Monday, December 28, 2009

Made it!!

Had a lot going on the last few weeks, but couldn't "spill the beans"....

I have not decorated for Christmas for the last three years. We had just moved in here two weeks before Christmas of 2007. It was our first Christmas without Michael, didn't really want to do much that year. All (and I mean all) our Christmas decorations were in the back of a 5X10 storage unit that was stacked so full, you hoped nothing would hit you in the head when you rolled up the door.

Last year it was overwhelming to even consider trying to get to the Christmas stuff. We did have a small tree that someone was replacing. I picked up a strand of garland at the thrift store, borrowed a string of lights and we had a nice little tree.

I decided that this year I would get the stuff out of storage and decorate once again. Fortunately for me, the storage facility had an empty unit next to ours and they allowed me to borrow that unit to sort thru ours.......so I dug out everything, moved it over to the borrowed unit and out came the Christmas....I knew there was a lot there. I had been decorating to the "max" for years in our 2 previous homes.......if you can imagine this.....we lived on hillside area on the south side of town...the high school sets on a hillside area in the north side of town, it's about a 4 mile drive. Well, our house was so well "lighted" that you could pick it out from across town at night.
So anyway, Pat had to help me load up the boxes to take them to another temporary holding site until closer to Christmas ( this has been a long process). As we began to load up the truck, I found it amusing, he began the "drone"......."all this Christmas!!! I had no idea you had this much stuff". We filled the truck bed and stuffed the rest into the back seat. There was a lot of stuff!

As we begin to put back all the other "stuff" into our storage unit I began my "drone".....all this camping "stuff"??? How many tents do you have anyway? What are you GOING to do with all this "stuff" All these "books"??? What are you going to do with all this "stuff"????

So......back to Christmas......... I did decorate the house, even managed to get a tree lighted outside. Made my traditional Christmas candies to send out, had to do all of it "undercover" so as not spoil the suprise for my family.

Stayton's expression was priceless when he walked in and seen the house, found the peanut butter balls in the fridge. Mischel had just spoken with me on the phone, "Gee mom, that would have been nice to have some of that Christmas candy you use to make"....I said "Oh, yea, I could make some of that".......little did she know it was on it's way to her house that day. She called less than an hour later....."Mom!!! It's so good!! We both had a good laugh. Lisha's box arrived the day after Christmas, but the wait was worth it.

All in all, we had a nice Christmas. I'm reminded that God has never let us down. He has blessed us each year in unique and special ways, our memories are priceless and His love has no measure.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Just for Annalise


Annalise,
Your sweet self,
You have achieved an award for just who you are.....
Caring, loving and sweet.
Congratulations on all your
achievements.

























We are so proud of you,

Grandma Patti & Grandpa Pat

Just for Kendall


SUPER JOB KENDALL!!!!
Personal Achievement Award in Writing!
We're so proud of you.
Grandma Patti & Grandpa Pat

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Pick'n Cotton, Eat'n Rice

Funny how something will bring back a memory when you least expect it.
Last night I was making Green Chile with Pork, it's one of Pat's favorites. We like to have it over rice. While it was simmering good, Pat put on some water for some instant brown rice, I usually cook up the long grain variety, but just happened to have this on hand. I dished me up a small bowl of the green chile, just sampling it. Put some mexi-cheese on it and had some fritos on hand......well, it was pretty good and I ended up eating a couple "small" bowls....yum....
Pat went to get his shower and I tended to the rice.
As I was stirring it I remembered, growing up and when living with my mom, us kids would cook up rice, cornmeal mush, or oatmeal for breakfast. I liked butter and sugar on mine.
Well, the brown rice brought back a childhood memory, so I couldn't resist and dished me up a bowl with the butter and sugar, just like a kid. It was sooooo good.
Thought about places we lived in New Mexico. I visited a few of those places several years ago while there on a visit with my dad. My brother drove us by a place in the country, I don't know if I would have remembered how to find it. Back then they grew a lot of cotton there. We lived on a "farm" where there were huge cotton fields. I remember when we first moved there we spent a lot of time "picking up rocks", my brother usually drove the tractor that pulled a flatbed trailer and us kids would walk along side and pick up rocks to throw on the trailer, to clean the fields for planting. I remember the hand irrigation, trenching and blocking the direction of the water so the fields could be soaked and watered. There was a "tank" ( in the south they call a large hole for storing water a tank, in Colorado that would be known as a reservoir) that the well would pump water into and from that we would irrigate the fields. Our household water was a large, wooden trough or tank built on a tower ( for water pressure I suppose), the well would pump water into that and that would supply the house with water......I remember that sometimes someone would forget to shut the pump off and that tank would be a waterfall pouring down, always seem to cause commotion with the folks, but it was just a marvel to me to see so much water spilling over the sides.
So, on this farm.....we had the big cotton fields and we learned to pick cotton. My mom was always a hard worker and she instilled that trait in most of her children. We would spend hot days in the sun, dragging a cotton sack, wearing blisters on our hands or hole thru our gloves, pickin' cotton. We picked right along with the black workers. There was one big guy who always had the most "weight" picked. They would weigh your bags from a scale hanging on the side of the wooden cotton trailers, write it down, empty your bag and back to the field you would go.
One particular day stands out in my mind, the day my mom out picked the big guy!!! I guess there was a "competition" going on and momma won it that day.

So there you have it, a memory of "pick'n cotton and eat'n rice.

Monday, December 7, 2009

Ya'll have a nice day

It's been so cold here, like in the single digits. Today was snowy, overcast and just plumb cold.
Had to make a trip to the Walmart, I think I go there about every day, sometimes I'm in there several times in the same day.......most of the greeters know my name. I've lived here "most of my married" life, it's still a small town so of course I know a lot of people, some by name and some just by "familiarity".
So today, headed into Walmart, I see one of those sites you'd probably never see in your town. Tall, gangley "cowboy" type. Cowboy hat, tight jeans ( I still notice those things), leather vest, bandanna.....got the look going on......down to the spurs.....oh... come... on ...now..., it's below freezing, still spitting snow, miserable. Has he "really" been on a horse today????
I was relating this story to Pat and remembered back a few years ago, there I was sitting in the local Burger King, grabbing a bite to eat with a friend and "yep" I had spurs on.........got pretty tickled about the whole thing......but I had just come from a riding clinic and was on a lunch break.
And then there's the emails with the photos of people in Walmart and some of the "outfits" are so unreal, you wonder if it's been staged, but I've seen a few myself and my first question.....DO THESE PEOPLE NOT OWN A MIRROR???
I just can't bring myself to post the pictures or forward the emails. I did have a "naked cowboy" picture for a while, now hold your horses........it was not what you think.....it was only the "rear view". He was wearing a hat, had a saddle slung over his shoulder and had his boots on........my thought......so that's what's in those "wranglers"........
Lost the cowboy picture but someone sent me a "fly fisher", same view but with the vest and wader's on.........can't post that either. I kind of think my son Michael would have posed so such a photo. :-)
OK, so maybe I was just desperate for something to "blog" about today.
But, I bet you're all smilin' with me.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Life is a Gift

There was a blind girl who hated herself because she was blind.
She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He was always there for her.
She told her boyfriend, 'If I could only see the world, I will marry you.'
One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her. When the bandages came off, she was able to see everything, including her boyfriend.
He asked her,'Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?' The girl looked at her boyfriend and saw that he was blind. The sight of his closed eyelids shocked her. She hadn't expected that. The thought of looking at them the rest of her life led her to refuse to marry him.
Her boyfriend left in tears and days later wrote a note to her saying:
'Take good care of your eyes, my dear, for before they were yours, they were mine.'

This is how the human brain often works when our status changes. Only a very few remember what life was like before, and who was always by their side in the most painful situations.

Life Is a Gift Today.
Before you say an unkind word - Think of someone who can't speak.
Before you complain about the taste of your food - Think of someone who has nothing to eat.
Before you complain about your husband or wife - Think of someone who's crying out to GOD for a companion.
Today before you complain about life - Think of someone who went too early to heaven.
Before whining about the distance you drive Think of someone who walks the same distance with their feet.
And when you are tired and complain about your job -
Think of the unemployed, the disabled, and those who wish they had your job. And when depressing thoughts seem to get you down -
Put a smile on your face and think: you're alive and still around.

Monday, December 28, 2009

Made it!!

Had a lot going on the last few weeks, but couldn't "spill the beans"....

I have not decorated for Christmas for the last three years. We had just moved in here two weeks before Christmas of 2007. It was our first Christmas without Michael, didn't really want to do much that year. All (and I mean all) our Christmas decorations were in the back of a 5X10 storage unit that was stacked so full, you hoped nothing would hit you in the head when you rolled up the door.

Last year it was overwhelming to even consider trying to get to the Christmas stuff. We did have a small tree that someone was replacing. I picked up a strand of garland at the thrift store, borrowed a string of lights and we had a nice little tree.

I decided that this year I would get the stuff out of storage and decorate once again. Fortunately for me, the storage facility had an empty unit next to ours and they allowed me to borrow that unit to sort thru ours.......so I dug out everything, moved it over to the borrowed unit and out came the Christmas....I knew there was a lot there. I had been decorating to the "max" for years in our 2 previous homes.......if you can imagine this.....we lived on hillside area on the south side of town...the high school sets on a hillside area in the north side of town, it's about a 4 mile drive. Well, our house was so well "lighted" that you could pick it out from across town at night.
So anyway, Pat had to help me load up the boxes to take them to another temporary holding site until closer to Christmas ( this has been a long process). As we began to load up the truck, I found it amusing, he began the "drone"......."all this Christmas!!! I had no idea you had this much stuff". We filled the truck bed and stuffed the rest into the back seat. There was a lot of stuff!

As we begin to put back all the other "stuff" into our storage unit I began my "drone".....all this camping "stuff"??? How many tents do you have anyway? What are you GOING to do with all this "stuff" All these "books"??? What are you going to do with all this "stuff"????

So......back to Christmas......... I did decorate the house, even managed to get a tree lighted outside. Made my traditional Christmas candies to send out, had to do all of it "undercover" so as not spoil the suprise for my family.

Stayton's expression was priceless when he walked in and seen the house, found the peanut butter balls in the fridge. Mischel had just spoken with me on the phone, "Gee mom, that would have been nice to have some of that Christmas candy you use to make"....I said "Oh, yea, I could make some of that".......little did she know it was on it's way to her house that day. She called less than an hour later....."Mom!!! It's so good!! We both had a good laugh. Lisha's box arrived the day after Christmas, but the wait was worth it.

All in all, we had a nice Christmas. I'm reminded that God has never let us down. He has blessed us each year in unique and special ways, our memories are priceless and His love has no measure.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Just for Annalise


Annalise,
Your sweet self,
You have achieved an award for just who you are.....
Caring, loving and sweet.
Congratulations on all your
achievements.

























We are so proud of you,

Grandma Patti & Grandpa Pat

Just for Kendall


SUPER JOB KENDALL!!!!
Personal Achievement Award in Writing!
We're so proud of you.
Grandma Patti & Grandpa Pat

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Pick'n Cotton, Eat'n Rice

Funny how something will bring back a memory when you least expect it.
Last night I was making Green Chile with Pork, it's one of Pat's favorites. We like to have it over rice. While it was simmering good, Pat put on some water for some instant brown rice, I usually cook up the long grain variety, but just happened to have this on hand. I dished me up a small bowl of the green chile, just sampling it. Put some mexi-cheese on it and had some fritos on hand......well, it was pretty good and I ended up eating a couple "small" bowls....yum....
Pat went to get his shower and I tended to the rice.
As I was stirring it I remembered, growing up and when living with my mom, us kids would cook up rice, cornmeal mush, or oatmeal for breakfast. I liked butter and sugar on mine.
Well, the brown rice brought back a childhood memory, so I couldn't resist and dished me up a bowl with the butter and sugar, just like a kid. It was sooooo good.
Thought about places we lived in New Mexico. I visited a few of those places several years ago while there on a visit with my dad. My brother drove us by a place in the country, I don't know if I would have remembered how to find it. Back then they grew a lot of cotton there. We lived on a "farm" where there were huge cotton fields. I remember when we first moved there we spent a lot of time "picking up rocks", my brother usually drove the tractor that pulled a flatbed trailer and us kids would walk along side and pick up rocks to throw on the trailer, to clean the fields for planting. I remember the hand irrigation, trenching and blocking the direction of the water so the fields could be soaked and watered. There was a "tank" ( in the south they call a large hole for storing water a tank, in Colorado that would be known as a reservoir) that the well would pump water into and from that we would irrigate the fields. Our household water was a large, wooden trough or tank built on a tower ( for water pressure I suppose), the well would pump water into that and that would supply the house with water......I remember that sometimes someone would forget to shut the pump off and that tank would be a waterfall pouring down, always seem to cause commotion with the folks, but it was just a marvel to me to see so much water spilling over the sides.
So, on this farm.....we had the big cotton fields and we learned to pick cotton. My mom was always a hard worker and she instilled that trait in most of her children. We would spend hot days in the sun, dragging a cotton sack, wearing blisters on our hands or hole thru our gloves, pickin' cotton. We picked right along with the black workers. There was one big guy who always had the most "weight" picked. They would weigh your bags from a scale hanging on the side of the wooden cotton trailers, write it down, empty your bag and back to the field you would go.
One particular day stands out in my mind, the day my mom out picked the big guy!!! I guess there was a "competition" going on and momma won it that day.

So there you have it, a memory of "pick'n cotton and eat'n rice.

Monday, December 7, 2009

Ya'll have a nice day

It's been so cold here, like in the single digits. Today was snowy, overcast and just plumb cold.
Had to make a trip to the Walmart, I think I go there about every day, sometimes I'm in there several times in the same day.......most of the greeters know my name. I've lived here "most of my married" life, it's still a small town so of course I know a lot of people, some by name and some just by "familiarity".
So today, headed into Walmart, I see one of those sites you'd probably never see in your town. Tall, gangley "cowboy" type. Cowboy hat, tight jeans ( I still notice those things), leather vest, bandanna.....got the look going on......down to the spurs.....oh... come... on ...now..., it's below freezing, still spitting snow, miserable. Has he "really" been on a horse today????
I was relating this story to Pat and remembered back a few years ago, there I was sitting in the local Burger King, grabbing a bite to eat with a friend and "yep" I had spurs on.........got pretty tickled about the whole thing......but I had just come from a riding clinic and was on a lunch break.
And then there's the emails with the photos of people in Walmart and some of the "outfits" are so unreal, you wonder if it's been staged, but I've seen a few myself and my first question.....DO THESE PEOPLE NOT OWN A MIRROR???
I just can't bring myself to post the pictures or forward the emails. I did have a "naked cowboy" picture for a while, now hold your horses........it was not what you think.....it was only the "rear view". He was wearing a hat, had a saddle slung over his shoulder and had his boots on........my thought......so that's what's in those "wranglers"........
Lost the cowboy picture but someone sent me a "fly fisher", same view but with the vest and wader's on.........can't post that either. I kind of think my son Michael would have posed so such a photo. :-)
OK, so maybe I was just desperate for something to "blog" about today.
But, I bet you're all smilin' with me.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Life is a Gift

There was a blind girl who hated herself because she was blind.
She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He was always there for her.
She told her boyfriend, 'If I could only see the world, I will marry you.'
One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her. When the bandages came off, she was able to see everything, including her boyfriend.
He asked her,'Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?' The girl looked at her boyfriend and saw that he was blind. The sight of his closed eyelids shocked her. She hadn't expected that. The thought of looking at them the rest of her life led her to refuse to marry him.
Her boyfriend left in tears and days later wrote a note to her saying:
'Take good care of your eyes, my dear, for before they were yours, they were mine.'

This is how the human brain often works when our status changes. Only a very few remember what life was like before, and who was always by their side in the most painful situations.

Life Is a Gift Today.
Before you say an unkind word - Think of someone who can't speak.
Before you complain about the taste of your food - Think of someone who has nothing to eat.
Before you complain about your husband or wife - Think of someone who's crying out to GOD for a companion.
Today before you complain about life - Think of someone who went too early to heaven.
Before whining about the distance you drive Think of someone who walks the same distance with their feet.
And when you are tired and complain about your job -
Think of the unemployed, the disabled, and those who wish they had your job. And when depressing thoughts seem to get you down -
Put a smile on your face and think: you're alive and still around.