Winter and Elvis

Today was a fairly busy day for me. I went into town and that always takes up some time. I didn't accomplish anything here at the house though except that I got all the Christmas boxes full of decorations put up. And I did manage to straighten up the back porch some.
The weather man said we had one more day of spring-like weather before old man winter set in. (January is our coldest month) I dread the cold. Late this afternoon Kevin and I played in the yard for a long time and then my husband went out to start up the grill for some porterhouse that I had for our supper. I went out to where my husband was cooking and the following conversation pursued between husband and myself.

Me: Can you believe it? Here it is January 8, Elvis' 74th birthday, and here we are outside; Kevin with no shirt on, me in a pair of shorts and sandals and it is in the 80's.

Husband: So what does Elvis' 74th birthday and being warm have to do with anything?"

Me: I rolled my eyes at him and huffed Men! Don't you know Elvis' birthday and being warm has everything to do with one another." It is an oxymoron don't you see? Elvis' 74th birthday, that means it is January. January means it is winter. We are outside, Kevin is shirtless, I'm in shorts, it is spring weather! Like I said it is an oxymoron, Elvis' birthday and the warm weather.

Husband: All I know is you are talking like a moron. Is the rest of supper ready? Steaks about done.
I went in and thought about what I had just said and decided it was one of two things. Either I was tired or I was a moron.

Happy Birthday Elvis.
Janeta

Vocabulary

At the end I am going to ask for your help. This is very important and I hope everyone that reads this will give me a little help here.

Since it was such a pretty day yesterday after I picked my baby up from preschool we didn't even go in the house. Instead we just spent a couple of hours in the back yard playing. First he drove around in his battery charged blue Ford F-150 pickup, while I sat at the picnic table reading a newsletter.

What is this look all about! I'm not going to steal

that orange you're eating on little boy!

Then my baby climbed on top of his little picnic

and said "I'm king of the mountain!"

While I sat and the picnic table thinking solemn

thoughts and taking pictures.

After all that the little "cowboy" walked right up

to the picnic table, smiled and said

"Let's play pleeeeeeze?"

While I sat there and smiled back and took

pictures and thought about vocabulary.

Yes, you heard me right. I said vocabulary. Now what does that have to do with an afternoon of playing outside after school? Nothing. But that is what I was thinking about. Vocabulary. I was thinking about that grinning little tyke up there and his vocabulary. Let me explain. He is only 3 and I think has a very good vocabulary. While his vocabulary might be quite large, I think it would be aventageous to and for him if he were to enlarge, grow, expand his vocabulary. So, I've thought what every-day, common words can I substitute, exchange or switch with synonyms that would help to make his vocabulary bigger uh, maybe I should say larger? (although he already uses large and small in place of big and little quite often).

Okay, so here is where your help comes in. I need for you to give me suggestions. No, let me rephrase that. I need for you to tell me what kind of words I could use and teach that would broaden an active all-boy three year olds vocabulary?

I have found myself saying things to him like this today: That is fabulous! (where I usually say great) And That was so gracious of you. (Instead of kind) I've sure been getting some wierd looks today too.

So all of you way out there help! Pulllleeeeeeze!

Janeta

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!