Crickets in the Head

Jack wanted me to take his temperature the other day because he wanted to have a fever so he could take some grape tylenol. I checked his head with our temporal lobe thermometer, which makes little chirping noises. At the doctor's office they say, "Let's listen to those crickets in your head." So, I always say, "Let's check your crickets."

His temperature was normal, so I said he was fine. Later, in a final attempt to get some tylenol, he came back up to me and said, "Mom, I think the crickets are biting my head."

A Quiet Man Who Spoke Volumes

My Granddaddy (or as I called him, Papaw) passed away a little over a week ago. It still doesn't seem real. He started having strokes just a little over a month earlier. They finally got the best of him. I'm almost at a loss of words for it all, but I did want to share how great of a man he was. In my own words that is. I hesitate to write anything about him because I know that whatever I write just won't seem to be enough. Words aren't enough. Much more could be said, but here is a small taste.

One of the preachers that spoke at his funeral said this about him: "He was a quiet man who spoke volumes." My Papaw didn't ever say too much, but he was a great influence and example for so many. I always felt a connection with my Papaw because he reminded me of myself in a lot of ways (or vice versa). We're both pretty laid back, quiet people. I hope one day, people will say about me what we say about him. I want to be known as a quiet woman who spoke volumes.

When he did speak, though, it was something you would want to listen to. He could make the funniest jokes. He could even make lame jokes funny. One of my favorite stories about him was one from when he was a young man selling insurance. He was out seeing a client or something with his insurance partner. They knocked on the door and this woman opened it up. They introduced themselves and the woman said "He knows my name." So, my papaw and his partner kinda looked at each other and were waiting for the other to tell them her name, but clearly neither of them knew her name. I think she said it again, and they were confused so they went ahead and went into the whole insurance spill or whatever. As they left the house and got in the car to drive away, they looked at her mailbox and it said "HEINO." She was saying "Heino's my name." I'm sure that lady tricked a lot of people with that one. Every time I hear someone say the phrase "He knows" in any context, I automatically think to myself "Heino's my name." It always brings a smile to my face.

Papaw and his favorite girl:



My Papaw was not only a great man, but a great Christian. That's probably what made him such a great man. I never heard him raise his voice or say a mean thing about anyone. He was great at crossword puzzles. He loved sweets and good food in general. He was very, very handsome. He loved wearing his red shirt. His hair always looked great. He was great at growing lemons and oranges. He would have and did do anything for his children and grandchildren and more. He always entertained us with Roman candles on the Fourth of July. He was so cool. I love him.

My mom, the kids, and I were down in Florida with him that whole last week of his life. I cherish the time we got to spend with him. Even though he was not able to speak or move much that last week, he could hear us and let us know that he loved us. Just today Jack pointed out our first tulip that's bloomed and told me it was Papaw's. Riley called him Paw Paw. The day of the viewing, my mom was getting Riley dressed and out of the blue she said, "Pawpaw's singing." From the mouths of babes. I'm sure he is singing.

I found a video of him on my computer from one of the last times he was up in Montgomery. I wish I could share it, but my computer won't let me for some reason. He's rocking the kids and is singing "I've Been Working on the Railroad." It's so sweet.

None of us were ready to let him go. He's having a blast right now though. He's okay now. He's graduated to glory. We're the ones who need the prayers.

Dear Ryan,

Since you have officially switched over to the dark side (meaning cats over dogs), I thought you'd enjoy this hilarious video:

"Kittens, Inspired by Kittens"

Kara needs to write a new post

I think this every time I go to my blog. Soon...

Kara needs...

Ok, this is hilarious, so I had to share. What you do is go into Google and type your name and the word needs in quotes, like this: "Kara needs" and write down the first ten sentences that you see that make sense and comment on them. Here it goes:

1) Kara needs to have a civilian ID. (I do need to renew my driver's license)

2) Kara needs to hook up with a regular guy to help ground her character. (Do I?)

3) Kara needs to be more humble. (Always)

4) Kara needs a vacation. (Wow! Right on target.)

5) Kara needs a lighter by Shane. (If you say so, but I don't really ever use a lighter.)

6) Kara needs to go. (on vacation)

7) Kara needs healing vibes. (I couldn't make this stuff up)

8) Kara needs to go on American Idol? (Sweet.)

9) Kara needs to quit hitting. (Just stop the fighting)

10) Kara needs some gatorade and a good night's sleep. (Amen!)

The Montgomery Challenge

I love taking the kids to do fun things around town. Every time I think of or see a new place that might be kid-friendly and fun, I try to take the kids there. Last spring and summer we pretty much spent most days at the pool. While that is very fun, I'd like to branch out a bit more and add some variety. Now that the weather is getting warmer I'm trying to get out more. I'm constantly on the internet looking to see if there's something going on around town that I can take the kids to; something to do so that we're not just sitting at home on my days off. I never can find anything online.

Growing up here, my mom took us to a lot of neat places around the city and now there are even more great places to go. You just have to look for them. Just go downtown and you have history and character tucked into every little corner. You just have to know where to go.

I hear a lot of people say Montgomery is boring and there's nothing to do here. I've said it myself MANY times. But I'm determined to find fun in this city. So, I am challenging myself.

What I've decided to do is to hit all the fun kid spots around town that are cheap (preferrably free) and I will post about each spot so you too can discover what Montgomery has to offer in the way of kid venues. Let me know if you would like to join us in our journey to find the fun in Montgomery. Also, if you have any suggestions, feel free to share. Operation 001 will start this Friday. Call me and I'll tell you when and where. Be there!

Etsy, here I come.....

Not really. I'm not really up for that yet. But I have been working on some things lately. For a year now, I've been tossing ideas around in my head about things that I'd like to make and sell. I would like to use my almost art degree for something. I say almost because I haven't fully completed the degree (two classes left). And I love making stuff for Jack and Riley, like wall art and shirts and bows. Stuff like that. And of course the next thought that comes to mind after I make something for one of them is, "hey, I could sell that."

Enter my niece, Adriana's, 2nd birthday. My mom wanted to make her a step stool because back when Jack was about that age her and my dad made him a really cool surfboard step stool with waves and all. She wanted to make Adriana a flower one. So, she came up with the idea, my dad built it, and I painted it. Now I totally think we should make more and sell them. What do you think we could get? I say at least $40. Here's a not so great picture of how it turned out. Notice the base is leaves. I thought that was cool.



I'm designing a bed for Jack right now, and whenever it gets built, I will share pictures because it's gonna be, as Jack says, "totally awesome," with secret compartments and all.