GRRRR!! Frustrated

I hate it when I have projects all in different stages spread out in my room. I feel like I'm not getting anything done. My left hand brace cracked around the joints & had to go in for repairs. It's a 2 day job since they have to recast the hand piece.No streasous work w/o it's support. My leg brace is sliiping more than before I took it in.GRRRR!!!!It's got to go back for more velcro. I can't walk w/o ,it makes the hip socket hurt too bad. My knee goes backwards ,the pain radiates into the hip socket. If I put the hip out,the pain in the socket will keep me awake @ nite.
I had to wait for Allen to type up a personal message for my cards this month. He forgot to pickup my handouts Sunday. He finally printed them both out last nite. They are going out in todays mail. I had my winter Jan. cards made @ 1st of the month,been sitting on my table.@ least my visiting teaching is done for the month.
I need to get in there & start making my Feb. V-tine cards for Iraq to out. I want to use my Scop-pal to try a gate fold when my brace comes back.
I need to finish up Forest's last 4 b-days. I haven't s/bk since late Nov. I still have a stash of supplies sitting on the dehumidifer that I need to put away after I finish the pages.
I have the twins C-mas project still to do. Last nite when I was putting stuff away on my table I found my stash of items to go w/photo's. I got to get the vacation pic's out to choose the pic's to go w/ paper. Then I found an envie of Allen's c/hood pic's I need to finish s/bk for him. That doesn't include my s/bk project of my LDS mission to Alaska I need to put titles on. I have 25 more pgs to do that to sitting in a corner.
It's quite cloudy out so tha explains why my joints are hurting so much. Winter hit us early this year,more pain in my hands & shoulders than previous years.

3 Musketeers!!!

Taco is in training!!! He has a little black mask around his eyes. It's like his disguise. Fluffy seems to be more patient w/ him. Today he was @ the fence barking @ s/one walking by.He was also barking @ Lucky a big Heinz 57 dog next door. He's also reacting his name being called now. He's has finally found the water bowl in the brm. Now I don't have to keep water in the l.rm for him.He has also learned suppertime is where the food is. I don't want him having spicy food so I having to watch what he eats. also having to watch George. Since he almost starved to death in the desert,he goes crazy whenever food comes around. Dogs can be very territorial about that.

NEW PUPPY,NEW YEAR'S DAY GIFT!!

PUPPY,PUPPY,PUPPY,PUPPY,new puppy is here!!!!! Marie gave us Taco Friday to keep. Sat. All I did was play w/ my dogs!!! @ 1 time I had all 3 in my recliner asleep w/ me. George has his parking space on the left side of the recliner along side of me. He doesn't like the cold so he'll hide under my lap quilt to get warm. Fluffy usually ends up @ the bottom of my feet. Taco was curled up in a ball. He liked being up close to my heart.He even slept in my lap while trying to work on his quilted dog coat. He curled up in my lap & rested his head on my left arm while checking my mail online.
He got a couple of nicknames,Radar, his ears stick up like radar. Plus he cried alot the 1st night we had him. So I called him Squeaky last nite.
He's a face licker. He really loves to lick Allen's face,quite insistent
Bought moist dog food chunks for him to get him started Wore my red cape @ 3 am to put all the dogs out to the bathroom.He's small enough he could go thru the post @ the gate.He's sleeping in the dog kennel I cleaned out the other nite w/ a rag w/ the scent from his mom on it.
Trying to tailor the 2 quilted coats I made for them. Rudy is the tineset one of the litter. Have to leep trimming it back to fit him. The machine keeps coming unthreaded, & my hands hurt too bad to keep rethreading it.GRRRR!!I want to finish up these dog coats & I'm getting FRUSTRATED when mechanical things don't work!!!

NEW PUPPY,NEW YEAR'S DAY GIFT!!

I fell in love w/ onee of my neighbor's puppies. I know I have 2 dogs already. Allen had told me the puppies where playing outside the other day. Marie hada litter of 5 chihuahua pups in Oct. The mother had been so protective of them,I haven't been able to see them.4 are a biege color & 1 was a black tan & white color. I asked Marie if I could hold him. When I looked @ him he reminded me of Taco, a chihuahua,Toy Manchester mix. He died of a heart attack a few C-mas ago. He had the same markings on his eye area Taco di. He started licking my face. The next thing I know is I 'm asking her if I could have him. Marie is very attached to these puppies. She wasn't going to give any of them away. Then I turn to my husband & ask him if I could have another dog. Our contract saids 2 dogs on our house.
I really want to have a puppy before I die. Allen never had a pup as a kid.Taco Jr been over 2 to visit. We wanted to see howGeorge would handle him. George is my very traumitzed Italian Greyhound/Chihuahua mix . He's my Velco buddy. I had both George & Taco in my lap on the 1st visit. I petted both of them & let George know there is room enough for both of them on my lap.Taco is a liitle fur ball w/ the wettest tongue.
Sun.Taco came over for a 2nd visit. I think Allen held him more than I did. It had been a ? whether Allen would let me get the pup or not. Marie hadn't planned on letting Taco go for another month. I took pic's of the pup & Allen Sunday. This man amazes me s/times.He really got into playing w/this pup. He is usually "Mr. anylictal" coming to emtions. When I put the pup on the floor,he would walk over to Allen & stand up & scratch on his leg to be picked up. He would give Allen a face wash. He must had like somesmell on his face. He kept climbing up on his shoulder looking over.Allen bought him a puppy collar Sat. Taco ate a doggie stick in his lap. Allen saids while I'm in the kitchen,"he needs a chewie toy"
I plan on keeping him in a doggie kennel when I'm not around. I don't trust George when I'm not around. He still pretty small,almost 3 mo's old. Puppies chew on things,so I don't want him to get into s/thing. That is how I got Lady in Utah. 2 puppies had chewed on s/thing & got caught in the colon. The person didn't pay the vet bill. Dr. Parrish kept the 2 pups in his kennel for 6 mo's. His wife told him he couldn't bring anymore dogs home!We went to pick up our cat. My son wanted to see his animals @ the clinic. He let out Lady & I picked her up. He told me I could have her if I would give her a good home. He threw in the shots if I would take her home.
I'm stuck in the house for the winter because to avoid exposure to the Swine Flu. Allen never had a puppy. I haven't had 1 since I've been 8 yrs old. This is 100% chihuahua,so it should be intersting what charactertics of George is what breed.Iggies came jump like jack rabbits,so that's not Chihuahua. Taco ears go up like Radar,it's so funny. If he didn't look like Taco so much, I think we name

I DID IT!!!!

My neighbor Marie has a 2 mo. old litter of 5 chihuahua pups. She couldn't find any puppy coats small enough for them. It's been getting down to 26F the last couple nights. We have snow on the ground this morning. It's not to get above 40 F today.I love watching them play outside,they are so adorable. Sat.nite when I was falling asleep,an idea came to me on how to make them. I asked Marie to bring Taco over Sun. for me to measure him. I figured out I could make a flap type jacket. I took a flat pattern class @ Ricks College when younger. I cut a pattern out of brown paper bag. The 1st piece I cut out wasn't wide enough, I put it aside. I took a cheaper piece of fabric to cut out my 2nd proptype after adjusting my pattern.
Mon.after cooking supper, I went into my room. I stay stiched the proype top. I was waiting for Marie to come back from an errand to see where to attach the velco strap underneath. I didn't want the coat to get wet when the boy pups peed. My "I know I can do this" got to me. I want to see if I could really do this. I wondered if my machine would fit all all 3 layers would feed it thru. This summer it wouldn't feed the flannel thru when I tried to machine quilt my lap quilt. Marie had given me a fleece cover to use for the back piece. I had l/over quilt batting. Heidi,my dau. had sent me some sewing scraps. Rudi is the tinest of the litter. He needed a coat 1st. I decided I use the 1st piece @ add a small strip on the side to make it a little wider. I was really amazed that it took the fleece w/ the quilt batting on it.So I tried stiching all three together. It worked!!!I sewed the velcro on for the strap.
Later Marie came over w/ Rudy & Taco. We kept having to trim the fabric down for him,he is so TINY!! He is all wrapped up in it. The protype for Taco worked. I went into the room to sew the 2nd piece of velcro on for Rudy's coat so he could have it Mon. nite. I thought hmm! I better cut out Taco's coat while my hands will let me hold a pair of scissors . This storm may really knock me out Tue. I cut out & sewd his jacket in an hour! I gave them both to Marie @ 7:30. We see how the coat fits on him thru the nite. I have 2 female coats & 1 more male coat to make. Marie is going to help cut them out for me. Taco & Rudy got green sewn stripe fabric. I have enough apple fabric for 2 girl puppies & Mamma's coat. The last male will get a blue plaid coat. The fleece is a bright green color.
My flat pattern teacher @ Ricks would be pleased on my inguenty. Necessity is the mother of invention.I'm so tickled I pulled this of!!

3 weeks this Sunday

Laura,Forest, & Jenny ,my DIL walked in the door @6pm 3 Sundays ago to give me a big hug. I haven't seen my son in over 4 yrs since we moved to El Paso. He is so tall & mature was the thoughtI felt when I hugged him. He drove his sister out with them She lives in Arlington & picked her up on the way out of Ft.Worth area. It was nice to be able to hug Jenny my DIL & let her know she's part of our family. They brought a queen size air bed which they put in our L.rm @ nite. It was nice to have them here for 3 nites. they ate breakfast w/their dad. We watched DVD's he brought for us to watch. We had time to catch up on stuff to talk about.

NO CAKE!!!

I never thought I would hear this from my DD Laura,my youngest. She was the biggest junk food eater of all 4 kids. She would climb up into the cupboards in Utah when I was asleep after school.I caught her many of times sneaking into the cookie jar since I would hear the ceramic lid clinking. They had after schools snacks to eat When Allen payed her to mow the front yard,she came home w/ junk food from the vending machine@ the middle school.She would be on a sugar high & then plunge down into a crabby girl. She had low blood sugar & I pulled teeth trying to teach her to eat better.
I was totaly shocked when she turned down a piece of chocolate cake. I was so tempted myself it looked so good. I'm on a gluten -free diet & this was even hard for me to turn down. She said if things are too sweet ,they hurt her teeth. She even turned down ice cream!!! She used to work @ Braums in Ft. Worth area,& always was bringing home ice cream for her & her dad to fill up on. She had a stash of food in her room.She wasn't supposed to keep food in there since it would attract the roaches. That was until she woke up once w/ a roach in her face. I made her clean up her room super through & put roach traps in her closet. That stopped her from keeping a stash of food in her room. She would do any chore @ times if she knew she would get chocolate or some treat in return. It was a carrot I could use for years until she had spending money.
She did eat the last piece of pumpkin pie.
She seems to have settle down & appears more mature. She was so good w/ Toby. She was so patient changing his diapers & pulling his coveralls on & off that didn't have snaps to open them up. He just adored his aunt Laura. She always been good w/lttle kids even when she was younger. I wish she would go to school Or find s/thing to do w/ kids. Instead she still works @ Blockbuster w/no benefits. She relly needs to get in & get her teeth checked out.
She is turning into such a beatiful young women. She didn't go to the show T-giving nite. She stayed & played the WI & talked to me when I wasn't sleeping in my recliner. She even spent time w/her dad looking @ a photo album of her gr-g-mom's pic's. She has never been interested in the past w/family photo's. She was a daddy's girl when younger. It was nice to have her spend 1 nite here while waiting for her twins sisters to come from NC.She shared a room @ the motel w/ Jan. They left early for Heidi to put the kids to bed. I wouldn't see them until late the next day since I would get up early & them go back to bed in early am & sleep in since I would be tired out from the previous day's activities.
She has a handsome young BF,going to UT in Arlinginton in marketing. They have been dating for over 8 mo's. He's motivated to go s/where which is good for her. It was really good to be able to see her & give her a big hug again
She did like her photo al;bum I made of her baby pic's. I also made her a ice cream float from the last Braum's mug we had when I made candles last spring. She asked where they had gone to when the twins left. so all my hard work she appreciated. Now she has a memory of her years in Ct. in photo's of her Nanny Gert, Poppy & her Uncle Mark who all have died.She was dearly loved by them & the pic's show their devotion to her.

Toby,my SILLY BOY!!!

I only had seen him 1 time @ 8 mo's old. He's now 2 yrs old. He's all boy!! He loves to run around the L.rm @ nite in the circle playing tag. His shrill was ear piercing @ times. He would run up to me & tag me ,yelling & runnin another loop around. His 2 sisters were in hot pursuit after hime. He shrieked in delight w/this. U got retagged each time he came around.Sadly he fell & hit his head the 1st nite. Offto the motel in tears.
He cracked me up in the German cafe. We ate their for lunch Tue. @noon.They served us soup,bread & salad while we waited for our food. Their were 11 of us for lunch. S/one took us a pic of him stuffing an oversized piece of bread in his mouth. A true Grabert male!! They had a habit of piling their plates high & seeing how fast they could eat it.They are German,so that's why we wanted to have German food .
We had them Fri. am before they left on the palne forN>c. I had allen get out his matchbox cards for him to play with. He was the 3rd generation to play w/the. He has a name for them I don't remember. He loves the trucks & fire trucks ones. The nite Jenny gae the kids her C-mas presents,he became very insistent. She had given him a small backpak as a gift. His mom said maybe U could put Ur trucks in there.OOPs!!big mistake,he started crying to go to the hotel to put his trucks in their right now!!!He became very UPSET,he wouldn't quitet down!! He carried on like this to the point they were about to leave early then he quieted down uot of the blue.
He love the ice cream so much @ l/time,he licked out the cup to get the last drop.I let him eat the animal cracker crumbs out of th bag. I had empyied them into baggies for the rest of them to go in their b/packs to go on the plane. H e didn't wast a crumb. He has the sweet tooth of the 3 of them. When Jan babysat them when He wasyounger. He knew the candy was on top of the frig. He knew his snack was in the pantry,he got 1 a day. He also got upset when Jan didn't give him more ice cream when he finished his up 1st before the girls did.I did let him have a little bit for 2nds. The girls turned down 2nd's on ice cream.
He was a little boy after grandma's heart w/his funny antics.
I was lucky i had the energy to play w/him 1 nite. The girls were in the kitchen fixing dinner after we came home form the petting zoo.He wanted his mom's attetion @ 1 point. I asked Jenny,my d-law to put him on my lap in my w/chair. Off we went for a ride around the circle. He beep-beep when ever we go around the corner. When we come into the L.rm he wave & say hi to e/one. I make a loop & go back into the hall. I got him to say w/me going into the kitchen,lady driver coming thru.He thought this was great fun riding in g/mom's w/chair. He was laughing & talking up a storm. I was so grateful to be able to have the air to propel my w/chair for a few laps. This summer my asthma was so bad I was gasping for air.I have such wonderful memories of being able to play w/him & hear his laughter & chatter. I'm so thankful to have this chance to get to know Toby.

Emma,my love bug.

I haven't had the opportunity to see Emma as many times as Katya. Last time she was only 3 yrs old. They have been in NC for awhile. When they lived in Colorado,Jan lived in AZ ,I saw Katya more often.
She was the one who would run into my arms w/ a big hug & her trademark big smile. They were here 4 mornings. She always give me a big hug in the morn & when they left for the nite to go to the motel.
She loved working in the folder I gave her. I d/loaded items for the girls to color,word searches,mazes etc. I noticed in walking by her on a word search she could read all the words in a weather search. She started K this year & is in the same gifted Magnet program Katya has. She is in some enrichment programs this year.She loved the extra long bright pencil I found for them @ the Solar observatory. I had little treats for their folders each morn. to use. She seemed to enjoy them the most. I also found her a pony book to read @ nite time. She is pony crazy.
She seems to respond to animals the best. She & Toby couldn't get enough of petting & hugging Fluffy.@ 3yrs old she would quietly go up to Fluffy,gently petting her. She like petting the mini donkeys@ the petting zoo. The Shetland ponyies ran away from us. She loved scraping corn of the ground to feed the donkeys w/Katya.
Fri am we b/sat the kids so we could play w/them. I let the girls use some of my stamps & paper to take home items to make cards for their cousins. I also let them go thru some of my stamped image folders to take home to use for their card also.Emma stayed w/ the stamping longer than Katya. She would later send me a letter using some of these, thanking me for my folder I gave her. I was so ticked w/this, it sits in my room. The letter is on my bulletin board. Her stamped images are in my windowsill. @ least another generation know how to write thank you notes.
I loved getting to know her personality better this time. She has a different tempermanent than Katya. She is quieter,maybe more of a people person. She has the flaxen hair like her Dad.

Katya is so competive

She is now 7 yrold. She wasn't into coloring w/ the sidewalk chalks I got them.Emma spent more time w/ her folder of items to color etc. She was doing Sudoku w/ her aunt as her tutor. All my girls brought their WI controls w/them. They were bascially lined up on the futon having competions. Katya had to join them & complete w/ her aunts. She probably knows more on the computor than I do. She plays 1 adult game there. She also had to play an adult card game w/them. There is a pic w/her holding her cards on the side.
She is so LIKE her mom,Heidi. She was so competive herself ,she challenged anyone.Heidi graduyated @ 16 from HS as Saluatorian. Got into a Womens science program as lab assisant. Only 26 women were chosen @ UO Utah. She grad. w/ a BS in Biology @ 19 yrs. old. Heidi has her hands full,Katya is more computor savy @ a young age. In 1st grade she can read anything she wants to now. She is in a gifted program @ magnet school in NC.
The two girls love playing & rough housing w/their brother.They love playing tag @ nite by running around the circle goes thru the hall.kitchen & L.Rm. I can still remember their voices as they ran silly until Toby fell & hit his head.
It kinda of sad she grown up so fast. I miss my little girl who would chatter w/me on the phone. She has her own e-mail account. I guess I have to send her moree-mail to stay in contact w/her. I do miss her voice saying "well this"" she has such a good memory, she could give me very detailed accounts of activities in the past