Snow Day 2

We got another snow day, because the sleet and ice from yesterday did not melt. So today I finished the backs to my two "block-of-the-month" quilts from last year, I cooked a mushroom-spinach quiche for lunch for myself, I worked on my Alaska Shutterfly book from our vacation last year while watching photography videos on my iPad, and I read the manual for Rick's flight simulator game for his airplane game. It is amazing how I feel the need to be productive on snow days. I am now watching the weather which has a chance of snow in the forecast for tonight. Could we have three snow days?

Snow Day

Although this is my second year to be retired from teaching, I still get excited about a SNOW DAY. Last night I watched the weather and the school closings with four of the grandchildren in anticipation. Even during the night when I would wake up, I would listen for sleet. I am excited for all my teacher friends and grandchildren that this affects.

I have great memories of snow days in my early teaching days. Daddy would usually bring Diana and her kids to my house so that we could put the 4 children together; and she and I could sew, cook, or do a craft together. The kids would watch some movie classics - Top Gun or Beetlejuice, play Nintendo, or make paper airplanes to sell. I am sure that there were games of sock baseball or basketball also going on - maybe even a game with a ceiling fan. For some reason, all the ceiling fans wobble in my house. Oh, those were the days!

I now get to choose everyday what I am going to do, but today is an extra special day. So what did I do differently? I cleaned my kitchen granite counter tops, cooked, did laundry, wrote this post, and watched photography videos. Sounds familiar to my daily routines - but it was different. It was a SNOW DAY.

Kennith Marlow Scoggins

Last Sunday would have been his 95th birthday. However his life was cut short due to his health. It is so hard to believe that he has been gone 25 years. My dad was a very special person to me,  just like most dads are to their daughters.

He loved life; and everyone who knew him has a Kenneth story, whether it is a hunting story, a cow story, or just about meeting him. He never met a stranger. This month I went to my ob-gyn doctor who told me the story about when he came to Sherman in 1973 or 1974 as a young new doctor. He came to Gunter with my mom's doctor to bird hunt with my dad and how that memory of meeting and hunting with my dad has stayed with him all these years.

I think of Daddy often because I am so involved in our cow business. Rick and I have been bottle feeding a calf since December 1, who I have named Rudy. Through the rain, mud, wind and cold I always think that Daddy is smiling at Rudy and me during feeding time.

I also got my first 4 wheel drive pickup truck this month. I drive the hay wagon on feeding days. I have been stuck numerous times in the mud, and Rick always has to come to my rescue on the tractor to shove me out of the mud. I know Daddy and Rick are shaking their heads at me knowing that I should not have driven the path that I did in the pasture. However, when I got stuck on Tuesday of this week, I just punched the little 4-wheel drive button and drove myself out of the mud. I had to laugh knowing that Daddy was smiling again.

I hope that he gets a few smiles from the things we do, to repay him for the joy and happiness that he gave this girl for the first 33 years of her life. Thanks Daddy for teaching me to enjoy the simple things in life and to live life fully each day. Thanks for the memories.

Christmas 2014

Just as I was blessed throughout the year, the blessing just continued the month of December. We did start Christmas the week Chad and Tara were here before Jenna's wedding and the festivities just continued for the month of December. We had lots of family time, Christmas events, and just some "home" time to enjoy my decorations and Christmas movies.

Our Davis/Ferguson family did our Christmas on December 23 with a visit from Santa. The bummer was that Justin had the flu and did not get to join us for food and games.


 Greg, Lisa, and Anja spent the night with us. She slept all through the night. They flew to Minnesota early Christmas morning to finish out the holidays.

Our Streetman family did Christmas on Christmas Eve at Brandi's.

Papa and I with all the grandchildren. 

The Blessing of November

I get emotional every time I think about how blessed I am, and what a wonderful November I got to experience with family. God blessed me more than words can express; and I give all the Glory to Him.

Thanksgiving at the Cabin

Rick, Mindi, Cade, Cali, Keylyn, Peyton, Abby and I in a rented Tahoe left on Tuesday before Thanksgiving for the cabin in New Mexico. We were packed to the roof with no space to spare. When we got there, Roger had to come to the fire station to pick us up in his 4-wheel drive to take us up the mountain. Two days earlier they had a big snow so a 2-wheel drive would not make it up to the cabins. 

We stayed in Sue’s cabin the first two nights then moved to the other cabin Thursday morning after Roger and his family left. We transferred all our luggage and groceries by sled. 
 

 There was lots of snow and ice so the kids got to sled all over the mountain. I enjoyed God’s beautiful creation of the mountain, snow, deer, turkeys, birds, and trees with my camera. We cooked a full Thanksgiving meal. On Friday we walk down to the station to get our vehicle so that we could take the kids to Red River.
 

 It was amazing to see how patient and laid back Rick was on this trip with his grandchildren. He was actually content not working from sun-up to sundown without any projects going on.
 

 Memories were made with these four grandchildren that will last a long time.

Goodbye, Farewell

After the wedding we had to say goodbye to Chad, Tara, Jerry, and Jenna and Jared. The wedding couple was off to a beach resort in Mexico. Chad went to Nashville to see Dave Dunn, then off to New Zealand for work. Tara went home to Singapore; and Jerry went to Thailand/Bangkok to get away from our Texas winter. It was sad after a week of so much family time with all the family and cousins together to say goodbye. It will be the Fourth of July before we will all be back together again.