ARE YOU KIDDING ME????

It has been TWO MONTHS??? (well almost!)

I can not believe it has been nearly two months since I last blogged. So much has been going on and if I really tried to write about it all, you would be reading for the whole next week or two. Man I sure do wish some certain people would get on facebook so they could keep up with me and my doings a lot easier!!! (marge!)

Well we have had company or been gone or have been doing something special for this whole summer. In my last posting we had gone and gotten the grandkids under rather urgent circumstances. We kept them for a week till their mother was able to get finished in the hay field where she was bailing hay for a "friend". The kids did not need to be out there in that extreme heat day AND night, and plus I loved having them here safe and sound with me. Caleb had been with his other grandparents for 21 days and loved it, so his time here with us was more of the same......spoiling him like crazy. But hey, isn't that what grandparents are for? The kids went home and then we kept them again so Chris and Sarah could go out of state to a wedding, then Allie went home and Caleb stayed a while longer.

I may not have all my dates correct for the summer is such a blur, but we had our friends from Texas with their four children come stay with us over the 4th of July weekend. We went fishing and all the kids caught a fish, we shot off fireworks which they had not done before, we ate smores, we stayed up late, we watched a couple movies which is a HUGE treat for them. They are not allowed to watch hardly ANY tv at their home. Reading is what they do a lot of and very limited computer time too.

We had such a good time they extended their stay by a day and then drove all the way home to San Antonio via east Texas. I think we are going to start doing this every year. Cara is another blogger, a wonderful photographer, and an awesome mom/home school teacher/wife...etc. We had a much needed bonding time together. Her mother Cathy was one of my three best friends of many many years and passed away of breast cancer three years ago on Sept. 6th. Cara and I had not been together since her mothers death and oh my goodness, it was just awesome to reconnect. Hugs and kisses were never so sweet in all my life. And the kids were really good. Jarrod just put up with us and all our silliness (he was just awesome too, made the trip all the sweeter by his kindness)

Now we are planning to meet in Texas, rent a cabin, and spent more time together here pretty soon. I am going to bring their youngest son back home with me and let him stay for a week and give him some special "grandma" time since his real grandma is not here to do it. I know Cathy would be very grateful that I would do this, and it is my pleasure to step up to the plate and do it. Plus it gives me a chance to share my experiences with them about their grandmother as I KNEW her. And I might even have some pictures to share with them too. Oops, that just made me start crying...dang these tears. Still miss her so much.

After Cara and her family left I had the grandkids again. This might be when the parents went out of state to the wedding now that I think about it! then we kept Caleb for a bit longer (two weeks) so we could have our time with him before school starts. Then after we sent Caleb home our dear friends from Georgia came to visit. Mike and Nancy arrived on Saturday with "Gator" a Yorkie that is a hoot to play with. He is getting older, he was a puppy when Mike got him for Becky. they used to come see us when we lived in Enid and he and Zoe would play and play together. Becky has since died of cancer also and Mike married Nancy whom Gator has taken up with and will not eat if Nancy is not in the room to watch him. Mike's parents were going to celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary the next Sunday and we went to Enid with them to help host it. Of course I took pictures! Mike said it is the first time they had family pictures taken since in the 70's when his brother was killed in a motorcycle accident. I was honored to be a part of it!!!

After Mike and Nancy left, and after the wedding anniversary party, i think I slept for nearly two days. Then TJ and Amanda came home for a little more than 24 hours. They drove up on Saturday and left Sunday afternoon. We had such a GREAT visit. So needed, much bonding and healing, just a wonderful time together. There is no doubt in my mind that God had his healing hand in it for we were getting very far apart and this allowed us to once again bring our loving family back together where it belongs. Amanda made me a beautiful bracelet, and I did not have any bracelets at all. Then we went to Hobby Lobby and bought the stuff to make two more which I just love. she is very talented and I am so grateful for my gift. I will try to get a picture of it and post at some point in time (but don't hold your breath, right Marge?)

We have gotten involved in church quite a bit and I have hosted one night of Hearts and Hands. Plus attended two work days with our school teachers in need of help, went to a luncheon for a church member that moved away and then returned, plus a couple committee meetings. then of course had to go to a get together party that involved food, fun and fellowship!!! I have been a busy little camper. AND some where in all of this I have done a couple maternity shoots, a newborn, a family, and of course the grandkids....well Caleb and his grandpa! So I think you can see and we can all agree, I have not been wasting too much of my time. PLUS we have FINALLY gotten the last door for the kitchen so we can now complete the kitchen. Yes, it is two months behind the promise date, we will see if they offer a reduction in price and if they don't offer it, I will ask(demand) one of at least 10%. Don't you think that is fair?

Wrong doors, wrong cabinets, wrong size, broken doors, replace the replacement doors, oops, broken again, and then once again, yes, that makes about four replacements, and finally, FINALLY just last week the last door arrived and it was not broken, it was the correct size and color, so now we need to get the kitchen finish!

THEN SCOTT NEEDS TO GET A JOB!!!!! I need some alone time.....oh wait. Scott is going on a hunting trip with TJ for 10 days to dove hunt and maybe get to hog hunt and then go with TJ while he gets to Antelope hunt in western Oklahoma. You can only get drawn once in a life time and TJ got drawn. I hope to start getting some photoshoots this fall, for the spring was too wet, the early summer was either too wet or too hot, and there has NOT been a "good" time to do outdoor shoots. This has been crazy. We are now on our 11th day of over 100 degree heat in a row, plus back in June we had over 100 degree heat index temps. so this has been a wild summer.

Ok Marge, that is what I have been up to, but no pictures....sorry, this has taken long enough as it is. Debbie, Tonjia, Momma and others, you have been keeping up with me on facebook, but I need to get back into blogging. No, I need to start doing something beside sitting at the computer! bye you guys!