New Year's Revolutions

Taking an idea from my dear Sistah here are some of the random revolutionary ideas that I am planning for 2008...We'll see how it all goes!

Finish my reread through the Bible. Seems I missed alot during the first time through. Almost every morning I think, "did I read that before?? I don't remember this part." After the 2nd time through I want to find a really good study. Any ideas will be appreciated.

Take a trip with my Sistah. Yes, if we both put it on our list we will surely do it!

Do a total clear out and review of my wardrobe (I know this amazes some of my family as I'm still wearing things I got in 1970) This will include shoes that I've worn once and hate (but couldn't throw away because of the guilt factor). So if you see me this summer in the same three outfits just ignore it. It just means that I've thrown out all my old ratty stuff and am too cheap to buy anything new just yet.

Ditto on the things in the attic and the hall closet. Things like maternity clothes, boxes and boxes of every piece of paper any child ever brought home from school, random Christmas things that haven't made it down in 18 years, etc. can probably be sorted and recycled. Don't worry, I won't throw anything that could possibly be used by a grandchild should I ever be so lucky to have one!


Find a mission that speaks to my heart and commit some time to it. I'm looking around and there are several possibilities for service. I'm asking for courage and the willingness to serve.

I hope that everyone's New Year is full of beautiful blessings and wonderful surprises! I'm looking forward to the changes and challenges that the new year will bring. Love to you all!

Hot time in the Old Town

Yes, it was ALMOST a hot time in the old town last night here at the Allen household! Seems the Head Poke decided to preheat the popcorn popper for his evening snack...then went into the other room to put on comfy clothes...a few minutes later the cry from the kitchen, "DAD!!!!DAD!!!FIRE!!!" Yep, the ole Whirly Pop was a flamin'. Luckily the trained boy scout, aka Daniel, knew just what to do and had the popper unflamed by the time we ran into the kitchen!!! Whew. Pretty exciting (and stinky). Guess what Dad is getting for Christmas??!!

I'm feeling better!

This made me smile and laugh out loud this morning. It will make you feel better too! Kind of like Egyptian cheerleaders!!

Just Whining

I just have to say that I am sick of being sick. I just don't get sick, but for some reason this year I've had the fever, aching, feeling icky all over, epizooty TWICE. NOT FAIR, I tell you, NOT FAIR!! When I should be out having the wonderful experience of shopping with a kabillion other folks at the mall, NO, I'm home, in bed, overdosing on aspirin and herbal tea. It stinks.

To those of you who are still reading, thank you for listening to my whine. I feel better already for having gotten it out of my system!

Do you know this Eagle Scout?

Yes, it is true! Patterson's Eagle Board of Review was this evening and he passed with flying (pun intended) colors!! We are very proud. Party to follow as soon as all the paperwork gets back from the National Office!!

Me -n- Jon

%1

If I only had the hair!

HUGE SURPRISE...NOT

You Are a Red Crayon

Your world is colored with bright, vivid, wild colors. You have a deep, complex personality - and you are always expressing something about yourself. Bold and dominant, you are a natural leader. You have an energy that is intense... and sometimes overwhelming. Your reaction to everything tends to be strong. You are the master of love-hate relationships. Your color wheel opposite is green. Green people are way too mellow to understand what drives your energy.

What Color Crayon Are You?

Robert Goulet--Sir Lancelot

A moment of silence is being observed.

An update

We are at day 68 of our 90 day journey through the Bible!! Ethan, Daniel and I are still plugging along and staying caught up! I must say I am very proud of my boys-because neither of them really like to read!! I know for myself this has been a great experience- very enlightening. I've found lots of those "I always wondered where that was" passages and also some new favorites. I also enjoy going back to see what the guys marked. (I read first thing in the morning and they read in the evening) It's amazing what things just hit each one of us. If you have the chance, do this study! It is great!

In other news, fall break has come and gone. We had alot of fun going through the maize maze, doing the Race for the Cure (mom and Elizabeth), seeing the Pokes whoop up on Kansas State (boys)and just generally enjoying the break and each other. Those bulbs I ordered from Holland finally made land from their long ocean voyage. It only took a month for them to arrive...The box looks like it got kicked around alot on the trip, but the bulbs seem to be fine. I'll be getting those in the ground this week and getting Grannie's half to her for planting. We're gonna have great spring gardens next year!It has been a busy fall and it really has just started!! Halloween next then that downhill race to Christmas!! eeeeek.

The PROJECT

After months of preparation and anticipation...we proudly present Patterson's Eagle Project!! Today was a long day of digging, raking, hauling, and tamping. It was alot of work but the boys had some fun along with their labor! Patterson was a great supervisor (surprised?) and the pavestone walkway looks great! Now we are all headed for showers, ibuprofen and bedtime!!

The saga continues

We are down now to one car between the three drivers in our house! Last night we went back to Edmond to get a prescription for Elizabeth (Sinus infection) and get some things out of the Escort (which, you remember runs fine but won't stop). One the way home we heard a big "Pop" and the sure signs of a blowout on the van. We were on the turnpike but luckily right at an exit and we s-l-o-w-l-y crept off the road into a parking lot (we're spending a lot of time going slowly in parking lots lately). Daniel got a lesson in changing a tire and we managed to get home on the spare (after a quick stop to air it up better). So today besides the sandman it looks like I'll be figuring out how to get a new tire for the van. I won't be rolling it down the street, not to worry. Patterson will probably be pretty grumpy if you see him today cause he's going to have to give up his car so Ethan can go to work and then share the van (aka ghetto wagon) with me. Of course, sharing the car with me only means that it isn't sitting in the parking lot all day waiting for him to get out of school. It's not too much imposition, really.
Here is the advice from our weeks experiences: 1) Don't go to Edmond anymore this week or you will be walking. 2) Remember that when the world is tilted (and obviously it is this week) you should be very careful not to say or even think "What else??" 3) Today is FRIDAY finally! And things will get better I'm sure!!

Isn't it Friday yet?

I'm still having the same week I was having on Tuesday. Funny how that happens. Yesterday Daniel and I drove to Edmond to see some Directing Scenes in Elizabeth's class. (Hers was FABULOUS, by the way...I'm still crying) Anyway, after class I drove her over to her rehearsal at the dorm building. Dropped her off at the pull through in front and began traveling around the building to exit and head home. As I turned the corner of the parking lot and put my foot on the brake it became apparent that my brakes had vacated the premises. NO BRAKES, NONE, TO THE FLOOR. Luckily I was going about 10mph and the exit to the parking lot is up a hill. We were able to reverse and get into a parking space heading nose out. Whew. Of course it was a faculty parking space, but whatever. So, to make a short story longer, we called in the troops (AAA and Ethan) to rescue us, towed the car to Pete's house and had dinner at Steak and Shake.
Today we have school pictures which is always a treat...three year olds, creepy picture taker person, no moms, you get the picture (and it will probably not be one of them smiling).
Tomorrow I am meeting the "Sandman" to take delivery of a ton + of sand for Patterson's Eagle project which is happening on Saturday. I can only hope I have my car back by then, but if not maybe I'll get to ride in a dump truck!
As the saga continues, I'll keep you updated!

I hate it when I do this...

This morning I got up, got showered and dressed all the while thinking "today is Wednesday, so tomorrow we have school pictures." (I need to figure out what to wear and something to do about my hair, you know). After about an hour and a half it suddenly dawned on me that today is in fact TUESDAY. It's going to be a long week.

I am a Centaur

Yes, yes I am...

You Are a Centaur

In general, you are a very cautious and reserved person. However, you are also warm hearted, and you enjoy helping others in practical ways. You are a great teacher, and you are really good at helping people get their lives in order. You are very intuitive, and you go with your gut. You make good decisions easily.

What Mythological Creature Are You?

Brainstorming

Pete-o just came over this afternoon for a visit before he went to work. He heard I'd made a HUGE batch of vegetable soup and a good portion of it with organic vegetable broth just for him. We had a wonderful visit while he taste tested and have come up with the best idea...you all remember that I am learning to play the violin, right? Well, if you had forgotten, just come by the house some afternoon about 1:00 and it will be very apparent that I am LEARNING (very slowly). Anyway, as my sistah would say, I digress. I also have for many years been praying that the people next door to me would find a wonderful job in another town (preferably Siberia or outer Mongolia) and move there where they would be infinately happy and I would therefore also be infinately happy (because they would no longer be my neighbors). So here's the idea. I need to find a quiet spot to practice my new found bow skills (hee hee) and the spot I choose will just happen to be right under the window of the next door neighbor. I need to practice for a LONG time because I am bow challenged (to say the least). It may sound like cats dying to everyone else, but I know that I am in fact playing Mary had a Little lamb. I figure a few days of my wonderful violin concerto should pretty much seal the deal on outer Mongolia. I'll let you know how it works out! :)

Why do I do this to myself??

There are just some things that should never be purchased by me. This is one of them. I LOVE candy corn and it is fat free and it is little and I just think I should have only one or two (about 29 times a day). So now that I am having a sugar high I think I'll see if I can locate the Polo player (see blog below) and see if his pony needs any candy corn!!!

A beautiful day in the Neighborhood...

Just have to share the wonders of North Rockwell with you all this morning. I just came north past grocery store row and coming down the street was a man... wearing white jodphurs, a billowing white "blouse", hardhat, and cowboy boots. He appeared to be using a Swiffer mop as a makeshift walking stick/polo mallet. Not sure where he was planning to play polo or where he had his pony tied up, but he was ambling along whistling a happy tune and enjoying the sunny morning. The flock of Canadian geese across the street all raised their necks in wonder just as I did! It's going to be a great day!! Have some fun!

Just a preview

  This is the Elodie Lily. One of several varieties of beautimous flowers that I ordered yesterday. Grannie's and my gardens are going to be fabulous next spring if we can just get it all in the ground this fall!!!

It is the Centennial after all...

I know, I know, I just DON'T go to the state fair. It is dirty, crowded, stinky, creepy and all those things. However, it is the Centennial Expo and I'm trying to really do as much celebrating as possible this year. Also, as you can see from the ticket stubs, it was only $1.00 to get into the fair yesterday. (100 pennies, get it? Yes, so did the man at the ticket booth. He was so-o-o-o happy to see three one-dollar bills!!!) Anyway, back to the fair. We arrived with the other twelve billion and two (cheap) people who wanted to be there on opening day. We had corndogs, ice cream (Ethan),and more corndogs (Ethan). Cause that's what you do at the fair. We checked out the "flea market buildings"...amazing what you could buy at the fair should the urge strike. Daniel played one carney game and won an orange rubber bracelet. He had fun so it was worth twice the price of admission! And best of all, we went through the Made in Oklahoma building and saw First Prize jelly, cookies, candy, amazing decorated cakes and of course MANY QUILTS! Beautiful Centennial quilts with almost watercolor backgrounds, lots of waving wheat, covered wagons, cowboys, indians, surries with fringe. I was transported back to teeny girlhood and going to the fair with Grandma Pat who loved to do the buildings, all the buildings, until we thought our legs would surely fall off and she never got tired. It was worth dealing with the stinky port-o-potty, corn-dog grease all over my jeans, semi-intoxicated (well, not so semi actually) people dressed in various renditions of fair clothes...think, shirts unbuttoned halfway down and 3 chest hairs showing(eek) or short skirts and high heels (it's the fair...). Barkers yelling, "Hey, doll, c'mere" (not a chance)to see the kids having a blast, a fabulous fireworks display and to remember what it was like to love the fair. It was the fair, the Great State Fair of Oklahoma. Go, it's fun!

Yes, those are teeth!

Yes, those are Dano's teeth...eight of them! And this is what Dano looked like most of today!