Today is my baby's birthday. He's 20. This is the first time he's been away from home for his birthday. It's probably more traumatic for me than for him. Wesley was actually born on Labor Day, so the nurses had some fun with that one. He's been a pleasure from Day 1 and was the perfect caboose for our little family. I'm really missing him right now, but he's happily serving a mission in Washington, so I'm happy when he's happy. When Wes was in highschool, he wanted some pretty expensive shoes. I can't remember if it was football or basketball season, but he wanted these custom Nikes that he could have personalized. I agreed to pay for the shoes if he would have them personalized with "Mama's Boy" instead of his jersey number. I thought that would get me out of buying the shoes, but Wesley was proud to put "Mama's Boy" on his shoes. So, Happy Birthday to my Mama's Boy!
Friday, September 3, 2010
Happy Birthday Wesley!
Today is my baby's birthday. He's 20. This is the first time he's been away from home for his birthday. It's probably more traumatic for me than for him. Wesley was actually born on Labor Day, so the nurses had some fun with that one. He's been a pleasure from Day 1 and was the perfect caboose for our little family. I'm really missing him right now, but he's happily serving a mission in Washington, so I'm happy when he's happy. When Wes was in highschool, he wanted some pretty expensive shoes. I can't remember if it was football or basketball season, but he wanted these custom Nikes that he could have personalized. I agreed to pay for the shoes if he would have them personalized with "Mama's Boy" instead of his jersey number. I thought that would get me out of buying the shoes, but Wesley was proud to put "Mama's Boy" on his shoes. So, Happy Birthday to my Mama's Boy!
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Somewhere Over the Rainbow
If you read my blog expecting a good laugh, well...better move on past this post. If you can believe it, I've got nothing funny to say today. That said, it doesn't mean that what I have to say isn't important, because it is.
I took this picture yesterday (Saturday) afternoon from my backyard. It was actually a double rainbow, but the lighter, fainter rainbow above this one isn't visable in the picture. It was really beautiful and had I thought to run around to the front yard, I could've captured the other end of it. A full rainbow right over my house...which led me to a little bit of introspection and Judy Garland singing:
"Somewhere over the rainbow skies are blue, and the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true."
And so I'm thinking that this song lyric is right! That may seem a little sappy, but honestly, when I was a youngster growing up in a single-parent home it was only a dream that I might have something better than the family life I was experiencing. It wasn't all that bad, but I wished for something better.
I'm NOT thinking that dreams come true without any effort on our part. Quite the opposite. HOWEVER, it is the least little effort on our part that allows a loving Heavenly Father to bless us beyond our dreams. And that is precisely what He has done for me. I'm just writing this to say that I recognize the hand of the Lord in my life and I'm THANKFUL for what he has given me. The skies at my house are not always blue (We have our trials just like everyone else. Okay, maybe DoJo has more trials than most people because he PICKED me...but it's too late to feel sorry for him now!) but I'm grateful for my husband, children, and grandchildren that are part of this dream I call reality. Life is good.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
I'm NOT Exaggerating!
Okay, so I've been known to exaggerate a tad, once-in-awhile, in order to make a good story even better. I prefer to think of my tendency to exaggerate as an enhancement, kinda like how super models' pictures are airbrushed to make them look even thinner. EVERYTHING you are about to read is totally true. Really, you can believe me.
I arise early every morning to power walk. It helps me justify the afternoon nap. Occasionally, I take a little 2-mile jaunt that includes passing an over-grown glade area where I'm sure all kinds of wildlife lurk. I like this trek because it has a slight incline and it challenges my cardiovascular system. That means I'm sucking wind by the time I crest the little molehill! One morning last month as I was headed up the hill, I noticed a strange looking cat crossing the road in front of me. It was between 5:30 and 6 am, so the sun was not completely up yet, but it wasn't dark. This cat with an awfully strange gate proceeded to climb a cottonwood tree, and I thought that I'd never seen a cat climb like that before. I was keeping my eye on him/her thinking all the while that this gimpy feral cat was going to jump on my head just as I passed by the tree it was climbing. I never really believed that old wives' tale that "wild animals are just as afraid of you as you are of them." If that were true, bull snakes would be scream when they saw me pass by my snowball bush.
So, just before I get to the tree with the cat, the cat turns to look at me, and WHOA! This was no cat. It was an albino raccoon! I knew this because it didn't have a cat nose and it had rings on its tail (but they were whitish rings!) AND it had beady little pink eyes. I would've taken a picture with my cell phone, but that never works out nicely for me. I usually get a nice picture of my finger. Besides, the coon was staring me down and I was a bit nervous. CREAPY, but cool. It also gave me an adrenaline rush that shaved 4 minutes off my 2-miler.
This was a real wildlife sighting for me, so once I got back into my neighborhood and back to my walking buddies (Toni, Pollyanna, & Che), I told them about my close encounter. They believed me, so I just assumed that EVERYONE would believe me. NOT! As it turns out, the females in my life believed every word, but the males, well...not so much. Seriously?! Who would make up a story about an albino raccoon? I did think about embellishing the story with a little side note about how the ghost coon jumped out of the tree onto my head and got its claws tangled in my hair and how I had to use some cage fighting moves to put him down. But then, that just seemed unbelievable, so I refrained. I almost felt betrayed in the face of so much skepticism, so I did what anyone else would do...I Googled it and here is what I found.
This coon's eyes are not pink like my coon, but still, I felt that a picture was proof. Albino raccoons exist. Toni's husband, BP, I can't reveal his true identity so as to protect him from ridicule, even sought me out at church to make fun of my close encounter. He told me that while he was driving across the reservation on his way to work he spotted a North American Desert Albino Moose. What BP didn't realize is that I'm a native New Mexican and I know there is no such thing as a desert moose. Albino, maybe, but meese don't dwell in the desert. When my daughter, Amanda (a believer) told her husband, Jeremy, (an unbeliever) that it was real and that I had Googled it, Jeremy's reply was "Duh! If you Google UNICORN I bet you'd find a picture of that too." AAARRRGH! All this skepticism! So, I Googled unicorn and this is what I found:
A deer with one horn growing in the middle of its head. Fox News. It's real! And that makes my Ghost Coon story valid, so there you go male skeptics! I have to add here that my missionary son totally believed every word, but then, I send him money?! Wes said that he imagined that a Ghost Coon sighting was a lot like a BigFoot sighting...only a select few get the opportunity.
Now, for the best part...BP had Toni forward this picture to me, taken over in Aztec in the dumpster at the Senior Center. I think this is BP's way of apologizing for his unmerited skepticism and his outlandish tale about the moose.
Lastly, my friend Marla sent this picture to me today. Yeah, it pretty much looks like an up close picture of a window screen, but if you stare at it long enough, it turns out that there are raccoons behind the screen. It was taken last night, and lo' and behold, one of the raccoons is an albino! Another eyewitness. Marla is not prone to exaggeration. She did, however, suggest that our wildlife encounters may be print worthy...like National Geographic or National Inquirer. I say National Inquirer because I think they pay.
So there it is: MoJo's BELIEVE IT OR NOT!
I arise early every morning to power walk. It helps me justify the afternoon nap. Occasionally, I take a little 2-mile jaunt that includes passing an over-grown glade area where I'm sure all kinds of wildlife lurk. I like this trek because it has a slight incline and it challenges my cardiovascular system. That means I'm sucking wind by the time I crest the little molehill! One morning last month as I was headed up the hill, I noticed a strange looking cat crossing the road in front of me. It was between 5:30 and 6 am, so the sun was not completely up yet, but it wasn't dark. This cat with an awfully strange gate proceeded to climb a cottonwood tree, and I thought that I'd never seen a cat climb like that before. I was keeping my eye on him/her thinking all the while that this gimpy feral cat was going to jump on my head just as I passed by the tree it was climbing. I never really believed that old wives' tale that "wild animals are just as afraid of you as you are of them." If that were true, bull snakes would be scream when they saw me pass by my snowball bush.
So, just before I get to the tree with the cat, the cat turns to look at me, and WHOA! This was no cat. It was an albino raccoon! I knew this because it didn't have a cat nose and it had rings on its tail (but they were whitish rings!) AND it had beady little pink eyes. I would've taken a picture with my cell phone, but that never works out nicely for me. I usually get a nice picture of my finger. Besides, the coon was staring me down and I was a bit nervous. CREAPY, but cool. It also gave me an adrenaline rush that shaved 4 minutes off my 2-miler.
This was a real wildlife sighting for me, so once I got back into my neighborhood and back to my walking buddies (Toni, Pollyanna, & Che), I told them about my close encounter. They believed me, so I just assumed that EVERYONE would believe me. NOT! As it turns out, the females in my life believed every word, but the males, well...not so much. Seriously?! Who would make up a story about an albino raccoon? I did think about embellishing the story with a little side note about how the ghost coon jumped out of the tree onto my head and got its claws tangled in my hair and how I had to use some cage fighting moves to put him down. But then, that just seemed unbelievable, so I refrained. I almost felt betrayed in the face of so much skepticism, so I did what anyone else would do...I Googled it and here is what I found.
This coon's eyes are not pink like my coon, but still, I felt that a picture was proof. Albino raccoons exist. Toni's husband, BP, I can't reveal his true identity so as to protect him from ridicule, even sought me out at church to make fun of my close encounter. He told me that while he was driving across the reservation on his way to work he spotted a North American Desert Albino Moose. What BP didn't realize is that I'm a native New Mexican and I know there is no such thing as a desert moose. Albino, maybe, but meese don't dwell in the desert. When my daughter, Amanda (a believer) told her husband, Jeremy, (an unbeliever) that it was real and that I had Googled it, Jeremy's reply was "Duh! If you Google UNICORN I bet you'd find a picture of that too." AAARRRGH! All this skepticism! So, I Googled unicorn and this is what I found: A deer with one horn growing in the middle of its head. Fox News. It's real! And that makes my Ghost Coon story valid, so there you go male skeptics! I have to add here that my missionary son totally believed every word, but then, I send him money?! Wes said that he imagined that a Ghost Coon sighting was a lot like a BigFoot sighting...only a select few get the opportunity.Now, for the best part...BP had Toni forward this picture to me, taken over in Aztec in the dumpster at the Senior Center. I think this is BP's way of apologizing for his unmerited skepticism and his outlandish tale about the moose.
Lastly, my friend Marla sent this picture to me today. Yeah, it pretty much looks like an up close picture of a window screen, but if you stare at it long enough, it turns out that there are raccoons behind the screen. It was taken last night, and lo' and behold, one of the raccoons is an albino! Another eyewitness. Marla is not prone to exaggeration. She did, however, suggest that our wildlife encounters may be print worthy...like National Geographic or National Inquirer. I say National Inquirer because I think they pay.
So there it is: MoJo's BELIEVE IT OR NOT! Next posting: BigFoot Stalks 6th grade Teacher!
Monday, July 19, 2010
Trophy Wife
Some time ago, I read a Dear Abby column about a man of retirement age who was upset that his 59-year-old "trophy wife" wanted to let her hair go grey. Since then, I've been thinking about what a real trophy wife is and I've decided that I am one. DoJo is NOT retiring, and I'm YEARS from 59, but just take a look at me...I AIN'T GONNA LIE TO YOU...I'm hot. Like literally H-O-T! Not hot like high school girls dreamily declare "Edward is sooooo hot!" Not hot like Thigh-Masters or PedEggs. Not even hot like Sean Connery or Clint Eastwood in their golden years. No, I'm just plain ol' hot like my core temperature is 110 degrees Celisus. Hot like back sweat. Hot like a dog with his head out the car window just trying to catch a breeze. Yes, I'm HOT! And I've got a picture to prove it. (See below.)
I'm smiling here because when a person gets too hot, a sense of disorientation, confusion, and hallucinations set it, which are all symptoms of heat stroke, a mallady known only to those of us who get
I'm smiling here because when a person gets too hot, a sense of disorientation, confusion, and hallucinations set it, which are all symptoms of heat stroke, a mallady known only to those of us who get TOO H-O-T!
Isn't DoJo lucky to have a trophy wife? Besides that, take a look at my work...(see below)
I mow on the diagonal twice a month! Who could ask for more than that? However, I will say I'm getting pretty sick of passerbys stopping to ask me if I speak english and how much I charge per hour. Seriously people, get your own trophy wife. I'm all DoJo's! By the way, Abby's reply to the stupid guy who was worried about his wife's grey hair was "even black cats are grey in the dark." Like duh! Who cares if her hair is gray? Can she mow on the diagonal? Those corners are tough you know!
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice!
When my children were children, I made most of their clothing. I love to sew, but in those days, fabric and patterns were much cheaper (HAVE YOU LOOKED AT THE COST OF A PATTERN LATELY? $13 AND CHANGE FOR TISSUE PAPER?!) and I sewed out of neccessity because we were sorta poor. Nowadays, I sew because I can. It is a joy for me to cut up fabric, sew it back together, and create something unique. My talent-pool is a shallow one, but I can sew and I love having little girls to sew for. (I will say that doing a set-in sleeve on a size two dress was just as tedious as I remembered!) Sew, sew, soooooo, Grammie got busy and made some summer dresses for the girls. 
Friday, June 11, 2010
Summer Fun
We spend a lot of time outdoors in the summer. We have a covered patio that functions as our outdoor living/dining room. Since the most of the grandkids live right next door, we see them daily. Here are a few of precious moments from my first week out of school.
Grandpa DoJo gives Drew his second buzz cut of the summer. Check out that farmer's tan!
When the folks at church complimented Andrew on his haircut, he rubbed his head and said "Grandpa cut my hair." 
He's handsome, no matter what haircut he has.
Roasted corn-on-the-cob for dinner (thanks to Reed!). 
Grandpa DoJo gives Drew his second buzz cut of the summer. Check out that farmer's tan!
When the folks at church complimented Andrew on his haircut, he rubbed his head and said "Grandpa cut my hair." 
He's handsome, no matter what haircut he has. Here you see Drew contemplating whether he should get into the backyard pool. I fill the kiddie pools with our well water, which is icy-cold even on the hottest summer days.
The girls don't seem to mind. Check out those swim goggles and Kourtney's "princess pose." These kids are goofy, but I love 'em!
There are lots of things I like about summer, BESIDES not being at work. Lots of free time in the backyard is number one on my list!
The girls don't seem to mind. Check out those swim goggles and Kourtney's "princess pose." These kids are goofy, but I love 'em!
HONESTLY? What's not to love about this?
There are lots of things I like about summer, BESIDES not being at work. Lots of free time in the backyard is number one on my list!Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Mr. Good Idea
This is my son-in-law, Reed, otherwise known as Mr. Good Idea. (Yeah, he's the one who thought putting an engagement ring in a Frosty was a good idea.) Reed's family gave him the nickname. It's well-earned. His wheels are constantly turning.
Reed noticed that Jared was tired from running around the yard with the garden cart. That's when he came up with the good idea to hook Rudy up and have him do all the running.
Rudy runs faster than Jared...
...and he will lay on the grass with all the cousins.
*No animals or children were injured as a result of Reed's good idea. Whew!
This is Jared. Jared has lots of ideas, but I'm not sure they are all good ideas. His idea was to use my new garden cart as a carnival ride for the grandchildren. For a "big" boy, Jared can run pretty fast!
Reed noticed that Jared was tired from running around the yard with the garden cart. That's when he came up with the good idea to hook Rudy up and have him do all the running.
Rudy loved it. The kiddos loved it. Everyone was happy.
Rudy runs faster than Jared...
...and he will lay on the grass with all the cousins.
*No animals or children were injured as a result of Reed's good idea. Whew!
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