Friday, July 30, 2010

I've Been A Bad Blogger

I met my friend, Robin, for dinner last night. We try to get together for 'catch up time' at least once every six to eight weeks. We usually see each other more often than that for events or outings...but nothing beats 'catch up time' for me. Time to just sit over a leisurely meal and talk about all the things that have been going on in our lives without a scheduled event to interrupt the conversation.

As we were preparing to part ways, she mentioned that I had issued a summer challenge and then NOTHING...for over a week. (Everyone needs at least one friend who will call them on their BS.) She was kind enough not to call me out for it on the blog...though I think she has a post in reserve that just might be up before I finish this one.

So, for Robin (and everyone who takes the time to read this blog) this is my 'catch up time' post:

This past Friday I finally made time to see my stylist. Thank goodness, because our time at the lake house had done some serious damage to my hair. The sun and the pool chemicals had combined to make me ultra blond on the top. After two and a half hours of beauty treatments (lowlights, highlights, cut), I was told that I might need to consider wearing a hat while I am out in the sun. Really? I spent this much money on my hair and you want me to put it under a hat? Besides, I don't look good in hats!

Saturday morning I got up early to pick up my mother from the airport. She flew in for the weekend. (Saturday to Tuesday) She had been wanting to visit all summer but our schedules just never worked out. Last Tuesday, when the continental.com specials came out, I called her and asked if she wanted me to get her a ticket. It meant flying out of Monroe at 7 AM on Saturday and flying back in at 8:30 PM Tuesday night...but at $120 a ticket versus $940 for any other flight times...it was worth it.

Meagan and Davin came out to the house Saturday afternoon to visit with Grammy. Davin got a new four wheeler for his birthday. He had outgrown his first one and needed a larger one. He spent most of the day riding around the yard.

Meanwhile, I had Christmas in July going on at the house. Our patio door had gotten off track several months back and needed replacing. We have to order all our replacement parts since mobile homes are always just a little bit off sized from the items you find at Home Depot or Lowes. We decided to change from sliding glass doors to French doors. While I was ordering the doors, I decided to go ahead and get some other parts for needed repairs. So, on Saturday, Josh came over to help Jim replace the patio door. When they finished with the door, Jim and Josh asked me what else we had in the box. They ended up (with the help of Brian and Will) replacing two faucets, a vent hood and hanging five new sets of mini blinds!

That night, we enjoyed a delicious home-style meal. A pot of purple hull peas fresh from the garden. A mess of fried squash, also fresh from the garden. A pan of homemade cornbread. Cajun fried wild turkey breast. Delicious, if I do say so myself. Livin' off the land ain't so bad!

On Sunday we celebrated Davin's birthday with the Rodgers family. It was a small family gathering with pizza and swimming. (And in case your wondering, no , I did not wear a hat.) Kelli, Brooke and Maddux came over to visit with Grammy before the party...and then we headed out to Cypress. It was a nice, relaxing day.

Monday I had my dreaded annual mammogram (not fun) and then I had to get into the office for payroll.

I took off work on Tuesday to spend time with Mom and the girls came over with the grand babies. We had homemade broccoli and cheese soup for lunch with turkey spinach wraps. The kids played, the adults visited, and then it was time for me to take Mother to the airport. You can never predict rush hour traffic, so we left in plenty of time for her to make her flight. We were early (having not encountered any traffic jams), but of course, her flight was late...an hour and a half late! I sat with her until she should have been heading to her gate. She decided to go on through security and get something to eat before her flight, so I headed home. (The only thing you can get to in Terminal B is a Starbucks unless you are a passenger!)

Wednesday was a busy day at work, catching up from missing Tuesday.

Thursday morning was spent running all over Waller county to get car registrations taken care of and contact lenses picked up...oh yeah, and having my water turned back on. This is embarrassing to admit...but, for the first time in YEARS, I had my water turned off for non-payment! I never saw the bill...never missed the bill...and evidently, these small town water districts don't work the way the City of Houston does. They disconnect service for the first missed payment! Oh well, lesson learned! I will not be late again. I am even considering paying them ahead of time. I mean the bill is usually less than $50 a month anyway. Jim told me to just pay them for a year in advance! Thank goodness he had a sense of humor about it all!

Yesterday was pretty busy at the office. We had a few new jobs come in and we are celebrating. It has been a slow year so far.

And, you know the rest...dinner with Robin, then home to bed.

I am heading in to work in just a few minutes. We have a baby shower today for a co-worker who is having a little girl in September. Tonight I am making pickles. It will be my first time to try it. I used to help my Grandma Fulton...but the word 'help' is used very loosely. Jim wants some hot dill pickles, so I am going to try my hand at them. Tomorrow Jim, Bri and I will be leaving for San Antonio. It is PBR time again. This is Brianne's 21st birthday gift from us. I am looking forward to spending some time with her and her daddy.

So...now that I have caught you up on my life, I realize I have been monopolizing the conversation. What has been going on in yours?

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Guess Who's Turning 21?

She is their favorite Auntie!



A look back at her 20th year in pictures:












Happy Twenty- First Birthday
Brianne!

We wish you much love and happiness in the years to come!
You may be a legal adult now, but you will always be our baby girl!

Monday, July 19, 2010

Garden Update #4

I know you have been waiting with baited breath for the latest garden update. Today's update will be a real shocker. This week's post is a "good news, bad news" report.
The good news is: look at this row of peas!


The pea pods are everywhere!


We should have our first mess this week! I love seeing them turn purple!



Other good news: the okra is still growing. Now they are taller than Allie, our yellow Mountain Cur. We are even seeing the first little pods shooting up.

And now for the bad news:

Our squash plants have fallen prey to the 'squash vine borer' (melitta curcurbitae).


How sad! We went from beautiful plants one day, to laying on the ground the next. Needless to say, it took some investigation on the Internet to find out what our problem was. Once discovered it didn't take long for us to locate their entry point (just above the soil line on the stem) or one of the culprits (a white larvae - really gross looking - it made Jim gag). We also found out that the squash vine borer does not limit itself to squash...so we have to keep a close eye on the cucumbers and the cantaloupe.



I picked our first cucumber yesterday. The vines are covered in baby cucumbers about a half inch long.


The cantaloupes are full of blooms with a couple of little orbs beginning to show. I hope we are able to save the cucumbers and cantaloupes. We have dusted everything with Sevin like the website recommended and covered the squash vine bases with more dirt in hopes of keeping them alive. It may be a lost cause though. If so, we will get the squash out of the garden in the next few days in hopes of keeping the rest from being contaminated.

Still no new tomatoes, though the plants bloom like crazy. Not sure what is going on there.

And that is what is happening in our garden this week. See you all next week. Hopefully with only good news!

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Summer Blog Challenge: Week 2

Summertime means vacation time for most of us. Last week I shared some of our vacation pictures. This week, I was wondering about your favorite vacation(s)...a place, a memory, your top five...whatever you would like to share.

I am looking forward to hearing from you this week.

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Time For Some Celebrations

Last night, for the first time in what seemed like FOREVER, the WHOLE Goode crew gathered at Chuy's to do some celebrating. (BTW: Maddux is in there between Bri and Kelli, you just can't see him in the picture.) July is CRAZY birthday month. We have at least one occasion to celebrate every single week of July. At first we tried to give each birthday boy or girl their own Sunday birthday lunch...but we ran out of Sundays. So, now we try to get together all at once.
We celebrate Kelli and Matt's anniversary (4 years on the 7th) as well as Matt's birthday (the 10th).

Derrick's birthday is the same as my dad's on the 15th.


And this Little Missy, will be celebrating her 21st on the 22nd! Big plans are in store for her. We will be going to San Antonio to watch the cowboys ride bulls at the end of the month...just because that is what she wanted to do for her birthday. (She did get a card last night...I just liked this picture of her and Josh better!)


And because the first shall be last, my birthday was the 5th. These shoes from Meagan and Kelli are the cutest things ever. You can change out the decorative piece on top to make them match just about anything!
We had a great time, but we still have one more birthday to celebrate. Davin will be 3 on the 27th. We have decided to let him have his own party for a few more years before we make him join ours!
Until next time,
The Goodes

Thursday, July 15, 2010

H + H + O

I have this memory...except it is more like a snapshot than a memory...so maybe it is the memory of a picture I once saw. Anyway, in this 'memory' I am in my Grandma and Grandpa Fulton's front yard - the driveway to be exact. Their driveway was a mixture of dirt and gravel. It had just rained and there is a large mud puddle in the driveway. And there in that mud puddle are three little girls...me, Rosa and Rita...stripped down to our undies. I couldn't have been over 4 years old.

Now I am about 7 years old, and my extended family has gathered at the river for a camping trip. My clearest recollection is sitting under the awning of a camper with my Aunt Kathy - and food! Snacks and sodas and fried fish with french fries. The Jenkins family really knows how to feed you.

In my late elementary years, my favorite place to go was out in my Grandpa Fulton's pasture where a small seasonal creek transported me to another world full of mystery and romance and quiet.

As a teenager, our family's main summer activity was to head over to Lake Chicot where we would camp for the weekend and water ski from sunrise to sunset. It took Mr. Oden a whole day to teach me how to get up on skis. I couldn't do it when everyone else did...so he took me out in his little fishing boat and patiently instructed me over and over again until just before dark when I was finally able to make the water plane from beneath my feet. I never looked back.

When Meagan and Kelli were small, Jim traveled for work all the time. He would be gone for eight days and home for six (really 5, since he had to travel back to his job site on the 6th day). His employer sent him to a long term project in Cantonment, FL and we were able to go with him. We spent six months during the off season on Pensacola Beach in a beach house. The girls and I went to the beach EVERY DAY (rain or shine) and were tanned like California Girls that fall and winter.

After the loss of my Grandma and Grandpa Jenkins, Jim and I were given the opportunity to purchase the fish camp on the Saline River that my great uncles built when I was a young girl. My grandparents had owned it before they passed away along with my dad and his sister. My aunt wanted me to have the chance to create memories there with my dad like she had with hers. We enjoy going there still!

These are the memories that flood my mind when I think of summer. Notice they all contain one similarity...WATER. Jim says I have an odd attachment to water. I love sitting on the deck in Surfside and watching the waves wash over the shore. I love sitting by the lake and watching my children learn to ski. I love sitting in the boat out in Galveston Bay...and to my husband's chagrin, I don't even need to be fishing to be content...just looking out over the water.

Now, do you want to hear the crazy part about my attachment to water?

I am scared to death of it! That's right...SCARED TO DEATH! I can ski only because I have a life vest on. I can enjoy the boat, but that life vest is on my body if we are moving and near me at all times that we are not. I can swim IF I know I can touch the bottom or where the sides of the pool are.

So there you have it...confirmation that I really am 'messed up'. The thing I am drawn to is also the thing I am most afraid of. "Like a moth to a flame", I guess

I have to fill y'all in on a funny coincidence. As I was writing this post, I heard a text message come over my iPhone. I finished typing my memories before checking that message. When I got up and grabbed my phone, guess what was there? A GORGEOUS view of a resort swimming pool with the white sandy beaches of Florida in the background! My friend, Robin, is on vacation and was just sharing the view from her room this morning! I'm soooo jealous!

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Garden Update #3

Look at how much the garden has grown over the past week!

Please look past the empty spaces. Jim and I learned a lesson for next year's garden..."Buy more seed than you need to plant the row." Then we should have extra to help fill in the gaps!
These beautiful tomatoes started this whole garden craze. We still haven't harvested more than one at a time...but they keep putting on blooms and tomatoes, so we will keep patiently waiting!


This is the crop that took us over the edge. These cowpeas came up so abundantly that we decided to try growing other vegetables. I can hardly wait for a fresh 'mess' of peas! See how many are sprouting out of the top of these plants.


Next we planted okra. They are taller than Pib...but no okra blooms yet!



And these squash are taking over the row!



This one is almost ready to eat!



The cantaloupes are blooming like crazy.



As are the cucumbers.

But, alas, Aunt Fran was right...no broccoli.
Oh well, better luck next time.
At least we will have the hard part of clearing the land already completed next year when planting season hits!

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

What We Did On Our Summer Vacation: Part 5

Besides all the swimming, and diving, and fishing, and shooting pool, and skiing, and tubing, and boating; we also found time to....

PLAY dress up in Josh's boots and cap... ...and on the stairs with our siblings...
...and in the hammock...

...and in the side yard with our favorite cousin...



...and by ourselves with our trucks, even though we were so tired we could hardly stand ourselves.



We also HUNG OUT with our siblings...



...and in the kitchen while meals were being prepared.




We managed to get in a little bit of REST with a snack in front of cartoons....




...and in the hammock in the peace and quiet of the afternoon.



We even had to do a little WORK...but not TOO much. It was vacation after all!



Finally, the time came to say goodbye to the lake house...our Paradise Found.



Thank you, My Hero, for the wonderful week to spend surrounded by our kids and grandchildren. I appreciate these times more than you will ever know.


I love you, Baby!

Monday, July 12, 2010

A Summer Blog Challenge

It is summertime. A time to slow down and smell the roses...or the tomatoes...or the ocean spray...or whatever it is that says "SUMMER" to you.

I have noticed that we, as a blog family, have slowed down on our postings. And, to be totally honest...I miss you! I miss hearing what your family is doing. Or what is growing in your flower bed. Or what new project you are working on in your home. Or where your travels are taking you...even if it is just down the street to Target where you found a great deal on shampoo!

I admit I have slowed way down on my postings too. The only reason you have heard so much from me these past two weeks is because I have been MIA for most of the summer myself.

As I was driving in to work last week I got an idea. (Scary, I know.) What if I challenged myself (and you, if your willing to play along) to write about a topic each week from now until school starts? If you decide to share in the challenge, just post on your blog and come back here to share in the comments that you have done so. That way we can all catch up with each other as we post.

You can participate as much or as little as you like. Some of you may want to write a post. Others may want to make a list or simply post a picture (with or without a caption) that touches on our topic for the week.

Our first topic...WHAT SAYS "SUMMER" TO YOU?

Share a favorite memory...or a picture (past or present)...or whatever you like. I just want to hear from you!

What We Did On Our Summer Vacation: Part 4

I apologize for the delay between posts number 3 and 4. Jim and I have been out of town for a family funeral. Jim's uncle passed away last Tuesday night and the service was on Saturday. It was a whirlwind trip...61 hours away...20 of them driving!

So, back to What We Did On Our Summer Vacation!

This is a picture of the boat dock at the lake house. The perfect place to keep the boat.



Davin loves the boat. He even loved the boat when it was stored in the shop. He kept asking us 'what happened to the tires'. It took us a little while to figure out that he was talking about the tires from the boat trailer.


Here is Derrick, Davin, Brianne and Josh taking it out for a test drive.



Captain Davin
The kids did some tubing...and the boys even tried skiing.
Brian took these pictures of Josh trying to get up the first time.
Almost there!

But not quite.
Next up was Will

Here he is getting into his skis.


Unfortunately, he didn't stay up for long!
Maybe next time!!!
Come back tomorrow for our last vacation post.