Rain, rain, DON'T go away! We've had consistent thunderstorms through last Thursday, with predicted same through at least Wednesday of this week. It's been great for the yard, since we are encouraging the fence ivy to grow and planted a couple of fruit trees last month. My bursitis is not happy, but I can live with that.

Went on a housecleaning spree this 3-day weekend, and our formerly cluttered storage room is now looking fabulous. Boni now has another "man-cave," though it will technically be the common area for art projects. Storage cabinets previously on the patio are now inside the storage room, so our huge patio has returned! I knew there was a nice area underneath all that chaos. The dog is overjoyed, because we leave the patio door open when someone is working in the common area so he can wander in/out freely. The patio is covered, so we are looking at installing a water mister for the summer months (like they have at places like Sea World, on a small scale). It's supposed to drop the enclosed area around 10-20 degrees, which would work out great for the Texas 90-100+ temps.

Alexandria is now pretty much moved into the larger bedroom; she's thrilled with all the extra space. It was supposed to be a summer project, but since we were in the mood, she can soon have friends visit and sleep over during summer vacation rather than having the room in a state of flux. It still needs painting, but now she has time to pick her color out while enjoying the space.

I've taken over her previous bedroom as a personal study area. Eventually it will be repainted as well.

Catherine (kyllo)got her engagement ring back from the jeweler (had her maternal great-Grandmother's diamond put in a new setting), so now she can show off the bling.

Family time: I still win consistently at Scrabble, but Alexandria was only 19 points behind me the last game. She used to get frustrated, but as we told her, the older you get the more words you accumulate.

And that's the 3-day-weekend update.

Tags: family, general

My little one (age 11) occasionally has these contemplative moments where she's worried about us dying (after all, 44 and 52 are ancient in a tween's eyes). Last night, we got into the conversation of how she's concerned that she won't be there for me when I pass away (as in, literally there).

In perfect seriousness, she takes my hand during the conversation and says earnestly, "Mommy, I think more about you getting older than about Daddy, because you have more wrinkles than him."

Tags: alexandria, daily life, death, family

Do you have holiday traditions that are unique and/or special to you and yours?

We like to go and see the lights at UIW (when Alexandria was little, she called them the "Kiss-Me Lights")

Santa always leaves holiday PJ's under the tree for the kids to wear on Christmas morning (one kid is 24, but she still looks forward to it.)

Orange Danish rolls must be part of the breakfast experience.

"Muppet Christmas Carol" must be watched several times before the big day.

Tags: beliefs, daily life, family, fun stuff, holiday

"Doesn't this damn thing go any HIGHER?! Maybe if I stare at it...."

Tags: family, pets

Cold and clear, blue skies with feathery clouds. Nice!

"Black Friday," Alexandria & I went to shop for Mom's birthday gift, and since Santa only had 5 kids in the line.... hey, you're never too old for Santa. Alexandria took a good picture this year, but Boni said my personal camera one was better (they let you do one freebie if you make a purchase, and I carry my camera everywhere). I noted a lot of good bargains to come back to later (nobody shops with me - I work alone. It's a thrill-of-the-hunt thing).

Saturday was our family Thanksgiving, since kyllo couldn't make it in the actual day. boniface's dishes were especially good this year; he did a little experimenting. Cornbread stuffing, sweet meat stuffing w/raisins, yams w/caramelized sauce & marshmallows, sweet corn with a hint of garlic and cream.... you get the picture. The turkey came out great; Mom put it upside-down so the juices stayed in the breast, and the meat was falling off the bone.

It was also my mother's birthday this Sunday, so we celebrated at Thanksgiving dinner (along with Boni's belated one). kyllo bought him this huge, oversized (11" long, 5" wide) TV remote control which he loves. It can be programmed for most TVs, DVD players and VCRs. And it's REALLY hard to lose inside the sofa, although at some point we'll probably find a way.

Sunday was only in the 40s with precipitation. We stayed in and watched "Ratatouille" and drank hot chocolate. In the afternoon, Alexandria spiked a low temp (99° - 100°) into the evening.

Today, home with sick child. No more fever, but a slightly junky cough, so we're nipping it in the bud. On a good note, she was disappointed to miss school.

And so, onwards, to see what the cat is bitching about now. She probably discovered that we just turned off most of the heaters, because that mournful meow is pretty pitiful.

Tags: daily life, family, holiday

Just me and my babe. Boni & I went out photo shooting downtown, which was really fun. He's teaching me composition and how to spot unusual shots and angles. I learned a lot. One thing we did was to take pictures of identical subjects and then compare pictures to see what each of us focused on. You can definitely tell he's the professional artist!

We went to eat at the Liberty Bar, which is a very interesting place because the entire building leans heavily to the left (even the floor is warped and wavy). Not to worry, it's fortified, but it's part of the ambiance. Food's pretty good too, though a bit pricey.

The day was cut short by afternoon thunderstorms, but I got some quiet time to finish reading "Marley and Me." Looks like Labor Day weekend is going to be soggy.

On a side note, Tropical Depression #6 is forming in the Atlantic. Watch 2007_hurricanes for details.

Tags: family, photography
Mood Swing: happy

Have new camera, will clicky-clicky 'til people start running for cover. ;)

Here are some of my first attempts at photography.

Tags: craft, daily life, family, photo
Mood Swing: uploading

Actually, a couple of nights ago, but this is the first time I've had to sit down and record it.

You remember that we recently overhauled our family room into a temple room. Well, in my dream I was troubled about something (don't remember what, it was vague), and I went into the family room. There was my maternal grandfather, seated in the middle of the room in one of the dining room chairs (we inherited the set from his wife, my grandmother). He looked up and saw me, smiled that Mr Rogers-style smile, stood and opened his arms to me. I went to him and we hugged, and all was right with the world again.

Now, the main furniture in this new spiritual-minded room is his reclining chair that we inherited when Grandma died. I believe that's why he manifested in that room, although he was sitting in another chair when I saw him. It's the first time he's "visited" us, though Grandma makes her presence known here and there. It was a wonderful surprise, and good to know that he's around watching over us and seeing his second great-grandchild grow up.

Tags: dream, family, ghosts