Life Is Good

Good Sunday morning to one and all.  I'm actually writing here this morning...shock!  It's 9:41 a.m. on a beautiful sunny Sunday morning and I feel like tapping some words on this keyboard.  When I started this blog nearly 7 years ago I blogged for my sanity, to try and get over the grief of losing my best friend Gail, my mother, our dog, becoming empty-nester's and turning 50 all within a six month span.  I think my lack of blogging is because I am content with my life.  I used to write in my journal, or here, to try and make sense of my life and to figure out what to do or feel.  I feel great now.  My life is good.  My marriage is fantastic, all 37 years of it so far.  Our girls are fantastic.  The oldest has given us our first grandchild and her life is rocking along.  We are so happy that her life is where it is now and that granddaughter is AWESOME!  The youngest is happy!  She has found a good love and her life is taking some turns for the good and I couldn't be happier for her.  Business is good and we can continue to employ our long time employees and give them stability, along with ourselves.

Me, yes me...I am feeling really good.  I have finally come to terms with the terrible grief that consumed me when Gail and my momma died.  I didn't think I could get over that and move on but I have.  I will never, ever forget them but my life has to move forward.  I have to enjoy my sun-filled days, my life and continue on.  Maybe it's the sun streaming through my window that is making me feel so good.  Maybe it's the recent visit from Afton and her guy that has me in good spirits.  Or it could be that precious little pumpkin Rio that lights up my life.  Whatever it is I am glad.  I have found my new love of painting and I've nurtured my friendships to fill my empty.  Life is good.  My life is good.  (I'm kind of drippy today.)

Auntie

Auntie Afton and niece Rio

Music Friday

Finally, here is one of the songs Afton and Nick did at the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame.  Enjoy listening to our daughter and her guy on the vibes.  

Social Call

The Music Plays On!

The concert is done and what a fantastic success!  Their little newly found temporary group was a great mesh of talent and the audience loved it.  Oh my, oh my, oh my!  It was exciting to hear our girl and her guy wow people who had never heard them.  

Tomorrow they head back to LA and to carry on with their lives.  Hopefully they will perform here again soon since the response was so good. 

Hopefully The Hubby will get the videos uploaded from his phone and I can share on YouTube! 

Family Time

Life here the past week has been CRAZY and great fun.  The youngest and her boyfriend flew in late, late, LATE Thursday evening from LA and it has been a whirlwind for sure.  If you are in the Tulsa area tonight, tonight is the place to be.  They will be performing at the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame!  Yesterday they had a bass player and drummer and Nick's vibraphone set up in our front room practicing and Afton singing....WOW!  I pretty excited to hear them on stage, the full concert.  They have been rushing around doing all kinds of stuff and last night we, as a family all went to B&B's to play with little Rio and eat Indian food.  What a great evening introducing Afton to Rio and Nick.  Tonight after the concert we invited some cousins, inlaws, family and a few friends over to enjoy brisket and a few salads.  Impromptu gathering. The brisket is ready, salads are made, brownies are calling.  

We've found our feet...

and personality! 

I'm OKAY!

I am here, trust me.  Feeling so much better.  I've just been kind of quiet with the blogging lately and not sure why.  I don't know if I'm depressed or just content with everything around me.  Life is good!

Valentine's Day has come a couple of days early for me.  The Hubby decided he wanted to get me some roses before they were totally picked over and I am a happy girl.  He is the best for sure.  I love my partner in life.  He makes me so very content and HAPPY!

The little kiddo in our life now, Rio, is growing by leaps and bounds.  I can't believe how she is changing, daily.  What a cutie she is.  Her smile just makes my insides just jump for joy.  Kiddos are awesome and you would die for them, but those grandkiddo's....YEEHAW!!!!!

Melancholia

Melancholy...that is what I am feeling lately.  I'm not sure if it is spring fever or just flat out depression.  I just spent 30 minutes re-reading my blog posts from the beginning, 2006, after the death of my best friend and just before the death of my mother.  I feel in a rut in a way and I should be happy.  I'm having great fun babysitting with dear Rio and am excitedly awaiting the visit from the youngest daughter and her boyfriend next week.  Yet, I can't seem to read or paint or have a smile on my face.  What is up with that.  I'm just kind of blah!  I'm going to blame it on old man winter and they cold.  Yet today and the past couple of days have been nice and SUNNY!  I'm so ready for spring and summer and I'm ready to NOT WORK!  In fact, I'm playing hooky this morning when I know I should be at the office.  Here I sit at home typing away putting off the shower and packing up of art supplies for class today.  Even that doesn't make me happy.  I don't have anything inspiring me to paint and that is a real bummer.  I've got to get in my happy place.  I don't even want to get my camera out and take pictures so that I have something to paint.  I NEED FLOWERS!  I NEED SUN AND WARMTH!  Come on spring and summer.  I'm ready for a garden!

Busy Granny

The past couple of weeks have been quite busy for me and B.  She started teaching again and that means Granny babysitter has begun her new job of, well, babysitting sweet Rio.  Unfortunately the little booger has decided that sleep is overrated and takes a lot of very short naps, and sleeping for B&B is almost non-existent.  Fortunately, she is happy and not too cranky.   

We've set up the back office at work that is not used into a makeshift nursery.  Thank goodness my knee is fixed so I can get down on the floor and play with her a bit.  Today she is 4 months old.  They certainly grow fast and she changes everyday.  What a joy.  

Kiddo's Happenin's

If you happen to be in the Tulsa area on Feburary 17 between the hours of 5-7 and need something to do...then go see the youngest kiddo performing with her guy at the Jazz Hall of Fame downtown Tulsa.  It will be an early evening and hopefully the hall will be full of friends and family welcoming them home.  Her boyfriend, Nick has not been here and we look forward to meeting him.  (I don't know the cost.)

• • 

    Sunday, February 17, 2013
  • 

    5:00pm until 7:00pm

• Singer/songwriter Afton Hefley and jazz vibraphonist Nick Mancini each posses a deep passion for one another's musical leanings creating a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. The songbird, with her buttery smooth, timeless sound blends beautifully with Mancini's lush jazz sonorities as he uses the transparent, yet rich loom of her original songs through which to weave intricate harmonic tendrils. On February 17th, 2013 at 5pm, this celebrated duo will take the stage at The Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame performing original music by both Hefley and Mancini as well as re-imaginings of classic pop tunes and jazz standards. They will be joined by two Tulsan musicians; World-class in their own right - Jordan Hehl on bass and Jared Johnson on drums.

Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame

5 South Boston, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74103

View Map · Get Directions

Once Upon A Time

Once Upon A Time

This sweet little girl dreamed of meeting a boy.  

She rode her bicycle, round and round the block, playing with friends and dreaming of marriage and babies.

 This precocious little boy wanted to play his with toy soldiers and friends and climb trees.  Life was an endless summer day.

Then one day some friends decided to play matchmaker and unite these wayward souls. 

It was as if their worlds were meant to collide, to unite.  

37 years ago today they began a life,together.  They built a stable foundation of love, laughter and unity.

They created a wonderful life and brought into it two beautiful girls. They raised them to be strong, intelligent, and independent young women, and sent them out into the world to take it by storm!   

Their girls have created great paths for their lives.  Bringing new life and loves to the fold. 

Once upon a time, 37 years ago today a young couple dedicated themselves to each other in marriage and created this great life.  

Today, 37 years ago, Robert and I were married and set out on our path, together!  

Happy Anniversary my sweet mister!  I love you!

Downton Abbey

Downton Abbey!  Do you watch it?  I do!  I'm in love with this show and it is has invaded my dreams.  Last night when I was ''trying'' to sleep, and I mean trying, the theme song was constantly running through my mind.  Parts of my dreams took place in Downton.  Why am I so obsessed with it?  Is anyone else?  

The Color of Glass

The past few weeks I have been listening to Ayn Rand's, "The Fountainhead" in my car.  That dang thing is 26 CD disc's long and I'm on disc number 11 right now.  I am really enjoying it, especially to listen to the dialog.  An interesting description in the story caught my attention and as an artist it made me question the phrase.  I even Googled it to see what would pop up.  Seems there are a lot of references to bands and lyrics in music.  

Rand describes a woman in a dress, "the color of glass''.  Being that artist it stopped me and I had to turn the CD off for a bit because I was not listening to the words, being stuck on this idea of  ''the color of glass''.  How can that be, because glass has no color.  Actually, glass has many colors because it picks up every color that comes through it, if it is clear.  What if it's frosted or smoked.  What was the color of her dress?  Oh gosh, I could go on about this but it just stopped me in my tracks, "the color of glass.''  

It's amazing what can stump me in life.

Remember When

Bri has been back at work with little Rio in tow for a couple of weeks now and in the meantime she has been a scanning!  Oh my I can't believe how my babies have grown into successful beautiful women moving on with their lives.

Four generations...Granny, Mom, ME, and little Bri, aka "The Kid" 

There she is with Momma and Daddy, aka "Granny and PaPa" 

A fishing they will go. 

A Couple of Weekends

I finally got the camera out of my bag last weekend and took a few pictures then put it back in my bag without sharing.  So you get two weekends of a few snapshots.

We of course spent the past couple of weekends at the cabin enjoying a bit of sunshine last weekend and a bit of snow this one.  

Last weekend Clayton was ready to head home and was waiting for The Hubby to finally lock it up and pile into the car.  But before we could head out The Hubby wanted to go across the road to check out the new stuff added to the gun range the cabinites use. 

He and Clayton disappeared down that road and then they reappeared...but Clayton wasn't walking...I wonder why...

OH MY GOODNESS...Clayton found mud, mud, mud...

Just look at the pitiful face because he knows that when he gets home it's bath time.

This morning we woke up to a smidgen of snow on the ground.  It was kind of pretty and you won't hear that from me too often.

Baby Smiles

It's 5:34 a.m. and I'm sitting here with my fingers ready to type but again the brain flow has dried up.  Of course our world is kind of full of little baby Rio.  I could spend all day smiling at the little face and have her smile back at me.  Oh how our lives have changed and been enriched by that little bundle of joy.

The painting thing has been kind of dried up too.  I just haven't been inspired to paint but instead have been cross stitching ornaments, Santa Claus ornaments.  This one I finished in class on Tuesday.  It's from a photo I can't seem to find to post here from my childhood, my Greatgranny's house.  Of course I took some artistic license to embellish with the flowers but it's a black and white photo so I had to make it pop.

The problem with finding the original photo is with this darned new laptop.  When I transferred the photos from the old laptop it dumped all of the photos in one huge file.  I had them all sorted out neatly in file folders, titled but now they are in a HUGE big mess.  ARGHHHHHHHH!  I have over 33500 photos, that is a problem.  Plus, when the ITunes library dumped in it doubled every single song and I have over 8000 songs. OH MY GOODNESS!  I have work to do.  

Christmas is finally put away in boxes and stored in the attic!  So glad that is over, really.  I'm ready to move forward in the year.  Now it's tax crap.  Got to gather and sort and get that stuff ready.  

This, That and Other Things

Good Monday morning!  Finally the holidays are done and life can move on.  With Christmas and New Year's on Tuesday it kind of mucked up the flow of life around here.  Plus the add on of flu and such my rountine has been turned upside down and until I get Christmas boxed up it still won't be finished.  Today and tomorrow morning I plan on that project then I can get the tax stuff together.  From one project to another. 

I don't know if I had mentioned this but I did apply to a gallery in December, my first attempt.  I was pretty excited but knew that it was a real long shot and I was right.  I received my rejection letter on Friday.  RATS!  Oh well, again it was a long shot and I will try again.  I may even try and have my own show and try to sell some stuff.  Wish me luck!

Now, computer news.  The Hubby insisted I replace my laptop since I was having battery problems and it has become so slow.  It's 5 years old but I was hesitant of giving up my friend, yet that is what I did right after Christmas.  I went to my favorite place, Dell.com and put a package together and it was very shortly on its way.  I received it on Saturday, December 29, unpacked it and got it up and running.  It was going well when I shut the lid and put it down for a bit but when I opened it up again it would not turn on and just beeped.  RATS!!!!!!  So I thought I just did something wrong and put it aside.  Several hours later I opened it up again and tried to turn it on and it responded.  WHEW!  After that I used it probably three or four times and got my pictures and ITunes library loaded on it when Thursday night it did it again.  RATS!!!!!!  Friday morning I fired up this good old friend and contacted Dell online and we figured out the motherboard in my brand new laptop was bad.  The guy or girl politely asked me if I spilled anything on it...NO ABSOLUTELY NOT, I responded.  So now I am waiting for a phone call from a tech person to come and replace the motherboard of my brand new laptop and in the meantime my old friend is still here. 

The Flu

Jumping into 2013 has been with both feet and hit the ground running.  New Years Eve we got to enjoy the company of B and baby Rio and in fact for the past couple of nights.  Poor B2 has had the flu and since Rio is just now 3 months all felt it was in her best interest for her exposure to be limited until he at least got over the horrendous fever.  Of course, sadly, that meant B2 was by himself dealing with the sickness.  B would pop in over there and take him food and pick up more diapers, but he was quarantined for the most part.  This meant our house was full of grandbaby, daughter and Mondo the Wonder Dog.  I haven't felt that kind of life in our household since the youngest still lived at home.  It was full to bursting with activity but it was time for Rio to have it come to an end.  Sweet little girl was distraught and exhausted and just done with this spending the night.  She wants to have her routine back, her bed, her home.  Today they pack it up and go home.  Sad but I know she needs to have her little world put back together.  

It's also time for me to get my world back together.  I've put off putting Christmas back into boxes and in the attic but it's time.  Actually, I think it won't be disappearing back up the ladder until next week sometime.  Just don't have the time.  Today it's back to work to get invoicing out and pay a few bills. 

I did meet my goal for 2012 and read 60 books!  Whew!

2013...What's Next

Woo Hoo! 2013 Here I come!!!!  Can't believe it's 2013.  In the younger years I couldn't imagine the concept of even living in the 2000's, much less living in 2013.  It's a very strange idea really.  Time does march on and you do get older (blech-bad taste in my mouth).  I don't  like getting older at all but it is a fact and you can't stop it.  So as I look in the mirror everyday I have to accept the image that looks back at me, all 56 years of it.  Really, do I have to!

From this .....

to this....

It's a runaway freight train, aging...

Hey, that first picture...looks somewhat little Rio, don't you think...

That's our precious little Rio Rae!!!

Year In Review - 2012

I guess it is that time of the year for a review.  I went back in my blogging this year to January 1, 2012.  The entry was 366 Days  and in it I wrote about:

Blog every single day of 2012

Read as many books in 2012 that I did in 2011 (56 books)

Start the eating thing and tracking my food (smaller plate)

Ramp up exercise

Continue the painting and prepare for my own show this spring!!!!!

I have to admit that I didn't do all of them and that is kind of sad.  The first one I was pretty faithful until about October and November when I just kind of lost my writing mojo.  I think I did fairly well in my endeavour, but still, I didn't accomplish the task I put forth in front of me. 

Books, yes I did finish that task by reading 60 books, surpassing my 2011 total of 56. 

Eating, well, like nearly everyone who sets those lose weight goals I kind of fudged (LOL) on that one.  I did start eating a lot better and have stopped buying diet pop by the caseload and only one when I have a desire or eat out.  I am eating smaller portions but the tracking thing, ick...not happening.  I am just not that disciplined for that task. 

The exercise I have continued my 3 days a week but haven't added anymore but it's mainly because of the knee and now that I've had the surgery and am mending...let that goal roll forward.

The painting, yes, I have done that but my own show...NOT!  I've kind of veered from that by focusing on a, well, "focus" in my art and a couple of weeks I sent a packet to my first gallery for admission.  Now I am waiting to hear but won't be disappointed too much if they turn me down.  I think it was pretty brave for me to apply in the first place.  Now we wait. 

Now I will  work on the new 2013 list. 

2012...It's Been A VERY Good Year