2008 is Already Over? Where Did it Go?

Wow. This has been a fast year. It's been one of our better years, and I'm not in a hurry for it to be over. But I don't guess I have any control over that! It's been a busy year. But all in all, it's been a good year. So, here goes:

January

Bill made his camo quilt, which we have used when it's really cold. It's a very warm quilt. I cooked a lot in January, it was cold and I think we had a nesting period.

My sisterfriend Virginia lost her daughter in January. She was only 26 years old and she left 3 precious children, which have now been officially given into Virginia and David's custody. They are probably the only thing that kept Virginia and David sane, the loss of Sara to incurable cancer was devastating to all of us. Her funeral was on her 27th birthday.

This month is also when we had a probable drug deal on the streets behind our house, we called the police when a car just suddenly showed up back there and stayed - with a few other cars showing up for a few minutes. The police was there fast, and eventually there were several cop cars. The local paper showed a drug arrest on that date and street, so we're glad we called!

We also celebrated our 23rd wedding anniversary. Also, towards the end of the month the city got the huge piles of limbs left from the ice storm in December, 2007.

February

The month started out with the septic tank very nearly overflowing. Which probably wouldn't be a good omen if we were superstitious! :)

We also voted in the presidential primary, Huckabee didn't win but I still am glad we voted for him.

Otter switched the the adult class in karate this month. She was already having asthma problems in class, but nobody expected it to worsen like it did which eventually led to her having to quit when she did. She also got new glasses this month.

Otter and I both had nosebleeds this month, which was a too close for comfort rerun of this time last year! Although they were mild, and niether one of us had to run to the doctor/er about them. But it made me nervous for a while, as last year's medical problems seemed to start with nosebleeds in February!

March

Early in the month, we had 6" of snow. It melted fast, but it was fun while it lasted.

Huckabee pulled out of the race for the presidency. This was not unexpected, but we still weren't happy about it.

Otter started having worse problems with the asthma at karate.

This month is also when Otter was punished at school. FOR DEFENDING HERSELF. I let the teacher know in no uncertain terms that we expect her to defend herself and that we will support her actions. When the teacher was getting on her about it, she also more of less told Otter that she (Otter) should not be so different - apparently, if she follows the rest of the brainless herd she won't be noticed and won't make herself a target. The teacher also heard from me exactly what we thought about that. There were very few problems after that.

My naturalized bluebonnets suddenly sprung up this month. It was such a nice surprise to see them.

Maggie learned to blog this month.

Bill replaced the driver's seat in the van. In hindsight, he probably could have skipped it! He also had to buy a new battery for the van.

Bill was baptised! He had been as a child, but the Baptist church doesn't recognize baptisms unless they are by immersion and not of young children. It was on Easter Sunday and was very special.

The dogs dug one too many holes in the yard, so they got a special area fenced off just for them. They weren't impressed. It took us a while, but the yard was repaired and looked a lot better.

Otter went to the prom at school, although they call it the spring formal. Same thing! She also turned 16, which was a big thing. We gave her the opal ring my parents gave me for my 16th birthday.

April

Nana came to visit! We had a wonderful time, but we wished that she could have stayed longer.

I had jury duty, which looked like it was going to be all week but I was not chosen for the jury after all. But I very nearly was. I think I would have been able to do it, but I'm still glad that I was released.

It rained a lot. A LOT. In fact, school was closed one day because of it.

Otter tripped and sprained her neck. It was kind of a freak accident, but at least it was "only" a muscle sprain and not anything worse, although the doctor was extremely concerned about it.

I had a cold that caused me to lose my voice almost entirely. My younger boss thought it was funny when I would answer the phone, as I was croaking.

Karate still caused asthma problems for Otter, we started letting her skip it a few times this month in the (futile) hope that a break would help her.

We planted 3 new trees, two in front and one (my redbud!) in the back.

May

The hummingbirds started showing up this month. Also a woodpecker.

We got reminded that we do in fact live in Tornado Alley! Close, very close but we were ok. Although Otter was a basket case, as she was not at home when the sirens went off.

We got our tax stimulus check. I immediately called the dermatologist and made an appointment for Bill about skin cancers - one of the excuses he used to not go was that our insurance doesn't cover it. He was not able to say that this time, and I didn't wait to call. He was not amused!

Mother's Day was nice.

We realized this month that we would have problems with the next-door neighbor's dogs.

School ended for the year.

Bill nearly bought a car, but the seller was squirelly about the title and his story kept changing so we backed out of the deal. The car was still sitting in the same spot 3 or 4 months later, we saw it with the top down in the rain one day.

The dentist discovered that Otter's wisdom teeth are basically coming in sideways. We don't have to deal with it yet, and might not have to, but it is something that she will watch when Otter gets her teeth cleaned. IF it does look like we'll have to have them removed, we will take care of it hopefully before they become a problem. I was about 15 when mine had to be removed for the same reason, the dentist thinks that Otter might have a couple of years before they get to the problem stage - and they might not at all.

We discovered that Maggie beagle likes puddles!
Otter learned to embroider.

June

June started out with a very bad wind storm, the kind that uprooted major trees.

Karate asthma troubles continued.
We had another tornado alley reminder!

We put the pool up in the back yard. And then spent quite a bit of the summer in it.

The driver's seat in my car broke. I was getting into the car, I sat down and suddenly was a lot lower in the car. This is when we started discussing replacing it in December and Bill driving it.

Bill's birthday and Father's Day this month.

More wind storms! Tree damage. The trees are still paying for the ice storm damage last December.

Otter saw her allergist, he suggested dropping out of karate. Bill was not in favor of the idea, so we kept her in it with lots of breaks but we probably should have pulled her out then.

Otter and I each got several inches of hair cut off and donated it to Locks of Love. I still have my Texas Big Hair!

Otter went to camp for a week. She enjoyed it, but it was very quiet around the house.

Froggy came to see us! She stayed over the end of June and beginning of July, so her visit covered both month.

July

Froggy was here, so we shopped a lot. A LOT. We went to Hominy, and Woolaroc. And every thrift store we could find, as well as Braum's as many times as we possibly could.

Otter got back from camp, exhaused but happy.

Bill didn't get injured, but he did have a sudden & severe bladder infection that meant a run to the ER as it hit late in the afternoon on July 3.

I found lots and lots of Fenton this month.
Bill started working on his hydrogen generator for the car.

Futurejedimom had an announcement about the size of her troop expanding.

Otter flew to Texas and spent 10 days with Nana. She had a great time.
It rained quite a bit and the pool overflowed. Twice.
I redecorated our bathroom.
Bill got my rain barrel this month.
Otter had driving class, classroom lessons.

August

Otter got her learner's permit!
We watched quite a bit of the Olympics this month.

I had a few pancreatitis type symptoms, I finally realized that I wasn't eating enough carbs. I'm not an Atkins person!

Froggy's youngest child left for college.

We took the pool down towards the end of the month. We enjoyed it so much this summer.

School started, 10th grade!
Otter played the Asthma Game a couple of times.

September

September started with my having a severe cold of flu-type bug. Which Bill then decided he needed to share in.

Virginia and David's first hearing regarding custody. We prayed a lot.
Otter had her actual driving lessons from the driving school she went to.
Electrical problems started in my car.

Serious discussions about letting Otter quit karate. We talked to the office at the gym, they said they would hold her membership open since she is so close to the Black belt.

Bill painted the garage at the rent house. Which then caused a discussion with the tenants - they thought we were fixing the place up and were going to kick them out! Bill explained that we were just painting, that we'd planned it for last summer but his injury and then rain/hot weather/winter prevented it.

Virginia and David got full custody!

October

Paid off the final bill from my surgery last year!
TEXAS BEAT OU!

Otter had a really bad asthma spell at karate, one of the worse she's had. Her lips were BLUE. We made the decision we'd been putting off. No karate. Bill would like this to be a break for a few months, but it's permanent. As far as I'm concerned, she earned the black belt even if it wasn't official.

We celebrated the 25th anniversary of the day we met.

Neighbor's dog came through the fence. First of several times we have had to fix their fence.

Car problems worse.

Otter got a sewing lesson, she helped me make pajama pants that were part of her costume for a party - pirate, of course!

Thought about skinning two dogs for digging part of the redbud tree roots up.

November

Bill finished installing my rain barrel.
Presidential election. We already know where I stand on this one.

We went to a Fenton signing, which was fun. But then just about anything Fenton related is fun.

We saw the B-17 flying! Aluminum Overcast, absolutely beautiful.

Bill looked at a couple of cars at auction, nearly bought one but got outbid.

We finally decided to just replace my car and Bill would get the old one. I'm very happy with my 2008 Impala and not as worried about having to go get Bill because of car trouble! I would have preferred not having a car payment, but that's just one of those unavoidable things. The van went bye-bye!

We managed to get the tulips planted a little earlier this year.

I had to get a filling in one of my few, remaining "real" teeth. Which means that the decalcifying is still continuing, and might still be a problem. We'll deal with it if/when we have to.

Thanksgiving was a quiet day, just the 3 of us. We enjoyed it, we ate too much but it was a nice day.

Bill started two quilts, which he gave to Nana and Sweetie for Christmas presents.

December

Otter saw her allergist. I updated him on the asthma/karate problems and he very strongly recommended that she not continue with it. Which is what Bill was waiting on, although we'd already pulled her out of it.

Also we thought we might lose Frasier, we (and the vet) thought he had cancer. Fortunately, it isn't. But it was a very scary few days in there.

We bought Bill a Christmas present! In the shape of a 1976 El Camino. Then he bought a non-running one to use for parts. I think that means that it will be my turn again for the next new car - not for a few years yet, thank you very much!

Bill got some of the work done on his Impala. The electrical problem is still there, but better. This was a problem that developed suddenly, and is not related to the electrical problem. But it was still a $900 repair.

We had an ice storm. Not bad, but school was closed for 3 days.

I finally joined the texting generation, with my new cell phone. Otter says that there is hope for me yet.

Christmas!
Vacation!

And this morning, Bill saw what is either a small rat or a big mouse running out of our closet to behind the toilet in our bathroom. He tried to get Maggie to go after it, but she apparently thought he was pushing her into the bathroom for a bath so she wouldn't go. I'm buying traps today!

Fenton Tuesday!

I've been shopping today. I've found Fenton and I'm happy! Otter and I helped Bill out at Grandpa's rent house, we painted for a few hours and then we decided it was time to go shopping. I found fabric at a thrift store that is perfect for my vintage theme kitchen curtains. It's a light blue with strawberries and will be perfect. I found a couple more gadgets also.

But my favorite finds of the day came from a craft/antique/variety store on Main Street (Froggy, where I found the picnic basket). I "only" bought two pieces (well, one is a set of 3), but there are about 4 more that I'm thinking about.

This is actually yesterday's find. It's probably not Fenton, but I have seen two at the place today that are Fenton and while I do like them, I actually like this $10.00 Goodwill lamp better. But I'm going to do some eBay research, and then if I think it's worth it I will possibly go back tomorrow and buy the Fenton lamps for resale. (Yes, Froggy - I said sell and Fenton in the same sentence. But if I would be buying them for resell and then if they didn't sell, I would still be happy!) My lamp needs a shade, I'll find the right one eventually. It's a pretty tall lamp and it leans to one side slightly, so it's turned where it leans to the back and it's not as noticeable. Surprisingly, the fact that I saw two Fenton lamps didn't seem to bother me, as I like this one a lot better!

This is a closer picture of the glass part, with the moonstone pattern visible. It needs a little cleaning! The base and stem are brass, which need a little polishing.

This was my first find today. The lid to one shaker is a little dented, but they are in the best condition I've ever seen this set in. The glass is perfect. $10.00, but on sale for $8.00. I think I got a very good deal. I'm going to use them for their intended purpose, but Otter has expressed a concern about dropping them so they will be part of the good china set that we don't use every day at her request! I already knew that they are Fenton, but the seller also knew that because they were labeled. This particular booth had some very reasonable prices.

This was not marked as anything but a white glass candle holder, it was not at the same booth as the shaker set. $4.00. I grabbed it as soon as I saw it. It holds 5 candles around the edges and one in the center. It is pretty dirty, I have not had time to clean it up but I will and then it might become our Advent wreath. Although Advent wreaths hold 4 candles with one in the center, but we'll adjust! :) This was probably my best deal, and one of the better deals I've ever managed to find.

The lady who was running the register held the items for me so I didn't drop anything before I finished shopping. As I was sitting them down on the counter, she asked me if I collected milk glass. I told her I was really interested in Fenton, and one of the booth owners immediately pointed out some Fenton that she has - for good prices, but not necessarily pieces I want, she also had a piece that I am thinking about that she wasn't sure if it is Fenton and I was able to id it for her. I also showed her a couple of ways to tell when it's not marked.

I'm seeing a lot more milk glass suddenly, and not the mass-produced pieces such as plain vases. I read somewhere recently that milk glass might become the next collectible item. I'm not really a fan, but I like specific pieces. However, Fenton in any color is always good! Especially if it's cheap and in good shape. :)

December Books

Just 6 books this month, and I'm actually still reading one of them! It's been a busy month.

1. Mortal Danger by Ann Rule. This is her latest book, true crime and very good.

2. Home by Julie Andrews. This is an autobiography, it deals with her life from birth up until the 60's or thereabouts. I'm hoping she'll write a book that takes up from where this one leaves off.

3. One Minute to Midnight by Michael Dobbs. About the Cuban Missile Crisis, very informative and I highly recommend this one for anyone interested in history. Which we all should be!

4. May the Force by With Us, Please! Foxtrot collection by Bill Amend. Foxtrot is a cartoon strip that I don't think is still being written. Funny!

5. Firefly Summer by Maeve Binchy. This is the one I'm still reading, I've read it before and am close to being finished with it.

6. Amigurumi - Super Happy Crochet Cute by Elisabeth A. Doherty. Froggy, I think you told me about this or one similar. It's got patterns to crochet some really cute animals and I'll probably make a few.

We went to the library today, I got several books but I don't think I'll actually get to sit down and read for a few days. Busy, busy and tired!

We've been thrifting today. Among other things, I found a vintage lamp that might be Fenton or Wright, but could also be Imperial Glass. I'm leaning towards Wright. It's probably a little on the tacky side, but I like it so it doesn't matter! It's brass with a center milk glass area in moonstone pattern. Which probably means nothing unless you are a fan or collector of glass! :) I'll get a picture posted of it later.

Otter gave me my official text lesson, so I now am able to text! I'm not the fastest texter, but I can at least get my message across. Although it took me a couple of tries this afternoon when I was trying to send Froggy pictures. Otter likes the camera phone feature, especially the fact that it has video capability. She tried to take a video of Frasier, but all it would have shown is that his chest was rising and falling and the fact that he was snoring! Like he's doing now. Of course, Bill is also snoring away on the couch so Frasier is at least in good company.

A Little More Sunday Stuff

This is what I imagine that Santa Claus would be doing today. I think he would sleep all day the 26th and then head for the beach! This is just a cute picture, although I think the elves would be bigger.

Actually, I think that Santa might have been at Golden Corral tonight, he was sitting at a table with a lot of other people eating dinner.

I did buy a new phone. It's the same company, but I upgraded to a camera phone. I have unlimited texting now, and a few other features and it's still $10.00 less than what I was paying before! I think I'm going to enjoy the camera feature, Otter got to play with it for a while this afternoon and she had fun making faces at it. Best of all, it fits in my Longhorns holder!

The El Camino is no longer an only child! Bill came home with another one today. Except that this one isn't running. It was only a few hundred, and it is basically going to be stripped for parts. It's actually still a lot cheaper than having to go to the auto parts store, if the white one (one he drives) needs work. Not to mention the fact that parts for 32 year old cars are hard to find! The parts car, the blue one, is now in the back yard. Where it is going to stay until it's stripped. Which will probably be a while. Otter got to be the "driver" who kept it straight as it was pushed off of the trailer. Straight being a loose explanation of it. :) Toadly, you were saying something about a certain number of cars that rednecks would have, and how some of them aren't running? I think we're there. The blue one isn't on blocks, but it does have at least two flats so that still counts!

We also did a little thrifting today and went to a flea market. Froggy, the older lady that had the corner booth - the one that was such a hoot - was having 60% off today and I found a slightly rusty cheese grater for my vintage kitchen decor. She never actually sells items for the prices on the tags, she always has a different percentage off and she is a lot of fun. I've bought several things from her, I think she was at 50% off the last time I was there. She is a real trip!

If anybody tries to call me on the cell phone, I don't have the voice mail set up yet. I haven't had time. I will get it taken care of in the morning. And then I'm sure Otter will want to take a few more pictures! And I'm also signed up for my teenager-taught texting lesson. Otter said she is looking forward to teaching me how to text, as her generation was just born knowing how. My generation was born knowing how to set the vcr, I can only imagine what the next generation will be born knowing how to do!

Some Sunday Stuff

It's kind of cold this morning, the cars are frosted but it's warming up a little. Not much, but at least enough that the frost on the cars is evaporating. It's supposed to be nice for the next few days, but I don't think we'll get over 60 degrees. But it won't be extremely cold, either, so I'm not complaining!

Yesterday was a very nice day, I enjoyed my birthday a lot. We didn't do much since it was Saturday, but it was the perfect relaxing day that I wanted. After sunset, we did go out for my birthday dinner. We went to a chinese buffet. I didn't overdo it too much, but it was still very good. Then we went to Lowe's where Bill could buy another power tool - if there is a way to hurt himself with a belt sander, he'll find it! :)

Otter gave me a cell phone holder for my birthday. It's got the Texas Longhorns logo on it. However, it's just a tiny bit too small for my phone! Since we were thinking my phone would probably need to be replaced soon anyway, Bill suggested I go cell phone shopping today. So I think I'm going to take his suggestion. My phone number should not change, I'm not changing companies and even if I did the number is portable. I am going to look into a camera phone, but I don't really need or want most of the other features that are available on cell phones.

Anybody that knows us knows how we feel about Israel. The banner on my blog about supporting Isreal is exactly what it sounds like - we WILL and DO support Israel. Right now, I think it's a good time to ask for prayers for their situation. Isreal did not start the current trouble, but they are attempting to end it. They are responding to a serious threat that included hamas (they don't earn capital letters from me) launching rockets into Israel. I have a blog buddy who lives in Israel, she and her husband are expecting their first child in a few weeks and it's a very scary time for them. So I really hope that anybody reading this will add their prayers to ours for Israel and the Israeli people. They are in a tough spot in a lot of ways. But to listen to the news reports, Israel is the aggressor against the "innocent" (yeah, right) hamas idiots!

We saw a skunk yesterday, meandering across the area behind us that used to be a field. There are a few houses out there now. We had some pretty strong storms yesterday morning, lots of wind and rain. Skunks are pretty much nocturnal, but they are also burrowing animals and this one looked pretty wet. It was not acting strange, so the fact that it was out in the daytime was probably because it's burrow was flooded and it had to move or drown. But we are going to keep an eye out for it, since in all probability it lives in the general vicinity. I'm not too worried about it, but I am more than a little concerned about Frasier! However, if he did manage to get over the electric fence and play with the "kitty", I think he'd have to walk to the groomers to get de-skunked because there is NO WAY I would let him inside the house or the car! But hopefully, we won't have that problem. We had been about to unplug the electric fence, since he hasn't gotten out of their small yard lately and we think that he figured out that it's going to keep biting him. But as smart as he is, and as stubborn, if he sees something out there that he wants bad enough, he just might be willing to endure being shocked to get it.

Watch this space! I might have another post this afternoon.

Quick Friday Stuff

We shopped and we survived! We decided against Braums, so I can't give Froggy a hard time about it. We had left overs from yesterday's breakfast, so we ate at home and then Otter and I hit the mall. We were at the mall at 7:45 and had no traffic, no crowds and no trouble parking. Most stores were opening early, we were able to get what we wanted and get out of the mall reasonably early. We went to a bookstore and a few other stores to use gift cards and had a lot of fun. We went to two thrift stores, she found a skirt at one of them. We had lunch, went to Whole Foods for carob milk balls and then we decided to go to Michael's. I found a few clearance ornaments, and we were still having fun so we decided to head to Circuit City for movies Bill wanted. Which is where the traffic was, as the mall is on that street and by 1:00 apparently everyone else decided to head to the mall! So we turned around and went to Hobby Lobby instead.

We had a couple of other stops, but we were still able to get home reasonably early. It was a fun day, but my feet are sore.

However, I am now the owner of a Longhorn from Build-a-Bear. His name is Baby Bevo and he is wearing a Texas Longhorns t-shirt. Maggie was very interested in him when we got home, but we were afraid she'd play with him so he didn't get to stay on the floor with her. Froggy, Build-a-Bear also has Texas A & M t-shirts for the stuffed animals.

It's my turn to pick the movie we watch on Saturday, last week was actually my turn but Otter traded with me so I could have my choice on my birthday. I decided on the Mummy 3 movie, hopefully it will be good. But even if it's not, I'm still going to enjoy my birthday. We're going to have Chinese for dinner tomorrow night, at a buffet so I'm sure we'll be well fed.

Froggy, we are going to The Hog Trough on Sunday morning for their breakfast buffet so thank you for the gift card! (The Hog Trough was Dad's name for Golden Corral).

One dog story: We bought rawhide chips for the dogs today. I gave them each one when we got home, I tossed two out into the floor in the living room. Maggie sniffed one, then went to sniff the other one. At that point, Frasier got up from where he was sprawled and didn't even break stride when he walked by, picked up the first one and took it right outside. Then I think he came back in and got the second one to take outside, because Maggie came to get me and she was looking sad. So I gave her another one and every time they are in the same room, she will pick it up and move a few feet away from him. I think she's on to big brother's tricks!

3rd Post of the Day, Christmas 2008

Well, it's now mid-afternoon. Breakfast with the in-laws was a lot of fun, although Bill's dad is not feeling well because he has the cold Sweetie had last week. But we were glad he was able to come over, and hopefully he's now back in bed full of Nyquil.

Breakfast was delicious, I know I am over my fat allowances but it's kind of hard to avoid it when bacon is on the menu! I didn't eat very much bacon, but it was certainly good.

We opened presents, and had a nice visit. Sweetie liked her quilt, Don liked his cordless drill set. Sweetie always gives Bill a toy of some type, this year it's a small r/c helicopter. He's been playing with it for a while, I had to go to Walgreen's to get batteries, and he will be occupied for a long time. I told him that he should fly it through the cobwebs I spotted, hanging from the ceiling fan. The dogs are both outside, we put them out earlier but they have access to the house now. I'm wondering what their reaction will be to the helicopter, considering that Maggie was scared of my battery operated bug toy!

Otter and I are now well-armed with gift cards, so we are going shopping tommorrow. We usually don't shop the day after Christmas, but we're making an exception this year. The crowds are not fun. But we're going to go this year. Bill has some stuff he is going to do tomorrow, so we are going to BRAUM'S for breakfast, in case you are interested Froggy. Then Otter and I will head to the mall, along with probably half the state's population.

While we were at Walgreen's for batteries, I also picked up some half-price Christmas themed candy. I have a freezer full of chocolate now. We also took our overflowing recycling bins to the recycle center. There was very little traffic, except at Walgreen's. There are a few places open, just not too many. Restaurants and gas stations seem to be the main places open. Wallyworld looks so strange with an empty parking lot.

I think Otter wants to leave her village up for a few days, but I'm thinking I will take the Nativity and a few other decorations down this afternoon. For me, once it's over it is over and I have been known to take the tree down on Christmas afternoon. Since we don't have a tree up this year, that's one less thing I have to worry about. But there are some decorations up, including the wreath and my table stuff. I think I'm going to go work on getting my house back to normal. That is, when I'm not dodging a helicopter!

2nd Post Thursday Christmas & Probably Another One Later

This is what Bill's been working on, that I have not been able to talk about on here and have had a hard time keeping secret! He's been quilting. The first one is Nana's Christmas present and the second one is Sweetie's Christmas present.

This shows the backing flapped over at one corner. Nana's quilt has a floral pattern on the backing that is pansies.

This is a close-up of some of the squares.



The full quilt with the corner flapped, this is Nana's.

Nana's quilt, the backing fabric also forms the side edge on both quilts.

Sweetie's quilt!

This is Sweetie's quilt, a close-up of how the side edge was done.

A closer shot of Sweetie's quilt, Bill did a great job matching the colors.

The backing for Sweetie's quilt is also a floral pattern, lots of bright pinks and oranges and we think it's very pretty.

I understand that a certain brother of Bill's said that they must have been made in China or somewhere, but his big brother made them! He cut every square and sewed them together, when I went shopping the day after Thanksgiving one of my stops was a fabric store where I got the backing and Bill worked on them most of Thanksgiving weekend. He did 90% of the work, I helped a little but this was Bill's labor of love for two very important women in his life: his mom and his step-mom, who we are also close to.

It's been very hard to keep these secret. I'm glad that I don't have to be quiet about them anymore.

Christmas

This is what it's about. It's not Christmas trees, although they are pretty. It's not Santa Claus, although that is fun. It's not presents, although they are nice. It's the birth of our Saviour, the one True Gift to us all.

Merry Christmas to everyone.

Some Christmas Eve Thoughts...

I hope this link works. Turn on your speakers. Then go get your kleenex, because it will get your attention and make you think!

http://worriersanonymous.org/Share/Christmas1.html

Otter and I had a slow day at work. I didn't have too much to do, just a few things to file and a couple of things to mail. We left for lunch at 11:50, went to the library which was closed and then decided to go to Sonic for lunch. After Sonic, we went to Big Lots, which is a fun store, and I found a food processor. Beat WalMart's prices, and it's a good brand. Needless to say, it came home with me!

Then we went back to the office, and by this time my younger boss was back from lunch. It was just before 1:00, and he asked me if I had anything at all to do - which I didn't, and then he told me to go so we did. We went to the Dollar Store, so we did get some shopping in on Christmas Eve. But most of what I bought there was stuff I needed, not necessarily Christmas related. Although I did buy a package of fudge brownies! And rawhide, since the dogsters are going through regular chew bones in a matter of minutes.

But now we are home for the day. I am going to attempt to make divinity, unless I can talk myself out of it. I'm also going to make cookies. And then I think we'll relax until sometime this evening, then we'll have our family picnic and that is the extent of our evening!

It Takes a Village

Well, a Liberty Falls Village anyway!




A few close ups. A few of the people are visible.

A few more!

The entire village.

Nice houses.

Another full shot. Also you can see the ceramic tree, and just barely visible in front of it is my Fenton tree that Bill got me for Christmas last year.

This one was taken without the flash. I think the flash shots turned out better. But I didn't realize that the flash wasn't on until I took the picture. The village is on the sofa table that is in front of the back window. We don't have a lot of room for gifts this year, at the moment they are stacked on top of the kitchen table. Because the dogs can't reach them! Maggie was very interested in the box from Froggy, but not in the contents of the box so it was probably because she could smell Froggy's pets. But with those two pooches of ours, we don't take any chances!

We put them out just now, and stuffed them full of treats. Of course, Maggie is already stuffed! Otter counted spots on Magginator yesterday, she got up to 60 before she lost count because the dog didn't want to stay still. Frasier's latest adventure involves getting a small piece of a chew bone stuck between two teeth and I had to help him out. He's so good natured, even when I had both hands in his mouth and almost down his throat because it was back teeth, he never even acted like he might bite or anything.

I might post a second entry later today, Otter and I are about to head off to work. We have a trip to the library scheduled for our lunch break and then we might go to the dollar store after work. It will probably be a slow day at work. My bosses used to send me out the door about noon, but that was when I worked full-time. I get off at 2:30 anyway, so I don't complain if I don't get to leave early.

When we get home, we have a couple of things to do involving baking. Then we'll have our family tradition of a Christmas Eve picnic and Otter will open one small gift. The picnic is something we started our second Christmas after we moved to OK, we went Home to Texas the first Christmas. It's something we look forward to all year and really enjoy - however, it's now served on the dining room table instead of a blanket on the floor! The dogs would have so much fun if there was food in reach, so we relocated it when we got Frasier. They will get something, probably a couple of cheese bites. Which they love, although lettuce is still their top treat.

Ok, out of time!

WORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDS

There are too many words that are misused, overused or just annoying!

This is probably not all, but it's all we could think of for now. Otter and I have been compiling our list for a few days. It's words and also a few phrases. Some of them are words that are fine, under the correct circumstances. Such as the first word on the list, when applied to the zipper on a pair of jeans for example. But not when applied to grief or loss.

1. Closure
2. Empowerment
3. Diversity

4. Green (except when referring to the color, or food such as green beans - then it's ok).

5. Atkins Approved
6. Eco-friendly
7. Animal companion (they are PETS, people!)

8. Happy Holidays (ok under some circumstances, but not at all acceptable when used to mean Christmas only)

9. Holiday tree (it's a CHRISTMAS tree!)

10. Global Warming (nobody is surprised that this is on my list, are they?)

11. Carbon footprint
12. CO2 emissions
13. Change
14. Climate Change
15. Outside the box
16. Self esteem
17. Sustainability

I'm sure that there are others and I will post them as we think about them. But those are the main words that we'd like to outlaw, at least as far as the way that they are misused.

Ok, back to my bread baking now! I'm making carrot bread, I'm giving my bosses edible gifts this year.

Maggie Monday!

It's cold here, it makes me want to play! Play, play, play. That would bee a goooood day for me. My Mommm's Mommm said that my Mommm will be staying with us tomorrow, so we can stay inside all day. That's goood, because it was boringggg today. It was cold, so we snuggled in the little den the people call the grrrg. Frasier is furrrry, so he's warrmmm. But he didn't want to play! So when my Mommm's Mommm got home, I got one of the chew bones and she played with me. Then I went outside and took my chew bone. Frasier keeps taking all the toys and stuff outside, then I have to go get them and bring them back inside. But he groomed my ears for me, so I forgave him.

Mommm's Mommm brought in two big things that she said were called boxxes. They smelled differently than the stuff in our house, and she said I could sniff them all I want. I don't know what they are, but maybe there is something we can eat inside! Do you think that there might be?

OK, Froggy! Here it is.

Some people are just so bossy! :)

This is the scarf I made for Froggy's friend. The yarn was really pretty, it was called Lipstick. And I hope I never, ever have to deal with yarn like it again! It was constantly getting tangled, it was knotted inside the skein in more than one place and I had to tie off and cut it, then tie back on at least twice. The scarf turned out nicely, it was just a pain to make. My dry skin didn't help, but the yarn itself was the problem. I bought two skeins, I've learned that most yarn no longer has dye lot names or numbers and even if it does, it doesn't always match. So I usually try to get extra to insure that I won't run out. One skein was enough but the yarn was so problematic that I returned the unused skein. I was planning to keep it and use it for something else later on, but it was just too much trouble. Of course, the one I returned was probably absolutely perfect!

Happy Birthday, Nana!

I still have the redecorating bug. The one I caught last summer, when I did a small amount of redecorating in the master bathroom. This time, the redecorating bug is infesting the kitchen and I'm going to exterminate it. Or move it to another room in the house! I have a bunch of hummingbird windchimes that have been hanging in the kitchen window for years, even at the house we moved out of 4 years ago. But they need a new home now. So they are moving to Froggy's house. I'm not getting rid of all my hummingbirds, I'm just reducing the amount of specific items such as my windchimes. I kept a couple of them, they are now in the dining room window. The kitchen is going Vintage. I have wooden canisters that Bill bought me several years ago, and I think they will fit right in with what I have in mind.

Mom had her kitchen decorated in what I always thought was really cute, she had assorted vintage kitchen gadgets on the walls, except that she called them antique. I think my addiction to kitchen gadgets comes from her. I remember that she had at least one older shredder, and I think she had things like a melon baller, maybe a strainer, stuff like that. I don't have a lot of wall space in the kitchen, but I'm going to do something similar. I might also attach things to the cabinet doors, but I'm not really sure about that as it would involve putting holes in the wooden doors. I also saw a really neat way to use vintage cookie cutters, they were strung on ribbons and then attached in two rows to the top of a curtain. I'm not sure exactly what I'm going to do with mine, but it will be similar. I don't have curtains in my kitchen window, but now that all the windchimes are down I think it needs them. So I'm going to see what I can find, my plan for the curtains is to probably make them myself if I can find either fabric that fits the theme or possibly something from a thrift shop such as a sheet or maybe even a table cloth that I can repurpose. So that is what I'll be doing on my vacation after Christmas.

Otter and I have been compiling a list of words we'd like to not hear anymore, or at least not hear very often OR in the way that they are frequently used. That is going to be on a post in the near future, so watch for it. If you have any suggestions, please feel free to email me or leave them as a comment. One of the first words on the list will be "closure."

Froggy, before I forget - we went to BRAUM'S for breakfast this morning. Also, we finally found peppermint ice cream last week - at BRAUM'S, of course.

It's Frasier Friday!

Hey there, doggies. And their people, I guess. My mommm said that it's my turn to play with this toy. She seems pretty happy lately, I think she was kind of worrrried about meee when I was sick. But I'm all well now.

Maggie is kind of in trouble, she found something delicious in the back yard and rolled in it. I don't know why, but my Mommm made her stop.

I got a mole the other night. It could have been a rat, it was dark and I didn't really look at it that well. I showed it to my Mommm and she gave me a reward. But I wouldn't let her have it, she takes them away from me and I don't know why. I ate it this time, but she'll probably get the next one before I can eat it. She said I had rat breath but it tasted more like a mole to me.

It got really cold here the other day. But the people were home again, so we got to stay inside where it was warrrmmm. Maggie Mommm was home more than the other two people, I like Maggie's Mommm. She pets me and she recognizes my brilliance because she said that I am a Good Boy. I'm a very Good Boy. I'm Frasier, so I'm special. It's about time somebody realized it.

Boys and Their Toys

Bill got his Christmas present early this year. Or 32 years late, since it's a 1976.

This picture is the one we got from the seller, so that is not our house in the picture. We'll get out with the camera in the next day or so and take better pictures. But it's a beauty. The body is in excellent shape, the interior is also very good. It needs a little mechanical work, but not much.

He wants to make a bumper sticker. He wants it to say "V8 means you never have to hear Are We There Yet?" V8 is the engine size. There is a reason we call them Go-Fast cars. However, we aren't going to discuss gas mileage (or lack thereof!).

Bill's a happy boy tonight. Yes, he will be driving it to work tomorrow! You'll probably be able to hear him, they are not quiet cars. But then he's not a subtle person, Texans generally aren't. So it fits.

Winter's Here!

Monday was an ice day, we had a sleet storm that started Sunday evening. Sunday was windy and warm, it was in the 70's until about 3:00 or so and then it started to get cool fast with the wind switching to the north instead of the south. We had a few errands to run and we got groceries as well as a stop at the gas station. Which was good, as gasoline went up 12 cents overnight!

We woke up to ice Monday morning. The first picture is the street in front of my house, and it was a solid sheet of ice. Schools were closed and we could not get out of our neighborhood.

I refilled the birdfeeders in the back yard, at one point we had 5 male cardinals and 3 females. Last year, we had one male and 5 females which we referred to as his harem. Also we saw a dove, it was on one of the suet feeders. It's unusual to see them this time of year. Lots of sparrows, chickadees, wrens and the ever-present vermin known as starlings!

In between bird-watching and decorating, I also got my laundry done and got quite a bit done on the scarf I'm crocheting for Froggy's friend. And because we are Texan, we also made chili. But we make it pretty often, even in warm weather. Which is also typical Texan behavoir! :)

Since we were home, we kept the fireplace going all day. We are going to have to order a rick of wood, probably soon. But not in the next couple of days, as it's higher while there is ice on the ground! The dogs have their spots staked out in front of the fire, I just happened to get a shot without them. But they spent a lot of time snoozing in front of the fire.

Since we were home, we decided to put up our Christmas decorations. Otter is taking her Liberty Falls houses out of the box in this picture. She put them on the table she's sitting by, but she might still rearrange them so no picture of them yet. On the table is the ceramic Christmas tree Mom had our cousin make and bring to me the first Christmas we were in OK. Froggy and Toadly also got one, I think mine is the only one still intact. And I nearly knocked it over last night!

This is Maggie about to get into Trouble!

I made this a couple of years ago, I think it turned out well. I like simple wreaths. This one is just a pre-made wreath from Michael's craft store, I attached ribbon and silk pointsettias with one of my many hot-glue guns. Easy.

This is a close-up of the Nativity set. I have a bunch of pictures here, some were taken with the flash and some without. I think the ones without the flash turned out better.

Obviously, this one is with the flash! It's the angel that is broken. I completely forgot about the fact that Bill glued her wings back on. She's still pretty delicate, but until I find a replacement I'll use her.

This one is a better shot, the angel shows up better in this one.

I have two other ceramic trees, one of them I painted and the other one I got at a yard sale. They are visible at the side of this picture. They both light up, but I don't have a light kit for the smaller one (the one I made). Also, it would be very difficult to get to the outlet to plug them in since they are on top of the entertainment center.

I had a few errands to run today after work, since we weren't able to get out yesterday. (I actually managed to get our Christmas cards mailed this year!) The roads are not the best, they are good in places and bad in other places. Still pretty bad in our neighborhood. It was in the mid-20's today, but tomorrow should be in the mid-30's so maybe some of it will start to melt. Then I think we get a couple of warmer days before a possible round of winter weather again early next week. Like about the time we would have been on the road to Texas, if we'd kept our original vacation plans.

The dogs are a little crazy today, Frasier has been warting Maggie until she plays with him. Usually, it's the other way around! I think that they like the fact that they've been inside for several days straight, especially with the weather being so cold. Can't say I blame them!

Quick (Maybe) Sunday Update

I'm tired. My back hurts. My feet are screaming at me. But most of my Christmas shopping is done. There are just a couple more things I need to get, which I will probably do tomorrow either on my lunch hour or just after work. Then the part I hate: wrapping!

We got the Nativity set out of the attic last night, but I haven't gotten into the box yet. It sounded ok, no clinking or broken sounds. My ceramic tree also is still in it's box, but it didn't make any noises either. Otter's box of Liberty Falls houses is sitting in the living room floor, with the other two boxes. We did manage to get the stockings up and the wreath is on the front door. But that's about it! I'm just glad we got it all down, we'll get everything where we want it tomorrow evening. It won't take us too long to actually decorate, since we aren't putting a tree up this year. If I remember, I'll get the silk flowers in my wall pocket changed out to my pointsettias.

There was a bungee trampoline set up at the mall, Otter lit up when she saw it. She went on one when she was much younger, she also didn't weigh very much and it was difficult for her to bounce much. She's grown enough so that she was able to bounce pretty high and she was able to flip a couple of times. While we were at the mall, we also watched Santa visiting with some of the little ones. No crying kiddos today, they all seemed to be happy to see the Big Guy. There was this one little boy, he probably wasn't much over three years old, but he had the biggest smile I have ever seen and he just about flew in his hurry to get to Santa! It was so cute, he was so happy.

We also went into Build-A-Bear. There is a new stuffed animal that Otter says I want. She's probably right about that. It's a LONGHORN. It's even got lots of orange. I managed to walk out without making one, but I just might have to go back there in the very near future. Obviously, it would be named Bevo! Wonder how that would go over here? :)

Is It Friday YET?

No, still just Thursday. Oh excuse me, Baby Friday. Note the heavy sarcasm, I don't like the Baby Friday thing! It's just Thursday.

Ok, on to other things. Like the fact that I realized today that Christmas is exactly two weeks from today. And I haven't even started my shopping! Otter and I were going to head to the mall Monday after work/school, but we've decided to move that up a day to Sunday. Because Sunday's weather is supposed to be in the low- to mid-60's. Monday's weather is supposed to be about 40 degrees colder and very possibly will have white stuff. So we'll be hitting the mall on Sunday, and probably a few other places. Our list of stuff to buy isn't that big, it's just a matter of making the time to actually do it.

Also, I guess we'd better get the Christmas decorations out of the attic. We are not putting up a tree this year. Otter has a collection of Liberty Falls houses that originally was Mom's. Bill gave Otter the choice: Christmas tree OR Liberty Falls houses. If she chose a tree, it was going to be one of the many small ones we seem to have accumlated and it would be on the sofa table which is actually in front of the window. She thought about it for a while, then decided that she wants her houses out. Since she's never had them displayed anywhere, they will be on the sofa table instead. I'm going to put my ceramic light-up tree on the sofa table as well, we just won't have an actual tree up this year.

I am going to get my Avon Nativity set up this year, it never quite got out of the attic last year. Originally, the plan was to put it up on top of the entertainment center, we got the tree up and some of the decorations including a small Nativity set I have. We were going to get the big set out of the attic in a couple of days and then put it up. However, we had an ice storm in the middle of that plan and never quite got back to get the Nativity set!

My Nativity set is very special to me. It's something that I've had for many, many years - longer than I've had Bill! Mom bought me the first piece when it was first introduced by Avon, which was the Holy Family. Then each year, she would buy me the piece that was introduced then. It's been through several moves, one of them a 500-mile trip. A few years after the set was complete, Avon brought out a couple of other pieces. I'm missing one - the cow. I have seen it on eBay, but my cheap side always says no. I will eventually find one, but I refuse to pay as much as I've seen it go for. I also need to replace one piece, the angel that hangs over the manger. The angel and her wings are not in one piece anymore! But that is the only piece that has been damaged. I think that must have been a common break, because Avon reworked the angel into a standing piece a few years later. If I remember, I'll post a picture of the set once I get it in place. It's white bisque and I think it's beautiful.

I'm taking Bill's car to get worked on tomorrow. It needs an oil change, but the electrical problem is still there and Bill has tracked it down to a couple of things. I'm going to get the mechanic to run the diagnostic service that they offer and then we'll go from there. It depends on what they say, there are a couple of different things it could be and it also will depend on how much $$ because if it's over Bill's tolerence level, he will say that he will fix it himself. I know this without even having to ask him, because that's what he always says! He'll drive my car tomorrow. Really, I think he just wants a chance to drive the new car! He hasn't yet. Otter has, and she likes it. But we haven't let Bill near it yet. :)

Just Some Thoughts

Read this:


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28156838/?GT1=43001

All I can say is Wow! I think we can all learn a lot from Mr. Yoon. Christian forgiveness is something that a lot of us lack. This man is the very embodiment of it. In the midst of his grief, his thoughts are with the pilot and the pilot's feelings. Wow.

Then read this:


http://www.newsweek.com/id/172653

I don't know which Bible Newsweek's writers have been reading, but it's not the same one I have! We have quite a collection, KJV, NKJV, 3 or 4 in today's language, children's Bibles, more than I can count really. AND NOT ONE OF THEM IS IN FAVOR OF GAY MARRIAGE. Absolutely unbelievable.

One more thing: in my last post where I discussed the weather, and the fact that we'd had a spring-like storm I was a lot closer than I thought I was. Because it turns out that there was also a tornado in that particular spring-like storm! It was small, there was property damage but no injuries or loss of life. But it was pretty close.

Spring Summer Fall Winter

We've had all the weather in the last 24 hours that would go with each season. It was warm yesterday morning, like spring. Then it was windy, a warm wind out of the south so that was summer. Then it got cooler and the remaining leaves on the trees all blew down, which was fall. Then we had a brief touch of spring with a thunderstorm last night, which was accompanied by high winds. Today, it's winter again. It's an upside down day, warm early and then cold. It's in the 30's now, it was in the high 40's when we got up this morning. But by 2:30 when I left work, the car was wearing ice and there was sleet coming down. The roads were ok, but could be a little slick later on. It depends on how much sleet comes down, but the ground is still warm enough that we won't have to deal with too much of a problem. Otter and I saw a couple of snow flakes, but it stopped fast.

We started out in jackets this morning, but I grabbed our coats on the way out the door. By the time I got to work, it was pretty windy so I decided to take my coat inside in case I needed it at lunch. Which I did. Then when I picked Otter up at school, I called her and told her to stay inside until I got there because the wind was really strong and really cold. Also it was sleeting pretty good at that point. Normally, once the bell rings the students have about 10 minutes before they get booted out. But since it was so cold today, they were allowed to stay inside until their ride got there. So Otter was waiting inside, and she put her coat on when she got in the car. We had a couple of errands to run, so it was a good thing we had the coats.

I think we got a little under an inch of rain last night. My rain barrel is now back up to about 1/2 full. Frasier was still in the small yard today, which was a smart decision on his part as the only shelter he would have had in the bigger part of the yard is the dog house. And he won't use it for anything!

Here are a few pictures of some of our crafting lately. Otter and I made bulletin boards, with a great deal of help from Bill and his staple gun. Otter's is first, it's a wooden board covered with cotton batting, then covered with fabric. She chose a Kanji print. (Japanese writing). The boards can be put up two directions, but Otter's has to be hung the way she's holding it because the print is directional.

The next step involves attaching ribbon, and where each ribbon crosses is a brad similar to a thumb tack, but with a longer "nail" part attached.

The next one is mine, I forgot to take a picture of it until after it was finished. Otter is holding it up for me, so that's her arm. In the pictures of hers, she is headless! Our bedroom is decorated with palm trees, I thought the mossy green was a good color since I couldn't find fabric with palm trees on it that would work. I had some that would have worked very well, I bought it a couple of years ago when we were going to make a shower curtain for our non-standard sized shower but then we were able to find a glass door that worked after all. I couldn't think of another project to use the fabric for, so I put it on eBay. Which always means that I'll need it soon! One of these days, I'll learn...

I finished Froggy's scarf last night. Texas A & M colors, although in my neck of the woods it would be considered OU colors. But since I'm Texan, I'm not about to consider it OU maroon! But I am pleased with it, I think it turned out well. Froggy, in case I forget: machine washable, cold water. Lay it flat to dry if you can. Drying it in the dryer might shrink it, if you hang it to dry it may stretch. It's acrylic yarn, I don't think the color will run but just in case - don't wash it with the boy's or hubby's clothing! Otherwise, they might have to wear pink. And if your hubby is like mine, that would simply not happen! And since your hubby is like mine in a lot of ways, let's just save ourselves some grief. :)

I have another scarf project, for one of Froggy's friends. The lady I'm making it for likes red and bright colors. I found the prettiest yarn yesterday, it's a varigated red and the color name is Lipstick. I think I'm going to use that color by itself since it's varigated. I'll post a picture when I get it finished. I will probably start it in the next few days, and I'll probably spend a lot of my Saturday on it. If I can wait that long! The scarves are easy, they are a very basic stitch and it goes fast. I think I'm going to branch out a bit and try a different pattern, after I get the Lipstick scarf done. I do occasionally make other things, but I keep going back to scarves and clothes hanger covers for some reason.

Froggy, do you remember the crochet bedspread Mom and I made? It was a bunch of granny squares stitched together. I have no idea what happened to it, I don't think we came across it when we cleaned out their house after Dad died. I don't remember what color it was, it seems like it was a lot of different colors but it could have been red & grey (school colors). It probably was red & grey, but I don't really remember. I have a large granny square that is red and grey, it's about lap blanket size. But that's not the one I am thinking about. Kimberly, do you by any chance have it? Since you went to the same high school that Froggy, Toadly and I did. NOTE: SCHOOL NAME NOT MENTIONED FOR PRIVACY REASONS! So please don't mention it if you leave me a comment - long story, but there is a reason I don't use identifiable names, etc.

We had a local election today. I voted, it was about 3:30 when I got there. There were two ballots, so they were counted seperately. I was number 240. Which means that only about 120 people have voted today. Considering that this vote had to do with extending taxes on things, you'd think that more people would vote! But apparently not. I have never understood that and never will.

I think I'm going to go nudge the heater up a little bit and see what I can come up with for dinner. Bill's working at his dad's rent house this evening, so I'm not actually cooking since who knows what time he'll be home. Otter had an early dinner tonight, she wanted a hot dog from Quick Trip (convenience store). So she had dinner about 3:00. I'm sure she'll be hunting for a snack pretty soon! I've been looking for a reason to post this picture:

Hot Dog, anybody? :)

And Now For The Other Monday Stuff

I decided that Chocolate Day needed it's own post. And Maggie said that she's got a lot to say, but she's not quite ready to say it yet so no Maggie Monday this week. She seems to be deciding just what to say, she's been talking up a storm since Otter got home from school. From the moment she saw Otter's shadow as she walked home from the bus, and the dog is still talking! She's a very vocal beagle normally, today she's even more talkative.

One year ago today was a Saturday. Since it was Sabbath, we didn't do much of anything in particular. Just our usual stuff, which included a movie that we rented and we probably walked the dogs. The day after that, Sunday, I had a sudden urge to wash all my blankets. Which turned out to be a good thing. Because that evening (Sunday) was when the ice storm hit. The one that tried really hard to cripple NE OK and managed to, for days and days and days. It's much warmer this year than it was last year on this date. But we are supposed to be getting a (VERY) cold front tonight. Although it's not supposed to have ice. Just a slight possibility of snow tomorrow. Mostly, it's just supposed to be cold. It's been extremely windy today. Otter and I are going to bring in firewood in a little while, because we will probably want a fire tomorrow evening. I'm ready, I have plenty of marshmallows! :)

I just saw the mailman go by on his way out of the subdivision. Since my mailbox was empty when I checked it just now, I think it's a safe bet that I don't have any mail today. Most of our mail goes to our P. O. box anyway. I'll check it tomorrow, I don't check it every day unless we have a lot of stuff on eBay.

Speaking of eBay, I think we're through. Finally! All the shirts, gloves and socks we bought at the auction in June have either been sold, donated, or washed & put in our closets. We made a small profit on them, which was the idea. And is also a miracle, considering how many pairs of socks Bill kept and how many shirts we all kept! Otter also got quite a bit out of it, she got a huge amount of t-shirts. Some she'll sleep in, and some she's making into other things. I think she also got some socks. I know we all got a few pairs of gloves, and I think that Bill also bought a jacket-style coat for himself at the same auction. I got several pairs of "boot socks" which are more like house shoes with sock tops. But the really warm socks are wool, which I am allergic to. So no socks for me! I'm just glad to be done with it.

We are still going to be registered on eBay. But we are pretty much through as big sellers. We'll just sell the occasional item and I'm sure we'll still shop there. I know Otter will, she's becoming an eBay addict! But it's a good feeling to know that we are pretty much done. It was a great ride while it lasted, but the ride is over now and not a moment too soon. eBay isn't going away, but the initial fad is over and has been for several months. Which is the normal pattern for things. I think the eBay hot fad lasted a lot longer than most similar things.

Two and a half more weeks for me until Vacation! Bill has two weeks and I think Otter's school schedule is the same as Bill's work days so she only has two weeks. Then we have about a week and a half including holidays and vacation days. The dogs aren't going to know what to do with themselves, with us home that long and having the run of the house!

Frasier seems to be even more "normal" today. He's been in to see me several times, he will be affectionate and then he'll go off somewhere. Then he'll come back in a few minutes and as soon as he gets an ear or chin scratch, he's happy. He was very exhuberant when I let them out into the yard this afternoon. Actually, he was already out there but Maggie was still in their yard. Anyway, they started a rousing game of dog war and he actually seemed to be too excited for Maggie. Which is unusual, she's like the Energizer Bunny. But he ran her right out of steam!

Can You Guess What Day This Is?

It's CHOCOLATE DAY!

Not that I need an excuse. But it's good to have one. I have a bag of chocolate kisses in the freezer, I think I'm going to go get into them now. And I might even leave some for Bill. Maybe. Or maybe not! He's not home yet, so what he doesn't know won't hurt him...

December 7, 1941

Let's not forget what today is, folks. This is one that we can not afford to forget.

So in honor/memory of Pearl Harbor and everything that came afterwards, REMEMBER.

Sunday Work Day Report

Because we observe traditional Sabbath from sundown Friday night to sundown Saturday night, our Sundays are generally busy days. Today was no exception. Bill's dad is working on one of his rent houses and Bill's been helping him when he can. Bill was off Thanksgiving week, so he went over there 4 days and Otter was off 3 days that week so she went 2. Today, we all went! I've been on the business end of a long handled paint roller and my back is killing me! But we really don't mind helping Bill's dad with the work he's doing. However, I don't know if I'll ever get the Kilz paint off of my hands! :)

Bill was working with power tools today, that can be a very scary thought! When Otter and I left, he still had all limbs intact and there hadn't been any blood spilled. But it's still a very nerve-wracking experience!

Froggy, you might be interested to know that we went to BRAUM'S for breakfast again. Good breakfast, but not healthy for me! Gravy, sausage, tater tots. But since I don't have that type of thing very often I can get by with it once in a while. But now I have to be very good for the near future.

Frasier is so much better! He's getting to be playful again, we watched him chase Maggie around the yard while ago. They both seemed to be enjoying themselves. He came in while ago, bouncing and happy. His eyes are so bright and he's got that happy expression back on his face. He still doesn't like me putting the drops on the spot on his foot, but he is tolerating it better. This morning, as soon as he saw the bottle in my hand he lifted his left foot towards me so I guess he's used to it. At least it was only his foot he lifted, and not his leg!!

Froggy, before I forget - I've done 3 rows on your scarf and started the 4th row. I think it's going to be 5 rows, but I'll decide after the 5th row if it needs a 6th row. It's turning out really well. It won't take me too long to finish it. Then I'll post a picture here. And then I'll have to find another crochet project to work on. I'm thinking about making pillow covers for the decorative pillows we have on our bed. I'm also still working on the clothes hanger covers, but I have several of them done already. They just need to be attached to the hangers. The fun part of making the hangers is crocheting them, attaching the covers to the hangers is boring!

Fabulous Frasier Friday on Saturday

Frasier here. I didn't quite get back here on the day before today before my Momm turned this thing off. She said it was sundown or something like that, I don't know what that meant. It just was dark outside. But I'm not afraid of the dark.

I was sick earlier. I have this big sore place on my foot that has been there for a while. I haven't felt like a happy dog for a lot of days. But I didn't tell Momm, since I was too busy trying to take care of her. But finally I couldn't hide it any longer, and I told Momm that I didn't feel too good. So I had to go to the vvvett. I don't like the vvvett. He gave me two shots, and they did something impolite to me that they called taking my temperature. Don't ever let anybody do that to you! It's very rude. But I'm a good boy so I didn't bite anybody. Anyway, Momm has some drops she has to put on my foot. She won't let me lick my foot, but I think she should let me since that would make it feel better. I'm feeling better now, but I think I must have been really sick because my Momm was acting really scared and so was Maggie's Momm. But I'm all better now.

I hope I don't have to go back to the vvett anytime soon. Maggie went with me, she was silly about it like she usually is. The vvettt took her to a differrrrent room, I don't know what they did to her but she didn't like it. She kept trying to put her rear parts by the wall and she said that she wouldn't let anybody touch her tail end again. She's so silly.

But anyway, I'm all better now. So I can go back to being in charge again. Maggie was nice to me while I was sick, but now she's back to biting me when she wants to play. Even if I don't want to play. I guess I just have to put up with her, she is my little sister after all. So I guess that makes it ok.

First Thursday in December

I'm title-challenged today. Obviously!

Otter is playing the asthma game. She woke up with a sore throat and has enough asthma symptoms that she stayed home from school. It's my turn to be home with her, Bill will get tomorrow's shift if she's still home. But hopefully she'll be able to go to school. It's been coming on for a few days, and there is still the possibility that it's a side-effect of the Clairitan although I don't think so since it started before she took it. It's also been extremely windy the last few days, which never helps. But we'll still watch her symptoms. She had a cup of hot tea with plenty of honey in it, and she's getting lots of liquids.

I didn't do a Whine Wednesday post yesterday because I'm not in a whining mood. We're too relieved that Frasier is still with us to whine about anything, because we really thought Tuesday that we were going to lose him.

Speaking of BigDog, he's really improving. He's spending a lot of time this morning on his blanket, but he is obviously happier and much perkier than he has been. It's cold and we're home so he's inside, and he seems to be pretty happy. It's still a job to keep him from licking or biting on the sore spot on his foot, the tumor, but we try to redirect him. Usually a belly rub works, and he never complains about that! Of course, that means that Maggie wants attention too, so there are usually two puppy bellies waiting. It's easy to give him the antibiotic pills, I wrap it in a small piece of bread and he's happy. The vet called earlier today, to check on him. They are happy he's doing so well. Now, if I could just keep him from licking the spot! Otter was thinking that I could possibly wrap something around it, but I think he'd just tear it off. The vet did say that sometimes they use the Elizabethan collars on dogs, but Frasier being Frasier (which means very smart), he would find a way around it. He's pretty determined, when he wants to do something he will figure out how.

Since I'm home, I've been doing laundry and what little house work I had. I've run the vacuum everywhere but the living room, I'll get it later on when Otter isn't in there. I've cleaned the stove and done a few misc. things that I wanted to do while I had the time. I also paid a few bills, which never seem to go away no matter how much we want them to! I'm probably going to work on a maroon and white scarf sometime today, in case a certain Froggy is interested. And I might do my weekly dusting. But that will also have to be done when Otter is not in the room.

Otter has a sewing project. For the costume party she went to in November, she was a pirate (obviously!) and we made the pants out of a pajama pattern. We used a soft velour type fabric and they turned out great. She uses them as pj's now. It was a sewing lesson for her. Now she's decided that she's ready to make a pair herself, so we went to the fabric store the other day and bought fleece. It's sky blue, which is my favorite color anyway but it's what she picked out. I washed the fabric yesterday, there was enough blue lint to float a boat with! Sometime in the next couple of days, she'll get started on her sewing. It might be Saturday before she gets to working on it, and I think she'll enjoy it. She's going to make a pj top as well as the bottoms. They will be very warm!

It's very cold today, I went out to get the paper and nearly froze. The birdfeeders were empty, and as cold as it is their probably aren't any bugs out for the birds to eat. So I refilled my feeders. I've gone through close to 25 pounds in the last week or so, and I have another 25 pound bag waiting to be used. Every time I look out, there are billions and billions of birds! The resident cardinal was sitting in the tree earlier when I was refilling the feeders. He was watching me, so I think he was waiting on me to finish so he could get back to eating. I also have some suet feeders, but they are not up yet. I might get them up soon, they seem to attract blue jays and the occasional woodpecker.

It got to the mid-20's last night, it should be even colder tonight. I also brought in more firewood when I went outside to take care of the birdfeeders. We had a nice fire yesterday, and we roasted more marshmallows. Tonight will probably be a repeat.

I finally got all the paperwork from the bank, so I was able to get the car title transferred and I now have a license plate. Which is a very good thing, the car needs to get washed but I didn't want to with the paper temporary license plate. It "only" cost me $550.00 to get it transferred! I was hoping it would be less, but I wasn't surprised. I'm also getting about 22 mpg city driving, so I'm not unhappy at all. :)

OK, I've piddled around on the computer long enough. Time to go get my laundry put up, then I think I'll get that dusting done and probably sweep the kitchen floor. Or maybe not, I am firmly convinced that the dogs wait for me to sweep. Then they run outside and play in the dirt! Maybe I should just go crochet instead?