Ten

Today is our tenth wedding anniversary.  It seem like ten years can't possibly have passed already; at the same time, it doesn't seem like ten years could possibly be enough time to hold all that we've experienced as a couple.

We had a lot going against us in the beginning...at least in other people's eyes.  For starters, there was that age thing.  On our wedding day, I was 36, but Shane was only 23.  Shane's family, more than my own, didn't think it would work for that reason alone.  That he picked me up in a bar (or was it me who picked him up?) was another factor, because, you know, those kind of relationships never work out.  The fact that ours was a whirlwind romance...he moved in with me four days after we met and we were married eight months later...meant we couldn't possible know each other well enough to get married.

But wed we did, and wed we remain.  And some of those naysayers are even starting to come around to the idea. 

A couple of nights ago, we were making a list of all the things we have now that we didn't have then.  Some things are obvious, like the 40 pounds each of has gained, but some of the other things we came up with aren't as visible, such as the lessons we've learned about money.  Some of the things we have now are precious, like Kat, and some are mundane, like our front-loading washing machine.  Things like eyeglasses, scars, and the aches and ailments we now have had yet to show up in 2000.  We have different vehicles and a different home than we did a decade ago.  We now have cats and a pop-up camper.  We have a better relationship with my daughter than we did ten years ago and we have a son-in-law now.  We have skills and experience we didn't have then.  In ten years, we've grown closer as a couple and more confident as individuals.

In other words, he have a lot now that we didn't have then, and good or bad, I wouldn't trade any of it.

I may be the wife, but I'm not "the romantic one" in this relationship.  So for me to say I love and respect Shane even more now than I did ten years ago...well that's pretty darn mushy.

But it's true.

All About Kat

Lately, Kat has been asking me to take pictures of her...or her creations...and "put them online".  I'm not sure if she understands, exactly, what online is, but she wants them on the computer one way or another.

Also lately, there seems to be a little confusion among at least a couple of my newer readers (and maybe the long-timers, too) about just who Kat is.  I figured I'd kill two birds with one stone and write a post all about Kat.

Kat is my granddaughter and Shane's step-granddaughter.  Her mother is my daughter Jean (not her real name, of course).  Kat has lived with us full-time since Easter of 2007, and by mutual agreement with Jean, legal guardianship was transferred us a few months ago.  This allows us to enroll her in school, seek medical care for her, and to insure her.  Kat spends time with her mom and step-dad (I haven't come up with a pseudonym for him yet) every other weekend and sometimes in between.

Kat is six years old and will tell anyone who will listen that her birthday is on the Fourth of July.  She is currently wrapping up first grade where she loves music, but hates P.E.  She has recently become a reader, so now I have to watch what I write because she can read this blog over my shoulder.  In the past month or so, she lost her first two baby teeth, which earned her some much needed spending money (garage sales are coming up, you know).

Kat's favorite TV shows are Dirty Jobs,  How It's Made and America's Funniest Home Videos, but she also likes almost all cartoons.  Her favorite books are Junie B. Jones and Skippyjon Jones, although she's not related to either of them.

Kat loves cats.  She wouldn't be a part of this family if she didn't.  Here is a picture of her with our youngest cat, Swiper.

She also likes horses. Here is a horse and carriage she made with Legos.

Here is a kitchen she made with Legos, too.

Here she is swinging upside down...

and another shot of her on top of her fort that Pepaw (Shane) built.

Once in a while, she stops playing and does a little work. Here she is helping to build a garden bed.

So now you know all about Kat!  Stay tuned...you're sure to see more of her soon.

Well, Since You Asked...

I knew someone would read yesterday's post and stir up trouble by asking what *I* do with my spare time.

Thanks a lot Lisa...the answer is "not a darn thing because I get Shane to do it all for me!"



Seriously, my daily routines have changed a little since he's been home. It's actually more difficult for me to find time to write blog posts and read other blogs. I'm still getting those things done, but not at my usual leisurely pace, because Shane wants time on the computer, too. (We only have one computer).

When I haven't been competing for computer time, I've been spring cleaning the house (3-1/2 rooms down, 2-1/2 to go), listing items for sale on eBay, preparing our tax returns, cooking our dinners and breakfasts, reading for fun and knowledge, and working on this afghan (I finally made it to the point I'm joining all the medallions together).

I've been planning menus, watch-dogging our spending, submitting applications for part-time jobs, organizing my craft supplies and playing lots of games (this game we got for Christmas is our favorite).

Also, I've taken more afternoon naps than usual. This happened especially during the coldest days of winter break when Kat was also home with us. We simply didn't keep to much of a schedule...we ate when we were hungry, we slept when we were tired, regardless of what the clock said. I told Shane that aside from the fact that Kat was home with us, it was a little preview of what our lives might be like when he retires. We're looking forward to it.

Special Thanks To Betty Crocker & Duncan Hines

Happy Birthday to Shane!

This cake is in no way made from scratch,
but I don't think he minded.

A - My Name Is Annie

I'm Annie. If you've read my first post, you know that's not my real name. But it's a name I've used before. It used to be my bar name. You know, the "I'm not sure I like you or trust you, so I'll give you a fake name" name that you use when a guy at the bar is hitting on you.

My husband, whose name is not really Shane, often reminds me that I didn't tell him my name was Annie, and that I must have liked and trusted him from the very beginning. But it wasn't that; I just thought he had a nice butt and wanted to get to know him better.

Apropos of nothing, I'm 13 years older than Shane. Some people find that fact amazing, perverted, amusing.

Jean is our daughter. Don't ask about that name, because I'm not telling, other than it doesn't fit her personality at all. Jean lives near us, and her name may occasionally come up on the blog, but she likely won't be a major player.

Our granddaughter is Kat. Her real name doesn't easily lend itself to a nickname, and she loves cats, so Kat it is.

Kat lives here with us, along with our other cats, Mars and Tuxie. Those are their real names, and if someone can find us using our cats names, then congrats to them...and may they get a real life.

Our last name is Jones, of course. Smith was already taken.

Blogging With A Purpose

Some of you already know me from blogs I've had in the past. While they were fun for a while, they became, for me, a waste of time. Please note the for me in that last sentence; I'm not saying that blogging is a waste of time, and I enjoy reading all kinds of blogs. But, for me, the type of blogging I was doing had lost it's meaning. It was no longer entertaining to me, it wasn't therapeutic, and I had reached a point that I wondered if my readers were getting anything out of it.

Apparently they were, as both of the blogs that I left up are still getting quite a few hits daily, although I've not posted anything new for many weeks. One, a recipe blog, is still getting so many hits that I've finally decided to go forward with this blog idea. It's one I've had in mind for a quite a long while.

Introducing Real Life Living!

Real Life Living is our account of making a home and making a life. It goes beyond the recipes and the homemaking tips (although they'll be here), and beyond all the crazy ways we save money on home improvements (they'll be here, too). It goes deep into the heart of our goal to eventually live a simple, frugal, and one day (hopefully soon) debt-free life.

It will not only be an account of our progress toward that goal, but it will also keep us accountable to ourselves. We've made mistakes. Some HUGE, H-U-G-E mistakes, both during our marriage and before we ever met. And we're bound to make more. But we're going to admit those mistakes, own up to them. And move on, hopefully with lessons having been well-learned. Like everyone else, our mistakes make us feel embarrassed for a while, but in knowing we'll be sharing them with our readers, maybe we'll take more care to not make them in the first place.

But we are only human, and that's where the Real Life part comes in. We aren't going to beat ourselves up over them. We're just going to deal with them and move on.

You may be wondering, since we're giving such lip service to honesty, why we aren't using our real names. It's because, unfortunately, not everyone nosing around the blogosphere has good intentions, and employers don't always think kindly when their employees author blogs. While my husband's name is not entirely uncommon (in fact there is "another one" right here in our city), our daughter's and granddaughter's names, as well as my own, are very unique. We'd simply be too easily found if anyone were looking. So, our names have been changed, but I swear that everything else is true.

That's about it. Hope you'll stick around, and even add your 2¢ worth. If you're really frugal-minded, though, a penny will do.