Don't Know Much...

So it's the Friday after Thanksgiving.  You know, the one they call Black Friday.  We didn't really go Black Friday shopping but....

We went to Springfield to take the boat to Tracker Marine Service Center so it could be winterized.  We dropped the boat off at 10.  That is way early to eat lunch, so what is a person supposed to do for that hour?  Well, of course they should go to Bass Pro.  Yes, we did.  We got a couple of Christmas gifts, but mostly we got some good stuff for Steve.  He got a new lined denim jacket.   I really like it.  The stuff that we really wanted was not on sale.  We will be in Springfield in Dec. for a couple of doctor appointments.  It was not really crowded at Bass Pro.  We had a good time.  After that, we went to the Quilt Sampler.  I thought I was going to buy some fabric, but once I got in the store, I wasn't in the mood to buy any new material.  Don't get me wrong, they have a large selection of beautiful fabric.  I just was unprepared.  I don't do well with on the spot fabric purchases unless I simply LOVE the material.  That didn't happen today.  We met Elizabeth and Justin at Buckinghams on Sunshine.  They didn't eat since they just finished breakfast.  We had a nice visit.  We came home after lunch.

Since it was a nice day,  Aubree and I went bike riding on the Frisco Trail.  It was a blast.  We took my hybrid and Aubree's bike.  She had to pedal herself today.  We went 2 miles up and 2 miles back.  She did a great job.  She was a little freaked at the beginning because there was a little drop off on the sides of the trail.  It is about 8-10 feet wide.  She rode in the middle until she got some confidence about riding near the edge.  She was leader most of the way.  We stopped and rested on mile 2.  Fortunately, there was a nice bench for us to sit on.  We stayed there a little while.  When we were getting ready to leave, a twin engine plane flew right over our heads a little above tree top level.  The trail is next to the old Springfield Airport.  We loved that.  The way home was a little tougher than the way back.  We stopped several times to rest and get drinks.  We did bring our Camelbaks.  We did push our bikes a little ways so give our legs a break.  We had a wonderful time.  On the way home in the car, Aubree ate her apple and mine.  She fell asleep right as I pulled into the garage.  She was pooped.  I think she will want to go again.  

I came home and worked on a sewing project.  I also finished watching the LSU/Arkansas game.  It was a good one.  Steve went to Joplin to do some errands.  We met at the Mexican Restaurant in town for supper.  We had to wake Aubree to go.  She was cranky at first, but once she started telling Opa about our ride, she snapped out of it.

We are home now watching the Pitt and W. VA game.  We are trying to decide what games we want to watch tomorrow.  There are so many good ones to pick from.

I think I will be going to bed early.  I have not warmed up from the bike ride so I think a hot bath is on the agenda.  Then I will snuggle up and go to sleep.  Steve accused me of being a bed hog last night.  He only had a tiny space to sleep in.  I guess I will have to be more aware of my body position as I sleep.  I don't want to be accused of hogging again tonight.  You see I think it is because he has been getting up and going to the front room.  When he is gone, I can spread eagle.  I must think he is gone all night and just start grabbing my space before he leaves.  So, really this is all his fault.  I never did this before he started leaving and hitting the chair.  So you see, he really brought this whole issue on himself.  :)

Steve has been feeling quite well the past couple of days.  He did great at Thanksgiving.  He ate so much I thought he might blow up like a dog tick.  He did fall asleep in the chair for a little while, but it was not bad.  Today he did great.  He drove the car with the boat trailer to Springfield.  I drove after we dropped of the boat.  He right foot was really bothering him.  It hurt worse after we left Bass Pro.  He did comment tonight that he couldn't believe how sore it still was.  It doesn't surprise me since we did do quite a bit of walking around the store today.  He was wearing his good walking shoes, but they still will bother him.  Hopefully, tonight she will be able to rest and it won't keep him up.

Tomorrow it is supposed to be yucky and rainy.  They say the temps will be dropping all day.  I don't think there is any snow in the forecast.  I think we will just take it easy at home.  The only place we would go would be to Springfield. We were on the other side of town today and noticed some new restaurants that we wanted to try.  We might have to hit one of those for lunch tomorrow.  The only thing I ask is that we are home in time for the big MU/KU game.  If I wake up early enough, I will go to the gym, cut then again.....

Oh, Ozark was in a totally different place this morning.  He was hiding in the top of the evergreen tree that is in our front hallway.  She found him straight away.  She came  up the stairs, looked where he was yesterday, and then spotted him in the tree.  Opa was a little upset since he suggested the place to Ozark before Ozark made his trip to the North Pole.  Aubree was so excited that she found him and that he had a good report for Santa.  I am wondering where he will be in the morning.

The Little Things

Aubree

I have not posted for a couple of days.  For this I am sorry.  I really have no excuse except I have been busy and tired.  We did not have school on Wed.  I headed to Springfield to get my hair done.  I also did some shopping.  I did get a couple of Christmas presents, but it was starting to get a little crowed, so I stopped.  I am not much of a shopper anyway, but if you add a bunch of people in the mix, I am finished.  I have been going to be around 7:30 and sleeping way in, well, I'm not up at 4:30 so anything past that is called sleeping in.

Last night Wed., we had a visitor.  We had our first Elf on the Shelf.  If you do not know about this Christmas tradition, please allow me to fill you in.  It is an elf sent to our house by Santa.  This elf is adopted by our family.  We must name him and welcome him into our family.
Aubree named our elf Ozark.  At first she just thought it was silly because, "He's just stuffed, Oma."  We had a hard time explaining the rules to her because she did not believe.
1.  You must never touch your elf.
2.  He can only talk to adults, but he can listen to children.
3.  Every night he uses his elf magic to go to the North Pole to tell Santa about the children at the house. Were they naughty or nice?
4.  Each morning, Ozark will be in a different place watching.  The children must find him and tell them what they want Santa to know.
5.  He will stay until Christmas Eve and then he will go back to the NP to stay with Santa until Thanksgiving next year.

This is Ozark hiding in his firsts place this morning.  It is on top of the curtain rod in the kitchen.  It looks directly down on the table where Aubree eats breakfast everyday.  She really freaked out this morning when she came upstairs and Ozark was not in his box.  She ran all over the house looking for him.  I'll bet it took her 15 minutes to find him.  Once she did, she was soooooo excited about her elf and talked and talked to him.  I wonder where he will be in the morning?

Sitting on Grandma's step waiting for Parker.

We had Thanksgiving dinner at Grandma's at noon.  There were maybe 25 people there:  Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Doris, Uncle Melbert, Tim, Deb, Carly, Mike, Kaleb, Kyle, Lorna, Steve, Janie, Amelia, Jeff, Elizabeth, Justin, Aubree, David, Tammie, Zack, Krista, Parker, Brilynn,  and Sawyer.  It was not a huge crowd, but we had good food and excellent

Mike, Kyle, and Elizabeth after diner.

conversation.  I was in charge of some of the snacks for after dinner--chips, French onion dip, tortilla chips, Rotel cheese, and deer sausage.

Justin and Elizabeth

Jeff and Amelia

Tim and Mike


Today is the national day of giving thanks.  I think I have come to realize that it is not the great big things that we only need to be thankful for.  I believe we should be thankful for the little things too.  I mean having money,  a job, dear friends, a loving family, and a nice house are all great things to be thankful for, but what about the fact that I can sit at home on Thanksgiving night with the man I love and sip mint tea?  I am also thankful for the the warm slippers that I must put on everyday when I get home, the alarm on my phone that helps me remember to call Betty, and the little pull out drawer right below my bathroom sink where I keep my toothbrush (I just hate having a cup or bowl on the counter).  I know for a fact that I overlook things that I should be thankful for because I am so hung-up on the day to day "chores".  I must learn to stop and smell the flowers.


Koleen headed back to Columbia today.  She made it there safely.  She will be home again on the 16th.  She had to go back today because she has to work tomorrow at the quilt shop.  Working retail on Black Friday is a curse.  On Saturday, she will be going to the MU/KU game.  Lucky duck.  I am jealous of this.  I think it would be great to go to the game at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.  I hope that MU can win this one.  It would be a nice ending to the Big 12 if that is possible.  

I think tomorrow will be a peaceful day at our house.  I am going to sew.  I started a new project today.  I couldn't work on some of the projects because the people they were for were hanging around.  I started a lap quilt for my mother.  It is featuring a material that is all music notes, symbols, and things.  My mom is a music nut.  She play the organ at church and is very talented.  The other colors that I am using are based on browns.  I am using the new "tumbler" ruler that Koleen ordered from Missouri Star Quilts.  I cut out all the pieces today.  It went fairly quickly.  I think it will look good, or I hope it will look good.  She has a king size bed so there is no way I can possibly make a quilt for her bed.  I think a lap quilt will be just fine.  She can use it in her chair in the family room, or she can throw it over the foot of the bed.  I'll post some pictures as soon as it is more than a pile of pieces.

Full House

Today we had a full house.  Everyone was here:  Amelia, Aubree, Elizabeth, Koleen, Steve, and me.  We ate fried chicken, mashed potatoes, corn, and rolls.  We had a good visit.  Elizabeth's dog, Hunter, came too.  Samurai and Hunter run around like crazy.  Hunter is a small spaniel, and as you know, Samurai is an Akita.  Samurai loves to play with Hunter.  Hunter grabs Samurai's neck and drives Samurai crazy.  When Samurai has had enough, he simply pins Hunter down and lays on him.   It is pretty funny to watch.  They are good buds.

Steve has not felt well today.  He has spent a lot of the day resting.  He just feels yucky.  I know he is also fatigued.  He has had the chills several times.  We were lucky it was a rainy and cold day so it was the perfect lazing around day.  I did get a little nap in this afternoon before Koleen made it home.  I am going to go to bed early tonight since I must be at the gym by 5 so I can make coffee by 7.  You know you have to have your priorities.  :)

We had a pretty lazy day today.  I got up and went to the grocery story early.  I purchased all the stuff for several meals.  I fried chicken today, browned hamburger for chili and taco pizza, and browned stew meat.  I also made some olive spread for a snack.  I was busy, but it was a good kind of busy.  I told you last week that I liked to to this kind of stuff so I am not running around like an idiot during the week.  Koleen is going to be home until Thursday.  She is always complaining that we eat good stuff when she is not here, so I decided to make some of the things she likes.  I'll tell you a little secret.  I love the fried chicken chunks when they are cold.  They are my favorite breakfast.  Please don't tell Koleen because she thinks that I made them special for her.

Koleen got home about 3:00 this afternoon.  When she got home, we started to work on a sewing project that she wants to complete while she is home.  It is a quilt.  The material is beautiful.  It is made from a Charm Pack that she ordered online from Missouri Star Quilt Company.  I'll post a picture when it is finished.  You will be impressed with the improvements she has made in her sewing techniques.

Just so darn tired

I know I did not post last night.  As the title suggests, I was just so darn tired.  We ate chips, tacos and dip last night from the local Mexican place.  I picked them up on the way home.  We were finished with supper by 4:30.  After piddling around the house for a while, I hit the hay at 7:00.  I even missed the OK State/IA State game.  Of course, it was a great game.  Steven stayed up and watched it all.  I was zonked and didn't even make it through the first quarter.  What a wimp.

Steven had a good Friday.  He didn't do a whole lot.  Well, at least that he has admitted.  Using my Nate the Great detective skills, I know that he did spend some time on the mower mowing leaves.  Of course, he has no idea what I am talking about.  Here are the clues; tell me what you think.
1.  The mower's engine still smelled when I pulled into the garage.
2.  All the leaves on the side yard are gone and there is a big blow pile on the tall grass just at the border of our yard.
3.  He was freezing when I got home, and I had to do the warm blanket routine.
4.  He would not look me in the eye when I commented on how the wind is good to us and blew all the leaves out of the yard.
5.  Really stressed how bored he was in the afternoon.

Yes, the boy was on the mower!!!

Today we had a semi busy day.  We went to breakfast at the Red Barn.  After that, we traveled to Lockwood to get the deer meat.  This time we got deer sticks, tenderloins, deer sausage, and jerky.  The deer sticks are good.  Some of them have jalapenos and cheese mixed in them. We tried some.  Steve, Amelia and Jeff like them.  I think they are a little hot.  Some of the deer sausage has pepper Jack cheese in it too.  We have not tried any of it.  I have been taking two sticks of jerky with me for snacks at school. I really like it except it makes my jaw sore.  Yea, I know.  You would think since I am a jabber machine that there would be no way my jaws would get sore or tired :)  We did nap this afternoon.  You know how we enjoy those afternoon naps.  After that, we turned on the television and watched Missouri win and FINALLY become bowl eligible.  WEEE HAW!!  We have already eaten supper and are now lounging as we watch LSU kick Ole Miss' butt.  We are waiting until 7 so we can see OK play.

I have been going to the gym very regularly.  I went this morning and did the elliptical for 20 on what they call sports intervals. You know it is normal for 30 seconds and then kick butt for 30.  It really makes you sweat.  I also did my crunches and Romans then 5 minutes of cool down.  I had a really nice visit with the lady that owns the gym.  We talked about my changes and her weight loss for the BJ tournament last weekend.  She is really in great shape.  She has mongus shoulders.  I was very impressed. They had a BJ seminar today, and she told me I should stay.  ARE YOU KIDDING ME?  No way!  I would like to watch them practice or at a tournament.  I think it is like wrestling.  I was a huge wrestling fan when I was in high school.  Go HORNETS!!!!  Well, honestly, that was probably because I was in love with one of the wrestlers.  I loved to watch him wrestle; even though, I hated the little outfit he wore.  He was actually very good.  The best part was when the ref would slam the mat when he pinned his opponent. I think he is now an organic chicken farmer north of Kansas City.  I guess God knew what he was doing.  I would not be a very good chicken farmer's wife. Boy, life was good in high school!!!

This coming week is going to be a short week at school.  We go Monday and Tuesday.  This will be wonderful.  In my class we are writing our rough drafts of our research papers.  I must brag on my sixth graders.  They did a wonderful job on their bibliographies.  I now have no hair, but they rocked. Bibliographies are difficult for kids.  It is a skill that I introduce and hopefully they master in sixth grade.  It is a lost skill since there are so many websites that do it for you now.  Research is a new skill too.  I believe until 6th grade, they simply master and practice the skill of plagiarism.   The old read and copy!  Another hard skill that we work on is reliable sources.  Kids think that anything that looks like an authority, must be.  They simply hit Google and then explore the first two sites listed.  I did tell them if they used Wikkipedia that I would flunk them.  Oh well, if they knew everything, I would be out of a job.  I did have a past student tell me this year at parent teacher conferences that the stuff I taught him in 6th grade helped him in his high school and college class.  Who could ask for a better compliment....mission accomplished.

Did I mention that I am reading Hold Still the banned book I blogged about maybe last week.  Talk about a great book!  I love this one.  I am about 7/8 of the way through it.  It has dropped the F-bomb about 8 times.  It does talk a little about sex, but no descriptions, just that the girl regretted choices she made.  I find this book very touching.  I would guess that it is very realistic and the feelings and emotions in this book are pretty true to life in these situations.  The lead character's best friend kills herself.  The book is about her struggle to deal with the loss, deal with the reactions of everyone around her, deal with finding new friends, and life in general.  She was unaware that her friend was so depressed; therefore, totally shocked at her best friend's death.  One thing the book has taught me is the role that teachers play in students' lives.   The girl was counting on her favorite teacher to help her though the school year, but the teacher simply ignored her.  The teacher was also having a very difficult time dealing with the death.  I do think it tugs at the readers emotions, but it also gives hope that no matter how bad things are, it can get better.

8000 hits of Pea Goulash

Do you believe it?  8000 hits.  It is a Pea Goulash miracle.  Thanks everyone!

Steve had his chemo today.  He took himself.  I am so proud of him.  He had an appointment with Faith.  All his test results came back good.  As usual he is really fatigued tonight.  I barely got him awake to eat supper.  He didn't eat much.   He was freezing when he went to rest that I had to heat a blanket for him in the dryer.  I just love warm blankets.  Sometime when he is on the steroids, the gets so hot he can hardly stand it.  Sometimes he freezes and can't get warmed up.  Tonight was a freezing night.  I will probably heat another blanket for him before I go to bed.   I know he will sleep all night long.  He may have to move to the chair, but he will still sleep most of the night.

I am a little upset tonight.  I suppose by now everyone knows that Gary Pinkel was picked up on a DUI.  Here is a link to the story encase you have not heard the news.

http://campuscorner.kansascity.com/node/2244

He is being punished according to the article.  I'm not sure I agree with the consequences.  I'll have to think about them over night.  I'm not sure it is harsh enough.  I know $300,000.00 is a lot of money to us, but when you make 2.35 million a year it is just a splash in the pond.  Also no bonus if we go to a bowl.  Well, the rate we are going this year, he will not have to worry about that.  vI also am not sure that a one week suspension is fair.  You know some players were suspended for 2 games in 2010 for an alcohol related incident.  I think if a coach is going to make an example out of players, he should at least have the same or worse consequences than his players.  But like I said, I must think about it more before I make my mind up.  I am just heartbroken that we have to deal with these kind of issues with Gary.

I didn't post last night because I was soooo tired.  We went out to eat after school at the Red Barn.  You will never believe that it was snowing and sleeting.  We did have school today...no snow days yet.  I did look at the Farmer's Almanac; it does not look good.   It talks about heavy snow storms.  The almanac had an interesting article about a thing called arctic oscillation.  It is the phenomena that causes our weather.  Here's the link if you want to read it.

http://www.farmersalmanac.com/weather/2011/11/14/arctic-oscillation-meet-el-ninos-cold-cousin/

Promise kept

It has been a long time coming, but here is the picture that Uncle Al sent me after my March 24 post.  I finally had my friend scan it for me so I could post it.  I just love how his hat is cocked to the side.  He sent me a story about showing cattle, and I thought I posted it, but I can't find it anywhere in my posts .  I am wondering if I lost the original letter when I switched email accounts.  Sorry for now, but I will keep looking.  Now that I know my friend can scan photos for me, I will find some other fun ones that are not digital to post.  If you have some you want posted, send them to me, and I will see that they are posted.  You might have to include a story to go along with it. 

Steve had a good day today.  He got his hair cut around 9 this morning.  Talk about "Hubba, hubba."  But you must remember, girls, he is all mine.  :)  Before he got his hair cut, he took Samurai to the groomers for a play date.  Samurai had a wonderful time.  Come to find out, his date was with one of my dear friend's dog, Jackie.   They had a wonderful time and have now committed to play every other Tuesday at 8.  They did learn that they should give the dogs the bath after the date because Samurai tends to slobber all over the little dogs when he plays with them.  I guess when some people see Samurai, they are intimidated by his size.  He is just a teddy bear.  After the play date and hair cut, the boys just hung out around the house.  The house was picked up and cleaned when I got home.  My little  Susie Homemaker was at work again.  He even fixed supper.  He is grilling burgers.  He loves to grill, but you already knew that.  He also fixed tater tots and grilling beans.  I am so lucky.  I am glad that he is feeling much better.  He actually looks like he feels well too.  His chemo is Thursday morning early.  I believe he will take himself again.  His appointment is with Faith.  He should have a scan after this chemo and an appointment with Dr. Hoos in about 3 weeks.  

My day went well.  I did go to the gym this morning.  My trainer, Scott, told me it was time for a new routine.  I met with him this afternoon after school.  He told me he couldn't believe how good I was looking and how hard I was working.  I now have a new routine.  It will be more difficult than the last.I will definitely have to be at the gym by 5 so I can get all my daily routine finished and get to school on time.  He put all legs on one day and all upper body on one.  This means about 5-6 machines a day. I now do three sets, but I have 5 hard minutes on the elliptical between each set.  I am also doing the crunch machine and the Romans everyday now instead of just 3 times a week.  He said I should really notice a difference with adding the cardio.  I also need to increase my weights.   He was proud with the improvements I have made and told me to keep up the good work.  Scott is a really nice guy.  I feel very fortunate that my gym offers the service he provides.  Who knows, maybe by spring I will be able to tackle a combat fit class. 

I did receive an email from Betty today.  She did it.  She was so proud of herself for logging on and sending me the mail.  I am very proud of her too.  

I have been watching The Big Bang Theory since 7.  It is 3 hours of fun.  I just love this show.  The boys remind me of the guys I grew up with in high school except we played Risk and smoked cigars.  Those were the days.

Garys

We had Garys for supper tonight.  They are filled pasta shells.  Aubree loved them. She asked where I got them, and I told her the Crusty Crab.  I told her Squidward sold them to me, and Patrick was washing dishes.  She asked where Mr. Crabs and SpongeBob were.  I told her they were eating at the Chum Bucket.
     "No way!  The Chum Bucket is gross!"  she said.
     "I think SpongeBob was at his driving lesson with Miss Puff," I added.
     "You are right, Oma.  Mr. Crabs was probably trying to feed Pearl."
It is a shame that we can talk in such depth about SpongeBob.  In fact, Opa was part of the discussion.  He loves Squidward.  I think they can relate because sometimes they both are crabby.  :) All I have to say is we are eating and talking as a family at suppertime.  Trying to keep up the communication between the generations.

Not much happened today.  Steve took it easy and rested.  He did go up to Lockwood to get the jerky, sausage...from the first deer.  I have not had any, but he says it is yummy.  I will try some tomorrow.  He seems to be feeling ok.  He has a hair appointment tomorrow morning.  Always must look good!  He is kind of taking it easy since chemo is Thursday.  I called and made the December appointment with Dr. P.  It will have been a year since our last visit with him.  The receptionist remembered me, and we had a nice catch-up visit.  They always treated us well.  He has to have an x-ray before his appointment.  It is Dec. 16.  I will go with him since we have not visited with Dr. P in a year.  We will catch him up and hopefully, he will have good news for us.    Steve is already crashed in bed.  He has Choppers on, but he is sound asleep.  I think sometimes doing nothing makes him just as tired as keeping busy.  I know he sometimes does not listen to his body and when it has had enough, it just sleeps.

I went to Betty's after school.  I helped her set up her gmail account.  She had one, but since she did not use it enough, they deleted it.  I got her a new one.  She was really excited.  I am going to send her an email as soon as I am done posting.  Her "assignment" is to check her email in the morning and to reply to my email.  We practiced several times tonight, but doing it on her own makes her nervous.  She is afraid she will not do it right and cause problems.  Computers are difficult for her to understand.  I can't imagine what technology will be around when I am 90 years old.  I only hope I am willing to learn and explore.  She is such a good friend.  I think it is a blessing that we were brought together when I started working at the Vets Home.  Who would have ever guessed?  The "mailman" asked her today if I was her daughter.  She said, "No, she is my best friend."  That made me feel wonderful.  I think of her as a best friend too.  We talk about everything.  You would never guess that there is 40 some odd years age difference.  We see eye to eye on several things.  Both of us are pretty straight forward.  Two peas in a pod.

We were talking today about if we thought we were going to have a bad winter.  I thought we would since there are so many acorns.  Steve said his buck already had a think layer of fat.  I'm not sure that these are good signs of winter, but they are fun to guess with.  Oh, I am looking for some large acorns.  I want to make an acorn wreath.  You wash the acorns, bake them to kill the stuff in them like worms, and glue them with hot glue on a wreath form.  Next, you let the glue set and then you can paint it.  The example I saw online had them painted a pale lime green with a red ribbon.  I am not really crafty when it comes to things like this, but I thought it might be fun to try.  We have tiny acorns, but I need those large ones.  Burr Oak acorns would be wonderful, but I don't know where any of those trees are.  If you know where I can get some, please let me know.  I have a source for some pinecones to glue on the wreath and use for other projects.  Steve is going to let me use the antlers from his buck in an arrangement or wreath.  Wish me luck.  I will not make anything with them permanent encase it does not turn out.  I will not paint them or anything like that.  I think natural antlers are the best.

Had to take a quick break.  It is sprinkling, and I had to get Samurai.  He was outside.  I hate a wet, smelly dog.  He is now standing at the bedroom door waiting for me to get him his "nighty-night cookie".  This is a nightly tradition.  He gets the cookie as a signal that it is time to go "nighty-night".  He will not go to sleep until he gets his cookie.  He is such a good boy.  Last time he went to Dake, the doc said he was a little overweight.  Steve, of course, blamed me.  I shouldered the blame and handed Samurai another "nighty-night" cookie.  These are not small Milkbones.  These are the killer large dog Milkbones.  When you weigh 90 pounds, those baby snacks will not work!