Always room for two

If you hold Garrett you better make sure you have room for two because someone else will be there shortly. Grandpa got to talk to Garrett and spell words for El to write on her paper. El was a book nut before school and now with her learning to spell and read words that is all she does. Garrett is starting to talk back, he tries so hard to coo and then once in awhile something comes out and scares him, it's so cute and he is growing like a weed.

Here is Grandpa after a long 9 days of hunting, but his lap is still built for two.

Pajama Wine

Today Starla, Gayle and I went shopping again, it's our annual shopping trip that we used to do with the girls. Kristi, Lynn and Shannon would come along with us and we would have a really good time entertaining them. We would see a movie, eat lunch, shop, laugh, and just enjoy our time together.

There are a few highlights from those years that we will never forget, like the year Lynn whined about wanting a Charlotte Hornets Jacket and I wouldn't buy her one (really I did but it was a present so I couldn't tell her). Going to see "The First Wives Club" and those darn girls giggled through the whole movie because the actresses reminded them of us. Starla was Diane Keaton, Gayle was Bette Midler and I was Goldie Hawn and their story lines even matched our personalities. The lost child in the town that shut down all the restaurants so we couldn't find a place to eat. Purposely parking in the very back of the parking lot due to all the harassment about having to walk so far. Having the only spot in the truck without a package was one cup holder.

The first year without the girls was tough on all of us, it was a good thing Kristi and Lynn moved away the same year and Shannon had a baby so none of them were able to go without the others and we either had to stop the tradition or continue on without them.... well that year we filled that truck more than ever and there were only 3 of us. We sure do miss them but there is never a dull moment.

We have outgrown the movie but this year we stopped at the winery on the way home. A new tradition has started!! The winery has a new wine and it's name is "Pajama Red" with a name like that you have to know it's good. I snatched up a few bottles before closing their doors for the season.

Early Morning Black Friday

We get home late from our Thanksgiving Feast and I have to sleep fast, my alarm is set for 4AM. Yep it's early but not for shopping on black Friday, my niece Shawna is leaving at 3AM to be there in time to scope out the shelves so she can be in the right spot when the sale starts. We are crazy but it's so much fun. I don't need anything and neither does Starla, Gayle or Lynn but we're heading to the nearest town with stores for the door busting sales. Sleepers still in our eyes, gulping down the caffeine, and talking a mile a minutes with excitement. Here's the view of the check out line at Wally world. We snuck out in automotive and didn't have to wait in this unorganized mess. When we returned to the front of the store to leave we would have been in the same spot had we not found a faster route.

And a bonus picture just because it's my favorite store and their idea of organized chaos was much more my style. We started in the line at the back of the store, they were formed on each side of the store and just about joined in the back but it went way fast. This was before 6:30 AM and we're at our 2nd store.

Thanksgiving at the Shack

For the last 3 years we have had our Thanksgiving Feast at the hunting shack. It has made the holiday hustle and clean up so easy, and the fact that girls don't do dishes at the shack works out perfectly for us. The day started out with all the kids in the house for some catch up time and as we are all getting showered and dressed I say "no one is leaving here until I get a family picture" so here it is.....

hummmm they don't listen even on Thanksgiving either. Maybe we'll get one for Christmas. Seriously I am so thankful for my wonderful family that not getting a picture of them does not even bother me. Don't tell the boys that though.

We had a great Thanksgiving Supper at the shack, lots of family and food. A little 6,5,4 game helped stuff my pockets for a few extra "Me" gifts in the morning. So far our hunters haven't shot any deer but I think they need to leave the shack to see any.... right? That's the bad thing about having a nice place to stay.... they like it wayyyyyy to well.

Here's John posting....... posting, get it.....ha ha ha I crack myself up!!

Thankful

I am thankful this Thanksgiving Eve for my love of photography. It has taught me to look at things in a whole different way. I see things different than last year and totally different than how I seen them 9 years ago when I got my first SLR film camera. I notice the sunrises and sunsets, the way the dew glistens on the grass, the catch lights in someones eyes as I talk to them, the brilliant colors of nature, the fast changes in children, the frozen droplets during our first frost, the reflections in water on a clear day..... the list goes on and on. So tonight is no different, I'm painting my.... what I'm gonna call.... "my new foyer" and it's about 4:30ish and it hit me out of the corner of my eye. The sun was shining through the patio door and hitting my dried hydrangeas. The contrast from the front of the flower to the sides was unbelievable and the glow was breathtaking. I took a break from painting to snap a few pictures. This Thanksgiving slow down and notice the amazing sites we have around us everyday.

Happy Thanksgiving

I heard it, really I did.

Garrett is awake and he said "I love you Grandma" just as my student photographer Elly snapped the picture. He is so smart at only 3 weeks and El is so talented as a 5 year old photographer to capture this one of a kind moment.

Is anyone watching Dancing with the Stars Finale.... tears for Derek and Brooke's last dance... not a dry eye in this house!! She really got me with her song choice and then she kisses her daughters..... sniff, sniff, sniff.....

Gerbera Daisy

My Gerbera Daisy is still going strong which is strange because I brought him into the garage at the end of October and forgot about him until yesterday. He was out in the cold all this while. I thought for sure he would droop over in shock with the temperature change but he didn't seem to mind. I took this picture in front of the window which resulted in a very black background.

Wimpy Girl

John says I am such a girly girl and I tell him, he doesn't know anything. I am a strong girl "feel my muscles" and can do anything a boy can do..... what is he talking about!!! So when he's hunting I'll have to fill the pellet stove and he worries about me... asking if he needs to take a break from hunting and fill the stove for me or better yet "why don't you just use the furnace"..... I am not a wimp, I can lift those bags of pellets with one arm!! Yeap I am doing just fine.

I am doing fine until I break a nail while trying to lift one of those gosh darn heavy bags and drop it causing a big hole to rip in the bottom of the bag while bringing it in the house...... I'm okay, my feet didn't roll on these little suckers and fall, really I didn't!!! Ouch, I'm glad no one got that on film!!

Really it's not that bad.... you should see my poor fingernail!!

Okay so maybe those bags are a little heavy for me and maybe I don't know what setting to put the stove on and maybe I melted a bag on the stove while trying to dump it in.... and maybe I get more pellets on the floor than in the stove, and maybe the house was cold yesterday so I kept it turned up high today and maybe I was so caught up in taking pictures of the mess that maybe I forget to check it and maybe I almost ran out of pellets... maybe this is really cutting it close to running out... maybe I can count how many pellets are in this stove while I'm frogging around taking pictures.... maybe I am a girly girl.... maybe I'll let John take care of this stuff. I am a girly girl!!

Painting at Lynn's

Today I painted at Lynn and Jesse's house. We had such a good time and the painting turned out fabulous. We weren't sure how painting linoleom would be but I paint just about anything. I'll let Lynn show you the floor in her blog but my favorite part of the painting was the touch of sass that I painted on the wall.

Gayle, Starla, Joanne and Aunt Sis were shopping and stopped by to check on us. We were already done and watching a little HGTV. We went for supper with them at Martino's.... yummy Italian food and Italian/Tuscan decor, we had such a good time Gayle said she could hear us from the parking lot.

Still seems too little to hunt

Adam had the opportunity to shoot the big buck his second year hunting. He's ready for a big buck year again or so he thinks.

To all you hunters out there, be safe and good luck.

Adam and Elly with his big buck, he couldn't wait to show Elly.

And of course you know Adam was excited after shooting this nice buck, here's his I'm happy picture. Of course wearing the yellow hat when it was new, he's never seen without a hat, gosh he was little. Sniff, sniff

Bee Hive

Did anyone else besides me think that the entrance to a bee hive would be on the top of the hive? This looks like it's hanging upside down.

Suppers burning!!!

So tonight I'm making pork chops for supper, I look on Lynn's recipe blog for the pork chop marinade and I see she posted a new recipe. I start to make supper but can't wait to see what she posted so I have the potatoes frying and the pork chops are just starting... I sneak off to look at the blog and of course I have to comment since she posted the best ham I ever tasted. I have trouble with the comment so I am a little longer than expected. I glance in the kitchen and smoke is rolling off the stove... oh crap I say and then then I hear sirens, yes firetrucks are coming..... oh come on it's not that bad John likes his food burnt. Honest he really does like his food burnt black so he's excited about tonight's supper. Burnt fried potatoes and pork chops with the brown sugar burnt to a black caramel mess. What do the fire trucks want??? They pull in the driveway running like crazy rolling out their hoses and water is flooding my stove as I stand there in shock.... just kidding, they went right on by but I wonder if they could see our smokey filled house through the windows as they drove to the real fire. The supper was still very good and I could only show you the pork chops since the potatoes looked like charcoal and John ate them and loved it. I really am a good cook, just not when a computer is distracting me

Silhouette Time

Hole in the Wall

The opening between the diningroom and the entrance is now in. Yesterday I sweet talked John into cutting that open so I could start the painting process. I am getting very tired of looking at half pink walls but I'm kinda liking the polka dots that I created with my patching job. :)

I forgot what a big mess cutting drywall did to everything in the house. I have a layer of white drywall dust covering everything and there's still more to come. We have spent so much of our life covered in remolding debris that we should be used to it by now. Don't tell John but I kinda like it, I love to see the before and after projects. This hole in the wall made me so happy yesterday, that the layer of dust covering my body didn't really matter, except for the allergies.... kinda sneezy still today with a very itchy throat.

This picture is kinda embarrassing with all the different colored walls, the patching dots, the studs showing, no light switch covers, Adam's coat hanging on the chair, and the lovely view of the junk neighbor we have out the front window but I'll post it anyway since we're all friends here. Right?

Picture Day

Today the mailman brought me the pictures I ordered. It is so much fun on picture day.

The picture of our house with the crab apples in front I printed on metallic paper..... ohhhhh that is so cool, it looks like a metallic paint job on your car.

Blah Season

This is a very blah season... no color anywhere. The 4 wheeler ride in the woods today left me with no inspiration.... blah

I usually can find something of interest but with no sun, rain drenched forest and no color this is all I could come up. Let's pray for snow!!

He's Wally, Really he is!!

I know that I have mentioned this before but sometimes it so clear that our son Adam is a miniature of my brother Wally. He has the same type of humor, disposition and looks. So tonight I went out for a couple drinks after work so there's no POTD but I do have a story to share and it involves Adam so I'll post a couple of his senior pictures that I've been working on to make into wallets. Those of you that know Wally will have to agree with me, he is a miniature WallyGator.

So with Adam working everyday after school and having a girlfriend we don't get to see him very often, he comes home every night right at curfew and then decides he wants to chat with us. We are usually in bed and chatty teenagers when John is trying to sleep has always drove him crazy. They all come home after your already in bed and then they want to chat about everything, they don't want anything to do with you all day long but when your ready to sleep their ready to chat. So Wednesday night Adam comes home and we're watching the CMA's in bed, he comes upstairs and this is what happens.....

Adam - Mom I'm home

Mom - Okay

Dad - Really?

Mom - Adam did you take your acne pill?

Adam - Yes

Mom - When?

Adam - Yesterday

Mom - Get downstairs and take that pill you have to take them everyday, you can't just pick and choose the days your going to take them

Adam - I don't have anything to drink with it

Mom - Adam..... go take it

Adam - URRRRRR (stomp down the steps)

Adam comes back upstairs and goes to his room..... turns on his light and then we hear him go back downstairs and turns on the hall light..... we wait..... this is what we hear. pisst, pisst, pisst.... quiet..... pisst, pisst, pisst.... quiet.... pisst, pisst, pisst.....

John - What the heck is he doing?

Connie - I don't know, ask him

John - Adam, what are you doing?

Adam - Nothing!!

John - Why do you have the light on?

Adam - I'm cleaning

John - What?, what the ____ are you cleaning?

Adam - Oh mom's steps are dirty

Mom - Why???

John - (gets out of bed to see what is happening) OH no... mom don't look......Adam is that grease or mud???

Adam - I'm not sure..... It's not that bad

Mom - (slowly gets out of bed to peek) OMG Adam what the heck, why didn't you take your shoes off, you always take your shoes off, what are you using on the carpet, OMG how many spots are there, OMG they come all the way up the stairs and back down again..... OMG

Adam - (pisst, pisst, pisst... shake the bottle cause it's empty..... unscrew the top and dump the remaining onto the stains) I love you Mom

Mom - (crawls back in bed and put covers over my head) I can't watch this

John - Adam, what are you using on the carpet

Adam - This stuff but mom where's the other bottle that works better

John - How do you know how to do this???

Adam - Oh dad I've cleaned lots of beer out of this carpet when you guys are gone....

Mom - OMG

Adam then gets paper toweling and starts scrubbing the grease into the carpet.... OMG this is killing me but I'm not missing the Entertainer of the Year!!!

John - Hey Connie it looks like he really knows what he's doing

Connie - Yeah my man Kenny won the Entertainer of the Year!

Okay so Adam is finally done scrubbing the million footsteps of grease or mud into the carpet and goes downstairs to put his stuff away. John and I finish watching the CMA's and I'm not looking at what mess he made until the morning. Adam comes back upstairs chatting about where he was and how he possibly got the grease on his shoes and how come he didn't take them off at the door and why he knows how to scrub carpet.... he goes to his room and yells. "Don't get up I'll shut the light off"

John - OMG he drives me crazy

Connie - giggle, giggle, giggle (he is so freaking funny how can I be mad at him?)

Etched glasses and colored bottles

2 things I cannot pass up. I found these treasures at the 2nd hand store, I think the tall wine glass is crystal and it cost me 97 cents. I did the flick with my fingernail and it sounds like a musical note but I can't get it to hum when wetting the edge and running my finger around it. Even if it's not crystal I still think I got a deal, now I just need some Julia's Raspberry Wine to fill it up.

John's Picture of Me

This is Self Portrait Tuesday and my ideas to finish out these last couple of months are very lame, so lame I tried very hard tonight and John's picture won even my vote and I hate pictures of me, especially my face. I did a lot of Photoshopping on it before I would think of posting it on here. I really should get that ugly tattoo removed or re-done one of those things I had to have and now so many years later I can call it "Sea Weed" since the color is all gone and all that is left is a blueish green viney looking sea weed type flower. Hey I could have Photoshopped a new tattoo on, why didn't I think of that before I uploaded this photo?

Ceiling Fan Surprise

Tonight I came home to a surprise. John hung my entry light and also my new ceiling fan. I love them both. The old ceiling fan was put in before I had Adam and I think it still had all the original dust on it... just kidding. The improvements are getting there, now if we can just get through hunting season we'll start with the walls.

You never know what I'll paint during hunting season..... Let me tell you a story of one hunting season when I painted the dining room table and chairs. So I told John I was going to paint the table and chairs, he told me "no your not"!! So I waited until hunting season, he always goes to the shack until about Wed or Thursday so I'd have plenty of time to paint and get everything back in the house before he comes home. Well I hauled all 6 chairs and the table to the garage all by myself and started to prep them. Little did I know this was going to be so much work. I had to sand all surfaces due to the high gloss finish, then primer coat, then 1 coat of dark tan and one coat of cream. Then you might think I'm done... nope I took the sander and sanded so it looked a hundred years old. My goal was a old farm house table that was used for 4 or 5 generations of rough kids. Then I had to put 3 coat of poly to keep the paint from coming off and have a washable surface. All this time I couldn't look guilty so I did my normal visits to the shack. During my visit Sunday evening Adam says to me something about them coming home tonight..... WHAT??? WHY???? I can't remember why but I remember flying home to clean up the garage where John parked and hopefully hide the half done table and chairs.... like he's not gonna notice our table being missing!! John hated the painted table and chairs and still does, he usually grows to like my hair brain ideas but this project he never did. I have had so many compliments on this table and could probably sell it for twice as much as we bought it for, he says "sell it"!!

It's a good thing he really likes me around or I might have had to find a new home for myself and my painted table.

The grandkids

Elly and Garrett came to visit today, Shannon came too. We also had Lynn, Jesse, Shawna, Jeannie, Kathy, Adam and Sarah. Garrett just slept from one person's arms to the next. Elly tried to get as much attention as she could from everyone. She colored, cut out pictures, did her sticker book, but she especially liked pestering Jesse, he wanted to snuggle but she is not a snuggler, she's a wiggler. Shannon had the cutest pig tails in Elly's hair when they got here. Grandpa yanked on her pig tails and said they were to pull her around. Jesse used her pig tails as handlebars so that was it, they were out. Her hair is so long and silky and does not bother her at all if it's hanging in her face. She's still liking the big sister role and has to have her turn in holding her baby brother.

ER Trip

This is why we didn't go out of town last night.... it's a good thing we listen to our feelings.

The phone rings right after we went to bed last night, it was Adam.

Adam - Mom, I breathed in chemicals at work

Mom - What?, what kind of chemicals?

Adam - I mixed bleach with a dishwasher cleaner

Mom - What's happening?

Adam - I can't breath very well and I'm having chest pains

Mom - Where are you?

Adam - I'm at Sarah's, sitting outside to help me breath

Mom - We'll be right there

We pick up Adam and he is coughing and complaining of chest pains, I don't have my nurse line number. I call work to get it and they gave me two numbers that weren't the right ones. (Note to self - write down the nurse line number and put in my cell phone). We stop at his work and grab the gallon of cleaner and head to the ER. The nurse was kinda short and snipping with us at first, I think she thought it was something other than an accident. After Adam explained the incident she got nicer to him. The floor cleaner is always in the same spot and for some reason the dishwasher cleaner was in that spot so when he mixed the mop bucket water he didn't pay attention to what he did until the white cloud surrounded his face. He ran outside coughing and so did the cook and waitress. They used their t-shirts to cover their breathing to get back in and empty the bucket. She did a oxygen level test, a EKG (because he was complaining of chest pain) and a chest Xray. The doctor then came in and talked with Adam. He was so nice and so understanding of what happened, he even told Adam that he has mixed chemicals together himself, even when the bottle says "Do not mix with Bleach". He told Adam that he created chlorine gas.... hummm I think your suppose to do that in the science lab, not in a mop bucket. All test came back good but his oxygen level was not at 100% and his lungs were "Mad at Him" as they put it. They gave him an inhaler and sent us on our way, so much for an early night!! This could have been so much worse than it was, we are thankful that he is okay and that we didn't decide to go out of town.

Our 26th Anniversary

Tonight we went out for our Anniversary, we decided not to go out of town, why I don't know but for some reason we decided we could go out to eat at the Turtle Club, stop for a couple of drinks and then come home. We were home by 10pm. The food was great, it made me wonder why we don't go there more often.

It's been 26 years since we said "I Do", where has the time gone.

The hmuan mnid is amzanig!

Tonight we took Adam to tour a technical college, this is a difficult thing for all of us. For Me it's the sending my baby out into this big bad world, even though I've done it before it's still hard for me to think about it. For John it's his best buddy not being right here to stroll through the woods with, to talk about tires, rims and exhaust, to grump at each other in their father son way, it's his son making a step into not needing his dad. For Adam it's all the unknowns that will be happening. Right now Adam is doing great in school, all his teachers know his dyslexia issue and help him deal with that, next year he will have to start all over. His entire learning ability will be turned upside down or it may turn right side up, it just depends on how he sees it. The tour was interesting and it seems like a great place for Adam to start so we signed him up, now we'll have to wait and see if they accept him.

No picture today just a magazine clipping that has been hanging on our refrigerator for years, it was given to me by my sister Starla because she thought of Adam when she seen it.

The hmuan mnid is amzanig!

Rscheearch sohws taht it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod aeappr, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm.

Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid does not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amaznig, huh?

Now just think, what does Adam see when he looks at words? Let me tell you from being his mom for 18 years.... the notes he leaves us on the counter are a lot of work to figure out, but we get it after awhile. He will be fine, he's made it this far and I don't thinks it been all on his looks and personality. :)

Sunlight

Weave the sunlight into your days and the moonlight into your nights.

Every moment in time is sacred.

Fall Back

I feel like it's been an entire 2 weeks about me so today I struggled to again talk about me but here it goes.

Does anyone else have trouble falling back? It's dark when I go to work, it's dark when I come home, it's too dark to take a walk, it's too dark to do much of anything, I have a hard time not falling asleep at suppertime... After about a month of this darkness we get used to it and we start to function again, spring ahead is so much easier.

Warm Fall Day

It was a very warm (low 70's) fall day and I was home recovering from my flu. By late afternoon I was able to eat 1/2 a turkey sandwich and kept it down. All I can say is GET YOUR FLU SHOTS!!

John and I went to the woods to enjoy the late afternoon warm weather, here is a great fall picture. I love the forest floor covered in leaves with the green grass still poking through.

And here's a couple of fawns we watched for quite a while.

And sorry you'll have to live with a proud grandma for awhile.... Another picture of Garrett doing what he does best... sleeping!!

Flu Bug

So this morning about 3:30am I woke up with the flu. I have not had the flu in years as a matter of fact I can't remember the last time I've ever had the flu. Well I got it good today, everything you can get with the flu I have. Finally at this point in the day I think I'm going to live but I had my doubts about 6:30 this morning as I lay on the bathroom floor because the room went black but I had to get up or I would be cleaning my floor later.... I'm sorry John for you having to help me... you were great and you must love me for better and for worse, in sickness and in health.

I love you.

So with the flu there's no visiting my new grandson and we had to call Kyle to come pick up Elly before she got sick (she had her flu shot so hopefully that helps her). This is totally not fair, mom's are suppose to be there for their children when the have babies, they're suppose to help them, give then advice, spend all day at the hospital. I have never had time for sickness and I don't take it very well. I've worked at my current job for almost 25 years and I called in sick one day (when I had my appendix taken out). I don't have time for this!!

I asked John to go visit Shannon and check how everyone was doing. He came home with an update.... Garrett is the best little boy ever, he is so content, he barely cries, he slept most of the night and Shannon is doing wonderful. Shawna believes the WaterBirth has something to do with Garrett being so good. Since Shawna has had 3 boys herself and was there for Elly she said this birth was very different. It was less traumatic on the baby, lets hope this continues. And he said Elly sure loves her baby brother, she can't get enough of him and she is sooooo happy he is a boy. I'm not sure why she wanted a brother, but it could have something to do with her uncle Adam, he was there for her first 4 years of her life more like a brother and still continues to be more brother than uncle. The love they share is unbelievable, this may be why Elly wanted a brother. This photo is from yesterday as Adam was trying to nap after work and Elly wanted to play. Most teenage boys would have gotten upset with a pesty little girl that wouldn't quit... not Adam he tried to sleep right through it.

November 1, 2008

The birth day of our grandson Garrett.

I guess when Shan says she wants a November baby she gets one. She called this morning at 6:30am and asked for me to meet her and Kyle at the hospital to pick up Elly, she is having contractions.... I was very calm, got dressed, brushed my teeth and drove the speed limit (even on Gibson) and we met in the parking lot at the exact same time. As soon as Shan got out of the car I knew this was it, that baby dropped almost to her knees from yesterday. Shan was very calm and wasn't sure if this was the real thing. We check her into a room and then Elly and I came home to wait and wait and wait..... It was Emmerich Soup Off Day so we had lots to do. We got an update about 8:30 that this was the real thing and there would be a baby soon.... we got another update at 2:41 that the doctor was called (Shannon's doctor was out of town) and it shouldn't be too much longer. Good thing we are with lots of family so Elly isn't climbing the walls too much. We finally get our call at 6:11 that Elly has a baby brother and everyone is doing well. He is 8lbs. 8ozs, 20 1/2 inches long.

Tia is out of town visiting her Oregon friends, she called last night to make sure we weren't having a baby while she was gone and I assured her that Shan was doing fine and she would be back home before that baby was born..... well Shan called her tonight with the news and I'm sure she's jumping out of her skin to get back here. Sorry Jesse it's gonna be a long ride home, I can almost guarantee she will talk until your ears bleed. In case she's checking the blog from there, I hope this picture ties her over for awhile.

Congratulations Shannon he is perfect

Thank you Shawna for being Shannon's coach once again. You are Shannon's earth-angel.....we love you!