This is a post about Carly

Carly is my eldest daughter.

She wants me to make a post about her.

She is 13 years old and has the most beautiful porcelian skin and curly dark hair.

She is very funny, a comic genius says Tedly, and makes silly noises when she is happy.

She wiggles when she eats something she likes. Always has....even as a baby!

She turned her feet in circles when she was a baby sitting in her swing. She still does that when she is thinking or tired.

She has a teddy bear named AprilBear. She was a gift from my ex-sister in law and remains her favorite bear.

She loves Dr. Pepper. She got a Dr. Pepper shirt, a six pack of Dr. Pepper and Dr. Pepper lip gloss from her silly mother for Christmas.

She is currently boy crazy. She gets that from her mother.

She has beautiful eyes. When she was born she had the longest eye lashes. The nurses told me that was a sign of a truly beautiful baby. I totally believed them.

She prayed for a baby sister once. Now she wonders why she did it. (haha!)

When we shop together she has to be touching me at all times as we stroll. We appear to be conjoined twins, attached at the elbow. Sometimes it annoys me, but most of the time I just laugh when I notice it.

All her friends are nutso like her so they are a herd of silly sweet goofy girls.

She also has bedroom floor issues. Apparently it causes her stress to actually SEE the floor.....so it is always covered with clothes. I just keep the door shut as that annoys me.

She is a joy in my life and I am glad God have her to us to be our daughter.

She Has It All Figured Out

A co-worker, Cathey, has a niece named Alli. Alli is Cathey's MiniMe. Cathey is kind of matter-of-fact in all she does. She doesn't get all silly goofy about things like I do. She is the voice of reason, the devil's advocate and always the one to put you in your place and tell you just how it is. Her niece is the same way. Alli is 4 yrs old.

Cathey went to visit Alli this weekend and was asking what she was going to get for Christmas. Their conversation went like this:

"Alli, what is Santa going to bring you for Christmas?"

"Blue Dora (the Explorer) ear-rings and necklace"

"Oh.....that sounds nice" At this point Cathey realizes these items have never been mentioned before and her mother is clueless that she wants these.

"Well you know sometimes Santa doesn't bring us every single thing we want, and that's OK isn't it?"

Alli replies, "He is bringing me Dora ear rings and necklace Aunt Cappy"

Cathey knows there is no chance Alli will get the jewelry so Cathey and Alli's dad decide to try to persuade her against wanting the earrings. They get a pair of earrings and tell her, "Alli do you know how ear rings get in your ears? They take the ear rings and put a little tiny hole in your ear."

"Does it hurt?" asks Alli

"Yes but just for a minute" Cathey tells her.


Alli ponders this thought for a while and when her dad is visiting with her later about Christmas the ear rings come up again.

"Remember Alli, you'll have to get little holes in your ears to wear the ear rings. You don't want them to do that to your ears remember?"

Alli has it ALL figured out and says, "Oh Santa is going to bring me new ears."

Uninterrupted time

Today I am out of town on a GirlsNightOut or GNO as CarlyJo has christened it....my friend, Carol, and I are in Tulsa for a night of fun.

We left town as soon as I picked up my paycheck yesterday and headed out of town. I was glad that my niece, Salani came over to keep the girls company while I am away. You know how Drama Queens can be! As soon as she arrived I was old news.....thankfully!

I fetched Carol from her parent's home in Fort Gibson and we were on our way. I felt like I was going to take a big breath and not stop talking for 30 hours! We have a lot of fun together, but we can also be quiet together and be totally content.

Our hotel is directly across the street from the huge local mall, so I imagine we will be there first thing. It will be a great thing to be there with no one else to have to worry about, take to the bathroom, corral or separate from their sibling.

We had dinner at Carrabas, an Italian restaurant, and it was SO good. Our waiter was fabulous and really made our maiden trip very nice. I had Lobster ravioli. (Good, but I don't think I would get it again) Carol had plain ravioli and we shared a great unprouncable dessert. It was butter cake with vanilla pudding, fruit and whipped cream topping. Very yummy and seemed simple enough to duplicate at home later.

We went to see P.S. I Love You and it was very good. It made us cry throughout the whole movie but we laughed a lot too. I would recommend it for a good chick-flick. Two thumbs up here!

Barnes and Noble was the only store open after the movie so of course we went to sniff some books. I found something for CarlyJo and Uncle Joe but decided to wait to find something for myself. I have limited funds you know! I will hunt for a goodie for CassiJo tomorrow too :o)

I must have been major tired because I fell alseep as soon as my head hit the pillow and Carol said I slept through our noisy neighbors banging/clanging/hollering at 1230am.

Now we are channel surfing and blogging, throwing the idea of breakfast around......life is good.

Our time may be limited, so we will maximize it by having major fun!

Our girls (she has 2 girls and 1 boy) kept asking what we were going to be doing. We both told them, "Whatever we want......uninterrupted!" It is just nice not to have a plan and do whatever we want.

Right now there is a cup of coffee calling me to come downstairs......

Hi Kai!

Our nephew Kai has learned a new skill.......can you guess what it is??

Christmas is coming!!

It is hard to think of things I want for Christmas....here are the intangibles:












You can never have enough grace......or smiles. Good thing about smiles, they are contagious, so pass some out!

Hugs and kisses are wonderful.....especially when they come when you least expect it or really really need them after a bad day.

Now the tangibles......









I am trying really hard to grow my nails out long and pretty. I have been told I have nice long nail beds so they look long even when they aren't. I would love to have a nice manicure from Shannon at Salon Secrets on York Street. :o)









I have always wanted one of these necklaces....costume jewelry of course.


































I missed seeing this at the movies last year so now it is out on DVD. :o)

Here is my fave B&B scent and I am out of bath/shower gel.....

Dark chocolate is best....and good for you too! (if that is a lie, don't tell me.)

Our kitchen chairs don't have pads in them. Maybe if they did we could use the dining table more. ;o) (that and clean it off!)

Walmart has some black checked ones we liked, right Carly??

I need some new toons!!

I love flannel pj's! These are so sweet!

I must must must have a new calendar people! It is my lame attempt to try and stay organized.

This is my new favorite perfume. It smells SO yummy. (A little like Obesssion)

I wonder if it will drive Uncle Joe mad? I must invite him into my bubble to test the theory: Just a dab will do....just enough that you have to be "in my bubble" to smell it. Mmmmmmm

I have everything bought and wrapped. I went on a marathon shopping trip to Tulsa last Friday all by my self. I was so proud of myself! I didn't have any trouble in traffic, and only had to ram one person who pulled out in front of me in front of Krispy Kreme. I had ideas galore and cash to spend. I got the girls gifts here and there and everywhere (Carly did you really think I was going to tell you where I shopped? haha)

Uncle Joe got us a "together gift"
a Batman Black mixer. I am firing it up today and making some cookies. I think I might try Chocolate Chip Oatmeal and Snickerdoodles. We also got a pasta maker with it. I hope to try that out soon too.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and a blessed Christmas, that you are surrounded by your loved ones sharing your love and laughter.

Thank you Jesus for leaving Heaven to come to earth, to share our air and walk our sod. Thank you for teaching us how to love one another as you loved us. Thank you for loving us when we fail and for encouraging us to keep on keeping on, and thanks for hanging around and NEVER leaving us, even when we feel alone. ~

..

Happy Boobah Cassidy

Happy Boobah to my baby!

'bout this time 8 yrs ago I was snuggling with my newborn baby daughter in a warm hospital bed singing Christmas carols softly in her ear. She slept right through my songs.

Since that night we have been laughing with this kid and the silly stuff she says. (Like last week: "Mom do boys have something called a nut?" My reply: Yes it is on top of their shoulders and it is called THEIR HEAD" Carly was in the back seat saying, "I can't WAIT to hear your answer Mom." I handled that well don't you think? )

All I have to do today is...

go to work
get as much done in 6 hours as I do in 8
come home
pick up Cassidy early from school
(My friend Carol and her two daughters are coming to spend the night and go to Tulsa with us to celebrate Cassidy's upcoming birthday Dec 11. )
make a cake
make icing (for the first time)
decorate a cake (Cassi designed it...pictures will follow after completion)
sweep and mop the floor
clean up the mess from the cake
grocery shop
tidy up the bathrooms
wrap a gift for Cassidy
entertain
have fun!

I like the last part best.

Bizzy Buzzy Day today

Hump Day

I feel like I have a hump on my back. Too much over time for AJ who is getting older and older.......but I am tough, I will bounce back befor you know it. (and probably hit you in the face on the return trip haha)

I helped with a catering for the local power company last night. I got to be at the most important table: THE DESSERT TABLE. I had a table full of pumpkin pie, turtle cheesecake and strawberry cake to serve. I did not push the turtle cheesecake under strict orders from my cousin Wendy across the way. She was really hoping that some would be left to take home with her. The last time I saw Wendy she was absconding with a left over pecan pie. She is a Pie Snatcher.

CarlyJo is sick this week. She caught Mom's cold. I suffered through it last week and thought I was going to explode in a snotty mess. Isn't it amazing the amount of mucous your body can produce? It just isn't right!

A local radio station is playing Christmas music 24/7. It is nice for a little while, then it gets annoying.

Got any good ideas for home made Christmas gifts??

UJ and I got ourselves a KitchenAid mixer, black of course. I can't wait to whip up some cookies! It should arrive soon. Now I won't have any thing to open on Christmas morning! :o(

I got Carly the coolest gift ever.......it's a

eeeep! gotta go look at the time!

I knew

if i left my sweet snow flake background up long enough it would finally be in season again...it's kinda like leaving your Christmas lights up all year.

My Christmas shopping is started, barely.

My tree is not up yet.

I have lights for the house......on the kitchen table.

I have good intentions for Christmas cards too.

Cassidy's birthday is December 11th. She will be 8yrs old. NOOOOOOOO!
My baby is 8??

Ok gotta run! This indoor plumbing.....er internet is great!! (but now I have wasted too much time and will be late for work!)

Let's Get This Party Started!

Guess what? We are back on-line!! YAY!!

We have been with out internet for almost a year now, since our second computer died some time in January.

Uncle Joe finally made some calls, pulled some strings and broke a few kneecaps and got us some good dsl going here in th Joe Home.

One bad thing: We have no outlet near the computer so there is a cable strung across the kitchen to the nearest outlet. There will be a prize for the person who trips over it first. I do believe I will unplug it now before we go to bed, as I will SURELY be the one to knock the computer off in the floor.

So, what has been going on in your lives? It feels so good to be at home in my warm house blogging and not outside, kiping a signal from the neighbors with my trusty rusty laptop. (Now if we can get wireless hooked up in here we will be all set!)

Good Advice

I got an email today with the best advice I have heard in a while:

When Satan comes knocking at your door, say, "Jesus, could you get that please?"

So simple!!

The Real Beef Head

Sometimes I think Uncle Joe has too much time on his hands. What do you think?? :o)

This is Beef Head Joe. He sure tasted good!! He was full of beef and all kinds of good seasonings. UJ found the recipe in a book of beef recipes.

The best thing about all his culinary quests is this : HE CLEANS IT ALL UP!! Oh Praise be to God He cleans the kitchen!! I want to kiss him all over his face when I see him doing that. He just doesn't understand why.

I am still standing

barely....I am sooooo tired. We are going through a data change-over at work and it is so slow. The light is at the end of the tunnel though......a small light, but there nonetheless. The Business Office staff has put in mega over-time the past 4 weeks and we are not done yet.

The weather is chilling here and Uncle Joe is heating up the kitchen on a daily basis. He is inspired by the Food Network (GOD BLESS THE FOODNETWORK!) and making all kinds of new and interesting dishes. He made a real beef head. Pictures will follow in a day or twelve.

CassiJo and CarlyJo have joined the swim team at school, so our lives the past two weeks have involved lots of water. They practice 1.5 hours a day , 3 days a week. We went from nothing to a very busy schedule! We live close to the pool so it is easy for UJ to go for one practice and I can go for the other. I am very proud of the girls progress and hope that they continue to participate as they get older. There is one girl in CarlyJo's class who ANP (my SIL) has named "The Torpedo" . SInce I don't know all the kids names I have given them made up names. There is the Torpedo, Pinkie(a little sprite of a girl who is usually the last one to finish....but she finishes..in her hot pink swimsuit), Crack Boy (self explanatory), Fluffy (she has naturally curly er I mean fluffy hair) among others. CarlyJo is a very precise swimmer. She is very deliberate in her graceful form. I like to watch her swim. She and her cousin ElleJo have decided they are moving in with Aunt Lil, who has a pool so they can be the best swimmers next year. I will miss them. :o)

Cassidy gets to swim with flippers, I am not sure why, but she is a little torpedo herself. She has a cute white swim cap (Thanks G-mom and ANP!) Last night when we were laying down just after she fell asleep she jerked really hard. She said, "Mom did you feel that?? I dreamed I was jumping in the pool!"

Today I helped out with a catering at Camp Gruber. I learned this afternoon that this group of soldiers is heading out to Iraq tonight. There may be some of them who will not come home. I tried to look at their names and remember them so I can pray for them. I looked at them as they ate wondering what they were thinking. I saw some of them on the phone with a loved one trying to get one more conversation in before they left. I would hate to be in their shoes, but I am very grateful for their bravery and committment. Lord please protect them and bring them home safely. Watch over their families while they are gone and let them know you are in control........

I am totally exhausted and I think I will go to bed now. Maybe I can talk UJ into coming with me to snuggle for a while. I feel like I haven't seen him at all this week. I leave while he is still asleep in the mornings and by the time he came home from Carly's swim practice, I would be in bed....so I really haven't seen much of him. I am kinda fond of his hairy face and I really want to kiss it.

Oh my I am to the point of being so tired I am getting silly........good night y'all.

zzz
zzzz
zzzzzz

Hello Neighbor!

This is the new kid on the block. Her name is Emily Danielle. Her head smells soo good! I can't wait to see all her piggie toes. She lives next door and I imagine we will all keep the grass hot running over for a Emmy Fix! :o)

Beef Head and a Princess

Uncle Joe's long time friend, Jeff came for a visit. He and CassiJo hit it off splendidly. He pestered her and gave her the business all night long. She loved it. She some how got to calling him Beef Head. I am not sure why.

I think he looks like Hugh Grant don't you?? He said he once was stopped in customs and the officers thought he really was HG!! (of course he let them think he was....wouldn't you??)

Jeff and his wife Monica live down south and he comes by for a visit with us while passing through to visit his mom. We only get to see him once a year and we are always glad he comes by for a visit.

We had a nice visit and went out to dinner in Tahlequah. We went to a new restaurant that I don't want to name because it wasn't that great. I hope to give them one more chance before I say something bad about it. Our first clue should have been the fact that there were only about 6 people in there on Friday night at 7pm. Our second clue should have been the waitress. She got my order all wrong and left a lot to be desired in the attentiveness and accuracy department. The not-so-discreet tattoo show we got was nice too. NOT!

The company was way better than the food, so I can't complain. Prayerful Mom and DaBigKahuna went with us and we laughed the whole time. These three guys love to get together and talk about old times, old girlfriends and the way things were. I tolerate the old girlfriend talk and just wish I could have known Joe way back when. I bet he was a hottie. :o)

We even got to squeeze a visit in with Ted and Patty before Jeff had to hit the road. (go on over to Tedly's place and get a linkie to his myspace account to hear his newest music. he just got back from california where he got to record some songs with Randy Stonehill and Mike Pachelli!)

We could all learn something from Jeff. Here is how he greeted me. "WELL HELLLLOOO GORGEOUS!"

Now THAT is how you greet a woman!

The Slide

Carly's Youth Director and his family live on a biiiig hill. They have an annual activiey called The Slide. I think you can see why.

The put a hose at the top, slather the plastic sheeting with liquid soap and slide away.

It is all good clean fun. :o)

I couldn't resisit the pun.

He has his uncle's hairline

Baby Kai

Baby Kai loves his girl cousins.....especially the ones with long hair to pull!!

Campin' Joes

Here is the Joe Campsite at Greenleaf State Park

UJ is cooking up a mess-o-eggs and sausages for breakfast.

Guess Who Came to Dinner

this is a fawn who walked right up to my nieces, ElleJo and AlliJo and CassiJo when we were camping.

i guess he or she smelled ElleJo's good apple.