OH NO!!!!!

Well, The Hubby has found out something and he is extremely upset. Yes, and I knew about it all along but was afraid to tell him. He found out that our #2 daughter's (age 21-June 22 will be 22-living in California) boyfriend is a little older. Yes he is older, 36 to be exact. The Hubby is so upset that all I hear from him is a gush of air as he sighs over his worry of the news. He also found out that the guy was married before too. Yes I know, I know, I know, but what can you do halfway across the country. She is an adult. We have been paying for her rent but that will stop when she MOVES IN WITH HIM in July. The news just piles up on this subject. He thought that we should have pushed harder for her to stay in college but after two attempts and her FAILING every class why should we try. She wants to be in California and feels that is her life, so be it. She will have to find her way. He thinks that she will be calling when the guy gets tired of her little girl temper tantrums but I had to remind him that was while she was home and a CHILD and it was his inability to deal with a whiney girl. He was the youngest of three boys and his experience with girls was nil. Girls are girls and they can be high maintenance and he was just not used to that. He is remembering her life as a little high maintenance girl not a woman that she is. He couldn't understand why his girls choose older men. Hello, the #1 daughter is only 3 years younger than her guy. I also reminded him about the statements he makes to his single older men friends,"go out and get a younger girl." Excuse me but it's happened to his girls and he is freaked out. What's a mother/wife to do. You have to let them go and make their mistakes no matter how hard. She will be OK. I have faith in her and for goodness sake she is so very happy right now and I haven't seen her that happy in a very long time. So be it.

Memorial Day Weekend!

We've had a full weekend at the lake this Memorial Day Weekend. Friday night we hosted an impromtu chicken cookout at our cabin for 9 people. Saturday morning I was one of three to co-host the community breakfast (74 came to eat.) Saturday The Hubby also invited his childhood buddy (who's wife and our best friend died last year) up for BBQ ribs and fishing for the day. Sunday afternoon was a hamburger cookout at our neighbors for 20 of us. Also, our other neighbor who lives in Houston so does not come up but twice a year surprised us by pulling up at 8:30pm on Saturday night. Since the horrendous ice storm this winter he had not had the water on and low and behold he had a gusher in his cabin when the meter was turned on, so, we had an overnight guest. He didn't leave till noon the next day. I cherish the early mornings running around in my jammies on our screened porch but with the extra guest that had to be curtailed a little.

During the course of the weekend I told The Hubby that he needed to talk to our #2 daughter, not talk, but talk. Their relationship is a little strained because he can't seem to help himself with the telling her what he thinks she is doing wrong and what she should be doing. He has a control issue when it comes to his girls. He keeps asking me about this guy she is seeing and I told him she is VERY serious about him. I didn't tell him he is 30 something and been married twice. That would send him through the roof and it is her place not mine. I told him that I was tired of being the conduit of their relationship, I abdicated the throne of that positon. He needs to find his own way to her, not through me. I'm really afraid that when he does talk to her he will get angry and start yelling and hollering and threaten to completely cut her funds off. He goes from 1 to 60 when it comes to her. I don't know if I can do that but I told her that when she moves in with her beau in July that the money would stop. The Hubby is going to find that out too and that won't be pretty. I don't know if I want to be around for the fireworks when all that comes out. Oh my goodness my insides are jittery because she is going to call him in a little while. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!

A phone call you don't want to get.

I just got a phone call from our #1 daughter (27 years old) and I could hardly understand her as she was sobbing. I told her to slow down so I could make out what was so upsetting. When she took a deep breath she told me her gynocologist had called her and said her pap smear came back with abnormal cells...cervical dysplasia. B was almost unconsolable. I explained to her that she need not panic. I explained that Granny had that many years ago in her 50's and she lived till 70. I went on with more examples like that my cousin had it and that our other daughters best friend had it at age 19 and is now happily raising a 6 month old daughter. I tried to calm her down but I was worried also. She tends to get so very scared over health issues and is a hypochroniac over the least little thing. She goes back into the doctor June 5 for a more indepth test but until then she will be a basket case. I did tell her that she was very smart for having her pap smear every year and to realize that so many girls/women don't do that and if she had not just think what the outcome could have been. She has to look on the bright side or she will make herself crazy.

Jewelry

This is my #1 daughters My Space showing the jewelry she makes with her friend. Enjoy... http://http://www.myspace.com/sheezkrafty

Holy Crap!

Well "it" is getting ready to hit the fan, just as soon as The Hubby comes home from the office. He/we are trying to get #2 daughter in California car insurance and off of our insurance. So, The Hubby has been dealing with the insurance lady in California along with #2. Well, #2 has been a little naughty on the streets since she was 16 (she's almost 22 now). She had a speeding ticket, one rolling through a stop sign, and one speeding through a school zone, all at the age of 16. Then last spring she had two speeding tickets (age 21) in Phoenix where she was going to school. Unfortunately, the first three The Hubby didn't know about and I did. Yikes! Yes I know I should have told him but at the time he and she were totally at each others throats to the point that I thought she would leave home. It was horrible and since he pretty much left me to handle most of the everyday upbringing I dealt with it at the time. I can't believe after this weekend of fun with flashlights (haha) I'm going to have to deal with this now. I'm telling you just because they are of age the crap just doesn't stop. I so want her to be on her own and making her own decisions but she's just not there yet so that means I also have to deal with her sometimes unreasonable father. I know he'll be growling but that's just the way things are right now. Man I've got a headache.....

It's Over!

It's finally over...yes the 10th Annual Flashlight Collector's Show is finally over. The Hubby and I hosted the first one and now the 10th one. It was quite fun but I'm glad it is over. There weren't too many people about 35 so it was small. All they talked about during dinner, breaks, after dinner, in the hallways, etc., were flashlights and batteries and rivets, and light bulbs. Even some of the wives were into it and there was even a lone woman who has a really nice collection. Amazing! We had people from Minnesota, California, Michigan, South Dakota, Colorado, Ohio, Wisconsin, Idaho, Texas, and Missouri so it does bring people in. We've been playing host and hostess since Wednesday and boy do I need some quiet time and just plain silence. There is just so much I can take about flashlights. I'm NOT one of the wives who collects or works on the flashlights. I'm just an innocent bystander who tags along as the good wife. I did do a LOT of the work in planning the weekend event and will gladly take credit for it. Since it was so small it was an easy task: hotel, meals, room rates, maps, late night snacks and beverages...you know the usual convention stuff. We seem to have done a marvelous job, according to the participants. Some of the people had never been to Oklahoma, particularly northeastern Oklahoma, called Green Country. They thought anywhere from country towns, dry dust and windy (like Western Oklahoma), and were amazed by how many stores and restaurants there were. It's amazing what people STILL think of us Okie's and our "land." Yes we are uptown around here. I have to give the restaurant Outback Steakhouse a thumbs up. Friday evening we descended upon them 24 strong at 7 pm and they immediately sat 14 of our party and within 15 minutes the last 7 in between the others. The service was fantastic and timely and the little waitress was dead on with our orders and everything. Basically, the whole weekend went off without a hitch and everyone was impressed and appreciative for all we had done. It was actually very easy.

Flashlights

This week has been filled with rush, rush, rush as The Hubby and I gear up for the 10th Annual Flashlight Collectors Show that we are hosting. We put on the first one on 10 years ago and The Hubby is all excited and rush, rush, rush. Of course when he said we would put the thing on it really meant I would be doing the work. Actually, it's not been too bad. He was responsible for getting the hotel set up but I've been working on the mailings, name tags, food for the hospitality and handling the money. This also means another weekend not laying in my hammock at the cabin and that is a lot for me to give up. So this weekend it's flashlights galore.

Also, the oldest daughter called and informed me that she and her live-in love will be coming up to the cabin Memorial Day weekend. Mind you we didn't invite her up but that is OK, I don't mind (sort of). This would not be a problem but I put my foot in my mouth and said, "No one else has been invited have they." She got hopping mad. I wouldn't have made an issue of this but she is notorious for inviting her "friends" and there a lot of them and I end up cooking for all of them or they're around in my living room, my bathroom, MY HAMMOCK! I've gotten a little...a lot territorial about our little weekend away place and for goodnes sake it is ours not hers and we want to invite who we want to invite. She went off on me about her friends, when they do come to the cabin they camp out by the creek and they bring money to pay for the food. She doesn't understand that they are underfoot and I have to cook for them and clean up and buy the food and prepare and, and, and, and, and...Makes me a little crazy and she just doesn't get it. I like to do those things for the people I want to have up there not her old college friends and their girl/boy-friends. OK...now that I've ranted about this I'll quit and take a breath and continue typing name tags.....tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap

Bunco

Couldn't resist this link...http://www.prilosecotc.com/buncocentral/2006/nationals/index.jsp This is the link for the World Bunco Championship. I saw it on television the other night and it was hysterical. Enjoy

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all of my friends and those other Mommies I don't know.

What a beautiful day this morning. I was up at 7 am which is late for me as I get up at 5 am to Jazzercise M-F. I fetched the Sunday paper, made my cold process coffee (Coffee Toddy http://www.toddycoffee.com/shop/product.php?productId=67) and plopped down in my wonderful backyard to read, drink and listen to the sounds of morning. A Carolina Wren was serenading me with his defeaning chortle filling the air. Finishing the paper I moved inside. Now I'm sitting in my special room, in my special chair with the sun streaming over the top of the white shutters tickling my pink painted toes with warmth. (I'm listening to a CD called Jazz after Dark -Playboy which I love.) Mother's Day. Yes it is. How many Mothers' Day's have I had as a mother. Hmmm...Let's see...27 to be exact. Yes the oldest is 27. Lots of those Mommy Days and I have loved everyone of them. Now the pitter-patter of little feet and whispers of little girls as they tried to fix a special breakfast are special memories of the past. This is however the first Mother's Day that I don't have a mother to do for but I do have a special Mother-in-Law that is very special to me so today I will remember my dear sweet Momma and spend time with the MIL and give her a hug and tell her I love her.

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My Favorite Artist

I am linking this to my very favorite artist. I absolutely LOVE his stuff and I have 3 of his prints. My favorite of his stuff are the ones with the women hanging sheets on the line in the sunshine. I love the way he gets the light just perfect and the warmth it exudes. I have always loved to hang laundry on the line so I'm very taken with these pictures. He is a very gifted artist and I hope everyone takes time to view his stuff. His laundry on the line pictures always takes me back to childhood and helping my mother hang laundry. The wet and clean smells that the clothes have as they flap in the sunny breeze just is a pleasing feeling for me. Enjoy...Jeffrey T. Larson.http://www.jeffreytlarson.com/image_list.asp?g=Figures

Open Mouth, Insert Foot

Open mouth, insert foot. That famous statement was utilized not by myself but The Hubby to me tonight. The story goes...

Me, "We're having steaks tonight."

The Hubby, "You want me to blacken' them."

Me, "No."

The Hubby, "Why don't you like blackening."

Me, "It's too fattening with all the butter used. It's just not very healthy for you."

The Hubby, "I don't know what you mean since you don't eat healthy anyway."

Me with my jaw hitting the ground, "Excuse Me! I don't season with butter if you haven't noticed."

The Hubby backpeddling his words, "Well, I mean you eat large servings."


He then walked outside for a minute and I was absolutely stunned and shocked by his crap statement. I may look heavy but dammit I work out five days a week and I cook VERY healthly and I do eat healthy. Yesterday at the office as he was digging around in the refrigerator he found a half eaten candy bar and asked me if it was mine and mind you we have 9 other employees that use that fridge. I said, "I don't eat candy bars. Why do you think it has to be mine." I'm telling you I have a fabulous husband who for the major part of our 31 years of marriage is so totally understanding and wonderful and just wonderful but in this area he is HORRIBLE. Mister skinny-minny, Mister workout, I can drop 5 pounds in a day kind of guy just doesn't understand. He who has cholestrol triglycerides stress problems (and I don't at all) just burns me. ARGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!

Mother's Day

I've been hesitating on writing because I wasn't sure how my feelings were on this subject since Momma passed away. May has been a tough emotional month for my family. May 6 (Sunday) would have been Momma and Daddy's 52nd wedding anniversary. I stopped by my sister's house because she was having Daddy over for her famous roast and veggies and I invited myself on the way back from the lake. Daddy arrived and was a little quiet. He had been to the cemetary taking flowers to her grave and then he took pictures of her marker with his new digital camera. He said he thought we girls wanted to see them....(NOT) ... anyway, Sunday really sucked. Now we are dealing with Mother's Day. First I don't have a momma anymore and then one of my little chicks has really flown the coop and lives halfway across the continent. THIS SUCKS! My momma was my best friend and I miss her dearly. OK, now that is out of my system I'll rant on an offshoot of that subject...

Visiting graves...let's just say gross and yuck. I don't enjoy doing that and my Daddy loves to do that. My Daddy likes to go to the cemetary and cry and sob and cry. Several years ago after his Mom and Dad and brother passed away, and when he was drinking heavily, he would go to the cemetary and cry and sob and cry and then show up on my doorstep swaying in the wind with puffy eyes. (We lived close to the cemetary then.) As far as I am concerned once you are dead you are gone from this earth, somewhere, but NOT IN THAT CASKET! I guess it gives him comfort to know that is where she is but I find that creepy to think that my Momma is in the cold ground with the rain and snow and bugs and YUCK! I prefer not to think of that.

Whew...I guess I'm through rambling. Sorry this is a downer of a blog. Oh, and I hate all the Hallmark Mother's Day commercials!

Another boring day!

Today I "again" went into the office and typed one quote and answered all of two phone calls....all day long. It's okay though as I had spent last week cleaning out some old file drawers with my stuffed with some of my personal crap. I have a nasty habit of tearing out recipes and NEVER trying them so I had amassed a large pile of them. I spent the better part of the day cutting down and pasting recipes on index cards that I might "someday" try. I ended up throwing away a huge amount of the stack, thank goodness. What a huge mess. So my day as you can read was another boring day in Jill's world.

Rainy Days and "Thursday"

Rain, Rain, Rain...I know we need it but enough is enough. It is supposed to be "April showers bring May flowers" but this time it is "May showers bring drowned flowers." I have this awesome new car with a retractable hardtop and I hardly get to use it. I know that Oklahoma summer has yet to hit and I will have ample time to put the top down but I have a new toy and I want to play with it.

Do you ever find that there are some people that just make you go ooooo yuck and they really haven't done anything to you, maybe. Well, we know a couple, especially the husband that just makes me cringe and want to be nasty too and that is NOT like me AT ALL! (I am never mean to people, at least knowingly.) We have a lake house in a gated community and so the amount of homeowners there is rather small so the community is small. There is a homeowners board and I was asked a few years ago to sit on it. This man was the VP and going to be the Pres the next year, anyway I got shafted on doing the treasurers job and had to quit when my body and mind went absolutely haywire on the amount of crap I had to do (another story). This man that I hardly know at all has the gall to call me "darlin" all the time and Mister I am NOT your "darlin". He and his wife are absolutely the cutest couple you've ever seen (gag). The wife is just too cute and sticky sweet and way over the top with kindness. The husband is very handsome and very outspoken (as I said "darlin".) They have very outgoing dispositions to the point of nausea. Well, their daughter is getting married in a wedding to match Prince Charles and Diana, I mean, the girl actually has her whole college sorority as her bridesmaids....hello, over the top, and this is a fairly small town I think. They also went to Chicago to buy her wedding dress and go back and forth to have the fittings. Anyway, at one of the lake functions where everyone was at attendance the wife was gushing about the wedding and announced to some of us women that were standing in a circle to "Save the Date" for the wedding, I was standing among the women. (Wow, I thought I might be invited to this thing, huh...think again.) We've been "accidently" invited to their cabin for a dinner before (right place right time.) Well, then I found out that there is a huge wedding shower this weekend for the daughter at the lake and everyone in our little area of cabins has been invited...but not us. That's quite OK since I hardly know the girl, but so does half the people up there. Should I be hurt? Well, not really, but I am. We just can't break into the one group that has all the parties, although I'm in a little group that doesn't party with them either but we've been to several group efforts that includes many of the people up there, just not them. This weekend we saw them and I went out of my way to be nice and ask how they were, how's the wedding planning going, you know being nice and I will continue to be nice but I feel sometimes that we are out of our element up there by some people. Just because we are fairly new money doesn't give people the right to be snobby. They are not any better ,do you think. Maybe I'm getting it all wrong but my feelings get a little hurt by this crap. I'm thinking of doing a little gift for the girl anyway. I won't buy anything but I make a mean potholder on the sewing machine and those homemade gifts are nice. What do you think?

A sighting

prothonotary warbler, painted bunting


This morning I was sitting in my favorite chair reading my favorite author and out of the corner of my eye I caught the most glorious sight, a painted bunting. Oh my gosh! I feed a lot of birds and see goldfinches, cardinals, nuthatches, titmice, woodpeckers and an occasional prothonotary warbler. What a beautiful sight the bunting was. My mother always talked about them but I had NEVER seen one. Oh what joys the woods can bring.

Just Because

Just because I'm having a lot of wine you will read a LOT of rambling from me tonight. I'm here in my fabulous room, sitting in my new chair that is sitting on my beautiful new rug while I watch American Idol. I'm drinking a red wine that was made in Missouri and quite delicious (I can't remember the name exactly-Hermansberger?) and trying to make my mind focus on a particular thought.

The American Idol show is a kick-off show and a fundraiser. It's 2 whole hours of "stuff". I just want to know who is going home right now. I know that sounds callous especially since I just shed a tear watching Paula Abdul talk to a little girl talking about her parents working and struggling and she began to cry and so I cry......

I watched Entertainment Tonight and they shared (not reported) that Rosie O'Donnell is leaving The View....Yeah! I can't stand that woman since she is not EVEN funny anymore. She is using her star status to be annoying....glug, glug, glug...good wine....

My #2 daughter A has been flying all day long with her "boyfriend" to the East coast to help with Spock's Beard in their concert tour back there...Connecticut, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, etc...she is getting to use her "education" as a recording engineer. Spock's Beard is a kind of off-shoot of Tears for Fears (the drummer, Nick is in Spock's Beard and is a friend of her's.) Anyway, she is going to being traveling for two weeks and her full-time job knew she would be doing this before they hired her so there you go. My kiddo is happy. I'm so very glad for her. The boyfriend is a little older than her but he is with her and in the same field and so they have a lot in commen. She is happy. Did I say she is happy. What you wish for your children is that they are happy and functioning, contributing adults in the world. She's happy.

The #1 daughter has been going through a rough time for the past couple of weeks. Her boyfriend/live-in's mother passed away, her great uncle passed away, one of her dear friends had some terrible medical stuff, and today the new homeowners found out that they may have to purchase an whole new heating/air system. She was in tears and they've both been sick.


OK-----I have had a brain storm. I'm watching the Idol Gives Back http://www.americanidol.com/idolgivesback and they were showing the poverty in Kentucky and that 23 out of like 500 families can afford to pay for school lunches. I THINK THAT IF WE HAVE PUBLIC EDUCATION THAT THE MEALS SHOULD BE FREE!!!!!!! How sad to not feed the children when they are in school.

Oh, sweet wine....sweet wine......woo hoo!!!!!!!and it's only Wednesday...!!!!!

More Babies

This is just a really cute picture of my little babies.....They are now 27 and 21...AWWWWWWW

Hmmmmm

You Are Agnostic

God? Religion? Maybe... you're just not sure. You're still figuring out your spiritual path... or figuring out you really don't care. You believe that no one really can know the true story about religion or God. So you might as well relax a little. You'll go crazy trying make sense of it all.

Are You an Atheist, Agnostic or a Believer?

Your EQ is 153

50 or less: Thanks for answering honestly. Now get yourself a shrink, quick! 51-70: When it comes to understanding human emotions, you'd have better luck understanding Chinese. 71-90: You've got more emotional intelligence than the average frat boy. Barely. 91-110: You're average. It's easy to predict how you'll react to things. But anyone could have guessed that. 111-130: You usually have it going on emotionally, but roadblocks tend to land you on your butt. 131-150: You are remarkable when it comes to relating with others. Only the biggest losers get under your skin. 150+: Two possibilities - you've either out "Dr. Phil-ed" Dr. Phil... or you're a dirty liar.

What's Your EQ (Emotional Intelligence Quotient)?

It's those little things that bug you.

Do you remember watching the episode of "I Love Lucy" where Lucy, Rickey, Ethel and Fred were getting on each others nerves. (I know I'm showing my age.) Fred was jingling the keys in his pockets, Rickey was drumming his fingers on the table, Ethel was making sucking-smacking sounds as she ate sweet sticky things and Lucy was stirring her coffee, tinkling the spoon in her cup. Well, every once in awhile, after 31 years of marriage those little habits pop up that drive me crazy about The Hubby.

Last night he came home from a trip about 10:30 pm. I was in bed watching TV trying to drift off to sleep. He was asking me questions and I mumbled answers as he proceeded to get his stuff ready for the next day. I drifted off to sleep and was brought back out of dreamland by this glow that invaded my eyelids. The bathroom light was on. I could hear The Hubby tapping the keys of the computer, it was 11:30. Now mind you, I get up at 4:45 AM every morning to go to Jazzercise and it is sometimes hard for me to get to sleep anyway. He ALWAYS turns the light on and leaves it on and then leaves the room. I tossed and turned and then heard him coming back into the room. Now, I had to contend with the teeth-brushing routine. He is absolutely fanatical about his teeth. He brushes a very long time, then he brushes his tongue with an electric brush, then he flosses and spits over and over again, then finally he swishes his mouthwash for a full 3 minutes. OH MY GOD! (And this is twice a day!) It might not seem bad but he is very, very vocal about it. Teeth done he slides into bed and begins the release of his joints and muscles. The sounds coming out of his mouth used to make the girls think we were having loud sex. He stretches and moans for a good five minutes before he gets still and within another five minutes I hear the beginnings of snoring. Great...there goes my good sleep.

Some more examples of The Hubby's "habits": The act of eating his "daily" oatmeal and raisins can bring me out of dreamland. The Hubby eats oatmeal for his cholesterol and doesn't miss a breakfast without it. The only time this bugs me is the weekends when I try to sleep in. I first hear the microwave slam shut and run. Then I hear the beep-beep-beep, then another slam as he retrieves the steaming bowl of oats. He then adds his Splenda and milk and the chorus starts. Ting-Ting-Ting-Ting-Ting-Ting-Ting-Ting on the sides of the bowl as he beats the oatmeal almost into a froth. I asked him one time why he had to beat instant oatmeal so much and he simply said to get it mixed up. Oh, Okay (eye roll.)

Oh, and I almost forgot the foghorn. Yes, I am talking about blowing his ample nose. He blows before bed and when he wakes up. (I know this is gross.) This act, if I'm not ready for it, can make me jump a foot off the ground. My God, he must not have many brains left in his head after the horn goes off, and please help me if he gets a cold. Speaking of his nose, that man can smell a bad smell a mile off. You cannot pull the wool over his head...nose. I used to try to quickly clean up puppy mess without him knowing but no amount of cleaner could escape his talent for smell. It also hurts that I can't wear very strong perfume because it hurts his head and gives him a headache (so do room fresheners.) He doesn't even wear men's cologne except for very special occasions, and I LOVE men in cologne.

OK...I'll stop ragging on my man. Just some funny observations on our other halves.

Migraines

My grandmother and sister have been plagued with migraines as long as I can remember. I have never had them...or least I thought I had never had them...until recently. In fact, a couple of years ago I was having this weird flashing wavy light thing happening in my eyes and I thought I was having eye problems. Well, my eyes were fine. I finally realized I was having a precursor to a migraine, although not severe migraines. Today, I'm sitting here at my desk and there it goes again. I thought I might not be able to drive home mainly because I couldn't see very well. I took an Advil and continued to work at my desk and then realized that the flashing wavy lines were gone, but wait, now there is tightness in my head and it begins.