Jazzy Pictures Part III

Here is the booth of an artist named Gail Shelton. Her pictures were so vibrant and wonderful! I asked to take a picture to show Carly. You can find her work here. She is a traveling art teacher....traveling all over the country and even around the world. What fun her class would be!

Jazzy Pictures Part II

This is the Jazz Stage where we spent most of our time

Jazzy Pictures Part I

Here is the surprise we found in our suitcase when we got to our hotel. Two little animals to remind us of our two little monkeys at home. :o)

















And we're off!

Coming Soon

I took lots of neat pictures at the JazzFest and I will have them posted soon. I promise.

~AJ

I'm All Jazzed Up

Please make a note at where we will be Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

This is a wonderful festival we drove down to experience last year with our oldest daughter, Carly.

It is a free festival held annually in Denton, TX and is filled to the brim with wonderful jazz musicians. Some of the musicians come from University of North Texas, one of the top music universities in the United States. Other groups and individuals come from across the country to play in this festival.

Lots of food, arts and crafts and entertainment stages will be a fun family event if you are in the area.

The Headline artist for 2006 is Joshua Redman (Friday night) and The Robert Cray Band (Saturday night)

Anyway, if any of you Texans reading this decide to go to the festival, don't be shy, come up and say hi! You'll recognize me....I am the gal with the guy in the Batman suit.

HATS

Hats

I was driving back to work Monday after lunch at home (the hottest day this year 96 degrees!) and noticed a lot of people wearing all sorts of hats. In my short 1 mile drive back to work I saw: a baseball hat, a fishing hat, a visor, and an outback looking hat. By the time I got back to work I was laughing.....

Hats are very important to men I have discovered over the years. Men lacking in the furry head covering department must utilize head wear or lots of SPF 50 sunscreen to keep from getting a scorched cranium. Joe's fave hat I believe is a green baseball hat with an "orange" team on it. At the moment, the name of the team escapes me. I have also learned that my bootie is a hat magnet. When he takes off his hat in the vehicles, that hat will invariably end up under my butt and get smashed. I'm thinking we need a special suctioned hook in the cars for his hats.

Got me thinking: what kinds of hats to y'all wear? Do you have an activity that requires special headgear? Does Foo have a cycling hat? Does Meow have a Down Under hat? Does Saur have a hat with a mask? Does Emma have a hat with coffee cups on it? How big of a hat does Gobhole need to hide her hair on bad hair days? Is Leslee an OU or OSU fan? Does Jamie Dawn wear a big Southern Belle bonnet? Does Anne wear a do-rag? She is a motorcycle Mama you know......
Slick has a cool hat. (maybe I can catch him in it and take a picture)

Our church has a fun tradition. Months that have 5 Sundays we proclaim the 5th Sunday, "Hat Day" All the ladies of the church wear a hat to church. It can be any hat: funny like a chef's hat, or serious like a beret, it can be playful like a baseball hat. I have seen jester hats, graduation hats, big funny garden hats(me), cowgirl hats, baseball caps and even visors. This is a fun day and you should try it in your church.....be the catalyst and get the funniest hat you can find. :o)

I have asked Uncle Joe for assistance with this post in the way of locating some good pictures to post.....so stay tuned if you are reading this post with text only. I know he will come up with some good ones.

So there you have it folks, my silly thoughts for the week. ~AJ

Here is CarlyJo and CassiJo in their Easter finery.

I am having Blogger woes trying to post additional pictures, so please check back again for updated photos. ~AJ

Hello Peeps!

Here is the cutest thing I have seen this spring.....stuffed Peeps! We went on an outing to KMart yesterday and came across these adorable rabbit peeps.

They are named PinkiePie Peep and Penelope Peep. They are happily living with The Joe Family.

Stealing Cassidy

Today, after a 4 hour ordeal that involved 4 stores to get all the Joes a new Easter outfit we arrived home and Cassidy wanted to ride her bike on the driveway. I had already told the girls that I needed a rest before we colored the eggs for tomorrow and Cassi wanted someone to stay outside with her. She said, "Carly, will you stay outside with me? I don't want anyone to steal me." and just laughed and started riding her bike.......

(I realize this is a serious thing, but it struck me funny the way she said it)

She was also singing "Jesus Take The Wheel" today, except she had made up her own words.
"Jesus take the week, I can't do this all night long" This girl keeps us laughing every day....

Today at Payless Shoe Store I had a sad revelation. Carly and I may not have the same taste in shoes! Shoot! I was looking forward to sharing all those shoes!! Maybe she will change her mind and start picking out some cute shoes that I like. heehee!

We also ran into my friend Greg and his wife Melissa and their 10 month old baby, Logan at the mall. That was a treat....it was the first time I had seen Logan since he was a newborn and he had grown so much! His cheeks were just full of sugars. (that of course i had to kiss!) He was fascinated by Cassidy, who had put on some sparkley face gel at Bath and Bodyworks. He kept reaching out to touch her face and tried to poke her in the eye. He also tried to pick her nose. Cassi didn't quite know what to think of that.

Now I am off to rest for a bit before the hoo-haa continues as we color Easter eggs.

I hope you all are having a wonderful holiday weekend. :o) Are you eating Peeps? I personally don't like them. Too sticky and sugary for me. I am a fan of Reese's Eggs and Jelly Belly's :o)
I found something really cute for the girls at KMart. We will post a picture of them later. I looked all over and couldn't find a Cadbury creme egg...the one that looks like a real egg when you break it. Do they still make those? Joe likes them and I thought I would surprise him with one. (The first time I saw one of those I gagged. It looked like a real raw egg yolk inside and made sick!)
******************************************************
Praise God for the resurrection! I am glad we serve a living God, one that will return someday and take us home to Heaven.

Help! I am blogging and can't stop!

I have posted four posts today...help!

Here I leave a post up for a week and today I post four!

Oh well hope you have a few minutes to read them.

I hope you all enjoyed your Sunday......we had a wonderful Easter Song service at my mothers church and I understand from Joe that the service he attended with Ted was excellent as well. I am amazed at the messages these preachers have for us every week. God is so good. He knows exactly what we need to hear and leads us to those messages. I actually had my own private service while listening to the music. I took advantage of the quiet time and just prayed for things that were on my heart. At one point I looked over at Cassidy, all snuggled in Papa's arm and had to look away because I was starting to tear up. My grandmother, and my mother (and I and many other family members too) have prayed for many years for my dad to get back into church and to see him there with his baby granddaughter was a wonderful sight.

Right now Cassidy and I are watching "Elf" one of my favorite movies. There is no one like Will Ferrell to make us laugh! Who says we can't watch a Christmas movie in April? ;o)

Y'all have a great week and I'll see you around the blogosphere.

Bestest Pizza in Oklahoma

We crown Sam & Ella's Chicken Palace, Tahlequah, Oklahoma the winner of the Bestest Pizza Award.

Sam & Ella's serves our favorite pizza, Rock Island Red. It is a hand made crust topped with large chunks of ham drizzled with honey, red onions and lots of pineapples and of course red sauce and mozzarella cheez.

If you are ever out this way, you must stop by and have a slice or two. We always get enough to have a slice for breakfast or a midnight snack. Did I get any of the left
overs you ask? Well NO. I am still pouting about that. :o( There are apparently One-Eyed-One-Horned-Flying-Purple-Pizza-Eaters in the Joe House. I need some repellant or a new place to hide left overs.

Fun Day at the Parade

Here are some pictures of CarlyJo and CassiJo at the Azalea Festival Parade yesterday. The weather was very nice...sunny and chili...oops I mean chilly. :o) It was also the annual Chili Cookoff. We sampled some chili, some hot links, and bbq. Who won you ask? We have no idea!

Uncle Joe and the band played an intermission for a local church band. There wer SO many other bands playing in such a small area that they had a hard time hearing themselves. They were not happy with their performance, but to the audience it sounded fine. Hopefully, the next performance will be more to their liking. Uncle Joe came home a little sunburned too....my cold hands felt good on his hot sunburned cranium this morning. :o)

We all came home smelling of smoke and I had to take a shower to get back to my vanilla-scented self.

This Thing Really Sucks!!

When Joe and I were off Thursday we had to go to Sears, here at our local mall. I decided to check out the vacuum cleaners and LOOK what i found!! I found this Bissell vacuum regularly $180 on Clarence's Rack for $32.99!! Can you believe that? I surely snatched that up. I had a great Panasonic vaccuum but somehow, after 10 years of faithful service it decided to retire.

I love the retro look and the color if fabulous! Another great thing is the motor is a detachable canister too. It is also a bagless so I can forget about making a special trip to the vaccuum cleaner store 30 miles away to buy a gross of bags. (it seems that NO ONE in our town stocks Panasonic bags, wouldn't you know)

I know you all are coveting my vaccuum cleaner right at this very moment, but you will have to find your own. This one is MINE!!

Painted Piggies In Sandals

Missie Anne over at Hubbadoo had a great idea: post a picture of our favorite summer sandals.

Here are my favorites. I got them at Payless two summers ago and I wear them all the time in the summer. When I am not wearing these, I like flip flops in all colors. I am so glad that flip flops are cheap. My daughter and I will be wearing the same size shoe before too long and that will be kinda nice....our shoe collection will double! (sorry Joe!) :o)

As you can see i wear an anklet too. It is just a little bead thing I made and I have lots of those too. It may look silly, but I like it in the summer. I don't have it on right now, but I also like to wear toe rings. Do you? Nothing fancy, just a small gold band.

If I ever had a tattoo, I would want one on my toe. ;o)

If you want to see some more painted piggies in summer sandals go here

I am secretly off work today and Joe and I are gong to eat some Thai food for lunch.......yum!

I have camera in hand in case we encounter anything interesting or funny or just down right weird.

Deal of the Day

Here is the deal of the day I found at Walgreens....ain't it the cutest!? It will hang on the wall soon, because I found CassiJo carrying it by the bell handles. It really rings too!

I have been coveting it since Christmas waiting for it to go on sale. Got it for $4.99!!

Think it will inspire Joe to cook more? I hope so. He is a great cook. He likes to add secret ingredients as we all know from the SPAM
incident.........

Here are some updated photos to demonstrate the size of the clock against my favorite coffee cup. ( a gift straight from the gobhole!)

The clock also has a neon light I forgot to mention! Here is a neat picture of the light on. :o)

Flat Forks

I hate it when you go to a restaurant and you get a flat fork.

I like my forks to have the proper degree of curvature so it will
aid in the consumption of food material.

Don't you agree?

Smart Glasses and Green Things

If you want to be smart, just wear Smart Glasses says CassiJo. (don't mind the chocolate on your mouth!) Don't you wish you looked this cute AND smart in YOUR glasses?? :o)












This is a picture of the house around the corner from us. The yard is prematurely green and has been for a few weeks. The single man that lives there puts the same old rusty chairs at the end of the driveway every year to act as guides for backing out we have decided. I don't know why he doesn't go ahead and invest in some posts or something.

We won't be talking about our yard that still has leaves all over it. We are waiting for them to mulch. haha






Blogger is locking up and I am having problems posting an embarrassing picture of CarlyJo. Please check in again later.

Simple Saturday

Today was a good day...
I got up fairly early and had a little bit of work to do at the office. Got that done and came home to tend to the Princesses of Hiney while Joe and Ted practiced for tomorrow's praise and worship at Ted's church.

While Joe was gone I promised the Princesses I would take them to the mall. CarlyJo had some money in her pocket that was burning a hole in it so I indulged her. Her treasure for the day was a small Beanie Baby lamb, just in time for Easter. She named the little dear Chloe The Lamb. All her animals have names and I have also learned to night that they have feelings too. If she does not sleep with Skiperdee the Dog he gets his feelings hurt. Poor Skiperdee. Maybe she should just sleep with them in a big pile around her every night.

My treasure was found in a bookstore....a bargain bookstore!! I am not sure if it was Borders or Waldenbooks.....don't they own both?? I found a book of poetry and a Thai cuisine cookbook for Joe and a sticker book for CassiJo. I hope he will cook something from the cookbook....it is the real deal. The best we have done so far is the little boxed ones from Walmart, which are very tasty by the way!!

My niece, AlliJo came over for a play with CassiJo while their sisters went to sell Girl Scout cookies at Walmart. They were so good!! Sometimes (unpredictably) they get their feelers hurt at each other and won't play nicely, but today was wonderful!! They were so very very good and I had a laugh or two listening to them play. AlliJo loves to pretend they are animals. She told CassiJo, "You can be a Dalmation or a purebred." CassiJo said, after looking at her like ....what??!! "ummmmm I'll be a dalmation."

We went to Mom and Dad's for dinner...a simple dinner of meat, potatoes and veggies. Mom is a meat and veggies kinda gal, and since Dad wasn't there to make her over do it, it was easy for her. Dad likes to prepare for an army, and always prepares TOO much! :o) One good thing about that is the left overs that get sent home with all the family though......

CarlyJo and CassiJo got to play with one of their cousins, SalaniJo. They are always a hoot to listen to. Nana actually tried to suggest they sit still for 2 whole hours and watch a movie....wrong!! They hadn't seen each other in a while and there was too much fun to be had!!

I just love weekends like these....not a lot to do but just enough to keep you out of boredom. Tomorrow should be fun too....we are going to lunch with the Ted Family. Last time my mouth was cramped from smiling and/or laughing so much!!! (That was the time Cassi asked Patti and Ted, "So you are the Mom and you are the Honey?" so you can see why I laughed so much!)

Changing the subject:
I was surfing around on the google videos tonight and people record some of the silliest things!! My favorite was the quadruplets laughing at their dad. You can find it here . There is nothing sweeter than the laughter of a baby is there?? You cannot watch it and not laugh!

I Had a Little Pity Party

One day last week, I was having a little pity party for myself. I was at work feeling all alone in an office full of people. I was praying, "God please let me know you love me today. Please let me know in a way that I know it's you...."

A few minutes later, as I was filling out paperwork for the umpteenth patient, the cd I was listening to caught my attention. The following song was playing and speaking to me in this moment. I smiled and laughed to myself.....God was speaking to me through this song.

Something Beautiful
Written by Matthew West, Chance Scoggins
Performed by Natalie Grant

This is a song for anyone whose ever been
Knocked down and can’t get back again,
Stuck in the corner, can’t move forward
All alone and you think you’re going nowhere
This is a song for anyone whose ever stood
Underneath the sun
And felt so small, two feet tall and so out of place
He sees you – He knows you- He loves you
And He wants you to know that

The life that you’ve been living, the days that
You’ve been given
Were made for something beautiful
Life- don’t let it pass you by
Because you were created for something beautiful

Heaven holds a dream that’s just for you
And there are things only you can do
So step by faith put the past away
It’ll take you to a better day

Second to minute to hour to life
Time always seems to fly
It’s on the go and before you know
Your days are through
But He sees you- He knows you- He loves you
And He wants you to know

The life that you’ve been living the days that
You’ve been given were made for something beautiful
Life-don’t let it pass you by
Because you were created for something beautiful

What are you waiting for?

There’s something beautiful.

Java Cabana

Here is one of the "perks" of working in a medical facility:

Today some drug reps "catered" in a really neat treat for the employees of the clinic. It was a Coffee/Smoothie Bar! The gentleman had a traveling wet bar and made us our choice of smoothies, coffee or frozen coffee treats. It was a very cool set up.

I wish I had thought of it. Does that sound like the coolest job ever? Traveling around making people happy with coffee and smoothies, two of God's wonderful creations!!?

I had to call Joe and say, "If you just HAPPEN to be out about 10:00am, come by....." ;o)
so he got one too. I take care of my UJ.

Pet My Peeves

Believe it or not I have some pet peeves. ;o)

I work in a medical clinic at the front desk. I am the meeter/greeter/checker- inner. My desk is also known as "The Hot Seat". Come watch me work through a day like yesterday and you will know why. (originally written March 10th)

Here is a short list of the stuff I see at the front desk that just pets my peeve.

1. Smokers that exhale their smoky breath in my face. (am seated lower than the counter)
2. Truckers that come in calling me Hon, Sweetie, Dear etc. I reserve that right to sweet little grandmotherly ladies
3. Drug screen donors that try and pull one over on me. We know the tricks, just stop, and don't do drugs.
4. People that get mad at me personally for what goes on in the clinic. It is not my personal
fault that you have to work. Every scheduled appointment was not scheduled by me. I
do not take responsibility for, nor will I take a cussin' for anyone but me and my actions.
5. I cannot stand to hear other staff members gripe about working. I like my job. I am
grateful for my paycheck every week, and I am going to make sure I get one next week, and
that means getting off our duffs and treating patients!
6. The people that come in at 4:30pm deserve to be treated as nicely as the ones that came in
at 8:30am. They are working parents. We dont' know what they have been through to get
here at this time. Just be compassionate. We are patient advocates and here to serve them.
7. If I don't know you, don't touch me. EVER.
8. It freaks me out when strangers call me by name. It makes me think I should know you and I don't remember your name! :o) I hate wearing my name tag with my first and last name on it.
9. Don't try to grab my pen out of my hand when I am showing you what to fill out. Patients have germs and I don't want them!

On a lighter note:

I saw this joke on Jamie Dawn's blog I believe and I laughed out loud. :o) I love to laugh. And someone please please tell me why farts are so funny!?

An elderly woman leaned over to her husband in church and said, "I just let a silent but deadly fart. What should I do? " He leaned over to her and said, " Get a better hearing aid."

Name The Band

Uncle Joe is needing some help naming the band he is currently playing with.

Can y'all lend a hand??

Go to his blog and put your two cents worth in please?

Y'all hurry because their first gig is coming up in April at Muskogee's Chili Cook Off/Azalea Festival.

Meet My Good Friend, Michael Buble'

Meet my good friend, Michael Buble'! You can see him in the center of this photograph taken from our seats in the balcony section (sometimes called the NOSEBLEED section) of the Tulsa PAC.

Mr. Buble' encouraged lots of photographs and on a whim ran down the aisle and out the door and into the elevator to the mezzanine section and much to our surprise to the balcony where we were seated!!

The concert was wonderful! He has a wonderful band and put on a fun show. (aside from some potty mouthed humor) He and his sax player had a Zoolander style Cat Walk-Off cracking the audience up. He also had a Johnny Cash impression as well as a pretty good Michael Jackson! He sang wonderful songs from Ray Charles to Tulsa's own, Leon Russell. He was exposing a new generation to music they would have never known existed if it weren't for him.

Joe was seated between me and a stranger, a young woman who shared my ability to whistle....loudly! I wanted so badly to get out in the aisles to dance with my sweetie but the balcony was very steep and made me a little dizzy when I stood up. Toward the end of the concert, Michael invited people to dance in the aisles and the floor area quickly filled up with screaming women and a few men who were dragged down there by their sweeties. One granny lady cracked me up...she was reaching for Michael when he walked by and he stopped to shake her hand.

My great MIL brought along two pair of binoculars so I was able to look at him when he sang to me. He looked at me a lot....right into my eyes, crooning just for me. It was very sweet. It was a weird feeling looking throught those binoculars and him looking right at me.....

One thing that made me laugh was his shoes. I am sure they were very expensive Italian shoes, probably eel or something, but they had the longest pointy toes!!

Another thing that made me laugh was the "Mysterious Gas Passer". I kept getting olfactory sensitory input that someone in our vicinity was passing gas. I know it wasn't Joe, cause he is proud of his and announces them, at least to me anyway. :o)haha

A great night!
Great company!
Great concert!
Great memories!

If you ever get the chance to see my friend, Michael Buble' in concert, please do. It will be worth the wait.

It's Buble' Day

Today is the day we go to see Michael Buble' in concert!

This has been the longest wait!

Birds flyin high
you know how I feel!

EYE DHOO

I met Joe on or about December 16, 1991 at a friends house. I was there studying for a certification test. This was my newest friend, Michelle, but an old friend of his. He visited frequently, and had been friends with the husband, Bobby, since 7th grade. (a long time!) When he drove up and realized they couple had company he drove on, but stopped before he got to the exit of the apartment complex. He says he thought to himself, "That might be someone I am supposed to meet." so he drove back around and came in. I was so shy and self conscious (...i had just been divorced) that I would not even look a him. He sat in the living room, visiting with Bobby, listening to me and Michelle talking and studying. He tells me he liked the sound of my voice....

Bobby and Michelle had tried and tried to fix Joe up with many other friends, and they were excited....once they stopped trying, everything fell into place. We hit it off immediately and were soon off to a sweet relationship. Our first year of dating we spent a lot of time together. I was in a internship at a local school and we would go on picnics for lunch occassionally. We went on road trips and walked many miles together. We shared lots of new experiences and made many happy memories. He was just what the doctor ordered after a bad relationship.

We dated for a year before we got engaged. He proposed at Christmas 1992 and I was thrilled! I had made it on my own for a year, had a great job, a great guy and a new life (and a new car too! I had driven a gross Mazda pickup when we met....it was very sad)

We got busy planning our wedding, which was held August 14, 1993 at Bacone Chapel. Since it was Joe's first wedding we planned a small wedding. Our ceremony was very simple and I was so happy to be surrounded by our closest friends and family as we began our lives together.

I remember when I walked down the aisles with my father, finally reaching Joe, his hands were sweaty. I looked at him and laughed. We laughed again when I got a little nervous and started to sway a bit from nerves.

Here are a few pictures from our wedding.

Mr & Mrs Joe share a kiss ;o)

This is a picture of the Scrabble tiles he drew one of the first times we played on our honeymoon.

It says EYE DHOO. :o)

Joe I am glad you did.

Commando CassiJo

Today while we were in "big church" Cassidy leaned over to me and whispered, "Mom, we forgot to put panties on me this morning."

I almost swallowed my gum and did crack up.

What? We were in a hurry!!

List about AJ

I am having bloggers block right now so I will post this little (maybe boring) list about me.

1. WHAT COLOR ARE YOUR KITCHEN PLATES? Green/cream Correlle
2. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? The 5 Love Languages
3. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Spiderman
4. FAVORITE BOARD GAME? Scrabble...Joe and I bought one on our honeymoon
5. LEAST FAVORITE SMELLS? someone elses vomit
6. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU THINK OF WHEN YOU WAKE UP IN THE MORNING? Is it time to get up already?
7. FAVORITE COLOR? I have more blue than anything
8. LEAST FAVORITE COLOR? pea green
9. HOW MANY RINGS UNTIL YOU ANSWER THE PHONE? at home? 2 . At work 4
10. FUTURE CHILD'S NAME? none. i am done
11. CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA? chocolate
12. DO YOU LIKE TO DRIVE FAST? yes!!
13. DO YOU SLEEP WITH A STUFFED ANIMAL? only if joe counts after a big meal
14. DO YOU LIKE THUNDERSTORMS? yes, if i am safe at home with my family
15. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CAR? 1979 Datsun pickup my dad wore out and gave to me
16. WHAT IS YOUR SIGN? QueenBee....really, I am a Pisces.
18. IF YOU COULD HAVE ANY JOB WHAT WOULD IT BE? Successful Bookstore/Coffee shop owner
19. IF YOU COULD HAVE ANY COLOR HAIR, WHAT WOULD IT BE? more reddish
20. IS THE GLASS HALF FULL OR HALF EMPTY? half empty...i just drank it
21. FAVORITE MOVIE? Wizard of Oz
22. DO YOU TYPE WITH YOUR FINGERS ON THE RIGHT KEYS? Duh.
25. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Baseball or Ice Skating
26. YOUR SINGLE BIGGEST INTENSE PAIN? Physical: childbirth Emotional: when Joe got sick and I couldn't help him.
27. deleted
28. deleted
29. KETCTUP OR MUSTARD? mustard
30. HAMBURGER OR HOT DOG? Home made hamburgers
31. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SEASON? Fall...Indian Summer
32. THE BEST PLACE YOU HAVE EVER BEEN? I loved going to Tennessee
33. WHAT SCREEN SAVER IS ON YOUR COMPUTER RIGHT NOW? home: My pictures. Work: clock
34. FAVORITE FOOD? chocolate...oh is that not a food?
35. FAVORITE THING IN THE WORLD? that's hard. i want to say Joe but he is not a thing. OK Then my wedding ring.
36. BEST MEMORY? when i married joe followed closely by when we became a family x 2
37. WHAT IS YOUR BIRTH NAME? V. Suzanne (and don't ask what the "V" is.)

Announcing

My loverly eldest daughter heretoforevermore known as Princess CarlyJo, has been witness to much of our blogging antics since the inception of our blogs in August 2005. She has gotten to know you all through your comments and emails and has come to know each of you for your unique sense of humor. She has asked and asked for a blog of her very own and we finally relented and created one for her. You will see her funny little self shine through and as soon as we figure out how to post some of her computer drawings you will see what an aspiring little arteest she is. Go here for a peek into her world.

I also got to meet my Sister In Law's, (heretoforevermore known as ANP) favorite cousin, BK Wilson. He came to my birthday party at G-Mom's house yesterday just to meet me and eat some cake with us. He has read our blogs and has decided that he wants to swim around in the blogworld too. He is a lover of words and I elect him the keeper of all word games. You can find him here. Who knows the meaning of the title of his blog? No googling!

Rhyme Time

Gobhole girl has a past-time of rhyming words.....we like to play the Rhyming Game at our house with our girls, and they come up with some very cute words.

You are invited to play along today.

please list all the words you can that rhyme with:

SNORE

Movie Night With the Aukermans

Tonight was the first Movie Night with the Aukerman's. Joe and I went to Ted's house for a viewing of Joe's favorite movie, Joe vs. the Volcano.

We have seen the movie so much at the Joe House that I can quote quite a few lines...especially Meg Ryan's parts. Joe indulged me for a few minutes, the had the gall to shush me! How rude! I thought superheroes had super manners, but I was wrong wrong wrong.

We had a good time and previewed our next movie night fare...."Earth Girls Are Easy" . :o)

Sweetie Pie

I love to hear people have funny pet names for their spouses.

Once when Joe tried to call my name it came out, Pooby. The name stuck.
He doesn't use it all the time, but when he does it always makes me smile.

He also calls me Hummy sometimes.
Sometimes he calls me SuSu.

I usually just call him Babe, and since we have been blogging, I find
myself calling him Joe in the real world. :0) (and I find myself thinking
of my self as AJ)

What do you call your Honey? What does he or she call you?

My Thai

Here is my yummy Pad Thai. Susie says I look like a food critic.......

Very yummy noodley dish!

Read the rest of the story below............

Aunt Josefina and Uncle Joe's Big Birthday Day

Uncle Joe , rather than buy me a gift ,decided we would go on a big adventure for my birthday.

We dropped the girls off at Nana and Papa's mid morning and headed out for Vinita Oklahoma. We went to a little
vinyard/cafe there and had lunch. It was very tasty! I had chicken salad in honor of my good friend, Ted. They were serving gumbo for Mardi Gras. They gave other people some beads to wear, but I was NOT going to flash them for some cheap beads. I am a lady you know......

After lunch we decided to head on over to Joplin, MO. It wasn't too far away and we had never been there, so off we went. We had no plan and no expectations for what we were going to do and it was wonderful.

I didn't even take my lap top so I wouldn't be tempted to work on the way. We talked the whole time and I tried to ask Joe dumb questions that he wouldn't answer. "Who was your first kiss" , "What is my worst fault?" Can you believe he didn't answer that?? Very smart man dontcha think?;o) I was serious too....I really wanted to know.

Anyway we arrived in Joplin and was pleasantly surprised by the town. It is a little bigger than our town but had so much to do! They aren't near a big metro area like Tulsa so they had to be self sufficient. THey had lots of strip malls and one huge mall that we walked around in for a while waiting for a movie to start. I was predictably drawn to every book store in the place. I have so many books I can't read now and I wanted more! I did buy Joe one since he WILL sit down and read it.

We went to see The Pink Panther and it was very funny! The theater was packed and we had to sit on the 8th row. Our necks were craned to see the screen. We sat in front of some easily tickled ladies and got a kick out of them laughing to hard at the movie. Steve Martin did a good job, but no one could play Inspector Clouseau like Peter Sellers.

On the way into town we spied our dinner destination: The Thai Restaurant. We arrived at sunset and had a lovely dinner. The food was fabulous and I am a new fan of Thai food. I had Thai Pad (or is it vice versa?) and Joe had Chicken Thai. Mine was very light ant almost sweet, Joe's was garlicky and a little more hearty. We shared our food and just enjoyed it all. I can cross off "eat Thai" off my 2006 resolution list now. I wish there was a Thai restaurant closer than Tulsa though....

We arrived back home about 9:30pm and just had a loverly day. We had a quiet evening at home and enjoyed the time alone.

Joe's birthday is coming in May......I wonder which direction we will go then?? :o)

Thanks for a great day Joe.

What's In a Name?

Yesterday I was having a conversation with Slick at work and we were discussing unique names. I think it originated when Beverly told us she named her children (who have 2 middle names each) after her husbands grandparents. We elected not to use family names when naming our daughters. We have Gussie, Gertie, Benton, Harve, Velma Wannette and Willie and Sequoyah and Alberta as our grandparents. They are all very unique names and have so much character! I also have in my family Altirean, Vada, Fannie, Noble, and Joe has Bootsie, Put, and Liddie. I am sure there are more that I cannot remember at this moment but I will update after I talk to my MIL. :o)

My paternal grandfather, Tom (Pap), had a habit that I have inherited, of nicknaming our friends. He called me Smiley (i used to smile from ear to ear when he came around and especially when he sneaked around and gave me money!) my closest boy cousin was Little Boy. His wife (my Nan) was Toots and my dad is still to this day called Toodie.

We chose to name our daughters Carly Grace and Cassidy Faith. I was blessed being named after my mother and paternal grandmother who share the same name. My middle name is what I chose to use in it's short version: Suzy. I do not know any other Suzy's spelled the same way as me....

Slick told a story of his Aunt Luna from the 1930's. He said that she slept in the front bedroom of their very large house. (I might add at this point that he snickered when he said her name: Aunt Luna....tic) She slept with her husband's Colt 45 beside her bed and when she heard a noise outside she got up, took the gun in hand and stood at the door. She called, "Who's there?" If no one answered she shot through the door! One night when she heard something on the porch she predictably got the gun, went to the door and said, "Who's there?" no one answered so she shot through the door and went back to bed. The next morning they awoke to find a dead black man on the porch.

So, do you all have any interesting family names you would like to share? I would love to hear your stories.

DigiCam Photo

"Mommy" by CassiJo 2006

Moonlight Sledding

Here are some pictures of the snow that fell on Joe Street in Oklahoma Friday night. It was mostly ice with a little snow on top. We had to warm up the car a loooonnngg time before I drove it Saturday. We all got out just after sunset and played for a few minutes in the road, pushing CassiJo around on a plastic box lid with a shop broom. We didn't have anything that resembled a sled to be found or any rope, so we improvised !

Obviously Obfuscated

Slick and I were talking about my one word post that had 24 comments. He thinks he can beat it but he is already not following the rules. Apparently, the instructions were obfuscated. Check out his post.....

Tut Tut Looks Like Snow!

Here is Uncle Joe pickin'...he is grinnin too but wouldn't let
me take a picture of that.
Here is the picture of my photo board that started
all the hubub about Hugh Jackman. See? It is not
a big picture and there are lots of pictures of Joe
too!

I hear we are in store for some snow this weekend here in Oklahoma! Yay! It will be one of the few snow (for some reason I keep typing snot instead of s-n-o-w.! haha) days we will get this winter. It has been very mild so far, which is good for my late night walk/stroll with Joe.

I love the moon right now. It is so bright! I wish we lived out in the country where there were no street lights and we could see the stars and moon uncumbered by all the lights and wires.

I have been accidentally overdosing Joe on Claritin the past two days, so he has slept A LOT. Sorry Joe! He was among the living and undrugged today and appeared fairly normal. One good thing was that he hopefully got caught up on all the sleep he lost last week....see? I can see the bright side.....I just hope he can too.

My Funny Valentine......

Happy Valentine's Day Uncle Joe

You are the one I choose
above all others
to share my life
and my love with.

You are my hero
and my best friend.

Thank you for sharing your life with me

Truly,

Aunt Josefina

I am a LOSER!!

I am such a loser.

Uncle Joe proposed a contest. I was SO confident in my spam detecting abilities that I didn't think he would win in a million years. I mean SPAM is so disgusting to me that I felt sure I would know it if he tried to make me eat it.

Well I was wrong.

While I was at Walmart last night providing sustinance for my beloved family, he was at home feverishly cooking up a scheme to trick his loving wife. I can just see the glee on his face as he mixed the ingredients and I can hear his laughing as he pulled them out of the oven.

He whipped up some SPAM MUFFINS !! Who the heck makes up recipes like this anyway??

Well I will say that I had no idea it was SPAM in them. He kept asking me if I wanted to try one last night, but due to an overindulgence of onion rings at lunch, I passed. Good thing he saved two for lunch today. BTW we also had company over so my humiliation was made public!! Dazzler and her Lil Dazzler were dining with us and she got such a laugh!! She was in on it too!! I know I had a stupid look on my face when he said, "Do you know what is in them? The top layer was blah blah blah and the bottom layer has SPAM." HUH??? Did he just say SPAM?? I did NOT just eat SPAM and like it. I had to taste it again to be sure. I still couldn't taste it but there were no more muffins to pick apart and inspect, so that must tell you they were good.

OK I admit it. I ate SPAM and liked it. ARE YOU PEOPLE HAPPY NOW???!!!

My Lil Joe

Is this not the cutest little face you have ever seen?! This face was duplicated in our oldest daughter Carly...I'll post a picture of her later to prove it. :o)

There Can Be Only One

(first who knows what movie that title comes from? )

Joe and I are purchasing a digital camera tomorrow Saturday 2-11-06......and we need your opinion. We have a gift card for Best Buy and adding a little money to that plan to purchase a small camera. I have the opinion of Susie, and now we await yours too.

What kind of cameras do you all have?

How many pixels?

Do you use all the bells and whistles? (haha)

Do you like it?

What kind of memory stick does it take?

Give us your recommendations pleaseandthankyouverymuch.

~Uncle Joe and Aunt Josefina

We Must We Must We Must Increase Our

Posts!!

I cannot believe how many comments I got on a one word post. How funny is that?

Cassidy asked me recently if she could have some "bump beds". You know, with one on top and one on bottom? (uh oh. this could be bad)

Carly asked me not to go to her school in my flannel pants last week. She was embarrassed of me! I thought I was a cool mom! I thought she was proud to be seen with me! It was a sad day to realize that she thinks about me the same things I thought about my mom. I didn't appreciate her.....really appreciate her til I was an adult. We are great friends now (now that she can't boss me around!haha )

I am afraid our home computer is going down.....Joe just called and said he can't get it to come up. I think he might cry if it crashes. I haven't seen him cry.

Where is a geek when you need one? Geek Man!! I need you!! Mayday Mayday!!

test

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TGIF

You all will happy (and maybe even a little jealous haha) to know that our Michael Buble' tickets have been secured.(Thanks to my wonderful mother in law and Joe) I am so excited.....if I could do a cartwheel I would. ( I never could do a cartwheel right so it's no big loss!)

Joe is at music practice right now and I had to go there to pick up the girls after work. I got to hear some of the music and they sounded great!! They are trying to think of a name for the band......can y'all help them out? C'mon bloggers lets hear what you have......it is a Christian band....rock.....4 guys and 1 gal...2 guitars, 1 keyboard, drums (and a red headed) singer. The style of music they sing is Big Tent Revival, Big Daddy Weave, Todd Agnew and others that I don't remember at the publishing of this post. :o) Imagine that.......

One of the girls at work is in need of prayer in the worst way. Her 19 year old niece has been missing for almost a week. The niece's name is Sara Smart. She was dropped off at a local McDonalds and hasn't been seen since. It is not looking good at this point and her family is asking for any help anyone can give. Blogger Friends please remember this family in your prayers.

Well my eldest daughter has just departed for a sleep over with her friend Payton. The house is so quiet. Cassidy is watching a video being still......I think I will go enjoy it. (the quiet that is)



I hope all of you all have a great weekend.

Michael Buble' and Birthday Cake

I heard on a local radio station that one of our new favorite crooners, Michael Buble' is coming to Tulsa in March. How convenient, that my birthday just happens to be near the concert date! How sweet is that?

Tickets go on sale Friday so Joe may be making a morning trip to Tulsa to buy us tickets. The concert will be at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center March 14th. If any of y'all would like to go with us please let us know so we can make proper arrangements. :o)

This concert is right in line with our Ballroom Dancing class we have been going to so this should be really fun...I wonder if he would croon a song just for me?

Hugh Jackman

OK I never would have ever thought of this, but Joe got me started with his post about Hugh. I sniffed out my Kate and Leopold movie and am watching it right now as I blog.

I like his character because he is aware of what women like....to be appreciated and treasured. I love to hear that Joe appreciates me and loves some certain thing that I do for him, what ever that may be. I like it when he lets me know that I am his treasure.

Ok enough mush. How about that Hugh Jackman's smile?? :D

Happy Bloggin Birthday Susie!

HEY ALL YOU BLOGGERS....HEAD OVER TO SUSIE'S PLACE. TODAY IS HER BIRTHDAY!
( SHE LOVES IT WHEN WE SING TO HER SO LEAVE HER A SONG..........)

(It's also Mr. Firebarbie's Birthday too.....Happy Birthday Mr Firebarbie!)

he's so fine

I just wanted to tell everyone how wonderful my husband is!!!!!!

I love his bald head. I love it when he snores. I love when he makes me do his laundry.

I just love HIM. He's so fine. MY MAN!!!!

One...Two...Cha Cha Cha

We went to our first Ballroom Dance class tonight. (Wowie don't we wish we had a digital video camera!?) What a hilarious sight we all were! Joe and I were the youngest couple there. One fellow appeared to be about 80! Go Clarence!!

We learned the Foxtrot, the ChaChaCha all with basic steps, and what we in the dance world call "open conversation steps" Say it with me........

It was very fun and we actually got the hang of it fairly quickly and did quite well considering that we have not danced together very much. (I know I know.....very sad isn't it, but "Baptists don't dance" as Carly said once)

We liked the music we were dancing to alot, but really got into it when she played some of Santana's "Smooth".

I think we are gonna have a great time and make some really fun memories! At the end of the class there will be a "social".

We are doing this because we want to sponsor a "Grown Up Prom" with some of our friends this spring. Doesn't that sound like the most fun!? I think it will be an absolute blast! If y'all get down our way, please stop by and we will dance up a storm........one two three cha cha cha!

Can I brag?

Can I just tell y'all if we have a contest to post a picture of "under your bed" we would win?? Joe got a wild hair this weekend and we cleaned til we were blue in the face and our under the bed area was clean and free of dust bunnies and stray Polly Pocket paraphenalia, stray socks and my silicone ear plugs.

Our closet is the girls new favorite place to play. It is clean and they can shut the door for privacy. I am thinking of setting up an office in there.

Where will our cleaning escapade take us next? The girls rooms? The kitchen? The hall closet? Who knows? Only Joe.

It is amazing to me the stuff I saved. I found all kinds of stuff. Some sad and some sweet. They are all examples of a particular moment in my life, a memory or a phase. They were all extensions of me and some of them were hard to discard.....but I dug down very deep and I did it. Purge!! Purge!! Purge!!

We are also going to sell some stuff on eBay. We got a lot of info from a fellow blogger, Gobhole Girl who is an eBay'er....so do the rest of you have any advice for virgin eBay'ers? We have selected cd's, books, and vhs tapes for our first sale items. Will vhs tapes even sell?

Take a Free Flight To Japan

My brother-n-law has moved to Japan for a Big Adventure. Please visit his blog and take a look. He has already posted some pictures and has a nice little blog goin on!

You can find him at: Yokie From Muskogee

Challenge Post

I have been challenged by Susie post a picture of my refrigerator. Here it is.

But first in response to her wish list:

I wish:
I was thinner
Joe had a healthy heart
My children to be happy adults
My children to be happy children first
I could be a better Christian
I was more proactive and less reactive
I was more bold
Life had a pause button
I could breathe underwater
I could go on a luxurious vacation to a deserted fully stocked tropical island
I wish this was really my fridge
My children had a mute button
I could get paid to just be me.
My brain included a brain-camera to save those special sights
I could sing
I could remember better
I could think of funny things to post
I could take a nap.

Hey I can take a nap! I think I will.....

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz ZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzz

Tickle My Funny Bone

Ok here is my favorite joke in the whole world. Let me warn you it is corny but funny. It was told to me by my former boss, Dr. Morgan. I still laugh when I think of him telling it to me. (He was about 6'5" and weighed about 270 and just laughed the whole time he was telling it)

OK there was this guy in a hot air balloon floating all over creation. He had been at it a long time and got tired so he decided to sit down and rest in the basket. He fell asleep and when he woke up he had no idea where he was. He lowered the ballon a bit over a farm and called out to the farmer down below, "Hey you down there! Where am I?"

The farmer being very intelligent replied, "Haha! You can't fool me...you're up in that balloon!"

hahahahahaha

Ok Bloggers, tickle my funny bone with YOUR funniest joke. (and don't tell me if you didn't like mine.haha )

Leaving Cable TV Behind

Joe and I recently decided to turn our cable tv off...or at least down to the most basic of services. (That includes the local channels and a few others 12 total) We have talked about it since the summer of 2004 but never had the guts to do it. We admit, we liked it too. Food Network, Spike, HGTV, AMC etc. Tonight I saw something that confirmed that our decision was a good one. Joe was out of the house at music practice and I was in the living room listening to some Christian music really loudly while I cleaned. I realized I hadn't heard any noise from the girls in a while so I went in to check on them. They were in my bedroom. Cassidy was sitting on my bed coloring quietly. ( a rare treat in itself) and Carly and Bailey ( our guest for the evening) were quietly playing on the computer. I stood in the doorway looking at them and was thankful that they were doing something other than staring at the television mindlessly. They were using their brains!

This has been the best thing for our family. I did not even turn on the tv tonight and I did not even miss it. I totally recommend this to you bloggers. It freed us to spend time with each other, find an interesting activity or CLEAN!!:o)

Joe announced to the children last night as they struggled to find something to watch, "TV is now the LEAST important thing in your life." They haven't fully grasped that yet, but they are on their way.

The only thing they have found they like to watch is TV Guide Channel, and who can take much of that? haha

I am a Dove commercial

I would like to ask all you bloggers, male and female, what are your favorite products?

Lets start with personal hygiene products

Soap: girly Bath and Body works stuff like Warm Vanilla Sugar at the moment
Shampoo: Dove
Facial cleanser: Dove exfoliator
Facial moisturizer: Oil of Olay but I want to try Dove next time
Mousse: Dove
Deodorant: Dove solid (but for my piggies: spray)
Hairspray: Dove (see I told you!)
Body spray: warm vanilla sugar or toasted hazelnut from B&B
Lotion: I make my own...a mixture of lavender baby lotion and vit. e cream and shea butter. lemme know if you want some and i will be happy to send you some.
Toothpaste: Aquafresh extra fresh
Perfume: Chloe Innocence (but only when I am not "sugared" up
Razors: Daisy with the comfort strip

We will be conducting this study on other products at a later date. This is totally for research for the perfect facial moisturizer, right Susie? If you use a product not sold in stores, please include a hyperlink on your blog.

OK y'all are it. :o)

Tagged by ~Jennifer

For those of you who don't know me very well I love these things. Before I got hooked on bloggin I was getting these things on email and forwarding it to everyone I knew. Very few people ever took the time to fill them out. I tried and tried to tell them how much fun it is, and only one cousin listened. My mother is afraid of so much information about her floating out in cyberspace.

Anyway, here is my 2x2 list from ~Jennifer

2 names you go by: Aunt Su-Su, SuBo
2 parts of your heritage: Cherokee, Human
2 things that scare you: Losing someone in my immediate family, car wrecks
2 of your everyday essentials: deodorant for my piggies, Diet Pepsi (or any diet soda)
2 things you are wearing right now: Tennis shoes, jogging pants
2 things you want in a relationship: communication, loyalty
2 truths: God loves me, Jesus saves us
2 of your favorite hobbies: making bead jewelry, reading
2 things you want really badly: a digital camera, for my children to get along
2 places you want to go on vacation: Australia, Hawaii
2 things you want to do before you die:1. Hold my grandchildren , retire
2 ways that you are stereotypically a chick: I have breasts, I cried in Steel Magnolia's
2 things you are thinking about now: I hope I don't go psycho on the two children screaming in this room, I hope my slap-top doesn't fall off this chair
2 stores you shop at:Walmart Homeland
2 people to tag: Susie, Meow

Added:
2 weird habits: picking at my head, spraying my feet with deodorant everyday
2 favorite items in the house: my spyderco knife (best knife I have)my bed
2 stores i wish we had: Target, Olive Garden (i know it's not a store, but i wish we had it)
2 things that make me cry: fighting with hubby, the fact that Jesus died for me
2 things i wish I could do different: if i did anything differently i wouldn't be who i am today and be in this exact moment, so nothing.
2 things I do very badly: stay on task, and do things on time
2 hidden talents: i can tie a cherry stem in a knot with my tongue, and the other will remain hidden from y'all ;o)
2 other email names: subo...thats the only other one.

Pitiful Purse Pictures

Here is what I found in my purse....aaahhh! JOE!
This is the contents. Neatly arranged. Do I win?

This is the purse. Amazing isn't it?

Here is a run down of the contents:

Wallet crammed full

2 lotions

1 lip gloss

1 recipe for baked fudge...let me know if you want the recipe...it is SO good

1 pkg dove body wipes (I have no clue why I have those...I guess to wipe Joe's head)

2 emails from Susie 4 pages long :o) I read them on my lunch break

2 computer document holders

2 pens

2 clackers

5 loose coins

1 section of rope

tall stack o mail

1 fingernail polish

orbit gum new flavor yum!

1 kiss

4 pay stubs

black card holder

label from microwave cake...saving it for the little coupon thing on it

check register..full

witness cards

stack o trash including multiple receipts, m&m wrapper, ear ring holder

build a bear card

pill holder

4 gift cards

2 paperclips

address book

Oh yes...my make up bag too.

Can you believe all that fit in that skinny purse???

I think we have a winner. Who can beat me??

That was fun!

Letter to Jamie Dawn from CassiJo

Dear Jamie Dawn,

You told my mommy that you were sending her some Ruby Red Slippers for Christmas and some Munchkins to play with me and my sister. Where are they? We have been waiting so long for them. I promised Mommy this morning that I would only wear her sparkly shoes in the house when she gets them. What do Munchkins eat? We need to be sure and go get some food for them. I still don't know where they will sleep when they get here, but send them anyway. We have sleeping bags.

Love

CassiJo

Weekend Update

Uncle Joe has finally finished his clever post. You can find it here . He had the computer tied up most of the afternoon and I had to wait very patiently indeed. Please check it out...it is really cute. I think most everyone who visits here also visits him, but just in case........

While he was working I went up to him and without thinking, smelled his head. It was not good. It did not smell good like baby's heads do. It smelled like man-head that needed a shower.

Well I am being summoned to the shower by Cassidy who can't do it by herself, so I will make this post
SHORT
SWEET
HARD TO BEAT
TRICK OR TREAT
SMELL MY FEET
THEY DON'T STINK LIKE SMELLY HUBBY'S HEAD.
(I am very self conscious about my foot odor so I spray them with deodorant every day.) TMI?? Too bad. :o)

From Josefina's Kitchen to Yours.....

These are some recipes from my cookbook. These are diet friendly except the first one. You can also get a lot of good recipes, diet tips and encouragment here It is not a Weight Watchers sponsored site, but is full of real men and women who are trying to change their lifestyle of eating.

Here goes:

This is a local favorite in our Mexican restaurants.

Hamlin's Dip
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. green olives chopped
1/2 t. garlic powder
4 oz. Blue Cheez Dressing
1 pint real mayo

Mix all together and thin to desired consistency with real buttermilk.
Refrigerate over night. (It is best the next day)

Serve with tortilla chips. YUM!

EZ Cheezy Soup

3 cans FF Chicken or Vegetable Broth
1 - 16 or 20 oz pkg (frozen) California Veg Mix
1 can Rotel

Mix all into a stew pot and cook over med heat to desired veggie tenderness.

Add: 10 oz LITE Velveeta Cheez

Heat thoroughly

1 cup=1 point on WW


Salmon Corn Cakes
Don't be afraid to try these...they are wonderful!!!

1- 6 oz can salmon rinsed drained and flaked (do not try to double this recipe with the large cans of salmon it
is DISGUSTING. USE ONLY THE 6 OZ CANS!)
1/2 c. corn kernels
1/4 c. plain dried bread crumbs
1 large egg white
2 T. minced onion
1 T cilantro chopped
1/2 t. pepper
1/8 t. chili powder
2 t. canola oil

Mix all ingredients except oil. Let stand in fridge 10 min. (this is important) Shape into 4 -4" patties 1/2" thick. (Sprinkle each side with corn meal to keep from sticking to pan.)

Heat oil in skillet over med high heat. add patties cook 8-10 min pressing with spatula

Serve with a dollop of FF sour cream

1 serving = 2 patties
258 cal 11 g fat 2 g fiber
6 points each serving

Fake Carmel Apple Dip

1 small butterscotch pudding mix
1 small CoolWhip
Apples of your choice

Mix dry pudding into CoolWhip. Dip apples.....yum yum yum
My fave is Granny Smith Apples

G-Mom's Lemon Dessert

1 Angel Food Cake
1 large tub CoolWhip Lite or FF
1 jar lemon curd (found in the jelly section. it is like lemon pie filling only very concentrated)

Fold lemon curd into CoolWhip.
Serve over the Angel Food Cake.
One of my my fave desserts!!


There you have it. The first installment. I hope someone tries these....they are all very good and very easy. I am all about easy cooking! (Joe is the pastry chef in our house...he can make bread and piecrust from scratch and it is very good!)

We have been walking at night and getting some exercise, in addition to all the walking I do at work. I am down 5 pounds so far. Yippee! How are y'all doin?

Does anyone take a vitamin? I take the Dieter's Vitamin (walmart brand) and it has something in it that helps with my appetite and a shot of caffeine. Anne, you are the healthy eater aren't you? What do you take?

Benefits of Blogging

1. You get the chance to meet all kinds of people. (I had a comment yesterday from New Zealand! Cool!) I feel like I know some of you very well just by your posts and comments. How many of us have met and maintained a real life friendship with a blogger?
2. You can help people remotely; by listening and lending an ear and an occassional guffaw.
3. It gets your creative juices flowing. People are usually so funny on these things! Why can't we be this funny in person? I personally don't think fast on my feet and usually have to ponder my comments.
4. It demonstrates the humor in daily life, and what fun that is poking fun at ourselves and others.
5. It demonstrates that most of the time you are not a freak of nature. Everyone has a collection of
nail clippers, pens, scissors and remotes, plastic bags and magazines
6. Brave people post hot spots in their houses to help motivate them to clean. I must get a digital camera. I have several hot spots. One is the bloggin chair/bloggin spot, but I can't seem to catch it unoccupado! :o)
7. It has given me a lot of fun with Joe in the blogosphere and out.
8. I neglect food while blogging so I have lost weight.
9. I neglect laundry while blogging so I got to shop for clean underwear.
1o. Joe can wear the same jeans two days in a row (or more) cause he doesn't sweat while blogging. (He does however wet them from laughing at some of you cwaazzy people!)

What are your benefits of blogging?

5W

Why: does time pass so quickly while swimming in the blogosphere? And why is blogging so addictive?
I sat down at the computer last night to blog a minute or two before bed and before you know it, it was 11pm and I was still at it. I am tired again today.

Where: does JamieDawn live? Its like that game, Where's Waldo!

Who: is Saur?

When: will Milton get his ever-lovin red stapler back for Pete's sake?

What: am I doin bloggin? I have to get up and get the Joe Family off to school and work!

Hope you will have a zoopr day today.

Dinner's Ready!!

Hmmmmm the last two times I have cooked, the smoke alarm has gone off. Shortly thereafter you could hear me call, "Dinner's Ready!!" Please hold all nasty comments. It was a total coincidence. Really.

My role in a family drama

Today the instant I walked into the house from work, our eldest, and most dramatic, loverly daughter said, "Mom LuLu(the names have been changed to protect the innocent) has invited me to go to the movies with her tonight."

I replied in my most haggard voice, "I don't think tonight is a good night. The movie won't start til at least 7pm and you would be out until 9pm and tomorrow is a school day. You just got off a long break, lets do it another night."

Oh my 'lard', you would have thought I told her she could never breathe again or something. The wailings that came out of that child's mouth were unsurpassed to this point in her young life. I retreated to my bedroom and looked at Joe, who was blogging (a RIVETING POST nonetheless...Jamie please stay calm) and said, "What on earth is that about?" He advised that LuLu was supposedly moving, and he being the sensitive "girl dad" that he is suggested I go offer to let her talk about it. Just about that time she came busting in the room asking for the movie listings. After a little bit -o- sass on her part and a little bit -o -yellin on Joe's part she retreated and gave up.

I knew she was stewing about something more than going to the movies, probably about losing her friend, so I went to her very sweetly and said, "Honey is there something you need to talk about? Is something going on with Leslie? Is she moving?"

Big tears welled up in her eyes and she nodded. "When? I asked

"Sniff....next year." she said.

I used a lot of restraint here. I suggested that she had a lot of time to spend with LuLu before she left and we could plan some "special time" with her real soon.

Am I over-reacting here or was that a little bit much? I remember how "big" things seemed when I was her age . What joy awaits us as she enters puberty!!

Photo #1: It is a Joe Kinda Christmas for Uncle Joe (see what he is holding?)

Photo#2: Uncle Joe and his Baby Girls (with his other favorite identity: Batman)

Introducing The Joe Family

Here is the Joe family: Uncle Joe, Aunt Jo, Carly Jo and Cassi Jo
So, whaddayathink?

You know you're a blog addict.....

when you dream of blogging.

I dreamed of blogging all night. I am so weird.

I think I can......

Our sermon last night was so good I have to blog about it. It woke me up this morning so I know it is the right thing to do.

Key verses: Isaiah 43:10-21 (See comments for the text)

God is bigger than our past. He doesn't dwell on it, why should we? He is interested in our future, because that is where we will be spending the rest of our lives, not in the past.

Have you ever wanted a "Do Over"? Well we can't go back and have a do over, but God can give you a fresh start if we allow Him to by doing the following:

1. Stop making excuses for failures.
~stop blaming others
~stop being a victim
~be honest and accept responsibility for your part of the problem

If you give up when trouble comes you are weak -Proverbs
People good @ making excuses are rarely good at anything else.

2. Act in faith
~act on what YOU know, not what others know, or what you don't know but what you KNOW to be true.
~act on as little knowledge that you have. eg: a new Christian may have very little knowledge about what
Jesus can do in their lives, but they know that he died on the cross and rose from the dead. act on that.
You know that to be true
~acting in faith ensures that you won't make the same mistake
~Quit feeling sorry for yourself
~Stop regretting the past and look to the future
~Learn from the past but don't dwell on it

3. Focus your life on things of God
~Focus your thoughts on God
~Our LIFE is shaped by our thoughts
~Renew your mind=Renew your life

Get around God's people as much as possible. Get around other believers who are focused on God and you
will gain strength from it.

4. Trust God in all this
~When is the last time you REALLY trusted Him? The world teaches us to believe in ourselves and what
man can do for himself. God wants us to just look to Him, trust Him and let Him prove Himself mighty!

Brother Monty also reminded us to take "Baby Steps" and grow.

Look to the ant you slackers!

Proverbs 6:6

A line in our Sunday School lesson today. After Joe read it, I leaned over and said, "Sounds like a post title to me." We laughed to ourselves......

Yes look to the Aunt and see what there is to learn:

1. Always look behind you when backing up. (There are poles hidden in bushes)
2. Think before speaking. (I have tasted my feet in my mouth many times.)
3. Always read the instructions.
4. Refrain from gossip in public. You never know who is listening and who they are related to. So, save it for
closed doors. (I was talking, not bad, about a highschool classmate who committed suicide at a lunch date
once and was horrified to learn his widow was sitting behind us. Even if she had heard, we were not saying
anything bad,but learned a lesson.)
5. Always look in the mirror one last time before going to work. (I have been humiliated many times when I
realized I forgot to blend a swipe of makeup in or forgot to comb our my bangs....what a laugh that was!)
6. Never assume anything when dealing with the public.
"Is this your father?" "No, he's my husband."
"WHen is your baby due?" "I'm not pregnant" or "She is 6 months old."
7. When talking to someone about an ex, use all human restraint not to chime in on the ex-bashing. Won't
we feel stupid if they get back together?
8. Sometimes we can learn more by listening than by asking a lot of nosy, dumb questions.
9. Always check the pockets before washing pants. (I have found $50 and also lost things in the washer)
10. Pay attention in Psychology class....some of that stuff really works.

There you have it folks. That's all I have to say at the moment, but stay tuned, cause I feel like I am on a roll here.