Mom or Dad...which will it be???

Poor Kev...

This morning, he told me something, which I couldn't hear. So I said, "What's that?"

He looked at me, laughed and said..."OK, Eugene, let me repeat myself."

Eugene is my Dad, and he's hard of hearing. And, if he doesn't hear you, he says "what's that?" Not as in "What IS that," but as in "What was it you said?"

And, there have been just a few times when I've said something and Kev will once again, laugh, except he will say "OK, Carol". Who is my Mom. Or...he'll say, "That sounded JUST like your MOTHER."

I did ask him which of my parents he'd like to spend the rest of his life with.

He refrained from answering...wonder what that means!

(sorry Mom!)

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!

"This marriage on hold for Kansas Basketball..."

The Kansas, K-State Basketball game just finished. It was an experience...

Andy is a K-State fan. Kev is a die-hard fanatic KU fan. Both were watching the game...but on different TVs. Andy, downstairs, Kev across the room. Neither are quiet fans.

Andy would yell for his team, and we'd hear it echo upstairs. Kev would yell for his team, and it would echo downstairs. Kat would occasionally join in with the KU cheerleaders with chants. I'll tell ya, between the three of them, my life is..interesting...

I have to say, watching Kev watch a KU game is entertaining...more entertaining than the game. He's on his knees, he' yelling at the TV, he's hugging pillows, he's almost as bad as a kid hyped up on sugar.

He's a Jayhawk, and right now, he's really happy. Andy...poor Andy hasn't said a word since the last two minutes of the game. Wonder if he'd appreciate condolences from his dad?

Rock Chalk Jayhawk!

the red oil lamp

I'm sure you are wondering why on earth I posted a picture of an oil lamp with a broken chimney. Well..see...it's another of my "old crap" items. This lamp, on this stand, hung in Grandma and Grandpa's bedroom--the "North" bedroom-- forever.

When I brought home the lamp, the chimney was intact. And then, I hung it on the wall, and somehow managed to break the chimney. I've looked online for a new chimney like this, and haven't found one yet. But, I'm still looking. Until then, I'm going to keep the broken chimney, because while it might look stupid, it looks even more stupid without the chimney.

The bracket is a light weight tin, but I know it's old, because the screws in it were "flat head" screws and Kev refused to use them when he hung it up for me. I've always liked the bracket and would really like to hang this out in the living room, or maybe even in the kitchen. I can see this attached to one of my cabinets right above the sink. But, before I move it, I've got to find a new chimney, and then I'll have to convince Kev to hang it up again in the kitchen.

Somehow, I don't see either being accomplished any time in the near future.

Sewin' cards

When I was a little girl, one of my "toys" was a set of Sewing cards, or Lace-up Cards. I remember taking a plastic needle and yarn, and "sewing" my cards. After they were sewed, then I'd "rip" out my "stitches" and do it again. I don't know what happened to my cards, they probably got tore up and destroyed by that my little brother, who often destroyed my girly stuff.

He did! Once, I got perfume as a gift and he thought it stunk, so he poured it down the toilet. So, I know he destroyed my Lace-up cards too. Little brothers are nothing but a big pain...

Anyway, I found these in one of my Cross Stitch Catalogs--Keepsake Needlearts--

I knew immediately that I had to have these. Miss Kat saw them, and sewed up one...all by herself...after I showed her how to thread the needle and how to sew. (Sigh...this poor girl has a rotten mother...imagine, being 14 and not knowing how to sew...)

She did a nice job on her elephant. Mommy is soooooo proud of her baby girl.

Here's a few of the other cards.

I ordered 3 sets...one for me, and the little girls (the 3 year old girls) in the family will get a set for Christmas. We certainly don't want them to grow up and not know how to sew when they're 14!