OF PARTIES AND PECANS

Monday, November 9, 2015
Normal day.  Menu planning.  List making.  Lessons.  Shopping.  Laundry.  Ugh.  Of it all, I hate laundry the worst.  I can't imagine doing it every day like some people do.  Get it done and over for several days and give me a break!

Analiese went shopping with me today to pick out things for her birthday.  Cupcake liners, type of cake, frosting, etc.  And, surrepticiously (or so she thought) to spend that Walmart gift card Aunt Dee gave her!

I bought more paint today, ceiling paint.  I'm hopeful that we can move on to the laundry room this week.  I asked my angel ward brother, Brother Wardo, to come give us a hand with a couple of things in the bathroom.  Taken care of, we can finally put things back together!

Tuesday, November 10, 2015
Today I shall talk about our pecan harvest because, yes, it is plentiful.  This is our third foray into the front yard to pick up pecans and we have now filled our first five-gallon bucket.  I say our first, because there will be at least two more, I am sure.

The big tree in the front is in the process of changing leaf color, going from green to gold (yellow sounded so prosaic).

 It has hundreds, if not thousands of pecans on it.  Yes, it's loaded!  However, I did not water it like I should have through August and September so, those nuts are rather small.  Still good - but small.

Analiese and I take turns using the whisk-on-its-end device or picking them straight off the ground

or, in my case, reaching up to pick them off the tree before they fall.

 You can tell if they're ready, the outer pod casing is shriveled and brown.  If it is still green, it's not ready; not the nut, not the pod.

 In fact, the shells are a little moist if you do.  If some fall while I am prying them out of the pod, no biggie.  Most of them are on the ground anyway.  It's like one of those really hard puzzles, though, where all the colors blend in together.

After a while, my eyes start to swim and ache.  We've only been going out on half-hour jaunts and it's plenty.  Longer than that gives me a headache.

The tree on the side of our house by our driveway is also plentifully loaded...and with bigger nuts. The reason for that is that our neighbor's a/c condensation flows outside to that tree.  The proof is right there!

 The side tree nut is on the left, the big front yard tree is on the right.  Amazing the difference a little water can make!

A lot of the nuts there get smashed when we drive through that area, but the birds love it!  I've seen dozens of them over there picking pieces of nut out of the crushed shells.  Now, Steve (the squirrel) and the bigger birds (blue jays, crows), take the whole nuts.  I generally reserve the nuts in the backyard (not as many, smaller) for them...not that it makes any difference.  They take them from whichever tree.  Cheeky things!

Tonight we had our family celebration for Analiese's birthday.  Ken made chicken and dumplings, a favorite of hers.  Dessert was peppermint drumsticks - yummy.  She opened her family gifts, too.

 A My Little Pony drawing portfolio from her grandparents, 3 pairs of long pants (which she'll need in the cold), and some really fun shark slippers that look like they're eating up her legs!

Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Happy Veterans' Day!  I think more about this day now that I live in a military town.  The Applebees here offers free meals to veterans today and I don't know how they can do it because there are a LOT of veterans here.  For some reason, they like retiring here.  Altus is not exactly Florida, but apparently there's something about it.  There have been people who keep coming back here for training or stationing because...they love Altus!  Must be the people (I think it is).

The kids love today, too, but I don't think it's for so noble a cause.  Jonathan doesn't have classes and Analiese doesn't have lessons.  I don't have Seminary either, so I get to sleep in.  I guess that's not noble, either.

I did do something nice, though.  I made homemade bread.  I promised I would do it for Analiese as a birthday present.  She was happy to have the whole house smell so yummy.  Then we sliced it and toasted it to eat with our scrambled eggs and sausage for dinner.  Sorry store bread, you cannot compete.

The bathroom is nearly done.  Things are all put back together, there's just a few touch-ups on the trim and walls.  Brother Whardo came over this morning for a bit to help Ken install the light fixture (correctly) and re-do the towel bar.  Jonathan had taken down all the wire shelving in the laundry room for me today, so the men had to fit some of the holes (some of the ways they secured things in this house were so WEIRD) that were left in the wall.  Because, yes, next up...paint the laundry room!

Thursday, November 12, 2015
I took a step today that might lead to something...might not.  I went to Lawton to go to Cameron University for their Graduate Preview Night.  That's right.  Thinking about maybe going back to school for my Master's Degree.  I've had it on my mind for a while, and the University had sent me a card about the preview night. I am considering taking a Master of Science in Behavioral Science; to become a Licenced Marriage and Family Therapist.

It's doable, for the most part. I don't need a GRE (I have one, but I don't need it).  I don't need a BS in Psychology (I'm a BA in English), but there would be a little catch-up work.  Even my undergraduate GPA wouldn't be a problem if it was under 3.0, I'd just have to do super-well the first year to prove I could. I could do it, part time, at night, two classes a week.

Two issues stand out.  One is money, but isn't it always?  I grabbed some pamphlets on financial aid. There are scholarships and loans, but whether they apply to me...?  The second is more problematic. The time to get through the program part-time is four-years; that includes the practicum.  So...what if Ken gets a job and we have to move.  This program is for certification in the state of Oklahoma.  If I have to leave?  Also, will the classes tranfer?

So, what am I going to do?  I don't know.  Think, pray.  If I got this done by the time Analiese was done with schooling, at least my part, then I could get to work at lessening Ken's burden. I really don't want him to work himself to death. Plus, with all the constant upheaval of jobs, I just want to see us have some stability and a future.  I think it is time.

Friday, November 13, 2015
I had my monthly Seminary inservice this morning, so I had asked our new sister missionaries to substitute for me.  After the meeting, I went and sat in the back of my class. I was pleased to hear my students say that they had learned so much in Seminary that they thought they would. The sisters said they weren't done learning, that as missionaries they were still learning.  I assured them that it never ended...a lifetime of learning!

I baked cupcakes today for tomorrow's party.  I forgot I had to buy paper goods for the party, too. Dollar Tree is sure handy!  I think I have a handle on tomorrow.  I've tried not to make it too complicated.

Saturday, November 14, 2015
I spent most of the day prepping for Analiese's party with her friends at the Box home on base. Analiese and her friend, Charisa, went with me to the base to have Sister Box let us in.  We started everyone making fondant as soon as they arrived.  Talk about a mess!  I felt really bad about all the powdered sugar and cornstarch that was smeared on the counters.  When we started coloring the fondant, it really got back.  I was biting my nails hoping that the food dye would was off the counter!

But the girls had a great time!  We never got to the games and hurriedly unwrapped presents at the end.  All of our time was spent making and then forming the fondant.  The girls did some really creative stuff with it...making roses, designing Pokemon and LOTR on the cupcakes.  I don't think they minded not getting to everything else planned.  They took their extra fondant home to play with...it's like edible Playdough.

So I'm very tired this evening.  Other than making dinner - an easy skillet pasta thing - I've taken it easy.  I'm done for the day.

Sunday, November 15, 2015
I am very tired today.  I need to stop staying up waiting for Jonathan to come home when he's out with friends on the weekend.  It's just too late for me!

Ken continues to have a headache - has had one for a week now. A friend in our ward just got made our Home Teacher, so I asked him to come over and give Ken a blessing.  He and another brother did.  It's nice to have a HT you can count on!