tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89970618808209074932024-03-13T08:48:47.102-07:00All About Those ArnoldsThose Arnoldshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02307567652083901607noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997061880820907493.post-23011617907355499972012-01-16T16:18:00.000-08:002012-01-16T16:22:53.166-08:00adieuI am saying goodbye...at least for now, to this blog. The idea of a family blog was not a bad idea. But sadly, I have lost enthusiasm as I stuggled to keep up and get approval for what I wish to post. I am starting a blog, all my own. One I can spend my own views and opinions in without fear of angering or annoying anyone (I hope!)<br />So, it's onto new things. The time seems right since it is a new year and since neither I nor anyone else have not posted on the family blog for many months now...Those Arnoldshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02307567652083901607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997061880820907493.post-64778704652923326482011-02-27T19:27:00.000-08:002011-02-27T19:43:25.590-08:00G'la: My year of Restoration, Renewal. Refreshment.There are only a few hours left in my 50th year. When I wake up tomorrow, I will be 51. So of course, at the moment, I am savoring the last little bits of my jubilee year. <br />I remember how intrigued I was when I first heard the story from the Old Testament about how every 50th year was very special in God's order of things. I have always like the idea of how in the Lord's economy, claims on people and land were not without an end. <br />It stood to reason then, that in my 50th year, I would seek to be freed of some things. I cast some old habits aside. I let go of some traditions that were more stressful than meaningful. I tried to edit from my life some things that were stressful period.<br />This year, I am looking to replace those things with others that are useful, helpful, peaceful. I am looking at who and what in my life would provide the most restoration: from grueling schedules and a harsh world. Renewal: of those things which mean something and need to be kept. Refreshment: frequent fostering of myself, my health, my relationships...<br />the third word (refreshment) I picked up at a Bible study on the book of Isaiah I am currently participating in. The word keeps coming up in the text of our lessons and from the words of Scripture. <br />In the nursery, we used to have those little shortbread cookies with the hole in the middle. I remember putting them on my fingers (as did many others) and eating around the edges of the cookie until it was gone. That was what refreshment constituted back in the day. <br />I still like shortbread, but these days, I am leaning toward the spiritual kind of nourishment to the soul. I would trade koolaid or fruit juice anytime, for a drink of the Living Water. <br />I say this to explain why I am looking forward to 51. I didn't expect to, necessarily. But fifty was so good to me, how could I not...Those Arnoldshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02307567652083901607noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997061880820907493.post-15797728071985476942011-02-01T22:03:00.000-08:002011-02-01T22:07:59.833-08:00heart monthit's officially february. since the month is short i am going to try and fill as much love into it as possible. i have dubbed it, in my mind, heart month. just as i count my blessings in november, so i ponder the things i love most in february.<br />here is my list: begun today and carried through the end of the month.<br />1. I love God. I am so thankful to call Him my Father. I am the child of the Most High God through the sacrifice of His son, my Savior, Jesus. My love for Him grows daily. All else is seen through a lens of that love...Those Arnoldshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02307567652083901607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997061880820907493.post-36006688288543232852011-01-31T20:57:00.000-08:002011-01-31T21:09:29.745-08:00goodbye to january 2011in just a few minutes, it will be no longer be january 2011. i cannot say that i am sorry to say goodbye, for a long, hard month january 2011 has been. as i write this, it is sleeting hard outside. shards of ice hitting the glass of the windows sharply. i am thankful to be safe and warm inside from temperatures that may set new records.<br />i am thankful, too, that there are, among the harshness, some goodness and joy. those are what i will recall here and endeavor to remember...Those Arnoldshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02307567652083901607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997061880820907493.post-33922883687511997212011-01-10T19:42:00.000-08:002011-01-10T20:13:14.949-08:00Adventures in the New Year (already)If the first few days of the new year are any indication, 2011 will be a year of adventure. We rang in the new year at home with good friends. A surprise visit from an auld acquaintance was the highlight of New Year's Day. We sent off the weekend with the celebration of our Amy's 30th Birthday, an event we called "Amy in Wonderland." The birthday girl's little sister and her bff pulled out all the stops on decorations. A good time was had by all..<br />A cold artic blast, a dusting of snow, several long days and nights necessitated by huge dockets and a local crime spree followed. The second weekend of the new year we spent recovering from the first weekend and week. <br />My hope is that soon we will be settling down to a familiar routine. But I am generally up for adventure...Those Arnoldshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02307567652083901607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997061880820907493.post-84348833267840352222011-01-01T21:03:00.001-08:002011-01-01T21:14:45.707-08:001-1-11; the start of a good year!New Year's Day, 2011.<br />Seminole, Oklahoma.<br />There's been 15 bean soup simmering in the crock pot all day. A group of friends said goodbye to the old year and hello to the new at midnight with sparkling cider, good music and conversation. We watched the Tim Burton version of "Alice in Wonderland" in anticipation of Miss Amy Elizabeth Arnold's 30th birthday party, which has an "Alice" theme. Amy's Daddy and her niece, Miss Emma Elizabeth Arnold, went to Edmond to pick her up, while others of us (Amy's mama and sister and our good friend Alicia) worked on decorations for the party. <br />Our friend Charley Taylor came to spend the afternoon with us. Charley and Amy share the same birthday so it was only fitting that we take the two of them out to dinner. More good conversation and a lot of laughs (as is always the case when Charley is around) were the highlights of the evening, along with some chinese food. <br />Because of the soup, it smells like New Year's Day. Because of the company and talk of news and resolutions, it sounds like New Year's. A shiny arrangement and our own rendering of the Baby New Year, make it look like New Year's. <br />If today is an indication, as it is said to be, of the course of the year, it will be a good one.Those Arnoldshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02307567652083901607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997061880820907493.post-89618783678839261782010-12-29T12:27:00.001-08:002010-12-29T12:38:40.220-08:00yuletide's endingi am listening to my favorite Christmas cd's one last time as i pack away the decorations. the turn around time to have the house ready for yet another big event is short. much like the holiday. the season is too short for me. always. it comes too quickly and leaves as fast! i am putting away the ornaments and Christmas china grudgingly. it will be almost a whole year before i see the nutcrackers and santas again. our beoved nativity. the paper mache angels. i love having them on display. i have sat, more than one evening in december, in the quiet of the house at bedtime, just drinking in the beauty of the lights reflecting off crystal icicles and snowflakes. <br />an amaryllis and two gorgeous poinsettias and some paper whites we planted in november will be the only holiday decor remaining by bedtime tonight. soon the wreaths and swags will be taken down and their hangers gathered to be stored once again. i keep the Christmas cards and letters in a wire basket until new years with the birthday and anniversary cards and graduation and birth announcements that tell the story of the year 2010 in our household. they will be tied with a wide ribbon and stored with those from previous year's, too, soon. <br />i have savored the season. enjoyed it in full, so i should not be so sad to see it ending...yet somehow i amThose Arnoldshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02307567652083901607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997061880820907493.post-41860738897645868452010-11-16T09:51:00.000-08:002010-11-21T22:00:50.278-08:00o what a beautiful morning!This was the scene as I walked outside this morning. A pleasant breeze was blowing leaves of all colors in a swirl around late blooming roses. Bells from a nearby church rang in the distance. The temperature was perfect. Bright sun. Puffy clouds. It was blissful. So much so that I stopped in my tracks and drank it in for several long minutes.<br />Days like this are too rare not to appreciate.<br /><br />Postscript:<br />Evening breeze, full moon, pleasant moments... <br />Just a while ago, Tommy called me to the window to see an amazingly full moon, shining over our church across the street. He walked outside to take some photos and I followed, standing for a moment, once again, to feel a soft wind on my face, to listen to dogs barking somewhere nearby. This gentle fall evening needed recording here, along with a beautiful fall morning...Those Arnoldshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02307567652083901607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997061880820907493.post-51287807031962493962010-10-01T16:13:00.000-07:002010-10-01T16:27:46.190-07:00fall, ya'll!This is how I know autumn has truly arrived:<br />As I write this, the husband is in the front yard planting red mums. The sedum is blooming. I have just planted yellow and purple ones in the back. There is a fat pumpkin waiting to be carved and a flat of pansies waiting to be planted. I am waiting on caramel to melt for the honeycrisp apples that will serve as dessert tonight at the football game. Meatpies, the ballgame entree, are about to go into the oven. My baby, who cheered for four years at the stadium we will be sitting in is now a senior in college. She is on her way home to watch her cousin Trey play for the Chieftains, as his brother Jon, did before him.<br />Soon the band will be warming up and the announcer will be doing his "testing 1,2,3.." <br />Much is as it has been for many autumns.<br />Other things are different. Some of the faces change, some are perennial.<br />Some of the colors, at least at our house, are different this year. <br />The grandbaby insisted upon yellow mums. I tried to talk her into purple. I have always favored purple. "I thought purple was your new favorite color," I said to her.<br />"I weely, weely , want yewwow," said she, hence the yellow pansies, along with yellow mums for the back yard this year. She also picked out a purple mum. The rabid LSU fans in our family would approve. The Boomer Sooners will be fine about it, since the front is sporting crimson.Those Arnoldshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02307567652083901607noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997061880820907493.post-44839398127273469452010-09-06T21:44:00.000-07:002010-09-06T22:00:43.427-07:00so long to summer 2010according to my calendar (the one i've carried in my head since childhood) tomorrow marks the first day of fall. the tuesday after labor day is the day i have long recognized as the official end to summer. <br />though i am putting away my white shoes and my white slacks, it will be a while, if the current temperatures are any indication, before we exchange sandals for boots. back to school and/or the start of the football season, mark the change of the seasons from summer to fall for a lot of people, but not me. when the clock strikes midnight, in just a few minutes, i will declare it to be autumn, 2010, though only the two maltipoos here on the couch with me will hear. (and yes, i think i know how little they care!)<br />with only 10 minutes remaining of summer 2010, i am going to list the top 10 most remarkable things (at least from my point of view) of this summer. in no particular order:<br />1. the trip by train i took with four friends/colleagues to a conference in boston.<br />2. the whale watching excusion we took while in boston.<br />3. my grandbaby's wild third birthday party.<br />4. a fantastic visit with relatives from louisiana.<br />5. having 7 dogs at one time to care for.<br />6. having my baby home between semesters.<br />7. all of the projects we completed while school was out and i was between jury terms.<br />8. Movies: both watching stacks of home movies for the first time in a very long time and going to see a chick flick with my aforementioned baby daughter and my mama.<br />9. how utterly sad my little kitchen garden has been given numbers 5 and 10.<br />10. the incredible heat. this was, for sure, one of the hottest summers i can recall.Those Arnoldshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02307567652083901607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997061880820907493.post-6880640822422906172010-07-18T19:26:00.000-07:002010-07-18T19:49:47.933-07:00Hello, I'm Bentley...<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PXP5bIbauig/TEO71d-XU7I/AAAAAAAAADc/PoJEQLl_hBQ/s1600/bentley+carlos+arnold.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PXP5bIbauig/TEO71d-XU7I/AAAAAAAAADc/PoJEQLl_hBQ/s320/bentley+carlos+arnold.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495442497575801778" /></a><br />Bentley Carlos Arnold.<br />I am two months old.<br />I was born May 2, 2010 under the potting table in my mom’s back yard. <br />Mom is a blonde lab.<br />They say I look just like my Dad.<br />I have two brothers and a sister.<br />We were supposed to be born on May 5, 2010 which is Cinco de Mayo.<br />My pet, G.G. Arnold and her friends, had Mexican names picked out for us.<br />One chose Jorge. One wanted Jose. And one said Jesus. I like that name. but they named me for a car and someone in a movie. That’s okay. I like the way my little friend Emma says it.<br />My sister lives at Emma’s house, with Emma and her sister and their mama. She is called Evangeline Pink. Her first name is for someone in a movie, too. Her second name is for Emma’s favorite color.<br />One of my brothers is a town dog. He is the color of caramel. He lives in a town where my pet, Katie goes to college. He has the most toys, I think.<br />My other brother is a country dog. He is blonde like our sister and mom. He lives in Bowlegs, Oklahoma. <br />I knew when the big man pet bathed me he was going to keep me. He said he was not playing favorites but that he was worn out after he got me bathed. Some visitors to the house said they knew playing favorites when they saw it.<br />For my one month birthday I got a chew bone. It is a color of blue that some of the people are calling “Bentley Blue.” I also have a collar that is the same color. <br />I am going to be living with Mom in the yard of a cottage house where I was born. that is nostalgic.<br />There are two house dogs at the Nostalgic Cottage. They don’t like me much. I chase them and try to play when they come outside but they nip and yip at me.<br />When I am not chasing the little house dogs, I spend a lot of these dog days of summer under the big magnolia tree, near the potting shed where we were born.<br />It is too hot in Mama's dog house and also in the shed, where the kiddie pool we all once slept in when we were new.<br />When the Big Man Pet waters plants in the evening, I cool off in the water of the garden hose. Maybe he will read this and know I want him to take that garden hose and fill up the nursery pool...Those Arnoldshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02307567652083901607noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997061880820907493.post-3318338188785623602010-06-30T20:07:00.000-07:002010-06-30T20:31:52.124-07:00Silver for bridesWe went to a garden party on Saturday night in the lovely home of a lovely couple a lovely neighborhood. <br />It was, well, lovely.<br />I found myself there, chatting with the honoree, a lovely young attorney, her new husband and the hosts, who recently celebrated their 41st wedding anniversary, discussing wedding gifts.<br />Our gift to the couple was an antique silver tray, bought for them at auction.<br />I was explaining to her that I almost always give silver trays to brides. Though I knew couples just starting out needed linens and appliances that I wanted to give them something they would remember 30 years from now. <br />I spoke this words to her as preface to this story:<br />When I was newly married, almost 34 years ago, a friend of my mother-in-law said to me "where I come from, you just give brides siver!"<br />She said this to me at a bridal tea in which she was the hostess and I was the honoree. <br />As we were the opening gifts to be set out on tables for display, this lovely southern lady added, "I know you need towels and sheets and pots and pans, but 30 years from now you won't remember who gave you those."<br />As she handed me a package she announced prophetically," Honey, you're gonna remember me."<br />Of course, she was right. I do remember her. Everytime I take that tray out to serve cookies at some family event or some event for friends or when my girls have tea cakes or petit fours from that tray, as they have so many times at their tea parties, I think of her. <br />I am not sure whether my young friend will remember me or not. But I do hope she will have a lovely time using the tray.Those Arnoldshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02307567652083901607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997061880820907493.post-24673211880599262782010-04-25T16:58:00.000-07:002010-04-25T17:05:16.748-07:00what makes life "grand"A package went in the mail this week to Florida. It’s contents are for my second grand-niece, who is due in a few months, and for her brother, my eldest grand-nephew. I was in the hall waiting when these children’s dad was born, March 16, 1979. I was 19 and just beside myself as I looked upon the face of Master Lee Thomas Baker.<br />I am 50 now, though I find I am every bit as thrilled regarding the birth of these children as I was the birth of their daddy. I am planning on seeing their little faces in person and soon!Those Arnoldshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02307567652083901607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997061880820907493.post-55716057862609377332010-04-25T16:54:00.000-07:002010-04-25T17:46:18.085-07:00Buttons<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PXP5bIbauig/S9TiTXqgWeI/AAAAAAAAADU/LPyihBm_bRk/s1600/wethreebuttons.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PXP5bIbauig/S9TiTXqgWeI/AAAAAAAAADU/LPyihBm_bRk/s200/wethreebuttons.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464241070304942562" /></a><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PXP5bIbauig/S9TiByvZYuI/AAAAAAAAADM/d0caPePBP00/s1600/ovalbuttons.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 152px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PXP5bIbauig/S9TiByvZYuI/AAAAAAAAADM/d0caPePBP00/s200/ovalbuttons.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464240768335569634" /></a><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PXP5bIbauig/S9The88NWPI/AAAAAAAAADE/05gR2Np11V8/s1600/buttonsandme.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PXP5bIbauig/S9The88NWPI/AAAAAAAAADE/05gR2Np11V8/s200/buttonsandme.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464240169778239730" /></a><br />My first great-niece was born this month. <br />To borrow a phrase from an old birth announcement I saw recently <br />“Mother and baby are doing fine.”<br />The mother is my eldest niece. She is one of only a two niece set. I was standing in the Lincoln General Hospital in Ruston, Louisiana on October 10, 1983, when they brought her out of the delivery room. She had a head full of black hair and was setting up such a howl the nurse could hardly contain her. It was a glorious moment in my life, becoming the aunt of a little girl. I was 23 when I first looked upon the face of Little Miss Kelli Ann Cook (now Rollins.)<br /><br />My niece’s baby girl, her second child, arrived early, quickly, hale and hearty. She is a darling thing. <br />Things are a lot different now than they were in 1983. This time, as with this baby’s brother, we were all allowed access to mother and child almost immediately. <br />Some of the faces surrounding the new baby were the same as when her mother was born, if a bit more weathered, those including my own. It was a sweet gathering of folk. There was laughter and tears. My mother believes she is somehow obligated to cry whenever a baby was born. <br />The baby was so bright eyed as I leaned over and talked to her that I almost wanted to think she understood what I was saying to her. <br />My immediate thought was of how much she looks like her brother. I was glad, as he is a handsome gent. More recently, though, I am thinking she looks like her Nana, my beautiful little sister.<br />She is named for our paternal Grandmother.<br />The best explanation of the naming comes from a post on Facebook my sister sent to a friend who inquired regarding her name, as well as a nickname attached to her before she was born.<br /><br /><br />It reads:<br />"I'm calling her Buttons because when Kelli Ann was debating on whether <br />to name her LilliAnn McKenzie (our adored grandmother's name) she was feeling <br />around for something on top of a shelf in the nursery closet, and an old box of <br />Grandma McKenzie's antique keepsake buttons fell and showered down on her head. <br />After that 'sign' the decision was sealed! "Those Arnoldshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02307567652083901607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997061880820907493.post-28089024754131419472010-04-25T16:44:00.000-07:002010-04-25T16:50:29.582-07:00new.spring. green.It catches me off guard every year. It steals my breath. That glorious first green of Spring. Vivid. Vibrant. I am not sure how to describe it. I am not sure there is a color even in the large box of crayons, the one with a sharpener on the back, that can compare. <br /><br />Only God, the Perfect Painter, could produce a color like that. <br />Juxtaposed against the blue sky and the redbud trees blooming, I never cease to be amazed when first I notice it, especially with new calves and foals, budding trees and flowers in the background, I continue to be amazed until the vibrance moves into summer green. While it lasts, I savor the color, the new Spring green, knowing by now how fleeting it can be.<br /><br />Winter did not finally take her final bow until well into March here.<br />She was a tough old girl. She came early and stayed way late. Parts of her stay were nice:<br />Sledding was fun. Building snow people, too.The board games and suppers by the fire were nice. Having snow on Christmas was nice, even if it did seriously interrupt everyone’s holiday plans. The landscape she painted were extraordinary but she exacted a deep price.<br />Huge chunks are gone from the trunks of the trees in my yard and elsewhere around these parts. The resilience of the trees as they have bloomed, since winter’s departure amazes and inspires. The tulip tree in the front yard and fruit trees all budded out as if they were not maimed by the harshness of her icy touch. Even the daffodils, stricken by her final blast rallied again once the harsh winds settled down and the ice and snow melted.<br />Our blonde lab, whose domain is usually outdoors in the back yard, spent much of the winter inside.<br />The memory of winter has faded, now that we can picnic and fly kites. Our little kitchen garden is ready to plant with tomatoes and herbs and strawberries.<br />Winter seems more remote as Spring takes a firm grasp.Those Arnoldshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02307567652083901607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997061880820907493.post-28937356242603729502010-04-25T16:13:00.000-07:002010-04-25T16:20:49.346-07:00bloggingwhen i started this blog i hoped to post once a week or so. what was i thinking?! surely i was not considering my schedule with a fair amount of objectivity. monthly posts seemed way more reasonable. yet i find i cannot even get them done that often. it all feels akin to new year's resolutions. and since i do not want to carry around more self-induced pressure i am giving myself a break. i am going for seasonally. if i can blog about the highlights of the seasons as they pass i will be well satisfied. we'll see how that goes...Those Arnoldshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02307567652083901607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997061880820907493.post-75857451308022286672010-02-07T19:50:00.000-08:002010-02-07T19:57:35.104-08:00<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PXP5bIbauig/S2-LmMAYy-I/AAAAAAAAAC8/gilXQdq7CJ0/s1600-h/snowbootemma.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 92px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435716763433618402" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PXP5bIbauig/S2-LmMAYy-I/AAAAAAAAAC8/gilXQdq7CJ0/s200/snowbootemma.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PXP5bIbauig/S2-LWqRLB2I/AAAAAAAAAC0/EPk4yLVzl5A/s1600-h/karen+and+amy.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 150px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435716496679176034" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PXP5bIbauig/S2-LWqRLB2I/AAAAAAAAAC0/EPk4yLVzl5A/s200/karen+and+amy.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PXP5bIbauig/S2-K_WD1xGI/AAAAAAAAACs/yjFMOCcqVyo/s1600-h/peekandboo.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 150px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435716096117556322" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PXP5bIbauig/S2-K_WD1xGI/AAAAAAAAACs/yjFMOCcqVyo/s200/peekandboo.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PXP5bIbauig/S2-K0a-RQHI/AAAAAAAAACk/270ygayt9Jo/s1600-h/ee+parade.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 150px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435715908457807986" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PXP5bIbauig/S2-K0a-RQHI/AAAAAAAAACk/270ygayt9Jo/s200/ee+parade.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>I am still waiting for my children to make contributions re: their favorite memories of the Christmas just past...</div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>while I am waiting, I am going to post a few photos that may stir their memories</div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div>Those Arnoldshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02307567652083901607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997061880820907493.post-45491014163972104602010-02-01T18:39:00.000-08:002010-02-01T18:51:33.480-08:00OUR TOP 10 MEMORIES OF CHRISTMAS 2009It's February (as of today) and I have only one of the top 10 to post (but at least I do have one!)<br />That is thanks to my husband, also known as prince charming in these parts. It is sweet and will have to do until we get the ravages of the last winter storm cleared away and can add more. Who knows, maybe the children will even make contributions.<br /><br />Favorite Memory #1 by Tommy/Dad/Grandaddy/G'Daddy/Tomkat/Prince Charming<br /><br />One of the most memorable things of the Christmas season was teaching Emma to sing "Jingle Bells". Each morning I pick her up and take her to the nursery. On the journey from her house to "Mrs. Mary's", we would practice. We could sing throught the song about fives times on our daily trip. Emma got progressively better each week and now enjoys singing the song (even though Christmas has long passed).<br /><br />In January, I began teaching her to sing "Jesus Loves Me". One day she climbed up on the piano bench and said, "G-Daddy, play Jesus Loves Me". You guessed it. I got on the Internet and downloaded the piano music. It has been a long time since I tried to play anything on the piano but we have both practiced. Now Emma can sing Jesus loves me while I play it on the piano. I am wandering, do Emma and I have a future in this business?Those Arnoldshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02307567652083901607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997061880820907493.post-76618876142932047002010-01-30T17:43:00.000-08:002010-01-30T17:48:03.189-08:00post Christmas postTomorrow is the last day of January and I still don't have a Christmas blog post ready. It has been a busy month, but that is not really the reason. The reason is that I am having trouble reducing the fabulous memories we made to a post.<br />This afternoon, as I was contemplating, once again, what to blog, it occurred to me to ask for help. After all, this is supposed to be a family blog. And we are rather housebound (except for a few minutes out in the snow periodically!)<br />So, that's the plan. To elicit contributions from the fam. We'll see how it goes...Those Arnoldshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02307567652083901607noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997061880820907493.post-65661790985558713402009-11-30T20:10:00.000-08:002009-12-01T21:42:26.609-08:00Farewell to Autumn 2009<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PXP5bIbauig/SxX9e-rhwjI/AAAAAAAAACc/Q9S16THI2po/s1600-h/roast.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410509236018987570" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 133px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PXP5bIbauig/SxX9e-rhwjI/AAAAAAAAACc/Q9S16THI2po/s200/roast.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PXP5bIbauig/SxX9RLMbSkI/AAAAAAAAACU/ku5I0IpAzqY/s1600-h/portrait+sitting.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410508998860032578" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PXP5bIbauig/SxX9RLMbSkI/AAAAAAAAACU/ku5I0IpAzqY/s200/portrait+sitting.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>I am always sad to see autumn go. It always seem so short a season! I love the colors and the smells and the sights of fall. I love the events.<br />Today is the last day of this, my favorite season. Tomorrow it is December and the Christmas season begins officially at our house. I love Christmas, too. Yet I really hate to say goodbye to fall.<br />And before I do, I will relive the highlights of autumn 2009, one more time.<br />Here is my top 10 list:<br /><br /><strong>1. The Arts Festival in Chickasha</strong> the first weekend of October was fabulous. The weather was perfect. The company fantastic. The USAO campus is especially beautiful in the fall. We enjoyed the weekend with Katie and Kris, Amy and Emma.<br /><br />2. <strong>My second annual shopping trip</strong> with my friend Shelly is always a great way to kick off the season. We crossed off the stuff on our lists pretty quickly and then started making new discoveries. Our break for lunch at a favorite restaurant accompanied by the handsome and witty Greg Pettigrew was an added bonus. </div><br /><div><br /><br /><strong>3. Sorghum Day</strong> is one of the days Amy Arnold says is “the best of the year!” It’s right up there with Christmas and her birthday, so you know it is something special. The Sorghum Day festival has to be one of the most unique events anywhere. Harry Gray’s commentary from the band stand made this years’ parade especially memorable. There was also a poll conducted along main street regarding which McKenzie sister is the meanest. I am not sure how I could have been declared the winner when even our Mother said it was Johnna.<br />This year, there was no train ride to the barking waters or sorghum coated popcorn to munch on the way and there were no grab bags at Gille’s, but all the other familiar people and things were there – Sooner fans were gathered at Butner & Butner to watch the game, the mules were grinding cane on the grounds of the museum, craft and food booths, Juanita and her famous Indian Tacos…<br /><br />4. <strong>Cookout at Pettigrew Farm.</strong> Right after the Sorghum festival we went to a in Calvin. You gotta love a weiner roast on a crisp October evening. There were guided tours of the acreage, amazing decorations and a black cat piñata that appeared to have more than 9 lives<br /><br />5. <strong>Fall Family Festival at First Baptist Church.</strong> Johnna (the mean sister) and I painted faces again at the Fall Family Festival at church. It is always a delight to see the pleasure the kiddos express with whatever we paint. My attempts are pretty bad in some cases, yet the children don’t seem to mind. Maybe that’s because of all that all that candy they give away at the various booths! Excerpt for the one year I was the keeper of the baby goat at the petting zoo, the face painting task is my favorite assignment.<br />The student ministers and their wives had to have taken the costume prizes/awards. One couple came as Shrek and Fiona and the other as Mario and the princess. Maybe next year I will sport a costume!<br /><br />6. <strong>Football games.</strong> We attended at least on football game played in by my Oklahoma nephews. Trey Ervin is turning out to be quite an athlete. His name sounded over the intercom so often my hands got tired from clapping. I admit to taking pictures of interesting shoes at Trey’s ballgame, but only during breaks in the play on the field.<br />Kassidy Cook did his family proud, too, this season. We attended his last game as a high school player. Tommy and I made our version of Natchitoches meat pies for the game. I didn’t get home in time to make dessert apples so we took red flame grapes and some gingerbread men from the museum bazaar for dessert. Our great nephew Reid did his wolf howl for us several times during the game. I expect his Uncle Kassidy taught him that.<br /><br />7. <strong>Seminole Nation Museum Annual Bazaar. </strong>One of the best days of the year in my book is the aforementioned museum auction. Richard Ellwanger, the director and his devoted volunteers do an amazing job. Penny Claborn, the secretary/bailiff for Wewoka Division of the District Court went with me this year. I think she was a bit taken aback at the rush for cheese apples (cheese balls shaped into the form of apples and garnished with holly leaves) and other signature goodies. The checkout line snaked around to the entrance by the time we got there at 8:40 a.m. Since I have not gotten a call, I can guess I did not win the quilt I bought several chances on. I am told I won yet another set of children’s books this year. I need to remember to pick them up tomorrow…<br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>8. Trips to watch the progress on Cook Chalet, Lake Wewoka.</strong><br />My sister and brother-in-law are building a lake house on what nephew Grayson calls, Aunt Karen's lake. It can't really be called a cabin, so I have dubbed it a chalet. You can see from the photos that it really does look like one. Its location is close enough that I was able to go out on my lunch hour and watch the progress when my schedule has permitted. The shape and plans have been ever changing, often expanding. The creativity of the builder and Kelbo, my brother-in-law who we also call "McGuiver" is pretty amazing to behold.<br /><br />9. <strong>Time in the yard with our grandbaby Emma. </strong>Planting daffodils and chrysanthemums, pansies, cabbage and kale. Picking late fall tomatoes. Watching the leaves fall, the geese fly over and Ellie chasing squirrels. Hearing that laughter as she played chase with the maltipoos or ran in circles. Her collection of gathered acorns…<br /><br />10. <strong>Thanksgiving Day.</strong> This is the third year in a row we've had a student from another country share our Thansgiving celebration. It is always fun to explain the traditions involved with this very American holiday or to look them up when we really are not sure why we do what we do each November. This year, Katie beau Kris Andrews, a native of jolly old England who is here attending college on a soccer scholarship celebrated with us the many reasons we have to be thankful.<br />We watched the Macy's Parade and had brunch including our favorite pumpkin bread and sparkling apple cider. Then we watched the National Dog show. We took turns in the kitchen, each making our favorite recipe to take to the mean sister's house, where we gathered this year.<br />We did not squeeze a nap in, which is unfortunate as poor Amy was so tired by evenings' end and looked so in the photos we took. We made turkey cookies after dinner and lots of memories throughout the day. We made lots of memories throughout the months of autumn.<br /><br />There are a few I would just as soon forget. The days I was sick with swine flu, among them. Ditto for some of the heartbreaking things that have happened in our community, in our family and within our circle of friends and acquaintances. The good news is there were way more happy times than sad ones.<br />Here’s to fall 2009.<br />I’m gonna miss you.</div></div>Those Arnoldshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02307567652083901607noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997061880820907493.post-58733263171657551832009-11-25T17:58:00.000-08:002009-11-25T18:36:42.369-08:00our college cheerleader!<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PXP5bIbauig/Sw3poYb5ARI/AAAAAAAAAB8/UHLTTLiMLoU/s1600/kat+cheerpic.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408235607505305874" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 233px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 259px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PXP5bIbauig/Sw3poYb5ARI/AAAAAAAAAB8/UHLTTLiMLoU/s320/kat+cheerpic.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PXP5bIbauig/Sw3kFTqg-MI/AAAAAAAAAB0/44ZMtWmMVRY/s1600/kdawg.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408229507370907842" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 232px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PXP5bIbauig/Sw3kFTqg-MI/AAAAAAAAAB0/44ZMtWmMVRY/s320/kdawg.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PXP5bIbauig/Sw3jset0srI/AAAAAAAAABs/J2T5kNVI1mA/s1600/katieflips.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408229080840843954" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PXP5bIbauig/Sw3jset0srI/AAAAAAAAABs/J2T5kNVI1mA/s320/katieflips.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div>We attended Katie’s first collegeiate cheerleading event -- a<br />basketball game between USAO Drovers and OSU-OKC last week.<br />We sat behind the cheer coach and watched, as we have so many<br />games before, our baby do what she loves so much – cheer and tumble.<br />It was our second trip to Chickasha recently. On the Thursday before, we attended<br />The basketball kickoff event, called Drover Madness. Katie’s Granny Carol and Pop Buzz, Aunt Karen and Aunt Johnna, cousin Grayson and longtime friend and fellow high school cheerleader Rachel Cleere also drove out to watch the event.<br />Katie has taught us never to believe we are all through with things – there may be another chance waiting around the corner. In her case, the other chances are fabulous. And fun.</div><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div>Those Arnoldshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02307567652083901607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997061880820907493.post-28363281459686101762009-10-04T19:05:00.000-07:002009-10-04T19:17:07.598-07:00postscript on the try-outsThere is good news in the Arnold family-- Amy and Katie were both successful! Amy will be singing a solo part in her choir's fall musical. Katie is now officially a cheerleader at USAO. We celebrated with a visit to Chickasha to visit Katie. On Friday night we had dinner at a steak house in Amber, Oklahoma and then did some shopping at Cato, where Katie works. <br />On Saturday we went to the Arts Festival, where we had a sketch done of Emma, looked at some fantastic art, and had fun looking at antiques downtown. We ate Mexican food and had lots of time to talk about upcoming fall events-- including games where Katie will cheer and that concert-- for which we just may have to hire a bus! The jury is still out on their brother.Those Arnoldshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02307567652083901607noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997061880820907493.post-41248941784747541952009-09-13T18:51:00.000-07:002013-09-29T22:18:19.252-07:00Blog-ability: My Grandmother's Journal<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PXP5bIbauig/Sq2ov59cghI/AAAAAAAAABc/dcHX1THIvTo/s1600-h/gmacollage.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381142670743470610" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PXP5bIbauig/Sq2ov59cghI/AAAAAAAAABc/dcHX1THIvTo/s320/gmacollage.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 162px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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My paternal grandmother was a remarkable woman. She was a woman of profound faith and keen observation. That this is true has rung especially true to me since I began reading her journal for 1960, the year I was born.<br />
My sister found the journal among some of Grandma’s things and brought it to me. She called it a treasure. And so it is.</div>
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The entries begin, of course, on New Year’s Day, which was her wedding anniversary. How she and Grandpa celebrated their day is described, along with the weather, the news of the day, and a host of other things.<br />
It continues, not daily, but frequent entries about things that even these years later are interesting. In her flowing script she records her thoughts on things ordinary and remarkable, things mundane and things spiritual.<br />
There is such depth and such detail.<br />
Among the entries: the weather the day I was born. What flowers bloomed longest that spring. She records my baby milestones - what I did and when I did it but more than that, she records her particular observations about those things.<br />
It really is amazing to read. Reading it has motivated me to do this blog. Maybe a computerized version of her journal will meet the need I feel to record, as she did, the goings on in my life.<br />
I am not tempted to do this recording of things the old fashioned way. My penmanship is not so handsome as hers nor do I have her patience. The occasional few paragraphs about life’s events, though, I think I can handle.<br />
My observations will hardly be so keen as hers, but this will allow me to record certain thoughts and ideas for my own granddaughter, who is now two, and those grandchildren, who, I hope, are to come. </div>
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Those Arnoldshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02307567652083901607noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997061880820907493.post-56912582041952680932009-09-09T18:11:00.000-07:002009-09-09T18:22:41.679-07:00A Family DaySaturday was family day. I love those days. Katie and I brought along a friend. Friends make family days even better, we think.<br />There was some part of the day devoted to every member of our family and certain of our friends.<br />Though before days’ end, we had gotten some framing done – a watercolor/characterture I’d had done of our grandbaby for Tommy’s office and two art prints of the Florabama Coast where we went on vacation and of the Vieux Carre in New Orleans for Katie’s bff) We also picked up some scrapbook items for my bff.<br />We started the day, though, at a shoe sale, where I took pictures of every kind of wild shoe I could find to forward to a friend for her amusement. That friend did not get to come along on the trip, but I wanted to include her somehow. She and I had just discussed a blog where the writer stated what she needed most after a long, hard summer was to be amused. We agreed, so I started the day amusing the both of us with pictures of my feet in shoes I (for the most part) would never buy. I did purchase a pair that are rather out of character for me, mostly because the friend who DID come along has some like them and influenced me.<br />She and I both bought mostly shoes for persons other than ourselves. It was family day, after all. There was also a perfect pair of jeans search that took up part of the day. Lunch was fabulous, except for the guacamole made tableside, which the experts deemed to be too “limey.” The conversation, in particular, was fantastic. Katie discussed her decision to try out for cheerleader. Amy announced that she is auditioning for a solo part in her choir’s next concert. Their brother is auditioning for life. Sadly he ventured near death again recently.<br />The good news is that he decided, given his devotion to a certain female in his life and at the urging of certain strong willed family members/friends, to bring said venture to a close. He continues to struggle with a narcotic addiction that began when, as a young teenager, he suffered the horrific loss of a close friend. He has struggled since then, and struggles still. Recently, he remarked that he realizes he always will.<br />My response sums up something I have learned working with many people with substance abuse and mental health issues. How those came to be is not so much the issue as how they are handled. “Someone with diabetes will likely struggle forever. They have diabetes on Christmas, Thanksgiving, on their birthday and on summer vacation. They will adjust their conduct, their choices from now to the grave, or else they will become sicker and sicker and ultimately, they will die an early death as a result. One has to take responsibility for one’s issues, one’s problems, one’s addictions and diseases. If we do not, they will consume us.”<br />I told him this, quite frankly, as I have many times, I will do all I can to help him be well and healthy, but I cannot; I will not, participate in his destruction.<br />He called as we were leaving to spend the day with his sisters to report he is able to eat again. He believes himself to be making progress. We took change by to him on our way out of the city on Saturday, so he could get vending machine snacks if he wanted them. It was a small gesture, but one intended to encourage him to try out for a life without chemicals.<br />We hope he gets there, or at least decides to commit to the long journey ahead in earnest.<br />As for my darling daughters: I can hardly wait to see Katie tumble across some field or gymnasium floor again. And if Amy gets a solo part, I will be there on the front row to hear her. And I will invite as many of my family and friends as I think would want to go with me.<br />We will make it a family day.Those Arnoldshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02307567652083901607noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997061880820907493.post-13861687495486299372009-09-09T17:16:00.000-07:002009-09-09T18:08:41.332-07:00A blog-worthy day!<div><div><div><div><div><br />My baby started her junior year of college last week. I am still trying to figure out how this happened. It seems like a half hour ago she was starting her first day of kindergarten. I once rolled my eyes when people made statements like that. "Seems just like yesterday..." seemed to be the beginning of many conversations of my grandparents and those of their generation.Maybe it's a rite of passage, repeating phrases like that. I'm not certain.What I am certain of is, the older my Katie gets, the more our time honored traditions mean to me. I know I am showing my age. It was bound to happen. ANd I have been doing a lot of it lately.Case in point: Katie and I have been taking a mother/daughter shopping trip to pick out her first day of school outfit for a long time. It started of necessity, really. Taking three children at once to get things for back for school proved too much for me. I started taking them one at a time, leaving the other two for a day with their Dad. We’d make a day of it. I let them pick their favorite spot for lunch. It was all about them and only them that day.<br /><br />For Katie, this all came after I stopped smocking for her. In the early days, I would let her pick the smocking plate she wanted and I would spend a good part of the summer making her first day of school frock.<br /><br />That ended the year we went from dresses to a top that she says resulted in the longest school day of her life. It was made of chambray, done in her school colors and featured the school mascot, Stars. I thought it was darling, but apparently I was the only one. I recall her telling the sad tale to a friend one night at church. She can comment further on that if she chooses. Suffice to say, after the smocked star shirt, we started getting her first day of school like her sister and brother did, at the all-about-you back to school shopping trip. </div><div> </div><div> </div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379638374751932898" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 294px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PXP5bIbauig/SqhQmWsmEeI/AAAAAAAAABE/OlaPtWx_zzk/s320/katie+star+collage.jpg" border="0" /></div><div> </div><div>Now fast forward to 2009. She is about enter her junior year of college. She has attended Summer school (yes, she did get a first day of summer school dress) and we plan our day together. She goes by a professor’s office to check on a grade and mentions she is leaving to meet her mom to get pick out a back to school outfit.<br /><br />“Ya’ll still do that?!” was the professor’s response. “Of course” said my Katie.<br /><br />We spent most of the day in darkened shops featuring loud music and clerks with astonishing hair color (at least to me!) She picked the lunch spot, just like old times. Then we went on a hunt for just the right supplies – each year has a theme, you know. And while we are way past Disney characters and Barbie, a certain shade of pink (we call it Katie pink) we have not outgrown.<br />My sister wished us a “blog-worthy” day, knowing that I just started this blog thing (since her own daughter taught me how.) And it was a fabulous day. Me and my baby. Just like old times.</div></div></div></div></div>Those Arnoldshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02307567652083901607noreply@blogger.com0