Mostly Just Some Pictures

The week started off not so great for myself. I was diagnosed with both strep, and an ear infection. Thank God for antibiotics. They were truly inspired. I felt much better even just 24 hours after the shot, and continuously better with the daily prescription.

Grace didn't get sick, and thankfully neither did Joseph.

Grace still loves her Cozy Coupe. It's the first thing she goes for as soon as she steps outside.

Grace got her nails painted.

And toenails too. She loves these sandals, they are her first pick when it's time to put shoes on.

She attempted a daring escape through the broken screen window. She saw the neighbor girls playing and wanted so badly to join them.

Once outside she figured out the big girl scooter with no problems.

She helps unload groceries.

She feeds herself. Cornbread and leftover cabbage soup was a hit!

And here it is ladies and gentlemen, the proof that Grace can climb out of her crib. This is the photo I snapped Sunday, the 9th, after walking into her room.

And lastly, the two little stray kitties that walked in my back door because they smelled boiling chicken that I was cooking for dinner. I gave them some of Senka's cat food, I smiled at the moment.

Little moments like this remind me of my mother. This weekend has been especially hard for me, but Joseph has been a truly terrific support.

Warm Weather and another Goodwill Treasure

At on point or another most of my family has at least visited Texas, but the way the winter season can come up with 75 and 80 degree days still astounds me. Living in the desert plains of Lubbock, the weather does what it did this weekend. Yesterday (Saturday) it was a high of 80 degrees, if I had shorts that weren't in storage I would have been wearing them. Today (Sunday) it's 29 degrees right now, the dogs water bowl is frozen solid, and I wouldn't think of leaving with anything less than a coat, scarf, and possibly hat. Welcome to the temperature variations of Lubbock.

With all that warm weather though we had blast.

Grace LOVES to play outside. Since the dishes needed to be done, I put her in the backyard, and stayed in the kitchen to do the dishes. The kitchen window has a good vantage point to see where she is in most of the yard, including the little back porch where I caught this smiling face.

While we don't always know exactly what Bitzer is thinking, I'm fairly certain he's come to accept her as "part of the pack". He doesn't let her ride him, and is still wary of the hands that pull at his luscious locks, but their friendship is growing and it's a joy to watch.

We also went to the mall. This was on the 75 degree day. Note the short sleeve shirt on G. We were a little wary of being out around nap time, but with Chick-Fil-A for lunch tantrums were avoided! Yay!

I'm not sure how much she actually ate, but the chicken nuggets served as the means by which she delivered ketchup to her mouth. She skipped that formality entirely when we introduced her to the "eye-rolling-ly good" (see picture below) Polynesian Sauce.

AND...... another spectacular Goodwill find! This time a Cozy Coupe. Everything still intact. This was the source of slight meltdown. Only because her parents wanted her in her actually carseat in the car, and not in the little car's seat while driving. She loves it. And so do all the neighbor kids. Grace has fun trying to ride their big three-wheeler's, and they in turn try to shove themselves into this little thing. I guess we're never too young for nostalgia. :)

 Joseph took the opprotunity of warm weather to try and get our SofTub back into working condition. We found this beauty at a garage sale before Grace's arrival. It needed work when we got it, and it's been a slow but worth it project.

 It's all set up now. That sad little white cyclinder is the motor that heats the whole tub of water. It can take a few days for it to get to the ideal temperature, by then the weather should be cold, but the water warm. At least in there.

We try and stay busy. The house is getting cleaner, inch by inch, but I'm happy for the little victories. We hope this finds you all well. 

Bis Bald!