Saturday, December 8, 2012

It's ALL about the "..TUDE"

AS IN ATTI...TUDE
Yup
Why should that be such a big deal
well, it just is. For me anyway
I have really been pulling myself together as of late
has it been easy....HELL NO
(to put it bluntly)
 
But I have had some shifts in life and I think it will open new doors
windows
for me
Time to live a guilt free me
so.................if you are on this road with me, it will be bumpy
I am NOT so optimistic to think it won't be hard
but I am more positive
 
so What about Turkmas
IT WAS GREAT, and the balm my soul needed
 
Years ago, well 2006 actually
my son Matthew who was hosting thanksgiving
bought a table cloth that we each signed
year
after
year
 
It is so fun to see what everyone wrote over the years
 
 
as it turned out, this is a precious memory
  
 
It has turned out to be a great, treasured family tradition.
 
I was so lucky, as this November in Utah was WARM
and I was loving every minute of it...not coats, hardly a sweater
 
We got a few pictures of course, well who am I kidding
we got LOTS of pictures
 here is me with 3 of my 5 kids
One son not able to make the trip from Reno
and one in heaven
 
 
It seems to be getting harder and harder to get a photo
with all of us together
 
and...GOOD NEWS ....the son in Reno...he and his wife are expecting
their 3rd baby
in July
Merry Christmas TO ME !!!
 
Here is a grandaughter who always speaks up for the
Turkey leg
(funny, but she used to always call a drumstick, chicken on a leg)
 
 
I helped another son put up their Christmas Lights on the house
 
 
Well, Actually, I just supervised.
I don't climb up onto roofs
I left that up to my DIL and grandson
 
 
even my son doesn't climb up anymore
since his last Clark Griswald incident
 
 After a wonderful ten days with my family
I got off the plane to COLD...brrrrr
this is what my yard looked like
I have my very own "flocked trees"
 
 
And that's when I dig deep and say
attitude wendy, attitude
(I told you it wasn't going to be easy)
 
my porch
 
 
Holy Christmas Tinsel and Frozen Jingle Bells
or reindeer balls
 
But all is well
I got the tree up
Matthews stocking is hung on the banister with care
 
 
I made this for him when he was only 3, and his wife gave it to me
I was so happy he had hung on to it
 
So soon, before we know it
Christmas day will be here
so much going on for all of us I am SURE
 
and If I could send you all a hug
and a Christmas card
THIS WOULD BE IT
 
 
'cause they are just tooooo cool
 

Saturday, November 17, 2012

ZIPPIDY DOO DAH

YUP...THIS IS ME
BEING HAPPY
(tee,hee)
 
There have been some good travels on my road to
Happy
since my last post
 
and funny
but one very sad thing that I found out about
will actually HELP me get there more then I realized
(details not important)
 
 
but in a very strange way it has allowed me to realize
time to move on and BE
 
so putting all that aside
I am headed to Utah to see my kids and grandkids
what could be more zippidy-doo-dah-ish
then that
 
I will be with them for American Thanksgiving
and since I won't be able to be with them for Christmas
we call it
TURKMAS !!!!!!
(because we are creative and brilliant like that)
 
I'll get to do a lot of this
 
So, I won't be able to visit many blogs over the next two weeks
you understand...right?
I'll catch up with you all when my arms have rested
from all the hugging I intend to do
 
Also
on that same note of HAPPY
 
 
Funniest show ever
I laugh till I nearly pee my pants
guess I AM turning into a bit of a REd NeCk
it's all good
like I said
I am learning to
BE
 


Sunday, August 19, 2012

I LIKED IT, I LOVED IT....I WANT SOME MORE OF IT

Yes I told you there would be a part two
so you know what your are in for if you stay here
More fun
Cause ME and my Peeps
of the family kind
are nothing but FUN

come visit me.........Find out for Yourself !!

Let's see
where to start

Ok...so after we stayed at My place for 6 days
we headed south
to Southern Alberta
so we could see my folks and sister
(we stayed at my sisters house)
also there was the Yearly Family Reunion to attend
(gotta love a family reunion to re-affirm the nut tree you come from)

It was POURING when we got to Beazer
(that's about 20 miles from Waterton National Park)

But no sireeee...no rain will spoil Our Fun


My sister had these funny umbrella hats on hand

My parents (great grandma and grandpa) had a freezer full
of Rolo Ice cream
You Yankees can't get that down there (so I've heard)
and it is a favorite of my DIL'S
so when my kids come up we buy a HUGE BARREL of it
Yup.....I said Barrel
and every evening after supper
(we say supper up here in Canada...there is breakky, dinner and supper)

We'd head over to my parents house
Line up....and fill up ice cream cones

(yeah, it was not healthy for my hips eating this, they are in jeopardy of becoming a little Rolo)

The Reunion was fun as always
you know, the usual
wiener and marshmallow roasts
jokes and teasing
a few insults for good measure to keep us honest
games
sometimes the games did not go well for a few


The kids had fun running around in the fields
and playing on the hay stacks

(I guess Gracey is still a little miffed from the game)

One of the Favorite things for the kids to do when they visit
is go to the BARN DANCE
Officially....THE GREAT CANADIAN BARN DANCE

It really is a lot of fun
some real good two steppin' and line dancin'

(me and Gracey boot skoot boogin)


a little line dancing with my cousin

seriously ---so stinking much fun

The Creek is always a fun place to hang out at
(I have been swimming this creek since I could walk)
and have been known to do a little skinny dipping as well

a favorite is to use the rope and jump off the rocks

Miss Olivia says you have to be BRAVE to do it

Or perhaps you just want to do some floating


(K-doll......aka Sue Ellen Ewing (if your read my last post)

Hiking......lots of that
you don't come to the country and mountains
and not hike

(so pretty.........the Scenery Too)

We always go to Waterton Falls

(DIL and her kiddies)

(My daughter and her gals)

(looks like a little too much Rolo around the waist)

RED ROCK CANYON

This is a fun place to go
as you can go for quite a long ways following this creek
through the Canyon

There are some Deep parts as well as the shallow parts
Miss Olivia always ready to try the more daring places
there were some really slippery places

DANG....it is pretty up there

Lastly....we had our Ceremonial Indian Night
(or to be politically correct, the American Native night..or in Canada, First Nations)

We all gather around the bonfire
I smoke a little drift wood ...my version of the peace pipe
(visual proof...me and a niece from a few years ago)

ANYWHOOO

as I direct the smoke towards their head
each person is given their new Indian Name for the Year
and their Animal Names

Example: (for the benefit of my family members reading this)
Olivia was...FAWN and Rainbow Fish
Grace was....Thunder Cloud and Wild Stallion
Kendra was...Morning Glory and Blue Bird
Tristan....was Lightening Warrior and Happy Wolf

NOW EACH ONE IS NAMED THAT BECAUSE OF THEIR PERSONALITY TRAITS

(as a side note...SOME of you have heard this before
but since I am on my Third Marriage ....don't judge LONG STORY
my DIL once dubbed me SHE WHO WARMS MANY BUFFALO ROBES)


After the Ceremony which also consisted of some Indian Chants
and Dances (oh yeah, I know how to do THAT)

the kids have to run around the Barn, scantily clothed
we made a little loin cloth for Tristan

We even attended a REAL POW WOW



There was a part where they invited all spectators to join them
on the grounds and dance around with them

Of course we had to join them
(even though we'd already been there done that)

(my daughter, grand daughter and sister)

It was All Pretty Amazing actually

So...there  you have it
A vacation wrapped up
Everyone gone back home
and me.....
I'll be sitting in my own teepee through a cold winter
Perhaps "warming some buffalo robes"

Sunday, August 12, 2012

IT'S ABOUT AS COUNTRY, AS COUNTRY GETS

IT'S OVER
and that is sad
for me
If you read my last post, you know
 I had my daughter and her two girls
and DIL and her little gal and son
visit me for TWO WEEKS

Can you scream wheeee with me and jump up and down
thanks

So
I thought I'd try and gather some of the Best of the Country Best
to show you
of all the FUN things we did

I had been working on the little cabin for over a month
and it worked out Great

But it has no "facilities"
so normally I'd say, "hey, do the country squat"
but Mr. Gorgeous also decided
THIS
would be helpful


Heck
that practically turned my lodgings into a FIVE STAR get away
(it was out back behind the cabin)

we called it Cowgirl/boy Test
as I had a whole list of things the kids had to do to Earn their
country status
Kinda like Merit Badges in Scouts....only COOLER
they loved being able to put a star
by each of the things they accomplished.

My DIL however is a little city-fied
she said she'd love to be a cowgirl...
if it was more like the TV show Dallas
(made me giggle)


Mr.Gorgeous's mom was visiting with us the first day
so here she is ...with what has become her 4 Great Grandchildren

how do you like my 4 country bumpkins

We went to a Local Rodeo.....seriously
THEY HAD NEVER BEEN TO ONE BEFORE

It was fun to watch their faces
The oldest loved the "cow penning" the best..........go figure


we were sitting right up by the fence
Great initiation for these potential country kids to get a little dirt
in their face
and feel the horses hooves pound right beside them

This is one of my favorite photos


A walk in the fields is always fun


Me and my daughter and DIL tried to make it PRETEND
saying that, once we got to the trees
 is was where the fairy's live
and you could make a wish

But this little Annie Oakley
was a little miffed


she said, "I wish for this stick to turn into a horse"
(um, it didn't....dang fairies)
She said YOU LIED !!!
she is sooooo literal
gotta love the straw in her mouth

She loves our horses


She wanted to be with them every day
and when grandpa (Mr. G) would lead her around on them
 she was thrilled

We even talked little Roy Rogers in training
to get on the horse

(his sister, the one with the pink fly swatter
she never did....I think she, like her mom
prefers the Dallas version as well)

But her MOM DID
and she and my daughter went riding with my hubby


We went swimming at the Creek

that way you can get mud between your toes
and wherever else


oops, not happy



They all loved the tubing

(hmmmm, the facial expression doesn't really express that)
Don't SPLASH ME


Even Mr. Gorgeous and Lucy had a good time


We did a Treasure Hunt in the area around our pond
It turned out really FUN


They had to follow all the clues


FOUND ONE !!!!

Frogs discovered


(Sue Ellen Ewing would be Proud)


(DIL and son)
COUNTRY....EQUALS......PEACE


and NEW Discoveries
(my daughter...and her daughter)

and at the end of each day
as we crawled our tired bodies into bed
instead of dreaming of Sugar Plums


I dreamt of stupid fairies who don't turn sticks into horses.

(next post, part two)
sorry YES YES YES, this was only part one
Next time you visit here, make sure you have a soda and snack while you sit and read this
I'M SORRY THERE ARE SO MANY PHOTOS...said NO GRANDMA EVER !!!