We Got a Dog!

This is big news! And I mean B-I-G! I am not an animal person. I do not wish them harm. I just don't wish them to be around me! But I guess I went temporarily insane because it's not that I just finally caved and agreed with the rest of my family to get a dog, I actually decided on my own, under no coercion, to get a dog I saw posted by one of my friends on facebook. My family had no idea this puppy even existed and they had accepted the fact that we would not get a dog until we got a bigger house. Well, I can't explain it but I just decided we needed to get this dog. And...I'm happy about it!! Still not crazy about it touching me but I'm happy he's here. I'm happy that my children and my husband are so excited to have a dog. And I must say it is pretty neat to say we are pet people. It opens up a whole new world. I have pet shopping to do. And I can carry on pet conversations. I had my very first pet conversation with a cashier at Wal-Mart when I was buying puppy chow and a few puppy toys. And now when my children are asked, they don't have to look forlorn as they explain they don't have any pets. So let me introduce you to the newest member of our family.

MILO

P.S. If you are interested in reading about Spencer's health journey, you can click on the tab at the top. I decided not to blog much about it on here since I have a website dedicated completely to my little hero. :)

  





Marriage Secret #1: Fishing? Do I have to?

The short answer is yes. My husband loves fishing and I love my husband, so yes, from time to time, I have to go fishing. We are very different when it comes to our feelings about fishing. If you were to burst into our home and say, "Let's go fishing!", Here is how my husband would feel:

I on the other hand would be making this face at you.

But I would go because like I said, I love my husband and I want to spend time with him doing something he fervently enjoys. And I am happy that he actually wants me to be a part of it. He could be content with leaving me at home but he always wants me to go. So I go and I bait my own hook, cast my own line and take off my own fish. (He taught me how to take off the fish!) He thinks that makes me extremely sexy. ;oP And I totally understand why...worm guts on my hands and sweat pouring down my face (Oklahoma summers are brutal). Who wouldn't think that was sexy?? :P We have a good time just being together. And he is sensitive to my feelings as well. I'm sure he doesn't stay out as long as he would if he were with another avid fisherman. I'm sure I'm the reason many of his fishing trips have been cut short. But he never points that out. And we continue fishing together.

I don't go everytime though. Sometimes he goes with his friends and I stay behind. This allows him to really get his fishing mojo going. He can concentrate on fishing (and I can concentrate on something OTHER than fishing) and catching more fish than the other guys. (I always catch more fish than he does...no joke.) And sometimes I go with him but sit in a lawn chair and read a book or work on school stuff. We are both doing something we enjoy and we are still together.

In marriage it is important to make time for each other. My fisherman and I definitely agree on this and don't spend much time apart. Our marriage is not always perfect, don't let me mislead you, we still have issues from time to time just like every married couple. But we are also doing a lot of things right and this is one of them. If my husband were to write a post like this one, his might be titled, "Shopping? or Chick Flicks? or Watching Glee? Do I have to? Make it a point to love your partner and love (or at least cheerfully tolerate) what they love!

Time...

Today was my oldest son's birthday. He is a great kid but he will be the first to tell you, he isn't a kid anymore. When did that happen? How did I get to be 35 years old and have an 18 year old kid? I know we hear it and say it all the time, "time flies." But it really does. I just don't feel like what I thought a 35 year old would feel like. And knowing that I am nearing 40 just blows my mind. I feel like I should still be in my mid-20's! It just went by in a blur. And now my oldest son's childhood is over. That makes me sad. I know we will be entering a new phase in his life and he does still have one year of high school left, but it is just a weird feeling that I can't quite describe. If you have already been through this, then you might know what I am talking about. Every stage in life just seems to come and go so quickly and if you don't stop to enjoy it, you will miss it completely. I guess I'm a little more sentimental than usual today but I guess that is okay once in a while. Oh, and happy birthday, Riley!

I'm a Cook!

My new last name can be used as a play on words...obviously. I'm a teacher and when I got married in February and my last name changed to Cook, the students had a lot of fun teasing me about my name. "Hey Mrs. Cook, can you cook?" or "Mrs. Cook is a real cook now." My favorite though, (really) was when I outwitted a student who was trying to be clever and one student declared, "OOOOOOOO, you just got cooked!" Now that one was pretty cool!!

But back to the meaning of the title of this post. I really mean cook in the sense of the word that has to do with preparing food. :) I didn't cook much growing up. My mom was a great cook and she just did it. And I let her! So I've had a lot to learn in my adult life about cooking. (You should ask Adam about my hamburger meat story. He loves using this to pick at me!) I'm not a very creative cook. I am very much a stick to the recipe kind of gal. Now my husband, he is great in this area. He can look at a hodge podge of ingredients and throw something together. I was very impressed when I first discovered this talent of his. In all fairness to me though, he has an advantage...he has been a "cook" his entire life. ;) Well, I've said for years and years that I'm not a good cook but I think I've been selling myself short. Yes, I may not deviate from the recipe very much but my kids all like my cooking and I've been getting better and better in the last 18 years. Last night, I fixed a recipe from the Food & Family magazine put out by Kraft Foods. It was a recipe I made one time years ago and then lost. My 15 year old son, Connor, has been begging me to make it again over the years. I finally discovered the magazine in a box in the garage a few days ago and made the recipe again! It was a hit. Connor was very happy with me except he said I didn't make enough. I have to admit, since cooking is one of my insecurities, I especially cherish any compliments I receive. So, because I was so proud of my cooking accomplishment, I took a picture of it...of course. Doesn't everyone take pictures of their meals? I'll put up the Kraft picture and link to the recipe too.

 My masterpiece! :)

Kraft photo

Orange-Chicken Rice Bowl


I'm not the only kitchen adventurer. Adam has turned our eight-year old son Spencer into a baker!

It started with making kool-aid...

...and quickly turned to making cupcakes the next day.

Adam is an amazing step-dad!!
Spencer can't wait to bake again!

My Blog!

Welcome to my blog. I hope to use this as a fun way to get out my need to write. I've attempted to blog many times before but always delete it because I don't think it is good enough. But I finally decided to not be so hard on myself and just do what I enjoy! And what to blog about??? Well, my very favorite people in the whole world of course...my family. So here is a way to keep up with our very important lives. ;o) I hope whoever chooses to read this blog finds it interesting and/or entertaining. :0) And if nobody ever reads it but me...I'm okay with that!

And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt. ~Sylvia Plath