Last Sunset

The last sunset of 2008. It was a pretty one, even with a celly camera.
Have a safe and fun New Year's Eve, y'all.

OMG

I was just reminded that tomorrow...TOMORROW!...is the family Christmas gathering at Gammy's house. I still have to shop, wrap, cook, bake, launder, organize and OMG, so many things. Gotta go!

Straight No Chaser - 12 Days

12 Days of Christmas in a completely different way. More wag!

Weekend Photos

I hosted a brunch this weekend. C-man took pics of the table decorations before company came. The holidays are pretty.

It's beginning to feel.....

This time I have pictures and not much more.

These first two are from work.

There is a huge tree outside our building that developed a big crack down the trunk after the latest high winds. The tree guys came out and climbed around it and gave it a haircut, took some weight off the top and cut off the split ends at the bottom. They put a big ponytail holder around the lower branches to keep the whole thing in one piece for as long as possible.

Did you know the Griswolds live in the Hills?

I had to take two pictures to fit their front yard into my cell phone camera. The light-y goodness is FABulous. The pictures on my crappy phone do not do justice to the millions of lights in the first photo. They just go on forever back from the street. Wowza. It's no wonder those dudes in the desert could find that tiny manger. It's lit up like Vegas.

recap of the long holiday weekend

We had a lovely holiday dinner at my house. Mom and Dad and Larry and his family came. Unfortunately none of us took pictures. We're just no good at remembering that! I didn't have enough seating after all, but it was such a pretty day that the guests just took it to the back yard and graciously sat at the patio table.

It seems like I spent all my time away from the office in the kitchen. There was Thanksgiving, of course. Everyone pitched in and made it a big success. Our traditions are turkey, of course, sweet potato casserole with pecans, ambrosia salad, green bean casserole, roasted potatoes, fresh cranberry sauce, dressing, gravy, pumpkin pie, pecan pie.

One day I made a huge pot of turkey noodle soup. When I lifted the lid off the huge pot to ladle up the leftovers there was a sad half-inch left in the bottom of the cast iron pot. Ah, well. It was enough for the E-child to have before work the next day. Today I made the same big pot, but this time full of meatballs. I make them with 1/2 spicy Italian sausage and 1/2 lean ground turkey. It seems a tad healthier that way (and a little less likely to cause severe heartburn!) This time I managed to grab some for lunches BEFORE the mad dash for dinner.

So, I'm working on lesson plans and listening to the kids squabble about who ate all the garlic bread. All is well here. I hope you all had a lovely holiday.

Somebody Got a Treat

Somebody went for a ride, saw The Girl, and got a treat. Somebody buried it in the yard when he got home and then unburied it first thing this morning. Somebody is sure happy with his chewy.

A Room With a View

I have a new desk at work.
Here's my new view:




My old desk was slightly to the right in this photo, so I faced that wall. No view, no window. Now I can see the world outside. Nice!

Btw, can you spot the pics of The Girl, The Boy, and The Dog on my desk??

Full Tilt

The view out the back door of our office this afternoon.
Whoops! Somebody had a bad day.

Papa's new computer

Before I swapped them out.
The old one is on the stand, on the right.
The new one is on the left.

Sunday Morning

 

Congratulations, Mr. President.

Election Day!

Go out now and exercise your right to VOTE! This country was founded by patriots who gave their lives for our right to have a say in the way our government is run. Women and minorities waited even longer than white guys to have the vote. Don't take it for granted. Go make your voice heard. Vote!

Another Tag

Eileen tagged me.

The rules of the tag are to go to My Pictures. Go to the 6th folder, and post the 6th picture, and tell the story of that picture.

I don't have E-child's permission to post this.....but I'm bigger than she is, so what the hell.

The story behind the photo: E-child had a few fancy dresses that she had worn for band formals, homecoming, etc. Her cousin, who is a few years younger, was looking for a dress for just such an occasion. She wears the same size so Erin modeled some of the dresses she owned and we emailed the photos to A-child to see if she wanted to borrow. Yes, we are a Phrugal Phamily.

And now I tag Abby .

I've been Tagged. You're IT!

Oh good grief. I got tagged.
Seven random facts about me? Well, gee, how random?

1- I have an affection for those weird 'family words' that every family has.You know the ones. They're usually made up by a 4 year old and then everyone in the family takes it up. They're usually funny and the stories behind them are pretty interesting. The ones I use every day are "refrillerator" for refrigerator and"yester-time" which is a perfect word meaning "the last time".

2- The library is one of my favorite places. Free books, CDs, DVDs. What's not to like?

3- I love unusual baby names. My current fave was one I heard someone holler at the store: "Raleigh Waylon!" Wow. Just....wow.

4- I was a cat person until I was in my 30s. Now I'm a dog person. Go figure.

5- My mother's name is Margaret. There are 5 generations of Margarets that end with my generation because no one in my generation named her daughter Margaret. I didn't know,when my daughter was born, about the many generations of Margarets. When I found out, when my daughter was about five, I asked Mom why she never said anything to me about it, she just shrugged.

6- I check CNN.com about 12 times a day. What? Is that a lot?

7- Laughing is my favorite thing. This isn't news, I just couldn't think of any other random facts.
Tag, you're IT!

Dana

Moriah

Eileen

Anne and Scott

October Baseball!

I love me some Red Sox. This video makes me happy. Like a little kid on Christmas happy. Dancing in the bleachers happy. Don't you just love it?

Your Grandmothers Recipes

Ok, y'all. I know you're lurking out there, reading this blog and checking out the pictures as they go up. So, here is a bribe for you.

I have a box of recipes I received from Auntie M. They are copies of Grandma Allen (Sally Myrtle Smith)'s recipes, most of them written in her own handwriting.

There were a couple in the Family Tree book that Mom and Dad received at their party, but there are plenty more.

I'm posting a couple of them today.

The other recipes I'll share with you if you'll share your 60th Anniversary Party pictures with me. :) !

I'm actually bribing you in service of a greater cause! Mom and Dad realllly want to see the party pictures. I have none. Erica gave them hers before she left town, and Jack sent his right away. So they have seen a few. But I know there must be a huge number of photos out there that Mom and Dad haven't seen. Can you please send me a disk so that I can get them to Walgreens for Mom and Dad? Or can you upload them to Walgreens dot com and have them printed at the local Hurst location so Mom can pick them up here?

Thanks y'all.

Recipes to come: Pecan Pie, Chicken n Dumplings, Thanksgiving Dressing......mmmmmmm!

Oh, that's a good look.

We have a casual office. We’re lucky enough to be able to wear what we want most days. Today was a dress-up day and it made me remember the dilemma of the short girl. When you have a skirt on you have three options: wear it ankle-length and rock the Amish look, fold it over at the waist and look all lumpy and well, like you have a roll around your waist, or wear it up around your armpits. Very attractive.

Or, you can pay $15 to have your $20 skirts altered.

As Requested

Unfortunately, I don't have many photos. Here are a few that have been passed along to me. Such pretty, pretty party-goers!

Roll your cursor over each picture to see the caption.

RIP, Mr Paul Newman

Paul Newman and my homeschool-
As anyone who knows me can tell you, I'm not a freaky homeschooler, keeping the world from my children, and keeping my kids from the world. My decision to homeschool my youngest was an organic one, born of pure practicality. My child has learning challenges which made a classroom setting difficult at best, and God knows, most days in public school weren't the best. I spent the hours after the public school day, at home, trying to teach the child what the public school teachers could not. His 'learning day' was extending from sun-up to past dark, five days a week, minimum. The child was 11 years old. Is that a life you would pick for any child? Faced with the decision of homeschool versus public school it really came down to this: if I'm going to spend the hours teaching, why don't I teach him on OUR time and on OUR timetable, not a timetable arbitrarily picked by a teacher, a principal, or an administrator in Austin? And this little rebel home school was born. We haven't looked back.

What does all this have to do with Paul Newman? I'm grateful for our homeschool life today. A life that has included enough time for me to pass along to the children the things that are important to me as a person, not just as the signer of permission slips. We've been blessed with this life, that has not included bus schedules and late bells. It has included discussions about architecture, art, religion, philanthropy, humor, rock music and fast cars. We're big admirers of Paul Newman in our school. He was an actor, a race car guy, a very cool dude who was devoted to his wife, his family and philanthropy. Rest in Peace, Paul Newman. You were loved.

He's not all that shy, ackshully.

C-man has a reputation for being quiet, but he's got a killer wit. He makes me laugh every day.

I've managed to catch a few of his antics with my camera. It's like catching a cat. You have to move quickly, the opportunity is gone in a flash!


We had leftover balloons after the granparents' big party....I turned around when I was talking to C-man one day and I was looking at that face^^^. I cracked up!....and ran for the camera.
May I have your license and registration, ma'am? LOL That dude skeers me, yo.OK, we've talked about this guy before, right? This is the latest place I found him that made me laugh out loud. C came to see what I was laughing about and said "Dude, I put that there like a week ago!"

Btw, I went home for lunch. I got ice out of the freezer...found my travel mug.....and a Diet Coke from the fridge....I popped off the top of the mug.....and the frog was inside! Can you imagine if I'd popped it open at 6 in the morning making a cup of coffee?? I said that to C-man and he said "Yeah! It woulda been greatness!"

This week's photos

Friday

The new TV....they like it!

A proud Papa and the Deans List Child. :)

Lawzy this has been a long week. The surprise party we planned for the grandparentals was a huge success. Everyone is exhausted and happy. (Note to Self: never, ever plan a huge party to occur at the end of the busiest work week of the year. What were you thinking?) Some of the Florida folks had to leave ahead of schedule because of Hurricane Gustav. Stupid weather. And E-child has a sore shoulder. We spent the evening yesterday in the night clinic, and then the pharmacy. But all in all, we couldn't have arrived at this Friday with more blessings than we have today. Life is Good.

Slides

You'd think there would be more slides, with as busy as we've been. Huh.

Well, hello

So, I've neglected this long enough. Here's a mini-recap. Moved into new place, bought a new piece of furniture, had help moving it, went back to 5 day work week, got horribly sick, spent a lot of money at the pharmacy, am back on my feet and somewhat back on my brain again. Slideshow to follow since none of this is very interesting. Thank god for cell phone cameras, really.

Going Green

We had a stormy afternoon today. With the drought we've been going through, it was lovely. After the storm clouds passed overhead the air turned this weird green / yellow. I grabbed a camera. Can you see the strange color in the air?

Yay for pie

We had pie today. Awesome HomemadeByEileen pie. I made a Wordle for her. Click it to see it full-size.

Survey Says....

I got one of those silly surveys today:
1. Where is your cell phone? on my desk
2. Your significant other? is a dog
3. Your hair? needs a cut
4. Your mother? red-haired beauty
5. Your father? my hero
6. Your favorite thing? My kids, of course
7. Your dream last night? dunno
8. Your favorite drink? Diet coke
9. Your dream/goal? Live. Be Happy. Don't Eff Up.
10. The room you’re in? Office
11. Your church? Catholic
12. Your fear? Bridges,
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Healthy. Happy. A mother-in-law.
14. Where were you last night? on the couch
15. What were you not? walking the dog
16. Muffins? yes, please
17. One of your wish list items? dresser, for my bedroom
18. Where you grew up? Texas, mostly, with some Florida and Boston for spice
19. The last thing you did? Hit 'print'
20. What are you wearing? v-neck, and Old Navy jeans
21. Your TV? Off
22. Your pets? Loved
23. Your computer? On
24. Your life? Blessed
25. Your mood? meh
26. Missing someone? A bit
27. Your car? Green
28. Something you’re not wearing? Glasses
29. Favorite store? Book
30. Your summer? Hot
31. Like(love) someone? Quite a few someones.
32. Your favorite color? red sometimes, black and white some days, aqua today
33. Last time you laughed? at Abby, about an hour ago
34. Last time you cried? When I was hot and exhausted on Moving Day.
35. Who will re post this? dunno

Sk8r Slide Show

Wilson's Raid

E-child made cute cupcakes for Meg's birthday. Then she left them on the counter.....and walked away.

Oops.

Have I mentioned that Wilson can reach the countertop when he stands on his back legs?

Here's a picture of the snack he got to before E-child found him at it and ROARED at him. Scared him out of his wits!

A Few of My Favorite Things

thanks, Eileen, for showing me Wordle.

Click on the image below to see full size.

Skate Photos

Taken at dusk in the local park.

Fun House Slide Show

Have I ever mentioned that living in my household is like living in an alternate universe? Elsewhere in America families eat Cap'n Crunch with milk, shampoo with Herbal Essences and brush their teeth with Crest, then they watch Desperate Housewives or Survivor. In our house? Not so much.

Here's a little slide of the freak show that is our house....scroll over the photos to see captions.