It's a twin thing!

Happy Birthday to Arthur and his twin brother Allen!

Those two crack me up. They both always forget each others’ birthday. It sounds like a corny joke, forgetting ones’ twin on his birthday! But they do it every year, except last year when Allen flew down to surprise Art. I secretly believe the only reason Allen remembered then was because we planned it so far in advance.

I reminded my husband to call Allen today.

He said, “Oh no! I forgot to send him a card!”

Arthur dialed up Allen and wished him a happy birthday.

Allen said, “Oh no! I forgot to send you a card!”

Yup, it’s a twin thing.

























I have one thing to say. Twins are cute, and I love my brother-in-law Allen.

But there is only ONE Arthur!!!! I love you sweetie! :)

So tired of Weight Watching.

I am so tired right now.

I am tired of work.

I am tired of pets.

I'm tired of students.

I am tired of gasoline prices.

And, I'm tired of watching my weight.

I am sooo sick of thinking about every morsel that I decide to swallow! I used to count calories. Then I counted carbs. Now I count points.

Yes, I am a Weight Watchers member, and I must say the program is better than any other diet plan I have followed. I have been a member ever since my thyroid trouble reared it's ugly head, and I lost 30 lbs. The weight has stayed off, too... well, give or take a few pounds up, a few pounds down... etc...! (I could still use to lose about that much more, but that's another story.)

Dealing with the aggravating end of the school year days makes me want to go through
the fridge and pantry with abandon. Hmmm, let's see how many points can be consumed in a single sitting. I think I'll serve fried chicken. Along side, we can fry some potatoes, add bacon and melted cheese and serve them with ranch dressing!

"Hey Arthur! Let's go to Braums for desert tonight: a banana split with double fudge!!"

Sigh. I still need to keep everything in check. It's not about looking thin as much as I need to keep healthy. There are still a few more years of child rearing ahead, not to mention that I want to be a stereotypical retiree. We have big plans of seeing the country by RV, and playing croquet and horseshoes so that the grandkids can make fun of us.

But if those pounds creep back on, it will be good to remember the immortal words of Allan Sherman in his inspirational speech:

"Hail to thee, Fat Person!"


I would like to explain how it came to pass that I got fat.

Ladies and gentlemen, I got fat as a public service.

When I was a child, my mother said to me,

"Clean the plate, because children are starving in Europe."

And I might point out that that was years before the
Marshall Plan was ever heard of.

So I would clean the plate, four, five, six times a day.

Because somehow I felt that that would keep the children
from starving in Europe.

But I was wrong. The children in Europe kept starving.

And I got fat.

So I would like to say to every one of you who is either skinny
or in some other way normal--

When you walk out on the street, and you see a fat
person, Do not scoff at that fat person. Oh no!

Take off your hat. Hold it over your heart.

Lift your chin up high. And in a proud, happy voice say to him,

"Hail to thee, fat person! You kept us out of war!

On a more serious note, I learned during my search for this video that the comic genius Allan Sherman died suddenly at the age of 48, while he was sitting at the piano entertaining some friends. His weight had spiraled out of control and he had developed severe diabetes, although his official cause of death is listed as emphysema.

Maybe I really should keep on counting those points.

"Brain Droppings" as George Carlin would say!

Shelby sent me a meme and since I am feeling lazy and uninspired today I am going to use it as my blog entry. I am not tagging anybody, but anybody may jump in and participate. I think to add interest I may post a bunch of random family photos at the end of this :)

Here is how this meme works. Place an X by all the things you've done, and remove the X from the ones you have not, and post it on your blog or email it to your friends if you’d like.


(X] Smoked a cigarette
(X) Drank so much you threw up
( ) Crashed a friend's car
( ) Stolen a car
(X) Hitchhiked
(X) Been in love
(X) Been dumped
(x) Dumped someone
(X) Been laid off/fired
( ) Quit your job because of medical reasons


(X) Been in a fist fight
(X) Had feelings for someone who didn't reciprocate them
( ) Gone on a blind date
(X) Skipped school
(X) Seen someone die
( ) Been to Mexico
( ) Been to Hawaii
(X) Been on a plane
(X) Been on a train
(X) Been lost in the woods
( ) Been to Walt Disney World
(X) Been on the opposite side of the country
(X) Gone to Washington, DC
( ) Swam in the ocean
( ) Felt like dying
(X) Cried yourself to sleep
(X) Played cops and robbers
(X) Cowboys & Indians
(X) Recently colored with crayons/markers
(X) Sang Karaoke
(X) Paid for a meal with only coins
(X) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't
(X) Climbed a tree
(X) Achieved a goal
(X) Laughed until beverage came out of your nose
( ) Laughed till you peed your pants
( ) Been in a burping contest
(X) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
(X) Danced in the rain
(X) Been camping
(X) Written a letter to Santa Claus
(X) Been kissed under the mistletoe
(X) Watched the sun rise with someone you love
(X) Blown bubbles
( ) Made a bonfire on the beach
( ) Crashed a party
(X) Gone roller-skating at least once
(X) Gone Ice-skating at least once
(X) Went to the bathroom outside in an outhouse

1. Any nicknames? Stella
2. Mother's Name? Margaret
3. What is your favorite drink? Diet Mt.Dew Code Red
4. Tattoos? No
5. Body piercing? ears
6. Middle Name? JEANNE PROUNCED JEAN
7. Favorite vacation spot? Great Lakes Beaches
8. Ever been to Africa? No
9. Ever steal any traffic signs? No
10. Ever been in a car accident? yes
12. Salad dressing? Vinegar and Olive Oil
13. Favorite pie? Cherry
14. Favorite number? 22
15. Favorite movie? Back to the Future
16. Favorite holiday? Thanksgiving
17. Favorite food? MEXICAN AND CHINESE
18. Favorite day of the week? SUNDAY
19. Favorite brand of body soap? Dove Body Wash
20. Favorite TV Show? Dancing With the Stars
21. Favorite smells? Vanilla and spices
22. What do you do to relax? Chat with a friend
23. Message to friends reading this? My love to everybody
24. How do you see yourself in 10 years? Being a cool granny
25. Furthest Place you will send this: Maine or to whoever
surfs in.



OK, I TOLD you these were going to be random! :)








Oh, guess what I'm doing tonight? I am being a coffee shop entertainer at Starbucks! The Starbucks near us has live entertainment on Saturday nights. I thought it would be a lot of fun to do because that is how I earned a living back in the 70's. They are going to get a dose of "the real thing!" I have a bunch of my "hippie" numbers polished and ready to go.. it should be a blast. :)

It's my Birthday and I'll Mull if I want to! :)

Today is my birthday, but we are not going to fully celebrate for a few more days. Arthur’s birthday is exactly one week after mine, so we plan to split the difference and mark both occasions at the same time. However, I have already received a very sweet card and a banana fudge sundae from somebody! :)

Most likely we will go out to dinner on Saturday. Our very favorite place to eat is called Junior’s, and I think it must be Oklahoma City’s best kept secret. The food is wonderful, the atmosphere is cozy but classy, and it is less expensive than some of the chain restaurants. It is a great place for us to relax, reminisce, and share another step forward in time.

I had a somber thought this morning, and since my birthday celebration is still forthcoming, I allowed my mind to run with it.

Today I am officially older than my dad lived to be.

I haven’t yet reached the age that Andy was when he died, so I have no idea how I will feel when that day arrives. I do know that I am not supposed to be older than my parent. But I am.

My dad died at age 52, leaving my mother a young widow. Shelby and John only know him from family stories. Jimmy has just a few vague memories of a jovial man that would lift him up high and make him laugh. My brother and I were adults, and were just really getting to know our father as a person rather than “just” a parent.

One of these days I will create a post full of memories of my dad. There are many different types of people in the world, each wonderful in their own way. But my dad was a one-of-a-kind, a unique individual who honestly stood out from the crowd. I know many girls think of their fathers that way, but just wait ‘til the day I create that entry! You will agree with me! :)

Another odd little tidbit floated through my brain today. Andy and my dad never met, at least not in this life. Like Shelby and John, Andy only heard the legends and wished he could have known him.

Arthur, the love I’ve been married to for less than four years, knew my dad very well.

Our lives are full of strange little twists and turns like that.

Alright, I'm off to try to shake off this mood now...!

A note to my internet friends

We bloggers have a variety of reasons to keep a weblog. Mine was originally born as a shared grief journal between me and the family after Andy's death. It started out as the "Clarence Andrew Family and Friends Website" on MyFamily.com, which is password protected.

Eventually it began to evolve into an online diary. I decided to share a bit of myself and move many of the less private entries to the open internet. It was very labor intensive to move each post, so I left a whole lot of stuff behind. I am now preparing to gradually add some of the more mundane posts here and back date them to complete the record. My kids might actually want to read some of this stuff someday! :-)

This is a very long and round-about way of telling anybody who is subscribed to my little corner of the internet: you might get notices of new entries dated several years ago! I don't know whether back dated items will "ping" the weblog subscription sites, but I figured I would warn you in advance just in case.

Thanks for reading, everybody. I promise to keep posting new stuff as well as the old!

Love,

Steph, or Stella if you prefer! :)

Happy Mother's Day to my Children

A note to my three children:





To my first born......

I've always loved you best because you were my first miracle. You were the genesis of a marriage, the fulfillment of young love, the promise of infinity.

You sustained us through the hamburger years. The first apartment furnished in Early Poverty... our first mode of transportation (1976 feet)... the 7-inch TV set we paid on for 36 months.

You wore new, had unused grandparents and more clothes than a Barbie doll. You were the "original model" for unsure parents trying to work the bugs out. You got the strained lamb, open pins and three-hour naps.

You were the beginning.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To the middle child...

I've always loved you best because you drew the dumb spot in the family and it made you stronger for it.

You cried less, had more patience, and never in your life did anything "first," but it only made you more special. You are the one I relaxed with and realized a dog could kiss you and you wouldn't get sick. You could cross the street by yourself long before you were old enough to get married, and the world wouldn't come to an end if you went to bed with dirty feet.

You were the continuance.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To the baby...

I've always loved you best because endings generally are sad and you are such a joy. You readily accepted milk stained bibs. The lower bunk. The cracked baseball bat. The baby book, barren but for a recipe for graham pie crust that someone jammed between the pages.

You are the one I held onto so tightly. For, you see, you are the link with the past that gives a reason to tommorow. You darken my hair, quicken my steps, square my shoulders, restore my vision, and give me humor that security and maturity can't give.

When your hairline takes on the shape of Lake Erie and your children tower over you, you will still be "the baby."


You were the culmination.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I shamelessly adapted these words from Erma Bombeck, but they really speak to me. I love you kids. What would Mother's Day be without the three of you???


Love always,
Mom

Sweet Little Words

This week happens to be National Teachers Week and National Nurses Week. Being the school nurse of three elementary schools gives me a lot to celebrate. All week long my schools have hosted events in honor of the occasion. There have been breakfasts, brunches, cakes and cookies. I received goodie bags with candies and other neat things like this little sign I found in one:




The most fun part of the week for me was yesterday. Our secretary announced over the intercom, "Today is National Nurses Day. Don't forget to tell our nurse that you appreciate what she does for us."

All day long the kids were stopping me in the hall or dropping by the clinic to say "We Peacie-ate you, Nurse Stephanie!"

It is so wonderful to be Peacie-ated! :)

A dance for Arthur and Stella

I have mentioned in previous entries that Arthur and I first met at a square dance club way back when. The club was called the "Teen Wheelers," to give you a good idea how long ago it was!

This past fall we decided to return to the wonderful world of square dancing and we found a wonderful club full of nice people not more than three miles from us. This photo was taken Friday before our square dance club's monthly dance. The club is called the 'Swinging Rebels', and this is our "uniform."



I know, I know...

"Square dancing is for squares," or "Square dancing is for old people."

Not so!!! The club we belong to now is made up of members from the 20's on up, and there are lots of members in their 30's, 40's and 50's. The Swinging Rebels have great time and we are NOT squares! :) Not only is square dancing fun and good exercise, it is also a great place to meet people whether you are a couple or single. We have made several good friends already.

It's GOOD to be back!

I interrupt my regular program...

...to say Happy Birthday to my niece!!!






Dear Victoria,

I hope you had a wonderful birthday!!!






I can't believe my one and only niece is eleven years old. You get prettier every day!







I hope this year brings you many wonderful things. I love you! :)


XOXOXO,

Auntie Steph

"Standing on the Crossroads" or "Should I Stay or Should I Go?"

So…

here we are back at square one with buying a house.

Arthur and I went out to dinner at Chili’s and had a long discussion over a rare Margarita. (For me. Presidente sized, no less.)

We have come to a rather surprising conclusion. We don’t really want to move after all. He no longer feels like he is living in somebody else’s house, and I no longer see Andy every time I turn a corner. Arthur’s imprint is everywhere now from all the work he has done around this place, and all the things he brought with him from Michigan.

I have mentioned that I never really liked this house much, but over the years made many changes. Now there are things that I really do like, for instance, our huge eclectic living room. :)



The white picket fence that Uncle Donnie put up when we first moved here:



The new entry hall flooring:



Plus there are many other things that photos can’t show, such as the cool shady front yard in the summer, the scent of the honeysuckle in the backyard, the sound of the wind through my wind chimes in the front alcove.

Thus, although our decision is not clad in stone, we are strongly leaning toward keeping this house and together taking out a large home improvement loan in both of our names. Arthur will buy into the house and become co-owner. Then we will do a major remodel; new bathrooms, new kitchen, new laundry. We can have a house that is even better than the one we were planning on buying, spend much less money and not have to go through the hassle of moving. I will continue to update our progress here, because we still need to wait until the probate is complete on May 28 before we can do anything either way. Who knows, we may change our minds in an entirely different direction by then!

Actually, if you think about the newest plan, we will have a different house that is custom made for us. It just will happen to be in the same place the old house was. I suppose even the Hotel California is a great place to live if one makes the decision they want to stay! :)