friends and family

The Mole

by Lucky Red Hen on June 24, 2008

…and I’m not talking about the TV show, wish I were.

The other night, when I was at the computer, Piper came over to me and asked, “Mommy, did you buy a mole for Posie to play with?” Not catching what she really said, I stopped what I was doing to look at her and asked her to repeat what she said. “Did YOU buy POSIE a MOLE to PLAY with,” she asked, like I was hard of hearing (which I am, but that’s beside the point).

At this point I (probably scrunched my nose as) I asked, “What are you talking about? What ‘mole’? Where is it?” Sometimes she gets her words mixed up.

As in today when we were watching The Waterhorse. She said, “What’s affirm tie?” What? “Affirminim taaaiiiieeee,” she said slowly. In the movie, they were talking about afternoon tea.

So back to Posie’s new toy. Piper explained that daddy said mommy bought Posie a new chew toy and it’s (points behind the couch, out of view) over there. “What does it look like,” I asked with my furrowed brow (because I’m really not getting what she’s trying to say)? She lays on the couch with her arms and legs bent up into the air and her hands cupped like bowls, looking a lot like a dead cockroach. It was hilarious, so I laugh, then ask her to do it again (while she giggled because I was laughing so hard).

We have a few chew toys for the dog: a 2.5″ stuffed pig with a squeaker in it’s tummy, fuzzy teddy bear and a duck. None of them fit her description, so I got up off my bum and walked around the couch to see.

My.

Gosh.

It’s something I’ve never seen before, and it looked exactly like Piper showed me. I froze in place, not sure what it is or if I’d startle it if in fact it was ALIVE. Then I was sure daddy was playing a joke on me and sent Piper out to be the scapegoat. “Dddaaaaddy!!!!,” I yelled toward the back of the house (really, how am I supposed to do the punctuation with quotations?).?. Honestly, I could’ve just SAID it because the house isn’t large enough to have to yell, LOL.

“What IS THIS?!”

“What is WHAT?” Ben replied.

“Get over here NOW,” I demanded!

He and Jack came trotting down the hall, saw what I was talking about and, nonchalantly, replied, “Oh, that’s the new toy you bought Posie to play with. She’s been chewing on it the last couple hours. Had it on the couch, in her bed, throwing it around the family room. She’s been having a blast with it.”

“I did NOT buy that thing,” I shrieked.

“Then where’d it come from?”

“I don’t KNOW where it CAME FROM but YOU’RE getting RID of it!”

“But Posie has been having so much fun with it. Maybe it’s one of the kids’ toys.”

With my voice raised a few octaves, “No, it is NOT one of the kids’ toys. GET. RID. OF. IT.”

We both leaned over toward it and realized it was a dead one of these…

…in our family room, on the floor, after a few hours of being flung around by the dog.

Everybody, squirm with me…. eeeeewwwwwwww.

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How Old AM I?

by Lucky Red Hen on June 12, 2008

Me, circa I don’t know (8ish, maybe)

Note the emphasis on the AM, not the OLD (although I’m not that thrilled to be aging, either).

I’m not one of those women who gasp when someone asks my age, thinking it inappropriate to ask a lady how “old” she is. However, I don’t tell right away and instead ask them to guess at how old they THINK I am before I tell them.

Now, if the person knows my family (that I’ve been married and have two kids), then they’ll usually guess a little higher. But just off the cuff, I have gotten as low as 26 but usually 28. My excuse for it is that I don’t wear makeup (thus not allowing it to settle into my creases, giving my age away) and I act completely immature for a woman. Psst, I’m fine with that – especially if it makes me seem not so ooold. Maybe I ‘shouldn’t’ be so OK with it, because acting immature is not flattering either, but it’s the lesser of two evils, if you ask me ;)

Two weeks ago I turned 37… for the second time. No, really.

All last year, I guess I was thinking that I was TURNING 37 and instead got it stuck in my head that I WAS 37. So I’ve already been 37 and didn’t have 36. Upon the suggestion of Dustin, Elisa’s DH, I’m going to be 36 this year and resume my real age at next year’s birthday.

Because being 37 again doesn’t give me back being 36, which is closer to 30 than 37 is (see where I’m going?). Some have suggested just being 37 and it’s as if I didn’t even age, but I’m not clever enough to trick my brain like that and already stuck on this new philosophy.

Lisa and I with Gene at Dixie’s BBQ ON my birthday 2 weeks ago.

I have NO IDEA how I will handle 40 (even though Oprah tries and tries to convince me that passing 50 has been the BEST years of her life, I don’t buy it). Y’all might want to start saving your pennies now so we can travel somewhere to give the 30’s a proper burial (like the Mediterranean or Europe).

Q: What’s your take on aging gracefully?

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Grandma Jo and Grandpa Gary

by Lucky Red Hen on April 29, 2008

Lately I’ve been a bit distracted (sorry to those who are waiting on me). Grandma Jo (she’s my bio-dad’s wife, my stepmom and Grandma to my kids) is in a coma. Her surgeries went well, so we’re just playing the waiting game for her to come out of the coma (they took her off the breathing machine recently, she’s breathing on her own). If you’re the praying type, please include her in your prayers for a healthy recovery.

Jo is a lovely lady (even if she weren’t related). Her kindness radiates and you can’t help but feel good around her. She and my bio-dad came into my life when I was 25, and I feel richer because of that. Not that I felt I was missing something, but the addition has been fun. They taught me how to play my favorite game, Mexican Trains (dominoes), and I’m extremely grateful for that ;)

She’s active at her church in Candy Kitchen, NM, line dances on a regular basis, is an avid walker and great entertainer. Not like Cedric The Entertainer, but like having people over and socializing. My paternal grandmother lives in San Diego, CA alone, but Jo and Gary make a point to get over to see her on a regular basis without making her feel incompetent. Jo remembers our birthdays, anniversaries and holidays like clockwork (that’s not my strong suit, so I admire that quality in others). She’s enjoyable to be around, talk to and call a friend.

That’s the snippet on Grandma Jo, but there’s more that involves Grandpa Gary…
Long story short, this is my bio-dad, Gary (I call him “dad,” but some get confused because I call my dad that raised me “Daddy” instead of stepdad). He wasn’t around from when I was 2 until I was 25, but it’s kinda creepy how much alike we are. His sense of humor is similar to mine, we are both dang smart (teehee) and he’s sooo non-drama. So much non-drama that he didn’t bother to tell me about Jo’s recent condition right away (a couple weeks) or how his gall bladder had to be removed in an emergency surgery during all the hooplah. I can see a little why he didn’t want to bother us with the bad news, hoping she’d pull out of it and he could call with good news, but next time (if you’re reading this) I’d sure like to know much sooner than later ;)

Here we are at Sundance a few years ago when they came to visit. We all had a blast (and we played more Mexican Trains than you could imagine, and I could’ve played more).
Piper liked getting cozy with Grandma Jo while watching a movie. I absolutely love Jo’s smiles :)
Piper likes to do this weird face when I have the camera pointing at her. But I loved this one of Jo and couldn’t pass up the chance to show her off.

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Christmas Photos

by Lucky Red Hen on April 17, 2008

We’re way past Christmas (has it really been that long?) and I’m trying to organize this house. Seems that the places I thought would work for things aren’t so I’m rearranging. Don’t even get me started on the garage (looking forward to Ben making shelves so we can find stuff). We still haven’t unpacked everything, so I wonder if my attempts to organize will be shot once we open the rest of the boxes.

Anywho… as I’ve been shuffling, I came across my precious Christmas photo cards and pictures that friends and family send every year.

For the record: I LOVE getting photos from friends and family, anytime of year.

But now I wonder what to do with them. They’ll certainly not go in the trash (I don’t throw friends and family in the trash, thank you). I’d rather them not spend the year in a box somewhere. There are too many for frames (although they all DESERVE a coveted spot in a frame, but I don’t have the space to then put those frames). Not being a fan, the traditional peel and stick albums aren’t an option, especially because I’d like to have them alphabetized then add to them each year.

Ooh, that reminds me of something that might work… but I still wanna know if you have ideas.

I diiiiid see a cutecutecute album thingy that a friend at church made for each of her girls. It was a SUUUPER simple idea, although she did WAY more than my short-attention-span could handle (in a scrapbooky sort of way). Right about now would be perfect for a visual aid, but I don’t have one so you’ll have to use your imagination.

It’s an A to Z book. Each letter has it’s own page. Each page has a picture of the subject of honor doing the particular letter, like: asleep for Sleeping, laughing for Joy, looking cute for Cute, holding a ball for Ball. Then each page had simple lettering added such as “S is for sleeping” applied with the S being a die cut. To finish, each page is laminated (thickly), hole-punched and attached using a simple binder ring (kinda like a skinny metal shower curtain ring) with matching ribbons knotted to it. SOOO cute!

Q: So do YOU have any ideas for the Christmas pictures?

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My Twinkie

by Lucky Red Hen on January 12, 2008

Piper: Mom, where are the Twinkies?

Mom: Why are you looking for Twinkies?

Piper: Because I want to EAT one.

Mom: Why do you need to eat one?

Piper: Pssbttt, because it’s Saturday.

Oh. I guess Saturday is a special day, it’s the day we eat a Twinkie.

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The Whole Gang 2007

by Lucky Red Hen on December 7, 2007

Ben’s entire immediate family, immediately following Thanksgiving dinner (I think it took us 15 minutes start to finish) and immediately at sunset grr. He has two sisters and three brothers (two nephews and one niece with one more on the way). The last group shot we have is on the beach at the Oregon coast before Will was born (Owen wasn’t a twinkle in anyone’s eye at that point, he recently turned one). The next group shot won’t be for at least two years. I know it’s AT LEAST because it was in the low 40’s and we all were freezing. So two years from now when Bryant and Brad are back we won’t take pics during the cold weather; instead we’ll wait until summer.

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See You Later, Bryant and Brad

by Lucky Red Hen on December 5, 2007

Ben’s youngest brothers left today for Chile, South America (first they’re at the Missionary Training Center where they’ll learn Spanish and how to teach people about the gospel of Jesus Christ). They will be there for two years as missionaries for the church. Bryant (on the right) is going south and Brad (um, you should know which one he is left) is going north.

My son with his favorite uncle.

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What Could've Been…

by Lucky Red Hen on September 22, 2007

Lisa found these amongst her moving items which brought on the giggles, gfaw’s and gasps. This was five years ago before the Utah move. We wanted pics together at the last minute and ended up with THESE.

Should I explain that Lisa and I are best friends and COMPLETELY heterosexual? I am married to a man, she is single, 30 and looking for a man. Oh, and she’s fabulous with people (am I her pimp all of a sudden? Maybe and that’s okay), kids absolutely adore her (ask mine if you don’t believe me), smart as a whip and funnier than anyone I know. Check out some more pictures I took of her last year wintertime…

Don’t you love the term “wintertime”?
That may be two words but I’d like it to be
one lovely sing-song sound.

She’s got shorter hair now (shoulder-length) because she donated to Locks of Love (again, this wasn’t her first time) but still has those yummy, perfect-not-too-tight dark curls and is finally out of her adult braces YAY!

Sure our hair styles and extra insulation (if you know what I mean) were laughable but POSING TOGETHER LIKE THAT… WHAT WERE WE THINKING?!? Seriously. Weird. I don’t mind the floating-head-totem-pole one but the laying down one… YIKES!

Q: What embarrassing pictures will YOU post of YOURSELF?!?