"Mama Leah's Boy"

We dedicate our blog to our boy Jack!  Our neighbor Lindsay was the proud owner of Jack and gave him the life of a prince.  Jack was saved one rainy day down by the church only because she thought he was Midnight (our black dog) but soon realized that he was a lost puppy.  Jack moved in with Lindsay and came to visit us during the day so he could play with his best friend Midnight.  Lindsay always called me Mama Leah when talking to Jack and I was very honored, for he was such a good dog.  Today Jack passed away and is now very busy in Heaven playing ball with Midnight.  They have so much to catch up on and so many ponds to swim in, cars to chase and fields to run in.  We will miss his deep bark that always scared the solicitors and his sweet smile.  My favorite memory of Jack was watching him as Lindsay drove off in the Mercedes and his ears flapping in the wind as he stuck his head out the sunroof.  Chris always said if I die and come back as an animal I want to be Lindsays dog or Leahs cat.  So loved and so missed you are Jackie, we love ya!

Merry Christmas from the Janes Family

It is Christmas Eve and we just returned from Grandma and Papa Janes home celebrating Christmas.  Now the girls are picking songs to buy with their Itunes card (Tressa) and playing with legos and watching Beverly Hills Chihuahua 3 (Kennedy).  Chris just finished listening to his new Ray Wylie Hubbard CD and of course I am in the living room watching TCM.   We will soon retire for the night and get ready to celebrate with Grandpa Karl and then drive to Aunt Lisa's to see the rest of the family.  It may be the same routine every year, but we love it!  Every year I hope that we will be as happy as we are right now and that God will continue to Bless us as he has every year. 

What a year 2012 has been, if someone would have told me what I would be doing a year ago, I would not have believed them.  I still pinch myself knowing how fortunate I am!  Chris has been so wonderful during this transition and as he says "there is a new Sheriff in town."  I have gone back to work full time as a Property Manager, which I used to do until K was born.  I love it and am very fortunate to be working for a great company. 

Tressa and her new Sperrys, disco ball!

Aunt Julie, Kennedy and Katie

 

Due to this job, I will be unable to keep up with the blog.  I am turning this over to Chris and Tressa as well as all of the cooking and cleaning.  You will hear from me every once in awhile.  Thank you for checking in on us, we wish you the best in 2013!  Healthy Happy New Year!

2012 North American International Livestock Expo

This past weekend we took our two pigs, Tater and Tot to NAILE, in Louisville, KY.  This was the first year we have purchased pigs to take to this show, but Tressa has done so well in showmanship that we thought it would be better for her to train the pigs at home.  Well her hard work paid off again and she came in 8th place in the Nation, Intermediate Divsion.  With an average number of  kids per class, this means she placed 8th out of 120.  We were very blessed and proud! 

We also learned that a future showman will be born next May!  Very exciting weekend!

A Gift for My Siblings...from Deed

Below is a letter I gave to my brother and sister, just last week as we were celebrating Nannys 75th birthday (don't tell anyone).  Along with this letter I gave them a CD of my favorite music. 

A while ago you made a CD for me of some miscellaneous songs, I played it over and over, but alas I lost the CD.  I always wanted to repay the favor and I finally have accomplished it.  I hope you enjoy it. 

There are times in my life where I can step back and say that God did Bless me with a sister and brother, for without them I would not be who I am today.  They support me when I need them most and let me know (without any hesitation) when I am wrong.  I may be bruised and battered (from all those times you hit me with the boxing gloves) but I have come out stronger than before, mainly from listening to these songs.  Some are funny, some are serious and some give me energy to dance.

My style of music has changed over the years.  It used to be that I would listen to 80’s when I would travel home; this transpired to Van Morrison and now it is a mix of Rock-a-Billy Gospel.  Not only has my music changed, but my definition of “HOME” has as well.  For the word “home” to me is meeting my Savior and seeing everyone again.  But for the time being be encouraged to know that in the future when I drive up to see you and Lisa at Peabody Retirement Home I will be playing the following songs.  Maybe if you are lucky I will bring you a Cheeseburger and Cherry Coke from Mr. Daves! 

Love you very much and I will always keep you in my prayers! 

1.       Me n Opie                           BR549                    “the lost episode of the Andy Griffith Show”

      2.       She Left Me for Jesus    Hayes Carll         
                                                      “she says I should find him and I would know peace at last!”

      3.       Lights in the Valley          The Carolina Chocolate Drops     My tribute to Grandpa Messmore
      4.       Honey Bee                          Lucinda Williams                              
                                  The queen of modern rockabilly as I like to say, love her distinctive voice!
      5.       Tear the Woodpile Down             Marty Stuart     
                        I love his guitar style and true love for Bluegrass and Rockabilly
      6.       Little Lion Man                                  Mumford and Sons                        
      7.       The Winner                                        Kris Kristofferson
      8.       Pilgrim                                                  Steve Earle w/ the Del McCoury Band   
                        “the road was rocky along the way, but I was never traveling alone”
9.       I Ain’t Never Satisfied                    Steve Earle                         Makes me run faster on the treadmill
     10.   Waymore’s Blues                             Waylon Jennings             
          I still have the picture from Christmas 1981 when I opened the new Waylon Album, longtime
             fan of OUTLAW!
     11.   Six White Horse                                   Gillian Welch
     12.   If I Had My Way                                   Elizabeth Cook             These are true GOSPEL songs 12-17

13.   Gospel Plow

14.   Every Humble Knee Must Bow

15.   The Other Side of Life

16.   Hear Jerusalem Calling

17.   These Men of God

18.   Jesus

      19.   I’ve Never Been This Homesick Before               Paul Williams     
                                                   “this world has been a wilderness, I'm ready for deliverance”

Tressa Said...

Tressa said I should update the blog and when she says to do something we must do it!  Thats what she does when we ask her to do chores, right?  I really don't know what to write about other then I recently came in 1st Place in Overall Womens Walking Race in Madison, IN at the Ribberfest.  Yes, that's right 1st place and there was more then just me participating!  Chris and I had a great time participating and enjoying Madison Winerys, Ribberfest and just all the shops.  We were able to visit with Cousin Larry and tour the Janes cemetary and Janes Homestead. 

We are taking Labor Day Weekend to enjoy John Wayne movies, make granola and peanut butter cookies and ride out the storm of what is left of Hurricane Isaac!  The rabbits had to be moved to the barn!  Poor things...

I have attached a picture of Chris and Cousin Larry, he was very nice and I enjoyed taking pictures as he told the stories.  Thanks again for checking in on the family...

That was so funny Mom!

Just another day of driving with Tressa at the wheel and Marley in the middle. We decided to take a short drive to get pictures for my camera class, when I was able to click a pic of Marley and Tressa laughing at my recent joke!  Had to post, too good to pass up!  Hope you enjoy, think of us after Chris sees this and goes over a long list of why cats should not ride in the car.  I write this as the other wonderful cat Richey sleeps beside me on Chris's pillow.  Payback!

4H Fair 2012

Well, what a year!  As you can see Tressa did well in what we have always strived to achieve.  This was her first year in Senior Showmanship and she won the whole thing!!  Sorry, we really don't like to brag, but we are going to take advantage of this time!  For a Freshman this is AWESOME! Words cannot describe how thrilled we are and we know she worked very hard with her pig, Moose to meet this goal.  Now we must also include Pam and Andon in this as well, they really work with her and Kennedy to improve their showmanship and I don't think we could have done it without them.  As soon as the judge said she was the winner I dropped the camera and all you can hear is me crying, that made everyone mad!  Hey, next year we will have someone else video.  Since she won this that qualified her to be in the Round Robin event which is showing pigs, sheep, cattle and dairy.  She did a great job and this allowed me to finally see one of my kids show cattle (which she did an awesome job at).  Great job Tressa...now we are off to the State Fair for the first time!  Yikes! 
Also, Kennedy had a busy year with her animals of Dairy, Chickens, Rabbits and Pigs...she got Blue Ribbons in all except third place with her pig.  She wants that "Gold Trophy" in Dairy and I know one day she will!

Hello Outlaw People!

Hello you beautiful Outlaw People!  That is how Elizabeth Cook starts her show "Apron Strings" every day.  You will find her on XM radio, Outlaw Country channel 60.  I love listening to her!  I encourage you to go out and buy new CD, Gospel Plow, it is Rockabilly Gospel music...AWESOME!  Some songs were written by Marty Stuart and one by Lou Reed, I know Lou Reed, who would have thought?  Elizabeth has been on David Letterman so go on You Tube to see her, they are both great to watch.  One of my Bucket List items is to see her in concert,but she never seems to get to Indiana! 

I like this channel because the mix of country/rock they play, for instance today I was listening to Rosanne Cash, Long Black Viel.  If you listen closely you can hear the tempo of Tennessee Flattop Box, which was an earlier hit, I like how she incorporates it into this song.  She has her own unique style which makes her a legend in her own right. 

Sticking with the Country theme I am in the process of reading Sissy Spaceks autobiography, I am really enjoying it.  Coal Miners Daughter was one of the first movies I remember seeing, that is when I fell in love with Patsy Cline, a treasure of a voice in Country Music.

"Word Out and Peace to Your Mother!"  and that is how Elizabeth closes her show, and me too!

Pictures of Kennedy

Tressa is practicing taking pictures for 4H and I really liked this picture of Kennedy at the Bussell Farm.  Great background to take pictures! 

My Brother is Still Alive...

No pictures this time, just a blog update...we are so busy trying to get 4H Fair projects done, that we really don't have time to do this, but I am.  This year the fair is three weeks early so that really threw us for a loop!  Trying to motivate a 15 year old to get her projects done is even harder! 

The girls are out of school which is a releif for me, both have moved up to the next class, one Sophmore and one 5th grader.  School starts even earlier this year, August 1st, YUCK!  Tressa is taking drivers training for the month of June and that means she is now driving, YIKES!  Really she is doing a good and we are really proud of her, she has been on the Interstate 3 times. 

We are enjoying swimming at the gym, library and listening to Eric Church.  I am in the process of reading Greg Allman biography and Animal House the making of the movie.  I had to pick up the Animal House book because it reminds me of my brother, no he did not die, but he loves that movie.  When my nephews were little he would have "Movie Night at Uncle Lons" where he would show classic movies and tell them why it was a classic.  To this day at age 29 and 32 they still talk about Movies at Uncle Lons.   Lon has a certain laugh and I can just hear him as he watches this movie or watching Andy Griffith.  Look forward to reading the book and discussing it with him at Christmas.  

Chris wants me to sign off so I will end with this....I adore you!

Happy Birthday Kennedy!

Well today is the day that "Boo Boo" turns 11 years old, can it be possible?  The wonderful father that Chris is made K's day when he took birthday snacks to school along with Diamond the rabbit for show and tell.  We had pizza for dinner followed by a swim at the gym.  The day would not be complete without ice cream after swimming.  She is a wonderful daughter who always has a smile! 

The above photo was taken during Spring Break, the last week of March.  We were fortunate to stay south of Clearwater, had a great time!

The Rabbits arrived yesterday.  Tressa is holding Jimmy and Kennedy is holding Diamond.  They are so cute and soft!  I have also included a picture of the pigs that Tressa took the first day we walked them.  They have grown so much since this picture, but I had to include it.  The season is busy, the chickens have moved to the neighbors Hen House and growing so fast. 

Bahamas 2012

What we enjoyed about the Bahamas were the beaches and The Atlantis restaurunts, aquarium and great weather.  We strongly suggest the aquarium it was so beautiful!   Everyone is so friendly and I would love to rent one week on the Mary Jean II yaht!   Oh I can see me now! 





Home again...

Chris and I have been traveling, I have enjoyed and we are very fortunate to have Grandmothers that can watch the girls.  I am glad to be home and that the girls have not changed, they still fight and complain.  I think they just missed us and this is their way of showing it.  We just returned from New Orleans, I had not been there before and I really enjoyed the city.  So much History, which I enjoyed.  Next time we plan on staying over another day after meetings so we can do some site seeing on our own.  While Chris was in meetings, I toured a Plantation and took a cooking class.  The New Orleans School of Cooking was great!  They do a great job, I learned so many things and can now cook Gumbo and Pralines, I think. 

The 4H pigs arrive this weekend, another season begins...crazy time of year.  I will say they are cute, we still have one more to pick out. 

Not much to report, but thanks for checking in on us!

I love to read...

I took this back in December, but as usual I am delayed on posting.  Kennedy was reading to Richie and as any cat would he loved it.  She wants Marley and Richie to be lap cats, but they prefer to be on their own.  However, Richie is getting better at it.

In Memory of a Wonderful Companion

Unfortunatly, we welcomed the New Year with the passing our beloved pet dog, Midnight.  He passed away in his farvorite spot while sleeping.  We acquired him the first year we built the house and he was the first pet dog that the girls had.  Kennedy loved spending time with him no matter what the weather was like, as you can see in the pictures.  He was a very good dog and loved his best friend Jack.  Jack and Midnight were together 5 days a week since they were puppies and grew to love howling at the 11:00 am siren on Fridays, running through the fields and playing with Kennedy.  He always had one ear up and one down, thus he acquired the nickname "Sonar" from Andon.  We will miss him, but will enjoy the memories he leaves us. 

Merry Christmas 2011

We have posted a video of our Christmas lights, they are the best ones on the block (sorry neighbors).  From a distance it could look like a "Gentlemans Club," but once you get closer it is just your local country home with dogs, cats, one teenage know it all and her 10 yr old sister who is usually in the field driving the mule.  Somehow the parents of these beautiful girls are still surviving with a little help from the Forest Edge Winery (TN).   We are BLESSED every day by these two wonderful girls who make us laugh, cry, scream and shout (but in a good way).  We WISH you a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.  Take some time to relax, read a book, watch your favorite movie or stop and enjoy the time with your family.  We do not know what 2012 will bring, but I do know that as long as Chris and my girls are by my side it will be a GREAT year....off to make cookies and wear my favorite apron (too many to choose from) by the glow of our Christmas lights.

UPDATE:  Because of my bragging, one strand of lights has now stopped working...I really think it was the neighbors sabatoging our LIGHTS!  Next year we have now vowed to put lights to loud speaker music, pointed toward a certain train horn.

The Big Transistion

Well it's Regis's last day and am supposed to be cleaning for the guests coming on Sunday for our Thanksgiving, as usual I am side tracked and decided to update the blog.  I know, I know....I never update anymore, but I too have been in a transition trying to go back to work part-time.  Another transition has been Tressa turning 15 last week which only means I turned 45.  Only 180 days until she can qualify to get her permit!  YES!  Kennedy is in 4th grade and just made the honor roll with all A's...YES!  She loves to swim at the gym every chance she gets and loves Legos.  Christmas is around the corner and these girls only want Big Ticket items!  What happened to just being happy with just PJ's, baby dolls, movies or games?  The older they get the less we are going to give!  Whatever! 

Back to Regis...I remember watching him in College at BSU while getting ready in the morning, then I was back again as the girls were born watching every morning while giving them a bottle, then it transitioned to watching him after the girls got on the bus as I picked up the house...transition of life.

Well, we move on and I leave you with a recent picture...

Fall of 2011

Well the first day of Fall has come and the weather has turned cooler.  I apologize that I am unable to keep up with updating you on our blog.  Chris and I are sitting by the fire, watching M*A*S*H, the TV series, as Richie the cat sleeps by my side.  The girls are getting ready for bed which always takes longer then it should.  School has started and T is now a Freshman....where has the time gone?  Before I know it the ladies on 900 N will be hosting the graduation party.  Although she has more mood swings then usual we love her so much and appreciate how good she is in and out of school when Mom and Dad are not around.  Kennedy is in 4th grade and just wants to be out of school as soon as possible.  We love her hugs and kisses and her honest opinion about everything. 

We went to Chad and Karis wedding last night and I have posted a picture from the big day.  What a beautiful day, especially when you are wearing the right hat.

Tressa and her 4 H pictures

Not to be out done by her sister, Tressa has pictures too, they just needed to be tweeked before posting. She is sooooo picky!