14 01 30

Had some Wonderland things that had to be handled by 31st, and I got them done today. It was the first time in a long time that I got the 1099's in the mail a day early. Went ahead and mailed the forms to IRS and Alabama Rev, even though they aren't due till Feb 28 and March 15. They're just off the do-list, and I'm pretty jazzed about that.

14 01 29

Kennedy called papa, and that made him very happy!

Snow and ice. Everything closed down. Worked all day on bookkeeping, but managed to get through everything and have everything ready for Taylor's visit / year end taxes, tomorrow. Barry and I celebrated by watching Mama Mia, even if it did cost us $12.00. 

14 01 28

Beth brought Barry a surprise. She brought me cookies. It is a wall hanging --- a woven bonsai tree. I don't know where she got it, but it is cool, and she thought about him when she saw it. She posted on Facebook about BelVita cookies, and we both like the blueberry, but I"d never had the cinnamon, and she brought me some of them.

Special because you made it. I was going to heat Barry's grilled cheese up in the frying pan, and he said he used the toaster. I told him I was trying to make it special an d he said it is special becauseyou made it. 

14 01 27

Ryan and Angela cleaning up. Angela hugged me bye, mid afternoon. Homework. I understood. And then she cleaned up around the project she'd been working on, and Ryan brought the craft table in, and they both worked at neatening things up. I thought that was sweet. 

Annette visit. Annette, hug. "I feel like it has been forever since I've seen everybody." And so she sat, and we visited, and she told me about her run, and feeling a good tired, and what she wants to do next. And Skyler's competition. 

Noah helped me make the bed.  Beverly.  Pillows. Noah and I played Crazy Eights, and then I told him I needed to clean up for the cousins, and he said, "I will help you." And so he helped me make the bed, and we talked about when he used to help Aunt B with the pillows.

Faith, connection. Faith and I, chatting and visiting throughout the day.

Zak Shawn Tyler.... recycling. So, we were down to three. Three boys and two big boxes of recycling. I asked if they would take it for me. Tyler asked if there was something for him to take, so he took the original recycling bin. They did it without hesitating, and when they came back, and Zak saw that some of it had spilled, he gathered it up and took it out the bin, too. 

14 01 28

Angela sitting on our sofa, feet not touching the ground --- by three inches or so.

"Grannie, they're stressing me out!" So Zak got her about noon, and while we waited for everyone else, I told him he could supervise the science experiment. When it came time for that, he did a good job --- toting multiple cups of warm water, and adding ...."Grannie, these kids are stressing me out!" 

14 01 25

Beverly is coming v home. Or, at least that's what she told me the other day when she called. She said the latest they'll stay in San Diego is August. She said she loves it, but JA hates it, and marriage is about compromise. 

Andrew stopped in to n give us a hug! He and Paul were on their way to pick up Kara and Annette, and they stopped in to say hi. They talked with me and Papa for a few minutes, and when Andrew say me, he just gave me a hug --- more than our regular hello hug ... like an I really love you, mama, hug.

Playing crazy eights with Noah. I told him my grandmother and I used to play. 

Noah looked unhappy.  I asked. This movie makes me sad, he said. And I hugged him, and he gave me his tender pat pat pat hug.

14-01-24

Angela came yesterday, and finished up the dispatch sheets for 2013. We'll be putting 2014 in Prophesy, out in the office, so it was quite a moment. When she asked me if I had any work for her, I was overwhelmed with Danielle's leaving, and had piles of dispatch sheets everywhere. We were so far behind, I didn't see how we'd ever catch up.

She has a bobo on the back of her head, and we've been looking at that. She said she sent her mom the picture I took of it, and Beverly said something about Dr. Palisano. Ange told her that Ryan and Papa didn't seem too concerned, and Beverly said, "Ask Grannie! Just ask Grannie!"

We got the letter in the mail to Dr. Killian.

Barry and I had a nice supper at Outback, but were too full to go furniture shopping afterwards. We're going to do that tonight. I delegated two more things to Andrea.

14 01 23

Chris found my cutting boards,  I feel like maybe I've written about this already --- all of us at lunch, me asking Barry if he knew where our wooden cutting boards were, if they'd been taken to the pottery barn for the turkey frying. Him, no. Chris, "Do you still have that cut through cabinet?" Reminding me of when he always used to be able to find things for me.

We got to n play with Willo. Chris was allowed to bring her over here. Autumn and her mother were at Autumn's uncle's funeral. He stayed in the house with us, and she ran around. We came up with all kinds of things to offer her. Her first question was, "Where's the boy?" "I have it?" "Okay." Morgan said she's very agreeable.

Went b to b Phew! After work. At least we know the idea has promise ---- taking my keys with me and leaving Wonderland and going to Phew! for a few minutes. First time ever. 

14-01-22

Slept good last night. New routine is starting to come together. I'm happy with my idea about opening up the wall between the laundry room and the sitting room, and with the way the work is coming. Went to the pottery barn last night.

Got texts from Kennedy and Amber and Evan and Zak.

Morgan and I had a nice Tuesday morning meeting.

14-01-20

I got the front bedroom straightened back up Saturday, and that is a relief. I found the papers I'm going to need to get Andrea started on posting 2014 things. I thought of ways that I can get all of the Wonderland things I've had on Angela moved back out to the office. I have a plan for releasing the mileage project, and also the bill paying. There will have to be more, but those will come from projects, and I will just have to think differently about those each time they come up: Does it have to be me?

Morgan and Beth had fun shopping for Morgan's "grown up" ensemble for her interview today.

Got to talk to Daddy and Kathi. I mentioned that I'd seen the article on the Dogs for Life groundbreaking, and Daddy told me that they had given her an award. She and I talked about that. She was cute --- said it was her first award --- all the rest were for her and Daddy together, or just for Daddy.

14 01 17

Sara... And I know you're my friend.  --- Sara Guntharp, in a phone call, re: her ex-husband coming to work here.

Becky  stopped by to see us. (Becky from bonsai club)

14-01-17

Barry and I went to the bonsai meeting last night. Russell greeted us with friendly familiarity. Becky was late, but she sat down behind us, and tapped me on the shoulder to let me know she was there. I got to visit some with Sydney. She's from Gulf Port. Friendly. 

Ben Oki asked me something I didn't quite understand and then said, "You have a good husband." Of course, I agreed. 

We got out of the house, even though it was really cold outside.

14-01-15

~Got a text from Kelly.
~ Worked out in the office a little bit.
~ Had a little "get organized" meeting with Morgan. I think we have a plan.
~Passed some more work to Andrea.
~Have some more lined up to pass to her.
That really feels like just about all.

14 01 14

Brandon re the calendar. .. And being in it. (Morgan's Brandon)

14 01 01

Daddy always says thank you for the call

14 01 02

Evan showing me the  price tag from his new jeans. .. evidence of his shopping savy.

Evan noticed the piled up recycling and said, "I think I'll take that out tomorrow."

I think I'm going to be able to sail into the weekend without having laundry on the list.

14 01 04

Pinkie swearing with Karla. .... So this was fun. A couple of hours at the Lancome counter in Dillards. Karla did a makeover for me when Barry and I went on our first cruise, and I have saved her card ever since. A couple of other Lancome reps, same Dillards, have helped me over the years, but I have never been as pleased. The girl at Ulta was nice, but I didn't come home with things I really liked. I was shopping. I've been trying to get to the mall to get my makeup updated for over a year. Karla was there. She was by herself, and juggling customers. When I sat down, I told her that I knew she was by herself, and that I might have to wait some, but that I was happy to do it, and "Here's why." And I explained about all of the other times I'd had my make up done, finishing with that she was "worth it." She misted up. She said, "That was a really nice thing to say." When her co-workers got back from lunch, she told me to tell them what I'd said. I had to edit it a little because one of them was one of the ones who'd done my make up. She was very low-key and no pressure, just playing with the make up. We chatted about a lot of things. When I left, she put her cell number on my card. Coming to Phew! someday. "Pinkie swear," she said, And we did.

When I come and sit down to watch t.v. mama cat comes and sits in my lap.

14 01 10

Had a good time cooking with Tori.

14-01-14

So, there isn't anything that says that just because I CAN do this from my phone that I HAVE to do this from my phone. This keyboard is easier to use you know. And just because I usually do other things from my netbook, doesn't mean I can ONLY do those things from here. So...

~Tori and I got to play Canasta last night and she had supper with us.

~Morgan, making our supper vegetarian, just in case Tori was still here at supper time. (Matt was coming to pick her and take her back to LSU, but we weren't sure when.)

~Tori's "mmmm" when she first tasted it.

~Beverly sent us a Facebook voice message.

~The Facebook Joy Journal is working well.

~Morgan, happy, talking about Brandon and her bowling with Angela, Ryan, Tori, and Jennifer.

14 01 13

~When I explained to Faith that she was the oldest grandbaby who hadn't graduated from high school who was with us last night, and asked her if she would lead us in the blessing, she said, "Sure!"

~Not so much "Joy Journal" as "It happened this day." --- Kim said Noah got rid of a lot of his toys. He wasn't playing them with anymore. She was kind of wistful, but as he was standing right by, she added, "They went to another little boy, who will enjoy them."

~Used Grandmother's cake knife and server for Angela and Ryan to cut their cake. (We wanted to do something a little special at our first Second Sunday Supper after their engagement announcement. So, Beth took care of finding someone to make a fancy cake for us, and she and Morgan got some decorations for us, and came early to get everything set up. It was all beautiful, and Angela and Ryan were both very happy. He put a sweet post of Facebook about it. Anyway, I'd worried that cutting the cake together might seem like I was too weddingy, and ditto for blowing out a candle together and making a wish, but it seemed like there should be something. I went looking for a candle holder, and wanted one of Grandmother's, but somehow I do not have a candle holder that was hers. In my search though, I ran across a cake knife and server that were hers, and we used those. Then I sent Angela and Ryan about Grandmother and Granddad, and his remembering how beautiful a bride she was.) It was fun for me to connect Grandmother and Granddad to them, even though I know that doesn't exactly happen with cake serving utensils.

14 01 11

Noah, in a phone conversation, answering my question, "What is a dream machine?" (One of his birthday presents). Its kind of like a tricycle for MEN.

(Turns out, I heard wrong. It is a green machine, and when I asked him to tell his uncles what he got for his birthday, they all got pretty excited. They talked about the fun they'd had on them when they were kids, "That's where you learn how to spin out!" Apparently they even sell a full sized one for grown up men.)

14 01 09

Beth brought us lunch and visited with us.

She'd posted a few days early about a BBQ place called the Meat Boss, and said that Papa and I would love it. They are only open for lunch, and only a few days a week at that. I've forgotten just where it is, but I know it isn't Tillman's Corner.

She sent texts to see whether or not we wanted cole slaw on our sandwich, and whether or not we liked baked beans. She even brought the drinks.

Morgan was here, so she brought lunch for Morgan too, and the four of sat at the kitchen table and laughed and talked, and I just felt really special that she went to all that trouble for us.