Long Easter Weekend...

CenturyLink has Good Friday as a paid holiday for it's employeers.  Boyd and I decided to take the Lloyd Bros. to "The Croods" It was hysterical.  The Baby, in the movie is a wild child, named Sandy.  She growls.....like our Sophie.

This is Sophie giving me the "stink eye"  The best part of being 18 months old is having two little pony tails on either side of your head....

and a root beer belly.

Mr. Alexander had his 5th birthday party...

On Easter Sunday, Harmony brought her Friend and his (3) girls.  This is the youngest, she is so, so, darling......................I call her Sweet Sauce, Harmony calls her P-Nut.

She's kind of a poser ................so cute.

 We had 168 plastic eggs filled with candy and $$

I think is was over-kill.

Mr. Alex is THE BEST share-er............

This is the oldest, she is 8, and she wanted me to take a picture

of her with this yellow egg......not sure why.

Here's my littlest "Sweet Sauce"  Miss Soph-a-Licious.....

I'm loving this girls hair, and of course she wants straight hair,

why can't we embrace what we have and be satisfied?

 

One more Easter on the Books................

We did have a game that had the kids

answer questions aoubt Jesus and the

reason we celebrate Easter.

 

He is Risen.

She's Gone

Alice has left the driveway.
I wanted to take a picture as she was being driven down the street, but she left under the cloak of darkness..........she didn't even look back.....*sniff-sniff*

I posted her on KSL.COM classifieds......within 15 minutes I had a taker.   We had a birthday party to attend.  When we returned there were messages on the the phone, so many peeps wanted my Alice.  I started to think to myself: "self, hummmm, maybe you should have asked for more money!"

At 9:30 last night she was driving down Raintree with her new owners.....Miguel Para.....you are a lucky guy to be getting my Alice........may she drive long and bring joy!

Alice....live long and prosper!

Ch-Ch-Changes

I know I've discussed my car.........Alice.  She's 18 years old, she's wonderful, she has almost 280,000 miles on her.   She is cheap to register, pay taxes and insure.  She gets fabulous gas mileage......32-37 mpg....Awesome.  The seat, is molded perfectly to my butt, it's comfortable.................but she has no AC, and hasn't for a few years.  Last summer was l-o-n-g and HOT.  Boyd has been nagging for years to get a new car, other than the AC issue there was no reason to get anything else.  But I've had a feeling this last winter, that Alice and I are coming to an end of our relationship *sob sob*

Yesterday we had snow and nothing to do on our Saturday......so we thought maybe a little car shopping was something that was in our future.  Dealing with car salesmen are right up there with hemorrhoid flare-ups, gout, root canals, and an IRS audit.  But they are a necessary evil........................

After several grueling hours of haggling and test drives I drove this beauty off

the sales room floor.

 

This is Dave, he helped me program the bluetooth, but after we drove away, something went wrong............not sure what.....................I have a new phone and a new car and both of them are smarter than anything I should be dealing with........

So..........................She deserves a name, after I've had a few days with her I'll name her.  I'm sure there are many years (like 15 at least) of good times in my new ride..........so many fancy things on new cars these days.....so many buttons and things to program.....I'm excited about the AC.............for a menopausal woman that means alot.

The best words

The two best words in the English Language:

Afternoon Nap.

Doesn't saying those two words just bring your blood pressure down, and elevate your mood and outlook on life?

I walked in the door this afternoon and my bed was singing it's siren-song and beckoned me to come to her, put my cares on the shelf, and loose myself in an afternoon nap.  I undressed and crawled under the covers, a long sigh escaped my lips and I was gone............gone for two delicious hours.  It was to wonderful, and restorative and everything I wanted in a nap. Dark (blackout shades) quite, cool, and and empty house. 

This is one of my favorite activities.  I've learned to take a nap and not feel guilty, why should I, it's a step to a better me.  I wish I could have a nap every single day.  I'm thinking those Latin cultures that have their "siesta" time are a much more civilized and productive societies.  In my perfect Patti World, afternoon naps would be a requirement.

Hello Spring

I was out strolling the neighborhood with the dog.....stroll is really not the proper word.  It was like, I was being dragged around the neighborhood as I clutched the end of the leash with both hands and the hound dog at the other end sniffed the ground and ran like an animal that has not smelled dirt for months....oh right, she hasn't smelled anything but dirty snow, for months.  Now that the ground is exposed, there are so many things she can smell and leave her "mark" on. 

It really is a delightful experience to see small green points pushing thru..........................

 

I've been looking at the branches of the trees for the tell-tale sign of a bud....anything that looks like it will eventually be a blossom.  Because this (above) will become this:

 

 

A large blooming beauty........................

Spring.....................

what took you so long!

Awesome Amaryllis...................

I purchased a huge amaryllis bulb in November 2011.........it was way more than I have ever paid for an amaryllis, and I gritted my teeth when I purchased it.  

It bloomed for (3) months.....clear into March of 2012.  So I took great care of it.  I dried it out as the instructions told me.  I left it in a cool dark place (the cubbie) in weekend after Thanksgiving I brought it up and put it on my table and watered it.  

It grew............I was thrilled..............It bloomed, and bloomed, and here it is March 15th, and I'm just getting ready to cut off the partially wilted blooms.  It's heading down to "the cubbie" with the other amaryllis bulbs. 

So few things in life are worth what you pay for them (well, I've been driving a 1995 Honda Accord.....[that's 18 years] it has 275,000 miles....it was definitely worth what I purchased it for, although she's on her last leg.....or should I say tire,  but that is an entirely different post.)  But this gigantic bulb was so worth it, in it's blooms and the joy I got from looking at it's beauty for 3+ months.  I'm going to purchase another one this next winter.

I did it...........arggggg

The phone on the right is what I've been using.....yes I work for a communications company.  My job consists of me designing fiber optic networks for companies who want bandwidth......lots and lots of bandwidth.......these same companies are like crack whores.....more, more, more.......bandwidth.  I've been avoiding getting an upgraded phone for years................why? you ask!  Just because.....I think I like being a bit persnickety......and just to bug my family, mostly.  But, I decided that a new phone could make my life easier in many ways.  So, I wanted a BIG phone, one that would not get lost in my purse.............or as I refer to it as "The Black Hole of Calcutta".  So I went with the Galaxy Note II.   It's big....real big......and I'm sure it is wasted on me.  I'm sure it's for real tech weasels, peeps who know how to use it's many features.

So, wish me luck in my attempt to learn the many uses of my smart phone.  I'm not sure I know how to answer it.  Since I hardly ever answered my other phone, no body calls me, so I'm off to the home phone, to call my smart phone and try to learn to answer...........wish me luck.

Lunch Date

This was my date for lunch today.

I asked him to smile.................................

When I looked at it, I said: "Let's try again.....less enthusiastic"

The Menu:)

Milk (choice of plain or chocolate

A whole wheat roll (I didn't take)

Brocolli (I must say it was cooked perfectly)

Orange Chicken over brown rice w/ sliced scallions

Fruit choice (pineapple, pears, apples, fruit cocktail)

Isaac didn't want a roll (I can blame him, his mother's rolls are to die for and these looked a little sad) He also said he doesn't eat "green" veggies, and he wanted the fruit cocktail because he loves peaches.  When we were getting ready to leave, the little guy sitting next to him (whose tray was licked clean) ask "are you going to eat that?" Isaac had a piece of chicken not eaten,  he told the kid "no" then the little guy said: "can I have it?"  "Of course" said Isaac.  I felt kinda bad, like maybe this poor needed a 2nd trip thru the line.

This is his new book his parents and purchased at the book fair. 

This was a fun lunch.  I heard little tidbits of information about some of the kids.  There was a boy that Isaac pointed out, he said "that boy over there (whisper) says bad words, he even says (whisper quieter) the F*word." 

After lunch we went to the Book Fair.  The "39 Clues" is a book series that he likes, so another one in the series was purchased along with a book for Alex, some Batman staionary and a Tee-shirt for Mims.

Why oh why do my other grandkids live so far away......................