Winter Wonderland

Well, here it is, the beginning of Spring and we're having another round of Winter weather! Last week it was warm and we were all enjoying being outside. Yesterday, in a matter of 8 hours, we had 8 inches of snow on the ground! What a difference a day can make. It was the strangest weather system I have ever seen (and I've seen a lot of strange weather in Oklahoma). In the state of Oklahoma, simultaneously in one day, the northwest part of the state had blizzard conditions, the south part of the state had flood warnings, the southeast part of the state had a tornado, and here in the northeast part of the state, we were having thunder and lightning WHILE it was snowing!! Very apocalyptic!

We had a heavy, wet snow and for a while Scott and I thought our tree in the front yard wouldn't make it because it was literally bent over and touching the ground. I was so sure it would just snap off and break at any moment. Luckily, it made it through ok.

I was actually hoping that the kids would get to experience a little snow this season (not just ice). The only other "snow" we've had this Winter was an inch of sleet (and nothing you could make a snowman with). We all went out while it was still snowing (it seemed it would never stop!) and played around in the snow.

Parker was the first to go out and he immediately wanted to go back inside. By this time, we had about 6 inches of snow and it came up to his knees. Needless to say, he could barely move and it wasn't much fun for him. Morgan loved the snow and she didn't want to go back inside. She and I stayed out a bit longer and made snowballs and a mini-snowman that was about a foot and a half tall (mommy didn't have all day to make a snowman, so we had to make a miniature version). I would say that everyone had a fun time.

This is the kind of snow that I love. The kind that comes on a weekend (when I don't need to drive anywhere) and doesn't interfere with my plans. I can enjoy it and then in a couple of days, it's gone! That's the best!

A Good Ol' Texas Boy

My uncle sent me this link today. My grandpa has been featured in an article for his local newspaper. He does woodcarving as a hobby and he's loves to share it with others.

I remember staying at my grandparents house for a couple of weeks one summer. During that particular summer, my grandpa decided to teach me how to woodcarve. He gave me a little pocket knife and a block of wood with a bird sketched on it. He worked with me and worked with me to show me all of his tricks of the trade. My carving left a little to be desired, but he praised me on what a great job I did. I never forgot that.

My grandpa has many great carvings to his name (that have many admirers). Among them are a set of ice block holders. I don't know how to describe this to you other than it looks like a huge set of plier-type things with chains connecting the handles. It was a tool they used way back when to carry ice blocks in to people's early refrigerators. The cool thing about it is, he carved the whole pliers and chains out of one continuous piece of wood (and it's huge)!! Another famous piece of his is a 2ft+ tall carving of a bull. He carved it out of a wood that is extremely hard (maybe walnut??) and that's what made it so special. You can see it in the background of this picture (it's the large, black woodcarving in the back).



He also carved the now infamous set of working pipe wrenches in all sizes (mentioned in the article... and yes, you can actually turn the screw on each of the wrenches and they will open and close the mouth of the wrench... incredible!!). This carving I'm sure is willed to either my father or my uncle. That's why he would never sell it to anyone... not even the Smithsonian (see article)!



And of course, some of my personal favorites are my grandpa's own little creation. I don't even know what you want to call it, but he carves balls inside of a cage of wood. These balls will move around, but never fall out. Every time I ever attempted to carve one of these, I would find myself with an empty cage... but no ball! This is one he carved for me to hang from the rear-view mirror of my car when I turned 16!



I've learned so much from my grandpa over the years. It still amazes me today what a wonderful storyteller he is. He can make anyone feel right at home with his "Good Ol' Texas Boy" charm! I'm so happy that he's MY grandpa!!

What's In A Name?

I was watching a show with my kids the other day and as the credits were rolling, a name caught my eye and it made me laugh. What was it you ask?? Well, it was Debby Derryberry (sorry Debby if you are the one person on earth who happens to actually READ this blog!). I just had to think that this woman probably was harassed on a regular basis simply because of her interesting name.

I too was one of those uniquely named people. I wouldn't say I was harassed per se, but my name was one that caught the attention of people on occasion. My maiden name was Dayna Abell. Of course I would get the "Dayna is dis-Abell-ed"... or the ever-so-popular... "Dayna... what are you ABELL to do??". My dad had a boat that he called "Ready, Willing, And Abell". So, of course, I've heard that one too! People would always have a hard time pronouncing my last name. I always thought it was straightforward, but then again, I was born with that name and it seemed normal enough to me.

As for my first name... people always want to spell it Dana (or oddly enough Danya... I never quite got that one!). I suppose I can understand that. I mean, I've only met 1 other Dayna who spelled their name the same as mine. As a child I used to hate my name. I asked my mom over and over if I could change it. Don't laugh, but I wanted to call myself Candy. I can just see how that would go over today. Talk about ridicule!! Now that I'm all grown up, I love my name and how it's spelled. It's a little different and I believe that sets me apart just a little from the norm (and that's the way I like it!).

Now that I'm married, I have a new name and a new set of mispronunciations. Karas seems to be another hard one for people to say. I always have to say... "It's Karas... like caraff of wine...". About that time people will look at me like I'm on something and say... "Oooohhhh" (like they're pretending to understand it)!

Oh well, the people who know me, know my name... and that's all that matters right? Because after all, what's in a name?

Today Is The Greatest...

Well, to quote the Smashing Pumpkins song, "Today"... "Today is the greatest..."! It's officially still winter in Oklahoma and it's 85 degrees today (30 degrees above normal!)! Warm weather just makes me feel giddy... like I need to be sipping a cocktail by the pool and listening to some Bob Marley! I even hinted to my husband that he should try to take off a little bit early from work (here's hoping!)...

The kids and I decided to take advantage of the warm weather and play outside for a bit. They love to be outside. Morgan immediately will go out and pick a handful of weeds... ok, "flowers" if you must call them that! Ha! Parker likes to take all the balls we own outside. Bouncing balls. Footballs. T-Balls. Everything! Ahhh... but I love it. That's what being a mommy is all about!

We brought out mommy's special "bubble-gun". It automatically shoots out more bubbles than I could possibly ever blow in my lifetime (and all in a matter of seconds). The kids love it. They run all around trying to catch them. Isn't technology wonderful?

I thought I'd share a few pictures from our time outside in the wonderful outdoors! Enjoy... and I hope the weather is as enjoyable in your part of the world!

Do You Realize??

Well, congratulations to Oklahoma's very own, The Flaming Lips! Their alt-rock song, "Do You Realize??" has been chosen as Oklahoma's State Rock Song!



I read the headlines on my Yahoo page this morning and in the entertainment section, I saw this article. I had heard, about 3 months ago, that there were 10 songs that Oklahomans could vote for as their State Rock Song. As much as I was hoping The Flaming Lips would win, I didn't actually think they would. I mean, if you think about it, this state is not really a haven for alternative bands. The article even said that they received 51% of the votes. That's incredible! Congratulations to The Flaming Lips!

On a side note, a few years ago, The Flaming Lips had a street named after them in Oklahoma City (that's where the band is from). I was able to take this picture of the street sign. This one is located right next to the Bricktown Ballpark in Downtown OKC.



If you'd like to listen to a little clip of Oklahoma's new State Rock Song, click here. If you would like to learn more about The Flaming Lips, you can visit their website.