Kanoe’s Neighborhood

My wittle baby sister Anitra has not had her baby yet.

(unless they forgot to call me) 

:)

 I no longer grant myself permission to tease her with "have you had that baby yet" (I cringe) because I am afraid I feel pure guilt for getting her hopes up for predicting tomorrow to be the big day. Because surely, she put lots of confidence in my prediction. Surely.

~~~~~~

 

Gary and I re-discussed what we'll do if a hurricane heads right to us (keepin an eye on Ike). I wanted to make sure that I remembered correctly the plans from years past, and wanted to make sure we were on the same boat.

I asked, "So, we still plan to leave if it's a category 4....?"

Gary, "Oh yes, definitely leave when it's a 4."

"But we stay if it's just a 2, right?" I asked.

Gary said, "Yes."

I inquired once more, "And remind me what we do if it's a category 3?"

Gary replied, "We flip a coin."

~~~~~~~

And because I love pictures and feel incomplete posting without at least one-

Zoe is wiped out after a long day of school and...

 

....homework and after school fun.

Anitra- have you had that baby yet?

Actually, my predictions are that today is her baby's birthday. I hope I am right. :)

 

Today I would like to introduce you all to Gary's Papa. It's not pronounced Paw Paw, it's Papa, rhymes with dada, the first words all my baby's, except Naomi, said.

It's a different kinda of Grampa name- but it's his name according to his grandchildren just the same.

I think this photo belongs on a billboard to advertise soda, Jones Soda preferrably. Don't you?

 

Truth be told, I barely new Gary's Papa. I am sure I had said a few words to him but I was young when I moved to the town that Gary's family is from and hanging out with the senior citizens wasn't really how I spent my time. But I feel like I know him from all the stories I have heard and from being married to his oldest grandson.

There are a few things in our home that come from Papa.

First off, I have this very photo hanging on my kitchen wall-

We also have this beautiful wedding gift he gave Mama when they were married. It was first offered to Gary's sister who didn't want it for all the work it would take to fix it up. "Fix it up?!", I thought. No way, it is perfect the way it is. The old mirror does not need replacing and no way does it need new stain. I love this peice as it is and wished it photographed well because it's more beautiful in preson.

 Love it!

 

If you look real hard in the mirror you will see these benches-

 

Papa built these benches for the children at church to sit on.

 The children at church consisted of Gary's mom and her brother, when he built them.

 

 

Here is a picture of Gary's mom when she was but a wee child-

Wasn't she darling?

And does this not dispell any myths that Zoe looks like me? Seriously, look at those eyes

 

I also have this old pitcher that was Mama's that I found outside their home once filled with nuts and bolts. I love the lines she scratched in the pitcher the measure. I can only imagine all the things she made for her and Papa using this pitcher.

 

 

 

Papa also infulenced Gary's bald head-

They say that a man's hair situation comes from the mother's father. So true in Gary's case. Gary's dad was considered bald too but Gary passed him in baldness at the age of 24.

(the facial hair is a post for another day!) 

 

Another funny thing that Gary got from his Papa that I recently learned....

Gary's cousin (a good friend of mine since I was a teenager) Melanie told a story of riding in the car with Papa and having a new pack of gum. He would say, "Gimme a piece of that gum" and she would, and he'd chew it for a minute, spit it out, and ask for another. She said by the time they had got where they were going, he had chewed her whole pack.

That's SO Gary. The shortest piece of gum chewer ever.

I cringe when Gary wants a piece of my gum, it seems so wasteful! :)

 

I treasure the things we inherited from Papa, even if they are but 'things', mostly I cherish the memories they come with. I treasure just knowing with whom they once belonged. And even more importantly than that I am grateful for his part in being such a great Papa to my husband. Gary has the most wonderful memories of them fishing together and Sunday dinners. Papa died while Gary was on his mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I am so glad we have these things to hold onto until we meet again.

Oh, and by the way, my Nolan's middle name is Ivy, named after Papa.  

 

 

Naomi and Zoe had Rootbeer Floats for breakfast this morning.

Confession always makes me feel better. 

 

(Anitra- have you had that baby yet?)

 

Not much happened in my neck of the woods this Labor Day.

 

The most exciting was this-

And this-

 

 

And this.

 

 

and.....

 

You get the picture....

 

 

 

Zoe's shoes still aren't dry.

 

Today, after a few tears or more, and after talking to people who love me (Gary who never calls me from work during the day so thank goodness he had a feeling and acted upon it and my Dad and Shaw) I would like to rewrite yesterdays post.

 

Let's have a do-over. Okay?

First off, let's leave out the "Life is very whatever amount hard"- because by golly, that goes without saying. I don't need to tell anyone that, you all already know that it can be at times.

Just call me 'Captain Obvious, Protector of Things Already Known'.

 

But what you may not know about is this gem of a book-

I loved this book and if you think you've read enough stories about the Holocaust I can promise you, you haven't read enough until you've read this one.

This story is told by a young boy who does not know his age, his name or who his parents are. He lives on the streets and believes his name is Stopthief because that is what he hears everytime he gets his food. But he doesn't just take food for himself, he also takes and delivers to orphan's. And he feels so blessed that at least he's not an orphan. He's young and innocent and postive. The author of this book, Jerry Spinelli, takes a devastating time and setting and yet tells a tale of hope fabulously.

It also had me at the first paragraph. Unlike The Grapes of Wrath, which I am trying to read now. And not only is it slower (and not really my kind of writing style) but I swear it, the book has this dry squeek thing going when I turn the pages that totally give me the heebie-jeebies. Gary said I shouldn't share that with anyone though, that I should keep this one to myself, lest people start thinking I'm crazy. Besides (said he), the book is about the Great Depression and a drought, the drought, as in the Dust Bowl, so if the book really is dry (and squeeky), it's fitting.

 

Anyways, I would also like to share these photo's- (because, remember? I'm doing a 'do-over')

Poor Zoe.

 The only child of mine who has no younger siblings, who never got to be the big sister to a baby, so she has to resort to making a kitty a baby.

 He comes with a snotty nose (all. the. time.) so that should make it more realistic.

 

Oh, and wittle baby sister Anitra?

Have you had that baby yet?

;-)

 

* Wouldn't do-over's be the coolest in life, if it were as easy as rewriting a blog post?

** Dear Book Club friends, you might wanna start looking for Milkweed.

***I think I prefer books written for young adults over books written for old one's.

****To all mother's, did the question I asked my sister, even though not directed at you, annoy the mess out of you? Why do people do that? And why am I torturing my sister with it.....??    

Somtimes life is.....

 very very very very very very very very very

very very very very very very very very very

hard.

 

Therefor this is all I've got today.

 You should read it.

 

And my Zoe-

 

 Thinks the kitty is a baby.

Remember my ice cream loving Naomi?

The one that created cheese ice cream?

 

Well, she's come out with a new flavor

 

 

Remember when I got her some beautiful ice cream art for her birthday last year, custom made by Diane Duda?

(to remind you...)

...When I visited her blog and saw this-

And absolutely loved it and had to get it for Naomi because she believes she is THE Ice Cream Queen.

Minus the hair though, right?

 So I emailed the artist and asked and she came up with this!

It goes without saying, Naomi loved it, it was by far her favorite birthday gift.

 

 

So imagine my delight to see this charming piece-

 

And guess what?! I can get this on a t-shirt!

When I saw She Believed In Triple Scoops, I commented on Diane's blog and said, "I must get that for my daughter on a t-shirt" (or something like that) and she added it to her t-shirts. Along with so many other cute things. You should check out her Zazzle shop!

 (just click on the word t-shirts above)

I've also ordered it as a little print to frame too, from her etsy shop.

So expect to see Naomi fashioning her new shirt in October. I can't wait to give it to her. She will love it.

 

I just had to share not just great art, but an awesome artist, who has been so wonderful to work with.  

 

 

 

 

 

Nothing I can say or blog about will change it but some people are so ignorant.  It disgusts me.
In this day and age, you would think that racism was a thing of the past.
In this day and age, you would think that people would go off facts instead of their biases & emotions.

Shit like this makes me so ashamed to be an American.

Start the soft sappy music please.....

 

 

He was a "perty baby", as his mom words it.

 

 

And she'd still be pregnant with him to this day if they didn't induce, she says.

 (I don't think about that one too long... the visual?? But it is funny when she says it)

 

 

His parents took him to Dairy Queen as a wittle babe, which explains his facination with all things

 a la' mode.

(are you catching the phone booth in the picture? And the cool car?)

 

 

He's the oldest... the big bro... the bubba.

 

 

And he took the cutest kindergarten picture of anyone I've seen.

(his dad carried this picture in his wallet even after Gary was grown)

 

 

Outdoorsmen.

 

 

Sharp shooter military guy

 

 

HOT in a uniform!!! Boy Howdy!!!

 

 

Thrill seeker

 

Let's make that clear.... seriously, for real...

 

Jumping out of airplanes 10 times thrill seeker.

 

Wonderful husband.

(little did he know that jumping out of planes was easy in comparison to this)

 

 

 Family man.

 

 

 

Poet.

 

 

My Birthday Man!!!

 

 

hApPy BiRtHdAy GaRy!!!!

 

I love you, old geazer!

 

 

 

Today is school picture day at the elementary school. Yaaay.

 No school uniforms. Bigger Yaaaay.

 Kids don't want mom to pick out their clothes. Booooooooooooooo.

Kids want to choose their own hair style. Double Booooooo.

I have to let them be free to choose or else I would be as bad as the school.  Boooo.

At least I'm not being hypocritical. Yaaaay.

 

So we practiced their smiles this morning.

Here is what they plan to have their pictures look like.

 

 

 

and...

Yaaaaay.