Update

Soooo,  I worked on getting the rest of the popcorn off the ceiling, and got it done Friday night. I went around spraying the ceiling and while I waited for it to soak a little, I danced to my Zumba cd, so I am thankful nobody was around or home, as I was covered in little white speckles and stuff over a bandanna and my clothes, but it made it alot more fun, haha. I am sure you can imagine.

We went yardsaling Saturday morning of course, and found some vinyl tiles that I am going to put in the room. Its the sticky kind, but I think it will work just fine. At least I hope. I pulled the carpet out Saturday morning, pulled the tack strips and staples out, and scraped the floor. Its pretty clean in there now, just waiting to put the caulking in and then paint. And then tile. Soon, very soon. 

The wind blew horribly on Saturday, so thats about all I did. Kindof. 

On Sunday, I had two lessons. I wanted to work on the room, but just couldn't get coordinated enough, I dropped my tea all over the floor, all 44 ozs, knocked over my guitar, and so on. So I went outside and let the boys out. That was much better.

We barbequed after the lessons and just sat around visited and had a pleasant afternoon. One of my little chickens, the little Old English bantams hatched out babies. I have two doves setting too, so its that time of year already for babies to be coming. 

Anyway, that's where we are today.

Tombstone and stuff

So, this has been a fun week for us, we went to Tombstone on Wednesday, I started on the room, and last nite there was a ring around the moon. I have chile plants to plant, and that is so exciting. The weather is beautiful, and we are getting an average of about 8 eggs a day from the chickens. The turkeys are laying too, but not setting yet, so one of our friends took some of the eggs and has them in an incubator, hopefully they will hatch. The hens already have about 6 eggs again.

Jon and Brooke with a gunfighter, this guy was hilarious, and singled out Jon and Brooke.

They had her participate in the gunfight, and they also made fun of Thatcher, it was so much fun for us.

I love horses, and just had to pet them, big horses are sooo coool.


Last nite I made AuGratin potatoes and they were absolutely delicious, my tummy hurt cause I kept going and eating a spoonful hear and there before I put them in the fridge, ummmm, yummy stuff!!!

 The last storm that came through, we had a really pretty rainbow, this was a couple of weeks ago. Jon stole my camera so I wasn't able to get them posted. He wants me to give him this camera and get me a new one. If I could, I would. :)

 Last nite I ran out to the truck to get something and there was a ring around the moon. I have always missed them before, trying to get a picture, so finally I was able too. It is such a wierd look, and feeling when the ring is there.

This is the room. I have my work cut out for me. It actually shouldn't be too hard.

The hardest thing is getting the popcorn off the ceiling, and I just have a little more to go.

 The silicone might be hard, but I think I can handle it. Painting will be a breeze for me, I love to paint.

So, I am thinking that I will get the rest of the popcorn off the ceiling tonite, and then I can get the silicone tomorrow and apply it. Then comes sanding the trim, painting it, the ceiling and then I can pull the carpet.

The wind is supposed to come in today, I hope not, I don't like the wind anymore.

My ambition

I have so many good intentions, good intentions of making things happen, getting things done, etc. etc. (sigh) With a little effort on my part, I can really start marking off all the things that I want to get done, people I want to call and say hi too, and just doing something fun for me.

Last night I started on "the room". It was really frustrating to me, I don't know why. When I first started I just felt like I was going in circles, like Pacino when he is excited to go outside, and I just felt so ..... lost. I kept trying things and it just seemed like it created more messes.

I finally stopped and told myself ," Self, relax, do this one step at a time, and start where you want to finish." So I did. I wanted to finish by having everything stored in the closet. Within a couple of hours, I had transformed the room by cleaning up most all the clutter, and having it organized in a very useful way, having boxes stacked neatly in the closet and getting it organized.

Tonight, if time permits, I will finish vacuuming and pulling out the last two items to come out of there, and then pull off the trim from the ceiling. Yeah!! I am excited now, it will be such a great transformation. I picked out colors yesterday as well, earthy warm colors, that I think will be just a comfortable place to be.

I will get a before and after picture of this room to see what you think of it. I am hoping that it comes out as good as I imagine it to be. I will also get a picture of the gun cabinet, before and then when I finish it. I hope they come out as good as I envision, sometimes I can see these things, but just can't seem to put it together.

And maybe, just maybe, if I am lucky, I will get the popcorn off the ceiling and pull the carpet out or the room too!!  Heck yeah!

Spring is here.

Spring is here, I think, but with Arizona weather, it might have passed already. We should be in the 80's today, coming from a high of 49 on Saturday of last weekend, going to maybe a high of 90 this weekend. Crazy crazy weather, but I wouldn't trade it.

All is well, I have started on redoing Jessie's bedroom. I have boxed up alot of stuff, and this morning I had David haul off alot of stuff to the safe house in Safford, and tonite I am going to start cleaning and finishing boxing up stuff. Stuff, so much STUFF!!

I think that I am going to pull the trim off the ceiling and remove the popcorn. And then I think that I am gong to give it a fresh coat of paint. Then, I think that I am gong to pull the carpet and paint the floor, and then lay a throw rug in there. And then I think I will be very tired. I am very ambitious, although I know that there is no way that I will get that all done this weekend.

I might enlist some help from one of our boarders, see if she might want to help me. She is very quiet, kindof unsure, but is very helpful when you direct her, but also creative in writing. She has written some poetry that is good, and has written some stories. They have caught my attention, so they must be good. I told her that she needs to submit them to magazines and she might get them published. You never know. :)

Back to the room, I have a daybed that we picked up at a yardsale a couple of years ago and I am going to finally get it in this room. Its really a nice bed. I will have to clean it up, get mattresses (it has a trundle) and then buy some linens for it. It should be cute. I am going to also put my sewing machine in there.

Jon gave Jessie a gun cabinet that I am going to put a mirror on the door, the glass is broken, and then I think I am going to put removable shelves in it, just in case she wants it back and/or for rifles. Who knows, I doubt that she will want it. But, you never know.

I am excited to get started on this, and do hope that it will happen sooner than later.

Next week is spring break, and Jon will be going to Phoenix, leaving tomorrow and coming home on Tuesday nite. Wednesday we will be going to Tombstone, that is the plan for now. And then back to work.

My lessons on Saturday have been going well, and it looks like its going to be a busy day on Saturday. Then on Sunday, there will be a lesson as well. I think that I will change that one to Saturday as well, so that I can have a rest day. Haha, me rest?  I am trying.

I found a recipe for stuffed jalepenos that I am going to try as well as a recipe for a warm apple-buttermilk custard pie. It sounds soooooo good, I think that I am going to make it as well this weekend. Sooo its been busy. We have barbequed for the last three weekends and it has been fun, but busy.

I am so glad for warm weather, although it will seem like the hot is lasting forever. But, I like hot better. And in the midst of all this I have a garden to get ready as well. I have alot of big plans and maybe too much ambition, but, I WILL get it done.   I hope. :)

Macaroni's and making someone happy!!

Years ago, 1979, after HS graduation, I spent the summer with my Aunt Sylvia. I had long hair, below my waist, was always in the sun, and loved the summer there. 

We spent that summer swimming in the lake, riding ponies, going to the show, shopping in Fresno, and just having a great time.

One day, being the fun aunt that she is, she decided that I needed to have macaronis in my hair. She wanted to get some, paint them, and then put small braids in my hair and put the macaronis in my hair, like Stevie Wonders beads in his hair. 

This has been an ongoing fun kindof joke between us. A couple of weeks ago, my mom called me to tell me that my Auntie was not feeling well, having some health issues and could I write her a letter to maybe cheer her up. So I did, and I added a poem, which follows:

I think you are looney for macaroonies!

You lined them up on a cookie sheet

Making sure they were nice and neat.

And then you said with such grace

And a great big smile on your face:

“I’ll paint them the colors of a sunny rainbow,

You see, you’ll put on quite a show.”

“Blue, yellow, green, orange, purple and red

We’ll lace them on the braids in your hair.”

“If Stevie could have them in his hair,

You can too, don’t be scared.”

I looked at you, my head filled with doubt

I backed up, looked at you and said “I’m out!”

Annie J  2013

My mom called me so happy, because my aunt had received my letter, and couldn't quit laughing, read the poem to my mom and she and my mom were just tickled. I am so glad that I was able to come up with something to make her happy. 

So, then, my mom calls me up a couple of days later to ask me my favorite color, and I tell her yellow and green, pastel colors, and in the mail on Thursday, I received from my Auntie, a really cute apron that she made that is reverseable. The other side is the chicken print with a pocket in the middle across my breast. It is so cute, I just love it!!!

Another day.

Had a very successful weekend, it was good. I gave lessons and they all did well. I brushed and groomed horses, we bought a nice wheel barrow at a yardsale and its big, but just perfect. I found another couple of cast iron skillets, one is a griswold. I am excited to clean them up and use them, (what I really mean is store them with all the others as the number of them continues to grow again.)

I turned Bunny loose on Sunday, and David told me to let the other two girl donkeys out, so after a long consideration, about an hour or two, I did. They took off and I thought they were going to head down the road. Haha, I can't jog very good right now, let alone run, its more like a hobble, but I was able to head them off at the pass, and encourage to circle around Poop Mountain and such.

I was able to catch Bunny and put her in the arena, and as soon as I headed in the direction of the little girls, they took off. I made it to the front before they did, and we were finally able to head them back in the arena. Haha, I must have looked pretty funny, it was good.

I helped some kids Thursday evening with judging information, as they were going to an FFA judging, and wanted some help and input. Come to find out, no one had really helped them out. So I talked alot, had downloaded info for them, we went over it, judged and looked at all of the horses at our place, discussed reasons of why one is better than the other, and told them they needed to have confidence in themselves and to believe in themselves.

If a judge believed they believed what they talked about in judging, then the judge would be more likely to score them higher. I said to judge pictures of horses, discuss it between them as they drove to Tucson, to go through my books, judge the pictures, read up and try to convince each other why the horse in the pictures was the best. They took 4th. YEAH!!!! I was so happy for them. Apparently, this is the first time in a very long time that a group form here have placed in the top 10. So, I am hoping they have learned a little, and I am very happy for them.

It was great. I let the little billy go, he is going to a really good home, and has two or the other babies going with him, so he won't be alone.

Everything else is good. Happy happy day.

The first day of the rest of my life starts today!

So here it is Friday, March 1, 2013. WOW!!! This year is speeding by, flying, throwing us all over already. What do we do? Where are we going? Whom is going with me? What have I done?

I have accomplished new meals, mostly desserts, but they have been a hit. I made an apple pie coffee cake that was so delicious. Ummmm. Yummy. I made these little garlic rolls that we had with fried chicken. Everyone loved them.

I have prepared two of Jonny's pants to replace zippers in them. I am a little excited and a little afraid, as its been a while since I have done zippers. But, it will work. Ummmhuuhhhh.

I have been kindof sick, but, with my super tonic, I am gettin over it just fine. The tonic is some pokey stuff, but it really tastes good when your sniffer isn't really workin. I got the recipe from my cousin Alli. I had my doubts the first time I used it, but it really worked, and then my sniffer worked so much better, I had less allergies and sinus problems. You can google Super Tonic if you want, there are a lot of recipes. Here is my cousin's.

Super Tonic

4 Garlic heads (not cloves, entire head)
1 white onion
3/4 C horseradish root, fresh,  chopped
1/2 C gingerroot, fresh, chopped
1/4 C cayenne pepper, fresh, chopped   ( I use habaneros because I can't find cayenne here. Cayenne is preferred)

Chop up everything. Put in a large jar and cover with at least 2 inches with apple cider vinegar. Do not touch with metal spoons, metal bowls, etc. Pat down ingredients each day for 1 week. Put in a dark, cool place for 2 weeks.

After this strain the liquid (use a plastic strainer) and keep in fridge. Pour into little bottles or leave in quart jars. At first sign of cold or flu, start taking. Take hourly or as needed.

This is a very effective cold remedy. The garlic boosts the immune system. The cayenne is a great healer and the ginger is for the stomach.


I just love this stuff and keep it on hand. Also, with all the drainage from your sinuses, I always get nauseated, and this helps me with the nausea.

So, like I have said before, I am a little wierd at times, but that's me.  :0

I have got to find a new recipe for anything for dinner, and will post what I do.

I am headed down a road that is paved with all sorts of obstacles, but with the grace of God, I will do well in my travels. I am going to, again, go through Jessies room and prepare it for an overhaul with paint and such, and hopefully turn it into a guest/sewing room. With any luck, I will start on that this weekend, maybe as early as tonite. I am excited to do so because that allows me to leave out stuff and not have to worry about picking it up and packing it back into a cubby hole, something that is just so frustrating. Sooo, here we go.

I am looking forward to a great weekend, yardsalin, riding lessons, cooking, enjoying the sun and all sorts of stuff. Happy life to all.