Last Li'l Dragon Testing

Katie, or I should spell it "Katy" as it is her current preference, had a tae kwon do belting testing yesterday and she did phenomenal. She was loud, strong and in control. One thing Rick noticed and I have been noticing is the look on her face is matching her strength. She looks tough, almost scary. Anyway, at the testing she was required to break two boards. One she had to break with the heal of her hand and did so in one smack. The look on her face after she broke that board was precious. She had not previously broke a board with a hand motion and by her look she was obviously surprised and pleased with her accomplishment. I was too busy with the video camera, so I don't have a still shot. For the other board, she was required to do a reverse side kick. BAM! one kick and the board snapped in half. So with the board breaking exercises completed, she completed her tenure as a Li'l Dragon. She is now a 3rd Degree Red belt which means she has to move up to the big kids' class. You cannot, regardless of your age, be a 3rd Degree Red belt and be a Li'l Dragon. It was a little sad to attend her last Li'l Dragon belt testing. She was just an itty-bitty 3 year old when she started tae kwon do. It is one of those situations where I am reminded that the days are long but the years are short. Looking to the future, her next belt testing will be for her recommend black belt. I cannot express how incredibly proud I am of her. She has the physical skills, but also the mental skills that are taught in tae kwon do. A few weeks back she was kicked on the playground and when we questioned why she didn't kick back she replied, "Because kicking is wrong in school and I didn't want to hurt them." She knows to use tae kwon do for good; to use your voice first and then kick. However, she has been told for years how powerful her kicks are and she had the presence of mind to think, "If I kick them I'll break their ribs or their nose and send them flying." She knew she could do serious damage and chose not to. I am very proud of her for that too. Anyway, here is one of the only pictures that I took during the testing.

She looks a little disheveled, but this is at the end of testing. The two boards that she broke are stacked up in front of her. The badges up her leg are academic badges that she received for report cards with all A's. Six are for 1st grade where she was an all-A student the whole year and the 7th she just got this week for her first report card in 2nd grade, all A's.

Ciao to my Li'l Dragon.  

Day 2 of 1st Grade

Last year on Kate's first day of school I took a picture of her eating her breakfast. She requested that I take a picture of her today since she was eating the same breakfast today, eggs. She was also happy because her hair wasn't sticking up all over the place this year.

Today was the first day that Kate took the bus to school, so I took a picture like I did last year that shows the bus disapperaring into the morning darkness. (The kid has to catch the bus at 6:55 am!) I also took a few extra pictures because we arrived at the bus spot--the end of our driveway--early.

 "Happy, happy, joy, joy. I'm going to school!"

 Today's fashionable outfit.

 She's looking like one of those The Price is Right girls showing the attributes of the Hummer. Is that show on anymore?

And there she goes. The bus usually picks up the girls down the road first then comes back and picks up Kate on the return. Today he picked her up on the way to their house. She was so excited when we saw the bus' headlights turn down our road. She was jumping and waving. Perhaps her bus driver stopped because he thought she had an emergency.

Weeks Worth of Doings in One Post

You'll never know how many times in the last two weeks that I have started a post and never published it. More often than not I didn't publish the post because it dealt with the Aurora, CO movie theater shootings. I have read one article about the shooting and refuse to read anymore. The media tends to sensationalize stories though the Aurora story doesn't need it. This week's People has stories of some of those who died in the massacre. I skipped those pages of the magazine. In every mass tragedy there are people involved who take heroic actions, just got married, just welcomed a new child or whose life was ended when they had great plans in store. This country is circling the drain and I don't need the media to try to manipulate my emotions because I can produce my own tears when these senselessness acts of violence occur. Am I sticking my head in the sand? No, I still get the facts, but because of the numerous tragedies perpetrated by man I cannot mentally handle the personal aspects of the story. And no Mr. Media, I don't give a shit about what Psycho Man Shooter or what his online dating profile says. I miss the days of Walter Cronkite. Final note, don't get me started on the gun control issue. I firmly believe if the theater had not been a gun-free zone that ass would have never opened fire or his head would have been blown off after his first shot.

So. A lot has occurred in life since I posted last. Despite the death of a two-month old child, life keeps rolling along. I think that is what always strikes me as the most strange when a tragedy befalls a person or nation; life goes on.

Katie has joined the Anson Youth Cheerleading Association. She had cheer camp this week. She was so-so about cheerleading camp. She does like cheering but it's a tough group. And you know how little girls can be. . .Like Rick said, Kate is at a disadvantage when it comes to socializing. We don't live in town; she didn't go to Pre-K and we don't have any neighbors. The friends that she has made prior to going to school--at MOPS, ballet, tae kwon do--all live in Abilene. Also, Kate is the only 1st grader on her squad; all of the others are 2nd graders. Big 2nd graders don't want to hang out with baby 1st graders. I am not saying that Kate is without fault. She likes to lead, which doesn't always go down well with other kids and she can be intense. Anyway, I am concerned about her schedule. She'll have cheer practice two times a week; ballet one time a week; and tae kwon do three times a week. Add those up. They equal 6, she has 5 week days. One day will be a double up day. And to top it off, the Pee Wee football league plays on Saturday mornings. At least it is not for the whole year. We'll have to take it one day at a time.

 Part of their dance routine.

 Showing off their certificates for completing Cheer Camp

 More learning and practice.

I have been driving my new vehicle for about a month now and I love it. But some habits are hard to break. Since the SRT8 sat so low to the ground, I had to slow down for each bump and dip or risk tearing the front end off or cracking the belly pan. The other day I went through the car wash with the Hummer and instead of pulling straight onto the road, I found myself driving along the front of the wash bays to the side street because the dip before the main road is less angled there. I know people laugh at me because when I pull up in this beastly vehicle all 5'3" of me gets out. The H2 and me make an odd pair. I look like a 2nd grader next to it. Rick says I am spoiled because when I parked next to a Hummer H3 my comment was, "That's small!" For the record, H3s are a lot smaller, about the size of a Jeep and I was truly surprised by the the size difference. Matter of fact I am surprised how many vehicles I look down on while driving the Hummer (Literally, folks. I am not that big of a snob!) Here's a photo of the Hummer when Rick brought it home. (He had to drive it home from Chicago.)

Hummer H2 with Hobo in the foreground

The Hummer is the Silver Ice Edition. They only made 750 of the Silver Ices. It has every option except the heated steering wheel, so it is pretty loaded. Katie's loving the DVD player. Rick, not so much. The screen flips down from the ceiling. Rick has smacked his head on it twice when he has leaned back to help Katie with her seat belt. My SRT8 is a Chrysler and the H3 is a GM product so the location of all the buttons, switches and doodads are different. I still don't know how to set my favorite stations on the Nav/XM radio. I also couldn't figure out how to answer my cell phone when the H3's bluetooth picked up the call so Rick had to show me.

Hobo. He has made great strides in the last month. In June he started letting Katie pet him but still refused to let anyone else get close to him. One day Katie was petting him by the front steps. I came out of the front door and slowly joined in the petting. When Rick came home from a trip, he let Rick pet him and when our neighbors/friends Don and Geri stopped by, he let them pet him. He wags his tail when he sees Kate, Rick or I and comes trotting. He'll walk up the driveway with me to unlock the gate and listens very well. When he sees me for the first time in the day, he gets so excited that he makes a weird noise. It's a closed mouth whine/grunt. He now wears a collar with a name tag and I have started him on K9 Avantix. Both Rick and I tried a leash on him. He let us attach the leash but then he turned his head; looked out of the corner of his eye at us with absolute disgust and then lied down. So we are at baby steps with the leash. We cannot take him to the vet until we can get him leash trained. I often wonder what he has experienced in his short life. (We figure he is 1 1/2 years old.) The first time I opened the gate with Hobo by my side, I had the gate's chain hanging from one of my hand's. Hobe took one look at it and ran all the way home. He doesn't like loud noises like the compressor. Prefers to eat when no one is around. Does not play catch--he fears you are throwing something at him. Doesn't like the water hose on full blast, but he is getting braver with this one. Since he has such a strong reaction to chains we assume he was chained as a puppy and perhaps broke free and ran away. He may have been beaten with his chain. He undoubtedly has been abused or relentlessly teased because he cowers if you use a stern voice. He obviously has had things thrown at him and must have been stealing food from other dogs given that he won't eat unless he is alone. I call him Hobee Doe, Beau, Hobee. He is our dog. He has a home.

More pictures.

Kate's redone professional TKD composite photo.

Katie and the dogs found this snake while they were on an adventure. It is a Long Neck snake, not a Coral snake for which they get mistaken. He is eating a lizard in the photo that is why it's hard to make out his head or tail.

Katie at Cheer Camp that the Anson High School Cheerleaders put on. She attended the camp in June. Wow! Am I behind in posting pictures.

We purchased our box again for the Texas Cowboy Reunion Rodeo. We originally got the box three years ago when our friends moved from the area. This year since we had just bought the Hummer, I was hesitant to spend the money, but if we didn't buy it we would have lost the box for the foreseeable future. Basically someone has leave it to you in their will or pass it on to you when they leave the area, so you don't give one up easily. Some families have had their boxes for generations. The boxes seat eight and are ring side. From the thundering horses, I have had dirt flicked down my shirt and in my bra and I get the jeepers scared out of me when they come racing by rail. The rodeo is four nights long and each night we invite a different group of friends. This year was a lot of fun. The first night of the rodeo was 4th of July. We had our friends/neighbors Don and Geri join us, as well as E.L., Peggy and Linda, the people that lease our cotton land. Afterward we all went to the lake where Rick and Don shot off $200 worth of fireworks. They finally had to start firing 4 at a time so we won't be there until 3 am. Rick said it was his best fireworks display that he has ever created. It was also his most expensive he ever purchased, but with the great time we had with our friends, it was priceless. Here are a few pictures from the rodeo.

Before the Star Spangled Banner. Texans love their State flag and you rarely see the US Flag without the Texan Flag near by.

The Six White Horses of HSU (Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene.) I found out this year that there are six horses because six different national flags have flown over Texas: Spain, France, Mexico, Republic of Texas, Confederate and United States.

"Oh my aching back."

This picture made me laugh because the horse has his rear legs tucked up so the man's jean clad legs by the rails look like the horse's legs.

This horse was feisty from the get go.

 She promptly threw the rider and fell on top of him. The horse was fine, but they kept her down until they could get the cowboy out. If they hadn't she would have further crushed him and trampled on him. Turned out she wasn't too happy about being separated from her baby, so the baby was brought out to the ring. They happily greeted each other and trotted off together to the back stage area.

I love taking pictures of the barrel racers because then you can see how close the horse gets to the barrel and what an incredible angle these horses circle the barrel.

These ladies were the San Angelo Ambassadors. In our area we have the Sheriff's Posse, a group of women who ride for The Cure (breast cancer) among others. Texas has oodles of riding groups that perform across the state, country and globe.

One of the entertainment acts for the rodeo was a female trick rider. She was awesome and she had an awesome horse with an awesome disposition. When most people start to ride, they aspire to stay upright in the saddle. I wonder why she wanted to hang upside down from one.

Here's a rainbow picture that I captured one day. And yes, as evidenced by the rainbow, we have been getting rain, not a whole lot and the lake levels are still low. However, at least this year the cotton has popped up.

So that's it for now. Sorry for the long post, but I didn't want to leave any for later because you know what happens. Later never comes. Ciao.

Christmas in January

Finally, finally, finally. Here is the recap of our Christmas, including pictures.

Two weeks before Christmas, Rick's Uncle Butchie, his mom's brother, died unexpectedly. Uncle Butchie was battling some health issues, but what killed him was not one of those; it was his heart. Needless to say, Christmas was a bit difficult for my in-laws. To add to the sadness, my mother-in-law's only sister, Cookie, died shortly after Christmas a few years ago. Now my mother-in-law has only one sibling left, a brother. Also, as the eldest child, she did not expect to outlive her younger siblings. As far as Christmas, Rick's mom and dad drove over from Florida. It was good for them to get away for a bit and Katie does brighten any room or mood.

As usual, Katie got her picture taken with Santa Claus who was at the mall. As tradition dictates, the five of us went to Chuck E. Cheese's for dinner. Rick and his dad figured out one of the games and consistently hit the jackpot. Katie ended up with 800 tickets.

Christmas Eve had us going to the candlelight service at the Methodist Church in Anson, where Rick is a member. The new lady minister was not there and various members of the church conducted the service. As we were leaving, Rick asked why the minister was not there and Curtis, the greeter, said because she was dead! She died about three weeks ago. You can tell who hasn't been to church for a month.

Christmas Day started later than most people's because Katie stayed up late and did not get up until 8:30 am. Santa partook in the snack that she left for him and took the carrots to the reindeer. He left her a nice note. Katie did well in the present department; however, she only got two presents from Santa because of her behavior in November. (She was a nightmare as she pushed the boundaries.) She got her coveted high-heel, black boots and a jacket from Santa. The rest of her presents were from us or other family members. Her big present was a 4-wheeler which she was excited about. However, she was over the moon about the cowboy boots that Rick and I got her, as well as the BB gun. She is so proud to have her very own gun. I got a new-to-me ceramic-top convection oven/stove, which I actually got a week before Christmas. Since I figured that was my "big" present, I didn't expect the sewing and embroidery machine that I unwrapped Christmas morning. I was very happy. Rick also got his mom, Katie and me matching cross necklaces. The Lord's Prayer is laser etched on the center stone, which you have to use a magnifier to see. The presents that had us, my mother-in-law and I, laughing were the two pairs each of Forever Lazy's we received from Rick's dad. We dubbed them our Teletubbies; however, after we stopped laughing we realized they were very comfortable and warm.

Rick's parents left before the new year, so Rick, Katie and I celebrated at home. Katie wanted to stay up until midnight, but the Doodlebug didn't make it. She fell asleep a little after 11:30 pm.

School started back up on the 3rd and Katie was anxious to go. She really missed school and her teacher. I think the socializing figures big into her love of school.

That is the very short recap of the Christmas Season at Corinth West. Before the pictures, I leave you with this bit of wisdom. Chuck E Cheese's is a germ factory. Just ask my in-laws who left here ill.

 At Santa's station in the mall. Kate's not too sure about the reindeer.

Kate's official Christmas picture.

I love this picture of Kate with her Pop Pop outside of Chuck E Cheese's a.k.a. the Germ Factory.

Kate riding the clock lift in the Germ Factory.

 Christmas Eve day. Katie watching it snow. Since she was born, we have gotten snow around Christmas time. The poor child informed me that it always snows around Christmas because snow is required for the holiday.

 Our Christmas tree on Christmas morning before the ripping of wrapping paper began.

 Overflowing presents Christmas morning.

 Katie opening the high-heel black boots from Santa

 Test walking the boots.

 Katie trying to figure out what is inside the paper. It was a baseball bat and ball.

 Katie's first gun. It's a BB gun and she was very excited about her firearm. Did you know what the hot item was for kids this Christmas? Guns!

 Katie loving her new cowboy boots.

My mother-in-law and I in our Teletubbies and of course Katie who has to be in every picture.

We are pulling our Teletubbies from our sides to show off the rear hatch. I haven't worn clothing with a zippered backside since I was a toddler.

 The morning Rick's mom and dad were leaving Kate gathered up a couple of her tops and bottoms and headed for the door. She was going to Florida with Ga Ga and Pop Pop. The girl didn't even bother with a suitcase.

 Rick invited Cody to sit in his lap and Cody hesitantly accepted. (He is not allowed on furniture-Cody, not Rick!) However, once Cody, the consummate people lover, got up there he was in heaven.

Happy New Year, Kate.

This is the first year that Rick, Kate and I did not take a family picture which makes me sad. Anyway, that's it for this post. This girl needs to get to sleep. Ciao.

Hobo, Abdul Achmed and Tea

After my wordy post, this is a picture post.

Pretty fuzzy picture of a dirty Hobo. When you approach him or talk to him, he turns his head away. It is a submissive stance. He also visibly shakes when you get less than 15' from him.

Abdul Achmed with a towel, a stand-in for his favorite blankie which he ate.

A fuzzy Katie and I the day of the Sugar Plum Fairy Tea.

 Katie at the Sugar Plum Fairy Tea

Katie flying at the Sugar Plum Fairy Tea. She was playing with other children on the stage. In her hand is the back of the program where she had cast members sign their autograph. We had a showdown when she would not leave the stage to go home.

An Update to a Neglected Blog

I know that I am going to forget something, but here is the rundown of what we have been doing and what has been happening.

Hobo (the dog in the Quonset Hut):  He is slowly starting to trust Rick. He has taken a Milk Bone from Rick's hand and allowed Rick to pet him. I still wonder what was done to him to have him so fearful of humans. He sleeps in the Quonset Hut and Rick made a bed for him out of blankets. The wound on his back seems to be healing. Rick feeds him every day in an old Gandy's, red, ice cream pail. However, the other night Hobo took off with the pail and we still haven't located it. Hobo wasn't in the shop last night at feeding time which is odd. I hope he is okay.

My birthday:  It was yesterday and it was a low key day. I spent most of it cleaning. Rick is washing all of the windows in the house, which is a big project. You have to remove the inside window frame to wash one side of the glass. When I say remove, I mean he has to unscrew the entire window from the wall. I wish we had tilt out windows. Anyway, I clean the mini blinds and drapes as Rick cleans the glass. Rick also got this awesome glass cleaner which is made by/for GM for car windows. It cleans the glass in one pass with no streaks. I don't know what is in the stuff, but Cody doesn't like the smell so chances are that in a few years we will find out that the spray contains some toxic chemical that causes cancer. My big project today is to clean Katie's room. She has so many toys and too many clothes. Last night at supper she informed us that she was giving toys away because she needed to make room for the Christmas toys. I hope she won't be disappointed come Christmas morning. (See paragraph 3 in "Kate" section for further explanation.)

Back to my birthday, I received a Kindle Fire, a box of chocolates, a Farmer's Almanac for 2012 and some of Katie's old toys--the ones she is getting rid of to make room for more--and a soft, warm gorgeous merino wool sweater. I am fascinate by the fact that it is soft and not bulky yet it is very warm and comfortable. Wool sweaters that I have had before were itchy. I guess they were not merino wool.

Kate:  And of course, what would a blog post be without a mention of Katie. She is a tiny angel--if that is not poor casting, I don't know what is (see paragraph 3 in "Kate" section for explanation)--in The Nutcracker for Saturday's evening performance and Sunday's matinee. We had a dress rehearsal Tuesday night. When the little angels would walk back on stage to practice their part again and before they got in their designated spots, Katie would walk to the front of the stage and bow and blow kisses. The parents in the audience loved it. Then she decided to jazz up her exit dance by modifying her hand position and blowing kisses. The parents laughed again; however, I slid down in my seat. This is a ballet put on by a real ballet company and Katie is modifying her part. Yeah, what does the choreographer know.

A situation with a first grader on Katie's bus reached a head. Right when school started, Katie and this girl made fast friends; however, this 1st grader has morphed into a thief and a liar. We have had to go the 1st grader's house to retrieve Katie's items i.e. her wallet. Not too long ago, the 1st grader started lying about Katie's missing items and saying that "the other girls", who live down the street from us, took whatever Katie was missing. Monday, the situation escalated. The 1st grader took Katie's backpack, refused to return it to Katie and rummaged through it. The 1st grader's brother managed to get Katie's backpack from his sister and he returned it to Katie, which upset the 1st grader. She hauled off and hit her brother. When it was time for the 1st grader to exit the bus, she walked to the front, took a piece of paper out of her pocket, turned around and said to Katie, "You will never see this again." and got off of the bus. The 1st grade thief had a book that Katie made in school and which Katie can read. Rick called 1st grader's mom and her take on it was that her daughter was being a typical 6 year old. That set Rick off. What the 1st grader did was done just to be mean and per the definition and rules of the school, an incident of bullying. We have tried to work with the mother regarding this situation and the mother wasn't taking it seriously. Matter of fact when her daughter took Katie's wallet, the mother had the audacity to reprimand Katie and say that Katie shouldn't let people take her stuff. Huh? Oh I get it, it was Katie's fault that her daughter has sticky fingers. Back to the day at hand, after Rick's heated exchange with the mother, I opted to drive down to their house to retrieve Katie's book. When I arrived, mom and dad were outside and I advised them that I was there to get Katie's book. The mother informed me that when she questioned her daughter, the child said "the other girls" took it. When I repeated what the girl said before she exited the bus, which we only knew about because the bus driver told us, the mom turned on her heel and went into the house. Not a minute later, she came out with her daughter and the child handed me Katie's book. At home, Rick wrote a letter to the school and we planned to deliver it the next day to the principal. However, the principal was out on Tuesday, so Rick and I met with the superintendent of the school district. It was a very well written letter in which we demanded action in regards to the progressive bullying. Wednesday, was the first day of my tutoring gig at school. The principal, who we know outside of school, pulled me aside and wanted to talk to me, so we met in his office. The 1st grader is known by the principal and teachers because of her past issues. This incident with Katie was not the first but I understood it to be similar to what the 1st grader has done before. The principal informed me that she "was quite the liar." The solution that the school has put into practice is that the 1st grader has to sit in a designated seat at the front of the bus and wear a seat belt. The next step is a ban from the bus, which I would have preferred as the first step. The 1st grader's dad called Rick and asked that we go to him if there are any problems in the future. During the amiable conversation, he told Rick that she "was a little shit." If he admitted that to us, I can imagine that is what she is called at home. He also informed Rick that it was war at their home. So that is where the situation stands.


Speaking of war, I am having an extremely difficult time with Katie. She has decided that she is a big girl, knows all and does not need to listen to me when I tell her to do something or to stop doing something. She is pushing pretty hard and several days I have been reduced to going into the bathroom to cry. I don't know if the situation on the bus is caused this acting out or if she is just testing the boundaries. To combat her attitude, we have clamped down on her, so it has been a week of unrest in our home. Katie doesn't want to leave school because she knows that at home she will have to sit in her room. (There have been no after school activities i.e. tae kwon do.) I am relieved when she goes to school so I can have a break from the constant struggle. The situation is best summed up as, I love that little girl, but right now I do not like her; I do not want to be around her. This morning she would not get dressed for school. After a threat from Rick--why waste my breath--she got dressed then had the nerve to demand that I fix her hair. Needless to say she went to school with a Katie-made hair do and crying because it looked so bad. Pray for me. I don't know how much longer I can take this.


Sorry for the long post. As you can see, I have been busy disliking my daughter and this blog has been neglected. Which is typical for me. When I am in the middle of a bad situation, I typically will not talk or write about it when it is occurring. So when you see this blog lying on the side of the road, neglected it is a pretty safe bet that trying situations have my attention.

Skills

Yesterday Katie brought home her Kindergarten Basic Skills Checklist that was administered last week. So basically, Rick and I received our report card on how successful our at-home teaching has been.

1.  She recognizes her name and she can spell her name. However, she wrote her name in all capital letters because that is how I taught her. (Bad mama.) Matter of fact, I tend to write everything that way.

2.  She knows all required eight colors.

3. She can count to 39, but skipped 15 twice so they wrote she can only count to 14.

4. She recognizes all the numbers from 0-10.

5. She knows all of her shapes except square and rectangle. That's typically Katie. She can point out the octagon but not the square. The more complex the easier it is for her to see and remember.

6. She knows all of her letters except upper case V, lower case v and lower case d. She knows what sounds the letters make of only half the alphabet. I was surprised with the ones she missed because I know Rick worked on them with her.

7. She knows her birthday.

Overall I think she did pretty good. She can read about four pages of The Cat In The Hat thanks to Rick. Actually, I need to give credit where credit is due. Katie knows the sounds of half the alphabet because of Rick.

We need to work at home with Katie. Matter of fact, the teachers expect us to work at home with her, so I guess you could say that WE, Rick and I, have homework. A parent had warned me about this. The school tests and gives concepts. It is up to the parents to teach and reinforce those concepts at home. My thought is that if I am going to be teaching Katie at home, I want 1/2 the teacher's salary. No disrespect to teachers. I know they do not get paid what they are worth and they are pushed to teach to test because those test scores decide the fate of the teacher and the school, but I don't recall it being that way when I was in school. You know, back when dinosaurs roamed the earth. Anyway, I am pretty sure this is how all grades will go. Never thought I would be returning to kindergarten through 12th grade again.

This and That and The Kitchen Sink

Rick left this morning for Springfield, IL. He'll Come home Friday and then fly out again to Springfield on Sunday. The hard part is that the second week he gets home on Thursday and we fly out Friday to Orlando and Disney World.

Speaking of Disney, I am immersed in my Unofficial Guide to Disney. Despite graduating from Mickey's College of Knowledge (seriously, that is the name of it.), so much has changed that I feel as if I have no prior knowledge. However, one thing I do remember is to not go to Disney without a plan. You can be anal and plan down to the minute or do a more flexible plan. Regardless, without a plan you will be overwhelmed and miss so much of Disney. A couple months back Rick had called WDW-Dine and made "reservations" for various popular sit-down restaurants, so I needed to make an Excel spreadsheet calendar to keep everything straight. This will be our first family vacation. We have traveled a lot as a family, but it has been typically to visit family or tag along on Rick's business trips. Rick seriously needs a true vacation. A vacation where he is removed from work and the missile base. Unfortunately, it will not be a relax and kick back vacation, but it will be good to leave the "To Do' lists at home.

UPDATE***************************************

I totally misunderstood Rick the other night when he came upon a rattlesnake. I thought he didn't kill it, but he had and not with the usual one shot. He had to shoot it a few times, which is so not like Eagle Eye Rick. When Rick encountered the snake he was on our ag. land. He was over there because he saw two loose calves. He thought they were owned by the people that rent acres from us to use as pasture land. Rick couldn't get the calves in the fence, so I had to call our tenants and they rushed over. They had a shovel in the truck, so Rick further killed the snake with the shovel. After the poor shots, he wanted to make sure it was dead, dead, dead. So our rattlesnake count for 2011 is 1 and it technically wasn't on the land we consider our yard. (Only in Texas is 14 acres a yard!)

*********************************************

Today I talked on the phone with my sister Linda. Nick and she are at my mom and dad's. They leave for home (Florida) tomorrow. She said that they have had a good time. My mom is doing the same, which is a positive. At least the medication has slowed the progression of her Alzheimer's. Here's a shocker. My dad is driving again. After he had his stroke, he did not drive. Now my mom does not drive because of the injury to her shoulder that she suffered back in November. With Dad being a typical Finlander (they all have sisu) he started driving again. He just didn't like depending on anyone for transportation to the doctor or to the store. They don't go very far and dad only drives 30 mph, which is the speed limit in town, but I imagine it must feel good to be driving again. He has made amazing progress these last five years and it's sisu that has made that happen. For the non-Finlanders, sisu is a Finnish world that has no English equivalent. It is a combination of determination, stubbornness, strength of will, perseverance, the ability to keep going despite the odds, getting the job done without complaints even when it is hard work or near impossible.

So I am tired, tired, tired. Katie was up last night chasing the cat. Of course Cody started his polite whining when he saw Katie moving around. By 3:30 pm, she finally remained in her bed but Cody didn't settle down until 4 am. I would just fall asleep when I would hear Katie running around, so I would get out of bed, put her back in her bed, tell Cody to be quiet then sleep for another 20 minutes before it started all over.

I described Cody's whining as polite. When it is morning and he needs to go out, he whines these short little whines and barks suppressed barks. He knows he is not supposed to be barking or whining, so he tones it down a bit. He also talks to me out of frustration. He wants to bark but knows not to so he starts making this real guttural sound. It almost sounds like the noise that escapes when one yawns. He will also bite his front paw when he is fighting the urge to bite me. Other than those few things, he is still not the brightest bulb in the box. We have a trellis at the end of our sidewalk. There is a gate in the archway of the trellis and when Katie closes it behind her, Cody can't figure out how to get to Katie. All he would have to do is walk 3' around the trellis and he would be on the same side as Katie. Instead he sits there and barks and barks. Last week Cody fell into the pool and it was confirmed that he is the only Lab that does not like water. The muzzle that I ordered was too small for him but because of the return shipping costs, I would only get a few dollars back so I kept it. I did order a new one for him from Dean & Tyler. It is leather and has an additional strap that goes down the forehead. The first muzzle did not have it and he could slip the muzzle off of his nose. I don't necessarily like muzzling him, but we have at least six more months of his chewing. When I let him roam around the house I have to follow him because he pointedly looks for something to chew. Yesterday, Katie and Rick were in the pool and I was hemming Rick's pants, so I let Cody out of the kitchen. Bing, bam, boom he ate one of Katie's hard plastic head bands. I didn't even see him take it. I am undecided about what to do with Cody while we are at Disney. We can leave him home and our neighbors will come over twice a day to take care of him; he could stay at the neighbor's house or we can kennel him. If he stays here, he will be alone a good part of the day and he would go batty. I can see him eating a cabinet or knocking the gate down and chewing most of the contents in our house. The neighbors have three, large dogs so if he goes there, we would have to arrange a recon play date to see if the dogs get along. I am also concerned about what he will chew if he stays at the neighbors. So right now, the kennel is looking as the best option.

Katie has been acting up this past week. She has the eye roll and the snottiness of a teenager. I hope she likes the taste of Irish Spring because there will be a bar in her mouth if she keeps it up. Katie is looking forward to school and I am anxious to witness the much talked about change that we will see in her. I am pretty sure that Katie will like school. She likes going out into the world and being around people. She also likes to learn and is a bit of a teacher pleaser. Of course she doesn't strive as hard to please us. If she doesn't like school we, Rick and I, will be in for thirteen years of power struggles with Katie. Please pray for us. Katie is also becoming a little, high-maintenance fashionista. It drives me up the wall. Before we go to the store she has to pretty herself up i.e. comb her hair, put lip gloss on. Often I end up waiting for her to finish primping and preening. For Pete's sake we are going to Wal-Mart not a swanky boutique on Rodeo Drive. She also likes eye make-up and I have put it on her when I knew we were staying home. Unfortunately I have created a monster. She thinks she should wear it all of the time. I have stressed, stressed and stressed to her that she is actually prettier without the eye make-up. It is disturbing to me to witness her mature interest in clothing and make up. Perhaps it is just a phase. She is still at that age where she wants to be just like me.(I should enjoy it because once she hits her teens she will do a 180 and despise me.) She even wants wrinkles, eyeglasses and to be lactose-intolerant just like her mama. It's rather comical when she scourers her body to find a wrinkle.

Ever since moving to Texas, my feet are no longer soft. I am getting those cracked heels. I figure it is because up North I wore shoes and socks that kept my feet moisturized as opposed to down here where I run around in flip flops in this arid climate. I discovered the other day that my feet are also starting to crack around my toes. For years my dad has had the same problem with his hands. He would develop deep cracks on his palms. He always had white medical tape on his hands keeping the cracks closed. When I was a child I developed those deep cracks on the bottom of my feet and here it is 40 years later and they have reappeared. The freaky thing is the cracks develop not on dry areas, but on the balls of my feet and in the creases around my toes, places that are well moisturized and not dry. I need to Google this phenomenon and hopefully find a remedy.  Other health news, my lactose intolerance is gotten really bad. I used to be able to sneak a spoon full of ice cream when I was fixing a bowl for Katie or Rick. However, lately I cannot do that without a severe reaction. It could be all part of getting old. I am sure doing that.

Well, it's time to retire to the master suite. (Aren't I fancy?!) Perhaps pictures tomorrow. Ciao!

Thursday Round Up

Rick made it home from St. Louis and we didn't have any severe weather. However, the wind was really, and still is, whipping up something fierce. Because there are no crops in the fields and we haven't had rain, the soil in the fields is taking flight. It actually looked foggy this afternoon from all of the dirt in the air.

Tonight Katie and I were playing with Cody in the front yard. I threw his ball and when he was bringing it back to me at break neck speed he ran right into my legs. I think he did it on purpose. Cody was not fazed by the collision but I now have a bruise on my shin where his hard little head made contact.

Katie was dolling up before Taekwondo so I brought out the camera.

 Here she is putting on some lipstick.

 Once her lips were colored the posing began.

 I don't particularly like this picture of Katie copying Gene Simmons. I opted to share it because the photo behind Katie is her namesake, my grandmother Kate.

Gotta go.

What A Blue Day

Today has not been that great of a day. Rick left this morning for D.C. and he has not been feeling well for weeks. He seems to be getting worse and that weighs heavily on my mind. He asked me to promise him if something happened while he was on the road that I would get him back here. Oh the tears. Rick's main goal in life, his passion and his self-proclaimed purpose is to take care of Katie and I. I felt so sad that he went on the road regardless of how he felt. It made me feel guilty and indulgent.

I had a MOPS' Steering Team meeting this morning and it quieted my worries for a bit. Then the paper was sent around the table on which we wrote prayer request.  I knew what mine was going to be an then I was like, "Oh crap. I'm going to cry." Sure enough. I almost made it through the whole meeting without giving away my true mood, but it did help to share with the other Steering Team members and the Mentors.

Katie didn't do taekwondo today. We had to come home to let the puppy outside and with the price of gas, I didn't want to drive back into Abilene. (It's roughly 35 miles one way.) Speaking of gas, how do you like those prices?! I have to put premium in my car and that grade is $1.00 more than it was a few weeks ago. Ugh!!

When we got home, we took the puppy outside to play, pee and poop. Katie wanted to play frisbee with Cody and I was standing a few feet to her right when she set the frisbee on a powerful flight, but it didn't go too far because my cheekbone stopped it. There is no fat or cushioning in that area of the face. It 's just skin and bone, so a welt immediately emerged. I realized it was an accident, but I have repeatedly told Katie not to throw the frisbee in the general direction of the house or when I am around her. Katie has a strong throw but poor, poor aim. My smack down occurred when she attempted to glide the frisbee straight out in front of her but released it at the wrong time so that it went 90 degrees to the right.

Rick complains that I rarely put a picture of myself on the blog when he is traveling. Well, here you go Hon, black eye and all. This is the first really bad bruise that I have ever had on my face. Poor Rick thinks people will assume that I am an abused woman.

On the positive note, Cody did not poop or pee in the house. Lupe and he have met a couple of times and my relaxed, loving cat showed him who is boss; who is the alpha pet in this house. Lupe taunts Cody by jumping up onto surfaces that are out of Cody's reach and then staring down on Cody. I did not know this, but in the doggie world, when one dog is physically higher than another dog, the first dog is literally and figuratively being the top dog. Its a position of alpha authority. I guess it must be the same in the cat world. Apparently it also is a "nah nah nah nah nah, you can't get me" manuever.

Yesterday Rick, Katie and I worked outside. I raked about 1/14 of the front yard and Rick collected and burned--yes, yes, yes I know about the burn ban--mesquite that our neighbor and friend Don pulled up for us. When you take mesquite down, you end up with thorns everywhere and the golf cart's tires are thorn magnets. Katie's job was to pick up the little twigs and sticks. For each wheel barrow she filled, she earned $2. The wheel barrow is a kiddie wheel barrow, so it wasn't an over whelming job, but she only filled her wheel barrow once. Tonight we Skyped Rick and he pulled the $2 out of his pocket.  He forgot to give it to Katie and then proceeded to ask Katie if he could borrow her $2. At first she said he could only have $1, but her good-heartedness won out and she said he could have both. Rick was teasing her . . .I think.

Speaking of allowance, since Katie is old enough to do substantial chores I told her that she needs to use her money to buy toys and candy. I want her to learn responsible money management well before credit card companies start stalking her.

Cody is learning his name, but I suspect he has selective hearing. When he is on the trail of some doggie-delicious scent he'll ignore me and go off into the tall grass. Other times he will come when I call. It is going to be tough to train him to stay on the driveway or in the front yard. But it can be done. Rick trained Eric and Max that way, but then again they were extremely intelligent . . .all three of them. I had asked Rick for pointers on how to train Cody to not go outside of the gate. Eric and Max didn't step one toenail past the gate regardless if it was open or close. If you went for a ride up the street, those two goobers would be in the exact same place when you got back. When Rick was in Lansing, he would take the dogs for a walk to the neighborhood convenience store at night without leashes. He would command them to sit and stay outside of the store by the door, which they did. It was funny to see them looking through the window and following every move Rick made, but it was funnier to see patrons walk up to the store and do a quick turn on their heel when they saw those two White German Shepherd bouncers. Anyway, do you want to know how Rick trained the Boys not to go outside of the gate? Here is what he told me:  "I took them to the gate, drew a line on the ground and told them not to cross it." Really?! Seriously?! It's not going to be so easy with Cody. To give you a clue on his intellect, we have on occasion called him Duh. Enough said.

Well, gotta go. I have been very tired for the last two days and when I have a blue day (blue emotionally and physically) I like to climb into my bed and mindlessly watch TV or read a book. In other words, I like to escape reality. So here I go to stick my head in the sand.