SNOW!

Quick snap on the iPhone from Wednesday morning. It does not snow in Texas in December, especially on the second day of December! I could not believe what I was seeing out the window. The dogs could not believe what they were seeing when they went outside. It was so pretty, didn't last long, and didn't make a mess. Of course, no chance of making a snowman either. :-)

Better look quick

Because I don't know when you will see this again. In the photo: Chris, me, Cay, and Mike. Yes, me. In a Turkey Trot t-shirt. What you cannot see is the other 36, 996 people who showed up today to walk (or trot, or even run) to benefit the YMCA. And it was fun! There were several bands playing and singing along the way, lots of strollers and dogs and families walking together. Our group was actually 8 strong, though 2 of the participants decided to run - silly girls. As soon as we got to the finish line (no running through ribbon with our hands in the air) we headed to Cat's house for turkey and much more food than can even be described here. Yum. Then we played Back Seat Drawing. Absolutely hilarious. Now it is time for bed.

Sweet puppies

Hanging out in the craft room the other day working on Christmas projects and turned to find this. Isn't it sweet? What good friends. . .they would have to be good friends to sleep butt to butt, right?

Out and about

Cat and Mike took Cason to a carnival last weekend. This is how he rides in his stroller - he does not want to miss a thing. I think he is practicing driving already.

Little Punkin

We took Cason to the pumpkin patch at Calloway's Nursery. He really thought the hay looked tasty. We strongly discouraged that as a snack option. And for some reason, the whole pumpkin thing was very funny to him. He is definitely entertaining.

My New Office

I returned to the working world with Keller Williams - this time out in the country.
This is the front of the Celina Office. Very cozy and home-like. The agents are wonderful.
This is the view to the west. Farmland. The train goes by twice a day. I like trains.
This is the view to the east. A barn, a pasture, and trees. Very country.
And here are the back door neighbors. They thought I had an apple for them. Next time. . .

Bama Beach Vacation Part 1

We had a glorious week in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The house was fabulous and the beach was ours. No one else was there. Here are a few pictures - next post will be a slide show if I can make it happen. Chris tried to teach me some camera stuff so I played with f stops. That was lesson #1.

The boardwalk was directly across the street from our house. It was like a movie set!

Aunt Cay is the baby-whisperer. She works magic with Little C.

So Not the Typical Grandmother Part 2

Mother of grandson has decided to make her own baby food. I did this once. Back in the early 80's. It was spinach. I managed to blow it out of the blender onto me, the ceiling, and the walls. Hello Gerber. Dear Daughter (DD) is more organized, so I will help her. Yesterday I did peaches and apples. After washing the apples, I cut them in half and steamed them in a large pot. When they were soft, I scooped out the seeds, scraping really close to the skin 'cause the color is pretty. Meanwhile, I had cut up some peaches and cooked them in a little tiny bit of water. From that point the method is the same: Into the blender, then into a strainer, then into the ice cube trays to be frozen. Meanwhile, the apples drained off a little fresh apple juice, which I gave to Cason in his first sippy cup! Fun day!

So Not the Typical Grandmother Part 1

One day I was telling friend Eileen that I loved to blog. (Not that it is obvious since the last post was when Cason was born.) Eileen responded that I was so not the typical grandmother. I think this is a good thing - what is a not so typical grandmother? For that matter, what is typical? I never knew my grandparents. All of my clues came from aunts and uncles who had grandchildren, and from my own mother when my children were growing up.

Friend Kathy has the perfect not so typical mother/grandmother to her children. My own children are in awe of Cutie. Why? First the name. No Nanna or Grammy here. Cutie! How awesome. Second, Cutie went out 4-wheeling with her grandkids. My own children held that event in such awe that I made a mental note: 4-wheel with the grandchildren when they arrive.

So now I am on a quest to find out what it means to be not so typical - 'cause that is what I want to be! Any ideas out there in blogger land?

The pictures were taken in Cason's nursery in the rocker that belonged to my grandmother. I suppose she rocked her children in it. My mother used it to rock us, and I used it to rock my babies. How fitting that it is being passed down the generations!

Cason and his lights

Our baby is doing much better. He is off of the oxygen, and is finishing up his antibiotics. Today he had an echo-cardiogram to check on a detected heart murmur. That will continue to be watched by his doctor and it is assumed at this point that it will close on its own. He will continue under the lights to improve his jaundice. He is eating wonderfully well and we can't wait to see how much he weighs tomorrow. It still looks like the whole family will be home on Wednesday. Hallelujah!

Caylin took this picture right after Cason was born. He is doing well. Catherine has been able to feed and hold him and lot. Tomorrow he will be moved out of the intense part of NICU and into a different room. Thursday will be homecoming day! Hooray! He has not lost weight, is off IV fluids, but still has the IV for antibiotics. He is a little jaundiced, and that surprises no one. He is certainly in the right place for those lights if that becomes necessary. We are thrilled at his progress and so looking forward to Thursday. Thank you for your prayers.

Quick Update on Baby

The report this morning is that our boy took 2 bottles! This is wonderful news as it means no more feed tube, and Catherine can hold him, feed him, and change his diaper. His respirations are still a little fast; overall he is doing well. Keep praying. . .!

He is here!

Here is our beautiful baby boy! Cason was born at 6:57 on March 18 and weighed in at 7 pounds 11 ounces. Apparently he has some fluid on his lungs, and was transferred to NICU. Lots of signs look good - he has no fever and his respirations have slowed to a normal rate. Lab results tomorrow will help tell the full story. Catherine is doing well, just a little upset that she cannot hold the baby or feed him yet. He is strong and we will get past this. I cannot help but think of Hannah and her prayer for a baby - Samuel! He is beautiful and we cannot wait to play with him. Do pray for Catherine and Mike for their peace of mind and strength, and for our boy as he fights to get rid of this fluid and go home to his beautiful nursery.

Sun Dog Zillionaire

If a picture is worth 1000 words. . .this is where our Reese stays most of the day or at least as long as the sun is out. Princess was not sunbathing today. Apparently I had closed a door which shut her off from her usual path to the bedroom. She could have walked around another way, but no. She was miffed and got in her own bed in the laundry room. . .such drama!

Celebrate

No picture on this post, just some random thoughts. We watched the inauguration this morning. Then I decided to make cupcakes - celebration cupcakes. DH wanted to know what we were celebrating. We were celebrating the process. We didn't crown a king today, nor did we rubber stamp a dictator. We did not hail an emperor in a parade and we did not have a civil war to decide our leader. We inaugurated a president. He may not be your choice or my choice, yet the process is the important thing and plenty reason to celebrate! So have a cupcake - they were carrot by the way.

Life with BunaB

Around 1985, we purchased a house in Houston. In the built-in desk drawer I found a small plastic case labeled BunaB. Inside was a set of instructions and a. . .well, the picture is better than a description. The instructions were rather detailed, but I could not figure out what a BunaB really was or what it was supposed to do. Even so, I moved the BunaB with me to Nacogdoches, through 3 houses there, then to McKinney and 2 residences. Yesterday I found the BunaB again in a desk drawer. Since 1985 a few things have changed - we now have internet and Google. So to Google I went for answers. Sure enough, there was an article on BunaB's. Come to find out, Al Crowder invented the BunaB in the 1950's. Apparently he didn't have enough to do, had a bunch of clarinet reed cases (he was a musician), and came up with a use for the plastic cases. You can read more about this on www.samueljohnson.com/bunab/index.html. Anyway, Crowder took the name Orville K. Snav and the BunaB was the flagship product of his company. Yes, he actually sold these. Bottom line: The BunaB does absolutely nothing. Yet the instructions are quite detailed, and again, really say nothing. It is kind of funny. And yet, maybe there is a lesson here. Are we carrying around something in our lives that doesn't do anything, complete with instructions that tell us nothing? Are we depending on the useless to bring meaning? I read these instructions many times before I figured out that it was all a joke. Now BunaB is my reminder about how critical it is that what we depend on for instruction is real. And the real, best instructions come from a book with a single title: Bible. My friend Christy would be much better at making the spiritual connection - she is so gifted that way. And perhaps I am making too much of this - nevertheless, I am hanging on to my BunaB!

Flower Arranging 101

After taking down the Christmas decorations, the house looked empty and boring. What would spark it up? A few fresh flowers!

Flower arranging should be an art that all good southern girls know. My friend Christy gave me a fabulous book years ago; it is like my textbook. So this should be easy. In truth, flower arranging requires a double Masters in Design and Engineering. I have neither. I do have a wonderful son-in-law who gave me a beautiful vase for Christmas. So after studying my textbook and the new Martha Stewart catalogue, I tried copying her January arrangement. Hmmmmm. I will try some more. Meanwhile, my brother looks, just looks, at an arrangement and copies it for his Christmas Eve dinner. Real horns and pine cones and stuff. It looks great! I will keep working and experimenting. And a little PS: one of my flowers was dead by the next morning. Oops. Won't use that one again.