Memories

Flowers growing beside the road
at an abandoned homestead.
Bright purple flags waving
in the Oklahoma wind,
showing that once
love lived there.

The sight takes me back to
childhood.

To my grandma’s house where
she always had flags growing. I can
imagine the scent and I’m instantly at her
house. Swinging in the wooden swing.
Gathering eggs, reading the funny papers
with granddad. The sight of his dirty fingernails
after a hard days work. His denim overalls.

Grandma’s kitchen. The cookie jar that now sits
at my parents house. The ceramic pig that now lives in
my kitchen windowsill. My only physical link to
that time.

But the smell of of an iris always takes me back.

Alternative

Sometimes a mom has to be creative, right? After we painted Sister's room it became apparent that her room was much darker at night than it had been. Before the painting her room was solid off-white walls, so at night it was not so dark. After, however, with the dark red and taupe walls once the lights were out it was DARK.

When sister was little she had to have a nightlight or two. Or you could say it was bright enough to read a book in her room at night. But now that she is a grown up 9 year old she has no need of a nightlight. Until now. That first night I realized how dark her room was and asked if she needed a nightlight. She replied in a small voice "no, I'm fine" So I said it was ok I could get her one. Ok, she quickly replied.

So I put one up in her bathroom so it wouldn't be directly in her room but still give enough light so it wouldn't seem she was sleeping in a black hole.

Last night I said, oh! I forgot to turn on your nightlight! She says...don't say nightlight, nightlights are for babies. So I said ok, I'll turn on your Darkness Elimination System (patent pending). And that was ok with her.

So...my daughter is NOT a baby. She does NOT sleep with a nightlight. She sleeps with a Darkness Elimination System. (patent pending)

My new favorite

We have been working on sister's room. And by saying "we" I really mean "dh has been working and I have been watching". Ever since the disaster of the red paint I haven't painted a molecule of paint in her room. Dh worked so hard getting her room remodel done and it looks FREAKING gorgeous! I love it! It's my new favorite room, I told her we were going to move her out and move our bed in there. So here it is in all it's awesomeness. Dh painted both colors (before it was just plain off white walls) put up the chair rail and baseboards and trimmed out the windows. My mom made the curtains out of the pillow shams that came with the bedding set. Again, I did nothing. Oh and in case you can't tell, sister is just a wee bit obsessed with horses.

Arrrrrrrrgh!!

What a fun day this is shaping out to be. It's not even 7:30 yet and I'm already ready to crawl in a hole and never come out.

Woke up to 2 wet beds which pisses me off like nothing else can. It just sends fire through my veins, I want to scream and cry.

Then I spent $20 on new pants for brother yesterday and of course he fricking refuses to wear them!! They are nylon wind pants and he doesn't like the noise they make. They "annoy people when they make that noise". He'd rather wear his old disgusting pants with holes in them. Every fricking pair of pants he owns has a fricking hole in them. Oh and top it off the store has a return for store credit or exchange only policy!! I should have known better than to buy those damn fricking pants.

I swear I want to break something today.

Life Lessons Volume 2

More little nuggets of knowledge I have learned over the past week or so. An abbreviated version this time.

The first lesson is two-fold.

If you are painting your daughters room barn red, first of all don't under any circumstance hold the small container of paint in your hand and attempt to dip the brush in it. You WILL drop it. On the drop cloth that is being used to cover the floor. Which brings us to our second lesson.....

Red paint will soak through the drop cloth and get on the light taupe carpet in your daughters room. This will also be the time you discover your husband can run very fast to the kitchen to get the carpet cleaner. Resolve gets red paint out of carpet if applied immediately, by the way.

Third lesson.

If you are marinating an 11lb. brisket and realize your pan is too small and the meat needs to be transferred to a bigger pan, make sure you have a GOOD grip on said meat. If you don't you will drop the meat in the marinade. Splattering yourself, your husband and the kitchen in the process. Don't wear your favorite T-shirt from Hawaii while moving said meat.

Also, soy sauce and liquid smoke make for an interesting smell when splattered on your kitchen floor and dishwasher.

The end. Use this knowledge for good.

Summertime memories

Riding my bike to "the silver gate" and back. Coasting down the big hill and struggling to make it back up that same hill on the way home.

Riding to grandma's house. Helping granddad gather the eggs. Playing with the baby chicks. Plucking chickens. Picking cherries off the cherry tree then pitting them in grandma's kitchen.

Wheat turning from green to gold. Waiting for harvest. Going with mom to take dad his four o'clock snack in the field. Playing in the wheat truck in a mountain of wheat. Going to my aunt and uncles for their harvest.

Dad burning the fields after harvest. Dad and my brother coming home black with smoke and soot.

Sweltering Oklahoma heat and how wonderful it felt to come inside an air conditioned house after playing outside.

Sweltering in my bedroom at night with just a fan. No air conditioning upstairs (or heat in the winter).

Endless summer days when I could just be a kid. Perfection.