Remodeling aka Cleaning out the Junk

Something has happened to my blog.  I don't recognize it anymore.  All of my labels, pictures and the all about me info is at the very end of my list of blogs.  I do not know how to put them back in order.  I am sure there is a way but I haven't found it.

I have been busy.  My older granddaughters are keeping all of us busy.  One is building a house and the other is getting married.  I am happy for them but I fear it is a bit much for their parents all at one time.  Now if the other 6 don't have any major happenings for at least 6 months it will be okay with me. Come to think of it...one will be graduating from high school in May. 

Building a new house is a major undertaking.  The Rancher and I did this in our second year of marriage too.  Our house was small by toady's standards.  It was only 1200 Sq. ft. We were so proud of our little bungalow.  We out grew it soon though as 4 children came to bless our home.  We added on.  Now this was not a new add-on...It was an old house on one of the places we had bought. It was a small structure but the extra 700 sq.ft.  made our house seem like a mansion.  It is still home, and I am happy here.

Building a house takes a lot of nerve too.  There are so many things to consider.  It is hard on marriages and relations with all of the relatives that tell you how to do things.  Oh, I know we were really too young to know what we were doing but I did know where I wanted my windows and that I wanted to sit at the table and look outside.  That didn't happen.  I hope that my granddaughter is strong about how she and her husband want things and then if things aren't quite right, they can only blame themselves.  I wish them all of the luck in the world and I know this is not a new thing for Jake. He is from a family of carpenters.

Saturday, there was a family paint party at the house that Molly and Josh are moving into.  We had a great crew and painted 4 rooms and a large hall and bath.  Paneling had to be primed and two coats of paint plus all of the trim.  There was a lot of taping going on.  It was a fun time.  I have a hard time getting used to different colors.  I know that my Mom would love the dining room and living room though as hers were of that color too.  She also loved bright colors. I know that she is smiling down from heaven at the grey walls that adorn the front room.  Now if Molly will only paint the front door RED!

To top all of this off, I have been on a carpenters list since last summer to have my bathroom remodeled.  We need a new shower, new floor and the flooring in there and my utility have been there since 1978.  Good stuff.  I was told to get something that would last but hey, I am tired of it.  It is time for an overhaul and I don't mean me.  Well, probably me but that ain't gonna happen.  So next week the carpenters are coming.  I need to find a place to put my junk so they can clean out and start.  This old house is getting another face lift.  I am excited. 

Lessons in January

January..Winter...Long nights and short days....Lazy?....or in a rut...Winter Blahs.....there has to be an excuse somewhere for me. I am content to take a nap everyday and sometimes sleep later than I should. The Rancher is kind and gets up and puts the coffee on and patiently waits for me to WAKE UP AND SMELL IT. I do get up and we have our morning devotion as we enjoy our cup of caffeine. The Rancher makes his coffee a little on the mild side. I tell him that I could read the date on a dime if there was one at the bottom of the cup. He doubts it and smiles. I know that he likes his coffee like that and that is the reason he makes it. He doesn't really let me sleep to be sweet.....He likes to make the coffee.


I like my coffee with a little more robust to it. I make it a little stronger but it doesn't compare to what daughter Nurse creates. I let her make it when she is here if I dare. She has worked in hospitals too long and for some reason she thinks one should be able to get a jolt when they take the first drink. She uses 1 tablespoon ..Yes that is right...one tablespoon per cup. I calmly pour a halp cup of coffee and add water to full it up. The Rancher either refrains and makes another pot or fixes 3/4 cups of water and adds her coffee to it. We can all be happy when she makes it. She is never happy with mine and can't even understand why her dad calls his Coffee.

Back to my Winter attitude. I have been reading. That is something I haven't done for awhile. I enjoy reading Christian novels and historical novels. I will write one someday. Really.....I have started but that was several years ago. I found it while doing some deep cleaning and wondered if I should start writing again. I still have the story in my mind but I am not very good with how I want to say somethings. I suppose that my daughters who are teachers, librarians and professors could help me. I don't know that I even want them to know about my ambition though. I think they think I am not overly ambitious sometimes. They are young and full of energy. I have been where they are and envy how productive and energetic they are. Growing older and being on medication is not for babies. Some of this medication breaks down my muscle tissue and some of it just zaps my energy. Hey, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.


Maybe this is a hardtime of year because I am remembering my Mother. She left a year ago to be with Jesus and I know that is a part of my attitude problems. I am trying to be happy about that though. She is in a wonderful place. I wear a piece of her jewelry every day and think about how she looked with it on and use her dishes and remember the good meals that she fixed on them. I am trying to celebrate her life this month. the librarian made me a pin to wear using some of moms clothing scraps. So what am I complaining and being weary about? It is a New Year. A time to start all things over. Set new goals and be happy for the things that God has blessed us with.


2 Corinthians 5:17 says: Therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new. That's the key...start over and let Christ be my guide and lift me up.

A Brand New Year

Well, almost. This is day #5 and I haven't been on the computer for a week. A Windstorm played havoc around here and we had a power failure. I had to have a new black box from the phone company.

This is a new year. I looked at the calendar and all of the pages are clean except for 2 Dr.'s appointments. We have a fresh start. I hope that I do better this year. What I mean by that is...I hope that I do my best. You see sometimes I don't. I sort of blunder along and put things off until later. The first thing I know...it is sometimes too late to get them done. I just procrastinate too much. I did so much better before I retired. I knew that I had to do things in an allotted time and I made lists. I find myself just thinking, "Well, I will do that tomorrow." It doesn't always work. Tomorrow is full too. I am going back to lists and stick up notes. Oh, and I must remember to read them. What good are they if I don't read them???

I also want to try some new things this year. Be a little more flexible. Maybe do somethings that I used to do. Did you know that I paint. Not the walls, silly but I can really paint with oils and acrylics. I just put them away one day and haven't had them out in years. I decided that I had enough pictures and I don't want to sell them. Who would buy my paintings?? I guess that I could do the Esty thing that my granddaughters do. I would need one of them to be my business manager though. I also love to sew and used to love to create things for my family to wear. I even bought a new sewing machine and I cannot learn all of the things that it can do. I wonder what made me think I needed to try to embroidery with a machine when I have unfinished hand embroidery projects in a drawer.????

A New Year makes us want to do better...to reform our ways. I learned a long time ago not to make resolutions. Those things are a joke. Another one of the things that I would procrastinate about. I never did set any unreachable goals though. I guess I could try to not gain more than 5 lbs. Now that would be something that would work for me. Not gain too much weight. I did not say...Lose weight. I would like to do that but the realistic thing to say is I hope I won't gain any weight.

How about you?? Have you set any unreachable goals or are you going to be realistic and just try to be a better person in what you do. I think that is the best way to be.

Have a great year and glorify God in whatever you do and you will be a success.

Remembering Mama

One year ago today, celebrating her birthday.

I Thank my niece Diane for sending this poem to me. I have read it many times but this year is has more meaning to me. You see my Mom is spending..

Her first Christmas In Heaven.

I see the countless

Christmas trees,

Around the world below

With tiny lights, like Heaven's stars,

Reflecting on the snow.

The sight is so spectacular,

Please wipe away the tear,

For I am spending Christmas with

Jesus Christ this year.

I hear the many Christmas songs

that people hold so dear,

But the sounds of music can't compare

with the Christmas choir up here.

I have no words to tell you

the joy their voices bring

for it is beyond description

To hear the angels sing.

I know how much you miss me

I see the pain inside your heart

But I am not so far away,

We really aren't apart

So be happy for me, dear ones

You know I hold you dear,

And I'm glad I'm spending Christmas

with Jesus Christ this year.

I sent you each a special gift,

from my heavenly home above

I sent you each a memory

of my undying love.

After all, love is a gift more precious

than pure gold.

It was always most important

In the stories Jesus told.

Please love and keep each other

As my Father said to do,

For I can't count the blessing or love,

He has for each of you.

So have a Merry Christmas

And wipe away that tear.

Remember, I am spending Christmas with

Jesus Christ this year.

Happy Birthday to our Beautiful Mom. We do miss you.

Who Will be Home for Christmas?

As I was growning up, it was always expected that we would go to our Grandmothers homes for Christmas. Of course we all lived in the same community and it was a simple thing to do. We would visit with one family for a feast at noon and then go to the other Grandmothers for late afternoon visiting and leftovers. I thought that was the thing to do.

My mothers family was small. She had 4 brothers but one lived far away and one had not married. The other two brothers married late in life and their children were all younger than I was. If there were 15 at Grandma C's house, it was a crowd. This was not true in My Dad's family. Dad was number 7 of 8 children and by the time that I was three, there were great grandchildren in the family. We ate in shifts at Grandma R's. It was not unusual for there to be at least 3 to 4 dozen for a holiday meal. We kids would sit up and down the stairs, and even on the floors in the upstairs rooms. Grandmas never used paper plates either. Maybe that is why we ate in shifts....we had to wait on clean dishes.

The first Christmas after the Rancher and I married, we went to his Grandmothers for dinner. It was so quiet, There were only 8 people there county Me. No noises, You could pass the food around the table where everyone could sit at one time. It was not like any holiday meal I had experienced before. The Rancher was very kind and suggested that we go to Grandma's for supper. He didn't know what he was infor. It was standing room only in her dining and living room. All of the cousins and their families were there. He was as overwhelmed with that experience as I was with having dinner with no one there.

Through the years the program changed, Our grandmothers turned the jobs over to their children to have their own families in their own homes. For several years my own family has came home for the holidays. They don't always come on Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Day but they come home. It is where they want to be at this time of year. They also like to have a special time with their children in their own homes.

We enjoy our time at home too. We reflect on holidays past and recall the fun times through each generation. We attend services at one of local churches on Christmas eve. We visit with the Ranchers Mother and have a quiet supper or dinner with just 4 or 5 people. It is pleasant and at this age, I enjoy the peacefulness of the season.


We celebrate the real meaning of Christmas. My house has a tiny Christmas tree this year. The bulk of the family won't be here until New Years. Day. A big trea takes a lot of space and my collection of Nativties don't. I sit them out and enjoy them all. My son-in-law brought me one from Kenya this year. It is very primitive and of course the figures are long legged and black in color. I love it. I also have a special one from Uraguay. Jesus was for all people. He is in the hearts of all who have allowed him to be. The style and shape of the manger scene is what is in the eyes of the beholder. I saw one with longhorn steers this week. With this, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and hope that your home is filled with laughter from your children and grandchildren. If they can't be with you.....listen with your heart and you will hear their voices ring. In it all, let Jesus be present with you.

Happy Anniversary

Happy Anniversary to my wonderful husband. For 48 years we have shared our lives together. We were just a couple of kids 7 months out of high school when we wed. There was no need to wait. The Rancher always wanted to be a rancher and farmer and I always knew I would be a ranchers wife. After all these years I love him even more than I did then. You know I think young people don't really know what love is until they go through a lot of things in life. Love is what withstands all of the ups and downs, ins and outs, laughter and tears, and the happy times and sad ones. We have been through a lot of these things.

We have had a partnership from the beginning. I learned how to do all of the things that were necessary to be a partner in this operation and he helped me with the kids and house. This wasn't so in the beginning . One day the Rancher complained about never spending time with the kids and I thought that I never had a break from them. He taught me to drive the tractor and I would go to the field while he worked around the shop or spent time with the kids. This was usually for about 4 hours a day. In time, the kids got older and I could just farm all day if I wanted to. That was okay as he had a off farm job by that time and, we were partners.

When we were dating, I thought my sweetie was really in the money, I learned that he had spent it all on me before we were married. We had a short honeymoon at a nearby town and ate shrimp and steak for our meal. I had a conversation with a friend this summer and she mentioned where they had spent their honeymoon and where they ate their first meal and I had to laugh.....We had been to the same place.

If you are reading this my dear husband, Thanks for all the fun. It has been great and if I had to do it all over again, I would do it with you. You know the song,"Livin' on Love". That's us, two old people....Where did the time go?