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Sunday, December 30, 2012

Bullets

Life is full of ups and downs.  Just when you think you have things under control you can find yourself laying flat on your back wondering what knocked you down. 
My childhood showed me that life can throw ugly bullets at you at any time and that it is not always possible to dodge them.  It isn't easy to pull your self up when you have been knocked down. 
I have watched friends and family when they were not able to dodge the ugliest bullets.  I have cried when their hearts have been broken.  My heart has hurt for them while they have struggled. 

I wonder what bullet will catch me next. 
It will happen. 
No way to keep it from happening.

My family shake their heads at me.  I see their feelings on their faces.  I think they are even more uncomfortable when I cry than I am. 

But I know that I can't dodge every bullet.  Just when I want something so badly.... I remember that it has been awhile since one has caught me and I fear.  The fear hits me fast.  I like to think I don't live with worry but it is there in the back of my thoughts.  Ready to sneak in and catch me unaware.  I don't like the unaware moments.  They hurt.  AND I seem to make a fool of myself when I am surprised.  I want them to stay hidden from most peoples view.  That way I can pull them out and poke at them when I am alone.  I don't want to share them in public.

The more I have, the more I have to lose.


Where the Hell did I put that wall?

The New Guy

I have been in Stillwater visiting.  I forgot how much time it takes to care for a new baby.  I am so very tired but I am even happier than I am tired.  Baby Alex is sooooooo cute!  I know that I am supposed to think that cause he is mine but...... really.... he is too cute!
I did get to go to a check up with him and he is gaining weight well.  He does not like to be naked!  He wants to be bundled up warm.  Diaper changes are a challenge.  As a mom of two girls I didn't get a lot of practice with boys.  Mr. Man lives out of state and I didn't get to spend much time with him the first few months.  Baby Alex has wet on just about everything.  If you stand too close during diaper changing you will be hit by the fountain!  The nurse that weighed him got a pretty good soaking.  Kita and I warned her he would turn on the water works but she couldn't dodge it fast enough. 
I wish I had taken more time to take pictures! I don't know how 5 days went by so fast. I only stopped twice and took the time to get some pics but I was able to get a few that I really liked. 

 
I think this one might be my favorite so far!

 

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Merry Christmas

What a busy past 5 days!  Two trips to Stillwater and back, a new oven and cooktop installed, a day full of baking and cleaning, my house full of ALL of my children and grandchildren (yes grandchildren, plural!!).  A full dinner, with the table extended as far as it goes, every chair in the house pulled up around the table and every plate used. 
Hmmmm....I think I might need to get more dishes if I get to have more dinners at my house. 
My family has grown! 
We have a brand new member, little Alex.  He is wonderful!
He is already so loved!  He has met almost everybody too.
Mr. Man sure likes him.
His Aunt Mattie is really crazy about him.
His Grandpa thinks he is cute!
Aunt Carrie and Uncle Rob got to love on him.
I wanted to get a picture of all of us while we were all under one roof. 
It didn't happen. 
There just wasn't enough time.  James had to leave to work before we all finished dinner.  Then Mattie, Kita, Eric and Alex had to leave.  I got to keep Rob, Carrie, Tyler and Cohen for the rest of the night but they all packed up and headed out first thing this morning. 
No full group photo!
I was able to get a few pictures of most of them when Santa came for a visit.

 
Next time!
  I will make all of them hold still long enough to get a FULL group picture. 
I didn't get any pics of Mattie and James together OR with Santa!
 
My house is back to being quiet again.  *sigh*  I like it better when it is noisy. 
 
I spent the evening at Grams' house visiting.  She hasn't felt well the past few days.  She did wake up for a bit and play a few games of cribbage with me.  We shared a pot of coffee and talked about all the times she made my Christmas wonderful as a child.  I have great memories because of her.  The back bedroom has a tile floor and a wall furnace that is on the same wall as the den.  The tree was always set up in the den back then.  There was just a little bit of a view to be seen if you laid on the floor and peeked through the bottom part of the wall furnace.  I remember as a small child watching her and Aunt Mary wrapping gift after gift to put under the tree through that furnace.  Of course my big brother and I hogged the view and didn't let our little sister Lisa see much at all.  Not that we could see all that much.  Just a peek here and there.  But we could hear them talking and we knew they were wrapping presents for us!  The floor was so cold!  I remember my tummy getting numb laying there in the floor trying to see what I got for Christmas. 
Grams asked me several times what day it was.  Each time that I told her that it was Christmas Eve she seemed excited.  She kept looking at the tree and seemed to be lost in thought.  She told me that she misses having her friends.  We talked about all the parties she used to have in her house and how she misses that.  Her and Gramps loved to entertain in their home.
 
I snapped this picture while she was looking at the tree and we were talking about the past.  She was so lost in thought she didn't know I took it. 
 
She hasn't had a chance to meet Alex yet.  I wish I could take a picture of all 5 generations together.  Wish, wish, wish......always wishing.
Wish in one hand.......
 
Anyway...
Merry Christmas everyone!
 
 
 
 

Monday, December 17, 2012

Bath time!

Giving my Shepard a bath in the winter always makes a big mess.  Since she is an inside dog she never develops a thick winter coat.  Instead she sheds it constantly all over my house!
We have family coming over that do not live with a dog.  That means, to even begin to make them comfortable, the dog needed a bath.  In the winter that job must be done in the bathtub.  Leaning over the bath tub to clean her is not easy on my back.  It is lots of work to scrub more than 90lbs of hair!  It is even more work to clean up the bathroom AFTER giving her a bath.
So......
There is a new business here in Owasso where you can take your dog and give them a bath yourself.  I figure it was worth at least a try to keep from making the mess in the bathroom.  Shy knows when I get out her shampoo and conditioner that she is getting a bath and she gets excited.  So she was really confused when I put the shampoo and towels in a bag.  She kept going to the back door hoping that she was going to get to play in the water.  I was so glad that Mattie came over to help me!  This was going to be a first for Shy.  She is getting old and has problems jumping up in the back of the truck so Mattie drove her in her car.  Shy had no clue how to use the ramp so Mattie showed her how and Shy followed her right up. This isn't a really cheap option but I feel it was worth the money!  I left a TON of hair for them to clean up.  The thought of NOT having all that hair shed in my bathroom confirmed it for me.  The water was warm and the open basin was at a good height and we had her shampooed and conditioned in no time.  Shy has never experienced a blow dry.  I had a towel out drying off her head when Mattie first blaster her backside with the dryer.  OH! How I wish I had video or a picture of Shy's face when Mattie did that to her!  She was NOT amused but Mattie and I were!!!  The dryer only blew cool air but it did have a blast to it.  As soon as Shy held still Mattie started using it and there was a HUGE plume of hair in the air immediately.  Every spot that the dryer hit there was another huge puff of hair in the air.  How is it possible for one dog to have that much extra hair?  Once our timer ran out and Shy was able to get down she was ready to go.  She was not pleased with the dryer.  I am VERY pleased with the dryer.  It blew off more hair than moisture but that doesn't bother me at all.  Shy loves to go for car rides but this time she was glad to be home.  Mattie couldn't get the car door open fast enough for Shy.  Once it was open Shy ran for the front door so fast she about pulled Mattie in to the bush next to the porch.  Shy is always in a good mood after her bath and has trouble holding still long enough for me to dry her off.  It was the same tonight.  I still had to take her out in the garage twice tonight and comb more and more hair off her as she started to dry. 
She smells so very much better. 
Her coat is all shiny.
And hopefully when we try to pet her over the next few days there won't be a puff of hair all over the house!
The name of the business is Clean Spot and it is a clean place.  They request that you clean up the tub afterwards and I had no problem doing that.  There was nothing I could do about the huge amounts of hair all over the floor.  There is a facebook site and I mentioned that I had left a mess on the floor.  I was assured that wasn't a problem and that was part of the "charm" of using their facility. 
As long as it is too cold for my old Girl to have her bath outside I will go back and leave the mess for them to clean up. 
Thank you Mattie for helping your Mommy and Shy! 
Ahhhh! A clean dog. 

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Beginning to look like Christmas

My oven quit working on me this week.  I kinda need my oven next week. 
I can't bake without an oven. 
So.... we think we found a new wall oven that will fit in the same opening that we already have cause now is NOT the time to remodel the kitchen!  Neither one of us wanted to try and install a gas oven so there SHOULD be installers here next Tuesday.  So hopefully the new oven will fit and the installers really, truly do show up and will get it up and working for me. 
I got pies to bake!
And pumpkin bread
And maybe some cookies (If I can find the time!)
I gotta cook a turkey
And maybe some ham
Oh and we GOTTA have hot rolls!
I really need an oven next week.

Today was a marathon gift wrapping day!  Every single gift that I have already purchased was wrapped up and put under the tree today.  Christmas tress look so much prettier when there are a few gifts under them. 
I always feel like I have accomplished a huge task when all the gifts have been decided on, purchased and wrapped. 

I took a few minutes Friday and tried to get some "holiday" pictures. 


I think I need more practice.  They aren't bad but not what I was trying for. 
 
Mattie received one of her Christmas gifts early. 
Shy likes her and even shared one of her dog biscuits with her. Shy has never had to share a biscuit before! 




I love puppies! 

I am really looking forward to seeing all of my family this year.  There is one that we are all waiting on.....if only, if only, if only.  That would be a great Christmas present!!!
 

 

Monday, December 3, 2012

Some wind!

I actually got out of the house this weekend.  It wasn't a much wished trip of a quiet walk, but it was out of the house.  In fact it was smack dab in the middle of downtown Tulsa.  I took photos of a nice young man for his Senior yearbook.  It was so windy that is was difficult to find a place that wouldn't blow us all away.  I remembered a small sunken garden that I walked past a few years ago and the area did provide some shelter from the wind.  We also took a few pictures around a nice fountain that had some lovely Willow trees.  The wind did make it challenging! 

Once we finished taking pictures we had lunch downtown at a pretty cool place called Caz's Chow House.  It was a bit difficult to get close enough to park because several roads were blocked off for a run that was just finishing up.  It was worth the effort.  The food was good and so was the service.  The place is right next to the new park called Guthrie Green.  The whole area was pretty quiet.  I guess because of all the roads in the area being blocked off.  Seeing the tic tac toe on the sidewalk made me smile.  I walked around the park for just a few moments before it was time to head back home.  I did, of course, take time to take a few pictures of the flowers. 



The weather has been so warm it is hard to believe it is December.  I left the house this morning in a short sleeved shirt and no jacket.  I am still not a fan of cold weather but I hate to think of how bad another long, hot, dry summer will be.  We need rain or snow and lots of it.  We had both front and back doors open this evening trying to cool the house off.  I made a big pot of beef vegetable stew for dinner and while it was simmering on the stove I took a few pictures in the back yard.



 
Again the wind was really blowing today!  I kinda like how this last photo had all the leaves blurred blowing in the wind.
 
It is amazing that there are any leaves left on the trees at all.  Have I mentioned that the wind has been blowing like crazy?  Crazy I tell ya!