My job

Nice work if you can get it...

I got it.

Greatest gig ever.

 Amen.

26. fresh brewed coffee

53. little hugs

79. a crisp apple

179. a well worn quilt

All in a day's work

I was home today.

It felt good.

I checked in with Mom and Dad and they were good.

I spent the morning at the grands' Grandparent's Day.

Aubrie's kindergarten

and Everett's preschool

had a puppet show

at the Chatauqua Building at the park.

Aubrie said it was at the

Chicago Building.

(She has a little Grandma Toots in her.)

They rode the buses there and 

me and the other grandma, Ruby

met them.

They were very excited.

I may have had a raisin stuck in my teeth.

Odd since I hate them and never eat them.

What in the world.

Help me.

Is that a filling?

Someone call a dentist.

Perhaps it is a fly.

Yeah, that is a better option?

sigh

Let's go with a flaw in the camera lens.

I came home and fed the men crockpot stew.

The girls stopped in to work on Ethel Edith stuff

and I got some baby love.

I got some Caroline time too.

I started meat in the pot for supper.

I had big plans to finish things

I wanted to do.

Put out pumpkins on the porches.

Pick through junk for some old keys 

I know I have had for years

for a necklace project.

Laundry,

workout,

bathe dogs,

yard stuff...

Stu asked me to watch a grain bin 

that was drying corn

and then transferring that corn

through a tube system

to another bin.

 

I had to listen for the loud stirring noise to stop.

Then, when it had, time it and check it again and again.

I checked the level by banging on the side of it

and listening for the sound of where it was inside.

Luckily, I have ears like a bat.

Large and hair-less?

No silly, highly sensitive.

It took  several cycles of this process.

After the level was at a designated spot, I shut it down.

The fans are ginormous and very loud.

It isn't a bit scary. 

I am trained.

I flip switches daily.

No "clap on" for me.

I got it shut down and reported back that 

everything was a-ok. and

I had shut the transfer part down.

Stuart called back

to have me check the fan to make sure

the heat was off.

Back out across the lot.

Yup, it is off.

I get busy

and he calls again.

Can you see what the gas level in the tank 

for the dryer is?

Back across the lot to check that.

He called again.

I told him

Hey, I didn't stay home today 

so I could be the Bin Bit**.

That  shut cracked him up.

He thinks I am funny.

Blinded by love, the man is.

Eventually I got everything 

I wanted to get done, all finished up.

All in all, a great day.

256. Maggie is going back to work and I have a hairdo scheduled.

243. a good crockpot

235. a fun husband 

What I Know For Sure 15th Edition

1. If you tied me up and left me to sit beside a grain bin with the fan running, I would go crazy from the noise of it.

2. You can keep leftover lasagna warm in a crock pot in the shed until a trucker picks it up for the field lunch. 

3. I am in love with my flannel pajamas.

4. I love Project Runway but I have never liked Heidi Klum.

I think Michael Kors looks like an old bloated woman. Just sayin.

5. The pecan pie scented candle from Walmart is really good.

6. I miss Aubrie now that she decided to grow up and go to kindergarten.

7. God always knows what I need. His time frame is better than mine, but sometimes I forget that fact.

8. Washing your car and then driving through a flock of blackbirds

defeats the purpose of washing your car.

9. October is the month my gang gets their prank on. We have to schedule a planning meeting. We are way fun.

10. Tide Sport gets rid of diesel smells in a farmer's clothes.

11. As the fields get emptied, the mice try to inhabit my house.

12. Bounce dryer sheets scare away mice.

13. Fall in IL means one day it is 63 degrees and 78 degrees the next.

14. I am a little mad at facebook.

15. I was on the phone with Dish Network. While waiting for the screens to load I learned they feed cotton seed to cows in Texas. The Dish support person learned all about feeding cows sileage where I live. He may send me a facebook friend request.Or not.

16. Baby Ollie is chubbing up. Her mom is thinning down.

17. I am having a hard time giving up flip flops and capris.

18. I am celebrating my love of hoodies.

19. I kicked my Diet Coke habit out of town.

20. Corn drying in the bin smells really good to me.


126. hugs from Dad
125. blog comments
160. old pictures 

Awesome!

 I have great news.

Mom and Dad are moving 

into the new assisted living residence in town.

We visited and looked at other options.

I prayed that whatever was the best choice

would be the only plan that would work out.

God hand picked this option. 

This was the only one where things lined up .

My siblings and I feel so good about it.
Mom can have help and Dad will be safe.

The folks have to have TB tests 

and then they are moving in.

I guess TB is a possibility 

here on Walton's Mountain.

Who knew?

They are both really excited.

Dad may or may not think it is a condo in Branson.

Ha ha.

Just kidding...I think.

It is absolutely beautiful.

These are pictures of Mom and Dad's unit

with the facility's furnishings.

They will bring their own.

We all think we want to live there.

We have been shopping for new recliners 

and some other new pieces.

Maybe we need a sleeper sofa?

Or two.

Really, 

it has a theater with popcorn machine,

hair salon,

spa,

activity/workout room,

 indoor fireplace

with pool table and tv area,

full-on buffet,

laundry service, 

cleaning service,

and wonderful courtyard

with an outdoor fireplace

just off their patio

with no access to the outside.

Safe and secure.

 (That is the Lord's prayer on the plaque.

My nephew's masonry company built it)

 

See what I mean?

Now you wanna go too, right?

We are trying it for the winter

with hopes 

that they love it enough to stay.

We have somebody lined up 

to stay and watch over the farm.

I think it is going to be grand.

I love when God's plan comes together.

Thanks for your prayers.

We appreciate them so much.

*all photos from Villas of HollyBrook facebook page


134. movie popcorn
255. God's voice
244. falling leaves 
197. a gentle rain

life right now

They are on a roll.

 

I have become meals on wheels.

 

Her mommy goes back to work this Thursday.

I officially get to start keeping her on Friday.

Finally, I won't have to share.

Except for some lap room.

I am ready for some rocking 

and some reading,

some poop, some spit-up

and a whole lotta kissing.

Sweet!

238. hoodies

254. pecan pie candles

132. a creaky porch swing

127. shopping with my sisters 

Toots-isms

My mom is named Ethel

but everyone calls her Toots.

She says words all wonky.

She has done this for years.

We call them Toots-isms.

Usually they are hilarious.

Dinosaurs are deno-zowers.

Tylenol is Tidenol.

 Pimento cheese is pepperminto cheese.

She consistently calls Dollar General

the General Dollar store.

The sink is the zink.

Sometimes my sisters and I 

morph into her.

My sister Linda has come down with the 

Toots-ism bug.

We were having a discussion about

Dancing with The Stars.

She said they aren't famous this year.

At least last year they were celebrities 

who had been famous...

like Christy Allen

That would be Kirstie Alley.

She talked about the new season of 

Two and A Half Men.

She wondered if the replacement of

Charlie Sheen 

with Ashlin Kirchner

(hmm....Ashton Kutcher ) would be good.

I was cracking up 

and she knew she was now blog fodder.

I think it runs in the family.

Remember my whole restaurant fiasco?

Or the medical jargon faux pas?

There is probably little hope for us.

I am pretty sure it's generic.

Or genetic.

 

 

Trusting

The last two days we have had lots of family time.

 My cousin, Vickie from Oklahoma

is here for a quick visit to see Mom and Dad.

Mom and Dad really enjoyed the fun.

 

 

Sometimes situations in life are about as

 pleasing as a turd in a punchbowl.

Stupid Alzheimer's or

in Vickie's case, it is cancer.

But, she has the spirit of a badger.

She is in it to win it.

We have faith.

And faith is necessary 

to victory.

We gathered at the folks' house.

We had a great time.

We ate.

 

 

We played.

We bedazzled pumpkins.

 

 

Some bedazzled themselves. 

We snuggled babies.

 

 

 

 

 

We soaked up the love.

Please keep praying for my dad and mom.

Please add Vickie to your prayers.

We know Jesus hear our cries.

We trust he has a plan.

And while we wait 

we have each other and

a whole lot of love.

Counting blessings.

 
Big guys and little girls

make my heart sing.

Horsing around.

• I went to a horse auction in Amish country with Mom, Dad and Jackie today.
• Unfortunately, Maggie had my camera because she had a niece born last night and wanted to borrow it. I missed some great photo ops. I used my Blackberry and they were not good.
• I could have bought a number of horses or mules for anywhere from $20 to $40. 
• I used to sell pug puppies for $400.
• Jackie and I agreed we were glad it wasn't a dog auction b/c we would have been in trouble.
• I grew up riding ponies and using  pony cart every day in the summer.
• When I was in college my oldest part pony/part horse died. Trixie was 26 years old. She was black and white.
• There was a black and white mule I wanted badly. I would have named her Trixie.
• There were several small ponies that would have fit in Mom and Dad's van.
• I texted Stuart "should I bid?"  He thought I was serious.
• When Ollie is old enough to use a pony for therapy. I will hook her up.
• When I was in high school I played in a donkey basketball game. My donkey laid down and wouldn't get up. I just couldn't get my ass in gear. It was a blast. 
• There was a chunky cowboy showing several of the horses. He had a "sweet" ponytail. I told Jackie "there you go, I think he is single". She said " Obviously". Ha.
• Every time we go to lunch Dad tries to give the waitress a $100 bill. First when the salad comes and then when the drinks come.
• Today, I put gas in their van and he gave me $5. 
• He tried to pay for my niece's gas yesterday when she filled her Suburban.
• Dad does make me laugh. He has an antique cultivator in his yard. When I took him to town yesterday we drove past it and he said "I sure wished I had a cultivator like that in my yard." I laughed and told Mom "Well , dreams do come true."
•   They had a great day and Jackie and I had one too.

Fashionistas

Today I caught up with Reta.

We had time for a quick chat before 

she rushed off to work  nap.

 You can read about her earlier interviews

on the sidebar under Reta.

Stella was also present,  but seemed a bit distant.

 

Hello Reta and Stella.
How are you enjoying the nice fall weather?

 

 

Now that the cooler temps have arrived, 

everyone is talking fall fashion.
All Spring and Summer you have looked 

so hip, so sexy and never desperate.

What do you have in mind for your autumn look? As a practicing nudists, 

how does the cooler weather affect your style?
How do you shake up your image

when you don't do clothes?
 

 

 

Stella, I see you have gone the "old school" route

and did the "Frost and Tip" highlights.

 

 

 

But Reta , don't you think you need to embrace a new look for the changing season? 
Maybe a scarf or a hat? 
People expect you to be on the cutting edge. 
What is your reaction to this?

Aw, most excellent. 

Coral is the "new black".

Point noted.
Ladies, thank you for your time 

and I bid you farewell.  

249. holding my dad's hand

117. babies sleeping  on my chest

44. a full night's sleep 

253. time to be silly

it's all good

I have had a good couple of days.

Yesterday,

a room re-do with Annie for an Ethel Edith client

and time with Miss Ollie.

She has a new tooth.

Doesn't she look tiny?

She really is still tiny.

0-3 mos clothes at 7 months old.

Harvest has started

so has the meals on wheels.

I forgot to take my camera to the field.

But, I will get pictures of the farmer man.

Today it is raining...

so no meals to the field.

Yay.

I really don't love cooking anymore.

Wish I felt the same about eating.

Today,

Maggie and I took her girls for

Caroline's  2 yr. old wellness check.

She is doing great.

wow, how brave am I??

My hairstylist daughter needs to get off of maternity-

I need a "do"...

 and apparently a dentist. 

Jealous much?

A little shopping,

lunch out, then

napping babies.

Life might be a bit messy

but it is still grand.

Hakuna Matata  my friends.