September 26, 2005
Lake!
My Doll, her name is Lake!! Mom and Dad got her for me today! Isn't she just achingly beautiful?! *laughs and claps!* Oh thank you, THANK YOU, she's just so pretty!
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!
September 25, 2005
Lisa's Birthday
Happy Birthday, Lisa!!
Boy o' Boy was I jealous of this doll that mom got her. She's BEAUTIFUL, stands about 4 feet tall, I've never seen anything so beautiful in my life!
Mik taking tea with the dolls...
I got her this lamp post, isn't it pretty? Almost as pretty as the doll mom got her... NOT!!
After Lisa's party, mom took the gilrs home for jewelry...and showed them her swing..while they were out there mal spotted that tower red light in the armory field and asked Mom what it was..the word tower got mal's imagination working in over drive..she said does reponzel live there..that got mom's imagination working, she said yes of course mal..she ask if she could holler at her..mom said yes..she hollered a couple of times then came back a "WHAT"...and that fasinated Mal...so...Mallory insisted we take her to the armoury gate so she could hollar at Rapunzel more closely. She hollared and hollared, but Rapunzel must have been sleeping because she never hollared back...
We...*coughs* ...stayed for breakfast, and someone got a shot of these biscuits. God they were good, I just still think it's wrong for someone to cook (twice) on her own birthday...but she wanted to. We were there practically all day, from about 11, until almost 8 tonight. It was fun. :)
Maegan was in a good mood!
Lisa just had new vinyl siding put on her house, this beautiful powder/sky blue, and it's just gorgeous!
See that beautiful wicker set up there on the porch, that's another present from mom and dad. I still think that was enough and they should reconsider and let me have the doll!! *laughs*
I want that doll! How can I con her out of that doll?! I NEED THAT DOLL!!!!!!
*laughs*
Lisa, I hope you had a good birthday, breakfast and dinner was deeeelicious! Thanks!
I still say that doll belongs over here, I think I need custody!!!!
When we were ready to leave, mom took the girls to her house, let them go through her jewely and she found rings both of their 'ages'. Mal's had the blue stone, and Mikyla found a really cute lil gold flower ring. That was nice of mom, thanks, mom!
September 23, 2005
Boys...
I'm not saying they're not as intelligent as girls, truly I'm not. I am saying that the girls can ride these little trucks forward and back, anywhere they want to go, while the boys can only ride them in either a circle or into something and crash. I tried and tried to teach Acey how to steer and how to go forward and backward in it, but after a couple of hours, I gave up.
laughs*
No.. honest, I'm not saying girls are smarter....
(Acey going in circles)...
(Acey crashing into my angel, and breaking it)...
(Acey crashing into the bigwheel)...
(Acey 'fixing' the car, not by steering it but by getting out and physically pointing it where he wanted it to go)...
(Acey crashing into Joel's Jeep)...
(Joel...just sitting there)...
(Acey crashing into the picnic table)...
*grins*
Hang in there boys, the girls may be by tomorrow to show ya how it's done!
I Can't Afford My Gasoline
Thanks, Nikki!
http://www.frontsteps.com/movies/i_cant_afford_my_gasoline/
The Sweetest Feeling...
Night before last, Mikyla stayed all night with me, but Mallory went home. That doesn't happen much, and it was pretty neat. We ate dinner with no fighting and feuding at the table, and Mikyla looked at me and grinned and said, "Wew, mammy, Now we get to relax without running after Joel or Mallory!" (She didn't mention, nor did I, that Mik is the one who torments them into their shrieks of protest and endless tattling) I nodded, agreeing, yes, it's very nice to be able to relax without having to run after the little ones.
She took a 2 hour solitary bubble bath.. no Mal splashing water into her eyes -(no Mik trying to hold Mal under the water) and at first she told me to 'go away' that she'd be just fine, so I did, but in a few minutes she called me in to tell me that I'd better sit on the stool in there just in case because she thought she saw someone looking in the bathroom window. (7 feet off the ground, it was a tall someone, if so.) So... I sat and flipped through a Jenny's catalogue until she finished soaking in the tub. Queen Mikyla, all hail! *laughs*
Later, when it was bedtime, she decided that she just had to have a real ring. Not a toy one but a real one like mine. It had to have a blue stone in it. Like mine. Sapphire. Real. But it had to be the right 'age' for her. Not size, age.
It was truly the sweetest feeling in the world, dark outside, quiet inside, both of us be-jammied, watching my granddaughter go through my jewelry box, her head bent over in concentration. Lord did that take me back. We didn't find a ring her 'age', but we did find my old address book, that she just had to have, as well as a bar of perfumed soap, and a bracelet that she took a shine to.
Then, yesterday morning, when she got up for school, she had to wear the same outfit she'd worn to school the day before to have her pics taken. The skirt is her favorite now and she couldn't rest until she had it on again. Sarah didn't like it one bit but when she came to get Mik, she let her wear it.
Yep... it was the sweetest feeling... :)
September 20, 2005
Da'Branna's Birthday Today
Well... that's what Mal calls Breanna, anyway. Her birthday was today and we sent her flowers at school and bought her some jewelry making kits, and mylar balloons. I hope you had a good one, Breanna, Happy Birthday!
Picture Day, Tomorrow
I can't recall a time when I laughed so hard. This child is a nut. Sarah let her spend the night, so that made Mik happy.. but then Sarah called at about 8:30 to remind us that tomorrow is picture day for Mik at school.
I didn't have anything fit for photos, just jeans, shorts and short sleeved tee style shirts, so Dips and I took her to Walmart to find her a dress. But they didn't have dresses.. actually they had 3 styles of skirts, and not a very big selection of tops, but mikyla picked out the set she wanted. She couldn't have pleased Granny Clampets more if she tried. HA HA HA!
I have a hard time getting her to wear her pants on her waist where they go, she likes them below her naval, she said she feels like they're choking her if her pants or shorts go over her naval. So she likes them with elastic in them so she can push them under her belly.
This skirt tho is made long, so it's just not made to go beneath her tummy, I tried showing her the difference in these 2 photos.. of how she should wear it up at her curve by her waist. She posed for me so I could show her the photos and when I saw that first one - her expression while wearing the skirt up where it 'choked' her made me laugh until I couldn't see.
That whole stance had me laughing. She won't wear it like that..and I have a hunch the skirt will be dragging the floor at school all day tomorrow. Egads!
Mom took her and got her hair cut a couple of weeks ago, and it's an adorable hair cut, the only thing wrong with it is.. well.. *laughs* ...Mikyla. She will NOT have it back the way it goes on top, she said it's ugly like that and no matter how much we fuss with it to get it right, she'll grab the brush and frantically brush it flat, parted in the middle, making herself look like that lil boy on the lil' rascals.
When she's 16, I know in my heart of hearts, she's going to hate this photo they're going to take of her tomorrow. I can't help it, I already love it, and I'm going to order a 15x20 of it to put on the mantle!
September 19, 2005
Summer's Still Stubbornly Hanging On...
It was such a beautiful and hot day, Mikyla insisted on having a picnic in the yard after school today. I think it was Maegan's first one. She seemed to enjoy it too. :)
The elephant ears have gotten so big. I've cut them back once already and still they keep growing. I love those things. Did you know that sometimes, they cry? Mamaw used to raise them, inside. Once in a while, you could watch a big fat tear drop fall from the top center all the way to the bottom of the leaf.
Mallory is hanging here in this tree...by just her hands. Her feet aren't touching the ladder, and if you look at those hands they don't look like they're gripping very much either. That kid is the closest thing I've ever seen to a chimpanzee!
Did you know that Spongebob has a guestroom here at my house? He's hung out here all summer!
Mik said she had a good day at school today. In this shot she was busy telling me about her day, which consisted of her having learned to make a "square", and a little boy being pushed down and missing his chair and falling. (He wasn't hurt though!) She's so pretty. Lord how did time get by so fast that she's this big?
September 15, 2005
Hide & Seek
Bonnie brought it over this evening and we watched it. If you like spooky movies, give this one a look, you'll really enjoy it. It kept me on the edge of my seat!
The Fireplace, and the Furnace...
...we had them inspected today and all systems are go, everything is in good working order and we're ready (ugh!) for winter. I can't believe this summer went by so fast.
Mallory's Truck
Granny & Grampa splurged bigtime for a Pick-Up for Mallory and boy does she love it! Doesn't she look good behind the wheel? Thanks, Mom and Dad, that was too cool!! That youngin' LOVES it!!!
September 10, 2005
I'm Learning About Dogs From Sarah
...and shew are they nasty. *laughs* Shew!!
Well, this is gross, anyway. Sarah, my hat's off to you.
She said that when a dog is dragging itself across your carpet, or on the grass, as if to scratching or wipe its behind, it is scratching an itch. It seems that on both sides of the dog's rectum is a gland...that secretes something. If that gland doesn't work, the dog scoots along trying to get it unclogged, to get it to work right, because if it isn't working, the poor things itches.
Sarah's job, is to squeeze those lil things until that stuff gets out of the gland and it's unclogged.
YUCK!!!!!!!
Yuck on the squeezing, and double yuck on them dragging their behinds on our carpets to get that stuff out.. EWWWWWWWWWWWW! No wonder so many dog owner's homes flat stink!
Just... YUCK!
Doctoring for Foolishness
I already know, in advance, that this post is going to make some folks angry. Some though, I know, agree with me. In any event, if you're offended, I apologise for that, however, remember that I'm as entitled to my own opinion as you are...and just let me get it out, and let it roll off your backs if it bothers you.
I've been watching the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and daily I get angrier and more disgusted. At first, I was horrified. I felt so sorry for the people still stuck in New Orleans.
Now I feel differently. I feel a lot of contempt and anger for a good portion of them. It's not a "racial" thing, truly, it's not. If you know me, you know better, if not, well sorry, but this is how I feel.
That this happened in an area that's predominantly black, has no bearing. That many of these people have put themselves and their families in an unsafe situation makes me angry. I don't give a flying frig what color they are, their staying in New Orleans before Katrina hit, was simply stupid.
These people had a week's warning. A week to get out. Across Fox News yesterday was an explanation: "Poverty." This is why they didn't evacuate.
The old people, I can understand. The children...they had no choice but to do what their parents did. The sick and mentally challenged aren't to blame either.
So they were poor. They still had legs. And eyes, and ears. When a 30 foot wall of water is going to come at you, self preservation takes hold (doesn't it?) and poor or not, you move out of the way. Head to higher ground, take your children someplace safe! Follow the rats if you have to! You don't just sit there.
Has our government taken over so many minds that people don't bother to think for themselves even at the risk of their own survival? In a catastrophy like this, are we so conditioned to look around for others to "save" us, that we're incapable of doing something to save ourselves?
Geraldo, too, made me angry. I'm not sure what shelter he was in the 2nd or 3rd night after the hurricane hit, but he was holding up a small child, and he seemed so angry.. saying things like "We need help here! These children need help, where is it..these people are fixin' to blow!!"
He's a public figure. I watched, and just shook my head. He's an American. He's a famous journalist. Where was his motivation to calm those people. Why didn't he use that face, that voice of his, to talk to them, to calm them, remind them, "Hey...we're Americans, we're in America, we've not been forgotten, it's going to be okay, just be patient."
Even if he didn't believe it, he had the potential to quiet a volatile situation. Instead, watching, I felt he was trying to incite a riot. That just didn't seem comforting to that child, it seemed to me to scare more than to comfort.
Now, thousands of people have been rescued and moved to shelters. They've been given thousands of dollars with which to survive, until they can get back home. They're being cared for and so they should be. That's not my beef. It's happened. They stayed despite the fact that they should have left. Now they're being taken care of. Thank God for that.
Sam Shephard, I think it was, said that the people were terrified and didn't know what to do, because no one was there to 'lead' them. My jaw dropped when he said that. Those thugs rioting and looting everything they could get their hands on didn't need a leader to show them how to do that. The rapists in the dome didn't need a leader to show them how to do that either. I can't believe, nor comprehend that there wasn't a man among that entire group who was capable to lead those people as to how they were to get by for a day, a week, or a month in the face of this tragedy. Not one? How sad. How entirely enfuriating.
There was no one to lead them."
If you're a mother, or a father, don't you tend to lead yourself? Isn't the first item on the menu to make a mental list, 'what do I have to do to protect my children?' Create your strategy, then commence to doing it?
Now, my cousin Bobby is doing something my mother warned me time and time again, that she'd not do, when I was a child and would go outside in the dead of winter without my coat. He's doctoring for foolishness. He's in the National Guard, and his job there is body recovery. He gets to wade in that filthy bacteria infested water to retrieve dead bodies.
Isn't he lucky? Hell no he isn't. He gets to see this first hand, he gets to bag these dead, children included, so that those memories will be in his head until the day he dies. He gets to risk not only his health but his emotional well being, and too, risk bringing home an infectious disease and share it with his small children, his family, his neighbors, and for what reason? Because they were poor, and had no one to lead them, and didn't listen when they were told to get out.
Those who could, got out, those who didn't are having a hard time. I know they are. I'm sorry for that. Just when I see on the news a woman raising a glass bottle, and rocks, then throwing it at our guardsmen when they're trying to help her get out to someplace safe (again, Fox news, yesterday) it makes me angry.
When I see three hundred pound (plus) women being hoisted in the air in those cages used to save them, a skinny lil guard hanging onto the edge to help her up and into the chopper, it makes me angry.
I guess when I see that a good portion of these people are healthy, able bodied adults, and I see that the choice they made to stay when told to evacuate was just stupid. It makes me angry.
This wasn't a sudden terrorist bombing. This wasn't a high-jacked airplane, this wasn't a nuclear accident. This wasn't a surprise volcanic eruption. This wasn't a huge meteor. This wasn't a sudden and unexpected earthquake, thunderstorm or tornado. This wasn't a sudden anything. These people knew this was coming a week in advance. Hell, 1 day in advance should have been enough. 1 day to get the hell out of Dodge, money or no money. These people weren't at the mercy of the weather stuck on an island it was impossible to get off of, all they had to do was walk. They had days to just walk away to safety.
Hell yes, it makes me angry.
Maegan Yesterday
She was here today too, but I forgot to take a pic. Here she is all smiley tho, yesterday!
September 07, 2005
September 05, 2005
Little Things...
It's been a busy week around here. I've been doing some major cleaning, getting ready for Toots' visit, and finally I'm done. The house is clean, the clutter is suspiciously absent, the laundry is done. The spiders are hiding, wondering what the hell I did with their webs, the cobs are hiding too, as their webs are no longer hanging in the corners and behind curtain rods. What is a cob, anyway?
Damn, my sister can cook. I don't mean just fix an edible meal, I mean she can cook with the serious cooks. I think she should go on Iron Chefs. But we won't tell her I said that. I can't let her know she cooks better than I do, cuz well.. a big sister just can't tell a little sister something like that, it just ain't fittin'... but she sure does. She made a full Thanksgiving meal today, Turkey, stuffing, the whole she-bang, and a great big cake, and banana pudding for desert. We ate until we couldn't eat anymore, and for a good 20 minutes, I swear I don't think I heard one voice. "Sit at the family table - talk about your day..." - advise commercials on Nickoledian, but there was too much eating for talk there today. Mighty fine victuals, Lisa, thanks!!! :)
O.J. brought Acey over this morning. He's going to be with us until 7ish tomorrow. He made me laugh. When he got here, Mikyla and Mallory weren't here - and so while we were on the way to Lisa's for dinner, he asked if we were going to get Mallory. I told him no, that Mallory was with her Mommy today, that we were just going to pick up Joel then we'd go eat. He said, but I like Mallory, she has "perty hay-iers" He talks so country. I agreed, yes she does have pretty hair, and he said "I lak it." (I like it.) I agreed again, I like it too, Acey, it's mighty pretty hair. He wasn't finished with the compliments to her, he had to be sure we understood, and said it again, "She has re-o-lly pretty hairs." Then he asked me again to please go get her. As it turned out, Sarah came to dinner with the girls, so he got to play with her, and that suited her just fine. I think they missed each other. When we came home, Mik and Mal had to come too. We didn't have room in the car for all 4 youngins, so dad brought Joel home for us later. They played hard in the den and every time I peeked in to check on them, Acey and Mallory were hugging, and giving each other kisses, like they'd not seen each other in a thousand years. We went outside so I could scrub the porch, and they took off to the doll house and promptly started playing house. Now that was comical. I think they're sweet on each other. Their innocence is touching to watch.
Mikyla on the other hand.. *laughs* She came running into the kitchen where I was cleaning some canisters, and said, "Mams! Acey is pulling down his pants all by himself! Tell him that's not nice!" Acey came running in behind her, tugging his shorts back up, and said, "Hep me, Mammy." I could tell from the sheepish expression on his face that he didn't do it... Mikyla pants-ed him. Poor Acey..but as bad as that was, it wasn't as bad as the wedgies Mikyla kept giving poor Joel. His voice went so high pitched I thought he was gonna break the windows with his shrieks of protest. Mik is something else. She torments them and just cackles. One day.. those boys will tower over her. I hope they'll always be close, and keep in touch with each other when they're grown.
I hear that Ashley is wanting me to take her to the bridge on a ghost hunt. She's doing a project on the bridge's history for school. I haven't talked with her yet, but I'd like to see if we could set it up for this weekend sometime.
Shelly called me this evening.. she told me that Bobby has gone to Baton Rouge, he's doing body recovery in Louisiana. She's worried about how he's going to deal with it, and I am too. Thank God though, for the men and women who have the moxy to get in there and do what needs to be done, without thinking about themselves. Bobby, be safe! We love ya!!
It's almost time for Bonnie to come in and get Joleybean. This day has just flown!
On a terribly sad note, some of you may remember a post I left back in the winter, I think it was something to the effect of "Lots and Lots of Kids." Sarah had brought 3 children of a friend of hers over, and I posted photos of them, but blanked out their faces because I hadn't been able to ask their mom if it was ok to publish the pics on the net. I never thought on the pictures afterwards, I wish I had. One of the little boys, the middle one was killed in a car accident yesterday afternoon up by Mom's. When I heard about it, I was stunned. 6 years old. His little sister is doing ok, she had to have surgery, but she's going to be fine.. and their father is okay. He was allegedly trying to pass a car on a hair-pin turn, saw a car coming straight at him so he pulled back into his lane and just went through the guard rail and down into the bluff. 6 years old. Trinity was a sweet little boy, all smiley and shy. I guess God decided he was lonely for that smile in heaven. I don't know how his mother is going to deal with his loss, but please, keep them in your prayers. She's going to need strength to help her cope. Mikyla and Mallory took it relatively well... Trinity was a playmate of theirs. They do, though, truly believe that he's wearing wings now, and flying above the clouds, in heaven. Sarah is planning on taking them to the funeral, but I'm sure hoping she changes her mind. Both of the girls are 'dwellers'... believing he's an angel now, flying and playing in a perfect paradise...and I love that they think that...but seeing his coffin, and perhaps actually viewing him would be another thing entirely. I think it would turn something they're not afraid of into something terrifying for them. Children view everything in terms of "me". They just do. I worry that seeing him will jolt their thought process..He's in a casket, he isn't wearing wings, wait, this isn't right...this is going to happen to me!" Somehow I don't think they're old enough to be able to understand spiritual from physical. I sure hope Sarah changes her mind.
Well.. here's Bonnie, more later!
September 02, 2005
Mallory had DinaRina...
...but she's better now. The kids said a thousand things that made me laugh, I wish I'd written them down, now I can't remember what they were. The past couple of weeks have gone by so quickly, the days just seemed to meld together.
Bonnie just left, she's off for the next couple of days. Sarah just got a new job and starts in the morning. She's going to be a poop-scooper. hehe.. Bonnie's a human poop-scooper, and Sarah's gonna be a critter poop-scooper! What are the chances of a mother giving the world 2 of the best poop-scoopers possible? *grins* Sorry, girls, I couldn't resist, I'm proud of you both!
I have lost track of Maegan's daily pictures for the first month of her life. I think I have a couple of days worth on my camera, but as for the others, I just don't know...I don't have them. :( I'm sorry Maegan.
Mom cracked me up over Joel the other day. She came to get him for a while...no...wait, that was today that she came on purpose to get him...the other day, she came to see me and he wouldn't let her leave without him...anyway...she went to the store and at the cash register, he started whispering all straight faced, to the cashier, "I see dead people." Mom said the cashier leaned towards him and smiling, said, "What did you say, sweety?"...to which he replied again, "I see dead people."
Now Joel says this without a twinkle in his eye, no smile on his face, he's as serious as a heart attack. When he says it, you give pause and think...'this l'il guy means it, he's seeing dead people. It's very creepy. *laughs* well...
The cashier backed away and looked at mom and said, uh.. what's he saying. Mom said the woman heard him correctly and confirmed it for her... The woman asked, "why does he say that? I've never heard a little one say anything like that before..." Mom went on to tell her that it was just a joke, and the woman said, "Boy I bet you don't keep him overnight, do you?" The she proceeded to shiver. Mom just cracked up repeating this to me, and I have to say I got a good laugh out of it too, as well as Joel. He LOVES people's reactions to him when he says that. He says it 100x's a minute to mom, because she mock shrieks and backs away, saying, "no! NOoooo!". Joel gets a kick out of that.
Amanda, I swear, I'm not sick. *coughs*
Okay, you all know that Mikyla is my own personal "Wednesday"...now I can boast about having my own little "Pugsley" as well.
I.....Am.....Not.....Sick!! ha ha!
But really...hasn't the weather been just lovely lately?
Mikyla is doing great in school.. She doesn't cry in the mornings anymore, she seems to have adjusted just fine. Thank God. She was supposed to go on a field trip tomorrow, but it's been cancelled due to the new gasoline price hike. She was disappointed, but there will be another field trip for her one of these days.
She and Mallory are sleeping here tonight. I get them up and Sarah comes to get them ready on the mornings that I have them. They don't get to do it much on school nights, but once in a while Sarah lets them. We all enjoy that.
I'm trying to keep this post light. I have the news on, and the tragedy in New Orleans is heartbreaking. The mayor is desperately begging "S.O.S." Good Lord, it's overwhelming. Good Lord. It sucks to feel so helpless in the face of so much suffering.
Meli, thank you for the card, that was too neat! *hugs you* I have missed you too! Very much! How on earth do you remember special dates like that? I need to know when your birthday is too!
Lydia, when are you coming in to go on a hunt with me? Bonnie be damned, (not really, just a figure of speech) I wanna go next time!! hehe!
Oh, I forgot to tell everyone. I'm gonna be rich soon. This lady emailed me, her aunt died in this sudden plane crash and they can't find her heirs and there's a kazillion dollars in this swiss account that they can't release except to me, because I gave her my bank account number so they could put it all in there, and all I have to do is send them back a little percentage for being so nice and fibbing that I'm the heir. *laughs* yeah right...
My back hurts. Bonnie gave me a neck massage last week and I think she broke my muscles. I haven't been able to move well since. If I recollect correctly the last time she gave me a neck massage, I couldn't move for almost 3 months.
Lisa and Nick stopped by this evening, so did Mom and Dad. We all had a nice visit. Dad so hates coming in here, because now that the floor is done, he has to take off his shoes or mom would kill him, and he so hates that. I just wish he'd take them off at his own house so mom's floor wouldn't take a beatin'.
We're trying to get the house to rights, Stan's sister is coming in for a visit in a few days.
Thanks everyone, for the birthday ecards and letters...I love ya!!
It's getting late, I have to get now, take care, and above all, stay safe.
September 01, 2005
Way to Go, Mr. Bush...
Gasoline is at an all-time high. Way to go! We have a really neat housing bubble fixing to happen. Again, way to go! We're at war with the Middle-East, that's really something you should be proud of, way to go, way to go, way to go! The cost of living is up, stock (except for the gasoline and fuels/energy) is down.. Way to go! The unemployment rate jumped sharply the past few months, http://fortress.wa.gov/esd/portal/julyuistats - so I can see that you're "working" on it - way to go! Suicide among the elderly is up, talk about your social security reform, way to go! My hat's really off to you, way to frickin'-go!! I'm just sitting on the edge of my seat, watching with wonder, just biting my nails, waiting to see what the hell you're going to do to us next. Way to go.
My God
It's been 5 days. Katrina has destroyed so much. Where is the relief for those people, 5 days is a long time. 5 days. Christ. Did it take that long to help the people who went through the Tsunami back in December? Kate, I hope you're okay wherever you are.