on conversations...

sometimes i don't give hubby enough credit for his ability to truly understand me.  this evening was a perfect example.  there we were at home depot, me being me of coarse had forgotten why we were there.
ME: what are we getting?  why are we looking at wood?
HUBBY: i need some 8' 2x4s
ME: what for?
HUBBY: /slight sigh from him, because i'm going to make saw horses.
ME: well how many boards do you need?
HUBBY: 9
ME: 9?!?! are you going to make a herd of saw horses? (my eyes must have lit up like the las vegas strip because he quickly followed with)
HUBBY: and no, i will NOT make you a saw pony!"
ME: WHAAAAAA!!!!  that's not fair!  you get TWO saw horses and i can't have just ONE little saw pony?!?!?!
HUBBY: /bigger sigh on his part as we proceed to pick out some boards.
ME: don't get that one, it's got a bad spot.  you don't want a lame saw horse.  i mean jeez look at it, it's already injured.

so, to call in moral support, out comes the cell phone.  the texting goes as follows:
ME: hubby is making himself a couple of saw horses.  he won't make me just 1 saw pony! (little crying man animation)
MOM: Maybe they will eventually have a baby.
ME: i peed a little on that one
MOM: Bad girl, Bad girl...
ME: Home depot is mine now

so that got me to thinking about a conversation me and Mom had over the weekend.  i was rattling on about my tomato plants and how excited i am.
ME: i think i 'm going to name them.
MOM: name what?
ME: my two tomato plants.
MOM: /short pause, that's kind of morbid.
ME: oh really...how's that?
MOM: well, you raise them and take care of them, then eventually you take away their children and eat them.
ME: ...I LOVE YOU!

intelligent people have some of the most interesting conversations.  maybe i'm bias since i'm usually one of the guilty parties...

'maters...week 6

ahhhhhh...they live!!!  there has to be at least a dozen right now between the two plants.  i am sooo excites.  hopefully they'll all make it to harvest.  i'm still shocked they've made it this long.  i'm having to water at least twice a day.  oh and on a side note, the earlier picture where the one is sliced up on a plate, that was a saucer.  it's amazing how you can make things look bigger with the macro setting lol.  right now the biggest one is a little smaller than your average apricot.  with my confidence building i think i really might try to for heirlooms next year.  i've seen these ones that have a purplish tint to them and ooooo i do love me some purple.  i'll have to get some pics of the boat too.  poor hubby got poison ivy or sumac or oak while he was cleaning it out.  i am still excited though.  can't wait till we get it in shape to put in the water.  won't take much and he got a super good deal on it.  well, it's getting dark and i'm still not caught up on my sleep.  so night night for now :)

on distractions...

so the boys are outside working on the boat.  i'll have to write more about that later.  all i know is that they've been out there since before i got home and needless to say after the first few minutes i was bored.  i was looking at the shed and happened to notice this.  looks like no one's home, thank goodness.  so i proceeded to take more random pictures while the neighbor kids were yelling at the dog to come over to them and them randomly yelling "HEY HEY HEY are you grilling?"  if it had not been 94 degrees outside i would have considered squirting them with the hose.  well, it's gotten awfully quiet outside.  i better make sure no one has been injured, or worse...

Mom's runner

DAH TAH!  Went to go see Mom this weekend and worked on her runner.  Got the top pieced and pressed.  I can't wait to get it pinned and start quilting it.  Still have to decide on what kind of patter we'll go with.  This is my first french braid piece.  Actually it's only my second quilt top.  I figure if I stay with smaller pieces I'm more apt to get them finished.  I'll have to write some more on it later when I'm not so tired.  Makes for a long drive when you get stuck in 20 miles of stop and go traffic on the interstate.  Night night.

on the weather...

It is hot.  It's like crazy hot.  You know, the kind of hot where it's too hot to go fishing because all the fish are trying to find the cool spot in the lake because even they are saying "IT'S TOO DAMN HOT!"  Poor little monster has been stuck at the house because the only time it's cool enough to go outside is about 4 hours after we go to bed.  She seems content though to go out with us on our smoke breaks and does her little lap around the yard.  Sometimes she doesn't quite make it all the way around before plopping down in a spot of shade and stretching out.  We can't wait for the weather to get decent enough to go out wandering again.  I'm glad pets have short term memories.  If she didn't she would hate going out because of the hour or more after we get home she gets picked at to make sure she's not got ticks or other creepy crawlies.  Ah well, the things we do for love.  C'est la vi or something like that.

on my cat...

I love my cat.  He is the cutest kitty in the whole wide world.  I also love playing with photos, and since he doesn't run at the sight of the little black flashy box in my hands he gets photographed the most.  I don't think it's necessarily because he likes his picture made.  I think it's mostly that he just doesn't want to expend the energy getting away.  This particular pic I took on my phone.  It seems to do well when I've got plenty of natural light.  Since he is mommy's little boy and the only one that will stay still long enough for me to get a good series of pics you'll be seeing a lot of him.  I like to think he's a little too sophisticated to be a lol cat.  I guess I'll have to dig through some of his old pictures and see what I can find.  In the mean time though he will just have to be the cutest kitty in the whole wide world.  Even when he's trying to look mean.

'maters...week 5

more 'maters more 'maters more 'maters!
So far we've spot 7 new ones, YAY!!!  There are still some flowers left on the plants so hopefully there will be more.  I've been playing with the collage feater in Picasa lately to try to condense some of the pictures down.  We'll see how it goes from here.  This other one though i just thought was too pretty to edit.  Just shrank it down some.  I took this shortly after hubby had watered for the evening.  So far so good!  Who woulda thunk it, little ol' black thumb me actually growing something.  Shun the non-believers! Shun!

'maters...week 4 and 5/7ths

I'm so excited, that I just can't hide it.  I'm about to lose control and I think I like it, I like it.  WE HAVE-what do you call these things anyways?  Baby 'maters?  'Mater buds?  Well, whatever they are they are mine, all mine!  I will love them, and feed them, and pet them and call them George.  Muwahahahaha!  Oh I can't wait to see how these turn out.  So far I spot 5 of these little thing-a-ma-jiggers and there are still a few more flowers on the plant.  I'm going to have to figure out though how to better rig them up as their current support structure is a piece of cotton yarn wrapped around them and tied to the rail of the porch.  Stay tuned for more on this monumental event of incomprehensible proportions.

on beans...

we seem to have inadvertently gotten on to a bean kick lately.  on the menu tonight, pinto beans and rice.  i have to admit, had it not been for my dear husband i would have never been introduced to this simple southern staple.  i will have to tell you the story of the first time he made this for me.  alas, tonight i am a bit tired so we'll get back to it.  today's dinner though was a tad salty for my taste.  i think next time i will go with my instincts and only use half of the chunk of streak-o-lean instead of the whole thing.  had it not been for the rice i wouldn't have been able to eat it at all.  still playing with my camera (and my food according to hubby).  now he just shakes his head and goes about fixing his meal while i hurry to get outside to get my pictures.  i think i need to find a more interesting background.  being where i am it makes it hard to wander around with your dinner and a camera in hand and not get funny looks.

on chili...

so today has been one of those days.  i'm bounce between manic and wore slap out.  so finished the roman shade for the guest room.  hubby made his chili, mmmmm mmm good.  been playing with the macro feature on the camera and think i'm getting the hang of it.  also playing wit the "rule of thirds".  i'm getting a better idea on what i want to do with this blog so things may change some.  i need to get my graphics programs installed on this computer so i can get back in to that.  i'm kind of suffering from inspiration overload.  i've got several hundred great ideas in my head.  the problem though is trying to get them out and actually doing one of them.  i think i'm going to play with my camera some more.  i enjoyed photography when i was in high school.  actually went through the whole learning to develop film and everything.  so lets see where this takes us.  right now i've got a full belly and am listening to south park that hubby is watching.  i really don't want to go to work /sigh.  gotta pay the mortgage, and the rent, and the car payment, and the utility bills and my yarn habit, and fabric habit, and pet habit, and eating habit, and...

'maters...week 4 and 3/7ths

joy joy joy. the first tomato. to pick, not to pick, should i leave it just one more day? the suspense was killing me. finally as hubby was helping me right the plants back up (they had taken a little tumble after the rain) he said "might want to pick that one now". so here it is. a little salt, a little fresh cracked pepper and viola! quite tasty.  i think they are big toms. we then had one of the neighbor's tomatoes that she had so graciously shared with us. it was sweeter than ours.  i rather enjoyed it as well. so now that i have some confidence, perhaps next year we shall try our hand at some heirlooms! it will probably take me now until planting time to decide which ones to go with.  who knows, maybe we'll have our own yard by then too.  ah, to dream a little dream.

on simple pleasures...

some women like shoes, others might like jewelry, then some might like fancy cars.  me, there is nothing so simple as the joy a new pair of socks can bring.  not just any socks though.  these are just one example.  having been blessed with well define and muscular calves ("cowboys like fat calves") it poses the inherent problem of finding knee socks that i can actually wear, well, to the knees.  so, finding a pair that will actually, (1) make me happy when i wear them and (b) not cut the circulation off below the knees, poses a a distinct problem.  out of a pack of 3 these were the only ones i could get to fit :(  ah but not to let the others go to waste i simple scrunch them down '80s style.  i so do enjoy my new socks.  i hope you do too.  even if some others aren't impressed.

on projects...

if you love someone, now i mean really really really love someone, never, ever ask them to help you with a craft project you really aren't sure about. i imagine it is like trying to build a house from bottom up but on a slightly smaller scale. i am sure people have been stabbed over such projects. i know this because i was tempted more than once to stab hubby as he held the shade up while i tried to sew the rings on. poking him with a needle seemed like the correct response to his "i can't hold this forever you know." so after who knows how many hours it is finished. not only did i learn several things about measuring and measuring again, then having someone else measure because your arms aren't quite long enough to span the entire window. there is no such thing as a standard size window. the width at the bottom is not always the same width at the top. this goes the same for lengths. read ALL directions start to finish. after reading them once, read them again before you start cutting things. once something is cut it's pretty well go with it or trash it and start all over. it's a tad smaller than i wanted. i really need another 1/4" all around to completely cover the window. i wanted that because this is the window that faces the road as well as 2 street lights. so it's a start. now after trying it once i think i might brave another one. i think i know where my rough parts were and can try to avoid them in the future. i will post the credits a little later once i get the hang of getting external links in the way i like it. so yay me! i finished something. crap lighting, i better get this thing shut down. see ya later!

ok here's the link to the site i used : Terrell Designs

'maters...week 4

it's amazing what can happen in a week. not only has the darn thing turned red but there are a ton of flowers opening up. i guess i'll have tomatoes in september :) starting to get some leaf curl. guess just need to keep them better fed since the shade is good and they're getting watered. had a nice little bit of rain couple of days ago. we'll keep our fingers crossed. and soon , yes, very soon, i will dine on the fruit of my labor muwahahahaha...

on pet names...

so i was presented with a rather perplexing question. what are your pet names for each other. for a brief moment the minions of hell considered getting ice skates as i was speechless. i had no idea. then i started to think about it. then i started to get a little depressed. then i started to get a little irritated as i asked darling husband o' mine what his pet name for me was. his response was "what do you mean?" so i said "you know, something special you call me, like a nickname." his response was "oh, you mean like 'boo boo kitty f@#k'?" and all i could respond was "yeah, something like that." (sad thing was when Mom presented this question to me that was one of my responses to her) he then of coarse wants to know why i'm asking this (just in case it can be used against him at an undisclosed time or place. i told him because Mom is working on some scrapbook pages for us. he was like "oh, well i'm bubba and you're twinkie" bubba is rather self explanatory so i'll proceed. twinkie=yellow on the outside, white on the inside. and i do actually kinda like it. so i do what i usually do in situations like that and start thinking about it, a lot. then i realize i interchange the names for the pets all the time. they all share nicknames since i sometimes forget who it is i am talking to. nugget, fuzzy butt, mommy's little monster, sweet kitty (hubby says i'll end up giving the poor dog an identity complex if i keep using that one on her). then i realized i do it with people's names too. it's a curse that seems to affect my mother-in-laws side of the family. i can remember sitting with my grand-mother-in-law telling me about so and so then it gets to a point where i think wait a minute, aunt so and so is retired...oh...she's talking about what's her name. got it. i was called every female name in the family, including on one occasion, someone's ex-wife. it took me about 2 years before i could go without a translator (hubby has a rather large extended family). the only time i would get really confused is when i thought i knew who she was talking about but then she would call them by my name. now where was i? oh yeah, so after a day i rolled a few around in the old brain pan thought i would come home and try some out. after all, what could it hurt? i started with the tried and trues first. you can never go wrong with movie quotes with hubby. "so how about 'huckleberry'?" i ask. "eh...no." ok, scene two. "lovey man?" "ahhh, nah." hmmm, getting tough here. all i was left with was daisy and somehow felt it wouldn't be well received. now it's become a mission. he was less enthusiastic than i hoped but not outright obstinate so there's always hope. he later presented "how about 'potsticker'?" that too i rather like. so back to the etch-o-sketch that is my mind. i guess this will just be a spaghetti test-throw some at the wall and see what sticks.

'maters...week 3

so here we are again. still alive, yay! the buds are popping open. still have the one fruit. though as of the last couple of mornings hubby has been super considerate and watering them before he leaves for work. well, i'm also watering them before i go to work... so i'm not sure if the bottom leaves curling up and feeling kind of dry is a result of over watering, or they are really needing more water. will wait until tomorrow to fertilize them some more. kinda tired so i think i'll leave it on that and ponder something deep.

on obsessing...

so i've come to another decision. i will not read over my post 20 times before hitting publish. i just won't. i can stop anytime i want. really i can. watch me. ok not yet because i'm not done. with the exception of long squiggly red lines it will go just as it was without any revision. so...just a little more of the picture that is me. which if i was i think it would be a panoramic. i have a very large.....presence. yeah that sounds good. we'll go with that. oh and i have added 8 new comp books to my collection. oh how i love school supply sales. now just to decide what to do with them. right now they are safely sitting on the floor protected by the thin plastic of the store bag accompanied by a brand new pack of mechanical pencils. now to contemplate what will become of them. back on to obsession. well i guess i never really left. the first step to fixing a problem is admitting you have one. i have lots of them. but one at a time. this particular one has caused endless numbers of gifts to go unfinished. numerous skeins of yarn ended up useless because they had partially been used then the work unraveled and redone so many times it's beyond saving. thank goodness i got burnt out on sewing a few years back or the fabric collection would rival some craft sections in wal-mart. mostly because that was where most of the fabric came from. i so miss that dollar a yard fabric table. hubby, i'm sure is thankful. i wouldn't doubt he had some part in the disappearance of a source of my happiness. the fact that he grounded me from wal-mart might have been my first clue there was a problem. the fact that i adhere to his punishment and inadvertently found they had started carrying yarn at the dollar tree! omg they had fancy fur and such for a dollar a skein! you're insane not to load up. i saved sooo much money. even if i had to hide it in my car and wait till he was gone before unloading it and then packing it away at the bottom of the storage tubs and carefully cover it with stuff i knew he would never look through. then they ran out. and there was a great sadness that rippled through my very soul. mostly because i had hidden the yarn in multiple places and can't seem to find it now. so...there it is. the bare ass nekid truth. i'm doing a little better. i make a point now to first ask if someone would like something before i start a project. it helps ease the anxiety of "omg will they like it? what if it's not perfect? what if i picked the wrong color? what if it doesn't fit? what if? what if? what if?????" and it saves me the expense of buying everything i need and then not even starting it or worse, using half of the materials so there is not enough for another project then convincing myself they will hate it. or i get distracted by another project i just so absolutely have to do or i will just die! or...i misplace what i'm working on... so, here's a step towards recovery. ok, i'm tired. where are my car keys........

'maters...week 2

looks like they have managed to survive yet another week of my care. hearty little buggers. even got a couple of new buds starting YAY! we might have something to eat by september woohoo! they still look just pitiful compared to my neighbor's batches. they're already weighed down with at least a dozen or so per plant. ahhhh, but thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's 'maters. nor shall i count my chickens before they even get laid. thank you mom for all the suggestions :) i'm sure they would be ant food by now if i hadn't followed your advice. so tune in next week for more 'mater madness! same damn blog, same damn time. (unless i forget, which is highly probable. so likely the bookies wouldn't give you very good odds at all)