Hello 2013... what surprises do you hold for the world

Closing the book on 2012 has been easy.... It really has not been a great year.  We lost our sweet Kevin in February and the days and weeks since have been full of bitter sweet memories.
I've done NO writing this year. 
I've worked to hard and too long and forgot to play.  My son had heart surgery and my husband has had a couple of health issues.
I know we're getting older but really scary when you can see and feel the age creeping in.




1.  Finish Forever Graceland
2. Plot out the other two books in my brain
3. Enter at least four contest
4. Ride my horse at least once a week

That is my list... doesn't look too bad

Unexpected Treasures

Don't you just love it when you're doing a job that has to be done but brings so many sad feelings.  This was what I was doing yesterday... helping brother by going through pictures of Aunt LoLo (who pasted just over two years ago) and her part of the pictures from Aunt Ella who died several years ago.
Every picture of her trips and friends made me sad because those pictures meant something to her but to anyone else they are pictures of places they've not been and of people they don't know.
I was over half done when this little envelope appeared.... post mark Dayton, Ohio with the date of Aug 7, 1951 and the address written in my mothers handwriting.... tears spring to my eyes
I looked at Ronnie and held it up... "Do you think this is what I'm thinking it is?" 
He said, "Open it and see."  Men... no sense of adventure

A picture is worth a thousand words... it really is with this... this little treasure made me so happy because ... one, my mother wrote it and sent it ... two, my aunt kept it all these years, and three, it's a family treasure I can pass on to my family.

It;s all fun and games until someone turns out to be road kill

that is what my children said to me Saturday night.  They also said they were going to get me one of those buttons you push ----Help I've fallen and I can't get up.... I got up!!! slow but I got up.

Here's the story,  It was about 6:45 pm and I just got home from work... went to the chicken house to gather the eggs before going home... put the 11 eggs in my shirt tail...pulled into driveway and stopped to check mail... got out with my pin flashlight.... stepped on the edge of the road that is much higher than the shoulder.... BAM  fell and because I had eggs in my shirt tail and my hands were full with that and the flashlight I hit my shoulder and then my knee but my hand holding the eggs hit the gravel and bled like crazy.  Broke all 11 eggs... lost my flashlight which Ronnie found next day about 10 feet down the ditch.  Ronnie fussed because I had the eggs in my shirt instead in a basket where the belonged.  He said, "What would have happened if you had hit your head?"   I said, "It would have knocked me out and some redneck driver would have ran over me and then I would have been road kill for Christmas."  He said, "You're not funny." 
Now in truth, that was funny ... wasn't it...

I'm fine.  Just added a few dings to this old body. I'm not showing my knee because then I would have to shave my legs and I'm too lazy to do that.  This picture is of my shoulder three days later.

I like to jump start Christmas spirit for friends and family

Every year on the second Saturday of December, I open my house to family and friends and we eat, drink and catch up.  My family brings friends and even my friends bring friends... but that is great because the theme for this night is Christmas Spirit.  Even though I've been working like  a demon ... and with help from my daughter, granddaughters, husband and son... my house got the usual dose of decorating.  A couple of my friends couldn't be here this year so I'm posting pictures for them... missed y'all

Open your heart and feel the joy of friendship... Christmas is a friend that comes to visit only once a year.  It slips in your busy life to whispter words of kindness, joy and happiness.  It pulls you down the road of yesterday and folics with you memories of Christmas past.  You tell this friend you wish, hopes and sorrows.  Before it leaves, Christmas hands you a year's worth of dreams and says, "I'm always inside your heart... that these dreams and keep me with you all year."

May the Christmas Spirit present you with spectaule dreams this year.

Perfect gifts....

After getting the house ready for my annual Christmas get together, I needed this so bad... one of Missy's friends gave this to me and a gift card to Kohl's ... so thoughtful and I enjoyed them both... :)
The buttons are from JCP and I've won nearly two hundred dollars worth of gift certificates... thank you JCP...









The other present came from Irene Latham and words can't do it justice.... my entire blog in book form from Nov 2009 to Oct 2012 
How cool is that???

Missy said Irene was causing a family fight because her and Ron was already fussing over who got it ..

I love the smell of sweaty bodies in a packed Gym

Christmas time is here and that means that high school basketball coaches everywhere try to mess up Christmas family plans by having tournaments during the season.
I love basketball... I scream and yell and get kicked out of the game ... once... and I was just watching.. hehehehe
The passion lives on with my granddaughter Lake... some of the favorite pictures of her games last year.
Boxing out, rebounding, free throws, shooting... we have laughed at how she does her feet to shoot but hey... she gets it done.

Black Friday... the old mare isn't as good as she once was

Yep, I'll admit it.... my fighting for TV's and games are over... I'll pay the regular price before I'll stand next to a woman with a trash can mouth... smell included.

Why do some people think that four letter words will make a situation better??? or that stock boys can change anything?? or that the person next to them (me) cares that they need a smoke or that want to listen to them complain about how sorry Walmart is... don't get in the line if you don't want to do the time.

I stayed up all night... crazy right... all by myself... weird right...bought a dutch oven steamer that wasn't on sale... stood in line at Home Depot for the 59 dollar tree, down sizing tree this year... many items for other people who want small items but didn't want to leave the insane-lines for iPads and Xbox games and last item was a big bottle of All Free so I could was clothes when I got home.... oh yes... got Ronnie a TV for the bedroom but paid extra 50 dollars which got me a better TV and I didn't have to stand next to potty mouth at Walmart... yes I got in line but refused to stay there for over an hour with that woman yapping... bail money would have cost me more than 50 dollars.

Did I have fun???? well not really... why did I do it??? well it is tradition.... will I do it next year??? if I'm living, yes.

Christmas time is coming... Christmas time is coming


See I'm all primed for the season... I mean what better way to get in the spirit to celebrate Jesus' birth than to stand in line for a TV listening to a crude woman use the F work three times in every sentence???

I think I can... I think I can

I'm only going to be working like this until Christmas... after that something is going to give... even if it's me... I miss my writing... I miss my horse... I miss my life



worked 10 hours today, had to stop and get gas... now that is depressing... stop and got supper... I would have been happier if I had been home to cook... feed dogs, took care of chickens and put two pecan pies in the oven.

making this post short and sweet... a hot bath is calling my name

Tear Jerker moments

Ronnie gave Lskelynn some money to spend when she goes to the World Competition this weekend... she folded her hand around his hand and the money and said,"Granddaddy, I can't take money from you when you take care of my horse every day."  Me and Missy cried... we talked her into taking the money... then she said, "Granddaddy, you've been worried about my spurs being so old that they might break and mess me up... I'm going to get me some new ones when I get there."
Again, that sweet baby was trying to please her Granddaddy.
We've enjoyed yesterday and tonight of looking at Saban's daddy and all I can say is WOW... we had no idea how talented Saban's bloodline was..posting a picture of Saban's daddy and Pep's too... Lake will be riding Pep because Saban had that problem after his teeth was floated ... better now but she has been practicing on Pep.

Saban's Daddy         Cat Itchi                                                                      Pep's Daddy Smart Lil Scoot



















In both bloodline Smart Little Lena

I love listening to books... but you still need to read them too

I've discovered I'm not nearly as mean a reader now that I'm listening to books.... if I can't get into the story or I feel their writing is lacking... I download the book from the library and listen to a few chapters... I've finished about 3/4 of the books that I've tried to read.  I think I notice the writing style too much.

Afraid of nothing... except spiders

My only grandson is a rebel... or maybe not so much a rebel just not a follower... he does thing his way, in his time, or he'll not do them at all
How many teens do you know that is scared of clowns... I mean Stephen King's "IT" replays all the time on TV and Chucky might not be a clown but he is clown like... any way all my girl grandbabies don't like clowns but when my one and only grandson went to the family retreat with church... What does he want his face painted???? a clown!
But he isn't fooling Granny... I know he just wanted to scare all the girls at the retreat.
He is sort of scary, don't you think?

Windy days and curly hair

I so wanted to go riding today ... the sun was shining and the leaves showered the ground with color but that wind just wanted to cut you into a million pieces.  Horses hate windy days too... they can't hear if something or someone is creeping up on them so they spook at everything that moves... not good if you're on their back
I went out to play with Lexie and when I came back into the house... Ronnie grinned and said.... go look in the mirror.

My hair was whipped into a Dr Seuss type hair do and curls spring out all over... I'm sure glad my hair is short or the comb out would have been painful