A Merry Christmas!

Even though it's sunny and warm.  Except for LeNell.   I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!  Whether you're roasting chestnuts, or trimming the tree, or singing yuletide carols by a fire.
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!!

Just a Few More Days

 

 

 

 

Guess Who Has a Birthday Today

 

Happy Birthday Becky
Love Mom and Dad

Christmas at Our House

 

 

 

 

Part 2

 

 

 

 

Christmas in the Land of Cotton

 

 

 

 

DAD

You always get on us for not putting anything on the blog for too long - where's your entry? Tell us what's been going on in the land of cotton? Are all the old times there forgotten? We can't look away! We won't look away! We don't look away, Dixie Land!

Getting All Christmasy

Dustin and I decided to build our dream homes......... I sure hope it does not look like our models.

Taking A Step Back In Time

During thanksgiving at the Cooks we were all entertained by the well know entertainers - Emily and Isabelle.

Luckily we got the action on footage.

Is Everyone Christmassing??

Is that even a word? Christmassing?  It should be, if it isn't.  Are we all busy as bees buzzing around decorating, shopping, planning, fluffing?  Isn't this the best time of year?  As long as we take the time to enjoy it.  For me it's having the house all decorated and lit up (still a work in progress), Christmas music or a favorite Christmas movie going, a fire in the fireplace, surrounded by loved ones.  Nothing better!

Thanks for a great Thanksgiving everyone, a good time and lots of laughs 'til we cried (Darvil) were had by all.

Happy buzzing!!

Slacker

Yes, I admit it, I've been a slacker. I keep waiting for everyone else to post since I'm sure they have more excitement in their lives than me. But anyway, I have been called to repentance by my father, so here goes:

The living room is finally almost done. A few pieces of baseboard, and then the decorating. Can I get an "Amen" and a "Halleluia"!!! We had no intention of turning this into a 6 month project, but if you don't pay with money, you pay with time, and Rob said way back when that he didn't want to pay with money anymore. It's looking good, maybe I'll post pictures??

Relief Society is in full swing. I thought life was busy before -HAH! I didn't know what busy was!

Rob has a nice new scanner that he uses at work. He's been bringing it home and scanning lots of papers we've been saving like spiritual and inspirational messages we've had since mission days and others we've collected along the way. It scans several sheets in just a few seconds. Then he puts them into a file on the computer and bye-bye papers! He's also doing all our old mission slides. He's having fun with his fancy new toy and getting a lot done too.

Brady has a paying job! He has been hired by an ambulance company, he's official! He finished training last week and has worked two shifts already. The last one was from 8pm to 8am and they didn't get any calls, so he basically got paid to sleep! He said he would've rather had calls though.

Colby has begun wrestling practices - he's tired all the time now. Matches start soon. Let's hope he doesn't break his nose again this year.

Kason is just Kason. Getting good grades in school, making us laugh, and popular with the girls.

Miranda is also getting good grades, excited about Young Womens, and babysitting up a storm for lots of people in the ward. Deep cleaned her room over the last several days - without being asked! Someone pinch me!

Eli is just a little joy. Now that he's nine he actually seems like he's growing up. Got a lego set for his birthday. One of those big ones with hundreds of pieces. Put it together in one night. He's decided he likes legos. We had a family home evening lesson on giving to others. I gave each person a bag and said to go get 10 things they could donate to others. Some came back with fewer than 10 items, some with sort of strange odds and ends. Eli came back with precious toys and treasures that he really likes but wants to give to another little boy. He's an example to us all.

Well, there's the latest with the Dows. Ask and ye shall receive, Dad! See you in a few days! We're excited for Thanksgiving!

Ok Grandfather!

I just don't have anything very interesting to say.  Not like being chased and yelled at by a crazy rancher and being a fugitive of the law!  Now that's a story for the books!  Can't wait to hear the details in person.

We got a very nice rain today.  Blustery clouds all day with the sun peaking out now and then.  The rain looked like a faucet being turned off and on several times.  Lovely!

We went to church also.  I cooked an extremely fatty pork roast today.  It wasn't very good.  But the killer mashed potatoes made up for it.  And we watched two Cary Grant movies on TCM this evening. TWO! back to back. 

Isabelle was asked by the Missionaries to speak at a baptism yesterday for a girl her age.  She did a great job and got alot of comments from everyone there about how good she did.

I will be baking pies and rolls for the upcoming turkey day.  And doing laundry.  Uh oh.  I feel like I'm coming down with something.   Let's all cross our fingers that it isn't so.

That's all.



Becky

Again,,waiting.

OK CHILDREN

I CAN STANDS SO MUCH AND I CANTZ STANDS NO MORE.

WHEN ARE YOU BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE GOING TO POST ANOTHER BLOG. I ALWAYS LOOK FORWARD TO READING ABOUT YOUR CRAZY FAMILIES. GET WITH IT.


GRANDMA AND I WENT TO CHURCH TODAY............



LOVE GRANDFATHER.

LeNell

I guess this is the best way to communicate with you since I know you read our blog! I would love to see you next week - the temple would be great. We could also meet for dinner with you guys or have you over for dinner! let me know cuz that would be so fun, I need a good LeNell laugh! You should still have my number(s) or I know JoAn does.

Bev the Birthday Girl

this is the only picture I have on my computer of the lovely Bev.  I know she's having a good time today hitting all the great stores like Pottery Barn and HomeGoods.  Happy Birthday!!!

THIS DAY

10:10am on 10-10-10 Isabelle turned 10. Happy birthday Isabelle

Love from Grandma and Grandpa

We made some applesauce the other day. Our apple trees were loaded this year. I ordered a sauce maker that separates the peels, seeds, core and all the bad stuff from the applesauce. It worked great and was easy as pie. HAHAHA We made a total of 28 quarts. The apples were sweet enough that no sugar was added only cinnamon. We steamed/sealed them so we can eat it for breakfast. UUMMM GOOD!!!!! I think I will go have some right now!!!

Darvil

This is what we saw in Bountiful Utah this summer at Teresa's sisters house. I don't know if I put these on the blog or not. Oh well, if I did you can look at them again.

Darvil

PISTACHIOS ANYONE !!!!!!!!!!

This is pictures of about half of my 2010 pistachio crop. I harvested about 1000 pounds this year. It was alittle below average. It is alot of work. Spreading huge tarps out on the ground under each tree and then hitting the branches of the tree using a huge baseball bat looking mallet. The nuts fall onto the tarp. Move tarps to next tree and do it all over again. Then unload nuts into a wheelbarrow and put nuts into truck. I can shake about 3-4 trees in an hour. I have 26 trees. So it took along time and alot of sore muscles for an old man. I take the nuts to Bowie, Arizona and they buy them from me. They have acres and acres of trees down there. They look at me sort of funny when I pull up in a pickup truck and get in line with all the semi-trucks waiting to be unloaded. They really think I am crazy when I tell them I shook all my trees by hand. They have huge machines that do all of their shaking, and umbrella looking panels that catch the nuts as they fall that are attached to the machinery. They can shake a tree in about 15 seconds. I know why pistachios are so expensive in the stores. It is just alot of dadgum work.

Darvil

This last saturday morning I was out in my back yard pulling some weeds and I started hearing what sounded like someone burning weeds with a propane torch. I really didn't pay much attention to it. But then it started getting louder and closer and then much louder and LOUDER. So I looked that direction and saw 2 hotair balloons headed my way and they were just clearing the tree tops about 100 yards away. I ran around to the front of the house to get a better look. They were getting closer. Teresa came out and had her camera and I took several pictures as the balloons were over my neighbors house across the street. They were trying to land in the open field across from my house. I told Teresa to go get my camera. The balloons set down. I tried taking pictures with my camera but the batteries were dead. So I ran back into the house and stole batteries from someother small appliance. The picture of the 2 balloons setting on the ground was taken from my front yard. As I was taking pictures I saw several other balloons off in the distance and took some pictures of them. The balloons were here for the Salsa Fest and about 8 balloons had taken off from the Safford high school. We went up to the Salsa Fest on Main street in Safford on Friday evening. The balloons were set up on main street and were GLOWING. It looked Cooool. Its not everyday you see a Hotair balloon land across the street from your house!!!!!

Darvil

Near Miss

So the other day my across-the-street neighbor came over and told me I need a dog. Anyone who knows me knows that the last thing on my list of needs is a dog. I'm not an animal person. Never really felt the need. And especially at this point in my life when my family's basic needs are barely being met, I certainly have no business bringing another thing to care for into my life. So I proceded to tell my neighbor, Amanda this. She told me she has a friend who has a wonderful dog but recently had a baby and doesn't have the room anymore. She went on and on about what a great dog it is and wouldn't my kids love a dog? Yes, I agreed that they would love a dog, but I told her our horror story of our last dog, Morgan, and how she wouldn't stay in the yard, barked at innocent people walking by and scared them to death, followed my kids to school but didn't know her way home so I would have to go pick her up, she followed my kids' friends home on their bikes and I would have to go pick her up, and she chased cars and was even hit by three cars over the years, the last of which still didn't kill her but broke her spine and we had to have her put to sleep. Amanda assured me this dog was much better and is very well trained and even potty trained. She convinced me to just meet the dog, with no strings attached. What could be the harm in just meeting the dog, I thought.

Later that day Amanda, "Zoe" and her owners came to my house. The first thing I noticed was that the husband was carrying a very large bag of dog food. The second thing I noticed was how large Zoe was. Amanda had informed me that this was a medium-sized dog. If this was her version of medium, I'd hate to see large. Zoe was huge! She made herself right at home and began walking all over my house, from room to room to room. Granted, whenever the owners called her name she was obedient and came right back, but then she was off again. Each time she passed me her thick wagging tail whacked me in the legs powerfully. The owners began their pitches, telling me all the good points about Zoe. She's potty trained, gentle- even around their baby, she sleeps on their bed and lays on the couch and is just like a member of the family. In my mind I was thinking, "then why are you getting rid of her?" They didn't just want me to meet her, they wanted to leave her with me right then. Just the thought of it started giving me hives and heart palpitations.

I began saying that we would have to figure out how to get a way for her to sleep outside, etc., etc........

WAIT! The husband stopped me mid-sentence. Sleep outside? That would never do. He's raised her since birth and she's never slept outside a day in her life. The one thing that is a deal-breaker with him is that she can't be an outside dog. In the blink of an eye they picked up their jumbo-sized bag of food and escorted Zoe back outside to their car. WHEW! I breathed a huge sigh of relief as I waved good-bye. The luckiest part of all? It was 4:30 in the afternoon yet all of my kids were miraculously gone during this interaction so none of them even got to beg me to keep her or go look for another dog.

That was a near miss indeed.

Back from the DEAD!!!!!

It has been along time since I have been on the blog. If someone could just type what I have to say it would go so much easier. I hate typing or actually pecking.

Something funny happened. One of Teresas relatives (great Aunt and Uncle) came to see us yesterday. Teresa took off work to spend time with them and we all went out to eat at the Casa Mana which is a mexican resturant in Safford. The waitress brought 2 dishes of salsa, one was chunky and the other is just sauce. I was watching this aunt because I took it she hadn't eaten at many mexican resturants before. I wanted to see her reaction to the heat of the salsa. But what happened totally shocked me. In the space of time of about 15 seconds this aunt had "Double Dipped" both bowls of salsa. I sat there with my mouth open and eyes wide in amazement starring at her. (In case you don't understand double dipping, it is eat a bite of salsa with a chip and then dip that same chip back into the bowl for a 2nd bite.) I couldn't believe it. Then she sort of took over the salsa bowl she liked the best by pulling close in front of her and continued to double dip the bowl until it was gone. I finally gave in and ate some of the salsa from the bowl she didn't like. We ordered or attempted to order. She asked me what I liked to order. I told her and showed her on the menu, a green chili burro that is fried with enchilada sauce and cheese on it. It did not make sense to her. It must have been the word burro. So I said like a bean burito except with green chili meat. Still not making sense. So I said they take a flour tortilla and put some green chili meat in it, fry it and sause and cheese on top. I dont' think she has ever had a bean burro. If so it goes by some other name????? After all of that she ordered something else. Then she only ate 2 bites of it and asked for a "Doggy bag". I thought the whole meal experience was funny. And she practically talked the entire time by herself. Nobody could get a word in. Teresa even said she had never seen anyone talk as much as she does. I am glad I could go back to work. I felt sorry for Teresa, she had to spend the afternoon with them. HAAHAHHAA.

Darvil

For My Oldest Daughter

 

Going crazy!

If I could find my camera I'd post pictures of the progress of our changes around here. But the camera is buried under one of many piles that are all screaming "Deal with me!" I sat down to pay bills this morning and thank goodness none of the them were overdue. Last month a bill got buried under one of the above-mentioned piles, and the late fee I had to pay only confirmed what I already knew: I am a crazy woman.

I was spray painting - I have been doing that a lot lately - and in my haste I had the bottle turned the wrong way....you guessed it - right in my face! Black spray paint in my eyes and all over my face! I was shocked and amazed that I could have really done that. I looked in the mirror and I looked just like someone in a comedy movie who gets sprayed in the face. No, I didn't have the presence of mind to take a picture, I should have.

Kason and I were moving the tv cabinet I bought off Craig's list and painted. I was going backwards and didn't see an object behind me. I went down and so did the cabinet - right on my knee! It hurt like the dickens and swelled up a little, but I can walk fine and now it only hurts when I kneel on it, so I pray one-kneed.

Enough of the craziness. Life has some good things going on right now, too. Brady tested and interviewed for a job working on an ambulance. A new ambulance company is starting up in Henderson and they're hiring a lot of people. They need both paramedics and EMTs. Since he just became an EMT intermediate, he qualifies. He felt like it went well and his chances are pretty good - he finds out on Wednesday, so cross your fingers!

Colby has been hired by a friend to tutor their daughter in math. She has the same teacher Colby had last year and he did quite well in that class even though the teacher can be tough. He tutors for an hour a day and is enjoying it ( and the cash). He's also doing a city swim team. It's a sport that works well for his knee and he has a strong upper body so he does pretty well. We're just glad he's staying busy with good things - he's one who needs to stay busy.

Eli is thrilled that he likes both his English and Spanish teachers this year. He had heard they were mean and was quite worried, but after 2 weeks he can see they are nice. Thank goodness. He cried many a tear over his English teacher last year who really stressed him out.

Kason and Miranda both have birthdays coming up - Miranda's excited to enter Young Womens and Kason will be able to go to Stake dances and Youth Conferences and EFY now that he'll be 14. Kids grow up while you're not looking, how does that happen?

Have a good day everyone!

Who Cares

OK CHILDREN

JUST A LITTLE REMINDER THAT GRANDMA AND I HAVE NOT BEEN SITTING ON OUR LAURELS.
DARVIL AND HIS FAMILY WENT TO THE MOUNTAIN AND CAMPED OUT, JIM AND JUDY CAME OVER AND WENT ALSO. AFTER ARRIVING THEY CALLED US AND TOLD WHERE THEY WERE. SOOOOO, EARLY ON SUNDAY MORNING WE JUMPED INTO OUR TRUSTY CAR AND ZIPPED UP THE MOUNTAIN TO WHERE THEY WERE CAMPED. IF YOU CAN BELIEVE THIS, SHORTLY AFTER WE ARRIVED WE WENT TO CHURCH. AS YOU KNOW THEY HAVE IT AT THE WEECHES CABIN. PRIESTOOD AND RELIEF SOCIETY WAS FIRST AND THEN IT WAS TESTIMONY TIME. MOM AND I SAT AT THE BACK BECAUSE WE HAD THE CHAIRS THAT BECKY GAVE US AND THE ONE WE BOUGHT. WITH THE SHADE ON THEM THE PEOPLE BEHIND CAN'T SEE. WE WERE THE ONLY ONES WITH SHADE CHAIRS, IT WAS HOT.
AFTER ABOUT THIRTY MINUTES I WOULD BET SOMEONE WOULD HAVE KILLED US FOR THEM, BUT IT BEING SUNDAY AND EVERYTHING..........

WE STAYED ALL DAY AND DIDNOT LEAVE UNTIL DARK THIRTY. BEAUTIFUL DRIVE DOWN.

CHANGE THE SUBJECT.

ME AND MY OLD TRUCK ARE ABOUT TO START SHOWING OFF. I HAD THE SEATS REDONE AND I PUT THEM IN TODAY,SATURDAY. I AM BUILDING A FLAT BED FOR IT AND IT IS ABOUT HALF WAY DONE.GOING TO GET THE PLATES AND INSURANCE AND HIT THE ROAD, YIIIPPPPEEEE.

OTHER THAN THAT, SAME OL, SAME OL.

OLD GRANDPA

Heading for Round Top

We will be moving our wagons out 2 weeks from today and heading for Texas hill country to visit Round Top and the amazing Marburger Farm Antique Show. I have been hearing and reading about this event for years, and I can't believe we are actually pulling our trailers and going. I hope to bring back lots of fun stuff, with new ideas and Christmas presents especially in mind. Check out the details at the Marburger Farm websitd.

A Little News

It seems like I haven't posted anything forever - we've been doing remodeling projects interspursed with going out of town and just in general being crazy. So here's a small update: the new garage is finished, the old garage that is now the new game room is not. Its progress hinges on the old fireplace in the adjoining living room which has been torn out getting put back together so we can have carpet installed in both rooms at the same time. I've been looking at 5,000 pictures of fireplaces to try to figure out exactly what I want. When you're starting from scratch, and you know you can do whatever you want, and you've had 12 years to think about it, it should be easy, but it's not. In the meantime, the whole house is a wreck with everything out of place. It's getting a little old, but I know it'll be nice when it's all done.

The kids start school on August 30th, so we're entering our last free week. We'll be doing school shopping and maybe a little room organizing?

We lost another chicken. We seem to be on a streak. We managed to keep 6 alive since chicks for 1 1/2 years, then now 3 dead in 3 months. This one was the most traumatic. We got home Friday late afternoon from Utah, and normally I would've checked on the chickens or had one of the kids do it, but for some reason I didn't, I was tired. So Saturday morning when Rob went to the pen, he found one chicken in trouble. Their food bin is a 5-gallon bucket that has a large plant drip tray screwed onto the bottom of it. There are holes cut into the bucket, so food from the bucket spills out into the plant tray. Well, the bucket was empty except for a little bit of food inside. Said chicken put its beak through one of those holes, trying to get to the food. Somehow it managed to get its beak stuck on one of the screws. In struggling to get free, it only got more stuck. By the time Rob found it, the screw was going entirely through its beak. No telling how long it had been that way. Brady, who didn't go to Utah and was the designated chicken babysitter, said the last time he looked at them was Wednesday. It was still alive, we freed it from the screw but it looked half dead. We hoped with food and water it might revive, but the other chickens started attacking it when we weren't looking (thus the cause of death of chicken #1), so Colby, our resident animal biologist, offered to kill it to put it out of its misery. Everyone in the family had a different opinion as to whether we should kill it or not, or how long to wait it out, but I'm the chicken mother and I couldn't watch it suffer anymore, so I let him do it.

Colby, who was famous for having rather long hair for the longest time, and would give me grief every time I made him get a haircut, now has asked me to give him haircuts. He's asked me like 3 times in the last month. He's wanted it shorter each time, and it looks great! Maybe he's growing up a little?

Well, that's all the news I can think of right now, maybe I'll be able to post some pictures one of these days. In the meantime, I enjoy seeing all the pictures you guys post - keep it up!

it's official.

alright i've decided to make it official.

i, amanda cook, have decided that i am going to go on a mission.

yay! be super excited.

so yes, i have a year and two months to scrimp and save for it.

it's gonna be hard but it's what i want and it'll be worth it.

so if you feel the need to give me gifts for any occasion, feel free to add to my mission fund.

so yep i'll give more details as it gets closer but to quote brady,

he and i will be "doing work. the Lord's work." haha.

if you have any questions feel free to comment.
until next time.

Back to school & a birthday

Here is the 4th grader on her first day of a new school.  She only knows one person in the whole school of 700 kids!  I was very proud of her bravery.  She didn't seem scared.   I'd be scared to death!  She's growing up so fast it's making my head spin.  Sweet girl!!

Here's the Junior in a new High School.  She knows quite a lot of kids in this school, so it wasn't too traumatic for her to switch schools in the middle of H.S.  She has even admitted she likes this school better.  She'll have fun and do well no matter where she is!  Cute girl!!

Here's the 18 year old birthday man.  Can I just get a Halleluja!!  We made it to 18!!!!  He's his own man now, ready to conquer the world.  As long as the world has a fully stocked refridgerator and video games!