A Cool Kid

Meet our grandson.... This is him.


I've told you what a neat kid our youngest son is but I've never told you about our most wonderful Grandson? This picture was taken about a year and half ago when our grandson was ten. He is the coolest kid, cooler than Fonzie even! He is a straight A, honor roll student, very bright. Need I mention he is cute? He is cute, bright and cool and he knows it. You can tell, can't you?

Okay, enough of the bragging grandma stuff. Now, when you see a really cool kid walking down the street...you'll know it's my grandson. Just say eyyyyy.

Yea Horns! They whopped the dog fire out of OSU Monday night. Hope I didn't offend anyone out there.
Janeta

For some reason I can't up load any photos into my blog. Is there a problem with Blogger? So, until I can, I hope you are satisfied with just me...words.

For the past five months we've been going back and forth about adding on to our house and enlarging the kitchen, pantry and utility rooms or do we simply remodel. Since we are in the construction business you would think that would be a fairly easy decision for us to make. Really I think it makes it harder for us to decide...you see we know too much! My husband says to me something like; we can add on this many feet and remove that wall. That gives me an idea and I say something like and yeah! that would mean we could do this or that. Then we change our minds again. In the mean time nothing gets done.

This all started because we need a new roof. No, let me restate that. This all started because we are going to have to have a new roof. If we add onto the house we still have to have a new roof. If we don't add on and just remodel we still have to have a new roof. If we don't get a new roof we will have the rain pouring in...if we ever get any rain that is.

Well, we decided to add on. January 1 we spent a couple of hours drawing the floor plans for our new addition. We were so well pleased. Then we calculated a ball park figure of what it was going to cost us. (Several thousands of dollars) That night I went to bed and couldn't sleep, because my mind kept thinking about this addition we were fixing to start in the next couple of weeks. That is when I thought to myself, "We are crazy here we've been talking about spending less and we've figured out today how to spend more than we can possibly afford and we are not doing the addition." January second I said to my husband last night I thought about the addition all night long." "So did I" he said. Then he added; "I don't think we should do it. We said we were going to start saving money and the addition is not saving money." After all these years together we do think just alike! Well, sometimes we do.

So, we have decided to add a porch onto the house that will solve most of our original issues and do some rearranging in our utility room and that will also address some things that need to be taken care of.

We are trying to decide what we are going to do first when. We are always doing some kind of project around this house. In the mean time...we still have to have a new roof.
Janeta

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

When the clock struck midnight last night and it officially became 2009 I was fast asleep in my warm bed. No midnight parties or celebrations for me. Just a nice warm bed with plenty of good sleep. My husband and I did laugh about our first New Year's Eve we spent together. We were newlyweds. We had only been married a month and a half. We along with my two younger sisters banged pot lids together at midnight to ring in the New Year. What fun we had! What a contrast to all these years later. Last night we had shrimp and salad to celebrate and then went to bed. Oh we did watch that new Will Smith DVD, Hancock...don't waste your money. At least that is how I feel about it. Maybe you like it, love it and want more of it. Not me. Anyway, back to the New Year. Today I am cooking the traditional (Southern tradition) blackeye peas (with hocks). To compliment that we are also having some collard greens and hocks and cornbread. The blackeye peas are suppose to bring good luck. I don't believe in luck but we do carry on the tradition. We were just raised that way. I don't think I've ever missed a year eating blackeye peas and if I did, I don't remember.

I don't make resolutions. I'm old enough and hopefully wise enough not to set myself up for failure. Instead what we do is make a list of things we want to accomplish or do as a family. We call it our work and play list. Actually we work on the list all year, not just at the beginning of the year. It works for us.
Janeta

The tale of a tired appliance shopper

You would never believe how incredibly busy the big city was today! It was like a Saturday afternoon at all the shopping places and the traffic...jeez Louise! Wild. That's all I can say.

Today we were appliance shopping. No, I will rephrase that. Today we were appliance buying. We have been doing the shopping for a few days now and finally made the decision and bought the appliances today. We brought two home one we will pick up next week. So, that means we will be busy tomorrow hooking up the new appliances.
One of the new appliances in a new dishwasher to replace my broken one. (I had it repaired 4 times last year and the last repair was the last repair.) I've been saving up dirty dishes to try out on the new dishwasher. I've got a couple of loads just waiting. Now, if that new little baby will clean these dishes...I'll know I got a good 'un.

We were out all day long and I'm a bone tired. We also went to Costco...my favorite store in all the world. We walked the whole store. We can't help ourselves, we always have to have something there. I did buy a nice Oster convection/toaster oven there. It wasn't for me although I would love to have one. I bought that for my son. (a bachelor) I didn't get him much of anything at all for Christmas and I overheard him say he really wanted a new toaster oven since his had quit.

I bought a lot of appliances today, spent lots of money, and I'm worn out. I'm tired like I said so I think I'll head on over to the poor house and see if they have a bed for me to get a few winks in.
Janeta

Where have I been these past several days you ask. I have been laying up in bed, resting, with the servants serving me fudge and eggnog. You don't believe that? Well, would you believe I've been cooking, baking, shopping, going to Christmas programs and just spending time with my family....well a picture is worth a thousand words. Isn't that what they say? So, here is what I've been doing the past few days...in pictures.

First we went to the "North Pole"

It is a fun, fun, fun place for little kids.

This is Kevin at the "North Pole"

Then we decorated the Christmas tree.

We made lots and lots of Christmas cookies.

We read and re-read Christmas story books.

We participated in and went to Christmas programs.

Pay no attention to the little boy with his hands in his mouth.

He was suppose to be Mary's donkey but l

lost his ears some where along the way.

Then we played Santy Claus and rode
bicycles and ate a whole bunch...too much.

That my friends is what we've been doing these past several days and weeks and month! Oh, we've been having fun. But now that you've found me, I'll spend more time at the blog. Promise.

Janeta

Eight Days Till Christmas

I've really had problems lately with computers. If it isn't one thing it is another. Anyway, here I am on a different computer than usual and it has issues too, so I'm just happy to be here. Although, I can't post any photos and I've taken some cute ones lately. Oh well...

We have bought our tree, got it up in the stand and now we are just letting it fluff. Tomorrow night we will decorate it. Kevin got a little (live) tree for his room. It is on his dresser, decorated and soooo cute. We are going to plant it somewhere in the yard and then pray that it lives!

I live way down in South Texas. I mean if I left in the morning and headed south I could have dinner (lunch) in Mexico. I said that so you will understand why it is so cold to me today. Our high was only 38 and it is getting down into the 20's tonight. It is super cold. Thank God it is a dry cold!

Okay, so now you know why I've not been around much, that I'm still behind schedule and it is cold where I live. 'Nuff said. Besides I know no more to say. It is too cold to stay out here in this cold room. I'm going into the living room where there is warmth!

Janeta

Two Short Weeks

In two short weeks the fat old man in a red suit will be sliding down my chimney. Maybe. If I don't get on the ball soon and start Christmas shopping there may be nothing 'neath our tree! Our ribbons might be as empty as the cute puppy in this picture.

We don't have our Christmas tree up yet. We are buying a real tree this year. I want a Noble Fir. We have not had a real tree in about 5 or 6 years now. It's time. Oh the smell! That is the best part of a real Chrirstmas tree...the smell. Now...if we can only get the tree up before that little old fat man in the red suit slides down the chimney.
Janeta

A Day of Play

I'm going to go play now.

May I come play too?

Here I go.

Up, Up, Up.

Oh, Oh. I made it to the top!

Oh! This is fun! Whewwwwww.
Here I come!
(Notice shoes on wrong feet. )



Please, I wanna play with you! Can I slide too?
Please, Please Please! Oh, just gimme some lovin'


Okay Happy, but just wait one dog gone second, will ya?
I need to give Miss Kitty some lovin' too.

Oh, I give up.

Nobody loves me. Nobody will play with me.

Hey! Hey there Tigger! You wanna play?

Well, time to go! See you later. Mama said I

to put my shoes on the right feet and

come inside and get some shorts on.

She's tired of looking at my underwear.

Come on over an' play.

Happy and I are waiting for you. Miss Kitty too!

IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR

It's that time of year when the word busy doesn't even begin to describe the amount of activity that goes on at our house! The older baby boy gets the busier we will get! Just for starters here is his activity calendar for this last month of '08. (This doesn't even include my personal or my husband's personal activities!)

Dec 4 - Bake cookies
Dec 5 - Make Christmas fudge
Dec 6 - Shoes for St. Nick
Dec 8 - Decorate inside of house
Dec 10-Make the gingerbread train
Dec 11 - Go to North Pole (local attraction for kids, of all ages)
Dec 12 - Put up Christmas tree
Dec 13 - Christmas Parade
Dec 23 - Ride around county look at Christmas lights/decorations
Dec 24 - Santa Claus Comes
Dec 25 - Christmas
Dec 26 - Play all day with new toys, eat candy and other Christmas junk.

Okay, I'm tired now. Time for a nap.

Random Thoughts of Insanity

Today I am going to watch the movie Little Women. Don't know why, but it is a Christmas movie to me and I always kick off my personal Movie Christmas Watching Season with Little Women. Why is it personal? No one else in this house will watch it with me...my husband is NOT into chick flicks. That's what he calls it.

Last week I was sick. Now my sister has the crud. I am trying to talk her into coming and spending a few days with me when she gets to feeling better. She would have fun doing Christmas activities with Kevin (she is Kevin's Grandma.) Yes! my sister is my son's Grandma. Now y'all go figure. I'll explain someday. Maybe.

Today is colder than a well digger (as we say in these parts) Why is it the older I get, the colder I get? I don't really care, I just wanna stay warm. I just sang that to the tune of Cyndi Lauper's 'Girls just wanna have fu-un. I sang it in my mind that is. Better left in the mind! I can't carry a tune.

Kevin only wants Santa to bring one thing for Christmas. He calls it a "Mickey Mouse garage car with upstairs" I haven't found one, whatever it is. He sees it on commercials that run on the kids networks. Any of y'all know where to find them? Target? Sears? Walmart? Toys R Us? Anybody with any clues? Santy Claus where are you? I need your help!!!

I cut out enough holly leaves for Kevin's next craft project to cover the moon this morning or at least my hands feel like I cut out enough holly leaves to cover the moon. Well, maybe not enough to cover the moon. Maybe enough to cover a small town? Don't believe that either? Well, how about enough to cover a room? No? Well how about enough to cover a paper plate to make a Christmas wreath? You buy that? Good.


Last night I got the cutest video of Kevin. He was taking a bath singing "Jingle Bells" and laughing. Now when I figure out how to get the thing downloaded and onto this here blog, I might do that so you can enjoy it too. Cute and funny too.

Janeta