2012 Start to Finish!

2012 is just about over, although since Blogger is being so slow it might actually BE over before I get through typing this!  Anyway.  I think we'll be glad to see this year end.  It hasn't been horrible, but frankly we have had better.  We've had worse as well, so I'm not really complaining.  Just stating a fact is all.

January

Well, I brought back a cold from our TEXAS trip in December 2011 and then spent at least half the month fighting it.  It turned into bronchitis and I was very sick.  Otter had a touch of the cold, but she was over most of it early in the month.  I made it into a marathon!

I did manage to get quite a bit of crochet done, mostly because I was home sick so much.

Bill's pachinko collection increased (this happens a lot).

There was a Friday the 13th this month.

Otter got new glasses.  We decided that we don't like the Oakley brand, they don't curve around the ear and keep falling off.  She doesn't want that kind anymore and I don't blame her.

Bill took a turn with the cold but he didn't have a very bad case.

My tendonitis showed up and it stayed around for weeks and weeks.  It's one thing I want to do without for 2013!

Bill's car had a leak in the power steering system.  $516.00 to fix it. Ouch!

Otter was mistaken for an actual librarian at the library one day. :)

February

For a while, we were concerned that Otter might have a thyroid imbalance.  The doctor was too, but so far she seems to be ok.

Bill got the first of what turned into several fillings.  Actually, he got a few this month and then for the next few months.

There was an attempted kidnapping of a 13 year old girl at a school bus stop, less than 2 miles from our house - the boy that tried to grab her was 14 years old.

We had a trace of snow (finally!)

A very special couple I know celebrated their 75th Wedding Anniversary!

We replaced the filter on the ice maker in the fridge.  And discovered billions and billions of multi-colored twist ties.  With no idea where they came from!

This was a leap year, so there were 29 days in February.

March

Froggy's hubby got a great job in the Austin, TX area and they decided to move.

Otter started the month with what she thought was a night of not sleeping and then a cold/allergy coming on - but it turned out to be the flu!  She was one of many in the Tulsa area who got the flu shot and then still got the flu.  She didn't have a bad case, but it was still not good.

The Oklahoma primary was in March.  Our first choice, Herman Cain, dropped out earlier so I voted for the 2nd choice - Rick Santorum.  He won Oklahoma, but ultimately dropped out of the race.

Otter was thinking about changing her major from Library Sciences to an English Degree and that is what she decided to do.

We had a pretty intense hail storm.

I got to crochet again!  I didn't even attempt it for several weeks, thanks to the tendonitis.  Then I had to be careful and just do small sessions.

Bill shaved his beard!

The dishwasher died.  It had been on it's way out for a while, but we were nursing it along.  We didn't replace it at the time and later I decided that I don't really want one.

We actually had weather that was nice enough to sit out on the deck.

The frogs showed up, so the bricks went into the dog water.  Don't want any drowned frogs!  Dead frogs don't eat bugs.

We switched from the humidifiers to the fans in the bedrooms.  In March!

Bill had a cold or allergy.

We had pouring rain for a few days.

Otter's annual lung recheck at the allergist.  He was very impressed with her status.  She also had Spring Break.

Birds started building nests in various places around the house and yard.

Otter turned 20!

April

Discovered a bunch of bluebonnets coming up in the front yard and whiskey barrel.

Also, we discovered the first of what became a major invasion of yellow-jacket nests.

Dallas had tornados!

The iris plants started to bloom.

The vet started really watching Frasier's leg.

We had a nice Easter at Grandpa and Sweetie's house.

Spring Storms made their appearance, especially in the western part of the state.

Otter learned to crochet!

Froggy & Uncle Crazy found a house!

May

We had a storm with a lot of strong wind.  And then we had pieces of one of our trees all over the back yard!

Maggie caught a fledgling mockingbird, but Otter got he to drop it and then Maggie was in major discgrace!

Mother's Day.  We saw the Avengers movie and had buffalo burgers.

The office cat disappeared.  We eventually found her, she was deceased and we think she "came home" to die.  She had adopted us several years ago and was probably just old but she was still a fun pet at work and we miss her.

9 yellow-jacket nests at the office.  That was just in one day, we killed them and they kept coming back!

We got the septic tank cleaned out. Not a pleasant job, but necessary.

June

The hummingbirds showed up!

We moved plastic shelves into Otter's room, now she has a place to put all that craft stash of hers.

More yellow jacket nests.

I got stung by one of the beasties.  It wasn't pleasant.

The drive-in reopened in Tulsa!

We found out (the hard way) that Otter is not allergic to yellow jackets.  We were already destroying them as we came across the nests, but not Bill was on a mission!

Bill's 51st birthday.

Froggy's house in SA was an interesting story.  The first buyer had a stroke just a few days before he was to close, they had to put the house back on the market and the 2nd buyer was kind of a turkey.  But it was eventually sold.

Ozone days started for the summer.

Otter found a wasp.  It was climbing up the curtains inside the living room!

We found a box turtle in the back yard.  She was relocated under the fence.

The supreme court made a collosal mistake.

July

V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N!

A sparrow flew into the dining room window.  It did not survive. :(

We watched fireworks from our back deck.

We found an injured dove in the back yard.  We gave her food and water and kept the dogs out.  After a couple of days, she was nowhere to be seen so we think that the got her strength back and was able to fly off.  There was no sign of anything else.

Still finding yellow jackets.  Still squashing/spraying/killing them.

The Olympics started in London.  We watched quite a bit.

Our neighbor pointed at me as I was driving off one morning - actually it was the husband/boyfriend/whatever he is and he mimed pulling a gun on me and shooting.  This was the 2nd time, the first was just pointing.  I waved at him and gave him a big smile - and then they seemed to do everything they could to avoid us after that.  Guess they didn't like realizing that we don't intimidate?

My favorite author, Maeve Binchy, died.**

August

Otter decided to take a break from college and think about her plans for the future.  She started applying for jobs, then after a long talk with her councilor at school she changed her mind.  At least for the immediate future.

We supported Chick-Fil-A.  And continue to do so.

Otter went to TEXAS for a week, she saw her TEXAS grandmother and most of her cousins.

Found another yellow jacket nest!

The vacuum cleaner died.  Unlike the dishwasher, it was replaced!

I made my specialty soup with frozen vegetables and it worked pretty well.

The vet decided that Frasier's "spot" needed to come off.  We scheduled his surgery for Labor Day weekend so it was actually August 31st.  It was the beginning of a roller coaster that we actually thought at one point was the end of Frasier's time on earth.  He got better!  But we really weren't sure he would at one point and we (and the vet) were actually planning the timing for euthanasia.  It was that close and that serious.

Otter started her 2nd year at college.

The driver's side window fell off it's frame in Bill's car.  We had to replace the motor assembly but the window itself was intact.

September

We didn't get a lot of sleep this month, courtesy of one large, furry dog!

We went to Wallyworld one morning and there were was looked like (literally) millions of crickets!

We got our flu shots.  Later than we planned, but at least we managed to get them!  I had my usual reaction.

Frasier, in his cone, got his head stuck between the couch and a magazine rack.

The dogs came veryclose to getting a cat under the shed.

Talk Like a Pirate Day!  Otter got a free dozen donuts at Krispy Kreme, and so did most of her friends, just for dressing up like a pirate and talking like one.

The dentist agreed that Otter's top wisdom teeth were just about ready to come out.  She also diagnosed the beginning of de-calcifying in Otter's teeth.

October

I brought the hummingbird feeders in the for the year.

Frasier kept us up at night.

I had a chance to educate two neighborhood girls on not throwing rocks at passing cars.  RHTW got the job done and I don't think that they will do it again.

We went to Bartlesville and areas north, one of our shopping rambles.  It turned out to be the last one for the year although we didn't realize it at the time.  It was fun.

Otter and I went to the Fair.  First time in two years.  Fun, lots of walking.

The vet recommended a bitter apple spray for Frasier's leg.  It didn't keep him from licking and I'm firmly convinced that it made his mental state worse.

We had a bad dust storm.

Otter started showing signs of Red Hair anemia.  She's increased her iron intake and is much better.

We heard coyotes.

I found one of the two opal earrings (two different ones) I lost over a year ago.  Thought it was gone for good, it was in the dryer!

The vet had us start the dog on benadryl at night.  It worked two or three nights, then we were right back where we started from.

Bill transplanted an elm tree sapling that came from the elm tree we put in a couple of years ago.

The vet suggested leaving a light on in the living room with the hopes that Frasier would be able to see that there was nothing to bark at.  He only saw that I wasn't in there and he kept barking!

November

The vet suggested tranquilizers.  They did the trick.  He still gets one occasionally, but after about a week of a pill nightly he was much better.

Time change.

Bill briefly considered selling the El Camino.  I'm glad he decided not to.

The "big" election happened.  Without us, frankly.  At least without us on certain parts of it.

I had a cold.

Grass fires in the area, lots of smoke & dust.

My puppy is back!  He's been so much better and actually wore the beagle out on a few occasions.  That is not easy to do, by the way.

We scheduled Otter's oral surgery for mid-December.

I started an afghan for Grandpa for Christmas.  Which I didn't get finished until about 30 minutes before they came on over Christmas morning!

Bill had time off at Thanksgiving.  And he got sick!

Thanksgiving.  We had a great time at Grandpa and Sweetie's.

Otter and I saw an annual exhibit at a local museum.

We took the curtains down from the dining room and put up mini-blinds.

December

Otter made a great find at an estate sale, she found a fairly rare and collectible picnic basket.

12/21/12 happened.  And nothing happened.  We didn't expect anything anyway, but it was fun watching people get stupid about it.

Well, one thing did happen on 12/21/12:  my notary commission was renewed for another 4 years.

We made cookies.  Lots and lots and lots of cookies.

And then I threw away most of my cookies sheets and got new ones!

The dogs jumped the block in the garage.  And discovered a full back of their food.  It wasn't full for long!

Otter had a fairly heavy nosebleed - in line at the dollar store!  Thankfully, they sell kleenex.

Otter had oral surgery.  The two two wisdom teeth came out and the surgery went well.  She didn't have any problems from it.

But she did have problems from the pain pill, it was a hard way to discover a codiene allergy but I guess it was the only way it could be discovered.

Christmas!

V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N!

I turned 51, I caught up with Billyboy.  We went to Incredible Pizza and a few thrift stores.  It was a lot of fun.  Otter made me brownies. :)

Bill was on vacation and he did what he's known for:  he got sick!

I finally gave in and bought a purse.  I buy purses when I need one, but this one was a little different.  And it cost a lot more.  I still can't believe I paid that much for a purse.

We had a touch of snow on the 28th.

One other thing in December:  The publisher that handled Maeve Binchy's books announced that there was one more book and it would be coming out on Valentine's Day 2013.  I'm not sure if it was one that was just never published for whatever reason, or if it was going to be published and then she died.  But whatever the reason, I am going to buy it.  She was a major talent and is very much missed.

I had 4 migraines in 2012.  Which is about the average.  I had a few hot flashes, only a couple of them were really bad (hot flashers, actually).  But I guess it's to be expected.

We had very little car trouble, what we did have with mostly with Bill's car but it's a 10 year old car and has around 150,000 miles on it.  I guess it's to be expected too.

It was a warm year and a dry one.  It didn't feel as hot as 2011, but it actually was.

But we managed to get through the year without losing a special dog, that is something that we didn't expect at one point.  He's an old dog and we're just going to enjoy however long with have him.  And spoil him even more rotten - same thing with the beagle!

But I really, really do NOT want tendonitis.  Ever again.

Frog Hats & Cold Attics!

First things first:  Froggy asked about a frog cap.  They are similar to the sock monkey in terms of construction, I'll see if I can find a picture.  They are a bright green, frogs have round eyes and they don't have the ears that a sock monkey has but the eyes are in the same spot as the ears on a sock monkey although they might be a little closer together.  I've seem a few different ones I like, I'm just not sure which one I'm going to make.  If I do make one, that is.  (I probably will and probably more than one, since I'm sure Froggy will want one).

This is the one I like the most, but there are a few other styles:

Mine will be slightly different than this one, and I'm also not sure how I'll do the mouth.  I've also seen a couple that have the tongue sticking out.  I don't think I like the pink cheeks, either.  But this is a general idea of what most of them look like.

I've just come down from the attic, where I stored all the Christmas stuff.  I didn't let Bill get up there with me, he's still getting over the cold bug he had and the temperature is below arctic up there.  It is actually in the very low 40's but we don't have a breeze so it's not so bad.  We spent most of yesterday in front of the fireplace, and I was right - Maggie did spend most of her time napping and her behind parts were right up against the rocks!

Our pastor informed the congregation today that there have been two water line breaks in the last couple of days, both on the church side of the property and not the city side.  There have been a few in other places lately, I think it's a combination of the extremely dry weather and the length of time that it was below freezing.  The actual sermon was good, but I didn't pay all that much attention to Pastor Dave.  Instead, I kept my eyes closed and waited for the flashing lights to go away - the ones that always come before a migraine!

The back yard has been full of sparrows off & on today.  The dogs have been let out a few times, with the idea being that they get some excercise.  They run alright.  Right to the bird feeders!  Then they proceed to hoover up any stray seed they can find.  And they do not want to come back in, even though they are obviously cold.  Silly babies.

Only two more days off after today.  For me, anyway.  Back to work on Wednesday!  At least it will be a shorter work week.

I don't do New Year's resolutions, and we don't usually have black-eyed peas either.  I'm probably making beans and cornbread, which I've made on New Years before but not every year.  Mostly, I'm planning it on Wednesday because I'll actually have time to make it.  Beans take a while to cook.  Otter and I are probably going to Goodwill tomorrow, we never have gotten there to donate all the stuff that's been in the trunk of my car for several days.  Like over a week, I think!  We might also go to Big Lots and/or Michael's tomorrow, then Wednesday is probably going to be a lazy day.  Or at least stay-at-home day.  Mostly.

OK, off to find my motrin again!  I was going to do my year-end blog, but I think I'll wait until tomorrow for that.

Finally Figured it Out

I finally came up with something!  Bill kept asking me what I wanted for Christmas and my birthday, and I never could come up with anything.  I finally figured it out.  Otter and I went shopping, among other errands, and I got a pair of tennis/track/whatever shoes that I needed badly and a new calendar.  Real exciting, I know.  But I didn't really need/want anything in particular, so I decided that those are from Bill.  One's Christmas, the other is birthday.

The other thing I bought was from this company:  Just for Me and while I don't see my particular handbag on their website, I'm pretty happy with it.  It's leather, very soft leather in fact, dark blue and I'm going to carry this one for years.  It was one of those "you get what you pay for" moments and let's just say that I paid for very high quality, even with the fact that it was 30% off.  I'd been wanting a Coach bag and nearly bought one last year but changed my mind.  In hindsight, I'm glad.  Because the bag I bought today is so much nicer, and Coach bags are pretty nice to start with.  Otter also got a new purse, we were at Dillard's looking for mine and she found one she really liked.  Hers was a different brand and was a lot less than mine, but it still was not exactly Wallyworld quality OR price range.  But she takes care of her stuff and is always appreciative, so I don't mind spoiling her occasionally.  She doesn't have quite as many purses as pairs of shoes, but she's probably on her way!

We spent a couple of hours in the mall and had a good time.  Then we decided to head on to out other errands.  As we walked out of the mall, it was just starting to snow.  We had two or three other places to go to and they were all on the way home, so we went ahead with our plans and got nearly everything done.  The snow continued for a couple of hours and the flakes got pretty big, but it's quit now.  It was just barely starting to stick to the ground and street, but now I think it's pretty much done and we won't see any accumulations.  Among other stops, we went to the library (first) and a book store.  We also went to Wallyworld since I forgot Ridex when we were there the other day and we also got milk and a couple of other things while we were there.  They weren't too bad, you can never tell how people will be up here, but usually the slightest hint of a flake will send hordes scurrying into the grocery store and the shelves will be cleaned out in a matter of seconds.

One of the things I bought at Wallyworld was yarn.  Otter, my Chief Enabler, wants another hat in a specific green color and it's also going to have a pattern in black attached.  It's a character from a video game.  I think I'll probably work on it tomorrow.  The color is called Spring, but it's really what I would call Frog Green!  I've also seen some cute crocheted caps that look like frogs, so I might just have to make one.

Guess that's it for now, I'm going to play on the computer for a while and then I think I'll go join Maggie Moo.  She's in front of the fireplace, she wasn't quite up against the hearth the last time I looked but she was scooting closer.  She'll wind up with her bottom parts literally up against the rocks before too long.  Guess she doesn't want a cold hiney!

It's Motorcycle Day!

So named because my brother, Toadly or Toadles, would have rather had a motorcycle for a Christmas present but he got a little sister instead!

But if I was a motorcycle, I'd be one of these.  :)  Notice that it's red?

I did manage to avoid the cold, or at least I don't think I'm coming down with it today.  I woke up feeling good and have only had the slight allergy stuff I've had the last few days.  I'm not actually allergic to cold, although that is a real allergy, but cold air aggravates my asthma and I've had a little of that.

Bill's feeling much better although he's still somewhat congested.  He's been sleeping on the couch the last few nights since he was coughing so bad and didn't want to disturb me, but I think he might be moving back into the bedroom tonight.  Which means that Frasier might get a pill tonight, since it doesn't take much for that dog to be reprogrammed into thinking that he needs a roommate!  Bill said that Frasier woke him up around 4:30 this morning, talking.

We went to a couple of thrift stores, where Bill got two more shot glasses and Otter found a few things.  We went to a couple of antique stores but nobody bought anything.  The only thing I actually bought today was lunch, and I don't think that really counts!  We went to Incredible Pizza and stuffed ourselves.  There is a reason we only eat there about once a year...

Otter and I have a few places to go tomorrow.  We've been meaning to get to the book store and library all week but haven't made it yet.  We're also going to get a couple of other errands out of the way, including a stop at a grocery store for milk and a couple of other things since we may get winter weather tomorrow.  We might even hit the mall, although that's not definite.

We refilled the bird feeders just now.  We usually have had to refill them a couple of times by this point, but the birds have not been too hungry.  Actually, I think that there are a lot of people who have feeders out and they've been making the rounds of the neighborhood.  Frasier and Maggie Moo have been helping us, they keep the yard clean of any stray seed that might spill.  We also brought in a few armloads of firewood while we were busy with the feeders.

We never did have the tacos we originally planned for Christmas.  They got put off and then put off again, and now we're going to hopefully manage to make them tomorrow!  I have several dozen tamales in the deep freeze, we're going to have some of them (with homemade chili!) for New Year's Eve.  I haven't really done much actual cooking this week, which is odd for vacation week.  We haven't eaten out other than today, we've mostly had a lot of sandwich/leftovers/grazing meals.  But Otter is going to cook tomorrow.  I told her I wanted her to make me brownies for my birthday, but I told her to wait until tomorrow since we ate so much pizza today.

I Think I Beat My Own Record This Year!

Because I had the tree and all the decorations put away by 5:00 yesterday afternoon!  Like I've said before, for me - when it's over, it's over.  The table is back to normal, the wreath is back in it's bag, the stockings & all the ornaments, small Nativity set, etc., are all put away and the tree is in the box it came out of.  The tree itself is still in the living room, I'm waiting for Bill to be physically able to help me move the tv out of the way to get the cord unplugged and then the tree just might get moved to the "donate" pile.  I"m not sure yet.

The boxes are still in the garage and not in the attic, but that's because Bill's got the cold he's been fighting and he has no business a) out in the cold garage or b) climbing into the cold attic.  And he won't let me into the attic by myself.

And since I'm showing early signs of the cold myself (gee, thanks Bill), I'm not in any particular hurry to get up there anyway.

Otter and I did get a little shopping in today.  We went to a fabric/quilting store this morning that we'd been wanting to go to but just hadn't had time until today.  It was a fun place, small but filled to the brim with some of the most beautiful fabric I've ever seen and the prices were also pretty good especially when you consider the quality.  Otter, Froggy & KN3 and the seamstresses in the family, but I do sew occasionally.  Also, since Otter is my Chief Enabler for the yarn addiction I felt like I needed to return the favor! :)  We had a couple of other places to go to but not anything spectacular, beyond Otter trading in one of her game systems at Game Exhange (name?) we didn't really find anything.  We came home for lunch and piddled around the house for a while, then we decided to go to Wallyworld since I needed batteries and paper towels.  I figured that we'd just make it into our grocery run while we were there, but we still didn't buy much because we didin't really need much.  However, we did have to get light bulbs because Otter was suddenly in the near-dark in her room this afternoon!

One of our stops was a junktique place that we love but don't get to often - Froggy, you remember the Hitching Post?  When we walked in the door, there was an odor that I first thought was natural gas.  I don't think it actually way, but it was similar.  That's when I noticed the first tickles in my throat, which I thought were just my allergy letting me know it didn't appreciate the scent of whatever it was.  But my throat never got better, usually it will go away once I'm away from whatever it is that is setting my allergies off.  We went to Wallyworld after that and we've been home for over an hour but I still have a tickly throat that is now on the verge of becoming an actual sore throat.

Bill, you better start running now!  Because I am NOT going to let a cold keep me from enjoying my birthday tomorrow.  We're going to Incredible Pizza for lunch and I intend to enjoy it.  Bill's a lot better, he's still got his cold but he's on the mend.  He will go with us for lunch but probably not anywhere else we go - I'm also not going to let a possible cold keep me from shopping/thrifting on my birthday.

Run, Billy Boy, Run.

Icy Cold Christmas!

We didn't get the snow that was forecast.  But that's ok, we didn't get forgotten by the winter weather!  Instead, we got ice.

Not much, at least not in our area, but it was enough that the cars were iced over this morning and there were some slick spots.  Grandpa and Sweetie were still able to get out of their house and come to ours, so we didn't have to postpone our Christmas with them - something we've had to do a time or two!  We still could get snow, although I'm thinking that we probably won't by this point.  It's about 4:15 p.m.

Although I didn't want to, yesterday Otter and I went to Wallyworld.  We'd just been the day before, but on the chance we did get socked in and weren't able to get out we wanted to grab a few things while we could.  Orange juice, taco fixins for tonight's dinner, stuff like that.  The tacos have been put off until tomorrow, we had a huge breakfast and never ate lunch then just snacked for supper tonight.  But, better safe than sorry when it comes to the weather and food.  Everybody remembers December 2007 and February 2011, so the store was crowded yesterday and it seemed like the grocery side of the store was just as crowded (or maybe more so) than the toy, etc. side was.

We had a nice Christmas, even if it was a little cold.  And even if Bill wasn't doing what he does every single time he takes vacation or has several days off:  he's sick!  I think he's "just" got a cold this time, although I do think it was the flu in November - when he was off around Thanksgiving.  We've also discovered that he's probably allergy to benadryl - yes, he's allergic to an allergy med.  Talk about ironic.  Anyway, he always gets a rash when/after he's had fever.  But the benadryl he's been taking has made it a whole lot worse and he says it always makes it worse - of course, he didn't bother to tell me this until today - after he'd been taking benadryl!  Sometimes...

Anyway, G & S came for the annual event known as "Bill Breakfast" because he cooks most of it.  Otter and I pitched in this time, she was in charge of biscuits & gravy and I made the waffles.  Bill handled the bacon and scrambled eggs.  We had a fire going early, and that meant that I was warm as I was furiously crocheting to finish up Grandpa's afghan before he actually got here to receive it!  Talk about last minute.  It's the big project I've been working on, I should have already been done with it but everytime I thought I would have a few minutes something always came up.  Because I got it finished less than 40 minutes before they got here, I didn't get pictures.  But it's just like the pink & white granny square afghan that is on my craft blog, except that it's a sort of dark royal blue alternating with white.  The pink & white one was a Mother's Day gift to Sweetie a couple of years back.  I also crocheted a couple of kitchen washcloths for Sweetie, in the yellow & white that she's decorating her kitchen in.  They didn't get photographed either, but that's because I was too busy with Grandpa's afghan to take the time.  We had a wonderful visit with them this morning, after breakfast we opened presents but there was still a concern about more ice coming down so they didn't stay too long.  It was a short visit, but it was a good one.

The dogs have enjoyed today.  They were outside while we were having breakfast, well they were in the garage on their carpet but they were out of the way.  They came back in after that, and they got their gift - treat bones!  Which they ate in a few minutes.  Frasier has spent the afternoon curled up on their blankets and Maggie Moo has spent her time either under Bill's blanket-covered feet or in front of the fireplace.

And, just in case anybody is wondering, yes!  Bill did get coal in his stocking.  Courtesy of Otter and the dollar store, it was actually chocolate candy made to resemble coal.

OK, I'm about to go outside and get more firewood.  Bill's trying to stay on the couch with a blanket, but he doesn't deal with forced inactivity any better than I do so it's a battle keeping him there.  He did go get firewood earlier, he got away from me and snuck out, but he said it tired him out.

I've also managed to get more crochet time in this afternoon.  I started a mint green and white scarf/hat combo for myself a while back.  I finished the hat and was just over half-way on the scarf, but they were put aside for the Christmas gift projects.  I managed to get the scarf finished this afternoon.  I'm not sure if I'm going to fringe it or not.

We aren't planning anything particular for tomorrow, a lot of it depends on the weather and if we get anything else.  It's still cold, below or close to 32 degrees and the roads are ok but they could be bad if we get anything else tonight.

Merry Christmas!

Today, we celebrate receiving the greatest Gift of all!

Sunday, December 23, 2012

(Before I forget - Otter's fine now ,she recovered from her dental experience and the nightmare of being allergic to the pain med.  The stitches are out and the dentist was pleased with how everything looked.  She can eat real food again and she's happy!)

And it's 65 degrees!

This is the actual forecast, obviously they got today wrong, but it would still have been warmer than usual.

But, there is hope.  Look at Tuesday.  The 50% chance of something.  It's not rain, either.  This being the area that it is, the forecasters don't quite know what they are doing.  I heard a dj commenting on the radio the other morning, he said that since the forecasters were calling for a slight chance of white stuff and a small chance of it actually accumulating, we'd probably be inundated because they don't know what they are doing!  :)

We'll see.

Otter and I went to Wallyworld today.  I needed 5 or 6 things and they were all grocery related.  We decided to go shortly after we got home from church, which would have been about 10:30.  But it was actually closer to 12:30 when we got there.  The "After Church" crowd wasn't there yet, we were able to get in and get out fairly easily.  But they were getting busy as we were leaving, and judging by the way that most people were dressed I'd say that most of them came straight from church and we're glad we were there when we were.  Any later and it would have been a madhouse.

Of course, we still have to get out tomorrow.  Bill needs to take a box to UPS and he also ran out of peanuts (the edible kind, not the packing kind!) to we're probably going to run to the farm/ranch/general store where we buy them in bulk.  Probably early, and then we will also most likely go to the dollar store.  That's kind of become Otter's and my tradition on Christmas Eve, although we didn't intend for it to.  I might also need to go to Michael's - yes, I know how chaotic it will be!  But I'm working on a crochet project which is a Christmas gift - nothing like waiting until the last moment! - and I'm seriously afraid that I'm not going to have enough yarn in the specific color.  It's white, so it's one that I don't use a lot of but I do use enough of it to justify buying more.  I just didn't exactly want to go tomorrow.  I may have to, though.  Otter (my chief enabler) read the Michael's ad and informed me that they have ALL their yarn on sale. :)

12/21/12

(Posted on 12/20/12 because I probably won't have time on 12/21/12!)

Time to turn the page on the calendar.

Any excuse for a party, at least according to Maggie Moo & Frasier.

Their version of party is to cuddle up on their blankets and go to sleep.

Works for me.

(I guess it's pretty obvious that we don't expect the world to end tomorrow.)

Now, can we all get back to worrying about the real problems the world faces please?

Not Enough Sleep Last Night!

I realized this morning that I still have "mom ears."  You know, the kind of hearing that you develop when you have children where you hear all sorts of things - even silence - and also listen for noises that nobody else would hear.  Their hearing range just isn't as good, mostly because they are not mothers.  Mom ears are related to the eyes we also get in the back of our heads when we have children.  The eyes eventually go away, but I'm not sure if mom ears ever do.  At any rate, I still have mine.  And they were active last night!  I didn't sleep well, I woke up several times and I was probably listening for Otter.  At 4:20 this morning, I was awake.

Which is how I know that Frasier was talking to me.  I don't think he woke me up, but he's getting medicated tonight just in case!  Otter probably won't need anything, other than the tylenol she's taken occasionally today.

She's much better.  Still tired, but that could be a combination of the medicine reaction and the oral surgery itself.  I made rice for her this morning, she's eaten some today and a little of her yogurt.  She had a little tea to drink this morning and has also been drinking lots of water.  I made potato soup tonight and she said it was really good.  She'll probably be ready for regular food tomorrow, just not anything wild or spicy and she still has to be careful of the incisions/stitches.  She goes back to the dentist tomorrow afternoon, hopefully the stitches will come out and everything will look good.

I talked to the pharmacist today.  Lortab is not the same as Tylenol # 3, but they both have codiene and she is apparently allergic.  Dad was and Froggy is.  I think a lot of people are and we probably shouldn't have been surprised that Otter is.  But it's one of those things that you can't find out any way other than the hard way - by taking it.  As Otter said, at least now she'll be able to write something in the "allergic to any medication" question at the doctor's office!

Today was crazy at work.  The Teenager was only there for the afternoon, but he made up for it.  As a result, I got very little done.  I didn't have much to do, but it was something that involved data entry and numbers.  I finished it, but I am not holding my breath that it's right!  It's not anything major, it's just an internal office thing so there aren't any problems with taxes, etc., if it's wrong.  I just want it to be right is all.

I braved Wallyworld tonight.  I would have preferred to skip it, but I needed a couple of grocery things so I decided to just go and get it over with.  They'll only get worse the closer it gets to Christmas, anyway.

Two more work days and then we're free for days and days!  Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!

Okay...

I think we've discovered that Otter can not take lortab, also known as tylenol # 3.  She has been sick all day, She took two doses last night, one when we got home and then one when she went to bed.  It didn't make her drowsy, so she was in her bed but awake until about 10:00 last night.  She had the laptop powered up, and the pill did seem to help the pain.  I woke her up about 7:00 this morning to check on her before I left for work, she was not feeling the best but that was mostly the results of the surgery - or so we thought.  She called me about 9:45, when she woke up and she was feeling a little nauseous but she hadn't really eaten anything beyond a little yogurt last night so she thought she was just hungry.  Sometime after that, she started throwing up.  Several times.  She was texting me to keep me updated since she didn't feel like actually talking.  After about the third time, she noticed a tiny bit of blood and that's when I decided I'd better head on home.  I was going to come home at lunch anyway, to check on her.  But I wasn't planning on staying home originally.  About the time I realized that I needed to head home, the Teenager got there and he told me that I'd better leave and not come back today - which is what I was already thinking.

I talked to the dentist and since it was a tiny amount of blood and didn't continue, she thinks it's probably from the stitches being pulled but they seem to still be there.  Also, there wasn't any bleeding later on.  We have to watch for dry socket, but that's more of a general concern because she was throwing up and not that we expect it.  She can take plain tylenol, which is probably what she'll do.  Just not # 3.  Ever, I think.  She had a long shower and then she decided to take a nap.  That was around noon, she slept most of the afternoon and is still in bed although I think she's woken up a couple of times.  It's after 6:00 p.m. now.  We're keeping an eye on her, obviously.  At this point, she doesn't need to go back to the dentist until Thursday but that may change at least if the stitches come out.

I'm really glad now that I changed Otter's appointment, it was originally set for tomorrow afternoon but I was afraid that she might have a reaction or problem and it would be when the dentist was out of the office on Friday.

Since I was home today, I did a few things around the house that I'd been meaning to get to.  Otter napped all afternoon, I dusted!  And fought cobwebs, cleaned a couple of things out of the coat closet, did a couple of loads of laundry, ironed, swept and also attacked the dryer's interior lint trap - which was loaded!  When Bill got home, he cleaned the ceiling fan (I couldn't reach it but I did try) and then I ran to Subway for dinner for the two of us.  Otter's mashed potatos may be potato soup instead, but it'll be tomorrow whichever way we have it.

I think Bill's cleaning the fireplace.  I was going to do it and had started, but then he ordered me out of the way.  :)

I did not get any crochet done today, but I really need to get on that tonight since I've got two Christmas presents in progress.  I might work on that this evening.

Odd Monday

It's Monday, it's been an odd day.  Otter's fine, more on her dental adventure in a bit.

Friday's horrific news is still on my mind.  It would be upsetting and terrible beyond words anyway, but my mother's heart is broken for all those parents who don't have their children to hold anymore.  It is simply unfathomable, that someone would do something so despicable.  I know the shooter most likely had mental issues.  But that doesn't heal the grief of the families.

Our system is broken.  People with mental illness need help.  Plain and simple.  But they don't always get it.  If someone doesn't act out, they are frequently going without the help that they so desperately need - until they do act out.  Not much has come out yet about the shooter specifically other than that he had issues, but not much has been released about his problems.  Maybe that's the way it should be.  The point is that he most likely needed help and maybe he was getting some help.  But it wasn't enough.

I'm not sure if it's made the national news or not, but there was a near-miss school shooting/bombing in Bartlesville, which is about an hour north of Tulsa.  It would have been similar to the Columbine shooting.  If not for a couple of scared but brave students who told the assistant principal about what they'd been told - and threatened with harm if they did tell - and he believed them.  The 18-year old boy in this case was arrested Friday morning, a couple of hours before the CT tragedy happened.  But it would have been another one.

Otter told me that she noticed that I always, always hug her first thing when something like this happens.  She's right, by the way.  I told her that she'll understand when she has children of her own.  She wasn't complaining, just stating a fact.

OK, on to other things:

Otter's oral surgery was this afternoon.  She had the upper two wisdom teeth removed.  It was quicker than last year's when the bottom two were removed.  For one thing, one of the uppers was already coming in pretty good.  She's doing ok, she had some yogurt when we got home and a pain pill.  The dentist gave her a slightly stronger one, since last year's didn't even phase her.  Not surprising, given the way that redheads metabolize things.  She goes back Thursday afternoon to get the stitches removed.  Until then, she's going to be careful with what she eats.  I took her to Arby's for lunch today, then I was going to take her to the library but they were closed due to a major water line break in Tulsa.  So I wound up taking her back to the office with me for a couple of hours.

However, not before the Redhead Curse made it's appearance!  She had a nosebleed.  In the middle of the check out line at the dollar store, where we'd run in for a couple of things after lunch.  She had one over the weekend, it wasn't bad and it was also not unexpected - dry air and the fact that we're still dealing with allergies that normally would have stopped weeks ago.  Today's was not extremely bad, but it was probably worse than yesterday's - or it might have actually been Saturday, I'm not sure.  Today's was surprising, and it was the one time when we didn't have kleenex handy.  We were next to be checked out, so I asked the clerk if they sold kleenex and told her why I was having to interrupt her.  The clerk literally ran to the other side of the store and grabbed me a box.  I opened it right then and then of course I bought it.  I thanked the clerk for doing that for me.  Otter got it stopped quickly, and then she stuffed her jacket pockets as full of kleenex as she could get it.  She mentioned it to the dentist just in case.  The dentist is well-versed in the care of Redheads, but nosebleeds are probably not something she's used to having to deal with like this.  But Otter was fine, she hasn't had another one.

The Star Trek rumor of the day is this:  The blonde woman in the previews is not Dr. Dehner but is in fact Carol Marcus.  Interesting idea.  It does not look like the bad guy is Kahn, he could still be Gary Mitchell but he could also be Garth of Izar.  I suggest that non-Trek fans (all 5 of you) google the names, it's a long story to explain who they all are and I'm tired.

We did get our Christmas tree up yesterday.  It's kind of pathetic, actually.  We used the smaller fiber-optic tree, I think it's probably about 2 1/2' tall or thereabouts.  But it's not exactly straight.  It leans a bit.  I straightened it as much as I can but it's still not quite there.  It also doesn't stay in it's base very well so most of the ornaments are actually towards the bottom and back side, it needed ballast.  We don't have a topper on it, I didn't get it with the ornaments I brought down from the attic but it's probably just as well given the lack of stability.  I did manage to find the wreath and the stockings.  We used older ornaments, some of which are from our Aunt who lived with us.  Froggy, I think you probably have some of her ornaments as well.  I also brought down one of my smaller Nativity sets.  I didn't want to deal with the big set, the box is heavy and I was seriously afraid that I would drop it on the way down from the attic.

Now, I just have to see about a few things to put under it!  Otter's already given me her list, that didn't take her long at all.  :)

Unthinkable

"When we kick God out of our schools, there will be a vaccum left. It will be filled by satan."

"When we don't let God in at the front of things, we should not expect Him to be there at the end of things or to clean it up for us (to fix things)."

Governer Mike Huckabee (paraphrased)

Nearly Friday

It's still not Baby Friday, it is in fact Thursday.  But it's nearly Friday, so that's close enough I guess.

I went to the grocery store after work today, and I was armed with Otter's list of requested food items for next week.  There are now 8 cartons of assorted yogurt in the fridge, two frozen pasta dishes, a carton of Breyer's natural vanilla ice cream, 2 packages of Pioneer brand gravy mix and an 8 lb. bag of potatos.  We already had 3 or 4 boxes of jello.  I also bought eggs, which I would have anyway, so she might also have scrambled eggs.  I also bought two Digorno frozen pizzas, which will be dinner tomorrow night and a frozen lasagne which will be dinner the next Friday.  Although I'm sure that Otter will be able to eat regular food by then.

Froggy, I accidentally deleted your two comments on a recent post.  I was trying to edit one of them because I didn't want a particular name to be used.  I finally decided to just copy it, take the name out and then re-post it.  Except that I accidentally deleted both comments you left, so I had to go find the email that blogger actually sent me (!!) to tell me about the comments and then I had to copy, paste & re-post them.  Like I said on yesterday's entry, it was a Derpy Day!

My notary commission has been renewed, so I guess that the end of the world has been averted.  :)  My commission expires on the 21st, but it's been renewed for another 4 years.  I guess the Mayans must have known that I'd be renewing my commission!  Actually, it almost wasn't renewed in time - I have to get my signature notarized on the commission bond (yeah, irony I know.  The Notary has to get her signature notarized!) and I got it notarized in plenty of time.  Then I discovered that the notary (not me, the one at the bank!) had signed in places where I was supposed to.  So, I had to get another copy of the bond issued by the insurance company and it just got here Tuesday.  Today was the first day I had time to get to the bank, but it's now done (correctly) and I'm renewed for another 4 years.  But it has been fun, signing things and putting my commission expiration date of 12/21/12!

Lucky Days and Elves?

I'm having a Derpy day, which Otter will appreciate!  So, this is appropriate:

It's been one of those days all over the place!

Anyway.  It's 12/12/12.  Didn't even occur to me until I heard it on the news this morning.  I guess some people consider it to be a lucky day, there were a lot of weddings and so forth planned for today according to the paper and tv news.  However, since there really is no such thing as luck (or accidents, either), I don't really see why it would be a day that people would want to get married on specifically.  Other than the fact that it would be easy to remember, but I don't think that's what people seem to be thinking.  Just my 2 cents!

I've been seeing a lot of things on blogs about the Elf on the Shelf book.  I finally read something tonight so now I know what it is about.  The elf is supposed to be watching the kids and reporting back to Santa about the kids and how they behave.  Can we say CREEPY?  It's something that I'm very happy Otter is too old for.  We never had a problem with Santa being part of the Christmas celebrations, he wasn't the main focus - there is only one real Reason, after all.  But the Elf on the Shelf is still something that I think is a little odd to say the least.

Two days and one week left of work for the year.  I've already started reminding the Boys, as I call the Teenager and his son, that I'm going to be gone for a week and a half.  And they've already started talking like it's the End of the World if I take vacation.  I don't listen to them, I'm used to it by now.  They'll be fine, I'm always caught up (mostly) and this will be no exception.  I won't be surprised if I hear from them on my time off.  But I'm not going to give in to the whining I fully expect to hear!  :)

I don't remember if I posted that we ordered new flaps for the dog doors.  They are a thick vinyl with a magnetic strip at the bottom.  The bottom of the opening of the plastic frame has a metal strip and the magnet will pull the vinyl back so that it's sort-of closed.  One of the two we've had forever was beginning to come apart - the vinyl part, and the Cone of Shame that Frasier wore was just too much for it.  I ordered new flaps, the other one was beginning to tear at the top as well, and it was an interesting experience.  I ordered them on Sunday Dec. 2, then got an email from the company that my order was in the process of being shipped.  UPS emailed that a label had been created, but they also didn't get the item for over a week.  Usually, when a UPS label is created the place will get it to UPS right away - or at least not over a week later.  It was finally picked up and supposed to be here tonight.  It showed up yesterday, but they only sent me one instead of the two I'd ordered.  We checked order status online and they are not very organized - also, their receipt didn't make sense.  I called them today - twice, and left messages.  They eventually called me back and apologized.  They are sending me another one.  Today, they said.  But we'll see how long it actually takes to get to UPS and then to get here.  Bill replaced the better of the two - the one from the garage into the kitchen - tonight and he'll replace the torn one as soon as the other flap is delivered.

Otter has been dropping heavy hints about wanting Monkey bread again soon.  We don't have it too often, it's not exactly a healthy meal.  But it is good.  I decided to indulge her and I baked one up tonight.  It's going to be breakfast the next few days, it will warm up fine in the microwave.  I've posted the recipe on the cooking blog already, I think it was one of the earlier ones.  Go look it up, it's really good.

C is For...

Cookies!

We've been baking.  We mixed up two different kinds yesterday, Hunky Chunky Chocolate Chip and Gold Rush cookies.  Both are Bill's name for them, they are a standard sugar cookie mix but he rearranges things and adds in a few ingredients to make them his own specialty.  Gold Rush uses yellow candy melts, broken into a billion pieces by Bill with a metal meat tenderizer - he has a good time with that!  It also has raisins and walnuts.  The Hunky Chunky Chocolate Chip cookies are similar to a chocolate chip cookie but he uses chocolate bars or kisses, again broken up with his mallet, and sometimes he puts nuts in but I don't think he did this time.  Today, we mixed up the ice box cookies that were handed down from his grandmother or possibly his great-grandmother.  I think the ice box cookie recipe is on the cooking blog - it's the one that uses a pound of butter and 6+ cups of flour!  The ice box cookies are currently rolled and wrapped in waxed paper, sitting in the fridge for a while.  He's going to bake at least some of them tonight.

Most of the cookies are going to work with him this week, but we've had our share to snack on.

Otter made chocolate chip cookies two days last week, they went to school with her and were gone in a matter of seconds.  I don't think I've posted the recipe she used, it's one from my family and it's also used for cut-out cookies with a few changes.  I will eventually get it posted on the cooking blog.

One discovery from the cookie marathon baking sessions is that I need new cookie sheets/baking pans.  The ones I had have been used way past their intended life span so most of them have been tossed.  I told Bill that he can get me some new ones (good ones this time) for my birthday.  And that I will even pick them out myself, I don't mind a bit.  Same thing for my Christmas gift from him - I need new house shoes and that's something I'll have to get myself.

Usually, I don't like picking out my own gift but this is one of those years when I kind of have to!

Otter's about to start her last week of this term at college and it's finals week.  She's also a week away from her oral surgery.  We usually have something special or fun on Friday nights for dinner, I suggested that Otter pick what we eat this coming Friday, since she's going to have a period of a few days when she won't be able to each much "reguar" food.  I think it's going to be DiGiorno's pizza this week.  Which is fine, we haven't had that in a while.  Even though we've had cookies the last couple of days, we've still been fairly good about our diet.

The dogs seem to have recovered from their pig-out session when they tore open the dog food bag last week.  However, Maggie was in disgrace last night - she apparently forgot that she is housebroken and peed on their blankets.  Actually, she might have been asleep and either dreamed or just leaked.  It wasn't a lot, but she's the one that did it.  Shortly after that, she wanted me to let her out so I did.  She immediately went out to the grass and relieved herself there so I'm not really sure what happened.  I washed the blankets last night and Frasier actually slept on them last night - usually, he avoids their blankets for hours after they get washed.  Maggie's also got an interest in something under the shed.  Every time I let them out, they head that direction but then Maggie Moo crawls underneath and it takes a lot of calling to get her back out.  I don't think that there is anything actually under there, usually it's a cat but she keeps going underneath and I'm not sure I like it - there are a couple of animals that burrow and one of them is black & white striped!

It's a little on the cold side today.  It wasn't bad this morning, misting slightly and cool when we got to church.  By the time we got out, it was dry but it was also getting cooler.  Otter and I ran an errand this afternoon and we could tell that the temp was really dropping.  It's supposed to get really cold tonight and we could get the "s" word although that's not expected.  It was supposed to be today but the forecast keeps getting pushed back.  However, since the forecasters here don't know their heads from a hole in the ground, the best thing to do is to be prepared for any and all eventuality!

I've seen a little more about the new Star Trek movie.  The trailer released in Japan is longer than the one here.  It also contains what I'm pretty sure are scenes designed to throw the fans off the track as to who the villian actually is.  The Japanese trailers are leaning in a direction that pretty much none of us want to go - Khan.  But I hope that they are really just trying to muddy the waters on us, because that would be a major, MAJOR tactial mistake on the studio's part.  However, after I went back and viewed the trailer released in the US and noticed a couple of specific characters that were fairly prominently featured, I'm still thinking that it's Gary Mitchell.  Which would make perfect sense and could actually be a good thing.  Khan would be the wrong way to go.  They need to leave him alone, at least for now - maybe forever.

I got a lot of crochet done yesterday.  I'm mostly working on the bigger project that is a Christmas gift so no details here yet, but it's coming along very well.  I have a smaller Christmas gift project that I'll be starting soon but it won't take me as long as the big one has.  Although it is smaller, it's a little more intricate so it will still take a little time.

Think I'll head back in the direction of the kitchen shortly.  Bill's going to be baking those cookies and he's a dirt/clutter magnet.  I've already cleaned the kitchen twice today - once was a full-scale, counter wipe down, wall cleaning assault on flour dust after he mixed up the dough!

Don't Leave Your Children Unattended!

 Bad things might happen.

Well, they will surely sleep well tonight!  Not sure exactly how much they ate, but Bill said it was at least a belly full (each!).  It was a full bag this morning.

Anybody have any ideas what kind of duck this is?  Or is she a goose?  The pictures are all of the same bird, just taken from slightly different angles.  "She" is known as Cleopatra.  Or Cookie Thief, if you ask Otter.  (Nevermind, I've identified her.  She's an Egyptian Goose, which I probably could have figured out.  After all, she is named Cleopatra!)

She's very pretty, pretty big and very noisy!  And just about everyone at Otter's college is afraid of her!

Shark Attack!

Beware the carpet shark.

They attack without warning.  But they are easily subdued with a belly rub.

Don't let them get to this point!  It's too late then, if you haven't rubbed the belly by this point - there is no hope for you.  You will lose toes.

Or fingers.  Especially if you happen to be holding a piece of lettuce in your hand when the carpet shark drifts by.  Your left thumb might be on the menu.  :)

Of course, they are so cute that you have to forgive them.

But don't hold the lettuce in your hand the next time!

It's Not Really December...

unless we've been magically transported about 500 miles south!  I saw a woman at Hobby Lobby today, wearing flip-flops and shorts.  The record temp for today was somewhere in the high 70's.  We didn't make it, but we did get to 77 so we were pretty close.

I'm used to warm winters and hot Christmas days.  I did grow up with it, after all.  But we're far enough north to actually see/feel/experience the season changes.  I prefer at least cooler temperatures in the winter.  (Just not mega blizzards like February 2011!)

Amazing  Wish I could use it, but it's got something else in it that I can't.  Merino is wool, even though it's a small amount.  I generally don't touch yarn if I don't know the content and suspect it might be wool, and then if I do find out that it has wool I have to leave it alone.  But this?  I think I'd take the chance, just to feel how soft it must be.  I can't imagine.

Yesterday morning, I might have heard Frasier making noise shortly before we got up.  I wasn't positive, it might have been him getting talky.  But it also could have been Bill, he was just barely snoring and sometimes he and the dog sound alike. (Yes, they really do!)  When we went to bed last night, I decided to give Frasier a tranquilizer pill just in case.  He wasn't noisy this morning, I think he slept pretty good actually.  :)  Tonight, when Otter and I got home I let the dogsters out in the back yard.  Maggie bounced out the door and off of the deck, then she stopped and found things in the grass to sniff.  Fraiser?  Well, he ran around the shed twice which drove the (nice) neighbor's dog nutso.  Then, he got the biggest doggie smile I've ever seen on him and he floored it.  He ran around the back yard and ran and ran and ran and ran...  I'm not sure how many times he made the circle, but he made it several times and we have a fairly big yard.  He zipped up onto the deck a couple of times, then back into the grass.  At one point, he nearly ran into the corner of the fence because he apparently forgot that he had to turn!  He recovered at what looked like the last possible second, and then he started running again.  Maggie Moo just sat in the middle of the yard and watched him.  She looked like a little toy dog with a twisty head.  After several minutes, he decided that he was ready to come in and he aimed himself at the door.  Fortunately, I was standing close enough so that I could open it for him because I really think he'd have gone all the way through it.  Maggie Moo popped right up and bounced back to the deck and in the back door.  Frasier ran to the water dish and hoovered up quite a bit.  Then, he plopped himself down in the kitchen floor right behind Otter's chair.  He looked tired, but so happy.  It was so much fun to watch him.  I don't think I'm going to medicate him tonight.  I wasn't sure if he was talking or not yesterday morning, but I didn't want to chance it and have him start over again so he got a pill.  But I think tonight he'll be fine without one.  Hope so, anyway.

Sunday Finds

I have a prayer request first:  the mother of one of my blog friends has been having health problems since she fell on Thanksgiving day.  She has some fractures including one in her back and has been in and out of the hospital since then.  She was sent home at first with a botched diagnoses, then rushed back via ambulance to the hospital where the fractures were discovered.  She was sent to rehab and now has had to be admitted to the hospital again, she has some dehydration issues and some serious problems.  I've mentioned Shara before on here, I think.  Shara is my blog buddy and it's her mother.  Please keep their entire family in your prayers, Shara's husband was one of the innocent victims of the union debacle with the Hostess company - he wasn't even a Hostess employee, but was a delivery driver.  He's since found another job, thankfully, but it was a rough & scary time for them and now her mother's situation on top of everything else.

Otter and I went to a few estate sales today.  I saw three advertised on Craigslist and they all said that it was the last day so they were 50% off.  I never saw them listed on their earlier days, however.  But we decided that they sounded interesting so off we went.  And we're glad we did, we found a lot of fun stuff.

We didn't find anything at the first sale, but I did leave one of Bill's cards for Pachinko Restorations - one of the guys running the sale knew what a pachinko machine is, the other one didn't so we got to give him a lesson.  The one that did know said that he's had one in a sale before and he'll keep us in mind in case he finds anymore.  I also got us put on their mailing list.  It was pretty close to our old house, but we didn't drive by it this time.

This was from the 3rd and final sale and is my Find.  Well, one of them but it's my favorite!  We almost didn't go to this sale, I got a little turned around on my directions (msn maps are not good) but I wasn't lost, contrary to Otter's belief.  I knew where I was, but the map had some of the landmarks in the wrong place - that has happened before with msn maps but I didn't think it was necessary to deal with the gps for an estate sale in an area that I used to go through frequently.  Anyway, we found the sale and looked around.  Otter found a couple of things and we were about to go check out when I remembered seeing that there was also stuff in the bathroom.  We hadn't been in there because someone was using it for it's intended purpose when we walked back by it.  Otter said she didn't think that there was anything in there we'd be interested in, based on sticking her head in the door of it as we walked by it the first time.  But, I decided to go back and look.  And I'm glad I did.  The above pile was $10, marked to $5.00 today.  The yarn alone is worth probably 3 or 4 times what I paid.  The floral-print sewing basket was part of it.  There were about 15 crochet hooks and they run anywhere from a couple of dollars apiece to about five dollars each.  There was quite a bit of embroidery thread and most if it is unused and still in sealed packages - Otter got some like it at Michaels the other day and it was around $3 - $5 then.  There were several small embroidery hoops as well as a crewel/embroidery kit that hadn't been touched.  There were two or three small books with crochet patterns.  A couple of knitting needles and scissors.  Some of the things were already in the donate pile before the picture was taken.  Some of it will go to etsy.  But most of it is now in my stash/crochet supplies.

This is my second find of the day and is from the 2nd sale.  The Fenton piece was $2.00, marked to $1.00 and the small dark thing is a cast-iron piece that was originally meant to either hold matches or be used as an ash tray.  $3.00, got it for $1.50.  It's on the hearth of the fireplace at the moment, next to my cast-iron sad irons.  I actually already have one like the Fenton piece, but Fenton rules and yarn rules are amazingly similar and I had to buy it.  I'm thinking that it might go to work with me, I need something on my desk to hold rubber bands since the Teenager keeps taking them out of the container I have them in - it also holds paper clips and he keeps messing with the orderly (Borq Queen) way I keep my desk!

The next two pictures are Otter's find and it's a pretty big one.  Both in size and in what it is:

It was marked $8.00.  It was 25% off, so she got it for $6.00.  Which is an amazing price, considering that a)  it's a big one, b) it's a Redman basket (I think.  Shara?  When you have time, that is.  I know you have your hands full right now),

and c)  it has the wooden, legged stand!  I'm not positive that the stand originally came with it, I've seen pictures of them though so I think it did.  It fits perfectly inside the basket.  It's also one of the bigger baskets.  It's in extremely good shape.  Otter's probably going to use it to store fabric, my (smaller) green one is now in her stash and holds things like lace, thread, sewing stuff.  I'm sure that she will find a good use for it.

We had a couple of other things to do, such as get Otter's glasses adjusted again.  We went to the mall for that, we managed to get a good parking space or we wouldn't have attempted it today.  We saw a couple of kids visiting Santa while we were there and we also went to Hot Topic.  We usually get something there for Otter for CHRISTMAS, she likes their t-shirts and usually she'll pick out a couple of them and then I'll get it later.  But today, we went ahead and got her one and also a couple of other things.  Pony things!

Movie review:  Men in Black 3.  It was surprisingly good.  It was just a little predictible, the twist at the end was obvious early on but it was a good movie.  I think it's probably written into our TEXAN dna, but we'll watch just about anything with Tommy Lee Jones in it!

(The next paragraph will probably mean nothing to non-Trek fans - all 12 of you!)

(/WARNING:  SPOILER ALERT AHEAD)

I have another movie thought.  We've been hearing things about the next Star Trek movie.  Most of the rumblings have been wondering who the villian will be.  Most of us, and admittedly we can be rabid about what we like and don't like, do NOT want the villian to be Khan.  (From the original series episode Space Seed and then from the best of the TOS movies - The Wrath of Khan, Movie # 2.)  Quite a few of us, or probably most of the TOS fans in fact, are not exactly crazy about the latest movie reboot.  We like it, but it changed too much.  However, it's Star Trek so we have to see it - dna code again! :)  Anyway, probably the absolute worst thing that they could do would be to use Khan again.  Like Otter says, we'd probably riot in the streets!  However, what I've heard lately - and read twice now - is that the villian will probably be someone else entirely.  Someone much closer to Kirk and someone who was very briefly in the series very early on.  I think that it's a very good idea, if they do go with who I/we/most of us think they'll be using:  Gary Mitchell.  The Borg Queen is keeping her fingers crossed on this one.  FutureJediMom, what do you think?  (I think you know who Gary Mitchell is.  If you don't, let me know and I'll enlighten you.)

I've mentioned before, but Oklahoma weather is bi-polar.  It's December 2nd.  We had to turn the air conditioner back on this afternoon.