Congratulations, Robert!

This is a post that is long overdue…chalk it up to being just one of many things that I should have done already.  Back in December, while I was at the VA Hospital with Mom, Robert was being presented with a very special award related to his profession.  Although I was not able to be there, Mandy surprised her dad by showing up for the award ceremony.   It meant a lot to her father to have her there, and I am so grateful that she felt the desire to do that.  She took this wonderful picture:

Here is the write-up as it appeared in the city newsletter, “Cedar Hill Highlights”:

“Woodbury Earns Member of Year Award

Robert Woodbury, left, Civil Engineer for the City of Cedar Hill, celebrates his Member of the Year award from the North Central Branch of APWA (American Public Works Association) with Public Works Director Elias Sassoon.

After attending a few round-table discussions for Public Works directors and city engineers, Robert realized that construction inspectors did not have a similar venue to discuss their profession and challenges in the construction field.  Robert petitioned the local board to support the idea of conducting roundtables throughout the DFW area.  He received the award for his efforts coordinating the inspectors’ meetings at several locations this year.”

Needless to say, his wife is quite proud of him (even if she didn’t show that in a timely manner)!

Birthday Blessings and General Updates

This has been a busy month and once again, I am so behind on blogging!  I have just got to get with it, especially since I recently made the decision that our family blog may be my new alternative/additive (?) to the traditional scrapbooking that I can’t seem to get done, either.  I recently began fiddling around with a “blog-to-book” service  that actually “sucks” your posts right out of your blog (pictures and text) and throws them on some pages.  You can use their free editing software to make changes to make it better suit your liking, then upload your finished product to their website where they will print a hardcover (or softcover) book for you.  I am in the middle of editing a book that has all of the posts that I have done so far, and I must say, once I got the hang of it, it has been pretty fun.  I’m over halfway done and am itching to get it finished.  I must warn you that since this may be our new “scrapbook”, it might get a little boring for a lot of people, but I’m so excited about the books that I’m going to post as much as I can!

The good things that have happened this month have been birthday blessings.  We recently celebrated Alan’s birthday and he was a pretty happy guy.  Everyone read the memo and he received cash – his one true love – and it will come in handy when it’s time for him to buy his car.  He will be going back to Yellowstone in May which is a blessing in itself because the Albertson’s grocery store is closing this month.  I couldn’t believe it!  That was the first place I learned how to navigate to when we first moved here, and the pharmacist and I were on a first-name basis!  Alan feels so very badly for all of the other employees there who do not have a Yellowstone to which they can go.  He is feeling very lucky, indeed!

My birthday present from Robert came a week early.  We went on another of our infamous Saturday rides and ended up at the Russell Feed Store.  I had to laugh as I carried my present into the house.  Last year he surprised me with two chickens and this year…well, here she is:

Introducing:  Nestlé, my new “chocolate” bunny!

He not only bought the rabbit, he bought a starter kit so that we would have everything we needed to get her set up.  I later added this little basket bed and she absolutely loves it!

She has been outside some, and when she is not being held and snuggled, she gets to run around the house some, too.  At first, Molly was intensely interested in her, but after a while the magic faded and Molly returned to her old routine:

Mandy and her family came over for dinner on Sunday to help me celebrate my birthday.  Mandy has recently gotten into baking and I was so surprised when she came bearing cupcakes.  Aren’t they beautiful?  (And they tasted good, too!)

Not all things have been wonderful.  The most beautiful child in the world has been sick for what seems forever, and she can tug at your heartstrings with her misery:

However, even in her illness, she is still Miss Independent and her mother snapped a picture of her in the doctor’s office.  While other children were sitting in their mothers’ laps, clutching at them for all that’s dear, our girl wanted to sit alone:

After this weekend’s diagnosis of bronchitis, the doctors have finally concluded that a regular regimen of maintenance drugs and breathing treatments are going to be required to keep her chronic allergies and asthma at bay.  My poor girl!

In other news, Opal has finally started to lay eggs on a regular basis, and it is so exciting to go out every day and find this:

We also recently had a significant rain event which helped to replenish our lakes a bit, although we still have a way to go to really counter the effects of the drought we have been enduring.  It rained for two-and-a-half days straight, and afterwards, all of the neighborhood critters were quite hungry.  I was tickled to look out one day and see them enjoying the food that I put out for my feathered and furry friends:

That’s what’s going on in Woodbury World.  Hope things are great wherever you are!

Minestrone Soup – My Soup/Chili Hybrid

I thought I would share my recipe for what our family calls “minestrone soup” (even though it is really more like a cross between soup and chili – perhaps I should call it a “sili”?).  Anyway, it is so easy that it’s ridiculous and yet it has withstood scrutiny during countless pot lucks and “company” meals.

Minestrone Soup – Basic Recipe

1 lb. ground beef

2 cans of Campbell’s minestrone soup

1 15-oz can of Ranch Style beans

1 can of Rotel tomatoes (Original flavor)

Brown the ground beef and drain.  In a larger pot combine the cooked ground beef, soup, beans, and tomatoes.  There is no need to add any additional liquid.  Let it simmer until nice and hot.  Serve topped with shredded cheese and you have dinner!

(NOTE:  The above recipe is the basic recipe that I received years ago.  The thing I really like about it is that you can tweak it to suit your taste and your headcount.  For one thing, all you really have to worry about is getting it hot; however, I have found that the longer it cooks, the better it tastes.  I actually prefer to brown the meat and then let the whole thing cook in the crock pot for a good while. Even though the recipe called for the original flavor of Rotel tomatoes, we have decided that we like the mild flavor better for this recipe.  Need to stretch it a little bit for unexpected guests?  You can always add a little more meat or even another can of soup and/or beans.  When the whole family is getting together I use closer to 2 lbs. of meat and 3 cans of soup and it still tastes great.  My mother likes to eat her sili with crackers, while I like to mix in a few Fritos in my bowl.  We have also made dinner rolls or corn muffins to fluff it up a little.)



The Long Road to Christmas

We enjoyed Christmas this year…the actual day that is.  But I have to say that this year the road to get there was quite long.  The season began with me having a good start on gift-buying, and I was anticipating that this early finish would give me the rest of the season to just sit back…enjoy…maybe do a little baking and other fun holiday stuff.  (As you can see, the tree made it up, and there are gifts underneath.)  But The Grinch had other plans, and this year we celebrated the fact that we were able to celebrate at all.

The main culprit was illness.  Everyone was sick!  Even my computer had a virus and was out of commission until I could get it fixed (leaving me looking for a support group for those suffering from blog withdrawal).  Paisley, Mandy and Jeromy were all very, very sick, prompting  the beautiful, real tree that they had put up this year to be removed from the premises.  They were hoping that this would help with Paisley’s asthma, and while it may have helped some, their nights were still filled with administering breathing treatments and getting no sleep, all while feeling the effects of their own illnesses.  There were little respites here and there, in between bouts of illness, and the most beautiful child in the world did get to visit Santa:

Unfortunately, by the time the Lackey ornament exchange rolled around, Jeromy attended solo while Mandy stayed home with a very sick little girl.  For those of you who don’t remember the Lackey ornament exchange, it is an absolutely beautiful custom Jeromy’s family has.  (You can read more about it here.)  It makes me want to be a Lackey!  Well, this year I bought another ornament for Paisley’s stash.  I found it on eBay and it is a Peter Rabbit ornament:

This year I was all about Peter Rabbit.  I bought her a board book and a stuffed Peter (both from Amazon), and I can’t wait until she is old enough for me to read her the little set of Beatrix Potter books that I bought for us.  I hope that one day she will see her Peter Rabbit ornament hanging on her tree and tell her children about sitting with her old Lolee, reading all about the naughty little bunny!

On an unrelated note,  I found this picture of Paisley in her mother’s stash.  Not sure what that expression was all about, but I thought it was so cute!

Meanwhile, at our house, Mom and I had gone to the VA Hospital on December 8^th for a pre-op visit.  Mom was scheduled for a hernia repair on the 12^th and they wanted to do all of the blood work, x-rays and what-not.  She had been coughing (who hadn’t), but we didn’t think that much of it.  After being there for quite some time we were informed that she would not be having surgery on the 12^th, but instead was being admitted that very day due to the fact that she had pneumonia.  Talk about a surprise!  We hadn’t even packed a bag.

For the next few days, I kept the road hot between our house and the VA.  I blew down the road listening to my Stevie Nicks CD, singing along as best I could.  However, I wasn’t feeling so hot myself and as the days wore on and I grew more ill, I began to sound more and more like Stevie.  (Note to self:  Listening to Stevie, especially “Rhiannon”, makes you drive way too aggressively.  When navigating heavy traffic, you might want to consider putting in your John Denver CD.  Just sayin’…)

Anyway, I was so sick that when Mom was released, she had to go to my sister’s house for a couple of days and Robert had to go get her and bring her home.  We thought she was getting better, but the Thursday before Christmas she informed me that she just wasn’t feeling very well, so we blew back down the road to VA (listening to talk radio this time).  Sure enough, she was still suffering from pneumonia, but was sent home with some major antibiotics and instructions to do regular breathing treatments.  Since my mother is the candy-maker-in-chief, this Christmas will forever be known as “The Christmas Without Home-Made Fudge.”  Needless to say, my stuffed gingerbread dolls and my reindeer sitting in the rocking chair didn't make it out to their honorary spots in the family room, either.

Robert was able to go a day or so before Christmas and visit his mother and sister (and his sister’s family).  This is the way it has been for the last few years.  With all of the dogs (and now chickens) to take care of, he and I rarely go anywhere together if it is going to be for very long.  However, I really don’t mind.  His family is so nice, and he loves getting to see them whenever he can.  Here are pictures from his visit with “Grandma Lynda and the bunch”:

Robert had bought his sister this big old bear as a special gift because it reminded him of one she had as a little girl.  Apparently, ever-so-naughty young Robert used to taunt poor Susan by punching in her bear’s nose or using a make-shift noose to hang it from  the back of her door.  Luckily, he has grown up (at least a little) and this bear did not suffer any such torture:

The limpy-gimpies were able to put together a little Christmas Eve dinner (sandwiches on little rolls, etc.) and this was the night we would open our gifts to each other.  The most beautiful child in the world arrived and posed for a picture with her mother:

Jeromy was kind enough to be the one to pass out the gifts (this is normally Alan’s job, but he was working at Albertson’s until 9:00 p.m. and we thought Miss Lackey wouldn’t last that long!):

Everyone received wonderful things, but of course, our focus was on you-know-who.  Her Grandma Lynda crocheted  the cutest little cape and hat (ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!):

Dee Dee bought her a little rocking horse that sings and makes a “clip-clop” sound when you squeeze his ear.  Giddy-up!

And Grump-Pa surprised her with a big old bear, too!  Perfect for snuggling up with:

We were surprised that we were all still rolling when Alan came dragging in, but we were, and he was able to share in the evening after all:

This was the Christmas without a lot of our usual trappings.  There was neither fudge nor peanut clusters, no driving around looking at lights, no making cookies and such for neighbors and friends.  This year we were stripped to the very basics – faith and family.  Yet even Mandy remarked that this was one of her favorite Christmases of all.  She said that each gift was more thoughtful and she felt that each moment they spent with both our family and Jeromy’s family was even more special.  I felt the same way.  I remember that the very first Christmas came without fudge and cookies and plush gingerbread men decorations, too.  The road to Christmas may have been long, but in the end, it came… it came… it came just the same!  (And we loved it!)

A “Season” of Surprises

You really have to live in Texas to understand the surprises that a “change in the weather” can bring.  This is the only place I have ever lived where you can have summer and winter in the same week (and sometimes even the same day).  Trying to stay on top of things can be a little difficult because it is easy to develop a false sense of security when the warm temperatures seem to last forever.

Thus it has been with the chicken coop.  The temperatures have been so mild (even at night) that I really have not given as much thought as I should have to winterizing the coop for the girls.  When you add the fact that this is our first real experience raising chickens, I often am amazed that the girls have even survived their ten months of living with us, but somehow they have.  Anyway, this colder season has kind of snuck up on me and now, even though the days are mild, the nights have been getting pretty chilly. 

It was time to break out the heat lamp!  Just one little problem…the girls were terrified of it.  Three nights in a row I would get the heat lamp going, only to come back later and find that the girls had retreated to the other side of the coop.  I tried to explain to them that it was for their own good and they would enjoy it, but they did not believe me.  In an effort to try to help the coop retain as much warmth as possible, I spent a little time yesterday tacking some heavy clear plastic outside of their windows to try to help keep the warm air in and the cool air out.  The girls were quite intrigued, pecking at the hammer whenever I put it down and eyeing the little tacks with a great deal of curiosity.  I could not have done it without them!

Wanting to give it one last shot, yesterday I turned the heat lamp on a little earlier in the evening than I had been doing and went into the house.  Imagine my surprise and delight when I returned to the coop later and saw this:

Those hens were basking in the warmth of the heat lamp like two teenaged girls sunning themselves on the beach!  Hooray!  (For some reason, the only time I have ever seen them get in their nesting boxes is when they want to lay an egg.  They seem to prefer hanging out on this ledge, even with a roosting bar nearby that Robert made for them from an old sawhorse.)

I had another surprise when I looked in the back yard today:

Do you see him?  Here’s a closer look:

A cute little parakeet, enjoying the feed that I had put out this morning for the neighborhood birds!  We had parakeets when the kids were younger, so I “speak” parakeet.  I stepped out onto the porch and called to him, hoping that I could charm him into coming to me.  Nope!  He took off and perched on a nearby bush:

Later he was back with the rest of the gang:

Knowing that domesticated parakeets are not outdoor birds, I will worry about him with the freezing weather that is to come.  Hopefully he will find a warm spot among the various nooks and crannies of buildings and such that we have in our yard.  In my perfect world, he could hang out in the coop, warm and snuggly with the girls!

Happy Birthday, Dee Dee!

Today we celebrated Dee Dee’s birthday.  It was a pretty quiet little party…Mom has not been feeling so well lately.  She already has been struggling with some thyroid problems (they have found some nodes growing on it), and she will be having a biopsy performed at the end of the month.  Last Sunday, she and I spent the day in the Emergency Room of the VA Hospital, not sure whether or not she was going to have emergency surgery for some abdominal issues.  Although emergency surgery was not required, she will be having surgery for those problems in the near future.  So we were grateful to actually be celebrating her birthday, and glad that Mandy and her little family were able to join us.

Here’s a picture of Dee Dee when she was just a wee tot living in Dodson, Texas (her sister, Jan is on the left and Mom is on the right):

And here is a giggly high school Dee Dee (on the left) with her best friend from back in the day:

Mom was 33 years old when she joined the Army (I am so impressed that she made it through Basic Training so well!):

And here’s her picture from Christmas just a couple of years or so back:

It’s been hard to see her struggling with these health issues and feeling so miserable.  We are really hoping and praying that she will be back to her old self soon and really be able to enjoy time with her family again.

Of course, even though it was Dee Dee’s birthday, the most beautiful girl in the world stole the show.  She posed with her Uncle Vinny in her new UT hat while we were waiting for the spaghetti to finish cooking:

After stuffing herself with spaghetti and bread, she had a ball eating birthday cake!

Paisley was right in on helping to make Dee Dee’s birthday dinner a real celebration and she certainly helped to make Dee Dee smile!

The Midwife

I try to let the girls roam free in the yard every chance I get.  There are times that we will be outside and Ruby disappears.  A look inside the coop will show that she is in her nesting box, and that can only mean one thing – a fresh egg is on its way!

I don’t know if all chickens are this way, but our girls are very protective of each other.  Neither Ruby nor Opal has any qualms about chasing away one of the dogs if that dog is dumb enough to get too close to her buddy.  The closeness they share exhibits itself even more strongly when it is time for Ruby to lay her egg each day.  (Opal CAN lay eggs – I’ve seen her do it – but she rarely does.  She better be glad that she is my cuddle chicken!)

With all of the clucking that occurs during egg-laying time, I have concluded that laying an egg must be for a chicken what having a baby is for us.  Looking at that big old egg and that little old chicken makes me think that this is a logical assumption.  Therefore, I always thank Ruby for her efforts as I remove the egg from the nesting box each day.  It’s only right.

When Ruby is in her nesting box, Opal watches very closely.  If you happen to enter the coop before Ruby is finished, you will find Opal standing over her.  I have actually seen her “nuzzle” Ruby while she is working so hard, as if to say, “Are you okay?  You can do it!  Just breathe!”  Don’t even think about disturbing Ruby during this delicate time!  Opal will be there to stop you.  Here she is, protecting her best friend this morning:

What a dedicated midwife!