Fun weekend with Extended Family

Stacie, Whit and their 4 beautiful little girls came down this past weekend from NC to visit us and we had a wonderful time. It meant a lot to both Cleo and I that they would make that 6 hour drive (especially with 4 little ones!) and just "hang out" with us. We really didn't do much, except go bowling on Saturday afternoon which was a hoot. I did post some pics of that fun, but I purposely left out the pics of our scores!!! That's because little Eliza beat us all!!! We decided that the next time we go, the adults need the ramps and bumpers and maybe, just maybe, that would increase our scores as well!!!

Stacie and I were able to get away for about an hour that morning to run over to a little consignment store that I just love and we both found some incredible bargains. I think she ended up with an LL Bean (I think that was the brand) down vest for around $7 or $8 bucks and it looked like brand new. I found a pair of jeans and some cords that were also like brand new and looked as if they'd never been worn. I really love a bargain. And you know what they say, "one mans trash is another mans treasure". So true.

Once again, I just want to say "Thank You" to Stacie and Whit for making the trip down here. We love you guys and you have a beautiful family.

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!!

Okay, so this might not be your "typical" ringing in the New Year blog, but I gotta say it was rather peaceful at the Cheney home last night! We did go to some friends for food and fun last night and made it all the way to midnight (maybe the first time to be awake in years!) and watched the ball drop in Times Square. It was a lot of fun to get together with good friends to ring in a new year. But, the best part of the whole night was when we got home and went to bed(get your minds out of the gutters!). You see, Cleo had developed a nasty habit of snoring so loud that it kept me awake---but the kicker was when he woke himself up. So, in Cleo fashion, he surfed the net and found this awesome RipSnore mouth guard and ordered it. I was leary at first thinking there's no way this will work and absolutely no way he'll keep it in all night. Well, much to my surprise...IT WORKS!!! No more snoring and he says he actually feels rested in the mornings again. Of course I'm a much happier camper now that I can sleep thru the night as well. So I guess we rang in the New Year in peace and lets just hope it stays peaceful all year long!

I also wanted to show this really cool sign that Jarod and Lindsey had made for Cleo for Christmas. He hung it the other day above the shed door and it looks really nice. He really loves our "little piece of heaven" out here in the beautiful Georgia country and loves tinkering in his yard and the woods behind. Thanks Jarod and Lindsey for the awesome gift!

I hope that each of you have a happy and healthy 2009. We are looking forward to the new year and all the blessings it will bring our way.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

This truly is the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!!! Cleo and I really had a great Christmas and enjoyed spending it with family and a few friends. We started it off on Christmas Eve with just Cleo and I having a "Thanksgiving feast" at his request. I made a turkey breast with stuffing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes and gravy and rolls (nothing like a little starch!). We then went to a beautiful candlelight service at church that was truly magical. We came home and opened one gift from each other as has always been our tradition. On Christmas morning I was so surprised to find that Cleo had purchased an antique ladder that I had seen months ago but was told was for display purposes only. Well Cleo, being as thoughtful as ever, went in and sweet talked the lady who owns the shop. She originally told him that she wouldn't sell it but would look for another one for him. After weeks of looking, with no success, she called him up and said she remembered how much I loved that ladder and she wanted to make this Christmas special for me and that she would indeed sell it to him. Is that not the sweetest gesture ever??? I am just amazed at how much thought went into that gift and I think it made him just as happy to see my delight. I got him a double trail cam to put in the woods behind the house and a heavy duty spotlight. He was just like a kid in a candy store and couldn't wait to "play" with his new toys. The spotlight didn't work after charging all day and we had to take it back on the 26th, but found one that was even nicer, with a carrying case, so that was a pretty good deal. The trail cam works perfect and takes pretty good pictures so lets just hope now some wildlife will stumble into its path. Jarod and Lindsey came down on Christmas day around noon and we then opened gifts with them. They did way too much for us and we just really enjoyed spending the day/night with them and Georgia (the dog). We are so thankful to live close to family and only wish that our other kids lived as close. We enjoyed a really nice roast pork loin dinner with them and some friends who recently moved here from Miami. After our friends left that evening, we played Skip Bo with Jarod and Lindsey and had a really good time. I had never played that game before and now I want to go buy it! On Friday morning, Cleo and Jarod got up early and went hunting for a couple hours (no luck) and then I cooked pancakes and bacon for breakfast. It was just really a great Christmas---but honestly the greatest gift this year for Cleo and I both was being in our home and finally feeling settled. We feel blessed in ways too numerous to mention and I pray we can keep this magical feeling alive throughout the coming year.

This is my antique ladder with all my quilts displayed on it. I really LOVE IT!!!

This was how Cleo left it after I went to bed Christmas Eve. I was so surprised on Christmas morning---just like when I was a kid and couldn't wait to see what Santa had left.

Cleo playing with his spotlight and trailcams.

Jarod and Lindsey with Georgia. Jarod was going for the "Griswold" look this year---don't you just love his sweater?? He actually didn't think the sweater was tacky enough and it's now Lindseys' mission to find a gaudier (is that even a word?) one for next year. They are both great and we are lucky to have them so close. Thank you both for a wonderful Christmas!

I hope that each of you had a truly wonderful Christmas as well and that we'll all try and keep a little bit of that magic in our life all year long.

Cleos' Dr. Appt.

Just a quick post to tell everyone that Cleo went to the dr. again yesterday and there wasn't a huge change. His creatinine went up just a bit and his GFR went down a bit which does indicate that there has been a little more kidney damage, but not enough to bump him from stage 4 to stage 5. His potassium and phosphorus levels continue to be normal as well as his blood pressure and there is no swelling or extreme fatigue, so those are all good signs. The dr. did give us somewhat of a timeframe. She felt like he would need to be on dialysis/prepare for transplant within a year, but of course there are no guarantees it will be that long or it could even be 2-3 years. It at least gives us plenty of time to prepare for the inevitable and we just continue to live our lives normal and take each day as it comes. Cleo has such an amazingly positive attitude which we hope will comfort our families (especially our kids) and as the dr. said...that's more than half the battle. She said to just live life and when the time comes, we are in good hands and know that it will all work out. We are once again very grateful for each of you and the prayers that continue to be said for us.

December Fun

I really love this time of year! Everyone is so festive and happy and it also gives me a time to reflect on all the blessings bestowed upon our family. I also love decorating the Christmas tree (not so much the whole house--but it gets done!). Jarod and Lindsey surprised us with this beautiful Christmas tree they cut down up in Cashiers, NC. It actually sat in the garage for 2 days as Cleo and I both caught colds the last day in Mexico and we just didn't feel like putting it up, but once it was up, I had a lot of fun decorating it. Thanks Jarod and Lindsey for thinking of us. Sorry the picture is so blurry--but I retook it 3 times and that's just how it turned out!

This is a picture of the wall in our family room that I had painted this week. It turned out beautiful and really added to the character of the room and made the fireplace mantle stand out a bit more.

We also had the painter do the entire dining room as well (same color) and it turned out really good as well.

He also did the half wall beneath the kitchen bar area. I want to eventually have him do the breakfast nook and the entire kitchen the same color, but we needed some warranty work done on those walls from the nailpops, so until that is done, we didn't want to have it painted. I really wish I could do the painting myself, but after the fiasco with the trim around the shed, I don't think that would be such a good idea :~o The painter we hired had done several of the neighbors houses and did such a good job at a very reasonable price that we just decided that was the only way it would get done. Anyhow, that is what we've been up to this December and now we're just looking forward to spending Christmas with Jarod and Lindsey and some of our friends who recently moved up here from Miami. Hope y'all have a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year.

Fun in the Sun

Cleo and I just returned late Saturday night from a week in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. We were celebrating our 20th anniversary which was in July, so this little towel display that was on our bed when we checked in was pretty appropriate. We had such a great time just hanging out on the beach, eating, walking on the beach, we even did boogie boards one day. That's not as easy as it looks and lets just say I "drank" more than a little salt water and lost my bathing suit once!!! I thought I was drowning, so I wasn't too worried about the bathing suit issue and was pretty concerned that I couldn't breathe for a second--but in the end, I got the suit back on and the salt out of my nose and all was well again. Cleo took a few pretty good licks also, and he also lost his trunks but got them back on before he exposed himself to the world!

One day we rented a jeep and drove about 45 minutes north of PV to a little seaside fishing village called Sayulita and another one just a few miles further called San Francisco. It was so cool driving through the mountains and seeing the "real Mexico" and not just the resort cities and beaches. It was a really neat little town and we ate a a great little restaurant right on the beach that cooks whatever they catch that day. It was some of the best shrimp I've ever eaten. We just walked around the town and shopped a little after that and then drove back to PV and into the city that night. We never could find a parking spot, so ended up just sight seeing from the jeep, but it was still pretty neat. We found out later that 2 cruise ships had docked that afternoon, so when that happens, the locals jack the prices up on everything so we really didn't miss anything by not getting to shop there.

All in all, it was a really great trip and very relaxing for us both. We both had a little eye opener Sat. night when we landed in Atlanta as it was only about 38 degrees and we had been enjoying temps in the 80's all week in Mexico. We also both woke up with colds the last morning there so we're glad to be home in our own beds if we have to be sick! Jarod and Lindsey surprised us Sunday afternoon and brought down a beautiful 8 ft. Christmas tree they had cut down at her Moms' place in NC, so hopefully tonight we'll both feel like putting it up and decorating it.


First day on the beach

This is the view from our balcony of one of the pools at the hotel

This is the view of the back of the hotel as you walk up from the beach

This is the beach at our hotel

Dinner picture

Fiesta night--these hats were really quite heavy!

Lunch at the beach in Sayulita--the biggest Pina Colada EVER!!

Walking on the beach at Sayulita

The fresh shrimp the locals caught in Sayulita---HUGE!

Now, doesn't this look just like Megan Porter?? Cleo and I were both just staring at her. Her name is Cassie and she was there with her 2 girlfriends from Wisconsin on a girls trip. They were the nicest people and we hung out with them a couple different times at the pool.

I even tried to take part in the dance lessons on the beach one afternoon. That's me on the far right--and as you can tell, Cleo only wanted to take pictures and not join in the festivities!!

This was the sunset on our last night there. We tried to take pictures of us on the beach with it, but the flash wouldn't go off on the camera, so you can't see our faces at all, only black silhouettes.

We are already trying to figure out where to go next. We definately want to go to Greece for our 25th anniversary but we'd like to go at least every year or every other year (if finances permit) to someplace tropical. We just love the beach and the ocean and if we could, we'd just travel all the time, but it's back to work now (for Cleo--haha!) to save up for that next trip.

I Love it!!

Last night Cleo started our very first fire in the fireplace. Now, to most of you this shouldn't be such a big deal, but we were so excited. Kinda like little kids at Christmas almost. You see, it's been almost 13 years since we've had a wood burning fireplace and that was one of the most important things we wanted in this house when we built it. It's been since we lived in Wyoming since we've enjoyed the real warmth of burning wood in a fireplace and not just lighting the gas. We have had a couple of those in all our moves since leaving Wyoming, but it was just never the same feeling. It was in the 40's last evening as we were watching tv and it just felt like the right time to light one. Cleo has quite a bit of wood cut from clearing all the trees in the woods around the yard, but he didn't have much of it split so we only got to enjoy it for about 2 hours before we ran out of wood. We will try to work on that project later in the weekend so we can stockpile for the next time. I guess as I get older, it's really the little things in life that make me the happiest. The smile on Cleos' face and the warmth in our home are the two things that make me the happiest.

Holiday Tag...Thanks Sara!!!

Okay, so this is my first time to be tagged as well. Thank you Sara, but I'm sure my answers/comments won't be near as funny to read as yours. But here goes anyway...

Top 3 Vacations:
1. Cancun
2. Myrtle Beach (when the kids were in school--too much fun!)
3. Canada (as a kid, my parents took me and my siblings there--aw, memories!)

Top 3 Favorite Flowers:
1. Lillies
2. Tulips
3. Roses

Top 3 Comfort Foods: Gotta agree with Sara--a girl shouldn't have to choose only 3!
1. Chocolate
2. My Moms' homemade chicken and noodles---YUMMY!
3. Chocolate---oh wait, did I already mention that one??
Contrary to my daughters blog, I do eat some things that aren't fried, although a good artery clogger is always good for the soul!

Top 3 Places to Shop:
1. Victorias' Secrets---that's right, it's nice to look good on the inside too!
2. Ann Taylor Loft---this one is tied with Lowes/Home Depot (I know, get a life, right?)
3. Bath & Body Works

Top 3 Opinions About Halloween:
1. Used to be one of my favorite, not so much anymore.
2. If I don't get any trick-or-treaters again next year, I'm boycotting!!!
3. Seriously, it means fall is officially here and I really love this time of year.

Top 3 Opinions About Thanksgiving:
1. I think Thanksgiving doesn't get the props it deserves---everyone is in such a rush for
Christmas to get here, that we forget what Thanksgiving is all about.
2. Of course it makes me stop and count all my blessings and think of family far away.
3. And last, but probably first, FOOD!!!!!!

Top 3 Opinions About Christmas:
1. First and foremost, the birth of Our Savior and how some don't recognize that, how sad.
2. A lot of us get caught up in the gift giving or receiving and not the true meaning of Xmas.
3. Imagining the look on my grandkids faces when they wake to see what Santa
left them! That is what makes me happy and also a prayer that some day I will see that
look in person. I know this one isn't really an opinion, but a wish---does that count?

Top 3 Things I look forward to during the week:
1. Drinking my morning coffee and reading the newspaper
2. Cleo coming home from work and telling me about his day
3. Bedtime---even though I'm not a great sleeper, but I love watching tv in bed and
snuggling with Cleo while he sleeps.

Top 3 Events Happening this week:
1. The drywaller came and did the second application to my living room ceiling! Yah
2. I'm gonna get up early on Sat. and go sit in a tree stand with Cleo---my first official
time to do that kind of hunting---I only pray that it won't be cold or I fear I'll chicken
out.
3. Dinner with friends on Saturday evening---assuming I don't fall out of the treestand on
Saturday morning!

Now, I tag Tami Erickson and Suzan Mendenhall as I don't have near the blog followers that you young people have and I'd just really like to see these 2 update their blogs!!! Just kidding, but seriously guyz--update your blogs! Love ya and hope you know I'm kidding.

What a Mess!!

Does this look like a brand new living room to you? Well, it will by next week again I'm pretty sure! We have had a leak in the roof above the living room since the spring and the roofers have been out 4 times---and everytime they leave they say it's fixed. So we wait until we get another rain to see if the ceiling is wet and sure enough, everytime it's leaked again. So last week Cleo finally lost his patience and decided that he would call the warranty dept himself. Now, let me tell you that he lost his temper (not Cleo, right??) and he and the secretary got into a pretty heated shouting match and he basically told them if they didn't get it right this time, he would call an attorney. So last Wed. the roofers came out, ripped all the shingles off that part of the roof (which they never had done before--just patched without looking) and sure enough, they found 3 spots that were leaking. So they fixed them and reshingled the roof and told us to wait until after the weekend because it was supposed to rain and if after the rain it hadn't leaked again, to call the warranty dept. and schedule the drywallers to come out and fix the ceiling. Well, as you can see by this picture, they had to cut out a 2x6 foot section of the ceiling which they did yesterday and then they had another crew come back today and do the first drywall application. I guess that has to dry for a couple days and then they will come back and do the second application and then I have to schedule the painters to come out and paint!!! So I just got off the phone with the drywall company and they can't come back until Monday so I have to put up with this mess for the rest of the week. At least they got the hole covered which was pretty important as the temps dropped to freezing last night and there was a pretty good draft coming thru the attic. We had to move all the furniture (well, they did it for me) and take pictures down so nothing would get too messed up.

They did a pretty good job covering the furniture with plastic to keep all the drywall dust from coating it.

I'm sure this drywaller was thrilled when he heard my camera snapping pictures of him!!

You'd think this was a woman because of the ponytail, but it was actually a guy! Anyhow, we will be glad to get this mess cleaned up just in time for the builder to start working on our 10 month warranty work which should be in about 6 weeks. I just don't know why they can't coordinate their schedules a little better and get it all done in a matter of days, instead of weeks!!! I guess it just gives me another excuse not to go looking for a job just yet because who would supervise all this??? Anyhow, we really are enjoying our home and we know that every new home owner has issues when they build a house. I guess ours have been pretty minor compared to some of the nightmare stories we've heard over the years from friends who have built. This home is definately a keeper.

A Hunting We Will Go!!

Well, I never thought I'd see this day! Cleo FINALLY convinced me to go hunting with him. I guess what finally pushed me over the edge was the fact that it's right in our backyard and I'm not stuck in the wilderness for hours without a bathroom! Cleo told me before he left for work yesterday morning that we would go when he got home from work last night, so to be prepared. Well in preparation for the big hunt, I didn't put on any lotion, body spray, hair spray, etc. so that the deer wouldn't pick up my scent (whatever!) but I did draw the line with the deodorant. I mean come on, if I use it the deer can smell it, if I don't use it they'll smell b.o. so you tell me what's worse?? I put on my cute camo pants (thanks Sara) and was ready to go at 5:00. I was a little disturbed that I didn't have a long sleeve shirt that matched my pants (I'll work on that) but it was still warm enough for short sleeves. So we headed down the trail behind the house to where Cleo and Jarod have a deer blind set up.

Cleo was leading the way. Doesn't he look good in camo????

This is just a look at the woods we had to walk thru. It's sooo thick down there and really kinda creepy---I was just thankful it was still daylight and I could see what I was walking thru.

This is the deer blind--I think it's so cute and would make a fun kids tent!! but I guess that's not what it's intended for. I am holding the crossbow, but there is ABSOLUTELY no way I could've pulled the trigger if a deer had come into the clearing. Maybe someday Cleo will convince me to do that, but until I can actually eat the dang deer meat and get "Bambi" out of my head that will never happen.

It looks like I'm really aiming for something, but it was just a great pose for a picture-HAHAHA.

I thought my camo pants blended in really well with the deer blind---now I just have to work on the shirt. I really have looked, but they just don't make cute hunting clothes for females. I know it shouldn't be about style, but a girls gotta look good, right???

You can't really tell, but this picture is of tracks. Cleo was trying to teach me how to track a deer and we came across these--they were actually raccoon tracks. We did stumble onto some deer poop and Cleo picked it up (GROSS!) and squeezed it to see if it was fresh. I was so grossed out and started to gag and then of course he was telling me that I needed to be quiet or I'd scare the deer off. Well, anyhow I didn't get a picture of him actually doing that, but you get the picture, right?

We had a really fun evening and I can't actually believe I went down in those woods with him. After seeing that snake earlier this summer, I swore I wouldn't go back down there, but I always feel safe with Cleo and I know that he'd never lead me directly into danger. We didn't see a thing but at least now I can say I've been hunting. I don't know if I'll ever go with him to the place where he has his treestand set up because it's over by where he works and not close to a bathroom, but stranger things have happened so stay tuned.

This Just Stinks!!!!!!!!

Okay, so this is seriously such a funny story that I really felt I should share with y'all. So Cleo went hunting last weekend (opening weekend) and apparently he got into a bunch of chiggers. For those of you who have never had them, they're miserable to say the least. Anyhow, he probably has at least 100-150 bites all over his body. The only body part that seems to have been spared is his face. He was itching so bad that he had scabs and even bruises because he rubbed so hard. We read on the internet about them and it said that the more you itch, the worse they get because apparently they burrow in further or something like that and the poison gets in deeper. He had been using calamine lotion (left over from my poison ivy/oak episode!) but was still itching desperately. He was at work the other day and was talking to a lady who has lived here all her life and she told him about this lotion called SARNA, said it was the best thing ever for chiggers, poison oak, etc. and to go get some at the drugstore. So he stops at the drugstore on his way home from work--plops down $12 and buys the lotion. He's so excited to get home and shower and put this on thinking "this is gonna make me feel so much better". Well he got home, showered and had me come into the bathroom to get the lotion to all the spots he couldn't see or reach. Well, let me just tell you that as soon as I squirted the lotion onto my hands, I about gagged. It is loaded with campho and menthol and smells so antiseptic. You know, the smell that you always thought was bad perfume on the little old ladies, well it's not--I'm quite sure it's this lotion!! Apparently it's supposed to be really good for dry skin as well and that's probably why this lady knew so much about it. We were laughing so hard when I was rubbing it on him and I was calling him Ethel because now he smelled just like a little old lady. Well, the next morning I had to strip the bed and wash everything because I just couldn't get rid of the smell. I then took Febreze and sprayed everything that I couldn't throw in the washer. Our bedroom seriously smelled like an old folks home. But the funniest part of it all is that it didn't even work as good as the calamine lotion, so not only did he waste $12, but we both had to endure that horrible smell all night long.

Redneck Is as Redneck Does...

Okay, so I was kinda "bribed" into doing this blog entry---you know who you are, HAHA :) Anyhow, here's a little background info. Last weekend I was on the phone to Sara and I told her how her Dad had set up a table in the backyard, put his crossbow on it and was sighting it in. As I was telling her this story and I was spying on him from the side of the house (with the camera) we were laughing so hard I thought I would wet myself. We both just thought it was too funny how "redneck" he has become and it was just one of those "you had to be there" moments. Anyhow, as I watched him shoot his crossbow, I thought to myself that it kinda looked like fun and so the next day I decided to ask him to teach me how to shoot it. The thing was seriously heavy and kinda hard to steady as you are standing, but after some practice shots I decided to stand, see if I could steady it and take aim. To my surprise (and Cleos' I'm sure!) I hit the target!! It was such a rush and I did it again and again. Each time, I hit the target even if not always in the center and I could see that Cleo was kinda proud that his wife was actually shooting a crossbow. I don't foresee myself ever actually hunting or killing any living thing but it was sure a lot of fun. Cleo was sighting in the crossbow at 10, 20 and 30 yards in the backyard.

Cleo has given my the nickname of "Annie Oakley"

This was my first shot!!!!!!!!!!! Pretty impressive, huh??

Cleo also taught me, a couple weeks ago, to shoot a gun. It was only a pellet gun but after I got the hang of holding the pistol and steadying it, I was able to hit that target as well. Guns have always been one of my 2 biggest fears and as I said in one of my previous blogs, I want to tackle those fears. Now, if any of you have any ideas on how to conquer the fear of snakes, please pass that info along to me.

So this is how the "Georgia Rednecks" kill time on the weekends. It may not be a glamorous life, but it's our life and we sure have a lot of fun living it!!! And to answer your question Sara, Dads' next journey won't be sheep hearding, but he has mentioned a couple goats!!!!!

You Might be a Redneck if.....

You might be a redneck if you wear suspenders instead of a belt to hold up your trousers!!! Don't you just love the look on him?

We took this Labor Day literally and "labored" in the yard once again. Cleo and I went to LaGrange on Friday afternoon and picked up a chipper. He got busy that evening and started to chip up some of the trees he had cut down earlier this summer. I did help a little by dragging some of the limbs closer to the chipper for him. On Saturday, I "labored" thru the heat and went to an arts/crafts festival with a friend of mine while Cleo stayed home and finished the chipping. I thought it was a completely fair trade, especially when he told me that he had found another copperhead snake (could've been the same one from the "painting" incident) at the bottom of one of the wood piles along with a box turtle. The turtle took off for the woods as soon as he was uncovered, but the snake just kinda sat there, so needless to say, he was beheaded and put thru the chipper---I know, gross, huh? I was really glad I missed that whole thing. On Sunday morning, we started spreading the wood chips around the shed area. We finished it up this morning and it really looks pretty good. It's fun to see a project from start to finish.

This is the wood pile where the turltle and snake were found!!

This was my contribution to the project.

We went over to some friends house yesterday afternoon/evening for a bbq. They just moved here from south Florida (Cleo used to work with him at Kiewit). They have a pool in their backyard, but we just watched the kids swim. Their were 2 other couples there as well so we had lots of conversation and PLENTY of food as well. I really feel like I've done nothing but eat all summer! We are just going to spend the rest of today relaxing and then it's back to work for Cleo tomorrow after he was off most of last week due to the rains from Tropical Storm Fay. It rained for almost 6 days straight and they had 6 inches of rain on his job, so there really wasn't anything his crews could do. I hope each of you had a wonderful Labor Day weekend.