Tater is TEN!

Well, it has finally happened.  Our baby is TEN!  All of the kids are in double digits now. :(

Got Cheerios?

We had a sleepover a couple of weeks back, but it wasn't a birthday sleepover, so we will have to have one before the school year starts!  It was hot out, so a lot of time was spent inside playing UNO, and we watched the Wizard Of Oz, because I finally got a turn to pick!  When we were outside in the cooler evening air, I taught the Goovers how to play jarts.  Once they got the hang of it, we chose teams (of course Tater went with The Brown Eyed Uncle) and it was ON.  Hannah and I lost, but just by a few points.  The impromptu victory dance that Tater and her Uncle created was epic.  I am sorry that I didn't get it on film, but I (and probably Hannah) will never forget it! :)

Concentration!

Tater was also in "The Little Mermaid Jr." a musical that the school district puts on through the summer school program.  She absolutely loved it, and was a Mermaid in the chorus.  We all had a great time at the performances, even though there is NO air conditioning in the auditorium.

Mermaid

Tater is also a real life mermaid!  She has spent half of this summer in the water.  Here's a pic of her swimming in Lake Ruth, at the same cabin we used to swim at as children.  She was one of the first in, and the absolute last out.  Everyone was packing up to leave and there she was, floating around.  It was the first opportunity I have ever had to swim with the Goovers!  Good times!

Mermaid

Happy birthday to our spitfire!  Even if I have to take the back seat to your "authentic", "cool", Uncle these days, I still love you with all of my heart!  (but I'm not buying you a pony..... lol)

XXOO  Aunt Joanie

May the Jarts Be With You

Growing up I loved to play Jarts, and I can not tell you how many hot summer afternoons Vicki and I  wasted away tossing spikes with plastic feathers into little yellow circles, for points, in her yard. Crank up the boom box with 80's tunes, and we were set.  Dangerous? I suppose so.  You can't buy the old kind in the stores anymore.  Some dumb bunnies probably took one to the head.  Worst thing that ever happened when we were playing was one stuck in the garage siding. (No Ma, it wasn't me.)

Jarts anyone?

I wanted to get a croquet set for our yard, but I'm going to have to order it online, because the local stores don't carry them on hand.  A few weeks ago Menards had a set in their Sunday ad, so I ran off gleefully to buy it.  Nope. Nothing. Nada.  BUT!  They had a set of lawn darts.  Hmmmm.... I wanted something to play with the kids, so I purchased a set.

This is what the new version look like.  Cheap plastic with a bean bag in the end.  No, they don't come with the nifty black stripe, that is electrical tape.  Every time one landed it burst apart. (eye roll)  Instead of taking them back (since we wanted to play) The Brown Eyed Man fixed them.

I came up with the idea of having a summer challenge, and the winner has to buy the loser Shamrock Pizza the Friday after Labor Day.  We had to discuss the rules, terms. etc. before we began.  There was a lot of discussing.  Then rules were modified (not by me) as we began the first game.  Then rules were changed back (that time it was me) during the second game.  So far we are 2-2.

These new "darts"are really a pain. They don't "stick" when you throw them, like the old kind.  They bounce all over creation.  You have to figure out where to bounce it to land it in, or near, the circle.  I was going to ask The Brown Eyed Man to just built us some real Jarts, but I can't.  (see pic on the left) The dang dog wont stay off the course.  He just lays wherever, and comes right up to us when we're throwing.  It is fun to be outside playing a game though.

Looking forward to the Goover Sleepover this weekend, time to teach the Goovs about lawn darts!  Oh, and there will be s'mores!  I believe I have hidden the chocolate well enough that it will make it that far. (If I don't get into it.........)

Love Mama (Happy Bday Cece!)

Instead of writing a blog (Yes, I know that I have been seriously remiss lately.) I am just going to share something that happened with Cierra last week, in her Mother's own words.

" I was sitting on a bench that I have out there and CeCe came up to me and gave me a big hug, when she was patting my back she said Love, I wasn't sure if that is what she said or not, so I said Mama loves you too Sugar and then she gave me another big hug and said Love Mama. Ok, anyone who knows me knows that my eyes immediately started tearing up when it happened just as they are as I am writing this now. Many people tell me that CeCe is so blessed to have me as her Mom, my friends this is not the truth at all. I am so blessed to have my precious baby girl, she honestly has made my life complete, she has brought so much happiness and joy to my life from the time we brought her home when she was 9 weeks old, believe it or not, she will be 10 years old one week from today. She took me and Tom Dorin from being a happily married couple to being a happy family!!! We are so proud of her for everything that she has learned how to do!!! God Bless!!!" 

CeCe has a hard time verbalizing things, although she is pretty good at communicating her wants and needs to those around her.  That was the first time in TEN years that my sister heard her child tell her that she loves her.  We all know that Cemonster loves her Mama, Papa, and family.  It's very obvious to anyone.  She just has never been able to say it, until now.  

I spent some time playing with CeCe last night, and while she was bossing me around I asked her if she could say "love".  "LOVE" same back clear as a bell.  I went to hug her and I said "I love you CeCe!" She gave me a dirty look, and made me play our patty cake game.  BUTT!  It's o.k. I know she loves me.  That was just payback for me getting to see a lot of the "first" things she did, instead of her mother.

Happy 10th birthday Cierra Ruthmarie!  Where has the time gone?!  I LOVE YOU, BUTT!smile emoticon

Pallet Palooza

It all started with a sink.

A few weeks ago the Brown Eyed man started cleaning out the garage.  A project that he still isn't finished with.  That would be partially my fault, for introducing him to Pinterest, and projects made from pallets of wood.  A few days into the garage cleaning I noticed an old sink sitting in my front yard.

"Great," I said to myself.  "Now I'm going to have a sink sitting in the front yard for a year and a half."  Time to come up with a clever use for said sink!  I have been seeing tons of projects that you make out of wood pallets on the Internet, so I said to The Brown Eyed Man, "What would you think if we used that sink as part of a potting bench for me?"  He seemed interested, so I showed him a few of the pictures I had on my Pinterest page.

A few days later a pile of pallets appeared in the back yard, and the garage cleaning was put on hold. The first thing I did was stain this large pallet, that arrived looking like a table top!  Yea!!  Nothing like a free picnic table!

table top

Then work began on the potting bench, which became bigger, and more involved than I imagined, but I love it!!  I have plenty of work space, and actually just used it to pot some fuchsia this afternoon!

Potting bench, with sink!

Then one day last week, when I came home from work in the pouring rain, The Brown Eyed Man had something he had to show me.  It was two pieces of a huge pallet that he had cut in half and propped up to look like a large bench/love seat.  We got soaked trying to figure out how it should go together.  It it definitely an "Edith Ann" seat for me.  For those of you who don't get the reference, my feet don't come anywhere near the ground.   This past weekend he finished it. 

Note the little patio, another project in the works.

Then instead of getting back to the garage, which was his weekend plan, he gave the table some legs. Now the table is more my height, so we have to set it on blocks or something.  Although the idea of putting wheels on it has been tossed around.  Then we could pull it with the four wheeler to different parts of the yard.

Ribs, home made potato salad and coleslaw, rum and coke, and a brand new picnic table!!

Today I bought two new chairs, and started on a set of picnic dishes.  *sigh* I have a problem with dishes, but that is another blog. :)

Then on Sunday I took a piece of pallet that was just hanging out and did this with it.

oriole feeder!

The best part?  It worked!!  Last year I saw one oriole, once.  This year we have had two for the past two weeks, drinking out of the humming bird feeder.  Today I saw three!!

Not sure what we'll take on next.  There is talk about chairs and a small table for down in the valley by the fire pit, but of course, there is a garage to be cleaned out.

Graduates and Grease Monkeys

Friday, May 8, 2015 was Hannah's last grade school concert. Time is flying by way too quickly, and she will be graduating to Middle School in a few weeks.  Although, I do really like the girls at this age, because they are interested in so many neat things, and we have a lot to talk about.  It's also easier now that they can help themselves, and help me too.  I don't mind being chief cook and bottle washer when they are around, but it's nice to be able to have someone make dessert, or set the table, or grab me something out of the pantry!  I no longer have to be the choci-milk creator, and they can pour their own appo-juice.

I took the day off Friday, finished cleaning the house, and headed off to the program.  Perhaps I got a little teary at the end when they sang the final good-bye song to the fifth graders, but I was there on my own, so no one will ever know.  Apparently the gentleman I sat next to is Hannah's best friend Sam's Dad, which I wasn't aware of at the time.  Small world. (stranger danger........I don't like sitting that close to folks who aren't "mine".)

Hannah's Solo!

When the program ended I signed the Goovers out of their respective classrooms, and we headed out to forage for food.  They chose chicken strips and mac and cheese from the grocery.  I grabbed some burgers from the meat store for the brown eyed man and myself.  We agreed on brownie sundaes for dessert though!

When the Brown Eyed Uncle got home he and Tater got right to work on the ice racer.  Hannah was more interested in helping me in the house this time around.  When dinner was ready I went out to get them and see what was going on.  Tater was arms deep in the motor right with her Uncle, wearing his cap, looking happy as a clam.  I have some really good pictures, but I value my life, so you only get this one.

Lil Grease Monkey

After dinner the grease monkeys headed back out to the car, and Hannah and I cleaned up.  Then she and I scooped up Tater and took a walk with Jake down to get the mail.  Upon arrival back at the front porch we heard the Brown Eyed Man start up the ice racer.  I had my back to him, but Tater had full view.  Suddenly she shouts with glee "FIRE!"  She apparently thought that's what happens when you start up the car.  I, however, know that it should not. I said "What?"as my head snapped around to see what was going on, and indeed there was a small grass fire right under the car.  Even with the rain we had, the ground was still so dry.  I yelled over to the Brown Eyed Man "FIRE!" and then when I saw he heard me, yelled at the girls to stay by the porch as I ran toward the situation.  He got it out quickly, without any incident.  Whew!  

Saturday was pretty nice out, so the girls and I played in the valley and fed the birds.  Tater and I climbed our way to a rougher part of the creek bank, because there were some yellow flowers blooming!  We were able to identify them as swamp marigold, and now I'm seeing them all over as I drive in to town.  I thought I was cracking up when I noticed flowers blooming already!

Favorite Spot

Jake really enjoys when the girls are around.  I showed Tater how to take him off the tether, and he sits nicely for her.  He was sad when they left.  So were we.  It was too short of a visit, they will have to come back soon!

Jake and his girl