Tears, Sheers and Road Runners

Today Katie and I went to MOPS. As I mentioned yesterday, today's meeting was the big Tea and Testimony. Three fellow MOPS spoke about deeply personal aspects of their lives. One mom spoke about her childhood and the implications it had on her adult life. Another mom spoke about an abortion she had as a teenager. The last mom spoke about the moment she was pushed to the edge with a colicky child. I applauded their courage and cried many tears during the meeting. At the end of the meeting, we presented cardboard testimonies. Our coordinator put on some music and about fifteen of us walked to center stage, held up a piece of cardboard with a "where I was then" statement on the front and on the reverse side was a statement about "where we are now". The front side of my cardboard said, "I lost everything in a fire." The reverse side said, "I found God in the ashes." Reading the others' cardboard testimonies had me choking back tears, which I expected, but I was surprised that I almost started crying when I held my cardboard up for the room to see.

Below is a picture of the table that I lead. It was a Mad Hatter Tea and Testimony theme so I made a Mad Hatter Hat for the centerpiece. To go with the whimsical theme, I brought various plates and glassware from home.


When Katie and I got home, my package from JCPenny had arrived. Inside were my sheers for the master bedroom. I was so excited that I immediately hung them and I very pleased with my purchase. They really lighten up the bedroom and give it an lofting, breezy feel.

This afternoon I saw a road runner in the front yard. He looked just like the cartoon Road Runner. Here he is. "Beep Beep Zip Tang!"


So that's about all for now. Time to close the gate and start thinking about dinner. Ciao.

Brithday Fun and Pulled Mesquite

I've been a little busy here at Corinth West and we also lost our Internet connection for a day and a half (boy, did I feel disconnected from the world), so I haven't posted in a few days.

Today Katie and I attended our neighbor daughters' birthday party. Their girls' birthdays fall within two weeks, so they threw a joint party at Stamford Park. This was the first friends' birthday party to which Katie was invited. She had a great time and was even allowed to help open a few presents. Stamford Park is actually a really nice park. They have quite a few slides, a jungle gym, swings, merry-go-round and one of those large play sets. There is also a pond occupied by ducks and geese, as well as a fountain in the center of the pond. I took a ton of pictures and here are a few of my favorites.

Katie checking out one Taylor's gifts.

The Birthday Girls and Katie.

Katie eating birthday cake.

Katie and Tanna on their way to the playground. I wonder what Tanna was saying.

Action shot of Katie on one of the slides.

Checking out a tunnel. I wish she had pulled her pants up.

And my favorite shot. Katie and Tanna smiling for the camera.

When Katie and I got home, Rick was in the front yard with our neighbor Don. Don had driven his backhoe over and he was pulling the mesquite from the front yard. YEAH!!! It will be so much easier to mow the front yard now. He got about half of the yard done and will do the rest at his leisure.

Tomorrow is MOPS biggest meeting of the year. It's Tea and Testimony. There are three fellow MOPS that will be speaking. The theme this year is a Mad Hatter's Tea Party, so I have two toters of table decorations that I will be carting to MOPS. I'll take some pictures and will try to post them here.

Time to kick back and relax. I have to get up early--6 am--on MOPS Mondays. Have a great evening and ciao.

The Power of Prayer

Little Eoin, whom I blogged about a while back (click here for that post), received a bone marrow transplant at the end of February and it looks like it was a success. Here is an excerpt from his Care Page.

This all started last night, when Eoin`s bedside doctor called to let us know that the chimerism test, also known as a FISH test, was back. The results of the test were just as we were expecting, 100% donor cells have been recorded in Eoin`s blood sample. This along with all the other tests (electrolyte levels, liver enzyme/protein levels, hydration levels ...) have come back normal...

So what does this mean? It means that the transplant has successfully taken. It means that we get a significant amount of freedom from being at a hospital daily. It also means, clinic visits at least twice a week for the next two months, but that is fairly minor considering everything else. It means I will have to start looking for work again and we will have to start planning on where we will live in 2 months. All of these are great things!

Yes, the power of prayer.

Earth Hour 2009

Rick, Katie and I are going to take part in Earth Hour 2009. Earth Hour is sponsored by The World Wildlife Fund and is one hour where people from around the world have the opportunity to switch off their lights for one hour. Earth Hour will occur on Saturday, March 28th from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm local time. Earth Hour is observed all over our blue marble of a planet and it was brought to Rick's attention while in Plano. This year's Earth Hour will mark the first time that Dallas' skyline and central business district will intentionally go dark. To learn more about Earth Hour click here.

Here at Corinth West will will flip the breakers and use no electricity for one hour. By doing so we are essentially voting for Earth. Rick suggested that we light a bunch of candles and make it an adventure for Katie. I encourage you to also observe Earth Hour.

Speaking Of Foamies.....

Before Rick left on his current business trip Katie shoved an assortment of foam elephants, lions and monkeys that she had made into his computer case. Apparently you never want to leave home without them. Thankfully Rick drove to Plano so he didn't have to go through TSA security. Can you imagine if he would have been randomly pulled aside for a TSA check. How would he have explained or not died of embarrassment with all of the foam animal puppets safely tucked away in his carry-on?

Perfection--Or Is It Compulsion--In The Dining Room

I am a very visually orientated person to the point that I label myself visually sensitive. This trait or quirk becomes very evident when it comes to decorating our home. Items of decoration that do not enhance a room or that are not placed properly are actually jarring to me, like nails on a chalk board. Because of this, prior to hanging a picture I will mentally visualize how the picture will look at 18" from the ceiling, 18.35" inches from the ceiling, 18.38" inches from the ceiling, and on and on and on as I attempt to find the perfect position. (Okay, time for a confession: I am one of those irritating, Frasier Crane-type persons that will place an object on a bookshelf, stand back and then move it an 1/2", stand back and move it a 1/8". I am forever looking at negative and positive space and trying to weigh and balance those artistically.) Anyway.......even when I do hang the picture on the wall I will proceed to view it from all angles to ensure its placement is visually pleasing. Because of this need--okay it's a compulsion that could be prefaced by obsessive--to create the "perfect" placement of objects in a room, I tend to ponder for a very long time how I wish to adorn and decorate my home.

The window treatments in our dining room are a prime example. A year and a half ago I purchased new drapes for the dining room. The curtains that previously hung in that window were lacy and therefore did not convey the formality and weight that I envisioned in the room. The new drapes are gold and burgundy brocade. They lend themselves to the regality that I want to emphasize, but still they did not look "right." Finally two weeks ago it dawned on me what was wrong with them. They closed in the window rather than highlighting it.

Today I raised the curtain rod 4" and also extended the curtain rod 4" on each side. With that small adjustment the window appears to be taller, wider and consequentially more imposing and regal. It is no longer lost and overpowered by the built-in corner china cabinets.

So what is my point? My point is that it took me three years of walking past that window and shaking my head and mumbling internally, "No, that's not it" to find the correct window treatment and the correct placement of that window treatment to allow the window to command the room as I envisioned and at what was pleasing to my over-sensitive eye.

Side note to Rick: Sweetie, don't you fret. Today I purchased a package of screws/wall anchors from Wal-Mart to reset the curtain rod. I also measured several times and the curtain rod is perfectly level and centered. Kiss, kiss. I miss, miss you.

Tuesday Round-Up

Pretty uneventful day here at Corinth West. Katie and I motored over to the Wal-Mart in Stamford for supplies that were not available yesterday in Anson. We also bought some more Foamies, which included the Under-The-Sea pack, turtles and alligators and foam boards to which to stick them. Previously I had bought Katie a Foamie Puppet kit that included everything to make 10 monkeys, 10 lions and 10 elephants and she really enjoyed making the puppets and mixing the body parts up to create new animals. Matter of fact today when I asked her if she wanted to go to Wal-Mart she told me, "I wanna stay here and make lions."

There were a lot of thunderstorms, hail and high winds in West Texas today, but we did not get one drop of rain or one big gust of wind. The rain, winds, hail and tornadoes were southeast of Corinth West. I would have welcomed the rain, but will settle for none if it means no hail and tornadoes.

I purchased year-long weed and grass killer from Wal-Mart. The solution is supposed to inhibit growth for an entire year. The weeds are popping out of the ground along side the driveway and I needed to nip them in the bud. I also noticed today that the younger mesquite seemed to have sprouted leaves overnight. I read an interesting article in the Abilene Reporter regarding mesquite. A gentleman who knows mesquite believes that we are due one more frost. He based his opinion on how the mature mesquite bushes are leave-less. In his experience the older mesquite will not produce leaves until after the last frost, while the younger mesquite--being like typical young punks--are so anxious to proudly display their leaves that they do so before the average nighttime temperature is consistently above a certain degree. The mature mesquite have learned the lesson of patience after living through several seasons.

Katie pushed the boundary tonight. Why she was so riled up, I do not know. She started chasing Eric with a broom, threw a roll of tape at him, pushed him out of the way which resulted in Eric falling over, and ran from one end of the house to the other over and over and over again. After she climbed on our bed and proceeded to jump, which is a big no-no, I scooped her up and deposited her in her bed. She was supposed to get a bath tonight but with how exuberant she was being, I did not want to place her in a tub of water. I could just see the gallons of water that would have been splashed around the bathroom. She didn't take a nap today and I swear when this occurs she gets a super-charged, hyped-up second wind.

Well it's time for me to kick back, relax, watch a spot of TV, sleep and awake tomorrow morning to start all over again. Please Lord, can you turn down Katie's youthful energy tomorrow? Thanks. It's much appreciated.

Cleaning

It is such a long, strange trip raising a child. I am forever fascinated by her emerging personality and the things that she does. I realize that I clean a fair amount, but I am amazed at how Katie loves to clean and loves to help me with household chores.

Today she dragged a dining room chair over to the kitchen sink; removed the Rubbermaid sink grids from the bottom of both sinks; turned the water on and proceeded to scrub the sink with a small scrub brush. I didn't tell her to do that, nor was I going to do that. She decided on her own that the sink needed cleaning, which it did.

Today was also a laundry day. When I finished sorting the laundry, she grabbed the huge and loaded laundry basket and carried it from the master bedroom to the laundry room. Again I didn't ask her to do so, but she was motivated by her love of doing laundry. Typically when she sees me start to empty the clothes hamper, she comes running. She always helps me put in and remove the clothes from the washer and dryer, and she helps me fold the laundry. I don't have to ask. If I don't let her help, she tears up and becomes upset.

Today I also vacuumed. She grabbed the Black and Decker Versa-Pak sweeper and followed me around the house as I vacuumed. She then went into her room and vacuumed her floor. Again I didn't ask her to do that.

Every time I sweep the kitchen floor she grabs her little broom and helps out. She also loves filling or emptying the dishwasher. She was just ten months old when she started dusting. She now has her own Swifter Duster and goes around the house dusting bookcases, the fireplace and anything else that she deems dusty. She likes to carry in grocery bags and put our purchases away in their proper places. She seems to get great joy out of stacking rolls of toilet paper in the linen closet and does it with such precision. Each roll is perfectly lined up and evenly placed on top of the roll underneath it. She so particular about it, it makes me smile because she is so like Rick.

I don't know what we did to create a "Molly The Maid" but I am grateful that she embraces this trait.

Grocery Shopping

Today Katie and I ventured off of Corinth West and went into Anson to do some supply shopping. Last week the pharmacy ordered Sting Kills for me and I needed to pick it up. Sting Kills is what we used when we get bit my wasps, bees or hornets, which happens regularly to me. We also stopped at the grocery store and when I was speaking to Rick at lunch time, he thought our grocery shopping expedition was hilarious and blog worthy. The reason for his laughter is because I let Katie pick out what she wanted.

The store had a half of an aisle filled with potato chips. I walked down the aisle, touched each different bag of chips and asked Katie which one she wanted. For the second week she has picked out Wavy Lays Hickory Barbecue Chips. In the fruit and veggie aisle she chose a cantaloupe, vine tomatoes, green grapes and red delicious apples. In the freezer treat section she opted for fudge bars. Rick did comment that she is spoiled because at 2 1/2 years old she gets to decide what she wants from the store. Don't get me wrong. I don't take her down the candy aisle and let her choose. It's only certain aisles and certain food groups. Sometimes I have to nix some of her requests like today when she wanted a jalapeno pepper, but I did explain why she probably won't want to eat that. She gets great delight out of choosing food and seeing me put it in the cart. I also do this because she is an opinionated little girl and I am trying to give her some control and independence, which she loves. I also stress that she can pick only one, so it helps her understand that she cannot have everything that she sees and wants. However, it takes us a long time to shop because I have to point out each item and describe what it is, such as the green apples are Granny Smith apples and they are tart. I am sure she doesn't comprehend everything that I tell her, but some day she will. Anyway, I'm not sure if our grocery shopping adventure is a blog-worthy story, but for better or worse it does show that I indulge the little munchkin.

Katie Praying

Each night before Katie goes to sleep we pray. I am the one that usually leads the prayer session, but lately Katie wants to voice her thanks. Her prayers consist of mumblings sprinkled with a few names, such as Momma, Dada, GaGas, Pop Pops, Eric and Katie Cat, which is what she calls our cat Lupe. However tonight I heard her slip "Baby TV" into her thanks. It made me smile.

Fruit Cocktail Girl

Here's a Doodlebug picture for Rick to enjoy while far from home. Katie is very happy to have a bowl of fruit cocktail.

Monday Musings

Rick is in Plano for the week and of course I immediately became ill. Today I woke up with an excruciating head ache which caused dizziness and vomiting. It's 6 pm and I finally feel relatively normal, so today was a total wash since I got nothing done.

Rick's brother took a nasty fall and seriously messed up his wrist and hand. The last update I had was he will be having surgery to place a plate in his wrist. Our thoughts and prayers are with his brother and his family. It's tough when the bread winner is side lined because of an injury or illness.

I have another Katie story from last week. Rick ordered a personalize plate for my SRT8. He chose WIKED-1. (It's not a statement on me, but on the car. I made him clarify that before he purchased it.) Anyway, the plate was mailed to our motor vehicle office in Anson, which is in the court house. While driving to Anson, I told Katie that we were going to the court house. She got all excited and starting saying, "Court-Court, Court-Court." She thought we were going to her cousin's Courtney's house. Bless her little heart. She was disappointed that Court-Court didn't live in the court house, but soon smiled when the nice lady at the motor vehicle office gave her candy out of her candy jar.

Well, that's about it. Like I said I did absolutely nothing today. Wait I did do something! I drove the golf cart up to the gate to retrieve the garbage can. If it wasn't so windy today, I would have probably left it up there. When the can is empty and it's this windy the can tends to get blown over. Today it was actually in the middle of the road. Luckily no one hit it with their car.

HP Anguish and Fine Dining

Rick is now on his way to Plano after a very delayed start. Earlier today he attempted to scan a document on our HP Officejet Pro L7780 and the ability to scan was not there. So he uninstalled the Officejet's software with the thought that if he reinstalled the scanning software would appear. BIG MISTAKE!!! What we have learned via our experience and several posts on the Internet is that when you uninstall a HP printer it does not remove all of the registry entries. The entries that remain cause the install disk to think that the programs are already installed so it will not install them even though the registry entries are non-performing entries. Does that make sense? Probably not, but that is what you call some bad code. Anyway, the uninstall/reinstall is a known issue with HP printer and of course their customer service agents--obviously not located in this country-- are ABSOLUTELY clueless! Matter of fact they wanted to charge us $25 to offer software support since we purchased the printer 14 months ago and the software is out of warranty. So a word to the wise, DO NOT BUY AN HP PRINTER!!

Now that I have that out of my system, it's time for a Katie story. The little Doodlebug took a late nap and was still napping at 8:30 pm. Of course Rick wanted to wake her up to say good-bye, so now I have a very wide awake child at 9 pm. I asked her what she wanted for a dinner and she requested an apple. I am out of apples and all other suggestions were met with a firm, "No." However, her eye caught sight of a tomato in the vegetable drawer and she decided that would make a great dinner especially when paired with some tortilla chips. I cut half of the tomato up and about 10 minutes later she requested "more ball." Not understanding her, I asked her to show me and she promptly went into the vegetable drawer and grabbed the rest of the tomato. In conclusion, a tomato looks like a ball to her, and yes that is what she ate for dinner. Sometimes I just have to go with the flow and not get stressed about the fact that I just fed my daughter a tomato and chips for dinner.

Here's Hoping

Yesterday, Katie was an absolute handful. I found myself raising my voice far too often and felt like a incredibly bad mommy. Not to mention that having to constantly be loud and negative starts to bring me down faster than water over a cliff. To add salt to the wound, my raised voice had little affect on Katie and she would actually laugh when I did so. I am convinced that yesterday's attitude was the result of too much sugar. Katie and I worked outside on the driveway and she grabbed my Coke and drank almost all of it. I have noticed in the past if she has too much sugar she gets mischievous and out of control. Here's hoping that today's absence of sugar from her diet will make her more likable.

Today is the first day that she has had milk in about two weeks. She had a stomach virus that seemed to result in diarrhea when I gave her milk. For a girl that drinks a gallon of milk every two days, it has been a challenging to find a replacement for the milk that wasn't loaded with sugar. Here's hoping that the milk doesn't trigger another run of the runs.

One trait that the Backstrom girls (my two sister and I) exhibit is an abhorrence to breakfast. If we do eat breakfast it tends to be a non-traditional breakfast item, such as pizza. Katie inherited this trait. Lately she has been going into the pantry to fetch the Wheat Thins and then into the frig to get the cream cheese and that has been breakfast. This morning she asked me for a "sandwich on a plate." When I asked her what she wanted on her sandwich, she replied, "On a plate." Since it was up to me to decide the contents of the request sandwich, I make her a peanut butter and grape jelly sandwich with the crusts cut off. She took a few bites and then requested that I give it to Eric because it was "icky." Here's hoping that someday I will find some food that she will consistently eat for breakfast.

The windows in our master bedroom pose a bit of a decorating dilemma. Currently they have mini blinds and burgundy laces curtains. I am changing the color of our bedroom to navy blue and cream so the curtains have to go. As for the mini blinds, the hot Texas sun destroys the mini blinds after a few years. A couple of weeks ago I swatted at a wasp that was on the mini blinds and ended up breaking a few of the slats because they are so brittle from the sun. So now we look like white trash with broken mini blinds hanging on the windows. Back to the decorating corundum. There are two windows that are set 4 inches apart so they look like one big window and above each window is a fixed triangular window. Furthermore, the ceiling is vaulted with a big beam running down the center and the slope of the triangular windows is different than the slope of the ceiling. In a nutshell, I cannot put a curtain rod above the triangular windows because of the beam. I have been trying to figure out how to adorn all four windows and finally decided on sheers for the lower windows and cut glass window film for the triangular windows. The sheers are extra wide, so they should diffuse most of the light and I am hoping the window film will do the same. I ordered the sheers from JcPenny's and ordered samples of various cut glass films from another company. Here is the link to the window film. I might even use window film on the hexagon window that is in our living room. Here's hoping I like how the window dressings turn out.

As you can see, I have posted a link to my fundraising page on the right rail of this blog. I am raising funds for my MOPS group. All of the money stays with my local group and I am attempting to raise $500, which will fund four scholarships for moms that cannot afford to attend MOPS without financial assistance. I have raised $35 so far. Here's hoping I reach my goal.

I will close with one big "here's hoping." Here's hoping that there are no more rattlesnakes in the Quonset Hut. I am so worried that Rick will get bit while in shop because they are so many places in which the rattlesnakes can hide. The last rattlesnake Rick caught was actually sitting on the swivel chair he has by his work bench.

Water Line Break

Since Monday I have noticed a change in our water pressure. Then the other day I noticed that Lake Kirschner looked larger than normal. (Lake Kirschner is an area to the side of our driveway that will fill with water after a rain.) This morning Rick checked the water meter and it was spinning like all heck. He walked the water line back to the house, which is about 1100 feet long, and found an area where water was just gurgling. When Rick dug down, he discovered a joint in the PVC that was not glued properly and it just came apart. Since February 1st we have used 95000 gallons of water. Our norm is about 4000. Jay from Ericksdahl Water came right out and turn our water off and Rick fixed the break in the line. Jay also informed Rick that they have been looking for the leak for two days now. Below is a picture of the break.


This episode reminds me of why I am grateful to be living in a small community. In a larger city I doubt that head of the water company would have arrived at our home within 15 minutes. Also, I doubt that a large water company would offer, without our asking, that they will work with us concerning the forthcoming large water bill.

Educating Katie

Last night after work Rick went down to the Quonset Hut with the .410 to hunt rattlesnakes. The hunt was successful. He found the guy pictured below in the shop and we are hoping it is the one that got away yesterday.


For awhile now, we have been telling Katie about snakes and how they bite. Before we go outside to play I tell her that I have to check for snakes. When outside if she starts running away, I tell her, "Snakes" and she immediately stops. She also knows that she has to stay on the driveway or on the road down to the Quonset Hut and that she never, ever is allowed to wander off into the tall grass. To further her snake education, Rick and I showed her the dead snake that is pictured above. We had a long conversation with her and told her if she ever sees one she is to back away and come get Rick or I. Educating Katie about snakes is literally a life or death lesson and I believe that she is getting it.

Below is a picture of Katie that I took yesterday. When she saw that I had my camera, she requested that I take a picture of her. I don't know what is up with the football player stance, but that is the pose she chose.

Well, Excuse Me!

When my husband is not on the road, he works from our home office. This can be challenging when there is a 2 1/2 year old running around the house. However, she has been told since a young age that the office is off limits and when Daddy is on the phone, she must be quiet. So it's no wonder that certain phrases have stuck in her mind.

For example, today Katie and I walked up to the mailbox. I had bought her another play cell phone, which she shoved in her pocket for the trip up the driveway. Well, it took us 30 minutes to do that walk because she kept stopping to talk on her phone. One conversation was with her daddy as I heard her say, "Bye-bye Daddy. I love you. I miss you. Bye-bye." During another phone call I said something to her--I don't remember what--and she put her little hand up in the "stop-in-the-name-of-love" position and told me, "Sssh. I'm on the phone." Well, excuse me!

Second example: I cleaned out of my purse various bits of paper and receipts. I had temporarily put them on the counter in the master bathroom. A little bit later I found Katie in the bathroom studying each piece of paper then setting it in one of three piles. When I asked her what she was doing, the little hand came up again and she said with quite a bit of attitude, "I'm working." Well, excuse me!

Where's The Anti Venom?

As those of you who know my husband, you know that Rick likes to be prepared. Therefore, today my husband sent me on a telephone mission. The mission was to call all of the area hospitals to see who keeps rattlesnake anti venom on hand. So for those of you in my area of West Texas I have found that Anson, Stamford, Hendrick and Abilene Regional all stock the anti venom.

First Kill

The rattlesnakes are upon us once again. Yesterday, Rick saw a baby rattler in the Quonset Hut; however, the little guy got away. Today he found two adults in the Quonset Hut, but only shot one. The other slithered out of the shop. The one he did get was HUGE! It had nine buttons but you could clearly see that there once were more but they had broken off. Here is a picture of Rick with the first kill of the season in the snake snare. Let me remind you that Rick is 6'2" and the rattler has a kink in it, so it was at least 5' and most likely more.

Note to State of Illinois/Dept. of Corrections Jeff: Sorry, it wasn't a clean shot and the rattle wasn't intact. I'll send you the next one.--Rick

Late Night Activites and Rain Man

Last night was a rough night in our household. Katie woke up at 1:00 am with a soaked diaper. Rick changed her and I changed the sheets. After snuggling her back into her bed, she proceeded to cry for me so I sat with her in her rocking chair. She seemed to calm down, but I was no sooner snuggled in my bed, when we heard Katie over the baby monitor cry, "Daaaa-deee." Rick and I actually chuckled because she sounded so pathetic. After a few minutes of that, Rick went into her room. Katie likes it when we crawl into her crib with her and I must say it is quite a sight to see my 6' 2" husband curled up in a ball in her crib. It was rather funny when Katie scooted over, patted the bed and invited me to crawl into the crib. I had to explain to her if I too jumped the rail her bed would surely break. Anyway, the rest of the night pretty much went the same way with Katie crying for me then Rick. Finally Rick had enough and strongly recommended that she go to sleep, which I think she did at 3:00 am.

At 5:00 am I woke up with an excruciating back ache--no doubt from raking--and a really bad stomach ache. I drank some water and proceeded to throw up. Thankfully I was in the bathroom at the time and a garbage can was handy. I don't think I have the stomach flu but a combination of the pain and drinking the water too quickly.

Speaking of raking, I mentioned yesterday that I couldn't rake because of the blisters on my hands, so I have no explanation for why I decided to clean a little more of the driveway's border. Why did I think that clearing scrub with a rake was not raking?! So now my blisters are really bad and I feel as if someone punched me in the back. Seriously though, last night when I was in pain it did occur to me that it may be my kidneys acting up. The "stomach" pain and back ache were similar to previous kidney malfunctions. Here's hoping that is not the case.

And I'll end on a funny note--funny to Rick and I anyway. Katie has a habit of repeating the same phrase as if in one long sentence, such as, "Wanna eat, wanna eat, wanna eat." Rick and I agree she sounds just like Dustin Hoffman in "Rain Man". Her intonation and cadence is the same as when Dustin's character says, "Have to get to K-Mart." Yes, I admit it we cruelly laugh at our daughter and have taken to calling her our little Rain Girl.

I just went to get Rick another cup of coffee. On my way to the kitchen I passed a buck naked Katie. She had her arms in the air and asked me a new question which was, "Mommy, will you towel me?" This means she wanted me to wrap a bath towel around her like I do when she steps out of the bath tub. Apparently her clothing of choice today is a Disney Princess towel.

MOP Monday and An Apology

It's a beautiful day here in West Texas. Matter of fact, yesterday was also sunny and warm, so I raked almost half of the front yard. I would like to work on the yard some more today, but I have two nasty blisters.

Today was a MOPS Monday. Because I did not give Katie a bath last night, Rick was a sweetie and got up at 6:00 am to give Katie a quick dip in the tub. I was thankful that I didn't have to take a dirty baby to MOPS. In today's MOPPETS' class, Katie made a bird feeder out of a pine cone and bird seed. They also planted some bird seed in a plastic cup to see what will grow. I made a deal with Katie that if she took her afternoon nap, she could hang her toot-toot (bird) feeder outside after sleeping. So far she is not living up to her agreement. Bribing her with outdoor time usually encourages her to nap, but not today.

On April 18th, MOPS has their Great Moms Walk here in Abilene. It is our annual fundraiser with money going towards MOPS' scholarships for moms, as well as funds to pay our MOPPETS workers. Stay tuned for more information as I will be creating an online fundraising page at First Giving and will supply a link on my blog for those that wish to donate.

Yesterday I read an article on Yahoo! about how AIG is paying $165 million in bonuses to employees. My first question was why are people getting bonuses when this private company received government bailout money and also declared a $61.7 billion loss for the fourth quarter of last year. The large bulk of the payments are for the unit that sold credit default swaps that caused massive losses for the company. Apparently AIG entered into these bonus agreements in early 2008 and the bonuses are based on the number of swaps and not the financial catastrophe of the swaps. It's as if a bank would reward employees for the amount of money they loaned consumers regardless if those consumers could pay the loans back. Now I ask you, is that messed up or what? The bailout of AIG still irritates me to no end. I thought bonuses were awarded when the company profited on their employees efforts, but not AIGs. If AIG doesn't pay the bonuses they are looking at lawsuits. It's hard to fault the people that were striving for their goals, but I do find fault in those that set those goals. I still believe that AIG should have declared bankruptcy. I do realize that the financial domino effect of AIG going into bankruptcy protection would have been large, but you know what, my daughter and my daughter's children will be paying for this. So let me apologize to my daughter and future generations for my generation's greed and stupidity.

Nut Brown Hare, Rain and Alone Time

Rick arrived safely back at Corinth West last night. It's good to have him home and not have to be a single parent. It is gloomy and chilly once again here in West Texas and I am ready for the sunshine. On the positive we received over 1" of rain these last few days. A good slow rain really hydrates the parched West Texas earth. Typically when it rains here it comes in like gang busters for 15 minutes, abruptly stops and then the sun comes back. That results in the water never truly getting into the ground because it dries off before it can. I shouldn't complain too much about the rain because the fields and cattle were in dire need of water, not to mention we have been under a fire warning for the last month or so.

While in Cleveland, Rick bought Katie the book, "Guess How Much I Love You." She has the book for her Baby Leapfrog, but this book came with a DVD version of the story. Rick popped it in the DVD player last night and of course Katie requested to watch it again and again and again. Then first thing this morning she requested, "the rabbit". Several viewings later, we ate a big breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon and toast.

I'm off to Wally World to get a few household staples. And pathetically I am rather excited because I will be able to go by myself. It's not often that I get to browse about in a store without Katie.

Amazing Me Once Again

Katie just did it again. She amazed me. I was folding laundry in the master bedroom and Katie was on the bed flipping through the TV channels. She stopped on a news program where they flashed a picture of President Obama. She looked at me and said, "Obama!. Obama!" She clearly knows President Obama by sight and I can't figure out why his face and name have stuck in her brain. Perhaps it is a sad statement on our country where President Obama stands out to her because he is one of the few black people she sees regularly on TV. Or perhaps she likes his name. Go ahead and try it "O-BA-MA". It's fun to say.

Another weird thing is how Katie always recognizes pictures of her late Great Aunt Cookie. As mentioned before, she saw her Great Aunt Cookie on a few occassions, but Cookie died when Katie was 18 months old. However, if asked she will find her Great Aunt Cookie in pictures but not other family members with the exception of Gagas and Pop Pops. Perhaps "Cookie" sticks with her because it too is a fun name and is also the name of a sweet treat.

Hay and Snacks

I am vacuuming once again. Like most in West Texas, we have a Bermuda grass lawn which dies off in cold weather. You can plant a winter grass, such as rye if you want a green lawn year round and if you want to cut the grass year round, which we do not. So my point--I really do have one--is that the Bermuda grass turns yellow and crispy during the winter months. This results in it getting tracked into the house by the dog and by us. When Eric lounges on the front lawn I have to dust him off before he comes into the house. But despite my best efforts, I constantly find tiny pieces of Bermuda hay all over the house. Hence that is why I vacuum all of the time. Why is this blog-worthy you say? Well because being a Northern girl who grew up in lawns blanketed with snow I never thought about the mess that dead grass makes.

Anyway....Katie has always been a stubbornly independent little tot. (Hmmm. That apple didn't fall from the Mommy apple tree.) Lately she has been getting her own snacks. We have white matching containers that are clearly labeled--Rick's loves everything being labeled--with what snack is inside i.e. pretzels, Chips Ahoy, Wheat Thins, Oreos, Cheetos. Katie will get a chair and go into the pantry and select a snack. Luckily it has been pretzels and Wheat Thins--slightly more health conscious. She then gets the cream cheese out of the refrigerator. She, like her father, loves cream cheese with pretzels. (An example of the pear not falling far from the Daddy pear tree.) I don't know why this amuses me. After all she is a growing girl who learns new things each and every day, but it just seems so darn grown up. She always chooses the correct container because the labels have different colored backgrounds i.e. the Wheat Thins' is yellow, the pretzel's is white, etc. so she is not reading the container, all though she does recognize her own name when it is written. So my point....hmmm, don't have one other than she is evolving so fast and I really cherish these days because as I have been warned they go by too quickly.

Avoiding The Paparazzi

Yesterday I took several pictures of Katie, Eric and I. At one point I think the flash was getting to Eric because he opted for this pose and actually moved his St. Patrick's day neck scarf over his eyes. He looks like a movie star avoiding the lens of the paparazzi.

Below is another picture from yesterday of Katie, Eric and I. Doesn't Eric looked just thrilled?! An how about Katie's Spaghetti-O stained mouth?

New Meds

The vet put Eric on a "new" medication for his arthritis. It's called Previcox and like Rimadyl is an anti-inflammatory. He only needs to take one pill a day, which is better than the two of Rimadyl. Both Eric and his brother Max took Previcox the last summer Max was alive. At the time I didn't think it made that big of a difference, but Eric seems a little bit more ginger this afternoon. Perhaps he was building a tolerance to the Rimadyl and the shake up in the meds will have a positive effect. I didn't get a chance to speak with the vet because he was in surgery so I don't know about true steroids for Eric. As I posted before, that is a last ditch option. I am still vacillating on whether to give Eric an Adequan shot. That also seems to be loosing its effectiveness. I'll wait until Monday and decide then since I cannot get Eric to the vet--Rick took the minivan to the airport. I won't even consider putting Eric in the SRT8. With Katie's carseat in the back, he would not fit and I don't want his nails to tear up the leather. Poor Rick. He has to share his vehicle with the dog.

I was relieved that I was able to put a shoe on my left foot considering the toe situation. However, I do gimp around and more so since Katie stepped on my foot when we were fighting for the mirror in the master bathroom. Oh boy, at 2 1/2 years old she is a vain little girl who loves looking at herself in the mirror. Can you imagine what sixteen is going to be like? Funny note: When Katie is moving away from the mirror, she'll wave good-bye and say, "Bye bye, Katie." Now if she starts kissing her image good-bye, we need to worry.

Weekly Group Photo For Rick

This afternoon we took a group photo for Rick while he is far from home. Eric looks as happy as a clam as Katie and I love on him.

A Broken Digit and Knowing When

Last night I left the office and walked down the unlit hallway. My eyes hadn't adjusted from the bright light of the office to the darkness of the hallway when I passed the bar. This resulted in my walking right into the golf cart seat. (We are reupholstering the seat and Rick brought the bare wood seat into the house because of impending rain.) The seat was leaning up against the bar and I rammed my toe so hard into the edge that I fell and almost took a header into Katie's play pen. The play pen slid and rammed up against the glass etagere. Fortunately, the etagere did not suffer any damage, but I am pretty sure I broke a toe on my left foot. I sat on the floor and cried because of the pain and because I have been having a rough time these last few of days.

This morning I put on my Fit-Flops to go outside and help Eric navigate the ramp. When you walk in flip-flops, you curl your toes for grip and my toe does not curl without excruciating pain. Since there is nothing you can do with a broken toe, I will forgo the trip to the doctor. My biggest fear is Katie or the dog stepping on my toe, so this morning I showed Katie my swollen and black and blue digit and explained that I broke my toe. I figure if she understands that I have a boo-boo she will be careful.

So, it's off to the shower I go. Katie and I need to venture to the vet this morning to pick up Eric's medication. Yesterday it rained all day long and today it is cold and gloomy. Not the best weather for Eric.

Speaking of Eric, Rick and I talked last night about the inevitable. Right now Eric is not in pain from the arthritis because he is on a pain killer and anti-inflammatory, but his life is slowly winding down. I worry that I will hang on to him because of selfish reasons, such as not wanting my heart to break. (Even just writing about it now has me in tears.) However, I pray that Rick and I will know when "it's time." When my sister Linda put down her German Shepherd Jessi, Linda woke up one morning and just knew that that day was the day. I hope I have that compassion and insight with Eric.

I am going to ask the vet about steroids. Typically steroids are not meant to be given long term, but Eric's term will probably finish by the end of summer. Steroids might give him more relief from the arthritis.

On that happy note......have a good day.

The Little Artist

Yesterday Katie wanted to paint, so I dragged out my easel and loaded up her palette with washable, non-toxic poster paint. I allow her to use my expensive paint brushes because as any artist knows the paint brush can make all the difference and also makes painting less frustrating. Anyway, she was quite thrilled with my fan brush and she painted about ten different pictures. I also cut down a few sheets of her paper to card size so she could make her Easter cards for her grandparents. Here are a few pictures of the little artist.


As promised it is cold here today, but not as cold as they predicted. However, I have the heat on and I am clothed as if I am in a ski chalet in the Alps. Hmmm. Hot chocolate sounds good.

90 to 30 in 8.5 Hours

I just saw on the local news that the temperatures are supposed to be in the 30's tomorrow. Are they frigging kidding me? It's been in the 80's and 90's for the last week or so and now this cold weather wimp is supposed to survive a dramatic drop?! Shoot, the hubs will probably have warmer weather in Cleveland.

Tears and Artwork

This morning Rick left for Cleveland. Normally, I push away the fact that he will be once again far from home, but this morning I broke down in tears. Worse yet, I did it in front of Rick and Katie. Rick has enough to deal with, dislikes being away from home and he does not need to worry about how I handle his absences. As for Katie, when she sees me cry she becomes very concerned. As I posted yesterday, I am lacking oomph and it barely registers on the oomph meter. To further enhance my blue mood I am not feeling well. We went out to dinner last night at the Sirloin 66, which is a local diner. I ordered my favorite, a patty melt, but could barely eat half of it. My appetite has been an issue for a few months now and I am nutritionally running on empty.

Katie is really making strides on her art. I make an effort to draw in order to ignite a love of drawing and painting in Katie. I grew up in a home with a very artistic father and some of my best memories are of my father drawing and him teaching me how to draw. I often wonder if I am innately artistically talented or I am talented only because of his influence. What I mean is that if my father wasn't artistic would I have developed the talent at all? Anyway, here is a picture that Katie drew the other day. When I asked her who it was, she said, "Daddy." For a 2 1/2 years old it is very good. Most kids her age and older cannot get the facial features in the right place let alone add eyebrows and pupils. Like several of her works of art, I put it in a frame. However, this one is proudly displayed on the glass/brass etagere in our living room.

No Oomph

There are a lot of things that happen and that are happening that I do not blog about. Some things beg for privacy and some things I just don't want to put on paper because then I need to deal with them head on. Today is one of those days where current situations are weighing heavily on my mind, and I can't muster the energy to be snappy or sarcastic or mildly funny. So with no oomph, I really can't post anything. Have a good evening and I'll check the oomph meter tomorrow.

Tip-Toeing Through The Dirt

Today was a beautiful spring West Texas day. Katie packed her doll stroller with two teddy bears, Baby, two boxes of sidewalk chalk, a Nerf ball and a sippy cup for our afternoon walk. Rick joined us and the three of us walked up the driveway and then wandered around our cotton field. Below is Katie with her doll stroller.


She abandoned the stroller in the driveway when we went into the cotton field. Here she is tip-toeing through the dirt. She got tired of carrying her ball so she just tossed it in the field. We retrieved it before starting back for home.

Morning Encounters By The Connoisseur

This morning Eric and I were walking to the gate when I spotted an animal come out from the bushes on the right side of the drive. The animal stopped in the driveway and then, catching my scent, glided off into the bushes on the left side of the drive. While said animal was stopped in the middle of the driveway I got a good look. He was solid brownish color with a small head; about Eric's height with a long tail that curled at the end. Definitely no coyote. When it scurried off the drive I noticed that it walked like a cat. I abandoned my mission to open the gate and returned to the house and the Internet. I had a sneaking suspicion of what I just saw, but wanted to double check that this area would not be out of the animal's range. My Internet search confirmed that what I probably saw was a cougar. Now that I know they are out there I need to do more research so I know how to handle the situation if I encounter a cougar again and at a closer range.

Also, the cougar explains the mystery piles of poop I have found in the driveway. Not to veer off into the disgusting, but I do what we call "poop patrol" in the driveway and front yard. It entails taking the pooper-scooper and a trash bag lined bucket and scooping up Eric's poop. I often run into other animals' feces and scoop those up as well. Because of this chore, I have learned what animals have been through here by their feces, such as skunk, coyote, frog, rabbit, possum and armadillo. There's something I will probably keep off of my resume "connoisseur of animal feces."

Money In The Mailbox and Other Pleasant Things

Today's trip to the mailbox was a pleasant one. Actually what I should say is that what I found in the mailbox was pleasant. We got a few dollars from the co-op cotton gin and a $69 check from Abilene Diagnostic for Kate. We were expecting a refund from Abilene Diagnostic for an error on our insurance company's part for October's doctor visits, but the amount on today's check was too high. Rick called Abilene Diagnostic and was told the refund was for a service date of August 2006! Come to find out they over-billed us when Katie was born and just discovered it now. We were never the wiser and appreciate their honesty. I just wonder what type of audit caused them to go back over records from 2 1/2 years ago. A surprisingly profitable trip to the mailbox. There's something that rarely happens.

Today I got my hair cut, which was long overdue and a pleasant experience. I started going to a salon in Stamford as opposed to Abilene about nine months ago because of gas prices and because I decided to start supporting local businesses. I have been very happy with my decision. Robin, my hair stylist, does an outstanding job. She is the first stylist who has managed to cut my hair so that the natural wave just explodes, but in a good way. She also really listens to what I want and any dilemma I present to her she has a solution. So I am one happy and newly coiffed camper.

As for the weather, it has been hot but still pleasant. We have actually been running the air conditioning. Today Katie and I spend some time outside when Rick had a conference call. We played on the wee (swing set) and kicked/threw a small red football up the driveway to the gate and back. When Katie produced a good throw or kick, I commented with "Good job." The little monkey was soon telling me, in a soothing little voice, "Good job, Mommy. Try again." If it was such a good job, why was I given a do-over?! However, I just gotta love her positive reinforcement. So after 45 minutes in the sun, we headed in for refreshments.

Potty training is going pleasantly well. During the day she wears her underwear and even remembers to pull them down before using her potty chair. I always put a diaper on her when we go outside or out and about in the world, but this afternoon I decided to test the waters of diaper free outings and she did great. No accidents! The one thing I have learned from the experience of potty training Katie so far is that she needs to control the training and set the pace. By letting her do this it has been relatively stress-free and not a struggle. Before I was clearly pushing for something for which she was not ready. Letting her guide the process has been so much easier. A few months ago I had a conversation with a fellow MOP about potty training and that advice that she imparted on me has been golden. Thanks Tonya!

After work Rick decided to take a power nap on the sofa. Katie, being the caring soul that she is, covered Rick with an afghan, gave him one of her dolls and put a cup and a flash card on his chest. Every once in a while, she would raise the empty cup to his lips to give him a pretend drink of water, but why the flash card is lost on me. Here is the napping one with his caretaker.


About fifteen minutes after I took this picture, the cup and flash card were gone and replaced with three potato chips. You know, in case Rick needed a mid-nap snack. In conclusion, let the above picture serve as notice of what can occur if you ever drop by our house for a pleasant nap--your every need will be met and some (flash card refresher course) you didn't know you had.

With that my friends, have a pleasant evening. Ciao.

The War Has Begun

Well, summer is definitely on its way as I have begun my war on weeds and renegade grass. This morning I filled up my 1-gallon sprayer with kills-everything and doused the punky little weeds and grass that dared to show their heads in my driveway border. My war will last until November, but each year I permanently reclaim a little bit more of our land.

Repeat

Last night we had a repeat of the night before. At midnight I could hear Katie over the baby monitor asking for me. Once again she puked. However, she was "kind" enough to lean over the side of her crib, so I didn't have to do laundry but I did have to shampoo the carpet in the wee hours. I am not sure if she has a stomach virus, but we were at a MOPS Steering Team/Table Leader meeting on Monday. Other than that, we haven't been out and about. Anyway, yesterday during the day she was fine and I didn't allow her to drink milk because of the diarrhea. For dinner I finally let her have some milk and she had some milk in her sippy cup at bedtime. I wondered if the milk was triggering the throwing up and since I don't drink milk, I asked Rick if the milk tasted funny and he said it was fine. So I am at a loss when it comes to Katie's throwing up. She doesn't act sick. I kind of hope I throw up then I will know for sure if it's a stomach bug.

For The Curious

For those that are curious, the background picture of this blog and the top picture are the same photo. I took the picture last fall from our front yard looking west. This was when a major storm was rolling into our area.

Shirt Me

Katie was eating lunch while wearing only a diaper and slippers. She looked down at her bare belly and then turned to me and said, "Mommy, shirt me." So that is Katie's new way of telling me she wants to be clothed.

Out Of Pocket

I finally got sick and have been out of pocket these last few days. Tuesday morning I woke up with a raging headache, sore throat and body aches. I spent yesterday in bed and I am quite sure I have not been this ill since college. Last night I had a raging fever and I woke up drenched at 11:00 pm. Then, to top it off, at 2:30 am I could hear Katie over the baby monitor crying for Rick. He went to check on her and she had thrown up. He put her in bed with us and I woke up at 4:30 am when I smelled puke.

Today I feel a bit better, but I have oodles of laundry to do from the sickies in the house.

Sunday's Miscellaneous Ramblings

Cold Weather Wimp: That is how I describe myself. You would never guess that I was born and raised in the cold tundra of Michigan's Upper Peninsula (The U.P.) where there are two seasons--winter and July. Since moving to Texas I have become very acclimated to warmer weather and I "freeze" when the temperature dips below 60. Here's a prime example of how wimpish I have become. Yesterday morning it was about 50 degrees with a 5-10 mph north wind. The sun was out and it was a bright day. However, I was "freezing", so when I walked up to open the gate I wore my down ski jacket, gloves and a pink knit cap. I recall wearing less outerwear than that when shoveling three feet of snow out of my parents' driveway in the middle of a snow storm. Matter of fact I went my entire freshman year in college wearing an unlined leather coat and ballet flats in the dead of winter while in Michigan. So sadly I must admit that I have lost my Yooper toughness for cold weather and I fear my Finnish "sisu" will be next.

The Sponge: I feel like a broken record when I post how Katie is like a little sponge as she soaks up everything she sees and hears. I was reminded of her spongeness the other night when President Obama addressed Congress. Katie and I were watching the televised event, and as usual Katie got quite excited because of all of the clapping. She was on her feet and clapping when Congress was on theirs and clapping. Because I found her wild clapping amusing, I decided to video tape her. Shortly after turning the camera on she stated, "Obama there." I asked her to repeat herself and she said, "Obama there." I asked, "Do you mean President Obama?" "Yes, Obama there." she replied while pointing to the T.V. Now Rick and I talk about politics at home and Katie watched the inauguration, but I didn't realize that she could recognize President Obama. I'm just glad I got it on video tape.

Another sponge event occurred this morning when I was watching Baby First TV with her. "My Gym At Home" came on. I have posted about this before, so again I am a broken record, but I was amazed at how well she followed along. "My Gym At Home" is an exercise program for mommies and babies; however, Katie likes to be the mommy and her baby doll is the baby. This morning she put Baby through the paces and repeated everything the gym instructor said. I realized that she has seen that particular episode before but was stunned when the instructor advised the mommies to be careful to protect the baby's head during a hand/head stand. Katie carefully checked Baby to make sure she was okay.

Milking The Fall For All It's Worth: It's been a week or so since Katie fall out of a shopping cart; however, the wounds remain---at least to Katie. She has a scrape mark on her knee that was a result of her tripping in the driveway two weeks ago. It is now barely visible, but she continues to tell me, and anyone that will listen, about the boo-boo on her knee. However, she has cleverly twisted the story around and now the boo-boo is from when she, and I quote, "fell out of cart." She will also reenact the entire fall from the cart to anyone who brings the subject up. She'll flop down on the floor and show you how she laid on the grocery store's floor. I prefer to forget the whole incident, but Katie clearly wants to keep it fresh and milk it for all it's worth--attention, oohs and aahs, and special phone calls from grandparents.

Eric: My buddy is getting worse despite the medication. He was holding his own, but I noticed in the last week a weakening of his abilities. He can no longer climb the front stairs and has to use the ramp at all times. However, he has to be coaxed up the ramp and I have learned he is more comfortable going up the ramp if I rest my hand on his back. For some dog-reason my hand on his back makes him feel safer and sturdier. It does require that I go outside and no longer just wait in the doorway for him. I have to do this even in the "freezing" Texas weather without jacket or shoes, but it's worth it if it gives him a piece of mind.

Hazy Morning Good-Byes: I barely remember Rick being home this weekend. It doesn't help that I was half asleep when I received a kiss on the lips at 6:30 am before he exited for the airport. Katie had me up at 4:30 am and I was pretty tired when the alarm went off at 5:30 am. I feel crappy for not getting up and at least making Rick a cup of coffee and doing the last minute check list of items that he needed to take with him. I know Rick understands, but it doesn't change the fact that I feel like I didn't make an effort. Furthermore, I guess I do miss taking him to the airport despite the 70 mile round trip. The drive to the airport gave us time to talk and allowed Katie and I to give him a proper send off. Without the curbside good-byes it seems like "yeah, yeah, yeah. See ya later" which is so far from Katie and my sentiments.

That's it for the miscellaneous thoughts. As always there are more blindly hobbling around in my head, but they can wait. Besides, I'm "freezing" and need to pile on more clothes. Here's wishing for 60 degrees today.

Audacity With A Sprinkle of Sweetness

The weekend, if you can call it that, has gone quickly. Rick got home Friday night and flew back out this morning for Ottawa. These quick turn-arounds are hard since I have to unpack, do laundry and pack him up again. We barely have time to catch up with each other.

Yesterday Katie was being pretty nervy. What I mean by this is that a few of her actions had me retelling them to Rick with the comment of "and she had the audacity to...." First example: I put her down for a nap, which she refused to take and which always means trouble. I was in her room changing her diaper two times before she had a chance to finger paint and once again vacuuming up goose down. You think I would have learned a lesson the first time, but no. Sometimes I am foolishly optimistic. Clearly frustrated with the the second coming of goose down snow, Katie smiled at me and proclaimed, "Done nap!" The audacity to point out that she did not need to nap because she had no pillow on which to put her impish little head. Second example: For lunch I made grilled cheese and ham sandwiches. I used a heart shaped cookie cutter on Katie's bread. She took one bite and decided it was a potato chip and pickle day. I put the sandwich aside and she started eating it after her nap. Shortly there after, she came to me whimpering "Sammy gone" which means the sandwich was gone. Knowing her as I do, I asked her if she gave it to Eric, which she replied that she did. The audacity to whine about it. Did she think Eric wasn't going to eat it if she placed it before him?

So it was an audacity day, but it was also a sweet day. Katie LOVES to watch our Kodak digital picture frame. Not only are there photos on it, but there is also video from Christmas morning 2007 when Rick's parents were here. I usually keep the frame on the corner wine rack cabinet, but she has to stand on a chair to see it. Not wanting her to fall on her head, I will move it to the dining room table so she can watch it over and over and over again. Here she is pointing out herself in a picture. I prefer not to use a flash if enough natural light is available. The flash tends to whiten the warmth. Katie moved her hand at the last moment, so it blurred.

Another sweet and funny moment was when Rick but his headphones on her. The headphones are noise cancelling and the ones that Rick uses while flying. Yesterday he plugged his MP3 player into them and let Katie listen to some Frank Sinatra. At first, Katie didn't know what to think of the fact that she could hear but not hear us. Obviously this was the first time that she has donned headphones. Rick and I got a good laugh over the expression on her face, the fact that she was afraid to move and how she brought her shoulders up to her ears. She eventually warmed up to earphones and relaxed her shoulders. Here she is with Rick while jamming out to Frank.


So it was a short weekend, but I managed to get a few pictures that will warm Rick's heart while he is freezing his patootie off in Ottawa.