TeeHee...Guess What?

Guess what...guess what...guess what?!?! Bet you can't guess!! Okay...okay...we got a phone call from our account rep with the TVLB...WE HAVE AN ACCOUNT REP AND ACCOUNT NUMBER!! WOOOHOOO!!! We are getting so close I can almost taste it!! I am so ready for this!! I am so ready to start this part of our lives. You ever have that feeling that something is just...right? Well, that's how I feel about this. There are parts of me that are scared as HELL, but the part that feels right about it has beat "the fear" into submission and at the moment "the fear" is sitting in the corner eating its hair. "And you will stay there until I tell you to come out"!!

How Now Brown Cow...

I am smitten...I have fallin' in love with the brown cow that we saw Saturday at the property. So I decided to give it some affection by playing around with it's picture in photoshop. Here is the SOOC (straight out of the camera) shot, Photo#1:

But I think the little fellow needs a little photoshop lovin'. For Photo#2, I thought it he needed a little more brown...it's a good color for him.

I call Photo#3"Framed". It is a built in action in photoshop.


Then I thought...hmmm...let's keep the frame and add a toned action that I downloaded. Photo#4:

I like this, but kind of think the frame is cheesy.

Then because I am so in love with this bovine beauty that for Photo#5 I thought he could use a softer light.

Awwww...now that is beauty...but I still think I like Photo#2.

Which one do you like best?

Putting Flesh On The Bones Of Our Dreams

We went out to the property today. The contract is still with the Texas Vets Land Board, but the current property owner had three of the property lines cut this week. We decided to go and check it out. Also, I really had no idea how big 31 acres is. I know that our current house is on one tenth of an acre, so it would take 200 of our house plots to fit in our 20 acre piece. That's a lot...and a little unfathomable to me. Until today. Holy cow!! My hip bones are KILLING me! I thought at one point my legs were going to give up and tell me to come back for 'em. But, now I know. So...without further ado....drumroll please....and the pictures are...


This picture is at the front of the property, closest to the street, looking out across the left property lines. There is ground water right in front of me. You can see some of it in the bottom left of the picture.

This picture is in the same spot looking across the 31 acres.

And then we had visitors. These guys were on the other side of the property. They were the only thing that kept me from curling up into a ball and crying about how bad my legs hurt. They were as curious about us as we were about them. Perhaps they couldn't understand why the bi-ped was crying and whining, and moaning. I love cows.

I love cows...they're cute...and tasty.

My Favorite Children's Books

When I was a child I LOVED to read. It was one of the ways I escaped. I didn't have to deal with the rest of the world. These are some of my favorites. The book descriptions are from Amazon.com.


An affectionate, sometimes bashful pig named Wilbur befriends a spider named Charlotte, who lives in the rafters above his pen. A prancing, playful bloke, Wilbur is devastated when he learns of the destiny that befalls all those of porcine persuasion. Determined to save her friend, Charlotte spins a web that reads "Some Pig," convincing the farmer and surrounding community that Wilbur is no ordinary animal and should be saved. In this story of friendship, hardship, and the passing on into time, E.B. White reminds us to open our eyes to the wonder and miracle often found in the simplest of things.

This was my all time favorite. I cried every time I read it. Yet I still read it.

It's no wonder the people of Applesap prefer the shiny, clean, new Super Queen to Jiggs' Drug Store. In addition to gloomy old Mr. Jiggs himself, Jiggs' has a roof that leaks, four battered chrome stools, fierce old Miss Toonie behind the counter, and cats -- a beat-up, cringing crowd of cats rescued from the streets of Applesap by Miss Toonie. Fortunately, Jiggs' also has Melba Morris. Melba may be shy, but she's not going to let Jiggs' go out of business and the cats end up in the pound. It's not until Melba discovers the surprising secret about what Mr. Jiggs and the cats are up to late at night, though, that she comes up with a plan that just might save the day!

I always imagined that our house full of cats was like the Jigg's Drug Store. Although I could never get them to keep the tutu's on.


Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle has been wildly popular with children and adults for over 50 years. Children adore her because she understands them--and because her upside-down house is always filled with the smell of freshly baked cookies, and her backyard with buried treasure. Grownups love her because her magical common sense solutions to children's problems succeed when their own cajoling and yelling don't. For the child who refuses to bathe, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle recommends letting her be. Wait until the dirt on her body has accumulated to half an inch, then scatter radish seeds on her arms and head. When the plants start sprouting, the nonbather is guaranteed to change her mind about that bath.

I always pretended I was the little girl who had to hurry up and complete her chores because the evil witch would punish her if she didn't. Wait...that was real. My step-father's mother was a piece of work if things weren't done the way she wanted.


Leroy Brown is back in the next six books in the Encyclopedia Brown series. As Idaville’s ten-year-old star detective, Encyclopedia has an uncanny knack for trivia. With his unconventional knowledge, he solves mysteries for the neighborhood kids through his own detective agency. But his dad also happens to be the chief of the Idaville police department, and every night around the dinner table, Encyclopedia helps him solve some of the most baffling crimes. With ten confounding mysteries in each book, not only does Encyclopedia have a chance to solve them, but readers are given all the clues as well and can chime in with their own solutions. Interactive and fun—it’s classic Encyclopedia Brown!


I liked to think these would make me smarter. But if you have ever read these you know that the solutions...they are rediculous. For example, Bobby couldn't have committed the crime because he's left handed and we all know let-hander's can't pick their nose and commit a crime at the same time. Plus...it's a full moon.


Passed on from babysitters to their young charges, from big sisters to little brothers, and from parents to children, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing and its cousins (Superfudge, Fudge-a-mania, and Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great) have entertained children since they first appeared in the early 1970s. The books follow Peter Hatcher, his little brother Fudgie, baby sister Tootsie, their neighbor Sheila Tubman, various pets, and minor characters through New York City and on treks to suburbs and camps.


These were my ABSOLUTE favorite's. Period.

Hallelujah and Pass the Venison!!

HUNTING SEASON IS OVER!!! WOO-HOO!! Now all we have left to do is process the last few deer, and throw a sausage making party!! I am just happy that I can now have my husband home for an entire weekend. Now we can get some stuff done around the house. I mean there are only so many places that a 5'2" person can reach without creating the space for potential bodily harm. Not to mention the fact that when no one is around...all I want to do is knit...and sleep...definitely sleep.

Speechless

There are so many things I would like to say about these pictures. But none of them would do justice. The first is a picture of Doug and his mother. They are looking at the Gulf War Memorial, in the George Bush Library, that Doug helped with. The quality is not so good, but I think that the content makes up for it. The second, still poor quality but great content, is Doug, his mother and his brother. I don't think I can ever fully explain to him how much I admire him.

Coconut Macaroons

If the world were to about to come to a tragic end, and the fate of the world rested on my having to choose one favorite cookie, I am sorry to say that it would be the coconut macaroon.

These are without a doubt my favorite cookie in the whole wide universe. I love them. But in the store they are pretty expensive...or at least more than I want to pay. This evening, in the midst of a sweet tooth fix, searching for the perfect brownie recipe, I stumbled across a recipe for coconut macaroons. There it was, plain as day and simple as pie. The rest is history. I feel as though my life is complete. Well, not really, but it's pretty darn close now!

Coconut Macaroons (From Taste of Home Cookbook)

1 1/3 Cup Sweetened Coconut Flakes
1/3 Cup Sugar
2 Tbsp All-Purpose Flour
1/8 Tsp Salt
2 Egg Whites
1/2 Tsp Vanilla Extract

Combine coconut flakes, sugar, flour, and salt. Mix together then add egg whites and vanilla extract. Spoon onto baking sheet by tablespoon. Bake at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes until golden brown.

Yield: Enough for me..or about 1 dozen.

It can not get any easier than that. Now I am going to go and cancel my appointment with the psychologist. I don't need them now.

P.S. I don't really go to a psychologist...anymore...just in case you are wondering.

Just A Spoonful Of Sugar

Never let it be said that I haven’t had my head examined!! Today, I went to the doctor. I have had a headache for about four days straight and have had enough. The doctor took some x-rays of my head and I am the proud owner of a serious sinus infection. Sadly, there is no return policy. I checked. Apparently, the congestion is so bad that you can not distinguish the difference between my bones and the goop that is currently taking residence in my cranial cavity. I hate being sick! Like most people, I am not very nice when I am sick. In fact, the only thing that improves when I am sick is the creative ways I can come up with to severely hurt people. But, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and it is not a train. It’s called drugs. WOOHOO!

Deer Hunter

Since we are coming up on the last weekend of hunting season and I am trying to move the few posts I have from myspace over here, I wanted post the story of my first deer hunt.

My First Hunt
An event occurred in my life that was a "right of passage". An event that it dawned on me that I could write about. Those of you who know me, know who I am and where I stand on things. You know that I am not very squeamish about things…except spiders and roaches. But there are some things that occur in your life that make you question why you feel the way you do. That doesn't mean you'll change your mind, but it also doesn't mean you won't. But you stop….and reevaluate.

Doug and I had decided long ago that I needed to kill a deer at some point. I understood the logic, I have to know that if it came down to it in a primal way, I could do what had to be done to make sure there is food on the table. I get that…I just didn't know it would be this day. We were headed out to Mason, TX for the weekend to visit my Dad and stepmom. We took my rifle….just in case (those of you who know me also know there is never a shortage of guns around). Doug told me that my Dad had mentioned wanting to take me out to the blind this weekend. I didn't think that I was ready (and hoped that I had gotten out of it by not having a license – but as anyone who has ever lived in Texas for any extended amount of time knows that buying a hunting license is like picking up a pack of gum at your local convenience store). Short of stepping out the vehicle and trekking back home 70 miles, I wasn't getting out of it. Of course, I am exaggerating. All I had to do was say "no". But I didn't. I understood what my dad wanted. He wanted to be the one with me on my first hunt. There were so many things that he missed out on when I was growing up. This was one opportunity he didn't want to pass up. And to be honest, after all of the years of a dysfunctional relationship and starting to build up a new one, I didn't want to pass it up either. So I sat there, thinking. What would my reaction be, what if I missed, would my dad be upset?

That afternoon we went out to the blind, got in, and loaded up. I won't go into all of the details of the next 45 minutes, but we saw several does, and we sat there watching them eat…then he stepped out. A beautiful buck. If you have ever had the opportunity to watch deer in the wild, they are magnificent creatures. Almost regal. My dad asked if I wanted him. I said "okay" and raised my rifle. At this point I wasn't thinking about anything else but getting my scope on target. Then all that ran through my head was Doug’s instructions. I dropped the sight and aimed at his neck, inhaled, exhaled and pulled the trigger. I didn't think I got him, but I did. My dad turned to my with the proudest look in his eyes and gave me a high five. I walked over to the animal and immediately gave my thanks to it.

I don't want to go into the details of what happened next. But I do want to say a few things. I now am of the strong belief that anyone, child or adult, who has killed their first deer, should not have to look at it beyond pulling the trigger. I have processed several deer before this day and was NEVER bothered by it. But I watched this beautiful defenseless creature ( I say defenseless for a reason) that I had taken the life from, be systematically processed. And it was different from any other animal I had seen harvested. I don't regret what I did. I am proud that I was able to do it, I just wish I hadn't. I hope that makes sense. I don't know if I will hunt again. Who knows? Maybe I will when the images are not so fresh in my head. Maybe I will never hunt again. And I am sure that there may be some people out there that think I am a wuss for feeling this way. That's fine. Opinions are like assholes, everyone has one and they all stink. But in my own way this blog is my tribute and "Thank You" to that buck that became my "right of passage" and allowed my father and me to have one of a few father/daughter moments together.

Chickens...

Saturday I took my happy little self to Home Depot to get prices so that I could do an estimate on the chicken house and run. Let me tell you, I hate being a female going into Home Depot. Even worse...a female walking around looking for prices to build something the "guys" are pretty convinced you can't build. Bite me! I'm estimating that to build a 12x12 chicken house (with chickens) is going to run $1,500 - $2,000. Not bad. I am just happy I got that part of the project done.

Everybody's Working For The Weekend

I can not begin to explain how happy I am that it is FRIDAY!!!! Don't get me wrong, I love Friday's, but for some reason I am really really happy that today is Friday. Perhaps it's because we don't really have anything planned for this weekend. I have things to do, but it's kind of "fly by the seat of your pants".

Tomorrow morning I will be going to Home Depot to price the supplies for the chicken coop. hehe...chickens!! Then I need to get some grocery shopping done, and then there is knitting, crocheting and sewing. That's about it. Oh yeah...and reading. And of course, I will cook something. I am hoping that it will be cold enough for soup. MMMMMM....gumbo....

Geez...maybe I need to make a list.

Quote for the day:
"Never go to a doctor whose office plants have died."

San Diego Here I Come!!!

WooHoo!! I am going to complete one of my resolutions early in the year!! Doug and I are going to San Diego at the beginning of February!

Resolution #573 - Take a trip somewhere that I have to fly to get there. (Actually it's #4, but who's counting)

Done and done!!

I can't wait to take my new camera and take pictures and then see what I can do with them in Photoshop - you know, given my mad photoshop skillz. Actually, I am most looking forward to going to the zoo! I am not, however, looking forward to the possiblity of experiencing an earthquake. That is definitely NOT on my resolutions list.

Baby Hat!!

I FINISHED!!! In one evening...hehehe. Here is a picture. I know it's not an heirloom item, but it was made with a lot of love. My niece really is the first baby that I have fallen in love with. It's kind of weird and creeps me out a little that a baby could make me want to have kids.

P.S. Thanks Honey, for the use of your hand!

Knitting Things...

As I mentioned yesterday, I have been doing quite a bit of knitting and crocheting. So I thought I would include a few pictures of what I have been able to complete.

Below you will see the crocheted market bag (with and without contents). I know its color scheme is not fabulous, but I made it scraps from coaster projects:


I finished Doug’s hat last night:


And here is a picture of the very first hat I every made!!


It’s a trick of the eye. Separate, they look the same, but when you put them together, you can tell that Doug’s head is much bigger than I thought:



Tonight I will be making the hat for my niece so that I can send it off to her. I hope she likes it. Actually, I just hope she doesn’t puke on it.

Ramblings...maybe

So I've finished flogging myself...I'm finding it very difficult to type...I should have thought of that.

Well, we have sent off our second contract for the property!! Now we wait. The TVLB made changes to their application process just as we finally got the survey completed (about two months!!!), so we weren't able to get it in on time. Therefore, we had to complete a new application. Then the holidays rolled around, and the TVLB was closed. Are you seeing a pattern? Normally, I would be very discouraged by all of this, but a saying comes to mind. Anything that is ever worthwhile is never easy.

I am very excited about 2008!! Being a good little list maker, I have certainly made my list of resolutions!! I won't share them here, but it is a pretty significant list. I also think that there will be a lot of changes and new things!! It's will be fun and scary, but worth every second!! Yeah!!!

I have been doing a lot of knitting. I recently completed a crochet market bag. It came out much bigger than I thought. Note to self...you could carry a baby in there. Then I purchased some knitting looms. I want to be able to make little market bags that customers can purchase at my vegetable stand to hold their produce. Yet, I have only made hats. Hhhmm. Actually, I made my first hat! It was supposed to be for Doug, but I should have known he had a big noggin' and it wouldn't fit. That's okay...I know someone that it will fit perfectly! I have decided that I am going to make my niece a cute little hat instead of the bably blanket I have been working on for 5 months. I think I will actually finish the hat...maybe...

I would like to leave you with this thought...
"To put the world in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must put the family in order; to put the family in order, we must cultivate our personal life; and to cultivate our personal life, we must first set our hearts right." ~ Confucius

Disgusted...

I have no excuse. Life in general is what has kept me from posting. But I PROMISE...that I will have an update soon. Most likely this evening...once I finish flogging myself.