LOL. Check out the cute polymer clay figurine that my friend Constance made....

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Snider Surprise Shower

As most of you know, our friends Dottie and Winston are adopting a baby girl from Guatemala. She is expected to be home soon, we don't have an exact date yet, but I wanted to have a shower for both of them. Since our friends and relatives are mostly on the East coast, I invited everyone practically everyone in the finance department. We have befriended a good amount of people in the Texas office and we realized just how many of them 'care' about us.
The baby shower was scheduled for today and I set it up to be a surprise. And it was. Everyone did a great job in keeping it secret.

What to do...

It is raining and 38 degrees...I thought it wasn't supposed to be cold in Texas???

What do you do on a day like this? SHOP!!! Specifically for my hunny-bunny's birthday present. :-) He didn't think I was getting him anything, but anyone that knows me, knows that I don't always do what I am told. Mike ended up with a new, soft pair of moccasin slippers, a pair of Big Dog fun pants, a pair of sweat pants and two pairs of walking shorts. Nothing exciting, but he liked them. I took him out last night to Red Lobster (his choice) and tonight we are going to Hibachi.

I also got our 18 month old niece's Christmas present. I don't want to put what I got here, just in case she is reading this, but I am sure she will love it. :-) I also got my friends, Dottie & Winston, little girl a 'baby's first Christmas' onesie. And let's not forget the yearly donation to the Toys for Tots campaign at work.

Dottie and I started our morning in the car at 7 a.m., heading to Terrell, Texas, to the Tanger Outlet Center. We hit the stores running and didn't look back. We did pretty well. We even decided to go shopping next weekend. Woo Hoo!!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

TEETH

If you are amongst the millions that have false teeth, count yourself as lucky...

I had the silver filling in one of my back molars (#30 to be exact) removed since there was some wear to it and it had a small hole in it. No big deal, or so I thought.
The silver was removed on 10/31. No candy for me for Halloween. :-(
I had pain the whole weekend. So I called and went back in. They desensitized it (whatever that means) and that did not work.
I called again on 11/9. He did an emergency root canal. Ok. That was more painful than I remember. I had another weekend of pain.
Then on 11/14 he finishes the root canal. Yes...finishes. Apparently on the 9th, he only did a portion of it so I wouldn't be in so much pain. Well...had I known that I would have almost 3 weeks of this crap, I would have endured the pain and left it be.
On the 14th, when he finished it, he said that my roots were not working 'with' him and that they were so skinny and really holding on. Great! He told me that I have three roots in that tooth and he only did one on the 9th and the other 2 on the 14th. I was at the dentist office for over 2 hours. It is now the 17th and I still have pain and I still can not chew on the right side.
Now I go back in on the 20th and they will be placing the permanent crown on that tooth. That was the whole goal, just replace the filling with a crown.

I HATE GOING TO THE DENTIST. The worst part of this story....I loved going to the dentist in PA. I looked forward to the cleanings and I haven't had work done on any teeth for about 7 or 8 years. Then I come to Texas......

Hawaii

One of the many beautiful flowers on Maui. The view of the Pacific Ocean from our hotel room.

October 21st to 27th...we were in Hawaii, Maui to be exact. We stayed at the Westin. We celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary on the 25th. Mike had already set up our evening activities for the week. Monday and Thursday we went to Luau's. Tuesday we went on a dinner cruise. Wednesday went on a driving tour, The Road to Hana. Friday we ate at a nice restaurant in Lahaina called David Paul's.

More pictures to come. If you can't wait, check out our pictures on flickr at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikekoch/

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Mysterious Blobs at Lake Grapevine

The "thing" at the lake is really a freshwater invertebrate called moss animals.

Each "blob" is a colony of millions of tiny organisms called zooids. The colony exudes a protective gelatinous material that makes it resemble a big ball of jelly. They eat the microscopic plants and stuff that is floating in the water. They clean the water. When they dry up, they turn to a paper like substance that crumbles and disintegrates. They cause no harm and their presence signifies good water quality.

http://cbs11tv.com/slideshows/local_slideshow_255170004

Lake Grapevine

Mike and I went to Little Pete's to check on the water levels. The boat ramps are still closed and some of the picnic areas are still water covered. The water level at the dam is down to 46 feet. The highest we saw it was 55 feet. Last year I remember it being at 32 feet. A lot of the trees are still in the water. As you can see, Little Pete's had to make a make shift bridge to get to the restaurant. We found this 'thing' at the lake attached to a stick, we aren't sure what it is.

Elaine's Quilt

I have finally finished the "Mile A Minute" quilt that Barbara and I started about 3 years ago. It is all the scraps that she had left from the quilts that she has created. When her and Jack still lived in Drums, PA, we started the quilt. It is not very large, only 39" x 46", large enough to cover up on a chilly nite. Not like we get too many of those in Texas. :-)
Here I am sewing the strips together. Barbara and I in her sewing room in South Carolina. The label was created by Barbara on her sewing machine. And of course, the finished project.

Harry Potter

I finally finished the newest Harry Potter book. OMG!!!! What an awesome story. During the time I was reading, I would often giggle and Mike would just look at me funny. There were many times I said 'get the hell out' while I was reading and I would get another look from Mike. I can't even talk to him about this book. If I do, so many things will be revealed that the movies will be tainted, since he doesn't read the series. I wishs this series would go on forever!!

I found this spoiler info online....enjoy.

SPOILER ALERT!!

Finished ‘Potter’? Rowling tells what happens next

Exclusive: Author gives details on events after the book’s final epilogue By Jen Brown
TODAYShow.com contributor
Updated: 6:38 a.m. CT July 26, 2007

Spoiler alert: This story reveals some key plot points in the final Harry Potter book. So if you've haven't finished the book, J.K. Rowling asks that you not read this story.

If you found the epilogue of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” rather vague, then J.K Rowling achieved her goal.

The author was shooting for “nebulous,” something “poetic.” She wanted the readers to feel as if they were looking at Platform 9¾ through the mist, unable to make out exactly who was there and who was not.

“I do, of course, have that information for you, should you require it,” she told TODAY’s Meredith Vieira rather coyly in her first interview since fans got their hands on the final book.
Ummm … yes, please.

Rowling said her original epilogue was “a lot more detailed,” including the name of every child born to the Weasley clan in the past 19 years. (Victoire, who was snogging Teddy — Lupin and Tonks’ son — is Bill and Fleur’s eldest.)
“But it didn’t work very well as a piece of writing,” Rowling said. “It felt very much that I had crowbarred in every bit of information I could … In a novel you have to resist the urge to tell everything.”
But now that the seventh and final novel is in the hands of her adoring public, Rowling no longer has to hold back any information about Harry Potter from her fans. And when 14 fans crowded around her in Edinburgh Castle in Scotland earlier this week as part of TODAY’s interview, Rowling was more than willing to share her thoughts about what Harry and his friends are up to now.

Harry, Ron and Hermione
We know that Harry marries Ginny and has three kids, essentially, as Rowling explains, creating the family and the peace and calm he never had as a child.

As for his occupation, Harry, along with Ron, is working at the Auror Department at the Ministry of Magic. After all these years, Harry is now the department head.

"Harry and Ron utterly revolutionized the Auror Department,” Rowling said. “They are now the experts. It doesn’t matter how old they are or what else they’ve done.”

Meanwhile, Hermione, Ron’s wife, is “pretty high up” in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, despite laughing at the idea of becoming a lawyer in “Deathly Hallows.”

“I would imagine that her brainpower and her knowledge of how the Dark Arts operate would really give her a sound grounding,” Rowling said.

Harry, Ron and Hermione don’t join the same Ministry of Magic they had been at odds with for years; they revolutionize it and the ministry evolves into a “really good place to be.”

“They made a new world,” Rowling said.

The wizarding naturalist Luna Lovegood, the eccentric Ravenclaw who was fascinated with Crumple-Horned Snorkacks and Umgubular Slashkilters, continues to march to the beat of her own drum.

“I think that Luna is now traveling the world looking for various mad creatures,” Rowling said. “She’s a naturalist, whatever the wizarding equivalent of that is.”

Luna comes to see the truth about her father, eventually acknowledging there are some creatures that don’t exist.

“But I do think that she’s so open-minded and just an incredible person that she probably would be uncovering things that no one’s ever seen before,” Rowling said.

Luna and Neville Longbottom?
It’s possible Luna has also found love with another member of the D.A.

When she was first asked about the possibility of Luna hooking up with Neville Longbottom several years ago, Rowling’s response was “Definitely not.” But as time passed and she watched her characters mature, Rowling started to “feel a bit of a pull” between the unlikely pair.

Ultimately, Rowling left the question of their relationship open at the end of the book because doing otherwise “felt too neat.”

Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom: “The damage is done.”

There is no chance, however, that Neville’s parents, who were tortured into madness by Bellatrix Lestrange, ever left St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies.

“I know people really wanted some hope for that, and I can quite see why because, in a way, what happens to Neville’s parents is even worse than what happened to Harry’s parents,” Rowling said. “The damage that is done, in some cases with very dark magic, is done permanently.”

Rowling said Neville finds happiness in his grandmother’s acceptance of him as a gifted wizard and as the new herbology professor at Hogwarts.

The fate of Hogwarts
Nineteen years after the Battle of Hogwarts, the school for witchcraft and wizardry is led by an entirely new headmaster (“McGonagall was really getting on a bit”) as well as a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. That position is now as safe as the other teaching posts at Hogwarts, since Voldemort’s death broke the jinx that kept a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor from remaining for more than a year.

While Rowling didn’t clarify whether Harry, Ron and Hermione ever return to school to finish their seventh year, she did say she could see Harry popping up every now and again to give the “odd talk” on Defense Against the Dark Arts.

More details to come?
Rowling said she may eventually reveal more details in a Harry Potter encyclopedia, but even then, it will never be enough to satisfy the most ardent of her fans.

“I’m dealing with a level of obsession in some of my fans that will not rest until they know the middle names of Harry’s great-great-grandparents,” she said. Not that she’s discouraging the Potter devotion!

“I love it,” she said. “I’m all for that.”

Spiderzrule

Spiderzrule
See more about this spider by clicking on the link.

This 'lovely' spider has created a huge web behind Barbara and Jack's house. There is a smaller version in the front in the flower box. When I first "googled" the spider, I thought it was a venomous spider, but I dug deeper and this is what is here. Enjoy.

Fun in Myrtle Beach South Carolina

We took Sugar to the beach after 5 p.m. The beach was Cherry Grove Beach, which is above Myrtle Beach. She had fun walking on the beach The tide had come in and left a gully of water. I encouraged her to walk in that. She wasn't interested in the water, but she didn't get out of it too quick either. :-)
Here is Mike and Sugar walking on the beach and what she looked like afterward. She was so full of sand that when we got back I put her in the shower. If you click on the pictures, you can see how much sand is on Sugar's face.

My name is Turtle, Myrtle the Turtle

This is Myrtle the Turtle. She was created at Teddy Town at Barefoot Landing. I was going to create a bear at Build-a-Bear, but they had lines that were 2 hour waits. No thanks.
Barbara created a bear to put her daughter's christening dress on and her name Dilly. She has one with her son's outfit on it. The two of them are sitting on a chair in the living room, looks really cute.
I was going to get a t-shirt that had Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, but I didn't want to cover her shell. She is really cute and very cuddly. :-)
She will be sitting on the futon in the beach room next to Columbus the bear, from Columbus, Ohio. (do you sense a theme?)

More Creations

I have gone crazy with creativity since Tuesday. Here are some pictures of all the earrings and bracelets that I have made. I haven't had the nerve to do a necklace yet...that is much more involved.

Some of my creations from my Birthday gifts

Birthday gift

Mike asked me what I wanted for my birthday and I honestly couldn't say. We are a bit spoiled. When we want something, we usually just go get it. (Check out Mike's blog, you will understand what I mean.) http://mike.mikekoch.org
I suggested that I go to Michael's and get some beads and jewelry making supplies. So, I spent $67 on Tuesday night and tonight I made my first creation. Here are some pictures of my work-space. I used the kitchen table for now, but will be heading up to the craft-room soon.
The earrings are Sterling Silver hooks and the bracelet has long, silver beads, crystal -like pearls and the larger beads are a brown/black/clear bead.

Movies....

Since Mike has canceled all of our movie channels (HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, and Starz), we have seen more movies in the last two weeks than we have all year.

Die Hard 4 - no f-words, but it was GREAT!!! I love the Mac guy. :-)
Transformers - totally awesome special effects

Ghost Rider - AWESOME!!!!
The Prestige - intriguing, liked it.
Breach - Not bad...considering it was political and government related. ;-)
Night at the Museum - funny...not a huge stiller fan, but it was good.
Happy Feet - very cute
Talladega Nights - only parts of it was funny, the rest, not so much
Dejavu - pretty cool, liked it.

So...as you can see, we have been busy.

Independence Day!!

Happy 4th of July!!!

We started our day going to Lake Grapevine to check out the rising waters...wow!! Little Pete's is a floating restaurant that we frequented last year. During that time, the 'gang plank' to get to the restaurant sank down into the water and there was a drop of about 15 feet. Two or three weeks ago, that same gang plank was straight across. Today, the whole parking lot is under water, the rock waterfall that is at the end of the parking lot is underwater, the electric lines are attached to styrofoam floaters, and they have a floating walkway that extends around 150 to 200 feet. They nailed sheets of wood for a walkway and 2 x 4's for railing to huge pieces of styrofoam to float out to the end of their driveway. Walking across the walkway was weird. It was very wobbly and at some spots a little nerving. When we drove over the dam, we noticed that the water is now around 53 feet. Last year at this time, it was around 36 feet. All of the access to the lake has been blocked. Most of the picnic sites are now under water.

Bailey

Last month Bailey spent a couple nights with us while her Mom and Dad were out of town. As you can see, she and I were very comfortable. :-)

Scraproom

After all the construction and cleaning were completed, Mike suggested that we turn the 'raspberry/blueberry room' into a scraproom instead of another bedroom. We have two bedrooms now, the Safari room and the Beach room. Everyone uses the Safari room, since that has a queen sized bed. Right now, the Beach room has a full sized futon. So...we went to Lowes and got some peg board or the doors, some wire shelving and put everything in place in one Sunday. I ordered the computer stand on line and Mike put it together as soon as it got here and hooked up my PC. My Mac is still down stairs in the office (that is what I am using now), but the PC is for scraping and for ebay-ing. My friend Cindy was up from Houston for the scrapbook convention in Arlington and we just opened up the blinds and organized until our hearts content. There is plenty of room for 3 or 4 scrappers. ;-D

New Shed

Here is our new shed. It is a Tuff-Shed. They came out and leveled up the ground and put the shed together, painted it, and now it is only a quarter of the way full...and our garage is empty. There is a work bench in there the length of the building. There is a skylight and airducts. There is a lot of privacy in it, so if someone were in the pool and wanted to change in the shed, they could. :-)

To My friend

My dear friend Krissy has moved to Virginia to be closer to her family and be with her boyfriend. She left Texas on May 18th. She and I have been very close friends since I first started at the EB home office in 1997. We had 10 wonderful years of good, bad, devastation, overwhelming, trying, crying, dieting, exercising, birthdays, deaths, accidents, marriages, divorces, babies, pets, and love. I miss you Krissy and I love you.
Pictures:
Kris is being a good girl and eating her brocolli at Saltgrass after her workout.
Kris and Josh playing the Wii at Thanksgiving.
Dottie, Me, and Kris at the Gaylord to see the ICE! show.
Krissy and I at our pool party last July.

Updates to come

Really sorry about not updating for a while. We finally got the house cleaned (State Farm paid) and it was cleaned by Nerual's Maid Aid in Keller. The lady in charge, Yvonne, was very nice. She came on a Saturday and had three ladies and a gentleman with her. The WHOLE house was cleaned. The upstairs, stairs, downstairs, dusting, vacuuming, mopping, light fixtures, fan fixtures, sinks, tubs, toilets, EVERYTHING!!! I was in Heaven. :-)
More updates to come. Promise.

Lumberjack Mike

Here is what the tree looked like once Mike got a hold of it. He doesn't have a chain saw, all he used was a small bowsaw. Such a shame, it was a beautiful tree.