Just July 2006

July 1: Kate & I met Kelsie at Princeton pool, they played at both parks, then we got a pop at Casey's and came home. It was 98 degrees. cleaned house. made first apple pie of the summer. Koren & Cody over.

July 2: pool with Kelsie, storm about 6 p.m. blew down limbs, & Paul's horses got in our yard

July 3: overslept/late to work

July 4: Katie swimming with Lindsay, family fireworks shopping @ Jeff Henley's tent. Wish I would've had my camera for pics of the big black gorilla and big yellow whatever blowups in Lineville. Kate, Kevin, & I to eat supper at the park (brought KJ's home & went back). Kate had lots of friends to play with. we stayed for fireworks, then came home and shot most of ours off.

July 5: KJ lit off the daytime fireworks after I got home--the giant parachutes were pretty, 2 got stuck in the tree, kate retrieved one from the road & one from Paul's pasture, {so I told them the story of my crawling thru a barbed wire fence after a parachute on the 4th of July & getting my leg caught in the fence, my dad came over and lifted me up out of it, & I ended up with a big scar on the back of my calf.} The others drifted off prettily on the breeze. Kevin mowed hay. KJ got dressed 4 our remaining nite fireworks-Kate put on her robe-Kevin came out wrapped in a blanket. Kate put on a rock show with her sparklers...KJ lit firecrackers...and when Kate asked him to put one in the 5 gallon bucket half full of water we had for sparklers---it blew a big hole in the bottom of the bucket! what a cool ending to our 2 days of fireworks! Kate shower. I set Aug. 8-9 as Omaha Zoo Days.

July 6: oh I hate to get up, it's so hard to get up, oh I just can't get up in the morning---Braelyn, Chance, & Derek over afternoon. Kevin had me fax all the stuff to Debtscape again, they don't think we have all the necessary info to give us our refund. Next time, we'll just declare bankruptcy. debt consolidation is a big pain in the ass. made $21.25 @ Martha's garage sale...not bad considering most of it was 25 cents!

July 7: Kate swimming with Lindsay, then Lindsay spent the nite. Derek spent nite with KJ. Carrie Benefield rode her bike over, she's visiting her dad. Then the girls went to her house & frog danced on the trampoline. I'd love to get the kids a trampoline, but Koren hurt her ankle on one years ago at a friends house and Kevin has forbid me to buy one. Carrie & William flew in from TX alone. They'll be here a month. Kevin trying to find more stuff to send to Debtscape so they'll give our $ back. I think it's a lost cause. Norman the fish is missing this week, presumed dead. Kevin called on his break, thinking of bidding a Mon-Tues off job to get out of Bananas. I just want to quit my job. but of course I can't.....

July 8: KJ, Katie, Derek, & I went to the pool, the water is cold. DG. Dixie said she is retiring, the 21st is her last day. Kate went to play at Carrie's. The neighbors backyard has turned into a tent city-looks cool. Katie likes to watch creepy, ghostly, teenagey, and horsey things, just like her big sister did at her age.

July 9: slept in. Emily called from pool wanting Katie to come, so we went. Mowed yard. Kevin quote, "I know a gut hater when I see one."

July 10: Kate & I went to Megan Robinson's bowling birthday party @ Chillicothe. The new bowling place is NEAT! & Kate seems to be quite the bowler. The party package they had included an hour of bowling, pitchers of pop, 3 pizzas, a decorated table, plates, cups, & napkins, a big bowling pin for everyone to sign w/ balloons attached, & a group Polaroid picture. Kate said the games ripped her off, she needed 85 points to get what she wanted...we took Mel, Kelsie, & Emily with us, so didn't go to Walmart or get my much anticipated banana split on way home.

July 11: Kevin, Kate, & KJ to chiropractor. Sonic. the 99 cent jr. caramel chocolate banana split is about 3" long. looked bigger on tv.

July 12: Family Fun Day 2006!It was hot. we went to Jesse James Museum, Patee House Museum, The Pony Express Monument, shopping, lunch at 54th Street, mini golf, and ice cream. looked at Koren's 2000 car she bought.

July 13: went to stupid pod meeting. big storm p.m. Kate couldn't believe that I made her shower in a storm, she could hit by lightning. changed our sheets.

July 14: lost a huge limb that almost hit the house, and another big limb by Kate's garden. My paycheck didn't come, Kevin called me, I called payroll. Then Kevin walked uptown for oil "my car was out" and stopped at post office, Donna said several PSF employees had stopped in looking for their checks, although Joe Hendren assured me they were mailed out on the correct day. swept/swiffered/vaccumed.

July 15: from Cut! Hollywood Murders, Accidents, and Other Tragedies: Kay Kendall (1926-1948) had her leading man divorce his wife and marry her in 1957 after her Dr. told him she was dying from luekemia, she remained ignorant of her true condition until her death. Elissa Landdi (1904-1948) died in a Kingston hospital after a 9 month illness-her husband had hidden the truth from her, so she never knew that she had terminal cancer. Women really didn't have any rights back then, the Dr. would tell the spouse and only the spouse a fatal diagnosis, so that the spouse would have the option of telling or not telling the woman what was wrong with her-would ignorance be kinder than the awful truth? my weekend to work, yay, me. came home & took a nap. Kate woke me up for a JCI call, had to go back to work, they were ok, then had unreliable sensor, so walked all barns, etc. was going to take kids out to eat, KJ wouldn't go, so Kate & I went to AJ's and brought him home food. I hate my job. I hate getting called back out. I hate staying late. I hate meetings. Maybe I'll get fired since Doug was out driving and no car was there....I'll take the fall for that one. I can't afford to quit, but if I get FIRED, then I have to change jobs....hmmmmm. I constantly piss Kate off. She spends a lot of time stomping to her room. my paycheck came today, not that I could get to bank....

July 16: had to stay till 8 p.m. it finally cooled down to 91.7 in G barn. 2 dead sows. broke all the rules and called Kevin for help...the powerwasher was melting so I sent him home. the kids seem to do well without me here. I read in my Doc Holliday book that his cousin Mattie Holliday (later sister Mary Melanie when she became a nun) was the inspiration for Melanie Hamilton in Gone With The Wind.

July 17: found Snoball dead when I went out to feed the dogs. KJ helped me carry him to one of his holes he'd dug under his favorite pine tree. Kevin, good dad that he is, dug a giant deep hole to bury our big white dog in. Lije gave us sweetcorn, onions, potatoes, carrots, tomatoes. Carrie her to play with Katie. Kevin 's first Monday off....he was in hayfield. Cliff Shipley had a stroke this weekend and was lifeflighted. Ragan's was broke into early yesterday morning.

July 18: took my half day. kids haircuts, Kate went shoulder length and loves it. took Katie & Carrie to pool. Kevin in hayfield again all day. he got home @ 10 p.m. finally had KJ try on Kevin's suit, it's too tight.

July 19: Carrie here again. finished reading What Remains & of course I bawled helplessly. I have always found the Kennedy family history fascinating. listed it to amazon.com. the other 3 books I recently read were valued from 5 cents to 50 cents, so will just do something else with them.

tried out Bears Aloha Grill @ New Hampton. we'll go back sometime for the pupu platter. the people next to us got one, it smelled good. Walmart.

July 21: Rain! Katie to Danielle's, then Danielle over here to spend the night. Then Carrie called wanting to come over, then Kelsie wanted Katie to play at her Grandma Sheryl's....so brought her over here, too. They got horse rides at Paul's, then played spa. I picked up sticks. mowed yard.

July 22: there was an annoying buzzing sound a.m.....finally traced it down to one of the teeny tiny tea cups from the Studio Image photo shoot up against the power strip under desk. Carrie over afternoon, then took her and Katie to her house after Danielle went home. Brought Katie home & settled her on the couch with her jammies and heating pad (she had headache and backache.) & then Carrie was back. they were babysitting her next door. so, Kate got dressed and went outside with her for awhile, then she watched Scary Saturday Night Sleepover with Kate for awhile and went back over to Jennifer's.

we watched KJ's Big Cats dvd, Kate decided that big cats needed forks and possibly knives to eat with. then she went to Carrie's for awhile. they took her swimming at Lake Marie and she came home in the back of a pickup truck. probably an exciting adventure, and nothing I didn't do as a kid and live thru, but it makes me nervous. just like her & Carrie walking from Carrie's house to the school park yesterday. Kate hurt her knee today. She thinks its better now. Koren & Cody here. it's nice having her here just like the good old days.

July 24: Kevin & Koren got her car inspected & licensed. she went home. Carrie & Katie shot music videos until the battery quit.

July 25: nagged Kevin out of hayfield so we could go to Chillicothe to the movies. Carrie kind of somehow got invited along...the girls & I saw Monster House, Kevin & KJ My Super Ex-Girlfriend. supper Mc// drivethru. Walmart.

July 26: Carrie & Katie are newscasters.

July 27: I went to pick up my last live check when I didn't have to...I read email wrong. Katie had a funeral for the win Water Babies, they keep leaking so she "had to throw them away." They were Koren's. KJ also played with one and called it Baby Andy. I bought it a football outfit to make it look more masculine. Kate has played with them. it's sad to see them go....then they made milk by mixing baby powder with milk and did skin and hair treatments.

July 28: my last live check. Kate & I to bank, Casey's. picked up Carrie, she spent the night and girls and I went to Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Mans Chest. Carrie made a record # of trips to the bathroom, and asked me several times how much longer the movie was. It was an amazing movie. KJ opted not to miss wrestling and to avoid 2 car rides with the girls. (they do get kind of loud.)

July 29: Katie, Carrie, & I to pool. 98 degrees. swept/mopped/vaccumed. taping all movies off the TiVo to make space. Koren & Cody stopped by after I went to bed to borrow chairs for a party. she's going to Rascal Flatts with her friend Lydia next week. She'll be back tomorrow to visit.

July 30: Koren said it was 101 degrees when they drove thru Princeton. Katie to Carrie's to play. washed sheets/blankets. I picked Katie up, they were going to park, so taped them playing BB, then we took Carrie home, went to Randy's for a DiGornio pizza, and Kate took a shower.

July 31: Kevin worked for his dad. Kate's Lands End shipment came today, she loves the backpack, and the pants and coat were good fits. yay, me! Carrie over. Katie got mad @ Carrie, Carrie asked me to take her home, and Katie doesn't ever want to see Carrie again. July is over.