CLOG* BLOG

It's been awhile

2007-05-08T22:22:00.000-06:00

Guess I just haven't been in the mood to blog lately, but then again, I don't have much to say. Andy went to Disney World with his Aunt Midge and cousin Emily in April. He really had a good time. Miles got his first haircut ... he looks like a big boy now rather than a toddler. Although it seems to be growing out again really fast. His hair is so curly.
Today I gave Janet the embroidery item I made for her birthday. She really loved it and I loved doing it. I'm starting on a new project now for someone else. I love doing this ... at least for now.

No snow!

2007-04-15T16:23:00.000-06:00

Snow was predicted but I kept thinking I'd believe it when I see it ... and I never saw it! I guess part of the state did get some however. Today is a beautiful day.
Thursday night was Anthony's school program at Pauline Central. He had a speaking part and did a great job. He stood right up to the microphone and projected real well. It was fun to watch him singin' and 'a jivin' to the music. The theme was gardening.

Back row in the white shirt.

In the white shirt "gardening."

No idea what he's doing here.

Silly Nathan!

Belated

2007-04-07T23:19:00.000-06:00

Since I wasn't able to get into my blog for awhile, I'm late in getting pictures posted from Sue Novak's birthday open house which was March 31. She turned the big five oh-oh ... just a spring chick. Her friend, Rita, had it for her at her house in Lawrence. Mary Lou, Virginia and I came from Topeka and Bobbie & Glennis were there and several other of Sue's friends and colleagues.
And lots of good food!!

The ol' gal herself and the love of her life .. Bailey Ann!

Finally!!

2007-04-05T09:24:00.000-06:00

For some strange reason I haven't been able to get into my blog for a week or so now. But here I am now, thank goodness! I'd hate to have to go very long without Clog Blogging!

Mickey Mouse

2007-03-25T17:13:00.000-06:00

I finally finished the embroidery project I was working on for Letha's birthday and gave it to her last Friday. She really liked it. She's going to keep it in her office but took it over the weekend to show her family.

Today seems pretty warm to me. I have the doors open and the fan on but that doesn't seem to be enough. I sure don't want to have to turn on the air conditioner yet. With the kind of weather we're having, however, it could be 40 degrees tomorrow. That'd be OK with me.

Miles' Big Day

2007-03-24T22:59:00.000-06:00

The little guy turned two years old today. It's hard to believe he's that old already! My baby's not a baby anymore!

The birthday boy!

His party was at Chuck-E-Cheese and in spite of the fact that he hadn't had a nap, he was in pretty good humor, although he looked really tired.

Miles and Aunt Polly diggin' into the cake!

He received lots of presents including several "choo choos" which he just loves, some clothes, a bubble machine, several sippy cups, T-ball set & bunches of other stuff! He seemed more interested in the "choo choos."

Silly cousins! Nathan, Anthony and Zachary really had a good time. It was nice to have them have a big place to run-around and get rid of some of that energy that they always have.

Craft project

2007-03-18T21:42:00.000-06:00

I've been working on an embroidery project for someone's birthday. I wanted to be able to give it to her tomorrow but it won't be ready. I bought it last week sure that I would be able to finish it in time. It's counted cross stitch and takes much longer than I thought. I have been working on it every free minute. I love to embroider but this is really testing me. Hopefully, I'll have it done by Thursday at the latest.

Spring Forward!

2007-03-11T11:21:00.000-06:00

I DO NOT like losing an hour of sleep!! Guess I didn't lose too much last night though because I woke up really, really, really late this morning. Which means I probably won't get to sleep early enough tonight which will effect me in the morning and once again, I won't want to get up so it really doesn't help me to sleep extra when we spring forward. It's a vicious cycle.

Shirley F. and I wento to Rib Crib yesterday for supper. It was very good. I had the pulled pork sandwich topped with cole slaw and a special mustard dressing with potato salad on the side. The potato salad was awesome.

About nine last night Juli and I decided to go to the new Wal-Mart just to look around. Bought a few things. Miles fell asleep in the car but the minute she put him in his stroller he work up.

My little Mollie spent the night. I hadn't seen her in awhile. It was nice to have a Mollie fix.

Usual Friday evening ...

2007-03-09T22:39:00.000-06:00

with Juli and the boys. We went to Cici's for supper. It was so good! Then on to Target. Spent more money than I probably should. They all behaved pretty well this evening.... well, except for Juli, she's always causing problems :-) {She'll hate me for putting her pic in here.}
Came home and Juli and Miles stayed awhile. Everybody was pretty hyper and being silly and laughing hysterically ... even little Miles.
Anthony and Nathan are actually laying down early tonight ... early for Nathan anyway!

American Idol

2007-03-08T21:00:00.000-06:00

This is the 6th year of American Idol and the 5th year that I have been watching. I've always gotten a kick of the auditions because of those that think they can sing but really, really can't. It seems like the judges are getting pretty rude though about those people especially the ones who don't seem like they are "quite with the program."
Tonight they elminated the last four people so they are now down to the final twelve. To me it seems the boys aren't very good this year. The girls are much better especially LaKisha and Melinda. They are really awesome.
I was really surprised at two of the people that went home tonight.

Sunday Night

2007-03-04T19:56:00.000-06:00

I worked yesterday. The day seemed long but it really did go fast. But here it is almost time to go back to work.
Last night Juli and I went to Hayden High to play Bingo. She won 40 bucks ... woo-hoo. Neither one of us has won anything in a long time. It was a lot of fun.
Today I spent most of the day working on an embroidery project and of course watching the tube. Not much else goin' on.

Oscar Party!

2007-02-26T22:43:00.000-06:00

Queen Teresa and Pirates of the Caribbean Lin & Brian

Kirsten & Karly
On the Red Carpet!

Bob & Teresa

Letha & Mary Lou

Last night was our annual Oscar Party at Mary Lou's. The people that were there were Mary Lou and me, of course, Teresa, Bob, Lin & Brian, Letha, Kirsten & Karly. We had a great time watching and there was good food. And of course, the best part was watching Ellen DeGeneres host. She did an outstanding job.

It was long though. I didn't get home until 11:30. Thank goodness today was flex day for me.

New pics of Juli's boys

2007-02-24T23:22:00.000-06:00

Seems like I post more photos of Juli's boys than Lori's but I don't see them very often to take their pics. Lori said she would e-mail me some. I would love to have had them be a part of the photos above but I don't think we could get Andy to wear a pair of overalls.
Took Jennifer Goetz to lunch at Lapita's today for her birthday. Then took her to the bus station to be tickets and to Dillons for a prescription.
My leg hurt some today but feels a lot better than it did.
Miles is spending the night with Aunt Polly so Josh and Juli went to dinner and a movie and might go gambling.
Pretty low-key the rest of today. Finally cleaned out the buffet. Took old pictures out of frames and put new ones in. What an exciting day.

Boys and more

2007-02-23T20:33:00.000-06:00

Andy & Zach

More T-Rex photos

Starting Tuesday I was having trouble with my right leg just below my knee. It got so I could barely walk. I went to work Wed and by noon I was feeling really sick and my leg was really bothering me so I went home. I stayed home Thursday thinking if it's not any better by Friday I'll call the doc. Well, Thursday evening I noticed I was finally able to straighten my leg out and it hurt less to walk. And when I got up Friday, it was so much better. Thank God! So I didn't go to the doctor, of course.

Andy joined the wrestling team at Silver Lake High this year. His friends talked him into doing it even though he didn't want to. He's a big guy and they needed his weight class on the team. He's been doing quite well for a beginner and has won several matches. Last weekend, he won some matches but not enough to wrestle at State in Hays this weekend. However, the points that he was awarded helped his team to be #1 in the 3-A schools!!

My glasses ...

2007-02-18T21:04:00.000-06:00

Realized the other day that after talking about my new glasses for so long I never posted a picture of them. So here is Miles modeling them for me. Red is my color!

You'd think I was the only one who ever got new glasses, huh?

Friday adventure!!

2007-02-17T22:40:00.000-06:00

Diggin' for bones & fossils!

Yesterday, Juli and I took her boys to T-Rex at the Legands Mall inKansas City. It was a rather blistery day but nothing was going to keep us from going to see the dinosaurs! With Miles in the lead in his stroller being pushed by mom, the first thing he saw when he entered TRex was a larger than life mechanical roaring dinosaur! Scared the **** out of the poor kid! I felt so sorry for him. He immediately screamed and tried jumping out of the stroller. What a way to start our day! That was at the restaurant area so we had to stay as far away as we could from that area. So we looked around in the store for quite awhile and Juli and the boys went into the area where they could look for fossils and do other activities. I was hoping we could get past the noisy dino and eat in the restaurant but by the time we were ready there was a 40 minute wait and we were hungry. But we also decided that there were lots of other scary noises coming from in there that Miles probably wouldn't like. We ended up traveling over to the restaurant next door that had a cowboy theme. Their servings were huge.
On to Oak Park Mall. Nothing too exciting to report here. Just really enjoyed looking around and Juli got to go to the Fossil store and get a new purse! Woo-hoo! When we first went in it was spitting a little bit of snow and I remember thinking ... hmmm, hope it doesn't snow too much. So, about three hours later, Josh called and said that it was really snowing in Topeka. Oh yea! I thought, I forgot when we came in it was spitting. Wonder what it's like out there now. We decided to head to the parking lot and sure enuf it was really coming down. Juli got the car started up and cleaned off while the rest of us stayed inside and bundled up. We headed for the road and realized what time it was .... oh great, 5:00 traffic on a Friday afternoon and it's snowing really hard. Needless to say it was very slow going ... sometimes 5-10 miles an hour, sometimes almost a complete stop. So after slowing and stopping a thousand times we finally got to my place around 8:00 ... only 3 hours after we left K.C. What a loooong ride with two loudmouthed kids and a baby under 2! But we were safe and that's the main thing!

It's snowing...

2007-02-12T21:18:00.000-06:00

Miles in a solemn state.

Suppose to get several inches of snow. Hope it doesn't get too bad.
Today was the Silent Auction at work. I helped watch the area and take money. I got some pretty good bargains: a comforter set for $4.50 and a Nintendo set with 4 games. I also got an umbrella, watch, a couple of counted cross stitch items and a couple of other things that I don't remember. I'm really excited about the comforter set and Nintendo. Now, hopefully, the boys will enjoy it and one can play it while the other plays computer games. Of course, I do remember playing Mario games when we first got a Nintendo when Juli was small. I really got into that game. Hmmmm.... this may not be such a good thing.
Saturday night Shirley and I went to Brick Oven. I owed her from Christmastime. When we were there in December we got a sealed envelope with a discount coupon that could only be opened when we went again. Our's was a free dessert. Boy was it a doozie!! Normal cost was $9.99 but of course we got it free. It's a good thing we had to divide it 'cause it was way too much for one person (even me). I forget the name of it but the chocolate part was like a gift bag, about 6"x4"x2"... all made out of chocolate. Then the filling was some sort of white chocolate and whipped cream. There were several different kinds of berries on top. Ummmm. They gave us another sealed envelope to be used during March.... wonder if it's a free dessert again?
Time to hit the sack to read or work a crossword for awhile. Maybe it will snow so much tonight we won't have to go to work. Yea, right!

Dreams

2007-02-04T08:20:00.000-06:00

Last night (or early this morning I guess) I had three weird dreams, one right after the other .. amost like it was the same dream. 1) I was having some sort of "breakdown" and there was a therapist there trying to help me. It seems like I was just acting out to get attention but it was a really good feeling to get that attention. 2) I was at work and the room we worked in was really small. There were lots of people working but it was like wall to wall desks. I was so angry at having to work under those conditions that I went to my supervisor and started complaining, then she and I got into an argument ... it felt good to argue. 3) I was with Robin and two kids. We got stopped by the police for something and I was teasing her that we should just run away from the cop. I didn't think she'd take me up on it but she did and we ran ... then my dream ended.
Hmmm, wonder if I'm not getting enough attention!! Just can't imagine that! :-)

It was a fast week ..

2007-02-02T23:13:00.000-06:00

Once again, time is flying by. Can't believe it's Friday! Not a whole lot has been going on ... my life is rather boring. Juli, gang and I went to the new Wal-Mart in North Topeka. Nothing special .. about like the other ones .. maybe a little smaller. The big brothers are spending the night again. They bought a Lego Star Wars toy tonight and are working on putting it together, so far no arguing.
Super Bowl weekend. I'm not into that but I may tune in for a bit ... NOT!!

New name ...

2007-01-27T21:33:00.000-06:00

The other day I was showing Nathan & Anthony some photos of their mom when she was a little girl. There was one of Juli, Lori & me when Juli was about 6. My hair was curly and thick and a whole lot darker than it is now. When Anthony saw the photo he said, "that fat lady is ugly!" Well, I just had to laugh.... not that I was thrilled by the comment, but it was so funny the way he said it. I don't think he knew it was me. I was telling Sue about it on the phone and we got a good chuckle out of it and one thing led to another & somehow started talking about "chubby little ol' grandmas" ... light bulb moment ... !!! That would be a good new name for my blog ... "CLOG!" Hadn't planned on changing the name but I like it. I can't seem to decide on the template & layout I want to use so it will probably be changed all the time. Oh well, guess it doesn't matter. And fickle ol' me, I may even change the name from time to time.
Tonight was the retirement dinner for Pastor Paul after 20 years of service to MCC. It was a really nice evening. I sat with some people I didn't really know but enjoyed myself. Tomorrow will be his last day preaching.
Speaking of Anthony's little comment reminds me of another family member's comment a week ago while at Coyote Canyon! Juli, her kids & I went there to eat. I waited for all of them to get their food then I went up. As I was leaving the table, I heard Juli tell the boys "It's amazing how fast Grandma can walk when she's after food!!" Anthony likes to bring that up every so often too, just as I'm sure, he will with that picture again. I get no respect.

Snowy Weekend

2007-01-21T20:18:00.000-06:00

It was nice to have snow ... too bad we didn't have it around Christmastime, though.
Pretty usual weekend for me. Juli, her boys and I ate at Coyote Canyon then did our usual Friday night trip to Wal-Mart, then to my place and the two older ones spent the night. Saturday was the usual low-key for me. Did embroider some, though. Then Juli, Miles & I went to Sam's. Shirley Godwin called me from Mississippi. It was sooo good to hear from her. She sounds really good and says she is doing fine. She lives with her brother, Don, who's wife passed away the first of January.
Roger called too. He and his family are doing ok but suffered with the flu around the holidays. Bernice who is living with them right now, fell on her elbow and broke it. That must have been quite painful. She was in the hospital for several days. Connie' brother, Bruce, has cancer. He went to Mexico for treatment which helped but I guess he's in a lot of pain now.
Slept in Sunday ... slept way too late ... weird dreams. Trying to finish my embroidery project so Juli can give it to Teresa.
Back to work tomorrw.

American Idol

2007-01-17T22:18:00.000-06:00

The show started last night and was on again tonight. I'm so glad it's back for it's 6th year. I really enjoy watching the auditions. It's sad though that so many of them that can't sing are humiliated usually by Simon, sometimes by Randy. I can't help but laugh at some of those people ... many of them think they can carry a tune and they can't ... but they just know they are going to be the next AI. They are positive about that. I shouldn't make fun but sometimes they are hilarious (and pathetic). They'd probably say the same thing about little ol' me. Like if I was on some sort of dance competition ... I can see it now ... not a pretty sight.
I've started an embroidery project again. It's a little sampler that Juli is going to give to Josh's mom ... as soon as I get it done! It says "Grandchildren are life's compensation for growing older." Miles is her first grandchild. Hope she likes it. I'm really enjoying working on it.

Back to work tomorrow ...

2007-01-15T20:44:00.000-06:00

Because it's Martin Luther King, Jr. day, we got the day off. Nathan & Anthony were here because their school was out for the holiday as well. This will be the last holiday we'll have off until Memorial Day.
It continues to be really cold out. There wasn't any sleet or snow though, I'm glad for that.
Got my new glasses. I think they will be fine.
Not much happened today other than the boys were here.
Just another lazy day... back to work tomorrow.

Yep, more sleet and snow today!

2007-01-14T20:02:00.000-06:00

I stayed in all day today. Felt good to be inside a warm, cozy place. Juli didn't get out either to pick up Mollie so it was nice to have her here to keep me company. She loves sitting next to me on the arm of the recliner... well, she sits on the arm and I sit in the recliner!!
Started embroidering an item for Josh's mom for Juli to give to her for her birthday this month. It has a saying about Grandchildren and has lots of colorful flowers. Miles is Teresa's first grandchild so I think she will really like it. I think I'm going to have to wait working on it again until I get my new glasses this week. Just working on it not even an hour started giving me extreme eye strain and headache.
Tomorrow is Martin Luther King day so we're off work. Anthony & Nathan don't have school so they will spend the day with me. I was kinda looking forward to being by myself, but it will be OK to have them here. They love to come.
It will definitely be nice not to have to get out in the elements tomorrow.

The weathermen were right for a change ...

2007-01-13T22:55:00.000-06:00

It seems like so many times bad weather is forecast and then it doesn't happen ... not that I'm complaining but I guess I just don't believe reports until it finally happens. Today is one of those days, snow and sleet were predicted and that's what we're getting. I don't know what the temperature is, just know it's way too cold. I do prefer the colder weather but even this is too cold for me.
I hadn't planned on getting out today but Josh had somewhere to go this evening so Juli wanted to do something. She and Miles and I went to Applebees, then to CVS Pharmacy then to Wal-Mart. Didn't need anything in particular, just wanted to look around. She dropped me off home about 10:30 and it sure feels good to be in the warmth of my little place. Mollie is here. She spent the night last night when Anthony & Nathan were here, too. There's not much to her to cuddle up with but she's a sweetie and great to have around.
Tomorrow the weather is supposed to be the same ... so we'll see!

I did it ...

2007-01-12T07:58:00.000-06:00

Zach & Miles - guess they're getting ready to play a computer game.

... yes, I finally did it ... took my Christmas decorations down last night and it only took me until January 11 to do it! That's gotta be a record for me the past few years. It sure feels good though to get that job done. It's fun putting them up but taking them down in my opinion is a real chore. Maybe partly because it's a reminder that Christmas is over. The anticipation and excitement of the season is gone for another year. Now I need to find somebody to put the boxes up on those high ol' shelves in the closet.

I took today off from work. I have some paperwork to do that I can't seem to get done on the weekends or in the evenings so hopefully I'll get it done today. And of course since we're off for Martin Luther King Day on Monday, I get another four day weekend :-) ... the last holiday until May for we state employees.

Last night Shirley F. and I went to dinner at Annie's. I had an awesome BLT. They really pile on the bacon there! Ran into Pat (the boss from work) there. She was going to have dinner with her sister and brother-in-law. She was asking me what my new glasses were going to look like and I told her about the purple and she gave me a really hard time because that is a K-State color and she is a die-hard red/blue KU fan! She got a kick out of teasing me about that but, of course, when I picked out the color, the college color thing was the furthest thing from my mind. I just like purple.

I haven't looked outside yet but Jack told me it's snowing. That has been in the forecast but I never believe the weathermen until I actually see it for myself... well, I guess I haven't physically "seen" the snow yet, I can only assume that Jack is telling me the truth and why would he lie about that! Hope it won't get too bad out there this weekend.

Can't wait to get my new glasses!!

2007-01-10T21:37:00.000-06:00

The boys wearing some of my old '80's glasses!
Don't they look very intellectual?

Today I got my eyes checked and will be getting new glasses. I have needed this for at least 6 months now. My eyes have been bothering me and that's always a good sign to get them checked. I waited until the first of the year because I signed up for Superior Vision for the new year and didn't have it last year. I saved quite a bit of money under this plan. I really love the new pair I'm getting. I'll have to take a pic and post them on my blog 'cause they're kind of hard to describe. My distance vision has gotten a little bit better and near vision a little worse. but the ol' doc assures me I'll be able to read books with my glasses on now!!

Juli and the boys and Mollie were over for awhile. Anthony & Nathan played on the computer. Miles was just being ... well ... Miles. He is such a character and so cute! I showed him how to hold his arms up in the air and then I would tickle him under the arms. He thought that was so funny. Every time I'd tell him to hold his arms up, he'd put them behind his head as if a cop was telling him to ... then I'd tickle him! Later he found a squirt bottle with water in it and when he squirted it, the nozzle was pointed toward him and water sprayed right at his face. He, of course, thought that was hilarious so he had to keep doing it for awhile. He did end up with a shiny clean face!!

It's 11:07 p.m. now and waaaay past my bedtime.

Those were the days!

2007-01-07T16:53:00.000-06:00

Today is Andy's 17th birthday.... it's just not possible. Just the other day he was this tow-headed toddler ... my only grandchild. And I was only 39 ... oh those were the days!

When he was just a little bit older he just loved spending the night at our house and we loved having him there. Except for the times when he and his Aunt Juli, who was only 8 when he was born, acted more like brother and sister. She and her friend loved bossing him around and picking on him.

Now he's a strapping young man over 6' tall and a football player with the Silver Lake Eagles who just happened to win the 3-A football championship this past November. It was an exciting time.

He's a good kid and I'm very proud of him.

The weekend's about over and as usual it went extremely fast. I just through cleaning and rearranging my computer area. Probably shouldn't admit this in writing but it sure was dusty!! I'm not totally satisfied with it but it will do for now.

Now it's time to do what I normally do on Sunday evenings, read the paper. Then I'll delve into the book I've been reading the past week. It's about Naomi Judd and her daughters. Pretty interesting.

Ahhhh, the weekend!

2007-01-06T11:09:00.000-06:00

Anthony was up at the crack of dawn to play with the train set I got the boys. That was unusual because usually the first one up wants to play computer games. But they did that a little later in the morning. Juli was here around 10 to pick them up and take them to their dad's. She brought Mollie with her so she'll be here with me for awhile. I love getting my "Mollie fix."
Ahhhhh, now the rest of the weekend just for myself! Still haven't taken down Christmas decorations. Juli said she'd help me do that tonight.
It's night now and I wasn't in the mood to take down the decorations. They'll probably still be up this time next month!! Juli, Miles & I went to Bennigans for supper and then to K-Mart for a bit.
Not a very exciting day. Mollie's spending the night so it's about time for me to cuddle her for awhile.

It's Friday!

2007-01-05T14:59:00.000-06:00

Although this was a short week ... we were off Monday - New Year's Day and Tuesday - Pres. Ford's funeral, it still seemed like a full week at the office. However, I did accompish quite a few things.
Last night I went to supper with my good friend Shirley. We usually try to go out at least once a week. We went to Las Fuentes restaurant at Gage Center and both ordered the nachos. They were absolutely delicious. I had not been there before but I will definitely go again. Another friend, Sue S., was supposed to meet us but her car broke down so she couldn't come. But she and I get together at least one or twice a week too so maybe we will this weekend.
Today, Juli is off work so she brought Miles up to my work. It was so fun to show him off. He looked so cute in his jeans, striped shirt and Nikes. His hair looked nice too ... usually it's kind of "wild." He has lots of curls. He must have been tired because he was whiny.
Went to Wal-Mart after work with Juli and the boys then we stopped at McDonalds on the way to my apt. Anthony & Nathan played with a train set that I bought after Christmas and Miles of course wanted to play too. The bigger boys weren't too happy to have Miles handling the toys but they need to learn that he's just a little guy and wants to play with his big brothers. Miles and I were on the computer for a little while looking for Elmo. He just loves Elmo and didn't quite understand why he couldn't reach out and hold him.
As is usual on a Friday night, Nathan & Anthony are spending the night.

Brand New Year, Brand New Blog

2007-01-03T21:20:00.000-06:00

2007 ... doesn't seem possible. The years are passing by faster than ever for this 50 something granny! Geez, where's my mom .. she should be 55 and I should only be 30. But, that's just not the way it is. Mom went to Heaven at 78 and I'm down here on earth waiting for my 6th decade to start which is just around the corner. Of course, age is just a state of mind. And even though years are being added to my life, as far as my maturity goes I'll quote my friend, Sue, who says "when I'm around Chris, my maturity level goes way down." Well, I enjoy being young at heart, sometimes acting very immature, but in a fun, silly way, so I'll consider that comment a compliment.

The highlights of my life are my five grandsons ranging in age 17 to almost 2. Of course, as I grow older so do they. The youngest will be 2 in March and is probably my last grandchild. I am really going to miss having babies around. But, I'm way too young to be a great-grandma yet!! :-)

Well, tomorrow is already January 4 ... where does the time go?