as the clock ticks down....

to grandbaby number 6.............

jasmine feb 1, 2009...4 weeks before delivery

                                            jasmine feb 14, 2011 ---1 week before delivery

the most beautiful....

purse....ever.

Thanks Eden!

Dear Doctor,

Dear Doctor Ohman,


I hurt here....
Can you make this go away....
There's gotta be a pill for that...
What the heck is this....
Love,
              merf

Dear Merf,

Nice to see you...what hurts bad enough to bring you in?

I know.... sorry...take Tylenol for it EVERYDAY for the rest of your life.

Hmmmm....lets get a blood test ....and try this cream

There is...but you have to TAKE the pills....EVERYDAY....REALLY.....i'm not kidding

How old are you?

Love,

          Dr Ohman....

ps---by the way---since you are here---lets schedule your tri-annual well-woman check---and mammogram (yes, merf---you are supposed to do it every year)---what did you have for breakfast (M & M's? really? how many? okay---we'll check your cholesterol since you are here)

Dear Phlebotomist,

My veins roll

My veins are deep

My veins arent very good

I bruise

Love,

          Merf

Dear Merf,

 

Sorry...twice... in 3 places..sorry

love,  phleb

nesting?

.....jasmine is due in 11 days.....my niece and american idol buddy, Jackie, is due in 2 weeks.....nieces, Katie & Ashley are due April and first of may-ish---another niece, Mary Ellen, is due end of May---ANOTHER niece, Lindsay, just announced... have i forgotten anyone....oh yeah. ....LEAH AND LYRIC ARE BOTH EXPECTING!

okay---that deserves a line all by itself----JASMINE, LEAH & LYRIC---ALL PREGNANT---ALL EXPECTING--- GRANDBABIES 6,7 & 8---ON THE WAY.... stop for the happy dance....

okay---back to business.....
add to this two or three girls in our ward and daughters of friends---all pregnant....PLUS working in the nursery at church---all i think about is babies and toddlers!

.....the crafting bug has hit me hard---again---i've gone thru decades of the latest trends in crafts---EXCEPT scrapbooking---yeah---never did that---or card making---never did..... but years ago we did the whole tole painting, wood baskets, holiday decorations, cross-stitch----and 13 years ago my mom helped me FINALLY learn to crochet.... very cathartic---not that good---not very fancy---but i enjoy doing BABY blankets.... add to that knitting looms for hats....those held me thru my 40's....

NOW......i've done magnets, coasters, cookie decorating (well---if you consider my tomato pumpking cookies decorated)---i google 'diy' on everything----jas is making sock puppets for nursery---i LOVE modge-podge....

i've been crocheting amigurumi animals---essentially small stuffed animals---my first, a seal---looks more like a walrus---but i'll get there....

I've done a bunch of 'homeless' gloves---'texting' gloves.....essentially just a sleeve and a thumb-hole---but perfect for warm weather chilly winters....they go up fast (very important for me) and i love to wear them---i dont often do projects that i keep---but i love me my homeless gloves (is that pc? sorry---love me my texting gloves)...

i'm about to finish Beth Hall (jasmine's new baby and MY FIRST GRANDDAUGHTER) blanket---and i learned a new stitch (HUGE FOR ME, FOLKS)---its called a v-stitch....you can teach an old dog new tricks....

oh---btw---finishing a craft is HUGE for me----i jump from project to project and then have to stop myself to go back and finish it.... and quality is not always my goal----my life's motto "close enough" totally shows up in my crafting projects.

i'm about to start knitting baby socks on a knitting sock loom---CANT WAIT---have some really cute yarn---i'll let you know....

i want to make a gumball necklace----got the idea from my niece, Olivia, on her clever blog (Gnome, Sweet Gnome)...

 and you can bet miss Beth will be getting this cardigan---or my version of it---next year---for the one day in New Orleans that she needs a sweater...

 my craftiness includes cooking and trying new recipes---cowboy lasagna from Trisha Yearwood's cookbook---big hit with the guys here at the house

 chicken empanadas---made with pie dough---great for snacks----will do them again when the grandboys are up here visiting

this week i DIY colored rice-----for "look and find"s......plastic jars with little random toys/beads then filled with colored rice---for toddlers to shake and move around to find the little random toys...like a Where's Waldo that you can hold.....

so am I nesting? i dont think so---but let me google "diy nest crochet"---betcha i can make it!

p stinkin s ....i googled "diy crochet nest:"------ AND IT EXISTS!  i'm so going to have to make this!

:)

a.a.i.m.b......play by play

a.a.i.m.b.....after all, it's my birthday

12:30 a.m.---wake up (fell asleep to Jay Leno)...go to the front door to make sure its locked and Ace is home (he had a Camelot show last night)----he is...i go back to bed.

5:30 a.m....woke up to my alarm---which means that Ace didnt wake up to his...but David hears my alarm and he goes upstairs to wake up ace...a.a.i.m.b.

5:53 a.m....go to front room to make sure ace got out the door to seminary---dave is asleep on the couch...i go back to bed...a.a.i.m.b

7:15 a.m....wake up again...go out to front room---ace is asleep on the couch---get him up to shower/eat/dress/make his lunch/brush his teeth....GOSH---YOU'D THINK A SIXSTINKINTEEN YEAR OLD WOULD KNOW THE ROUTINE....anyway....i get dressed...cause i have to take him to school since he didnt get up to his alarm....no drivy....bummer for me---it is stinkin cold outside...God---did you not get the memo? a.a.i.m.b

8:30 drop ace off at bowling (his 1st period class is AT  a bowling alley---our public education dollars at work!)---reminding him its MY birthday...."oh....uh....happy birthday"....grrrrrr.

8:35...head to the store...GET TEARY in the car driving---i realize that none of my girls (and, consequently, their boys) will be here! i think this is the first birthday in 27 years---maybe last year was---i dont remember---but it doesnt matter if it is the first or not....a.a.i.m.b

8:40...go to the store....decide to be a little...okay...a lot... passive aggressive .... which i do MAGNIFICENTLY ...i go to the bakery and get a cake...i dont like cake...i like brownies...but i didnt see a pan of brownies when i got home last night (gone from 4 pm til 9---plenty of time to make mom's birthday brownies and hide them not so well on top of the fridge)---and its Sam's birthday and he is coming up from Waco---so i BUY  a cake and then freeze in front of the freezer section looking for Sam's favorite ice cream---banana nut....WHICH I GUARANTEE DAD DOESNT KNOW AND DIDNT GET (did i say that out loud?)...find it...i also get a tub of strawberries---for me to eat---before the guys get home...then i check out---including buying a crock pot cookery magazine AS A GIFT TO ME.a.a.i.m.b

9:03....i cant eat before 10 a.m.....cant....it doesnt stay with me---not gonna say it any clearer than that...but the Subway breakfast sandwiches have been calling to me...so i stopped at subway and got a sandwich....ate 2 bites....it is now sitting next to me on the couch as i type this...it was good....but i'm done....a.a.i.m.b

9:30...Stop by the post office---because life goes on...even THO a.a.i.m.b

9:45....skype with Jas and ben...she sings to me...ben wants candy....then we talk about dishesHAHAHAHAHA ...and the lovely new kitchen linens (hot pads and gloves etc) she gave me...a.a.i.m.b 

10:00.... get onto farmtown to check my farms....plant 3 day seeds so i wont have to worry about it til monday...Holla to Jasmine & Amy for sending me a peacock and a fuel tank after reading my previous blog (my bot thanks you too!)... a.a.i.m.b

10:30...lose everything i ate....but thats okay---the crockpot magazine kept me company...tmi...but a.a.i.m.b

11:00...checked out nomorerack....HAVE YOU FOUND THIS SITE? everyday there are a very limited number of AMAZING deals---but you have to jump on it AT 11 a.m....they are gone in less than 30 minutes...but today i got 3 ties for 1$ EACH!  a.a.i.m.b

11:05...crocheting homeless gloves...these are the gloves with no fingers...for us southerners they are perfect---you can still text or eat a taco...and it keeps the little nip in the air from climbing up your sleeves....want one?  a.a.i.m.b

11:45...my sweet brother matt called to wish me a happy birthday! very nice! he is anticipating the birth of his first grandson (march 3ish)...so we talked anticipation and skype! i have great brothers and sisters.  He was going to sing to me....but he was at work...so he didnt sing...but he wanted to...because a.a.i.m.b.

12:15...Lyric called and sang me "happy birthday"...asked me if i had gotten her box yet....nope...then we chatted about HER RASH...gawsh! lyric----its all about me today! a.a.i.m.b

12:39...my sister Pyper just called...first thing she says "i'm not singing to you...but happy birthday"---then proceeds to announce that my gift is ON THE STINKING TABLE! then we talk about my birthday---and then we chat about her car troubles and our ITouches... i love my sister Pyper! a.a.i.m.b.

1:00...cousin Paul calls to tell me they will meet us at the rodeo tonight (Paul & Peggy Jenson are serving a mission here in Fort Worth)...i had put Pyper on hold---then when i finished with Paul I totally HUNG UP on Pyper! So i called her back..even tho a.a.i.m.b

this is what i look like when i'm sitting around at home---a hoodie--with a sweatshirt...and a hat with a scarf attached...on the phone...with a space heater at my feet...even on days its not my birthday!

1:30---hit with a HUGE wave of exhaustion and joint pain---LIKE HORRIBLE...cold does that to me...i couldnt function...so i sat there...because i can...because a.a.i.m.b

2:15----i go to pick up ace from school...braving the frigid 43 degrees....heat turned up as high as possible in the car...then ace and i have a lovely conversation about self-centeredness and how i'm pretty sure that the developmental age for that to stop is 15!

3:00  good friend drops by---with an AWESOME purple purse---OH MY GOODNESS...its amazing...then we talk about her div...um---private things.....and i show her how to navigate microsoft calendar...even tho a.a.i.m.b.  ace takes over to help her with a word document....i lay down and heckle him...because a.a.i.m.b.

3:30 i lay there just muttering whimsical sayings and witty repartee....needing to sleep....especially since a.a.i.m.b

4:30 i skype (well, ace and i) with milo and lyric---and she chews me out for talking about her rash---so dont say anything.... i need to get dressed and ready for the rodeo...where we are going because a.a.i.m.b
5:00...lyric's box arrives! FOR HAMBURGER! (blog post will be coming)----i have very clever daughters...and they put out lots of effort because a.a.i.m.b
 6:00---heading to the Fort Worth StockShow Rodeo----maybe try to blog from there---dont know if i can...but i'll try...bet the internet powers will let me BECAUSE A.A.I.M.B!
6:30.....eating french fries with homemade fry sauce at the stockshow----
7:30-9:30 FREAKIN GREAT RODEO! love the rodeo---love it love it love it.
10:00----birthday cake and banana nut ice cream.
11:00---finishing up one of eden's homeless gloves----
11:50---going to bed---thanks all for a lovely birthday!

....meet my bot

     YES! i know its been 2 stinkin months since i posted---i been busy---and lazy---and have so many ideas for blog posts that i couldnt decide---so i didnt...but i had to.

Hi my name is meredith and i play Farm Town.  I have 8--yes 8---farms...dont judge.  BUT---do you have any idea how hard it is to have enough fuel to harvest/plow and sow my 8 farms when FT (farmtown) only lets you refuel once a day...and did you know you cant buy cinnamon trees---you can only have them gifted to you---same as cows for milk to make the cheese for my pizza restaurant...it cant be done...without gifts from other FT farmers.  I hate to ask for gifts.  and I hate to admit that i may or may not have a problem.

DING! (that is the sound of the light bulb lighting up over my head)----why not create a farmtown friend that can gift me what i need everyday---BINGO! my friend---my robot---MY BOT---can give me a cow...or a tank of fuel...or a peacock...everyday! whatever i need!

so....i created a facebook account for my bot...required.  i didnt do a picture for her or anything---but i did give her a birthday...one day before mine....albeit a few---okay---26 years younger....anyway....her name is Merf Jeppson....a few people friended her....she has one neighbor on farmtown---me.....and while at the beginning she farmed a little...her only real reason for living (okay---yes I know she isnt ALIVE)---is to give me gifts.

BUT----today...January 20.....MERF has been getting birthday wishes! she only has like 6 friends on fb---so it wasnt anything really...but crack me up! then i noticed on FB that on the little sidebar where it tells you what friends have a birthday today---there was Merf's name! so Meredith Jeppson---me---started getting birthday wishes!  and I dont have the heart to tell these lovely people who took time out of their fb time to wish me a happy day! so this year (and this year only---i went in and took out Merf's birthday)---I get to be wished TWO DAYS worth!

yes....i havent posted for 2 months....and YES...it took this cuteness---this silliness---this funny, unanticipated consequence to a game that i am obviously WAY too invested in (using the word invested is so much nicer to the ear than the word addicted).

I'll be back---and soon---i have lovely and cute pictures of my grandbabies---pictures from thanksgiving in New Orleans---witty telling of my mom's trip here--- darling stories of christmas with the fam---and hilarious little tales of our new puppy, Lucy.

ps---american idol is back...and i for one love the new judges...anyone would have trouble telling someone "no" when they have a life-dream of being a singer...but who cant love steven tyler getting so wrapped up in the song with the singer that he starts to sing with him! this will be a great season!