A Day in the Life of

2010-01-14T12:47:00.000-07:00

I'LL LET ANDY HAVE HIS SAY

2009-09-25T12:53:00.001-06:00

Since I know that all of you, like me, have friends on the "bash Obamacare" side of this issue, I have come up with what I feel is a lock-down, unassailable argument for incorporating a public option into our national health care reform. Those who claim "socialism" may be able to say things like, "I would be willing to give up Social Security or Medicare" because they are govt. run, but let's see them talk their way out of this one.

Our government already features a "public option" in another extremely important societal domain. While it may not be perfect, most Americans take advantage of this "public option," and despite the fact that it is completely funded by taxpayer money, it must function according to both federal and state mandates and regulations, and if there is failure to meet government standards, funding can be cut, sanctions can be levied, and reorganization can be mandated, up to and including complete bureaucratic takeover, I have never heard anyone denounce it as "socialist." Nor has it done anything to harm or discourage private competition. There are private institutions that function within this domain, and they do just fine, and they provide a high-quality option for those that can afford the cost. For those who cannot, the "public option" provides a quality alternative to millions of Americans, who have for generations benefited greatly from its existence.

I am of course speaking of the United States education system. The "public option" may not be perfect, but we all seemed to do just fine with it, as have millions of other Americans, many of whom are certain to be among those railing against our President and his health care agenda. Perhaps it should be pointed out to these people that, along with giving up SS & Medicare, unless they are willing to pull their children out of public schools, renounce any degrees they may have earned from any public education institution, at any level, and re-educate themselves and their children through private schools & universities, they should shut their _______ mouths about wanting to deny millions of Americans the same opportunities for obtaining quality health care as already exist for obtaining quality education.

But that's just my opinion.

Random Thoughts

2009-05-27T13:56:00.003-06:00

The Texas Legislature has passed a law that will allow student, faculty, and staff to carry concealed weapons with a permit. Like some wacko couldn't pass the the test to get the permit. Leave it to Texas. Your thoughts. Do you find this as disturbing as I do.

Swine flu scare. A little overblown. My auctions canceled. I didn't have much of a life before but now I have no life and play stupid farm games on Facebook all day. Thank goodness it is almost June and I will have work again.

Speaking on June. Medicare June 1st. Hurray for me. I can go to the doctor again.

And last but not least. A heartfelt thank you to Anna from Diary of an Eccentric for her book giveaways. I won The Girl Who Stopped Swimming by Joshilyn Jackson. Check out Anna's current blog as she is having another giveaway for the book Mating Rituals of the North American WASP by Lauren Lipton

El Paso's Future

2009-05-12T15:36:00.002-06:00

I am a very proud mother right now. My son Andy happens to be one of the teachers who has helped to inspire these young people. These young people inspire me. Just imagine having your Associates Degree before your High School Diploma. Some of them can even build robots. Way to go kids!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DANIELLE

2009-05-10T16:48:00.004-06:00

I am not going to tell you how old you are...I will just say next year you will get a poem.
Have a wonderful Birthday. Enjoy the ITouch knowing I am really jealous. Neil and I love you very much and are happy you are a member of our family. You make nice babies too!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

2009-03-29T15:48:00.008-06:00

I want to wish my baby boy a very Happy Birthday. 41...that makes me really old. I want you to know that you bring me great pride and joy. I am glad you are going to be around to take care of me in my dotage. Too bad we are both so bad at picking a winner.... Have a wonderful day off work and enjoy Red Lobster.

He always was cute when sleeping

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANDY!!

Robot Wars---Final Chapter

2009-03-22T14:15:00.009-06:00

MECHS Phoenix Flame Force Team

Teachers Andy (left) Mrs. Cuvelier(right)
Notice the cool t-shirts

The robot wars are over much to the delight of son Andy. Not that he didn't enjoy working with this group of very smart, intelligent young people.

The purpose of this competition was to keep balls out of your robots trailer while putting balls into your opponents trailer and to deliver balls to your corner man. There were 60 teams, each with all teenagers who built their robots with the help of teachers, parents and mentors. It was obvious seeing some of these robots that some teams had much better mentors then Andy's kids.

The bus loaded with kids from MECHS and NECHS
That would be Mission Early College High School and
Northwest Early College High School from Canutillo, TX
Notice the RV bringing up the rear.

The arena, very slick surface. There are 6 trailers, 3 blue and 3 red. Three teams are put together to act together as the red team or the blue team. There is also 1 person from each team along the side lines. Their job is to throw balls into the trailers.

Inspection. There were a lot of rules that had to be followed. They are very safety conscious hence the big safety glasses covering the smiling face of Crystal.

The Blue team discussing strategy.

Our little Phoenix. Poor little guy never left the starting gate. A glitch in the programing left us pretty much at stand still for the first couple of rounds. Very frustrating for the team.

This was the part I found the most inspiring. See the young ladies in the red and blue shirts. They are from other teams. Everyone was pitching in trying to find out what the problem was and to get things moving. What a great bunch of young people.

This was the last day of competition. Notice all the tired sleeping kids in the stands.
Poor things didn't get much sleep. Yes that is my Katie and Matty sitting with Neil.

Our baby in action.

This is the winning robot. You can see how much more elaborate this baby is. This team has been doing this competition for 17 years and has 17 engineers as mentors. They are also the World Champions from last year. We came in 22nd out of 60 so not too bad for the first time out. The team learned so much from watching the other robots and talking with other teams. Next year watch out. Instead of an auctioneer as a mentor we will hunt high and low for an engineer.

MOUNTAINS

2009-02-20T17:37:00.002-07:00

A friend on mine...B you know who you are...shared a beautiful picture on the mountain she gets to look at every morning on her way to work. Since we were going to take a drive through our mountain pass I thought I would share ours. We were traveling from West El Paso where I live to Northeast El Paso.

You will notice the cluster of houses at the bottom of this little hill, well my house is in that cluster somewhere. Now notice the pall of smoggy gunk in the back ground. Well that would be our "friendly" neighbor to the south, Juarez the murder capital of Mexico. Thank you so much for sharing your violence and pollution with us. Why don't you ask us for more money "good" neighbor. OK enough...that is for another blog.

This next picture is coming down the other side of the mountain. Notice how much better the air quality is on this side of town. And we are suppose to be the exclusive side of town, LOL. This side of town is where most of the military is located.

These last 2 pictures are a view of the mountains coming home. While they have interesting shapes, they are covered with nothing but ugly scrub grass and cactus. I would like pine trees but I guess in the desert that would be asking too much. If we get a lot of rain (not often) they will turn a little green.

Robot Phase II

2009-02-19T17:34:00.009-07:00

We have spent the last several weeks trying to help Andy and his students build their robot. It has not always been easy. Most of these young people have never used a screw driver let alone a power saw. They did learn fast though and Neil, to his credit, had to learn patients. His idea is measure once and drill. These brilliant youngsters measure several times and then drill. Of course that means there are fewer mistakes. Neil and I hung a shelf the other day and ended up making 3 holes because we measured once. Never too old to learn.

Computer problems were a set back and we had trouble finding someone who could help these kids with complicated computer programing. My daughter-in-law came up with a name a couple of weeks ago. I could kick myself for not thinking of Dave 6 weeks ago. I chalk it up to old brain disease. I think it has been decided that the drive station is bad and can be replaced when they get to Dallas. Without the drive station they have no control over the robot's movements.

Andy and his students will leave for Dallas on March 11th and we will follow them in our RV. I am looking forward to watching the competition. After the competition Neil, Andy and I will stay on to visit with the Grandkids.

Bare bones.

We now have electronics.

Final prep on the crate for shipping

Dave the computer whiz. He grew up with my David
and he is indeed a computer whiz. Next year we will call
him earlier.

Team leaders working on the wiring.

The expert with a screwdriver.

I can cut anything.

So can I....

Andy puts in his 2 cents worth.

Dave looks a little perplexed. Come on Dave we
know you can do it.

Almost finished. MECHS means
Mission Early College High School

I will get pictures of the final product when we go to Dallas. It has been so much fun working with these young people who I might add are for the most part smarter then me. Some of them will have their 2 year Associates Degree from El Paso Community College before they graduate from high school. The local university has made allowances for them to start taking college classes before the graduate high school. Now that impresses the heck out of me.

Go Pammy Go

2009-02-09T15:39:00.003-07:00

Pammy whittling her waist

Notice the heavy breathing. This almost kills me and it is only 3 minutes long. And today they suggested I try the 6 minute one. Who are they kidding. I am not the best videographer.

Finally something I can Thank Bush For

2009-01-19T11:49:00.004-07:00

Ignacio Ramos (left) and Jose Alonso Compean

Not that I didn't think they deserved punishment for trying to cover up the shooting but as with most El Paso residents, I did not think they deserved the long sentence they got. So thank you President Bush for making one of your last acts as president one of compassion and commuting their sentences.

My Beautiful Family!!!!

2009-01-15T11:03:00.002-07:00

Aren't they cute?

Son and Daughter-in-law
David & Danielle

Granddaughter Katie

Grandson Matthew

Robot Wars

2009-01-11T10:08:00.012-07:00

Yesterday we started helping Andy guide his students in the building of their robot. These young people are self proclaimed nerds and they wear the title proudly as well they should. They are 15 and 16 years old and are cute, funny, eager to learn and most of all SMART. I am sure in some areas, such as life experience, I am smarter then them but when it comes to math, computers, and science they have eclipsed me. It is rewarding to see such a delightful group of young people who will definitely become something important in their lives. They all attend The Mission Early College High School.

They will be competing in the FIRST Robotics competition which I believe is in March. This year the game consists of avoiding getting balls thrown into your basket while throwing balls into your opponents basket. These robots are big, about 5' tall. They have to include a program to run on their own and also have wireless capability to be controlled by joy sticks.

If they need help with programming, they will have to look elsewhere but for construction problems Neil can't be beat. In the following pictures they are building the crate the robot will be shipped in. Neil taught them, the ones who didn't already know, how to use a screw gun and power saw. He also instructed them on how to frame the crate. We had some very intuitive ideas from the kids that we incorporated into the build. My job was to take pictures for Andy and offer encouragement.

I do hope we get a chance to help them out. In any case I wish them the best of luck. Have fun kids and take it easy on the teacher. Maybe we will plan our spring trip to Flower Mound for the same time they are in Dallas. It would be fun to watch them compete.

Young men picking out their 2x4s.
Neil(foreground beige coat) insists they be straight.

OK now what do we do with all this stuff.

Measuring

This young man was meticulous with his cuts.
As a result everything came together as planned.

Andy putting in his 2 cents worth.

Lining everything up

Young ladies do like power tools
and we do know how to use them.

How many nerds does it take to screw in a screw?

See the lady in the blue coat freezing...that's me

Line it up....careful...OK that's it!

Part of the inside crew....programmers!
Whis I understood what they were doing.

Congratulations and Best Wishes

2009-01-09T13:52:00.002-07:00

Nagano and Asami

Congratulations and best wishes on your wedding today. I wish you both a long and happy life together. May the sun shine on you both.

Let there be drums and other Christmas fun.

2009-01-03T14:16:00.013-07:00

I have had to put off posting about our trip to Flower Mound because I left my SD card at the kids house. They were kind enough to send it back to me so I can post about them.

Disclaimer: I love all of you dearly but you know me.....

My poor Matty was so sick when we arrived.
Bronchitis and pink eye.

Katie playing with her sickly bro....

My sons at Gaylord Ice...
No really they are not that fat...It's the coats..

The good people that went to church Christmas Eve.
Notice who is not there.

Presents!!!!!

Oh boy!! Oh Boy!! I got my Wii Fit!!
Good thing someone gave them a Wii to go with it.

My eldest...Andy the teacher

My DIL....Danielle
She is going to not like me for this one...
But I think she's purty!!!

My youngest...David
Who plays at being a dork but really isn't.

LET THERE BE DRUMS

I got Davy another set of drums for his birthday which is 1 week before Christmas. Poor planning, a fact he never lets me forget. He wanted 2 sets so they could have drum wars. Notice who you will not see in any of these videos.

Mr. Serious and Blondie

The Musicians

The Kids

Gaylord Ice

2008-12-31T21:29:00.003-07:00

This was my big activity other then shopping while I was in Flower Mound. It is known as ICE and is in the Gaylord Texan Hotel in Grapevine. This place was so cool...literally. They gave us all parkas because the temperature was 9 degrees. Very cold but I loved it. Fascinating how they could carve all this ice.

Katie and Matty On a bridge of solid ice.

Katie and Matty with the Coke polar bears.

The most incredible Christmas ornaments.
They were amazing!

David and Katie with Santa. Katie thought he was evil looking.
But he brought her everything she wanted.

Katie and Matty in the tunnek of fairy lights.

Short Stranger

2008-12-29T17:16:00.005-07:00

Some of you may have already heard about the fortune I found in my fortune cookie on Saturday. If not this is what it said:

“A short stranger will soon enter your life with blessings to share”

I of course thought it might be Nagano-san but was wrong. My short stranger arrived today. Actually this stranger means a great deal more to me then a visit from Nagano. I received a little Netsuke from my friend Snowy. My Netsuke is called Otakufu and she is the goddess of mirth.

When I first saw her I thought how perfect, a little old grandma sitting in a bathtub drinking tea. Actually she is sitting in a mask and her job is to drive out demons. She is delightful and will sit on my desk to remind me that my job is to continue to keep my site mirthful and entertaining.

This little lady does show me how truly blessed I am to have made such wonderful and thoughtful friends like Snowy. Thanks so much for thinking of me.

BLACK FRIDAY

2008-11-28T16:26:00.002-07:00

We do not shop on Black Friday. And yet a 4:30 this morning we were in the Walmart parking lot. The lot was full but when I entered the store I thought "this isnt too bad". Then I got to electronics. I have never seen such a mass of people and carts. Neil had dropped me off and gone to park. I of course forgot my phone (I was tired) so couldn't call him to tell him that what we wanted was in the food isles.

After wading through this mass of humanity I found Santos, a friend of ours, and he let me call Neil and tell him where I was going to try to be. Of course I came into the fray from the wrong direction and ended on the wrong side of the retaining ropes. I kept trying to get someone to let me get through to the back of the pack where I thought I should be and they kept telling me no. I almost decided to say to heck with them and stay in front of the line when I found a nice lady who was willing to let me get behind her.

Neil finally found me. At 4:45 the ropes came down...have you ever seen a movie about the Oklahoma land rush...well that was what we were in. Now, have you ever seen Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man's Chest...remember the scene where Jack was running down the beach away from the natives, arms flying and yelling....that was my husband. People did get out of his way! We retrieved our item and headed to the register where we had to wait till 5:00 to pay.

All this for a 19" flat screen TV for our bedroom. We liked it so much we also got one for the motor home. We were home and back in bed by 5:15 so not too bad. I am thinking that although we got a good deal on the TVs, it was not worth getting up so early and being in the mass of very rude people. One lady kept hitting me in the behind with her cart and I know it is big enough for her to see. One of the young women who works at Walmart was knocked down by the storm of people. This kind of thing sure brings out the greed in people. Next year I think I will stay home. If I forget please remind me I said that.

THANKSGIVING DINNER

2008-11-28T14:57:00.011-07:00

This year I decided to use my family as Ginnie pigs for Thanksgiving dinner. In past years I cooked the bird upside down. They never looked very pretty but were nice and juicy. This year I used recipes from the cooking magazines I subscribe to but never use.

The Star( I think I need a bigger platter) of dinner. I pierced the skin all over, covered him with salt pork, then covered him with soaked cheese cloth, and then covered the whole bird with tin foil. About an hour before he was done I removed ever thing so we could have a nice brown turkey. If I don't say so myself this was the best turkey I have ever had. The breast meat was tender and juicy and had a wonderful flavor. Salt porked turkey from now on at this house.

My baby boy helping make gravy. I was impressed he knew
exactly what to do...stir

The family...David, Danielle, Andy, Katy, Matthew, and Neil

Katie obviously watching TV

Matty pretending to be Henry VIII

Finisehed All Most...

2008-11-24T16:47:00.004-07:00

Well we are finally finished fixing the mess the previous owners left in the RV. I don't think we will ever get hired but considering how it use to look I think we did a pretty good job. The carpet looks especially good. We have a couple more pieces of molding we want to put up and we need to service the engine and we will be ready to hit the road. Yea. Who will I visit first?

This wall needs a picture and I happen the have a
couple of Wysocki prints that will do nicely.

The thing in the middle if this wall is a fold out shelf a TV,
as if our old eyes could see a TV that small

Same carpet as is in my house.

This bed is so hard to make I may never let anyone sleep in it.

Work in Progress

2008-11-21T18:15:00.003-07:00

I just wanted everyone to see how talented my hubby is and why I keep him around. He has already taken out the false walls the drug dealers put in to hide their stash. As you can see they were not very good at what they did. I have never seen so much glue. I think they used a gallon of the stuff. I am not sure why they felt the need to paint every thing in the hidey holes black but they did.

In the pictures you can see that Neil has already put the walls back where they belong. Now comes the real work. Getting rid of the black paint and bare wood.

I have already put up one strip of the contact paper we are going to use. Did a pretty good job if I do say so myself. Now if I can only do as well with the rest. Neil is going to put up walls and molding to cover the black. It won't look like it did originally but will do the trick. I say it will look like book shelves without the shelves. For now use your imagination. I will share pictures when the job is done.

The floor also looks pretty bad. We have carpet left over from when we had the house carpeted and we are going to use it in the MH bedroom. It won't match the rest of the carpet but there in kitchen tile between the two so should look OK.

Our New Home

2008-11-16T16:52:00.005-07:00

Well the search is over. No more looking for a motor home thank God. I worked all day cleaning our new home while Neil fixed things. Actually there was not alot for him to do. The big job will be putting the walls back where the belong. The previous owners moved the bedroom walls to make spaces for their drugs. Good news for us...they got caught. They were pretty stupid in their efforts. It wouldn't have taken a genius to figure out something was up.

We bought it at auction and got a fantastic price...about 1/3 of blue book. Since we spent less then we anticipated we have some money to do a few things to our baby. Also it needs a break job and we want to have the engine gone through. Now I will be comfy when we do outside auctions.

This was suppose to be a mobile office but we ended up getting something larger and nicer then we expected so we may even take it on the road. If you look out your window someday and see a Jamboree Searcher out front, it could be me.

This would be the typical American RV toilet.

My couch with a drink holder.

Neil's captain's chair.

The Kitchen.

The bedroom. Notice the black on the right, that is where the previous owners kept their stuff.

Bunny Started This

2008-10-29T20:05:00.001-06:00

This is My Quiz to see how well you know me. Good Luck!

PUMPKIN AUCTION

2008-10-26T21:03:00.008-06:00

Tonight we did the annual Lee Moor Children's Home Operation Pumpkin auction. We had a great deal of fun and Neil's superb auction skills netted $15,000 for the kids. Can you believe people would pay that much for pumpkins.

The event was held at a very upscale restaurant. Average meal for 2 is around $150. Obviously Neil and I will never eat there. It turns out the chef is one of the boys who played baseball and went to school with my kids. It was fun to see him again after so many years. He actually spent several years as a chef in Las Vegas and also Tokyo. I asked him if he had ever been to Muscle Park but he hadn't even heard about it. He did know Sasuke though so that is to his favor. BTW he is an excellent chef. The food was great and the pumpkin roll was to die for.

We went to the event with Ed and June, June's daughter Justina and her husband Butch and Tim who works for us at our auctions.

Neil and his neice Renee CEO of Lee Moor Children's Home

Skeleton: Poor Pammy! She obviously hasn't seen the inside of a beauty shop lately
Pammy: It is not my fault. Carol canceled my appointment yesterday.

Neil doing his thing.

Tim and Ed doing their thing. Pointing at pumpkins.

My VBF June and that is Justina behind her.

Cinderella and her carriage. Top money getter $1700

Isn't he cute. This is my doctor Dr. Annabi.

This is Dr. Annabi's pumpkin. He switched name cards with Dr. Masel. Something to do with egos. He bid on his own pumpkin.

Now This is Dr Macel. He is the premier Neuro Surgeon in El Paso. Just ask him.
He will probably operate on Neil's back some day.

Dr Macel's Pumpkin, Second highest price $1600. Sorry Doc. you weren't #1 this year.

How about a hamburger?

In case you can't read the sign. This is how you look when under anesthesia.

Snowman Pumpkin

This was done by the Chef.

The Mouse House

Lots of animal pumpkins done by a vet and her staff.

There was also a silent auction and a raffle. I tried very hard to win the ruby and diamond earrings but Neil's sister outbid me. Oh well she got out bid herself. Of course the doctors and lawyers that go to this thing buy alot more raffle tickets then I do so their names get drawn a bunch. June and I really wanted the pearl and diamond necklace because it is our birthstone. I was a winner but not the necklace. Below is my prize.

See how dark my house is. This poor thing came to the wrong house.

More About Books

2008-10-08T13:58:00.002-06:00

I want to alert all my friends about another book give away by my friend Anna. After reading her review of Losing Kei and interview with the author, Suzanne Kamata, I find myself wanting to read this book. Please check it out at Anna's blog site Diary of an Eccentric.

My Boys

2008-10-05T12:06:00.004-06:00

Father and son building a sandwich

This One's for Cutey

2008-10-04T15:09:00.004-06:00

Someone has asked me how Neil became an auctioneer. Although the story is not very interesting, I will tell it just for her (you know who you are).

The first time we went to an auction was in Florida while we were visiting my mean Grandmother (that is another story). Neil was hooked. From that point on he always had in the back of his mind the idea of becoming an auctioneer.

You know how life is though. First his Dad got sick and that forced Neil into the family business which was a pawn shop. Actually the pawn business is an interesting business and was good to us for awhile. But you know how things go when you work for family. Anyway as things worked out a side line at the pawn shop evolved into our electronics business. We ran Coronado CB Center for 18 years alone and with my brother. As the business grew, our main customer base became Mexico. Then NAFTA came about and our customers no longer needed us as a middle man.

We took a couple of years off, sort of a trial retirement. Very boring. We started going to auctions again and as we accumulated merchandise we needed a place to get rid of things so we started a used furniture store. The store was known as NP Enterprises....that would be Neil and Pam or Non Profit or Nothing's Perfect. Depended on what we were selling and to whom.

The more auctions we went to the more frustrated Neil became with how other auctioneers ran their auctions. We met another auction goer who was equally frustrated and he and Neil decided to try opening an auction house. This was a good thing but also another lesson is not having partners. Ron was retired so he studied for the auctioneers test, took the test and passed. The arrangement was for him to become a licensed auctioneer and Neil would apprentice for a year and then get his license. This arrangement worked out for the most part except.....Ron had a mild heart attack the week before we opened. He was OK but of course his doctor restricted his activity for awhile. This of course meant Neil and I did all the work.

We of course didn't mind after all he did have a heart attack. But it became clear that he liked this arrangement. He got to hold the mic and be the star on auction night and we did everything else. After Neil got his license we bought Ron out and it became just the 2 of us.

I think Ron thought we would die without him but here we are 10 years later and Auctions Unlimited is busier then ever. We did close the auction house 2 years ago. With the advent of Ebay we were not getting quality consignments anymore. Now we just do on site auctions, business liquidations, estates, storage locker foreclosures.

Ok Cutey there is the story for what it is worth. I will say it has been an interesting business and we have met some interesting people. You would enjoy one of our auctions even if you bought nothing. Neil is very understandable and you always know who has the bid and for how much. None of that fast talking you can't understand. He is also very funny. Our customers are always telling me what a comedian he is.

This One's for Jeannie

2008-09-26T16:58:00.003-06:00

Jeannie has challenged me to post my current addictions, so here you go friend.

1. Food: Food that is not good for me. I love the carbs…pizza, bread, and pasta. I would like to say that I am also addicted to exercise to offset the food but alas I hate to exercise.

2. Electronics: I love electronic gadgets. Therefore I have a Zune MP3 player, Palm Lifedrive, Nintendo DS, Bluetooth ear piece, Laptop, and of course a cell phone just to name a few of my favorites. Although I do think I need to upgrade my phone to something fancier.

3. TV: CSI, Law and Order, and my favorite The Closer. It is nice now that when network TV starts showing reruns the other networks show new shows.

4. Reading: When I was a kid I would never read. Cliff Notes were a big part of my life when I was in school. Now I read a lot, newspaper, magazines but mostly books. I used to read historical romances especially ones by Johanna Lindsey. Now I like mystery and suspense especially those written by Clive Cussler, James Patterson and Janet Evanovich.

5. Makoto Nagano: Do I need to explain? If so check out Pittsburgher’s blog.

There you go Jeannie. Not very exciting. I recently started knitting again and there are signs that it could become another addiction.

Books Books Books

2008-09-10T11:57:00.002-06:00

Please visit my friends blog for a chance to win one of the following books:

The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold
The Choice by Nicholas Sparks

Anna writes wonderful reviews that really peak my interest and I am sure you will enjoy them also. I'll see you there.

http://diaryofaneccentric.blogspot.com/

El Paso Mourns Today

2008-09-07T18:08:00.003-06:00

Today El Paso lost its biggest hero. Don Haskins, famed coach of the Texas Western Miners(UTEP) passed away today at the age of 78.

Neil and I spent some of our first days together watching Coach Haskins lead the Miners to their 1966 National Championship. Those were truly glory days in El Paso basketball. Thanks Coach for the fun, it made for a heck of a movie.

You will be missed Coach!!

WAS IT ME

2008-08-02T19:13:00.002-06:00

Was that me who said both of my children were brilliant? I am not so sure about this one. There wasn't anything wrong with the plane. It is a good thing he didn't tell me before hand. I probably would have gotten on a plane, flown to Flower Mound and chained him to the ground. Be still my heart. I am too old for this stuff.

David on the bottom

THEY TOLD ME IT WAS A CRUISE

2008-08-01T20:47:00.002-06:00

They told me they were going on a cruise...I wonder. Notice what a sweet little bad girl my Kiki makes and it is obvious my Matty is the leader of the gang.

STORMING THE BASTILLE

2008-07-30T18:47:00.004-06:00

Almost 3 weeks ago several friends of mine and I stormed the Bastille. What that means is it was high time we got back to our program of eating right, exercising and taking care of ourselves body and soul. For me it meant taking charge of my diet which as been heavy on fat and carbs. It is not easy to cut the fat because I am a meat eater. It also means coming up with meals that fit into my eating plans but also satisfy Neil.

Notice I said eating plan and not diet. I am not going on a diet because I know from past experience it will not work. And if I want pizza...I want pizza even though it gave me terrible heart burn yesterday.

For exercise I am using the treadmill. I am up to 60 minutes at 3 MPH with the incline set on 2 what ever that means. I have also added some upper body training with weights and some core work. Today my core is very sore so it must be working. I listen to audio books for the first 30-40 minutes of my walk. Right now it is The Chase by Clive Cussler. Music gets me through to the end. I have included a few of my favorite walking songs. Hope you enjoy them. If nothing else my tasts are eclectic.

If you wish to follow my progress, the stats are to the right. I have by the way lost 4.5 puunds and an ince in the waist. Yea for me.

Another One Bites the Dust ---- Queen

Footloose----Kenny Loggins

God Bless Texas----Little Texas

Good Directions and Turnip Greens----Billy Currington

I Love Rock and Roll----Joan Jett

IT'S YOUR DAY

2008-07-06T18:32:00.005-06:00

HAPPY 7th BIRTHDAY

MATTY

Matty at his Birthday parth ay Peter Piper Pizza

Matty and his big sister Kiki

Matty and his fiancee Emerson

Matty's alter-ego Danny

Matty have a wonderful birthday and a wonderful year in the 1st grade. We love you to pieces.

YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE

2008-06-12T19:40:00.002-06:00

Hey girls does this picture remind you of anyone

This turned out to be one of the best birthdays I have had in along time thanks in part to some very good friends (you know who you are). A very special thank you to all of you for making me feel so special. I wish I could have taken a picture of the E-card I received because it was too funny.

KIKI... YOU ROCK!!

2008-06-08T11:09:00.004-06:00

Grandma and Grandpa are sooooo proud of you Kiki. You had such a wonderful year and we know how hard you have worked to accomplish everything you have achieved this year. This also includes how fantastic you did on your TAKS tests this year. Congratulations and keep up the good work.

Perfect attendance! We are very happy to hear you had such a healthy year. The first Waxman to achieve perfect attendance. Yea!!!

Have A wonderful happy healthy summer and we will see you in three weeks and give you your big old sloppy congratulation kisses and maybe a little I Love You Present.

Uncle Andy loves you too!

Kiki's awards ceramony

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY

2008-05-10T14:16:00.007-06:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DANIELLE

Cristy and Danielle

Have a wonderful day and tell your family they have to be especially nice to you on your special day since it is also Mother's Day. Below is the reason why you are my favorite Mother.

Katie

Matty

Matty, Danielle, Katie

Happy Mother's Day also!!

MOM IS SO PROUD OF YOU

2008-04-25T21:20:00.002-06:00

By way of explanation....

A gentleman(I use the term loosely) from our community wrote a letter to our local newspaper about our recent elections. First our City Manager appointed a black man as our new Chief of Police. Second in a run off for Sheriff there were two gentleman, Wyles and Leon running. Wyles (who use to be our Chief of Police, and a very good one) won the run off. Third we live in a community that is about 80% Hispanic. The man in question is Hispanic and in his letter he berates our Hispanic community for not supporting "their own kind". The following is Andy's response to his racism. His letter appeared in the El Paso Times on Friday April 25th.

Kudos to Mr. Nick Valenzuela for reminding us all that evolution is a very slow process. His racist ranting concerning our Democratic candidate for sheriff and the new chief of police are a sad commentary on how very little we as a society have progressed in our views of the human race.

He raves about Hispanics not having "faith in their own race," and how these selections are tragic because the Hispanics of this city did not vote for their own kind.

Their own kind? Why does skin tone have anything to do with one's ability to represent and serve one's community?

By Mr. Valenzuela's logic, I, and all my white American brethren, should vehemently oppose the campaign of Barack Obama. After all, most of America is white, which means Obama is not "one of us," and therefore could not possibly represent our best interests.

It's this kind of thinking that led to such marvelous historical events as slavery and the Holocaust.

Sadly, some people are shameful examples of how little we have grown in our thinking about race on the planet.

THE BOYS OF SUMMER

2008-04-11T16:48:00.013-06:00

Baseball as most of you know is the favorite sport of my family and me. Well it is that time of year again. Football is gone and Basketball will be gone soon. That leaves us with America's pastime. Baseball is one of those games that you don't really enjoy until you truly understand the intricacies of the game. Thanks to my boys I have learned and come to appreciate the true beauty of the game. The Music is great also.

Talking Baseball by Terry Cashman.

Centerfield by John Fogerty

And the tradition lives on!

Matty and his Daddy

Ladies And Gentleman Please Rise for The National Anthem

LORDY LORDY LOOK WHO'S 40

2008-03-29T23:07:00.005-06:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

ANDY

Mommy is glad to see you are still young at heart.

Have a wonderful day.

MY BORING LIFE AND GOOD FRIENDS

2008-03-02T16:15:00.003-07:00

I was looking at my blog the other day and noticed I hadn't written anything in almost a month. Started thinking about things I would like to talk about and realized what an uneventful and boring life I lead. I also realized that is maybe not such a bad thing.

The best thing that took place was in a package from Jeannie The Genealogy Guru. What a wonderful friend she has become. The picture below is my family tree. She graciously took time out of her busy schedule to trace my roots. There is a lot more information then appears on this chart which she placed on a CD for me. She has traced parts of my family as far back as the 1500s. I find it all very interesting and can not begin to express to Jeannie how much this means to me and to my Aunt Bernie. Thank you dear friend.

Below is my one endeavor for February. I painted my woman cave. I am not sure you can tell by the picture but it is a pretty pale dusty burgundy to match my burgundy leather recliner. I have made more room by getting rid of things I don't need. I need the space to workout. Girls notice the picture above the treadmill. I moved some other things around but that picture stays where it is for inspiration. Now that my room looks so fresh and clean I may only come out to eat and sleep and say hi to Neil once in a while.

I'll see your Willie and raise you a Hank

2008-02-04T21:01:00.000-07:00

If you went to Texas Tech in the early '60s there were two songs that were your theme songs if you were a s__t kicker. Under stand as a guy you were either a s__t kicker or a sod buster. Of course we girls wanted to hang out with the kickers because they were the ranchers and knew to take their hats off in doors. Unfortunatly there is no version of the first one on Youtube in its original form. If your interested Look up " Big Balls in Cowtown" by Hoyle Nix. Now that is a classic.

Hank Thompson - Six Pack To Go

This is the second one. I don't want you to think I lived by this song. I don't even like beer but I like the song. Now who says I don't know old country.

Holly this ones for you. The only Willie song I really like.

GO COUNTRY!!!!

2008-02-03T14:16:00.000-07:00

Thought I would share some of the songs that are currently making me smile. I know they are country but just listen and see if you don't laugh. Please disregard the videos but the originals are protected. Too bad because Kenny looks almost as good as Nagano-san in his wife beater.

Billy Carrington - Good Directions and Turnip Greens

Brad Paisley - Ticks
This just has to become a country classic.

Kenny Chesney - She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy

And this one that I can't embed so you are just going to have to visit Kenny. I really like his sound, the shirt or lack there of and the hat. Very sexy.

Kenny Chesney - No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbMoFYtZ6o8

Thoughts

2008-01-29T12:51:00.000-07:00

I went to Kohl's to look at food processors. I decided since they were having a big sale (when are they not) and it was senior discount day I would look at clothes. I have to tell you clothes today are ugly. Back in the 60s the high waist blouses looked kind of cute on me. Now I look like a pregnant old person and old people are not suppose to be pregnant. The days of age appropriate clothes are over.

I shop for my 9 year old granddaughter and the clothes look like they are for a 25 year old hooker. I shop for my old slightly round self and the clothes look like they are for a 25 year old hooker. When a shirt says it is XL I expect it to not show every bulge I have. If that is what I wanted I would but a medium. Also some things should be against the law. I was shopping at Ross about a year ago for a pair of slacks. OK I will just say it, at that time I was a size 18. On the rack was a pair of hot pink short low waisted shorts. Just about 5 inches of fabric. Hot pink short shorts should not come in a size 18.

My other thought...Why do people go downtown and stand in line to pay there property taxes at the very last minute. You can put them in the mail a couple days early like I did and they will get there on time.

Why are Mexican police and military allowed to cross our border (happened over 200 times last year) and you don't hear much about it, but let one of our police chase someone the other direction and it becomes a big deal.

Why can't people put their shopping carts in the cart return that is 5 feet away instead on into the side of my car.

Last but not least, in our paper..."I want to hear how President Bush plans on ending the war properly". How do you end a war properly especially when it wasn't started properly.

Have a nice day all!

MY LIFE IS IN ORDER AGAIN

2008-01-09T21:31:00.000-07:00

I have to thank Bunny and Cuteyhoney for putting my life in order again. For some reason that I am not privy to , Konpiramaster decided to shut down her Nagano Fan site. It was a real shock for me. I loved this site for all the pictures and imformation about Nagano-san and the Sasuke All-stars. But more than that I loved it for all the wonderful friends I have made. Friends from all over the world. So you can see that losing contact with these wonderful people was most upsetting.

Enter Bun Bun. Within a day my guru Bunny_Here had a beautiful new site, Fans For Makoto Nagano Fan Site, up and running. Nagano-san himself wrote her and asked that she do this. What a wonderful shock it was for her to actually get a letter and pictures from the man. I am so happy for her and for me because she will share with all of Nagano's fans. I also want to thank Cuteyhoney because I know she was a big help in bringing this new site to fruition. Both Cutey and Bunny have become good friends. Some day the 3 of us and Holly need to get together for a fun fest.

Thank you Bunny, Cutey and Nagano-san.

NEW HOUSE AND MORE

2008-01-05T15:05:00.000-07:00

I feel like I am now living in a semi new house. I think it looks alot better now then it did 42 years ago when we bought. Now all I have to do is paint some inside. Any one want to come over and help. I am posting pictures so if you all visit you won't drive by because you don't recognize the place.

The first picture is what it looked like when we bought it in 1966. It was white with black trim and white roof. The second picture is what it looked like for the past 15 years. When we put up the siding we wanted steel and they didn't have black so we opted for almond with brown trim. White roof doesn't look great but it was only 2 years old so not going to change that. The third picture is today. Notice all the big trees are gone, either to make room for trailors or because they were tearing up the plumbing and driveway. It looks better in the spring when the flowers bloom. The yard also changed from black & white rocks to beige and white. I think it looks better with the new roof and the almond doors.

I was talking about the motorcycle riding we used to do. That is me in my younger days on my yucky Honda. The bearded guy is my Neil. He really looks macho and sexy. Of course his feet are on the ground which is a no no but he looks good. And we both look so skinny.

2008

2007-12-31T23:13:00.000-07:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL MY FRIENDS AND LOVED ONES

This year I have decided to not make any resolutions. Why bother because I never keep them anyway. So this year I am making plans. I plan on losing more weight and get stronger. I plan on taking a real trip this year. Hopefully it will be to Japan to watch Chris and Jeannie and of course Nagano-san in Sasuke #21. I plan on being a better friend, sister, niece, mother, mother-in-law and grandmother. Oh and maybe a better wife too. I plan on calling Aunt Bernie more often. And I plan on cooking more which should make Neil's new year happier.

I hope what ever your plans and dreams are they all come to fruition in 2008. Peace, health and happiness to all.

MATTY

2007-12-25T15:31:00.000-07:00

This is so funny to me. My own little west Texas red neck and he is only 6. Notice not only the accent but the easy cheese. Disregard the fact that I have trouble using a camera.

KARNODAL

2007-12-22T16:29:00.000-07:00

Lunch at Cozymel’s with Chris better known as KarnoDal. We had a very good meal and a great visit. I am just sorry his wife was sick today and couldn’t join us. Maybe in April. Chris looks ready for Sasuke to me but he thinks he need a little more training so is shooting for September.

GRANDMA BRAG

2007-12-21T20:27:00.000-07:00

Andy and Matty playing a shoot um up computer game.

Katie playing Winter Wonderland. Now what is so remarkable about this is that there was no music. We were listening to Chrismas music on the way home from dinner. Matty keep making his Daddy play Winter Wonderland over and over. When we got home Katie sat down at the piano and within 20 minutes had figured out how to play the song. Her Daddy also plays by ear and it still blows my mind they can do this.

Also notice Andy and Matty killing people in the back ground. I am not sure which one is the youngest.

BTW... This house is so full of good things to eat that I am going to go home 10 pounds heavier.

FAMILY RECIPES

2007-12-19T12:12:00.000-07:00

The following recipe for sweet rolls is from my Grandmother Sybil. She was not the nicest person in the world but we appreciate her roll recipe. I always doubled or tripled the recipe. If I am going to this much trouble, I want it to be worth the effort. All day making them and gone in 1 day won’t cut it. I turned them out on tin foil, wrapped them well and froze the extras. Pop them in the oven to reheat and they are delicious.

SWEET ROLLS

1 C. Milk scalded
2 Tbs. Shortening
2 Tbs.Sugar
1 tsp. Salt
1 pkg. Yeast softened in ¼ C. lukewarm water
1 Egg beaten
3 ½ C. Flour

Combine milk, shortening, sugar, and salt. Cool to lukewarm. Mix in yeast mixture and egg. Gradually add flour. I use my dough hook until the mixer starts jumping off the counter. Then I turn the dough out on a floured board and knead until I have a smooth ball. Put in a bowl, cover and place in a warm spot. Let rise until double. Divide dough in 2 equal pieces.

Grease the pans with butter (I use Smart Balance in the interest of health), and sprinkle the bottom with brown sugar and cinnamon. Being a carb addict a use liberal amounts of brown sugar.

Roll dough to oblong shape about ¼ inch thick. Brush with melted butter. Sprinkle with ¼ C. brown sugar and 2 tsp. cinnamon. Roll up dough and cut into 1 inch pieces. Place in prepared pans. Cover and let rise until double in size. Bake 25 minutes at 375 degrees.

If you like you can add raisins

This next recipe is for SKW. We keep putting sweet stuff on and she can’t eat it. This recipe is for salad dressing and don’t be put off by the anchovies. A friend of my mother’s conned a chef of a nice restaurant in Alabama (I think) to give her this recipe. She was not supposed to tell anyone but she gave it to my mother. My mother of course passed it to me. This all took place maybe 50 years ago. I know my mother and her friend are gone and I am sure the chef and probably the restaurant are too so I am going to share.

CASTILLION DRESSING
This dressing is meant to be used with romaine lettuce and croutons but it is also good on cooked vegetables like asparagus etc.

1 med. Onion sliced
1 Small can flat anchovies
¼ C. Prepared mustard
1 Heaping tsp. Accent
1 Heaping tsp. pepper corns
1 Garlic Bud
½ C. Salad Oil
Blend like mad in a blender.

Add: 2 eggs
1 C. Salad oil
Blend again in blender like mad.

This dressing is really good.

COOKING

2007-12-18T15:14:00.000-07:00

Neil says I need to stop telling everyone I am not a cook. Actually I am a pretty good cook. But when it is just the 2 of us and he doesn’t care, cooking is not much fun. That being said, I just subscribed to Cooks Illustrated and asked Danielle to get me the Martha Stewart wooden spice rack for Christmas. Of course I don’t know that I will actually get it but I did ask. This must mean I am thinking about cooking again.

Now for the girls here are my Mom’s recipes for Orange Cookies and Cheese Cake. Danielle if you read this, make copies for yourself.

ORANGE COOKIES

1C. milk + 1Tbs. white vinegar Let stand for 1 hour.

Mix together in order:
1 C. Sugar
1 C. Butter
2 Eggs
1 tsp. Baking Soda
Milk Mixture
1 sm. Can Orange Juice Concentrate
5 C. Flour

Bake cookies at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. These are a cake like cookie. When they cool ice with:

Mix 1 box Powdered Sugar, Orange Juice and butter until the right consistency.

I am not sure how much butter. She doesn’t say, so you are on your own there.

CHEESE CAKE

Preheat oven to 375 degrees, use a 9” spring pan

Crust: 1 box Zweibach
½ C. Melted Butter
1 tsp. Cinnamon
¼ C. Sugar
Mix together and press into spring pan.

Filling: 2 lbs. Cream Cheese
1 Tbs. Lemon Juice
1 C. Sugar
4 Beaten Eggs
Mix together and bake for 20 minutes.

Topping: 1 pt. Sour Cream
4 Tbs. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
Mix together and spread over cheese cake. Bake at 475 degrees for 10 minutes.

Cool and eat the best cheese cake ever. If I can find my Mom’s recipe for Chocolate Mousse, I will pass it along.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVY

2007-12-18T08:53:00.000-07:00

HAPPY 37th BIRTHDAY DAVY

We will see you Friday and deliver a big Birthday kiss. Sunday it's

TEXAS DE BRAZIL!!!

From

Davy's office at work. He does have great co-workers.

High Scool Musical...Now that's funny!

BEST FRIENDS

2007-12-17T19:18:00.000-07:00

When I got up this morning I could tell I was coming down with a cold. To make matters worse we did an outside auction today in the cold. Just when I was feeling really sorry for my self June showed up. She and her husband Ed always help with our auctions. Ed helps Neil with the actual sale and June keeps me company while I count money.

Today she gave me a Christmas present. This was a real labor of love. She plotted it all out and then cross stitched this beautiful sampler. Notice she included all the important things. Our children, grandchildren, daughter-in-law, Neil's auction licenses number, Baby Blue our Hyundai and both dogs. She knows us so well. It is a true joy to have such wonderful friends.

Thank you June for my wonderful gift and for being my friend.

CHRISTMAS IN FLOWER MOUND

2007-12-15T13:22:00.000-07:00

It’s been awhile since I had anything to say. Just goes to show what a dull life I lead.
The only thing I have to report to anyone interested is it is time to visit Flower Mound again.

I seem to drift along counting the day until I can see my babies again. Christmas takes on special meaning when I can have my whole little family together. I told Matty the other day that I would see him in 9 days and would be bringing Christmas presents. His big concern seemed to be how many days after I get there is Christmas. I guess we all know what is important to a 6 year old. Me too Matty! I also love presents (giving and getting)!

This trip I am going to get together with Chris again and I get to meet his wife. I am really looking forward to this. I will post pictures again and tell you all about the visit. We are going to a Mexican restaurant called Cozymels. My kids say it is pretty good. Can you believe I will leave El Paso to have Mexican food? It is a lot of fun to get together with one of my fellow Webjammers and talk about everything Sasuke. I wish we could get everyone together some day. That would be some party.

Merry Christmas too all and a very special Christmas wish to all my fellow Nagano Nuts,
Love ya all!

RANDOM THOUGHTS

2007-11-09T14:09:00.000-07:00

I don’t know how it happened but I did not put on any weight while I was in Flower Mound. Do you suppose that means Smarties are not fattening. It must be because I ate quite a few.. Sorry Davy! Since I’ve been home I have lost 2 more pounds. I had sort of reached a plateau with not much happening. I have been working hard since I got home from a week of no exercise. Maybe I just needed a rest to jump start my metabolism again. Whatever the reason I am pleased about it. Almost time to buy some smaller pants. Yea!!

I bought a new toy. I got a Zune from Woot. It is refurbished which is something I usually don’t do, but the price was too good to pass up. I was having a hard time justifying the expense of a new unit to play my 3 songs. I have been having fun putting songs and videos on it. I still haven’t figured how to get my Nagano-san videos loaded but his picture is there when I turn it on.

I have kept my schedule open tomorrow afternoon and on the 14th. Yes I am a little nuts. Nagano nuts!! And I am not alone. Can’t wait Ninjafest. I am doing my little Ninja dance to Yagyu Gaiden.

KARNODAL

2007-11-04T16:12:00.000-07:00

Chris and I met today. Girls, he is a doll. Also looking really ready for the NW tournament. We had lunch and a really good visit. Chris is super nice and very good looking. Perfect for NW. I am hoping to get together again at Xmas and maybe meet his wife.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIKI

2007-11-03T21:12:00.000-06:00

Kiki and friends at the big 9th birthday party.

Kiki's daddy is sooo funny!!

(Kiki dark hair in pink)

Peyton and Kiki

Uncle Andy and Daddy David being kids again.

Oh wait they always have been!

Matty!! Girls yuck!! I want a laptop too!!

I think everyone had a great time at Kiki's Birthday today. She got a laptop from Uncle Andy and lots of Webkins from everyone else. Of course the laptop was the big hit. I think Matty was the only one who wasn't that happy. Too many girls and it's hard to see someone else get all the presents when you are only 6. He wants a laptop. I keep telling him that as soon as grandpa buys grandma a new laptop he can have my old one. Come on grandpa make grandma and Matty happy.

HALLOWEEN BOO!!

2007-10-31T19:15:00.000-06:00

Just got back from Trick or Treat with the grandkids. We had such a good time. Matty was dressed like a scary phantom baseball player, Katie was a beautiful little witch and Davy was a wizard. The rest of us were ourselves. We are enjoying our vacation in Flower Mound. Lots of shopping and good food. I wish we had the kids closer to El Paso. I miss spending time with them.

How about some scary music for Halloween.

SAD DAY

2007-10-25T08:23:00.001-06:00

Today brings sadness to my heart. Yesterday my best friend lost her 99 year old father. It doesn't matter that we know it is going to happen, it still hurts. Today is the 20th anniversary of my father's death. That also still hurts. I miss you Daddy (my first inspiration and hero)

OPERATION PUMPKIN

2007-10-21T20:26:00.000-06:00

Tonight was Operation Pumpkin. This is a charity event held to benifit The Lee & Beulah Moor Children’s Home. Local doctors, dentists and vets gather to carve very elaborate pumpkins. Most of the doctors plan in advance, bring in assistants, surgical instruments and add ons. It was a huge success. Neil of course was the auctioneer, Andy helped catch bids and our friend Ed was the ringman. Neil sold 15 pumpkins for a total of $13,000. Money that will be use to clothe the children for the next year. Cafe Central provided the space and the food which was great. My neice Renee Tanner who runs the children's home also had a birthday cake for Neil.

Neil and Andy doing their thing.

Ed with Scarecrow brain surgeon by Dr Masel sold for $3,000.

Mickey Mouse as the Sorcerer by Dr Tabor sold for $3,100.

Graveyard by Dr Harvey sold for $1,100.

HAVE A HAPPY DAY

2007-10-21T08:05:00.000-06:00

HAPPY 64TH BIRTHDAY NEIL

Just think one more year MEDICARE
Have a wonderful day.
LYMTTY

FLAT STANLEY

2007-10-16T15:20:00.001-06:00

Flat Stanley has come for another visit. He was here several years ago and had such a good time with us, he decided to return for another visit. On the visit he is going to Las Cruces to meet our good friends Ed and June. Then he will go to school with Andy. He will cap off his visit at Operation Pumpkin. He will then jump back into his envelope and rush back home to Matty.

Flat Stanley is the school project of Mrs. Bergstrom, a kindergarten teacher at Forest Vista Elementary School in Flower Mound Texas. My Granddaughter Katie sent me her Flat Stanley 4 years ago. He spent a week with Uncle Andy and Grandma And Grandpa.

My Grandson Matty was lucky enough to have Mrs. Bergstrom this year. I have met her and she is a wonderful teacher. The kids absolutely love her. Yesterday Matty’s Flat Stanley arrived for his visit. We are going to try very hard to see that he has as good a time as Katie’s Stanley. I am really having fun with this. We will mail Stanley back to Matty with pictures and a story of his adventures.

Where are all the people

2007-10-14T22:10:00.000-06:00

Today we had our auction for the Congregation B’nai Zion Sisterhood. Why is it that in any organization there only a few people that step up to the plate. This auction was well publicized both by us and by the Sisterhood committee. In spite of that there were very few people at the auction. We did have some of our regular auction goers there but most of the congregation was not. I really felt sorry for my friends Annalie and Joan. They worked so hard on this auction. I know we made them some money but with a little more support we could have done a lot better.

We did have a good time. Neil turns into a stand up comedian when he auctions. Today he was in rare form. His much older sister was there and he did give her a hard time. Sorry Arlene you know he loves you.

I did get a very good deal on a weight machine, flat screen monitor, and some new J.A. Henckels knives. The weight machine is on my patio because I don’t have room for it. Neil has the monitor. The knives might get used some day.

OCTOBER

2007-10-10T14:07:00.000-06:00

I feel like I am neglecting my blog but life has really been boring lately. This is October though and things always start picking up in October. Sunday we are doing a charity auction for the Congregation B’nai Zion Sisterhood. They have gathered a lot of wonderful donations so we should be able to raise some money for all their good works. It will also be fun. When our livelihood is not dependent on the auction, Neil turns into real entertainer.

They only negative: setup for Sunday’s auction starts tomorrow, the same day our new outlet mall opens. I was so looking forward to the grand opening of the mall. It will probably turn out better because we will avoid the mob. Neil does not like mobs or waiting in line. To make up for missing out on the opening Neil took me to Sunland Park Mall and I bought more Fiesta dishes. New colors!! I also checked out the new Martha Stewart collection at Macy’s. Danielle if you are listening there is a really neat spice rack (wood shelf with tins) that would make a nice Christmas present for someone (me).

Also this month we get to do Operation Pumpkin which is for the Lee & Beulah Moor Children’s Home. I will take lots of pictures of this one because it is a blast. Doctors from El Paso carve pumpkins which Neil auctions off. Some of the pumpkins are very elaborate and it is not unusual for them to sell for hundreds of dollars. Of course every doctor wants his to bring the biggest price so that helps. Liquor is also served and that helps!

SUSAN POWTER

2007-10-02T17:00:00.000-06:00

I am stepping up my workout. I know I need to be careful of my neck but I can’t wait anymore for it to quit hurting. So I am starting to add weight training back to the routine. The one thing I am doing is wearing a neck collar to stabilize it and lessening the strain.

I have through the years bought exercise tapes. Going through what I have I found Susan Powter’s Building Strength and decided to try it. Do any of you remember blond haired big mouthed Susan? Well I have to say she put together a nice routine. She gives you options according to your fitness level and she works upper and lower body. There is a nice warm up and cool down. I had forgotten the tape and was pleasantly surprised that it worked well for me. Good for beginners and old people.

MY BEST FRIEND

Say a little prayer for my best friend and her Daddy. Her 99 year old father had a heart attack and broke his hip. He has rallied some and will have his hip pinned today. It so sad to see an elderly person have to suffer like this and it is so hard to watch someone you love have to go through this. My love and prayers are with you.

News of the Day

2007-09-27T15:45:00.000-06:00

I owe a very big thank you to my good friends from Las Cruces, Ed and June. Ed picked up my picture of Nagano the other day and did a beautiful job framing it. It now hangs in front of my treadmill. After our auction we all had lunch together at Ruby Tuesdays. Girls you would be proud, I was a good girl.

We had a really good visit and then we went to the Healing Sanctuary and Neil and I bought Earth Shoes. I am really anxious to see if they really do make a difference.

My Boys 2

2007-09-27T15:32:00.000-06:00

A couple things I forgot(how could I).

Andy lover Star Wars, hates soccer, and is a fantastic writer. When I need something to sound professional I call Andy.

David has a perfect ear for music. He plays piano beautifully. He also has a star quality voice. His first try at singing in front of an audience was at a talent show at his high school. He would not sing for me so I really didn’t know how good he was. He looked like he was going to throw up and I was having a panic attack for him. After the first line of Billy Joel’s She has a Way a girl behind me yelled “Who are you, I love you”. All the girls were yelling. Now if he would just sing for his family.

MY BOYS

2007-09-26T14:17:00.000-06:00

I want to introduce to my friends my boys. You know the ones that leave such wonderful, helpful, loving comments about their Mother. This picture was taken last Christmas. I know I am prejudice but they are handsome.

First the young man in the Santa hat is my oldest Andrew (Andy). Andy will be 40 on Nagano’s birthday. Isn’t that cool, Nagano shares his birthday with such a wonderful young man. After graduating from New Mexico State he got his masters in Sports Administration at Wichita State. He spent the next several years working for various university athletic departments. He decided to return to El Paso so he could be close to his niece and nephew. His first job was teaching science to the pregnant girls from the El Paso School District. Last year he switched to the Socorro Independent School District (which pays better) and teaches at the Mission Early College High School. This is a very special school as all the students have to apply and when they graduate high school they will also have an Associates Degree in college. He teaches science and is currently working on his master’s degree in math. Andy loves all sports but his favorite is baseball. He has one child, a Husky puppy named Ella. It is really nice to have at least one of my sons here in El Paso. I guess he will be the one who has to wipe my chin when I am old and drooling.

The other young man is David (Davy). He will be 37 in December. One of the things he hasn’t forgiving me for is having him a week before Christmas. The other is giving him the middle name of Ralph. Davy if you haven’t noticed is my tease. But like my father if he is not teasing you he probably doesn’t like you. Davy graduated in Accounting and then went to work in computers. He married his sweetie Danielle and had 2 perfect children Kathleen Susan and Matthew Alexander. When the company he worked for here in El Paso sold out, they left for the greener pastures of the Dallas Area. Poor Andy came home to be near the kids and they left. I cried for days. I really miss all of them. I have to admit though that it was the best thing for them. There is so much more for the kids and financially it is much better. The gentleman who owned the company he had worked for here started a new venture and they came after my computer genius son. He is now the IT department at Verde Apartment Communities. This may sound a bit motherly but I think we would all be lucky to have a husband like Davy. He also is a very involved father. Father daughter dances with Katie and baseball coach for Matty.

I love you boys

Me Today

2007-09-21T14:39:00.000-06:00

I am suddenly reenergized to get in shape. Thank you Jeannie, Carol and our All-stars. So now I feel I will stay motivated if I actually post a picture of me now. Then I can post updates once in awhile. If you don’t see progress pictures you can write and say “Hey girl don’t give up”. It is not if you win or lose its how you play the game. So far I am having fun dreaming of a skinnier healthier me. I do not aspire to compete in Sasuke as my other fellow Webjammers do, but I want to be able to jump up and down to cheer them on. I also want to be able to get on the floor with my grandkids and be able to get back up with out help.

Why I Like Sasuke

2007-09-20T21:16:00.000-06:00

This is for my friends and family who don't seem to understand why I love Sasuke, Makoto Nagano, and the rest of the All-stars. How can you not admire and be inspired by these gentleman.

http://home.comcast.net/~thepowerofsasuke/pose1.html

The Good and the Bad

2007-09-19T13:35:00.000-06:00

First the bad. Sasuke was on in Japan Last night. This morning I was totally bummed to learn that none of the All-stars made it through the first stage. To me it shows the course was just toooo hard. Actually 2 out of 100 people made it but couldn't finish the second stage. Oh well I still consider Nagano-san my guy (after Neil of course). Even though he didn't make it this time he is still my inspiration. Knowing his record, he will do it next time. He doesn't usually miss an obstacle more than once.

Now the good news. I got my poster today and Nagano-san loves me. It says so. See below.

I Need Sympathy

2007-09-16T14:47:00.000-06:00

Due to my own stupidly I have a sore neck. It is a very strange kind of sore. It is my fault because I sit for hours at a computer that is not positioned right and causes a lot of neck strain. Then I started lifting weights and because I wanted to see results now, I started with weights that were too heavy. And so you know how out of shape I was, we are talking 8 and
10 pounds. I went to my quack Doctor and of course his advice was an MRI that would have cost me thousands. I did a lot of research on the computer and have decided I have a pinched nerve. So as recommended I am using ice packs and aspirin for the inflammation. I am happy to report that it still hurts but is somewhat better. I am now using mostly the laptop and no weight training for awhile.

The one by product of all this – Panic mode. As most of you know I am prone to allowing myself to slip into panic mode and when I do I become a basket case. So I am now working hard to slip out of panic mode and as you also know, I will because I always do. It is just very uncomfortable to be here right now.

On the upside. One of the best things for anxiety besides drugs is exercise. I have been doing a lot on the treadmill. Also I don’t eat as much. The net result is that I am now down 13 pounds. Yea for me!!!!

Other fantastic news. Soon I will receive my autographed poster of Makoto Nagano and Wednesday we will know how he and the rest of the All-stars did in Sasuke #19. I can't wait. I hope they all fulfilled their hopes.

Look Ma No Hands

2007-09-09T14:40:00.000-06:00

I finally decided that after 3 treadmills and years of hit and miss training and hanging on for dear life, it’s time to learn how to do it right. Starting yesterday I let go and didn’t fall off. I still have a little trouble with balance which really works the legs and feet, but I think you get a much better workout if you can pump the arms. It sure got my heart rate up a lot faster.

Told Neil (who only exercises his thumb on the remote) I will end up out living him if he doesn’t get up. Then, Jeanie you’ll like this, I’ll take the insurance money move to Japan and be Nagano-san’s Mama-san. That still didn’t get Neil out of his chair. He told me to have a good time. Nothing I say can motivate that man to exercise. Oh well !

Dr Earle Rogoff DVM

2007-09-06T07:30:00.000-06:00

To my favorite Brother-in-law

Happy birthday to you

Happy birthday dear Earle

Happy birthday to you

And Many more CHA CHA CHA!!!

Hope you have a wonderful day.

Pam Neil

Can you believe he said this:

2007-09-04T09:58:00.000-06:00

Today , while reading the paper, I came across an article about Mexican President Felipe Calderon. He states "Mexico does not stop at it's border". He takes issue with the way undocumented (illegal) immigrants are being treated in this country. As someone who lives on the border and deals with the consequences of this immigration, I say to Mr Calderon, you take care of your people. If you would do something for the poor of Mexico, they wouldn't have to leave home. Until you are willing to care for the citizens of Mexico don't criticize the way the US handles the situation. WE do more for them than you do. Also El Paso's problems would not be as severe if we would stop granting US citizenship to every baby born in this country. In El Paso, mothers wait till they are in labor and then cross the border knowing they will not be turned away at our county hospital. Now the baby is a US citizen and is entitled to welfare. I feel this is a law that is outdated and should be changed. Citizenship should follow the citizenship of the mother

Other Items: My sister-in-law Michelle from Cleveland is upset I haven't mentioned her in my blog. Consider yourself mentioned,

Nagano-san

2007-08-31T14:23:00.000-06:00

I have to thank all the wonderful people I have met at the Makoto Nagano Unofficial Fan Site. Not all the people I know understand why I find Sasuke and especially Nagano-san so inspiring. First of all Nagano-san is absolutely gorgeous and his performances are awesome. My opinion is if you are female and are not affected in some way by Nagano-san then you must be dead.

Anyway to all my fellow Nagano Fans especially Bunny, thank for sharing my obsession.

Sweat Hogs

2007-08-31T14:21:00.000-06:00

Today Neil and I decided to help out our oldest Andy. Andy lives with his beloved Husky, Ella. Ella the sweet thing sheds more then any dog I have ever seen. All of his friends are meeting at his house for their fantasy football draft this weekend. So because I love housework soooo much, I took my new Dyson to his house. I love my Dyson and if you have a shedding dog, I highly recommend it. Now his friends can come to his house without leaving with a husky coat. While I was doing the vacuuming Neil, kind Dad that he is, was mowing the yard. Andy is a great kid and works very hard. He teaches full time and is working on a master’s degree in math. As a result between grading papers and doing his homework he doesn’t have a lot of time for housework.

What he doesn’t realize is that I am setting him up. When I am so old I can’t vacuum he’ll feel the need to do it for me. LOL

Beginning

2007-08-22T09:01:00.000-06:00

I have decided to jump into the 2000 and start a blog like everyone else. Can't imagine anyone will want to read it. To start - Yesterday was my 41st wedding anniversary. It was pretty much like all the rest. Did a little shopping and spent the rest of the day hanging out at home.

Tomorrow we will go to Las Cruces and celebrate with our good friends Ed and June. Yesterday was also Ed's birthday. We will go to some great restaurant and celebrate together.

Today I have to take my babies, Smokey and Bandit to the vet for their shots. Poor dogs hate the vet but with rabies such a problem so close to the border, you can't be too safe.

A Day in the Life of

I'LL LET ANDY HAVE HIS SAY

Random Thoughts

El Paso's Future

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DANIELLE

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Robot Wars---Final Chapter

MOUNTAINS

Robot Phase II

Go Pammy Go

Finally something I can Thank Bush For

My Beautiful Family!!!!

Robot Wars

Congratulations and Best Wishes

Let there be drums and other Christmas fun.

Gaylord Ice

Short Stranger

BLACK FRIDAY

THANKSGIVING DINNER

Finisehed All Most...

Work in Progress

Our New Home

Bunny Started This

More Good Stuff to Read

PUMPKIN AUCTION

More About Books

My Boys

This One's for Cutey

This One's for Jeannie

Books Books Books

El Paso Mourns Today

WAS IT ME

THEY TOLD ME IT WAS A CRUISE

STORMING THE BASTILLE

IT'S YOUR DAY

YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE

KIKI... YOU ROCK!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY

MOM IS SO PROUD OF YOU

THE BOYS OF SUMMER

LORDY LORDY LOOK WHO'S 40

MY BORING LIFE AND GOOD FRIENDS

I'll see your Willie and raise you a Hank

GO COUNTRY!!!!

Thoughts

MY LIFE IS IN ORDER AGAIN

NEW HOUSE AND MORE

2008

MATTY

KARNODAL

GRANDMA BRAG

FAMILY RECIPES

COOKING

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVY

BEST FRIENDS

CHRISTMAS IN FLOWER MOUND

RANDOM THOUGHTS

KARNODAL

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIKI

HALLOWEEN BOO!!

SAD DAY

OPERATION PUMPKIN

HAVE A HAPPY DAY

FLAT STANLEY

Where are all the people

OCTOBER

SUSAN POWTER

News of the Day

My Boys 2

MY BOYS

Me Today

Why I Like Sasuke

The Good and the Bad

I Need Sympathy

Look Ma No Hands

Dr Earle Rogoff DVM

Can you believe he said this:

Nagano-san

Sweat Hogs

Beginning