Adjusting

We knew there would be an adjustment period when Neal moved back home. So far, things are going pretty smoothly. I give in a little...he gives in a little. I let him choose the tractor--as long as it wasn't a Kubota (Kubota's are orange which would totally clash with my red barn!). He let me choose the replacement windows. We're still trying to adjust our time schedules. He insists on getting up at 4:30 a.m. so he can go to the gym before work. I like to sleep until at least 7:00, which I do, but then he's ready for bed by 9:00. I don't wind down till at least 10:00 or 10:30. (Yes, if you add that up I need more sleep than he does.) But the biggest problem we've come up against is the Sudoku puzzles. He wants to "help" with puzzles I've started, but messes them up!! I accuse him of putting in a wrong number and he says that he put that number in because of another number I had filled in, which must have been wrong. Now we don't know who to blame. So the only solution seemed to be separate puzzles. I write my name at the top of mine and his name at the top of his. He is not allowed to interfere with my solutions. Problem solved. Some things just can't be done "together." I am having to get back into cooking. I really enjoy cooking most of the time, but the past 4-1/2 years I've done very little. It's a challenge to plan meals again and TRY to have a good dinner waiting on him after work. The good ole days of Monday Lean Cuisine, Tuesday Burrito Night, Wednesday Breakfast Night, Thursday-Saturday...whatever drive-through suited my fancy, are over. I asked him what he wanted for his lunches. Besides the typical sandwiches, he also wants fresh fruit. He laughed the first week when I brought home 4 bananas. I'm just not much of a fruit eater and typically fruit spoils before it's eaten at my house. Now I'm having to load up on grapes, apples, oranges, and bananas every trip to the store. When did he turn into such a health nut? The honeymoon continues.......

I think he's starting to understand the overwhelming and never-ending chores that must be done to keep this place going. Janet hit the nail on the head when she said, "you have to decide if you want to live like you're in the city or live like you're in the country." Problem is, I want the best of both. I want a place that well groomed and pristine, but that's not always feasible in rural Oklahoma. I want the yard I had in Tulsa, but I want it out here on our 20 acres.

Wee Ball

Last night was Jacob's first ball game. His friends, Baylor and Piersen (twins) stuck to him like glue, and Baylor (the girl) outplayed them both. Jacob rarely touched the ball, and since he was last batter, by the time he made it to 2nd base--after running there first, then redirected to 1st, then continuing to 2nd--the other team was headed for the dugout. All said, I think they had a good time. I'm sure WE had a better time watching.

Barn Occupants

Finally, something to occupy the horse barn. Both stalls are filled. Their names are "Pride" and "Joy." Hopefully Pride will make us proud by keeping our fields groomed. Joy--she's really just for fun--although Neal insists we need her to get back in the woods and haul limbs. Not exactly what I had in mind for our tax refund....maybe next year.

PRIDE

JOY

Who's the Boss?

Yep, it's my second post of the day. My new windows are being installed, so I'm trying to stay out of their way.

Thought I'd post a picture of Neal on his last day of work at BP. In case you can't read it, it say's "A Range Rider's code is to follow an order...We know who the boss is because your wife said 'Get your butt back across the Border!'" (Range Riders is the name of their Turnaround Team.)Obviously, they know who the real boss is.

Playing with Fire

Apparently it is advantageous to "burn off" your farm in the Spring. It's not only the quickest way to clean up leaves, old tall grasses and many fallen limbs and branches, but it also reduces the tick population. Of course, I couldn't begin to attempt burning without Neal here, so we're a little late, as there is already quite a bit of green growing that won't burn. It's also been a very windy Spring, so when Monday was a clear, mild day, with variable winds less than 5 mph, everything else had to be dropped to spend the day burning. Alan came over to show us city folks the proper care and handling of a farm burn. I had no idea it was so involved. After alerting the neighbors and the Rural Fire Department, the pyromania began. It was exhausting and DIRTY work. The whole day was spent lighting, re-routing, extinguishing, and re-lighting fires. I have to admit, some of it was kind of fun. I had a prayer meeting to attend at 6:00 p.m. and at 5:15 Neal said, "If you're going to pray, you'd better go get cleaned up." I took a quick bath, threw on some clean clothes and rushed to church. I had no make-up on, my face was red from occasionally getting too close to the fire, and my hair still smelled like smoke. I walked in at 6:02. Wow! I'm even impressed. That is....until...Etta commented, "Did you know you have your shirt on wrong-side-out?" Ummm....yeah....I meant to do that.

Bringing Neal Home

Thursday morning I flew to Houston to fetch my hubby. Wednesday was his last day to work for BP, and although he was relieved, he has built many good friendships in his 4-1/2 years in Texas City. So it was a little emotional for my big strong husband. They threw a big party for him at lunch and said their final good-byes. Thursday afternoon was spent deep cleaning the RV, inside and out. Late in the afternoon, we went to the home of one of Neal's JV superiors. He has a beautiful house on the water (Galveston Bay), with his bay boat docked practically at his back door. Then, one more chicken chimicanga at Gringo's, my favorite Tex-Mex restaurant in the bay area...I almost shed a tear.

We woke up early Friday morning, thinking maybe we could pull out around 7:00. Whoa...there's a lot more to unhooking the RV than I thought and we finally rolled out about 9:00. The journey back to Oklahoma was relatively uneventful, despite the strong North wind we were driving into. Four gas tank fill-ups later, we were in the home stretch. I was a little nervous about being able to turn into our drive, between the gate posts, but it was a piece of cake. That was the last of the cake. Trying to maneuver the fifth wheel into the anticipated resting spot, the truck got stuck in the south pasture. By this time it's starting to get dark, there's a biting north wind blowing, and Neal is in his shorts and t-shirt (it was 85 when we left Kemah at 9:00 a.m.). We found this to be a great way to meet neighbors, as a strange pick-up pulled in to help...chained the back of the RV to the back of his truck and pulled while Neal backed up. As this was happening, yet another strange truck pulled in to see if we needed help. Okay, so now we know Brian and Robert. Thanks guys, we've got it from here. Doh!.....weren't counting on the low-hanging tree branches. It's getting later...and colder...and Neal is on top of the RV with a tree saw, cutting branches as I'm backing up the RV. Oh, I bet the neighbors haven't had entertainment like this in a long time! Anyway, the RV is sitting in the front circle drive until we decide where to put the monster. You'd think with 20 acres, it wouldn't be a problem, but we have all these FENCES and want to be able to EASILY park and pull out whenever the camping bug hits us.

Homecoming

I can finally make public the news that Neal is coming home! Not just his 3 days off every 18 days...but home to stay. In answer to many prayers, he is being moved to the facility in Skiatook (about 20 minutes away) and will finish his four and a half year job at BP in Texas City on Thursday. Just in time for all the spring work here at the farm. In preparation for his homecoming, I've been doing some reorganizing to make room for his "stuff." I've pretty much taken over our closet and now must clear out a wee bit of room for him. Since the renovation of the house, we've left the closet in the office unfinished. Now I need room for some of our off-season clothes, so I purchased a closet organizer and assembled it today. The instructions indicated an assembly time of 45 minutes. Liars. It took me most of the afternoon, but that's okay...it's done. The only problem was that when I drilled holes to attach the hanging bar to the wall, I saw light streaming in through the hole! Walked around to the hallway and yep, two nice little holes in the wall. Hmmm....gotta find something to hang there. Mom's painting of my Grandpa's barn seems perfect.

George & Gracie

There is a bird that has claimed a hole in the pipe of our storm cellar for her Spring nesting place. I don't think she was expecting George and Gracie. They relentlessly torment this poor little bird, jumping up on the cellar door and pipe and barking ferociously into the hole. I'll be shocked if she is actually able to lay her eggs in the midst of all the commotion.

Alien Creator

I had trouble editing my previous post and couldn't upload this picture. So here is Jacob creating aliens/mermaids/gummy bears.

Why Jacob Wants to Live with Nana

Last week was Spring Break. On Thursday, Jacob decided he needed to have a "Nana Day." I think I needed a "Jacob Day." After getting our make-up on (I DID remove his before leaving the house) we made a trip to Wal-Mart. At the very mention of Wal-Mart, Jacob began asking if he could get a toy, and since I don't often buy him things, I agreed. We wandered up and down the toy aisles, trying to make the perfect choice. He was very particular and finally decided on a Play Doh Alien Maker. As I bought groceries, he had many suggestions, and I gave in to Trix, Whoppers, and Bubble Gum. Lunch was at McDonalds, then back home to make aliens. Whenever the Play Doh comes out, he insists on Nana performing major feats of sculptured art. As long as he thinks I make the best elephant in the world....I'll keep making elephants. It was a pretty warm day, so after a couple of hours of alien-creating, we spent some time in the sand box, then came inside for an afternoon snack of Trix. Jacob watched cartoons while I shoveled cereal into his open mouth. Trix are very crunchy, and Jacob said, (eyes glued to the TV) "my teeth are fast, Nana." Saturday night, Jeremy, Trista, Jacob and Lauren came for a visit. Jacob informed his Momma and Daddy that he wanted to live with Nana. Why wouldn't he?

Friendship

One of God's greatest gifts is relationship. Old friends are the best friends, and we had the pleasure of spending time with some of them last night. These friendships go back almost 30 years, to the Park Plaza days of Sunday night pizza, church softball league and summer weekend campouts. Todd and Lisa Shilts moved to Wisconsin over 20 years ago, but our friendship has never waned. We have made trips to the north, they've made trips back south and at times we've met in between. Distance has not diminished our ability to support each other through many trials. Although Jim and Martha Sullivan are still in Tulsa, we don't see them on a regular basis since we no longer attend the same church. But this year has been a double blessing in BSF as Martha and I are in the same discussion group. Now I get to see her every week! Gary and Janell Huntsman live in Edmond now, but Janell and I manage to get together quite often. We love to travel together and met in Shreveport for a girls' weekend while I was living in Baton Rouge. Once, we made a trip to San Antonio, just because there was a price war going on with the airlines and we got cheap tickets. Our most recent venture was our trip last year to Las Vegas. Last night Jim and Martha hosted us for dinner at their gorgeous home. The evening was beautiful as we sat outdoors on their patio next to a roaring fire and reminisced, laughed and caught up on all the family news until late into the night (that's about 10:30 for us now that we're all getting so much older!).

"Made of Honor"

Last night Jeff had the honor of standing up with his friend Carrie at her wedding. They've been friends since 7th grade and are more like brother and sister. She asked him to be her "Maid of Honor" promising not to make him wear a chartreuse, floor-length gown with puffy sleeves. He was a little worried that he'd have to walk down the aisle arm-in-arm with the Best Man, but instead he walked the female minister to her position, then took his place with the bridesmaids and flower girls.

Top Ten List

After being "tagged" several weeks ago, I not only listed random facts about myself, but it inspired me to also write about memories and now, the top 5 places I've seen or want to see. So I'm breaking it down into two lists.

Top Five Places I've Seen (in no particular order)

1. Niagara Falls--growing up near the Falls, I can't count how many times I've been there. But it never gets old. I began a tradition with my first niece, Heather, who we took to Canada when she was 13. When Morgan turned 13, I took her, then Chelsea when she was 13. (Stormi will be my last -- 4 years from now since my niece on MY side LIVES in Canada.) Morgan was the first to talk me into riding the Maid of the Mist to the base of the Falls. I'm so glad she did, because even though it is amazing from any perspective, the sheer power of the Falls can't be felt until you're right below them.

2. Great Britain--England/Scotland--Brighton Beach, the Castles, the Cathedrals, the history, the pubs (best fish & chips in the world), Stonehenge, Bed & Breakfasts, Bath, the Lake District, St. Andrews, the North Sea, Dunnottar Castle, Loch Ness, the English countryside, the highlands in Scotland, LONDON!, the Changing of the Guard--did we really do all that in 10 days?!?! I would love to do it all over again.

3. The Big Apple--Manhattan, Times Square, Shows on Broadway (we saw Fiddler on the Roof), Central Park, Grand Central Terminal, United Nations, Trump Tower, Rockefeller Center, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Ellis Island, Ground Zero, Empire State Building. I Heart NY!

4. Jamaica and Grand Cayman--I'll lump these together since they are my favorite destinations on a Caribbean Cruise. The beaches, the sunshine, the relaxation. Sounds really good right now. Just say the word and I'm on the boat.

5. Baton Rouge/New Orleans--we spent two years living in Baton Rouge and it was two of the best years of my life. Southern Louisiana is like a different country. History, plantations, sugar cane, cajun food, architecture, swamps, live oaks, cajun food, party atmosphere, gators, Mardi Gras, cajun food, great people, warm winter, spanish moss, cajun food. I miss it.

Top Five Places I Want to See:

1. Israel

2. Rome/Paris -- maybe in same trip?

3. Cape Cod

4. Hawaii

5. Western Canada (Vancouver) / Alaska -- same trip?

Sick Days

For the second day in a row, Jacob has needed some TLC. After a trip to Urgent Care on Sunday, and a diagnosis of strep, he was started on antibiotic. Yesterday, he still didn't feel good so he came to my house. Although he wasn't as "high energy" as usual, he seemed to be on the mend. He did what I call "quiet things" like puzzles, books, viewmaster. I've debated about describing one of our conversations, and decided it's just too good not have in the Blevins' memoirs.

Nana: "I'm going to the bathroom, I'll be back in a minute."

Jacob: "I'll come wif you."

(Obvious action takes place.)

Jacob: "Nana, you pee-peein'?"

Nana: "Yep, but I think I have to poop."

Jacob walks to the door way, then pokes his head back in and holds up one hand--palm facing me. "Just relax, Nana."

Good advice.

Today, Jacob felt even worse than yesterday. Throwing up and diarrhea last night. He didn't even ask for toys this morning, just went straight to the couch and spent most of the day sleeping. Trista took him to the doctor this afternoon and he thinks its a virus...on top of the strep. Poor baby.

I Feel Pretty

When Trista shared these pictures, the song I Feel Pretty kept playing over and over in my head. Is that from My Fair Lady? I picture Audrey Hepburn singing it. Anyway...Lauren spent close to an hour in front of the mirror, blow drying her hair. She's such a girly girl.

Fun Friday

Jeremy and Trista went to the Home & Garden Show Friday night while I watched the kids. When I'm at their house, it's pretty much non-stop play. They both want my undivided attention and we go from one toy/game/puzzle to the next like there's no tomorrow. Lauren is getting very independent and thought her world had come to an end when I had the nerve to try to spoon feed her a bowl of Cheerios. Jacob, on the other hand, wanted me to feed him so that he could watch SpongeBob without interruption. Lauren is also into dressing herself. She pulled a shirt out of Jacob's backpack (she was even saying "ba__ pa__") then proceeded to put the shirt on....legs in the sleeves. She walked around holding up the shirt, trying not to trip. Jacob only had one meltdown, when we had a dispute over the Power Rangers DVD. He indignantly "pushed the button" to turn off the TV and said, "Nana, you not my best fwend," then sat down in his chair to pout (and of course, I had to capture the moment with the camera). About two minutes later, he called out to me, "Naaanaaaa, I pushed the button.......and I not mean anymore!"

Ernie Taught Me Well

Somehow I knew that all those mornings watching Sesame Street with Jacob would pay off some day. Tuesday, on my way to Bible study, I was listening to XM Talk Radio (I know--sure sign of senioritis) and the show on Oprah & Friends was a repeat. I switched to Broadminded but, as is sometimes the case, they were getting a little crude. I switched again, but instead of hitting the "channel" button, I hit the "mode" button (so confusing) and ended up on FM----KBEZ to be exact. Nothing against Easy Listening, just not my usual preference. Bob Cooper was "guest hosting" the show.....stay with me here....it all comes together in the end. They were getting ready for a contestant call-in to win tickets to Sesame Street Live, which Jacob and I went to a couple of years ago. The caller had to know the last line of Ernie's Rubber Ducky song and I thought, "I know the Rubber Ducky Song." So I grabbed my phone and started dialing. Busy...again...busy....again....busy. I kept redialing. Amazingly I got through. The catch---not only did I have to KNOW it, I had to SING it!!!! Singing is not a gift that God saw fit to give me. Anyway...to get to the point. I, DID, in fact, sing the last line, "Rubber Ducky, I'm awfully fond of you." Yeah!!! Winner!!!! Family 4-pack to Sesame Street Live. Now to the Bob Cooper connection. The only other time I won anything on the radio was about 20 years ago when a country station was giving away a "black box" filled with prizes. The contest went on for weeks, as people tried to guess the contents according to clues given throughout the day. One morning I called in while, guess who?, Bob Cooper was hosting the show. He must be my lucky charm. That time I won a trip to Cancun, cash (pesos) to spend on the trip, a VCR (big deal 20 years ago), a CD player (bigger deal 20 years ago), 10 CDs of my choice, 9 videos of my choice, and a personalized K95FM jacket. (No, I don't listen to Country anymore.) So, "Thank you, Ernie, thank you Jacob, and thank you Bob Cooper."

Happy Birthday to Me

Saturday, March 1, was my 52nd birthday. That's sort of painful to say out loud. Lots of things are painful these days. But I had the best day! Neal and I met at Summers Mill Retreat and Conference Center at Belton, Texas on Friday. See, I share "my" day with two of my favorite people, whose anniversary is also that day. Bill and Alma Bunting have been a major force in my life since about 1964, when our families met in Lubbock while Bill and Dad were attending Sunset School of Preaching. Together, we moved to St. Thomas, Ontario in 1966 to establish a church in that community. Too many great memories to even begin trying to list them. There was almost no distinction between the Smiths and Buntings, as we seemed to be one big family, leaning on, struggling with, enjoying and celebrating with each other. Alma's cancer has returned with a vengeance. But this weekend was all about celebrating their 50th anniversary. They have been blessed for the past 10 years managing the Retreat Center, which is located in a beautiful part of Texas, half-way between Waco and Austin. What great fellowship we enjoyed with Bill & Alma, my parents, the Bunting girls, Julie & Tammy, Alma's niece, Connie, and Phyllis Kirkland, one of the charter members of our tiny church in St. Thomas, and another big influence on my life. God granted us gorgeous weather and we spent our entire Saturday outdoors....I have a bit of a sunburn, but good ol' Mom had her trusty little jar of aloe vera. Neal and I managed to spend some alone time, taking a long walk Friday evening and 4-wheeling...fishing...gathering flint rock on Saturday. Just before bed, my day ended with a phone call from Jacob singing Happy Birthday. "Happy burday to youuuuu, happy burday TO youuuu, happy BURRRDAYYYY to yooouuuuu, Naannaaa, happy burrrddaayyy to yooouuuuuu!" Then he proceeded to tell me about a "burday present" and "burday party" and "turn off the lights and say Happy Burday"....."would that be fun, Nana?" Perfect ending to a perfect day.

TAXES

Yesterday I FINALLY e-filed my tax returns. I can usually finish in less than 3 days, but this year I spent over 2 weeks searching, sorting, inputting, deleting, getting advice, re-inputting, etc., etc. This year was complicated by the purchase of our 2 farms--the Roosevelt Ranch in western Oklahoma and the Blevins Farm here in Sand Springs. I'm also phasing out my Arbonne business. I will keep my Consultant status in order to get my products at a discount and supply my family and friends with wholesale products, but I will no longer try to make time to pursue actual profit from the business. So that added to the nightmare of taxes. I was determined to do it all myself, so that I would have a better idea throughout 2008 of what was deductible, and what kind of records needed to be kept. I consider myself an organized person, but I really disappointed myself this year. The government makes it way too difficult for the average person to make sense of the infinite number of forms and schedules. It's a mind game. I wonder how many people that can't afford a CPA just give up and go the Short Form, losing out on money that they deserve. Anyway...I have big plans for the refund. More on that later.

Jeff's Birthday

Friday (the 22nd) was Jeff's birthday. As you can see, he was 4 years old. Jacob said, (holding up 4 fingers) "Uncle Jeff, you this many?" Jeff opened and closed his fists several times and said, "No, I'm this many." Jacob had a puzzled look...that was a lot of fingers. Then he proudly held up 3 fingers and said, "Ohhh. I'm this many." Glad we got that all straightened out. Actually Jeff is 28. I was too cheap to buy more candles. As you can tell, I was also too lazy to make a homemade cake. But...if you've read my previous "Tagged" blog, you know that I don't need an excuse to buy birthday cake. I did, however, make a home-cooked meal for him and Jeremy's family, a major feat since I've been up to my neck in taxes for the past 2 weeks.