It looks like Halloween here!

How about your place??

Creepy

Yesterday we had an attack of "webs". I don't know if these were created by spiders or some other source but whatever it was, I've never seen anything like this.

Ray was mowing and fighting off the webs that blew into his face as he rode along on his mower. And when I took Caitlin to practice, you could see webs falling like rain from the sky onto the ground. We even had them hitting the car as I drove home. Very fitting as we near Halloween.

Quotes

A couple of quotes, I've heard recently, that struck me as compelling.

"It's not until you have kids of your own that you understand what your parents feel for you." - (this isn't reflective of my own parents, but completely describes that lightbulb moment for me)

"You're wearing your wishbone where your backbone should be."

Home Sweet? Home

We had a pump station added to our septic system this week. The idea is that all of the water is pumped away from the tank into the lateral lines with no way for it to return thanks to a trapdoor that closes behind it. I sure hope this is the answer that we've been looking for all these years. We've had many days after it rains where the waste would back up into the tubs and toilets couldn't be flushed because there was nowhere for it to go. This would be very unpleasant and even embarrassing when we had company visiting our house.

This issue was the one thing that made me fantasize about moving to a different home. Could all this mess be a thing of the past? Only time will tell.

Still kickin'

Soccer is in full swing including Cody who is now playing on a rec team in Claremore. He's doing pretty good when he's not recovering from injuries. Minor ones of course.

I took Hayden to his game on Saturday and that was the first time I had seen them play this season. I was surprised at how good they looked out there. Their coach however is hard to please and is unhappy about things most of the time. It makes things less enjoyable.

Caitlin's team is doing very well and has a couple of wins behind them so far. Her coach has done a great job of getting this team to this point and it has been quite a journey these past 5 years. Wonder if he'd be interested in a coaching a '95 boys team. :-)

Poo!

I have felt so heavy and bloated the last couple of days that I go through my day wishing for a good poo. And to top it off, last night I had a dream that I was pregnant. I was happy about it and telling everyone that I knew. Then you know how you have those moments where you remember something about your "awake-real life" and all of a sudden dreamland meets real life? I remembered, while I was dreaming, that I had my tubes tied and then I'm trying to figure out how I could be pregnant. That's about the time that I woke up and thank goodness because being pregnant is not something that I would be happy about. But because I've felt like I'm in my second trimester with this bloatedness that I carry around, I guess had to dream about my ailment. Needless to say, I was at Walmart at 6:30am this morning buying the highest fiber cereal that I could find.

Running is like walking except for the part where I die.

I've been trying to run a mile in place of walking a mile lately. And yes, I'm pretty proud of myself because I've never run a day in my life except for the times when I snuck out of my parents' house and had to run to where I was going because it was miles away and there was no time to waste. The thing that stands out to me, about running back then, is that it took no effort whatsoever. I could have ran forever without having one thought that I was about to die like I do now. But don't ever ask me how fast I can run a mile because it's embarrassing and I don't expect it to ever get any faster. So there!!

All about Wednesday

What a good feeling to have all the laundry caught up. Especially in a household of 6 people. So now I sit here and wonder what I'm going to do with myself today. Probably catch up on some of my reality programming.

I took Caitlin to see her boyfriend, Caleb, at work last night. That was fun because it was this little steakhouse north of Claremore and we made comments the whole time about their fancy napkins (paper towels sitting on the table) and how every time Caleb sat down to talk to us, the owner would yell at him to do something. Caitlin ordered chicken strips and I had french fries. I wasn't hungry and it was the smallest item on the menu. When they brought them out, Caleb had them make me a special plate (they aren't on the menu) of Cheese Fries which are fries topped with shredded cheese and bacon. Delicious.

We had lots of rain yesterday which was the makings for a beautiful day. But when the sun came out later that afternoon, it was not comfortable. Especially if you were trying to watch the RSU soccer game and sitting on concrete bleachers. It felt hotter than it actually was thanks to the humidity and not enough wind. I eventually moved under a tree where it was pleasant except for the game being such a bore. Caitlin's team plays better than what we've seen at Rogers State. But at least it's something to do, close to home, on a night when there is nothing else going on.

The Alpha Cat

My cats have really been fighting the last couple of days. Actually, Abby has been kicking Mojo's ass all over the place.

I often fantasize about a cat named Junior paying Abby a little visit.

Kathy and Kuwait

I love Kathy Griffin's joke about Kuwait. She said that when she stepped off the plane after landing in Kuwait that the entire country smelled like a fart.

"Who farted?"

"Oh... Kuwait did."

I cherish the outdoors

Don't you love it when you go outside and you are walking around in the grass and when you turn and look behind you, you see that you just stepped passed a snake? Yeah, I love that.

School bell time

I'm heading to OKC today (actually, Edmond) to take Caitlin to her game. This will be the toughest game in their league so hopefully things go well. They won yesterday's game 2-1 and that was the second hardest team in the league. So as you can see, today's game will be tough.

The kids have a good week behind them of school and everything is going great. Hayden adjusted quickly to Jr High without much anxiety. Cody will be starting the gifted program soon. I don't know if you can call it a gifted program, it's more like a program that's a gift. They have fun activities that the kids get to participate in and they focus on things that are a little more challenging. Caitlin's year started off sluggish socially but has just been boosted by a recent event that I'm sure I'll cover later. Dylan is in college and seems to be going well. He doesn't complain about classes, just gets done what needs to be done.

So things are great and as you can see, not much more to talk about. But wait until the pool guys show up to put in the pool. Surely I'll have pics and lots of info.

Is it worth mentioning?

I can't believe that I don't have anything to blog about. I mean, I'm actually doing "things". It's just so hum-drum that it doesn't seem important enough to mention. I'm sure no one wants to hear my laundry woes of turning the boys' dirty socks right side out before tossing them into the wash. What about the times that I've grabbed a scouring pad to scrub off the baked on goo from a cookie sheet. And wiping down counter tops and scrubbing toilets is just the cherry on top. Oh yeah. The excitement is too much, isn't it?

My pleasures consist of going to soccer games and watching our teams kick butt, relaxing at home while watching one of my favorite reality tv shows or even doing a little shopping. None of which are worth mentioning. So how's that for excitement?

PGA memories

This past week was completely dedicated to the PGA Championship. I was either there working or I was at home sleeping. It was fun and I'm sure a few of us will have moments of "remember whens" or "remember thats" like seeing Tiger play a hole, our manager Gilbert who took such good care of us, the long hot walk back to the shuttle after standing on your feet for 6 hours, and golf balls flying into the concession. And whether we want to or not, a lot of us won't be able to get it out of our head how much water cost whether you bought 1,2 or 3 at a time.

Working my butt off at the PGA

I've been volunteering at the PGA Championship this week as part of a fund raiser to earn money to help pay for Caitlin's soccer travels this year. I'm up at 4 am every morning to get there by 6 o'clock to start the day. By the end of my shift, my feet hurt so bad they can barely carry me to the shuttle which I ride to get to my car. I'm completely exhausted every evening. But, it's really been fun working with the other parents and I enjoy the interaction with the customers. One nice thing is that golf fans are usually dressed nice and don't have piercings all over their bodies. This is a clean cut community.


I did leave my work station today to get some pictures and try to see some of the pros like Tiger and Sergio. I wasn't lucky enough to see Sergio but I did get to take some pics of Tiger and a couple of other favorites.

Tiger Woods, Angel Cabrera, David Toms and Ernie Ells

Vacationing in Midland

Let's see here. Our first four days in Midland we spent hanging out at my mother and dad's house. It rained at the beginning of our visit so there wasn't much we could have done outdoors. On Monday(that seems so long ago), we went to see the movie, "Hairspray". I thought the music was good, not cheesy like in some poorly done musicals that I've seen in the past. The lead actress was very cute.

We then slipped in a couple of days where we played tennis and I smoked everyone with my "Venus" skills.

We were able to go swimming on Wednesday after our Tuesday swimming plans were thwarted by thunderstorms. Tanya and I did some walking through her neighborhood which measured out to be "forever long", but it was all good. So far the trip has been very enjoyable. Time to buck up and get ready for that long drive home.

Life as it is here...

Ray: Well.... the cows are in the pond so it must be hot.

Home improvements

Ray and I are closing on our equity loan today. Money needed for the new pool we are having put in and if any money is left over... other improvements. I'll be on the hunt for some nice lounge chairs and other pool items. Can you say pool party??

Things done and things to do

I got up early this morning and started scrubbing the kitchen floor. I didn't have to "scrub" much because of this spray product that I was using that is just short of a miracle when it comes to getting dirt out of crevices. I swear Krud Kutter literally makes dirt float to the top of the liquid. It's an environment friendly product and the only place I know of that you can find it is Home Depot. I had a heavy duty scrub brush that I swirled around the tiles just to work up the extra stubborn dirt but that's just about it. I'm going to try it on my shower door along with the Mr. Clean sponge. Someone told me that the Mr. Clean sponge was great for shower doors... soap scum is wiped away easily.

We are going to Texas this weekend and after I get back I'm going to make a strong effort to start eating a low cholesterol /part vegetarian diet. That means mostly plant foods and fat free items. I've got to get my cholesterol lowered before something horrible happens. I want to cut out all meats which means I'll need to get my protein from skim dairy products. I'm pretty sure that nuts are protein so that's another option, except they are higher in fat. I'm trying to come up with some ideas for different types of lettuce wraps. I say this now, but I'll see how far I get with it. I've always toyed with the idea of being a vegetarian. I've done some research and I'm quite sure that I'll have to have the vegan diet that includes skim dairy products because I'm a woman and we do need our dairy!

Most Bunkos!

Margaritas was not the drink served at Bunko. It was wine and I'm not a fan of wine... at all. But it was fun and I did come out the big winner with the most Bunkos!!! I never win at things so I might need to run out and buy a lottery ticket while my luck is on the rise.

Friday Night Fun

Remember when every Friday night was fun and you always had plans to do something with friends? I'm looking forward to this Friday evening. I'm going to go throw some dice with friends in a little game that we like to call... Bunko. Yep that's right. I'm a sub tonight and will be enjoying bunko and margaritas. Only I will be limiting my intake of margaritas due to the fact that I must drive home and I wouldn't want to put my family through a senseless tragedy out of stupidity. So "just say no...after one" is my motto for tonight. And not only will I be enjoying myself but so will Ray and the kids. Ray's friend, Brandon, and his kids are coming over to our house to hang out. I'm excited for my kids. I love when they have something to look forward to, except when they talk about it every minute of everyday until the fun arrives.

Appearances are improving

Ray's Sunday project consisted of some hard labor. He replaced the mulch we had around the shrubs with some sort of pond stone. 54 bags of stone!

We are feeling a little less white trash at our place.

Hurricane Girls rock!

Our weekend at Regionals was more successful than we expected. The girls soccer team made it to the finals but lost to the Dallas Texans, 1-0. It was a good game and with a few new additions to the team, we'll get 'em next year. This team has earned some new privileges and it should be an exciting year to come.

Can you hear me now?

I had gotten used to sleeping alone and when Ray returned from Midland, I bought a new fan to drown out the snoring that comes from his side of the bed. And it does make some noise.

I had the fan turned on high, the tv up loud enough to hear over the fan and was comfortably tucked into bed when Ray entered the room.

Ray: "Wow, that thing's loud."

Me: "WHAT??!"

Ray: "Yeah... TURN THE TV VOLUME UP TO 79!"

Me: "WHAT??!"

And a way we go.

I'm just about done packing to head off to Oklahoma City tomorrow for the Regional soccer tournament. Caitlin and I will be enjoying some soccer, shopping, eating, etc. Robert, a family friend, will be joining us. Should be an interesting weekend. I'll update with scores as we progress and hopefully some pictures.

Good Times

We were in the living room and Hayden was standing near the window, making panting-like breathing noises. I turned to look at him with a "that's disgusting, especially for a 12 year old boy" kind of look and he just starts laughing. Later on Caitlin and I were asking him why he was doing that earlier and again he started to giggle. His comment? .... "Good times."

Rain

Lots of rain this morning. I don't think I've seen it like this before.

Dealing with things

I'm really feeling my age when I walk. If I'm not having difficulty breathing then I think I'm going to die of sweating too much. Maybe it's the humidity. Either way, it's not worth it. And it doesn't help things that I keep making nachos to eat. Today I made nachos and fat free pudding. The pudding balances out the fattening nachos, right?? I thought so.

I need to start posting about some important things that I would want to have on record (as if this blog will be saved for all eternity). I should make a post when I talk to Daddy. Like when he was talking about a book that he could write of poetry. I suggested he write a biography instead but he thought it would be pretty boring, but he was quick to come up with the title: "I Are... A Truck Driver". Recently, his attitude about his life has changed from negative to positive. This is especially remarkable since this change took place since he's been diagnosed with prostate cancer. I'm really glad that he's made efforts to sound more positive about things. Some people just don't get it that you should always re-evaluate your annoying personality traits and make self improvements. I hate when people think you should accept them the way they are. If that's how they are then I don't have much to do with them. Why would I want to surround myself with annoyance?

Cats

Our lovely cats have been doing some interesting things today.

This is Kami using the grass cuttings to cover up her "poo".


And this is Mojo getting some exercise chasing the red laser light that we like to get out for our amusement.

The girls come to Oklahoma

Tanya, Bailey and Bailey's friend, Marlee, came to visit this past week. We spent the day shopping on Tuesday. The boys didn't go because that just isn't their thing. Tanya and I shuffled Caitlin back and forth to soccer practice on Wednesday and left everyone else at home to play games and jump on the trampoline. We finished the visit off by going bowling on Thursday. We witnessed a few strikes and a few spares but no person bowled a perfect score. This was surprising because afterall, Tanya and I did take lessons back in the '70s.
When the week was over, we were sorry to see them go. I hope that they weren't too bored and had as much fun as we did.

Snakes 'N Shrubs

I killed a snake today. My first ever.
But, Hayden wanted to kill it again.





I was working on getting these shrubs planted and when I was peeling back the stuff that keeps weeds from growing, there it was. Caitlin thought it was mean of me to kill it, but my thinking was that it would reproduce and I couldn't have that!!

Anyway, I still need to add mulch to my newly planted shrubs and when that is done, it will look really nice.

Hard at work at home

I've been busier staying at home than I ever could being employed outside the home. I try to fit in a day of rest at least a couple of times a week. If I don't, I'm going to kill myself.

I spent one full afternoon putting a patio set together for the back porch.

Hayden and I worked on getting the yard mowed. He mowed and I used the weed eater to get the hard to reach spots.

I've also been planting flowers which is something that I completely neglected last year. I seriously don't even think I sat on the back porch last year.

Everything outside is looking prettier and it makes relaxing outdoors more enjoyable. My work at home is rewarding and that's more than I can say for being employed.

In the Midst and After

I finally repainted my kitchen.

Or should I say, corrected a paint selection that I mistakenly made a few years back. I wasn't planning on painting but you know how it goes when you just wake up and end up in the hardware store and next thing you know.. you're painting a room. That's just how it happened.

State Champs!

We now have two State Champion players in our household!!

This is the second consecutive year for Caitlin's team to win it and the first time for Hayden's team. Congratulations to both of them!!

Out with the Old, In with the New

We've had our Purple Martin birdhouse for about 8 years now and we enjoy the birds who return every spring to their summer home. This year was the first time that our bird family didn't return and I believe it's because they knew something we didn't know; this humble abode was on it's last leg. And before we were aware of just how urgently we needed to find a new condo for our visitors, the wind assisted with the removal of this old, rusted out shack. The house hung teetered to the side until Ray took the final step of bringing it down. But, before it's removal, we encountered casualties as the house leaned over and spit baby birds onto the ground.

I assembled the the new home and Ray installed it on the pole. I think it looks perfect and any bird should be proud to call it home.

As I sit here now, I can hear the birds chirping their approval of the fine accomodations we have furnished for them and we are hoping that next year they not only return, but bring relatives with them.

2007 Graduation

Well we've succeeded with getting one of our children through high school. We attended the Claremore High School 2007 graduation tonight. The weather was great and the ceremony was nice but it was a little too long for Hayden and Cody.


After a long wait we finally watched Dylan cross the stage to receive his diploma. I hope we get a good picture from the photographer because our seats were not close enough to see him very well. I looked forward to the end where the entire class celebrated by throwing their caps up in the air. They also sprayed silly string at the end and threw beach balls around during the event which was fun to watch.

Abby

You can't crash on the couch around here without an animal taking advantage.

Are you smarter than a third grader?

Caitlin, Cody and I were eating dinner out tonight when I spotted a painting hanging on the wall and I couldn't place where I had seen it before.

Me: "Where have I seen that picture before?"

Caitlin: Shrugs.. "I don't know."

Cody: "Oh that's a painting by Henri Matisse or it could be Roberto Clemente."

Me and Caitlin: (staring in disbelief at Cody) "What??"

Apparently he learned this in art class at school. Was he right? Who knows. But he named artists that I wasn't familiar with and we were impressed. Kudos to Roosa Elementary.

The Tasks of the Week

This week has been extremely busy and I was only too happy to be confined to my room for most of the day due to having the house fogged because our pets have fleas. I haven't actually seen fleas throughout the house, but I wanted to make sure that if any were lurking around, they wouldn't be lurking for long. I fogged the entire house and stuffed a towel at the bottom of my door to keep from being gassed while I hid out in the only place I had to go today. It already feels pest free and I think the dogs and cats are thanking me with every scratchless moment they have.

I cleaned the garage on Monday and took Hayden to his soccer game that evening. I went to Tulsa and picked up my new computer desk on Tuesday and starting the assembly. I took a break to take Caitlin and Hayden to practice and continued my project later that night, finishing at nearly 1:00am in the morning. On Wednesday I moved the computer to it's new location, including running the wiring from it's current location to the other side of the wall. I had to move files and office supplies which sounds easier than it was. Then I was off to take Caitlin to her soccer practice. I made a point today for all my tasks to be less laborous. I'm exhausted and still have things I need to do, but today was nice and relaxing. I think I'll reward myself with another day of rest. Afterall, a couple of events that made it an extra special week consisted of me almost blinding myself and Caitlin with flea spray and nearly killing my favorite cat.

Somebody is sleepy

It takes a lot out of her being the alpha cat!

Crawdad

Look what I found crawling through the yard this morning. At first glance I thought it was a scorpion and then you can't help but think "a lobster?". :-)

I haven't seen a crawdad in our yard in quite a long time. When we first moved into our house, we had rain by the buckets and so we had lots of crawdads. This season has been very rainy so I should have expected to see them return. When my mom was here visiting one year, we went out to the yard to try and find them, she suggested we catch them and eat them. I suggested we NOT do that.

This little guy was very angry with me for trying to take his picture... I think he snarled.

Much Preparation

Leslie and I spent all Wednesday evening organizing our goods for the garage sale this weekend. Both of us are going to be busy the next couple of nights so this was the only day we had to get'r done. After borrowing a table from a neighbor we got down to work. And now that everything is in place, it's nice to have it all ready a few days ahead of time.

We have so much stuff to get rid of that I'm afraid one day is not going to be enough. We have smaller items marked very low in hopes of getting rid of it so we won't have to haul very much off to good will.

Oklahoma's drought is over

5 inches of rain in one day is more than enough. That's what we received yesterday and more rain is expected today.

Taking baths now have to be minimal and there are restrictions on toilet flushing because the septic is backed up.

I also discovered that our carpet in the living room is wet along one of the walls. I'm sure it's seeping in from outside.

As soon as it dries up a little, we need to get out there and clean that gutter spout.

Mammogram

I had mine today. No longer will I brag that it was no big deal from my first experience from it about 5 years ago. I think I was reciting a prayer while that machine had me in it's grips. And afterwards, as I sat waiting for the technician to check my films to see if I would need anymore pictures (which I did), I noticed that my chest was on fire! Kind of like getting an indian burn when I was at elementary school.

In the next couple of weeks

Ray starts his new job in Texas on the 14th. It’s funny how some things take so long to get done and then the next thing you know, the big day is right here in front of you.

I’m having our garage sale on the 12th. I'll spend the next couple of weeks getting everything ready for that. Look forward to getting rid of junk.

Shopping

I'm taking Caitlin to driver's ed today and while she is in class, I will be enjoying some shopping. Some of my stops today will be Best Buy, the Kitchen store in the mall and Ulta. I'm having a garage sale in a couple of weeks and while I'll be getting rid of some items, I'll need to purchase items to replace upgrade the items that I'm selling.

Busy-ness

Have I mentioned that Ray accepted the job in Texas? We've been sorting through and filling out lots of paperwork. He's seen the doctor for his physical, drug test, etc. So things have been a bit busy 'round here.

Our last high school soccer game of the regular season is this evening and next week is the start of the playoffs. The girls will have to pull out everything they have to make it much further. They've had a good season but I don't think this is the team to make it all the way. I think the boys team has a better shot at state this year. But it's all fun and I look forward to all of it.

Our competitive soccer teams have the real State Cup coming up soon. Can't wait!!

Wax Museum

Cody's school had all the 3rd graders create characters for the Annual Roosa Wax Museum. This is the cutest production that I've ever seen done in school and pictures will never do it justice but I just want to post a few so that you can see a glimpse of what takes place. I even took a video of the end of Cody's portrayal of Albert Einstein. The characters are frozen into whatever position that fits the character.

If you look on the floor in front of the characters, you can see a round black object. This is a button that you press with your foot and the character comes to life and tells you about themselves.

This was fun today.

I guess you can mail anything

While I was standing in line at the post office today, patiently waiting for the next window to open up, I heard the crowing of a rooster; loud and clear and coming from the window at the other end of the counter. I was looking to see who was going to answer their phone with the rooster crowing ringtone but didn't see anything. Another minute or two later, more crowing. And then I heard one of the clerks ask, "When is that truck coming to pick up those birds?" The second clerk answered, "At four o'clock. At least the roosters aren't as annoying as the chickens we get."

Garage Sale

I'll be having a garage sale in the near future so I'm trying to locate items that I no longer have any use for to put up for sale. Leslie and I are going to have one in the next couple of weeks, but probably at her house. We decided that it would be more pleasant and less chore-like if we threw our stuff together for this event. Getting everything together is unpleasant but I'm sure the day of the sale will be somewhat enjoyable.

Rain for Friday

Caitlin's boyfriend, Caleb, came over last night and we all sat around and watched Tristan and Isolde while Caitlin narrated about how every scene was "just like Romeo and Juliet". I was actually more impressed with how she had been paying attention in school to Shakespeare.

It's raining here this morning and is suppose to all day. That wouldn't be so bad except for the fact that all of the kids have soccer games tonight (except for Cody, who doesn't play yet). I'm hoping for no reschedules.

We should hear next week about Ray's job offer. The offer has many approvals to go through and waiting is just one of the benefits he has already been awarded. And it doesn't help that one person doing the approval is out of the country.

I have a doctor's appointment today which I highly dread and can't wait for it to be over. Why...you ask? Because the scale at the doctor's office is mean.

My morning ritual

Remember when I said that I visit Sonic too much? Well, once again I was reminded that I really need to quit or at least go in disguise. The carhop said when she walked out of the door with my order, she didn’t even look to see where it was going. She saw me and just knew. Maybe I shouldn't order the same thing everytime.