Valentine's!

Valentine's weekend- and our 2 month anniversary- and snow! We woke up Saturday to a yarden full of snow, at least 6". I know this isn't much to some of you (Melissa!) but for down here it is like a miracle.

Saturday morning I kept taking pictures, even before it was light outside. The manz made a huge breakfast...then, we bundled up and headed out to play in the snow.

The snowus is made from snow mainly just from our cars- and hidden talents came swiftly to the surface. I started shaping the snowme while he toted snow- but I mostly just created a lump. (Hey! I heard that thought!) anyway, we switched and I happily ran about collecting buckets of snow and sticks while he put his artistic talents to use. The snowme actually *looks* like a snowman, plus his creative shaping..... all the neighbors driving by (of course, it was all guys at this hour) gave him 'thumbs up'! She is beautiful and I was amazed- while he was finishing her I started on the snowmanz. Not as impressively made (his head kept falling off) but he is tall and thin...the manz sculpted the face and I found some Spanish moss for the beard. Then he came up with the idea for the sign- a bit of paint and a few nails and we were finished!

I took pictures and sent them into CNN ireport- they 'vetted' them (meaning they were selected to 'belong' to Turner for use- they sent us paperwork, so that must make it official) and put them up on their web site. We do have the ireport link on our facebook pages- it was our 15 minutes of fame!

Anyway, *this* is what made the weekend special. Homemade romance. Making snowmen, driving around town to see the snow, sharing wedding photos with his folks, laughing at Turrello playing with the doggs, being together. All these years of Valentine's days, and I never knew- never really knew- how magical the day could be. It's about how you feel- that steady warm glow when you love and are loved- warm enough to keep you even in the snowiest of winters.

Wife Dressing

We acquired this gem quite by accident at Angel's auctions last Saturday- (sorry for being slack on the blog writing- it's on my endless list of things-that-need-done) anyway, back to wife dressing.

Written in the 1950's by Anne Fogarty (who I never heard of, but who was quite famous in her day) it is a guide to being a well dressed wife. So far I have broken every one of her rules- things like 'no jeans in public', 'no pajamas in the kitchen', 'always carry a tote with spare: makeup, hose, shoes, scarves'.... while elegant advice, and I can happily fantasize about being well dressed... it's not happening right now. I love jeans, though I usually wear skirts. I don't have spare accessories in my tote, but I always have scissors, tape, lots of black pens and a sketchbook. I don't worry about pajamas in the kitchen because the beloved manz does all the cooking. But I do 'dress for eventualities'....

case in point: yesterday. Yesterday it was cold to start with, incredibly windy and muddy, and school not only lost power but had a bomb threat at the same time. This placed us all outside in the wind and the mud until they wrangled up enough buses to stick us on until we went home. The situation was complicated because *all* the schools in the area lost power at the same time and the county was dismissed.... because we share buses with the elementary school, usually they go home first, then us. That had to be scrambled because they had to move the elementary buses over to the high school so we wouldn't all freeze... that is, everyone but me, who was sensibly dressed for the season.

What was I wearing? a long double skirt over cotton leggings and cowboy boots, red thermal type long tshirt with a gray sweater, and my most awesomely warm winter sweater coat (hand knit wool from Peru with a hood, pockets and the wool is unprocessed so the lanolin makes it waterproof and wind proof), and my scarf-n-gloves the manz gave me at Christmas. I was warm and snug while those in 'professional dress' were freezing in the wind, struggling to stand in the mud in heels, keep their short skirts in place or their long pants out of the mud. Sometimes, unfashionable is good. very good.

Sleepy time for kitties

Sleepy time for kitties, sleepy time for kitties, sleepy time for kitties now has come~
Nestle in the beard, nestle in the beard, nestle in the beard and purr purr purr....

Turrello likes to nestle in the beard, under the blanket, loves the manz- who sings to him the kitty song all low. Turrello just closes his eyes and snuggles right in...... today is cold and rainy, and I just finished talking on the phone to the manz (he calls me almost everyday when my day is done! yay) discussing dinner. The roast isn't ready, so it is hotdogs or out... I'd be happy with garlic bread (I can live on bread) but I'm happy with most anything. Just so it's warm and filling and I have a good hot cuppa tea in a while.

I have homework to do (of course) but the book is closer to being finished... will snuggle up and work on that. I have to photograph and resize pictures for class on Thursday, but it is a pain to try to do that when it is so dark. So...I'll photograph tomorrow am (supposedly sunny) and with a bit of luck all will be well. I just keep trying, moving right along.

But now the day is done and it's time for home and tea and love and rain on the roof. What could be better than that I'd like to know?

Ice

Outside the bedroom window, after the ice storm- a good reason to go no-where all weekend. Cozy in and do at-home things, mainly homework, watching shows with the Manz (who made feasts of mansketti, chili, garlic bread... big breakfasts of sausage, grits, eggs), and taking naps. (Hooray for the electric blanket!) I did stay rather drowsy all weekend though...

And now it's a new month, and new resolutions! I am determined not to let the blogging slide, and since I can now edit photos on Evie, I can happily write away in the morning while still being snug in my chair with coffee while the manz watches his show and pampers the cat. (Turello is the most pampered cat ever...he even has his own little song...that is tomorrow's post!)

Anyway school is going well enough- my classes at Trask are new and we are all in the honeymoon stage still... college classes are interesting but demanding. I have been spending alot of time on the virtual reality class, and doing studio work for my thesis. I need to commit time to working on my web page (learning dreamweaver), but I have stalled a bit this weekend and inspiration was.....napping. Which is ok, except I have a deadline tomorrow, and I need to have 2 more works done. Looks like me and the bigscreen tonight. The research class is going ok, a bit slower, will have a chance to work on that some this week (I have endless wrestling duty Wednesday... I can take Evie with me and write, write, write). Finished the taxes yesterday though, and now I have to do the FASFA, finish my essay for the doctoral program (it's the last part of the application that I have to do) .... ducks in a row, ducks in a row.
Then there's the whole national board thing- there is supposed to be a workshop on it Saturday, maybe I'll go this time. Argh. I just need to force myself to concentrate and focus. (Cookies help) But truthfully, I *can't* work *all* the time.... I need manz time, relax time (not when I'm sleeping) pet the doggies time (kitty likes to *play* with me- he gets all his pets from the manz). Call mum time, sisters time, friend time. Bath-n-book time. I do have all these things- I'm just feeling hyper this morning. In a good mood hyper way. In a shut my eyes to endless student loans and just move forward cause we might win the lottery or they might forgive them because I am such an awesome person kind of way. (other student loan solution is to just stay in school forever... which seriously is an option. I love school, am good at it and don't mind it at all...plus there are *really nice* tax breaks for students).

And now, it's oatmeal time. (see, that is my diet plan. Oatmeal during the week allows for manzmade breakfast extravaganzas on weekends....but sometimes he makes lovely toast for me. This morning though he is so comfy and the cat is snoring away on his lap...so I suppose I can make my own oatmeal. I am so spoiled! and it is so wonderful`)

Testimony

This is our auction pal Little Jimmy. Tiny as he could be, and friendly- but has that combination of soft-talking and Pender County Mush-mouth accent. (Kyle has the exact same accent... it's a fast southern blur of wordage...) Anyhoo, Jimmy has been working the auction every since Robin got squashed by a phone booth. (Not permanently squashed, just out-of-commission squashed).

Last night was the auction... this last week was a blur, school work, testing and it just flew by without me blogging. I feel guilty! I need to make time for this, it's important, and my way of connecting to my faithful readers...and to myself. The bits and specs of life.

So, an update. School is ending and starting, it's been grades and paperwork and classes and learning curve for college. Taxes, FASFA, and Grendel forgot his jacket-coffeemaker-dishes-funnel..... Charles has been working with the auction everyday, getting this, picking up that, busy manz, even though they keep telling everyone they aren't making any money and are doooooooomed! I still have hope, just because the auction house is so very full of stuff that it would be a nightmare to clean it all out.

Would be easier to lose money than to move out~

Last night we acquired: light up yard deer for Christmas, a moving Frankenstein for Halloween, some brass for resale. An old quilt for 3$, not in great shape but make-something-out-of ok, and a beautiful quilt (a splurge! my fault- Charles almost fell off his feet-) for $35.00 Oak table for resale, assorted small stuff in box lots, an old cow creamer (it's lying down, not standing up... I wanted it, someone else got it in their box lots and they gave it to Charles). A collection of nice old photos from the 1880's, including a lovely 'cheesecake' one of a lady in her smalls. From the size of her legs and butt she was probably close to my size, but corseted to within an inch of her life- tiny waist but I bet she can't breathe! In the box with the old cheap quilt were 3 "gentlemans'' magazines from 1954, 64 and 70. Tame but one has a Ray Bradbury story I haven't read, and one has an interview with Cassius Clay before he became Muhammad Ali.

I had my customary auction Rib-b-que, and opted for a slice of ambrosia pie (good but not as fantastic as Charles's moms). My friends Brenda and Rochelle (and her son Noah) were there, as well as the auction usuals and one of Millie's Betties. (Millie/Brenda/Rochelle are all art or drama teachers... I've gotten them hooked on auctions. Odd thing is that everyone Millie knows is named Betty. Best-friend-betty, neighbor betty and last night it was cousin betty. Millie wasn't there because she was feeling icky.... but at least there was a betty in the house!) Noah bought a box of hand-written sheet music, and 4 big old pottery crocks/jugs for making stuff. Noah is one of those strange boys that does everything... he has many talents- and a graduate degree in theatre from SCAD- and does things like buys an organic pig, learns how to butcher it and put up the meat in various ways. I mean, that is pretty interesting, but I could not bear to hurt an animal (Noah is tender hearted to, don't know how he managed) and I prefer *not* to know my dinner before it was dinner. Suppose I'll just stick to All-Bran.

Blanket, and the birthday

This post is late, which seems to be a bad habit of mine lately, but the manz birthday was Saturday. Happy Birthday Manz!

He is not much of a birthday person- he says "it's just another day" but I know he liked all his cards... and I made cookies (the only thing I seem to be able to cook anymore). We went out Friday night for date-night Mexican (hooray for fish tacos!) and then had Domino's Saturday, which was a disaster. The new sauce is to sweet, the pizzas really greasy, and I have had an icky tummy ever since. Which is why I am still awake at this time of night (9pm... so very late.. he is sleeping like a baby under our...)

NEW ELECTRIC BLANKET! It's the red one in the photo. It's our birthday present to us, and is dual control queen size lovely warmness that makes sleeping ever so much cozyier, and less argumentative. Before, I had to have a stack of quilts on the bed to be warm enough, which were to hot and heavy for him. He'd toss them off onto me, and then they would slide down to the floor, and I'd be cold so I'd steal whatever remained of his blankets. Along with my mysterious power to move the mattress all cross ways at night- it's always hanging over one side or the other. We know it's me, because I do the same thing when I take naps.... Anyway, electric blankets are important things, the whole family swears by them... Mother never travels without one, which is an excellent idea. Maybe my tummy will calm down enough that I can crawl back into bed under ours....

School Lunch!

mmmmm....lunch in Pender county......mmmm. Seriously, this lovely deer-butt I acquired at the auction (where else?). It was almost free (not much of a market for deer-butts) and I ended up taking it to school. My thought was that Neil could maybe use it as a prop for his senior project (taxidermy) and he is going to. In the meanwhile, all the kids love it.

I stumbled upon Little Lunchbox (he has a real name, but I don't remember it. His big brother's nick name was Lunchbox, so we all just call him little lunch) . He happened to be wearing the perfect shirt for a deer-butt photo op.

Semester is almost over, and I must admit that I like these days of quite test-taking... I can get oodles of homework done while they are being slowly grilled on the fires of knowledge.

Deer Butt!