Planting flowers!

I got up this morning and did the dishes, took the dogs out and decided to go out and finish planting flowers. I have several trays of flowers left I need to do something with. I was working in my flower bed when John (the grounds keeper) stopped by and we got to talking and the conversation came up about the left over flowers. He said my neighbor behind wanted some but isn't able to do them. We talked and agreed we'd do it for him. He had some top soil and went and got it and some boards. He built the flower bed and then we planted the rest of the flowers for Jim. Jim came out and loved them. It is a beautiful day here. There is a nice breeze and the sun is shining! I also took some pictures of all the flowers today. Hope you enjoy and as they grow and become more beautiful i will post more pictures of them.

Thursday, April 24th,

I didn't do much today, i got up and did my usual morning routine and then just lazied around the camper. I just spent the day inside watching the tube. I did cook dinner. I made a pasta salad and then later i fixed baked tators and beef steaks on the grill for dinner.

After dinner I took a walk. After I got back i was sitting outside enjoying the beautiful night air. Jo and Judy, 2 of the ladies here stopped by to visit with me and we had a great visit. After visiting an hour or so, it was getting close to bed time. It was another great day living the full-time life style.

Wednesday, April 23rd,

I got up this morning and did my morning routine, then after lunch i went and enjoyed the pool. It's a nice breezy warm day here. A great day for swimming. Jo the neighbor lady joined me in the pool and we had a nice visit.

Gabe is working as a land scaper and they had some left over flowers that they were going to throw away. Being the good son, he can be he told his boss that his mom loved flowers and he'd take them home to me. He brought the flowers home and we got permission from the ground keeper to plant them.

So we headed off to wal-mart to purchase some top soil and of course we had to get some other flowers to plant as well. I like my flower garden to be an assortment of flowers. We got home and Gabe went to work. He got the ground ready, added the soil and began planting. (sorry never thought to take his picture) . While Gabe planted flowers i cooked dinner on the grill. I put some potatoes, butter and touch of garlic in some foil and put them on the grill. When they were close to being done i put the steaks on the grill. I bought this great seasoning for meal. It's called Dale's and i put it on the meat about 1 hour before grilling and it's great stuff!

Bought a new Vacum

I got up this morning, well i only slept until 9 AM today .. LOL Yes, i know I'm getting lazy.

I picked up the RV and did the dishes. Sat outside for a bit. Watched the tube and this afternoon i went and lazied around the pool. It was 86 degrees outside after lunch, so i decided the pool looked so inviting. Jo, the neighbor lady and i swam for a few hours, then we dried off from the sun.

It was about time for Gabe to come home from work. Gabe and I went to do the grocery shopping. On the way back i stopped by K-mart to look at the vacum's they had on sale. I didn't care for those as they took bags. My old vacuum is a bag less and i loved it. But just too heavy to run and carry in an RV. I was looking at their others and found this one and it looked so cute. It's light weight, has the rotor bar I'm wanting and close to the sale prices of the ones i was looking at.



I ended up purchasing it. I am the proud owner of a new mini boss light weight vacuum cleaner! Of course after we got home and put the groceries away i just had to try it out. I love it!

It is so light weight it doesn't pull on my back, and it picks up great. It even picks up my hair! I was amazed how much i pulled up out of this carpet. I knew that little dust buster just wasn't cutting it.

After cleaning, i went and showered and put my jammies on and wasn't long Gabe came back home. Of course he was asking what was for dinner and i told him it was another night of what you could find. He laughed and replied he didn't know why he keeps me around. I replied, to do your maid service ... lol he said the past few nights it wasn't for my cooking ... LOL
After a few hours of getting relaxation time, then it was off to bed. I am exhausted.

Night everyone ... hope you all have a great one !!

Catching up on sleep

I slept in today. Yes, i didn't get up until after 10 AM!! I then got up and did the dishes, started a couple loads of laundry. The RV is a wreck. I left it spotless but Gabe just isn't the neatest person in world. He did say he tried to keep the dishes rinsed out. LOL Oh well i love him.

After lunch, i finished cleaning, except for the vacuuming. i hate to vacuum, i bought a little dust buster type vacuum and it just doesn't pick up my hair. I shed worse then the dogs. I seen K-mart has them on sale and i have to get grocery sometime, so I'm holding off.

Gabe was to take me grocery shopping tonight, but he took off with a friend he met here, so needless to say no grocery shopping tonight.

It's nice to be back home!

It was a long drive back home! We arrived around 5.30 AM, tired and we both went to bed for some finally needed sleep! I woke up around 10.30 AM and Gabe got up around 12.30 PM. We were both ready to head to the beach! It's a beautiful day here!

Off to the beach we went. It was cooler then we expected with the breeze. I forgot my camera, sorry no pictures today. I'm still asleep i think.

After we got back from the beach we were starving and i was in no mood to cook, Gabe and I were craving Chinese, so yep. We headed down the road to the Chinese Restaurant. It was good and I ate too much! After getting back home i laid down a bit and then spent the evening sitting outside and enjoying the nice evening. I spent my night watching TV and then it was early to bed. I was exhausted!

visiting back home

Gabe and I took Bobbi home before heading to visit with my grandchildren. On the way i wanted to stop and visit the cemetery. As you all know my step-mother passed away in Nov and my mom just last month. I never got to attend either of their services, so i wanted a bit of time.

First we stopped by grandparents and my little brother that i never knew.

Here is my sister Bobbi Jo's, she was only 36. It's hard to believe she has been gone almost 3 years now. This plaque sits by her tombstone and it says what is true. Our hearts still ache for her.



Across the road on the corner is where my cousin is buried. For some reason on the Jackson side of the family. Any boy named Steven never made it beyond being a baby. I had thought of naming my first son Steven after my brother but my mother insisted that no child in our family could be named Steven.

Just 3 rolls down from my sister Bobbi Jo, 3 other cousins are buried there. My aunt Betty has lost 3 children.

Down the lane, just about 100 yards under a tree my uncle Dean is buried. I went to visit my uncle Dean's grave. Dean raised me as his daughter until i was 6 years of age. He was a wonderful father to me and loved me so much. I was hurt and very upset when i arrived at his grave site. My brother Greg(cousin, but raised as brother and sister) didn't do what he said he would do. When i arrived at his grave site, i could still tell where it was but there were no markers, no tombstone! Greg had assured me he had a tombstone order for Dean's grave. Unfortunately as always, Greg never follows through. I was really upset that he didn't love his father enough to show some respect.

This is the first time i have been able to visit my uncle's grave since leaving the day of his funeral. I didn't realize how much his death was going to affect me, until it happened and i arrived at the funeral home. It was like a ton of bricks hitting my chest and knocking my wind out. All my childhood memories came flooding back to me. Memories of him and i. He thought the sun shined and set on me. Needless to say, i will be purchasing a tombstone in the future for his grave. He will always be daddy to me.

After visiting this cemetery we headed to where both my mother's are buried.

Here is where Mama Viv is buried at. I didn't attend her funeral as i was out of town and sick. We decided to stay away. (read my blog in Nov) I visited her grave and took theses pictures. Here marker is up, but her tombstone still isn't. Even though she was my step-mom, she was a wonderful mother and grandmother to all of us. She is sadly missed and our hearts will always feel her void in our lives.

My birth mother whom died last month is buried across the road from Mama Viv, since there wasn't a marker or anything on her grave yet, i decided not to take a picture. My sister says they should be getting the marker on her grave soon.

It was an emotional day, visiting loved ones that are no longer here on this earth and then my grandchildren.

We left Tyson and the grand kids around 2 pm. Gabe and I are on our way home. We decided to take the scenic drive of the Great River Road! I hadn't been on that road for a couple of years. Wow, they sure are doing lots of work to it!

I think this old rock home is so cute, they have it fixed up as a museum now.

They sure are building lots of homes along the river and these look to be some type of condos.

I love light houses, look at this cute one they have fixed up. It's surrounded by water right now.

The temps were only in the 50's here. Gabe and I were freezing! We left high 70's in Florida. Gabe and i are
both ready to return to Florida to the warm temps. It's so spoiling.

Here is a picture of raging rivers, it's a water park, that draws some attraction here in the Grafton area. It looks as though Grafton is trying to build up as an attraction for tourist and vacationers.

The green is starting to pop out and it seems as though spring is close by for Illinois. The dogwood and red bud trees were all in bloom! I love them both and enjoyed the ones in my front yard when we owned a stick home. Although, i have to say, i sure don't miss that stick home. I love my home being on wheels now.

Getting to meet my grandson Toby!!

Gabe and I headed back to Illinois this weekend. We left around 2 pm on Friday. Gabe took his girl friend Bobbi back home. She liked Florida but got home sick for her family. I needed to get my Driver's Licenses renewed, they were due to expire in July on my b'day. The most important part of the visit was! I finally got to meet my grandson Toby!!! Well you can at least see him. As you can see in these other pictures, my little princess didn't want her Grandma getting her picture taken with Toby.


Hailey hid her face when we tried to get a picture of us, then as you can see in this picture, she wasn't happy that her mom was taking pictures even though she didn't want them taken.

When we first got there, she came running to me and i hugged and kissed her like she likes for me to do. Then she asked if i wanted to see it ... LOL Meaning her brother Toby. I said sure, so like a proud sister she took me where her mom was nursing him. So i continued to play with Hailey while Toby was nursing. When Toby got done nursing i held him. Well that was okay for about 2 secs and then she wanted me to put him down. LOL Her mom told her to wait a few minutes and let Grandma hold Toby, that grandma hasn't held or seen him like they
have. Well that lasted 2 secs and she asked me if i was done .. LOL

Hailey was not happy and i didn't want her to be jealous so i handed Toby over to his uncle Gabe who hadn't seen him yet either. I went and played with Hailey and she wanted me to chase her, catch her and give her kisses that she didn't want. It's our little game we play.

After we played a bit, Hailey decided that Uncle Gabe had held Toby long enough as well and it was his turn to play with her. I did manage to snap a few pictures before he had to go play. Uncle Gabe is already teaching Toby to shake his fist and say, i will punch you Hailey ... LOL Hailey thought that was funny.





While uncle Gabe was playing with Hailey, i got the chance to spend some Grandma time with Toby! I could of held him like this forever. He is so precious. He looks a lot like his big sister did when she was his age. I can see that he is going to be a blondie like his daddy. Grandma thinks he is the most precious little man in the world! Grandma has nicked named him her little man. Now i have a princess and a little man.

It was a wonderful day getting to visit my grandchildren. It was an amazing day and no matter how miles apart we are, i love my grandchildren so much!! Unfortunately it was coming to the time we had to say goodbye and once again we tried to get Hailey to take a picture with Grandma and Toby. Here is the final results.











Hailey still wasn't too happy about Toby being in the pictures with Grandma or Grandma holding Toby. In the first 2 pictures i'm begging her for grandma and she of course says no! The 3rd picture i'm tickling her, and finally, as you can see, we got a somewhat decent picture, but she refused to smile. That's okay Hailey grandma loves all your silly faces. Grandma think it's going to take a bit of getting used to.

Here is Hailey playing her keyboard she got for Christmas. She had to show grandma she can play Mary has a little lamb! I just had to record her.

Baking on a gas grill!

Let me start out with what happened yesterday. I had cooked ham & beans in the slow cooker for dinner. I had mixed my cornbread mix together and went to throw it in the oven. Well behold the oven pilot light wouldn't light, the burner wouldn't light. Ughhhhhh ... After checking out the propane i found out it was empty! Yes, empty!! I'm thinking okay how am i going to finish making dinner. Our tank is attached to the motor home and can't be removed, we never got around to paying $80 bucks for the add a flow like we had talked about, so using the gas grill bottle is out.

I then thought about frying it in my elec deep fryer or using the other slow cooker i have. Then i thought hey, what about baking it in my gas grill? I dug out a small square cake pan and it fit in the small gas grill we have. So i lit the grill, took my oven therm out of my oven and hung it in the grill. On high the grill went beyond the oven temp, so i took the term out and turned the grill on low and then put the term back in. After reaching the right temp i wanted i put the pan inside the grill. I had to use some rocks to level the pan with.

I sat in the lawn chair and kept rotating the pan so it cooked evenly and the bottom didn't burn. After about 20 mins i had my cornbread done and it turned out great. (sorry never thought to take any pictures)

So today i wanted to bake cake and really didn't want to spend $20 bucks on one from Wal-mart. So i decided what the heck, let's try one using the gas grill again. One problem, my 13 x 9 cake pan won't fit in the grill. Hmmm, i dig through my pans and find 2 round cake pans that use on a very rare occassion. (glad i decided to keep them with me) I decided a double layer cake would work fine. I could put one pan on the bottom and the other on the top and just rotate them.

I mixed up my cake, put them in the pan and pulled up the lawn chair and begin baking my cake. I used the oven therm again to make sure the temp stayed around the desired temp. Once the bottom pan got almost done i switched places with the top pan and behold my cake was done. I never thought to take a picture of it in progress but here is the final results.




I also made a good meal using only electricity here at the campground. I used my elec fryer, hot player, microwave and gas grill.



here is the meal of the day ...


Country fried steak (fryer)
Milk gravy (hot plate)
mashed tators (hot plate)
corn (micro)
stuffing (micro)
and choc cake (gas grill)

Turned out to be a great meal. So if you ever need a oven and don't have one, just use your bbq grill, works great!


Even living in a RV, it's amazing the things we can do when we put our mind to it. Life is great living in my home on wheels!