of course, they do spend a lot of time on their phones!

This is a bat Kyle and two friends found in a backyard. They thought it would be a good idea to catch it in a shoebox, so they did. Then, these boys figured they needed to go to Dollar General to get a see through box so that they could put the bat in there and take pictures. They get in Kyle's car with the bat still in the shoebox. Once in Dollar General, they leave the shoebox in the car with a garage opener on top so they will know if the bat gets out. See, these boys are really thinking. They come out of the store, determine that the bat is still in the shoebox and go to one of the boys house to put the bat in the clear plastic container. However, lo and behold, the bat is no longer in the shoebox. So, where is the bat? The boys look in Kyle's car and there it is crawling along the back window. The boys run screaming as the bat flies out of the car and chases Kyle. I bet Kyle was running a 3 second forty. At first, this story may seem funny but I am sure many parents can think of many ways this story could have had a very unhappy ending such as the bat flying at Kyle while he was driving the car. Sixteen year olds----what can a parent do but pray?

This is us girls having lunch after a day of shopping at the St. Louis Mills Outlet Mall. We had a great time and laughed ourselves silly.

This is Shawntel and Michelle today. Now they are smart and beautiful women. We love you!

This is Shawntel and Michelle in year 1985. They are so precious and cute

First thing in the morning we went to the arch and the museum. I had to go to school so Keith taught Carolyn, Shawntel and Kristi how to play Texas Hold'em while I was gone. I think Kristi might beat them all!

My best friend, Carolyn, is finally here. She came with her daughters and so far we are having a great time. We sat outside all afternoon and laughed at the neighbors who thought it was hot!

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT
This is a picture of the Bathscrubbers cleaner that I have hanging in my shower. A person just presses the blue button, it beeps for 30 seconds to give you time to get out then the little sprayer at the bottom turns while spraying the sides of the shower. It works pretty good. I had a coupon so I bought it. The PSA is to alert people that this is not a shampoo dispenser as my daughter found out the hard way. I am trying not to laugh as I type this but I am having a difficult time. Michelle says she went to take a shower in our bathroom and as soon as she saw the contraption, she thought it was filled with shampoo. It never occurred to me that someone would think this. While she was in the shower she pressed the blue button and waited for some shampoo to come out of the bottom but when it didn't, she figured it was broken. Next thing she knew, she had shower cleaner spraying her. The unfunny part is that some got in her eyes and they burned for a little while but she is alright now. (I think) Just wanted to warn people who may encounter one of these while a guest at someone's home. And let you know that Michelle is squeaky clean!

Happy Birthday, Judy, Mom, Gammy....You wear all these hats and more..you deserve a wonderful birthday. We love you very much. Have a great day!!!

I was able to go to two parties in one weekend. It was funtastic! The birthday boy had a great time and got many costume gifts. Right now he likes being a Knight, Superman and now a fighter pilot! Now it is time for me to go home....Bye, family.

The family pics! Man, we are good looking. And a little goofy....

Some shots from the reunion/birthday party.....man, we had a good time!

Congratulations Blaine and Tina on the nuptials! We wish you all the love and happiness in the world. We also welcome Brittany to the family. A picture of her will follow soon.

Drew's birthday party was quite a success. He received lots of fun toys and a cool DVD player for the new car!

As anyone can tell, the Kart Ranch was not just fun for Drew. He loved the cars but not so much the bumper boats. Drew is already becoming a video game junkie and there is nothing like winning the tickets!

Happy Birthday B. Hope you have a SUPER day! We love you.

Today is July 4th, Independence Day and I want to salute all those who have given their lives for our freedom and security of this nation. This is Merrick, my grandfather, who died in World War II on Okinowa in Japan. So many young men and women today are dying to protect this country against terrorists and I think about them everyday. I also am thankful for all the people that serve our country so that we can continue to live with the freedoms that we are accustomed. God bless these brave people.

John and I just had a trip together and on our flight we had Matt and Zach Roloff. They are the family in "Little People, Big World", which is a reality show on TLC. We love that show. It's our favorite, so having the Roloffs on our plane was so exciting! They were on their way to a little person convention. They humored us with picures and they were really nice people. That made our day!!