BEAN MACHINE!!

That's what we call Kayla . . . THE BEAN MACHINE!!! The kid LOVES ranch-style beans. If I allowed it, she would eat beans for just about every meal. As I lay here in bed, I am reminded of her love for beans as I smell the remnant of her dinner drifting effortlessly from her bottom. YUCK!

Kayla and I are on our own this week. Larry is in Texas doing some manager training. Kayla has been crashing in bed with me. If I said it was only for her benefit, I'd be lying. Truth is . . . I enjoy it just as much. I know one day I'll long for the days when she actually WANTS to spend time with me. She is growing up so fast and, someday soon, I'll probably have to take 2nd place to her friends and social life.

It's hard to believe I now have a 7 year old. How did that happen?? When did she stop being a baby? Who is this little girl who LOVES peace signs and begs to go to the store to get "nails"? As much as I enjoy this time, a big part of misses the toddler of just a few years ago.

We spent the day with Janeen and Hensley over the weekend. It was nice to hang out with them for a while. We mostly just hung around the house but it was pleasant and relaxing. However, I woke up yesterday morning with some stomach problems and had to stay home from work for another day. Apparently several in Janeen's family fell ill as well. I think we may have contracted something through our food. The illness left as quick as it came.

It's off to bed for me. My sweet "Bean Machine" is beside me snoring away (she's her father's daughter). Two more sleeps until Daddy comes home . . . that's what she told me on the way home from school. She may be getting bigger by the day, but her innocence still hangs on.

Michaels . . .

You know . . the arts & crafts store? Well . . Kayla is absolutely obsessed with this place. Every time she gets so much as a dollar in her hands, she starts planning her next trip there. Grandma Sharon gave her a $20 bill before she left and Kayla about drove herself crazy thinking of everything she could buy. They have a lot of $1 items at Michaels and Kayla loves getting as many as she can. At her age, it's all about quantity. She measures her shopping success by the number of bags she has when she walks out the door.

I have to say, she comes by it naturally. I LOVE my crafts. In fact, I could do some kind of craft all day every day and be absolutely content. There's something about creating something with your own hands that feels so rewarding.

Last night, I decided to make the hall closet my "craft closet". I cleared out everything and started moving my craft stuff in there. I am so excited to FINALLY have my own little space to store all the little craft treasures I find. Kayla was equally excited about the new "craft closet". I think she's envisioning the hours of fun we'll have at Michaels filling it up.

But, this week . . . no crafts will be done. :-( It's year-end TARP week at Oxy which means I'm working dusk till dawn. We should be wrapping this thing up by Thursday afternoon . . . just in time to enjoy my usual Friday 1/2 day. Hmmm . . . now that I think of it . . . I might just make a trip to Michaels that day.

Another Holiday Season Gone . . .

Now it's back to the daily grind. I've had 2 weeks off at work and I'm back today . . feeling quite refreshed. The holiday break was nice . . but a bit crazy at the same time.

Grandma Sharon was scheduled to arrive on Christmas Eve. However, Old Man Winter decided to bless us with a blizzard on Christmas Eve so Grandma Sharon had to wait in the Dallas airport for 24 hours to get a flight to Tulsa. She arrived Christmas EVENING around 7:00. What a bummer!!! Once she got here, we had a great time. It's always nice having Grandma Sharon around. Larry love to get actual home-cooked food and Kayla loves being spooled . . and I just like having someone around who doesn't expect anything from me! In fact, "Mommy" just takes over when she comes and practically takes care of us all. We did a LOT of shopping and house decorating and cooking and cleaning. She had to return to Corpus Christi on Friday, January
1st and we already miss her.

Kayla?? Well . . let's just say that Kayla is going through a particularly ornery stage. She's got a sassy little mouth on her and, at this point, I'm scared to see what she'll be like as a teenager. She was just a little pain in the rear most of the break. I think she was a bit over-stimulated by all the goings on as her behavior improved drastically after we dropped Grandma Sharon at the airport and it was just her and I for a while. But . . . regardless . . . I love her . . . ornery behavior and all.

For Christmas, Kayla got A LOT of stuff. Santa tends to go a bit overboard. He brought her a 3-drawer rolling cart FULL of Arts & Crafts stuff. Kayla LOVES to do Arts & Crafts. In fact, she'd be just fine without any toys as long as she had supplies to make her wonderful creations. I love that quality in her. She loves to use her imagination.

I do plan to add some holiday photos soon. I've got them all on my camera just waiting to be downloaded. Right now, I'm focusing on a few resolutions. I resolve to be a more patient mother and wife. I resolve to get my fat butt in shape and slim in 2010 (hey, that rhymes!). I resolve to keep myself organized and not procrastinate. I hope that I can look back next year and be proud of myself for reaching my goals. We shall see!!