JustaClickin'

Herro...

2012-02-02T21:31:00.000-06:00

So.

I have been sick

With a sinus infections from h-e-double toothpicks

I have finally gave in and went to a Dr after 2+ weeks of misery

I am getting better now

And I think I will live

My house on the other hand should be condemned

My family still loves me but the may not like me.

And I had to go in to the cardiologist because my heart is flittering and fluttering

The Dr doesn't think it is anything

But I will have to get a holter monitor to be sure it is indeed nothing

And I have to have an ultrasound of my heart

Hopefully they find I have one

While I was sick with the sinus infection that I didn't know I had

I went in to the dentist to get a crown

When they removed the temp crown

They broke the tooth completely off

So they had to repair it which took hours

But it is fine now

However, I gotta tell you

A sinus infection

A broken tooth

And the numbing agent

Are not a good mix

While I was sick with the sinus infection

Megan started work at her full time job

Which left me with no car because she was driving my Camry

So Steve and I went shopping for a new car

And I bought a pickup

A Toyota Tacoma to be exact

And I love it

But I can barely get in it

It is a 4 wheel drive and very high

So I have to climb into it

Well not really, but almost

So we have to buy Nerf bars/grill guard and a cover for the bed

All so I can get in it

I am going on a scrapbook retreat in a week

I am not sure what I will do

Because I don't scrapbook anymore

But maybe I will try

I am happy to report that I finished that da%*!# quilt

It only took my 25+ years and it felt like longer

But it is done

Finally

I made the big announcement that "it is done!"

And Steve just looked at me

I think he is afraid to say a word

However, I will start another one in 2 weeks

My goal is to finish it before I croak

And that my friends is my catch up.

I will not make promises

As you see I cannot keep them

But have no fear

I live on a (future) farm

And life is rather boring

So I am sitting back

And enjoying the view

While thinking of things

That might be worth blogging about

Like I am planning a chicken coop

That I cannot find plans for

And planting a vegetable garden

By reading the almanac

So I know when to plant

But for the life of me

I cannot figure out how to plant

On the dark side of the moon

In the day time

And finally

We are going to plant an orchard

So I have to learn how to plant a row of trees

In a straight line

But I cannot even walk in one

And I have to learn which fruits actually grow

In this great state we grew up in

But we have not lived here since we were teens

So now you know some

And more will come

Soon.

In This Tree...

2012-01-20T10:02:00.000-06:00

In this tree...

Next to the pond...

I just found...

A honeycomb!!

Send bees... please?

My looking at the beehive annoyed the geese (and ducks) in the pond - they flew off:

And as I was coming into the house, I saw this:

How did I live without being in the country? Every day is an adventure!

It Snowed!

2012-01-12T08:57:00.001-06:00

Ok, so it didn't snow much, but any snow at all is more snow that I have had in oodles of time! I LOVE snow! Haven't I said that before? Something about snow makes it so magical! Waking up to it makes it even more magical - and that day will come - but today, I will enjoy the little bit of snow we got last night. Here are a few pictures:

At one point it was snowing pretty darned good:

Megan and Steve just stood out in it and visited... and I didn't stay out at all! Lol...

I gotta tell you, Megan was super excited! Even more than I was - hey, it is TRUE, it's weally, weally TWOO!

This morning, we got up to this view:

Just a tad more than a dusting of snow:

Enough to make it pretty - but not beautiful:

Beautiful is blanketed in a deep snow...

It is so freaking cold (20° or so outside) and windy as heck - so there is no way I would sit out in it for even a minute! I would be a crispy critter if I did! Geez, that wind goes right through you - I had forgotten that! This bench will stay empty!

Megan thinks she is going to build an enormous snowman... I am waiting to see that... lol... out of a tad more than a dusting? I told her she has the entire pasture to get snow from - but she better start now before it melts off. Watch out Jacque! She said you all are in a contest - her snow man is gonna be bigger than yours!

Anyway, we are praying for more snow, but we are enjoying what we have now.

I LOVE snow... send more snow please!!

New Projects

2012-01-10T19:02:00.000-06:00

I am so danged proud of myself I am about to pop a button! I finished my batik quilt top and now I can move on to other projects - isn't that awesome? Here are a few I have lined up...

Have you ever seen a material that took your breath away when you first set eyes on it? Well, maybe not, but a quilter or someone what sews knows the feeling. This is a Moda fabric line called "Lovely" - when I first saw it, I knew I wanted a spring/summer quilt from the line. Can't wait to get started on it, but it is in the waiting que... lol... That is for you Singapore girls!

This material below is going to be for one of our grandsons... I might get it done for NEXT Christmas. I don't know if he will like it or not, but he will certainly remember I love him when he gets it! It is going to have red hair just like his! This is in que as well...

The fabrics below are the fabrics that I will make a "Turning Twenty" twin sized quilt for the extra bedroom. I think it is mighty bright... but that doesn't bother me because it is cheery. I love the colors; I just hope I do when I turn twenty fat quarters into a twin quilt. We shall see... and it, of course is in que as well!

Several things are slowing my quilt making progress. My niece is staying with us for a bit and I am afraid she is seriously afflicted with the quilt bug. I bought her some material that she picked out, she bought a pattern called "Charming Fractions" and off she went. With a little direction (and a lot of time on my sewing machine), she is getting close to having her first quilt top done!

Finally, the real reason my progress on my above projects are so slow is a special one. 25+ years ago, I started a quilt... and had no earthly idea what I was doing with no guidance. I messed up - I came out too short on the lining (batting) of the quilt - which was actually a blanket. We didn't have money for the batting at the time, so I used a blanket - I never said I was the brightest crayon in the box, but if granny Daisy could do it - so could I, right? I struggled with it forever, fretted over it and finally, I just tossed it up in the top of the closet. Steve and I BOTH had spent hours and hours hand stitching the prestamped print - but I figured I had totally screwed it up and being the perfectionist that I am, I couldn't bear to look at it.

When we moved here, it surfaced again. I have an honest to God sewing/craft/scrap room, and an honest to God shelf to put all of my material on. I sorted and stacked until I was blue in the face, but it is finally organized. On the shelf sat my unfinished quilt (along with an owl that I found that needs to be finished) and it started working its magic on me. I pulled the quilt out to see just how bad I had messed up - and now that I have a little knowledge behind me, I can actually see how to finish it! It won't be perfect, but it WILL be perfectly finished. So this is what I am working on now:

It will be pretty, won't it? I promise not to who you the mistakes if you promise not to look when I show it off as a FINISHED project!

Well, I am off to cook a pot roast and while I do it, I will help Steve move things from the lean-to into the now finished shop! Progress feels good... :-)

Next in que for him? Carport(s) for our boat/truck/camper. *sigh*

And that is it for today...

NEGU! In Honor Of...

2012-01-07T08:31:00.006-06:00

Jessica Joy Rees...

I follow a few blogs and facebook pages that I have no memory of starting. One is Jessica Rees facebook page. Jessica was a 12 year old girl that found out in March 2011 that she had brain cancer. She fought it like a champ though - posting multiple daily reports of what she was going through and what was ahead. Posts like, "Chemo today, then daddy and I will work puzzles. NEGU" "Bloodwork today, then mommy and I will read. NEGU" Nearly every post ended with a good note. Something bad was always followed with something she looked forward to.

I read all her posts for months - following her through the good and the bad. A few weeks ago, Jessie asked her Dr if she could go to Colorado - she wanted to play in the snow. After much contemplation she was allowed to go. Posts like "I get to go to Colorado to play in the snow! I am going to have a snowball fight with daddy! NEGU" Then, "They wouldn't let my oxygen on the plane, but I don't think I will need it, so we went anyway! NEGU" And finally, "I had a snowball fight! I laughed until I cried - I love playing in the snow! NEGU"

NEGU was started by the sweet young lady to raise awareness of kids with cancer. Her initial goal was to get 50,000 'likes' on facebook to raise 50,000 people's awareness about kids with cancer. Do you know what NEGU means? Never Ever Give Up! She started stuffing plastic jars she labeled 'Joy Jars' with sweet nothings (crayons, socks, words of encouragement; fun things) for kids with cancer and she put a note in there to Never Ever Give Up! NEGU! and sent them to hundreds of kids with cancer. What a wonderful idea from a TWELVE year old!

2 days ago, I got up and read her much anticipated post: "I am going to have a CAT scan today - at least it doesn't have needles! NEGU"

Then the next post I saw was this:

***********

Dear friends...we have prayed and prayed and prayed for sweet Jessie to be healed here on earth but God's plan was to use heaven for healing. Jessie earned her wings today and is with Jesus now!!! No pain..complete vision...spreading joy. Please pray for our family as we walk out of the valley of death and towards the mountain top. We will let everyone know of her celebration service as arrangements are made.

Please join us in carrying on her joyful spirit and Never Ever Give Up attitude.

Much love, Erik, Stacey, Shaya and JT

***********

I don't know what happened, but somehow 'our' little Jessica Joy Rees lost her fight with cancer - but she never ever gave up - and she has touched thousands of lives, including mine. How does one child have such optimism? The best part was she shared it with us and encouraged other children who had the horrid 'cancer' word in their vocabulary.

Yesterday was a sad day for me. I had to get out of the house, so I went to a friends and she and I ran errands... I don't even think I mentioned anything about Jessie - I was not ready to share with the world a loss that hit me so hard I couldn't explain...

As we were driving out of town to do the errands, we came upon an accident that had just happened - apparently in the previous few minutes. A motorcycle was on the side of the road, obviously involved in the accident. A man was sitting on the side of the road, dabbing at his head and the van that pulled out in front of him was sitting in a driveway. They were all waiting obviously waiting on emergency vehicles as the parties in the van were looking down the highway. As we passed, I felt the need to go to the man - he was sitting by himself dabbing his head - but I wasn't driving and I was still in a daze trying to figure out what went wrong with Jessica that I didn't say anything. We passed the accident by and continued on to do our errands...

And I worried... I worried about Jessica's family and about the man with the head injury that seemed okay at the time. But having had another friend that was involved in the same kind of situation I knew it might now be so simple. She was involved in and accident with man on a motorcycle who got to close to her car and his mirror hit her mirror - you would have to see the thousands of bikes in Asia to understand, but it was his fault - and the witnesses cleared her of any wrong going. He seemed ok then, in fact, he was even talking but he later went into a coma and died from the head injury. I knew that this could happen to the man sitting on the side of the road with a head injury... had someone called his family in case it was serious? Minutes matter...

My concern for this man involved in the accident continues today. I have no way of ever knowing how this story turns out, but it reminded me that life is so very short. Jessie thought she was going to have a CAT scan done - but she got her angel wings instead. This man never thought he would be dealing with a potentially serious head injury and the man that hit my friend was only in a rush to get to work. All of those lives and thousands more... just a moment away from a life changing or ending event.

We just never know...

The thought that finally comes to mind is this: People we don't even know touch our hearts very deeply. Often we don't know the outcome of the circumstances or their stories, but they change our lives in little ways that affect our thoughts, or doings and prayers - and if we are lucky, they leave heart strings forever like little Jessica Joy Rees did for me.

Have a great day - cherish every precious moment.

NEGU. For Jessie.

If you heart is turned toward Jessie and her NEGU cause, would you mind donating a little towards her Joy Jars?

And do you mind saying a prayer for yesterdays motorcycle man? I am sure he could use it...

We're nearly FINISHED!

2012-01-05T09:37:00.001-06:00

After many long months of working on transforming the barn into a shop, we have done it!

Do you remember what we started with?

We started with a barn cat:

Who was in a barn:

We added concrete:

Then added walls, insulation and painted the floor:

Then we painted the walls:

And we are adding shelves now (safely of course):

Megan and Steve have been working super hard on them:

Soon, we will be able to add STUFF to the shop! Stay tuned for those pictures...

And remember that quilt I have been struggling with? Well, I finally finished the quilt top!

What a bugger that has been! Now I get to take it in and have it quilted (no I am not doing it by hand), then I add the binding and call it done! Can't wait for that day...

So that is part of what we have been up to... busy bees are we!

MIA

2012-01-02T07:30:00.000-06:00

MIA (Missing in Action)

Wow! How neglectful I have been! I just needed a break - so many thoughts going through my head and so little incentive to write. Steve and I have been super busy doing things around the house and property. He finally got all the insulation done and we got the walls put up in the shop. Then the cold set in... and we haven't been able to stain the floor and paint the walls. So everything is still sitting out in the lean to - and we need to figure out how to get the shop finished and everything back into the shop so it doesn't get nasty out in the weather. It's gotta warm up - right?

Wow, the weather... talk about taking some getting used to! Yes, I love the cold weather - but living in south Louisiana and Singapore for 30+ years has warmed my blood! Lol... It is taking a bit for me to remember to (1) layer, (2) dress in warm shoes (can you Sing girls feel the pain of my feet protesting?), (3) prepare to stay in because of the weather and (4) figure out how to maneuver this body across the ice - and soon to come - snow! Oh I am getting there, but I sure had forgotten how to do some of these things! We did live here in Tulsa for 18 months a few years back, but we lived in a hotel like place and we didn't have to worry about the outside stuff - here we do!

We got a critter camera (thanks Steph!) for outside - it is a camera that pics up infrared pictures of critters that pass in front of it. Talk about DEER! We have oodles of regular passers! We also have seen bushels of raccoons and a skunk. Lots of fun going out to check it every day. The doe with twins made it through hunting season, though one of the twins is limping. Hopefully it just turned a foot or something, but it is fun watching them grow up. They are nearly as big as their mom now! We have had a couple of bucks out there eating too. Right now the red-winged black birds are eating us out of house and home so we are going to have to pause feeding the deer - cause the birds are eating all the deer corn!

Megan is doing well readjusting to living in a new home (ours), she misses the boys and Cheyenne and Jeremy, but she is doing fine. She has a good lead on a job in Tulsa and is waiting on that to either pan out or not. I am not making her rush on it, but we did want to get through the holidays before she started seriously looking for work. Now that we are into the new year, I bet she gets serious about it. We sure have enjoyed her being here! She is a worker bee and a giggle girl - gotta love her positive attitude even though some days she gets discouraged she always bounces right back. She figures at 20 she should be settled in life - HA! Little does she know...

I am not sharing pictures today because I want to get this posted. I will start again soon. Sure did miss writing - maybe now my mind is cleared up and I can get on task again. More later - with pictures - I promise! Missed you - but I think I am back now...

Birthdays, Christmas Trees and Quilts

2011-12-07T09:10:00.002-06:00

Well, I am back... Oh, I know a week late and a dollar short. I have no idea what is going on, but for some reason my writing abilities seem overwhelmed right now. We have had a lot going on, but I don't think that is the problem - I think my thoughts are on vacation right now... so until they return, I will just try to wing it.

With all the company we had for Thanksgiving we had a blast. Steph and punkin stayed after the rest of the crew left to celebrate my birthday with me. Punkin, with mom's help, made a cake for me:

We decorated our tree:

One of the biggest reasons I haven't been posting (besides my lack of thoughts) is that I have been diligently working on my quilt:

It is not finished, but well on the road. If I had actual thoughts on what I am supposed to be doing, it would be done:

It is super special to me because it has all the blocks that my friends made for me in Singapore:

I got the finishing colors for the borders, but I can't decide on how they are supposed to be placed... navy, cream, and rust, or rust, cream and navy, or cream, rust and navy... you get the idea. I need someone to help me out there - so I will wait on my friends Rhonda and Sharon to advise me... lol... I plan on having it finished by the end of this week. Can I do it?

My friends Rhonda, Sharon and I went on a quilt hop this weekend and saw some beautiful quilts:

I would have loved to have bought the kit for this one and made it, but I have to be sure this is going to be my hobby before spending a ton of money on it:

This one reminded me of one my grandmother had:

And finally, I got all the pieces to make this pillow topper - we got one part at each of our stops on the quilt hop:

Megan is living with us again! She came in with all her loot on Sunday night. Well, all the loot she could get on the plane anyway - she left a lot there in California. I think she wants Steve to head out there and get it at some point... we shall see how that goes. She wants to concentrate on working and finishing college, so we are going to explore the colleges around here and she will decide her best options and where to live.

For now, she is stuck in our upstairs bedroom and has me to keep her company. I am thinking she will figure a way out of all this really soon! Lol... but for now, we are enjoying having one of the kids back with us.

I nearly forgot! Steph, Todd and Punkin gave me a game cam for my birthday. We LOVE getting the pictures out of it! Look at what we got yesterday morning:

Pretty darned cool, huh? Steph? AWESOME gift! We are enjoying all the critters - and we had NO idea we had that many deer coming at once! Wow, wow, WOW!

That is all for now. Be back soon - though I am not saying tomorrow - I see how that went. Sorry... will try to pull up the boot straps and write.... until then... enjoy the COLD!

And send snow!

Thanksgiving Week Was a Riot!

2011-11-28T09:46:00.005-06:00

This week has been a huge ball of fun! We have had tons of people in and out - on Thanksgiving, we had a houseful - and the best part was that my sister from Mobile came up and my aunt Connie and Uncle Danny came up from Alabama as well! Oh my gosh, was the visit great! We had a ball of laughs, fireside (did I really say that?) chats and ooodles of fun outside on the 4 wheelers. So here is the Thanksgiving day gang:

We got a super picture of Shari and John with the kids - it was such a beautiful day, maybe a bit bright but we still love the pics:

Those rug rats sure have grown up! We had a blast with them here. Thanks Shari for making the trip!

Steve bought another 4-wheeler after everyone got here - it sure did come in handy. We all rode the toys the entire time we had people coming and going. His is the "red" one (are you surprised?):

This is some of the mud and muck they got into:

They went through that ditch so many times that Steve had to take some cement blocks out there to fill in the ruts... but his little tractor couldn't handle it. Look what happened:

That picture is courteousy of my daughter Stephenie. I was no where around until it actually got out of the creek... lol...

We had to get our neighbor, doc, to come pull him out with a BIG tractor - it actually made Steve's look like a Match Box tractor, doesn't it?

Thank God for wonderful neighbors with big toys and lots of patience - or was it for the giggles?

He got it out, but it sure is a mess:

He said the rain will wash it off, but I don't believe him. Here are a few pics of others riding.

This is Deyne, a friend from Singapore:

Steph, Raelee, John, Nicole and Amanda:

Carey braved it up and let Raelee take her out - she never even showed her fear:

Well, maybe she showed a little... Thankfully she made it back, but she had Adam take her around the next time:

The dogs spent a lot of time pouting because they couldn't join the fun:

Punkin' made pie for us! She is actually quite good at making pumpkin pies too!

Doesn't it look yummy?

It was delicious!

Well I have to get off and go do my favorite thing - shop... I will be back tomorrow with a bit more news. Have a great week!

Quick Update

2011-11-16T20:57:00.001-06:00

I am not sick and I am not depressed. I am just super busy!

Well, that is not entirely true. I have been sick, but I am better now. I had diverticulitis again :-( However, thanks to antibiotics I am better. Thank God. Nuff said about that.

The busy hasn't stopped! Guess that is what happens when you have nearly 20 acres, right? Steve and I have been working on the barn/soon to be shop. We got all the plywood up on the walls; 48' x 30' long and wide x 12 foot high. LOTS of plywood and lots of work - but we did it. And yes, I said Steve and I.

Steve got the shop wired. He has worked evenings and weekends to get it done, but we finished it 2 days ago - right before he left to go to Houston. I did help him a bit by cutting wires and twirling them. Yes, I said twirling... what else would you call it? He bought the paint for the walls, the sprayer, and has the stain for the floor. He wants it all done by this weekend. I am not thinking that is possible, but we're gonna try! Lol...

In the meantime, my brother had another heart attack. He is 42 ; he was born in 69, so that makes him 42, right? He goes in for some kind of heart surgery Friday. He doesn't know what is being done; he got a note from the VA to check into a hotel the day before, get some blood work done and then check into the VA hospital for heart surgery on Friday morning. No more explanation than that. Socialized medicine here we are. Nice. So I will be at the hospital waiting to see how he does and I have no idea what to plan for. Wish us luck.

Also our daughter-in-law has surgery the same day in California. Say prayers for both of them, please?

Finally, I am still working on that quilt. I am close to being done, but not there yet. I call it the quilt from... Singapore. And if you believe that - I have some ocean front property here in Oklahoma to sell you... lol...

And finally, we are having 20 people here for Thanksgiving!! WOWSERS! I am getting ready for the crowd - by moving out for the week! LOL... oh you know better than that! I am excited! Can't wait for the fun! I am so glad to be back home - and better yet to HAVE a home! Thank you Jesus for that.

Off to bed, pictures to come as soon as I can get my energy back and load them. Today I am just dropping in to say hi and I miss ya!

Have a great weekend!

2011-11-02T08:25:00.000-05:00

Happy birthday to my dear sister, Liz! Hope you have an incredible day and spend it with someone special. Dance the happy dance, you are getting closer to that half century mark! *ducking*

Just a few more fall pictures to share - the decorations around Branson were beautiful:

This is a 200 pound pumpkin!

And I found a couple cool barns:

All in all the trip was wonderful; relaxing for us both, beautiful and nearly free. Who could ask for more?

Not posting much today either as I am not feeling well. I am just going to sit still, rest and sew the day away. It is supposed to rain and get really cold tonight - looking forward to that. Love the rain, love the cold.

Send snow!

Fall Foilage

2011-11-01T07:04:00.001-05:00

Not much chatter today - just thought you would like to enjoy fall. Most of these were taken as we drove down the highway at around, say 70-ish miles an hour - and through the truck window, so keep that in mind ;-)

I don't think we could have hit the color show at a better time. It was incredible!

Fall is definitely in Missouri, at around 1,200 - 1,500 ft of elevation. Should be here any minute - but I don't think it could top the colors God shared this weekend. The last weekend of October is a great time to go to Branson!

Is it fall where you are yet? Are the bougainvilleas falling in Singapore?

Happy fall wherever you are!

Finally Fall...

2011-10-31T08:22:00.001-05:00

Steve and I went on a weekend holiday to Branson, Missouri. It all started with going to Bass Pro - a huge sports shopping place. While we were shopping there, there was a booth that offered us a weekend get away for just $100. We paid our $100 and was promised $150 in Bass Pro gift cards in return for going and checking out a time share - so we took them up on their offer.

This past weekend was our getaway. Oh my goodness, did we hit the mother load of color! I don't think we could have picked a better time to go on a fall color tour. The leaves were intense and brilliant. Our trip to and from Branson was breathtaking!

Take a look at just a tiny bit of the color we saw:

And it got better - but that will come tomorrow! I have to have something to post about later, right? Lol... Don't worry, it is worth waiting for...

When we got back, we found a very confused Iris blooming at our place:

Aren't they supposed to bloom in the spring??

Our time share trip was great. We loved where we stayed - at the Big Cedar Lodge - and the view was great. We both needed a relaxing weekend after our summer and we finally got it. No, we didn't buy into the time share... *gulp* at the price... but I think if we hadn't just bought a house we might have considered it. However, the weekend away was worth going for.

I am loving this cool weather. I keep thinking in just a few weeks it will be winter! It has been years since we lived with four honest to God seasons. It is just so different from anything we remember - I hope we are up to it! I think we will be, but now I am getting just a tad nervous... so far out in the country, and so many unknowns. I am sure we will be fine, but we have a lot to learn.

Starting with our wood pellet stove... wishing I knew how to work it today to get the chill off the air here in the house. Oh, well, I just cranked up the central unit heaters... time will teach us the rest.

In the meantime, I need to enjoy the fall, right?

More pictures tomorrow.

Gonna wash, iron and sew today... such a different life...

Fall Has Come!

2011-10-27T23:39:00.001-05:00

I think once a week will be my updates, unless of course I have something exciting to talk about... but this week, not so much.

Chelsea was spayed last week:

And Chelsea is not a happy camper, can you tell?

I have spoiled her some - I hand fed her for the first few days - and she took total advantage of it - then I figured out she could darned well eat on her own!

Steve and I have been working on his shop. As you know, we got it insulated, which meant it was time to start putting up walls. Steve figured out how to do it so I didn't have to climb up 12 feet:

Leave it to him to use his noggin' to come up with something so simple... and yes, it follows all safety guidelines for those of you asking. His house, his guidelines, he said!

He attached the c-clamp to the plyboard stuff, hooked it to a pulley and pulled it right into place. He used his fancy smancy new air gun to nail it to the wall. I won't tell you about the time he had the nail gun, in one hand, the jig saw in the other and I assume his toes wrapped around the top rung of the ladder holding on while he was trying to saw the board to go into place... yes, if it sounds awkward it was - I was watching below hoping I could catch him if he came down - but of course he didn't!

Note how high this ladder is:

Anyway, we finally got the east wall done. Only 3 more to go. Too bad he only has me to help - he could probably whip through this right away with someone that really DID help! Lol....

I have also been busy... watching horses:

Keeping up with the trees that are turning...

Yes, fall is definitely here! I went out today and it is even more colorful, but of course I didn't have my camera. I will have it this weekend though - be watching for more pictures.

You can always tell when fall comes to Oklahoma, just take a look at the power lines:

I remember when I was a kid, we would see miles of bands of birds flying... literally. Today I was out driving and I saw lines full of them for as far as I could see... and I only had my cell phone, but you get the idea. Fall means thousands of starlings.

I had a scrapbooking crop with some friends this week!

We all gathered in our den and cropped away. Well, they did - I was terribly distracted, but I totally enjoyed it anyway. I had a great visit with the girls even though I didn't accomplish much - but it was so much fun! I am so out of date on scrapping - how will I ever catch up to the new and improved ways?

And I have been sewing. I have made two table runners for the holidays:

I still have a few more matching table doilies to make, but I just wanted to show you these.

And finally, I have pulled out that batik quilt to work on again... but I may have decided I am not a quilter. Since I am so new to quilting, I really need side by side instruction on this one, but I am winging it - which means I have to redo it over and over until it is perfect... but I am determined, I will get it. I WILL get it done...

And so that is how my life goes... all things compared, it is rather boring right now compared to what I have been doing for years. But I am enjoying it. I stay home, watch the horses, do a few things on the property, sew and cook. Even though it sounds busy, I am relaxing for once...

Something I am definitely not used to.

But I am doing my best to get used to it. I promise!

Soaking It All In...

2011-10-20T09:42:00.003-05:00

Wow! I have been super busy with family coming in - sorry I took a break - but it was with good cause. Our sister is moving from Seattle to Mobile and came to stay with us for a week while in transit. We hung out at our house and relaxed mostly. I don't think a crowbar would have encouraged the kids to leave 'the farm'.

Our neighbors were kind enough to loan us their 7 horses and the kids loved visiting with them. I think they got enough alfalfa to satisfy their cravings this last week!

When the kids weren't out there (like when they were eating and sleeping), the horses innocently hung out at the fence waiting for their return:

We did get out one day and head over to Okmulgee Lake for a picnic. While we were sitting there, I was gazing off at the scenery:

Fall is in the air! You can see the trees starting to change colors and we had a nice freeze last night. I love the weather here, even if it is hot during the day, it is cool and comfy at night. We never had that in Louisiana - and since I am not a hot weather person, maybe that is why I missed Oklahoma so much... ?

While we were at the lake, we went to the rock house and gathered the kids for a picture. I think all of us (my siblings and I) have taken a picture in this very same place when we were wee little ones - much younger than these kids even!

The girls tried like heck to kiss their brother for me - but it wasn't happening:

They even tried pinning him down - but it still didn't happen!

All of my brother and sisters were there - and one nephew and 2 nieces. It was a great afternoon. Love being in a place we all grew up in, enjoying it, soaking in the laughter, getting to know our new sister-in-law, and just relaxing. Love days like that.

I have been busy trying to get the living room finished - we got the new furniture, and I am not an interior decorator, but I am trying to get it all worked out. It is finally coming together. I also went through my scrap room and got rid of a bunch of loot. I still have tons to do in there, but I am finally getting it all worked out. I had no idea moving was this much of a pain in the last!!

Today I got get my Chelsea dog. She was spayed yesterday. I sure have missed her. I think Steve even missed her. Will be glad to have her back. We sure do love her!

And that kinda catches you up with our life for the last week and a half. Even with all the work, I am just glad to have a landing zone that I love so much. Living in the country is where my heart has always been.

Oh, I forgot to mention a dear friend gave us some iris (my favorite flower) and redbud trees. We got them all planted and can't wait to see how they do! I love that we have nearly acres - the idea of being able to poke flowers in every nook and cranny is wonderful. I am gonna have a good time!

And I will gladly share when it all starts multiplying...

Oh! And Steve had plenty of help planting:

Classy thought he needed a couple of nudges. She was actually just trying to get more alfalfa. I think she figured if she dumped him in the hole, he would anty up! Steve and Classy have a thing going - she LOVES him! Every time we go out in the pasture, Classy races up to him - I think she has a crush on him ;-)

Awww, the busy-ness of it all...

And so it goes...

Strata Star Center Piece

2011-10-11T10:47:00.001-05:00

I completed my first quilting piece! It is a centerpiece for my table. I love, love, love it!

Haha! NOW you can see the front of it:

I know, for all you quilters out there, that it is not perfect - but please give me a break - it is my very first piece! I will let you see my mistakes though :-)

If you can't see it on that pic, here it is a bit closer:

Hey, I think I did a pretty darned good job all things considered. I wish I had Mandy here to help - it would be great to have a very experienced quilter here to guide me. Think there are any in my little corner of the world?

If so, please speak up! I would love some experienced guidance!

Another Family Day :-)

2011-10-10T17:17:00.001-05:00

This weekend was great! My sister is moving from Seattle to the Mobile area, and on the way down, her and the kids came to see us! All of my family were in one place for the day - they all came to our place! It is great having us all together again!

Don't ya think Shari and Danny both look great? (They are twins if you don't know that already!):

Nate and BlueBee had a great time playing catch. I think BlueBee would love it if everyone would just toss stuff to her all day long - and probably all night long too!

Here is a picture of Amanda just hanging out with us... actually I think she was hanging out with the critters. She LOVES animals - here she is in heaven. She has 7 horses, 7 cats, 4 dogs... and I am sure I can round up some more if she needs 'em! Lol...

Nicole took time fishing. She sat on the dock and waited... and waited. Unfortunately, no fish found her hook, but she was super patient! She seemed to enjoy her quiet time:

Arianne was happy to sit by and watch the chaos. She is such a lively girl - we love her! I think Danny has found his true love - they seem so happy together and he looks great. I think she does too!

Danny spent a lot of time with the kids teaching them how to try to catch a fish. Didn't work, but his company was appreciated - the kids loved hanging around him... I wonder why? Danny is a big kid himself is why!

He was super patient with the kids - even tried catching perch with corn, but I think the fish left for the day :-(

Biggee was the watch dog - she made sure no one acted up and guarded her mommy - I think she even gave me the evil eye!

Of course Steve took the kids out on the 4-wheeler. They had a blast! Bet they go again. I think we need to buy another 4-wheeler...

BlueBee went swimming in the pond. We did find out something when she did - the pond drops off considerably 3 feet out - she stepped off into... nothing! She sure did start swimming fast!

Buddy is just not sure about all this... so he sits back and takes it all in:

And the cats? Well, with all the dogs here, they found themselves a hiding place. Gotta love catnaps!

I am amazed at how people friendly our house is! We can have a houseful of people and not step on each other's feet at all. We love having friends and family over even more now!

Today is a quiet day; laundry, ironing and tidying up. Shari seems to be enjoying letting the kids entertain themselves outside and I am just enjoying being with my sister. Tomorrow, maybe we can play some!

From a Barn to a Shop and More...

2011-10-07T08:35:00.010-05:00

The dirt floor barn is quickly being transformed into a shop! Steve is excited and believe it or not I am super excited for him!

As you know, it started looking like this:

We got it concreted:

The insulators came and started doing their job:

And they did a super job!

And they cleaned it all up spic and span! If you need anything insulated, call these guys:

Their phone number is: 918-223-5843. They do insulation jobs anywhere from here to Missouri and we highly recommend them. We are definitely satisfied customers!

Moving on... we got a package a few days ago - it made me smile:

It was some awesome treats for our myriad of pets.

Even the kitties:

We have not given them away yet :-( It is not in me - but I know I have to do it. Meet from left to right: Calli too, Cutie, Socks, Mittens and the Tiger.

Chelsea loves her raccoon...

In fact, she is squeaking it right now and thrashing it side to side. Wonder if I can get her to do that to the real ones outside?

And we cannot forget about the momma cat, Sparkles...

The missing cat Princess is in hiding. It think she feels invaded... I wonder why?

I have gotten several supportive e-mails about my post yesterday and I appreciate each one of them. Stuff happens, and I don't think this is permanent, but I get so blown away about what turns people from ones they supposedly love. I can see getting angry, but disowning someone for a mistake? Really?

Even if it is not a permanent 'disown', is it really necessary to batter someone with a bunch of hateful and hurtful things? Step back and take a breather instead of saying something you can't take back! I did say something that should not have been said - and no I cannot take it back, but it was innocent and I immediately apologized. I said it in a flippant manner meant to be a jab/joke, and when I realized it wasn't taken that way, I apologized, but the next 30 minutes were brutal. The next 4 days have been worse. No communication whatsoever. And I don't believe I am the only one that made a mistake - but at least mine was innocent.

Anyway, all is ok. It will work out and I hope it does soon. I can proudly say I don't hold grudges and life would be so much better if others didn't either. Life is too short for not moving on.

On to terrific news! My sister is coming! She and her family are moving from Seattle to Mobile, and they are driving across country in the process. Our place is a pausing point from one place to the other. I am super excited! They will be here tomorrow, so expect lots of pictures! I can't wait to see them, and I can't wait for all the celebrations! Sunday will be family and friend day - hope everyone comes! Looking so forward to it... and now I must go shop for the army...

Have a great day and remember, let it go and move on! Make someone smile today - that grocery clerk might have had a rough start, but you can change her day with a smile and encouragement. Give it a shot. I will!

Redirecting My Energy

2011-10-06T16:50:00.003-05:00

I gotta tell you, I am pretty bummed. Drama every where I look... and many reasons why... many people involved... but I am not going to elaborate on any of it - it is all just senseless drama... but it has made me think... made things come into perspective for me...

What I am going to comment on is things that all that drama does for me... it brings me back to this:

We Have Geese!

2011-09-30T10:34:00.001-05:00

I don't know if I am supposed to be happy about that or not! Chelsea was outside cocking her head and raising one ear - like "I don't know what I am supposed to do - do I heard them? Chase them? Mommy, come look!" So I went and looked to see what she was taking a gander at:

GEESE! And lots of them, I might add! So, even though I am not sure whether this is good or bad, I am excited to see they love our pond! Funny stuff excites me, doesn't it?

Sadly, this doesn't excite me. Our living room is bare:

Well, it was bare in these pictures yesterday morning... I had to clean all the 'stuff yet to be hung or a place found for' out so I could get furniture.

For whatever reason, Steve decided it was time to get furniture for the living room. So I searched high and low for something I actually wanted. I am not a shopper. Which means I am certainly not a furniture shopper. After searching the city over, I finally settled on a set of furniture, but I didn't like the colors it came in, so what do I do? I special order it. Do you hear that Cindy, Dezra, Susan and Chris? Yes, I did - I special ordered it! I took lessons from Dezra and ordered it. Cindy, I know you are shaking your head... Lol...

Well, it finally came in and was delivered yesterday. I wanted neutral so I could change colors on a whim... you all know how often I do such things, right? Ok, so I am going to TRY to change things on a whim...

Here is what we ended up with:

No, no, NO! I am not finished decorating - I just got the blasted set in there! It is a far cry from done, but you can at least come see me and we will have a 'ladies' place to sit - away from the noisy men! No pictures are hung - in fact, I haven't even decided if I am using them - but that is what I am tossing around. Suggestions? Please? Oh my gosh, those shelves! What do I do with them? I have more plates, but not sure if I like them, but what else would I put there? This does not excite me; the furniture, the decorating or the decisions. Can I hire an interior decorator please? Carey?

I *know* I have to add color... LOTS of color... lol...

Nate? Do you see the sofa on the left? The one under the blue picture? Meet your bed! I got a sofa sleeper just fer you! Good thing we have Steve around to insist on furniture - we would be all sitting and sleeping on the floor!

Steve is no insisting on a gas range. I think my electric is just fine... just ignore me when I fuss about it, ok? Oh, he claims he wants to eat this winter... being in the country, I think our chances of being first back on after an electrical outage are slim to none. Guess what I am shopping for today. Ugh.

Chelsea is doing well, all things considered. She runs a lot, plays a lot, herds the 4-wheeler when mommy takes it out, she tosses her toys about, checks out the kitties (I still can't bring myself to bring them in) and is overall a great dog! I love her to death!

Most of the time:

She swears it just flew up and pounced on her. I know better.

Finally, a picture from last night:

So beautiful and relaxing... life is good.

But I have to go shop now.

Pet Peeve Rant

2011-09-27T09:41:00.000-05:00

Steve and I have our names on every account we have - and always have had both of our names on every account - and contrary to popular belief, I don't ASK him to add my name. He does it.

Our first payment on our house was last month. I am trying to set up automatic payments online. I paid the bill last month and in doing so I had to set up an account. It asked the last for digits of my Social Security number to which I replied ####. The system said "I am sorry, I don't recognize ####, please enter the last four digits of your SSN again. I did. It didn't recognize it. I did it three more times. It didn't recognize it. So the next time I added his SSN ****. OF COURSE it accepted it. I made an account like I always do using my common user name and an exclusive password.

Fast forward to today. I cannot sign on with the user name and password I used. I *know* it is right. I am the one that set it and I am the one that noted it immediately as I always do and double checked it. It worked then - why won't it work now?

So I call the financial institution that we use.

If you are a wife, you *know* the rest of this story... right?

They cannot talk to you because you are not him.

"Of course it is in both of your names mam, but because you used HIS information to set up the account HE has to call and get it all changed."

"Am I on the account?"

"Yes mam, you are definitely on the account!"

"Do you see my personal information there? The last 4 digits of my account number ####?"

"No mam, that is not the SSN used on this account."

"Am I on this account? Are you sure? Because we both cannot have the same SSN... mine is ####!"

"Yes mam, you are on this account!"

"How can I set up an account for me if you are not recognizing I am on this account?"

"Oh! You are definitely on this account mam! You must go in under your SSN and start your own username and password."

"And how can I do that to set up an account for me if you don't recognize MY SSN?"

"Mam, your husband will have to call and make arrangements to change his password."

"But, he didn't set the password, *I* did."

"But you did it under his name and SSN!"

"But it wouldn't take MY information! How else am I supposed to do it?"

"Mam, I am sorry about the inconvenience, I can set up an account for you to get into that account. What user name would you like to use?"

"The same one that is on HIS account that *I* set up!"

"I am sorry mam, that is HIS username. You will have to chose a different one or have your husband call to reset his password on the account you want to pay. If he chooses, he can give you that information so that you can pay the bill or we can continue to set up your account so you can pay on the account."

Pay the bill dear.

A wife is useless in business transactions.

This crap makes me feel so worthless and I am not! I PAY THE FREAKING BILLS!!

How am I supposed to personally sign up under MY name if it won't pull up MY SSN??? And why can she do it online, not having a clue if I am who I say I am or not without MY information???

*rant over* Time for him to start paying the bills.

New Family Member

2011-09-23T20:39:00.001-05:00

We have a new family member! Her name is Baby, but we are going to call her Baby and Chelsea. She is a super smart, adorable border collie.

Here is her picture:

And let me tell you, she might be the smartest doggy in the country - you know, RURAL country - not city! I have already taught her to fetch!

Steve and I are both in love with her. Yeppers, she found a forever home!

One Little, Two Little, Three Little...

2011-09-23T09:00:00.000-05:00

Kitties, four little, five little, six little kitties... seven...

I GET SO FURIOUS WITH PEOPLE!!

We live out in the country - FAR out in the country. So far out no one comes to see us except true, honest to God friends. Sometimes we are lucky enough for family to come see us even. However, it is a chore to get here.

But here is the kicker! People who don't want animals find us. Farmers obviously have lots of land so they have lots of room for cats, dogs, whatever else you don't want. Right? Just drop it/them off and they will find the perfect home to live at, right?? WRONG!

We live far off the road - VERY far off the road. We have to go to the front to get mail and such and we go visit neighbors. A few nights ago, Steve and I were checking on some neighbors and saw deer down the road. We went to investigate and lo and behold the deer were gone, but there was a kitten. I had him stop and pick the pour baby up. We brought it home, fed it and loved on it and called it Tiger:

Tiger came with a price. Tiger's mom came next:

And when she figured it was safe, she started bringing her kittens. One by one... ALL of her kittens! I swear the kittens just kept coming! I have no idea how many we have now, but we have a tidy little number. Here are just a few of them:

Tiger is the larger one on the right side. He has to eat separately because him and Cutie (the calico) fight. Cutie growls and Tiger swats her. It is adorable to watch, and those two really like each other because they cuddle together to sleep. I think Tiger is from a different batch - he is much larger than the others, but they are all tight regardless of which litter they came from.

This, my friends, is not Tiger and not a frog:

It is a timid tiger like kitty that I cannot seem to get near.

Sadly, there is another tiger like kitty that I cannot even catch where we caught Tiger I :-(

I keep taking food to it, but no such luck as catching it. It is alone and all its siblings are here :-(

THIS TICKS ME OFF! What ticks me off?? That people drop cats (or dogs) off and *we* (me, Steve, neighbors) have to do the dirty work taking them in to the pound or try to give them away. I am *not* a cat sanctuary and I don't want to be! Don't get me wrong, I love cats, but I shouldn't have to take other peoples drop offs and 'dispose' of them. I shouldn't have to decide which of these adorable kitties I can keep and which to 'discard'.

I AM NOT *THAT* PERSON! I HATE giving kittens away! I HATE being the bad guy! I would love to keep each and every one - but I TAKE CARE of my critters - I spay and neuter, love and caress, talk to and hold, take to the Dr, get shots, bathe and brush all my critters. I cannot take in 10 cats!!

STUPID people SUCK.

*stepping off of the band wagon and going to pick up a cute, cuddly dog that someone got when it was a puppy, then 'couldn't keep because the landlords said no', so they tossed in the back yard of a family member and don't have time for it.

I will treat it like family and it will have a home that cherishes it. Yes we will take it to get its first shots and spayed. Yes, I will buy it its first collar, leash and bed. I will probably give her the first bath and get her hair trimmed.

Ask me if I am annoyed about that.

Or maybe you shouldn't.

Please do not get a pet unless it becomes a part of your family, don't rent a place that doesn't welcome your family member. Don't get a pet if you can't love and cherish it, train it to be a polite member of society and love it unconditionally.

And don't dump it so other's hearts break when we do YOUR job.

And don't ever get a pet if you cannot spay and neuter immediately - if you can't do all of these things, you DON'T HAVE MONEY OR THE HEART FOR A PET.

*now I am really stepping off my bandwagon to lower my blood pressure.*

If you need a cat, please let me know. I have a few to share.

We Have Concrete!

2011-09-22T06:09:00.002-05:00

We have concrete now! Let the planning begin; insulation, walls, paint, shelves and hot tub... all coming soon!

We have to wait one month to paint the floor of the shop... guess he will get the insulation done, then the walls and shelves. Lots to finish before we can bring everything back in - but it will be wonderful when it all gets back together!

This little corner of the world is mine - it will be my gardening area:

See the old bench right there on the left side under the clippers? Yeah, I can't either - but it will be there soon!

Course the hot tub is not going to be in the shop - but right here on this slab:

Melvin Hubbard and his crew did a fantastic job on the concrete. Concrete was his dad's business and he grew up doing the work. He knows his stuff! It took 1.5 days from beginning to ending for this job to be finished. Great job guys and excellent work!

If you need concrete laid east of Tulsa in the Claremore/Inola/Choteau area call:

Melvin Hubbard

918-857-1163

And tomorrow I will tell you about the kitty we found...

Good Morning Cherokee Concrete!

2011-09-20T07:42:00.001-05:00

Ready?

Set?

GO!

WHOA! :-)

2 cement trucks, lots of men and even more concrete - gonna be an exciting day!

Steve is getting stoked! He has PLANS! Paint the floor, insulation, walls, shelves, wood room... dreams!

I am super impressed with this crew!

How Quickly Things Change!

2011-09-19T19:26:00.000-05:00

One stinking week of cleaning out the shop for us, and in one day, they are ready for concrete!

The cementing truck will be here at 7am. Pour it on! Or is that in? Or fill 'er up?

Awww, heck, GIT 'ER DONE!

I Bet You Are Wondering...

2011-09-19T09:17:00.005-05:00

Did We Do It? Yes we did!!

The shop is empty:

As empty as can be:

The lean to is empty:

As you can plainly see:

The patio is cleared of all of the stuff:

Doing it all was painfully tough!

The patio is waiting for its extension - we plan to put a hot tub which I failed to mention.

And we found out that our yard toys are amazing work horses!

I gotta tell you, I have to wonder how we did without those sources.

So yes, the shop and patio all got cleaned out -
And the workers can begin without a doubt:

I will sit and sew and watch from afar... heck I might even order a drink at a bar! :-)

Happy days are ahead! No more do we have all the work to dread!

I will not think that it all must be moved BACK into the shop.

But try as I might, I cannot seem to stop.

So off to the quilt room I shall go,

And relax my mind while I sew.

This Weekend

2011-09-18T09:39:00.000-05:00

This weekend there were a lot of festivals and fairs scheduled:

Wagoner County State Fair

Oklahoma Scottish Festival (with the largest kilt in the world!)

Catoosa Cowboy Days

BBQ Cookoff

What do we get to do? Remember this barn?

Well, when we moved, we put stuff in it. LOTS of stuff:

And when we did, the floor looked like this:

Well SOMEone and I won't mention any names wants it concreted. So guess what we are doing this weekend? NOT going to festivals and fairs! :-(

Instead, Steve and I (just us two) are cleaning out the barn - soon to be shop.

And I am thanking God we bought our yard toys:

But the tractor cannot do it all and my aching muscles think I moved every piece. Instead, with just Steve and I and the tractor (cause he broke my wagon), we are moving the stuff out, storing, putting onto a trailer or selling.

Pray for us. It must be done today. Tomorrow the cementers get here.

If I live to tell about it, I will try to lift my arms enough to take pictures of the emptiness of it all.

I'd much rather be at festivals and fairs.

Labor Day Weekend

2011-09-16T07:39:00.001-05:00

We went to Steve's Uncle's place to fish over the Labor Day weekend and we had a blast! The day even started off fun - this is Steve's cousin Duane excited to be going out:

I love the picture of the guys looking over the fishing loot. It was taken through the windshield, but it still shows how close they are. Steve has always loved hanging out with Uncle Weldon:

Here is a great picture of Uncle Weldon in his best form: fishing. Have you ever met someone who lives, eats and breathes fishing? That is how Uncle Weldon is. All he ever thinks about is where the 'big one' could be:

He is pretty proud of his Bass Tracker too! He worked many years to get it :-)

We caught a fish... but I couldn't claim it Steve said. HIS hook was the one that was actually in the fish - I guess mine caught his? Lol...

It wasn't a keeper any way:

Some how it got dark on us - we were on the lake and I wasn't too happy about being there in the dark. Thankfully we made it back ok... This picture was taken on the other end of the lake from where our boat trailer was - time to head back, right?

Do you see the boat under the cliff over there? That is Uncle Weldon after sunset NOT ready to leave yet... lol... and I have no idea who the kid is, but it was fun clicking this picture in the near dark as I anxiously waited for Uncle Weldon to head back to the ramps:

Yes, he was jumping off of the cliff - and I don't think it was his first time!

When we came home, I took this picture of the mayflies on the wall. I was nice and did not straighten that wall up - but I sure wanted to... yes, I notice weird things:

And finally, I forgot to post this picture of Punkin' when I posted the chicken pictures:

She sure loves her chickens!

I am off to take play today - and I am taking the camera just in case. Just want to get out and have a relaxing day... so I am going to look for fun!

Can I find it?

Sure I can!

We Went Fishing and...

2011-09-14T17:32:00.001-05:00

Well, let me tell you the story first. We loaded the boat, went a few miles and launched it in the water:

The guys steadied it while we hopped on the boat and headed out through the bayous:

Our destination was the 'fish pond':

"Guaranteed to be full of fish!" Steph assured me I would catch a fish there. If we had been paying attention, when we pulled into the pond, we would have seen a huge gator! We heard a scraping noise, looked towards it just as a huge gator rolled off into the bayou off of the top of a mostly sunken boat. We even had our cameras ready! UGH! Lol... anyway...

I actually caught a fish! Granted it wasn't a keeper, but it was a fish! That is the second fish I have ever caught. The first one was not a keeper either - and it got thrown back in to the water before I ever had chance to even see it good. This one... well I did get to see it and I decided it was a blue catfish - ha! me who knows nothing about fish! However, it was not big enough to keep, so I just got to admire it for a bit and toss it back in the water. I am waiting... one day I will catch a 'keeper' and though I might not keep it, I will at least get to know I caught a big fish!

Here I am with my fish:

Can anyone see if it is a blue catfish? Wait! Is there even such a fish?

Raelee has sure grown up; she can bait her own hook now:

And she caught a fish too!

In fact, she caught several. She caught one we could have kept, but we released it too. This one was not it:

After fishing for a few hours, we were ready to go in so punkin' could go to dance recital practice. How is that for relaxing?

The captain set sail and headed home:

Great way to spend time out on the bayou - fishin' with the family. Oh, and I love fishin'! I'm GONNA catch a keeper one day - and I will probably release it. But I have caught a fish. Go me!

A Quick Favor Please... Today?

2011-09-14T11:19:00.001-05:00

My friend is in a photo contest. Would you mind going to http://sg.custom.yahoo.com/travelmonth/articledetail/642-642 and voting for her picture?

It is called Sunset over Singapore.

It is urgent to vote today - I think it might end on Singapore time, and they are 13 hours ahead of us!

Thanks!

Global Wildlife Center

2011-09-13T09:04:00.001-05:00

Good morning! I am back from Louisiana, it was a fast trip, but we had a great time! For the next couple of days I will be sharing what we did.

One day, we went to see the critters:

"Do you want to see me closer? Cause I CAN get closer!"

We went to Global Wildlife Center (GWC) in Folsom, Louisiana to see the wildlife. I love going to this place! Their critters are so much fun to see and interact with. GWC is a great place to get up close and personal with many wonderful different forms of wildlife.

Usually you load up in wagons like these:

But we were the only ones going, so we got in this:

Which let us get REALLY up close and personal to these:

Ever seen a brown zebra? We found out on this trip they are born with brown stripes and they turn black later! I had no idea!

They have a lot of different animals there - as you can see above, but by far, we enjoyed the giraffes most! We spent a lot of time with them:

We fed them:

Oh wait! That was the wrong critter! I guess I should say that we were able to feed ALL the critters out there! Ask me if I had a great time... lol... Oh, and you gotta hold on to the cup!! They DO know how to steal them!

We really didn't have to feed them though - they helped themselves!

Try stopping a giraffe (or four) from eating from the bucket. It. Ain't. Happenin'!

Steph tried taking pictures... but she was surrounded by giraffes! She did get some great pictures though! :-)

Punkin' had a chat with them:

And she loved on the baby a bit:

And we finally had to tell them goodbye:

We Woke Up With The Chickens

2011-09-08T21:44:00.003-05:00

Literally.

Raelee wakes and races out to enjoy the chickens in the morning. She begged us to go enjoy them with her... so we went out and sat among the chickens.

The chickens don't seem to mind that she carries them around:

I am sure they appreciate that she works very hard to teach them to fly:

And has taught them to sit:

She even swings with them and they don't seem to mind:

But they are quick to tell her when they do mind - and it is pretty darned obvious:

This kid loves chickens! And granny and papa loved waking with the chickens... and of course with the kid. Life is good.

Texas Wildfires

2011-09-08T08:42:00.001-05:00

We were on the way to south Louisiana passing through Texas. A friend messaged me to tell me to be careful along I-20, so I looked online and there were no road closures - so we continued on our route. Thanks Peggy for trying...

My goodness... it is not pretty.

At all.

The fire was on both sides of the road, all around us. Their were hundreds of people trying to protect their space, keep the fires from spreading and their houses from going up in flames.

They have lost over 600 homes already. Please keep these people in your thoughts and prayers.

Bear Tracks

2011-09-02T08:43:00.000-05:00

Ahhh, bet you thought I was talking about REAL bear tracks, right? Not likely!

I am working on a quilt called Bear Tracks. Thanks to Mandy in Singapore (well she WAS in Singapore) I started quilting. She had this wonderful sewing group that met every week. When I got involved, I began my venture to learn to quilt. Mandy showed us the basics and we were working on a quilt. When we moved home, I had a few quilt blocks done, but not nearly enough to make the quilt. Heck, I doubt I had enough of my own to make a PILLOW! Now if I had added the going away blocks my friends made, that would be different... but I had a ton of material and many blocks of my own to work on.

A few days ago, I got ambitious. I pulled out the ol' blocks, the batik material I love so much and all the cutting loot. Remember the batik?

I spread out over the entire house pretty much and I have been busy cutting. And cutting. And cutting some more. In fact, I am still cutting. But I have many piles of little squares to show for all my hard work:

Which I will sew together to add to my already made in Singapore quilt blocks:

And many more blocks added to these will be sewn together in this pattern:

To make a Bear Track quilt.

So that is what is keeping me busy this week. I cut material and gaze out my window to watch the deer (love watching the twins grow) and American Gold Finches while I am cutting.

Not moving back to the city. I am too busy enjoying bear tracks, chirps and deer hooves.

Going fishin' this weekend. Will I catch a fish? Don't bet on it! But I will certainly be trying!

A Walk Around Our Pond

2011-08-30T22:52:00.002-05:00

I was bored today, so I went for a walk around the pond and this is what I saw:

Having Some Picture Difficulties...

2011-08-29T13:56:00.001-05:00

What a bummer! A post with no pictures is almost not worth posting... but my Photo Shop is not working and my AcdSee is not working either - so I am pretty much without a way to process pictures. Have no fear, I will post unprocessed pictures and you can still see what we have been up to - just promise not to cringe. Here are a few:

Meet the crew:

Here's Jeremy - but I can't for the life of me figure out who he reminds me of...

This is Cheyenne, Jeremy's wife:

And one of the boys, Marcus:

Jeremy and 'Granny Bon":

Punkin may be tryin' to tell papa something about the grill:

The munchkins playing in my near empty living room - but the good news is I *did* order furniture for it! The bad news - it will come in November! Wow!

Steph and "Granny Bon":

Marcus and Aedan swinging:

Punkin' swinging:

Steph swinging with a little bit of begging going on - that swing is popular!

Marcus swinging and Raelee playing on the playground stuffs (it is at our house):

Jeremy and Aedan swinging:

And Granny Bon swinging while Rod and Steve are chatting:

As you can see, there was a whole lot of swinging going on at our house during the week long family reunion! We had a wonderful visit with everyone. This next week, Steve's Uncle Ronnie is coming in, then we will go visit his other uncle and after that, we will head on down to south Louisiana for Raelee's dance recital. It's a busy life, but someone has to do it, right?

I am still in the process of trying to get things organized in the house. Thank God for my sweet hubby Steve, who helped reorganize the kitchen. I had taken things out of boxes and tossed it all in cabinets. My organization skills lacked greatly - it was a mess. But to be fair to myself, we were literally trying to get things out of boxes - not sure where anything would go or work well. This past weekend, we tore it all apart, sorted out things for the camper, the outdoor kitchen (he will someday have), for Jacque and then tossed a few things in the 'get rid of' pile. I still have some reorganizing to do in there, mainly in the (food) pantry - but it is looking good! Great things are happening. Thank you Steve!

Steve has made arrangements for the barn to be cemented the third week in September. Do you know what that means? All of his stuff in the barn needs to be moved out! UGH! Lol... Yeah, I am looking forward to that. Not! And now he has decided he needs another barn to put his vehicles in; you know, his boat, his tractor, our camper, and the four wheeler. Oh man, this man has HUGE dreams! T-Bone appetite with tube steak income... and we have yet to pay the first house note! Dreaming is free though :-)

Off to find something useful for me to do. I am bored - mainly because I am sick of house work and I can't get the 4 wheeler out to work outside. The darn bike is blocking it in. Oh shucks. Maybe I will go to town!

Or not.

Some Stories Only a Picture Can Tell

2011-08-25T09:23:00.000-05:00

Family Time Over

2011-08-23T08:25:00.001-05:00

A picture with our grand kids :-)

Well, the end of the family time has come; Jeremy and his family made it back home after a beautiful tour through Colorado, Arizona and Nevada. Steph and Raelee made it back home safely making their connections (a miracle in itself) and all is now quiet here again. TOOooo quiet. I loved the visit; it was great - we rode the 4 wheeler, went out in the boat, cut up and chatted. We had a great visit with everyone.

Our home was once again like a revolving door; Jeremy and his family was here, Steph and Raelee came, Steve's mom and step-dad came in, my bother and nephew, my niece and her boyfriend, my sister and step-dad were all in and out... busy but very nice to have everyone here.

Our house is definitely visitor friendly! We now know picked just the right place - though we were pretty certain of it already. With as many people as we had coming and going, no one was under anyone else's feet and we were not annoying each other. The kitchen is the perfect place for large group cooking and of course the outside is the bomb! We are extremely happy with the way the visit went. Now if I would just get the living area (remember I never did find a sleeper sofa set for it) situated, it would be perfect - but it was darned close now!

On a more sobering note, I had my rib block yesterday. It was where they numbed my entire lower left rib cage with Novocaine and Lidocaine. I quit counting on the 11th shot. OH. MY. GAWD. It. Hurt! It completely numbed my side, but the pain was still there - and that was what they wanted to see. What this means is that they now know the pain is deeper than abdominal wall. The Dr is now scheduling a CAT scan with contrast. I have had one before, but he wants to be sure that nothing has come to light now 2+ years into the pain. Will update on that as soon as it takes place. In the meantime, my side is black and blue and I look like a pin cushion and feel like a truck with tire studs drove over me. The good part of that is it is BEHIND me now and we can move on.

Off to a dentist appointment now - once it is behind me all the torturing for this week is over. I should celebrate - right? Or maybe I will just clean and reclaim our little heavenly corner of the world so we can have more company.

Life is good.

Tomorrow with no pending Dr/Dentist visits, it will be better.

Still Playing

2011-08-17T09:42:00.002-05:00

While everyone is out in the Tahoe... well, everyone can't be out in the Tahoe... so some swim. More like attack swim - but they have fun!

In the mean time, there are others out in the Tahoe playing.

Some are waiting to play:

And some are being silly:

While they were out in the boat, they taught Marcus how to get up on the knee board:

And he DID IT!

And he stayed up forever!

Some times I can look and think we are in Louisiana:

And we are having a great time just visiting:

Today Steph comes with Raelee, which means more fun coming! :-)

Tahoe Time

2011-08-15T00:30:00.019-05:00

We went out in the boat yesterday! I took a few pictures, but even though it was short lived, we had fun riding in it:

And here is your smile for the day:

It is not what it looks like - it is Jeremy wearing mom's hat because I couldn't reach it and he was grabbing a million things for us so he just tossed it on his head :-) Too bad mom had a camera handy - but he shoulda known!

And the reason our trip was cut short is in the picture below. We found a monster in the lake. We never saw it, but it bit a chunk off of the prop. And that put an early end to our boat ride :-(

He saw a man at Lowe's and they got to talking about boats, lakes and all and Steve told him about his mishap. The man asked him if he got a new propeller and Steve told him yes he bought another aluminum one because the other (steel?) was so expensive. The man said, "You should have paid the extra, 'cause it's gonna happen again!" Lol... Steve was laughing - the guy knows the lake we were in well apparently. But I gotta tell ya, his first clue shoulda been the the egrets standing in the water a few hundred feet away.

Anyway, that is all for tonight - Later Gator!

In My Mind's Eye

2011-08-14T23:42:00.000-05:00

I see things other people don't see. No, not little men in white coats, but little balls with black shadows.

Tonight I was sitting outside watching the moon rise in the sky. I saw another vision. Again. Other people don't see it - so why do I? It jumps out at me and screams COOL STUFF SIS! And of course, I had to run in and grab my camera.

And I took pictures of it as the moon rose:

Now why can't other people see these cool things?

Man, I don't want to be my kids weeding through my pictures when I croak. My apologies to them before it happens. Kids, just remember I love you when you look through everything that was in my minds eye - cause I promise I took a picture of it. Or a thousand of pics of it.

Our Super Busy Week

2011-08-13T23:32:00.000-05:00

We have been busy! A few days ago, we got a call from our son telling us his entire family was on their way to see us! Short of hanging a few nails on the walls, I had no where to put them all. Remember that living room set I have procrastinated getting? The guest bedroom I haven't painted? Yeah, it all needed to get done yesterday - we only had two days!

We painted the guest bedroom:

Put together the bed and made it a bedroom... in a day.

And while we were trying to do that, we had to storm that broke the trees so we had to cut them down:

And tote them off:

It was all worth it!

The next pictures are the rest of my blog. This is what we have been spending our time doing now and why I am not going into details about everything:

And this time is too precious to post long blogs. So expect a lot of pictures for the next week.

Why You Don't Want a Patio Table with a Safety Glass Top

2011-08-11T19:14:00.000-05:00

So, if you are trying to decide if you want a plastic or glass top patio table, may I suggest plastic? The reason? Because if it flips, it will leave the ground under it looking like this:

Worse than seeing that is you gotta clean it. Trust me, you don't want to sweep your grass for hours and hours and still have glass fragments all around... Ask me how I know...

Living Life on the Farm

2011-08-10T22:44:00.031-05:00

How is the 'real' country life you ask? We are having a blast out here, learning as we go and doing quite well at muddling through actually. Well, we think we are anyway.

Last night we had a good ol' Oklahoma storm come through. I woke to hear the rain beating against the concrete, peeked out the window, then went back to bed. I slept - oh my goodness how I slept - the rain made me doze right back to sleep and I slept like a baby.

This morning when I woke, I opened the door and saw this:

Venturing out, everything was strewn all over:

It was not pretty:

In fact, it was down right ugly:

And it was broken, glass embedded in the grass even:

In disbelief, I looked around and surveyed the rest of the yard.

And found this:

It was not the only one, there were other trees down just like it - but in different places within sight.

And we found this:

Knowing we were in over our heads, Steve called his boss to let him know we had work to do, and boy was he not kidding! But his poor little tractor was no match for the trees:

We realized that his little match box tractor would need assistance, so we ran to town and bought a chain saw and a 4-wheeler to tote wood to the pasture. Yeah, my stomach is in knots...

And then we moved a mountain, errr a tree:

After we got that tree cleaned up, we had to move the camper away from this tree:

We moved the old boat:

And waited on the electric company to remember there were people in the country - WAY out in the country that needed lights:

And when they didn't come all day, we realized that contrary to what *we* think should happen, we are not the first on the priority list to get electric to out here in the boondocks - but that is ok, right? We have to show them where our house is to even bring electric TO us... lol... okay, not seriously, but we are indeed not a priority for electricity.

And can you believe we both slept through all of this and didn't wake up again? We have a good, solid, sound house - that is all I can say... lol...

I also learned that I can drive a 4 wheeler:

And it probably drives just as good as the fire engine red one I wanted (but they had sold out of)... but I still think it stinks that *I* couldn't get a red toy on wheels today - I had to settle for a icky green one. (sorry Steph, it is just my #1 choice! lol)

How is country life? We are learning that no one cuts the trees for us, no one drags them to a truck and hauls them off, no one even cares that a tree fell, no one cares that your driveway is blocked, no one makes electricity a priority, no one of course but us.

We know what bone tired is - and we only cut one tree up.

We know we have 3 more to go that we *know* of. We have only checked part of the property - the part we live on.

And we know we still love this life - still think it just might be exactly what we thought all along; lots of work and lots of satisfaction and lots of long, tired days. We know that tomorrow we can leave home and drive through all the other trees down in our neighborhood... and know we will consider ourselves lucky - the trees missed us and all the vehicles, the tractor and elbow grease moved the tree that we did move (with the help of a chain saw), and we are both ok. Yes, we are safe and lucky - and that makes us happy.

As I say this, we are watching the lightening and storms moving in again tonight.

But I think I will sleep like a baby again and re-access the new damage tomorrow.

Night all :-)