Happy 6th Birthday Alexis (aka Chick)! I hope your day is one of the bestest ever! We love you!

Day Is Done

And I'm danged glad of it! I finally got that farmer's books set up, got 2008 posted, and did his tax return. I've got a couple more returns in the stack to do tomorrow and then I'll be caught up for a day or so. Financial reports and 2009 postings can wait until I get a couple of naps in.

My brain is fried.

My butt is numb.

My house is a wreck.

***

I had this text message from Jerri last night:

"Guess who said it!"
"U know who da president is Momma?"
"Who?"
"Obama!"
"Really?, ur so smart!"
"I not like him."
(I sat and braced myself before asking)
"Why?"
She said, "cause, silly, hims a boy! I not like em!"

Warning!!!

Do Not Buy This Game! It is extremely addictive!

I had the first version of this game and would often play when I was stressed and it would help me to relax after spending hours looking at all those numbers in my accounting program.

This danged game causes more frustration and stress than trying to explain Capital Gains to a farmer.

It does!

I promise!

The game scene above does not come with the bullet hole in Sebastian's head, nor does it come with the red X across his chest. I did that after the 99th time that I had to try again to get more points than that wily Sebastian dude.

He's Evil I tell ya,,,EVIL! And he doesn't play fair either.

I'm going to go do some laundry and vacuuming to relieve some of the frustration from playing this danged game. Maybe I'll calm down enough to get some real work done later.

Y'all better heed my warnings unless you need a rise in yer blood pressure.

Taters and Onions

Some of our little girls came over to help PopPop plant the potatoes and onions today. The temperature was about 67F so it was a pretty nice day to be doing some gardening.


After the onions were all in the ground, the girls moved over to the turnip patch to pull a bunch up to take to their other granny's house. You can see PopPop still over there in the potato and onion patch in the background. The wind broke the pole on our Martin house so that still needs repairing. The baskets scattered around behind the girls will support the tomatoes after they're planted in a few weeks.

There was a little tree climbing going on after the gardening was done.

Photo Challenge - Textures and Patterns

It's photo challenge time! Miz Donna over at Cottage Days is our hostess for this challenge and she chose Textures and Patterns as our challenge topic for this round. I watched for patterns and textures in everything over the past two weeks.

I took this macro of some bitter weed growing along the roadside a couple of years ago. I love the textures that showed up in it.

Jerri paints some of the most adorable designs on her girl's clothes. I especially love denim and love the texture.

Patterns of light and dark in a view of the Terrorist's eye. His skin texture makes me so envious.

I noticed the pattern of tree shadows the setting sun was casting on the side of the gym at the college the other day when I took Zach to tae kwon do.

Go by and see the other challenge photos by checking each participate comment link over at the Brenda Photo Challenge Blog.

Grandpuppy Day

Zach and Fugley taking a nap. Fugley was going to her new home with Jerri, Bubbie, Alexis, and Beans. She's one of the litter of Boston Terrier puppies that Jami's Molly had around Christmas. She's almost 6 weeks old now. Don't let her sweet little face fool you though, 9 week old Zeus (below) was aggravating her today and she stood her ground with a mighty bark and growl that said, "You better get back fuzzball!"


Jami's mighty Zeus. He's a busy little fella and quite handsome even if he does look like a tiny furry rug when he's stretched out taking a nap. He's a 10 week old Lhasa Apsa (Did I spell that right?)

I've been up to my eyeballs in accounting and tax work this week and I don't have the energy left to fight a gnat.

Don't forget the photo challenge tomorrow! Miz Donna over at Cottage Days is our hostess and you'll be able to view all of the participants at our Brenda Photo Challenge Blog, or even join us! We'd love to have you!

Tuesday

I'm cold and I've got a headache.

Ok, I'm through whining now.

Happy Birthday Momma.

Mom and I when I was a baby.

Mom and I a few short months before she died.

My mother would have been 71 years old today. She died almost 10 years ago and I still miss her so much.

She and I made many happy memories on some of our fishing trips and almost always had a good time doing anything every time we were together. If my sisters and I know nothing else, we know our Momma loved us.

Happy Birthday Mom.

A Lotta Stuff Going On Around Here.

First, the result of Alexis's appointment with the pediatric ENT doc is that she's scheduled for tonsils, adenoids removal, and they'll insert tubes in her ears, on February 17th. The doc wanted to do it earlier than that but Jerri asked him if they could please avoid the surgery during her birthday week (she'll be 6 on Feb. 11th).

Our Beans had her surgery this morning. Jerri said she was yelling for her banana up until the time the drugs knocked her out, poor starving baby. The doc removed the cyst and sent it to pathology and they'd only been back at Trish's for a little while when the nurse called to say that the culture was already growing some nasty bacteria so she'll be taking some strong antibiotics for awhile. The starving child didn't stay hungry for long after they left the hospital; she finished off chicken nuggets, fries, and a drink, after the banana, and then talked her daddy into buying her some fresh blackberries and lemon juice on the way home.

Where most children go to the bathroom first after a night's sleep, our little Beans heads to the kitchen. So you can imagine how hard it was for her to understand that she would have to skip breakfast.

***

I've been up to my ears in tax returns for several days now. I've finished up ours and 3 for clients so far. I still have 2 for companies that I do the books for that have to be fine tuned before I can enter the figures, and another waiting for me to sort through and compile the information before I can get to it. There's also an annual budget to be prepared for the Improvement District laying here glaring at me.

Odie the parrot has been bitchy. He squawks for crackers all day long, and any time anyone is eating anything where he can see them, he thinks he wants a bite.

If he keeps up with the noise, I might be serving parrot on a stick.

James has been getting on my LAST nerve because he has been at home, in the house, driving me crazy, for TOO long.

Zach's Tae Kwon Do classes are back in session so I rush him through as much homework as he can get done on Tuesdays and Thursdays so I can get him there on time. Then after we get home I have to inspire him to get back to the homework, eat supper, get a bath, and get in bed.

He also had try-outs for PeeWee basketball last weekend. First practice is tomorrow, then there's a birthday party at Pizza hut for one of his friends in the afternoon, then another practice on Sunday afternoon.

I don't even think I'm gonna get time to take a nap around this place!

Good Grief I'm tired!

Been busier than a one-legged kick boxer but I promise to post something as soon as things ease up a bit.

Thinking about everyone!

Critters

We had one of those temperature tease days on Friday when it warmed up enough for the kids to go out and frolic and roam. I'm pretty sure that Beans had to hunt and search pretty hard to find this "hoppy". I'm also pretty sure this young bullfrog was thinking, "I wish this kid would leave me alone so I could snuggle back into my muddy bed."

He didn't even protest the rude awakening; just blinked every once in awhile.


We grow little country babies around these parts so frogs, grass snakes, and various other critters get to join in when it's play time. I'm sure they're rather not, but they can't protest, so there you go.


The snow geese that we saw in a field over in the next county when we were on our way home the other day. This was just a fraction of them; they were still flying in as we drove away.

"Looking Upward" Photo Challenge

Our Hostess, Miz Joan, chose "Looking Upward" for our photo challenge this time round. I didn't get out much this past week, I'm a WIMP when it's cold, but when we were coming home from Little Rock on Tuesday we passed a field full of snow geese when we neared home so I took a couple of shots as they were flying in to land.

When I saw the topic my first thought for challenge photos was BIRDS. I love birds and I take a lot of photos of the regulars that live and nest in the trees in my yard. Other than the snow geese, all of the rest of my photos were taken last April of my Bird Crew. The Mocking birds are so used to me that they let me get fairly close (except for their nests,,,then they try to flog me to death if I get too close).

Anyway, I won't rattle on, but I hope you like my bird buds.















Don't forget to check out the other challengers over at our Challenge Blog. Just click on each comment and it'll take you to each site so you can see all of the wonderful creations.

Don't Forget the Photo Challenge Tomorrow!

Miz Joan over at Joan's Journeys is our Hostess for this round and she chose "Looking Upward" for this challenge. Go on over to the challenge Blog that Miz Donna set up for us and follow the directions to leave a comment, post your pictures, and join in. We love company!

Grab that camera, shoot, and have fun!

Happy Birthday Trisha!

Did Jordan and Jaylen make you a cake? I hope your card arrives on time.

Here Comes Grandma! Lock up the Pepto-Bismol !

After I dropped Zach off at the college for his Tae Kwon Do class, I drove on down the road a ways to the grocery store to pick up a few things. As I wandered around, up one aisle and down another, I noticed a very tiny, very old, woman going all over the store followed by her disabled, adult, son.

She was darting everywhere; moving a hell of a lot faster than I was; so I never caught up with her to see if she needed help finding what it was she was looking for. I had been looking for 3 of my items and couldn't find a soul to help so I figured she was having the same sort of luck.

When I got up to the check out lane I noticed her standing over at a counter where they kept the OTC medicines and other things of that sort. She kept asking why there wasn't anyone there to wait on her, the checkers who were only a few feet away kept checking and completely ignoring the poor little lady.

Suddenly the checker, and the bagger, and another bagger who was gossiping with the first two, sort of gasped and said, "Ma'am, you can't go back behind the counter!" The son said, "My Momma needs some Pepto." The checker replied with, "Well, she can't go back there, she has to wait until someone comes to get it for her."

I told the checker, "Well, it's apparent to me that she's plenty old enough to get it herself and she's been waiting since before you started checking my groceries. It's not a controlled substance you know; in fact, I don't see anything back there that is a controlled substance. If you're going to make people have to ASK for Pepto, rubbing alcohol, and bandaids, then you should keep someone back there at all times, don't you think?"

The young lady and her two baggers (neither of which took my groceries out I might add), looked at me as though I'd lost my mind. So, as I handed the girl my check I said, "When I get that old, I'm not going to follow your danged rules either. I'm not going to wait around on my Pepto."

And people wonder why we get crankier as we age.

Beans Update

I went with Jerri to take Beans to see a doctor at Arkansas Children' s Hospital yesterday and I must say, that child acted like a little angel the whole day! She's the little mischief Queen but she held the urges in check and cooperated every step of the way. It made her Momma and Nanaw proud.

Resident and Surgeon prodded and poked on her for what seemed like forever but she never whined, only winked at her Momma whenever she was feeling nervous. After their exams it was decided that she has what appears to be a cyst. Since it is almost directly under the nipple of her left breast, and has grown larger over the last few weeks, and hasn't responded to treatment, they're going to remove it on January 30th. Alexis has an appointment with an ENT specialist on the 29th (she keeps tonsillitis and ear infections) so they'll go up then and stay overnight to be there early for Bean's procedure the next day. That part worked out well.

I think everything is going to be ok.

Grandpuppies

Jami's little dog (I've forgotten the breed but she's so ugly she's cute), Molly, had 7 little puppies right after Christmas. She stopped by today with Molly and her litter on her way to visit the Vet. These little fat critters are draining their momma and making her sick, so even though they're just over 3 weeks old, the Vet told Jami she's going to have to try to get them to eat some puppy food to give their Momma a break. She called just a bit ago to tell me the little beggars are learning real quick.

Isn't that a cute pile of puppies?

Weekend at a glance

Zach's birthday celebration was nice. James and Bubbie threw on the steaks while I finished up the twice baked potatoes and Caesar salad. I made the cake from a mix (I've been known to even mess that up; Martha Stewart I ain't) and it turned out great. Zach loves cherries so I topped his cake with cherries and drizzled chocolate over them. His mom and two of his sisters didn't come by for ice cream and cake because the youngest sister has tonsilitis with fever, but he had his friend Michael over, and Jessie from next door came. His sister MeriKate came with Alexis and Jillian.

After everyone was full of supper and ice cream and cake, we played Phase Ten. The babies were tired after that game so everyone went home except for Michael, who spent the night. I think the boys played Guitar Hero a LOT.

Today I stayed in bed until almost 9, did a load of laundry, threw a roast in the crockpot, and then worked all afternoon finishing up the reposting of the last company's information that was lost in the crash. Now I'm all ready for the tax season to begin, except that I'm still waiting for the state part of my tax program to be available.

Tomorrow is a holiday and I plan to sleep until I wake up on my own since Zach is out of school. I'm going to try to gather up some energy to get a few chores done and then maybe Zach and I will have time to play a game of phase 10 dice before time to cook supper.

On Tuesday I'm going with Jerri to Little Rock to take Beans for an appointment at the Arkansas Children's Hospital to check out the little lump in her "boom". James told us that he'll come home from work early enough so that he can be here when the school bus comes to discharge Alexis and Zach. Hopefully we'll be back in time for me to take Zach to Tae Kwon Do.

I'm in a little better frame of mind since the temps have risen above freezing during the daylight hours.

I don't think I'd be a very happy Eskimo.

I hope everyone has a great week!

Happy Birthday Zach!

Can you believe the Terrorist was 6 when I began this blogging adventure? He's 12 today!

Time sure does fly.

He got Guitar Hero for his playstation 2, wants steak for supper, and chocolate cake. Gotta get busy.

Happy Birthday Zach!

Makes Sense to Me!

Ever since I was a child, I've always had a fear
of someone being under my
bed at night so I went to a shrink and told him:
"I've got problems. Every
time I go to bed I think there's somebody under
it. I'm scared. I think
I'm going crazy."

"Just put yourself in my hands for one
year," said the shrink. "Come talk
to me three times a week and we should be able to get
rid of those fears."

"How much do you charge?"

"Eighty dollars per visit," replied the doctor.

"I'll sleep on it," I said.

Six months later the doctor saw me on the street.
"Why didn't you come to
see me about those fears you were having?" he asked.

"Well, eighty bucks a visit three times a week
for a year is an awful lot of money! A bartender
cured me for $10. I was so happy to
have saved all that money
that I went and bought me a new car!"

"Is that so!" with a bit of an attitude he
said. "And how, may I ask, did a
bartender cure you?"

"He told me to cut the legs off the bed!
Ain't nobody under there now!"

SCREW THOSE SHRINKS.. GO HAVE A DRINK AND TALK TO THE
BARTENDER!