Lisa Ann Writes

So… yesterday I drove to a little park near the base of the canyon. It was nice to sit and relax. I called my sister and talked with her while I watched people moving in and out of the park. It was pretty hot and when one group of people left the covered picnic area I swooped in. Sitting cozy near a little running brook I was surprised when this women came up to me and asked if I was waiting for anyone. I said no- then she asked if ” the grandmas” could sit at my table in the shade. Sure! Not a problem I said. The next thing I knew I was in the middle of a family reunion. It was really weird. Aunts and Uncles started to say hello- the grandmas were both very nice. Some even actually wondered if I WAS part of their family. It grew from two little gandmas to about thirty people! Eventually, after talking to just about everyone- I excused myself and headed home. It was a fantastic family reunion. Maybe going to a reunion where you don’t know anyone is the key to having a great time! Anyway… that was my afternoon.

If you check out Erin’s blog (which you probably do in order to look at mine) you will see she is now 40 days from her due date. It is really exciting to be getting close to the time when we will be able to see and hold little Camper.  However…. I am getting more and more convinced that his name will be Camper as I listen to Erin and John go back and forth with names.  I think they may actually bring home baby boy…. (to be named at a later date.) That is fine with me. He doesn’t need a name for me to kiss his little face and play with his little toes! I am actually glad they are taking so much time in the naming process.  There are just so many to choose from…. Actually the list of “no- we are not going to name him THAT!” is getting bigger- that is a good sign. Other news…. I made curtains for my friend who is also going to have a baby soon. She and her husband just moved and she wanted curtains for the baby’s room- before he actually gets here. So I offered…. Then I had to wait for a sewing machine to use…. Mine is sitting all alone at home thousands of miles away. Probably wondering- hey where is that crazy sewing lady gone…. But anyway they borrowed one that I was unable to work with. It took me an hour to get the bobbin to bob and then the needle would not move….. Incredibly frustrated I did what I always do…. I resorted to going to Wal-Mart and buying a sewing machine. They had one almost like mine. To tell the truth it made me a bit homesick.  So I took it back to her house- sewed some curtains- (not my best work I must say) and then took the sewing machine back to Wal-Mart. I know…. Shocking isn’t it! But I didn’t need it anymore AND when they asked me why I was returning it I said.. “I just needed to make a set of curtains and now I don’t need it anymore….” The lady at the desk said… “ummm ok we will just credit your visa for that.”  “Thanks” I said. Is that a problem solving skill or what! (If you think it is “or what” I don’t want to know.)  So what else has been filling my days? I still have been finding time to go work out at Curves. I really like the new machines! Any of my girlfriends out there if you have not gone in awhile to a curves check it out and see if they have the smart machine things…. Love it love it…. There are some who oppose my efforts… Jon says “moms should be squishy” – Speaking of Jon, today is potpie day. He called and placed his dinner order last night. I wish they made frozen one with no veggies in them…. Pop it in the oven and be done.  Well- I think that catches me up on what is going on around here. Oh, except for the Texas Ranger who was carrying his gun at a restaurant that Erin and I were in. He was lookin at me kinda funny like, and I thought for sure the Wal-Mart people sent him…. I was safe in the end. It wasn’t me they were hunting for. Phew narrow escape!  John said he wasn’t a Texas Ranger- but it is just more fun to think he was.

So…… enjoying a nice quiet sleep when all of the sudden I KNOW there is something crawling on the wall.  Question…. How big does a spider need to be for it to wake you up from a sound sleep. Answer…. Pretty BIG! I jumped up and flipped on the light and Mr. Spider stopped in his tracks.  I had these thoughts run through my head all at one time. “4 a.m. is too early to scream- I could scare the baby right out of Erin. John is probably asleep- where is a hero when you need one? I wonder if this spider has a name. He is big enough to have one. I shall call him Buck. What should I do!? I know…I will kill him myself. I can’t use my shoe it will leave a mark on the wall. A book! That’s it! I will use one of my books!”

I reach for Warrior Woman by James Alexander Thom. PERFECT title for this situation!  All of the sudden I felt “I am Warrior Woman- I can kill a spider!” CYA Buck. Smack. One spider gone.  The early morning invader abolished forever! I take a tissue and clean off the back of the book, feeling like I conquered the world…. Till… oh no! Could Buck be the recon man… and now they are gonna send in the troops! SO.. I was awake for awhile. Book in hand. Ready for the attack.  I was just worried the next one would be bigger. Like, big enough to have a last name and social security number.

I would just keep my weapon close and hope for the best. By the way, I have not read Warrior Woman. I did read a book by the same author- Follow the River. That was a great book I would recommend if you like historical fiction.

As for the Warrior Woman story- even if I never read it…. It has done its’ job!

Hey Auntie Paulette, if you still need to get rid of the bat… try the book! LOL

Staying at Erin and John’s apartment is like a little vacation for me. I really enjoy being near my kids and cooking (yes you read correctly) cooking meals they like to eat. I am so glad that I can be here to help them out while they go through the last few weeks of Erin’s pregnancy. The only real complaint that I have is the stupid apricot tree. I hate that tree, and I am beginning to believe it hates me too. Which is fine. I don’t need an apricot tree to be my friend, I just need it not to dump fruit on me or the car anymore. At first I thought we could coexist – but as of right now-I have my doubts. I felt like I was driving a fruit roll up while I was taking Erin to work today.  I just washed the car yesterday and I TRY not to park where I think a waiting apricot will make it’s attack- but again this morning I see I have failed.  What I need now is a ladder and a saw…… that darn tree should start to make peace with it’s maker….. the irony  here is that I am trying to get Erin to eat things with iron…. Apricots are on that list….. and now they are on my list…….   As I repeat over and over to myself… “I am not driving a fruit rollup….” I hear that tree mocking me….. can trees mock? Oh- and yes, I had to get a swimming suit today, as Erin has found floating and short swims make her feel so much better…… There is no limit to the humiliation one will suffer for her children.

Today I will make a sandwich…. sounds like a lofty goal don’t you think? Actually I am in the process of making a Christmas quilt and today is the day I will put all three layers togther, baste it and start to hand quilt. I have never hand quilted any of by creations before. I like putting the tops together then dropping them off at the quilt shop for them to actually do the quilting. So, this will be new for me. Thank goodnees it is a SMALL one. Erin asked me why I would start to work on a Christmas quilt now…. haa…. little does she know. This one might not even get done till Christmas 2009! With each quilt I have made I have tried to learn a new skill. Being a Christmas theme this new one I have learned how to make stars… Who knew there was so much to learn about ways to make a blanket! I like making the tops of quilts best because of the textures and designs I can make. I love mixing colors that I think won’t look good and having them turn out perfectly pleasing to the eye. It’s a gift, what can I say.  A few years ago a group of friends all got together to make a quilt and I wasn’t really sure I could do it or even wanted to do it. Some of them came to the first meeting with tops to show…… (boxes of quilt tops to show) others just brought their quilt journals- (which I made fun of) and what do you know years later I am still quilitng and only missing one photo of one quilt that I have made in my “journal.” I have crossed to the other side. I am going to go sandwich now…..

I’ve been thinking about “do-overs,” Not the kind from when you were a kid and if you started to lose a game you could yell “do-over” and begin with a clean slate. I am thinking of the things that I would “do over” because they were things that made me happy.  For example, I would still want Mrs. Flemming to be my first teacher. She was kind and sweet. I always felt safe at school in her class. I would do over walking home the long way from school the first week in December just to see the gingerbread house decoration that one house always put out. I would do over riding a bus across country when I was 16 to spend the summer with my brother’s family. I would do over sitting in the tire swing, wrapping my arms around it tight and letting someone spin it till the rope was tight and I was really far off the ground- and when they let go I would swirl really fast down towards the ground again. I would do over boat rides with my dad to collect mermaid tails, aka seaweed. I would do over getting married to my husband and having two great kids. The list could go on and on….. What would you “do over? Just think about it,  you might surprise yourself.

When I was a little girl my dad would give me a quarter if I would be quiet for twenty-five minutes. I suppose I did chat a lot- o.k. I talked all the time. But it was always about important stuff, like why the leaves on the same tree could be different colors, or why when I cut my hair it grew back but when I cut my Suzy dolls hair it didn’t. I liked to talk with/to my dad. He was a good listener. Then the day came when he offered me the quarter to be quiet for twenty-five minutes. I was the richest kid on Joe Ave. As a result of being told I talk too much- sometimes with quarter and once with an eraser that had been chucked at my head by a fed up second grade teacher, I learned to keep my voice inside. Don’t get me wrong I still love to talk and talk and talk….. but few have ever heard all the stuff I think about. I have learned to keep my voice inside. Writing these thoughts down has been a perfect way to feel like I still get to talk up a storm without messing up the delicate balance of the workings of the inner ears of family and friends. Now that my Son-in-law and daughter have hooked me up with my very own blog…..I can “talk” all I want. You can either read it…. or leave a quarter.