Lessons learned

It has been said you are never too old to learn. Ed and I found this out the hard way last night...

We decided we were tired of Thanksgiving food and wanted something different. So we loaded up and headed out in search of a yummy, healthy meal. But since we live in the hills of Arkansas, that wasn't possible. Instead we wheeled into Taco Bell. The line was really long, but hey, it's better than getting out and going in, right? So, we waited thru the line, ordered our food, waited some more and then began the first lesson...

Ed reached for his wallet...not there...he looked at me and of course I began to fuss at him for driving without his license and not having any money...and then lesson two started...

I reached for my purse, all the while still fussing at him, started digging around and...no billfold...oops...it seems I had been Christmas shopping from the comfort of my sofa and had failed to return my wallet to my purse...

So, it was our turn at the window and we have to tell this very young girl, she couldn't have been over 12, that we did not have any money. And that is exactly what Ed said to her. Not, we forgot our wallets, but that we didn't have any money! Talk about humiliation...We asked her to hold the food while we went home to get money, but she said we should just come back thru and reorder, because the food would probably be soggy by the time we returned. Ed suggested that she could just let us take the food and come back to pay for it...yeah right Ed, I bet she has never heard that one before. She declined his request.

So, we drove away, food less and hungry, came all the way back home, got the money and headed back. I couldn't decide if I wanted her to be there or not. If she was there, at least she would know we were honest, but really, I didn't want to have to face her again. A very nice young man was at the window when we returned, we paid, got our food and learned a couple of valuable lessons.

1. Always make sure you have your wallet and money before getting in a drive-thru line for food.

2. If there is a possibility you didn't do #1, DO NOT chastise your partner for not doing it. Remember, what goes around, comes around...

Class dismissed.

It's a....BOY!

Well, it's official, God has a sense of humor! After only raising daughters( and doing a pretty good job, if I do have to say so myself)I am now going to have 2 Grandsons! Number 2 will be here in April.




I have so much to learn...because I don't care what you say, boys and girls are different. I know girls, baby dolls, kitchen sets, ballet classes, pretty little hairbows, frilly dresses...I know girls!

Going to need some help with these little boys, but I can't wait to know them as well as I know their Mommies!! So excited for this wonderful adventure. I am sure there will be trucks, bugs and all sorts of new things in my future.

Bring it on, this Nonnie is ready!!

The turkey that almost wasn't...

This year I brought half my house and groceries to the Baby Girl's house in the big city. She had to work and couldn't come home for Thanksgiving, so of course we loaded up and came to her. Our Tahoe looked like some of the vehicles you might see in The Grapes of Wrath...As my husband likes to say, I bring everything but the kitchen sink and after trying to wash dishes in Baby Girl's sink, I may bring that next time..but back to the turkey that almost wasn't.

Cooking was going fairly well. My goal was a 2:00pm meal, which of course meant we would be eating between 3 and 4. The turkey was cooking in the roaster in the garage and was finally ready to come out. Kaci came out to help me get it on to the platter and that's when things went way south...as in the bird went south...not quite as far as it could have gone, but let's just say it went places you would not want your beautiful bird to go. After overcoming our shock, we scooped him up, tried to straighten him out (his little body was a little crooked)carried him back into the house and surveyed the damage. It was decided that we would slice him up and no one would be the wiser.

And they weren't.

Until now....

Pray for the Christmas turkey...

We may just have ham...

Sickly....

That is how I have been feeling lately. Pretty much since we came home from Texas.

It started with a headache on Thursday that turned into a migraine. No fun...It was still lingering on Friday and the rash on my face came back. I have found thru research that the headaches I have been having more frequently may be related to the Lupus. Haven't been having as many issues with the rash, thanks to the Plaquenil and staying out of the sun, but it seems to be making a comeback.

Now I am dealing with a cough and some heaviness in my chest. Since I know lung issues are one of the big things with Lupus, I don't want to let this turn into something that could have been avoided. So I will see my Dr. tomorrow and hopefully get meds to combat it.

In between the sick, we have been busy getting our house ready for Christmas. It is a huge mess right now, but I know it will all come together in time for every one's arrival. And if it doesn't, oh well, the most important thing is we will all be together. I can hardly wait!

Halloween and other things...

My goodness this year is speeding by. Halloween has come and gone and Thanksgiving will be here before we know it. And of course Christmas is just around the corner. AHHHHHH, will I get everything done before everyone gets here? Knowing me, probably not. But I will give it my best effort. I did manage to get the wallpaper down, kitchen painted and a few other things done so far. But there is so much left to do...

Oh well, on to more fun things. Pictures of my kiddo's on Halloween. None of them were together, but it sure looks like they all had fun. Of course this being Oliver's very first Halloween made it extra special. Enjoy!

Crazy few weeks

It for sure has been a crazy few weeks. So much going on, I don't know where to start and I am quite sure I will not remember everything, but here goes...

Kari arrived on Monday evening (10-4)after driving all the way from Cincy. It was so wonderful to have her here for a few days. I had potato casserole waiting for her, along with Cindy's Made Right sandwiches. We ate on the deck and christened our new fire pit that Cindy and Tracy gave us. We made smores and they were yummy!
Tuesday we tackled the wallpaper in the dining room. At first it was very slow going, but then my sweet neighbor Kaye came over, gave us some tips and before you knew it we were on a roll. We didn't get to finish because on Wednesday we started our journey to Hachie, with a few stops along the way. We saw Cindy and my Dad, then drove on to OKC to spend the night with Kaci. Unfortunately we were late, so she was a little perturbed with us, but we made it up to her.


On Thursday, we met my Dad at the hospital for his radiation seeding. He did well, but after the procedure, Kari had to stay 5 ft. away from him! He was radioactive and will remain that way for a few months. We left the hospital around 1pm, met Kaci for a yummy lunch, went back to her house, got our things and Paisley, returned some things to Hobby Lobby for Kaci and headed south. About 20 miles south of Norman, I had the bright idea that we should have just stayed with Kaci that night instead of going to Dallas, so we called her, told her what we were thinking, turned around and drove all the way back to her house! I am so glad we did, we had a fun night and made some memories.

Friday, we actually made it to Waxahachie. We stopped by the school and saw John Aune, then met Ed at the hotel. And we waited...and waited... for Alissa and Oliver to get back from Austin! They were stuck in horrible traffic and a 2 1/2 hour trip turned into a 5 hour trip. They were both exhausted by the time they finally made it back to Mike and Cindy's house. Ed and I picked up Chicken Express (our Friday night before game dinner)and got to the Poynor's as fast as we could. Finally after 7 weeks I had that sweet baby boy in my arms! Oh my goodness, he is so precious and he had changed so much. I just couldn't put him down. Of course I had to share him with his Aunties, but I held him as much as I could. I would have taken him back to the hotel if his Mommy would have let me...

Saturday we visited with friends, had a great lunch with my 4th daughter Somer and heard her wonderful news (not at liberty to share, but hopefully soon) : ) We watched some football and held Oliver.

Sunday we took some pictures in Getzendaner Park, visited with Mrs. Cope and then it was time to leave. It was soooo hard to leave that little boy. And a very long drive home...








Kari left on Monday, so happy to have had a week to spend with her. I got busy on the wallpaper and had it almost completely done by the time Ed came home. He helped with a few areas I couldn't reach well and by that evening the only thing that remained was behind the fridge. Good thing too, because my dull headache became a migraine and I was down for the count on Tuesday. This was one of the worst I have had in a while. Finally started feeling better Wednesday evening. Thursday I finished the kitchen and started the half bath. It is almost done, just the areas behind the stool and sink that I need help with. Yayyyy!

And that brings us to today. Didn't sleep well last night, so today may not be as productive as I had hoped. But we will see.

Whewww, sorry this was so long, that's what happens when I take time off and don't write a little every day. Hopefully I will be better about writing in the future.

Kitty freakout and the resulting carnage...

So, as we lay peacefully in bed last night watching Mad Men, Puddy,for reasons still unknown, decided to completely freak out, scramble across my face, over Ed and off the bed. The picture below is the result of his panic attack.



I have since found several scratches on my scalp as well, thankfully they are hidden by my hair...

On a happier note, Kari is on her way!! She is staying with me a few days and then we will go to Texas and see the Poynors! Oh, who am I kidding, we are going to see Oliver!! : ) Getting to see his Mommy and Daddy is important too, but I haven't seen that sweet boy since he was 3 weeks old and now he is 2 months!

Kaci will come down on Friday after she gets off work. This will be the first time the five of us have been in Texas together since... well, I can't remember since when, it has been that long. Very excited to spend the weekend with my girls!!