the week in review....

wednesday....rented Due Date and Little Fockers . katie & I have horrible colds.
thursday...kevin brought corey & kj home from college for the summer. kate & I argued our way thru getting ready for dance pictures. she was once again less than impressed. on the way there she tells me she needs 5 growing up pictures for a slide show for sixth grade graduation. BY TOMORROW. she came home and found them. life is good....

cold season again...

katie has a horrible cold. I have a horrible cold. I made steak & tater tots & crescent rolls for supper. didn't taste good so ended up eating saltines and marshmallows. frontierville has started the Oregon Trail challange! (finally!)

we watched Raising Hope and once again I ponder what kind of grandparents we'll be.

the ill-fated Dixie Burr

kevin drove to trenton to pay the $500 down payment on katie's braces and the may & june payments with his incentive check. he & kj have negotiated how he will help kj move home from college on thursday.

yesterday I slept most of the day, dragging out the tshirt quilt and working on it some. kate was on line shopping for accessories and accents for the new room she will be creating. she did her presentation today &tried to sell RedWheel to teachers after school, they had a meeting & she only caught one. she is diligently selling all she can to help with KC Chief JR Cheerleader expenses!

it's my riser week. oh joy. dance class weds nite, dance pictures thursday nite. made up a new facebook friend today...theillfateddixieburr. I am perhaps addicted to frontierville....

Dixie Burr was a real life man way back when....he was Granville Stewarts wife's nephew (?I think?? in a book I just read. the sketch they had of him showed a pretty run down cowboy. his mother was Indian, his father white. and he was killed by vigilantes.

saturday

slept in....cleaned house...baked cookies....did laundry...made lunch...picked up jessie...had the girl scout meeting...took jessie home...bagged up easter eggs for next year...made supper...

when I was a kid....

My curfew was the street lights and mom didn't call my cell, she yelled "time to come in!" I played outside with friends, not online. If I didn't eat what my mom made me then I didn't eat. Hand sanitizer didn't exist, but you COULD get your mouth washed out with soap. And your butt spanked if you mis-behaved or dis-respected someone-especially an adult. Repost this on facebook if you drank water from a hose & survived...

Jerseylicious....

slept in....blogged....cleaned out the 'bill cabinet'...threw out some old magazines after I looked thru them...and watched Jerseylicious with Katie!

Katie & Koren got their braces today....

slept in, threw sheets in the washer, ran Katie to Trenton to get her braces put on, took a nap, stuffed Easter eggs for Girl Scouts, took her to dance, took the dogs for a walk, Kevin made supper....and a new The Middle! I love stay-at-home mom days.....

The Funeral

didn't decide on my outfit till today & had a lot of trouble. it was chilly and damp and drizzly. I definitely could've selected a more weather friendly final choice. the family met at the enclosed Moberly Park Shelter for lunch, put on by mom's Sweet Adelines group. we were missing Ashley, who was sick at Mizzou; KJ, studying for finals at NWMSU; Rachelle, who has missed too many days of school; & Sarah, who was MAP testing. one of Clyde's daughters had a fantastic geneology scrapbook she had brought. she has many amazing old family pictures I had never seen. I know Grandma had a good long life & it was her time to go. But I am selfish & wasn't ready to let her go yet. Now Great Aunt Minerva is the last one of the Maxwell family left. I have went from being one of the grandkids to being a mom to realizing my own impending mortality. we got to meet little Brent. he and big brother Seth look like little Abercrombie & Finch models. such adorable little guys! I wanted a family picture since it had been so long since we'd been together, the nice guy at Resthaven offered to take a group shot with Lisa's camera since mine was having card error issues.

afterwards, dad's car alarm got set off, the plants were divided, we hugged goodbye & went our seperate ways. Kevin, Katie, & I shopped at Hy-Vee and then had the new stuffed crust Pizza Hut pizza. she is afraid she won't be eating pizza for awhile after she gets her braces tomorrow morning....

I am so tired. couldn't start my 3 day funeral leave until today, since my boss had off Friday & Monday for jr. high trackmeets. Koren & Cody were here Monday when I got home from work.

the old piano from Halfrock Christian Church

Kiera Pollard is listing this on Mercer County Swap on facebook for $50. my mom used to play piano at the Halfrock churches....

when I am old....

I will build a little cabin in the woods. I will adopt some unruly demon critter from the animal shelter who will maul me & eat me if he is the first to find me when I die.

I will take every exit that has an interesting billboard of something I'd like to see.

I will have "Camp Grandma" every summer with theme t-shirts.

I will sleep late.

I will finally subscribe to ancestry.com.

I will have a clean house.

I will eat dessert first. Every meal.

safe journey, grandma grace

my grandma Grace Brown passed away this morning under hospice care at Sunnyview Nursing Home, Trenton, MO. she will be buried Tuesday 1 p.m. Resthaven Cemetery, Trenton. there will be a family dinner catered by my moms Sweet Adelines' group 11 a.m. in the Moberly Park Covered Shelter. Grandma was 94 and had a long life. She had 3 daughters, retired after 3o some years at Mattlinglys/Matcos/Places. She got to have a 50th wedding anniversary with her husband Vermal. She kept him home at the end and took care of him. She raised her family during WWII rationing. She sent her young husband off to war, but the war ended and he came home. She went to school thru 8th grade, then got a job. Grandma crocheted, painted, sewed, quilted, raised a huge garden, cooked, baked, made candy, & canned. She was a working mom when such a thing was virtually unheard of. She picked up the pieces after their house burnt. She made curtains for their camper and drove the boat while Grandpa waterskied. she threw huge family Christmases where the walls fairly bulged as her family grew by sons-in-law and grandkids and grandsons&daughters-in-law and great great grandkids. when I was young, every holiday was at Grandma & Grandpa's. Easter, Christmas, Thanksgiving, 4th of July. she made peanut butter toast for breakfast and listened to KTTN on the radio on top of the fridge. she loved to help her daughter Janet at her store. she would visit Granddaughter Debbie and take her shopping at Walmart. above all, Grandma loved kids. she used to visit me when I was first married and help me babysit a little girl. she later babysat the little girls across the street from her after she retired. Grandma was an amazing woman and she lived thru a lot...kidney problems, 2 knee replacements....she bowled on a league...and she always made time for her grandkids.

a wider path....

Kevin cut down dead trees in the windbreak last week, then more trees this week. he hauled them to the ditch, we raked up twigs, and tonite had a bonfire. This has always been Katie's forest, she has always had a path. will have to make a new path for her....

Missouri...

Missouri: where the tea is sweet and the accents are sweeter, summer starts in April, front porches are wide and words are long, macaroni and cheese is a vegetable, pecan pie is a staple, ya'll is a proper conjunction (it is everywhere btw), chicken is fried, biscuits come with gravy, everything is darlin' & someone is always getting their heart blessed...

monday monday

forgot about katie's dentist appt. kevin called me at work to remind me, picked her up at school early. kevin had the oven element waiting by the front door for me to take to Klingingsmiths so they could see if they had one like it. they did. then on to the dentist where katie got her spacers put in. she is now in pain.....she wanted cheese balls for supper, which we tried cutting in tiny bites...she finally decided she'd try the leftover mashed potatoes and noodles from last nite. turned in the girl scout magazine stuff....we made $79. swept floors, put out trash, walked dogs. now on to folding laundry....

the weekend in review...

got home about 5p.m. Sunday. everything she was in scored Top First. several other girls and groups got Elite Top Firsts. 2 girls won Dance Directive scholarships. several were selected for Top Starz. Katie did manage to have some fun with her dance friends. and shopping with her sister. she had to finish homework when we got home. the weather was so good, and she was so bummed about her solo, I tried to nag her to get it done. and now it is bedtime on day 5, and she is still working on math. I am some kind of mom.

laundry is almost caught up, dance bag reorganized. still haven't gotten hold of Jessica to see if she sold anything. her home phone keeps giving me an out of order message. I asked Katie to ask her at school tomorrow if she had sold anything. we can go pick up any orders, finish our troop order, and turn it in to Tami. she wanted it today. the whole being out of town for 4 days threw a wrench in the works.

rec'd news that Grandma Grace is not doing well & hospice was being called in. I have so many wonderful memories of my grandma. even grownup girls need their grandmas...

while we were gone there was a triple murder/suicide near Modena. I didn't personally know anyone involved. it is horrible. even in small places bad things can happen. Koren keeps her front door locked at all times. her vehicles are always locked. because she lives in KC. but you can get hurt anywhere.

Talent On Parade

first off, I firmly believe that my daughter is a very talented dancer. In the TOP Program guide it tells us that dance competitions are very subjective, that the results are the opinions of three judges, that it is not life and death, to relax, enjoy the experience, make friends. Good advice. Not so easy to follow. Kate took 2 days off school for TOP, she had her solo Thursday nite, nothing Friday (which turned into sleeping in, doing homework, hanging at the mall, doing more homework...). Koren had teeth pulled for her braces, so I was a big girl &found the parking garage on my own. There were some humerous moments with my poor sense of direction...I had us walk out the possible farthest door from the Convention Center....had to go around the block draggint the dance bag in light drizzle...when we left, got turned around, went out the wrong door, walked the wrong way, but finally found the parking garage. Coming home was kind of like an Allstate Mayhem commercial, except the Mayhem was the driver. even went for a fun ride in 3 lanes of oncoming traffic down a one way street. oh, the honking..and the GPS kept losing signal...when it would work, I would always turn the wrong way. Katie was my wingman. We did find Grain Valley. and all way well. Except we weren't happy with the judges decisions. my baby didn't make TopSTARZ. several other girls from our studio did and of course we are thrilled for them. Katie puts her heart and soul into her dance. I know how hard she works. She was so disappointed that she wasn't picked. and that she didn't get a better trophy. (We thought she got the lowest trophy. another dancer set us straight. ) we'll see what the score sheets say at the next practice. tomorrow is tap and clog competition. Sunday is musical theater, then we'll pack up and head out, since MAP tests start Monday and Katie needs her rest. not only is she a talented dancer, she is a very good student. hopefully there will be better results in her next three performances. she is her own worst critic. bought a fantastic picture of her solo...will post when I get home to my trusty desk top..,,have trouble navigating on Koren's laptop!

Wednesday

Kevin spent the day cutting down dead trees in Katie's forest & checking cows out at his dads. He then ran Katie to dance practice, walked the dogs with me, and crashed in his chair.

Katie brought home a MAP test to do tonite. she also has a ton of homework for the two days she'll miss. going to run to the 'final' practice before tomorrow's Talent On Parade Competition.

the incredible whizzing cat

Miss Cuddles has been caught several times today peeing on things. Is she marking territory? Is this part of her heat cycle? Because quite frankly I've never seen her do this before. Katie is furious. Her blankets, sheet, & pillow had to go thru the laundry. got a call from Koren, things are not going better with Delilah, The Violent Rafter Dwelling Hissing Cat. They plan on taking her to Cody's moms and letting her fend for herself outside next weekend if things don't improve. (koren says get the cat fixed....)

I had my dates on the GS fundraiser wrong....Tami wants everything turned in SUNDAY. fabulous. Katie & I will be in KC for Talent On Parade Thursday-Sunday. I put out a facebook plea to the parents, have heard from several & 3 girls have turned in their forms! Koren is getting 3 teeth pulled Thursday afternoon. I'm sure she'll love having company for a long weekend!

I can't believe I still work here....

back to the real world today...we all survived. the dogs didn't get their daily walk....it was chilly and tornado strength winds. katie practiced the new way she gets up off the floor for her solo. we watched the videos stephanie posted on facebook from the workshop. had a couple of ? about the magazine fundraiser. finished an assload of frontierville challanges....and now have an assload more. I really need to just walk away while I still have my sanity (& less than 10 makebelieve friends to send me things I need for challanges....lets see...I have lysanderlymanlemonballs, daisyduke, sasquatchsalthatsmygal, ellaewing, calliejay, tommie jo, tallulah jane, and of course I gave my real life husband an account after kj pointed out that instead of making up people, I could use real people....still less than 10!)

the vet sent the bill for the $50 they said they got from the animal shelter (again!) had a phone message yesterday about suspicious activity on my capital one card....a charge made in germany. this is a card I've been paying off & had put up. unless I am late nite sleep shopping....so they are closing the account & changing the #. cancelled the order I'd made for bb shorts for katie from the bearcat bookstore....they were having trouble with the card I gave them...I probably typed the #s in wrong, but she has found dance clothes that she wants more. problem solved.

three sleeps till we leave for Talent on Parade. 4 days...kind of like Nationals, without the hotel bill. I hope we don't drive koren tee-total batshit!

a friend I haven't talked to in a while recently posted on facebook that her divorce was final. I had no idea. and reading the 4-H meeting notes in the paper social news, I was thinking how glad I am that we have one less thing to do. (actually....when the county fair arrives, we'll have a whole hell less lot of things to do!) we can still enter kate's photography in open class. I have all these facebook friends that I don't usually interact with in real life. it's like I do live in my little cabin in the wilderness....

you never know how many friends you have until you have a beach house

...now my title sounds random, but got a new catalog today & I frequently steal cool quotes from signs and t-shirts for my facebook status. I will of course never have a beach house, altho once upon a time we rented a lake house for 4 days..... I am grateful for KJ our one and only son and the worlds best pet sitter. I am grateful that our oldest daughter Koren takes time from her busy life out there in the real world to come to dance recitals and competitions and cheer her baby sister on. I am grateful that our youngest daughter has such talent, and that she can be a good person even when she's not thrilled about it. it was hot today....80s! the dogs & I about died on our walk. put out extra water for outside pets. caught up on laundry. Katie & I have 3 days of work & school, then 4 days of dance competition. (technically, 2 evenings & 1 morning, with one entire day off....but 4 days spent in the city.) it was nice to have Kevin along on our weekend. next time I have to be the grownup & drive & cheer & keep the schedule straight. thunder is now rumbling, lightning flashing, the flashlight placed with Katie's bedtime necessities (Kleenix, light remote, tv remote, satellite remote, cell phone, & FunYuns.) I'm debating on ordering a dress from said catalog for Katie's 6th grade graduation. I do like to wear the occasional dress, though I don't usually look spectactularly good in them!

City Slicker Stomp

first:

CITY SLICKER STOMP!

all day workshop followed by competition

competition with friends staying in hotel with us

competition with kevin staying in hotel with us

competition that was just ONE kind of dance

competition with no stage

Mackenzie won 2nd & 3rd overall. the clog group didn't place. there were 4 in our category, only first 3 placed. you don't even get called up on stage if you're not top 3. no big group awards. after making Katie & Shambree wait an eon to go change since they just randomly had awards when there was a malfunction or delay, they had just headed out to the room when they called team awards. I sent Kevin to bring them back, but then had to go tell them there was no rush, they weren't even called to the front.

Katie most likely won't clog next year. and Stephanie says even if she takes cloggers to the workshop, they won't compete. it was different....lots of ages...from toddlers to senior citizens. and they all enjoyed dancing. it was more about the footwork than the stage presence and stage makeup and costumes and smiles. kids in shirts and jeans won. kids who messed with their hair while they danced won. kids with no makeup and no smiles won. and the gum chewing.....and the fingernail polish...and the facial piercings....it was an experience!

saying of the day: "It doesn't matter if you win or lose, it's how you play the game."

the girls danced really well. I was so proud of them. we do need to work on sportsmanship. the older girls were ok. the youngest member of our team was crying her eyes out. of course, she's only 6! and she never never doesn't place at dance competition. our dance teacher was visibly not happy either. the score sheets for the group were 92, 85, and 81. so one judge liked the dance, one was ok with it, and one was like whatever.

we get a few days to do laundry and rest up, then 4 days of Talent on Parade!