Kat's room

  Two years ago, when Andy moved out, Miss Kat moved into his former bedroom.  We painted one wall gray with a metallic glaze over the gray and the rest of the room was bright turquoise/aqua blue.  We bought Miss Kat a duvet cover that was zebra striped.  Unfortunately, the room decor just never clicked with either of us.  Kat hated the duvet cover and we spent more time fighting with the darn thing than it was worth.  

So back in October or November of 2012 (you know 3 or 4 months ago), Kat found a new bedding she liked and we bought it.  And, then it sat in the box it came in because we weren't sure what to do with her room.

It sat there until the weekend of Miss Kat's 17th birthday.  For her birthday, I had asked my cousin, Megan, if she'd come paint and do something "special" for Kat's room. (Megan technically is a cousin by marriage, but the heck with that!)

Megan happens to be a professional painter/decorator and is so creative and un-afraid to try anything!  We discussed colors and finishes and special touches that Megan has done on other projects.  And came up with a plan for Kat's room.  THIS is the result:

Kat picked out a soft yellow that matched the pillows that came with the bedding.  We decided to use a flat paint for the yellow.  It's bright enough that we decided we didn't need any extra shine. The gray wall we'd painted two years ago still worked, so we left it, but "jazzed it up some with the flowers Megan hand painted on the walls.  Plus, the sheen on the gray balanced the yellow.  The gray flowers aren't metallic, but are a nice and soft gray.

The second picture is a magnetic wall.  Miss Kat loves to have photos and pictures and lots of paper stuff on her walls.  So a magnetic wall was a perfect idea.  (You can see a small magnet on the right side, above the light switch.  It really does work!)  We bought Rustoleum's magnetic primer, and then painted over it with the yellow.  Like the "WE"?  Megan bought the primer because I couldn't find any in Dodge.  And, Megan did all the work.  I "supervised."  Which means I sat on Kat's bed and talked Megan's ear off!

Since we were trying to get this project finished between the two snowstorms, Megan came down on Saturday and went back home on Sunday.  She had the room painted on Saturday and we were waiting on the primer to dry.  So, around midnight on Saturday, we went to bed.  I got up around 7:30 Sunday morning and went down to see if Megan had gotten started again.  I walked in Kat's room, and found Megan putting the finishing touches on!  She'd woken up at 4:30 a.m. and decided to get to work.  I can't help but wonder if maybe she worked at that ungodly hour just to avoid my "help!"

Miss Kat loves her new "adult" room.  It's been a week, and her room is still clean!  AND, she's been making the bed!

I told Kat that this was the very last room remodel/repainting job I was doing for her.  This room will last until she takes that big step into adulthood...which is too soon.

(But the bedding stays with me!)

This morning

I found this on my fridge this morning, and it made me laugh out loud.

Thankful

As a parent, one of my biggest fears was losing one of my kids. I imagine it's a fear that all we parents have, most of the time, we just hold that fear inside and hope and pray that our kids will be ok.  I know several parents who have lost a child and in being with them, I know there is no other pain to equal the loss of a child.

I've "almost" lost Andy 3 times now.  Once, at this birth when he coded, once when he had pneumonia and his temp was 105, and this last time, a month ago.

What do you do when your child calls you on the phone and the first words out of his mouth are, "Mom, I totaled my car." You say, "What?"  That's what you do.  Because you're caught off guard and it's not what you expected to hear and then you wonder what the heck is going on.  I finally asked Andy just what in the world he was talking about which, I guess calmed him down enough for him to tell me, "My car is totaled.  I was in a wreck, I hit a car and another car hit me."

Okay....now what do you say?  I asked if he was all right, all the while hoping that the car he hit was minor and that he didn't hurt anyone.  He said he was fine, that he was still in the car, that he had a cut above his eye and that he thought maybe his wrist was broken.  He also said he'd called 911.

As he kept talking to me, details came slowly.  He was driving to his girlfriends and it was windy.  He'd driven through a couple of dust clouds, but they were small.  He then saw a bigger one ahead, hit his brakes to slow down and went in.  Next thing he knew, he was stopped.  He then knew that he was going to get hit because he knew there was someone coming down the road behind him.  He remembered the bump of that vehicle hitting him.

I said, hang on, your Dad and I will be there as soon as we can get there.   (I imagined the ambulance would be taking him to the closest hospital, which was probably 10 miles away.)  Andy then said, "NO.  I don't want you on the road.  It's bad."

Every parent out there knows what was going through MY mind, I remember thinking, "the heck with you kid, I'm your mother and nothing is going to keep me away when my baby's hurt."

We hung up, and I called Kev, who said, "Get over here, we're going."  He still had a patient, but called someone to cover and he was ready to go when I arrived.  At which point, Andy called and said they were transporting him to Dodge, so we pulled back into the hospital parking lot and went inside ER.

One nice perk of having a spouse work at a hospital is that he knew who to talk to, and where to go to wait.

But it was a LONG wait.  The ER staff said it was a 6 vehicle accident, but they were pretty calm, so I guessed that no one was hurt badly.  And we waited.  And waited. And waited.  Finally, the ambulance people showed up. And boy were they dirty.

It must have been a bad dust storm, because these guys were all the same shade of light brown.They had dirt everywhere. It was that fine, silky, filmy dust that sticks to everything and gets into everything.  I've never seen people completely covered in dust like they were.

And then Andy came walking in.  Dirty, but alive, well, with a sprain and a cut and some bruises.

One of the firefighters showed Andy and us a photo of his car...sitting on it's nose.  Which we hadn't know about until then.  And more details came out, making me say yet another prayer of thanks.  We even managed to get annoyed at our baby boy, because he was more interested in what the Firefighters/EMT's where doing than he was in being treated.  (He's studying to be a firefighter/Rescue worker.)  I am grateful he was there to annoy us.

Andy told us what happened, or what he remembered.  With each detail, we felt...anxiety, and fear, and gratitude.  And then we saw pictures.  And then I saw the car.  And, I cried.  Because at that moment, I realized just how close my baby came to losing his life, and how very lucky he and everyone involved in that accident were.  No one was killed.  Seven vehicles were totaled, and no one was killed, or seriously hurt.  It was a miracle that the cars lined up like they did.  Andy's car did end up on it's nose, and it was resting against a semi.  Someone had to break him out of the car. If the semi hadn't been there, like it was, then my baby wouldn't be here.  Or he would have been seriously hurt.  I'm thankful that Kev and I harped about wearing seat belts, because if Andy hadn't had his on, he wouldn't be here.  That seat belt kept him in the car and alive.  I'm thankful for the air bag.  It might have cut him, but it kept him alive.

I'm thankful that I still have my baby.

Here's a few of the pictures...

 This is the first picture we saw.  The dust is still thick in the air.   Andy's car is in the center.  That tire up in the air is his.  What is up in the air is the rear of his car.

This one, and the bottom one were taken at the car lot.  Seeing the car was much worse than seeing the pictures of the car.

I wasn't sure about posting about the accident.  But I am very thankful and grateful that someone up there decided to let us keep our child.

Track season

Looking at those pigeon toes and knock knees, you'd never guess she can run.

But she can!  In her defense, Miss Kat is stretching or something...in that top photo.  And in the second one, she's just coming out of her blocks.

At the start of the season, Miss Kat was running the 100 M dash, the 200 M dash and started the 4 x 100 relay.  As the season went on, she dropped the short dashes and picked up the 400 M dash instead.  The relay team changed and she was the only original runner at the end of the season, but had moved to the second leg which is a better leg for her.

That relay team left today for the State Track Meet in Wichita.

The girls run preliminaries tomorrow.  Kev and I can't be there, because there's this silly thing called work.  We'd much rather be in Wichita watching our baby run her little heart out.  Hopefully, we'll watch her run in the finals on Saturday.

The parents of the tracksters who went to State today made little "buckets" of treats.  I packed a cooler for Missy and packed her a box of Whales crackers (similar to Goldfish crackers.)  On the Whales, I put a note that said, "Have a WHALE of a good time!"  On her Ritz cracker packs with crackers and cheese, I put a note that said, "We sure think you are RITZ-Y!"  The Recees's cups said, "Hope you run your Reeces fast!  (Pretty lame, but it's supposed to be a play on the word...race. I had to explain that one to Miss Kat.)  The only note I forgot to attach was one on her Gatorade bottle...It said, "Gator-done!"

She didn't get to see what I'd packed as I took it by another Mom's house early this morning.  It was meant to be a surprise.  She texted me that she liked it all, and thanked me, but thought I was a little corny.

We've been very proud of her track accomplishments this year.  I've said in the past, she's a beautiful runner and to witness her achievements has been gratifying and very satisfying.  Nothing makes you prouder than seeing your kids succeed.

Gator-done Kat!

Inman Winter Formal

On the 17th of December, Miss Kat and I drove to Inman so she could attend the Inman High School Winter Formal Dance with Tate.  Now, these two have known each other since they were 3 or 4, so no big romance, but just good friends. (Besides, they're too young for any serious romance!)

 Tate, Miss Kat, Bailey and Dual. 

Bailey graduated from High School at semester and will be going to Marine boot camp in June.  She shouldn't be old enough, but she is.  I've seen all four of these kids covered, head to toe in mud, so I can say that they clean up very nicely!  Until recently, Tate was shorter than Kat, but he's finally started growing and has really sprouted.  His voice has dropped too.  He and Dual are now both nice baritones.  I still wish they were all 10 again...

Here's a shot of the young couple, Kat and Tate.

 The siblings, Tate, Bailey and Dual.

And, to top things off...here's a "normal" shot of Kat!  Gotta love her!

Bailey is two years older than Miss Kat.  Looking at these pictures, I can't help but remember when Bailey was entering puberty, and wasn't as interested in tom-boying with Kat but was becoming more interested in boys...and being a young lady.  Poor Kat came to me one day, crying because Bailey was more interested in spending time with Andy and not playing with her.  She was just devastated and didn't understand.  I remember sitting her on my lap, hugging her, and explaining to her that in a couple of years, she'd be just like Bailey, and that they'd be just as close again. 

I asked her on this trip if she remembered that day.  She laughed and said she did, and that I was right.

Sometimes, being right is bittersweet.

Girls of Fall

 It's that time of year...

 When we spend many Tuesday evenings watching this girl play.

She's doing great this year!  Still playing JV Volleyball, but getting lots of time in on the floor.

Wanna know something funny?

Her Dad and I really don't know much about Volleyball...in fact, Kev is pretty good at asking more experienced parents why certain calls were made. For example...first game of the season...I mean MATCH...first match...  The girls won their first game... of the MATCH.  So, during the second game, Kev noticed that the scoreboard had the number 1 up in the foul box.  He asked me who got a foul, and how on earth did you get a foul in Volleyball anyway!  I told him that I suspected it wasn't a foul, but was instead a way of signifying that they'd one one game in the match.  But he was teased all night long about the "foul" by a couple of other parents sitting near us. 

It's nice when I'm not always the ...naive...one.

Oh, and typically, Miss Kat plays only on the back row.  But, one of the other girls was ineligible this week, so Missy has been playing the entire games for the whole match.  Confession time...I'm kinda glad that this gal is  ineligible, it means my kid gets to play more!  So...anyway, Miss Kat is now playing all positions.  She's even gotten a couple of kills and has a nice serve!  It's much more fun when your kid is on the floor for the entire game--even if you don't know what the heck she's doing!

So, at our house, it's not the "Boys of Fall," but the "Girls of Fall."  And that's just cool.

teenagers

THIS is what happens when your darling daughter plays with your new camera...

The boys are my nephews, Austin and Cody. Cody is in the brown shirt, Austin is in the yellow. The creature in gray is Miss Kat...

Evidently, there's a setting on the camera that does this kind of layout.

No, I don't know how to do it.

Obviously I'll have to ask Miss Kat for lessons on using my camera...

Frosting on the cake

I did it. It's done!

Since November, I've paid off $3000 in medical bills. I mailed the last three checks last night. How'd I do it?

• Last semester, I taught a section of College Orientation. I earned some extra money for that.
• I got a raise that was paid in November, but it was retroactive back to July.
• Kevin has been working like crazy, earning a lot of overtime.
• Kev also had maxed out his vacation time, so had to cash some in.

And every extra dime we earned went towards paying off those darn medical bills of mine. (And with Christmas and the start of a new college semester for Andy and quarterly insurance, it wasn't easy.) I stuck to my budget and to my guns and we managed to pay it all off.

I can't help but think of the other things that money could have been used for, but I need to thank the stars that it was here when we needed it. Kev's overtime hours should be ending soon, and I'm glad. While we needed that money, I like having him at home on weekends and he needs a little down time. I'm not teaching a class this semester, but I did put my name in the hat to teach some outreach classes and perhaps I'll teach again soon.

On another front, we opened a letter from the County Conservation office last night. Apparently Miss Kat won an award for a limerick she wrote last spring. We've been invited to the annual banquet for a free steak dinner where she'll receive her award. She hasn't decided if she can "fit" the banquet into her busy schedule yet, but even so, I'm proud of her...if only she could remember her limerick! I'm not biased at all, but I think she has a future as a writer--maybe even a paid writer!

Her award was just frosting on the cake.

End of summer changes...for the kids

Summer is rapidly winding down, but it's not slowing down.

Immediately upon our return from vacation, Andy decided it was time for him to spread his wings and fly the coop. He moved into an apartment in Ford with a friend of his. The boys scavenged furniture and dishes from their Mothers and set up house. So far...3 weeks in, they are doing OK.

It's a little odd without Andy being home, but I think it will be OK. He wants to learn how to live on his own and that's what all we parents want, right? It's our job to raise our kids and them let them go learn about life on their own...it was so much easier when I was the kid wanting to go out on my own...

But, we're surviving. My grocery bill had already gone down but my chore list has gone up. Miss Kat has taken over care of the barn cats and I am now the full time caretaker of the chickens. No more questionable eggs have shown up in the fridge, so I must be doing OK!

Yesterday, Andy and I went to Garden City to see an Orthopedic Surgeon. Andy's been struggling with his knee for 2 years. We've seen one Dr, but he didn't do much except tell us he thought it was simply a symptom of Andy growing so fast. But, now, it looks like surgery might be in Andy's future. Which means he probably shouldn't have moved out on his own and signed a lease when he might not be able to work for 6 weeks or more. But, I might be getting ahead of myself with worrying because we won't know for sure what's going on for 2 more weeks.

I will say that I didn't enjoy my day sitting in the Dr's office, and waiting for x-rays and MRI's to be run. The highlight was seeing Andy run around in short shorts (mid thigh) while wearing cowboy boots. While Miss Kat looks cute in her Fat Babies boots with her short shorts and long legs...Andy just doesn't have quite the same look with his shorter, hairier legs...

Gosh, it just dawned on me that I should have gotten a picture!

Since Andy has moved out, Miss Kat is planning on relocating to his room. she has grand schemes...I mean plans. And, those plans change often. We've gone from a red and black room to a teal and silver room to a multi-colored room. We've gone from a city theme to a sports theme to a zebra theme.

We ordered a bedspread/duvet cover Saturday night after looking in every store in Wichita for the perfect bedding. It arrived last night, and had Miss Kat in tears. It just wasn't what she had pictured...and of course, it's my fault, because we didn't order the one she loved 2 weeks ago and it is now unavailable.

But, last night, we settled on one...I hope. Zebra. Black and White. With teal or aqua sheets and accent pillows. And, she's thinking about making herself a small accent quilt. I think she wants to paint the room teal or aqua with one wall metallic silver. We'll see what she winds up with because she is after all, a teenager.

I've decided that she hates me. This quilt thing...you all know that I don't like to quilt. And somehow...I think I'm going to wind up "helping" a great deal with this project. (Aunt Cindy, wanna come to Kansas for a month or so and quilt with Miss Kat???)

Miss Kat is also practicing her driving. She had hopes of getting her farm permit before school so she could drive herself to and from school. But, she's not ready yet. We've driven a few times, but she still doesn't turn corners well and she doesn't keep her speed consistent going up and down hill. She also tends to hug the side of the road which makes me nervous when we don't have shoulders. She is better at stopping, because I haven't hit the dash in a week now. Progress...it's progress, but progress comes at a price; I have more gray hair from all this driving instruction. School starts in 2 weeks. She's not going to have her permit by then. Maybe she'll be ready by Christmas...

Nope, summer might be winding down, but it certainly isn't slowing down at our house.

a text conversation and a crisis

Life with a teenage girl is never dull. Take for example this text conversation we had yesterday, as Miss Kat was on her way to a track meet. The final meet of the year...

11:43 a.m. Thursday.

Miss Kat: Can u get me some money somehow? I didn't eat lunch and I forgot mine.

Me: Now...how am I going to get money to you? Are you running? If so maybe Andy will come to the meet and bring you some money.

Miss Kat: No I'm not. Kim is here. I didn't eat Mom!

Me: What am I supposed to do from Dodge? (I'm thinking...Girl, why didn't you plan yourself. And, seriously? This is a crisis?)

Miss Kat: Give some to Andy. Just like 5 or something.

Me: Let me text him (to see if he's going to the meet).

Miss Kat: Thanks.

I texted Andy. Who had decided not to go to the meet since Kat wasn't running.

Me: Andy isn't going...So, I guess you will have to figure something out yourself...Sorry.

Miss Kat: Mom! I didn't fricken eat lunch! This is freakin stupid! He just doesn't want to do anything.

Me: Kat, it's not his fault. YOU should have eaten. You'll live till you get home...sorry babe. (And I'm thinking...SERIOUSLY, this is ANDY's fault? SERIOUSLY? Good Lord. Just who raised this child?)

Miss Kat: We didn't eat at school!

Me: Oh, ok then... (as I was thinking...SERIOUSLY? I guessed that...how on earth is this MY problem?)

Miss Kat: I'm hungry

Me: I'm sorry maybe you can bum some from from a friend...either that or do without.

Miss Kat: That's frickin' retarded.

Me: Well...do you have any other ideas? (as I'm thinking. Missy...you are getting on my last nerve with this attitude. Serves you right.)

Miss Kat: What do you think?

Me: No idea...ask someone to help you out (all the while I'm thinking...Girl, why is this everyone's fault but your own? You knew you had a meet today. You knew when you were leaving town. You knew you needed lunch...so why is this suddenly MY problem? Good grief, who ARE your parents?)

Miss Kat: Then can you please get me some Bob Evans Macaroni?

Me: How, I'm in Dodge! (and I'm thinking...What? Why the shift from help me, and it's all Andy's fault to "Buy me some Bob Evans Macaroni?" Did I miss something in translation?)

At this point. The conversation ended. Since I am the epitome of thoughtfulness and concern for the physical health and mental well being of my child...I thought about how I could get her some money or food.

Then it hit me... Faye and Frosty, friends from Big E, were going to be there watching their grandson run. So, I called my Mom and asked her if they were still going. Then I explained the crisis--er, problem--and asked if Mom could call Faye (who happens to be her best friend and who's number Mom's phone automatically dials when it's picked up) and ask Faye to loan Kat some money for food. I could then pay Faye back either this weekend or get money to Mom to get to Faye.

So, Mom called Faye, who said "sure". Then Mom called me back. I then texted and called Miss Kat back and told her to find Layton's Grandma who would help her out. Unfortunately, Kat never replied to my message. But, Faye found her and saved the day. God bless Faye...

Although, it was really tempting to just let Miss Kat go without lunch...just to teach her to plan and to be responsible and to take care of herself...yeah right...think it will ever happen? Yeah, I don't think so either...

Miss Kat shines...

Usually, when I blog about Miss Kat, it's about her driving me nuts, or something along those lines. After all, it's not easy living with a stubborn, independent, strong-willed female teenager who is 1000 times smarter than her parents. And if you think I'm exaggerating, just ask Miss Kat. She'll tell you how difficult is is to live with the meanest parents in the world who are woefully small minded and not very bright.

But, today, I'm not going to write anything negative about Miss Kat. Because yesterday, I watched her run.

And when she runs, it's poetry in motion.

Kat's been frustrated in track this year. The girls have had a couple of really good relay races in which they either tied school records or meet records. And, they were looking forward to breaking those records. But, the track meet in which they thought they had nailed the record...that track meet ended early due to a thunderstorm that rolled inconveniently in 2 events before the medley relay. The girls lost their chance to get the record.

The next week, their coach decided to shake things up, and broke up his potential record-breaking team. Two of the girls were moved to the hurdles, and another to the 400. Kat remained in the relays, but she became anchor for the team and was placed with slower runners. Instead of winning relays, the new team placed lower--anywhere from 5th up to 2nd.

Yesterday, Kev and I went to the League track meet in Jetmore. We missed the 4 x 100 relay, which placed 2nd overall. We did get to watch Kat run both the 4 x 200 and the Medley relays. In the 4 x 200, (or 800 meter relay as we called it in the dark ages...) Kat was the anchor. When she got the baton, she was in last place. By the time she finished her leg, she had moved up to 4th place. She just ran the pants off the other girls in her leg and just passed girl after girl and if she had a few more yards to run, she'd have passed the girl in 3rd place.

She did the same thing in the Medley. In the medley relay, the runners run 100, 100, 200, and the anchor runs the 400 meters. Kat was supposed to run the 400, but she's strained a thigh muscle, so coach had her run the 200 instead. And, again, she gained so much ground and time, moving the team into 3rd. Unfortunately, the girl who did run the 400 pooped out and dropped them back to 5th place. Hey, she'd just run the open 400 dash 15 minutes earlier, so she was tired!

But, it was wonderful watching Kat stretch out those long legs and flat run. It was amazing to see how smooth her stride is, how relaxed she looks running. She's a beautiful runner and I was so proud of her.

I hope she continues to run, although right now, at the end of track season, she says she's not going out next year. I hope she changes her mind, because I think she's got potential to break some records. Besides, she's beautiful when she's running and I like watching her shine. It makes me think that maybe all the angst of living with a female teenager just might be worth it in the end.

A parental vent...

It's been a while since I've whined, or complained, or vented about life with Miss Kat...






And, I'm not doing it today either. Instead, I'm venting, whining, and complaining about my other child...Andy. You know, the male one, the one who graduated from High School a year ago? Yep, him.

He's almost completed his first year of college and he's still living at home. But. lord love a duck, I'm about ready to pack his bags and send him...elsewhere...

Our arrangement was that he could live at home for free, but he would still do chores and such for the family. Most of the time, he's done a good job...kinda.

Saturday, I was in a cleaning mood. You know, one of those moods you get when you get compulsive about cleaning and wind up doing those non-typical chores like wash walls and vacuum ceilings. I decided to give both kids a break, and vacuum the basement myself. Besides, no one else was at home, and I needed something to do since I wasn't nagging or yelling at anyone. So, I started picking up the basement family room and went to put Andy's laptop into his room rather than leave it lying on the floor. I opened the door and instantly heard horror music.

You know, the music you hear right as someone is getting killed? That's what I heard upon opening the door.

Andy has tan carpet in his room. But the color I saw was black. BLACK carpet. Carpet covered with so much dog hair, that it was black. Upon seeing it, I think I blacked out... When I came to, I knew I had to clean that mess up. I could not stand having any room look like that, or smell like that, in my house! So, I vacuumed, and vacuumed and then, the vacuum cleaner was full. I emptied it and started again.

By the time Andy's carpet was tan again, I had emptied the cup on the vacuum 4 times! There was enough dog hair in that room to create at least 2 more dogs. After vacuuming for an hour in that one room, I decided to leave the dusting for Andy to do himself. He was supposed to do it yesterday (because he was gone all weekend.) As of 10 p.m. last night, it wasn't done. It's still not done.

I am not a happy camper.

And then...last night, I asked Andy to get some bacon out of the freezer, to shut up the chickens and gather the eggs. At 9:30, when I went to bed, I reminded him again to:

• get out the bacon
• gather the eggs
• turn off the light above the stove in the kitchen
• shut up the chickens
• and let out the dogs before going to bed.

This morning, I found...the kitchen light still on...no bacon...no eggs...the chickens were not shut up and I'd venture to bet that the dogs hadn't been let out.

Sadly, I know he was busy playing freecell on the computer and texting, so I know he was extremely busy... I get that, but sheesh! Do something kid! Somehow, the senior-itis I thought we might see last year didn't show up until this year. Makes me want to grab him, put him over my knee and beat his behind. Unfortunately, he's got me by a few pounds and inches.

But I promise you this, if he keeps it up, he's moving out!

He'll keep his own house clean, right?

Life with a teenage girl

If I survive these next 4 or 5 years of living with a teenage girl, it will be a miracle. I honestly do not think I was as dramatic or as emotional or as flighty as Miss Kat is. Lord love a duck, that child is something else. In the past week, I've seen her

• madder than a wet hen
• sobbing as if the world had just ended, and
• bouncing off the walls with happiness.

And a couple of those emotions were within 10 minutes!

Kev and I ran to Wichita last Saturday to attend the Garden Show. We got home around 5 and found Miss Kat sobbing uncontrollably. So, I sat down with her in her room to discover what was wrong. I knew that she had been invited to a friends house that evening for a Movie Night. She was excited to get to go. And, now...now, she was crying.

We didn't know where the girls house was exactly, so Miss Kat had texted the hostess and several other girls who were going to get directions. But, no one had texted her back. Miss Kat, being the logical and level headed person she is, immediately jumped to the conclusion that she was no longer invited and that everyone was laughing at her for thinking she was invited. She also decided that everyone must be mad at her.

All because no one texted her back.

So, I tried to be reasonable and tell her that maybe the girls didn't have their phones, or thought that Kat was kidding about not knowing where the party was, and I assured her that no one was mad and that they'd call and give us directions. And, right after I said that, and right after she'd slowed down on the sobbing and crying; her phone rang.

It was the hostess wondering just why Miss Kat wasn't there yet! She gave Kat directions, and I ran her to town. (After we made sure her eyes weren't puffy from the crying.) The kids had a great time, and Miss Kat wound up spending the night.

Tuesday night, she asked Kev and I if she could host a Movie night this Saturday. While we weren't against it, we decided that we wanted to think about it a couple of days. After all, something might come up unexpectedly... On Wednesday evening, I got a text from her telling me that the party would need to be on Friday because some of the kids were going out of town on Saturday and she proceeded to list the names of the kids she invited...

Wait a minute...did Kev and I say "Yes", and forget? Are we that senile? I thought we said "Maybe" and now the party is planned! What???? And, on the list of names were 3 boys' names... Are we ready for a co-ed party? Do we want teenage girls and teenage boys in our house? At the same time?

Miss Kat reassured me, and made me feel so much more comfortable when she said, "Don't worry, we won't do anything. "

To which I thought, "Damn straight! You won't do anything!" and now, I was feeling so much more comfortable with the thought of teenagers of both sexes in my house... whoo boy...

After much lengthy conversation, we decided to allow the party...

Today, I brought to work with me a shopping list. On that list are highly nutritional snacks like Doritos, M&M's and lots of pop. Miss Kat has promised to clean the house tonight. Kev and I have said the kids can be upstairs--with the big screen TV and with us near by. Kat's so stinkin' excited that she makes me want to drug her up, just to bring her back down to earth.

Man...Not only do I have to survive this party, but I also have 4 more years of living with a teenager. Prayers welcome; I need all the help I can get!

Miss Kat, 2010

See my beautiful cheerleader? That big smile, the confident manner in which she poses, the perfect hair...yep, she's my girl!

Can you believe that she hates this picture?

I know!

This photo was taken in December. Kat got her copies in early January and I just got to see them last night. Why? Because she doesn't think it's a good picture of her, so she didn't bring them home.

Yeah, I don't get it either.

I think she's a very pretty and photogenic person.

Totally unlike her mother!

Yes, miracles still happen.

Miss Kat's photos

When Miss Kat and I had to share a camera, I was always asking...no begging her to email me pictures to post on my blog. She always had the camera and the USB cord and never let me have it or the computer, so I resorted to begging.

Then she got her own camera and voluntarily emailed me these pictures.

"What are they of?" I asked. "The sunset." She replied.

"Any particular sunset? Anything special?"

"NO, I just thought they were pretty and I want you to put them on your blog."

I'm a good mother and always obey my daughter....so here they are!

This one is from Friday--right after it quit snowing. We got about 5 inches of snow which is the first significant snow we've gotten all winter. It will be gone by Friday.

Yes, the wind blew, and this is a shot of a drift. I need to ask where exactly this drift is...

On Saturday, we woke up to fog and everything was covered with hoarfrost. Kat took several shots of the frost. But I'm just sharing a couple. Above is frost on our bell and below is frost on one of the bushes. Cool, isn't it!


That's all the pictures I have today. Maybe Miss Kat will share more in the future. I hope so!

Lady Deuces Basketball

We watched the final game of the Jr High Season last night. The girls were in the Championship game playing against my Alma mater...Ashland.

There's a pretty big rivalry between the Deuces and the Bluejays. It was very evident last night, as the girls game looked more like a football game than a basketball game.

I don't think that we played as physically when I was in school. Man, there were girls on both teams getting hurt last night. No blood, but lots of heads banging the floors, hands getting stepped on, bodies slamming into the floor and into each other. Both teams were in the Bonus early, both teams had girls in foul trouble in the first quarter! Girls who never foul had 4 fouls!

It was intense.

What's worse, is that whenever we play Ashland, my Alma mater, I really really want to beat them. It's an intense emotion, and nothing is more satisfying as beating them. (I didn't expect to feel this way when we moved here, but I do.)

Back to last night's game... since it was so intense, Miss Kat did not get to play, and I'm glad. I don't think I could have handled the pressure, because I was having trouble anyway. It would only have been worse if she had been playing, because then I'd have wanted her to shine and to kick some Bluejay butt at the same time.

The girls finally won, 45 to 37, but they had to fight for every basket and they had to fight to win. It was a really good game and I'm really glad the girls kicked butt!

Congratulations Lady Deuces--Undefeated Champions of the Southern Plains Iroquois League!

today...

Today, the shoes are cool. Yep, "everyone" loved the Basketball shoes.

They are the coolest shoes ever!

so, all is good...

for now...

Teenage girls...gotta love them.

revenge...I can't wait

Someday, I'm going to print out all these "Miss Kat" posts and give them to her. I think I'll wait until she's a mother of a girl though. Revenge...yes, it will be sweet revenge.

I love my daughter dearly. I do.

Really.

And yet, she can frustrate me like no other person in the world. sigh. And, yet, I understand her...most of the time. Her father doesn't have a clue, but I do.

Saturday I took Miss Kat down to Mom's for a jewelry making extravaganza.

See, Miss Kat has always had an artistic bent. She writes stories (watch for her someday to be the female Stephen King.) She draws. Yet, she hasn't found that artistic outlet that she's passionate about. We've tried painting, ceramics, glass etching, sewing, cross stitch, crocheting, knitting and lots more and yet, we keep searching for that one thing that she can be passionate about. Jewelry was next on the list.

My Mom has discovered the art of jewelry making, and I asked if she'd show Miss Kat how to do some. It was a Grandma/Granddaughter day--not only for my "girls" but for one of Mom's friends. Three girls, 2 Grandmas and 1 Mom who observed. ( I am not remotely interested in making or wearing jewelry.)

It was a slow start, because the Grandma's have lots and lots and lots of beads and wire and string and beads and other... ... stuff. However, once they got started, the girls went to town!

Miss Kat had a ball. She wants to go back next week. She wants to make more and more and more jewelry. Which is great! I loved watching her work and really enjoying herself. She needs that outlet.

On Sunday, Miss Kat, Kev and I went to Garden. Kev and I needed things from Home Depot and Miss Kat needed Basketball shoes. Kev had to work at the hospital for an hour or so, and while we were waiting, Miss Kat and I ran to Walmart and got a few beads and tools for her new passion.

Then, on to Garden. We had a nice lunch at Applebees, ran by the Crazy House to look at some cowboy boots and shirts, but they weren't open yet, so we decided to go ahead and get Miss Kat's basketball shoes.

Went into one store, and they were out of shoes in her size. Went into another store. The sales clerk wanted to measure her feet. They've grown again. She's now a perfect 10. Except she's not happy being a perfect 10. She hates having big feet. Then, the sales clerk noticed that she's flat footed. So, he got an insert and had her walk around. Her dad instantly noticed the change in her gait. Me...not so much.

She said the shoes were ok. I paid an astronomical price for them, and out the door we went. We decided it was time to run to Home Depot. Once we got there, Miss Kat refused to go in the store and she was crying.

And, she wouldn't tell us why she was crying.

So, we left her in the pickup, and went inside assuming she'd be right in soon.

But she didn't.

When we got to the pickup, she informed me that she hates the shoes and wants to take them back. She hates them so much, she'll just do without basketball shoes. And, then she started crying again.

Ugg.

I knew what the problem was--it was the SIZE of the shoes. It was the fact that she thinks her feet are so big that they are all anyone will ever see.

But, she didn't want to admit this, instead, the shoes were evil. They were ugly. They weren't what she wanted. It was the shoe's fault. It was my fault.

Her Dad blew up. (and that is NEVER a pretty sight.)

He drove us back to the shopping center. We pulled into the parking lot so we could return the shoes. And then we heard this small little voice say...

"I'll keep the shoes."

Dad blew up again while I burst out laughing. Which made Dad blow up a little more.

But, Saturday was so great! She found something she truly enjoyed and can be passionate about. She was so happy. And then, yesterday, it started out great, but crashed so quickly and so badly. Emotions from ecstasy to despair. High to Low. Happy to the most miserable person in the world.

It's frustrating.

And, someday, I'll get my sweet revenge when I print this out and give it to my daughter who is the mother of her own teenager. It's something to look forward to!

annoyed

I'm not in a very good mood today.

Miss Kat is home "sick" today and is skipping school.

Except, I don't think she's "sick" enough not to go to school.

But, I decided, she's almost 14, and is old enough to take some responsibility for her own decisions and their repercussions.

But I'm really annoyed with her because I think it's allergies and sinus drainage again.

Not something serious like H1N1.

And, somehow, I feel like a bad mother for not believing she doesn't feel well, and for thinking she should go to school and I feel bad because I think she should be just like me and go even if she doesn't feel 100%. I have no patience for "sick" people...especially when I don't think they are really sick and should just suck it up.

Gee...maybe I should make a career change and become a nurse...I have such empathy...want me to be your nurse?

Need a good laugh?

Last night, I informed my children that they were now responsible for their own laundry.

I have always done our laundry on Saturday or Sunday. The kids, until recently, have been really good about bringing me their dirty laundry to be washed. But, since we moved, they really haven't been very good. Miss Kat will bring me a few things, but will not bring up her important laundry (like underwear) until she's been out for several days.

Andy used to do that too...I'd be doing laundry, and find 2 pair of underwear to be washed. Either he wasn't changing them, or he was using both sides before bringing them to be washed. And, believe you me...sometimes they looked like they'd been worn for a week or two.

What is it with my kids and underwear???

Then there's the deal with jeans. For many years, we simply didn't have the money for the kids (or we adults) to have more than 2 or 3 pair of jeans. So, we'd wear them a couple of days and then put them in the wash. That worked well until Andy got an "Outside" job and got very dirty. Which was fine, because by this time, he had 4 or 5 pair of jeans...

He just wouldn't wear them because he didn't like them. (And they say girls are picky.)

Miss Kat is almost as bad. She has several pair of jeans now (thank God for hand me downs). However, she'll take them off and they'll disappear in the dark recesses of her room; never to be seen again. And, then suddenly, they'll reappear, all in a laundry pile, needing an emergency wash because someone "doesn't have anything to wear."

The last couple of months, I've begged the kids to bring me their laundry to wash. I've demanded that they bring me their laundry, I've threatened, I've gotten on my knees, begging to do their laundry.

Until now. Dang it, they can do it themselves.

Which led to me telling them they were responsible for their own laundry. At which point, Miss Kat said, "That's good. I've been doing my own laundry for a couple of months now anyway."

After I picked up my jaw off the floor...and after I stopped laughing hysterically, I simply said

"good."



Footnote: She hasn't been doing her laundry, because I have yet to 1. Hear the machine run. 2. See her carry laundry up or down the stairs. and 3. There's usually something of mine still in the dryer that I forgot to get folded and we all know that a teenager won't fold any laundry that isn't her own and can't even use the dryer if there's something in it... and 4. well...yeah, as her mother, I know better!