MERRY CHRISTMAS 2010

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2010



We are so excited about Christmas this year at HojoCircus! Tony strung the house with lights way before Thanksgiving, the gingerbread houses are made & nibbled on, the tree is twinkling & presents are just everywhere. It has been a wonderful year & a great time to celebrate!

We’ve had many blessings this year. Desiree & James bought a new house in Jenks & have managed to replace most of the necessities of life that were lost in their house fire last year. A few irreplaceable treasures were salvaged from the ashes, such as some very singed & smoky photo albums we were able to restore. They also rescued some of her paintings as well. Desiree stays active in SAA, an advocate group for the medical student spouses, writing their newsletter, fundraising etc. She still works from home, teaching at Univ of Phoenix, & seems to have succeeded at cloning Supermom. James is a sleep deprived 3rd year medical student. He is in the midst of Rotations, which means he works in a different field of specialty each month for 22 months. This month is labor & delivery & Dr. James recently delivered his first baby. He said she was very slippery! Little Alex welcomed a baby brother Jaycen, his sequel, on May27th. He is a redheaded little charmer. Alex, 2, is bilingual & delights in repeating everything he hears & sees with sometimes disastrously hilarious consequences. He also has a clean fetish & likes to pass out coasters. Jaycen is adventurous. He crawled at 5 months & is in constant need of rescuing from Alex who adores him & thinks Jaycen can do anything he can! Jaycen has a mischievous streak & a great sense of humor.

Bryan & Stacy had a difficult year working many long hours at their café. The food was delicious, the atmosphere cozy & the economy bad. Sadly our wonderful MOO COWS had to close in November despite many valiant efforts to make it work out. Closing the doors was like losing a dear friend. Little Justin turned 4 in Nov. He calls & gives me directions to his house when he wants me to visit, which delights this old Dramaw! He spent the night with me one night & lasted till 12:30am when he woke up & said it was time to go home. That is the longest he has lasted away from Mom & Dad! Bryan became a Supervisor at Kimray this year. They have been turning their garage into a new living room & it is looking terrific. Justin & Dad still love to race around on the four-wheeler & give Mama Stacy heart attacks! He still thinks his Dramaw can work miracles & maybe I still have a few up my sleeve!

Shawna is the case manager at DaySpring Villa, a shelter that stays at capacity with abused women & children. She is the children’s coordinator, leads Monday & Tuesday night groups, works with family drug court, and is blessed with freedom to share her love of Christ there. She does the work of 3 women and often jokes that she is mom to 55! She also works with the children at Celebrate Recovery Wednesday & Friday nights at her church & teaches the 2 yr old Sunday School. She volunteers on the Tulsa Task Force with Oklahoman’s Against Trafficking of Humans (OATH). Shawna can make a workaholic look lazy and is always looking for spare time donations. She is wary of Tulsa drivers after surviving 2 separate wrecks this year, both the other driver’s fault. Aimee & I kidnapped our Nonnie over fall break. We drove to Kentucky to see Granny & the family, & then ventured to Chicago where we had the time of our lives!!! You’ve never lived till you traipsed the Windy City with that redhead, it was so fun!

Gloria & Vince both started back to school this year. Vince is training as a welder. He seems to have a knack for it & is advancing quickly. Gloria is back at UCO earning her teaching degree. She works or studies most of the time & is making awesome grades! With work & school they both stay super busy. Zaiden is the light of their lives. I watch Zaiden most days and he helps me with chores & ‘forces’ me to nap. I exercise by chasing him. I put up gates in self defense. He can say many words now. ‘Tank too!’, ‘Love you’, ‘Here go’, ‘What dis?’, ‘Come ere’

Daniel cooked this year at the Café. He is considered an artist at seasoning food. He is now job hunting & considering welding school. He keeps us away from the TV & our brains from atrophy by hosting family game nights. He talked me into an electronic Monopoly! He also got me hooked on an internet smart phone. My cell phone is officially smarter than my brain now. Daniel challenges us to Wii games & Guitar Hero & is the King of Monopoly. Who needs Donald Trump? Daniel tore up his knee & the surgery was May 27th, the same day Desiree went into labor with Jaycen. I raced from an OKC hospital to a Tulsa hospital all in one day!

Aimee is growing up too fast. She has her driver’s permit now. She is in 10th grade home school & loves Biology. She dissected her first frog last week & thoroughly enjoyed it. She keeps looking for other things to dissect. Beware! Aimee has her first boyfriend, who masquerades as the Carney Bulldog mascot. She dotes on him & he on her. They are only allowed family dates. I chaperone & I’m allowed to bring my camera & wait for the opportune embarrassing moment! Aimee is our resident blonde/brunette. She says the most amazing things sometimes. Desiree, Shawna & I will text each other our latest “Aimee-isms” Recently she warned me of an old couple who were walking in front of my car: “Mom, don’t hit the Presbyterians!” I asked: “You mean the pedestrians?” “Whatever” she replied, oblivious to the malapropism. Good thing they weren’t Methodists…

Michaela 11, an impish 4ft 7 ½, changed her last name to Johnson last July. She is official now, no chance of return! Micki has brought her grades up in school & loves playing clarinet in band. She was a ‘pink lady’ in the Christmas musical: ‘Dr. Newheart’s Christmas Cure’. Her tissue stuffed bustle alone made the play a hit as it entered the room before she did! She is our Diva. She loves to primp & dress up. I’ll admit the girl has style. Lord help me when she turns 13! Mic & Katie both played well on the Tiger’s softball team last summer.

Katie, 10, is a 5ft 2 ½ inch Amazon. She is matter o fact, opinionated & we are working on all of the above. She just gave her heart to Jesus last month & is eagerly waiting to be baptized. Katie is very athletic, loves to read & has star quality. She had a lead role in the musical. She practically lives for softball & basketball.

Tony & I (& Aimee) ventured to Washington DC last summer with the Trotters & Camin. We toured the Whitehouse & Capitol, met Mary Fallin & literally walked the soles off of Tony’s shoes. The cheapest pair we could find to replace them was $65...sticker shock for a man who buys his shoes at yard sales! I’m not sure who was more shocked, Tony, whose jaw dropped at the price of the shoes, or the salesclerk when I mentioned his last two pairs cost $1.50!!! Tony’s arm is about 75% restored from last year‘s wreck & God gets all the glory! With his arm & my slow moving, arthritic knee, we have truly paid the steep price of “an arm & a leg”. He is driving again, against all reason & sanity, & he loves being “Poppy” to our four grandsons.

I am still Ringmaster of my Circus. What I say still goes, mostly right out the window! We tend to have a full crowd most nights, besides the 9 of us still living under one roof, We also have our fair share of spectators & drop ins, esp. on the weekends. We serve enormous quantities of food with no dishwasher but our hands & the laundry cycles are endless. But life is always interesting at the Circus & at least we are never bored.

I still manage to scrapbook, I’ve read thru quite a bit of the Bible this year and I’ve found the OT is more interesting the older I get. I’ve ‘discovered’ facebook is a great way to quickly keep up with friends & distant family. I occasionally blog about our “life in the center ring”, but not often. Most days I am privileged to watch grandson Zaiden. He is my snuggle buddy while I sip my morning coffee. J

We gutted & remodeled the hall bathroom this summer & finally replaced our drippy roof. As a concession to aging, we surrendered our favorite woodstove for a gas log fireplace. I can no longer bend on my knees to keep the wood fire blazing. Getting old is certainly not fun, romantic or enjoyable. It’s more like a bad comedy..

With so many married children, I decided the best gift this year was to give them the holidays at their own homes, and a chance to make their own traditions. It was painful, but I surrendered my claim on Thanksgiving Day & Christmas Day so they could make those special pj clad memories. We are celebrating both on the day after from now on.

I’m still working on my bucket list & kicking that bucket gets closer all the time! I am so thankful for my many wonderful friends & my ever faithful family that love & support me & put up with my crazy forgetful personality & idiosyncrasies.

It’s no surprise to hear that I am inordinately proud of each of my 8 children, and my 4 grandsons. They are the light of my life, the spring in my step & the very reason I believe I was put on this earth. But even they cannot compare to my Lord & Savior. I am truly grateful for all God has done for me & I testify that He never fails, He is always faithful, and He truly is the Reason for this Season.

I still love living in my little one block town, where no one locks their doors & Sundays still mean going to church & a roast in the oven. It’s a place where everyone knows everyone else’s business, but only so they can pray for them & lend a hand. There is no place else I’d rather be then where I am, surrounded by the best friends & family in the universe. I’m so glad for the impact you have all made on my life. I couldn’t have made it without you!



WITH LOVE FROM MY CIRCUS TO YOURS…

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM HOJOCIRCUS

Tony & Kathy Johnson, Daniel, Aimee, Michaela & Katelyn

Just Hangin

It funny how children change your perspective on things...Just now as I hung the toilet paper on the holder (being the only one of the 9 who live here able to do this difficult task),  I was struck by whether I was hanging it under or over.  Now believe me it's been years since I pondered that difficult decision, usually it is enough just to get it hanging on the holder.  But this time I clearly recalled how important this issue of the tissue used to be.  I used to be quite adamant that it hang over the roll.  Just as I used to be religious about folding the bath towels a certain way and stacking them by color.   And I used to be picky about facing all the spoons a certain way in the drainer and in the drawer. I also used to be quite fanatical about wearing only church shoes with dresses (what no crocs???). I even used to wear makeup and change into nicer clothing before I went to town or to the store!  So I began to wonder when & why did it cease to matter?
In the nearly six years married years before I had children, I did all of these things and more.  It was vitally important to dust twice a week & hand wax the kitchen floor.  I bought books by the dozens and devoured them. I nurtured flowers and friendships and valued my time to myself.  And then....
I had children... 

Do you cover the ground you walk on?

My grandma, Majane, liked to say: "I may be little, but I cover the ground I walk on!"  She was a gutsy woman back in the day where women were meek and mild.  My favorite story is about the time a neighbor's mule backed its behind into the door of her country kitchen.  Kids were dispatched to the neighbors several times to ask him to remove his mule. He ignored them.  Finally Majane, at the end of her rope, poured a pot of hot water on the mule's rump to make him move.  The neighbor rushed over, angry & indignant & fuming over the mistreatment of his mule.  My grandpa, a quiet, laidback man, answered him with an Oklahoma drawl..."She told ya to move your mule!"

The Dream lived on...

My mom worked three jobs when I was growing up.  She and my dad divorced when I was five. Mom had the challenging job of raising the "Four who unriched her."  She had so many dreams, but she kissed them all goodbye one by one to give us the best life she could pull out of her proverbial hat.  We seldom had enough food to eat, but we never lacked for private music lessons. We attended summer camps and scouts like all the other kids on the block.  It took 3 women to raise us. Mom, Aunt Katy & Majane.  Katy took us to the doctor and bought our clothes. Majane watched us when school was out and taught us the essentials of life, like dominoes.  Mama kept the roof over our heads and the wolf away from the door!  Mama never bought a house, she didn't want to be tied down in case the opportunity ever came to travel.  I figured we tied her down enough, but not enough I guess to squelch

 the traveling dream.  It alone lived on in her heart.

Ironing

I am a post behind in this blogging challenge so here's a short one!
In a funny coincidence, I blogged that I loved to iron and my daughter blogged that she hated to iron!  Ironing wasn't a a choice for my grandmother.  She lived in a day where ironing was essential.  After my grandpa died leaving her with 5 children, she had no choice but to earn her living by taking in ironing.  It probably never occured to her whether she liked it or not, she just ironed hour after hour.   I'm glad we at least have choices.

Majane, A woman of exceptional faith.

I'm named Jane after my Grandma.  We called her Majane.  She was named Nancy after HER grandma. Majane was an absolute character.  When I was growing up she took care of me everyday while my Mom worked.  She read the Bible to me every night. She always read 3 chapters; I don't believe she ever missed.  She had read the Bible through 8 times.  By the time I was a teenager I would read it to her.  Her old Bible was so worn out that Uncle Delbert had it re-covered.  She said she knew where God came from, then she would look up a verse that said "God came from Teman." When Majane was a young woman she led the singing at her church. I've heard she had a lovely voice.  By the time I can remember her voice was gravely.  I wish I could have heard her sing when her voice was strong & sweet.  I am glad I know for sure that Majane was a strong believer. I am confident she will be one of the first ones I meet again in Heaven one day.  Her faith in God never waivered. I always say it took 3 women to raise me, and Majane was certainly the one who did most of the raising. She died when I was just 15.  Uncle Delbert came to our Homecoming football game to get me and take me to the hospital.  When I walked into the room she spoke clearly: "I knew you'd come!"  It was the first time she had spoken in hours and it was the last thing she ever said.  I hope to hear that again when I enter Heaven's gate one day.  She will be young again, healthy & strong, her voice clear and sweet and she will say: "I knew you'd come!"

Responsibilities?

On a rant & rave this morning...sorry!
BRRR! It's freezing in here because once again I've let us run out of propane!  The shower was like sleet this morning and we are all huddled in blankets.  It never used to be my job to check on the propane supply (or the oil in the autos either!)  But all jobs eventually slide to me.  If there is trash to be picked up, animals fed, maintenance or repairs performed, it's my job.  If there are phone calls to make, bills to pay, decisions to make or transportation to be done, I do it all.  If my son is off it is my job to entertain him, it's my job to arrange financial miracles and its my job to insure the house is clean, the laundry done & we are all where we are supposed to be when we are supposed to be there. And God forbid I can't finish the jobs or arrange all the financial miracles, then once again the blame is mine as well.  I can and do delegate some jobs, but they always seem to be done as a "favor" to me and no one really assumes that responsibility. Why is that? I appreciate the times the dishes are done or the floors swept, but when does it become someone elses responsibility, not mine? When did everything become MY responsibility?  
I have come to the conclusion that this too must change.   The sooner the better. Muhaha!