A Year of Change

It’s Wednesday and the oldest is up as he has tinikling an hour before school starts. The kids first day back at school was a good one as everyone seemed happy when I picked them up. I spent the day running around town and the misses was down at the doctors getting a fire and ice facial and doing some other stuff. The youngest guy said some funny stuff, but as usual, the misses and I and even the oldest can’t remember. He did say we share too much on the blog as bad people could read it and know where we live and other stuff. Both boys are pretty darn smart.

We’re all up now and the boys are having some breakfast. It’s cool and wet outside but supposed to warm up. The misses is cleaning up around here and working on some donations for the Women’s Foundation of Co and community outreach for the skincare line. I’ll be chasing purchase orders. Lots to do as usual.

The youngest had his daily dose of a play mate coming over for a couple of hours and the oldest did homework and hung out with us until bedtime.

The Mr. had an entire paragraph dedicated to the Pres (coming to Colorado today)but he deleted it, so here we are we a rather uninspiring post. I’ll post some pictures to make up for the content.

The youngest has a bit of an attitude this morning…not enough sleep.  He definitely got up on the wrong side of the bed. He is however dressed and ready to go to school.  The school is offering computer lab at 7:30, so he is making sure he is on time.

We are off to start the day. God Bless

Today starts the countdown to summer. The boys have something like 8 weeks left in the school year, hard to believe. Yesterday is kind of a blur as I was gone until a bit after 1pm. The oldest did go up to Grandma’s for a while to visit and the youngest was over at Nick’s for his daily dose of playing. Uncle T and Aunt Ali also took the oldest guy to lunch which was fun for him. It was much cooler yesterday but still not a bad day. It’s supposed to warm up into the 70’s later in the week before a little rain on the weekend.

We’re thinking of landscaping the backyard so we can sit out there more and enjoy it. We have 2 huge cottonwood trees that kind of put a damper on a couple of months late Spring, early summer. We thought of taking them down but they’re just too nice big trees so we’re just going to live with them.

Time to get the boys up and then I’ll pass the computer over to the misses.

Last night the boys were rough housing upstairs in the guest room…we told them to go into another room, because I didn’t want anything to get broken or damaged.  I guess they were going to have a fight.  The youngest came down for more food and I asked him what was going on.  He told me that he told his brother…

‘If we are going to fight we better move to another room so we don’t break anything, or we can just put this whole thing behind our backs and forget about it, because fighting won’t do us any good anyway”.

He cracks me up.

The oldest said he had a nice visit with Grandma and she gave him some good advice.  I don’t know what the advice was, but I’m glad the oldest appreciates advice from his grandma.

I’m off to make french toast for my munchkins and eggs for my man.

6 days until Grandma Dixie’s birthday.

“All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.” – Thomas Jefferson

Have a great day and God Bless

Lucky you don’t live here! The pranks started last night when I went to turn on the faucet on the kitchen sink and was sprayed with water (and so was the kitchen) as the boys took a rubber band and wrapped it around the handle on the spray nozzle that is part of the sink. It startled me and soaked me and the entire floor but was funny. The funniest part was seeing them both deny it trying to hold back the laughter. Who knows what’s in store for today, we just said they can’t do anything that will harm the house, clothes or anything of value. They were going to do a few things like put a bucket of water above a door, draw mustaches on Mom and I while we were sleeping (I’d better go look in the mirror now!), and fill our beds up with shaving cream. Luckily we put a stop to those but have no idea what else they have cooked up. All we know is the youngest was walking around last night saying “let the pranks begin”.

We woke up around 6:30 and were planning on making it to church at 8:30. For some reason I looked on the computer at 7 and found out church started at 8! We all rushed around getting ready and made it there only 3 minutes late. By 9 we were headed home to hunt easter eggs before we were off to take June (the 92 year old lady) a meal in the old peoples home. At 1 we were home, Mom put the scalloped potato’s in the oven and we were up at Grandmas by 2. We had a nice meal and played outside for a few hours as the weather was great. Then we were off for home but the boys went with Uncle T and Aunt B for an hour or so, down to their house. Mom and I cleaned up a bit and then settled in for the night.

Today Lori and I are back to work while the boys have one more day off from school. It’s a big month (they all are) as taxes are due and lots of other things that we’ll share more about later. I have a conference call, as I do every Monday, and then am off to run some errands while the misses needs to go down to the office too. I’m not sure who will take the boys, maybe we’ll split them up.

Time for me to go upstairs and prank the boys. Pay backs a bitch. I think I’ll rush into their rooms and tell them they’re late for school.

Have a great day and Happy April, God Bless.

He is risen, glory to God and may he always be with you!

Here’s a couple of comments,

• Dixie and Don says:

  March 30, 2013 at 4:01 pm

  Yes. I also hope that the baby mammoth isn’t cloned, because you,
  Doug, would have to buy an elephant gun, but you probably have one anyway. So I’m not going to worry. (Just teasing, as you often say.) Grandma Big Mouth

  Reply
• Annette says:

  March 30, 2013 at 6:03 pm

  Sorry, I didn’t mean to exclude Bob ! I agree with Mark Twain. We should kick them all out and start all over.

  Now first off, I don’t have an elephant gun as I haven’t ever seen one in Colorado and I think they’re pretty docile. In fact, I have fewer guns now than I ever did. There’s an old saying, “do not fear the man with lots of guns, fear the man with one, because he probably really knows how to use it well!”  You see the recent ammo shortages and useless legislation led me to consolidate down to a few calibers. After all, how many can you shoot at once.

  For Annette, I 100% agree, they all need to go. I heard, and I quote, Obama say the other day that “I and the other leaders need to come together to solve the fiscal crisis here in Washington” On the surface this sounds like an admirable task but what is lost and is most disturbing is that HE and the other members of Congress are NOT OUR LEADERS, they are our representatives! That right there sums it all up, these guys all think they are somehow above us, our leaders, give me a freaking break, God is our only leader. They need to read the bible!

  Now onto Easter. Yesterday the boys dyed eggs a new way using shaving cream and food dye. They swirled it around and then put the eggs in it, let them sit for 5 minutes and then wiped them off. They turned out pretty well, later Mom did some more in beet juice which also worked great. A little after lunch we went to see June who is in a adult community which is a fancy word for an old folks home as she’s recuperating from falling down the stairs 2 weeks ago. We were going to bust her out today for brunch but her doctor said she shouldn’t go as her blood pressure was a bit high. She hates it and can’t wait to come home. We’re taking her some brunch or lunch today since she has to stay put. Mom went down to her house to throw out over 100 moth balls as 2 weeks ago, before the fall, June found a moth hole in a sweater so she went overboard to say the least, putting them everywhere. Lori left the windows open all day to help get rid of the smell which I don’t think helped much as when she and the boys came home, they still reeked.

  The rest of the day was spent cleaning up the backyard, cooking up some fish for dinner and watching the boys swing away on the swing set.

  It’s 6:45 and we need to get ready for church. At 2pm we’re all headed up to Grandma’s. The boys each received a stuffed mastodon from Mom and I and haven’t looked for their baskets yet.

  It’ll be a sunny, breezy gorgeous day today that is appropriate for Easter. Time to get moving so we hope you all have a great joyous day and soak it all in.

  God Bless,

Well now, yesterday’s post sure generated some comments, all from the misses side of the family so here ya go,

4 Responses to Not Aunt Robi!

1. Dixie and Don says:

   March 29, 2013 at 6:51 pm

   No politics today–thanks be to God. Let’s all have a very happy Easter and remember that we all have a great deal to be thankful for. I am most thankful and grateful for having the opportunity to be a mother, grandmother, and a mother-in-law. Thank you Grandma Annette–I surely love and appreciate you. Also, I would be remiss if I didn’t honor my wonderful husband who has been so supportive and patient for almost 27 years. We are planning to drive up to the Colfax area and celebrate with my five generations of nieces and nephews. I am the matriarch and Don is the patriarch, so the kids always have two good seats for us in the shade, and they wait on us, too!! Every year there is a new crop of cute little ones. However, the forecast is for rain. So we may not be able to go–hope some good restaurants will be open–like the Sturgeon. Please excuse the typing teacher for the errors because I have a difficult time keeping my fingers on the home keys. Love to all of you, Grandma Optimist!!

   Reply
2. Annette says:

   March 29, 2013 at 7:19 pm

   I am so thankful to have you all in my life as well. Lori got the best mom ever when she got you Dixie. Happy Easter everyone.

   Reply
   • Eleanor Tafoya says:

     March 29, 2013 at 9:01 pm

     Annette : Lori’s dad wasn’t too shabby either.

     Reply
     • Eleanor Tafoya says:

       March 29, 2013 at 9:04 pm

       Lori you got the best mom & dad ever. Happy Easter to everyone!

       There you are, I think we can all agree, Lori has great parents, all 20 of them or however many there are, ha ha.

       Our day was filled with work, errands, dinner with friends and a little house cleaning. I won’t go into all the details as you’ve heard it all before. Uncle T and Aunt Ali were kind enough to take the boys last night so we could go to dinner with our friends in Cherry Creek. They’re super good people and really fun and we had a good time.

       Mom took the boys and Jag’s friend to the museum yesterday and was gone from about 10 until 3. They went to see the mammoth exhibit that includes the little baby they found frozen in either ice or tar pits that was perfectly preserved, organs and all. Hope they don’t do a Jurassic Park and bring them back!

       Today we’ll be coloring some eggs and getting ready for tomorrow. I think we’ll go to church early and then we’re all going to Grandma’s for brunch or lunch or dinner, I’m not sure.

       I think it’s going to rain here too today which will be a first for this season. We need the moisture.

       I guess I’ll run and get to the gym although I have a sore foot this morning. In closing, Grandma Dix, we (or I) am not negative on the future. We too are optimistic but just disappointed in our elected officials that all seem to care more about keeping their jobs than doing what’s right for America. Do you really think that the stream of endless laws that politicians keep passing to regulate every little thing we do will help? Limiting the size of your soda pop?Big government and over regulation of our lives takes away our freedoms, no matter how you slice it. I guess with us having kids we are more sensitive to what’s going on as we know our kids are going to have to live through this mess. You have to decide for yourself what’s too much. Most people are apathetic or don’t care until it personally affects them. For example, hopefully something like Obamacare won’t be making health decisions for any of you one of these days. Hopefully the government won’t be garnishing bank accounts and taking your money hto balance the budget. Hopefully food won’t be rationed due to shortages and on it goes. My whole point is, politicians, on both sides, do not have our best interests at heart. I know it’s our system but it seems we’ve gotten away from what made us great, small government, a free market and capitalism. As Ronald Reagan one said,

       “We must not look to government to solve our problems. Government is the problem.”

       Then you have this,

       “There is no criminal class in America, besides Congress.” – Mark Twain

       That right there should sum it up. I say kick them all out and start over. There all rich old fat cats anyhow that see themselves above the rest of us, including the Pres. All of them seem to have forgot, they work for us. So I’m optimistic in America and the American people, just not the current crop of leaders.

       Happy Easter and God Bless.

Aunt Robi sent this comment yesterday to clarify one item in the post. Here you go,

We left at 7:45 for the dermatologist to have some warts frozen off the boys. While there, our friend and doctor Libby, looked at the misses and my legs where we each have a varicose vein. Looks like we’ll be going back in 2 weeks to have those injected with saline to make them go away. Better to get them while they’re small before they get big she says. Just another freakin sign of getting old. Luckily I’m in pretty good shape as others in the family have lots of veins in their legs and ankles. The key to a long life, so they say, is to eliminate and avoid all inflammation. You see it supposedly is the root of all disease. You can easily see the difference in your own body based on your diet. Try going 24 hours without eating any salt or drinking any alcohol and the next morning your ankles will be skinnier than the day before. Better yet, when was the last time you fasted for 24 hours? This is a good thing to do every now and then, for your body and your mind. Ok, enough Dr. Oz this morning.

Yesterday I wrapped up my big Spring pre-sell. We ended up at a touch of $710,000 which is about $200,000 over my goal. This is great news, now all I have to do is get it all shipped in April.

The misses has lots of work today starting with a 9am conference call and ending with a 3pm webinar (a seminar on the internet for those of you not internet savvy) so she’ll be home around 5pm. I think you know who, Ty, has another play date scheduled. Yesterday in the doctors office after his wart was frozen, his brother too was not wanting it done when he replied “shame shame Jagger, shame on you”. It was too funny, especially since we just went through a 5 minute spectacle to get him to stick out his finger to get it frozen. We actually had to hold him and pry his little fingers open as he had a closed fist and wouldn’t budge for the assistant. Jag on the other hand stood up like a man, bared his elbow and clinched his teeth while they shot the frozen nitrogen on to the wart.

Time for me to run, but before I do, here’s just a little politics to keep you all sharp, hope you’re all still reading and listening. Did you know the Pres just signed a law that says that F E M A can come into your house and take all your food in times of what they deem, a national emergency, so they can then spread it around to everyone. Another sign of over reaching government. I guess they think they have the right to take from people that take precautions and prepare and can then give it to those that don’t. If they do it with food, why do you think they won’t do it with money?????

I’m so tired of the government taking from those that work and giving to those that don’t.  No one wants to take responsibility for themselves anymore. Our system is not promoting not working as the handouts they provide make people not want to work or become successful. Some people think they are successful living off the government while not contributing anything to society.

The only place I know of where success comes before work is in the dictionary.

God Bless.

Last night I changed the batteries in the panel to our heating/ac system and didn’t know I had to reset it, so upon waking up this morning I noticed there was a chill in the air. When I checked the thermostat it read 62 degrees. It’s not that bad but explains the chill. Here’s a comment from Grandma Dix,

Ok, it’s still below 20 degrees outside this morning but it’s supposed to be in the 40’s today and continue getting warmer until Friday when it’ll get a little cooler. We’re ok with it as we need the moisture.

Yesterday was filled with lots of playing by the boys and Mom going downtown to work and a meeting at Applejack for me regarding a big Bocelli event when he comes to town in June.

Today I’m sure there will be more of the same. Lori went over to my Mom’s in the afternoon and came home with a few childhood memories like this funny shaped lighter that sat in our house on a table when I was a kid. It’s one of those things that you haven’t thought about for 40 years or more and then all of a sudden, there it is. Too funny.

Thanks to everyone for the anniversary wishes yesterday. Jag asked why we didn’t go out or do something and we said it’s because we just enjoy hanging out together as a family. Maybe we’ll all go out later this week. We’re going t0 try to get the kids snowboarding, at least once, this weekend. I’m sure it’ll be super crowded but we need to get the boys somewhere during Spring Break.

Time to run, Easter’s coming fast, time to dye your eggs. Take care and God Bless.

13 years ago today was the luckiest day of my life as that’s the day Lori and I were married. Lots has happened in that time, tons of ups and a few downs. It was a beautiful day at La Posada Resort in Scottsdale and marked a new beginning for both of us. Here we are 13 years later with two great, smart, healthy, well mannered boys that we are very proud of and thankful for. We both look a little older, no way to avoid that, but she actually is more beautiful than the day we met. It’s been a tough year or so since her headaches began but now they seem to be subsiding. Work is still challenging but things are moving in the right direction and seem to be picking up steam. The boys are getting old enough so there’s actually signs of them getting along and hopefully soon we will be debt free. So all in all, we’re doing ok, we’re thankful for all we have and are looking forward to the future. Everyone we care about seems to be doing well and is healthy and even Lacey the lab has stopped barking so much. We are very very lucky and we thank God for all we have.

Yesterday Jag and I were off running errands again while Ty and Jack played around the house until noon when his Mom picked him up. Not much else going on, we cleaned up the house a bit, both did some work on the computer and had chinese food for dinner at the request of the oldest. Then we all settled in and watched the Bible which is a 5 part mini series that’s really good. Everyone is still sleeping as it’s Spring Break and no school all week. We had a few more inches of snow last night, just enough to ice over the roads. I gave up coffee for green tea and soon am off to the gym.

It’s also Aunt Shelly’s birthday today! It’s an easy one to remember being on this day. My Mom said she fell and was in the hospital which none of us knew. I think she’s home resting now and is ok. Hope so.

Time to run, if you have a chance, think back to our wedding day, it was fun, lots of great memories. Thank you to everyone who helped make it possible as it truly was special and most of all, thank you to my beautiful wife for saying yes and marrying me!

God Bless.